RNI No. 53466/91, REGD. No. DL (C)-05/1219/2021-23 Posted at DRMS Delhi 6 Follow us on: @TheDailyPioneer instagram.com/dailypioneer/ Established 1864 facebook.com/dailypioneer *Late City Vol. 31 Issue 37 Published From *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable WORLD 7 MONEY 8 SPORT 10 DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL BIDEN REVOKES TERRORIST LARGE FISCAL DEFICIT CAN SYDNEY SIXERS BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPUR CHANDIGARH DESIGNATION FOR HOUTHIS BE INFLATIONARY: CRISIL WIN BBL TITLE DEHRADUN HYDERABAD VIJAYWADA

NEW DELHI, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2021; PAGES 12+4 `4

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USUALSUSPECTS SWAPAN DASGUPTA Farmers throw Oct 2 challenge Rakesh Tikait says kisan will sit on protest till Gandhi jayanti; Chakka jam Farm stir a ruse for peaceful at KMP, Punjab, Haryana; scattered demonstrations in other States STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI Tricolour fluttered atop trucks and tractors, and commuters haratiya Kisan Union mostly waited patiently as Opphe ongoing toagitation unseat involving farmers from Modi Punjab, B(BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait farmers blocked the KMP THaryana and, to a lesser extent, western Uttar Pradesh on Saturday said that the farm- Expressway on Saturday as and Uttarakhand, has attracted support from the unlikeliest ers will stay put at borders of part of their three-hour “chak- of quarters. Predictably, the Akali Dal in Punjab and the the national Capital till October ka jam” to press their demand fragmentary remnants of Chaudhury Devi Lal’s empire have 2, demanding to repeal the for repeal of the three new agri- endorsed a movement aimed at safeguarding the interests Centre’s agri-marketing laws. cultural laws. The call for the of big farmers. The Congress, naturally, will support any “We will sit here till nationwide “chakka jam” movement that disturbs the tranquillity of the Narendra Modi October 2,” said Tikait, who is between 12 pm and 3 pm was Government. Less understandable, however, is the support leading the ongoing farmers’ given by the farmer unions the agitation has secured from the larger Left-liberal protest at Ghazipur border, protesting at the Delhi borders ecosystem, from individuals and organisations that, in the one of the protest sites. Tikait the Centre’s agricultural laws. past, decried the stranglehold of the kulak lobby on India’s also said that they had received “I came to the stretch at 11 agricultural policies. inputs regarding some miscre- am. There were very few peo- The reasons are perhaps obvious. Just as last year’s ants who will try to disrupt ple then, but the number movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act had peace during the chakka jam swelled in no time. The pur- brought together individuals and political parties whose on Saturday. pose is to peacefully do just connections with fast-tracking citizenship applications from “Because of these inputs, what is instructed to us by our Hindu and Sikh refugees from neighbouring countries were we had decided to call off the leaders — block the road till 3 tenuous, the target has always been the Modi Government. ‘chakka jam’ in Uttar Pradesh pm,” said Mukesh Sharma, a Last year, it was the Muslim community that provided the and Uttarakhand,” the 51-year- local farmer supporting the crowds and the rioters in Delhi and the border districts of old Tikait, credited with reviv- movement. West Bengal. This time, a small group of people with ing the farmers’ stir, said. Biscuits and fruits were questionable links have taken control of the farmers “Nobody can touch the distributed among the protest- movement, with logistical planning outsourced to farmlands, the farmers will ing farmers sitting on the road. professional agitators. protect it. Both farmers and Those coming to the stretch The farmers agitation has secured valuable support from soldiers should come forward with their vehicles were polite- intellectuals and media, notably those who have remained for it,” Tikait said. ly informed about the protest unreconciled to the defeat of the Congress and the advent Interacting with security and requested to turn back. BKU leader Rakesh Tikait holding a spade waves a Tricolour during the protest against Centre’s new farm laws at Ghazipur border in New Delhi on Saturday PTI of the Modi Government since 2014. It is interesting to note personnel who were on the “We don’t want to cause that whatever the issue other side of the barricading, any inconvenience to the peo- days. We expect the ‘aam The 136-km Kundli- ing patiently, said they knew were going for his cousin’s It reveals the sheer — and these have Tikait said, bowing his head ple,” said Ajit Ahluwalia (29), aadmi’ to cooperate with us for Manesar-Palwal (KMP) was about the “chakka-jam” but wedding. “We are farmers our- ranged from and folded hands, “My from Haryana’s Hisar. some hours at least. And the built to decongest the ever-busy had to be out due to social and selves, and support the farmers’ desperation of an extra- demonetisation, the pranaam (a respectful saluta- “That’s precisely the reason truth is they are,” he said. roads of Delhi, especially by professional engagements. movement completely. I have parliamentary Opposition Ayodhya verdict and the tion) to you all. Now you all why the call given was for Some vehicles, carrying reducing the number of trucks While Satnam Sandhu gone to the Singhu Border that has been trying to surgical strikes to the will protect my farms.” three hours only. Security people with emergency health entering the national Capital, (42), a private contractor, had many a times for the protes,” anti-CAA stir and the Loud rustic protest songs forces have been blocking ours conditions, were allowed to thus helping to curb pollution. to attend a business meeting; said 36-year-old Ahuja. create disturbances against farmers agitation — the blared from speakers, the and theirs passage for so many pass without any delay. The commuters, mostly wait- Sonu Ahuja and his family Turn to Page 4 the Modi Government, faces who have opposed almost incessantly since the Government standpoint have CAPSULE 2014. So far, their political remained more or less success has been patchy but the same. This includes MAHA: ABDUCTED NAVY they have been unrelenting economists and others 25 countries in queue for ‘Made in India’ vaccines SAILOR BURNT ALIVE who had earlier 15 nations already Jaishankar told reporters in a taking advantage of the domes- Palghar: A 26-year-old Navy in the hope that some issue vociferously Press conference. tic capabilities and the way sailor who had been abducted in or another is bound to click. recommended the very supplied with jabs The Minister said some India emerged as IT leader dur- Chennai on January 30 was set The efforts by any same reforms the poor countries are being sup- ing the Y2K issue. on fire by the kidnappers in Government enacted in against Covid-19, plied the vaccine on a grant jungles of Maharashtra's Opposition force to move the previous session of basis while some nations want- Palghar district and he died of against the Government is a Parliament. They justified says Jaishankar ed it on par with the price that injuries, the police said on democratic right and cannot the U-turn on the ground the Indian Government pays to AI can predict with Saturday. that public consultations PTI n AMARAVATI the vaccine makers. be questioned. What, on the changes should Some countries have direct 90% accuracy if a CONG: WILL RESTORE however, does need have been more ndia has so far supplied contracts with the Indian vac- SABARIMALA CUSTOMS highlighting is the fact that elaborate, never mind ICovid-19 vaccine to 15 coun- cine producing companies and person will die Thiruvananthapuram/Kottayam: the Covid-19 pandemic tries and another 25 nations are have negotiated commercially, their efforts are linked to a Ahead of and the lockdown. in the queue at different levels he said. from Covid or not 22 deaths after jab not linked State well-defined political This is both curious for the jab, External Affairs The Centre has already ARCHANA JYOTI n NEW DELHI Assembly purpose and, at the same time, Minister S Jaishankar said here given the nod for two Covid- polls, the drearily predictable. It on Saturday. 19 vaccines — Covaxin of city- rtificial intelligence (AI) to complications arising out Congress- suggests that the real He said there are three based Bharat Biotech and Acannot replace a doctor’s led United target of Opposition categories of countries which Covishield of Oxford, being assessment of medical condi- of vaccination: Health Min Democratic wasn’t the specific are keen to get the vaccine from manufactured by Serum tion of a person infected with Front in measures of the India — poor, price sensitive Institute of India in Pune, deadly virus, but it can defi- PNS n NEW DELHI plete the first dose adminis- Kerala said on Saturday if the Government but the nations and other countries which are being administered nitely help the fraternity with tration to all health-care work- UDF was voted to power, it existence of the Modi which directly deal with phar- to frontline workers from up to 90 per cent certainty to wenty-two people have so ers by February 20 and mop-up would pass a legislation on Government itself. maceutical companies that January 16, under Emergency determine whether an unin- Tfar died after taking the rounds by February 25. Sabarimala to protect the It is this visceral make the antidote. Use Authorisation. fected person will die of Covid- Ciovid-19 vaccines in India, but Of the 56,36,868 benefi- customs of the shrine, a move Opposition to the Modi “I think right now we have Drug maker Dr Reddys 19 on catching the infection, a the Government has claimed ciaries vaccinated, Additional dubbed by the ruling Left front Government that already supplied to about 15 recently said it will approach study has said. that they didn’t succumbe to Secretary in the Union Health as to “fool the people of the explains the inordinate countries (as per my recollec- the Drug Regulator for the Also, once admitted to the any complication arising from Ministry Manohar Agnani said State”. haste with which tion). I would say there would EUA for Russian vaccine hospital with the infection, the vaccination. Making this claim, 52,66,175 are health-care work- journalists with a track be another about 25 countries Sputnik V in March. computer can predict with 80 the Health Ministry on ers and 3,70,693 are frontline POLICE TORTURE: VICTIM record of batting against which are at different stages in Jaishankar said Prime per cent accuracy whether the Saturday said so far over 56 workers. DIES IN GUJ HOSPITAL the Prime Minister and the pipeline. But what it has Minister Narendra Modi’s idea person will need a respirator, lakh persons have been inocu- He further said that 54.7 Bhuj: One more victim of the the BJP spread the done is today it has put India was to establish the country as researchers at the University of lated. per cent of the healthcare work- alleged police torture at Mundra obviously fake news of a on the map of the world,” the “Pharmacy of the World”, Copenhagen have found. In “There have been 22 deaths ers registered on the Co-WIN police station in Gujarat’s Kutch farmer being shot dead doing so, the computers can subsequently, but these are not app have been vaccinated. district died on Saturday while by the police as he also help decide who should be linked to the vaccination,” the “No new case of hospital- undergoing treatment at a attempted to ram the at the front of the line for the Health Ministry said. ization or death reported in the hospital in Ahmedabad, taking metal barricades with his Breaking glass ceiling, vaccines. The Government has also past 24 hours,” he said. the number of the victims to fast-moving tractor. The Turn to Page 4 asked States and UTs to com- Turn to Page 4 two, an officer said. fake news could have triggered a riot. It is therefore unfortunate that 34 CRPF women join the Editor’s Guild thought it necessary to issue a statement that, in effect, seeks to Coup protests expand, Registration for H-1B gloss over this wilful misdemeanour. elite CoBRA force The blind Opposition has touched ridiculous extremes. On the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Will undergo Myanmar blocks Net lottery from March 1 Subhas Chandra Bose, a portrait of the stalwart of the nationalist movement was unveiled in Rashtrapati Bhavan. It 3-month training; AP n YANGON, MYANMAR now in effect” in Myanmar, Biden Admin istration on the allocation of was a painting by the eminent Bengali artist Paresh Maity. with connectivity falling to the popular foreign work visas However, the tweet of this occasion was followed by all-women brass yanmar’s new military just 16% of normal levels. decides to revert by continuing with the lottery members of the same ecosystem questioning the Mauthorities appeared to The broad outage followed system until December 31, authenticity of the person depicted in the painting. It was band also formed have cut most access to the Friday’s military order to block to lottery system 2021, to give the immigration made out that the person portrayed in the painting was that Internet on Saturday as they Twitter and Instagram because agency more time to develop, of Prosenjit Chatterjee, a well-known Bengali film star who PNS n NEW DELHI faced a rising tide of protest some people were trying to use for H-1B visas test and implement the modi- had played the role of Netaji in a film on Gumnami Baba. over their coup that toppled the platforms to spread what fications to the registration The fake news here too may have acquired the status of he CRPF women warriors Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected authorities deemed fake news. PTI n WASHINGTON system. conventional wisdom had not one of Netaji’s grandnephews Tbroke the proverbial glass Police Force has yet again civilian Government. Facebook had already The USCIS announced tweeted the original photograph on which the painting was ceiling on Saturday as the first taken another step toward Numerous internet users been blocked earlier in the he registration process for that the initial registration based. batch of 34 women personnel women’s empowerment by noted a slow disappearance of week — though not complete- Tthe H-1B visa application period for the fiscal year 2022 The incident may be trivial and is likely to be forgotten entered the elite CoBRA allowing entry of its Mahila data services, especially from ly effectively. for the next fiscal year will H-1B cap will open at noon before the week ends. However, it reveals the sheer Battalion, an exclusive anti- personnel in the elite CoBRA mobile service providers, that The communication block- begin on March 1 and the suc- Eastern on March 9 and run desperation of an extra-parliamentary Opposition that has Naxal force under the Central wing during the 35th Raising accelerated sharply late ages are a stark reminder of the cessful applicants through a through noon March 25. been trying to create disturbances against the Modi paramilitary force. The CRPF Day celebrations of 88th Saturday morning. Broadband progress Myanmar is in danger computerised draw of lots The H-1B visa is a non- Government, almost incessantly since 2014. So far, their also formed an all-women Mahila Battalion. Notably, 88th connection also later failed, of losing after Monday’s coup would be notified by March 31, immigrant visa that allows US political success has been patchy but they have been brass band on Saturday. Mahila Battalion of CRPF has while there were mixed reports plunged the nation back under a federal agency has companies to employ foreign unrelenting in the hope that some issue or another is bound These women will under- the distinction of being the first on whether landline telephone direct military rule after a announced. workers in specialty occupa- to click. The efforts by any Opposition force to move against go three months of strenuous all Mahila battalion in the service and mobile voice con- nearly decade-long move The notification by the US tions that require theoretical or the Government is a democratic right and cannot be pre-induction training before world. In another first, an all nections were still working. toward democracy. During Citizenship and Immigration technical expertise. The tech- questioned. What, however, does need highlighting is the joining operations on the Mahila brass band was also Netblocks, a London-based Myanmar’s five decades of mil- Services (USCIS) on Friday nology companies depend on fact that their efforts are linked to a well-defined political ground for the Combat formed on this occasion of service that tracks internet dis- itary rule, the country’s com- came a day after the Biden it to hire tens of thousands of purpose. It is this agenda that needs to be simultaneously Battalion for Resolute Action momentous significance,” the ruptions and shutdowns, said munication with the outside administration announced that employees each year from highlighted, not least because a section of the media are (CoBRA). CRPF said in a statement. Saturday afternoon that “a world was controlled. it is delaying the H-1B policy countries like India and China. participants in this game. “The Central Reserve Turn to Page 4 near-total internet shutdown is Turn to Page 4 of the previous Trump admin- Turn to Page 4 NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 films & tv 02 HOME THEATRE It is very Plan Your Day A talkathon on Maldives Calling confusing he 104.8 ISHQ FM, India’s only romantic radio station, is back with its Tannual Valentine’s Day campaign. ‘Mohabbat in Maldives’ is a month- BLISS long campaign that gives an opportunity to Delhiites and Mumbaikars to Amazon Prime Video win an all-inclusive couple’s holiday to the dream destination Maldives. *ing: Salma Hayek, Owen Wilson The campaign which started on February 5, 2021 will give couples a relationships Rated: 4/10 chance to battle it out through a series of contests centred on music, Bollywood and travel. 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TELLYTALE CHAMCHAM FINALLY TURNS BRIDE Aditya is in a huge predicament after losing ‘Bidaai changed my life’ his job and seeing his parents fight and Colors’ popular show Namak Issk Ka going for a divorce. All this has made him which capture the journey of nachaniya very volatile, and he has become very MUSBA HASHMI speaks with KINSHUK MAHAJAN about his role Chamcham’s (played by Shruti Sharma) has aggressive. He is frustrated and while Navya enticed viewers. As she takes on society and tries to be his saviour, he is in a downward spiral. Aditya is seen fighting with everyone, in Star Plus’ latest offering Pandya Store, the attraction of playing it removing his frustration at his wife and mother as well as breaking down in front of and how his life has changed after Sapna Babul Ka...Bidaai them. These sequences were one of the most challenging ones for me and I must n What is your role in Pandya and genres. The more types of say as an actor I enjoyed shooting for them. Store? characters you play, the more However, to showcase all these emotions I play Gautam Pandya, a refined your craft gets. properly, I had to resort to method acting shopkeeper. He is a kind-hearted and I imagined myself in these scenarios, and family oriented person. He n Were you concerned about immersed myself in them completely and keeps his family’s dreams and losing your positive image in the then my natural reactions came out. happiness above his needs. His minds of the audience? Obviously, it did affect me, especially after father is no more with them and The audience liked the having to cry and burst out from one scene his mother is bed ridden, so the characters I played. I have been to another. There was no stopping point and responsibility of taking care of the I would like fortunate enough to have got the it did impact my personality a bit.” RAJEEV DISGUISES AS A TUTOR family lies on his shoulders. The to play more audience’s support in whatever However, it looks like Hollywood star Capturing the true essence of slice of story revolves around how he role I played. There were no Joaquin Phoenix's piece of advice really life, light-hearted comedy, Sony SAB’s Tera runs the store and during positive concerns at all. Also, the more helped him out. As Raghav added, "We've Yaar Hoon Main is set to witness Rajeev’s the process gets to know characters negative comments you get for seen many actors get affected by their new andaaz. While Rajeev (Ssudeep that Pandya Store is your role, it means you are able characters beyond a point of no return like Sahir) and Daljeet (Sayantani Ghosh) are mortgaged. He then because a to justify your character and Heath Ledger and it can happen to anyone trying to strike a balance to make their gets married to hero is strike the right chord with the who resorts to method acting. However, I kids get along, a new challenge has Dhara, who then audience. It is like a validation for always had Joaquin Phoenix's advice in my made its way in their lives. The helps him in always shown your work and we take it in a mind. He had once said that while we should upcoming episodes will witness Daljeet running the store. in that light. healthy and positive way. get into the skin of your character to and Rajeev joining hands to make their their judgments and shows us the kind of showcase the exact raw emotions, we sons and get rid of deceitful Shakti n What attracted Though n How did acting happen to prejudices that a dancer in her position has should also remember to cut off from it and who has made his way into their you towards the negative you? to deal with, she comes across Yug (Played accept reality. He had said that when we house. role? I did an acting course and by Aditya Ojha). accept the reality, it will help us get back to The union of both the Bansal and The simplicity characters then went on to do theatre for two In an ironic and completely unexpected the Bagga families have not been of the character. offer more years. In 2007, I got my first break turn of events, Yug who has always looked easiest so far. Adding to this rift is There is no need of in Dhoom Machao Dhoom and I down upon dancers ends up leaving his own Rishabh (Ansh Sinha) and Barry’s (Viraj over-the-top acting, scope to shifted to Mumbai for the shoot. bride and marries Chamcham! Kapoor) ongoing rivalry. While Rajeev it all comes so Then I went on getting more and Shruti Sharma's stunning and Daljeet are finding ways to strike a natural. Also, Gautam show your more shows and this is how I transformation from being a nachaniya to balance with one another, Shakti (Mohit is a person who wants acting skills, reached here. Ups and downs are Dulhaniya is a sight to behold. Dagga) after getting hurt by Rajeev’s scooter, to see everyone happy always there in every field, but I Chamcham's look is completely persuades dadaji (Rajendra Chawla) to let and that was one of the but having was lucky enough to keep on different from what we have seen brides him stay in their house. On the other hand, reasons what got me said that my getting shows after shows. dress this season. Dressed in pastel shades both Barry and Rishabh decide to participate attracted towards this with some exquisite Kundan jewelry in a in a mathematics competition and Daljeet character. priority is n Was there a moment when dull-gold finish, Chamcham's look is sure to takes this opportunity to keep an eye on always you felt like quitting? inspire the brides in the upcoming wedding Shakti at all times. Rajeev disguises as a n What all preparations Not at all. I was mostly busy season! mathematics tutor and starts prepping Barry did you have to do? to play with work and even if when I was for the competition while Daljeet finds her I had to shed five kgs to protagonists not, that gap was not that big JOAQUIN INSPIRES RAGHAV own sneaky methods to help Rishabh. fit into the shoe of the enough to demotivate me. In that Zee TV recently launched Hamariwali While the parents are busy befriend character. Also, I had to gap, I focused on reinventing Good News, which presents a heart-warming each other’s sons, Shakti is trying to find the work on my dialect a bit. myself and my craft and never lost story showcasing a unique role reversal truth behind Daljeet and Rajeev’s marriage. Though it was not that hope. between a daughter-in-law — Navya (Srishti Will Rajeev and Daljeet win over Barry difficult because the show is Jain) and her mother-in-law — Renuka (Juhi and Rishabh? Will Shakti find any evidence pan India. I had to learn to n Do you mind giving Parmar) to give their family the much- against Daljeet’s marriage with Rajeev? speak slowly and not just auditions? awaited Good News. Over the last couple of rush into words. And lastly, No. Today, we don’t call it weeks, we've seen a lot of drama take place Ssudeep Sahir, essaying the role of I have to work a bit on my audition, we call it look test at the Tiwari house, especially with Aditya our normal selves the moment the director Rajeev said, “It was such a refreshing body language as well. instead. But it is more or less the (Raghav Tiwari) losing his job as well as calls cut and that's what I did. Apart from change to don a disguise for the upcoming same thing and without it things Renuka — Mukund's (Shakti Anand) this piece of advice, I have a very supportive episodes on the show. It is always fun to n You have played both will not work. I never shy away ongoing divorce drama. With several cast including Srishti, Shakti ji and Juhi ji. play a different character, you get to try negative and positive having said that my priority is from giving auditions. dramatic and emotionally draining All of them helped me unwind and I must something new. For this character, I even characters. Which one do always to play protagonists. Also, sequences being shot, the shooting say this sequence has been one of my touched upon my Punjabi. I will be essaying you prefer to play? my face suits best for positive n How has your life changed schedules have been impacting all the favourites to shoot.” the role of Punjabi mathematics tutor and I would like to play characters so I mostly get cast for after Sapna Babul Ka...Bidai? actors, especially Raghav Tiwari. However, While Raghav is enjoying the shoot, the viewers must get ready to witness Rajeev more positive characters such roles only. The popularity quotient went the actor reveals to us how Hollywood actor looks like a lot of new twists and turns are in a never seen before avatar. While it took because a hero is always up. I started getting more respect Joaquin Phoenix has been helping him set to come in Renuka and Mukund's life me a while to get into the look but the final shown in that light. n With that being said, did you in auditions. A lot of things unwind and stay sane. after Vrunda (Samikssha Bhatnagar) exposes outcome was good and I am sure the Though negative have any apprehensions in definitely changed for the better As Raghav Tiwari who plays the role of Sumitra's long kept secret. What will happen episodes further will be entertaining for our characters offer more taking up the negative roles? once the show became a hit. My Aditya mentioned: “In the current scenario, next? viewers.” scope to show your Not at all. I believe an actor life changed after the success of acting skills, but should explore all kinds of roles the show.

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FARMERS ‘CHAKKA JAM’

