Ie-Mumbai-02-01-2021.Pdf

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

JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2021, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES SINCE 1932 `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

OXFORD-ASTRAZENECA VACCINE PanelclearsCovishield shot,laststepbefore regulator’sapproval In Srinagar, SEC also considering Bharat Biotech’s UK flights to jeweller killed application forits candidateCovaxin resume Jan 8; weeks after PRABHARAGHAVAN WHATNEXT? just 15 aweek domicile nod, NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 ■DCGI will take final call until Jan 23 AN EXPERTcommittee under on approval, likelyina militants warn the country's topdrug regulator fewdays recommended on Fridaythat ■ States will begin PRANAVMUKUL of more attacks Agroup of protesting farmers at Delhi’s Singhu border,onThursday night. GajendraYadav Covishield, the Indian version of inoculationdry run NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 the Covid-19 vaccine developed today(Jan 2) by the University of Oxfordand ■ Govt will procure FLIGHTSBETWEENIndiaandthe AstraZeneca, should be ap- vaccines from Serum UnitedKingdom,suspendedsince proved with certain conditions, InstituteofIndia December 23 to checktransmis- Coldest night in 15 yrs, Chhattisgarh halts paddy TheIndian Express has learnt. sion of the new, morecontagious The recommendation is ■ 300mnhealthcareand strainof thenovelcoronavirusde- enormouslysignificant, as it frontline workers, those tectedinthatcountry, willresume slogan heat, calls to procurement, says pavesthe wayfor India to getits aged 50 years or older; onJanuary8,thegovernmentsaid Grievingfamilymembers in firstvaccine againstthe novel those under 50 with co- on Fridayevening. morbidities willbe Srinagar. Shuaib Masoodi Centre not lifting stock coronavirus that has killedal- Therewill be only15flights kin keep Singhu warm most1.5 lakh and sickenedmore vaccinated first per week forthe firsttwo weeks, than 1crore Indians. ■ In US and UK, the government said. BASHAARATMASOOD Hundredswalk to thestage, The recommendation of the vaccination started Twenty-nine samples have SRINAGAR,JANUARY1 JIGNASASINHA whichhas been growing steadily GARGIVERMA Subject ExpertCommittee (SEC) almostimmediatelyafter so fartestedpositivefor theUK &AMILBHATNAGAR since the protestbegan more RAJNANDGAON,JANUARY1 Chief hascome twodays afterregula- final approval variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India, FORALMOSTfour decades, NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 than amonth ago, to lightcan- Minister tors in the United Kingdom ap- ■ Aim is to complete first the Union Health Ministrysaid Satpal Nischal had been running dles on itsrailings. Others sit in ANOTICE came up at the gate of Bhupesh proved the use of the Oxford- phase of vaccinations by on Friday. ajewelleryshop in the heartof IT'S 11 pm on December31, the front of it,not ready yettogo apaddy procurement centreon Baghel AstraZeneca vaccine among the August “It has been decidedthat Srinagar.OnThursday evening, mercurycreeping slowlyto- back to their tractortrolleys for ThursdayatSomani, 56 km from Britishpublic.The expertbodyin flightsbetween India&the UK the 70-year-old became the first wards1.1 degrees Celsius, the the night, as policepersonnel Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur and India wasatthe time considering will resume from 8Jan 2021. person killedinKashmir appar- lowest in the Capital in 15 years. keep awatch. 17 km from district headquarters across the state, whichare cur- an applicationfor clearancefor The SEC had on Wednesday Operations till 23 Jan will be re- entlyfor having obtainedacer- At theSinghu protest site, the Some march with candlesto Rajnandgaon, telling farmers not rentlybursting at the seams. Covishield, whichisbeing tested sought additional information stricted to 15 flightsper week tificateunder the newdomicile farmersare getting ready to ring paytributetoGuru Gobind to come forthe next fewdays as AfteraCabinetmeeting on andmanufacturedunderlicence from the Pune-headquartered eachfor carriers of the two law, that allows people who have in the NewYear with hymns Singh, while backstage,20-30 therewas no space to hold more Wednesday, Chief Minister by Serum InstituteofIndia (SII). CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 livedinJammu and Kashmir for from the Gurbani, hottea and men and women decoratea dhaan (foodgrains). Similar no- Bhupesh Baghel wroteto morethan 15 years rightstopur- some gusty sloganeering. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 tices came up at severalcentres CONTINUEDONPAGE2 chase immovable property. Justafewweeksafter he had obtainedthe certificate, Nischal wasshotbysuspected militants Festivals, action on evaders: GST 19-year-old womanfound dead at New Year’s at his shop in Saraibala, and was dead by thetime he wasbrought to the nearbyShri MaharajaHari revenue hits record high growth eve party in Mumbai, two friends detained Singh Hospital. The Resistance Front(TRF),arecentlyfloatedmil- the combinedeffect of the rapid tively –inconnection with the foundthat Kukreja, alongwith the stairs,her friends told the itant outfit, took responsibilityfor ENSECONOMICBUREAU ED economic recovery postpan- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE incident. sevenothers—all collegestu- police. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 Indication demicand the nationwide drive MUMBAI,JANUARY1 An officer said thatthe Khar dents—wereattending the The duo followedKukreja PLAIN E againstGST evaders and fake bills police receivedacall around 2.30 party at afriend’s place. There, and three got intoanargument. ● ofrecovery GOODSAND Services Tax(GST) EX along withmanysystemic THE MUMBAI Police has initi- am aboutawoman’s body being she had caught one of her close “Wesuspectthat at that point, collections in December (for sales changes introducedrecently, ated aprobe intothe alleged found at Bhagwati Heightsin friends in acompromising posi- theygot into ascuffle and the BUSINESSASUSUAL in November) rose 11.6 per cent IN GENERAL, GSTcollec- whichhaveled to improved murder of a19-year-old woman Khar (West). On reaching the tion with another belowawater duo pushedher,following to Rs 1,15,174 crore, the highest tions areanindicatorof compliance”, theMinistrysaid. who wasattending arooftop spot, the police found the body tank on the terrace, and con- which, she fell and hither head BY UNNY year-on-year growth since the in- economic activity. Taxexperts, however, noted party in Khar on the NewYear’s of Jahnvi Kukreja. She was fronted them,said the police on the stairs. Eventually, shesuc- direct taxregime came intoforce Collections had plum- thatfor aclearer pictureofthe eve. rushedtoahospital,whereshe basedonthe statementsofthe cumbed to her injuries,”the offi- in July2017. Higher festivesea- metedtoarecordlow in extent of the economic recovery, The police have detainedtwo wasdeclared brought dead on other attendees. cersaid. son sales on account of Diwali in April, following the lock- thegovernment should provide of her friends –aman and arrival. In afit of rage,Kukreja leftthe The officer addedthat since November,along with the rollout down. However, to gauge abreakup of GSTrevenues col- woman, aged 22 and 19,respec- Preliminaryinvestigation has party andstarted walkingdown CONTINUEDONPAGE2 of newtechnological systemsof the real extent of the recov- lected through filing of returns, e-invoicing,and action against ery, it is important to know and through recovery drives by taxevaders contributed to the howmuchofthe totalGST the authorities. THE CITY surge in GSTrevenues. revenueshavebeen col- “The GSTcollections in The FinanceMinistrysaid this lected through filing of re- December have been higher SECONDWORSTAQI has been the highestgrowth in turns, and howmuch thanexpected.The collections monthlyrevenuesinthe last21 through recovery drives. aresignificantlyhigher as SINCE2016 PAGE 3 months. “This has been due to CONTINUEDONPAGE2 All should get free access to science journals, IIM-Awill not rebuildstudent public research data: new draft S&T policy dorms designedbyLouis Kahn

bulk subscriptions of all impor- vidual researchers.The world's cluding architects, designers, AMITABHSINHA tant scientific journals across the best scientificjournalsare ex- RITUSHARMA historians, alumni and Kahn's &ESHAROY world, and provide everyone in pensive,and sometimes even AHMEDABAD,JANUARY1 children, to theplan in the past PUNE,NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 India free access to them. one article can costseveral tens twoweeks. The proposals have been of dollars to access. THE INDIAN Instituteof An official statement by the INANambitiousattempt to make made in the draftScience, Even topinstitutions have to Management-Ahmedabad (IIM- Chairman and Members of the scientific knowledge and data Technology and Innovation be selective in subscribing to A) has withdrawnanExpression BoardofGovernorsofIIM-Ato availableto all,thegovernmenthas Policythat wasreleasedonNew these journals. of Interest(EoI) floated by it on all ‘stakeholders’ of the institute proposed an 'open science policy' Year’s Day, forinviting comments Officials said the policy December 4inviting bids forre- said theywerebeing "sensitive thatwillensurethattheresultsof, and suggestions from the public. aimedtobuy access to between constructionofstudent dormi- to thefeedbackfromsome and information generated by,all The ‘One Nation, One 3,000 and 4,000 high-impact tories on the main campus, de- stakeholders who arenot in publicly-fundedresearchisfreely Subscription’ policy forscientific scientific journals, and the gov- signedbythe legendary agreement withthis approach". accessible by everyone. journals is aradical move that ernment couldend up spending American architect LouisKahn. "Weare thereforewithdrawing Moresignificantly, the gov- could be agamechanger forthe an estimated Rs 2,000 croreto The decision follows strong the Expression of Interestthat ernment has proposedtobuy scientificcommunity and indi- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 protests from manyquarters, in- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 VHPrallythrough avillageinMPleaves emptyhomes, damageand fear in its wake

Manyvillagers yettoreturn;VHP deniesrole; 5held; SP says policedeployed HOUSEDEMOLITION PAGE 1 whichcalledall “Hindu broth- ILLEGAL:EX-SCJUDGE ANCHOR ers” to join the rallyfrom AmlawadtoDorana villagein THEMANNER in large numbers withsaffron flags. whichahouse was Another messageallegedly demolishedinUjjain, a IRAMSIDDIQUE urgedpeople to teachthe “de- dayafter aBJYM rally MANDSAUR,JANUARY1 scendantsofAurangzeb” alesson waspelted with stones forhaving stoppedaHindurally in the area, is DAMAGED WINDOWpanes, from passing through Dorana.An “absolutelyillegal and broken doors,walls scribbled earlier rallyonDecember 25 was an act of apolice state”, with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and villagers stoppedfromplaying loud mu- former Supreme Court scared to returntotheir own sic outside the mosque in the vil- judgeDeepak Gupta homes: this is the picturethat lagebylocals. But on Tuesday, said. “This is amockery Dorana village of Madhya Women said they had to flee their homes. Vishnukant Tiwari some of thoseinthe rally of the rule of law. There Pradesh’s Mandsaur district climbed thesame mosque and is no powertothe police presentsafter arallyofanesti- put up saffron flags. These flags to demolish structures mated 5,000 workers of Vishwa fective intervention by the police. of Police (SP) and sought protec- were removedbypolice person- likethis,” he said. Hindu Parishad (VHP) marched Aday before,villagers had tion,citing messagesallegedly nel presentatthe rally. REPORT,PAGE 10 the streetsTuesdaywith no ef- petitionedthe Superintendent being circulatedonsocialmedia CONTINUEDONPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 2 THE SECOND PAGE THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021

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UK flights “without aplan”. “The stategovernment is Additional SP. usuallysoself-sufficient, theyclaim they “Wehad givenclear instruction to our countries to &fromDelhi, Mumbai, don't receive anyhelp from the Centre. Now forcedeployed in the villagethatnothing Bengaluru&Hyderabad only. DGCAwill is- that theyare failing at paddy procurement, Panel clears Covishield shot, last should happen to the masjid —whichwas sue the details shortly,”Civil Aviation suddenly it is the Union government’s fault?” ensured.The flag put up wasimmediately MinisterHardeep Singh Puri postedon senior BJP leader Brijmohan Agarwalsays. removedbythe police personnel present Twitter. Counters Congress leader Shailesh Nitin there,” said Choudhary. While he denied The formal order announcing the re- Trivedi, “The BJP is trying to pintheir sins on step before regulator’s approval therewas anyfiring during the rally, he said sumption of flightswill be issuedlateon us.Itisveryevident both nationallyand in afew men were carrying swords. Fridayorearly on Saturday, asenior official the statethat the BJP is anti-farmer... The firm, includingafact sheetofinformation to thesource. similar approval forCovaxin, as it too, has The police forceensured themen in the at the DirectorateGeneral of Civil Aviation Centrecouldn’tevenprovide us the prom- about the vaccine forthe general public. “Thecompanyshouldcontinuewiththe notfinishedlatestage humantrialsonover rallywereconfinedtothe main road and ex- (DGCA) said. The regulator waswaiting for isedgunnybags. Theyare notpaying us our It had also asked fordetails of the prod- trialthatisgoing on. Every15days,they 25,000participantsacrossthe country. The ited Dorana villageassoon as possible. “It inputsfromthe Health Ministryonthe ownGST money. We arestill procuring more uct that would be includedinthe package should reportany adverse events(to CD- firm had initiallysubmitted only interim wasnot advisable to use forcetocontrol the guidelines to be issuedtoairports and air- than ever,managing our resources.” insert,aswell as the specific conditions SCO),” the source said on condition of safetyand immunogenicity datafrom situation and so we ensured that theyexited lines, the official said. MandatoryRT-PCR that the UK Medicinesand Healthcare anonymity. early-stageclinical trials, and had been soon. The rallywas notallowedtogather at testing is likelytobearequirement forevery- Coldest night products RegulatoryAgency (MHRA) had If theDrug Controller General of India asked by the SEC on Wednesdaytosubmit anearbyschool as wasplannedearlier,” said one arriving from the UK. palanquin forthe NagarKirtan at 5am. Alit- imposedonAstraZenecawhile granting (DCGI) greenlightsthis, SII will be able to additional, updated trial information for Choudhary. Flightswereinitiallysuspendeduntil tle distance away,agroup of peopledecorate emergency authorisation forits candidate, supplyCovishield to the government for consideration. When contacted,Sohanji Vishwakarma, December 31,and the suspension wasthen atractor with orangeflowers foraproces- known as AZD1222. massvaccination before it completes these While it is unclear howsoon DCGI Dr V Regional Minister(Prant Mantri) of the extendeduntil January7.The 15 weekly sion to be carriedout along withthe kirtan. The SEC, whichreconvenedonFriday trials. GSomani willtakethe final call on approv- Malwaregion forVishwaHindu Parishad flightsthat will be allowedbetween January As the hands of the clockcreep towards to makeadecision on SII’s application, rec- AZD1222, on whichCovishield is based, ingCovishield, regulatoryprocessesduring said, “Some unidentifiedpeople took saffron 8and January23isless than afourth of the midnight, afew slip intoapensive mood. ommendedthat the Central Drugs receivedthe approval of the UK MHRA for thepandemic,especiallyforCovid-19med- flags and joinedthe rally. VHP has no affilia- over 60 that connected airports in the UK – Gurdeep Singh (40), aformer Armyman- Standard ControlOrganisation (CDSCO) “emergency” use on people aged 18 years icines and vaccines, have been fast-tracked tion with them. We aretrying to trace them mainlyLondon –with Delhi, Mumbai, turned-farmer from Punjab’s Anandpur should grant approval to Covishield de- and above.According to AstraZeneca,the considering the urgency of the situation. (those who resortedtostone pelting). Ours Hyderabad,Chennai, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Sahib, says he is alone at the Singhu border spitethe candidatenot having completed approval recommends twodosesadminis- Expertmeetings and approvals forsuch wasapeaceful rallycalledonlytocreate Ahmedabad, Kochi, Goa, etc. everyweek ear- since his wifeand son went backafter the phase 2/3 clinical trials in India, asource teredataninterval of 4to12weeks. productsdonot take morethan five days,a awareness.” lier. latter fell ill. The loneliness is painful, he ad- close to thedevelopment told TheIndian The SEC on Fridayalso told Hyderabad- senior government official closetothe de- When asked about the communal mes- mits. “My children liketowatchTVand eat Express.The panel has recommendedthe headquarteredBharatBiotech to expedite velopment had earlier told The Indian sages, he said, “Itwas perhaps donelocally Chhattisgarh cakeorpastries to celebrateNew Year’s.” approval of twofull doses of the vaccine recruitment of volunteersfor ongoing late Express. owing to some personal disputes… VHP Prime MinisterNarendra Modicomplaining GurtejSingh, however, doesn't see him- thatshould be administeredaround 4-6 stage human clinical trials of itsCovid-19 SIICEOAdarPoonawallahadsaidatavir- does nothaveanything to do with it.” thatdespiteapre-intimationbythe Food self as alone. “Weare here foracause and we weeksapart, the source said. vaccinecandidate,Covaxin, the source tual press conference on Mondaythat the Elaborating on the rallies, Jitendra Corporation of India (FCI) to procure60lakh will celebrateall festivals together.Thereisa While details of the panel's meeting said. The committee had asked thecom- firm expectedthe regulator’s approvalfor Chouhan, VHP spokesperson forMadhya tonnes of rice under the central pool forthe sense of brotherhood and all of us hopethe were notpublic by presstimeonFriday, panytosubmit an interim analysis of the Covishield to come “in afew days”—and Pradesh said, “Variousawareness drives kharif season, thestate had notreceivedafi- newyear will bring glorytothe farmers.” The Indian Express has learnt that the ap- efficacy of the vaccine candidate–its abil- that thevaccine should, therefore, be li- were carriedout from December 25-31in nal consent. Hence, the FCI’s local units have Justbeforemidnight, slogansare raised proval has been recommendedoncondi- ity to bring down the number of sympto- censedinthe countryinJanuary. different pockets of thestate to make peo- notyet startedlifting the grain. againstthe Centrefor itsrefusaltorepeal the tion that SII submitsdetails of anyadverse matic Covid-19cases. SII has manufactured over 40 million ple awareofthe significance of donation for Meanwhile, aconviction is gaining farm laws,apartfrom “JoBole So Nihaal, Sat eventsarising from the administration of “Theefficacytrial (of Covaxin)isstill go- doses of Covishield so far, andcurrentlyhas the construction of RamTemple.” Some re- ground among desperatefarmers that they Sri Akal” and “Kisan EktaZindabad”.These the vaccine to thedrugregulator every15 ing on...they(Bharat Biotech)havetocome acapacitytomakearound 50-60 million sorting to stone pelting aremaligning the arepaying the price foropposition to the give waytobursting of crackers, singing of days.The fact sheetsought by the commit- backattheearliest(withthisinterimanaly- dosesamonth.Itexpectstorampupthisca- imageofVHP.“We urge our workers to en- newCentral agricultural laws. Punjabi songs, sharing of sweets andhugs as teeonWednesdayisalso to be made avail- sis),” the source said. pacitytoaround100millionamonthby the surepeace.” Representativesofseveral farmers’ unions the datechangestoJanuary1,2021. ablefor thosebeing vaccinated, according Bharat Biotech is presenting itscase for endofFebruary. The police personnel were outnumbered from the statehavejoinedprotesters at As manystepawaytomakevideocalls with morethan5,000people turningout for Delhi’s Singhu border.Sudesh Tekam, afarm to families backhome, waving to small chil- the rally; manywereinthe agegroup of 15- leader,says,“The Centreand state govern- dren on the phone screen, Gurdeepgoesto GST revenue the MinistryofScience and Technology, behind the decision,taken after"deep delib- 25 years and had joinedfromthe bordering ment arefighting it out and we arelosing, as his trolleytotalk to his wife, before spread- compared to thesame month lastyear. whichhas draftedthe newpolicy, has pro- erations"."The institute recognisesthat it has stateofRajasthan. if we arebeingpunishedfor protesting the ingamattress and lying down next to his However, the government should also pro- posed to setupaScience,Technology and aculturallegacy to nurture. At the same time, Avillageresident,Shahid Hussain farm laws.” friends. vide abreakup of the GSTcollected through Innovation Observatorythat will serveasthe therecan be no compromise on thesafetyof Mansuri,said he wasasked by an Inspector In his December 30 letter to the PM, In one corner, farmers observeaone- filing of returns and GSTcollected through central repositoryofall kinds of datagener- the residentsofthe dorms... (hence) a of NaiAbadiPolice Station whichhas juris- Baghel said, “Afterthe pre-intimation for minutesilence to markthe protesters who recovery drivesinitiated by the DRI and DG- ated from scientific research in the country. blendedapproachwas considered appropri- diction over Dorana, to remove flags atop procuring 60 lakh metric tonne, the stage died, mostofthem of natural causes in the GSTI authorities, whichshould give us atrue From thisObservatory,all data andinfor- ate. The coreofthe Louis Kahn buildings— their homes and mosque and remain in- government startedprocurement on biting cold or accidentsenroute, and twoof pictureofthe extent of economicrecovery,” mation related to publicly-fundedresearch the library, the faculty wings, and the class doors on the rallyday,and remain assured December 1, and has procured 47 lakh suicides. Rajat Bose, Partner,Shardul Amarchand would be madefreelyaccessibletoevery- room complex—and the dorms on the pe- the police will take care. tonnes from 12 lakh farmers so far. But the Of the many langars,afew remain open, Mangaldas &Co, said. one under “FAIR (Fair,Accessible, ripheryofthe complex(Dorms 16-18) would Unsureofpolice action, the villagers, stateisyet to receive aconsent from the serving hot pakodas, chai,and sweets.Asit December wasthe fourth month in Interoperable and Reusable) terms”. In situ- be restored,while the other dorms would be however, asked theirwomen to stay put at Foods Ministrydespiteseveral requests over gets colder, the protestsiteisdottedwith an- whichGST revenue collections postedayear- ations wheresome datacannotbemade reconstructed,” the statement had said, an adjoining villageonthe rallyday.Men phone so far.” githis,apart from the heaters around some on-year growth. The proposed extension of available to all due to reasons of privacy,na- adding that therehad been instances of slabs stayed backtodefend their property.The po- Baghel said the impact on procurement trolleys.Till1am, thereisaconstant hum of electronicinvoicing to more businesses is tional security,orintellectual property rights, falling from the roof, endangering students. licepersonnelalsoinspected the village and would adverselyaffect 21.52 lakh farmers. gurbani in thebackground. expected to further preventleakageinGST “suitablyanonymised and/orredacteddata” Speaking to The Indian Express on ensured there were no stones on the terrace. Following the letter,the PrimeMinister Then, slowly, the farmers startretiring to revenues. will be made accessible.And even if some December 28,ProfD’Souza, had said they On Tuesdayafternoon, over 5,000 men spokewith Baghel the next dayand “as- their tractor trolleys,huddling together un- “Recent changesintroducedand effec- datacannotbereleasedtothe general pub- could consider restoration “if nothing comes armedwith swords,sticks andstones, and sured”him of taking “necessarysteps”, der blanketscarriedfromhome, withplas- tively implemented in the GSTN technology lic due to these or other reasons, genuine re- out of the proposals submitted forrebuilding saffron flags, chanted slogans, playedmusic sources in the stategovernment said. tic sheets coveringthe vehicles foradditional platform likee-invoicing and of the match- searchers would definitelyhaveaccess. of dormitories as per the requirementsof on loud speakers and entered the village. An official of the societyhandling pro- warmth. ing of supplier invoicesalong with strict en- The MinistryofScience and Technology preserving the culturaland heritageaesthet- They brokeopen houses and climbed the curement at Somani said theyjustdidn’t Blanketshavealsobeen distributed by forcement by revenue authorities in check- is hoping that the final policywould be ap- ics of Kahn, meeting the budget and required mosque to put up saffron flags, says 60-year- have anyspace formorepaddy."Today, we severalorganisations at the protestsite. ing fraudulent invoices, has induced proved by the governmentinthe firsthalfof usageofspace”. old Fakeer Mohammad, aresident of Dorana. asked some millers to take whatever they Thosewith no vehicles move intothe tents enhanceddegree of reporting this year.The stated objective of thepolicy, The mob ransackedhouses, parked cars, can, so that we can makespace foracouple setuponthe road,footpathordivider.Some compliance...as e-invoicing gets extendedto whichwill replace the STIpolicyof2013, is to VHP rally CCTVcameras and even hit the cattle tied of days worthofprocurement by next morebrave justsprawlonthe main stage, less than Rs 100crore turnovertaxpayers in achieve technological self-reliance and po- Dorana in Mandsaur is one of the three outside, he said. week." Till January1,the stategovernment unmindfulofthe cold. the near future,itshall further prevent leak- sitionIndia among thetop threescientific villages in the communally-sensitive Nazar Mohammad Mansoori, aconsta- had procured 52.64lakh metric tonnes. ageofGST in the MSME sector,” Atul Gupta, powerhouses of the worldoverthe next Malwa-Neemuchregion, wherethe RSS has ble with the ArmedForces, who wasde- The amount of paddy procured by the Srinagar Senior Director,DeloitteIndia, said. decade. It hopes that government and pri- significant presence. It has 500houses with ployedonduty in nearbyMandsaur district, government in Chhattisgarhhas been going the attack, saying allsuch“outsiders”who “However”,Gupta said, “the government vate expenditureonresearch anddevelop- about 82 Muslim families. said his house backhome wasransacked, ve- up everyyear,with the number of registered had receiveddomicile certificates were “RSS should ensureeasingbank credit availability ment would double everyfiveyears. The clashes on Tuesdayhad broken out hicles damaged,and his brother’s grain shop farmers rising from 2019's 19 lakh farmers agents”and warning them:“We knowyour to the MSME sector whichisstill struggling following rallies organisedbyright-wing looted. “Residentsweresharingthe videos to upwardsof22lakh now. Theprocurement names, we know whereyou live and we to recoverfromthe Covid-inducedslow- IIM-A groups to create awareness fordonation to- on Whatsappgroup and all Icould do was is done both forthe state-basedNagrik knowwhat youdoand we arecoming for down in the domestic and exportmarkets.” wasput out." The statement, thatadded that wardsthe construction of the Ramtemple watchithelplesslydespitebeing in the force ApurtiNigam, to be sold through PDS, and you.” Under GSTlaws, e-invoice forB2B (busi- the institute wastryingtofind an alterna- in Ayodhya.Itcame under spotlight after myself,”hesaid. the FCI. IGP,Kashmir,Vijay Kumar told TheIndian ness to business) transactions have been tive,came twodays afterKahn's children videos of aperson climbing atop aminaret to Fakeer Mohammad, 60, said men in the Millers areawaiting aclear signal from Express,“We areworkingonbothaspects, made mandatoryfor companies with made another appeal to notpull down the put up asaffron flag went viral on social me- rallychasedseveral villagers including his the Centre andthe FCI before they can start i.e.businessrivalryand the terroristclaim... turnoverofoverRs500 crorefromOctober buildings. dia. nephewAbdul Hakim who ranfor his life processingthe dhaan whichfarmers are We willsharethe details soon.” 1lastyear.Itwas notifiedtobeextendedto However, governing council member The communal clash in Mandsaur is not and returnedonlylater in the night. Chased bringingtothe procurement centres. Facing Beforethe scrapping of J&K’s special sta- businesses with over Rs 100crore turnover andPrincipal Secretary, Education,Anju aone-offincident in the state. by amob, Mohammad and six others were economic hardships themselves, theysaid tus, onlysubjectsofthe erstwhile state from January1this year,and is likelytobe Sharma told TheIndian Express she had no In the pastweek, clashes have been re- finallygiven shelter by aHindu family. theywereawaiting permissions to startpro- could be itsdomiciles and purchase land extendedtoall businesses beginning April information on this. “I do nothaveany com- portedinUjjain and Indoretoo duringral- Hakim’s two-storied housewas oneof curement. and other immovable property.Nischal 1. The e-invoicing system is connected to a munication or information of suchastate- lies organisedbyright-wing groups as these the houses that sufferedmostdamagewith Said Vikash AgrawalofRajnandgaon, “For originally hailed from Gurdaspur in Punjab. central portal, whichreceivesand validates ment issued on behalfofall membersofthe passedthrough Muslim-dominated locali- the glass balconyshattered.Inthe FIR, he parboiled rice, whichisacquired in larger Asource said he had appliedafter the invoices in real time. BoardofGovernors,”Sharma said. ties. On the same dayasDorana in Mandsaur, claimedthat cash and ornamentsworth quantitiesand has abigger outside market, changeinthe lawand got thedomicile cer- GSTcollections, whichare an indicator The IIM-Astatement said the board aflare-up in Begum Bagh locality in Ujjain lakhs of rupees werestolen. The residents thereisabsolutesilence from the FCI.” Chief tificate. of economic activity, had plummetedtoa would try“to find the best answer to theis- ledtoclashes with stone pelting by residents have registeredfour different FIRs of theft MinisterBaghelhad spoken with Food “Since hisdaughter-in-lawisoriginally recordlow of Rs 32,172crore in April, follow- sues of howtocater to ourresponsibility to in response to alleged useofabusive lan- and damagetoproperty following the ral- MinisterPiyush Goyaltoo earlier,and he had from Jammu, he had also bought ahouse ing the Covid-19pandemic lockdown. The asignificant legacy,the safetyofthosewho guagebythose in the rally. On December 29, lies. promisedthe file pertainingtoFCI procure- and ashoprecentlyinSrinagar in her name.” averagegrowth in GSTrevenues during the utilizethe buildingsaswell as being in tune acommunal flare-up wasreportedin Some women who had stayed backalso ment under the Central pool would be This house is located in the highlyforti- October-Decemberquarterhas been 7.3per with the needs of the future”. It addedthat a Chandankhedi villageinIndoretoo with had to fleetheir homes intothe fields. cleared soon, sources in the stategovern- fied IndiraNagar area, close to the Army15 cent as compared to (-)8.2 per cent during decision would be takenafter taking into stone pelting from both sides, and com- ShakiraBiclaimedsome in the rallyfired a ment said. Corpsheadquarters, while the shopinhis the July-September quarterand (-)41per consideration the feedbackreceived, includ- plaints of arson by the villageresidents. fewrounds in the air afterwhichmany Theproblemsinprocurement comeon daughter-in-law’sname is at theHari Singh cent during the April-June quarterofthe fi- ing from “the best global conservationand Addressing an event in Indore, Chief women who were hiding in the fields began topofacuteshortage of gunnybags to hold High Street jewellerymarket. nancial year. structural experts”. MinisterShivraj Singh Chouhan warnedthe running, onlytobechasedbythe men. “The the paddy,whichare suppliedbythe Centre Soon afterNischal’s killing, the TRF, In alettertoIIM-ADirector Prof Errol stone pelters. “Lawwill take itscourse men chasedusintothe fields,but returned —made worse by the Covid shutdowns. whichisbelievedbythe policetobeafront Science journals D’Souza on December 30, Kahn’s children againstthe miscreants, whoevertheymay afterfollowing us some distance,” claimed Stategovernment officials said Chhattisgarh of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, said it had carried 3,000 croreonthe bulk subscriptions every Sue Ann Kahn, AlexandraTyng and be.People creating disturbance will be dealt Mumtaz Bi, 32. required 4.5 lakh bundles of jutebags. out the attackonthe domicile issue. year. Nathaniel Kahn had appealed that he “re- with strictly. We have to ensureMadhya “Whilethe JuteCommissioner said theycan In astatement on itssocial media chan- “This has notbeen triedinany country consider thiscalamitous and irreversible de- Pradesh remainsanisland of peace,” he said. 19-year-old woman supply1.45 lakh bundles, theyhavegiven us nels, the TRFsaid, “TheResistance Front con- so far, but in our viewthis is atransforma- cision”, saying manypeople in India and The police have since arrested five per- theydonot have anyCCTVcamerainstalled only1.05 lakh bundles,”anofficial said. ducted an intelligence-basedoperation in tional move towardsmakingscientific abroad could help the institute find asolu- sons and registeredanoffence against58 inside the building or anywitnesses, theydo Shankar Sahu,afarmer,says even recy- Srinagar todayinwhichanRSS agent, who knowledgeavailabletoall... Publicly-funded tion that wasbeneficial to it and yetpreserve othersbased on complaintsbythe villagers; notknowthe finer details of howKukreja cledgunnybags arenow in high demand. wasposing as abusinessman, wasneutral- research is carriedout through taxpayers’ “the timeless architecture”. another 30 in Indore, of whichatleast27are died. “Wehave, however, found CCTV cam- "Earlier,theywould cost Rs 20, but after ized. The individualwas an active partici- money. Andthe taxpayerneednot have to On Thursday, over 600architects and ac- villagers; in Begum Bagh locality of Ujjain, erafootage outside the building that shows Covid-19, the rate is Rs 30 per piece.” pantinthe demographic changeand settler paytoaccess the resultsordatagenerated ademics from 118universities in over 30 18 have been arrested withchargesunder the man, whom we have detained, leaving AccordingtoTekam, “Per quintal, afarmer is colonyproject run by Hindutvafascists to by this research,” Akhilesh Gupta,head of countries releasedapetitionsaying demo- the National Security Actslappedon10. the building with some injuries he mayhave spendingRs37ormoreongunnybags, sim- alter the demographyofKashmir... The the team that draftedthe policy document, litionofthe dorms “will seriouslydamage SiddharthChoudhary, SP,Mandsaur,told sustainedinthe scuffle. We have also found plybecause the government doesn’t have Resistance Front had already warnedthat said. the global reputation of IIM-A” and will be The Indian Express that with prior knowledge bloodstains on the stairs,” he said. any.” anyIndian nationalirrespective of faith, ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ is pro- “an act of cultural vandalism”. of the rallyand understandingthat it could Asenior officer said, “Weare question- With the stateCongress government at- caste or colour,who comes to Kashmir with posedaspartofanewOpen Science In astatement releasedonFriday, IIM-A take acommunal turn, he had deployeda ing thosedetained.” tacking the Centre, the BJP says thecrisis is the intention of settling here, will be treated Framework that will ensurefreeaccess to Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and the forceof100 men, six inspectors,aDeputy FULL REPORTS ON the result of the BaghelMinistryworking as an agentofthe RSS and notasacivilian.” scientific data forall. Towardsthis objective, BoardofGovernors had laidout the reasons Superintendent of Police (DSP) under the www.indianexpress.com WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 3 THE CITY BMCstaffunhappyover removalofspecialgrant

