- ) B2 ! ) 6 & 6 6 !#$%!&'()* ./!0!.01 2.+345 ,/.+64$ ! ,-:,7" *72 "! * A*4-*7,D5D-2 *4 353*-*! 2-34537"1 %4! 3%47% "-*1 , ! * 335-* N-,,, F5" !5 3 *!*35!*45,2 , "45, 5!7, 4 "25? ,4 2-4, 27" 4A2-, % 2D5 A1 2 3 .<!!" @> C *&- + , '-+.-.-/ '). R '(& )* +,#"& R "-12-3456 7 % 5 over the adverse impact of rapid spread of coronavirus on nvestors’ wealth plummeted the world economy. Bourses in +, ) Iby nearly 7 lakh crore on Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul , Monday as equity markets and Tokyo sank up to 5 per 89:& , crashed tracking global equity cent. European benchmarks 7* 89 .9 sell-off amid mounting fears of also plunged up to 6 per cent 08 a global economic slowdown in their early deals. * .;9. & due to the coronavirus On the currency front, " <=> "-12-345 outbreak. rupee slumped by another 30 "? Market capitalisation (m- paise to touch a 17-month low ) &.@ cap) of the BSE-listed compa- of 74.17 against the US dollar. , n the eve of Holi, Madhya nies saw a massive decline Meanwhile, oil prices were 5 5 5 % ) OPradesh stared at a new after the Sensex plunged over in a free fall, plunging nearly 30 * **%5555 political crisis with the con- 2,467 points during the day, the per cent to $32.11 per barrel % ) %++ tinuing power tussle between 30-share index settled 1,941.67 after top exporter Saudi Arabia Chief Minister Kamal Nath points or 5.17 per cent lower at launched a price war in : A % ) and senior Congress leader 35,634.95. Likewise, the NSE response to a failure by leading =. Jyotiraditya Scindia taking a Minister and BJP leader Shivraj for the third seat. Scindia had Nifty slumped 538 points or producers to strike a deal to equities worth 3,594.84 crore rattled today (Monday) and serious turn that put the very Singh Chouhan met Home wanted the safer seat for him- 4.90 per cent to close at support energy markets. It on Friday, data available with India also bore the brunt of However, PHD Chamber of existence of the 14-month- Minister Amit Shah for two self. But Nath has instead 10,451.45. marked the biggest price crash stock exchanges showed. relentless selling,” said S Commerce and Industry old Congress Government at hours over MP developments. pitched for Priyanka. The carnage in the equity since the first Gulf War. “With oil prices collapsing Ranganathan, head of research President DK Aggarwal said risk in the State. State BJP legislature party is The seats will fall vacant as market wiped out investor On the Sensex chart, in the wake of weak global at LKP Securities. the volatility in the rupee and As many as 17 Congress likely to meet in Bhopal on the Rajya Sabha terms of wealth worth 6,84,277.65 ONGC was the top loser, crack- growth and with the COVID- On the BSE, 2,199 scrips stock markets is short-lived and MLAs — half-a-dozen of Tuesday. Congress veteran Digvijay crore, taking the total m-cap to ing over 16 per cent, followed 19 spreading to over thirty declined, while 357 advanced primarily driven by the spread whom are Ministers in the Nath, who was here to Singh and BJP leaders Prabhat 1,37,46,946.76 crore on the by Reliance Industries, countries, global markets were and 169 remained unchanged. of coronavirus. Nath Government — loyal to meet Congress chief Sonia Jha and Satyanarayan Jatiya BSE at the end of Monday’s IndusInd Bank, Tata Steel, TCS, disgruntled senior leader Gandhi to apprise her about will end on April 9. trading session. The m-cap of SBI, ICICI Bank and Scindia, went incommunicado the situation in the State, had In the 230-member BSE-listed companies stood at Bajaj Auto. Heavyweight #$ % on Monday only to resurface in to rush back to do the fire- Assembly, the Congress has 1,44,31,224.41 crore at the end Reliance Industries shed over BJP-ruled Karnataka leading to fighting. 114 MLAs and has the support of trading on Friday. 12 per cent. doubts being raised over their Congress sources said, “It of seven other MLAs, includ- Traders believe mounting Shares of SBI plunged over actual motive. has less to do with the BJP as ing those from the BSP, SP and fear of recession in major 6 per cent after it said it will "& ' The candidature for Rajya was doubted earlier but more Independents. economies due to the coron- pick up a 49 per cent stake in Sabha elections slated for to do with the infighting with- The BJP has 107 MLA avirus outbreak has sent equi- Yes Bank for 2,450 crore. March 26 is being said to be the in the party. It could very well and is 9 short of the majority ties into a downward spiral. Crisis-hit Yes Bank, on the main trigger for matters reach- be an arm-twisting tactic by mark. Sources said the The overall confirmed other hand, rallied over 31 uation exercise for Indians Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala. ing a flashpoint as Nath and his Scindia to secure his Rajya Karnataka BJP has made cases on the mainland reached per cent. stranded in coronavirus-hit The C-17 Globemaster loyalists have pitched for send- Sabha berth.” This, after last arrangements for the stay of 80,735 by the end of Sunday All sectoral indices ended Iran by dispatching a C-17 military aircraft is expected to ing Congress leader Priyanka week’s drama wherein the Congress MLAs in a resort. which included 3,119 people in the red succumbing to grow- ! globemaster aircraft even as the depart from the Hindon air- Gandhi to the Upper House Congress blamed the BJP for Nath remained non-com- who have died so far, 19,016 ing fears about global recession number of people infected with base around 8 pm, said the offi- from MP. In the meantime, “abducting” its MLAs as part of mittal on Scindia’s RS candi- patients undergoing treatment among investors. "#$ the deadly virus in India rose cials. About 2,000 Indians are speculation doing the rounds its poaching attempts to topple dature as he spoke to the and 58,600 patients discharged Traders said investor sen- to 45 on Monday after six living in Iran where 237 peo- even suggested a meeting the Nath dispensation. media after meeting Sonia. after recovery, China’s National timents also remained fragile "-12-345 fresh cases, including a three- ple have died of the coronavirus between Scindia and the BJP Of the three Rajya Sabha He said he apprised the Health Commission said. amid incessant foreign fund year-old child, were reported infection while the number of central leadership in Delhi. seats from the State, the party chief of the current polit- Globally, markets remained outflows. On a net basis, for- he Government on from Jammu & Kashmir, positive cases stands at around Meanwhile, late on Congress and BJP look set to ical situation in the Stateand in sell-off mode amid concerns eign institutional investors sold TMonday initiated an evac- Punjab, Karnataka, New Delhi, 7,000. Monday night, former Chief retain a seat each. The tussle is sought her guidance. R ! "
% moving out of the country. Meanwhile, in what may & "() calm harried depositors of Yes Bank, its administrator * ( Prashant Kumar on Monday said he is hopeful of the mora- "-12-3456 7 % 5 torium on the private sector lender being lifted by Saturday. arrying forwards its probe The LOC against the Housing Finance Corporation stopped at the CSM Cinto the Yes Bank scam, the Kapoor family will help in Ltd (DHFL), DoIT Urban International Airport, Mumbai, CBI on Monday issued Look preventing them from leaving Ventures Pvt Ltd, Morgan from leaving for London on Out Circulars (LOC) against the country, officials said. Credits Pvt Ltd, RKW Sunday, officials said. seven accused persons, includ- The agency has booked Developers Pvt Ltd and RAB On Monday, the CBI car- ing the beleaguered bank’s Kapoor, his wife Bindu and Enterprises. ried out searches at seven loca- founder Rana Kapoor and his daughters Roshini, Raakhe and The Enforcement tions in connection with the family members, even as the Radha, besides DHFL pro- Directorate, which is probing Yes Bank scam case relating to agency conducted searches at moter Kapil Wadhawan and the Kapoors and other accused the 600 crore alleged bribe to several premises of the Kapoor Dheeraj Wadhawan, promoter individuals and entities in a the family of its co-founder family. A look out circular of RKW Developers. separate case relating to money Rana Kapoor by DHFL as an (LOC) alerts immigration staff In the FIR registered on laundering, has already issued alleged quid pro quo for 3,700 at all the ports of entry and exit Saturday, the agency has also an LOC on the basis of which crore loan by the in-red bank, to prevent the accused from named five entities — Dewan Kapoor’s daughter Roshini was officials said. "" " ! ' # $ % & "-12-345 33 4 % 2637"1 consignment of he Allahabad High Court AAlexandrine parakeets Ton Monday ordered the smuggled into Delhi was seized immediate removal of the at the New Delhi Railway sta- roadside posters in Lucknow tion in a joint operation of the with names and photos of Railway Police and Wildlife SoS those accused of vandalism on Sunday night. during the anti-CAA protests, ./ According to Wildlife offi- observing the police action cials, the traffickers had con- was an “unwarranted interfer- .0 cealed the endangered birds ence” in privacy of people. inside milk crates to avoid sus- The bench of Chief Justice picion and evade detection. Govind Mathur and Justice Sharing details on rescue Wildlife Warden and Wildlife Ramesh Sinha also directed the operation, the Wildlife officials Officer, we reached the New district magistrate and the said a consignment of Delhi Railway Station on Lucknow police commissioner Alexandrine parakeets was Sunday night and took the to submit a compliance report found in custody of traffickers birds into custody and handed on or before March 16 and on-board Rajdhani Express. over to Wildlife SOS.” asked the Uttar Pradesh “The delicate baby birds Notably, the Alexandrine Government not to install such were crammed into milk crates parakeet, Psittaculla Eupatria, posters “without having the to avoid suspicion and evade is listed as near threatened authority of law”. detection. A concerned pas- species and one of the most The posters were displayed senger heard the sounds from sought after species in the to “name and shame” the the milk crate and alerted the Indian live bird trade. 3-4 accused who had caused dam- Delhi Forest Department and weeks old parakeet chicks are age to public property during P the railway authorities,” official captured from the wild and are the protests against the CAA in said. crammed into tiny containers, Bhopal on December 19. ! “The consignment was while being transported to bird Reacting to the order, " O intercepted at New Delhi markets in Delhi, Mumbai, Mrityunjay Kumar, the media % & ) Railway Station by a team of Hyderabad, Patna, Lucknow adviser to Chief Minister Yogi Forest Officials, following a for- and Kolkata. Adityanath, said it should be % & * ) + mal order from the Chief Geeta Seshamani, secre- understood in the correct per- , Wildlife Warden. Around 11.30 tary, Wildlife SOS said, “The spective. “Only their posters pm on Sunday, the birds were rescued birds are very small will be removed, and not the & handed over to Wildlife SOS and vulnerable sections (of law) imposed on for treatment,” he said. requiring extensive care and them. We will take forward the Bhartati Dasan, Wildlife feeding every 3 to 4 hours. The fight to expose the identity of
- Inspector Delhi Forest birds will be released in their the rioters. Leniency with the Department, said, “After the natural habitat once they are fit rioters in ‘Yogi raj’ is impossi- instructions from the Chief for release.” ble,” Kumar said in a tweet. !"#!#!
4 "25? ,4
unjab Food Civil Supplies Pand Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Monday reviewed the pro- curement arrangements for ensuing Rabi crop, directing officials to complete all arrangements to ensure hassle free season for farmers. The Minister was chairing a high-level meeting with top officials of department here at Anaaz Bhawan. Director Food Supplies Anindita Mitra was also pre- sent during the meeting. During the meeting a presen- tation was also made to apprise department officers about newly prepared wheat pro- curement portal. The portal prepared as per directions of GOI contains provisions where farmer/Aartiya/Inspector can himself register and also records information like farmer's mobile number, quan- tum of place of crop sewn by the farmer. Besides this, more related information like farmer's bank account number, IFSC and name of Artiya is also entered. After filing up of this infor- mation, a number would be allotted to farmer, a copy of which would also be forward- ed to Artiya. Ashu also direct- ed officers to start registeration of farmers to avoid last minute hassles. The Minister also made clear that old portal would not be used this season. On the occasion, he also directed officers to complete distribution of NFSA wheat by March 20. @
*45 3
imachal Chief Minister Jai HRam Thakur on Monday thanked the Union Government for approving Bilateral Funding from French Development Agency which had agreed in principle to fund 650 crore project proposal under Disaster Risk Reduction activities in the State. The Chief Minister said Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs (FB & ADB Division) Government of India in its 104th Screening Committee meeting gave approval to the proposal of the State Government. Thakur said the main objectives of the project were to reduce vulnerability of the State from various natural haz- ards like earthquake, landslide, flash floods and climate induced etc. He said the project also aims at reducing loss of human life and property, reduce over- all disaster risk and enhance the response capacity of the State. ! " # $ % S ' " (
! " # $% % & ' ( )*+ ( + %$**)* , - *%.)+/$*01/. 23 - )) +44 4 5 !6 + 7 !6 47 27578! 7 % ** ! 6 7 9 -6 :6 ; 6 ( ; 6 3 ' # 6 - $ 8 9 < ( -9 '+%%* **) 6 *%%+/*%%*/== # 6 &+ 0% $ -#4' 8 - ( +)*%0*% 2 6 *%)*+/1.>1** ; /1.>>** 9 # 6 / & ( & ? 7 9+))$ *%$ , 6 *=))+)0/$//0+/= !"#!#!
'( ))*(!+,,- ,. (,/0 % 1 ! 2 $ - , ( & & "Q% R)9 (
4 "25? ,4 Survey released by the Union survey “as the data sources are Chief Minister said, reiterating Government clearly stated that not strictly comparable”. that under this Government’s sking the Akalis to check the source of data provided on Clearly, then, there could be no flagship programme of ‘Ghar #-. ' ' Atheir facts before shooting unemployment was the PLFS comparison of the data of Ghar Rozgar and Karobar foolishly their mouth on issues (Periodic Labour Force Survey) 2015-16 with the data of 2017- Mission’, a total of 12.15 lakh of critical interest of Punjab, the 2017-18 conducted by Labour 18, he added. jobs had already been provid- ' +" ' Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Bureau, Government of India. “These clear and categori- ed to the State’s youth. Singh on Monday said that the The reference period therein cal facts notwithstanding, the Of these, 57,905 youth had 4 "25? ,4 “Punjab Chief Minister is are totally false and baseless. very premise of their criticism was July 2017 to June 2018, Akalis continue to rave and been assisted in Government terming sample size of the sur- “Along with this fact, the of State Government’s employ- which was barely a year since rant about the dismal employ- placements, 3.97 lakh in private escribing the Chief vey as ‘very small’…It seems CM should have also informed ment generation programme his Government had inherited ment scenario in Punjab, under sector, and 7.61 lakh had been DMinister Capt Amarinder that either CM is not aware of the State that almost same was based on “flawed data”. the mess created by the erst- the incumbent Congress facilitated for taking up various Singh’s statement on Economic standard procedure adopted in number of teachers who were “The Akalis are only mak- while SAD-BJP Government in Given the “ridiculously” Government, like wayward self-employment ventures dur- Survey as his “frustration” after Economic Survey throughout getting 45,000 per month as ing a fool of themselves with the State,” he pointed out. small sample size used, the data children who are hell-bent on ing last three years. his Government was exposed the country or he is trying to their salary have been forced to their repetitive attempts to Further, the Chief Minister about unemployment in creating trouble for others, Apart from this, 20.21 lakh by results of the Survey, the mislead the people accept 15,000 per month only,” mislead the people with half- observed that the survey had a Punjab was just indicated, apart mindless of the consequences,” households had been given Akali Dal on Monday said that again…However, if he is still he said. baked lies that have absolutely very small sample size of 6497 from being dated, noted the said the Chief Minister. employment in different instead of taking shelter behind not satisfied with the sample Cheema also asked the no basis and are completely and 6877 persons from rural Chief Minister, adding that it Instead of apologizing for MNREGA schemes and technicalities, the Chief size of Economic Survey of Chief Minister to explain that removed from facts,” said Capt and urban areas respectively, was evident that the Akalis pushing the State into such a 648.26 lakh man days of Minister must face the reality India, he should count the when 14,136 youth have cleared Amarinder. which translated into a total were either too dumb to under- terrible mess, with employ- employment thus generated, and explain why Punjab lagged number of heads who were ETT-TET examinations and Presenting facts and figures sample size of just 13,374 per- stand the implications of this ment at an all-time from April 17 to December 31, behind from rest of India in giv- demanding employment and more than 12,000 posts are to counter SAD’s “brazen lies” sons in a population of 2.27 data or were deliberately low under their pathetic anti- 2019, he added. ing jobs to youth. were mercilessly assaulted on lying vacant, why his on jobs created by the Congress crores. Further, for youth in the trying to mislead the people of people policies during their “Since these numbers were SAD spokesperson and for- his orders in front of his palace Government has advertised Government in the past three age group of 15-29 years, the Punjab by giving out selective decade-long rule, the Akalis are not difficult to understand, mer Education Minister Daljit in Patiala yesterday,” quipped only 1,664 posts. years, the Chief Minister said sample size was a shocking low information. trying to spread misinforma- the only feasible explanation for Singh Cheema asked the Chief Cheema. He urged the Chief that they had clearly not both- of 1,870 and 1,961 persons for Capt Amarinder pointed tion to further their petty polit- SAD’s desperation to under- Minister if he will also deny the Cheema said that it is good Minister to still accept that his ered to understand or analyze rural and urban areas respec- out that it had been men- ical interests, Capt Amarinder mine his Government’s success fact that 2.69 lakh applicants to note that in his statement performance during three years the information in the tively, which meant a total tioned in the survey itself by the lashed out. on this count could be their have registered themselves with worthy CM has also accepted is a complete failure and State Economic Survey, which they sample size of mere 3831, as Government of India that no Apparently the Akalis deep sense of frustration at the state’s Unemployment that only 57905 youth have direly needs to work on pro- were using as the basis for against the state’s total youth comparison could be made needed to be told everything being completely rejected by Bureau out of which 91 percent been given employment and his viding jobs to the youth and attacking his Government. population of 80.58 lakhs in with previous data on unem- many times to make them the people of Punjab,” the Chief are categorised as Skilled and 85 claims made in Delhi on 12 process for the same should be “The said Economic this age group. ployment on the basis of this understand even basic facts, the Minister quipped. percent are 10th pass or above. lakh youth given employment started at the earliest. , !" #$% & ' ( !) %#*%#+
& 4 "25? ,4 Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Sanjeev Kaushal and aryana Chief Minister other senior officers of the HManohar Lal Khattar on State Government participated. 9/ Monday approved the concept In another meeting, plan for establishment of Ultra chaired by Khattar, it was ! "473 honesty,” the spokesperson said. Modern Apple, Fruit and decided to fast-track the work On March 7, Mohinder Singh, Vegetable Market to be estab- on the development of Haryana aryana Director General of a shopkeeper went near to lished by HSAMB at Pinjore in International Horticulture HPolice, Manoj Yadava on Pinjore-Mallah chowk to pur- Panchkula over 78.33 acres. Market at Ganaur, in Sonipat. Monday announced chase material for An estimated cost of 80 A Steering Committee was a cash reward of his cloth shop locat- crore will be incurred on the constituted under the 5,000 and ed at Ishar Nagar. infrastructure development of Chairmanship of Chief Commendation He had lost his wal- the market. It was informed Minister with Agriculture and Certificate-I for Sub- let containing that the Detailed Project Report Farmers’ Welfare Minister as its Inspector Darshan 40,000 in cash, dri- (DPR) of the project would be Vice Chairman. Singh, who returned a ving license, aad- prepared within 30 days and The first meeting of the wallet containing har card and impor- tenders would be invited with- Steering Committee, held 40,000 in cash and tant documents in 60 days. under the Chairmanship of other precious while coming back. This market would pri- Khattar here, approved the belongings to its He had lost all marily cater to the apple grow- Request for Proposal (RFP) for owner in Pinjore. A hope of finding the ers of Himachal Pradesh and the selection of Transaction spokesperson of Haryana wallet. At the same time, he vegetable growers’ within a Advisor (TA). It was decided Police said the Sub-Inspector received a call from Sub- radius of 150 kilometers of the highly perishable fruit and Pradesh and Jammu and also form a joint venture with one representative each of that an agreement would be has set an example of honesty Inspector Darshan Singh, post- market. Apart from air condi- vegetable, cold stores having Kashmir through auction. Out a professionally managed pri- farmers and traders. signed with the Transaction by returning the lost wallet to ed near Mallah chowk traffic tioned fruit and vegetable hall, low temperature, ripening of these, construction and allot- vate company for day to day In the meeting presided Advisor by May 5. The TA will its owner. light, who told to come and col- the market will have the facil- chambers and processing units. ment of 40 shops will be made operation and maintenance of over by Khattar, Agriculture be required to finalize draft “Darshan Singh, who has lect the wallet. ity of apple shed, tomato, pota- Officials said 210 shops in in the first phase. Apart from the market. The Board of Joint and Farmers’ Welfare Minister RFP for approval of made the entire Haryana police The police man is cur- to and onion shed, the market will be allotted by this, 50 multi-purpose shops Venture will include the official Jai Prakash Dalal, Chief Engineering, Procurement and proud, really deserves every rently posted at Surajpur Traffic farmer/retail shed, sample dis- HSAMB to the traders of would also be constructed in from HSAMB, one represen- Secretary Keshni Anand Arora, Construction (EPC) contractor ounce of appreciation for his Wing in Panchkula district. play gallery , auction hall for Haryana, Punjab, Himachal the market. The HSAMB will tative from Joint Venture and Additional Chief Secretary by August 2020. 6 $ 78 ! "#$ %& ! 