DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD,CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA,LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018-20RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57

JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES SINCE 1932 `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

OXFAMREPORT SUPPLEMENTARY CHARGESHEET Covid deepened Goswami paid inequalities:wealth, me $12,000 and education, gender Wealth surge of richest11inpandemic SINGHU Rs 40 lakh to fix could sustain NREGS for10years ECHO IN MUMBAI ratings: Dasgupta UDITMISRA Growth NEWDELHIJANUARY24 vs Farmers from various BARC ex-CEO’slawyer: Handwritten inequality parts of Maharashtra ANEW reportbyOxfam has arrivedinMumbai on statementhas no evidentiary value found that the Covid pandemic Sundaytoparticipate deeplyexacerbated existing in- HIGH LEVELSofinequal- in arally on Monday equalities in India and around ities hurtthe economy against the newfarm MOHAMEDTHAVER& the world. and undermine social laws. Ganesh Shirsekar KRISHNKAUSHIK The report, titled ‘The cohesion. Some argue REPORT, PAGE 4 MUMBAI,NEWDELHI, Inequality Virus’,has foundthat that governmental ef- JANUARY24 as the pandemic stalledthe econ- fortstoreduce inequal- omy, forcingmillionsofpoor ity mustsucceed, not THE FORMERCEO of Broadcast Indians out of jobs, the richestbil- precede, effortstoboost 1YEAR AS UNION TERRITORY Audience Research Council lionaires in India increased their growth because that will (BARC) India, Partho Dasgupta, Dasgupta’s statement wealth by 35 per cent. define howmuchthere has claimedinahandwritten againstGoswami partof “Thewealth of Indian billion- is to distribute. That will statement to Mumbai Police that chargesheet airesincreasedby 35 percentdur- be the challenge forthe J&K:Dropinlaw&orderincidents he receivedUS$12,000 from ing the lockdown and by 90 per Budget. Republic TV Editor-in-Chief cent since 2009 to $422.9 billion Arnab Goswami fortwo separate AUDITREPORT rankingIndiasixthintheworldaf- holidays andatotal of Rs 40 lakh terUS, China, Germany, Russia the strictestlockdown anywhere butuptickinmilitantrecruitment over three years, in return for ■Favouritism and France,” states the report. in the world, India’s top100 bil- manipulating ratings in favour of towardschannels According to Oxfam's calcu- lionaires sawtheir fortunes in- the news channel, according to lations, since March,asthe gov- crease by Rs 12.97trillion— J&KDGP Dilbag Singh says severalmilitant commanders Kargil ignored the supplementarychargesheet ■ Ratings were ernment announcedpossibly CONTINUEDONPAGE2 filedinthe TRP scam case. pre-decided killedinayear, ‘situation better’ on allparameters in first Ladakh The 3,600-pagesupplemen- ■ BARC officials tary chargesheet, filedby violated code dentsalso dropped5per centto tableau: chief MumbaiPoliceon January11, also BUSINESSASUSUAL NAVEEDIQBAL VIOLENCERELATED 243in220 compared with255 includes aBARCforensic auditre- SRINAGAR,JANUARY24 TOMILITANCY in 2019.The fall is significant of Hill Council port, WhatsApp chatspurport- The audit reportnames sev- BY UNNY when compared with 2018, edly between Dasgupta and eral news channels, including IN ITS FIRSTfull year as the 2019 2020* whichwitnessed417 militancy- Goswami, and statementsof59 Republic, Times Nowand Aaj newest Union Territoryofthe Militancy- 255 243 related incidents. BASHAARATMASOOD persons, includingformer council Tak, andlists instances of country, Jammuand Kashmir relatedincidents The number of recruitsjoin- SRINAGAR,JANUARY24 employees and cable operators. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 witnessedanuptickinrecruit- Lawandorder 584 143 ing militancy in the UT has, how- ment to militant ranks; the incidents ever,seen a22per cent riseto OLD FAULTLINES between number of lawand order inci- Militantskilled 157 222 174in2020 from 143in2019. Of BuddhistLadakh and Muslim dents, however, droppedsignif- Militant 143 174** the 174recruits, 76 militants Kargil have emergedinthe icantlyduring the year. recruitment were killedand another 46 ar- Republic Daytableauofthe new According to police datafor Ceasefire 605 930 rested.Just52remain active, Union TerritoryofLadakh. the lastthree years, the number datawith the J&K Police shows. The firsttableau of Ladakh violation DR SHEKHAR MANDE of lawand order incidentsinJ&K When contacted,Director will depict the Thiksey *UptoDec 30 DIRECTOR GENERAL, COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC plunged 75 percent to 143in **Out of which76killed,46arrested General, J&KPolice, DilbagSingh, Monastery in Leh and the Indian AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH and 52 still active 2020 compared with 584in told The Indian Express that Astronomical Observatoryin PAGE 8 2019.Militancy-related inci- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 India, China hold ninth Sexual assault under round of LAC talks POCSOneeds skin to region, along with additional KRISHNKAUSHIK artillery, tanks, and air de- skincontact:Bombay HC NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 fence assets. It followedamemo from Manwho pressedbreasts of child over SENIOR MILITARYcommanders India fortalkswhile the two from India and China meton countries maintainedregular herclothes convicted formolestation Sundayfor the ninth round of contact through the hotlineand talkstodiscuss apossible solu- other mechanisms to prevent The verdict, deliveredby tion to the nearly nine-month anyuntowardincident that VIVEKDESHPANDE Justice Pushpa VGanediwala on border standoffineastern couldcomplicate the situation. NAGPUR,JANUARY24 January19, setaside the rulingof Ladakh. In the lastfew months, Indiare- alower courtunder Section 8of The meeting, whichbegan turnedtwo Chinese soldiers IN Acontroversial order that POCSO applicable to “sexual as- around 10 am on the Chinese who had strayed across the Line could have implications on a sault” on children, againstcon- side of the Chushul-Moldo of Actual Control in separatein- rangeofcases, the Nagpur bench vict Satish Bandu Ragde. Border Personnel Meeting cidents. of Bombay High Courtacquitted Saying that Section 8of (BPM) point, continueduntil On Sunday,the Indian dele- aman of sexual assault on the POCSOprovides forstringent evening. gation wasled by Lt Gen PGK grounds that pressing the breasts punishment of five years’ of rig- The latesteffortcame two- Menon, XIV CorpsCommander, of achild over her clothes with- orous imprisonment (RI), the and-a-half months afterthe whichisresponsible forthe LAC outdirect “skin to skin”physical High Courtobserved that lastround of discussions be- in eastern Ladakh, and included contact doesnot constitute“sex- “stricter proof and serious alle- tweenthe twosides on another senior militaryofficer ual assault” under the Protection gations arerequired”. November 6, with around from Delhi. Naveen Srivastava, of ChildrenfromSexual Offences The judgesaid: “As such, 50,000 troops deployedinthe CONTINUEDONPAGE2 (POCSO) Act. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 THE WORLD At IIM Calcutta, it’s teachers versus PRACHANDAGROUP EXPELSOLIFROM Director over her powers, their role PARTYGENERAL MEMBERSHIP PAGE 12 culture of transparency and ac- RITIKACHOPRA Director countability. NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 Anju Seth That group isn’t small. says ‘small Lastmonth, as manyas61 INSIDE THE FACULTYat Indian Institute group’ upset teachers —over75% of the IIM- of Management, Calcutta, is with her Calcutta’s faculty —wrotetothe MAHARASHTRA lockedinanunprecedented MinistryofEducation (MoE) AIMSTOCROSS2 standoff withthe institute’sdi- urging it to step in alleging that rector alleging that she has cen- Director Anju Seth has attrib- Seth’s styleoffunctioning, was LAKHVACCINATION tralisedpowers in her hands and uted the confrontation to "a “arbitrary, discriminatory,and, FIGURE PAGE 4 usurpedtheir role in administra- small group of individuals" up- having averynarrowvision.” tion and decision-making. setwith her effortstofostera CONTINUEDONPAGE2

Afterstrides in social welfare, Latur village hands over batontoall-womanpanchayat

PAGE 1 waypaved by the performance ANCHOR of two-time sarpanch BhagyashreeChame, who was one of the three women elected in 2015,along with Shobha Kasle MAYURAJANWALKAR and Kalpana Sagar. ANANDWADI(LATUR), Giventhe number of JANUARY24 ‘Anandwadis’ in Nilanga, the vil- lage, located 25 km from Latur NINE YEARS after50per cent city, is morecommonlyknown seatswerereserved forwomen as Gaur.Home to 635people, in Maharashtra’s gram panchay- mostlyfarmers, Gaur has in the ats, AnandwadivillageinLatur’s pastfiveyears seen improved Nilanga taluka has pickedanall- cleanliness, acampaign against woman panchayat. The six were superstitions,changeinname elected unopposedinthe pan- The members were elected unopposed. Amit Chakravarty plates of all 112homes to that of chayat polls held recently, their CONTINUEDONPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 2 THE SECOND PAGE THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021

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Militant recruits dications that while China is The girltold her mother that and Director wasnot considered does nothaveany evidentiary 122million jobs lost. Informal “invest in free quality public panchayatoffice, to supplement open to troops movingbackto Ragdehad held herbyhand and by theBoardwhile passing the valueinthecourtof law.”Amem- workershad relatively fewerop- servicesand social protection to the panchayat's modestannual 2020 markedasignificant im- their original positions, the two takenher to his house on the pre- Regulations. berofGoswami's legal team de- portunities to work from home supporteveryone,fromcradle to budget of aboutRs2.5 lakh. One provement in the situation on sidesare unable to work out de- text of giving her aguava but in- Lastmonth,afterwritingtothe clinedtocomment. and sufferedmorejob loss com- grave”. of the schemes the funds have countsof terrorism,lawandorder tails of disengagement, espe- sidehetriedtoremove hersalwar MoE againstthe instituteleader- Thechargesheet alsoincludes pared to the formal sector.The However, with the Union helpedorganise is the and security.“If youlook at the ciallypertaining to whowould and he pressedher breasts.The ship, the faculty also wrotesepa- BARC'sauditreport,datedJuly 24, 40-50 million seasonal migrant Budgetround the corner,not Kanyadaan Yojana,toensureno pastdecade, the situation is bet- step backfirstand from where. mother filedapolice complaint ratelyonitsconcernsregardingthe 2020,whichstatesthat evidence workers, typicallyengaged everyone is convincedofthese one "thinksoftheir daughters as teronall parameters since 2016.I On January12, addressinghis againstRagde,whowasconvicted Regulationsandrequestedthegov- “indicated favouritism shown to working in construction sites, policy recommendations. aburden". In the pastfiveyears, would sayalot of improvement annual press conference ahead by the lowercourtunder both ernmenttoholdoffitsnotification. fewchannels”and“insomecases, factories etc. were particularly NRBhanumurthy, Vice- villagers have shared expenses has been made on lawand order of ArmyDay,ArmyChief General POCSO andIPCsections.Thecon- The Indian Express sent a we suspectthat the ratings were distressed, notesthe report. Chancellor of Dr BRAmbedkar forfiveweddings. Aboardatthe andsecurityaswellasterroristvi- MMNaravane expressedthe vict then movedthe High Court. questionnaire on these com- pre-decided”. The pandemic also spiked School of Economics University entrance to the panchayatde- olence. Severalmilitant com- hope thatbothsides “will be able plaintstoSeth. In response, she Forinstance, the reportmen- health and education inequali- in Bengaluru, said that this is not clares that the villagedoesn't manders were killedinasingle to reachanagreement which IIM said: “Our team at IIM Calcuttais tionsallegedsuppressionof view- ties. the year to prioritise inequality. give or receive dowry. year...,”hesaid. would resultindisengagement The letter,the faculty claims, committedto upholdtherequire- ership forTimesNow to boost Over the pastyear as educa- “Reducing inequalities is very Ayodhya Chame, 55, head of Between Januaryand and de-escalation” basedonthe wassent to the governmentonly mentsofthe IIM Acttofirmly set Republic’s weeklyrankings, and tion shiftedonline, India sawthe important but it should be a Gaur's Tantamukti Samiti or dis- December 2020, as manyas225 “principle of mutualand equal afterexhausting all redressal av- the Instituteonthe path to global highlights apurportedconversa- digital divide worsening in- medium-term target.Between pute-resolution committee,says militantswerekilledbysecurity security”. enues internally. Thisisunusual excellencewhileatthesametime tion betweenBARC'stop execu- equalities. On the one hand, pri- growth and distribution, we the panel ensures disagree- forcesoperatinginJ&K.In103op- Naravane,however, also said giventhat the IIMs, in the past, fostering acultureoftrans- tivesand asenior marketing ex- vate providers suchasBYJU’s mustget the sequencing right. mentsare resolvedbeforethey erations,207militantswerekilled that Indiaisprepared to hold its have always been critical of gov- parency,accountabilityand mer- ecutive of IndiaTodayGroup on (currentlyvalued at $10.8 billion) We needtogrowfirstbeforewe turn intoserious rows.“This is in the Valleywhile 18 in the ground “as long as it takesto ernment interference. itocracy. Theseessential aspects “pre-fixing”Aaj Tak’s ratings. and Unacademy(valuedat$1.45 can distribute. Otherwise, we whywecould elect our gram Jammuregion. achieve ournational goals and Official sources said anyinter- of the Actmay cause disruption With multiple emailsand billion) experienced exponential can getstuckinalow-income panchayatunopposed,” she says. Officials said 46 topcom- interests”. ventionby theMinistryisunlikely, and discomfort to asmall group messagesbetweenBARC officials growth yet, on the other,just3 equilibrium,”hesaid. Ayodhya pointsout that hav- manders of various militant out- at least fornow."We cannotstart of individualswithdissimilarval- attachedasannexures,thereport per cent of the poorest20per ing women in leadership roles fitswere amongthoseneutralised Sexual assault interfering in an institute's inter- ues and interests. states that one of the reasons cent of Indian households had Latur village sets agood role model forthe in 2020.These include Riyaz thereisnodirect physical contact nalaffairs,especiallywhenwe are "Weare painedbythe base- givenbythe council forchanging access to acomputer and just9 their women occupants, asani- younger generation. As an exam- Naikoo and Junaid Sehrai andDr i.e. skin to skin with sexual intent advocating autonomyfor other lessstoriesinstigatedby thissmall TimesNow’sviewershipdataisto per cent had access to theinter- tary napkindispenser,inclusion ple,she says,“Earlier,onlyfathers Saifullah of theHizbul without penetration". The bench higher education institutions groupto sully theInstitute’srepu- cater for“outlier” data, whichis net. of widows in festivities, adrive would go to children’s school to Mujahideen. Lashkar’s Sajad observedthat "the act of pressing along the lines of what has been tation built over decades. Despite meanttoidentify spikes in view- In terms of healthcare, to encourageorgan donation, discuss issues. Nowmothers Haider,Burhan Koka from Ansar breastcan be acriminal forcetoa grantedto theIIMs,"anofficialsaid. the challenges we have con- ership due to the channel being Oxfam found that since India and afreeflour-grinding mill. come, and children see them as Ghazwat-ul-Hindandcommand- woman/girlwiththeintentionto Also, the crisis is seen moreas fronted including those posedby the “landing page” on some dis- doesnot reportcase datadeseg- Having firstbecome having arole beyond the home.” ers of the newly-carvedThe outrageher modesty." anegoclashasmuchasaturf war. theCOVIDcrisis,we arenow oper- tributors. regatedbysocio-economic or sarpanchin2005, Chame says Bhanudas Nagmode, 74,are- ResistanceFrontwere alsoamong "In viewofthe above discus- “These issues aren’t things that atingatevengreatereffectiveness Thepracticeof placingachan- social categories, it is difficult to she will nowmakeway fora tired primaryschool teacher, thosekilledin2020, an official sion, this Court holds that the ap- can’t be resolvedinternally,”the and efficiency withdevotionto nelonthe“landingpage”waspro- gauge thedistribution of the dis- newsarpanch, to bechosen from says theyare happytoconcede withJ&K Policesaid. pellantisacquittedunderSection official said. Indeed, higher edu- the success of our talented stu- hibitedby TRAI.Butthatdirection ease amongstvarious commu- among the six members. The the success to their women. “We The dataalso shows that36 8ofthe POCSO Actand convicted cation secretaryAmit Khareis dents. Having converted chal- wasset aside by theTelecom nities. But India currentlyhas the seventh seat, reservedfor STs, have had no infectious diseases civilians and 45 security person- underminoroffenceu/s354ofIPC learnt to have metSethand lenges into opportunities to DisputesSettlement and world’s second-largest cumula- will be filledsoon, withanother in the lastmanyyears, open nelsuccumbedto military-related andsentencedhimto undergo RI," Kulkarni and asked them to re- strengthen our resilience, we are Appellate Tribunal,andthematter tive number of COVID-19 posi- woman, she says.“We had a drains have been covered, the activities in 2020. The casualties the judgesaid. The maximum solve thestandoffinternally. excited to march intothe future is nowinSupremeCourt. tive cases and globally, the poor, name in mind and the village villageiscleaner," Nagmode lists. arelower thanthe previous year. sentenceisfive yearsandthemin- Sethwasappointedasthefirst with integrityand commitment The audit wasconducted by marginalisedand vulnerable had agreedtoher,but her caste GangaChame, 29,amongthe Thenumberof J&Kpoliceperson- imumone year foranoffence un- woman head of IIM-Calcuttain to thepledgeof'IIMFirst',blessed AcquisoryRiskConsulting.Theex- communities have higher rates certificatewas found invalid by sixnewpanchayatmembers,says nel killeddue to militant activity der this section. November 2018.Analumnusof by thegood wishes and support ecutive summary of the audit re- of COVID-19prevalence. the district administration." the election marks another mile- hasalsoseena24percentdecline. "Evidently it is notthe caseof IIM-Calcutta(1978),shehasadoc- of valuedmembers of our faculty portstatesthat “manipulation “The spread of diseasewas One of the changes the vil- stone. “Wecame hereasdaugh- In2020,asmanyas61policeper- theprosecutionthattheappellant torate from the University of and extended community.” wasevidenced in 2017,18and 19 swiftamongpoor communities, lage takesgreat pride in is the ters-in-law, butourfamiliesnever sonnellosttheir lives. removedher topand pressedher Michigan (1988). She joined Askedaboutthefaculty'scon- across English News Genreand oftenliving in crammed areas normalisation of the conversa- discouragedusfromparticipat- Meanwhile, ceasefireviola- breast," JusticeGanediwala said. VirginiaTech in2008andheaded cerns over the newRegulations, Telugu News Genre”. with poor sanitation and using tion around menstruation, ledby ing. They put their faithinusand tions across the LoCshavein- "Theactof pressingofbreastofthe itsdepartment of management BoardChairman Shrikrishna The report states that sixtop shared common facilities such ASHA worker Manisha letustakeour owndecisions.” creasedbyover50per cent, childaged12 years,intheabsence from 2008 to 2013.She will com- Kulkarni wrote: "As apractice we executivesofBARC, including as toilets and waterpoints,” it Tangadpalle.“Menstruation is a Vishnu Chame, aformer recording 930 incidentsin2020. of anyspecificdetailasto whether pletehertermasdirectoratIIMin donotdiscussinternalmattersre- Dasgupta,wereinvolvedin“ma- states. natural process, but girls hesitate member of the panchayat, says the topwas removedorwhether ayear. lated to our belovedInstituteand nipulationof ratingsandviolation In this regard,itfound that to talk to their mothers about it, it is notsurprising that Gaur was LAC talks heinsertedhishandinsidetopand Among the issues flagged by my Boardinthe public domain... of the codeofethics” between only6per cent of the poorest20 thoughtheytalk to me freely. receptive to change. Home to Additional Secretary(EastAsia) pressedher breast, would notfall the teachersisfaculty shortage. Pleasebereassuredthatwe onthe 2018 and2019. per cent households had access The sanitarynapkin dispenser Marathas, Dhangars, OBCs and in the MinistryofExternal inthedefinitionof 'sexualassault'.” Sources said that onlyone new Boardare fullycommitted and Whencontacted,BARCsaidin to non-shared sources of im- we setupinthe anganwadi gives STs, Gaur has neverlet caste mat- Affairs, wasalso present. The courtofExtraJoint facultymemberhasbeenhiredin alignedtothe best interestofIIM an email: “As the matterisasub- proved sanitation, compared to three napkins forRs5.Soon we ter, he says.Whether weddings This is the fourth time that Additional Sessions Judgehad thelasttwo yearsdespitetheinsti- Calcutta. The allegations listedin jectof anongoinginvestigationby 93 per cent of the top20per cent will installamachine forsafedis- or funerals, everyfamilyinthe Srivastava, who has been lead- found Ragde,39, guilty of offence tutelosingover10 teachersonac- theemailbeloware withoutcon- the various lawenforcement householdsinIndia. posal of napkins too," villageparticipates. ing the Indian side in meetings of sexual assault of the 12-year- count of resignation,superannu- text and baseless." agencies,we areconstrainedtore- In terms of caste,just37.2per Tangadpalle says. of theWorking Mechanism for old girl under POCSO along with ation, and voluntaryretirement. spond to your enquiries.” cent of SC households and 25.9 Sangeeta Chame, who runs Kargil Consultation &Coordination on Sections354 (assault or criminal Some of the exits, teachers allege, BARC Republic said in astatement per cent of ST households had the mill that grinds flour forfree, Hanle, and Kargil feels ignored. India-China Border Affairs forcetowomanwith intent to were due to “harassment.” alleged manipulation as well as that“therehasbeenacollusionof access to non-shared sanitation still remembers the Raksha FerozAhmad Khan, (WMCC), waspartofthe military outrageher modesty); 363 (pun- “There’salot of micromanage- “pre-fixing”ofratings forthe corporateandpoliticalintereststo facilities,compared to 65.7 per Bandhan from twoyearsago,"in Chairman of the Ladakh discussions. TheWMCC talkslast ishmentforkidnapping);and342 ment by the director…Forin- channels by BARC's topexecu- target”Goswami. cent forthe general population. whichbrothersgiftedsanitary AutonomousHillDevelopment took place on December 18. (punishment forwrongful con- stance, the doctoral research pro- tives. Times Nowdefendedthe use The pandemic has also napkins to sisters". Council (LAHDC) Kargil, has The Chinese delegationwas finement) of the IPC. gramme committee whichdeals The supplementary of landingpages,statingthatthey widenedgender disparities. Tangadpalle's grandfather, written to Lt Governor RK ledbyMajor General Liu Lin, Ragde had movedthe High with permissions forfaculty to chargesheetwas filedagainst are“notruledasillegal” and “are The unemployment rate who passedawayin2017, was Mathur protesting that “cultural commander of the South Courtagainstthe judgment present papers at international Dasgupta,formerBARC COORomil simplythe most preferredfre- among women rose from al- the village's firstorgandonor. and religious symbols” of Kargil Xinjiang MilitaryRegion. throughhislawyerSabahatUllah. conferencesisalmostdefunctbe- Ramgarhiaand Republic Media quency which is sold and bought ready high 15 per cent before With his example prominently have been ignored. The standoffbegan earlyMay Public prosecutorMJKhan sub- cause the director insistsonhav- NetworkCEOVikasKhanchandani. at aPremium by perfectlylegal Covid to 18 per cent. “This in- displayedatthe gram panchayat “It is unfortunatetonotethat lastyear,when the Chinese came mitted in the High Courtthatun- ing the final saywho can or can- Afirstchargesheetwasfiledagainst means”. It said the outlier policy crease in unemployment of office, 447villagers have pledged asingular aspect of Ladakh has in 8kmwestofthe point that der Section 7ofPOCSO,“pressing notattend international 12 persons in November 2020. was“abusedbycorruptBARCof- women can result in aloss to to donatetheir organs since. been incorporated fordisplayon India says marks theLAC on the of breast”fellunderthedefinition conferences,” said ateacher. According to thesecond ficials to manuallyintervene and India’sGDP of about 8per cent To dispel superstitions about the UT Ladakh tableauduring north bank of Pangong Tso. of sexual assault. It’salsoallegedthatinherrole chargesheet, Dasgupta's state- wilfully anddeliberately improve or $218 billion,” states the report. ghosts and spirits, adesertedvil- Republic Day, thereby failing to Although therewas adegree of CitingfromPOCSO'sdefinition as chairperson of the Academic mentwasrecordedintheofficeof channelranksfor favoured chan- Of the women who retained lage crematorium has been trans- showcase the richand diverse disengagement beginning early of sexual assault, the High Court Council (AC), Seth indulgedinse- the Crime Intelligence Unit on nels”andthatitis“contemplating their jobs, as many83% were formedintoachildren’s park. religio-cultural fabric of Ladakh,” June, China did notcomplete the said, "as per thedefinition,the of- lective recording of minutes and December27,2020,at5.15pm, in legal action”. subjectedtoacut in income ac- “People usedtobescared of the Khan has written. “It is felt that move from severalfriction fence involves following neces- decisions of theCouncil. the presenceoftwo witnesses. IndiaTodayGroup did notre- cording to asurveybythe crematorium but nowchildren (the) partial visual representa- points. saryingredients —act musthave Members have alleged that Dasgupta'sstatementreads:“I spond to queries from The Indian InstituteofSocial Studies Trust. come on their owntoplay,"says tion of the UT at an event as The standoffescalated on been committed with sexual in- minutes of acrucial AC meeting have known Arnab Goswami Express. Beyond income and job Bhagyashree'shusband Dyanoba prominent as the National June 15 lastyear when Indian tent,actmustinvolve touchingthe held on September 17 and 21 last since2004. We usedtoworkto- While Dasgupta is in jail, The losses, poorer women also suf- Chame,whohas authoredabook Republic Daycelebrations alien- and Chinese troops clasheddur- vagina,penis,anusorbreastofthe year did notreflect the decision gether in Times Now. Ijoined IndianExpress reachedout to feredhealthwise because of the in Marathi titledNirmile Astitva ates the peopleofKargildistrict.” ing disengagement in Galwan child or making the child touch thatfaculty feedbackon BARC as CEO in 2013.Arnab Mehta, Samrat, Ramgarhia, disruption in regular health serv- Majhe (Creating My Identity) that Khan has asked that the Valleynear Patrol Point 14,re- thevagina,penis,anusorbreastof Regulations under the IIMAct Goswami launchedRepublic in Kumar and Basu. OnlyKumar re- ices and Anganwadi centres. "It tells the storyofthe transforma- tableaubemodified: “LAHDC sulting in 20 Indian soldiers and suchperson or anyother person should be shared with the Board 2017.Evenbeforelaunching sponded.“Ihadremotely nothing is predicted that the closureof tion of the village. Kargil wishes to requestyou to an undisclosednumber of ordoinganyotheractwithsexual of Governors. Republic TV he wouldtalk to me to dowithresearch orratingsasit familyplanning services will re- NilangaMLA Sambhaji Patil kindlypass necessarydirections Chinese troops being killed. intent whichinvolve contact The newIIM Actcame intoef- aboutplansforthelaunchandin- wasadifferent team whichhan- sult in 2.95million unintended Nilangekar says another villagein to the concernedfor incorpora- Sincethen, both sideshave without penetration." fect January31, 2018,and grants directlyhintathelping himtoget dledmarket analytics and data,” pregnancies... 1.80 million abor- thetaluka,Dongargaon,hadcho- tion of religious/heritagesites bolsteredtheir militarystrength JusticeGanediwalaobserved: sweeping powers to all20busi- good ratings to his channel. he said, adding that everything tions (including 1.04million un- senanall-womanpanchayatbut, and cultural ethos of Kargil dis- in the region. "Asperthedefinitionof ‘sexualas- ness schools, including in the ap- Goswami knewverywell that I else was"slander". safeabortions) and 2,165mater- unlikeGaur, theymet with oppo- trict in the UT Ladakh tabeau.” In lateAugust, Indian troops sault’, a‘physicalcontactwithsex- pointment of directors, chairper- knowhow theTRPsystemworks. nal deaths," states the report. sition. Gram panchayatpolls are Khan told The Indian Express took the Chinese by surprise to ual intent without penetration’ is sons and Boardmembers. Each Healsoalludedtohelpingmeout Covid deepened The pandemic alsofueleddo- notcontestedonpolitical party that the administration did not occupystrategic heightsinthe an essential ingredient of the of- IIM,underthenewIIMAct,has to in the future.” enough moneytogiveevery one mestic violence againstwomen. symbols but candidates areoften consult the people of Kargil be- south bank of Pangong Tsointhe fence. The words‘anyother act’ draftits Regulations, whichwill It states: “I worked withmy of the 138million poorest As of November 30, 2020, cases backedby parties. In Gaur village, fore finalising the tableau. Chushul sub-sector to overlook encompasseswithinitselfthena- overseeandguidetheadministra- team to ensuremanipulation of Indians acheque forRs94,045 of domestic violence rose by al- candidates were chosen by the “Ladakh is notonlyLeh, it also in- China’sMoldo garrison and the tureofthe actswhichare similar tion of the Institute. TRP ratings thatmade Republic each. In starkcontrast, 170,000 most60% over the past12 villagers themselves. cludes Kargil,and thereare other strategicallysensitive Spanggur to the actswhichhavebeen TeachersatIIM-Calcuttahave TV getnumber1rating. This people losttheir jobs everyhour months. “I oftencitethis villageasan distinctions within Leh and Gap. India repositionedits troops specificallymentionedinthedef- alleged that the Regulations seek wouldhave continuedfrom2017 in the month of April 2020, the “While the Coronavirus was example. The property cards in Kargil,”hesaid. “Wefeel sad at on Pangong Tso’s northbank as initiononthepremiseof theprin- to reduce the Academic Council’s to 2019.Towards this, in 2017 reportpointsout. being touted as agreat equaliser the villageare all in the name of being ignored.Thereweremany well. ciple of ejusdem generis(of the remit. Oneof thembeing that the ArnabGoswami had personally “In fact, the increase in in thebeginning,itlaid barethe women, theyhavestarted their important religious and cultural Thispush forheightsled to same kind). The act should be of AcademicCouncil, in future, will metmeatStRegis hotel, Lower wealth of the top11billionaires starkinequalities inherent in the flour mill, women and men sitesinKargil whichcould have warningshots being firedbythe the same nature or close to that." onlybeableto electonerepresen- Pareland givenme6000 dollars of India duringthe pandemic society soon afterthe lockdown work equallyhardintheir been displayed, buttheydidn't twosides. At severalofthese In this case, dating backto tative to the Boardinstead of two cash formyFranceand could sustain the NREGS scheme wasimposed,”said Oxfam India farms,” says Nilangekar,aBJP consult anyone –not even the heights, troops from both sides 2016,the convict had takenthe as has been the norm. Now, the Switzerland family trip...also in for10years or the health min- CEO Amitabh Behar. legislator,adding that,impor- elected representativeslikeus.” arepositionedjustafew hun- girlintowrongful confinement Boardchairperson will select the 2019 ArnabGoswamihadperson- istryfor 10 years,” accordingto Oxfam India’sfindingsare tantly, thewomen panchayat Sajad Hussain, aprominent dred metres apartfromeach andhadpressedherbreasts while second. allymet me at St Regis and given Oxfam’s calculations. partofthe Oxfam International members in Gaur arenot proxy social and political activistof other. shewasrunninganerrandforher The faculty also claimsthat, me 6000 dollarsfor my Sweden The reportstatesthat Covid reportreleasedonthe opening candidates forthe men in their Kargil, saidthetableaureflectsthe During subsequent military mother.Asthe girl didnot return unlikepeerinstitutessuchasIIM- and Denmarkfamilytrip.Also in has the potential to increase eco- dayofthe WorldEconomic families. waythe BJP thinksabout Ladakh. discussions,China demanded foralong time, the mother went Aand IIM-B, the formulationand 2017,Goswami had personally nomic inequality in almostevery Forum’s “DavosDialogues”. Agovernment official also ac- “It is very unfortunate that that Indian troops move backin looking forher and found her in adoption of the proposed metmeatITC Parelhotel and countryatonce -- the firsttime “Thedeepdivide between knowledges thatthis is what sets Kargil has been completely ig- the Chushul sub-sector.India de- the upstairs room of Ragde's Regulations of IIM-C wasdone givenmeRs20lakh cash... also in this has happenedsince records the richand poorisproving as Gaur apart.“Leadership at the nored... Kargil has been the bat- mandedstatusquo ante, seek- house.Theroomwasboltedfrom without their engagement and 2018 and2019...Goswamimetme beganoveracenturyago. deadlyasthe virus,” said grass-rootlevel takestime to tleground during the Kargil ing the return of all troops in the the outside. She had metRagde consultation. at ITChotel Pareland gave me Rs Oxfam details howthe pan- Gabriela Bucher,Executive emerge.But giving women war. Theycould have show- region to theiroriginal positions coming down the stairs and had The Academic Council, they 10 lakhseachtime...” demic aggravated all manners of Director of Oxfam International. powerisimportant." casedany of the warsymbols as of April 2020, and stressed asked him about her daughter's say, wasgivenjustfivedays to sub- Dasgupta'slawyerArjunSingh inequalities. Oxfam has arguedthe urgent The goodwill earnedbythe likeTiger Hills, Tololing. This that anyresolution has to be for whereabouts. Ragdehad told her mit suggestions on the draftand said: “Wetotallydenythis allega- Sectorally, India’s large infor- needfor policymakers to taxthe members means villagers are (tableau)reflects the binary the entireregion. thathedidn'thave anyideaabout that the faculty feedback on cen- tion as the statement would have mal workforcewas the worsthit wealthyindividuals and richcor- ready to pitchinwith donations, through whichthe BJP looksat Therehaverecentlybeen in- whereher daughter was. tralisation of powers in the Board been recordedunder duress. It as it made up 75 per cent of the porates and use that moneyto likefor renovation of the gram Ladakh,” he said. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 THE CITY 3 Preserving biodiversity: Panel to seek 52 criminals arrested ahead of R-Day environment report from developers between lateSaturdaynight and were searched in order to track EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Sundaymorning. down around 1,369 accused, of projects,” said Ramakant Biradar,who MUMBAI,JANUARY24 All senior officers, including whom, 349wereheld. An offi- LAXMANSINGH heads the panel. the five additional commission- cialsaid nakabandi had been MUMBAI,JANUARY24 The EIA is areport that willstudy the IN Acombing operation carried ers, 13 zonal DCPs, ACPs and held at 101sites and 66 people impact of aparticular projectonthe en- out by Mumbai police across the other senior officers, took part in were chargedunder the NDPS IN Abid to prevent destruction of biodiver- vironmentand alsosuggestmitigation cityahead of Republic Day, 52 the drive,operation all-out. Act, 1985, and 33 were booked sity due to rapidredevelopmentprojects measures. Everyyear Mumbai sees many wanted criminals were arrested During the operation, 232 places under the Arms Act, 1959. taking placeinMumbai, the Biodiversity development projectswhichincludes re- Management Committee that came into developmentofold buildings, slum re- effect on December 1has plannedtoseek habilitation projectsand newconstruc- an EnvironmentImpact Assessment (EIA) tions.Mumbai’sbiodiversity panel -- that report from developers.The panel recently got itsfinal approval on December 1in discussedvarious ways to protect and pre- the BMCgeneral body meeting--inits serveexisting biodiversity of the city.The firstmeeting discussedvarious issues 23-member panel has also plannedtode- likepreventive measures forpollution of clareareas around the lakes that areincity rivers, sea and to protect waterbodies in limitsaseco sensitive zone (ESZ). thecity. Aseniorofficial said that big projects The panel’s firsttask will be to prepare covering an area of 20,000 squaremetres apeople’s biodiversity register--adetailed or morecould be coveredunder this pro- database of the city’s biodiversity includ- posedlaw.“Theplan is at the discussion ing flora, fauna, wildlife, birds, marine life- stageand itsother aspectswill be discussed -and to further makesureequal distribu- in the next meeting. The idea is to coveren- tion of the benefitsofbiodiversity present vironmental impact of suchlarge scale in the city.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF PERSONS WITH PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given to public at large that Sarva Seva Trust INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES (DIVYANGJAN ) (Public Trust) is having 999 years leasehold rights in respect of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) land and the building existing thereon, which are collectively described (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India) in the Schedule hereunder,bereferred to as the said property.The An ISO 9001: 2015 Institution building is having Ground +3upper floors occupied by the residents and shopkeepers. The 2and nd 3Frd loor of the building is developed by Manovikas Nagar,Secunderabad -500 009, Telangana. the tenants at their own cost and occupied by them. The Building is Tel: 091-40-27751741-745, Fax :091-40-27750198.www.niepid.nic fully occupied by the tenants on long lease of 90 years by its occupants/ tenants. The Trust receives Rs.13,260/- p.a. towards rents Employment Notice No :01/2021 from its tenants. This Institute invites applications from eligible candidates for the The Trust intends to assign its rights in respect of the said property following Regular Post to be filled on Direct Recruitment basis and for this hereby invites offers from interested persons who are willing to acquire the Trust's leasehold rights with encumbrance and on at this institute. 'as is where is' basis. The interested persons are required to submit their offer to the Trust is asealed envelope in aprescribed format. The SI. No.of Name of the Post Level Category format of the offer is available at the office of the Trust. No. Posts Interested person are required to completely fill the offer letter and submit it to the Trustees of the Trust at their registered address at 1Lecturer in Physiotherapy 01 Level-10 OBC Sarva Seva Trust, Samarpan, Hutatma Chaphekar Bandhu Road, Mulund (East), Mumbai- 400 081 within 30 days from the date hereof. The Last date for receipt of CompletedApplication forms is 22.02.2021 Offer processing fees is Rs. 25,000/- (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand The detailed notification is available on institute’swebsite: www.niepid.nic.in Only) payable by aPay Order in favour of “SARVA SEVATRUST”. The property's inspection is available between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Director on all working days. Interested parties may contact Mr.Bansilal Gogri on mobile no. 9870068738 for prior appointment for the inspection of the property. Public at large is informed that the Trustees reserve the rights to reject any or all offers without assigning any reason/s. Public at large is further informed that the offers received by the Trust shall be open to the scrutiny of the Hon'ble Charity Commissioner and shall not be final and binding upon the Trust unless the sanction is granted for assignment of leasehold right in favour of the offerer by the Hon'ble Charity Commissioner. The Schedule of the Trust Property above referred to: All that piece and parcel of alease hold land (999 years lease) admeasuring about 583 sq. yards equivalent to 450 sq.mtrs., or thereabout situate at known as Plot No.142 of Naigaon Estate forming portion of New Survey No. 2073 bearing Survey No. 803 of Dadar, Naigaon Region, Chaggan Niwas, St. Paul Street, Dadar,Bhoiwada, Mumbai- 400014 having Ground +3upper floors partly commercial and partly residential. On the North by Plot No. 139 of the said estate. On the East by Plot no. 141 of the said estate. On the South by 40 ft. road known as St. Paul's Street. On the West by Plot No. 143 of the said estate. Mumbai, Dated this 25th day of January,2021 Sd/- Trustee For SARVA SEVATRUST Samarpan, Hutatma Chaphekar Bandhu Road, Mulund (East), Mumbai- 400 081 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 4 MAHARASHTRA

