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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 23, 2021, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES SINCE 1932 `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM NO DATE SET FOR NEXT MEETING Faced pressure but Talksbreakdown,Centretellsfarmers went by scientists ` 45 per kilo on vaccines: PM ` 73 per kilo wehavemadebestoffer,reconsider ` 87 per kilo bid to dispel doubts ` 60 per Dozen Some forces don’t MSP to APMCs: want to seethis SC panel puts Suggests vaccination competitions by resolved: Tomar hospitals to move to 2nd phase quickly EXPRESSNETWORK up questions to draw farmers MAULSHREESETH HARIKISHANSHARMA LUCKNOW,JANUARY22 BUSINESSASUSUAL &RAAKHIJAGGA BY UNNY NEWDELHI,LUDHIANA,JAN22 HARIKISHANSHARMA CRITICISINGPOLITICS over coro- NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 navirus vaccines and trying to al- TALKSBETWEEN the Centreand layfears regarding the same, farmer unions demanding the ■ Areyou awareabout the im- PrimeMinister NarendraModi ANOTHERMINISTER repeal of the newagriculture plications of legalising MSP? said Fridaythat he had been un- laws brokedownFridayafter ■Do youthink theremay be risk der alot of "pressure" but leftthe QUITS IN BENGAL, weeksofnegotiation. The gov- of acquiring land by the corpo- call on when to introduce the BJP INVITES HIM TO ernment made it clear to the rate sector or the contractor? vaccines to scientists. JOIN THEIR PARTY farmers that itsproposal to sus- Farmers’ representativesafter themeetinginNew Delhi on Friday. Amit Mehra ■ Thereare apprehensions that In atelevisedinteractionwith PAGE 8 pend the laws for18months was the provisions in the Actwill col- beneficiaries and vaccinators of the “best” it could offer, and lapse APMCmarkets. Do youfeel the Covid vaccines in his con- farmers could return to the talks so? If yes, howwill it be respon- stituency Varanasi, he also urged MAHARASHTRA table afterarethink. sible forthe collapseofAPMC CONTINUEDONPAGE2 The hardening of the Centre’s Opp partiestarget ‘rigid’Govt, markets? position wasevident when, at These aresome of the ques- the very startofthe meeting, tions in afeedbackform pre- Union AgricultureMinister plan to turn up heat in Parliament pared by the Supreme Court- NarendraSingh Tomar objected appointed committee seeking to the SamyuktaKisan Morcha’s Budget sessionofParliament NCPchief Sharad Pawarslated to "suggestions" of farmers and announcement Thursday MANOJCG starting next week. participateinaprotestin other stakeholders on the three evening that the farmer unions NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 Sources told The Indian Mumbai on January25. contentious farm laws andthe had rejectedthe Centre’s offerto Express that Congress president “Parliament will reconvene demand forlegal guarantee for suspend the laws. WITH TALKSbetween the Sonia Gandhi is likelytoconvene in aweek’s time. It is the Budget minimumsupportprice (MSP). ItislearnedthatTomartoldthe Centreand farm unions break- ameeting of Opposition leaders session, of course. But thereare The feedbackform, available unions that since the talkswere ing down, Opposition parties ahead of the session to discuss so manypressing issues of pub- on the committee’s webpage, THREE DISTRICTS scheduledFriday,theyshouldhave Fridayslammedthe strategy,and that theyare al- lic concern that needtobede- contains 20 multiple-choice RECORD OVER 80% communicated their decision to Government foradopting a ready in touchwith eachother. bated and discussedfully. questions dividedinto5sections. Chief MinisterUddhavThackeray with Cyrus Poonawalla TURNOUTFOR the government instead of an- “rigid” stand and signalledthat The Opposition parties have Whether the Government will While Sections A, B, andCdeal and Adar Poonawalla in Pune on Friday. Ashish Kale VACCINATION PAGE 4 nouncing it to themedia first. theywill raise the issueforcefully also decidedtohold street agita- agree howeverremains to be with the three farm laws,Section CONTINUEDONPAGE2 and “vociferously”duringthe tions over the farm laws,with CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Fire loss Rs 1,000 cr; ED searches offices of Viva Debt-ridden &ignored not so long ago, MSRDC BCG, rota vaccines Group, run by VasaiMLA now go-to agency for infra projects in state Hitendra Thakur’s family capacity hit: Serum debt of Rs 6,500crore,has SANDEEPASHAR& scriptedaturnaround, and now cial loss forus, morethan KHUSHBOONARAYAN Six-time VISHWASWAGHMODE has government projectsworth EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Rs 1,000 crore,” Serum Institute MUMBAI,JANUARY22 MLAfrom MUMBAI,JANUARY22 Rs 2.62 lakh croreinall. PUNE,JANUARY22 CEO Adar Poonawalla saidata Vasai Whilethe agencyspecialises press conference on Friday. THE ENFORCEMENTDirectorate MAHARASHTRA GOVERN- in trunkinfrastructureprojects, VACCINE-MAKER Serum “By God’s grace, and prayers (ED) on Fridaysearched the of- MENT'S CabinetCommittee on it has also secured rights fora InstituteofIndia has said it suf- by all of us, the fire incident took fices of Viva Group run by the MaharashtraCo-operative Infrastructure(CCI), in itsrecent couple of building construction feredlosses worthatleast place in another building and familyofVasai MLAand leader (PMC) Bank. meeting, has granted the state- projects, including Chief Rs 1,000croreinThursday’s fire, Covishield production and stock of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, Thakur is asix-time MLA run MaharashtraState Road MinisterUddhavThackeray’s although the production or sup- wasnot affected at all,” he said. HitendraThakur, and twocon- from Vasai and his party has a Development Corporation flagship temple conservation plies of the Covid-19vaccine re- Five workers engagedinelec- sultantstothe group in connec- strong presence in the semi-ur- (MSRDC) ago-ahead to under- project and adocumentation mainedunaffected. trical and air-conditioning jobs tion withits probeintothe al- ban centres of Virar, Vasai and take sevennew big ticketinfra- project forarchiving the Covid- “The fire incidentwill notaf- were killed in the fire thaten- leged Rs 6,200crore fraud NalasoparainPalghar district.It structureprojectsworth Rs 1.86 19 pandemic. fect Covishield supplies,but it gulfed thethree upper floors of a perpetrated by Housing currentlyhas three MLAs in the lakh crore. Work in progress forMumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi corridor While the Mumbai has damaged the rotavirus and newly-constructed six-storey Development Infrastructure MaharashtraLegislative With this, MSRDC, whichnot project. Courtesy:MSRDC Metropolitan Region BCG vaccine manufacturingand building on the Serum campus in Limited (HDIL) at Punjab and CONTINUEDONPAGE2 so long agowas saddledwith a CONTINUEDONPAGE2 storagefacilities. It is abig finan- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CWC ASKS FOR JPC PROBE Rajasthan bats for retd IAS ‘AllMinisters with us’: Arnab’s chats officer, now advisor to make BJP do some social distancing cricket body led by CM son

ism and nationalism to others LIZMATHEW&MANOJCG His WhatsApp nowstand totallyexposed." DEEPMUKHERJEE ED NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 chatswith “Whyshould we enter the JAIPUR,JANUARY22 Withdrawal ex-BARCCEO picture?” said aUnion Minister. PLAIN E ● symptom THE BJP and the Centrehave submitted to “Neither the government nor the FOUR YEARS afterchargesheets EX avoidedreacting to the court party has anything to do with were filedagainstthree bureau- WhatsApp chatsbetween what chatsGoswami has with crats, including an IAS officer — IN ITS 2016 chargesheet, the Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami someone. As of now, thereisno who is nowretired andisanad- stateACB had accusedthe and former CEO of the Broadcast Committee (CWC) Fridayde- wrongdoing, nothing to prove visortothe Rajasthan Cricket three bureaucratsofcrimi- Audience Research Council mandeda"time-bound investi- thatany party leader has some- Association ledbyVaibhav nal conspiracy forallotting (BARC) Partho Dasgupta submit- gation” into“the breachofna- thing to do with it,” said aUnion Gehlot, son of Chief Minister landbelonging to ahousing tedtothe courtbythe Mumbai tional security,violations of the Minister. Ashok Gehlot—forcorruption in society to aprivate construc- Police in the TRP case. But as the Official SecretsAct and the role On the Congress allegation an allegedland scam, the state tion company. The statehas Congress calls foraJPC probeand of the persons involved." thatthe chatsshowGoswami government has movedanap- nowmoved aspecialcourt flags Goswami’s claims of prox- Congress president Sonia had prior knowledge of “sensi- plication at the trial stageto to withdraw the case. imity with the government,that Gandhi criticisedwhat she called tive”militaryoperations –aref- withdraw the case againstthem distancing will be tested once the “deafening” silence of the erence to Balakot –BJP leaders at aspecial courtset up forhear- Twochargesheets againstthe Parliament begins. Government, adding that"those said the chatsdidn’t reveal ing cases under the Prevention three officials —GSSandhu, IAS The Congress Working who give certificates of patriot- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 of Corruption Act. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Mystery of the missing‘Spark’ as Bal Thackeray gets statue in Mumbai PAGE 1 ANCHOR MAHARASHTRA BAL THACKERAY STATUE TO BE BENITAFERNANDO UNVEILEDTODAY, &LAXMANSINGH CITIZEN GROUP MUMBAI,JANUARY22 COMPLAINS OF TRAFFIC WOES SOMETIME IN the early 1990s, PAGE 4 an imposing sculptureatHajiAli Circle waslosttoaroadexpan- sion project. Over two-storey tall, of Modern Art(NGMA) in shapedlikeapeacock,the sculp- Colaba. As aBal Thackeray turecalledSpark had been built statue, the firstofthe latepoliti- by pioneering artistPilloo cal leader in Mumbai, comes up Pochkhanawala. Years later, in on the island on Saturday, it has 2002, aminiature version of the A2013photograph of thesculptureinColaba, Mumbai. Photo Courtesy: Pheroza Godrej;the statue suddenlycome to notice that work wasplacedonatraffic is- of Bal Thackeray whichistobeunveiled at the site. Ganesh Shirsekar 'Spark' has gone missing again — land outside the NationalGallery CONTINUEDONPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 2 THE SECOND PAGE THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021

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Rajasthan tion,E,seeksthe respondents' suggestions. MSRDC ThefirstoftheeightquestionsinSectionA forlunchand tea, Tomar said: “Wetold rade plan, it said police officers had given (nowretired),NishkamDiwakar(nowretired, asks if the farmers/stakeholders areaware of Best offer them that our proposal to put on hold the them aroadmap and leaders of the unions Development Authority (MMRDA) has been RajasthanAdministrative Service)and Onkar the Farmers’Produce Trade and Commerce implementationoflawsfor one or one- would replyafter ameeting Saturday. the lead government agency forstrategicin- Mal Saini (serving RAS (PromotionandFacilitation)Act,2020—tobe Tomar and his colleagues Piyush Goyal and-a-half years is the best proposal.You Tomar said the government adopteda frastructureprojectsoverthe last decade and officer) —werefiled in 2015 and 2016 when answered in a‘Yes’ or ‘No’.Inthe next ques- and Som Prakash, it is learned, leftthe meet- should reconsider.That proposal is in the sensitive approachtowards farmersand ahalf, senior officials said that MSRDC – the BJP wasinpowerinthe state. tion, farmers areasked wheretheysell their ing room aftertelling the farmer represen- interestoffarmers and the country. We told thought of their interest. He said “a sense to helmedbyretired IAS officer Radheshyam Thechargesheet,filedonJuly8,2016bythe produce—afarm gate, haat (market), APMC tativestoreconsider the Centre’s offer. them thatweare concluding the talksto- take adecisioninthe interestoffarmers Mopalwar–hasemergedasthegovernment’s AntiCorruptionBureau,saidSandhu,who was mandi,collectioncentre, acollectionorgan- Tomar returnedlater andtold theunions dayand if youarriveatany decision, tell us waslacking (among unions) ...When the go-toagency forflagship initiatives. PrincipalSecretaryintheUrbanDevelopment isedbyacompanyorafarmer producer or- theycould discuss among themselvesand tomorrow. We can meetatany place to an- sanctity of amovementisdestroyed,then Oneofthe newprojects the Cabinetcom- and Housing (UDH) Department in 2010-11, ganisation. letthe government knowSaturday. nounce that decision.” no decisioncan be reached(Jab andolan ki mittee has assigned to MSRDC happens to be Diwakar, then Deputy Secretary, UDH, and SectionAgoesonto askif therespondents Responding to areporter’s queryon ButaSingh Burjgill,president of BKU pavitratanasht ho jaati hai,tab koi nirnay themuch-delayed126km-longVirar-Alibaug Saini, thenDeputy Commissioner, Jaipur feeltheActgivesthemmorechoiceto selltheir what would happen if the farmers don’t re- (Dakaunda), said: “The government told us nahi hota hai)”. Multi Modal corridor(VAMMC)–worthRs DevelopmentAuthority,werepartofa“crim- producebeyond APMC markets,and if this turn with adecision, Tomar said: “I am not to accepttheirproposal, andthat theyare Askedabout the optionsbeforethe gov- 39,841 crore–beingimplementedpreviously inal conspiracy”inallotting land belongingto would "benefit farmersinrealizing better an astrologer.What will happen tomorrow, notgoingtorepeal the laws.Theydid not ernment if farmer unions do notreconsider by MMRDA.Conceptualisedin2011, the proj- ahousingsocietytoaprivatecompany. prices fortheir produce". Idon’tknow.” give anydatefor the next meeting, but told the offerand intensify their protest, Tomar ect has been mired in delays duetoland ac- SandhuandSainiwere chargedundersec- Section Bhas five questions regardingthe With the Centrehardening itsposition us that theywill alwayscome to aplace said: “Whatever best options we had, those quisition and lackofstatutory clearances. tions 409,420 and 120B of the IPC along with Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) and no newdateset forthe next round of where we callameeting foradiscussion. have been giventothe farmer unions.” ApartfromVAMMC, the committee, in its relevant sections of the Prevention of AgreementonPrice Assurance and Farm talks, the spotlightnow is on the run-up Nowour focus is on the tractorparade and Jagjit Singh Dallewal,president of BKU latestmeeting on January14, sanctionedavi- CorruptionAct,1988,inthe2016 chargesheet. Services Act, 2020, including, “Are youaware to January26when farmers intend to hold it will be held peacefully. Next,there is the (Sidhupur), said: “Wediscussedthe gov- ability gapfund of Rs 4,500crore and astate Diwakar toowas chargesheetedi.The three abouttheActdealingwithcontractfarming?... atractor parade on Delhi’sOuter Ring Budget session in Parliament… These laws ernment's proposal Thursday.Weare not equitycomponentwhileokayingMSRDC’sfi- were arrested,butwere subsequentlygranted DoyouknowtheActis(a)contractforproduce Road. Police have already deniedpermis- came from Parliament and their repeal can divided… We came herefor repeal and will nancing proposal forthe 174-km long Pune bail. In itsJanuary19, 2021, application before andnotforland?...Doyouthinkthattheremay sion forthe tractor parade within city lim- also come from the same Parliament.Our notgobackwithout getting it.” outerring road, described as Deputy Chief the specialcourt, the stategovernment has be risk of acquiring land by the corporatesec- itsinviewofheightenedsecurity arrange- protestwillcontinue.” “Weare awarethat Parliament’s Budget MinisterAjit Pawar’s petinitiative. recommendedthat the case againstSandhu tororthe contractor?... Do youagree with the mentsfor RepublicDay. The SamyuktaKisan Morcha, in astate- session is to start… theParliamentsession Meant to decongest Pune’s traffic, the Rs andthetwoothersbewithdrawn.Sixmonths disputeresolution through SDM under the The breakdown of talksalso sets the ment releasedbyKrantikari Kisan Union and the biggestfarmer movement in the 26,400-crorering road has been designedto ago, in July2019, Sandhu and Diwakar had Act?... Do youhaveany suggestions to further stagefor astormyBudget session of leaderDarshanPal,said: “The deadlock countrywill continue side by side. We hope provideanalternatelinkfordivertinghighway madearepresentationtothe government af- improvethe provisions in the Act?” Parliament wherethe Opposition will tryto again arose in the meeting with the central Oppositionpartieswill playtheir role this vehiclesenteringPunefromMumbai,Nashik, terthe Congress returned to power. TheUDH Section Ccontains three questions about corner the government and the ruling government today. Thegovernment came session,” he said. Aurangabad, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. departmentsetupacommitteewhichrecom- theEssentialCommodities(Amendment)Act, party over the farmer protests. withthe proposal to suspendtheselaws for Darshan Palsaid: “Anything on the gov- Mopalwar,MSRDC’s Chairman-cum- mendedthe withdrawal of the case. 2020, on whether the farmersare awareofits Emerging from the meeting, which 18 months,while the farmers demanded ernment's stand will bediscussedafterthe Managing Director,told The Indian Express Sandhu did notrespond to calls and mes- provisionsandhowtheseaffectthem,andthe lasted barely30minutes with longbreaks the repealofthe laws.” On the tractor pa- RepublicDay tractor parade.” that the ringroad projectand the VAMMCare sages. changes theywould like. nowMSRDC’s toppriority assignments. The Incidentally, Shanti Dhariwal, UDH TheMSPissueisdealtwithinSectionD,in governmentwantsittocommissionthesebe- Minister in Gehlot’s Cabinet, wasalsocalled four questions —“What arethe three main Opp parties mateiscontinuing because of the plan. “Wehavedecidedtoholdblock-level fore the 2024Assemblypolls. forquestioninginthesamecasebytheACBin produce yousell? Do yousell your produce at Government's“obduracy”.TrinamoolCong- demonstrationsfollowedbydistrict-level Theagency,saidMopalwar,isoncoursefor 2015.When asked if acommittee under his MinimumSupportPrices?(To)Whomdoyou seen... The agitation of farmers continues ress’s Derek O'Brien said the onlyoption be- agitationsandconventionsbefore February timelycompletion of itsongoing showcase – ministryrecommending aclean to thethree sell? Areyou awareabout the implicationsof and the Government has shown shocking fore theGovernment is to repeal the laws. 28. At the statelevel, therewill be massive the 701-km Mumbai-Nagpur Super bureaucratsamounted to conflictofinterest, legalizing MSP especially if the commodity is insensitivity and arrogance going through “Gazettedlaws can’tbekept suspended. conventions before February28insolidar- Communication Expressway,officiallyre- hesaidtherewasnocaseofconflictofinterest. in surplus…Ifyes, whatmay be those?” the charade of consultations,” Gandhi told Theyare enforceable unless repealed. The ity with the farmers," said KCVenugopal, namedasHindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb “The inquirywas conducted by the UDH In the lastSectionE,the respondentscan ameeting of the Congress Working assurance to keep them on hold is, hence, general secretaryincharge of organisation. Thackeray MaharashtraSamruddhi committeeaswellasacommitteeofthehome give “anyothersuggestions” in 100words. Committee (CWC). hollow. Farmershave seen throughthissub- "TheParliamentsessionis coming...join- Mahamarg–by May2022. department and it wasfound there is no case. The portalrequiresthe respondentsto “Wewill vociferouslyraise the issue in terfuge. Repeal these laws,” said Yechury. ing hands with other like-mindedparties, Conceptualisedandexecutedoriginally by The three bureaucratswereframedbythe sharedetails such as name,email, mobile supportofthefoodgiversof ourcountry. Since Raja said the Government is “being the Congress will stand againstthese anti- the previousBJP regime, it is touted as India’s thenBJPgovernmentunderpoliticalvendetta number and state. the daythe ordinance waspromulgated,we rigid”. farmerlegislations andputpressureonthe biggestroadproject.“Wehavefinished70 per because theyrefusedtoacceptsifarish (rec- have been consistentlyopposing the anti- He said the farm laws will jeopardise Government to repeal these three acts,” cent of construction. Plans aretocommission ommendations) made by BJP leaders. My Arnab’s chats tillerlegislation.Ourstandisveryclear.Itwill India’sfood security,and agriculture willbe Venugopal said. 520 km of the road this year,” Mopalwar said. namewas neverinthe FIR or anywhereinthe anythingthatwasn’tpublicknowledge atthat be pursuedinsideand outside Parliament,” handedovertobusiness houses. “The In aresolution, the CWCsaid the farm- TheCabinetcommitteehasalsoapproved case. The ACBhad justcalled me, but it said time.Indeed, severalleaders in the party and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Government shouldhave agreedtorethink. ers are“fighting adecisive battle to save anew 18-km longNashik connectorfor the therewas nothing againstme. Therewereno the Government, from the Prime Minister Chowdhurytold The Indian Express. When the whole farming community is ag- their farms and fields, their livesand liveli- Samruddhiproject,whichisestimatedto cost demands forbribes, and the government did down,hadwarnedofdecisive actionto avenge SeniorLeftleaderDRajasaidhehadspo- itating, political parties cannotremain on- hood, and their present and their future Rs 250crore. notincur anyloss.Thereisnocase againstthe the Pulwama attack. kenoverthe phone with Rahul Gandhi and lookers and mutespectators...,” Raja said. againstadiabolical onslaught by the Modi The MSRDC wasfurther granted ago- bureaucrats.Onthecontrary, thegovernment Yet, at leastsix BJP leaders TheIndian both agreedthat Opposition leaders should O'Brien askedthe Governmentto “bring Government determinedtosacrifice their aheadfor preparing detailedproject reports has benefitted Rs 54 lakh,”Dhariwal told The Expressspokewith,includingaUnionMinister, meettochalk out ajoint strategy.CPM gen- an ordinance and scrap the bills”. interests at the altar of ahandful of crony forthe Konkan expressway (Rs 71,000crore), Indian Express. admittedthat the controversy has put them eralsecretarySitaramYechurysaidthestale- TheCWC,too, chalkedoutanagitational industrialistfriends.” theNanded-Jalnaexpressway (Rs7,000crore) Vibhuti Bhushan Sharma, Additional in aspot. andtheVersova-Virararmof theMumbaiSea AdvocateGeneral, toldThe Indian Express that Negative references to leaders likelate Link (Rs 32,000 crore). It has been newlyap- it waswithin the powerofthe government to Arun Jaitley, PrakashJavadekar and former PM on vaccines oneof thefoundersof theCentralBankof India. Assembly, includingThakur’ssonKshitij– pointed as thenodal agency for aRs10,000 withdraw cases at anystage of the trial. “In ministerRajyavardhan Rathore; Goswami’s peopletobelieve healthworkersanddoctors, Whileshestartedoutworkingwithanad- atwo-time MLA. The party has extendedits crorecoastalhighway,connecting Raigad, criminal cases,the stateisthe party,” he said. remarkthat“allministersarewithus,”andhis and suggestedthathospitals initiate "compe- vertising firm, aEurope tour in 1950 intro- supporttothe ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi gov- Ratnagiriand Sindhurdurg. In the withdrawal application, the state offertomediate withthe political leadership, titionsinvaccination"sothatthecountrycould ducedher to originalworks of Constantin ernment. Sources said searches were con- Exceptforthehighway,theremainingnew government has pointed out that noneofthe including the PMO, aren’t what anyone in the move quicklytothesecondphaseof thedrive. Brâncusi, HenryMoore,BarbaraHepworth ducted at five locations in Viraraswell as projects areplannedastoll-basedprojects. three bureaucratswerenamedinthe original partyorgovernmentwantstohavetorespond Without referringtoquestions raisedre- andAlexanderCalder, amongothers,andcon- Andheri, Juhu and Chembur in Mumbai, after MSRDC is already overseeing constructionof complaint, preliminaryenquiry, or the FIR. on. Moreso, aftertheir topleaders came out garding emergency use clearance to thein- vincedherto becomeasculptor. Butherworks the agency allegedly found transfers of about the missing Mumbai-Pune expressway link Further,itsaid no specialperson has been to strongly defend Goswami when he was digenously developedCovaxin despitesome were as inspired by American and European Rs 250 crorefromHDIL to aclutchofcompa- (Rs 6,600crore), the Versova BandraSea link wronglybenefitedorharmed. The govern- pickedupfromhishomeinasuicideabetment missing dataregarding trials, Modi said at the modernism as Hindu temple sculptures. niesassociated with Viva Group. Thesetrans- (Rs 11,000crore) and the Thane Creekbridge- ment also nowsaidthe land in question was casebyMumbai PoliceinNovember. 30-minutevideo-conference, “Merepebada Spark wasoriginallycommissioned by fers,the ED has alleged, were done to siphon III (Rs 800crore). notgovernment land and itsstatusquo had UnionMinisters Amit Shah,Javadekar,S pressureaatatha,vaccine kyon nahin aati hai, BEST (BombayElectric Supply &Transport), moneyfromHDIL. FoundedinAugust1996, the agency had notbeen changed.Italso notedthat the ACB Jaishankar,Piyush Goyaland Smriti Irani and vaccine kab lagaoge? Rajneeti mein idhar ki bhi and Pochkhanawala made it welding scrap Accordingtosources, HDIL hadanagree- begun with abang, buildingIndia’s firstex- had filedthe chargesheetagainstSandhu, a BJP president JPNadda had called it an attack baat hoti hai, udhar ki bhi baat hoti hai. Main ek metaltogether —the heavy,industrial quality mentwiththeViva Groupforprocurementof pressway –the Mumbai-Pune expressway – publicservant, withouttaking prosecution on the free press. hi baat kartatha, ki vaigyanik jo kahengewahi of thework setoff by itslight,bird-likefeatures. landsince 2008-09. HDIL agreedtopay com- the petproject of then statePWD Nitin sanction as required under section197 CrPC. “That supportwas extendedbecause the karenge,yehhumpoliticallogonkakaamnahin Godrejsays Pochkhanawala probablygaveit mission forland procurement and also gave Gadkari, who waspartofthe juniorparty,BJP, Maharashtragovernmentandthepolicewere hai (Therewas alot of pressureonme, as to thatnamedueto BEST'sconnectionwithelec- 30 per centsale rightstoVivaGroup. in aShivSena-ledalliance. Serumfire loss goingafterGoswami,”saidaseniorBJPleader. whythevaccineisnotcoming,whenitwould tricity.Pochkhanawala chose Haji Ali Circle as The ED, inastatement,saidthatHDILpro- The portfolio continuedtobeheld by the Pune's Manjhari area on Thursday. “This isn’tthe samething.There is alleged beadministered.Inpolitics,peoplesayallkinds thelocationasshelivedintheneighbourhood. moters Rakesh Wadhawanand Sarang junior alliance partner in all successiveterms “Wewerehoping thattherewasnolossof wrongdoing and peoplehavebeen arrested.” of things, but Iwouldsay only one thing,that However, Sparkwas shunted around even Wadhawan, “in connivance with Viva Group, till now,leading to the agency always beinga life. Whenwegot an initialreportthatthere At leasttwo leaders said the WhatsApp we would do whatthe scientists say, it is not duringherlifetime,sidelinedtoasmallertraf- have diverted morethan Rs 160crore from “victim” of the tug of warbetween the allies. has been no loss of life, we were relievedand chatswerelikethe“Radiamoment”fortheBJP something foruspoliticians to decide).” ficisland next to theroundabout. The black HDILtomanycompanies/entities belonging However, thistimeitisbeingheldby theCM’s hence Isent out atweet,” Poonawallasaid. referring to telephonechatsbetween former He added, “When the go-ahead from the sculpturealsogot acoatof red.Eventually, the to Viva Group in the garb of commission”. party,giving it adefiniteedge. “Butlater,afterclearingof smoke,thedead corporatelobbyistNiiraRadia and politicians scientists came,we hadto decidefromwhere circle vanished, andsodid Spark. “Source of these fundsfromHDILtoViva So muchsothat lastmonth, aprojectbol- bodies were discovered. We did nothavea and journalists in 2009, which wasusedby to start, and we decidedtodoitfromhealth “I remember it lying on the side of the Group is apparentlythe illegal fund diversion steringShivSena’sHindutvacredentials–that completelistofthe third-party workers and the BJP in itscampaignagainstthe Congress- workerswho handle patientsconstantly." pavement, whereCafé Noorani is today. The from PMC Bank,” the agency added. of conservation of ancestral Hindutemples, did notknowhow manywereworking at the ledUPA in the run up to 2014 Lok Sabha elec- metalhad corrodedand the topangles had The ED is also probing thealleged diver- cavesandsculptures,whichoughtto have ide- site.OnceIgot to knowaboutthetragicdeaths tions. Thackeray broken. Iwas quitefond of it forthree reasons sion of aRs200-croreloan–taken from Yes allygone to the Congress-ledPWD,has come of the workers, then Isent out another mes- “The content maynot be as damaging as and mayhavebeenmissingfor months now. —itwas anice piece, it wasPilloo’s and Iused Bank–bythe promoters of HDILtoanassoci- MSRDC’sway. “Undernormalcircumstances, sagetocondole the deaths.Myfather (Cyrus Radiatapes,aboutspecificclaimsof proximity TheBMCisundertakingamakeoverofthe to see it everyday,” Godrejsaid. atecompany MackStarMarketing Private all government building construction related Poonawalla,chairman of thePoonawalla to politicians and corporates. But it is embar- Colaba trafficisland. Askedabout the missing The citizen'sinitiativechose the NGMA to Limited.According to the agency,its investi- worksgotoPWD. By assigning this project to Group of whichSerumInstituteispart) also rassingwhensomeoneflauntsorbragsabout replica, Assistant Municipal Commissioner,A placethereplicaasPochkhanawalahadplayed gation intoMackStarhas found that the MSRDC (ledbySena’s Eknath Shinde), Chief announcedfinancialaid fortheirfamilies,”he connectionswith Ministers,” said aparty ward (Colaba, Fort), Chanda Jadhav said,"We akey role in the foundation of the galleryand Wadhawans“illegallyandfraudulentlytrans- MinisterUddhavThackeray has ensured full said. leader. arenot awareofthewhereabouts of thesculp- also organisedthe BombayArtsFestivalfor ferredtwocommercialpropertiesof MackStar control,” asource said. Poonawalla said the fire had impacted Thereisalso, another BJP leader said, un- ture. Icheckedwith our staffwhether it was manyyears.However, Spark hadalwaysbeen in Mumbai, valuedatRs34.36 crore, to Viva Mopalwar claimed thatthe foundation of planstoaugmentfuturecapacitiesof BCGand certainty over what’s next —ifthere areother shiftedtosome other place or removed, but tough to locateamidstthe shrubberyonthe Holding acompanyofVivaGroup” without therevivalwasa2016decisionof theprevious rotavirus vaccines. “It is abrand newfacility chatsthatwill be revealed by the Mumbai no suchthing has takenplace from our side." trafficisland, and nownobody,including res- anymonetary consideration. regime permitting it to monetise 23 land andinstallationof equipmentwashappening Police who this week were successful in get- HSBC,which fundedtheSpark replicaand identsand shopowners in the area, remem- “...Viva Holdingnever made paymentsfor parcels, collectivelyworth Rs 15,000 crore. thereand perhaps that (ongoingworks)is ting the courttoreject Dasgupta’s bail. maintains the trafficisland as per an arrange- berwhentheysaw it last. thepurchaseof thesaidpropertyto MackStar. “Thisgavelenders the confidence to invest in what causedthis incident. Whatwehavelost “Wedon’tknowwhat will come out but ment with the BMC, did notcomment on its It was'ArtWalksMumbai',whichrunsart Wadhawans had illegallytransferredthese Samruddhi,whichhas been an elixir forthe is the futureproduction,” he said. as of now, the government and the party will current location. toursand education programmes in the city, propertiesto Viva Groupinviolationto thear- agency,” he said.“Land wasacquired forthe Maharashtra Chief MinisterUddhav maintain that we have nothing to do with The Sparkreplica had been installed that firstnoticedthe disappearance of the ticle of association of Mackstar. Further,Viva corridor in 2017 and 2018.Construction work Thackerary visited the Serum Institutecam- what has been leaked so far,”said aleader. through acitizen'sinitiative,including mem- replica. During the lockdown lastyear,they Holdingnever showed these properties in its beganonJanuary1,2019and we arenearing pus on Fridayand reviewedthe damage “Andthatthelawwilltake itscourseintheTRP bers suchasDrPheroza Godrej, former direc- had covereditaspartofavirtualart tour. balance sheets,” said ED. completion.” causedbythe fire.The onlyreliefwas that caseanyway.” torofthe NGMA,and Zarir Cama, ex-CEO of “Foracitywithsolittleengagingpublicart, Earlierthismonth,theEDhadsummoned Basedonawork also awardedbythe pre- manufacturing or storageofCovishield was Goswami, incidentally, has threatenedle- HSBCIndia.Godrejmadethereplicabasedon it’s devastating to losePilloo’sSpark yetagain. Mehul Thakur,Director of Viva Group, anda vious regime, MSRDC, lastNovember,invited unaffected,hesaid. galaction againstthe Congress forits “fales- Pochkhanawala’s scale model, whichshe This piecewas akey visual element of our art charteredaccountant forquestioning. bidsfortheconstructionofanewGST Bhavan “Covid-19isstill wreaking havocaround hoods.” Dasgupta's advocateArjun Singh owns. The replica wasone-thirdthe height of tour in tracingher journeyfromasculptor However, sourcessaidthatthetwodidnotco- –a2.73lakh sq mgovernmentofficespace – the globe. Serumisaray of hope. Whennews Thakur said “motivatedinterests”had leaked the original sculptureatHajiAli. workingwith scrap metaltothe organiser of operateandrefusedtosubmitdocumentsper- at Wadala in Mumbai, whichalso ought to of the fire came, everyone washorrified. Five the chatsthathas “nothing incriminating.” Pochkhanawala, who diedin1986and theBombay ArtsFestival.Shewasaheadofher tainingto thecase.Viva Grouphasclaimedthat have gone the PWD’s way. persons diedbut thankfullythe manufactur- The CWC, meanwhile, expressedgrave whose legacy is nowalmostforgotten, made time in her choice of material,”the ArtWalks HDILowesRs750 croretoit. SourcescreditMopalwar’sadministrative ingand storageofthe Covid vaccine wasnot concern at the “revelations exposing the sor- notable contribution to modern Indian art, founders said. When contacted,HitendraThakur said, “I acumenandhiscloutamongpoliticos,bureau- affected.Peopleare worriedaboutthe Covid didconversationsthathave undoubtedly com- pushingsculptingbeyondbustsof royaltyand Butif Sparkdiedunheralded, thetrafficis- am notsurewhatthe ED is lookingfor. cratsand consultantsasareason forthe turn- vaccine. Iwant to assure everyone that Covid promisednationalsecurity”. dignitaries. She wasamong the fewwomen landhasbeengivenamakeoverto receive the However, all our transactions arethrough around.Thepreviousregimehadreemployed vaccine manufacturing hasn’t been affected,” “It is clear that among those involved are sculptors at atime when the Indian artworld Thackeray statue, whichwillbeinaugurated chequeandwe willgiveourjustificationto the himoncontractbasisforthesamepositionthe the ChiefMinistersaid. personsinthehighest echelonsof government wasdominatedbymen and painters.Bornin on Saturday, on his birth anniversary. It’s 11 agency.” dayheretired in February2018, Uddhavgov- and therehas been abreachofsecrecycon- 1923 to theAdenwalla familythat setupthe feet tall and stands atop apedestal. PMC Bank is underregulatoryrestrictions ernment haspersistedwith him. MSP to APMCs cerningvitalandsensitive militaryoperations,” firm Cowasjee Dinshaw&Bros, she married afterthe RBI found financial irregularities in FULLREPORTSON DcontainsquestionsontheMSP.The lastsec- it said in aresolution. intothe familyofSir Sorabji Pochkhanawala, HitendraThakur regard to the loans giventoHDIL. www.indianexpress.com WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 3 THE CITY

CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST KANGANA Rapevictimshouldn’tbe Court says sanction needed to take cognizance of madetogofrom1police ‘offences’ committed by actor Mumbai: While hearingacrimi- ies,executive machinery, allbeing nal complaint filedagainstactor establishedbylaw in India”. Kangana Ranaut, the metropoli- The complaint sought action stationtoanother:Court tanmagistrate’s courtonFriday againstRanautundersectionslike said that asanction from either 295A (deliberateand malicious MIDC police station,then to she had been kidnappedfrom the Centreorthe stategovern- acts,intendedto outragereligious SADAFMODAK Aareypolice station and finallyto near her house, she wastaken to ment wasnecessarytotakecog- feelings of anyclass by insulting MUMBAI,JANUARY22 Sahar police station. She should MIDC police station. nizanceofthe offences alleged to itsreligion or religious beliefs), nothavebeenmade to go from The evidence submitted be- have been committed by her. 153A (promoting enmity), 121 ASEXUALABUSE victimshould one police stationtoanother and fore thecourtshowedthat she LastOctober,Mumbai-based (waging or attempting to wage nothavebeenmade to go from that tooafter such an incident. wassubsequently takentoAarey lawyer Ali Kaashif Khanhad warorabetting waging of war one police station to another,a She should have been immedi- policestation since the incident movedtheAndhericourtalleging againstthe government of India) special courthas said while hear- atelytaken to the comfort of her took place there. that Ranaut, through her social of the IPC. “As per Section 196of ing acase whereafive-year-old home or to the hospital formed- Her parents,who had ap- media account,had made the Criminal ProcedureCode, it is girlwas takentothree police sta- ical treatment,” the court said. proachedthe Saharpolicestation “defamatoryremarks”against the necessarytotakethe sanction of tions aftershe wasrapedin2015. The child had sufferedgriev- while she wasmissing, were also Mumbai Police in regard to the the central or the stategovern- The courthad on Thursday ous injuries in the assault and sent to the Aareypolice station. probeintoactor Sushant Singh mentbefore takingcognizanceof sentenceda34-year-old man to had to undergosurgery and An FIR filedatAarey police sta- Rajput’sdeath.Healsosubmitted offences under (the above sec- lifeimprisonmentinthe caseon treatment foroverthree months. tion wastransferredtoSahar po- that posts on herTwitter account tions),” the courtsaid. Khan said chargesofrapeand kidnapping The incident dates backto lice station,where thefather was had“defamedthecountry, itspo- he will writetothe government under the IPCand theProtection March 1, 2015,when the girlwas asked to go subsequentlywith lice,authorisedgovernmentbod- regarding the sanction. ENS of Children from Sexual Offences kidnappedfromnear her house, the child. Act. whichfallsunder the jurisdiction The courtsaid that the issue In itsdetailedorder,the court of Sahar policestation. of jurisdiction wasnot avalid de- said that the evidence showed She wastaken to an isolated fence by theaccusedaspartof thatthe child wastaken to three area in the Aarey forest,which the incident –the kidnapping – police stations aftershe was fallsunder the Aareypolice, took place under Sahar police's raped. During the trial, the lawyer whereshe wasphysicallyand jurisdiction wherethe FIR was of the accused had raised this is- sexuallyassaulted by the ac- lodged. sue to citewhether the FIR was cused. The court reliedonthe testi- filedinthe proper jurisdiction. He later abandonedthegirlat monyofthe girl,her description “Thereismuchcross-exami- the spotand fled. of the accused, CCTVfootage as nation about thejurisdiction, as The girlwas found by apolice well as forensic and medical ev- the victim wasearlier takento officer.Whenitcame to lightthat idence to holdthe accusedguilty. NCP corporator alleges over 11,500 tabs of civic school students broken school studentsdonot have Classes VIII to Xstudents. These EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE smartphones. In thepastfour devices contain syllabus forre- MUMBAI,JANUARY22 years, Iraisedthe issue of broken spective classes. tablet computers forstudents Schools were shut and OVER 11,500tabletcomputers, severaltimes.Ofover44,000 classes movedtoonline plat- handedovertostudentsfrom tablets purchasedfor Classes VIII formssoon afterthe pandemic municipal schools to facilitate and Xstudents, over 11,500are began. Khan said,"Since mostof their learning, have been found notfunctioning," said Khan. theBMC school studentsdonot to be non-functional, Nationalist The Brihanmumbai have smartphones, these tablets Congress Party(NCP) corporator Municipal Corporation(BMC), would have helpedthem if they Saeeda Khan has alleged. forthe firsttime, purchased were functional. The civic body Khan raisedthe issue on tabletcomputers forstudentsin is spending moneyonsuchproj- Thursdayduring the Education 2015-16. The project wasthe ectsbut nottaking enough steps Committee meeting. "Atatime brainchild of then Yuva Sena formaintenance." when classes arebeing con- chief AadityaThackeray.Since EducationCommittee chair- ducted online, these tablets are then, the civic body has pur- person Sandhya Doshi did not very crucialasmanymunicipal chasedabout 43,000 tablets for respond to calls.

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THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 4 MAHARASHTRA

96% schools reopened, BIRTH ANNIVERSARYTODAY govt aims at resuming BalThackeraystatue to be unveiled today, classes for junior students citizen group complains of traffic woes MinisterUpdate Samant had as- ALIFIYAKHAN sured that by January20, adeci- The party had subsequently de- said that stategovernments aheadandallrequisite clearances leaderand Revenue Minister PUNE,JANUARY22 sion would be takeninthis re- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE cidedtochangethe sitetothe op- shouldnot allowany statues on have been secured from the Balasaheb Thorat, MNS chief Raj gard afterconsultation with MUMBAI,JANUARY22 positesideofthe road afteritre- public roads and pavements. Mumbai HeritageConservation Thackeray and Leader of Partho Dasgupta NEARLY96per cent schools in Chief MinisterUddhav alised that the space where the Vice-admiral (retd) ICRao, Committee, the statehome de- Opposition in the Assembly, Maharashtrahavereopened Thackeray.But even afterthe AN 11-FT tall statue of Bal statuewas coming up wastoo whoheads NGOApli Mumbai, partment and the city collector. DevendraFadnavis,have beenin- with38.3 percentattendance in deadline, he hasn’t spoken on Thackeray,thecenterpieceof Shiv small to accommodatevisitors. haswrittento thecitycollectorde- “Theproposalof installingstat- vited.Deputy Chief MinisterAjit Highcourt classrooms of studentsbetween the issue. Sena'sbirth anniversarycelebra- Thischangeofsitehaddelayedthe manding that permission forthe ueshasbeeninthepublicdomain PawaraswellasSena leader and Classes IX and XII. This is the lat- Savitribai Phule Pune tions of itsfounder on Saturday, unveiling ceremony, whichwas statue be denied. forovertwo years. That time no- IndustriesMinisterSubhashDesai refusesurgent estfigure available with the University(SPPU) declared re- has found itself in acontroversy expectedto take placeonJanuary “Shyama Prasad Mookerjee body objected.The BMC has se- will also attend. Maharashtrastate school educa- opening of colleges and univer- withresidentsofColabaopposing 23,2020. Chowkisabusyroundaboutwith curedallrequiredpermissions,in- The event will be heldatthe relieftoformer tion department whichiscon- sity departmentsearlier this the structurethat has been in- AseniorBMCofficialsaid,“The an unfamiliar computerisedsys- cluding trafficpolice NOC. If there Shyama Prasad Mookherjee in templating reopening schools month. However, the univer- stalledonabusyroundaboutnear statue is 9-fttall, setona2-fthigh temoftrafficlights.Thisresultsin wasaproblem, theyshould have Fort around 6pm. BARC CEO held forjunior students as well. sity’s move angered thestate RegalCinema. landscapedportionwithin the tourists andvisitorsbeingcaught approachedauthoritiesbefore the Meanwhile,the Sena Though the number of higher education department The statue, the firstof trafficisland.Thesitewaschanged unawaresbyfastmovingtraffic. permissions were granted. There founder’s birth anniversarywill in TRPcase school studentsinclassrooms is whichslappedashow-cause no- Thackeray inthecity,iscomingup to allowvisitorsmorespace,asthe We reiteratethat the erection of a aremanyother statues in the becelebratedingovernmentand increasing everyday,undergrad- tice to the institute, asking how at the busy roundabout between earliertrafficislandareawasvery statueatatrafficislandinShyama premises...notrafficissueshave semi-government offices across uate, postgraduateand doctoral the declaration wasmade with- ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharajVastu small and could notholdmany PrasadMukherjeechowkwillcre- comeup.Ican’tunderstandthein- the statefromthis year.Recently, OMKARGOKHALE studentsare yettoreturn to out consulting the stategovern- Sangrahalaya andNational people.”ArtistShashikantWadke ateatraffic hazard, affecting the tention behind the complainant,” the Chief MinisterUddhav MUMBAI,JANUARY22 campus as the higher and tech- ment.Eventually, SPPU with- GalleryofModernArt on MG hascreatedthestatue.Thereisno safetyofpedestrians,visitorswho said MayorKishori Pednekar. Thackeray-ledgeneral adminis- nicaleducation department is drew itsdecision. Despite Road. The Sena had proposedthe clarity on itscost. mayindulgeintaking selfiesor The Sena has invited leaders tration department had included THE BOMBAY High CourtFriday yettoallow reopening of col- demands from parents, students statueayearago.Itwassupposed Citizen groups from Colaba merelystoponthecarriageway to fromacrossthepoliticalspectrum hisfather’snameinthelistofbirth refusedtogrant urgent relief to leges. and even collegemanagements, to comeupattraffic island oppo- have opposedthestatuebeingin- viewthe statue,” Raowrote. forthe unveiling of the statueon anniversaries of great national former BroadcastAudience Afew days ago, StateHigher the university is yettobudge siteRegal Cinemaand near stalledattrafficislandcitinga2013 TheBMCis,however, insistent Saturday.Party leaders said that personalities thatwouldbecele- Research Council (BARC) chief and Technical Education from itspresent stand. MaharashtraPoliceHeadquarters. Supreme Court order that had that the statue unveiling will go NCPchief SharadPawar, Congress brated by the government. executive officer (CEO) Partho Dasgupta,arrestedinalleged Television Rating Points(TRP) 65.3% VACCINATION IN STATE TILL NOW scam case. Dasgupta had moved an urgent praecipe seeking his 20.03 lakh transfer to aprivate hospital after TOTALPOSITIVECASES being dischargedfromstate-run INMAHARASHTRA JJHospital. 3districtsrecord The former BARC CEO, who Active Cases 44,926 wasbeingshiftedtoTaloja jail, New Cases 2,779 claimedthathewas unfit to be TotalDeaths 50,684 discharged. New Deaths 50 Asingle-judgebenchofjus- tice Prakash DNaik heard Quarantined2.13lakh over80%turnout Dasgupta’s plea in his chambers Tested 1.4crore Fridayevening afterregular courthours. 3,05,136 TABASSUM ATAGLANCE Through advocateArjun BARNAGARWALA Singh Thakur,the former BARC TOTALPOSITIVE MUMBAI,JANUARY22 DISTRICTS WITH HIGH TURNOUT CEO had movedabail applica- CASESINMUMBAI tion before the high courtafter District Target Vaccinated Percentage New Cases 483 DHULE, HINGOLI andAmravati the sessions courtonJanuary20 Dhule 1200 1068 89% TotalDeaths 11,287 districtshaverecordedover80 rejected his bailpleainthe al- per cent turnout of health work- Hingoli 600534 89% leged TRP scam.Inthe plea, New Deaths 9 ers forCovid-19vaccination, Dasgupta sought interim bail for Amravati 1500 1254 84% whichisthe highestinthe state twoweeksorsought to be trans- till January20. While the first Bhandara900 712 79% ferred to Hinduja Hospital in threedaysofvaccination saw Mumbai fortreatment. relatively lowerturnout,on LOW TURNOUT The stategovernment, No new Fridaythe staterecorded 21,610 DistrictsTargetVaccinated Percentage through chief public prosecutor immunisations whichis76.2 per Raigad 1200 55746% Deepak Thakare, opposedthe Covid case cent of total health workers At theCovid-19vaccinationcentreinThane’s civil hospital on Friday. DeepakJoshi plea and submitted that there scheduledfor vaccination. Aurangabad 3000 1429 48% wasnourgent needfor Dasgupta in Dharavi Overall, Maharashtrastands at Sangli 2700 1323 49% to be shifted to aprivate hospi- 65.3 per cent turnout of targeted Gadchiroli 1200 589 49% talsince JJHospital had exam- 1.12 lakhhealth workers. inedhis health and declaredhim Pune 9100 4560 50% Vaccination centres to increase for 2nd time Whilehealth secretaryDr to be fittobedischarged. Pradeep Vyas said the turnout As per the standardproce- since April will scale up in the long run, dis- from 285 to 511 from Monday dure, Thakaresaid, Dasgupta trict officials said though thereis them.Onthe firstday of vacci- wasbeingtaken to Taloja jail eagerness to getvaccinated District officials said nation, 100per cent health hospital wherehewould remain amonghealth workers, glitches though thereis workers turnedup, whichre- Maharashtrahad received a were selected forvaccination. under observation. Medical offi- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE in the CoWIN application have ducedto60per cent on the sec- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE batchof9.83lakh vaccine doses. Theyare likelytobeincreasedto cers therewouldexaminehim MUMBAI,JANUARY22 hamperedthe entire process in eagerness to get ond daybut shotupto107 per MUMBAI,JANUARY22 Along withthe second batch, 511fromMonday. and onlybasedontheir decision, early days.Insome districts, vaccinated,glitches in cent on the thirdday. thereare over 18 lakhdoses, Dr Gehlotsaid, in ameeting he would be takeninside the FORTHE second time since April health workers skippedvaccina- DistrictslikeMumbai, STARTING MONDAY, morethanenough to give two on Friday, districtsweredirected prison, he said. 1, lastyear,Dharavidid notreport tion as the inoculation centres CoWIN application Raigad, Sangli, Gadchiroli,Pune, Maharashtrawill increase the to- doses to health workers. to increase their resourcestoset “If the medical officers from anew Covid-19case on Friday. were located toofar. have hampered the and Aurangabad, however, have talnumber of vaccination centres On Friday,Maharashtra up morevaccination centres. jail find it necessaryatany point December 25,lastyear wasthe In Dhule, of 1,200health process in early days recordedlessthan50per cent from 285to511 and alsoextend recorded21,610immunisations, "Wehave20,000 doses. By of the time that the applicant is firsttime when the former workers listedfor vaccination at turnout till January20. In the vaccination drive to five days whichis76.2per cent of total SaturdayorSunday,wewillre- required to be admitted to JJ Covid-19hotspothad not four sites, 1,068(89 percent) got Mumbai, half of the 10,400 aweek instead of four days across health workers scheduled for ceive16,000 moredoses. From Hospital again, theywould take recordedanew case. vaccinated till January20. Civil hesitancy in five other districts health workers scheduledfor the state. vaccination. Mumbai's perform- Monday, we will be ready with appropriatesteps. In accordance According to BMC data, since surgeon Manik Sangale said due to lackofefficacy data of vac- vaccination reportedfor the in- The stateisplanning to com- anceimprovedsignificantly with 11 centres, up from four," Gehlot with the discharge note,the ap- the pandemicbroke out,Dharavi sinceonlyCovishield vaccine is cineinpublic. tramuscular jab. On Fridayhow- plete thedeliveryofthe vaccine's 92 per cent (3,539) of those added. plicant would be treatedby has reported3,904cases. It, being administered, health Covaxin, developedindige- ever,Mumbai sawasudden up- firstdosetothe 7.58 lakh health scheduled forinoculation step- Suresh Kakani, additional medical officers in jail,” Thakare however, hasonly10active cases workers arereadytoget vacci- nously by Bharat Biotech in col- take in vaccination, recording 92 workers by February ping up forajab in their arms. municipalcommissioner in added. now. GNorth ward,whichcov- nated.“Onlythose with some laboration with the Indian per centturnout. "Wewillbescaling up to over Across the state, eight cases of Mumbai, said BMC will hold are- The courtwhile permitting ers Dharavi, Dadar and Mahim, comorbidities arerefusing.On CouncilofMedical Research Lowest turnout has been 500centresimmediately. minor adverseeventswere viewmeeting on Saturday to fi- the bail plea seeking interim re- recordedonlyfivenew cases on the firstday,our district health (ICMR), is being administeredat recordedinRaigadwhereof Districtswill beaskedto increase noted, twoofthem were re- nalise the scale up in centres. lief to be heardMonday, refused Friday–two in Dadar and three officergot vaccinated.Thaten- six sites in Maharashtrawith 1,200scheduledfor vaccination numbers as per need," said N portedfromMumbai. "Currentlyweare running only to grantany urgent relief and in Mahim. couraged severalinthe lower dailytargetof600 immunisa- at the four centres only557 (or Ramaswamy,director,National Mostdistrictswereable to one shift, if we run twoshifts,we asked thestate government to The BMC wasrunningnine rungs (totakethe dose),” Sangale tions across state. Of the 300 46 per cent) have turnedup. Dr HealthMission, Maharashtra. achieve morethan 60 per cent canimmunise 14,400 health place before it documentsper- quarantine facilities in schools, said. scheduledtoreceive Covaxin in Bhagyashree Patil, the superin- Stateofficials said by turnout of health workers for workersinaday.Wewillplan for taining to Dasgupta’s health con- sports complexes, hostels and Dhule has recordedfour very Amravati till January20, atotal tendent of government rural February 12,the firstdosehas to vaccination. the next week," he said. dition, including the discharge communityhalls to accommo- minoradverse eventsfollowing of 253 have turnedup, much hospital, Poladpur,said vaccine be giventoall health workers. In Chandrapur,district health In Mumbai, thereare 10 cen- papers issuedbyJJHospital and datepeople in the area. Forpro- inoculation, though none re- higher than JJ Hospital in hesitancyisresponsible forthe From January25onwards,data officer Dr RajGehlotsaid each tres with 40 vaccinators at latestmedical reports of Taloja vidingcritical care, it had also quired hospitalisation. Officials Mumbai where67healthwork- poor turnout. “Wehavenot car- of frontline workers will be up- health worker,scheduledforthe presentl. jail hospital. takenoverfiveprivate hospitals. said this has been an “added ad- ersand Aurangabadwhere104 riedany awareness sessions yet, loadedonCo-WIN portal, the day, reachedout to thenearest Stateofficials said exceptfor Until June, morethan 8,500peo- vantage” and encouraged more turnedupinsame period. but it seems health workers are digital platform usedtorecord vaccination centre. In Gadchiroli, Tuesdays and Sundays,vaccina- ple were quarantinedinsuchfa- health workerstoget vaccinated. Dr Chandrashekhar Nikam, noteager to getvaccinated. countrywideCovid-19 immuni- free transporttovaccination cen- tion will be undertakenonall Congress alleges cilities. “The CoWin app issues were the superintendent of Amravati Thereare onlyfour centres so sation. trewas providedonFridaytoin- days aweek.Avaccine's shelf life On April 1, 2020, Dharavihad recordedonlyonthe firstday districthospital, said theyhave long-distance travelling could On Thursday, Maharashtra crease turnout. is six months, and avial has to be securitybreach, reportedits firstcase and also here.Thankfully, afterthat it has been scheduling morevaccina- also be areason,” she said. received8.39lakhdoses of In Mumbai,senior doctors in used within six hours once the firstdeath due to Covid-19. run smoothly,”Sangale said. tion appointmentsthanthe in- In Gadchiroli, of the 1,200 Covishield and begandistribu- hospitals aretaking the shotto opened. protests against In Amravati, 1,254health tendedtargetsothat district’s only589 (or 49 percent) health tion process immediatelytonine encouragenurses and junior doc- Director of Family Welfareat workers or 84 per cent turnout full capacity is utilised. workers came forvaccination till regional vaccine storagefacilities. tors. DirectorateofHealth Services Dr Arnab Goswami Dharavihas reported has been recordedtillJanuary20 Hingoli has atargetofvacci- Thursday. On Friday, health Mumbai received1.25 lakh Stateofficialssaid theywere Archana Patil said, "Severalissues of 1,500healthworkers sched- nating only200 health workers workers, including ASHAs and doses. For7.58 lakh healthwork- waiting to streamline the use of regarding Co-WIN have been 3,904cases so far, uled forvaccination. The district aday.Officials said withalower auxiliarynurse midwives, were ers, the stateneeds over 17.1 lakh Co-WIN app before expanding sorted. District officials can now EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE as per BMC data has also seen maximum turnout target the district is able to focus providedvehicles to reachthe doses, including scope of 10 per the numberofcentresinthe open moresites forvaccination MUMBAI,JANUARY22 forCovaxin, whichiswitnessing on eachrecipient and counsel four vaccinationcentres. cent wastage. On January12, state. Until now, 285 centres to speedupthe process." THE MUMBAI unit of the Congress on Fridayheld aprotest MONEYLAUNDERING CASE:CHANDOLEBAILREJECTED againstRepublic TV editor-in- chief Arnab Goswami overhis purported WhatsApp chatsthat Nexus of MMRDA insiders with corporates, political bigwigscan’t be ruled out: Court the party alleged amounted to breachofnational security and Development Authority (MM- stake. The possibility cannotbe profits. Courtissues quently. moterofthe company, is the violationofOfficial SecretsAct. SADAFMODAK RDA) being cheated of Rs 175 ruledoutthe insidersof MMRDA, Chandole, who wasarrested process against TheEDalsoclaimedthatfunds primeconspiratorwho“siphoned City Congress chief Bhai MUMBAI,JANUARY22 crorebyTopsgrup Services and i.e officials, were hand in glove on November 25 lastyear,had Topsgrup owner receivedfromthecentralgovern- offmoney, laundereditthrough Jagtap ledthe protestnear the SolutionsLtd,whichprovidedse- with the big corporategroups or said his arrest wasdue to an “ul- ment under the Deen Dayal variouswaysincludingloans,gifts, Republic TV’s office at Worliin REJECTINGBAIL to Amit curity guards to the public urban influentialpolitical bigwigs to terior motive”and due to his TheEDsubmittedbefore thecourt UpadhyayGrameen Kushalya salaries to familymembers, to south Mumbai. Chandole, an alleged aide of Shiv planning authority.Itisalleged siphon the funds from the public “proximitywithapoliticalfigure” that in 2017 Topsgrup owner Yoganawere divertedforpersonal overseas companies”. “He The purportedchatsbe- SenaMLA Pratap Sarnaikwho that while acontract wassigned authorityfor theirpersonalgain,” in the state. He had also submit- Rahul Nanda, namedasanac- and corporateuses. Asum of Rs 5 (Nanda) also cheated MMRDA,a tween Goswami and former wasarrestedbythe Enforcement in 2014 to provide 350-500 the courtsaid. While Chandole’s tedtothe courtthat the motive of cusedinthe case, had starteda crorewas alsoallegedly trans- government agency forwith the Broadcast AudienceResearch Directorate(ED)inanalleged guards to be deployedon bail plea wasrejectedlastweek, his arrest wastoextract names of newbusiness in the name of ferredto firmslinkedwithreales- help of influential personsbyro- Council (BARC) head Partho moneylaundering case, alocal MMRDA’s sites, only70per cent the order wasmade available political figures, likePratap Cheep CareLLP whereheand his tate,films and fashion, without tating moneyand it wasusedfor Dasguptainconnectionwith the courtsaid apossibility cannotbe were assigned. The company, Thursday. Sarnaik,and he waspressured to daughterswere partnersin90per the companyboard’s approval. hispersonalgain and money Balakot air strikewerewidelyre- ruledout that insidersorofficials however, kept submitting bills for The ED has alleged that attributeaculpableroleto himde- centand10 percentcapacities,re- The balancesheetof2017-18, laundering”,theEDtoldthecourt. portedinmedia. of the MMRDAwere“hand in 100per cent deployment. Chandole waspaid afixed com- spitetherebeing no basis forthe spectively. the ED said, showedthat service The courtobserved that there “Howdid Goswami getthe glove” with big corporate groups “An investigation, prima-fa- mission of Rs 50,000permonth allegations. The ED claimedthat between tax, GST, provident fund, wasprima facie material to pro- sensitive information, which or influential political bigwigs to cie, revealedthat those involved and Rs 500per guardtocontinue The court, however, said that 2017 and 2019,Rs25crore was Employees’ StateInsurance ceedinthe case and issued only the PMOand the Defence siphon offfunds from the public in the offence playedahoax and this alleged arrangement.The sinceheis“connectedwith polit- transferredfromTopsgrup to this Corporation and taxdeducted at processagainstNanda,hisdaugh- Ministryare privy to?The sensi- authority fortheir private gains. in adisguisedway dupedthe ED said that he wasacting as a ical persons”, the possibility of companybyway of loansbut source (TDS) to be paid by the terRasshi,thecompany, Chandole tive informationwas usedin The ED is probing allegations public authority,i.e MMRDA, in conduit of Sarnaik,collecting him tampering evidence cannot were notrepaidandthecompany companyremainedunpaid. The and MSashidharan, the former boosting the TRP of his channel,” of Mumbai Metropolitan Region whichpublic monies were at Rs 6lakh per month and sharing be ruled out. wasshown to be in losses subse- ED claimed that Nanda, as apro- MD of the company. the Congress leader alleged. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 MAHARASHTRA 5 Fire safety compliance: BMC proposes Prostitution racketbusted: self-certification for low-rise buildings HC grants bail to Nigerian administrative approval. 10,000calls forbirdand animal national booked in case SANJANABHALERAO Currently, fornew or under- rescue annually. MUMBAI, JANUARY22 construction buildings,MFB is- To reduce the burden of ad- sues a“provisional fire compli- ministrative tasksand improve OMKARGOKHALE In the absence of TO LESSENthe non-firefighting ance certificate” afterbuilders the operation of the fire MUMBAI,JANUARY22 material evidence to responsibilities of the Mumbai or architectssubmit the plan, brigade, various committees Fire Brigade (MFB), the civic including all fire safetymeas- have made recommendations, THE BOMBAY High Court, while implicatehim, court body has proposednew low- ures. Once the construction is however, noneofthemhas observing that therewas no ev- granted bailtothe rise buildings in the city to ob- completed, ajoint inspectionis been implemented so far. After idence against aNigerian na- foreign national tain self-certification forfire conducted by officials from the four senior fire department of- tional whose premise wasused safetycompliance. building proposal department, ficials were killedinablaze at to push awoman intoprostitu- Under the proposedpolicy, health officer and fire brigade. Kalbadevi in 2015,afact-find- tion, has allowedhis release Justice Prakash DNaik on Brihanmumbai Municipal All the datafromthe inspection ing committee had stated: on bail. January15passedthe order on a Corporation (BMC) officials is then fedtosoftwareand an “Firemen should focus on fire- The court’s observations bail plea filedbyPaulBleesing said, buildings up to 30-metre auto-generated dateisgiven. fighting and fire prevention, were basedonthe fact that the Ngozi, aNigerian national, high(roughlyeight stories) or And within 24 hours,the MFB and notbeburdened by admin- victim, in her statement, had said through advocateSandeep Rehearsalfor police parade at Saket ground in Mumbai ahead of Republic Day. Deepak Joshi low-rise buildings will no has to give aremarkonthe in- istrative tasks”. thatshe wasinvited to India by Mishra. longer needtoobtain ano-ob- spection. In 2011,the BMC had de- twoaccusedonthe pretextof Justice Naik ruled, “Applicant jection certificatefromthe MFB As per the Fire SafetyAct,if cidedtoformacell of 99 fire of- being providedajob and wasput is foreign national.Hemay ab- to getanoccupation certificate aresidential building does not ficers to onlyinspect high-rises up at the applicant’s premise. scond. However, thereisnoma- Government of India (OC).Instead, buildersorarchi- have proper fire safetyinstalla- and checktheir fire safetysys- The courtheld thatthough the terialonrecordtoindicatethat tectscan getafiresafetycom- tions,the society or builder can tems. The plan nevermateri- applicantcould abscond, in the the applicantwas involved in co- Ministry of Health &Family Welfare pliance audit donebyathird be prosecuted under Sections alised. Afterthe Kalbadevi fire, absence of material evidence to ercing the victim to indulgeinto party or an empanelledprivate 6,7 and 8ofthe legislation. the idea of aseparatecell was implicatehim in the offence, he prostitution. In viewofthis, a NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH TRAINING &RESEARCH agency with the civic body and In addition to the firefight- mootedbut failedtotakeoff.In could be letout on bail. case forgrant of bail is made 332 SVP Road, Khetwadi, Girgaon, Mumbai-400004 submit itsreport to the build- ing operation in the city, thefire 2017,after 14 people diedinthe Asingle judgebenchof out.” ing proposals department. brigade handles complaintsof Kamala Mills fire,for the third ADMISSION NOTICE (2021-22) Forhigh rises, NOC from the tree (or branch) fall during time topofficials discusseda MFB will, however, remain monsoon -- as manyas5,000 separatecell in the fire brigade NATIONAL Institute of Public Health Training & Research, Mumbai, a Central mandatory. Adraft policyhas to 6,000 suchincidentsare re- to handle non-firefighting re- Training Institute of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India invites been submitted to Municipal portedeachyear.Onaverage, sponsibilities. Once again, it re- applications in the prescribed format for the following courses for the Commissioner ISChahal for the department also receives mainedinthe discussion stage. academic year 2021-22. A. Regular Courses : ECLG SCHEME Regular Courses Age (Years) No. of Duration HC seeks Centre, Seats 1. Master in Public Health Minimum age 21 years 10 Two RBI response to (MPH) Years 2. Post Graduate Diploma in Minimum age 21 years 30 One plea seeking Hospital Management Year inclusion of (PGDHM) 3. Diploma in Health Up to 40 years. 30 One urban co-op Promotion Education (Age relaxation as per GOI Year (DHPE) rules) banks in scheme 4. Post Graduate Diploma in Up to 40 years. 30 One Community Health Care (Age relaxation as per GOI Year EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE (PGDCHC) rules) MUMBAI,JANUARY22 B. Skill Based Training Programmes : (As per the guidelines issued by the, Ministry of Health &Family Welfare, Govt. of India, New Delhi) THE BOMBAY High Courtlast weekissuednoticestotheReserve Skill Based Training Age (Years) No. of Duration Bank of India (RBI) and the min- Programme Seats istries of finance andMSMEs, di- 1. Sanitary Health 18-30 30 One Year rectingthemto filerepliesto ape- titionseeking inclusion of urban Inspector cooperative banksinthe 2. Diabetes Educator Above 30 On campus-3 Months EmergencyCreditLineGuarantee 22 Years Online/Off campus - 6 Months Scheme (ECLGS), 2020, an- 3. Home Health Aide 18-30 30 4 Months nounced by the government in 4. General Duty 18-30 30 6 Months Maylastyear to helpmicro, small Assistant andmediumenterprisestideover losses sufferedduringthe coron- 5. First Responder 18 Years 30 4Days avirus-inducedlockdown. and above The measures announcedto The last date for submission of completed application along with application help the sector includedcollat- fees Rs. 200/- (Rs. TwoHundred only) paid Online or by DD/Bankers cheque eral-free loans,automatic loans drawn in favour of "Director, National Institute of Public Health Training & backedbyagovernment guaran- teeand an updated definition of Research" payable at Mumbai by Registered/speed post only is 31st March MSMEs. 2021. SC/ST candidates are exempted from the application fees. Selection of Petitioner Printplus Pvt Ltd, a candidates will be by Common Entrance Test (CET) for regular courses. The Bhiwandi-basedMSME that detail notification for the admission to various courses conducted by NIPHTR, manufacturespaperanditsprod- Mumbai are available at www.fwtrc.gov.in. ucts, statedthat acause foraction Sd/- inthepetitionaroseasitsprimary lender,the Apna Sahakari Bank, DIRECTOR/efveosçekeâ had refusedtoextend the benefit N.I.P.H.T.R. MUMBAI/Sve.DeeÙe.heer.SÛe.šer.Deej., cegbyeF&-4. of the scheme on July14lastyear as it is an urban cooperative bank and notascheduledcommercial bank. Referring to the scheme, the petition states: “Unfortunately, andarbitrarily,UCBsdonot fallun- dertheambitof thescheme,even thoughthereare 1,541UCBsinthe countryhaving depositsand ad- vances Rs 4,84,316 croreand Rs 3,03,018,respectively.UCB, thus, provide essential supporttoa large numberofMSMEs,and the schemeoughtto have considered this as arelevant factor in deter- miningtheambitof thescheme.” The petition states, "UCBs are financiallysound. Out of 1,540 UCBs, 1,199banksare...ratedA and B, as per RBI, whichare the rating of satisfactoryrunning banks.The gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of the UCB sector are7.1 per cent as againstgross NPAs of 9.1per cent of the sched- uledcommercial banks... UCBs thereare well qualified to be in- cludedinall schemes of the gov- ernment." Afterhearing the matter last Thursday,the BombayHChas is- suednotices to the RBI and the centralgovernmentto respondto the petition. The matter will next be heardonJanuary 28.

