DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD,CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA,LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018-20RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57
JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES SINCE 1932 `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 2 THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020
TAMILNADU NEWSPRINT AND PAPERS LIMITED KAGITHAPURAM -639 136, KARUR DIST. TAMIL NADU Phone: 04324-277 001 (10 LINES) NOTICEINVITINGTENDER Tender Material Description Due Date No. 202113 Sodium Soap (Imported) required for 31.12.2020 004213 Deinking Plant(QTY. (MT) -360) 202113 Procurementof90GSM Plain KraftSheets of 004248 various sizes -450 MT 04.01.2021 202113004213 [email protected] Planning Department Email 202113004248 -purchase.packing @tnpl.co.in Government of Meghalaya Terms &Conditions, Tender Fee, EMD areavailableinTender documentat Secretariat Main Building our websites: www.tnpl.com/ www.tenders.tn.gov.in DIPR/4747/Tender/2020 TNPL -Maker of bagasse based eco-friendly Paper M.G.Road, Shillong -793001 e-mail: [email protected] RFP No.PLR.100/2020/78 Dated Shillong the 16th December,2020 Request for Proposal Planning Department, Government of Meghalaya invites bids for engagement of an agency for Development, Implementation and Maintenance of Scheme Management System under Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture (MeghEA) as per detailed specifications provided in the RFP document to act as reliable System Integrator. Scheme Management System has been envisioned to enable several services such as processing of proposals for sanction submitted by all Departmentsofthe Government of Meghalaya, monitor sanction status and review sanction proposals. REP document can be downloaded from the website http://megplanning.gov.in/. Important Dates: Floating of RFP document: 16.12.2020 Last date of submission of queries on RFP: 27.12.2020 Pre-bid conference :28.12.2020 Last date of submission of Bids :08.01.2021 The bid document should reach the above address before the last date (and time) of submission. Sd/- [R. Lyngdoh] Officer on Special Duty &exofficio MIPR No.1554 Joint Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, ¹fcªfeÀfe-OXeEBÊ IYfg³ÀffgdMÊX¹f¸fRYfgSX ÀffBadMXdRYIY dSXÀf¨fÊ dt.17/12/2020 Planning Department UGC-DAE CONSORTIUM FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH Government of India Department of Atomic Energy (¹fcd³f½fdÀfÊMe ¦fif³MÐÐÀf I¸feVf³f, ³fBÊ dQ»»fe IeÀ½ff¹fØf ÀfaÀ±ff) Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology IYû»fIYf°ff IZY³ýi ENGINEERING GROUP Kolkata Centre Vashi Complex,NaviMumbai 400703 LB-8, Sector-III, Bidhannagar, Kolkata-700106 ^maVr¶ {dkmZ {ejm Ed§ AZwg§YmZ g§ñWmZ nwUo NOTICE INVITING TENDER INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH PUNE (An Autonomous Institution of Ministry of Education, Govt. of India) Tender No.BRIT/SS&L/Logistics/2020/110 NOTICE INVITING TENDER No. 01-03/2020-21 UGC-DAE CSR, Kolkata Centre of the Consortium invites separately sealed Dr.Homi Bhabha Road, Pune -411 008 lwww.iiserpune.ac.in Sealed tenders are invited for and on behalf of the President of India by the Chief Executive, BRIT,Vashi, Navi Mumbai -400 703 from bids in Two Bid System i.e. Part-A (Eligibility) &Part-B (Financial Bid) reputed agencies /operators as follows - from eligible bidder(s) for the following services. (1) Providing Manpower Providing IT enabled authorized logistics services on behalf of BRIT-DAE (Skilled &Unskilled) for housekeeping &infrastructural support services at Nature of work in asafe, secure and timely manner for consignments of Radiopharmaceuticals the Office of UGC-DAE CSR, KC (2) Providing Security Services at the /Radiography cameras on pan India basis. Office &Guest house of UGC-DAE CSR, KC. (3) Providing Canteen Duration of Contract 1Year extendable further to two more years at the expiry of 1year contract Services at the Guest house &Office of UGC-DAE CSR, KC. period, subject to semi-annual performance review by the purchaser and Complete details, eligibility criteria &general guidelines for the tenderers strictly at the same rates /cost /terms and conditions as during Iyear. are available on our website www.iuc.res.in and also are available on the e- Estimated Cost of the contract 630 lakh (All Inclusive) p.a. Publishing system of CPPP, Government of India. Interested bidders are requested to visit the above site in order to view/download the tender Earnest Money Deposit Bid Security Declaration to be submitted documents. The last date for submission of complete bid(s) at the above Performance Guarantee 3%ofthe work order value upfront prior to award of the Contract address, with Tender Fee as detailed in the tender documents is 15/01/2021 Security Deposit 2.5 %ofthe work order value recoverable from the monthly Bills at 15.00 hrs. All future corrigendum, addendums, amendments and revisions, Date of Display of Tender Document December 19, 2020 if any with regard to this NIT, shall be detailed /uploaded on our institute on Website website Pre-Bid Conference January 9, 2021at 1400 hrs at BRIT,Vashi Complex UGC-DAE CSR, KC Last Date for submission of Tender February 3, 2021 up to 1400 hrs Date and Time of opening of Technical Bid February 3, 2021 at 14:30 hrs at BRIT,Vashi Complex Contact details for clarification regarding DGM, ISOMED, BRIT ([email protected]) TAMILNADU CIVIL SUPPLIES CORPORATION tender documents HO: No.12, THAMBUSAMY ROAD,KILPAUK, CHENNAI-600010. 1. Tender documents consists of :Notice Inviting Tender (Annexure-I),Detailed Scope of work (Annexure-II), Eligibility criteria VEHICLE DISPOSAL NOTICE SHORTTERM E-TENDER NOTICE for Bidder(Annexure-III),Terms &Conditions of the Contract(Annexure-IV), Special Conditions of contract (Annexure-V), Office of the Principal DirectorofCommercial No. :QC2/035813/2020 Dated:17.12.2020 Letter of Transmittal (Annexure-VI), Format of Certificate from aScheduled Bank (Annexure-VII), Technical Bid (Annexure- Audit, bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai -400 051, Short Term E-Tender No.: TNCSC/20-21/ET/17 VIII-A),Financial Bid (Annexure- VIII-B), Bid Evaluation Scheme(Annexure-VIII-C),Undertaking (Annexure-IX), Form of intends to dispose Office StaffCar/2011- Maruti Tamil Nadu Civil SuppliesCorporation invites Online electronictender for “The Supply of 5,000 Nos. of LowDensity Black Polyethylene Covers having the Performance Guarantee (Bank Guarantee) Bond (Annexure-X), Declaration (Annexure-XI), Bid Security Declaration (Annexure Suzuki SX4 on "asiswhere is" basis. The interested sizeof9.8 x6.4 x5.2 meters with 250 micron thickness.” –XII),Tentative List of Destination Airport (Annexure-XIII), Checklist for the Bidder (Annexure-XIV). individuals /Dealers may refer agmaha.cag.gov.in Complete Short Term E-Tender documentcan be viewed, downloaded and for detailed terms and Conditions uploaded through https://www.mstcecommerce.com/eprochome/tncsc 2. Interested Agencies may submit the tender documents complete in all respect along with the Bid Security Declaration. If the Sd/- from 19.12.2020to29.12.2020. Bidder/Contractor refuses to accept their bidding due to their own reasons, they will be suspended for the time as notified (Vidya Muraleedharan) The biddershavetoparticipate in online bidding only with Digital Signature Certificate(DSC) of Class-III. by the Government of India. Sr.Audit Officer /Admn ForRegistration and further details contact MSTC LIMITED, 3. Tender document can be downloaded from our website: www.britatom.gov.in up to January 2, 2021. Phone: (044) 25222842 /25251910 /25261005 e-Mail : [email protected] 4. Bidders are required to submit the following in separate sealed and super scribedenvelopes indicating: - LastDatefor Online Submission : 29.12.2020 upto 02.00 PM Short Term E-Tender Opening Date and Time : 29.12.2020 at 3.30 PM Envelope No. Superscription DIPR/ 4750 /Tender/2020 MANAGING DIRECTOR Envelope-I Bid Security Declaration Government of India Envelope-II Technical Bid BhaBha atomIc ReseaRch centRe Envelope-III Financial Bid hot LabUtility &engg. services section north site, trombay,mumbai–400 085 The envelopes shall be then put in acover sealed and super scribed “Tender No.BRIT/SS&L/Logistics/2020/110” notIce InvItInG e-tendeRs *Note –:Bidder to submit aduly signed “Bid Security Declaration” accepting that if they withdraw or modify their bids during period The Chief Engineer and Head, HLU&ESS, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, North Site, Trombay,Mumbai –400 085 on of validity etc., they will be suspended for the time notified by the Government of India. behalf of the President of India invites online item rate tenders on 5. Copies of Income Taxreturns filed for preceding 3financial years, copy of PAN/GIR Card number of the Bidder and two bid system for following works :- copy of GST Registration should be submittedalong with technical bid. 1. NIT No. BARC/HUES/RE-155/03/2020-21, Name of work – 6. Tenders may be depositedinthe Tender Box provided at the Security Counter or submitted in person or sent through speed post/ Supply,Installation, Testing &Commissioning of minimum 10 – passengers Lift (machine Room type) with removing &buyback of couriersoastoreach to General Manager,ESSA, Board of Radiation &Isotope Technology,BRIT-BARC,Vashi Complex,Sector-20, old lift &Comprehensive AMC of the lift at NHCF building, RLG, Vashi, Navi Mumbai-400703orhis authorized representative on or before February 3, 2021 up to 1400 hrs (or the next working BARC, Trombay,Mumbai-400085. Estimated cost–Rs.24 Lakhs. day if the tender receiving date happens to be aGovernment holiday or closed working day). Period of completion –08months, Tender Processing Fee -Rs. 1416/-. Dates for downloading of tender documents:15/12/2020 7. Pre-Bid Enquires will be permitted prior to submission of Technical and Financial Bids.Accordingly,aPrebid Conference would be (10:00 Hrs) to 28/12/2020 (18:00 Hrs.) Last date and time scheduled on January 9,2021 at 1400 hrs at BRIT,Vashi Complex of closing online submission of tender – 05/01/2021 8. The Technical Bid will be opened on February 3,2021 at 14:30 hrs.atBRIT,Vashi Complex, in the presence of attending Bidders. (15.00 Hrs.) Date and time of onlineopening of Part –A: 9. The envelope containing Bid Security Declaration will be opened first. The Technical Bid of the Bidders shall be opened only if 07/01/2021 (14.00 hrs.) Changes if any,inthe above scheduleddates etc. will be notified the Bid Security Declaration is found to be in order. only in the website www.tenderwizard.com/DAE 10. TheFinancial Bid of the technically qualified bidder shall only be opened. Financial Bid should be valid for aminimumperiod of Contact for assistance /clarifications 24x7 @9969395522 Shri. 120days from the date of opening of Technical Bid. Rudresh, email: : [email protected] Chief Engineer,HLU&ESS 11. In case of successful Bidder,the Bidder shalldeposit an amount equal to 3% (three percent) of the work order value as irrevocable performance guaranteeinone of the following forms within aperiod of 15 days from the date of issueofletter of intent: U.T. Administration of Daman &Diu (a) Demand Draft /Bankers Cheque in favour of Pay&Accounts Officer,BRIT U.T. Administration of Daman &Diu Public Works Department, WD-1, 2nd Floor, Multi Public Works Department, WD-1, 2nd Floor, Multi or office complex, Near Mati Daman Market, Mati Daman. office complex, Near Mati Daman Market, Mati Daman. (b)Fixed DepositReceipt (FDR) of State Bank of India/Scheduled Bank. No. PWD/DMN/AB/TC/6376 Dated: 05/12/2020 No. PWD/DMN/AB/TC/6377 Dated: 05/12/2020 or E-TENDER NOTICE NO. 81/2020-21 E-TENDER NOTICE NO. 82/2020-21 (c) An irrevocable Bank Guarantee (BG)inthe form prescribed by theGovernment from aScheduled Bank or State The Public WorksDepartment, Daman &Diu invites ten- The Public Works Department, Daman &Diu invites tenders from Bank of India. ders from eligible contractors/parties to participate in the eligible contractors /parties to participate in the followIng ten- followIng tenders: or ders: (d)The FDR/BG shallbevalid forthe period of contract plus afurther claimperiod of one month beyond the contractperiod. 1Construction of Police Station 2020_DAMAN_1220_1 1Providing, Fixing and Shifting of 2020_DAMAN_1223_1 and Police Housing Quarters 12 The work orderwillbeissuedonly after the said performance guarantee in any one of the prescribed forms is received and existing /new raw &treated water at Various places in Daman. accepted, failing which thePurchaser shallwithoutprejudice to any other right or remedy available in law, be at liberty to gravity and distribution pipeline (E-30020) proceed as per the duly signed bid security declaration submitted by the bidder. network from D'mart Junction, 13. In addition to above, the successful bidder is requiredtoremit Security Deposit amount of 2.5% of the work order value which Kalaria upto Dabhel Check Post, 2Renovation of the Secretariat 2020_DAMAN_1221_1 rd shall be deducted at 5% of the gross amount of each bill, till total Security deposit is recovered. The entire Security Deposit (E-11560) Building at Moti Daman. (3 call) shall be refunded after the successful completion of the contract and payment of final bill. No Interest will be payable on the 2Providing, supplying, lowering, lay- 2020_DAMAN_1224_1 3Widening and Strengthening 2020_DAMAN_1222_1 Security Deposit. ing &jointing of D.l. K-7 distribution of road from Tin Balli to Devka Beach upto Hotel Princess 14. Incomplete Tenders and Tenders without the Bid Security Declaration /prescribed documents will be summarily rejected pipeline network from the Dholar Park at Nani Daman. 15. BRIT takes no responsibility for delay,loss or non-receipt of tender sent by post. junction upto Jampore Beach School at Moti Daman. (5th Call) (E-11542) (E-23661) (EPC MODE) 16. Chief Executive, BRIT on behalf of the President of India does not bind himself to accept the lowest or any other The last date forsubmission of bids: 21/12/2020 at 14:00 hrs. tender and reserves to himself the authority to reject any or all of the tenders without citing any reasons. Tenders, in which any The last date for submission of bids: 19/12/2020 at 14:00 hrs. Forfurther details and downloadIng of tender document of the prescribed conditions is not fulfilled or any condition including that of conditional rebate is put forth by the Bidder,shall be For further details and downloadIng of tender document please visit our www.daman.nic.in and https://ddtenders.gov.in pleasevisitour www.daman.nic.in and summarily rejected https://ddtenders.gov.in Sd/- Sd/- Deputy General Manager,ISOMED No. IP/DMN/2/5/20-21/327 (Executive Engineer) Date :19.12.2020 No. IP/DMN/2/5/20-21/327 (Executive Engineer) For and on behalf of President of India Dt.- 17-12-2020 PWD, WD-I, Daman Place :Mumbai Dt.- 17-12-2020 PWD,WD-I, Daman DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD,CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA,LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018-20RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57
JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES SINCE 1932 `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM CBI says Hathras teenwas gangraped; REPEATSOFFER TO ADDRESS CONCERNS question marks over UP police claim MSPtocontinue,lies Chargesheetfiled Officials’role clear, truth beingspreadaboutnew against4accused undergangrape, can’t be hidden: family murder sections laws:PMtofarmers father sawthe news on TV and AMILBHATNAGAR startedcrying," said the 28-year- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE &JIGNASASINHA old. Slams Opposition: Theylostpolitical Birender Singh, LUCKNOW,NEWDELHI, NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 Contradicting the police's DECEMBER18 claim that the 19-year-old had ground,soscaring farmers on land loss ex-minister AS THE CBI submittedits notbeen sexuallyassaulted,the CONTRADICTINGTHE Uttar chargesheetinthe Hathrascase chargesheetsays thefour upper Pradesh Police's claim that the Friday, only the eldestbrother of casteaccused had gangraped the and BJP leader, 19-year-old Dalit woman killed the 19-year-old Dalit woman was woman on September 14 before in Hathras allegedly by upper present from the familyatthe leavingher fordead. breaks ranks to caste menhad notbeen raped, The sitewherethe woman wascremated on Sept30. Express file Hathras District Court, located Another brother,20, said: the CBI on Fridayfileda notfar from their home. Her par- "Since the incident, our neigh- back farmers chargesheetagainstthe four on entsweren'ttoldachargesheet bours, the villagers and even the chargesofgangrape and murder. vant Sections of the SC/STAct, allegedly by the four on wasgoingtobefiled. District Magistrate(DM) have The chargesheetwas filedin againstSandeep (20), his uncle September 14,and diedafort- "Weweren't expecting much been againstus. Theyaccused SUKHBIRSIWACH acourtinHathras under IPC Ravi (35) and their friends Ramu night later at SafdarjungHospital from the chargesheet, so we me of killing my ownsister, CHANDIGARH,DECEMBER18 Sections 376(rape), 376(D) (gan- (26) and Luv Kush (23). in Delhi. Apost-mortem report didn't tell them. We wanted to calledthis acase of honour grape), 302 (murder) and rele- The teenager wasassaulted CONTINUEDONPAGE4 know firstwhat it would say. My CONTINUEDONPAGE4 DECLARINGTHATthe farmer PM NarendraModi addresses the Kisan Sammelan in protests againstthe newfarm Madhya Pradesh, viavideo conference, on Friday. ANI laws is now“everybody’s agita- tion”, BJP leader and former BUSINESSASUSUAL Union Minister leaders have been mobilising Chaudhary BY UNNY IRAMSIDDIQUE support. The Opposition has hit Birender Singh BHOPAL,DECEMBER18 back, saying the Government is joineda trying to steamroll the laws and dharna intheir STEPPINGUPhis attackonthe is usingthe "anti-national" tagto supportFriday Opposition by accusing them of tarnish criticism. at Sampla in “repeatedly lying”tofarmers In his address, the Prime Jhajjar district about the newfarm laws and Ministerlistedwhat he called of Haryana. “using them fortheir politics”, were thethree “big lies”being ‘Everybody’s The sit-in Prime MinisterNarendraModi spread about the farm laws — agitation’ had been or- Fridaysaid the MSP system that MSP would be stopped, ganisedby would continue, and his govern- mandis would be shutdown, members of ment wasready to discussany and the newreforms wouldonly the Sir Chhotu RamManch— concern that farmers mayhave. safeguard contract farming. BirenderSingh is thegrandson His remarks,ataKisan “There is no reasonfor mis- of Sir Chhotu Ram, pre-inde- Sammelan in Raisen district of trustinthe recent agricultural re- pendent India’s tallestJat leader Madhya Pradeshwhich he ad- forms done by thegovernment, and the driving forcebehind sev- Centre’sCovid FAQs: dressedvia virtual mode, came and thereisnoplace forlies,” he eral laws and measures to end aday afterheendorsedUnion said. exploitation of farmers by mon- AgricultureMinisterNarendra Referring to theOpposition, eylenders. Singh’s son Brijendra Vaccine advised even Singh Tomar’s open letter to he said the biggestproof of their Singh is the BJP MP from Hisar. farmers whichtargetedthe hypocrisy wasthe Swaminathan Birender Singh said he is very Opposition parties withsimilar committee report whichhad keen to go to the borders of Delhi for those recovered allegations. been brushedaside foreight wherefarmers have been J&K POLLS:FINAL PHASE TODAY This hasbeen the officialre- years, before itsimplementation protesting againstthe newlaws frain ever since farmers rejected by his government. foroverthree weeksnow.
KAUNAINSHERIFFM ED Election officials leavefor their polling stations, in PoonchonFriday. The lastphase of government concessions on the “Whywould we implement “I stand by them. This is NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 polling forthe Jammu and Kashmir DistrictDevelopment Council elections will be held on farm laws as Ministers and BJP CONTINUEDONPAGE4 CONTINUEDONPAGE4 Firststepin Saturday. Thecounting of voteswill take place on December 22. ANI PLAIN E THOSE WHO have recovered ●preparation EX from Covid areadvisedtoget a vaccine shottodevelop strong WITH JUSTweeks to go immunity;those who have tested forthe vaccination to EXPRESS NETWORK positive should defer vaccination start, and giventhe num- Buried in alien city due to Covid, Manmad man exhumes for14days aftersymptoms arere- bers involved, therollout solved; allbeneficiaries have to will be the biggestchal- registerofficiallyfor vaccination; lengeyet forthe country's mother’s body to fulfil her last wish of hometown burial and, the vaccine will notbead- health apparatus. The re- ministeredtothose who don't lease of FAQs is the first be possible and forced Suhasto produce aphoto ID at the site. keysteptoensurethat SAGARRAJPUT buryher in Malegaon. SC ISSUES NOTICES With one of the world's basic information regard- MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 Upsetatnot beingableto TO COMEDIAN AND largest immunisation drives ing the protocol and pro- meethis mother’slastwish, againstCovid settoroll outin cedureare in the public MANJULATAKSHIRSAGAR had Suhas navigatedgovernment of- CARTOONIST India early next year,these are domain well in time. told her lovedones that she fices in Malegaon and Manmad PAGE 8 CONTINUEDONPAGE4 wanted to be buriednear her Manjulata, Suhas to ensurethe repatriation of the husband’s graveinNashikdis- body. THE EDITORIAL PAGE trict’s Manmad, atown254 km Afterathree-monthstruggle, north of Mumbai, whereshe her hometown, Suhas struggled duringwhichhecame to know DON’TTINKERWITH India’s Covid numbers: spent herwhole life. It wasa to keep his promise. Suspecting thathis mother wasnot infected wish that her son Suhas had that the septuagenarian could by Covid-19,Suhas managed to MSP,BOOSTCROP vowedtokeep. have been aCovid-19patient, lo- getclearances from stateofficials DIVERSIFICATION 1crore and counting However, when 76-year-old cal officials and health workers to exhume the body. BY MANJIT SKANG Manjulatawas buriedatManmad on Thursday. Express Manjulata diedinSeptember at told the familythat repatriating On Thursday, he again buried PAGE 10 but daily cases falling Malegaon –37kmawayfrom the body to Manmad would not CONTINUEDONPAGE4 Sonia writes to Uddhav, demands quota AMITABHSINHA RISEANDFALL:DAILY Disturbing: SC stays Andhra HC order PUNE,DECEMBER18 CASENUMBERS to examine constitutional breakdown for SC &STingovtcontracts, projects EVEN AS the overallCovid-19 sit- Sept16 uation has improved in thelast 100,000 97,894 October1order of the High pared to assistthe Courtasto Maharashtraisaveryimportant twomonths, thepandemicin es 90,000 ANANTHAKRISHNANG Court, stating that “as an apex whether in the circumstances SANDEEPASHAR& commitmentmade in the India crossedagrimmilestone 80,000 NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 court, we find it disturbing”. whichare prevailing in the State MANOJCG Common Minimum Programme
Cas 70,000 on Fridaynight, with the num- 60,000 The bench, alsocomprising of AndhraPradesh, the Courtcan MUMBAI,NEWDELHI, of the MahaVikas Aghadi”. berofinfected crossing the 10 of 50,000 CALLING IT “disturbing”, the Justices ASBopanna and V recordafinding that thereisa DECEMBER18 Gandhi wrote, “Tostimulate million (1 crore) mark. 40,000 Supreme Court Fridaystayedan Ramasubramanian, issued no- Constitutional breakdown in the entrepreneurship in SC/STcom- India is onlythe second er 30,000 order of the AndhraPradesh High ticeonthe plea and directed that Stateornot”. THE CONGRESS wantsthe Sonia Gandhi,Uddhav munities; reservation in govern-
mb 20,000 countryinthe world, afterthe 22,890 Courttoexamine if therehas the matter be listedafter the The stategovernment, in its UddhavThackeray-led Thackeray ment contractsand projectsfor United States, to have morethan 10,000 been constitutional breakdown Christmas/New Year vacation. appeal, said the High Court“in MahaVikas Aghadigovernment, enterprisespromotedbySC/ST Nu 0 10 million confirmednovel coro- March1Dec17 in the state under theYSJagan On October 1, the High Court, an unprecedented mannerand of whichitisapart, to introduce professionals should be intro- navirus infections. Mohan Reddy government. while hearing aclutchofhabeas without anybasis or pleadings aquota forScheduledCastes(SC) on December 14,Congresspresi- duced.” This, she said, had been However, the epidemic in Hearing an appeal by the corpus petitions, said “on the by anyofthe parties to that ef- and ScheduledTribes (ST) entre- dent and UPAChairpersonSonia done earlier by theUPA govern- India nowseems to be in steady arepassing through their worst AndhraPradesh government, a next hearing date, the learned fect, has framedthe... question”. preneurs in government con- Gandhi has remindedthat“poli- mentattheCentreandby thepre- decline, whereas severalcoun- phase. benchheadedbyChief Justice of senior counsel appearing on be- The statesaid “under the tractsand projects. ciesandprogrammesforthewel- vious Congress-ledgovernment tries in Europe and the Americas CONTINUEDONPAGE4 India SABobde stayed the half of the Statemay come pre- CONTINUEDONPAGE4 Inaletterwrittento Thackeray fare of the Dalits and Adivasis in CONTINUEDONPAGE4
PAGE 1 ANCHOR Biopic coming, Anand opens up: ‘Chessplayers not from alien planet’
firstchess lesson. than that. It would be reallynice protective of his privacy but in- out alot,” he says. but says he would want the NIHALKOSHIE He is also bracing foralot of to see howother peoplerelateto siststhat the movie will open a To strikeachord, therewill movie to portray the lifeofatop NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 back-and-forth with the it as well. In the end, Iwould like windowtohis personal lifeand also be insightsintothe emo- Grandmaster. moviemaker when he goes to have my story. But Iwould like debunk the notion that “chess tions achess playergoes "What youwant is to see WHATTHOSE intimidating through the scriptwith wife it to be entertainingaswell," says players arefromanalien planet”. through. "Concentration, focus, what appeals to them Russian Grandmasters of yester- Aruna. He says he has kept an Anand while speaking to The “Thereisapersonal side and the feeling of being down aftera (moviemaker) and what they dayorthe Gen Next wizards of open mind and isn't surewho Indian Express from Chennai. Iknowthat will be harder be- bad game, the feeling of eupho- think appealstoabroader audi- todaycouldn't do to will playhim. The biopic, he says,should cause Iamgenerallyquitepri- ria, the consequences, what you ence. What Iwould likeis'this is Viswanathan Anand, the an- The movie, whose cast and simplify chess and notdumb it vate in the sense. Still, it is nice if feel today, what youexperience howIexperienced it' and 'if you nouncement of his biopic has shooting schedule hasn't been fi- down. “Onlysomeone who fol- youcan open up and do that. I tomorrowand then youfeel were seeing through my eyes, done. The five-time worldcham- nalised, will be directed by lows the game at averyhigh think with mostpublic figures guilty about it. These arethings this is what it would look like'. I pion is nervous. Bollywood's director Anand LRai levelwill lookatthe boardand and famous people, youonly that areuniversal, everybody ex- would likeittobeauthentic and To begin with, he isn't sureof of Tanu Weds Manu fame. understand what Iamtalking think youknowthem, in fact you periences that, so what Iget out obviouslyhelp them in captur- the openingmove—if the pan- “I will be very respectful and about. So howtobring it out... maynot knowanything about of achess game is probablywhat ing the chess accurately. You demic travel restrictions will open because theyare the ex- whythis positionhad me shak- them. Forme, chess is averyim- adoctor gets out of aconsulta- knowconcentration is astrug- come in the wayofthe film unit perts.Ican nevercome close to ing in my boots but this position portant thing in my life, but I tion. It is that same thing at gle. It is notathing that youmas- flying to Spain, his second home their skill in using acamera. Iex- did not," says the 51-year-old don't think about it all thetime. heart," he says. ter. If someone watches the during his playing career,and the pect to have 25 per cent of the Grandmaster. ‘Would liketohavemystory... be entertaining as well’ So somebodywho is seeing me Anand can talk about com- movie Iwant them to have afair Philippines, wherehelearnt his sayinthe movie but notmore Anand is known to be fiercely onlyinchess terms is missing plexchess positions forhours CONTINUEDONPAGE4 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 4 THE SECOND PAGE THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020
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Hathras teen information wascirculated in SC staysorder on the tehsildar's instructions, the media," he said, adding that Manjulata's body wasexhumed attributed her death to cervical the initial complaint had only scheme of the Constitution, it is from St.PaulChurch's cemetery spine injury, causedbyindirect talked of "maar-peet", withno Article 356that deals with fail- MSP to continue, liesbeing spread in Malegaon in the presence of blunt trauma. mention of rape. ureofConstitutional machinery an executive magistrate,munic- The CBI released astatement Taking suomotu cognizance, in aState.Under this Article, if ipal authorities and the police. saying achargesheethad been the LucknowBenchofthe the President, on receiptofare- On Thursday, her remains were filedagainstthe four accused. Allahabad High Courttook ex- portfromthe GovernorofaState about new laws: PM to farmers again buriedatthe St Barnaba "The case wasregisteredbyCBI ception to the police statement. or otherwise,issatisfiedthat a Church cemetery in Manmad on 11th October 2020 on are- “Weasked Sri Kumar (ADG situationhas arisen in whichthe the Swaminathan committee makethe point that the cur- something new. by allgovernmentsatthe around 12.15pm. questfromUttar Pradesh Govt Kumar) as to whether it was governmentofthe Statecannot reportifwedid nothavetoim- rent MSP is muchhigher than “Jinki khud ki rajnitik za- Centre, states and had been de- “I am content. She is finally and further notification from proper foranyonenot directly be carriedoninaccordance with plement Minimum Support thoseunder previous govern- meen khis gayi hai, wohkisano mandedbyfarmers organisa- resting in peace,” Suhas said. Govt of India." connected withinvestigation to the provisions of the Price,”hesaid. ments. ki zameen chali jayegi, kisano ki tions, agricultureeconomists, The CBI, whichgot polygraph commentonany evidencerelat- Constitution, the Hon’ble He said MSP is announced No mandi in the country, he zameen chali jayegi ka dar dikha scientists and progressive and brain mapping testsdone of ing to the offence alleged,spe- President can impose before sowing to putthe said, has been shutdowneven kar,apnirajnitik zameenkhoj farmers, he said. Sonia to Uddhav the accused, had submitted an ciallyifthe allegation is of rape, President's Rule”. farmer at ease. He highlighted aftersix monthsofthe enact- rahe hain (Thosewho have lost At the event, in thepres- inquiryreporttothe Allahabad or to draw conclusions based “This is apower exclusively that even during the fight ment of thenew laws.APMCs political ground aretrying to ence of an estimated 20,000 in Karnataka. HighCourt, which had taken suo thereon as to whether offence vested in the Executive.The againstthe Corona pandemic, arebeingmade stronger and scareeveryone by saying farm- farmers, Chief MinisterShivraj Apartfromreservations for motu cognizance of the case, on wascommitted or not, when the powerinthis regard,likesend- the procurement on MSP was morerobust withaninvest- ers will lose their land, and Singh Chouhan and his Cabinet the SC/STentrepreneurs, Gandhi November 26. CBI sourcessaid investigation wasstill pending ing areport either to theHon’ble done as usual. He assured mentofRs5000crore, and the theyare doing this to regain colleaguestransferredRs1,600 has also demandedthat “the theysubmitted the chargesheet and suchperson wasnot partof President or to the Hon’ble farmersthat MSP would con- newlawsoncontract farming ground),”Modisaid, referring croreintothe accountsof35.50 budget allocation forthe SC/ST aftercollecting "ample forensic the investigation... He fairly Governorortorecordafinding tinue likebefore. have ensured that the one who to the Opposition. lakh farmers fordamages dur- communities shouldbepropor- evidence". "The onlycharge that agreedthat it should nothap- in that regard,cannotbeexer- Stating that the govern- enters intoanagreementwith “I want to expose these ing the kharif season. tionate to their shareinthe pop- has been droppedisofmolesta- pen.” cisedbythe Judiciary,”itsaid. ment has notonlyincreased farmers cannotescape his re- people before thefarmers of Agricultureinfrastructure ulation”. tion, but that is because the The court also notedthat fol- The appeal contendedthat the MSP,but has also procured sponsibility,hesaid, adding the country.”Hesaid the new worksworth Rs 70 crorewere On the lines of an enactment charge of rape and gangrape has lowing the 2013 amendmentsin the HighCourtorder is “uncalled alot more, he providedMSP thatcontract farming has been farm laws have notcome inaugurated and2,000 fisher- by the previous Congress gov- been found during forensic in- lawrelating to the definition of for; violativeofthe basic struc- figures forwheat, paddy,jowar, operational in the countryfor overnight. Thesewereunder men and cattle farmers were ernmentsinKarnataka and un- vestigation. The investigation rape, "mereabsence of semen tureofthe Constitution; and, it lentil, gram, toor and moong to severaldecades and is not consideration for20-25 years providedKisan Credit Cards. dividedAndhra Pradesh, she has showedenough evidence to duringforensic examination, is mostrespectfullysubmitted, also demandedthat prosecuteonthe chargesof though afactorfor considera- grosslymisconceived”. Maharashtrashould enact alaw murder,rapeand gangrape," tion, would notbyitselfbecon- The statepointed outthat mandating“utilisation of the sources said. clusive as to whether rape had “under the Constitutional Everybody’s agitation... Istand by them: Birender Singh funds allotted forthe welfareof "It is nowuptothe courtto been committed or not, if there framework,itisnot forthe these communitiesduring the deliberateonthe charges. Acopy areother admissible evidence". Courts to decideastowhether everybody’sagitation now. It’s He or she maybea conceptofMSP and APMC was formedbyhis supporters in same financial year”. of the chargesheetwill be pro- thereisaConstitutionalbreak- notlimited to asection of soci- student, woman, labourer. the handiworkofChaudhary 2003. Batting forexpansion of videdatthe next hearing.We down in aState”and “the said ety. Iamalready in the field and Everybody is concerned, and Chhotu Ram. Firsttime, he Manchmembers have scholarship schemes andresi- will go through the chargesheet Officials’ role powerhas been specificallycon- have made up my mind. If Iam wantsasolution. The last 5-6 brought in agriculturalreforms been sitting on ahunger strike dential schools forstudentsfrom and decide the next course of ac- ferred upon adifferent notinthe frontline, then peo- days have been very cold but (duringBritishrule),” Singh in supportofthe farmers be- the community,she has said tion," said Munna Singh, the ac- killing... We hope theauthorities Constitutional Authority -- and ple will feel that Iamjustdo- theyare sitting (inthe open),” said. fore a64-ftstatue of Chhotu that the “focus maybeonthe cused's lawyer.The four accused punish the accusedsoon." rightlyso”. ing politics, nothing else,” he he said. The 74-year-old, amember Ram, whichwas unveiledby schemes that can bring these have been in judicial custody The elder brother said they “Constitutional courts,” the told TheIndian Express. “I am alsomorallybound of the BJP’s nationalexecutive, Prime MinisterNarendraModi communities on par with the since their arrest in September, felt relieved. "Wehad to fight a statesaid in itsappeal, “do not “You maytalk to anybody. (tosupportthe farmers). The is also amember of the Manch in 2018. rest of the societyatthe earliest”. with no bail application filedon lot. The administration did not have anyjudiciallydiscoverable She has further asked their behalf. trustusand portrayed that we and manageable standards to Thackeray to undertake “rapid In astatement on Friday were lying, but the truth doesn't determine if therehas been a recruitment drivestofill up a evening, the stategovernment remain hiddenfor long. Today Constitutional breakdown in the navirus-related deaths as well. to take the vaccine. “...it is advis- involved, theCentresaid the Malegaon. backlog of postsinvarious de- said it wasUttar Pradesh Chief there is some hope...This is our State. The said fact is essentially During all of September,more able to receive acomplete document neededfor registra- “Sinceshe startedundergo- partmentsreserved forthe MinisterYogi Adityanath's deci- firststeponthe ladder of justice. an executive function and is nec- than 1,000 deaths were being schedule of COVID vaccine irre- tion can be anyofthe tenlisted: ing treatment forher heartail- SC/STcommunities”. ' siontoorder aCBI investigation, It is nowuptothe courts to de- essarilyrequired to be based on reportedevery dayfromacross spectiveofthe pasthistory of in- drivinglicence, MGNERGA job ment, she would oftentell us Concluding her address to and that it had told the Supreme liverfinaljustice. We will wait adetailedfactual analysis. The thecountry. That numberisnow fectionwith COVID-19. This will card, PANcard, bankpassbook, thatshe wishes to be buriedat Thackeray,Gandhi's letter Courtinanaffidavit that it forthe judgment whichwill courts simply do nothaveany below400.Sofar,about1.45 help in developing astrongim- passport, pension document, Barnaba church's cemetery stated,“Iamconfident that un- wanted thetruth to come out. proveonce and forall the truth means to decidesuchaques- lakh people areknown to have mune response againstthe dis- voter ID, official IDs of MPs/ wheremyfather waslaid to rest der your leadership,the MVA The statement added, "The ac- in this.” tion.” diedfromthe disease in India. ease,” it said. MLAs/MLCs, government-is- in 1994... Everymember of our government will continue to im- cusedwerearrested(under)rel- The teenager's sister-in-law, According to the state, the The fact that the downward Significantly, theMinistry suedservice ID cardand health familyisburiedinthatcemetery plement the CMP in letter and evant Sectionsafter the girl's who wasclose to her,said her HighCourt order “is aserious en- trend in the detection of new said, those who have tested pos- insurance smartcardissuedby in Manmad... my grandfather, spirit.” statement." children missedtheiraunt."We croachment on the powers of cases has survivedthe long fes- itive “should defer vaccination MinistryofLabour.