RALLY REACHES MUMBAI Farmersarrive atAzadMaidan, MUMBAI CONFIDENTIAL SharadPawarto addressrallytoday

flag hoisting ceremonyand with EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE apledgetomakethe struggle of MUMBAI,JANUARY24 farmersandworkersvictoriousat all costs. OVER 6,000 farmers from across "This march is being held to 21 districtsinthe statearrived in supportand expand the historic Mumbaiinaconvoy of 500vehi- two-month farmerstruggle in clesto begintheirthree-daysit-in Delhi forthe repeal of the three at Azad Maidan in solidarity with farm laws andfor acentral lawto protesting farmers at the Delhi guarantee aremunerative MSP border. Senior leaders cutting (minimum support price) and ADASH OF SCIENCE across party lines, including NCP procurementalloverthecountry," PREMIER MARATHI literatureconvention -- the Akhil Bhartiya chief Sharad Pawar, willbead- said AIKSNational President Dr MarathiSahityaSammelan -- justboostedits stature.For the up- dressing the gatheringon Ashok Dhawale. coming summit in March,the convention has unanimously voted Yatish Bhanu Monday. The farmers have gath- Dhawale said the delegation worldrenownedastrophysicist, researcher and author Dr Jayant eredunderthebannerof AllIndia alsowantedthestategovernment Narlikar,aPadma Bhushan awardee and awinnerofseveral KisanSabha's(AIKS)Maharashtra to ensuretheeffective implemen- global accolades, as the president. This is the firsttime in the con- unit. tationofthe Forest Rights Act. vention’s history when ascientisthas bagged the topslot. The Therallyispartofthecallgiven The farmers' march had com- worldoffantasy justaddedsome scientific temper to it. by Samyukta Kisan Morcha mencedfromNashikonSaturday. (SKM), whichisleadingthe Delhi Nearly 5,000 farmers, who con- protests,tointensifyandbroaden vergedatIgatpuribylateSaturday, thestrugglefromJanuary23to26. resumedtheir journeyearly on FRONTRUNNER Morefarmersareexpectedto join Sundaywalkingdownthe10-km the gathering on Monday. KasaraGhatontheMumbai-Agra ADECISION on the state’s next chief secretaryisimminentby Whilethebulkof farmerswho highway. To facilitatethe move- Februaryend and Additional Chief SecretarySitaram Kunte, cur- enteredMumbaionSundaywere ment of thefarmers,Nashik po- rentlythe state’s home secretary, is seen as afrontrunner to suc- members of AIKS, other farmer lice shut down one sideofthe na- ceedSanjayKumartothe post. While Kunte’s IAS batchmate, organisations as well as political tional highway.All shops and Praveen Pardeshi, who is on aUNdeputation, is believedtobe parties, including the MVAal- dhabas adjoining the routewere keen to return to thestate cadretoalso throw hishat in the ring, liance, will also be apartofthe also asked to shut down. Kunteisseen as topcontender.But athirdoption -that of Kumar protest.Farmerorganisationsand Farmers walked down the getting an extension -isyet to be completely ruledout. In which politicalpartieswillbepresenton ghatinthesearingheatto thetune case, both Kunteand Pardeshimay find theirdreamsputonhold. asingle platform of Samyukta of traditionaltribalmusicalinstru- Shetkari Kamgar Morcha. ments. Afteratwo-hour trudge, BLUFF MASTERS The rallywill be addressed by the farmersgot on to their vehi- politicalleaders,includingNCP clesandheadedtoMumbaiarriv- AS WITH young studentsbunking class,Maharashtra ministers too chief Sharad PawaratAzad ing in the city lateinthe evening. have been making funnyexcuses to skip cabinetmeetings. From Maidan, and in the afternoon the MumbaiPolicespokesperson the common “no networkinmyarea” to “awayonafield assign- entirecontingentwillmarch to Raj DCP ChaitanyaSsaid elaborate ment”,the “truant” ministers have come up with various novel Bhavantomeetthe governor and bandobastarrangements were excuses to give the weeklymeeting amiss. Notanymorethough. Ganesh Shirsekar handhim amemorandum made forfarmers' rally. "In addi- The lastcabinet meeting sawDeputy Chief MinisterAjit Pawar againstthe newfarm laws. tion to the local policedeport- come down heavilyonthe absentee ministers. He finallycalled (Clockwise from top) Farmers on theirway to Mumbai; farmersfrom Leadersofthe AIKShave ment,extrasupportinformof 100 their bluff. Maharashtra,under the banner of All IndiaKisan Sabha, walked down a claimedthatover50,000farmers officers, 500constables has been 10-km stretchofKasaraGhat on their waytoMumbai.Theyconverged on areexpected to take partin provided. Apartfromthis, nine NO NAYSAYERS,PLEASE Azad Maidan on Sundaytobegin athree-daysit-in in solidaritywith Monday's march.The agitation platoonsofSRPF have been pro- protesting farmers in Delhi. Morefarmers areexpected to join therally. will conclude on the morning of videdand drones will also be WHILE THE chief secretary-lednine-man panel has submitted a January26, Republic Day, with a used," the spokesperson said. unanimous reportrulingthatthe Kanjurmarglandwas moresuit- able forthe Metro-3 car shedthan Aarey,not all the members were agreeable to all the points, justifying the decision. Sources said those who differedonsome of the pointswerecategorically Chaadar, roti on their head, women throng protestvenue told nottoput their objections in writing. Manywalked in balancingbags on their heads, whichcontainedprovisions forthe duration of the protests IN RECORD BOOKS TABASSUM BARNAGARWALA wascarrying bedsheets,chap- tions is due to the conscious ef- The vehicles were full of Mumbai. time to comeout." Shewas SENIORIPS officerandPimpriChinchwad’spolicecommissioner MUMBAI,JANUARY24 atis wrappedinplastic bags, fortstaken by activists to make women who lefttheir families On Sunday, theywere traveling with agroup of KrishnaPrakash took to Twitter lastweekto announce ararefeat. and achange of clothesfor her them apartofthe consultation behind to participateinthe scouting Azad Maidan fora women from avillagein The 1988-batchofficer,who is known to be afitness enthusiast, ALARGE number of women are husband and herself, to last and discussionprocess. After protestmarch.Neeta Valvi(50) place to eat and sleep. "Weare Navapur.Her husband was announcedthat he had made it to the WorldBook of Records for among the hundredsoffarmers themthree days. all, women playamajor role in growsrice and tur dal on her notafraidtocome alone. We managing theirfarm back at being India’s firstgovernment servant, civil servant and uniformed who converged on Azad "I lastcame to Mumbaiin the agrarian economyand any farm land. "Weheardabout the have our villagers aroundus," home. serviceofficer to earn theIronMantitle.In 2017,hehadcompeted Maidan on Sundaynight to 2018 when farmers had taken impact on this sector is bound three laws.Whatever IheardI Valvisaid. Alarge tent came up From Trimbakeshwar, in the Ironman Triathlon, whichisregardedasbeing among the protestagainstthe controver- out arally.But nowweare to affect them as well. The pres- don't believe it will benefit us," on the maidan on Sunday with Hirabai Dumne (40) leftwith mostchallenging one-daysporting eventsinthe world. sial farm laws,and in solidarity poorer than before.These farm ence of alarge number of she says.When villagers reddhurrie spread on the her familyonSaturday for COMPILEDBYSANDEEPASHAR with the farmers protesting at laws mustnot be enacted," she womenhereisbecause they plannedtojoinathree-day ground. When the tent could Mumbai. She says women are Delhi's borders. says.Asked where shewill sleep, feel that their futureisatstake," protest, she volunteered to hold no more, farmers spread strong and can bear the slight Theycarriedontheirheads she smiles, "Hereonthe grass." activistPrasad Subramaniam comealong. Herneighbour, theirbedsheets on the grass and chill in airatnight and long HaveacommentorsuggestionforMumbaiConfidential?Writeto bags fullofprovisions to sustain Dhoulu leftbehindher children said. Manila Gavit, wrappedher bed- sat cross-legged. walksinthe protestmarch.The [email protected] them and their families forthe in Pethtojointhe protest. From Navapur,Nandurbar, sheetand joinedValvi. Both left ShantiPadvi from onlyproblem is findingthat withsubjectline:MumbaiConfidential durationofthe protests.Tai "The presence of women in 140vehicles with farmers their families behind to embark Nandurbarsays:"What will we manytoilets forthe hugecrowd, Dhoulu RamfromPeth, Nashik, large numbers in suchagita- reachedMumbai on Sunday. on theirfirstjourney to do sitting at home. This is the she said. Maharashtra aimstocross 2lakh ‘Govt’s support has made the difference’ vaccinationfigure this week It has been quiteaturnaround for But youare also being givenar- Similarly,theKonkanExpressway, userfeeisadifficultask.Inmyex- Maharashtra StateRoad easnotpartofMSRDC'scoreex- whose DPR we will nowbefor- perience, users aremorethan Dhule areleading with maxi- DevelopmentCorporation pertise.Forinstance,youare set- mulating,wasfirstconceptualised willing to paythe fee, if it is levied EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE mum turnout of health workers (MSRDC). From beingneglected ting up 19 newtownships in 1981.Another newproject, the rationally. MUMBAI,JANUARY24 20.09 lakh so far. anddebt-ridden,theMSRDCisnow aroundtheSamruddhicorridor. Nashik connector to Samruddhi TOTALPOSITIVECASES To increase the turnout, the theUddhav Thackeray-ledcoalition Townplanningmay notbeour (18km), will be subsumedinthe Does toomuchreliance on out- THE ONGOINGimmunisation INMAHARASHTRA Association of Hospitals has government'sfavoured agency for coreexpertise, but the ribbon main corridor project cost. We side agencies and contractors process will speedupwith over 2 reachedout to thestate govern- premiumprojects.Thestatecabinet form of development alongside also have approvals forKonkan, nothurtthestate’sowncapacity lakhvaccinationsplannedfor the Active Cases 44,831 ment to startvaccination camps committee on infrastructurehas plannedcorridors has always Nanded-Jalna expressways, to undertake big projects? entireweek.State officialshave New Cases 2,752 in private andcharitable hospitals giventhego-aheadto theagencyfor been our mandate. It has long MONDAY Versova-Virar SeaLink,but these Mostofour projectsare setadeadline of February12to TotalDeaths 50,785 so thatmore private healthwork- newprojects worthRs1,80,000 been aprovision in the Highways will take twotothree years to awardedonEngineering, finish the firstround of vaccina- ers getvaccinated.The AOHisa crore. Chairman-cum-managing Act. In fact, the town planner's INTERVIEW reachthe implementation stage. Procurement and Construction tion of 7.58 lakh health workers. New Deaths 45 group of 53 trusthospitals in director RADHESHYAM MOPAL- postwas among the firsttobe contract basis, withoff-budget The numberofcentres have in- Quarantined2.10lakh Mumbai and Pune. "Withmany WAR, aretired IAS officer re-em- filledupwhen the MSRDC was RADHESHYAM MOPALWA R Whatisthecurrentstatusof im- borrowings and state's viability creasedfrom285 to 511but these states partnering withprivate ployedoncontractualbasis,speaks formedin1996. Our plan to build CHAIRMAN-CUM-MANAGING DIRECTOR, plementation of Samruddhi? gapfunds usedfor financing Tested 1.42 crore MSRDC will be restrictedtoprimary hospitals in asimilar Health Care to SANDEEP ASHAR on various as- 19 townships around inter- We areoncourse forthe works. Specialised engineering health centres, rural, district hos- Worker (HCW) vaccination drive, pects of therevival and theway changed along the Samruddhi timelycompletion of Samruddhi assignmentsneedexpertise that pitals and medical colleges. 3,06,050 Mumbai tooshould take thehos- ahead. Excerpts: corridor is avalue capturepropo- Mahamarg. Giventhat it is the is oftenlacking in house. It is al- Private hospitals have notbeen TOTALPOSITIVE pital frontlineHCWas partnersin sition. In the past,haphazardde- Money is astate of mind. Let biggestgreenfieldexpressway be- ways betterto channeliseoutside includedinthe vaccination sites. CASESINMUMBAI the HCW drive.The current From being adebt-stressed velopmentof lackofqualityway- usnotget dauntedby bigprojects. ing plannedinIndia (701.15km, experthelp forthese. This way, it Maharashtravaccinated New Cases 479 methodofindividual hospitals agencynotsolongagotothego- sideamenitieshashurtthestate's When Mumbai-Pune Rs 55,000 crore), we'll be finish- also worksout better forthe gov- 99,242 healthworkersonJanuary having to send HCWs on-de- to agency of thestate govern- interest.Plannedribbondevelop- Expresswaywasfirsttakenup,its ingitinrecordtime.ByDecember ernment. Pushing big infrastruc- 23. Of them, 1,572received TotalDeaths 11,304 mand to vaccination centers is mentforpremiumprojects,the ment can boostthe state's rev- costwas Rs 2,100crore whereas end, we completed70per cent of tureprojectsoff budget gives Covaxin doses. On Monday, the New Deaths 7 further burdeningthe hospital turnaround has been signifi- enues and tourism, besides gen- the statepublic worksdepart- theconstructionwork.Weplanto them elbowroomfor effectively statewillcross alakh vaccina- system, as we have to pull them cant. What ledtoit? erating localemployment. Ten ment'swhole budget wasRs readyandcommissionabout520 servicing existing infrastructure tions. In absolutenumbers, out of their roles and send them The government's support higher education universities are 1,200crore.Wemay have new km of the corridor in May. There- while pushing fortime-bound Mumbai is leading with maxi- (4767). But in terms of turnout, to the BMC-allocatedvaccination has made all the difference. proposed to come up in these projects worthRs1,80,000 crore, mainingportionwillalsobecom- completion of bigprojects. mum number of inoculations, Mumbai, Thane and Pune are centers," said AOHPresident Therewas atime, notsolong townships. We'verecruited 50 but notall of them willbetaken missionedbeforeMay 1, 2022. with 12,159 followedbyThane muchlowerinthe stateperform- Gautam Khanna. ago, when we were staring at a town planners forthe task. up at the statetime.Two among About 22,000 acresfrom25,000 MSRDC has also bagged the (9040), Pune (8251) and Nagpur ance. Hingoli, Amravati and The AOHsaid theycan help debt of Rs 6,500crore.But we are these-PuneOuterRingRoadproj- ownerswasacquiredfortheproj- project to archivethe pan- bring downthe costofvaccina- asset-heavy now. The Mumbai- Some also saythat MSRDC is ect and the(Virar-Alibaug) Multi ect betweenJuly2017and demic. Can youshedsome tion by utilising their owncon- Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg baggingalltheseprojectsowing Modal Corridor-are ripe forim- December 2018. light on it? sumables likesyringes and has been likeanelixir forus. At to your clout among bureau- plementation. These will collec- The project wasconceived gloves. "Wehavesent e-mails present, we have projects, sanc- crats, politicians and consult- tively costRs65,000crore.We al- Howmanyofthe newprojects due to aconcern that not to private hospitals to check tionedorunder implementa- ants… ready have lenderswilling to will be toll-based? muchdocumentationisavail- howmanyare willing to hold tion, worthmorethan Rs 2.5 The MSRDC is aspecialised invest Rs 40,000 crorefor these With the exception of the able on howpandemics were vaccinationcamps within their lakhcrore.Ifeel the revivalbe- trunk infrastructurecompany twoprojects.Projectstaketimeto coastalhighway project,allwillbe handledinthe past. During a premises and what is the ganin2016with agovernment thathasareputationof delivering mature. Eachone has itsown life user-feebased. Toll revenues are government discussion, I'd preparation theyhave. Based nod to monetise 23 land parcels, projectsontime and without cycle. We must keep pushing acrucialcomponentforany trunk pointed out howdocumenta- on that we mayinclude fewpri- measuring 1,000 hectares in to- muchcostescalation. This cer- them ahead. Forinstance, asea infrastructureproject.Allgovern- tion of the drought of 1972 by vate hospitals as vaccination tal, along Mumbai-Pune tainlyhelps. link between Versova and mentshaveunderstood thatthe the then revenue secretaryhad sites," said BMC Executive Expressway, whichgavelenders Nariman Point (nowpartofthe development of abig road infra- benefitted in formulation of Health Officer Dr Mangala the confidence to invest in the Howdoyouplanto raisemoney Mumbaicoastalroadproject)was structureprojectinatimelyman- strategiesfor better handling of Gomare. Samruddhi project. to complete allthese projects? plannedway backin1998. ner,withouttheimpositionof the droughts. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 5 EXPRESS NETWORK