Additional Rs 300allowance giventofrontlineworkers dailyduring lockdown discontinuedasservices resume

the problem of transportation About 1lakh BMC workers were LAXMANSINGH and food has been resolved. coveredunderthe facility since MUMBAI,JANUARY1 Therefore, the daily allowance of March 25. Rs 300given to all civic body em- The municipal workers’ THE BRIHANMUMBAI ployees will notbecontinuedaf- union has opposedthe recent Municipal Corporation (BMC) terDecember 31,2020,” reads move anddemandedthe al- has discontinuedanadditional the circular. lowance to be continuedtill dailyallowance of Rs 300which Following the pandemic’s March this year. wasgiven to itsfrontlinework- outbreak,Maharashtraimposed The Mumbai ers during lockdown triggered lockdown in March.However, all Mahanagarpalika Karyaleen by Covid-19pandemic in March workers belonging to essential Karmchari Sanghatana (MMKS) lastyear.The civic body has said serviceshad been attending of- has written to BMC commis- that the decision wastaken con- fices regularly despite the ab- sioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, seek- sidering the present-dayrelax- sence of trains and other such fa- ing the circular’s withdrawal. ations that have ledtoimprove- cilities. These staffusedto The union has said that this ment in transportation and food commutevia special buses, run would be unfairtothe workers services. by BESTand the Maharashtra as theystillhavetofacealot of On December 29, the BMC’s StateTransport(MSRTC), be- hassles owing to thepandemic. General Administration tween the Mumbai “A fewmonths agoinameet- Department (GAD) issuedacir- Metropolitan Regions (MMR) ar- ing with the union, the BMC said cular, informingall departments eas likeVirar,Badlapur, Kalyan the allowance willcontinue till AdesertedMarineDrive during night curfew on NewYear’s Eve. Ganesh Shirsekar about the special allowance’s and Panvel to Mumbai. March,but nowtheyhaveissued discontinuation. The circular To cater to these workers, the acircular to discontinue it. The states that since June 15 train BMC had decidedtooffer adaily pandemic is still farfromover servicesresumedgradually, and special grant of Rs 300totheir and the administration should NEW YEAR’SEVE on October 5, hotels and restau- stafftoboosttheir morale and continue the grant till March at Ex-Army officer moves rantswereallowedtoopen. help them deal with issues con- least,” said MMKSGeneral HC, says threatened by 35 motorists arrested for drink driving “Following these developments, cerning food and transportation. SecretaryPrakash Devdas. government on NewYear festivi- tion to anearbyhospital. Through MP resident Shiv Sena corporator EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE ties and shuttingdownofpubs this initiative,wehavemanaged Man arrested for MUMBAI,JANUARY1 and eateries before 11pm helped to catch35people driving in an reduce the number this year. inebriatedstate,” said an officer. arrested with Kingdom, had in 2016 purchased THE MUMBAI TrafficPolice has Morethan 30,000policemen, Theofficialsaddedthat20mo- filmingwoman in EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE aproperty in Wadala, whichhas booked35 motoristsfordrinkdriv- includingtrafficpolice,SRPFunits torists were caught by 2pm, fol- weapons MUMBAI,JANUARY1 aslum nearby. Therewas also a ing on Thursdaynight. The num- and special task force, were on lowedby15moreoverthe rest of temple right next to it. berisamassive dipfromlastyear’s roadonThursday. Specialteamsin the day. Thane trafficpolice offi- washroom, gets bail THE BOMBAY High Courton Apte said the temple wasil- when 778motorists,majority of plain clothes were also deployed. cials, who usedbreathalysers in EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Tuesdaydirected the RAKMarg legal and wasdemolishedin them on two-wheelers, were In some places,surveillance was suspecteddrink-drivingcases,pe- MUMBAI,JANUARY1 cused, identifiedasSameer police station in Mumbai to 2017 by the BMC. chargedfor driving in an inebri- being carriedout from drones. nalised416 motorists."Suspected EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Shaikh, wascaught with the help ascertain whether aformer The petitioner,who is the at- ated state. "Thosesuspectedto bedriving drivers were examined using dis- THE MUMBAI Police Crime MUMBAI,JANUARY1 of the restaurant's staffers. Armyofficer required protection torneyofhis brother's property, Buttheauthoritiessaidthere- under the influence of alcohol posablebreathalysers,"saidThane BranchonThursdayarrested The woman informedthe afteraShivSena corporator al- also claimedthat some people strictionsput forthbythe state were sentfor medical examina- police PRO. aresident of Madhya Pradesh A38-YEAR-OLD man wasar- Mumbai Police Control Room legedly threatenedhim over illegallyreconstructed the tem- afterhewas found in possession rested on Thursdayfor allegedly and subsequentlyateam from property issues. ple, whichwas again demol- of acarbine with twomagazines, filmingawomanwho wasusing the Azad Maidan police station The former officer,SujitApte, ishedbythe BMC on December three pistols with three awashroom at arestaurant in wasdispatchedtothe spot. in his plea has stated that corpo- 11,lastyear. Mumbai Police’s feats silence critics: CM magazines and 15 live rounds. southMumbai. He wasgranted “Both were brought to the police ratorAmeyGhole, along with The plea alleged that the cor- The man, identifiedasPravin bail on Friday. station. The woman's statement employees of the BMC, had en- porator andafew others gath- “Thepolice workedharddur- whatwouldhave happenedifthe Borde alias Pralhad (21), is being The AzadMaidan police said wasrecordedand the accused teredhis property and threat- ered at his property on EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE ing the pandemic. Thousands of policewere alsoallowedtodoso,” questioned, said police. theincident took placearound wasarrested,” saidVidyasagar enedhim with “direconse- December 13 and threatened MUMBAI,JANUARY1 them contracted thevirus, while Thackeray said. DCP (Crime) Akbar Pathan 7.30 pm, when the 30-year-old KalkundrefromAzad Maidan quences” on December 13. him regardingthe demolition, some of them diedinthe line of He warnedthat the threat of said, “In the past, we have ar- complainant had gone to the police station. An officer said that Apte has claimedthat the R prompting him to file apolice CHIEF MINISTER Uddhav duty,” he added. Covid-19wasstillverymuchpres- rested people coming to the city restaurant along with her friend. Shaikh workedinacellphone AKMargpolice station, where complaint. Thackeray laudedthe statepolice Thackeray said, “The accom- ent and therewas no question of to sell countryrevolvers. The ac- “The woman wasinthe wash- shop near the restaurant. His he has filedacomplaint, has re- The counsel forthe corpora- and their city counterparts at a plishmentsofthe Mumbai Police takingthingslightly. “Thethreatof cusedinthis case wasalso car- room when shesaw aperson in- phone has been seized. fusedtobook Ghole and others. tordeniedthe allegations. function at the Mumbai Police areendlessand theforce’s tradi- Covid-19still persists.The pan- rying acarbine –along barreled sertingamobile phone,trying to The accusedhas been He sought directions to thepo- Afterhearing submissions, headquarters on Friday. tion dates backto150 years. With demic is farfromoveryet. weapon usedfor shortrange record, from the space belowthe booked under Section 354(C) lice to registeranFIR againstthe the courtnoted,“Theaforesaid Thackeray also fetedCovid-19 suchalongtraditionandefficiency, However, somepeoplecriticiseus warfare. We aretrying to find out door,” said an officer. (voyeurism) of the Indian Penal corporator and twoothers as aspect will be examined on are- warriors at the event besides re- nomatterhowmuchonetries,the forkeeping certain places shut. who wassupposedtoreceive the The woman raisedanalarm Code. He wasproducedbefore well as police protection forhim- turnabledate. However, in inter- turning stolen properties, recov- imageofthepoliceadministration Theyshouldatleast understand firearm.” forhelp, following whichthe ac- courtonFridayand granted bail. self. regnum, the additional public eredby theMumbaipolice,to their cannotbemaligned. Ipromise I their responsibility while police, Following atip-offthat a Adivision benchofJustice S prosecutor to informanin respective owners. “The hugeac- willnot allowthat to happen that doctors and nurses areperform- person wascoming to Bandra SShinde and Justice Abhay charge of the concernedpolice complishments of the Mumbai if anyone attemptstodoso.” ing their duty in suchdifficult with firearms on Thursday Ahuja heardthe plea, filed station in whosejurisdiction the Police shut the mouths of those Thackeray wasspeakinginthe times,” he added. evening,aCrime Branch(Unit through advocatesDhrutiman petitioner is residing, if neces- who triedtodefame them,” the presence of Mumbai Policecom- Thackeray further praisedthe VIII) team laid atrapand de- Joshi and AmeySawant, on sary, to grant police protection to chief ministersaidinaveiledrefer- missioner ParamBir Singh and police force fortaking preventive tainedBorde. December 29. the petitioner and his family.” ence to the allegations of acover- other senior officers. “During the measuresandputtingthemselves The police found firearms in According to theplea, Apte’s The HC will hear the plea up againstthe city police in the lockdown,we hadaskedeveryone at risk to bring the pandemic un- the bag he wascarrying and brother,who livesinthe United next on January13. Sushant Singh Rajput case. to work from home. But imagine der control across the state. placedhim under arrest.

राीय पशु जैव ौोिगक संथान Mumbai records second worst AQI since 2016 National Institute of Animal Biotechnology NIAB An autonomous Institute of Department of Bio-Technology, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology Ministry of Science &Technology,Govt of India falls in the “verypoor” category. remain in the ‘verypoor’ cate- According to astudy by SA- Sy.No.37, Near Gowlidoddy,Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana,India-500032, EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Lastyear,the AQIrecordedon gory due to inflowofcontinen- FAR, owing to the lockdown in Contact: 040- 2312 0103/0115, Email:[email protected], Web: www.niab.org.in MUMBAI,JANUARY1 January1was 175, whichfalls in talair with lowventilation and 2020, Mumbaihad recordeda Advertisement No.24/2020 the “moderatecategory”. At 323, hence, (therewill be)slowdis- 76 percent decline in the RECRUITMENT OF SCIENTIST MUMBAI ON Fridayrecordedits the worstAQI wasrecorded on persion of accumulated pollu- Nitrogen Dioxide levelconcen- NIAB, Hyderabad, an autonomous institute under the aegis of Department of second worstAir Quality Index January1,2016. tion, mainlyfrombiomass tration, while PM 2.5 wasdown Biotechnology,Government of India, is aimed to harness novel and emerging biotechnologies and create knowledge in the cutting edge areas for improving (AQI) since 2016 –the year SAFARcategorises AQIlev- burning areas of the city,due to by 54 per cent as opposedto animal health and productivity. System of Air Quality Weather els from 0to50asgood,51to favourable wind direction,” it the same period in 2019. NIAB, Hyderabad invites applications from Indian citizens for the following positions: Forecasting And Research (SA- 100satisfactory, 101to200 added. Between March and Positions Pay Level No of post Age Limit FAR) beganmonitoring airpol- moderate, 201to300poor,301 Among the 10 locations September,AQI levels were be- Scientist -G Level 14 as per 7th CPC 1(UR) Not exceeding 50 years lution levels in the city. to 400verypoor and above 401 monitored by SAFAR, five low50lastyear. Not exceeding 50 years On the firstday of 2021, the as severe. recorded“very poor” AQI– According to the Scientist-F Level 13A as per 7th CPC 1(UR) city witnessedhazy and cloudy SAFARsaid that the high Malad (355), Mazagaon (347), MaharashtraPollution Control Scientist -B Level-10 as per 7th CPC 1(UR) Not exceeding 35 years skies throughout the day. The pollution levels were as aresult Bandra-Kurla Complex(358), Board, the city recordedthe Please visit NIAB website www.niab.org.in for detailed advertisement and AQI–pollution measuringindi- of the wind conditions.“The Chembur (316)and Navi worstair quality across online application form. cator –was 307onFriday, which AQIinMumbai will continue to Mumbai (343). MaharashtrainOctober 2020. Date of commencement of online applications: 2-1-2021 Last date for submitting online applications: 5-2-2021 (5 PM) Sd/- DIRECTOR >kj[k.M ljdkj vkfnoklh dY;k.k vk;qDr dk;kZy;] >kj[k.M ea=ky;] /kqokZ] jk¡ph UNPAID TRAFFIC CHALLANS vuqlwfpr tutkfr@vuqlwfpr tkfr ds Nk=&Nk=kvksa dks la?k yksd lsok vk;ksx] ubZ fnYyh }kjk vk;ksftr flfoy lsok ijh{kk dh izkjfEHkd ijh{kk es mRrh.kZ Nk=&Nk=kvksa gsrq eq[; ijh{kk@lk{kkRdkj Call centre contacts 4,600 defaulters, dh rS;kjh ds fy, vkfFkZd lgk;rk iznku djus ds fy, o"kZ 2020&21 gsrq vkosnu ls lEcfU/kr vko”;d lwpuk vuqlwfpr tutkfr] vuqlwfpr tkfr] vYila[;d ,oa fiNM+k oxZ dY;k.k foHkkx] >kj[k.M ljdkj }kjk lapkfyr penalty of Rs 1.12 crore recovered Þeq[;ea=h vuqlwfpr tutkfr@vuqlwfpr tkfr flfoy lsok izksRlkgu ;kstukÞ ds vUrxZr vuqlwfpr tutkfr@vuqlwfpr tkfr ds Nk=&Nk=kvksa dks la?kyksd lsok vk;ksx] ubZ fnYyh }kjk vk;ksftr flfoy lsok izkjfEHkd ijh{kk esa mRrh.kZ gksus ij lastfour years, manyviolators Maharashtra government seek- eq[; ijh{kk@lk{kkRdkj dh rS;kjh gsrq ,deq”r :å 1]00]000@& ¼,d yk[k :Ik;s½ ek= jkf”k dh vkfFkZd lgk;rk iznku EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE djus gsrq o"kZ 2020&21 esa flfoy lsok ijh{kk dh izkjfEHkd ijh{kk mRrh.kZ vuqlwfpr tutkfr@vuqlwfpr tkfr Nk=@ have defaulted on payments. In ing approval to appoint recovery Nk=kvksa ls vkosnu i= fuEu ik=rk ds vk/kkj ij vkeaf=r fd;s tkrs gSA MUMBAI,JANUARY1 all, 29 lakh challans, with atotal agentsfor the job. vkosnu gsrq ik=rk % fine value of Rs 317crore,re- Meanwhile, the authorities 1. bl ;kstuk vUrxZr >kj[k.M ls baVjehfM;V ,oa LUkkrd ijh{kk mRrh.kZ djusokys jkT; ds vuqlwfpr tutkfr@ THE MUMBAI trafficdepart- mainedunpaid till 24 days ago. said theyhavetemporarily re- vuqlwfpr tkfr oxZ ds fuoklh vH;FkhZ ik= gksxasA ment,whichhad recentlyiniti- In viewofthe size of the vokedthe licenses of 2,000 mo- 2. bl ;kstukvUrxZr ,sls vH;FkhZ ik= gksaxs ftudh lHkh L=ksrksa ls vf/kdre ikfjokfjd vk; 2-50 yk[k :å ¼nks yk[k ated multiple drivestomakevi- pending dues, the trafficpolice torists having asignificant num- ipkl gtkj :Ik;s½ ls vf/kd ugksA olators payfines, hasmanaged had decidedtoset up acall cen- berofunpaid challans. 3. dksbZ Hkh vH;FkhZ dks bl ;kstuk dk ykHk ,d ckj gh ysus ds fy;s ik= gksxkA to recoverRs1.12crore of the tretoreachout to thosewhose In viewofthe high numberof 4. bl ;kstukUrxZr dsUnz@jkT; ljdkj }kjk flfoy lsok ijh{kkvksa ds fy;s lapkfyr dksfpax¼Coaching½ dk ykHk ysusokys pending Rs 317crore in thelast fines were pending.Sofar,the defaulters,theMumbaitrafficpo- vH;FkhZ ik= ugha gksaxsA 24 days.The amount has been call centrehas contacted4,600 lice has nowstarted accepting vkosnu nsus dh vafre frfFk %& fnukad &28-01-2021 le;&4:00 cts vijkg~u rd ¼fu/kkZfjr le;@frfFk ds Ik”pkr izkIr recoveredagainst2,593 challans defaulters, withpenalty against fines in cash afterseekingap- vkosnu ij fopkj ugha gksxk½ with the help of adedicated call 2,593 challans being recovered. proval from the government last vkosnu i= dk fofgr izi= %& vuqlwfpr tutkfr@vuqlwfpr tkfr ds lqik= vH;FkhZ vkosnu i= dk fofgr izi= centrethat the trafficdepart- Officers said theywish to month.SomnathGharge,Deputy Website :www.jstcdc.org.inls MkmuyksM dj ldrs gSA ment had setuptorecoverpend- continue withthe call centretill Commissioner of Police (Traffic) uksV%& vkosnd vius vkosnu ds lkFk >kj[k.M ds fuokl izek.k&i=] tkfr izek.k&i=] vk; izek.k&i=] 'kS{kf.kd ing dues. all pending dues arerecovered. said,“Onlyofficer-rankpersonnel ;ksX;rk ls lEcfU/kr izek.k&i=] la?k yksd lsok vk;ksx }kjk fuxZr flfoy lsok izkjfEHkd ijh{kk dk izos”k i= ,oa Under the e-challan system The police have also setup11 can acceptcash fines. Constables izkjEfHkd flfoy lsok ijh{kk mrh.kZ djus lEcU/kh izek.k dh Lo&vfHkizekf.kr Nk;k izfr vo”; layXu djsaxsA introducedfouryearsago by the special teams whichvisit the res- arenot allowedtoacceptany fine uksV %& vkosnd fuokl] tkfr ,oa vk; izek.k&i= DC/S.D.O.}kjk Online fuxZr izek.k&i= layXu djsaxs vU;Fkk Mumbai trafficpolice, fines were idences of errant motorists to by cash.Whilemanymotoristsare vkosnu i= vLohdkj dj fn;k tk;sxkA vkosnu tek djus dk LFkku& vkosnudrkZ viuk vkosnu vkfnoklh dY;k.k vk;qDRk dk dk;kZy;] dejk la[;k&303] notacceptedincash. Violators collect fines aftergiving them a reluctant to payup, the special r`rh; ry] izkstsDV Hkou] /kqokZ] jkaph&834004 esa fucaf/kr@LihM iksLV Mkd }kjk ;k dk;kZy; dk;Z vof/k esa lh/ks tek dj had to either paybycardorvisit reminder call. In mid-December, drive and the call centresystem ldrs gSaA the websiteofthe trafficpolice the Mumbai trafficdepartment hashelpedusreachoutto default- vkfnoklh dY;k.k vk;qDRkA+ PR.NO.238593 Schedule Tribe, Schedule Caste, Minority and Backward Class Welfare Department(20-21):D to paydues. However, over the had sent an application to the ers and recoverthe money.” WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 4 MAHARASHTRA THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 MONEY LAUNDERING CASE CM was to approve builder claim on Mahakali Caves: BJP

body with this rather unusual viewofthe stands takenbyvari- plan. Our claim forgrant of devel- EDclaimsnoformalloan SANDEEPASHAR claim, stakingownershipofthe While neither Uddhav ous parties in the writ petition, opment rightsisperfectlyvalid,” MUMBAI,JANUARY1 cave land anddemanding per- Thackeray nor Shiv specific remarks of the lawoffi- he said. mission to liftconstruction rights cer aresought in respect of re- Forthe grant of development DRAGGINGMAHARASHTRA in the form of transferable devel- Sena have so far questfromapplicant forgrant of rightsincases wherethe appro- Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray opment rights(TDR), which can respondedtothe development rightsinlieu of priateauthority forreservationis pactbetweenVarsha intothe controversy over a then be sold or loadedfor use on handing over of the land bearing otherthanthe planning author- builder claiming development anyproperty with the Mumbai allegations, BMC CTS No 1ofvillageVyravali ity,the DCR makes it clear that it rightsatthe siteofthe ancient municipal corporation’s limit. Commissioner Iqbal shown as existing social amenity canbedoneonlyupontherequest rock-cutMahakali Caves, the The caves, believedtohaveex- Singh Chahal’s office situated near the Kamal Amrohi of suchAppropriateAuthority,an andPravinRaut’swife Opposition BJP on Fridayalleged istedsince the time of the Ashoka studio.” official said. In this case, ASI is the that the ShivSena-led Empire, areclassifiedasaGrade- refuted Somaiya’s Former civic commissioners Appropriate Authority,and it has Brihanmumbai Municipal Iprotected monument by the claims as being ‘totally AjoyMehtaand PraveenPardeshi made no suchrequest.Infact, in this companyagainstacontribu- 2020,theNationalCompanyLaw Corporation (BMC) wasset to ap- Archaeological Survey of India incorrect’ and ‘untrue’ had earlier rejected the devel- the recent past, officialssaidthat KHUSHBOONARAYAN tion of mereRs5,625 towardsits Tribunal ordered theliquidation provethe proposal. (ASI). At that time, Singh’s office oper’s proposal,citingDCR provi- the ASI had specificallyopposed MUMBAI,JANUARY1 capital.Sourcesaddedthatthepe- of the companyand appointed a Former BJP lawmaker Kirit hadsaid that the civic body was sions.“There aredocuments to the developer’scontention.The riod when the loan wasgiven to resolutionprofessionalto oversee Somaiya, who has raisedseveral notinclinedtoapprovethe devel- showthat the file wasreopened DCRalsomakestheciviccommis- THE ENFORCEMENT Directorate Varsha coincides with the period itsliquidation. The liquidation allegations of wrongdoing against oper’s request. Reiterating the partment’scommunicationto following arepresentationby sioner responsible forensuring (ED)has alleged that Pravin Raut, when PMC Bank gave loans to value of the companyisRs126 the Thackeray familyand senior same on Friday, it said, “The alle- BMC’s development plan (DP) de- ShivSena MLADilip Lande,” the possession of all suchland is adirector of Guruashish HDIL, whichisnow accusedofa crore. Varsha, who wassum- Sena leader in recent times, al- gations aretotally incorrect and partment, dated December 24, Somaiyaalleged. handedovertothe Appropriate Constructions Pvt Ltd –asub- Rs 6,200-crorefraud at the bank. monedbythe ED three times in leged that the “largesse” wasCM untrue. We’vealready clarified 2012,whereithad opinedthat The MPPL had acquired the Authorityonly. sidiaryofHousing Development The loan takenbyVarsha has re- connectiontothecase,hassought Thackeray’s newyear “gift” to the that no TDR againstMahakali “an NOC from the Centre’s nearbyKamalistanStudio, origi- In 2016,another controversy andInfrastructureLimited(HDIL) mained unpaid for10years, said timefromtheagencyandwillap- builder. caveshas been granted or will be Archaeological Survey of India nallyfoundedbythe film direc- had broken out when the civic –siphoned Rs 95 croreand al- sources. pear before it on January5. While neither the Thackeray granted in future.” (ASI)won’t berequiredto acquire torKamal Amrohi. It has nowrep- body had earmarkedareas within legedly transferredRs1.6 croreto PMCBankisunderregulatory SanjayRauthas said that they nor the ShivSena have so farre- The plotonwhichthe ancient the land”. Somaiyaquestioned resented to the civic body that 200-meterperipheryofthe an- hiswife,whothengave Rs55lakh restrictionsaftertheReserve Bank have been communicating with spondedtothe allegations, cavesstand measures 69,966 the needtoseeking legal opinion land on whichthe cavesexistis cient cave forrehabilitationand to VarshaRaut, wifeofShivSena of India found out financialirreg- the ED forthe lastone-and-a-half Mumbai civic commissioner squarefeet. As per the prevailing when the civic body had previ- partofthe same land parcel. resettlement projectsinthe de- MP Sanjay Raut, in 2010-2011,as ularities in itsfunctioning, hiding monthsandhave twicesubmitted Iqbal Singh Chahal’s office has re- TDR norms applicable in the sub- ouslyrejected claims. Earlier the Shahid Balwa, Promoter, DB velopment plan, showing a40- an interestfreeloan. andclassificationof loansgivento documentssought by the agency futed Somaiya’s claims as being urbs of Mumbai, the developer DP department had referred the Realty,had told the Indian feet road development plan road Theagencyhasalsonotfound HDIL. The promoters of HDIL – pertainingto theloan.Healsosaid “totallyincorrect” and “untrue”. wantsthe BMCtoissue adevel- matter to itslaw departmentafter Express that his firm’s claim was touching the cave boundary. The anydocumentsshowingaformal Rakesh Wadhawanand Sarang that thetransaction had no link- On December 12,The Indian opment right certificateorTDR the developer pointed to an on- rightful.“Theproperty card of the cavesitself were designatedas an loan agreementbetween Varsha Wadhawan –are currentlyinjail agetothe PMC Bank scam case Express had reportedthat equivalent to twotimes of the going writ petition in the Bombay land is in MPPL’s name. It has “existing social amenity” forthe andMadhuri, wifeofPravinRaut, in the PMC Bank scam case. and the loan wasdeclared by him Mumbai-basedMahal Pictures plotareaor1,39,932 squarefeet HighCourtinthisregard.Inanof- been submitted to the civicau- very firsttime. According to ASI, raising questions on the nature of In February,the Economic in his election affidavit and also to Private Limited(MPPL),an associ- in all. ficial note signedonNovember 6, thorities. The caveshavebeen no developmentcan take place thetransactions,sourcesintheED Offences Wing of the Mumbai the income taxdepartment. ateofconstruction major DB Somaiya’saccusation comes Chief Engineer (Development designated as an ‘existing social within the 200-m peripheryofa said. On Friday, theagencyprovi- Police had arrested Pravin after “The loan transaction is be- Realty,had approachedthe civic in the wake of the civic lawde- Plan) Vinod Chitorewrote, “In amenity’ in the development protected monument. sionallyattachedassets of Rs 72 the MaharashtraHousing and tweentwo individuals. The loan crorebelonging to Pravin under Area Development Authority that we have takenisonrecord the PreventionofMoney (MHADA) complainedthat andhasbeenmentionedtothein- LaunderingAct (PMLA) in the Guruashish Constructions was come taxdepartment and in the 4dists to holdmockCovid BJP readiestofight Punjab and Maharashtra givenaredevelopmentprojectfor RajyaSabhaelectionaffidavit.We Cooperative (PMC)Bankcase.The PatraChawl in Goregaon in haven't hidden anything,” Sanjay Cong &NCP on farm ED has alleged that the moneysi- Mumbaiin2007,butinsteadof re- Raut said on Fridaywhen asked vaccinationdrivetoday phonedbyPravin were loans developing, the companysub- whytherewas no formal agree- availedbyHDIL from PMC Bank. contractedtheprojectto threede- mentdocumentingtheloantaken It has claimedthat Varsha velopers and also mortgaged by his wifefromMadhuri. Clarif- reforms ahead of usedthe moneytobuy aflat at some of the property with the ying thatheand Pravin were not EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE DadarinMumbai.Theagencyhas consent of MHADA. relatedandtheirrelationshipwas MUMBAI,JANUARY1 found thatVarshaand Madhuri Guruashish Constructions one of “close familyfriends”, the gram panchayat polls arealso partners in afirmcalled wastakento thebankruptcycourt Sena MP said, “Wetookthe loan HEALTH MINISTER Rajesh Tope Avani Construction. in 2017 afteritdefaulted on loan 10 yearsago.There wasnoPMC on Fridaysaid the statewill hold Varsha, sources said, hasalso repayment of Rs 250 croretothe Bankscamthen...PravinRauthap- atwo-hour-long dryrun for EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE The BJP has prepared a receivedaloan of Rs 12 lakh from UnionBankof India.InSeptember penedto beadirectorwithHDIL.” Covid-19vaccinationat MUMBAI,JANUARY1 booklet, calling out the Nandurbar,Pune, Jalna and Nagpur on Saturday. THE MAHARASHTRA BJP will Congress and the NCP’s MUMBAI SLUM IMPROVEMENT In eachofthe 12 centres allo- use agricultural reforms as its alleged flip-flops on cated in the four districts, 25 keyweapon to fight the ruling the agriculturesector BOARD peoplewill be vaccinated on a Congress-NCP-ShivSenaalliance AREGIONAL UNIT OF trial basis. Adry run is atrial con- in the polls to the 14,234gram (MAHARASHTRA HOUSING AND AREA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY) ducted to test aprocedure, find panchayats slated forJanuary15. small and marginal farmers in Tel. No. :022-66405432, E-mail :[email protected] possible hiccups or difficulties in At aproposedCovid vaccinationcentre at the civil hospitalin The resultswill be declared on the AgricultureProduce Market the process, andsolving the is- Thane. Deepak Joshi January18. Committee (APMC), wherefarm e-TENDER NOTICE sues. The drill will notuse areal At theparty's internal meet- produce is oftenprocured below DIGITALLY signed &unconditional online e-Tender in form 'B-1' (Percentage Rate) are invited vaccine. ing, the BJP leadership has urged MSP,isthe main issue. This is al- by the Executive Engineer (West) Division, Mumbai Slum Improvement Board (Unit of MHADA), The Oxford-AstraZeneca Nandurbar District Health Jalna, the district hospital, sub- itscadres in rural beltstoaggres- ready being debated." Room No. 537, 4th Floor,Griha Nirman Bhavan, Bandra (East), Mumbai-400 051 from the contractors registered with PWD/ MHADA/ CPWD/ CIDCO/ MES/ MJP/ MIDC/ Indian Railway/ BPT/ MCGM in the vaccine is close to getapproval in Officer,said: “Wehavethree cen- district hospitaland aPHC will sively conveythe messageof Thereare 306APMCs in corresponding appropriate class of contractor or any Govt./ Semi Govt. organisation : India with an expertcommittee tres in Nandurbar wherethe dry be ropedin. agricultural reforms with Maharashtrawithanannual in Central Drug StandardControl run will be carriedout. We will farmers’ welfarebeing the cen- turnoverexceeding Rs 50,000 e- Name of Works Estimated E.M.D. 1% Security Registration Tender Time limit Tender Cost of Deposit (Class) of Price for Organisation recommending its deputefivevaccinators in each tral theme. crore. Thosecontrolling the Sr.No. Estimated 2% of Contractor including completion emergency use authorisation of the three centres.” Opposition leader Devendra APMCs arereapingfinancial Cost Estimated 12% GST of work with conditions. The final ap- While thefirsttwo officials 19.35lakh Fadnavis said: “Theinitiative to benefitsdepriving the farmers Cost (50% in Rs. proval will come from Drugs will registerthe beneficiaryand makenon-implementationof of the pricefor their crops, he initially & TOTALPOSITIVECASES 50% Controller General of India. The verify his identity,one will ad- INMAHARASHTRA MSP an offense wasmooteddur- added. through vaccine rollout is expected to be- ministerthe vaccineand the re- Active Cases 52,084 ing my tenureinMaharashtra. It Maharashtrawith its1.56 bill) gin in early January, stateofficials mainingtwo will observe them wassupportedneitherbythe crorefarmers constitute 78 per 1 DPDC work for 2145518.00 21460.00 43000.00 Class-V-A & 560.00 12 Months said. postvaccination. NewCases 3,524 Congress nor the NCP. We took a cent population of small and Const. of Asphalt above (including “Wewill observeeachbene- Tope said issues arising in TotalDeaths 49,580 step forwardtoenhance pro- marginal farmers. Secondly, 55 Road at Kasturba monsoon) Road No. 02/03, ficiaryfor half an hour postthe these centres willbeworked NewDeaths 59 curement of cropsatMSP to help per cent of the statepopulation Borivali (E) (152- mockvaccination to look forad- upon keeping in mindthe real small and marginal farmers. livesinrural Maharashtra. Borivali verse effectsand also see how immunisation drive. Quarantined2.69 lakh Now, we arepresenting factsand The BJP will also highlight Constituency) the centres coordinate,” said In Pune, the districthospital Tested 1.28 crore figures to people.” the government’s “failure” to 2 Const. of Passage 858207.00 8590.00 18000.00 Class-VII & 560.00 9Months Tope. in Aundh,aprimaryhealth cen- The BJP has prepared abook- provide financial packageto &Beautification above (including In the mockrun, an SMS will tre(PHC) andJijamata hospital let, calling out the Congress and farmers affected by cyclone and work at Plot No. monsoon) 2,94,067 27, Nilkantha be sent to the beneficiarycon- in Pimpri-Chinchwad have been the NCP’s alleged flip-flops on hailstorm. Nagar,Kandivali firming the dateand time of vac- designated forthe mockdrill. In TOTALPOSITIVE the agriculturesector,and has Bonde said, “Under PMKY, (W) (26- Mumbai cination.The beneficiary's iden- Nagpur,Dagahospital, arural CASESINMUMBAI been circulating it in the rural farmersreceive an annual assis- North tification will be confirmedand hospital and an urban PHC have NewCases 631 areas. The BJP Kisan Cell has tance of Rs 6,000.But in com- Constituency) (2nd Call) registration doneatthe centre. been selected.While in TotalDeaths 11,125 been assignedtocampaignac- parison to the Union grant, what Aftervaccination, he or she will Nandurbar,aPHC, Navapur sub- tively at the grassroots level. has the stategiven to itsfarmers 3 MP fund work for 892857.00 8930.00 18000.00 Class-VII & 560.00 9Months NewDeaths 9 Const. of Passage/ above (including be observed in aseparateroom. district hospital and the district BJP KisanCell president Anil reeling under financial con- Gutter at Plot No. monsoon) Dr Nitin Borke,the hospital will conduct the drill, in Bonde said,“The exploitation of strains?" 28, Charkop Sector,Kandivali (W) (26- Mumbai North BATTLEOF Constituency) (2nd PWD reimbursing fake bills worth crores: BJP KOREGAON BHIMA Call) 4 Const. of Toilet 1072759.00 10730.00 22000.00 Class-VI & 560.00 12 Months In 2012,whenthe Congress forthese bills, but failedtocom- Asked whythe previous BJP Event to mark Block at Plot No. above (including EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE and NCPgovernment wasin plete the investigation intothe regime had notinitiatedaction 30, Entrance Gate monsoon) No. 7, Malvani, MUMBAI,JANUARY1 power, ascam had come to light matter. in the case, Bhatkalkar said he 203rd anniv Malad (W) (26- revealing that senior officials in Bhatkalkar alleged that sev- didn’t know. Mumbai North THE BJP on Fridayaccusedthe PWD'ssouthMumbai division – eral bills had been cleared in the Alleging that paymentsofRs held peacefully Constituency) (2nd UddhavThackeray government also known as the Presidency lasttwo months. In apress con- 70 crorehad already been made, Call) of making paymentstowards Division –had colludedwith ference, he presentedbills with the BJP MLAdemanded“a Sr.No. Stage Dese. Date of Time Period fake bills worthseveral crores. contractors to use bogus bills to paid stamps to make his point. properinquiryinthe matter”. He CHANDANHAYGUNDE Training guns at the issue cheques to fraudulently Refuting the allegation, the said that if the government does- PUNE,JANUARY1 1 Published Date 05.01.2021 Congress-ledPublicWorks withdrawRs113 crorefromgov- PWD,inanofficial statement, n't act soon, he will take the de- 2 Documents sale start 05.01.2021, 10.30 a.m. Department (PWD), BJP MLA ernmentaccounts. said that onlyvalidbills were be- partment to court. THE PROGRAMME to markthe 3 Documents sale end 19.01.2021, 05.45 p.m. Atul Bhatkalkar revisited aRs An FIR waslodged intothe ing cleared.“No fake bills arebe- “On one hand, the govern- 203rdanniversaryofthe Battle 4 Bid Submission start 05.01.2021, 10.30 a.m. 113-crorefakebills scam, which matter in 2012 at the Azad ing reimbursed,” it said. It, how- ment claims to be struggling to of Koregaon Bhima at the 5 Bid Submission end 19.01.2021, 05.45 p.m. had infamouslyrockedthe de- Maidan police station, naming ever,added, “If the MLAhas makeroutine salarypayments, “Jaystambh” in Perne villagewas 6 Technical Bid Opening 21.01.2021, 10.30 a.m. onward partment in 2012 and alleged twosenior PWD officials. After specific information regarding and on the other,dubiousbills held peacefullyonFriday. 7 Price Bid Opening 22.01.2021, 10.30 a.m. onward that the same “bogus bills” were comingtopower,the BJP-led anywrongdoing, the depart- that were putonhold arebeing Besides seniorDalit leaders and nowbeing cleared. regime had stoppedpayments ment is willing to verify it.” cleared swiftly,”healleged. ministers, onlyafewthousand 1. The complete bidding process will be online (e-Tendering) in two bid system. All the notifications people turned up forthe pro- and detailed terms and conditions regarding this tender notice hereafter will be published online on web site https://mahatenders.gov.in MHADA Website :https://mhada.maharashtra.gov.in gramme in viewofCovid-19. 2. Bidding documents can be loaded on the web site https://mahatenders.gov.in from Date 9,206 TB casesfoundaftermonth-long drive Police said therewas good re- 05.01.2021 at 10.30 a.m. to Date 19.01.2021 up to 05.45 p.m. sponsetothe appeal made by 3. The payment for Tender Form Fee must be made online. the stategovernmentand 4. Technical Bids will be opened on 21.01.2021 from 10.30 a.m. onward &price Bids will be opened collected twosputum samples shows that finding activecases July,51,884TBcases were de- Ambedkariteoutfitsthat people on 22.01.2021 from 10.30 a.m. onward at the office of the Executive Engineer (West)/ M.S.I.B., TABASSUM from the suspected cases, while will help detect the hiddenones tected,adip of 44 percent from should notvisit“Jaystambh” and Room No. 537, 4th Floor,MHADA, Kalanagar,Bandra (East), Mumbai-400 051 on web site BARNAGARWALA the confirmedcases were asked as peopleare still scared to get 2019 when93,253 cases were see the “symbolic” programme http://mahatenders.gov.in 5. e-Tenderer should submit original documents (those were uploaded during bid preparation) for MUMBAI,JANUARY1 to undergo chestX-ray. tested.Inthe pastfew months, diagnosedinthe same period. to mark the anniversaryofBattle verification at the time of Technical Bid opening. In Mumbai, 49.88lakh peo- we diagnosed2,500-3,000 In the month-long drive in of Koregaon Bhima live on televi- 6. e-Tenderer should submit information and scanned copies in pdf format in Technical Envelope FOLLOWINGAmonth-long ple in slums and high-risk areas cases. We areimproving but December,Thane (988) sion channels and social media. as mentioned in Technical Offer. drive,the Maharashtragovern- were screened. Civic officials thereisscope to do more.” recordedthe maximum TB Prakash Ambedkar of 7. e-Tenderer should have valid Class-II/III Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) obtained from any ment has detected at least9,206 found 9,619 suspected cases BMC officials said theyfeared cases, followedbyPune(647), Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, certifying authority. newtuberculosis(TB) cases in with persistent cough and severalTBpatientscouldbede- Ahmednagar (539), Mumbai Anandraj Ambedkar of 8. The Executive Engineer (West)/ M.S.I. Board, MHADA, Kalanagar,Bandra (East), Mumbai-400 051 the state. The maximum cases weight loss. privedofmedication owing to (499) and Jalgaon (461). Republican Sena, Union minis- reserves the right to accept or reject any or all tenders without assigning any reason. were detected in Thane (988), Of them, 499camepositive lockdown. Fourteen districtsrecorded terRamdas Athavale, Bhim 9. e-Tenderer shall refer detailed tender notice regarding Performance Security,other documents to be submitted. Pune (647)and Ahmednagar forTBafter test.DrPranitaTipre, In the lockdown months, between200-400 cases during ArmychiefChandrashekhar 10. e-Tenderer should upload GST Registration Certificate. (539). in-charge of TB in the civic officials visited local com- the screening drive.Districtslike Azad alias Ravan, Maharashtra 11. Tender called is based on SSR rate year 2017-18 without GST.GST will be paid on accepted The stategovernment began BrihanmumbaiMunicipal munities to disburseone to two Washim, Parbhani and Energy MinisterNitin Raut were contract value. door-to-door screening to detect Corporation (BMC), said: “From months of medicines to several Sindhudurgrecordedless than amongthe Dalit leaders who 12. In case of the rates quoted below the estimated Tender cost, the L1 (1st Lowest) bidder should leprosy and TB cases on diagnosing 4,500-5,000newTB patients. 100TBcases. participated in the programme. have to submit Additional Performance Security Deposit within 8days after date of opening December1.Atargettoscreen cases everymonth, Mumbai’sTB Tuberculosis and leprosy are Dr Ramji Adkekar said the Also, Deputy Chief MinisterAjit tender.Ifhefailed to submit the Additional Performance Security Deposit then L2 (2nd Lowest) 8.66crore population, including notification fell very lowfrom both highlyinfectious diseases detection of newcases and their Pawar, Home MinisterAnil bidder will be asked and if he L2 is agree to carry out the work below %than L1 quoted Rate; than his offer will be accepted. For more information please refer Detail Tender notice. 6.82 croreinrural areas and 1.84 March to June. People were thatcan fast manifest among treatment will help arrest fur- Deshmukh, local NCPMLA 13. Guidelines regarding e-tendering system and submission of bids can be downloaded from in urban municipal corporations, afraid to come forwardand get those withpoor immunity.The ther transmission in community. Ashok Pawarpaid their respects web site http://mahatenders.gov.in, Help support :1800-307-02232 E-mail: wasset. tested in aclinic due to thepan- TB notification had droppedsig- All these cases have been put on at the “Jaystambh”. [email protected] Ateam of twohealth work- demic.” She addedthat before nificantlyduringthe pandemic treatment, he said. The “symbolic” ceremonies Sd/- ers, including ASHA or angan- March,active door-to-door picking up onlyslightlyfrom The stateisyet to check beganwith Buddhistmonks Executive Engineer (W) M. S. I. B. Board, Mumbai wadi staff, visited 20 households screening yieldedveryfew num- September afterstate machin- whichofthe newly diagnosed performing BuddhaVandana MHADA -Leading Housing Authority in the Nation CPRO/A/02 in rural and 25 in urban areas bers, but this time,detection of eryreactivated all health pro- patientshavedrug-resistant tu- and Dhamma Desana prayers at eachday.The health workers 499cases wasveryhigh. “This grammes. Between March to berculosis. “Jaystambh”. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 5 EXPRESS NETWORK Covidcompelledpeopletoaccept Farmerswarn: Will shutmalls, DELHI CONFIDENTIAL importanceofmigrantlabour: PM

