MCS/204/2020-22RNINO.MAHENG2002/21899 THE SUNDAY EXPRESSMAGAZINE eye LOOKING AT CHANGE In his poignant and measured presidential memoir,former US president Barack Obama MUMBAI,LATECITY examines the weight of NOVEMBER29,2020 expectations riding on 18PAGES,`5.00 him and his efforts to matchuptoit
DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW,MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM PAGES 15, 16, 17 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 2 CALENDAR THE SUNDAY EXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 YOURWEEKAHEAD BRIDGE SUNDAY CROSSWORD 2297 If it’s your Dealer: South,Vulnerable:East-West ARIES (Mar 21 -Apr 20) LIBRA (Sept24-Oct 23) NORTH QUICKCLUES Birthday The firsthalf of the Romanceseems to ACROSS ♠ 106 week could be an 1. Bach, Beethovenand Brahms (3,5,2) be inseparable from ❤AK2 6. Excitedly expectant (4) excellent time for travel, so aholiday Q73 9. Mass communication (10) travel, butyou are affair maybe ♦ SundayNovember 29 ♣KQJ106 10.Gaming stake(4) also urgedtosortout any revived, or youmay find that a 12.Passing of judgement (12) Look around and see what youcan do next. lingering legal questions. hint of far-away placesis SOUTH (you) 15.Runner (7) Thereseems to be agreat deal on offer. In You'll become very much necessarytoget your juices ♠ A92 16.LanguageofFlanders (7) love,and all personalpartnerships, youare moreinsistent about asserting flowing. Adeeper lookatyour 17.First-rate; brilliant(7) your rightsafter Wednesday, chartalso indicatesthat the ❤95 19.Christening (7) ready to make firm commitments. and Thursdayand Friday religious side of your life ♦ AKJ95 20. Reinforced,beefedup MondayNovember 30 couldsee youtakingthe right requires alittle attention. ♣942 (12) steps, at last. 23. Creep along (4) New revelations areonthe way. The truth of SCORPIO (Oct 24 -Nov 22) WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH 24.Diminishedprestige(4,2,4) aromantic connection will nowbegin to TAURUS (Apr 21 -May 21) Youcan’t afford to 25. Brewerygrain (4) dawn on you. The real question is whether Ihope be depressedfor ID 26. Ability to command (10) circumstances are longer than five youwish to spend the rest of your lifewith 1♠ 2♣ Pass 2♦ DOWN on your side, minutes. Youhave Pass 2♠ Pass 2NT 1. Pack down (4) someone special, or not. because home is toomuchtoachieve to waste 2. Hard to hold (4) the place to be this week,deep anytime, and the rootsyou Pass 3NT Pass Pass 3. Hair styling TuesdayDecember 1 in the bosom of your family. put down at work,inloveand Pass (12) Three planets align with your house of love, Even if youtravel, as youmay at home will setyou offona 4. Inflictcapital punishment on and four relatetoyour house of marriage. If around the end of the week, newcycle of experience Westleads thequeen ofhearts. Howmanytricks doyouexpect tomake? (7) TheWestHand:S-KJ875H-QJ108D-84C-A7 the most attractive lasting anything up to 5. Courtattendant (7) relationshipsfall intoplace now, family TheEastHand:S-Q43H-7643D-1052C-853 plans will work outnextyear.And at work, destinations will be places eighteen months. 7. Inflammation of the gums (10) whichhaveahomelyfeel 8. Askill formakingplants thrive Itlooksimpossibletotakelessthanonespadetrick,twohearttricks,fivedi- getonwith colleagues. about them. SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 -Dec 22) amondtricks,andfourclubtricks.Youhaveexcellententriestobothhands. (5-5) Probably the most Whatcangowrong? 11.Highlyseasonedstew WednesdayDecember 2 GEMINI (May22-June21) useful days for (12) EverythingsplitsandSouthwilltaketwelvetricks.North,whohasnotseen Thereare certainweekswheneverythinghas The promise of your achieving your allofSouth'shand,askedifheshouldhavebidmore.Southrespondedthat 13.Self-love (10) 23. Seize the lastking to be asailor (4) 19.Sauerkrautonpiece of friedbread horoscope is now romantic ends are 14.Pertainingtothe stage 24.Having sinisterpropensities (4-6) (7) to becompletely above-board.Yousee,with theywere high enough. Eastsaid that he had hoped foraspade lead. What being pushed Monday and Thursday, and, if doeshappen withaspade lead? (10) 25. Small numbers taking hospital grub 21.Said differentlywhenbelongingto others already inclinedtomisunderstand, forwardbyleaps youare so inclined, aspotof 18.Negative electrode (4) the girl?(4) you'llsoonhave to work thatmuchharderto Aspadelead would have killed 3NT. South needsclub tricksand when he and bounds. Youmight even emotionalblackmail maybe (7) 26. Theymay take controlwhenpeople 22. Drinksfor Ed as different (4) getthem to see the light. leads clubs, West will take his ace and cash four spades.The pointofthis 19.Sanctified (7) fall asleep (10) discoverthat aloved one or permissible. At the end of the handistoshowthatbridgeisanimperfectgame. Onthishand,3NTwasa DOWN Solutions to 2296 younger relation comes up week,the intervention of badcontractthatwasrewardedwiththewronglead. Perfectionwouldhave 21.Tub forsoaking (4) ThursdayDecember 3 beenfiveofaminor suit. Thesecontractsmakeeasily. 22. Assistoraid (4) 1. Protectionfor cricket supporters with justthe idea youneedto planets aligned with your Dealer: South,Vulnerable:None CRYPTIC CLUES (4) QUICKCLUESAcross:1Casterbridge, You'requiteadreamer.It'spossiblethatthere'll break the bank and set house of pleasuresuggests ACROSS 2. Theyvote forseers to be heard 10Hemlock,11Taunton,12Donna,13 be momentswhen you'll wasteyour time, yourself up forlife. youcan nowlet your NORTH SOUTH 1. Cheapbuffetcasts blameondessert (4) Comeinto,15Versifiers,16Asks,18 some of your insightswill be revealing. You hair down. (5,5) 3. Away to getupquicklyand have Laud,20Aardwolves,22Overlord,24 CANCER (June 22 -July23) Addle,26Abstain,27Skeptic,28 maydiscovermoreabout your ownmotives. ♠ Q76 ♠ AK53 6. Bunkum from British, hardonthe firstnod perhaps (4,4,4) If youonlydoone CAPRICORN(Dec 23 -Jan 20) Letteropener. Down:2Almoner,3 ❤AK10975 ❤42 French(4) 4. Seen around swallowing drink- thing this week,see To be brief, it’s a means to getworkdone (7) Thoracic,4Rake,5Retrograde,6 FridayDecember 4 that it is to break period for 9. Is useless andisnot aphilanthropist Deuce,7Extends,8Thedeviltopay,9 ♦ 52 ♦ AQ 5. Seedy hotelwith bedroom in front The Moon is speeding around your chart, (4,2,4) Inconsistency,14Disarrange,17Nota with the habitsofa organisedfun and ♣87 ♣QJ643 10.The agonyoffindingfatheruseless becomeshouseofill-repute (7) bene,19Utensil,21Vedette,23Least, encouraging youtostand on your feet. lifetime and reform your games,soenjoythe (4) 7. Sort of lady we hate to go before 25Oslo. You’ll makeamajor choice and finalise entireapproachtomoney, atmosphereand castyour (4,3,3) 12.Drinkers crybelow deck CRYPTICCLUESAcross:1Well familyfortunes, but what youreally need setting yourself on a caresaside.The onlyproblem WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH (4,3,5) 8. Overbearing attitude of one informed,10Otranto,11Tactual,12 to do is look ahead over the next year. prosperous course. Even love area could be work,wherethe 1♣ 15.Takeoff topless bathing-costume surrendering ?(10) Eliza,13Effusion,15Aprilfools,16 affairs maystumble unless storm clouds gather afterthe 11.Ingreat numberslikeadim-witted (7) Ague,18Roll,20Hatchetjob,22Rats- youbackyour desires with middle of the week,with Pass 1❤ Pass 1♠ runner?(5,3,4) tail,24Genus,26Fellini,27Reigate, SaturdayDecember 5 16.Bookstand in service suitable amountsofcash. possible flashes of lightning Pass 3❤ Pass 3NT (7) 13.Experienceanearly springgoing 28Pheasant'seye.Down:2Earlier,3 Youhavedone well overrecent months. Linearly,4Neon,5Outofplace,6 by Friday. 17.Wretchedupliftdrawing one inside down the lane? (4,3,3) Pass Pass Pass Macau,7Dousing,8Modelaircraft,9 You’ll soon find that partners arewilling to LEO (July24-Aug 23) ... (7) 14.Real idiots mayproduce While the month AQUARIUS(Jan 21 -Feb 19) opinionatedarticles Blunderbusses,14Localities,17 see your point of view. Youmustnot only West's lead of the jack of diamonds was won by South's queen. Afriendly 19.Aplayonwords ? emphasises work, You’rea (10) Penguins,19Letslip,21January,23 start suggesting that West did have the king of diamonds. If so, 4H might (7) listentotheirideas, but makeagenuine 18.Waryabout Church inducing lust Tripe,25Bran. this week's stars perfectionistby notbemaking. 3NT is not yet home. Where are nine tricks coming from? 20.Richardshops aroundfor effort to understand their desires. promote changes nature, and that’s Howdoyouplaytheheartsuit? (7) instruments(12) and you’ll become steadily whyyou’realways moreconcernedwith tryingtomakethe personalquestions.Ifyou get world, or at leastyourcorner as muchaspossible of it, abetterplace. Muchof JUMBLED WORDS DifficultyLevel5s accomplishedearly on, you’ll your energy this week will be Instructions then have very muchmore directedtowards sorting out Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, time to throw yourself into other people’s little problems, the social whirl. if onlybecause there’s no therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 4306 theanswerforthegivenquip. mustappearineachofthe other wayyou canfeelsettled. _____neverhasbeencompulsory.-AnthonyEden(10) VIRGO (Aug 24 -Sept. 23) nineverticalcolumns,in Youshouldbe PISCES (Feb 20 -Mar 20) 307 eachoftheninehorizontal awarethat partners In relationships, IPORR BEMRNU rowsandineachofthe might be in a twothings count: U4 nineboxes. difficult mood your needfor both
SUDOKU around Wednesdayto emotional security Fridaybut, in reality,they’re and physical satisfaction. OMITS AMRSCP DifficultyLevel challenging youto Hopefully, you’ll find both in ION changeyourattitudesand the same place.The beginning SUDOK 1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; preconceptions. It’s time of the week looks settobe 3s=Medium;4s=Hard; forafew experimentswith fairly bright and optimistic,
5s=VeryHard;6s= your lifestyle. especiallyonthe social front.
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THTHANEANE (West) MUKHYA MANTRIGRAM SADAK YOJANA ☛ CLASSIFIED CENTRES IN MUMBAI The Indian EXPRESS Panchpakhadi, S A L U T E TH E SO L D IE R e-Procurement Notice No. 20 converted 2BHK,530 Beejay Ads, Opera House The Superintending Engineer,PMGSY,Konkan Region, Thane on carpet with furniture Phone :23692926/56051035. Lt Col Harsh Uday Singh Gaur, behalf af Government of Maharashtra invites the percentage rate bids for immediate sale, CC, Ashok Chakra (Posthumous), Color Spot, in electronic tendering system for construction of road under Mukhya plan pass. 1.15 Cr. Byculla (E), 29 November 1994 Phone :23748048/23714748. Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in the district of RATNAGIRI for 01 number (Nego.) 9029838276. We pay homage to Lt Col Harsh Uday Singh FCA Communications, of package with estimated cost totaling to Rs. 245.81 lakh including 0070721439-2 Nariman Point, Gaur,AC, Commanding Officer,10BIHAR, who Phone:40020550 /51. their maintenance for ve years from the eligible contractors registered AlibaAlibagg Agro.Always on this day in 1994 led his Quick Reaction Team MATRIMONIAL available Fresh Chest Fulrani Advtg. &Mktg. with Govt.ofMaharashtra, in Public worksdepartment /Rural BUSINESS AntopHill against terrorists in Baramula, J&K. Leading his and LegBoneless, Development Department or Non-registered Contractors. VAASTU GUIDANCE Phone: 24159061 troops from the front, he personally killed four terrorists. During Whole Birds, Full Legs, Mobile: 9769238274/ 9969408835 Date of release of Invitation for Bids through e-procurement : GROOMS WANTED POULTRY Wings, Curcus etc. Ganesh Advertising, the daring operation, he was critically injured, but refused to be 30/11/2020. FOR Happiness, Abdul Rehman Street, Please contact on evacuated till success was achieved. His courageous actions Availability of Bid Documents and mode of submission : The bid Prosperity,Home Phone :2342 9163 /2341 4596. S. K. Patel Small: 120/-, 9356217008. inspired his troops, who eliminated the remaining terrorists. We, document is available online and should be submitted online in Contentment, J.K. Advertisers, KSHATRIYA Big: 108/-. 8082040343/ Hornimal Circle,Fort. the fraternity of the Bihar Regiment, salute you. 0070717329-1 Economic, Educational https://mahatenders.gov.in. The bidder would be required to register in 24460095/24459098. To Phone :22663742. The Bihar Regiment Association Progress, Married, the web-site which is free of cost. For submission of the bids, the bidder ProfeProfessssionaionally qualified subscribe to paper rate N.N.EE.C..C.CC suggested price Mani’s Agencies, Family Life/ To Solve Opp.G.P.O., Fort. 10 Jul 1989 -29Nov 2016 is required to have avalid Digital Signature Certi cate (DSC) from one matchfor Thakur &purchase rate. for100 eggs in Mumbai Phone :2263 00232. Problem Regarding of the authorized Certifying Authorities. Rajput beautiful slim 9320460095/ 9930193010. on 29/11/2020 Rs.478/- Mobile :9892091257. On this day we salute and pay homage to the Health, Etc. &Vaastu Last Date /Time for receipt of bids through e-procurement : girl 89, 5’.2”, MSc- (Four Hundred Seventy Manjyot Ads, gallant soldier who laid down his life for the Microbiologist, MNC 0070717090-1 Eight), only.NECC Guidance ForYour Currey Road (E) Nation whilefighting against terrorists in 18/12/2020 upto 17.00 hours. Living Home Without Phone :24700338. Nesley Moga, pkg7 22834107. Mobile :9820460262. Jammu &Kashmir during afidayeen attack. For further details please log on to https://mahatenders.gov.in Sd/- lakhs Well settled ZORABIAN Today’s Ex- AnySabotage. Contact- 0070720297-1 OM Sai Ram Advtg., Youmade the supreme sacrifice in the finest (R. B. Patil) landlordfamily,Father Farm LiveBroiler Rate 9920018647/ 9769008647. Currery Road Superintending Engineer Sr.GM Upper Caste No Rs. 86/- Retail Market Mobile: 9967375573 traditions of the Indian Army and made the MEA Mumbai Eggs 0070701065-1 GRENADIER Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Bar Whatsap : Rate Rs. 120/-. Mobile: Pinto Advertising, 'Triumphant Third' proud. Association Suggested Mazagaon, RAGHVENDRA Konkan Region, Thane 9814957586 8879050887/ 9372663242. May your Soul attain Moksha. Selling Rate in Mumbai Phone :23701070. SINGH Office: 022-26604937/ Mobile :9869040181. 0050171316-1 Rs. 470/- per 100 Eggs. 38/ 39. EDUCATION Premier Advertisers Mobile: 9820057700/ Mumbai Central 5043352 LNK NUN BAHADUR RANA, SM AND OTHERS 0070721613-1 9820351822/ 7303390009. Mobile: 9819891116 5045078 RFN SHER BAHADUR GT,SM TUITION/ TUTORS Sarjan Advertising, 29 NOV 0070694753-1 Tardeo, AMIR Broiler, Small: Rs. Phone :66626983 On this day 5043352 Lnk Nun Bahadur Rana, SM and 5045078 MaMatchtch ForIssueless 117/-, Big: Rs. 107/-. NALANNALANDADA AcaAcademydemy Rfn Sher Bahadur GT,SMof5/1 Gorkha Rifles made the supreme Bhagat Girl, B.Tech, 5’- Sanjeet Communication Contact: Phone: Fresh Chicken Trading provide Home tuitions Fort. sacrifice during 'OP RAKSHAK' Jammu &Kashmir in Nov 1997 in 7”, 1988, Govt Job, One Phone :40024682/ 40792205. +91-8828895000/ Big birds 96/-kg.,Small offline/ online (8 to 12 atrue act of valour.The brave soldiers will always be remembered Month Divorce. Caste birds 110/- kg., Turbhe std. PCMB/ all boards/ S. Arts Advtg. 8080432388/ 022- Masjid for their enthusiasm. To these brave heart we pledge that we shall No Bar. 8725036313. Naka, Navi Mumbai. 25251901/ 022-23860517. JEE/ NEET/NEET/ B.Com/B.Com/ CA). Phone: 23415111 always be guided by their immortal spirit and make their names 0050172059-1 Mobile: 9769468897. 9082283805/ 9987504565 0070706425-3 TajPublicity Services, proud. 0070708740-1 ScSciience/ 9820649468 Byculla (W), Suitaitableble match for Phone :2305 4894. CO AND ALL RANKS, 5/1 GORKHA RIFLES cocommercmmerce. Mobile :9892011371. agarwal girl fair 5’6” VENCOBB Ex-Farm 0070721296-1 Yugarambha Advertising, (1996) central Yesterday’s price in Girgaon, government gazzetted Phone :2386 8065. Pune Rs. 84/-. RECRUITMENT Mobile :9869074144. officer posted in Suggested Retail Price Gujarat. Aaryan Publicity is Rs. 102/-. SITUATION SERVICES Dadar (E), [email protected] Phone: 022-65881876 0070714961-1 VACANT Mobile: 9320111876 0050172242-1 ADVERTISEMENTS B. Y. Padhye Publicity Services, REQUIREQUIRERE Office Assistant Dadar (W), Phone :2422 9241/ PROPERTY (Tally), Marketing and KEYON Publicity-Official 2422 0445. WESTERN RAILWAY-RATLAM DIVISION Promotions, Site advertising agency all DATEY Advertising, Supervisors, Site newspapers, Loksatta Datey Bhavan, Dadar (W) E-TENDER NOTICE Mobole : 8452846979/ 9930949817 No. W/623/5/1/NIT Date: 26.11.2020 Coordinator for acceptsall kinds of The Divisional Railway Manager (WA) RATLAM for and on behalf of the Engineering & advertising. Reasonable Hook Advertainment Dadar President of India Invites *Open Tender* through e-tender on website FabricationCompany. rates. WhatsApp/ Mobile :8691800888 www.ireps.gov.in the details are as under :- Ph:9320147581,Email: Email- 9653683498/ Central Advertising Agency, hkindustries_keyur@ya 9920992393/ 0222825307. Mahim (W), Earnest Money Phone :24468656 /24465555 Sr.No., E-tender No. & Completion hoo.com Approx value to be deposited 0070703019-3 Charudatta Advertising, Name of Work Period 0070722143-1 Mahim (W), In (`) Phone :24221461 1. RMT-2020-21-114 2,23,65,607.07 2,61,900.00 10 Months Jay Publicity, COURIER Dadar (E), Nagda-Bhopal,Maksi-Dewas &Indore-Dewas-Ujjain Section - PROPERTY Phone :24124640 Providing tool cum rest room for gangs. AVAILABLAVAILABLEE International Pallavi Advtg. 2. RMT-2020-21-119 1,57,87,536.57 2,29,000.00 18 Months Dadar (W), ACCOMMODATION Couriers Worldwide Mobile: 9869109765 Nagda-Bhopal,Maksi-Dewas &Indore-Dewas-Ujjain Section -Manual AVAILABLE Services (DHL) USA, Shree Swami Samarth Advertising, Deep screening of Track with Point &Crossings. (Total Manual deep Dubai, Japan, China, Dadar (W), Phone :24440631 screening =16.927 KM, Point &Crossing deep screening 1:12=55 DOMBIVLI (East) New Zealand. For Mobile :9869131962 Nos. &1:8.5 =66Nos. DetailsCall 7045601444, Charrasta 1BHK, 500 Stylus Arts, 3. RMT-2020-21-120 2,86,52,786.32 2,93,300.00 18 Months 22703881. Pickup Fort. Dadar (W), sq.ft. for Residential/ Phone :24304897 Nagda-Bhopal,Maksi-Dewas &Indore-Dewas-Ujjain Section -Through Commercial flat for 0070721521-1 Time Advertising, Ballast renewal of plain track ballast (66.749 Kms.) and deep screening sale. (Expectation -55 Matunga (W), Phone :2446 6191 of points and crossings (1:12) with BCM machine 140 Nos. Lakhs) -9819224494 ''IMPORTANT'' Vijaya Agencies, 4. RMT-2020-21/41-R-1 12,31,938.76 24,700.00 24 Months (Agents Excuse). Dadar (W), Maksi-Bhopal Section -Repair &Maintenance of deep well hand Whilst care is takenprior to Phone :2422 5672. 0070721764-2 acceptance of advertising copy,itis Mobile :9920640689 pump and other hand pumps and Stations, Railway Colony &Level not possible to verify its contents. The Indian Express (P.) Limited Media Junction, Crossings. (For TwoYears) AVAILABLE on L&L basis, cannot be held responsible for Matunga (W), Approx Quantity for Sr.No. 1to4:As per tender schedule; Cost of such contents, nor for any loss or Phone: 022-66393184/ 022-66332340 2BHK, 3rdFloor, Andheri damage incurred as aresult of Mobile: 9820295353/ 9821656198 Tender Document for Sr.No. 1to4:0; Similar type of work for Sr. transactions with companies, Achievers Media No. 1 :Construction of any building work, For Sr.No. 2&3:Any Track (East), Touching associations or individuals Bandra (W.), Flyover, Prime Location. advertising in its newspapers or Phone :22691584 Work &Sr. No. 4:Not applicable; Date of Uploading on Website for Publications. We therefore Sr.No. 1to4:26.11.2020; Date of opening of Tender for Sr.No. 1to Contact Owner: recommend that readersmake NAC necessary inquiries before sending Bandra (W), 4:22.12.2020. Detailed tender Notice, eligibility criteria and terms and 7506975290. any monies or entering into any Mobile :9664132358 agreements with advertisers or conditions are available at Website www.ireps.gov.in otherwise acting on an Reckon 0070722154-1 advertisement in any manner Bandra(W.), Divisional Railway Manager (W/A) whatsoever. Mobile :9867445557 AK/5/1/246 Ratlam Division, Western Railway Like us on : facebook.com/WesternRly Follow us on : twitter.com/WesternRly MCS/204/2020-22RNINO.MAHENG2002/21899 THE SUNDAY EXPRESSMAGAZINE eye LOOKING AT CHANGE In his poignant and measured presidential memoir,former US President Barack Obama MUMBAI,LATECITY examines the weight of NOVEMBER29,2020 expectations riding on 18PAGES,`5.00 him and his efforts to matchuptoit
DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA,LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM PAGES 15, 16, 17 INDIA,SRI LANKA,MALDIVES Shah reaches out to farmers: PHASE 1OFDDC POLLS Trilateral meet held after6yrs, looks beyond move to protestsite, will talk 41%turnout
HARIKISHANSHARMA, maritime security RAAKHIJAGGA &SUKHBIRSIWACH intheValley, NEWDELHI,LUDHIANA, SHUBHAJITROY ED CHANDIGARH,NOVEMBER28 NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 Eyeon PLAIN E WITH PRESSUREmounting from ● China AFTER THE Quad grouping, India EX farmers campedatDelhi's bor- 52%overall on Saturdayrevived theIndian ders, akey rulingallyinHaryana Ocean troika with Sri Lanka and SENSING BEIJING’Saggres- and Opposition parties, Union Maldivestopromote “meaning- sion in the region and be- Home MinisterAmit Shah ful cooperation” in theIndian yond, NewDelhi sent NSA Saturdaysignalledasoftening of Ocean region on “maritime se- Ajit DovaltoColomboto the Centre's hardline stance by curity”, as Beijing’saggressive build astrategic coalition offering to hold talksassoon as behaviour in the Indo-Pacific has with maritime neighbours the protesters move to adesig- Arose,star, blue, caught global attention. in the Indian Ocean region. nated siteinBurari on the out- pink:How a Mauritius and Seychelles joined Thegroup willbetestedin skirts of the capital. Covid-tainted area as observers through virtual the coming monthsas The offerdrew awaryre- Farmersatthe Delhiborder,inSinghu,onSaturday. Praveen mode. Beijing makes itsmoves. sponse from the farmers, who Khanna celebratesitself in CONTINUEDONPAGE4 CONTINUEDONPAGE4 masks PAGE 8 Shah to Yogi, BJP deploysits big PM visits vaccine Court grants bail At apollingstation in Pahalgam on Saturday. Shuaib Masoodi to man accused guns for civic polls in Hyderabad facilities: in collective logaturnoutof 51.7percentinthe of sexually BASHAARATMASOOD, 43 constituencies that voted,ac- SREENIVASJANYALA fight against virus NAVEEDIQBAL cording to J&K Election abusing minors &LIZMATHEW &ARUNSHARMA CommissionerKKSharma. The HYDERABAD,NOVEMBER28 KUPWARA,KULGAM,JAMMU, votersincluded1.93lakhmenand NOVEMBER28 1.79lakhwomen.Exceptforanin- SADAFMODAK ADDRESSINGApublic meeting ANURADHA cident of stone pelting by ayouth MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 in Hyderabad on Saturday,Yogi MASCARENHAS THE GOVERNMENT school at in Kulgam, polling took place Adityanath said, "If we win, we PUNE,NOVEMBER28 Dogripora in north peacefully, Sharmasaid. ASPECIAL courtthis week will turn Hyderabad into Kashmir'sKupwarawore The turnout under a granted bail to aman accusedof Bhagyanagar... Some people SHORTLYAFTER Prime Minister afestive lookwithvoters, tight, multi-layeredse- sexually abusing twochildren, were askingmeifHyderabad NarendraModi made avisittoits youngand old, men and curity blanket is being on grounds including thatthe can be renamedBhagyanagar.I facility in Pune, Serum Institute women, thronging the seen as good news for deposition of the minors will be said, whynot.Itold them that we of India (SII) said on Saturday nine polling booths. The the Central delayeddue to the Covid-19pan- renamedFaizabad as Ayodhya that it washopingtoseekan scene captured theelec- DECISION Government that has demic. and Allahabad as Prayagraj after emergency-uselicence within toralmood Saturday in 2020 pushedthe polls as the The accusedwas lodged in BJP came to powerinUttar Yogi Adityanath in Hyderabad on Saturday. Express the next twoweeksfor the Prime MinisterNarendra manyparts of theValley J&K firsttestinreviving the jail foroverayear.Among the Pradesh. Then whycan't Covid-19vaccine that it has been Modi at the Zydus Biotech thatsawaturnoutof 40.6 DISTRICT, political process in the submissions made by his lawyer Hyderabad be Bhagyanagar?" testing on Indian volunteers. Park in Ahmedabad on per cent forthe first LOCAL POLLS newlycreated Union wasthat the investigation is The Uttar Pradesh Chief who is scheduledtovisit the city BhupenderYadav, party general ApartfromSII,Modi also vis- Saturday. ANI DistrictDevelopment Territoryafter the complete, and thatachargesheet Ministerjoins alonglistoflead- on Sunday,toparty president JP secretaryand itsmatch-winner ited the vaccine development fa- Council (DDC) polls in J&K. state's bifurcationlastAugust. has been filedand therewillbea ers deployedbythe BJP to cam- Nadda, Union ministerSmriti in Bihar,tocampinHyderabad to cilities of Zydus Cadila in In Jammu, voting wasbrisk The numbers also liftedhopes delayinthe commencement of paign forthe December 1elec- Irani, and youth wing president overseethe election work. Ahmedabad and Bharat Biotech SII, on the other hand, has with 64.2 per cent polling in the within the Peoples’ Alliance for the trial due to the pandemic. tions to the Greater Hyderabad Tejasvi Surya,who is known for Neverbeforehas amunicipal in Hyderabad. Both these com- been testing avaccine developed firstofthe eight-phase polls. Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), The courtsaid the material Municipal Corporation —from his inflammatoryspeeches. election in Telangana or the erst panies aretesting avaccine they by OxfordUniversity and Overall, 3.62lakh of the nearly 7 whichisbanking on ahigher CONTINUEDONPAGE4 Union Home MinisterAmit Shah, Besides, the party hasgot CONTINUEDONPAGE4 have indigenouslydeveloped. CONTINUEDONPAGE4 lakh electoratecasttheir voteto CONTINUEDONPAGE4 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 4 THE SECOND PAGE THE SUNDAY EXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020
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Trilateral meet Gotabaya Rajapaksa. peal to the farmer brothers that dress the “concerns”ofthe the government has made a protesting farmers. However, the In ashift from the past, the proper arrangement foryou in Congress wasnot among the NationalSecurityAdvisorsof Hyderabad Day 1ofpolitical test in Valley Burari, whereyou canhold eight. ApartfromNCP chief India, Sri Lanka and Maldivesde- while combinedstate of Andhra protests,”theHomeMinistersaid. Sharad Pawar, DMK's TRBaalu, cided—aftertheir in-persontri- Pradesh witnessedthis degree “The Government hasmade CPM general secretarySitaram lateral meeting in Colombo —to of attention. What makes it dif- arrangementsfor water, toilets Yechuryand CPI’s DRaja, theyin- broad-base the maritime secu- ferent this time is the BJP's high- sees turnout of 40.6 per cent and medicalcare, so that farmers cludedleaders of RJD, CPI (ML), ritydialogue and include “ter- pitchcampaign, with the party do notface anyinconvenience. RSP and ForwardBloc. rorism”,“radicalisation”, “ex- rolling out itsheaviestartillery turnout to establish itsclaimas “Iamsupportingthealliancebe- atreebranch. Srinagar to live in government Youwill also be givenpoliceper- Tomar,however,hitoutatthe tremism”, “drugs”, “arms and ahead of the polls. the mainstream voice. cause they have come together Theyoungervoicesspokeof bungalows.That'sthe hope,at missionto protestinademocratic Opposition for“doingpolitics in human trafficking”, “money This is the firsttime that the In Kashmir,long queues forus. People have come out to resentmentagainstthe BJP at least,” said Farooq Ahmad, 42, and peaceful manner on this the name of farmers”. “If they laundering” and “cybersecurity” BJP —whichholds just four seats were witnessedatsomebooths votebecause theywant to keep the Centre. ThereisnoBJP can- an apple orchardworker. ground,”Shah said. want to do politicsthen they as theydecidedtocooperatein inthepresentmunicipality—has in Kupwara, Sumbaland the BJP away,” said AbdulAhad, didateatDamhal Hanjipora-- The firstphase also wit- TheHomeMinisteralsospoke should do politics in their own theseareas of common concern. emergedasakey contender Tangmarg, while others were a70-year-oldshopkeeper. threepartyworkerswere killed nessedafew glitches in the to afew farmers' leaders,includ- name,thereshouldnotbepolitics This is the firsttime that NSA againstthe ruling Telangana deserted. Khansahibincentral But at aschool at Damhal in Kupwarainamilitant attack Valley. Withballotpapersbeing ingJoginderSinghUgrahan. “He in the name of farmers,” he said. Ajit Dovalparticipatedinthe tri- RashtraSamithi (TRS) in the Kashmir’s Budgam polledthe HanjiporaofKulgam in south on October 30. Theywerenot usedfor the DDC elections as urgedustonot sealthebordersof WITHMANOJCGIN lateraldialogue as the group has GHMC election. The TRS, which most,with57percent,whilethe Kashmir, therewasjustatrickle tookeen on the Altaf Bukhari- well as the panchayatbypolls, Delhiandinsteadgo to Burari.We NEWDELHI notmet since March 2014. sweptthe 2016 polls it contested least wasrecorded in Achgooza of voters.Among the fewthat ledJ&KApniParty, either,which therewasconfusionamongvot- understandthatblockingborders This mechanismhas been re- in alliancewithAsaduddin constituency of south Kashmir, turnedout to vote was70-year- is being linked to the BJP. ers.