“Photo ID is a grandmother,uncles and aunts,” The Congress’s move to re- The 19-year-old wasal- want justice forher,and want the executive as enumerated tivalseason, state Assemblyand for14days aftersymptoms res- mustfor both registration and he added. lease contentsofGandhi’s letter legedly rapedbythe four men the DM to resign. It wasbecause underthe Constitution and is local body elections, and the olution”asthey“mayincrease verification of beneficiaryatthe Three days later,on comesatatime when asection on September 14 morning while of him that we couldn'tcremate thus violative of the doctrine of steady removalofrestrictions on the risk of spreading the same to sessionsitetoensurethat the in- September 24,Suhas receiveda of the SC leaders of Maharashtra she wasout gathering fodder her." The woman wascremated separationofpowers”. movement and gatherings of others at (the) vaccination site”. tendedperson is vaccinated,” it call from the local authorities Congress areupsetwith the with her mother forthe family's hours afterher death, in the The stategovernment has people, has brought hope that According to the Ministry, said. stating that his mother's Covid- stateleadership. Ameeting of cows.The familysaid the four early hours of September 30, been on acollisioncourse with the worstmay be over. “twodoses of vaccine, 28 days 19 reportwas negative.Hesub- Congressleadersbelongingto dragged her away unnoticedby with no one from her family the High Courtand Chief Since other possible reasons apart, needtobetaken by an in- sequentlyreceivedher death the SC communities convened her mother,who is hardofhear- present and officials making the MinisterYSJagan Mohan Reddy forthe fall in numbers –suchas dividualtocomplete thevacci- Manmad man certificatethat said that by AICC in charge of thestate H ing. Acase wasregisteredofat- arrangements. In the govern- sent alettertothe CJI on October lowtesting or universal adop- nation schedule...Protective lev- Manjulatahad dieddue to car- KPatil earlier this month had tempttomurder and under the ment actionthat followed, sev- 6, allegingjudicial impropriety tion of masks–are also ruled els of antibodies aregenerally his mother at Manmad's St. diac arrest. witnessedashowdown be- SC/STAct on acomplaint by the eral officers were suspended. on the partofsome judges of the out, some experts and scientists developedtwo weeksafter re- Barnaba Church cemetery,next While manyofhis relatives tween Energy MinisterNitin victim's brother against The UP governmentkeptits High Courtand senior Supreme arenow inclinedtobelieve that ceivingthe 2nd dose of COVID- to his father's grave. told him to letthe body remain Raut and statepresident and his Sandeep. On September 22, in a promise of Rs 25 lakh as com- CourtjudgeNVRamana. the actual disease prevalence in 19 vaccine.” “It feels as if aweight has in the Malegaon cemetery,the Cabinetcolleague Balasaheb statement recordedatthe pensation, but the familysays the population could already The Government alsoreiter- been takenoff my chest. Iman- inability of notbeing able to ful- Thorat. Aligarhhospital, whereshe was lifefor them is farfromnormal, have reachedaveryhigh pro- ated that in the initial phase, the aged to fulfil my mother's last filhis mother's lastwish gnawed Asectionofthe SC leaders takenasher condition deterio- withneighbours blaming them Anand biopic portion, perhaps muchhigher vaccine will be provided to the wish,” Suhas told The Indian at Suhas. He decidedtomake were upsetoverthe party nom- rated, the woman said she was forthe "badname"brought to than what serosurveyshave priority group: health careand Express afterthe burial. rounds of government offices inating singer and activist sexuallyassaulted andnamed the village and everyone keep- idea of whatitmustbeliketosit been suggesting. frontlineworkers -- “50-plusage Manjulata, who livedwith and also visit politicians to get Annirudha VankarasanMLC three others besides Sandeep. ingtheirdistance from them. thereatthat game," he says. This would meanthat asub- group mayalso begin early her unmarriedson in Manmad, permission to exhume the body candidate.Vankar had contested Acontroversy arose around CRPF personnelcontinue to be This year,Anand, afan of stantial proportion of the popu- basedonvaccine availability”. It wasbeing treated foraheartail- and again buryitinManmad. the Assemblypollslastyear on the lateregistrationofthe rape deployedoutside their house, al- cookeryshows andDavid lation –possibly40to50per said that those above 50 will be ment forthe last five years.On “For almostamonth, every aVanchit Bahujan Aghadi ticket. charges, followedbythe victim's beit in lesser numbers. Attenborough documentaries- centormore–has already been divided intotwo subgroups:60 September 21,when her condi- evening, when we returned Patil on Fridaysaid the letter hurriedcremation in the middle One of the brothers said they -he“justabout survives” on his infected,and gainedimmunity, and above who will be vacci- tion deteriorated,she was home disheartenedafter meet- by Gandhi is basedonthe sug- of the night, notattendedbyany had got usedtothe security-- owncooking -- has watched thus bringing some community- nated first, and 50-60 next. rushedtothe Malegaon Civil ing government officials, Suhas gestions givenbythe state member of her familyand or- and even to theostracisation basketball great Michael levelprotection to others. “The eligiblebeneficiaries Hospital. would starttocry... On October Congress afterabrainstorming ganisedbythe administration. now. “Theneighbours won’t Jordan's documentary'The Last However, thereisnoempirical will be informedthrough their Doctors at the hospital sus- 20, Itook himtoalawyerin conclave of prominent Dalit Her familyaccusedauthorities speak to us because theyare up- Dance'and the season's big hit, evidence to supportthis as- registeredmobile number re- pected that she had pneumonia Manmad. He offeredtohelp. He leaders andstakeholders it had of puttingpressure on them to per caste and supportthe ac- thechesswebseries TheQueen's sumption right now. garding the HealthFacility and were fearfulthat she may helpeduswriteanapplication, organisedrecently. conduct her lastrites. cused. Whyshould we even ex- Gambit. wherethe vaccination will be have contacted Covid-19aswell. whichwesubmitted to the com- Oftenregardedasathird Later,aspolitical leaders,in- pect them to supportus? We As forthe director,Anand ad- providedand the scheduled With her Covid-19testresults missioner's office of Malegaon wheel in the ShivSena-NCP- cluding Priyanka and Rahul justwant justicefor our sister,” mitshehas onlywatchedparts Covid FAQs time forthe same. This will be still pending, Manjulatapassed Municipal Corporation," said Congress formation, Congress is Gandhi, triedtomaketheirway he said. of Rai's films. “But probably, I done to avoidany inconvenience away aday later. FirozShaikh, Suhas'friend who nowlooking to assert itself more to the villagetomeether family, Accordingtothe family, offi- should sit down and trytowatch the Union HealthMinistry's an- in registrationand vaccination As the reportwas still frequentlyaccompaniedhim to aggressively in the stategovern- UP authorities cordonedoff the cials kept asking theminitially his movies, read the reviews and swers to some key questions on of beneficiaries,” it said. awaited,doctors informedthe Malegaon. ment's functioning and policy area. whether theywanted to return see what people liked,” he says. the administration of the vac- Forhealthcare andfrontline local authorities, who stopped Afterdoggedly pursuing of- making. With the stategovernment the compensation, stopping cine among 21 FAQs compiled workers, the Ministrysaid that Suhas from taking the bodyto ficials for62days,the twofinally Whilethe SC/STcommuni- coming under attack, Prime onlyafter theygaveinwriting 1crinfections forthe public, and an additional their familieswill be vaccinated Manmad. “I triedconvincing the managed to getano objection ties in Maharashtrahavetradi- MinisterNarendraModi inter- thattheyneededthe moneyfor The US has been reporting six forhealthcareproviders and in the subsequent phases. “Due health officer there, but she did certificatefromthe Malegaon tionallybeen aloyal support vened, callingupChief Minister the legal battle. between 2lakh and 2.5 lakh frontline workers. to thelimited vaccine supplyin notlisten. She told us that only civic administration forexhum- baseofthe Congress, some party Yogi Adityanath,leading to the Denying the family's claims, cases everyday,while Brazil The Government expectsto the initialphase,itwill firstbe if her Covid-19reportcomes ing and reburying the body. leaders from the community setting up of an SIT to probethe the villagepradhan said it was is detecting over 50,000 cases vaccinateapproximately30 providedtopeople who areat negative,she will allowusto “Wethen got permissions have complainedthat theNCP, matter and suspension of five theywho had stoppedmingling daily. Germany, the United crorebeneficiaries on priority in higher risk of contracting take the body,” he said. from the local police station, whichheads the social welfare police officers.The Adityanath withothers. Kingdom, Italy, and Russia arein the early phase. And forthe first COVID-19. In subsequent Suhas kept thebody at a both the civic bodies and the department, wasrunning away government later transferred “Neither arewetaking any the midstofamajor newsurge – time, multiple vaccine candi- phases, the COVID-19vaccine Covid carecenter and returned Fathers of both St.Pauland St. with the credit forvarioussocial the probetothe CBI, whichreg- sidesnor arewetrying to stop with morethan 20,000 people dates will be administered will be made availabletoall oth- home on September 22. Barnaba churches from where welfareinitiatives. isteredacaseonOctober 11. the investigation... Letthe CBI in- getting infected daily in several againstone infection. “...all the ers in needofthe same,”itsaid. However, thenextmorning, the body wastobeexhumed When contacted,Sanjay At apress conference in vestigatethe matter com- of these countries. COVID-19vaccines that receive The Ministrysaid that it will he woke up to thecall from the and then buried,” said Suhas. Raut, ShivSena MP and party's Lucknow acoupleofdays after pletely... We don’t think it was During itsworstperiodinthe licensewill have comparable be mandatoryfor beneficiaries Covid facility,asking him to dis- Following this, he sent his chief spokesperson,said thatthe the victim's death, Additional caste-basedviolence. The truth middle of September,India was safetyand efficacy.However, it to notify the Government, irre- pose the body.“Theyeven application to thetehsildar's of- party is committed to the CMP Director General (Lawand willcome out soon,”hesaid. findingover90,000infections a mustbeensured that the entire spectiveofwhethertheyhave threatenedthat if Ifailedtotake fice. “I receivedthe application and will work on it. “The things Order) Prashant Kumar said the The elder brother said they day. But following an unex- schedule of vaccinationiscom- been vaccinated in agovern- her remains, theyshall dispose on December 1. Iwas touched mentionedinthe letter is partof forensicreport did notshowany expectthe "harassment" to con- pected turnaround, the number pletedbyonlyone type of vac- ment programme or at aprivate the body themselves,” said the because people oftenforgetthe CMP and we have acommit- evidence of rape. "... no sperm or tinue in "some smallways". But of cases declinedconsistently. cine as different COVID-19vac- facility.Itsaid that “registration 40 year old. promises theymake, but he did ment to the CMP.Some of the spermatozoa wasfoundinthe the CBIchargesheetmight prove From apeak of over 10 lakh cases cinesare notinterchangeable,” of the beneficiary is mandatory Fearing the worst, Suhas ac- notbackoff even afterthree things could nothavehappened viscerasample. The postmortem aturning point. "The role of the in the thirdweek of September, the Ministrysaid. forvaccination...only afterregis- cededtotheir demandsand al- months. Iimmediatelyasked as therewas alockdown in reportstatesthat the cause of local administration has been active cases have come down to With India crossing95lakh tration willthe information on lowedthe municipal authorities my office to processthe neces- place. But these things will hap- deathwas duetotrauma caused highlighted nowand it is amat- justabout3lakh now. recoveredcases by Friday, the the sessionsitetovisit and time to buryManjulataasper sarypermissions,” said Tehsildar pen from next year,” he added. by the assault. Despitethe state- teroftime before justice takes Therehas been acorrespon- Ministrysaid that it will still be be shared...” Christian customs at the ceme- Chandrajit Rajput. FULLREPORTSON mentsbyofficials, some wrong itscourse." ding drop in the number of coro- advisable forarecovered patient Elaboratingonthe procedure tery of St.PaulChurch in Around 8amonThursday, www.indianexpress.com WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 5 THE CITY Officialslinkbulkofnewcasestogatherings,eatingout
COVIDIMPACT:WARD-WISESEALEDBUILDINGS newcases daily, 90 per cent are EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE from highrises. “But people are MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 reluctant to give details if theyat- RC 398 tendedaparty or marriage. They T 387 8.29 lakh HEALTH OFFICIALS areworried think their friends will getinto KW 291 population that the bulk of the recent Covid- troubleand will have to observe KE 288 19 cases registeredinthe city are quarantine,” he said. PN 275 R/N peoplewho mayhavecontracted In D-ward, covering Malabar RS 273 R/C thevirusaftertakingpartinalarge Hill area, assistant commissioner PS 197 R/S social gathering likeamarriageor Prashant Gaikwad said recentlya FN 185 P/N T during an outing at arestaurant. couple testedpositive justbefore N 179 P/S “About 80 per cent of new theyplannedtoattendawedding. RN 139 casesarecomingfrom20percent “Imagine howmanytheywould K/W S of the city’s social events.Thereis Peopleregisterfor Covid-19 have infected.Norms allowonly HW 125 K/E MW 120 lackofcompliance with physical testing in Thane on Friday. 50peopleto attendaweddingbut N HE 89 L distancing norms,” said Dr Deepak Joshi people tend to invite more. We H/E Shashank Joshi, member of have askedwedding venues to L 87 3,491 active H/W M/W MumbaiCovid-19Taskforce.Joshi keep atab of contact details of all GN 86 sealedbuildings M/E GS 84 G/NF/N said people should isolatethem- arerecording 20-40 cases on an those attending awedding but selvesathintsoffirstsymptom. averageeachday. thatisalsoadifficult task to do.” FS 67 F/S 2.14 lakh G/S “Butseveraldiscarditthinkingitis In Mulund, assistant com- Mumbai’stotal Covid-19case D 64 ■ >=250SBs households E commonflu,” he said. missioner KishorGandhi said load is 2.85 lakh with 500-700 D ■ 200-249SBs E 59 B In the lastone week,Mulund while the overallcaseload is on newcases recordedonadaily ba- C ■ 150-199SBs S 32 55,457 released (T ward), AndheriWest(KWest), the decline, all newcases are sis. TwardcoveringMulund A ■ 100-149SBs A 27 sealedbuildings Kandivali (R South), Borivali (R nowlimited to highrises with in- records highestweekly Covid ■ 50 -99SBs ME 13 Central), and Andheri East(K creasedmobility. growth rate at 0.32per cent C 13 ■ <50SBs East) recorded40-70fresh cases In Kurla, medical officer Dr whilelowestisBward B 13 *As of Dec 17,2020; Datasubject to changeafter scrutinyand ongoing verification process Source: BMC on adailybasis. All other wards JeetendraJadhavsaid of 10-20 (SandhurstRoad) at 0.10 percent.
PDPM Indian Institute of Information Technology, dk;kZy; %iz/kku eq[; ou laj{kd HOLIDAY CHEER Design &Manufacturing, Jabalpur (AnInstituteofNational Importance established by an actofParliament,under Ministry of Education, Govt. of India) oU;izk.kh ,oa eq[; oU;izk.kh izfrikyd Dumna Airport Road, PO :Khamaria, Jabalpur-482005 (MP)INDIA >kj[k.M] jkaph Viviana Mall in Thane plays hosttoMumbai Metropolitan Advertisement for Faculty Positions Region’s tallestindoor Christmas tree made up of over two lkoZtfud lwpuk Advertisement No. 03/2020 Dated 18/12/2020 lakh mirrorpieces. Deepak Joshi PDPM Indian InstituteofInformation Technology, Designand Manufacturing Jabalpur,anInstitute of loZlk/kkj.k dks lwfpr fd;k tkrk gS fd iwoZ esa nationalimportance,established by an actofParliament under Ministryof Education,Government of India invitesapplications from well qualified and stronglymotivated candidates forfaculty positions at the level “Advisory for dealing with import of exotic live species of Assistant Professor Grade-I,Pay level-12, Assistant Professor Grade-II, Paylevel-11(on contract) and Assistant Professor Grade-II,Pay level-10 (oncontract) in the disciplines of Computer Science and in India and declaration of stock”, ds rgr of.kZr exotic Engineering (CSE), Electronics &Communication Engineering (ECE) and Design. Forfurther details and live species ds fuca/ku gsrq exotic live species ds Lokeh }kjk AQI drops to poor application form please visit Institutewebsite www.iiitdmj.ac.in Lastdate forreceiving hardcopyofcompleted application form is 18-01-2021 (By 05:00 PM) Director viuk LoSfPNd izdVu PARIVESH PORTAL ij fnukad 15-12-2020 rd fd;k tkuk FkkA vHkh rd ek= rhu vkosndksa category in city }kjk LoSfPNd izdVu fd;k x;k gSA Ik;kZoj.k] ou ,oa tyok;q ifjorZu ea=ky;] Hkkjr ljdkj as good, 51 to 100assatisfactory, }kjk LoSfPNd izdVu gsrq iwoZ esa fu/kkZfjr fnukad 15-12-2020 dks SANJANABHALERAO 101to200 as moderate, 201to foLrkfjr djrs gq, vc vafre frfFk fnukad 15-03-2021 rd dj MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 300aspoor,301 to 400asvery poorand above 400assevere.The nh x;h gSA vr% ,sls lHkh O;fDr ftUgksaus exotic live species POSTUNSEASONAL rainfall, the higher the AQI, the greater the ds jsftLVsª'ku gsrq LoSfPNd izdVu fnukad 15-12-2020 rd ugha Air Quality Index(AQI) in the city levelofair pollution and the fd;k gS] oks vc fnukad 15-03-2021 rd PARIVESH droppedtopoor categoryon greater the health concern. PORTAL ij LoSfPNd izdVu dj ldrs gSA Friday, afterbrieflyremainingin Out of the 10 areaswhere foLr`r fooj.k@izfdz;k PARIVESH PORTAL
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE MUMBAI,DECEMBER18
TWODAYSafter the Narcotics Control Bureau(NCB) issuedhim anotice, Bollywood director Karan Johar on Fridayresponded by submitting apen drive and some documentsthrough his representatives. The NCBonWednesday is- suedanotice to Johar over avideo of hisparty whichhehad organ- isedin2019went viral on social media. ShiromaniAkali Dal (SAD) leader Manjinder Sirsa, who has lodgedacomplaint, said that celebrities useddrugs in the said party,anallegationwhich Johar had refuted lastyear. ¶……Æ˙i… ∫…Æ˙EÚ…Æ/GovernmentofIndia An official said, “Wewillseek +Δi… Æ˙I… ¥…¶……M…/Department of Space experts’ help and analysethe pen ¶……Æ˙i…“™… +Δi… Æ˙I… +x…÷∫…Δv……x… ∫…ΔM…`ˆx…/INDIANSPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION drive anddocumentssubmitted ¥…GÚ®… ∫……Æ˙…¶……<« +Δi… Æ˙I… EÂÚp/VIKRAM SARABHAI SPACECENTRE by Johar.Accordingly we will de- i…Ø˚¥…x…Δi…{…÷Æ˙®…/Thiruvananthapuram -695 022 cide our futurecourse of action.” The agency on Thursdayis- ∫…Δn˘¶…« ∫…Δ. ¥…“B∫…B∫…∫…“/¶…i…‘/9.0/313/2019 suedastatement in whichitsaid Ref. No.VSSC/RMT/9.0/313/2019 19.12.2020 thatthenoticehasbeengivenwith ∂…÷n¬˘ r˘{…j… / CORRIGENDUM respectto thevideowhichwasun- der circulation. 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Afterthe death of actor ∫…‰ 1464 i…EÚ) E‰Ú {…n˘Ω‰˛i…÷ +Ï…x…˘ -±…… ‘IN PUBLIC INTEREST’ METRO CAR SHED PROJECT REDEVELOPMENTPROJECT AT SANTACRUZEAST HC allows felling of HC:Nocommercial use mangrovetreesfor BKClandnottechnicallyviable of building meantfor construction of bridge, asperUddhav-appointedpanel residentialpurposes asksCIDCO to comply withoutowners’ consent Panel also pointed to multiplelitigations at Kanjurmargsite, wasignored notwillingtotakethepossession, withMoEF conditions foundthatthetunnelsforthispor- CounteringFadnavis,Raut OMKARGOKHALE claiming that the developer had SANDEEPASHAR tionof theroutehadalreadybeen said, “This government does not MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 violatedaclause of the DA which Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, submit- MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 constructed,arguing that the depend on advisors.” had prescribed that the redevel- OMKARGOKHALE tedthat the reliefssought to cut modificationswould have to be Meanwhile,documentsshow IN AN interim relief to eight flat opmentwould be exclusively for MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 the mangrovetrees were in CHIEF MINISTER Uddhav made to the already constructed that the Thackeray-appointed and building owners at residentialpurposes. However, “public interest”. The CIDCOcon- Thackeraymay have asked offi- tunnelsifadepotweretobesta- panel had studied10sites in all as SantacruzEast, whohad entered thedeveloperproposedcommer- THE BOMBAY HighCourt(HC) tendedthat the project is apart cials to study the feasibility of tioned at the BKCland. possible alternativestoAarey.Of intoaredevelopment agree- cial use of the ground floor fora has allowedthe City and of an important, ongoingproject buildingtheMumbaiMetro IIIcar “Anychangeinthe con- these,ithadruledoutsitesatBKC, mentwith aprivate developer, commercial bank. Industrial Development concerning the trafficcongestion shedatBandraKurla Complex structed tunnels forjoining it to BackbayReclamation, aland the BombayHigh Court(HC), in Thebenchdirected advocate Corporation (CIDCO) to cut man- in Mumbai and the already de- (BKC), but an expertpanel ap- the depotwouldrequiredisman- ownedbytheMumbaiPortTrust, an interim order,restrainedthe Rubin Vakil,representing the de- grovesspread overanareaof velopedareaofNaviMumbai, pointedby Thackeray himself had tlingof bothupanddowntunnels MahalaxmiRacecourse,Mumbai developer from using aportion veloper,tofile areplytothe plea 0.6266hectarefor the construc- especiallyalong JNPT Road and alreadyruledouttheoptioninthe at multiple locations,” thepanel University land at Kalina andtwo of the redevelopedpremises for within four weeksand also tion of abypassbridge which in Dronagiri. pastciting multiplelitigations. Chief MinisterUddhav hadsaid.TheMMRCLhasalready other locations at Seepz and commercial use without the asked theplaintiffs to file are- will connect Uran and Panvel. The plea stated,"To AftertheBombay HighCourt’s Thackeray completed85percentof thetun- Dahisar at the preliminarystage owners’consent, noting thatthe joinder to the same within four The courthas asked thecon- effectively implement this stay ontheconstructionof theun- nellingwork forthe33.5km-long itselfciting technical unviability. buildingwas exclusively meant weeksthereafter. cernedCIDCO officers to provide project, the bypass bridgeat derground Metroline’s carshed Metroroutethat will connect Whilethe nowdisputed forresidential purposes. Postingthefurtherhearingaf- an undertaking, within aweek, Uran wasproposedfor the at Kanjurmarg, Thackeray had The committee, whichalso Colaba to BandratoSeepz. Kanjurmargland,a500-acreland Asingle-judgebenchofJustice terfourweeksfromthedateofthe of strictlycomplying with con- easing of trafficpassing through asked senior bureaucratstoex- had arepresentative from the Citing that the costofland at sprawlatPahadi villagein AKMenon,onDecember7, passed order,the HC directed the plain- ditions laid down in permissions the congestedUrancity,asdue plorethe possibility of relocating Mumbai MetroRailCorporation BKCwas very high, the commit- Goregaon and aland allotted to theorderwhilehearinganinterim tiffs to take possession of their re- granted by the Ministryof to the non-availability of such the projectelsewhere. Limited (MMRCL) that is teehad ruledout the option due theStateReservePoliceForcenear application in asuit filedbyfour spectivepremises/flatsasperthe Environmentand Forests roads, therewerecontinuous A67-acrelandparcelinBKC,a buildingtheundergroundMetro, to the“dualchallengeoftechnical Aarey were evaluatedingreater flat owners, alongwith four joint occupation certificates issued. (MoEF) forthe same. road blocks,traffic jams, acci- portion of whichisalready ear- wasasked to explorewhether al- feasibility and serious time and detail, the committee had then ownersofabuilding at Santacruz The HC noted, “In viewofthe Adivision benchofChief dentsand other issues facedby markedfor Prime Minister ternative locationswere available costoverruns”. recommendedagainstrelocating East,seekingrestrainingdirections clause of the Development Justice Dipankar Dattaand locals. The construction of the NarendraModi’s flagship forshifting of the car shed. Ithadalsoruledouttheoption the car shedfromAarey,citing againstthe developer. Agreement of 2013,itisevident Justice Girish SKulkarni, on bypass bridgewill also help in re- Mumbai-Ahmedabadbullettrain Whileitsubmitteditsfindings of bifurcating the depotrequire- costoverrunsandcommissioning Advocates AdityaBhatt and that the building wastobeexclu- Wednesday, passedanorder ducing the pollution levelinthe project, is one of the options be- inJanuary, 2020itself,thereportis mentsbetweentwoindependent delays in eachcase. Riddhi Shah, representing the sively aresidentialstructure. with regard to the CIDCO’s plea. local area.” ing considered forthe relocation, yettobemade public. plots –one at BKCand another at InOctober,Thackeray hadan- plaintiffs,informedthe court Commercial use is proposed In itsplea,the body had stated Afterhearingsubmissions, ShivSenaMPSanjayRauthassaid. In October,after Thackeray the Mumbai University landin nouncedthe shiftingofthe car that the suit wasfiledfor the spe- without consent of theplaintiffs that it is undertaking the con- the benchgranted permission But documents(accessedby scrappedtheAareycarshedproj- Kalina, whichisanother option shedtothe Kanjurmargsite. On cific performance of adevelop- andinbreachofclause 31.Prima struction of an 11-metre-wide to cut and/or remove man- TheIndianExpress)showthatthe ect, his predecessor,Devendra nowbeingexplored. Wednesday, the HC had stayed ment agreement (DA) entered facie,thecaseismadeoutforgrant bypass bridge, starting from groves and noted, “Weare of expertpanel,headed by Fadnavis,hadleakedoutportions On Friday, Fadnavistook a constructionworkatthe sitead- intobyeight persons with the of ad-interimrelief...Needless to HotelAnandi to Uran city in the opinion that an exception is Additional Chief Secretary of the report, embarrassing the sharp dig at Thackeray over the mitting petitions filedbythe private developer in 2013. mention,allcommercialtermsin- Dronagiri, Navi Mumbai. required to be made in favour (Finance)ManojSaunik,hadruled Maha VikasAghadi government. BKCoption, calling it a“childish” Centre'ssaltdepartment and pri- Bhattsubmittedthatalthough cludingthepaymentofconsider- It further stated that the of the petitioner to remove the thattheoptionwasn’ttechnically According to the report, the and “laughable” move.