4 "25? ,4 1 % O 1 P $$ 4 "25? ,4 Singh Badal had announced for Central Government doc- aryana government on the reduction of retirement tors. In Administration, the HMonday said it has he Chandigarh age of state employees to 58 employees who turn 58, which exempted its employees from Chandigarh: To sensitise and awareness by sharing various information that citizens need TAdministration has decid- years from 60. Employees who is the retirement age, can be marking attendance through avert people of Punjab from Traveling and Preventive care to be aware of in order to pre- ed to continue following the have turned 59 would retire on given two extensions of one the biometric system till March Corona Virus (COVID-19), advisories. vent themselves and their fam- Punjab civil service rules. After March 31 and those who year each. 31 as a preventive measure in Punjab Chief Secretary Karan The chief secretary said ily members from COVID-19. taking legal opinion on the have completed 58 but are still UT Adviser Manoj Parida view of coronavirus scare. Avtar Singh on Monday held a that the application provides Principal Secretary Health, issue, the Administration has not 59 would retire on told the mediapersons that as Necessary directions have high level meeting of State options to citizens to check out Anurag Aggarwal said that cit- recommended to the Punjab September 30. per the legal recommenda- been issued in this regard to all Management Covid-19 Group. for symptoms as provided by izens will be shared with reg- Governor and UT If the Administration con- tions, the process to discon- Administrative Secretaries, During the meeting, the the Government from time to ular updates and instructions Administrator VP Singh tinues to follow Punjab service tinue with the Punjab services Heads of Departments, Chief Secretary launched time and follow the advisory being passed by the Bandore that it would be legal- rules, the decision will affect rules is tedious and legally Divisional Commissioners, “COVA Punjab” Mobile given there-after. The App also Government from time to time ly apt to continue following the only 400 out of total around complicated. The Punjab rules Managing Directors/ through infected surfaces, all Application. COVA stands for suggests the nearest hospital via this App. He informed that Punjab service rules. 24000 of its employees. were adopted in 1992 at the Chief Administrators of Boards State Government employees Corona Virus Alert, and has and nodal officer of district a real time counter is also pro- The development comes at Earlier after the requests of level of the Union Cabinet. and Corporations, Deputy been developed by Department where the citizen can reach in- vided with dynamic map on a time when the Punjab employees’ unions, the Of the total around 24000 Commissioners/Sub Divisional of Government Reforms and case he is corona symptomatic. the App which will keep citi- Government has recently Administration considered fol- employees of Administration, Officers and the Registrars of Public Grievances in consulta- Additional Chief Secretary zens updated about the status decided to reduce the retire- lowing Central civil services only around 400 are being Universities, an official said in tion with Health and Family Governance Reforms, Vini of spread of Corona in the ment age of its state employees rules but due to legal trouble, impacted because reduction a statement. Welfare Department to spread Mahajan said the App provides State. PNS from 60 years to 58 years. the proposal has been in retirement age by Punjab Officials have been asked The Administration fol- scrapped. Government, he said. to mark their attendance in reg- lows Punjab service rules and At present, the retirement While about 200 employ- isters during this period, he may refrain from using this spokesperson. March 8, of which 32 have been pay scale for its employees. age for central employees in ees will retire on March 31, added. mode of marking In Haryana, 35 samples of found to be negative while While presenting Punjab most of the services is 60 years, another 200 on September 20 As coronavirus is most attendance to mitigate the suspected coronavirus cases results of three are awaited, the Government’s Budget recently, though it is 65 for professors in as per Punjab’s service rules, commonly transmitted spread of the virus, said the have been sent for testing till official said. Finance Minister Manpreet all Central universities as also Parida added. ' !"#!#! :6% ( ,6/;" " & ,("
4 "25? ,4 directing its preservation, the sewage treatment plant (STP) for capacity sewage treatment plant Territory of Chandigarh. The 7 ) Chandigarh Administration has ensuring an additional water to be built using MBR technol- STP will also solve the problem fter the Punjab and Haryana swung into action for imple- resources to fill the man-made ogy (membrane bioreactor) will of sewage water entering the AHigh Court order declaring mentation of its long-pending water body. fill Sukhna Lake near village Sukhna forest area. Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Sukhna Lake legal entity and proposal of installation of a The proposed 2 MLD Kishangarh in the Union “The project is likely to be Administration is likely to completed by next eight months. carry out aerial survey of catch- A tender has been floated for ment area of Sukhna Lake. This construction of the STP,” said a was discussed during the meet- senior officer of UT ing of senior UT officers held Administration. The effluent under Punjab Governor and from the STP at Kishangarh will UT Administrator VP Singh be used for filling up Sukhna Bandore on Friday. While dis- Lake and the latest membrance cussing latest HC order on bioreactor (MBR) technology Sukhna Lake, Governor and will be used for producing efflu- senior officers suggested con- ent of high quality, he said. ducting aerial survey to see the While the proposal to set up catchment area of lake. UT STP at Kishangarh was mooted Adviser Manoj Parida con- in 2017, the project could not firmed that the Admin is plan- take off. In a series of directions ning an aerial survey of catch- related to preservation of Sukhna ment area of Sukhna Lake. The Lake, the High Court had last Administration is in a fix over week directed the the use of Survey of India’s 2004 Administration to ensure that the map of lake’s catchment area, average capacity of the lake is in which the physical features increased by atleast about 100- and terrain on the map was 150 hectares by one-time large done with 1:40000 scale on cer- scale desilting (dredging) of the tain data of 1995-96. lake. It was also directed that the capacity once created should be stream coming down from the maintained through regular Sukhna Hills and was created as dredging. Apart from this, the a gift to the citizens of authorities in Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh for enjoyment of and Chandigarh were directed to peace and tranquility. lower the storage capacity of the As per statistics with admin- check dams to ensure regular istration, capacity of lake was flow of water into Sukhna Lake. 1074.4 hectare metres in 1958 The States of Punjab, Haryana which reduced to 513.28 hectare and Chandigarh are also direct- metres. The water spread area ed that no waste water or sewage was 228.64 hectares in 1958, flows into the river from the vil- which declined to 148.28 hectare lages i.e Kansal, Kaimbwala and in 2005. And,the average depth Saketri. of the man-made water body The rainfed Sukhna Lake was 4.694 meter at embankment was created in 1958 by damning level in 1958 which declined to the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal 3.484 meter in 2005. 9'/+ - ())/ /,-(! ( /, '/ )) -/*,.
4 "25? ,4
irector, Department of DInformation, Public Relations and Languages, PC Meena on Monday presided over a meeting of District Information and Public Relations Officers of Haryana in Gurugram and directed the officers to ensure that the Government schemes and flag- ship programs reach the com- mon man. Addressing the officers present at the meeting, Meena said that in this era of advance information technology, most people are active on social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram which is why it is important that along with traditional methods, these plat- forms should be used to reach the people to make them aware of government schemes and policies. Meena directed the district officers to post breaking news from their respective districts on Twitter and add more and more followers to their official accounts. He also directed the offi- cers, who have not yet created their social media accounts, to create them and actively prop- agate the policies and flagship programs of the government for the welfare of people. !"#!#! "
/ $ #<<% = &
"-12-345 training modules for specialist trainers of other forces. / # % % % %#' %' he Centre has directed the ITBP experts will hold TCentral paramilitary forces workshops and prepare online to set up quarantine facilities modules for these forces to with a bed capacity of over make them understand the 011 $ ( #" -## 5,400 people to deal with cases management and other med- of coronavirus across the coun- ical protocols to run a quaran- "-12-345 , "-12-345 try. tine centre for coronavirus The paramilitary forces affected people, the official he Poultry Association has ourists visiting the tiger like the Central Reserve Police said. The second batch of peo- Tpegged the losses for egg Treserves in the country Force (CRPF), the Border ple, including Indians and for- farmers due to the coron- will now be under the scanner Security Force (BSF), the eigners, evacuated from avirus scare in February alone for the coronavirus (Covid-19) Central Industrial Security Wuhan in China are still living at an estimated 600 crore as with the National Tiger Force (CISF), the Indo-Tibetan at the ITBP quarantine centre. farm gate prices fell to 2.50 an Conservation Authority Border Police (ITBP), the Director General of ITBP egg (against the production (NTCA) issuing an advisory in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and SS Deswal will also hold an cost of 4). If the situation con- this regard to the States. the National Security Guard awareness session on these tinues, the industry fears that Travellers from China, Italy, (NSG) have also been asked to measures on a Doordarshan the losses could be 2,700 Iran, Japan and South Korea create 75 isolation wards as part free-to-air DTH platform, crore (including losses due to which are worst hit by the of preparations to combat pos- Vande Gujarat, sources said. fall in broiler prices) in March. deadly virus will be specially sible large-scale outbreak of the All these forces have also The All India Poultry screened, as a precautionary virus. been asked to conduct aware- Breeders Association has sent measure. countries. presence and later touch your The Union Home Ministry ness and outreach programmes a memorandum to Union "As the tiger reserves are The number of coron- mouth, nose or eyes without has asked these forces to create as part of preparing the com- Finance Minister Nirmala visited by eco-tourists from avirus cases in India rose to 45 washing hands. a total of 5,440-bed capacity at munity against the coronavirus, Sitharaman, seeking a relief hovering at 40-45 per kg. plunged. Egg prices stood at across the world, it is recom- on Monday after six fresh In fact, the coronavirus 37 locations in the country as they said. package for poultry sectors to The broiler chicken in 358 for 100 units in Delhi this mended to establish essential cases were reported from scare has already casted shad- part of the measures to contain The number of coron- bail them out from the present Bengaluru wholesale market week, down from 441 last screening and preventive mea- Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, ow over the wildlife tourism in the possible outbreak of the avirus cases in India rose to 43 crisis. India consumes about 9 was quoted 45-51 per kg on year. sures in consultaion with dis- Karnataka, New Delhi, Uttar the country as few tourists are viral disease, sources said. on Monday with four people, crore (broiler) birds and 2.25 average in February, as against Officials of the Ministry of trict and State health authori- Pradesh, and Kerala. now taking the risk of travel- "The aim of setting up the including a three-year-old child crore eggs a week. 98 per kg in January and Animals Husbandry said that ties at reception or interpreta- The officials of the tiger ling to the tiger sanctuaries. quarantine facilities is to build in Kerala who had returned Sources in the Ministry of 120 in December last year. the crash in broiler chicken tion centres where there is like- reserves have also been asked The number of tourists capacity. from Italy, testing positive for Animals Husbandry and Similarly, broiler chicken in the and egg price isreflected in lihood of convergence of peo- to prominently display the coming to Ranthambore tiger These forces have also been the disease, Health Ministry Dairy and Fisheries said the Hyderabad wholesale markets wholesale market. ple," said Dr Vaibhav C posters and advisory of the reserve in Rajasthan, for asked to earmark and depute officials said. Poultry Association has earli- was sold at 35 per kg. In In the retail, the cost of Mathur, Assistant Inspector Union Health Ministry on safe instance, has declined sharply. their respective teams of doc- On Monday, Union Health er given a memorandum to the Mumbai, the broiler chicken chicken has lowered by only General (AIG) of the NTCA. habits in the wake of the Last year, 9853 foreign tourists tors, paramedics and sanitation Minister Harsh Vardhan said ministry seeking bail out pack- was sold at kg and 45 per kg 10-15 per cent as against the Obviously, the authorities Covid-19. had visited Ranthambore by officials who will man these the Government is prepared to age for traders. The cost of as against the 120 in 50-60 per cent decline in are taking no chance with the Coronavirus commonly February last year but so far quarantine facilities," an official deal with the issue and his broiler chicken is 35-40 per December end last year. In wholesale markets. Presently, deadly virus which has spread spreads from infected persons this year in February the num- said. The ITBP which is already Ministry is sending directives, kg while the cost of production Kolkata, the broiler chicken chicken is being sold between over 100 countries. Worldover, mainly through air, cough and ber has reached just 4235, running such a quarantine including guidelines, to the come around 95 per kg. was sold at 55 per kg on 160-180 a kg depending on 1,10379 Coronavirus cases sneeze and close contact. It can according to reports. There are centre in Delhi's Chhawla area, states in all the languages on Poultry farmers are still losing Sunday. In Delhi, it is 45-50 the locality from 200-220 a kg have been reported which also spread by touching an around 50 tiger sanctuaries has also been asked to prepare ways to contain it. money as broiler prices are per kg. Egg prices have also in January. include 3,831 deaths across 109 object or surface with virus across the country.
() + 32 ! ! $ 7 7+ ,'-- ! 9-% "3/, - -.( 7 6- ! : ;$ $ ' /0 - 6 - %- + "-12-345 Communist Party of India gen- abrogate special status of the the three former Chief "-12-345 cerned, leading to a full-scale `Hard-Hindutva` and eral secretary D Raja, RJD erstwhile State, besides its Ministers of J&K," they said review of its campaign strate- CAA would be high on the poll section of Opposition on leader Manoj Kumar Jha, and bifurcation into two union ter- adding India and its ith West Bengal being gy of about last one year. agenda but development issues AMonday demanded the former Ministers in Atal Bihari ritories. They were booked in Constitution have always stood Wseen as the foremost test Although BJP won only with a focus on "new Bengal" immediate release of all polit- Vajpayee Government February this year under the for unity in diversity with case for the “success” of con- three of the 294 Assembly seats need to be given an equal ical detainees in Jammu & Yashwant Sinha and Arun stringent Public Safety Act. everybody's views respected, troversial citizenship legisla- in West Bengal in 2016, in the focus to woo voters, they said. Kashmir, especially former Shourie issued a joint statement NC president Farooq Abdullah, honoured and heard. tion as the BJP is consistent- 2019 general elections it sur- Along with Bihar, Bengal is Chief Ministers Farooq alleging democratic dissent is who was under house arrest, "There are growing assaults ly highlighting illegal infil- prised many political observers slated for polls in about one Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and being "muzzled" by "coercive" was detained in September on democratic norms, funda- tration of Bangladeshi by winning 18 of the 42 Lok year's time. Mehbooba Mufti saying there administrative action which under PSA. mental rights and civic liberties migrants, Prime Minister Sabha seats. Modi has held one-on-one is nothing against the three to has threatened the basic ideals "There is nothing in the of citizens of the Indian Narendra Modi has sought to Modi has personally meeting with most of the BJP say that they pose a threat to of justice, liberty, equality and past records of these three Republic. As a result, dissent is personally streamline BJP’s sought to receive an in-depth MPs from the TMC-ruled State public safety in Jammu & fraternity as enshrined in our leaders to lend credence to the not only being stifled, but the poll campaign in the State, feed-back from party MPs , during the ongoing Budget Kashmir or endanger national Constitution. Nothing exem- Modi Government's false and avenues of raising critical voic- next year, by having one-on- three MLAs and all key State Session in which he also sought interest. plifies this more starkly than self-serving claim that they es are also being systematical- one consultations with 18 party leaders as to how to feedback on popular views Nationalist Congress Party the continuing detention on pose a threat to 'public safety' ly muted," the statement alleged. party MPs from the State over strike a right chord with the about his Government's (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, "flimsiest of grounds" of the in J&K or that they have endan- The leaders said the indef- the last few weeks. aging to form the Government Bengal voters. The develop- schemes, an unambiguous sig- West Bengal Chief Minister three former Jammu & gered national interests with inite detention of three former After winning Lok Sabha in Haryana, and losing elec- mental issues , including key nal about the massive impor- Mamata Banerjee, former Kashmir Chief Ministers for their activities," the opposition CMs of J&K and other politi- polls with a thumping majori- tions in Jharkhand, flag-ship welfare schemes of the tance he attaches to the Mrime Minister HD Deve over seven months, they said. leaders said. cal activists is a blatant viola- ty in 2019, BJP has not been Maharashtra and Delhi - some- centre and CAA , were part of Assembly polls due in the State Gowda, Communist Party of Omar and Mehbooba were "We demand the immedi- tion of their fundamental rights able to match its performance thing which has made the the discussion, according to in April-May in 2021. India (Marxist) general secre- detained following the Centre's ate release of all political guaranteed by the Indian in Assembly polls- just man- party high command con- sources. State President Dilip tary Sitaram Yechury, August 5, 2019 decision to detainees in Kashmir, especially Constitution. 1 ! $ #'" !#" /'%# #'&% &* 0 0 ! 2 //3/ he said."Work needs to be * done on a war footing and both & "-12-345 central and Delhi Governments : Capital. Many days Parliament should take steps in this was adjourned after the Chair he Congress on Monday regard," he said.Wasnik also 2 "-12-345 rejected demand for the imme- Tdemanded registration of lashed out at Delhi Chief ,+ 7 ! diate debate. Lok Sabha FIR against Union Minister Minister Arvind Kejriwal and arliament is expected to Speaker Om Birla reiterated Anurag Thakur, and BJP lead- his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), & Phold a debate on the Delhi that debate will be conducted ers Kapil Mishra and Parvesh asking whether it was impor- riots on March 11 and 12. The when things get normal saying Verma (for their alleged tant to take steps by him to Lok Sabha will start the debate debates should be held during inflammatory speeches dur- instill confidence among peo- 0> 4 on March 11 while the Rajya the charged atmosphere. ing Delhi polls) besides an ple of Delhi and ensure their Sabha will do so on March 12. Opposition leaders Adhir independent judicial inquiry riots and demanded the resig- police was found wanting in Gohil and Kumari Selja safety as the Delhi adminis- Union Home Minister Amit Ranjan Chaudhury and into the riots under the super- nation of Union Home their duties. "We feel that Amit Shah as tration was with them. Shah will reply in both the Ghulam Nabi Azad blamed vision of a sitting judge of High Minister Amit Shah. He said the judicial inquiry the Union Home Minister did He added that India's image Houses. Delhi Police for its failure to Court or Supreme Court. Mukul Wasnik, who was should ascertain what led to the not take enough measures to has been tarnished in the world ,+ 7 ! The Opposition for the contain the communal vio- The Congress' fact-finding one of the Congress' fact-find- violence and fix responsibility stop the violence in Delhi. We as the violence happened dur- past 2 weeks has been raising lence erupted during the anti- committee also blamed the ing committee members, said of officers found guilty of dere- demand that Amit Shah resign ing the visit of US President P need for a debate on Delhi riots CAA protests in Jaffarabad Centre and the Delhi govern- after submitting a report to liction in duty.Sonia had immediately. We also demand Donald Trump to India. He in the last weeks of February, during US President Trump's ment for failing to instill con- party president Sonia Gandhi, formed the committee to look that FIRs and cases be regis- said the probe should also fix * leading to the death of 53 peo- visit. Home Minister Amit fidence among the people; said it seems that the Modi gov- into the violence in northeast tered immediately against those responsibility of officers who & ple, injury of more than 200 Shah is expected to reply in Lok accused the two of "inaction" to ernment has failed to follow Delhi. The committee also BJP leaders who made inflam- did not take steps to stop spread )4 & people and huge loss of prop- Sabha on March 11 evening address the grievances of those 'Raj Dharma' and protect the included Tariq Anwar, matory speeches and legal of violence and were found +& *" erty in North Eastern part of and next day in Rajya Sabha. who suffered during the Delhi lives of Delhi citizens as the Sushmita Dev, Shaktisinh action initiated against them," wanting for dereliction of duty. * ! + 4 4 & )* & 7 ) 4 & 045 + 6 +%7-+ %$ - %6 -81 4 &