AMIT SHAH IN ASSAM EPS says Stalin Chinesetroopsin Keralagovtto remembering deity because of Indian territory: referrapecases Assembly polls Rahul targets PM EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE CHENNAI,JANURAY24 ourcountry,”hesaid.TheChinese againstChandy, PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA understoodthatModiwas“weak ADAY afterDMK chief MKStalin TIRUPUR,JANUARY24 and destroyed thenation's econ- wasseen carrying aVel, the spear omyand that is whytheyare in- associated withthe Hindu deity CONTINUINGTOtargetPrime side ourterritory”, he alleged. LordMuruga, Tamil Nadu Chief MinisterNarendraModi on his Withoutanydoubt,hesaid,he otherstoCBI MinisterEdappadiKPalaniswami second dayofcampaign in Tamil could tell the people that China Sundayaccusedhimof deception Nadu, Congress leader Rahul would have neverhad the “guts” abusedher and allowedher so- and said he remembered thedi- GandhionSunday alleged to stepinsideIndianterritoryifthe SHAJUPHILIP lar firm to makeillegal gains vine symbolonlybecause polls Chinese troops have occupied economy, farmers and small and THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, when Congress wasinpower. were aroundthe corner. Indianterritoryandthemanwith medium enterprises had been JANUARY24 Thereafter,the CPMgovern- “People who usedtotalkill “56-inchchest”cannotevenutter strong and if the “nonsensical mentorderedregistrationof crim- about gods arenow takingVel in the name of the neighbouring GST”anddemonetisationhadnot MONTHS AHEAD of Assembly inalcasesagainstChandyandoth- Home MinisterAmitShah being presented witha‘japi’ at arallyinNalbari district on Sunday. PTI their hand,” he said at arally in country. been implemented.The Prime polls in Kerala, the CPM-ledstate ers,buttherewaslittleprogressin CoimbatoreonSunday—adig at Addressingmeetingshereand Ministerhasweakenedthecoun- government has decided to rec- the cases as the government got Stalin's atheism and DMK's ratio- in Erode district as partofthree- trybecause he does notworkfor ommend to theCBI the rape adverselegaladvice.Also,Chandy nalistfounding principles.This daycampaign tour of Tamil Nadu the people but onlyfor his five or cases registeredagainstCongress movedthe High Court, which wasathemeherepeatedly aheadofthe Assemblyelections, six businessmen friends and leader Oommen Chandy and his quashedthecaseagainsthimand ‘Cong-AIUDF will open touchedonduring the dayat he also repeated his charge that Chinahas “come inside” because other party colleagues basedon restrainedthemediafromdebat- other roadshows andpublic Modi governedthe countryfor of suchaweakened position,he complaintsbyawoman accused ing contentsofthe letter. meetingsinrural areas. justfiveorsix businesspeople. claimed. in the 2013 solar scam. The woman then filednew Aggresively going afterhis ri- “For the firsttime, the Indian Taking forwardhis Tamil lan- The solar scamduring the complaintsagainstthe Congress gates to infiltrators’ val, Palaniswami said: “Theycan peoplecanseethatChinesetroops guageandculturepitchtoconnect tenure of the previous govern- leaders and fresh cases were reg- recogniseVelonlyduringthepoll have occupiedIndianterritory. As withthepeopleandattacktheBJP, ment ledbyChandy wasone of istered. Recently, she approached season. He wasn’t able to see God we speaktoday, thousands of the CongressMPsaid he wanted the key issuesinthe 2016 Chief MinisterPinarayiVijayan, alliance willopen all doors forin- shotbulletatAssam’s youth. or Velearlier.” Chinesetroopsareoccupyingour to bethe soldier of the Tamil peo- Assemblyelections in whichthe seekingaCBIprobeintothe cases. ABHISHEKSAHA filtrators and allowinfiltrators to Those who aredoing ‘andolan’ During his rallies near territoryand the man with a56- ple in Delhi and reiteratedthat he UDF wasrouted and theLDF The woman told the media GUWAHATI,JANUARY24 come intoAssam because thatis (protests) today, arehelping the ThiruttaniinnorthernTamilNadu inchchestcannotevensay the wouldnotallowthesaffronparty came to power. that she did notsee apolitical theirvotebank.Ifanyonecanstop Congressbycutting intothe BJP’s onSaturday, aplaceknownasone word China. That is the reality of to disregard Tamil culture. The woman alleged she was motive behindhanding over the HOME MINISTER Amit Shah infiltrators, it is onlyand onlythe votes. People of Assam should of the six abodes of LordMuruga, sexuallyexploited by Chandy, cases to CBI. “I had complained Sundaysaid the Congress-AIUDF NarendraModi-ledBJP govern- identifythosewhoarehelpingthe Stalin waswelcomedbyasilver AICC general secretaryKC against14persons, including Jose allianceinAssam would only ment,”Shah said. He spokeon Congressindisguise—theydonot Velbyhis party men. Venugopal,CongressMPs Hibi KMani. Now, six cases in which open the gatesto“infiltrators” in howtheModigovernmenthasre- have Assam’s benefit in their At anotherplace,Palaniswami Eden and Adoor Prakash and for- FIR has been registeredwould be order to secureavote bank,and pealedArticle370 in Jammu & minds. Theywant to help pickedupthe Velissue again. merministerAPAnilKumar.Then handedovertoCBI,’’ she said. arguedthat it wasonlythe Kashmir and startedbuildingthe Congresswin.” “Stalin has takenanew avatar CongressleaderAPAbdullakutty, CPM statesecretaryA NarendraModi-ledBJP govern- RamTemple in Ayodhya. “Assamese and non- with the Vel. Remember,your who later joinedthe BJP and be- Vijayaraghavansaid the govern- ment that can ensurea“corrup- Ajmal, the MP and perfume Assamese; Bodo and non- drama aheadofthe polls is being came itsnational vice-president, ment took adecision basedon tion-free, foreigner-free and ter- baron, leads theAIUDF,aparty Bodo…weneedtoidentifythose closelywatchedbyGod.Waitand is alsoanaccused. Although the the complainant’sdemand fora rorism-free” Assam. thatenjoys alarge supportbasein who arecausing these conflicts. see,hewillalsodoadramato give woman had earlier complained CBI probe. “The cases were Shah on Sundayaddressed the state’s Bengali-originMuslim Theyare notdoing it for ourde- youafitting replyinthe election againstKeralaCongress(M)leader handedovertoCBI as partofen- twoeventsinthe poll-bound community. TheCongressandthe velopment but to scorepolitical results,” he said. Jose KMani,who recentlyjoined suring natural justice to thecom- state—one, agovernment func- AIUDF,together with three Left points.Time has come forpeople TheChief MinistercalledStalin the LDF,nocase hasbeen regis- plainant,’’ he said. tion in Kokrajhar in Bodoland parties and aregional party,have of Assam to teachsuchpeoplea an “actor”. “Story,screenplayand teredagainsthim. Chandy,who has been ap- Territorial Region to commemo- announcedagrand alliance lesson,” Shah said in Kokrajhar. direction of Stalin’s drama is han- The stateHome Department pointedchairmanof the Congress rate one year of thesigning of the againsttheBJPintheforthcoming Shah’s reference underlines dledbyPrashant Kishor.And on Saturdayissuedagazetteno- election management and strat- Bodo Accord, and the other,BJP’s polls, expected in April. Assam’slonghistoryof violentag- Stalin is the actor.See,hehas tification, saying the government egy committee, said, “The LDF ‘VijaySankalpSamaroh’ in At both events, Shah spoke itations, insurgency and also, startedacting already.Heisplay- has decidedtorefer five cases, came to powerafter staging mas- Nalbari. “Thosewhohave beenin about dividesand conflictsin morerecently,the genesis of two ing this drama nowbecause his registeredin2016, 2018 and2019, sive agitations againstthe UDF powerherefor years and talk Assam.“WhentheCongressruled newparties —the Assam Jatiya Grama Sabha programmes failed to the CBI. The judicial commis- governmentonthesolarscamis- aboutAssameseculture,Iwantto Assam,theyhaveonlymadepeo- Parishad (AJP)and the Raijor Dal to gain momentum,” he said. sion whichprobed thesolar sue. What have they been doing askthem,whathave youdonefor ple fight against one —fromthe massive anti-CAA Palaniswami said electing scam had recommendedin2017 forthe lastfiveyears? Theydid Assameseculture?Youhavedone another…They followthe British protests in 2019.The twoparties DMK backtopower would mean that acase forsexual abuse be nottakeany action on the com- nothing apartfromgarnering policy of divide and rule…The areintalksabout an alliance for bringingbackchaos. “Landgrab- registeredagainstChandy, plaints. LetCBI probethe issue.” votes,” said Shah. Congress stainedAssam with the comingelections. bing…Loadshedding...Doyoure- Venugopal and other Congress Congress Chief Whip in Lok “Do youwant to makeAssam blood.The bloodofAssamese InKokrajhar,Shahsaidthatthe allywishforthat?”heaskedaloud, leaders. Thewoman, in aletter Sabha, Kodikunnil Suresh, said freeof infiltratorsornot?Congress youth has justbled,” Shah said in decades of violence were over pausing until he heardaloud ‘No’ Rahul Gandhi in front of astatue of formerChief Minister to the commission, had alleged the stategovernment’s decision andBadruddinAjmalcannotpro- Nalbari. now, and the “eraofpeace” has from the crowd—a styleremnis- MG Ramachandran in Erode district. PTI that Chandy and others sexually is a“ludicrous political drama”. tectAssamfrominfiltrators.Their He continued: “TheCongress begun. cent of the lateJayalalithaa. Electronic Identity politics,spiritualleadership: Furfura WAR OF WORDSCONTINUES version of TMC says slogans voter cardtobe launchedtoday Sharif cleric’s party modelled on IUML raised to heckle Asaduddin Owaisi-ledAIMIM. spread acrossthe state, he said. ED LIZMATHEW Bidto IUML president Panakkad “Inits effortstostopthe BJP,the PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 consolidate Syed Hyderali ShihabThangal party is ready forany preorpost- Mamata, BJP claims NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 PLAIN E Muslimvote has inherited thespiritual lead- poll alliances with non-BJP par- ● BEFORE HE launchedthe Indian EX ership of the community from ties. But the TMC should apolo- LAWMINISTER Ravi Shankar Secular Front (ISF), Pirzada his father PMSPookoya gise forneglecting the bid to appease‘30%’ Prasadwill on Mondaylaunchthe Abbas Siddiqui, the 34-year-old THE ISF,along with Thangal, said to be the 39th de- community.Inconstituencies electronic version of the voter clericofFurfuraSharif in West AIMIM, will be looking to scendant of Prophet whereISF does nothavecandi- Lord&Protector ShriModiwas identity card, whichcan be Bengal, visitedKerala and closely consolidateMuslim votes Muhammad. Everyday, hun- dates, it will backother candi- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE speaking at Netaji event none of downloadedonamobilephone monitored theactivities of in the upcomingWest dredsvisit the family’s ancestral dates againstthe BJP,” Ghaffar KOLKATA,JANUARY24 his fans hailed himwith Jai Shri or apersonal computer. Indian Union Muslim League Bengal Assemblyelec- home, Kodappanakkal Tharavad said, countering the argument Ram? Howcome theheckle cry The e-elector photo identity (IUML), ledbythe spiritual Pirzada of FurfuraSharif tions. The party has al- in Panakkad, Malappuram, seek- thatthe newoutfit would dent THE WARofwords between the wasonlyraisedwhen CM card is non-editable digital ver- leader of Muslims in Kerala. Abbas Siddiquiatthe ready announcedthat it is ing Thangal’s blessings and po- the Muslim supportbase of the BJP and Trinamool Congress over Mamatadi spoke?...” sion of the elector photo identity Inspired by the waythe politicalparty launch. File open to tie-upswith non- litical intervention. TMC. West Bengal Chief Minister Senior TMC leader and state cardand it can be savedinfacili- Panakkad Thangal family wields BJP parties to keep the BJP “The ISF willmodel identity While launching his party, MamataBanerjee’s refusal to ministerFirhad Hakim said, “BJP ties suchasdigital lockerand can political and social influence in out of power. If it manages politicswith aspiritual leader- Siddiqui said,“Years of Congress speak at the eventtomarkthe has turnedagovernment pro- be printed in the PDF format, Kerala politicsand among the leaders,led the politicaland so- to getasignificant num- ship to transform the society into rule, then that of CPM and then 125thbirth anniversaryofNetaji gramme intoajoke. Will it look Election Commission officials Muslimsinthe state, Siddiqui cial activitiesofaparty.Hewas berofseats, it mayalso apoliticallysignificant, devel- Trinamool Congress in Bengal SubhasChandraBoseafterJaiShri good If PrimeMinisterNarendra said. triedtobepartofthe IUML, impressedbyhow the party leverage itstally to forge oped, moderate, modern society. did nothing forthe Muslims or Ramslogans were raisedcontin- Modi comestoanevent andwe "Union ministerRaviShankar whichhas unitsinmostofthe keeps the community moderate an alliancewith TMC. West Bengal has 30 per cent the poorpeople.” uedonSunday. engage insloganeering?Thisisan Prasadwilllaunchthe e-EPIC pro- states in the country. and away from fundamentalist Muslims.Ifthis support base “FurfuraSharif is the second WhileTrinamoolleadershave insult to LordRam as well...” gramme and distribute e-EPICs However, IUML refusedto groups,” said Sabir Ghaffar, the gets splitintogroups, theBJP will mostprominent Mazar in the allegedthatBJPsupportersraised Hittingback,BJPnationalgen- and Elector Photo Identity Cards join hands with Siddiqui or let former national president of the IUML. form the government there. We countryafter Ajmer Sharif. It has the slogans to humiliateand eralsecretaryKailashVijayvargiya to five newvoters,"aCommission him form apolitical outfitthat IUML youth wing who had tried Ghaffarresignedfromhis want to makethe Muslim pop- followers in Assam, West Bengal, heckle the Chief Minister, theBJP said, “Jai ShriRam sloganis raised statement said on Sunday. The could work as acoalition. to convince the IUML leadership postinIUML Saturdaytowork ulation astrong supportbase Tripuraand even in Bangladesh. has accusedBanerjee of trying to to welcomeguests.WhenthePM physical cardtakes time to print “The cleric and his associates to join hands withSiddiqui. with ISF. that preventsthe BJP,” Ghaffar And politicsisnot strangetothe appeasetheminoritypopulation. arrived(at the event), the slogan and reachthe voter,and the idea had visited Kerala during the He addedthatSiddiqui had He has playedakey role in told TheIndian Express. family–it playedakey role in the TMC MP and Banerjee’s wasraised. The same wasdone is to provide faster delivery and floodsin2018after collecting severalinteractions with the formation of ISF and itsdeci- The ISF will work with not formation of the Indian Muslim nephewAbhishek Banerjee on when MamataBanerjeearrived. easy accessibility to the docu- moneyfor relief work.Theyhad Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab sion to contest the West Bengal onlythe AIMIM but anumber of League, but took political back- Sunday saiditwasadeliberateat- What is thereinthis slogan that ment, the statement said. seen howthe Thangals, spiritual Thangal, the number twoin elections along with the other social and political outfits stagefor long,” Ghaffarsaid. temptbyBJP nottolet the Chief Mamata Banerjee felt insulted?... Ministertospeak in the event. she has done it keepingapolitical “Yesterday,the CM elected by agendainmind.Shehasdoneitto 2.5 crorepeople in the statewas appease 30 per cent [an apparent Mamatamovetocontest fromNandigram revives humiliated... Iappealtopeople to referenceto theMuslimcommu- give abefitting replytopeople nity] population,” he said. whoinsultNetajiSubhasChandra StateBJP president Dilip Bose on his birth anniversary,” Ghosh said, “Those who consider herstreetfighterimage, will helpTMC:Partyleaders Abhisheksaidwhilespeakingata JaiShriRamaslangshouldrefrain publicmeeting in South 24 from politics... Mamata Banerjee Parganasdistrict. deservedthisasshehadsentpeo- contestingfromNandigramwo- move that neededtobecoun- to quit politics if Banerjee is not On Saturday, Chief Minister ple to jail forchanting this slogan. DIPANKARGHOSE uld be areminder of whoshe is. tered.Evenif youlookatlocalme- defeated in Nandigram, the BJP Banerjee, sharing adais with Of course we will do politicsover NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Chief dia surveys, afterheleft, theysaid leadership has said resultsofthe PrimeMinisterNarendra Modi at Netaji’s legacy.Hewas apolitical WhipofTMC in RajyaSabha said, at leasttwenty seatsinand aro- 2019 Lok Sabha elections show Victoria Memorial, refusedto leader so we will 100per cent in- WESTBENGALChief Minister “Nandigram is amajor sensitive undMedinipurwere goingtoBJP. TMChaslostgroundinBanerjee’s speak afterasection of the audi- dulgeinpolitics over his name...” MamataBanerjee’s announce- political incidentofMamataBan- Thathas changed now. It is not home seat Bhawanipur and that ence raised‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans Leader of Congress in Lok ment to contest the Assembly erjee’slife.Shewasoneof theonly Suvenduversusnobody.ItisSuv- herdecision to contestfrom when she wasabout to speak. Sabha Adhir Chowdhurysaid, “It electionfromNandigramwillhelp people in independentIndia who enduversus MamatainNandi- Nandigramistosaveface. Banerjeehadsaid,“Ifeelagov- wasdone to insult Mamata the TMC campaign by bringing went on ahunger strikefor 26 da- gram,” aseniorTMC leadersaid. Raysaid Banerjee has “never ernmentprogrammeshouldhave Banerjee.We feelinsultedassheis backher streetfighterimageand ys.The Centreand the Governor “Now people arewaitingto said” she would notfight from some dignity.This is agovern- the CM and awoman. We must by preventingtheBJPfromclaim- appealedtoher,butshewasreluc- seewhathewilldo. Will he fight Bhawanipur as well. Referring to ment programme, notthe pro- respect the dignity of her chair.I ingapartintheNandigrammove- tant because of the waythe farm- from Nandigram, or will he cha- NarendraModi contesting from gramme of apolitical party… I am strongly protesting this.” ment, according to party leaders. ers were attacked. Shewas the West Bengal CM MamataBanerjee in Nandigram. File ngethe seat? The questions are VadodaraandVaranasi,andRahul thank the PM and the Culture CPM leader Mohammad TMC leaders said the decision lone voice forthe farmers.” nowwithAdhikariandpeopleare Gandhi from Amethiand Waya- Ministryfor organisingthe pro- Salimsaid, “It mustbecon- has enthusedthe cadre, specifi- “Ultimately, her stance was watching,” the leader added. nad, he said this wasnot newto gramme in Kolkata. But it doesn’t demned.Atthe same time, callyinMedinipurwherethere vindicated when the people ral- Referringto Adhikari,Raysaid Nandigram movement, whichis Another leader said the cadre Bengal either.“Ajoy Mukherjee behove youtohumiliateaperson MamataBanerjee has turnedal- wassome demoralisationafter liedaround her and even courts “somepeople”were tryingto cla- laughable.BJPwasnowhereinthe in these districtsare nowwaiting contestedin1967fromTamluk afterextending an invitation.” mostall her government pro- former stateministerSuvendu gave judgementsinfavour of her im credit forNandigrammove- people’smovement,” Raysaid. andwatching as opposedtojum- andArambagh.InArambagh,Pra- Condemning the incident, grammes intopolitical events. It Adhikari leftfor the BJP.The lead- stancethatnolandof anyindivid- ment.“If by defectingto BJP, some- TMC strategists admitted ping the ship. “Manyworkers fr- fullaChandraSen,hispredecessor TMC MP Mahua Moitrasaid, is adifferent matter who learnt erssaidthatafteradecadeinpow- ual can be takenbythe govern- oneclaimsthatitwashewhogave Adhikari’s departurewas seen as omanypartygo wheretheythink asCM wastheCongresscandidate “Never have Ibeen prouder to be thisfromwhom.We willhopeshe er,“itwasnatural”forpeopleto be- ment without consent. And the birth to themovement,itisnot aproblem in areas in and around theparty theyare affiliatedto will andhelost.Whetheritiswrongor partofMamatadi’s team. In an will mend her ways.” LeftFront ginto seeBanerjeeasaCMandnot central government ledby only farfromtruth,butalsomeans Nandigram and Medinipur.“It is win.NowtheyknowTMCisgoing right will be decidedbypeople.” ocean of monkeysshe stands out chairmanBiman Bose, too, con- afighter for“people’s rights” she ManmohanSingh had to amend thatBJPistryingto exploitthesit- foolishtosay hisleavingdoes not nowhere,”anotherstrategistsaid. FULLREPORTON as the lone lioness. Nation Needs demnedthe incident, saying it once was, but the symbolism of thearchaicLandAcquisitionAct.” uation as if it wasalsopartofthe mean anything. It is apolitical While Adhikari has promised www.indianexpress.com to Know:How come when Great wasaninsult to the state. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 6 CALENDAR THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry &TLewis CROSSWORD 4336 DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

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WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 EXPRESS NETWORK 7 UP FOUNDATIONDAY Centre gives green light to Adityanath govt Dispelrumours,liesabout launches free underwater study to coaching, starts new award vaccination,PMtellsyouth determine Ram Setu origins