“Idon’t vate parties againstthe Mumbai the building wasreadyand the ation foradditional area will be bridgeistobeconstructed in an mangroves as prayed for, and viable. panel had ruledout the BKCop- knowwhoisadvisingthisgovern- (Suburban)collector's land allot- developerwasofferingpossession honoured by the defendant (pri- area measuring 1.0287hectare, subject matter of the condi- Thackeray hadappointed the tion at the preliminarystage of ment because whoever it is, is in- ment order. of theredevelopedflats,theywere vate developer).” of which0.6266hectareconsists tions as granted by the respon- committeealmostimmediately considerationitself,citingtechni- tent on ruining Mumbai and this Incidentally, thepanel,initsre- of mangrovetrees or forest land. dent authorities, as the work in aftergranting astaytothe con- calhurdles.Onthebasisof thesta- government.” Fadnavishad also port, had pointed to multipleliti- The planning authority, question is forpublic good and tentiouscar shedproject atAarey tusof theongoingtunnelingwork cited technical hurdles and cost gations and ownershipclaims 20-year-old food delivery through advocategeneral in public interest.” lastNovember. forthe underground line, it had overruns to question the option. over the Kanjurmargland. man killed after speeding HEMA UPADHYAY-HARISH BHAMBHANI MURDERS Police bustgangofthieves, car rams into his bike Court orders accused’s father to whenhelostcontrol,crossedover seize cellphones and vehicles EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE the divider and rammedintothe MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 biker," said senior PoliceInspector deposit Rs 5lakh for failing to four to police custody and three office in Bandra East. They Dayanand Bangar of Oshiwara DEVENDRAPANDEY to judicial custody.The nabbed onesuspectand further A20-YEAR-OLD food delivery policestation. The car had MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 Kherwadi policehavebooked investigations revealedthe man waskilledafter being run dragged the biker forafew me- produce tempo used in crime the accusedfor robberyand hand of agang. over by aMercedescar being ters, he added. THE INVESTIGATION intoamo- theftchargesunder IPC. “Wegot holdofthe firstac- drivenbya19-year-old man at Police said that Shaikh had thatthe expensesfor itsproduc- plainedand thereforehewas bile phone snatching case led The police have also seized cusedfromGovandi, who in- Lokhandwala area in Andheri in stoppedanautorickshawand EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE tion beadjustedfromthe amount unaware of the consequences of the Kherwadi police station’s 10 phones and nine vehicles formedusthat thereisagang the weehours of Friday. The rushedthe victim to thehospital MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 recoveredfromRamadhar. notproducing it. He submitted detection wing to bustasyndi- from them. The value of whichoperates. Until then,we driver,acollegestudent, has whowasdeclareddead on arrival. Asessionscourt, lastmonth, that afamilymemberhad sold cateofthieves, who have stolen vehicles and phones seized all thought it wasjustamobile- been arrested. Shaikh wasarrestedand booked ASESSIONS courtonFridaydi- had issued abailable warrant it due to povertyand urgedthe nine motorbikes, twoauto-rick- is expected to be morethan snatching case,” an officerfrom The deceasedhas been iden- under sections of rash and negli- rected the father of an accused againstRamadhar afterhefailed courttoconsider the same and shaws and10mobile phones. Rs 10 lakh. Kherwadi policestationsaid. tifiedasSatish Nath Gupta who gent driving. "He waslater re- in the double murder case of to appear before the court. be lenient. The Kherwadi police The investigation startedin As per the police, all the wasonhis waytodeliverfood. leasedonbail," Bangar added. artistHema Upadhyayand her Ramadhar,father of accused However, the investigating nabbed the sevenaccusedSajid the firstweek of November sevenaccusedare youngsters, "Around 2.30 am on Friday, Shaikh,whose father is in the lawyer Harish Bhambhani to de- VijayRajbhar,had in 2016 moved agency deniedhis claims and Ansari, Abdul Salim Khan, when the police pursued the ranging from the ageof18to21. the driverofthe Mercedes car, importand exportbusiness, was posit Rs 5lakh before it, since he an application seeking the cus- submitted that Ramadhar had NavedShaikh, Mudasir Khan, case of abiker who had The police arenow searching identifiedasTaufur Shaikh, was out foradrive withtwo of his failedtoproduce atempo, al- tody of hisson Vijay’s tempo-- notabidedbythe conditions of Moin Shaikh, Mateen Shaikh snatchedamobile phonefrom fortwo mechanics believedto driving at ahigh speed. He guests who had visitedhim legedly used to dispose bodies of allegedly usedbythe accusedto the order by sellingthe tempo. and RizwanShaikh and sent aperson outside the MHADA be theirassociates. wanted to overtakeavehicle from Hyderabad. the victims afterthe crime. dispose the bodies afterthe mur- The courthad then givenhim fi- Additional Sessions JudgeSS der.The courthad allowed nal chance to produce before it Oza of the Dindoshisessions Ramadhar to take custody of the the tempousedinthe crime. PALGHAR courtpassedthe order declaring tempobypaying an indemnity The twobodies were found in Retired constable, former and current BMC that the indemnity bond of bond of Rs 5lakh. It also directed anullahinKandivali on CM meets Ramadhar Rajbhar is forfeited him nottosell it as it is partofev- December 12,2015. The Mumbai and directed him to deposit the idence. Ramadhar,inOctober, Police had arrestedfour persons, employees arrested for duping woman amount of Rs 5lakhbeforethe had told the court that his family including Hema’s husband, artist delegation courtwithin twoweeks, other- member had sold the vehicle. Chintan Upadhyay. Another ac- courtand have been remanded examination certificateinher wisewarrant will be issuedtore- On Tuesday, Ramadhar had cused, metalfabrication artist EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE According to police, in police custody till December son's name.However, when the opposing coveritthrough the Collector. made aplea stating that his son Vidyadhar Rajbhar,who the po- MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 primaryinvestigation 22. We have learntthattheyhave complainant approachedthem The court also issuedasearch Rajbhar wasfalselyimplicated lice claimedhad carriedout the dupedover300 people, which afew days later,toinquirewhen warrant forthe tempo, whichis in the case and said that condi- murders at the behest of Chintan, THE PROPERTY Cell of Mumbai has revealedthat the we aretrying to verify." her son could startreporting to port in considered an important evi- tions of the order of returning is still absconding. Crime Branch, on Friday, arrested group has connedmore The incident came to light af- work,theygaveher vague an- dence by the police and noted the vehicle to him were notex- The police hadalsoclaimed three persons forallegedly dup- terawoman from Antop Hill had swers and eventually stopped Vadhavan that the motive behindthe mur- ing awoman of Rs 3.5 lakh. The than 300people from approachedSion police with a answeringher calls. derswas adomestic disputebe- accused, including an employee Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, complaint that she wasduped "Thewomanthen realised tween Chintan and Hema. of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Thane and Nashik by Sadafule andDhotre. "The that she had been dupedand EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Chintan has maintainedthat the Corporation (BMC) and retired woman wastrying to gether son approachedSionpolicestation. MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 police have no legallyadmissible employees of the BMC and employedwith the BMC when Her statement wassubse- evidence and insufficient cir- Mumbai Police, dupedpeople Nitin Dhotre(39) and Preeti shehappenedtomeetthe two quentlyrecordedonTuesday CHIEF MINISTER Uddhav cumstantial evidence, likeen- under thepretext of facilitating Thakkar (66). While Sadafale has con men. Theytold her that they and acase of cheating and for- Thackeray on Fridaymet adele- tries made in his personal diary, ajob forthem in the civic body. retired from the BMC, Dhotreis areformer andcurrent employ- gery wasregistered,' said a gation of the VadhavanBandar againsthim to provehis guilt. According to police, primary still employedatthe civic body. ees of the BMC. Theypromised crime branchofficer. Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti (VB- investigation has revealedthat Thakker took voluntaryretire- her that theycould gether son Duringthe course of investi- VSS), whichhas been protesting the group has conned morethan ment as apolice constable from employedwith the waterde- gation, police were informed againstthe Vadhavanportat 300people from Mumbai, Navi the Mumbai Police department partment of the BMC, forwhich about the locations of Sadafule, Dahanu in Palghar district. Mumbai, Thane and Nashik.The 25 years ago. the twotook Rs 3.5 lakh from Thakkar and Dhotrein RavindraPhatak,ShivSena DELHI JAL BOARD three accusedhavebeen identi- Police inspector KedariPawar her," said apolice officer. Kandivali, Vakola and Paltan legislator, who waspresent at OFFICE OF THE EX. ENGINEER (NE) II fied as Prakash Sadafule (62), said, "Theywereproducedin In order to make their claims Road near MRA Marg, respec- the meeting, said that the del- seem authentic, the accused tively.Teams were dispatched egation told Thackeray why R-POCKET DILSHAD GARDEN DELHI-95 gave the complainant an ap- accordinglyand the accused theyare opposing the project. “STOP CORONA; Wear Mask, Follow Physical Distancing, Maintain Hand Hygiene TENDER NOTICEFOR pointment letter and amedical were then arrested. “The CM heardthem pa- PRESS NIT NO. 30 (2020-21) REGIMENTAL SHOPS tiently... he assured them that S. Name of Work Amount put EMD Tender Date of release Last date/ time of whether theyoppose or sup- No. to tender to Amount Fees of tender in receipt of tender AIR Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Ojhar portthe project, he willbewith Tender eprocurement through eprocurement solution solution invites sealed tenders on prescribed tender form upto the localpeople. But the CM 1. P/L 150 mm dia DI pipe with tapping 1200 mm dia 38,89,355.00 78,000.00 500.00 17.12.2020 31.12.2020 1030 hrs on for running the Sweet shop and Cafeteria Air also asked them to be firm on Shasri Park Rising Main Sonia Vihar WTP to Ranney upto 02:30 P.M. Warrior Club for the period from 15 Jan 21 to 14 Jan 22. their stand and notchangeit Well No. 2for new Water Emergency NE-II Tender ID No. 2020_DJB_197592_1 Tender forms can be obtained from CAdm OOffice, AF later,” he added. 2. Making filling pointsand other development works at 49,42,516.00 1,00,000.00 500.00 17.12.2020 31.12.2020 Stn Ojhar on payment of Rs. 1,000/- &Earnest Money “Earlier,the Sena had op- Ranney Well No. 2for new Water Emergency in NE-II upto 02:30 P.M. Deposit of Rs. 2,500/-. Shop Location can be seen for Tender ID No. 2020_DJB_197592_2 posedthe Samruddhi corridor assessment for one day with prior permission of AOC with and bullettrain projects afterthe All the terms and conditions including technical specification and special conditions is available on Delhi Govt. Website proper Covid safety measures between 19 Dec 2020 to 25 local residentsopposedthem. https://delhi.govtprocurement.com. Sd/- Dec 2020 between 1000 hrs to 1200 hrs. Tender will be ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER) (Sukhpal Singh) opened on 28 Dec 2020 at 1030 hrs "Sealed Tenders to be But later on, theygavetheir EX. ENGINEER (NE)-II Advt. No. J.S.V.266/2020-21 marked as "Tender for Sweet Shop, Cafeteria Air Warrior lands forthe projectsafter see- Club NOT to be opened by Central Registry". ing howwelltheywerebeing NORTHEASTERN KARNATAKAROAD TRANSPORT The Applicants name and contact details must be compensated.So, Thackeray told mentioned on the envelope. Priority will be given to them to be firm on their stand – CORPORAT ION,KALBURAGI. applicants in the following order. opposeorsupport.The delega- CentralOffices,Stores&Purchase Department, 1. Warwidows/widows of defence personnel killed tion has been asked to hold dia- Sarige Sadana,Main Road,Kalaburagi-2. while on duty logue with the authorities in- No.NEKRTC/CO/COSP/581/2020-21 Date :18-12-2020 2. Disabled soldiers volvedinthe construction of the 3. Ex-Servicemen port,” he added. “E”- AUCTIONNOTICE 4. Spouses/Widows of Exservicemen Localresidents, including ScrapVehiclesand Materialsavailable at variousunitsofNEKRTC will be sold through fisherfolk,tribals and farmers as e- AuctiontobeconductedbyM/s.M.S.T.C.(AGovt. of India undertaking). well as those staying in Thee-Auction schedule is as under: Vadhavanand nearbyvillages ScrappedMaterials:05.01.2021ScrappedVehicles: 07.01.2021 areopposing the portonthe TheinterestedBidders maylog on to www.mstcecommerce.comfor furtherdetails ground that it will notonlyhurt andregistration. They mayalsocontact M/s. M.S.T.C. Ltd, at bellow mentionedaddressfor the floraand fauna of Dahanu, needfulclarification. but also disruptalliedactivities Address: M/s. M.S.T.C. Ltd.,No. 19/5,19/6, 3rdFloor, Kareem Tower, Cunningham Road, likefishing and farming. Earlier this week,fish mar- Bengaluru-560052. ContactNos:080-22260054/22266417/22287356.Fax No:080-22256365. ketsand fishing activities in NEKRTC ContactNos ;7760686172/7760992029/08472260502. manyvillages in Mumbai, Thane DIP/Kalaburagi/659/MC&A/2020-21 Sd/- ControllerofStoresand Purchases and Punehad remainedshut as partofabandh calledbyVBVSS. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 7 MAHARASHTRA Missingfor3years,wifeofmanwhoseplea Uddhav tells Sena districtchiefs to ledtohumantraffickingprobeinShirdifound win maximum August10, 2017 aftervisiting the their twochildren who were en- (Deepti) and she will be to MAYURAJANWALKAR Saibabatemple in Shirdiwith joying rides at afair near the Aurangabad from Indoreasper MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 her family, had ‘returned’ to her temple. “I am justgladthat she the court’s order.The DGP’s of- gram panchayats sister’s house in Indoreon has been found,” Manoj told The fice had calledfor datafromall THREE YEARS and four months Thursday. The courtnotedthat Indian Express. the SPs in Maharashtraand at aftershe went missing from Manoj’s father-in-lawinformed In October,the Aurangabad leastsofar thereisnothing to Leavestocadretodecide on alliances Shirdi, the woman whose disap- him over the phone on Thursday benchofthe BombayHigh Court suggestthat thereisahuman- pearancehad ledtothe Bombay that Deepti had returnedtoher asked Director General of Police trafficking or an organtraffick- High Courtasking Maharashtra’s sister’s house, that she had been (DGP) SubodhJaiswal to exam- ing racket in the state.” VISHWASWAGHMODE toppolice officer to examine sev- living in Indore forthe lastthree ine the matter from ahuman- The High Court on Fridayor- MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 eral disappearances from the years and that Manoj’s father-in- trafficking or an organtrafficking dered that Deepti undergoa temple town from the human- lawhad found her “tobeof, angle. According to the dataear- preliminarymedical examina- CHIEF MINISTER and ShivSena trafficking angle, has been found. prima facie, an unstable mind”. lier placedbeforethe courtby tion at Government Hospital president Uddhav Thackeray has DeeptiSoni (38), wife of “I wasinBaroda yesterdayon the Shirdipolice, 279persons and Training Instituteat askedtheparty’s district chiefsto Manoj Soni(42), adriverfrom adrivingjob when my father-in- were reported missingfrom Aurangabad, be producedbe- gear up forthe gram panchayat Indorewho had movedthe lawcalledinthe evening at Shirdi between 2017 andOctober fore achiefjudicial magistrate elections on January15nextyear Aurangabad benchofthe about 6pmand informedme 27,2020 of whom 67,including on Saturdayand be kept at a and ensurethat Sena emergesas BombayHighCourtwitha that my wifehad returnedtoher Deepti, remaineduntraced. women’s reformation centrein the winner.However, it hasbeen habeas corpus petition to trace sister’s house in Indore. Idrove Deepti and Manoj. Courtesy: Manoj Soni Deepti’s return has, however, Aurangabad until the court lefttothe cadretodecideon his wife, returnedtoher sister’s backtoIndoreand mether at been metwithadisagreement hears the caseonDecember 21. forging alliances with Congress house in IndoreonThursday about 12:15am. She has not betweenManojand the Shirdi Dixit, however, said that the and NCP, Sena’sallies in the Maha UddhavThackeray evening, Soni’s lawyer Sushant clearly saidwhereshe wasfor Dipti, her sisterand Shirdi Police has notbeen able to sayhow she police. Additional public prose- police should notbeinahurry to Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Dixitsaid. Soni’s petitionwas ur- the lastthree years. She said that officers lateonFridayevening. got backfromShirdi to Indore, cutor HKPatil told the court that wind up their probe. “She has Of the over 28,000gram pan- gentlymentionedbeforeabench she went to the shops near the "I am justsorelievedthat she Manoj said. Manoj’s claim of howDeeptire- notbeen able to saywhereshe chayats, electionsto14,234of cidedtofight the local bodies' of Justice Ravindra VGhugeand temple in Shirdi and then she hasbeen found. The last three On the dayshe went missing turnedwas ‘disputable’ as it wasfor three years. Couldn’tshe them in 34 districtswerean- polls together,grampanchayat Justice BUDebadwar on Friday felt giddy and collapsed. She yearshavebeen very hardon in 2017,Deepti, who worked as was, in fact, the Shirdipolicethat be under some threat or fear? Is nouncedbythe StateElection elections arenot fought on party afternoon to inform the court does notseemdisoriented and our family,"said Manoj. anursing assistant in Indore be- wasinvestigating the case in it notpossible that she mayhave Commission last week.The polls symbol but by forming apanel thatDeepti had been found. says she doesn’t remember any- While Deepti has told her fore her disappearance, had gone Indore, who found her. been releasedtoprotect abigger for1,566grams panchayatswere at the local level. The courtwas told that thing afterthat,” said Manoj familythat she had been living to theshops near the Saibaba Patilsaid, “The Shirdipolice racket?This still needs to be in- to be held in March but were de- “The Sena chief has clearly Deepti, who went missing on Soni, who reachedShirdi with withaold woman in Indore, she temple while Manoj waited with took alot of effortstofind her vestigated,” said Dixit. ferred due to the Covid-19pan- told party workerstoworkhard demic. Now, elections to 14,234 to win maximumnumber of gram panchayats,whose terms gram panchayats.Analliance will COVIDTREATMENT areending by December 2020, be formedwith Congress and will go to polls on January15. NCPwherever possible,” Sena In ameeting with the party’s secretaryVinayakRautsaid. 10 months on, doctorsmove from using anti-virals &plasma district chiefsonThursday, Sena district chiefs saidthat Thackeray instructedhis cadreto the party will forgealliance with makepeopleaware of the gov- Congress and NCPconsidering therapytomanagingsymptoms, providing oxygensupport ernment’s performance in the the local scenario. “If we have a last oneyear and alsotakeupis- hold over the majority of gram sues facedbythe people with the panchayats in ablock, why ministers and the administration. should we give space to other TABASSUM “Party workers have been parties? If all three ruling parties BARNAGARWALA 18.88 lakh told to take the government’s have equal strength at gram pan- MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 work,suchasfighting Covid-19, chayats, then we will certainly TOTALPOSITIVECASES tackling Nisarga cyclone and forgealliances with Congress INCREASINGRESEARCH on INMAHARASHTRA heavy rainfall in Vidarbha and and NCPtokeep BJP out of drugs and doctors gaining expe- Active Cases 60,352 Marathwada, as well as itsfarm power. But the decision to form rience in the last10months have New Cases 3,994 loan waiver scheme, to the peo- an alliance will be takenincon- lessenedtheir initial reliance on ple. People have agoodopinion sultation withlocalfunctionar- TotalDeaths 48,574 anti-virals, plasma therapyand about the government and the ies,” said adistrictchief from drugs to treatCovid-19patients. New Deaths75 CM and this will help us,” said a western Maharashtra. Theynow prefer managing the Quarantined5.43 lakh senior Sena leader. Another district chief said symptoms as well as providing Tested 1.19 crore Partyinsiders said that that forming an alliance would early treatment and oxygen sup- Thackeray did notinstruct the depend on Sena's supportbase porttopatients. district chiefs on whether they in aparticular village. “Alliances “Initially, we didn’tknowwhat 2,85,632 should to fight the polls along willworkinour favour to keep would work.Weused TOTALPOSITIVE with Congress and NCP. While BJP out and win amajority of the Azithromycin and CASESINMUMBAI the three ruling parties have de- gram panchayats,” he added. Hydroxychloroquine. Now, we New Cases 642 have recognisedthatCovid-19can bemanagedif treatmentisstarted TotalDeaths 10,970 FIRST PHASE PLACEMENTS early.Proneposition,steroidsand New Deaths9 highflowoxygenworks,” said Dr Shashank Joshi, amember of the 973students recruited Mumbai Covid-19 Task Force. we use blood thinners in some Hospitals have modifiedtheir cases to prevent clotting,” said Dr stand from advisingadmission to Gautam Bhansali, consultant from IIT-Bombay all senior citizensand highco- physician with Bombayhospital. morbidity groups to onlythose Bhansali addedevenifhigh- that this year wasanall-time who requireoxygensupport. risk patientsare admitted,they EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE high recordfor the number of re- Senior citizens, too, who have areonlymonitored and notad- MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 cruiters who participated in the oxygen saturation levels above ministereddrugsunless their Phase-I of placementsatIIT 94,are advisedhome isolation. oxygen leveldrops or theyde- THE FIRST phase of placements Bombaythat washeld virtually Manydoctors ask patientsto Aman walkspastamural in Mumbai urging people to wear masks. Amit Chakravarty velop feverand cough. “Second at IIT Bombayconcludedwith se- from December 1toDecember walk forsix minutes and observe week of infection is important, it lection of 973students by re- 15.Justlikein2019, the most pulse oximeters, instead of wait- could lead to happyhypoxia.We cruiters from 310companies at number of offers were rolledout ing foraCTscan report. If levels While anti-virals like Remdesivir’s use has dippedby cases and the demand for convalescent plasma therapy have to monitor patientsduring an averageCTC of Rs 18.40 lakh. by theEngineering and fall below94, theyare advised Remdesivir and Favipiravir as 82 per cent in Maharashtraover Remdesivirhavereduced. There has dwindledsince October that duration,” he said. "The highestdomestic CTCpack- Technology sector that offered hospitalisation. well as immuno-modulators like the lastthree months. is enough stockofRemdesivir, when Indian Council of Medical Mumbai’s dailycasefatality agehas been Rs 64 lakh per an- an averageCTC per annum of Rs Dr Shahid Barmare, physician Tocilizumab and Itolizumab Food and Drug Tocilizumab and Favipiravir.In Research (ICMR) conducted a rate has nowcome down to less num and the highestinterna- 16.95 lakh.The highestaverage with SRVhospital in Chembur, were prescribed to almostall pa- Administration (FDA) data fact, some distributors in Nagpur trial and found that it did notim- than 2per cent. The severity of tional CTChas been EURO1.57 CTCper annum of Rs 22.72lakh said that onceadmitted, he puts tients, their use have nowbeen shows from 10,000 to 11,000 have so much Remdesivir in stock provemortality rate or prevent the infection has reducedwith lakh per annum,"the institute was, however, offeredbyre- patientsonoxygensupportand substantiallyreduced. vials in demand on adailybasis that theyare unable to sell it.” progression of thediseaseinto early diagnosisand close moni- said in astatement issuedon cruiters from the research and treatsthem forfever andpneu- Remdesivir and Favipiravir in July, the demand shotupto Immuno-modulators like itssevereform. toring. Of the over 60,000 active Friday. development sector. monia. “Weknownow thereis aregiven onlywithin 72 hours 27,000to 29,000vialsper dayin Tocilizumaband Itolizumab are Till December 2, over 17,373 Covid-19patientsin While the number of stu- The number of international no curative treatment. Anti-virals afterthe firstsymptoms September.Ithas nowdropped nowgiven to asmall sub-sectof plasma unitshavebeen usedon Maharashtra, 87 per centhave ei- dentsselected in the firstphase job offers forstudentsdropped do notprevent deaths. At most, emerge.Once touted as amira- to 3,000 to 5,000 vials. critical patientsonly. Thestate Covid-19patients.“Now, we do ther mild symptoms or are fell from 1,172in2019whichwas to 58 from 156in2019. This year, theyreduce the durationofhos- cle drug with patients’ kin lining JBMantri, Joint task forcehas removed notuse plasmaatall. It is effec- asymptomatic. Only6per cent re- an all-time high, in ayear dis- the offers came from countries pitalisation and clear the viral up to source it at pharmacies Commissioner (Drugs) in FDA, Tocilizumab from the listofpre- tive onlyifusedveryearly.We main critical. Another 7per cent ruptedbythe Covid-19pan- likeUSA,Japan, UAE, Singapore, load early,” he added. and distributors’ godowns, said, “Now,boththe number of scribed drugs. Also, the use of rely on antibiotics and steroids... arestablebut onoxygen support. demic, comparison to previous Netherlands, Hong Kong and years, the premier institute said, Taiwan. Thisyear the highest would be unfair. number of domestic job offers AIKS plans In all therewere182 pre- were made by Microsoft, Google, Leopard that killed 7personsshotdead in Solapur placement offers of which152 Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, farmers’ were accepted. This has been the Boston Consulting Group, Apple, highestnumberofpre-place- Bain and company, while the lu- march to Delhi According to the forest de- Solapur.The leopardalso killed ment offers since 2017-18. Of the crative Internationaloffers were EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE partment, the leopardhad severalcattle in different villages, 946campus recruitment offers made by Optiver(Netherlands), PUNE,DECEMBER18 wreaked havocinvariousvil- causing apanic situation. 821wereaccepted. the institute said in an earlier EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE lages in Beedand Solapur forest In viewofthe risingnumber "Placement Office has en- statement.Other recruiters in- MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 AFTER Arigorous search opera- divisions, including places in of attacks on humans by the deavoredtominimise the impact cludedHonda R&D (Japan) and tion, the stateforestdepartment Beed, Ahmednagar,Solapur and leopard, acommittee was of Covid-19pandemic on student TSMC (TaiwanSemiconductor THE ALL India Kisan Sabha’s on Fridaygunneddowna Aurangabad districts. formedbythe forest department recruitment process and has op- ManufacturingCompany). Maharashtraunitwill undertake “maneater” leopard, which is be- On November 16,the leop- forstudying the issue. The com- timisedselection outcomes. "Weare hopeful thatlarger avehiclemarch of farmers from lievedtohavekilledasmanyas ardattackedand killedtwo per- mittee visited the places where Comparison with previous years pool of studentswill getselected Maharashtrawho will join farm- sevenpersonsand injured four sons, identified as Ashok Avate the leopardattackedpeople. would notbefair, considering the next year and companies will ers protestinginDelhiagainst the others in Beed, Aurangabad and (50) and Krushna Avate, at Even afterintensifiedpa- economic, travel and logistical continue their participation next newfarmlawsintroducedbythe Solapur forest divisions since Apegaon in Paithan.On trolling andinstallation of cages challenges facedduring this pan- year in Phase-2 season once Centre. “Thousands of farmers November 15. November 21,ChabubaiEknath at important locations and use of demicyear," IIT Bombaysaid in a lockdown situation improves," from over 20 districtsof Speaking to TheIndian Rathod (44) waskilledinaleop- trap cameras, drone cameras for statement on Friday. the institutesaid. Maharashtra will gather at Express, Nitin Kakodkar, ardattackatBhagwangad in locating and trapping the leop- The institute, however, said Nashik on December 21 and start Principal Chief Conservatorof Pathardi forest range. ard, forest officials were unable avehiclemarch to Delhi,to Forest (Wildlife), said, “The Next day, on November 21, to stop the leopard's movement. strengthenthe struggle of lakhs maneater leopardhas been forty-year-old Alka Rajendra Also, forest officials found Three tourists from Pune of farmers camping around Delhi gunneddownatabananafarm Badewas injured in aleopardat- that the leopardwas particu- forthe lastthree weeks. Theywill in Karmala in Solapur district tack at Jatwad villageinShirur larlyattacking humanbeings drown at Anjarle beach traverse adistance of 1,266kmto around 6.15 pm today(Friday).” taluka of Beeddistrict. On andnoother animals. So, be- Delhi andjointhe struggleatthe According to forest officials, November 24,aman identified lieving that the leopard has be- Rakhelkar (35) of Shivaji Nagar, Rajasthan-Haryana border at the leopardwas spottedatthe as Nagnath GahininathGarje come amaneater,forestoffi- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Vikash Shrivastava (25) of Shahjahanpur around December banana farm of Pandurang (36) waskilledinaleopardat- cials sought permission to PUNE,DECEMBER18 Shanukar Colony, Kothrud, and 24,” AIKSnationalpresident Rakhunde, at Rakhunde Vastiof tack at Surudi village in Ashti in The leopardwas spotted at abanana farm at Rakhunde Vasti captureorkill the leopard from Manoj Gawande (24) of Ashok Dhawale said at apress Wangi villageinKarmala. Beeddistrict. of Wangi villageinKarmala. higher authorities. THREE TOURISTS from Pune Dhanori. Besides, three persons conference in Nashik. Aforestdepartmentteam On November 27,the leopard Permission wasgranted and drownedatAnjarle beachin identifiedasNihalChavan, Ubed “The three laws areaimedat comprising shooterDhawalsinh killedten-year-oldSwarajSunil an order in this regard waspassed Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra Khan and Rohit Palande,all in allowing corporates to make MohitePatil then followedthe Bhapkar at Kinhi villageinAshti. 28. On November 29, Surekha lageinAshti. by Kakodkar on December 6.The on Fridaymorning. Three oth- their 20s, were rescued. profitsatthe costoffarmers.To leopard. Mohite Patil firedthree Sheelawati Baba Dinde (33) and Nilkanth Bhosale (33) diedand On December 3, the leopard order,whichwas effectivetill ers, who were partofthe same The incident took place on oppose them, we will take part bullets at the leopardfroma12 AbhishekDinde (15) were in- another woman Shalabai attackedand killedaman iden- January31, 2021, statedthat no group of tourists,wererescued Fridaywhen agroup of 14 peo- in the protests under way,” borerifle from about 15 feet.The jured in aleopardattackat Shahaji Bhosale (60) wasinjured tifiedasKalyanDevidas Funde at awards should beannouncedfor by locals. Police have identified ple from Pune had gone to said Dhawale. leoparddiedinthe incident. Mangrul in Ashti on November in aleopardattackatPargaon vil- Limbewadi in Karmala in killing the leopard. the deceasedpersons as Akshay Anjarle beach. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 8 EXPRESS NETWORK SConCovid-19:Cappvthospital Cong rudderless, Rahul lacks capacity DELHI CONFIDENTIAL costsoropenmorestatefacilities to inspire: RJD leader ment and moreand morepro- calledfor information on fire “As faraspossible, unless EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE visions in the hospitals to be preparedness of similar hospi- must, no permission shall be SANTOSHSINGH NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 run by theState and/orlocal ad- tals acrossthe country. granted...for celebration/gath- PATNA,DECEMBER18 ministration aremade,” it said. Afterperusing the informa- eringevenduring the day Shivanand EVEN IF aperson recovers from “Even if one survivesfrom tion, the courtinFriday’s order hours,”the order said, adding RJD NATIONAL vice-president Tewari Covid-19, the costoftreatment COVID-19, manytimes finan- calledupon states and Union that in case suchpermissionis and former MP Shivanand would ensurethat he is fin- ciallyand economicallyheis Territoriestoappoint one granted,authorities musten- Tewari on FridaycalledCongress ished, the SupremeCourt said finished.Therefore, either nodal officer foreachCovid surestrict compliance of a“rudderless boat” and said “It is possible that the leader- on Friday, adding that there moreand moreprovisions are hospital “who shall be made guidelines and thereshould be Rahul Gandhi lackedthe “capac- ship of my party does notlike should either be acap on the to be made by the State responsible forensuring the amechanismtocheckthe ity to inspirepeople”. what Iamsaying… But Iwantto costoftreatment in private Government and the local ad- compliance of all fire safety number of people attending Referring to the upcoming appeal to Soniaji that youhad hospitals or morestate-run fa- ministrationorthere shall be measures”. suchevents. meeting between Congress savedthe Congress by sacrific- cilities whichwillprovide af- cap on the fees chargedbythe The topcourtnotedthat due The courtalsoasked states president Sonia Gandhi and a ing the Prime Minister’s STEPPING UP EFFORTS fordable careshould be setup. private hospitals, whichcan be to lackofimplementation de- wherethereisnocurfewdur- group of senior leaders demand- post...Todayitismoreimportant In aseries of directionsto in exercise of the powers under spiteguidelinesand SOPs, the ing the night or weekends to ing reforms in the party,Tewari that youshedputramoh (love WITH NO solution in sight to the stalemateoverthe newfarm authorities on steps to deal the DisasterManagement Act,” pandemic has spread likewild- consider imposing it and called said in astatement, “Congress is forson) and step forwardtosave laws,the government and BJP have steppeduptheir efforts with the pandemic, abenchof it said. fire andsaid “strict and sternac- for“moreand moretesting” for going to hold itsmeeting. But we democracy in the country,”he to reachout to the farmers. Agriculture MinisterNarendra Justices Ashok Bhushan, R The benchwas hearing a tion should be takenagainst Covid-19. “One mustbetrans- arenot sureofits outcome. It has said. Singh Tomar on Fridayheld avideo conference with the party’s SubhashReddy and MRShah suo motu case regarding “the those who areviolatingthe parent in number of testing become arudderless boat and Bihar Congress leader and stateunit chiefs, statein-chargesand organisationsecretaries said the “right to health is afun- proper treatment of Covid-19 Guidelines and SOPs, whoever and declaring thefactsand fig- Rahul Gandhi, too, lacksthe abil- MLCPremChandraMishra said, and informedthem about the various provisions of the laws damental rightguaranteedun- patientsand dignifiedhan- he maybeand whatever posi- ures of the persons who are ity to inspire people. Notjustthe “Shivanand Tewari should think and concessions proposedtothe protesting unions. It is learnt der Article 21 of the dling of dead bodies in the hos- tion the violator is occupying”. Corona Positive.Otherwise, the public, even the people of his about his party.His advice is un- that the leadersalso discussed amass awarenesscampaign on Constitution of India”.