SUNDAY www.kashmirtone.com 08 August 2021 | 27 Zil Hajj 1442 [email protected]

Published from Srinagar | Volume : 01 | Issue No: 23 Pages: 08 | Price Rs 10/- Young generation has huge responsibility to Neeraj scripts history with stunning ensure peace, prosperity of nation: Lt Governor Srinagar, Aug 7: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Saturday javelin throw gold, India's first flagged off Cyclothon event ‘Pedal for Dal' from the shores of the Dal Lake in the run-up to the Indepen- dence Day celebrations. athletics medal at Olympics The cyclothon witnessed the enthusiastic participation of more Tokyo, Aug 7 (PTI): Star jav- silver and four bronze medals. than 200 boys and girls from differ- elin thrower Neeraj Chopra Czech Republic throwers ent age groups, along with profes- on Saturday became only the Jakub Vadlejch (86.67m) and sional cyclists. second Indian to win an indi- Vitezslav Vesely (85.44m) took Speaking on the occasion, the Lt vidual gold in the Olympics, out- the silver and bronze respec- Governor observed that the young Independence will send a message of a prosperous future while instill- performing the field by some dis- tively. generation has a huge responsibil- across the world that J&K has ush- ing the spirit of our cultural and tance to immortalise himself as Chopra came into the final ity to ensure peace, prosperity and ered into the era of sustained peace patriotic ethos among the citizens, the first track-and-field Games as a medal contender after top- unity of the nation. and progress, he added. the Lt Governor said. medal-winner for the country. ping the qualification round on A large number of youth par- Activities like ‘Pedal for Dal' The Lt Governor called upon The 23-year-old son of a Wednesday with a stunning first ticipating in the events commemo- mark the celebrations of 'Azadi ka the youth to recognize the contri- farmer from Khandra village round throw of 86.59m. rating the historical occasion of Amrut Mahotsav' and also gives butions of the great personalities near Panipat in Haryana pro- But few would have thought the 75th Anniversary of Indian hope to the entire humanity, a hope See Ypung on pg 7... duced a second round throw of that he would bludgeon his way 87.58m in the finals to stun the to gold in such a dominant fash- athletics world and end India's ion at the grandest of the stage. 100-year wait for a track and Just like in the qualification Cop killed, two field medal in the Olympics. History has been scripted: PM round three days back, Chopra Modi slams Cong for Brimming with confidence began with a bang by sending others injured in with hardly any nerves on dis- New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sat- the spear to a distance of 87.03m Kulgam militant hypocrisy' towards poor play in his debut at the Games, urday praised javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra for showing "remark- and then improved it to 87.58m, Chopra walked in like a rock- able passion and unparalleled grit" in his Olympic gold medal feat his best of the day which none in attack star to make the Tokyo Games and stressed that what he has achieved today will be remembered the field could match. Srinagar, Aug 7: A policeman India's best ever Olympic outing forever. His third throw was a poor was killed after militants fired Says previous govt in what was the country's final Modi spoke to Chopra over the phone and congratulated him on 76.76m, he then fouled his next upon a police party in Pumbay had distortion' in competitive outing at the ongo- winning the gold medal. two attempts before a final effort area of DH Pora in south Kash- ing edition. Lauding the 23-year-old athlete, the prime minister said he per- of 84.24m. mir's Kulgam district on Satur- system His was the country's sev- sonifies the best of sporting talent and sportsman spirit. By the time the Nordic jav- day, officials said. enth medal and first gold in this Chopra on Saturday became only the second Indian to win an elin left his right hand in his “Today at about 1920hrs, (mili- Bhopal, Aug 7 (PTI): In a veiled (PMGKAY) beneficiaries from Olympics and he joined shooter individual gold in the Olympics, out-performing the field by quite second attempt, he knew that it tants) fired indiscriminately upon attack on the Congress, Prime Madhya Pradesh, he also said that Abhinav Bindra (2008 Beijing a distance to notch up the first track-and-field Games medal for was going the farthest among all a Police party at Poshwan area Minister Narendra Modi on Sat- there was vikriti' (distortion) in Games) in an elite and very the country. and he raised both his arms in of DH Pora in district Kulgam in urday accused the previous gov- the system of the previous gov- hard-to-reach club of India's "History has been scripted at Tokyo! What @Neeraj_chopra1 has jubilation, confident that the job which one police personnel was ernment of indulging in hypoc- ernment. individual gold winners in the achieved today will be remembered forever. The young Neeraj has had been done. killed and two other personnel got risy, and said it used to recite the Asserting that with the change showpiece. done exceptionally well," Modi tweeted. After the end of the event, injured,” a police spokesman said. word 'poor' hundred times a day in the functioning of the govern- With this, the country sur- "He (Chopra) played with remarkable passion and showed unpar- Chopra ran towards the Indian “Preliminary investigation like a "song", but did not work for ment now, the schemes were passed the previous best haul of alleled grit. Congratulations to him for winning the Gold," he said. contingent in the stands with reveals that, a group of (militants) their welfare. reaching the beneficiaries, Modi six medals achieved in the 2012 In another tweet, Modi said he spoke with Chopra to congratulate raised fists and wrapped himself fired upon a police party headed Speaking during a video inter- also said work was on to mitigate London Games. Apart from Cho- him on winning the gold and appreciated his "hard work and with the tri-colour to run a short by SHO PS DH Pora who were action with Pradhan Mantri the problems being faced on pra's gold, India have won two See History on pg 7... See Neeraj on pg 7... See Cop on pg 7... Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana See Modi on pg 7...

Govt's arrogance responsible for 2 former MPs, DDC chairperson, ® parliamentary logjam: ex-MLC join Peoples Conference Saheb Group presents Congress Srinagar, Aug 7: In a major boost to Ahmad Mir secured 24603 votes from Ludhiana, Aug 7: Senior national Peoples Conference (PC), two former Kupwara Assembly segment but lost Much Awaited spokesperson of the Congress, and MPs, Fayaz Ahmad Mir and Nazir to PC’s Bashir Ahmad Dar by a wafer- Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari Ahmad Laway, Chairperson District thin margin of 151 votes. on Saturday alleged that it was sheer Development Council Baramulla, Nazir Ahmad Laway, who fought Marriage Offer 2021 Package arrogance of the Bharatiya Janata Safina Baig, former MLC Murtaza election from Kulgam assembly seg- Party government at the Centre which Khan and former deputy mayor Sheikh ment in 2014 state polls, polled 20240 was responsible for the prolonged Imran joined the party on Saturday votes but lost to CPI (M) leader MY parliamentary logjam that threatens to here. Tarigami by a thin margin. washout almost an entire session. Addressing a news conference here, Safina Baigh contested the last “Their arrogance is an insult to PC chairman Sajad Gani Lone, who year’s DDC chairperson from Baram- the parliamentary democracy”, he was flanked by the party leaders, said ulla and was elected as head of the remarked. the PC will come up to the expectations council with support of Peoples Con- Tewari also 'warned" the govern- of people. ference, which emerged as the single ment of India against procrastinating “I wholeheartedly welcome all largest party in the district. the farmers’ stir saying, it can have leaders in the party. I am hopeful Those who present in the press con- serious ramifications not just for that the way the party is expanding, ference included Imran Reza Ansari, Punjab, but the entire country. PC will emerge as a collective team Abdul Gani Vakil, Syed Basharat Addressing a press conference on to meet the challenges confronted by Bukhari, Peerzada Mansoor, Khur- Saturday, he said, the Congress and the people of Jammu & Kashmir,” he sheed Alam, Raja Ejaz Ali, Irfan Pand- other opposition parties had simply said. itpuri, Bashir Ahmad Dar, and others. See Congress on pg 7... In the last assembly election, Fayaz (KNO) Militant killed in Budgam encounter Associate escapes, caught alive at Khrew: Police Budgam, Aug 7: A militant was presence of militants got ascertained, Available in variety of Colours & Designs Everything killed in an encounter at Mouchwa they were given opportunity to surren- area of Chadoora in Central Kashmir’s der, however, instead of surrendering @`49990/- Budgam district while second one who they fired indiscriminately upon the managed to escape from the gunfight joint search party which was retaliated site was caught alive at Khrew area of leading to an encounter. In the ensuing Inclusive of all taxes southern district of Pulwama, Police encounter, one militant Al-Badr outfit said Saturday. was killed and his body was retrieved ‘Fluffy’ Leatherette A police official said that acting from the site of encounter. “He has been on a specific information generated identified as Shakir Bashir Dar son of by Budgam Police about presence of Bashir Ahmad Dar resident of Goripo- Hydraulic Storage militants in Mochwa, Chadoora area ra, Awantipora,” the police official said. of Budgam, a joint cordon and search and 181BN CRPF in the area. A police spokesman in a statement, King Size Bed operation was launched by Police, 50RR “During the search operation as the See Militant on pg 7... Package Includes: + Kurlon – Spine Care King Size Mattress Director Tourism, DC Kupwara, Coronavirus: JK logs + Recron (Reliance) King Size Quilt Set 142 new cases with Double Bed Sheet SSP visit Bangus valley (In attractive Colours) Srinagar, Aug 7: The Jammu + Recron (Reliance) Superia Pillows Set and Kashmir Of Two Pieces) Bangus has scope Union Territory to be developed as on Saturday witnessed 142 world class tourist fresh positive cases, taking the destination: Dir Tourism number of total Saheb Complex, active cases in the UT to 1,410. Hyderpora Bypass, Near Flyover KUPWARA, AUGUST 7: Director No death was reported in last 24 Tourism, G. N. Itoo, Deputy Commis- length and breadth of the tourist des- hours and the death toll in the UT Ph: 0194 2432159, sioner Kupwara, Imam Din and SSP tination and discussed various issues stands at 4,386 and 124 fresh posi- world’s finest furniture 9906547267, 9797051077 Kupwara today visited Bangus valley relating to its development. On the tive cases reported on Saturday has in Kupwara district to review the pre- occasion, Director Tourism said that pushed the tally of positive cases to paratory arrangements for holding of the aim of visiting this North Kash- 322,428. Tourism festival at the virgin tourist mir tourist location was to physically Of the exact number of 322,428 • Please pre-book your visit to avoid rush Credit/Debit Cards Accepted destination Bangus. assess the possibilities to exploit cases, 200,285 are from Kashmir • Free Face Mask for visitors available No Conditions The dignitaries visited across the See Bangus on pg 7... See Coronavirus on pg 7... Srinagar | Sunday Kashmir Tone NATION 08 August 2021 2