“Pollingstaffassistedvoters is causinginconvenience to peo- vivedafter sixyears –pastmeet- Owaisi's AIMIM, holds 99 out of with six per cent. old Abdul Rehmanwho re- “Mostpeopleof my agehere in identifyingthe rightballot ple, but we arenot ready to move Bail to man ings were heldinMaldives 150seats. The AIMIM has 44, Overall, Budgam had the flected thefatigue among the arenot voting.Butthistime,itis boxesfor the twosets,” said a to Burari. The Home Minister (October 2011), Sri Lanka (July Congress 2and the TDP 1. highestturnoutof56.9per cent older generation and the will- critical to lendsupport to the poll official, speaking on condi- shouldallowustoprotest atJantar againstthe accused showedthat 2013)and India (March 2014). However, alot has changed in Kashmir,followedby ingness to tryout anew system mainstream and keep the BJP tion of anonymity. Mantar,whichiswhere everyone he could be givenamaximum SourcestoldTheIndianExpress since 2016.While the TRS swept Kupwara(50.74), Ganderbal that promises to bring gover- out,” said Imtiyaz, who identi- Therewerelapses in some lodgestheirprotest...whycan'twe punishment of sevenyears. thatitwas Doval’s initiative to in- the Assemblyelections in (48.60) and Shopian (42.5). In nance astepcloser. fiedhimself asacollegestudent booths about the Covidproto- do the same?" Singh told The "The accused willbeavail- clude“commonsecuritythreats” December2018,intheLokSabha Jammu, Reasi topped with74.6 “I have votedfor whoeverI but declinedtodisclosehis full col.Despitesignagespointingto Indian Express. able fortrial. The trial will take of terrorism and extremism polls of 2019,the party lostfour per cent, followedbyRajouri thoughtwas the mostpromis- name.For severalvoters, these theuseof masks,severalpolling Swaraj Indiafounder, time to proceed. Examination of amongother areas, and Sri crucialseatstothe BJP.The BJP, (70.5), Poonch(68.69) and ing candidateinevery election. elections also hold out hope. officials were seenwithout Yogendra Yadav, whoispartof the children in pandemic will be de- Lanka’s Defence SecretaryMaj emboldenedmore recentlybyits Samba (68.61). Ihaveheardtheir promises, I “Earlier,wehad to take our is- them. “Wethought we would seven-member Samyukt Kisan layed. The material on record, Gen(Retd)KamalGunaratneand wininthebypollinDubbaka(ear- At theDogripora school in have also heardtheir excuses. suestothelocalMLA.Theywere be providedwith masks here. Morcha, the umbrella body of medicalreportsand statement Maldives DefenceMinister lier aTRS stronghold)earlier this Kupwara’s Kalaroos con- But Istill live in adilapidated notalwaysaccessible.Thiselec- But we didn’t find anyCovid over three dozenfarmer organi- under Section 164ofthe Mariya Didireadilyagreed. month,has decidedtogoall out stituency,wheresix candidates houseandIknowIwilldieinit,” tionbringstheelectedrepresen- arrangement. Therewereno sations, said: “All the organisa- Criminal ProcedureCode (be- The deputy NSAs have been in the GHMC polls. areinthe fray,257 out of 397 hesaid,supportinghimself with tative closertome. They arelo- masksorhand sanitisers,” said tionscominginfromPunjabshall fore amagistrate) areregarding tasked to carry forwardthe ThechallengefromtheBJPhas votes had been polledby1pm. awalking stickfashionedout of cal and theywill notrun offto apolling agent in Kalaroos. be holding ameeting... (the accused) showing porno- agendadiscussedatthemeeting, even forced theTRS to delink it- Subsequently, theSamyuktKisan graphic videos to children. The and theywill meettwice ayear. self from the AIMIM, whichhas Morchashall holdanother meet- allegations of aggravated sexual Ajoint statement issuedafter an almost impenetrable hold on ing and take acall. We will an- assault can be acceptedonface the meeting on Saturdaysaid the the WalledCity's 44 wards. The PM visitsvaccinefacilities nounce our decision Sunday.” of it. The material in respect of “pastdeliberationsandoutcomes Congress, meanwhile, has been Shah'soffercameaftertheJJP, penetrative sexual assault is not have helpedthe three countries sweptaside by thehigh-octane pharmaceutical company should notaffect that in India at alsoasglobal good” andthat it vaccines. whichisBJP'skeyallyinHaryana, strong and obvious,"the court in improving close coordination campaign of theTRS,BJP and AstraZeneca. Serum has the all,”hesaid, adding,“We arein was“India’sduty to assistother “In these times of vaccine urgedtheCentre to holdtalksim- said while granting bail to the inmaritimesecurityof theregion. AIMIM. rightstomanufactureand dis- the process of applying foran countries,includingthenations hesitancy,weneedtosendout mediatelyinstead of waiting till accused. Theseweresupplemented by Forthe BJP,winning the tributethis vaccine in Indiaand emergency-use licence in India in our neighbourhood, in the the right messagesand notcre- December 3. “...the talksshould Since the minors, agirlaged deputy NSAlevel meetings for GHMC is linked to alargerideo- othermiddle-andlow-income inthenexttwoweeks.”SIIisstill collectivefightagainstthevirus”. atedoubtsinthe minds of the be held todayitself by callingall nine and her seven-year-old sustainedengagementsand im- logical battle. The party,which countries. This vaccine is being to announce resultsfromits “The Prime Ministerex- people,”hesaid.Hestressedthat thefarmerorganisationsandtheir brother,lived in the same neigh- plementation of the discussions linksHyderabad to itsMuslim testedin other countriesaswell. combinedPhase-2andPhase-3 pressedpride in the fact that the OxfordUniversity vaccine doubtsshould becleared.And all bourhood as the accused, at the NSAlevel meetings”. identity,AIMIM and the Owaisi Earlier this week,the re- testingofthevaccine.Ithadear- India’s indigenous vaccine de- was“agood one” and effective the problems of the farmers among conditions setbythe It said that“recognising the family, is looking foranopportu- sultsfromone of itstrials had lier saidthatthis could be ex- velopment has progressedat againstthe disease. shouldberesolved,”saidDigvijay courtisthat he will notresidein significance of the forum forpro- nityto take thefightto theAIMIM come underacloud over ‘er- pectedsometime in December. sucharapid pace so far. He “Therewerezerohospitali- Chautala, younger brother of the samearea. The courtalso moting meaningful cooperation camp. rors’ in reportingthe correct Alicenceforemergencyusecan spokeonhow Indiaisfollowing sationsamongst thosewhotook Deputy Chief MinisterDushyant took intoconsideration medical in the Indian Ocean region on The BJP's firebrand leaders dosageofthe vaccine, but SII begrantedby India’sdrugregu- sound principles of science in the vaccine (duringtrials)... The Chautala. evidence, whichshowednoin- common issues pertaining to miss no opportunity to link CEO Adar Poonawalla said the lator if it is satisfied, even from theentirejourneyofvaccinede- vaccine can be transportedat In astatement, Amarinder juriesasthe minor girlmanaged maritime security,the three Hyderabad and Owaisis to the “confusion” wasunlikelytoaf- preliminaryresults,thatthevac- velopment,whilealsoaskingfor normal refrigerator tempera- Singhsaid:“Onlybysittingacross to escapebeforepenetrative as- countriestookstockofthecurrent razakars, the Nizam's powerful fect the fate of the vaccine in cineiseffectiveinpreventingthe suggestionsto makethevaccine tures, unlikesome of the other the table can both sides cometo sault. maritime security environment privatemilitia. Partyleaders say India,oreveninothercountries. disease. Afull authorisation can distributionprocessbetter,”the candidatesthatrequireextreme asolutionto theproblem.Farmers According to the prosecu- in the region,and discussedmu- theAIMIM'sattempt to grow out- Poonawallaruledoutadditional be givenonlyafter the comple- statement said. cold storage,” he said. hadalreadywonhalf thebattleby tion, the accusedwas arrested tual cooperation in the areas of side the state—includingthe re- testingofthe vaccine in lightof tionof thetrialsandassessment SII'sAdarPoonawalla,speak- “Atpresent, we do nothave bringingthe UnionGovernment on November 26, 2019,for maritimedomainawareness,hu- cent Bihar elections, in which this ‘error’. of the datagenerated from it. ing at avirtualpress conference anythinginwritingfromthe to thenegotiating table without showing porn to minors. The manitarian assistance and disas- Owaisi's party wonfiveseats— “Therewasabitof confusion Astatement issuedbythe afterModi’svisit,saiditwasim- government on howmany further delay...I and my govern- courtgranted him bail in terrelief, joint exercises, capacity needsto becheckedinhisstrong- in the communication,which Prime Minister's Office said portantthatallthenecessaryin- doses will be purchased, but ment areprepared to extend our January, but asecond casecame building,maritime security and hold Hyderabad. will be explainedinthe coming Modi,duringhisvisitto thevac- formation about vaccine devel- thereare indicationsfromthe fullsupporttothesenegotiations, to light and he wasarrested threats, marine pollutionand Speaking in Hyderabadlast days.But thatisnot goingtoaf- cinefacilities,stressedthatIndia opment is put out in a HealthMinistrythatitwouldbe and arewilling to mediateinthe again. The prosecution claimed maritime underwaterheritage.” week,Surya said, "If youvotefor fect the emergency-use licence considered thesevaccines “as transparent manner, so that in therangeof300 to 400mil- collective interestofall.” that the second incident also This is important since India Owaisi here, he becomes strong forthe vaccine in the UK, and notonlyvitalto goodhealthbut people have confidence in the liondosesby July 2021,”hesaid. Through Saturday, thefarm- took place around the same time has been concerned over the in- in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, ersstayedput at Delhi's borders as the first, but the minor was creasedaggressive behaviour by Maharashtra,Muslimlocalitiesin despitepolice granting permis- scared of disclosingit. Aftershe China in the Indo-Pacific region. Karnataka...Who is Owaisi? sion to move their protestto finallytold her tuition teacher, Senior officials from OwaisiisJinnah's newavatar. We party'slargerstrategytoemerge clean administration and we videdoncommunallines.’’ the move,the senior Congress Burari’s Nirankari ground. Apart the second FIR wasfiled. In this Seychelles and Mauritius joined mustdefeathim.Everysinglevote asapoliticalforceinthesouthern wantto fightthecorruptionof the "They aremakingsomuch leader urgedthe farmers to from the Singhu and Tikriborder case, the accusedisbooked for the trilateral meeting through yougiveBJP is avote forBharat, states.Apart from Karnataka,the TRS.” The party,headded,iskeen noise, but during the floods last “grab” the offerand even offered points, where farmers from showing porn to twominor sib- video-conferencing,astheywere Hindutva, to makethe country BJPdoesnothavemuchofapres- to “expand at the grassrootlevel month,wherewastheBJP?Idon’t to mediate. Punjab have gathered,protesters lings and sexuallyabusingthem. invited as “observers”. External stronger.Avotefor Owaisi... is a ence in AndhraPradesh, in southernparts also.” thinktheirstrategyto dividepeo- “Some farmers' unions and arrivedatthe Ghazipur border The accusedsought bailin Affairs Minister SJaishankar is in voteagainstIndiaandeverything Telangana,TamilNaduandKerala. The BJP's estimatesare that ple on communal lineswillwork farmersdemand thattalksbe with UP in the afternoon. the secondcaseongrounds in- Seychellesto meet thenewpolit- that India stands for." Evenbefore the2019election, thepartycouldwinanywherebe- here," said AIMIMcorporator held soon instead of December In his statement, Shah said cluding that he had undergone icalleadership, as India develops ThepartyalsoseestheGHMC the BJP had prepared ablueprint tween25and 50 seats. “If we are Mirza Mustafa Baig. 3. So, Iassureeveryone thatas thatdetaileddiscussionsonfarm- an angiographylastyear andre- astrategically-important project election as an opportunitytotest foritsSouthMission,focussingon able to win morethan45, the BJP soon as youshifttoBurari ers’ problems were held on quires regular medication. The on the Assumption island. itsstrategy forabigger battle for Telangana and Tamil Nadu. With could even be thelargest party in ground, the Government is November 13.“Iappeal to the prosecution had opposedhis The joint statement said the the stateand beyond. the party anticipating that anti- the corporation. We can also Farmers camp ready to holdtalkswith youthe farmersthatadelegationoffarm- bail stating that he wasahabit- heads of delegations “agreedto TheBJP,whichnow has two incumbencycouldaffect its weaken the AIMIM,whichhas a areseeking the repeal of newly very next day,”Shah said in a ers has been invited by the ual offender. The court,however, meetregularly to share, discuss MLAs and four MPs from chances in Tamil Nadu, whereit significantsupportbase in enacted farm laws and assur- statement. Governmentfordetailedtalkson said both the offences were al- and ensuretimelyimplementa- Telangana, is eyeingthe 24 is fighting elections withthe rul- Hyderabad,” Yadavsaid. ances from theCentreonthe “For the lastfew days,farm- your problems on December 3in legedly committed around the tion of the decisions takeninthe Assemblyand four LokSabha ingAIADMK,Telanganaisitsbest The TRS and the AIMIM have, MSP regime and the mandi sys- ers from Punjaband Haryana Delhi,"hesaid. sametime and it wasnot are- meeting”. “Theyalso decided to constituenciesthatarepartofthe bet, said aseniorBJP leader. however, dismissedthe BJP's tem. Joginder Singh Ugrahan, and some other parts of the Union AgricultureMinister peat offence as he had notbeen hold deputyNSA levelworking GHMC area. Whiletalkingaboutthesignif- push. the president of BKU (Ugrahan) countryhavecometothe border NarendraSingh Tomar also reit- convicted in the firstcase. groupmeetings, biannuallyfor “FortheBJP,there'snothingto icance of the GHMC election for SaidPPavani Reddy,TRS cor- who is leading theprotests from of Delhi. Forthis reason, farmers erated that the Government is Anew standardoperating cooperationatoperationallevel,” lose. Whatever we win in this the party,BJP general secretary porator from Dr ASRaoNagar Punjab, insistedthat they have gathered on the twomajor ready to hold talks. Expressing procedureissuedonFridayfor it said. GHMC will be abig achievement Bhupender Yadavtold TheIndian ward,"Ihaven’t seen this kind of wanted to head to Jantar Mantar highwaysconnecting Punjab, hope that farmers' representa- the functioning of courtsdur- Doval, who arrivedin asithelpsthepartyto have agood Express,“Thisisanelectionaffect- political heatinHyderabad even but said that adecision on Shah's neartheborderof Delhisinceyes- tiveswill join the discussion on ing the pandemic states that ColomboonFriday, metMaldives startfor thenextAssemblyelec- ing one-thirdofthe stateand its during Assemblyelections. The appeal will be takenSunday. terday,” he said. December3,hesaidaway willbe courts can resume work in two Defence MinisterDidi and dis- tion. BJP wantstoemerge as the people. We want to make BJPhasraisedthepitchtoadiffer- But the Home Minister's “Farmersarealsofacingmany foundthrough the dialogue. shifts with recording of evi- cusseddeepening the bilateral alternative forceinTelangana,”a Hyderabad an international city entlevel.Ofcourse, TRS will win move receivedsupportfrom problemsdue to heavy cold, as Meanwhile, eight Opposition dence, including witness depo- partnership. On Saturday,he seniorparty leader said. and makeitamodel forothers. comfortably. Peopleof Hyderabad Punjab Chief Minister wellascommutersarealsofacing parties issuedajoint statement sitions to be carriedout in the calledonSri Lankan President The GHMC is also partofthe We arefighting foragood and want to live peacefully,not be di- Amarinder Singh. Welcoming problems.Therefore,Ihumblyap- thatcalledonthe Centre to ad- firsthalf.
Lawyerpoints to ‘vicious media campaign’, AzadpurMandi feels pinch, traders hint courtallows Umar to get chargesheetearlier at fruit and vegetable prices going up
Khalid's lawyer,Trideep Pais, of the same “toeitherdefend Sessions JudgeAmitabh Rawat traders cautionedthat if the situ- of apples at noon, he said, “On Kapasheraborder.Our journey EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE had movedthe applicationand himself in the media trial or the said, "Howeverwithout (going) ASHNABUTANI ation were to continue, prices of days likethese, we arenot trying normallytakes 1hour at night but NEW DELHI,NOVEMBER28 told the courtthat therehas narrative being built”. intothe allegations/counteral- NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 fruitsand vegetables could go up. to makeprofits.Weare justtry- forthe lasttwo days,wehave been aviciousmedia campaign Special public prosecutor legations, afterhearingthe ar- With atwo-day-old stockof ing to sell whatever we have.” been gettingstuckfor 4-5hours.” ADELHI courthas allowedfor- againsthis client in various Amit Prasad told the courtthat gumentstoday,the court feels FARMER PROTESTS at Delhi’s bor- Kashmiri apples, Sahil Ali (20) Though trucks carrying food Anothertruckdriversaid that mer JNU student Umar Khalid's newspapers and media chan- he does notacceptany of the al- that it would be in the fitness of ders begantohavearipple effect said:“Since apples comefrom items were allowedintoDelhi, drivers areapprehensive of being application to supplyhis nels, claiming thatthese outlets legations made by Pais but things to allowthe present ap- on Azadpur Mandi, the city’s Kashmir via Haryana, we have some were wary of thejourney stoppedatthe border forlong, lawyerswith asoftcopyofthe arequoting from the addedthathehas no objection plications if so farasthe prayer largest,Saturdayasarrival of fresh notbeen getting newstock forthe fearingblockadesortrafficsnarls. whichcouldriskthestockrotting. chargesheetonSaturday, in- chargesheetinits reports if the copyofthe chargesheetis of providing the softcopyofthe fruitsand vegetables sawadip. pasttwo days.” Heexplainedthat Rahul(27), atruckdriver, said, On Fridayand Saturday, the stead of the designated dateon againstKhalid. He pointed out supplied. chargesheetinthe form of apen With border curbs in place asthe productgetsolder,hisprofit “WetransportonionsfromAlwar mandi recordedslightly fewerar- December 2. that he is yettoreceive acopy In his order,Additional drive is concerned." and fewertrucks entering Delhi, margin reduces.After selling 5kg to Delhi and come via the rivals. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THESUNDAY EXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 5 THE CITY
Policeask AT FIVESLUMS IN CUFFE PARADE Five-year-old boycrushed Ola forreport on drivers 75%testpositiveforCovid-19 to death in lift in Dharavi misusingapp body wasfoundinthe liftshaft antibodies,serosurveyfinds EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE and localsinformedhis father MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 Sarfaraz, atailor by profession. MOHAMEDTHAVER Shaikh wasrushedtothe Sion MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 AFIVE-YEAR-OLD boywas hospital wherehewas declared EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE crushedtodeath in aliftaccident dead. THE MUMBAI Police has asked MUMBAI, NOVEMBER28 in DharavionSaturdayafternoon. An officerfromShahu Nagar cab aggregatorOla to submitare- The boy, identifiedasHozefa police said that an Accidental portonhow drivers affiliated to IN ONE of the highestsero- Shaikh, had takenthe lifttohis DeathReport has beenfiledinthe the companyweremanipulating prevalencerates reportedinthe fourth floor home and while get- matter. The policeinvestigating if the app to charge passengers country, 605 of 806patients ting out of it, got stuckbetween therewas anymechanical error higher fares. Three Ola cab driv- that underwent antibody test- itsouter and inner doors. The lo- HozefaShaikh in the liftthat ledtothe boyget- ers were recentlyarrestedfor al- ingatfiveslums in Cuffe Parade cal policeregisteredanAccidental tingstuckbetween thetwodoors. legedly tampering aprevious ver- tested positivefor coronavirus Death Report. The police have also founda sionof the appsoftwaretocharge antibodies. The incident took place the lift's sliding grill and a CCTV footageofthe boygetting higher fares. Eyebetes foundation, Dr around 12:45 pm on Saturday. wooden door.BeforeShaikh crushedinthe lift. The police will Crime branchofficialsalso in- Nishant Kumar and BJP corpo- Hozefawas withhissisters inthe could step out of the lift, he got also checkifthe lifthad been giv- formedthe chief technology offi- ratorHarshitaNarwekar organ- lift,inabuildinginShahu Nagar lockedbetween the wooden door ing anyissues in the pastfew cer (CTO)ofOla,who appeared isedthe sero-prevalence survey area of Dharavi. that shut on him and the grill. months. "If it emergestherewas before the police twoweeks ago, forall slum residents in the As the liftreachedthe fourth At that point, the liftwas some negligence on the part of that it is notjustanearlier app ward. floor,the twosisters, one elder, calleddownand as it moved, it anyone, an FIR will beregistered," that mayhaveaglitchbut the cur- Conductedbetween theotheryounger,steppedoutof crushedthe five yearold. Shaikh's the officer said rent softwarewas also vulnera- October 5and 10 at five loca- ble to tampering. tionsinthe ward,the tests Ola declinedtocomment, showed that 75%ofthe popula- saying it waspartofanongoing tion tested positive forCovid Heroin smuggling racket investigation."Afterweexplained antibodies–muchhigher than the manipulation to the Ola CTO the Brihanmumbai Municipal earlier this month, theyare look- Corporation’s (BMC) seropreva- busted, three arrested: DRI ing at the earlier version of the lence resultsof45% in slums app to find out howdrivers were and 18%inbuildings. adding extrakilometres on trips. Astatement from Eyebetes We were told that tampering the said the slumstheycovered in EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE app wasnot easy as it would the serosurvey were notcov- MUMBAI, NOVEMBER28 mean making changes in the ered by the BMC study. server as well. We areawaiting The reportaddedthat only Testing under wayoutside Thane railway station, Saturday. Deepak Joshi THE DIRECTORATE of Revenue their report," saidCrime Branch eight out of the 806patients Intelligence (DRI) Saturdaysaid Inspector (Unit I) VinayakMer. who were tested –one per- theybustedaninternational He added, "Wealso informed cent –reported having tested racket of drug smuggling, that when we did adummy run positive forCovid-19inthe wherein heroin wasconcealed with the current applastweek by past. BMC collects Rs 9.53 crore in fine in buttons sewn intowomen's switching the app on and off, “This means that either 99 gowns in acourier consign- thereweresomechanges in the %ofour cohorthad an asymp- ment sent from South Africa to total distance coveredonthisone tomatic infection or that people frompeople not wearing masks Mumbai. as well, although notasextreme areunwilling to shareinforma- DRI officials in Mumbai in- as the ones found in the earlier tion aboutpreviouscoronaviru 8. As per dataprovidedbythe wearing masks. However, that terceptedaparcel that had ar- app.The OlaCTO said theywill infections.Atotal of 31 people SANJANABHALERAO BMC, the civic body's squads target has notbeen metyet.On rivedfromSouth Africa to the Left: One of the women’s study the system and tell us how –four percent –did notwant to MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 caught 4,58,738 citizens fornot average, eachwardhas 79 cases hub of an international courier gowns usedtosmuggle the the app wasmanipulated by the answer aquestion on whether wearing masksinpublic places daily. companyinMumbai. While ex- heroin, whichwas drivers." Police have also sought theyhad coronavirus in the THE BRIHANMUMBAI and collected Rs 9.53 croreas Between April 8and aminingthe parcel, theyno- concealed in buttons dataofall ridesundertakenby the past, pointingtothe stigma at- MunicipalCorporation(BMC) fine till November 26. November 26, the highestde- ticedalarge number of buttons (above)sewnintothe gown. cab aggregator in the lastyear. tached to the virus,” the state- has collectedRs9.53 crorein Apartfromcollectingfines, faulters were found Kwestward, sewn ontoeachgowninthe Atotal of 376grams of Theywant to find out in how ment read. fines from over 4lakhpeople for the BMC also beganmakingvi- which covers Andheriwest, Juhu parcel,and foundheroinhid- heroin wasseized manycases the final fare was The study further stated that notwearing masksinpublic olators perform community at 29,679. It wasfollowedby den inside the buttons. muchabove the estimatedfare 78 %ofthe population aged be- placesoverthe lasteight services,suchassweeping roads, Sward(Bhandup) at 26,021de- Eventually, 396 grams of the Afteraprolonged operation shown at the time of booking. tween18–40, 74 %ofthose months. if theyarguedorrefusedtopay faulters and Lwardthat covers drug wasseized. in whichthe Nigerian kept been madeinthis casesofar. "Weare trying to find out if aged between 40 –60and 76% However, of the total the fine.However, the punish- Kurla, Sakinaka at 25,497 de- Later,ateam of DRI officers changing the delivery spot, of- The accusedwereproducedin thereare anymorecomplainants. of thoseagedover60tested amount, Rs 6crore wascollected ment has notdeterredviolators. faulters. went along with the vehicle of ficers were abletonab him. the Sessions Court, Mumbai We have already receivedane- positivefor Covid-19antibod- between November 1and 26 Oneofthe staffers from the BMC also collected finesfor the courier companyand Following questioning,another and have been remandedtoju- mail from aperson in Panvel,who ies. alone. team said, "People arestill care- spitting in public places. Since nabbed the Indian national Nigerian personwas nabbed dicial custody. toldus that he toohadbeen over- Among thosetestedinthe Officials said the numbers in- less about putting on masks. May, when the Maharashtra who came to take the delivery from Taloja, near Mumbai on The seven-dayoperation charged," the officer said. During survey,sero-prevelance creaseddrasticallyasmanyciti- Manywear it onlywhen they government introducedananti- of the parcel from the courier Friday. codenamed 'Operation investigation, police found the among women was79.3%,as zens were out during Diwali fes- spotpolice or one of us in their spitting notificationwithahefty person that evening. On the Subsequently,hewas ar- Kruger' come close in the main accused, Rajesh Acharya, compared to 70.8 %among tivities, butdidn't followthe rule vicinity.Manywear it over the fine to prevent people from spit- samenight, the DRIteam iden- rested forhis alleged role in car- heels of Operation Calypso whowasarrestedwithtwoother men. of wearing masksinpublic chin without covering their nose ting, the civicbody collectedRs tifiedaNigerian national who rying out the drug smuggling and wasthe fourth major drug cab drivers on November 1, “In mostcases, males have a spaces likemarkets. and mouth. Severalothers argue 12.21lakhinfines from 6,258 vi- wastoreceive theconsignment activities. bustofDRI, Mumbai in the would charge aroundRs4,000 - higher rate of seroprevalence. To curb apost-festivalCovid- theyhad removedthe mask only olators. from the Indian person. Atotal of three arrestshave span of 10 days. 5,000 forinstalling the outdated In our study the higherratefor 19 surge,the BMC had increased forafew minutes and they app on the phones of cab drivers. women could suggestthat post inspection drivesinthe city,with should notbeasked to paythe Acharya would lockthe app, the lockdown, manymore the violationattracting apenalty fine." WADIA INSTITUTE OF HIMALAYANGEOLOGY whichmeantthedrivercouldnot women maybecongregating in of Rs 200. On October 12,the BMC (An Autonomous Ins tu on under DepartmentofScience &Technology, Govt. of India) passitonorsell it to others, po- the slums,leading to aspikein Fines fornot wearing masks launchedadrive to penalise 33, GENERAL MAHADEOSINGH ROAD DEHRADUN –248001 lice said. infection,” the reportadded beganbeing imposedfromApril 20,000 citizens dailyfor not No.: Gen. Rec./WIHG/2019-20/Es . NOTICE Dated: 27.11.2020 The written examination for various Group-C posts in Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology,Dehradun scheduled on 05th &06Dth ecember,2020 (Saturday &Sunday) at St. Jude's Missing fishing boat, School, West Canal Road, Dehradun is hereby cancelled REQUIRED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER due to unavoidable reason. The next date will be intimated to Qualification : The person shall be agraduate with the candidates in due course. Inconvenience is regretted. CAIIB /DBF /Diploma in Co-operative Business which sparked fears of REGISTRAR Management or Chartered /Cost Accountant or Post Graduate in any discipline. Experience : Candidate should have aminimum 08 a26/11 repeat, found years of experience in Middle or Senior Management level in the Banking sector. Age Limit : Candidate should have preferably age by sunset. above 35 and below 65 years. SRINATHRAO Meanwhile, alocal fisherman named Apply within 10 days to the Chairman on above MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 Pradeep Patiltold the police that he had mentioned address of the Bank with photograph, detail spotted Agnimata at 5pmonThursday resume and expected salary. AFISHINGboatcarrying four crew while fishing in his ownboat, Rajdhani. members wasfoundoff the coastof “Patil found Agnimatadrifting in the wa- VIJAY RAJARAM SANE Palghar district twodaysafter itsdisap- terwith itsengine dead and sail un- CHAIRMAN pearancesparkedfears of ahijackand furled,” said Sudhir Dhayarkar,Assistant possible repeat of 26/11onits 12th an- Police Inspector,Satpati police station. niversary. Patil made anoteofAgnimata’s lo- The fishermen —Dyaneshwar cation on his GPS system but did nottow Tandel (51), Dilip Tandel (55), Jagannath the vesselbacktoshore. “Patiltold the Tandel (61) and Praveen Dhanu (38) — crew of Agnimatathat he would return had setout from their home in Palghar’s in an hour afterhaving caught enough Satpati village at 6amonThursday. They fish and take them backhome. He did were expected to return with the day’s notexpectAgnimatatogoanywhere catchby5pm. since itsengine wasnot working,” said However, theirboat,Agnimata, failed Dhayarkar. to return that night. With no sight of the Within minutes of Rajdhani sailing vessel even on Fridaymorning,the vil- away,astrong gustofwind blew the lage’s fishermen’s society held ameet- helplessAgnimatafurther out intothe ing. Dyaneshwar Tandel’s wifeSujata sea. When Patil returnedanhour later, registeredamissingperson’s complaint he could notspotAgnimataanywhere. at Satpati policestation. Unable to contact the boat since the The vessel’s disappearance deeply crew did nothaveeither awireless com- worriedthe district administration. The munication system or mobile phones, small vessel wasnot equippedwith an Patil returnedtoSatpati. Automatic IdentificationSystem At 6amonSaturday, four boats— transponder —whichallows the Indian Mahalakshmi, Deep Lakshmi, Navy and IndianCoastGuardtokeep Matoshree, Om Sai Ram—setout in dif- trackofvessels in Indian waters —ora fering directions to search aperimeter GPS. “The waythe boat disappeared around theGPS location whichPatil had without atrace, we were afraid it may recordedthe previousday.All vessels have been hijackedbysomeone,” said were equipped with food and waterfor Palghar PolicespokespersonSub the missing fishermen and with wire- Inspector Sachin Navadkar. less systems to contact the police on the Worriedthat events of exactly12 shore. years ago, when Pakistani terrorists hi- At 10 am, Mahalakshmi’s captain, jackedanIndian fishing boatontheir Bharat Pagdhare, radioedshore to in- waytoMumbai, mayrepeat themselves, form the policethat he and his crew had the district policealertedthe Navy,Coast spotted Agnimatanine nautical miles Guard, Maharashtra Anti Terrorism from shore. Shortlyafter,the missing Squad, Mumbai Police, Maharashtra men were brought backhome. “The Maritime Board, Fisheries department missingfishermen had run out of food and Gujarat government. since theyhad onlypackedenough for Villagers also sent out twofishing one day, but theyhad enough waterto boatsinsearch of Agnimata. However, drink.Theywereingood health,”said the search teams had to return to shore Dhayarkar. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THESUNDAYEXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 6 MAHARASHTRA
Will fight to MVAGOVERNMENT’S ONEYEARINOFFICE safeguard OBC ‘Thereare issues but they get resolved’ Three-timeMLA quota: Bhujbal On thecompletion of thefirst year Alsothroughouragitationsonthe Thackeray believesintaking tinuation of supplies of coron- oftheUddhavThackeray-ledMaha Centre's farm Bills and other is- everyonealong.Hesupportsgood avirustestingkits,PPEgear, masks BharatBhalke EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Vikas Aghadi government in the sues, Congress has been consis- work.Wedonot seeaproblem etc. This has burdenedthe state's MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 state, MaharashtraCongress chief tentlyvisible on ground. there. Therewill be challenges. exchequer by another Rs 300 and state's Revenue Minister We'll have to ensureaneffective croremonthly.Thesuddenrisein SENIOR NCPministerChhagan Balasaheb Thorat speaksto One year gone, what arethe dialogue process between allies. expenditure and the limited re- diesofCovid-19 Bhujbal on Saturdaywarnedthat Sandeep Ashar on thechallenges achievementsfromthe We will have to tread cautiously sourcesputforthchallengesinde- he won't hesitatetotaketothe and achievementsofthe past year Congress point of view? during elections.The common cidingonthe matter.But the gov- streetstosafeguard OBC reserva- andthe wayahead. The biggestachievement by man's interestshould be at the ernment hasn't entirely givenup tioninMaharashtra. the coming together of the three centreofour decision-making on the proposal as yet. complications "Existing OBC reservation Thefirstyearinpowerhasbeen parties waskeeping the BJP at bay. shouldremainintact.Any attempt aroller-coasterride forthe al- I'm of the firm belief that the BJP's Coordinationissues have ShivSena's ShivBhojan scheme from anyquarters to dilute it will liance. Therehavebeenhurdles ideologyandtheirstyleoffunction- croppedupwithintheCongress has been implemented,but invitestrong backlash. Iwill not galore.Congressministershave ing aredetrimental to the nation's campaswell. Ashok Chavan Congress's demand foraNYAY- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE hesitatetotakeupthe big fight to been upsetoverfund distribu- interestinthelongerterm.TheBJP feels that Nitin Raut's an- likescheme is still pending…. MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 protecttherightsofOBCs,"hesaid. tion and being treated likea hasfoundaneasywaytodopolitics nouncementregardingoffering It is incorrect to label any Bharat Bhujbal is Ministerfor Food thirdwheel. -- creating adivide in the society, subsidy in powerbills before a scheme being implemented by ALEGISLATOR from Bhalke andCivilSuppliesintheMVAgov- Whereisthequestionof being polarising the atmospherefor cabinetdecision wasamistake. thegovernmentasbelongingto a Maharashtra,Bharat Bhalkeof ernment.Hisremarkscomeinthe the thirdwheel?Weare three votes, coming to powerand then THEEXPRESS Your say? single party.The three parties the NCP, diedonSaturdaymorn- wake of asection within the rul- parties who have come together doingthoseverythingsagain.This He (AshokChavan) wasper- have acollectiveroleindecision ingwhile undergoingtreatment friendlyleader." ingcoalitionandvariousMaratha to formthegovernment.Eachone is easy.But sustainable progress INTERVIEW hapsunaware,but the proposal making and implementation. On forpost-Covid complications. Aformer wrestler,Bhalkefirst organisations urging the govern- has equal rights.Wetakedeci- cannotbeachievedthis way. You (regarding powerbill subsidy) the needfor aNYAYscheme The 60-year-old wasathree- wonanAssemblypoll in 2009 as mentto give Marathareservation sions on the basis of discussion musttakeeveryone along. This is WITH wasdiscussedinthe cabinet. championed by RahulGandhi, term MLAfromPandharpur- aLeftfront nominee, defeating under OBC category.Bhujbal was and consensus. Aretherenot is- what the Congress's ideology ad- BALASAHEB Everyone shared thesentiment eventopeconomists have backed Mangalvedha constituency in NCP's former deputy chief minis- speaking to themedia on sueseveninasinglepartygovern- vocates. We believe in pushing for THORAT thathouseholdsinfinancialstrain theideaof givingcash-in-handto Solapur,and had tested positive terVijaysinh Mohite-Patil. Saturday. ment? But the important thing is equal rightsfor all citizens. STATE CONGRESS CHIEF owing to the lockdown mustbe the poorestoffamilies.But as dis- forthe novelcoronavirus on In 2014,when Congress and Earlier,Maratha Seva Sangh thattheissueswe facearegetting helped.We (thecabinet)evendis- cussedearlier,thefinancialcrunch October 30. NCPcontested independently, founder leader Puroshattam resolved. On the department What is the wayahead forthe cussedthe expenditurefor the has come in the way. But the He had returnedhome after he joinedthe Congress campjust Khedekarhadrecommendedthat funding,I'vetosay that the pan- Congress in Maharashtra? response? proposal. It wasonlyafter learn- Congress willkeeppursuing it. recovery from the infection, but before thepolls, going on to re- the Maratha community should demic has put aseverestrain on We'veideologicallyinclined Eachparty has the righttoex- ingthatthediscussionswere pos- Ideally, the Centreshould've im- wasreadmitted to aPune hospi- tain his seat. In 2019,hehopped getreservation withinthe OBC our budgetaryresources, forcing voters across the state. What we pand.Butthethreeof usalsohave itive that the ministermade a plemented it at the country level. talonNovember 9after fever onto the NCPcamptoscripta category. The cabinetsub-com- usto prioritiseexpenditureworks. mustdobetteristoreachout to the responsibilitytoensurethat public announcement. and cough. He wasdiagnosedas hat-trick. While contesting as an mittee on Marathas ledbyAshok Butthereisnothing unusual in a themeffectively.Wemustalsobe theBJPdoesnotgaingroundinthe But later we'rehit by losses Howdoyou react to the recent sufferingfromacuterespiratory alliance,bothNCP and Congress Chavanhasdecidedto pursuethe ministerpushing forrelease of moreproactive in reaching out to state. During electionswewill due to natural calamities includ- EnforcementDirectorate(ED) distress syndrome (ARDS). After fieldedcandidatesin reservationissueinthe Supreme morefundstorun the depart- newyoung voters andwomen. have to take steps carefullyand ing acyclonic storm, floods and raidsonpremiseslinkedto Shiv his condition worsened, he was Pandharpur.Bhalkedefeated Court. The stategovernment this ment, showperformance. We'll soon be launchinga makesurethatwe donottakeex- unseasonalrains.Therewaswide- Sena