CLASS VTOVIII Pune schools to resume classroom studiesfrom February1

Pune: Amonth afterschools were reopenedfor classes IX to XII, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) permitted classroom teaching from February1. In his order,Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar said schools can startclassroom teaching forstudentsfromClass VtoVIIIfromFebruary 1byfol- lowing the issuedguidelines and standardoperating procedure forreopening of schools. Schools, however, will have to getconsent from parentsbe- fore studentsstart attending classes, he added. ENS WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 6 MAHARASHTRA

Woman CM-APPOINTED PANEL Avian flu confirmed withdraws rape complaint ‘CommoncarshedatKanjurmargfeasible, in poultry birds of 16 against Munde butAareysitenotsuitableforexpansion’ districts; toll 14,524 EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE farm wherethe birddeaths have MUMBAI,JANUARY22 SANJANABHALERAO been found due to avian in- MMRDA, MSRDC differovertime and costoverruns MUMBAI,JANUARY22 fluenza. AWOMAN, who had accused New report in hand, Of the total 29 places where MaharashtraCabinetminister Court staying construction at the (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz), two THE NUMBER of dead birds in the culling of poultrybirds has Dhananjay Munde of rape, with- SANDEEPASHAR site,while admitting pleas by the otherunderconstructionelevated Maharashtrasince January8has beenordered,destructionofpoul- drew her complaint on the MUMBAI,JANUARY22 Centre’ssaltdepartmentand pri- lines –line 6(SwamiSamarath govt set to push for risen to 14,524onFriday. Avian try, eggs,poultryfeedandexcreta ground that “the complaint was vate partiesagainsttheallotment. Nagar-Vikhroli) and line 4 influenzaorbirdflu in poultry has been completedin25places. beingusedforpoliticalconspiracy ECHOING THE Uddhav The BJP,relying mainlyona (Wadala-Kasarvadavli) –and the birds has been confirmedacross As of Friday, 39,483birds, eight by theopposition”. Thackeray-ledMahaVikas January2019report by another proposedcorridor 14 early hearing in HC 16 districts. ducks,35,515 eggs and 53,046kg Since no FIR had been regis- Aghadigovernment's argument Thackeray-appointed panel, has (Kanjurmarg-Badlapur), arguing On Thursday,732 birds were feed has been destroyed. teredinthecomplaint,whichwas in favour of acar shed forthe questionedthe CM's relocation that it wastechnicallyand eco- found dead in the state. Of the to- Under the BirdFlu Disease at an inquirystate,the investiga- MumbaiMetro 3corridorat move.Thepreviouspanel,headed nomicallyviable. tal, 626werepoultrybirds. Control Program, the stategov- tion in the matter ends with the Kanjurmarg, anine-man expert by Additional Chief Secretary It has arguedthat the SANDEEPASHAR On December 16,2020, Among the totalnumber of dead ernment on Fridaysanctioned statement that will be recorded panel–headedbystate Chief Manoj Saunik, had ruledout Kanjurmarg site,onaccountof its MUMBAI,JANUARY22 the HC had, in an poultrybirds, the highesttoll was compensation of Rs 1.3crore for on an affidavit. SecretarySanjayKumar –has Kanjurmarg,statingthattheinte- largersize,canalsoaccommodate in Jalgaon at 198, followedby the culling of poultryand other An IPS officer said,“The ruledthat the 102-acrelandear- gration of multiple Metrolines futureexpansion requirements ARMED WITH the latestexpert interim ruling, stayed Yavatmalat118.Fifty-fourin birds, eggs and poultryfeedand woman has givenusawritten markedfor construction at wastechnicallyand financially moreadequatelythanAarey,and panelreport thatfavours con- the construction work Palghar,eightinRaigad, three in the operational costofdisease statement,sayingthatshewanted Kanjurmargwas more suitable unviable while recommending can effectively be rendered as a struction of acommon car shed Pune, five in Satara, four in control within 1km radius of the to withdraw thecomplaint as it than the siteatAarey. resumption of the car shedwork “transit hub”onthe lines of the formultiple Metrocorridors at of the car shedat Nashik, oneinAhmednagar,115 infected area. wasbeing usedfor politicalrea- Rejecting an earlier commit- at Aarey. yard forthe London KanjurmarginMumbai, the Kanjurmargwhile in Beed, 17 in Jalna, eight in Poultry farmers within 1km sons.” tee’s reportthat Aarey wasthe With the HC expectedtohear Underground. UddhavThackeray government admitting pleas by the Nanded, four in Osmanabad, radius of the infectedzone will be Later in the day, the com- mostsuitablesiteforthecarshed the matter next month, Sources, however, said that is nowgearing up forthe legal nine in Hingoli, 33 in Amravati, compensated forthe loss due to plainant put up her statement on project, the committee, which Thackeray,inabid to makea duringthe committee’s meeting, battle. Centre’s salt 20 in Nagpur and 29 were found culling of their poultryand other asocialmediaplatform.Thestate- had submitted itsfindings to the strongercaseforKanjurmarg,had representatives of MMRDA and In the wake of recommenda- department and two dead in Gondia. birds, eggs and poultryfeed. This ment read, “I want to clarify that CMO on Thursday, has opined onJanuary6formedthechief sec- MMRCL, whichisoverseeing line tions made by the nine-man ex- private parties Sixty-nine birds, including includes mainlylaying birds (egg- relationsbetweenMrMundeand thatmorespace insidethe eco- retary-ledpanelto re-evaluatethe 3construction,had adiffering pertcommittee, the government herons, sparrows and parrots laying poultry birds) up to eight my sisterhadsouredandoncethe logicallyrichAarey expanse will integrationoption andthe suit- viewovertimeandcostoverruns has decidedtopush foranearly were founddeadonWednesday. weeksofage forRs20per bird, court casestarted,Iwas under be required forthe expansion of ability of the sites. in the commissioning of the cor- resolution of the ongoing dis- Of the total, twowerefound dead layerbirds above eightweeksof mentalstress.However, afterIsaw the yard in future, necessitating Afterfour meetings and one ridor on account of suchaninte- puteinthe BombayHigh Court. blocks in the progress of three in Mumbai, 11 in Thane, one each ageRs90per bird, broiler birds up the opposition target him, Ifelt I furtherdamagetothe green site visit, the panelsubmitted its gration. Even in the past, MMRCL On the basis of thefindings, it is underconstructionMetro corri- in Nanded, Satara, Wardha and to six weeksofage Rs 20 per bird, wasbeingusedforapoliticalcon- cover. findingsonThursday. KVKrishna has raised concerns about the settofile afresh affidavit, urging dors (lines3,4and 6). As per the Palghar,three eachinPune and broilersabove sixweeksRs 70 per spiracy and some people were In October 2019,justaheadof Rao,Professor of Centre for Urban economic viability and the legal the HC to prepone hearings in deliberations, the government Ratnagiri, four in Beedand 42 in bird, poultryeggs Rs 3per egg, shooting from my shoulders and the AssemblypollsinScience and Engineering in IIT- and contractual hassles on ac- the matter. has decidedtofocus on thenew Akola. Total37crows have been poultryfeedRs12per kg,ducks this is wrong.” Maharashtra, overnight felling of Bombaywas apartofthe panel, count of such amove. On December 16,2020, the panel's findings that Kanjurmarg found dead in the statewith up to six weeksofage Rs 35 per Thestatementadded,“Forthe 2,500treesfor theprojectatAarey whichalsohadsixseniorbureau- But sources said that the HC had, in an interim ruling, wasamoresuitable option fora seveninMumbai, 14 in Thane, birdand ducks above six week recordIwanttoclarify that Itake by then DevendraFadnavis-led cratsbesides Kumar. panel, eventually, has echoed stayed theconstructionworkof car shedasits main weapon in four eachinRatnagiri and Beed, ageRs135 per bird. backmycomplaint against regimehadtriggeredwidespread Principal Secretary MMRDA’s argumentthat build- the car shedatKanjurmarg the courtcase as well. three in Pune, twoeachinSatara The cause of poultrybirds' Munde.Iwanttoclarify Idonot protests.Thackeray’ssonAaditya, (Environment)Manisha ing acommonfacility wasinthe while admitting pleas by the On the ownership row, the and Ahmednagar and one in deathhas been confirmedtobe have anyinappropriatephoto- nowthe environmentminister, Mhaiskar,BMC Commissioner long-termpublicinterestandwill Centre’s saltdepartment and government's prime contention Nanded. birdflu in Parbahni, Latur, graphs of videos.” had spearheadedthe protests. IqbalSingh Chahal, Konkan bring down the collective costof twoprivate parties againstthe will be that aNovember1,2018 According to the contain- Nanded, Pune, Solapur,Yavatmal, In her complaint earlier,the The issue has since become apo- Divisional Commissioner MetroprojectsbyRs4,656 crore. collector’s order regarding the order of then staterevenue min- ment plan,prepared by the Ahmednagar,Beed, Raigad, complainant, the sisterofa liticalboneof contentionbetween Annasaheb Misal, Transport Sources addedthat MMRCL rep- landallotment to the MMRDA isterChandrakant Patil (current Centre, the local administration Thane, Gondia, Ahmednagar, woman whom Munde wasina the twosides. Commissioner Avinash Dhakne, resentativeshad notsubmitted forbuildingthe facility. stateBJP chief)–inquasi-judi- will cull poultrybirds within 1km Hingoli, Satara, Nagpur and consensualrelationshipwith,had HavingstayedtheAareyproj- Mumbai MetroRail Corporation anydissenting note againstthe Whilepassing the interim or- cial capacity –dismissing the salt radius of the particular poultry Gadhchiroli. alleged that the ministermain- ect almost immediately after Limited (MMRCL) Managing viewpoint in the final report. der,the HC had schedulednext department’s claim on theland, tainedphysicalrelationswithher coming to power, Thackeray had, Director Ranjit Singh Deol, BesidesAarey and hearings in the matter in wasinforce. on the pretextofmarriageand lastOctober,scrappedtheproject Additional Metropolitan Kanjurmarg, the panel also in- February. As farasthe private parties helping to launch her as asinger altogether,opting foraninte- Commissioner Sonia Sethi and spected land options at Bandra- On Thursdayevening, areconcerned, sources said that Will go aheadwith hunger inBollywood.Thewomanhadap- gratedyard forfourMetrolines(3, MMRDA’s Director (Works) KurlaComplexand Kalina but sources said that Thackeray held the state’s legal viewpoint is that proachedOshiwarapolice on 4, 6and 14)atthe 102-acre PramodAhujawere appointedas ruledthemout.Whileatechnical detaileddeliberations with his the claim raisedbyone of them strike: Hazare after January11and had submitted a Kanjurmargsite. members,making it asuperior argument that even Aarey could Principal Advisor AjoyMehta, dealt with another piece of land, writtencomplaint. But on December 16,2020, panel than the previous one. accommodate thefutureexpan- Chief SecretarySanjayKumar whereas the rights enjoyedby Thecomplainthadbeengiven the collector’s allotment of the Overruling theSaunikcom- sion requirements–without and senior officialsfor finalisa- the second one waslimited to meeting BJP leaders to theOshiwarapolicewhere Kanjurmargland to the Mumbai mittee’s findings,the newpanel morechopping of trees -- was tion of the legal strategy. manufactureofsalt on aportion Jyotsna Rasam, an ACP, recorded MetropolitanRoadDevelopment has ruledinfavour of acommon made during ameeting, it is nota Sources said that the CMO is of land, and thatoncesuchman- to them if there wasaconcrete herstatement.Mundedeniedthe Authority(MMRDA)ranintoale- carshedatKanjurmargfor the part of the final report, said worriedthat aprolonged court ufacturing of salt ceased, the EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE proposal regardinghis demands. rapechargesbutNCPchief Sharad galhurdle,with theBombayHigh underground Metrocorridor 3 sources. matter will pose major road- rightswerenolonger valid. PUNE,MUMBAI,JANUARY22 The trio then reachedRalegan Pawarsaid it wasagraveallega- Siddhi in the evening withalet- tion and theywould wait forthe LEADEROFOppositioninthestate terfromUnion Agriculture inquiryreport.Mumbai police FIREATSERUM INSTITUTE OF INDIA Assembly, DevendraFadnavis, MinisterNarendraTomar and had been asked to complete the along with other BJP leaders, met held ameeting with Hazareathis investigation within aweek. FSL collects samples, Crime Branch launches probe social reformer Anna Hazareon residence. Soon afterher complaint, BJP Fridaytourgehim nottounder- “Theyhad brought aletter leader Krishna Hegde and MNS take an indefinitefast, as the from the Unionagriculture min- worker Manish Dhuri had ap- tankers, four Devdoot(small fire Union government waslooking ister. But Iwillgoaheadwithmy proachedpolice,saying the com- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE tender) vans, one hydraulic lift, intoall the aspectsraisedbyhim plans to hold ahunger strikefor plainant had been stalking them PUNE,JANUARY22 and one vanequippedwith in regard to the farm laws. my demands,” Hazaretoldme- and even tried to honey-trap breathing apparatus were put However, they failedtopersuade diapersons afterthe meeting. them.Theytoosubmittedwritten PUNE CITYPolice and fire fight- intoservice to douse the firs, of- the84-year-oldactivisttochange Afterthe meeting, Fadnavis complaintstotheMumbaipolice. ing agenciesonFridayinitiated ficials said. At least10fireofficers hisplans. toldmediapersons,“Weappealed An officer said theywould record aprobe intothe fire incident at and over 70 personnelwerein- Hazarehad announcedthat to Hazarenot to go onfast.Weap- the duo’s statementsinconnec- the Serum InstituteofIndia (SII) volvedinthe fire-fighting oper- he would go on an indefinitefast praisedhim that the Uniongov- tion with the case. building,inwhichfivepersons ation. Mostofthe area on the in Delhi from January30tode- ernment valuedhis lettersand Pawar, talking to reporters in had diedonThursday. fourth, fifthand six floors,which mand that the Centrerepealsthe suggestions, whichare of social Kolhapur, said: “In the beginning, Whilethe incident took place have hugecarpetareas, were three contentious farm laws. concern. Therefore, the Centre Ihad made astatement that the in the jurisdiction of Hadapsar badlydamaged in the incident, Fadnaviswasaccompaniedby wantedto holdpersonaldialogue caseappearstobeserious,butfol- policestation, considering the said officials. former ministers Radhakrishna with him instead of correspon- lowingmorerevelations,theparty seriousness of thecase, the Pune Fire Officer Prabhakar Vikhe Patil and Girish Mahajan. ding through letters.” came to theconclusion that we City Police Crime Branchalso Umratkar,who wasamong the Theyweretomeetthe activistat Hazarehad expresseddisap- needtoget to the bottom of this startedaparallel investigation. A firsttoreachthe affected area, his villageRalegan Siddhi in pointmentthattheCentrehadig- andprimafacie,itappearsthatour case of accidental death and said, “... We observed that in- Ahmednagar in the morning,but nored severalletters he had sent decision wasright.” burning incident waslodged at tensesmokeand fumes were according to Hazare's associates, expressinghisconcernsaboutthe Hadapsar police station. coming outfromwindows and he deniedthem an appointment, farmlaws.Hehadsaidthathehad Alongwith the police, teams Serum InstituteofIndiaaday afterthe fire. Ashish Kale staircases. We startedheavy saying that he would onlyspeak written 23 letters. On R-Day, widows of the forensic science laboratory spray of waterfromoutside, us- of Vidarbha (FSL), the fire brigade and elec- ing the ladders on tendersand a tricity departmentvisited the SII workers who were at the SII cer of Pune Fire Brigade, visited fighting,” Potphode added. hydraulic lift. Afterinitiallycon- Mangroves not transferred farmers to join stir on Fridaytoascertain the cause building wherethe fire incident the SII premises on Friday. As per the sequence of events trolling the intensity of the fire, of fire. wasreported. The FSL team also “Fireofficials, electrical de- shared by various officials from especially that on thestaircase Pune Police Commissioner collected somesamples from the partment and FSL experts visited the Pune Fire Brigade, firstcall and hallways,our people could to forestdept: HC seeks EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Amitabh Gupta said, “Wehave spot. the site. We areyet to come to about the fire wasreceivedatthe reachmoreareas to douse the MUMBAI,JANUARY22 launchedaprobe.Aforensics DevendraPotphode, chief anyconclusion regarding the control room around 2.33pmon fire.” response from seven team visited the spotand col- fire officer of Pune Metropolitan cause of fire and howitspread. Thursday. Another fire officer said in- AGROUP of farmers’ widows lected samples. The Crime Region Development Authority Further investigation is on,” said Officials said that fire could side the under-construction from Vidarbha, ledbyVasantrao Branchhas also startedaprobe. (PMRDA), Santosh Warick, chief Potphode. have started15to20minutes building,electricwiring,insulat- coastal district collectors Naik Shetkari Swavlambhan Action willbetaken based on the fire officer of Maharashtra “Smog detection system at prior to that. ing material, ductsand plastic Mission (VNSSM) chairman preliminaryfindings.” Industrial Development the SII wasveryeffective. There Atotal of 10 fire tenders, in- objects were kept in large quan- transfer and handovernearly Kishore Tiwari,willparticipatein Sources said that the police Corporation (MIDC), and wassufficient watersupplyfor cluding six from Pune Fire tities, whichmight have aggra- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE mangrove land under the areas the ongoing agitation againstthe team spoketoabout adozen Prashant Ranpise, chief fire offi- the fire vehiclesinvolvedinfire Brigade, four additional water vatedthe fire. MUMBAI,JANUARY22 of the said district collectors to Centre’s three farm laws in Delhi revenue and forest department on RepublicDay. THE BOMBAY High Courton and chief conservator of forest, “Atleast60widows,whose Fridayasked thecollectors of the mangrove cell. husbandscommittedsuicidedue Ailing father yet to be informed of 21-yr-old’s death sevencoastaldistricts, along The PIL claimedthat while to agriculture crisis, will reach with the Mumbai Metropolitan nearly 15,311.7 hectares of man- Delhi from the Vidarbharegion der from SII. So, Pratik and Ingle Region DevelopmentAuthority groveland came under the 2018 this week and participate in the ANURADHA went thereThursdayafternoon (MMRDA), City and Industrial order’s ambit, atotal of 13,716.73 agitation," Tiwari said. MASCARENHAS& forasitevisit and took materials Development Corporation hectares were transferredtothe “The agrarian crisis in CHANDANHAYGUNDE forinverterinstallation. They (CIDCO) and Jawaharlal Nehru revenue and forest department. Vidarbha shows howfaulty poli- PUNE,JANUARY22 were about to startworkon Port Trust(JNPT), to statewhy However, 1,594.97hectares of cies have adverselyhit farmers Friday, but diedinthe fire,” theyhavenot compliedwithits mangroveareahavenot been and their families. The widows SANJAY PASHTE has been at alo- Ghanekar said. September 2018 order wherein transferredyet.Hesubmitted willnarrate theirstoriesandvoice calhospital forthe pastfew days Besides Pratikand Ingle, three it had directed allmangrovear- that the chief conservator of their protestagainstthe farm forhypertension and diabetes- others,identifiedasBipin Saroj eas to be declared forestsand forestshad remindedthe collec- laws," he added. relatedissues. Forthis reason, his (21), Rama ShankarHarijan (19), transferredtothe forest depart- tors and the authorities of non- Tiwari said: “The real chal- familyhas still nottold himabout both residentsofUP’s Pratapgarh ment. compliance of the high courtor- lenge is to bring the investment the death of his 21-year-old son inconsolable. and Sushil Kumar Pande (26) of Adivision benchofJustice AA der but none of them followit expenditure down. Farmers can- Pratik in the fire at the Serum The family livesinasmall Bihar’s Champaran district, died Sayedand Justice MadhavJ whichpromptedthe NGOto notsustain agriculturepractices InstituteofIndia's facilityin house across lane number 14 at in the fire.Asper the post- Jamdar washearing apublicin- move the PIL before thehigh unless the investment is low. In Manjri on Thursday. Five labour- Prabhat Road in Pune’s Deccan Pratik’s(left) mother Nutanattheirresidence on Friday. mortemreports from Sassoon terest litigation (PIL),filedby court. these three laws,thereisnosolu- ers diedinthe fire,including area. Afamilymembersaid it was PavanKhengre Hospital,all diedofshockdue to NGOVanashakti, whichhad In viewofthis, the PIL also tion givenonbringing the input Pratik,who wasinvolvedinthe painful to identify Pratik's body burns and suffocation. claimed“willfulnegligence” by sought initiation of contempt costdown."Apartfromdemand- work of inverter installation. at the SassoonGeneral Hospital: While familymembers and the authorities to facilitatemis- proceedings againsterrantau- ingstrictimplementationof min- "Wehaven't informedSanjay “It wascharredand blackened. firm.His senior colleague, wherePratik wasworking, often relativesofPashteand Ingle were use of large stretches of man- thorities. imum support price, as recom- that his son is no more," Ganesh We had to identify Pratik from his MahendraIngle (30), alsodiedin visitedthetea stall run by his par- handedoverthe bodies Thursday groveland forvestedinterests Afterhearing submissions, mendedbythe Swaminathan Ghanekar,Pratik's maternal un- clothes and other belongings”. the fire on Thursday. Pratik and ents. This is howPratik got to night, Pande’s relativesidentified and had sought to transfer nearly the benchdirected therespon- Commission, the VNSSM seeksa cle said. The lastrites were per- Pratik wasstudying fora Ingle had gone to theManjri fa- knowabout this firm, whichislo- the body and headedtowards 1,600hectares of suchland to the dent collectors and authorities policythatwouldbringsmalland formedbySanjay's elder brother diploma in telecommunication cilityfor inverter-relatedthat af- cated nearby. He joinedthe firm Bihar in an ambulance. Relatives forest department. to file their responses within marginal farmers within institu- at Vaikunth crematorium,while at aprivate instituteand also ternoon. as atrainee over ayear ago. of Saroj andHarijan receivedthe The NGOsought directions three weeksand postedhearing tional credit mechanism. Pratik's mother Nutanhas been working foraprivate inverter “Employees of thefirm, Recently,the firm had got an or- bodies on Friday. to immediatelyinitiatethe on thePIL thereafter. THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 7 EXPRESS NETWORK

BRIEFLY Amarinderpromises job to kinof CBIbooksCambridge farmers who died during agitation Analytica,GSRLfor Punjab Cabinetpasses resolution: ‘genuinedemandsmustbeaccepted’

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE CHANDIGARH,JANUARY22 illegaldataharvesting RJD chief LaluPrasad. PUNJAB CHIEF MinisterCapt Amarinder Singh Fridayan- criminal conspiracy withM/s from Koganand Cambridge JHARKHAND nouncedjobsforamemberof the DEEPTIMANTIWARY Cambridge Analytica(UK)Limited Analytica during2016-2017 de- familyofeachfarmer from the NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 during 2014 and righttouse the claringthatallsuchdataobtained Lalu’shealth statewho diedduringthe ongo- illegally harvesteddatasets was by them through “thisisyourdigi- ingagitationagainstthe Centre's TWOYEARS afteritwas handed giventoM/sCambridge Analytica tallife”wasaccountedforandde- stable,say newfarmlaws. The announce- over the probeintoallegedillegal (UK)Limitedforcommercialpur- stroyed. RIMSdoctors mentcame soon afterthe state harvesting of dataofIndian poses,” the CBI FIR has said. “This fact confirms that M/s Cabinetpassed aresolution Facebook usersbyCambrige AccordingtoCBI, it wasfound Global ScienceResearch Limited, Ranchi:Aday afterRJD “stressingthatallthegenuinede- Analytica, the CBI has registered thatDrAleksandrKogan,founder UK illegallyharvested datasets supremo Lalu Prasad mandsofthefarmersmustbeac- anFIRagainsttheUK-basedcom- and director of GSRL, had created and providedthe same to M/s complained aboutill cepted”. pany. Thecentralinvestigating an application called“thisisyour- Cambridge Analytica(UK)Limited health, doctors at the Asserting that it will take all agency has alleged that the com- digitallife”. According to the forcommercialpurposes,”theCBI RajendraInstituteof measuresto protectthestate’sand pany, in conspiracywith Global Facebook’s platform policy, this said. It, however, said it could not Medical Sciences (RIMS) itsfarmers’ interests,the Cabinet, FarmersataprotestinPanchkula on Friday. Jaipal Singh ScienceResearch Limited (GSRL), applicationwasauthorisedto col- authenticatethe veracity of the Ranchi said that he has in avirtual meeting chaired by illegally harvesteddataof335 lect specific data of users foraca- claimsofGSRLand Cambridge improved marginallyand Amarinder,made it clear that Facebookusersandtheir5.62lakh demicandresearch purposes.The Analyticathattheyhaddestroyed is currentlystable. “nothing shortofrepealofthe ing farmers and recognisedtheir Youthcaught at Singhu border contactsacross India through an application,however, illegallycol- the said datasets. Doctors said that he has Centre’s blackfarm laws,which pain and anguish, the state application and usedthe datafor lected additionalunauthorised During the preliminaryen- tested negative forCovid- areanti-farmer,anti-nation and Cabinetsaid Centreshould not claims plot to kill farmerleaders commercial purposes. dataoftheusersaswellasof their quiry, although the 335 users of 19.RIMS Director anti-food security,would resolve makeitamatterof prestigeasthe The CBI has listedboth friends’ networkonFacebook. theapplicationwere contactedby Kameshwar Yadavsaid: the present crisis”. matter,ifunresolved, could lead Chandigarh: Aman caught by ple, includinghim and twogirls Cambridge AnalyticaandGSRLas “Thisdatawascollectedwith- the probeofficer,onlysix of them “Thereisasmall patchof “The Central government is to devastating repercussions. farmersatthe Singhu border —one of whom, he wascharged accusedinitsFIRregisteredunder outtheknowledge andconsentof respondedand couldbe pneumonic consolidation out of touchwith the ground re- Later, in aformal resolution, outside Delhi has claimed that with harassing —had been sent various sections of the IT Actand the App users. Thisdataincludes examined. due to bacteria notvirus. alities,”anofficialstatementquot- theCabinetreiterateditscommit- he wastrainedtoinciteviolence to inciteviolence duringthe ag- also accusedthemofcriminal demographic information, pages “Theyunanimouslystated From the distribution of ingAmarindersaid.Itsaidthatthe mentto theresolutionspassedby duringthe planned farmer agi- itation farmers have plannedfor conspiracy underIPC. liked on FB,contentsofprivate that theyweremisledbythe App patches,one can sayitis Council of Ministerdeclared un- the AssemblyonAugust28and tation on January26and that January26. Basedonacomplaintfromthe messages etc. FB conveyedthat andwere unaware of thefactthat favoring bacteria not equivocallythat“repeal of the October 20 lastyear,“stressing that therewas alleged plot to He also claimedtheywere MinistryofElectronics and 335 users in India hadinstalled their personal and friends' data virus.Itisconsistent with farmlaws wastheonlyway outof that all the genuine demands of shootfour farmer leaders. asked to open fire during the ag- Information Technology (MeitY), thisApp.Theyhaveestimatedthat washarvested. Theyalsostated the reports.Heisonan- the current imbroglio”. The the farmers mustbeaccepted”. According to the man, he was itation to lead policemen to the CBI had registeredaprelimi- dataofapproximately5.62 lakh thattheywouldnothaveusedthe tibiotic and showing mar- Cabinetdemandedthat “the Later,Amarinder,during a caught by farmers in connection think the farmers areusing naryenquiryagainstCambridge additionaluserswhowere partof App if theyknewitwoulddoso,” ginal improvement.” ENS Centremakeminimum support FacebookLive session,saidthatin with chargesofharassing a firearms. Afarmer leader said: Analytica in July2018. Following the friends' networkofthese335 the CBI said. price(MSP)astatutoryrightof the additionto theRs5lakhcompen- woman at the protestsite. The “Theyouth hasidentifiedphotos completionof thepreliminaryin- users has also been unauthoris- Thecase wasreferredtothe farmers”, as per the statement. sation being giventothe families farmerleaders producedhim of four farmer leaders who were vestigation,theagencyregistered edly harvestedbythe App,” CBI CBI afteraseries of media reports Pointing out that even the of deceasedfarmers, his govern- before the media latenightbe- to be targeted in some manner. the FIR on January 19. has alleged in the FIR. suggestedCambridgeAnalytica ANDHRA PRADESH Supreme Courthas acknowl- ment will also give job to amem- fore handinghim overtothe po- The operation wastobeexe- “EnquiryhasfoundthatGlobal AccordingtotheCBI,Facebook and GSRLhad illegallyharvested 22peoplefall edgedtheconcernsof theprotest- beroftheir family. lice. The youth claimedten peo- cuted afterJanuary23.” ENS ScienceResearch entered into a had collectedwritten certificates Facebook users datainIndia. illinEluru,six Rare disease discharged TRACKING INDIA’S COVID CURVE