"-12-345 those who donated via 1 2 Electoral Bonds. )%#'' ) , espite the Government In its report, ADR recom- ) & Dclaims in transparency in mended that full details of all & the electoral bonds, more than donors should be made avail- 67 per cent of the funds of the able for public scrutiny under $- % %#'# #"% * * political parties cannot be the RTI. 4 traced and are from 'unknown' "A very large percentage of ! ? sources. According to the the income of political parties "-12-345 if the Government accepts the mum prescribed limit for indi- Association of Democratic cannot be traced to the origi- EC recommendations, a polit- vidual candidates with the G G Reforms (ADR), of the total nal donor. Some countries he Election Commission's ical party may not be able to number of candidates fielded". income of 2,512.18 crore of where this is done include Tworking group has rec- spend more than 25-35 lakh The government is yet to take six national parties from Bhutan, Nepal, Germany, ommended that there should per candidate in case of Lok a call on the proposal. unknown sources, 1,960.68 France, Italy, Brazil, Bulgaria, be a ceiling on expenditure Sabha elections and not more An all-party meeting in crore or 78 per cent came the US and Japan. made by political parties dur- than 10-14 lakh per candidate August 2015 had recom- from electoral bonds In none of these countries ing polls, similar to the provi- in case of Assembly elections. mended that there should be a * )3 The BJP raised 1,612.04 is it possible for more than 67% sion for individual candidates. "At present, there is no cap ceiling on party expenditure. crore as funds from unknown of the source of funds to be Last year, the poll panel had set on the expenditure to be The election watchdog has 2 4 & ) & sources which is 64 per cent of unknown, but at present it is so up various working groups to incurred for an election by the been pushing for greater trans- & & the total income of national unknown sources. 2018-19. The report was pre- in India," it said. It further rec- study different aspects of elec- political parties. There is felt parency in election-related & parties from unknown sources According to ADR report, pared by the ADR on the basis ommended that scrutiny of toral management. need for having such cap for expenditure by parties and & * & (2512.98 crore) while the the seven national parties have of Income Tax returns and financial documents submitted In the past, the commis- level playing field," read the candidates. Congess received 728.88 crore collected 11,234.12 crore donations statements filed with by the political parties should sion had recommended recommendation. At present, there is a ceil- 2 from unknown sources which funds (from unknown sources) the Election Commission by be conducted annually by a amendments to the In 2015, the EC had rec- ing on campaigning funds for 4 & < is 29 per cent of the total between 2004-05 and 2018-19. the political parties. At present, body approved by CAG and EC Representation of the People ommended to the Law individual candidates in the & income of all national political The income of national parties- political parties are not so as to enhance transparency Act and Rule 90 of The Ministry to cap maximum electoral fray but no cap on the * & parties. This income BJP forms -BJP, Congress, Trinamool required to reveal the name of and accountability of political Conduct of Elections Rules, expenditure of political parties money political parties can more than 1.5 times more the Congress, CPI(M), NCP, CPI individuals or organisations parties with respect to their 1961, for the same. This means to "a multiple of half of maxi- spend for electioneering. & aggregate of income from and BSP, was 3,749.37 crore in giving less than 20,000 nor funding. !"#!#! 0
0 .##-+ -+ " mer was in for disappoint- The disappointment of the 4-"" 5 ment as the Dravidian major Congress could be seen from ignored its junior partner this KR Ramasami, leader of the he AIADMK on Monday time too. Congress legislature party, who Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP), right but the government ignored it and Tnominated former deputy Thambi Dorai was defeat- sar grim faced while Tiruchi Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress put up posters of the accused which was speaker of Lok Sabha ed in the 2019 Lok Sabha elec- Shiva filed his nomination on on Monday welcomed the Allahabad unconstitutional and undemocratic,” Lallu R Thambi Durai, former tion from Karur by the Monday for the March 26 poll. High Court's order directing the Lucknow said. Minister and party strongman Congress candidate who was “This is the second suc- administration to remove posters of those Stressing that it is for the court to KP Munusamy and Tamil supported by the DMK and cessive snubbing we are getting accused of vandalism during anti-CAA decide whether the accused were involved Manila Congress leader GK other alliance parties. from the DMK. Last time they protests in December. in violence or not, Lallu said: “No charges Vasan as its candidates for the Munusamy, who facilitated the nominated MDMK leader Lucknow: Maintaining that leniency O2#$45 6$6& “The Government neither has the have been proved against anyone biennial Rajya Sabha election easing out of the Sasikala gang Vaiko, who has no locus stan- towards 'rioters was impossible in the knowledge of right to privacy of citizens yet.” from the State. from the AIADMK too was di in Tamil Nadu as a Rajya Yogiraj', UP Chief Minister's Media #57## 9 !# nor any respect for the constitution. The Earlier in the day, Allahabad bench Six Rajya Sabha members defeated in the 2019 Lok Sabha Sabha candidate. Adviser Mrityunjay Kumar said the &:## 5#6 #6!P people of the state are fed up with this gov- Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice representing Tamil Nadu are election from Krishnagiri. The Congress has been High Court order on posters of anti- ernment. We welcome the high court's Ramesh Sinha had directed the district retiring in April after their six The AIADMK had made supporting the DMK without CAA protesters should be understood decision,” SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav said magistrate and the Lucknow Police com- year tenure necessitating the an understanding with the any pre-condition all these in right perspective. here. missioner to submit a report on the mat- election. Based on the current Tamil Manila Congress in the years. They even rejected our In a tweet on Monday, the offi- 'Yogiraj' is impossible,” he BSP supremo Mayawati too wel- ter by March 16. party position in the Legislative run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha request to nominate former cial also vowed to 'expose' the riot- added. comed the decision. The court, which had on March 7 Assembly, the electoral col- election that it would accom- Prime Minister Manmohan ers. The Allahabad High Court on “The BSP welcomes the honourable taken suo motu cognisance of the issue, lege, the AIADMK and the modate Vasan, a former union Singh to the Rajya Sabha from “The directions of the High Monday directed the Lucknow high court's order directing the adminis- on Sunday termed the move as “highly DMK can send three members minister and son of TMC Tamil Nadu,” said a senior Court to remove posters of those adminstration to remove the posters tration to remove hoardings of those unjust” and said it was an “absolute each to the Upper House of the founder late G K Moopanar , as Congress leader who did not accused of vandalism (during anti- of those accused of vandalism during accused of violence during the anti-CAA encroachment on personal liberty of Indian Parliament. a candidate during the Rajya want his name to be CAA protests) should be under- anti-CAA protests in the state protests after taking suo motu cognisance individuals”. The DMK has named Sabha election. disclosed. stood in right perspective. Only their December last year. of the matter,” Mayawati said in a tweet. The posters bearing photographs, Tiruchi Shiva, Anthiyur The AIADMK list has Tamil Nadu will soon see posters will be removed, not the sec- The bench of Chief Justice Meanwhile, Congress state president names and addresses of those accused of Selvaraj and N R Elago as can- resulted in a lot of heart burn- two by-elections to the legisla- tions (of law) imposed against them,” Govind Mathur and Justice Ramesh Ajay Kumar Lallu said the court's decision vandalism during the anti-CAA protests didates for the election to be ing as there were senior lead- tive assembly necessitated by he tweeted in Hindi. Sinha also asked the Uttar Pradesh has “exposed” the undemocratic and had come up at major road crossings in held on March 26. ers like Dr Mythreyan and the the death of K P P Samy and S “We will take forward the fight Government not to install such anti-constitution stand of the Adityanath Lucknow late on Thursday night on the Though there were reports glamorous Gokul Indira who Kathavarayan (both DMK) on to expose the identity of the rioters. posters “without having the author- government. directions of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister that the Congress had request- were the front runners for the February 27 and 28 respec- Leniency with the rioters in the ity of law”. PTI “The right to privacy is a fundamental Yogi Adityanath, an official had said. PTI ed the DMK for a seat, the for- nomination. tively. 2,2 * ")4 9/ 3! R' ' ' 7 19 ULA (P) Act, 7/27, I Arms wo Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) ACT, 307 1PC, 7 ' # Tterrorists were neutralised has been regis- by the joint team of security tered in police 20-year-old Pakistani national 4 forces in Khojpura area of station Awas apprehended by the alert Jaipur: Thirteen people, Reban village in Shopian on Zainapora and jawans of the Indian Army near the including seven policemen, Mumbai: More than 40,000 police personnel Monday. the investigation line of control in Balakote sector of were injured on Monday in are being deployed across Mumbai to ensure According to police set into motion. Poonch late sunday night. a clash between two groups that Holi celebrations on Monday and Tuesday spokesman, “late sunday night According Meanwhile, fresh incident of over a land dispute in pass off peacefully. a specific input was received by to police ceasefire violation was reported Rajasthan's Alwar district, In Maharashtra, bonfires will be lit on Shopian Police about the pres- records, Shabir around 12.15 p.m in Shahpur sector officials said. Monday night to mark the beginning of the ence of LeT terrorists hiding in Ahmad Malik of Poonch on Monday. Police personnel were Festival of Colours. the village Khojpora Reban, Police spokesman said, “the @ Abu Mayiya was Pakistan Till the time of filing the report, rushed to a village in Alwar Personnel of the State Reserve Police Force Shopian” . two terrorists have been iden- trained terrorist and was the firing in the area was going on. on receiving information of (SRPF), Riots Control Unit, Bomb Detection Police spokesman said, tified as Shabir Ahmad Malik involved in various terror relat- Defence spokesman Lt- Col a clash between two groups, and Disposal Squad, and Traffic Police will keep “acting upon this input a joint @Abu Maviya resident of ed cases in south Kashmir Devender Anand in Jammu said, the they said. tal in all. a close watch on the celebrations to prevent any cordon and search operation Tungduno Yaripora Kulgam including case FIR NO. Pakistan Army initiated ceasefire vio- On reaching the spot, the per- The police said Jasram Gurjar, unruly behaviour at public places, a senior was launched by the local who was active since December 22/2018 U/S:-13, 20 ULA (P) lation using small arms and shelling sonnel were attacked with sticks and Devi Singh Gurjar and their accom- police official said on Monday. police, Rashtriya Rifles and 2017 and Amir Ahmad Dar ACT, FIR N0. 73/2019 U/S 13 with mortars along the LoC in stones and shots were fired too, the plices had encroached on a plot of Additionally, Quick Response Teams CRPF personnel in the area. resident of Wadina Melhoura ULA (P) ACT, 506 RPC, 7/25 Shahpur around 12.15 on Monday. officials said. land which led to an argument and (QRTs) will also be put in place, he said. “During the search opera- who was active since 2019”. I Arms ACT, FIR No 17/2019 He said, the Indian Army retaliated “Seven policemen were injured the clash. Police personnel are being deployed at beach- tion, hiding terrorists tried to During the search of the U/S:13, 18, 19, 38 39 ULA (P) befittingly. in the attack. A police vehicle was “Seven persons, including Jasram es in Mumbai, important places of worship, break the cordon by firing encounter site 01 AK -47, 01 ACT of Police Station Yaripora According to official sources, also damaged. Police teams fired and his son Manpal, have been malls and around the statues of political lead- indiscriminately upon the UBGL, 01 AK-47 magazine, 01 of District Kulgam. While as Pakistani national apprehended by eight rounds to control the situation,” arrested. Jasram and three other ers where Holi revellers are likely to assemble search parties. The troops Chinese 5 pistol, 01 magazine both the terrorists were the army was identified as 20 year old SP (Alwar) Paris Anil Deshmukh arrested persons have criminal on Tuesday. immediately took cover and of Chinese pistol and 05(No’s) involved in case FIR No. Fariyad Ali of Kotli, Pakistan. Official said. records,” Deshmukh said. “A vast network of CCTV cameras will keep retaliated, during retaliation 9 mm live rounds were recov- 58/2019 U/St-16 ULA (P) ACT sources said, he is yet to be handed Six people sustained injuries in He added that an investigation an eye on happenings in the city (during the by the security forces the hid- ered from the encounter site. 436 RPC, 7/25 I A ACT of over by the army to the police police action to bring the situation was launched. Additional policemen festival) and those found violating norms and ing terrorists were neutral- In this connection case Police Station Zainapora authorities for further investiga- under control, he said, adding that have been deployed in the area to playing mischief will be dealt with strictly,” the ized”. FIR No. 11/2020 U/S: -16, 18, District Shopian. tions. 13 persons were admitted to hospi- maintain law and order. PTI official added. PTI 7<= ,) % +$ $$ $ $ 3 CPI(M) the Bengal unit of the which ordered CBI investiga- Trinamool Congress. The party had earlier proposed the tion in both Sharada and tenure of the most of the civic he CPI(M) is likely to field name of former Rajya Sabha Narada sting cases. boards in the State would come Itanagar: The Indian Army Tsenior advocate Bikash MP and party general secretary A former Mayor of Kolkata to an end in May this year. has rescued 390 people who Ranjan Bhattacharya for the Sitaram Yechury for contesting Bhattacharya fought on “Everyone knows why the were stranded at Sela Pass in upcoming Rajya Sabha elec- the election only to be opposed CPI(M) ticket in the 2019 gen- announcement of the elections Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang tions, party sources have said. by the politburo of the Marxist eral elections and was the only is being delayed. It is being district due to heavy snowfall, Bhattacharya a former Tripura outfit. Left candidate in Bengal who done to help the TMC declare a Defence official said here on Advocate General will contest Subsequently did not forfeit his deposit fin- its projects and sanction all the Monday. as the Left Front candidate Bhattacharya’s name was pro- ishing third behind the funds,” Ghosh said adding The rescue operation was backed by the Congress Party. posed and accepted. Sources in Trinamool Congress and the however that the people of the carried out at an altitude of While the Left has 28 the Congress said that the BJP. State had made up their mind 14,000 feet on the intervening MLAs in the 294-member State party is not opposed to the idea Meanwhile, in an unrelat- to remove the TMC from nights of March 7 and 8, Tezpur Assembly the Congress has 42 of Bhattacharya nominating ed development the BJP has power. based Defence Spokesman Lt candidates. the senior counsel. slammed the Mamata Banerjee Reacting to his statement Col Harsh Wardhan Pande The Trinamool Congress Bhattacharya’s chemistry with Government for delaying the Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said. had earlier nominated four the Pradesh Congress goes announcement of municipal said that Ghosh was preparing The rescued people were former Lok Sabha MPs: Dinesh back to 2013 when he took the elections. State BJP president apology for his party’s defeat in provided with immediate med- Trivedi, Arpita Ghosh, brief for Senior Congress leader Dilip Ghosh said that the State the coming elections. ical support and hot snacks. Mausam Benazir Noor and and Bengal Opposition Leader Election Commission was “Everyone knows who will win They have expressed their grat- Subrata Bakshi for the March Abdul Mannan the main peti- intentionally delaying the and who will lose. Let the itude towards the Army, he 26 Upper House elections. tioner in the Sharada chit fund announcement of the elections elections come and everything said. PTI According to sources in the case in the Supreme Court in order to help the ruling will be clear,” he said. $ $ $ ; ! ; ? -/ 9 $ > $ , ( 3-' % $ ' Ahmedabad: Police officials styled godman in November investigating a case of abduction last year. registered against self-styled In his petition, Turlapati godman Nithyananda have been alleged that police officials -(-#-- booked under POCSO Act for including inspector R B Rana of allegedly showing porn materi- Vivekanandnagar police station, New Delhi: After serving at strategic XV Kargil intrusion in 1999. al to children of his ashram, and members of the CWC asked Corps of Army last year, Lt Gen KJS The DIA is a nodal agency for all located near Ahmedabad, dur- offensive questions to the minor Dhillon will take over the post of defence related intelligence which collects ing the probe, an officer said on inmates of the ashram. Director General Defence Intelligence information technically as well as Monday. The complainant alleged Agency and Deputy Chief of Integrated through satellites to safeguard the inter- Among the 14 people that the children were subject- Defence Staff (Intelligence), officials est of the country. against whom an FIR was reg- ed to mental torture by the said on Monday. The DIA also forms part of the Multi istered on March 6 on the order investigators. It is a department that comes under Agency Centre (MAC), an umbrella of of a special court also included Turlapati also alleged that the Chief of Defence Staff in the newly organisations which looks into infiltra- members of the Child Welfare the children, including girls, created Department of Military Affairs. tion of terrorists from Pakistan and Committee (CWC). were shown morphed porno- The 57-year-old Lt Gen Dhillon, who Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The court had ordered reg- graphic videos and photos by the is from the 1983 batch of the Indian Lt Gen Dhillon's tenure at XV corps istration of the case while hear- investigating teams. Military Academy, recently handed over began on a challenging note as within a ing a complaint petition filed by PTI has the copy of the peti- the charge of XV Corps to Lt Gen B S week of his taking over in February last Nithyananda's follower Girish tion. Raju. Officials in the Defence Ministry year, the nation witnessed a terror attack Turlapati, an inmate ot the Turlapati also claimed that said that the order for Lt Gen Dhillon, on its security forces in which 40 CRPF ashram-cum-gurukul located in the police officials concerned who has been credited with several suc- personnel were killed when a suicide Hirapur village on the outskirts and members of the CWC tried cessful people friendly operations in the bomber targeted their convoy in of Ahmedabad. to emotionally blackmail the crucial last year, has been issued and he Pulwama on February 14. The FIR was registered at children in order to extract will assume the charge soon. Coming to grips with his new role, Vivekanandanagar police station favourable statements from He will take charge as DG DIA and Lt Gen Dhillon of the Rajputana Rifles, in Ahmedabad them. In its order, the special DCIDS, an organisation which is respon- began coordinating operations against district. Protection of Children from sible for collating technical as well as the perpetrators of the ghastly attack who This is the same police sta- Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act human intelligence for the three armed were neutralised within 100 hours of the tion where a case of wrongful court ordered registration of an forces, they said. incident and also monitored develop- confinement and abduction of FIR under the POCSO Act, the The DIA was created in 2002 on rec- ments along the Line of Control (LoC) three children was registered Indian Penal Code (IPC) and IT ommendations of a Group of Ministers where situation was getting more tense ' $ % 6' :- $ : $ -/ against the controversial self- Act. PTI which looked into lapses leading to the by the day. PTI !"#!#! 4 1 ! #5
Kochi/ Pathanamthitta: A As the child had symptoms infected persons had come in three-year-old child who of coronavirus, all the three contact with during their stay & .6 + returned here from Italy tested were immediately referred to in Ranni and surrounding areas positive for the novel coron- the isolation ward of the hos- between February 29 and Bengaluru: Underlining the the pharma companies had COVID-19. avirus on Monday, taking the pital in Kalamassery, officials March 6. Centre's Preparedness to deal assured him that there was no “I will tell you, there are number of those afflicted by the said. Based on the list, the peo- with COVID-19, Union need to worry about the coro- two aspects. One is black-mar- infection in Kerala to six, offi- The samples of the child ple showing symptoms of coro- Minister for Chemicals and navirus. keting and another is sending cials said. sent for examination at the navirus will be hospitalised Fertilisers DV Sadananda In China also, apart from this false propaganda (about While the child is being National Institute of Virology and others home quarantined, Gowda on Monday said there two affected districts, the other shortage). I don't think there is treated at the isolation ward of lab have tested positive for he said. “So far we have got was sufficient stock of Active districts have started manu- any scarcity. Of course, it has the Kalamassery Medical coronavirus, they said. a list of 150 people with whom Pharmaceutical Ingredients facturing API, he added. appeared in the newspapers,” College hospital here, five oth- The parents' samples have the infected persons had pri- (API) for the next three Gowda, however, conced- the Minister said. ers, who tested positive on also been sent for lab test, the mary contacts. It is not neces- months. ed that India did not take Following the reports, Saturday, are undergoing treat- officials said. The State on ing in their home have also them, two elderly persons had sary that they all would be As soon as this news came much interest in the earlier searches were carried out and ment in similar facility in Sunday reported five fresh tested positive for been shifted to the Kottayam infected with the virus. There out from China (about the days for this formation of API some black-marketeers were Pathanamthitta. cases, including a couple and coronavirus. Medical College hospital con- could be a delay in showing the novel coronvirus outbreak), parks, pharma parks and drug found, said Gowda adding that The condition of the child their son who had flown from Officials in Pathanamthitta sidering their old age, they said symptoms. So we will have to we had a meeting with all the parks across the country. everything has been resolved. was stable, they added. Italy and allegedly evaded air- said on Monday that there without giving any further wait for 14-day incubation industrialists, pharma indus- Now, we have planned for When asked that the drug The child and its parents port screening, from were five positive cases and five details. period,” he said. trialists, and we took stock of that. We are going to have six controller had stated that masks who had reached the Cochin Pathanamthitta, days after the others with symptoms such as Pathanamthitta district Out of 150 people, as many the API. It is more than suffi- mega pharma powers in vari- do not come under his perview, International Airport from Italy country's first three coron- fever in the district. Collector P B Nooh said eight as 58 are included in the high- cient for another three months, ous corners of the country, Gowda said directions have on March 7 at 6 a.m were sub- avirus patients from Kerala Of them, nine had been teams of medical officials com- risk category and they are Gowda told reporters. including one in Raichur, he been given by the Prime jected to thermal screening at recovered and were discharged admitted to the isolation ward prising doctors are in the being closely monitored by The Union Minister said said. Minister and a group of five the universal surveillance sys- from hospitals. of the government general hos- process of preparing a list of the health officials, the Collector recently at the Pharma-2020 Gowda ruled out scarcity Ministers, who are monitoring tem established there. Two of their relatives stay- pital in Pathanamthitta. Among people with whom the virus said. PTI conclave in Ahmedabad that of masks or drugs to deal with the situation. PTI $ & & " 3! & '