Chidambaram slams govt PM ensured pace of India will hopefully get over vacant posts highways of American standard of HC judges, development continues even tribunal in next three years: Gadkari chairpersons Ahmedabad, Aug 7 (PTI): ing undertaken in Gujarat, during COVID-19: Amit Shah National highways are be- Gadkari said in an address New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI): ing constructed at a very fast delivered virtually at a pro- Ahmedabad, Aug 7 (PTI): the coronavirus pandemic pe- ment works in Gujarat contin- Pointing at several vacant pace under the leadership of gramme organised by the India did not let the pace of riod, Gujarat ensured that the ued without interruption. posts of high court judges and Prime Minister Narendra state government to mark development slow down even development never stops, said He also hailed the CM tribunal chairpersons, senior Modi and the entire country the completion of five years during the pandemic that af- Shah, who also holds the Coop- and the deputy CM for the can hope of getting highways in office by Rupani. Congress leader P Chidam- fected the entire world, Union eration Ministry. COVID-19 vaccination work in of an American standard in He said a national high- baram on Saturday alleged the Home Minister Amit Shah Rupani and Nitin Patel Gujarat. the next three years, Union way project in the Saurash- government is not able to fill said on Saturday and added had sworn in as chief minis- Narendrabhai has started Highways and Road Trans- tra region of Gujarat, as these vacancies as it is look- that the country has won the ter and deputy chief minister, a new system in the country’s port Minister Nitin Gadkari Modiji. In the coming three requested by Union minister ing for people who sympathise fight against coronavirus. respectively, of Gujarat on democracy so that even when said on Saturday. years, the entire country Parshottam Rupala, will start with its “retrograde” philoso- When the wheel of devel- August 7, 2016. They assumed a leader is not serving as the He also said that 38 km of will get highways of Ameri- only when the tough land ac- phy and ideology. opment came to a halt across office once more in December chief minister, the development roads are being constructed can standard, so I believe. At quisition issue is resolved by “Out of 1,080 sanctioned the world, in India, under the 2017 after the BJP won again work continues on its own. every day now compared to one time we were construct- the Gujarat government. posts of HC judges, 416 are leadership of Narendra Modi, in the Assembly elections. I am proud that Naren- just two km per day in the past. ing two km of road per day, He did not elaborate fur- vacant. There is a huge num- the pace of development con- He said the people of Guja- drabhai started a system in Gadkari on Saturday and today we are construct- ther on the projects being ber of vacancies in Tribunals. tinued. We fought strongly dhinagar Lok Sabha constitu- rat fought against the pandem- Gujarat where even after he virtually dedicated to the na- ing 38 km per day, he said. affected by land acquisition Posts of Chairperson of sever- against coronavirus and even ency while projects worth Rs ic well under the leadership went (to the Centre as PM), tion a 3.75-km long four-lane Gadkari said the High- issues. Notably, aggrieved al Tribunals are vacant! They won the fight, and at the 630 crore were inaugurated of PM Modi, CM Rupani and the development work contin- elevated corridor in Deesa ways ministry has undertak- farmers had approached the include DRT, NCLAT, TDSAT same time, carried on with and foundation stones were Deputy CM Patel, and with the ued, and Vijaybhai (Rupani) town of Banaskantha jointly en many projects in Gujarat, Gujarat High Court chal- etc “ the former Union minis- the development, the Union laid for other projects worth unforgettable contribution of and Nitinbhai (Patel) added with Union Home Minister including 1,080 km (road con- lenging acquisition of their ter said. home minister said in his Rs 241 crore. BJP workers. momentum to development Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief struction) projects worth Rs land for certain projects, He questioned why the address delivered virtually “The fact that the projects We have crossed both the on the path shown by Naren- Minister Vijay Rupani. 25,370 crore under the Bharat- mainly on the issues of com- Modi government which is en- to mark the completion of worth Rs 3,322 crore related first and second waves (of the dra Modi. They have ensured Stating that a large num- mala Pariyojana. Among the pensation. Gadkari said his sconced in office for seven years Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay to roads, bridges, water and coronavirus pandemic) once peace, safety in Gujarat and ber of projects of the Road projects is an expressway ministry is going to launch is not able or willing to fill these Rupani’s five years in office, electric supply, houses for the again to continue on the path are working for all-around de- Transport and Highways between Delhi and Mumbai 1,080 km (road construction) vacancies. Chidambaram as- which is being celebrated as poor etc., being inaugurated of development, he said. velopment, he said. Ministry are underway in that will pass through seven projects worth Rs 25,370 serted that the country is not ‘Vikas Divas’. today means that they were Shah said Gujarat is ei- Shah thanked his cabinet Gujarat under the Bharat- districts of Gujarat. crore in Gujarat under the short of lawyers and judges Shah also virtually inau- constructed and completed en- ther ranked first or is on its colleague Nitin Gadkari, who mala Pariyojana, Gadkari I would request the Bharatmala Pariyojana- the qualified to fill these posts. gurated and laid foundation tirely during the coronavirus way to get top ranking in dif- heads the Road Transport asked Rupani to resolve the Chief Minister (Rupani) to ambitious Road and High- “The REAL reason is the stones of projects collectively pandemic period. ferent areas. and Highways ministry, for issues of land acquisition to personally offer his guid- ways project that aims to government is looking for worth Rs 5,300 crore. In Gujarat, the inaugura- He praised the leadership the construction of five over- quicken the pace of infra- ance so that a way is found build highways from Maha- persons who will sympathise Shah said projects worth tion of projects worth Rs 3,322 of Rupani and Patel for ensur- bridges, two of which were in- structure development. soon to resolve the issues of rashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, with its retrograde philosophy around Rs 900 crore (of the crore and (launching) many ing that even after Modi be- augurated on Saturday, on the National highways are land acquisition. This will Punjab, Haryana and then and ideology,” he said in a se- total project cost of Rs 5,300 such projects in the last ten came prime minister (for the road connecting Ahmedabad growing at a very fast pace certainly help expedite (road cover the entire string of ries of tweets. crore) are taken up in his Gan- days shows that even during first time in 2014), the develop- to Gandhinagar. under the leadership of construction) projects be- Himalayan territories. Kerala govt’s helpline for Karnataka CM allocates portfolios, LS Speaker Om Birla takes aerial survey of flood-hit areas women crosses 2 lakh call keeps Finance, Bengaluru Development mark: Pinarayi Vijayan in Rajasthan’s Kota Bengaluru, Aug 7 (PTI): portfolios, earlier in the day Kota (Raj), Aug 7 (PTI): Thiruvananthapuram, Karnataka Chief Minister Bommai said, “I must be Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Aug 7 (PTI): Kerala Chief Basavaraj Bommai on Sat- the luckiest CM because, no on Saturday took an aerial Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urday allocated portfolios to minister mounted pressure survey of flood-hit areas here on Saturday said the num- Ministers in his new cabi- for a particular portfolio.” even as the Army was roped ber of calls received at the net, with most of them re- Other Ministers and in to lead rescue operations helpline facility for wom- taining the Ministries they their portfolios are Umesh after several people were en called ‘Mitra 181’, has had in the previous B S Yedi- Katti- Forest, food and civil trapped inside their houses crossed two lakh mark and yurappa government. supplies; S Angara Fisher- due to the deluge, officials urged more people to utilise In a surprising move, ies, ports and inland trans- said. the service when they are in debutant ministers have got port; J C Madhuswamy At least 140 people were distress. pital and legal aid are being plum portfolios like Araga Minor Irrigation, Law and rescued at various places in and Superintendent of Police, Of the total calls re- provided in coordination Jnanendra- Home and V Parliamentary Affairs; C N the Sangod area of the dis- Kota (Rural), Sharad Choud- ceived at the emergency with various departments. Sunil Kumar- Energy, along would be allocated to a sen- the all important health and Ashwath Narayan Higher trict and evacuated to safer hary rushed to the spot at helpline, 90,000 callers were The designated persons, with Kannada and Culture. ior Minister from the city, medical education depart- Education, IT, BT, Science places till 11 am on Satur- midnight and monitored the provided the service, he said who attend the calls would The Chief Minister but the CM has retained it ment, amid the COVID-19 and Technology and Skill day, Kota Collector Ujjawal rescue operation till Saturday in a Facebook post. listen to the problems of eve- who had on Wednesday ex- with himself, keeping in pandemic. Development; Anand Sin- Rathore said morning. ‘Mitra 181’ is a project ry caller and follow up the panded his new cabinet, by view the number of aspir- Lone woman minister in gh- Environment, Ecology He said the situation in Besides the Army, the launched in 2017 to ensure matter until a proper solu- inducting 29 Ministers, had ants for the plum portfolio. the Cabinet, Shashikala Jolle and Tourism; Kota Srinivas Sangod is under control now. SDRF, the NDRF and the the safety and welfare of tion is found and ensure that tried to play it safe with by Another first-time min- has been made in-charge of Poojari- Social Welfare and Birla, who is an MP from district administration were women. justice is done, he said. and large retaining old faces, ister B C Nagesh has been Muzrai, Wakf & Haj. Backward Classes. Rajasthan’s Bundi, took the helping in rescue efforts. The Kerala State Wom- Of the total 60,000 calls, as 23 of them were Ministers given the primary and sec- She was women & child Also, Prabhu Chauhan- aerial survey in a helicopter The situation is now nor- en’s Development Corpora- which were effectively dealt in the previous Yediyurappa ondary education depart- development minister in the Animal Husbandry; Shiv- of the flood-affected areas mal in Sangod as the water tion (KSWDC), a public sec- with and solutions were cabinet, while six were new. ment, that was with Suresh Yediyurappa cabinet and had aram Hebbar- Labour; S T in the morning, the officials level has come down. Howev- tor undertaking under the found, 20,000 were related Bommai has retained Kumar in the previous gov- faced corruption allegations. Somashekar- Cooperation, said. er, an assessment of the dam- Women and Child Develop- to domestic harassment, he the Department of Personnel ernment, who could not make New face Halappa Achar B C Patil- Agriculture; B A The administration age of property, crops and ment, runs the 24 x 7 emer- said. and Administrative Reforms it to the cabinet this time. is now the women & child Basavaraj- Urban Develop- roped in the Army when the houses is yet to be carried out, gency helpline service. Concerned officials are (DAPR), Finance, Intelli- While most ministers development minister, along ment; K Gopalaiah- Excise; flood situation worsened on Congress MLA from Sangod Detailing the features of trying to provide maximum gence, Cabinet Affairs, Ben- have retained the portfolios with the Mines and Geology MTB Nagaraj- Municipal Friday night in Sangod town, Bharat Singh said. the helpline, the Chief Min- support to women and chil- galuru Development and all held in the previous govern- portfolio. Administration and Small they said. Singh questioned the ister said all the staff in the dren, who are seeking help unallocated portfolios with ment, those with major K S Eshwarappa has con- Scale Industries; Narayana At least 140 people, includ- presence of girls and staff in control room are women in ‘Mitra’, the CM said add- himself. changes include Govind tinued with the Rural Devel- Gowda- Sericulture, Youth ing around 30 girls and staff of the residential school when with professional qualifica- ing that the service of major With Bruhat Bengaluru Karjol- water resources, C C opment and Panchayat Raj Empowerment and Sports; a girls residential school in the classes were off. He al- tions in law and social work. hospitals, police stations and Mahanagara Palike elec- Patil- public works, B Sriram- and so does R Ashoka and V Shankar Patil Munenakop- Hingi village were rescued by leged that the principal of Besides counselling for ambulance are also avail- tions round the corner, it ulu- transport and ST welfare, Sommana with Revenue and pa-Handloom and Textiles; Saturday late morning, the of- the school fled on noticing those who need the service able immediately by dialing was widely expected that Murugesh Nirani - industries. Housing respectively. Munirathna- Horticulture ficials said. the rising water level on Fri- of police, ambulance, hos- the toll free number 181. Bengaluru Development K Sudhakar has retained Ahead of allocation of and Planning departments. District Collector Rathore day evening. 8,832 rescued, 29,280 shifted from How people with narrow mindset will India sees 38628 new coronavirus flood-hit areas in Madhya Pradesh: Chouhan lead UP: Nadda attacks Opposition cases, 617 fresh Bhopal, Aug 7 (PTI): Mad- hya Pradesh Chief Minister Lucknow, Aug 7 (PTI): would not take the shot. deaths Shivraj Singh Chouhan on BJP president JP Nadda, “How can I trust the vac- Saturday said that 8,832 peo- who arrived here Saturday cine, which will be used for New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI): ple have been rescued from on a two-day visit, attacked vaccination by the BJP? We India saw a single-day rise the flood-affected parts of the the Opposition in Uttar cannot get vaccinated by the of 38,628 new coronavirus state, while 29,280 others have Pradesh saying people with BJP’s vaccine,” he had said. cases, taking the infection been shifted to safer places “narrow mindset” should Nadda also said the tally to 3,18,95,385, while the from these areas so far. not be elected to power. world sought India’s vac- death toll climbed to 4,27,371 He made the statement Nadda’s visit comes at a cines and jabs were provided with 617 fresh fatalities, ac- while addressing ‘Anna time Uttar Pradesh prepares to various countries under cording to the Union health Utsav’ programme in the itself for the next year’s as- Vaccine Maitri. ministry data updated on morning. rescue operation this morn- morning. sembly polls in which the “Today, there is no Saturday. State officials have ear- ing in Guna, Ashoknagar, Six more persons were ruling BJP will be pitted shortage of vaccines, and by The active cases have lier said that Gwalior and Vidisha districts. Rescue op- rescued from Vasunia Ghat against the Samajwadi Par- December, the industrial- declined to 4,12,153 and Chambal divisions in north eration of IAF resumed this village from the same dis- ty, the BSP and the Congress ists of India will prepare 135 comprise 1.29 per cent of the Madhya Pradesh have been morning. The teams of SDRF trict and shifted to a safer among other regional fronts. Minister Narendra Modiji ers. Those who have narrow (doses of) vaccines,” Nadda total infections, while the hit hard by rains over the and NDRF are also working place. Addressing a meeting constituted a task force and mindset, how will they lead said. national COVID-19 recovery last few days and at least 12 since night to rescue the From Vidisha district, of the newly-elected chair- he gave the country two vac- UP? This is something to BJP’s national general rate was recorded at 97.37 persons have died so far. people trapped in villages, the teams rescued six per- persons of zila panchayats cines (against coronavirus) think upon,” he said, with- secretary (organisation) BL per cent, the data updated at In a series of tweets ear- Chouhan tweeted. sons, who were trapped on a and block panchayats on in nine months,” he said. out naming any leader or Santhosh, Uttar Pradesh in- 8 am showed. lier, the chief minister said He said that during the tree at Riniya village of Vidi- the first day of his visit, Na- “It is a separate matter party. charge Radha Mohan Singh, A decrease of 2,006 cases that about 40 people were rescue operations carried sha district, he said. dda praised Prime Minister (that the Opposition said) we Just as the vaccine was deputy chief ministers Ke- has been recorded in the rescued from three flood-hit out using helicopters, 15 Chouhan said that the Narendra Modi over his will not get vaccinated. This being rolled out in the coun- shav Prasad Maurya and active COVID-19 caseload in districts of the state on Sat- persons each were rescued people trapped in Sondha handling of the coronavirus is a vaccine of the BJP. Now, try in January, Samajwadi Dinesh Sharma and state a span of 24 hours. urday morning. from Barri and Sirsora vil- village in Guna district are pandemic and the vaccina- you have been vaccinated Party president Akhilesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Also, 17,50,081 tests I took a stock of the flood lages of flood hit Ashok safe and the NDRF team has tion drive. with the BJP vaccine. This Yadav had called it the “vac- Singh were present during were conducted on Friday, situation and the ongoing Nagar district on Saturday reached the village. “On April 20, 2020, Prime tells the mindset of the lead- cine of the BJP” and said he the occasion. taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 47,83,16,964, while Covid vaccine administration COVID-19: More relaxations on way including the daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.21 per cent . It rapidly increasing: Health min has been less than 3 per cent decision on local train travel, says Maharashtra CM for the last 12 days. New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI): idly increasing every month. Weekly positivity rate The coronavirus vaccine July saw a remarkable daily Mumbai, Aug 7 (PTI): The Maha- the resumption of schools for cer- was recorded at 2.39 per administration is rapidly average of 43.41 lakh doses rashtra government is planning to tain classes in urban and rural areas cent, according to the health increasing in the country and a total of 13.45 crore dos- relax more COVID-19 curbs in the from August 17 onwards. ministry. The number of every month, with a total of es,” Mandaviya tweeted. coming days but with utmost caution Currently, common people are people who have recuper- 13.45 crore doses adminis- In India, a total of and will also take a call regarding the not allowed to board Mumbai subur- ated from the disease surged tered in July which also saw 50,10,09,609 vaccine doses local train travel, Chief Minister Ud- ban trains which are being operated to 3,10, 55,861, while the case a remarkable daily average have been administered dhav Thackeray said on Saturday. only for the people employed in es- fatality rate stands at 1.34 of 43.41 lakh doses, Union through 58,08,344 sessions, Speaking at a function organised sential sectors. per cent, the data stated. Health Minister Mansukh according to the provisional by the BEST (Brihanmumbai Elec- Many quarters are demanding Cumulative vaccine Mandaviya said on Satur- report till 7 am on Saturday. tric Supply and Transport) undertak- that common people, who are fully doses administered so far day. According to the health ing to induct more electric buses into vaccinated against COVID-19, be al- The cumulative COV- ministry, 49,55,138 vaccine has reached 50.10 crore ID-19 vaccine doses adminis- doses were administered in its fleet, the chief minister also said lowed to board the local trains, called under the nationwide vac- tered in the country crossed the last 24 hours. he met with the representatives of ho- the lifeline of Mumbai. cination drive. the 50 crore-mark on Friday. The Union government tels and restaurants, who demanded but we are taking every step cau- The state government recently Maharashtra on Friday reported India’s COVID-19 “India is going strong in is committed to accelerating further relaxations in timings beyond tiously. A decision will be taken for introduced several relaxations in 5,539 fresh cases of COVID-19 and tally had crossed the 20-lakh the fight against #COVID19. the pace and expanding the 4 pm, and explained to them that the local train passengers as well. We 25 districts, which have reported a 187 deaths, which took its tally of mark on August 7, 30 lakh Charting a path to #Sabko- scope of COVID-19 vaccina- curbs will be eased step by step. need to ensure that these relaxations low COVID-19 positivity rate, by al- infections to 63,41,759 and the toll to on August 23, 40 lakh on VaccineMuftVaccine, vac- tion throughout the country, “The Maharashtra government do not trigger another wave of COV- lowing all shops to remain open till 1,33,717. The state is now left with September 5 and 50 lakh on cine administration is rap- it added. is going to grant more relaxations, ID-19,” Thackeray said. 8 pm. The government also allowed 74,483 active cases. September 16. Srinagar |Sunday Kashmir Tone NEWS 08 August 2021 3