whether thereare anysub- sedimentfrom35-40 metres be- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE DIPANKARGHOSE DIVYAA mergedhabitations around the lowthe waterlevel.Sindhu LUCKNOW,JANUARY24 NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 structure. Sadhana is an indigenousexplo- Patelsaid, “ASI has been ration vesselwhichcan stay un- LAUNCHINGTHEthree-daycele- PRIME MINISTER NarendraModi THE GOVERNMENT has ap- asked forpermissionbythe NIO derwaterfor up to 45 days. brations to markthe foundation Sunday calledonthe youthto as- proved an underwater research on twocounts —excavation to RamSetuhas been at the cen- dayofUttarPradesh,Chief Minis- sistinthe country's Covid-19vac- project to ascertain the origins of ascertain the ageofthe structure, treofdebatesince 2005 when terYogiAdityanathonSundayan- cination programme by dis- the RamSetu—a48-km-long and to explorethe surrounding the UPAgovernment proposed nouncedanewaward,UPGaurav pelling “lies and rumours” chain of shoals between India area. The permission has been the SethusamudramShipping Samman, whichwill recognise surrounding it. and Sri Lanka. granted.” Canal Project, to build ashipping “exceptionalpeople”whosework Addressing cadets of theNCC Talking about the aim of the Also,Ram Setu's agewill be canal to link the Arabian Sea with bringslaurels to thestate. and NSS as well as artisteswho exploration, Union Ministerof ascertainedthrough the study of the BayofBengal. Forthis, achan- The awardwill be givento will take part in the Republic Day Statefor Tourism and Culture, fossils and sedimentation to see nel passing through the lime- peoplefromseveralfields,includ- parade, Prime Minister Modi also Prahlad Singh Patel, said, “The if it correlates with theRamayana stoneshoals of RamSetuwas to ingtechnology,cultureandsports, calledonyoungsters to lead the worldshould gettoknowabout period, sources in the Ministryof be dredgedinthe and theChiefSecretarywill head effort foraself-reliant India. theRam Setu through evidence Culturetold TheIndian Express. Sethusamudramsea,between itsselectioncommittee. Exhorting the youthtohelp in based on scientific research.” Keeping in viewthe upcoming Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. At the event at Awadh Shilp the vaccination programme, he RamSetu, also known as AssemblyelectionsinTamil However, theproject wasop- GraminLucknow, theChief Mini- said it wasimportant thatthe Adam’s BridgeorNala Setu, holds Nadu, sources sayresearch is posedbyenvironmental groups ster also announcedlaunchofa right information aboutvaccines PM NarendraModi and UnionMinisters Rajnath Singh, Arjun Munda, Kiren Rijiju and Renuka religious significance becauseof likelytobegin this year itself. as well as by the BJP as theysaid statewidefreecoachingfacilityfor be spread. “You have to give the Singh withartistesparticipatinginthe Republic Dayparadeatan‘At Home’ eventSunday. PTI theRamayana. In it's proposal note,NIO said: that the project would damage studentsto helpthempreparefor correct information about the The central advisoryboardon “The historicity and the dateof the RamSetu. competitive examslikeJEE, NEET vaccine to thepoorestofthepoor, archaeology,whichfunctions un- ‘Ramayana’ remain adebatable At thetime, AIADMK chief and UPSC. Abhyudaya Coaching and the common citizens. By sense of duty,” he said. knowhow these things have en- manypaths, but the destination der the Archaeological Survey of subject among historians, ar- Jayalalithaa had demandedfrom programmewill begin from making the vaccinefor coron- On the Atmanirbhar Bharat tered, in one wayhavemadeus is the same—Ek Bharat, Sreshtha India (ASI), has approvedthe pro- chaeologists andscientists.Itis the-then Prime Minister BasantPanchami,thedaygoddess avirusinIndia, India’sscientists mission, Modi said:“We have be- slaves, mental slaves,” he said. Bharat.” He also referred to the posal forthis underwaterexplo- proposed to carry out scientific Manmohan Singh that Rama of learning Saraswati is wor- have fulfilledtheir responsibility. comeslavestoforeignproducts”. The Prime Ministersaid the Prakash ParvaofGuru TegBaha- ration project. Thestudy —tobe and underwaterarchaeological Setu be declared anational mon- shipped, the CM said. Now, we mustfulfill our respon- “The firstresponsibility of goal of aself-reliant India would dur and the anniversaryofNetaji conducted by the Council for studies to understand the nature ument, even as thenDMK chief He said that despiteplaying a sibility.Wehavetodefeat every making an Atmanirbhar Bharat be metnot onlybywords, but by Subhas ChandraBose. “The 75 Scientific and Industrial Research and formation of the RamSetu MKarunanadhihad come down leading role in the country’s cul- instrument of lies and rumours should startwith us only. Iamnot action,particularly fromtheyouth. years of independence, the lifeof (CSIR) and National Instituteof and itssurroundingarea.” heavilyon“communal forces” tureandtradition,thestate’sfoun- by the right information. We have saying that if youhavesome for- Lauding thediversity of the Guru TegBahadur Ji, the valour of Oceanography(NIO)Goa —will The agency’s research vessel forusing the “myth” of Ram dationdaywasnotcelebratedear- to remember that our republic is eignitem yougothrow it away to- countryonthe eveofRepublic Netaji, his courage, allofthisisa focus on the processbehindRam namedSindhu Sadhana will be Sethu to stall the lierbecause“peopleatthehelmof strong because it is definedbyour morrow.... Butwedonot even Day, he said: “India mayhave very big inspiration forus.” Setu's formation and also deployedtocollect samples of Sethusamudramproject. affairs earlier” neverthought of it. “AfterBJPcameto power, then Governor RamNaik said most NATIONAL GIRL CHILDDAY OBSERVED IN UTTARAKHAND states celebratetheir foundation day, but notUttar Pradesh.When Imoved the proposalinCabinet, Childrights panel takes cue from Nayak,makes 19-year-old CM for aday itwasacceptedwithopenhearts.” TheChiefMinistersaidthelaw MinisterofUttarakhandforaday. she asked officials to renovate di- DhanSingh Rawatwelcomed Sabha the CM foraday. The re- andordersituationinthestatehas LALMANIVERMA The initiative wastaken by Utta- lapidatedbridgesacrossthestate. Goswami on her arrivaltothe viewmeetingswereaimedatde- improved.“UP has been the focal DEHRADUN,JANUARY24 rakhandState Commission for The recommendationsshemade Vidhan Sabha and also attended veloping administrative quality.” pointof India’sIndependenceand Protectionof ChildRightstomark willbeforwardedto thegovernm- thereviewmeetingasarepresen- The StateCommission for has ledthe countryinevery field. ONSUNDAY,whenallofficeswere the NationalGirlChild Day. Offi- entforconsideration,officialssaid. tative of ChiefMinister Rawat, Protectionof ChildRightsin2014, Forthe pastfew years, it carried closedinDehradun,policeperson- cials said theytookthe cue from Earlier,when Leader of Oppo- who wasinHaridwar to inspect alongwithanNGOandasocialor- animageof“Danga(riot)Pradesh nelandgovernmentofficialsstood BollywoodmovieNayak inwhich sition in Bal Vidhan Sabha, Asif arrangementsfor Kumbh Mela. ganisation, startedBal Vidhan andApradh(crime)Pradesh”.Ho- outside room no. 120onthe first the protagonist, playedbyactor Hasan, remarkedthat therewas Usha Negi, chairpersonofthe Sabhato helpchildrenunderstand wever, we have successfullyshu- floorofUttarakhandVidhanSabha AnilKapoor,becameCMforaday. no engine in the “double engine” StateCommission forProtection governanceanddemocraticproc- nnedthatimagebyensuringstrict buildingwhere19-yearoldSrishti “Thatwascinema…thisisreal. government,Goswamiresponded of Child Rights,said the Chief esses. Studentsapplytobeselec- lawand ordersince 2017.UPhas Goswamiwasreviewingthework Youcan guess the excitement.I by listing decisions the stategov- Ministerapprovedthe idea of tedaslegislators.Afterinterviews, become amodel forlaw and ord- of over adozendepartments. am thankful to CM (Trivendra ernment has takenfor thepublic. GoswamiasCMforaday to senda thecommissionselectsonelegis- er,employmentandinvestment.” Afteradetailedpresentation Singh Rawat) and the Commi- Goswami belongs to messageofencouraging leader- lator from eachofthe 70 con- TheChief Ministerpraisedpe- on crime records by DIG, Lawand ssionforprovidingmethisgolden DaulatpurvillageinHaridwardis- ship capability among girls on the stituencies and those selected opleof thestatefortheir“steelyre- Order,NileshAnand Bharney, opportunity,”Goswamisaidafter SrishtiGoswami reviewedworkofoveradozen departments trict whereher father runs agro- occasionof NationalGirlChildDay. votetoelect aCM, ministers and solve”during the pandemic. “It Goswamiaskedhimto ensurethe her four-hour tenure. She added ceryshop and her mother is an “AnilKapoordidsucharolein aLeader of Opposition from came as no surprise that Uttar safetyofwomen in public trans- thatif shegets achanceto become Anganwadiworker.Shewascho- Nayak.Sowethought Uttarak- amongthemselvesforthreeyears. Pradesh received accolades from portandprohibitiononthesaleof “real CM”for aday,she will work Goswami asked officials to pre- Responding to the presenta- sen to be CM foraday as she was hand can present it in the form of MeetingsofBalVidhanSabhaare foreign countries and WHO for drugsina500-mradiusof schools. on priority to address issues re- vent child abuse and ensurethat tion on the country’s longestmo- elected Chief Ministerfor three a‘nayika’tosendamessageofgirl held on issuesrelatedtochildren commendable work done in the Thestudentof AgricultureSc- lated to children. privacy of women is maintained torable single-lanebridge, Dobra yearsinBalVidhanSabhain2018. empowermentby makingachild and the recommendationsare Covid management,” he said. ience wasthe symbolic Chief During the reviewmeeting, afternaturaldisastersatanyplace. Chantibridgeacross Tehri lake, Higher Education Minister whoisalready CM of BalVidhan sent to thestate government. Negative Covid test, registration: UP: ATS arrests two Chinese Centre issues Kumbh SOPs UP tops in disbursing vendor nationalsfor ‘financial fraud’ March 11,Somvati Amavasyaon tivities. When the information LALMANIVERMA April 12,Baisakhi on April 14, loans; Bengal, Kerala lowest EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE wasverifiedandchecked,itcame DEHRADUN,JANUARY24 RamNavmi on April 21 and LUCKNOW,JANUARY24 to the fore that some criminals ChaitraPurnima on April27. had opened bank accountsput- ANEGATIVE Covid-19RT-PCR The Uttarakhand govern- The disbursal numbers in West schemehave seenmorebenefici- THEUPAnti-Terrorist Squad(ATS) ting in fake details in different test report, amedical certificate ment will have to conveytoall SANDEEPSINGH LOANSDISBURSED Bengal arelowerthan statesthat aries and higher disbursements has arrested twoChinese nation- banks.Thesebankaccounts were and registration with states that onlythose possess- NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 arefarsmallerinareaandpopula- frombanks,”saidtheofficial,who als, identifiedasPochnli Tengli receivingmoneyfromanuniden- Uttarakhandgovernment willbe ing negativeRT-PCRtestreports AMOUNT(`CR) tion, suchasTripura, Mizoram, declined to be identified. alias Li Teng alias Alice and Xu tifiedsource whichwas being mandatoryfor devotees wishing with atestdate72hours prior EVEN AS severalstate govern- and Goa. Asked aboutthe extremely Xunfu alias Julahi, in connection drawnbydifferent means. With ■ NoofLoansdisbursed to attend Kumbh Mela-2021in to the dateofvisit shall onlybe mentsandtheirlocaladministra- Keralaisamongtheworstper- lownumbersinWestBengal, the with financialfraud aftertheyal- regard to this, the ATShad on Haridwar,according to the allowedtoenter the Kumbh tions arepushing the ■ Amountdisbursed formers, the datashow. It has so StateUrbanDevelopmentAgency legedly bought SIM cards with January17made14 arrests.Ared- Standard Operating Procedure Mela site. PMSVANidhiYojana,the Centre's MOST fardisbursed atotal Rs 6.09 crore (SUDA), whichplays akey role in forged documents. corner notice and ablue-corner (SOP) issuedbythe Health The stategovernment will micro-credit scheme forurban Uttar 3,54,152 347.4 to 6,144individuals,scoringabove acceptingapplications,saiditwas ThetwowereheldinNoidaon noticewere issuedagainsttheab- Ministry. followthe sameregimen of reg- street vendors,thereare starkdif- Pradesh onlyWestBengal and Assam onaccountof delayinapprovalof Saturdaybasedoninformation sconding Chinese accused, who Chief MinisterTrivendra istration of devotees as the one ferencesinthepaceof implemen- Telangana 2,39,525 233.6 among the bigger states. the scheme in the state. providedby14peoplewho had were arrested from Noida on Singh RawatonSundayin- being usedfor Amarnath Yatra. tationoftheschemeacrossstates. Madhya 2,28,535 226.7 Thebest performingstatesaf- “Theschemewasapprovedby been arrested on January17in Saturday.” spected the siteofthe event and All devotees willhavetoregister WhileUttar Pradesh has dis- Pradesh terUPare Telangana (2,39,525 the stategovernment six months connectionwithafinancialscam. The ATSsaid during prelimi- said arrangementswill be made with the stategovernment and bursedover3.5 lakh loans, and loans aggregating to Rs 233.6 cr) afteritwaslaunched,andonlyaf- In astatement on Sunday, the naryquestioning it came to light according to the Centre's SOP. obtain acompulsory medical Telangana and MadhyaPradesh LEAST and Madhya Pradesh(2,28,535 terits approval in Januarywere ATSsaid, “The ATS, Uttar Pradesh, that theChineseusedtoprocure Kumbh Mela-2021islikelytobe certificateintheir state. have givenout over 2lakh loans Uttarakhand 6,342 6.3 loans; Rs 226.7 crore). applicationssponsored,” aSUDA got informationthatagangiscon- pre-activatedSIMcardsfromdis- held from February27toApril Vulnerable populations —those eachoverthe pastseven months, Kerala 6,144 6.1 Maharashtra,Gujarat,Karnataka, official said on condition of spiringandisprocuringSIMcards tributors and retailers afterthose 30. An estimated 10 lakh people above 65 years og age, pregnant West Bengal, Assam,and Kerala and AndhraPradesh have dis- anonymity. on fake IDs and then areopening passedthroughseveral people in will attend the mela on aregular women, children below10years have disbursed onlyasmall frac- J&K 5,821 5.8 bursed over Rs 50 croreeachun- ThestateUrbanDevelopment online bank accounts. Theywere Delhi.“The pre-activated SIM dayand about 50 lakh people are of age, thosewith underlying co- tion of those numbers. Assam 5,693 5.7 der the scheme. and Municipal Affairs Minister exchanging moneyafter in- cardsusedtobemadeavailableto expected to attend on special morbid conditions —shall be The PM Street Vendors' West 950 .09 Accordingtobankers,urban FirhadHakim,however, saidthere dulgingincheating through the the manager of ahotelownedby days includingMaghPurnima discouraged to attend the AtmanirbharNidhi(PMSVANidhi) Bengal local bodies (ULBs)and town wasnointerestinthe scheme accounts. The moneywas being aChinesecouple in Gurgaon...” on February 27,Mahashivratri on Kumbh Mela. scheme, launchedinJune 2020 All-India 13,27,000 1,311.0 vending committees arerespon- from street vendors, who had al- forwardedfor use in criminal ac- read the statement. amidtheCovid-19pandemic,pro- total sible foridentifying eligible bor- ready benefitted from grantsby videsstreet vendorscollateral-free rowers and issuingthem certifi- thestate government. loansof Rs10,000atconcessional As of Jan 20, 2021. Totalofall cates of vending, identity cards “WegaveRs2,000 directlyto TRACKING INDIA’S COVID CURVE rates. All vendors who have been states andUTs,including and letters of recommendation– street vendors, whereasthe cen- vendingsince March24, 2020, those notmentioned in chart. the onus formaking the scheme tral government is giving them a and have acertificate of vending, Source: PMSVANidhi website successful, therefore, lies with loan.Therewasnodelayfromour NUMBER OF can avail of the loan. them. side,” Hakimsaid. VACCINATIONS UP tops the implementation If ULBs do notrecommend Another SUDAmember said (JAN 24) list,withbanksinthestatehaving of the list–amereRs9lakh has listsof beneficiariesto banks,bank that theweak numbers in West 31,466 disbursedloansaggregatingto Rs beendisbursedduringthisperiod branches will notbeabletoexe- Bengalreflect the tensions be- 347.4crore to 3.54 lakh individu- underthe scheme to just95indi- cutethe scheme, abanker in the tween Centreand the state. Total:15,68,656 als as of January20. viduals across the state, dataon private sector said. “So states INPUTSFROMSWEETY West Bengalsitsatthebottom the PMSVANidhi websiteshow. whereULBsare pushing the KUMARIANDSHAJUPHILIP NUMBER OF ADVERSE EVENTS AFTER IMMUNIZATION AMU to bury time capsule of SAHYADRI SAHAKARI SAKHAR KARKHANA LTD., 10 Yeshwantnagar,Tal. Karad, Dist. Satara -415 115. Phone No. 02164-230500 Email :[email protected] Total:1,653 its 100-year history on R-Day Mob. No. 8956015501 to 505 Web. :sahyadrisakhar.com have thebiographyoffounder Sir CASES: ACTIVECASES:184,408 EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Syed Ahmedand his addresses. e-Tender Notice 328 LUCKNOW,JANUARY24 It will also have textsofspeeches DAYSSINCE 1,06,54,533 DEATHS:153,339 We are inviting e-Tenders for 100 KLPD New PANDEMIC of prominent people from pre- BEGAN TESTS: 19,17,66,871 | RECOVERIES: 1,03,16,786 THE ALIGARH Muslim University Independence era,” said AMU Distillery and 35 TPH incineration Boiler with 3MW (AMU) will buryatimecapsule spokesperson RahatAbrar. Capacity power turbine. For details of e-Tenders CASES DEATHS RECOVERIES TESTS JAN23 recordingthe evolution of the “Besides the details of allthe visit to our websitehttp://sahyadrisakhar.sets.co.in 14,849 15515,948 781,752 varsity over the last 100years of buildings on the campus, the Sd/- itsexistence on Republic Dayas time capsule will also have copies Place :Yeshwantnagar MANAGING DIRECTOR, STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMCASES partofits centenarycelebrations. of convocation addresses of chief Date :25/01/2021 Sahyadri Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd. CASES(JAN23) TOTAL The capsule, whichweighs guests from 1922 to 2018.The Kerala 6,960 884,243 around 1.5tonnes, will contain documentsabout growth, devel- GOVT.OFODISHA OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER Maharashtra2,6972,006,354 documents showcasing the rich opment and journey of the var- NORTH EASTERN RURAL WORKS CIRCLE, KEONJHAR historyofthe AMU. sity will also be preserved in the Karnataka902 935,478 O-944 Identification No. PMGSY Online NCB No. 286 “As partofthe university's time capsule,” Abrarsaid. NO. 200 /Date: 19.01.2021 STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMDEATHS 1. Name of the work :- Construction of Road &CDworks under PMGSY Programme. centenarycelebrations, we will The time capsule will be 2. Total No. of Packages :- 15 Nos. individual packages DEATHS(JAN23) TOTAL 3. Estimated Cost of individual packages :- Varies from Rs. 239.80 lakh to Rs. 764.93 lakh. buryatime capsule on thecam- buriedinthe park oppositethe 4. Period of Completion :- 12 calendar months for works above Rs. 5.00 Cr. &11calendar months for works below Rs. 5.00 Cr. upto Rs. 3.00 Cr. and 9calendar months for works below Rs. 3.00 Cr. as specified in DTCN. Maharashtra5951,963 pus on January26. The eventwill VictoriaGate, whichisthe oldest 5. Other details :- Procurement Officer Bid No. of Packages Availability of tender On-line for bidding Kerala 23 3,635 be presided over by Vice- building in the university,said Identification No. Chancellor Tariq Mansoor.The the university official. Thepapers From To Delhi 10 10,799 1 2 3 4 5 time capsulewillcontain docu- whichwill be kept in the capsule Superintending Engineer, North Eastern Rural Works, Circle, Keonjhar. PMGSY Online NCB No. 286 15 Nos. 27.01.2021 at 11.00 A.M. 10.02.2021 up to 5.00 P.M. DataasonJanuary23,releasedbyUnionMinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare,IndianCouncilofMedical mentsshowcasing the historyof willbepreservedbymakingthem Researchandstategovernments.Oftenthenumbersreleasedeverydaycontaindatafrompreviousdays •Further details can be seen from the website: www.pmgsytenders.gov.in Sd/- aswell.Assuch,trendsbasedondailynumbersareonlyindicativeandnotdefinitive the varsity andits journeyover acid-freeand with addition of Superintending Engineer,N.E.R.W.Circle, Keonjhar the past100 years. It will also some chemicals. OIPR-25048/11/0014/2021

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8 THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 IDEA EXCHANGE Newsmakersinthe Newsroom DR SHEKHAR MANDE, DIRECTOR GENERAL,COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ‘ Could we’ve waited for Phase 3trials?... But should ‘we not save 50,000 lives?... There is no risk to anyone Dr Mande talksabout “guardedoptimism” over drop in Covid-19cases, says effectiveness of vaccines will be monitoredfor the next twoyears, and explains hygiene hypothesisand whyhebelievesour immunesystemcan deal with newstrains. The session wasmoderated by Resident Editor (Pune) Amitabh Sinha

DR SHEKHARMANDE: Aglobal health earlier interviews,you said thereisa ratories of the CSIR)... We can go on citing emergency likeCovid-19 wasforeseenfor difference betweenefficacy and examples...We collaboratewitheverybody. the lastseveral years. We did notknowin effectiveness of the vaccine. Can you When the Rs 48,000 croreorder forTejas what form it would come, but for20-25 elaborate? wasplaced,mostpeoplelaudedtheDRDO. years it wasbeing predicted that thenext Efficacy is calculatedinclinical trialson Nobody knew that alarge amount of tech- pandemicwasjustaroundthecorner.And, subjectsthat have receivedeither the vac- nology and the entirecontrol system of even afterthis pandemic is over,thereisa cine dose or the placebo.Neither the per- Tejas wasmade by the CSIR.Manypeople possibility that another one might still be son who is adminis- don’t knowthereisa around the corner.So, we should be pre- tering the vaccine nor verygloriouscollabo- pared forthat. the person who is re- If we were under-reporting, ‘ ration between the In India, the firstCovid-19 casewas re- WHY ceiving it knows one-and-a-half-million CSIR, DRDO and HAL. portedonJanuary30, lastyear.Wedis- whether it is the ac- It is afault on ourpart cussedtheissueatameetingof thedirectors SHEKHAR MANDE tual vaccine or a people would have died of that information has of all the laboratoriesunder Council of placebo. At theend of notbeen distributed ScientificandIndustrialResearch (CSIR)on schief of CSIR, thestudy,whichtakes Covid-19.Isthat believable? among members of February25-26. The WorldHealth whichhas anetwork afew months, you Under-reporting is not the the public. Organisation declared thepandemic on A findoutwhogot what. ‘ March 11,almost15days later.Bythattime, of 37 of India’s Forexample, in the cause (for lownumbers) TABASSUM ourstrategywasalreadyinplaceanditwas premier researchlabs, Mande Modernatrials, about BARNAGARWALA: rolledout by mid-March.Thereweresev- 30,000 people were Thereisalotof eral aspects to the response. The firstverti- has been at the centre of govt’s givenadose of either discussion about cal wassurveillance, whichweare doing the placebo or the vaccine, and 196devel- howlow-and middle-income eventoday. Itincludessequencingdifferent Covid-19 response strategy.As opedCovid-19afterafew months.Of these, countries have lowCovid-19mortality viral strains across India, conducting air vaccination begins, his team 185hadreceivedtheplaceboand11 hadre- rates. Is the ‘hygiene hypothesis’the samplingsurveys to knowhow farthevirus ceivedtheModernavaccine.Sotheefficacy onlyreason behind it or is therealoose travelsetc.Thesecondverticalwasdiagnos- will be part of the pharmacov- was95%. link with the BCG vaccination? Or,in tics.Youwouldhave heardabout,forexam- igilance processfor next 2yrs Basedonefficacy,theregulatordecides India’s case, is therealow recording ple,the Feluda test kit thathas come from to give approvalforthevaccineto beadmin- rate of thedeaths? theCSIR’sstable...We diddryswabs,which isteredtothe general population. Now, in My personal research paper on the is- reducesthecostofRT-PCRtestsbyhalf.The sueiscomingoutinajournalcalledCurrent dryswabmethodhas also been approved Science... Thepopulationof theUnitedStates by theIndian Council of MedicalResearch. is roughlyone-fourthofIndia’s. The total Thethirdverticalisinterventions,where number of deathsinthe US is morethan we arelooking at both vaccines as well as double that of India. If youtakethe ratio of drugs.Favipiravirisalreadybeingsoldinthe people dying per million, it is ahighly market by Cipla, the process forwhichwas skewed ratio in the countrieswhichhave generated in the CSIR... We have also taken high GDP or ahigh Human Development cognizance of traditional knowledgeand Index. This is true across the world. If you some trialsare going on along withAyush lookatthe number of people deadin (Ministry). African and SoutheastAsian countries, it is The fourth aspect is medical instru- waylower than countries with high GDP ments, and therehavebeen severalinno- and HDI. Many people sayitisunder-re- vations heretoo, including the BiPAP porting,butif youare under-reporting,India ‘SwasthVayu’Ventilator.It’sforpeoplewho would have had to reportabouteight to 10 arenot critical but their oxygen levelneeds timesmoredeaths (in comparison to the to be enhanced. We have already supplied US). If we (India) were under-reporting, 1,200suchventilators to the Delhi govern- about one-and-a-half-million people in ment. We have launched ‘rapidlydeploy- India would have succumbed to Covid-19. able hospitals’ whichcan be setupinre- Idon’tthinkanyonebelievesthatone-and- mote locations in aboutfivedays andsix a-halfmillionpeople in India have died... suchhospitals arereadyinHimachal Under-reporting is notthe cause. In Africa, Pradesh now. it would have causedhavoc. In places like Thereweretwo principlesthatwe used Dharavi,itwouldhavebeen acatastrophe. while bringing about these innovations. But that has nothappened. Number one, therehas to be industry’s in- The second issue that countrieswith volvement,likeCipla’sinthe case of highHDIhave isanageingpopulation.If you Favipiravir.Thesecondimportantpointthat lookatthelifeexpectancyinsuchcountries, we discussed wasthat all the components the averageage is muchhigher than coun- mustbemadeinIndia,sothatwe don’thave trieslikeours.And,we knowthat this virus to depend on imports.Sowith both these affectsolder people more. principles,we arenow inapositionto scale Nowlookatthedistributionof otherdis- up everything forthe benefit of society. eases.Theincidenceof communicabledis- ease liketuberculosis, malariaand cholera AMITABH SINHA:Inyour assessment, in countries whichhavehigher GDP and is the Covid-19graph in India in an HDI is muchlower. And the incidenceof irreversible decline, or is therestill a thesediseasesinlow-HDIcountriesismuch fear of asecondwave? Also, canyou higher.Onthe contrary, non-communica- tell us alittle bit about the different ble diseases such as diabetes, asthma, pso- Covid-19strains that have emerged? riasis aremuchhigher in countries with Areweoverthe pandemic in India? high HDI and lowerinlow-HDIcountries... Thereisavery guardedoptimism about it. Inlow-HDIcountries,thesanitationparam- Thenumberof casesisgoingdown.It’shov- eters tend to be poor... It is an established eringbetween16,000-20,000casesperday Illustration: Suvajit Dey fact that improved sanitation conditions in India, compared to about 2,20,000- have increasedthe incidence of auto-im- 2,40,000 per dayinthe US. But we are strains morevirulent than the others? newdrugs, theywill take another four-five everyday,right? In the next three-four the general population thereare people mune disorders in higher HDIcountries... guarded,becausethepandemicisn’tover.If The standardstrategythatall govern- years to come out. months,letusassumeyouloseabouta100 who were excludedfromclinicaltrials. Accordingto thehygienehypothesis,aswe we letour guard down, thereisevery pos- mentsaroundthe worldhaveadopted is peopleaday.Thatmeansabout3,000peo- Peoplewithcomorbidities,peoplewhoare arecontinuouslyexposedtopathogens sibility of asecond wave. So, we mustbe testing, tracking, tracing... We sequence ANURADHAMASCARENHAS: pleamonth,andabout10,000deathsinthe above theage of 70...Sonowyouwillmeas- sinceourchildhood,ourimmunesystemis very,verycareful when we saythat the strains from thosepeoplewho have ahis- Professor Rohini Godbole from the next three-four months. That’s alow esti- urethings in the entirepopulation.Inthe trained... In the paper (in Current Science) number of cases have gone down. tory of travel to the UK etc. Once we know Centre forHigh Energy Physics at IISc, mate.The higher estimatecouldbe50,000 real worldscenario, the numbers will we aresayingthatwhathas savedusisthe

Compared to other moredevelopedna- that theperson is UK-positive,weisolate wasawarded the OrdreNational Du people.Now,avaccine candidatehas been changefrom95%... That is effectiveness. immunetrainingourbodyhasgot because tions,thedefiningfeatureinIndiahasbeen the person so that the virus doesn’t spread Merite, among the highest provento besafe,therehasbeennoadverse Thereisasubtle difference and it is being of continuous exposure(to pathogens) theearly lockdown. It gave us the opportu- to others. That’s the government's strat- distinctionsbestowedbyFrance. How impact in Phase 1clinicaltrials as well as in monitored postvaccination. Thereisgoing since our childhood. nity to tell people aboutthe dangers of the egy.Also, youknowabout SpiceHealth. We canweencourage morewomen to the pre-clinicaltrials in animals. In Phase2 to beveryclosemonitoringfortwo yearsas

pandemic, and to preparetohandle the aretryingtoactuallycollect samples at air- join STEM sectors? clinicaltrials,youshowthat(thevaccine)is partofthe pharmacovigilance process. AMITABH SINHA:This is probablynot pandemicaswell.We were ableto educate ports andthen reduce the number of days Thereisaleakypipelinesomewhere.Let immunogenic, that it is eliciting sufficient the lastpandemic that we willsee. In everyone that when requiredforsequenc- usacceptthatfact.At theschoollevel,there immune response in HARISH terms of our response,how is the next youstepout of the ing. That’s precisely is equal opportunity foreveryone. As we ahumanbeing.So,the DAMODARAN: pandemic going to be different? What house, don’t forget what SpiceHealth startclimbing up, unfortunately, thenum- hope is that since it is What is the total arethe thingswehavelearnedand ‘ yourmask,washyour Forthe last 20-25 yearsit will bedoing at differ- ber(of women)dropsdramatically. And,by generating an im- There is aleakypipeline… ‘ budget of the CSIR institutionalisedsothat the response hands, keep distance, wasbeing predicted that ent airports in the the time youcome to the job market, the mune response, the In senior leadership, andhow muchof to anysuchpandemic in the futureis and that actually country. numbers areevenlower, andatthe senior humanimmunitycan that is spent on different and qualitatively better? helped. Youdon’tsee the next pandemic was Now, areany of the leadership level, the numbers arepathetic. likelytakecareofthe number of women (in sponsored or Mostimportantishealthmonitoringin- this happening even newvariantsmore So howdoyou encourage(womentojoin virus. The criticism demand-driven frastructure...Inthiscase,theresponsewas in the mostdevel- near... And, even after virulent? It’s not STEM sectors)? First, letusacceptthat we has been that we STEM) is pathetic… One research? very rapid. As soon as the Chinese authori- opedcountries. Covid-19,there is another proven yet. Whatis have notdonewellonthesenumbers.Then, couldhavewaited for has to talk about it,people Till about 10 years tiesdetectedtheclusterofpneumonia-like Aboutthestrains... ‘ proven is howtrans- one has to continuouslyand proactively another four months ‘ ago, thereusedtobe cases, theyreported it to theWHO. By the Everyvirus mutates. one around the corner missibletheyare. keep talkingabouttheseissues in the pub- forPhase3clinicaltri- likememust correctit enormous delays in fourth day, theWHO team wasonthe Thereisaninterplay Whatisthe probabil- lic space, even if the truth is inconvenient. als to getover... (But) flightsinDelhi due to ground in Wuhan to assess thesituation. betweenthehost(the ity of one personto Secondly,peoplelikeme,whohavethead- youare going to risk fog. All those delays Ontheseventhday, we knewthatitwasbe- humanbody)andthe transmit avariant to vantageofbeinginanadministrative posi- the livesof10,000- have reducedsignifi- cause of aviruscalled coronavirus... We pathogen, whichisthe virus. Now, as the another person, whichistypicallydefined tion,musttryto correctthings...AttheCSIR 50,000people.That’sthefirstrisk.Thesec- cantly. Atransmissometer(forthedetermi- need to have arapid action force...And this pathogentries to establish an infection in by the R-number.And these variants(UK, we have ensured that alladvisorybodies, ond risk is that mutantsare very rapidly nation of visual range) has been installed is good in the countryrightnow... We are the host, the latter tries to getrid of the SouthAfrica)areactuallyknownto bemore committees, have agender balance. We emergingaroundtheworld.If youare areg- across100airportsinthecountry. Itiscalled doingreasonablywell(inourresponse)and pathogen. (Asthe virus mutates) our im- transmissible, about60to70% more... have triedtodothe sameinsenior leader- ulator,whatwouldyoudo?Wouldyousave DrishtiandwasdevelopedbyNAL(National we shouldtryto improve. But what we ac- munesystemtriesto getridof it(themuta- However, it is notknown whether theyare ship positions too. It’s ahugechallenge. 50,000lives? Would youallowmutantsto Aerospace Laboratory, aconstituentofthe tuallyneedtoimprove is infrastructure in tions),unlessaverylarge numberaccumu- morelethal or not. When Ijoinedthe CSIRtwo years ago, nei- ariseorwouldyougoforavaccinewhichis CSIR). Today, Delhihas three-fiveinstalla- terms of safetylevel facilities.Weneedto lates simultaneously. The UK strain can therof our37 laboratorieshadawomandi- known to be safeand elicitsaresponse, al- tions of Drishti. have multipleBSL-4(biosafetylevel-4)facil- accumulate17mutations in itsspikepro- ANURADHA MASCARENHAS: Why rector.Today, four of our laboratories are though itsefficacy is notwell known? We heardthe news of the government ities in the country, where we can take the tein. Avirus has millions of atoms coated don’t we have asingle drug that is fully headedbyfemale directors. It is still apa- See,therehasbeennoadverseimpactof procuring Tejas aircraft. About70% of Tejas infectious organismand assessit. We also aroundasphere,andwe actuallyseeonly 17 effective against Covid-19sofar? theticnumber,andwe areworkingtowards taking the vaccine. Youare notbeingsub- weight is carbon fibre. Who made the car- need to look at zoonosis —manyviruses mutations...Therefore,itisbelievedthatthe Developmentof anydrugtypicallytakes takingitto17-18… jected to anykind of risk,you arenot going bonfibre?TheCSIR-NAL.TheTejaslandson jumpfromanimalto human.We mustkeep human immune system is sufficientlyca- 10-12years.So, when Covid-19came up, to developany adversereaction,thereisno navalships and to be abletoland and take samplingvirusesorparasitesinanimalsall pable of gettingrid of even the newstrain. theeasiest strategywastogofor‘repurpos- KAUNAIN SHERIFF M: About 55 lakh serious illness that youare going to de- offfromnavalships,itneedsapreciseland- the time. It is important to have asurveil- ing’.Aspartof thestrategy,drugswhichare doses of the Covid-19vaccine will be velop... Essentially, if the vaccine generates ing and take-offspot. The errorcannot be lancesystemforanimalsandpotentialdis- ESHA ROY: Whether it’s the UK variant alreadyinthemarket andare ‘generallyre- administeredpurelybasedonsafety animmuneresponseagainstthisparticular morethanhalf ametre.How do pilots do easesthat could come from manyofthem. or the SouthAfrican variant, whatis garded as safe(GRAS)’... we can find adif- dataofthe Phase 1and 2trials.We virus,that’sgood.Butevenif itdoesnotelicit that? There’s something calleda‘head-up Lastly, we needtohavesupplychains theIndiangovernment doing to ferentuseforthatparticulardrug.Thereare don’thaveefficacy datafor the Bharat aresponse, youhavenot lostanything per display’ in Tejas aircraftwhichallows the andlogistics ready fordiagnostics, drugs, identifyand stop the spread in the roughlyabout3,000drugswhichare inthe Biotech vaccine.Doyou think the se. Thereisnothingadverse thatyou have pilottomakeprecise take-offand landing. essential equipment,doctors, nurses, so country? Also, what have been the market forhumanconsumption,andmust scientific principle that is being applied done to yourself. Whomade that head-up display? It is the thatifany suchcontingency arises,weare takeaways from genomesequencing be tested forCovid-19... That is how nowissustainable? CentralScientificInstrumentsOrganisation able to cater to anyremote corner of the done so far? Forinstance,are some Favipiravir andthe otherscame up... As for ... We arelosing hundredsofpeople KAUNAIN SHERIFF M: In one of your inChandigarh(oneof theconstituentlabo- countrywithin averyshorttime. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 @ieExplained #ExpressExplained 9 If thereare questions of current or contemporaryrelevancethat youwould like E EXPLAINED explained, please [email protected]

SIMPLY PUT CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD Rhesus macaque shows Techgiants vregulators promise as model for Google andFacebook have lockedhorns with Australian govt over laws that propose to makethem pay Covid-19 vaccinestudies news organisations forusing their content. The outcome of the fight will have implications forIndia as well.