Amaravati: At least22peo- NUMBER OF policy will be ple fell ill in Eluru city and VACCINATIONS anearby mandal head- (JAN 22) finalised by quarters in West Godavari 2,28,563 on Friday. This comes March end: morethan amonth after Total:12,72,097 severalhundredpeople in Centre to HC Eluru fell ill with symp- NUMBER OF ADVERSE toms of nausea. “Six of EVENTS AFTER these patientshavebeen IMMUNIZATION dischargedaftertreatment EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE while15 were admittedto 267 NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 the DistrictHospital in Total:1,520 Eluru.Anotherpersonwas AFTER Arap from the Delhi High getting treated in the local CASES: ACTIVECASES:1,88,688 Court, the Centrehas said that a hospital in Poolla mandal 326 policy forrarediseasesdrafted headquarters,”aseniorof- DAYSSINCE 1,06,25,428 DEATHS:1,53,032 lastyear wasdelayedbythe PANDEMIC ficial said. PTI BEGAN TESTS: 19,01,48,024 | RECOVERIES: 1,02,83,708 Covid-19pandemic and will likelybefinalisedbyMarch 31. MADHYAPRADESH CASES DEATHS RECOVERIES TESTS The HighCourt had told the JAN21 14,545 16318,002 8,00,242 AIR POWER Centrelastweek that it cannot 4heldfor keep the draftNational Policy for drugging, STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMCASES Fighter planes flyinformation during abilateral air exercise between Indian and FrenchAir Forces in Jodhpur on Friday. PTI Rare Diseases pending indefi- CASES(JAN21) TOTAL nitelyatatime humanlives are rapingteen Kerala 6,334 8,70,530 at stake. The courthad also di- rected theHealth Ministryto Maharashtra2,886 20,00,878 Indore:Four peoplehave Pakistanis jailed in Lanka pushing provide aspecific timeline for been arrested foral- Chhattisgarh674 9,34,252 the finalisation and notification legedly sexuallyexploit- STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMDEATHS of the policy. ing a15-year-old girl and DEATHS(JAN21) TOTAL The ministry, in itsreply supplying drugs, police in drugs into India through sea: NCB dated January20, told the court Maharashtra5351,848 IndoreinMadhya Pradesh that the 2020 draftpolicy was Kerala 21 3,593 said on Friday. Twomen, IndianearTuticorinport.Asearch thorities closedinonthem. It is prising Afghanistan, Iran and earlier placedinpublic domain identifiedasAman Verma Punjab155,535 EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE of the vessel ledtorecovery of also believedthat thereisan Pakistan,hastwoimportanttran- forfeedback, but itsfinalisation and Akash alias Gazni, DataasonJanuary21,releasedbyUnionMinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare,IndianCouncilofMedical NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 95.875kgofHeroinand18.325kg InterpolRedCornerNoticeissued sitpointsfor processedheroin in wasdelayedbythe Covid-19 lured her withdrugs and Researchandstategovernments.Oftenthenumbersreleasedeverydaycontaindatafrompreviousdays of Methamphetamine.Five pistols by SriLankangovernmentagainst theislandnationsof SriLankaand pandemic. aswell.Assuch,trendsbasedondailynumbersareonlyindicativeandnotdefinitive alcohol six months ago AN INTERNATIONAL drug racket andmagazineswere foundinpos- Nawas,” an NCBstatement said. Maldives.Theheroinfromthisre- “In the meantime com- and had been raping her operated by Pakistani drug traf- session of the crew and seized. The NCBsaid intelligence gion is usuallyloadedinfishing ments/suggestions received ever since aftershe got ad- Row over FIR aftertoilet fickers jailedinSri Lanka is in- Thesix-membercrew,allof them shared by the agency with Sri vessels setting sail from theports from general public/organisa- dicted, said ASP Rajesh creasingly pushing narcotics into Sri Lankan nationals,werear- Lankan authorities ledtoseizure of Iran and Pakistanfor mid-sea tions/stakeholders/States/UTs Raghuwanshi. “Theyhave Indiathroughthe sea routeusing rested andare currentlyinjail. of 100kgofHeroin there. transfer intosimilar vesselsofSri were referred to DGHS forexam- been arrested along with vandalisedinSaharanpur Lankan and Maldiviancouriers,a Less than twomonths later, “With increased vigil that our Lanka and Maldives. ination of the comments/sug- aman and woman who Lucknow: Arow has eruptedbe- local people who witnessedthe recentinvestigationbyNarcotics NCBonJanuary20arrestedtwo borderguardingforceskeepinthe “However, themid sea trans- gestions and to submit recom- supplieddrugstothe duo. tweentransportofficials in incident.Themiscreantsallegedly Control Bureau(NCB) has found. moreSri Lankan nationals, iden- north western borders of India, fershappeninterritorialwatersof mendations. DGHS constituted Theyhavebeencharged Saharanpur district and the raisedobjectionsasthetoiletwas The drug network, NCB tifiedasMMM Nawasand the traditionalrouteofAfghani- India or very near to itsterritorial an ExpertCommittee to exam- under POCSO Actand IPC BajrangDal,withthegroupaccus- located close to atemple,and sources said, is spreadacross MohamedAfnasfromChennaifor Pakistani heroin is becoming waters. Thereisabig networkof ine the comments/suggestions provisions. The girlisina ingSaharanpurRoadways officials claimedreligious sentimentsof Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Sri allegedlybeingpartofthe racket. tougher to breach. This has also foreignentitiescontrollingthislu- received. The ExpertCommittee de-addiction centre,” the of falselyframingsixof itsworkers Hindus had been hurt.The Lanka, Maldives, Australia and “Both Nawasand Afnas hold ledtothe increaseduse of sea crative trade. Very reliable intelli- has submitted itsrecommenda- officialadded. PTI inacaseof publictoiletvandalism Saharanpur police have arrested India. important positions in the multi- routebyheroin traffickers to gence developedbyNCB and tions, whichare underexamina- atthelocalbusdepotWednesday. aperson identifiedasKawaljeet OnNovember26,inajointop- national heroin syndicate. They smuggle the narcotic intoIndia,” Indianagenciesovertheperiodin- tion to finalise the draftpolicy,” UTTAR PRADESH The transportdepartment’s Singh.“We have so faridentified eration withthe Indian Coast were controlling midsea pickup an NCBofficial said. dicates that Pakistani drug traf- reads the reply. officials on Fridayclaimedthey fourpersonsandtheyhavenoas- Guard, NCBhad detainedSri and delivery of narcotic drugs According to NCB, the largest fickers lodged in SriLankanpris- Justice Prathiba MSingh, in 15-year-oldgirl, namedpeople in their complaint sociationwithany Hinduoutfits,” Lankan fishing vessel ‘Shenaya fromPakistaniandIranianvessels. opium cultivation region of the ons fordrugoffences controlthis an order on January12, said that nephewkilled, basedoninformationprovidedby said Saharanpur CO. ENS Duwa’ in the territorial waters of Both had fledSri Lanka when au- world, the GoldenCrescent com- trade...” an NCBstatement said. patients, especially children,suf- fering from rare diseases ought rapesuspected nottobedeprivedoftreatment because of exorbitant prices of Chitrakoot:A15-year-old Thevoice of jagran that hit ahigh note in mainstream drugs or treatment. The court girlwas hackedtodeath also said the draftpolicy wasin- with an axeallegedly af- troducedin2020 forconsulta- terbeing rapedand her later,crooning forcomposer duo cial. “Thereisnoone who can ter10th grade and worked at a to his popularity in the Armycir- tion but has stillnot seenthe four-year-old nephew SUANSHUKHURANA Laxmikant Pyarelal. compete with him in singing de- drycleaner’s shop forafewdays. cuit thatthe invite forthe light of the day. killedinavillageinUttar NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 The song ‘Beshak mandir votional ‘maatakibhent’. The Since therewas no radio or Mumbai concertlandedwith “Considering the fact that Pradesh, police said on masjid todo’, picturised on genreremains synonymous with gramophone at home, Chanchal, him.After Bobby,hesang ‘Main ‘Right to Health andHealthcare’ Friday. A30-year-old IT WASaBaisakhi concertinApril Dimple Kapadia and Rishi him. Ilookedup to him if Iwas to who would cravemusic, would benaam ho gaya’for RDBurman is aFundamental Right which man from the girl's village 1973 in Mumbai whereNarendra Kapoor in the blockbusterhit recordone. We also performed go to anearbyshop and sit there in Benaam (1974), followedby has been recognisedbythe has been arrested in con- Chanchal, then ayoungsinger Bobby (1973), notonlytugged at together in manydevotional forhours listening to ‘Tune mujhe bulaaya’—aduet Supreme Court to be apartof nection withthe crime from Namak Mandi in Amritsar, the heartstrings of those who gatherings. His popularity was Mohammad Rafi andManna Dey with his idol MohammadRafiin the ‘Right to life’ under Article whichtook place on sang afamed17th-centurykaafi watchedthe twoloversinmis- something else,” she told The songs. He would memorise the Aasha (1980).Therewerealso 21 of theConstitution, it is in- Thursday, they said. An (Sufipoem) — Ni main kamli haan ery, it alsowon Chanchal a Indian Express. songsand present them at the songs in Gujarati, Bengali and cumbent on society in general officer of the concerned —byBabaBulleshah. He had FilmfareAward forBestSinger. NARENDRA Chanchal wasborn in next available opportunity. Marathi besides Punjabi. and authorities in particular to police station said the girl come across the poem in anews- This happeneddespitetherebe- CHANCHAL Amritsar as Narinder Kharbanda Appreciationfollowedsoon But Chanchal’s careerand ensurethat the lifeofsuchchil- wasattackedwhen she paper that the neighbourhood ing no dearth of captivating 1940-2021 and wasone among eight broth- from friendsand his father’s success were much beyond films. dren is notcompromised, even wasreturning home after halvaihad used to wrap songs in Bobby. ers and sisters. Since music was friends, who startedgiving hima He movedtoDelhi and became if thereisasmall windowof giving food to her father his food. But what madeChanchal, a taboo at home, he would sing little moneytosing forthem. one of the mostfamousand ex- improving their chances of sur- in the field. Meanwhile, What Chanchal did notknow jagran and wedding singer from singer who brought the sound of film songs and bhajans as achild Soon Chanchal wasmade partof pensive jaagran singers in the vivalorevenproviding abetter an official spokesperson during the performance wasthat Amritsar,ahousehold name was jagrans intothe mainstream, among his friends and women in alocal musicgroup, and he country, travelling the worldto quality of life,” the courthad in Lucknowsaid Chief filmmaker RajKapoor sat in the asong from the film Avtaar a diedinDelhi’s Apollo Hospitalon the neighbourhood.Hewould startedperforming in local wed- sing at jagrans. said, while hearing amatter MinisterYogi Adityanath audience, enraptured by his decade later.‘Chalobulawaaaya Friday. He was80. then return home –invariablyto dings and jagrans to make aliv- In his later years, Chanchal concerning twochildrenwho has takennoteofthe in- shrill, high-pitchedvoiceand hai’–atypical ‘maatakibhent’– According to Chanchal’s col- angryparents. ing. His group became famous in alsofounded many non-profit aresuffering from araredis- cident and announceda crisp diction. Afteraquickback- remains one of the mostpopular league and playbacksinger Aschool teacher gave him the the city and waschosen by the organisations, includingEkta ease calledDuchenne Muscular financial assistance of stagemeeting and atight em- devotionalpieces to come out of Anuradha Paudwal, it wasthe in- nameChanchal, whichwent on I&B Ministrytoentertain Army Missionand NarendraChanchal Dystrophy(DMD) forwhich Rs 5lakh. PTI brace,Chanchal found himself in the film industry. tensity of his voice and the emo- to sticktohim through life. jawans at the India-Pakistanand Institute forNon Formal drugs are“exorbitantlyexpen- arecordingstudiothree days Chanchal,the devotional tionalquality thatmade him spe- He droppedout of schoolaf- India-China borders. It wasdue Education. sive”. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 8 EXPRESS NETWORK THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 Green laws passed at instance of foreign Congleadersclashoverparty powers: NHAI in HC polls,CWCsayschiefbyJune also comprising JusticeSachin EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE ShankarMagadum,said. BENGALURU,JANUARY22 According to the objections

filedbyNHAI, the Environment MANOJCG ED Rajib Banerjee with West Bengal Governor Jagdeep THE NATIONAL Highways Protection Act, 1986 is an Act“to NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 Thelimbo DhankharinKolkataonFriday. Twitter @jdhankhar1 Authority of India (NHAI)has providefortheprotectionandim- PLAIN landedintroubleintheKarnataka provement of environment and OVER FOUR months afterthe E continues ● EX HighCourtfor claiming in asub- formattersconnectedtherewith: Congress setinmotion the mission that the Environment whereasthedecisionswere taken process of holdingelection for IT'Sbeenmorethan six Another minister Protection Act, 1986 was“passed at the United Nations Conference appointmentofanewpresident, months since 23 leaders of by Parliamentnot only forprotec- ontheHumanEnvironmentheld the Congress Working the Congress wroteanun- tionof environmentbutalsoatthe at Stockholm in June, 1972,in Committee (CWC) Fridayunan- precedented letter to instanceof foreignpowers”while whichIndia participated,totake imouslyput offthe exercise till Sonia Gandhi seeking quits, BJP invites referringtoaUN conference. appropriate steps forthe protec- June in viewofthe forthcoming sweeping changes in the The submission wasmade by tion and improvement of human Assemblyelections, but notbe- party.Asitputsoff elec- aDeputy General Managerof environment.” fore thevirtual meeting sawa tions to party presidentby him to join party NHAIinobjections to awritpeti- The NHAI further states: heated exchangebetween vet- anothersix months,the tion filedbythe NGO, United “Hence, the Acthas been passed eran leaders Rajasthan Chief Congress leaders V.K.Venugopal and Randeep Singh limbo in the Congress ConservationMovement,against by Parliamentnotonlyforprotec- MinisterAshok Gehlotand Surjewala in NewDelhi, Friday. Anil Sharma clearly continues. months statementsmade by my a2013notification of the Union tion of the environment but also Ambika Soni on one side and EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE co-workers have hurt me alot. Environment Ministrydoing at the instance of foreignpowers. Anand Sharma on the other. KOLKATA,JANUARY22 Personal attacks againstme away withenvironment impact And manyNGOs arefiling Writ Sharmaisoneof the23senior eral secretaryin-charge of organ- person of the Central Election over four decades, signalling he made me take this decision.” assessment reports forwidening Petitionsattheinstanceof foreign leaders who had written an un- isation KCVenugopal told re- Authority in August. wasasmuchaCongressman as WESTBENGALForestMinister “If onlyMamataBanerjee nationalhighways of over100km powers. Foreign entities suchas precedented letter to Sonia portersthatthepartywaswilling Sources said that soon after Gehlot. Sharma saidtherecan be Rajib Banerjeeresignedon had calledmeonce over the by morethan 40 metres. Amnesty International and GandhiinJulydemandingsweep- to holdelections to theCWC -- Azad and Chidambaram sug- different perceptions andviews, Friday, dealing another blowto phone, all issues would have In itssubmission, the NHAI Peoples Union forCivil liberties ing changes in the party,includ- whichwerelastheld whenSonia gested at the meeting thatelec- but therewas away to have adis- the Trinamool Congress fighting been resolved,” Banerjeeis also alleged that manyNGOs file through itsIndian counterparts ing elections to the CWC. Gandhi took over as Congress tions be held to the CEC as well, cussion. Rahulsaid he under- to stanchasteady stream of de- learnt to have told aides. petitionsforupholdingthenorms have filedWrit Petitions directly SourcessaidRahulGandhiin- presidentin1998.Healsosaidthe Soni questionedthe insistence stood the viewpointsofboth sertions to the BJP ahead of TMC MP SougataRay said of the Act“at the instance of for- under Article 32 of the tervenedtosay harsh words CWChad decidedthat the party on holding elections and pointed Gehlotand Sharma. Assemblyelections. Banerjee's resignation wasex- eignpowers”. Constitution of India, by passing should nothavebeenusedbyei- will have a“new, elected”presi- out that elections were notheld Sources saidmanyleaders, in- TransportMinisterSuvendu pected.“Good riddance. He was Taking strong objection to HighCourts,infurtherance of therside,andaddedthattheissue dent by June “at anycost.” in the BJP as well.She said the cludingAdhir Ranjan Chowdhury Adhikari and MinisterofState for notdischarging his dutiesasa theseclaims filedduringahear- vested interests.” of farmers’ agitation wasmore However, Venugopal added, needofthe hour wastotakeon and AKAntony, demanded that Sports Laxmi RatanShukla had minister and party leader.We ingonJanuary11, adivisionbench The submission alleges that important and the leadership is- “As per our constitution, (a) little the BJP.Gehlot joinedher,and in party elections berescheduledin earlier resignedtheir posts in the triedtochangehis mind. It is good headedbyChief Justice of the manyorganisations in India, suewouldbesettledwhentheor- clarityisneededoverwhetherthe afull-blown attackonthose viewofAssemblypolls. government and party. thatheresigned, elsewewould High Court, AbhayShreeniwas whichfunctionasenvironmental ganisational elections take place. Congress president election and seeking elections, asked Addressing the press confer- Rajib Banerjee had long been have takenaction againsthim.” Oka, described them as “shock- action and human rights, “areac- The CWCmet to approvethe Working Committee can be to- whether theydidn't have faith in ence along with Venugopal, skipping meetings of the TMC secretarygeneral Partha ing”. tively involvedinattackingdevel- schedule and modalities of or- gether,orthat afterthe Congress Sonia's leadership. “Whyare Congress communication de- MamataBanerjee cabinet, and Chatterjee said: “This will have TheNHAIhassinceattempted opmentprojects,andchallenging ganisational elections. Sources president election, Working elections being brought up every partment in-charge Randeep had expressedunhappiness over no impactonthe TMC. The party to retractfromthefilingsthrough govt. policies ¬ifications and said GhulamNabi Azad, one of Committee election has to be nowand then?" he asked. Surjewala denied therewas any the functioning of the party. is likeanocean. Therewill be no asenior lawyer in the form of for- doing antinationalactivities''. the23 signatories to theletter, held...Definitely, accordingto that, At onepoint, he is learntto “uttejana (excitement)" or In his resignation sent to the effect if youdrawtwo or three meradvocategeneralUdayHolla. TheHighCourtnoted:“To put said that electionsbeheld both election will be held. We arenot have questioned the locus standi "vaad-vivaad (disagreement)" at Chief Ministerand copiedto drops from it. If one or twoleaves But the HighCourtonJanuary19 it very mildly,weare really forthe CWCand the Central saying that the CWCelectionwill of thoseseekingelections. the CWCmeeting, and said the Governor JagdeepDhankhar, fall from abanyantree, new insistedthattheNHAIrespondon shockedatthewaythestatement Election Committee, akey body notbethere... As per the practice, One leader said Gehlotused talk of sparring betweenleaders Banerjeewrotethat it had been leavesstart growing.” howthe submissions were filed. of objectionshasbeenfiledbythe whichfinalisesthe party’s can- firstthe Congress presidentelec- veryharshwords,seenasdirected was“mererumours”. a“great honourand privilegeto The TMC also movedswiftly “Wecannotcasuallyallow saidAuthoritywhichissignedand didates forvarious elections, as tion is held and thereafterthe atAzad.“Hesaid,'Kaunpehchante The Congress also raised servethe people of West to crush further dissent in the withdrawalof suchastatementof verifiedbythe Deputy General providedbythe party constitu- CWCelection. That is the usual hain aapko(Who recognises questions on the vaccination Bengal”, adding: “I heartilycon- party,expellingMLA Baishali objectionsinwhichabold stand Manager (Tech) of the second re- tion.The remarks leftboth practice.We needclarityonthat." you)? Whatisyour identity,your drive,arguing that“thereiscom- veymygratitude forgetting this Dalmiyasoon aftershe came out has been takenbythe said spondent (NHAI). The statement Gehlotand Soni agitated. Interestingly,inher opening place? Nobodyrecognises you'." plete lackofclarity” about its opportunity.” in Banerjee's supportonFriday. AuthorityonoaththatthesaidAct of objectionsisalso signedbythe Significantly, senior leader P address, Sonia said the schedule Sources said Sharma hit back, availability. It said no timeline Banerjee, the two-term TMC Dalmiya, the daughter of the of 1986hasbeenenactednotonly advocatefor the second respon- ChidambarambackedAzad, as and modalities fororganisa- telling Gehlot, “Nobody has given has been laidout forthe pro- MLAfromDomjur in Howrah latecricket administrator forthe protection of the environ- dent.” didMukul Wasnik,who even ex- tionalelections had to getthe youthe right to bedisrespectful." grammebeyond the first3crore district, later went to RajBhavan Jagmohan Dalmiya, joinedthe ment, but also at theinstance of FULLREPORTON plainedthe provisions in the CWC’s approval. Afterthis, dis- He also pointed out that Gehlot people. The party demanded to hand his resignation to the TMC in 2016 and wasimmedi- the foreign powers,” the bench, www.indianexpress.com Congress constitutionregarding cussions beganonthe schedule and he both owe "everything" to that the vaccine be administered Governor.Afterwards, an emo- atelygiven the tickettocontest holding of elections to the CEC. sent by Madhusudan Mistry, the party,and had known each forfreetounder-privileged and tional Banerjeetold reporters: “I the Assemblyelection from Bally Afterthe meeting,AICC gen- who had been appointedchair- other and been in the party for marginalisedsections. had decidedtoleave the state constituency in Howrah district. cabinettwo-and-a-half years AfterBanerjee quit, Dalmiyasaid: ago, when Iwas removedasirri- “Rajibda resigningasstate min- gation minister. Ihad expected isterisabig losstothe partyand Abuse at Bilaspurshelter: State WCD dept the minimum courtesy from the the people. In Howrah district, CM as aco-workerthat she we have facedalot of disrespect would inform me about her de- from asection of the leadership.” recommends closure of Ujjawala home cision before making the an- Within hours, the TMC disci- nouncement. Icame to know plinarycommittee metand de- abuse by thestaff,beshut down. of the stateWCD department judge in the district courton from the media when Iwas cidedtoexpel her from the party. GARGIVERMA The recommendationhas conducted a“sudden examina- Thursday, the policeadded sec- holding aparty meeting. Ihad Since December,nine TMC BILASPUR,JANUARY22 been made on the basis of are- tion” at the Ujjawala home on tionsof rapeandassaultto theFIR then decidedtoleave the cabi- MLAs, including Suvendu portsubmitted by officialsofthe January18, aday afterthree and nabbed Mourya. netand remain aparty worker. Adhikari, have joinedthe BJP.Two The ChhattisgarhWomen and department on the situation at womenescapedfromtheshelter Itislearntthatthereportsub- Later,Mamata Banerjeepacified Congress MLAs, an MLAeach Child Development (WCD) de- the shelter,run by NGO home with the help of the family mitted by the WCDdepartment me and gave me newresponsi- from the CPM and CPI, aTMC MP, partment on Fridayislearnt to ShivmangalShikshan Samiti. members of oneofthem.These director and her team says that bilities and roles as aminister.” and aformer TMC MP too, have have recommendedtotheCentre The Samiti’s president women later went to thepolice womenatthehomewere scared He had takenuphis griev- joinedthe BJP.Laxmi Ratan that the JitendraMourya,who has been station and complainedabout and notready to speak. ances about the party with Shukla has takenabreak from Ujjawalahome chargedwith sexuallyabusing sexual and physicalabuse at the Of theseven women at the Mamataand other leadersover politics and Rajib Banerjee will in Bilaspur, womenstayingattheshelterand shelter.Thepolicethenregistered home, twoare learnttohavetold the lasttwo-and-a-half years, likelyjoin BJP later this month. whereseveral arrestedonThursday, wassentto an FIR under bailable sections. the panel that theywerekept Banerjee said. “Over the lasttwo West Bengal BJP chief Dilip women have judicial custody on Friday. Afterthe women’s statements thereforcefully afterpolice took months, Ihaveaired those griev- Ghosh appealedtoBanerjeeto alleged sexual Accordingtosources,officials were recordedinfront of acivil them there. ances in public.But in lastfew join the party. Bihar warnsofaction foronline posts against govt; Oppn calls it draconian

andsecretariesshouldbring“such investigation in the murder in SANTOSHSINGH matters” to itsnotice so that “ac- Patnathismonthof Indigo execu- PATNA,JANUARY22 tion can be initiated”. tive RupeshSingh. Reacting sharplytothe circu- The Bihar move comes two IN Amovethat has been de- lar,RJD leader and Leader of months afterthe Kerala govern- scribedas“draconianandunwar- OppositionTejashwiPrasadYadav ment said it will “notgoahead ranted”bythe Opposition,Bihar tweetedthat “in the birthplace of withimplementing”acontrover- Policehaveissuedacircularwarn- theRepublic”,BiharChief Minister sial amendment to theKerala ingthatthosemaking“objection- Nitish Kumar “has been ripping Police Acttomandateajail term ableandindecent”commentson- apartdemocratic values”. forany “offensive”social media lineagainstthestategovernment, YadavsaidtheOppositionwill postfollowing ahailstormofcrit- Ministers,MLAs,MPsandofficials notallow theJD(U)-BJP govern- icism from across the political can be bookedunder the IT Act ment to “takeawaydemocratic spectrum, includingthe ruling and the Indian Penal Code. rightsofthe people”. CPM and itsLDF alliance. “Wehavebeen,of late,getting JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Lastmonth, hearingaplea information about the use of ob- Kumar said the government's filedbya38-year-oldwoman jectionableandindecentlanguage move is in accordancewith the whowasbookedby Maharashtra being usedagainstthe govern- lawand will“applytoeveryone”. Policeforallegedly makingoffen- ment, Ministers,MPs, MLAs and “Thereisnothing offensive about sive remarks on social media government officialsthrough so- it,” he said. againstChief MinisterUddhav cialmedia/Internet.Thisisagainst ADGP Khan later said police Thackeray and his son Aadityain provisions of the lawand comes willnottakeany suomotuaction. July, the Bombay High Court said underthedomainof cybercrime... “Wewilltake actiononlyifthereis that a“public office in ademoc- Forthis act,itisapt to take action acomplaintagainstanyone. racy” has to face criticism. againstsuchoffenders,"statesthe Under existing legal provisions, MaharashtraPolicehadregis- circular issuedbyBihar Police's anyone making objectionable re- teredseveralFIRsagainstindivid- Economic Offences Unit (EOU). marks can be booked under IPC ualswhopostedallegedlydefam- The circular,whichisdated sections409,420and467, andun- atorycontent on social media January21and signedby derITAct provisions,” he said. againstThackerayand his son. All Additional DGP (EOU and Cyber GovernmentsourcestoldThe these FIRs were filedafter the Crime)NHKhan,hasbeensentto IndianExpressthatthetriggerfor death of actor Sushant Singh principal secretaries and secre- the circular can be traced to “ob- Rajput in June, when police taries of all stategovernmentde- jectionablecomments”postedon claimed“coordinated attacks” partments.ItstatesthattheEOUis some digitalplatforms againsta were launchedagainstthe Chief the nodal agency forcyber crime, DistrictMagistrateandaprincipal Ministerand the stategovern- and thatall principal secretaries secretary in connection withthe ment. Kushwaha mayalign with JD(U),get education berth

Hussain is afront-runner fora SANTOSHSINGH RLSP chief ministerial berth. Other con- PATNA,JANUARY22 Upendra tenders from the party included Kushwaha NitishMishra,SamratChoudhary, RASHTRIYALOKSamtaPartychief Nitin Navin,Rana Randhir Singh and former Union minister and GyanendraSinghGyanu. Upendra Kushwaha is said to be could become education minis- ChainpurMLAJamaKhan,the in talkstoalignhis party with the ter,”the source said, adding that lone BSP MLAinBihar,joinedthe JD(U) and become the education the RLSP leader would be nomi- JD(U) on Friday. Khan could be minister in the Nitish Kumar-led natedto theUpperHouseinBihar made aminister and be giventhe NDAgovernmentinBihar. soon.TheBiharCabinetislikelyto charge of theminoritywelfarede- AJD(U) source said: “There beexpandednextweek,withthe partment. Independent MLA won’t be amergerofRLSPwith JD(U)andBJPreportedlyagreeing Chakai Sumit Singh is also likely JD(U). Since Kushwaha has been to a50:50seat-sharing formula. to become aminister from the JD taking up educationissues, he From the BJP,SyedShanawaz (U) quota. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 @ieExplained #ExpressExplained 9 If thereare questions of current or contemporaryrelevancethat youwould like E EXPLAINED explained, please [email protected]