Div Com Kashmir appreciates Div Com Kashmir flags-off run DCs for attaining close 100% vaccination for Athletes at Srinagar coverage in above 45 years age group Appeals youth to play sports to stay fit, healthy SRINAGAR, AUGUST 07: Cel- ebrating Independence Day Emphasizes on aggressive vaccination in 18-44 years age group also Sports Week- 2021, the Division- al Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir today flagged-off 5 ki- SRINAGAR, AUGUST 07: The Divisional Com- lometre short run for athletes missioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Pandurang K today at Gupkar Road near Po- Pole today chaired a meeting to take stock of lice Golf Course in Srinagar. progress of Covid-19 vaccination drive in Kash- As many as 200 athletes mir division. participated in the run which The meeting was attended by Director HS culminated at TRC Turf Field. Kashmir, Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad Rather along The run was organised by with Incharge and various senior level officers Jammu and Kashmir Sports of Divisional Covid-19 Control Room Kashmir Council as part of Independence (DCCRK). Day celebration Sports Week- 2021. The Div Com appreciated the efforts put in Div Com who interacted by all the DCs in achieving the nearly 100 per- with many athletes on the oc- cent target of vaccination; age group of 45 years casion laid emphasis on sports and above. At the same time he also directed the promotion and involving District Administrations of all districts to pace youths on different sports ac- up the vaccination coverage in the 18-44 years of tivities. age group on a war footing. He appealed to youth to He also stressed upon further augmentation play sports to stay fit, healthy in their efforts by involving all the line depart- and stay away from drugs. ments in their districts in order to achieve 100 Among others, Secretary percent vaccination coverage of this age group He directed all the DCs to ensure that Co- large gatherings in their districts during the J&K Sports Council Nuzhat by the end of this month in order to reduce the vid Appropriate behaviour in their districts coming festivals to avert Covid 3rd wave. Gul, Sports Officer Kashmir, tral, Nusrat Gazala all coaches were also present on the occa- risk of transmission of this dreadful virus. is strictly adhered to and also not to allow any NuzhatAra, Sports Officer Cen- and a good number of parents sion. Mehjabeena of Okey Hamlet in Kulgam prefers DC Gbl inspects work progress on self-employment over seeking Govt Job Akhal, Tangchatri bridges GANDERBAL, AUGUST 07: The Says presently managing multiple small businesses, credits NRLM for hand holding Deputy Commissioner (DC) Gander- bal, Krittika Jyotsna today conduct- KULGAM, AUGUST 07: En- quainted in knitting and started ed an extensive tour of Kangan dur- ergetic, dedicated and quali- to produce handmade garments ing which she inspected the ongoing fied Mehjabeena Akhtar from at her own knitting unit, and it works on Akhal and Tangchatri hamlet Okey in district Kulgam is from this that the small earn- bridges. had dreamed of establishing ings started to pour in. During her visit to Akhal Bridge her own business venture to “To double the produc- constructed over the river Sindh become a job provider and live a tion of garments, I planned to at Kangan, being executed by the dignified life rather than ending shift to a machine and decided JKPCC, the concerned officials in- up as a government job seeker. to procure it,” she said adding formed the DC that the 82-meter long Coming from a humble “I put my savings and raised a span trussed bridge is being con- background, financial con- loan thus purchased a knitting structed at a cost of Rs 807.99 lakh straints were a barrier to make machine which doubled my gar- and value of work done as on August this dream come true, but, the ment production and improved 2021 is Rs 402.53 lakh. decision was unchanged and my income and now my month- Giving details about physical spirit was high despite of all ly earnings are more than 20 achievements so far, DGM JKPCC odds, Mehjabeena maintained thousand per month”. informed that the bridge is complet- her focus and set her eyes on the Besides earning for herself, ed up to super structure. Besides, target to utilize every opportu- Mehjabeena said that she has balance components like trussed nity to give wings to her dream. eight members and some work- girder, superstructure, deck slab She remained eagerly try- ers associated with her and they and approach road are in the tender- ing to trace out opportunity and too are earning livelihood. ing process. platform and thus came to know “I still remember the days The DC directed the DGM that Regarding dumping of material, dumping of material for which DC about National Rural Liveli- when there was no source of in- the tendering process for balance the DGM informed that fabricated directed the SDM Kangan to demar- hood Mission (NRLM) which come to me but today there is a work should be completed immedi- truss girders for a span second have cate the land for approach roads and was rolled out to organize change,” she said. ately and the super structure should been delivered and dumped at the settle all revenue related issues at an the poor into SHG (Self Help Mehjabeena said that pres- be ready by November this year. site. earliest. Groups) and make them capable ently she also owns a willow While inspecting the work prog- The DC directed the JKPCC to Keeping in view the importance of self-employment. wicker works unit and has re- ress of Tangchatri Bridge, the DGM complete the launching of the sec- of both bridges, the DC urged the ex- Mehjabeena’s conscious- cently started a kiryana shop in informed that 68-meter-long span ond span after exploring the possi- ecuting agency to expedite the prog- ness about the importance of the vicinity. bridge is being constructed at a cost bility of channelization of the nallah ress of work so that they get complet- her time led her to utilize avail- She now plans to establish of Rs 668.53 lakh and value of work Sindh as there is a surge in water ed within a set time frame and are able time in the best possible the main ideas and basics to dedication and sincerity along a showroom in the main town done as on august 2021 is Rs 512 lakh level and further instructed to take thrown open for the general public. manner. She said that without nourish her dream. with other members of SHG es- and is preparing for it. “I want and bridge is completed up to super up approach roads on both sides as During the visit, the DC was wasting time she joined hands “I received a share of Rs. 5000 tablished under the patronage of to establish a showroom in the structure level including bearing work is already allotted. accompanied by DDC member Kan- and became part of SHG name- as basic financial assistance from NRLM,” she said. main market where I can put pedestal besides span first is also The GM JKPCC raised certain gan, SDM Kangan, Deputy General ly Village Organisation, (VO) NRLM, and immediately started Mehjabeena said that she my products on display for completed by way of launching of issues like land acquisition for ap- Manager, JKPCC, Tehsildar Kangan where from she encapsulated work on assignments with all remained focused, got well ac- sale,” added Mehjabeena. truss girders. proach roads and proper site for and other concerned officials.

Arrangements for I-Day DC Shopian calls for effective management of Solid Waste celebration reviewed at Kupwara SHOPIAN, AUGUST 07: The Dep- and proper disposal and stressed uty Commissioner (DC) Shopian, to ensure waste collection and its Sachin Kumar Vaishya today con- disposal in every Panchayat Halqa vened a meeting of concerned offi- and in remote areas of the district. DC instructs cers here for effective management He also enjoined upon the officers of solid waste in the district. for dumping the garbage, removing During the meeting, thread- it entirely and intensively cleaned by officers to follow bare discussion was held on vari- the teams of sanitation and put extra ous issues pertaining to the con- effort to keep the district clean. servation of environment in the The DC also asked the officers of COVID-19 SOPs district. the concerned departments to work Speaking on the occasion, the with full energy and utmost zeal to DC said that solid waste manage- make the mass movement a success. ment is an important component Among others, Assistant Com- for sustainable development and ground. single use plastic’ in their area. which will be further collected by missioner Development, Shopian needs special focus in letter and Vaishya stressed upon them to The DC exhorted upon the offi- the department for dumping at a Tehsildars, District Panchayat Of- spirit. He said every department involve sarpanches and panches to cers present in the meeting to gear suitable site fixed for the purpose. ficer, Executive Officer, Municipal and functionary associated with it make the mission a great success up their activities for the collec- He directed the officers to Committee, Shopian and Block De- shall put in a committed effort to and also create awareness among tion of the plastic waste material take concrete steps in segrega- velopment Officers were present in achieve the desired results on the the masses regarding ‘no use of from their respective jurisdictions tion of waste at source for its safe the meeting.

Tourism Department holds Swimming competition held at Nigeen, capacity building programme Dir Tourism distributes prizes