10 metron stations closed during road blockade STAFF REPORTER NEW DELHI After the Republic Day mal service were resumed. violence, the Delhi Police has “Security Update Security upped ollowing “chakka jam” deployed additional measures, Entry/exit gates of all stations Fcalled by farmers agitating including tightening security are open. Normal service has against the new agri laws, the and intensifying vigil at the resumed,” it tweeted. Delhi Metro on Saturday closed city’s border points, to deal with Farmer unions on Monday ten of its stations, including any situation emerging out of had announced a countrywide Mandi House and ITO and the “chakka jam”, officials had “chakka jam” on February 6 reopened them after the protest said. during which they had declared at city borders ended at 3 pm. During the ‘Chakka jam’ that they would block nation- The Delhi Metro Rail on Saturday, farmers shouted al and State highways between Corporation (DMRC) in a slogans and parked their trac- 12 noon and 3 pm to protest 50 detained at Shaheedi Park for staging protest series of tweets in the morning tors-trolleys in the middle of the internet ban in areas near informed commuters that mul- highways at several places in their agitation sites, harass- STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI tiple stations have been closed. Punjab and Haryana to block ment allegedly meted out to “Security Update roads. In Rajasthan too, farm- them by authorities, and other he Delhi Police on Saturday Entry/exit gates of Mandi Lal Quila metro station closed in view of the nationwide chakka jam, in support of ers protesting against the issues. Tintensified security at all House, ITO and Delhi Gate are ongoing agitation against Centre’s farm reform laws in New Delhi on Saturday Centre’s new agri laws and However, the Samyukt border points of the city as closed,” it tweeted. It later also Ranjan Dimri | Pioneer other issues blocked roads at Kisan Morcha, an umbrella thousands of personnel includ- tweeted that entry and exit several places. body of the farmer unions, on ing paramilitary forces were gates of Vishwavidyalaya sta- The DMRC in the evening Friday had said the protesters deployed to deal with any sit- tion were also closed. and Central Secretariat are “Entry/exit gates of Khan tweeted that entry and exit will not block roads in Delhi, uation emerging out of the “Entry/exit gates of Lal closed. Interchange facility is Market and Nehru Place are gates of all 10 metro stations Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand nationwide “chakka jam”. Quila, Jama Masjid, Janpath available,” the DMRC said. closed,” it tweeted. had been re-opened, and nor- during the “chakka jam”. Police also detained around 50 people near Shaheedi Park in central Delhi for allegedly Police warn of strict holding a protest in support of the ‘chakka jam’ call given by action against SKM stages symbolic protest in Gurugram the farmers. Police forces were also travellers found with PARVESH SHARMA n GURUGRAM deployed at important junc- Police detain left-wing activists during a protest to support the ongoing farmers tions across the national capi- agitation against Centre’s farm reform laws, at Shaheedi Park in New Delhi on cartridges at IGIA n view of farmers’ nationwide tal including Red Fort and Saturday Ranjan Dimri | Pioneer I“chakka jam” (road blockade) ITO which witnessed violence STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI against three farm laws, the on January 26 during the trac- on the social media to make Act, and the Essential Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) tor parade by the protesting sure rumours are not spread Commodities (Amendment) he Delhi Police on Saturday in Gurugram staged symbolic farmers in which over 500 against the police. The protes- Act — and legal guarantee of Turged travellers at Indira protest at Krishna Chowk near police personnel were injured tors are camping at the borders minimum support price for Gandhi International (IGI) air- Bheghera flyover on Palam and a protester died. of Delhi. We are in touch with their crops. port to re-check their belongings Vihar road in Gurugram on Drone cameras were the police force of other states Enacted in September and warned of legal action Saturday. pressed into service to keep a also,” said Chinmoy Biswal, 2020, the government has pre- against those found with ammu- Aroud 200 protesters and tight vigil at protest sites. Multi- the Public Relation Officer sented these laws as major nition, a day after 11 cartridges leaders from political parties layered barricades, barbed (PRO) of Delhi Police on farm reforms aimed at increas- were found in the baggage of a sat in the middle of road block- wires and nail-studded roads at Friday. ing farmers’ income, but the passenger at the airport. ing the movement of traffic. the protest sites are also part of Thousands of farmers have protesting farmers have raised A total of 13 cases, where They raised anti Government the precautionary measures been camping at several Delhi concerns that these legisla- ammunition has been found in slogans against the newly taken by the police force. border points, demanding a tions would weaken the mini- the baggage of passengers dur- passed three agricultural laws. “In view of the violence complete repeal of the three mum support price (MSP) and ing security check, have already “As per the schedule we will Protesters shout slogans in support of farmers; chakka jam protest against farm laws in Gurugram on Saturday Pioneer photo that took place on January 26, farm laws — the Farmers’ “mandi” (wholesale market) been registered this year at the protect here for three hours adequate security arrangements (Empowerment and systems and leave them at the IGI Airport police station from 12 pm to 3 pm. The movement towards Palam “chakka jam”, said senior offi- reported,” said Rajeev Kumar, have been put in place by the Protection) Agreement on mercy of big corporations. under sections of Arms Act. Government is adamant in Vihar and Delhi. cials. ACP (Udyog Vihar). Delhi Police at the borders so Price Assurance and Farm The government has main- According to Rajeev favour of these three black laws. The protesters at the site “We have diverted the traf- Apart from this, the that miscreants are not able Services Act, the Farmers’ tained that these apprehen- Ranjan, the Deputy SKM will protest against these were also distributing anti fic and keep asking commuters Gurugram roads including the enter the national capital. Police Produce Trade and Commerce sions are misplaced and has Commissioner of Police three farm laws till it’s roll back,” Government pamphlet in to avoid visiting Palam Vihar Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, teams are monitoring content (Promotion and Facilitation) ruled out a repeal of the laws. (DCP), IGI airport, as per legal said Chaudhary Santokh Singh, which they had mentioned Road towards Krishna Chowk Kundli-Manesar-Palwal and provisions, an First President SKM Gurugram. cons of these three black laws. and Bheghera Flyover. A num- State highways were remained Information Report (FIR) is Meanwhile, the traffic was A number of police per- ber of police check poins are unaffected from nationwide registered against such pas- disrupted as the protesters spe- sonnel were deployed to han- installed to check vehicles. We “chakka jam”. AAP announces Government launches senger for the possession of cially women made human dle the traffic movement and have asked the protesters to lift The Farmers had ammunition illegally without a chain towards Bheghera flyover prevent any untoward inci- there protest but they were not announced nationwide “chak- candidates for valid license issued for Delhi or to disrupt traffic movement. dents. The Gurugram police ready to listen to us. The ka jam” (road block) over three social media handles of all India and the passenger has They also sat at the Krishna have made adequate arrange- protest till now was peaceful farm laws for three hours to face criminal proceedings chowk to disrupt the traffic ments in view of the farmers’ and no untoward incident was between 12 pm to 3 pm MCD bypolls before the court of law. ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign “Such lapses affect the jour- STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI ney of the passenger badly as STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI people trying to claim subsidies they cannot embark on their he Aam Aadmi Party or any other issues they have in journey and their co-passen- T(AAP) on Saturday he Delhi Government has buying EVs, and the handles gers and family members also announced the names of the Tlaunched various social will also share success stories face an awkward situation,” candidates for the five seats of media handles for its Switch and testimonials of EV buyers said the DCP. A passenger at the upcoming municipal by- Delhi campaign to sensitize to motivate Delhiites. IGI’s Terminal-3, who was trav- elections which will be held on Delhiites on the need to switch DDCD will also be elling from Delhi to Maldives February 28. to “Electronic Vehicles” (EVs), responding to queries and mis- by a private airlines, was found “All these candidates have the environmental and finan- conceptions people have on carrying 11 cartridges of .32 worked for the people of Delhi cial benefits and the benefits EVs via the social handles,” bore in his check-in baggage on in their respective areas. To that can be availed by con- the government said in a Friday. honour their contribution in sumers under Delhi’s electric statement. “During questioning, the taking forward the develop- vehicle policy. Social media outreach is passenger had told the police ment work and pro-people The ‘Switch Delhi’ cam- one of the major components that the recovered cartridges policies of the Kejriwal paign was launched earlier this of the eight-week mass aware- belonged to his licensed Government the AAP has week by Chief Minister Arvind ness campaign of the Delhi weapon and had also pro- selected them,” the party said in Kejriwal for informing moti- government on promoting the duced his valid arms license a statement. vating and encouraging use of electric vehicles in Delhi. issued in his name with area The candidates are Delhiites to accelerate the It will be an important tool in validity for Haryana,” a senior Dhirendra (Bunty Gautam), adoption of EVs in the nation- making the CM’s clarion call a police official. Ward Kalyanpuri 8E, Vijay al Capital. mass movement across Delhi, In another instance, a Kumar, Ward Trilokpuri East The Dialogue and it said. woman travelling from Terminal- 2E, Mohammad Isharaq Khan, Development Commission of Delhi’s Electric Vehicle 3 was also found in possession of Former MLA Seelampur, Ward Delhi (DDCD) will be leading Policy was well-received one live ammunition during Chauhan Bangar 41 E, Ram the social media outreach of the because it sets an ambitious screening of her baggage and she Chandra, Former MLA campaign. vision for Delhi to drastically could not produce valid docu- Bawana, Ward “These media handles will reduce air pollution from vehi- ments for it, he said. In both the Rohini C32N, Sunita Mishra, be used as a medium for con- cles and become one of the top instances, cases were registered Ward Shalimar Bagh — North necting directly with the pub- cities of the world in terms of under sections of the Arms Act 62 N. lic, addressing grievances of the adoption of EVs. at IGI Airport police station. BJP passes resolution Over 1 lakh people given lauding Union Budget Covid jabs so far in Delhi 123 new cases in also taken the vaccine. “Several STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI addressing the workers, said the police personnel have also budget will prove to be a mile- city; positivity rate come forward for vaccination. elhi Bhartiya Janata Party stone for the country. It has The District administrators D(BJP) on Saturday passed provision to ensure that MSP is dips to 0.19 % reposed their faith in the vac- a resolution describing the at least 1.5 times the cost of cines and sought to inspire con- Union Budget as a historic production across all com- fidence in the general public one. The BJP in Delhi State has modities, he said that adding it SAPNA SINGH n NEW DELHI regarding the safety and effi- 14 district executive commit- has made a whopping provi- cacy for the same.,” a govern- tees. All members in their sion of `35,000 crore for vac- elhi on Saturday crossed ment official said. respective areas lauded the cination. Done lakh mark in Covid-19 According to health union Budget 2021-22 and The East Delhi Member of vaccination in first phase. department data, 9,216 people said this will lead to develop- Parliament Gautam Gambhir While the vaccination of vaccinated on Friday, 9464 on ment works focusing building said this budget will prove to be frontline workers also started, Thursday, 7,365 on Wednesday, infra and health care. path breaker and has been the District Magistrate of sev- 9,356 on Tuesday and 7,893 on At the meeting in Shahdara made keeping in mind interests eral districts in the national Monday vaccinated this week. district, the national general of one and all. In the Northeast Capital came forwarded to To create awareness among secretary and MP, Dushyant executive committee’s meet- vaccinate themselves. on Corona vaccination pro- Gautam, said it is a unique ing, former Delhi BJP presi- According to Delhi gramme , Delhi Government Budget as it takes care of all sec- dent, Manoj Tiwari said this Government’s health depart- has taken a number of mea- tions of the society despite the budget will provide economic ment, with 9,510 beneficiaries sures. From counselling to country going through critical stability to the country and a vaccinated, the government mobilizing the health workers, times because of the corona time will soon come when achieved target of one lakh vac- frontline workers and promot- pandemic. He said for the first India will lead the world. cinations. ing feedback for the acceptance time there is a tax-free Budget. In the Mehrauli’s district In the National Capital, of the vaccine. Gautam also said keeping in meeting, the MP Ramesh senior administration officers Meanwhile, Delhi reported the mind people’s healthcare due Bidhuri said the budget has set an example of leadership 123 fresh Covid-19 cases with to the pandemic, the taken special care of farmers taking the lead in the ongoing four deaths, 63,322 tests con- Government has presented a and made provisions to ensure vaccination programme as ducted , 0.19 per cent positiv- well thought Budget that takes their income grows appreciably. DMs of South West district Dr ity rate recorded and 151 recov- care of all sections of the soci- Similar attention has also been Naveen Agarwal, North ered. So far, the capital record- ety and will lead to the goal of given to senior citizens, women District Isha Khosla, West ed 6,35,916 positive cases, the self reliance. He said India has and youth of the country, he District Neha Bansal, North cumulative positive rate 5.73 shown the world that it can tack- added. West district Chestha Yadav, while the fatality rate was 1.71 le such difficult situation with In the Northwest district, North East district Pankaj percent with total 1,174 active determination and planning. Hansraj Hans said this is a his- Kumar vaccinated themselves cases, according to health The former Union toric budget as it has been G Sudhakar, District department. Minister and ex-Delhi BJP made after passing through a Collector, Municipal Delhi has total 977 con- President, Vijay Goel, while critical phase of pandemic. Corporation Delhi (MCD) has tainment zones. NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 nation 04

Naqvi: Rejected politicians, Negative powers trying to create misconceptions Navy man burnt alive in Palghar over farm laws will fail, says Jitendra Singh after ransom demand not met Jammu: Asserting that the “negative pow- directive from the Prime Minister. I have full TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI where he was captive for 3 days. bogus Bharat bashing ers” attempting to create misconceptions over faith that the misunderstanding of the The abductors allegedly demand- the new agri laws would fail, Union Minister farmers will be addressed and the attempts n a shocking incident, an Indian Navy ed a ransom of Rs. 10 lakh from him. Jitendra Singh on Saturday said the Centre to create misconceptions by negative pow- Isailor was abducted from Chennai When he refused to pay up the ransom, is working with an open heart to address the ers will fail,” he said. and burnt alive in the forests of Palghar, he was abducted and brought to the brigade defaming India ongoing farmers' agitation. Asked whether IAS officer Shah Faesal near Mumbai, by three unidentified jungles of Vevji within the limits of He, however, insisted that the new laws has a genuine change of heart or some type miscreants after he refused to pay up Gholdwad of Talasari in Palghar dis- Kanpur: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister ership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. are “pro-farmer” and can never result in loss- of backdoor talks are going on with him since a ransom of Rs 10 lakh to the abduc- trict.Giving the details of how the police Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said “reject- People gave a massive mandate to the BJP- es to them. he had started showering praises on Prime tors. traced Surajkumar in the forests, ed politicians” and the “bogus Bharat bashing led NDA in 2014 and again in 2019. The mass- “The government is working with an Minister Narendra Modi in the recent The victim navy man – identified Investigating officer in-charge of the brigade” are involved in a criminal conspira- es have supported the policies of the prime min- open heart to address this issue (farmers agi- times despite being vocal in his criticism of as Surajkumar Mitilesh Dubey –was case Sarjerao Kumbhar said: “After he cy to defame the country. ister by giving “tremendous support” to the BJP tation). All the laws which have been enact- abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of found on early Friday in half-burnt, refused pay them the ransom, they Speaking to reporters here, Naqvi said, in assembly, panchayat and local bodies elec- ed are pro-farmer and even the earlier gov- the erstwhile state into two Union Territories semi-nude condition in a forested poured petrol on him and set him on “Such criminal syndicate of misinformation and tions in different states and union territories, ernments were discussing implementing in August 2019, Singh said, “There is no issue area. He was rushed first to the Cottage fire in the jungles before decamping Bharat bashing has always been defeated by the he said. such types of laws in the country,” the min- discussing such a thing. The important thing Hospital at Dahanu and then onto the from there. Some local people alerted commitment of the people of India.” “On one hand, the Bharat bashing brigade ister of state in the Prime Minister's Office is that there is heart transformation.” Sion Hospital in north-central Mumbai, us after seeing him in a half-burnt con- “Such people created a ruckus on the so- raised false and fake propaganda of so-called told reporters at the BJP headquarters here. Singh congratulated the people of where he succumbed to burns. dition”. called intolerance in the country, raised ques- insecurity among minorities, on the other hand He said several Opposition leaders had Jammu and Kashmir for getting back 4G In his dying declaration, The police have meanwhile regis- tions on surgical strike on Pakistan, created con- PM Modi worked tirelessly to make all sections spoken in Parliament in support of such mobile internet service after 18 months and Surajkumar – hailing from Daltonganj tered a case of murder, attempt to mur- fusion over CAA, and opposed steps taken for of society including minorities an equal part- types of laws earlier. said “media and students suffered because in Jharkhand – said that he was post- der, kidnapping of ransom, robbery and the well-being of people during the COVID- ner of mainstream development,” he said. “Now they are raising concerns on such of lack of this facility”. ed on INS Agrani in the run-up to the sections of the Arms Act against three 19 pandemic,” Naqvi said. “Prime Minister Modi's commitment to things which are not part of these laws. Praising the Union budget for focusing incident. He was abducted from unknown persons and have launched Now, the ‘gumrahi' (misleading) gang has ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas' has always exposed Nobody can say that these laws can result in on key sectors like health which was given Chennai on January 30 and held cap- a massive search for the three adduc- hijacked the farmers' agitation and doing pol- these characters. The entire world is admiring losses to the farmers,” Singh said. a grant of over Rs two lakh crore by 137 per tive there by three unknown persons, tors who eventually set the victim on itics over it, he said, adding that some Modi's commitment towards inclusive devel- Responding to a question about many cent enhancement and infrastructure devel- while he was returning to his work sta- fire. people in the country still have “feudal arro- opment,” he added. international personalities like pop star opment like highways and railways, he said tion after his vacation. In a related development, gance”. Naqvi said, “When our security forces Rihanna speaking about the farmers' agita- at a time when Modi's New India will illu- Upon his arrival from Ranchi to Surajkumar’s body has been sent for a In a statement, Naqvi said the people of destroyed terrorist camps by conducting a sur- tion, he said, “Nobody can say these laws can minate at the global level, Jammu and Chennai to join duty on January 30, post-mortem. The police have the country, while rejecting all criminal con- gical strike, then some people outside the coun- result in losses to the farmers. Kashmir has also been in the focus to ensure Surajkumar was accosted at gunpoint informed his family in Jharkhand and spiracies and political hypocrisies of some vest- try and leaders of the grand old party, demand- “Government is prepared to address the that it will shine alongside other parts of the outside the Chennai airport and the Naval authorities in Mumbai have ed interests, have expressed trust in the lead- ed proof. It was an amazing 'jugalbandi'.” PTI misgiving and misconceptions and this is the country as well. PTI whisked away to an unknown location been informed of his death. Cong protests at petrol Ravi Shankar Prasad donates Registration pumps in Assam `11 lakh for Ram Temple for H-1B Guwahati: Assam Congress on the common man, she said. PTI n PATNA and information technology lottery from Saturday staged protests in front The skyrocketing prices of and communications, said I am of petrol pumps across the state petrol and diesel have led to the nion Minister Ravi extremely happy that I am against rising prices of petrol, increase in the price of essential UShankar Prasadon making an announcement of March 1 diesel and LPG. commodities, she said. “People Saturday contributed Rs 11 contributing Rs 11 lakh for the From Page 1 Protests were held in dif- are devastated by the prevailing lakh for the construction of the construction of a grand Ram During the registration ferent blocks of the state by the situation of increased joblessness Ram temple at Ayodhya. temple at Ayodhya, Prasad period, prospective petitioners district Congres committees, due to the sudden demonetisa- Prasad handed over the said. and representatives will be able party sources said. tion and the Covid-19 driven cheque to Mohan Singh and I was the lawyer for Ram to fill out petitioner and ben- Assam PCC general secre- lock-down”, she said. Rajesh Pandey, representatives Lalla in Allahabad High Court eficiary information and sub- tary Bobbeeta Sharma said when The BJP government at the of Sri Rama Janmabhoomi where we won (the case). It mit their registrations, the UPA was in power the price of Centre has proved to be “anti- Teerth Kshetra trust. would be great if I had the USCS said. international crude was high but poor and anti-people” and has Singh, who is RSS region- opportunity to argue the case The agency said if it the Congress government led by made no effort to control al general secretary (kshetra in Supreme Court but since I receives enough registrations Dr Manmohan Singh ensured increasing petrol and diesel karyawah) of Bihar and was the (union) law minister, I by March 25, it will randomly that it did not affect the common prices and that of essential com- Jharkhand and Pandey, the could not argue the case, select registrations and send ma. It had kept petrol and diesel modities, Sharma alleged. prant Prachar Pramukh of Prasad said. selection notifications by prices low and affordable. “The prime minister who South Bihar RSS, received the Its a matter of pride that I March 31. The international crude oil is arriving in Assam tomorrow cheque at the organisation's will be going out to collect The successful applicants price is low during Prime has to answer all these questions state headquarters here. donations for the purpose of would be able to join their new Minister Narendra Modi's rule that affect each and every com- Prasad, the union minister constructing a grand Ram tem- jobs in the US on October 1, but its benefit has not reached mon man”, she added. PTI Tourists visit the Solang valley after a fresh spell of snowfall in Manali on Saturday PTI for law and justice, electronics ple, he added. when the American fiscal year starts. As mandated by the AI can predict with 90% Copenhagen’s Department of terns and correlations in both patients’ the country’s second-largest city. The military accused Suu Kyi Congress, USCIS can issue a Computer Science. prior illnesses and in their bouts against Coup protests... Telenor Myanmar, a major and her party of failing to act on its maximum of 65,000 H-1B visas accuracy if a person... Since the Covid pandemic’s first Covid-19. From Page 1 mobile operator, confirmed it had complaints that last November’s in a year. It can also issue From Page 1 wave, researchers have been working to “Our results demonstrate, unsur- Suu Kyi’s five years as leader received Friday’s order to block election was marred by fraud, another 20,000 H-1B visas to The diseases and health factors that, develop computer models that can prisingly, that age and BMI are the most since 2015 had been Myanmar’s Twitter and Instagram. In a state- though the election commission foreign students who have according to the study, have the most predict, based on disease history and decisive parameters for how severely a most democratic period despite the ment, Twitter said it was “deeply said it had no found no evidence completed higher studies from influence on whether a patient ends up health data, how badly people will be person will be affected by Covid-19. But military retaining broad powers concerned” about the order and to support the claims. a US university in Science, on a respirator after being infected with affected by Covid-19. the likelihood of dying or ending up on over the government, the contin- vowed to “advocate to end destruc- Suu Kyi and President Win Technology, Engineering and Covid-19 are in the following order of “We began working on the models a respirator is also heightened if you are ued use of repressive colonial-era tive government-led shutdowns.” Myint are also under house arrest Mathematics (STEM) subjects. priority: BMI, age, high blood pressure, to assist hospitals, as, during the first male, have high blood pressure or neu- laws and the persecution of minor- “It undermines the public con- and have been charged with minor The quick announcement being male, neurological diseases, wave, they feared that they did not have rological disease,” explained Mads ity Rohingya Muslims. versation and the rights of people offenses, seen by many as merely by USCIS on the next year’s H- COPD, asthma, diabetes and heart dis- enough respirators for intensive care Nielsen. The blockages are also adding to make their voices heard,” its providing a legal veneer for their 1B registration process comes ease. patients. Our new findings could also “For those affected by one or more greater urgency to efforts to resist spokesperson said. detention. a day after it said that it is delay- The research can also be used to be used to carefully identify who needs of basic parameters, we have found that the coup, with Saturday seeing Since the coup, social media In addition to the 134 officials ing the implementation of the predict the number of patients in hos- a vaccine,” explains Professor Mads it may make sense to move them up in some of the largest street protests platforms have been major sources and lawmakers who were detained Trump administration policy of pitals who will need a respirator and Nielsen of the University of the vaccine queue, to avoid any risk of against the takeover. In one of the of independent news as well as in the coup, some 18 independent allocation of H-1B through a determine who ought to be first in line Copenhagen’s Department of them becoming infected and eventually bigger ones, about 1,000 protesters organising tools for protests. activists were also held, said the wage and skilled based process. for a vaccination. The results of the Computer Science. ending up on a respirator,” said Nielsen. — factory workers and students Amnesty International said Assistance Association for Political The Trump era rule was study were published in the journal The researchers fed a computer The research was carried out in col- prominent among them — that to shut down the internet while Prisoners in Myanmar, which scheduled to go into effect on Scientific Reports -- Nature. The result programme with health data from laboration with Rigshospitalet and marched down a main street in the country was coping with the added that some have been March 9. On January 7, the is from a newly published study by 3,944 Danish Covid-19 patients. This Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Yangon, the country’s biggest city, coup, people displaced by years of released. USCIS announced to do away researchers at the University of trained the computer to recognise pat- Hospital. and were met by more than 100 civil conflict and the COVID-19 The office of Australia’s foreign with the traditional lottery sys- police in riot gear. crisis was “a heinous and reckless minister said in a statement tem in deciding the successful Members of the crowd shout- decision.” Saturday that the government was applicants for the H-1B visas. Maheshwari, in his address, said that the ed “down with dictatorship” and Those opposed to the coup and “deeply concerned about reports of The USCIS had said it Breaking glass... Force has a history of empowered women other slogans. They marched with the arrests of activists and politi- Australian and other foreign would prioritise wages to pro- J&K records From Page 1 warriors who have not just brought laurels their hands in the air, formed into cians have also been gathering at nationals being detained arbitrar- tect the economic interests of The 34 women personnel from the 6 to the Force but have also made the coun- three-fingered salutes, a symbol of night at windows and on bal- ily in Myanmar.” American workers, and better Mahila Battalions of CRPF who joined the try proud by conspicuous gallantry both at defiance adopted from protesters in conies around Yangon to make a The statement said the gov- ensure that the most highly 65 new CoBRA will undergo a strenuous CoBRA home in India and abroad in several UN neighboring Thailand, who bor- cacophony of noise in protest by ernment was concerned in partic- skilled foreign workers benefit pre-induction training of three months, it peacekeeping missions. rowed the gesture from the banging on pots and pans. ular about one Australian who was from the temporary employ- Covid cases said. Maheshwari said that while this gen- “Hunger Games” movie franchise. The action was not limited to detained at a police station. The ment programme. Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir The training will reinforce their phys- der neutrality adds to the diversity of the The demonstration ended aggrieved citizens on the street. On statement did not provide details on In a statement on on Saturday recorded 65 new ical capabilities and tactical acumen by force, empowered women make an empow- peacefully with no clashes report- Friday, nearly 300 elected law- the identities of those being held or Thursday, the USCIS, howev- coronavirus cases that raised its imparting next-level training in firing and ered family which eventually empowers the ed. It dispersed around the time makers from Aung San Suu Kyi’s the reasons for their detention. er, said that it is delaying the tally to 1,24,850, officials said. special weapons, tactical planning, fieldcraft, nation. communications were cut, and it National League for Democracy In New York, UN Secretary- rule’s effective date until The union territory did not explosives, and jungle survival skills among Raised on February 6, 1986, 88 Mahila was unclear if the marchers later party who met in an online meet- General Antonio Guterres pledged December 31, 2021. The report any death due to the others, the CRPF said. Battalion has completed 34 glorious and regrouped. ing declared themselves as the sole Friday that the United Nations will USCIS can issue a maximum of infection in the past 24 hours, After the completion of their training, eventful years in the service of the nation. Similar-sized demonstrations legitimate representatives of the do everything it can to unite the 65,000 H-1B visas in a year. It they said.Of the fresh cases, 15 the batch of these ‘Mahila Warriors’ will be The battalion has served across the length took place in at least two other areas people and asked for internation- international community and cre- can also issue another 20,000 were recorded from the Jammu posted in the Naxal areas alongside their and breadth of the country and abroad in of the city, and likewise were tense al recognition as the country’s ate conditions for the military H-1B visas to foreign students division and 50 from the male counterparts. the UN peacekeeping missions. Seven but peaceful. People at a protest at government. coup in Myanmar to be reversed. who have completed higher Kashmir division, the officials Mahila personnel of CRPF forming the bravehearts of the Battalion have made Yangon’s City Hall presented flow- They were supposed to have Guterres said Christine studies from a US university in said.They said Srinagar district first all-women brass band will also under- supreme sacrifice at the altar of duty. The ers to the police. taken their seats Monday in a new Schraner Burgener, the UN special Science, Technology, recorded the highest of 26 cases go a training course to acquire the requi- women warriors of this battalion are proud Other reports that slipped session of Parliament following envoy for Myanmar, had a first con- Engineering and Mathematics which included 11 travellers. site skills on the music instruments. The recipients of several gallantry medals through the communications November elections when the mil- tact with the military since the coup (STEM) subjects. While eight districts of the CRPF already has an all-women pipe band. including the highest peacetime gallantry blockade said protests were held in itary announced it was taking and expressed the UN’s strong UT did not report any fresh case, Director-General of CRPF, Dr AP award-the Ashok Chakra, it added. other areas, including Mandalay, power for a year. opposition to the takeover. 10 others had fresh cases in sin- gle digits, the officials said. Pulwama reported 10 COVID- harassment meted out to farmers by Several highways, including the protest by the BKU (Ekta 19 cases. Farmers throw...the authorities and other issues. the Chandigarh-Zirakpur, Ugrahan).Farmers carried plac- 22 deaths after jab not ... The number of active cases From Page 1 Several highways, including Amritsar-Pathankot, Tarn Taran- ards with slogans “Jai Jawan, Jai From Page 1 is 631 in the union territory, Thousands of farmers have the Chandigarh-Zirakpur, Kapurthala, Ferozepur-Fazilka, Kisan” and “Kisan Ekta Zindabad”. He added that 13 States and UTs, including Bihar, while 1,22,275 patients have been protesting since late Amritsar-Pathankot, Tarn Taran- Muktsar-Kotkapura, Bathinda- They also raised slogans against the Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar recovered so far, the officials November at the Delhi borders Kapurthala, Ferozepur-Fazilka, Chandigarh, Fazilka-Malout, Centre for not acceding to their Pradesh, have vaccination coverage of 60 per cent said. PTI with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, Muktsar-Kotkapura, Bathinda- Ludhiana-Jalandhar, Panchkula- demand of repealing the farm leg- among health care workers while 12 States and UTs, demanding a rollback of the Chandigarh, Ludhiana-Jalandhar, Pinjore, Patiala-Kaithal, Jind- islations. including Delhi, Punjab and Assam, have less than 40 Farmers’ Produce Trade and Panchkula-Pinjore, Patiala-Kaithal, Karnal, Karnal-Kaithal, Bhiwani- In the morning, farmers start- per cent vaccination coverage among health care work- Commerce (Promotion and Jind-Karnal, Karnal-Kaithal, Hisar, Ambala-Chandigarh, ed assembling at their earmarked ers.He said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ Ambala - Chandigarh Highway, Ambala- Hisar and Mansa-Sirsa protest sites in both States.They on Saturday reviewed the performance of vaccination (Empowerment and Protection) Ambala- Hisar and Mansa-Sirsa were blocked by the protesting parked tractor-trailers and other drives with all States and UTs. Agreement on Price Assurance were also blocked by the protesting farmers.Protests were also held at vehicles on roads. Women took part “He advised States/UTs to improve coverage, ben- and Farm Services Act, 2020; and farmers.Meanwhile, farmers on Shambhu near Ambala and at in the agitation in sizeable number eficiary turn out per session and minimize vaccine Essential Commodities Saturday parked their tractor-trail- many toll plazas in both States. at several places, including in wastage,” Agnani said.“The State health secretaries have ◆ CHANGE OF NAME ◆ (Amendment) Act, 2020. ers in the middle of roads and Traffic was also disrupted at the Punjab’s Sangrur and Ludhiana. been asked to analyze the daily variation in the num- The protesting farmers have raised slogans against the Centre Kundli-Manesar-Palwal express- “The Government should ber of average vaccinations and take necessary steps I, Imarana Khatoon, D/o expressed apprehension that these during a three-hour-long “chakka way. Protesting farmers said ambu- repeal the three laws as they are not to increase them. States/UTs were advised to ensure Mohammad Chand, R/o J- laws would pave the way for the jam” agitation in Punjab and lances, army vehicles and school in the interest of the farming com- 100 per cent saturation of people who have already been 76/1, Flat No. 108, Abul Fazal dismantling of the minimum sup- Haryana. The call for the nation- buses were allowed during the munity,” said a protester at the registered on CoWin digital platform. Enclave-1, Jamia Nagar, port price (MSP) system, leaving wide “chakka jam” was given by the ‘’chakka jam’’.Though police author- Shambhu border.Punjabi actors “They were also asked to organise simultaneous them at the “mercy” of big corpo- Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an ities diverted traffic at many places, Binnu Dhillon, Dev Kharoud and vaccination sessions/day in the health facility wher- Okhla, New Delhi-110025 rations.However, the Government umbrella body of farm unions commuters faced traffic snarls. singer Pammi Bai took part in a ever possible. Each State/UT was advised to devise a declare that my name has has maintained that the new laws protesting the Centre’s farm laws at Kokrikalan said they blocked protest in Patiala.In Phagwara, State specific strategy to achieve this target,” said the wrongly been mentioned in will bring better opportunities to the Delhi borders.Farmer leaders roads at 33 places in 15 Punjab dis- Bharti Kisan Union (Doaba) leader Ministry. “Every State/UT must schedule all health- my school certificate as Km. farmers and introduce new tech- claimed that their three-hour stir tricts, including Sangrur, Barnala Kirpal Singh Moosapur said pro- care workers for vaccination at least once before Emrana Khatoon where as nologies in agriculture. remained peaceful in both States. and Bathinda. testers squatted near a sugar mill February 20, 2021 and immediately thereafter organ- The three-hour-long agitation “The ‘chakka jam’ was com- “Around 6,000 to 7,000 pro- and raised slogans against the BJP- ise mop-up rounds for them. Similarly, all frontline my correct name is Imarana was announced to register protest pletely peaceful,” said Bharti Kisan testers on an average took part in led Centre. workers must be scheduled for vaccination at least once Khatoon for all purposes. against the internet ban in areas Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general sec- ‘chakka jam’ at each place,” claimed Protesters also honked horns before March 6, 2021 and immediately thereafter organ- PD(8905)A near their agitation sites, alleged retary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan. Kokrikalan while commenting on for one minute, said Moosapur. ise mop-up rounds for them,” the Ministry said. NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 landmark 05