SIMPLY PUT QUESTION &ANSWER When Parliament passed The cost of guaranteed MSP Bills but govt did not give effect to thoselaws Apartfromrepeal of farm laws,farmers aredemanding guaranteedminimum supportprices, which have no legalbacking.Alook at what the implicationswould be if thegovtdid provide the guarantee cycling activities in India. CHAKSHUROY NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 Giving effect to alaw HARISHDAMODARAN Thereare alsoinstances when the govern- NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 IN THE ongoingstalematebetween protest- ment does notbring alaw intoforce formany ing farmersand the Centre, the government years. Twoexamples arethe National FARMER UNIONS protesting on Delhi’s bor- has repeated itsoffer of keeping the three EnvironmentTribunal ActandtheDelhi Rent ders areraising twofundamentaldemands. contentious farm laws on hold forone to one- Control Act, whichParliament passedduring The firstisfor repealing the three agricultural and-a-halfyears, while the farmershavere- Prime MinisterPVNarasimha Rao's tenure. reform laws enacted by the Centre. The sec- jected the offerand insistedthat the laws be The government neverbrought these laws ond is to provide legal guarantee forthe min- repealed. Over the years, Parliament has re- intoforce, whichwerepassedin1995and imum supportprices (MSPs)that the Centre pealed severallaws—and there have also cleared by the President. The National Green declares forvarious crops everyyear. been precedentsofthe government not Tribunal Actfinallyrepealedthe environmen- Currently, thereisnostatutorybacking for bringing alaw intoforce forseveral yearsaf- taltribunal lawin2010. And aBilltorepeal the these prices or anylaw mandating their im- terithas been passed. Delhi Rent Control Actintroducedin2013is plementation. What arethe implications if still pending in RajyaSabha. the government were to acceptthe farmer Bringing/removing alaw Thereare also multiple instances wherea unions’ demand? Parliament has the powertomakealaw lawspecifies when it will come intoeffect.The andto remove it from thestatutebooks(a law 2013 land acquisition lawput an outer limit Howcan MSP be made legallybinding? can bestruckdownbythe judiciaryifitisun- of three months forthe Centretobring it into Thereare twowaysitcan be done. constitutional). But the passing of aBill does forceafter thePresidentapprovedit.ABillcan The firstistoforce private buyerstopay notmean that it will start working from the also specify the exact dateonwhichitwill it. In this case, no crop can be purchasedbe- next day. Thereare threemoresteps foritto come intoeffect.Bills replacing ordinances lowthe MSP,whichwould also act as the becomeafunctioninglaw. Thefirststepisthe sometimes do that. In suchcases, the Bill sets floor pricefor bidding in mandi auctions. President giving his or her assent to the Bill. thedateonwhichthe Presidentsignedthe or- There’s already aprecedent:Insugarcane, Then the lawcomes intoeffect from apartic- dinance (since Parliament wasnot in session) mills arerequired by lawtopay growers the ulardate.And finally, the government frames asthe daythe lawwillcomeintoforce. Forex- Centre’s “fairand remunerative price” –Uttar therules andregulations to make thelawop- ample, thelawbanning e-cigarettescame into Pradesh and Haryana fixevenhigher “state erational on the ground. The completion of effect from September 18,2019(Ordinance advisedprices” –within 14 days of supply. In these steps determines whenthe law date) afterParliament passedthe Bill no other crop is the compulsion to paythe becomes functional. to replace the Ordinance on government-announcedMSP thrustonthe Paddy crop in Patiala district. The totalvalue of India’s paddyproduction worksout to Rs 3.2 lakh crore, going by MSP. Express Archive Thefirststepisthe simplest. December 2, 2019.Similarly,the private trade/industry. Article 111 of theConstitution three farm Bills replacing their The second routeis, of course, the govern- specifies that the President can ordinances came intoforce on ment itself buying theentirecropthat farm- soyabean and sunflower. Takinganaverage of MSP procurement. either sign offonthe Bill or June 5, 2020. ers offeratthe MSP.In2019-20, government 75%would yield anumber of just over Rs 8 MSPVALUEOFPRODUCTION All in all, the additional fiscal outgo, from withhold his consent. The agencies—FoodCorporationof India,National lakh crore. This is the MSP value of production the government undertaking the maximum Presidentrarelywithholds their IN FACT Rules ®ulations AgriculturalCooperative MarketingFederation that is the marketable surplus —whichfarm- required procurement forguaranteeingMSP assent to aBill. The last time it ABill passedbyParliament of India and Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) ers actuallysell. CROP VALUE to farmers, maynot be more thanRs1-1.5 happenedwas in 2006 when President APJ is theoutlineof alaw.For thelaw to startwork- –procured77.34milliontonnes(mt)of paddy Paddy 3,20,821.57 lakh croreper year. Abdul Kalam refusedtosign aBill protecting ing on the ground, individuals needtobere- and 38.99 mt of wheat, worthroughlyRs So, is this the money that the government MPs from disqualification forholding an of- cruited or giventhe power, to administerit. Wheat 2,07,110.75 140,834 croreand Rs 75,060 croreattheir re- would have to spend in order to ensure That isn’t much, right? ficeof profit. ABill is sent to Parliamentforre- The implementing ministryalso needs to fi- spective MSPs. Further,theypurchased105.23 farmers getMSP? Sugarcane 97,817.50 The government undertaking to buy at consideration if the President withholds his nalise forms to gather information and pro- lakhbales of cotton (MSP value of Rs 28,202 Notreally.Tostart with, onemustex- Cotton 95,117.65 MSP is definitelybetterthan forcing private or her assent on it. And if Parliament sends it vide benefitsorservices. These day-to-dayop- croreintermsof rawun-ginnedkapas),2.1mt clude sugarcane from the calculations. The Chana 55,331.25 players. If the recordofsugar mills –their in- backtothe President, he or he has no choice erational details arecalledrules and of chana or chickpea (Rs 10,238 crore), 0.7 mt onus forpaying cane MSP,asearlier pointed ability to payfarmers on timedespitestatu- but to approve it. regulations.And Parliamentgivesthe govern- eachofarharorpigeon-pea(Rs4,176crore)and out, lies on sugar mills and notthe govern- Groundnut 51,388.64 tory provisions of the Sugarcane (Control) MostBills receive thePresident's approval ment the responsibilityofmaking them. groundnut(Rs3,614 crore),0.8mtofrapeseed- ment. Secondly, thegovernment is already Maize 50,406.40 Order,1966issuedunder the Essential in afew days.President RamNathKovind Theseregulations arecritical forthe function- mustard (Rs3,540 crore) and 0.1mtofmoong procuring manycrops –especiallypaddy, Soyabean 41,607.65 Commodities Act–isany guide,notrader or signedthe three farm Billsintolaw within a ing of law. or greengram(Rs 987crore). wheat, cotton and also pulses and oilseeds. processer will purchase crops at prices be- week of their passing in September 2020. In If the governmentdoesnotmakerules and Mustard 40,338.30 The combinedMSP value of the procured yond what the market supply-demanddy- 1986, President Zail Singh made use of aloop- regulations,alaw or partsofitwill notget im- But howmuchoffarmers’ produce can quantities of these would have exceededRs Arhar22,214.00 namics permit. Their going out of business holeinthe Constitution. ABill criticisedfor vi- plemented.The Benami Transactions Actof the governmentbuy at MSP? 2.7 lakh crorein2019-20. Bajra20,560.00 would ultimatelyhurtfarmers most. olating the privacy of personal correspon- 1988 is an exampleofacomplete lawremain- The MSP is nowapplicable on 23 farm Thirdly, government agencies don’t have However, even assured government dence wassent to him forapproval seven ing unimplementedin theabsence of regula- Moong 17,343.00 commodities:7cereals (paddy,wheat,maize, to buy everysingle grain that comes to the MSP-basedprocurement is fraught with months before theend of his term. The tions. Thelaw gave the government powerto bajra, jowar, ragi and barley), 5pulses (chana, market.Mopping up even aquarterorthird Jowar12,061.50 problems. The coverage of MSPs todaydoes Constitution does notspecify atime limit for confiscatebenami properties. For25years, arhar, moong, urad and masur), 7oilseeds of the market arrivals is usuallyenoughto Urad 11,628.00 notextend to fruits, vegetables and livestock the President to approveaBill. So President suchproperties were immune from seizure (groundnut, soyabean, rapeseed-mustard, liftprices. Take cotton, whereCCI has so far Copra7,140.75 productsthat together have a45% sharein Singhdecidednot to take anyaction on the in the absence of framing relevant govern- sesamum, sunflower, nigerseedand saf- procured 87.85 lakh bales out of the current the gross value of output of India’s agricul- Bill until the end of his term. ment rules. The lawwas finallyrepealedin flower) and 4commercial crops (sugarcane, year’s (October 2020-September 2021) pro- Jute6,691.93 ture, forestry and fishing sector.The value of Thenextstepis decidingthe date on which 2016 and replacedwith anew one. cotton, copraand rawjute). jected crop of 358.50lakhbales. The state- Masur 5,664.00 milk and milk products alone is morethan the lawcomes intoeffect.Inmanycases, Parliamenthas recommendedthat the The chartshows that the MSP value of the ownedcorporation’s intervention has led Ragi 5,481.00 that of all cereals and pulses combined. Parliament delegates to the government the governmentmakeruleswithin six monthsof total production of the 23 crops worked out to openmarket prices crossing the MSP for Extending MSP to all farm produce and powertodetermine this date. The Bill states passing alaw.But parliamentarycommittees Sesamum 4,863.75 to around Rs 10.78 lakh crorein2019-20. Not kapas in mostmandis,therebynot neces- guaranteeing it through lawishugelychal- that the law“shall come intoforce on such have observed that this recommendation is all this produce, however, is marketed. sitating further official purchases. Barley2,577.25 lenging, fiscallyand otherwise. It also ex- dateasthe Central Government may, by noti- “being followedinbreachbyvarious min- Farmers retain partofitfor self-consumption, Fourth, the crop bought on government Sunflower1,226.05 plains whyeconomists increasingly arein ficationinthe OfficialGazette, appoint and istries”.The governmentnot onlyhas the seedfor the next season’s sowing and also for account also gets sold. Whilesuchsales in Nigerseed249.48 favour of guaranteeing minimum “incomes” different dates maybeappointed fordiffer- powertomakerules but can also suppress feeding their animals. The marketedsurplus wheat and paddy –whichare distributed rather than “prices” to farmers. One wayto ent provisions of this Act”. Forexample, rulesmade by it earlier.Inthe case of farm ratio fordifferent crops is estimated to range at super-subsidised ratesunderthe Safflower156.45 achieve that is via direct cash transfers either Parliament passedthe Recycling of Ships Act laws,the government has made some rules from below50% forragi and 65-70% for bajra National Food Security Act–entail heavy TOTAL Value 10,77,796.88 on aflat per-acre(as in the Telangana gov- in December 2019.InOctober 2020, the gov- in October 2020. (pearl-millet) and jowar (sorghum) to 75% for losses, those arefar less in the remaining ernment’sRythu Bandhu scheme)orper- ernment brought Section 3ofthe lawinto (Prices in Rs crore; for 2019-20) wheat, 80% forpaddy,85% forsugarcane, 90% MSP crops. The revenuesrealisedfromsales farm household (the Centre’s Pradhan force. This section empowers the government The author is Head of Outreach, formostpulses, and 95%-plus forcotton, jute, would partlyoffsetthe expenditures from Mantri KisanSamman Nidhi) basis. to designateanofficer to supervise all ship re- PRS LegislativeResearch CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD AtPM venuetoday,recallinganAssamicon INDIAACTIVE CASES 188,688

protectedarchaeological site, itsvicinity in- 250,000 TORAAGARWALA cludes anumber of protected sites, includ- GUWAHATI,JANUARY22 ing the Na Pukhuri tank to itseastand the 214,507 Pohu Garh, anatural zoo built during the 188,688 PRIME MINISTER NarendraModi is sched- Ahom era, to itswest. Close by is the large uledtovisit Assam on Saturday, January23 Joysagar tank,built by Ahom king —his firstinthe run-up to the Assembly Swargadeo RudraSingha in 1697,and the 200,000 elections likelyinApril. Thevenuefor Vishnu Dol temple. Modi’s programme —wherehewill launch According to Jiten BorpatraGohain,are- an Assam government initiative to distrib- tiredprofessor of historyinNamrup College, uteoverone lakh land pattas (documents) the Jerenga Pothar wasinitiallycalled LAST 10 DAYS to indigenouscommunities of the state— JerengaHaabi or Jerengaforest. “In Jan 12 Jan 21 is the historic JerengaPothar in Upper Orunodoi,the firstAssamesejournal,there 150,000 Assam’s Sivasagar district. would bereferences to wild buffalos killing Formerly known as Rangpur,Sivasagar people in JerengaPothar,” he said. Note: The Jan 21 figureinthisgraph is based on theHealthMinistry updateonJan 22 wasthe seat of the powerful Ahom dynasty, He said it wasonlyin1707 when who ruledAssam forsix centuries (1228- Jerenga Pothar in Sivasagar,venue of Modi's rally. Historical and cultural icon Rangpur (erstwhile Svasagar) wasestab- 1826). It is part of Upper Assam, whichsaw Joymoti wastortured to death on this ground. PTI lished as the capital of the Ahom kingdom, SARS-CoV-2 triggers antibodies strong opposition to the Citizenship and manymonumentscameupinthe Amendment Act(CAA) lastyear. vicinity (Rang Ghar,Talatal Ghar,Kareng Prince Godapani,Joymoti’shusband, was storywas passed down from generation to Ghar), that the area developed. from past coronavirus attacks What is the historical significance of next in line, but he escapedtothe Naga Hills generation by word of mouth.” Sivasagar-basedSonaram Barua, are- JerengaPothar? before LoraRajaand his men could capture Dr Gogoisaidthatthe turnofthe 20th tired principal of Sibsagar Girls’ College, THE RESULTS of anew design futurevaccines or JerengaPothar,anopen field in Sivasagar him. “It wasthen that LoraRajasought out centurysaw anumberofpublications said JerengaPothar is situated in alow-ly- studysuggestthattheim- monoclonal antibody town, is popularly connected to the valour Godapani’swifeJoymoti,hopingshe would recordthe episode,beginningwithone in ing area, and remains floodedduring the mune systems of people therapiescapable of pro- of 17th century Ahom princess Joymoti. tell him about his whereabouts,” said Dr Jonaki magazinebyRatneshwar Mahanta. monsoon even today. "JerengaPothar is an infected with Covid-19 tectingagainstmutations While the courageofAhom kings is well- Gogoi, “However, despite being torturedfor In 1935,cultural iconJyoti Prasad Agarwala open field, flanked by villages on all sides. mayrelyonantibodies thatmay occur in the documented,Joymoti’s story—little- days,tiedtoathornyplant, in an open field, made the firstAssamese featurefilm, On rare occasions it is usedfor important created during infections PAPER Covid-19 virus. knownuntil the latter part of the 19th cen- Joymoti refusedtodivulgeany information.” Joymati,basedonLakshminathBezbaroa’s events,” he said. In 2017,the field wasused fromearliercoronaviruses The researchers used tury—is todaycelebratedand invokedasa She died,sacrificing herlifefor her husband, drama JoymotiKonwari (1915). “That is forthe centenarycelebrations of the apex (other than SARS-CoV-2) atool calledPepSeq to symbolofinspiration. who ultimatelybecame the king, ushering in when the public became awareofher sac- and influential literarybody,the Asam to help fight the disease. CLIP finelymap antibody re- “From1671to1681, the Ahomkingdom an eraofstability and peace in Assam. rifice and strength,” said Dr Gogoi. Sahitya Sabha. The study sought to sponses to all human-in- wasundergoing aperiod of tumult under The place Joymoti wastorturedtodeath Cultural historian Ankur Tamuli Phukan Preparations areinfull swing forPM understand howcoron- NEWRESEARCH fecting coronaviruses. ‘ministerial superiority’, meaning theno- wasJerengaPothar. said this pavedthe wayfor Joymoti to be- Modi’s land patta distribution event on avirusesignitethehuman PepSeqisanoveltechnol- bles and prime ministers were moreimpor- come anationalisticon. “Joymoti’s storysig- Saturday,whichisinline with the BJP’s 2016 immunesystemandconductadeeper ogy being developedatTranslational tant than the king, who were oftenpup- Howdid Joymoti become anationalist nifiednot justthe strength and loyalty of poll plank to protect the Jaati, Maati and dive on theinner workings of the anti- Genomics Research Institute and pets,” said Dr Jahnabi Gogoi, aDibrugarh icon? the Assamese woman, but her resistance Bheti (community,landand hearth). bodyresponse.Thepublishedfindings NorthernArizonaUniversity . University professor who specialisesinthe According to historians, the Jerenga and couragerepresented the relationship According to Tamuli Phukan, the choice of appear in Cell Reports Medicine. Besides SARS-CoV-2, researchers medievalhistory of Assam. Potharepisode is notofficiallyrecordedin between familial/domestic lifeand national venue is interesting because Upper Assam This knowledge could help re- examinedtheantibodyresponsesfrom It wasatthis time that Sulikhpaa— also any buranji,orAhom-erachronicle. “These life,”hesaid. is wherethe strongestopposition to theBJP- searchersdesignnewdiagnostics,eval- twootherpotentiallydeadlycoron- known as‘LoraRaja’or the boyprince —and were mostlywritten by men, or on the ledgovernment’s CAAcame from. “Not just uatethe healing powers of convales- aviruses:MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-1. his prime minister Laluksala Borphukan king’s orders,” said Dr Gogoi, “Soitispossi- What is the significance of Jerenga JerengaPothar,but Sivasagar is historically centplasma,developnewtherapeutic Source: Northern Arizona were tracking down, and killing, possible ble that this episode wasn’t consideredim- Pothar today? important, and representsthe Assamese treatmentsand —importantly—help University heirs,to ensureaclear passagetothe throne. portant enough to record. However, the While the JerengaPotharitself is nota ‘nation’,” he said. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021

WORDLY WISE Democracyisnot aspectator sport.

10 THE EDITORIAL PAGE —BERNIE SANDERS Food Maths

§ FOUNDED BY § RAMNATH GOENKA Imbalances in India’s cereal economy BECAUSETHE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL needmorethan ashort-term fix

MOUNT 50K Jean Drèze

Markets touchrecordhighs on backofgreater confidence over THE PARADOXOF“hunger amidstplenty” has with normal levels. Afterreachingapeakof looming imbalance between production and haunted India foralongtime and shows no nearly 100million tonnes in July2020 (more consumption. Cereal production has been economy. Optimismneeds to be tempered with caution signof going away.Onthe contrary, it reached than twice the buffer-stocknorms), cereal wellabove 250million tonnesforfiveyearsin NTHURSDAY,THE BSE Sensexbreachedthe historic 50,000 markfor anew plane in 2020.Onthe one hand, the eco- stocks stoppedgrowing. But with the recent arow,and is likelytocross280 milliontonnes nomic recession precipitatedbythe COVID- discontinuation of PMGKAY, they areall set this year.According to the second India thefirsttime. While the markets have since then been pulleddownby 19 crisis and national lockdown exposedhuge to grow again in 2021. Human Development Survey,average cereal profit booking, the near 90 per cent rise in the Sensexfromthe depths numbers of people to food insecurity.Many In the short-term, thereisnosimple way consumption wasalittle below12kgper per- observedinMarch last year has been nothingshortofspectacular. household surveys point to reducedfood in- of closing the gapbetween procurement son per month 2011-12. Using this bench- OMoreover, this surge has notbeenconcentrated in afew select stocks,but take in both quantitative and qualitative terms. and distribution other than expanding dis- mark, aggregatecereal consumption is likely is morebroad-basedwith the BSE mid and small cap indices also witnessing asimilar Thelatestsurvey,Hunger Watch,suggests that tribution. With farmers demanding higher to be around 200milliontonnes today, in a surge.Foreign investors have also flockedindroves—between April 1and January21, food insecurity continuedwell afterthe lock- MSPs and being quiteassertive about it, pro- normal year.Sustainedpoverty reduction down. The government is trying to createan curement is unlikelytodecline soon (except would perhaps raise it alittle beyond that, but foreignportfolio investors invested anet of Rs 2.41lakh croreinIndian equities, the high- impression that the crisis is largely over,but in years of bad harvest). Exports would re- notmuch. Cereals have other uses than hu- esteverinasingleyear.Retail participation toohas seen aspectacular pickup—around forinformal-sector workers, hardship is likely quiremassive subsidies, since MSPs tend to man consumption, but it is notclear howwell 10 million newdemat accountswereopenedin2020. All this suggests thatdespitethe to continue foralong time. be higher than worldprices —almost50per the surplus can be used. economygoing through arguablythe severest recession in decades, marketparticipants On the other hand, excess cereal stocks cent higher in the case of wheat today. So This imbalance reflects the excessive fo- areoptimistic about futureprospects. (mainlyrice and wheat) have reachedun- would the useofexcess stocks as cattle feed. cus of subsidisedprocurement on rice and Thereare severalpossible explanationsfor the surge in the markets.First, thereisfar precedented levels and areall settogrowfur- Large subsidies forexportsorcattle feed (not wheat. Perhaps the all-out promotion of rice greater optimism over the stateofthe economythan before with leading economic in- ther in 2021. Bloated stocks reflect agrow- to speak of ethanol) would be hardtojus- and wheat servedapurpose at one time, ing imbalancebetween procurement and tify.Open-market sales would defeat the when India facedapossible danger of cereal dicators suggesting that astrong recovery is underway. Addtothat expectations of a distribution. According to the official purpose of MSPs. shortage.Today,itmakes little sense. smooth rollout of the Covidvaccine and as aconsequence, demand firming up, especially Foodgrains Bulletin, cereal procurement was This imbalance reflects the The case forexpanding distribution arises Diversificationofagriculture,especially to- forhigh-contact services, thereisreason to be optimistic. This viewwas echoedbyecon- around 70 million tonnes in 2017-18, 80 mil- excessive focus of subsidised notonlyfromthe lackofsensiblealternatives wardsnutritiouscropssuchasmillets,pulses, omists at the RBI in their latestmonthlyoutlook on the stateofthe economy, who noted lion tonnes in 2018-19, and close to 90 mil- procurement on rice and but also fromtheneedtoconsolidatethe food oilseeds and vegetables, is important notonly that “the recovery is getting stronger in itstractionand soon the winter of our discon- lion tonnes in 2019-20.This year,itmay cross security netinthis crisis situation. Ad hoc forbetternutrition but alsotopromote equity wheat. Perhaps the all-out tent will be made glorious summer,”adding that “barring the visitation of another wave, 100milliontonnes. Meanwhile, cereal dis- measures, oftenprone to confusion and cor- and sustainability. This requires morebal- tribution under the public distributionsys- ruption,should give waytosustainedentitle- ancedsubsidies —for instance, higher MSPs the worstisbehind us”. Second, thereare heightenedexpectations from the upcoming promotion of rice and wheat tem(PDS) and other welfareschemes has served apurpose at one time, ments. Thereare manypossibilities in this re- forpulses, combinedwith more active pro- Union Budget.Considering that the government has been rather conservative in itsap- stagnated at around 60 million tonnes. gard —expandingthe Antyodaya programme, curement and the inclusion of pulses in the proachthis year,thereare expectations that the finance minister, in addition to announc- Procurement and distribution do notmatch when India faced apossible updating the population figures usedtocal- PDS. The feasibility of including pulses in the ing steps to aid the economic recovery,will loosen the fiscal taps,providing the much- because theyare drivenbyindependent danger of cereal shortage. culateNFSAcoverage, raising monthlycereal PDS wasamply demonstrated in 2020 under neededfillip to theeconomy. Andthird,favourable liquidity conditions, both domestically forces —procurement by minimum support Today, it makes little sense. rations above the modest norm of 5kgper the PMGKAY—this could work wonders for and globally, areplaying asignificant role in pushing up stockprices. prices (MSPs), distribution by thenorms of Diversification of person,anduniversalisingthe PDS inruralar- farmers, poor people, and the environment. the National Food Security Act(NFSA). eas and urbanslums, among others. Justto Diversificationalso calls forother forms of However, thereisreason to be cautious. Even though marketsare forward-looking, val- WhentheNFSAwas beingdrafted10years agriculture,especially amplify the lastoption, universalisingthe PDS public support (such as marketing arrange- uations appear to be stretched. The marketiscurrentlytrading at aprice to earnings ra- ago, cereal procurement wasaround 60 mil- towards nutritious crops in rural areas at NFSArates (5 kg per person ments,credit facilities, scientific advice, effec- tio of 34 that is farinexcess of itslong term average. While earnings will getupgraded, lion tonnes. The Planning Commission and fi- suchasmillets, pulses, permonth)would requireanextraallocation tive insurance), especiallyfor small farmers this expansion in the earnings multiplewill at some point adjusttothe reality that the nance ministryarguedthat it would notand oilseeds and vegetables, is of about 15-20 million tonnes per year — and deprivedregions. economystill has aconsiderable distance to travel to recovertopre-COVID levels. Even should notgrowfurther,and insistedon60 barelyhalf of the current gapbetween annual Soonerorlater,the double imbalance in important not only forbetter accounting forthe faster recovery,the economyislikelytorecover to 2019-20 levels, only million tonnes as an upper bound forthe ce- procurement and distribution. India’s cereal economy(between procure- by around the end of 2021-22. real requirementsofthe NFSA.Tenyearslater, nutrition but also to Another approachwould be to simply ment and distribution as well as betweenpro- procurement has actuallygrown by more promote equityand raise state-wise NFSAallocations by afixed duction and consumption) will needmore than 50 per cent. sustainability. This requires percentage(say20per cent), and letthe states than ashort-term fix. Meanwhile, the needof The imbalance between procurement decide howtouse theadditional quotas the hour is to expand distribution under the and distribution wastemporarilyhidden in more balanced subsidies — withinthePDS framework.Duringthe lastfew PDS. Failing that, thecountryisheading to- SLAUGHTERING SENSE 2020 because additional PDS rations of 5kg forinstance,higher MSPs months,manystateshavetriedto expand the wardsanother round of wasteful stockaccu- per person per month were provided to forpulses, combined with coverage of the PDSasarelief measure, but it mulationeven aspoor people struggleto feed NFSAcardholders from April to November is hardfor them —especiallythepoorerstates their families. Delhi civic body wantsrestaurants to displayhow their meat is under the Pradhan Mantri Garib KalyanAnna more active procurement —todoitwithout central assistance. slaughtered.Itisabad policy with suspectmotives Yojana (PMGKAY). This ledtothe release of and the inclusion of pulses Aside from amajor gapbetween cereal The author is Visiting Professor at the an extra30million tonnes or so, compared in the PDS. procurement and distribution, thereisalso a Department of Economics, Ranchi University POLICY CANbecriticised on manycounts —for being superfluous and wasteful, impractical, callous or even forbeing the instrument of alarger, divisive agenda. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation(SDMC) order making it mandatoryfor restaurantsand eateries to displaywhether they Aserve“halal” or “jhatka” meatand poultryhas the rare distinction of checking all these boxes. The food andbeverageindustryinthe capital is still reeling from THE WHATSAPP FIX the financialimpact of the pandemic, and another unnecessaryrule will onlyadd to its burden. According to meattraders,itisprice and quality thatdetermine thekind of meat purchased by restaurants, notthe method of slaughter.Besides,asmultiple restaurateurs Adataprotection lawwould have made its privacy updateillegal told this newspaper,customers rarely inquire —orcare—about howthe meat theycon- sume is slaughtered.SDMC officials have also pointedout that enforcing the policy is nearly impossible,sincethereisnoway to distinguish betweenhalal and jhatka in cooked meat. SubimalBhattacharjee Giventhe opposition to and futility of the policy,the onlyexplanation forits promulga- tion lies in the political ends it means to serve.Alarge chunk —about 80 per cent, by some IN NOVEMBER 2014,WhatsApp adoptedthe duringthe 2016 US elections and Brexit is passedbynow,WhatsApp’smove would have estimates—ofthe meatconsumedinDelhi is “halal” because amajorityofbutchers be- Signal protocol forend-to-end encryption af- proof. In 2018,therewerereports of Facebook been illegal. Provisionsin the bill requiredthat terits acquisition by Facebook in Februaryin entering intodata-sharing deals with other everydataintermediaryhas to take explicit long to the Muslim community.Itisalso avital sector because of the employment it gener- the same year.Since then, it has growntobe tech firms likeApple, Amazon and Spotify. permission from the user whose datawould ates. Moreover, in acountrystruggling with amalnutritionproblem, animalproteins arean the most popularappfor IP messaging and te- WhatsApprespondedtowidespread con- beharvested. Even the method of dataclassi- essentialpartofthe nutrition matrix. The rationalefor the order,according to BJP SDMC lephonywith almosttwo billion users world- cern by,first, trying to clarify that the update fication intosensitive personal dataand crit- leader NarendraChawla, is that it will “benefit the Khatik community”, whichuses the wide, of which400 million areinIndia, the did notchangeanything as farasthe private ical datahas been definedand their process- “jhatka” method. The motive,then, seems to be to communalise food and to pit people in- largest in anycountry.WhatsApp’s unique chatsbetween individuals and groups were ing possibilities mentionedinthe bill. volvedinthe animal trade against eachother.Bybranding food served according to the re- blend of text, audio and voice messaging and concernedand thatthe datawould beshared Clearly,the government has to makethe callingplatform with the end-to-end encryp- In the most recent note,the onlyfor businessinteractions.Itthen issued PDPB intolaw sooner than later so that such ligion of those who provide it, the BJP-controlledSDMC is trying to communalise food. tion has allowedthe companytomaintain its large media ads and finallyproposedtodefer restrictive practicescan neverbeintroduced All this is being done by amunicipal administration that is unable to meeteventhe government referred to the pole position,despitehiccups likethe Pegasus principle of purpose the implementation by aboutthree months in the firstplace.After all, WhatsAppdid make basicobligations to itsemployees. On Thursday, the Delhi High Court, while ordering the malwareepisode. to May15, 2021. But these steps didn’t stop the an exception forits users in the European stategovernment and municipalcorporation to paythe backlog of salaries and pensions It is,therefore,surprising that aplatform limitation provisions in the exodusof manyusersto alternateonlinemes- Union. At the same time, forthe Competition to itsemployees, said that it was“disgusted” by “absolutelynoconcern youhaveshown that has made avirtue out of protecting user Personal DataProtection Bill saging services likeSignal and Telegram. Commissionof India,thisis aclassiccaseof an foryour employees”. Perhaps, rather than focusing on what notices restaurantsneedto privacy is trying to forceits updated terms of (PDPB) that wasintroduced The Indian government has also sent a organisation using itsnear monopolistic service (ToS) and privacy policy on users. The strong note,seeking the company’s response powerinthe markettopush through some- carry as apolitical ploy, theSDMC should focus on the needs of the city and itsstaff. in Parliament in December policy seeksconsent from users to allowthe to 14 queriesrelatedto their practices in India thing that is notinthe consumer interest. platform to sharetheir datawith Facebook 2019 and is currently being and asking the platform to withdraw those The fact remains that tech giants need and itscompanies, whichmeans that discussed by ajoint select proposedchanges. This note has sent aclear morelegal and regulatorywatch, giventhe WhatsAppwouldsharetransaction data, mo- committee. It will be messagetoWhatsApp to notsubject Indian digital proliferation in the country. As Digital bile device information, IP addresses and other users to greater information security risksand India expands and brings in moreusers from THE SANDERS STYLE metadataonhow users interact with busi- pertinent to mention that vulnerabilities with the consolidation of data the current base of 70 crore, and moretaketo nesses on WhatsApp. Suchsharing would be had the bill been passed by from WhatsApp and Facebook.In2019, dur- social media forcommunications and busi- It’s onlyapt that Bernie Sanders breaksthe internetasJoe done with the user being notifiedbeforethe now, WhatsApp’smove ing the revelations of the Pegasus hacking the ness, theymustbeensured asafer digital Biden takesoveras46th president of US startof achat if the businessuses Facebookto would have been illegal. IT ministerhad takenasimilar stand, forcing space, giventhat mostwouldn’t be awareof storeand analysedataand the user would WhatsAppto committoafew deliverables. In the reachofthe databeinggenerated.For now, ERNIE SANDERS IS everywhere, even if he is notinthe WhiteHouse. The have the option of blocking the business. Provisions in the bill themostrecent note,the governmentreferred WhatsApp hastorollbackthe TOSand pri- seasonedDemocrat launchedamillion memes by turning up at US However, even thiswoulddefytheprinci- required that everydata to the principle of purpose limitation provi- vacy policyandthinkof methods to allow opt- President Joe Biden’s inauguration in an ensemble that has been variously ple of purpose limitation that has been the intermediaryhas to take sions in the Personal DataProtection Bill in and opt-out choices so that forced consent described as “grumpy chic”and “goingtothe postoffice” look.Amid the yardstickofaddressing privacy concerns at a explicit permission from (PDPB) that wasintroducedinParliament in is nevermade the order of the day. B global level. It is afactthat Facebook does not December 2019 andiscurrentlybeingdis- striking visuals of Vice-President Kamala Harris’s purple powersuit, Lady have astellar recordofdataprotection of its the user whose datawould cussedbyajoint select committee. It will be The writer is amember of theeditorial board Gaga’s operatic gown and Michelle Obama’s strikingly confident head-to-toe plum attire, users, as the CambridgeAnalytica datascam be harvested. pertinent to mention that had the bill been of thecyber journal of Chatham House in walked Sanders in an unfussy dun-coloured coatpulleduptohis ears,carrying amanila envelope and wearing thickmittens made of up-cycledsweaters —apictureofmatter- of-fact, we-have-got-work-to-do ordinariness. It might be relief at the end of the tenure of apopulistpost-factpresident, who pushed the famedAmerican democracy to the edge of acoup, at the return of the humdrum af- JANUARY 23, 1981, FORTY YEARS AGO terthe disruptive reign of Doland Trump, but the US interwebz went tipsy with amuse- ment. The photograph of amasked Sanders, seated in achairatthe inauguration, unim- BOND CONTROVERSY ing to his colleagues, “sold apup to the than an hour,demanding an immediate pressedbythe pomp all around, has been graftedontomillions of images, from Edward The Planning Commission wasnot con- Prime Minister”. Whether due to secrecy meeting of the BACduringthe firstsession Hopper paintings to Lordofthe Rings scenesand NewYorkstreetcorners. It’s apt, of sulted on the bonds meant to mop up black concerns, or some other reasons, therewere of the assembly. course, that American voters have notforgotten Sanders in this moment of transition. moneytothe tune of Rs 25,000croreinthe very little discussions even within the gov- country. One of the members of the com- ernment before the ordinanceonbonds PM’S MESSAGE The Vermont Senator eventuallybowedout of the race to become the Democratic con- mission feels that notenough homework were issued. ADMITTINGTHATTHE country waspass- tender forthe presidential race, because his agenda wasseen, in the final analysis, as too wasdone before deciding on the bonds as a ing through agrave economic crisisdue to radical and left-wing forthe compromises neededtooil the wheels of democracy. measuretoclean up blackmoney. In the AKALIS SCORE APOINT therise in prices of essential commodities Nevertheless, his critique of American politics and corporatecaptureofcapitalism, his earlier schemes —for example, the1976 Opposition parties forced the Punjab gov- and inflationarytrends, Prime Minister advocacy of affordable healthcare, increasing the minimum wage,among other things has voluntarydisclosures —the Planning ernment to abandon the approved pro- Indira Gandhicalledonthe peopletounit- pushedthe Democratic agenda towardsacourse correction, towardsconnecting with a Commission wasinvolved. This time they gramme forthe StateAssemblyand made it edly fight the test whichthe nation was working-class that remainssuspicious of the elitecaptureofdemocratic institutions. came to knowabout the bondsfromnews- agreetoare-convene the business advisory passing through. She said that the youth de- papers.Inquires made by theFinance committee forafresh look at the businessto served moreopportunities in nation build- Sanders wassurprisedbyhis breaking the internet. “In Vermont we dress warm... and Ministryreveal that even those officials be transacted during the Budget Session. ingand askedthem to comeout of the grip we’renot so concernedabout good fashion,” he said. Forpoliticians across the worldreel- who deal with the subject were nottaken The government decision came aftermem- of anarchistforces who posedathreat by ing from the rise of autocratic populism, though, Sandersisareminder that good old- into confidence. The proposal seems to be bers of the Akali Dal (Talwandi) sat in a constantlydisrupting the country’s law fashionedprogressive politics will nevergoout of fashion. the brainchild of one official, who, accord- protest dharnainside the House formore andorder. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 WHATTHE OTHERSSAY “China canbeapartner with the US in fighting COVID-19, resolving climate problemsand promotinggrowth. Compared withconfrontational policies, the China-US cooperation is obviously more conducive to realising Wa shington's 11 THE IDEAS PAGE new ambitions.” —GLOBALTIMES,CHINA Home, alone The listening deficit The fundamentalreform India —and Afalse hierarchy of genderand caste practiceshas devalueddomestic the world—needs is the process of and carework. The pandemic has onlysharpened this inequality listening to other perspectives