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 07: A swim- for Pahalgam stakeholders ming competition organized by Directorate of Tourism, Kashmir PAHALGAM, AUGUST 07: Continu- The capacity-building pro- in collaboration with some local ing with its programme of capacity gramme, it may be recalled, is an NGOs at Nigeen Sports Center con- KUPWARA, AUGUST 07: The The DC gave a strict di- building of tourism stakeholders, the ongoing exercise to be replicated at cluded here today. Deputy Commissioner (DC) rection for compliance of CO- Department of Tourism held a train- other tourist destinations in the days More than 100 children includ- Kupwara, Imam Din, today VID-19 SOPs and guidelines. ing session for various stakeholders to come. The said exercise is going to ing girls from various areas of Sri- convened a meeting of con- It was also informed that here today. inculcate the necessary encourage- nagar, Budgam, Pulwama and Gan- cerned officers to finalize the the celebration of Indepen- During the training, expert ment among both the tourists and ser- derbal participated in the event. arrangements put in place dence Day shall also be held at from University of Kashmir, Dr. vice providers to start their activities Events held during the by various departments for Sub-Divisional Levels, Tehsil Shahnawaz dwelt in detail about afresh. event included one km Long dis- smooth celebration of Inde- level, Block level and panchay- the protocols and precautions to be Senior officers of Tourism De- tance, 50 mts freestyle, 100mts pendence Day in Kupwara at level. In this regard Addl. exercised while conducting tour- partment were also present on the freestyle, Water Rescue, CPR district. Deputy Commissioner, Hand- ism business. occasion. training, Boating etc. The meeting discussed wara and SDM Lolab/Karnah He impressed upon the stakehold- The Tourism department has al- Director, Tourism Kash- threadbare various issues have already convened meet- ers to adhere to the guidelines issued ready inoculated more than 95% of mir, Dr. G N Itoo was the chief with regard to arrangements ings with local Administra- by the Government from time to time registered tourism players including guest on the occasion who gave for smooth conduct of the Na- tion and passed directions in this regard and help build the con- hoteliers, service providers, horse- away prizes among the winners. tional Day and officers briefed for celebration of the event at fidence among tourists visiting the men, shopkeepers, and others with Speaking on the occasion, the DC about the arrange- their respective headquarters. place. the covid vaccine. Dr. Itoo said the idea of hold- ments being made in this re- Among others, SSP Kup- The training is expected to in- All these measures are set to in- ing the swimming competition gard. wara, G. V. Sundeep; ADC crease the awareness level among the fuse new lease of life in the tourism is to hone the adventure talent On the occasion, the DC Handwara, Nazir Ahmad Mir; tourism stakeholders at all the tourist business and help all of the tourism- among the children so that they been conducting such events ready trekking and other moun- impressed upon all officers Assistant Commissioners, destinations. It would not only help related tradesmen to bring their are able to beat the stagnation to further widen the scope of tain activities have been getting to work with more zeal and JD Planning, CEO, YSSO and in picking up of the tourism here but business back on track in the ensu- crept in among them out of the adventure tourism in Kash- attraction among the tourists dedication to make the event other Officers of the Adminis- would also secure all of them includ- ing tourist season post ebbing of the Covid-19 pandemic. mir and attract more and more which is set to give tourism here a grand success in the district. tration attended the meeting. ing the guests from this deadly virus. pandemic. He said the Department has adventure tourists. He said al- a big boost. Srinagar | Sunday Kashmir Tone EDITORIAL/ OPINION 08 August 2021 4 The Dilemma of smooth process of coexistence Long overdue: Smart water and transition of retailer technologies for India to E Commerce Prapti Patel Dr Aruna Sharma he lack of clean water is estimated to be responsi- ble for 80% of all illnesses in the developing world. he consumer behavior is shifting to e-commerce shopping whether it is TIndia’s water situation is dire: we constitute 16% of FMCG, trading, metals, equipments, raw materials, etc. This shift based the world’s population but possess only 4% of its freshwa- Ton safety, convenience, choice and competitive pricing is building mo- ter resources. mentum for digital Bharat. The recently uploaded draft e-commerce acts and The lack of access to freshwater affects the end-con- rules meander through number of ministries and making it difficult for MS- sumer. The service level benchmark for urban local bod- MEs to expand their market, introduce their products to new market and opti- ies to provide domestic water supply is supposed to be 135 mize the advantage of this consumer behavior change. litres per capita per day (LPCD), but the current supply It is a misnomer that e commerce has threatened the brick and mortar averages 69.25 LPCD. Compounding the scarcity, about shop as the e commerce transactions in India on date is just 4%. However, as 25%-40% of water in urban India is lost during distribu- said above because of consumer preference it would grow in geometrical pro- tion due to theft, leakages, and other faulty mechanisms, portion and become a 200 million dollar business. Thus, it is very important contributing heavily to the non-revenue water of a utility. through the acts and rules not to throttle the expansion of e commerce but to The availability and distribution of freshwater is Additionally, the Ministry of Jal Shakti recommend- sors that monitor water distribution and flag thefts, leak- ensure how more and more of MSMEs take advantage of this new mode of con- a problem that could be solved by treating wastewater. ed 5 technologies under the Jal Jeevan Mission to all ages, blockages, and outages, as well as smart meters that sumer choice and then shopping. However, while we produce an estimated 62,000 million States and Union Territories to help meet their respective share real-time usage information at the household, local- The studies show that e-commerce in fact has helped the businesses to sur- litres per day (MLD) of sewage, India has an official treat- targets under the “Har Ghar Jal” initiative. One of these ity, and city level to monitor and stop overuse and waste- vive during pandemic who adopted to market their produce on line or a hybrid ment capacity of only 23,277 MLD. Further, data reveals initiatives is Janajal’s Water on Wheels, a decentralized ful behaviour. Other solutions include remote-control model. More than 54% have now completely migrated to e-commerce. There is that only 522 of our 816 municipal sewage treatment distribution mechanism for delivery of safe water aided mechanisms that can enable a water utility to cut supply no denial that ‘home delivery’ is going to be critical element along with ena- plants work, which means that the true treatment capac- by technology, sensors, and IOT controllers. to an area with leakages or a homeowner to shut a leaky bling wider choice of goods and services in comfort of home. ity is closer to 18,883 MLD. Opportunities and Business Models in Water Tech tap remotely. It is no longer FMCG or consumer goods but even the metals are also now Without intervention, the risks from a lack of water As the JJM pilots demonstrate, there is immense op- Business Model: Here, water tech companies can ei- experimenting to shift 25% of their businesses to e commerce and so are the security will cause havoc. It is estimated by the World portunity for companies to introduce cutting-edge tech- ther work directly with local governments and utilities equipments for construction, mining etc for hiring or purchase are successful- Wildlife Fund that by 2030, 30 Indian cities will be at risk nologies in the water sector. This is supported by market (B2G) or with developers of large residential or commer- ly adopting to the e commerce mode. Businesses believe that business continu- of water crises and the World Bank predicts that India data: the global water and wastewater treatment market cial spaces (B2C) that would benefit from decreasing loss ity and larger customer base are the key benefits that e-commerce provides for will lose 6% of GDP by 2050 due to poor water manage- is estimated at $263.07B in 2021, with a CAGR of 7.3% till and theft of water them, with larger customer base as the sellers focus more on online as a medi- ment; to put this in perspective, this is approximately the 2028. Even the budget allocation of the JJM grew nearly Treatment of Sewage Water um for business that indicates a paradigm shift in sellers’ faith in e-commerce. contribution of Mumbai to India’s GDP. 4.5x between FY 2021 and FY 2022. Opportunity: Treating sewage and recycling water The pandemic pushed a lot of businesses into digitization and gave them Regulatory Tailwinds Enhancing health of natural environments: for reuse is the final stage of the value-chain, and there access to a livelihood during these uncertain times. Once a business sees the The challenges in the water sector are not lost on the Opportunity: The best source of water is freshwater are a host of technologies that have been around for dec- benefits of going online, there is no going back. Findings from survey con- Indian government. In 2014, the government launched the and therefore, the first frontier for water technology is en- ades. However, as many of India’s water treatment plants ducted on a sample regarding the role played by e-commerce in helping small Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) to achieve universal toilet hancing the health of our groundwater and reservoirs. This are ageing or defunct, the use of pressure and auditory businesses during the pandemic, chalks out a clear picture. 85% of respondents coverage and provided subsidies to construct nearly 110 is done through quality and pressure sensors and satellite sensors can indicate leakages or outages, androbots can have stated that they would recommend their fellow businesses to migrate to million toilets by 2nd October 2019. While Phase I focused and drone imagery that can alert communities and local clean clogged pipes, inspect for damage, and aid in predic- e-commerce. 81% sellers believe that home deliveries will be a critical element on containment of faecal waste, this is only the first step governments when water levels fall or water is contami- tive maintenance of systems. for survival of small businesses and consumers in case of a third wave of Covid of the sanitation value-chain, and therefore Phase II will nated. Additionally, solutions have emerged where robotic Business Model: Since these solutions would be im- 19. 73% surveyed sellers believe that e-commerce played a big role in keeping work on transportation, treatment, and safe disposal of cleaners clean floating trash, while nanotechnology has plemented anew or retrofitted to existing water treat- people safe during Covid, by helping maintain social distancing. faecal waste, a key step in increasing access to safe water. showed success in destroying contaminants in water. ment plants, water tech companies are best suited to A lot of offline retailers who have not gone digital yet, will imbibe e-com- An important result of implementing the SBM was Business Model: In this context, the B2G (Business- work with the government (B2G) or an engineering firm merce into their business model as a source of additional revenue and to get ac- that it brought to attention the challenges in achieving to-Government) model would work best for water tech constructing or managing the solution on behalf of the cess to a larger target audience, something they will never get access to due to geo- sanitation goals without first solving for access to water. companies where the product or service is deployed at a government (B2B). graphical limits of offline. For a lot of businesses, which do both offline and online, Consequently, the government launched the Jal Jeevan large scale, in villages, towns, and cities where natural Implementation Challenges for Water Tech Startups offline amounts to almost half of their revenue. In fact, 79% surveyed businesses Mission (JJM) in 2020, to provide piped drinking water environments need protection and cleaning. If deep tech can indeed solve issues in water security believe that business continuity and larger customer base are the key benefits that to every household in the country, along with a focus Increasing availability of water in India, why isn’t there more widespread application of e-commerce provides for them, with larger customer base accounting for 49% of on rejuvenating water bodies and promoting a circular Opportunity: Second is the issue of increasing water sensors, drones, robots, satellites, and other similar solu- responses.Both offline and online retails will continue to co-exist. It’s not like of- economy of water through reuse and recycling of water. where availability is naturally low. There are a number tions in the sector? The answer lies in the complexities of fline retail is going anywhere. With a lot of products, consumers want to physi- The budget for the JJM (Urban) is INR 2.87 lakh crore of well-known practices such as rainwater harvesting, the water sector. cally see and feel the article before making the purchase. For example: fruits and or $38 billion over a 5-year period. A fortunate inclusion fog-catching, and water-to-air methodologies which have First, there is a long list of stakeholders that play a vegetable, jewellery etc. Sellers have to get smarter, savvier and realize what in the JJM has been the formation of a “Technology proven success, but the effectiveness of these methods role in the sector, making it difficult for a new entity or are the products that in the future will be primarily sold online and the items Sub-Mission” to “leverage latest global technologies in can be greatly increased by moisture sensors that share technology to be introduced. where offline is the way to go.Accordingly, they need to modify their business the field of water”. In a pilot run by the Tata Trusts in 5 alerts when rain or fog is high. Second, and closely related to the large number of model. The government has to do mass sector-wise education to sellers inform- states in September 2020, the use of an IOT sensor helped Business Model: Here, water tech companies can sell stakeholders is the length of the sales cycle. ing them of this so that businesses have a future. identify issues in depletion of groundwater levels, which directly to local governments(B2G), companies (B2B), or Third, it can be difficult for a water tech company to The fear of Associations of small traders and hence demand to reign e com- enabled the building of a strengthening structure for the individuals (B2C) who harvest water. proactively close sales. Their role usually comes in after a merce players is a misplaced perception as the consumer preference is now water source, and distribution issues like low pressure, Decreasing non-revenue water municipality or utility issues a call-for-tenders, and even more and more on e commerce platforms and any manufacturer or traders leakages, and outages, which led to identification and fix- Opportunity: Third, issues in water distribution have then the process of applying for a tender and navigating who does not use these platforms will be restrictive in his/her business growth. ing of the problem-site and reduced costs. been solved through the use of pressure and acoustic sen- government relationships is tricky. India must allow children to Opportunity for India to pitch return to classrooms for holistic maritime security

K. Sujatha Rao importantly, training materials and train- ers will need to be organised. Peer educa- tors and retired persons in the community he efficacy of total lockdowns as a will need to be roped in to volunteer to cope public health measure is yet to be with the workload. A new organisational Tproven. But we seem to have al- dynamic will need to be introduced that lowed our imagination and thinking to get could require logging in more hours. It is trapped into that logic, regardless of the a daunting situation, requiring visionary social and economic costs to society. Coun- leadership. tries that imposed lockdowns, including There are enough choices for open- China, have seen a re-emergence of infec- ing schools. There is enough scientific tions while Sweden that did not impose a evidence that in open spaces, the infection lockdown has close to zero deaths today. does not spread so effectively. Rural areas However, it’s apparent that localised re- are full of such spaces where classes can strictions on movements in high positivity be held. Timings and school schedules areas for a limited period make sense. tional and has undone a lot of the gains in can be staggered to avoid crowding or The impact of lockdowns has undoubt- education. A large number of children are mixing. Schools need not be held for the edly been painful at both the macro and mi- now joining the workforce, adolescent whole day. It would suffice even if classes C. Uday Bhaskar Over the last few decades, global warming and car- cro-levels. Amongst the worst affected are girls are being married off, instances of are held for two hours covering critical bon emissions have altered the chemistry of the children, ironically the least vulnerable. child abuse have increased, a majority of subjects, and on alternate days. It will re- oceans and a UN report has come up with grim sta- Morbidity and mortality among chil- the poor, denied midday meals, are facing quire the staff to work harder and the ad- n an innovative departure from normal practice, tistics. This study notes that oceans have become dren have been comparatively lower. As hunger and nutritional deficiencies, not ministration to have more detailed plans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside (in more acidic as sea water absorbs more carbon per a recent UK study, deaths are two per to mention the loss of social interaction Health departments will have to be more Ivirtual mode) over an open debate at the global dioxide and furthermore, the upper layers of the million and hospitalisation under severe and self-confidence – they are missing actively linked to schools and stay alert. high-table, namely the UN Security Council, on Mon- open ocean have lost between 0.5 per cent and 3.3 conditions about 1 in 50,000. Studies car- out on the joys of learning. Most students Teachers and parents will have to be giv- day (August 9) when India holds the President’s chair per cent of their oxygen since 1970 as temperatures ried out in the US, Ireland, Norway, Ger- have forgotten what they had learnt in en high priority in vaccination by having for one month. This will mark a diplomatic first for have risen. In a worst-case scenario, the report cau- many and other parts of the world have their previous class. The losses could, in vaccination camps at schools. Finally, an Indian PM: This role has been performed in the tions that left unchecked, greenhouse gases could shown very low to negligible transmis- fact, be more severe than currently under- this will also require involving the com- past by a minister or a senior diplomat. prove to be catastrophic for the world. These gases sion of infection in, and due to, schools, stood — loss of focus, memory and interest munity and civil society. It is impossible The subject to be deliberated upon by the UNSC could pile up in such a manner throughout the cen- particularly where the discipline of in learning. for governments to deliver on this grave members is “Enhancing maritime security: A case tury resulting in “sea levels rising at a relentless wearing masks, physical distancing and In January, the Azim Premji Founda- situation without the active engagement for international cooperation” under the larger um- pace for hundreds of years, potentially by 17 feet personal hygiene has been enforced even tion undertook a study of 16,067 primary of all stakeholders. Devising and enforc- brella of the “Maintenance of international peace and or more by 2300”, and many islands and low-lying moderately. In fact, most countries have class children in 1,137 schools spread over ing new norms of behaviour and sched- security”. This would be an extension of Modi’s ad- coastal areas along the global littoral would be swept persisted with in-person learning. Only a 44 districts in five states. The purpose of ules would require intensive discussions vocacy of SAGAR (security and growth for all in the underwater. handful have shut down schools. India is the study was to assess the “forgetting/ with parents, school authorities, and civil region) that he had unveiled in 2015 in relation to the Thus maritime security has many strands and one of them. regression” kind of learning loss among society organisations. Governments have Indian Ocean region (IOR). PM Modi would be well advised to look at the big While we have no information regard- children with regards to language and to give up their current anti-NGO/civil so- Currently, global maritime security is roiled and picture while encouraging the global high table to ing the cohort of children who have been math. Since these are what are referred to ciety stance and seek an all society-centred the most recent incident that has caused consider- review the maritime domain holistically. Clearly, hospitalised or have died due to Covid as foundational abilities, loss could imply approach to safeguard our children’s fu- able unease about the safety of merchant shipping is nettlesome strategic and security issues such as the over the past 18 months, as in the case of serious consequences for the future. The ture. the suspected drone attack (July 29) on an Israeli-con- South China Sea and FON would find little consensus adults, children with comorbidities such results of this study showed that 92 per cent We still cannot predict when the pan- trolled tanker in the north Arabian Sea off Oman that in the UNSC where China is a permanent member as diabetes or obesity are likely to be more and 82 per cent children lost one or more demic will become localised. It is essential killed two crew members. Piracy and non-traditional and would stall any meaningful debate. vulnerable. Such data, along with seroposi- of the abilities that constitute language and we learn to live with an awareness of the challenges at sea such as gun-running and smuggling What may find support for a useful debate at the tivity studies, need to be triangulated and math learning respectively. Put simply, presence of the virus around us by adopt- are old chestnuts. UNSC would be those areas that could be brought un- analysed to enable evidence-based policy they had forgotten how to speak or write, ing Covid-appropriate behavior and keep- Concurrently, there is the simmering tension der the rubric of the “global good”. For instance, the formulation instead of panic or speculation add or multiply. ing ourselves safe. in the South China Sea over freedom of navigation welfare of seafarers who are the sinews of the global guiding decision making. Though this study had recommended Politicians have adopted the easy solu- (FON) rights in international waters and how China merchant marine, which is the foundation of global Available evidence seems to sug- “not to rush into promoting children to the tion of avoiding action and responsibility has laid claim to “territoriality” based on artificial trade, has received scant attention in this Covid- gest that from a strictly epidemiological next class,” Telangana has promoted the by saying parents are unwilling to send structures (not natural islands). This formulation scarred period and the IMO (International Maritime standpoint, there is weak justification for students to the next class by skipping the their children to schools. The fears of par- has not been accepted by the US that has exercised Organisation) has been unable to effectively address the stringent and prolonged lockdown of one they were to have attended but for the ents are legitimate. But let them be given transit rights in these waters. Many ASEAN nations such issues. schools – particularly, primary schools. lockdown. It is unclear if the implications a choice. There is also a need to see things and Quad members such as Japan, Australia and In- Over the decades, India highlighted the nuclear We do hear of online classes. But with less of this policy have been interwoven into in perspective: Every year in India, lakhs dia subscribe to the principle of FON and do not buy issue to the global high-table: Delhi brought nuclear than a quarter of the country having inter- the teaching schedules when schools do of children die due to diarrhoea, malnutri- the Chinese interpretation of the “nine-dash-line” disarmament into the global discourse, even though net access and the lackadaisical manner open. Teachers, for example, will need to tion and diseases of the upper respiratory but have not rocked the boat with Beijing. The most it demonstrated its own nuclear weapon capability of the implementation of online learning conduct bridge courses for those promoted tract and other illnesses caused by pollu- recent example of maritime reticence and bilateral in 1998. In a similar manner, the Modi legacy to the by untrained teachers, the reach of such to Class 4 by having to cover the syllabus tion. Fragile environments imply higher prudence apropos China was evident in the Royal global policy basket could be advocacy for sustained instruction to even urban students has of Class 2 (to refresh memory), Class 3 (to responsibility. But life has to move on. Navy sending a carrier task group to the region but focus on the maritime domain and the correlation been patchy. Students from rich families teach what they have missed out) and then Children have suffered a lot. We have a re- opting not to transit within the 12-mile line off the with globalisation, the blue economy, the health of attending “good” schools may have ben- continue with Class 4. More importantly, sponsibility for their future. It is time for Chinese built structures. the ocean and the overall impact on human security. efitted somewhat from online education, teachers will have to be trained in peda- parents to wake up and demand account- Earlier in the year, accidents onboard large crude Security and equitable growth for all by husbanding but they are only a minuscule section of the gogy and assessment skills required for ability from the government and political carriers and cargo vessels in the IOR have added to the global ocean for future generations is a laudable learners. such remedial teaching of children with leaders. Or is it time for suo motu action the anxiety about marine pollution and its down- goal and encouraging the UNSC to prioritise this is- The impact of this policy is genera- different and varied learning levels. More from the Supreme Court? stream consequences for the health of the oceans. sue is a worthy cause.