be made from modern technol- petrol pumps if DIPANKARGHOSE ogy and innovative processes. In NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 this, the time neededfor con- struction will be reduced, and Jan 4talks fail IN HIS firstspeechinthe new the poor will getmoreresilient, year,Prime MinisterNarendra affordable and comfortable Modi on Fridaysaid the Covid- homes,” he said. 19 crisis had compelled those Calling the participation of ANJUAGNIHOTRICHABA ACADEMICSPENOPEN who did notunderstand the im- multiple states an example of co- JALANDHAR,JANUARY1 portance of migrant labourers to PM NarendraModi during his virtual address on Friday. PTI operative federalism, Modi said LETTER,FAVOURLAWS do so. he wanted planners, architec- AHEAD OF the next round of NewDelhi: Over 850 academ- He wasspeaking at the inau- tureprofessors and students to talks, farm unions Fridaywarned ics in thecountryhavewrit- guration of six Light House ‘ComeBackCome Back’. What The LightHouse Projects, the study these newmodels. that theywill startshutting all tenanopen letter in support Projectsunder the Global Corona did wasthat forthose Prime Ministersaid, would act Prime MinisterModi said the malls and petrol pumps in of threefarmlaws, against CAMPUS VISIT Housing Technology Challenge who did notacceptthe impor- as an “innovation and incubation faithofpeoplethattheywould Haryana if the government fails whichfarmersare protesting with Chief Ministers of UP, tance of our migrant labourers, centre”for technologiesofbuild- gettheir ownhomes had been to resolve their main demands at the borders of Delhi. “As a UNION AGRICULTURE MinisterNarendraSingh Tomar,who Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Madhya it compelledthem to do so,”the ing homes from all over the dwindling, but Pradhan Mantri forthe repeal of three newfarm proudcitizen of India and is leadingthe governmentinthe talkswithfarmers' unions Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Prime Ministersaid. world. Awas Yojana changed that. laws andalegal guarantee for members of differenteduca- protesting againstthe three contentious farm laws,spent the Pradesh present. “Wehaveseen that our mi- “It is necessaryfor the min- “In the lastsix years, the steps MSP in the January4meeting. tionalinstitutions, we firstday of the newyear at the Indian AgricultureResearch Speaking about the grant friends cannotfind homes istries of government that they takeninthe countryhavefor a Afterthe sixth round of for- strongly support thepro- Institute, Pusa. Tomar,along with his junior ministerKailash Affordable Rental Housing at appropriaterent in our cities. do notact likelarge stagnant common man, especiallyfor the mal negotiations on Wednesday, posedAgricultural reforms Choudhary, inspected thePusa farm and inquired about the Complexesscheme, he said, “The In small rooms, manyofMany structures, but likestart-ups, hard-working middle class, re- the government and farm bill, 2020 by the Union research being done there. Both ministers visited amushroom goal of this programme arethose labourersstay. In these places, theyare both enthusiastic and turnedthe faith thattheirown unions had reachedsome com- Government,” said the letter. production unit, and took around of mustard field. Lastmonth, migrant colleagueswho come thereare problems with water robust. Forthis, we organisedthe home is possible,” he said. monground to resolve protest- The letter has been signedby Home MinisterAmitShah had held ameeting with 13 repre- from one statetoanother, or supply, electricity,toilets,lackof Global Housing Technology The Prime Ministerawarded ing farmers' concerns over rise 866academics of institutions sentativesofthe farm unions on Pusa campus. come from villages to cities. hygiene,” he said. Challengeand invitedthe best Uttar Pradesh forbestimple- in powertariffand penalties for including DU,JNU,DDU BeforeCorona we had seen that It is theresponsibilityofall companies in the world. Iam mentation of Pradhan Mantri stubble burning, but the two Gorakhpur University,Tezpur in some places,some inappro- countrymen to ensure that happythat 50 and moreinnova- Awas Yojana (Urban) for2019. . sides remaineddeadlockedover University,Rajiv Gandhi SPECIAL SESSION priatethings were said to people thosewho labourinthe coun- tive technology companies from Prime MinisterModi also the main contentiousissues of University and BHU. ENS coming from otherstates. They try’sservice live with respect, across the worldparticipated in conferredonGujarat three the repeal of three farm laws and THE CONGRESS is likely to announce the dates foraspecial were insulted. But during Modi said. this programme. From this awards—PMAY-Urban policy ini- alegal guarantee forMSP. session of the AICC in the firsthalf of this month. The session, Corona, labourers went backto “With this thought, together Global Challenge, we have got tiativefor adopting an affordable Addressing apress confer- areclearthat they“will notset- whichcould be held in February, is being calledtoelect areg- their ownhomes, then the rest with industryand investors, the the scope to innovate and incu- housing policy in the state, af- ence at the Singhu border tle down forless than repealing ular president to replace interim chief Sonia Gandhi. The party found out that without them liv- government is concentrating on batenew technologies. In the fordable housing projectsonpri- protestsiteFriday, representa- of the three laws because these is yettodecide the venue although at leastfour stateunits are ing is very difficult,” he said. giving homes at affordable rates. next stageofthis process,from vate land and in-situ redevelop- tivesoffarmer unions said only Bills hand over agriculturemar- keen to hostthe event. Party-ruledRajasthan, Chhattisgarh “Without them howdifficult Thereisalso an effort to ensure today, in different sites, 6Light ment of slums. five percent of the issues raised kets, farmingprocesses, farmers and Punjab have shown interestasalso Maharashtra, where it is to run industries. People the homes arelocated where House projectsare starting. WITHINPUTSFROM by them have so farbeendis- land and food securitytothe cor- the Congress is aruling ally. It wasinJaipur that Rahul Gandhi foldedtheir hands and said, theywork,”headded. These Light House Projectswill ENSLUCKNOWANDRAJKOT cussedinmeetings with the gov- porates, and it is apparent that waselected Congress vice president in 2013.Some leaders ernment. Theyoutlinedmulti- the government has declared ac- feel Mumbai is abettervenue givenits locationbut some ar- ple protestactions over amonth ceptance of twominor issues to gue Punjab is notabad option either,given the backdrop of the Punjab: Dung if their main demands arenot coverits adamant position”. farmers' protests andthe fact that Assemblyelections aredue met, in an announcementafew Meanwhile, at ameeting of in the stateearly next year. unloaded outside days before Republic Daycele- Samkyukt KisanMorcha--an BJP leader’s home, brations. umbrella body of around 40 Farmer leader Yudhveer farmer unions protesting at sev- MORNING MUSINGS CM seeks restraint Singh said if the central govern- eral Delhi border points--sev- ment thinksthe farmers' protest eral decisions were taken. THE FIRST dayofthe newyear brought out another facetin will go the ShaheenBagh way, it According to theunions, if the re- Prime MinisterNarendraModi. In the morning, apoem writ- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE is mistaken. "They(government) sultsofthe talksonJanuary 4are tenbythe Prime Minister–"Abhi tohsuraj ugahai"(the sun JALANDHAR,CHANDIGARH, cannotmakeusleave this place notsatisfactory, atractor march has justrisen) –was released. The shortvideo carriedanar- JANUARY1 liketheydid in Shaheen Bagh," will be takenout from the ration of the poem by the Prime Ministerhimself,withim- he said. protestsitetothe ages of India's space programme,agriculture, armedforces THE PROTESTS againstthe farm The All Indian Kisan Kundli–Manesar–Palwal (KMP) as well as those of the Prime MinisterinVaranasi. laws turnedunsavouryinPunjab Sangharsh Coordination Expressway on January6and a Fridaywith agroup of people Committee (AIKSCC) in astate- call will also be giventothose unloading adung-laden trolley ment releasedtothe media crit- farmers protesting at SECURITY RING in front of aBJP leader's house in icised“pro-corporateintellectu- Shahjahanpur on the Haryana- Hoshiarpur,prompting Chief als discussing the compromise Rajasthan border to move to- AT AN event at RajghattolaunchabookonMahatma Gandhi, At SiddhivinayaktempleinMumbai on thefirst dayofthe New Year. Ganesh Shirsekar Minister CaptAmarinder Singh formula” and said that farmers wardsthe nationalcapital. the security stoppedentryofinvitees to thevenue following to warn the agitators nottotake the arrivalofthe chief guest, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. As lawintheir hands. the invitees arguedwith Delhi Police, theyweretold that af- Agroup, believedtobefarm- terthe arrivalofthe chief guestnoone could be alloweden- SEARCHES AT ADVOCATE’S OFFICE ers, unloadedthe trolleyinside Court rejects plea of trydue to security reasons. It wasonlyafter some mediaper- the main entrance to residence sons intervened, reminding the security personnel that such Police told court Pracha calledriot of former Punjab minister Bharti Singh, husband protocol wasonlyreserved forthe Prime MinisterasanSPG Tikshan Sud. Theyalso raised protectee, were people allowedtogoin. Bhagwat enjoys Z- slogans againstthe Centre. plus security of the CISF. victim to office, he says went on his own Meanwhile, some BJP sup- seeking NCB to deseal porters reachedthe spot. thereisalsoaneyewitnessnamed At Pracha’s office, Ali told Hoshiarpur SSP NavjotSingh their office premises JIGNASASINHA Sharif… who witnessedthe Pracha about his complaint and Mahal said that aviolent clash NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 whole incidentashewas present about the three men —Deepak, between theBJP workers and The courtsaid that while such AHindu will never thereon24thand25thFebruary,” Navneetand Mintu—whohe the protesters wasaverted fol- SADAFMODAK immovable property cannotbe IRSHAD ALI, whoseshop was readstheorder.Itwasonthebasis believedhad lootedhis shop. lowing an interventionbyaDSP- MUMBAI,JANUARY1 seizedbyaninvestigating officer, burnt and lootedduring the of thispolicereportthatthecourt “I found thatsome acquain- ledpolice team. He said acase it has been sealedfor atempo- be anti-national: NortheastDelhi riots and whose had ordered an inquiry,and later tances and friends —Abid, has been registeredagainst OVER Amonth aftercomedian rarybasis to complete theprobe. case is at the centreofthe Special issuedasearch warrantfor Arshad, Gulfam —along with ex- unidentified persons. Bharti Singh and her husband “... at the present juncture, it re- Cell’s searches at advocate Pracha’soffice. councillor Tahir Hussain have Chief MinisterAmarinder Harsh Limbachiyawerearrested veals that the application is pre- Bhagwat at launch MehmoodPracha’soffice,hastold Alisaid:“IregisteredanFIRon been namedinmyFIR. The in- said the invasionofprivacy will by the Narcotics Control Bureau matureand the process of collec- The Indian Express that he had ap- February25againstunknown vestigatingofficer wrote their bring abad name to the peace- (NCB), ametropolitanmagis- tion of evidence is going on. It is proachedPrachaafter he found persons because Ididn’t know names in my complaint without ful agitation by farmers. trate’s courtonTuesdayrejected notjusttogivedirections to the thatpolicehadwronglynamedhis who lootedmyshop. Later,when my permission. Isaw the CCTV an application filedbythe couple investigatingofficer to de-seal of book on Gandhi friends as accusedinthe case. Isaw theCCTVfootage outsidemy footagemyself. None of these seeking desealing of their office the premises at present junc- Thisisincontrasttothepolice’s shop,my friendsrecognisedthree men were at my shop and why premises. ture,” it added. The courtfurther submissionincourt in August, locals—Navneet, Mintu and would my friendsset my shop In an application filedbefore said thatdirectionsneedtobe DEEPTIMANTIWARY whichstatedthat it wasPracha Deepak.However, theinvestigat- on fire?Onthe dayofthe inci- thecourtlastmonth,Limbachiya giventothe officer to deseal the NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 whocalledAlito hisofficeto insti- ing officer forced me to writethe dent, Ihad triedtogocheckmy has said that NCBhad claimedto premises aftercollecting evi- gate him to depose falselyinthe nameof my friendsintheFIR.Ire- shop. Therewas barricading all have seized65gmofganjafrom dencewithin 15 days.“The inves- AHINDU is an automatic patriot Mohan case. fusedtodosoand left. InMay, my over.We(Muslims) weren’t al- their office premisesinAndheri. tigation officeris directedto com- and can neverbeanti-national, Bhagwat Asessions courtorder dated friend Yusuf told me that his lowedtogowherethe mob was. It addedthat an NCBofficer had plete the work of collection of RSSchief MohanBhagwatsaidon August22mentionsthe report brother Gulfam wasarrestedfor Idon’t want to blame acommu- then sealed the premises, which evidence from the disputed Friday. Bhagwat said this in the submitted by the Northeastdis- looting my shop. Itold Yusuf that nity but Iamsurethat my friends were beingusedasaproduction premises expeditiouslywithin contextof howMahatmaGandhi thored by Dr JKBajaj and MD trictpolice: “He (Ali) stated that Ididn’tnamehisbrotherandthat weren’t there. Itold this to theIO house to shootrealityshows,TV the period of 15 days,” it said. found religion as asource of his Srinivas,focusesonGandhi’sjour- one lawyer namelyMehmood he wasn’t seen in the CCTV but he didn’tlistentome,” al- serials and movies. The pleafur- The NCBhas chargedSingh patriotism. neyfromPorbandar to England Prachacalledhimto hisofficeand footageeither.Yusuf asked me to leged Ali. ther said thatLimbachiyaand his and Limbachiyaunderthe Addressingagatheringduring andSouthAfricaandbacktoIndia. told him that he has acom- help him andtook me to Pracha’s FULLREPORTSON The pile of dungoutside the staffare unable to work and that Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic the launchofabook,Making of a BhagwatsaidGandhi’sunder- plainant of similar incident and office,” said Ali. www.indianexpress.com residence on Friday. Express no purpose wasbeing servedby Substances (NDPS) Actafter HinduPatriot: Background of standing of religion wasoftoler- keeping the premises closed. claiming that 65 gm of ganja was Gandhiji’s HindSwaraj, Bhagwat ance.“Unityindiversityisoursen- The NCB, however, opposed seized from the office premises said, “All Indians worshipmoth- timentand notjustamatterof the pleastatingthat Limbachiya and 21.5 gm from the couple's erland. But Gandhijisaid my pa- policy.Gandhiji said Iwill follow TMC will soon fall apart,says Suvendu had “knowingly” permitted the home. The twowerearrestedon triotism comes from my religion. my religion strictlybut also re- premises to storeillegaldrugs. November 22.Theywere Soif youare aHinduthenyouwill spectother religions. This is the Drugs were also consumedthere, grantedbail the following dayaf- be an automatic patriot. Youmay fundamental of Indian thought. it added. The agency further said tertheir lawyers submitted that be an unconscious Hindu,you Difference does notmeansepa- as his brother, councillors join BJP that the investigation is still in the allegedquantity seizedfrom mayneedawakening,butaHindu ratism,” Bhagwat said. progress and desealing the prop- them wasless than the “small willnever be anti-India.” The RSS chief said Gandhi un- erty could lead to tampering of quantity” prescribedunderNDPS DescribinghowIndianculture derstood the freedom struggle EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE evidence. Act. and Hindureligioninspired wasnot justanefforttotransform KOLKATA,JANUARY1 NED Dauntingtaskto Gandhi, Bhagwatsaid,“Gandhiji thoseinpower but to transform findreplacements said my religion is the religion of ourselves. “Gandhiji clearly said FORMER STATEministerand BJP E Stop building wall along road that ● all religions. Gandhiji wanted to theWesterncivilisationhasruined leader SuvenduAdhikari on EXPLAI say‘Dharm’ but thereisnoparal- our owncultureand we have be- Fridayclaimedthe Trinamool connects twin towns, DM tells VBU lelto itinEnglish.Gandhijistarted come ‘Dharmbhrasht’. ...Dr Congress (TMC) would soon dis- SOURCES SAYitisonlyamatteroftime Suvendu and Suvendu and Soumendu the movement forSwaraj(self- Hedgewaralsousedtosay thatdo integrateasheinducted his SoumenduAdhikari’s father Sisir Adhikari and brother Adhikari of commuting. Arestriction can rule)... But tillyou do notunder- notblameothers.Yougot enslaved brother Soumendu intothe saf- Dibyendu,bothMPs, followthem to the BJP.Thatwill beama- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE be imposedall of asudden. The stand ‘Swadharm’,you can't un- because youwereready to be en- fron partyalong with 14 other jor blowtothe TMC’s electoralprospects. Suvendu can re- KOLKATA,JANUARY1 issue should be solvedamicably derstand Swaraj.” slaved.Therewassomethinglack- TMCcouncillors of the 20-mem- portedlyinfluenceelectionoutcomes in 20-30 Assemblyseats tions. Adhikari claimedatleast through discussions," said the “Thelaunchofabook dealing ing in you. Isaw aparallel of such berContai MunicipalityinPurba of the63inBankura,Purulia, and PaschimMedinipur, apart one lakh people would attend his THE BIRBHUM district adminis- district magistrate (DM). withriseof aHindupatriotincon- thought in Gandhiji,” Bhagwat Medinipurdistrict. Soumendu from Purba Medinipur. Oncethe entireAdhikarifamilycomes rallyinNandigram on January8. trationonFridayissuedanorder The Visva-Bharati adminis- text of Gandhi andthe presence said. wasrecentlyremoved as thead- together under the BJP,itwill be adauntingtask forthe TMC “If anyofyou face blockade on to theVisva-BharatiUniversity tration refusedtocomment on of RSS chief can mean alot of ThebookreleasedbyBhagwat ministrator of the civic body. to replace them in suchashort span of time. the waytothe meeting, justgive (VBU) administration to imme- thematter.The administration things to the people. People will focuses on Gandhi's lifeinthree Afterhandingoverparty flags me acall.Iwill handle it this time. diatelystopthe construction of has also takenoveranother road sayweare trying to appropriate different stages of his struggle. to thenew members,Adhikari TMC miscreantshad carriedout awall along aroad thatconnects that connectsUpasana Griho to Gandhiji. No onecan appropriate The book claims that during said Soumendu’s removalfrom Abhisek Banerjee]. The stategov- TMC workers have joinedthe BJP. an attack on pilgrims when they the twintowns of Santiniketan KalisayarMorefromVisva- agreatpersonality.Theaimof this 1893-94, Gandhi waspressured thepostwasavindictivemoveby ernmentisscaredof itsimminent This will secure about 20,000 were en routetoareligious pro- and Sriniketan. Bharati, whichwas inaugurated bookisnot that. It is athoroughly by his Muslim employerand the stategovernment. defeat and thatisthe reason it is votes forour party,” he added. gramme on December 29. Their Birbhum DistrictMagistrate in 2017.Duringher recent visit to researched book on the lifeof Christian colleagues in South “The Adhikari familyisno delaying the municipal elections. PredictingtheTMC’sdownfall, vehicle carriedflags of Sanatan VijayBharti said the wall, if built, Bolpur, ChiefMinisterMamata Gandhiji,” Bhagwat said. Africa to convert but he refused. longer with the party of Pishi- Be it civicpollsorAssemblyelec- the BJP leadersaid Chief Minister Hindu Dharma organisation. The could inconvenience people's Banerjeesaid the PWD would The book,brought out by Andby 1905,hehadbecomeade- Bhaipo [TMC chief Mamata tions, peopleinBengal will vote MamataBanerjee would come attackers will be taughtabefit- movement along the route. take backthe possession of the Centre forPolicy Studiesand au- vout Hindu, the book says. Banerjee and her nephew forthe BJP.Today, another 5,000 second in the coming state elec- ting lesson.” “Locals usethe routefor ease road from the university. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 6 EXPRESS NETWORK BRIEFLY LGBTQ,women:Draftscience Muslim man can be accused under triple policyaimsforinclusion,equity talaq law, not his