52 political parties knock SARS-CoV-2 mutations PM hails country’s judiciary for at EC door for registration could develop in cases of safeguarding people’s rights chronic infection: Study n Party, Sudharvadi Party, Kisan PTI AHMEDABAD Vishwa party, Majaloom Samaj Party, Bahujan Lokrajya Party. rime Minister Narendra The number of registered PModi on Saturday hailed unrecognised political parties the country’s judiciary, saying has increased two-fold from that it has performed its duty 2010 to 2019, according to a well in safeguarding people’s report by Association for rights, upholding personal Democratic Reforms (ADR). liberty, and also in the situa- From 1,112 such parties in tions when national interests 2010, the number of unrecog- need to be prioritised. nised registered parties has He also said that the increased to 2,301 in 2019. Supreme Court has conduct- “Between 2018 and 2019, it ed the highest number of RAJESH KUMAR n NEW DELHI new political party. Each mem- increased by over 9.8 per cent hearings via video-confer- ber of the proposed party while between 2013 and 2014, encing in the world during the head of the Assembly polls should possess a Voter ID card. it increased by 18 per cent,” the PNS n NEW DELHI ly modest mutation rate at coronavirus pandemic. uphold our Constitution. Our added. Adue in five States — Tamil Possessing a Voter ID card report said. Either newly reg- around 23 nucleotide substitu- Modi was speaking after judiciary has strengthened Judiciary has performed Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, implies that the particular istered parties or those which ARS-CoV-2 mutations sim- tions per year. virtually releasing a com- the Constitution by its positive its duty well in terms of Kerala and Puducherry — in member is above the age of 18. have not secured enough per- Silar to those in the new UK Of particular concern are memorative postage stamp interpretation,” Modi said. safeguarding the rights of the April-May this year, at least 52 National Democratic Party centage of votes in the assem- variant could arise in cases of mutations that might change the on the completion of 60 years “The Supreme Court has people, upholding personal political outfits are knocking at of South India is based in bly or general elections to chronic infection, where treat- structure of the ‘spike protein’, of the Gujarat High Court. conducted the highest number liberty and whenever such the door of the Election Tamil Nadu. Bharath Socialism become a state party, or those ment over an extended period which sits on the surface of the “Every countryman can of hearings through video- situations have arisen in which Commission ( EC) for regis- Party’s office is located in Tamil which have never contested can provide the virus multiple virus, giving it its characteristic say that our judiciary has conferencing in the world national interests need to be tration. As per the EC, more Nadu and its president is C elections since being regis- opportunities to evolve, scien- crown-like shape. The virus worked with firmness to during the pandemic,” he prioritised, the PM said. than 52 political parties have Arumugam. Bharatha Makkal tered are considered unrecog- tists have said. uses this protein to attach to the approached the poll body for Kazhagam is also Tamil Nadu nised parties. Writing in Nature, a team ACE2 receptor on the surface of registration in the past three based political party. United Experts claim there are led by Cambridge researchers the host’s cells, allowing it entry month. Interestingly, over a Republican Party of India is different reasons for the mush- said they were able to observe into the cells where it hijacks Hackers claim Army personnel’s dozen outfits are from those also office in Tamil Nadu. rooming of such parties. People SARS-CoV-2 mutating in the their machinery to allow it to states where assembly polls Bhartiya Yuva Ekta Shakti Party have political ambitions and it’s case of an immune-compro- replicate and spread throughout are due in the coming months. is Uttarakhand based party quite easy to register political mised patient treated with con- the body. Most of the current As per the Act, registration and Neha Singh is the presi- parties. This is why so many valescent plasma. In particular, vaccines in use or being trialled data leaked, Airtel denies claim of political parties is governed dent. Jan Pragati Party’s office such parties register. Besides they saw the emergence of a key target the spike protein and malicious intent of some inim- stopped working after some- by the provisions of Section is located in Uttar Pradesh. these parties might also be mutation also seen in the new there is concern that muta- PTI n NEW DELHI ical elements”. time. 29A of the Representation of Swatanta Abhivyakti Party is used for money laundering as variant that led to the UK being tions may affect the efficacy of When contacted, Bharti Red Rabbit Team in a mes- the People Act, 1951. An asso- from Gujarat. Rashtra Samanya they are exempted from forced once again into strict these vaccines, they said. hacker group has alleged- Airtel spokesperson denied any sage to PTI claimed that it has ciation seeking registration Praja Party is from Telangana. income tax lockdown, though there is no Professor Ravi Gupta from Aly leaked data of Army per- breach of its server. access to pan-India data of under the said Section has to Jan Sahara Party’s office is in Besides, Bharat Vaibhav suggestion that the variant orig- the Cambridge Institute of sonnel using Bharti Airtel net- “We can confirm there is Bharti Airtel through a shell submit an application to the Delhi. Rising People’s Party Party, Samajwadi Lok Parishad, inated from this patient. Therapeutic Immunology & work in Jammu & Kashmir, no hack or breach of any Airtel uploaded on the company’s Commission within a period of office in Nagaland. Pehchan Indian Movement Party, Using a synthetic version of Infectious Disease, who led the however, the company has system as claimed by this group. server and will leak more data 30 days following the date of its People’s Party is based in Sangjukta Anchalik Dal Asom, the virus Spike protein created research, said: “What we were denied any breach in its system. Multiple stakeholders outside of soon. formation, as per the guidelines Rajasthan. Krantikari Parivartan Party, in the lab, the team showed that seeing was essentially a compe- The group, with the name Airtel have access to some data Rajaharia said that hackers prescribed by the Commission The political parties which Uttarakhand Navnirman Party, specific changes to its genetic tition between different variants of Red Rabbit Team, hacked as per regulatory requirements. have failed to show any credi- in exercise of the powers con- applied for registration include Azad Hind Krantikari Party, code - the mutation seen in the of the virus, and we think it was some Indian websites and post- We have apprised all the rele- ble evidence of possessing pan- ferred by Article 324 of the Makkal Munnetra Peravai, Bihar Justice Party , Sudharvadi B1.1.7 variant - made the virus driven by the convalescent plas- ed the data on the web pages of vant authorities of the matter to, India data of Bharti Airtel and Constitution of India and Nava Kerala People’s Party, Party, Kisan Vishwa party, twice as infectious on cells as the ma therapy. those portals. therefore, investigate this and it is also unclear on the way they Section 29A of the Makkal Rajjiyam Katchi, Majaloom Samaj Party, more common strain. “This effect is unlikely to The hackers shared some take appropriate action.” got subscriber’s data. Representation of the People Bhartiya Hind Party, Praja Bahujan Lokrajya Party, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that occur in patients with func- links of those web pages on “This group has been in “The hacker group failed to Act, 1951. Shakti Democratic Party, Bhagidari Party (P), Sarvlokhit causes COVID-19, is a beta- tioning immune systems, where Twitter in a comment over a touch with our security team show evidence that they have a According to the Election Bhagidari Party (P), Sarvlokhit Samaj Party, Apni Janta Party, coronavirus. Its RNA - its genet- viral diversity is likely to be tweet of cyber security for over 15 months now and has whole India database. Their commission of India, for reg- Samaj Party, Apni Janta Party, Makkal Thilagam Munnetra ic code - is comprised of a series lower due to better immune researcher Rajshekhar made varying claims in addi- claim of shell upload may be istration, there must be at least Makkal Thilagam Munnetra Kazhagam and Vastavik Bharat of nucleotides (chemical struc- control. But it highlights the care Rajaharia and tagged several tion to posting inaccurate data also fake. The video of SDR 100 members present in the Kazhagam, Vastavik Bharat Party applied for registration. tures represented by the letters we need to take when treating media organisations. from one specific region,” the portal seems real but only a A, C, G and U). As the virus immunocompromised patients, The query sent to the spokesperson said. short portion of data may leak replicates itself, this code can be where prolonged viral replica- Indian Army did not elicit any The links shared by the via this. It is still unclear how mis-transcribed, leading to tion can occur, giving greater reply but an Army official said hacker were initially accessible they got access to whole Jammu errors, known as mutations. opportunity for the virus to “We are not aware of any such with mobile number, name and Kashmir subscriber Prahlad Patel co-chairs ASEAN-India Coronaviruses have a relative- mutate.” information but it appears to be and address of subscribers but data,” he said. tourism Ministers’ meet via videocon Senior BJP leaders

PTI n NEW DELHI highlight budget nion Minister of State for measures in UCulture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel co-chaired nationwide campaign the 8th Meeting of ASEAN- PTI n NEW DELHI India Tourism Ministers with his Cambodian counterpart number of Union Dr Thong Khon through video AMinisters and other BJP conferencing on Friday, a state- leaders on Saturday addressed ment from the ministry said. Press conferences across the The meeting was in conjunc- country and many others will tion with the 24th Meeting of do so in the coming days as ASEAN Tourism Ministers (M- the ruling party launched a ATM). Tourism has substantially SAATHI (System for nationwide campaign to high- At the outset, the ministers invested to upgrade infra- Assessment, Awareness & light various aspects of the expressed their sympathy for structure in the circuit. Training for Hospitality “pro-people” Budget. the loss of lives and livelihood The Ministry of Tourism Industry) and the Incredible In Andhra Pradesh, for people in the region as a organises the International India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) External Affairs Minister S result of the COVID-19 glob- Buddhist Conclave (IBC) to Certification Programme, an Jaishankar said the Modi gov- al pandemic. The ministers create awareness about India’s online learning platform with ernment has given priority to reiterated the need for cooper- Buddhist Heritage and to the objective of creating a pool the health and welfare mea- ative efforts in mitigating the increase foreign tourist traffic of well trained and profession- sures following the COVID- impact of the pandemic on the to Buddhist sites and invited al tourist facilitators across the 19 outbreak while Minority tourism sector. the ASEAN member countries country. Affairs Minister Mukhtar Patel appreciated the efforts to participate in the same as The initiative by Ministry Abbas Naqvi said the of the Prime Minister for not and when held. of Tourism to organize a series budget aims to ensure only containing the COVID-19 Patel talked about the of webinars under the theme empowerment of all sections pandemic but also lending a importance of wellness and Dekho Apna Desh to showcase of society while boosting helping hand to other countries medical tourism and empha- the diverse culture, heritage, ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ exer- by supplying medicines and sized that India is emerging as undiscovered destinations and cise. medical equipments. a preferred country for medical unusual facets of popular BJP’s chief spokesperson Patel highlighted India’s treatments due to advanced tourist spots has become very Anil Baluni said historical and cultural links quality healthcare, affordable popular, the minister said. Finance Minister Nirmala with ASEAN countries and costs, lesser waiting time and He expressed satisfaction Sitharaman and Information reiterated that ASEAN is a key easy medical visa process. over the deliberations and said and Broadcasting market for Buddhist Tourism He also touched upon the he looked forward to strength- Minister Prakash Javadekar in India which generates major ministry’s road map to revive ening the ASEAN-India part- will speak to reporters in tourist traffic for the Buddhist tourism activities post Covid by nership and cooperation in Mumbai and Pune respec- Circuit, and the Ministry of highlighting initiatives such as tourism. tively on Sunday.

Up to 50% reduction in heavy metal pollution in Ganga possible: Study Science and Technology Letters. ARCHANA JYOTI n NEW DELHI “We therefore conclude that the Ganga river has a high team of scientists from the resilience toward dissolved AIndian Institute of heavy metal concentrations and Technology (IIT) Kanpur has that the river system would found that Ganga river can get revert toward pristine dissolved rid of the heavy metal pollution heavy metal concentrations in by a minimum of 50 per cent a short time span of a few in a short time span of a few months following reductions of months if industrial waste- industrial wastewater dis- water discharge is cut down for charge,” said the team of scien- 51 days. tists comprising Tanuj Shukla, In contrast, inputs from Indra S Sen, Soumita Boral and agricultural runoff and domes- Sanjeet Sharma. tic sewage like nitrate and phos- “We further emphasise that phate remained almost the Covid-19 lockdown improved same as these sources were not titled “A Time-Series Record estimated that industrial waste- only the dissolved heavy metal impacted by the nationwide during COVID-19 Lockdown water contributes nearly 20 per load of the Ganga river, and not confinement. Shows the High Resilience of cent of the total volume of all the vital parameters of river Based on these observation, Dissolved Heavy Metals in the wastewater generated in the water quality, as claimed previ- they dismissed the general per- Ganga River,” said that they Ganga Basin. ously,” they added. ception that the Covid-19 pan- could quantify the impact of The research was support- “Therefore, the statement demic induced lockdown restricted anthropogenic activ- ed by the Indo-U.S. Science and that the Covid-19 pandemic improved all water quality para- ities on the water chemistry Technology Forum (IUSSTF), improved all water quality para- meters of the Ganga river and resilience of large rivers fol- a bilateral organization under meters of the Ganga river is instead asserted that the dif- lowing Covid-19 induced lock- the Department of Science and incorrect, and the different pol- ferent pollutants should be con- down with minimal human Technology (DST) and U.S. lutants should be considered sidered individually. action. Department of States. It is pub- individually,” the scientists Researchers in their article, In the normal times, it is lished in ‘Environmental asserted. NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 nation 06