“Right to pitals etc”. In the course of the The benchsaid “moreand peoplewill be misledand they party have lostfaith in him. That solicited.” the issue,tobelaunchedacross the countryonDecember 25. health includes affordable matter, the courttookcog- morepolice personnel shall be will be under impression that is whypeople at various places While Tewari appears to treatment.Therefore, it is the nizance of fire incidentsindes- deployedatthe places where everything is all right and they aredeserting the party.” have expressedthe views in his duty uponthe Statetomake ignated Covid-19hospitals in thereislikelihood of gathering will become negligent,” the “It is important forthe personal capacity,his remarks provisions foraffordable treat- Gujaratand elsewhereand by the people...”. benchsaid. Congress to regroup and recover. echo the dominant opinion SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION It is still ahead of principal oppo- within the RJD about ally nent BJP in some states and is on Congress. The party had earlier ON Aday the costofredevelopment of Central Vistawas re- AHEADOFSHAH MEETING equal footing with the saffron blamedthe Congress forbeing vised,Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla receivedacontribution party in some other states.Itis aweak link in the from an unexpected source. BSai AbhayPranav, a11-year boy important forCongress to Mahagathbandhan in the recent from Madurai, has sent ademand draftfor Rs 1,145inBirla’s emerge as an alternative to BJP Bihar polls, winning only19out name as his contribution forconstruction of the new Two more MLAs quit, TMC forsakeofdemocracy,” he said. of the 70 seatsitcontested. Parliament building. In aletteraddressedtothe Speaker, Pranavsaid he celebrated his birthdayonDecember 11 and re- ceivedthe moneyasagiftfromhis grandfather. “My father ON THEEVE OF KEY MEETING told me aftermanyyears,anewParliament is going to be con- claims ‘deserters’ are no loss structed.Ifeel very happy.Iamgivingmybirthdaygiftamount Cong asserts:99.99% and afew saving amount to the construction of anew Parliament,” the boywrote,adding, “My father told me SC protection Parliament is one of the four pillars in India. So kindlybless DIPANKARGHOSE& me…”. Touchedbythe gesture, Birla decidedtoreturn the SANTANUCHOWDHURY for BJP leaders leaders believeRahul draftwith his blessings,sources said. NEWDELHI,KOLKATA, DECEMBER18 facing criminal right person to lead ASIGNIFICANT MEETING TWOMLASofthe Trinamool casesinBengal Congress,the leader of itsminor- FORMER KERALABJP president and current Mizoram ity cell, and general secretaryof EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Governor PSSreedharan Pillai seems to have emergedakey adistrict unit quit the party on EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 person forChurch leaders in the state. Lastmonth, Pillai met Fridayasthe widelyanticipated NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 Randeep Church leaders who requestedhim to take their grievances exodus in the wake of former ON THE eveofthe crucial meet- Surjewala to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Friday, Pillaihad ameet- ministerSuvenduAdhikari's re- THE SUPREMECourtFriday ing betweenCongress president ing with the Prime Ministerduring whichheislearnt to have bellion gathered momentum. granted protection from arrest Sonia Gandhi and agroup of raisedissues facedbythe Christian minorities in Kerala. Suvendu and severalother to BJP leaders including MPs leaderswho had been demand- as per the electoral college...but According to sources, the Prime Ministerwas keen to know de- TMC leaders at various levels of Police officers take stockofsecurity preparationsfor Amit Kailash Vijayvargiyaand Arjun ing reforms in the party,the we certainlyfeel and manypeo- tails about the issues. Thechurch leaders had complained the party areexpected to join the Shah’s rallyatMidnaporeCollegeGround,Friday. Partha Paul Singh who alleged that false CongressonFridayassertedthat ple likemefeel that Rahul about “love jihad” and other issues. With BJP eyeing Christian BJP at apublic meeting presided cases were being foistedupon 99.99 per cent of leaders and Gandhi should lead the Congress minoritiesfor expanding itselectoral base in Kerala, Pillai’s overbyHome MinisterAmit them by the Mamata Banerjee- workers believe that Rahul party from thefront. The final meeting with Modi is considered to be significant. Shah on Saturday. TMC leaders predicted a thatnoTMC leader who tor- ledTMC government. The top Gandhi is the right person to lead call will be his,” he said. The TMC put up abrave face – Muslim backlash if Suvendu mented my grassroots levelBJP court soughtthe state’s response the party. As forSaturday’s meeting, he alleging it wasthe corruptwho joinedthe BJP,and claimedthat colleagues in Asansol” gets entry. to theirpetitions. Stating that the next party said thereisnodissension in the were leaving the party.Senior it wastoassess the impact of this ShilbhadraDuttahad turned Abench of Justices SKKaul, president will be chosen by the party. TMC leaderssaidChief Minister factor that the rebelhad delayed rebelamonth ago, and refusedto Dinesh Maheswari and electoral collegecomprising “This is notameetofany spe- SC noticestocomedian, MamataBanerjee's charisma and the decision to cross over.Said meetMamataBanerjee'spolitical Hrishikesh Royissuedanotice AICC members, Congress com- cific group of leaders. This is not popularity were unmatchedin Roy: “Ifhe(Suvendu) had strategistPrashant Kishorand on the petitions anddirected municationdepartment head ameetofany dissenters or rebels cartoonist on pleas West Bengal, and that would ulti- formedhis ownparty,hemay Food Minister JyotipriyaMullick. that no coercive action be taken Randeep Surjewala said at an because we consider eachleader, matelydecide the Assemblyelec- have had morecredibility.” “I think that Idonot fitintothe againstthe petitioners—Mukul AICC press meet, “It is my belief eachworkerofthe Congress tions afew months from now. The TMC's MLAs from party in the present situation. Roy, PawanKumar Singh and and the belief of the overwhelm- party as part of the family. And seekingcontempt rap “I do notwant to talk of indi- Barrackpore(North24- HoweverIwill notresign as an Sourav Singh, besides Arjun ing majority,99.99 per cent of addressing the issues raisedby vidualsbut as thingsstand today Parganas) and Kanthi Uttar MLA,asIhavewontheelectionon Singh and Vijayvargiya—till the the Congress leaders and work- some of the senior leaders, interim bail in a2018abetment- it appears that some people who (Purba Medinipur), Shilbhadra people'svotes,” he saidonFriday. next dateofhearing. ersthatRahul Gandhiisthe right friends and colleagues, the EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE of-suicide case, had “scandal- have earnedillegal moneyare Duttaand BanasriMaity respec- Banasri Maity announced Theyhad sought aprobe by person to lead the Congress Congress partyhad already de- NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 ized” the topcourtand “further being pressured to jointhe BJP. tively,gaveuptheir membership she would join the BJP on an independent agency in the party and to take on the Modi cidedtohold the election forthe lowered” itsauthority. Forsuchpeople, options arelim- of the party on Friday. Theyfol- Saturday. “Inlastfew months, I criminal cases registeredagainst government.” postofpresident of the Congress. THE SUPREME CourtonFriday Another lawstudent, Aditya ited,” TMC Chief Whip in Rajya lowSuvendu (Nandigram, Purba have facedinsults.Ithas become them by theWestBengalpolice. “Yes the election of the That process is currentlyunder- issuednotices to stand-up Kashyap, has submittedthat Sabha SukhenduSekhar Raytold Medinipur) who leftthe TMC on impossible to stay in the party. Appearing forVijayvargia, Congress president will be held way.” comicKunal Kamraand car- some of Taneja’s socialmedia The IndianExpress. Wednesday, andMihir Goswami TomorrowIwill join BJP in Amit AdvocatePrashant Kumar sub- toonistRachitaTaneja on pleas posts arecontemptuous, and Raysaid moredesertions (CoochBehar Dakshin) who Shah'spresence,” she said. mitted that the cases againsthim forcontempt action against urgedthe courttorestrain her were possible, but insisted they joinedthe BJP lastmonth. Also on Friday, the TMC lost were forminor offences that and Truth has prevailed: Priyanka them fortweetsallegedly scan- from publishing material that would be by people who “may Jitendra Tiwari, theMLA from the general secretaryofits mi- were foistedonlytoprevent him dalising thecourt. undermines itsauthority. notget renomination (tocontest Pandabeswar in Paschim nority cellKabirulIslam, andthe from visiting the state whereas- on CBI’s Hathras chargesheet ABenchofJustices Ashok Granting his consent for the Assemblyelection) because Bardhamandistrictand former general secretaryofits Paschim semblypolls aredue next year. Bhushan, RSReddy,and MR initiation of contempt of theirabysmal failuretoper- chairman of the Asansol Medinipur district unit Senior AdvocateMukul Hathras case has stated that the Shah directed Kamraand Taneja proceedings, AttorneyGeneral form as apeople's representa- Municipal Corporation, however, Snehasish Bhowmick. Rohatgi who appeared forArjun EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE 19-year-old victim wasbrutally to file theirreplies in six weeks. forIndia KKVenugopal had tive”. Therewas no one to did adramatic U-turn on Friday “I have sent my resignation Singh, said the caseswere filedaf- NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 gangrapedand murdered.This The court, whichreserved its said: “I find that todaypeople “match” MamataBanerjee, and and indicatedhe would stay back letter todaytominority cell pres- terheleftthe TMC and joinedBJP. development raises serious decision on Thursday, ex- believe that theycan boldly the TMC was“leastbothered” in the TMC. Tiwari had resigned ident Haji Sheikh Nurul Islam. I The benchalso took up aplea HOURS AFTER the CBI filedits questionsonthe Adityanath empted thecomedian and the and brazenlycondemn the about the desertions, he said. fromallpartypostsonThursday— want to followSuvendu Adhikari by West Bengal BJP leader Kabir Hathras casechargesheetwith government in Uttar Pradesh, UP cartoonistfromappearing in Supreme CourtofIndia and its Lok Sabha MP SaugataRoy however, he metMamata wherever he goes,” KabirulIslam Shankar Bose, who alleged that sections of gangrape and mur- police, ADG Law&Order,District person. judges by exercising what said Suvendu Adhikari had left Banerjee'sconfidantArupBiswas said. Bhowmicktoo said,“Iwill he wasassaulted andattacked dered,Congress leader Priyanka MagistrateofHathras and Senior Lawstudent Shrirang theybelieve is their freedom “absolutelyforhispersonalambi- onFriday, andexpressedregret at followSuvendu Adhikari now.” while travelling in Bengal. Gandhi Vadralashedout at the functionaries of the stateadmin- Katneshwarkar and othershave of speech. But... freedom of tion”. Roysaid Suvendu “wanted having “hurt”the CM. Meanwhile, Assembly Senior AdvocateMahesh BJP government in Uttar Pradesh istration,” Priyanka, general sec- contended that tweets posted speechissubject to the lawof control over alarge number of The BJP's Asansol MP Babul Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay Jethmalani, who represented saying themight of the stateand retary in charge of Uttar Pradesh by Kamraafter the Supreme contempt and... it is time MLAseats”,and“atonepoint,the Supriyohad comeout openly Fridaysaid he would notaccept Bose, said the assault happened police could notsuppress the ,said in astatement. Courtheard Republic TV editor- that people understand that party and MamataBanerjee de- againstthe move to induct Tiwari Suvendu's resignation as MLA despiteBose being aCISF (SSG) truth. She said the Yogi Adityanath in-chief ArnabGoswami's chal- attackingthe Supreme Court cidedthat he shouldnot be given intothe party.Hehad written on because it does notconformto protectee. The courtasked the “The truth has prevailedonce government had “leftnostone lengetothe BombayHigh Court unjustifiedly... will attract afreehand in these seats”. That, Facebook that he would “trywith the provisions of the Constitution CISF (SSG) to place the specialre- again. The CBI charge sheetfiled unturnedtodenythe victim dig- order that rejected hispleafor punishment...” Roysaid, wasthe “basic issue”. all might and honesty to ensure and the rules of the House. portbeforeit. todayagainstfour accusedinthe nity—in lifeand death.” Media should not discredit change, UP wants 2014 case against Rajnath handsthree new systems weaken spirit of nationalism: Venkaiah minister, MLAwithdrawn built by DRDO to Armed Forces spective positions”. However, he EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE said, “media should notbeseen MANISHSAHU Ladakh border area forday and NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 by thepublic as discrediting the LUCKNOW,DECEMBER18 Bhupendra EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE night surveillance. It facilitates Venkaiah changethat is happening since Singh NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 monitoringand surveillance by MEDIA SHOULD nottry to dis- Naidu suchachangeiscontrarytotheir THE YOGI Adityanathgovern- Chaudhary automaticallydetecting the in- credit the changethe country is longheld positions”. ment has ordered the with- DEFENCE MINISTER Rajnath trusionsinharsh high-altitude witnessing justbecause it is con- “Whatever changeishappen- drawal of acase in whichstate Singh handedthree indige- sub-zerotemperature areas with trarytothe media’s long-stand- petofthe governments. It is ing in our countryoverthe last Panchayati RajMinister ernment counsel Kaushal Gupta, nously-developedDefence remote operation capability, ac- ing position, and should nottry about examiningand reporting fewyears, it is within the frame- BhupendraSinghChaudhary, adding that trial had begun. Research and Development cordingtothe DRDO. to weaken the spirit of national- on the triggers of change, part- work of the Constitution.The task BJP MLARitesh Kumar Gupta Gupta said:“The police Organisation(DRDO) systems— Indian Maritime Situational ism, Vice President MVenkaiah nerships built and participation of nation building... needs to be and others areaccusedofal- wrongly addedmyand one of which is already being Awareness System (IMSAS), Naidu said Friday. of people and other stakeholders, pursuedwithenhancedvigour legedly attackingpolice person- BhupendraSingh's names in the used in eastern Ladakh where DefenceMinister Rajnath whichwas handedovertoNavy Delivering the Sixth MV challenges facedand the way and missionaryzeal collectively. nel who triedtodisperse pro- case. We were notpresent at the India and Chinaare involved in a Singh presentsamodel of chief Admiral Karambir Singh is Kamath MemorialEndowment theywereovercomeetc,” he said. Suchanunited effort calls fora testers holding an agitation spot. The case is politicallymo- standoff—to the armedforces at the ASTRA Mk-I Missile to a“state-of-the-art, fullyindige- LectureonJournalism, Naidu The commentscome at a strong sense of ‘nationalism’ and againstthe Moradabad police for tivated.” Defence counsel Sudhir the annual DRDO awards on Air Chief RKSBhadauria. PTI nous, high performance intelli- said journalism is supposedto time when alarge number of ‘nationalistspirit’ that binds all removing aloudspeaker from a Gupta said all accusedwereout Friday. gent softwaresystem” that pro- be critical of the order of the farmers, mostlyfromPunjab and Indians together,” he said. temple in 2014. on bail. Singh also presented awards, vide Global Maritime situational times basedonfacts and sup- Haryana, areprotesting on “It is notcorrect to weaken The alleged role of Tension prevailedatincluding the Lifetime handedovertoArmychief picture, marineplanning tools portedbyevidence, but added Delhi’sborders againstthe this spirit by attributing the non- Chaudharyand Moradabad MLA Akbarpur Chendi villagein Achievement Award2018toNV General MM Naravane is an “all- and Analytical capabilities. that “this should notslip into Centre’s three newfarm laws. existing divisive perspectives... Gupta cametolightduringin- Moradabad afterpolice removed Kadam “for hiscontributions for weather” electronic surveillance To theAir Force, the Defence complete negativity”. The Vice-President said the Presenting everyincident or is- vestigation. aloudspeaker from atemple in developing control and guidance system successfullydesigned Ministerhandedoverthe AS- “Governmentsare the princi- media to be “should “use astan- sue in adivisive perspective does “The withdrawal application June, 2014.Since then, locals had schemesformissiles”,theDefence and developedbyInstruments TRA Mk-I Beyond VisualRange pal catalysts of this changefor the dardset of reporting and analyt- immense harm to thegoalof has been movedtoalocal court been staging protests to restore Ministrysaid in astatement. Research &Development (BVR) Missile to Chief of Air better.Developmentjournalism ical tools that captures the building astrong, resurgent and of Moradabad.The courthasfixed the loudspeaker,and the BJPalso The Border Surveillance Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun ForceAir Chief Marshal RKS does notmeanbeating the trum- changewithout imposing re- developedIndia,” he added. January8for hearing," said gov- calledfor amahapanchayat. System (BOSS), whichSingh and has been deployedat Bhadauria. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 @ieExplained #ExpressExplained 9 If thereare questions of current or contemporaryrelevancethat youwould like E EXPLAINED explained, please [email protected] SIMPLY PUT QUESTION &ANSWER Amassivehack in US, using anovel set of tools One of the biggestcyberattacks to have targeted US government agencies and private companies, the ‘SolarWinds hack’ is being seen as alikelyglobal effort.How wasitcarriedout, and what kind of datahas been compromised? WhyhaveUSgovernment officials and politicians namedRussia? eralbigprivate companiesandfederalgovern- ers, were all impacted. tools suchasanti-virus that could detect it. “changingpasswords foraccountsthat have SHRUTIDHAPOLA ment agencies. Microsoftconfirmedithasfoundevidence accessto SolarWindsservers/infrastructure”. CHANDIGARH,DECEMBER18 FireEyeCEOKevinMandiawroteinablog- of the malware on their systems, although it Wheredoes Russia comein? The US Cybersecurityand Infrastructure postsayingthatthe companywas “attacked addedtherewasnoevidenceof “accessto pro- In his NYT opinionarticle, Bossertnamed Security Agency (CISA) has issuedan THE ‘SOLARWINDS hack’, acyberattackre- by ahighlysophisticated threat actor”,calling duction services or customer data”, or that its Russiaand itsagencySVR, whichhas the ca- EmergencyDirective 21-01, askingall“federal centlydiscoveredinthe United States, has it astate-sponsoredattack,although it did not “systems were usedtoattackothers”. pabilities to executethe attackofsuchinge- civilianagenciesto review theirnetworks”for emergedasone of the biggestevertargeted name Russia. It said the attackwas carriedout Microsoftpresident Brad Smith said that the nuity and scale. indicators of compromise. It has asked them againstthe US government, itsagencies and by anation “with top-tier offensive capabili- companyhas begun to “notify morethan 40 Microsoftnotesinits blogthat“thisaspect to “disconnectorpowerdownSolarWinds severalotherprivate companies. In fact,itis ties”,and“theattackerprimarily soughtinfor- customers that the attackers targetedmore of the attackcreated asupply chainvulnera- Orion productsimmediately”. likelyaglobal cyberattack. mation related to certain government cus- preciselyand compromised”. bility of nearlyglobal importance, reaching The FBI, CISAand office of the Director of It wasfirstdiscoveredby US cybersecurity tomers.” It also saidthe methodsusedbythe AReutersreportsaidthatevenemailssent manymajor national capitals outside Russia”. NationalIntelligenceissuedajointstatement, companyFireEye,and since then moredevel- attackers were novel. by Departmentof HomelandSecurityofficials It goes on to add that sophisticated attacks and announcedwhatiscalled the ‘Cyber opmentscontinuetocome to light eachday. ThenonDecember 13 FireEyesaid cyber- were “monitored by the hackers”. from Russia have become common. UnifiedCoordination Group (UCG)” in order Thesheerscaleof thecyber-attack remainsun- attack, which it namedCampaign UNC2452, FireEye,however, hasnotyet namedRussia to coordinategovernmentresponseto thecri- known,althoughtheUSTreasury, Department wasnot lmited to the companybut had tar- The target of the cyberattackwas Howdid theygain access? as being responsible and saiditisanongoing sis. The statement calls this a“significant and of Homeland Security,Department of getedvarious“publicandprivate organisations Orion,asoftwaresuppliedbythe According to FireEye, the hackers gained investigationwiththeFBI,Microsoft,andother ongoing cybersecurity campaign.” Commerce, partsofthe Pentagon areall be- aroundtheworld”.Thecampaignlikelybegan companySolarWinds. Reuters “accesstovictims via trojanizedupdates to key partners who arenot named. The WhiteHouse and President Donald lievedtohavebeenimpacted. in “March 2020and has been ongoing for SolarWinds’OrionITmonitoring and man- Trumphavebeensilent.SenatorMittRomney In an opinion piecewrittenfor The New months”,the postsaid. Worse, the extent of agement software”. Basically, asoftwareup- What has SolarWinds and the US has summeditbestinhis commentstojour- York Times,Thomas PBossert, who was datastolen or compromisedisstill unknown, basedcompanySolarWinds. datewas exploited to install the ‘Sunburst’ governmentsaid aboutthe hack? nalistOlivierKnoxofSiriusXMradio,wherehe Homeland Security Adviser forPresident giventhe scale of the attackisstillbeing dis- Orion has been adominant softwarefrom malwareintoOrion, whichwas then installed Right now, SolarWinds is recommending compared this attacktothe equivalentof DonaldTrump, hasnamedRussia forthe at- covered. Aftersystems were compromised, SolarWinds with clients, whichinclude over by morethan 17,000 customers. thatallcustomersimmediatelyupdatetheex- Russianbombersflyingundetectedalloverthe tack.Hewrote “evidenceintheSolarWindsat- “lateral movement and datatheft” took place. 33,000companies.SolarWindssays 18,000of FireEyesays theattackersreliedon“multi- istingOrion platform,whichhas apatchfor countryexposingthecyberwarfareweakness tack points to the Russian intelligence agency itsclientshavebeenimpacted.Incidentally, the ple techniques” to avoid being detected and thismalware. “If attackeractivityisdiscovered of the US. He said that the silence and inaction known as the SVR, whose tradecraftisamong Howdid so manyUSgovernmentagencies companyhasdeletedthelistofclientsfromits “obscuretheiractivity”. The malwarewas ca- in an environment,werecommendconduct- from White House wasinexcusable. themostadvancedintheworld.”TheKremlin and companies getattacked? official websites. pable of accessing the system files.What ingacomprehensive investigationanddesign- Senator RichardBlumenthal, aDemocrat, has deniedits involvement. This is beingcalleda‘Supply Chain’at- Accordingtothepage,whichhasalsobeen workedinthemalware’sfavourwasitwasable ing and executing aremediation strategy tweeted: “Russia’scyber-attackleftme tack:Instead of directlyattacking the federal scrubbedfromGoogle’sWebArchives,thelist to “blendinwithlegitimateSolarWindsactiv- drivenbytheinvestigative findingsanddetails deeplyalarmed, in fact downrightscared.” So, what is this ‘SolarWinds hack’? government or aprivate organisation’s net- includes 425 companies in Fortune 500, the ity”, according to FireEye. of the impacted environment,” it has said. President-elect Joe Biden said in astate- Newsofthe cyberattacktechnicallyfirst work,the hackers target athird-party ven- top10telecomoperatorsintheUS.ANewYork Once installed, the malwaregaveaback- Those unable to update aretoldtoisolate ment:“Agood defense isn’t enough; We brokeonDecember 8, whenFireEyeput out a dor,whichsupplies softwaretothem. In this Timesreportsaidpartsof thePentagon,Centers door entrytothe hackers to thesystems and “SolarWinds servers” and it should “include need to disrupt and deterour adversaries blog detecting an attackonits systems. The case, the target wasanITmanagement soft- forDisease Control and Prevention, the State networksof SolarWinds’customers.Moreim- blocking all Internetegress from SolarWinds from undertaking significant cyberattacks firm helps with security management of sev- ware calledOrion, suppliedbythe Texas- Department,theJusticeDepartment,andoth- portantly, the malwarewas alsoableto thwart servers”.Thebare minimumsuggestionisthe in the firstplace.” CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD How women are protectedby proteinthat letsincoronavirus THE HUMANenzyme ACE2, which gene and men have only one copy. enables the novelcoronavirus to in- This does notseem to makewomen fect the cell, is also keyinprotecting moresusceptible to Covid-19infec- againstcardiovascular,lung and kid- tion, the research found, it rather pro- neydiseases. And, new tectsthem from the research has found, it complications associ- maybeoffering protec- ated with the virus. tion to women against ACE2 is agene linked Covid-19disease. to the Xchromosome. The research has And women have twice found looked at whyfe- PAPER as manyactive genetic in- TheKanjurmarg site, whereUddhav male COVID-19patients structions to make ACE2. had relocated Metrocar-shedthe day face less severe disease Research is underway aftertakingcharge .Deepak Joshi complications anda CLIP to understand howma- lowerrisk of dying than nipulating ACE2 levels male patients,and found NEWRESEARCH might help Covid-19pa- that it is thankstohor- tients, to prevent infec- monesand chromosomes thatcon- tion by blocking the enzyme, or to pro- StayonUddhav’s Metromove: what now tributetoastrongerimmunere- tect the body by enhancing it. sponse. And the highlight of the study The study wasled by researchers is howthe sexdifferences in Covid-19 at University of Alberta.Itispublished MetroprojectsbyRs4,656crore. Department’s claim on the land, whichwas ping of 2,500trees at theAarey site. arelinked to ACE2. in the American JournalofPhysiology- SANDEEPASHAR cited in the Collector’s order.The Salt Since the relocation, Fadnavis has repeat- Because of their chromosomes, Heart and Circulatory Physiology. MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 StatevsCentre Commissioner filedanapplication in court edly labelledThackeray's move as one taken women have twocopies of the ACE2 Source: University of Alberta The Collector’s orderreignitedafour- againsttheminister’sorderjustbeforetheland to merelysatisfy“someone’sego”.Hehascon- ON WEDNESDAY,the BombayHigh Court decade-olddisputebetween the stategovern- wasallotted to the MMRDA. tendedthat his government,too, had consid- stayedfurther implementation of anOctober ment and the Centreoverthe ownership of ered Kanjurmargbut settledfor Aareyasthe INDIA ACTIVE CASES 313,831 1order by the Mumbai (Suburbs)Collector erstwhile salt pan lands, whereoperations for Privateclaimants viablealternative dueto legalhurdlesandcost that had transferred102 acres in Kanjurmarg saltmanufacturehaveceasedlong ago. In Twoprivate parties have also approached implications. Afterthe latestcourtorder, forthe 33.5-km underground Colaba-Bandra- 1981,the statehad mutated all suchlands in the courtinthe matter.One SumermalBafna Fadnavis said,“At leastnow theyshould set 400,000 Seepz Metrocar-shed. The High Courtadmit- Mumbai in itsname, whichthe Centrehas has contended that theplotisapartofa200- their egoaside and resume work at Aarey.” tedthe Centre’s petition that the land wasan since disputed.According to records, the car acreparcel he bought in January1969 from erstwhile salt pan land belonging to it, and shedland is also partoflargerparcel, meas- successors of the erstwhile khot of Kanjur vil- Options before govt took on recordclaims on the plotstakedby uring1668.24acres, wheresaltcultivation was lage,MohammadYusuf,andthatasuitregard- The stay will be applicable until the next twoprivate parties. The relocationto being carriedout once. ing his claim waspending in another court. hearing,scheduledinFebruary,2021. It will 378,909 313,831 Kanjurmarghad been announcedbyChief Objecting to the Collector’s order,the Mahesh Garodia, another claimant,has lead to further uncertainty over the comple- 350,000 MinisterUddhavThackeray. Centre,throughtheDeputySaltCommissioner arguedthat he is the lease holder of the Salt tion of the Metroline, the firstphase of (Mumbai),hascontendedthattheallottedland Department, and had interests in the entire whichwas originallyscheduledfor comple- Uddhav’s move waspartoflandownedbyit,which wasleased land parcel. tion by September 2022, and the full phase In October,Thackeray overturnedhisfor- for99yearsto ArthurSaltWorks.Theleaseex- by March 2023.The Mumbai MetroRail mer allyand predecessor Devendra pired in 2016. Thackeray vs Fadnavis Corporation (MMRCL) has so farcompleted LAST 10 DAYS Fadnavis’s contentious decision of building The state’s counter is thatitownsthe plot, The order is also amajor setbackfor the 85% of tunnelling work and 61%ofthe civil 300,000 the project’s car shedatAarey Milk Colony. mutatedinitsnameonJanuary31, 1965itself. Thackeray-ledShivSena aheadofthe 2022 work forthe line. The government has ar- Dec 8Dec 17 Thackeray relocatedit to Kanjurmarg, where Of the1668.24acres,ithascontended,theSalt elections to the Mumbai municipality,which guedthat it has already invested Rs 15,994 an integrated two-deckcar-shedfor theun- Departmenthadoriginallybeeninpossession it has controlledfor over twodecades. The re- croreonthe Metroproject. Note: The Dec 17 figure in this graph is based on thegovernment updateonDec 18 dergroundMetro and three otherMetro line of barely11acres and 6 gunthas,the Indian location to KanjurmargfromAarey,one of On Thursday, UddhavThackeray also routes wasproposed. The Collector allotted Railwaysand the erstwhile AndhraPower Mumbai’slastvestigesof greenery, hasbeena asked officials to explorewhether alterna- the land to theMumbai MetropolitanRegion Transmissionhad possessedapart, and 23.5 major bone of contention between the Shiv tive locations areavailable forthe relocation INDIA TOTAL CASES WORLD TOTAL CASES Development Authority (MMRDA) at zero acres wasusedfor building the Eastern SenaandtheBJP,itsformerally. Thackeray had of the car shed. 9,979,447 75,230,033 costfor thecar shed. Expressway.Itsaid the stategovernment overturnedFadnavis’s decision the very day Sourcessaidthatthegovernmentwillinall Beforethe courtorder on Wednesday, ownedthe remaining 1619 acres and that the aftertaking oath. Beforethat, when the two likelihood appeal in the Supreme Court for Source:MinistryofHealth&Family Source:JohnsHopkinsUniversity, MMRDAhad already initiated thesoiltesting plotallottedfor the car-shedwas part of it. parties were together in government, withdrawalofthe High Courtstay. But with Welfare,updatedat11pmonDec18 updatedat11pmonDec18 work at the site. The MMRDA has arguedin On November 1, 2018,thenRevenue Thackeray’s son Aditya,now Environment theMMRCLalreadyrunningbehindschedule, courtthatanintegratedcarshedforfourMetro MinisterChandrakantPatil,actinginquasi-ju- Minister, had spearheadedprotestsagainst officials agreedthat the legal battle is threat- linesatthe sitewould bringdownthe costof dicialcapacity,had dismissedthe Salt Fadnavis’s decision to allowovernight chop- eningto delaytheprojectandescalateitscost. InPornhubpullingdown10millionvideos,implicationsforallothersuchsites It monetizes child rapes, revengepornogra- firmedviolations of our standards prohibit- tion to leading by example”. dentsonPornhub.