It says that the LGBTQ+com- Among the proposals in the and notthe biological agewould alisedcommunities, differently- mother, saysSC AMITABHSINHA& munityshould be includedinall policy is removalofbars on mar- be considered.Whilethis would abledgroups, irrespective of Naib Subedar ESHAROY conversationsrelated to gender riedcouples being employedin help women who oftenhaveto their caste/creed/religion/race,” Ravinder PUNE,NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 equity,and provisions be made the same department or labora- take abreak from careers for the draftpolicy says. biddat(divorcebytriple talaq) by to safeguardtheir rights and pro- tory.Asofnow,marriedcouples familyreasons and to raise chil- Forthe benefit of people with EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Muslim men”, it said. IN SOME path-breaking sugges- mote their representation and arenot postedinthe same de- dren, the provision is notlimited disabilities, the policy asksall NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 “Thus, on apreliminary JAMMU &KASHMIR tions to promoteinclusion of retention in the science and partment, leading to cases of loss to women alone. publicly-fundedscientific insti- analysis, it is clear that the appel- Paktroopsshell marginalisedgroups in science, a technology sector.Moreimpor- of employmentorforcedtrans- Child-carebenefitsare pro- tutions to make“structural and THE OFFENCE under the triple lant as the mother-in-law of the newdraft policy on science and tantly, it says partners of people fers when colleagues decide to posedtobemadegender-neu- cultural changes” to support talaqlaw can onlybecommitted second respondent cannot be ac- Nowshera,1 technology proposes that at least from theLGBTQ+ community getmarried. tral, and flexible work timings their inclusion. by aMuslim man, and his cusedofthe offence of pro- 30 per cent representation be working in the sector be entitled “Dual recruitmentpolicy will and adequateparental leave are “Academic and professional mother cannotbeaccusedofit, nouncement of triple talaq un- soldierkilled ensured forwomen in all deci- to spousal benefits"irrespective be encouraged in allgoverning to be offeredtocater to mater- organisations will be encour- the Supreme Courthas ruled der the Actasthe offence can Jammu: One Indian Army sion-making bodies,aswellas of their gender". bodies, funding agencies, so that nity,childbirthand child care. All aged to conductgender audits while granting anticipatory bail onlybecommitted by aMuslim soldier waskilledon “spousal benefits”beprovided AshutoshSharma, Secretary couples do notface the challenge publicly-fundedresearch insti- and social audits, to propel the to awoman from Kerala. man,” the benchsaid in its Fridayafter Pakistani to partners of scientists belong- in the Department of Science of ‘choosing’ aspouse's career tutions and universities will be organisations to proactively pro- Section 3ofThe Muslim December 17 judgment. troops resortedtounpro- ing to the LGBTQ+ community. and Technology,said: “Our main over theirs. The aim is to bring asked to provide day-carecentre mote gender-neutral recruit- Women (Protection of Rightson The courtalso held that there vokedmortarshellingand The proposals, fortackling focus areas in the policy are genderneutralitythrough such forchildren of employees, and ment and retention of employ- Marriage) Act2019renders void wasnobar on anticipatorybail small arms fire along the discrimination and providing women and the youth. While interventions,” it says. also have aprovision forelderly ees,for ensuring equitable, not andillegal pronouncement of ta- under the Actprovidedthe sub- Line of Control (LoC) in equal opportunities in science, both categories needtobeem- In another majorproposal, care, it says. necessarilyequal, representa- laq by aMuslimman upon his stantive conditions in Section Rajouri district's arepart of achapteroninclusion poweredmorefor leadership the policysays that forage-re- “Therewill be equal oppor- tion. These processes will have wifeand under Section4ofthe 7(c) aremet.Theseconditions Nowsherasector.AnArmy and equity in the draftScience, positions, women in science are lated cut-offs in matters relating tunity in academics forwomen, adequaterepresentations from law, aMuslim man who pro- arethatthe courtmustfirsthear PROsaid the Pakistani Technology and Innovation practicallymissing and this to selection, promotion, awards along with candidatesfromru- all marginalisedand excluded nounces talaq upon his wifecan the marriedMuslim woman troops initiatedthe cease- Policy. needs to be rectified.” or grants, the “academic age” raland remote areas, margin- groups,” it says. bepunishedwith imprisonment who has made the complaint fire violation at around of upto three years,thecourtsaid. and mustbesatisfiedthat there 3.30 pm andthe Indian “TheprohibitioninSections arereasonable grounds for Armyrespondedstrongly 3and 4isevidentlyone which granting bail to suchperson. to the enemyfire. During operates in relation to aMuslim Jalal’s daughter-in-lawhad the exchangeoffire, Naib husband alone,” the benchof lodged an FIR at the North Parur Subedar Ravinder was Justices DYChandrachud, Indu Police Station complaining of of- criticallyinjured andhe Malhotraand IndiraBanerjee fences under IPC Section 498-A later succumbedto hisin- said while hearing aplea by (cruelty by husband or relative of juries, the PROsaid. He Rahna Jalalagainstanorder of husband) and The Muslim said the Pakistani troops the Kerala High Courtdenying Women(ProtectionofRightson again violated the cease- her pre-arrest bail. Marriage) Act, 2019.Though fire in Nowsherasector at “This is supported by the Kerala opposed the anticipatory around 5.30 pm, adding Union minister Statement of Objectsand Reasons bail prayer,the courtsaid “hav- that the IndianArmyretal- Ravi Shankar Prasad’s accompanying the Muslim ing regard to the vague and gen- iated befittingly. ENS mother Bimla Prasad Women (Protection of Rightson eral natureofthose allegations in Marriage) Bill2019...”,whichwas the FIR, bereft of details, the ap- “togiveeffect to theruling of this pellant... should notbedenied Bimla Prasad courtinShayara Bano vUnion of the benefit of the grant of antici- MAHARASHTRA India [(2017)9SCC 1], and to lib- patory bail”. Tigress,2cubs prayer meet erateMuslim women from the FULLREPORTON founddeadin customarypractice of talaq-e- www.indianexpress.com sanctuary on January 7 3KILLEDINJ&K ENCOUNTER Nagpur: Atigress and two EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Mehbooba urges L-G to of her cubs were found PATNA,JANUARY1 dead in the UmredPauni Karhandla Wildlife THE PRAYER meeting in mem- ensure bodies are given SanctuaryonFriday, offi- oryofBimla Prasad, mother of cialssaid,addingtheysus- Union ministerand senior BJP pect it to be acase of poi- leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, will to kin, seeks probe soning. PenchTiger be held in Delhi on January7. ReserveField Director Bimla Prasad, 90, avolunteer sion will onlyexacerbatetheir Ravikiran Govekar in are- NEW VISTAS in the JP Movement, wasthe EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE sense of loss and pain.One hopes lease said, "A tigress and wifeofsenior BJP leader Thakur SRINAGAR,JANUARY1 that youwill rethink this decision her twocubs were found People throng the replica of the TajMahalatEco Park,inNew Town, KolkataonFriday. Express Prasad, who along withKailash &allowthem to getclosure.” deadinKarhandalabeatof Pati Mishra, wasafounding PDP CHIEF and former chief She added, “Questionsare Karhandala range… The member of the party in Bihar. ministerMehbooba Mufti on also looming over this encounter area is close to an agricul- She passedawayinPatna on FridaywrotetoJammu and and thereare conflictingver- turalfieldandahalf-eaten December 25. Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor sions and reports from the police bodyofacattle wasfound Vadodara: 9youths detained for ‘murder’ Aclose aide of the Union Manoj Sinha, urging him to in- and the army. Justice can be nearby. Furthersearch and ministersaid: “Thoughthe tervene and ensurethat the bod- served onlyifitisswiftand investigation is being prayer meeting would be held ies of three persons killedinan thereforeIrequestyou to initiate done... Post-mortemwill of 19-year-old at New Year party on January7,visitors have been encounter on December 30 on an impartial investigation into be done tomorrow." ENS meeting the bereaved family Srinagar outskirts areprovided the matter immediately.” Hitesh Vankar (18), have been been booked in athirdFIR forat- “Jha wasbragging about his ar- both in Patna and Delhi.” to their families. Meanwhile, J&K Police, in a UTTAR PRADESH EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE booked under the The Gujarat tempttomurder (IPC 307) as rest in another attempt to mur- Following her death, Ravi She also calledfor an impar- statement issuedFriday,said VADODARA,JANUARY1 Prohibition Act, 1949. well as assault (IPC 323). der case registeredwith the ShankarPrasad had in aseries of tial inquiryintothe questions “Background checkalso reveals 5killed,3 “One FIR is under the Police said the incident oc- Vadodaracity police earlier this tweets said, “My mother Bimla surrounding the incident. that Aijaz and AtherMustaq, both injuredasbus THE VADODARA rural police on Prohibition Actbecause the curredataround 10pm on year.Hewas showing offa Prasad leftfor her heavenly The J&K Police has identified OGWs variouslyprovidedlogis- Fridaydetainednine youths — group wasconsuming alcohol. Thursday, when the group gath- YouTubevideo of alocal news abode... She wasailing forsome the three persons killedinthe tic support to terrorists. ramsintotruck eight of them aged under 20 — The deceasedhas also been ered at an isolated location in channel that had reportedhis old time. My mother wasadeeply encounter as Zubair Ahmad Antecedentsand verificationstoo in three combinedcases regis- booked forthe same. Thereisa Dhayraj villageinPadrataluka to crime, claiming he wasa‘don’. pious lady and awoman of great from Shopian,and Ajaz Ahmad shows that both were radicallyin- Unnao: Five people were teredatPadra police station in murder case againstthe six ac- usher in the newyear.The The deceased belonged to the conviction.She had been sup- Ganai andAthar Mushtaq from clinedand had aidedterrorists of killedand three othersin- connection with an alleged mur- cused, who belong to one group youngsters were cooking ScheduledCaste andthe accused porting the party right from the Pulwama and described them as LeT (nowso-calledTRF) outfit.” jured as adouble-decker der of aDalit youth from and another cross-complaint chickenbiryani when aspat is said to have usedcasteistcom- beginning.She actively partici- “hardcoremilitant associates”. While the investigation con- bus on itsway to Delhi Navapuraarea. The deceased filedbythis group againstfour brokeout betweenthe men. An ments,” he added. pated in the JP Movement of The families of the three have tinues, police also claimedthat from Bihar rammedintoa and accusedwereknown to others, including the deceased, argument over “superiority” As soon as Jha stabbed Bihar as woman volunteer.” questionedthe police narrative an OGWcurrentlyinpolice cus- stationarytruckonthe eachother. forassaulting and attempt to endedinabrawl and Jha stabbed Vankar,his four friendscalledthe He recalledhow topBJP lead- and said theyhad no linkswith tody has corroborated Aijaz’s as- Lucknow-Agra According to police,abrawl murder since theyhad afight,” Vankar with an ice-carvingknife. emergency service foranambu- ers likeDeendayalUpadhyay militants. sociation with LeT terroristFaisal Expressway Fridaymorn- brokeout between twogroups Deputy Superintendent of Police Makadiyatold The Indian lance. Vankar,however, wasde- and Atal Behari Vajpayeewould In her letter to the L-G, Mufti MustaqBaba who waskilledin ing, police said. The acci- of friends who had gathered for HS MakadiyaofPadra police sta- Express,“The group had come to- clared dead on arrivalatSSG visit his Patna home and his wrote, “I am awarethat the ad- an encounter at Meej in denttookplaceataround7 aNew Year party at an isolated tion, said. gether to consumealcohol. A Hospital, wherepolicesenthis mother would take active part in ministrationisapprehensive PamporeinJune lastyear. am near Mauni Bhava vil- location in Dhayraj villagein Main accusedAbhijit Jha fight brokeout when Jha began body forautopsy. the discussions on contempo- about returning their bodies to FULLSTORYON lageunder Auraspolice Padrataluka on Thursdaynight (20), who allegedly stabbed bragging over about his ‘power’ Makadiyaaddedthat all nine rary politics and society. the families but this callousdeci- www.indianexpress.com stationarea,theysaid.Four and one of the accusedfatally Vankar and five accomplices and crime history.One of the accusedhavebeen detainedand peoplediedonthe spot, stabbed the youthwithanice- have been booked in aseparate youths refuted his claim and the sent forCovid-19testasper and one person suc- carving knife. FIR under IPC section 302 forcul- verbal warofsupremacy es- protocol. India lodges cumbed to injuries on the Three separateFIRs have pable homicide amounting to clatated intoaphysical fight.” “Theywill be formallyar- India calls on Pakistan waytothe hospital, police been registeredatPadrapolice murderand forrioting as well as Makadiyasaid Vankar is be- rested in their respective cases, protest with Pak said. The deceasedall station in the case and 10 per- under sectionsofthe SC/STAct, lievedtohaveintervenedtostop afterthe Covid test reports ar- to release, repatriate 185 hailedfromBihar,SHORaj sons, including the deceased 1989. Four accusedhavealso the fight when Jha stabbed him. rive,” he said. over temple Bahadur Singh said. PTI fishermen, three civilians vandalisation GUJARAT India handedoverlists of 263 Bengaluru civic body’s plan to rename EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Pakistanicivilianprisonersand77 Copcaught NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 fishermeninIndia’scustodyto the EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE whileaccepting neighbouring country. Similarly, NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 roadsafterMuslim leaders put on hold INDIA ON Fridaycalledon Pakistansharedlists of 49civilian Rs50lakhbribe Pakistantorelease and repatri- prisonersand270fishermeninits INDIA HAS lodged astrong ate185 Indian fishermen and custody,who areIndians or be- protest withPakistanoverthe Ahmedabad: The Gujarat EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE three civilianprisoners whose lievedtobeIndians, it added. vandalisation of aHindu temple Anti-Corruption Bureau BENGALURU,JANUARY1 nationality has already been “The government has called in Karak district of Khyber (ACB) caughtanassistant confirmedand conveyedto forearly release and repatriation Pakhtunkhwaprovince in the sub-inspector of THE BRUHATBengaluru Pakistani authorities. of civilian prisoners, missing neighbouringcountryand Ahmedabad rangepolice MahanagaraPalike(BBMP) on In addition, Pakistanhas been Indiandefence personnel and soughtstrict action againstthose while allegedly accepting Fridayput on hold itsdecisionto askedtoprovide immediatecon- fishermen, along with their responsible forthe incident, abribeofRs50lakh, anof- rename roads in aminority- sular access to Indian fishermen boats, from Pakistan's custody,” sources said on Friday. ficial said on Friday. ASI dominated area of the city after and 22 civilian prisoners, who are the MEA said.“In thiscontext, India expectsPakistanto Prakashsinh Raol attached Muslim leaders afterthree BJP in itscustody and arebelievedto Pakistanwas asked to expedite carry out an investigation and to the rapid response cell MPs opposedthe move. BJP MPs Tejasvi Surya,AnanthKumar Hegde and CPMohan opposed the proposal be Indians, the Ministryof the release and repatriationof has asked forsharing of the (RR cell) wascaught red- The BBMPhad in September External Affairs (MEA) said. three Indian civilian prisoners probereport, theysaid. handedwhile accepting takenthe decision to name11 The requests came during and 185Indian fishermen to On Wednesday, the temple the bribeatahotel, the of- roads of Padarayanapura, BBMP missioner NManjunatha Prasad, toratesfor Hindus and Muslims. Hegde, meanwhile, said that the exchangeofthe lists of civil- India whose nationality has been in Terrivillage of Karak district ficial said. Recently, based Ward no 135, afterthe opposingthe move. This is dangerous and mustbe the renaming of the roads after ian prisoners and fishermen by confirmedand conveyedto wasvandalisedbyamob, on atip-off, the RR Cell of Pehalwans, the Hajis, and other Surya said the decision was condemned,”Surya'sletterreads. Muslim leaders was“promotion both countriesonthe firstday of Pakistan,” it added. protesting againstits expansion Ahmedabad Rangehad personalities belonging to the akin to the“communal mental- Requesting Prasad to recon- of one particular community”. everycalendar year as part of a “The government also re- work.Sources said the MEA con- raidedagodown. As per Muslim community. The BBMP ity of the twonationtheory”, and sider his decision, Surya said, His letter,written along with practice under the framework of questedPakistantoexpeditethe veyedits serious concerns to the the ACB, Raol had de- had written to the Karnataka requestedPrasad to revise the “Thereisnodearth of non- fellowMPMohan, says,“Only a2008agreement. grant of visas to the members of PakistanHigh Commission here mandedRs60lakh from MinistryofUrban Development, listofprobable names. Muslim public figures and patri- names of Muslim leaders have In viewofthe pandemic, the medical experts team and fa- over the repeated instances of the godown owner fornot intimating it about itsdecision. “Christening of roads in otsafter whom our roads can be been recommendedinthis par- India also requestedPakistanto cilitatetheir visit to Pakistanto similar incidentsand atrocities naminghimas an accused On Thursday, Bangalore Muslim-dominatedlocality with named. Irequestyou to imme- ticular ward.Itisnot appropri- ensurethe safety, security and assess the mental condition of againstthe members of the mi- in the FIR, and afternego- SouthMPTejasvi Surya, Uttara onlyMuslim names reeksofthe diatelyrevise the listand finalise atetoundertake suchastepin welfareofall Indian and be- believed-to-beIndian prisoners nority community there. tiations, he agreedtoac- Kannada MP Ananth Kumar samecommunalmentalityof the the listofroads to be namedaf- the name of social work,whichis lieved-to-beIndian civil prison- of unsound mind, lodged in dif- “Wealsoasked forthe inves- ceptRs50lakh. PTI Hegde and BangaloreCentral MP two-nation theoryand Muslim terpersonalities onlyafter wide nothing but the promotion of ers and fishermen. ferent jails of Pakistan,” the MEA tigation reporttobeshared with CPMohan wrote to BBMP com- League'sdemandof separateelec- public discussion.” one particular community.” In astatement, the MEA said said. the ministry,”asource said. 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THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 @ieExplained #ExpressExplained 7 If thereare questions of current or contemporaryrelevancethat youwould like E EXPLAINED explained, please [email protected]

CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD Ayear to engage &assert In tissue of deceased Covid patients, study finds signsof Afterayear when it battledCovid-19and Chinese aggression, India enters 2021 with the challenge of strengtheningties and building newoneswith theUS, EU,Middle East countries,and itsneighbours. brain damage, not of virus The newyearpresentsIndiaanopportunity to emergeasaglobal rather than an aspirational player.

IN AN IN-depthstudy of howCovid-19 affectsapatient’s brain, researchers anon-permanentmemberfortheeighthtime, from the US National Institutesof stakes arehigh in the wake of this leadership Health(NIH) consistentlyspottedhall- contestbetween China and the rest of the marks of damage in tissue samples world. India willhavetotakepositions on is- from deceasedpatientsofthe disease. sues it had carefullyavoided—from Tibetto This damagetotissue samples was Taiwan, from Iran-Saudi rivalrytothe refugee causedbythinning and leaky brain crisisbetween Bangladesh and Myanmar. blood vessels. Yetthe researchers saw Whilecross-borderterrorismisoneof thetop no signs of SARS-CoV-2 in the tissue Shubhajit Roy concerns and India will work towardsisolat- samples. This suggeststhat the dam- ing Pakistanfurther,alimited fixation on the agewas notcausedbyadirect viral at- ASSOCIATE EDITOR westernneighbourwoulddistractfromIndia’s tack on the brain, NIH said in astate- Ahigh-resolutionscan of a aspirations of being aglobal leader. menton theresearch.The resultswere patient’s brain stem. Arrows publishedasacorrespondence in the point to lightand darkspots that #3: Friendship withUS NewEngland Journal of Medicine. areindicative of bloodvessel INAPRIL1963,aboutsixmonthsafterthe1962 Muchisexpected from the Biden “Wefound that the brains of pa- damageobserved in the warwith China, Prime MinisterJawaharlal Administration forbuilding on Indo-US ties, tientswho contract infection from study.NIH/NINDS Nehru wroteanarticle in Foreign Affairs mag- but alot willdependonhow theUSviews SARS-CoV-2may besusceptible to mi- azine,titled‘ChangingIndia’.Heconcededthat Chinainthelargerschemeofthings.Movesto- crovascular blood vessel damage. Our therewas aneedto“adjustour relationswith wardsapossible US-China trade deal will be resultssuggestthat this maybecaused cluding diabetes, obesity,and cardio- friendly countries in the light of the changing watchedbySouthBlock closely. Oneof thekey by thebody’s inflammatoryresponse vascular disease. Three patients col- actualitiesof theinternationalsituation…the testswill be thefutureofQuad, and the Indo- to the virus” NIH quoted the study’s lapsedand diedsuddenly. Chinese, ‘devious and deceptive’astheyhave Pacific strategy of the newadministration. senior author AvindraNath, clinicaldi- Initially, theresearchersusedaspe- proved to be,required that India pay‘consid- New Delhi will build on itsdeepening rector at the NIH’s cial, high-poweredMRI erablymoreattention to strengthening her strategicand defence ties with the US, and National Instituteof scanner to examine sam- armedforces’.” This task would need“exter- would want to resolve trade and visa issues. Neurological Disorders ples of the olfactorybulbs nal aidinadequatemeasure”, he wrote. and Stroke (NINDS), as and brainstems from AsIndiabidsadieuto adisruptive yearthat #4: Wooing Europe saying. eachpatient. These re- challenged itsdiplomatic and militarystand- As the UK and theEU agree on adeal, India Although Cvid-19is gions arethought to be ing, and enters anew one fraught with chal- willlook ahead to negotiating adeal with the primarilyarespiratory highlysusceptible to lenges, it could borrowfromNehru’s words. UK and along-pending one with the EU.For a disease, patientsoften ex- PAPER Covid-19. Olfactorybulbs Areflection of eventsshows India faced Illustration:Suvajit Dey start,ithasinvitedBritishPMBorisJohnsonas perience neurological control oursenseof smell sevenhardrealities in 2020, and has to deal Chief Guestfor Republic Day. In May, thereis problems including CLIP while the brainstemcon- withsixchallengesandopportunitiesin2021. tive of whothe president is,” he wroteinThe border standoff. But, it has takennoteof apossibility of an India-EU summit. Already, headaches, delirium, cog- trols our breathing and Indian Express on November 5. Moscow’s position on the Quad and Indo- FranceandGermanyhavecomeupwiththeir nitive dysfunction, dizzi- NEWRESEARCH heartrate. The scans re- HARDREALITIES:2020 Pacific, anear-echo of Beijing’s stance. Indo-Pacificstrategy,andapotentialEuropean ness,fatigue, and lossof vealedthat both regions #3: Acceptance forTaliban strategy is apossibility, but aEU-China trade the sense of smell.The disease may had an abundance of bright spots #1: China aims fortop Having invadedAfghanistan19yearsago #6: Assertive neighbours dealwouldbedissectedbyIndiannegotiators. also cause patientstosufferstrokes. (calledhyperintensities)thatoftenin- trying to root out the Taliban, the US finally TheyearbeganwithBangladeshasserting Severalstudies have shown that dicateinflammation, and darkspots Accordingto theChineseZodiac,2020was made peacewith them in February as it looks itself on CAA-NRC, and then Nepal claiming #5: Engaging with neighbours the disease can cause inflammation (calledhypointensities)thatrepresent the Year of Rat. According to legend, in acom- to exit.ForIndia,thismeantabeginningof the territoryand issuing anew map. It brought China’s growing economic footprint in and bloodvesseldamage.Inone of bleeding. petitionheldby theJadeEmperorto decidethe process of re-engagingwiththe Taliban,and home the reality that neighbours areno India’sneighbourhoodisaconcern.Whileitis these studies, researchers found evi- The researchers then usedthe zodiacanimals,thequick-wittedRataskedthe New Delhireached out pushovers.Bytheendof beingplayedoutinNepal,Indiawillalsowatch dence of small amountsofSARS-CoV- scans as aguide to examine the spots Ox to carry him across the riverand jumped with External Affairs theyear,New Delhi had China’s movesinthe rest of the subcontinent. 2insome patients’ brains. morecloselyunderamicroscope. They down before theOxcrossedthe finishline, so ministerSJaishankar’s THE NEWIN movedtobuild bridges Itsmoves in Iran, too, were closelywatched, Nevertheless, NIH said, scientists are found that the bright spots contained theRatbecamethefirstoftheZodiacanimals. attendancethroughvir- withboth,waryof anac- and as Presidential elections take place in Iran still trying to understand howthe dis- blood vessels that were thinner than In 2020,Beijing tried to behave muchlike tual mode and asenior NEWYEAR tive Beijing. Bangladesh this year,stakesfor engagement will be high. ease affectsthe brain. normal and sometimes leaking blood the proverbial Rat. Acountrywhich, under IndiandiplomatinDoha. pushedback, andIndia One of the important aspectsof2021is In this study,the researchers con- proteins, likefibrinogen, intothe brain. PresidentXiJinpingsince2013,hadbeencon- Signallinglong-term did notnotifythe CAA that,whilethereisachurninginNepal,almost ducted an in-depthexaminationof This appeared to trigger an immune solidatingitsglobalinfluence,sawanopportu- commitment to rules. Nepalreachedout everySouth Asian countryhas had elections brain tissue samples from 19 patients reaction. The spots were surrounded nity in aworld distracted with the pandemic. Afghanistan’s future— 2021 at the highestlevel. inthelastcoupleof years.Thatmeansthegov- who had diedafter experiencing by Tcells from the blood and the Whileitwastargetedinitiallyforbeingthe under Taliban or other India also watched ernmentsinthese countries arestable. Covid-19between March and July brain’s ownimmune cellscalled mi- source of the coronavirus, Xi’s regime turned political forces —India INDIA AND THE WORLD closely the US and Astheworldemergesfromthe pandemic, 2020. Thepatientsdiedatawide range croglia.Incontrast, the darkspots con- around and startedtoflexits muscleinthe re- hascommitted$80mil- Chinese forayswith NewDelhihasalot to gainfromwhatcouldbe of ages, from 5to73yearsold. They tainedbothclotted andleaky blood gion. The Indo-Pacific wasits playground, lion, overand above its Maldivesand Sri Lanka. “vaccinediplomacy”withneighboursin2021 diedwithinafew hoursto twomonths vessels but no immune response. whereChinesenavalormilitiaforcesrammed $3billioncommitmentinthelasttwo decades. Indiaappearsto have madepeacewiththein- —supplying vaccines either free or at afford- afterreporting symptoms. Manypa- aVietnamese fishing boat, “buzzed” a This means New Delhi tooisfinally looking at volvement of the US in Maldives, and thatof able costs. tientshad one or morerisk factors, in- Source: NIH (US) Philippines navalvessel, and harasseda the Taliban as apolitical actor,although it is Japan in Sri Lanka and Maldives. Malaysian oil drilling operation. It even tried controlledbythe Pakistanmilitaryt. #6: Global, notjustaspirational to arm-twistAustralia through trade curbs. #7:Aspirational India Forlong, India has playedthe role of an INDIAACTIVE CASES 254,254 AndsinceMay, Chinesetroopshave altered #4: MiddleEastequations Through 2020,India’s publicarticulation emergingpower—withambitionstoplaythe the status quo along the border with India, TheUS-brokeredrapprochementbetween of “self-reliance”andrefusalto signtradepacts role of aglobal power. In 2021, New Delhiwill claimed thelives of 20 Indian soldiers, and vi- Israel and four Arab countries —the UAE, with RCEP countries waswidely perceivedas hostthe BRICS summit,and startits prepara- 300,000 olated everyagreement to maintain peace. Bahrain, Moroccoand Sudan —reflected the “isolationist” and “inward-looking”. India did tions forthe G-20 summit in 2023. And the So,whileitwasinfectedwiththevirusfirst, changing landscape in the region. With Saudi stepupto supplymedicinesandprotective kits India-Africa Forum summit, whichcould not 254,254 it claimedtobethe firsttoovercome it,and to Arabia and Iran competing forleadership, to morethan150 countries, but did notcome be held in 2020, could be heldin2021orlater. 289,240 recover—asdid the proverbial Rat. along with Turkey,inthe Islamic world, there across as the global leader the worldneeded NewDelhi has opportunitiestoarticulateand have been growing calls forties with Israel. at this time. Lackofresources, acontracting bevocalonissuesthatmatterto theworld,and #2: ‘TrumpAmericans’ New Delhihasbeenaheadofthecurve,cul- economyanditspopulistpoliticsmadeitcome be proactive to further itsinterests. 250,000 Overthelastfouryears,theUSvacatedthe tivating ties with Israel as well as Saudi-UAE across as an aspirationalpower. As India looksahead in 2021, External leadership space at the worldstage under the andtheIranianswithdeftdiplomacy. Butithas Affairs MinisterSJaishankar mayhavetaken DonaldTrumpAdministration.Itwalkedoutof to becarefulto notlet itsgainsgetimpactedby 2021:CHALLENGES,OPPORTUNITIES aleafout of Nehru’s playbook.Inhis book The orweakenedalmostadozenmultilateralbod- polarisingpoliticsathome—beitthroughthe IndiaWay: StrategiesforanUncertainWorld,he LAST 10 DAYS ies or agreements, from the Iran deal to the CAA-NRCorreligious fault-lines. #1: CounteringChina sumsupIndia’sforeignpolicygoalsinthisage Dec 22 Dec 31 WHO. WhileBeijing movedintoclaim space, of disruption, “Manyfriends, fewfoes, great 200,000 the TrumpAdministration did one thing right #5: Russia-Chinabonding India’sresponseto theborderstandoffhas goodwill, moreinfluence. That mustbe —ittargetedChina and the CommunistParty Brewing forthe last threedecades, ties be- beenguidedbyathinkingthatonehasto stand achievedthrough the India Way.” Note:The Dec 31 figureinthisgraph is based on thegovernment updateonJan 1 of Chinafor disrupting the global order. tweenRussia andChina got closerin2020. upto thebully, butthathascomeatacost: sol- In the Chinese Zodiac, 2021isthe Year of OnceJoeBidentakesoverasPresident,the Indiahasalways feltthatitwastheWest,with diersbravingtheharshwinterandmilitaryas- theOx—consideredproductive forthosewho USisexpectedto reclaimthespacevacatedby itsapproachtowards Russia afterthe annexa- sets deployedonland, in air and at sea. The are“hardworking and methodical”and “fully INDIA TOTALCASES WORLDTOTALCASES Trump. But, as former Foreign SecretaryVijay tion of the Crimea in 2014,thathas pushed standoffhas reinforcedNehru’s belief in 1963 feeltheweightof theirresponsibilities”.Itis“a 10,286,709 83,718,625 Gokhale has pointed out, the US will be de- Moscowtowardsatighterembraceof Beijing. that India needs “external aid in adequate year when it is necessarytoredouble the ef- finedby“TrumpAmericans”.“Goingforward, Thishasbeenpossiblealsodueto theUS’santi- measure”. India will needcontinuingsupport fortstoaccomplishanything at all”. Source:MinistryofHealth&family Source:JohnsHopkinsUniversity, AmericawillnotbedefinedbytheDemocrats Chinese rhetoric, collapse of oil prices and from the US, Japan, Australia, besides Europe That could well be the Indian strategy in Welfare,updatedat11pmonJan1 updatedat11pmonJan1 or by theRepublicans.Itwillbedefinedbythe Russia’sdependenceonChineseconsumption. leaders suchasFrance, Germanyand the UK. the newyear,asitnavigates apost-Covid-19 TrumpAmericans… Beyond the optics, the India has strong ties with Russia, and future. TrumpAmericans, who arethe newpolitical MoscowwasthevenueforalltheIndia-China #2: High table at UN base,willstillshapeAmericanpolicyirrespec- official andministerial conversationsoverthe As India enters the UN Security Council as NEXT:SPORTSAMIDTHEPANDEMIC 3states,3anti-conversionlaws:what’ssimilar,what’sdifferent

promulgatedinNovember,toorequiresa60- bailable,whichmeansanarrest canbemade HimachalPradeshalreadyhave anti-conver- APURVAVISHWANATH daynoticebutalsorequirestheMagistrateto JAILTERMS,ASPRESCRIBED withoutawarrantandbailisgrantedonly by sionlaws.The keydifference in thenewlaws NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 conduct apolice inquirytoascertain the real Mass Conversion Conversion of Anyother the discretion of thejudge. is that theyseek to criminalise conversions intention behind the conversion. aminor/SC/STconversion Under the MP law, aperson can be sen- solelyfor the purpose of marriage. THE MADHYAPradesh government is setto The Himachal Pradesh Freedomof tencedtoajail term between one and five The MP Ordinance repeals the Madhya followtwo other BJP-ruledstates—Uttar Religion Act, 2019 that came intoeffect last Uttar Pradesh 3-10 years 2-10years1-5 years yearsforconvertingorattemptingto convert PradeshFreedomof ReligionAct,1968.While Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh —inpassing week,requires a30-day prior “declaration of MadhyaPradesh 5-10years- 1-5 years* unlawfully. If thepersonconverted is a that toocriminalisedforcedconversion, the ananti-conversionlawthatoutlaws religious intention to convert”. Himachal Pradesh -2-7 years 1-5 years woman, aminor or aperson belonging to a newlaw addsprovisions relating to conver- conversionsolelyforthepurposeof marriage. ScheduledCaste or ScheduledTribe(SC/ST), sion duringmarriage, maintenance rights, *MPbill alsoprescribes 3-10years jail forusing "misrepresentation"or"impersonation" for The MP Cabinet hasapproved the Freedom Who can investigate the sentence is twoto10years. It also pro- and reversal of the burden of proof by plac- religious conversion to Religion Bill, 2020 as an Ordinance. Section4ofthe MP lawstatesthat there videsforajailtermof threeto 10 yearsforcon- ing it on the accused. Whileacommonfeatureofallthreelaws cannotbeaninvestigation by apoliceofficer cealing one’s religion during the marriage. Himachalpasseditslaw in2019,repealing is the declaration of suchmarriagesas“null exceptonthe written complaint of the per- sion wasdone without anycoercion or ille- wifehas converted,evenconsensual, unless TheUPlawprovidesforaminimumpun- the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion and void” and the penalising of conversions son converted or the person’s parents/sib- gality. TheHimachal lawhas asimilar provi- theyhavegiven prior notice to thestate gov- ishment of one year,whichcan be extended Act,2006.Whilethe2019 lawhasaddedpro- done without the prior approval of the state, lings. Guardians of the person convertedcan sion.TheUPlawgoesfurther,placingthisbur- ernment, MP’snew lawatthe same time upto five years,andrepeatoffencescancarry visionsrelatedtoconversionsforthepurpose theydifferinthe quantum of punishment file acomplaint onlywiththe permission of den of proof on peoplewho “caused” or seekstoprotect the right of women and her double the maximumsentence. Men are of marriage, the aspect of prior declaration prescribed,and in attributing the burden of acourt.The MP lawalsosays that no police “facilitated”theconversionandnotonthein- child from the “null and void” marriage. awardedahigherpunishmentif convictedof before the district magistrateexistedinthe proof thataconversionislawful.Also,theMP officer belowthe rank of asub-inspector can dividual. Even in the police inquiry, if the UnderSection9,thewomanwhosemarriage causing conversion of awoman,aminor or a 2006lawaswell.Incidentally, theHighCourt lawseeks to protect the rightsofwomen of investigateanoffenceunderthe law. Magistrateisnot satisfied,criminalactionun- has been declarednull and void under this personbelongingto anSC/ST—inwhichcase had struckdownthe prior notice provisions suchmarriages. The Himachal lawsays that prosecution der Section11ofthe Ordinance can be initi- legislation,andherchildren,willhave aright the sentence is betweentwo and 10 years. asunconstitutionalandviolative of thefunda- cannotbeinitiated without theprior sanc- ated againstpersons who “caused” the con- to maintenance. The lawdoesnot,however, IntheHimachallaw, apersoncanbesen- mental right to privacy. Priornotice tion of an officer notbelow the rank of asub- version. This includes those who committed providearecourseforensuringthemarriage tencedtoajail term of one to five yearsfor In 2019,areportbythe UP StateLaw The MP lawrequiresa60-dayprior “dec- divisional magistrate. the offence; omitted to actand prevent the can be protected subsequently. converting or attempting to convert unlaw- Commission recommendedaspecial lawto laration of the intentiontoconvert”tothe The UP lawallows thesame people as al- offence; and aided, abetted, counselledor Neitherthe UP northe Himachal lawhas fully. If the person converted is awoman, a address incidentsofforcedconversion. In a DistrictMagistrateforconversionto bevalid, lowedbythe MP lawtofile acomplaint. procuredpeopleforcommittingtheoffence. suchprovisions. minor or aperson belongingtoanSC/ST,the draftBill,submittedalongwiththereport,the following whichacouplefromdifferent reli- sentence is twotoseven years. Commissionrecommendedpenalising gions can be legallymarried. Burden of proof Maintenance &inheritance Quantum of punishment fraudulent conversions, including conver- TheUttarPradeshProhibitionof Unlawful The MP lawplaces on the person con- Whiledeclaring as “null and void” any Theoffenceof illegalconversionunderthe The laws earlier sions solelyfor the purpose of marriage.The Conversion of Religious Ordinance, 2020 vertedtheburdenof provingthattheconver- marriageinwhicheither the husband or the laws of allthree states is cognisable and non- At least10statesincluding MP and Ordinance waspromulgated subsequently. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 WORDLY WISE Youcan drag my body to school butmy 8 THE EDITORIAL PAGE spirit refuses to go. —BILL WATTERSON Look before you reform