Nadda launches Rath Yatra 4 men booked for J&K Apni Party defeats Gupkar candidates rape following in Srinagar, Shopian for DDC chief picks court orders in n in Bengal, attacks Mamata PIONEER NEWS SERVICE JAMMU three votes. Bilal Ahmad, also an iation National Conference) as Apni Party candidate for vice- Vice- Chairperson of the District SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA The BJP leader said “the people not rolling out PM's Kisan Samman Uttar Pradesh ammu and Kashmir Apni Party chairperson post managed to Development Council, Kulgam. had brought you to power with great Nidhi Yojana in the State.” Chitrakoot (UP): Police have regis- Jcandidates were elected chair- secure nine votes while his rival day before Prime Minister hopes but you have betrayed them When around 25 lakh people tered a case against four people for persons of the newly elected from Peoples Democratic Party President of the APNI party ANarendra Modi was to visit … instead of restoring democracy urged the Centre, then “Mamata ji allegedly raping a 35-year-old Dalit District Development Councils of (PDP), Manzoor Ahmad Bhat Syed Altaf Bukhari addressing a Haldia to inaugurate a host of you have perpetrated dictatorial said I will also implement Kisan woman in Chitrakoot district in Uttar Srinagar and Shopian in the bagged only four votes. press conference in Srinagar Central projects in Bengal, BJP rule,” alleging “such is the condition Samman Nidhi Yojana,” he added Pradesh, following a court's Kashmir valley while BJP candi- DEO Srinagar said that thir- extended thanks to the voters for national president JP Nadda on today that whosoever raises a voice saying “Mamata ji, elections are orders. dates were elected in Jammu and teen (13) out of the total fourteen reposing faith and giving them the Saturday inaugurated the first leg of against you is harassed or jailed.” around the corner, what's the point SHO of Karvi police station Kathua districts and CPI(M) can- (14) elected DDC members par- opportunity to serve them. the much hyped Privartan (Rath) Attacking the Chief Minister for of repenting when birds have already Virendra Tripathi on Saturday said that didates bagged the post of ticipated in the meeting. He said Yatra at Krishangar from where he her innate dislike for the word “Jai fled (the damage has already been in compliance with the orders of the Chairperson in the Kulgam district the elected member from Harwan- In Jammu district, BJP candi- launched a scathing attack on the Shri Ram” Nadda said “why do you done?)” court, a case of gangrape was registered on Saturday. IV constituency could not take part date Bharat Bushan, former MLA Mamata Banerjee Government for hate Ram so much,” wondering Saying that Lotus was bound to against four persons under various sec- With the election of DDC in the meeting due to a health con- and DDC member from Bhalwal deceiving the people of the State in “whether you do this to get votes.” bloom in Bengal and “BJP will def- tions of the IPC and the Scheduled chairpersons in these five dis- dition. was elected for the post of chair- the name Maa-Maati, Maanush Referring to the invectives the initely come to power here,” Nadda Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention tricts the pace of development in In Shopian, JKAP candidate man and Suraj Singh, DDC mem- (mother earth and humanity). Chief Minister showered on him said “only BJP can restore Bengal to of Atrocities) Act. rural areas is expected to gain fresh Bilqees Akhtar, who had won ber for Khour for vice chairman. Launching the Praivartan Yatra Nadda said “you suffixed a number its former glory.” A woman working at a govern- momentum in the coming months. DDC election from Zainapora-1 The post of chairman in Jammu from the abode of Chaitanya of invectives against my name,” and Meanwhile, the Prime Minister ment hospital has been made an In Srinagar and Shopian Apni block, secured 8 votes while her district is reserved for Scheduled Mahaprabhu, Nadda said “10 years added how Banerjee had hurt the is scheduled to visit industrial city of accused for hatching conspiracy. Party candidates defeated their rival candidate from PAGD Castes. ago Mamata didi came to power rid- social culture of Bengal. Referring to Haldia in East Midnapore on The accused are yet to be arrest- nearest rivals from the Peoples' secured 6. In Kathua district, the BJP can- ing the slogans of Maa-Maati, the BJP president Banerjee had told Sunday. He will launch some key ed. Alliance for Gupkar Declaration in The post of the vice-chairper- didate Col (Retired) Maan Singh, Manush promising alround devel- a public rally that “some people infrastructural projects, BJP sources The SHO said the woman accused a close contest. son was decided through a draw of DDC member from Basohli was opment for the people of Bengal … called Nadda, Chadda, Gadda … are said. At a programme he will dedi- on November 9, 2020 had taken the District Election Officer lots in favor of AP’s Irfan Manhas elected unopposed for the post of but after 10 years the condition of coming to Bengal to disturb us…” cate to the nation the LPG import Dalit woman to Chitrakoot and then (District Development after a tie. chairman and Ragunandan Singh Bengal has only gone down… People Earlier leading a massive road terminal built by BPCL, the Prime to Devangana Marg where she was Commissioner) Srinagar, Dr In Kulgam, all the 14 DDC alias Babloo, DDC member from have come to understand how you show in North Bengal town of Minister tweeted adding he will also raped by the four men. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said Apni members participated in the elec- Kathua, for vice chairman.All the (Chief Minister) have looted Bengal Malda, Nadda said how the Chief dedicate to the nation The SHO said the Dalit woman has Party candidate Aftab Ahmad tion process and elected elected candidates were later and hurt its pride. The Maati (land) Minister had “in her stubbornness, Dobhi–Durgapur Natural Gas alleged that when she had gone to Malik won the post of Chairperson Mohammad Afzal Parray as administered oath of office and was humiliated and Maanush (peo- ego and arrogance, did great injus- Pipeline section of the Pradhan lodge a complaint at Kotwali police sta- DDC Srinagar securing 10 votes Chairperson (Party affiliation, secrecy by the district election offi- ple) were pushed to insecurity.” tice to the 70 lakh farmers Bengal by Mantri Urja Ganga project.” tion, she was turned away. PTI while Malik’s rival bagged only CPIM) and Shazia Jan (Party affil- cers respectively. Man gets Pre-bid meeting of Raj MLA Dreaded JeM terrorist caught in Jammu 24 IPS officers life term for MOHIT KANDHARI n JAMMU shifted in Bengal housing project organised dreaded terrorist of Lashkar- Kolkata: In a smart move ahead raping minor Ae-Mustafa, a front organisa- of the Election Commission Jaipur: A pre-bid meeting of the MLA has been demolished by the board. Work on tion of Jaish-e-Mohammad announcing the Bengal election girl in UP Housing Project and a meeting of the Land the remaining houses is in progress. It is note- (JeM), was caught alive in a dar- dates, Chief Minister on Based on a complaint filed by Settlement Committee (LNC) was held under worthy that 160 multi-storey houses will be ing operation by the joint teams Saturday introduced massive the chairmanship of Housing Commissioner constructed here for the MLAs. of Jammu and Anantnag police in reshuffling in the IPS ranks the girl's father, a case was Shri Pawan Arora in the board room located This project will be completed in a peri- the general area of Kunjwani on shifting 24 senior personnel in registered against the man at the Rajasthan Housing Board headquarters. od of 30 months. The estimated cost of this Saturday afternoon. and out of their posts. under relevant sections of the In the pre-bid meeting of MLA Housing project is Rs 250 crores. Meeting of Land The terrorist, claiming to be To begin with Kolkata Police IPC and the Protection of Project, 17 big companies including Tata Settlement Committee held under the chair- the Chief of the newly launched Commissioner Anuj Sharma Children from Sexual Offences Project participated and showed interest to manship of Commissioner Disposal of 55 terrorist outfit, was moving in a was shifted as the ADG, CID. (POCSO) Act work in the project. In the meeting of the Land cases related to land acquisition of Jaipur, private car when he was tracked His position will be taken by PTI n BALLIA (UP) Settlement Committee, 55 cases related to land Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Sirohi Housing down by the police teams near Soumen Mitra known for his acquisition of Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Commissioner Mr. Vishal Mega Mart in Kunjwani uprightness and professionalism. court in Ballia district in Udaipur and Sirohi were disposed of. Pawan Arora informed that in the meet- area on the outskirts of Jammu. He will be assisted by Tanmoy AUttar Pradesh has sen- Housing Commissioner Mr. Pawan Arora ing of the Land Settlement Committee, it was Inspector General of police, Roy Chowdhury as the tenced a young man to life said that a pre-bid meeting was organized on decided to give 15/25 percent to the account Jammu range Mukesh Singh in a Additional Commissioner of imprisonment for Friday in Jyoti Nagar, Jaipur to resolve the holders in lieu of the unclaimed land of the tweet said the terrorists were Police. raping a three-and-a-half-year- queries of the interested bidders for the con- account holders. He told that due to cancel- planning to carry out a terror Similarly Javed Shamim was old girl, police said on struction of a multi storeyed flat. lation of cases related to land acquisition for attack in made the new ADG, Law and Saturday. The deadline for submission of bids is set a long time, the account holders will get their Jammu. that before Hidayatullah Malik police said. Order while Sri Sudhakar was Superintendent of Police of to March 2, 2021 in respect of the project compensation on time and the board will get SSP Jammu, Sridhar Patil was arrested he had attempted to In a brief statement, IGP shifted as the Commissioner of Ballia Vipin Tada said the man attended by a total of 17 reputed construction land for various schemes. said, “The terrorist, identified as target the police teams. Jammu said Hidayatullah Malik Police, Howrah. While Supratim raped the girl in a village in the companies, including Tata Project, Capacite Settlement of 43 cases of Bikaner's Hidayatullah Malik, was armed “Without suffering any col- is a categorised terrorist from Sarkar has been made the Chitbadagaav police Infraproject, in the pre-bid meeting. The tech- Shivbadi schemeHe said that 43 cases relat- with a pistol and grenade at the lateral damage he was captured Shopian district and was caught Commissioner of Police station area on September 5, nical bids of this project will be opened on ed to Shivbadi scheme of Rajasthan Housing time of the arrest”. We are going alive from his car”, SSP told in a joint operation by the police Bidhannagar, Ajay Nand has 2019. March 8, 2021 and the financial bids of the Board in Bikaner were pending for many to carry out searches at a few reporters outside the Gangyal teams from Jammu and been appointed as the CP of Based on a complaint filed applicants who succeed in the technical bids years. A special committee was set up for the more places on the basis of inter- Police station where the terrorist Anantnag. Barrackpore a place likely to by the girl's father, a case was will be opened on March 15, 2021. disposal of these cases, which studied all rogation of the arrested terrorist was taken soon after he was After conducting prelimi- remain tensed during the elec- registered against the man The proposed site of construction was also aspects of the case in time and presented the to expose the terror module of the arrested. nary interrogation the arrested tions. Senior IPS officer under relevant sections of the inspected by the interested bidders attending report. In the meeting held today, the deci- terror outfit and prevent any ter- “At the time of the incident he terrorist was shifted to an undis- Siddhinath Gupta has been IPC and the Protection of the pre-bid meeting. MLA Nagar (50 out of sion to allot land in all these 43 cases was ror strike in the area. was traveling in a car bearing reg- closed location to conduct appointed the ADG Southern Children from Sexual Offences 54 houses constructed in the east in the west resolved. PNS SSP Jammu also confirmed istration number UP80BN 2708”, detailed interrogation. Range another sensitive zone (POCSO) Act. from the point of view of elec- The police officer said, tioneering. “Additional District Judge Shiv The transfers have been Kumar on Friday 3 new Covid cases push Over 6.73 healthcare, ordered in an apparent view to held the accused person guilty, Ratan Tata frowns on Bharat avoid criticism regarding alleged and sentenced him to life Andamans tally to 4,997 frontline workers politician-police nexus in the imprisonment. The court also Port Blair: After remaining The union territory had State, sources said imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on COVID-19 free for four days zero COVID-19 active cases inoculated in UP Ratna award campaign for him adding. PNS him.” the Andaman and Nicobar from February 1 to TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI to try and contribute to India’s NeitherTata himself nor Islands has reported three new February 4, he said. Of the till date: Official growth and prosperity,” the Tata group had ever tom- coronavirus cases, an official 4,997Lucknow: Over 6.73 lakh enowned industrialist, phil- former Tata Sons chairman tommed about the philan- said on Saturday. COVID-19 cases in the archi- healthcare and frontline Ranthropist and former said. thropic work done by them. It The three new COVID-19 pelago, 4,932 people have workers have been given the chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan In his campaign that he may be recalled that soon after cases were detected in South recovered from the disease and first dose of anti-Covid vaccine Tata, on Saturday strongly dis- had launched on twitter seek- the outbreak of Covid-19 in the Andaman district on Friday, 62 have died due to the infec- in Uttar Pradesh till date, a approved of a campaign ing Bharat Ratna for Ratan country Tata had in April last pushing the coronavirus case- tion, the official senior official said on Saturday. launched by a motivational Tata, Dr Bhindra had tweeted: year pledged Rs 500 crore load to 4,997, the official said. said. PTI The number of people speaker on social media, root- “A well-renowned philan- towards manufacturing of per- inoculated against the pan- ing for Bharat Ratna award for thropist, @RNTata2000 has sonal protective equipment, demic disease in Uttar Pradesh him. always believed in giving back respiratory systems, testing till Saturday is highest in the A day after Dr Vivek to society. We confer the coun- kits, setting up modular treat- One new corona country, Additional Chief Bhindra, a motivational speak- try`s highest civilian award ment facilities and training of Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan er, launched a campaign on Bharat Ratna for Ratan Tata. health workers. Tata Sons had case in Mizoram, Prasad said. twitter making a case seeking Join us in our campaign also announced an additional The first dose of Covid vac- bestowal of the highest civilian #BharatRatnaForRatanTata support of Rs 1 ,000 crore, tak- tally rises to 4,381 cine is being given to people in award him, the veteran indus- #RequestByDrVivekBindra”. ing the total commitment to Rs Aizawl: Mizoram on Saturday the state and on Friday, a total trialist – in a brief statement put Along with his tweet, Dr 1,500 crore. reported a single COVID-19 of 84,109 healthcare and front- out on his twitter handle – Bhindra had put out an image “The COVID 19 crisis is case as a 45-year-old Border line workers were given the vac- asked the social media cam- and quote of Tata. Tata’s quote one of the toughest challenges Security Force (BSF) jawan cine shots, he added. paigner to discontinue the read thus: “Business Need to go we will face as a race... At this tested positive for the infection, Out of the people inocu- campaign. beyond the interest of their moment, the need of the hour pushing the state's tally to lated on Saturday, 47,714 were “While I appreciate the Companies to the communities is greater than any other time,” 4,381, an official said. healthcare workers and 36,395 sentiments expressed by a sec- they serve”. Tata had tweeted then, along The patient has come frontline workers, he said, tion of the social media in Dr Bhindra’s tweet elicited with a statement put out by the from Uttar Pradesh and he is adding altogether 6,73,201 peo- terms of an award, I would instant support from the twit- Tata Trusts. asymptomatic. Mizoram now ple have been given the first humbly like to request that ter users. While one twitter user A recipient of two of the has 27 active COVID-19 cases, shot of the vaccine in the state such campaigns be discontin- KL Yadav said: “An honor to highest civilian awards of India while 4,345 people have recov- so far.The frontline workers, ued,” 83-year-old Tata said, as the gem of India sir Padma Vibhushan (2008) and ered from the virus. The coro- whose vaccination started on he took exception to then @RNTata2000 Padma Bhushan (2000), Tata is navirus recovery rate in the Friday, will now be given inoc- #BharatRatnaForRatanTata The real hero of our the chairman of the Tata Trusts state is 99.18 per cent, the offi- ulated on February 11, 12 and #RequestByDrVivekBindra nation”, the other one by that are among India's oldest, cial said. PTI 18. PTI launched by the motivational Tapasvi Mishra read: This leg- non-sectarian philanthropic speaker. end deserves the #BharatRatna organisations that work in sev- “Instead I consider myself more than anybody else...... Sir eral areas of community devel- Government of Maharashtra fortunate to be an Indian and Ratan Tata true gem of India” opment. District Sports Office, Bhandara GOVERNMENT OF CHHATTISGARH, WATER RESOURCES DEPARTMENT Chattrapati Shivaji District Sports Complex, OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER WATER Near Bus Stand, Bhandara-441904. RESOURCES & GROUND WATER SURVEY CIRCLE SIHAVA BHAWAN CAMPUS, CIVIL LINES, RAIPUR (C.G.) Notice for Tender e-PROCUREMENT TENDER NOTICE District Sports Officer, Bhandara, Government of eProcurement Portal: https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in Maharashtra invites proposals from reputed and ( 1st Call ) System Tender No. : 71244 /NIT No. : 23/SAC/2020-21, Raipur, Dated : 03.02.2021 experienced companies to participate in competitive Online Tenders are Invited for The Following Works up to 24.02.2021 at 17:30 Hour (IST) :- Name of Work : RENOVATION OF HEAD WORK,WASTE WEIR & HEAD SLUICE AND REMODELING & C.C. LINING FROM R.D. 0 TO 1620 M. OF MAIN CANAL, CONSTRUCTION OF 08 NOS. bidding process for procurement of gym and open gym STRUCTURE (04 NOS. V.R.B., 01 NO. AQUADUCT, 02 NO. SYPHON & 01 NO. FALL), 02 NOS. INLET AND REPAIR OF OLD STRUCTURES OF GOTIYARDIH TANK SCHEME IN equipment. For the detailed tender document, interested ABHANPUR BLOCK OF RAIPUR DISTRICT. Probable Amount : RS. 120.26 Lakhs bidders should visit https://mahatenders.gov.in. of Contract The details can be viewed and downloaded online directly from the Government of Chhattisgarh Integrated e- Tender Submission will be online and deadline to submit Procurement Portal (https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in) from Date 10.02.2021, at 17:31 Hours (IST) onwards. NOTE:- All eligible/interested contractors/bidders are mandated to get enrolled on the Integrated e-procurement portal the proposals is 01.03.2021 Upto 17.00 hrs. (https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in) and get approval on specific vendor class from PWD under Centralized Contractor/Supplier Sd/- Registration in order to download the tender documents and participate in the subsequent bidding process. (Sanjay Sabhis) EXECUTIVE ENGINEER Water Resources Division, Raipur District Sports Officer, Bhandara. R.O. No:- 86894/11 for, Superintending Engineer, Water Resources & DGIPR/2020/2021/2238 R.O. Date:- 05/02/2021 Ground Water Survey Circle, Raipur (C.G.) NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 world 07 UN envoy condemns Myanmar coup China asks US to rectify ‘mistakes’ of Calls for immediate release Trump Admin’s aggressive policies Beijing: In its first contact Communist Party of China abide by the one-China prin- of detained leaders with the Biden administra- and director of the Office of the ciple, Yang said, adding that tion, China on Saturday asked Foreign Affairs Commission of Hong Kong, Xinjiang and United Nations: In a first con- on the safe, dignified, voluntary the US to rectify the “mistakes” the CPC, is Beijing’s point man Tibet-related affairs are all tact between the UN and and sustainable repatriation of of former President Donald for Washington. China’s internal affairs and Myanmar Army since generals the Rohingya refugees, the Trump’s aggressive policies While Blinken told Yang allow no interference by any seized power in a bloodless peace process, accountability towards Beijing and flagged that the Biden administration external forces. coup, the Secretary General’s and particularly engaging with Taiwan as the most important will hold China accountable for Any attempt to slander special envoy on Myanmar the International Court of and sensitive core issue for it. its abuses of the international and smear China will not suc- spoke with the country’s deputy Justice (ICJ) on the ongoing China resents US support system and raised with him the ceed, and China will continue military chief and expressed case. for Taiwan, which Beijing views issue of human rights violations to firmly safeguard its sover- “strong condemnation” of its Dujarric added that as a rebel province that must be in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong eignty, security and develop- action and called for the imme- Burgener and the deputy mil- reunified with the mainland, Kong and Myanmar, the ment interests, Yang said. diate release of all detained itary chief had “quite a long” even by force. Chinese diplomat said both He urged the US to play a leaders. and “a very important” con- During his tenure, Trump sides should respect each constructive role in promoting Special Envoy of the versation since it was the first pushed aggressively on all other’s core interests and choic- peace and stability in the Asia- Secretary-General on contact the UN had with the aspects of US-China ties, es of political system. Pacific region involving the Myanmar, Christine Schraner military authorities since the including with his relentless Yang said the US “should disputed South China Sea, Burgener, spoke overnight with coup on February 1. trade war, challenging China’s rectify its mistakes made over where America looks to step up Deputy Commander-in-Chief The 15-nation Security military hold on the disputed a period of time,” in an appar- its engagement with allies to Vice-General Soe Win in cap- Council, the most powerful South China Sea, its constant ent reference to hardline poli- contain Beijing. ital Nay Pyi Taw, Stephane organ of the world organisa- threats to Taiwan, the mass cies pursued by the Trump China claims almost all of Dujarric, Spokesman for tion, issued a press statement Protesters flash the three-fingered salute while they gather to march on Saturday AP detention of Uyghur Muslims administration towards China, the 1.3 million square-mile Secretary-General Antonio Thursday on the situation in in Xinjiang, branding coron- pushing the ties between the South China Sea as its sover- Guterres, told reporters at the Myanmar three days after the positive first step” in terms of played the role of an “impor- ment, the language was avirus as “China virus” after it two countries to a new low. eign territory. China has been daily press briefing on Friday. military seized power in the a “unified” voice from the tant bridge” among various changed to not have any men- emerged from Wuhan in He said the US should building military bases on arti- Through the virtual meet- Southeast Asian nation. organisation’s body entrusted views and engaged very con- tion of a coup. December 2019 as well as work with China to uphold the ficial islands in the region also ing with the Deputy The Council members with keeping peace and secu- structively to ensure a “bal- India, into the second Xinjiang and Tibet issues. spirit of no conflict, no con- claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Commander-in-Chief of the expressed “deep concern” at the rity. He added that the anced” outcome that strongly month of its tenure as non-per- Newly-appointed US frontation, mutual respect and the Philippines, Taiwan and armed forces of Myanmar, declaration of the state of emer- Secretary General continues underlined the importance of manent Council member, Secretary of State Antony win-win cooperation. Vietnam. Burgener “reiterated the gency imposed in Myanmar by to have various contacts and his the democratic process and engaged “very constructively” Blinken and senior Chinese The Taiwan question, the On the Myanmar coup, Secretary-General’s strong con- the military on February 1 and Special Envoy also continues to transition while not being con- during deliberations over the diplomat Yang Jiechi on most important and sensitive Blinken and Yang presented demnation of the military’s the arbitrary detention of mem- have her contacts. demnatory in nature, sources press statement. Saturday held what observers core issue in China-US rela- different views. action that disrupted the demo- bers of the Government, includ- Burgener has spoken to have said. Sources told PTI that India here say as blunt and outspo- tions, bears on China’s sover- While Blinken condemned cratic reforms that were taking ing State Counsellor Aung San various representatives of the An initial draft statement, played the role of an “important ken conversation over the eignty and territorial integrity, the military coup in Myanmar place in the country,” Dujarric Suu Kyi and President Win ASEAN (Association of prepared by the Council pres- bridge”, bringing together vari- phone during which both sides state-run Xinhua news agency and threatened sanctions said. Myint and others. Southeast Asian Nations), ident for the month of ous views and wanted to ensure sought to highlight the issues of quoted Yang as telling Blinken. against the military govern- Dujarric said Burgener also “They called for the imme- including the bloc’s Secretary- February the UK, had called on an outcome which was bal- concerns that will shape the ties China considers Taiwan as ment, Yang stressed that the reiterated her call for the imme- diate release of all those General to “ensure that we’re all the Security Council members anced. It also wanted a statement between the top two economies part of its mainland and appre- international community diate release of all detained per- detained,” the press statement working with the same goal.” to “condemn the military coup,” which was not “condemnatory” of the world in the next four hends that the US is stepping its should create an enabling sons. said. As the Security Council according to a report in the in nature, but one which helped years. engagement with Taipei with external environment for the She emphasised the need to Dujarric described the deliberated a statement on the Politico. the process and not become Yang, a member of the military and political assistance. proper settlement of the advance progress on key areas Council statement as a “very situation in Myanmar, India In the final Council state- counter-productive. PTI Politburo of the ruling The US should strictly Myanmar issue. PTI Nepal to get 5L Aid groups hail US Trump impeachment vaccine doses Biden revokes terrorist trial confronts memories from China under taking Yemen’s grant assistance designation for Houthis Houthis off terror list PTI n KATHMANDU Washington: President Joe of aid to the beleaguered Yemeni of the Houthis, who have tar- of US Capitol siege Biden’s administration is mov- people, who have suffered under geted civilians and kidnapped Cairo: Aid agencies working in are to raise aid flows, negotiate Washington: The impeach- Some were in the Capitol flee- hina will provide 5,00,000 ing to revoke the designation of a yearslong civil war and famine. Americans. war-torn Yemen on Saturday a permanent cease-fire, and get ment trial of Donald Trump is ing for safety, while others Cdoses of Covid-19 vac- Yemen’s Houthis as a terrorist A State Department official “Our action is due entirely welcomed plans by President the diplomatic process moving more than an effort to convict watched in disbelief from adja- cines to Nepal on a grant basis, group, citing the need to mitigate confirmed the move Friday after to the humanitarian conse- Joe Biden’s administration to to establish a sustainable polit- the former president of inciting cent offices. They tell of hiding officials here said on Saturday, one of the world’s worst human- members of Congress were noti- quences of this last-minute des- revoke the terrorist designation ical settlement.” an insurrection. It’s a chance for behind doors, arming them- supplying the first batch of vac- itarian disasters. fied of the admin’s plans. The ignation from the prior admin, of Yemen’s Houthi rebels in For years, the Iranian- a public accounting and selves with office supplies and cine aid for the Himalayan President Donald Trump’s official, who wasn’t authorized which the UN and humanitar- order to mitigate one of the backed Houthis have ruled the remembrance of the worst fearing for their lives as the nation. administration had branded the to speak publicly and spoke on ian organisations have since world’s worst humanitarian capital and Yemen’s north attack on the US Capitol in 200 rioters stalked the halls, pur- During a telephonic con- Iranian-backed Houthis as a condition of anonymity, said the made clear would accelerate disasters. where the majority of the pop- years. sued political leaders and versation with his Nepali coun- foreign terrorist organisation, a removal changed nothing about the world’s worst humanitarian David Miliband, head of ulation lives, forcing interna- In the month since the Jan. trashed the domed icon of terpart Pradeep Gyawali on move that limited the provision the Biden administration’s views crisis,” the official said. AP the International Rescue tional aid groups to work with 6 siege by a pro-Trump mob, democracy. Friday evening, Chinese Committee, said thoe designa- them. Agencies depend on the encouraged by his call to “fight “I never imagined what Foreign Minister Wang Yi tion would have done nothing Houthis to deliver aid, and they like hell” to overturn the elec- was coming,” said Rep. Mark assured that China would to address terrorism in the pay salaries to Houthis to do so. tion, defenders of the former Takano, D-Calif., recounted in accord priority to Nepal in vac- Arab world’s poorest country, Mohamed Abdi, Yemen president say it’s time to move a speech on the House floor. cine cooperation, according to Turkish president takes action and would only hinder much- director for the Norwegian on. Memory is a powerful tool, a press statement issued by the needed aid deliveries to Refugee Council, said the Trump is long gone, and their remembrances, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yemenis living in Houthi-held move represents a “sigh of ensconced at his Mar-a-Lago alongside the impeachment here. at protest-rocked university areas. relief and a victory for the club, and Democrat Joe Biden proceedings, will preserve a Wang announced “This is a further, vital, cor- Yemeni people,” that sends a is the new president in the public record of the attack for that China will provide Istanbul: Turkey’s president loyalists. the political crisis you have fall- rect decision to bring hope to “strong message” that the US White House. With the trial set the Congressional Record. 5,00,000 doses of Covid-19 has ordered the establishment For over a month, stu- en into,” the letter said. Yemen’s crisis-stricken popu- Cares first about the interests to begin Tuesday, and a super- Five people died and more vaccine to Nepal on a grant of two new departments in the dents and faculty have led Police have detained hun- lation,” he said. “The next steps of Yemenis. AP majority of senators unlikely to than 100 people have been basis, it said. country’s most prestigious uni- mostly peaceful protests dreds of demonstrators at the convict him on the single arrested in a nationwide FBI According to a report by versity, which has been rocked against the new rector, Melih university and in solidarity charge, the question arises: roundup of alleged ringleaders the official Chinese news by weeks of demonstrations Bulu, who has links to protests elsewhere, some taken Why bother? Yet for many and participants, a dragnet agency Xinhua, during the protesting his appointment of Erdogan’s ruling party. They away following raids of their lawmakers who were witness- unlike many in recent times. phone conversation with a new rector with government are calling for Bulu’s resigna- homes. Most were later es, onlookers and survivors of While that is sufficient for Gyawali, Wang said China links. tion and for the university to released. that bloody day, it’s not over. some, assured the perpetrators attaches great importance to President Recep Tayyip be allowed to elect its own Top government officials One by one, lawmakers will be brought to justice, oth- Nepal’s urgent need of Covid- Erdogan’s decision, published president. have said terrorist groups are have begun sharing personal ers say the trial will force 19 vaccines and has decided to in the Official Gazette Saturday, In an open letter to provoking the protests, and accounts of their experiences of Congress, and the country, to provide the first batch of vac- says law and communications Erdogan, protesting Bogazici Erdogan has called the protest- that harrowing afternoon. consider accountability. AP cine aid for the country. faculties are to be launched in students called the decision to ing students terrorists. Istanbul Bogazici University. Critics say open new departments intim- governor’s office press state- the establishment of new idation and “petty tricks.” ments have listed detention departments would allow the “Your attempts to pack our numbers with alleged links to presidentially appointed rector university with your own polit- outlawed leftist and Kurdish Situation in Welcoming ICC to staff them with government ical militants is the symptom of militant groups. AP Ethiopia’s Tigray ruling, Palestinian now extremely alarming: UN family hopes for justice Nairobi: Life for civilians in Gaza City: The father of a asked the court to determine Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray Palestinian boy killed in an whether she has territorial region has become “extremely Israeli missile strike in 2014 jurisdiction before proceed- alarming” as hunger grows and expressed renewed hope for ing. That came after the five- fighting remains an obstacle to justice Saturday after the year preliminary inquiry to reaching millions of people International Criminal Court determine whether war crimes with aid, the United Nations paved the way for a possible were committed during the said in a new report. war crimes probe into Israeli 2014 fighting. And the UN special advis- military actions. Hamas, which has ruled er on genocide prevention The court ruled Friday the Gaza Strip since 2007, wel- warned Friday that without that its jurisdiction extends to comed the ICC’s finding, call- urgent measures the risk of the territories occupied by ing it “an important step” atrocity crimes “remains high Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, toward justice for the and likely to get worse.” including the Gaza Strip where Palestinian people. Hazem The conflict that has shak- Subhi Bakr’s 10-year-old son Qassem, a Hamas spokesman, en one of Africa’s most power- Mohammed and three of the urged the court to take “prac- ful and populous countries — boy’s cousins were killed as they tical measures on the ground” a key US security ally in the played soccer on a beach. to hold Israel accountable for Horn of Africa — has killed “Better late than never,” what he said were its crimes. thousands of people and is said Bakr, walking Saturday on Hamas declined to com- now in its fourth month. the beach where the boys were ment on the possibility that it But little is known about killed during the 2014 war could also be the subject of any the situation for most of between Israel and Gaza’s future probe. Bakr, the Tigray’s 6 million people, as rulers, the Islamic militant bereaved father, is anxious to journalists are blocked from group Hamas. see quick action by the court. entering, communications are The ICC ruling opened “The most important thing patchy and many aid workers the door for possible war crimes for the investigation is to start; struggle to obtain permission to probes into Israeli military if it did not, then there is no enter. actions during that war and justice in the world,” he said. One challenge is that Israeli settlement construction The story of the Bakr Ethiopia may no longer control on war-won land. Hamas could cousins, who were all between up to 40 per cent of the Tigray also come under scrutiny for 10 and 11 years old, grabbed region, the UN Security indiscriminate rocket fire into the world’s attention as many Council was told in a closed- civilian areas of Israel. foreign journalists witnessed door session this week. The international tribunal’s the 2014 incident from their Ethiopia and allied fighters chief prosecutor, Fatou seaside hotels. Images showed have been pursuing the now- Bensouda, has yet to launch an the children desperately run- fugitive Tigray regional gov- official investigation. In 2019, ning away from a jetty as the ernment that once dominated Bensouda said there was a missile falls, and then the boys Ethiopia’s government for near- “reasonable basis” to open a falling to the ground one after ly three decades. AP war crimes probe, but she the other. AP NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 money 08 Large fiscal deficit can Sitharaman extends cash Lower customs duty on benefit to Assam tea workers gold to curb smuggling, be inflationary: Crisil PTI n GUWAHATI lier received `5,000 in two of the BJP-led government in benefit retail jewellers phases. the northeastern state. IANS n NEW DELHI from 10 per cent. IANS n NEW DELHI tially breed trouble." demic." head of the assembly polls The incentive was made "After bank accounts were As per Ind-Ra's estimates, In terms of the growth, According to Crisil AinAssam, Union Finance through direct benefit transfer opened for tea garden labour- he Union Budget 2020-21 unofficial imports of gold range he large fiscal deficit that Crisil Research said the thrust Research, the government, for Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (DBT) mode to 6,33,411 bank ers, some issues cropped up. Tproposal to reduce cus- between 150-180 tonnes com- Thas been proposed in on public investment will be good reasons, has also not on Saturday distributed `3,000 accounts of tea gardens in But when I instructed the toms duty on gold and silver pared to the official gold Union Budget 2021-22 could positive for growth, not only in introduced tax proposals. Thus, each to 7.47 lakh tea garden 2017-18 and 7,15,979 accounts bankers in February last year to will curtail the increasing trend import numbers of 600-700 be inflationary in nature but the short but also the medium while the base has shrunk, workers in the State, totalling in 2018-19 across 752 tea gar- correct the anomalies they of smuggling of these precious tonnes for FY20. not an immediate threat, said term as it has a higher multi- rates have not changed. ` 224 crore. dens. worked tirelessly, even during metals in the country, India "Ind-Ra believes that Crisil Research. plier effect than revenue spend- "This will lead to under- The Union finance minis- Sitharaman said, all mid- the COVID-19 crisis, and Ratings and Research has said. reduction in import duty thus Accordingly, the budget ing and augurs well for jobs. performance of revenue con- ter was in the city to participate dlemen have been eliminated everything is on track now," she Accordingly, the Budget is favourable for the domestic has replaced fiscal consolida- Besides, the note said the tinuing beyond fiscal 2022, in the programme to offer with introduction of the DBT said. has proposed to reduce the cus- organised jewellery players." tion as a priority with expan- quality of expenditure is unless compliance goes up financial assitance to tea work- mode in various schemes and Speaking on the occasion, toms duty on gold and silver to "The move will also sion, well into the medium improving, with capex rising substantially." ers under the third tranche of the Centre will continue to sup- Assam Finance Minister 7.5 per cent from 12.5 per cent. improve the government's term. and revenue expenditure stay- In addition, the note cited the Assam Chah Bagicha Dhan port tea gardens in Assam in Himanta Biswa Sarma said "The move will also overall revenue from the sector. Besides, the fiscal glide ing below trend. off-budget expenditures such as Puraskar Mela Scheme. future. that Rs 224 crore will be spent improve the government's The duty reduction will sup- path "itself has become foot- "Receipts, on the other Food Corporation of India's Before 2014 Lok Sabha "PM Modi favoured using on transferring the third overall revenue from the sec- port sectoral demand in the loose" with a deficit at 9.5 per hand, are estimated to remain loans from the National Small polls, Narendra Modi ji had technology for the benefit of tranche of the scheme to the tor," Ind-Ra said in a report. long term, as jewellery costs cent for FY21, 6.8 per cent in 27 per cent below the trend in Savings Fund and govern- wished to work for the uplift- people while implementing the beneficiaries. "The duty reduction will will come down and customers' FY22 and 4.5 per cent by fiscal fiscal 2022. To be fair, this also ment's fully serviced bonds ment of tea garden workers and schemes and so the concept of "We spent Rs 158 crore in support sectoral demand in the purchasing power will 2026. partly reflects the somewhat will now be accounted for accordingly several schemes DBT was introduced. Due to the first year and it increased to long term, as jewellery costs improve." "A large fiscal deficit could conservative revenue targets when calculating the fiscal were launched after the NDA this, middlemen were totally Rs 202 crore during the second will come down and customers' Besides, the report said be inflationary but given there for fiscal 2022." deficit. came to power, the Union eliminated and the benefits year. purchasing power will the majority of the gold jew- are under-utilised capacities "Government revenue, par- "Excluding these two items, minister said. reached directly to the benefi- The scheme won't stop improve."According to the ellery demand in India is price and the economy continues to ticularly tax collections, go up the fiscal deficit could have As part of the third tranche ciaries," she said. here at Rs 3,000 each as we have report, the erstwhile duty struc- sensitive."Overall demand stalls grow below potential, this may due to either base effect or rate been lower by 0.5-1 per cent in of the flagship scheme, an Sitharaman said that the already begun the process to ture gave incentives for gold for any sharp rise in gold not be an immediate threat," effect. fiscal 2021 and 0.6 per cent in additional amount of `3,000 Union budget for 2021-22 has send such an amount every smuggling into India. prices. Consequently, amid a Crisil Research said in a note. Nominal gross domestic fiscal 2022. That is to say, in the each will be credited to the allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the month," he added. In July 2019, as part of the sharp rise in gold prices, rev- "But sticky inflation, espe- product (GDP) in fiscal 2022 is more transparent schema, the bank accounts of 7,46,667 welfare of women and children Elections to the 126-mem- revenue-raising budget, the enue for the top organised cially core, and surplus liquid- estimated at 10 per cent below fiscal consolidation path may workers. of tea gardens in Assam and ber Assam Assembly are due in customs duty on import of gold players declined by average 32 ity sloshing around can poten- the trend seen before the pan- stretch longer." Each tea worker had ear- West Bengal as per the request March-April this year. was increased to 12.5 per cent per cent YoY in 1HFY21." Four more States complete ease Vaccine rollout increases After 2-day spike, petrol & diesel of doingn business reforms hopes for air transport: Ind-Ra IANS NEW DELHI of this reform, which was con- prices remain unchanged firmed by the Department for our more States - Assam, Promotion of Industry and IANS n MUMBAI On an overall basis, in December 2020." IANS n NEW DELHI Saturday, the retail price of Crude price have remained FHaryana, Himachal Pradesh Internal Trade (DPIIT). December 2020, key metrics "However, approval for diesel remained at Rs 77.13 a firm for last few weeks in wake and Punjab have undertaken On completion of reforms he start of vaccination dri- vaccines and governments etrol and diesel price rise litre in Delhi while petrol prices of unilateral production cuts "Ease of Doing Business" facilitating ease of doing busi- Tves in several countries for the wider logistics sector undertaking vaccination drives Pwent on the pause mode on remained at new high level of announced by Saudi Arabia reforms stipulated by the ness, these twelve states have globally along with higher fleet continued to report a in major countries will likely Saturday after two consecutive Rs 86.95 a litre in the capital. and a pick up in consumption finance ministry. been granted additional bor- deployment levels will sup- sequential recovery raise consumer confidence in days of sharp increase where The retail price of the two in all major economies global- With this, these States have rowing permission of Rs 28,183 port the recovery of the air air travel and be supportive of pump price of the auto fuels products had risen on February ly.The petrol and diesel prices become eligible to mobilise crore. transport sector in the coming flow and liquidity in coming a recovery over the medium rose by 65 paise per litre. 4 and 5, increasing the prices have increased 12 times in additional financial resources The ease of doing business months, India Ratings and months, this will likely be off- term." The pause came on a day by 65 paise per litre. 2021 with the two auto fuels and have been granted per- is an important indicator of the Research (Ind-Ra) said. set at least partly by ongoing On an overall basis, in when global crude prices rose Across the country as well, increasing by Rs 3.24 and Rs mission to raise additional investment friendly business Accordingly, the agency's higher fuel prices." December 2020, key metrics by close to 1 per cent to reach the fuel prices remained at 3.26 per litre respectively so far `5,034 crore through Open climate in the country. India logistics sector report According to the report, for the wider logistics sector this years' high level of $60 a Friday's level. this year. Market Borrowings. Improvements in the ease of said: "While passenger num- since resumption of opera- continued to report a sequen- barrel. Though firm global crude The last few increases in The total number of state doing business will enable bers for airlines are still down tions on May 25th, domestic air tial recovery. Petrol, diesel and other oil and product price is the reason pump prices in petrol and that have undertaken the stip- faster future growth of the on a YoY basis, the start of vac- traffic continued to sequentially "India's port volumes grew product prices in India are for the increase in retail price diesel has taken its price to ulated reforms to facilitate ease state economy, a finance min- cination drives in several coun- improve in December 2020. 4 percent YoY, while E-way bill determined on the basis of of petrol and diesel in past days, record levels across the coun- of doing business has gone up istry statement said. tries globally and the Indian The domestic passenger generation increased 16 per petroleum product price in it is interesting to note that even try in all major metro cities and to 12. Government in May last government allowing 80 per traffic rose 15 per cent MoM in cent YoY during the month." the global markets and not though crude has been hover- other towns. The last time the Earlier, Andhra Pradesh, year had decided to link grant cent of fleet to be deployed are December 2020, although was "Railway volumes also rose crude price. But movement in ing just over $55 a barrel for a retail price of auto fuels were Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya of additional borrowing per- key positives recently." down 43 per cent YoY. 9 per cent YoY in December benchmark crude has a bearing long time, OMCs had gone in closer to current levels was on Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, missions to states that under- "While both these devel- "In the domestic opera- 2020, though they remained on pricing across the product for both a pause in price of auto October 4, 2018 when crude Tamil Nadu and Telangana take the reforms to facilitate opments should be supportive tions, passenger load factor down 2 per cent YoY in April- categories. fuels as well increase in its retail prices had shot up at $80 a bar- have also reported completion ease of doing business. of a recovery in operating cash stood at 65-78 per cent during December 2020." With price on the pause on prices on consecutive days. rel.