MLAPratapSarnaik? put on ventilator. five-time MLASudhakar weeksentafourthlettertotheSC. statewide membershipdrive at treme stances againsteachother. spread crop damageinthe floods The ED wasnot born in 2014. On Fridayevening, NCPpres- Paricharak,who wascontesting Iturgedtheapexcourttoexpedite But manybelieve that the the villagelevel.Party worker We'll have to collectively resolve and rains, whichpromptedthe NeitherwastheIncomeTaxorthe identSharad Pawarvisitedthe on aBJP ticket. In August, the constitution of largerbench Congress has been the leastvis- workshops arealso being issues that crop up. We'll sitto- statetooffer aRs10k crorepack- CBI.Thenhowcometheyhavebe- private hospital to inquireabout Paricharak,85, also diedofpost- and take up hearing on Maratha ible of the allies… planned. getherforanappropriatedecision agetothe affected farmers. We come ahouseholdname only his health. Bhalke's lastrites Covid complications. reservation. The CM'spostand Deputy Elections forthe Mumbai civic on howtocontestthe polls. have sought aflood assistance now. These agencies aresystems were performedathis native In 2018,when Bhalkewas ApartfromMarathaorganisa- CM'spostnaturallydrawmore body,nineothermunicipalcor- packagefromthe Centre, but it to curbwrongdoing in the gover- Sarkoli villageinPandharpur. He with the Congress, he had tions, some MLAs and MPs are media attention. Similarly Pawar porationsin2022are beingseen Howlongwill the government hasn'tcaredto evensenditsteam nance process, but unfortunately is survivedbyhis wifeand four adoptedadeterminedstance alsoopentoMaratha reservation saheb(SharadPawar)isalways in as amini assemblypoll. last? What arethe challenges? forassessment of damages. The theyare currentlybeing usedby children. over the demand forMaratha underOBC quota. Bhujbalsaid, themedia's glare. But our minis- Congress seemsdividedongo- FranklyIseenoprobleminthe Centre is yettopay GSTcompen- the BJP to target political oppo- About his demise, Pawarsaid reservation, resigning from his "I'm awarethereare some indi- tershave beenasvisibleasminis- ing intothe polls as an alliance continuation of the government sation dues.The Centrealso did- nents.Thisisagainstdemocratic the Pandharpur taluka had lost membership of the legislative viduals among us who want ters from the other twoparties. withShivSenainMumbai.Your forthe fullfiveyears. Uddhav n't consider our requestfor con- principles. an efficient and apeople- assembly. Marathasto beaccommodatedin OBC category. But such amoveis dangerous.Itwillevokestrongre- Rush to avail action.Iwill neverallowthis to Two-third of posts happen.If necessaryIwillleadthe stamp duty cut agitation to save OBC quota." "We(OBCs) arenot against of key medical continuestofuel Maratha reservation. But we want Marathas to have asepa- property market rate category. The Marathas can- officers still vacant, notbeput in OBC banner for quota," he added. SANDEEPASHAR state govt tells HC MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 THE RUSH to avail thebenefitof thestampdutycutannouncedby OMKARGOKHALE According to Maharashtracontinues to lead to MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 November 5data sharpriseinpropertytransactions Devendra and housesales. Fadnavis DESPITE SEVERAL directions and submitted before the Twomonths afterthe state interventionsbythe Bombay HC, the vacancies have government cut the stampduty High Court, the Maharashtra increasedcompared to on propertytransactions in abid Maharashtra fit government has failedtofill up to revive economy, figures show nearly two-third of permanent that of March this year that it has givenamuch-needed for President’s sanctionedposts of keymedical boosttopropertysales. officialsacross all districts. Services Sadhana MTayde on a According to Maharashtra rule but BJP Instead, as per November 5 PIL seeking directions to the state Revenue MinisterBalasaheb datasubmitted before the HC, governmenttotakeimmediate Thorat, the period between won’t demand the vacancieshaveincreased steps to appoint adequateand September 1and November 25 compared to that of March this required medical and para-med- witnessedatotal of 7,22,348 it, says Fadnavis year.The statehealthdepart- ical stafftocope with Covid-19 transactions beingregistered Motorists wait as aroad wasblockedfor Prime Minister NarendraModi’s convoy to pass, in PuneonSaturday. Ashish Kale ment, through itsaffidavit, re- situation in Ratnagiridistrictand acrossthestate,withnearly 65per EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE vealedthat as manyas1,005 out other government hospitals in cent of these being sale transac- MUMBAI,NAGPUR, of 1,512permanent sanctioned Maharashtra. The PIL is filedby tions.Corresponding datafor the NOVEMBER28 posts of keymedicalofficers (A- fisherman Khalil Ahmad same period lastyear showsthat 38-yr-oldman grade) -- including deputy di- HasanmiyaWasta,through ad- thenumberof transactionsregis- CITINGTHE Supreme Courtand Group of lawyers sends rectors, district healthofficers, vocateRakesh Bhatkar. teredwas 5,19,373.Inother BombayHigh Courtorders in the gets 15 years in civil surgeons and special cadre The affidavit informedthe words, the volume of registered Arnab Goswami and Kangana -- arevacant and areyet to be courtthat as per dataupdated transactionsthistimearoundwas Ranaut cases, Opposition leader sipper, strawsfor Stan Swamy jail for sexual filledupbyway of direct ap- earlier this month,125 out of 214 2,03,065 moreor39per cent DevendraFadnavis on Saturday pointmentsorpromotions. sanctioned posts of permanent morethan the registrations dur- said the "breakdown of lawand the letter said. instructionsshouldbegiventothe assaultofminor Moreover, it said that the state district health officers arevacant, ing the period lastyear. orderand abuse of power" by the EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE It urgedthe jail authorities to jail authorities to allowhim to re- government has recentlydi- whereas 295 of 580 positions of Inabidto revive therealestate MVAgovernment makes MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 "facilitate hisdignifieddrinkingof ceive winterwearandastraw and rected promotion forposts of civil surgeons areyet to be filled economy, theMaharashtragov- Maharashtrafit forPresident's water"andallowaccessto thesip- sipper.Thestrawandsipperwere EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE nearly 169medical officers. up. Moreover, 37 of 52 positions ernmenthad cut the stampduty rule. AGROUP of lawyers on Friday per and paper straws stating that soughtsince he suffers from MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 Earlier,inMarch this year, of paediatricians arevacant, and payableonallsaletransactionsex- "Having said this, Iwould like sentasipper and apacketof the objectswouldbepermissible Parkinson's disease and finds it before the lockdown wasim- 49 of 56 posts of gynaecologists ecuted and registeredbetween to make it clear that the BJP is not straws to the Taloja central jail for as per the jail manual since they difficult to hold aglass due to ASPECIAL court this week sen- posed, the HC had notedthat as arenot filledupyet.The health September1, 2020andDecember going to make anysuchde- 83-year-old Father Stan Swamy "cannot cause anyharm". tremors in his hands. The court tenced a38-year-oldman to 15 manyas984 of 1,551sanctioned department further stated that 31,2020by 3percentandby 2per mand," he added, while address- arrested in the BhimaKoregaon TheMaharashtragovernment has soughtareportfromthe jail years in jail forsexuallyabusing posts forgovernment medical while 32 posts aresanctionedfor cent fortransactions registered ing the media at the party head- caselastmonth. and authorities in Mumbai's and postedcase on December 4. a12-year-old girl. The court re- officers were vacant. In light of ENT specialists, only13are filled between January1,2021and quarters in Mumbai. Theparcelsentbythelawyers Talojacentraljail saySwamy was The court on Fridayalso re- liedonthe statement of the vic- this, the HC's Aurangabad bench up. Furthermore, out of 31 posts March 31,2021. Referring to the courtobser- from Delhi alsohad aletterad- providedwith all basic facilities, jected an application filedbythe timand medicalevidencefor on March 20 had held that "fail- forTuberculosis (TB) specialist In Mumbai,alsoseenasthe vations, Fadnavis said, "What dressedtothe Superintendent of including astraw and sipper cup, lawyers seeking that NIA be di- conviction on chargesofrape ureofgovernment hospitals to medical officers, 28 arestill country's costliestreal estate,the couldbemoretelling thanthese jail. "We, the undersigned afterhewas takentothe hospital rectedto returnthesippercupand and relevant sections of the provide timelymedical treat- vacant. relief has brought down the twocourtorders to describe lawyers,feel that above alldeten- ward within weeksofhis arrival strawseized from Swamyatthe POCSO Act. ment to aperson in need Respondingtopetitioner's stampduty payable on asale whichway Maharashtraishead- tion must be humane. To that ef- in prison. time of his arrest month.The NIA According to the prosecu- amountstoviolationofthe fun- suggestions, the statepublic transaction from five per centto ing underCMUddhav fect,we urge youtomakearrange- Swamy's lawyers had on said thatithad conducted aper- tion, the incident took placein damentalright of personal lib- health department, whichhas a twoper cent fornow while in Thackeray.It's an ironythat these mentsforallinmatesasperthejail Fridaymovedanapplication be- sonalsearch of Swamyand no 2017 when the familyofthe vic- erty and lifewith dignity pro- 'verybig networkofnearly someotherpartsof thestateithas twoorders came whenthe gov- manualwhohave specialneeds," fore thespecialcourtseekingthat sucharticles were found. timwent to the neighbourhood, videdbythe Constitution". The 1,307health institutes across droppedfromsixpercentto three ernment completesone year in wherethe accusedstayed, to at- HC had then directed the state Maharashtra', in itsaffidavit per cent. "It wasnot an easy deci- office." tend the funeral. The accused, to fill up the remaining posts in stated,"Thereisscarcity of hu- sion to take.But cutting stamp Referring to Thackeray's in- NASHIKJAIL who belongs to the same village an expedited manner. man resource in health care dutywastheonlyoptionto revive terviewinSaamana, Fadnavis as the victim's family, on the The health department is servicesdue to various reasons. the real estate market," said said, "When agovernment com- Kin of convictwrite to human rights body pretext of asking the minor to continuouslytrying to fill up To reduce this gap, the depart- Thorat.BetweenSeptember1and pletesayear,the CM is expected put his mobile phone forcharg- medical and para-medical posts ment has initiated action by November 25 this year,statistics to highlight itsachievements about ‘harassment’byprison officials ing inside the house caught her in Ratnagiri and other district wayofappointing contractual showthat the statenettedatotal and unveil the roadmap ahead. and sexually abused her. The in- hospitals; however, vacancies re- medical as well as para-med- of Rs 5,113crore through stamp Muchtoour surprise,wesee theallegedharassmentMansoori theauthoritiesintervene,"thelet- cidentcame to light the next day main as qualifiedpersons areun- ical staff." and registrationlevies.Ahigher Thackeray focusedonthreats EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE faced. While one of them wasre- terstates. when the victim returnedtoher willing to take up newassign- It added, "Simultaneously, stampduty rate meant that cor- and warning." MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 leased,fourcontinueto remainin Suhail addedthat while the home and told her parents. mentsdue to the Covid-19fear the steps regarding filling up of responding collection lastyear In Nagpur,formerstate fi- Nashik jail. authorities had recordedthe "...The wayofreacting of and "majority of existing staffare permanent posts arealsoiniti- wasRs6,543 crore. nanceminister andsenior BJP FAMILYMEMBERS of aconvict The complaint to the SHRC statementsofthose who were eachvictim is different. After working under fear of local and ated.Accordingly,the adver- Afteracomplete shutdownin leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on lodgedinNashikjailhave written and other authorities in the state, willing to comeforward as wit- the incident, the victim wassit- political pressure", the govern- tisement to fill up posts of civil the firstcouple of months of the Saturdaysaid the Uddhav to theState Human Rights including the Governor'soffice, nesses,his brother had informed ting quiet. She stoppedeating ment had informedthe HC on surgeons and district health of- lockdown, construction activity Thackeray-ledMaharashtragov- Commissiononallegationsof ha- Chief MinisterUddhavThackeray himthatthestatementswere not food. She disclosedthe incident August25. ficers is floated and it is at the has been graduallyresuming op- ernment wassuffering from "po- rassment by prisonofficials. andothers,givenbyMohammed recordedasper their say. He also onlyafter repeatedrequests by On September 24,the court final stage.But, due to order of eration in the statesinceJune on- litical Alzheimer's", since it had A32-year-oldconvict,Asghar SuhailShaikhstatesthatacallwas said the four were kept in asepa- her familymembers. The con- had directed thepetitioning the Supreme Courtinthe wards. But it wasonlyafter mid- allegedlyforgottenall promises Ali Mansoori, diedbysuicide in- receivedonNovember25from rate ward as ameans of punish- duct of thevictimisnatural fisherman to suggest ways in reservation matter,itison July that theresidential buying made in the election manifesto. side the jail lastmonth.Anote his brother,Zuber,lodged inside ment.Response sought from the conduct," the courtsaid, reject- whichthe government can fill hold." segmentstartedwitnessingsome Addressing the media on the foundinhis abdomen during the the jail. prisondepartmentdidnotyielda ing the accused's contention up the vacantposts fordoctors Moreover, the stategovern- movement. "Cutting of stamp occasion of the MVAgovern- postmortem, suspected to have "My brother informedmeon reply. Mansoori's father has filed that therewas adelayinfiling and health officersafter the ment said that it has already duty worked two-fold. It benefit- ment completing ayear in office, been swallowed by him,accused thephonecallthatoneof thefour awritpetitionintheBombay High the FIR. stateinformedthatits efforts initiated the process of filling tedbuyers.Inmanycases the Mungantiwar read out several five prisonofficialsof harassment. witnessestothe harassment was Courtseekinganinquiryinatime- The court alsodid notaccept to fill up the posts had been fu- up the keyposts under the builders themselvespaid the re- pointsfromwhat apparently At leastfiveprisoners had come assaulted by prison officials on bound mannerand the suspen- the accused'scontentionthat tile. National Health Missionand maining2percentamountbene- wasthe Sena manifesto,and al- forward, writingletters to the au- November 24.Mybrother too sionofthe five prison officials he wasfalselyimplicated due to On November 23,anaffidavit till date, total 26,486posts of fittingbuyersfurther.Italsoledto leged that none of those prom- thorities willing fortheir state- maybeharassedandassaultedby namedbyhim. The petition is yet adomestic issue between the wasfiledbyDirector of technical and non-technical moretransactions being regis- ises had been kept. mentstoberecordedregarding prisonofficials. We requestthat to comeupfor hearingincourt. relatives. Commissioner of Health arefilledall over the state. tered," Thorat added. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THESUNDAY EXPRESS, NOVEMBER29,2020 7 EXPRESS ADDA
KIRIT PARIKH ASHOKKHEMKA CHAIRMAN, INTEGRATED PRINCIPALSECRETARY, RESEARCH AND ACTION FOR GOVERNMENTOFHARYANA DEVELOPMENT Whatwasthelevelofthe Is the Finance Commission cascadingeffectoftaxesin more important than the thepre-GSTregime?Inthe Planning Commission post-GSTregimehavetax because it is allocating collectionsimprovedasa more funds to the states? percentageofGDP? Also, how is it that our Do Iconsider GSTtobea allocations for education, path-breaking economic re- healthcare, and form? Yes. Is this aperfect GST? development have been far Surelynot.And that is areal is- from adequate? sue. The implementation of the Whether there is a GSTisanongoing process. Ithink permanent institutional three important changes in the mechanism for adialogue GSTare necessary.Weneedto between the Centre and the have agreater rate-rationalisa- states is alarger issue. And tion, youneedbroadbanding whether, in the absence of the intothe bulk of it, and move to a Planning Commission, the regime whichisgenuinelyrev- current functions of the Niti ‘Thepandemic may makeus enue neutral. We needtoget rid Aayog enable this important of exemptions, improvethe consultative mechanism quality of invoice matching, between the Centre and the quality of technology in terms of state to be purposefully used, ensuring greater compliance. is amuch broader issue. About education and health –yes, write anew social contract’ there can be no doubt that these have been neglected. In fact, the Finance Commission’s At an e.Adda held lastweek,NKSingh, Chairman, 15th Finance Commission, spokeonfinancial and recommendations on the health sector are important, banking sector reforms, being active partners in the gainsoftrade,privatising state-ownedbanksand his particularly given the context of the pandemic. The book Portraits of Power: Half aCentury of Being at Ringside implementation of the new education policy, which has PVAIDYANATHAN IYER: In your book, enough in banking or financial come after 30 years, and the youtalkabout the Westminster sector reforms? SANJAYPUGALIA new health policy of 2017, modelofparliamentarydemocracy NK SINGH: Ifeel we have notdone EDITORIALDIRECTOR,THE QUINT which is relevant particularly being de factoreplacedbythe enough on banking and financial sector re- Youhavejustfinishedyour in the pandemic context, presidential model… forms. Forinstance, trying to give greater au- reportontheFinance these past inadequate public NK SINGH: The Westminstermodel is tonomytobanks,the fact thatthe Insolvency Commissionandspokento outlays need to be rectified. basedonone central principle—thePrime Bill wasaverymajor step, the exit process, allthestates.Whatarethey We need to look at both public Ministeristhe firstamong equals. The mo- the cultureof‘evergreening', whichmany sayingaboutthespiritof and private outlays in ment this is altered,you’vealtered the gene bankshad begun to follow, has come to wear federalism? important areas of health particles of the model. Afterall, votes aregar- off. But if youwanttoask the question, have It won’t come asasurprise and education. nered and elections wononthe basis of who we allowedthe freedomand flexibility for if nostate governmentwas is going to lead the country; what matters to newentrants to come to thebanking and fi- happy with what the 14th the voter is who is morelikelytodeliveron nancialsector,the answer is that this wasa Finance Commissionhad given the aspirations. If notdejure, then de facto, it NK Singh wasinconversation with Shankar Acharya,economistand former can kickeddownthe street.When the crisis —42percent. Each would be is this unsettledequilibrium, in whichthe Chief Economic Adviser (left); Anant Goenka, Executive Director,The Indian of 1991 had come,weappointed this happier with afigurelike 50 per CabinetOffice increasingly takesthe tradi- Express Group (centre); and PVaidyanathan Iyer,Executive Editor (National Narasimhan Committee Report, which cent. It’sabalancing actof tional role, namely theCabinetSecretaryis Affairs), TheIndian Express Shankar wasveryconnected with and then reconcilingdivergent the secretaryofthe council of ministers. The the second versionofthat. But Idon't think objectives.Andthat’s whatwe Secretarytothe PM is to carryout the orders that the reforms whichhavebeen under- haveendeavouredto do. But I and initiativesofthe PM. ChiefMinisters in. The Vajpayeegovernment being the first tries whichseek to grow at seven-eight per takenare something whichreally arethe can certainly saythatall state have alsoadoptedasimilar model. So, it is BJP government,whichfollowedthereafter, cent or more mustreally use trade. Our sec- best for21stcenturyIndia. governments reiterated their the changing voter psychology all over the wanted to naturallyprove,bothonthe eco- ondissue is, has the worldincreasinglybe- confidenceintheworking of world, whichhas been the mostimportant nomic and the political side, what he had in- come moreprotectionist?Multilateral in- PVAIDYANATHAN IYER: If youwere fiscal federalism. JEETU PANJABI guiding factor in moving away from tradi- herited.Soonthe political side, he took the stitutions, including the WorldTrade the Finance Ministertoday, what CEO, EM CAPITAL ADVISORS tional models of governance. audacious step, notwithstanding sanctions Organisation, arelanguishing. Now, Iwould would be thethings on the agenda for For the last five years The pandemic has demonstrated one whichitinvited,ofIndia becoming anuclear liketobelievewithyou that this is atran- bankingreforms? savings rates are going morething, namely, the very importantrole power. Equallyonthe economicside, he con- sient phase. And Iwould like to believe that NK SINGH: Well, firstand foremost, to down when they should go of acentral unifying factor in being able to tinuedwithsome far-reaching economic re- we will go back to what common sense complete theongoing reforms, which are up because there is anew work outsocial security systems. Youmay forms, whichwereleftsomewhat incom- would tell us, namelythe importance of there—whichisreally,banking amalgama- pool of young population have to,infact, writeanew social contract. plete in from 1991 to 1993. To your trade and trade policies, and making once tion. Then theIndradhanush programme. contributing to the pool. second question, again, trade as an The main ingredientofthat programme The implications of this are ANANT GOENKA: In your experience, the what did we fail to engine of growth. needs to be completedinasignificantway. the draconian policies on autonomygiven to bureaucratsand the achieve in the 13 We will have to We need to have greater accountability of tax laws and how alot of strength of democratic institutions—in years? Well, again, wait forperhaps shareholders, we need to accordthe banks wealthy individuals have whichofthese modelsdodemocratic Iwant to raise the Januarytosee how the necessaryautonomy, and then become NRIs, no longer institutionsthrive? issue that youand the newpolicy look at rules of transparency and howspace VIVEK JAIN adding to the savings pool NK SINGH:Weneedtoopt forahybrid Iknow, which is framework by the can be givenfor newentrants, who can DIRECTOR, DCW LIMITED or creating jobs. Do you see between the two. Thepermanentbureau- that we gotout of United States, in add to the competitiveefficiency of finan- With India’s GDP growth that as aconcern and a cracyisthe mostimportant institution, par- the fund bank this particular way, cial intermediation. declining, is the giant policy misstep ticularly in afederal polity likeours. It lends arrangement in pans itself out. SHANKAR ACHARYA: I'velong felt that government thinking of any for India? permanence to anyvolatilities and uncer- 1993. We got off Your thirdimpor- our experimentation with essentiallyapub- fiscal measures to revive Thesavings-investment tainties in the governance rubric ,fearlessly rather lightly. We tant point wasthat lic sector-ownedbanking system domi- demand and get the ratio andthe incremental being able to putacross their pointofview, felt no compul- shouldwenot look nantly, which is still the case 65 to 70 per struggling corporate sector capital-output ratio based on leaving the policy options to the political sionstoundertake at trading arrange- cent of the total number of assets andliabil- back on its feet? total factorproductivity and masters. In this framework,ofcourse, there other reforms — mentswith na- ities, areheld by government banksorgov- The issueofafiscal stimu- other efficiencies need to areother questions —does meritocracy al- structural reforms, tions wherethe ernment-majority ownedbanksand it has- lus is one whichisunder con- significantly go up ifIndia’s ways payoff in the changingdynamics, be- reforms in factors benefitswill be n’t reallyworked. Ithink that no tinuing review. Monetary and growth rateistoclimbback to sidesother factors that come intoplay. of production,in significant? Ithink government, so far, has reallybitten the bul- fiscal policies clearly needto what would benecessary to terms of land and that thereitwould let. Ithink the nearestwecame wasduring act in tandem forasignificant sustain thenational priorities ANANT GOENKA: Thereisthis notion labour,financial be somewhat Vajpayee’s tenure when,ifmemoryserves revivalofthe Indian economy. and other objectives. There is that coalition governmentshave sector reforms naive to forget that me right, in the finance ministry, abill was The sharper the contraction no question about that. Now, actuallydeliveredmorereform. Do you that went on a geopolitics has an drafted, whichwouldhaveamendedthe rel- this year,the greater would be how draconian our tax laws are subscribetothat view? backburner,which important role to evant banking legislation in away that the the rebound next year.The isamuchwider question. Our SHANKAR ACHARYA:I’m notsurethat haunt us even to- play. While cer- minimum 51 percent ownership would be question is what kindof taxrates, particularly our we have got enough datapointstoreally day. Issues of tainlywecannot reducedto33per cent.Thats theclosest growth ratesdoIsee going for- corporate taxrates are perhaps come to adefinitive view.Two of the best pe- labour reforms afford to be apro- we'vecome to what Iwouldregardasthe ward?Ifthe ongoing reforms internationally competitive. riods foreconomic policy were the that continue to be elusive,land has tectionistcountry, we needtobeactive part- desirable outcome. Nothing can be done areimplemented,Isee us get- There isnodoubt that tax Narasimha Raogovernment years —from become morecomplicated,and issues of so- ners in the gains of trade. overnight. Let's be realistic. It's notaneasy ting backtothe higher growth administration needs tobe 1991 to 1996, and theVajpayeeyears from cial reforms, in terms of education and health process. But Ithink thetimehas come be- trajectoryinthe latter part— based ongreater trust and 1998 to 2004.Bothofthem were coalitions. also did nottakepriority.Therefore, in the 10 PVAIDYANATHAN IYER: Proximity cause otherwise we knowthe cycle. Three the post-pandemic period. greater friendliness.That is But do youagree with my possiblyrather years, whereDrManmohanSingh, who had to corporateorindustryleaders is years down the road, youknow, we capi- necessary notonly toprevent bold characterisation that twoofthe richest ledthese reforms as Finance Minister, be- still seen as something which talise again. theoutflow oftalent,but toget periods forgood economicpolicy were the came the Prime Minister, on manyofthese politicians or bureaucratswant to keep NK SINGH: That’s the closestwecame, MUDITJAIN moretalent into the country Narasimha Raoyearsand the Vajpayeeyears. wasfar less satisfied. away from. it wasatthe time of Mr Vajpayeeand Imust MANAGINGDIRECTOR, and foreigninvestments. This essentiallyspannedalmost13years, SHANKAR ACHARYA:Toalarge extent NK SINGH: Corporates have easieraccess complete the story, because then, therewas DCWLIMITED with ahiatus in between. And what do you what happenedfromthe ’90s and continued to topdecision makingmuchmorefreely hugeoppositionfromthe Congress party… OxfordUniversityteachesa think arethe things that we should have in the 2000swas essentially an opening up of than it wasinmytime. This is because there but who can disagree that the path forward verypopulardegreecourse SAMEER BARDE done better in those 13-14years, by wayof the Indian economy. In the lasttwo to three is agreater andeasierrelationship between would be at leastinthe case of one or two called‘Philosophy,Politicsand CEO, THE ONLINE RUMMY economic policy? years, some of our actions appear to have them. Also,aswemoveawayfromdirect bankstomoveforward,todoawaywith the Economy’. Indiahasexemplary FEDERATION NK SINGH:Suppose we asked ourselves, been reversing course, whether it comes to controls intothe regulatory framework, you kind of present ownership structure, which philosophicalthinking.Why Sinceoursisadigital in case the Narasimha Raogovernment had increasingtariffs on goodsfromabroad, have independent regulators in awhole host we have inherited from adecision (of bank hasn’tthisexcellence business,weonlypayIGST been what it was, howmuchofthose re- whetheritcomestonot engaging, as we per- of activities. nationalisation)and if youlook at, histori- translatedintogood (IntegratedGoodsand forms were acts of conscious choice, as prod- haps might have in the Regional cally, maybethat decision mayhaveserved governanceandintoa ServiceTax),leavingvery uctsofcompulsion? Iwonder what the re- ComprehensiveEconomic Partnership with PVAIDYANATHAN IYER: In the book,you itspurpose and we need to move on. developednation?Whythis littleinterestforthestates plywould be.Weseem to be anation acting therestofAsia. Now, to me, this is disquiet- talk about bank nationalisation during disconnectbetween tosupportthisnewbusiness with an amazing amount of coordination in ing. Is this aworry thatyou share? IndiraGandhi’s time. We have come a Forlonger version, go to philosophyandreality? stream.Howdoyouthinktax momentsofcrisis but then complacency sets NK SINGH: Who can disagree thatcoun- long way. Do youthinkwehavedone www.indianexpress.com The course you mentioned at revenuescouldbesharedso Oxfordshould be something thattheCentreandstate which we shouldalso consider wouldbothbeequally here. It’s agoodblend of politics, motivatedtoencourage Eminent guests who participated in the e.Adda includePawan Goenka, MD, Mahindra&Mahindra Ltd;Madhur Bajaj, Vice Chairman, BajajAutoLimited; Dilip Piramal, philosophyand economics.Why digitalbusinesses? CMD, VIP IndustriesLtd; Venkataraman R, Dean, ICFAI Business School, Gurgaon;Vikram Shriram, Vice Chairman&MD, DCM Shriram Ltd;Kamal Meattle,Chairman hasn'tthat kind of learning repli- Ithink that your suggestions cated itself in the governanceof for revenues gettingmutually Emeritus, Paharpur Business Centre;Nasim Zaidi, FormerChief Election Commissioner of India;Arvind Paranjpye, Director,Nehru Planetarium;DrJaimini Bhagwati, the country? Well, thereare augmented by bringingmore Chairman, IDFCAMC TrusteeCompany;Ajit Ranade, Group Chief Economist, AdityaBirla Group;SanjoyRoy, Managing Director,TeamworkArtsPvt Ltd; many complex reasons, some of activities in the GST is an im- NeelkanthMishra, Co-Head of APAC Strategy andIndiaStrategist,Credit Suisse; YugalSikri, Managing Director,RPG LifeSciencesLtd;DrSachchidanand Shukla, whichare based on legacy. portantquestion which should Chief Economist, MahindraGroup;Sumeet Nindrajog, SeniorPartner,Paragon Partners;Paresh Parasnis, CEO, Piramal Foundation;Anand Shanbhag, These arethe kind of issues be addressed to the Ministry which Ihave endeavoured to ad- of Finance. Head -CorporateResearch,TataCapital; SatyanandaMishra, FormerChief Information Commissioner of India;Chaitanya Kalbag, Independent Columnist; dress in the book. RajChengappa, Group Editorial Director -Publishing, India TodayGroup, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 8 EXPRESS NETWORK THE SUNDAY EXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 UPconversion Six tunnels on Jammu border in Arose,star, blue, pink: lawgets four years: walkway,air pipes How aCovid-taintedarea DEEPTIMANTIWARY NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 celebratesitself in masks WHEN SECURITYforcestracked Governor’snod aGPS device recoveredfromthe four Jaish terroristswho were marriage,whichHindutvaoutfits gunneddowninJammu’s EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE refertoas“love jihad”. NagrotaonNovember 19,they LUCKNOW,NOVEMBER28 TheUttarPradeshProhibition reachedanarrowopening that of Unlawful Conversion of ledtoa200m-long tunnel near UTTAR PRADESH Governor ReligionOrdinance2020provides aBSF outpostinSamba sector. Anandiben PatelonSaturday forajail term of up to 10 years for The discovery did nottake The entrance to atunnelthat wasdiscoverednear aBSF promulgated theordinance anyviolation.All the offences un- them by surprise. This wasthe outpost in Samba sector lastweek ADRIJAROYCHOWDHURY against“forced”or“fraudulent” dertheordinanceshallbecogniz- sixth tunnelthat the BSF had NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 religiousconversions,fourdays af- able, non-bailable and triable by discovered in thepastfour years terthe Yogi Adityanath govern- the courtofsessions. along the Jammu border.And Launcher,29grenades, five rifle tor. And the year after, amore “HAVE YOUseen the interiorsof ment had approved thedraft of The ordinance states that no sincethe firstsuchconstruction grenades,three pistols with six elaboratetunnel,170mlong and the dome at Humayun’s Tomb?” thelaw. Chief MinisterAdityanath personshallconvertorattemptto wasspotted in Punjab in 1997, magazines, awireless set--and three feet in diameter, wasfound an excited Mehnaz Bano says (AKTC), that has been redevel- had earlier announcedthat his convert,either directlyorother- in the aftermath of the Khalistan the GPS. in Gurdaspur.Another tunnel over the phone, going on to de- oping the Nizamuddin basti as government will bring alaw to wise, anyother person from one movement and the beginning of The previous discoveryhap- wasfound in 2001 near scribethe variegated colours and well as the 500-year-old checksuchconversions formar- religionto anotherby useorprac- militancy in Kashmir,BSF penedinthe Galar area of Samba Chountra, also in Gurdaspur, patterns that she drawsinspira- Humayun’s Tomb and Sunder riage—terming it “love jihad”. tice of misrepresentation, force, records showthe discovery of at sector on August27, when the which was90m long and three tion from forthe masks she and Nursery. Inrecentweeks,BJP-runstates undueinfluence,coercion,allure- least12key cross-border tun- soil around the spotbegan sink- feet in diameter. Thelasttunnel her friends makefor theirneigh- “Wetakeelementsfromthe likeUttar Pradesh, Haryana and mentorby anyfraudulentmeans nels. ing. Justdays earlier,the National in Punjab wasdiscoveredin2003 bourhood of Nizamuddin Basti. floor,ceiling or lattices in Madhya Pradesh had expressed or by marriage,nor shall anyper- Officers saythat with tight Investigation Agency (NIA) had in Ferozpur,with alength of 50 “Thereisfirozi (blue), light Humayun's Tomb and other theirwishto enactlaws to counter sonabet, convince or conspire border surveillance in place said in achargesheetthat the mand height of just twofeet. pink,the colour of sunflower, monumentsinthe area, likea allegedattemptstoconvertHindu suchconversion.If anypersonre- now, these tunnels have be- Pulwama attackers of February “Thosedays,tunnels were and rose. We want to keep the striking flowerorthe eight- women to Islam in the guise of convertstotheirimmediateprevi- come acrucial routefor mili- 2019 hadusedatunnel on the notverydeep and did nothave heritage of this area alive,and spoked star,” says Jyotsna Lal, ous religion, the same shall not tantscarrying arms and ammu- Jammu border. enough space. Anythingless want morepeople to learn about Director of Programmes at be deemedtobeaconversion nition to launchattacks in the “Intrusion over ground has than three feet high willforce it,” the 40-year-old says. Insha-e-Noor,adding that the under the ordinance. Anyag- Valley. “Detecting tunnels on a become difficult sincearobust youtocrawl,which can become Since March,Mehnaz and firstmasksthe women's collec- grievedperson,parents, 200-km border with consider- anti-infiltration grid, involving difficult overdistances,” said a friendshaveproducedclose to Stitching amask,one of tive made were givenout free to brother,sister, or anyrelative able foliageand creeksisnot trainedand alertmanpowerand senior officer. 