§ FOUNDED BY § RAMNATH GOENKA NEP’s regulatoryarchitecture is toomonolithic for BECAUSETHE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL higher education in adiverse country

SIGNS OF UPTICK FurqanQamar and KrishnaKumar

With government’s taxrevenues picking up, it should spend CONCERNEDWITHTHEdubious effectsofthe entirehigher education sector to eliminate healthcareeducation as an integrative sys- multiplicity of regulatorybodiesinhigher ed- isolation and disjunction” and proposeda temoffering allopathic medicine students“a moretosupportthe economy ucation, nearly all advisorypanels appointed National Higher Education Regulatory basic understanding of Ayurveda, Yoga and since 2005 have been pitchingfor asingle reg- Authority (NHERA) as asole regulator forall Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and NLINE WITH trends in the broader economy, dataongovernment finances, re- ulator.The National Education Policy (NEP higher education. The existing regulatorybod- Homeopathy(AYUSH) and vice versa”. The leasedbythe Controller General of AccountsonThursday, suggeststhat the recov- 2020) announcedafew months ago, too, has ies, including MCI, were to become profes- idea of making medical education inter-dis- eryincentral governmentfinances is beginning to gather momentum. Four broad endorsedthe idea by providing foracommon sional standardsetting bodies. Additionally, ciplinarymight beeasier to enforce if all med- trends emerge.First, the Centre’s gross tax collections rose forthe second straight singleregulator forthe entirehigher educa- the committee also recommendedthe setting ical education were to beregulatedin acoor- Imonth in November,with the pace of expansion actually accelerating.Second, tion system, with theexception of medical and up of three other independent agencies to dinatedmanner by asingle regulatorybody. laweducation. If recent developmentsinthe oversee accreditationby multipleaccrediting With the enactmentofthe National while the collections were drivenbyindirect taxes, the uptickwas morebroad-based, with field of medical education areany indication, institutions (AIs). Commission forHomoeopathy(NCH) and personal income taxcollectionsalsowitnessing healthygrowth.Third, the improvement the number of regulatorybodies in higher ed- With so manyindependentinstitutions the National Commission forIndian System of in taxcollections is in starkcontrasttothe continuing sluggishness of the Centre’s pro- ucation is onlyset to soar. responsible forregulating variousfacets of Medicine (NCISM) and continuation of the ceeds from disinvestment.Fourth, with greater revenue visibility,government spending Regulatorybodies came up essentiallyin higher education, the draftNEP 2020 pro- Dental Council of India (DCI),Pharmacy pickeduppace in November,imparting apositiveimpulse to the economy. responseto therapidgrowthofprivate partic- posedaRashtriyaShiksha Aayog(RSA) to co- CouncilofIndia(PCI) and the IndianNursing At theaggregate level, the Centre’s grosstax collectionsgrew by ahealthy23per cent ipationsince the 1980s. Procedures of regula- ordinate, direct andaddressinter-institutional Council(INC),itlookscertain that medical ed- in November,upfrom16.9 per cent in October.Muchofthis rise wasdrivenbyindirect tion became increasinglycomplexevenas overlaps and conflicts. The idea of acommon ucation shall continue to be regulated in a practicestheyweremeantto controlgot bolder singleregulator had, thus, morphedintoa fragmented manner. taxeswhichgrew by ahealthy 27.2 per cent in November,upfrom23.6per cent in the pre- and brazen. Findinghigher education “over- complexregulatorystructurecomprising an It maywell be argued that it is well nigh vious month. GSTcollections have nowtouched an all-timehigh in December.Under di- regulated andunder-governed”, the National Reviling the regulatory authority,three councils and anational com- impossibletodesign asingleregulatory rect taxes, while personal incometaxes continue to showhealthygrowth,corporate tax KnowledgeCommission (NKC) concludedin regimes forbeing ‘too heavy- mission withexisting regulatorybodies and framework to take careofthe domain-spe- collections remain subdued.The latter,though, arelikelytowitness an uptick once the 2007 thattheplethoraofagenciesattempting handed’, NEP 2020 has now professional councils to continue to exist, al- cific needs of disparatedisciplines and pro- baseeffect kicksin in the coming months. However, despite this uptick, gross taxrevenue to control entry, operation, intake, price,size, posited fora‘light but tight’ beit as professional standardsetting bodies. fessions even within healthcareeducation. at theend of November remainedRs1.48lakh crorebelow lastyear’s level. Further,collec- output and exit had rendered theregulation Whilethe draftpolicy wasstill being fi- But if acceptedasaprinciple, it has the po- of higher education ineffectual. The NKCrec- system under asingle nalised, the National Medical Commission of tentialtodelay,ifnot derail,the idea of asin- tions from disinvestment continuetoremainamatterofconcern —asagainst abudgeted ommendedthe setting up of an overarching regulator forall higher India (NMCI) Billoriginallyintroducedin2017 gleregulator to cater to thediverse disciplines target of Rs 2.1lakhcrore,proceedsfromdisinvestment proceeds have so faraddedupto Independent RegulatoryAuthority in Higher education barring medical wasreintroducedand passedbythe of general,professional and technicalhigher amereRs13,843crore.Whilethe disinvestment process of entitieslikeAir India and BPCL Education(IRAHE).TheYashPalCommitteein Parliament in 2019thereby repealing the education. And should that actuallyhappen, appearstobegainingtraction, it is unlikely thatthe stakesales will be completedbythe its2009reportalso felt that the existence of and laweducation. It Indian Medical Council Act1956, dissolving the idea of reining in the regulators might end of thecurrent financial year,implying ahugeshortfall againstbudgetedexpectations. multipleregulatorybodieshadbecomeanim- envisages an overarching the MedicalCouncilof India(MCI)andvesting mean drowning higher education under per- Greater revenue visibility has helpedimpartapush to the Centre’s spending. Spending pediment to the pursuit of excellence. The Higher Education the regulation of medical education in the manent heavy rain. committee’s keyconcern wascompartmen- newly createdNational Medical Commission The storyofregulation is nicelycaptured wasup48per cent in November,with both revenue (excludinginterestpayments)and cap- Commission of India talisation of academia, with little scope fordi- of India (NMCI). by the saying, “marz barhatagayajyonjyon italspendingwitnessingamassive increase,reversingthecurtailmentof thepreviousmonths. alogue across disciplines. To promote sucha (HECI), with four Reviling the regulatoryregimes forbeing dava ki (the disease got worsewith themed- Infact,sofarinthethirdquarter(October-November),centralgovernmentspendingisup22.4 dialogue, the Yash Palcommittee recom- independent verticals “too heavy-handed”, NEP 2020 has now ication)”. The regulatoryarchitecturepro- percent,aftercontractingby 15.6percentinthesecondquarter, impartinganexpansionary mendedthe creation of an apexbody called comprising the National posited fora“lightbut tight” system under a posedinthe NEP is fartoo monolithic fora impulse to the economy. However, it needs to be pointed out that cumulative government theNationalCommissionforHigherEducation Higher Education single regulator forall higher education bar- system of higher education serving ageo- and Research (NCHER).Itwas meanttoserve ring medicaland laweducation. It envisages graphically, culturallyand politicallydiverse spending over the April-November period has grownbyamere4.7 per cent,notwithstand- RegulatoryCouncil ingtheannouncementsof varioussupportmeasuresby thegovernment.Infact,actualspend- as aplatform foracademic exchangeand dia- an overarching Higher Education countrylikeours. Even in the matter of pri- logueacrossdisciplinesandprofessionsrather (NHERC), the National Commission of India(HECI), with four inde- vatisation, one notices enormous diversity ing is significantlylower than the 12.7 per cent growth assumedinthe budget.Evenmeet- than as acontrolling machine. Accreditation Council pendent verticals comprisingthe National of players and practices. Historicallytoo, pri- ing the budgeted expenditurelevelsnow translatestoa30 per cent increase in spending in In 2016,acommittee chaired by TSR (NAC), the Higher Higher Education RegulatoryCouncil vate participation in the running of colleges the lastfour months of the financial year,providing amuch-neededfillip to theeconomy. Subramanian proposedaNational Higher (NHERC), the National Accreditation Council has notfollowedasinglepattern. To imag- Education Promotion andManagement Act Education Grants Council (NAC), the Higher Education GrantsCouncil ine that auniform structurecalledBoardof forsetting up an Indian RegulatoryAuthority (HEGC) and the General (HEGC) and the General Education Council Governors can serveall different kinds of in- forHigher Education (IRAHE) to subsume all Education Council (GEC). (GEC). Under the newschema of things, the stitutions across the country is to entertain a existing regulatorybodies in higher educa- Under the new schema of UniversityGrantsCommission(UGC) is to be- fantasy in place of aserious vision of reform. BACKTOTHE CLASSROOM tion. Media reports in 2017 hinted at the pos- come HEGC while the other regulatorybod- Suchavision calls forbetterappreciation of sibility of anew regulatorybody,tentatively things, the University ies will become professional standardsetters. what exists,nomatter howworrisome a Partial reopening of schools in severalstatesisanecessaryand titledHigher Education Empowerment Grants Commission (UGC) Thankfully, the five independent institutions condition it is in. Regulation Agency (HEERA), to dissolve all ex- is to become HEGC while recommendedindraft NEP 2019 nowstand welcome step. Forteachers, the task is cut out isting regulatorybodies in higher education. collapsedintoone whichwill function with Qamar is secretary general of theAssociation The draftnational policy presented by the the other regulatorybodies existing, re-definedbodies. of Indian Universities (AIU) and Kumar is a HE NEW YEAR has begun with acautious—and welcome —unlocking of Kasturirangan Committee in 2019 com- will become professional While NEP-2020 is content with separate former director of NCERTand editor of the the classroom. Severalstates, including Karnataka, Bihar,Puducherry,Uttar mended“acommon regulatoryregime forthe standard setters. regulation formedicaleducation, it envisions RoutledgeHandbook of Education in India Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and some districtsofMaharashtra, among oth- ers, have chosen to partiallyreopen schools, starting with higher classes. TIn Assam, even youngerstudents(Class Iand upwards)are nowbackto school. Whilesafetyremains apriority and the school as it existed—fromrambunctious playgrounds to crowdedlunch hours and indoor classes —will have to be reimagined keeping the pandemic in mind, this is anecessarystepbacktonormal forthe children. VIRUS IN AN UNEQUAL SOCIETY The CBSE’sdecision to conduct boardexaminations forClasses Xand XII in May-June is another signal that the long interruption of educationisnow close to an end. If thereisone realisation from the COVID-19outbreak,itisthat school is tooenmeshed WhyIndiabucks global gender-related trends on Covid mortality with the analogue experiences of life—the eyecontact between teacher and students, the waychildrenlearnfrompeers,the solidaritytheygiveeachother —tobeconvertedfully into adigitalformat.Evenfor the tinyminority of studentsfromprivilegedbackgrounds who have Phalasha Nagpal been able to access online classes, the virtual classroom has been apoor substitutefor teach- ers, with an unacknowledgedtoll on mental health. Moreimportantly, avastmajority of RECENT DATA ON genderdifferentials in cause of death remains lowerfor them when highlightsthe gender differential in average COVID-19case fatality rates(CFR) in India comparedto men. Againstthis background, it healthcareexpenditure(HCE)—HCE formen India’s children has been shut out of learning by amarkeddigital and technological divide. highlight deviation from global trends. The is plausible that the COVID-19CFR gender gap exceeds that forwomen by Rs 8,397. Families Forinstance, the ASER phone survey of 60,000-odd studentsacross rural India found that disaggregated datashowhigher CFR for is higher than documented. areless likelytoopt fordistressedfinancing to onlyabout one-thirdhad access to onlinelearning;only11per cent could attend live online women when compared to men. What explains this gender-differential? A meetthe healthcareneeds of women. Apart classes.This couldhave lastingconsequencesonlearningdeficitsgiventhat education, long This datamustbeput in context. Men tend keyfactorisaccess to food and nutrition. from this double whammyofaccessand HCE, before thepandemic struck, washobbledbyinequalities of income, caste and gender.The to sufferfromhigher COVID-related co-mor- Research shows that women aremorelikely women areusuallytaken to ahealthcarefa- public school is asafetynet,whose absence riskspushing children intochild labour,child bidities likehypertension, as compared to to sufferfrompoor nutrition outcomes com- cility when theirsymptoms aresevere, poten- women. This makes them morevulnerable to pared to men. NFHS 2015-2016 dataindicate tiallyincreasing their mortality risk. marriageorunder-nutrition. contracting the novelcoronavirus. India is no that as manyas23per cent Indian women The unequal burden of unpaid carere- Thereturntonormalcymust beguidedbyawillingnessofthe educationsystemtogive exception to this worldwide trend.Men in have alower than normal BMI whereas only sponsibilities on women in Indian households up itscentralising impulse. The Centre, rightly, has letstatesdecide their reopening sched- India, on average, arealso at ahigher risk of 63 percenthave some sayindecisionsregard- also reflectsontheir health. Thereisastrong ules forthemselves. The pandemic has exposedthe limitations of top-down diktats,and contracting the disease owingto higherphys- ing their healthcare. chance thatarecovering or recentlyrecovered shown the potential in empowering authorities at thelocal level. Decentralisation is also em- ical mobility and lifestyle choices –smoking Femaleinfants, moreover, faceatriple bur- COVID-19woman patient does nothavethe powering, as teacher-ledinitiativesthat came up with ways to reachout to studentsinthe forexample. Women also tend to have anat- den of undernutrition. First, theysufferfrom optionofrecuperating adequately because lastyear show. The task of the post-pandemic school is cut out:Torestore and repair learn- ural biological survivaladvantageovermen. Empirical literature from thecarryovereffectsofmaternalundernutri- sheiscompelledto take on physicallyburden- Yet, paradoxically, in India, the CFR forwomen tion.Second, research confirmsagender-bias somehouseholdresponsibilities. In fact, as per ing losses. It will needcommitted and empoweredteachers. Theymuststart now. India illustrates howwomen is higher than that formen. in breastfeeding practices.Third, girlchildren theOECD,womenin India,onaverage,spend Thereisalso compelling evidence to be- have lessaccesstofacility- areatadisadvantageinaccessing nutrition, five hours morethan men on unpaid work. lieve that the CFR differential is likelytobe based healthcare. Inpatient therebyaffectingtheir survivaloutcomes.The It would benaïvetoassume thatcenturies higher thanrevealedbystudies. This can be medical care canprove to be poorer nutritionaloutcomesaretiedtohigher of discriminatorysocio-culturalpracticeswill MALLSFOR PEACE explainedbythe gender differential in India’s lifesaving especially in severe COVID-19morbidity and mortality risk. notaffect mortality patterns during the pan- vital registrationsystems.Datafromthe Office Empirical literaturefromIndia illustrates demic. As the countryinches towardsavac- of theRegistrarGeneralshowthatnon-regis- cases of COVID-19. There is howwomenhavelessaccesstofacility-based cination drive againstthe novelcoronavirus, it Flood of Israeli tourists in Dubai shows that, likewar, tration of deaths among women is higher than also evidence that families healthcare. Inpatient medical carecan prove would be pertinent to ask if policymakers peace can come by other means that of men. Datafrom2016, forinstance, are lesslikely to travel long to be lifesaving, especiallyinseverecasesof have agender-focus approachtoensureeq- showthat of the total deaths registeredinthe distances to provide COVID-19. Thereisalso evidencethatfamilies uity in access to the preventive. country, 55 per cent were of men and 38 per areless likelytotravellong distances to pro- ERE'S ASENTENCE thatwould have seemedlikefakenewsjustayear cent women. And when deathsofwomen are healthcare to women, as vide healthcaretowomen The writer is asocial policy researcher ago: “Thousands of Israeli tourists flockedtoDubai, even as 'Made in registered, the likelihood of registering the compared to men. Thereisalso abody of scholarship that and analyst Israel' alcohol has become ubiquitousonstore shelvesinthe city.” The HUAEand Israel, afterall, onlyfullynormalised diplomaticrelationsas recentlyasSeptember 2020. In December,over70,000Israeli tourists visited Dubai,firming up the long-held belief of manyamarketfanatic: Malls and mar- kets areatleastasimportant to peace betweenpeoples and nations as treaties. JANUARY 2, 1981, FORTY YEARS AGO Israelis arediscovering something that the upper andaspiring classes in India have known foryearsnow.Dubai is essentiallyone large shopping mall,withquite abit of enter- PM’S OFFER them”. She alsosaidthe current worldsit- POLICE ACTS ROUGH tainment and sightseeing thrownin, whichmakes foragreat getaway. In fact, likeIndians, PRIME MINISTER INDIRAGandhi deplored uation wasfull of “dangersand difficulties”. ON THE FIRST dayofthe International year Israelis arediscovering that selfies with the city's skyline in the backdrop arequite the sta- the attitude of the Opposition parties as forthe disabled, the Delhi Police roughed tus symbol. Thestringent COVID-inducedlockdowns in Israel'scitieshave meant thatDubai confrontationist but offeredtomeettheir BANGARAPPA’S TOUR up 100men near the PrimeMinister’s leaders to discussnational issues. She said THE KARNATAKA CHIEF MinisterGundu houseand detainedabout 80 of them.They has become adestination foreverything from weddingstobusiness conferences. And thatsolutions to mostproblems facing the Raohas asked the state’s agriculturemin- were part of aprocession that had marched tourists have reportedlyfound little bigotry or animosity in the market-town. Forsocieties countrywerebeyond one organisation or isterSBangarappa to resign from the cabi- to the PM’s house to submit amemoran- that have historicallybeen seen as antagonistic to eachother,this is no small feat. one party and had to be seen from amuch net. Bangarappa, the number twointhe dum to her. The sheer volume of the touristtraffichas been apleasant surprise formany, includ- broader point of view. Theprime minister, cabinet, returnedfromalong tour of the dis- ing those who were worriedthat the detenteinparts of West Asia would be short-lived. however, agreedthatthe Oppositionhad a trictsand attendedthe cabinetmeeting. The IRAN AND US Tourism and markets,after all, aremorethan justsectors and spaces that makemoney. right to voice itsopinion andcriticise the chief ministerissaid to have expressedhis THE US HOSTAGE crisis is coming to an end From the earliestbazaars, marketplaces have been aspace forexchange,whichisasmuch government. IndiraGandhiwas mostcriti- displeasureatsome of the statementsby “inone waythe other,”according to Radio cal of the BJP,whichshe preferredtocallthe Bangarappa during this tour.The stateagri- Tehran. The radio insistedthatIranhad cultural as it is economic. And whenpeople travel,when theyinteractwiththe host pop- Jana Sangh. Asked howthe government cultureministerhad expressedhis disap- made itslastproposals on the issueand ulation, theycome to see those who have been demonisedashumanbeings —not merely plannedtodeal with agitations in different proval of the waythe Karnataka govern- would notretreat from them. If the US does- the “other”. Besides, even if the Dubai malls don't bring about worldpeace, who doesn't parts of the country,the prime ministersaid ment wasbeing run and talked about n’t acceptthe proposals, the Iranian govern- likealittle duty-free shopping? that“there wasnoquestion of dealing with effortstodistance him from the poor. ment willput thehostagesontrial. 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THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 WHATTHE OTHERSSAY “Itlooks likeNepal is heading towardsthe wrongdirection as the countrygoes deeper into apoliticalcrisis at atime when it should be spending all its human as well as financial resources towards ensuringvaccines in time foreveryone.” 9 THE IDEAS PAGE —THE KATHMANDUPOST Preserving the past for the future Stagnation,

It is the intangible spirit, the underlying metaphysicalorder,whichlendsKahn’s architecture itspower. in fact His masterpiece in Ahmedabad mustbepreserved in itsentirety, restored from oneend to theother Surjit Bhalla picks on data, but fails to debunk evidence of alarming trends in child nutrition

ishedin Odisha thanHaryana. In earlier writ- ings, Ihaverarelyusedwasting statistics, so thereisnothing “revealing” in the said omission. In anycase, wasting statistics areconsis- tent with the diagnosisofstagnating nutri- tion levels: Onlythree out of 10 major states William JR Curtis forwhichNFHS-5 datahavebeen released sawadecline in wasting between 2015-16 and 2019-20. Bringing wasting intothe dis- GREATARCHITECTURE COMMUNICATES be- Jean Drèze cussion is awaste of time. fore it is understood. It touches the mind, the Third, Bhalla suggests that theremay be senses and the body of the observer and im- nothing unusualwith alittle “zig-zagging” of poses itself on the imagination through itsun- IMUSTTHANK Surjit Bhalla (‘Ideology child nutrition estimates over time. derlying order.While aworkofarchitectureis trumps evidence’, IE December 26) forcon- According to him: “In 2000,the stunting av- created in aparticular period, it maynonethe- firming the main point of an earlier article of erage[fordeveloping countries]excluding lesscontinue to move us over the centuries mine(‘Givechildrenweight’, IE December Indiawas29.3 percent;in201023.8 percent; through the powerofits spaces and forms. 17)—namely, that child undernutritiontends and in 2015,28.7 per cent. In other words, a Buildings embody the values, political ideolo- to be takenlightlyinthe corridors of power. lotofzig-zag, reversals, and no netimprove- giesand dominant beliefsoftheir time but they His intention, of course, wasthe opposite— ment over 20 years.” Letusoverlook the fact do notexpress these directly, astheyare ideal- to debunkmyarticle,along with afew others. that thereare 15 years, not20, between 2000 isations of social institutions. Theyresemble But then, this is notBhalla’s firstself-goal. and2015.These figuresare puzzling,because constructedmyths symbolising the cosmic or- Forthose who missedit, my article tried stunting ratesimprovedinmostcountries der or supplying visions of the waythe world CRSasikumar to draw attention to recent evidence, from forwhichdataare availableduring this pe- ought to be.Agreat work fuses diverseinflu- the fifthNational FamilyHealth Survey riod.How,then, did the “stunting average” ences and traditions in afresh synthesisofidea flimsy pretextthat the trial restoration on one Sultanateperiod and ruinedBuddhiststupas, (NFHS-5), of astagnation in child nutrition go up between 2010 and 2015?Bhalla was and form, imageand material. It combinesthe of the dormitories was“unsatisfactory”, a monasteries and mandala plans. Kahn sym- indicators between 2015-16and 2019-20. I kind enough to send me detailedclarifica- unique withthe universal,thepresent withthe judgementcontestedby internationalexperts. bolised the statewithacosmicgeometryof also arguedthat these findings, along with tions. It turns out that the averages fordiffer- past. It is timeless but of itstime. Thankfully, this actofcultural vandalism is be- sorts. related evidence of rising food insecurity in ent years pertain to different sets of countries For40yearsIhavebeen roamingfromone ingchallengedfromall sides,bycommittedin- In Dhaka Kahn built in concrete, in 2020, callfor urgent intervention.Nothing in (for example, 111 countries in 2010,63coun- endofIndia to theother,experiencing,admir- dividuals, by prestigious institutions and by ar- Ahmedabad he chose brick, but his materials Bhalla’s rejoinder invalidates these concerns, triesin2015), sothisis likecomparingapples ing and studying outstanding buildings and ticles in the national and international press. also includedspace, light and shadow. and Ialso stand by allthe factsmentionedin with mangoes. sites of all eras,fromthe most ancient to the Butnothing is certain in the current state of an- Architecturecommunicates by itsown means that article. The same paragraph continues: “In con- mostrecent. The Buddhist stupa at Sanchi, the archyinIndia: RajRewal’s Hall of Nations and in silence and has itsimmaterial aspect. It is the Isharesome of Bhalla’s reservations trast, the stuntingaverageinIndiawas 46per HindutemplesatKhajuraho,theJaintempleat Nehru Memorial PavilioninNew Delhi were intangiblespirit,the aura,the underlyingmeta- about the wayNFHS-5 findings were re- cent in 2000,10ppt lowerin2015, and still Ranakpur,the tomb of Humayun —these are demolishedthree years agowhile under judi- physicalorder,whichlendsKahn’sarchitecture portedinthe media. But in his haste to knock lowerin2019.”Thelastpointis wishfulthink- to me likearchitectural friends. Theyoccupya cial review, both of them key monumentsin itspower. In hisproject forIIM, he employed down all suspectsinone stroke,hegetsen- ing: Thereisno“stunting average” estimate placeinmy memoryandmy innerlife.Howcan India’s post-colonial history. shadedlayers of structureand bold openings tangledinaflawedattempt to disputeand forIndia in 2019.Ifavailable NFHS-5 dataare one forget the sensation of moving from light Suchare the dangers of aneo-liberal ide- forcross ventilation to protectfromthe sear- downplaythe evidence Ihad presented. representative of the entirecountry, then to darkinthe Elephantacaves with the dim ology whichemphasises private profit at the ingclimate. In defining the essential natureof First, he picks on specific figures. That stunting levels were muchthe same in 2015 sculptures of thedancingShiva and Parvati in expense of professional probity and long-term ateaching institution, he sought abalance be- does nottakehim very far. His main quarrel and 2019. the background? Or the floating levels in red public interest. Todaylaissez-fairecapitalism, tween individual and community while pro- is with afigureof22per cent forthe propor- Finally, Bhalla pointsout that manyso- sandstone at Fatehpur Sikri experiencedat politicalcorruption and land speculationpose viding transitions between them. He distin- tion of underweight children in Bangladesh, cial indicators other than child nutrition im- dawn? Worksofthis calibre belong to both na- threatstoancient and modern worksofqual- guishedbetween library, administration and quoted in my opening paragraph. Bhalla proved between 2015-16and 2019-20, ac- tional and universal heritage.Theyare among ity.Inasociety whereitis“the price of every- lecturehalls, and student residences, but inte- claims that Ipresented thisasa2015figure cording to NFHS-5. That is true, but it does the greatestcreations in the history of human- thing and the value of nothing”, thereisinsuf- gratedall in aunifiedconcept, acitadel of learn- and that thecorrect figureis30.1per cent. notmakethe stagnation of nutrition indica- ity and areprotected by both national laws of ficient interestinthe culturalenrichment ingwherespacesbetweenareasimportant as But the 22 per cent figure,likeotherWorld tors anylessalarming—thatwas the sub- patrimonyandinternationaldecreesunderlin- providedbyfine modern buildings. During a the buildings themselves. Kahn wasinspired Bank figures quoted in that paragraph, actu- ject of my article, notsanitation or literacy. ing their cultural, aesthetic and spiritual value. visit to Ahmedabad in 2014 Irealisedjusthow by monasteries withtheircloisters,courts and allyapplies to the latestyear forwhichesti- Social indicatorstend to improveovertime, When one comes to the 20th century, the vulnerable worksbyLeCorbusier,Louis Kahn, privatecells, and by the outdoor rooms in the mates areavailable—2018inthe caseof it is notsurprisingthat this happenedagain conceptof“architectural heritage” scarcelyex- Balkrishna Doshi, Charles Correa, and Anant Palace complexatMandu (15th C). The brick Bangladesh. It is correct. between 2015-16and 2019-20.The fact that ists in aformal sense in Indianmentalities or Raje had become. Isoundedthe alarm in sev- cylinders at IIM owe something to the Goingbeyondnitpicking,afullerpictureof improvement is the normmakes it all the legislation. Buildings and sites have to be over eral other texts: “Nothing is Sacred:Threatsto Cathedral at Albi(14th C) in south west France. child nutrition in India and Bangladeshis moreimportant to be alert to patternsof acenturyold to beconsidered“heritage”atall. Modern Masterpieces in India” (Architectural The plan of the campus at IIM reveals available from successiveNational Family stagnationordecline. This is both negligent and tragic forIndia also Review, 2014)and “Protecting Modern Kahn’s prodigious skill in weaving together Health Surveys(calledDemographic and Child nutrition is fundamental to devel- has within itsboundaries some of themajor Masterpieces in India” (Architecture+Design, solidsand voids, rectanglesand triangles, or- Health SurveysinBangladesh). Asharpcon- opment and the quality of life. The fact that masterpieces of modern architectureworld- 2014). Istressedthe urgency of changing na- Without repeating the myth thogonal and diagonal geometries. It is likea trastemerges—steady decline of child un- other indicators improvedoes notcompen- wide, suchasLeCorbusier’s Assemblyand High tional heritagelawssoastoinclude and pro- of an ‘Eternal India’ one can mapof humanrelationships, anidealisationof dernutrition in Bangladesh, sluggish decline satefor afailure to improvechild nutrition.It Court in Chandigarh,his Ahmedabad Textile tect 20th centurybuildings, arguing that patri- thehuman interchangeofknowledge in an in- in India. This reinforces the point that India does raise an interesting question: If many Mill Owners' Association House (ATMA), or monyshould be assessedonthe basis of suggest that deep structures stitution of learning. Alasthe temporaryten- needsto paymoreattentionto childnutrition. drivers of good nutrition (suchassanitation Louis IKahn’s Indian InstituteofManagement long-term quality rather than the cut-offdate are rethought in each period, antsofthis masterpiece,the director and board Second, Bhalla looksforadog who did not and antenatal care) improvedbetween 2015- (IIMA) also in Ahmedabad. As of 2016, of ahundred years. sometimes being fused with of IIM, do notseem to understand that they bark. He pointsout that Idid notmention 16 and 2019-20, howcome child nutrition Chandigarhachieveddefinition as aUNESCO Withoutrepeatingthemyth of an “Eternal imported forms. Modern have aresponsibility to bequeath this great wasting (weight-for-height) statistics and did not? One possible answer is that some- WorldHeritagesiteafter amassive though in- India”onecan suggestthat deep structures are work in itstotality to futuregenerationsso that claims thatthis is a“revealingomission”. thing went wrong with NFHS-5 data. complete programme of restoration. But key rethought in eachperiod, sometimes being architecture is the latest theymay be inspired by it. The director stated Sorry,case dismissed. Iignored wasting be- Another is that the geniusdemonetisation modern buildings in Ahmedabad remain vul- fusedwith importedforms. Modern architec- ‘invader’ and it has gradually recentlythat it washardtoacceptthat aset of cause it is atricky indicator of child nutrition: gamble in 2016 (steadfastlysupportedby nerable to destruction. tureisthe latest“invader” and it has gradually been modified to meet local buildings onlyhalf acenturyold might becon- It has the odd effect of classifying stuntedchil- Bhalla)haddireand lastingconsequencesfor The recent announcement by the adminis- been modifiedtomeetlocal conditions, cli- conditions, climates and sidered as “heritage”. He could nothavebeen dren as well-nourishediftheyhaveadequate thepoor.Hopefully, adetailedanalysis of the trationof the IIMAthat itintendstoknock down mates andconceptionsofspace. Oneofthe key morewrong. Kahn’s masterpiece in weight fortheir height. Wasting statistics of- full NFHS-5 datasetwill shedsome light on mostofthe dormitories in Kahn’s masterpiece figures in this process of “naturalisation” was conceptions of space. One of Ahmedabad mustbepreserved in itsentirety, tenlead to counterintuitive conclusions, for these and other hypotheses in due course. while keeping onlythe library/ teaching block Louis Kahn who,while remaining resolutely the key figures in this process restored from oneend to the other,and given example, thatchild undernutrition increased as an example of “heritage” —onFriday, the modern, wasinspiredby essentialsin tradition. of ‘naturalisation’ was Louis the samestatus anduniversalheritageprotec- in Indiabetween 2005-6and 2015-16(de- The writer is visiting professoratthe boardofgovernors of the IIM wrotetothe stake- On the Indian sub-continent he createdtwoof Kahn who, while remaining tion as the great monumentsinIndia’s past. spiteimprovementsinage-specificheights Department of Economics,Ranchi holders sayingitis withdrawingthe Expression his mostprofound masterpieces: The National and weights), or that children arebetternour- University of Interestthat sought bids forthe reconstruc- AssemblyComplexinDhaka,and theIndian resolutely modern, was The writer is an historian, critic, artistand tion —would belikeslicing offachunk of atem- InstituteofManagement in Ahmedabad. With inspired by essentials in photographer,the author of Modern ple complexand then claimingthat the remain- the former he grappledwith the problem of a tradition. On the Indian sub- ArchitectureSince 1900,LeCorbusier: Ideas ing fragmentsrepresent asuccessful example democratic monumentality by fusing modern continent he created two of andForms,and Balkrishna Doshi: An of preservation. Having supportedthe restora- architectural abstraction with aprofound Architecturefor India.In2014hereceived the LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR tion of the entirecampus foryears, the leaders transformation of centralisedarchetypes in his most profound Golden Awardfor Global Contribution to of the institution suddenlymade au-turn on a Bengali traditions, including mosques of the masterpieces. Architecture(CERA,India) YEAROFHOPE IDEAS THIS REFERS TO the editorial, 'Happy NewYear'(IE, January1). This ill-fated ONLINE year testedtheresolve of thepublic. The COVID-inducedlockdownrestrictions ONLYINTHE EXPRESS When the Arctic warms took alarge biteoutof the earningsof the business owners. Manytragicallysuc- ● BOOKBIGPOLLUTERS: cumbed to the virus. As we usher in this SANDEEPPANDEY,SHOBHA Itwillaffectsealevelsandprecipitationpatternsglobally. Indiawillbeaffected fresh year,wemustnot letthe flame of SHUKLAANDBOBBY hope be extinguished. RAMAKANT Navtej Sarna Varun Das, Zirakpur ● INTROSPECTION AT AMU: THIS REFERS TO the editorial, 'Happy SYED TAHSEEN RAZA INMYSCHOOLgeographybooks,theArcticwas lossand degradation, the absence of year-long ancedandsustainabledevelopment,before hu- vantage,hasmovedinfast,projectingthePolar NewYear'(IE, January1). Afteratrau- afrozen fastness, the distant domain of polar ice and higher temperatures aremaking the man greedovertakes everything. The compli- SilkRoadasanextensionof theBRI,andhasin- matic and turbulent 2020, the NewYear www.indianexpress.com bears and fur-clad tribes, or the occasional in- survivalofArcticmarine life, plantsand birds cation is that, unlikeAntarctica, the Arctic is not vestedheavilyinports,energy,undersea infra- marks the startofanepoch, whichcer- trepidexplorer. Butthatwashalfacenturyago. difficultwhileencouragingspeciesfromlower aglobal commonand thereisnooverarching structureand miningprojects. Thislimbering tainlybringsmanyopportunities and Todaythe mysteriesofthe Arcticare literally latitudesto move north.TheArcticisalsohome treaty thatgoverns it, onlythe UN Convention up of strategic postures is onlythe tip of the also various problems, foremostamong meltingaway:Thetopoftheworldisfallinginto to about40differentindigenousgroups,whose of Lawofthe Sea (UNCLOS). Large parts of it are proverbial iceberg. whichisthe ongoing battle againstthe foritduring vaccine administration. the sea in hugeblocks,bringing with it chal- culture, economy andway of lifeisindanger of underthe sovereignty of the five littoral states India’s interests in these developments, deadlyvirus. The countryalso has to Bal Govind, Noida lengesthatare globalinnature. beingsweptaway. Increasinghumanencroach- —Russia, Canada, Norway,Denmark though distant, arenot peripheral. Our exten- grapplewith unemployment,starvation It is in the Arctic that globalwarming pres- ment with itsattendant stresses will onlyag- (Greenland)and the US —and exploitation of sive coastline makes us vulnerable to theim- and sectarianism. The wish listislong BEEVEN-HANDED entsitsmostdramaticface;theregioniswarm- gravatethis impact and upsetafragilebalance. the newresourcesiswell within their rights. pact of Arctic warming on ocean currents, and ambitious, but then, hope is what ing up twiceasfastasthe globalaverage.The Yetthereisaflip side: The opening of the Inevitably, giventhe highstakes, strategic weather patterns, fisheries and mostimpor- sustains life. THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Listening for ice cap is shrinking fast —since 1980, the vol- Arcticpresentshugecommercialandeconomic games areafoot.Russia, Canada, Norway and tantly, ourmonsoon.Scientificresearch inArctic SSPaul, Nadia avoice’ (IE, January1). It is true that the umeof Arcticseaicehasdeclinedbyasmuchas opportunities, particularly in shipping, energy, Denmarkhaveputinoverlappingclaimsforex- developments,inwhichIndiahasagoodrecord, elitebelievesthat democracy is prevent- 75 per cent. The NorthernSea Route(NSR) fisheries and mineral resources. Commercial tendedcontinentalshelves,andtherightto sea- willcontributetoourunderstandingofclimatic FRONTLINE SPIRIT ing the growth of Indian economic for- whichwould connectthe NorthAtlantic to the navigationthroughtheNSRisthemosttempt- bedresources;in2007,Russiaembeddedaflag changesintheThirdPole—theHimalayas.The tunes and goes to the extent of support- NorthPacificthroughashortpolararcwasonce ing:ThedistancefromRotterdamto Yokohama on the seabed belowthe NorthPole to bolster strategicimplications of an active China in the THIS REFERS TO theeditorial, '2020 is ing the suppression of the common the stuffoffantasy.The melting ice has now willbecutby 40percentcomparedto theSuez itsclaim. The US, notaparty to UNCLOS, is un- Arcticand itsgrowing economic and strategic done' (IE, January1). It has been amis- man’sfundamentalrights.The ironyis made it areality andatrickle of commercial route. Oil and natural gasdeposits,estimated able to putinaformal claimbut is under pres- relationship with Russia areself-evident and erable year.Following COVID, it is the that the NarendraModi-ledNDA gov- cargo vessels has been goingthrough every to be 22 per cent of the world’s unexplored re- suretostrengthen itsArctic presence. needclosemonitoring.Fortunately, since2013, plight of migrant workers that leftanin- ernment seems to followtheir advice, summer since the lastdecade. Models predict sources,mostlyintheArcticocean,willbeopen Forthe present, Russia is the dominant India has had atoehold in the region. It has ob- delible mark. Hopefully,wewill see a though he considers himself the mass thatthis routecould be ice free in summer by to access along with mineral depositsinclud- power, withthelongestArcticcoastline,half the server status in the Arctic Council, whichisthe comprehensive database being rolled leader.This is because this privilegedlot 2050, if notearlier. ing 25 per cent of the global reservesofrare Arctic population,and afull-fledgedstrategic predominantinter-governmentalforumforco- out soon formigrantworkers, whichcan supportthe BJP’s Hindu Rashtraagenda. Thesedevelopmentswillhave acriticalim- earths, buried in Greenland. policy.ClaimingthattheNSRfallswithinitster- operationonthe environmentaland develop- ensurethat theyhaveadignifiedlifein If nothingelse,the NDAgovernment can pact in severalsectors, mostfundamentallyon Fortunately, none of this is easy.Navigation ritorial waters (the US believesthe passagelies ment (though notthe security) aspectsofthe case of an emergency.Itistheir in- makethem sitwiththe peoplebelowthe climate.Thelossof iceandthewarmingwaters conditions aredangerous and restricted to the ininternationalwaters),Russiaanticipateshuge Arctic. It is high time that our presence on the domitablespirit, and of healthcarework- salt on the same table to seetheir prob- willaffectsealevels,salinitylevels,andcurrent summer. Lack of deep-water ports, aneedfor dividendsfromcommercialtraffic including ArcticCouncil wasunderpinnedbyastrategic ers and other essentialservice providers, lems and deprivation through their eyes. andprecipitationpatterns.Already,theTundra ice-breakers,shortage of workerstrainedforpo- throughtheuseof itsports,pilots andice-break- policy that encompassedeconomic, environ- thatstood out in 2020. Whilethe gov- The government musttreat everysec- is returning to swamp, the permafrostisthaw- lar conditions, and high insurance costs addto ers. Russia has also activatedits northern mili- mental, scientific and political aspects. ernment has failedmiserablyinprovid- tion of society equallytoprevent thedi- ing,sudden storms areravaging coastlines and the difficulties. Mining and deep-sea drilling tary bases,refurbishedits nuclear armedsub- ing public healthcare infrastructure dur- vision in it. wildfires aredevastating interiorCanada and carry massive costs andenvironmental risks. marinefleetand demonstratedits capabilities, The writer is theformer Ambassador of India to ing lastyear,itwill, hopefully, make up Tarsem Singh, Mahilpur Russia. The phenomenallyrichbiodiversity of These difficulties mayprovide the crucialwin- includingthroughanexercisewithChinainthe theUS. He also served as India’s High theArcticregionisunderseriousthreat.Habitat dowtoworkoutnormsthatarefocussedonbal- eastern Arctic. China, playing foreconomic ad- Commissioner to theUK WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 10 EXPRESS NETWORK THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021