Consumer Commission Chairman RodSims EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE PRANAVMUKUL&ANILSASI said in an interviewtoReuters. In France too, NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 the competition watchdog FCAhad lastyear issuedstrictures to big tech companies. FCA IN INFECTIOUS diseases suchas PARLIAMENT IN Australia is debating legisla- had deemedGoogle’smove to withdraw Covid-19, animal studies help scien- tion that would requireGoogle and Facebook news snippets as “unfairand damagingto the tists predict howwell acandidate to enterintopaymentnegotiationswithmedia press sector”, and also likelytoconstitutean vaccine will work.Theyinform scien- companiesforusingtheir content,withanar- abuse of marketdominance. tists whichimmune cells triggered by biter mandated to adjudicateinthe event an the vaccine areprotective,whether and SouthwestNational Primate agreementcannotbereached. The debateinIndia the vaccine will be viable as ahuman Research Center (SNPRC) evaluated TheInternetcompanieshave pushedback Policymakers in India have so farfocused intervention, and howthe disease three nonhuman primate species — againstthe legislation —and the fightisbeing on the dominance of intermediaries suchas progresses in people with compro- Indian rhesus macaques, African ba- watchedaround the world, giventhe impact GoogleandFacebook,whichare positionedin misedimmune systems. boons and new-worldorigin com- the outcome could have across geographies, away thatserviceproviderscannotreachcus- The rhesus macaque, amonkey mon marmosets —and young and old includinginIndia.Thereisalsorenewedfocus tomers exceptthrough these platforms. widelyprevalent in India, is apromis- animals. on atemplatethat has been rolledout with The tussles in Australia and elsewhere ing model forvaccines againstCovid- Theyfound that the macaque and some success in SouthKorea. could have broaderimplications forthe regu- 19,according to twoin- baboon models develop Nearly four years previously, Naver, South lation of the digital economyinIndia in the dependent studies. strong signs of acutevi- Korea’s mostpopular news siteand biggest longerterm. Asubstantial discussiononthe In Nature ralinfectionleading to search engine, had thrashedout an unusual impact of intermediaryplatforms on the Microbiology,scientists pneumonia, and the modelforworkingwithKoreannews publish- Mel Silva,managing director of Google Australiaand NewZealand, appears via a health of news mediaoutlets is yettocom- have recommendeduse non-human primateim- ers —designating some 125outlets as “Naver videolink during aSenateinquiryinCanberra on Friday. AAP Imagevia AP mence in anymeaningful wayhere. of the macaque as a mune system mounts a Newsin-link partners”, and paying them for According to aFICCI-EY report on India’s model to help develop strong response and publishedstories on Naver. Another 500odd mediaandentertainmentsectorfor2020,there vaccines.The study also PAPER clears the SARS-CoV-2 news outletsare unpaid“search partners”.The lastweek,Google said that News Showcase — publicationsinFrancejusthoursbefore threat- are300millionusersof onlinenews sites,por- found thatthe baboon infection. total payout wasover$40 million in 2017. whichfeaturesstory panels that allowpartic- ening to remove itssearch functions in tals and aggregators in the country—making showedgreater disease CLIP In the Nature Whilethismaynot betheperfectmodel— ipating publisherstopackagethe storiesthat Australia.ThefightinAustraliaisevidentlycen- upapproximately46%of Internetusersand77% development, making it Communications study, news outletshavegenerallybeen unsatisfied appear within Google’s news products–has tred on howmuchcontrol these companies of smartphoneusersinIndiaattheendof 2019. apotential option for NEWRESEARCH scientists at the California with theirshare; also, therehas been contro- on boardmorethan 450 publicationsacross a wouldbeableto retainontheirpayoutprocess With 282 million unique visitors, India is evaluating anti-viral National Primate versyrecentlyoverallegationsthatNaverma- dozencountries,includingLeMonde,LeFigaro, —operational aspectssuchasdeciding the thesecondlargestonlinenews consumingna- therapeutics and co-morbidities such Research Center at the University of nipulated the ranking of articlescritical of and Libération in France; El Cronista and La quantumofpaymentsfor news feed sources, tion afterChina. In India, digital advertising as diabetes. California, Davis, infected eight rhe- South Korea’s topfootball association on the Gaceta in Argentina; TAG24 and Sachsische and having to reveal changes in their algo- spends in 2019 grew 24%year-on-year to Rs And in NatureCommunications, sus macaques withSARS-CoV-2 virus latter's request—the templateremains oper- Zeitung in Germany; and Jornal do Commercio rithms. The heftyfinesproposed by Canberra 27,900crore,accordingtoEYestimates,andare scientists have reportedthat rhesus isolated from the firsthuman patient ational in anationwherenearly 85 per centof from Pernambuco in Brazil. arebeingseen as an addedproblem. expected to grow to Rs 51,340 croreby2022. macaques infected withSARS-CoV-2 treated at UC Davis. the population accesses news online. GooglehadannouncedinDecember2020 Thereisnodenying thattoughaction by Globally, Facebook and Google together developedprotective immune re- The researchersfollowedimmune thatitwould“soonstartofferingpeopleaccess regulatorshas been behindthe movesby command61% of the market shareindigital sponses that might be reproduced responses in the rhesus macaques The fight in Australia to paywalledcontentinpartnershipwithselect FacebookandGoogleto launchplatformssuch ad spends, according to EdelweissResearch; with avaccine. over about twoweeks. The animals Google lastweek threatenedtoremove its news publishers”.Ithadsaiditwouldpaypar- as the proposednews taband Showcase, un- Google leads with 37%. In aseparatenote, In the NatureMicrobiology study, showedall the signs of producingan search engine from Australia.Facebooksaidit ticipatingpartnersto providelimitedaccessto likeNaver’slargely voluntaryaction in Korea. Edelweisssaiditexpecteddigitalspendsto be scientists at Texas Biomedical effective immuneresponse to aviral could blockAustralian users from posting or paywalledcontent forNewsShowcaseusers. European authorities have specifically further accelerated,led by asubstantialjump Research Institute (Texas Biomed) infection. sharing news linksifthe proposed norms on Last Thursday, Googlesaiditwillpaynews linkedpaymentstocopyright,withoutputting in online activity accentuatedbyCovid-19. royalty paymentswereput intooperation. publicationsinFrance forthe use of theircon- aforcingdeviceintotheagreements.Australia’s Other majornews aggregators in India are Representativesofthe tech majors ap- tentonline.Thetech majorandAPIG, aFrench code, on the other hand, is almostentirelyfo- Dailyhunt,theparentcompanyofwhich(VerSe INDIA ACTIVE CASES 184,408 peared at aSenatehearing in Canberra last news media group,said in ajoint statement cusedonthebargainingpowerofnews outlets Innovation)hasraisedfundingfromGoogleand Friday. Theyarguedthat the media industry that aftermonths of talks, theyhad agreedon vis-a-vis the tech majors, and has some coer- Microsoft,andtheTigerGlobal-backedInShorts. wasalready benefiting from trafficroutedto the principles on whichnews publications cive featuresaswell.Itismoreofacompetition Accordingto aJanuary2020reportbyHarvard themby thedigitalplatforms,andthatthepro- shouldbecompensatedforthedistributionof issueinAustralia,of powerequationsbetween University’s Nieman Lab, publishers were ini- 250,000 posedrules would expose them to “unman- their content on Googleplatforms. traditional news outlets andtechplatforms, tiallypaidbetweenRs5-6lakhmonthlyforcon- ageablelevelsof financialandoperationalrisk”. However, Google’sfirstresponseto France withthequestionof abuseof dominanceby the tenthostedonDailyhunt—buttheystartedgo- 213,027 adopting the EU copyright rules wastostop latter hanging in the balance. ing offthe platform afterterms were changed. 184,408 Firms’ response elsewhere displaying news snippets–until the French Australianregulatorshadinitiallyproposed ThereportnotedthatMalayalaManoramawas Bloomberg and some other media outlets competition regulator steppedin, in October avoluntarycode of conduct, but have since one of the firstbig publishers to exit Dailyhunt have reportedthat Facebook plans to launch lastyear.Google also pulledthe plug on its steppeduppressure. Australia’s competition in2017.EvenwithouttheconversationinIndia 200,000 itsnews tabfeature (available in the US since GoogleNewsservice in Spain, whichmade regulatorhaswarnedthattheplannedlawsto reachingthepointwhere news aggregatorsare 2019)inthe UK, with likely tie-ups with The paymentstopublishers mandatory. forceGoogle and Facebook to payfor news mandated to makepaymentstopublishers, Guardian,TheEconomist,andTheIndependent. contentwere “likelyjustthestartofmorereg- startups suchasDailyhunt and InShorts areyet AndGoogleisrollingoutitsnews offeringplat- The coreissue ulation fordigital platforms”. to find asustainable revenue model. LAST 10 DAYS form,Google News Showcase. Paying fornews feedin itself appears to be “This bargainingcodeisajourney, if we Jan 14 Jan 23 Boththeseplatformsaimtoformalisepay- less of an issue forthe tech giants, giventhat see marketpowerelsewhere, we can add 150,000 ment pactswith news outlets.Inastatement Google entered theagreement to paynews them to the code,” Australian Competition and EXPERTEXPLAINS will appear tomorrow.

Note: The Jan 23 figureinthisgraph is based on thegovernment updateonJan 24

INDIA TOTAL CASES WORLD TOTAL CASES Why Biden’s exercise bikeset off security chatter 10,654,533 98,861,235 minium and weighs around 60 kg.Users are still be vulnerabilities present. Because of this Source:MinistryofHealth&Family Source:JohnsHopkinsUniversity, EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE also required to pay$39 (around Rs 2,895) we arelooking to thesecuritycommunity to Welfare,updatedat11pmonJan24 updatedat11pmonJan24 NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 per month forPeloton’s live and on-demand help us meet this toppriority throughpro- classes. grams likeresponsible disclosure.” IN THE weeksleading up to US President Joe ApartfromBiden, revealedonhis podcast Biden’s swearing-in, cybersecurityexperts thathewas an active user of the Pelotonbike The So, will Biden’sPelotonbikebe examinedwhether his Pelotonbike—apiece and had purchasedone during the lockdown Peloton permitted in the WhiteHouse? of exercise equipment—would be permit- to stay active,the Obamas and actress Kate bikehas Cybersecurity experts have reportedly tedinsidethe WhiteHouse. Theyeventually Hudson arealso fans of the bike. Today, the manyfans said that if Biden reallywants to bring his concludedthe bikewas safe, according to company,and itsexercise bikeinparticular, in the US Pelotonbiketothe WhiteHouse, he can. But media reports from the US. have acultfollowing across the UnitedStates. it will have to be massively strippeddown by the Secret Service and National Security So, what is the Pelotonbike? Whydid it comeunder security security threat, as hackers couldpotentially Agency (NSA)first. Made by the Pelotoncompany, it is an scrutiny? access Biden and the WhiteHouse through “… really, cybersecurity experts say, If Internet-connected,stationary, indoor cy- The Pelotontabletisconnectedtothe the bike. Biden wantshis bike, he can surelyhaveit, cling bikewith cameras, microphones and Internetand comes fitted with cameras and Adisclaimer on the Pelotonsitereads: "At though it might bear little resemblance to tablets attached, so itsriderscan livestream microphones that allowriders to hear and Peloton, we consider the security of our sys- the off-the-assembly-line version afterthe fitness classesand communicatewith one see eachother if theysochoose. Areportby tems and the best interestofour members a Secret Serviceand the NationalSecurity another.Priced at upward of $2,500(around PopularMechanics magazine warnedthatthe toppriority.However, no matter howmuch Agency arefinishedwith it,” TheNew York Rs 1.8lakh), it is madeofcarbon steel and alu- bikecould be seen by the Secret Serviceasa effort we put intosystemsecurity,therecan Times reported. Aclothcalledrisa:partofTripuraculture,settobeanationalbrand

woven. Handloom remainsanintegral part an upper garment, the risaalsohas ahost looms at homes, usuallynot morethan one Pradyot KishoreManikyaDebbarma of DEBRAJDEB of theTripuri household, even with the ad- of crucial,social andreligious utilities. or twopieces in amonth. Mostofthis artis the erstwhile royalfamily, too, has wel- AGARTALA,JANUARY24 ventof powerloom-manufacturedgarments. Adolescent Tripuri girls arefirstgiven arisa handeddownthrough generations. comedthe move to promote tribal hand- to wear in an event calledRisa Sormani, at However, many of the designs were lostwith loom products. However, withthe Tripura TRIPURA CHIEF MinisterBiplab Kumar Deb What is the government doing to age12to14. the passageoftime, and onlyafew remain. Autonomous District Council polls coming, and his government have been promoting promote the risa? The risa is usedinreligious festivals such branding indigenousclothing should notbe the traditional risa, ahandwoven cloth used Forseveral years, the risa has already as Garia Pujabytribal communities, atur- What will branding mean? relegated to political gimmicks,hesaid. by the state’s indigenous communities, as been in circulation as an honorarystole ban by men during weddings and festivals, Tripura’s ruling BJP-IPFT government asignature identity of the state. The risa is among indigenous community leaders and acummerbund over the dhoti, ahead scarf claims that due to apathyofprevious gov- What is being done to support being brandedunder the India Handloom tribal political leaders. Chief MinisterDeb by young girls and boys,and amuffler dur- ernments, skilledTripuri craftsmen and weavers? Brand, Deb announcedrecently. has been sportingarisaonhis shoulders ing winters. The cloth is also usedasa weavers were notbeing able to sell their The Handloom and Handicrafts ever sincehestarted campaigning as aBJP makeshifthanger to hold an infant on the productsinternationallyand sufferedfinan- Directoratehas marketedtheir productsin So, what is arisa? MahasamparkAbhiyan convener wayback mother’s backs.And it is presented as a cially. expo and industry fairs in Agartala, among The traditional Tripuri female attirecom- in 2015.Today,manyofhis party func- markofhonour to distinguishedrecipients. The current government aims to pro- whomafew represented Tripura in Delhi prises three parts —risa, rignai and rikutu. tionaries areseen with the risa. Risa is commoninalmostall 19 indige- mote risanationallyasTripura’s signature and Guwahati etc. Balai Goswami, chairper- Risa is ahandwoven cloth usedasafe- On Kokborok Day(whichcelebrates the nous tribal communities of Tripura. garment, besides providing uniforms to an- son of the TripuraHandloom &Handicrafts male upper garment, and also as headgear, indigenous language of thatname) earlier However, eachcommunity has itsown de- ganwadi and ASHA workers. Development Corporation Ltd, said The astole,orapresent to express respect. As this month, Deb postedphotosonsocial signs. The government is also focusing on de- government is preparing ateam of weavers an upper garment, it is wrappedaround the media of himself wearing arisa and ap- signs. At atraining camp of handloom to represent Tripuraatthe National torso twice. pealedtootherstopromote tribal crafts- Howlong has the risa been partof Risa is the handwoven clothdraped weavers in Mandai villagelastyear,organ- HandloomExpoinDelhi in Februarythis Rignai is primarily worn as the lower manship. Days later,atthe plenaryofthe Tripura’s traditions? around the upperbody. isedbythe TripuraHandloom and year.The risawith temple designs is setto garmentand literallytranslates into‘to NorthEastCouncil at Shillong, Deb said his The complete Tripuri attireisclaimedto Tribal Researchand Cultural Institute Handicrafts Development Corporation,one be displayedthere. wear’. It canbeunderstood as an indigenous government is emphasising productionand have originatedevenbeforethe time of the handwoven risa had the Tripurasundari As of 2018,Tripurahad 1,37,177 hand- variety of the sari of mainland India. marketing of indigenous handloom and Manikyakings, who ruledTripurafor over Temple on it, said Aparna Debbarma, an ex- loom weavers, according to the National Ritukuismainlyusedasawrap,orlike handicrafts productstofollow the Prime 500years starting from the15th century. Today, the risa is undergoing changes ecutive of Mandai Handloom Cluster. The Handloom Census, with 60 handloom clus- a‘chunri’ or a‘pallu’ of the Indian saree. It is Minister’s “Vocal forlocal”call. Although the history is contested, Maharaj due to competition with powerloom-man- temple has been the epicentreofthe BJP- ters.Theyreceive benefits from the National also usedtocover the headofnewly mar- Trilochana, aka Subhrai Raja is said to have ufacturedproductsavailable at cheaper ledgovernment’s tourismpolicy;the de- Cooperative Development Corporation. riedTripuri women. Whyisthe risa important? invented nearly 250 designs of rignai during rates. sign wasprovidedbyWeavers Service However, onlyahandful of them work ex- Thesegarmentsweretraditionallyhand- Wovenincolourful designs and worn as his time forhis 250 wives. Thegarmentis madein handloomor loin CentreatAgartala. clusively on traditional tribal handloom. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 WORDLY WISE Youdon’tbelieve the skyisfalling until a 10 THE EDITORIAL PAGE chunk of it fallsonyou. —MARGARET ATWOOD The injustice of merit

§ FOUNDED BY § RAMNATH GOENKA Broadening thesocial baseofthe faculty BECAUSETHE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL at IITsisanecessary step

NITISH DIMINISH Alok Tiwari Bihar order againstcriticism of government online is against MANY YEARS AGO(1997-2001), Iwas astu- wring our hands in despair.Ifwewereasked poor,confirming the biases of general cate- governance. The Chief Ministermustscrap it dent of IIT Kanpur whichwas, and continues to name the greatest injusticeinthe world, it gory faculty members. Thereafter, it wasa to be,agreat place to learn. The experience would have been reservation —inacountry long andpainful journey downhill. Low HE BIHAR GOVERNMENT’S decision to designate“objectionable and inde- wasexhilarating forasmall-town, middle- with widespread poverty, exploitation and grades, poor job prospects, no glowing rec- cent” commentsmade online againstthe stategovernment or itsministers, class adolescentmaturing intoayoung adult. inequalityofevery conceivablesort! ommendations from professors foradmis- MLAs,MPsandofficialsascyber-crimeisonemoreexampleof electedgover- With wonderful, brilliant learners and a The collective rage we felt had twosig- sions to the topuniversities abroad. Many nmentsabusing their powertobuy themselvesaTeflon shield againstcriti- beautiful campus, the IIT yearswereatime nificant consequences for“us”, as well as for were likelyscarredfor life—and all the while, T when Iwas living my childhood dream. It “them”. The mostsinisterresult of our anger we thought this wasjustareflection of the cism,dissentandaccountability.InNovemberlastyear,theKeralagovernm- wasaseemingly liberal place whereyou wassomething everyalert and sensitive naturalorder of things. Therehavebeen ad- ent had brought in an amendment making “threateningorabusive”posts punishable by a could watchamovie sitting on achairwhile reader would have noticedbynow: It was mirableexceptions to the pictureIhave jail term, but withdrew it afteranuproar againstthe unconstitutional move.Bihar is now your professor wasseated on the floor,where the “othering” of the reserved categorystu- painted,but the point is that the reservedcat- sallying down the same path of undemocratic excess. Acircularissuedbythe Biharpolice’s agirlcould come andstayinmalehostels, dentsbythe general categorystudentsand egorystudentswerenot allowedtobring out economicoffencesunit,thenodalagencyforactionagainstcyber-crime,asksprincipalsecre- even duringthe night. To contextualise the the faculty,whichitself wasdrawn almost the best in them becauseofthe exclusionary tariesandsecretariesof variousdepartmentstobringinstancesof such“objectionable”posts above examples,pleasebear in mind that it fullyfromthe general category. Therewere thoughtand behaviour structures that were to itsnoticesothatactioncanbetakenunderprovisionsof theITActandtheIndianPenalCode. wasstill the 20th centuryand the IIT wassit- twodifferent universes between whichthere programmed intoIIT lifeinmytime there. uated in Kanpur,UP. wasalmostnoporosity of affection, empa- Twodecades have passedsince Ileftthe This gagorder suggests thatChief MinisterNitish Kumar perceivesthe freedomof Books, exams, grades, research,scholar- thy, camaraderie or shared existence. We IIT.Reservation forOBC studentshas changed speechand expression guaranteedtohis state’s citizens as minor,dispensable hazards of ships, US universities, jobs, green cards, etc. barelyspoketoeachother,and rarely were the composition of current batches. Society democracy.Itisnot.Inhis lastthree terms, Nitish Kumar’s focus on the tangiblesofde- —all good things of life—were theretobe students from the reserved categoryapart is increasingly becoming less casteistand velopment, from roads to lawand order,education of girls and empowerment of women, had. It wasgreat to be alive in suchaplace, of our charmedcircles. The compartmental- moreaccommodative of thosewho maybe had earnedhim the calling cardof“Sushashan Babu”. But by shutting down uncomfort- nothing wasamiss, or so we thought. Almost This wasalso not the isationwas water-tight, though unstatedand different from the so-calledmainstream. In able, even angryand unruly,criticism againsthis government and itsadministrators, the nothing, if we were forced to be morepre- horizontal un-ordainedinformal terms. fact, the mainstream itself has been meta- cise. Therewas somethingjarring in the idyl- This wasalso notthe horizontal compart- morphosing intosomething morerepresen- JD(U) leader risksputting the enterprise of his much-touted “good governance” in peril. lic reality thatIhavejustdescribed above — compartmentalisation of mentalisation of gender-basedrest-rooms. tative of ourpopulace.Inthis context,itis Unlikeautocracies, democracies work by casting the netofexperiences and objections anot-so-palatable sideshowinthe celebra- gender-based rest-rooms. It It wasavertical, hierarchical stratification, pertinent to note thatthe reservationfor fac- wide, by refusing to believe in the vanity projectsofone-man or one-woman or one- tion of merit and hardworkthat the IIT wasavertical, hierarchical looselyparodying the Jew-Aryanideology of ulty posts in IITsisarefreshing changeto party solutions. The free exchangeofideas and opinions, especiallyinahierarchical so- seemingly was. The IIT dream, likethe more stratification, loosely Nazi Germanyorracial segregation of tackle the deep-seated prejudices of the old popular American dream, had aseductive apartheid South Africa. Our humanity was guardagainstreservedcategorystudents. ciety prone to capturebydominant interests,isthe feedbackloop without whichgover- parodying the Jew-Aryan nance cannotbecome either just,equitable or effective.Itnot onlyhelpscitizens flag appeal —and the myth overwhelmedreality mutilated by suchothering and our reserved Anyattempt to resistthe broadeningofthe to createalarger-than-lifehalf-truth at best, ideology of Nazi Germanyor categorybatchmates were subject to poten- socialbase of thefaculty wouldbearetro- corruption, or the disenfranchisedtocontestdecisions that affect their lives, but also ablatant lie at worst. racial segregation of tially soul-sappingdegradation —aresult of grade step. Manythings will have improved savesthe executive from the arrogance of itsown infallibility —byleaving the door open The Mecca of merit and industriousness apartheid South Africa. Our being excludedfromthe mainstream of the and manyothers arelikelyalready on the forcorrection. Simplyput, free speechiscentral to good governance. Increasingly,how- had aperceivedunderclass—thosefromthe community in whichone lives. Ilearnt first- road to improvement. ever,democracy is being seen as acompetitive winner-takes-all electioneering race, in reservedcategory—who were oftenreferred humanitywas mutilated by hand about the deleterious effect that even Ihavetriedtorecount thedepth of dark- whichthe electoral mandateisusedtoinsulatethe government from criticism and ac- to with demeaning epithets,whichques- suchothering and our mild and subtle exclusion can have on one’s ness from whichwehavemoved to our cur- countability.Inthis paranoid view, all potential criticism equals motivatedattackson the tionedtheirintelligence and right to beat the reserved category self-esteem and educational performance, rent reality,whichisdefinitelybetter, though state—this anxiety manifests in the waygovernmentsare using aslewofIPC provisions institution. Many sawthem as ablotonthe batchmates were subjectto when later in my lifeIwentontostudy at the Iamnot saying that it is perfect. Rose-tinted fair name of IIT Kanpur;impostors who had London School of Economics, whichisastory nostalgia about the pastshould notbeal- —toarrestjournalistsand comics foratweet or asloganoraFacebook postorajoke. usurpedthe domain of meritoriouskids like potentially soul-sapping foranother day. lowedtobrush suchmonstrous injustices The Bihar government’s newcircular —its imprecise framing about what constitutes us, justbecause India’s half-literatepoliticians degradation —aresult of Secondly, and moreconcretely, theywere under the carpet. That would be unjusttoour “indecent” and who makes that subjective call —isset up formisuse and harassment of had proppedthem up forvote-bank politics. being excluded from the notallowedtopartakeinthe learning envi- pastsufferers while miseducating our pres- citizens. It is an unconstitutional diktat that will expend precious administrative energy Their lowranks in theJoint EntranceExams mainstream of the ronment of IIT.Mostlyrelegated to the hu- ent generation. And it will nothelp createa did notprevent themfromgetting“better” miliatinglytitled“slowpace” programmes, better future. on policing the internetand cancelling government critics. Thatisanything but sushasan. communityinwhich Chief MinisterNitish Kumar mustwithdraw it immediately. branches of engineeringwhile we andour manywould soon become“juniors” of their helpless teachersand parentscould merely one lives. ownbatchmates. Their grades were mostly The writer is district magistrate,Kanpur CHANGING CLIMATE

Joe Biden’s decision on Paris Pact, WHO arewelcome signalsof the US reversing insular tendencies of the Trumpera OPEN,ONLY ON PAPER