omists have been verycriticalin recentyears of the Supreme Court’s “interference” in the economy, withits decisions in taxmatters, etc. It does nothavethe necessaryexpertise foreconomic policies, theysay.Caught in the impasse of agriculturereforms, the govern- ment nowseemsinclinedtolet theSupreme Courtdecide whatshouldbedone.Is this not an admission that the government and the AmritaDutta economists who advise it do nothavethe ex- ArunMaira pertise requiredfordemocraticgovernance? The expansion of the idea of human THE KITCHEN IS Aplace of nourishment and rightsisthe mother forceofdemocracy. skill —but also of the exhausted, unvoicedrage “THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS cannotbeal- Democracy is deepenedbythe realisation of Indian women. That anger simmers in the lowedtobesubverted through unlawful that those who rule always have morepower just-releasedMalayalamfilm,TheGreat Indian protests,” Prime NarendraMinisterModi than those theyrule over.The nobility over Kitchen.But before it boils over,the camera tweeted, commenting onthe stormingof the peasants; whitepeople over coloured peo- lingers on the hands of women at work:Slicing US Capitol by DonaldTrump’ssupporters. ple;upper castesoverlower castes;employ- carrots, peeling tapioca, washing cups, scrub- Meanwhile, thousands of farmers are ersoverworkers;menover women. Thead- bing dishes, grinding coconut intoachutney campedinbitterlycold weather around vance of ill-regulatedcapital across the world on astone slab, sweeping, mopping, washing. India’s capital. Theyare peacefullyprotest- in recent years, to promote the ease of doing Breakfastfollows lunchfollows dinner. The ing amendments to farm laws thegovern- business ratherthanease of living, has given menreadthenewspaper orstretchintoayoga- menthas rammedthrough without adis- those with morewealth greaterpower to asana, call out fortea (with milk forhim, and cussion in the country’s elected Parliament. frame rules than citizens who have no without forsomeone else). Theyask forthe Theythreaten to carryout apeaceful tractor wealth. Democracy mustcorrect this. toothbrush to be handedoverand knowhot march in Delhi on the nation’s Republic Day Thefault-linesin democracy are: Ill-reg- dosas will find the plate, unasked.Scene after if their demands arenot concededbythen. ulated capitalistmarkets arecorroding scene looksatthe never-quite-finished These protests in theworld’stwo largest democracy;experts aremisinformedabout women’slabour at home —aswellas the easy, democracies raise questions about the health realities; global elites, who areconnected in polite entitlementwith whichmenreceive the CRSasikumar of the global democratic enterprise. aglobal community transcendingnational fruitsofthat work,not even ahaldi stain on the problem of toofew womeninthe workforce labour that subsidises the economic activities What is a“lawful” protest? Who deter- borders, aredisconnected from common assumption that this is howitshould be. because a) “theydonot have to leave home of society,the proposal leavesthe fundamen- mines whether the purpose of the protestis people. Theythink “global” and believe that This unsettling look at domestic drudgery and face molestation or badnaami” and b) be- talhierarchyofthe patriarchal home unchal- lawful? And whichmethods of protestare thinking “national and local” is going back- —bothinJeo Baby’s TheGreat Indian Kitchen cause it can makeitfeasible forthem to do lenged —that awoman’s place is in the home lawful?Ifsuchquestions should bediscussed wardswhereas people within countries and the Bengali film Tasher Ghawr,about a “both office and familychores”. The Supreme —and absolvesitofchange. Asalaryalso pre- within ademocratically-electedParliament everywhere, especiallythose leftbehind in housewifetrappedwithher abusive husband CourtChief Justice finds it possible to suggest supposes aworker’s ability to bargain for (or Congress), and if elected institutions do the global race, want their governmentsto in lockdown —israreincontemporarypopu- that women farmersfromPunjab give up their higher wages, and exit her workplace. Can notfunction, should the peoplenot protest? look inwardstotheir needs first. lar culture. Indeed, to manyofus, food is daily space in democratic protests andreturnhome, thesenegotiations take place in thehome, They must protest, albeit non-violently, in a TheEdelmanTrustBarometer, anannual pleasureand aestheticism, alink to cultures rather than bargain fortheir economic rights. whichplacesmen’sneeds and pleasures at the manner that will maketheir protestheard global survey of citizens’ trustininstitutions and histories that makeus. But likethe salt that It is the same daddy complexthatleadstoanti- centre of itsworkflow?Moreimportantly, how as the Indian farmersare, andthe protestors reported, in 2020, that:“Agrowing sense of disappears intoasambhar or adal done right, conversion laws meant to “rescue”Hindu can women determine afairprice, when the in Shaheen Bagh were. inequity is undermining trustinall institu- the arduouslabour of women in the kitchen women in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh labour that sustains homes is so consistently Expertsadvising thegovernmentarepre- tions —government, business, the media, and home (and their lack of choice in opting from the exercise of their ownwill —and re- devalued? These areimportant questions, pared fordiscussions with the farmers pro- even NGOs.” Government, the media, and out of it)isanessential —and ignored—ingre- turn them to their families, their homes. giventhatthe economic shockofthe pan- videdthe discussionsare“evidence-based”, NGOs aresupposedtoservethe people. Even dient of Indian lives. Hereare the facts: The Forabrief while lastyear,the middle-class demicisboundtopushmorewomen out of theysay.Whichraisesmorequestions. What businesses realise theymustbetrustedby NSSO time-use survey 2019 of nearly 4.5 lakh lockdown home —bybecoming asimultane- the workforce—and intounpaid domestic is evidencerequiredfor?Whatisacceptable the people fortheir license to operate. They Indians reveals that women spend nearly five ous space forsalariedworkand unpaid house- service. According to Centre forMonitoring as evidence?The experts have theirown sci- should nothavetoturntothe government hours everyday on unpaid domestic work, work —made it impossible to ignorethe toil IndianEconomy (CMIE) data, whilemen re- entificmodelsaboutwhatisimportant.The to convincecitizensthat big corporationsare compared to 98 minutes by men. Less than 6 that sustained ahouse. In the absence of do- coveredmostoftheir lostjobs by November farmers have their experience of what mat- good forthe people.Becausethen thepeople percent of Indianmen areinvolvedincook- mestic help, schools and childcare, women 2020, women didn’t—49per centof joblosses ters. Experts want moreharddata. Whereas willbelieve thatthe governmentandcorpo- ing, compared to 75 per cent women. were stretchedthin —but men, too, did more Thehome is where the were of women. farmers’ mistrustofthe government’s inten- rations areincahoots to servecorporatein- The home is wherethe majority of Indian at home. Astudy by economistAshwani majorityofIndian women Afalse hierarchyofgender and caste prac- tions is basedontheir experience,including terests, and theywill lose faith in their own women perform work that sustains house- Deshpande found that the gender gapindo- perform work that sustains ticeshas,indeed, devaluedthe essentialwork the wayinwhichthe reforms arebeing government. holds and enables men (and privileged mesticworkshrunkduringthelockdown,but that sustains us —whether cleaningorcook- rammedonthem. That’s nothow democ- Trustisdecreasing because no one is lis- women) to take up productive paid jobs in the widenedagain by August,when manymen households and enables men ingorthe careofinfantsand elderly.Itallows racy is supposedtowork, theyprotest. tening to others. The government is notlis- economy. Even forthose women who take up returnedtoemployment. (and privileged women) to caste-privilegedwomen and nearly allmen Liberals everywhereare feeling threat- tening to thepeople, neither areexperts. work outside the home,domestic responsibil- Around April, Ihad steppedintofull-time take up productive paid jobs to pass on this work to those from “lower enedbythe riseofautocratic leaders. Elected Experts in their specialisedsilos arenot even ities shape their choice of work and profes- kitchen work forthe firsttime in my life, ears castes” and the impoverished—forlow leaders maysay theyworkfor the people and listening to experts in other silos. Social me- sional progress. The drag on Indian women’s ringing with the mocking prophecy of aunts in the economy. Even for wages. This fundamental inequality robs listentothem. However, the expertswhoad- dia is forcing people further intogatedcom- labour forceparticipation (one of the lowest (“In the end, no woman escapes the pressure those women who take up women of self-worth, but also stuntsmen visethem plugpeople as numbers intotheir munities of “people likeus”who areunable, in the world) is notonlyafunction of lowed- cooker”). All my lifeIhad determined thatI work outside the home, into pre-fabricated social roles. It radiates out scientific models, even looking down on and unwilling, to listen to “peoplenot like ucation and social status, but also, to asignifi- would notturn intomymother, an immensely domestic responsibilities of the home intothe public sphere. It shapes them as uneducated masses. When leaders us”. Democratic governance is breaking cant extent, of culture—the basket of values capable woman whose talentand energy workplaces that reward24x7male workers rely tooheavilyonexpertadvisers forsolu- down because no one is willingtolistento that, by tyingwomen’s identity tightlytothe ought nottohavebeen circumscribed by the shape their choice of work who can afford to ignorethe demands of the tions, trustinelected leaders breaksdown. peopletheydon’t understandor agree with. supervision of children andhome, nudges dazzling meals she cooked,and the exacting, and professional progress. home; easesout women who shoulder pre- Trumproseuponaglobal waveofcitizens’ The fundamental reform India needs them out of the workforce. “Whydoyou want punishing standardsofdomestic work by ThedragonIndian women’s ciselythat burden or confines them in sup- mistrustinthe waydemocratic institutions (andtheworldtoo) is a“no tech”one.Itis the to take upajob, whenthe work youdoathome whichshe ranher life. But, here,Iwas. Working labour force participation portive,secondaryroles. It leads to abysmal arefunctioning. Trumpmay have fallen, but process of listening to people who do not is more importantthanthatof ministers?” says with my mother in the kitchen, Ilearnt with wagespaid to domestic workers. Carework thewaveofilliberalismhasnotpassed.Ithas seem to think likewedo. By listening to other the father-in-lawtothe newly-weddaughter- my hands what Iknewintheory—that this is (one of the lowest in the performedbywomen, largelyfromthe lower risen due to the failure, so far, of twoprojects perspectives, we will comprehend the sys- in-lawinThe Great Indian Kitchen.Like work that demands skill,creativity and organ- world) is not only afunction castes, remains devaluedeveninthe middle to meet citizens’ expectations of improve- temofwhichweare all small parts;and Schrodinger’s cat, the domestic work per- isation; that likeall physical labour,itrewires of loweducation and social of apandemic, as is evidentinthe struggle of mentsinthe human condition—the project economists willimprove their science too. formedbywives anddaughters is both price- andrestores therhythmof the body;thatital- status, but also, to a ASHA workers. Even professions suchas of electoral democracy,and the project of sci- Moreover,bylistening better to eachother less, and of little value. lows the sharing of pleasures that makes us teaching, that tend to employmorewomen, entific rationality. we can trusteachother,and then we can No matterthe stridesin educationand so- human. Why, then, do men notfeelthe needto significant extent,ofculture remain low-paying. The Indian government is being urgedby work together,democratically, to makethe cial practices, in the political and cultural dis- acquirethis lifestill? —the basket of values that, Dismantlingthese hierarchies –and ex- economists and industrialists to implement worldbetterfor everyone. course about women, marriageand home are Could asalaryfor houseworkpaid by the by tying women’s identity panding theimaginationof women as citizens economic reforms firmly. The people who still seen, unquestioningly,asthe rightful and state, asMakkal Needhi Maiam(MNM)leader tightly to the supervision of independent of the home —might makethe arethe intendedbeneficiaries arenot con- Maira, aformer member,Planning natural contextfor women’slives. So muchso Kamal Haasan has promisedTamil Nadu familyanourishing place, notonlyfor men. vinced,asthe farmers’are saying.Evenex- Commission, is theauthor of Listening for that economist Swaminathan Aiyar can pre- women voters, be away to value this work? children and home,nudges perts disagree amongstthemselveswhether Well-Being: Conversations scribework-from-home (WFH) as afix to the While arefreshing acknowledgement of the them out of the workforce. [email protected] the reforms arethe right ones. Indian econ- withPeople NotLikeUs Rollback is not the answer LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR HASTE, WASTE IDEAS Farmlaws areonlyway to pushagricultureoutof low-incometrap THIS REFERS TO the editorial, 'Laws on pause' (IE, January22). The failureofthe ONLINE government to implement the well-in- Atanu Purkayastha tendedand pro-farmer but hastily-en- ONLYINTHE EXPRESS actedfarmlawsshould make it realise INDIAN AGRICULTUREGREW at about 1per enhancedtostoptheir migration to thenon- actlywhat is required in theagricultural sec- an opportunityfor themiddleman to dictate thatlaws enactedwithoutthe participa- ● MAKINGHEALTHFUNDS centper annum in the 50 years before agriculturesector. tor. Thethree farm laws reforming the agri- prices and pocket alion’s shareofprofits. tion of the stakeholders arecounterpro- WORK:SANDHYA Independence. It has grownatabout2.6 per Worldover, it is the farmerwho decides culturesectorare much-needed. Creation of storehouses etc. makes it pos- ductive. Itsreluctance to put in practice VENKATESWARANAND cent per annuminthe post-Independence era the market price of his produce, butinIndia, Processingisthe mantra to generate sible inter alia to storeperishable agri-pro- the labour codes and Citizenship NACHIKETMOR to become the world’s second-largest food it is decidedbyintermediaries. During har- higher income from agri-produce and calls duce and makethem availableduring the off- Amendment Actand the willingness to producer.This transformationhas been pos- vest,agricultural production centres see aglut forprivate investment.However, privatein- season whenprices arehigh and maintain defer the farm laws should teachitthat ● BEATING CHINA’S FAIT sible through increasing theareaundercul- of produce at throwaway prices whereas vestment entails profit-making and forthis year-roundsupplyofagri-rawmaterials for adelayedbut doable decision is better ACCOMPLI TRAP: tivation andadoption of modern production shortagesand high prices rule the roostat to happen, the investor needstohaveasayin processing factories. Keeping theserequire- than agoodbut undoable decision. AMEYA PRATAP SINGH technologies. Though agricultureisIndia’s consumption centres. About16per cent of the saleofthe agriculture produce.Thisispos- mentsinmind, the Essential Commodities YGChouksey, Pune main occupation, itscontribution to GDP hov- fruits and vegetables and 10 per centof sible when the investor has alegal agreement (Amendment) Act, 2020 waspassed to regu- www.indianexpress.com ers around 17 per cent because farm produc- oilseeds, pulses and cereals perish before or “contract” with the farmer-producer guar- late the supply of certainfoodstuffs onlyun- A CONTRADICTION tivity has almoststagnated. Feeding the reaching theconsumer’stable,while the anteeingsale of produce at pre-determined der extraordinarycircumstances. To prevent world’s second-mostpopulatedcountry re- Global Hunger Index (GHI) of International quality,quantity and price.This is what the the blackmarketers from taking the advan- THIS REFERS TO the report, 'PM to dis- mains aprime responsibility and the govern- Food Policy Research Instituteranked India Farmers (Empowerment andProtection) tage of this well-intendedlaw,arider could tributeover1lakh land papers to indige- curedmorethan 70 millionvotes despite ment has to find ways to retain farmers’ in- 100th out of 118countries in 2018.The 15th Agreement On Price Assurance and Farm have been addedsetting limits on thestorage nous people in poll-bound Assam'(IE, being on the losing side and the kind of terest in agriculture. Finance Commission observed that power Services Act, 2020 provides for. The Actenvis- of directly-consumableproducts. January22). CM Sarbananda Sonowal's violence we have seen in Washington re- Compared to the worldaverage of 11 per subsidies imperil our already-stretched ages the investor to provide farm servicesin The three Farm Acts intendedtobreak the announcement that landless indigenous cently, the ball would bein President Joe cent, around 51 per centofIndia’sareaisal- groundwater resources.India’s electricitycon- the form of technology infusion forachieving logjam in the agriculture sector.How they people will be allotted land means that Biden's courttobridgethis ever-deep- ready undercultivation, with rainfeddrylands sumptioninagriculture is fargreater than any the desiredproduction, protection againstac- hamper farmers’ interesthas notbeen ex- the government has recognisedthe ex- eningdivide. He seems to have started constituting 65 per cent of thenet sown area. comparablecountryand withdrawal of quisition of farmer’s land and disputeredres- plainedbyany of the agitatingfarmers’ or- istence of indigenous people in Assam. on apositive note by passing aslewof Thereisnofurther scope to increasethe area groundwater is morethan China’s and the sal mechanism. The apprehension thatthis ganisations or their political sympathisers. Thisisat oddswiththeCentre's negation executive orderson hisfirstday in office. under cultivation and agriculture research fa- US’s put together. Actwould leadtothe exploitation of farmers The argument that theselawswould resultin in the UN Declaration that withinthe Bal Govind, Noida tigue has strangled crop productivity. Over the years, influencedbygovernment is unfounded. loss of staterevenue is absurdasthe statecan- country, theIndian stateprovides no According to the lastagricultural census, of interventionslikeMSP,seed, fertilisersubsi- Notreceivingthe rightprice is the main notearnrevenue by keepingfarmers in per- suchrecognition to anycommunities, NAME GAME 14.57crore agriculturalholdingsinthe coun- dies, our agricultureproduction system has reasonfor farmers’dissatisfaction. The petualpoverty. exceptasScheduledTribes. try, 12.56crore (86.21per cent)are small and been primarilyrice-wheat centric. These in- Farmers’ Produce Trade andCommerce If the farm laws aretoberepealed, it LRMurmu, Delhi THISREFERSTOtheeditorial, 'Slayingthe marginal holdings(less than 2hectares)rep- terventions were once essential forfoodse- (Promotion andFacilitation) Act, 2020 now would sound adeathknell forthe effortsto dragon' (IE, January22). Changing the resenting 47 percent of the total operated curity. Once achieved,theyshould have been givesliberty to thefarmer-producers to sell improvethe agriculturesector,for no politi- GOOD START name of afruit justbecause it hintsat(in- agricultural area.With an averageofatleast tweakedtoenforce reforms to bring agricul- their producetoany trader or through mod- cal party in government would ever darecarry correct) Chinese origins is illogical. If four members per family, agricultureisthe tureintune with market demands, incentivise ern electronic platforms to anyplace at aprice outagriculturalreforms again, muchlikehow THIS REFERS TO the editorial, 'Biden's India wantstobecome agreat Asian sourceoflivelihood forthishalfabillion peo- crop diversification, and createinfrastructure decidedbyhim. The Actalso defines who is thefamilyplanningprogramme has been for- burden' (IE, January22). The US may country, name-changing is notthe way ple, generating an approximatemonthlyin- to modernise agriculture.The economic the trader of agricultural commodities, sets gotteninthe country. neverhavebeen as severely dividedasit to go about it. comeofRs6,000—Rs50per personper day. boomofthe last25yearsisdue to the open- thetime limitfor paymentsand includes a is today. With Donald Trumphaving se- Barad Krishnapalsinh, Ahmedabad It is thissegment of the farming community ing up of theeconomythat beganunder disputeredressal system. This Actliberates The writer is former agriculturesecretary, whoseincome from agricultureneeds to be Prime MinisterPVNarasimhaRao.This is ex- the sector from the APMC Act, whichprovided governmentofWestBengal WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 12 EXPRESS NETWORK THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 Former CJI Gogoi gets PM invokes Test victory in Kutchcattleherder ‘Z+’ VIP security cover Australia at Assam university telligence agencies. Gogoi EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE headedthe five-judgebench He added, “There were inex- NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 that deliveredthe Ayodhya ver- ABHISHEKSAHA periencedplayers but their releasedfromPakjail dict in 2019. GUWAHATI,JANUARY22 morale washigh and they THE CENTRE has accordedZ- Sources said Gogoi wasal- grabbed the opportunity given plus security to former Chief ready enjoying Z-plus security PRIME MINISTER Narendra to them to createhistory.They tentlycrossedovertothe Express over phone from Allaiya Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan by thelocal policeinAssam and Modi on Fridaysaid today’s overpoweredabetterteam with GOPALKATESHIYA Pakistanside of the border or Vandh area of Nana Dinara. Gogoi. Sources saidGogoi has during his visitstoDelhi. “The se- young India has anew wayof their talent and temperament.” RAJKOT,JANUARY22 wasabducted by Pakistani bor- Citing documentsheac- been giventhe protection of the curity had been providedinan- taking on challenges and used The PM said the cricket der guards. Forabout adecade, cessedunder the Rightto CRPF. ticipation of threat to him fol- the example of the recent victory team’s victoryhad lessons be- ISMAIL SAMA,acattle herder the familyhad no news about Information(RTI) Act, JatinDesai, Nominated to the Rajya lowing the Ayodhya verdict. of the Test cricketteam in The JerengaPothar (field)in yond the field. from Nana Dinaravillagein him until RafiqJat, anative of a former general secretaryofthe Sabha by the government Security had been providedto Australia to highlight his point. Sivasagar district where “First, we shouldhavefaith Gujarat’s Kutchdistrict, who nearbyvillagereturnedhome af- Indian chapterofPakistan-India monthsafter his retirement in other four judgesaswell,albeit Addressing the 18th Modi will distributeland and confidence in our ability; went missing in 2008 and was terbeing releasedfromPakistan People’s Forum forPeace and November 2019,Gogoi will be lowincategory,”ahome min- Convocation of Tezpur documents. PTI second, apositive mindset laterfoundinaPakistani jail, was in October,2017, andinformed Democracy (PIPFPD), said Ismail protected by around adozen istryofficial said. University in Assam through begets positive results. The third releasedonFridayfollowing an them that he and Ismail were to- wasawarded five-year jail term CRPF commandos. Sources said Sources said Gogoi will now video conferencing, Modi said, and mostimportant lesson is order by theIslamabad High gether in aKarachi prison. by aPakistani courtinOctober the decisiontoaccordhim secu- be coveredbyaspecialisedVIP “The Indian cricket team facedso termination despiteinjuries. that if one has twooptions, one CourtonJanuary14. Ataulla, 33,the eldestof 2011 on espionagecharge.His rity coverunder the highestcat- protection forceunder the manychallenges. Theysuffered Theytook the challengehead-on of safeexit and the other adiffi- Sama reachedthe Indian Red Ismail’s nine children,confirmed prison term endedinOctober, egoryafter the Prime Minister Centre’s control and will con- crushing defeat yetrecovered and looked forfresh solutions in- cult option towardsvictory, then Cross Society’s branchin that his father had reached 2016 but the cattle herder con- wastaken in the light of assess- tinue to getthe security cover equally fast and wonthe next stead of gettingfrustratedbydif- one mustsurelyexplorethe op- Amritsar afterPakistani officers Amritsar.“At 6pmonFriday, we tinuedtolanguishinaPakistani ment of threat againsthim by in- wherever he goes in the country. match. Theplayers showedde- ficult conditions.” tion of victory,”Modi said. handedhim over to Indian au- receivedaphonecallonmyfa- detention centrefor morethan thorities. Nana Dinaravillageis ther’s mobile number. He had four years as Indian authorities located near Khavda, around 50 lefthis mobile backhome when took time to confirm his nation- STATEINDUSTRIES PROMOTION CORPORATION OF TAMILNADU km from on the Indo-Pakistan he went missingand Iwas using ality. 19-A, RUKMANI LAKSHMIPATHY ROAD, EGMORE, CHENNAI -600 008. border in Bhuj taluka of Kutch that numbersince. He remem- During ahearing in the Dated: 22 .01.2021 district. Ismailwent missing on beredthat number and dialledit Kulbhushan Jadavcase on TENDER CANCELLATION NOTICE August28, 2008,and hiswife afterreaching Amritsar.Heis January 2, India brought it to the Tender Notice issued vide the Reference No.4/F/F&R/T. Kamabai believesthat her hus- coming home after13long notice of the Islamabad High No.9,10,11/2020-21 dated 7.01.2021 which was published in daily bandlosthis wayand inadver- years,” Ataullatold TheIndian Courtthat Ismail Sama contin- newspaper on 10.01.2021 for the auction sale of mortgaged assets of uedtobedetainedinPakistan M/s. Vijay Crates &Containers Pvt. Ltd., R.S.No.138/3A &138/3B, Chittoor Road, Valakkanampudi Village, R.K. Pettai Taluk, Thiruvallur even afterhehad served his District that was taken possession by SIPCOT U/s.29 of State National Innovation prison term. The High Court, Financial Corporations Act 1951, alone is hereby cancelled due to while hearing the matter again administrative reasons. on January14, had ordered DIPR/ 483 /TENDER/2021 GENERAL MANAGER (F) Foundation-India Ismail’s release on January22. Grambharti,Amrapur,Gandhinagar-Mahudi Aspokesperson forthe RFP No. GCSC/MF/2020-21/152 Road, Gandhinagar,Gujarat-382650 PakistanHighcommission in Gujarat Council of Science City Notice Inviting Tender No. NIF/2021/ADM/001 Delhi confirmedthat one fisher- Science City Road, Ahmedabad-380060 man wasrepatriated on Friday. Phone: 91-79 29703122 TENDER No. NIF/2021/ADM/001- Sealed Mail: [email protected] tenders are invited for Supply of Web: www.scity.gujarat.gov.in 1) GCSC invites Request forProposal (RFP) for Machines, Equipment's and Software's for Renovation and Up-gradation of Existing Musical Workshop. Last date &time of bid Fountain at Science City,Ahmedabad. submission is 12.02.2021 at 1000 Hrs. 2) GCSC invites Request forProposal (RFP) for Renovation and Up-gradation of IMAX Theatre at S/D Director davp 36118/11/0001/2021 Science City,Ahmedabad. Details of the above mentioned RFP can be downloaded from www.dst.gujarat.gov.in/www.scity.gujarat.gov.in, Government of Gujarat www.gujcost.gujarat.gov.in and www.nprocure.com. Narmada Water Resources, Water Supply and Interested Parties mayread and download RFP docu- Kalpasar Department ments. Tender Notice No. 38 of 2020-21, Corrigendum No. 1 Executive Director 23/01/2021 TheTender Notice No.38of2020-21, published by this office,the work at Sr.No. No.INF/ABD/1335/2021 4shall now be as under. 4(a) Providing and installing of SKADAbased Gate operation, ARMC &monitoring SAINIK SCHOOL KAPURTHALA (PUNJAB) control system including O&M at Ukai Dam. Estimated Cost Rs.6,85,42,660/- 4(b) Providing and installing instrumentation and other related works including CBSE AFFILIATION NO 1680001 O&M at Ukai Dam. Estimated Cost Rs.6,03,86,833=00 and work at Sr.No. 6shall Phone No -01822-230184 now be as under. Recruitment Notice -Female Candidatesonly 6. Renovation work of VIP rest house at Ukai Dam site and construction of new 1. The Recruitment of the following posts on contractual basis forone year forfemale candidates as per details given below: - control room at Ukai Dam. Estimated Cost Rs.41663912.45. Particulars 01 xMatron 01 xNursing Sister 02 xGeneral Other details of tender notice No.38of2020-21b shall be remained same. POOMPUHARSHIPPING CORPORATION LIMITED Employees (Ayah) Any kind of amendments will be published only on online &will be final &bind- (A GovernmentofTamilnadu Enterprise) Reservation OBC Unreserved 01 -STand ing to all. Forfurther details contact to this office during office hours.Detailed 692, (Old No. 473), Anna Salai,IVFloor,Nandanam, Chennai -600 035. 01 -Unreserved Tender Notice can alsobeseen on www.statetenders.com and Ph: 2433 0505, 2433 0807; Fax: 2434 4593, 2433 5706 Last date for 16 Feb2021 www.nwr.npocure.com E-mail :[email protected] /[email protected] submission of No.Mahiti/Surat/1278/2021 CIN :U63090TN1974PLC006596 application form Consolidated Pay Rs 20,000/- Rs 20,000/- Rs 15,500/- GLOBAL TENDER STOP CORONA [WEAR MASK] [WASH YOUR HAND] [FOLLOW SOCIAL DISTANCING] Essential Essential.Shouldhavepassed Matriculation or equiv- (i) Nursing Diploma/ (i) Matriculation or No. PSC/OPS/PMS/004/2020-21 qualification alent examination and should be able to converse fluent- Degree (ii) 5years experi- equivalent DELHIJAL BOARD: GOVT.OFNCT OF DELHI Notice inviting tender forperformance monitoringservice ly in English. Desirable.(i) BA/BSc/BCom degree (ii) ence or ex-service of (ii) Will be required OFFICE OFTHE PUBLIC RELATIONS (W) of PSC chartered vessels foraperiod of one year. Attainmentsinsports /Art /Music(iii) Mature ladies with- MedicalAssistant trade to undergo aphysi- ROOM NO. 306 VARUNALAYA PH-II, KAROL BAGH, NEW DELHI-110005 out encumbrances and with experienceofhandling chil- with at least 5years serv- cal and askill test. Email: [email protected], Phone No- 0112355 0843 SSKP-413 drenwithaffectionwill be preferred. (iv) Individualableto ice after Training. (iii) Lastdate forReceipt:15.00 hrs. on 24.02.2021 speakfluently in English will be givenpreference. Individual able to speak EXPRESSION OF INTEREST Tender opening :15.30 hrs. on 24.02.2021 fluently in English will be S. Name of Work Estimated Bid security Period of Last dt/Time EMD :Rs.1,00,000 (for Indian agencies) given preference. N. Cost For each deposit For each Completion of receipt of Age 18 -50years of age group (Rs.) group (Rs.) Bids :USD.1500 (for foreign agencies) Fees along with General/OBC- Rs.500/-, SC/ST-Rs 250/- 1 Selection of Partner NGOs to carry out Public Lump Sum Nil 36 months 16.03.2021 Value of Tender :Rs. 68,99,000/- application form Participation,Advocacyand School Outreach (Declaration form up-to 15.00 Programme under Public Outreach Component for to be filled) Hours Prospectivebiddersare advised to referour website 2. Fordetailed advertisement and application form,please Visit school website: www.sskapurthala.com. YAP-III, in specified Region of Delhi. www.tamilship.com /www.tntenders.gov.in forspecific 3. The school administration reservesthe right to cancel all or anyofthe vacancies due to non-availability of suit- able candidates or administrative/policy reasons. Further details in this regard can be seen at DJB website i.e www.delhijalboard.nic.in under “Expression transparentdetails. The condition /requirementmentioned in of Interest” link. SSKP-413 Principal Sd/- the websiteshall meetout by the bidders. This advertisementis ISSUED BY PRO (WATER) Advt. Dy.Director (PR) and invitation forbid only. The details given in the websiteare No. J.S.V.335/2020-21 Delhi Jal Board comprehensive. Further,all communications will be updatedthrough our websiteonly. DIPR/468/Tender/2021 GENERAL MANAGER (OPS)

Government of Karnataka MADHYAPRADESH ROADDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LTD. Department of Public Works, Dharwad Division, Dharwad (Government of M.P. Undertaking) Office of the Executive Engineer, 45-A,AreraHills,Bhopal–462011, (M.P.) CIN :U45203MP2004SGC016758 Department of Public Works, Dharwad Division, Dharwad Ph. :0755-2527290,2765205 (EPBX),Fax :0755-2572643, Website :www.mprdc.gov.in Publication of Short term tender NIT No.12354/MPRDC/Procu/490/2021Date :22.01.2021 Sl. No.: EEDPWD /PB-8 /Tender/2020-21/6975 Date: 22-01-2021 NOTICE INVITING TENDERS KW –4(Through Standard Document) Madhya PradeshRoad Development Corporation Limited (MPRDC)Bhopal invites online tenders for followingworks on Percentage Rate basis : The tender for the following works has been invited for the following works on behalf of the Governor of Karnataka by the Public Works Department from aqualified contractors. Eligible contractors S. Name of Work PACvalue Bid Security Cost of Bid Period of can participate in the tender by confirming the date and other details as published in the e-Governance No.(in INR (EMD) Document Completion Center or website. www.eproc.karnataka.gov.in Further information can be obtained from the office. Lacs) (in INR Lacs) (In Rs.) (i/c rainy Other details of the works are as follows. season) Total Filled Opening Opening 1. Construction of 4laneCCRoad 489.75 4.90 15,000/- 09 Months Tenders Date of Date of Sl. Name of Works Estimate i/c Central lighting work from No. in Rs. Receiving Technical Financial Lakhs Date (e-Proc) Bid (e-Proc) Bid (e-Proc) Ujjain-Agar Road(Chamunda Mata Suare)toBinod Mill, Construction of Sports Complex at Kalghatgi Ujjain(Total Length 1.00 Km.) 1 Taluk, Dharwad District (WORK_INDENT 135006) 500.00 24-02-2021 25-02-2021 26-02-2021 Construction of Sports Complex at Annigeri Taluk, Thedatesfor purchase,submission, etc. are mentioned in the key dates. Tenderforms can be 2 Dharwad District (WORK_INDENT 135002) 500.00 24-02-2021 25-02-2021 26-02-2021 purchased online only upto 11:30hrs. on 23.02.2021 from website www.mptenders.gov.in. Thebidders havetosubmit the Technical bid as wellasFinancial Bid Online only. Construction of Valmiki Bhavan at Survey No. The Addendum/Corrigendum (if any) shall only be published on the website of 80/1 (behind the new bus station) at Gulaganji 3 Koppa, Ward No. 3, Dharwad District. 200.00 24-02-2021 25-02-2021 26-02-2021 www.mptenders.gov.in only.Ifholiday is declaredbyGovt. of M.P. on the date of opening, (WORK_INDENT 134995) the samewillautomaticallybeshifted to subsequentworking days. MPRDCreserves the righttoaccept/reject any/all tenders withoutassigningany reason Sd/ -Executive Engineers, Department of Public Works, thereof. DIPR/651/2020-21/DWD/DESHPANDEPUBLICITY Dharwad Division, Dharwad. M.P. Madhyam/99675/2021 MANAGING DIRECTOR WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 MEANWHILE CHAPPELLE TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID ComedianDaveChappelle tested positive forCovid-19 just before his comedy showscheduledfor Thursday, forcing his upcomingappearances to be 13 THE WORLD cancelled,aspokeswoman said. He has not developed anysymptoms.