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Printer, Publisher, Owner: Sheikh Mukhtar Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief: Sheikh Mukhtar Ahmad, Published from: Chinar House, Kathi Darwaza, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, Printed at: Lubaab Publications, Radio Colony, Gund Hassibhat Bhat, Lawaypora, Srinagar 190017, Title Code: JKENG01338, Cell No: 8825090402, email Id: [email protected] Srinagar |Sunday Kashmir Tone WORLD 08 August 2021 5

THRAKOMAKEDONES: Wildfires stretched Greece's firefighting forc- rampaged through massive swaths es have been stretched to the limit. OVER THE PAST FEW of Greece's last remaining forests The government appealed for help DAYS, WE HAVE BEEN for yet another day on Saturday, en- through the European Union's emer- FACING A SITUATION croaching on more inhabited areas gency support system. Firefight- after burning scores of homes, busi- ers and aircraft have arrived from WITHOUT PRECEDENT nesses and farms. France, Ukraine, Cyprus, Croatia, IN OUR COUNTRY, IN THE In neighboring Turkey, fires de- Sweden and Israel, with more expect- INTENSITY AND WIDE scribed as the worst in decades have ed to arrive Saturday from Romania DISTRIBUTION OF THE swept through stretches of the coun- and Switzerland. WILDFIRES, AND THE try's southern coast for the past 10 Civil Protection chief, Nikos days, killing eight people. Hardalias, speaking during a Fri- NEW OUTBREAKS ALL A fire threatening the Greek day evening briefing, said firefight- OVER (GREECE). capital's most important national ers faced "exceptionally dangerous, park killed one volunteer firefighter, unprecedented conditions" as they while at least 20 people have been in- battled 154 wildfires this week, with jured in blazes during the country's 64 still burning into the night. care. worst heat wave in 30 years. Thou- "Over the past few days, we have The causes of the fires are under sands of residents and vacationers been facing a situation without prec- investigation. Hardalias said three have fled approaching flames by land edent in our country, in the intensity people were arrested on Friday, in and by sea. and wide distribution of the wild- the greater Athens area, central In apocalyptic scenes overnight fires, and the new outbreaks all over and southern Greece, on suspicion and into Saturday, ferries evacuated (Greece)," he said. "I want to assure of starting blazes, in two cases in- 1,153 people from a seaside village you that all forces available are tak- tentionally. Police said the suspect and beaches on Evia, an island of ing part in the fight." detained north of Athens had alleg- rugged, forested mountains popular The country has been baked edly lit fires at three separate spots in with holidaymakers and campers, by its most protracted heat wave in the area ravaged by the large blaze, after flames from a massive wildfire three decades, with temperatures tion earlier in the week. which first broke out on Tuesday. burning for days cut off all other soaring to 45 °Celsius (113 degrees After burning through forests Greek and European officials means of escape. People clutched Fahrenheit). Temperatures eased and houses towards Lake Marathon, also have blamed climate change babies and carried older adults on Friday, but winds picked up, further the capital's main water reservoir, for a large number of summer fires chairs as they boarded the small fer- exacerbating the situation. a branch of the fire moved into the burning through southern Europe, ries to safety. Evacuation orders for villages Mount Parnitha national park. The from southern Italy to the Balkans, Another major blaze was burn- and neighborhoods have been con- park, one of the last remaining sub- Greece and Turkey. ing in the southern Peloponnese re- stant, sent by push alerts to mobile stantial forests near Athens, still In Italy, firefighters battling a gion of Mani, where the deputy may- phones in affected areas, while police bears deep scars from wildfires in wildfire in Reggio Calabria province or of East Mani, Eleni Drakoulakou, and firefighters have gone door-to- 2007. found the bodies of a man and a wom- told state broadcaster ERT that 70% door urging people to leave homes in The 38-year-old volunteer fire- an in an olive grove. Italian news of her area had been destroyed. the path of the flames. fighter who was killed died of head agency LaPresse said the two died of "It's a biblical catastrophe. We're On Friday, shifting winds and injuries on Friday after being struck smoke inhalation. talking about three-quarters of the new flashpoints caused the blazes to by a falling electricity pole in an area Massive fires also have been municipality," Drakoulakou said, the north of Athens and on Evia to north of the capital, officials said. At burning across Siberia in Russia's pleading for more support from wa- repeatedly change direction, in some least 20 people have required treat- north for weeks, while hot, bone-dry, ter-dropping aircraft. cases returning to threaten areas ment nationwide, including two gusty weather has also fueled devas- The multiple fierce fires have that had narrowly escaped destruc- firefighters hospitalized in intensive tating wildfires in California.

'Expedite process of issuing visas to int'l students' US gave only 7.5 mn doses of Covid vaccine Washington, August 7: A bi- The senators further said while partisan group of influential sen- some US consulates are reopening, to India, needs to do more: Krishnamoorthi ators on Friday urged the Biden most are still operating at lower Administration to accelerate the capacity levels and there remains amenting that the US has allo- new, vaccine-resistant variants,” process of issuing visas to inter- limited access to visa appointments. cated only 7.5 million doses of Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. national students, a move likely Prospective students cannot LCovid vaccines to India, a top “As we approach Indian Inde- to benefit thousands of Indians be certain about whether their Indian-American Congressman has pendence Day, we need to declare who want to join their classes visas will be processed in time urged the Biden administration to our independence from Covid by this Fall. for them to travel to the United do more by expanding its global vac- creating the global partnership nec- In India, for instance, in States to begin their studies, the cine aid programme to it at a time essary to produce and deliver the bil- Delhi, only emergency visas are senators wrote. when the world faces the threat of lions of vaccines necessary to truly currently being issued by the US “While we appreciate that a new, vaccine-resistant coronavirus bring this pandemic to an end,” the Embassy, as a result of which a National Interest Exception for variants. Democratic Party lawmaker said. large number of Indian students international students has been Congressman Raja Krish- “Meeting those goals will de- are uncertain about their aca- created, the processing of these namoorthi's statement came on a mand the continued cooperation of demic future for the next session visas in a timely way continues day when the White House said it is the world's leading democracies and beginning this Fall. to be a challenge. International “eager” to continue the partnership producers of these life-saving vac- There are over 1,00,000 In- students coming to the United with India in the fight against coro- cines, including the United States dian students in the US and they States provide significant and es- navirus and wants to provide assis- and India,” Krishnamoorthi added. contribute significantly to the national students and scholars in crease hiring, and initiate mean- sential value to the higher educa- tance, including vaccines. Under the NOVID Act, which American economy. the Fall, as competitor countries ingful engagement with outside tion system and our economy,” Krishnamoorthi has secured the Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, “We write to express our are doing, we urge the State De- stakeholders and agencies,” they they stressed. support of 116 members of Congress dent Biden and my colleagues in Senators Jeff Merkley and Elizabeth concerns regarding the slow pace partment to provide predictable said. Data from the Association of on his ongoing effort to expand the the Congress to come together and Warren introduced with Congress- of processing student visas as and consistent consular services, “We are at a critical point in International Educators shows that US global vaccine aid programmes pass the NOVID (Nullifying Oppor- woman Pramila Jayapal, the US will we continue to recover from the maximise alternatives to in-per- the academic calendar when in- more than one million international to India and other nations. tunities for Variants to Infect and establish the Pandemic Prepared- COVID-19 pandemic,” two dozen son visa interviews by providing ternational students and scholars students at US colleges and universi- "The US has so far allocated only Decimate) Act into law to end this ness and Response Programme senators wrote in a letter to Sec- waivers and virtual interviews, must make visa appointments ties during the 2018-2019 academic 7.5 million vaccine doses for India," pandemic for good because, so long (PanPReP) to oversee the global retary of State Tony Blinken. extend visa eligibility waivers, and plan their travel to the Unit- year contributed USD 41 billion to he said. as outbreaks continue in any nation, health response to the pandemic. “In order to welcome inter- authorise staff overtime and in- ed States,” they added. the country’s economy. “I'm once again urging Presi- the entire world faces the threat of PTI Srinagar | Sunday Kashmir Tone BUSINESS 08 August 2021 6 Railways sets eyes on hydrogen powered trains, invites bids for new tech Chip shortage New Delhi, Aug 7: The Indian Rail- project, all the rolling stock which ways has begun work on hydrogen- will operate on diesel fuel after elec- powered trains. An official state- trification can be planned to run on ment said that the Indian Railways hydrogen fuel.” hits Mahindra and has invited bids for hydrogen fuel Initially, 2 DEMU rakes will be cell-based technology by retrofitting converted, and later 2 hybrid narrow on the Diesel Electric Multiple Unit gauge locos will be converted based on (DEMU) in 89 km Sonipat-Jind sec- hydrogen fuel cell power movement. Mahindra production tion of Northern Railway. After conversion, the train will Simply put, the Indian Railways run on hydrogen fuel, the greenet wants to see whether existing diesel mode of transport as hydrogen can run trains can be retrofitted to use be generated by electrolysing the hydrogen instead. water from solar energy, the state- “The retrofitting of diesel pow- ment added. ered DEMU and converting it into ing from diesel to hydrogen, but also annum,” the statement said. Presently, very few countries are hydrogen fuel powered train set will save the carbon footprint (NO2) of Setting an even more ambitious using this method. The trial of one not only save the cost to the tune of 11.12 kilo tons per annum and partic- goal, the railways said, “After suc- rake is being done in Germany and Rs 2.3 crores annually by convert- ulates matter of 0.72 kilo tonnes per cessful implementation of this pilot the trial of other in Poland. Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC receives Bank of Baroda posts net profit of Sebi’s final approval for IPO Rs 1,208 cr in Q1; New Delhi, Aug 7: Aditya Birla Sun 2020. The asset manager has retained NII rises 16% Life Asset Management Company its fourth position since September 2011 New Delhi, Aug 7: State- (AMC) has received final approval from in terms of quarterly average AUM, owned lender Bank of Baro- the Securities and Exchange Board of according to the DRHP. At the end of da on Saturday reported a India (SEBI) for its initial public offer- March 2020, the fund house ranked standalone net profit of Rs ing (IPO). sixth in terms of total folios -- 7.2 mil- 1,208 crore for the quarter Senior officials in the fund house lion. ending June 30, 2021. The Chennai, Aug 7: Homegrown automotive situation is very dynamic.” What has hit confirmed the development, but did not The data from Association of Mu- major Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) companies like M&M is the resurgence of lender had posted a loss of give a time frame for the launch of the tual Funds in India (Amfi) shows that Rs 864 crore in the year-ago is weighing scaling down of production the pandemic in Asian countries like Ma- initial public offering . the fund house had an average AUM of due to the ongoing global semiconductor laysia which are semiconductor sourcing period (Q1FY21) and Rs 1,046 “With the clearance we will come Rs 2.75 trillion for April-June quarter. crore in the previous quar- chip shortage, said a top executive of the hubs. “Malaysia is going through a seri- out with the IPO very soon,” said the However, the assets crossed the Rs 3 company. ous wave of the pandemic and since a lot ter (Q4FY21). official. trillion mark in July 2021. BoB’s net interest in- “We are evaluating it, but have not of semiconductors come from the Asian Sources say that the initial public Continued focus on building retail come (NII) --- the difference reached a conclusion about it yet. We are side, it is affecting supplies,” said M&M offering size could be around Rs 2,000 customer franchise with 7.2 million fo- between interest earned looking at what we have in our inven- CEO Anish Shah. crore and this will value asset manag- lios and Rs 1.33 trillion of retail AUM, and interest expended --- in- tory and the balancing act that needs to Meanwhile, M&M reported a profit ers at nearly Rs 15,000 crore. was up 30% year on year. The fund be done,” said M&M executive director of Rs 424 crore in the first quarter of fis- creased 15.7 per cent to Rs The fund house had filed its draft Currently, ABCL holds a 51 per house posted profit after tax (PAT) of Rajesh Jejurikar. M&M’s comment comes cal 2021 on the back of improved demand 7,892 crore in the first quarter red herring prospectus (DRHP) with cent stake and Sun Life has a 49 per Rs 155 crore in the first quarter of the after Maruti Suzuki announced plans of for its models. On a comparative basis, it as compared to Rs 6,816 crore the markets regulator in April this cent stake in the AMC. Following the current fiscal compared to Rs 97 crore cutting down production due to the chip made a loss of Rs 49 crore a year earlier. in the year earlier period. year. IPO, the total promoter stake in the in the previous financial year, a growth crisis. Revenue zoomed 60% to Rs 19,172 crore. The Bank’s gross non- However, the offer document was fund house will fall from 100 per cent at of around 59 per cent. Already the chip shortage has begun Though demand improved compared to performing assets (NPAs) put in abeyance for some time due to present to 86.5 per cent. The fund house has seen an im- to impact M&M’s product delivery plans. last year when Covid induced a coun- stayed flat sequentially at “We will make delivery announcements trywide lockdown, M&M remains under an alleged violation concerning a group Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC is cur- provement in the higher share of in- 8.86 per cent in Q1FY22. In about the XUV700 when we have more pressure as “commodity inflation and company. rently India’s fourth-largest (and the dividual investors, from 40 per cent in Q4FY21, gross NPAs of the confidence regarding the semiconductor semiconductor supply issues continue to But now SEBI has given its final go largest non-bank affiliated) fund house March 2016 to 46.5 per cent in December bank were at 8.87 per cent. situation,” Jejurikar said. “Right now The be of concern”. ahead, clearing the decks for the coun- with assets under management (AUM) 2020 – the second-best increase among Meanwhile, net NPAs stood try’s fourth mutual fund IPO. of nearly Rs 2.74 trillion as of December the top five AMCs. at 3.03 per cent. ‘India offers Cairn Energy $1-bn refund after scrapping retro tax’ Downbeat Indian New Delhi, Aug 7: India expects ticals company Sanofi and brewer battered economy. consumers withhold to refund $1 billion to UK-based SABMiller, now owned by AB In- “We want to give a message to Cairn Energy after it moved to Bev, as part of efforts to repair its the investors that the country be- scrap a retrospective tax law that damaged reputation as an invest- lieves in the stability and certainty spending amid pandemic, unleashed bitter fights with promi- ment destination, the report said. of taxation,” Tarun Bajaj, revenue nent foreign investors, reports Analysts say the legal initiative secretary, told journalists. “Taxa- says RBI survey said. would allow New Delhi to resolve a tion is a sovereign right and can’t The lower house of parliament bitter international tax battle with be taken away. But we should use approved a draft law introduced Cairn that has grown increasingly it sparingly, judiciously.” the previous day, cancelling a 2012 embarrassing for India. The UK Bajaj said about $1.2 billion col- policy that enabled New Delhi energy group has sought in recent lected from companies under the to tax some foreign investments months to seize some of the govern- soon to be scrapped tax provision retrospectively. The upper house ment’s estimated $70bn worth of would be refunded if the companies is expected to approve the law as overseas assets. agreed to drop outstanding litiga- early as next week. “It’s a settlement offer mas- tion, including claims for interest New Delhi would also drop querading as a law,” said one and penalties. About $1 billion of this $13.5 billion in outstanding claims foreign business analyst, who re- would go to Cairn and $270 million to against multinationals such as tele- quested anonymity. Prime Minis- hopes the resolution of the dispute foreign companies as it seeks new other groups including Vodafone, he coms group Vodafone, pharmaceu- ter Narendra Modi’s government can bolster its reputation among investment to revive India’s Covid- added, as per the report.