7 health authorities have sent 400 under surveillance in R .+ fresh sample of another sus- Satwari and Sarwal areas of fter one of the suspected pected coronavirus patient, Jammu. Anganwadi centers in Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government ment to take all precautionary measures, Acases of coronavirus, with currently lodged in an isolation these areas closed till March on Monday said it has strengthened sur- he said. a recent travel history to Iran, ward of Government Medical 31”. veillance and containment measures “There is blanket permission on this tested positive in Jammu, the college hospital, Jammu since Eyewitness reports against the possible spread of coron- issue and there is no dearth of Jammu & Kashmir adminis- March 5. claimed, separate teams of local avirus (COVID-19) in the State and funds...CM has told us to use funds and tration on Monday further Confirming the status of authorities were dispatched to there was no dearth of funds for it. take measures so that the virus do not stepped up vigil by tracking these two suspected patients, pick local contacts of these two Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar spread in the state at any cost.” down close family members twitter handle of Health and suspected patients from local- said not even a single case of coronavirus The State Government is efficient- and others who may have Medical education department ities where these two were infection has been reported in the state ly working towards containing the come into contact with the in a tweet said, “One case of staying in Jammu. and soon more testing labs will be set up spread of virus, he said, adding that patients. patient admitted in isolation at Ironically, senior police zone-wise. committees have been formed at each According to official GMC tested positive for and health department officers “Till now not even a single case of district- headed by Deputy sources, “A 63-year-old woman, Coronavirus. Patient had trav- were seen wearing masks but coronavirus infection has been report- Commissioners, containing District originally a native of Ladakh, el history to Iran. Second other staff members were seen ed and precautionary measures taken by Health Officer (DHO), District currently staying in Jammu patient’s sample being sent for using piece of cloth to cover us (state government) is the main rea- Surgeons, Primary Health Centres and after her arrival from Iran test- retest”. their faces as they were not pro- son for it. 'Asha' workers to take precautionary ed positive”. Her report was Principal Secretary, vided with either masks or There is no reason for anyone to measure. released late Sunday evening Planning, Development and safety kits. Ambulances and panic, but there is a need to take pre- The Minister was replying to con- but Health and Medical edu- Monitoring department and jeeps were deployed to ferry cautions,” Sudhakar said in the assem- cerns raised by MLAs Bharath Shetty, cation department confirmed official spokesman, Rohit these people to a nearby isola- bly during zero hour. NA Harris, HK Patil among others the status on Monday morning. Kansal tweeted Monday morn- tion centre set up in Yatri $ % 2 6 + The Chief Minister had instructed regarding coronavirus and measures On the other hand, the ing, “Situation under watch; Niwas, Bhagwati Nagar. 6 -/ health and medical education depart- taken by the State Government. PTI #& ' ' 7 7 " & 87 '+ Kolkata: Holi, the festival of Samanta, a young reveller colours, was celebrated with said. enthusiasm across West Bengal The day was celebrated Jaipur: Rajasthan Health Holi will be celebrated on as men and women took to the with religious fervour at the Minister Raghu Sharma on Tuesday. streets smearing 'gulal' on each Vaishnav shrines of Nabadwip Monday appealed to people to The minister said health other's faces, while children in Nadia district and also at the Kochi: In view of fresh cases of avoid using Chinese products department officials, doctors, sprinkled coloured water on global headquarters of Coronavirus in Kerala, the on Holi in the wake of novel nursing staff have done a good others. ISKCON in Mayapur. Cochin International Airport coronavirus scare. job in handling the situation. At several get-togethers in Sanitisers and masks were Limited on Monday decided to He said the situation in the On the other hand, Chief and around the city and vari- kept at the temple premises as extend the screening of pas- State is under control but peo- Minister Ashok Gehlot held a ous places across the districts, a precautionary measure sengers from the internation- ple should remain vigilant and meeting with officials late on 'Basanto Utsab' was celebrated against possible coronavirus al terminal to the domestic one consult doctors if they have any Sunday night and reviewed with much fanfare. infection as thousands have as well. symptoms like fever or cough. the situation amid coronavirus At Tallah Park area in congregated at the temple since The screening had started “People should try avoid- scare. North Kolkata revellers were Sunday evening. At Visva- at the airport for international ing the use of Chinese products “The chief minister chaired seen wearing masks while Bharati university in Birbhum passengers on March 3. and chemical-based colours a high-level review of the sta- smearing each other with 'gulal' district, the customary 'Basanta “As new cases were emerg- on Holi. Natural colour or tus of preparedness on in the wake of the coronavirus Utsav' was banned this year in ing, CIAL decided to extend Gulal should be used,” he said COVID-19 in the state,” an offi- scare. “We will enjoy and cel- the wake of the coronavirus the universal screening to in a video message. cial said. PTI ebrate, but cautiously,” Dolly outbreak. PTI domestic passengers. New health counters were added to both international and domes- tic arrival areas,” a CIAL state- ment said. PTI - $ % - 1 -/ , % $ O ;
Thiruvananthapuram: Amid women tizers were from Italy, were reported in coronavirus scare and strict devotees, out of stock Kerala, prompting the govern- Government guidelines issued includ- in many med- ment on Sunday to sound a in the wake of six fresh positive ing chil- ical shops in renewed alert. cases being reported in Kerala, dren and the city. Meanwhile, a three-year lakhs of women took part in elders, Preparing old child in Kochi tested pos- the famous “Attukal Pongala,” could be 'pongala' itive for the virus, officials said one of the largest religious seen (sweet offer- on Monday. congregations of women, here wearing ing) is con- The state had reported the on Monday. face sidered an first three positive cases in Braving the scorching heat, masks auspicious all- India for the deadly virus and devotees from the State and while preparing the offering, as women ritual as part of the had successfully treated outside, converged in temple a precautionary measure in annual festival of the Attukal them. grounds, both sides of high- the wake of the virus out- Bhahavathy Temple here, pop- There were apprehensions ways, roads and bylines across break. ularly known as the “Women's about conducting the festival the capital city and prepared People using hand sanitiz- Sabarimala.” this time in view of the fresh 'pongala', a sweet offering, on ers in between was also com- Five fresh coronavirus coronavirus cases, confirmed in makeshift brick stoves. mon. Some devotees com- cases, including three who Pathanamthitta district on $ $ % % / 2 -/ Unlike previous years, plained that masks and sani- evaded screening on return Sunday. PTI - % $ @ $ ; , ' % >(%% +/ Kolkata: Blood and swab test “Reports of his blood and results of a diabetic man, who swab samples revealed that he 45 died in the isolation ward of a has not died because of hospital in West Bengal's COVID-19....He was suffering s part of precautionary measures against the coro- Kochi: An unconventional battle has Asimov CEO Jayakrishnan T Murshidabad district, showed from fever, cough and cold Anavirus in Lakshadweep, the administration has been waged by the Kerala Startup said a general public apathy towards that he did not die of novel which are symptoms of the decided to stop entry of foreign tourists to the islands, Mission (KSUM) against the spread preventive measures against coron- coronavirus but due to “other deadly disease, and that is Mohammed Faizal, MP, said on Monday. of coronavirus by using two robots. avirus has prompted the solutions- reasons”, a senior official of the why he was kept in the isola- He told PTI that no restrictions have been Of the pair of computer-pro- provider company to go for such a state health department said tion ward,” the official imposed on the entry of domestic tourists to the island. grammed machines developed by drive. The use of robots in the cam- on Monday. said. However, entry would be allowed only after they Asimov Robotics which is a startup paign has invited public attention, also The 33-year-old man died The man, who was dia- are properly screened at passenger reporting centres incubated at KSUM here, one dis- considering the propensity of coro- in the Murshidabad Medical betic, died of “other reasons”, at Kochi, Kozhikode and Agatti, he said. tributes masks, sanitiser and napkins navirus to spread though human con- College and Hospital on he said. India's smallest Union Territory, Lakshadweep, is in a bid to check COVID-19 while the tact. Sunday, a day after he was Director of Health an archipelago consisting of 36 islands with an area other screens detail about the World KSUM Chief Executive Officer admitted there with symp- Services Ajay Chakraborty of 32 sq km. Health Organisations campaign to Saji Gopinath said the institution was toms of coronavirus, following had said the man died proba- All islands are 220 to 440 km from the coastal city contain the disease, a press release mulling over installing such robots in his return from Saudi Arabia. bly of diabetes. PTI of Kochi in Kerala said. public places such as airports. PTI !"#!#! # ) 6 B2 ! & 6 6 "#"$ %&'("#))&*+ ), 9 & & # "" ' '"" & , 4 " & ) & 0//. ) ( 8 + 4 ( 8 ) 7* & & : ( ;3 /3 , 5 6 # 7 * < $ # !"#$%& : ( ( eporting from the Afghan front- lines, 22-year-old cavalry officer , and war correspondent Winston P Q # Churchill had talked about the ? , bravery of the Pathan warriors: “TheirR swordsmanship — neglecting guards " — concerns itself only with cuts and care- #S less of what injury they may receive, they ! @ devote themselves to the destruction of their opponents.” However, the warrior-scholar S was far less charitable with the “mullah” : A S ( among the Pathans: “Their holy men — the mullahs — prize as chief privilege, a sort " ( of droit de seigneur (right of the lord). It is impossible to imagine a lower type of being ( ,+58@ or a more dreadful state of barbarism.” The Afghan wastelands, which were 8 ( immortalised for hosting the fictionalised “great game” by novelist Rudyard Kipling, 4 ( actually live up to their literary billing. The * barren swathes of the unforgiving heights 7 B # of the Hindu Kush mountain ranges to the Wakhan panhandle have witnessed the unquenched ambitions of various empires , S — from the Persians to the Greeks, Mongol, @ S Turkic, Mughals, Qajars, Tsarist, British to the erstwhile Soviets in the 1980s. The edifice of the so-called peace between warring factions, with- release Talibani prisoners. 8 1330 bloody graveyard of empires was exempli- hope is predicated on the com- drawal of its troops (exactly the Ghani’s comments that, # $ + $ fied by the retreating British forces from plete disownment and U-turn of same terms as in the latest “the Government of % 4<@ ( Kabul, when only one out of 18,500 soldiers Talibani behaviour, conduct Afghan peace treaty), effec- Afghanistan has made no com- made it out of the ferocious Afghan tribes- and ideology — from their his- tively leaving the depleted US- mitment to free 5,000 Taliban ( men, who slaughtered the contingent of the torically violent, sworn intran- supported faction to fend for prisoners” and further clarifica- /23 then most powerful military in the world. sigence and without any hard survival. Expectedly and with- tion that the US could not take , + Yet again, arguably the most powerful commitment to reform itself. 4-7* 331* in a few months, the US-sup- unilateral decisions on its behalf empire in the world today, the US, has suc- The Ashraf Ghani ported South Vietnamese forces by stating that, “it is not in the 4 A cumbed to the irascible, uncontrollable and Government in Kabul has been 4-7*7 3 were slaughtered. authority of the US to decide, # fierce warriors of the region, albeit under a mute, unengaged and side- !,--"- While accepting the surren- it is only a facilitator”, augurs a # ( the cover of a pact, “Agreement for Bringing lined spectator in the entire 3- D5"?4- der, North Vietnamese Colonel bleak future. + 8@B, (C0 " ( Peace to Afghanistan.” After suffering over process and is hopelessly left to Bui Tin rubbished the so-called In 1989, the US had stalled 2,400 American combat fatalities (addition- fend for itself as the American *57 5"4- “peace deal” provisions and all overtures, invitations and @ al 1,100 NATO soldiers) and with over soldiers extricate themselves. asserted, “Between Vietnamese, concessions by the then ( 20,660 men injured, the longest war in the This withdrawal from the con- 3 3* there are no victors and no van- Mohammad Najibullah regime $ US’ modern history (over 18 years since flict zone follows an unmistak- N4 "23-4-5, quished. Only the Americans and persisted with the jihadi 2001), and burning over a two trillion dol- able pattern with the US unilat- have been beaten.” Today, Kabul mujahideen, the forbears of ( ( lar in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, US erally bolting out from a precar- 2-*5"A O stares at a similar deal with an the present-day Taliban. 8 : ' $ D1 ( President Donald Trump signed an osten- ious situation — it had done so *7%*-O7-" irreconcilable terror organisa- Washington, DC, had wrongly - . sible “peace deal” with the Afghan Taliban. earlier from this very region in tion that is not even monolith- punted on the Inter-Services The deal was inked from the Taliban the late 1980s; in Iraq after -D-"*4 D- ic or unified in control and has Intelligence-supported extrem- side by its co-founder, Mullah Ghani removing Saddam Hussein; in a dubious track record of shift- ist forces and paid a bloody ( Baradar, who is described as a typical “old- Libya after eliminating 31 A*%--" ing loyalties among its warlords price by supporting a puritan- 9 fashioned Pashtun tribal head.” The Taliban, Muammar al-Gaddafi; in -D-" ,- — the portents are ominous. ical ideology that would haunt which has been the principal terror organ- Lebanon after the 1983 Beirut Almost immediately, the it in the near future. isation in Afghanistan, responsible for barracks bombings; in Somalia 4 5 533-2 obviousness of the “face saving” By 2001, the US had 8 # over 157,000 deaths (as per research from and in Vietnam among others. 154D53-"- instrument that afforded the returned to Afghanistan to take the Cost of War Project at Brown It follows the usual pretence of Americans to cut-and-run is on its own Frankenstein mon- University), has incredulously been leaving the situation to the %32*4-2 proving true. Within days of the ster, now called the Taliban. The # ( promised that it would work along with locals to “handle their destiny.” !573 5" so-called “peace deal”, brazen then President, George Bush, E < 5 8@B, (C0 F3 other members of the United Nations Subsequent events have always violations by the Taliban includ- had famously said, “As a result , Security Council to “remove members of been even more chaotic, filled "2 -:D-, ed a wave of ferocious attacks, of the US military, the Taliban the Taliban from the sanctions list with the with violence, bloodshed, capit- %A-P,- 5* forcing the US to make “defen- is no longer in existence.” He " ( aim of achieving this objective by May 29, ulation and take-over by sive” air strikes against the was clearly wrong and the pre- 4 ( 2020.” extremist forces. ,-* Taliban in the Helmand sent President has again signed ( The weakly worded and vacuous In an eerily similar situation province — hardly reassuring of another deal with the historical- Afghan “peace deal” that is inherently lop- from the past history, when the the road ahead. While Trump ly untrustworthy Taliban. (+ sided in favour of the Talibanis — with mea- US had tired from the unend- spoke about his “good talks” History is deemed to repeat 4 surable deliverables from the US and vague ing and inconclusive fighting in with the Taliban leader Baradar, itself. ( generalities in the form of Talibani deliver- Vietnam, it signed a “peace expected fissures erupted with (The writer, a military vet- ables — is telling in terms of who had the agreement” entailing a ceasefire, the Afghan President Ashraf eran, is a former Lt Governor of upper hand in the negotiations. The entire release of prisoners, talks Ghani rejecting the demand to Andaman & Nicobar Islands) %, - 1 ( 5 * 5 O & F & ? 2'(&" " '&&: & D 5 & : " & & + 5 1 & 5F !F && : % ( O & ) & F * : #) * + && * , -+*,. /0 6<69$=6 =# 6 :! 55=$ : ::!#6 K% 3 K% ! ) K? &* & K4 D 1/23 " ( 1 4 " non-performing asset (NPA) cri- sis is still brewing. Regulatory laws need to be tightened to + Sir — This refers to the editori- L )ML 8M ensure the recovery of bad loans. " al, “Train wreck” (March 7). 5 )52%5% ) Interest rates on fixed What a huge fall from grace it has 53 * 2 4 & deposits are at an all-time low. ) * ( been for Yes Bank, which started ! + : % ) & : Despite this, people opt for banks ! 5 , its operations in 2004. Since && to invest. Given the state of affairs 6 , 5 S " ( then, it has followed an aggressive A % ) 3 ) A % ) today, it’s important not just to approach to attract customers. O restore people’s faith in the bank- From offering lower interest rates ing system but also revive the * , to funding credit disbursements already stressed economy. ) *S through both deposits and bond &A % ) & Devendra Khurana issues, it broke all norms followed 5 ) Bhopal # $ by other banks. It wasn’t surpris- 0 9<) / 9<) 7 8 * -$78 *. 4 ) ing then that its business figures : & L"! M * rose at a much higher rate than 2 & " ! * % ) L!*% M others and it became the darling * & ) & & for stock investors. ? ) 1 & & "! !*% K Sir — In the wake of more than 5 # ( But within almost a year, it hit ? & L & M 6 K) & 40 confirmed cases of 5 one roadblock after the other and 7! ? : Coronavirus in India, the Prime could not come to terms with the & & & & & & : Minister should have called for a harsh reality. Banking is not ) 5 !*% * & ban on mass gatherings today. ) * rocket science, which involves too * % ) 5 L*%5M ? Holi is a festival of joy and social- much technological knowledge; 9; 09$: attending a Holi gathering can ! * , -!*,. in the last one-and-a-half decade, 5 & & cause a crisis that affects many. 8 * , -8*,. * S banking has also seen cut throat Enjoyment cannot come at the competition, especially in the cost of lives. 8 private space. Yes Bank was not restructuring plan by April 3, we Q disturbing that banks, which are Reshma an exception to this. hope the transition will be as considered to be the safest place Via email Now that the Reserve Bank of smooth as possible. for parking savings, are running India (RBI) has asked the State Bal Govind Sir — This refers to the editori- into trouble again and again. %% > Bank of India (SBI) to submit a Noida al, “Train wreck” (March 7). It is This is signal enough that the ##6!# 9 :6?7<$ = < !"#!#! -- , ; 2 !"#' !"#' , 2 , B,1 C 11,'-- 2 1 2, D , @ 2 D 5 ) L1@ 2 0 L + & , 1 !) % & ; ''" "
(&(#$%) < ) 2'/ & Q 7 A <: " ' / % 4 , # ( , : ( CF CG , : # , 4 , C2(13 - S ;33 : *''( : . 9 H , or decades, farmers in India have been 8 H @ resorting to indiscriminate and excessive use # Fof chemical fertilisers such as nitrogen (N), ( phosphate (P) and potash (K) besides a host of secondary and micro-nutrients. This is leading to deterioration in soil health, an adverse impact @ : on the environment and imperiling public health. The mother soil is the repository of these nutrients and the precise quantum in any given * location depends on their stock to begin with, i.e. when farmers started cultivating the land (say - ( 100 years ago or even earlier), addition from . # application of chemical fertilisers (or organic ( + 7 manure) and their uptake by the crops grown. P9 Q , By conducting a soil analysis, it should be pos- - . ( sible to find out the stock of each nutrient viz. - “N”, “P”, “K” and so on. . Juxtaposed with the requirement for grow- ing a particular crop, the farmer can deduce how *72A%A4- # , 7 ( much of each nutrient needs to be supplied exter- 4A2-, % 2:% *-2 nally albeit from chemical fertilisers (or not to " 5" 3 # -. ( be applied at all, a scenario when the soil itself 5"*57- - . is in a position to meet all the requirements for ?,5737, 3 4 uptake by the crops). But, this procedure is rarely -P-"*5" followed, which causes a serious mismatch, lead- " ?- -" Considering that the study covers Based Scheme (NBS). The cost of feedstock supply — non-urea fertilis- " ing to either deficient or excessive use of a given D-,5"?=.>9 a fraction of farmers, one wonders transportation (it includes primary ers have been at the receiving end. Their nutrient. whether these results are truly represen- movement by rail from the plant and woes are further exacerbated by high There is excessive use of urea — a dominant , -,* tative of all cultivators in the States con- secondary movement from the unload- dependence on imports (100 per cent 7 A %S " 735D 5"? , E source of ‘N’ vis-à-vis complex fertilisers such as cerned. Assuming that this is the case ing rake point by road to the retailer) in K and nearly 90 per cent in P) and diammonium phosphate (DAP) the main source "! 22A and even if the reduction in use of is reimbursed to urea manufacturers resultant exploitation by global cartels # P Q of ‘P’ and muriate of potash (MOP), the main "2*A%- " chemical fertilisers by up to 10 per cent under a uniform freight policy. On the by way of charging a high price. This P Q ( source of ‘K’. This has led to an increasing imbal- ,**.;; (as per the NPC study) was entirely in other hand, manufacturers of decon- discrimination has persisted for close % ance in the NPK use ratio. On an all-India basis, D533 ?-*5".@ urea use, this is nowhere near the tar- trolled complex fertilisers like MOP to three decades following their decon- # ( currently this ratio is 6.7:2.4:1 against an ideal * -* get of a 50 per cent cut set by the (excluding SSP) get reimbursement of trol in 1992, even as urea remained 9 " % P 4:2:1 with the attendant adverse effect on crop *41-24 Government for itself. freight cost only towards primary under control with disproportionately- yield, health of soil and humans. This has even ?,5737, 35** In the backdrop of the World Soil movement on the basis of actual rail high subsidy all through. The P and K Q < P Q pushed some States on the brink of a chemical 14 !!35-2 Day on December 5, 2017, while deliv- freight, as per the Railway receipts. nutrients supplied by non-urea fertilis- epidemic. For instance, in Punjab, where per ering his Mann Ki Baat radio address, Thus, the manufacturers/importers ers are as important as N supplied by hectare fertiliser use is higher than the nation- -,535*-,* "2 the Prime Minister said, “Can our farm- of decontrolled complex fertilisers, urea. Merely because, the Government , "7,5-"* *!