TOPOFTHE UK PM: New virus WORLD Housetosendimpeachmentarticleto variant may carry SenateMonday,triggeringTrumptrial higher risk of death Turns down Republican leader McConnell’srequest to delaytrial until February SENATECONFIRMSLLOYD MICHAELHOLDEN& AUSTINASDEFENCESECY ALISTAIRSMOUT NICHOLASFANDOS ED Trialmay LONDON,JANUARY22 The National Rifle JANUARY22 notstart Association’s office in PLAIN E Lloyd BRITISH PRIME MinisterBoris ● rightaway NewYork. Reuters THE US House of Representatives EX Austin Johnson said on Fridaythe new will send itsarticle of impeach- English variant of Covid-19may ment charging former President THE SENATEisbound to begin be associated with ahigher level USA Donald Trumpwith “incitement atrial soon afterthe House Washington: The US Senateon of mortality although he said ev- Judgedismisses of insurrection” to theSenateon sends over impeachment arti- Fridayconfirmed PresidentJoe idence showedthatbothvac- Boris Johnson said all Monday, triggering the startofa cle. But thereisreportedly Biden’s nominee, retiredArmy cines being usedinthe country evidence showedthat NRAbidtoend trial unlikeany in American his- some willingness from General LloydAustin, to serve areeffectiveagainstit. vaccines remainedeffective tory,Senator ChuckSchumer of Democratic Senators to give as SecretaryofDefence —the “We’vebeeninformed today againstold and newvariants NewYorkcase New York said on Friday. the GOP some time to prepare. firstBlackAmericaninthe role. that in addition to spreading ANEW York statejudge on Schumer,the majority leader, So, even though the GOP may The votewas an overwhelming morequickly, it also nowap- Thursdayrejectedthe saidthedecisionhadbeenrelayed notget the whole of one 93-2 in the100-member cham- pears that thereissome evi- people had been giventheir first NationalRifleAssociation’s by Speaker Nancy Pelosi but he month that theyasked for, ber, farmorethan the simple dence that the newvariant —the dose of avaccine, with 409,855 bid to dismiss or move a declinedtoelaborate further on Speaker Nancy Pelosiwill send to the Senatethe impeachment Senators could come to adeal majority needed. Lawmakers variant that wasfirstdiscovered receiving it in the past24hours, lawsuit by NewYork howthetrialwouldrun.Oncethe articlethat waspassedinthe House where 10 Republicans to procedurally delaythe start from both parties said they in London and the southeast(of arecordhigh so far. AttorneyGeneral Letitia articlearrives,Senaterulessaythe joined allDemocratsinvoting to impeach Trump. AP of oral argumentsinthe trial. were pleasedthat Austin would England) —may be associated England and Scotland an- James seeking to dissolve chamber mustalmost immedi- be installedtolead the withahigher degree of mortal- nouncednew restrictions on thegunrightsgroup.Justice atelybetransformedintoacourt Pentagon justtwo days after ity,” he told anews briefing. January4to stem asurge in the JoelCohenruledsixdays af- of impeachment and sit in judg- furtherparameters forthe trial Cabinetnominees before the arequestMcConnell made on Biden wassworn in as President The warning about the disease fuelledbythe highly terthe NRA filedfor ment until averdict is reached. in hopes of settling on bipartisan trial starts eachday. Thursday to delaythe trial to pro- on Wednesday. REUTERS higherrisk of death from the transmissible newvariant of the Chapter11bankruptcyto Schumer and Senator Mitch rules. Democratsare intent on Pelosi’s decision to move on videTrump’snewlyappointedle- newvariant, whichwas identi- coronavirus, whichhas ledto protectitself fromlawsuits, McConnell of Kentucky,his trying to setupadual track Monday, alittleless than two galteam time to prepare.Hehad fied in England latelastyear, recordnumbersofdailydeaths and said it would reincor- Republican counterpart, have wherebythe Senatecould still weeksafter theHouse’s biparti- askedthattheheartofthetrialnot FAUCIIN‘LIBERATING’ came as afresh blowafter the and infections this month. porateinthe moregun- been negotiating fordays over confirm President Joe Biden’s san impeachment vote, rebuffed beginuntil mid-February. NYT RETURNTOWHITE countryhad earlier been buoyed The latestestimates from the friendlyTexas after150 by news the number of new health ministrysuggest that the years in NewYork. James HOUSEBRIEFINGROOM Covid-19infections wasesti- number of newinfectionswas had suedthe NRA,Chief Washington: Most of the times mated to be shrinking by as shrinking by betweenone and Executive WayneLaPierre White House: Harris as V-P cements US-India ties Dr AnthonyFauci made an ap- muchasfour per cent aday. four per cent aday.Lastweek, it and others lastAugust. She pearance in the WhiteHouse Johnson said, however, that wasthought cases were grow- accusedthegroupof violat- tisan successful relationship be- briefing room in 2020 —before all the current evidence showed ing by muchasfiveper cent, and ingstatelawsfornonprofits LALITKJHA US Vice tween leaders in India and the eventuallybeing banishedfrom both vaccines remainedeffective the turnaround gave hope that by divertingmillionsof dol- WASHINGTON,JANUARY22 President United States. It looksforwardto publicviewfor his grim assess- againstold and newvariants. the spread of the virus wasbe- lars to fund luxurious trips Kamala Harris acontinuation of that,” Psaki said mentsofthe pandemic —hehad Datapublishedearlier on ingcurbed,although the min- forofficialsand othersus- THE HISTORIC inaugurationof and husband responding to aquestion on President Donald Trumpglow- Fridayshowedthat 5.38 million istryurged caution. pect expenses. REUTERS Kamala Harris as America's vice Doug Emhoff at India-US relationshipunder the ering over his shoulder.On president has further cemented aPresidential newBiden administration. Thursday, Fauci,the US’ foremost the importance of the relation- Inaugural The historic inauguration of infectious diseasespecialist,was ship between the United States Prayer Service Indian-originHarris,shesaid,fur- back, this time with no one IRAQ and India, according to atop on Thursday. AP ther cementsthis relationship. telling him what to say. And he ISclaims WhiteHouse official. “Obviously,he(Biden)se- made no effort to hide howhe Born to aJamaican father lected and yesterday, she (Harris) felt about it. “The idea that you responsibilityfor and an Indian mother,56-year- sworn in just before Joe Biden, SecretaryJen Psakisaid President wassworn in as the firstIndian- can getuphereand talk about old Harris made history on 78, took the oath of office to be- Biden respectsthe long biparti- American to serveaspresident what youknow—whatthe evi- Baghdadblasts Wednesdaywhen she was comethe 46th President of the san successful relationship be- or vicepresident. Certainly, ahis- dence, what the science is —and THE ISLAMIC State sworn in as the firstfemale, first United States. tweenthe twocountries. toric moment forall of us in this knowthat’s it, letthe science claimedresponsibility for Blackand firstAsian-American Addressing reporters at her “President Biden, of course, countrybut afurther cementing speak,” Fauci said, pausing fora araresuicide attackthat US vice-president. The former dailynews conference on has visitedIndia manytimes, re- of the importance of ourrela- second. “It is somewhat of alib- rocked central Baghdad, senator from California was Thursday, WhiteHouse Press spectsand values the long bipar- tionship,” Psaki said. PTI erating feeling.” NYT killing 32 people and wounding dozens. The bombing targeted “apos- Moscow welcomes US bid tate Shias,” the group said Peopleline up foraCovid test in Beijing on Friday. Reuters in astatementon an IS-af- filiated websitelate to extend nuclear treaty Thursday. The US-led coalition recentlyceased Thursdaythat Biden has pro- More travel curbs combat activities andis VLADIMIRISACHENKOV posedtoRussia afive-year ex- graduallydrawing down MOSCOW,JANUARY22 tension of the NewSTART treaty. itstroop presence in Iraq, “Wecan onlywelcome politi- around the world sparking fears of an IS THE KREMLIN on Fridaywel- calwill to extend the document,” resurgence. The group has comedUSPresident Joe Biden’s Peskov said in aconference call take coordinated action in re- rarely been able to pene- proposaltoextend the lastre- withreporters.“Butallwilldepend THENEWYORKTIMES sponse to the variants, whichsci- tratethe capital since be- maining nuclear arms control on the details of the proposal.” JANUARY22 entists believe originated in ing dislodged by Iraqi treaty between the twocoun- The treaty,signedin2010by Britain and in SouthAfricaand forces and the US-led tries, whichisset to expireinless President BarackObama and AYEAR intothe worstglobal appear to be significantlymore coalition in 2017. AP than twoweeks. Russian President Dmitry healthcrisisinacentury, andmuch contagious than others. Russian President Vladimir Medvedev,limitseachcountry of the worldfeels frozeninplace. In Britain, whichcompleted SYRIA Putin’sspokesman, Dmitry to no morethan 1,550 deployed Countries that had loosened itsexit from thebloconJan 1, Peskov,said that Russia stands nuclearwarheads and 700de- up their frontiers afterimposing flightsfromLatin America and Childrenamong forextending the pact and is ployed missilesand bombers, restrictions earlier in the pan- Portugal were bannedoverfears fourkilledin waiting to see the details of the and envisages sweeping on-site demic arenow tightening them of avariant firstdiscoveredin US proposal. inspections to verify compliance. again, worriedabout new, more Brazil. FlightsfromSouthAfrica, strikesbyIsrael The WhiteHouse said It expires on February5.AP At aprotest againstthe dissolution of Parliament,inKathmandu on Friday. Reuters contagious variantsofthe coro- whereanother highlyconta- ISRAELIWARPLANESfired navirus. Some aretightening gious variant wasdiscoveredlast severalmissilestoward travel restrictions or imposing month, arealso banned. central Syria early Friday, EU lawmakers want tech newrules on travelers. And in China, wherethe virus 3Nepal ex-PMs joinprotest In the United States, spiraledout of control during the killingafamilyoffour—in- cluding twochildren — President Joe Biden signedase- ChineseLunar NewYear in 2020, andwoundingfourothers, giants’ CEOs at Feb hearing ries of executive ordersaimed at officials arediscouraging travel against Parliament dissolution thwarting the pandemic, in- over the holiday,whichbegins statemedia reported. State-news agency SANA rivals and to do moretotackle cluding arequirement that trav- Feb12. The newyear is usually quotedanunnamedmili- FOOYUNCHEE online fake news and harmful about twoyearsbeforehis gov- “Wewill all continue our ellers comingfromabroad quar- the occasion forthe largest annual tary official as saying the BRUSSELS,JANUARY22 content or face hefty fines. GOPALSHARMA ernment’s tenureends. protests to pressureOli to realise antine afterarrivinginthe US, human migration in the world. attacktook place shortly “The purpose of the planned KATHMANDU,JANUARY22 Oli, 68,has said internal his mistake andcorrect it,” for- though it is notclear howthat Beijing is restricting the before dawn when Israeli EU LAWMAKERS have invited hearing is to have an exchange squabbling and alackofcooper- mer PM MadhavKumar Nepal will be enforced. number of passengers allowed warplanes flew over the chief executivesofAmazon, withthechiefexecutive officersof THREE FORMER Nepali prime ationfrommembers of his party told the rallyinKathmandu. European Union leaders on public transit and has ex- neighbouring Lebanon. Apple, Facebook and Alphabet to thefourgloballyleadingplatform ministers joinedthousands of had paralysed decision-making, Former PMsPrime Minister agreedtolimit nonessential tendedthe quarantine period Israel has launchedhun- aFebruary1hearing in Brussels companies to learn about their demonstratorsonFridaytoprotest forcing his December 2020 Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ travel within the bloc and from fortravellers returning from dredsofstrikes against as theytry to crackdownonthe current business models and fu- againstPrimeMinisterKPSharma move to seek an early vote. and Jhal Nath Khanal, were also nonmember countries in abid to overseas.Schools have been Iran-linkedmilitarytargets powers of US tech giants. tureconceptsastheyface the Oli’s abruptmovetodissolve par- On Friday, theprotesters de- at the rally. All three former slowthe spread of twovariants closed, and the authorities said in Syriaoverthe years. But The European Parliament challengesof alteringmarket con- liamentand call snap elections. mandedthat he withdrawhis prime ministers arefromOli’s that arealready present in mul- on Wednesdaythat people re- it rarely acknowledges will in the coming months pro- ditions,” said an invitation sent to Judges in the Supreme Court “unconstitutional” move that party but oppose the dissolution. tiple countries in the region. turningtorural areas forthe hol- suchoperations. AP vide inputintoproposals by the thefirms.Peoplefamiliarwiththe arehearing argumentsonmore has plunged theyoungrepublic Policesaid around 25,000 Leaders from thebloc’s 27 idaymusttestnegative forthe European Commission to force companies doubted theywould than adozen petitions challeng- already battlingthe pandemic people had gatheredtoprotest nations, meeting via teleconfer- virusand quarantine at home the companiestoplayfairly with acceptthe invitation. REUTERS ing Oli’s plan to seek elections intopolitical turmoil. near Oli’s office Friday. REUTERS ence lateThursday, agreed to for14days.

BITCOIN PROCESSING CENTRES ARE BEING SEEN AS ABURDEN ON THE COUNTRY’S POWER GRID Iran, pressured by blackoutsand pollution, cracks down on Bitcoin

ernment launched awide-rang- drew in 2018 from Tehran’snu- around four centsper kilowatt- to theblockchain collect fees in country’ssouthandpermittedim- NASSERKARIMI ing crackdown on Bitcoin pro- clear accordwith worldpowers hourinIran,comparedto anaver- bitcoins, akey advantageamid portsofcomputers formining. &ISABELDEBRE cessing centres, which require andre-imposedsanctionsonIran, ageof13centsintheUnitedStates. the country’s currency collapse. Amir Nazemi, deputy minis- TEHRAN,JANUARY22 immenseamountsofelectricity cryptocurrencyhassurgedinpop- Iran is among the top10 Iran’s rial, whichhad been trad- teroftelecommunications and to powertheir specialisedcom- ularity in the Islamic Republic. countries with the mostBitcoin ing at 32,000 to the dollar at the information, declared lastweek IRAN’S CAPITAL and major cities puters and to keep them cool — ForIran, anonymous online miningcapacity in the world— time of the 2015 nuclear deal, that cryptocurrency “can be plunged intodarkness in recent aburden on Iran’s powergrid. transactions made in cryptocur- 450 megawattsaday.The US has tumbledtoaround 240,000 helpful” as Iran struggles to cope weeksasrolling outages leftmil- Authorities shuttered 1,600 rencies allowindividuals and networkhas adailycapacity of to the dollarthese days. with sanctions on itsoil sector. lionswithoutelectricityforhours. centres acrossthe country,in- companies to bypass banking morethan 1,100megawatts. Iran’s government has sent Ontheotherhand,thegovern- Trafficlightsdied. Offices went cluding, forthe firsttime, those sanctions that have crippledthe On Tehran’s outskirts and mixedmessagesaboutBitcoin.On mentworriesaboutlimitinghow dark. Online classes stopped. legallyauthorisedtooperate. As economy. Bitcoin offers an alter- across Iran’s south and north- one hand, it wantstocapitalise on muchmoneyissent abroad and With toxic smog blanketing the latestinaseries of conflict- native to cash printed by sover- west,windowless warehouses the soaring popularity of digital controlling moneylaundering, Tehran skies and the country ing government moves, the eign governmentsand central An unlit street during ablackout in Tehran on Wednesday. AP hum withheavy industrial ma- currency and sees value in legit- drug sales andcriminal groups. buckling under the pandemic and clampdown stirredconfusion in banks—and in the case of Iran chineryand rows of computers imisingtransactionsthatflyunder Iran is nowgoing afterunau- other mounting crises, social me- the crypto industry—and suspi- and other countriesunder sanc- that crunchhighlycomplexal- Washington’s radar.Itauthorised thorisedBitcoin farmswith fre- dia has been rifewith speculation. cion that Bitcoin had become a tions like Venezuela, amoresta- work muchmorethan others be- Iran’s generouslysubsidised gorithms to verifytransactions. 24 Bitcoinprocessingcentresthat quentpoliceraids.Thosewhogain Soon, fingers pointed at an un- useful scapegoat forthe nation’s ble placetoparkmoneythanthe causewecan’taccessany kindof electricity has put the countryon The transactions,calledblocks, consume an estimated300 authorisationtoprocess cryp- likelyculprit:Bitcoin. deeper-rootedproblems. local currency. global payment networks,” said thecrypto-miningmap,giventhe arethen addedtoapublic megawattsofenergy aday,at- tocurrencyaresubjecttoelectric- Within days,asfrustration Since former US President “Iranians understand the ZiyaSadr,aTehran-basedBitcoin operation’s enormouselectricity record, known as the blockchain. tractedtech-savvyChineseentre- itytariffs,whichminerscomplain spread among residents, the gov- DonaldTrumpunilaterallywith- value of suchaborderless net- expert. “Bitcoin shineshere.” consumption. Electricity goes for “Miners” adding anew block preneurstotax-free zones in the discourageinvestment. AP WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 14 CALENDAR THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry &TLewis CROSSWORD 4335 DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

ARIES(Mar 21 -Apr 20) LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct.23) According to the If youare totally theoryofthe resistant to change harmonyofthe youwill be oblivious spheres, whenthe to today's emotional planetsare arranged in such a planetarypicture, but if youare taut fashion theyplayavery ready to move on, youwill delicatetune. This is whyyour realise that lifeisbecoming difficulties maysoeasily moreadventurous by the day. become massive advantages. It Some of youwill be driven by is strange, as you'lldiscover, the professional ambitionstoday, waythat fortune can changeat others by aneedtocometop in amoment'snotice. your community. TAURUS (Apr. 21 -May 21) SCORPIO(Oct.24-Nov.22) This is one of those It maybeagood idea profound moments to allowothers' when the planets needs at home or at CALVIN &HOBBES by Bill Watterson draw your attention work to take to higher spiritual truths. If precedence over yours. The ACROSS DOWN you'reintune with your rewardfor suchselflessness will 1Call the boss an instigator of 1It’s made to measure(4) celestial patterns you'llact only followsoon! Plus, youwill both trouble (10) 2Lostagain maybe, and longing out of the highestofmotives. avoid anumber of problems 6Nuts-crack almonds to start to gethome (9) But, in relationships, what and find newvistasopening up. with (4) 3Sensational piece of luck matters mostisamental And, once that happens, you'll 10 He doesn’twin in aclose-run getting free (5) rapport, asense that youand be ready to leapintothe future. race (5) 4Beaclumsy fatlover of Heloise your partner areonthe 11 Suchariteissuited to asolemn (7) same wavelength. SAGITTARIUS (Nov.23-Dec. 22) sacrament (9) 5Theyproduce pictures around The entireworld will 12 Playful recreation whichtakes Chester(7) GEMINI(May22-June21) be in aSagittarian adeal to getstarted (4,4) 7Marie Louise embraces the Themoment is now frame of mind. 13 Mails sortedfor the spirit of Shakespeare absolutelyperfect Mercuryteams up Mohammedan world(5) (5) forawindfall of withJupiter, your ruling planet, 15 Wreckaground despite 8Men of manyparts some kind. The in amarvellouspattern which exercising caution (2,5) (10) Gemini who doesn'tend the enables youtoseize the 17 Cunning action made with the 9Clear evidence of what aship is weekend richer,oratleast advantage. And notbeforetime, Frenchinview(7) carrying (8) feeling muchmoreprosperous, youmightsay.Yet,while the 19 It mayappear smartonthe 14 Notleftout at the start, being will be arareand unfortunate pace is hotting up, the planets stern of aboat (7) outspoken (10) creature. Even your sound awarning against 21 Hackneyedtour now 16 Theytestmetalfor aship, relationships will be tangledup impatience. MARVIN by Tom Armstrong with what youcan afford. reorganised(7) taking years perhaps (8) CAPRICORN (Dec. 23 -Jan. 20) 22 Out of practice, but tryus 18 Usual wish forahappy CANCER (June 22 -July23) It's aconfusing sort anyway (5) retirement? (4,5) It is difficult to of atime. Partners 24 Remarking upon amixtureof 20 Fellowinnocondition to work imagine more maylackjudgment, gin and tonic (8) on atoughpaper (7) helpful stars than but their wordswill 27 It sounds abeastlyform of 21 To argue about indecent those which contain acoreofwisdom that warfare(9) behaviour (7) currentlyoccupyyour chart. you'd ignoreatyour peril. 28 Rascal with astrangelove 23 Well up with inflation Your lunar pictureisprofoundly Rarely do the stars combine urge!(5) (5) auspicious, especiallyfor those suchspiritual depth with 29 Tom’s firstbeer account (4) 25 It’s about time! (5) of youwho arehaving aparty amazing potential for 30 Sexgene produces acriminal 26 Asolar-poweredcycle? this weekend. Plus, asecret pleasure. Plus, aspotof (10) (4) ambition will move one very shopping therapymay lighten discreetstepforward. the atmosphere! SolutionsCrossword4334:Across:1Cordial,5Padre,8Facetious,9Nat,10Stem, 12Magician,14Pathos,15Bertha,17Admitted,18Dyak,21Rib,22Architect,24 LEO (July24-Aug. 23) AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb.19) Elect,25Nunnery.Down:1Cafes,2Roc,3Iota,4Loofah,5Pastimes,6Dentistry,7 Youhaveplayedto Spareathought for Estonia,11Estimable,13Contract,14Prairie,16Deacon,19Kitty,20Sign,23Eye. win -although the your general stateof resultshavenot health, both always been exactly emotional and what youexpected. Your physical, and getyourself into current feelings don't reflect shapeatevery levelofyour JUMBLEDWORDS DifficultyLevel5s your real achievements, so look being.Happily, romantic trends Instructions on the bright side. Is the glass arepositive but quiet. That gives Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, half empty-orhalf full?Itall youthe chance to have your depends on howyou look at it, waywith aminimum of fuss. therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 4360 theanswerforthegivenquip. doesn't it? mustappearineachofthe PISCES(Feb. 20 -Mar 20) ____isonlyaninstrumenttobeused,notadeitytobeworshipped-CalvinCoolidge(10) nineverticalcolumns,in

361 VIRGO (Aug. 24 -Sept. 23) It's time to setfree eachoftheninehorizontal Youmay appear to what the EEERR MPSUTY rowsandineachofthe be justslightly psychologists call U4 nineboxes. muddled-perhaps your 'inner child'.

SUDOKU because your mind is Artistic Pisceans should be on elsewhere. Eventsoverthe next topform. Even those Fish HTIOS MORTPP DifficultyLevel fewdays will show thatthe who have notlearnta ION correct approachisflexible and particular creative skill, should SUDOK 1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; romantic. At atime when your be introducing more 3s=Medium;4s=Hard; mood is abouttochange spontaneity,colour and fun,