MONGJOE BIDEN’S firstdecisionsafter assuming office as the 46th President of the US wastorecommit his countrytothe Paris Climate Lackoftransparency on vaccine goes againstCentre’s draftscience policy Change Pact and affirm Washington’sties with the WorldHealth A Organisation (WHO).His predecessor, DonaldTrump, had withdrawn Priyanka Choudhary the US from the landmarkpact, calling it a“disaster” forAmerica. And, amidstthe raging COVID pandemic,hehad haltedUSfunding to the global health organisa- WHILE SCIENTISTS AND researchers have EUA, Covishield, has been developedby —ICMRfundedthe clinical trial sitefeesfor tion, accusing it of being “under the total control of China”. In awelcome departurefromhis been calling fortransparency in COVID-19 AstraZeneca and OxfordUniversity and is Covishield andcollaborated in thedevelop- predecessor’s “America First” approach, Biden saidonhis inauguration thaton“climateand vaccine-related research data,the Centre, manufactured in India by the Pune-based ment of Covaxin. These would, therefore, fall arangeofother issues, the US willengagewith the worldonceagain”. ironically, releasedthe draftversion of the Serum Institute. The Central Drugs Standards withinthe scope of thedraft STIP 2020 —so The US’s withdrawal from the WHO, scheduled to take effect in July, would have drasti- Science, Technology,and Innovation Policy Control Organisation (CDSCO), the country’s all research dataonthe vaccines mustbe callyaffectedthefinancesof theglobalhealthbody—nearly 16 percentof itsbudget isfinanced (STIP)inDecember2020 basedonthe ethos drug regulatoryauthority,statesthat the made availableinthe publicdomain forcol- of “Open Science”. overall efficacy of the vaccine, basedonstud- lective scrutiny and peer-review. by Washington.Likewise, the secession of the world’ssecond-largest GHG emitter would Open Sciencehas emergedasaglobal ies in Brazil, South Africa and UK (23,745 par- When dataisnot openlyavailable, espe- have jeopardisedthe Paris Pact’s objective to keep temperaturerise in this century under 2 movement amidstagrowing crisis in science ticipantsaged18orabove)is70.42 per cent. cially in cases of publicly-fundedresearch degrees Celsius,compared to pre-industrial levels. Biden has notyet revealed thedetailsof that has affected India as well, and includes In India, basedonthe Phase II/IIIclinical tri- and research whichhavewiderpublic safety hisadministration’sclimateambitions,butif hiscampaignisanyindication,Americaislikely issues suchasfabrication and falsification of als on 1,600participants, this is “compara- concerns, the vaccine forinstance, notonly to recommititself to thevoluntaryemissionreductiontargetsthatconstitutetheParisPact’s data, plagiarism,unethical authorship, fail- ble with those from the overseas clinical is publictrustinscience and scientists dam- bedrock.His$2trillionclean-energyproposalenvisagesanemissions-freeelectricgridby 2035 uretodisclosefunding sources andgender studies” according to theregulatorybody. aged,the self-critical and self-correcting na- andaimsto make theUSanet zero carboneconomyby2050.Afterhiselection,Bidenrenewed disparity in research institutions.Aninterest- Scientists have,however, raisedtwo major ture of science is severely hampered as well. ing exampletounderstand the crisis is the concerns —thereis“limited ethnicitydata” The government’s intention to prioritise re- this pledgeand assuredthathis plan to “Build BackGreener”will have specialfocus on com- “10,000 steps aday to remain healthy” goal, in the current trials and thereisalso an ab- search andinnovationinthe fight against munities of colour, “who have suffereddisproportionatelyfromfossilfuel pollution”. whichmostofusare awareof. Howmany, sence of resultsonolder people, the ones at the COVID-19pandemic is laudable. Avac- ThenewPresident’sdecisionsonhealthandenvironmentarefirst stepstowardsplugging however, knowthatthis goal is basedonbad the highestrisk,becausemosttrialpartici- cine, however, cannotcome at the costof the riftbetween the topglobal powerand the rest of the world. Theyare alsoarecognition science and thereisnoevidence forthe pants were underthe ageof55. This concern transparency,anindispensable element in thatnationalsilosare ill-equippedtodealwithalmostallthecrisesconfrontingtheplanetto- 10,000 steps figure? is especiallyrelevant in the Indian context the fight againstthe virus. While CDSCO day, whether theybemelting glaciers, warming temperatures or notoriouslyinfectious Open Sciencedraws attention to some because people above 50 years areamongst guidelines clearly mention that“adequate core values suchastransparency,accessibil- the priority groups in the vaccination drive. datashould be generated”toensuresafety pathogens. Even as severalglobal leaders, including the former US president, pandered to ity, collaboration,and “constant and contin- Also, as some researchers have pointedout, and effectiveness of anyvaccine whose de- insular tendencies,the pandemic underlinedthat thereisnoescape from the global village. uous transfer of knowledge betweenproduc- as per the latestCDSCOGuidelines, a“bridg- velopment is expedited forunmetmedical Borders did have to besealedasanemergency response to the virus. Shortagesinvital med- ersand users of knowledge.” It’s alsoan Thedevelopment of both the ingstudy” needs to be carriedout to under- needsofthe country, this datashould also icalprovisions,drugs,personalprotectionequipmentandventilators—now vaccines—how- essential partofthe draftSTIP 2020, which vaccine candidates is part of stand immune response in the Indian pop- be made public. ever,meant that no countrycould deal with the crisisonits own. At the same, the questions states that an “all-encompassing Open public-funded research— ulation. This is, however, the “firstfull Going ahead, dataacross the different raisedofglobalisation —including those by Trumpism and itsvariants—cannotbeput off Science Framework will be built to provide ICMR funded the clinical peer-reviewedefficacy result” to be pub- stages of COVID-19vaccine research (includ- access to scientific data, information, knowl- lishedfor aCOVID-19 vaccine,soitcan ar- ingbut notlimitedto research methodology, by thechangeinthe White House. It’stoo earlytosay if Biden’s presidency augurs acourse edge,and resources to everyone” and “all data trial site fees forCovishield guablybesaidtobewithin the norms of research tools, negative results, efficacy data, correction.Buttheemphasison“humility”intheearly statementsofhisnewlyappointedcli- used in and generated from publicly funded and collaborated in the “good science”. and otherlimitations) should be made pub- matediplomat, former secretaryofstate JohnKerry,does sendpositive signals —asdothe research will be available to everyone under development of Covaxin. The secondapproved vaccine candidate, lic on ICMR’s open accessrepository,the cen- President’sinitial decisions on climateand health. FAIR (findable,accessible, interoperable and These would,therefore,fall “Covaxin”, developedbyHyderabad-based tral repositoryofthe Department of Science reusable) terms”. However, the news on the BharatBiotech in collaboration with the and Technology or other open access repos- “Emergency Use Authorisation” (EUA) to the within the scope of the draft Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is itories identifiedbythe CSIR. This mustbe Freeze Frame EPUnny twoCOVID-19 vaccine candidates, whoseef- STIP 2020 —soall research still undergoing Phase III trials. It is widelyac- done on apriority basis to ensurethat bad sci- ficacy data is either currentlyunavailable or dataonthe vaccines must be knowledgedinthe scientific community that ence does notcompromise peoples’ health disputable in the Indian context, leads one to made available in the public these trials areimportant to understand the and the trustinscience remainsintact. wonder if thereisaninconsistency between ability of the vaccine to prevent clinical dis- policy andpractice. domain forcollective ease. The development of both the vaccine The writer is aresearcher with the The firstvaccine candidatetoreceive the scrutinyand peer-review. candidates is partofpublic-funded research government of Punjab

JANUARY 25,1981, FORTY YEARS AGO

ISLAMIC SUMMIT over apassagetoUSplanes duringthe Gulf KRaghunandan Reddy,formerUnion labour THE FOREIGN MINISTERS of 38 Islamic na- War. Egypt, whichhas signedapeace treaty minister, said the BJP’sGandhian socialism tions went intosession in TayefinSaudi with Israel and Afghanistan, is bannedfrom wasnothing but aform of “corporate Arabia to hear the reportofafive-member the summit. socialism”. delegation theyhad sent to Iran to persuade the countrytoattend the Islamic Summit ALL WANT SOCIALISM SATURDAY,AHOLIDAY opening on January25. The delegationdid IT’SALMOSTCERTAIN that anew political MILLIONS OF POLES defiedtheir country’s notmeetwithsuccess. The Iranian leaders, it party will take shape at theconclusion of the socialistregime and stayed homeonJanuary appears, did notwant to meetthe Iraqi three-day All India Democratic Socialist 24,aSaturday,topress forafive-dayweek. President, Saddam Hussein, at the summit. Convention in Bombay. The chief of the con- Production wasdowntoatrickle andthe The Iranian position appears to be that the vention, HNBahuguna, indicated that the fi- huge Hutasteel mill at Warsawand other Islamic countries should firstcondemn the nal decision will be takenonJanuary25. major factories in the Polish capital and else- Iraqi aggression againsttheircountrybefore Speakers at the convention agreedthat all where. The Baltic portofGladsk,the flash- Tehran can accepttheir mediation in the people wanted socialism and the Bharatiya pointoflastyear’sworkers’ strike,was re- Iran-Iraq conflict. Libya is also boycotting the JanataParty (BJP) “had deceivedthe people portedatastandstill with the exception of summit over adisputewith Saudi Arabia by putting up itsown brand of socialism”. food shops and hospitals. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 WHATTHE OTHERSSAY “Americaand Britain are eachemergingfrom disruptive internal periods.The alliance between them must be rooted in realism about the present,not fantasy 11 THE IDEAS PAGE about thepast” —THEGUARDIAN, UK Reforming capitalism Majority complex The BJP believesthat itslegislative majority makes WorldEconomic Forumwill meetatatime whenglobal economyisincrisis.Delhishould contributeto differing views irrelevant, givesthe right to the framingofnew rules to govern internationalinstitutions impose itswill on futuregenerations

futuregenerations. Severalofthe far-reaching changes to the structureofIndiahave, of course, been approved by the SupremeCourt butthen so wasthe Emergency, whichthe apex courtiswondering if it can declareunlaw- ful decades later.Inademocracy,you ei- RAJA MANDALA ther live with the pastyou inherit or pre- tend that it wasdifferent. The present by CRajaMohan Salman Khurshid government wantstorewritehistory and certainlyalter the path of the future. We THE UP GOVERNOR recentlyremarked seem to have made the mistake of onlyat- WHETHERITISaclevergimmickoraserious that the Opposition does precious little pol- tacking the government forthat instead of attempt to produce structural changes in the itics beyond presenting representations to engaging with citizens who supportthe organisation of global capitalism, the World her.Asalong-term politician, she must government. We needtoask themwhy,if Economic Forum’s initiative for“TheGreat knowwhat politics entails. When in at all, theyhateus; howtheybelieve their Reset” has setoff furious conspiracy theories Opposition,thereisanimplicitobligation preferredway of lifeisbeing adverselyim- on the right and contemptuous dismissal to provide constructivecooperation and pacted by the alternative wayoflife; what from theleft. honestscrutinyofgovernmentdecisions. in the system we have inheritedprevents The Great Reset, conceptualisedbythe The governorneednot go very fartotest them from feeling that their proud Hindu founder and executivechairman of the WEF, her idea of politics as farmers, including identityiscomplete;how the Hindutva Klaus Schwab, has evolvedoverthe lastfew from western UP,are gathered on the bor- project will address our collective concerns years and is basedonthe assessment thatthe der of the national capitaltoprotestthe about food, jobs, education, healthand worldeconomyisindeep trouble. He argues farm laws.The Opposition, including the happiness. thatthe situation has been made alot worse Congress, have extendedtheir unqualified Despiteour deep differences, we can- by manyfactors, includingthe pandemic’s supporttothe movement but have strate- notand mustnot countenance anything devastating effectsonglobal society,the un- gicallyrefrainedfromstealing the thunder likeacivil wartothe finish. We have lived folding technological revolution, and the con- of the farmers. Sadly, politics has takena together and our destinyistolivetogether. CRSasikumar sequences of climatechange. strangeturn, so muchsothat organic The project to acquirepowerand retain it Schwab demands that “the worldmust tres of the post-War globalorder—on notgoingto reform itself. Making capital more protests likethose againstthe CAA-NRC forsome time willcertainly be servedby act jointlyand swiftlytorevampall aspects September 11,2001. responsive belongs to the realm of the state. and nowthe farm laws remain uneasy accentuating an ostensible divide--but of our societies and economies, from educa- The choice of Singaporeiscertainlyprac- The kind of policy choices that astate makes about political parties being seen sharing then what? Even apowerful militaryisun- tion to social contractsand working condi- tical; it is also symbolic. The success of East in mediating between different stakeholders the stagewith them. This model owes able to secure status quobeyondaperiod; tions. Everycountry,fromthe United States Asia, or “Greater China” if youwill, in contain- depends, in turn, on the balance of political muchtoKejriwal-IAC, wherethe hidden powerful demagogueslosetheir grip; un- to China, mustparticipate,and everyindus- ing the pandemic standsinstark contrastto forces within societies and between them. agendafor transformingthe agitation into shakeable structures likethe SovietUnion try, from oil and gastotech, mustbetrans- thefailures in NorthAmerica and Europe. The Second, Davosiscertainlyrighttofocus apolitical party happilyallowedtaking dis- give way; demigods arehumbled.Onlydi- formed. In short, we needa‘Great Reset’ of onlycities that can hostlarge physical events on the deepening climatecrisis. Climatescep- creetsupport from the opponentsofthe alogue and empathysurvive in the ultimate capitalism.” rightnow areinAsia, and Singaporeisar- tics have been oustedfromWashington and Congress,but without conceding them analysis. The right seesthe WEF arguments about guablythe mostconvenient. Meanwhile, the President Biden has rejoinedthe 2015 Paris space directly. It is another matter that the To return to thegovernor of UP:Surely restructuring the global economyasadan- much-talked-about Asia’s rise —notwith- accordonmitigating climatechange.But that enterprise helpedthe BJP and hurtthe Her Excellency accepts that allthis is about gerous attempt to impose “socialism” and dis- standing itsinternalcontradictions —iswith is notenough to resolve themain political Congress. politics. To believe in this, to articulatethis, mantle the traditional society,orwhat re- us andisnow adecisive factor in reordering challenge on climatechange. It is about dis- The Congress is the onlyOpposition to educatethe electorateabout this, to mains of it. The leftscoffsatthe DavosMan’s theglobal economy. tributing the economic and socialcosts of party that has the footprint to makeadif- stand up and be counted —itispolitics at talk on the crisis of capitalism. It pointstothe The agenda of The Great Resettouches on moving away from carbon use within and ference to theresistance to the incumbent the highestand certainlydifferent from complicityofthe Davosforum in promoting manykey issues facing the world. Three of across nations. government, although giventhe present politickingthat everyone seems to confuse policiesthat have broughtthe worldtothe them stand out. Internally, the conflictisabout manag- conditions, we understand that we will with politics. But, of course, thereisanother current impasse and question itscapacity to Firstisthe question of reforming capital- ing the differential social impact and exter- have to keep space forlike-minded dimension: Debateand discourse aredis- producesolutions. ism. Davoshas been at the forefront of call- nally, it is about reconciling the divergent Opposition parties.Itisstill early to expect missedasnon-starters and politics is no- Irrespectiveofwhat the WEF might say, ingfor “stakeholder capitalism” that looksbe- carbon policy imperativesamong the ma- aworkable two-way accommodation, ticedonlywhenthereisdisruption. Make thereisnodenying the contemporaryglobal yond the traditional corporatefocuson jor economic actors. This again leads to the giventhe regional contradictions that exist. it impossible foragovernmenttowork; challenges. The reigning assumptions about maximising profit forshareholders. realm of contestedpolitics —bothinternal However, ajoint effort within Parliament blockthe streetsand trains; switchoff elec- deregulation and globalisationthat signifi- The demandsfor itsreform areasold as and international. and beyond on demonetisation,GST im- tricity and water; squeeze supplyoffood cantly reducedconstraintsoncapital within capitalism itself; we also knowthat the dom- Thirdisthe growing difficulty of global co- plementation, the Citizenship Amendment and other supplies; disturb public peace — and across borders over the lastthree decades inant capital tends to resistchange.What is operation that Davoswants to promote.The Act, police atrocities, mixed marriages laws, these arecertainlynot publiclyadvocated arenow being challenged across the world, different thistime is the vocal supportfor the eraofgreat powerharmonythataccompa- the futureofJ&K, farm laws,incompetent by anyone in authority yetare we to believe including in the US that longchampioned principles of stakeholder capitalism from the niedthe liberalisation of the global economy handling of COVID-19, etc, is neither incon- that theyare symptoms of live politics? these ideas four decades ago. tophonchos of the global industry. In the US, at theturnofthe 1990s has yieldedplace to sistent with political ideology nor the Furthermore, ahapless police forcecon- Delhi, whichisinthe middle of an eco- progressiveshope President Joe Biden, like intense contestation. Thecontestation is not strategies of the entirespectrum of the tortspublic protestintosedition,though nomicresetofitsown,mustnot onlypay atten- PresidentsTeddy and FranklinRoosevelt,will just political but increasinglyeconomicand Opposition. Letusnot forget,ifIndialives thankfully yetnot intoinsurrection -- the tion to theglobal debate, but also recognise bring much-neededreform.Not everyone is technological. If the worldneeds universalist therewill be opportunity forthe word being usedfor thestorming of the US that the current crisis and itspolitical conse- convincedthough. solutions, getting them has become harder Opposition. Some stillborn stepswere Capitol by therednecks supporting quences will inevitablylead to arearrange- Commentaryinthe Wall Street Journal TheGreat Reset, than ever before.This, in turn, might lead to takeninthe pastmonths but time is run- President Donald Trump. But who willex- mentof theglobalorder;DavosornoDavos.If routinelydismissesstakeholder capitalism conceptualised by the “competitivemultilateralism” and the con- ning out to put up aformidable challenge plain to thehundredsofincarcerated youth structural changeisinevitable, the questionis as afront for“irresponsible corporatism” that founder and executive struction of coalitions of the willing, capable to theinsensitive and incompetent func- chargedwithUAPAand otheroffences in whatDelhicandoto maximiseIndia’spossibil- divertscash flows from productive use of cap- chairman of the WEF,Klaus to developand enforce newrules. tioning of agovernment thatclaims over- the CAA-NRCFIRs that theirpolitics wasa itiesand limit the potential dangers. ital thatcan produce collectivegood. On the Unlikeinthe 20th century,India nowcan whelming popular supportbut in electoral crime?Understandably, thereisaredline Prime MinisterNarendraModi will be American left, critics argue capital has shown Schwab, has evolved over the and mustactively contributetothe framing of records can showless than 40 per centof between protestand sedition but advising among the manyworld leaders who will be littleconcern forthe interests of stakehold- last few yearsand is based on newrules to govern global capitalism and re- the popular vote. The governmentbelieves the citizen to protestfor politics should addressing this week’s annual gathering of ers and itsinstinct forprofitmaximisation has the assessment that the shaping of international institutions. At the that itsmajority makes all differingviews come with an assurance that it will notbe the WEF. The pandemichas compelledthe onlygottenworse during the pandemic. world economyisindeep same time, it mustalso reform itsown econ- irrelevant. Laws that theylegislatecan still crushed by an impervious law. forum to move online from itstraditional The large technology companies that omyand society to makeitmoreequitable, be reversedinthe future, but changes like wintryabode in the Swiss Alps. But Davoshas were to deliverusintothe digitalutopia have trouble. He argues that the sustainable and capable of coping with rapid the newParliamentand Central Vistawill The writer is senior Congress leader and notgiven up on aphysical meeting for2021. proven to be as rapacious as the European situation has been made alot external change. It is only thosenations that impose the will of atransitorymajorityon former Union minister It is scheduledtotakeplace in June in merchant kings of the early colonialera and worsebymanyfactors, caneffectively managethe dynamic interac- Singapore. exploitative capitalists of the19th century. including the pandemic’s tion between the internal and external that This is onlythe second timethat the Davos Big beneficiaries of deregulationand special will come out as winners in the Great Reset annual forum is takingplaceatanother loca- concessions around the world, the tech gi- devastating effects on global that is unfolding. tion. In 2002 January, the forumconvenedin antspay fewtaxes andactively depress society, the unfolding LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR Manhattan, to demonstratethe resilience and wagesfor working people. Theyalsohaveac- technological revolution, and The writer is director,InstituteofSouth Asian resolve of international capital againstthe quired unprecedentedpowertoinfluence Studies, NationalUniversity of Singaporeand spectacular terror attacksonNew York and the governments. the consequences of climate contributing editor on internationalaffairs Washington—the financialand political cen- Realists would suggestthat capitalism is change. for The Indian Express CENTRE'SFOLLIES IDEAS THIS REFERS TO the article, 'Pause or re- peal: Government mayhavetogoback ONLINE to SC or Parliament on farm laws'(IE, January22). This is notthe firsttime the ONLYINTHE EXPRESS current government at the Centrehas Swachh lessons for Covid times ● LETCHILDRENBREATHE: underminedthe authority of constitu- tional provisions. Be it CAA-NRCorthe AJAYSINGHNAGPURE, recent farm laws,the government has NITYAKAUSHI World’slargest sanitationprogrammecanbeamodelforcautionpostthevaccine remainedblissfullyignorantof bothcon- stitutional principles and public senti- ● CLIMATE CONCERNS AkshayRout ment,while marching to itsown beat. In 2021:ASHISH CHATURVEDI, this process, the government has insid- VIJETA RATTANI iouslytarnishedthe ideals of aparlia- ACROSS EUROPE, EVEN in Rome, therewere pation. In Prime MinisterNarendraModi’s swachhagrahis remain watchful across India’s is seen as amodel forvaccine distribution, the mentarydemocracy,envisionedbyour www.indianexpress.com poignant reports of subduedChristmas cele- words, “swachhata” wastakenup asa“collec- six-and-a-half lakh villages to makesurethat instrumentsand mechanismsofSwachh leaders and enshrinedinour brations, unavoidable, because of the fear of tive national responsibility”. As the vaccine en- the guardisnot down. The scaleofmass ac- Bharat Mission can address the needfor sus- Constitution. the unpredictablecoronavirus.Countries have teredthe collective imaginationofanexpec- tion and buzz creation around sanitation un- tainingCOVID-responsible behaviour —cover- ShreyaSingh, Mumbai DRAGON’SDEN fallen backonthat age-oldadage,discretion is tant population, PM Modi reminded: “Dawai der Swachh Bharat Mission was ing theface and maintaining physical distance. the better partofvalour.New Year's Evewas bhi, Kadaai Bhi ''. Though it’s currentlycon- unprecedented. Avolunteering forcelikethe swachhagrahis BIDEN’SFIRST DAY THISREFERSTO the editorial, ‘Slaying the notmuchdifferent.InIndia, cities and states strictedby avoidable vaccinehesitancy,India’s Foracountrythat prides itself on accom- or the band of young and skilledwarriors like Dragon’ (IE, January22). It is ironic that took recourse to anew setofrestrictions that vaccine programme will hopefullyusher in plishing the world's largest behaviour change the zila Swachh Bharat prerakscould beaptfor THIS REFERS TO the editorial, 'Biden's on the one hand, the merename of afor- can’t be dismissedaskilljoy. Leaders and gov- herdimmunity at the earliest. programme, involving 600million citizens, the purpose. burden'(IE, January22). The recent as- eign-sounding fruit canstir thewaters ernmentsare having to anxiouslyremind cit- Behavioural changes requiretime. The ob- sustaining acorona-responsive behaviour Barelyhavethe firstjabs been adminis- sault on the US Capitol building is proof forGujarat Chief MinisterVijay Rupani izens about pandemic protocols. Among the servation of safesanitation practices —espe- should be less challenging, giventhat the teredinahandful of countries, amutant vari- of the fact that America is atinderbox. but the shutting down of legendary fewrescue actsofJoe Biden’sfirstday in the cially thosepertainingto toilet use, assiduously threat is muchdirect. In fact, to inculcateanew ant of the virus has made itspresence felt. The Nowthat Joe Biden is in the Oval Office, Gujarati publishers likeLokmilap go WhiteHouse wasthe restoration of the mask. cultivatedduring the Swachh Bharat years of behaviour has always been relatively easier fear of asecond or thirdsurge of thepandemic he should work to stanchthe bleeding. without anyinterventiononhis part. It is In Mumbai,civic authoritieshavefound 2014-2019 —isacase in point. The keyfind- compared to changinganage-oldhabit like lurks.Postvaccine, COVID-19 maymoderate As the US president, he can either rise to high time that the Gujarat government that the number of people revelling at wed- ings of the FifthRound of the National Family open defecation. in termsof severity andinfectivity,butit might theoccasion by reaching out to theother introspectedandchannelleditsenergies ding receptions, pubs, restaurantsand night- HealthSurvey,2019-20 do throw up certain The hardworkofthe last10monthsofsur- notbecompletelyeliminatedsome time soon. side,orhecoulddrive awedge deeper towardsthelinguisticandculturalcauses clubsexceededthe permissiblelimits—infact, concerns about the stateofsanitation in the veillance and testing, nottospeak of enduring The learning from the pandemic is notonlyre- between the Democratsand the that actuallymatter. manyweremaking merry without the country, particularly in itsrural parts.Itwould the painful lockdowns, and the fruitful precau- siliencebutalsohumilityinconductandbeing Republicans by perpetuating this ugly Kushal Khandhar, Mumbai mandatorymask. Morethan 10 lakh people appearthat the focus of theSwachhBharat tions of masking, distancing and regularhand awarethat the virus remainsanunpredictable partisan fight. were finedintheMaximumCityfornot using Mission on toiletaccessand useneeds to be washing will come to anaught if the com- adversary. The piece of cloth spread across the Varun Das, Zirakpur THISREFERSTO the editorial, 'Slaying the masks. Violations were also reportedinother takenforward with double the vigour. mencement of vaccination or the slide in the face that shuts offsomeof our sensoryorgans, Dragon' (IE, January22).The renaming cities and towns. So, the announcement of a Sustaining the changed behaviour requires a COVID case count areseen as an invitation to besides being functionallyefficient, is sym- THIS REFERS TO the editorial, 'Biden’s of dragon fruit to “kamalam” wasunnec- night curfew wasanexpectedenforcement steady stream of campaigns, something that freedom. The year of vaccination,2021, can bolic of this willing subjugation —that has to burden' (IE,January22). The wayUSPJoe essary, to saythe least. It is high time that response. has always tested the implementers. only becomparedwithPhase II of the Swachh continue. The CleanIndia of Mahatma’sdream Biden reversed17executive controver- the government, in this case in Gujarat, Fines and police action areperhaps justi- Very pertinently, the Swachh Bharat Bharat Mission. Muchlikethe imperative sus- became possible when 130crore Indianscame sial decisions of his predecessor on Day understands thatthereare moreimpor- fiedforprotecting livesand preventing the sys- Mission Phase II givesinstitutionalisedatten- tain an ODF society,the behavioural changes together and adoptednew habitsofsanitation. Onesignals his intentions to the world tant issues to focus on. The debilitating temfromcollapsing. But making the wearing tion to the sustainability of ODF(Open necessitatedby the pandemic mustbebepre- The same joint resolve is necessarynot to leta —that he is firm about mending things. conditionof the country’seconomyand of masksasustainable habit and observing DefecationFree) status, despitethe action servedwith double the efforteven though the single mask drop offthe nose. His quickdecisions will go along wayin itspeople due to the pandemic is surely physical distancingaspartofeverydaybehav- moving on to solidand liquid wastemanage- vaccine has openedupavista of hope and the bringing changes in apositive wayfor amoremajor concern than these petty iourwould have to bepartofashared—albeit ment.While Amitabh Bachchan calledout for scale of infection is down —the latter owesin The writer,aformer Director General (Special America and the rest of the world. issues. noneto cheerful —vision till thereisadecisive “Darwaza Bandh'' —shut the door on open no small measuretothe observance of the dis- Projects), Swachh Bharat Mission, is presently SSPaul, Nadia Komal Pugalia, Silchar green signal.Ithas to be likeIndia’s Swachh defecation —inthe initial phase, the current tancing and masking prescriptions. aVisiting Professor at Central University of Bharat, asterling example of people’s partici- callis for“Har Koi,HarRoz,Hamesha”. Trained While the networkofelection operations Odisha. Viewsare personal WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 12 THE WORLD