20,000 masks, 14,000 of these 14,000givenout forfree, at sanitationworkers,gardeners maylodgeanFIR over sucha easy,” former BSF IG Rakesh state-of-the-art technology,has According to Intelligence givenout forfree. Insha-e-Noor in and other workers in the area. conversion. Theburdenof Sharma, who has held com- takenshape in the pastdecade. sources, these tunnelswereini- At thebeginning of the Nizamuddin. Express Zaidi Baji, a48-year-old proof as to whether areligious mand in the Jammu sector,told That is whyterrorists nowuse tiallydug by aPakistani gold and Covid-19 pandemic, agathering member,says the biggestde- conversionwas noteffected The Indian Express. subterranean methods,” said narcotics smuggler,Jacka Masih in theNizamuddin area known fence against the coronavirusisa through misrepresentation, The latesttunnel wasthree former IG Sharma. alias Jacka Isai. “But he waslater forthe Humayun's Tomb as well ries of strength and apublic mask.“We aretrying to ensure force, undueinfluence, coer- feet wide and four feet high, According to BSF officers, the ropedinbyPakistani forces. as the shrine of Sufisaint Hazrat event showcasing the spirit of that no one is deniedaccess to cion,allurement or by any withthe smallopening rein- firstsuchroutetobediscovered Even now, we find his signature Nizamuddin Auliyahad the survivors.This year,the ones masksbecause their pocketdoes fraudulent means or by mar- forced withsandbags. Security wasonMarch 12,1997, in on some tunnels.But modern- emergedasasuper-spreader. whomostpowerfullyepitomise notallowit." The masksare riage lies on the personwho forces recovered11AKassault Punjab, when the 70th Battalion daytunnels, largely found in With the incident givenacom- that spirit arethe corona war- placedatcommunity toilets, hascausedtheconversionand, rifles, 24 magazines and 7.5kg discovereda116-ft-long tunnel Jammu, have signs of engineer- munalcolour,several people riors, women and menleading schools, and the community onanysuchpersonwheresuch of RDXalong with 20 mofIED of two-and-a-half-feetdiame- ing inputs by PakistanRangers,” who attended the Tablighi the waragainstCovid-19—risk- centrefor people to take. conversionhasbeenfacilitated. wireand six detonators from the terinthe Amritsar sector. the officer said. Jamaat gathering, including ing all, so that others can be se- Insha-e-Noor wasestab- FULLREPORTON slain militants. Theyalso found The next year,asimilar tun- FULLREPORTON from abroad, were slapped with cure. lishedin2008asaskill training www.indianexpress.com one Under BarrelGrenade nel wasspotted in the same sec- www.indianexpress.com cases. The Indian Express captures programme forwomen of The area has put the shadow their work and spirit in this se- Nizamuddin. Over the years, MUMBAI METROPOLITAN REGION DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY of those days behind, including ries, followedbyaspecial show morethan 200women from the (A Government of Maharashtra Undertaking) Mehnaz, oneofthe corona war- to be anchored by superstar bastihavebeen trainedinem- Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (East), Mumbai – 400 051, riors that The Indian Express is Amitabh Bachchan and telecast broideryand stitching, with Tel:022-2659-4165/4057 Fax :022-26594179 Website :https://mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in celebratingtomarkthe anniver- on Sunday, November 29, at 8.30 mostoftheir productsusing mo- e-Tender noTice saryofthe 26/11terrorattacks pm on Star Plus as well as digital tifs inspired by the Mughal mon- Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Engineering Division, invites bids from the eligible bidders through B-1 Type Tenders by e-Tendering as details below : on Mumbai. streaming service Hotstar. Union umentsnearby. The idea wasto 1) Improvement to Main carriageway,Slip lane, Service road by bituminous treatment, Everyyear since 2016, The Health Minister HarshVardhan demonstratethat heritage con- from Mahim Jn. (Km 527/680) to Shankarwadi (Km 517/600) on Western Express Indian Express hasbeenmarking is the guestofhonour,and servation can be astepping stone Highway. Estimated Cost : Rs. 25,24,86,338/-, Earnest Money Deposit :Rs. 12,63,000/- 2) Improvement to Main carriageway,Slip lane, Service road by bituminous treatment, from the 26/11terrorattackswith sto- MaharashtraChief Minister forsocial and economic devel- Shankarwadi (Km 517/600) to Dahisar Check Naka (Km 502/350) on Western Express UddhavThackeray is the chief opment of the local community. Highway. Estimated Cost :Rs. 28,11,44,429/-, Earnest Money Deposit :Rs. 14,06,000/- guest. “Living amongst700years of 3) Improvement to storm water drains, footpath and other ancillary works from Mahim jn (Km 527/680)toMilan Subway Jn (Km 522/600) on Western Express Highway. Mehnaz and her husband built heritage, less than9per Estimated Cost :Rs. 20,70,45,147/-, Earnest Money Deposit :Rs. 10,36,000/- live in asingle-room houseina cent of women of Nizamuddin 4) Improvement to storm water drains, footpath and other ancillary works from Milan Subway lane calledthe BakeryWali Gali. had anyeconomic opportuni- (Km 522/600) to Dindoshi jn (Km 512/600) on Western Express Highway Formorethan adecade now, she ties,” pointsout Ratish Nanda, Estimated Cost :Rs. 29,37,26,850/-, Earnest Money Deposit :Rs. 14,69,000/- 5) Improvement to storm water drains, footpath and other ancillary works from Dindoshi jn has been partofInsha-e-Noor,a CEO, AKTC. (Km 512/600) to Dahisar Check naka (Km 502/350) on Western Express Highway women’s enterprise initiated by FULLREPORTON Estimated Cost :Rs. 33,17,74,157/-, Earnest Money Deposit :Rs. 16,59,000/- the AgaKhan Trustfor Culture www.indianexpress.com 6) Repair and Rehabilitation of Green nallah at Kherwadi Jn. Km. 525/900 to Km. 526/350 along Western Express Highway. Estimated Cost : Rs. 44,08,20,785/-, Earnest Money Deposit :Rs. 22,05,000/- • Contact Details : Executive Engineer,MMRDA, Tel: 022-26595944 email : [email protected] • Tender Document Download : 03/12/2020 (18.00 hrs) to 28/12/2020 (12.00 hrs) • Pre bid Meeting in office of Chief Engineer,Engineering Division :15/12/2020 @15.00 hrs • Tender Closing : 28/12/2020 (15.00 hrs.) The detail tender notice, Corrigendum etc. and the tender document downloadingwill be available on https://etendermmrda.maharashtra.gov.in. Any additional information &help for uploading &downloading the e-tender,may be availed by contacting MMRDA’s e-tendering service desk at the following id : [email protected] or call us on 022 –2659 7445 Sd/- No:ED/II/WEH/2020 M. S. Narkar, Date :26/11/2020 Place :Mumbai CHIEf ENGINEER Fulrani
Regd. Office: PSEB Head Office Building, The Mall, Patiala-147001 Corporate Identification Number (CIN): U40109PB2010SGC033813. NOTICE INVITING E-TENDER (THROUGH E-TENDERING) 1. Tender EnquiryNo. 239/DIT-1044 Dated 24.11.2020 2. Scope/ShortDescription Conducting the Cyber Security Audit of IT Infrastructure of Data Center, Disaster Recovery Center,SCADASystem, SAP System and In-house applications includ- ing website of PSPCL from CERT- In empanelled agency. 3. Downloading of StartDate of uploading of tender (27.11.2020) Specification/Tender Date Documents from website Last 28.12.2020 (05.00 PM) https://eproc.punjab.gov.in Date 4. Last date forBid Submission 28.12.2020 (05.00 PM) 5. Date &time of opening of tenders 30.12.2020 (11.30 AM) 6. Information regarding corrigendum It is informed that from nowonwards,in case tender process is not completed due to anyreason, no corrigendum will be pub- lished in newspapers. Detailsregarding corrigendum maybeseen on official PSPCL website https://eproc.punjab.gov.in. 7. Tender specification can only be downloaded from website https://eproc.punjab.gov.in and no hard copyofthe same will be issued by this office.Further details regarding e-tendering are available.onwebsite https://eproc.punjab.gov.in.Vendors are requested to get their registration on GePNIC well in time. NOTE: All tender related documents are to be uploaded on website https://eproc.pun- jab.gov.in only.Nohard copies will be accepted forprocessing the tender. Contact E-mail ID’s: [email protected]; [email protected] Sd/- C-359/2020 Sr.Xen/IT (SCADA) 10583/Pb PSPCL, Patiala WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THE SUNDAY EXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 EXPRESS NETWORK 9 ApniParty Be ready to hit streets, Suvendu tells supporters
with Suvendu. Thereshould be meetingsinvarious districts. personwho will depend on oth- spokesmanin EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE discussionswith him. Iamhope- Medinipur is considered to be a ers. He has amass base andwe KOLKATA,NOVEMBER28 ful of dialogue between Suvendu stronghold of Adhikari,who has have built up asystemtochan- and the party leadership,”Roy notonlyquit the Cabinetbut has nelise the mass base during the listofRoshniAct ADAY afterheresignedfromthe told reporters,adding, also steppeddownasthe chair- upcoming elections. As aleader, stateCabinet,itwas learnt on “Suvendu’s mother is unwell,so person of the Hooghly River he has his ownfan base,” said the Saturdaythat dissident the talksmay have to wait till she BridgeCommission and the leader close to Adhikari. Trinamool Congress (TMC) gets well.” Haldia Development Authority. As the riftbetween the TMC ‘beneficiaries’ leader Suvendu Adhikari has told TMC sources saidthe party He is scheduledtoaddress an and the dissident leader turned MLAs andparty leaders backing calledupthe rebelleader’s father event in MahishadalinPurba intoachasm in the lastfew himtobereadytohit thestreets. Sisir Adhikari, who is an MP,to Medinipurdistrict on Sundayin months, posters and bannersof This came even as the ruling ask his son to come to Kolkatafor memoryoffreedom fighter an organisation calling itself DEEPTIMANTIWARY& party said the door fordialogue ameeting. Sisir informedthe Ranajit Kumar Boyal. “AmraDadar Anugami [Weare ARUNSHARMA Apni Party wasstill open. party that his wifewas unwell Accordingtosources, ourelder brother’sfollowers]” NEWDELHI,JAMMU, chief “Afterheresigned, we have Suvendu Adhikari resignedfromthe West Bengal cabineton and Suvendu would notbeable Suvendu is in regular touchwith appeared in different parts of the NOVEMBER28 Altaf been told to be ready to hit the Friday. FIle to go to Kolkata, rulingout any his ownfollowers, TMC MLAs statesuchasPurba and Paschim Bukhari streetsincampaign mode.We meeting betweenthe twosides and other grassroots party work- Medinipur,Howrah, Hooghly, THE NEWLY-FORMED Jammu arewaiting forhis green signal. in the coming days. ers and leaders in at leastfivedis- Kolkata, Birbhum, Jhargarm, and and Kashmir Apni Partyled by We have been preparing forthis trictsinBengal,” said aTMC with Adhikari. Royhas been lead- Chief Minister Mamata tricts. Siliguri. Sources close to Adhikari Altaf Bukhari in the erstwhile forthe pastsix months. Our sep- leaderclosetoAdhikari. ing the party’s effortstokeep Banerjee willaddress arally in “He told us firsttobeself-re- said he and his followers had statehas nowfounditself in of landtoits occupants sub- arateorganisation andfollowers TMCMPSaugata Roysaid Adhikari in itsfold. Medinipur on December 7, and liantand have aseparate organ- successfullyformedanorgani- the crosshairs of the Roshni ject to payment of costs,we areready in morethan five dis- doors were still open fortalks “Doorsare still open fortalks then embark on aseries of public isation ready.Atleastheisnot a sation in paralleltothe TMC. Actinvestigations. The party’s tooappliedfor it,” Malhotra spokesperson Bikram told The SundayExpress. “It Malhotrahas been mentioned wasanagricultural landand in one of thetwo fresh lists of we arealso using it foragricul- alleged beneficiaries -- in tural purposes. It wasagov- Samba and Nazoor -- pub- ernment scheme of that time lishedbythe Unionterritory and we followedall the rules administration on Saturday. prescribed under it.” In the Samba list, Bikram Otherkey namesinthenew Malhotraand his brother listare formerMLC andPDP AdityaMalhotrahavebeen leader Nizamuddin Khatana mentionedasalleged benefi- and former Congress MLA ciaries of over 17 kanals of Parkash Chand Sharma’sson land eachinPalth village. The Sanjeev. While Khatana is al- listmentions him merelyas legedto have encroachedupon “Son of Ex Chairman eightkanalsof landinJammu’s Legislative Council” -- his fa- Sunjwan, Sharmaisanalleged ther Amrit Malhotraisanold- beneficiaryofthree kanals in timer in the Congress and had NandiniareaofSamba. been elected as the Chairman Khatana and Sharma were of the Legislative Council in notavailable forcomment. 2015. Other alleged beneficiar- TMC maintains talksstill possible Apni Partycame intobeing ies include businessman in March, 2020 with blessings Sajjad Chaudhary, who al- fromDelhi,which,afterthede- legedly got 20 kanals in cisions of August5,2019and Jammu, and Mohammed long-term detention of allkey Majid,who as agovernment politicians,wantedpoliticalen- employeeallegedly availedof gagement to begin on the 17 kanals under the scheme. ground. Ledbyformer PDP Businessman Sudhir Khurana leader Altaf Bukhari with over (25 kanals) and Sahil Mahajan 20 formerMLAsfromPDP,NC (20 kanals) arealso men- andtheCongress,thepartywas tionedinthe Samba list. expected to take Centre’s gov- Names of retired DIG ernance and developmental Khalid Durani, retired forest narrative forKashmir to the officer Sultan Ali, retired DFO people. It is also contesting the Qumar Ali and Lambardar ongoing DistrictDevelopment Jamat Ali have figured in the Councilpollsinthe UT. listofalleged land encroach- “Wehad bought agricul- ers in Jammu. tural landfromsomeone over The administration had 20 years ago. While mostpart earlier mentionedex-PDP of it washis ownership land, leader Haseeb Drabu and the revenue department had three of his kin as allegedben- entered khasraGirdawari in eficiariesapartfromCongress his name foraportion as he treasurer KK Amla and four wasgrowing agriculturepro- NC leaders. On Tuesday, it al- duce on it. As had been the leged that the residence of usual practice at that time, we Omar and Farooq Abdullah bought the entire land, includ- wasbuiltonencroachedfor- ing the portion forwhich estland. It also claimedthat a khasraGirdawari wasentered patchofland in had been en- in his name by therevenue croachedbyPDP forits office. department.When govern- Both parties deniedthe ment came up with ascheme charge.UTadministration of- forvesting ownership rights ficials,however, saythat the CBI searches 45 places in 4 states in coal scam case
EXPRESSNEWS SERVICE KOLKATA,NOVEMBER28
THE CBI on Saturdaycon- ductedsearches in 45 premises spread across West Bengal, Bihar,Jharkhand and Uttar Pradeshin connectionwithan ongoing investigation intothe illegal trade of coal. The searches were con- ducted at the residences and Alocation searched by the offices of Anup Maji alias Lala, CBI in Kolkata. Express the alleged kingpin of the racket,along with those of his associates. The residences and manager (Kunustoria area) offices of Eastern Coalfields Ltd Amit Kumar Dhar,general (ECL) officials were also manager (Kajoraarea) Jayesh searched. ChandraRai, chiefofsecurity Sources said that during the (Asansol) TanmoyDas and se- searches, morethan Rs40 lakh curityin-charge (Kajora) and incriminating documents Debashish Mukherjee, among were recovered. Electronic de- others. The FIR also states that vices were also seized. duringajoint inspectioncon- According to CBI, Maji, in ducted by the Vigilance connivance with ECL officials Department and ECLtaskforce and security officers, engaged on severalleasehold areas un- in illegal mining of coal from der ECL, evidence of extensive mines on leasehold areas of illegal mining on leasehold ar- ECL. Sleuths also believe that a eas under ECLand itstrans- section of officers of Railways portation wasfound. During andotherdepartmentsare also these inspectionsalarge num- involved. berofvehicles and equipment An FIR wasregisteredby usedinillegal coal mining CBI’s anti-corruption branchin /transportation and illegally KolkataonNovember 27 un- excavatedcoal have been derrelevant sections of the IPC seized. and Prevention of Corruption The BJP welcomedthe CBI Act, 1988 relatingtocriminal searches. “For years, the illegal conspiracy,criminal breachof coal scam has been happening trustbypublic servant, crimi- in Bengaland other areas.CBI nalmisconduct by public ser- investigation will bring out the vant, etc. The FIR names Maji, truth. Thereare big names be- along with former ECL general hind the illegal coal racket,” WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 10 EXPRESS NETWORK THESUNDAYEXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 Amid farm protests, KhattarsaysPunjabdidn’t Assam probereveals MP govt unveils OTPs used to dupe plan to boost mandi respondtocalls;Amarinderdenies minority students 8oppn parties SAKSHIDAYAL THE structure,revenue GURGAON,NOVEMBER28 call on govtto ABHISHEKANGAD NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 SCHOLARSHIP HARYANA CHIEF Minister address farmers’
IRAMSIDDIQUE ED Reinforcing Manohar Lal KhattaronSaturday ■Operators of Customer Service SCAM BHOPAL,NOVEMBER28 itsstand accusedpoliticalpartiesinPunjab concerns; Cong Points(CSPs), wherebankac- of “sponsoring” the farmers’ countscan be openedand cash edge of beneficiaries, and in oth-
PLAIN amidpublic THE MADHYA Pradeshgovern- E movement thathas ledtoscores not signatory withdrawn, purchase SIM cards ers, the studentsweregiven a ● EX discontent ment is planning boostinfra- of protesters descending upon and mobile handsets in bulk. small portion of the money. structureatmandis in the state border areas of the nationalcapi- ■Using alistofeligible students Under the scholarship, stu- by setting up shops forsub- THOUSANDS OF farmers taloverthe lastthree days and EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE providedbyschool principals dents from Class1to 5receive Rs sidisedagricultural productsand from across Madhya added that his Punjab counter- NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 through middlemen, theyapply 1,000 peryear, and students of malls similartoArmycanteens Pradesh have partici- part,AmarinderSingh,hasnotre- online forscholarships. Class 6to10receiveRs5,700 a within their premises, state pated in protests against sponded so fartoefforts foradia- EIGHT OPPOSITION parties in a ■ With fake signatures, they year if theyare dayscholars or Rs AgricultureMinisterKamal Patel the three farm laws,with logue. Reacting to Khattar's joint statement on Saturday open bank accountsinthe name 10,700 if they areinahostel. said Saturday. at least713 arrested and remarks later in the day, Farmers at the protestsiteatSinghu Border,New Delhion said the attemptsbypolice to of beneficiaries, mostlyinother According to Mahmood According to the proposal, at severalothersdetained Amarinder condemnedthe vio- Saturday. Praveen Khanna stop the farmers' march to- districtstoavoid scrutiny. Hassan, the minorities board least 25 petrol pumpswill also by the Government lencethatbrokeoutbetweenpo- wardsDelhi by using tear gas, ■ Theylink the scholarships to chief who is also Assam's nodal be openedonapilotbasis inside Railway Police across lice and protesting farmers in watercannons and by digging these bank accountsusing their officer forthe scholarship, the in- thepremisesofmandis. various police stations. Haryana anddemandedanapol- Ministeristrying to talk to an- Unless he apologises and admits up roads were like "waging a ownmobile numbers. quirywas conducted in five dis- His announcement—made Amid the rising discon- ogy from the Haryana CM. other and is notabletodoso. In that he did wrong with Punjab’s war" and asked the govern- ■ OTPsare generated and tricts, and coveredscholarships afterameeting with Union tent againstthe contro- Speaking to themedia in the last 6years,this has happened farmers, Iwill notforgive him,” ment to address the "concerns" moneywithdrawn, oftenwith granted in 2018-19and 2019-20. AgricultureMinisterNarendra versial laws and fears of Gurgaon afterpresiding over a forthe firsttime.Earlier,whenwe Amarinder said. of the protesting farmers. the knowledge of local bank These aresome of his key Singh Tomar—comes as farmers closureofmandis, the meeting of the the district griev- called, if he (Amarinder) was Pointing out that he had held "Braving severe repression, staff. findings: in the stateprotest the three con- stategovernmenthas ance committee, Khattar said, busy,wewould be able to talk in severaldiscussions with the tear gassing, heavy watercan- In five steps, thisishow the Karimganj: For2018-19, 280 troversial farm laws andseeking triedtore-enforce its “This movement is primarilybe- an hour or so...” he said. Prime MinisteraswellasUnion noning,roadblocks, police bar- Central Government's pre- beneficiaries from four schools aseparatelegislation to ensure stand that the market- ingsponsoredby politicalparties Khattar allegedapoliticalcon- Home Ministerabout the issues ricades and digging up the na- Matric scholarshipfor poormi- included45non-minority and functioning of mandis. places will continue to in Punjab and some organisations spiracy in the name of farmers, of farmers, Amarinder said there tional highways surrounding nority students wasillegallydi- 63 fake entries. Admitting to Patelrefusedtogiveawrit- remain operational and there. Ihavetriedseveral times to and termedthis“unfortunate and wasnoreason forhim to avoid Delhi akin to waging a'war' on verted in Assam over the lasttwo oversight, the Junior Assistant of tenassurance to thestate's farm- will have no dearth of talk to the Chief Ministerof condemnable”. phone calls from aneighbouring our farmers, tens of thousands years, according to an inquiryre- the District Elementary ers on mandis, saying: “When funding—whichwill be Punjab over the last 3days re- Meanwhile, Amarinder state's Chief Minister. of farmers have successfully portbythe director of the state's EducationOfficer said he verified we have assured that the man- generated through other garding the movement, but he lashedout aKhattar and said he He also slammedallegations reachedthe National Capital of minorities development board. the applications since the DEEO dis will notcease to function, mechanismsaswell. did notspeak to me.Wedialed6- would notforgive him till the lat- of his involvement in instigating Delhi. We salutetheir determi- Official records showthat the wasengaged in NRCduty. thereisnot needtogivethe 7times, but eachtime his staff terissuedanapology.“Khattar is farmers saying, “I am anational- nation and courage in this mas- Union MinistryofMinority Goalpara: For2019-20, Rs 67 same in writing. We aresaying restroom and canteens, withthe justkeptsayingwewill getit lyingthathetriedcallingmeear- isttothe core, Irun aborder state sive protest demanding the Affairs, whichmanages the lakhwas disbursed to 632bene- that mandis will continue to model firstbeingimplemented done now, we will getitdone in lier and Idid notrespond. But and will neverdoanything to cre- withdrawal of the retrograde scholarship scheme,disbursed ficiaries from three schools. One function.” in five mandis, Patelsaid. some time.” now, afterwhathehas done to atealaw-and-order problem of anti-kisan agri laws," the lead- Rs 161.6crore to Assam in 2019- head mastersaid he distributed Shivkumar Sharma,astate The stateminister claimed “Suchasituationhas occurred my farmers, Iwill notspeak to anykind.” ers of eight parties said in a 20, the second-highestafter Rs onlyRs2,000-3,000to eachstu- farmer leader,said the an- that manyofthe protesting forthe firsttime that aChief him even if he calls me 10 times. -- WITHENS,CHANDIGARH joint statement. 246.4 croretoUP. The statere- dent. “Allaccounts areopened nouncementsmade by Patel farmers were paid. He also al- ceivedRs60.91crore in 2018-19. through CSP operators...through were an attempt to mislead leged that the protests against The inquiryreport, accessed ‘fakesignatures’ in connivance farmers. "Thegovernment is try- the farm bills wasbackedbyan by The Indian Express, triggered with the Head Master... It ap- ing to portray apicturethat "arthiya(middlemen)lobby". “If With ‘cheat-sheet’ in onlinetests, IITs an investigation by the CID. “As pears that bank authoritieswere mandis will noteventuallyshut the farmers would have been of now, we have arrested 29 peo- directlyinvolvedinthisirregu- down through these announce- againstthe farm bills, the ple. So far, we have found con- larity as the withdrawal of the mentssothat we don't protest. BharaqtiyaJanataParty would try out measures to raise honesty bar nivance at the local level,” VV moneytook place even without But the ground reality is that nothavewon with suchover- Rakesh Reddy,SP, Assam CID, the knowledge of account hold- nothing will changethrough whelming voteshareinthe by- Madras director Bhaskar times take advantageofbio IIT-Bombaysaid. told The Indian Express.Those ers... that the accountswere these sops, nor will theybring elections on 28 seatsinMadhya AKSHARASRIVASTAVA Ramamurthi, forsuggesting breaksduring exams.“In anor- The brunt of thesepractices arrested include middlemen, at openedoutside the district anybenefit to farmer." Pradesh and assemblyelections NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 measures for"developing acom- mal semester, we can ask stu- is facedbystudentswho had leastfourschool principalsand proves foul play,”the reportsays. The stateminister, mean- of Bihar,”hesaid. mon protocolfor onlineinternal dentstovisit the washroom be- been scoring good grades. Due CSP operators -- the reportlinks Dhubri: For2019-20,1,087 while, said the shops will help He also claimedthat the farm WHILE ONLINEteachingwas a examinations" in centrally- fore the exam starts;booksand to the relative markingsystemat these operators to local branches fake beneficiaries receivedato- increase mandi revenue. loan waiver scheme of the Kamal boon foreducational institutions fundededucational institutions noteshidden there(in bath- IITs, even studentswho had been of at leasttwo PSU banks. talofRs1.14crore via DBT.All the At the malls and stores, farm- Nath-ledCongress government scrambling to adapttothe new and ensuring "security and sanc- room) areremoved. But that has consistentlyscoring well have The contents of the probere- bank accountswereopenedin ers can use smartcards to make had failedtobenefitthe farmers, normal of apandemic,students tity" of suchexams. Directors of changed in the online semester,” scored less compared to before. port mirrorthe findings of an in- Kamrup district. Dhubri's purchases. Asurvey to identify with manygiven letters showing mayhaveemergedwithanup- IIT-Kanpur,IIT-Bhuwaneshwar, the professor said. “Not allowing The administration has tried vestigation by The Indian DistrictNodal Officer said the the availability of land has been that their loan had been waived per hand in the set-up, finding IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bhilai,NIT-Suratkal, studentstovisit the washroom to intervene by laying down sev- Express,whichfound that asim- beneficiaries in three schools initiated.The mandis will also be but with the moneynot being newwaystocheat and indulge NIT-Durgapur,IIIT-Sri City,IIIT- is againsttheir personal liberties, eral measures. ilar nexus illegallydivertedthe “arefakeand no genuine stu- equippedwith ATMs, banks, credited intotheir account. in academic dishonestyinonline Guwahati andIISER Mohali are and theycould have health con- Remote proctoring is a pre-Matric scholarship for2019- dents...appliedfor scholarship”. examinations,including in the other members of committee. cerns. We cannotask them to method whereaninvigilator 20 in Jharkhand and Bihar,and In Darrang district, 744ben- IndianInstitutes of Technology Due to Covid-19, all IITshad pan cameras across their rooms; oversees the examination on live also ropedinschools from eficiariesreceivedpayment of Haryana Police submits status report in HC (IIT). by July decidedtohold onlyon- that's intrusion of privacy.” cameras. On the invigilator’s dis- Punjab and Assam. around Rs 53 lakh through DBT problem and disturbing public Severalreportsofstudent line classes until year-end. Similar reports have cretion, cameras can have afull- “Head Masters without the while five schools were usedfor JAGPREETSINGH peace and order". forming WhatsApp groups to However, academic integrity be- emergedfromIIT-Kharagpur body viewwherethe answer knowledge of computer applica- fake paymentsinBarpeta. SANDHU The report wassubmittedby discuss question papers, collab- came an issue thereafter. and IIT-Ropar,too. scriptisnot visible,oraviewof tions take help of people with Speaking to TheIndian CHANDIGARH,NOVEMBER28 Haryana DIG (Lawand Order) in orating on calls, or surfing the in- At IIT-Delhi, forinstance, While professors acceptthat students' faces, wheresurround- knowledge of computers foren- Express, Hassan said his inquiry, replytothe petition filedby ternetonaseparatedevice dur- some studentstaking online ex- cheating took place earlier too, it ings arenot visible. In both these tryofall credentials of appli- prompted by anumber of com- THEHARYANA Policehassubmit- Haryana Progressive Farmers ing an exam have emerged from ams formedWhatsApp groups is muchmoredesperateinon- manners, studentshavein- cants. The easiest accessible per- plaints, spannedthree months. tedastatus reportinthe High Union–SabkaMangalHo.Thepe- various IITs, prompting the gov- wheresolutions to questions are line mode. "It is almost obses- dulged in academic malpractice, son with computer knowledge “I came to knowthatmostofthe Courtonthefarmers’protest,say- titioner had filedahabeas corpus ernment to step in. shared and answers arecon- sive,and is being done ram- using acamera's limited field of in the villages arethe Customer bank accountswereopenedin ing farmer organisations “have pleaseekingdirectionstothestate The MinistryofEducation firmed. At IIT-Bombay, aprofes- pantly. To put it conservatively, viewtotheir advantage. Service Points(CSPs)...In most other districts.Then, Ichecked historyof indulgingincriminalac- to release the detaineesallegedly lastmonth setupa10-member sor,onthe condition of almost95per cent students --WITHINPUTSFROM cases, the headmasters and CSP the mobile numbers filleddur- tivities, creating lawand order pickedupatmidnight. committee, headedbyIIT- anonymity,said students some- cheat,” another professor from RITIKACHOPRA operators take adishonestway ing the application process and to deprive the students,” says the found mostofthem to be inac- report. tive or out of service.Fromthere, While detailing the modus Istarted getting leads to the en- operandi, the reportsays that in tirescam,” he said. manycases the moneywas si- FULLREPORTON phonedoff without the knowl- www.indianexpress.com
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THESUNDAY EXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 Crude Wa tch OIL PRICES POSTWEEKLYGAIN NewYork: Oil prices were mixed on Fridaybut postedafourth straight week of gains ahead of an OPEC+ meeting early next week.Brent 11 ECONOMY crude Januaryfutures rose 38 centstosettle at $48.18 abarrel, while We st Texas Intermediate futures fell 18 cents to $45.53. REUTERS AMID OVERALL CONTRACTION IN ECONOMY Insider trading case: Sebi BankloanoutstandingshrinksinFY21 bars NDTV promoters, sofar;home,industrycreditgrowthfall others; Roys to file appeal