-, P Q al average, chemicals have found their way into ers take a pledge to reduce urea use by MOP and SSP receive a stepmotherly decided to decontrol non-urea fertilis- the soil, ground water, the food chain and are ,- -"2 5"* half by 2022? If, they promise to use less treatment vis-à-vis manufacturers of ers even while retaining urea under + H + - . identified as a key factor responsible for cancer 1,5-""4-5, urea in agriculture, the fertility of the “controlled” urea. In case of complex control, does not render the former any 9 " S in the State. To arrest this trend, in February 2015, *534- 34 ,2* land will increase and the lives of farm- ones (MOP/SSP), even as the less important. Yet, it is this flawed per- S * ( the Modi Government launched the National Soil ,-27-2 ers will start improving.” Government normally keeps the sub- ception in the minds of our policymak- # " Health Programme (NSHP) under which it dis- 735D 5" This is not to suggest that the sidy unchanged, increase in the cost ers that has contributed to the present tributed soil health cards (SHCs) to over 140 mil- **%A NSHP can’t play a potent role in guid- leads to an ever-increasing MRP. In mess. The SHC can, at best, guide the lion farmers. Growers are encouraged to test their ing farmers towards a balanced fertilis- sharp contrast, it keeps the MRP of urea farmers on proper fertiliser use but it 7,!-,-" " soil every two years in State-run mobile and vil- ./!-,-" er use. While, the Government should at a low level (the current price 5,360 can do little to stem the opposite , lage-station laboratories. The laboratories analyse continue with the scheme, it needs to per tonne is more or less the same as impact of flawed policies. the soil on various nutrients including secondary "25",- *-2 attend to an overarching factor that lies it was nearly 20 years ago) even as all These glaring anomalies can be $ # 4-5,"-5" -* and micro-nutrients and then the SHCs offer cus- at the root of the increasing imbalance. escalations in cost are absorbed by addressed by dismantling controls on tomised recommendations on fertiliser use. %-1--" This has to do primarily with the pol- increasing subsidy. MRP and the existing system of rout- ( According to a study by the National =/!-,-" icy environment with regard to the pric- This results in disproportionately ing subsidy through manufacturers * Productivity Council (NPC) which was carried 9/!-,-" ing and availability of each of the fer- low MRP of urea vis-a-vis that of com- for both urea and non-urea fertilisers. ( out in 76 districts, spanning 19 States and cov- tiliser types. To make fertilisers afford- plex fertilisers, prompting farmers to Instead, give subsidy directly to farm- - B $ @ CDG0 ered 1,700 farmers, growers have cut the use of able to farmers, the Centre controls use more of the former and less of the ers via the direct benefit transfer mode. + $ , chemical fertilisers by up to 10 per cent. Further, their maximum retail price (MRP) at latter. The discrimination against com- With this, the grower will be 4 S ! 9 ! productivity has gone up between five per cent a low level unrelated to their cost of pro- plex fertilisers and MOP is also evident empowered in the true sense and will C0CD. < and six per cent on assessed crops, resulting in duction and distribution, which is way in their not getting freight subsidy on be free to use subsidy for buying fer- P higher farm incomes. Another study by the higher. The excess of cost over MRP is secondary movement to retail point tiliser types needed by the soil that - .Q ( Hyderabad-based National Institute of reimbursed to the manufacturer as sub- (manufacturers of SSP don’t even get would be based on the recommenda- S Agricultural Extension Management (NIAEM) sidy. In the case of urea, the subsidy primary freight for movement from tion embedded in the SHC. There could covering 3,184 farmers cultivating cotton, paddy varies from unit to unit and is admin- plant to railhead) as also in denial of not be a better way of reining in 7 ! * ( and soybean across 199 villages in 16 States, istered under the New Pricing Scheme natural gas, the feedstock used for mak- excess fertiliser use and reducing the # showed that agriculturalists who applied fertilis- (NPS) whereas for decontrolled com- ing of ammonia — an intermediate imbalance in the NPK ratio. Modi , $ ers and nutrients as per recommendations writ- plex fertilisers, MOP and single super- used in manufacture of complex fertilis- should use his political capital to crack 6 ( ten on their SHCs reduced cultivation costs by phosphate (SSP), a “uniform” subsidy ers — to their plants. In short, in almost the whip on this long-pending reform. four to 10 per cent and increased their net fixed on per nutrient basis is given to every aspect, be it subsidy support, (The writer is a New Delhi-based -! " # $ . incomes between 30 to 40 per cent. all manufacturers under the Nutrient reimbursement of movement cost or policy analyst) 2 & & (
the Ganga River Basin Management food web of the river. It is the food web different forest types also have an to address forest management under ed and under construction in the high of water, land and forest resources and Plan, it is a dying river. of the river that makes it vibrant and impact on the degree of water reten- varied conditions of terrain, climate, biodiversity regions of the Indian also sensitising decision-makers and So what has made the Ganga a living. Hence, in any river restoration tion. For instance, coniferous forests geology and hydrology. Himalayas will result in the submer- building community awareness so toxic, extremely polluted, threatened plan, the role of trees has to be appre- retain more than 10 per cent more than People have observed that when- gence of 54,117 hectares of forests. This that a location-specific sound policy river? Broadly, anyone can count the ciated and should be an integral com- mixed forests. ever there has been a loss of tree cover, will not only submerge many biodiver- can be formulated along with effective factors on their fingertips: Inadequate ponent. Out of the 8,51,475 sq km of Though extensive research has perennial streams have oscillation sity hotspots it will seriously alter the application of regulations. . ecological flow; impact of human the Ganga basin, only 5.6 per cent con- been carried out on various aspect of between dry river beds and floods. habitat by changing the depth and So far, the rejuvenation of the activities that add to its toxicity; over- stitutes dense forest, the rest of the the river, most of these studies have Why does this happen? The leaves of duration of water in the remaining Ganga is dominated by engineers extraction of biological and other landscape comprises open forests, limitations because the Ganga has trees intercept a proportion of the rain. areas along the dams. and bureaucrats. River ecology was rel- material; degradation or death of mangroves or shrubs. The function of never been observed for a long peri- That which falls on the ground, loses The assessment of the impact of atively a non-focussed, unapplied linked water-bodies; disappearance of forests ceases to be effective if densi- od of time. Hence, data are skewed, its momentum and its erosive power urbanisation that results in increased instrument kept aside. Serious gaps in f the Ganga dies, India dies,” says riparian vegetation; poor health of ty falls below 40 per cent. There is of sparse or point at spatial coverage. This is considerably reduced. The inter- flow variability, extreme channelisation ecological research, the management Vandana Shiva, a prominent scien- basin catchment or draining streams; course some mention of trees in the is particularly true regarding its ecol- stices within the soil created by roots of nutrients, toxic chemical invasion of the river to revive its ecology and Itist, campaigner and an environ- dying springs and the multiplicity of detailed project report but so far it has ogy. The Ganga is a living identity and provide ample room for water absorp- of biota and decreasing stream vege- to restore its ecological integrity, are mental activist. The Ganga basin cov- institutions dealing with different remained a non-starter. it has its own cleansing mechanism tion and storage. Thus, the trees, tation cover are also not available for great stumbling blocks, preventing ers more than a million square kilo- dimensions of the river and the river- For augmenting the ecological and ecology. through their roots allow the rest to various locations. management of the Ganga on ecolog- meters and deposits sediments which scape. flow of the Ganga, catchment reforesta- The 1995 records of the Forest enter the soil slowly to increase the But the real challenge facing the ical principles. It is seldom appreciat- are more than a kilometer deep in The Ganga has three distinct tion/enrichment of at least 7.40 mil- Survey of India show that 85 per cent groundwater table. It also reduces the country is the managerial knowledge ed that the Ganga is an ecosystem that some places. These are a boon for zones, the upper catchment, the mid- lion sq km should be a high priority. of river basins are devoid of any for- run-off to retard its power of soil ero- and expertise of field foresters, land has its own cleansing mechanism crops in North India and Bangladesh. dle part and the deep lower reaches. The Ganga basin is diverse in its geol- est cover. While the headwater tribu- sion. The relationship between water managers and those managing the that allows it to function efficiently. Based on historical evidence, until the All these zones have their own aute- ogy, climate and in its aquatic ecolo- taries of the Ganga, like the Bhagirathi and forests is complex and in the water resources. Also absent on the However, for that to happen, its eco- early 19th century, the bank of the river cology. But in all these parts the sur- gy but in every zone, trees have a key and Alaknanda still support a few absence of research on river ecology ground is the integrated symbiotic logical integrity must be maintained, Ganga teemed with wildlife, including rounding landscapes are key players role to play. Various experiments and stretches of good riparian forest cover, and lack of scientific data, the manage- approach reflecting the absence of which includes ecological processes dolphins. The Arthashastra of Kautilya that influence the river’s ecosystem and studies have shown that any water sub- these forests almost disappear down- ment of Ganga on its ecological prin- effective institution. Water managers such as production, decomposition, mentions that the banks of the Ganga its integrity. To make the ecological basin which has a forest cover of more stream. This can be attributed main- ciples has not seen the light of day. and foresters need to maximise the nutrient dynamics and movement of were covered by forests full of wildlife, cleansing mechanism effective, the tree than 30 per cent retained 25 per cent ly to agriculture, which has been the Further, regulation of rivers by multifaceted forest benefits without biota. Thus, the good health of the river including herds of wild elephants. cover has to be restored in the catch- more water than basins with lower cov- dominant land use in the Gangetic construction of dams and reservoirs, adversely impacting the quality and refers to fully-functional unstressed Ganga is the lifeline of India in view ment and riparian regions. erage. In sub-basins where the forest plains for centuries and has affected the logging, grazing, mining, water extrac- quantity of flow and the function of the river ecosystems and a healthy river has of its economic, ecological, historical, They are the most significant cover is over 70 per cent, water- green cover and polluted the river. The tion and tourism have all deteriorat- ecosystem of the river. Therefore, to high resilience to recover from stress cultural and spiritual imperatives, yet, players in the life of a river and their retention is 50 per cent more than the relationship between trees and water ed riparian forests. According to a address this challenge there is a dire induced by disturbances. despite the national restoration pro- health, density and composition are sub-basin where forest cover is only 10 is quite intricate and requires sound study by Pandit and Grumbine, around need for deeper understanding and (The writer is a retired IFS officer grammes, the Ganga Action Plan and most important for maintaining the per cent. The study has also found that skill, knowledge and field experience 300 dams proposed to be construct- integration of policies for management and Advisor, Amity University) !"#!#! /
* , .) , (
*5"? !,- Europe, Bloomberg said. Just after markets opened, Jeffrey Halley, senior mar- crude prices briefly dropped as il plunged over 20 per ket analyst at OANDA, said much as 30 per cent before Ocent Monday after top that "Saudi Arabia seems intent gaining back some ground — exporter Saudi Arabia launched on punishing Russia. the biggest fall since the a price war in response to a fail- "Oil prices... Will likely be Gulf War in 1991, Bloomberg ure by leading producers to capped over the next few said. strike a deal to support energy months as coronavirus stalls The new developments are markets. economic growth, and Saudi reminiscent of the oil price war The two main contracts Arabia opens the pumps and that erupted in 2014 and sent both lost about a fifth of their offers huge discounts on its oil prices crashing to less than value in morning Asian trade, crude grades." $30 a barrel. with West Texas Intermediate Global markets had already The price fall then battered sliding to about USD 32 a bar- fallen heavily in recent weeks revenues in the Gulf countries, rel and Brent crude to about due to fears about the coron- forcing them to resort to aus- $36 a barrel. avirus, which has killed thou- terity measures and borrowing 3 5 5 Saudi Arabia launched an sands and has spread around to plug budget deficits. ! ! all-out oil war Sunday with the the world since emerging in On Sunday, shares in the 5 & & biggest cut in its prices in the China late last year. energy-dependent Gulf ) & last 20 years, Bloomberg News Tokyo stocks were hit heav- plunged to multi-year lows ) & 5 & reported, after a failure by car- ducers was expected to agree to tighten supply. and $7 to the United States, ily hit at the open Monday on after the failure to clinch a deal 5 & tel OPEC and its allies to clinch deeper cuts to counter the In response, the Gulf pow- with Aramco selling its Arabian fears over the virus and the on production cuts, with all 5 a deal to cut production. impact of the new coronavirus erhouse cut its price for April Light at an unprecedented USD plunge in oil prices, with the seven bourses in the region in %) 3 L 5%3M 3 5 ! A meeting of main pro- — but Moscow refused to delivery by $4-6 a barrel to Asia 10.25 a barrel less than Brent to dollar down against the yen. the red. * &+ & Russia. litre. It certainly will translate at 21.35. February-end and it was only ): & Brent futures plummeted But the only dampener in into lower retail prices of petrol In terms of volume, over 72 reconstructed bank," SBI said in the first week of March that to about $31 a barrel on the entire scheme of things is and diesel in the coming days crore shares were traded on the in a statement. the dealers started getting cir- Monday as Goldman Sachs rupee which settled 23 paise as the current rates do not NSE while BSE saw an SBI Chairman Rajnish culars from state transport 2 2 warned prices could drop to down at 74.10 against the US reflect the slump in interna- exchange of more than 6.9 Kumar had earlier said it had departments with deadlines. near $20. dollar. A weaker rupee means tional prices, they said. crore units. set a maximum investment Besides, the banks also For India, which imports India pays more for buying the Retail prices of the day are The spurt in volume was limit of 10,000 crore for Yes came out with notices that over 84 per cent of its oil same amount of commodity based on average price of more than 3.22 times during Bank reconstruction process. they would not finance BS-IV needs, the slump would lead to from overseas. It will also help benchmark international fuel the day on the BSE. SBI shares were trading stock after specific dates in lower import bill and a cut in lower inflation rate. of the preceding fortnight. And SBI on Saturday over 4 per cent lower at 258.50 March, further impacting the retail prices but will harm According to the oil min- the drop in prices to $31 will announced it will pick up 49 apiece on the BSE. confidence of the dealers. It was already stressed upstream firms istry's petroleum planning and get reflected in retail prices over per cent stake in Yes Bank for Yes Bank has been strug- followed by the coronavirus such as ONGC. Lower oil analysis cell, India is likely to the next 7-10 days. 2,450 crore and clarified that gling to raise capital amid its outbreak, which has led to prices will also help economy pay $105.58 billion or 7.43 The moving average helps all the deposits and liabilities of dwindling financial health. It steep fall in footfalls in the from its 11-year low growth lakh crore on import of 225 narrow the extreme volatility in the reconstructed bank will sought to raise $2 billion ini- showrooms. rate by way of reducing input million tonnes of crude oil in the prices, they said. continue in the "same manner". tially during this fiscal, which "So, lot many things have cost for a lot of sectors. the fiscal year 2019-20, which On the negative side, lower "Yes Bank has 255-crore was then pruned to $1.2 billion come together and, now, sud- In Delhi, petrol prices ends this month. This com- oil prices mean they become shares of 2 per share. SBI will as it could not rope in any denly there is fear among deal- dropped to 70.59 a litre, the pares to $111.9 billion (7.83 more competitive versus be issued 245 crore shares at a investor. ers that they won't be able to lowest since early July 2019, lakh crore) paid for import of renewable energy and delay price of 10 per share for Yes Bank shares had liquidate the BS-IV stock," and diesel rate were cut to 226.5 million tonnes of oil in switchover to cleaner fuels in 2,450 crore. This will be 49 per plunged 56 per cent in the last FADA President Ashish &6$%$& " 25 F & 5 63.26, according to a price 2018-19. fight against climate change. cent of the share capital of the trading session. Harsharaj Kale said. PTI " 2 &&- & - 0/0/ & & & .9 & ! , 5 L!,5M $6 / %'* # & & % & & * % +% 4? ) 4" ' , "& 2 + 4 & ) * " & 7 % ), ! % & " 2 & & " 22 3& K ! 4 &8' 6 8 )*" ' *=<)* > 4 K ? , 0/.>K .;K ?*, . & K * " 2 0/0/K * " 2 "-12-345 7 % 5 The dollar index, which for rupee/100 Japanese yen at 0/0/K * " 22 K % "-12-345 gauges the greenback's strength 69.56. The 10-year Indian gov- &" 2 &>/R he European Union (EU) New York: Wall Street stocks he Indian rupee slumped against a basket of six curren- ernment bond yield was at !!) 2? LM * ,& 4 Thas again requested the were decisively lower at mid- s stock exchanges suffered Tby another 30 paise to cies, too slipped 0.80 per cent 6.07 per cent. " 2 " 2 & WTO's trade dispute settle- morning Monday as mounting Atheir worst-ever single-day touch a 17-month low of 74.17 to 95.18. Forex traders said the "Rupee fell against the US ment body to set up panel for worries over the coronavirus fall, India Inc on Monday said against the US dollar on rupee depreciated versus major dollar as investors flocked to & ) " 2 a case against India's import and sinking oil prices led to a the volatility is short-lived and Monday after global financial trading currencies as a collapse buy bonds to hedge the eco- & K duty on certain ICT products temporary halt in trading. the markets are expected to sta- market meltdown signalled in oil prices added to risk-off nomic shock of the coron- *, like mobile phones and com- The suspension was trig- bilise as the country's economy that the world is staring at a sentiment caused by relentless avirus," Motilal Oswal ponents. India has earlier gered after the S&P 500's loss- rests on strong fundamentals, coronavirus-led economic spread of coronavirus across Financial Services Forex & blocked the first request from es hit seven per cent, with trad- comments that may recession. the globe. Bullion Analyst Gaurang the EU for the establishment of ing resuming after 15 minutes. soothe the nerves of jittery At the interbank foreign The total number of con- Somaiyaa said adding that 8 7 & a dispute panel. About an hour into trad- investors. exchange market, the local firmed coronavirus cases in rupee is expected to quote "Now, this issue of request ing, the broad-based S&P 500 In its biggest-ever single- currency opened at 73.99. India has reached 43, accord- with a negative bias and in the ,. 9: ;.<=<= from the EU for the establish- was down 5.4 per cent at day drop in absolute terms, the During the day, it moved ing to Health Ministry officials. range of 73.80 and 74.20. ment of a panel will be con- 2,812.42. The benchmark Dow BSE Sensex crashed over 1,941 northward, though briefly, to More than 3,800 have died In their biggest ever single- sidered in the next meeting of Jones Industrial Average sank points and the NSE Nifty tum- touch a high of 73.85. and over 110,000 people have day drop in absolute terms, the the dispute settlement body on 5.4 per cent, or 1,400 points, to bled 538 points as no let-up in Succumbing to weakening been infected globally from the BSE Sensex crashed over 1,941 March 30. This is the EU's sec- 24,463.37, while the tech-rich coronavirus spread and mas- sentiment, the Indian curren- virus, which by Monday points and the NSE Nifty tum- "-12-345 steadily contained, the out- ond request," an official said. Nasdaq Composite Index fell sive crude oil cy finally settled lower by 30 reached more than 100 coun- bled 538 points as no let-up in break will dampen global eco- On March 5, India 5.2 per cent to 8,133.67. plunge fuelled global reces- paise at 74.17 to the American tries and territories. coronavirus spread and mas- oody's Investors Service nomic activity well into Q2 of expressed its disappointed with After two difficult weeks sion fears. unit. Foreign institutional sive crude oil plunge fuelled Mon Monday cut its growth this year," it said. Moody's base- the European Union's request amid rising fears over the virus, Besides, both indices also Meanwhile, crude oil prices investors (FIIs) remained net global recession fears. forecast for India to 5.3 per cent line forecasts assume that the for the establishment of a panel markets appeared to enter a marked their biggest intra-day were in a free fall, plunging sellers in the capital markets, as Besides, both indices also for 2020 from 5.4 per cent esti- number of cases would keep as New Delhi believed that con- new phase of worry early fall of all-time. nearly 30 per cent to USD 32.11 they sold shares worth Rs marked their biggest intra-day mated earlier, as it expects the increasing globally and there sultations held with the EU on Monday after oil producers Assocham Secretary per barrel after top exporter 6,595.56 crore on Monday, as fall of all-time. Benchmarks coronavirus outbreak to damp- would be travel restrictions May 21, 2019 were constructive failed to reach an agreement on General Deepak Sood said the Saudi Arabia launched a price per provisional data. Sensex and Nifty slumped en domestic demand globally. through the April-June period. and India was able to address the a pact to limit output, sending panic in the financial markets war in response to a failure by The Financial Benchmark intra-day 2,467 points and 695 In its update on Global Apart from supply chain concerns raised by the EU by oil futures crashing. In anoth- owing to a massive fall in the leading producers to strike a India Private Ltd (FBIL) set the points, respectively. Macro Outlook for March, disruptions, it also expects adequately explaining its mea- er sign of anxiety, yields on US crude oil prices does not affect deal to support energy markets. reference rate for the "The sharp underperfor- Moody's said the virus outbreak consumption and investment sures concerning tariff treatment Treasuries again plummeted to India's macroeconomic pic- Brent crude futures, the rupee/dollar at 73.6629 and for mance of INR was a reminder has spread rapidly outside to be affected and prices of oil on certain goods in the ICT fresh all-time lows as demand ture and on the contrary, low global oil benchmark, was last rupee/euro at 82.6930. The that there are no real safe China to a number of major and other commodities to (information and communica- surged for refuge assets such as fuel prices would help the trading 21.23 per cent down at reference rate for rupee/British havens in high-yielding emerg- economies. "It now seems cer- remain around current lows tion technology) sector. bonds. AFP country. USD 35.66 per barrel. pound was fixed at 95.4377 and ing market forex. tain that even if the virus is until the end of June. $% // !"#!#! 2%-6' & ' &' ) * +'+&+ , + *&' &&+ - + +& .&+*+ ,+' . )+ , +' ' &+*) * +'+*& +' & && &' &+ )) + +' * '.++ )*+ &+ - + +&+' *,' ,*+ + +