“That is still 118toomany, This also means that verifiedusers on NANDAGOPALRAJAN phy, spycam videos of women showering, ing unlawful content on their site” while Pornhub had over the years modelled whichiswhy we arecommitted to taking PornHub, oftenperformerswho maketheir NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 racistand misogynist content, and footage Visa said it wasinstructing financial insti- itself on YouTubeand allowedanyone to everynecessaryaction,” the blogpostsaid. livelihood by posting explicit videos on the of women being asphyxiated in plastic tutions “tosuspend processing of payments upload content, and monetise it. As its The blog also claimedthat Pornhub was site, will find theirincomestreamscut to PORNHUB, THE world’s mostpopular porn bags.”The piece underlinedhow the videos through the Visa network”. Now, Pornhub ‘Pornhub Community’ section boomed “being targeted”bythe National Center on justadvertising revenue. site, this week pulleddownover10million that depict child abuse and non-consensual is able to acceptonlyBitcoin payments. with videos from all over the world, the site Sexual Exploitation and Exodus The impact on the porn industrywill videos uploadedbyunverifiedusers after violence, wouldstayonevenifPornhubre- Thereare signs that the financial impact will tooprofitedfromads.Pornhub clockedover Cry/TraffickingHub“dedicated to abolish- also be significant giventhat if Pornhub has backlash following a NewYork Times article movedfromthe siteasitallowedusers to notend thereasthe credit cardsites arenow 3.3 billion visitsinNovember 2020, as per ing pornography, banning material they content that is exploiting children and thatsaidthesitehadtoomanyvideosof chil- download the videos directly. Therewere investigatingties with other adult sites too. SimilarWeb.com. claimisobscene, and shutting down com- showing revengeporn, then it is morethan dren beingexploited andabused. alsocases likethatofa15-year-old missing In ablogpostthis week,Pornhub also mercial sexwork”. likely that all other sites toowill have such girlfromFlorida, whose motherfounder The response claimedthat “leading non-profit organisa- content. As credit cardcompanies look at The redflag over 50 videos of her on the site. Pornhub bannedunverifieduploaders tionsand advocacy groups acknowledge”its The implications their linkswith all suchsites, it could choke The trouble forCanada-basedPornhub, Within aweek,credit cardcompanies from posting newcontent and eliminated effortsatcombating illegal content have been With PornHub switching offmuchofits the revenue streams of these websites and also thetenth mostpopular siteonline (it is MasterCardand Visa both decidedtostop downloads in what it calls the “mostcom- “effective”. It claimedthatwhile Facebook content, it is likelythatitwillsee adrastic fall makesome of them unviable. What needs bannedinIndia)asper SimilarWeb.com, transactions on the siteand initiated probes prehensive safeguards in user-generated self-reported84million instances of child in visitors. Thereisalso going to be afall in to be seeniswhether this ends up beingthe startedwhen ColumnistNicholas Kristof, in intotheir relationswith Mindgeek,the par- platform history”. It alsoremovedall con- sexual abuse materialoverthe pastthree revenue as newusers will notbeableto startofsomething big. the piece titled‘The Children of Pornhub’, ent companyofPornhub. In astatement, tent uploadedbythese unverifiedusers, years, independent, third-party Internet purchase subscriptions with the payment LONGERVERSION: wrote: “Its site is infestedwith rape videos. MasterCardsaid itsinvestigations had “con- hoping it had“demonstrated ourdedica- WatchFoundationreported just118 inci- options removedbycredit card companies. www.indianexpress.com WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 WORDLY WISE I’ve long believed thatgood food,good 10 THE EDITORIAL PAGE eating, is all aboutrisk. —ANTHONY BOURDAIN MSP ain’t broke, don’t fix it § FOUNDED BY § RAMNATH GOENKA Government mustpromote crop diversification BECAUSETHE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL by settingMSP forother crops as well A NARROW WINDOW Manjit SKang The Supreme Court’s suggestion of acommittee of farm law IN THE EARLY1960s, near-famine conditions passedduring the monsoonsession of Pa- in the lawtothe effect that no matter who prevailedinIndia and some 10 million tonnes rliament.Thefarmerswere already reelingun- buysthe produce (government or aprivate stakeholders offers away forward—both sides should take it of wheat had to be importedfromthe US un- der the ravagesofthe COVID-19 lockdown. I entity), the farmermustbegiven aMSP.The derthePL480programme.Thecountry’ssitu- know first-hand that farmers could notsell National Farmers’ Commission’s recom- HE SUPREME COURThas openedawindow,narrowthough it maybe, forthe ation waspejoratively dubbed “ship-to- theirvegetablesandfruitsbecauseof thelock- mendation of providing an MSP of 50 per farmers’ unions and the government to negotiateaconsensus on the con- mouth” existence, as foodgrains arriving via down.Withthelossof incomeduringthelock- cent over and above afarmer’sinput ex- tentious farm laws.The court, while hearing petitions seeking the removal ships were immediatelyconsumed. downandtheimpositionof thenewlaws,pur- penses mustbeimplemented. of farmers sitting on protestinDelhi borders on Thursday, upheld the right In 1963, Norman Borlaug, who headeda portedtohelpthem, the farmers were hit by a APMCs should becontinued. The fees that Tof the farmers to protest and came with an innovation to end the impasse: wheat-improvementprogramme at CIMMYT doublewhammy. Thepropositionof doubling “MandiBoards”collect(forexampletheRural (then the Rockefeller Foundation), in Mexico, farmers’ incomeby2022 nowsounds hollow. Development Fund) have helpedbuildlink It has proposedsetting up an “independent and impartial committee” to hearbothsides. wasapproachedbyvisionaries suchasMS Farmers of the “food-bowl”stateshave roads.No private organisationwilldothis.MSP While Solicitor General Tushar Mehtarefusedtoassurethe courtthat the government Swaminathan to provide seedsofsomeof his been selling foodgrains (mainlywheat and should be determinedonthe basis of grain would keep the laws in abeyance until it ruledonthem, AttorneyGeneralKKVenugopal high-yielding dwarf wheat varieties/popula- rice)atMinimumSupportPrice (MSP) since quality.Forexample,wheatvarietiesgrownin said he would discuss the subject with the government.This is an opportunityfor both par- tionsto India. Thoseseeds were distributedto themid-1960s.Thishashelpedthecentralgov- the“foodbowl”statescontain11 percentpro- ties to step back from their maximalistpositions and discover amiddle ground that ad- the Indian Agricultural Research Institute ernment createacentral pool of foodgrains tein compared to 7per cent protein grown dresses the concerns of farmers and meets the government’s case foragriculturereforms. (IARI, also calledthe “Pusa Institute”) in New and the Public Distribution System (PDS) to elsewhere. Thus, the food bowl states deserve On Friday, Prime MinisterNarendraModi, addressing akisan meetinMadhya Pradesh, Delhi and some of the newlycreated agricul- help the poor.However, MSP has notbeen aspecialMSP.Thegovernmentmustpromote tural universities suchasthe Punjab guaranteedinthe newlyenactedfarm laws, crop diversification by purchasing crops pro- said he wasready “with foldedhands” to discuss everyissue with farmers. He spokeofthe Agricultural University,Ludhiana, and the UP whichisthe major bone of contention. Some ducedother than wheat and rice at MSP.This measures the government has done to ease the burden of farmers —cash transfers to their Agricultural University at Pant Nagar. From people affiliatedwiththecentralgovernment could help conservethe dwindling supplyof bank,access to Kisan Credit Cards and so on —besides reiterating that minimum support these, the institutes then selected thewheat claimsuch“support”cannotbeguaranteedin undergroundwater, whichisaseriousissuein price forfarm produce will continue. But along with this outreachcomes adisturbing re- populations. The consequent miraculous the laws. these states. frain: Questioning the nationalistcredentials of the protestors. Union AgricultureMinister gains in wheat yield and production ushered The APMCs (AgricultureProduce To encouragefarmerstogrowhigh-value NarendraSingh Tomar Thursdaysuggestedasinisterdesign to the rail trackprotestors: in the “Green Revolution.” MarketingCommittees)areunderthreatfrom crops,suchasvegetablesandfruits,thegover- Although the GreenRevolutionoccurred thenewfarmlaws.Manyexperts feelthatMSP nmentshouldset upadequatecold-chaininfr- Hindering the deliveryof supplies to soldiers in Ladakh and said that “the ideology of these dueto aconfluenceof favourablegovernment and APMC go hand-in-hand. Thishas created astructuresothat perishableproduce can be people, who aremisleading the farmers by hiding behind curtains, wasnot with the coun- policies, effortsofagricultural scientists and uncertainty in the mindsoffarmers about the kept longerand soldatanappropriate time. tryevenduring the warof’62. Today, these people areagain speaking the languageof’62.” theadoptionof newwheatvarieties/selections continuation of MSP.Eventhough the central Thefarmers’stayingpowermustbeimproved Government and BJP functionaries needtostopinfantilising the protestors. Youcan’t cele- by farmers, the contributions of farmers of MSPhas been working just governmenthas indicatedthatthe newfarm sothattheydon’thave to sellallof theirprodu- bratethe wisdom of the farmer and, in the same breath, saytheyare being “misled” by Punjab (Haryana included) stood out. fine since the mid-1960s. laws aremeanttoeliminatethe“middlemen” ceimmediatelyaftertheharvest.Someprogre- darkerforces out to break the nation. The apexcourt’s suggestion maycreateaspace rela- Swaminathandescribedthesefarmers’efforts There is asaying:‘If it ain't (arhtiyas),farmersfeelthatanew classof mid- ssive farmersshouldbeincludedintheNitiAa- as: “Brimming withenthusiasm, hard-work- dlemen,thatis,lawyersbelongingto bigcom- yogsothat theycan sharetheir inputsbefore tively insulated from suchself-serving —and self-defeating —rhetoric. broke, don’t fixit’.So, there ing,skilledanddetermined,thePunjabfarmer panies,withwhomtheywouldhavetodealin newpolicies/laws affectingthemareenacted. Likepolitics, policy-making also involvesnegotiation. In the case of farm laws,the gov- has been the backbone of the revolution. Far- is no need to tinker with selling their produce, would emerge.Thus, India has producedanumberofWorld ernment ignoredtheearly signs of dissent and discomfortamong the intendedbeneficiar- mers, young and old, educated and unedu- MSP. Aclause should be smallfarmerswouldbeatadistinctdisadvan- Food Laureates, includingMSSwaminathan, ies of the reforms —the BJP even allowedalong-standing ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal, to cated,haveeasilytakento thenew agronomy.” added in the lawtothe effect tage —morethan80per cent of farmers own GurdevSKhush, Surinder KVasal, and Rattan quit the Union Cabinetand NDAonthe issue. The Supreme Courthas nowgiven the gov- By 1974,the industrious farmers of the that no matter who buys the less than five acresofland. Lal. Suchintellectuals should be in the “food-bowl”statesofPunjab, Haryana, and According to the centralgovernment,the “AgriculturalThinkTank.”Theyshouldbecon- ernment an opportunity to discuss and clarify itsintentionswith other stakeholders; it must produce (government or a notlet egoornarrowpolitical interests shut this window. The farmers, too, needtofactor westernUPhadbroughtaboutself-sufficiency newlawswill ensurecontract farming. The sulted by Niti Aayog. Farmers’ genuine con- infoodgrainproduction(mainlyinwheatand private entity), the farmer farmers fear that big companies might usurp cerns mustbeaddressedassoon as possible in that repeal-or-nothing-else isn’t the mosteffective waytoaddress their apprehensions. rice —the staple foodsofIndia), riddingthe must be given MSP. theirlandand might notpay them an agreed so that theycan continue producing food and countryofthe “begging bowl”. TheNational Farmers’ price on the pretextof“poor quality” of pro- fibreneededfor theever-increasing popula- No matter whichorganisation, polici- duce. Theyfeel that the big companies might tion. India’spopulationincreases at the rate of es/rules enacted without taking the affected Commission’s become monopolies, and exploit both farm- 15 million per year.People can survive with- people on boardwill surelyface resistance. A recommendation of ers and consumers. Farmers fear being made outmanythings(includingeducation)butnot A FRIEND INDEED proactive approach is always better than are- providing an MSPof intolabourers. without food. The slogan—“If youate today, active one. From the farmers’ standpoint, the 50 per cent over and above a MSP has been working justfine since the thankafarmer” —shouldbepromoted. Deepening ties withDhaka areimportant forbothnations. Delhi ordinanceswere unfairly promulgatedinJune mid-1960s. Thereisasaying: “If it ain't farmer’s input expenses mustnot letdomestic political rhetoric derail diplomaticgains 2020,duringtheCOVID-19lockdown,without broke, don'tfix it”. So, thereisnoneedtotin- Thewriter is former vice-chancellor,Punjab consultingthem.ThentheBillswere hurriedly must be implemented. kerwith the MSP.Aclause should be added Agricultural University,Ludhiana HEINAUGURATIONOFan11-kmraillinkbetweenWest BengalandBangladesh —thefifthinthelastfew years—markstheslowbutsteadyeffortby Delhiand Dhaka to overcomethe negative consequencesofthe Partition of the subcon- tinent in theeast. The political Partition in 1947,whichcreated Pakistan, did Tnotimmediately leadtoeconomicdissociation.Thatbeganonlyafterthe1965 war, whenthe borders betweenIndia andPakistancloseddown, makingitincreasingly hard PAKISTA N ’ S S HAME forthe movement of goodsand people. The subcontinentturnedinwardinits economic ori- entation afterthat and countries in the region de-emphasised transborder connectivities. Political difficulties in both capitals also prevented Delhiand Dhakafromrestoring the lost The blasphemylaw is used to target theChristian community withimpunity connectivity,evenafter theyrecognisedits economic importance. Over the lastdecade, thankstothe improved political ties between Delhi and Dhaka, Khaled Ahmed therehas been asystematic effort at restoring the natural connectivities between West Bengal, BangladeshandIndia’sNortheast. ThejointstatementissuedafterPrimeMinisters PAKISTAN’S MOSTHUMILIATINGmoment Junaid’s father triedtofind alawyerwho Blasphemyand desecration of the Quran NarendraModi and Sheikh Hasina metvirtuallyonThursdayoutlines alistofinitiativesto is reachedevery time someone is accusedof would tell the scared judgewhy his son areusedagainstthem, but the latter is used deepencooperation.Inadditionto expeditingastudylookingintoabilateral Comprehensive blasphemyand sentencedtodeath. Proof is should be letoff.Hehad to confess: “I found againstthem collectively,followedbyorgan- Economic Partnership Agreement, the statement outlinedahostofareas forcooperation, notneeded; the courtisjusttoo scared to let alawyerwilling to take the case but, on his iseddestruction of property.In1997, the twin from strengthening riverwater transporttomanaging atransboundaryelephant corridor the accusedgo, as happenedinthe case of firstday,hewas harassedbysome 200 villages of Shantinagar-Tibba Colony, 12 km and from trade liberalisationto thesettingup of aCEO forum. Delhiand Dhaka arealso rais- Junaid Hafeez, a“visiting” faculty member lawyers.” He still thought the judgewould eastofKhanewal, Multan Division, were at the English department of Bahauddin be fearless. “The prosecution, the witnesses lootedand burnt by 20,000Muslim citizens ing their ambitions forregional connectivity with Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar and Thailand. ZakariyaUniversity in Multan, who wassen- and trial could notprove anyofthe allega- and 500policemenacting together afteran If Delhi has been deeply sensitive to theneedfor restoringeconomicconnectivityinthe tencedtodeath by acourtinMultan in 2019 tions,” said the lawyer. incident of desecration of the Quran wasre- divided east, it has notdemonstrated the same sensitivity to thetragedy of thepost- afterbeing arrested in 2013.Hewas a BeforeIndia’s “love jihad”, Pakistanfound ported. The police firstevacuated the Partition movement of peopleacross borders. While the political impact of such movement Fulbright scholar with aMaster’s from itsway to getting rid of itsChristians. Christian population of 15,000,then helped on ethnic and religious balances in the easthas been real, Delhiwill needtobecarefulin Jackson StateUniversity.Itiseasy to convict Blasphemywas pinnedonthem with the the raiders use explosivestoblowuptheir addressingthe challenges posedbymigration, especially as India prepares to implement people forblasphemybecause the lawsays confidence that no judgewould letthem off houses and property.Sipah-e-Sahaba was an insulttothe ProphetPBUH can take place the hook,with pious crowds demanding blamedbythe Christians forthe violence. the Citizenship Amendment Act. Unfortunatecommentsbythe Union home ministeron even by innuendo. Then, there are the clerics deathoutside his court. In 2005, the Christian community of illegal migration and migrantscameclose to derailing ties between India and itsmostim- Then, thereare the clerics who can scare who canscare anyjudge if In August2009, afteraweek of simmer- Sangla Hill in Nankana district in Punjab ex- portant regional partner,Bangladesh. With elections around the corner in West Bengal, the anyjudgeiftheythink he is getting softbe- they think he is getting soft ing Muslim-Christian disputeoverthe dese- periencedamosthair-raising dayofviolence. temptation to postureonthe question of transborder migrationcouldagain threaten bi- cause of lackofevidence. One such“blas- because of lack of evidence. crationofthe HolyQuran in tehsilGojra in Afterallegations of desecration of the Quran, lateralrelations. As Dhakapreparestocelebratethe 50th anniversaryofits liberation from phemy” priest, Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, Toba TekSingh district in Punjab, violence amob of 3,000 ledbyalocal politician and Pakistanand the specialroleofIndia in that event next March,aswell setambitious goals diedanatural death recentlyafter getting One such‘blasphemy’ priest, brokeout.Asusual, a“bannedorganisation”, the police burnt down three churches, amis- manyinnocent people in troubleover“ru- Sipah-e-Sahaba, came from outside town, sionary-run school, twohostels and several forits impressiveeconomic development, Delhican’t letcrude electoral calculations un- Allama Khadim Hussain mours” of blasphemy.His fierysermons Rizvi, died anatural death took over and usedacid and petrol bombs to housesbelonging to Christians. Lahore’s dermine the historic transformation underwayinthe eastern subcontinent. causedpolice-guardMumtaz Qadri to pump destroy property and kill women and chil- archbishop stated that the attackers had 27 bullets intoGovernor of Punjab Salmaan recently after getting many dren, while the local government and police been brought therebybuses from outside. Taseer in 2011 forsupporting aChristian innocents in trouble over stood aside. The federal governmenttook The great champion of the blasphemy woman accusedofblasphemy. ‘rumours’ of blasphemy. His only“seriousnote”. law, Allama Khadim Husain Rizvi, would lead Amnesty International in September ap- fierysermons caused police- Christiansare the largest religiousminor- “life-sacrificing” followers to Islamabad and STAIRWAYTOHEAVEN pealedtoPakistani authorities to immedi- ity in Pakistan. The totalnumber of Christians blockall roads going to the capital city and atelyand unconditionallyrelease Hafeez. guard Mumtaz Qadri to in Pakistanwas at least2million in2008or 1.1 condemn the government, harshly using the Unesco has recognisedSingapore’s hawkers. With right “Junaid’s lengthytrial has gravelyaffected pump 27 bullets into per cent of the population. An examination of word dalla (pimp) forpoliticians. When coro- incentives, their counterparts in India have similarpotential his mental and physicalhealth, endangered Governor of Punjab Salmaan birthrecordsyieldsatotalnumberof Christians naries finallytook him in Lahore, therewere him and his family, andexemplifies the mis- Taseer in 2011 forsupporting at 2.8 million. Morethan 90 per cent of the morethan amillion “devotees” at his funeral. use of Pakistan’s blasphemylaws,” Amnesty country’sChristians reside in Punjab. And 60 HE SATAYS SIZZLINGongrill, the heady aroma of spices, fragrance of curries, International’sregionalresearcher,Rabia aChristian woman accused per centliveinvillages,and in mostcases are The writer is consulting editor, stewsand broths. Welcometoanearly 200-year old potpourri —Singapore’s Mehmood,stated. of blasphemy. moreindigenous to their areas thanMuslims. Newsweek Pakistan hawker culture.Inthe early 1800s, as people of Chinese, Indian and Malayan Tdescent made their home in the city,cooksfromthese communities found theirlivelihoodinthisconfluenceof cultures.Butintheearly 20thcentury, the colonial governmentfelt that these hawkers had become anuisance.Inthe 1920s, the city’s Health Officer even wanted them removed. Butthe proposal failedtoget traction, and in 10 DECEMBER 19,1980, FORTY YEARS AGO years,thegovernmenthadto recognisethattheywereanessentialpartofthecity.Theyserved adiverseclientele —office-goers, blue-collar workers and the coolies who worked at the 1ASSAM ON THE BOIL the area wasput under curfew. MARUTI TAKEOVER wharves and ports.Cut to Marchthis year,the Singaporegovernmentsubmittedanomina- THREE PERSONS WEREkilled,and scores LOKSABHA HAS approved theMaruti tionforSingaporehawkerculturetobeinscribedonUnesco’slistof“IntangibleCulturalHeritage of people were injured in police firing and CONG &CONG (I) takeover bill on the nationalisationofMaruti of Humanity”. On Thursday, the UN body recognisedthis claim. lathi chargesinmanytowns of Assam on PRIME MINISTER INDIRA Gandhi is quite Udyog. All opposition members, barring the firstday of the 10-daystatewide mass keen to have the Congress under Devraj Urs those of the DMK, walked out duringvoting. Mostcities have suchdins of happyeaters. But thereare manywho still regard such satyagraha launchedbyagitators on the back in thefold of Congress (I) but wantsit food havens as anuisance. In mostIndian cities, forexample, hawkers become targetsof foreigners’ issue. The agitators have to take theinitiative.When Urswas in the RAINING DIAMONDS “beautification” drives, whichcamouflagethe fact that municipal bodies areblinkered to steppedupprotests by conducting satya- national capital recently, Mrs Gandhi ex- PEOPLE LIVINGINBombay’sposh Malabar the social role of theroadside kitchens. Foranation with an acuteshortageofpublic graha at district and sub-divisional offices pressedher desiretomeethim but messen- Hill got the shockoftheir liveswhen a spaces, the kababchi, the choleybhature,dosa or paratha seller,the gol-gappa or chaat ven- in protestagainstwhat theysay is the gers on her behalf said that he should ask for briefcase brimming withdiamondswas dor,the men and women who hawk fruits, even peanuts, aremediators of conversations Centre’s indifference to theforeigners’ is- an appointment. This condition wassubse- thrownout of an apartment.However, sue.Atthe call of the All Assam Students quentlydropped, by whichtime Urshad left sleuths of the income taxdepartment were between friends, familyand lovers. Union and the All Assam Gana Sangram thecapital. Mrs Gandhi has also hinted that waiting and seizedthe diamonds without At Singapore’s hawker centres,seniors gathertoread their paperswhile having their Parishad, thousands of satyagrahis courted she does nothaveexperiencedleaders to muchado. The briefcase wasthrownby dailycuppa while youngsters strum their guitars in the evenings. Chaiwallahs and several arrest all over the statebytakingout pro- help her.She has oftenpraisedspeeches of the wifeofadiamond merchant who other street-food sellersinIndia have similar patrons. They deservethe supporttheircoun- cessions and defying prohibitoryorders. Congress leaders while criticisingthe per- looked afterhis affairswhen he wasaway terparts in Singaporehavereceived. Soon aftertwo deathsoccurred in Barpeta, formance of her party members. from town. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 WHATTHE OTHERSSAY “Ifthe global scheme to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to poorer countries fails,ashas been reported,itmay leave nations with billions of people without anyaccessto vaccines until as late as 2024, killing anychances of the world defeatingCovid-19.” 11 THE IDEAS PAGE —THE DAILY STAR Walkthe green talk Read, without the If India has to meetclimate changemitigation targets, or even exceedthem sacred thread by 2047,asthe PM hasassured,itneeds to take decisive action now Forlong,the Indian English literaryestablishment has enforcedanurbane,metropolitan culturethat can onlybecalledBrahminical jective Rabindrik (“Tagorean”), has been usedbythe establishment to keep out singers who aredisobedient to the Visvabharati mode of singing. Christophe Jaffrelot The career of the “literary” has notbeen and VijeyGanesh RS very different from the Brahmin’s protec- tionism of the mantra,aninheritancekept out of the reachofthe non-Brahmin. One of the ways in whichthis has been donein THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARYofthe Parisac- SumanaRoy the lasthundredyears is through antholo- cordlastweek wasthe occasion of avir- gies that create—and reiterate—the idea tualglobal meeting —the Climate and the habitat of the literary. Indian English Ambition Summit 2020 —duringwhich AFEW MONTHSago,when the Bengal poetry,asafield forinstance,was created Prime MinisterNarendraModi made “a Chief Ministerannouncedthe creation of a in the same manner.Different as theymight solemn pledge” thatin2047“centennial Dalit SahityaAcademy, many rushedto bein styleand temperament, thereissome- India will notonlymeetits owntargets, characterise it as another of Mamata thing that is common to them—their met- but will also exceedexpectations” in terms Banerjee’s“minorityappeasing” policies. It ropolitan location. With the exception of of carbon emissions. This is agoodocca- waseventurnedintothe likenessofajoke JayantaMahapatra,the poets in these an- sion to assess thecountry’s policies regard- —that thereshould also be aBrahmin thologies arefromthe metropole, so much ing climatechange. SahityaAcademy,and so on. Raisedbypar- so that it might seemthatIndian English India had setfair targets(Intended ents who rarely discussedcaste,and an ed- poetry wasonlyaBombayphenomenon. NationallyDeterminedContributions) in ucation system that refuses to engagewith The indifference of the anthologists to cir- the Paris accordin2015and has matchedit it exceptinanominal way, Icrossedover cles outside their own, unless the poets had withaction in renewables and other sec- into adulthood without the awarenessof areputation buttressedbythe West,asin tors. Initially, Indiahad setatargetof175 caste marking my thoughts, choices and de- the caseofMahapatra, who wonaprize GW of installedrenewables capacity by cisions. All of this would notneedtobesaid givenbyPoetry magazine, created an idea 2020and aguarantee thatby2030, 40 per if it hadn’t informedthe reading choicesof of theIndianEnglish poem thatwas influ- centofits energyneeds willcome from re- peoplesuchasmyself. It couldn’t beacoin- encedbythe prevalent literaryclimatein newables. In 2018,atthe Global Climate cidence, could it,that my favourite writers America and England. Action Summit, PM Modi announcedan in Bangla were upper-castewriters, usually The lackofinclusion of the provinces, of ambitious plantomakeIndia less depend- Brahmin,orthatBanglaliterature was poets whose writinghad been formedby ent on coal and natural gasbyaiming for Calcutta-centric? This, it seemed, wasno their other languages,was responsible fora 450-500 GW of installedcapacity by 2030 CRSasikumar different from WASP literatureproviding monolithic understanding of the Indian through renewable energy.Atthe time of Purchase Agreements between thedistri- parallel, India planstoinstall an additional the onlyunderstanding of the literaryinthe English poem. To askaquestionlike“Why thatannouncement,the target wasfive bution companies (or discoms, whichare 60 MW of thermal power, which is surpris- Anglo-American world. By Brahminical, wasthere onlyawomanortwo in thesean- times the amount of existing installed re- oftenstate monopolies) and prosumers ing, consideringthat todayrenewable en- therefore, Imean an attitude, and, conse- thologies?”isnottoaskaquestionaboutrep- newables capacity of 81 GW.Overthe last (producer-consumers) who would install ergy is cheaper than coal. quently, an invisiblestructure that makes resentation. It is to continue to argue, after six years, therehas been a72per centin- the solar panels. Prosumers have little The other keystone in climatechange the normative seem normal, and every- Woolf,forincreasingtheperimeterofthe“lit- crease in installedrenewables capacity, choice in the PPAs because theymostlyonly mitigation is carbon sequestration, which thing else justaberrations —the way, say, erary” to includethose whose writing have claims the ministerfor power. offernet or gross metering. Both these is mainlydone through forest coverand “General” seems to be normal,and notbeenincludedintheideaof “literaryhis- Anotherimportant move that at first methodsare ineffective according to ex- other plant resources.The target of 33 per “SC/ST/OBC” exceptions, or heterosexual- tory”. TheIndian Englishpoem in thesean- seemedslowbut nowisirreversible is elec- perts,who recommend, instead, the instal- cent of forest coverremains to be achieved, ity takentobethe norm, and other sexual thologies, male in form and tone and urban trification of transportation. Thisseemsto lation of smartsolar meters with more ex- as Indianforests currentlystand at 21 per orientations wayward. initssenseof power, suppliedtheideaof the be themostpromising sectorastransporta- pensive metering during peak hours, which cent of total geographical area (TGA). Of this, Thatwhatwe assumeasliteraryispartly “Indian Englishpoem”for decades. tionsystems around the countrylookset to could then incentivise the consumerand forestsare classifiedinthree categories: aresultofour location in the varioussocial Likeinter-castemarriagethatsuppos- go electric, includinglocaltransportation the discoms to actively pushmoreaffluent “Verydense forests” represent 3per cent of structureswe inhabitisneverquite acknowl- edly kept Brahmins pure,editors keep the in big cities.The Indian railways, too, is ex- Indianstoadoptrooftop solar.These re- the TGA, whereas“moderately dense edged. Justashaving teawith salt and but- circle of contributors limited to familyand pectedtogofullyelectricby2024with forms,alongwith public outreachifunder- forests” and “open forests” represent 9per terinaTibetanhouseholddoesnotquitefeel friends. One onlyneeds to pick up an an- completion of electric lines by 2023, accord- takenurgently, could greatlyimprove the cent each. Over the lastdecade, the propor- liketea to my sugar-and-milk-knowing thology of Indian English anything—essays, ing to the ministryofrailways. As thiselec- installed rooftopcapabilities. tion of “moderatelydense” forestshavede- tongue,anything outside the rangeoffamil- poems, stories —toconfirm howthe liter- trificationspreads to consumertransporta- But the biggestchallengethat renew- Thebiggest challenge that clineddespiteoverall gains. Also, the fact iarity —ofits tone, register, aesthetics and aryisabaptisedname forafamily-and- tion, the demand forgreen energy will be ables have to compete with is the coal in- renewables have to compete thatcommercial plantationsand farms are politics—ofthe“literary”seemsforeign,even friend enterprise, ataste and manner that higher than ever. dustry. Despite significant gainsintotal in- with is the coal industry. sometimes classifiedasopen forestscon- contraband,andis,thereby, rejected.Thishi- is feudal,and whichits practitionersbelieve However, the solar industryhas run stalledcapacity forrenewable powerin ceals the true extent of the damagethat erarchy, inevitably deriving from arbiters is superior to those that have been excluded. intoregulatoryheadwinds. By early 2020, terms of actual powergeneration, coal still Despite significant gains in forestsare suffering. who hold political and economic power, What that has enforcedisthe idea of aliter- therewerecancellationsofseveral auctions powers close to 72 percentofIndia’s elec- total installed capacityfor The questionofdeclining forest coveris seems to decide what constitutes physical arythatisaspirational, notcompletelyun- by the government. ThenCOVID-19 struck. tricity requirement. Even if Indiaisto renewable power, coal still also relevant in sensitivebiodiversity beauty,the singingvoice, correct pronunci- like a“posh accent”. The literaryhas forced Investors who were already facing tough achieve the2022targetmentioned above, hotspots,especiallyinthe Western Ghats ation,education,manners,handwriting,pro- ahomogenisationofliteraryproduction — markets and shutdowns from the solar coal wouldstill account for65per cent of powers close to 72 per cent of and in the forestsinthe Northeast.Overthe priety,orevenwhat constitutes food. everyone mustwritewithinits aesthetic supplychains in China pulledout. On itsenergymix.The mainissue is that most India’selectricity decades,the Western Ghatshas seen asig- The literarycan behave likeagharana, rangetobeconsidered literarywriters. August21, the Central Energy Authority of the grid is still geared towardsthe ther- requirement. Even if India is nificantloss in biodiversity with an ex- and it is the nature of gharanastokeep Reviewers, because theycome from the (CEA) publishedareporton“Under mal powerindustry. Another problemisthe to achieve its 2022 target, pected thirdalready lostdue to human ex- things unlikeitoutside itsfold. The “liter- same class, become naturalised citizensof Construction Renewable Energy Projects” financial distress of the discoms, whichpre- pansion in the region. It is the Northeast, ary” has been inevitablyphallic. It wasthis theworld of literarygatekeeping. whichlisted90renewable projects ventsthemfrommodernising plants,asthe coal would still account for however, that has witnessedthe mostdam- narrowsense of what constitutes the lit- “Decolonisingthe syllabus” is ademand amounting to 39.4GWthatwerefacing de- thermal industryisplaguedbyinefficient 65 per cent of its energy mix. ageinthe pastdecade. Of the eight states in erarythat Virginia Woolf waschallenging to expandthe idea of the literary, notinan lays duetoseveral reasons.Out of these, 20 tariffsetting, expensive PPAs and unsustain- Themain issue is that most the region, onlyAssam and Tripurahavenot in ARoom of One’sOwn —ofthe genius, instrumental andbureaucraticmanner,but GW worthofprojectsare facing delays and able cross-subsidies. Shutting down old and of the grid is still geared seenadecline in forest cover. whichweimagine as inevitablymale, and of itsmonolithic real estate —itisarejec- have been granted extensions of five inefficient plantsseems to be the best so- This is the timefor India to take boldac- of “anon”, the anonymous (female) creator tion of itsproprietorial and gatekeeping be- monthsdue to the impact of the COVID-19 lution, but if the Central Electric Authority towards the thermal power tion if it wantstomeetits objectivesby2047 of primarilyoralliterature; of the novel, haviour.What the “literary” needs, how- lockdowns on global supplychains; afur- were to shut down the plantsover25years industry. Notonly is coal not or before.India mustplan agreen recovery that she asked women to maketheir own, ever,isnot the erasureofwhat once ther 8GWworth of projectslackeven old —asitshould —close to 