in October 2020, compared with we will seeagrowthrateclose to conduct forprevention of insider GEORGEMATHEW OCT:PERSONALLOANSSEEDECELERATEDGROWTH 3.4 per cent growth in October double digits,” he said. ENSECONOMICBUREAU Sebi has directed trading whichprohibited them MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 2019,mainlyonthe backofcon- According to the RBI, within MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 PrannoyRoy and from trading at leasttill 24 hours ■ Personal loans registered October 2020 as againsta tractionincredittolarge industries industry,credittofood process- aftertheinformationwasdisclosed THE GROWTH rate in credit off- adecelerated growth of 9.3 growth of 5.0 per cent in by 2.9 per cent in October2020 ing,petroleum, coal products& THE SECURITIES and Exchange Radhika Roytodisgorge to thestock exchanges. The pro- take by home buyers and indus- per cent in October 2020 as October 2019. (4.2 per cent growth ayear ago) nuclear fuels,leather &leather BoardofIndia(Sebi)hasbarredthe ‘illegal gains of more moters have beenrestrainedfrom trydeclinedduringthe seven- compared with 17.2 per cent ■ Credit growth to though credit to medium indus- products,paper&paperproducts promotersof NewDelhiTelevision accessingthesecuritiesmarketfor month period endedOctober growth in October 2019. agricultureand allied tries registeredarobustgrowth andvehicles,vehicleparts &trans- Ltd (NDTV) —PrannoyRoy and than Rs 16.97crore’ twoyearsanddirectedtodisgorge 2020 in the wake of theoverall ■ Within this sector,vehicle activities accelerated to 7.4 rate of 16.6 per cent in October portequipment registered accel- RadhikaRoy —fromthesecurities illegal gains along with 6per cent contraction in the economydue loans continuedtoperform per cent in October 2020 2020 (1.2 per cent ayear ago). eratedgrowthinOctober2020as market fortwo years and also di- dateofactual payment. All the en- interestper annum. to theCovidpandemic,according well, registering accelerated from 7.1per cent in October According to UnionBankMD comparedwiththe growthinthe rected them to disgorge“illegal titieshaveviolated Prohibition of Sebi said Vikramaditya to the ReserveBank of India (RBI) growth of 8.4 per cent in 2019. and CEO Rajkiran Rai, sanctions corresponding monthofthe pre- gainsof morethanRs16.97crore” InsiderTrading (PIT) Regulations, Chandra, who wasthe group CEO data. The total non-food bank and outstandingdon’tcorrelate. viousyear.However, credit foralleged “insider trading” over Sebisaid in three separateorders andexecutive director duringthe creditoutstandingdeceleratedby “Wedoalotofinvestment credit growth to beverage &tobacco, 12 years ago. passedlateonFriday. relevant period, made aprofitof 0.7 per cent duringthe seven in the seven-month period to Rs said. Personal loans registereda by wayofbonds.Corporates rubber plastic &their products, The marketregulator also The Sebi order notedthat Rs 6.67lakh, Ishwari Prasad monthsto Rs91,46,631crore from 27,39,841crore fromRs29,05,151 decelerated growth of 9.3 per raisedbondsbut thesewere chemical&chemicalproducts,ce- barredsevenotherindividualsand PrannoyRoy and Radhika Royto- Bajpai, who wassenior advisor- Rs92,11,544croreinMarch,com- croreinMarch,compared to a cent in October 2020 as com- cheaper and theypaid their loan ment &cement products, all en- entities forinsidertrading in the gether made again of Rs 16.97 editorial and projects,made an il- paredtogrowth of 0.3 per cent in contraction of 3.4per cent ayear paredwith 17.2 per centgrowth outstanding.Further,working gineering,gems&jewellery, infra- sharesof themediacompanyfora crorewhile indulging in insider legalgain of Rs 8.82lakhwhiledi- the year-agoperiod. ago. Credit outstanding of Micro, in October 2019.Within this sec- capital utilisation of large corpo- structureand construction period varying from one to two tradinginthesharesof NDTVwhile rector-finance andgroup CFO Theoveralloutstandinghome Small &Medium Enterprises tor, vehicle loans continuedto ratescamedownduringtheCovid contracted. years. Some of them have been inpossessionofUPSIrelatingtothe Saurav Banerjeeincurredalossof loansrose by just2.6 per cent to (MSMEs)declinedby5.3percent performwell,registeringacceler- time. As aresult, the credit out- Credit growth to the services asked to disgorge illegal gains proposedreorganisation of the Rs47,000whiletradingin NDTV’s Rs 13,73,277 croreinthe April- and large industryfell by 6.7 per ated growth of 8.4 per cent in standing in the system has come sector accelerated to 9.5 per cent made from tradinginthe shares company. PrannoyRoy wasthe scrip during the UPSI period. The October period, as against9.4 per cent. However, medium sector October 2020 asagainstagrowth down. But sanctions were quite inOctober2020from6.5percent when theywereinpossession of chairman and whole-time direc- shares, whichweresoldduring centgrowthinthesameperiodof showedgrowth of 16.6 per cent, of 5.0 per cent in October 2019. decent duringthis period during in October 2019.Within this sec- UnpublishedPrice Sensitive torandRadhikaRoywastheman- theUPSI period,wereacquiredby lastyear.Onayear-on-year basis, as per the RBI data. Credit growth to agricultureand the comparable period of last tor, creditto professionalservices, Information(UPSI).Thedirections aging director during the period them pursuant to allotment un- thegrowthrate fellto 8.2percent “On ayear-on-year (Y-o-Y) ba- alliedactivities accelerated to 7.4 year,” he said. computersoftwareandtradereg- followaprobe conducted by Sebi underinvestigationandwere part derESOPs. from 19.4 per centayear ago, ac- sis, total non-food bank credit percentinOctober 2020from7.1 “Some segmentslikeMSMEs isteredaccelerated growth in between September 2006 and of the decision-making chain that Sebi has, thus, directed dis- cording to thelatestRBI data. growth decelerated to 5.6 per per cent in October 2019. andlarge corporatesarehiringbut October2020vis-à-visthegrowth June 2008. ledtothecrystallisationof theUPSI. gorgement of respective illegal Ontheotherhand,creditto in- centinOctober 2020 from 8.3 per On aY-o-Ybasis, credit to in- disbursementswill take some inthecorrespondingmonthof the AccordingtoNDTV, Prannoy Itsaiddiscussionspertainingto gains, along with 6per cent inter- dustrydeceleratedby 5.7percent cent in October 2019,” the RBI dustrycontracted by 1.7per cent time. We expectthatbyMarch, previous year,the RBI said. Royand Radhika Royhavein- reorganisationofthe company estper annum, and barred formed the companythat their startedonSeptember 7, 2007,and Chandra,BajpaiandBanerjeefrom lawyers, ledbyFereshteSethna, thedisclosurewas made on April accessingsecuritiesmarketforone senior partner at DMD Advocates, 16,2008. Hence, September 7, year.SanjayDutt’s wifePrenita BRIEFLY AMID COVID $3.2 billion (GMV) for the festive month holdthattheSebiorderisbasedon 2007 toApril16,2008wastheUPSI Duttandentitiesconnectedto him EPFOextends an inaccurateassessment of facts period. Prannoy Royand Radhika —QuantumSecuritiesPvtLtd.,SAL ‘E-commerce festiveseason (Rs 22,000 crore) worth of FESTIVE SEASON sees and will notwithstand scrutinyin Roysold shares on April 17,2008, Real Estate PvtLtd andTaj Capital lifecertificate gross sales was registered in players holding multiple sale appeal.“Theappealwillbefiledim- when the trading windowfor PartnersPvt Ltd. —had made a gross sales leap 65% to $8.3 bn’ Septemberthis year, which events, timed around mediately,”itsaid. themwasclosedandmadeaprofit wrongful gain of Rs 2.2 crore deadline zoomed to $8.3 billion in the Dussehra and Diwali. TheSebiordersaidtheamount of Rs 16.97crore Sebi’s order said. through insider trading while in E-commerce festivesale season from October 15-November festive period has to be paid jointly or severally AsperSebi,bydoingso,theyvi- possession of UPSI. SanjayDutt NewDelhi:TheEPFOhasex- 15 delivered $8.3 billion worthofgross sales forbrands and OUTLOOK:The overall by them alongwith 6per cent in- olated PIT norms and also acted in wasanon-call and inhouse advi- tendedthedeadlineforsub- growth has been bullish this terest from April 17,2008, till the contravention of NDTV’s code of sor/teammemberof NDTVgroup. missionof lifecertificatesby sellers, up 65 per cent from $5 billion lastyear,RedSeer said $4.2 billion festive season. The actual pensioners till February 28, (Rs 29,000 crore) was logged figures surpassed amovethatwillbenefitover 40mn 66% in the first event, $1.2 billion expectations fairly MEETING GSTREVENUE SHORTFALL ‘Govt considers 35 lakh people who could (Rs 8,700 crore) in the second comfortably, showing how notsubmitthedocumentby shoppers came Flipkart’s share event and $1.4 billion (Rs comfortable consumers have from tier II and Now, Punjab too cancelling GST Novemberdueto pandemic. 9,700 crore)and $1.5 billion become with shopping online beyond cities (Rs 10,300 crore) in other even in this pandemic hit year registration of Retailinflation events by e-commerce companies, including Amazon, `6,600 accepts Centre’s non-compliant forindustrial and Walmart-owned Flipkart. GMV per customer dropped assessees’ workersrises FLIPKARTGROUP this festive season from Rs borrowing option (including Myntra) and 7,450 in the year-ago period NewDelhi:Retailinflationfor Amazon accounted for more due to affordability schemes industrialworkersrosemar- than 88 per cent of the entire increasing the share of users ENSECONOMICBUREAU ginallyto5.91per cent in gross merchandise value from tier II and beyond cities ENSECONOMICBUREAU HOWMUCHWILL NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER 28 October from 5.62 per cent NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 THE STATEGET? in September this year THE GOVERNMENT is mulling mainly due to higherprices Mobile phones continued to dominate the percentage share (at 46 per cent) of all products across platforms, owing Source: CONGRESS-RULED PUNJAB has cancelling GSTregistration for of certain food items. to arise in aspiration among new customers. Categories like home furnishings have “done better than anytime before” RedSeer/PTI acceptedthe Centre’s borrowing ■ Punjabwill get 5.43 lakh taxpayers who have proposal and will getRs8,359 permission for notfiled monthlytax returns crorethrough the special window additional borrowing (GSTR-3B) forthe lastsix IndiGridinks to meet GSTrevenue shortfall. of Rs 3,033crore (0.5% months or more, sources in the pacttoacquire “Government of Punjab has of itsGSDP). revenue department said. Despite beingworst affected in Q1, quite puzzling communicated acceptance of Additionally, the department 74%inPKTCL option 1tomeetthe revenue would 'persuade' 25,000 tax- shortfall arisingout of GSTim- borrowing option to meet GST payers, who have notfiledre- NewDelhi: India Grid Trust how manufacturing turned itself around: SBI report plementation. The number of revenueshortfall.Allopposition- turns forOctober that wasdue onSaturdaysaidithasinked states whichhavechosen this ruledstateshad initiallyopposed by November 24,tocomply an agreement to acquire74 “Webelieveonepossible and servicesrelated to broadcast- backofmassive purge in costs. optionhas gone up to 26. All the joining the borrowing plan op- with taxreturn deadlines. per cent stakeinParbati PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA reasonforthiscouldbe ing showedrecovery. Further,weobserved smallcom- 3Union Territories with posedbyCentre. Sources said taxofficers have Koldam Transmission NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 stellarcorporateGVA “The mostastonishing num- panies, with turnover of up to Rs Legislative Assembly(i.e. Delhi, Under the terms of option 1, been directed to followupper- CompanyfromReliance numbersinQ2ontheback beristhe positive growth in man- 500crore,are moreaggressive in Jammu &Kashmir and besidesgettingthe facilityofa sonallywith these defaulting tax- Infrastructure. PTI THE SURPRISE resilience shown ufacturing Q2. Despitebeing the cutting cost, displaying reduction Puducherry)havealso decided special windowfor borrowings to payers so that their GSTR-3Bre- by themanufacturing sector that ofmassivepurgeincosts” worstaffectedsectorinQ1(dueto in employeecostby10-12per in favour of option 1,”aFinance meetthe shortfallarising out of turns due forthe month arefiled restrictedGDPcontractionto only SBI ECOWRAP lockdown),itisquitepuzzlinghow cent,”Ecowrap said.This, it said, Ministrystatement said. GSTimplementation, states are by November 30. These assessees ‘HSBCconsiders 7.5per cent in September quarter manufacturing turneditself could turn apotential headwind The Centrehas already bor- alsoentitledtoget unconditional were identifiedonthe basis of exitfromUS could bearesult of massivepurge around,” he wroteinthe Ecowrap infutureintermsofadragoncon- rowedRs24,000 croreonbehalf permission to borrow the finalin- lastmonth's statistics,sources in costs such as employeecostby Economic Adviser,State Bank of issue. The IIP manufacturing and sumption. of the states in four instalments stalmentof 0.50percentof Gross said afterahigh-levelmeeting retailbanking’ corporatesandbusinesses,which India, in Ecowrap. manufacturing GVAgrowth are SBI economistsaid the ab- and has passeditonto23states StateDomestic Product (GSDP) held in the revenue department. could turn apotential headwind With improvement in manu- highly correlated(almostmore solutenumbers of services sector and three Union Territories on out of the 2per cent additional The push forbettercompli- Bengaluru:HSBCHoldingsis in future, economists at SBI wrote facturing, due to lifting of lock- than0.90)andthiscorrelationcol- in Q2FY21 is Rs 17.19lakh crore, October 23, November 2, borrowings permitted by the ance comes on the heels of tax considering acomplete exit on Saturday. down measures GDP contraction lapsed in Q2 when IIP manufac- whileinQ3FY20 it wasRs17.35 November 9and November 23. Government of India, under department's nationwide drive fromretailbankingintheUS India’s July-September (Q2 of has sloweddownsignificantly. turingdeclinedby6.7percent(av- lakh crore, onlyRs15,000crore From the next round of borrow- ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ mission. againstfakeinvoice scams.Itis afternarrowing options for 2020-21fiscal) GDP growth Agriculturesector continuedto erageofJuly-September)while less. This indicatesthat the serv- ings, Punjab, Kerala and West This is over and above the special suspected that fraudsters often howtoimprove perform- showedsurprisingresiliencewith perform well with growth at 3.4 manufacturing GVAgrewby0.6 ices sector has reachedthe pre- Bengal toowould receive funds windowofRs1.1 lakh crore. register firm underGST but re- ance at itsstruggling North contraction of only7.5 per cent in percent.Servicesremainedinthe per cent. Covid level. One good thing is that raisedthrough this window. So, Punjabwill getpermission main mostlydormant on com- America business, Financial real terms, while the market con- negative territory, althoughthede- “Webelieve onepossible rea- the investment demand has im- Earlier this week,Keralaand foradditional borrowing of Rs pliance while using the statusto Times reported. REUTERS sensuswashigher,wroteSoumya cline wascontainedastrade, ho- son forthis could bestellar corpo- provedwithresumptioninCovid- West Bengal had communicated 3,033crore (0.5 per cent of its claim invalid input taxcredit Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief tels, transport, communication rate GVAnumbers in Q2 on the inducedstalledprojects. to theCentreaboutacceptingthe GSDP), the Ministryadded. (ITC). FE ‘More Chinese apps to be banned Almost 65%of Why prefixing ‘0’ will be mandatory domestic air soon, govt preparing fresh list’ travel back to for landline to mobile calls from Jan 15? This is the fourth instance of ENSECONOMICBUREAU RISKOFPROXIES the government banning pre-Covid numbersbeforethe government tions atotal of 115crore mobile series allocated by DoTfor M2M NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 Chinese apps since the India- PRANAVMUKUL allowedinter-circle mobile num- numbers areavailable. Even communication; at the earliest. ■ Thereare several China border skirmish erupted. NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER28 berportability,whicheffectively though the “9” series—meaning THE GOVERNMENT is in the apps, which, despite The government had first level: Kharola meantthattherewasnotrunkdi- mobilenumbersstartingwith“9” What is the impact of this? process of preparingafreshlistof being banned, reappear banned59apps, including THE DEPARTMENTofalling when it came to mobile hasbeenfully used,thosestarting As of August31, 2020 there Chinese mobile apps that would throughproxies and, TikTok,WeChat,etc,onJune 29, Telecommunications (DoT) has numbers and all numbers were with other numbers overlap with were already114.79crorewireless be bannedveryshortly. Sources therefore, continuous followedbyanother setof47 PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA mandatedprefixing“0”forallcalls considered local.However, even certainnumberingplansissuedto subscribers in the country. On the saidsincethere's nocomprehen- monitoring needs apps in July, whichwereproxies MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 being made from fixed-line or from January15, the dialling pro- landlinephones.Therefore,to cre- onehand wirelesssubscriptions sive listofChinese apps that can to be done. of the bannedapps. On landlinephonesto mobilephones cedurefor mobile phones to mo- atesufficient numberingcombi- aregraduallyincreasing, on the be bannedinone go,the process September 2, it banned118 NEARLY65percentof thedomes- witheffect from January15. This bile phones will not nations,theprefix“0” otherlandline subscriptions are adoptedistofollowthe apps that Chinese mobile apps, whichin- tic air travel has returnedtothe follows recommendationsfrom change. has been re-intro- recording adecrease in user base. find traction in app stores and are farahead of the redressal mech- cludedthe popular gamingplat- pre-COVID-19 levelandnowthere the sector regulator TRAI,which duced. In additionto Severalseries have so farbeenex- being downloadedthe most. anism process. form PUBG as well as Baidu, is aneedtoevolveastrategy to had arrivedtothisconclusion af- What wasthe need subscription of mo- clusively allocated to landline op- Once this is done, strict monitor- Forinstance,onNovember whichisChina’s largest search bringbackthetourismindustryon terstudying the issue of adequate to re-introduce the bilenumbersby con- erators.Forexample,“2”hasbeen ing is done and action taken. 24,the government banneda engine provider. itsfeet, CivilAviation Secretary numberingresourcesforfixedline “0” prefix? sumers,SIMcardsare allocated to landline numbers of Thereare severalapps, which, fresh setof43Chinese mobile In all, around 267apps have Pradeep Singh Kharola said on and mobile services. Giventhat India also beingusedfor BSNLandMTNL,“4”hasbeenallo- despitebeingbanned, reappear apps, including the likes of been bannedsinceJunebut the Saturday. has 10-digitmobile machine-to-machine cated to Airtel, “35” and “796” has through proxies and, therefore, Alibaba Workbench, CamCard redressalmechanismfor thefirst He wasaddressing awebinar What has been the change? numberingplans,and communicationpur- been allocated to Reliance Jio. The continuousmonitoring needs to and ahostofdating apps among setisfar from over. on‘AviationandTourism-theRoad Allcallsmadefromlandlineto thatseries fornumbers starting poses. These include use-cases decision to add the prefix will not be done. others, by invoking Section 69A In the case of app bans, the Ahead’ hostedbythe Federation mobilephoneswillbedialledwith with “0” and “1” arereserved for suchassmartmeters, forwhich onlyclearthe overlap between The strategy of the govern- of the Information Technology lawissuchthat the government of Associationof IndianTourism& the prefix “0” from January15. specialpurposes,theoretically800 the government has already allo- landlineand mobile phone num- ment is clear.Bybanning more Act, whichempowers it to block does notneedtofirstserve ano- Hospitality (FAITH). Those dealing amobile number crorenumbersare possible. Till cated a13-digit numbering sys- bers carrying the same series but and moreChinese apps at regular apps/content thatare engagedin tice to the companies concerned Kharola also said in the times from afixed line phones without now, mobilenumberswere tradi- tem.TRAIhadalsorecommended will also free up numbering re- intervals and then providing activities prejudicial to sover- and wait fortheir replies. The of Covid-19 air travel has become the prefix will hear an announce- tionally registeredtoseries start- that all the SIM-based M2M con- sources formobile phones in the them the routetopresent their eignty and integrityofthe coun- companies concernedalso can- apreferred mode of travel for ment. Dialling “0” before themo- ing from “9”, and some combina- nections using 10-digit mobile future. In the near term itself, the casebeforeaninter-ministerial try, itsdefence, security of state notapproachcourtsfor anyin- being asafemeans of trans- bilephonenumberwasapractice tionsstartingwith“8”,“7”and“6”. numberingseries should be exercise will resulting in genera- panel, the pace of bans would be and publicorder. terim relief. FE portation. followedfor outstationmobile Currently, withthese combina- shiftedtothe13-digitnumbering tion of 253.9 crorenumbers. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THESUNDAY EXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 Warm cap under hood 12 SUNDAY STORY
Mattress/Sleeping bag Goggles to protect from snowblindness
Extreme cold climate multi-layeredjacket Winter at LAC withinner lining
The deployment of morethan 100,000soldiersbelongingtotwo big Personal weapons. In this case, aSigSauer armies, strung out over 872km, in some of the harshestclimes in the SIG716 rifle world, is simply without parallel in militaryhistory.KRISHN KAUSHIK with NIRUPAMA SUBRAMANIAN on howthe Armyisstaying fighting fitonthe Line of Actual Control
eneralWinter”.That is the Gen PJSPannu (retd), who commandedthe name historians gave to thead- XIV Corps from 2016 to 2017.“In bothSiachen Rucksackthat includes versarywho routed both Nap- and Kargil, we have posts that have no access clothes, emergency food as oleon and Hitler in Russia, to the outside worldonce snowfall begins. In part of sustenance kit Warm gloves Gmorethan acenturyapart the Kargil region,snowaccumulates to 15-20 from each other. ft... it is highlyavalanche-prone. Forfivetosix AstheIndianandChinesearmiesdeployed months, troops areinlockdown positions... attheLineof ActualControleyeballeachother, This kind of training and resilience is already sometimes separatedby justhundreds of me- thereinour troops.” Soldiers on the front also needtocarry tres,theyare up againstthe same formidable Still, nobody thinksitwill be easy. communication sets,the size depending on foe,inaway thatambitiousmilitarycampaign- whether neededfor company-to-company Multi-layeredtrousers ersof previouscenturiesmightnothaveimag- ■ ■ ■ calls,battalioncommunication,orforcommu- ined. Eastern Ladakh is no Russia. Herethe nication between battalion headquarters and peaksgoupto18,000ft and more. The winter Counting theelementsthe soldiers areup brigadeordivision headquarters. The sets get deploymentof morethan100,000soldiersbel- against, Major General Singh says,“One is the bigger with the formation. onging to twoarmies, strung out over 872km, weather, whichincludes extreme cold and is simplywithout parallel in militaryhistory. veryhigh-speedwinds. The second is the rar- ■ ■ ■ ■ This is special clothing for14,000feet “The firstproblem facedbyasoldierin efiedatmosphere,whichislackofoxygenand and above.Mostofthe troops on the Ladakh is survival, fighting the enemycomes afunction of thealtitude. The thirdisofcourse Inthe1962conflict,theIndianforcesacross frontlineinPangong Tsoand Chushul next... The peculiar geographyhasamajor im- the enemy. All three aretreacherous.” all sectors facedasevere paucity of winter would have asimilar kit pact on the fighting and itsoutcome” —these Forasoldierarrivingespeciallyfromagar- clothing. In his book India’s China War,British arethe openingsentences of the Fighting in risonintheplains,thefirstchallengeisthesheer journalistNeville Maxwellcallsthis “inade- ■ The soldiers carry enough Ladakh chapterofIndia’sofficial History of The drop of oxygen level. The reduction canrange quateand in shortsupply”, apartfromrefer- ammunition (toattack/defend, Conflict withChina, 1962,that waspublished between 25 and 65% —fromLeh at 12,000 ft, ring to other problems facedbythe men such depending on tasks), waterbottle and morethan three decades later. to MukhpariheightsnearSpanggurGapatover as the rarefied air, and lackofanimals to carry medicine. As part of the unit,theymight At thistimeof theyear,themaximumtem- 17,000 ft.Onarrival troops undergo athree- loads.“Allsupplies,oftenincludingwater, had also have to carry ammunition forlarger peratureinthe forwardareas of the LACisas stageacclimatisationexerciseover14 days.The to be airdropped.” weapons, medicines, equipment to build lowas3degreesCelsius;minimumcanplunge firststage involvessixdays at9,000to 12,000ft, Elaborating what this means,Pannu says, defensive structures to minus 10 to minus 15 degrees Celsius. withtwo days of restandfourdays of walksand “Imagine the air-dropped supplies fallinga DecemberandJanuarywillseeminus30to mi- minor climbs. Stage2isfour days at 12,000 to kilometreorevenafew hundredmetersfrom ■ The weight asoldier carriescan vary nus 40 degrees, and snow. Addedtothis is the 15,000 ft heights, walking and climbing, and the designated dropping zone. It becomes a from 20 to 45 kg,depending on the role wind chill, as the official1962 history high- carrying loads over short distances. The next nightmareforthesoldierwhomightspendthe he is playing and location lighted.“Wind generally stageisfourdays at15,000ft rest of the dayfetching afew kilogrammes of startsaround mid-dayand and above,with the same essentialsupplies.” continuesthroughoutthere- walk-climbroutinewithand Nearly 60 years afterthe India-China war, after”,andthecombinedef- without loads. India still doesnotmanufacturethe insulated fect “can cause cold injuries In an emergency,this clothing required forthe heights at similar to burninjuries”. process is cut from 14 to 10 whichsoldiers arenow de- “Touching metalwith bare days.Butthatsituationdoes ployedinLadakh. The hands is hazardous.” notexistyet,says an officer. clothing is imported With no breakthrough At Siachen in comparison, at steep rates. Last yetonadisengagementpro- troops areinducted aftera month, at apublic posalfromChinaattheeigh- Caughtina 21-dayacclimatisation. event, ViceArmy throundof CorpsComman- This gapgives the body Chief Lt General SKSaini ders’ talks, and no word on stalemate time to adjusttothe low talked of "a lackofviable in- the next round, around oxygen and notgointohy- digenous solutions”. Multi-purpose/rubber 50,000 or so Indian troops poxia,whichcanleadto dis- Clothing has to notjustensure boots depending on areset forthe long haul, gu- WITH NO further word orientation,nausea,headac- that the soldier keeps warm but also the task arding peaksover15,000 ft from China afterthe ini- he, and if notdetected early, notbetoo heavy.Pannu warns against through the winter,mirror- tial reports of adisenga- moreseriouscomplications. “heat load”, wherethe wearer feels hotwhen ing the deployment of the gement proposal from Amedical memorand- he is physicallyactive but notwarmenough Illustration:Suvajit Dey People’s Liberation Army. them in the eighth umissuedbytheDirectorate whenheisstatic. AcuteMountain Sick- round of talks, the situa- Generalof ArmedForceMe- Referring to thedifference between ing rotatedasquicklyasevery twoweeks. ness, high altitude pulmo- tion is backtoastale- dical Services in 1997 said Ladakh, Siachenand Kargil, all of whichcome LINE OF DEFENCE Singh says this is possiblegiven the numbers naryoedema, deep vein mate. With neither side thatapartfromhypoxiaand under XIV Corps,Singh says that the LACdoes the Armyhas therenow,withasubstantial thrombosis, cerebral ve- willing to budge, around cold, other factors that can notsee that muchsnow, but “is cold, rocky”. strength in reserve. “If youcome backfrom nous thrombosis,psycho- 1lakh soldiers from both affect performance at high “Soldiersherewillnotcarrymuchsnowcloth- NUMBERS: 50,000-PLUS; the postintwo-three weeks, youare recoup- logicalillnesses—theseare sidesare going to spend altitudesandcauseillnesses ing,but will carrywarm clothing.” In compar- averagedeployment is 15,000to 17,000usually ing yourself.” just some of therisksthey the winter in eastern are“lowhumidity,solarand ison, in Siachen soldiers needalpine clothing At Siachen, whichhas infrastructure in areupagainst. With falling Ladakh’s peaks.But will ultravioletradiation”. and mountaineering equipment. place nowatthe forwardposts as well as the temperatures will come it become an annual fea- Lt Gen Pannu points out Thewindsalsomeanmeretentscannotbe HEIGHTS: AVERAGE 15,000 FT, base, asoldier generallyspends around 90 frostbite, snow-blindness, turewill depend on the thatthe lowoxygenlevels muchofaprotection, Singh says. going upwards of 18,000FT days on the front. However, oftenthis rolls chilblains, and peeling of diplomaticability of mean efficiency reduces by Recently, theArmyunveiledsome newly over,anofficer says,and beyond an accept- skin due to the extremely both countries to resolve almost30-50%. “The sol- constructedheatedaccommodationfortroops able limit, the damagecould be permanent. dryconditions. the nearly seven- dier’sweight-carryingcapa- deployedbehindtheLAC;sourcessayfacilities LACLENGTH: OVER 870KM The officer adds that theyexpect harsher cli- Evennow, withthemost month-long standoff. bilityalsogoesdownwhen, to accommodate allthemenareinplace.These in Eastern Ladakh mates in Ladakh, and hence the shortrota- difficult monthsstill ahead, onthecontrary, therequire- are“smartcamps”withbarrack-likestructures, tion times. Armysources say, thereis ment to carry weight goes and including electricity,water,heating, and WEATHERCONDITIONS: “It is notjustabout maintaining apres- dailyattrition due to “cold-related”conditions up due to thelackofinfrastructure.” other facilities. At the frontline though,where Temperatures 3degrees to -15degrees Celsius currently, will fall to up to ence, but also keeping the soldier combat- —with manysent backtodutyassoon as they The layers of clothing onewears also cut soldiers sit on peaksfacing the PLA, they live -40 degrees;oxygenlow by 25% to 65% ready.Ifyou have to fight, youhavetokeep getbetter. While information on altitude-re- efficacy,Major General Singh says.Talking of in“heatedtentsaspertacticalconsiderations”, the health at acertain level. So, an early turn- latedailmentsisconfidential,anofficialsource the sheer physical exertion needed, including an officer says. over maybenecessitated.Hecan do asec- Leh North INDIA says thenon-fatalcasualtiesare“notalarming” to construct defences and bunkers, he adds Pannu notesthat in reality asoldier might ondround afterabreak,” the officer says, and “within the expected ratio”. Therehave that what can be done in the plains in asingle notspend muchtime inside the shelters. “He Bank Ladakh stressing this balance between raising de- PANGONGTSO Sout been reportedevacuations from the Chinese day, “takes five to sevendays”. has to patrol, as well as build bunkers and fence and sustenance. side too, from the heightsofFinger 4. At high-altitude posts,soldiers carry any- defence work againstthe enemy’s fire and hB BLACK It’s notjustthe men either. Tanks, artillery ank TOP Major General APSingh (retd), who thingbetween20and45kgof equipment,says shelling from ground and air... He has to ulti- Chushul systems and other hardwarealso needtobe headedthelogisticsforXIVCorpsdeployedon aservingofficerwhodoesnotwanttobeiden- matelydig intothe earth and bear the conse- protected from thecold. “The equipment the LACbetween 2011 and 2013,says that till tified, depending upon the role the soldier is quences of extreme cold directly.” SPANGGURGAP CHINA Jammuand needs to be hardenedand winterised. Repair about adecade ago, the attrition rate was playing,whetheroffensive,defensive oronpa- RezangLa Kashmir and recovery areextremelydifficult at sub- around20%,mostlydueto medical-basednon- trol. Firstand foremostare the weapon and ■ ■ ■ RechinLa zerotemperatures. In-situ workshopsare fatalcasualties. “Attrition is because of snow, ammunition. The weapon can be apistolora equippedwith warm canopies with bazooka health or failureofoxygen,” he says,adding carbine,arifle.Iftheweaponisheavylikeama- Asdeploymentof thiskindhasneverbeen heaters. The oil and radiators areprepared that soldiersare muchbetterequippednow. chine gun, weighing over20kg, multiplesol- required before at the LAC, manyofthe for- with integrated electricity,water, forthe winter.All equipment with water Singhexpectssoldiers,most of whomwere diers help carryit. Acompanyof60to120 sol- ward posts in Eastern Ladakhare beingnewly heating pipes faces the problem of freezing, but cer- sent to Ladakh between Mayand September, diers carries at leastone Medium Machine established, withnomilitaryinfrastructurein tain innovations were made(during my to beadequatelyacclimatised.At theseheights, Gun, asection (6 to 20 soldiers) arocket place. This means, says the officer requesting RISKS: Acutemountain sickness, time) to ensurewater does notremain static that matters as muchaswho has the superior launcher.The ammunition load is divided. anonymity, carryingmaterialto create“defen- high-altitude pulmonaryoedema, in pipes,” says Pannu. fire power. Effectively,the Armyisinwinter Apartfromthis, asoldier’s gear includes sive structures”, “if occupyinganewfeature”, deep vein thrombosis, cerebral “There areinbuilt SOPs depending on the deployment at the LAC, though that term has boots,clothingforextremeweather,aset of in- as the heightsonthe north bank of Pangong venous thrombosis, psychological natureofthe equipment, depending on notbeen officiallyused. This is the firsttime. ners,amulti-layeredjacket,face protection Tsoand in the Chushul sub-sector on the illnesses, frostbite, snow-blindness, whether they have oil, gasorelectronic sys- The1962wardocumentstatesthat“nearly fromthecold,gogglesto preventsnow-blind- southern bank.Digging toolsand corrugated chilblains tems,”says another officer. equalnumberof casualtiessufferedbytheInd- ness and ahelmet. Then thereisa‘sustenance galvanisedironsheets areneededtobuild Upgradedliving facilities forthe Whatever the difficulties, as of now, the ianswere weathercasualties”,laudingthatitis kit’, whichincludes asleeping bag, mattress, bunkers and observation posts. troops on the border. PTI ROTATION AT FORWARD POSTS: At troops at the border have dug in forthe long “atributetotheIndiansoldierthatevenunder twopairsofchange, toiletries,extrasocks,a Withtheroadinfrastructurepatchy,tracks some places, as shortasevery two haul, quiteprepared forthe eventuality that suchcircumstanceshefoughtandfoughtwell”. waterbottle, and at least24hoursworth of right up to the topexistinonlyafew places, weeks, to minimise exposure theremay benobreakthroughtowardsdisen- Whilethisisthefirstevertimethatsomany emergency,high-caloriecooked rations. and soldiersmustcarry mostofthe equip- ACCOMMODATION: Corrugated gagement. At the moment hereisnoclarity troopsarepresentinLadakhatthistimeof the At forwardposts,soldiersusuallycarrytin- ment. “Weuse some amount of animal trans- galvanisedironsheets forbunkers; LACvsSIACHEN,KARGIL: Desert, not even on when,orif, the next round of senior year,Indian militaryveterans saythings have nedfood. “You cannotcarry logistics to the portbutpatrollingisusuallycarriedoutonfoot, heated tentsonthe frontlines; and so snowy,with chillywinds, more commandersmeetingwilltake place.Thereis changedexponentially—forthebetter.Indian frontline.Certainlynot fresh food and vegeta- unlikePLAtroopswhotryandreachlocations new‘smartcamps’ behind the LAC rugged peaks precedence that aresolution could take years. troops,withfourwarsagainstPakistan(includ- bles,anddueto lowatmosphericpressure,you as faraspossible by vehicles,” says Pannu. In Sumdorong Chu in Arunachal Pradesh,a ing Kargil), one againstChina, plus athree- cannotcook in apressurecooker forexample. The Chinese have theadvantageofato- standoffthat beganin1986took sevenyears decade-long experience of guarding Siachen, But it is notpossible to eat large quantities of pographythat is likearooftop—flat,with before status quoantewas restored. the highestbattlefield in the world, areused this (tinned)food. Themoment youeat, your fewermountains that arefar apart, making snowlevelsare muchhigher.Inthe Tibet ■ ■ ■ While no onecan predict if thewinter de- nowtodealing with both the heightsand the stomachpushesthediaphragmupagainstthe the valleys on their side muchwider,the vet- area, the snowfall is onlyafew inches be- ploymentattheLACisgoingto becomeanan- winter,perhaps moresothantheir Chinese lungs and heart, making breathing difficult. eran officer adds. “Theyhavebuilt highways, cause it is very drythere. So theydon’t have The other effect on soldiers is harder to de- nualfeature,thereare murmursthattheseare counterparts.Several establishmentssuchas Very highcalorific value of fruits, driedfruits, mucheasiertobuild on that side as they the challenges of snowblocking passes or tect.Singhtalksof“thepsychologicalpartofbe- the firststrawsinthe icy winds blowing over the Kargil and Siachen Battle Schools and the chocolates etcare giventosoldiers. He enjoys don’t go through so manymountain passes tunnels forlong period of time,” Pannu says. ingisolated”,withsoldierscutofffromany con- Ladakh of the “LoC-isation” of the LAC, mean- HighAltitudeWarfareSchoolinGulmargtrain none, and eats onlytosurvive...,”says Pannu. or tunnels. We,however,needtodrill tun- While the IAF and Armyhelicopters have tact forweeks,evenmonths, from eachother. ingtheborderwithChinamayturnintoafront soldiers specificallytofight at heights. At thesametime,anysmallmovementcan nels and build roads over passes. We cannot beenpressedintoserviceaspartofthesupply “There is the fear that if something happens, that has to defendedinthe same wayasthe “Our soldiers aredeployedat21,000 ft in mean up to six-10hours.“If pinned down by build very wide roads as that would need chain,theareasarehigherthantheseare desi- evenahelicoptercannotcometoevacuateyou.” one with Pakistan. Siachen, at 14,000-15,000 ft in Kargil and enemyfire, asoldiershould be able to sustain cutting mountains. The precipitation level gned for, reducingtheir carrying capacity and In order to reduce theexposureofsol- And even as nobody wantsthat, this year 14,000-17,000 ft in Eastern Ladakh,” says Lt (on his own),” the officer quoted abovesays. on ourside is alsomuchmore, therefore hence meaning moresorties. diers at theseforward posts,troops arebe- could justbethe startofalong, cold winter. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 13 OPINION THE SUNDAYEXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020