India calls for TRACKING INDIA’S COVID CURVE Backtoschoolwithcaution,curbs urgent, practical 305 CASES: ACTIVECASES:254,254 aid to sailors DAYSSINCE 10,286,709 DEATHS:148,994 KERALA: Schools reopen partially; ASSAM: Low attendance on first day KARNATAKA: PANDEMIC stranded in BEGAN TESTS: 173,111,694 | RECOVERIES: 9,883,461 next in line:theatres, places of worship as elementary classes restart Regular classes CASES DEATHS RECOVERIES TESTS Chinese waters DEC31 20,035256 23,1811,062,420 very fewshowedup,” said Mitali resume for 10th SHAJUPHILIP TORAAGARWALA Mazumdar,the school’sprincipal. and 12th grades THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, GUWAHATI,JANUARY1 According to the SOP,classes EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE JANUARY1 will be held in astaggered man- NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 ELEMENTARYSCHOOLS in ner.While classes IV and Vwill SCHOOLBELLSchimedinKerala Assam reopenedfor the firsttime attendschool everyMonday, PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA INDIA ON Fridaycalledfor “ur- forthe firsttime in ninemonths since the Covid-19 lockdown on Wednesdayand Friday, classes I, BENGALURU,JANUARY1 gent, practical and time-bound” as classesfor the 10th and 12th January1,withonlyahandfulof II and III will attend every assistance to 39 strandedIndian standardsbegan on NewYear's studentsinattendance. Tuesday, Thursdayand Saturday. AFTER Agap of over nine sailors aboardtwo ships in STATESWITHRISINGACTIVECASES Day. And althoughthe statecon- While studentsofclass VI Tarun RamPhukan Hindi months,schoolsand pre-univer- Chinese waters considering the ACTIVECASES RISEINLASTWEEK tinues to reporthigh Covid-19 and above have been attending High school in another partof sity colleges in Karnataka re- “grave” humanitarian situation Kerala 65,274 2,054 case numbers, it has nowal- school since November,adip in the city also sawlow attendance. openedfor studentsonFriday developing in the vessels. Sikkim 623 109 lowedmovie theatres to run Thermal scanningata cases promptedauthorities to “It’s the firstofJanuary—this is with strict Covid-19safety MinistryofExternal Affairs Jharkhand 1,659 64 shows,places of worship to con- school in Palakkad. PTI announce the reopening of one reason onlyafew showed norms. (MEA) spokesperson Anurag duct festivals and sportstraining lowerprimary(ItoV)classes up. From Monday, we expect Whileregular classes began Srivastava said Indian bulk cargo STATESWHEREACTIVECASESAREDECLINING programmes to resume from from January1.“Online mode of morestudents,” said headmas- on Fridayfor class Xand second vesselMVJag Anand has been on ACTIVECASES DECLINEINLASTWEEK Tuesday. theatres,” he said. educationwill continuefor stu- terAshok Kumar Choudhury. year PUC (class XII) students, anchoragenear Jingtang portin Chhattisgarh11,4353,716 Since the beginning of theac- On festivals and cultural pro- dentswho prefer to attend on- The SOP also stated that who will be appearingfor board Hebeiprovinceof ChinasinceJune West Bengal 11,985 3,208 ademic year in June, the statehas grammes in places of worship, line classes rather than physi- Classes VI to XIIaswellasdegree exams, studentsfromgrades VI- 13 andithas 23 Indian sailors. Delhi 5,511 2,398 been live-streaming classes for the CM said: "Sectorial magis- callyattend school” stated the colleges and universities will XII came to campuses forthe Anothervessel,MVAnastasia, studentsfromclasses one to 12. trates (revenueofficials) will en- December 28 Standard function in a“normal” manner— Vidyagama programme, which with 16 Indian nationals as its STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMCASES The government decidedto surecompliance with the proto- Operating Procedurefromthe subject to safetyCovid-19proto- enables continued schooling. crew is on anchoragenear ONDEC31 TOTAL open schools forclasses 10 and col. Forindoor events, 100 stateEducation Department. cols—from January1.“Mostly Wearing masks, students Caofeidian portinChina since Kerala 5,215 760,934 12 as their boards arecoming up persons will be allowed. Forout- At Guwahati’sRabindraVidya senior studentsattendedschool with consent letters from their September 20, he said. Maharashtra3,509 1,932,112 in March. door,200 will be allowed," he Niketan LowerPrimarySchool, today, we arecloselymonitoring parentswereseen entering the Srivastavasaid both vessels All studentswentthrough said. Besides sports training pro- onlyseven out of 56 students the situation,” said BKalyan classes afterthermal checksand have been waiting fordischarge West Bengal 1,170552,063 temperaturechecksuponreach- grammes, the government has showedup. “Following the gov- Chakravarthy,PrincipalSecretary, sanitising their hands at schools of their cargo andthereisagrow- STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMDEATHS ing the school. Only12students also permitted exhibitions from ernment's order,wehad only DeparmentofElementaryand and PU colleges across the state. ing stress on the crew members ONDEC31 TOTAL were allowedtosit in aclass- January5. classes IV and Vinattendance— SecondaryEducation. Inside the classes too, stu- on account of the long delay. Maharashtra 61 50,664 room—while maintaining social The government's decision to dentswereseen seatedmain- “Giventhis and our concern Kerala 30 3,180 distance. Studentsand teachers reopen theatres came on aday taining social distancing. forthe increasinglydifficultcon- were told to sanitize their hands actor Mohanlal announcedthe With Fridaybeing the first ditions forour crew members, West Bengal 29 9,712 afterevery class and wash their release of his movie Drishyam2 day, andalsoNew Year,not all thesetwocasesarebeingpursued DataasonDecember31,releasedbyUnionMinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare,IndianCouncilofMedical hands before entering class- on the Amazon Prime Video. The studentsattendedclasses. vigorously,”hesaid,respondingto Researchandstategovernments.Oftenthenumbersreleasedeverydaycontaindatafrompreviousdays aswell.Assuch,trendsbasedondailynumbersareonlyindicativeandnotdefinitive rooms. decision evoked strong criticism While therewas opposition amedia query. Meanwhile, Chief Minister from the state's film industry. from certain sections to opening Srivastavasaid the Indian Pinarayi Vijayansaid theatres Kerala has been reporting the schools andcolleges, others in- Embassy in Beijing continues to After 7mths, no Covid deaths in Andhra and places of worship hosting highestnumber of daily cases in cluding Education Minister remainintouchwithChineseau- festivalswould be allowed to run the countryfor some days now. Suresh Kumar were of the opin- thoritiesinBeijing, Hebei and Amaravati:Forthefirsttimeinal- 8,72,266recoveries and while following Covid-19proto- In the last24hours, it saw5,215 ion that it wasnecessaryto Tianjin,addingthattheMEAisfol- mostseven months, Andhra 7,108deaths. col. He told reporters that thou- fresh Covid-19cases, taking its bridgethe digital divide. lowing up on the matterthrough Pradesh did notreportasingle The number of active cases sands of people associated with active cases beyond the 65,000 Anxious parentswereseen theChineseEmbassyherefor“an deathdue to Covid-19,evenas was3,238. The statecompleted the film industryhavebeen in mark. Itsactive caseload is at 9 accompanying their children to earlyresolution”. 326freshcasesand350recoveries 1,18,84,085 sampletests,atthe crisis forthe lastten months. per cent of total reportedcases, schools, while teachers were “Wehavenotedstatementsof were reportedinthe 24 hours rate of 2,22,548 permillion pop- "The decisionwas takenfor pro- as againstthe all-India figureof seen welcoming studentsand theChineseside,expressingtheir ending 9amonFriday. ulation,turning outanoverall in- tecting the livelihood of people. 2.47per cent. With 7.65 lakh guiding them regarding safety willingness to extend their assis- The state’s Covidchartnow fection positivity rate of 7.43 per Only 50 percent of theseating cases, Kerala is nowfifth among Aschool in GuwahationFriday. DasarathDeka protocols thatneedtobefol- tance in this matter.Weexpect showedthe caseload at 8,82,612, cent so far. ENS capacity would be allowedin states in terms of total cases. lowed. that this assistance will be pro- videdinanurgent, practical and time-bound manner, giventhe UTTAR PRADESH gravehumanitariansituationthat Will approachonly Hindu families isdevelopingonboardtheships,” Srivastava said. 1st chargesheetunder anti-conversion law: He said the IndianEmbassy for Ram Temple fund: VHP has repeatedly takenupthe issue withboththe Chinese ministry Temple in Ayodhya,VHP Ramdevotees in 24 lakh families 22-yr-old accusedofabducting Dalit woman of foreign affairs and the local LALMANIVERMA spokesperson VijayShankar of Uttarakhand to donatemoney provincialauthorities. DEHRADUN,JANUARY1 Tiwari said on Friday. and time. Kumar Gupta. her parentscame to Bijnor to at- cusedsexuallyassaulted her and “Theyhavebeen following up Tiwari told reporters that the Thecampaignwillrunnation- MANISHSAHU “The woman also stated that tend arelative’s wedding.On she came to knowabout his real this matter forthe last few WORKERSOFVishva Hindu fund-raising campaign –Sri Ram allytill February27but in LUCKNOW,JANUARY1 the accusedtried to convert her December 6, she went missing identitywhenshewentwithhim. months. The Indian Ambassador Parishad(VHP)andassociatedor- Janmabhoomi Mandir Nidhi Uttarakhand,itwill conclude on religion. Besides rape and Uttar while visiting amarket near He told her his real name and said has personallytaken up this is- ganisations will approachonly Samarpan Abhiyan –will begin February 5, considering the POLICEINBijnorhave filedthefirst Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful her home. would marry her afterconver- suewiththe ViceForeign Hindu families during the fund- fromJanuary15. Hesaidanappeal smaller size of the state. chargesheetunder Uttar ConversionofReligionOrdinance, Twodays later, the woman’s sion,”saidtheinvestigatingofficer. Minister. TheMinistryhas also raising campaignfor theRam will be made to nearly one crore Whenaskedif theVHPwillap- Pradesh’s newanti-conversion 2020, we have filedthe charg- father lodged an FIR againstAfzal On December 10,the police been following this issue with proachpeoplefromreligionsdur- lawagainsta22-year-oldcarpen- esheetunderIPCSection366(kid- afterhearing thathis daughter arrested Afzaland producedhim the Chinese Embassy,” * )" )#  %! $&%$&( $# ing itsthe campaign, Tiwari said, terarrestedfor allegedlykidnap- napping, abducting or inducing waslastseenwithhim.Thepolice inalocalcourtthatsenthimto ju- Srivastava said. “WewillapproachonlyHindu pingaDalitwomanfromnearher woman to compel her marriage, lodged acase on abduction dicial custody. He said the Chineseauthori- families.Considering pastexperi- home lastmonth. etc)andSC/STAct,”theofficersaid. chargesand under the newanti- Theanti-conversion lawpro- ties have conveyed that on ac-     ences related to Sri RamTemple, Apartfromcharging the ac- The chargesheet wasfiled in conversion law. On December 9, hibitsany religious conversion count of Covid-related restric-       
($  we willapproachHindufamilies.” cused—identifiedasAfzal —un- thecourtof thechief judicialmag- thepolicefoundthewomaninthe due to coercion, force, undue in- tions, changeofcrew is notbeing &  “Workerswillvisiteverylocal- der provisions of the Uttar istrateearlier this week,hesaid. district. fluence, allurement,fraud or by permittedfromthese ports. " $ $& $
3 ity but theywill skip houses of Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful According to the police,afew In her statement to the mag- marriage,and makes suchamar- people from other religions... But Conversionof ReligionOrdinance, yearsago,the21-year-oldwoman istrate, the woman said Afzal hid riageliable to be declared void.It '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 #+/4'/#/%' 0( #2&'/3 &'6'-01'&01'/ if Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and 2020, the police have invoked shifted to Chandigarhwithher his real identity andclaimedhis also makes suchanact of conver- UP: Elderly 31#%'3 2''$'-4 0#& +6+&'2 0))+/) othersvolunteerandapproachus rapecharge againsthimontheba- parents.Theaccused,whousedto namewas Sonu. She said he used sion anon-bailable criminal of-     2#%,370#& 3+&' *05-&'230('-#152 to donate, their donations will be sis of the woman’s statement to live nearher home, also shifted to visit her house, and soon they fence. Fourteen cases have been man assaulted, #24  acceptedrespectfully,”saidafunc- the districtmagistrate, according there. became friends. lodgedunder the lawsince it '/&'204+%'/0
 tionaryofthe state RSSunit. to investigating officer Kuldeep Lastmonth, the woman and “The victim claimedthe ac- cameintoeffectonNovember28. paraded on '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 #+/4'/#/%' 0( #2&'/3 &'6'-01'&01'/ donkey; 2held 31#%'3 2''$'-4 0#& +6+&'2 0))+/) UJJAIN HOUSEDEMOLITION     2#%,370#& 3+&' *05-&'230('-#152 1#24  ASADREHMAN '/&'204+%'/0
 Mockeryofrule of law:Former SC judge LUCKNOW,JANUARY1 '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 #+/4'/#/%' 0( #2&'/3 &'6'-01'&01'/ this,” Justice Gupta said. the timing of suchdemolitions another forviolating Covid norms on the run.Although the official A60-YEAR-OLD man wasas-  31#%'3 2''$'-4 0#& +6+&'2 0))+/)     APURVAVISHWANATH OnDecember 26,thehouseof would makeitillegal. “...If thepo- –wereregisteredagainstMasood reasoncited wasthatitwas con- saulted andparadedonadonkey 2#%,370#& 3+&' *05-&'230('25- NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 Abdul Rafeeq wasrazedbythe liceand politicians take lawinto afterheled aprotest against structed illegally, officials ac- afterhis face wasblackenedby '/&'204+%'/0
 administration who came look- their hands and showthat they FrenchPresident Emmanuel knowledgeditwas part of adrive residentsofAksavillageinBadaun '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 THE MANNER in whichthe a ing forsuspects in the stone-pelt- have no faithin the courts,what is Macron’s statementsonIslam to curbdrug mafia. “Suchdemo- district. Police have arrested two #+/4'/#/%' 0( #2&'/3 &'6'-01'&01'/ house wasdemolishedin Begum ing incident caught on video the acommon man supposedtodo?” and terrorism. While maintain- litions aredone to sendout a people in this connection.  31#%'3 2''$'-4 0#& +6+&'2 0))+/)   Bagh, aMuslim-dominatedlocal- previousday.Officially,the dem- The strategy of hurting those ingthatlaw will take itscourse, message to the community and The incidenttook place in the 2#%,370#& 3+&' *05-&'230(!#3*+ ity in Ujjain, aday afteraBharatiya olition wascarriedout as the accusedofcrimes economically, Chief MinisterShivraj Singh terrorise them...” said Supreme Bisauli police station area on '/&'204+%'/0
 JanataYuvaMorcharally was structurewas allegedly illegal. likeinUjjain, is notafirst forMP. Chouhanhad said “those who CourtadvocateMRShamshad. December 29. Police have identi- '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 pelted with stones in the area, is However, District Collector In November,Bhopal supportterrorism will notbe Once abuilding is demol- fiedthevictim as Baddan Ali (60), #+/4'/#/%' 0( #2&'/3 &'6'-01'&01'/ “absolutelyillegal and an act of a Asheesh Singh said the demoli- Municipal Corporation and the spared”while commenting on ished, an individual has twole- anative of Aksavillage,andare yet 31#%'3 2''$'-4 0#& +6+&'2 0))+/)    police state”, former Supreme tion drive wasmeant to hurt district administration demol- the demolition. galrecourses —acivil remedy ascertain the cause of the attack. 2#%,370#& 3+&' *05-&'230( Court judgeDeepak Gupta told “criminalswho resorttosuchacts ishedparts of aschool ownedby On December 13,Bhopal seeking damagesfor policeex- Avideo of theincident went 52$*' #/1#&# '/&'204+%'/0
 The Indian Express. of stone-pelting” economically. Congress MLAArif Masood. Municipal Corporation demol- cesses and another is to register viralonThursdaywhereAliisseen '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 “This is amockery of the rule Justice Gupta,who retired Justdaysbeforethe demoli- ishedabuilding belongingto an FIR before amagistratefor ac- sittingonadonkeywith his face #+/4'/#/%' 0( #2&'/3 &'6'-01'&01'/ of law. Thereisnopowertothe from the topcourtinMay last tion,two FIRs–one forpromot- HukumchandraChakbandiya, tion againstthe officials in- blackened, while acrowd is seen 31#%'3 2''$'-4 0#& +6+&'2 0))+/) police to demolish structures like year,said despitevalid reasons, ingenmitybetweenreligions and an alleged drug-peddler who is volved. asking him questions.   2#%,370#& 3+&' *05-&'230( Police said Ali wasinitiallyac- 01#2,*#+2/' DELHI cusedofharassingawoman. But '/&'204+%'/0
 Northeast monsoon ends, normal rain no suchcomplaint has been re- '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 ceived, theyadded. #+/4'/#/%' 0( #2&'/3 &'6'-01'&01'/ Man beaten to death over “The incident happenedon 31#%'3 2''$'-4 0#& +6+&'2 0))+/)    recorded in South barring Kerala December 29. The next day, we 2#%,370#& 3+&' *05-&'230(*#/30-+ got acomplaint againstfour peo- '/&'204+%'/0
 social media post: Police ogistfromIMD, ple and lodged acase in this con- '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 ANJALIMARAR STATE-WISE Thiruvananthapuram. nection. In his complaint, the vic- #+/4'/#/%' 0( #2&'/3 &'6'-01'&01'/ PUNE,JANUARY1 The rainfall revivedonlyto- tim has alleged that he was 31#%'3 2''$'-4 0#& +6+&'2 0))+/) RAINFALL wardsthe end of November, humiliated,abused, beaten up,    2#%,370#& 3+&' *05-&'230( EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Kumar and Gaurav THE SOUTHERN states recorded mainlydue to twoconsecutive and paraded with his face black- +20-++)*# NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 normal rainfall during the re- StateRainfall cyclones —Nivar and Burevi— ened in the village by agroup of '/&'204+%'/0
 were friends but fell centlyconcludedNortheast AndhraPradesh 33% both of whichdevelopedinthe people ledbyVipin, Suresh, '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 A22-YEAR-OLD man wasbeaten out ...The fight monsoonseason, the India BayofBengal. VijendraandMadanlal.Thecom- Puducherry 32% #+/4'/#/%' 0( &'6'-01'&01'/31#%'3 to death, allegedly by four men escalated when Kumar Meteorological Department While Cyclone Nivarcrossed plainant has notstatedwhy he 2'' $'-40#&+6+&'2 70))+/) 2#%,3   in Rohini’s Begampur afterhe (IMD) has said. Karnataka 13% the coastclose to Karaikalnear wasassaulted.The accusedare in 0( #-. $'#%*0#& postedavideo postedavideo about one of the Kerala, however, endedwith Tamil Nadu 06% Puducherry andbrought heavy their thirties,” said Bisauli police '/&'204+%'/0
 accused on social media. criticising Gaurav on a26per centdeficit of rainfall showers forthe east and coastal station SHO Rajeev Sharma. He '/&'202 *'"02,(1'2#4+0/7 Twoofthe accusedhave this season. Lakshadweep -9% districtsofTamil Nadu, Cyclone addedthatVijendraandMadanlal #+/4'/#/%' 0( &'6'-01'&01'/31#%'3 Facebook,police said been arrested andpolice are The Northeastmonsoon, Kerala and -26% Bureviweakened before it have been arrested.  2'' $'-40#&+6+&'27 0))+/) 2#%,3    looking forthe others. whichoccurs during October reachedland. The case has been lodged un- 0( *#/''-#152 20#& Mahe DCP (Rohini) PKMishrasaid Sector 32, Rohini. and December,iscrucial for In Kerala, eight of the 14 dis- der IPC sections 323 (voluntarily '/&'204+%'/0
 Source :IMD the victim, Subhash Kumar,was According to police, Kumar Tamil Nadu as the statereceives trictswererainfall deficient causinghurt),504(Intentionalin- Tender bookletswill be availableone-tendering computer found dead on December 30. and Gaurav were friends but fell about 48 per centofits annual during the season — sultwithintentto provokebreach system at https://organizations.maharashtra.nextprocure.in on "Kumar's mother Asha Devi out over apetty incident. rain this season. Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Malappuram (-58 per cent), of thepeace),506(criminalintim- dt.02/01/2021. Thetenderistobesubmittedonlineat said that her son had aheated ar- The fight escalated when Puducherry,coastalAndhra and wasrealisedonOctober 28. Palakkad (-45 per cent), idation)and452(House-trespass https://organizations.maharashtra.nextprocure.inForany gument with one Gaurav on the Kumar postedavideocriticising Pradesh,south interior The season beganonagood Thrissur (-43 per cent), afterpreparationfor hurt,assault technicaldifficulties in thee-tendering process, please contact the phone. On December 30, Kumar Gaurav on Facebook,anofficer Karnataka and Lakshadweep note but soon loststeam in Thiruvananthapuram (-37per orwrongfulrestraint).Apartfrom help desk number givenonthiswebsite. and afriend went to gaming par- said. tooreceiverainfall during these November.“The Northeast cent), Kollam (-31per cent), the four namedaccused, police Theright to accept or reject anytenderisreserved by the lour,whereGauravwas waiting “A raid wasconductedand months. monsoon came under the in- Alappuzha (-29 per cent) and have also lodged the case against Hon'bleCommissionerofNaviMumbai Municipal Corporation. withhis associates," he said. twoaccused, identifiedasTinku In 2020, the onsetofthe fluence of weak La Nina condi- Pathanamthitta(-12per cent). unidentifiedpersons. 
Mishrasaid that afterbeating Singh and Manish, were ar- Northeastmonsoon, also tions along with the neutral Tamil Nadu, meanwhile, “During the probe, it will be- +)#  %! $"" '' $#&
&# him, the accuseddumpedhim rested.Gauravisabsconding,” known as winter monsoon, phase of the Indian Ocean wasrainfall deficit in onlyfive comeclearwhoallwere involved * )" )#  %! $&%$&( $#   in an unconscious condition at said asenior police officer. wasdelayedby10days over Dipole (IOD)," said ameteorol- districts. in the assault,” said the SHO. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 11 THE WORLD