35 GW could on its way out,but it is also from thecurrent COVID-19crisis to ensure because it wasstill anew form, unlikeoth- constituted it —assome cancel culture ad- powerpurchase or sales agreements. be decommissioned. seen as part of India’s future, ajustand sustainablegrowthfor itspopu- erswhichhad become solidifiedintomale vocatesdemand—but afar moreinclusive In addition to this, the market for Not only is coal notonits wayout, but it lation. Doingthis will take an incredible genres. It wasalso to expand the idea of accommodation of writing; notaUN-like rooftopsolar,which wasexpectedtogrow is also seen as partofIndia’s future, as evi- as evident from adecision amount of resourcesand political will. the literarythat Rabindranath Tagore ar- representative model of writers of various to 40 GW by 2022, has fallen flat with an in- dentfromadecision the governmenttook the government took last guedfor in his introduction to the stories constituenciesalone, but of variouskinds, stalledcapacity of only6GW.The primary lastJune: Forthe firsttime ever,ithas de- June: Forthe first time ever, Jaffrelotissenior research fellowatCERI- forchildren in Thakurmar Jhuli.Thereare manners, and forms of writing. reason is once again apoor regulatoryenvi- cidedtoopen41coal blocks forcommer- it has decided to open 41 coal Sciences Po/CNRS, Paris, professor of Indian twopiecesofirony here: Tagore,now a It is time forthe literarytoloseits ronment, despitebothsignificant central cialmining to the privatesector.This is Politics and Sociology at King’s India totemofthe literary, wasonce rejected for sacredthread. and statesubsidies forsolar installations. aimedataddressing India’s excessive re- blocks forcommercial Institute, London; Ganeshisastudent of notbeing literaryenoughbyCalcutta The main problemhas been Power liance on importedcoal (30 per cent). In mining to the private sector. politics and governance at Sciences Po Paris University;his name, turnedintothe ad- Royisapoetand author The kids are not alright LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR CALLOUSAPPROACH THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Letschools IDEAS Worseningof childnutritioncallsforimmediateanddecisive coursecorrection open’(IE, December 18). The callous- ness withwhichwehaveapproached ONLINE education,especiallyprimaryschool- Sunny Jose ing,during the pandemic is indeed ONLYINTHE EXPRESS shocking. The effect of the loss of almost DID CHILD UNDERNUTRITION in India tion with adecline being observed. child undernutrition has gone up in 14 outof ness andfood insecurity.The survey won’t be one academic year forchildren be- ● UNREALISEDPOTENTIAL worsenduringthe COVID-19pandemic?The Adisquieting revelation from the survey is 17 states.Additionally, both stunting and un- ableto clearly inform howand to what extent tween 5and 10 will be incalculable. It OFJUDICIALDATA: consensusis: yes, mostlikely. But did we do that southern states have joinedthe leagueof derweight increasedineight states, whereas thesefactors have contributedto the worsen- will also have an impact on the physical TUSHARANANDANDKARAN well in reducing child undernutrition before poor performing states. Stunting has risen in stunting and wasting increasedinsix states. ing of child undernutrition. Two, the existing development of children, who arebe- GULATI the lockdown? Surprisingly,the answer is KeralaandTelangana,followedbyjustaminor In five states (Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, policyapproachonfood security in general ing deprivedofthe nutrition from the “no”. That child undernutrition in India had declineinAndhraPradeshandKarnataka.Also Nagaland, Telangana and Tripura), all the three and agriculturepolicy,inparticular, which mid-daymeal. ● MEGHALAYAANDTHE begun worsening well before the pandemic worthmentioning is the persistence of ahuge aspectsofchild undernutrition increased. promotesafewcropsat theexpenseof nutri- KSahasranaman, Mumbai SIXTHSCHEDULE: is oneofthepoignanttakeawaysfromthejust rural-urbandisparityinstuntinginmanystates, To be sure, the above patterns in 17 states cereals, calls foracareful scrutiny, especially GOVINDBHATTACHARJEE releasedkey indicators from thefirstphase of notablyinMeghalaya,AndhraPradesh,Gujarat cannotbegeneralisedfor the entirecountry. giventhe needtocounterthe highprevalence KERALAPOLLS the National FamilyHealth Survey-5(NFHS- and Sikkim (over10percentage points). However, it is equallyimportant nottolose of anaemia. This assumes centrality and im- www.indianexpress.com 5). This is, indeed, acause forserious concern Is this likelytobeatemporarytrend? A sight of the largerphenomenon of apossible mediacy at this point of time. THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘LeftTurn foravariety of reasons. comparison with the resultsofthe reversal of the progress on child undernutri- The worsening of child undernutrition in Kerala’ (IE, December 18). The local The firstphase of NFHS-5, held during Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey tion, especiallyinstunting. well before —and possiblyafter —COVID-19 body polls areabig win again forthe Left 2019-2020, covered17statesand five Union (CNNS), held in 2016-18, reveals that10 outof Whatisprimarilyresponsibleforsuchasus- is agrimreminder of the stateofacritically in Kerala. The BJP needs to work hardto the different aspectsofthe Farm Bills territories. These include four states from the these 11 states had eitheranegativeorsub- tainedregressive trajectory? Adefinitive diag- important aspect of human development. make the state elections atwo-cornered 2020, aleading politician has presented south(AndhraPradesh,Karnataka,Kerala and par performance in stunting. The worsening nosisdemands adetailed, careful scrutiny of This calls forimmediateand decisive course fight,asitdid in the Hyderabad munic- an article lackinginfactsand filledwith Telangana),three from thewest(Goa, Gujarat of childstuntinginthesestates,thus,appears data,asacursorylookatsomeof theassociated correction, including acritical assessment of ipal polls. Itstallyhas improved,but alot banality.Mostofthe articles on this sub- and Maharashtra), twofromthe east(Bihar to be arathersustainedphenomenon. factorsrevealsaconflictingpicture.Forinstance, the reachand efficacy of the existing nutrition needs to be done.The Congress, sadly, ject matter that maketheir wayintothe and West Bengal), one from the north Almostasimilar pattern appears in the un- accessto sanitationandsafedrinkingwaterhas centric programmes. Thedismal performance continues to deteriorate and itscadre is columns of IE arewell-researched,tothe (Himachal Pradesh) and the rest from the derweight category: Eleven states registered improved significantlyinstateswherestunt- of southern statesdespite theirrobust wel- notcommitted.By2024, it lookslikethe point, and mostimportantly, theystrive Northeast(Assam, Manipur,Meghalaya, an increasein thismetric.What’s more,stunt- inghasincreased.Conversely, anaemiaamong fare architecturemakes this urgent. Acom- party willbedecimated. to bring forwardanewperspective, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura). ing has gone up in 10 out of 11 states where children has gone up sharplyinmostofthese placentapproachthatassumes that all nec- Yash Sinha, Vadodara hitherto hidden or unheard. The bills Of these17states,stuntingin children un- the number of underweight children surged. states. Also,maternalanaemia has either in- essarymeasures, including the Poshan and the problems surrounding them are derfiveyears has gone up in 11 states to avary- While it has declinedmarginallyinfourstates, creasedorremainedthe same. Equallyimpor- Abhiyan, areinplace and the reversal in BELOW THE MARK dissectedwith economic, social and po- ing degree, but significantlymoreinTripura thereishardlyany improvementinothertwo tant, the proportion of children (6-23 months) progressisonlymomentarywillbeasureway litical expertise. In this context, the arti- (8 percentagepoints), Goaand Telangana (5 states.Inwasting,nine states witnessedanin- who receivedanadequatedietremainslow to inflict adebilitating, irreversible impact on THIS REFERS TO thearticle, ‘Inreform clewritten by thehonourable CM falls percentagepoints) between 2015-16and crease, whereas five states registeredpaltry withoutasignificant improvement. children’s nutrition and their well-being. lies the farmer’s interest’ (IE, December belowthe standardthat the readers of 2019-20.Itremains almostthe sameinthe or no progressin the last fouryears.Onlythree Twoobservations merit amention. First, 18). It is disappointing to seethat among IE have come to expect. three large states of AndhraPradesh, states, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Goa, regis- NFHS-5 wascarriedout in these statesata The writer is RBI chair professor at Council the multitude of nuancedviews about Chinmay Mukhopadhyay, Kolkata Karnataka and Assam. Onlythree states teredanoteworthy decline in wasting. time when India’s economywas decelerating forSocial Development, Southern Regional (Sikkim, Manipur and Bihar) were an excep- To put it differently, at leastone aspect of steadily, followedbyreports of rising jobless- Centre, Hyderabad. Viewsare personal WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 12 EXPRESS NETWORK All eyes on Shahtoday,TMC workers TRACKING INDIA’S COVID CURVE SC:Lawmaker’s 291 CASES: ACTIVECASES:3,13,831 on ground track exodus: ‘There’s time’ DAYSSINCE 99,79,447 DEATHS:1,44,789 PANDEMIC BEGAN TESTS: 15,89,18,646 | RECOVERIES: 95,20,827 votecastprior RAVIKBHATTACHARYA CASES DEATHS RECOVERIES TESTS &ATRIMITRA DEC17 22,890 33831,08711,13,406 MIDNAPORE,DECEMBER18 toconvictionon ON THE ground floor of the West Bengal StateGovernment Employees Federationoffice in Midnaporetown, near the samedayvalid ground whereUnion Home MinisterAmitShah is scheduled to addressapublic meeting STATESWITHRISINGACTIVECASES Saturday,agroup of TMC work- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE The case refers to ACTIVECASES RISEINLASTWEEK ers sat on plastic chairs,their NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 election of Congress’s Uttarakhand 7,082 407 eyes gluedtothe TV.What they Meghalaya756 176 sawwas astream of leaders quit- WHATHAPPENS to the voteof Dhiraj Prasad Sahu to Odisha 3,039 139 ting their party. an MLAwho is disqualifieddue RajyaSabha. Adispute The lowbuzz inside that to convictionand sentence im- arose as JMM’s Amit STATESWHEREACTIVECASESAREDECLINING small office captured the mood posedonhim on the dayhecast ACTIVECASES DECLINEINLASTWEEK withinthe ruling party in the his ballotfor the RajyaSabha Kumar Mahto, who Maharashtra 60,905 11,005 state: despair,anger,speculation, pollsbut afterhehas voted? casthis voteat criticism and confusion. The votewillstill be valid, a Delhi12,1986,555 9.15 am, wasconvicted Rajasthan 13,647 5,383 Afterheavyweight leader Supreme Courtbenchheadedby Suvendu Adhikari and MLA Chief Justice SABobde ruledon and sentencedthe STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMCASES JitendraTiwari resignedfromthe Friday, upholding the election of same dayat2.30 pm ONDEC17 TOTAL party,the exodus continued Dhiraj Prasad Sahu of Congress to Kerala 4,969 6,88,409 Fridaywith twomoreMLAs, theUpperHousefromJharkhand Maharashtra3,880 18,84,773 SilbhadraDuttaand At aTMC party office in MidnaporetownonFriday. Partha Paul intheelectionsonMarch 23,2018. present day, namely00.01a.m. Banashree Maity,and minority Hiselectionwaschallengedby “This is firstlybecause it is at that West Bengal 2,245 5,30,456 cell general secretaryKabirul his BJP rivalPradeep Kumar time that the daybegins and sec- STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMDEATHS Islam walking away from the Kolkatalatenight with Adhikari, party.” See howthe leaders areleaving Sonthalia--the value of votes se- ondlybecause lawabhorsfrac- ONDEC17 TOTAL TMC. who has been givenZ-category At another TMC office about TMC. Both TMC and BJP aredup- cured by Sonthalia was2,599, tions,” theysubmitted,and said Maharashtra 71 49,613 And although therewas a security by the Centre, before 1kmaway, Nirmalya ing the people of Bengal. But while Sahu got 2,600. the conviction is deemedinlaw West Bengal 44 9,235 twistlateFridaynight, with reaching Midnaporefor the Chakraborty,councillorand dis- now, TMC has metits match,” Thedisputearoseasoneof the to have commencedatabout Tiwari claiming that he is still meeting. On Sunday, he is sched- trict vice presidentofTrinamool said MohammedJallauddin, 60, members of the Assembly, Amit 00.01amwhenthedateofMarch Delhi 35 10,182 withthe TMC, the verdict in the uledtovisit VisvaBharati in Youth Congress, whichisheaded aparty worker. Kumar Mahto of the JMM, who 22 lapsedand March 23 began. DataasonDecember17,releasedbyUnionMinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare,IndianCouncilofMedical Midnaporeparty office was Shantiniketan followedbya by Banerjee's nephewAbhishek, On Thursday, incidentally, casthis voteat9.15am, wascon- It wasestablishedbeforethe Researchandstategovernments.Often,thenumbersreleasedeverydaycontaindatafrompreviousdays aswell.Assuch,trendsbasedondailynumbersareonlyindicativeandnotdefinitive clear:Itistime forintrospection. roadshowinBolpur. echoed the party line: “Good rid- CPM's Haldia MLATapasi victed by atrial courtfor various high courtMahtovoted forSahu. “Can’t yousee what is hap- In atweet postedinBengali, dance.” Mondol had hinted at joining the offences and sentencedthe same Disagreeing with Sonthalia’s pening?Itistruethat Suvendu Shah said that he is “eager to in- “Theybecame what theyare BJP. day. The conviction and sentence stand,thebench,alsocomprising is abig leader.The party should teract with my brothers and sis- through MamataBanerjee and Backinthe heartof were handedoverat2.30 pm. As Justices ASBopanna and V have resolvedhis grievances. So ters of West Bengal”. The TMC the party.Those MLAs and oth- Midnaporetown, severalBJP the maximum sentence of con- Ramasubramanian,said,“Therule UP ‘love jihad’ law: HC manypeopleare leaving. But I leadership, meanwhile, held an ers youwill see leavingtomor- flags have come up. Shah is ex- viction wastwo years, he stood thatapersonisdeemedinnocent am still with the party.Ihave emergency meeting at the rowwereexposedbyPKand his pected to firstvisit the disqualifiedasamember. untilprovedguiltyisalong-stand- stays actionagainst man, seen MamataBanerjee and I Kalighat residence of Mamata team. Theyknowtheywill not Siddheshwari Kali Mandir in Acomplaint waslodged at ingprincipleof constitutionallaw think she will be able to tide over Banerjee. gettickets in the Assembly Habibpur.Heisalso scheduled 11.20 pm, requesting the and cannotbetaken to be dis- this crisis. Thereistime. But it is With apictureofBanerjee polls,”said Nirmalya,who was to have lunchwith afarmer's Returning Officer to declare his placedbythe use of merelygen- cites ‘righttoprivacy’ true that thereare manygriev- hanging on the wall behindhim, also gluedtothe TV. familyinBalichuri village along voteinvalid,but the officialre- eralwords.Inlawthisisknownas ances and the BJP is taking ad- SubrataSarkar,67, adistrict gen- The workers gathered with BJP leaders. Afterthe public jected it, saying he had notre- theprincipleof legalityandclearly Conversion of Religion vantageofit,” said Sukhen eral secretaryinPaschim around agreed. “Seniorleader meeting, he will returnto ceivedthe judgmenttill the dec- applies to thepresent case.” ASADREHMAN Ordinance, 2020, and IPC Samaddar,aTMC worker. Midnapore, said: “Weare asking Mukul Royleftthe party,noth- Kolkataand hold meetings with laration of the results. “Inour viewtohold that a LUCKNOW,DECEMBER18 Sections120-B (criminal con- LikeSamaddar,TMC workers everyone nottopanic.Suvendu ing happened. Suvenduisleav- BJP stateleaders. Sonthalia approachedthe Member of the Legislative spiracy), 506(criminal intimida- and leaders have been putting is apopular leader and alot of his ing theparty,nothingwill hap- At the venue of Shah's meet- High Courtand his election peti- Assembly stood disqualifiedeven THE ALLAHABAD High Court tion), and 504(intentional insult up abrave front. But theyalso ac- ‘Anugamis’ (followers) will leave pen,” said Sheikh Rocky, a ing, the MidnaporeCollege tion wasdismissedinJanuary before he wasconvicted would Fridaystayedcriminal proceed- with intent to provokebreachof knowledge that Shah's visit may the party.Itisalso true that lead- 24-year-old party worker. ground, BJP leadersand police 2020. He then movedthe grosslyviolatehis substantive ings againstaperson from peace). The complainant ac- be akey milestone in the turf ersand workers have grievances At Mirabazar,a20-minute personnel were gathered in hud- Supreme CourtwhereSenior right to be treated as innocent Muzaffarnagar whohad been cusedNadeem of wanting to tussle that has unfoldedwith againstPK(Prashant Kishor). But drive away,the CPM party office dles. One hoarding thatcame up Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and K until proved guilty,” it said. booked under UttarPradesh's marry his wife, and coercing her just afew months to go forthe likeyou, we arewaitingfor to- remainedopen, with justthree Fridayread:'Itihaser Dorgoray VVishwanathan, appearing for The courtsaid the disqualifi- newanti-conversionlawaday af- to convert. Nadeem had not Assemblypolls. morrow... to see who joins and personsinside, all watching TV. Medinipur' (Midnapur At the him, contendedthat wherever a cation “is the consequence of the teritwas passed, noting that the been arrested in the case. Shah is scheduledtoreach whatimpact it willhaveonthe “Weare watchingand laughing. DoorstepofHistory). statuteusestheword “date”with conviction and sentence”. “In couple involvedwereadultswith In itsorder,the courtsaid, reference to an event, courts have other words, conviction is the "a fundamental right to privacy". "Thereisnomaterial before us always interpreted the same to cause and disqualification is the “Till the next dateoflisting no that anyforce or coercive process have happenedatthe intersec- consequence. Aconsequence coercive measureshall be taken is being adoptedbythe peti- 59-yr-oldman leaves hospital after 113 tion of the previous dayand the can neverprecede the cause.” againstthe petitioner,"Justices tioner to convert(the woman)... PankajNaqvi and VivekAgarwal all the allegations areprima fa- said, on aplea by the accused, cie basedonsuspicion." days of Covid treatment in Ahmedabad Nadeem, adding, “Article 25 pro- The husband said Nadeem vides that all persons areequally knew his wifeand would visit Karnataka Council chaos: entitledtofreedom of con- their house, and had giftedher a condition...fortunately, hiswifeis science and the right freelyto mobile phone to stay in touch. EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE anemployeeofourhealthdepart- Chairman issues show profess,practice and propagate The complainant and the AHMEDABAD,DECEMBER18 mentandiswellawareofthecare religion, subject to public order, woman have twochildren. requiredinCovid-19...Hewaskept morality and health and to other Nadeem's lawyer appealed A59-YEAR-OLD man discharged on ventilator foraverylongtime cause notice to Secretary provisions of Part III of the for"upholding the right of pri- from hospital after113 days of and his lungs were fragile and the rules and procedures Constitution(that covers funda- vacy as abasicfundamental right Covid-19treatment wasamong damaged,requiringasmuchas75 EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE amount to dereliction of duty. mental rights).” coveredbyPartIII of the 1,155patientsdischargedon litresof oxygenperminuteatone BENGALURU,DECEMBER18 Citing video footage, he ac- Noting thatthe woman con- Constitution”, and said the FIR Friday, whenthestateadded1,075 pointof time...butverylittleof that cusedthe Secretaryoffacilitat- cernedwas an adult “who un- was“basedonmeresuspicion newcases—lowest in amonth — wasgettingabsorbed due to lung THE CHAIRMAN of theKarnataka ing the illegal occupation of the derstands her well-being”, the and thereisnomaterial to sub- to itstotal tallyof2,33,543 cases. damage.” Legislative Council has issueda Chairman'sseat by theDeputy courtsaid, “She as well as the pe- stantiatethe contentions raised”. DevendraParmar, the man The healthministeradded, showcause notice to the Council Chairman as well as the closing titioner have afundamental Additional Government who spent nearly 90 out of 113 “Today,onthe 113thday,heis Secretaryoverthe unprece- of the chamber's door to prevent right to privacy and being AdvocateManju Thakur,who ar- days in hospital on ventilator,at Deputy Chief MinisterNitin PatelgreetsDevendraParmar leaving the hospital and still re- dentedchaos involving BJP and hisentry intothe house—and grown-up adults... areaware of guedonbehalf of the state, con- the Civil hospital in Sola wasad- at Sola Civil HospitalinAhmedabad on Friday. Express quires four litres of oxygen per Congressmemberson December asked him to explain whyhe the consequences of theiral- firmedtoThe Indian Express mitted to Sharnam minute... He will have to be on 15,when the saffron party at- should notface action. leged relationship." that criminal proceedings Multispeciality Hospital on oxygen forsometime.” temptedtotakecontrol of the ChairmanShetty waselected Nadeem, alabourer,had againstNadeem had been August26,withfeverandbreath- portfolio,said,“Ibelieve,itispos- at Kalikund in Dholka block, AmongParmar’streatingdoc- House by deposing the former. in 2018 when the Congress-JDS been booked by Mansoorpur stayed. lessness. He wasreferredtoSola siblethatthisisafirst-of-kindcase Ahmedabad. torswere pulmonologistDrKiran BJP legislators hadlockedthe government wasinpower.The Police Station, Muzaffarnagar,on The courthas listedthe mat- hospitallateraftertestingpositive (in terms of duration of hospitali- Parmarwasworkingasanac- Rami,anesthetistDrIra Patel,and Council's doors to prevent the ruling BJPisnow trying to wrest November 29 on acomplaint by terfor next hearing on January7, forCovid-19, said his daughter sation) in the entirecountry.” countant at aprivate company. generalmedicineheadof depart- Chairman, Prathapchandra controlofthe Chairman's post the husband of the woman, un- along with twoother petitions Himangi. According to Patel, as per in- “He wasreferredtoSola Civil ment Dr Parul Bhatt.Meanwhile, Shetty (Congress), from entering with the JDS offering it support. der Sections 3/5 of the Uttar filedagainstthe anti-conversion Deputy Chief MinisterNitin formation providedbyParmar’s Hospital from aDholka hospital Gujarat reported nine fatalities the House, while Congress legis- TheBJPhas31 MLCs,theCongress Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful ordinance. Patelwho also holdsthe health wife, Induben, the familyresides on August 28 and wasincritical due to Covid-19onFriday. lators forciblyunseated the 29, the JDS 14 andthereisone deputy chairman, SLIndependent member in the 75- Dharmegowda of the JD(S), after member Legislative Council. he wasushered to the chair- BJP MLCs have asked the German court convicts CBI booksTDP ex-MP in Rs 8,000-cr bankfraud man’s seat by BJP members. Governor to order areconvening Shetty has nowsaid that the of the Council under the leader- Indian ‘spy’, fourth case has been arraignedasanac- sheets, round-tripping of funds actions of the Secretaryinallow- ship of the Deputy Chairman to EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE cused. The company's CMD etc. It wasalsoalleged that the ing the "illegal conduct" of the conduct the no-confidence mo- NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 Cherukuri Sridhar,too, has been accusedmisappropriated the house by the Deputy Chairman tion againstthe Chairman once linked to Frankfurt mission booked.The agency Fridaycon- bank’s funds, diverted the loan without informing him about again. THECBIhasbookedaformerTDP ducted searches at the premises amount sanctionedbythe Regional Court(OLG) LokSabhaMPandhisHyderabad- of the companyand itsoffice- banks, and causedaloss of Rs VERENAHÖLZL Frankfurt/Mainhassentencedthe basedcompanyfor allegedlyde- bearers, includingRao. 7,926.01 croretoCanaraBank Uttarakhand CM ICMR chief tests FRANKFURT,DECEMBER18 Indian citizen Balvir S. forwork- frauding aconsortium ledby "It wasalleged that thepri- and other member banks," CBI ing as an agent foranintelligence CanaraBank of around Rs 8,000 vate firm basedatHyderabad spokesperson RK Gaur said. tests positive for Covid-positive, ACOURT in Frankfurthas sen- serviceto atermof imprisonment croreinwhatisexpectedtobeone and itsdirectors had availed The alleged fraudwas re- admitted to AIIMS tenceda54-year-oldIndian na- of one year with aprobation pe- of thebiggestbankingscamsseen Rayapati Sambasiva Rao credit facilities on multiple bank- portedtoCBI afterthe firm's ac- coronavirus tionaltoayearinprisonandfined riod of twoyears. As term of pro- in the country. ing arrangements. The consor- count became anon-performing him €2,400(about Rs 2.16 lakh) bation,theaccusedhasto payEUR TDP leader Rayapati tium wasformedwith other asset. "Searches were conducted afterfindinghim guilty of spying 2,400to the treasury.” SambasivaRao,anadditional di- fraudulentlyreneging on repay- banks,led by CanaraBank.Itwas at the premises of theprivate EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE on fellowIndians in Germany. However, the“decisionisnot rector in Transstroy (India) Ltd, is mentsofRs7,926.01crore to the alleged that the accusedhad in- companyand otheraccusedat DEHRADUN,DECEMBER18 NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 The convict had been tasked yetfinal”,thestatementsaid.“The accusedalong with others of fab- consortium, the CBI said. volved in falsification of booksof Hyderabad and Guntur,which withgatheringintelligence by accused, their defence lawyers ricating accounts, round-tripping Along withRao, another ad- accounts, fudging of stockstate- ledtorecovery of incriminating THREEDAYSahead of the win- THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL of the Indian intelligence officers based and the AttorneyGeneral and misappropriatingfunds, and ditional director,AkkineniSatish, ments, tampering of balance documents," Gaur said. tersession of the Assembly, Indian Council forMedical in the Indian consulatein (Generalbundesanwalt) have re- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Research (ICMR), Balram Frankfurt, the Higher Regional spectively the right of appeal...” Trivendra Singh RawatonFriday Bhargava,has tested positive for Courtsaid. This is the fourth time InDecember2019,theHigher tested positive forCovid-19and Covid-19. in six years that German authori- Regional Court in Frankfurthad Akbar played fraud on court: Ramani lawyer isolated himself at his official According to thesources, he ties have reportedspying at the sentencedoneManmohanS.who residence. has mild symp- behestofIndian intelligence. wasconvicted of working as an hands. Senior AdvocateRebecca ual harassment allegations, was serious allegationsand singling Taking to toms and has The courtonFridayconvicted agentforanintelligenceserviceto EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE John submittedbefore Addition- it notincumbent to makeafair out PriyaRamani, Akbar is guilty Twitter,Rawat been admitted to BalvirS.–Germanprivacylaws do ayear andsix months' imprison- NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 al Chief Metropolitan Magistrate disclosureabout the fact that as of concealingmaterialparticulars. said that he is AIIMS Trauma notallowaccusedorvictimsto be mentonprobation.In2015,aman Ravindra Pandeythat Akbarhad manyas15women made alle- Alitigantmust approach thecourt stable, asympto- centre, adedi- identifiedbytheir full names –of calledRanjit S. wassentencedto CONCLUDINGHER argumentsin singledout Ramani and failedto gations againsthim?” she asked. withclean hands,” theadvocate matic and asked cated Covid-19 gathering informationonSikh three years and five months in the criminal defamation case mention that other women, too, John arguedthat “while alot submitted.“Youare tryingto gain those who came facility.“He is and Kashmiri communities in prison on similar charges. Two filedbyMJAkbar,journalist Priya had made allegations of sexual of onus hasbeen put on me for anunfairadvantageovertheother Trivendra in contact with availing treat- Germany,and handing it over at years later,aSri Lankan-born Ramani’s lawyer Fridaytolda harassment againsthim. being fair,shouldn’t the com- side. The failureofMrAkbar in Singh him recentlyto Balram ment at the the Frankfurtconsulate. workerinaGermanimmigration Delhi courtthat the former Union “In the entirecomplaint, plainant bear the same responsi- mentioning allegations by other Rawat gettested. Bhargava Trauma centre Apress statement said: office in the city of Bielefeld was Minister, who is facing sexual Akbar refers to the tweets and bility? He should have said that women andpretending that Earlier,heheld a and his vitals are “Today, the4th Senate(State sentencedtothree years and six misconduct accusations, had articles by PriyaRamani.When the other women have made al- Ramani’s statement defamed reviewmeeting fine at the mo- Security Senate monthsforprovidinginformation played afraud on the courtand aperson tries to establish legations whichare also false”. him,MrAkbarhasnotcometo the with officials regarding prepara- ment. We aremonitoring him [Staatsschutzsenat])of theHigher about Indiannationals. had notapproacheditwithclean defamation on the basis of sex- “Not having mentioned such court with clean hands....” tions forCovid vaccination. closely,”asenior doctor said. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 JAPAN HEAVY SNOW PARALYSES TRAFFIC Heavysnowbroughttraffic chaos to muchofnorthwest JapanonFriday,with hundreds of vehicles stuck on blocked highways. Self-DefenseForce troopswere delivering food,petrol and blankets, and helping clearsnow, while fireservice crews rescuedsome drivers, includ- 13 THE WORLD ing at least threepeoplewho were takentohospital, according to public broadcaster NHK. TOPOFTHE Blast kills 15, mostly WORLD FDAsettoclearModernaCovid-19 children, at Afghan vaccineafterpanelendorsement religious gathering tries have begun asharp troop US Vice President Pence gets avaccine shotonliveTV; virus hospitalisations continue to rise REUTERS&AP drawdown. GHAZNI,DECEMBER18 Mostofthe victims in Friday’s attackwereunder 18 JeremyBulloch AP&REUTERS Macronsayshe’sworking slower ASUSPECTED rickshawbomb yearsold, Wahidullah Jumazada, WASHINGTON,DECEMBER18 killedatleast15civilians, in- spokesman forthe provincial butdoingfineafter getting Covid cluding 11 children, on Friday governor of Ghazni, said. BRITAIN THE HEAD of the Food and Drug at aKoran recitation ceremony No one immediatelyclaimed JeremyBulloch, Administration said late Paris: FrenchPresident ing 1trillion eurosintrade be- in central Afghanistan, responsibility forthe attack. Thursdaythat his agency would Emmanuel Macron said on tweenBritainandtheEuropean officials said. Jumazada saidaninvestigation BobaFettin move to quicklyauthorise the Fridayhewas doing Unionrundownto the Initial information sug- had begunintowhy children second Covid-19vaccine to fight fine aday aftertesting wire. “I am working at gested that explosiveswere were targeted. first‘StarWars’ the pandemic, hours afterthe positive forCovid-19, aslightlyslowerpace placedinarickshawinadistrict Theattackcomes afterGen. trilogy,dies shotwon the keyendorsement but wasworking at a because of the virus, of Ghazni province, interior MarkMilley, the chairman of of agovernment advisorypanel. slowerpace while he but Ishall continueto ministryspokesman Tariq the US Joint ChiefsofStaff,held JEREMY BULLOCH, the FDACommissioner Stephen convalesced outside Macronon focus on high-priority Arian said. At least20people an unannouncedmeeting English actor who first Hahn said in astatement that Paris.Macron said he Thursday issues,suchasour were wounded. TuesdaywithTaliban leaders in donnedahelmet,capeand regulatorshavecommunicated would stay focusedon handling of the epi- Afghanistancontinues to be Doha,Qatar,todiscuss military jetpacktoplayBobaFettin their plans to drugmaker France’sresponseto the demic,or, forexample, hit by violence even as the aspectsoflastFebruary’s US- the original “StarWars” Moderna, whichco-developed US Surgeon GeneralJeromeAdams receives avaccine shot at coronavirus pandemic and the Brexit dossier,” Macron said Afghan government and the in- Taliban agreement. trilogy,diedThursday. the vaccine withthe National the White House on Friday. Reuters Brexit,asnegotiationsgovern- in avideo on Twitter. REUTERS surgent Taliban have been The agreement wasin- BullochdiedataLondon Institutes of Health. The an- holding meetings since tendedtoset thestage fordirect hospitalfromhealthcom- nouncementcame afterapanel September to discuss an end to peace talksbetween the Taliban plicationsafteryearsofliv- of FDAadvisers, in a20-0 vote, cine OK’d in the US, developed whichthe vaccine wasdevel- also receivedshots duringthe moreperished, the mostyet in a the 19-year war. Western coun- and the Afghangovernment. ing with Parkinson’s dis- ruledthat the benefitsofthe vac- by Pfizer and BioNTech. oped“amedical miracle”. televisedWhiteHouse event. single day. ease, his agentsatBrown, cine outweighedthe risksfor Moderna’s shotshowedsimi- “The American people can be The vaccine rollout comes at The virus has claimed over Simcocks &Andrews said those18years old and up. larly strong effectiveness, pro- confident:wehaveone and, per- atime when an unrelenting 311,000 livesinthe United States in astatement. He was75. Once FDA’s emergency use viding 94%protection against haps within hours, twosafevac- surge in newCovid-19cases to date,and health experts have Afghan-Taliban As the Mandalorian authorisationisgranted,Moderna Covid-19inthe company’s on- cines,” Pence said, referring to pushed besieged hospitals in the warnedofadeepening crisis this bounty hunter Boba Fett, will begin shipping millions of going study of 30,000 people. expected FDAapproval for US further to thebrink. winter as intensive careunitsfill Bulloch madeoff witha doses, earmarkedfor health To instillconfidenceinthevac- Moderna’s vaccine. Covid-19hospitalisations upandhospitalbedsspilloverinto delegationmeets froze-in-carboniteHan workers and nursinghome resi- cination campaign, US Vice “Building confidence in the rose to recordheightsfor a19th hallways.Thenumberof UScases Solo in 1980’s TheEmpire dents, to boostthe largest vacci- President MikePence got ashot vaccine is what brings us here straight day, with nearly 113,000 rose by at least239,018 on Strikes Back,then zoomed nation effort in US history. onFridayinalive-televisionevent. this morning,” he added. coronavirus patientscounted in Thursday, according to aReuters ImranKhan in Pak around the desertof The campaign kickedoff ear- In remarks afterhis shot, Pence’s wifeKaren and US medicalfacilities nationwide tally, thehighestone-dayincrease Tatooine in ajet packin lier this week with the firstvac- Pence calledthe speedwith Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Wednesday, while 3,580 since the pandemic began. 