GDA will create land bank by Punjab & Sind Bank loss Nabard disburses `16,500 crore under RIDF in first 10 months of FY21 zooms to `2,375 cr in PTI n MUMBAI constituted around 10 per cent freeing hundreds of acres of of gross capital formation in he National Bank for rural areas. Over the years, Q3 as provisions spike TAgriculture and Rural the RIDF has become a landGhaziabad: fromAt present, the about landdiligence. mafiyas After this land will be Development (Nabard) on dependable source of funding 355 acres of GDA land in the used in various schemes of PTI n NEW DELHI The bank's gross non-per- Saturday said it has sanctioned for states and union territories metropolis is occupied by the Ghaziabad. The GDA is churn- forming assets (NPAs) `30,200 crore and disbursed ` for building. land mafia. The GDA admin- ing with its subordinate officers unjab & Sind Bank on remained high at 13.14 per cent 16,500 crore for various rural istration has prepared a blue- to washout the land with the PSaturday said its net loss in of the gross advances as of infrastructure projects across print to get this land occupied. use of land and occupation of December quarter 2020-21 spi- December 31, 2020, compared the country under the Rural To mark the land, the land land mafia. In this regard, ralled to `2,375.53 crore on to 13.58 per cent by the year- Infrastructure Development acquisition department of GDA Vice President Krishna higher provisions for bad loans. ago same period. Fund (RIDF) in the first 10 GDA is presently engaged in Karunesh has issued instruc- The lender had posted a In value terms, gross NPAs months of the current financial scrutinizing the land records. tions to the Engineers of GDA net loss of `255.49 crore in the or bad loans stood at ` 8,489.89 year. After the land washout from Enforcement Zone Engineering same period a year ago. In crore by the end of December The RIDF, which was set the occupation of landfields, Division to instruct them that September quarter also, the 2020 as against `8,923.49 crore up in 1995, is a dedicated fund the GDA will create a land not even one inch of GDA land bank had a loss of `401.27 earlier. to create social assets in rural bank where the entire record of should be in the possession of crore. Net NPAs came down India. the land will be kept with due mafias. Total income in the quar- significantly at 2.84 per cent "In FY21, the sanctions to ter under review also fell to (`1,638.25 crore) as against the RIDF stood at `30,200 `1,982.52 crore from ` 2,077.01 8.71 per cent (Rs 5,417.79 crore as against the corpus of crore in the same period of crore). Provisions for bad `30,000 crore. The disburse- 2019-20, Punjab & Sind Bank loans and contingenices spiked ment for the current financial said in a regulatory filing. to Rs 2,924.69 crore during the year as on January 31, 2021 Net income fell 9.1 per quarter, as against Rs 494.30 stands at `16,500 crore," cent to `1,763.10 crore and crore. Of this, provisions for Nabard chairman G R Chintala income on investments was bad loans were Rs 1482.17 said in a statement. down 12.1 per cent to `455.42 crore, which was higher than Since the inception of the crore. Rs 464.01 crore a year ago. fund, Nabard has disbursed `3.11 lakh crore for different rural infrastructure projects, it said. Chintala said this fund has NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 special 09

WHO IS THE ANIMALWHOANIMAL IS THE HERE?HERE? Bludgeoned to death, set ablaze and separated from offsprings. These heinous inhuman crimes are not unheard of but the cruelty of it crosses all limits when the victims don’t have a voice to show their pain. MUSBA HASHMI talks to experts to find a solution for cruelty against animals our phone beeps — a notifica- dren themselves do,” she tells you. We only other’s sufferings. They take pleasure in it. tion on the family WhatsApp have tolerance for animals as long as they These types of people need medical help,” group — you open it to only see: are giving us money and once they stop they he tells you. An elephant was set on fire by are thrown out like a waste. He adds that the need of the hour is to the villagers.You were just recall- “The biggest torture that I have ever bring our children closer to the Nature and Ying the incident that your phone beeps seen is with bulls. In my area, most of the animals by teaching them empathy and again. The message reads: A dolphin was bulls have wounds and marks all over their compassion from an early age. “If we will beaten to death by a group of boys. As if bodies. They are beaten because they are of teach them empathy and compassion this was not enough to make you cry, the no good for the villagers. It is just like some towards one and all in their school curricu- phone beeps once again and now there’s a people mourn the birth of a daughter, in lum, they will grow up to be better human news article explaining how five men animals they mourn the birth of a male beings. This way we can bring about a trapped and killed a leopard to eat its flesh because it will neither give milk nor help change in the society,” Sharma says. and sell its jaw and paws. them earn money in any other way,” she tells Pooja Sareen, Advocate, Women & These mere one-line incidents are you. Animal Rights activist, says that in order enough to leave you in tears and make you The plight of animals is extremely bad. to prevent such heinous crimes, there is a question the existence of humanity. We have turned the forests into concrete need for stern laws. “Central and State While these cases might be horrific or structures, she says. “There is no place for Governments should consider the feasibil- big enough to make headlines, there are animals to live. All the RWA societies offer ity of urgently bringing an ordinance/leg- several incidents of animal cruelty and parks for their children to play, but for ani- islation substantially enhancing the penal- abuse that happens day in and out and goes mals they are not even allowed to be in the ties prescribed under the Prevention of mostly unnoticed. society. A few months back a dog named Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and to “I live in Bhati, a village near Delhi and Buddy was beaten to death, no one knows make such offences non-bailable and cog- coming across cases of animal cruelty is a what happened to that case. Recently, two THE MAXIMUM nizable. Government should also provide daily thing for me. Cattle are prominent in boys in Ambala tied a dog to their motor- for special courts to try offences against ani- my area and I have seen how male calves cycle and dragged it for a few kilometers; PUNISHMENT FOR mals and violation of forest laws. There are chased away from the village because we don’t know what happened to it as well. MAIMING AND KILLING should be more laws, stern punishments, otherwise they will feed on its mother’s milk This is disheartening to see such cases hap- fines should be substantially imposed and which they are not allowed to. This is not pening day in and out and no proper action ANIMALS IS the fear against animal criminality should all. When the cow doesn’t give milk, it is is taken most of the times,” she adds. be increased amongst all,” she says. beaten like anything and sometimes even The eye opener for Rai was when she IMPRISONMENT OF THREE The reason behind the increase in such given injections so that it gives milk. In a got a call from people informing her about MONTHS AND/OR A cases, she says, is that The Prevention of country like ours, where we consider cow an injured calf and asking for help. That’s ` Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 is too outdat- as our Mata and depend on it widely for when she realised that people don’t even PENALTY OF 100. THE ed and insufficient. “The maximum pun- dairy and livestock, we don’t even have bother about sick or injured animals. “It was OFFENCES ARE NOT EVEN ishment for maiming and killing animals proper facility for their burial and neither 12 in the night and they called me think- under this act is imprisonment of three do we have ambulance facilities. Have you ing that because I run a dog shelter may be COGNIZABLE, THE RESULT months and/or a penalty of `100. The ever heard of a cremation place for animals? I will help that calf as well. I went to the loca- BEING THAT A MAN WHO offences are not even cognizable, the The dead body is either given for skinning tion and I was told that since its too late in result being that a man who even kills a purpose or is thrown on the streets where the night, municipality people won’t come. EVEN KILLS A WILD wild elephant practically faces no penal it rots for days. This cruelty is an example The calf will be left there to suffer and final- ELEPHANT PRACTICALLY consequence at all. Apparently, because of of the hypocritical world we live in,” ly die. And in the morning after it has this lacuna of law it is easy to escape the Manavi Rai, an animal lover who devotes already died, the municipality people will FACES NO PENAL laws. However, the proposal of amending 24/7 to dog rescuing and care giving, says. come and take away its body. I was shak- CONSEQUENCE AT ALL. the law proposing penalty up to `75,000 or To add to this, the law for prevention en up by their words. That was an eye open- three times the cost of the animal with jail of crimes against animals is of 1969 and er for me and that’s when I realised that we HOWEVER, THE term up to five years or both will be a break- demands `50 fine in case of animal cruel- pray to her, drink from her, earn from her, PROPOSAL OF AMENDING through and will help in reducing these ty. But the recent laws demands a fine of but when that animal needs us we don’t even crimes extensively,” she adds. `500 if your pet defecates on the road, she have a proper hospital or even emergency THE LAW PROPOSING The most common of all, Sareen says, says and asks which is the bigger crime? services and most of the people are not even ` is cruelty against street dogs. “Now and “Every day dogs are being raped by bothered about these animals. The only PENALTY UP TO 75,000 then the cruelty against animals is always humans. I came across a case where a dog choice for me was to book an auto out of OR THREE TIMES THE Manavi Rai, an animal lover who runs dog shelters, helps an injured calf in Bhati village in the news. It is is dismaying that it is only was raped by a rickshaw walla for two weeks my pocket, call 22 boys from the village to news which is forgotten the next day. in his house. The dog has now been rescued lift the calf and bring it to my shelter. The COST OF THE ANIMAL to home in Jangpura Extension, New Delhi who every once in a while peeks in the Videos such as catching fish through coca by an animal shelter. The problem here is next day I called an ambulance from a WITH JAIL TERM UP TO after my cycling routine and on my way minds of such cruelty-driven people tells cola and egg white, poured in fish holes with people’s mindset. I wonder if we will gaushala to transport that calf to a hospi- back I saw an old man kicking a dog repeat- you that it is the frustration in their lives grab our attention and go viral on Internet. be able to stop it ever,” Rai adds. tal only to realise that an ambulance in India FIVE YEARS OR BOTH edly for a mere reason — the dog was bark- that leads them take to a life of crime. We watch it with much interest. There are Not to mention, that children in my means a bad conditioned truck with about WILL PROOVE TO BE ing at him. This was not all, that man start- “First, these people are the ones who no bans or fines on such heart rendering area play with puppies as if they are balls, six to seven cows stacked up one another ed verbally abusing the dog and next he are frustrated in their lives and they see ani- practices. Such inhumane videos should be she says. “When I go and stop them, they so bad that one of them may even die out A BREAKTHROUGH picked up stones and started throwing it to mals as soft targets to take out their frus- banned out rightly. Not only that, we often think of me as a mad person. They laugh of breathing problems on the way to the — POOJA SAREEN, ADVOCATE, chase the dog away,” he tells you. tration. Such people often steps back watch videos on whale catching, snake trap- and call me names. When I try to feed the hospital,” she explains. Now these cases leave us wondering when their target fights back, but animals ping, white ivory smuggling, animal skin dogs, the villagers tell me that I should stop Rai is not the only one who has seen WOMEN & ANIMAL RIGHTS what is it with these crazy minds who take here are their easy targets that can’t do any- poaching, hunting and others, but we don’t because these dogs defecate near their hous- such crimes happening against animals, ACTIVIST to such crimes, proving that they doesn't thing to them in return. Also, they know initiate any action against it. Society at large es. I want to ask them, even when I didn’t Aman Dubey, a 24-year-old PR profession- have even the slightest of mercy left in them, that the law isn’t strong enough to convict is to be educated on animal rights and to feed them where did they defecate? The al, has witnessed similar things. let alone humanity. them in case of animal abuse. Second, there protect animals against such ill practices,” answer is near the drains where their chil- “Back in November, I was going back Pulkit Sharma, a clinical psychologist, are some people who find happiness in Sareen says.

EXTINCTION OF HUMANITY n A total of 655 elephants were killed a month-old puppy from the terrace of his Reports suggest that the strays were found dead by the owner was stolen and accused luring the dog and sensed between 2009-10 and 2016-17 poisoning house, killing it on the spot. poisoned by the local meat sellers as the abused by the accused at a deserted something wrong. After following him to killed 44, poaching 101, train accidents dogs would steal meat from their shops. house, following which the animal died. his house, they broke open a window and 120 and electrocution 390 n In January, 2018, 11 monkeys were found One of the accused even met the owner of caught the man having sex with the dog. killed in Rajasthan. Forest officials said n In April, 2018, two stray dogs were the goat and admitted that he had raped n In 2017, five adult elephants and a calf they were beaten with sticks and then beaten by the locals. The dogs were her and said that he had a nice time. n In 2020, a pregnant elephant was fed a were crushed to death by a train in splashed with an abrasive chemical, unable to even sir after the attack. Later, pineapple loaded with crackers. She died Assam. The elephants were hit by the probably an acid. one of the two dogs died in the hospital n In July, 2018, a 35-year-old man was after suffering for a few days. Guwahati-Naharlagun Express when the due to multiple fractures. arrested for allegedly having sex with a herd was trying to cross the rail line. n In March, 2018, several carcasses of stray dog. The accused lured the dog into his n In 2020, a man injured his neighbour’s dogs were found scattered in the lanes of n According to reports, a pregnant goat that house and tied its mouth with a rope. A cow by feeding it explosives. The mouth n In October, 2017, a Vellore student threw Mhada quarters in Kalamna, Nagpur. went missing in July, 2018 and was later couple of men passing by saw the and jaw of the cow was heavily injured. NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 sport 10

1st Test. Day 3 Live from 9:30am IST ‘Half Eng batsmen can't STAR SPORTS 1 NETWORK India undergoes ever play spin like Root' PTI n CHENNAI about his skipper who is enjoy- ing an incredible run of form. great strokemaker himself, Thanks to Root’s monu- Astar all-rounder Ben Stokes mental 218 and Stokes’ knock, painful Root canal is in awe of Joe Root’s ability to England reached 555 for eight play spin bowling, saying on by stumps, and the all-rounder Saturday that half of England had no qualms in admitting team’s batsmen can’t tackle the that his team was in a very Big Joe lands ‘double blow’ as Virat’s attack gets ‘Root’ed to reality tweakers like their captain does. strong position. Playing in his 100th Test, “Yeah, it’s nice coming Root compiled his fifth double back in with a (knock like that), MOST RUNS BY AN ENGLISHMAN IN TESTS MOST DOUBLE CENTURIES IN TESTS century on the second day of with a bit of time off and now Player Mat Runs HS Ave 100 50 Player No of 200s the opening Test, reaching the spending some time out in the Alastair Cook 161 12472 294 45.35 33 57 milestone with a six off sea- middle, but all in all I think Sir Donald Bradman 12 soned spinner R Ashwin. we’re in a very strong position Graham Gooch 118 8900 333 42.58 20 46 Kumar Sangakkara 11 “Yeah, it makes us all feel, as a team. Joe Root 100 8467 254 50.39 20 49 you know, pretty rubbish “Batting first and after Brian Lara 9 Alec Stewart 133 8463 190 39.54 15 45 (laughs), the way he, how easy putting ourselves in and being David Gower 117 8231 215 44.25 18 39 Wally Hammond, Virat Kohli, he makes batting look. And 500 or whatever we are (555/8), Mahela Jayawardene 7 yeah, I was quite surprised he still with two wickets remain- ran down the wicket and hit a ing (going into) day three is TOP TEST SCORES IN INDIA BY AN AWAY CAPTAIN Marvan Atapattu, Virender Sehwag, six to bring up a double (cen- very strong position,” Stokes Player Runs Ground Date Javed Miandad, Younis Khan, 6 tury),” Stokes said during a vir- said. Clive Lloyd (WI) 242* Mumbai 23 Jan 1975 tual press conference. He said the England team Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar “He is in phenomenal form was not at all thinking about Joe Root (ENG) 218 Chennai 5 Feb 2021 Joe Root, Graeme Smith, and just makes things look very, declaration on Saturday Alastair Cook (ENG) 190 Kolkata 5 Dec 2012 Rahul Dravid, Alastair Cook 5 very easy and the way that he evening. Alvin Kallicharran (WI) 187 Mumbai 1 Dec 1978 plays spin, dominates spin and “There were no thoughts Inzamam-ul-haq (PAK) 184 Bengaluru 24 Mar 2005 it’s incredible to watch. I don’t whatsoever of a declaration KEY NUMBERS think half the England batsmen tonight because I’ll be stupid if ever play spin in the way that we won the toss and bat first, ENGLAND BATSMEN'S TOP TEST SCORE IN INDIA England skipper Joe Root of most prolific English captains he does. you just get as many runs as you Player Score Ground Date 1became the first cricketer to in Test cricket with only Alastair “He’s just got options, he can out here in India. Joe Root 218 Chennai 5 Feb 2021 score a double century in his Cook (4,844) ahead of him has got an option for everything “And if we can bat for that’s thrown at him and yeah, another hour tomorrow, you Mike Gatting 207 Chennai 13 Jan 1985 100th Test. Former Pakistan Root's innings in Chennai skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, who hit was the second highest it is just a delight to watch him know, we would be very happy Graeme Fowler 201 Chennai 13 Jan 1985 1 184 against India in Bengaluru in score of all time by a visiting at the moment,” Stokes added with that,” he added. Alastair Cook 190 Kolkata 5 Dec 2012 2005, held the previous best captain in India Kevin Pietersen 186 Mumbai 23 Nov 2012 score by a player in a 100th Test As it turns out, Chennai is a pacer did change his skipper probably is a bit less-skilled when Root’s 218-run knock on 3happy hunting ground for Virat Kohli’s facial complexion, facing a team full of quality play- PTI n CHENNAI The pace of his innings on the 5Saturday was his fifth double English batsman in a sense which remained grumpy for the ers of spin. second day was a bit in contrast century. He joined the likes of because three of their highest most part of the day. His wickets column would kipper Joe Root contin- to how he played on the first day compatriot Alastair Cook, South scores in the country have Ishant (2/52) bowled as best read that he had got Stokes and ued to torment the when he was the enforcer and Africa’s Graeme Smith and come in that city as he had in any unfavourable Root but it was well after they had SIndian spinners with a Dom Sibley the grafter. India’s Rahul Dravid, who all Only Virat Kohli (7), Brian conditions, something that the accomplished what they had set majestic double century that On the second morning, it have five double tons 3Lara (5), Don Bradman (4), scoreboard wouldn’t perhaps tell. out to do. placed England in a com- was Ben Stokes who entered the During the course of the Michael Clarke (4), and Graeme The veteran of 98 Tests final- Root and Stokes showed how manding position and scut- stage and made it his own with big 3innings, Root went past Alec Smith (4) have scored more ly got a couple of wickets at the fag to stay low and try and take the tled home team’s chances of hitting. He smashed 82 off 118 Stewart in the list of leading double centuries as captains. end of the day but his perfor- ball below the eye-line. Since the enforcing a favourable result balls with 10 fours and three sixes English run-scorers No English captain has scored mance with old ball on one of the duo couldn’t build a lot of pres- in the first Test here on and let Root rotate the strike in Root (3,873 runs) also went more than two Test double flattest tracks will be remembered sure from one end, the onus was Saturday. their 124-run stand. 2past Mike Atherton on the list centuries for a long time. always on either Ashwin or Ishant England ended the day two England didn’t declare after The pace never dropped even or Bumrah to strike and keep the at an intimidating 555 for eight, being well past 500 which was like He started by coming down career double hundred for the when he was well past bowling his pressure. built around Root’s 218 that was driving home a point and piling and lofting Ravichandran Ashwin England captain — it was Stokes 20th over as the tattered old ball Root’s strike-rate against pac- result of a near nine-hour effort on the misery on an Indian team over long for a six and then used who gave him and the other spin- would consistently tail in. ers was in mid-30s and against in which he faced 377 balls. which has now been shaken up on the giant stride to slog sweep the ners a big charge. But Ishant, Ashwin and spinners, it was in the high 70s, Root became the first crick- a track where nothing happened senior off-spinner for a boundary. Also the only one who played Jasprit Bumrah (2/81)’s good underlining his dominance eter to score a double hundred in for two days. In fact, Ashwin (2/132), who Ishant Sharma with some degree work was undone once again by against Washington and Nadeem. his 100th Test but more impor- While Root will be lauded for was brilliant over two days, was of confidence was Stokes. While rookie Washington Sundar. They gave away easy singles tantly it was an innings that will sure for his second double hun- only a bit rattled when Stokes gave Root defended well against the And Shahbaz Nadeem and doubles to Root, who scored be archived for future generations dred in last three Test matches, it him the charge. Although Root hit veteran pacer, it was Stokes, (2/167) for all his experience at the 130 runs in singles, doubles and as a ready reference on how to was Stokes, whose counter-attack Ashwin for two sixes — the sec- whose on-drive and square drive domestic level for a decade and that odd triple apart from hitting play spin on Indian pitches. deflated the home team. ond one bringing up his fifth off successive deliveries from the half, probably understood that he 19 boundaries and two sixes. Vijay Hazare from Feb 20 Stokes' counter-attack forced Nadeem to alter his line Nadu, Punjab, Jharkhand, Madhya PTI n CHENNAI Kolkata, Surat, Jaipur, Pradesh, Vidarbha, Andhra Pradesh with venue being Indore. he manner in which Ben Bengaluru, Indore The Group C matches will be TStokes reverse swept him Win will be perfect gift for Root: Ben held in Bengaluru with hosts out off the rough forced him to PTI n CHENNAI Karnataka, UP, Kerala, Odisha, change his plans, said left-arm among venues Railways and Bihar being the six spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who oe Root is one of the best bats- PTI n NEW DELHI teams. is ready to go back to the nets to Jman in the world, an incred- The Group D states are Delhi, sort the technical problems that ible athlete and above all an he BCCI will be organising the Mumbai, Maharashtra, Himachal has crept into his bowling. inspirational captain, is how TVijay Hazare Trophy from Pradesh, Rajasthan, Puducherry Playing his second Test, England vice-captain Ben Stokes February 20 to March 14 across six and matches are scheduled in Jharkhand’s domestic stalwart described his skipper on the cities, with the teams entering the Jaipur. Nadeem gave away 167 runs in momentous occasion of his bio-secure bubble from February The Group E matches will be 44 overs but as a consolation 100th Test match. 13 in order to undergo three held in Kolkata with hosts Bengal removed Stokes, who smashed Insisting that he was privi- Covid-19 tests. clubbed alongside Services, Jammu 82, and Joe Root, who scored his leged to have handed over Root BCCI secretary Jay Shah on and Kashmir, Saurashtra, Haryana, fifth double hundred. his 100th Test cap, Stokes said a Saturday released the schedule Chandigarh. “I was trying to bowl into the winning start to the four-Test to try and secure the win that we with Surat, Indore, Bengaluru, The Plate Group matches will rough outside the off-stump but series would be a perfect gift for all desperately want in the first Kolkata, Jaipur being five of the six be held across various grounds in he counter attacked by playing Root. Test against India,” he said. venues. Eight Plate Group teams Tamil Nadu and the teams are the reverse sweep. Yeah it did “I’ll certainly be doing what- “It would be the perfect will be playing their matches at var- Uttarakhand, Assam, Nagaland, (force me) to change my line and ever I can with bat, ball and in way to round off a very special ious grounds across Tamil Nadu. Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal length a little bit,” said Nadeem, the field over the next five days few days for Joe (Root).” Sixers clinch back- As per the BCCI protocol, the Pradesh, Mizoram and Sikkim. who was unable to keep pressure players will undergo three RT-PCR on the England batsmen while more of a problem and today it has been in great form of late. He tests in their respective bio-bubble MAJUMDAR RETAINED SKIPPER Ashwin was toiling away at the was comparatively less. I need to is sweeping very well and you to-back BBL titles and three more on arrival before Bengal on Saturday retained other end. go back and work in the nets to need to plan well whether you AFP n SYDNEY the start of the knock-out stages Anustup Majumdar as the captain “I then tried to bowl on the sort the problem,” said the 31- want to bowl on stumps or out- (pre quarter-finals) from March 7. for the upcoming Vijay Hazare. wicket and got him out.” year-old veteran of 117 first-class side the off stump. ngland’s James Vince blasted 95 and According to the BCCI noti- Majumdar will have wicket- One of the main reasons was games. “Obviously, you will have Elater took a crucial catch as the Sydney fication, Elite Group A will com- keeper-batsman Shreevats six no balls that he bowled so far (on load up) on to the crease Nadeem said that the man- problems when a batsman starts Sixers downed the Perth Scorchers for their prise Gujarat, Chandigarh, Goswami as his deputy as the selec- and Nadeem admitted that he is whereas I should time my jump ner in which Joe Root played the sweeping you but then you need third title in Australia’s Big Bash final in Hyderabad, Tripura, Baroda, Goa. tors named a 21-member squad having some technical difficul- a bit early. So that created a bit sweep shot had made it difficult to stick to your plans. Wait for Sydney on Saturday. The venue will be Surat. which includes last season’s captain ties. of problem. to set a specific plan for him. your time so that he makes a Vince’s fireworks propelled the Sixers to Group B consists of Tamil Abhimanyu Easwaran. “I think I was jumping late “On the first day, it was “Root is a great batsman and mistake.” 188/6 and they restricted the Scorchers to 161/9 to win by 27 runs. Coming on the back of an unbeaten 98 against the Scorchers, Vince again blitzed the Scorchers’ bowling, surviving two dropped Spinners help SA back in game catches in the 80s before he was dismissed just AFP n KARACHI five short of a century in the Sixers 188 for Smithn bags third Allan Border Medal PTI MELBOURNE six. eorge Linde took three Vince crowned his night with a sensation- ormer captain Steve Smith Gwickets and Keshav al diving catch at short extra cover to dismiss Fclaimed his third Allan Border Maharaj two as South Africa big-hitting Mitch Marsh for 11 and put the Medal while Beth Mooney bagged and Pakistan wrestled for defending champion Sixers firmly on top in her maiden Belinda Clarke Award, advantage on the third day of the 15th over. the top two honours of the their second Test in Rawalpindi Vince earlier overcame the unsettling run Australian Cricket Awards. on Saturday. out of opening batting partner Josh Philippe Smith was honoured for his per- Pakistan closed the day on for nine in a huge mix-up. formances in all three formats of the 129-6 with an overall lead of He failed to make contact and retreated game, while Mooney bagged the 200 and four wickets intact on back to his crease while Philippe charged recognition in the Australian a tacky Rawalpindi stadium down the pitch leaving both batsmen at the women’s game for the first time. pitch which has cracks to help same end. The awards were decided by a slow bowlers. Vince went on his run rampage and was voting process for the period 2020- Linde (3-12) and Maharaj dropped on 82 by Marsh running backwards 21. (2-74) rattled Pakistan’s top when he skied Aaron Hardie into the night Smith was surprised to receive order before Faheem Ashraf air and then was narrowly missed by diving the honour, insisting that he felt his (29) and Mohammad Rizwan the series, having won the first 2nd Test. Day 4 Cameron Bancroft before he was finally out. poor outing in the Test series against (28 not out) saved Pakistan’s Test in Karachi by seven wick- Live from 10:00am IST He sliced Fawad Ahmed to Marsh at India had ruined his chances of win- blushes during their 52-run ets. SONY TEN 2 NETWORK short third man to end his blistering 60-ball ning the award. won my third AB Medal and hope- Ashton Agar bagged the men’s sixth wicket stand. Hasan said batting would- knock. “It’s a great thrill, plenty of hard fully I can keep producing results for T20 Player of the Year, beating fel- Linde removed Ashraf n’t be simple given the condi- Linde said South Africa Only a week ago Vince was stranded on work has gone into it (but) I didn’t Australia,” he added. low leg-spinner Zampa and Finch. caught in covers, leaving Hasan tions. were “hungry to win”. 98 when AJ Tye ended his team’s finals qual- expect it; I thought Marnus It was double celebration for Money is the ninth Australian Ali not out on nought when “Even chasing 200 won’t be “Obviously we have to win ifier game with a bouncer that was called wide (Labuschagne) or Pat Cummins Smith as he also won the men’s ODI woman cricketer to win the award bad light ended the game. easy on this pitch,” he said. “We this Test to level the series,” he in the Sixers’ nine-wicket win in Canberra. were the front runners because they Player of the Year with 28 votes since its introduction in 2002. The day could have ended will try to get to 240 to 250 and explained. “I think anything The Scorchers and Sixers, both three-time both had exceptional years,” he ahead of Finch (23) and leg-spinner The 27-year-old left-hander in South Africa’s domination with our spinners it won’t be under 300, we will take that for champions, are the only two clubs to have won said. Adam Zampa (19). batswoman also won the women’s had Ashraf and Rizwan not easy.” a chase.” multiple titles in Australia’s T20 competition. “I didn’t feel I had the biggest Smith amassed 568 runs at T20 Player of the Year award. been dropped off the two spin- The highest target chased Earlier, Hasan’s 5-54 — his So successful have the Sixers and the Test summer, which normally holds 63.11 with centuries in Bengaluru Cummins won the Test player of ners. in the previous ten Tests at this second five wicket haul in Scorchers been that only three BBL finals have the most votes. I think my one-day and twice at the SCG within three the year award with 16 votes ahead Pakistan would hope venue is 220 which Sri Lanka Tests — restricted South come and gone without either taking part. cricket was pretty good last summer. days, as well as a knock of 98 in of Josh Hazlewood’s and Marnus another 50 runs on day four chased to beat Pakistan by two Africa’s first innings to 201, giv- “I’m just really honoured to have Rajkot. Labuschagne. could win them the match and wickets in 2000. ing the home team a lead of 71. NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 sport 11 24TH SLAM ON SERENA’S MIND Williams, chasing Margaret Court’s all-time record, has lost four Grand Slam finals since her last win in 2017, but insists she is now used to the pressure