TOPOFTHE As China-Taiwan tension rises, WORLD TurmoilinNepalrulingpartyas PrachandagroupexpelsPMOli US warships sailinto region REUTERS TAIPEI,JANUARY24 Prachanda-ledfaction wasplan- SHIRISHBPRADHAN ning to file ano-confidence mo- AUSaircraftcarrier group ledby KATHMANDU,JANUARY24 tion againsthim and introduce the USS TheodoreRoosevelt has an impeachment motion against enteredthe SouthChina Sea to PRIME MINISTER KPSharma Oli President BidyaDeviBhandari. promote “freedomofthe seas”, Alexandria wasexpelledfromthe primary Oli-ledCPN-UML and the US militarysaid on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez membership of the Nepal Prachanda-led NCP(Maoist at atime when tensions be- CommunistParty by the splinter Centre) mergedinMay 2018 to tween China and Taiwan have faction ledbyPushpaKamal formtheNepalCommunistParty raisedconcern in Washington. UNITED STATES Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Sundayfor following victoryoftheiralliance USIndo-Pacific Command Mancharged allegedanti-party activities,fur- in the 2017 general elections. said in astatement the strike ther intensifying the infighting KPSharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal‘Prachanda’ Afteravertical split in the rul- group entered the South China withthreatening within the ruling party. ing party following the dissolu- Sea on Saturday, the same day The decision wastaken at the tion of the House, both the fac- Taiwan reportedalarge incur- The USS TheodoreRoosevelt. Reuters File to‘assassinate’ Standing Committee meeting of cation, party sources said. Constitution as well as the dem- tions, one ledbyOli and another sion of Chinese bombers and Ocasio-Cortez the faction ledbyformerPrime Oli had been accusedofvio- ocraticrepublic system which ledbyPrachanda,havesubmit- fighter jets into itsair defence Ministers Prachandaand lating party statutebythe splin- has been establishedinthe tedseparate applications at the identification zone in the vicinity the rules-basedorder which has

ED Tensionsrise Dallas: A34-year-old MadhavKumarNepal at tergroup. countrythrough sevendecades Election Commission claiming of the Pratas Islands. daysinto allowedusall to prosper,” Texasman has been ar- Parisdanda in Koteshwor after Thereisaprovision of disci- of struggle by the people. that their faction is the genuine The US militarysaid the car- Verissimo said in the statement. Biden rested forallegedly taking Oli failedtogiveexplanation to plinary action in party's MadhavNepal, who last party and asked to provide them rier strikegroup wasinthe South PLAIN E The announcement comes ● partinthe storming of the his recent movesassought by Constitutionincase of public ac- month replacedOli as the chair- the electionsymbol of the party. China Sea, alarge partofwhichis EX presidency justdays afterJoe Biden was US Capitol this month and party leadership, said Ganesh tivities against the party's prin- man of the party by Prachanda- However, theElection claimedbyChina,toconduct sworn in as US president. posting violent threats, in- Shah, asenior standing commit- ciples, programmes, policies and ledfaction, said that the Commission is yettodecide the routine operations “toensure CHINAVIEWS democrat- Biden’s nominee forsecretaryof cludingacall to assassi- teemember of the party. legal system, factionalism and Constitutionhas notgiven rights matter. freedom of the seas, build part- icallyruledTaiwan as its state, Antony Blinken, told his nateDemocratic Rep. Earlier in December,the conspiracy within the party,vio- to the primeminister to dissolve In December,China sent a nerships that foster maritime se- ownterritory, andhas in Senateconfirmation hearing on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez splinter group had removed68- lationofparty decision, lack of Parliament. four-memberhigh-leveldelega- curity”. the pastfew months in- Tuesdaytherewas “no doubt” of New York.GarretMiller, year-old Oli, one of the two loyalty and trustinthe party, Nepal plunged into apoliti- tion to Nepal to preventasplit “Aftersailing through these creasedmilitaryactivity China posedthe mostsignifi- who is from the Dallas chairmen of the ruling party,as breachofconfidentiality,accord- cal crisis on December 20 after within the NCP. The team -led by waters throughout my 30-year near the island. cant challengetothe US of any suburb of Richardson, was the co-chair.MadhavNepal was ing to party sources. Oli, known forhis pro-China aVice ministerofthe Chinese career,it’s great to be in the The US, likemost nation. arrested on Fridayafter namedasthe party's second The latestpolitical develop- leanings, in asurprise move dis- CommunistParty,Guo Yezhou - South China Sea again, conduct- countries, has no formal China has repeatedly com- being namedinafive- chairman. Prachandaisthe first ment came twodays afterthe solvedParliament, amidstatus- held separatemeetings with ing routine operations, promot- diplomatic ties with plainedabout US Navy ships get- count federal complaint. chairman of the party. NCP’s splinter faction ledamas- sle forpower withPrachanda. severaltop NCPleaders before ing freedom of the seas, and re- Taiwan, but is bound by ting close to Chinese-occupied Authorities sayhecalled The Prachanda-ledfaction on sive anti-government rally, say- His move to dissolve the275- returning home without much assuring allies and partners,” lawtoprovide the island islands in the South China Sea. forviolence in online January15sought clarification ing the “unconstitutional”disso- member Housesparkedprotests success in itsmission. Rear Adm. Doug Verissimo, com- with the means to de- The Theodore Roosevelt is posts,including atweet from Oli alleging that he wascar- lution of the Parliament by Oli from alarge sectionofthe NCP Indiahas described Oli’s sud- manderofthe strikegroup, was fend itself. Joe Biden was being accompaniedbythe that simplyread rying out activities that go has posedserious threatstothe ledbyPrachanda, also aco-chair den decision to dissolve quoted as saying.” sworn intooffice onlyon Ticonderoga-class guided-mis- “AssassinateAOC,” aref- againstthe party’s policies. The country's hard-earnedfederal of the ruling party. Parliament and call forfresh With two-thirds of the Wednesday.His admin- sile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, and erence to Ocasio-Cortez. faction decidedtoremove Oli democratic republic system. Oli, who is the chairperson of electionsasan“internal matter” world’s trade travelling through istration says itscommit- the Arleigh Burke-class guided- AP even from the ordinarymem- Prachanda lastweek said afaction of the NCP, has said he and said thatitisfor the country this very important region, it is ment to Taiwan is “rock- missile destroyers USS Russell bership of the party afterhe that by dissolving the House, Oli wasforcedtodissolve theHouse to decide as per itsdemocratic vital that we maintain our pres- solid”. and USS John Finn, the US state- chosenot to furnish anyclarifi- has dealt ablowtothe afterknowing that the processes. PTI enceand continue to promote ment said. THE NETHERLANDS ‘Asia’sElChapo’ Eleven trapped miners arrestedin Biden administration to Amsterdam unveil more climate policies rescued in China after Amsterdam: Dutch police said on Saturdaytheyhad 14 days underground arrested thealleged climateenvoy,said arecent leader of asprawling REUTERS pledgebyChina,the world’s top Asian drug syndicate who WASHINGTON,JANUARY24 greenhouse gasemitter,was is listedasone of the “notgood enough.” In AUSTINRAMZY world’s most-wanted US PRESIDENT Joe Biden’s ad- September,Chinese President Xi HONGKONG,JANUARY24 fugitivesand has been ministration next week will re- Xingping setagoalfor his coun- compared to Mexican lease morepolicies it believesare trytobecome carbon neutral by TWOWEEKSafter an explosion drug lordJoaquin “El neededtotackle climatechange 2060, 10 years afterthe 2050 leftagroup of miners trapped Chapo” Guzman. TseChi Awoman casts her ballotinLisbon. Reuters and is urging China to toughen time frame favoredbymost 2,000 feet belowground in the Lop, aChinese-born one of itstargets on greenhouse countries, while also pledging a Chineseprovince of Shandong, Canadian national, was gasemissions, his topclimate moreambitious short-term goal at least11werefound alive and detainedonFridayatthe advisers said on Saturday. Joe Biden on emissions. liftedtothe surface on Sunday. requestofAustralian po- Portugal holds polls GinaMcCarthy, the White As secretaryofstate under The firstrescuedminer was lice, who ledaninvestiga- House’s national climateadviser, former President BarackObama brought to thesurface at 11.13 Rescuers carry aminer who tion thatfound his organ- amid apandemic surge did notsay what policies would Biden, aDemocrat who took in 2015,Kerry helpedbring am Sunday,accordingtoofficials wastrappedinaminein isation dominates the $70 be released. Amemoseenby office on January20, quicklyis- China to the table at the U.N. cli- in Yantai, acity near the small China'sQixia City. AP/PTI billion-a-year Asia-Pacific Reuters on Thursday showed sued executive orders canceling mateconference in Paris. Now, town where themine is located. drug trade, Dutchpolice Biden will unveil asecond round the Keystone XL pipeline that the Biden administration has be- Rescue personnel applaudedas spokesman Thomas BARRYHATTON SPAINMILITARY of executive orders as soon as Jan. would importtar sands oil from gun to applydiplomatic pressure he wasbrought to the surface, eyecoverings forprotection af- Aling said. REUTERS LISBON,JANUARY24 COMMANDERSKIPS 27 that include an omnibus or- Canada and rejoining the 2015 on countries to work harder on according to videobroadcastby tersuchaprolonged period der to combat climatechange do- Paris climateagreement. climate, said Kerry. Xinhua,the state-run news without sunlight. Some were NIGERIA PORTUGAL HELD apresidential VACCINELINE, mesticallyand elevate theissue Both of those movesreversed Tackling climatechange did agency.The miner wasliftedinto carriedout, but others appeared election Sunday, withthe mod- FORCEDTOQUIT as anational security priority. former President Donald notmean adiminishment of an ambulance and immediately to be in better health and able to Pirateskidnap15 erateincumbent candidate “We’vealready sent signals Trump’s policies. During his four lifestyle,suchasdrivinglessornot takentoahospital. He was“ex- walk with assistance. sailorsinattack strongly favoredtoearn asecond Madrid: Spain'stop military on the things that we don’t like years in office, Trumprolledback beingableto eatmeat,hesaid.The tremelyweak,” the Yantai city The January10blast at the five-year term as adevastating commander has been forced that we’regoing to roll back, but about 100regulations on climate Bidenadministration,mayorsand government said on an official Hushan gold mine near Yantai onTurkishship Covid-19surge grips the to resign afterheand other this week you’regoing to see us and the environment as he pur- other local leaders will have to social media account. trapped22miners. Anotesent Istanbul: Pirates off European Union nation. high-ranking officers vio- move forwardwith what’s the suedapolicyof“energy domi- persuadeAmericansthatcurbing In the afternoon, rescuers up by theminers said that 11 Nigeria’scoastkidnapped The head of stateinPortugal lated establishedprotocols vision of the future,” McCarthy nance” to maximize output and climatechange“can bethe great- continuedbringing miners to were trappedinone section, one 15 sailors from aTurkish has no legislative powers, which and receivedthe Covid-19 told avirtual meeting of the U.S. exports of oil, gasand coal. esteconomic transformation in the surface in groupsoftwo or in another and 10 were unac- containership in the Gulf lie with parliament andthe gov- vaccine ahead of time. Conference of Mayors. John Kerry, Biden’sspecial globalhistory,” Kerrysaid. three. The later groups also wore counted for. NYT of Guinea on Saturdayin ernment, but is an influential Spain's defense ministry abrazenand violent at- voice in running of the country. confirmedtoThe Associated tack that wasfarther from Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, 72, Press on Saturdaythat Russia: US comments on protests support law-breaking Ageing dams in shorethan usual. One is regarded as the clear front- MinisterMargaritaRobles sailor waskilledinthe runner amongseven candidates. had acceptedthe resigna- India, US, other raid, an Azerbaijani citi- He is an affable lawprofessor tion of Chief of StaffGen. icismSunday, aday afterprotests Departmentstatement calling other cities. Peskov,however, zen, while those kid- and former television personal- Miguel Angel Villarroya. AP ASSOCIATEDPRESS took place across the countryde- forNavalny's release. dismissedthe turnout as in- nations pose nappedare from Turkey, ity who as president has consis- MOSCOW,JANUARY24 manding the release of jailedop- Peskov saidthe statements significant. “Now many will say according to the respec- tentlyhad an approval rating of position leader AlexeiNavalny, “indirectlyconstituteabsolute that manypeople came out for growing threat: tive governmentsand a 60 per cent or more. tions and deaths, according to a THE SPOKESMANfor Russian Putin's mostwell-known critic. interference in our internal af- the illegal actions.No, fewpeo- crew listobtainedby To win,acandidate mustcap- tallybyJohns Hopkins President Vladimir Putinsaid the During the protests,embassy fairs” and are“directsupportfor plecameout;manypeople vote UN report Reuters.Turkish President turemorethan 50 per centofthe University,and the public health US Embassy's statementsabout spokeswoman Rebecca Ross the violation of the lawofthe forPutin,” he said. TayyipErdogan’s office vote. But aseveresurge in coron- system is under hugestrain. the nationwide protests,in said on Twitter that “the US sup- Russian Federation, supportfor Navalnywas arrested on YOSHITASINGH said on Sunday he wasor- avirus infectionscould keep the Prime MinisterAntonio whichmorethan 3,500people ports the right of all people to unauthorisedactions.” January17when he returnedto NEWYORK,JANUARY24 chestrating officials in the turnout lowand perhaps lead to Costa,inatweet, urgedpeople reportedlywerearrested, inter- peaceful protest, freedom of ex- The protests attracted thou- Russia from Germany, where “rescue of kidnapped aFebruary14runoffbetweenthe to turn out forthe ballot, saying fere in thecountry's domestic af- pression. Steps being takenby sands of people in Russia's ma- had been recovering from severe OVER Athousand large dams in ship personnel”. twotop candidates. that“unprecedented planning” fairs and encourageRussians to Russian authorities aresup- jor cities, including an estimated nerve-agent poisoning that he India will beroughly50years old REUTERS Portugal has the world's had gone intoensuring that the break the law. pressing those rights.” The em- 15,000 in Moscow, anddemon- blames on the Kremlin and that in2025andsuchagingstructures highestrates of newdailyinfec- votecan take place safely. AP DmitryPeskovmadethe crit- bassy also tweetedaState strationsoccurredinscores of Russian authorities deny. across the worldpose agrowing threat, according to aUNreport which notesthat by 2050, most people on Earth will live down- ArabSpring exiles look back 10 yearsafter Egypt uprising stream of tens of thousands of dams built in the 20th century. The report, titled‘Ageing wa- nalists and other intellectuals “I begantofeel, by degree, years forwhichfigures areavail- false news.Others remain in in- terinfrastructure: An emerging SYLVIAHUI has, along with aclimateoffear, morefear and threats,” able. But it’s impossible to tell definitepretrial detentions. global risk’ and compiledby LONDON,JANUARY24 hobbledany politicalopposition. Aboelgheit said. Friendswere economic migrantsfrompoliti- El-Sissi maintains Egyptis United Nations University's Dr MohamedAboelgheit jailed, his writings critical of the cal exiles. holding back Islamic extremism Canadian-basedInstitutefor THE EGYPTIANS who took to the wasamong those jailedinAssiut government drew attention,and TheyrelocatedtoBerlin, Paris so it doesn’t descend intochaos Water, Environment and Health, streetsonJanuary25, 2011,knew in 2011 afterjoining calls forre- “I wasn’t going to wait until it and London. Egyptians also have likeits neighbors. says mostofthe 58,700large what theyweredoing. They volt againstpolice brutality and happenedtome,” he added. settledinTurkey, Qatar, Sudan “Sissi wantsnot onlytoabro- dams worldwide were con- knewtheyrisked arrest and Mubarak.Releasedamid the Afterel-Sissi came to power, and even Asian countries like gate therightsofthe opposition structedbetween 1930 and 1970 worse. But as their numbers chaos, he reveledinthe atmos- Aboelgheit leftfor London, Malaysia and South Korea. and to preventany critical voice with adesign lifeof50-100years. swelledinCairo’s central Tahrir phereofpolitical freedom in the wherehe’s publishedinvestiga- Human RightsWatchesti- from being uttered,Sissi doesn’t It said at 50 years, alarge con- Square, theytastedsuccess. Arab world’s mostpopulous tive reportsonotherparts of the mated in 2019 that therewere actuallybelieve,not onlyinthe crete dam “would mostproba- Police forces backedoff,and country—protesting,working Arab world. 60,000 political prisoners in opposition, but he doesn’t be- blybegintoexpress signs of age- within days,formerPresident as ajournalistand joining acam- At his former home in Egypt, Egypt.The Committee to Protect lieve in politics,” said Khaled ing.” Ageing signs include Hosni Mubarak agreedtode- paignfor amoderatepresiden- national security agentsasked Journalists ranksEgyptthird, be- Fahmy, an Egyptian professor of increasing cases of dam failures, mands to step down. tial candidate. But it did notlast. about him. When Aboelgheit’s hind China and Turkey,indetain- modern Middle Eastern History progressively increasing costs of But eventsdidn’t turn out the Interim militaryrulers fol- Egyptians celebratethe fall of Hosni Mubarak’s regime at wife lastreturnedtovisit rela- ing journalists. at CambridgeUniversity. dam repair and maintenance, in- waymanyofthe protesters en- lowedMubarak.In2012, Cairo’s Tahrir SquareinFebruary2011. AP File tives, she wassummonedfor El-Sissimaintains Egypthas Agovernment press officer creasing reservoir sedimenta- visioned. Adecade later,thou- MohamedMorsi, amember of questioning about his activities. no political prisoners. The arrest did notrespond to arequestfor tion, and lossofadam's func- sands areestimated to have fled Egypt’smostpowerful Islamist The messagewas clear. of ajournalist or arightsworker comment on targeting and in- tionalityand effectiveness, abroad to escape the govern- group, the Muslim Brotherhood, military—led by then-Defense group.” Acrackdown on dissent Datafromthe WorldBank makes news roughlyevery timidating Egyptians —either The analysis includesdam ment of PresidentAbdel Fattah waselected as the firstcivilian Ministerel-Sissi —removed ensued, and el-Sissi wontwo showsanincrease in emigres month. Manypeople have been abroad or at home —based on decommissioning or ageing case el-Sissithatisconsidered even president in the country’s his- Morsiin2013, dissolvedparlia- terms in elections that human from Egyptsince 2011.Atotal of imprisonedonterrorism their work as journalists,ac- studies from the US, France, moreoppressive.The significant tory.But his tenureproveddivi- ment and eventuallybannedthe rightsgroups criticizedasunde- 3,444,832 leftin2017—nearly charges, forbreaking aban on tivists or academics, or forex- Canada, India, Japan, and Zambia lossofacademics, artists,jour- sive.Amid massive protests, the Brotherhood as a“terrorist mocratic. 60,000 morethan in 2013,the protestsorfor disseminating pressing political opinions. AP and Zimbabwe. PTI WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 MarketWatch FPISINVEST `18,456 CR IN JAN SO FAR NewDelhi: Foreign portfolio investors(FPIs)remained net buyersto the tune of Rs 18,456 crore from January1-22, as global liquidityled to 13 ECONOMY continued investmentinemerging markets. As per depositories data, FPIs pumped in Rs 24,469 crore into equities. PTI

UNLIKEINPREVIOUSTWOQUARTERS,MOSTCOMPANIESSEEREVENUEGROWTH INTERVIEW WITHCHAIRMAN, EDELWEISS GROUP Q3:IndiaIncpostsgoodreportcardon ‘Govt spendingactually helps middle &lower class, so fiscal festiverush,risingcommodityprices stimulusismoreimportant’