Across Fifth THEAISLE COLUMN TAVLEENSINGH Slowmarchbackward Twitter@tavleen_singh
AFEW days ago, the Chief Economic The overall economyisinbad shape, pol- poor in the form of free rations or cash tariffs,autarky,return of licences and Adviser said “India mayrecordacurrent icy making is confused, and the claims of transfers. Corporates usedthe windfall controls, and arbitraryand discretionary account surplus in 2020-21”. He also arevivalareexaggerated.Thereal bench- to de-leverageand shoreuptheir cash rules, that will be the surestroad to dis- pointed out that in Q1 (April-June 2020) marks arejobs and wages/income. holdings. Theydid notinvest. If the poor aster. Iferventlyhope that Mr Modi will We must “wehad asurplus of USD 19.8 billion and Accordingtothe CMIE (since govern- had got the money, they would nothave notout-TrumpMrTrump. even if we do notsee that kind of perform- mentnumbersarenolongeravailable),the starved —astheydid formanydays in We live in astrange worldwherethe PCHIDAMBARAM ance in subsequent quarters, we would current unemployment rate is 6.68per the week fornearly three months. They President of communistChina speaks neverforget Website:pchidambaram.in still likelyhaveacurrent accountsurplus”. cent. Read that along withthe labour par- would have bought food, milk,medi- eloquentlyonthe virtues of free trade Twitter@Pchidambaram_IN The CEA has described thephenom- ticipationrate whichisadismal41 percent cines and other essential goods and serv- and globalisation and the President of IT TROUBLED me to see the farmers’ agi- enon as ‘under heating’. It means that de- and thefemale labour participation rate ices and boostedoverall demand. capitalist United States speaksderisively tation getmoremedia coverage lastweek mand has collapsed and the so-called whichis25per cent. Only 11 outof100 The current accountisinsurplus be- of trade agreements, WTO, free trade, cli- than the twelfth anniversary of 26/11. stimulus packages (paltryand poorly tar- employedare women; but of 11 jobslost, cause exports exceedimports,though matechangeand the Paris Accord! Is the Personally,Imakeitapoint to neverfor- geted) of thegovernment have failedto four arewomen’s. Between September both arelesscompared to the bench- worldbeing turned topsy-turvy? getthis grim anniversaryfor the reason revive demand—atleast, so far. Hereisa 2019 and2020,about11-12millionpeople marksof the past. The effect of lowtrade It took India 30 years to breakout of that, as someone who livesinMumbai, I good metric of demand: the Plant Load dropped out of the labour force. volumes, acurrent accountsurplus and what the economistProfRaj Krishna payclose attentiontoany improvements Theeffectoflow trade Factor of thermal plants, according to the an appreciating rupee can be devastat- dubbed the ‘Hindu rate of growth’, al- thatInoticeinpolicing methods. As Ihave volumes, acurrent account powerminister,isexpectedtotouchonly BIASTOWARDS RICH ing on the economy. The firstcasualty though Ibelieve that Hindukings of yore done everyyear since 2008, Ican report surplus and an appreciating 56.5 per cent in 2021-22. Despite‘under will be jobs.The invisible macroeco- likethe Chola rulersand the Maurya that therehavebeen no improvementsat heating’,retail inflation has risen to 7.61 ‘Under-heating’ of the economy is as nomic effect will be that scarce capital of rulers were visionaries, outwardlooking all. In thiscowardlywar that Pakistancon- rupee canbedevastating on per cent and food inflationto11.07 per bad as ‘over-heating’.When over-heat- India will be invested abroad. Imagine a and expandedthe economicreachof tinues to wage againstIndia, our frontline the economy. Thefirst cent, placing acruel burden on the poor. ing happens, thereisinflation, interest developing country, thatisdesperately India to as farasChina, Indonesiaand soldiersare ordinarypolicemen. They casualtywill be jobs. The ratesare increasedtodampen demand, in needofcapital, actuallyexporting its Rome.Theyweretrue globalists, and cannotbeexpected to fight well unless invisible macro economic firmsare encouraged to step up produc- capital to other countries to be invested raised India’sshare of the world’s GDP to theyare trainedincounter-terrorism. This THE JOBS CHALLENGE tion and, if thereare well-functioning there! American businesses mustbe 25 per cent. In those imperialdays — has notyet begun to happen. effectwill be that scarce The silverlining is agriculture. We markets and corrective measures are laughing all the waytothe bank. when we did nothavetrainedecono- In the Sonia-Manmohan eraitwas sort capital of India will be had abumper rabi crop (2020) of 148 taken, the equilibrium between demand mists —Indiaembracedfreetrade, cap- of acceptedthat national security would invested abroad. Imagine a million tonnes of food grain and the es- and supplyisrestored. What do we do SELF-RELIANCE OR tured newmarketsand increasedthe remain weak.Manmohan Singh actually developing country, that is timateofthe kharif crop (2020) is 144 whenthereis‘under heating’?This is a wealth of the manynationalities within weakeneditbyconceding in Sharm el- million tonnes. Tractor sales areesti- newchallengefor India and one that the AUTARKY India. Ishudder to think that we maybe Sheikh at his firstmeeting with Pakistan’s desperately in need of capital, mated to grow by 9per cent this year. present government seems incapable of turningour backonthat richlegacy and prime minister after26/11that ‘terrorism’ actually exporting its capital According to FMCG companies, rural de- tackling. The reason is itsinclination to Isincerelyhope that the proponents adopting policies that will return us to in Balochistanshould also be discussed. to other countries to be mand is better than urban demand.Yet, pamper corporates rather than help the of Atmanirbhar did notintend theseout- an eraoflow growth. One of Rahul Gandhi’s closestaides, invested there! American rural wage growth rate has been muted. poor.IfImaygiveone example, a comes. If Atmanirbhar means adegree of OxfordEconomics has warnedus Digvijaya Singh, releasedabook whose ti- Therefore, the pictureismixed,with Rs 1,45,000crorebonanza in the form of self-reliance, we mustwelcome it. But if that in the next five years India maywit- tle was‘26/11: An RSS plot’. Rahul himself businesses must be laughing moregrey thangreen,butthatshouldnot taxcutswas giventothe corporates. That Atmanirbhar,inpolicy and practice, will ness an averagegrowth rate of 4.5 per famouslytoldanAmerican ambassador all the way to the bank distort our macroeconomic assessment. moneyought to have been giventothe mean protectionism, anti-free trade, high cent. It is awake-upcall. thathebelieved ‘saffron’ terrorismwas a biggerthreat than the jihadistkind. What disturbs me is that in the seven years that we have been ruledby NarendraModi the same lackadaisical ap- My ISOLATION proachtonational security continues. If Pakistan’s jihadistGenerals decidethat AWEEKLY WINDOW INTO THE LIVES OF INDIA’S NEWSMAKERS Dalitality Slum numbersshowcities theywantarepeat of 26/11, theywould AND IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON THEM find it justaseasy to succeed. It is astound- GOUTHAMRAJKONDA ing thatwehaveallowedPakistantocon- don’t help Dalits shed caste tinue repeating the lie that the attackwas ‘Time offmeant Irealised carriedout by ‘non-State actors’. Howcan this be possible when the Lashkar-e-Toiba is itself acreation of the ISI? Howcan CITY-WARDmigrationforScheduledCaste Pakistancontinue daring to demand my kid’ssense of humour’ (Dalitshereafter) populations is synony- ‘proof’ of itsrole in 26/11? mous with social development, as the city The militarymen who control lifeoffers socio-economic opportunities, Pakistanare nevergoing to change. As What precautions do youtaketostay better standards of living, educational and someone who has had the dubious privi- Covid-free? health facilities as compared to rural areas. legeofmeeting manyofthem on visitsto Ihavenot beenonthesets muchduring The National Sample Survey Office’s 2011- Pakistan, Ican sayongoodauthority that this period.When Idostepout, Imaintain 12 reportshowedthat the MonthlyPer- their hatredfor India motivatestheir every physicaldistancingifnot social distancing. capitaConsumption Expenditure(MPCE) move.What we needisfor the menin Since IliveinMadh Island and my building by DalitsinurbanareaswasRs2,028,com- charge of our security to realise that the societyisnotverycrowded,we don’thave to pared to Rs 1,252 in rural. The MPCE is a onlyway to win this horrible warisby worrymuch.However, Iamparticularabout proxyforhouseholdincomesandtheabove strengthening our owndefences. Israel wearing amask wheneverIleave home. datasuggestthat urban Dalitsearn more should be our role model. It is surrounded than their rural counterparts.With intent by hostile countries whose declared aim Have yougot yourself tested for to unshacklethemselvesfromcaste-based is to destroy it and yetithas managed to Covid-19? povertyandexclusion,manyDalitsmigrate 2011 Census shows proportion of Dalitsliving in slums is in mostcasestwice their win againstthem.How?What arethey Ihadto getthetest donewhileshooting to cities.DrBRAmbedkaralsourgedDalits shareinthe totalurban population, and thatmosturban Dalitsare slumdwellers doing right thatweare doing wrong? onthree-fouroccasions.Thishasbecomea to embracecities fortheir liberation from On lastweek’s anniversaryof26/11, pre-requisitebeforeany shoot. Ihad some caste oppression in rural areas. Narendra Modiannouncedthat we are work remaining forthe show Criminal Usingthe 2011 Census dataonDalits ageinthe totalurbanpopulation; and 2) a The above discussion invariably nowfighting terrorism with ‘a new Justice.So, Ihad to shootfor 10 days in andslumpopulation,thespatialmarginal- majorityof urbanDalitsare slum-dwellers. proves that Dalit urban residentsare process’. Really?Well, Ican reportthatin August.Thatapart,Ihadaone-dayadshoot. isationofDalitsinurban India canbestud- Thisindicateshow alarge shareofDalitsare disproportionatelyconcentrated in slums. Mumbai thereisnosign of change. Forthe iedbycomparing the state-wise percent- compelledtoliveininadequate housing, Caste hierarchies andidentitiesofthe firsttwo or three years afterthe attack Howhas your lifechangedduringthis ageofDalitsliving in urban areas with 1) devoid of basic servicesinurban India. marginaliseddonot disappearincities; when the 26/11anniversaryapproached, Illustration: Suvajit Dey period? thepercentageofDalitsinthe total slum The 2011 Census showedthat12.6% of caste manifests in caste-basedhousing the streetswould be filledfor afew days Forthelastthreeyears,Ihavebeensho- population;and2)thepercentageofslum- the population in urban India were Dalits. segregation and discrimination in selling with armoured cars and policemen pa- oting round-the-clock. Igot abreak from It has been abusyyear foractor dwellersinthetotalurbanDalitpopulation. However, Dalitsconstituted 20.3% of the ahouse or renting it out to an SC/STde- trolling in uniforms that had ‘Commando’ thatandhadtheopportunityto spendtime PANKAJ TRIPATHI, 44, Thenearly decadeold2011 Censusdata slum population. To put this in absolute spitetheir ability to pay. written on the backoftheirshirts.Itwas at home. Initially, Iwas notusedtovideo notwithstanding the slowing hadto bechosenasitisthemostrecentdata numbers,whileurbanIndia’s6.5crorepeo- Slumbeingoneof thedominantspatial pointless melodrama. The city’s hotels, chatssomuch. Now, Ihavelearnt. My wife onDalitsinurbanandslumareasavailable. plelivedinslums,1.3crore of theslumpop- manifestationsof prolongedeconomicdep- restaurants, hospitals and train stations re- and daughter,who aremoretech-savvy, down of production due to The2011Census captured dataonall noti- ulationwere Dalits.However, theworrying rivationandsocialexclusion,theemergence main as vulnerableastheywerewhen help me outwhen Ihaveany trouble. Covid. This includes release of fied,recognisedandidentifiedslumsinur- figureisthat of the percentageofslum- andexistenceof aslumqualifyassocialand Ajmal Kasab arrivedwithhis fellowjihadis web-series Mirzapur 2,marking ban India. dwellersinthe total Dalit populationinur- spatialinjusticeinasociety.Thespatialmar- to spread murderand mayhem until When will youresume shooting? his return as Kaleen Bhaiya. His As per the Census, 37.7 crorepeople banareas —28% of India’s totalurbanDalit ginalisationof ahistoricallydisenfranchised Tukaram Omblediedapprehending him. In January, Iwill shootfor anew film in (31.1%) livedinurbanIndia,ofwhom 4.7 population were slum-dwellers. To put in socialgrouplikeDalitsinurbanIndiashows And, untilhis companions were all killed. Mumbai.Theprojectisyettobeannounced. performance in recent movies crore(12.6%) were Dalits. In 2001,79.6% of absolute numbers: while 4.7 croreDalits that theliberation process of the margin- The attackonlyendedafter commandos Gunjan Saxena and Ludo has the total Dalit populationinIndia livedin livedinurbanareas, 1.3crore of thesewere alisedbythe Indian Stateissubservient to arrivedfromDelhi.Manylives mayhave While interacting with peopleatwork, also been widely appreciated ruralareas, whichby2011had decreased slum-dwellers. Or,approximatelyone in thestrongperseveranceof caste hegemony been savediftheyhad nottaken morethan what precautions do youtake? to 76.4%. During the same period, the per- everythree Dalitsliving inurbanareaswas in India. Oftencaste persistsevenwithin 24 hours to gettoMumbai. The entireunit goes through Covid test centageofDalitsliving in urban areashad settledinaslum;andoneineveryfiveslum- slums, manifesting in segregated housing, The reason why26/11mustbere- andthat’sreassuring.Thereisateamto en- INTERVIEWBYALAKA SAHANI increasedfrom20.4%to23.6%. These fig- dwellers in urbanIndiawas aDalit. This public utilities and endogamy. membered everyyear is notjustbecause suresanitisation is done properly.Oxygen ures suggestthat, though slow, thereis clearly indicates howDalitsare morecon- Thecaste question in India’s urban it wasthe worstterroristattackonIndian leveland temperatureofeveryone in the strong city-ward migration among Dalits. centrated in slums. marginality provides an opportunity for soil but because it completely changed unit arechecked. Still, one has to becareful. Howdoyou keep your mind offthe MuchofIndian society follows caste InMaharashtra,11.3%of theurbanpop- theIndian Statetostrengthen its, recently our relationship with Pakistan. Until it pandemic? norms to perpetuatebirth-inherited caste ulationwere DalitswhereasDalitsintheto- eroding, socialistpromise by extending af- happeneditwas easy forthoseofliberal Howdid youspend this period of Howisthat possible? Anyway,Ihave “purity”.Suchsocialnormsarestronglyper- talslumpopulationwere 15.7%.Punjaband firmative action to affordable housing for disposition,onbothsides of the border,to isolation with your family? beendoingyoga fortwo hoursandreading sistent in rural India. Is urban India anydif- Tamil Nadu reportedthe highestpercent- Dalits in urban areas. Forthe Statetode- trot offtoWagah and lightcandles to con- Ihavebeen cooking and enjoying alot.Recently, Iread abookbyPraveen ferentforDalits?WheredoDalitsliveinur- ageofDalitsamongthe total slum popula- sign andimplement social policiestoup- veyawarm andfuzzy idea of friendship meals with my family. Imostlymakesim- Kumar,Anurag Pathak’s Twelfth Fail.Ihave ban areas in India? Aretheyevenly tion,with39.8%and31.9%,respectively.The liftDalitsinurban India, it is essential to and goodwill. After26/11mostIndians see ple vegetarian dishes like dal, chawal and got some newbooksthat have been pub- distributedacrosstheurbanfabric,suggest- datashowthat amajority of the slum produce meticulous spatial and socioeco- Pakistanasacountrywith whom there bhujia, whichisastaple dietinBihar.I lishedbyRajkamalPrakashanandRajpal& ing social inclusion and integration?Orare dwellersinthesetwostateswereDalits and, nomic surveys and studies on urbanDalit will always be hostilities. This should spent alot of time with my daughterand Sons. Since Ihaveread mostofthe popular theyconcentrated in marginalisedurban especially,forPunjabthefigurewasashigh households and ward-levelprojections on makeiteasier forthe Prime Ministerto realisedthatshe has developedagood titlesinHindiliterature,thesedays Ilookfor spaces thatmanifest povertyand exclu- as nearly halfofthe total slum population. urban Dalit population. demand radicalchanges in the waythat sense of humour. booksbyyoungandcontemporaryauthors. sion?Thedatafromthe2011 Censusproves In Maharashtra, 57.8 lakh urban resi- national security is handled. Whyhas this the latter to be true,suggesting that Indian dentswereDalitsand32.2%of themlivedin The writer is an urban researcher witha notyet happened? Do youtakeany specific precautions Whatisthe firstthing youwant to do cities exclude Dalitsintheir spatialfabric. slums. AndhraPradesh and Madhya Pra- postgraduatedegree in Urban Policy and Whyhas the Home Minister, who while youtravel? whenthe pandemic is past? The2011Censusdatafromseverallarge deshhad the highestlevel of spatial mar- Governance from TISS,Mumbai. some see as Iron Man 2.0, wasted time Earlier this month,wetravelledtoGoa. Iwant to travel freely,withoutany fear. statessuggestthatDalitsdisproportionately ginalisationof Dalits astheyreported47.1% huntingillegal immigrantsfrom We were bored andthoughtofgoing on a Iwant to exploredifferent parts of India. I live inslums.Thedataalsohighlightthat1) and40.7%, respectively, of urbanDalits re- Bangladeshinstead of reforming the shortvacation.Since we travelledinour can pickany destination—mountains, a the percentageofDalitsliving in slums is sidinginslums—nearly half of thetotalur- Suraj Yengde, author of Caste Matters, methods usedto train our police? Whyare ownvehicle,Ididn’thavetoworry much. desertoraforest. moreand,inmostcasestwicetheirpercent- banDalitsineachstate. curatesthe fortnightly 'Dalitality' column theyforcedtoworkinpunishingcondi- tions and live with their families in squalid quarters when they areour frontline sol- diersinthis ugly war? Everynow and then the Prime Ministerdeclares at some inter- national forum that the worldneeds to On the come togethertocombatthe menace of Acceptanceofsize, easier saidthan done jihadist terrorism. Thesedeclarations LOOSE would have moremeaning if theywereac- companiedbyreal changes on the ground. LEHERKALA has allthe media attention. themotivationsmaynot have beenthepur- notgood enough, and therelies precisely of minewho’sanopen,recoveredanorexic Islamistterrorism exists all overthe [email protected] AGooglesearch for“firstrecorded eat- suitof thinness,butpurificationorreligious the reason forthe mental health crisis fac- notedthatevenherwell-wishers,whileex- world. But, everycountryhas itsown par- ingdisorder” revealsevidence of an upper reasons,orwhatever pressures the socio- ing India’s youth. Similarly,the questtobe pressing concern forher health,would in- ticular battles to fight. In India we aredeal- class Roman girldieting herself to death in cultural climateexerted then. acertain size leads to aself-defeatingcycle variablyend aconversation by askingher ing with acountrythat has shown that it IN THE very watchable fourth season of the Hellenistic era, around 323 BC. Anar- It is to be marvelledatthatittook this of faddietsthatsucksthejoyoutof somany fordiettips.Infact, many, if notall women will neverhesitate to send suicidalji- The Crown,Lady Diana’sstruggles with bu- rowsilhouettewithaprotrudingcollarbone long to challengeanaesthetic ideal that so otherpleasuresof existence.Butcanuncon- fall in the categoryof failedanorexics. They hadists across the border to killinnocent limiaare exposedinunflinchingdetail,il- and afragile long neckhas been astandard ruthlesslyalienatesvast swathesof human- ditional body acceptance ever be areality? aspiretobeable to starvethemselvesand people in the mostbrutal ways.After luminating the tragicallywide chasm be- of beauty in China since the Hun dynasty, ity.Atitscore,themessageofBodyPositivity The truth is if youweretohand most become very thinbut theycan’tmanageit. 26/11the lesson we have learnedisthat tweenappearanceandreality.Thestoryline 2000 years ago. Notmuchhas changed. is an important one—thatwhatever one’s peopleamagicwandtheywon’twishaway It’stoo hardifyou’renot crazyenough. it is no longer about Kashmir. It isabout hasreignitedconversationoneatingdisor- China’s luxurybrand Shanghai Tang still size,itshould notinfringeupon one’s abil- Covidorask forworld peace but pray,fer- The BP messagingisright, to prioritise harming India in everyway possible and ders,thoughthesubjectisnolongertrendy. catersto ascandalouslyslenderframe:any- ity to leadafulfilling life. This lessthanrev- vently, that theybe10kilos lighter.I’m not health over looksand getonwithlife, but I the reasonwhy Mumbai has been on tar- In 2020 especially, admittingtoadesirefor oneslightlyoff inproportionmayonlygaze olutionary idea has onlymade headway in even referring to the morbidlyobese who reallywonderif anyonegenuinelybelieves getsince the synchronizedbombings on an idealizedshapeisdistinctly un-woke. longinglyattheirelegantdesigns.Similarly, the lastdecade. Currently, BP activists on really needtobethinner.Rather,that vast it.Itmayevenbeworthaskingif there isany March 12,1993, is with the specific aim of Whentheworldisthreatenedbypandemic the corset wasindispensibletoshowoff a Instagramarequasicelebritiesthemselves. majoritywho arecloser to plumpthan fat. point trying to bridgethesegaps between weakening India’s economy. It saddens apocalypseand race riots have broken in perfect figurein19th centuryEurope. Byfearlesslyrevellinginallshapesandsizes From what Ican see, this obsession with our limitationsand desires—everything is me to saythat Mumbai remains as vul- thesecurestdemocracyintheworld,onlya What’s clear is that since the inception of theybringtruth to thefore, that striving for svelteness applies to all (adult) agegroups notresolvable. Perhaps, it might be more nerable todayasitwas on those awful tone deaf narcissist willfixateontawdry thehumanracepeoplehave triedvaliantly physical perfection is atorturous aim that andgenders,andcutsacrossclassandcaste freeingto acceptthatconflictingfeelingson days 12 years agowhen seniorpolice of- weight gain problems. Nowadays,it’s the to be attractive,and irrespectiveofthe era, occupieswaytoomuchheadspace.It’sakin lines. Point to note,you nevermeetpeople body imagewillbethe lotofmankind till ficerssat helplessly in their vehicles un- BodyPositivity Movement that beganasa attractive meantslim.Andthroughouthis- to the pressurefinal year school students who saytheyare desperatetoput on kingdom come. able to understand who the enemywas reactionto unrealisticbeautystandardsthat tory,eating disorders have existedthough aremade to feel: anything less than a99is weight.It’sbecausetheydon’texist.Afriend The writer is director,HutkayFilms or where.This couldhappen again. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THESUNDAY EXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 14 THE WORLD
TOPOFTHE WORLD Iran’ssupremeleader promisesretaliationfor nuclearscientist’skilling AyatollahKhamenei vows to continue Fakhrizadeh’swork
EMMANUELMACRON French President PARISAHAFEZI DUBAI,NOVEMBER28
FRANCE IRAN’S SUPREME leader prom- Imagesofpolice isedonSaturdaytoretaliatefor the killing of the Islamic beatingBlack Republic’s topnuclear scientist, who the West andIsrael be- manshamefulfor lievedwas the architect of ase- France:Macron cret Iranian programme to make weapons. PRESIDENT EMMANUEL Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Macron said on Friday Iran’s topauthority who says that images showing Paris Tehran has neversought nuclear Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Twitter that Iranian officials police beatingupaBlack arms, also pledged in his state- musttakeupthe task of “pursuingthis crime and punishing music producer were THAI PROTESTS INTENSIFY DESPITE THREATS ment on Twitter to continuethe itsperpetrators and those who commandedit”. Reuters shameful forFrance, and work of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, that government would Thai anti-government protesters demonstratedinBangkok’s outskirtsonSaturday with aduckparadeand speeches whodiedonFridayafter gun- have to find away to re- demandingthe removalofPrimeMinisterPrayuth Chan-ocha, anew constitution and reforms to the monarchy. Protests man ambushedhim in his car US sanctionsRussian, Chinesefirms storepublic confidence in have been steppedupthis week despitethreatsbyPrayuth, aformer juntaruler, to use all available laws againstprotesters near Tehran. the force. Prosecutors are who break them and chargesofinsulting the monarchy againstseveral protestleaders. Protesters areseeking the removalof The killing,whichIran’s for links to Iran missile programme investigatingthe violent Prayuth,accusing him of engineering an election last year to keep powerthat he seized from an elected government in a President wasswifttoblame on arrest of Michel Zecler, 2014 coup. He has said thevotewas fair and he willnot resign. AP Israel, threatens to sparkanew Washington: The US has im- whichremains asignificant who said he wasalso Middle Eastconfrontation in the posedsanctionsonfour com- proliferation concern. We will raciallyabusedbythe of- final weeksofUSPresident panies from China and Russia continue to useall our sanc- ficers, afterCCTVfootage DonaldTrump’s term. forsupporting Iran’s missile tions toolstoprevent Iran from of the incident wasre- Ethiopian troops Itcouldalsocomplicateany ef- programme that remains a advancing itsmissile capabil- leased. The police watch- Brexit:UK, EU resume trade fortsbyPresident-elect Joe Biden “significant proliferation con- ities,” Pompeo said. dog is also investigating. begin offensive to revive adetentewith Tehran cern”,SecretaryofState Mike ThecompaniesareChengdu Four police officers were that wasforgedwhen he wasin Pompeo has said. BestNew Materials Co Ltdand being held forquestioning talks with time running out on Tigray Barack Obama’s administration. The announcement was ZiboElimTradeCo,Ltd.inChina as partofthe investiga- TrumppulledWashington out of made on Fridayasthe US con- and Nilco Group, whichisalso tion, the Paris Prosecutor’s capital: officials the 2015 internationalnuclear tinues to take tough measures known as Nil FamKhazar office said. REUTERS pact agreedwith Tehran. againstIranfor continuingtheir Companyand Santers Holding JILLLAWLESS Two major points of disagreement Khamenei said in hisTwitter activitiesrelatedto nucleararms. andJointStockCompanyElecon LONDON,NOVEMBER28 REUTERS postthatIranianofficials must “The US has sanctioned in Russia, whichhavebeen ac- ADDISABABA/NAIROBI, take up thetask of “pursuing this four entities in China and cusedoftransferring sensitive IRAQ TEAMS FROM Britain and the THE DRAWN-OUTne- itsregulationsinareas NOVEMBER28 crime and punishing itsperpe- Russia fortheir supportof technology and items to Iran’s Cleric’ssupporters European Union resumedface- gotiations betweenthe suchasworkers’rights, trators and thosewho com- Iran’s missile programme, missile programme. PTI to-facetalksonapost-Brexit UK and the EU regard- competition and envi- ETHIOPIANGOVERNMENTforces mandedit.” clashwith trade deal Saturday, with both ingapost-Brexit trade ronmental policy must begananoffensive to capturethe Israel’s N12news channel protesters,5killed sides sounding gloomyabout deal has seen both sides matchthe EU’s.But regionalcapitalMekelleinthere- said Israeli embassies had been “Onceagain, the evil hands of Biden’s transition team. striking an agreementinthe lit- agree to around95% of the hardlineBrexiteers saysuchan belliousnorthernTigray regionon put on high alertafter the Iranian Global Arrogance and the Zionist “Whether Iran is temptedto SUPPORTERS OF afire- tle time that remains. terms, but thereare twomajor alignment wouldbeabetrayal Saturday, saidadiplomatindirect threatsofretaliation.AnIsraeli mercenaries were stained with take revengeorwhether it re- brand Iraqi cleric shotdead EU chief negotiatorMichel issues that areholding up the of Brexit. The other point that is contact with residents, and the Foreign Ministryspokesman the blood of an Iranian son,” he strains itself, it will makeitdiffi- five peopleonSaturday, ac- Barnier returnedtoLondon to deal. The biggest sticking point holding up the deal is the UK’s leaderofTigrayan forces. said the ministerdid notcom- said,usingtermsofficialsem- cult forBiden to return to the nu- cordingto medicalofficials, meet his UK counterpartDavid is the EU’s insistence on “level resistance to continued EU ac- Debretsion Gebremichael, ment on security regarding its ploytorefer to Israel. clear agreement,” Amos Yadlin, in overnight clashes with Frost. Talkshavebeen held virtu- playingfield” rules if the UK is cess to Britain’s fishing waters. leader of the Tigray People’s representation abroad. Israel has declinedtocom- aformer Israeli militaryintelli- anti-government protest- ally forthe pastweek as Barnier to accessthe bloc’svastmar- However, therehavebeen Liberation Front (TPLF), told Iranian President Hassan ment on thekilling.The White gence chief and director of ers in southern Iraq. The completedaspell of self-isolation ket.This would mean that the signsthat the EU maybewill- ReutersinatextmessageMekelle Rouhani told atelevisedcabinet House,Pentagon, US State Israel’s Institutefor National anti-government demon- afteramember of his team tested UK will have to makesurethat ing to compromise on this. wasunder “heavy bombard- meeting that Iran would re- Department and CIA alsode- Security Studies, wroteon strators attempted to bloc positivefor thecoronavirus. ment”. The Ethiopian military is spond“at the proper time”. clinedtocomment,asdid Twitter. REUTERS the path of arallysupport- Covid-19isjustone complica- usingartilleryinthe assault, he ing Shia Muslim leader tion in negotiations that remain approved and ratifiedbylaw- agreeing to abide by itsrules, and saidinasubsequenttextmessage. Moqtada al-Sadr.The anti- snagged over keyissuesinclud- makers in Britain and the EU. wantsstrict guarantees on “level The diplomatsaid explosions government protesters ingfishingrightsandfair-compe- If thereisnodeal, New playing field” standardsthe UK were reportedinthe north of the In fresh blow to Trump, US court were campedoutatamain tition rules. Barnier said Friday Year’s Daywill bring hugedis- mustmeettoexportintothe EU. city,inthe Hamidai area. Asec- squareinthe city of thatthe remote talkshad made ruption,with the overnight im- The UK claims the EU is fail- ond diplomat also said the attack Nasiriya,whichhasbeenan little progress and the “same sig- position of tariffs and other bar- ingtorespect itsindependence had begun. rejects Pennsylvania election case epicentreofthe youth-led nificant divergences persist”. riers to UK-EU trade. Thatwill andmaking demands it has not Billene Seyoum, aspokes- protestmovementthathas The UK left the EU early this hurtbothsides, but the burden placedonother countries with womanfor the PM’s office, said: fusedtoconcede to his soughtto sweepasideIraq’s year,but remainedpartofthe will fall mostheavilyonBritain, whom it has free trade deals, “TheEthiopian National Defence TOMHALS Democratic rivaland continues ruling sectarianelite. AP bloc’s economicembrace during whichdoes almost halfits trade suchasCanada. Forces do nothaveamission to NOVEMBER28 to claim, without evidence, an 11-month transition as the with the EU. British PrimeMinisterBoris bombardits owncityand people. widespread voter fraud. BRITAIN twosides tried to negotiate a While both sideswantadeal, Johnson told Irish leader Micheal Mekelleremainsoneof Ethiopia’s AFEDERAL appeals courton But as his legal challenges to UKappoints newfree-trade deal to take effect theyhavefundamental differ- Martin on Fridaythat he re- keycities and the effortstobring Fridayrejectedanattempt by US the resultsfail, Trumpsaid on January1.Talkshavealready ences about what it entails. The mainedcommitted“to reaching to justice the criminalclique will President Donald Trump’s cam- Thursday he will leave the White vaccinesminister slippedpastthe mid-November 27-nationEUaccuses Britain of adeal that respectsthe sover- notentail discriminatory‘bom- paign to blockPresident-elect House if the Electoral College THE BRITISH government datelong seen as adeadline to seeking to retain access to the eignty of the UK,” Johnson’s of- bardment’ as alludedbyTPLF and Joe Biden from being declared votes forBiden when it meets on appointed avaccines min- secureadeal in time forittobe bloc’s vast marketwithout fice said. REUTERS their propagandists.” the winner of Pennsylvania, December 14,the closesthehas isteronSaturdayasitpre- dealing another significant set- come to conceding the election. pares to inoculatemillions backtoTrump’s bid to overturn On Monday,Trump’s admin- of people againstthe coro- the November 3election. istration cleared the wayBiden navirus, potentiallystart- WHO says would be ‘highly speculative’ “Free, fair elections arethe TheTrumpcampaign has to transition to theWhiteHouse, ing within days.Prime lifeblood of our democracy. triedand failed to convince givinghim access to briefings MinisterBoris Johnson Chargesofunfairnessare seri- judges of election and funding even as Trump said Conservative law- to say Covid-19 did not emerge in China ous. But calling an election un- irregularities in Michigan, vowedtocontinue fighting the maker Nadhim Zahawi fair does notmakeitso,”wrote Georgia, Arizona and Nevada election results. will oversee the country's Stephanos Bibas on behalf of a Biden wonthe election 306- biggestvaccine program in Covid-19could have first three-judge panel. 