1983's Return of theJedi. SAJJADHUSSAIN Boba Fett quicklybecame ISLAMABAD,DECEMBER18 acult favouriteand HACK OF U.S. GOVT emergedasone of the PAKISTANPRIME MinisterImran mostbelovedfiguresinthe Microsoft says it KhanonFridaymet ahigh-level “StarWars” galaxy. AP delegation of the Afghan Taliban, found malicious ledbyMullah Abdul Ghani Baradar,and expressedhis coun- software in try’s support forapolitical set- The PM “underscored FRANCE tlementinAfghanistan. Pakistan’s consistent support Gunmangetslife its systems The discussions between the to an inclusive,broad-based Khan and the Taliban Political and comprehensive political inprisonfor2015 Commission (TPC) delegation fo- settlement,” hisoffice said trainattack JOSEPHMENN cusedonprogress in the Afghan SANFRANCISCO,DECEMBER18 peace process and the wayfor- FOUR MEN involved in a ward,the PM Office said in a bility through an Afghan-ledand terroristattackonaParis- MICROSOFT SAID on Thursdayit statement. Afghan-ownedpeace process. bound train in 2015 that found malicious softwareinits Khan underlined“the needto He also expressedconcern wasfoiledonlybythe systemsrelatedtoamassive hack- be vigilantabout the role of spoil- over increase in violence in courageousactionof other ing campaign disclosedbyUSof- ers, who continue to make at- Afghanistanand calledonall passengerswerecon- ficials this week,adding atop tempts to disruptand derail the sides forreduction in violence victed of attemptedmur- technologytarget to agrowinglist peaceprocess”,thestatementsaid. leading to ceasefire. der,complicity and crimi- of attackedgovernmentagencies. Reiteratingthat therewas no The TPC arrivedinPakistan nal terrorist association, The Redmond, Washington militarysolution to theconflict on December 16 on athree-day andsentencedtoprison companyisauser of Orion, the in Afghanistan, Khan said that visit. Earlier,itmet Foreign terms rangingfromseven widelydeployednetworking the intra-Afghan negotiations, MinisterShah Mahmood years to life. Ayoub El management softwarefrom whichcommencedinDoha in Qureshi. Khazzani, who is accused SolarWinds Corp whichwas used The schoolboys backinKatsina,Nigeria, aftertheywererescuedbysecurityforces. Reuters September,provide ahistoric op- It isthesecondvisit of the TPC of beingthe main attacker in the suspected Russian attacks portunitytoAfghanleaders for delegation this year afteritvisited on the train, wassen- on vital US agencies and others. achieving durable peace and sta- PakistaninAugust. PTI tencedtolifeinprison.The Microsoftalso had itsown attackonthe train was productsleveraged to attackvic- Freed Nigerian schoolboys arrive back home thwartedbyseveral pas- tims, said people familiar with sengers—includingthree the matter.The US National Katsina and walking to agovern- town of Kankaraand marched been found or freed. Others were Americans—who tackled Security Agencyissued arare AFOLABISOTUNDE ment building. hundredsofthem intothe vast marriedoff to fighters,whilesome the assailant and over- “cybersecurity advisory” KATSINA,DECEMBER18 One of them, with flecks of Ruguforest.Authoritiessaidsecu- areassumedtobedead. poweredhim. NYT Thursdaydetailing howcertain driedmud on his face, told rityservices rescuedthem on Hours before the rescue of MicrosoftAzurecloud services DOZENS OF schoolboys who Channels TVthe captors had fed Thursday, althoughitwasnot clear the boys wasannounced, avideo MALAYSIA mayhavebeen compromisedby were rescuedfromkidnappersin them bread and cassava. if all of them had been recovered. startedcirculating online pur- Deafpastor hackers and directing users to northwestNigeria arrivedback “It wascold,” he told the re- Theabductiongrippedacoun- portedlyshowing BokoHaram lockdowntheir systems. home on Friday, manyofthem porter. Asked howhehad felt tryalready incensedbywide- militantswith some of the boys. chargedwith “Likeother SolarWinds cus- barefootand clutching blankets. when the bus arrivedinKatsina, spread insecurity,and evoked On Friday, theboyswalked sexualassault tomers, we have been actively Television pictures showed he said: “I wasreally happy,”and memoriesof militantgroupBoko fromthebusinsinglefile,flanked lookingfor indicators of this ac- the boys dressedindusty clothes brokeintoasmile. Haram’s2014 kidnappingof more by soldiers and armedpoliceoffi- ADEAFSouthKoreanpas- torand can confirm that we de- and light green uniforms,look- Aweekearlier,gunmen on than 270schoolgirls in the north- cers. Agroup of theirparents Deb Haaland will become the firstNative American cabinet torwas chargedina tected malicious Solar Winds ingwearybut otherwise well, motorbikes raidedthe boys’ eastern town of Chibok.Six years waited to be reunited with them secretaryifher nomination is confirmed. AP Malaysian court on Friday binaries in our environment, getting offbuses in the city of boarding school in thenearby on,onlyabout half the girls have inanotherpartoftown.REUTERS with sexually assaulting whichweisolated andre- twomen in separateinci- moved,” aMicrosoftspokesper- dents datingbackto2013, son said, adding that the com- Journalistwho wrote on Chinese Communist history held In historic decision, his lawyer said. Jee Jong panyhad found “no indications Hoon, 54, who uses sign that our systems were usedto wasdetainedonWednesdayby Taiwan in 2017,was ahistorical languagetocommunicate, attackothers.” AMYQIN police officers in Beijing, said account of what is known as the BidenpicksHaaland waschargedinacourtin Oneof thepeoplefamiliarwith DECEMBER18 his sister, Du Jirong. Police offi- “siegeofChangchun”, when Penang statewith using thehackingspreesaidthehackers cers told Du on Thursdaythat Communisttroops blockaded criminal forcetooutrage madeuseof Microsoftcloudoffer- AS CHINAintensifiedits clamp- her brother had been placed the Chinesecity in 1948to starve to lead Interior Dept the modestyofthe men, ings while avoiding Microsoft’s down on independent reporting, under administrativedetention outtheirrival Nationalistsol- his lawyer Shanmugam corporateinfrastructure. the authorities detainedajour- for“picking quarrels and pro- diers, leading to the deaths of Ganesan said. The alleged Still, another person familiar nalistwho recentlyworkedon voking trouble”. 160,000 civilians. Anotherbook victims were described with the matter said the booksthatwerecritical of Friends of Du saytheybelieve by Du,about the morenefarious ELLENKNICKMEYER ED by thepoliceashaving Department of Homeland Communism and the Chinese Journalist Du Bin (right) his detention mayhavebeen aspectsofLenin’s experiments DECEMBER18 Watershed speechand hearing im- Security does notbelieve Communist Party, the journalist’s with activistYeHaiyan in connected to severalofhis re- withCommunism, wassched- PLAIN E ● moment pairments. REUTERS Microsoftwas akey avenue of friends and familysaid on Friday. Hong Kong in 2013. AP cent book projects. uledtobepublishedinTaiwan US PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden EX fresh infection. REUTERS The journalist, Du Bin, 48, One book,publishedin on Jan 1, 2021. NYT selected NewMexico Representative Deb Haaland as TRIBAL LEADERS and histori- his nominee forinterior secre- ans described Biden’s deci- tary on Thursday,ahistoric pick sion to pickDeb Haaland to thatwouldmakeher the first lead the Interior Department THE UNORTHODOX FIGURINES HAVE BEEN SEEN BY SOME AS AFURTHER EROSION OF TRADITIONS Native American to leadthe as awatershedmoment, not powerful federal agency that has justbecause she would be wielded influenceoverthe na- the firstNative American to Vatican’s Nativity scenethis year raises eyebrows tion’s tribes forgenerations. head acabinet-levelagency, Tribal leaders and activists but also because the depart- around the country, along with ment that she is settohelm overturnedcaldron, carved like menagerie of animals —chicks professor,thought his wifeand manyDemocratic figures, has playedakey role in JASONHOROWITZ an angryHalloween Jack-O- thatlookedlikefallenmeteorites, all the conservative criticswere cheeredHaaland’s selection af- shaping the livesofthe in- VATICANCITY,DECEMBER18 Lantern. The other wore an as- acamel made of ceramiccubes — missing the point. He sought to terurging Biden forweeksto digenous community in the tronaut’s helmet and held the with horror. “Whydotheyhave provide morehistorical context. choose her to leadthe US. The Interior Department ACOUPLE stood in front of the cratered mooninits hands. thatone withthe horns?” she “Whathistory?”hiswifeinter- Department of Interior. They oversees 500million acres of Vatican’s newChristmas Nativity “That one there?” Giorgio asked.“What is that? Aturkey?” rupted.“Wouldyouletmefinish?” stood behind her candidacyeven public lands, causing conflict scene in St.Peter’s Square, trying Banti, 71,asked his wife,Anita, That critique has been ampli- he said. “I didn’t interruptyou.” when concerns that Democrats with Native American tribes to understand exactlywhat they as theygazedatthe figures fied by conservativeswho see in His wifewalkedoff in ahuff might risk their majority in the on severaloccasions. The were looking at. Wednesdaymorning. She the ceramic figures afurther ero- while he explainedthat he re- House if Haaland yieldedher agency also controls bureaus The three wise men, life-size shrugged and read the informa- sionof church traditions and cus- membered this styleofceramics seat in Congress appeared to forthe education of the and cylindrical, looked as if con- tional poster. “Firstlanding on tomaryimages theyhold dear. from his youth; that it wasofa threaten her nomination. tribes, and formanaging structed from ceramic oil drums. the Moon.” “The Vatican’s Embarrassing time and aplace whenthe moon With Haaland’s nomination, tribes’ financial assets that Joseph and Mary, likewise tor- Everyyear,the Vatican un- SciFiCrèche,”readaheadlineinthe landings dominated thesecular Indigenouspeoplewillforthefirst have been held in trusts. pedo-shaped, seemedlikeenor- veils adifferent Nativity scene, Some of the figurinesinthe Vatican’s Nativity scene. Reuters conservative Catholic Herald, and religious imagination; and timeintheirlifetimesseeaNative mous, Bible-themedWeebles. usuallydonatedbyanItalian whichlikemanyotheroutletsand thattheseharmlessfiguresdidnot American at the table wherethe Twoenigmatic,totemic figures town, to be displayednexttothe commentators,condemnedthe deserveall the insultstheywere highestdecisions aremade. news brokethat “growing up in stood in the middle of the plat- ancientobelisk in thecentreof gion of central-eastern Italy crèche’s official description put crèche. “One figurewas oftende- getting in the philistine Italian Haaland,60,isamemberof the my mother’s Pueblo household form. One held ashield and a St.Peter’s Square. knownforcenturiesforceramics. it, have notbeen very positive. scribed as looking likeDarth press, with some writers even Pueblo of Laguna and a35th-gen- made me fierce”. “I’ll be fierce for decorative spear andhad fora This year,the Vatican picked The reviews forthe “church- “It’s hideous,”saidAnitaBanti, Vader,” wrotethe article’s author. suggesting something demonic eration resident of NewMexico. all of us, our planet, and all of our head what appeared to be an Castelli,atowninthe Abruzzore- yard of Christianity,” as the who looked at the ceramic Giorgio Banti, auniversity could be afoot. NYT Haalandtweeted afterthe protected land,” she pledged. AP WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 14 CALENDAR THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry &TLewis CROSSWORD 4306 DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL ARIES (Mar 21 -Apr 20) LIBRA (Sep 24 -Oct 23) Your topstars place Although youmay the emphasis fairly believe that youare and squarelyonco- being kind, operation, and considerateand thereisnothing youcan do caring, youmight, in fact, be about it! Youmay as well looking afteryour own acceptthat helpisrequired if interests in the best wayyou youare to achieve your aims know—by avoiding criticism. —and be ready to extend your This strategy maycome support to others, whatever unstuckquitesoon, so stay they’reupto. alerttochanging emotional undercurrents. TAURUS (Apr 21 -May 21) Your best betatthe SCORPIO (Oct 24 -Nov 23) moment is to Partners’ help will distance yourself nowprove from all those invaluable. This CALVIN &HOBBES by Bill Watterson individuals who cannotfaceup goes forboth to harsh realities, and to stick intenselypersonal issues and with people who areprepared long-term professional to tackle lifehead-on. Also, you arrangements. Missing should recognise that in some information will soon ACROSS DOWN senses your situation is easier resurface, whichshould please 1Jumpinthe well (6) 1Agroup of society women than relations’ —and that they younoend. Hopefully, you’ll be 4Prank ceasedbeing funny (8) might be waiting foryou to happywith what youhear. when father came in (8) 2Turning alistintonew form step in. 9One type of fanclub (6) (8) SAGITTARIUS(Nov24-Dec 22) 10 Notavisitor I’d outwardly 3Heruledinone Roman era(4) GEMINI (May22-June 21) Thereare bound to object to (8) 5Aresult of smoking in bed? 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If all worksout for 20 Profession in whichpeople are 15 Half aminuteorless (5) clear,but it’s possible that they the best,then apartner might suretotakeaninterest(12) 16 Employing uniformedsoldiers might begin to respect you letyou offthe hook without 23 Crackers -orwhat they’re in New Guinea initially MARVIN by Tom Armstrong muchmoreinthe future. your having to do anything. required for? (4) (5) CANCER (June 22 -July23) CAPRICORN (Dec 23 -Jan 20) 24 Begins to enjoywriting on 18 Awounding glance maybe(8) It’s time fora You’reformulating battles (5) 19 In areligious sense he believes fundamental plans forthe next 25 Mediocreappeal forhelp and in coasting freely(8) changeofapproach. fewmonths, but if love (2-2) 21 Fittotell (6) As long as you youare thinking of 28 Rode round and round giving 22 Youmay find aworking model realise that youcannothaveit making abreak in an commands (8) in it (6) all your ownway therewill be establishedtie or relationship, 29 Headgear that involveswork 26 Source of poweronthe no problem.Onlyifyou naively think again. It maybethat any (3,3) American football field imagine that others existtodo move nowwould be 30 Lunarsettlement?(8) (4) your bidding will yourun into premature, and that youwould 31 Lyrical writer gets the twitch 27 Famous Venetian game the inevitable disappointment. do best to wait foranother two (6) (4) or three weeks. LEO (July24-Aug 23) SolutionsCrossword4305:Across: 1Jeans,4Flouted,8Cos,9Intestacy,10Dosages, Youhavecome up AQUARIUS (Jan 21-Feb 19) 11Get-up,13Wraith,15Staple,18Baton,19Allured,21Smugglers,23Wan,24Elector, againstyour fair Youhavebeen 25Tarts.Down:1Jackdaw,2Assistant,3Sling,4Fetish,5Onsight,6Tea,7Dryup,12 shareofbrickwalls, devoting afair Topdrawer,14Tonight,16Endings,17Career,18Baste,20Liszt,22Use. and mayfeel amount of entitledtoask justwhen other attention to people aregoing to give up developing certain long-term theiroppositiontoyour plans. projects, and this is at it The answer is notyet.The should be.The question now JUMBLED WORDS DifficultyLevel2s secret is to realise that their is whether the people Instructions criticism is both very youhaveinmindare the Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, necessaryand very helpful. rightones,especially therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 4326 when it comes to your most VIRGO (Aug 24 -Sep 23) theanswerforthegivenquip. mustappearineachofthe intimatehopes. Tobewrongedisnothingunlessyoucontinueto_____.-Confucius(8,2) If youquietlywalk nineverticalcolumns,in away from conflicts PISCES (Feb 20 -Mar 20) 327 eachoftheninehorizontal or disagreements, It’s asuitable dayfor PTEEE STOMAL rowsandineachofthe nobody will ever dealing with U4 nineboxes. knowexactlywhat your business, totting up SUDOKU desires and hopes are. You your gains and mustfind the middle way settling all debts. Your greatest ESIRR LUMBER between allowing yourself to giftnow is your ability to see DifficultyLevel ION be walked all over and getting both sides of the picture, and SUDOK 1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; involvedinafutile battle. The sooner or later others will 3s=Medium;4s=Hard; answer might notbeobvious come to respect youfor it. 5s=VeryHard;6s= at first, but you’ll soon figure Your weakness, though, is us uci nf Co .- it er memb re to ue ontin uc yo ss unle ing th no is ed ong wr be To r: we Ans Genius it out. your impatience. SOLUT LE MB RU T, OS ALM RISER, E, EPE :T SOLUTION VENCOBBVENCOBB Ex-Farm WANTED Fresher GUJARATMEDICALSERVICES CORPORATION LIMITED The Indian EXPRESS Yesterday’s price in Computer Operator & Pune Rs. 88/-. Accounts Assistant. (A Government of Gujarat Undertaking) Suggested Retail Price Add: 7, ABCD Kandivali Regd. Office :BlockNo. 14/1, Dr.Jivraj Mehta is Rs. 106/-. Industrial Estate, Bhavan, Sector-10, Gandhinagar Hindustan Naka, 079-23250767, 23250766, 23257698 0070714961-1 Charkop, Opposite Kshatriy Chemist, EMERGENCY TENDER NOTICE: D-12/2020-2021 2 BHK Approx 850sq. ft., MEA Mumbai Eggs Kandivali West, Mumbai PROPERTY East- West Facing,Well Association Suggested Tenders are invited online from reputed Manufactures/formulators Maintained, Main Road - 400067. Email ID: hel- Selling Rate in Mumbai /direct importers forpurchase of Remdesivir Injection 100 mg, ACCOMMODATION Facing Flat In Mulund lobabypvt_ltd@rediff- Rs. 520/- per 100 Eggs. TocilizumabInjection 400 mg &Tocilizumab Injection 80 mg AVAILABLE (East) FiveMinutes mail.com Call: Mobile: 9820057700/ Walking Distance From 8356946209. on quantity contract basis and details of specification, quan- 9820351822/ 7303390009. Railway Station And 0070723206-1 tity is avilable on https://gmscl.gujarat.gov.in and www.state- MULTIPLE LOCATIONS Highway. Intrested 0070694753-1 tenders.com All tender documents can be downloaded free on the PartiesPlease Contact- website: https://gmscl.nprocure.com &Tender Notice.Interested Anup- 9820609344. N.E.C.N.E.C.CC suggested price bidders are requested to submit the tender through e-tender DADARDAR, Prabhadevi, PART TIME JOB Prakash- 8879550708. for 100 eggs in Mumbai process. Shivaji Park, Worli, on 19/12/2020 Rs.528/- 0070723998-1 VACACANNCCYY In Leading Duration of Downloading of tender document (online):- Matunga, Mahim, Sion, (FiveHundred Twenty Corporate ForSr. Prof., Parel, Bhyculla, Office, Eight) only.NECC 19/12/2020 to 29/12/2020 up to 18.00 Hrs. Retired, VRS,Bankers, Shop, Flat, Godown 22834107. 0070723204-1 Last date forSubmission (online): 29/12/2020 upto 18-00 Hrs. OUT OF MUMBAI Housewives. Fix Salary Purchase/ Sell/ Rent. Last date forSubmission of Physical document : 30/12/2020 upto +Incentives +PF+ AMIR Broiler, Small: Rs. Padmavati Estate- LONAVALA Kasturi Medical. Call- 18-00 Hrs 118/-, Big: Rs. 110/-. 9820553072/ 9322296555. Garden Apartment, 3rd 9920848884. Opening of Technical Bid Date (online): 31/12/2020 At 13-00 HRS. Floor, Bangarwadi, Near Contact: Phone: +91- 0070723945-2 0070724295-2 INF/1530/20-21 MANAGING DIRECTOR Rachna Society,635’ 8828895000/ Carpet,22Lakh 8080432388/ 022- DADAR-KURLA-MANKHURD Negotiable. Pradeep 25251901/ 022-23860517. PERSONAL Naik. 9969387706/ 0070722299-1 8828501077. FOR Various S. K. Patel Small: 122/-, Programmes, educa- 0070724269-2 CHANGE OF NAME Big: 109/-. 8082040343/ tional activities 24460095/24459098. To 500/1000Sq.ft. Hall I, Jasdeep Sethi have subscribetopaper rate available on rent at PROPERTY FOR SALE changed my name to Wadala Railway Station, &purchase rate. Jasdeep Singh Sethi as Wadala(E), Mumbai. Ulwe Sector-23 open 9320460095/ 9930193010. per Affidavit (No. Contact –9767887020 / front airport view 1/2 0070723300-1 XP007283) for Change in 9769788310. bedroom flats 52 Lacs/ Name dated 18.12.2020. 1.1 Cr contact 0070724158-3 0070724411-1 9769909403. EDUCATION 0050172813-1 I WaghuleAshish Kumar JOGESHWARI-BORIVALI Balasheb Changed my TUITION/ TUTORS name to Waghule ESTATE&PROPERTY Ashish Balasaheb As GOGOREREGAONGAON (W), Ram PerMaharastraGazette NALANDNDAA Academypro- Mandir Road, 2 No. (M-2052713) Bedroom 670 Carpet, 2% Stamp Duty, Last Few vide Home tuitions First Floor 1,65,00,000/- Days UC/Ready/Resale offline/ online (8 to 12 0070724425-1 Ready Possession, with 1/ 2/ 3BHK At Borivali/ std. PCMB/ all boards/ I, Amitkumar OC, including all taxes. Kandivali/ Dahisar JEE/ NEET/ B.Com/ CA). Harishkumar Thakkar Contact- 9920675286. East/ West.Call- 9082283805/ 9987504565 have changed my name 7738445432. 0070722500-2 Sciencence/ 9820649468 to Amit Harishkumar commerce. 0070723848-1 Thakkar as per Maha. Regd. Off.: PSEB H.O., The Mall, Patiala-147001 BORIVALI (West) Near 0070721296-1 Govt. Gazette dt. 17 CIN: U40109PB2010SGC033813, Website: www.pspcl.in Donbosco Shree December 2020. Complex 2BHK - 685’ GURU HARGOBIND THERMAL PLANT,LEHRA MOHABBAT Carpet with OC, Ready BUSINESS 0070724459-1 DISTT.BATHINDA(PUNJAB) PIN-151111 Possession, on Rental/ RECRUITMENT e-tendering website: https://pspcl.abcprocure.com Outright. VijVijaybhai - POULTRY NOTICE INVITING TENDER (Through E-tendering) 84519853053000,, Nitinbhai - SITUATION SERVICES E-tenders are invited from reputed and registered Firms/Contractors forthe fol- 989819119129822. VACANT lowing work: Alibag Agro.Always 0070724400-2 available Fresh Chest COURIER Sr.ShortDescription of Work Tender EnquiryNo. REQUIRE Male Office No. and LegBoneless, “BORIVALI, BABHAI 2 Assistanantt from MulMuluund, AVAILABLE International 1. Annual Mtc. Contract forRepair of 100/GHTP/MM-lI/CS-49(VlI) BHK- 565’ (1,45,00,000), Whole Birds, Full Legs, ThThaneane. Qualification Couriers Worldwide ConveyorBelts &PulleyLagging of Dated: 17.12.2020 VAZIRA 2 BHK- 670’ Wings, Curcus etc. 12th, Age 21,21, Salalarryy Conveyorbelts of CHP Stage-I &lIat EMD: Minimum Rs. 60,000/- Services (DHL) USA, (1,75,00,000), 3 BHK Please contact on 8,000/- pm Contantacct:t: GHTP,LehraMohabbat as per detail (Rupees Sixty Thousand only) 9356217008. Dubai, Japan, China, in tender specifications (2,60,00,000) WITH 9820222022878735.35. New Zealand. For FURNITUREURE”. CONTACT: 0070717329-1 0070723915-1 Details Call 7045601444, Last Date &Time forBid Submission: 18.01.2021 upto 11.30 hrs. “DI“DILLIP GUJAR” - 22703881. Pickup Fort. Date &Time of Opening of Fee Stage Bid: 19.01.2021 at 12.00 hrs. 9820311842. ZORABIAN Today’s Ex- AC Mechanics ITI Holder 0070721521-1 Detailed NIT and tender specification can onlybedownloaded from Farm LiveBroiler Rate 0070722727-2 Mechanical/ Electrical PSPCL website https://eproc.punjab.gov.in from dated 18.12.2020 onwards. Rs. 86/- Retail Market Engineers Diploma NOTE: Rate Rs. 122/-. Mobile: ''IMPORTANT'' Holder Fresh Cadidate 1. The prospectivebidders can obtain clarification regarding tender specifi- 8879050887/ 9372663242. VIDYAVIHAR-THANE Required ForA Whilst care is taken prior to acceptance of cations from this office.For registration of digital signatures and uploading Office: 022-26604937/ of tender,information maybesought from http://eproc.punjab.gov.in. Government Reputed advertising copy,itisnot possible to verify its MULUNLUND (West) 2 BHK, 38/ 39. 0070721613-1 contents. The Indian Express (P.) Limited cannot 2. It is informed that in case the tender process is not completed due to any Contractor. Contact- be held responsible for such contents, nor for any 625’ Carpet, Lift, OC, reason no Corrigendum wiIl be published in newspapers.Detail regard- 9833352032/ 9870411056. loss or damage incurred as aresult of transactions ingcorrigendum maybeseen on PSPCLofficial websitei.e. FRESH Chicken Trading Registered Society, 5 Email :shreeayyap- with companies, associations or individuals http://eproc.punjab.gov.in. Big birds 99/-kg., Small Minutes from Station, paengineering@gmail. advertising in its newspapers or Publications. We Sd/- for Sale. “Mahavir birds 114/- kg., Turbhe therefore recommend that readers make Superintending Engineer, com, shreeshasthaen- necessary inquiries before sending any monies or EstatEstatee Agency” Naka, Navi Mumbai. Mechanical Mtc. Circle-II, Mobile: 9769468897. 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Bathinda (Pb)-151111 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 15 ECONOMY GOLD RUPEE OIL SILVER `49,644 `73.56 $52.06 `66,784 Note:Gold, silverrates at Delhispotmarket;gold per 10 g, silverper 1kg; Brent crudeasof2230 IST SENSEX: 46,960.69 ▲ 70.35 NIFTY: 13,760.55 ▲ 19.85 NIKKEI: 26,763.39 ▼ 43.28 HANGSENG: 26,498.60 ▼ 179.78 FTSE: 6,556.34 ▲ 5.28 DAX: 13,683.14 ▲ 15.89 Internationalmarket data till 1900IST AVIATION WATCH SITHARAMANSAYS UPCOMINGBUDGET ONE ‘LIKE NEVER BEFORE’ Poonawalla: Need DELHI-NCR FM listsouthealthcare,infra, govt to indemnify Noida International livelihoodaskeyfocusareas vaccine makers Airport awaits land against alllawsuits She said an exampleof transfer from state, ENSECONOMICBUREAU AatmanirbharBharatisbeingseen “Anyonemayhavea NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 in the country’s capacity to pro- PRABHARAGHAVAN thoughtandskepticism duce vaccines forthe Covid-19 NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 thensortofsetsin(that) aims ops by Q3 2024 WITHLESSthantwomonthsto go pandemic.Telemedicineswillalso forthe Budget forthe next fiscal needagreaterlevelofunderstand- VACCINEMAKERSneedtobepro- definitelysomethingcan year,Finance MinisterNirmala ingandgreaterskillsto handle,she tected againstliability forserious happenduetothevaccine PRANAVMUKUL MASTERPLAN SitharamanonFridaysaidtheup- said.“...manyeconomiesarewon- adverse reactions to their shots ...todispelthat,the NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 SUBMITTED coming Budget,given it would be dering wheretoprocurethe vac- during apandemic scenario, said governmentneedstostep the firstsince the pandemic, will cine from aftertheyare formu- AdarPoonawalla,SerumInstitute in(with)messagingwith TAKINGINTOaccountthatthe be “a Budget likenever before”. lated or aftertheyare certified, of India (SII) CEO,onFriday. influencerstospread,also, landacquiredby theUttarPra- Enlistinghealthcare,infrastructure thosewhichare gettingmanufac- The Pune-headquartered therightinformation.” deshgovernmentwouldonly and livelihood as focus areas, Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman addresses the CII tured somewhere, will have to be companyplans to proposethis to betransferredtotheconcessi- Sitharamansaidsupportneedsto Partnership Summit via videoconferencing. via@nsitharamanoffc obtained.Whereaswe inIndiaare the government,hesaidduringa ADAR POONAWALLA onairebyApril-May2021, the be giventosectors thathavebeen actuallyveryfortunatetohave virtual panel discussion on the CEO, SERUM INSTITUTE OF INDIA JewarAirport—now rechrist- disruptedand sectors thatcould suchcapacitiesto producethefor- challenges to vaccine develop- enedNoidaInternationalAirp- be newerengines of growth. vestmentinhealthandinfrastruc- “Livelihood is also going to be a mulation, then to getitcertified ment.This is because such issues ort—could become operatio- SpeakingattheConfederation tureisgoing to be absolutelycriti- newercanvasinthe postpan- and we in Indiahavethe capacity could potentiallyincrease fear late-stage clinicaltrialstotestthe nalby September2024,Daniel ■ Yamuna of IndianIndustry(CII)Partnership cal, while livelihoodchallenges demic era. Whether it is small to be able to produce as muchas againstgettingvaccinated and safetyandimmunogenicityof the Bircher,CMD of Yamuna International Airport Summit via video conferencing, would have to be seen in anewer businesses or large industries, the we (need)... and morefor ex- also worksto“bankrupt”or“dis- Covid-19vaccineinIndia.Thevol- International AirportPvt Ltd Pvt Ltd CMD Daniel sheaskedindustryleadersto send canvas. “Capacity to build hospi- wayinwhichjobs aregoing to be ports...,” she said. tract” the companies making unteer had sent SII anotice seek- (YIAPL)toldTheIndianExpress. Bircher said the theirideasandsuggestionsforthe tals, building capacities, skills to created will go through amassive Sitharamanaddedtheneedof them, according to him. ingRs5crore incompensation,al- YIAPL,afully-ownedunit companyhas Budget.