TOPOFTHE Trump extendsfreeze WORLD WHOgivesemergencynodtovaccine, on H-1B, other work aimstospeedaccessinpoorcountries visas until March31 Many Indianslikelytobehit by move Agency approves Pfizer-BioNTechshots LALITKJHA JOHNMILLER EvidenceofUK WASHINGTON,JANUARY1 At aceremony to mark ZURICH,JANUARY1 the 1-year anniversary virus strain found US PRESIDENT Donald Trump of the killing of Qassem THE WORLD Health has extendedthe freezeonH-1B Soleimani. Reuters Organisation on Thursdaylisted in Florida man visas, whichare highlysought- Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 afterbyIndian IT professionals, vaccine foremergency use, in a Miami: Florida health au- along with other typesofforeign IRAN move seeking to speed access in thorities lateThursdayre- work visas and green cards Topcommander the developing world. portedfindingevidence of through March 31,saying that The United Nations health the latestUScase of the new the reasonsfor whichhehad im- vows‘resistance’ agency said it will work withre- andapparentlymoreconta- posedsuchrestrictions amidst Trumpatthe WhiteHouse gional partners to tell national gious coronavirus strain first the pandemic had notchanged. on Thursday afterhis return ayearafter health authorities about the seen in England, saying it The freeze on various cate- following avisit to his Mar- Soleimanikilling two-dose shotand itsantici- wasdetected in aman with gories of work visas wasor- a-LagoresortinFlorida. AP pated benefits. no recent travel history.The dered by Trumpthrough two THEUSkillingof topgeneral

The WHO establishedits case, disclosed in aFlorida proclamations on April 22 and ED Qassem Soleimani will not emergencyuse listing (EUL) Health Department state- June 22 lastyear. deterIranian resistance, a process to help poorer countries ment tweetedonits Hours before the freeze was Dilemma senior commander said on without their ownregulatory HealthyFla site, comes after settoexpireonDecember 31, PLAIN E ● forBiden Fridayastensionsmounted resources quicklyapprovemed- reports in recent days of An emptyTimes Square is seenduring the virtualNew Year's Eveevent on Thursday.For Trumpissuedanother procla- EX in the build-uptothe first icines newdiseaseslikeCovid- multiple individual cases of decades, tens of thousands of merrymakershavefilledthe blocks around Times SquareonNew mation on Thursdaytoextend it anniversaryofthe drone 19,whichotherwisecouldlead the United Kingdomstrain of Year’sEve,standingfor hourswaiting to see aglitteringcrystal ballglide down apolemounted until March 31,ensuring that his WHILE JOEBiden has prom- strike. The US killed to delays. Covid-19discoveredin atop askyscraper in the year’sfinal seconds. This time, onlyahandful of invited guests, including sweeping limitsonlegal immi- isedtoreverse manyof Soleimani, leader of the The WHO’s reviewfound Colorado and California. AP healthcareworkers, gathered at the iconic squaretobringinthe newyear as cases of Covid-19 gration will remain in place Trump’simmigrationpoli- RevolutionaryGuards’Quds Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine met continue to surgeinthe United States. Reuters whenPresident-elect Joe Biden cies,itisnot yetclearifhein- Force, in Iraq on January3, the “must-have”criteria for is sworn in on January20. tends to immediatelyrevoke 2020.Washington hadac- safetyand efficacy benefitsout- liance has been in talkswith The continuation of the re- therestrictions on work cusedhim of mastermind- weigh itsrisks. Pfizer and BioNTech to secure strictions, whichcomes with just visas afterhetakes office on ing attacks by Iranian- “Thisisaverypositivestepto- vaccine. Founders of BioNTech warn 20 days leftinthe Republican Jan 20. Trump’smovetoex- alignedmilitiasonUSforces wardsensuring globalaccess to Even so, the Pfizer- President’s term, is the latestef- tend the curbs,whichhe intheregion.EsmailGhaani Covid-19vaccines,”said BioNTechvaccine’s challenging fort to bar the entryofimmi- says benefitAmerican work- who succeededSoleimani MariangelaSimao,theWHO’sac- storageand delivery require- of gaps in Covidvaccine supply grantstothe US. ers, until March 31 leaves as head the eliteQuds force, cesstomedicinesprogramleader. ments, including keeping it at Restricting immigration has Biden with the tough choice said on FridayIranwas still “But Iwant to emphasise the minus 70 degrees Celsius, have CEOUgurSahintoldnews weekly been afocusofthe Trumpad- of whethertoliftthe mora- ready to respond. needfor an even greaterglobal made deliveries challenging in DOUGLASBUSVINE Spiegel in an interview. ministration since itsfirstdays torium at atime when the “Americanmischief willnot effort to achieve enough vaccine western countries, and may BERLIN,JANUARY1 AshotfromModerna is ex- whenitissuedthe travel ban on pandemic has leftmanyin deterthe Quds forcefrom supplytomeetthe needs of pri- pose bigger hurdles fordevel- BioNTech pected to be cleared by the sevenMuslim-majority coun- the US unemployed, or to carrying on itsresistance ority populations everywhere.” oping nations without ade- BIONTECHISworking flat out CEO Ugur European Medicines Agency tries, and it has continuedinto keep the restrictions that go path,”headded. REUTERS The UN health agency,with quateinfrastructure. with partnerPfizer to boostpro- Sahin (EMA) on Jan 6. Trump’sfinal year in office as the againstthe liberal, pro-im- the GAVI Vaccine Alliance and The vaccine has gottenregu- duction of their Covid-19vaccine, Sahin said the WhiteHouse uses the coron- migration values thatheand the Coalition forEpidemic latorybacking from the United itsfounders said, warning there BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, which avirus pandemic as cover. his party have espoused. Preparedness Innovations Kingdom, the European would be gaps in supply until sternationinGermany,where uses messenger RNAtoinstruct The H-1B visa is anon-immi- IRAQ (CEPI), arespearheading aglobal Medicines Agency,USFood and other vaccines were rolledout. some regions had to temporar- the humanimmune system to grant visa that allows US com- Oiltanker effort calledCOVAX to secure Drug Administration, Health The German biotech startup ilyclose vaccination centres days fight the coronavirus, should be panies to employ foreign work- Theywould nowhavetowait and distributevaccines to poorer Canada, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, has ledthe vaccine race but its afterthe launchofaninoculation able to copewithavariant first ers in specialty occupationsthat at leasttill theend of Marchbe- evacuatedafter countries, to ensureshots do not Mexico, Oman, Qatar,Saudi shothasbeenslowtoarriveinthe drive on December 27. detected in Britainthat appears requiretheoretical or technical fore approaching the US diplo- go onlytowealthynations. Arabia and Singapore. European Union due to relatively “Atthemomentitdoesn’tlook to be morecontagious. expertise. The technology com- matic missions to getstamping. minefoundonhull The WHO-backed COVAXal- Pfizer and BioNTech’s mes- slowapproval from the bloc’s good—aholeisappearingbecause “Weare testing whetherour panies depend on it to hiretens It would also impact alarge num- AN IRAQI oil tanker was liance has agreements fornearly senger RNAvaccine wasfound healthregulatorandthesmallsize there’s alackofother approved vaccine can also neutralise this of thousands of employees each berofIndianITprofessionals evacuated afteramine was 2billiondoses, with firstdeliv- to be 95% effective aftertwo of the orderplacedbyBrussels. vaccinesandwe have to fillthegap variant, and will soon know year from countries likeIndia who areseeking renewaloftheir discoveredattachedtoits eriesdue in early 2021. The al- doses 21 days apart. REUTERS The delays have causedcon- with our ownvaccine,” BioNTech more,” he said. REUTERS and China. H-1B visas. PTI hull, the militarysaid on Friday, adding that agov- ernmentexplosivesteam UK abolishes wasstill working to make Quiet New Year gives breathing Australia tweaksnational anthem the vessel safe. The tanker ‘sexist’ sales tax waslocated in interna- tional waters about 28 room after UK-EU Brexit split on women’s to recognise Indigenous history nauticalmiles offshoreand supplying another ship sanitary products made and we have announced with fuel when the device JILLLAWLESS SWATIPANDEY today, Ithink,achieve that goal.” wasdiscoveredon LONDON,JANUARY1 SYDNEY,JANUARY1 Australia has struggledfor Thursday, theysaid in a ASSOCIATEDPRESS decades to reconcile with statement. It wasnot im- ASTEADYtrickle of trucksrolled LONDON,JANUARY1 AUSTRALIA AMENDEDits na- Aborigines,who arrivedonthe mediatelyclear howthe offferries and trains on either tional anthem to remove refer- continent some 50,000 years be- mine became attachedto side of the English Channel on BRITAIN ABOLISHED the so- ence to the countrybeing fore Britishcolonists. the tanker. REUTERS Friday, aquietNew Year’s Dayaf- called“tampon tax” on Friday, “young and free” amid calls to Australia has struggledfor The idea to changethe word- teraseismic overnight shiftin eliminatingsales taxeson recognisethatits Indigenous decadestoreconcile with ing wasfloated in 2020 by New PAKISTAN relations between theEuropean women’s sanitaryproducts. peopleare the oldestcontinued Aborigines South Wales premier Gladys Union and Britain. The move waswidely civilizationinthe world. Berejiklian who had said the cur- Lawyersfileplea The busy goods routebe- praised by women’s rightscam- The changeto“forweare one rent wording ignored Australia’s forreleaseof tween southeastEngland and paigners as well as proponents and free” took effect on Friday. cestries and languagegroups,” “proudFirst Nationsculture”. northwestFrance is on the front People watchthe firsttruck, from Estonia, entering the of the country’s departurefrom “Weliveinatimeless land of PrimeMinisterScott Morrison The proposal waswelcomed DanielPearlkillers line of changes nowthat the UK Eurotunnelterminal on FridayinCoquelles, France. AP the European Union. ancient FirstNations peoples, told reporters in Canberra. by severallawmakers,including THE LAWYERS foral- has fullyleftthe economic em- Treasurychief Rishi Sunak and we draw together the stories “And our anthem should re- federal ministerfor Indigenous Qaeda leader Ahmed brace of the 27-nation bloc, the had committed to ending the of morethan 300national an- flect that. The changes we have AustraliansKen Wyatt. REUTERS Omar SaeedSheikh and his final stageofBrexit. andredtape,butforBritishBrexit BritainandtheEUcancontinueto widelyunpopular taxontam- three aides have filedan “For the majorityoftrucks supporters, it means reclaiming buy and sellgoods without tariffs pons and pads in his budget state- appeal petition in a theywon’t even noticethe differ- national independence from the or quotas. But companies face ment in March but the change Gunmen kill prominent US blocked Pakistani courtagainstthe ence,”saidJohnKeefe,spokesman EU and itsweb of rules. sheavesofnew costs andpaper- could onlycome intoeffect on refusal of authoritiestofree forEurotunnel,therailway tunnel Prime MinisterBoris work,includingcustomsdeclara- Fridayafter Britain had finallyleft $63-mn funds of them despiteanorder last that carries vehicles under the Johnson, whose support for tionsand border checks. the economic orbit of the EU. journalist in Afghanistan month by the Sindh High Channel. “Therewas always the Brexit helpedpush the country The English Channel portof EU lawhad prevented mem- terror groups Courttorelease them from riskthatif thishappenedatabusy outofthe EU,called it “an amaz- Doverand the Eurotunnel berstatesfromreducing the rate turninghome to the city after jails. Theyhad been serv- timethenwe couldrunintosome ingmoment forthis country”. bracedfor delays as the new of value-added taxbelow5%, TAMEEMAKHGAR visiting his familyinavillage including LeT, ing prisonsentences forthe difficulties,but it’shappening “Wehaveour freedom in our measures were introduced. meaningthe period products KABUL,JANUARY1 nearby, when gunmen opened 2002 kidnapping and mur- overnightonabank holidayand hands, and it is up to us to make The pandemic and aholiday were treated as luxuryitems and fire at the vehicle. JeM in 2019 der of American journalist alongweekend.” the mostofit,” he said in aNew weekend meant cross-Channel notessentials. AN AFGHAN journalistand hu- According to the provincial Daniel Pearl. On December BritainlefttheEuropeanbloc’s Year’s video message. trafficwas lightonFriday. Britain “It’s been along road to reach man rightsactivistwas shotand governor’s spokesman, Arif Abir, 24,the HC ordered author- vast singlemarket forpeople, Thebreakcomes11 monthsaf- has also delayedimposing full this point, but at lastthe sexist killedonFriday by unidentified others in the car,including LALITKJHA ities nottokeep Sheikh and goods and services at 11 pm terapoliticalBrexit that leftthe customs checks forseveral taxthat sawsanitaryproducts gunmeninwestern Afghanistan, Aimaq’s brother,wereunharmed. WASHINGTON,JANUARY1 the others under“anysort Londontime, midnight in twosidesinthelimboof a“transi- monthssothatcompaniescanad- classedasnonessential, luxury the fifthjournalist to be killedin Aimaq workedas the head of the of detention”. However, Brussels, on Thursday,inthe tionperiod”inwhichEUrightsand just. The British government in- items can be consignedtothe the countryinthe pasttwo local Radio Sada-e-Ghor station THE US blocked$63 million in provincial authorities have biggestsingle economic change rulescontinuedtoapplytoBritain. sistedthat “theborder systems history books,” said Felicia months,aprovincial officialsaid. and wasalso ahuman rightsac- funds of designated terrorist notyet releasedthem. PTI thecountryhasexperiencedsince The trade agreement sealed and infrastructure we needarein Willow, chief executive of Bismillah Adil Aimaq wason tivistinthe province. groups, including Pakistan- WorldWar II. Anew UK-EUtrade on Christmas Eveafter months of place, and we areready forthe women’s rightscharity the the road near FerozKoh, the No one immediatelyclaimed basedLeT and JeM, in 2019 as deal will bring newrestrictions tense negotiations ensures that UK’s newstart.” FawcettSociety. provincial capital of Ghor, re- responsibilityfortheshooting.AP partofits crackdown on foreign terror organisations, according to the TreasuryDepartment. The US blocked$342,000 in funds of the Lashkar-e-Taiba LIN QI,39, WAS WORKING WITH NETFLIX TO BRING ACHINESE BEST SELLER TO THE SCREEN (LeT), $1,725 of the Jaish-e Mohammed(JeM) and $45,798 of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen-al- Ascience fiction dreamer’s death by poisoning shocks China Islami, the US Department of Treasurysaid in an annual report releasedonThursday. Obama among itsadmirers. statement that theyreceiveda connectedto the “Remembrance Outside China,Yoozoo wasbest All the three groups are PAULMOZUR Lin sawevenbigger possibil- report December 17 that Lin had of Earth’s Past”trilogy. The Three- known forits 2019 release of Pakistan-basedterroroutfits. &ELSIECHEN ities. He envisionedaglobal film likelybeen poisoned. Following Body Problem is the firstbookin “Game of Thrones:WinterIs Harkat-ul-Mujahideen-al-Islami JANUARY1 and television franchise basedon an investigation, theydetained a the series. By 2019,Chen esti- Coming,”anonlinegamebasedon is ajihad groupoperating prima- the book and itstwo sequelsthat man whose surname is Xu and mated,Lin had spentabout $150 the booksand television show. rilyinKashmir. HE WASsometimes calledthe would approach Star Wars levels who theysaid wasacolleague of million on licences to the books. Lin built his fortune in the Another Pakistan-basedter- “billionairemillennial”,and his of cultural recognition. He was Lin’s.The police said theywere Anative of Wenzhou,acoastal early 2010s, as Chinesepeople roristoutfit HizbulMujahideen ambitions were no lessgrand working with Netflix and the cre- holding Xu under suspicion of city famedfor itsentrepreneurial flockedtomobilephones to play had $4,321blockedbythe US in than his nickname. ators of the GameofThrones TV committingamajor crime but spirit, Linhas said that his family gamesand spendmoneyonvir- 2019 as against$2,287 thepre- Lin Qi, a39-year-old video series to makeitcometopass. did notoffer furtherdetails. ranacoal mining business. Even tual items. Yoozoo’s series of vious year,the reportsaid. game tycoon, had spent asmall He would neverseeithappen. Chinese media, including of- afterhemoved to Shanghai to try popularmultiplayeronline The Tehrik-e-Taliban fortune buying up the rightstoa Lin waspoisonedinDecember, ficial outlets,havewidelyiden- hisluckinthevideogamingindus- games made the company Pakistanhad $5,067 blocked in Chinese science fiction novel according to policeinShanghai tifiedthe suspect as Xu Yao, an try, he kept up hisWenzhou ties, worthbillions and Lin one of 2019 as against$318in2018. called The Three-Body Problem.A and accountsfromstate-runme- Lin Qi wasavideogame tycoon executive at Lin’s gaming com- holding aposition as executive China’syoungest billionaires. According to the report, in tale of alien invasion that inter- dia, and he diedonChristmas pany, Youzu Interactive,which chairof aWenzhoubusinessasso- “If youkeepgoing forward, 2019 the US blocked$63 million twinedcosmic machinations Day. His death has rattledChina’s goes by Yoozoo in English. ciation in Shanghai. Lin was therewill alwaysbeopportunity in fundsofnearly 70 designated with the horrors of China’s technology and gaming worlds the unlikelystory of Lin, a dreamedofbringing aproduct Chen Long, aprofessor who among anew,younger group of lying ahead,” he had said on a terroristorganisations,with the Cultural Revolution, the book had and setoff furious speculation would-beglobalmedia tycoon of Chinese popular culturetothe taught Lin at HupanUniversity, entrepreneurswhowere moreag- Chinese TV show. “I am not highestbeing$3.9 million of al- become an unlikelyinternational about who killedhim and why. undaunted by rising tensions be- global mainstream. said that since 2014,Lin started gressivethantheir elders about afraid of failure. Ican juststart Qaeda. The totalblockedfunds bestseller thatcounted Barack It has also turnedattention to tween China and the West,who The Shanghai police said in a buying copyrightsand licences growingbusinessoutsideof China. over again,”headded. NYT in 2018 was$46 million PTI WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 12 CALENDAR THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry &TLewis CROSSWORD 4317 DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

ARIES (Mar 21 -Apr 20) LIBRA (Sep 24 -Oct 23) Whatever the rights Financial issues are or wrongs of a about to shootup current personal the agenda, so stay dispute, both you on your guard, and and partners should realise don't makerash that the causes lie in the past, commitments. Also, don't and that the futureshouldbe makethe mistake of under- approachedwith an open estimating or under-valuing mind. This is easier said than people who needyour done, of course, but youcan sympathyand support. You still tryyour best. needtokeep potential allies on your side. TAURUS (Apr 21 -May 21) Youmay sit down, SCORPIO (Oct 24 -Nov 23) talk to partners and Youseem to have listenverycarefully the upper hand to people who may today, even though CALVIN &HOBBES by Bill Watterson have different ideas and a this maycome as fresher perspective than you. something of asurprise. Please Youshould acceptcriticism, no don't wastetoo muchtime matter howmuchitmay hurt wondering aboutwhat you your pride. Afterall, even you should do next, but throw can be wrong sometimes. yourself in with gusto.Atthe ACROSS DOWN very leastyou will learn from 1Girlgoing out (5) 1It’s usedfor making chips GEMINI (May22-June 21) your mistakes. 4Misguidedclaimabout (7) Thereisplenty of American stageshow(7) 2Book-keeper(9) room forextra SAGITTARIUS (Nov 24 -Dec 22) 8Produce ahigh ball (3) 3Giveupinterestinshares effort.Ifyou areto Thereissomuch 9Itmay be presentinMarch or (5) safeguard your secrecy around, April (6,3) 4Islam’s newreligious book material security,you should and youmay be 10 Manypraise one, alady of (6) work as hard as possible. In keepingcertain Rome (7) 5Editor’s written about adrug other words, there's no feelings close to your chest. 11 Whereafilm actor may (7) point in hoping that Partners maybeequally simulateaviolent attack(5) 6Useful hint forplayers of pool something will turn up.Itis reluctant to come intothe 13 Waternymphs in asad (3) alsoauseful moment to get open, but then there is no muddle (6) 7Lamp, presumablyportable your physical condition into reason whytheyshould—is 15 Lovedaction andcolour (5) shape, by the way. there?Devotealittletime to a (6) 12 New emigrantscontinuously charitable activity. CANCER (June 22 -July23) 18 Listofbooksfoundinachapter on the move (9) MARVIN by Tom Armstrong Your tendency CAPRICORN (Dec 23 -Jan 20) (5) 14 Indicated it is notinaction todaywill be to Your social stars are 19 He doesn’tappreciatewhere (7) believe that only good, if alittle the coal goes (7) 16 Makesharder to fathom? fresh creations are intense. The heaviest 21 Rouse the fieryCelt, perhaps! (7) worthwhile, but don't throw astrological pull is (9) 17 I’d dietinorder to be well out the babywith the bath towardshome and familylife, 23 Anger that is about right groomed(6) water. Youmay swing into but it maybeagoodidea either (3) 18 Verify the restaurant bill (5) action socially,and makeplans to getout and mix, or to invite 24 Worked as amasseur as 20 Ridiculedaconductor,wehear to test out your skills as a other people around. Anew required,wehear(7) (5) hostess or host. Your generous acquaintance mayprovide just 25 Artist when old retires south 22 Female sheep quarters gestures will be repaid in full. thetonicyou need. (5) (3) LEO (July24-Aug 23) AQUARIUS (Jan 21-Feb 19) Home affairs and It's an ambitious SolutionsCrossword4316:Across:1Heartening,8Album,9Clearer,10Leotard,11 family moment,and even Users,12Tallow,14Bestow,17Extra,19Erosion,21Termini,22Dives,23Enterprise. commitments may leisureactivities Down:2Embroil,3Rumba,4Escudo,5Icecube,6Gorse,7Crosswinds,8 consume mostof should be designed Allotments,13Onadiet,15Thieves,16Senior,18Throe,20Order. your emotional energy,so to attract prestigeand respect. youmay have little If familymatters areonthe enthusiasmleftfor romantic agenda it could be parental adventuresorleisure connections whichpre-occupy activities whichexciteyou. you, rather than JUMBLEDWORDS DifficultyLevel2s There'salittleextratensionat responsibilities forchildren. Instructions work;there mightbesharp Perhaps ghosts from the past Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, words, butdon't take them still needtobelaid to rest.

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N.E.C.N.E.C.CC suggested price for 100 eggs in Mumbai on 02/01/2021 Rs. 560/- (FiveHundred Sixty), only.NECC22834107. 0070723204-1 Public Works Department, District Panchayat S. K. Patel Small: 120/-, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, U.T., Officeofthe Executive Engineer, Silvassa. Big: 107/-. 8082040343/ 0040559187-1-1 No. 5-2(1)/DNH/DP/2020/1025 Date :29/12/2020. 24460095/24459098. To E-TENDER (ON LINE) INVITATION NOTICE NO.16 OF 2020-2021 subscribe to paper rate The Executive Engineer,PWD, District Panchayat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Silvassa invites tenders through on-Line on &purchase rate. To place your ad in https://dnhtenders.gov.in/nic/app from the eligible Contractors and those who are in approved list of M.E.S. Railway and State 9320460095/ 9930193010. P.W.D. (appropriate category) for the following works and schedule as mentioned in the E-Tender Notice No.16 of 2020-21. 0070723300-1 Classifieds call: Publish Date 29/12/2020 Up to 18:00 Hrs Bid Opening Date 08/01/2021 Up to 16:00 Hrs VEVENNCCOOBBBB Ex-Farm Document Download Start Date 29/12/2020 Up to 18:00 Hrs Document Download End Date 06/01/2021 Up to 17:00 Hrs Yesterday’sprice in Jitendra: 9930966193 Seek Clarification Start Date N.A. Seek Clarification End Date N.A Pune Rs. 83/-. Suggested Bid Submission Start Date 29/12/2020 Up to 18:00 Hrs Bid Submission End Date 06/01/2021 Up to 17:00 Hrs Retail PriceisRs. 101/-. Sanjeev: 9967552226 Physical Documents Submission Date 08/01/2021 Up to 15:00 Hrs 0070714961-1 Bidders have to submit price bid in Electronic Format only on https://dnhtenders.gov.in/nicgep/app website till the date ''IMPORTANT'' and time for submission. Price Bid in physical format shall not be accepted in any case. SERVICES Whilst care is taken prior to Physical submissionoftender fees, EMD, Valid Registration, GST Registration, Pan Card and other documents are in acceptance of advertising copy,itisnot possible to hard hard copy in the office of the tender inviting authority by RPAD/ Speed Post/Courier in office of the Executive verify its contents. The Indian Engineer PWD Civil Division No.lll, DNH, Silvassa. The Tender lnviting Authority shall not be responsible for any postal COURIER Express (P.)Limited cannot be held responsible for such delay or less of documents. Note -(1) Tender fees Non refundable (2) EMD &Tender Fee Exemption Not allowed for contents, nor for any loss or any certification. AVAILABLAVAILABLEE International damage incurred as aresult Couriers Worldwide of transactions with companies, The Tender inviting Authority resaves the right to accept or reject any or all the tender to be received without assianina associations or individuals Services (DHL) USA, advertising in its newspapers or any reasons thereof Publications. We therefore Dubai, Japan, China, recommend that readers make Bidder shall have to post their queries on E-mail Address: [email protected] or before dated 05/01/2021 up to 13.00 hrs. New Zealand. For necessary inquiries before sending any monies or entering Sd/- DetailsCall 7045601444, into any agreements with (K. B. Valand) 22703881. Pickup Fort. advertisers or otherwise acting on an advertisement in any No.IP/DNH/ADVT/2021/01 Executive Engineer,PWD Civil Division No.lll (DP), 0070721521-1 manner whatsoever. Silvassa Date:- 01/01/2021 Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Silvassa. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 13 ECONOMY GOLD RUPEE OIL SILVER `49,678 `73.11 $51.80 `67,520

Note:Gold,silverrates at Delhi spotmarket;gold per 10 g, silverper 1kg; Brent crude as of 0000IST SENSEX: 47,868.98 ▲ 117.65 NIFTY: 14,018.50 ▲ 36.75 NIKKEI: 27,444.17 ▼ 123.98 HANGSENG: 27,231.13 ▲ 84.02 FTSE: 6,460.52 ▼ 95.30 DAX: 13,718.78 ▼ 42.60