AFP n MELBOURNE in the Australian Open final in 2017 was precautionary and was “super- having any other options. I think it number two Simona Halep and wins over top players,” she said of the when she was pregnant with confident” the problem wouldn’t was the best thing for all the players three-time Grand Slam winner world number 51. “She has a differ- erena Williams on daughter Olympia. overly trouble her. to do.” Naomi Osaka, but was focused on her ent game. She mixes up the pace a lot. Saturday said her long Williams, chasing Margaret “I think at my age, my career, Williams is in the same opener against Laura Siegemund of “It will be a really good match for me Schase for a record- Court’s all-time record, has since I really just try to go on how I’m Australian Open quarter as world Germany. “She has had lots of great to get in there early and play my best.” equalling 24th Grand Slam tro- lost four Grand Slam finals, but feeling physically and not put phy has been on her mind insisted she was now used to the myself in a bad position in gener- ahead of next week’s Australian pressure. al for my health,” she added. Open. The 39-year-old has not “It’s definitely on my shoulders Williams has appeared strong added to her glit- and on my mind,” said the seven- physically in Melbourne and, unlike tering collec- time Australian Open champion. “I some of her peers, unfazed by the tion since think it’s good to be on my mind... mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine beating her I’m used to it now.” imposed for players travelling to sister The American has been in Australia. Venus aggressive form in Melbourne, “I didn’t have really any nega- dropping just one set in three tives,” she said. “I realised that my matches in the Yarra Valley Classic life is one big quarantine because before withdrawing from a semi- I don’t really leave the house final showdown with world num- much. ber one Ashleigh Barty due to a “It wasn’t much different than shoulder injury. what I normally do,” she added. “It She said the decision to pull out was just being forced to do that, not Muguruza, Barty in decider

AFP n MELBOURNE wo-time Grand Slam win- Tner Garbine Muguruza crushed Marketa Vondrousova for the loss of just one game on Saturday to set up a Yarra Valley Classic final with world No 1 Ashleigh Barty. Last year’s Australian Open finalist Muguruza smashed 20 win- ners and broke the 21st-ranked Vondrousova’s serve five times en route to a 6-1, 6-0 win in 53 minutes. “I’m very happy to get through. It’s good to play the top players and I’m expecting another tough battle against the world number one,” said the Spaniard. after world number three Naomi Osaka Muguruza has shown the form that withdrew with a shoulder injury. put her top of the rankings in 2017, drop- Kanepi beat Russia’s Ekaterina ping just 10 games in four matches so far Alexandrova 6-3, 7-6 to reach her first including her quarter-final thrashing of WTA final since 2013. America’s Sofia Kenin — her conqueror Meanwhile, 2016 Australian Open in last year’s Australian Open final. champion Angelique Kerber was knocked She will next play Barty, who out in the quarter-finals of the Grampians reached the decider with a walkover Trophy by Maria Sakkari. after Serena Williams pulled out due Greece’s Sakkari will next play to a shoulder injury. Estonia’s Annett Kontaveit who pro- Elise Mertens of Belgium will gressed after two-time Grand Slam play Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi in the winner Victoria Azarenka withdrew due final of the Gippsland Trophy to injury. Russia vs Italy in ATP Cup final Barella, Perisic AFP n MELBOURNE aniil Medvedev battled back from Da set down to topple Alexander put Inter on top Zverev and power Russia into the ATP Cup final on Saturday where they will AFP n FLORENCE meet the Matteo Berrettini-led Italy. The world number four needed to icolo Barella and Ivan dig deep against the German world NPerisic scored in either half number seven, finally coming through as Inter Milan moved top of 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 on his fourth match point Serie A on Friday with a 2-0 win after a marathon battle on Rod Laver at Fiorentina. Arena in Melbourne. Antonio Conte’s side pulled He sealed the tie after Andrey one point clear of AC Milan to Rublev, who won five ATP titles last year keep the pressure on their city as he raced up the rankings, also pulled rivals who host lowly Crotone off a come-from-behind win, grinding on Sunday. down Jan-Lennard 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Guido Pella and Yoshihito Nishioka Inter bounced back after Italy beat last year’s finalists Spain along the way. their midweek Italian Cup with Berrettini and Fabio Fognini win- He was handed a wake-up call by the semi-final, first leg defeat to ning their singles ties. aggressive German, who took the first Juventus in the San Siro. “It was a crazy match. I was happy set before the world number eight Italy midfielder Barella to win even though there were a lot of clicked into gear. curled in the opener from a dis- things I didn’t like in the match,” said Russia will face Italy on Sunday after tance after half an hour with Stellini. Medvedev, who has enjoyed a perfect they came out on top of the other semi- Achraf Hakimi setting up Fiorentina could thank preparation for next week’s Australian final against Spain, who were again with- Perisic for the second seven goalkeeper Bartlomiej Open. out the injured Rafael Nadal. minutes after the break to give Dragowski for key saves, deny- “But most important was getting the Berrettini sealed his country’s spot Inter a first league win in ing Barella early, with the Polish win for our country.” with a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Roberto Florence in seven years. international also keeping out Zverev, who needed a medical time- Bautista Agut, after Fognini clawed Conte sat out a touchline Hakimi, Perisic and Lautaro out for a tight lower back towards the past Pablo Carreno Busta 6-2, 1-6, 6-4. ban but Inter controlled the Martinez in the second half. end of the second set, heads into the “It’s an unbelievable feeling,” game against 12th-placed At the other end of the pitch Australian Open having beaten world Berrettini said. “The job is not done yet, Fiorentina who were without Samir Handanovic saved from number 12 Denis Shapovalov and but we are really happy for what is hap- injured French midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura and pushed top-ranked Novak Djokovic pening.” Franck Ribery. Cristiano Biraghi before the deep into a third set, before his defeat Serbia beat Spain in the final of the “We’re not thinking about break. to Medvedev. inaugural and hugely popular tourna- putting pressure on anyone, Inter play Lazio next week- Rublev had dropped just seven ment last year in Sydney — launched as just our own journey,” said end before a derby clash with games before meeting Struff, defeating a rival to the Davis Cup. Conte’s assistant Cristian Milan on February 21. Bayern continue winning run AFP n BERLIN keeper Rune Jarstein brought down Leroy Sane in the box on 11 min- ayern Munich head to the Club utes. BWorld Cup with five successive Yet the Hertha stopper wins under their belt after Kingsley redeemed himself immediately, div- Coman’s first-half winner handed ing to his right to save Robert the Bundesliga leaders a 1-0 victo- Lewandowski’s penalty. ry at Hertha Berlin on Friday. Ten minutes later, Jarstein was The win maintain Bayern 7 left flapping at the ball as Coman’s points lead at the top as second- shot deflected off Niklas Stark and placed RB Leipzig win 3-0 away to looped into the net. crisis-hit Schalke on Saturday. Both Jarstein and his opposite Coman found the net with a number Manuel Neuer made sever- deflected shot on al saves before half-time, as an 21 minutes to give entertaining game swung from end Bayern all three to end. points in snowy Hertha had a brilliant chance to Berlin, just hours equalise two minutes from time, as before they left Matheus Cunha beat the offside trap for next week’s Doha. on a free transfer from Juventus. and found himself one-on-one with tournament in Yet they first had to get past a Khedira, though, played only Neuer. Qatar. Hertha side buoyed by the return 10 minutes as a substitute as Yet the Brazilian’s chip over the Bayern face African of former coach Pal Dardai last Bayern battled to a narrow win. Bayern keeper trickled wide of the Champions League winners Al- month and the arrival of former A bright start from the home post, prompting howls of anguish Ahly in Monday’s semi-final in Germany midfielder Sami Khedira side was snuffed out when goal- from the Berlin bench. NEW DELHI | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 7, 2021 backpack 12 For me, its qismet under the burkha n What is keeping you busy these story very interesting and shot it in a believer of sending out positivity aur kar rahi hai. days? London entirely. Then there is a A lot has changed because it will always come back to you. n One thing that makes you feel I have a film — Bawri Chori — Madhur Bhandarkar’s film — India after doing Lipstick n Lipstick Under My Burkha has uncomfortable on the sets? coming up on Eros now. We shot it in Lockdown. I am playing a pilot there. been a turning point in your career. Nothing at all. I love being on the December 2019 and it is about a girl There’s also Shaad Ali’s Call My Agent. Under My Burkha. It How has life changed for you? sets. In fact, if I am not working, I feel who goes looking for her husband It’s for Applause Entertainment and has been my most A lot has changed. It is my most something is incomplete within me. because he hasn’t returned home for Banijay and it is going to come out important career important career choice. I believe that n You have explored different medi- years and has abandoned her. She did- soon. choice. I believe that every project comes with its qismet and ums. Which one do you enjoy the n’t go to find him to bring him back, n From Lucknow to Mumbai, how the same was with Lipstick... I would most working in? but to kill him. I would you describe your journey every project comes always be grateful to Ekta and Alankrita It has to be theatre. No one judges found that as? with its qismet and for making me a part of that project. It you there, you can make mistakes, learn It is a unique one. It’s a journey that the same was with has changed how I look at myself also. from it and be yourself. I didn’t imagine. I am grateful to Initially, I wanted to be a heroine, but n Social media is both impactful and Mumbai for whatever that it has given Lipstick... I would with this project I realised I will be able threatening. Do you have to be care- me. It’s been a rewarding journey. I am always be grateful to to play characters also. And after that ful before posting something on also grateful to the industry for accept- Ekta and Alankrita one thing lead to another. With Khuda social media these days? Talktime ing and embracing me. It is also for making me a part Hafiz, I realised I can do action and with I stand for the things I believe in. because I haven’t planned too much Accidental Prime Minister, I realised I Posting on social media doesn’t make AAHANA KUMRA in life. I followed the leads and sur- of that project can do political drama. So more than sense to me. I believe if you support rendered to life, so whatever was anything else, it is about diversifying something, you should be doing some- A self-made woman, Kumra believes coming across I took that up. During gle to find things and I am no differ- yourself. Because otherwise, you will thing about it and be there for that my journey, a lot of people got ent. I say grateful because we often for- become boring. thing. If I am not doing that, it means in diversifying herself. She speaks with attached to me. I feel lucky in terms get to thank people or God. The year n Is there a checklist that you follow that things doesn’t make a difference in Musba Hashmi about what is keep- of the associations that I had and for 2020 has made me realise that I have before taking up projects? my life. everything that I have achieved so far. to stop complaining and start doing Not really. The only thing that I But, if you ask about my photos and ing her busy these days and why n It’s rare that you talk about your more. So many people have lost their make sure is to not repeat roles. I just stuff, I want to keep it fun. I do have to struggles and you always say how lives at the drop of a hat. It made me want to go out and keep experiment- be careful because I don’t want to post she doesn’t talk about her grateful you are for everything. Does realise why should I have to bad ing. Every time someone wants to slate something that will bite my back. I don’t struggles, among other that mean you don’t want to glorify mouth anyone or talk about my strug- me in a particular genre, I go out want to get into unnecessarily troubles it? gles, when I should be grateful for the exploring a new character and they go because that will distract me from my things All of us face challenges and strug- things that I have. I have always been like: Arey abhi to ye kar rahi thi, ab kuch work.

ADIDAS ‘Appreciating music intricacies Runners Captain has made me a better musician’ If you have Vocalist AISHWARYA VIDHYA been a runner ANKITA GAUR tells RAGHUNATH, who performed at HCL all your life, MUSBA HASHMI then running Concert’s Baithak, speaks with SHALINI during SAKSENA about her experience of performing her experience of pregnancy is online and where Carnatic music stands today healthy. I have participating in been seeing my friends abroad marathons during who were pregnancy, how runners and delivered safe it is and her healthy children. So, before association with participating in TCS World 10K Hi-Energy Bengaluru, I took my doctor's Challenge advice and she said if I am doing something for 10 years, I RUN INTO shouldn't stop it n What were the ragas performed? The ragas rendered were Nattai, Nattaikurinji, Dhanyasi (elab- orated), Manjari, Kambhoji (elaborated), Varali and Yamunakalyani. But in particular there were two main ragas — Dhanyasi and Kambhoji. n What was the reason why you chose these two? In Carnatic music there are a bunch of legendary musicians FITNESS — the Trinity; they are called the Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. The important thing for me while pre- hat do you expect from a sport. I was into a corporate job and because it is like a part of my life. All it was safe and I have been doing it back then. We just started a club senting a concert is to give representation to each of their com- five-month pregnant hence, wanted to live a healthy life with- one has to do is to cut it down or bring under my doctor’s supervision. It took where people would join us for a run positions. I did this through Dhanyasi, a composition by Syama lady? Definitely not run- out having to invest too much time or it down to a point where you are com- some time to finally make them under- and slowly the community grew. In Sastri’s Meenalochna Brova and for Kambhoji it was Tyagaraja’s Evari ning marathons. Meet money. That is when I thought of tak- fortable with it. A lot of doctors now stand that it was safe and was a part of 2016, I was officially given the title of Mata. These two ragas are close to my heart. They are very dynam- WAnkita Gaur, a Bengaluru-based engi- ing running seriously because it suggest that pregnant women should do my fitness routine. But the good thing Captain,” she tells you. ic and the mood portrayed by these two are different as well. neer, who is redefining the terms of involved no expensive equipments and yoga or some kind of exercise because was I got so many messages from The Hi-Energy Challenge, she Dhanyasi is meditative and soul-stirring. Kambhoji is spirited and pregnancy. was easy. And like I mentioned before, it is healthy for the child,” Gaur tells you. women who were inspired and they says, is about a virtual run where run- dynamic. I wanted to show the contrast of both. From running a 10K marathon in it comes naturally to everyone. If you She adds that the only thing one has told me that they will try to be fit as ners from all around the world can join n How did you come onboard for this performance? December last year to now becoming can walk, you can run too,” she says. to keep in mind is to not be competi- well,” she tells you. and participate. “The challenge is on till It was HCL Concerts who contacted me. I have, in the past, a part of ADIDAS Hi-Energy Challenge It was in 2014 when Gaur ran her tive. “I told myself don’t see it as a com- Ask Gaur, how she tide over days February 13, 2021. It requires people to performed for them under the auspices of Madras Music with a seven-month pregnancy, run- first race in Bangalore and finished petition instead see it as a part of your when she doesn’t want to run even a walk or run for 120 minutes over the Academy. This interaction for Baithak was the first of its kind. ning comes naturally to Gaur. “Running podium that triggered her love for run- daily routine. I was a marathon runner single mile and she is quick to answer course of 14 days. If you are success- n How was your experience performing on a virtual platform? is not a big deal. It comes naturally to ning. “It was like a motivation for me. so I can easily run 42 km, but now keep- — my friends convince me to come. fully completing this, then for every For all the musicians, the last year — the lockdown and the everyone, one just have to explore it,” I have been running since then and ing in mind my body, I have cut it short “There are days when I just don’t have minute you run, ADIDAS India will pandemic — all of us have learnt how to embrace the new nor- she says. there’s no looking back,” she says. to 5 km. Also, I take breaks in between the motivation to go for a run, but here donate `1 product to the young ama- mal. Initially, it was different. A lot of us were performing over our Not that Gaur was always interested Running during pregnancy, con- and start walking to not push myself comes the role of my friends from the teur athletes. This is our way of help- smartphones and figuring out audio, network and bandwidth. There in running. Swimming was her first trary to the popular beliefs, she says, is beyond a certain point,” she tells you. running club. They insist that I should ing the talent of India in achieving their are so many things that come into play for the music to come across. love. “My sister and I were always healthy. “If you have been a runner all It took Rai some time to convince join them for a while and once I do, I goals and making the country proud,” But later, when studios opened, it became easy due to better qual- encouraged by our parents to take part your life, then running during preg- her family and friends that running start enjoying it. Also, when you make Gaur, who has also participated in over ity sound. It is good to perform in a studio and be able to reach in sports. I was initially into swimming. nancy is healthy for you. I have been won’t cause her any harm. “My moth- friends you start looking forward to five international marathons such as out to so many people. Music has a strong magic that keeps peo- My sister was district level athlete, but seeing my friends abroad who were er was apprehensive about it initially meeting them. That also helps,” Gaur, Berlin (three times), Boston and New ple together. I was never into running. It happened runners and delivered healthy children. and told me that it was not a good who is given the title of ADIDAS York, tells you. For the remaining days n Were there any apprehensions? nine years back when my friend, who So, before participating in TCS World option. My in-laws were also not sure Runners Captain, explains. of her pregnancy, Gaur plans to cut the None at all. I was happy to be part of this concert. It was great is now my husband, introduced me to 10K Bengaluru, I took my doctor’s about it. There were people on social She tells you that they were the first distance to less than 5 km and focus to perform with violinist Charulatha Ramanujam and BC long-distance running. He used to advice and she said if I am doing some- media who asked me why I am not rest- people to start a run club in Bangalore more on walking instead of running Manjunath on mridangam. Both are exemplary musicians. It was guide me as I was clueless about the thing for 10 years, I shouldn’t stop it ing it out. But I explained to them that in 2015. “It was not ADIDAS Runners and testing her will power. wonderful to collaborate and be part of Baithak. We were excited to be part of it and perform together. n How did your life journey as a vocalist begin? I grew up listening to music. My paternal and maternal grand- W E E K L Y N A T T E R mothers were instrumental in my interest. I was put to sleep with music; I was fed music. A lot of music was running the household all the time. When I was three, they took me to a guru. When I YAMI GAUTAM BEGINS PREP FOR DASVI ARJUN MATHUR HAS HIS HANDS FULL ‘DON’T COME TO MUMBAI UNPREPARED’ began learning, I had yet to learn how to read. My guru told me ami Gautam is currently on a roll. A while back, the actor wrapped ast seen in Tisca Chopra’s short film Rubaru, Emmy Nominated actor Arjun ctor Rajkummar Rao, noted for his nuanced performances, that my lessons would be oral. My ears were trained to grasp nuances and intricacies which, sometimes the book can’t convey. I was taken Yup the shoot of horror-comedy Bhoot Police. Currently, she is LMathur has been currently busy shooting for ZEE5’s Silence. While there’s a Asays cinema is changing and aspiring artistes must prepare prepping for her role in Dinesh Vijan’s Dasvi which also stars lot of excitement amongst fans to see more of Arjun on digital platforms and the first before coming to Mumbai. to lots of concerts. Listening was an integral part of my growing Abhishek Bachchan and Nimrat Kaur. While details about her big screen, we do have an “The only talent I had is that I fell in love with my art. I fell up days. Understanding musicians’ chemistry; their communica- character are kept under wraps, we have learnt that she will be seen important update for you about the in love with acting as a kid. I was never chasing fame or money. tion on stage and understanding people’s perception, all this shaped in a never-seen-before avatar. To get under the skin of her character, good looking actor. I thought to myself that this is something I really love and I want me. Also, gurus were gracious. I accompanied them on stage as Yami is taking lessons in Haryanvi as she will be speaking the North- If the sources are anything to to do for the rest of my life. With that dream, I started doing early as when I was seven. Sangeetha Kalaratna Seethalakshmi Indian language in the film. go by, Mathur has been theatre in Delhi and later joined the film institute in Pune Venkatesan, Padma Bhushan PS Narayanaswamy, Vegavahini Talking about it, Yami says: “This is the first time that I will be because I didn’t wanted to come to this city unprepared,” said Vijayaraghavan and RK Shriramkumar shaped me what I am today. approached by various directors for n playing a Haryanvi character onscreen. It is a completely different some big budgeted projects. Rao. Do you think you have an edge and you don’t have just book challenge for me. I am currently working on learning the language. I However, owing to his super “I wanted to train myself first. This is something I often tell knowledge? love taking up new challenges which help me push my creative hectic, busy schedule, he had to let budding actors — (don't do it) just because your friends believe I don’t know if I am a better musician. But in terms of skillsets horizons. I hope I can surprise my audience.” go of some. Nevertheless, we you can mimic and you have good looks and you should go to that I have acquired, the ability to pay more attention to details, The versatile actor, who has multiple blockbusters to her credit, further hear that Arjun has already Mumbai. Do not come to Mumbai unprepared, especially now, intricacies and look beyond just the notations since music can’t be grabbed the attention of the audience with her role as a free-spirited said yes for three out of these five when cinema is changing. We need talent out here now. So train imitated or copied, my ability to appreciate music more has shaped girl in Ginny Weds Sunny. Going ahead, she has a packed schedule. projects that came his way. yourself first and then come to this city, as there are so many me better. n Having started her film career with the critically and commercially Looking forward to take up such wonderful opportunities. The only talent I had was not to give Where does Carnatic music stand today? successful Vicky Donor, she has become a name to reckon with and challenging roles, the actor is here up and keep chasing my dream without having any plan B,” Yes, the music is looking up. There are a lot of people inter- has emerged as one of the most sought-after actors in showbiz. to win hearts yet again. said Rao, while interacting with the media at the launch of ested in Carnatic music. Globally people are able to learn from the Yami has also been roped in for Behzad Khambata upcoming Confirming the same, Mathur Satyam Srivastava and Rajeev Garg’s book, Neelkanth. comforts of their homes. This is the reason why this has managed directorial A Thursday which will mark debut in the OTT space and revealed: “It’s very exciting for any actor to be offered a variety of scripts and Talking about the book, the actor said: “It’s a mystery to reach every corner of the world. People can now learn it via Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Faraar. Apart from these, she will also characters. For me, it’s always been about taking up content-driven roles that thriller about a cop in Delhi, so the concept of this book itself WhatsApp, Skype or even FaceTime. The advantage is that they be seen in three more projects where she will be seen playing made me feel challenged as an actor. I'm working on a few new projects this year excited me a lot. After knowing both of them and after knowing are able to learn from wherever they are from the guru of their interesting characters. One of the most bankable actors, she is all and am really looking forward to the official announcements being made soon.” its basic storyline, I am looking forward to reading it.” IANS choice. A lot more people are looking at the technical and gram- set to surprise her fans. matical intricacies of this music and trying to understand this music. sunday magazine New Delhi, February 7, 2021