‘Mahindra Group to New Delhi, Aug 7: Con- as the RBI’s Monetary Policy Oil Ministry launches sixth bid round sumer sentiment in India Committee kept interest financially compute its stayed put near a record low rates unchanged at a record- in July, weighed down by low to support an economy of Open Acreage Licensing Programme lower income and higher still struggling to recover impact on society’ cost of living, according from the impact of pandemic New Delhi, Aug 7: The Ministry of to a Reserve Bank of India curbs. Petroleum and Natural Gas launched survey. With forecasters warn- the sixth round of bids under the The current situation ing of a third wave, any new Open Acreage Licensing Programme index was at 48.6 in July restrictions could spell more (OALP). An official statement said that from 48.5 in May, showed the bad news for the country, 21 blocks, with an area of approximate- RBI’s consumer confidence where private consumption ly 35,346 sq km are on offer to investors. survey that covered 5,384 makes up some 60% of gross “The bidders would be able to sub- households across 13 cities. domestic product. mit their bids on an online e-bidding A score below 100 suggests a A separate survey point- portal starting August 6, 2021 and the pessimistic view in terms of ed to inflation expectations deadline for bid submission is October economic conditions, while getting well entrenched, 6, 2021. Award of these blocks to win- anything above that denotes adding to the challenge for ning bidders is expected by the end of the opposite. policy makers who halted in- November 2021,” the statement said. Although the future ex- terest rate cuts more than a Mumbai, Aug 7: The Ma- can report on, regardless In earlier rounds, the Oil Ministry pectations index rose to 104 year ago because of gains in hindra Group is working on of industry or region. They had awarded 105 Blocks spanning an from 96.4, suggesting opti- price-growth. Sticky under- measuring the social impact strengthen the ability of area of around 156,580 sq km, which at- mism about the year-ahead lying price pressures since the group creates as part companies and investors to tracted total committed investment of prospects, it’s unlikely to then have kept the rate-set- of its ESG commitments, benchmark progress on sus- about $2.4 billion. An area of 156,580 sq km has al- no Oil Cess, marketing and pricing free- result in higher consumer ters from resuming the eas- Anand G Mahindra, Chair- tainability matters, thereby “It is expected that this Bid Round ready been awarded under past bid dom, round the year bidding, freedom spending. ing, with many in the mar- man Mahindra Group. improving decision-making VI would generate immediate explora- rounds OALP Bid Rounds (I to V). This to investors for carving out blocks of “The sentiments on ket starting to price in some “On the 75th anniver- and enhancing transparency tion work commitment of around $300- Bid Round-VI is expected to add further their interest, a single license to cover overall spending remained unwinding of the easy policy sary of the Mahindra Group, and accountability regard- 400 million,” the statement added. 35,346 sq km, taking the total area for both conventional and unconventional unchanged as higher spend- in the coming months. we proudly commit that ing the shared and sustain- The 21 blocks under OALP Round- exploration to 191,926 sq. km under the hydrocarbon resources. ing on essential items were Already, one of the MPC we will measure our social able value companies create VI are spread across 11 Sedimentary Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licens- “Bid Round-IV onwards bidding offset by a drop in non-essen- members, Jayanth Rama impact as rigorously as we Mahindra said the Basins and include fifteen Onland ing Policy (HELP) regime. rounds are being carried out under tial expenditure with con- Varma, voted against the measure our financials. Group has already started blocks, four Shallow Water blocks and HELP regime adopts the Revenue the further liberalised policy terms, sumers expecting further dovish monetary stance that We will compute our social working towards it and two Ultra Deep Water blocks. Category Sharing Contract model, a deviation which focused on production maxi- contraction in discretion- allows policy makers to keep impact, quantify it in finan- outlined ten very specific wise, there are 12 blocks in Category-I from the earlier Production Sharing mization with higher weightage to ary expenditure in the year borrowing costs lower for cial terms and target its in- commitments. In October basins, 4 in Category II basins and 5 in Contract model. Committed Work Programme,” the ahead,” the RBI said. longer to support a durable crease,” Mahindra informed this year, at a senior execu- category-III basins. It comes with reduced royalty rates, statement said. The latest survey came economic recovery. its shareholders at the tive’s conference this year, company’s Annual General Mahindra’s top officials will Meeting. put their heads together and ESG, which stands for chart out a path to increase environmental, social and Group’s social goals mani- ReNew Power to invest $1.2 bn for country’s 1st round-the-clock RE project governance criteria, is of fold over the next 25 years, increasing interest to com- he said. New Delhi, Aug 7: ReNew Power mum capacity utilisation factor of procurers”. panies, their investors and “The days when busi- will invest close to $1.2 billion in 70 per cent monthly, despite being It said, “Minimising the excess other stakeholders. With ness of business was only development of a 1.3 Gw of hybrid a renewable energy project,” said generation through different com- growing concern about business are over,” said renewable energy (RE) project, the company in a statement to the binations of wind and solar such the ethical status of listed Mahindra who transitions which will provide round-the-clock paper. Power from this hybrid pro- that their profiles have a high level companies, these standards into the role of a non-exec- (RTC) renewable power supply, a ject is likely to be sold to northern of synergy will become very criti- are the central factors that utive chairman in Novem- first for the country. The company and eastern states. SECI officials cal to reduce the project risk.” measure the ethical impact ber this year, that Group’s won the project in May 2020 in a ten- did not confirm the states. Sinha said in a statement: and sustainability of invest- new leadership team Anish der issued by central agency Solar The tender provides for 3 per “With the signing of this PPA, ment in a company. Shah (MD & CEO, Mahindra Energy Corporation of India (SECI) cent tariff escalation annually for ReNew Power and the Indian re- Mahindra Group and Group) and Rajesh Jejuri- by quoting a tariff of Rs 2.9 per unit. 15 years. The company said ReNew newable energy sector has taken Reliance Industries are kar (Executive Director – The company would set up the Power will supply the electricity in a historic step towards addressing two Indian companies that Auto and Farm Sectors) are cumulative capacity at three loca- the first year at Rs 2.90 per unit and intermittency of renewable power joined 61 other global firms firmly in the saddle. “They tions – Karnataka, Maharashtra this tariff will increase by 3 per cent generation. We are pleased to sign to commit to the core Stake- have shown their business and Rajasthan. The hybrid capac- annually for the first 15 years. After this agreement which allows us to holder Capitalism Metrics acumen during a very dif- ity would include 0.9 Gw wind pow- which it will stabilise for the remain- provide a value-added product to released by the Internation- ficult period. They are go- er, 0.4 Gw solar power along with ing 10 years of the 25-year contract. the electricity grid and offers us a al Business Council (IBC) at ing to take the company to corresponding battery storage. Industry calculations indicate competitive advantage for all such the World Economic Forum greater heights as the sailing The company is expecting that the that the average tariff over the life (average tariff) is lower than what of its analysis papers on the RTC future bids.” in January 2021. becomes smoother,” he said. plant load factor (PLF) or the oper- of the life of the project would come you are mentioning (Rs 3.6/unit). scheme said, with a minimum 80 ReNew has obtained requisite The metrics offer a set In his new role will have ating ratio of the hybrid power unit to around Rs 3.5-3.6 per unit. How- To provide that kind of firmness per cent annual capacity utilisa- approvals to connect the project of universal, comparable a strong oversight of the would be to the tune of 80 per cent. ever, Sumant Sinha, CEO, ReNew of power, you do have to consider tion factor (CUF) requirement, sites with the grid and has se- disclosures focused on peo- company’s financials and “The project will be designed Power told Business Standard last certain issues that you have to take coupled with stiff penalties for non- cured connectivity through the ple, planet, prosperity and governance will be a major to operate at an 80 per cent average year that the rate would be lower care of,” he had said. compliance, this (Rs 2.9 per unit) inter-state transmission system, governance that companies area of focus for him. annual PLF and will have a mini- than this. “I would say the number Prayas Energy Group in one is “a very attractive price for the said the company. Srinagar |Sunday Kashmir Tone NEWS 08 August 2021 7

FROM THE FRONT PAGE....