InternationalmarketswereclosedonFridayonaccount of New Year’s Day LEGAL WATCH SIX AUTOMAKERSPOST AGGREGATE GROWTH OF 19.5% RPL insider trading INSOLVENCY &BANKRUPTCY CODE Pent-updemand,festiveseason case: Sebi fines RIL, Lack of permanent heads aconcern, keepPVsalesinfastlaneinDec Mukesh Ambani ENSECONOMICBUREAU `25CRFINEONRIL, deluge awaits once Futuredemand to be drivenbyavailability of Covid vaccine, economic revival MUMBAI,JANUARY1 `15CRONAMBANI with availability of novelcoron- THE SECURITIES and Exchange ENSECONOMICBUREAU PVSALESINDOMESTICMARKET avirusvaccinesin2021, heexpects BoardofIndia(Sebi)onFridayim- ■ Sebi has leviedfines of moratorium ends NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 return of optimism to the market posedpenalties totaling Rs 70 Rs 25 croreand Rs 15 December December Change(%) and boost in theconsumersenti- croreonRelianceIndustries Ltd croreonRIL and RIDINGONpent-updemand,fes- 2019 2020 ment going forward. (RIL),itschairman&managingdi- Ambani, respectively AASHISHARYAN COVIDHIT tive salesuptick andgrowingpref- As Tata Motors witnessed rector MukeshAmbani, and two ■ Navi Mumbai SEZ Pvt MarutiSuzuki1,22,7841,40,754 14.6 NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 erenceforpersonalmobility,coun- strong growth in December and other entitiesfor alleged manip- Ltd has been asked to ■ Anationwide try’s leading passenger vehicle Hyundai Motor37,953 47,40024.9 hasseenitspassengervehiclesales ulative trading in the shares of payRs20crore IN ITS fifthyear of existence, shutdown in March, manufacturers witnessedstrong Tata Motors 12,785 23,545 84.2 grow by 89percentinthequarter erstwhileReliancePetroleumLtd and Mumbai SEZ Ltd theInsolvencyandBankruptcy to prevent the spread growth in domestic sales in endedDecember2020,withhigh- (RPL)inNovember2007. Rs 10 crore M&M 15,69116,1823.1 Code (IBC) —brought with an of Covid-19, ledto December 2020.Whilethe coun- esteversales in last33quarters, The marketregulator has ■RIL had sold 4.1per aim to speedupthe bad debt the shutdown of the try’s largest car manufacturer, Toyota Kirloskar 6,5447,487 14.4 ShaileshChandra, president, PV leviedfines of Rs 25 croreand cent of itsstake in RPL. resolutionprocessinthecoun- NCLT and theNCLAT Maruti Suzuki India Limited an- Honda Cars 8,412 8,638 2.7 business,TataMotorssaid,“ThePV Rs 15 croreonRIL and Ambani, However, to prevent a tryand clean up banks’ books forthe time being. nounceda14.6percentjumpwith Source: Companies industrycontinuedtogrowro- respectively.Besides, Navi plungeinthe RPL share —has cometoanabrupthalt. sales of 1,40,754unitsinthe do- bustlyinQ3FY21, owingto pentup Mumbai SEZ Pvt Ltd has been price, the equity was Calendar year 2020 waspar- mestic market, Hyundai Motor demand,strongfestiveseasonand asked to payRs20crore and apparentlysold firstin ticularly harsh,withonefactor tentothecasesas“doorsof jus- India announcedsales of 47,400 shifttowardspersonalmobility… Mumbai SEZ Ltd has been di- the futures market and afteranother impeding the tice” could notbeclosed, both unitsinDecember,registering a December 2020 in the domestic thereisafeelingthatthefuturede- We arecontinuingtodebottleneck rected to payRs10crore. later in the spotmarket functioning of the Code. thecourtscamebackonline.In 24.9 per cent jumpoversales in market, as against2,04,169units mand would be drivenbyavail- thesupplychainandramp upour “I find it appropriatetocon- Consider this. On January June, however, the govern- December 2019. in December 2019 —registering a abilityof vaccineandrevivalinthe output to meetthe increasedde- siderthedirectioninthenatureof 5, 2020, onlyfivedays intothe mentissuedanOrdinancesus- Among other manufacturers, growth rate of 19.5 per cent. economy. mand while addressing the avail- debarmentandthedisgorgement The execution of manipula- year,the firstpresident of the pendingtheadmissionof new while Tata Motors announceda Forthe market leader,MSIL, StatingthatHyundaiachieved abilityofelectroniccomponents.” thathas already been passed tive tradesaffectsthepricediscov- NationalCompanyLaw companiesintoinsolvencyfor strong84percentjumpwithsales the compact segment (WagonR, anew milestone in monthlypro- Severalmanufacturers have againstRIL as arelevant factor erysystemitself.Italsohasanad- Tribunal (NCLT), Justice MM six months, with provision for of 23,545 unitsinDecember, Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Balenoand ductionat71,178unitsin been facing supplychain con- while deciding the quantum of verse impact on the fairness, Kumar,retired from hispost. extendingitbyanother six Toyota Kirloskar Motors an- Dzire) witnessedstrong demand December,SSKim, MD &CEO, straintsandanissuewithavailabil- penalty,” said Sebi’s Adjudicating integrity and transparency of the The insolvency body has been months. The Ordinance has nounceda14.4 per cent growth of 18.2 per cent and the segment HMIL said, “Looking towardsthe ity of electronic components. In a OfficerBJDilipina95-pageorder. stockmarket,the order added. without afull-time president nowbeenextendedtillMarch rate in year-on-year sales in accounted for55per cent of total future, we areproceeding with statementissuedonFriday, M&M Itsaidanymanipulationinthe The RPLcase has been hang- eversince.Thetenureofacting 31,2021. December.Honda Cars India and PVsalesforthecompany. Themini cautiousoptimism and positively saidthatitsoverallsaleshave been volume or price of securities al- ingfire forthelast13years.RILhad NCLT president, BSVPrakash All these issues have taken Mahindra&Mahindraannounced segment (Altoand S-Presso) wit- anticipategreen shoots of recov- affecteddueto thecontinuingsup- ways erodesinvestorconfidence sold4.1percentof itsstake inRPL. Kumar,whichwas initially theirtollontheIBCandtheim- 2.7 per cent and 3.1per cent nessed 4.4 percent growth in eryin2021.”Infact, HMIL also be- plychainchallengesrelatedtothe inthemarketwheninvestorsfind However, to prevent aplungein supposedtoend within three pact is likelytobeseen even in growth, respectively. Decemberoverthecorresponding came the largest auto exporter constantlychangingglobal envi- themselvesatthereceivingendof theRPLshareprice,theequitywas months, April5,has been ex- the coming financial year. In aggregate, the six manufac- month of the previous year. fromIndiaforcalendar2020with ronment, morespecificallythe market manipulators. apparentlysoldfirstinthefutures tendedmultiple times since. AccordingtoareportbyIcra, turers —MSIL, Hyundai, Tata While severalmanufacturers sales of 98,900units. supplyshortageofmicro-proces- “In the instant case, the gen- market and later in the spotmar- On December 9, the Supreme lenderssuchasbanks,financial Motors, M&M, Honda Cars and creditedthegrowthinsalesto fes- Rajesh Goel director,market- sors (semiconductors) usedin eralinvestorswere notaware that ket.The crux of the Sebi notice is Court, in an order,said he institutionsandothercreditors TKM— sold2,44,006 units in tive sales and pent-up demand, ing and sales at Honda Cars, said Electronic Control Unit (ECUs). the entity behind the above F&O that the companywas aware would continue to function as mayrealise only segmenttransactionswasRIL.The therewould be asaleofshares in the acting presidentuntil the Rs 60,000-65,000 crore execution of the aforesaid fraud- the spotmarketand hence, its appointment of aregular one. through successful resolution ulent trades affected the price of sales in the futures market before InMarch,thefirstchairper- of bad debt via IBC in financial Growth in credit Contraction in theRPLsecuritiesinbothcashand that amountedtoinsider trading. son of the National Company year 2020-21, compared to ‘Non-food bank credit 8.5%to agriculture and 0.7%advances to F&O segmentsand harmedthe RPL mergedwith RIL in 2008. LawAppellateTribunal nearly Rs 1lakh crorerealised allied activities in November industry in November, as interests of other investors,” the On November 6, 2020, the (NCLAT), Justice SJMukho- in 2019-20. This drop of 40 per grows6%inNovember’ 2020, rising from 6.5% in against 2.4% growthinthe order further said. Securities AppellateTribunal padhaya alsoretired.JusticeBL centinrealisationislikelytobe November 2019 year-ago month “Noticee-2, being the (SAT)had dismissedaplea by RIL Bhat, the second-mostsenior exacerbatedinthenextfiscal,if Non-food credit growth of banksstood at 6% in November Managing Director of RIL, wasre- challenging the Rs 447-croredis- judgeatthe appellatebody, and when the government 2020, as against7.2% in thesame monthofthe previous Industriesthatregistered Industries that registered sponsibleforthemanipulativeac- gorgement order passedbySebi. tookoverasactingchairperson moratorium on admission of year,ReserveBank of India (RBI) datashowed acceleratedcreditgrowth: deceleration/contraction in tivitiesof RIL.Iamof theview that The Whole Time Member of and has been in office since. In fresh cases intoinsolvency ■ Foodprocessing credit growth: listedcompanies should exhibit Sebi,inanorder dated March24, arecent notification, the gov- courtsislifted. Apart from the ■ Petroleum ■ Rubber, plastic &their higheststandards of profession- 2017,directed RILtodisgorgean ernment said his tenure, too, usualnumbers,therewouldbe ■ Coalproducts&nuclearfuels products alism, transparency and good amount of Rs 447.27 crorealong would continueeither till aflood of big-ticketcases such 20.9% Growthin ■ Leather&leatherproducts ■ Cement &cement practicesofcorporategovernance, withinterestcalculatedattherate December31 orthenewchair- as those of JetAirways and credit to medium ■ Paper&paperproducts products whichinspires confidence of the of 12 per cent per annum from person wasappointed. Reliance Communications. industries, vis-a-vis ■ Mining&quarrying ■ Engineering investors dealing in the capital November 29,2007onwards till The manpowerissues had These cases would bring with contraction of 2.4% in ■ Glass&glassware ■ Gems &jewellery markets. Anyattempt to deviate the dateofpayment. Further,RIL barelybeen resolvedwhen a them alitanyofissues and November 2019 ■ Textile ■ Infrastructure fromsuchstandardswillnotonly wasprohibited from dealing in nationwide shutdown in claims—rangingfrombanksto ■ Beverages&tobacco ■ Basic metal &metal erode the confidence of thein- equityderivativesintheF&Oseg- March,toprevent thespread small operationalcreditors. Source: RBI/PTI ■ Vehicles,vehicleparts& products vestorsbutalsoaffecttheintegrity ment of stockexchanges,directly of Covid-19, wasannounced. Longpendinginsolvencycases, transportequipment ■ Construction of the markets,” the adjudicating orindirectly, foroneyearfromthe This also ledtothe shutdown suchasthose of Bhushan officer said. dateofthe said order. of the NCLT andthe NCLATfor Powerand Steel and assetres- thetimebeing.However, while olution of IL&FS arelikelytobe other courts of lawacross the completedinthecomingfiscal. DECEMBER GOODS &SERVICES TAXCOLLECTION AT `1,15,174CRORE -- HIGHESTSINCE ROLLOUT IN 2017 countryslowlymade provi- However, notall waslost No value sionsto starthearingsthrough lastyear at theNCLTand the How systemic changes led to record GST mop-up videoconferencingorlimiting NCLAT. Despiteall the chal- limitation thenumberof litigantsandad- lenges,theinsolvencyappellate vocates, the insolvency courts tribunal passedover1,000 to improved compliance,” it said. ing from September. Taxexperts noted tendedtobusinesseswithoverRs could notdomuch. judgmentsinawide rangeof AANCHALMAGAZINE December that the government 100crore turnoverfromJanuary on import, Anew system of filing on- cases, including important NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 The trend so far markedthe fourth should provide a 1thisyear andislikelytobeex- linesubmissionsandcasesalso ones with respect to the Followingthe outbreak of the month in whichGST breakup of the GST tendedfor allbusinesses begin- slowedthe functioning of the Companies Actand the GSTCOLLECTIONSinDecember Covid-19pandemic, goods and revenue collections revenues collected ning April 1. export of NCLT and the NCLAT, with CompetitionAct.Similarly,the 2020,forsalesinNovember2020, servicestax(GST)revenuecollec- postedayear-on- through filing of re- E-invoicing system is lawyers complaining of the NCLT,whichgot severalnew rose 11.6 per cent year-on-year to tionshad been posting acontrac- year growth. The in- turnsandthroughre- connected to acentral portal complexity of the process.In Benches operational lastyear, Rs 1,15,174 crore—the highest tion, that is, were at alowerlevel crease in percentage covery drivesbythe whichreceives andvalidates in- vaccine addition to that,boththe tri- okayedresolution plans for levelsince the July2017rollout of than previous year.The GSTrev- termsisalsoaidedpartlybyalow GSTauthoritiestohelp in assess- voices in real time and over time bunalsrecordedfrequentpos- over 75 debt-riddencompa- the indirect taxregime. enue mop-up remained in nega- base effect. ing the true pictureofthe extent will eventuallyreplace the e-way ENSECONOMICBUREAU itive cases of Covid-19among nies, as per the datafromthe TheFinanceMinistrysaidthis tive territoryfor the firstfive of economic recovery. billsystem. NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 itsstaff,due to whichthey Insolvency and Bankruptcy has been the highestgrowth in monthsof FY21,witharecordlow Reasons forthe uptick The proposedextensionof It has been seen as amajor optedfor acomplete shut- BoardofIndia.The principal monthlyrevenues in the last21 collection of Rs 32,172crore in GSTcollections in December electronic invoicing to all busi- gamechangerto curbtaxevasion THE GOVERNMENT has allowed down,withoutlistinganypro- BenchatNewDelhi,andthe14 months.“Thishasbeendueto the April,following thenationwide (for sales in November) gained nesses will further prevent leak- and plug leakages, whichinturn, importand export of Covid vac- visions foronlinehearing. otherBenchesinvariousparts combined effect of the rapid eco- lockdowninMarch inthewake of supportfromhigher festivesea- ages in GSTrevenues. Under GST maynot even necessitateanur- cineswithoutanyvaluelimitation, Following anudge from of the country, alsopassedliq- nomic recovery postpandemic the pandemic outbreak. son sales, on accountofDiwali laws,e-invoice forB2B transac- gent rollout of the proposed new in order to ensurespeedy clear- the Supreme Court, which, in uidation orders forover200 and the nationwide drive against With the gradualopeningup falling in November,along with tionshave beenmademandatory GSTreturn-filingsystemthatmay anceand distribution. Julysaid the NCLT and the companies, whichhaddebtof GSTevaders and fake bills along of the economy and resumption rollout of newtechnological sys- forcompanies with turnoverof have resulted in afresh startfor The CentralBoardofIndirect NCLATmustfind away to lis- over Rs 70,000crore. with manysystemic changes in- of economic activities, GSTrev- tems of e-invoicing and action over Rs 500crore from October 1, taxassessees under the indirect Taxesand Customs (CBIC)has troducedrecently,whichhaveled enues startedtogain pace start- againsttax evaders. 2020.Itwas notifiedtobeex- taxregime. amendedthe regulations to facil- itatethe import/export of COVID- 19 vaccinesthrough courier,atlo- BRIEFLY cations wherethe Express Cargo M&M ends JV talks with Ford ‘RoDTEP RBI launches Digital Clearance System (ECCS) is oper- Marketsstart ational.“Importsof andexportsof benefits vaccines in relation to COVID-19 2021onahigh ENSECONOMICBUREAU Payments Index has been allowedwithout any MUMBAI,JANUARY1 value limitation,” said the NewDelhi: The Sensexrose subject to amended Courier Imports and to arecordhigh,up117.65 MAHINDRA &Mahindra(M&M) Exports (Electronic Declaration pointsat47,868.98,whilethe and US-automaker Ford Motor ENSECONOMICBUREAU Surveysto and Processing)Amendment Nifty closedabove the Companyannounced Fridaythat conditions’ MUMBAI,JANUARY1 Regulations, 2020. 14,000-mark, at 14,018.50, it will notcomplete apreviously get inputs for The CBIC said Covid has posed forthefirsttime,onFridayas announcedautomotive jointven- THE RESERVE BankofIndia (RBI) monetary policy unprecedented challenges to marketscontinuedtheirrec- ture(JV)between theircompa- ENSECONOMICBUREAU has constructedacomposite Customs and other administra- ordruninthenew year. ENS nies. The action followedpassing The M&M manufacturing plant in Chakan, Pune.The company NEWDELHI,JANUARY1 Digital Payments Index(DPI) to Mumbai: The RBI on Friday tions the worldoverand efficient of theDecember31,“longstop”,or said the decision willnot impact itsproduct plan. Reuters file capturethe extent of digitisation announcedthelaunchofthe clearance and distribution of vac- expiration, dateofadefinitive AVAILABILITYOFbenefitsunder of paymentsacross the country. nextroundof householdsur- cines would be acritical require- Microsoftsource agreement the organisations en- taxrefundschemeRoDTEPforex- The RBI-DPI has been con- veys to capture inflation ex- mentinthecollective fightagainst codeaccessed teredintoinOctober 2019. to transfertheseto ajointventure porterswouldbesubjectto condi- structed withMarch 2018 as the pectations and consumer the pandemic. Speaking about the matter formedwith M&M. While M&M SsangYong stake tions,restriction, ineligibility and baseperiod—DPIscoreforMarch confidence. Announcing the “The challenges in doing so is Washington: The hacking PawanGoenka, managingdirec- wassupposedtoown a51per fulfilment of procedural require- 2018 is setat100.The DPI for launchofJanuary2021round heightenedbythe fact that the group behind the SolarWi- tor, M&M said,“Giventhe funda- centcontrollingstakeintheJVval- sale: Discussions mentsasnotifiedbythe govern- March2019 andMarch2020work of the InflationExpectations vaccinesneedtobestoredand ndscompromisewasableto mentalchangesintheglobaleco- uedat$275million or Rs 1,925 in advanced stage ment,astatement said on Friday. out to 153.47and 207.84,respec- Survey of Households, the transportedundercontrolledtem- break intoMicrosoftCorp nomic and business conditions, crore,Ford wastohold49percent. The government on Thursday tively,indicatingappreciable RBI saiditaims to capture peraturesand thereare multiple andaccesssomeof itssource causedinpartbythe pandemic, M&Mand Ford had signed a Mumbai: M&M is in an ad- saidithas decidedtoextend the growth.“TheRBI-DPIcomprises5 subjective assessmentson stakeholders involved in this code, Microsoftsaid. both partners decidedthat we definitive agreementto create aJV vancedstage of talkswith a benefit of the Remission of Duties broad parameters that enable pricemovementsand infla- process. This necessitates putting should notextendthe date of the thatwilldevelop,marketanddis- potential investor forits ail- and TaxesonExportedProducts measurement of deepening and tionfromabout6,000house- inplaceefficientcross-borderpro- businesstransferagreement,and tributeFordvehicles in India and ingSouthKoreansubsidiary, (RoDTEP) scheme to all goods, penetrationofdigitalpaymentsin holds basedontheir individ- cedures forspeedy evacuation of NYSEdelisting thereforeasofmidnightbusiness Ford brandandM&Mbrandvehi- SsangYongMotorCompany, with effect from Friday. “The ben- thecountryoverdifferenttimepe- ual consumption baskets the vaccines,” the CBIC said. 3Chinatelcos transfer agreement expiredand cles in high-growth emerging and is hopeful of signing a efit of RoDTEP would be available riods,” the RBI said. These param- across 18 cities. PTI The regulation further states therewillbenofurtherdiscussion marketsaround the world. term sheetwith it by next subject to the conditions, restric- eters are: payment enablers that since the vaccines will beim- NewYork:TheNewYorkSto- that will happen on the JV be- AnishShah, deputy MD and week.After the transaction, tion, exclusions, ineligibility and (weight 25 per cent),paymentin- ported in durablecontainers ck Exchangesaid it has star- tweenMahindraand Ford”. Group CFO, M&M said, “Wewill the investor willhold ama- fulfilmentofthe procedural re- frastructure–demand-sidefactors sub-parameters which, in turn, equippedwith the requisitetem- teddelistingsecurities of He said those changes influ- continue to lookatopportunities jority stakeinSYMC, while quirementsasnotified,” the (10percent),paymentinfrastruc- consistofvarious measurable in- peraturemonitoring and track- China Telecom Corporation encedseparatedecisions by Ford to collaboratetogether, butnotgo M&M’s stakewill come Ministrysaidinastatement. ture–supply-side factors (15per dicators, the RBI said. Going for- ing devices, the export of the Limited,China Mobile Limi- andM&Mto reassesstheirrespec- aheadwiththeJVasannounced”. downto about30percentor Itaddedthatthingswhichwill cent), payment performance (45 ward,RBI-DPI will be published durable container including ac- tedandChinaUnicom(Hong tive capital allocation priorities. However, M&Mreiterated that below, MD PawanGoenka be notifiedshortlyinclude details percent)andconsumercentricity on asemi-annual basis from cessories thereof, importedinre- Kong) Limited. REUTERS Giving up majority control in thisdecisionwillnothaveany im- said on Friday. FE of export goods (tariff lines)eligi- (5 per cent),itsaid. March2021onwardswithalagof lation to Covid-19vaccines has itsIndiaoperations,Fordwassaid pact on itsproduct plan. FE ble forscheme. Eachoftheseparametershave 4months. also been permitted. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM The misconception is that Iwas upset at the lbw THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY2,2021 decision... The walk-off happened only because, as I had gone past Chetan (Chauhan) on the way to the change-rooms, the Australians had given me aspray. They told me to get lost, which is where I've come back and asked Chetan to walk off with me.” 14 SPORT SUNIL GAVASKAR, FORMER INDIA CAPTAIN TELLS 7CRICKET ABOUT HIS WALKOUT DURING THE MELBOURNE TEST OF 1981 We have fallen BRIEFLY into India’s ‘Testcricketisn’teasy.Notmanyslower FiveCityplayersto missChelseatripdue trap, admits balls,yorkersaregoingtobeeffective’ toCOVID:Guardiola London:Five ManchesterCityfirstteam Labuschagne players have testedpositive forCOVID- 19 and will notbeinvolvedwhen they Tamil Nadu coach says Natarajan is a quick learner, but needs to sharpen game for the long form playChelsea in the Premier League this PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA weekend, manager PepGuardiolasaid MELBOURNE,JANUARY1 on Friday. Asurge in infections at City SHAMIKCHAKRABARTY amongplayers andstaffforcedthe club THE INDIAN bowlers, ledbythe crafty JANUARY1 to lodgearequestwith the Premier Ravichandran Ashwin, have successfully Leagueto postpone Monday’sgameat trappedAustralian batsmen in the firsttwo ABOUTAmonth-and-a-half ago, when India Everton. City also closedtheir training Tests, concededMarnusLabuschagne but ve- had embarkedonthe tour of Australia, T ground as aprecaution.The club said hementlydefendedSteve Smith, who is cur- Natarajan wasinthe party as anet bowler.He lastweekthat striker GabrielJesusand rentlygoing through apoor run of form. wassubsequentlydrafted intothe T20I squad defender Kyle Walker had tested posi- Australia have been all out for191,195 and followedbythe ODI side and playedfor India tive but Guardiola refusedtodivulge 200inthree out of four innings with Ashwin in both formats. NowNatarajan has been the names of theother “threeimpor- getting 10 wickets so fardismissing Smith namedintheTest squadastheinjuredUmesh tant players” who would notbeavail- twice and Labuschagneonce. Yadav’s replacement. able forSunday’s clash. “I don’t think "I'venever facedAshwin before until this Natarajan willbeincontention to playthe the PremierLeague allow us to name series. Youdon't have the statsthatRavihas thirdTestinSydneyasIndia’s thirdquick the players but youwill knowtomor- without being agreat bowler and also agreat bowler.Onthe face of it, being aleft-arm row,”Guardiola said. REUTERS thinker," the 26-year-old said during avirtual seamer,hebrings variety intothe pace attack. press conference."He's(Ashwin) obviously Bowling over the wicket,hecan createfoot- comeinreallyprepared andthey'rebeing re- marksoutsidetheright-hander’soffstump for Neymarlaughsoff allycraftywiththeirfieldandwhatthey'retry- Ravichandran Ashwin to manoeuvre. But the reportsofNewYear’s ing to do. We have fallen intotheir trap afew Indian team management will have to take a times," he admitted Australia's inability to call on whether he is ready forTestcricket in partyfor500guests counterbothpace and spin.The Indian bowl- Australia,wherehemighthavetobowlallday ing attack, on the otherhand, has executed its andplanhis wickets. Rio de Janeiro: plans to perfection, leavingaheavy leg side If he plays, Natarajan will return home as Neymar fieldto cutdowntheirrunrate andnot allowed aninternationalinallthreeformats.Forsome- laughedoff con- them to cross200-mark in both the Tests. one from Chinnappampatti,avillage36kilo- troversyoverre- "Theyare verydisciplinedintheirbowling metres offSalem in Tamil Nadu, it’s been a ports he was andhave comeupwithaplaninbothspinand fairy-tale rise forthe 29-year-old; he faced throwing a pace...They'veheld it that straight line and hardship as achild and teenager and without megaNew made us face alot of balls," Labuschagne said. hisexceptionalcricketskills,couldhave ended Year's party for He defendedSmith forhis underwhelm- up beingaporter or aweaverlikehis father. 500guests,post- ing show. "Call it what youwant to call it, but Natarajan is the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) ing avideo on- notlong agohegot twohundredsof60-odd gifttoIndian cricket. Afine season with lineof preparationsforwhathecalleda balls in ODIs(againstIndia at Sydney)." Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2020 IPL sawhim "low-keydinner" with familyand Asked what could be thereason for enhance his reputationasayorker specialist. friends. The superstarfootballer has Smith's sudden bad patch, Labuschagne said: WithsixwicketsinthreeT20Isandanother Initiallypickedasanetbowler forIndia’s tour Down Under afterastrong IPL season, TNatarajan playedanODI and three facedaflood of criticism in his native "He's notshortofruns maybe, Imean, he has couple in an ODI in Australia, Natarajan has T20Is, snaring eightwickets.OnFriday, he replacedinjured pacerUmesh Yadavinthe Test squad. PTI file Brazilandbeyondoverreportsthatde- playedalot of whiteballcricket andheprob- madeaseamlessprogressionto white-ballin- spitethecoronaviruspandemichewas ablyhasn't had as muchtime againstthe red ternationalcricket.ButTest cricketisadifferent Iamveryhappyfor(Natarajan)and ringingin2021withaweek-long bash ball as he would have liked.Labuschagne re- ball game. It’s theultimatetestofacricketer’s OPTIONSFORTHIRDSEAMER forhundreds of people at hismansion minded everyone about Smith's Test aver- skills, whereamedium pacer needs to go be- wanthimtoplayTestsandwishing outsideRiodeJaneiro.However, hetook ageand thiscurrent series couldjustbean yond pinpoint yorkers,deceptive slowerde- himsuccess.ButIamnotsayinghe to Instagram severalhours before mid- aberration. liveries andthe clichéthataleft-armseamer isgoingtobeimmediately WITH UMESH Yadavruledout of the in command. Restrictive bowling to nightto showhisNewYear'sEveplans, "He averages 60-plus after80-odd games will addvariety.Tostart with, Test cricket de- successful.Heneedstoswingthe Test series due to acalf muscle injury keep the batsmen under pressure, whichhedescribed as small-scale.The (75).He'sshownhe'sconsistentevenfromthe mands swing from apace bowler apartfrom ball.Heneedstobowlamore he sustainedduring the second Test, especiallyonunresponsivepitches, is 28-year-oldParisSaint-Germainstriker startofhiscareertonow.Hejustkeepsputting other variations to getthe better of batsmen. consistentline.Healsoneedstocut India have threeoptions forthe third aweak area in his bowling. postedavideoof adinnertablethatap- the runs on the board.” Natarajan’s first-class careerisstill in itsform- seamer’s slot–Navdeep Saini,Shardul pearedtobeforabout40guests,decked ative stagewith just20matches and 64wick- theball(offtheseam).” Thakurand Natarajan. SHARDUL THAKUR out with whiteflowers and an empty Leg-side field etsat27.03,attesting that he is notared-ball DIWAKAR VASU, TAMILNADU HEADCOACH Thakur was chair between eachplace setting. “They'vecertainlycome in with aplan, thoroughbred yet. NAVDEEP SAINI includedinthe Test "Marvelous decorationfor this beauti- making surethat they'rereallynot leaving “He (Natarajan) is averygood trier and I’m He waspickedfor all squad as Shami’s ful, low-keylittle dinnerathome, with stamps and andhaving areally heavy leg side surethat working with (Bharat) Arun (India’s taking) option.Ithink(if he plays), he needs to threeformats, but the replacement. He made social distancing,"Neymar said. "And field...Itobviously slows thescoringrate down bowling coach), he will learn quickly. As aleft- bowl up, work on his swing, work on his an- BCCI informedthat his Test debut against it's notfor 500people, ok?" he added because youknowthoseshots that youdoget arm seamer,hehas that natural angle (the ball gles. That would be abetteroption forhim,” Saini had complained the West Indies in with alaugh. "Social distancing. on your legs, go forone or four," he explained. that slantsacross the right-hander) and with the Tamil Nadu coachobserved. of backspasms ahead 2018,whichremains Everyone tested," he wrote. AFP The Aussie No.3 had scored three cen- the redball, he could bring the ball in also. But The potential disadvantages can make of the ODI series, his onlyTestyet.Afully-fitIndian fast- turies and adouble at the SCGinthe home it’s alearning process forhim,” Tamil Nadu Natarajan astock bowler,arestrictive option. although he played bowling unit comprisingJasprit series againstPakistanand New Zealand but head coachDiwakar Vasu told The Indian Vasu agreed. “Somebody who is making his twomatches. The right-arm quickwas Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Shami and HenryinforWagner he's notbeen able to crossahalf-century Express. Test debut, who is notexpress and who does- very expensive, returning figures of Umesh leavesnovacancy forsquad inNZTestsquad from four inningssofar in this series. "We've Natarajan plays forTamil Nadu in domes- n’t swing the ball (much); youcannotexpect 1/83and 0/70respectively andwasn’t players. In Australia, however, the justgot to keep findingways, keep hitting ticcricket andVasuhasbeenworkingwithhim him to be the strikebowler.Thereare other pickedfor theT20Is.Inatour game Indian pace packisseverelydepleted. Wellington: Fast bowlerMattHenrywas balls in the training and keep finding ways sincelastseason.T20cricketallows abowlerto strikebowlers.Hecanbeusedasabowlerwho againstAustralia A, Saini had 3/19in Adomestic cricket stalwartwith 62 onFridaynamedasreplacementforthe to getout there." beatad one-dimensional. Yorkers and slower comes in and bowls, and takesacoupleof the firstinnings but gave away 87 runs first-class matches and 206wickets, injuredleft-armpacer Neil Wagner in Another area thatisailing thehome side is deliveriesarestapleforfastbowlersinthefor- wickets.” in 16 overs without awicket in the the 29-year-old can swing the ball the New Zealand squad forthe second the number of droppedcatches. In the Boxing mat wherebatsmen trytoforce the pace and Over the pasttwo seasons in the Ranji second. AfterMohammedShami both ways at decent pace (around Test againstPakistan, starting hereon DayTest,theygrassedasmanyaseightcatches commitmistakes.InTest cricket,batsmenput Trophy, TamilNaduplayedthemajorityof their sufferedanarm fracture, the Indian 135kph). He can reverse the old ball as Sunday. WagnerwasstruckbyPakistan including twobyLabuschagne. heavypricetagsontheir wickets. home matches on turners. Natarajan didn’t team management decidedtopick well. Thakur provides an all-round speedsterShaheenAfridi yorker while "All of our fieldersare working reallyhard playall the games lastseason, but Tamil Nadu MohammedSiraj forthe second Test option in terms of attackand defence. batting on the second dayofthe first on their exactposition.Ifyou areshort leg,or Grabbing the opportunity batsman Baba Aparajith allayedfears as re- and the latter vindicated the selection Test,sustaining undisplacedfractures leg slip or bat pad, or fielding in the slips, we “See,Iamveryhappy forhimandwanthim gardstohis ability to bowl longspells. with afive-wicket matchhaulonhis TNATARAJAN in both the fourth and fifthtoes of his areall working reallyhard. It's maybeacon- to playTestsandwishinghimsuccess.ButIam “Ihave playedwithhimforthree-fouryears debut. As Vasu said, he could right foot.Wagner'srecovery is ex- centration thing, maybeafocus thing, but it's notsaying he is going to be immediately suc- now, and he is averyhardworking bowler.He Saini provides an out-an-out be better usedasa pected to be approximately six weeks, definitelynot aworkethic thing,"hesaid. cessful. He has to learn andIamsureheisa doesn’tget tired very easily. He canbowllong attacking option. He can go past restrictive option. Also, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said in a quicklearner.Wehavetosee if he is ready for spells. He can come backand bowl at same 145kph and when in rhythm, the 28- as aleft-arm seamer statement.CoachGarySteadsaidHenry Test cricket.Itwilldependonhowhegrabsthe pace,” Aparajith told this paper. year-old can be quiteahandful forany bowling over the bringsTest experienceandlocalknowl- Australia have been all out for opportunity(if it comes),” Vasu said. Aparajith captainedNatarajan in Tamil batsman because of his pace and wicket,Natarajan can edge to the squad. "Matt has been in 191, 195and 200inthree out of So, what arethe aspectsNatarajan needs Nadu’s Ranji TrophymatchagainstRailways ability to extract bounce. He is ahit- create footmarks — goodformwiththeballhavingrecently to learn?“Heneedsto swingtheball.Heneeds lastseason and usedthe seamer as astrike the-deck bowler,who can cut the ball without running intothe danger area taken6-53 forNew Zealand Aagainst four innings with Ashwin to bowl amoreconsistent line. He also needs bowler.“WheneverIbrought him backinto intothe right-hander offthe seam —outside the right-hander’s offstump the PakistanShaheens (A side)in getting 10 wicketssofar to cut the ball (off the seam). Test cricket is not the attack, the main aim wasgenerallytoget apart from making the odd delivery —apotential target spotfor off-spinner December," Stead said. NewZealand easy.Not many of theseslowerballsandyork- wickets,” Aparajith said, insisting that straighten offalength. But Saini can RavichandranAshwin. Traditionally, wonthe firstTestby101 runstotake1- dismissing Smith twice and ersaregoingto beeffective asfarasTestcricket Natarajan could be usedasastrike bowler in be inconsistent with his lineand theSydneyCricket Ground pitchassists 0leadinthe two-matchseries. Labuschagne once. is concerned. And Idon’tthink that at his pace Testsalso.“Heisveryaccurateandprettysharp length, especiallywhen batsmen are spinners as the match progresses. PTI (around130kph),bouncerscouldbea(wicket- offthe wicket as well.”

MORE THAN AN AWARD Padma Shri thatAsiad hero Kaur Singhisset to relinquishtransformed lives

neighbours, Kaur Singh’s name is always pre- cipient and wrestling great KartarSingh, who NITINSHARMA fixedwith Padma Shri around here. ForKaur This time, it’s about the farmers.I has made severaltrips to Delhi seeking an ap- CHANDIGARH,JANUARY1 Singh, who these days oversees the family- believe the law makes the farmer a pointmentatRashtrapati Bhawan. ownedfarmlands wherewheat and corn is slave in his own farmland. Iwill Bornintoafamilyoffarmerswhichowned HE WONthe heavyweight boxing gold medal grown, the decision to return the awardwas have no regrets if Iamcalled just 15 acres of land, Kaur Singh recalls his father at the 1982 Asian Games in NewDelhi to be- likegiving up his identity. Kaur Singh and not Padma Shri or Karnail Singh asking him to either join the comeaninstant national hero. As the Arjuna “When Idecided to return the Padma Shri Armyorcontinue farming. “He usedtotell us Awardand Padma Shri followed, the Indian award,IunderstoodIwouldbegivingaway an Arjuna awardee.” thatthecountrydependsonthesetoo.Thefirst Armysubedar-cum-boxer-cum-farmerwould honour greater than my familyname.When I KAUR SINGH, HEAVYWEIGHTBOXINGGOLD time Igot to know about the Padmaawards go on to become alocal legend. wasgiven the award, the then President Giani MEDALLISTATTHE1982ASIANGAMES wasin1982when players likeKapil Dev, Syed Now, KaurSingh,73,hasdecidedtogiveup Zail Singhtold me that Ihavedone the stateas Kirmani and Prakash Padukone were con- his awards to protestagainstthe Centre’s con- wellasthecountryproud.Allthevillageelders in 1994,” he said. ferred theaward.Iwatchedthe ceremonyat tentiousnewfarmlaws.Forhisvillage,Khanal wouldcallmePadmaShriinsteadof my name. Kaur Singh says the Minimum Support ourvillagesarpanch’s home. It wasthe only KhurdinPunjab’s Sangrur district, the Padma Iwas able to getthings done formyvillage be- Price (MSP) forfarmproduce can’t be done house withatelevision. The next year,when Shriismorethanjustaprefix.Forthiscommu- cause of the award. But no award—whether away with. “Punjab has seen manyups and my name wasannouncedfor the Padma nity of about 2,000,KaurSingh’s title has it’sPadmaShriorArjunaaward —ismorevalu- downs but Inever thought of giving away my awards, Ihearditinthe news bulletin on the changed theirlives in manyways. able than the rights of the farmers,” he says. awards. But this time, it’s about the farmers. I very same TVset,”KaurSingh recalled. Villagers sayitwas apush by theregion’s Kaur Singh, aformer subedar in the 10th believe thelaw makesthefarmeraslave inhis His decisiontogiveupthe honour wasin- reveredPadma Shri that gotfarms in Khanal Sikh Battalion of the Indian Army, is adiabetic ownfarmland. Iwill have no regretsifIam spired by his long-time idolMuhammad Ali, Khurdregular watersupplyfromacanal, and and hencehasn’t travelledtoDelhitojointhe calledjustKaurSingh and notPadma Shri or theall-timeboxinglegendknownto take prin- employment opportunitiesfor teachers at the protestors agitatingagainstthe newlawsfor Arjuna awardee,” he said. cipledstands. “He wasmyrolemodel.Ihad localgovernment school. Whenevertheygot morethan amonthnow.Herecallsthe cele- KaurSingh,likethethreeotherPadmaShri readabouthisstandagainsttheVietnamWar, stuckinbureaucratichurdles,KaurSinghwould brationswhichwentonforoveramonthwhen awardees who have returnedtheir honours - racism and him getting bannedfromboxing open doors. It’s been close to four decades but he wonthe gold at the Asian Games and also wrestler KartarSingh, hockeyplayerAjitpal due to his refusaltojoin the US Army. Aman the village is still indebted to the former boxer those afterhis back-to-backawards. “When I Padma Shriand Arjuna Awardeeboxer Kaur Singh helpedsecure regular water Singh, and former worldchampion body- likeAli stood forthe rightsfor hisfellowciti- with an imposing frame and flowing white returnedtomyunit, therewerecelebrations supplyfor thefarms and employment opportunities forteachers at thegovernment builder PremchandDegra-is waiting to meet zens and that’s what we arestanding up for beard.Beitthemanyshopkeeperswhovolun- formonths.Thecertificateandmedallionwere school in his villageKhanal Khurd. Kamleshwar Singh President RamNathKovind. His awards and too,” says Kaur Singh, who fought an exhibi- teer to walk youtohis home or thehospitable displayedatmyArmyunittillthetimeIretired citations arecurrentlywith fellowPadma re- tion bout againstAli in NewDelhi in 1980.

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