1 CLEANSE THE 2, 45! 3* 42-D BODY & SKIN + 8 2 " 7 < ,#,2# # :# & ' ' "
ll of us are set to have fun with our friends Aand family today. Chilled containers of flavoured milk, unembarrassed dance moves to Bollywood songs on loop and air packed with lots of colours, there are hundreds of reasons to love the festival. But on the other hand almost every one of us are very well aware with the fact that everything comes with a cost therefore apart from the happiness and joy the festival of colours also brings a lot of skin related issues which we are obviously scared about. Toxic colours used during the festival can cause some serious skin related problems like allergies and rashes. So, it’s very important to make ourselves Holi ready. When it comes to protect our skin and hair externally almost every one of us does it like oil- ing and applying sunscreen. But what about the internal cleansing of our skin and hair. It’s cru- ! cial to cleanse your full body before and after Holi. Hydration plays an important role in keep- ing our skin in good condition hence hydrating the body is the demand of the festival. Keep drinking throughout the day. Dehydrated skin ?&*1" " < can get sunburnt easily. he season of colours is here! Holi is a festival liked by peo- One can also go for a specialised organic Tple of all generations. The children must all set to play with - -;;/ # #,? ' " head to toe facial (customised package for pre colours and pichkaries. Often people ignore the side effects of and post Holi). Dry skin allows the chemicals these colours on the body. Our eyes are extremely susceptible '"'&" ' present in the colours to infiltrate easily, so the during Holi. Wet colours easily dissolve in water and can easi- ly enters into it. he Indian constitution men- is because there is no education the outset. This will ensure that Uses of synthetic colours that are composed of chemicals pos- tions health as a fundamen- provided on the fact that if one patients do not delay diagnosis sess a great threat to one’s eyes. Colours contain chemicals like Ttal right. This means that child is born affected, the next and get treatment on time. Mercury Sulphite, Lead Oxide and Copper Sulphate that are apart from equal access to health- diagnosis should take place at the Estimates suggest that the harmful. Exposure to these chemicals can result in eye allergy, care, there is also a need for every prenatal stage itself. The result is prenatal screening and diagnosis temporary blindness and conjunctivitis (pink eye). Other citizen to have adequate awareness a greater health burden on the market will grow significantly as health hazards due to exposure to heavy metals include skin aller- around diseases. However, in case family and the healthcare system early as 2024. Some major tech- gies, dermatitis, drying and chapping of the skin, skin cancer, of rare diseases, this may not be at large. Raising awareness on niques available today across Tier- rhinitis, asthma and pneumonia. the case. Rare diseases are condi- some of these crucial aspects will -, 5"25*- *-* I and Tier-II Indian cities include: In some cases, it may also result in partial vision loss. A gray tions that affect a small percent- reduce infant mortality as well 5"3725"? ultrasonography and maternal patch appears on the retina and blocks the sight. It is a serious age of the Indian population but since about 35 per cent of infants serum screens; blood tests for medical complication and therefore, should not be ignored. A are a major cause of concern with rare diseases die before they ? 74-, !* select trisomy or non-invasive delay in treatment can lead to given the lack of treatment options turn one. However, in a country prenatal testing (NIPT). NIPT is complete loss of sight. Not only and most importantly, awareness. where genetic testing has a lot of ! !- "2 already emerging as a highly pre- holi colours but also sprays or There are over 70 million people associated social stigma and taboo, ferred technique given that it is key is to always oil the whole body.The facial is ! -%- 7 mace can result in temporary in the country with these disorders encouraging people to get tested *!5" 3 safer and faster, and more reliable. enriched with Vitamin E oils protects the skin -7 %- blindness. which clearly make it a public is a challenge too. This is more so 7*73 , Other non-invasive prenatal test- from getting dry and dull and maintain the nat- Post the festival there is a health challenge. in the Tier-II and Tier-III cities. ing methods such as pre-implant ural glow of the skin. - 6 6 %- rush of patients in hospitals The lack of awareness around The recently concluded ,!4A ,- genetic diagnosis (PGD) have The facial involves the usage of organic ele- !% &%= because of skin, eye or general rare diseases has three dimensions. genome sequencing project has been accepted in major IVF cen- ments to enrich your skin with required vitamins problems. The most common They are life threatening but also emerged as a ray of hope ,- %3- ters in the country. They help in and minerals. - -$ + eye problems which present mostly diagnosed late since some wherein it might become possible sampling of cells from human There are people who have acne prone skin ! 7 3 during the Holi include: allergic of the symptoms can mimic other to pinpoint the exact gene that 41-D-,4- embryos before implantation. so it’s very necessary for such people to special- conjunctivitis, chemical burn, conditions. In most cases, the undergoes mutation and treat this Another test that has gained pop- ly take care of their skin during the festival. --%!% 3 corneal abrasion and blunt eye patient’s quality of life is compro- through precision medicine. There ,- -"5* ularity is called the Nuchal scan, It is advisable to people to use organic col- 6% 7 injury. mised drastically to the point that has also been increased focus on 7" ,2 %3- or ultrasound detection. Done in ors instead of chemical colours, stay away from 7 6 = The colours used in Holi if they cannot even carry out basic rare diseases — thanks to the the first and second trimester, this the sun for long durations, or do not exfoliate they go in the eye usually cause tasks. The second is that certain Government’s National Policy for , ,5A method helps in identifying high- for at least up to two days before. 6 - -% mild redness and irritation. This rare diseases including Gaucher, Rare Diseases and efforts by er risks of Down’s syndrome. Always keep your skin moisturise to protect - if does not go in a day or two will MPS, Pompe, Duchenne Muscular patient organisations and the 4- Patients with rare diseases, it from hazardous effect of synthetic colors. As need treatment. The particles in Dystrophy, Spinal Muscular healthcare fraternity at large. more often than not, struggle to your skin is exposed to chemicals you can also -- colour powders (shining mica Atrophy and others are treatable. These efforts have brought to !!73 5" *5 find adequate information about use natural ingredient face mask to soothe your particles in gulal) can cause However, this treatment is unaf- light the suffering of patients with ** ,7"2 their condition. When they are skin. damage to the cornea. The fordable for majority of the pop- rare diseases and the urgency diagnosed, they naturally feel iso- Since skin is exposed to colours all day, don’t patient will have pain and watery ulation and can go as high as 70 with which rare diseases need to 8/3 4 lated, overwhelmed and unsup- use too much make-up as chemicals of cosmet- eyes and if not treated in time can cause ulcer/ infection in the lakh. The third dimension is be addressed in the country. ported. More than the condition ics can react to them. eye. The corneal abrasion is an emergency and one should con- around screening for such condi- However, while the policy men- itself, the resultant emotional, Do not ignore any part of your body. sult the doctor. One should always check if the clarity of vision tions in expectant mothers and tions treatment allocation for a psychological and financial impact Colours can settle around ears and eyes very eas- is affected, then should rush to an eye specialist. newborns. It is possible to under- certain category of these condi- can be considerable. A multi- ily and difficult to come off. The balloons that are used are most dangerous and can cause stand the risk factors in both these tions, capped at 15 lakh, it is stakeholder partnership is there- Apart from this, the festival of colours needs blunt eye injury. There can be bleeding within the eye, lens sub- groups through options such as imperative to address the other fore needed to ensure that patients a lot of energy, so that we can enjoy the festival luxation, macular edema or retinal detachment. These can lead genetic testing. rare diseases as well. To ensure that with rare diseases have the same to the fullest. Hence, it’s mandatory to follow a to loss of vision or loss of the eye. These are all eye emergencies About 80 per cent of rare dis- more people understand whether right to treatment and information specific customised diet to keep yourself ener- and should be taken care of as early as possible. eases are of genetic origin. There they are at risk, the policy must be as those with other conditions. getic and enthusiastic before and after the fes- It is preferrable to follow these precautions to avoid dam- are families that have more than implemented in the most efficient - , 2 tival. age to your vision: one child with a rare disease. This manner and address awareness at + %% ,% - &$ 2' $ Cover your eyes: Always cover your eyes whenever there is a chance of colour coming in contact with them. Sunglasses can help. Keep eyes shut: Try to dissuade people from applying colour all over your face. If you fail to do so, be especially careful in keep- ing your eyes and lips tightly shut. Always request the person The Festival of Colours is here 0 not to smear the colours near the eyes. Special care while driving: If you are travelling by car, keep and while people love to play the windows closed. The menace of water balloons can be tack- with gulal, it does take a toll on # &' & <- /# 2#/7#67# led in this way. Water balloons can be most damaging for your the skin as well as hair. eyes as they can rupture the eyeball or even lead to retinal detach- ment. ROSHNI DEVI shares home ' & '' 7 For contact lens wearers, if the eye is exposed to aniline dyes, remedies that can help prevent it causes irritation to the eye. Discarding the contact lens is advis- long-lasting damage ccording to Ayurveda, ill- This acts as a protecting able. Anesses are a result of distur- agent and prevents colours his Holi enjoy the festi- apply coconut oil on the hair. bances of the five elements of from penetrating deep into val without worrying But before you do this, wash earth, water, fire, air, and water the roots. Tabout the damage the your hair a day before and in the body. The imbalances If there are rashes, we can colours will have on the skin then apply the oil. This will result in three doshas of vata, apply multani mitti on affect- Amidst the recent wellbeing. or the hair. When we were prevent any damage. pitta and kapha. Among the ed areas. Another good home coronavirus scare, lemons Healthy and smooth skin is children, my mother always After you are done play- major factors that cause these remedy is to make a paste by makes for a good option to also a part and parcel of includ- made us prepare a day ing, make a mask of imbalances are changes in the mixing gram flour, sweet oil go for. They are rich in ing lemons in your diet. Studies in advance for this eggs, lemon, seasons. Hence, Ayurveda pre- and milk cream in rose water. Vitamin C and therefore have fing that daily intake of festival so that we yogurt and scribes certain seasonal regi- Applying this paste on the help prevent the deadly lemons may also help in could enjoy it amla. This men (ritucharya) to prevent affected areas cures rashes. disease. Not only this, maintaing blood without both- will add back health problems. Since people indulge in a lemons are anyway good for pressure. ering too the lost Holi is a part of the regi- lot of fried snacks and sweets your health in summers. much about moisture. men for the season of vasant on the day, it can lead to con- They help to keep the what the If you (spring), the beginning of stipation or gastric discomfort. body hydrated. colours would have a dye warmer days. The sudden rise Hence, in addition to caring for Drinking lemon actually do. colour on in the temperature, along with ally prepared from Ayurvedic cinal components to enter and the skin, it is important to juice with lukewarm There are the face, gen- the increasing humidity, in herbs like neem and henna for detox the skin. ensure digestive health. Fruit water twice daily is sev- tly dab the spring melts the kapha green, kumkum and raktachan- Most colours available in and vegetable-based meals are preferrable to be on eral coloured area (phlegm) in the body and can dan for red, haldi for yellow, the market today are chemical- better suited for the transition- the safe side. ingredi- with a cotton ball lead to many kapha-related jacaranda flowers for blue and based and unsafe. They can al weather conditions. Lemons ents in our and alcohol. Once the diseases. The festival was orig- herbs like bilva, amaltas, leave rashes on the skin. It is Staying hydrated is also are also a kitchen colour is removed wash face inally conceived to get the marigold and yellow chrysan- important to apply mustard oil very important. The pre-spring good source that can with soap and water. body rid of liquefied kapha and themums for different other all over the body a day before sun and dryness in air absorbs of flavonoids come to Before playing with to restore the three doshas to hues. These colour powders Holi. This will keep the skin moisture faster than people which are our res- colours apply a mixture of their natural states. have kapha-reducing proper- protected and also allow you to realise. Keep a small sipper of also antioxi- cue. honey and lemon juice in The highlight of the festi- ties. remove the colours with ease. water with you and take a sip dants and help in To begin with, equal parts on the face and val is playing with colours. Spraying the herbal and One can also apply plenty of or two once every while. boosting health and and most of us know this, exposed body parts. Colour powders were tradition- water colours, help the medi- coconut oil. - % 2: !"#!#! 7/
>, # ,# , (+(9*/+! #." =4 ' %73 presidential palace to be sworn international community and in, surrounded by supporters, Afghans alike, with ' < ? judge” when the outbreak could fghanistan lurched deeper senior political figures, diplo- Washington warning earlier be brought under control. Ainto political crisis on mats and foreign dignitaries that the bickering posed a risk -4, " “Forty-three people have Monday as the rivals for the including US special envoy to the US withdrawal deal, unfortunately been added to the country’s leadership had them- Zalmay Khalilzad. which requires the Taliban to ran on Monday reported 43 number of those who have selves sworn in at simultaneous Minutes earlier, in anoth- hold talks with Kabul. Inew deaths from the novel died of the disease, so to date we ceremonies that were inter- er corner of the sprawling Widening divisions among coronavirus in the past 24 have 237 dead.” rupted by at least two blasts. presidential palace compound, Afghan politicians would leave hours, bringing the overall toll The outbreak of the virus in The bitter feud between a suit-clad Abdullah inaugu- the insurgents with the upper to 237 dead. Iran is one of the deadliest out- President Ashraf Ghani and his rated himself as president, vow- hand in those negotiations. “Our colleagues have con- side of China, where the disease former chief executive Abdullah ing to “safeguard the indepen- The row has left many firmed 595 new cases across the originated. Abdullah has raised fears for dence, national sovereignty, Afghans despairing for their country,” Kianoush Jahanpour, With 1,945 cases, the cap- Afghanistan’s fragile democra- territorial integrity” of country’s future. “It is impossi- the Health Ministry’s ital Tehran remains the cy as the US prepares to leave Afghanistan. As hundreds of ble to have two presidents in one spokesman said in a televised province with the most cases, the country following an agree- people watched Ghani’s cere- country,” said Ahmad Jawed, 22, conference. according to the official. ment last month with a strong mony, two loud explosions who urged the men “to put their “This brings the overall The second worst-hit and largely unified Taliban. were heard prompting some personal interests aside and number of confirmed cases to province with 712 confirmed Polls were held in people to flee. “I have no bul- only think of their country 7,161 as of today noon,” he cases is Qom, the Shia pil- September, but repeated delays letproof vest on, only my shirt,” instead of fighting for power”. added. Jahanpour said the rate grimage city south of Tehran and accusations of voter fraud Ghani told those who stayed He told AFP that “instead of new infections was dropping where the Islamic republic’s meant that Ghani, the incum- behind as sirens wailed. of holding oath-taking cere- “but it is still too early to first cases were reported. bent president, was only “I will stay even if I have to monies they should talk to declared as winner of a second sacrifice my head.” An AFP each other to find a solution”. term in February — sparking reporter saw many of those Afghans have shown little (&!01!% a furious response from who fled return to their seats enthusiasm for Abdullah, Abdullah, who vowed to form after Ghani’s refusal to leave the Ghani or the election process 2 , , : & his own parallel government. podium prompted cheers and in general. Most of them 5 : & On Monday Ghani, dressed applause. abstained in last year’s lacklus- ) & in traditional Afghan clothing The game of thrones has tre poll that saw candidates 9/ '- and white turban, arrived at the strained the patience of the pitch few ideas or policies. & & & * & ) & % 5 * )- &K & * ) ) O .@/ 0. & &Q K ) ./ & ? O & : 5 ..: ! ) ./ 7 & ) 0/// & G , ? ! R * & -& & 5 .9: =;:: .8& & seated at a large desk, while a TV Footage posted online P + 4 3 & & behind him showed news cov- showed two white, Japanese- O 892 = * ) + , erage reporting he’d survived. made SUVs vehicles typically && & The attack highlighted the used by Sudan’s top officials & fragility of Sudan’s transition to parked on a street, damaged civilian rule, almost a year with its widows broken. after pro-democracy protesters Another vehicle was badly forced the military to remove damaged in the blast. Several BC/ % O P autocratic President Omar al- dozen people were seen at the Bashir from power and replace site of the attack, chanting: -4, " Khuzestan and seven in the Khuzestan, said 218 people him with a joint military-civil- “With our blood and soul, we northern region of Alborz after had been hospitalised there ian Government, which has redeem you, Hamdok.” The wenty-seven people have consuming bootleg alcohol, after being poisoned. promised to hold elections in protest movement that led the Tdied from methanol poi- IRNA said. The poisonings were three years. However, Sudan’s uprising against al-Bashir called soning in Iran after rumours Drinking alcohol is banned caused by “rumours that drink- generals remain the de facto the blast a “terrorist attack.” The that drinking alcohol can help in Iran for everyone except ing alcohol can be effective in rulers of the country and have statement by the Forces for the cure the novel coronavirus some non-Muslim religious treating coronavirus,” Ali shown little willingness to hand Declaration of Freedom and infection, state news agency minorities. Ehsanpour said. over power to civilians. Change called on people to IRNA reported on Monday. Local media regularly The deputy prosecutor of Hamdok, in his brief state- take to the streets to “show our The outbreak of the virus report on lethal cases Alborz, Mohammad Aghayari, ment on Twitter, said, “Rest unity and cohesion ... And pro- in Islamic republic is one of the of poisoning caused by told IRNA the dead had drunk assured that what happened tect the transitional authority.” deadliest outside of China, bootleg liquor. methanol after being “misled where the disease originated. A spokesman for by content online, thinking Twenty have died in the Jundishapur medical universi- they were fighting coronavirus ) 2 southwestern province of ty in Ahvaz, the capital of and curing it.” :( 2 8 / % 2 : 7 3 37 !7, Muhyiddin’s government is the 'E United Malays National 1 crop of old faces from a Organisation (UMNO), the 1$& & 69B#6$:&!C Ascandal-mired Malaysian party of disgraced ex-leader party were Monday given key Najib Razak, which was eject- $ $ & ministerial posts after they ed from power at landmark & 4.8 0/.9 returned to power following elections in 2018. Beijing: An integrated treat- fever, cough and fatigue. " the collapse of a reformist Muhyiddin’s cabinet ment of western drugs and tra- The treatment effectively Government. unveiled Monday included ditional Chinese medicine reduced the chances of mild 0;> &+ A coalition dominated by UMNO figures who had senior (TCM) has helped most of the and regular symptoms devel- K , the country’s Muslim majority roles in the past. over 50,000 coronavirus oping into severe or critical 7) K took power this month after the They included patients in China to recover ones, so as to improve the ) &: disintegration of the last gov- Hishammuddin Hussein, from the deadly disease, a recovery rate and reduce the +& ernment and the shock resig- named as the new foreign min- Chinese expert medical team mortality rate in coronavirus, & nation of Mahathir Mohamad ister and Ismail Sabri Yaakob, said on Monday. state-run Xinhua news agency as premier. senior Minister overseeing Compared with those only reported. Mahathir, 94, had sought to defence. In a departure from treated with TCM or western The death toll in China due . come back as prime minister usual practice, the head of medicine, the expert team con- to the deadly virus rose to G 2 after quitting, but lost out to major Malaysian bank CIMB firmed that the integrated 3,119, while the confirmed cases 1$7&$& low-profile ex-interior minister was named to the post of treatment of both the medi- climbed to 80,735, the country’s & & 5 Muhyiddin Yassin. finance minister rather than a cines can more quickly control National Health Commission * & 5 ) A major component of career politician. COVID-19 symptoms such as (NHC) said. PTI & & 5 & + O ,P ::$ 7"O & &5 L M ) & & & & 5 &&L M & O ,? 5 - , 6"!$< ) 5 O ? & 6/ !"#!#!