Neeraj... 165 deaths and 13,909 recoveries been asking for a statement from on the employment front. The gov- initiative is aimed at making clean- Div Com tours border villages to are from Kupwara, 16,341 includ- the government whether it had ernment is working at a fast pace er streets, lakes, and communities lap of honour. ing 16,104 recoveries and 205 deaths bought the Pegasus software or in the field of construction and to bring better environmental sus- inspect Irrigation facilities Season leader and pre-tour- are from Anantnag, 9,512 cases not. “The government is simply infrastructure, which provides tainability in the UT. JAMMU, AUGUST 07: To redress and resolve the irrigation problem nament gold favourite Johannes including 9,365 and 100 deaths are running away from its respon- jobs in large numbers. Small scale The Lt Governor laid special faced by the border area people, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Dr Vetter of Germany, who had from Bandipora, 9,966 including sibility as the company that has industries are being helped. Relief emphasis on encouraging the Raghav Langer on Saturday conducted an extensive tour of various thrown the spear to 90m plus dis- 9,816 recoveries and 78 deaths are developed Pegasus software has is being given to farmers, he said. people for adopting eco-friendly border villages of Suchetgarh, Bishnah, R S Pura. He took stock of irri- tances seven times between April from Ganderbal, 11,290 including made it clear that it sells the soft- The quality of roads in Madhya practices, besides taking strict gation facilities being provided to farmers through the Ranbir Canal, and June, was shockingly elimi- 11,135 recoveries and 117 deaths are ware to only governments and the Pradesh used to be very poor ear- measures to curb the use of poly- lift Irrigation projects and tube-wells. nated after the first three throws from Kulgam and 5,586 including government agencies”, he pointed lier and they would hear news of thene. The Divisional Commissioner was accompanied by Chief Engineer, as he was placed ninth with a best 5,522 recoveries and 58 deaths are out, while asserting that it was the scams under the previous (Con- Pertinently, the Lt Governor Irrigation and Flood Control, concerned Executive Engineers besides effort of 82.52m. from Shopian. responsibility of the government to gress) government, he said, adding had already directed the JMC to BDC Chairpersons, SDM R S Pura, concerned Tehsildars, BDO and Top eight after the first three In Jammu division, 52,839 includ- clarify as it concerned the issue of that the present dispensation conduct a 15-day long campaign other concerned officers. throws get three more attempts ing 51,571 recoveries and 1,139 privacy of so many people includ- worked at a fast pace to develop ‘Plastic Free Jammu; Say No to To inspect the Irrigation facilities, the Div Com visited numerous while the remaining four in the deaths are from Jammu district, ing journalists, judges and civil the infrastructure. Plastic’ to curb the use of single- villages along the Ranbir canal, including Khairi, Bishnah, Suchetgarh, 12-man final are eliminated. 11,337 including 11,153 recoveries society. He said that the Madhya use plastic. Sai Chakrohi, Sunderpur, Dablehar and adjoining villages. Chopra even clapped for Vetter, and 136 deaths are from Udham- The Anandpur Sahib MP "regret- Pradesh government purchased The rally of 600 participants The Div Com inspected the entire Irrigation network of the Ranbir who is his friend off the field, pur, 10,977 including 10,683 recov- ted" that the central government wheat from 17 lakh farmers and including students, sportspersons, canal in border areas and directed the concerned Engineer of Irrigation when he came out for his attempt eries and 227 deaths are from was also running away from the paid Rs 25,000 crore to them. and people from different walks of department to conduct desilting wherever required and ensure that the but it was just not the day for the Rajouri, 7,340 including 7,078 debate on the critical issue of farm- Stressing his government's life passed through various areas water reaches to tail end villages. German. recoveries and 127 deaths are from ers’ stir. He said the chief minis- 'vocal for local' initiative, Modi of the city to generate awareness While inspecting the canal at village Khairi, the locals apprised the Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem Doda, 9,265 including 9,110 recover- ter Capt Amarinder Singh had said Indians should buy handicraft against the use of polythene with a Div Com about problems being faced due to the dilapidated condition finished fifth with a best throw of ies and 151 deaths are from Kathua, already raised the seriousness of items during the festival season to prime objective to make Srinagar a of the channel which reduces the flow to the villages on borders. 84.62m. 7,124 including 7,002 recoveries and the matter with the central govern- encourage those working in this polythene-free zone. Dr Langer issued on-spot directions to the concerned engineers to With his fifth career best throw, 119 deaths are from Samba, 4,672 ment. He "pointed" out, Pakistan sector. Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secre- ensure proper upkeep of irrigation facilities up to the tail end to save Chopra has done what the likes of including 4,584 recoveries and 44 was trying to smuggle in weapons Before his address, Modi inter- tary to the Government, H&UDD; the farming community from inconvenience and to boost agriculture late Milkha Singh and P T Usha deaths are from Kishtwar, 6,277 using drones and the situation can acted with some beneficiaries of Pandurang K. Pole, Divisional production. He said as per the directions of office of the Lieutenant could not do in 1960 and 1984 edi- including 6,150 recoveries and be exploited by the enemy country. the PMGKAY in different parts of Commissioner Kashmir; Moham- Governor ‘we have to encourage farmers to do agriculture activities tions. 96 deaths are from Poonch, 5,978 Tewari "observed" that the farm- Madhya Pradesh, including Chan- mad Aijaz, Deputy Commissioner, in their land at zero line as well.’ He asked the irrigation officials to "Today is truly a momentous including 5,891 recoveries and 66 ers’ stir has already become a drabhan from Niwari, Maya Uike Srinagar; Athar Aamir Khan, Com- resolve all the bottlenecks and ensure that the farmers don't suffer due day for Indian athletics and for deaths are from Ramban and 6,334 national movement, but its impli- from Hoshangabad and Rajendra missioner, Srinagar Municipal to lack of irrigation water. the country. Nothing is bigger than including 6,189 recoveries and 43 cations can have serious implica- Sharma of Burhanpur. Corporation; besides Er Aijaz Hus- He also emphasized upon concerned officers to clear all the tribu- an Olympic medal, that too a gold. deaths are from Reasi. tions in Punjab, which the govern- While interacting with Chan- sain, DDC member; senior officers taries to provide sufficed irrigation water to farmers for dampening We have waited for long but finally As per the daily information bulle- ment of India seems to be unwill- drabhan, Modi asked whether the of Civil & Police Administration their fields. achieved our goal," Athletics Fed- tin 2,948,372 persons in Jammu and ing to accept. “Hope they realize it benefits of Centre's and state's vari- and large number of prominent The Divisional commissioner also interacted with the farmers at vil- eration of India President Adille Kashmir are under observation before it is too late”, he said. ous schemes were reaching to him citizens were present on the occa- lage Sai and Nikowal in Suchetgarh area and listened to their problems. Sumariwalla. while 7,768 persons have been kept He "lauded" the achievements of or not. sions. The farmers sought regular functioning of lift Irrigation facilities in "I hope Neeraj's gold will change under home quarantine besides the Capt Amarinder government, When replied in the positive, the area. The Div Com also inspected the lift Irrigation projects operat- the landscape and profile of athlet- that 1,410 persons are in isolation. saying most of the promises made the PM expressed satisfaction and ing in these twin villages. ics in the country and our standing According to the bulletin, 2,576,753 in the election manifesto had said, "All hundred paise of one DDC Kishtwar The concerned engineers apprised that the water level is low in the in the world." persons have completed the sur- been fulfilled. He said some of the rupee sent by the Centre is now interacts with water body (Nullah) due to which they cannot operate lift regularly. No Indian has won a medal in veillance period and 358,055 promises were yet to be fulfilled as reaching the villages. The money The Div Com suggested some remedial measures which need to be athletics since the country started persons are under home surveil- the central government had been is not reaching the mediators." PRIs in Kishtwar taken to provide better Irrigation facilities to farmers. He directed the taking part in the Games in 1920 in lance besides that so far results of unfairly biased towards Punjab by Speaking with Maya Uike, Modi concerned officers to make a plan for checkDam or Crate so that water Antwerp, Belgium. 12,133,916 samples are available. not providing due compensation asked how she likes to see the KISHTWAR, AUGUST 07: As a level can be raised and the lifts can operate regularly. Three track and field athletes Out of 12,133,916 the number of for the GST and also by stopping future of her children. part of the ongoing outreach pro- Responding to the demands of locals regarding leakage of delivery were part of the five-member team samples tested negative stands at the Rural Development Fund. When she said that she would gramme, District Development channels, the Div Com directed the concerned Engineers to make esti- -- the other two being wrestlers -- in 11,811,488 while as 322,428 have About the 18 points raised by the ensure their study, Modi said that Commissioner (DDC) Kishtwar mates and start the works on priority. that Games. tested positive, among them 1,410 Kharge committee, Tewari said, it several girls, who are participating Ashok Sharma today conducted an Highlighting the importance of paddy fields (basmati Rice) of border The International Olympic persons are active, 316,632 persons was an old and longtime practice in the Tokyo Olympics from India, extensive tour of the far off Paddar belt which is famous in the world, the Div Com instructed the Chief Committee still credits Norman have recovered and 4,386 persons of the Congress party to review the belong to very poor families but are area of Kishtwar district and inter- Engineer Irrigation and flood Control to make a comprehensive revival Pritchard's 200m and 200m hurdles have died. progress of the work on election putting up amazing performances. acted with PRIs, who apprised plan of all these lift Irrigation system to provide better Irrigation facili- silver medals in the 1900 Paris manifesto. He said the chief minis- MP Chief Minister Shivraj him about the damages caused by ties to the farming community of border belt. He said providing every Olympics to India though various ter had already clarified that most Singh Chouhan also addressed the recent flash flood in the area. possible support to farmers for doubling their income is the topmost researches, including the records Bangus... of the things mentioned in the 18 virtual programme that was broad- He met BDC chairperson priority of the Union Territory government. of then IAAF (now World Athlet- the tourism potential of the points had already been complet- cast from Bhopal's Minto Hall. Arpan Singh Rana, District Devel- ics), showed that he had competed virgin valley Bangus. ed while remaining were in the opment Council member Harikris- Soz demands white paper for Great Britain. Dr. Itoo said that the Bangus advanced stage of completion. Cop... han Chauhan, Sarpanches, and Pritchard was not an Indian and has great scope to be developed as Tewari was accompanied by Pawan general public. on issuance of domicile the country's first Olympic partici- a world class tourist destination. Dewan, Chairman Large Industrial busy in managing the traffic at Among others SDM Paddar pation under a national Olympic He said the Government is com- Development Board and Gurmail Adijan Crossing while on their way Varunjeet Singh Charak; DFO certificates in JK body was in 1920. mitted to fully develop this high Singh Pahalwan, Vice Chairman back after providing safe passage Kishtwar Sagar Singh; Tehsildar Srinagar, Aug 7: Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Since then, track and field ath- altitude tourist destination where of the Rajput Bhalai Board, Punjab. to Ab Majid Padar (PP) upto his Paddar Major Singh; BDO Paddar Prof Saifuddin Soz on Saturday demanded a white paper on issuance letes have been an integral part of national and international tourists residence,” the spokesman said. GM Affaqi; Ex En PWD Ramesh of domicile certificate by the Union Territory (UT) government in the Indian contingents in almost all the can visit. In this incident, three police per- Jamwal, besides other officers/offi- Jammu and Kashmir. editions of the Games. He said that the Department will Modi... sonnel sustained gunshot injuries cials of various departments were The people have deep suspicions on the domicile dertificate figures develop infrastructural facilities in the employment front. and were evacuated to hospital for also present in the meeting. issued by the UT government, Pro Soz said in a statement here this the area so that tourists can easily "The schemes of the government medical treatment. During the course of the day- afternoon. History... stay at the tourist location. are reaching the ground and are However, constable Nisar long interactive session with the He alleged that the UT Administration has camouflaged the figures tenacity, which have been on He also said that development being implemented at a fast pace Ahmad Wagay (Belt No. 652/IR participants, threadbare discus- on Domicile Certificates issued by it (UT Administration) by highlight- full display during Tokyo 2020". of Bangus valley will also improve because of change in the function- 17th) succumbed to his injuries, sions were held with regard to the ing figures on West Punjab Refugees (WPR), Valmikis and Gorkhas, "He (Chopra) personifies the the socio-economic status of the ing of the government. There was he said. damages caused due to flush floods which constitute less than one lakh people. best of sporting talent and sports- whole of the district, especially 'vikriti' in the previous govern- “It is pertinent to mention that in the area. The DDC also listened to The UT Government has itself indicated figures – 55931 WPRs, 2754 man spirit. Best wishes for his living in nearby villages. ment's system. They used to ask taking undue advantage of huge the grievances of the PRIs. Valmikis and 789 Gorkhas. The number of certificates issued to these future endeavours," Modi said. Dr. Itoo said that the depart- questions about the poor and also traffic jam and presence of large Seeking immediate restoration segments of society totals upto one lakh only, he said. Chopra, who is from Khandra ment is organizing a Tourism give answers themselves, he said. number of civilians, the (mili- of damaged infrastructure, he asked “The Administration must explain how 25 lakh Domicile Certificates village near Panipat in Haryana, Festival at the Bangus with active He accused the previous gov- tants) fired indiscriminately upon the concerned officers to complete were issued in Jammu and 15 lakhs in Kashmir, during just one year”, produced a second-round throw participation of local stakeholders ernment of keeping the poor and the SHO and his escort party and the damage assessment to the bridg- he questioned and said Administration must come clean on this subject. of 87.58m in the finals to stun the and the district Administration. villagers away from basic ameni- managed to escape from the spot,” es, crops, roads and other infrastruc- Prof Soz said it would be in its own interest to issue a ‘White Paper” athletics world and end India's He said that holding of Tourism ties like roads, electricity, hous- the spokesman said, adding, “How- ture in co-ordination with local PRIs on its policy and criterion, giving details of important statistics, while 100-year wait for a track and field Festival will attract the tourists ing, cooking fuel, banking etc, and ever, to avoid collateral damage in and submit the report to his office covering social segments of the J&K State! medal in the Olympics. across the country to visit this said, "They used to speak the word view of huge rush, the police party within three days. The UT Administration would also be well advised to appear in the Chopra won the country's sev- place and enjoy the scenic beauty poor hundreds of times a day. They exercised maximum restraint. The DDC also directed the SDM public eye as a credible institution, beyond any doubt. enth medal and first gold in this of the virgin valley recited the word poor like a song, Both the injured personnel are Paddar to conduct an extensive tour The general run of population must know how 25 lakh certificates Olympics and joined shooter Abhi- The Deputy Commissioner, but did not adopt their welfare in stable and have been discharged of the areas affected by flash floods were issued in Jammu and 15 lakh certificates in Kashmir, just in one nav Bindra (2008 Beijing Games) Kupwara on the occasion assured practice. Such acts are called 'pak- from hospital after medical treat- to know the ground situation with year, the Congress leader said. as India's individual gold winner. full possible support for the devel- hand' (hypocrisy). They did not ment.” regard to damages so that post disas- The UT Administration should realize that it is a delicate subject of opment of the Bangus Valley. give these facilities to the poor but He said Police has registered a ter measures are taken accordingly. great public and social importance. used to express false sympathy." case in this regard under relevant He assured the PRIs that recon- Meanwhile, the entire exercise, in this connection, done by the UT Coronavirus... Talking about his government's sections of law. “Investigation is in struction of the damaged public Administration appears to be doubtful. division and 122,143 from Jammu Militant... measures, he said as many as 80 progress and officers continue to property would be ensured within The UT Govt. must explain its position further and take the people division. said that the slain was part of crore Indians received free ration work to establish the circumstanc- 45 days. into confidence. Officials said that among 142 groups involved in various cases during the ongoing coronavirus es which lead to incident,” he said, He informed that Authorities of new cases, 83 belong to Kashmir and several cases were registered pandemic and these included adding, “Area has been cordoned Department of flood control and Irri- division while as 59 are from against him. “It is pertinent to five crore people from Madhya off and search in the area is going gation have been asked to project the Two injured in mysterious blast in Jammu division, adding that the mention that Shakir Bashir was Pradesh. on.” protection work on priority basis. Ramban total number of positive cases in earlier associated with LeT and he He described the coronavirus Meanwhile, Lieutenant Gover- Meanwhile, the sarpanches and Kashmir division have reached to later joined Al-Badr outfit recent- pandemic as the biggest disaster nor Manoj Sinha and former chief PRIs also highlighted other griev- Banihal, Aug 7: Two people, including a teenage boy, were injured in 200,285 including 197,221 recover- ly,” he said, adding that arms and faced by humanity in the last 100 Minister Omar Abdullah con- ances regarding their respective a mysterious explosion along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway ies and 2,238 deaths while as total ammunition including 01 AK-rifle years, and said people should demned the attack. areas and localities. They demanded near Banihal town in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, police number of positive cases in Jammu with 02 Magazines, 32 rounds, 1 continue to wear masks, sanitize “I strongly condemn the cow- construction of alternative Machail said on Saturday. division have reached to 122,143 Chinese pistol with 02 Magazines, hands and maintain social distanc- ardly attack on the security force in road from Garh to Kukandrawn, The blast occurred at M G Construction site at around 11.15 pm on including 119,411 recoveries and 16 rounds, 01 Bagpack and 01 Pouch ing to check the spread of the virus. Kulgam in which our brave police speeding up work on Gorsi road, Friday, they said.Two people, Gopal Sharma (35) of Udhampur and 2,148 deaths. were recovered from the site of He said that the fight against jawan, Nisar Ah Wagay attained installation of cradle box at various Mohammad Aquib (16) of Mangit-Khari, were injured in the incident. The officials said that the total encounter. COVID-19 was more difficult for martyrdom. (militants) will never nallahs, providing of free woods for They were shifted to hospital where their condition is stated to be number of active cases in Jammu The police spokesman said that India than other parts of the world succeed in their nefarious designs, home construction, mobile connec- stable, police said.The police said the blast took place under mysterious and Kashmir are 1,410 including while the operation was in prog- given the problems caused by large those responsible for such heinous tivity at Ishtiyari etc. circumstances and an investigation is on to ascertain its cause. 830 from Kashmir division and 574 ress, it was learnt that when forces population, lives and jobs affected acts shall be brought to justice,” Officials said police and security forces immediately cordoned off from Jammu division. were laying the cordon another by migration in addition to the Sinha said in a tweet. the entire area near the scene of the explosion. With 142 more recoveries, the tally militant had managed to escape medical infrastructure woes. He expressed heartfelt condo- LAWDA undertakes The blast occurred between M G Company office and workers' accom- of total recoveries in Jammu and from the encounter site and the "India gave the first priority to lences to the family of the police- massive deweeding modation, they said, without ruling out the possibility of hurling of Kashmir has reached to 316,632 information was shared with Awa- the poor in its strategy to combat man in this time of grief. grenade by suspected terrorists to create panic among the people. which is 98.20 percent of the total ntipora Police. the crisis due to coronavirus. Be “Deeply saddened to hear about operations in Dal, M G Company is constructing Banihal bypass, a portion of the four- cases. “Awantipora Police while devel- it Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan the death of Nasir Ahmad Wagay lane Jammu-Srinagar highway project. “Cases tested positive in J&K oping the lead further launched Anna Yojana or Pradhan Mantri of J&K police, killed in a militant Nigeen Lakes include 36 from Srinagar, 03 from a cordon and search operation Rozgar Yojana, we thought about attack in Kulgam earlier this SRINAGAR, AUGUST 07: The Baramulla, 13 from Budgam, 09 in Mantaqi Colony Khrew area food and employment of the poor evening. My condolences to his J&K Lakes & Waterways Devel- Year on, community bunkers along from Pulwama, 07 from Kupwara, along with 50RR and 185BN CRPF. from day one itself, he said. family. May Allah grant him place opment Authority (LAWDA) has LoC in Uri still incomplete 00 from Anantnag, 05 from Bandi- During search, the escaped mili- Modi said that the country gave in Jannat,” Omar, who is also vice undertaken massive program of pora, 07 from Ganderbal, 03 from tant was tracked down and arrest- priority to 'Made in India' while president of National Conference de-weeding and lily extraction in Baramulla, Aug 7: Construction of community bunkers along the Line Kulgam and 00 from Shopian in ed while hiding in a truck bearing making all these arrangements said in a tweet. (GNS) Dal and Nigeen Lakes, here. of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district is Kashmir division while as 59 from registration number JK13-2397,” against the pandemic. It has been given out that the still incomplete after one year. Jammu division include 15 from the spokesman said, adding that "India developed its own COVID- department has engaged eight Pon- In July 2020, the R & B department floated tenders for 44 community Jammu, 08 from Udhampur, 06 “he has been identified as Shabir 19 vaccine. Yesterday, we crossed Young... toon based machines in Dal Lake bunkers in Uri. Among 44 no bidder file papers for eight and 32 were from Rajouri, 16 from Doda, 00 Ahmad Najar resident of Wuyan the significant mark of giving 50 who have played a major role in near Char Chinari for extraction approved for Hajipeer sector and 4 for Boniyar sector. from Kathua, 00 from Samba, 07 Khrew linked with LeT. The driver crore doses. We are administering building a peaceful and prosperous of lily pads. A local resident of Batgran Manzoor Ahmad said that at least 14 from Kishtwar, 03 from Poonch, 02 of the truck identified as Muham- more vaccines than the population Jammu & Kashmir and strengthen The LAWDA has pressed 14 community bunkers were approved for the Charunda belt in which 6 from Ramban and 02 from Reasi," mad Shafi Dar of Gratwani Mohal- of several countries in one week. their resolve to build a New India. Pontoon machines into service were for Batgran villages. officials disclosed. la Khrew has also been arrested. We will further speed up this pro- On the occasion, the Lt Gover- for de-weeding and extraction of “But unfortunately work on five bunkers is still incomplete in their Meanwhile, authorities on Sat- Besides, the truck has also been cess, he said. nor directed the officials to ensure lily so far equipped with hi-tech village so far after the passing of one year,” he said. urday said that no fresh case of seized.” Praising the Madhya Pradesh strict adherence to Covid protocol standards. “The extraction work He said that the three bunker’s trench were dug last October but till Mucormycosis popularly known The police said that from the government for its welfare works and SoPs while organizing such is going on in full swing”, the offi- date further construction work of these bunkers has not been started as black fungus was reported in the arrested militant, arms and and taking the state from the cat- events. cials said and added the authorities and other two bunkers are also incomplete. He further said that dig- UT and tally stands at 37. ammunition including 01 Chinese egory of BIMARU states, Modi said The event is a part of the series has engaged more six-machines in ging of trenches in the area makes it a sliding zone which is a threat As per officials figures, 71,605 posi- Pistol, 01 Pistol Magazine, 07 Pistol that this is the benefit of the "double of programmes under Azadi Ka Hazratbal basin for lily extraction for residential areas. tive cases including 833 deaths rounds, 02 AK-Magazines, 50 AK- engine" governments (same party Amrut Mahotsav being organized purpose. “These days borders are silent after ceasefire agreement between and 70,427 recoveries are from rounds, 01 Chinese grenade, 5Kgs ruling in state and Centre) as the by the Department of Youth, Ser- It has been revealed that an Indo-Pak armies otherwise it is like hell to live on the LoC. Despite Srinagar, 23,695 including 282 IED (destroyed on spot) were also state strongly implements the Cen- vices and Sports. area of 0.68 square kilometer Haz- giving a number of reminders to the authorities urging them to com- deaths and 23,294 recoveries are recovered from the site. IGP Kash- tre's schemes. Earlier, the Lt Governor flagged ratbal basin shall be cleared from plete the construction of bunkers earliest but it seems that they are not from Baramulla, 22,954 including mir appeals to parents of newly He said that measures were off “Run for Polythene-Free Sri- lily with the help of these machines serious about completing the construction,” he said. 22,669 recoveries and 206 deaths recruited militants to bring their being taken to reduce the impact of nagar” from iconic Ghanta Ghar, while 2.39 square kilometer area in Lal Din Khatana, Sarpanch Charunda said that 8 bunkers were are from Budgam, 15,226 including children back to mainstream. job losses due to pandemic in India. Lal Chowk. Boulevard and Hazratbal basins approved for their village in which no work has started on 3 bunkers 14,980 recoveries and 194 deaths are "Work is being done to mitigate In his address, the Lt Governor has been targeted. so far. “Other 5 are completed to slab and remaining work like plaster, from Pulwama, 14,110 including Congress... the effect of problems being faced observed that the path-breaking ********** saintry, washroom is still pending,” he said. Srinagar |Sunday Kashmir Tone SPORTS 08 August 2021 8