“Send me your inputsso handle telemedicine and softca- change... so vocational training the time is moreinvestmentsto- “Weneedtohavethe govern- legingthatthevaccinehadcaused of ZurichAirportInternational, submitted the master that we can see aBudget whichis pacities willberequired.Wein andskills have to be brought in wardsmedical R&D, biotechnol- ment indemnify manufacturers, asevereneurologicalissue. has been awardedthe project plan with the aBudgetlikeneverbefore,inaway. Indiaarefortunatetohavevaccine withanewerperspective,someof ogy R&D and pharmaR&D. India especiallyvaccinemanufacturers, SII, however, rejected these to developthe Greenfield air- authorities and is 100years of India wouldn’thave capacities to produceasmuchas thetrainingsandskillsgivenearlier has to look at public and private againstalllawsuits.Infact,COVAX claims, adding that itsreputation portinGreaterNoida,thecon- waiting forfeedback seen aBudget being made post we needand forexportsfor hu- mayprobably be notevenre- partnershipandalsoengagement and othercountries have already wasbeing“unfairly maligned”.As cession agreement forwhich pandemiclikethis.Andthatisnot manity’ssake,”thefinanceminis- quirednowbutsomethingtotally and investment in the areas of re- startedtalkingaboutthat,”hesaid aresult, ithadreportedly sent the wassignedonOctober 7. going to be possible unless Iget tersaid,addingthathealthexpen- newmay be required,” she said. search formedicine, she added. during Carnegie India’s Global volunteeralegalnoticeof itsown. “Wehavebeenbusy since “Weare still in the process of yourinputsandwishlist,clearob- ditureneeds to be predictable. Whenaskedaboutthesignifi- “Consideringoursize,popula- Technology Summit. Thepharmafirmclaimedthat October7, whenwe signedthe completingtheconditionslaid servationofwhat has put you Shefurthersaidthatworkforce cance of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, tionandpotentialthatIndiaholds “The government can act:the it had alertedthe apexdrug regu- concessionagreement.Yester- in the concession agreement through the challenge...without participationofwomen needs to Sitharamanstatedthatitdoesnot forgood growth and building of US,for example, has in fact invo- lator Central Drugs Standard day, together with the Chief and this will happen by April- that,itisimpossibleformetodraft be looked at,adding that since in mean that India is shutting itself, economy, Iwouldn’thesitatehere kedalaw, to saythatduringapan- Control Organisation (CDSCP), MinisterofUttar Pradesh, we Maynextyear.” he added. something whichisgoing to be the comingyears, nearly 60 per but instead forsome areas where to saythat we shall be the engine demic—andthisisespeciallyim- about the issue when it had oc- decidedthe name of theairp- While the overall land re- that Budget like neverbefore, a cent of the country’s population the countryhas capacities, there of global growth along with afew portant onlyduring apandemic curred. CDSCO, in return, had ort,which willbeNoidaInter- quirementfortheairportises- Budget whichisbeing made after willbebelow30years,itisimpor- can be linking with the global other countries. We will be asig- —toindemnifyvaccinemanufac- clearedthevaccineto continueits national Airport. Apartfrom timated at 5,000 hectare,the apandemic,” she said. tantto providetherightkindofvo- valuechain,whileimportsarego- nificantcontributortoglobal eco- turers againstlawsuits forsevere ongoing trials, as per PTI. that...we have selectedourar- UPgovernmenthassofaracq- The Finance Ministersaid in- cational skills and skills to them. ing to continue unbridled. nomic revival,” she said. adverseeffectsorany otherfrivol- SII is one of the firms seeking chitect —aconsortium of uired1,335 hectarefortheini- ous claims whichmay come ab- accelerated approvals forits vac- Nordic,Grimshaw, Hapticand tial phaseoftheproject,inad- out. Because,thataddstothe fear cine in India.Itisalso one of the STUP(todesignthepassenger dition to 50 hectareto and also will bankruptvaccine firms that has atie up to supply terminal) —and we areinthe rehabilitatedisplacedpeople. ‘Overseas investmentsbyIndia leavingaround$56billion Compositionofoutward manufacturers or distract them if Covishield to theCOVAX facility middleof theplanningphase. Inthefirstphase,theNoida FDIduringApril-November, theyhavetojustall dayjustfight ledbyGavi, TheVaccineAlliance, Parallelly, we have submitted InternationalAirport—which $1.85billion asperRBIdata: lawsuitsandexplainto themedia in collaboration with CEPI and the masterplan with the au- will becomethe second air- Inc at $12.25 bn in Apr-Nov’ InvestmentbyONGCVidesh, what is happening,” he said. WHO.ThecollaborationonFriday thorities and arewaiting for portserving the Delhi- highestamongallcompanies ACTUAL OUTFLOW: According to Poonawalla, announcedadditionaldealstoac- themto give usthefeedback,” NationalCapitalRegion—will CorporateIndia invested $12.25 billion overseas in thefirst $6.35 billion,with: when “frivolous” claims crop up cess Covid-19vaccines for190 Bircher said. have thecapacityto handle12 eight months of FY21, mostofwhichwent intothe firms’ $35.73billion andareblownoutof proportion,it countries. This includes an ad- Whenaskedif thelandac- million passengers with one wholly-owned subsidiaries, datafromCareRatings showed TotalFDIinflowsduringApril- $2.97billion $3.38billion affectsthe confidence of notjust vance purchase agreement with quisition forthe airportwas runwayand25aircraftstands. Novemberthisfiscal,highest- through in loan anti-vaxxers,butthegeneralpub- AstraZenecafor170 milliondoses completed, he said: “The land “... the work willtakeex- $13billion everfortheperiod;13%higher equities commitments lic too. “Anyonemay have athou- of the vaccine it developedwith acquisition is the responsibil- actlythreeyearsfromthetime Totalforeigndirectinvestment thansameperiodinFY20when ght and skepticism then sortof the University of Oxford. SII’s ity of the state. What we have we startbuilding.Asdiscus- (FDI)bydomesticcompaniesin itstoodat$31.60billion setsin(that)definitelysomething Covishieldisbasedonthisvaccine. beeninformed(is)thatthede- sions go on now, this could be FY20 canhappen duetothe vaccine ... “Thesedealsareinadditionto velopment activities forthe second semesterof2024— Previouspeaks: to dispel that, the government existing agreementsCOVAX has people that will move away and mostprobablyQ3of $76billion Intermsofoverseas IN FORM OF needsto stepin(with)messaging with the Serum Institute of India hasstarted.Theyhaveselected 2024,”Birchersaid.Thecapac- FDIinflowsinIndiainFY20,an investment,thelastpeakwas GUARANTEES: with influencers to spread, also, (SII) for200milliondoses—with the contractors to buildthe ity of the upcoming airportis all-timerecord;around$18 $19billionin2008-09, $5.90 billion the right information.” He added optionsforupto900milliondoses utilitiesandroadsintheJewar expected to rise to 70 million billionadjustedforrepatriation, followedby$18billioninFY08 that this wasameasureSII was more—of either the environment...thiswillbethe passengers per annum by “going to propose” to theCentre. AstraZeneca/Oxford or Novavax preconditionfromthegovern- 2050,and in the initialphase The statementscome in the candidates,aswellasastatement ment to hand us over the land the airport will onlyoperate Why is it important: In the last financial year, around $13 billion was invested by domestic companies outside, Source: Care backdropof anissueraisedbyone of intent for200 milliondosesof —ithas nothappenedyet.” domestic flights. which was the second successive year of double-digitoverseas investment since FY13 Ratings/PTI of the volunteers who had taken the Sanofi/GSK vaccine candi- SII’s ‘Covishield’ as partofmid- to date,” statedCOVAX in arelease. BRIEFLY Recovery not steady and RIL, BP start ASSETPROFILEOFPSBs,CREDIT GROWTH Sensexhits ‘PMCBankgets output from Lookingatvarious 47,000 4proposals’ continuous yet: RBI Guv Asia’s deepest options, bad bankstill Mumbai: Punjab and intra-day MaharashtraCooperative offshore field Bank has receivedfour in- ED Oligopolies in works: DEA Secy vestmentproposals,theRBI ENSECONOMICBUREAU on strong saidonFridaywhileextend- MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 Signals gained: Verma ENSECONOMICBUREAU ourselvesalsofeelthatwe needto ingtherestrictionsimposed PLAIN E caution MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 ENSECONOMICBUREAU recapitalise.We have recapitalised ● on the lender to March31. RESERVE BANK of India (RBI) EX Mumbai: Have oligopolies in the NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 to alarge extentandthisyearalso FPIflows GovernorShaktikantaDashassaid Indian industrybenefited from RELIANCE INDUSTRIES Ltd (RIL) we have kept somemoneyforre- theimprovementintheeconomy MEMBERS OF the RBI’s thepolicychangesinducedbythe and BP on Fridayannouncedthe THEGOVERNMENTisexamining capitalisation. So that commit- Sebirelaxations is“notsteadyandcontinuousyet” MonetaryPolicy pandemic at the costofrivalsand startofproduction from the various options including that of mentisthere,”Bajajsaid,address- forNRIs though the recovery is multi- Committee raisedcon- smallerplayers,RBIMPCMember RCluster, the ultra-deep-water setting up abad bank to help in ing via videoaconference speedasmoresectors areshow- cerns on the statusof JayanthVermahassaid.Inseveral gasfieldinblockKGD6off theeast improvingtheassetprofileof pub- organisedbytheConfederationof NewDelhi: Sebi on Friday ing an upturn. some of the sub-sectors sectors, which arecharacterised coastofIndia. Located at awater lic sectorbanksand enable credit Indian Industry (CII). gave certain relaxations to Members of the RBI’s and aspectsofthe econ- by anoligopolisticcoreandacom- depth of over 2,000 m, it is the growth in the economy. Other He said the economic recov- non-resident Indians in re- Monetary Policy Committee omywhile statingthat it petitive periphery, the corehas deepestoffshoregas field in Asia. measures including recapitalisa- eryisbetterthanexpected,which spect of holding of deposi- raisedconcerns on the status of might take at leastayear weathered Covid well. ENS RIL and BP aredeveloping tion of the state-ownedbanksis hasalsoledtoapickupingovern- toryreceipts(DRs)issuedby some of the sub-sectors and as- to reachthe earlier peak three deepwater gasprojectsin likelyinthemediumterm,Depar- ment taxcollections. This would India-listedcompanies. pectsofthe economywhile stat- GDPlevel and moretore- blockKGD6—RCluster, Satellites tment of Economic Affairs (DEA) help the government in improv- ingthatitmighttakeatleastayear coverlostgrowth. Board reviews Clusterand MJ —whichtogether SecretaryTarun Bajajsaid Friday. ing itsspending, especiallycapi- The Sensex, which toucheda to reachtheearlierpeakGDPlevel areexpected to meet15per cent He said the government talexpendituretoboosteconomic peak of 47,026, later retreated PNBQIPissue and moretorecover lost growth. economicstatus of the country’s gasdemand by wouldcontinuewithmomentum activity.“All in allweare hoping and closed at 46,960. File missestarget According to the minutes of demand in the economyisstill to 2023,RILsaid.“Theseprojectswill on reforms whichbegan right af- that the economyshouldbeback the MPC meeting on December 7, gaintractionevenasthetransmis- NewDelhi:TheRBIsaiditsCentral utilisetheexistinghubinfrastruc- terthepandemicandtheupcom- on track. We arehoping foraro- NewDelhi: Punjab National Das said, “Over the lasttwo sionof policyrateactionshasbeen BoardFridayreviewedthecurrent tureinKGD6block. RIL is the op- ing Budget will reflect that em- bustgrowth next year,also on a Bank has raisedalittle over monthsithasbecomeincreasingly sharper and quicker. economic situation in the back- erator of KG D6 witha66.67 per phasis on economic reforms. lowbase effect,” Bajajsaid. ENSECONOMICBUREAU 54 per cent of the targeted clear that the recovery underway As per MPC Member Shasha- dropof globalanddomesticchal- cent participating interestand BP “Weare lookingatvariousop- The economyshrank forthe MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 fund mop-up through QIP. isfasterthanwhatwasanticipated nka Bhide, despitethe overall im- lenges.TheCentralBoardmet un- holds a33.33per cent participat- tions,includingtheoption(of bad second straight quarterinSepte- at the time of the October policy, provementinthelevelofeconomic derthechairmanshipof Governor inginterest,”itsaidinastatement. bank).It’sstillintheworks,solet’s mber,recordinga7.5percentcon- AIDED BY sustainedforeignport- althoughitmustalsobenotedthat activities,thereareconcernsonthe ShaktikantaDas throughvideo According to RIL, RCluster is waitforaslightlylongerperiodfor tractioninGDP,compared to the folio investment,the benchmark ‘Zomatocloses overallactivityisstillbelowitslevel statusofsome of the sub-sectors conferencing. It wasthe 586th the firstofthe three projectsto us to unveil ... the ReserveBank of unprecedented23.9percentyear- SensexonFridayhit the 47,000 $660mnround’ ayear ago.” Das said investment and aspectsofthe economy. meeting of the Central Board. PTI come onstream. India has been asking us and we on-yearcontractioninApril-June. markinintra-daytrading amid improvingCovidsituationinIndia NewDelhi:Onlinerestaurant and the vaccination programme. guideandfoodorderingplat- The BSE Sensex,whichtoucheda form Zomato has closed ‘InitialprobeofWistron unit Australian law on paying for peakof 47,026,laterretreatedand $660 million (overRs4,850 closedwith again of 70 pointsat crore) fundinground, valu- 46,960.69andtheNiftyIndexrose ing the companyatapost- violence finds labourviolations’ news unworkable: Google 20 pointsto13,760.55. moneyvaluationof$3.6 bil- FPIsinvestedanotherRs2,721 lion, itsfounder and CEO Bengaluru,costing thecompany lines, alsodid notrespond to are- croreonFriday, takingthetotaleq- Deepinder Goyalsaid. PTI REUTERS millions of dollarsindamageand questfor comment. posedlegislation since it wasin- If aplatform and anews busi- uity inflows to Rs 48,858 crorein BENGALURU/NEWDELHI,DEC18 forcing it to shut the site. Thelabouroffice said Wistron RODMcGUIRK troducedtoParliamentlast ness couldn’t agree on aprice for December. An audit of the factory, hours did notmaintain proper employ- CANBERRA,DECEMBER18 week.The so-calledNewsMedia news afterthree months of talks, Hemant Kanawala,head–eq- USblacklists ALABOURoffice’spreliminaryin- afterthe rampage, found “several ment and appointment details of and Digital Platforms Mandatory athree-member arbitration uity,Kotak MahindraLife Chinesefirms vestigation intoviolence last labourlaw violations”, the labour their workers andstaffwho AGOOGLE executive saidon Bargaining Code would panel would be appointed to Insurance,said the current Covid weekendatafactoryrunby Apple department in Karnataka’s Kolar worked in 12-hour shiftsatthe Fridaythat aproposedAustralian forceGoogleand Facebook to makeabinding decision forpay- situation givesthe government Washington: The US added supplierWistronfoundseveralvi- district, wherethe factoryislo- Kolarplantwere notpaidforover- lawtomakedigital platforms compensate Australian news ment. Silva said “binding arbitra- room to open the economyfur- dozens of Chinese compa- olationsby theTaiwanesefirmand cated, said in itsreport. time. Thecompanydid notkeep payfor news wasunworkable media forthe journalismthat tion within the code could be a ther.Mostofthe economic indi- nies, includingthe country’s itsvendors,accordingto itsreport Wistron, one of Apple’s top up salaryand attendance records and itsproposedarbitration theylink to. reasonable backstop—solong as catorsshowimprovement with topchipmaker SMIC and reviewedbyReuters. globalcontractmanufacturers,did as required by law, andcontract model wasbiasedtowardmedia “It forces Google to payto the arbitration model is fair.” IIP growth of 3.6 per cent in drone manufacturer SZ DJI, Angry workers complaining notrespond to arequestfor com- staff were unhappyabout non- businesses. showlinksinanunprecedented However, the proposedarbi- October2020,manufacturingsec- to atrade blacklistonFriday about the non-payment of wages ment, whichhasn’t been made payment of wagesfor extrawork Google Australia and New intervention that would tration model was“skewed to torPMI in the expansionaryzone as the US rampsuppressure formonths smashedequipment public.Apple,whichisconducting hours, the office said, adding Zealand Managing Director Mel fundamentallybreak how the interests of one type of at 56.3 in November and sus- on China. REUTERS and iPhones on Saturday at the itsown audit to find whether Wistronfailedtosubmit these Silva made her firstpublic com- search engines work,” Silva said business only,”Silva said, refer- tainedtraction in the consump- Wistronplant, about 50 km from Wistronviolated supplier guide- records on demand. mentsonthe details of the pro- in astatement. ring to media. AP tion demand. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,DECEMBER19,2020 RASHFORD LEADS UNITED COMEBACK Hoursafter being honored forhis impactoff the field,Marcus Rashford also delivered in front of goal.The striker scored twice to lead ManchesterUnited'srecoverytobeat Sheffield United 3-2inthe Premier League on Thursday. Theeveningbegan with Rashford,inapre-recorded segment at the FIFABest awards, receiving the fair play acco- 16 SPORT lade from world football's governing body forhis campaign to combat child povertyand pressure the British government into providing free meals. AP BRIEFLY Lewandowskipips India’s day, and night MessiforFIFAmen’s bestplayeraward Avirtuoso all-round bowling effort givesIndiafirst-innings lead, but Paine ensures his team remains in the contest Geneva:RobertLewandowski wonhis biggestpersonal prize,showing that a SANDIPG forwardnot namedMessi or Ronaldo DECEMBER18 How Ashwin foxed can be voted theworld's best soccer player. The Polandcaptain wasnamed AN ENGROSSINGTestmatchisunfolding at theFIFABestMen'sPlayerfor2020after the AdelaideOvalwith India and Australia Smith & other batters his55-goalseasonliftedBayernMunich wrestling forcontrol, tradingpunches and to asweepof internationalanddomes- counterpunches. Formostofthe day, India tic trophies.Lewandowski toppeda had their noses in front,fuelledbyahostile three-playershortlistthat included and collective bowling effort,beforeTim SRIRAMVEERA Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Paine’s valiant counterattackrekindled MUMBAI,DECEMBER18 Voting wasbyaglobal juryofnational Australia’shopes. team captains and coaches, plus se- When India were bowled out for244, IF ONE knows anything about RAshwin, it’s lectedjournalistsandfans.ThoughFIFA theywould have merrilywelcomed afirst- that he likes to makespin bowling cerebral. hostedthe virtual ceremonyinZurich, innings lead of 53 runs. But having stalled He makes aprepared move,reads the bats- itspresidentGianni Infantino went to Australia to 111/7,theywould rue not men’s response and the negotiation begins Munichto presentthetrophyinperson. achieving alead of match-definingpropo- in earnestfromthen on. Lewandowski joinedLuka Modric, the sitions on aprogressively slowsurface. That Ashwin’s instinct is honedthorough CroatiaandRealMadridmidfielderwho theylostone of their openers, Prithvi Shaw preparationthat allows enough room for wonin2018, as the onlyplayers in the at the fagend of the daywould compound spontaneity to kick in to tackle thebatsmen’s past13years to denybothMessi and theirfrustration. responses. If the inherent fluidity of Lyon’s Ronaldothe victory. But theycould reflect and rejoice afteran artfeels likeasong, then Ashwin’s, to para- exemplarybowlingperformance, wherein phrase writer Leo Carey,often feels like Rapinoequestionsher everycog of the machineryperformed speechorlikethought itself. smoothlyand efficiently, when it hardly inclusioninteamofyear jarredorsqueaked.Better, on asurface that Done in by bounce &over-spin wasnot particularly abatsman’s graveyard. Umesh Yadavwas sharp and disciplined, rarely erring on theshortside as had His battlewith SteveSmithstarted be- Geneva:Women’s WorldCup winner Apartfromabit of indifferent bounce, noth- been his natureinthe past, and wasrewardedwith three wickets. AP fore the game,inhis mind. Prasanna Agoram, Megan Rapinoe has said her inclusion ing abettedthem. It wasplain hardwork, South Africa’s performance analystand in FIFA’s planning, smarts andpersistence. someone who has worked with Ashwin dur- “Women’s The hallmarkofthis Indian bowling In fairness, Adelaide is the perfect venue ingthe IndianPremier League(IPL) and Tamil World11” team quartetisits adaptability and quickthink- forafinger-spinner to startthe series. The SCORECARD Nadu Premier League (TNPL), had predicted of the year de- ing, besidesthe supreme awareness of surface does tend to break up, the cross- India’s topspinner’s game planwith pre- Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin spite playing so strengths. Theyharbournopreconceived wind aidsdriftand the bounceisjustade- AUSTRALIA VS INDIA science in achat acouple of days before the bagged four wicketsonDay 2. AP littleisasignthat notions or rigid tactics. Theyare barelydelu- quatetotrouble batsmen. Irrespective of ADELAIDE OVAL Test.“AgainstSmith, he would bowl it the women’s sional,but practicaland hands-on. Theyare the favourable conditions,Ashwin’s craft Toss: India, chose to bat quickerthrough the air and the trajectory game needs driven and individualistic, but work within has evolvedtoastate wherein he could har- would neither be tootosseduportoo flat. It Green’s back-foot playfails morevisibility the framework of collectivism. So afterre- ness the elementstosuit him.InAustralia, will makehim (Smith)feel he can come for- It washis battle with the wonder-boy and exposure. alising that it wasnot asurface wherein he knewhis biggestallywould be overspin. INDIA 244(O/N 233/6) ward but he won’t be ableto. It will make Cameron Green that wasmoresalivating. Rapinoe, who edgeswould flyoff the surfaceortheycould He had watchedenoughofNathanLyonto WSaha c†PainebStarc 9(26b,1x6) him feel he has to go backbut that’s when he Theball that dismissedhim might be seen wasnamedbestplayeratthe 2019 bounce batsmen out, theychanged their polish that facetofthe game. RAshwin cPainebCummins 15(20b,1x4) will feel rushed. And that bounce from over- as ashortone that wasmis-pulled, but the WorldCup and finishedtop scorer,said line of attackfromsixth stumptooff-stump So he second-guessedthatSmith would UmeshYadav cWadebStarc 6(13b,1x4) spin will hopefully leadtomistakes. Tucking lead-up to it wasfascinating. Green, more she appreciatedbeing included in the or thereabouts. look to play with the bounce and hang back JBumrah notout 4(7b,1x4) him up forawhile likethis and then mixing than anyother Australian, waslooking to teamof theyearbutpointedoutshehad Rewardswinked in instantly. Both unless it is toofull. So to adelivery thathe MShami cHeadbCummins 0(1b,1x4) up pace and flight variations is what he will move gears againstAshwin. He used his notplayedsinceMarch,whenthecoro- openers, MatthewWadeand Joe Burns, would have lunged forthinthe subconti- ■ Total:244(93.1Ov,RR:2.62) do againstSmith,” Agoram crease well, going fullyforward or navirus pandemicdisruptedglobal were nailed in front of the stumps by the nent, Smith droppedtothe backfoot. He an- ■ Extras: (b2,lb8,nb7,w1) 18 had said. back.One thing he didn’t want to sport.The winger said on Twitter she immaculateJasprit Bumrah. Wade wasun- ticipated that the ball would bounce and ■ FoW: 1-0(Shaw, 0.2 ov), 2-32 (Agarwal, That’s exactlywhat hap- do wasget caught at the crease. He appreciatedbeingchosenby herfellow done by theinwardangle, rather than seam turn intohim. 18.1 ov),3-100 (Pujara, 49.4 ov), 4-188 (Kohli, pened. The delivery that got ED even playedaveryeffectivelate professionalsbutotherplayersdeserved movement, of afastdelivery that caught But the particular delivery only bounced 76.6 ov), 5-196 (Rahane, 80.4 ov), 6-206 SmithonDay 2atAdelaide cut. morerecognitionthisyear.“We have so himonthe move.Burns,inwretchedform, and did notturn. It rather skiddedontokiss (Vihari, 83.2 ov),7-233 (Ashwin, 89.3ov),8- wasneither tossedupnor AIN Ashwin wasalert, of course, manyphenomenal female players reacted sluggishlytoafiendishyorkerthat the edge.Ashwin’s animated celebrations 235 (Saha,90.3 ov), 9-240 (Yadav, 92.2ov), pushedthrough. But it had and startedtoadd morerevstohis PL around the worldand all of us needto tailedinlate. In the T20s, Bumrah had showedthat the dismissal waspre-planned. 10-244(Shami, 93.1ov) enough speedtokeep Smith deliveries.This resulted in the ball EX E● dowhatwe canto recognisethem,”she looked rusty, but here he wassteamingin Head’swicket stemmedfromhis clever ■ Bowling: MStarc21-5-53-4; JHazlewood pushing at it from the crease. starting to loop and dip that much said.Sheaddedthatherinclusion“sheds fluidly,with the ball coming out of his palms modulation of pace.Heplayedanothing 20-6-47-1;PCummins 21.1-7-48-3;CGreen During his county stint, this more. The firstballofthe over in light on the fact thattopush our game likeinadream. shottoaslower, tossed-upball and gifted 9-2-15-0; NLyon 21-2-68-1;MLabuschagne ball had gotAshwin richrewards. Smith’s whichGreen fell wasacouple of deliveries forwardweneedcontinuedinvestment the easiestofreturn catches. Green,hith- 1-0-3-0 mistake wasthat he stabbed insidethe line, afterthat latecut. It reared with overspin and ... to give more female players the op- Pace onslaught erto fluent,was undone by the extrabounce playing forthe turn.But the ball bouncedand Green jabbed it to theonside. Sensing that a portunityto beseenonTVintheirhome The pressurewas relentless, everyde- he generated.The three distinct methods AUSTRALIA FIRSTINNINGS 191 tilted in through the angle. Notsharp turn, trap wasbeing laid, he rushedout next ball countries and globallywhile perform- livery so hotthat it seemed to burnthe bat of dismissals onlyburnish the geniusof M Wade lbwbBumrah 8(51b,1x4) but the angle did him. The ball spun less not but the ball wasn’t wherehethought it ingfor club and country”. at the faintestcontact. Bumrah wasadeptly Ashwin.Healso has supreme confidence in JBurns lbwbBumrah 8(41b) because of the pitchbut by design; Ashwin would be.Somehow,heusedhis height and supportedbyMohammedShamiand his ability,isunflappable under fire,can pick MLabuschagne lbwbYadav 47(119b,7x4) made it go straighter.Whatthe untrained lungetostub it out. Next ball had his name on E-sports,breakdancing Umesh Yadav, scarcelybestowinganoutlet holes in abatsman'stechnique, and vary SSmith cRahanebAshwin 1(29b) eyewould have missedwas thefizzing air- it. He had sethimself well backinside the to release the pressure. Shami foundseam pace and trajectoryaccording to conditions THead c&bAshwin 7(20b) speedand over-spun bounce of the ball that crease, and pressedevenfurther back, but bag2022Asiadspots movement, sufficientthan extravagant;he and circumstances. In short, it’s time to ap- CGreen cKohlibAshwin 11(24b,1x4) dragged Smith intoanuncomfortable spot. Ashwin had again got this one to go through coercedbounce of ahardlength.Heended preciateAshwin as asupreme forceinover- TPaine notout 73(99b,10x4) “Go through Ashwin’s English county quickerand bouncier.The resultant pull was Kuwait:E-sports andbreakdancing will up wicketless, but bowled as well as any seas conditions. PCummins cRahanebYadav 0(3b) performances,” Agoram had said, “you will unsurprisinglymistimedtoshort midwicket debut in the 2022 Asian Games in Indianbowler on the day. Yadavwas sharp It ringstrue forYadav too. Ofteninthe MStarc runout(Shaw/†Saha) 15(16b,1x4) seealot of those types of deliveries.” whereKohlipouchedasharp catch.“Iamex- Hangzhou, China, as full medal sports and disciplined, rarely erring on the short past, his lengths have alternated between NLyon cKohlibAshwin 10(20b,1x4) pecting my prediction of 20 wicketstocome afterbeing approved by the Olympic side as had been hisnature in the past, and toofull and tooshort, the lineerratic too. JHazlewood cPujarabYadav 8(10b,2x4) Whyisitdifficult to read true,” pinged Agoram afterthis wicket. Council of Asia (OCA), the governing wasrewardedwith three wickets. Here, he didwhat he does well in India, that ■ Total:191(72.1Ov,RR:2.64) Ashwin? body said on Friday. E-sports firstap- But withequal measuresoffortuneand is to attack the stumps on agoodlength. His ■ Extras: ((lb3) 3 Head beaten by slowerone pearedas an official medal sportatthe stubbornness, SteveSmith &Marnus pace and fractional movement were ■ FoW: 1-16 (Wade, 14.1 ov), 2-29 (Burns, In the past, during home games, Ashwin Travis Head and Nathan Lyon were too AsianIndoorGamesin Macau in 2007. Labuschagne seemedtobequelling the enough to trouble batsmen. So it did the 16.6 ov), 3-45 (Smith, 26.6 ov), 4-65(Head, has shown that with asubtle sleight of hand, simple dismissalsbut Head’s in particularwas Theywerealso apartofthe 2018 Asian storm and frustratingIndia’s bowlers. chancy Labuschagne, three shyofadogged 34.4 ov),5-79(Green,40.3 ov), 6-111 he can restrict thebreak in his off-spinners. By revealingof Ashwin’s adjustments. To the left- Games in Indonesiabut medals did not Labuschagne wasdroppedthree times(he half-century. In the same over,henabbed (Labuschagne, 53.3 ov), 7-111 (Cummins, 53.6 merelychanging his thumb position on the handedHead, he went slower, from round the count in the overall standings. “I hope wasspilledonce morelater), while Smith’s PatCummins with alifter. Australia were ov), 8-139 (Starc, 60.1 ov),9-167 (Lyon,66.5 seam, and while keeping the grip and release stumps, and the ball loopedout of his hands, that electronic sports will add value to outside edge wasbeaten multiple times. A totteringat111/7,beforePaine engineered ov), 10-191 (Hazlewood, 72.1 ov) the same, he can reduce the amount of spin. foxing Head intogiving areturn catch. the AsianGames–and Iamsureitwill familiar fightbackseemed on the cards be- aremarkable rescue act. ■Bowling:UYadav16.1-5-40-3;JBumrah21-7- When he wantstospin it less,hewill have his in the future, during the Asian Games fore Ravichandran Ashwin strolledintopile Justwhen Indiaseemedincontrol, Paine 52-2;MShami17-4-41-0;RAshwin18-3-55-4 thumb cut across the seam. Off-spinner tries leggies 2022 and even beyond that,” said OCA on moremisery, slicing through the middle gave Australia atoe-hold intothe match When he wantsittoturn more, the In the finalsession, underlights, Ashwin Asian Games Director Haider Farman. order with the wicketsofSmith, Travis Head with abusy 73,the mostfluent anybats- INDIA SECOND INNINGS 9/1 thumb will go beside the seam, nottouching also tried abit of leg-spin -again aproduct Breakdancing, considered one of the and Cameron Green in what could be his man has looked on this surface. He added it, curledintowards the indexfinger.So of calculatedthought and notout of whim. pillarsofhip-hop culture, will also mostdefinitiveperformance overseas. 80 runs with the last three, and Shaw’s early PShaw bCummins 4(4b) withoutadiscerniblechangeinaction, he “It’s nothis T20 game coming in but it makeits Asian Games bowin2022, Thereisenough proof that his fourth trip departuregaveAustralia abit of cheer in the MAgarwal notout 5(21b) can control the spin. would be acalculatedmoveasthe pink twoyears before it features in the to Australiacould be hismostproductive end. Keeping up with the theme of the con- JBumrah notout 0(11b) “Do youguyssee all this from your press Kookaburra has ablackseam whichcan get Olympics forthe firsttime in Paris. yet. On the 2018 tour,hedid bowl sumptu- test,itwas inevitable that Australia fought ■ FoW: 1-7 (Prithvi Shaw,3.1 ov) box, do younoticeall this?!” he had once difficult to pickinlights in the lastsession, AGENCIES ouslyinAdelaide, onlyfor an injurytotrun- back,evenifIndia would be the happier side ■Bowling:Starc3-1-3-0;Cummins3-2-6-1 asked in half-jest. Even mostbatsmen, from and canbeexploited by wristspinners,” catehis ambitions. afterthe second day. farcloser,havefailed to seethrough this trick. Agoram had said. HARD TALK ‘Ambedkar warned us about dangersofbhakti in politics; bhakti in sport is the same’ boxingetc.Toh main thoda chaabi bhi de raha Youhavespoken and writtenquite asgreatasanyofourcricketers.Itshows amir- aRahul Dravid kind of aperson. An educated, MIHIRVASAVDA&GAURAVBHATT hun(laughs).Butit’smybelief.Thethingabout extensively about the‘superstar culture’ in rortoournationalcharacter.Whenfacedwith intelligent, thoughtful, and cleancricketer. NEWDELHI,DECEMBER18 sportisthatitisaboutbothpassion and pres- Indian cricket. powerand authority,webecome submissive That would have been the opportunity for ence. Yousupportateam obsessively,you ad- It’snot present in anyother sport,any- and crumble. Mr Raitoreact and say, ‘Okay, this guy’s gone. IN HIS latestbook, The Commonwealth of mireacertain playerenormously. And like- whereinthe world. It’s amanifestation of I’m going to getsomeone better who knows Cricket: The mostsubtleand sophisticated wise, youhavefavouritesports.For me, it’s India’sobsessionwithcricket.Therewasatime The cliche goes: ‘Tochangethe system,you moreabout the game’. But clearly,that was game known to mankind, writer-historian cricket, but Idobelieveit’smoresubtle, more whenIwas growing up whenfilm starswere need to be apartofthe system.’ Yougot nothis intention. RamachandraGuha traces his journeyfrom sophisticated,morevaried,moreaesthetically muchmoreimportantfiguresthancricketers. that opportunity. Youwereinthe CoA,you being introducedtothe sportasachild by his pleasurablethan other sports. Then,theywerebroughtonpar...SoTendulkar were in aposition of power, and youcould In terms of the situation afterthe uncle in Dehradun to being apartofthe andShahrukhKhanwere aboutthesamelevel. have influencedthings acertain way? Do Supreme Courtintervention, would you game’s establishmentasamemberofthe Youmentiontwo Gangulys in your book. TodayDhoni, Kohli, even Jadeja, Pandyaare youthink that wasalostopportunity? saywe’renot justbacktosquareone, but Supreme Court-appointed Committee of The umpireGanguli, yousay,playedan muchbigger than afilm star.Itisasignofhow That’safaircriticism.(Inthebook,)I’vealso likeacouple of squares backfromwhere Administrators (CoA). Guha, in an interview important role in decentringIndian It’s grossand vulgar. Apart from crazy we areabout cricket.It’s asign of how quoted acoupleofletters from cricket fans af- we began? with The IndianExpress, talksabout his initia- cricket in March 1974.Now,with the other crazyweare thatI’mtheonlyguyquestioning terIleft,saying ‘you shouldhavestayedinside Absolutely. TheSupreme Courthas totally tion to cricket,witnessing India’s rise, all the Ganguly, the formercaptain, as BCCI being morally wrong, it’s cheap. It Gangulyabout his blatant illegality and im- andfought’. But Iknewitwas going nowhere. failed.We’vegonebacktoSrinivasan’sdaugh- pitfalls that came along -including the ‘super- president, howmuchhas Indiancricket is not like he is desperately in need morality... Ithink that’sdreadful. Ithink it tells Ispentfive months.Andeventhemostinnocu- ter, Thakur’sbrother,AmitShah’sson,Niranjan star culture’ –and the ‘spectacular failure’ of changed? of afew extra rupees either. It’s a youthere’s(something) deeplywrong about ous of my suggestions,suchashavingasenior Shah’sproxy. Alltheoldintriguersandracket- the Supreme Courtand CoA to steer cricket To go backtothe decentringofIndian very,very bad signal. The ournationalcharacter,thatwe makecricketers male cricketerco-optedonthe CoA as afull- eersare running the place. Captive chamcha governance in adifferent direction. cricket, the firstGanguli –the umpirefrom presidentofthe Board should be intosuchextraordinarydemigods.Ambedkar time invitee, to give us an in-depthperspec- commentators who can’t criticise anything. Bengal –did notgiveGViswanathout (in a aboveall this.” warned us about the dangersofbhaktiinpol- tive basedonfirst-handexperienceof howthe There isaGodimediaincricket aswell,notjust Excerpts: RanjiTrophyfinal) when he wasplumbLBW. itics, and the danger of bhakti in sportisthe gameismanagedormismanaged,thosewere in politics. The onlythingthatcouldchangeit Viswanathwent on to scoreahundredand RAMACHANDRA GUHA same.Kohliisamagnificent batsman. notbeing met. Mr (CoA head Vinod) Raiwas is if we lose severalseries abroad. Even if that The subtitletoyour newbook is ‘The most KarnatakabeatBombay forthefirsttime.Now ON BCCI BOSS GANGULY DOING COMMERCIALS But can youlet himget away with every- goingbehind the backsof the other members happens, Iamactuallyquite pessimistic be- subtle and sophisticated game known to that decentringwas very,veryimportant not thing?Howthegameisrun,who’schosenand and dealing directlywith the (BCCI) CEO and causethedrugcalledIPLhassatiatedallcricket humankind’. Areyou taking the mickey onlybecause thatendedBombay’s unbeaten tise... It’s gross and vulgar.Apartfrombeing who’s notchosen? What the scheduling is... I the cricketers. So ultimately, youknowit’s a lovers. As longastheyget an IPL season,they out of someoneorisitsomethingyou run, which had then extendedto 16 years, but morallywrong,it’scheap.Itisnotlikeheisdes- don’t want to go to Zimbabwe,Iwant to play lostcause as farasyou’reconcerned. That’s don’t care. trulybelieve in? it openedthe wayfor other states. Now, the peratelyinneedofafewextrarupees either. somewhereelse.That’snothow aprofessional whyIgave up. To listen to thefull conversation, log on to Itrulybelieve it. It’salsomeant to getarise other Gangulywho is nowincharge of BCCI, It’savery, verybadsignal.Thepresidentof the sportisrun.Michael Jordancouldnot do that And Iwas stillhoping that when Ileft, my indianexpress.com/audio or search for outof thosewhofollowsoccer,basketball,golf, it’s deeplyunfortunatethat he would adver- Boardshouldbeabove allthis. withthe NBA. And Michael Jordanwas easily place would be filledbyaJavagalSrinathor ‘Express Sports’ on your podcast app Vol. LXIV No.299 Printed forthe proprietors, The IndianExpress (P) Ltd by Ms Vaidehi Thakar at The Indian Express Press, PlotNo. EL-208, TTCIndustrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai -400710and publishedfromMafatlalCentre,7th floor,Ramnath Goenka Marg,Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021.Editorial & Administrative Offices: Mafatlal Centre, 7th floor,Ramnath GoenkaMarg, Nariman Point, Mumbai400021.Phone:22022627/67440000.Fax: 022-22835726. Chairman of the Board: Viveck Goenka, Chief Editor:Raj Kamal Jha, Editor:Unni Rajen Shanker,Editor(Mumbai): Nirupama Subramanian.* (*Responsiblefor selec- tion of Newsunder the PRB Act) Additional airsurcharge of `1 .00-Goa. Copyright:The Indian Express (P) Ltd. All rightsreserved.Reproduction in anymanner,electronic or otherwise, in wholeorinpart, without priorwritten permission is prohibited.The IndianExpress ®