ed. One can match steps with colours. He said, “We play 2 loud Bollywood numbers and with eco-friendly colours every throw dry, herbal colours at year but this time due to the each other,” she added. virus outbreak, we are planning to avoid colours and only play More focus on music and with rose, lotus, and marigold food petals.” O - Food and music form the - - P essence of this festival with its Is alcohol high on agenda? own signature delights and Holi is synonymous with , Bollywood hits like Balam rang aur bhang. Bhang lassi is Pichkari, Badri Ki Dulhania, the most popular form of Rang Barse, Let’s Play Holi and bhang consumed in the coun- more. Though traditional dish- try, especially on this festival. L1 es are made and consumed Served in the form of thandai, '%( 3"3( every time but this time it can pakoda and gujiya, it is an inte- & & take the centre stage of the cel- gral part of the colourful cel- & * sually, at this time bright ebration. A student from ebrations. But this time, peo- ) colours fill the air and Dehradun who is in town to ple seem to ditch this tradition + )& : Upeople miss no opportu- celebrate the festival, Harsh and load their homes with nity to be playful. But this time Shahi, said, “Along with parties, fancy bottles as they want to around, the must-haves to cel- I wait for Holi to get treated relax and enjoy it indoors. & ebrate Holi are not gulaal and with Gujiyas, Dahi vada, Aloo 5 pichkaari, and rather masks chaat, Malpua, Thandai and Keep sanitiser at doorstep and sanitisers. Be it metros, local more. But this time the virus If you decide to play Holi markets or malls, there are has left me only with this this time, ensure that everyone indications that the awareness option. No public parties or you play with is not displaying : about coronavirus is spiking as pichkari (water guns) waali any symptoms for the virus. M more and more people are stay- many societies and offices are making it a big-crowd event Holi.” Also, make sure that you fol- ing at home and avoiding huge cancelling Holi celebrations and owing to the fear of coronavirus. low some precautionary mea- 4 gatherings. The government keeping it to their closed groups. Flower petals replacing sures and ask your guests too ) : has taken several steps to ensure Rakesh Sheth, founder of Garden and terrace parties colours to do the same. Keep a sanitis- + ) that the spread of the disease & Stirred, said, “The best way to with dry and herbal colours In the recent years, there er at the doorstep so that can be arrested. This will natu- play safe Holi is to avoid con- This time, Holi on terrace have been awareness drives on guests can use it before enter- rally play the spoiler for the big certs and public gatherings and with a close circle is a great idea water conservation and impact ing the home. “If you are cur- Holi bash that is the norm. stick to small catch-up with for many as they are avoiding of harmful colours on our rently showing any sign of ) Here are a few ways to cel- closed ones.” social gatherings and society skin. As a result, people have respiratory tract infection ebrate the festival under the Not only Delhiites, it’s the parties. Recently, a coronavirus mostly been using herbal and (cough, frequent sneezing, threat of coronavirus. same even for Bollywood Even the shoot of actor C case was suspected in Raj Nagar dry colours. But this time in the runny nose etc) even mild, it’s celebrities. For actor Urvashi Joseph Vijay’s forthcoming Extension of Ghaziabad. Not wake of the virus, the empha- better to avoid playing and More of a family affair Rautela, the celebrations this release, Master, has been surprisingly, it had a ripple sis is more on flower petals. attending any parties. Don’t Asymptomatic people can time will be an intimate affair wrapped. It was announced effect. Deepa Garg, resident, Recently, a case of coronavirus forget the mask. It will help you also spread the infection, which with family and friends. “I am yesterday that a grand audio Anandam Villas, which is in the was suspected in Indirapuram, recover faster and also protect is why social distancing and per- celebrating with my friends and launch would take place on same area, said that the society Ghaziabad. A resident of others from getting exposed,” sonal hygiene is important. So, family this year at home because March 15. However, unlike the called off the Holi party this Vardaan Apartments in the said Dr Chhavi Kiran Gupta, if you have a large Holi gather- of the coronavirus scare. It is time when a huge stadium time and people are organising area, Abhay Sharma, said that assistant professor at depart- ing and go from house to house, going to be an intimate affair would be booked to accommo- garden and terrace parties. most of the people in his soci- ment of preventive and social the risk of getting the infection with lots of food and fun,” said date fans for such an event, the “There are a bunch of parties on ety will play with flower petals medicine, Subharti Medical O P-- %6 7 increases. This is the reason Urvashi. makers have decided to avoid terrace that have already start- this time and avoid the use of College. 7 + = 7 7 7%- 66 7 7 6 7 -= - -+ ! 6 - - = - + 7 $ 7!%- - = - %6 7 6 =2 & % -&%-- 7=P L
: ) * Becoming the first woman fire- ) fighter is a feat in itself. Did you ) : always want to be one? " Since my childhood, I have &+ always dreamt of taking up challeng- ing tasks and wanted to choose the 9' ' 9"R- ' ' path less travelled. I still remember ) : the day when I saw the recruitment ' ' ' : advertisement in the newspaper. I was " & <2# :## :#, ' " well-aware of the risks involved in the job but this was something I really & ' ' 8 '" " ' * ) wanted to pursue, so I applied for the ) position. I am really grateful to the " & < #:67 7# +# L5 & Airport Authority of India (AAI) for & giving me with this opportunity. confidence and self-trust are all that && 1 are required in any field. I would What made you choose this pro- again say, if others can do it, so can & ) fession? I/we. ) &M I was always inspired and felt motivated when I saw women occu- With the rising debate around ? pying top positions, especially in the gender equality, do you think Indian Armed forces. I believe, a for- today’s women do not need to be tunate few get the opportunity to be empowered, they just need to be $ < 3 - able to live a life that can make a dif- motivated? 6 % ference to others as well. Considering Women’s rights and gender ctor-director John Krasinski says wife Emily Blunt that it would be an opportunity to equality have come a long way but Ais the “most tremendous actress of our time.” , D , serve people and my country, I took this totally depends from region to The actor-turned-filmmaker has worked with his up the task to become a firefighter region. There are some areas wife on A Quiet Place and then its sequel. He shared ) & & and trained myself in every aspect to that still need to overcome his admiration for his wife of nearly 10 years at the 0/.; clear both physical as well as written the stereotype of not send- red carpet of the premiere of their film A Quiet Place tests. ing a girl child to school Part II here. L and then there are some “She is without a doubt the most tremendous More and more women are prov- women who only need a lit- actress of our time in my opinion,” said Krasinski in ) ) ing their mettle by stepping into tle push and they would a daily. unconventional professions, from achieve the heights Krasinski, who wrote and directed the sequel, said & & firefighting service to the Armed they themselves that Blunt isn’t just a wonderful actress, but an amaz- Forces... What does the future look had not imagined. ing collaborator too. O like for women? The greatest “She is the most incredible partner in writing and ) In my opinion, women can source of inspi- directing and set designs. She just has such good ideas,” ) : achieve anything they desire and ration in my life said Krasinski, 40, adding, “So I actually felt like I had )M there are many live examples of the is my grand- my partner in all things on set, not just the best actress same. Pick any beat and you would mother. She has in the world. Anything I can think of, she makes 10 find woman playing either vital roles always encour- times better so that’s a pretty good weapon to have on or they are the decision-makers. aged me to set.” L The future is bright, considering, choose a career A Quiet Place was about a post-apocalyptic women are now ready to explore that I can enjoy world where humans are the prey of fast-moving crea- ): more options, to do what their heart from the core of tures who track victims by sound. The 2018 film desires. As a home is incomplete my heart. I would revolved around a family struggling to survive in a without a woman, similarly, every say, she played a world where making the slightest sound draws the ) & : organisation is incompetent without vital role in mak- attention of a predatory alien species that has taken : a woman playing an active role in it. ing me the woman over the planet. I am today. There’s The official synopsis for A Quiet Place Part II read, Being the only woman, how chal- rants. Among other tasks, I had to barrier is half the work done. I want a saying that women “Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott fam- ) & lenging was it to make a name for prove my physical strength by run- every woman on the planet to are leaders every- ily (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) & yourself in this field? ing long distances, sprinting, climb- believe one thing — everything is where you look — must now face the terrors of the outside world as they & O The challenges were many, but ing ladders and carrying a 40 kg possible. We all should be confident from the CEO who continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to then, I was supported by my instruc- sandbag for a distance of 60 metres. about our own capabilities and when runs an MNC to the venture into the unknown, they quickly realise that O tors and trainers at every level. Hard I knew, if others can do it, so can I. I applied for this role, I had the same housewife who raises the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only work cannot be ignored or dis- belief. I knew I will do something dif- her children and heads threats that lurk beyond the sand path.” missed in any field but everyone Recently, in an interview, you ferent and challenging in my life but her household. Our Talking about second part, Krasinski said, “I did ) needs the right guidance and support. said, “Apart from physical barriers, my dedication and self-belief made country was built by not even want to do a sequel unless it was as organ- & M I had to pass different written tests women need to cross their mental me the first woman firefighter of the strong women and we ic and personal as the first one. This one feels as much, and then there were medical, driving barriers as well.” Why do you think Airport Authority of India. The only will continue to break if not more so.” and physical tests that were required so? thing necessary is to nurture our down walls and defy The film will release in India in March. to be cleared by the firefighter aspi- I feel, overcoming the mental dreams with undivided focus. The stereotypes. L/9 6 +/' !"#!#!
hundred years of creative endeavours and a thousand artistic expressions A— the Christies’ auction at New York features a selection of works representing legends from the South Asian subcontinent. The sale is led by a seminal Untitled (1983) painting by Vasudeo S Gaitonde, alongside exceptional paintings by members of the Progressive Artists’ Group and their associates such as FN Souza, MF Husain, Akbar Padamsee, SH Raza and Tyeb Mehta. More highlights include important works by other pioneers of modern South Asian art such as Jagdish Swaminathan, Jehangir Sabavala, MV Dhurandhar, Sadequain, George Keyt and Zainul Abedin. P! , The leading coveting cover of VS Gaitonde is an evocative work that looks like a painted prayer. Dyaneshwar Nadkarni in 1983 said, “The central characteristic of Gaitonde’s artistic personality, it must be understood, is that he likes to stand alone. This independent-mindedness was accom- panied by a firm belief in his identity as a painter.” As recent as 2015, Hemant Sareen noted, “What makes Gaitonde at once rep- resent and stand apart from the Indian modern tradition goes beyond his immer- sion into its shared language or even his restrained aesthetics with its universal vocabulary. For many of his contemporaries, the language was just a tool to express some- thing. For Gaitonde, the language became not just the subject — it was the expression. tender portrait was exhibited in 1959 in brooding, corresponding to the dark He did not attempt to use line and colour Mehta’s first solo show at the Jehangir Art hills and bare trees that surround them. to create forms. His forte was the explo- Gallery in Mumbai, organised by Gallery Souza admired both Spanish hymns and ration of the relationship between line and 59, owned by his friend and gallerist Bal music. colour. If he captured the essence of Indian Chhabda. The painting was acquired by In the 1959 showcase, in which the modernism, it was by disengaging from its THE GUT PAINTERS Emanuel Schlesinger, an emigre business- landscape was first exhibited, Neville effusion, its gaiety and its materialism.” man who advised and encouraged several Wallis noted, “One can detect in his style 9 ' '" &"' young artists in India at the time, frequent- an amalgamation of Indian, Byzantine P ly acquiring their work to support them and Picasso esque strains. It is created Mesmeric in many ways is MF Husain’s & '' R financially as well. with an implacable force that is usually Mithun III (1963). Husain’s romanticism considered as the peculiar problem of revels in this tender depiction of a man sit- " ' ' H P Eastern artists in Europe. But the perti- ting with his reclining lover, bathed in Spanish Landscape, an inchoate work nent question is just how expressive a moonlight, enshrouded by a blue night sky. # < 6+# # painted in 1958, reflects Souza’s interpre- vehicle Souza has made of his painting.” To the side of the outstretched woman, tation of the complex Romanesque archi- Rather than “hardening into a strait-jack- Husain places a deliberately ambiguous ani- ic painting of the same name from 1964. from the gut.” tecture encountered on a trip to Spain et formula, there has been a loosening, a mal that hovers between the mortal and the This painting is also reminiscent of the that year. Similar to the architecture of greater freedom in the linear organisation divine. The title, Mithun, literally meaning ,1 P Western tradition of the romantic trope of churches in the Portuguese colonies of of his townscapes which glow like stained couple or lovers, is derived from the Of rare resonance is Tyeb Mehta’s the odalisque, most notably adopted by Goa, the roofs and steeples of the build- glass. But in all his work, one is conscious Sanskrit term mithuna, which was used to Reclining Nude (1959). Mehta’s own words artists Henri Matisse and Paul Gauguin. ings in this painting recall the fortified of the inexorable daemon that drives this describe the loving couples found in clas- in the catalogue talks about his predicament Mehta adopts this odalisque style not just chapels, monasteries and castles of vari- artist, the first Indian contemporary to sical Indian paintings and temple sculpture. and perspective. as an arena for expression but as a monu- ous Spanish hill towns. Souza draws our gain a high distinction in the West.” (N. This enigmatic representation has been used He said, “Expression was all-important. ment to femininity. This painting depicts loving respect. eyes to these structures by placing them Wallis, F.N. Souza, exhibition catalogue, to symbolise fertility, union, divinity and Expressionism appeals to the viewer direct- a woman outstretched on an abstracted As the 1950s drew to a close, this is one at the cynosure of the painting, where the London, 1959, unpaginated). worldly pleasure. Husain, in the first half ly... Munch, Kokoschka, Emil Nolde weren’t background. This abstracted female appears of the last examples of the artist’s subtle and rolling hills and the sky appear to meet. (The Christies’ South Asian Modern + of the 1960s, turned to this theme of mithu- painters in the tradition of painting. They in several of Mehta’s paintings over this brief vulnerable early works, which preceded his Rather than cataclysmic, the manmade Contemporary Art sale will be held in New na several times, most notably in his icon- were ‘gut’ painters. And I too was painting period treated with an almost deferential, gestural abstracted style of the 1960s. This structures of this citadel appear quiet and York on March 18.) 4
, ?47DA *O & & & 5 & 2' rom the majestic portrayal of FLord Krishna’s return to the city of Dwarka after the victo- ry in Mahabharata to the med- %4 ,5!, ! 5O & & L& ! itative contours of Buddha and Shiva, Delhi-based artist Raghu & & Vyas’ canvas brings to life a vari- ety of gods and goddesses from %- D5D our epics and mythology. Known for his unique style he art practice of Bharti Prajapati is given a definite space. The potential of women play. Bharti chisels their forms popular in the art circles as con- bears a distinct edge. While the colour usage is taken to a new level into statuesque proportions, using the temporary imaginary realism Tcore form of her works reflects her through their vibrant play, not as a blend- brush as her crafting tool. The repetitive but firmly rooted in the Basholi art background, the overall effect moves ing of hues but as distinct segments of use of a monotone overall, gives the school of miniature art, Vyas is beyond her artistic boundaries, ventur- shading. entire image a rhythmic patterning, now showing 15 such resplen- ing into the space of design. This is Talking about her inspiration and making for a unique end product. dent oils on canvas in a solo multiple solo shows including because the artist is also a craftsperson work Bharti said, “My figures have Rural women often dominate exhibition titled Melange: The his series on the lotus, Nanak, who uses both the sensibilities in her cre- evolved over the years and what started Bharti’s paintings. Asked why, she says, Art of Raghu Vyas at the Buddha, Shiva and multiple ations. Thus the canvas portrays artistic as a rural canvas with the depiction of “Roles of the women and their bonding Shridharani Art Gallery. portrayals of his beloved creativity engineered with a charming women with a village backdrop slowly with the surrounding has been my con- Says the 64-year-old self- Krishna. repetitiveness. turned into a portrait of the women in stant source of inspiration and vocabu- taught artist, “There are many In the current show, for In her latest exhibition titled, Earth their elements. I explored the possibili- lary. Rustic backdrops and earthy tones lights, some that light the room instance, the largest work (6 feet Story — The Elements, the artist resur- ty of eliminating the pictures and colours in my paintings get combined with eth- and others the inner self. My x 9 feet) titled Celebration, is rects a repertoire of rural sensibilities even which I thought were cluttering up nic emotions bringing about a subtle paintings result from the light about Krishna’s return to as she propagates the idea that the uni- space. However, instead, the blank space rootedness in the expression. My exten- of my imagination. It is an Dwarka after the victory of verse is made of the five elemental was interesting to play around with. My sive travels to the villages of India cre- emotional light that can convey Mahabharata. The painting is things in nature. She concretises this phi- attempt was to achieve a fine balance ate bonds beyond my practice. The a feeling, a mood or an idea. It significant not only for its scale losophy in her art by showing their pres- between realism and abstract work of art.” endeavour was to resurrect a repertoire is the light of nostalgia, of a dis- but also the craftsmanship with ence in our bodily forms, the earth our The natural elements, she believes, of rural sensibilities, some of what is fast- tant memory.” which Vyas is able to get every mother and the cosmos overhead. are “forever giving and nourishing its moving in oblivion.” Vyas’ artworks reflect the human form and emotion down Thereafter, she infuses her feminine beings just like the mother earth. Our She adds that such a connection formalism of Italian to its tiniest detail, much in the forms in a harmonic rhythm within the rivers flow through the lengths and keeps her abreast with transformations Renaissance designs but are spirit of miniature art. Then canvas space. breadths of the country with vital life-giv- taking place in the Indian rural milieu. also firmly rooted in the tradi- there is Shiva, in a meditative is the eternal god and that is painting has both history and She said, “Nature along with its ing water. The fire element plays an She peruses compositions myriad in tion of his hometown Basholi, pose, who rises high against a how I imagine him. No one teaching. And whether it is the moods and patterns are imbibed in our important role in creation of new life. The colours, textures and figures, evoking dis- famous for pahari miniature art. landscape of modern buildings knows what he looks like but he unconditional love of Krishna, physical and physiological evolution. air, on the other hand, is yet another tinct emotions. Mother earth, goddess- The detailed nuances of colours and ruined palaces. The king- is peaceful even amid destruc- the teaching of Nanak or the We are a part of this complex puzzle, invisible element we are surrounded with es, shakti, one tribe have been the and form seen in his work dom of Ravana lies floating at tion,” says Vyas. spiritualism of Buddha, it is all which I attempt to portray through my and is as crucial for our existence. Last, themes of some of her solo shows. reflect this influence. There is the bottom of the work, giving One of the most poignant relevant to each one of us even collection of oil paintings. This collection space represents the vast universe above Bharti’s paintings also intrinsically eclecticism in the choice of his the viewers a feeling that Shiva, works in the show is that of today,” the artist says as he is a collage of colours and forms constant- us. These are the elements we experience incorporate elaborate patterns and subjects as well. He works the destroyer and the creator, Guru Nanak on a visit to a car- signs off. ly visible around us and how we recre- and interact to every moment in our designs in textiles, jewellery and the walls around the human, physical continues to exist even now penter’s house. This large work (The exhibition is on view ate them in our everyday lifestyle and lives.” paintings. The sensibility of crafts tradi- and social landscape. He has within us. “Nature is Shiva, is a descriptive ode to how from March 12 till March 20 at space.” The subject of her paintings reflect tion and texture enlivens spans of her progressed through a number of everything around comes from Nanak taught equality of all Shridharani Art Gallery, Triveni In her works, she said, each colour her fascination with the many roles that canvas. themes over the years — with him and goes back into him. He castes and religions. “Every Kala Sangam.) . 3 ? * ) 4 & * & ? ! " 5 4 & * & ) ) ! 1 9/ ) * * & ) & & & : ? 2 & * * K# $ %! " ) * + % 0.2 ) & 2 .0 ! * + 2 3 ?:;8 & O 2 ./ >2 ! .. @S=/ 2 * 99" % 2 .9 ./ .. 0/ .. > 2 5 4 & @2 ." %&? & * &0/< & - /" !"#!#! '++