Sometimes I think that there’s a fine line between impressionistic and messy — Lady Gaga

FROM THE INSIDE Faith overcomes all Preparing for Dhyana Faith enables one to learn not only One is bound to be confronted with from one’s own experience, but also distraction during meditation. Train your from the experiences of the others 2 4 mind to disengage from those thoughts

New-age technologies are ushering in a digital-first attitude among companies and users, says DR. V KUMAR, as he lists the prominent ones that are making a strong impact on business and society IT’S A WHOLE NEW WORLD

ong before the COVID-19 pandemic management (e.g., Grammarly can assist with maintenance (e.g., monitoring sensor health ner and within a specific area of operation. upended businesses and daily lives, a content recommendations), advertising content and optimizing production adopted by ABB Amazon, for instance, uses a confluence of AI, radically different family of technolo- development (e.g., McCann’s AI tool aids the and Hitachi), smart energy systems (e.g., robots, ML, drones, IoT, and blockchain to gies had been set in motion. These creative team in scripting commercials), ensur- Honeywell and Verizon), and so on. offer, deliver and develop solutions that are technologies, then nascent, showed ing service consistency (e.g., Uber Eats uses AI Looking even further, IoT serves whole already changing the business landscape. Such a Lmuch promise in changing how things can be to optimize delivery times), driverless vehicles industries in instituting best practices. IoT concerted effort in implementing technology done and how lives can be led. Now, fast-for- (e.g., Tesla’s self-driving features), and so on. In allows firms to monitor devices, control usage, opens several possibilities for data-driven busi- ward into the pandemic world, these technolo- the knowledge economy that we are in, data and proactively initiating maintenance ness and marketing strategies. gies are ushering in a digital-first attitude appears to the currency. Companies are now requests, thereby leading to increased produc- among companies and users. able to collect, store, process, and (re)use infor- tivity, improved efficiency, and reduced operat- PROMOTING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learn- mation through AI. This has thrust us further ing costs. Such implementations include sup- NATs enable us to promote meaningful ing (ML), blockchain, robots, drones, and the into new frontiers, and AI is part of that new ply chain operations (e.g., companies like DHL connections between people and between peo- Internet of Things (IoT) are a few of the found- frontier. and Cargotec use IoT for overall logistics man- ple and companies. It must be noted that each ing members of the family of new-age technolo- agement), inventory management (companies of the NATs while maintaining their unique- gies (NATs). These NATs are located at the IOT: THE BEDROCK TO CONNECT like Amazon and Walmart use self-driving ness, also portrays a high degree of intercon- intersection of business and human lives there- PHYSICAL-VIRTUAL vehicles for efficient floor operations), fleet nectivity. That is, unlike other technologies in by transforming our world right in front of us Picture this. You are ready to leave for management (e.g., shipping companies like the past, the NATs cannot be neatly compart- in ways, in which we cannot entirely foresee. home after a long day at work. You look Maersk monitors its entire fleet of ships and mentalised into organisational silos. Put differ- Yet, we can see them in action in many spheres around your work desk, many of your cowork- containers in real-time using sensors), and so ently, while each of the NATs is impressive and of our lives. Let us meet two of these technolo- ers have already left for the day with their on. Finally, at the national level, IoT allows effective individually, they also lend themselves gies making an impact on business and society. workstation lights turned out. As you walk countries to actively manage national easily to be paired with other NATs. For down the office corridor, the lights turn back resources such as energy sources (e.g., cities instance, consider Google. YouTube uses AI AI: PREDICTING THE FUTURE on automatically (powered by motion sensors) like Miami and Paris installing connected for understanding and suggesting recommend- Sample this. When searching for informa- to help you navigate your way to the parking streetlights), urban city planning (e.g., India’s ed videos based on viewer preferences and his- tion, our first stop inevitably is Google. And in garage. On your way home, you decide to stop Smart Cities initiative), and governmental ser- tory while using ML techniques to ensure that most cases, the search results yield us what we at the grocery store to pick up a few essential vices to citizens (e.g., Los Angeles’ ‘Quake brands are not listed next to offensive content. are looking for, or at least point us in the right items. As you shop, you are not sure if you Alert’ system for earthquake and tremor detec- Further, Google uses AI and IoT in tandem to direction. What if, Google knew exactly what have milk in the refrigerator. No problem — tion, and Barcelona’s smart devices for water, reduce the colling costs of its data center; and we want, the form in which we want it, and using your smartphone you look into your lighting, and parking services). has developed Google Wing, a drone, that has give it to us as we need it? Better still, what if smart refrigerator to check on what you have. AI and IoT are just two NATs that are mak- been used to deliver essential supplies during Google can learn over time, our changing As you turn into your street, using your car ing our lives better and enabling companies to the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA. So, one needs, and preferences, and customise the Bluetooth, you activate the lights at the front of perform faster and better. The other NATs of company can gainfully incorporate all NATs search results accordingly. Essentially, it would the home. Even before you get off from your prominence include robots (e.g., ElliQ, the elder for delivering value to users and themselves. be a ‘personal Google’ that delivers results car, you unlock your front door using your care assistant robot; Dash, Walmart’s Such a scenario represents an exciting time for entirely applicable to you, and only you. Well, smartphone. Not just that, with the press of a autonomous shopping cart; and ROAR, Volvo’s users and marketers where new technology while we are not there yet, that is what Google few more buttons, you turn on the air condi- robotic refuse collector, to name a few), solutions overlap, even blurring the lines aims to become, according to its co-founder tioning in your room, turn on the water heater ARTIFICIAL machine learning capabilities (e.g., Shopify uses where one technology platform ends and the Larry Page. Currently, all the text, image, and for your hot shower, thaw some frozen food in INTELLIGENCE (AI), ML solutions to determine the closest and most other begins. And this feature is what drives map searches from Google are powered by AI, your refrigerator for your dinner, and activate efficient fulfilment centers for the businesses, the establishment of meaningful connections. and we must understand that. And beyond the coffeemaker to end your dinner with a MACHINE LEARNING Hitachi uses ML/AI solutions to monitor and Google, many other companies possess such nice, hot coffee. After you enter your home, (ML), BLOCKCHAIN, combat food waste in hospitals, and FICO uses NATS INFLUENCE ON MARKETING capabilities. The host of digital voice assistants with a press of a few more buttons, you lock ROBOTS, DRONES, AND ML to develop its credit rating and to assess The age of technological transformation has such as Alexa (by Amazon), Siri (by Apple), your entrance door and turn back on the home THE INTERNET OF risks for individual customers, and so on), well and truly begun, with recent developments Cortana (by Microsoft), and Google Assistant security system and surveillance cameras, turn drones (e.g., used in aerial photography, surveil- in marketing that have embraced technology (by Google) that have befriended us and help- on your music system that playing your THINGS (IOT) ARE A lance systems, flora/fauna management, crop and firmly placed it at the center of business ing us solve real-world challenges are another favorite radio station, and look forward to a FEW OF THE FOUNDING estimation, yield assessment, irrigation leak operations. With the introduction of NATs, example of AI. nice relaxing evening. Sound like bliss, right? MEMBERS OF THE detection in agriculture, aerial surveys and companies can now interact with users through The AI technology draws from multiple dis- Through our daily lives, we see devices con- FAMILY OF NEW-AGE progress tracking in construction sites, delivery, various touchpoints and often at several points ciplines such as information systems, knowl- trolled through sensors and remotely located and so on), and blockchain (e.g., cryptocurren- in a day. Further, these NATs also enables firms edge management, statistics, decision sciences, software such as connected streetlights, self-dri- TECHNOLOGIES (NATS). cy such as Bitcoin and Peercoin; data manage- to facilitate and monitor interactions among advanced computing systems, motion studies, ving vehicles, smart home security systems, THESE NATS ARE ment activities such as contract management users, thereby securing themselves an opportu- and so on to deliver everyday solutions that connected wearable devices, and much more. LOCATED AT THE and planning network infrastructure; data nity to collect real-time data about users and meet our needs. Further, by analysing vast sets These devices collect, communicate and process authentication activities such as document veri- their needs. Subsequently, this knowledge is of personal information, AI can suggest person- information in real-time through the Internet to INTERSECTION OF fication and notary services; financial services being used to develop personalised offerings alised offerings, which generally include adver- perform or aid in performing certain defined BUSINESS AND HUMAN such as online payments and currency and implementing customer-centric marketing tisements and strategic discounts to influence tasks. This elaborate and growing network of LIVES THEREBY exchange; business processes such as supply strategies that result in the creation of customer the consumers directly. Does this sound famil- devices connected through the Internet is TRANSFORMING OUR chain management and digital content manage- engagement. Such a transformed marketplace iar? Yes, Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, and eBay, referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT). ment; and so on). signifies the true convergence of marketing and and many more companies use AI to provide Where can we see IoT at work, you may WORLD RIGHT IN While the varied uses and applications of NATs, thereby kickstarting an age of exciting the “recommended for you” listing as we spend ask. Just look around you. In our personal lives, FRONT OF US IN WAYS, NATs seem exciting for companies and users, and breathtaking technology experiences. time online. Such features are important, now IoT devices can be working in the background IN WHICH WE CANNOT are they necessary? That is, why do we need The NATs are shifting the business schema more than ever, as our needs and preferences of many routine chores, while constantly ENTIRELY FORESEE NATs, and why now? There are three main rea- at a rapid pace leading us to a world of tomor- are constantly changing. enhancing the performance of devices and sons for this. row, one month from now, next year, five years Today, AI allows businesses to examine eliminating human involvement such as wear- from now. This age of reckoning will be revisit- these instant changes and adapt to the fast- able devices (e.g., Apple Watch), automated dri- EMBRACING THE DIGITAL FRONTIER ed by all in the future, as we do now when con- paced environment by quickly determining the ving (e.g., Tesla), home automation (e.g., NATs help us embrace the digital frontier sidering other evolutionary periods in our his- right product configuration and pricing strate- Samsung Smart Refrigerator), and so on. In which is markedly different from conventional tory. What we do know is that the NATs and gy, thereby presenting companies with a com- companies, IoT allows large-scale data capture business practices. That is, companies have dab- their future advancements are poised to alter petitive edge. AI is also used by firms such as possible that can be further utilised to influence bled with individual implementations of NATs the very fabric of our lives, and it’s going to be a L’Oréal, UK to monitor customer sentiments on the devices and objects in the real world such as from early on such as online chatbots, recom- whole new world! social media by personalising their social media asset monitoring (e.g., Bosch’s smart tires), loca- mendation engines, and so on. But what has The writer is an author and has interactions with consumers based on tracked tion-based marketing (e.g., beacons used by changed now is an integrated implementation recently published Intelligent Marketing: consumer preferences and develop tailored Kenneth Cole and Heathrow International of NATs wherein multiple technologies such as Employing New-Age Technologies with offerings. AI has also been used in language Airport providing localized content), preventive AI, ML, robots, etc. are used in a unified man- SAGE Publications India sunday magazine TO REALISE THAT YOU ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS IS WHEN YOU BEGIN TO spirituality 2 AWAKEN SPIRITUALLY — ECKHART TOLLE New Delhi, February 7, 2021

HIDDENSOULS FAITH OVERCOMES ALL PRAMOD PATHAK Faith enables one to learn not only from one’s own experience, but also from the experiences of others who are more spiritually evolved, says HINGORI

It isn’t easy to just discard every- thing you’ve been taught, only to believe something you haven’t expe- rienced, something you can’t see. I remember struggling with this very task, analysing every aspect of spiri- Why Gandhi tuality, trying to find logic in every- thing I was told, a Gurudev had one simple instruction for me, “Buddhu ban ja” or become a simpleton. is relevant Spirituality is not a concept within the grasp of a logical mind, it exists alking about Gandhi one week after the nation has beyond the known into the unknown observed his martyrdom may be a bit out of tune, but and unfathomable. TGandhi is ever relevant. The reason I write about There are other ways to overcome Gandhi risking the displeasure of the social media troll the impediments as well. As you may brigade ready to fire on anything that doesn’t fit with their already know, while there are multi- scheme of things is because there is need to know Gandhi ple chakras, or convergence points for better. Gandhi is certainly not in fashion when voices try- the naadis or energy pathways, of ing to justify his assassination are getting louder. But Gandhi which seven are most important. An is not just an Indian phenomenon. Gandhi is global and tran- element of spiritual growth is the rise scends time and space. Whether one likes or not Gandhi has of the ‘kundalini’ or energy coiled at a worldwide following. History can be tampered or tempered the base of the spine towards the but not the truth. It was truth that was the main thrust of higher chakras. There are various Gandhi’s philosophy. It was truth that was Dharma for Gandhi ways for you to help your Kundalini and it was truth that was the basis of his Satyagraha. Yes, rise through the chakras including truth in these times of post truth has taken a backseat, but, meditation, Mantra Vidya, Seva and nevertheless, truth must prevail. Even if the head may have improving your Guna mix. its doubts in accepting it, the heart does acknowledge the Mantra Vidya or reciting mantras truth and accept its permanence. Gandhi’s ideas have become is one of the most successful ways of even more relevant today as we witness confusion and chaos overcoming impediments. The art of all around. Protests that are the order of the day are becom- mantra believes that if you use the ing violent and Satyagraha in practice has become an antithe- right words to train your mind, to sis of the philosophy. Gandhi must be understood as Ram sharpen its focus and channelise the catches the imagination of the nation. Understanding Ram divinity in the universe, you can rise is equally important in these times of Kaliyuga when power above every negative tendency that and pelf become the sole means of sustenance. Ram was an holds you back and go past the epitome of sacrifice and values. He was that quintessential shackles of your limited conscious embodiment of character which is almost extinct today. It mind to attain liberation. Being ini- was Ram’s character that made him proceed for the exile even tiated into a mantra by a siddh guru when the people of Ayodhya where solidly behind him and he impediments to spiritu- which may lead us down a path of self- order to transcend the five senses and enables you, by his grace, to attain sid- wanted him to stay. It was Ram’s character that made him al growth are many, begin- destruction. You aren’t entirely wrong experience the beyond. Begin with dhi of the given mantra in a very short turn down the request of Bharat, his brother, who had the ning with the mind and the about the ‘self-destruction’, but I mean acknowledging the oneness of all period of years or months as opposed mandate to rule Ayodhya. Bharat, the king designate, went influence of planetary it in a positive way here, because as we human beings, treating everyone to multiple lifetimes, which would be all the way to the place where Ram was living in exile and motions ranging all the way destroy our perceptions, impediments, exactly the same not only in your the case if you found the mantra for appealed to him to reconsider his decision to decline the toT the lack of appropriate spiritual biases, conditioning and tendencies, behavior towards them but even in yourself. throne of Ayodhya. Something that cannot be imagined today, guidance. The awareness of these we align to the aspirations of not only forming opinions about them in Seva or selfless service for others when there is a mad scramble to assume power anyhow. And roadblocks is certainly the first step to the Isthul Sharir or the gross body, but WHILE FAITH IS LIKE your own thoughts. Once you achieve can take countless forms. You could remember it was not just Bharat who wanted Ram to rule overcoming them but most definite- also those of the Sukshma Sharir or the this, and don’t expect it to be instan- feed a group of homeless people, but everyone in Ayodhya. Still, Ram chose to carry out his ly not the simplest one. In fact, the subtle body and the Karna Sharir or WALKING ACROSS A taneous, you progress to seeing all finance the education of children word. When lies are the norm Ram walks that extra mile to solution to almost all impediments is the causal body. Faith enables you to BRIDGE YOU other living organisms as one with who cannot afford it, teach children uphold the sanctity of the spoken word. Gandhi and Ram one simple word that has proven to be learn not only from your own but also you, and eventually you find yourself yourself, feed animals, plant seeds to both have to be understood in the right perspective. Gandhi the most difficult task, faith. Faith in from the experiences of others more CANNOT SEE OVER A realising the divinity within yourself grow trees, even leave a handful of did not have any attraction for occupying position of power, your guru, faith in destiny, faith that evolved than you. CHASM EXTENDING and identifying as an extension of the sugar out for ants to feed on! nor did he claim any favour for carrying out what he thought you will grow in your own time and While faith is like walking across supreme consciousness, the true real- Overcoming the five senses, was his duty. For Gandhi Ram did not belong to any par- every step you take is in some way a bridge you cannot see over a chasm DEEP DOWN BELOW ity. When we realise the true nature improving your guna mix and all the ticular religion but symbolised oneness of God. His Ram sig- leading you to it. This faith comes from extending deep down below you, it is YOU, IT IS THE FAITH of reality, we know that all we see above-mentioned techniques help cre- nified both Ishwar and Allah. This is what he felt — Ishwar a complete surrender to your guru. To the faith that exists after all that it around us is created by our mind ate a greater magnetic field in the high- Allah tero Naam, sabko sanmati de Bhagwan. That is You are follow, without question everything he takes to overcome all impediments to THAT EXISTS AFTER through our memories and tenden- er chakras that helps us to move up and the God, You are the Allah; let good sense prevail on every- advises you. This surrender and faith spiritual growth. The first step to lift- ALL THAT IT TAKES cies that exist within, the reality is just stay there. body. From that transcendental approach to the sectarian- will lead you to realise you are one with ing the veil of maya is to accept the formless ethereal energy. In Yoga Overcoming these impediments is ism of the present times, we certainly have come a long way the consciousness supreme and all life. illusion that is maya, for which you TO OVERCOME ALL Vashisht it is said, “When we see a not a onetime task, and is certainly not and the wrong way. As values crumble under the weight of It is when you reach this understand- need to have faith in the higher exist- IMPEDIMENTS TO mirage, we do not see hot air rise up, easy. It requires a commitment to con- ambition it is time to realise what Gandhi stood for. And ing that you have truly evolved. The ing reality. Realising that ‘I’ means when we see the hot air, the mirage sistently work towards the upliftment Gandhi did not say anything new. He only emphasised the thought of complete surrender is nothing and everything at the same SPIRITUAL GROWTH disappears. When one is seen as the of your aatma. Having said this, the spirit of Hinduism that was represented by Swami undoubtedly scary because with this time, that is to say every living being truth the other is not”. It is upto you right guidance will help you speed the Vivekananda. Catholicity is inherent in Hinduism and surrender comes thoughts of the fear is an extension of the supreme con- to accept the supreme consciousness process and make the instruction Gandhi practiced it. Liking or disliking Gandhi maybe mat- of the unknown, and complete faith in sciousness. The ego-self attached to in its ethereal state to be the reality much simpler to follow. ters of personal choices, but Gandhi still stands tall. something that we mistakenly believe every aspect of the physical world is to be able to life the veil of maya and The writer is the author of Hingori Sutras Pathak is a professor of management, writer, and an acclaimed we have absolutely no experience in one we must learn to detach from in look beyond. series of spiritual books public speaker. He can be reached at [email protected] Tame temper for a better life Choose God over self Anger steals valuable resources from the working memory and puts us in a fight We must be respectful and grateful to the Lord for all that He does for or flight mode, says R GIRIDHARAN, as he suggests ways to keep cool us. For, only He knows the big picture, writes AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI When you are finished, tell them, hat is the cosmic set-up? “What I really want is your love and There is God — the approval.” We are all seeking love and Womnipresent, the omnipo- approval. That’s what we want from tent and omniscient. We learn from everyone, and that’s what everyone wants Bhagavad Gita that God is everything from us. Love and approval brings har- (7.19), i.e. He is the Master of the uni- mony into our lives. verse. Then, there are gods and god- In order to be free, we need to release desses — special souls, who oversee the the old ties that bind us. So once again divine arrangement under the super- look into the mirror and affirm to your- intendence of God. (9.10) They reward self. “I am willing to release the need to and punish us souls according to our be an angry person.” Notice if you are karmas. We should not forget grahas really willing to let go or do you still want like the Sun, the Moon, etc. They affect to hang on to the past. our lives. We, souls, come next. We remain ● Exercise 3 — Reframing in this position in the hierarchy eter- Reframing in another method to nally, except some souls maybe promot- drain out suppressed anger. There is no ed to the level of gods and goddesses absolute reality in the world, everything is for exceptional karmas. Wise persons subjective reality, a reality from a particu- realise their limitations. These facts lar view point. Perspective therefore indicate that we should seek help from Gods and goddesses, who oversee follow dharma and use all our unique defuses the event. God, who is forever prepared to help. the workings of the material creation, resources including goodness, mental The second step would be to analyse Not only the higher authorities, we need deserve our respect for the task they ability and others for the common the event or events from the perspective generous help from the material nature have been entrusted. They occupy a good. We must contribute to the com- of all concerned that is get into the shoes also. The material nature is extremely very important position in the creation. mon pool, because it is for our bene- nger is a product of a three-way ● Exercise 1 — Write a Letter of the offender. important to us for existing well in our Lord Krishna has spoken several times fit. We should never try to become interaction between the nervous Think of someone who you are still material bodies. in The Gita about them and has coun- masters, because there is only one Asystem, the endocrine system and angry with. Perhaps it is an old anger. Ask yourself the following questions: Let’s look at this from another selled to please them. (3.11-12) Master, i.e. God. We must be respect- the circulatory system. Each time one gets Write this person a letter. Tell them all ● Is the situation relevant now? angle. When we are born, we are help- Somewhat similar is the situation with ful and thankful to the Lord for all He angry, the adrenal glands get over active your grievance and how you feel. Don’t ● Are the people still in my life? less. We need parental care to survive. the grahas. We can gain a lot by does for us. We need God for show- and release hormones in the blood hold back. Really express yourself. Use ● Are those people having the same When we grow up and get married, acquainting ourselves with their move- ing us the direction we should be tak- stream. The aroused amygdala stimulates additional paper if you need it. impact and power? onus falls upon us to have a good fam- ments and positions. When they are ing, because only He is aware of the big the adrenal glands to release hormones After you finished the letter, read it ● What can I learn from the event and ily life and grow a support group con- favourable for us, we benefit. Contrarily, picture. Only He can pinpoint our and once these hormones are released once. Then fold it and on the outside become better person. sisting of reliable people around us. if the movements of the grahas are exact role in the present life. And the into the blood stream, the blood pressure write: “What I really want is your love and A good reflection is what you need to God has provided the material unfavourable, the ill effects on us indi- fastest way to improve the quality of as well as the pulse rate increase provid- approval.” Then burn the letter and fix a volatile issue. So, tie your shoelaces nature for exploitation, not in the way vidually can be counteracted somewhat our lives is by serving the God and His ing one with the energy to deal with the release it. and embark on the voyage towards tam- some are presently doing, i.e. ignoring by worshiping the unfavourable grahas. system. perceived crises. However, every such ing the temper. Your mind and soul will the needs of the climate, polluting the Similarly, wearing particular stones Therefore, let us accept God whole- episode creates an imbalance in the body ● Exercise 2 — Mirror Work talk to your body more often and pots of atmosphere, water bodies, etc. We are depending on the birth date of an indi- heartedly and take His shelter as He has and causes long term damage. Take another person, or the same per- nectar are waiting to be served. supposed to cooperate with others to vidual is helpful in many cases. instructed. (18.62) Then, we will be If your anger is a longstanding one, son, you are angry with. Sit down in front A more pleasing personality means co-exist well. Instead, we choose to be Next we come to the system, i.e. really selfish, i.e. we will do ourselves you may require more elaborate methods of a mirror. Be sure to have some tissues more success. Robust health comes as a narrowly selfish, i.e. one rule for me and how everything functions. There are unbelievable favour. Yes, we should do to keep it under check. Louise Hay lists nearby. Look into your own eyes and see collateral. another for the rest. The result of such guidelines for us souls, which have that. some very powerful methods for the pur- the other person. Tell them what you are The writer is an author, behavioural behavior increases the degree of diffi- been clearly laid down in scriptures like Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached pose: so angry about. trainer, and sports commentator culty for us to live in this world. The Gita. (16.24) We must be dutiful, at [email protected] sunday magazine opinion 3 New Delhi, February 7, 2021 UK citizenship offer a twist in Hong Kong tale