At Ultratech, volumes were up 14 Auto,for instance reporteda27 arecovery.AtShoppers’Stop,foot- THESENSEXhasseenasharprally investmentby wayofnow taking ENSECONOMICBUREAU per centy-o-yonthe backofde- STEEPFALLIN per cent y-o-y increase ebitda as fallswere down50percenty-o-y to 50,000andwhilesomearerais- careofdividend and capital gains NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 mandfromruralandurbanhous- REVENUESFORRIL it optimizedfixed cost and spent resultinginafallinrevenuesof32 ingconcernsovervaluation,there tax. Andthirdisprivatisationand ing and government-ledinfra- less on employeecosts.Thanks per cent y-o-y althoughmanyof areothers whofeel that markets disinvestment. The government FESTIVE FERVOUR, asharp risein structure. BajajAutocashedinon partlytobettercostcontrols the restrictions had been eased. arediscountingfuture earnings shouldembarkona4-5yearplan ■ Theheadline commodity prices, abase effect an 8per centy-o-yimprovement Avenue Supermarts wasableto TheITpackputonaspectacu- thereisstrongliquidity flow. forprivatisation to raiseRs10-15 numbers,for asample and stupendous performances innetaverage sellingprices.Again, expand EBITDA margins by 2bps lar showposting strong revenues RASHESHSHAH, chairman, lakh croreand shouldspendit. of 184companies from IT majors have combinedto volumes at Asian Paintsjumped y-o-y.Withexpenditurecontract- andmarginsonthebackofrobust Edelweiss Group told SANDEEP Ifeel that by the end of 2021, (excluding banksand makefor agoodQ3FY21report an astonishing33per cent y-o-y, ingmorethan thefallinrevenues spendingby clients,arampingup SINGHthatIndiaiswitnessingre- investment will start. financials) though, are card.Earningsseasonthusfarhas pushinguprevenuesby nearly 27 operating profit margins forthe of large dealsand what analysts versalof long,mediumandshort- skewed by thesteep been full of surprises with most per cent on-year on the backof sameexpanded500bpsy-o-y.To arecalling a‘budget flush’. termdowncyclesandequitymar- What arethe challenges to this 22% year-on-year fall in companies beatingStreetesti- bothpent-upandfestivedemand. besureabigjumpinotherincome Managementssound confi- kets arewitnessing thesame. opportunity? the revenues of mates. UnlikeinQ1and Q2, this Again,severallargerorganised also boostedprofits. dent theycan keep up the good Stating that India is at the same The big challenge is to have a Reliance Industries timearoundalmost allcompanies sector companies were able to Retailerswereamong the work giventhe big deal wins stagewhereitwasin2004,hesaid broad-basedandinclusive recov- have growntheir revenues take away business from smaller worsthit postthe pandemic but, they’ve seen.Infosyshas raised the government needs to spend Rashesh Shah ery, otherwise it willnot sustain. smartly, someby pushingthrough playerswhosesupplychainswere withstoreoperationsnearingnor- FY20-21revenueguidanceto 4.5- over the next 12-18months and Therehasto beliquidityandcredit biggervolumes but manybytak- disrupted.Eventhoughtheycame banksand financials) though, are malcy,AvenueSupermarts 5per centfrom2-3 per cent ear- ensurethatthegrowthisinclusive availabilityforcompaniesthatare ing price increases to pass on the offalowbase,revenuesatHavell’s skewed by the steep 22 per cent bouncedbacktopostagood in- lier;CEOSalilParikhsaidthecom- andbroad-based.Editedexcerpts: Ifind India at the samepoint. We beyondAAArated.Whiletopguys higher cost of inputs. rose aremarkable 39 per cent y-o-y fall in the revenues of crease in revenues of 10 percent panywasgainingmarketsharein had tough years between 1996 have access to anyamountof Thankstorisingsteel prices y-o-yasthecompanygainedmar- Reliance Industries (RIL) . y-o-y with demand forgeneral agrowing pie. In aquarterin What factors justifythis big and2004,therewerescamsinthe fund,if yougodown,theliquidity globallyand apick-up in local de- ketsharefromsmaller players. Evenasrevenuesrose,compa- merchandisepickingup. whichittook wage hikes, TCSre- surge in markets? market,Asianfinancialcrisis,eco- isnotthereforthem.So,onemain mand,JSWSteelreporteda21per Theheadlinenumbers,forasam- nies continuedtocut costs and Discretionaryspends, however, portedstrong EBIT margins of Strangely, India’sturnaround nomic sanctions because of the piece will be credit growth. If it is centyear-on-yearriseinrevenues. ple of 184companies (excluding thataidedmarginexpansion.Bajaj don’tseemtohaveseenassharp 26.6 per cent. FE hasbeenverysharp.Eventhough Pokhran blast, the tech bubble between5-8 per cent there will the government did notspend burstand then therewas 9/11 at- beinequality,butwhenitis13-14 muchmoney, ithasbouncedback tack in the US and governed per cent then it is available to SECTOR WATCH verywell.Therisehasbeenallacr- changeinIndiain2004.So,we did largerpartofthe economy. ‘December quartersees Distribution of initial osswithsectorssuchasauto,steel, notsee anycapexinthoseeight The government needs to ELECTRONICS public offers (IPOs) cement,real estate amongothers years, PSU bank NPAs rose up to bring the confidence back. It has during Q4 2020 bounding back. Idid notexpect 18 per cent between 2001 and doneGSTandgoneaftertaxevad- 19 IPOsworth $1.84billion’ ■ Main markets: 10 this to happen so soon andthou- 2003 and the SARFAESI lawwas ers and now, fornext3-4 years ght that we were still ayear away. then brought in to handlethis. therehas to be lotoftrustbuild- ■ SME (Small and Reflecting strong momentum, India witnessed 19 IPOs Therewas also NBFC crisis in ingandconfidenceboostingbeca- IT Min invites bids worth$1.84 billion in thefourthquarterof2020 and market Medium Enterprises) segment: 9 But what has changed that periodand real estate prices use Indiawill be on growth path. sentiment remains positive, according to an EY report significantly? halvedbetween 1998 and 2003. Youcan’t keep cleaning all day. Therewerethree downcycles The RBI cut repo ratesfrom8per Thirdpieceisspending.Ithink for impact study $869 million: Issue size of —long-term,mediumandshort- cent to 4per centbetween 2002 fornext12-18 months,governm- largest IPO in the country term—playingoutinIndiaandall and 2004,because the economy ent needs to spendand it has got during December quarter, i.e. threedowntrendsarereversingat had sloweddownconsiderably. the liberty to spend due to Covid. on multi-function by Gland Pharma the same time. The long term Even nowweare seeingsimi- downtrendstartedin2012-13and larthings.Now thereisIBCequiv- What is moreimportant: $4.09 billion: Amount raised wasonaccount of the scams, alentto SARFAESI,we hadNPA cri- monetary stimulus or fiscal? display business by 43 IPOs in 2020, which NPAs, overcapacity,taper-tant- sis, we sawreal estate crash, repo While both should continue ranks India ninth globally in rum; the medium-term down rate cutsbyRBIandnocapexover forthe next 12-18months, Ithink Italsoaimsto give someincen- terms of the number of IPOs trend wasled by IL&FS crisis and the last8-10years. So in asense, fiscal stimulus brings moreequi- AASHISHARYAN tivestocompanies that man- last year impacted banks, NBFCs and cor- 2021islike2004. While things table growth and so it is impor- NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 ufacturesmall electronics porates;and then therehas been changedsignificantlyforthenext tant. When RBI loosens the mon- equipment liketransistors, GLOBAL TREND: thisshort-termdowntrendonac- five years in 2004,Ithink that it etarypolicy,italways benefitsthe THE MINISTRYofElectronics diodes,thyristors,resistors,ca- Increase in global count of Covid-19. willseeasimilarchangenow and upper tier as the moneygoes to and Information Technology pacitors and nano-electronic 19%IPO volumes in Ithinkall three have played with the changeinUS, the global bank and from thereitmostly hasfloatedanexpressionof in- components suchasmicro 2020 over previous year, out and Iamveryconvinced that trade will also pickupagain. goes to AAA ratedentities. So, RBI terest (EoI)seeking bids from electromechanical systems. i.e. at 1,363 while we did notsee capexover loosening onlyfavours the haves’ agenciesforconductinganim- LastDecember,the MeitY thelast8-10years,itwillstartnow So is this abig inflection point? and notthe have nots’. However, pact study on the business of had decidedtocomeupwith ASIA-PACIFIC PICTURE: Year-on-year rise in and people have startedthe in- Yes.Itisalsobecauseofthesize government spending actually refurbished, repaired, second apolicy aimed at promoting Increase in volumes Year-on-year rise 29%proceeds from vestment cycle. So, all three of India’s economynow.India’s helps middle and lowerclass. So, hand or unregisteredmulti- 3D printingonanindustrial 20%last year over 45%in proceeds in global IPOs in 2020, i.e. $268 downtrendsare reversing at the progressandgrowthislikegravity, to addressinequality,fiscalstimu- function displays (MFDs). scaleand helping domestic 2019,i.e. at 822 2020, i.e. $136.2 billion billion sametimeandthatiswhatwe are youcanonlyexperienceitbutwill lus is moreimportant. MFDs aresmall cathode companies“overcometechni- seeing in the equity marketstoo. neverbeabletoexplain it. Iwould saythat the govern- ray tubeorliquid crystaldis- cal and economicbarriers” so ment shouldkeepfiscal deficit playscreens usedinprinters, thattheycanbuildsupportive Why is it important: According to EY’s India IPO Trends Report: Q4 2020, Source: EY/PTI So is the market rallyjustified What do youthink the FM can concernsaway fortheshort-term. photocopiers,cameras,aircraft and ancillaryfacilities for IPO activityproved resilienttothe impact of the Covid-19pandemic last at some level? do to utilise the opportunity in At thesame time,theymusten- or other information display worldleaders in the technol- year, supported by low interest rates and expansionary monetary policies Market’s work is to discount the forthcoming Budget? sure that theyare able to pull it systemsandhave softbuttons ogy,suchasthe US and China. futureearnings. It discountsthe Forone year,release the fiscal backafter1-2years.In2009,they whichcan respond to user 3D printingoradditive long-term outlook whichkeeps constraint and spend moneyas were notable to pull it backand it queries. manufacturing uses com- on changing. Ialso see abig simi- that will be the real fuel to the continued till 2012,resulting in “The selected agency will puter-aideddesigning to laritybetween2004andnow and economy. Secondisto incentivise hugespikeininflation. have to furnishallthesedetails makeprototypesorworking Irdai panel recommends within 120daysofthe ap- modelsofobjectsbylaying proval of their bid. The raw downsuccessivelayersof ma- dataand the findings of the terials suchasplastic, resin, separate payments for cost of survey will be scrutinisedby thermoplastic, metal, fiberor the ministrybeforethe final ceramic. With the help of a reportisplaced in public do- software, the modeltobe main,” asenior official said. printed is firstdevelopedbya vehicle, insurancepremium The impact study,tobe computer,which then gives conducted by the IT Ministry instructions to the3Dprinter. automotive dealerandmakesthe across 18 major statecapitals Apartfrom3Dprinting, ENSECONOMICBUREAU In June 2019,the paymentthroughasinglecheque. and 18 tier-2 andtier-3 cities, the ministryhas also floated NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 As the MISP makes payment aims to checkseveral factors anEoIto invitecompaniesthat Insurance Regulatory to theinsurance companyfrom suchastheir viability in India, can assistinrecycling and re- THOSE BUYINGanew vehicle and Development his ownaccount, “thecustomer the presence of refurbished furbishing of end-of-life mayhavetopay costofvehicle Authority of India had doesnotknowtheinsurancepre- displays in tier-2 and tier-3 lithium-ion batteriesaswell andinsurancepremiumviasepa- mium being paidasitissub- towns, theglobal innovation as printed circuit boards rate cheques,if therecommenda- setupapanel to review sumedinthe costofthe vehicle”, ecosystem, and the e-waste (PCBs).Theaimof thelithium- tions of acommittee to review the MotorInsurance the committee said. beinggenerateddueto import ionbatteryrecyclingprojectis MISP guidelines areacceptedby Service Provider It suggestedthat this lackof of MFDs.Apartfromthese,the to contain the importofraw the insurance regulator Irdai. transparencyisnotintheinterest ministryisalsolookingtoesti- materials usedfor their man- TheInsuranceRegulatoryand guidelines of the policyholders’ as the true mate theexportandimportof ufacturing of suchbatteries Development Authority of India costofinsurance is notknown to MFDsfromtier-2 andtier-3 and PCBs, as well as contain (Irdai) had issuedthe Motor the customer. towns and the employment thee-waste generatedby elec- InsuranceServiceProvider(MISP) The committee has submitted its “The customer maynot be suchbusinesses generate. tronics gadgetsusing these guidelines in 2017,intending to reportwith various recommen- awareofthecoverage optionsand The impact assessmentis components. At present, the streamlinethe processand bring dationsfororderly conductof mo- discountsavailableintheprocess. apartofthe ministry’s um- Centredoesnothaveany facil- thepracticesof vehicleinsurance, torinsurance business through Thecustomeralsocannotnegoti- brella plan to develop asup- ityforprocessing,recycling,or beingsoldby automotive dealers, MISP channel. atewith the MISP to getthe best portinginnovationandmanu- refurbishing of end-of-life under the provisions of the Among the issues examined coverage at the optimal price.” facturingecosystem around lithium-ion batteries or Insurance Act, 1938. by thepanelaretheexistingprac- Thepanelalsorecommended FOR SAMARITANS OF ROAD SAFETY mobile manufacturingunits. printed circuitboards. MISP refers to an automobile tice of collectingpremium pay- that the customer should make The Production-Linked India produced2.6 kg e- dealerappointedby theinsureror mentfromthecustomerwhileso- paymenttothe insurerdirectly From left; Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Road Transport&Highways and MSME Incentive scheme,notifiedon wastepercapitain2019,while theinsuranceintermediarytodis- licitingthemotorinsurancepolicy. whichisfacilitated by the MISP. MinisterNitin Gadkari present the National Road SafetyAward 2020 in the NGOCategoryto April 1lastyear,aimstogive it has around 312authorised tributeand/or service motorin- Thepanelsaidunderthepres- “MISP shall notcollect the insur- Simran Virk of Western India Automobile Association,duringthe inauguration of the incentivesof4-6 per cent to e-waste recyclers,asper data surance policies of vehicles sold entsystem,thereisalackoftrans- ancepremiumamountinitsown National Road SafetyMonth at Vigyan Bhawan, NewDelhi, on January18. Alsopresent at the electronics companies which fromGlobalE-WasteMonitor, through it. parency in the costofinsurance accountand then transfer the programme were MinisterofState forRoadTransport&Highways GeneralVKSingh and manufacturemobile phones. releasedinJuly2020. InJune2019,Irdaihadsetupa premium when acustomer buys same to the insurance company,” NITI AayogCEO Amitabh Kant. panel to reviewthe MISP norms. avehicleforthefirsttimefroman it said in itsreport. BRIEFLY UK Prime Minister presses How decriminalisation of offencesunder `660crorefor MadhyaPradesh Biden for new trade deal LLP Act couldhelpunclog judicial system NewDelhi: The Finance recommendedfor fornon-compliance, provisions of the LLP Act. Ministrysaid Sundayithas States would rejoin the Paris cli- pandemic under control and KARUNJITSINGH decriminalisiation? insteadof fineswhich allocated an additional Rs AAMERMADHANI mateaccordand the World pressing Congress to pass the NEWDELHI,JANUARY24 Severaloffences areimposed aftera Who benefitsfromthe 660crore to Madhya Prad- WASHINGTON,JANUARY24 Health Organization, according president’s $1.9 trillion coron- related to timelyfil- partner or the LLP is permissionfor LLPs to esh forcapital expenditure. to astatement from Downing avirus relief plan. THE COMPANY LawCommittee ings,includingannual found guilty of mis- issue NCDs? BRITISH PRIME MinisterBoris Street. JanetYellen, Biden’s Treasury (CLC), headedbythe Corporate reports andfilings on conduct by acourt. The CLChas also recom- Johnson made clear to United The UK regainedcontrol over secretarynominee, also sig- Affairs SecretaryRajesh Verma, changes in partner- The reportnotes mendedthat LLPs whichare cur- Reliancespins States President JoeBiden on itsnational trade policy at the nalledduring her confirmation has recommendedthat 12 of- shipstatus of the LLP, that thereisarisk of a rentlynot allowedtoissue debt offO2Cbiz Saturdaythat he’s eager to forge startofthe month following the hearing earlier this week that fencesunder the LLP Actbede- notrelatedto fraudhavebeenrec- convicted person being disqual- securities be permitted to issue anew US-UK trade deal. endofapost-Brexit transition Biden wasn’t eager to negotiate criminalisedand that LLPs be al- ommendedfordecriminalisation. ifiedorbecoming ineligible for non-convertible debentures Mumbai:MukeshAmbani’s The push foranewdeal came period. newtrade deals. “President lowedtoissueNCDsto raisefunds While none of these provi- various posts in thecaseoffines (NCDs) to facilitateraising of cap- RelianceIndustrieshascom- in abroad-ranging call between WhiteHouse press secretary Bidenhas been clear that he will withtheaimof improvingeaseof sionsrecommendedfor decrimi- imposedby courts, whichwould ital and financingoperations. The pletedspin-offofthe firm’s the twoleaders that touchedon Jen Psaki had said on Fridaythat notsign anynew free trade doing business forlimited liabil- nalisation in theCLC reportcur- notbethe case forpenalties im- move is likelytobenefitstartups oil-to-chemical (O2C) busi- the global response to the coro- the administration had no time- agreementsbeforethe US makes ity partnership (LLP) firms. rentlyhaveprison terms as a posedby an appropriateauthor- and small firmsinsectors which ness intoanewunit, the navirus pandemic as well as the line forforging anew trade deal major investmentsinAmerican possible punishment, the panel ity.The Registrar of Companies requireheavycapitalinvestment. companysaid. PTI Biden administration announc- as Biden’sattentionislargely fo- workers and our infrastructure,” Whichoffences underthe LLP has recommended that compa- would have theauthority to levy Fullreporton ing this week that the United cusedongetting the coronavirus Yellen said. AP Acthas the committee nies be required to paypenalties penaltiesforanycontraventionof www.indianexpress.com WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JANUARY25,2021 NINE ACTIVE CASES AT AUS OPEN

One case of COVID-19 among those in quarantine ahead of the 14 Australian Openhas been reclassified,local health officialssaidon SPORT Sunday, leaving nine active cases in the group of playersand support staffisolating in Melbourne hotels. AP

BRIEFLY OVER54%OFTEAM’SRUNS Maddisonstarsfor Warningsignsinneighbourhood DURINGTHE course of this series, Leicester,Abraham Joe Root went pastthe aggregate Test run tallies of GeoffreyBoycott, hattrickforChelsea Kevin Pietersen and David Gower. Ahead of seriesversus India, Englandskipper Joe Root scores2nd century in as manyTests in Sri Lanka He is nowfourth in the listof London: TammyAbraham scoreda England’s mostprolific batsmen hattrickasChelsea beat second-tier with 8,238 runs. OnlyAlastair side Luton 3-1 to reachthe fifthround REUTERS Cook (12,472), Graham Gooch of the FA Cup on Sunday. The striker GALLE, JANUARY 24 (8,900) and Alec Stewart(8,463) took histally on the season to 11 by areabove Root. netting twice in sevenfirst-half min- JOE ROOT became the firstEngland bats- utes.Jordan Clarkprofitedfromthe man to scoreover150 in consecutive Tests ROOT SCORED 54.15 per cent of struggling Kepa Arrizabalaga's latest in 16 years as he tormented Sri Lankaand England’s first-innings runs in the goalkeeping errortoreducethe deficit ledhis side to 339for nine in theirfirstin- firstTest(228 out of 421). So farin to 2-1 on thehalf-hourbefore nings at the close of playonday three of the firstinnings of the second Test, Abraham struck again in the74th the second and final Test in Galle. he has scored 54.86 per cent of the minute. LeicesterCity'sJames However, the tired and cramping runs (186 out of 339/9). Maddisonset up one goal and goton England captain wasdismissedinthe final ROOT,PLAYING his99th Test,has the scoresheetinasecond-half come- over of the dayfor 186, run out afterclip- 19 hundreds–levelwithLen backastheybeat second-tier ping the ball to shortleg Oshada Fernando. Hutton. Thereare nine Brentford3-1 away in theFACup Root's weariness sawhim struggle to get Englishmen ahead of him. fourth round on Sunday.The Foxeswill backintohis crease having pushedforward hostfellow Premier League side afterplaying the stroke. ROOT’S DOUBLE centuryinthe Brighton &HoveAlbion in the next England still trail by 42 runs and will firstTestagainstSri Lanka washis round.Championship side Brentford seek to wipe out the deficit with JackLeach firstton since another double took the leadinthe seventh minute and James Anderson at the crease on the hundred –226 –againstNew from aset piece whenthe ball took fourth morning,although Sri Lanka spin- Zealand in Hamilton in Nov. 2019. twodeflections before Danishcentre ner Lasith Embuldeniyahas been excellent THERE HAVE been justtwo other backMadsBechSorensenstabbed with career best figures of 7-132. Root fol- 50-plus scores by England home his firstgoal in English football loweduphis 228 in the firsttesttomatch batsmen in the series so far. Root from close range. AP the feat of Marcus Trescothick, who scored has scored 415runs in the series so 194and 151 in consecutive testsagainst far, 305 morethan the second- Bangladesh in 2005. His innings wasagain highestinEngland ranks–Jonny FourPalmasplayers, built around the impressive useofthe Bairstow(110). Prezkilledincrash sweep shot, whichhehas wagedtotake the attacktothe Sri Lanka bowlers. OF HIS three dismissals in the Sao Paulo: The presidentofPalmas "It wasanamazing innings," Root's series so far, twohavebeen run- football club and four of itsplayers team mateJos Buttler told reporters. "To Joe Root plays theswitch hit en routeto186 at Galle. In the firstTestatthe same venue he scored228. Sri Lanka Cricket outswhile the thirdwas caught – were killed on Sundaywhen asmall backuphis double hundred in the firstTest in the deep going forquick runs in plane taking them to aBrazilian cup wasachallengebothphysicallyand men- firsttestbut made justthree as he edged the companyofthe No.11. game crashedontake-off.Thefourth tally, and it has been amasterclass in bat- EmbuldeniyatoLahiru Thirimanne at slip. tier club said president Lucas Meira, ting againstspin. "It’s agreat education for At 132for four,England were teetering, Disrespectful to India if best XI not fielded:KP IF HE had scored 14 more runs in along with players LucasPraxedes, all of us, Notjustthe tactical and technical but Root and Buttler (55)put on afifth- the firstinnings of the second Test, Guilherme Noe, Ranule and Marcus aspects, but also the concentrationtoap- wicketstand of 97 before the latter trieda NewDelhi: Lambasting JonnyBairstow's The 40-year-oldsaid awin against Root would have become justthe Molinari, all died. The pilot, named plyhimself forsolong. "Thereweresome reverse sweep that went straightintohis omission from the England squad for India is similartoavictoryagainstarch- second Englishman afterWalter onlyasWagner,was also killed.“The amazing shots that showthe confidence bootand bouncedtoshortleg, providing a TestsagainstIndia, former skipper Kevin rivals Australia and urgedthe selectors to Hammond to hit double hundreds plane took offand crashedatthe end and skill level. He even playedalatecut firsttestwicketfor debutant spinner Pietersen said that it will be disrespect- playbothStuartBroad and James in twosuccessive Tests. of the runwayatthe Tocantinense left-handedtoday.Everybody can learn a Ramesh Mendis. Sam Curran(13)was out ful to the hostteam if visiting team does Anderson. Aviation Association,” asmall airfield lotfromwatching Joe playspin." in the final over of the afternoon session, notput on field itsbestXIinthe marquee “Big debateonwhether ENGhave near the city of Palmas, the club said. caught at slip, before Dom Bess (32) put on series.Not onlyBairstowbut all-rounder pickedtheir best team to play India in the 55.62 “Weregret to reportthereare no sur- Embuldeniyaonsong avital 81 withRootfor the seventh wicket. Sam Curranand pacer MarkWood have 1stTest. WinningINIndiaisasgood a vivors.” The plane washeadingto The tourists resumedthe dayon98for Bess and Mark Wood (1) were both also also been leftout of the squad. feelingaswinning in Aus. It's disrespect- In Asia, Root has scored1,613 Goiania, around 800km(500miles) twohaving losttheir openers cheaplyfor caught at slip by Thirimanne off Bairstowhas been rested forthe first ful to ENGfans &also @BCCItoNOT play runs in 16 Testsatanaverage of away,where Palmasweredue to play the thirdtime in as manyinnings in the se- Embuldeniya, the firsttimeaSri Lanka twoTests as partofthe England and your best team. Bairstowhas to play! 55.62 with 4tons .Heaverages Vila Nova on Mondayinthe last16of ries. JonnyBairstownever looked settled fielderhad takenfivecatches in an innings. Wales CricketBoard's (ECB) playerman- Broad/Anderson have to play!" Pietersen 71.55 in Lanka, 53.09 in India – the Copa Verde, atournament re- and fell on 28, an inside edge onto his pad BRIEF SCORES: England 339for 9(Root 186, agement policy,whichstresses on giving tweeted. In another tweet, Pietersen said whereEnglandplaynext–and servedfor teams outside the tradi- offthe dangerous Embuldeniyalooping to Buttler 55;Embuldeniya 7-132)trail Sri adequateresttoevery Englishcricketer the best players wouldn't want to miss 57.40 in the UAEvs. Pakistan. tional powerhouses of southern and Fernando at shortleg. Lanka 381(Mathews 110, Dickwella 92, in apackedcalendar year,whichincludes the opportunitytoplayagainstanin- However, in 2Tests in Bangladesh northeastern Brazil. REUTERS Dan Lawrence wasimpressive on his Perera 67,Chandimal 52; Anderson 6-40) by 17 Testsand the ICC T20 WorldCup. form Indian team at home. PTI he averages just24.50. debut in England’s seven-wicket win in the 42 runs. Hazard scoresas Realclosegap Reluctant wrestler Rohit crowned champion in Bajrang’s category Barcelona: Eden Hazard scored and setupKarim Benzema forhis firstof that he wouldn’t be able to continue “He has good speed, whichishelpful in mat coach, says. twogoals as Real Madrideasedtoa4- MIHIRVASAVDA wrestling,” Rohit, 19,says. wrestling, andoverthe years, has developed Challenging Bajrangfor aplace in the na- 1victoryatAlavesinthe Spanish NOIDA,JANUARY24 Forafamilyofnine –Rohit is sixth of agoodtechnique, especiallyinlaunchingleg tional squad, though, isn’tonRohit’s mind league, ending awinless run in a sevenbrothers –the income from herding attacks,anessential element in freestyle right now. “He(Bajrang) is aworld medal- match that coachZinedine Zidane ROHIT SINGH confesses he wasn’t destined cattle wasn’t enough to run the household. wrestling,” former India coachKuldeep list; averybig wrestler.And Ihavejustwon missedafter he contracted the coron- to be awrestler.Itwas because of his “So, out of compulsion morethan anything, Singh, who recruited Rohit forthe Navy's anational title,” he says.“I’ll take one step a avirus. Hazardgrazedalongpass to brother’smisfortune, father’s wish and des- Ijoinedawrestling school,” he says. wrestling team, says. timeand see wheredestinytakes me.” redirect the balltoBenzema, who peration to earnalivelihood that ledhim to “I wasrelievedwhen he took that deci- He became cadetnational champion be- doubledthe lead forMadrid in the an akhara. sion,” says Rohit’s father Dalel Singh. fore baggingthe junior crownand ultimately SAIseeksreportfromWFI 41st afterCasemirohad headedinthe On Sunday, Rohit wascrownednational Dalel did notimpose anydecision on his the senior title. Rohit’s win in 65kgopens up The Sports Authority of India, on Sunday, 15th-minuteopener on Saturday. champion in the 65kgcategory, oneofthe sons but wascertain of one thing –none of an interesting race forthe future. At present, soughtareportfromthe Wrestling Belgiumforward Hazardscored just toughestweight classes in India. Representing them would be cattle herders. “There’s so the weight class is dominated by India’s top Federation of India over the violation of his thirdgoalofthe season in first-half Haryana, he staged adramaticcomebackin muchcattletheftthese days…too much freestyler Bajrang Punia, amultiple-time Covid-19protocols that took placeonthe first injury time to build a3-0 lead at the the lastthree minutes of the final against headache,”hesays. So, on the advice of a Worldand Asian medallist. dayofthe National Championships on break.Toni Kroos had recoveredpos- Services SportsControl Board’s Shravan, eras- neighbourhood wrestler,Bholu Pehelwan, Having already wonaquota forthe Tokyo Saturday. SAIsaid in astatement:“We have session in midfield and setup ingaseven-pointdeficit to win 12-8. Rohit he introducedall his sons to wrestling. Olympics, Bajrang wasexemptedfromthe takenupthe matter with the Wrestling Hazard's run behind adisordered de- impressed the national coachingstaff with In Haryana, the respect even ahalf-de- National Championship this weekend. He is Federation of India and impressed upon fensiveline. JoseluMatopulledone his speedand temperament, but honing cent wrestler commands is the reason many nowinMichigan (USA), preparing forthe them thatthe SOP forcompetitions has to be backfor Alavesonthe hour-mark. these qualities –and winninganational title arelured to the sportinthe firstplace. Rohit Rohit Singh, the 65kg winner,started Games. On Sunday, collegesports activity in adheredtostrictly. We have also sought are- Benzema made it abrace in the 70th –was neverhis ambition or interest. Instead, had witnessed that firsthand with his his career in dangals with acash award the Americanstate washaltedafter aCovid- portfromthe Federation on the allegedvio- afterLuka Modric playedhim clear on as an 11-year-old,hewas just happytobein brother,but also realisedthe need formoney of Rs 50. Express 19 outbreak,but Bajrang wasable to continue lation, by Monday. Thefederation has as- the break.The French strikercut back the companyofhis elder brother,anemerg- to sustain acareer in wrestling. histraining. In Bajrang’s absence, the audi- sured compliance of protocol.” insidethe lastdefender before firing ing wrestler,and cook roti sabzi forhim. So,hebegan to take partindangalsacross tion to find his successor wasunderwayin The situation on Sundaywas onlymar- in his 10th goal in the league this cam- In his free time, Rohit helpedout his fa- Haryana thathad cash rewards as lowasRs struggledtoearn moneybycompeting in Noida, whereRohit emergedontop. “In the ginallybetter. While no one exceptwrestlers paign. Second-placeMadrid reduced ther,acattle herder,bytaking the livestock 50. Foralmostayear,hecrisscrossedacross dangals. Iwasn’t able to beat the main guys lastfew years, Rohit has dominated this wasallowed on the fieldofplay, therewas the gaptoleader AtleticoMadridto forgrazing. “But then, one daymybrother Haryana and travelledasfar as Kolhapur in to earn enough cashprize,” he says.“In 2015, weight categoryacross all age-groups. By no distancing in the stands, wherehundreds four points. REUTERS sufferedaninjury. Iwas cooking his meal and Maharashtra, wherethe prize moneywas IturnedtoOlympic-style wrestling.” winning the senior championship, he has of spectators, mostofthemwithout masks, whenIsaw his condition, it wasapparent slightlyhigher,toearnalivelihood. “But I Success on the mat came relatively easier. proven hispotential,” Kuldeep, also the Navy sat in close proximity. CONTROVERSIAL PICK Why Court receiving Australia’s highesthonourisanunpopular decision

at Melbourne Park,the venue forthe one thinglonger than the listofMargaret Courtwrote inanarticle:“(It)iswithsadness player, andaracistand ahomophobe.” SHAHIDJUDGE AustralianOpen. Nowthere’s been afresh Court’stennisachievements:it’sherlistofof- that Isee thatthis baby has seeminglybeen MUMBAI,JANUARY24 backlash afterthe news that the country’s fensive and homophobic statements.” deprivedofhis father.” What has she been doingafter retiring highesthonourwill be conferredupon her. Herunpopularstancehashadthelikesof In2017,whentheAustraliangovernment from tennis? FORSOMEONEwhoholdsaworldrecordfor greatslikeMcEnroe,MartinaNavratilova and waspoisedtolegalise same-sexmarriages, Courtwas ordainedasaPentecostal 48years and counting, one would think it’s a What have Australian government BillieJean Kingspeak up againstthe “crazy Courtgaveaninterview to 20Twenty Vision ministerin1991. Four years later,she fairdecisionby theAustraliangovernmentto officialssaid about the decision? aunt” (as McEnroe dubbed her) of tennis. ChristianRadio.Shetalkedabouthowtennis foundedthe Pentecostalchurch in Perth, awardMargaretCourtthe country’s highest PrimeMinisterScottMorrisonhasrefused At the Australian Open lastyear,when is“fullof lesbians”andhowtransgenderchil- calledVictoryLifeCentre. honour.Indeed,onJanuary26, the 78-year- to talk about the issue. Courtwasfelicitatedonthe50thanniversary dren were theworkof“thedevil.” old formertennis playerwill beawardedthe “Ican’tcommentonanawardthatisdone of herwinningthe Calendar Grand Slam(all WhenQantasAirlinestookastandto sup- Wheredoher achievementsstand Companion in the General through an independent four majors in asingle year)in1970, the cer- portsame-sexmarriages, she declared that today? Divisionof theOrderof Australia processthat hasn’t been an- emonyatRod LaverArena wasasubdued shewouldnotusetheairlineasmuch aspos- Alongwithherrecord24GrandSlamsin- (AC). But it’s adecision that has nouncedorIhave no official event.Atthatsametournament, aftera sible. As reportedbyThe West Australian, gles titles, Courtwon 19 women’sdoubles notgone down well with many knowledge of thosethings,”he MargaretCourthas always been vocal Legends exhibition match, McEnroe and Courtdismissed the existence of racism in majorsand 21 mixed doubles crowns. She’s people. reportedlysaid. about her anti-homosexual views. Navratilova walked in at the Margaret Court SouthAfrica and expressedher supportfor among onlythree players –along with Court’s all-time record of 24 “Those announcements Arenaholding abanner saying “Evonne Apartheid. Navratilova andAmerican playerDoris Hart Grand Slam singles titles keeps will be made on the appropri- Goolagong Arena,”asking forthe stadium to “Evonne (Goolagong) and Iwent in –tohaveachievedaGrand Slam BoxedSet herontopintermsof tennissta- ateday (AustraliaDay). It is a jorityof peopleacrossournationthatseepeo- berenamedaftertheseven-timeGrandSlam thereand playedfor theblackpeople. I (winningallfourGrandSlamsinsingles,dou- tistics,but her views relating to system that recognises ple,particularly fromtheLGBTQIcommunity, winner. have 35 culturesinmychurch and Ilove bles and mixed doubles). But she’s the only the LGBTQI (lesbians, gays,bi- Australians from right across asequalanddeservingof dignity,respectand them all,” she said. In the same report, playertohavedoneittwice.Currently, Serena sexuals,transgenders, queers and intersex) thefullspectrumof achievementinthiscoun- safety,”hesaid. “I don’t believe she shares What have been Court’s statements that Navratilova wasquotedsaying about Williams, on 23 Grand Slam singlestitles, is communityhas rendered her an infamous try. So,Ican’treallyofferacommentonsome- thoseviews andIdon’tbelieve sheshouldbe have causedoutrageoverthe years? Court’s pro-Apartheid stance: “Saying that theonly playeranywherecloseto overtaking figureamong alarge groupoffans and for- thing that is speculative.” honoured because of that.” Courthasbeenquitevocalaboutheranti- South Africa dealt with the ‘situation’ Court’s mark. “Please wintwo more Grand mer players. ButVictoriaStatePremierDanielAndrews homosexual views. (racial segregation) muchbetterthan any- Slams,” McEnroesaid, in amessageto Forafew years, therehavebeen calls to has hitout at the decision. WhyisCourt so unpopular? Backin2013, when2011FrenchOpen whereelse in the world, particularly the Williams, on Eurosport, “so we can leave have her name removedfromthe Margaret “Idonotsupportthat.Idonot believe that AsJohnMcEnroeputitina‘Commissioner mixed doubles champion CaseyDellacqua’s US: what exactlydid she mean? “It is clear MargaretCourtandheroffensive views inthe Court Arena –the second-largest stadium shehas views that accordwith the vast ma- of Tennis’segmentforEurosport,“there’sonly partnerAmanda Judd gave birth to ason, exactlywho Courtis: an amazing tennis pastwhereshe belongs.”

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