PUNIA CLINCHES WRESTLING BRONZE

India's Bajrang Punia won the bronze medal in men's freestyle 65kg, beating Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan 8-0 on points for his first medal at the Olympics. Bajrang, who had lost to Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan in the semifinals on Friday, came up with a tactical bout as he took early lead in the first period and capitalised with counterattacks when his Kazakh rival, a two-time medallist at the World Cham- pionships, went on the attack. Bajrang's bronze medal took India's tally in the Tokyo Olympics to six medals -- two silver and four bronze. India thus tied for its best medal haul in the Olympics at 2012 London when they won two silver and four bronze.

Rani Rampal condemns alleged casteist slurs hurled at teammate Vandana Katariya's family

Tokyo: Indian women's hock- ligions. But when we come here ey team skipper Rani Rampal we work together for India. It's on Saturday condemned the so shameful when we see people allegedly casteist abuse that indulging in such behaviour," her teammate Vandana Ka- Rani said. Volleyball player tariya's family has faced, say- "But there are also people ing that it was nothing short of who have given us so much love shameful. even though we didn't win a The family of Katariya, who medal. So they should learn from scored four goals during the such people. If we want to make claims innocence over Olympics, found itself at the re- India a hockey nation, we need ceiving end of allegedly casteist everyone," she added. slurs from few people in their Two men had reportedly neighbourhood in Haridwar danced and burst firecrackers after the team lost the semi- outside Katariya's house in the final clash against Argentina on Roshnabad area of Haridwar in a positive drug test Wednesday. gesture of mockery. "It's such a bad thing which When some members of Ka- has happened. We work so hard tariya's family came out hear- Brazilian volleyball player suspended for dop- bodybuilders and to improve athletic performance. The Brazilian Olympic Committee broke the to represent our country. Stop all ing the noise, the two men also ing while competing in the Tokyo Olympics has "We fully trust that we will prove Ostarina en- news of her positive test shortly before Brazil's semi- these things like discriminating passed casteist remarks against Aclaimed the banned substance found in a July tered accidentally into the athlete's organism and final against South Korea. on religion, casteism because them, saying the team had lost test was introduced accidentally into her system. that it was not used to enhance sporting perfor- Brazil won 3-0 to qualify for Sunday's gold medal we work above all these things," because it had too many Dalit In a letter released by her lawyer on Friday, Tan- mance," said the lawyer's letter. game against the United States. Rani said during a virtual press players in it, according to the lo- dara Caixeta, who has left the team's camp and flown "Recently, numerous Brazilian athletes have The positive test was taken out of competition at conference. cal officials. home to Brazil, did not explain further but said she been victims of incidents involving Ostarina," it add- the Brazilian volleyball training centre on July 7, the India finished fourth in the The 29-year-old striker had had not knowingly taken Ostarina, a drug used by ed, without clarifying further. committee said. Games after going down to Great scored a hat-trick against South Britain 3-4 in an intensely fought Africa in the group stages of the bronze play-off. Olympics, becoming the first "We come from different from the country to achieve the parts of India, follow different re- feat. Indian men's and women's hockey teams Aditi Ashok misses medal achieve best-ever world rankings narrowly, finishes th4 New Delhi: The Indian men's and Tokyo: She pulled off the women's hockey teams jumped one best performance by an In- spot each to achieve their highest-ev- dian golfer in the Olympics er world rankings at number 3 and 8 but Aditi Ashok could not respectively, riding on their historic clinch the eagerly-anticipat- campaign at the Tokyo Olympics. ed medal, signing off 4th after The Indian men's team, which spending a majority of the ended a 41-year-old medal drought four rounds in contention by clinching a historic bronze in the for a podium finish, here on Olympics, was placed behind gold- Saturday. medallist Belgium and silver-medal- The 23-year-old Ben- list Australia. galurean ended two strokes "It's the reward of all the hard off the pace with a total of work and dedication towards the 15-under 269, which was just game we love, towards the game one stroke below the medal which has given us everything," said bracket. In the final round, Indian men's team captain Manpreet she managed a 3-under 68 Singh in a release issued by Hockey It was a heartbreaking India. end to Aditi's campaign con- three rounds of the women's urday and push the action to "This ranking and the Olympic sidering she started the day golf competition, narrow- Sunday. medal after 41 years mark the rise of in sole second position. ly missed out on a medal The organisers found a Indian Hockey...there is no looking But it was nonetheless though, after finishing fourth way with a 6.30 am early start back now, we have set the bench- a massive improvement as in a field of 60 golfers. And on Saturday but then there mark for ourselves and would like to she had finished 41st in the with that she is also now the was threat of lightning with grow from here." 2016 edition where golf made Indian golfer with the best the final group on 17th hole. While the men's side claimed the a comeback to the Olympics finish ever at the Luckily little over half an bronze, the women's team narrowly after over 100 years. On the play-off hole (par- hour later, weather cleared missed out a medal after going down In the final round, she 4 18th), Ko dropped a bogey, for a while and play resumed to Great Britain in the hard-fought result climbed up to their best-ever After suffering three losses in top four at Olympics, is a big step for fired five birdies -- on the 5th, while Inami managed to hold for the medals to be decided. third-place play-off, to end at the world ranking. the initial phase, the women's team Indian Women's hockey, and I think 6th, 8th, 13th and 14th holes -- on for a par in overcast and If there had been no play, fourth place. "I must admit, I feel privileged to pulled off arguably its biggest upset every team will definitely take us se- against two bogeys on the 9th damp conditions. Aditi would have got a silver "We were very close to finishing have played a part in the rise of In- by beating world number 3 Australia riously. and 11th. The world number The other Indian in fray, medal behind Korda on the on the podium, and it is hurting the dian Hockey. It's a great feeling that in what was its first ever quarterfi- "The athletes have that desire 200 Indian had her mother Diksha Dagar, finished her basis of three rounds. team that we didn't. However, look- we won the historic Bronze Medal as nal of the Olympics. to learn and improve each and ev- Maheshwari as her caddie. campaign at tied 50th after In any other tournament, ing at the bright side, we have made well as achieving the highest ranking However, the women's team lost ery day, and I feel this is one of the Aditi kept her smile in- managing her first sub-par Aditi Ashok would have remarkable progress in recent years, on the back of our solid performance both semifinal and the bronze medal biggest reasons why we could finish tact even as her 25-foot birdie round of the week, a one-un- gladly taken a fourth-place and I am really proud of it," among the top four." attempt ball slid past the cup der 70, which left her with an finish but this was the Olym- women's team skipper Rani The men's team was on the 18th and final hole. aggregate total of 6-over 290. pics and the golfer said it is Rampal said. We were very close to ranked No.4 in March last With that she knew that her The New Zealander Ko, hard for her to be happy even "Finishing in the top year on the back of their final chance of a shot at the with her bronze medal, be- though she produced the best four at Olympics, and climb- finishing on the podium, and scintillating performances medal in the Olympic wom- came the first double medal- ever performance by an In- ing to the 8th position in it is hurting the team that in the first three rounds of en's golf had gone. list in golf since its return to dian at the showpiece. world rankings, is a very the second edition of FIH Overnight leader and the Olympic programme in Of her play on the final big thing for us, and this has we didn't. However, looking Hockey Pro League. world number one Nelly Kor- 2016. She had silver in Rio. day, Aditi admitted, "I think boosted our confidence, it at the bright side, we have On the other hand, da clinched the gold medal Interestingly Aditi was today I didn't really drive the will certainly help us grow the women's team's ear- with a 2-under 69 that left her one of the only three players ball very good and then it's going forward." made remarkable progress lier highest world ranking 17-under overall and a shot in the field who had all three hard to get birdie putts or hit Manpreet and Co. had in recent years, and I am was 9th, which they ac- ahead of Japan's Mone Inami rounds in the 60s with 67-66- greens when you're not in the finished second in Pool A, really proud of it," complished by producing (65) and New Zealand's Lydia 68-68 for a total of 269. fairway. So, yeah, that was winning four out of five their best finish (Quarter Ko (65). As the finish approached definitely the hardest part to group phase matches and Finals) at the World Cup in Inami and Ko competed but before the medals were make a score today." defeated Great Britain 3-1 in London in 2018. in a play-off to decide the sil- decided there was a lot of Talking of her par on the quarterfinal before losing 2-5 against in the Olympics," Indian men's team play-off match against Argentina Having reached the quarterfi- ver and bronze medal win- drama over whether the final 15th which Ko birdied, Aditi Belgium in their historic semifinal. chief coach Graham Reid said. and Great Britain, respectively. nals of the World Cup, the women's ners in which the former round could be completed on said, "I mean 15th was okay, However, they staged a remark- "We played like a unit, with the Outgoing Indian women's team team had become the top-ranked emerged triumphant. Saturday. it was nothing, I was just able comeback to grab a 5-4 win over right kind of attitude, and I think chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said, Asian team and went on to clinch the Aditi Ashok, who had Late on Friday there was scrambling, I was in between Germany to clinch a historic bronze that has helped the team achieve this "Achieving 8th rank in the world silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games been one of the most consis- talk of a tropical storm which clubs so I hit one more and it medal at Olympic Games and as a feat." ranking and finishing among the in Jakarta. tent golfers across the first might mean no play on Sat- went over.