nce known as world-class Council with immediate effect. should put an end to its special The Labour Party’s shadow Otrade centre, Hong Kong is The decision of the treatment of Hongkongers and Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy currently encountering an ever- National People’s Congress impose its own nationality law urged the Government to work aggressive mainland China. It (NPC) eventually disqualified on the city. The irony is that with its international partners is gradually slipping into an four members of the Hong though she is trying to make a through the UN to force an abyss. The locals are trying to Kong Legislative Council. Back strong case of China’s full inter- enquiry into police brutality in safeguard their basic freedom home in London, it was advo- vention in Hong Kong, the law- Hong Kong and also called for against the backdrop of the cated that this sudden move of maker is not receiving adequate the UK to re-examine its com- imposition of the draconian Beijing was a ploy to gag all support from even the pro- mercial relations with China. National Security Law in June voices critical of the policies Beijing bloc in the city Council. This will be an added support On one hand, the last year. Since then, millions adopted by the mainland Providing sanctuary to for Johnson to act swiftly and Boris Johnson are protesting on the road to authorities over the years. some millions of Hongkongers handle Chinese actions in register their utmost displea- Truly speaking, this new will not solve the crisis in the Hong Kong effectively. Government has just sure against the sudden cur- rule set by the bosses in China city. But certainly, this step How is the Xi regime react- moved out of the EU tailment of their rights and has become another tool to will offer an immediate relief to ing to this citizenship offer by and stalled further freedom. suppress the concerns of the some of the troubled citizens of the UK? Precisely, after the In the wake of massive locals in Hong Kong. Today, the territory. Even the MPs in British citizenship offer, the immigration from overhauling of the legal admin- the British Government feels the British House of Commons Sino-British relationship has other parts of Europe istration of Hong Kong, the that this decision of the NPC openly approved the citizenship come to almost a deadlock. UK, the former colonial mas- are in contravention of the offer to Hongkongers. How This month the Chinese to the UK. And ter of the city, proposed a citi- legally binding historic Sino- serious London is about the Government announced that it now, the same zenship offer to the islanders in British Declaration signed on current situation in its former will no longer recognise British Government has the middle of last year. Indeed, December 19, 1984 in Beijing. colony is very much evident the National (Overseas) passport as the offer is not only crucial for The Declaration which came way various government dig- a valid travel document or as a decided to welcome those suffering in Hong Kong, into effect on May 27, 1985 nitaries are responding to it. form of identification. more than three but it also reflects a strong con- clearly outlines the adminis- Particularly, Dominic Raab, This declaration from million Hongkongers cern on what is unfolding in trative arrangement of Hong the Foreign Secretary, expressed Beijing has come days before a the island territory. Kong after the withdrawal of his anguished by saying, “This new visa route for Hong Kong to the same land. The decision has also the UK on July 1, 1997. What is a special, bespoke, set of residents is to be opened in the What has provoked demonstrated the legacy of has been highlighted by the arrangements developed for UK. While reacting to the Johnson to make the British control for nearly a Westminster today is that the unique circumstances we announcement coming from century over this part of China. China has violated its earlier face and in light of our historic authoritarian Xi regime, the citizenship offer to When Hong Kong was hand- commitment of providing con- commitment to the people of Foreign, Commonwealth and millions of ed over to China by then Prime siderable autonomy to this for- Hong Kong.” Development Office (FCDO) Minister Margaret Thatcher mer colonial territory. In this July 7, 2019, thousands of protesters carrying the British flag march near the harbour of Hong Kong AP/File This is how he says China in London said it was disap- Hongkongers? to Deng Xiaoping, President of In fact, this high degree of could be cohesively forced to pointed but not surprised by China then, there was a call for autonomy and freedom of the autonomy of the territory. In ian regime of Beijing. Zedong. His expansionist allow the British Overseas the decision. But for Beijing, issuing this kind of unique cit- speech for Hong Kong was very fact, since the formal transfer of The decision to offer citi- trend, in fact, started with the Nationals to come over to the London’s Hong Kong inter- izenship offer from Britain. much guaranteed under the the territory, it has been admin- zenship to millions of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) UK. In fact, he termed China’s ventions simply reflect its age- However, such measures were Paragraph 3 and Annex I of the istered as the Hong Kong Special Hongkongers is indeed affect- through which he aims to current steps in Hong Kong as old colonial mentality only. not considered by the joint Declaration. The British Administrative Region ed by choices made some extend China’s economic a “flagrant assault” on the free- For Johnson, on one hand, Government of the UK during Government noted that this is (HKSAR). decades ago. It was a commit- prowess much beyond Asia. dom of speech and the right of his Government has just that time in July 1997. for the third time the Chinese Further, the mainland ment that Britain shared with The aggression of the Chinese peaceful assembly across the moved out of the EU and What has provoked the Government has breached the authorities have also commit- China to maintain the status state has increased manifold. island. The good part of the stalled further immigration current Boris Johnson regime legally binding Declaration ted to maintain a unique quo in Hong Kong until 2047. And one of the strongest man- concerns raised over Hong from other parts of Europe to to make the citizenship offer to since the handover of the ter- administrative system called But then China has violated the ifestations of it is Hong Kong. Kong in the UK is that these the UK. And now, the same millions of Hongkongers? On ritory in 1997. “One Country, Two Systems”, fundamental rights of free- With the coming of the cit- moves by the Johnson Government has decided to November 11, 2020, the The first such instance under which Beijing will follow dom of the islanders much izenship offer from Britain, Government almost enjoy sup- welcome more than three mil- Chinese parliament decided took place in 2016, the second, the Communist pattern and before the due date. Apparently, the counter reactions are pour- port from the Labour’s side as lion Hongkongers to the same that any Hong Kong legislator when Beijing imposed the this former colony will carry on all these started taking place ing in from the mainland and well. The Labour Party said it land. MAKHAN SAIKIA who promote or support Hong National Security Law in June with the capitalist system of with the coming of Xi Jinping the pro-establishment figures welcomed the Government’s However, as the UK is out Kong independence, refuse to 2020 and third in November economy and polity. And this to power in the year 2012. And in Hong Kong. Regina Ip, a action but said there must be no of the EU stranglehold, it is a recognise China’s sovereignty 2020. This clearly indicates autonomy, wherein basic rights now with his life-time presi- member of the Executive discrimination on those testament of the principle that over Hong Kong, seek foreign what Beijing is aiming to pur- and freedoms were to be dency, the international com- Council and Legislative allowed into the UK on the the country is now free to countries to interfere in the sue in Hong Kong. enjoyed by the Hongkongers munity could hardly expect any Council of Hong Kong, has basis of income or other factors. decide who comes in and who affairs of Hong Kong, or The root of the current cri- will be continued for another positive development in Hong already issued a call for issuing Even the party had gone goes out. Let’s wait and watch endanger the national securi- sis spearheaded by the Umbrella fifty years i.e. till 2047. Clearly, Kong. curbs on dual citizenship in the one step ahead and said that the how this new saga of migration ty of Hong Kong will be held Movement and various demo- many locals were happy that After removing two-term island. She has argued that UK also had the responsibility from Hong Kong to the UK guilty of the breach of the par- cratic protests lie in the blatant they will be able to have a free limits for the office of the those who obtain foreign to consider the responsibility of unfolds. liamentary oath and will be dis- violation of the Basic Law or life even under the Communist President, Xi has become the nationality should be stripped those who were not able to relo- qualified from the membership Mini Constitution under which China and will not be affected most powerful head of the of the right of abode. Even she cate or who wished to stay in (The writer is an expert on of the Hong Kong Legislative the NPC had agreed to respect by the opaque and authoritar- state after Chairman Mao is advocating that Beijing Hong Kong. international affairs)

PERSPECTIVE Multidisciplinary ecosystem for 21st century education e often forget people are pri- ing just on facts, facilitating com- ceed in becoming a good doctor. This method of approaching socio- Claude Shannon, who launched the cannot see at all. For instance, stu- Wmarily designed for action, not munication, and exchanging ideas. However, s/he will fail to become an economic problems from a multi- Information Age, took a course on dents might learn about molecules’ for listening to lectures, not for This is the value of a liberal edu- exceptional healer having wide- disciplinary perspective is a welcome philosophy to fulfil a requirement at motion by analogy to billiard-ball manipulating symbols, and not for cation proposed in the National spread respect among his patients. change from the privileged expert- the University of Michigan. collisions; principles of electricity can memorising facts. Perhaps that’s the Education Policy (NEP 2020) as An architect who is yet to incul- silo perspective. In it, he was exposed to the work be understood with analogies to reason we still continue to deploy these opposed to learning that you need to cate a habit of appreciating the his- The intent is to design diverse of self-taught 19th-century English water flow through plumbing. three methods while imparting most get a job. tory of beautiful artistic expression courses that allow students to expe- logician George Boole. He was the Concepts from biology serve as of our primary and higher education. So far, the educational institutes through monuments might become rience relevant local community one who assigned a value of 1 to true analogies to inform the cutting edge In fact, educators have known this at of the 20th century have had a great a professional architect. However, service as part of their curriculum so statements and 0 to false statements of artificial intelligence: “neural net- least since philosopher of education run in signaling certain qualities like s/he will fail to become an excep- that it helps them become socially and showed that logic problems works” that learn how to identify As long as we keep John Dewey advised in 1938: intelligence, diligence, compliance, tionally creative designer capable of conscious citizens. could be solved like math equations. images from examples (when resisting all the “There should be brief intervals of and conformity to potential employ- making someone stop and appreci- And as envisaged in the NEP, this It resulted in absolutely nothing of you search cat pictures, for instance) time for quiet reflection provided for ers. As a result, there is a widespread ate the expression of beauty. is made possible by combining the practical importance until seventy were conceived as akin to the neu- changes needed to even the young. But they are periods clamour among students to get Therefore, as proposed in NEP conceptual knowledge with practical years after Boole passed away when rons of the brain, and “genetic algo- overhaul the of genuine reflection only when they themselves validated through a high- 2020, rather than making students engagement having real-world impli- Shannon did a summer internship at rithms” are conceptually based on outdated legacy of follow after times of more overt er degree, as it presumably increas- choose only one subject for further cations through fieldwork, internship, AT& T’s Bell Labs research facility. evolution by natural selection —solu- action and are used to organise what es the probability of landing a well- studies, the focus should be on iden- workshop, and student research pro- He recognised that he could tions are tried, evaluated, and the the 20th-century has been gained in periods of activi- paying job. tifying their strengths through con- ject. Even the pedagogy for courses combine telephone call-routing tech- more successful solutions pass on educational ty in which the hands and other parts The undercurrent of this line of tinuous multidisciplinary exploration strive for significantly less rote learn- nology with Boole’s logic system to properties to the next round of of the body, besides the brain, are thought usually gets a strong expres- so that they could spend a majority ing with an increased emphasis on encode and transmit any information solutions. ecosystem, we used.” sion when students are told to score of their time on subjects that aligns communication, discussion, and electronically. It was the fundamen- We live in a society where the wouldn't be able to The history of liberal education exceptionally well on the standard- perfectly with their interest. opportunities for cross-disciplinary tal insight on which computers rely. gap between the ideal and practice prepare our next has so far made us believe that the ised test. It makes them eligible to Once the interest based on their and interdisciplinary thinking. It just happened that no one else was is so immense that we could park a purpose of education should be to pursue further studies in the presti- strength is identified correctly, stu- Compared to other scientists, familiar with both those fields at the fleet of Boeing 777 in the existing generation for the give people the knowledge and skills gious STEM — Science, Technology, dent invariably ends up on the path Nobel laureates or nationally recog- same time. space. Given that we don’t have a very challenges and to be independent thinkers. However, Engineering, and Mathematics — of deep learning. And in the process, nised scientists are much more like- In liberal education, exploration encouraging track record of imple- opportunities of the the idea that education should field where every other stream finds they become consistently good at ly to be musicians, sculptors, painters, is not just a whimsical luxury; it is a menting the ideals engraved in well- increase intellectual independence is itself at the mercy of the STEM field producing exceptional results. printmakers, woodworkers, mechan- central benefit. Learning stuff is of intended policy documents, the 21st century a very narrow view of learning. It to attract the rest of the talented lot. The purpose of higher education ics, electronics tinkerers, glass-blow- secondary importance than learning actual implementation of holistic and ignores the fact that knowledge As long as we don’t find any fault is more than just creating high pay- ers, poets, or fiction writers. about oneself; the emphasis is on liberal learning by adopting a mul- depends a lot on others as well. in subscribing to a free market doc- ing job opportunities for students. Spanish Nobel laureate Santiago developing all capacities of a human tidisciplinary approach as proposed Learning, therefore, isn’t just trine — where only skills and expe- According to the National Education Ramón y Cajal, the father of mod- being — intellectual, physical, emo- in the NEP 2020 will require us to go about developing new knowledge riences that are directly convertible Policy, quality education has an ern neuroscience, says that “it tional, aesthetic, and moral — in an beyond our usual method of com- and skills. It’s also about learning to to income are considered useful — inherent responsibility to play an appears as though they are scatter- integrated manner. mitment and execution. collaborate with others, recognising the need for the education system to enabling role in personal accom- ing and dissipating their energies, With the visible change in this Since the stakeholders (parents, what knowledge we have to offer and make itself sufficiently market plishment, constructive public while in reality they are channeling emphasis, even the assessment needs teachers, and employers) involved in what gaps we must rely on others to aligned remains the top priority, engagement, and productive contri- and strengthening them.” to introduce a criterion-based grad- this whole scheme of things do suf- help us fill. where it doesn’t find any problem in bution to society. In fact, the main conclusion of ing system to optimise the learning fer from a skewed mindset, it is In a community of knowledge, serving as a certification agency. The broader objective is to work that took years of studying sci- goals, where the learning goals aren’t imperative to bring visible changes an individual is like a single piece in Historically, vocational training engage faculty and students with entists and engineers, all of whom cast in iron. Students are assessed not in their perspective. The speed with a jigsaw puzzle. Understanding institutes have been doing the same, local communities to learn a thing or were regarded by peers as true tech- only on academic aspects but also on which we can correct the existing where you fit requires understand- fulfilling the industry-specific two about real world problems while nical experts, was that those who did the broad capacities and dispositions skewness in their perception would ing what you know and what others demand for a particular set of skills functioning in collaborative, inclu- not make a creative contribution to that are the goals of liberal education. decide the ultimate fate of imple- PIYUSH KAMAL know that you don’t. — exemplifying the utilitarian model sive, and cross-disciplinary ways. their field lacked aesthetic interests Along with critical thinking, the menting the National Education Learning your place in a com- of education. For instance, students opting to outside their narrow area. faculty makes it a point to complement Policy (NEP 2020). munity of knowledge requires Should the entire curriculum be do their major in social work might As psychologist and prominent the curriculum learnings through As long as we keep resisting all becoming aware of all the knowledge made hostage to occupational gain a lot in having interdisciplinary creativity researcher Dean Keith the magic of analogical thinking, the changes needed to overhaul the outside of yourself. And that’s where prospects existing in the current job dialogues on the topics of home- Simonton observed, “rather than keeping students’ needs in mind. outdated legacy of the 20th-century the interdisciplinary approach of market? lessness, poverty, and crimes with obsessively focus(ing) on a narrow The pedagogy of analogical educational ecosystem, we wouldn’t acquiring liberal education becomes The premise that acquiring students pursuing their majors in topic,” creative achievers tend to have thinking takes the new and makes it be able to prepare our next genera- more relevant, where skills like knowledge only helps someone grab criminal jurisprudence. The analy- broad interests. familiar, takes the familiar, puts it in tion for the challenges and oppor- empathy and the ability to listen a high-paying job is very limited in sis of multiple deep-rooted problems This breadth in interest often sup- a new light, and allows humans to tunities of the 21st century. become more valuable to work well its scope. from a completely different vantage ports insights that cannot be attrib- reason through problems they have with others. This also means teach- A doctor who is not exposed to point invariably throws more con- uted to domain-specific expertise never seen in unfamiliar contexts. It (The writer is an educator and ing critical thinking skills, not focus- the concept of empathy might suc- textual and sustainable solutions. alone. For instance, electrical engineer also allows us to understand what we former IRS officer) sunday magazine BEING ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH MEANS UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SOURCE OF YOUR TROUBLE AND THE SOURCE tarot 4 OF YOUR WELLBEING ARE WITHIN YOU — SADHGURU New Delhi, February 7, 2021

YOUR YEAR AHEAD MADHU KOTIYA

ARIES March 21-April 19 LEO July 23-Aug 22 SAGITTARIUS Nov 22-Dec 21 This week your health will be good. You are outgoing Suppressing your emotions will impact your body This week your health graph will improve. If you are and energetic and some quick movements will keep negatively. Be careful about how, when, and where you dealing with a serious illness already, new and improved you busy and you will enjoy doing so. You will have the vent your emotional reactions. Anything that reduces healing system or new doctor will bring hope. Think drive and determination to move forward. Do not force your stress level will be helpful now, that could be a five- positively and expect the best, and do not hesitate to ask things, as that is likely to backfire on you. On the minute walk. Your emotions are the gateway to opening for healthcare if you need it. Your life will get a new profession front, this is not the right time to take up your spiritual life. Professionally, this is a great time meaning if you reach out to spiritual practices and have important decisions. You may feel as if your energy is to take some time off from work, if you can, to relax. immense faith in God. On the career front, keep the office blocked. Secret motives, undercover information could Meditation, solutions, commitments and confrontations and personal life separate. You are likely to try a different make you tensed up. There is a need to go deep into can and should be made now. This will bring positive tactic or may even choose to leave the job that you’re the matter and find a solution for your anxieties, fears changes in your career. On the relationship front, those currently in. Due to sensitive time, if you plan to stay and psychic blocks so that they will no longer haunt committed will enjoy a happy, generous, fair and back then look for alternate ways to make your work you. On the personal front, this week will be filled with balanced relationship for at least a while. You and your easier. In the matter of heart, mild conflicts with the romance and passion. The time and energy you have partner should have a fair contribution to the loved ones are indicated. Allow your partner to have his invested in the past will now give you rich dividends. relationship. or her space for a healthy relationship.

Lucky number 13 Lucky number 12 Lucky number 11 Lucky colour Maroon Lucky colour Brown Lucky colour Golden Lucky day Wednesday Lucky day Thursday Lucky day Monday

TAURUS April 20-May 20 VIRGO Aug 23-Sep 22 CAPRICORN Dec 22-Jan 19 This week you will easily overcome past problems that This week health issues may bother you. Take one This is a good time to improve your health. You will keep you’ve been facing and it will soothe tensions in your moment at a time, think positively, and know that it may a positive attitude which is very important and supportive relationships. On the career front, a little sorrow arises take a while to get to the bottom of what is happening. of good health. You will feel loving toward everyone and but you will overcome the situation and also understand Believe in yourself, ask questions, and educate yourself everything. Share that good energy, others might need it the necessity for that brief sorrow. As peace and joy enter as much as you can. Keep working and things will be too. Going for a walk or doing yoga with your friend or your career sector, you will see that the previous change fine. On the work front, big ideas coupled with partner is good for your health and wellbeing. simply energised you to enter a more profitable phase. determination will help you achieve your targets. Choose Professionally, you will be wise to follow established The week looks promising in terms of finance. The money your projects wisely. This is a period of increased social structures and traditions. Some of you may will be coming your way through different sources. Your studying and learning. Join a course to further your consider starting your own business or join the family dream may come true, maybe not in the form you knowledge. Artistic interests will draw your attention. On business. You feel happy being self-employed than expected. On the personal front, various events are likely the love front, know that love doesn’t know of age. Love working for others. You may meet someone new through to happen that will guide you in a direction that is most can mean that someone is about to sweep you off your your work, or feel attracted to your working colleagues. auspicious for you. Don’t lose hope when things are not feet. Give them a chance. Existing relationships find ways On the love front, those in a committed relationship, be as per your planning. Destiny knows what is right for you. to bring more charm in their life. sure that your communication is as clear as it can be.

Lucky number 7 Lucky number 10 Lucky number 20 Lucky colour White Lucky colour Yellow Lucky colour Grey Lucky day Monday Lucky day Sunday Lucky day Friday

GEMINI May 21-June 20 LIBRA Sep 23-Oct 22 AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18 You are on a fast track. Be careful when exercising; This week stress may take a mighty toll. Look at ways to This week be on a lookout as there may be information there could be minor injuries or sprains. If you are in ease your risk factors and to deal with stress. If all else about your health that has not yet come to light. If you the process of healing from an injury, don’t overdo it, fails, think about changing your lifestyle and the things feel that something is amiss with your health, believe in or you may end up in shape worse than you were you’re spending your money on. On the career front, you your concerns and advocate for yourself. Be sure that earlier. On the work front, use your energy in creative need to take care of emotional matters and relationships you are supporting yourself as best you can with diet, pursuits. There may be some constraints in the with colleagues and boss, which had given you tense exercise, nutrition and vitamins/minerals. On the career workplace. You will experience stagnation/retirement moments in the past. The situation will improve and you front, you miss a wonderful opportunity which has the or job is very demanding which you find it difficult. must make the best use this time to repair and improve potential to bring satisfying improvement in your Worrying about your job is not going to help matters. your contacts and enhance your career. The changes you status. Focus on your strengths, on what you do have Focus on what you can control, and try to leave your make at this time will lead to interesting money-making and can do, not what you can’t do and don’t have. On anxiety by the wayside. On the personal front, opportunities later on. On the relationship front, try to the love front, know that a little effort goes a long way conflicts, a difference of opinions are foreseen in the give your partner some breathing space. A lifestyle if you’re looking to improve your love life today. This is relationship area. There are restlessness and change may not please everyone but it should lift your a good time to look hard at yourself as to whether you unreliability. Learn to value others opinions and words. spirits. are being realistic with regards to love.

Lucky number 2 Lucky number 16 Lucky number 3 Lucky colour Green Lucky colour Orange Lucky colour Sky Blue Lucky day Friday Lucky day Tuesday Lucky day Thursday

CANCER June 21-July 22 SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 21 PISCES Feb 19-March 20 This week your life is likely to get affected by worry, This week you must manage your stress level to stay in Your firm approach towards life can help solve the stress, and anxiety. Be sure to take good care of good health. Deal with any problems that come up problems. Restless mind and aggression will bring yourself and to the best of your capabilities. Balance physically. Ensure you get enough rest. If you need increased BP problems and hypertension. You have an in exercise, food and water intake, and getting healing, ask for it. Hearty talk with friends will go a long intelligent and sensitive nature, and you may suffer if adequate rest is a must. Breathing exercises and way toward keeping you healthy and sane. On the there is no channel to vent your ideas and feelings. On meditation are particularly useful for you now. On the professional front, conflict with a superior will lead you the career front, go ahead with creative ideas. This is the career front, some unexpected event may surprise to change track. Try not to close all doors, unless you right time for making deals, connections and you. You may decide to leave your job if you are have another opportunity. You need to be patient as this collaborations. Increase in your confidence is indicated. currently working, even if it is a good job because is a temporary situation. Self-improvement projects will Don’t rush, finish what you have started before you your heart is no longer in it. You want to follow your be successful and bring you added confidence. You will decide to call off. On the relationship front, your logical dream, no matter what it is. On the personal front, make progress by making corrections. Try to be nature may spoil your connection with your partner. you will be able to establish a solid family line and adjusting with the current environment; success is within Avoid heated arguments. You need to be grounded and become a pillar of a wide network of family members. your reach. On the personal front, committed relationship firm in your decisions. Your partner may be very You are practical and grounded. will need to take action for survival. demanding. You need to honest with him/her.

Lucky number 8 Lucky number 5 Lucky number 9 Lucky colour Red Lucky colour Indigo Lucky colour Magenta Lucky day Saturday Lucky day Saturday Lucky day Sunday Madhu Kotiya is a tarot card reader, spiritual healer, and Founder, MShezaim Institute of Tarot and Divination. Contact details: [email protected], www.indiatarot.com, M: 9873283331

ASTROTURF BHARAT BHUSHAN PADMADEO Preparing for Dhyana

hyana does not warrant trying Even atheist or agnostics can pursue make undesirable choices, and evident- and accordingly, we need to be pre- comes Yama. This calls for consciously to forcefully stop our thoughts the process and draw benefit, as the ly to one’s detriment. The impressions pared to wilfully adjust to its callings. restraining all unseemly conduct — D immediately when the process process is all about securing orderly there of, remain in our minds, often Also, never forget that hurdles have to negative and immoral in nature. The is taken up. Remember, mind is invari- functioning of mind. Religious bringing in a sense of guilt. For, at come in the way. Without getting second step, Niyama, calls for submit- ably loaded with a bundle full of or spiritual belief does, how- the base level remains the ideal unnerved, one would need to continue ting oneself to a set of moral discipline, thoughts, difficult to be stifled to one’s ever, help invoke one’s emo- on which life stands, which the efforts. We are very much empow- as guided by our Guru and the scrip- asking. The inlaid thoughts will contin- tions, and thereby calls for reminds us of our own ered to intelligently take on the oddi- tures. In this context, it is pertinent to ue to knock us from within. So, one is a sense of love towards fault line. It would be, ties and hazards coming our way, with note that unless the intent is pure, and bound to be confronted with distrac- our cherished destina- however, desirable not ease and comfort. We just need to be the means adopted are right, one tion, and all the more during medita- tion. That helps pur- to carry any sense of alert enough to consciously invoke our would lack the spirit necessary to carry tion. Following withdrawal of senses sue the process with guilt for some wrong indwelling empowerment tool — the forward the process in right earnest. from the outer world, the indwelling ease and comfort done earlier. Better faculty of discriminate intelligence — Asana: Towards the third step, one thought impressions come into active and greater intensi- try to ensure that the well in time and put them to use. This needs to acquire a posture suited to play. So, as you begin, you are bound to ty. mistakes do not may help intelligently negotiate with effortlessly follow the process, is what be flooded with thoughts, and there- Avoid guilt recur through challenges coming our way. the word asana means. This, however, fore, needs to be accepted as a neces- consciousness: It repeated auto sug- Loving the process: Before we would be possible, only when one is sary part of the process. All that is also needs to be gestion. Otherwise, begin, first, one needs to firm up the physically fit and bodily agile. needed is to train our minds to remain remembered that you may fall into a mind and resolve to pursue dhyana Remember, but for due support from disengaged from those thoughts. It is we are all born guilt trap, which may process in right earnest. Second, have gross-body platform, mind and the ele- important to note here that only when imperfect, and otherwise add to your faith in one’s own self, and induce a ment of consciousness, would not you pay attention to something that it therefore, we are all negative imprints, sense of love towards what you are pur- manifest. In fact, the gross body is per- could affect you. But following the fallible. Our impres- already overloaded suing. It will not simply motivate you ceived as temple of God, as the soul process in right earnest does eventually sionable minds often from before. to carry forward the task in right (the consciousness element) dwells drive away all inconsequential thought get caught up in the Consequently, it may earnest, but also make you put in your within. impressions out of our reckoning, as tempting influences of the retard your efforts. whole. Remember, unless you love The writer is an astrologer, vastu consultant would be otherwise repeatedly chasing glare and glitter of the Be ready for change: doing what you intend to, you may fail and spiritual counsellor. Write to him at us from within. seeming world, often illusion- Bear in mind, the transitory to put in qualitative effort, nor would G-1102, Bharat Nagar, New Friends Colony, Religious belief not mandatory: ary. Following which, we feel like world we live in, is subject to con- you enjoy it. New Delhi-1110 025 The process does not call for having making it our dream destination. In tinued societal churning, leading to Yama and Niyama: Now coming Tel: 91-111-449848475/9818037273 any religious or spiritual belief either. the process, unmindfully, we often change. Therefore, change is inevitable, back to the eight-fold path, first in line, Email: [email protected]

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