"L,2 "M quadrennial Games with a Qualifiers in Amman, Jordan ondon Olympic Bronze flawless 5-0 win over Irish today. With Mary’s win, India medallist Mary Kom Magno of Philippines as she now has seven quotas for the L(51kg) secured her sec- entered the semi-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Games. ond appearance at the mega Asian/Oceanian Olympic Riding on her barrage of left cross and clear punches, the six-time world champion established her supremacy early on in the bout and refused to relent as the match progressed. She will now take on reigning Asian Games Gold medallist Yuan Chang of China in her quest for a spot in the final of this event. Earlier in the day, World Championships silver medal- list Amit Panghal (52kg) defeated Carlo Paalam of Philippines 4-1 to secure the sixth quota for India at the on 11th and a win there will time. 2020 Tokyo Olympics by secure his Olympic quota. “I had played my oppo- entering the semi-finals. It was however, the end of nent twice and had beaten him World Championships the road in the Asian as well. I came with a lot of Bronze medallist Manish Qualifiers for former world confidence to get the win this Kaushik (63kg), meanwhile, youth champion Sakshi time too. I executed whatever went down 2-3 to third seed Chaudhary (57kg) who was strategy my coaches had and Asian Games Silver blanked 0-5 by Korea's Im chalked out. I am glad that medallist Chinzorig Aeji in the quarter-finals. gave me the win as well as the Baatarsukh of Mongolia in a Panghal, who was the Olympic quota. In the next hard-fought quarter-final. lone bright spot for the Indian round, I play a Chinese boxer Kaushik can still fulfil his contingent in the first session whom I have beaten before at Olympic dream as with 6 today, had earlier beaten his the Asian Championships. The boxers qualifying from 63kg, opponent in the semi-finals of aim is to repeat it and move he will get once more chance the 2018 Asian Games and the into the final,” said the Asian with a box-off opportunity, quarter-finals of the 2019 Games champion after his where the losing quarterfinal- World Championships as well. win. ist players will have yet anoth- The familiarity helped him He will next take on er shot. stave off a late resistance from China’s Hu Jianguan, a Bronze In his quest, Manish will the Southeast Asian Games medallist at the Rio Olympics face Harrison Garside of gold medallist and book his as well as the 2019 Asian Australia in the box-off bout Olympic berth for the very first Championships. -R '& " 8 . '
"-12-345 winner (2018) and a two-time am. Add to this, I am the first Bronze-winner at the Asian Indian super heavyweight to he first super heavyweight Championships (2015 and qualify for an Olympics. Wow! T(+91kg) Indian boxer to 2019). He qualified for his maid- That’s quite something,” qualify for the Olympic Games, en Olympics — in Tokyo later Kumar told PTI in a telephon- veteran Satish Kumar on this year — by making the ic interview from Amman. Monday said a “secret strategy” semifinals of the ongoing “I count myself so lucky. and loads of luck has made the Asia/Oceania Qualifiers in Luck has been on my side for last couple of years the best of Amman, Jordan ate Sunday the last couple of years. It has his decade-long career. night. played a huge role in where I Kumar is an Asian Games “This would be my first am today,” he added without Bronze-medallist (2014), a Olympic Games, I don’t have divulging the specifics of how Commonwealth Games Silver- words to express how happy I fortune has favoured him. The 30-year-old has been India’s go-to man in the cate- gory, representing the country at major events almost exclu- sively for a decade now. “I have toiled so much for so many years, won medals here and there but nothing compares to this. I am over the moon,” said the man from Bulandhshahr in Uttar Pradesh. The imposing boxer start- ed his career back in 2010 and has five national titles under belt. “But the last two years have by far been the best of my career. There hasn’t been a bet- ter phase,” he said referring to the CWG and the Asian Championship medals. “I have been so much more faster, my stance is way better than what it used to be and all this has got me better results. Lot of work has gone into making me better and I am thankful to the coaches for their analysis and support ,” he added. Asked what exactly he has done to turn it around, Kumar responded with a hearty laughter at first. “There are some strategies which can never be revealed to anyone. They are a secret. All I can say is that I have worked very, very hard to get here.” It is this hard work, which Kumar hopes would fetch him the rewards in Tokyo and he isn't even thinking about the novel Coronavirus threat which has thrown internation- al sports calendars haywire. “I don’t think Olympic would be affected. In any case, there are doctors to ensure that there is no prob- lem,” he said trying to evade any elaborate response to a question on the health crisis, which has led to more than 3,000 deaths and left more than one lakh infected glob- ally. !"#!#! - /0 '
, one is low and slow. Another 100-150 spinner for three consecutive bound- runs will be really good for us. It is aries. eavyweight Cheteshwar not a typical Rajkot wicket. Having 1 56-7"' Medium pacer Akash Deep pro- Pujara turned up with fever as said that, we lost one wicket too )'# )"* ')<+$'%* vided the second wicket to Bengal HBengal nosed ahead against a many,” he said. when he removed a well-set Barot scratchy Saurashtra in what was was Saurashtra, playing their first with a ball that pitched around off an attritional opening day’s play in the final at home, opted to bat in friend- stump and straightened, taking a faint Ranji Trophy final here. ly conditions. edge to Wriddhiman Saha. Avi Barot (54 off 142) and The Bengal pace attack has deliv- Vishvaraj and centurion of the Vishvaraj Jadeja (54 off 92) struck ered all season and the team relied on semi-final against Gujarat, Arpit gritty half-centuries before Bengal them to get the early breakthroughs. Vasavada (29 not out), took pacer Akash Deep struck late in the Ishan Porel and Mukesh Kumar Saurashtra to 155 for two in 61 overs. final session to leave Saurashtra at 206 tested Harvik Desai (38) and Barot in It was a surprise that Pujara did not for five at stumps on Monday. their opening spell but the openers come out to bat at number four, his Pacer Akash Deep, who was did well to take Saurashtra to 77 for usual position for the state team. He Bengal;s standout bowler with three no loss in 35 overs at lunch. Luck also bats at number three for India in Test wickets, had Chetan Sakariya caught smiled on the home team with cricket. behind, bringing the end of day's play. Bengal grassing three difficult catch- Bengal pacers lifted their game in With the pacers doing the bulk of the es in the session. Desai was dropped the final session with Akash Deep job, only 80.5 overs could be bowled. twice while Barot got one life. castling Jadeja with a sharp incom- An unwell Pujara walking off the Bengal got their first wicket in the ing ball soon after the batsman com- field after scoring five off 24 balls put third over after lunch when Desai, pleted his second half century of the the home team in a spot of bother surprised by the extra bounce gener- season. after Barot (54 off 142) and Jadeja (54 ated by left-arm spinner Shahbaz Two overs later, Porel trapped off 92) had played themselves in. Ahmed, pushed it straight into the Saurashtra's leading run-getter The India player, who returned hands of the silly-point fielder to leave Sheldon Jackson who had got going from New Zealand only a couple of his team at 82 for one in the 38th over. with two cover drives off Kumar’s days ago, had fever due to throat Though there was assistance on tempting half-volleys. Hero of the infection but will bat on the second offer for spinners, Ahmed was con- semi-final against Karnataka, Kumar day, said skipper Jaydev Unadkat. tent to bowl the containing line and was guilty of offering too many free- Bengal may have the edge after bowled as many as 20 overs in his first bies to the opposition. day one but Saurashtra batsman spell, majority of them from over the Jackson’s fall finally brought Vishvaraj said another 100 runs on wicket, with pacers operating from Pujara in the middle but he walked the slow and low surface will be of the other end. off the field looking unwell. immense value. Vishvaraj then got together with The ball often kept low in the “The surface used for the semi- Barot and opted for an aggressive final session, signs that the batsmen's final had a lot more bounce but this approach against Ahmed, hitting the ' $ % + 1- $ % $ + 1 job is only going to get tougher. ), . , 9 %
$ > 27% 5 tournament, moved down a spot to be ranked seventh, Rodrigues -3%7,"- eenage Indian batting sensation remained static on ninth. TShafali Verma on Monday lost Mooney’s opening partner Alyssa ' ;% enior pacer Shikha Pandey admitted that India were outclassed the top spot in the ICC women’s T20 Healy has risen two slots to fifth posi- Snot just the fielding but in all three departments which led to International rankings as she slipped tion after a blistering 39-ball 75 in the the side’s humbling defeat against Australia in the Women’s T20 to third after managing only two runs final against India while South , World Cup final. in the World Cup final against Africa's Laura Wolvaardt has “Nerves weren’t really a factor. Once you get onto the field, Australia in Melbourne. advanced 13 slots to reach a career- he addition of two new members, you just zone out. I don't think I felt nerves,” Pandey told the ICC The 16-year-old Shafali (744 best 31st place after a valiant 27-ball Tincluding the chairman, in the nation- website. points) had grabbed the top spot at 41 in their semifinal against Australia. al selection committee has not changed the Pandey rued the dropped chances of Beth Mooney (78 not the end of the league stage of the just- India’s Deepti Sharma advanced panel’s stance on M S Dhoni, who will out), whose caught and bowled opportunity was missed by concluded women's T20 World Cup 10 slots to reach 43rd position “have to perform” in the upcoming IPL to Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Alyssa Healy (75), who was dropped in Australia which the hosts won for among batters and is among the top be considered for T20 World Cup selection, off the fifth ball of the innings by Shafali Verma. The opening duo an unprecedented fifth time. five all-rounders for the first time. a top BCCI official told PTI. then nicely set it up Australia’s record-breaking win. Australia opener Beth Mooney, Deepti, Radha Yadav and The Sunil Joshi-led selection panel met “Initially, if you gift chances to batters in form they're going who hit 78 not out in the final on Poonam Yadav occupied the sixth, for the first time in Ahmedabad on Sunday to use them. It could have gone either way but those chances cost- Sunday, jumped two spots to num- seventh and eighth sports respective- to pick a rather “straightforward” squad for ed us. We could have been better in all three departments, it was- ber one with 762 points to her kitty. ly in the bowlers ranking led by the three ODIs against South Africa begin- n’t just the fielding,” she said. Mooney scored 259 runs at an England’s Sophie Ecclestone. ning in Dharamsala on March 12. Healy and Mooney’s efforts shattered the confidence of the average of 64 in six innings, the high- Australia's Megan Schutt and Joshi’s predecessor MSK Prasad had Indian bowlers from the first over itself and Pandey, who was at est aggregate by anyone at a single South African Shabnim Ismail occu- made it clear that the team has moved on the receiving end, said even she had to appreciate the former's bru- edition of the competition and was py the second and third place respec- from Dhoni and he has to first play to be tal hitting. named Player of the Tournament. She tively among bowlers. considered for selection. “You do have plans against a batter like her, but the kind of has topped the rankings for While Australia left-arm spinner “It was a pretty straightforward selec- shots she played were amazing. Sometimes you can just stand and the first time in her career. Jess Jonassen reached a career-best tion meeting and since Dhoni was obvious- acknowledge, and appreciate the shots she was playing. It was one New Zealand’s Suzie 728 points and fifth place, her best ly not in the reckoning this time (for South of those days when I was on the receiving Bates (750 points) remained position since a career-best fourth Africa series), there was no formal talk end.” in second position in the list that ranking in November 2017. about his future,” a BCCI source told PTI. The 30-year-old Pandey was hit for also features the Indian duo of Her team-mates Sophie “He will be back in the reckoning only three boundaries from her first 12 overs Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Molineux and Delissa Kimmince if he has a good IPL. And why only him, delivered in the tournament and the only Rodrigues in the top ten. have advanced 10 places each to there are so many senior and young play- one that got away in the first two games While the India vice-captain reach joint-16th and 31st places ers who will play in the IPL. If was struck by Healy in the early overs Mandhana, who had a forgetful / $ % * $ @ ;-B=@ $ respectively. they do well, they are ought to of the opening game. be considered too. So, you Pandey held her nerve to could see some surprise help India secure a crucial win inclusions,” he said. over New Zealand and seal 1 5 O )S3 The T20 World Cup will top spot, playing a crucial be played in Australia in role as one of the oldest in October-November and the a squad featuring three -3%7,"- However, she didn’t have the best of days in games India play after teenagers. the final as she dropped a catch in the very the IPL leading up Despite struggling in ormer Australia speedster Brett Lee feels India’s first over of the game and then could man- to the mega event the final as Australia Fdownfall in the Women’s T20 World Cup final age just two runs with the bat. will also be a fac- reached 184 for four is “not the end for them” and they will be coming “I really felt for Shafali Verma at the tor in the final from their 20 overs, back stronger in the times to come. end, it was tough seeing her in tears but squad selec- Pandey revelled in the A record-breaking attendance for a women's she should be very proud of the way she’s tion. occasion with the India cricket match of 86,174 watched on as Australia performed in Australia,” said Lee. “But the team getting the chance to meet ten- downed first-time finalists India by 85 runs at the “To come out here and face your first performance nis star and sporting icon Billie Jean MCG on Sunday. “As for India, it was a disappoint- tournament head-on is testament to her in the IPL King after the trophy presentation. ing night for them but they'll certainly be back — talent and mental strength, and she’s could be “It’s huge to meet people like Billie this is not the end for them, this is just the start,” only going to get better from here. the clinch- Jean King in person. I was privileged to Lee wrote in his column for the ICC. “When you drop a chance, the one er,” the be part of the event although it's dis- “They’d never played in a final before and we thing you want is another one and source appointing to be on the wrong end of saw in Melbourne how vital that experience is, it unfortunately she didn’t get it, but she’ll added. the result. takes a long time to get settled and by the time they learn from this experience and come “It’s an honour to meet someone did, unfortunately the game was gone." back stronger. who has done so much for women’s Playing in front of a crowd like that takes plen- “Moments like this can define sport in general and is working for ty of getting used to so they'll be better for it, and by the defending champions in all the three disci- you in a positive way — it’s never about equal opportunities. Just to meet her should take a lot of heart from the way they played plines of the game in the final. what happens, it’s about how you in person is a good thing. in Australia," he added. Lee further said it was tough for him seeing respond to it and Shafali has proven she “She said we were unlucky to have lost India had defeated Australia in the opening teenage sensation Shafali Verma in tears after the can cope with anything. Don't be sur- and to keep working hard,” Pandey said. game of the tournament. However, they failed to match. Shafali scored 163 runs coming at a jaw- prised to see her put a big score on the replicate that performance as they were outplayed dropping strike rate of 158.25 in the tournament. Aussies the next time they play,” he added. SL name 16-man squad for Eng Test series O) %; $ / $ ; 3 % "-12-345 Boucher feels that having Du Plessis also means he will have ri Lanka Monday named a 16- ormer skipper Faf du Plessis' some selection headaches, which is Smember squad, including two Flong experience of playing in a good thing to have. injured players, for the two-match Test IPL and international cricket in “It’s a good headache to have. series against England starting next India will come in handy during the Just him being around the squad week. upcoming three-match ODI series, will add a lot of value and experi- Sri Lanka Cricket said Kusal Perera feels South Africa head coach ence as well. We will look at con- was included in the squad even though Mark Boucher. ditions and then put together com- the injury-hit wicketkeeper may only The series starts in Dharamsala binations. Why you would want to be fit to play in about two weeks. on February 12. have Faf is because he has done Another injured player, Wanidu Du Plessis, who last played an really well in those (Indian) condi- Hasaranga, was also included in the ODI during the 2019 World Cup, tions.” %F T . 0/ squad despite never having played at had an indifferent T20 series While South Africa lost the that level before. against Australia, with scores of 24, T20 series 1-2 to Australia, they 24 off 39 balls to entertain the A replacement for Hasaranga will 15 and 5. blanked the visitors 3-0 in the home crowd at the Sher-e- be named before the first Test against “If you go to a place like India, ODIs, which gives them confidence oumya Sarkar and Liton Bangla National Stadium. England on March 19 in Galle, the you need to find a balance between going into the series against India. SDas struck half-centuries Liton set the platform for board said. The second Test is due to youth and experience. I think Faf “T20s are important this year to power Bangladesh to 200-3 Bangladesh's highest-ever start on March 27 in Colombo. is really doing well in ODI cricket given we have the T20 World Cup. in the first Twenty20 interna- Twenty20 score against $ ' ? for South Africa. The last time he But in general, Proteas and Cricket tional of a two-match series Zimbabwe with a 92-run open- G played, he got a hundred. He ) % * South Africa (CSA), we need to against Zimbabwe in Dhaka on ing stand with Tamim Iqbal, Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), knows the Indian conditions very find ourselves growing. Monday. who made 41 off 33 balls. Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, well,” Boucher said during the “We have just beaten a very Soumya hit an unbeaten 62 Sikandar Raza, Chris Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kasun Rajitha, Dilruwan Perera, Lasith team’s pre-departure press confer- reached India on Monday morning good team now. We needed confi- off 32 balls, his second Mpofu and debutant Wesley Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Embuldeniya, Lakshan Sandakan and ence on Sunday. and will take a chartered flight to dence and it will certainly give us Twenty20 50 and a career best, Madhevere claimed one wick- Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Wanindu Hasaranga. The South African team Dharamsala on Tuesday. a lot of confidence.” after an in-form Liton made 59 et each