232 in electoral votes, including decades. The UK medi- REUTERS China is pushing a emergedoutside China. “Chargesrequire specific al- Ellis, aTrumpcampaign attorney, Pennsylvania’s 20. cines regulator is currently GENEVA,NOVEMBER28 narrative via state “It is clear from apublic legations andthenproof. We on Twitterafter the ruling, refer- WhileTrumpandhissupport- assessing twovaccines — health perspective that youstart have neitherhere,” wroteBibas, ring to aplannedappeal to theUS erscontinueto wage legalbattles, one developedbyPfizer THE WORLD Health media that the virus your investigations wherethe who wasnominated by Trump. SupremeCourt. “Theactivistju- time is runningout as states as and BioNTech, the other by Organisation’s topemergency existedabroad before it human cases firstemerged,” he The Trumpcampaign and its dicial machineryin Pennsylvania states have until December 8to expertsaid on Fridayitwould be added, saying that evidence supporters have triedand failed continuestocover up the allega- resolve election disputes. OxfordUniversity and wasdiscoveredinthe AstraZeneca —tosee if “highly speculative”for the Mike Ryan, WHO’s top might then lead to other places. to convince judgesofelection ir- tionsofmassivefraud.” Legal experts have said the theyare safeand effective. WHO to saythe coronavirus did emergency expert central city of Wuhan He repeated that the WHO regularities in Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania certified Biden, cases have no chance of success The Guardian reportedthat notemerge in China, whereit intendedtosend researchers to Arizona and Nevada, all critical whowon the stateby80,000 and maybeaimedatundermin- hospitals have been told wasfirstidentifiedinafood mar- the Wuhan food markettoprobe to Biden’s victory. votes, as itswinner this week. ing confidence in the election. theycould receive the first ketinDecember lastyear. Wuhan, citing the presence of “I think it’s highlyspeculative the virus origins further. “Voters, notlawyers, choose Under Pennsylvania law, the Polls have showedamajorityof doses of the Pfizer shotthe China is pushinganarrative coronavirusonimportedfrozen forustosay that the disease did The WHO hasbeenaccused the President. Ballots, notbriefs, candidate who wins the popular Republicansbelieve Trumpwon week of December 7. AP via statemedia that the virus ex- food packaging and scientific pa- notemerge in China,” MikeRyan by the Trumpadministration of decide elections,” said the ap- voteinthe stategets all of the the election and manybelieve istedabroad before it wasdis- pers claiming it hadbeen circu- said at avirtual briefing in being “China-centric”,allega- peals courtopinion. state’s 20 electoral votes. the election wastainted,despite coveredinthe central city of lating in Europe lastyear. Geneva afterbeing asked if tions it has repeatedly denied. “On to SCOTUS!” wroteJenna Trump, aRepublican, has re- alackofevidence. REUTERS
THE ZAVATELLI CIRCUS IS ONE OF 3FAMILY OPERATIONS THAT DATE BACK TO 1800 AND WAS ONCE KNOWN AS THE CIRQUE DE PARIS The circus can’t leave town: 200-yr-old French show strandedinBelgian car park
Gembloux-and quicklyrun- and acrobats, aconjuror,clowns mals runs to about 500euros Belgium, likeFrance, is un- YVESHERMAN ning out of funds to feed its and atightrope-walker,and a ($600) per week.Thereare also der itssecond lockdown since GEMBLOUX,NOVEMBER28 animals. menagerie including camels, 23 circus stafftosupport. the coronavirus epidemic hit “For us,the confinementis llamas,buffaloes and ponies. “Wedon’tknowhow to Europe in February. THE EXOTIC animals arecon- very difficult because we are Floye Dubois, 19,a Nowthe staffare livingin makeendsmeet,”hesaid. Although shopsare ex- finedtosmall paddocks,the ac- notworking. We have no cash juggler at the trailers in the car park, stopping The Zavatelli Circus is one of pected to reopen soon, cultural robats have been grounded, and flow,”said circus director Kevin Zavatelli Circus, their skills from going rusty threefamily operationsthat operations such as circuses in the clowns aren’table to make Dubois. practises in a with outdoor pratice sessions in datebackto1800and wasonce Belgium mustremain closed an audience laugh anymore. The ZavatelliCircus typically parking lotin the crisp Autumnair. knownasthe CirquedeParis. until further notice. The coronavirus has pitches its600-seater Big Topin Gembloux, The animalsare kept in en- The twoothers,Armanzo Dubois lamented thelackof brought the curtain down on 30 cities eachyear.But since Belgium,where closures under red-and white and Anderland, ownedbythe statefinancialsupport. the Zavatelli Circus, at leastfor March,when Covid-19cases thecircus has stripedawnings, with straw samefamily, arealso on the “Wehavenot receivedany the time being. beganrising in Europe, it has been maintained strewnoverthe car park’s rented siteinGembloux, about financialassistance (from the Unable to travel or perform only been abletoperformwith under lockdown ground. 50 km southofBrussels. authorities). Alot of people gave across Europe, the Frenchfam- areducedcapacity,ornot at all fornearly ayear “Frankly, it is becoming an Whilethe circus couldre- us bread,carrots, theybring us ily-run operationiswaiting out duringBelgium’sspringand au- amid the Covid-19 issue becausewehave60ani- turn home to France, it would seeds, hay. But in terms of the pandemic in acar parkin tumn lockdowns. pandemic. Reuters mals to feed,” Dubois said. notbepermitted to perform money, we did notget any- the southern Belgium town of The showfeatures jugglers The costoffood forthe ani- thereeither. thing,”Dubois said. REUTERS THE SUNDAYNOVEMBER 29, 2020EXP| WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.RESSCOM | PAGE 1MA5 GAZINE
POINT OF VIEW SPOTLIGHT TuesdayOnceMore Dressed to Sprint Historycontinues to be written within the Behind the rise of women runnersinIndia magical walls of the cabinet room, eye is aquiet fashion revolution
One of the hallmarks of modern politics is the constant glare of scrutiny that it attracts. In his poignant and measured presidential memoir,former US president Barack Obama examines the weight of expectations riding on him and his efforts to match up to it
LOOKING AT CHANGEPETESOUZA/THEWHITEHOUSE
Pratap Bhanu Mehta givenmelove. Once Toot wasgone, there Power’s moreexpansive ideas of philan- tendedreflection on the nature of modern would beno oneleftwhorememberedthat thropybywar,Obama,nevertheless, wants politics. One of the remarkable things about life,orremembered me in it.” to reachout foranAmerican mission. “I con- modern politics is that it is conductedunder HERE IS amoment in Barack The firsthalf of the book is ariveting ac- sideredthisasignofmoralprogress.Formost the constant glareofscrutiny. Ironically, it is Obama’s APromised Land count of afairy-tale political career that sees of America’s history,the thought of using notactionsthat arescrutinisedasmuchas (Viking,Rs1,999),when he Obama move from astate legislator to the combat forces to stop agovernment from wordsand persona, and literallyeveryword goes to meet (Czech states- president. The account of his political rise is killing itsown people would have been a or amisspoken sentence can have political man) VáclavHavel. As he is probablythe strongestand mostself-reflec- non-starter—becausesuch state-sponsored consequences.Thereisanelective affinity Tleaving, Obama thanksHavel tive section of the book,moresothan his violence happenedall the time; because US between this kind of politics and Obama’s forhis advice and promises him that time as president, when the weight of his- policymakersdidn’tconsiderthedeathof in- ownpersonal hyperawareness, wherehe America will pursue democratic values. tory and the Official SecretsAct takesover. nocent Cambodians, Argentinians, or can turn the gaze of the other on himself. But Obama writes, “‘You’ve been cursedwith Though thereare ashareofdisappointments Ugandans relevant to our interests;and be- calibrating oneself to that scrutinycan also people’s high expectations,’ he (Havel) said, early in his political career,thereneverseems cause many of the perpetrators were our al- makeone look less authentic, morecalcu- shakingmy hand. ‘Becauseit meanstheyare to have been anydoubt about his trajectory. lies in the fight againstcommunism.” lating. Perhaps, partofDonald Trump’s ap- also easilydisappointed.It’s something I’m As Emil Jones, in the Illinois legislatureput To hiscredit, Obama is brutallyscathing peal wasjustthat put-on refusal of the de- familiar with. Ifear it can be atrap.’” it, “Barack’s different, He’s goingplaces.” The APFILE aboutprevious American interventionism, mands of self-awareness. In the case of Obama, expectations from personal drama of this partcomes from the HOPEAND GLORY including thebloodyCIA-backedcoups in Obama appears liberal by conviction and his tenurewereunusuallyhigh. Hereisa constant examinationofhis ownmotives for (Top) President-elect Barack Obama backstage at the US Capitol before walking out to takethe Indonesia. But on Libya,that cautionfails conservative by temperament,in this sense. politician with aresplendent personality:a goingintopolitics and doubling down on it, oath of office, January 20, 2009; with his wife Michelle and two daughters in November2012 him. He consultseveryone. It is striking in Themoralburden he carries is of the politics sparkling intelligence that shines in almost especiallyagainstMichelle Obama’s scepti- Obama’s account howmuchofthe of avoidingthe lesser evil.This is, at onelevel, everyutterance, an unusual de- cism.But as always,thereisaclin- American establishment,from Susan Rice to aresponsible attitude. But it runs the risk that gree of emotional intelligence ical clarity to hisapproachtopol- and tamingWall Street.The RecoveryAct, a startling onlywhen youconsider the mon- HillaryClinton to the incoming Secretaryof liberal politics justifies itself always against that allows him to size up people itics, and his sense of timing and programme of extraordinaryeconomic and umental and tragic irony: themostreason- StateTonyBlinken, retainedthe interven- alesser evil in relation to which one looks and situations, enviable powers politicalmomentum is unerring. political finesse, wasaconsiderable achieve- able of presidentssubject to the mostparti- tionistinstinct. Therewas significant interna- better.Itcedes ambitionand anyrisk-taking of articulation,and acharacter His firstcampaignfor political of- ment. But this section will give grist to the san rancour, acommitment to justice that tional consensus on the issue, with both the to the right wing. And, finally, thereisthe that has remainedremarkably fice confirmedwhat he already mills of those who think Obama showedtoo leavesnoone satisfied, and asophistication European and Arab states supporting inter- vexedissue of national myths. It is remark- unsulliedforsomeone in politics. knewabout himself —“that muchNew-Testamentforbearance towards on the issue of race that neitherassuages vention.Thereisanassessment of likely able that Obama has aforeboding as early as But APromised Land,abeautifully whatever preference Ihad forfair Wall Street.For Obama, prudence rather whiteanxieties nor blackfears. causal consequences: the belief that if war 2010,that the global fate of democracy is written, poignant and measured play, Ididn’t liketolose.” thanjustice is the firstvirtue. But it is on foreign policy that the book is started, Muammar al-Gaddafi’s instinctsfor fragile. Eastern Europe, Turkey look likethey presidential memoir,one of the In his time in office, politics The thirdaxis of tension is on race. moredisappointing.Partlybecause thereis self-preservation would kickinand he arebacksliding, and Obama wonders if even best in that distinctive American becomesthe tense drama be- Obama’s election wasitself epochal. But he atemplatequality to his writing: abrief but would negotiateasafeexit.This is an as- India’s success is aflukethat can crumble. genre, oftenreads in the overall tween the audacity of hope and has to repress his owndepth of feeling on formulaic history of the partofthe worldhe sumption that turns out to be fatallywrong. His faith in America is severely testedby the arcofits narrative,asananswer the grim obduracy of powerpol- racial issues to getthere. The mostdifficult is writing about, followedbydeftcharacter Obama wasprobablyalso prematureinclos- issueof race.Buthe has internalisedtheone to theweightof expectationsthat itics. Thereare three areas where momentsinthe book arewhen Obama has sketcheswhichare brilliant,notleastbecause ing offalternativestowar.But hovering in lessonthat thememoirs of almostany ma- Haveltalksabout. Obama promisedchangebut also bears the to thread the delicatenee- of his eyefor physical de- the background is that temptation that jor statesman will exude in full measure: to ●●● The book has manypurposes and many weightofdisappointedexpectations.The dle on racial issues. He ex- tail,and,then,areiteration American intervention can bethe harbinger aspiretoleadership youmusthold ontothe pleasures. It attemptstobean“honestren- firstispolitical style. All throughout, Obama emplifies theburden of of America’s role in that of moral progress. Thecontrastbetween his national myth, the storyofits exceptional- dering” of Obama’s time in office. It is a maintains astudiedcommitment to reason- double consciousness: In his time in office, partoftheworld.Whilehe ownposition and theold establishment’s, ism and greatness, even in the face of great chronicle of what it is liketobethe president. ableness: afaith in the powerofargument, having to think of what is good at giving many however, is adistinction without difference odds. Youhavetoshowthat your land is in- But before we gettothe politicalstory,itis of being above the fray,ofbuilding bridges, whitepeople think of him, race is another axisof sides of the argument on asbecomes clearin the caseof Libya,Yemen deed“apromisedland”. worthemphasising the poignancy of muchtothe consternationofhis ownside. andone almostsenses the tension.Obama’s anyissue, his ownworld and his use of drone strikes. Obama seems The leftwillthink that Obama is making Obama’shuman story, made vivid by nov- The thing he regretsmostisconveying the strain of overthinking. He viewseems to collapse to think he movedthe needle on America’s toomanyexcuses, as if saying, the country elistic writing. It is awonderful storyoffam- idea thathedisrespects someone’s beliefs. is leftinnodoubt that his electionwas itself underthe weight of con- foreign-policy consciousness by making it wasnot ready forme; the right will argue ilyrelationships, the occasional strains and And yet, howdoes this attitude work in a success is an affront to straints, and his ownde- moremoral, but,perhaps,he forgetsthat the Obama is shifting the blame to them.But tensionsbutalsotheboundless love.Hisad- media environment committedtoinflam- some people; he has to epochal.But he has to siretorenewthe myth of previous framework that Obamais scathing both might do well to heedthe advice of one mirablywarminterestinpeopleofall kinds, matorypropaganda, and in the face of a craftpolicy and his own moral America. Take an about did also cloak itself under the garb of of the greatestAmericannovelists,John in their individuality,isremarkable.The high Republican PartyembodyingaMitch conduct in away that represshis own depth example—Obamahasad- righteousness and the fate of humanity. Williams in his novel Augustus (1972): “It point of the narrative thread in this storyis McConnell type of attitude, “LikeIcare”? dampens rather than po- mittedelsewherethatthe It is to Obama’s credit thathepresents seems to me that the moralististhe most Obama’srelationshipwithhisgrandmother, Literallyevery single item on the Obama larises the racial divide — of feeling on racial intervention in Libya was his case as clearly andstrongly asanyone can, useless and contemptible of creatures. He who had raisedhim in Hawaii. He writes “in agenda —fromthe size of the Recoveryand noteasy to do when the amistake.Buthere,hepo- but does notpronounce it atriumphal suc- is useless in that he would expend his ener- tough spots,Itend to channelmygrand- Reinvestment ActtoObamacare to racial is- divide seems over deter- issues to get there sitionshimself onceagain cess. His onlynote of self-congratulation, gies upon making judgmentsrather than mother.” But it would be aheartless soul sues—is hostagetothe partisanship.The mined. He wantseco- via abit of triangulation. and,perhaps,deservedly, is theability to stay upon gaining knowledge,for the reasonthat whose eyes do notwell up with tears at the second tension is between Obama’s seem- nomic and social policies ●●● Ontheonehandhedistin- calm in the face of hisownforeboding.There judgment is easy and knowledge is diffi- paragraphsdescribing her last days,and ing commitment to economic justice and on welfareand crime that guishes his position from is atellingdetail that Obama apparentlylow- cult.” APromised Land is an ode to the diffi- what she meant to himasamoral lodestar his deference to aprudence borne out afear will benefit African Americans, but always SamanthaPower’s(aDemocrat,sheservedas ers his voice the angrier he gets.This is, ad- culty of judgement, even as it makes appar- and as awitness. He looksbacktohis own of the powerofthe financial sector.After the couchedinuniversal terms so that they theUSambassadorattheUnitedNationsbe- mittedly,onlythe firstvolume, andafull case ent whereitfalters. childhood with her —“Another time, an- 2009 global financial crisis, Obama resists could bethebasis of broad coalitions. So, the tween 2013 and ’17). He remarks that the forthe prosecutionand defence will have to otherlife.Modestand withoutconsequence the calls forwhat he calls “Old Testament political storythat Obamatellsof his timein Responsibilityto Protectwasadoctrinewith- await the second volume. PratapBhanuMehtaiscontributingeditor, to the rest of the world. But one that had Justice” —the calls forpunishing bankers office is notstartling in itsrevelations. It is out definedparameters. Havingdefused But,in itsown way, thismemoiris anex- The Indian Express EYE,THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 29, 2020 POINT OF VIEW 16
EYE SPY EVERY FORTNIGHT, WE PICK, YOU WATCH Liar’s Dice
BEHINDCLOSED DOORS Nicole Kidman (left) in The Undoing Do we really know the people we love, asks HBO’s The Undoing
Shubhra Gupta
FYOU,likeme, have been devouring TheUndoing, the HBOseries streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, then this is tenterhookstime. The big reveal is right Iaround the corner:who killedthe girlinthe studio, the husband, the lover, or someone else? The six-partseries, basedonJean HanffKorelitz’s 2014 novel YouShould Have Known,isaracy thriller.And in the defthands of writer and executive producer David E Kelleyand director Susanne Bier,itbecomes morethan a whodunit:the portraitsofpeople it draws, peeling offlay- PHOTOS COURTESYRASHTRAPATIBHAVAN ers one afteranother,shows us that there’s no telling with humans. Even if we’veloved and livedwith eachother for years, do we reallyknowsomeone? Grace (Nicole Kidman, with aco-producing credit) is a skilledtherapistwho operates in her tight little wedgeof Tu esday Once More old Manhattan money, hobnobbing with other diamond- dripping mums at the ultra-snobbyschool her son at- tends, when notcounselling griping couples. Her cosy life turns upside down afterafundraiser evening held in a sum in 1930. Meanwhile, PercyBrown, who tony brownstone, accompaniedbyhandsome oncologist History continues to be writtenwithin the had retiredasthe principal of the Government husband Henry(Hugh Grant), who rapidlybecomes the school of ArtinCalcuttain1927and wasserv- prime suspect in the brutal murder. magical walls of the cabinet room, where a ing as theCurator of the Victoria Memorial Murder mysteries followcertain tropes. The morein- hall, offeredtopaint the room withIndian nocent youappear in the beginning, the moreyou will be kaleidoscope of lands and stories await painters and craftsmen forhalf the price. of interesttoinvestigating agencies. Cops showup, de- Between June and October of 1930, thepaint- manding answers to questions Grace has neverhad to ings on the walls of the cabinetroom were face in her seemingly perfect marriage: is her missing Praveen Siddharth demarcatethe boundaries between India and brought to lifebyIndian painters hired by husband reallyatanout-of-townmedical conference? Eastand West Pakistan. At that time, largede- Brown,mostofwhom hadnevertravelledbe- Did he knowthe victim, asensuous young woman well tailedmapshad been laid out in the space yond their owncountry. Yet, Ican't help but awareofher wares? Justhow well did he knowher? TISTuesdayand our weekly afternoon nowinvadedbyteacups and plates, holding wonder howmanydreams these walls have The ironyofaprofessional, who has so successfully ritualinthe cabinet room of the leftovercrumbs. Men satdowninmeetings givenwings to. helpedmend rockyrelationships that she got abest-sell- Rashtrapati Bhavanbegins. Seated across thistable agonising over athin pencil The walls continue to maintain their mag- ing book out of it, being oblivious to the gaps in her own around amajestic rectangular hard- line, whose shape decidedthe destinyofmil- icalspellovermeand Ican't seem to peel my marriage, is notlostonus. Kidman, with her flaming Iwood table thatcan easilyaccommo- lions acrossthe subcontinent.The maninthe ernance of the country inchbyinch. eyes offthem. Thereare magnificentsea drag- Medusa-liketresses, wearing long colourful trenchcoats AN EYE ON date50people, we aregathered forastaff hotseat thenwas SirCyrilRadcliffe,aBritish THE WORLD Gradually, moreIndians were includedinthe ons, resplendent tigers, moustachioedmen whichmakeher stand out from the other pale-cashmere- meeting.The agendafor today’s meeting is lawyer who had neverset foot in Asia before. counciluntil 1946, when the interim govern- peering intothe horizon, alluring sea nymphs clad women that she knows,keeps us riveted. With each (Top) In 1947, the displayedonalarge LCDscreenplaced at the He wasbrought in by the Viceroy Lord ment begantofunction with justthe and fleets of camels. Etchedonthe north walls passing day, she is discovering ugly newfacts:it’s notjust farend of the table.Sometimes, the topicof Mountbatten to do the ingloriousjob of dis- Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Governor-General and the Commander-in- of theroomisthe air routefromDelhi to her husband who has kept his secrets; her belovedart-afi- discussion concerns an up- secting India. As the poet cabinet room had Chief remainingBritish. Today, only familiar London with haltsatGwadar,Alexandria, cionado billionairefather (Donald Sutherland, excellent) coming visit of ahead of WH Auden wrote:“But in served as the final faces areseen in the room and all areas- Athens and Belgrade. Eachofthese cities is spilling the beans on his ownfractured life, is another low state. But, normally, thedis- sevenweeksitwas done,the venue for the suredly Indian. Likeanold warhorse that has representedbyacharmingmotif. Themaps blow. Will she be able to survive the circus-liketrial, and cussions areless exciting frontiersdecided; Aconti- Radcliffe seen itsshareofbattles,the table rests, hav- don't justreveal places, theymagicallytrans- loud courtroom shenanigans? but equallyimportant, nent forbetterorworsedi- ing witnessed thesun setoverthe empire. portmethere. One moment Iampartofa During the endless TVchatter this kind of celebrity commission, set up suchasadministrative is- vided. The next dayhesailed As the discussions continue, my eyes wan- groupofnomads leading their yaksacrossthe crime leads to acharacter says,“No one wantstopunish suesofthe vast President's forEngland, wherehe to demarcate the der to thewalls of the room. And these walls Taklamakan and the next Iamfacetoface the wealthy”. That statement could also be true forthe estate or upkeep of the quickly forgot;The case, as a boundaries between arelikenoneyouwould have everseen.Large with aNagawarrior in his tribal attire. Turning good-looking. Grant, best knownfor his self-effacing, self- grand main building and its good lawyer must” India and East and maps of the subcontinent arepaintedon them my gaze, Iheroicallyescape banditsprowl- consciouslygorgeous self in suchfrothyromcoms as Four numerous rooms. Living History (Partition,1966). Sipping West Pakistan; but notthe boring kinds thrustonevery ing above the Arabianlands to board await- Weddings And AFuneral (1994) and Notting Hill (1999), is a Fifteen minutes intothe my tea, Ihopedhistoryand details from the maps schoolchild. These arepainted in bright ing seaplane that flies me over the Sphinx. counter-intuitively good choice foraman who maybea meeting,green teaand the poets would judge us, painted on the walls colourswithplayfulcartoonsmarkingout im- Justlikethat, thewhole room comes alive vicious murderer.His face, older and morelinedthan samosas arewheeledin, An Indian Express sitting here todayinthe portant towns and sights. Sir Edwin Lutyens with akaleidoscope of lands and marvels. we’veseen in awhile, reflectshis character well: he providing awelcome di- collaboration with the same room, morekindly. of the cabinet room initiallyhad plannedtopaintmore sedate and And Iamnolonger bound by theagendaof knows he is acharm magnet, and charmers getawaywith version. The meeting per- RashtrapatiBhavan Meetings arearemark- ornatemaps inspiredbythe Galleria delle the 3pmmeeting. everything, don’t they? sists withthe speaker ablyenduring aspect of Carte Geografiche (galleryofmaps) in the Meanwhile, in another world, the meeting The partnership of Kidman and Kelleyhas resulted in oblivious to theexcitement government life.Theyhave Vatican, paintedby geographer Ignazio Danti drawstoaclose. Papers aregatheredand lap- highlyaddictive dramas (a certain frantic air about Grace causedbythe entrance of the liveriedatten- been taking place regularly in the cabinet between1580 and’83.He proposedthe name tops shut. My smallseaplanesputters and will remind youofher vulnerable-yet-strong character in dants.The longtable soon seesaflurryofac- room foralmostacentury.Previously, this of MacDonald Gill from London forthe job. In smokebillows out of the rotors. As the lights the 2017 HBOseries Big Little Lies,also written by Kelley, tivity with the clanging of silverwareand room wasknown as thecouncilroomand alettertothe Viceroy,Lutyens wroteabout in the cabinetroom areturnedoff,Iget out of and co-producedbyKidman) with good production val- clinking of cups. As Isip my tea, Imarvel that had served as the meeting room forthe the British graphic designerand cartographer: my seaplane and wait patientlyfor it to be ues, and starry actors. The biggeststaristhe writing, of thiswas thesame table on whichhistoryhad Viceroy's executive council, the de jure cabi- ‘…had along experience at suchworkand is Tuesday once more. course: the sixth and final episode lands tomorrow, and been written. Or rather,drawn up. In 1947, net. Therewas rarely an Indianface then.The nowengaged on some of the EmpireBoard we willknoweverything. Or will we? the cabinetroom had served as the final table in the room wasthe battleground maps’. But MacDonald Gill sent an estimate PraveenSiddharthisprivatesecretarytothe venue forthe Radcliffe commission, setupto across whichIndians triedtowrest the gov- of Rs 19,000 forthe job whichwas aprincely PresidentofIndia
half of the twowho brought me intothe world to breakhis will. He willed, and lifemostlyal- on November 29, 1972. ways smiledand willedhis dreams true. Memoriesof Wordsthatcomeeasilytome, whose And, so, hereIam, mourning his loss as I weight Inever take toolightly, mean so little markmybirth and celebratemygoodluckto todaycompared to the emotions Papa brings behischild.Ifindmyself lamentingandsmil- forth. Theyare mereant lines, and arebyno ing, crying but living —mindfullyand with My Father means the outlines that define the man or awareness. Awarethat it is ablessing to be the memories or the joyous sorrowthathe from him and to have seen him in action. leftbehind. Gratitude that it wasthrough my parentsthat He was never shy of hope, never short of brilliant and As aprovider,nurturer,visionary, father, Iwas placedintothis world. husband,son,neighbour,cousin,uncle,elder, Papa wasmychampion unlikeany other. never without asmile citizen, bureaucrat, and go-toperson forall, One side of the caring cointhat gave me the especiallythose who were bothered or mar- currency necessarytosee opportunities in PAPA.“DAD” seems tooremovedand cold for ginalisedbyanother —Papa wasasgoodafa- myself and all around me, and to then go af- aman with my father’s omnipresent ther or champion as one could wish for. terthose that mostmakemewhole and SLICEOFLIFE charisma. And, so, “Papa” is whatnaturally Lifeisoften harshesttothe best.Perhaps, comfortable in my ownskin. If ever Ithought comes out of my mouth when Iaddress him, it has an uncannysense that it can test the out of the norm, he washuman enough to as Isit here, thinking of him with longing that best with the worst. showhis surprise butwise enough to find will neverberequited. Papa battledsome of the worstmedical himself gliding smoothlyintothose roles he Almost10years have passedsince we lost outcomes of lifewiththe greateststrength. would have to juggle, with Mom as his part- him as we knewhim in his human form. Ten At everyturn forthe worse, he showeda ner in crime to ensuremysailing wasas years that seem justlikeyesterday,with pain newface of strength and courage, anew smooth as possible. that is fresh yetfar from festering. waytosee through thedark, thick haze to These special days,mybirthdayorthose Nowheisthat mysterywhichlies be- the lightbeyond. of others in the family, make me miss him fore,beyond, below, above, inside, and Nevershy of hope, nevershortofbrilliant, even more. Theyget me to that place whereI everywhereelse that the eyes seem unable neverwithout asmile, he wasready to shed feel Iamready to cry. And then in aflash,Papa to catch what theyknowtheysee and does tears when theyseemedthe best medicine to comes alive,and Ifind strengthinside me, actually exist. curewhatever ailedhim. His wasamasculin- gleanedfromhis lifeand from the strength Isee him on the other side of the mist, in ity at peace with his whole self. that is abundant in my peerlesslystrong and the dappledmagic of the light that comes Whereotherssaw umbraand hopeless- sagemother. through the dense woods. He is that silver ness, he found light to shareand shine towards On my birthdaytoday, as Idowhen life lining aroundthe darkest,dreariestclouds. SUVIRSARAN our shared advantage. seems to be at aprecarious place, it is their In seeing him, Ifind hope wheredoom might ought to feel lost. With humour he made the mosttedious strength that Icling to,their puissance which be easier to grasp. Howcan one define what once had a easy and the easy moremeaningful still. Iuse as my muse. In the ripples that take shape around the shape, scent, voice, look,touch, feel and aura, The memories aremyriad, the words Iambut ayear older.Nothing muchhas banksofrivers, in those thrilling waves that but is nowlosttoanintangible presence that mortallyfractured,the mind numbingly changed.Papa leftustoo soon, but his legacy SuvirSaran bring excitement and comfortatthe beach— lingers perennially? still in pain from aloss now10years old. is farfromdiminished. As Iwelcome this new there, too, Ifind Papa taking ashape, aform, Ifind myself painfullypainless, mournfully The worldisalittle less special with his year,Ihope to grow moreinPapa’s fashion. Suvir Saran is achef, author,educator and afamiliar note thatmakes me feel likeI matter-of-fact, and practically hopeful in physical absence. Lifewillgoon; it alwaysdoes.Papa livesas and world traveller belong, even in places and momentswhereI wordsasImiss the man Iowe my birth to.One Papa wouldhave notallowedthe tempest happilyashealwaysdid! EYE,THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE
17 SPOTLIGHT NOVEMBER 29, 2020 DOWN IN JUNGLELAND
RanjitLal
RanjitLal is an author, environmentalistand birdwatcher Children in the Wilderness Te ach the little ones to cherish pets as family and admire the wild creatures from adistance
OSTCHILDRENwhen lefttothemselvesin natural and wildhabitats, will sooneror later develop an affinity towardsnature. MWhether it is atoddler tasting aslug, or a DRESSED young teen envyingand admiring the flight of ahawk, or apre-teenchewingcasually on agrass stem or trying to hook afish, the animal-kingdom denizens (insect, rep- tile, avian, mammal, aquatic et al)will, at some point, evoketheir interest, too. Children’s attitude towards themwilldepend alot on what adultshavetold/taught TO SPRINT them about these creatures. Alas, even if intended to pro- tect their child, mostofthe time, the messages being passeddownare appalling. COURTESYSTRETCHERY Thus,all dogs will bite, catswill claw, tigers and lions will eat you, snakes arevenomous and so arelizards,in- wear and sneakers as an expression of their sectswill sting,spiders will suckyou dry, bulls will gore Behind the rise of women runners in India style—wearing it formultiple occasions like you, elephantswill trample you, and sharks andcrocodiles travel, an evening out and even as office will rip youtoshreds. So, be afraid, be very afraid and stay is aquiet fashion revolution wear,” he says. away from them at all timesortakethemdown. It devel- The risingpopularity of yoga,too, helped. ops asense of hostility and fear in them —wildcreatures Shivani Naik Abhishek Ganguly,general manager,Puma Malika Baruah, chief executive officer of (eventhe not-so-wild ones) automaticallybecome the en- Indiaand SoutheastAsia. AnkitaGaur, who Proyog, aBengaluru-basedathleisurebrand, emytobeeliminated.So, stone dogs and cats, shoottigers took to running in Delhibeforemoving to says,“Good athleisureabsolutelylends itself and lions (at leastinAfrica and America),club snakes to ACKIN2006, Sayuri Dalvi won- Bengaluru, says,“Notmanyknowjusthow to multitasking.” As gymsand yoga classes death,stomp on or spray at insects, dehorn bulls and deer, dered why, if it wasonlyabout important asports bracan be.Ifyou choose became moreupscale, women sought ath- trap and brutallytrain elephantstosalute, pounce upon putting one foot in front of the the right dry-fitapparel, endurance running leisurelooksthatwould be comfortable and and bind crocs with duct tape, and shootsharks(seewhat other,morewomen didn’t run. canbeanabsolutelypleasurable activity.” stylish, she says. the greatwhite did in the 1975 film Jaws). BWhen she startedtraining Women’s enthusiasm forappropriate According to Mehtaand Madan, the ris- Granted,manychildrenthese days don’t have the op- women formarathons afew years later, running attire is connectedtothe growing ing demand forclothes thatshowoff increas- portunity of roamingaround in the wilderness, and tod- Adidas’ leading run-coachfromMumbai acceptance of athleisure—ahybrid clothing ingly fitand strong bodiesfollows from shift- dlers mustbesupervisedsotheydon’t eat slugs! Alot of wouldunderstand thatthis inhibition had to categorythat combines practicality with ing perceptions about women’s bodies. children’sinteractions with naturecome from the do with the running attire. Mostwomen who styleand comfort—as everydayclothing that “Women getting muscular physiques took plethoraofTVdocumentaries. Some aretrulywonderful startedroadrunning, she says,had no idea transitionseasilybetween work,home and itstime to getaccepted, but therewas ashift (BBC’s Round Planet, 2016), but thereare toomanyof about the liberatingpower of the right kind other spheres of life.With mostpeople be- from the desiretobe‘skinny’ to looking those wherethe presenters project the viewthatout of clothing. “They’d come in salwar kameez, ing confinedtotheir homes afterthe an- healthy, fitand strong,” theysay.Bollywood thereinthe wild, in the rainforests, deserts, savannahs, with a dupatta slungacrossone shoulder,and nouncement of India’s pandemic lockdown playedarole, too. Leo reckons Zoya Akhtar’s mountains and oceans,inevery naturalhabitat, eachand walk as fast as theycould. Manydidn’t know on March 24 this year,the resulting drop in Gully Boy (2019) did morefor the acceptance everycreatureisout to getyou. Your personal informa- about sports bras,soyou had to explain that consumption affected clothing retail as well. of athleisure on Indian streetsthanany other tion is No.1onthe hit listofevery snakeand scorpion, running attirecould be morecomfortable With nowheretogo, no one wasdressing up movie, while manycredit fashion designer everymalaria-ridden mosquito, everyhungrycarnivore, and it wasall right to run in shorts andsports forthe workplace or social outings. and stylistManish Malhotra, who dressed bras,” she says. Athleisurewas the one exception. “While Karishma Kapoorintrendyathleisureinthe The clean cut, no-nonsense, all-functional everyother segment in clothing retail, be it Hindi film DilToPagal Hai, forpaving the way science of running apparel has been the formal,ethnic or occasionwear hasseena backin1997. buzzwordinIndian fashion forthe last 30 per cent contraction in the lastfew Observing that the trend has trickled decade. As numbers of women taking to all months,athleisurebuckedthe trend,” says down to Tier-II and -III cities, PankajRenjhen, manners of athleticactivities grew,suddenly Ankur Bisen, who tracksretail as senior vice- COURTESYADIDAS chief operating officer and joint managing it wasall about breathable clothing. president at Gurugram-basedconsulting RUN LOLA RUN able.” Activewear became the day-to-night director of AnarockRetailnotes: “Athleisure Marathon running coachNiveditaSamanta firm, Technopak Advisors. Covid-19, it turns (From top) a attireofchoice, pushingupsales even if peo- sales brokethe shackles of corporateformal- says running gear has gone beyond tracks out, wasthe fashion-leveller that blurredthe ple hardlysteppedout, theysay. ity,” he says. campaign shoot still and tees.“Weather on race daydetermines lines between office, gym, high-fashionand Athflex, an activewear brand from Surat, Deepa Bhat, aBengaluru-basedcoach, clothing —heat-ready,light, quick-drying, even casual wear forwomen, withathleisure of the sportswear has sold about 10,000pieces bringing in 28- reckonsthereare morewomenrunning in sweat-absorbing or breathable wear.Even being the clothing of choice forthose work- brand Stretchery; 30 lakh in revenues over thelastone year. shorts andsports bras nowthan when she socks arecarefullypicked,” she says. ing from home. Sayuri Dalvi “Sales suddenly surgedinlockdownwhen startedin2012, even if conservative attitudes The single-mostcrucial piece of clothing Nirali Mehta and Jeenie Madan,founders online e-commerceopenedfor health-con- occasionallyinterferewith their sartorial that’s brought thousands of women intorun- of brand Stretchery,whichmakes organic scious people,” founder Andrew Leo says. freedom. Bhat says that wearing comfortable RANJITLAL ning is the sports bra, according to sports cotton athleisure, talk about the challenges Ganguly says even before thepandemic, clothing is anatural progression forany run- HERE COMES YOUR MAN brand Puma .“The right kit and gear arevery theyfaced at the start of the pandemic. “From group classes likeaerobics, zumba, calisthen- ner. “You run and youlose weight, look fitter Alion walks away important elementsinthe journeyofarun- work to workout, chores to downtime, all ac- ics, yoga,pilates and dance fitness grew phe- and look better.You transitionfromtrack ner.Women runners, when theystart to tivities were reprogrammed, with clothing nomenally in India. “Sportswear became a pantstothree-fourths. Running in shorts is train, look forcomfortable sports bras,” says needing to be nottoo casual but comfort- wardrobe essential.Women usedsports- the obvious next step, right?” she asks. everybison,elephant, and, of course, crocshiding in the water. So,inevitably,it’seither them or you. Nothing, of course, could be farther from the truth: Mostwild crea- tures want to getawayfromyou as quicklyand as faras possible, becausetheyhaveidentifiedyou as theirenemy No.1.Ifyou invade their space —whichyou aredoingby tramplingtheir homes and habitats—if youthreaten WhenaHero Comes Along their babies or mates, theywill stand and fight to the death. Well, wouldn’t youdothe same? In the West,theyhavewhat’scalledpetting zoos, Upending superhero tropes, Appupen’s Rashtraman returns wherechildren can getupclose and personal with all kinds of animals—under sensible adult supervision, of course. There, theylearnhow to interact with (relatively Benita Fernando cal commentaryon Indianpolitics. Relentless Rashtraman recruitsthe bat-wielding Bat- tame) animals. It’s tempting to say, we mustteachour in itsridicule, the series featured the city Manu, who lookslikethe love child of children to “respect” wild animals,but Ifind “respect” a Rashtrapolis, in the countryRashtria, withits Skeletorand Moon Knight, and whose hugelyoverusedand very vague word,that doesn’t quite IN RASHTRAYANA’S second installment, posterboy Rashtraman —the “rashtra”reiter- agenda is to divide people by doling out free spell out exactlyhow or what achild mustbetaught Rashtraman has abig problem. The beefy su- ationmimicking the fervent sloganeering. batstosome, turning the “batlings” against while interactingwith the animal kingdom. perherodoesn’t have thepeople’s support, It is setinanalternative world, Halahala, the hockey“sticklings”. Thereare some simple guidelines: Love and cherish withoutwhichhecould losehis powers.A namedafter the poisonthrownupfromthe In the meanwhile,Rashtramanmakes your pets,dogs, cats, guinea pigs and on-the-shoulder coterie of lesser superheroes comes to his ocean-churning in the Hindu creation headway intoRashtria’s forested lands, birds as familymembers. Firmlydiscourageany inherent rescue. Theyhatchaplan to take over some mythology.While he locates his other where, muchtohis surprise, people could- streak of cruelty your child shows (saytothem, “How forested areas, annexthe land of Cowrashtra graphic novels (Moonward, 2009; TheSnake n’t careless about him. Magicalspiritslike would youlikeitifsomeone dangledtin cans from your and quieten“afew pockets of dissent” to pro- and theLotus,2018) there, asuperheroseries Pachuthe elephant-man keep his bullying ears and youcouldn’t take them off?”); wilder animals, tect Rashtraman’s superpowers. in Halahala had been the lastthing on in check. Joining him is Rhinosara, agirl liketigers, lions, elephants, rhinos, crocs, sharks mustbe Thus begins Appupen’s latest Appupen’s mind. “I don’t likesu- raisedbyhoolockgibbons. “Rashtraman admired from adistance (don’t be likethe rednecks,never work, Rashtrayana II: Divide and perheroes. Inever thoughtI’d faces resistance from different pockets when cuddle up with big cats, wrangle crocodiles or keep giant Fool (on www.brainded.in). The makeasuperheroseries.But the rebels come out. These arenoStanLee- pythons as house-pets). Maintain distance from snakes, dizzying superherouniverse the whole thing is about kind, genetically-engineered beings, but beehivesand wasps’ nests!Get amazedbyhow aspider of puns and campiness is powerand howit’s usedor those who’vecloselybonded with their an- spins itsweb; be careful while wading in the shallows on ruledbyPropagandhi’s ideo- misused. To give asuperhero imal spirits,” says Appupen. thebeachsothat youdon’t tread on astarfish or cone logical warfare, saffron-clad this muchpowerismymis- Whether the Peter Parker principle (“With snail or tangle with ajellyfish. And, even if sharkattacks Vigil Aunty’s moral policing, trustofthe superhero,” he says, great powercomes great responsibility”) or arefew and farbetween, stay out of shark-infestedwater. Cowboythe gau guardian, and, citing Captain America, who the near-impossibility of destroying The mantraissimple:watch,listenand admirefroma the leader of the pack, wascreated as aWorld WarIIsol- Superman, superherocomics oftencome distance. Do notinterfere in the livesofwild creatures, Rashtraman, with his horseshoe dier,tofight the US enemies, the with disclaimers about the corrupting influ- which, alas,iswhatfar toomanytelevisionpresenters moustache, egopumpedbyjin- Nazis and the Communists.“In the ence of power. With Rashtraman, Appupen aredoing. There’s one gross program whereheroesde- goism and awardrobeinspired readers’ minds, warisokayed turns the trope of the all-powerful superhero liberatelyget bitten or stungtosee howmuchpain they by thePhantom’s. because even Captain America on itself. Not “some leader with adonkey can endure. Appupen, or Bengaluru- fought in it. When we buy the face” but “a muscular guy who, forthe most Yes, if youcomeacross an injuredanimal or bird, based comics creator George superheroidea, we’reswallowing part, makes youfeel youwanttobelikehim,” teachyour child to help, or to summon professional help Mathen,41, grew up in Kerala’s cul- alot with it,” he says. says Appupen,recalling howwhen “unpatri- forit(sinceinjuredand ill animalscan be understandably tureofsatire, amid libraries packedwith Since2016, therehavebeen twosea- otic” theatregoerswerethrashed/trolledfor unpredictable). Though, it’s debatable whether even this the subversive MAD magazine. In 2016,fol- sons of Rashtraman’s adventuresand atake sittingduring the national anthem, aversion should be done in wild areas where nature ought to be lowing the sedition case slappedonstudents on partisannewsinthe mocknewspaper, of Rashtraman wasshared on social media allowedtotakeits course. of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University,who The Dystopian Times.In2018, he self-pub- posts.Those posts weren’t beingironic. Thus, as the Beatles song goes, “…whisper wordsof were protesting against the hanging of lished Rashtrayana: Trouble in Paradesh,in Rashtraman is less Phantom, moremenace. Is wisdom,let it be!” Parliament-attackconvictAfzal Guruinan whichthe superheroistasked to bring back ILLUSTRATION:APPUPEN he,then, asuperheroorasupervillain? “There event on campus, Appupen published the Great Leader’s “abducted”wifefrom DIVIDEAND FOOL arenovillains anymore. Onlyheroes. They Rashtrayana on brainded.in to makeasatiri- Padostan. In the latestadventure, Apage from the comics; (left) creator Appupen’s self-portrait areall superheroes,”hesays with alaugh. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THESUNDAYEXPRESS,NOVEMBER29,2020 It’s making small steps in the right direction. I’m happy that we can bring in 2,000 people, nobody knows how long we will be able to do that,but Ithink we should discuss not on the basis of an advantage 18 for this or that team.” SPORT JUERGENKLOPP, LIVERPOOLBOSSWELCOMESTHENEWSTHAT 2,000 FANSWILL BE ALLOWEDINTOANFIELDSTARTINGFROMNEXTMONTH
BRIEFLY Man United SeventhPakistan Falling apart at the seam(s) latest victim of teammembertests positiveforCOVID-19 With Hardik Pandyanot fitenough fordual duty, lackoffastbowlingall-rounder optionshurts Team India cyber-attack,
Wellington:One moremember of the SHAMIKCHAKRABARTY ransom calls Pakistancricketteam has tested pos- NOVEMBER28 itive forthe novelcoronavirus, New Whythe cupboard is empty Zealand’s Ministry of Healthsaid on COLLECTIVELY, THEIndian bowling attack SHAHIDJUDGE Saturday, taking the tallyofinfections wasput to the swordinthe firstODI at the Who canfit the bill of afast bowling all-rounder? Is thereaspinner who canprovide morebalance? MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 within the touring party to seven. Six SydneyCricketGround (SCG) on Friday. of the 53 members of the group had MohammedShami wasthe lone saving WHEN MANCHESTER United confirmedthey tested positive forthe novelcoron- grace, although RavindraJadeja, too, re- had become avictim of a“sophisticated”cy- avirus upon their arrivalinNew turnedwith adecent economyrate–alit- ber-attack, theclub assertedthe damage had Zealand, while therewas also evi- tle over six runs per over –onaflat track. been minimised. That wasonNovember 20. dence therehad been breaches of bio- Especially, in the middle-overs, India On Thursday, however, the National Cyber security rules. “One additional mem- looked clueless as theystruggledtomake Security Centre(NCSC) announcedthat they berofthe Pakistansquad has today inroads, while AaronFinch, David Warner were alsoworkingonthecase–leadingto abe- tested positiveduringroutine testing. and SteveSmith laid the foundation of are- lief thatthe attack wasfar moresinisterthan The remainder of the resultsfromthe sounding Australian victory. what the club had revealed. So far, United has- squad’s Day3swabtesting -apart Under the pump, India badlymisseda SPIN ALLROUNDERS n’tlearnt of anymotiveand claim the club has from thesix who have already re- sixth bowler. WASHINGTONSUNDAR regainedcontrol of their computer servers. turnedapositive result, arenegative,” Hardik Pandya’slower-back injuryhas He is in the T20I squad. Bowlsfastish the ministry said. been preventing him to playasaseam-bowl- off-spinners and can handle the new Sports the favoured target ing all-rounder.Heisplaying as aspecialist ball. But the youngsterneeds further According to the Daily Mail,the NCSC re- batsman instead and without his overs, the improvement both in battingand vealedthat“70 percentof sportsorganisations WrestlerNarsingh Indianbowling unitlookscrippled. With the bowling to graduatetothe ODIs. (in the UK) had experiencedcyber incidents” testspositive likes of Navdeep Saini, YuzvendraChahal and over the lastyear,whichisdouble than what even Jasprit Bumrah leaking runs in thefirst AXARPATEL businessesinthecountryexperienced.Anun- NewDelhi: Dope-tainted wrestler ODI, India didn’t have aback-up bowling op- The left-arm spinner toppedDelhi namedEFL Championship team had received Narsingh Yadav, gearingup forhis first tion to fall backon. Capitals bowling charts in terms of aransomdemandof £5million(approximately international event afterserving afour- Everybowler can have aday off. Saini was economyrateinthis IPL. Can hit the `49crore)afteracyber-attacklastyear.Asport- year ban, testedpositive forthe coron- playing his firstinternational matchin ball hardasabatsman. Has played38 ing outfit had also paid the sum of £4 million avirus on Saturdayalong with Greco- Australia and going by the BCCI press release ODIs and 11 T20Is. At the moment, (over`39crore),whichisthehighestamountto Roman grappler GurpreetSingh. on the eveofthe game, the fast bowler had though,RavindraJadeja is occupying be paid, according to the Daily Mail. Narsingh is scheduledtotakepartin complainedof“backspasm”. He went for the specialistspin-all-rounder slot. his firstinternational tournament in plenty,asalso Chahal. Between 15 and40 United statement four years in the Individual WorldCup overs,Australia scored 188runsfor the loss KEDARJADHAV Afterthe attackonNovember 20, the club in Belgrade from December 12 to 18 af- of twowickets before theyaddedanother Hadaforgettable IPL withthe bat. stated:“ManchesterUnited canconfirm that terbeingnamedasJitender Kinha's re- 110runs in the last10overs. Didn’t bowl at all. Wasn’t pickedfor theclubhasexperiencedacyber-attackonour placementin74kgcategory. Besides At the post-matchpress conference, theAustraliatour. Aplayerwho is past systems.Theclubhastakenswiftactionto con- the wrestlingduo, physiotherapist Pandyaaddressedthe issue. “I think,maybe, his prime. tain the attackand is currentlyworking with Vishal Raihas also tested positive for we willhavetofind someone who has al- expertadviserstoinvestigatethe incidentand the deadlyvirus. "All three areasymp- ready played(for) India and groom them and KRUNALPANDYA minimise the ongoingITdisruption." tomatic and have been movedto find away to makethem play,”Pandyatold Adecent batsman, who bowlstight left- Sonepat's Bhagwan Mahavir Das reporters. arm spin. Has 18 T20Is under his belt. WIth alower-backinjurypreventing him from playingasaseam-bowling Possible consequences Hospital as aprecautionarymeasure," “... morethan injury, it is about the sixth But he is notabetteroption than Jadeja. allrounder,Hardik Pandyaisinthe team as aspecialistbatsman instead. AP At the moment,ithas been reported that the SAIsaid. bowler’s role. If someone is havingabad day, employees at the club cannotaccess their offi- so the otherguysget morecushion,” he cial emails. TheTimes (London) reportedthat added. expertshadconfirmedthatManchesterUnited Indiafinedforslow Pandyaspokeabout working on his SEAMINGALLROUNDERS mayhavetopay thehackerselseitcouldresult over-rateinfirstODI bowling and that he will bowl again “when in sensitive information being publishedon the time is right”. Till then,India arelikelyto DEEPAKCHAHAR VIJAYSHANKAR SHIVAMDUBE publicforums,includingfaninformation(user- Dubai: The Indian cricket team was be without aseam-bowling all-rounder to Has the ability to LikeDube, he is also moreofabits- Can playbig shots andbowls namesandpasswordsonthefansite).Theclub fined20per cent of itsmatchfee for getthe balance right. bowl in Powerplays. and-pieces all-rounder.Batting is his medium pace. But he has failed could face afine of up to £18million (approxi- maintaining aslowover-rate against But abatting strength.Bowledamatch-winning to makeanimpact in whatever mately`177crore)ortwo per cent of theirto- AustraliaintheseriesopeningfirstODI Supportcast averageof13.78 in over in an ODI againstAustralia at little international cricket he has talannual worldwide turnoverifthe attackis inSydney. Indiatookanunprecedented The real problem is thatbeyond Pandya, List Acricket and Nagpurlastyear,taking twowickets. played. Also,had 129runs, four foundto have breachedtheirfans'dataprotec- fourhoursandsixminutesto complete India’s seaming all-rounder cupboardisbare. 18.20 in first-class Kept things tightinthe IPL, but he wicketsand an economyrate tion, according to the DailyMail. their 50 overs during their 66-run loss In fact, Ravindra Jadeja is the onlycricketer cricket doesn’t makehim apotential needs morepace to startwith at northof8in 11 IPL matches this inthefirstODI.ICCmatchrefereeDavid in the team who is two-dimensional, al- all-roundercandidate. international level. term. Notthe firstfor Manchester Boon imposed the sanction afterIndia though he is aspin-bowling all-rounder. Twoyears ago, United’s localrivals wasruledtobeone over short of the Because of the Covid situation, the BCCI has ManchesterCity were alleged victims of acy- target aftertimeallowancesweretaken sent ajumbo squad to Australia,but there’s ber-attack.Accordingto TheGuardian,RuiPinto, intoconsideration. apparentlynobody who can be groomed into Dwayne Bravoand Jason Holder. In the late80s and early 90s, Manoj loss of form and the subsequent omission aPortuguese national, had allegedly hacked aspecialist seaming all-rounder. As regardstoIndia, if the selectors areto Prabhakar wasthe team’s premier seaming from the Indian limited-overs squad meant and gainedaccess to confidentialdocuments The erstwhile selection committee had followPandya’s suggestion –grooming all-rounder.After Sourav Ganguly’s arrival, that the team doesn’t have apart-time spin- thatrevealedtheclubhadbeenfloutingUEFA’s DaruvalapipsSchumi triedShivamDube, but in 13 T20Is and one someone who has already playedfor India – he and Robin Singh, forawhile, shared the bowling option either. Financial Fair PlayRegulations. Pintosubmit- toearnfirstpodium ODI, the Mumbai all-rounder failedtoinspire theyhardlyhaveanybody apartfromDube responsibility of bowling seamers in the mid- tedthe documentstoGermanmagazine Der confidence at international level. Tamil and Shankar to choose from. Shardul Thakur dle-overs. Gangulywasn’t quickbut he Striking the right balance Spiegel,leadingto theclubbeinghandedatwo- Bahrain: Indianracer Jehan Daruvala Nadu’s VijayShankar wassenttothe 2019 is in the squad and he is no mug with the bat. swungthe ball. Sachin Tendulkar bowled Maybe, India missedatrickbynot playing year ban from the Champions League –adeci- earnedhis maidenFormula2podium WorldCup in England, as the then selection Butat29years of age, it’s probablyalittle too both slow-medium and spin, and could be anextrabowleronafeatherbedinthefirstODI sionwhichwaslateroverturnedby theCourtof afterpipping championship leader committee felt that he couldchip in with a latetogroom him as aproper seaming all- trustedupon as aback-up bowler. attheexpenseof abatsman.GiventhatPandya Arbitration forSport. MickSchumacher in agrippingbattle fewovers of mediumpace in the middle. rounder.Amid the influxoftalentedbats- Almostthroughout his career as India isinexcellentbattingform,sixbowlersinstead forthethirdplaceattheBahrainGrand However, in 12 ODIs and nine T20Is he had men and quickbowlers, this is one area in captain, MS Dhoni, however, wasbereftofa of five might have helped. Then again, it was Matchday problems Prix supportrace. “Race wasexciting, four and five wicketsrespectively before Indian cricketwherebenchstrength is poor. seaming all-rounder option. But the master the seriesopener againstafull-strength Afterthe unnamedEFL club had refusedto had agreat fun battling at the end with falling out of favour.Economy-wise (6.22), tactician made up forthe void by very effec- Australia and the team management proba- paytheamountlastyear,theycouldnotaccess @mickschumacher (sic)” the 22-year- Shankar had adecent IPL as aback-up BacktoDhoni’s time tively using the part-time spin of Yuvraj blychose to take amorepragmatic/defensive their CCTVcameras, nor operatethe turnstiles old tweetedafter the race.Meanwhile, bowler,but internationalcricket is adiffer- All-roundersformedthebedrock of India’s Singh, Suresh Raina and Kedar Jadhavto approach.RohitSharma’sabsencecouldbean- in the stadium ahead of agame. seven-timeFormulaOneworldcham- entball game and both he andDubearen’t successinlimited-overs cricket in the early chokethe opponentsinthe middle-overs, other reasonwhy the think-tank decidednot pion Lewis Hamilton stormedtopole sharp enough to makeanimpact unlesscon- 1980s.India wonthe 1983 WorldCup in especiallyinIndian conditions. Sometimes to go lightonbatting.Infavourableconditions, Transfer moneyatarget position forthe Bahrain GP witha ditions areassisting them. England followedbythe 1985 World he usedVirat Kohli’s medium pace as well. India has the potential to run through aside, Duringatransferwindow, aPremierLeague recordlap in Saturday’s qualifying ses- India areprobablythe onlyelitecricket Championshipof CricketinAustralia.KapilDev The problem forKohliisthat this Indian playingfivespecialistbowlers. But in athree- team’smanagingdirector’semailaccountwas sionaheadof teammateValtteriBottas team at the moment nottohaveaspecialist toweredovertherest,butbothRogerBinnyand team doesn’t have multi-dimensional crick- match series,if anotherbelterislaidoutforthe hacked. The club had been in the process of whocompletedafront-row lockoutfor seaming all-rounder.England boastofBen Madan Lal were pretty decent lower-order eters –batters can’t bowl andthe bowlers secondODIattheSCGonSunday, KohliandCo making a£1million transfer foraplayerfrom Mercedes. MaxVerstappen took third Stokes, Australia have Marcus Stoinis, South batsmen apartfromtheir effective medium can’t bat. Kohlihimself seems to have lost willhavetotakeacall in terms of striking the another European club. The hackers however, place forRed Bull. Africa can fall backonChris Morris, New pacebowling,whileMohinderAmarnathpro- confidenceinhis bowling–he hasn’t bowled right balance. attempted to transfer the sum intotheir own AGENCIES Zealand have Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy videdadditionaloptions.RaviShastriwasagen- in ODIs since atwo-overspell againstSri account,but were prevented by the club's Neesham, while West Indies bank on uinespin-bowling all-rounder. Lanka in Colombo in August2017. Jadhav’s 2ND ODI: Live on SonyNetwork:9:10am bank’s anti-virus system.
COUPLE GOALS From lovers’ quarrel to trading tips, newly-weds Deepika,Atanuaim forglory
by Deepikaof havingspent“nottalking”to her. had nevertastedpancakes,” Deepika says.“I what shooting feels liketook14days,” she SHIVANI NAIK “Pakkidushmanithi,”sherecalls,inamockscoff. reallyadmireBengalifood,soIhelpedinprepa- recalls. MUMBAI,NOVEMBER28 Theywerebatchmates at the Tata Academy in rations. But Iwas very happywhen theyliked The time would also help her understand 2008 when theystarted,but “hedidn’tknow thepancakes,pastaanddosaImadeforthem,” theteamdynamic,andhelpherthink beyond MARRIAGE TO champion archer Deepika Hindi then, so wouldn’t talk to me.” she recalls. herself. “Weshootindividuallybut amedal Kumari -reckons fellowinternational Atanu Theywould continue to shootinmixed With trials and qualification meets sched- onlycomesifeveryoneclicks. Coordination Das -isgoing to be awhole lotoftruth-telling teameventsandpracticealongsidebutin2011, uledfor May, training had abruptlyhalted in and understanding partnersand teammates in the coming years. Even bitter truths. theyformally fought.“Random,childishfights March.“Olympics got postponed, so we de- arenecessary. Youhavetobecalm andknow Likehow Deepika’s incredible focus - blewup. Something as small as ‘whydid you cidedwecould getmarriedafter World everyone’s temperament -some team mem- (“She’ll seeonlythe target likeinthe Arjuna take my bottleof water?’....”herecalls.Neither Championships.Buteverythingwassouncer- bers arecool under pressure, some arelittle tale,” he says)-has itsdownsides.Thattaut knew what had snapped, neither waswilling tain therewas no point in long-term plans.” scared, othersare very scared!” shesays.“I’ve concentration, apartfromfilling her with in- to relent. The lockdown brought itsbrothofemo- been allthree.” tensenervousness and dread on the big stage, 2017,theywouldreconnect,andswiftlyfall tions. “Weare usedtobeing home foramax Atanupaidforhisgluttonyoversixmonths alsomeansshefailsto noticethingsaroundthe in love.“2018,wesuddenlydecided. Quickly weekor10 days.Herewecoulddonothingand on return to training. “It wasjust3-4 kg excess target whichmatter –“the time left, the flags, familieswerealsoinformed, so it became a it wasfrustrating. But at the sametime, so weight,butitcouldruinbowcontrolandthere the wind.She doesn’t notice anyofit,”hesays love-cum-arranged marriage,”Deepika says, manymigrantswerestrugglingto reachhome wasbodypainthe firsttwo weeks. 100/200m asthetworesumetheircompetitive journeys, twoyears afterbothwent to the Olympics, andthereweretragicdeaths.At least,we were runsmeinhaalatkharaabhojaatithi.Whenyou starting with the national trials. with the disappointment still rawoncertain safe,” he says. hold abow,though poundageand vibration While completely in aweofthe sharp and triggers. Notmuchwasachievedintermsof fitness arethe same,there’s abreak in rhythmand unwavering focus of the formerWorld No.1 The spotlight of being aprecocioustalent at home then, he confesses, exceptyogaand muscles startfeelingheavy.Running,flexibil- and WorldCup winner,Atanu says the couple and pressures of expectationhavealwaysun- meditation. The archeryequipment, mean- ity is finished,” he recalls. trades tips on eachother’s strengths. “She’s settledDeepika, rendering her atad high- while, fell intodisuse. “Ghar ka khana thoos AtanuwouldwatchDeepikapickuptrain- told me she likes my shooting stance. Ikeep strung. Remindingher of previousOlympics- Archers Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari tiedthe knotthis June afterhaving thoos ke khaaya.Naturally, standing,shooting ing pace with her usual single-mindedness asking her aboutwhatmental framework is disappointingcampaigns afterahypedbuild- known eachother for12years. capacityand flexibility went foratoss! Soles and gape at her abilitytofocus on the sport neededtobeatthe top,” he says as the duo up-stillleavesherprickly. “Whydoyoumedia of thefeetand legs hurtthe firstfew weeks once again. Likethe flickofaswitch. He reck- wrappeduptheir training campatPune’s want to always comparethis with previous when we returned. Backkiband baj jaatihai. onshe’s lucky he can learnall aboutthe men- ArmySportsInstitute. times?”sheasks.Butshe’satpeacewithallthe The self-belief has alwaysbeen there. The very calmand composedasaperson,and pa- Strength issues were big,”she explains. talprocess of climbing backtoWorld No.1– The pair of archers, him 28 and her 26, tied uncertainty of this year with the pandemic poise and alightness of being -she laughs tient withothers. I’m learning that,” she says. Firstcame bow-control, something he’llsimplyaskher.Andthenbracehimself for the knotthis June afterhaving known each postponing the Games,and her pragmatism out loudlyand freely, jokes about her short- The lockdown postmarriage, playedits Deepikahad neverreckonedshe’d needto honestunvarnishedfeedbackonexactly what otherfor12years,sixofwhichAtanuisaccused has rubbed offonAtanu too. comings when she shoots -isnew.“Atanuis partincalming Deepika down. “My in-laws re-learn. “Re-familiarising the body with allislacking in his effort.
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