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A reputed I.C.S.E. girls CORRIGENDUM OF PRESS NOTICE DIRECTORATE OF EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING The Indian EXPRESS school in South Mumbai SERVICES needs the following WITH referencetothisoffice NIT vide No. GUJARATSTATE staff 1) Librarian with 63/PCDM/2020-21 Dated21.01.2021,Published on (An ISO 9001:2008 certified organization) B.Lib with experience. ADVERTISEMENTS 22.01.2021, the name of work read as "Construction of Dr.Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Block No.1,ThirdFloor, 2) PA to the Principal, small Post office at Harnai under RATNAGIRI Division" Gandhinagar-382010, Ph. No.(079) 23253800 Graduate with experi- KEYON Publicity- Official instead of "Construction of small Post office at Harnai E-mail: [email protected] ence in Management Advertising Agency All under KOLHAPUR Division" Online E-Tender Notice No.03/2020-21 and Secretarial work, Newspapers, Loksatta Other terms and conditions remain unchanged. e-TENDER (EOI) NOTICE VENVENCCOOBBBB Ex-Farm Computer skills with Accepts All Kinds Of (Account) MS Advanced Excel/ Advertising Reasonable PROPERTY BUSINESS Yesterday’s price in Proposal in the form of BIDS is requested from agencies,willing to bid Pune Rs. 46/-. PowerPoint,good Rates WhatsApp/ for Empenalment of Agency/Agencies for Inernal Audit of various offices Suggested Retail Price communication in Email- 9653683498/ ACCOMMODATION 9920992393/ Government of Gujarat under Directorate of Employment &Training. TheEOI document can be AVAILABLE INVESTMENT is Rs. 64/-. English. Apply with 02228253077. downloaded from the website https://www.nprocure.com from 0070714961-1 bio-data, passport size Narmada Water Resources, Water Supplyand photograph, copies of 0070726851-2 Kalpsar Department 22nd January 2021 onwards. DADADARR,, Prabhadevi, Nikki’Nikki’ss Finovative ZORAZORABIANBIAN Today’s Ex- provide you2%to3% experience certificates Tender NoticeNo.7 of 2020-2021 Tender FeeRs. 5000/- (Non Refundable) ShivajiPark, Worli, Farm LiveBroiler Rate return on your invest- within 10 days Those Date of Pre Bid Meeting Dt. 03/02/2021 at 15.00 Hrs. Matunga, Mahim, Sion, Rs. 50/- Retail Market 1Name of work SuppIy,lnstallation,Testing and ment &all risk or losses who have appeared for SERVICES Commissioning of D.G. Set 320 KVA-2 Parel, Bhyculla, Office, Rate Rs. 75/-. Mobile: EOI Closing date (Submission of EOI Dt. 17/02/2021 at 18.00 Hrs. will be borne by us for B.ED (Engish) exam can 8879050887/ 9372663242. Nos.at-Dharoi dam site and Supply, Shop, Flat, Godown your best futureasour documents) Office: 022-26604937/ also apply.Email ID : HOHOUUSESE Servant, Patient Installation, Testing and Commissioning of Purchase/ Sell/ Rent. companyisaninvest- 38/ 39. advertisementtrust123 Care, BabyCareM/F 40 H. P. Polder submersible pump set 2 Technical Proposal Opening date &Time Dt. 18/02/2021 at 12.00 Hrs. Padmavati Estate- ing &trading company. @gmail.com Available. Servant Nos with required all acccssories etc. in Right to accept or reject any tender in full or part threof without assigning any Web:www.nikkisfino 0070721613-1 9820553072/ 9322296555. Agency And Ayurvedic Drainage galleryatDharoi Dam site.Dist.- reason whatsoever is reserved. Formoredetailsplease visit vative.com, Contact 0070727954-1 Treatment Centre, Mahesana, Gujarat talimrojgar.gujarat.gov.in or contact this office at address mentioned above. 0070727925-2 no: 02262411000, Bhandup. Contact- Estimated cost Rs.72,00,000/- Sd/- Director, 02262411005. REQ. Off. Assistance, EDUCATION 8879288356/ 2Date of Online 08/0212021 to 08/03/2021 up to 16.00 Employment and Training, Gandhinagar Accocouunt Assistant, 0070728362-1 8879385402/ Tender Submission Hrs. INF/1853/20-21 DADAR-ANDHERI Marketinarketing And 02221664471. 3Last Date of 09/03/2021 to 16/03/2021 up to 18.00 ADMISSION BuBusinsiness Promotions, 0070727792-2 Submission of Hrs. ANDHERI (W), 15 Floor Offifficcee Boy For POULTRY Physical Document Building, VeeraDesai LAST 2021 MBBS Engineering Co. Office Road, 3Bedroom 940 ADMISSIONS WITHOUT At Vileparle (West). 4Office Name and ExecutiveEngineer,Irri. Mech. Div.No.4, GOVERNMENT OF MAHARASHTRA S. K. Patel Small: 85/-, CLASSIFIED CENTRES IN MUMBAI th NEET BAMS OTHERS address ''Bahumali Bhavan'', B-Block, 4 Floor, Carpet, Parking, Ready Big: 72/-. 8082040343/ PH. 93293200147581.147581. TOPFAST -MBA, B.TECH Bijal Visual Ads., Manjushree Mill compound, Girdharnagar, Possession +OC. 24460095/24459098. To hkhkinindudustries_keyur TRIBAL PUBLIC WORKS .OTHERS,MIGRATIONS Malad (W), Asarwa, Ahmedabad-380004, 2,61,00,000 is to be sold. subscribetopaper rate @yahoo.comyahoo.com 10+ -NAVYOTHERS Phone: 28835457/ 28805487 Phone No.(079-29703314) Bharatbhau: &purchase rate. Mobile: 9322265715 DIVISION KALWAN ETC. @8527710489 0070728279-1 Anykind of amendments will be published only on online &will be 9920675286. 9320460095/ 9930193010. DELHI Noble Publicity Service, final &binding to all. Forfurther details,contact to this office during E-TENDER NOTICENO. 07 FOR 0070726582-2 0070723300-1 0040560879-1 Malad (W), office hours.Detailed Tender Notice can also be seen on www.state- Phone :28881426/28881518. tenders.com and www.nwr.nprocure.com 2019-2020 [ONLINE] AMIR Broiler, Small: PERSONAL No.INF/ABD/1320/2021 JOGESHWARI-BORIVALI Rs. 70/-, Big: Rs. 60/-. Synergy Advertising, ONLINE E-Tenders in B-1 form for the works Contact: Phone: EDUCATIONAL Malad (W), included in detailtender notice are invited by Executive +91-8828895000/ CHANGE OF NAME Phone :28891428/22811012 Engineer Tribal P. W. DivisionKalwan Nashik Road, ”BORIVALIVALI (WEST) 8080432388/ 022- NATNATIIOONANAL Central Arihant Advertising, Manur Tal. KalwanDist. Nashik Phone No.02592- ☛NEAR DODONN BOSCOBOSCO 25251901/ 022-23860517. Government of Gujarat council of Vocational I have changed my Kandivali (W) 221056 for and on behalf of theGovernor of SCHOOL 1 BHK- Narmada Water Resources, Water Supplyand 0070722299-1 Training invited applica- name from Vikrant Phone :28626679 Maharashtra State from Registered Contractors in 1,10,10,00,000/-, 2BHK- tion for start Training Kalpsar Department Ranjitsingh Rajeshirke Mobile:9004992568 appropriate Class [Registered with Public Works 1,75,00,000/-,,000/-, IC ALIBAG Agro.Always and Study Centre Tender Notice No.29 of 2020-2021 To Vikrant Ranajit New Boom Ads, Department only] with Government of Maharashtra. COCOLOLONY 1 BHK- available Fresh Chest www.nccvt.in Mob. 7499647774/ RajeshirkeAsPer Kandivali (W), 1Name of work Renovation &upgradation of HT,LTpower 77,00,000/-”. “DILIP and LegBoneless, Tender Notice and TenderDocuments are also 9823647194. Affidavit Dated: Phone :28640221. supply (including replacing old overhead ESTATE CONSULTANLTANCY” Whole Birds, Full Legs, available on our website https://mahatenders.gov.in. 21.1.2021. conductors by newunderground cables), - 9820303111184842. Wings, Curcus etc. 0090280356-1 Vikson Advertising Agency transformers,LTpanel, APFC panel, external Right of RejectionofE-Tender/Cancellation of E- Please contact on 0070728262-1 Kandivali (W), 0070728230-2 lighting (including newLED flood lights on Tendersreservedbythe Executive Engineer TribalP.W. 9356217008. Phone :28645005 Mobile :9820433200 existing high mast poles,New LED street- Division Kalwan Conditional Tender will not be 0070717329-1 RECRUITMENT ”BOOKING avavaiaill-- light fittings with newpoles at dykes1, 2, 3, accepted. THANKS GIVING ExpressAdvertising, ☛able in New 4and inside dam campus), Replacement of FREFRESHSH Chicken Trading SITUATION Borivali (W), Passengerelevatorfor gallery inspection E-Tender Notice including Total(03) Three work Consnstructtruction. 1-2-3 Big birds 60/- kg., Small VACANT Phone :28337799/2833 9977. and other miscellcous electrical workslike below 150.00 Lakh. Details of mentioned ETender BeBedrdroomoom Flats at THTHANKANK youSaint Jude Mobile: 9820401077 birds 75/- kg., Turbhe point wiring, fans,light fittings etc. at the Notice available on below websites Borivali (West) Babhai, andSacred Heart of Naka, Navi Mumbai. REQUIREIRED Experienced Dharoi dam and Dharoi colony, at Dharoi, Vaziranaka.” Contact: Jesus for Favours and Falcon Multimedia Pvt. Ltd., 1] www.mahapwd.com 2] https://mahatenders.gov.in Mobile: 9769468897. Female Receptionisnist- Borivali (E) Dist.Mahesana, Gujarat Estimatedcost “Dilip EstatEstatee Blessings received. 0070727146-1 cum-Office Assistant Mobile :9833226463 (Rs.3crore) Tender Document 25.01.202108.02.2021 Consultancy” - for Reputed OfOfffice at Continue to help us. Sale Start and End To 93222488493222488433.. 2Date of Online 08/0212021 to 08/03/2021 up to 16.00 MEMEAA Mumbai Eggs Thane.Call: 9320182230 ED’Souza. Tender Submission Hrs. Date Time From 1100 Hrs Upto 1700 Hrs 0070727351-2 saibabahotelbahotel@y@yaahoo. ''IMPORTANT'' Association Suggested 0070727670-1 3Last Date of 09/03/2021 to 16/03/2021 up to 18.00 Selling Rate in Mumbai coco.i.inn Whilst care is taken prior to Note acceptance of advertising Submission of Hrs. Rs. 450/- per 100 Eggs. 0070727770-1 copy, it is not possible to THTHANKANK youSaint Jude, Physical Document 1. E-Tender Fee [non refundable] and Earnest Money BUSINESS PREMISES Mobile: 9820057700/ verify its contents. The Indian Mother Mary and Express (P.) Limited cannot 4Office Name and ExecutiveEngineer,Irri. Mech. Div.No.7, willbeaccepted online only. 9820351822/ 7303390009. be held responsible for such MANAGERIALMANAGERIAL positions th Sacred Heart of Jesus contents, nor for any loss or address ''Bahumali Bhavan'', B-Block, 4 Floor, 2. Alleligible /interestedContractors are required to PUNE Deccan 1200 in different rolesany 0070694753-1 for Favours and damage incurred as aresult Manjushree Mill compound, Girdharnagar, be enrolled on portal https://mahatenders.gov.in sq.ft. Showroom on Retired, VRS,Bankers, of transactions with Blessings received. companies,associations or Asarwa, Ahmedabad-380004, before downloading tender documents and Rent. Satararoad 1200 N.E.C.C suggested Teachers, House Wifes, Continue to help us. individualsadvertisinginits Phone No.(079-29703375) sq.ft. Dining hall +2200 price for 100 eggs in Fixed, Variable Income. newspapersorPublications. participate in e-tendering. M. D’Souza. We therefore recommend that Flexible Times, Anykind of amendments will be published only on online &will be sq.ft. Hall forsale. Mumbai on 23/01/2021 readersmakenecessary final &binding to all. Forfurther details,contact to this office during Sd/- Sanjayproperties: Rs. 450/- (Four Hundred Preferable Western 0070727673-1 inquiries beforesendingany Executive Engineer Lines. 9892107976. monies or entering into any office hours.Detailed Tender Notice can also be seen on 8080775639 Fifty) only.NECC agreements with advertisers or www.statetenders.com and www.nwr.nprocure.com Tribal P. W. Division Kalwan 0090280710-1 22834107. 0070726693-1 0070727254-2 otherwise acting on an advertisement in any manner No.INF/ABD/1314/2021 DGIPR-2020-2021/1952 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021 15 ECONOMY GOLD RUPEE OIL SILVER `48,861 `72.97 $55.56 `66,032

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Internationalmarket data till 1900IST SECTOR WATCH BASE, MIDDLE, UPPER AND APOSSIBLE TOP LAYER PRODUCTION-LINKEDINCENTIVE SCHEME ONLINE NEWS RBIproposes4-tierstructure Self-reliance push: In Google and FB’s 3cos to manufacture Australiantussle, fortighterregulationofNBFCs priority bulk drugs The RBI paper said regulatory Thereisnoparallelforthislayerat ENSECONOMICBUREAU THECOMPANIES issues of concern ENSECONOMICBUREAU framework anchored on propor- present, as this will beanew layer NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 MUMBAI,JANUARY22 tionality can be introduced. forregulation. The regulatory ■Aurobindo BASELAYER:If theframework framework forNBFCsfallinginthis THE GOVERNMENT on Friday Pharmaceuticals THE RESERVEBank of India (RBI) isvisualisedasapyramid,thebot- layerwill bebank-like, albeit with gave thegreen lighttothree drug for India as well hasproposedatighterregulatory tomofthe pyramid, where least suitableand appropriatemodifi- makers,includingonepublicsec- ■ Karnataka Antibiotics framework fornon-banking fi- regulatoryintervention is war- cations, it said. torfirm,to setupcapacitiesunder and Pharmaceuticals Ltd nancial companies (NBFCs) by ranted,can consistofNBFCs,cur- TOPLAYER: It is possible that the production-linked incentive PRANAVMUKUL Tech giantGoogle has creatingafour-tierstructurewith rentlyclassified as non-systemi- consideredsupervisoryjudgment (PLI) scheme to promote selfre- ■ KinvanPvt Ltd NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 threatenedtoremove aprogressive increaseinintensity cally importantNBFCs(NBFC-ND), mightpushsomeNBFCsfromout lianceincritical drugingredients of regulation. NBFCP2Plendingplatforms,NBF- of the upper layerofthe systemi- in the country. Thefirms — MARKINGANescalation of itssearch engine In itsdiscussion paper on re- CAA, NOFHC and Type INBFCs. callysignificant NBFCs forhigher Aurobindo Pharmaceuticals, terials(KSMs),drugintermediates the slugfest between the from Australia visedregulatoryframework for MIDDLE LAYER: As one regulation/supervision. These Karnataka Antibiotics and (DIs)andactivepharmaceuticalin- Australian government and NBFCs, the RBI has said the regu- The RBI has proposed movesup, the next layercan con- NBFCs willoccupy the topofthe Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL) and gredients (APIs). The announce- global tech platforms overthe latoryandsupervisoryframework classification of NPAs of sistofNBFCscurrentlyclassifiedas upperlayerasadistinctset.Ideally, KinvanPvt Ltd —will be the first mentcameacoupleof monthsaf- sharing of royaltieswith eachofthe digital platforms, of NBFCsshould be basedona base layerNBFCs from systemicallyimportant NBFCs this toplayer of the pyramid will to make select bulk drugs under terCovid-19cases in China had news publishers, Google has and that the newrules pro- four-layeredstructure:BaseLayer, 180to90days overdue. File (NBFC-ND-SI), deposit taking remain emptyunless supervisors the recentlyapproved scheme. surged, causing the neighbouring threatened to remove its posedbythe Australianau- Middle Layer, Upper Layerand a NBFCs(NBFC-D), housing finance take aviewonspecific NBFCs. In India is presently“fully” de- countrytoshutdownseveralbulk search enginefromthe coun- thorities would expose them possible TopLayer.Ithas alsopro- companies,IFCs,IDFs, SPDs and otherwords,if certainNBFCslying pendent on imports forthese drug manufacturing plantsinits try, and Facebook has said it to “unmanageable levels of fi- posed classification of non-per- leastforfouryearsfromitslastap- coreinvestment companies. The intheupperlayerare seento pose products—penicillin G, 7- Hubeiprovince.Thisledtothegov- couldblockAustralianusers nancial and operational risk.” formingassets(NPAs)of baselayer pearance in the category,even regulatoryregimeforthislayerwill extreme risksasper supervisory aminocephalosporanic acid (7- ernment announcing arestriction from posting or sharing news The fundamental differ- NBFCs from 180days to 90 days whereitdoes notmeetthe para- be stricter compared to the base judgement, theycan be put to ACA), erythromycin thiocyanate on exports of various keydrug in- linksifproposednorms on ence in the approachtaken by overdue.NBFCsinlowerlayerwill metric criteria in the subsequent layer. Adverseregulatoryarbitrage higherandbespokeregulatory/su- (TIOC)andclavulanicacid—which gredients. Over the lastthree royalty paymentsare rolled the French and Spanish au- be knownasNBFC-Base Layer year.“Hence,if anidentifiedNBFC- vis-à-vis bankscan be addressed pervisoryrequirements, it said. is whytheywereconsidered for decades, India has slowlygrown out. Representativesofboth thorities on the issue is that (NBFC-BL). NBFCs in middle layer UL does notmeetthe criteria for forNBFCsfallinginthislayerinor- In viewofthe recent stress in approvals on priority. moredependent on imports from tech majorswereappearing they’vespecificallylinkedpay- will be known as NBFC-Middle classification forfour consecutive der to reduce systemic risk spill- the sector,ithas become impera- Thefirmshave committedto a Chinaforsuchingredients,leading at aSenate hearing in mentstocopyright, without Layer(NBFC-ML). An NBFC in the years, it will move out of the en- overs,whererequired,theRBIsaid. tive to re-examinethe suitability total investment of around to firms with indigenous capacity CanberraonFriday. putting aforcing device into Upper Layerwill be known as hancedregulatoryframework,” it UPPER LAYER: Going further, of this regulatoryapproach, espe- Rs 3,761 crorefor setting up these to makethese rawmaterials to The showdown is being the agreements. Australia’s NBFC-UpperLayer(NBFC-UL)and said.The NBFC sector has seen thenextlayercanconsistofNBFCs ciallywhenfailure of anextremely plants, according to the Ministry shutshop,industryexecutivesear- closely watchedby code is almost en- willinviteanew regulatorysuper- tremendous growth in recent which areidentified as systemi- large NBFC can precipitatesys- of ChemicalsandFertilizers,which lier told The Indian Express.Itrelies regulatorsanddigital tirelyfocussedon structure.ThereisalsoaTopLayer, years. In last five years alone,size callysignificantamong. This layer temicrisks,theRBIpapersaid.The expectscommercialproductionto onChinaforabout70percentofits platforms across ge- bargainingpowerof ideallysupposedtobeempty. of balancesheetofNBFCs(includ- willbepopulatedby NBFCswhich regulatoryframework forNBFCs commencefromApril1, 2023.The bulk drug imports,asper govern-

ographies. AINED news outlets vis-a- Once an NBFC is identifiedas ingHFCs)has morethan doubled have largepotentialofsystemic needs to be reoriented to keep government would bedisbursing ment figures. PolicymakersinIndia vis the tech majors, NBFC-UL, it will be subject to en- from Rs 20.72lakhcrore (2015)to spill-overofrisksandhave theabil- pacewithchangingrealitiesinthe upto Rs3,600crore inPLIoverthe With rising tension between

EXPL E● have so farfocussed and has some coer- hancedregulatoryrequirementat Rs 49.22 lakh crore(2020). ity to impact financial stability. financial sector,itsaid. agreedsix-year period of the India and China lastyear and on the dominanceof cive featuresaswell. scheme.Aurobindo,throughsub- Prime Minister NarendraModi’s intermediaries such Australian regula- sidiaryLyfius Pharma, will be set- callforIndiato bemoreself-reliant asGoogleandFacebook,which tors had initiallyproposeda ting up greenfield capacities to invarioussectors,theDepartment arepositionedinaway that voluntarycodeofconduct,but ‘Soaring fuel prices crowdout makepenicillinGaswellas7-ACA of Pharmaceuticals(DoP)lastyear serviceproviderscannotreach have sincesteppeduppressure 65% (usedtomakecephalosporin an- launchedthePLIschemewithato- customers exceptthrough citingthe“unequalbargaining other spends on credit cards’ Non-discretionary tibiotics and intermediates).The taloutlayofRs6,940 crore. It these platforms. position”between news me- spendsoncreditcards Hyderabadfirmwillalsobebuild- sought applications from Indian The issues beingthrashed dia outlets and tech platforms Massiverise in retail fuel prices crowded out other ing capacities to make TIOC drug makers to setupgreenfield ofthetotalspends, outinAustraliaandelsewhere that couldprevent the code discretionary spends on credit cards in December, whilediscretionary through subsidiaryQule Pharma. capacityin36bulk drugs by couldhavebroader implica- from getting implementedon according areport by SBI Research spendinghasfallen KAPLwillalsobemanufactur- November 30, 2020. tions forthe regulation of the avoluntarybasis. belowthetrendrate ing 7-ACA, whileKinvanwill be Atotalof 215applicationswere SPEND ON oilhascrowdedoutin driventhischangeisthemassive digitaleconomyinIndiainthe In astatement earlier this of35percent makingclavulanicacid,according receivedandweretobeprocessed longer term. Asubstantial dis- week,Googlesaiditsnew plat- Decemberspendingonother spikeininflationbetweenApriland to the ministry. anddecideduponbyFebruary28, cussionontheimpactof inter- form NewsShowcase, which essentialitemssuchashealth, November,whichonaveragestood “Setting of these plantswill 2021, according to the Ministry. mediaryplatforms on the ismadeupof storypanelsthat groceryandutilityserviceswhich at120bpslowerthanNSOinflation URGENT REDUCTIONin continuetogetdistorted makethe country self-reliant to a Whilethefirstfourbulkdrugsthat health of news media outlets give participating publishers wasthetrendinearliermonths numbersat6.3percent.Thishas oilpricesthroughtax andcrowdoutdiscretionary large extent in respect of these the government has givenap- is yettocommenceinany the abilitytopackagethe sto- happenedasspendsonoilhave rationalisationneededotherwise, expenses,”accordingto bulk drugs,” said the ministryina provals forcome under the firstof meaningful wayhere. ries that appear within SINGLEBIGGEST factorthathas crowdedoutotheressentialitems “non-discretionaryspendswill thereport release about the development. fourtarget segmentsofkey ingre- AccordingtoaFICCI-EYre- Google’s news products,now The government in March dients, applications underthe portonIndia’s media and en- hasonboardover450publica- Spending habits of consumers significantly changedduring the pandemic and that too within essential/non-discretionary and Source: SBI 2020 had announcedits intent to other three segmentsare pro- tertainment sector for2020, tionsacrossadozencountries. non-essential/discretionaryitems. The share of discretionary spending had crashedto15per cent of total cards spending in April Research/PTI launchaPLIschemeforcriticalbulk posedtobetaken up forapproval thereare 300million users of These include Le Monde, Le drugs,includingkey starting ma- in the next 45 days. online news sites, portals and Figaro,andLibérationinFrance; aggregators in the country— El Cronista and La Gaceta in GOVTAMENDSCSRRULES making up approximately46 Argentina; TAG24 and FB’s policies difficult to per cent of Internetusers and SachsischeZeitunginGermany; RIL Q3 profit rises 12.55%, 77 per centofsmartphone and Jornal do Commercio,a Cos can users in India at the end of newspaperfromPernambuco understand: Signal COO 2019.With282millionunique in Brazil.InDecember,the visitors,Indiaistheworld’ssec- company announceditwould Covid eats into revenue undertake ond largest online news con- “soon startoffering people ac- Signal has seen aspikeinnew suming nation afterChina. cess to paywalledcontent in JIONETPROFIT wasRs3,489 crore, registering ANUJBHATIA usersfromIndiafollowingtheup- Paying fornews feed by it- partnership with select news ENSECONOMICBUREAU growth of 15.5 per cent. Jio’s total multi-year NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 roaroverWhatsApp’snewprivacy self appears to be less of an is- publishers”.Thecompanyhad MUMBAI,JANUARY22 customer base as of December policy.Ithas been among the top sue forthe tech giants,given saiditwouldpayparticipating 15.5% 2020 was410.8 million, showing projects “PEOPLE ARE coming to realise downloadedapp in India mostof that Google entered anew partnersto providelimitedac- DESPITETHEdisturbancescaused anet addition of 5.2 millioncus- thatFacebookdoesnotbuildprod- January. In an email interaction, agreement to paynews publi- cess to paywalledcontent for by theCovid pandemic, Reliance tomers. ARPU(averagerevenue uctsforthem,butratherFacebook Harder says the uniqueaspect of cationsinFrancejusthoursbe- News Showcase users. Industries, India’s largest firm by ■ForJio Platforms, RIL’s per user) during the quarterofRs buildsproductsfortheirdata,”said Signalisthatitdoesnotknowany- fore threatening to remove its InIndia,digitaladvertising marketcapitalisation,onFridayre- digitalarm, revenue including 151per subscriber per month as ENSECONOMICBUREAU ArunaHarder,chief operatingoffi- thingaboutanyone.“Wecollectno search functions in Australia. spends in 2019 grew 24 per porteda12.55percentriseincon- access revenues forthe againstRs145 per subscriber. NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 cer of Signal Messenger,adding data,havenoads ever,and arenot The showdown in Australia centyear-on-yearto Rs27,900 solidated netprofitatRs13,101 quarterwas Rs 22,858 crore, The companysaid Reliance from theuser’s point of view the drivenbyprofit.” seemscenteredrather,onhow crore, according to EY esti- crorefor thequarterended higher by 5.3 per cent. The net Retail’srevenueforthequarterwas THE GOVERNMENT Friday social network’s policies arevery Fullreport on muchcontrolthesecompanies mates,andareexpectedto fur- December 2020 (Q3), as against profit forthe quarterwas Rs Rs 37,845 crore, lowerby7.9 per amendedvariousrulespertaining difficult to understand. www.indianexpress.com wouldget to retain on their thergrow to Rs51,340croreby Rs11,640croreinthesameperiod 3,489 crore, registering a cent. However, thenet profit for to thecorporatesocialresponsibil- payout process–operational 2022. Globally, Facebook and ayear ago. growth of 15.5 per cent. the quarterrosetoRs1,830 crore, ity (CSR)regime,includingallow- aspectssuchasdeciding the Google togethercommand Onaquarter-on-quarterbasis, agrowth of 88.1 per cent. ingcorporatesto undertakemulti- quantum of payments for 61 percentofthemarketshare thenetprofitrose37 percentfrom RILChairmanandMDMukesh year projectsand making news feedsources,andhaving indigitaladspends,according Rs 9,567crore in the September causing significant disturbance D. Ambani said: “Atatime when registrationcompulsoryforagen- to revealchangesintheiralgo- to EdelweissResearch;Google quarter. Thenet profit before ex- andslowdownof economicactiv- the economyispoisedfor aconfi- cies implementing CSR activities rithms. Heftyfinesproposed leads with a37per cent ceptionalitemfor the December ity.Thegroup’soperationsandrev- dent recovery,weatReliance are on behalf of companies. by Canberra arebeing seen market share. quarterwasRs15,015 crore,higher enue duringthe periodwereim- humbledthat we have been able Besides, companies have been as an addeddisincentive. In aseparatenote, by 41.6 per cent, RIL said. pacted due to Covid-19,” the to contribute with our impressive allowedtoset the excess amount Theargumentmadebythe Edelweisssaidthatitexpected Consolidated revenue from companysaid. performance in the thirdquarter spentunder CSR up to threesuc- companiesintheSenatehear- digitalspendsto befurtherac- operationsdeclined 21.1 per cent ForJio Platforms, RIL’s digital of FY21.Wehavedeliveredstrong ceedingfinancialyears.Non-com- ingsisthatthemediaindustry celerated ledbyasubstantial to Rs 123,997crore as against arm,revenueincludingaccessrev- operational resultswith arobust pliance with CSR provisions has isalreadybenefitingfromtraf- jumpinonlineactivityfurther Rs157,165crore intheyear-agope- enues forthe quarterwas revivalinO2Candretailsegments, been decriminalisedbyshifting ficbeing routed to them by accentuated by Covid-19. riod.“Theoutbreakof coronavirus Rs 22,858 crore, higher by 5.3 per and asteady growth in our digital suchoffencestopenaltyregime,as Office of RUDSICO, External Aided pandemic globallyand in India is cent. The netprofitfor the quarter services business.” per the CorporateAffairs Ministry. Project (RUIDP) Rajasthan Urban Drinking Water Sewerage and Infrastructure Corporation Ltd. (RUDSICO) Address:- AVSBuilding, Jawahar Circle, JLN Marg, Jaipur -302017 Ph.- 141 2721966, Fax No.: 141 2721919 BRIEFLY E-mail:- [email protected] Website:- www.ruidp.raiasthan.gov.in Globalcues, selling pressure CIN :U74999 RJ2004SGC019961 No. F3 (301)(74)/RUIDP/PMU/Ph-IV/Third party inspection/12051 Date: 13.01.2021 IL&FSaddresses Invitation for Proposals (IFP) for Third Party `32K-croredebt Inspection Services under RUIDP pull Sensexdown by 746 pts 1. India has applied for financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) toward NewDelhi: IL&FS board said the cost of Rajasthan Secondary Towns Development Sector Project (RSTDSP - RUIDP Phase IV). The Project will invest in the rehabilitation and expansion of it addressedRs32,000 crore search,ReligareBroking, said sec- water supply,sewerage, drainage, heritage and other works component as of the group’s overalldebt. ENSECONOMICBUREAU FALLSFOR2NDDAY toralindices tradedintandem identified by Government in about 42 secondary towns of the State. The boardretainedits target MUMBAI,JANUARY22 with thebenchmarkwherein 2. Local Self Government (LSGD), GoR through RUIDP,the executing agency,now propose to engage agencies for Third Party Inspection Services (TPIS) for Pre of addressing adebt of over banking and metalended as the 49,594.95 dispatch inspections at Manufacturer’s works for Rajasthan Secondary Towns Rs 56,000crorebyFY22. AFTER HITTINGthe 50,000-level toplosers.Sellingpressurewasvis- Development Sector Project (RSTDSP,RUIDP Phase-IV) and Rajasthan Urban Sector Development Program (RUSDP-RUIDP Phase-III). on Thursday, stockmarketson 48,878.54 ible on the broader front, too, as Fridaycameundersellingpressure theyendedinthe rangeof1-1.2 Lot No. Broad Material Eligible firms Estimated Cost Powerdemand Description Accredited in field of (In Lacs) amid weak global marketsand per cent. Meanwhile,the rupee inspection persistentworriesoverCovidpan- clawed back lostground towards atall-timehigh Lot -02 RCC Pipes and specials IAF 16 Rs. 125 demicandeconomicrecovery.The thefag-endof thesessionandset- 3. Inspecting Agency will be selected using Least Cost Selection basis from among NewDelhi: Powerdemand benchmarkSensex fell746points, Sensex(intra-day) tled withamarginal 2paise gain the eligible and qualified bidders. Technical and Financial Proposal for the above touchedanall-time high of or 1.50 per cent, to 48,878.54 and at 72.97againstthe US dollar on assignment from the reputed firms/ organizations accredited by National 187.3GWonFriday, Power the Nifty50 plummeted218 Friday, supportedbyeasing crude Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) in particular field of 9:15AM 3:30PM Inspection are invited. MinisterRKSingh said. points,or1.50percent,to 14,371.90 oil prices. 4. The Request for Proposal (RFP) document including Terms of Reference (TOR), on across-the-boardselling. In midday trading on Wall Technical and Financial Proposal forms for submitting the technical and financial Thebenchmarkequityindices 2009. Among the sectors, bank, Street,the DowJones Industrial proposals are availableathttp://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in and can be Petrolcrosses downloaded. The evaluation and qualification criteria and procedure of evaluation endedlower forthe second PSUbank,metalsandrealtyfellthe Averagefell 117.4points, or 0.38 of proposals and award of Contract are included in RFP document. `92inMumbai straightday,correcting further af- mostwhile auto indexgained. percent,to 31,058.61, theS&P500 5. Proposals will be submitted at http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in.Pre-bid meeting termakingarecordhigh on Adding to investor worries, lost6.81points,or0.18 percent,to will be held at 15-00 hours on 29.01.2021. Proposals will be received upto 15:00 hours on 16.02.2021. NewDelhi: Petrolprice in Thursday. Thiswasthebiggestsin- datashowedthe flash eurozone 3,846.26 and the Nasdaq 6. Any addendum, clarification to the bidder’s queries and corrigendum etc will be Delhi touchedRs85.45 and gle-day drop forthe benchmarks purchasingmanagersindexdrop- Compositedropped14.89 points, published at e-proc web site http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in.Incase there is a Rs 92.04inMumbai. Diesel in amonth.Friday’s correction ping in Januarytoatwo-month or 0.11 per cent, to 13,516.03.The holiday on the day of opening of bid, activities assigned on that date shall be carried out on the next working day. climbed to Rs 75.63 in Delhi markedthe end of an 11-week lowof47.5,comingcloseto theex- risk-offmoodfollowedaperiodof Sd/- UID 2021 RFP 0006 (Kumar Pal Gautam) andRs82.40inMumbai.PTI gainingstreak forthe frontline in- pected 47.6 —from49.1in relief afterthe transition of power DIPR/C/523/2021 Project Director dices,whichwasthelongestsince December. Ajit Mishra, VP-re- in the United States. WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,JANUARY23,2021

ZIDANE TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 16 Spanish club Real Madrid’s coachand former footballer Zinedine SPORT Zidane hastested positive forCovid-19, the La Ligaclub revealedon Friday. TheFrenchmanwillnow enter aperiodofself-isolation.

ASHWIN’S CHANNEL Message Shardul didn’t Olympic-size dilemma deliver, Shastri said As organisers press ahead withthe Olympics,anticipation makes wayfor anxiety on ground

MIHIR VASAVDA 36 is abadge of honour NEW DELHI, JANUARY 22

When ateam is out for36, usuallyateam AROUND THIS time lastyear,aJapanese EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE strengthens itsbatting.But Shastri, Viratand city roughly400 km from Tokyowas NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 Ajinkyadecidedtostrengthenthebowling.Virat preparing to roll out the redcarpetfor a Kohli wasreplacedbyRavindraJadeja. It wasa partofIndia’s Olympics-bound contin- OFF-SPINNER Ravichandran Ashwin spoketo masterstroke. gent. Qualifyingachallenge India'sfieldingcoachRSridharinatwo-partchat Ashwin: Whatwasthethoughtprocessbe- Yoga workshops were being held show called‘Kangaroo Bhoomi’ on his YouTube hind canceling practice (dayafter 36 all out)? across the town and food recipes played forathletes channel,coveringthefirstthreeTestsinAdelaide, Sridhar: It wasArun sir's idea. He felt if the outonlocalchannelsasthe residentsof Melbourne and Sydney. The frankyet light- boys practiced, it will be outoffrustration and Kurobe triedtounderstand Indian culture With the International Olympic hearteddiscussion wasfull of nuggets. Excerpts theywill tend to overthink and over-analyze before theywouldhostthe archeryteam Committee (IOC) and the Japanese whichisnot good fortheir minds. We had that in the build-uptothe Games. government putting theirfootdown Adelaide, 1stTest dinner that night and had afew games(dumb Ayear on,the cultural sensitisation and insisting that the rescheduled SHASTRIONFLOORAFTER DROPPEDCATCH charadesandkaraoke)andgottheboystogether. drive has been put on the backburner. Games will open on July23, the ques- RavichandranAshwin:We droppedsome Instead, the peopleinKurobeare famil- tion is howwill theylook. 715catchesin thatgame,your thoughtsasfield- Melbourne, 2nd Test iarising themselveswith pandemic pro- Amidst all the uncertaintyover ingcoach?! ‘ASSHHH,GETTHEBALLINTHEFIRST tocols.“Iwent therelastweek forayoga the Olympics, what is known forsure RSridhar: Ithought Iwould lose my job af- 10OVERS’ workshop. People thereare anxious about so faristhat the Games will be fardif- terthatgame[smiles].Beforethat,intheoneday- Ashwin: In Melbourne TimPaine wins the what’s going to happen,”says Randeep ferent from anyofthe previous edi- ers we had droppedsome 363 catches! They toss...Shastri came intothe dressingroom and Rakwal, aprofessor at the University of tions. The openingceremonywill be were111 for7(Australia'sfirstinningsatAdelaide). boomed, ASSHHHH', 'get the ball in the first10 Tsukuba who is also the liaison between Japan and the IOC stood firm on their commitment to hostthe Olympics thisyear. Reuters scaled down, athleteswillbeadvised We droppedthreecatches.Iwaswonderinghow overs'.Ithoughttomyself'inMelbournehewants Kurobe cityofficials and India’s sports to come as lateand leave as earlyas will Ishowmyfacetothe head coach(Ravi metobowlinthefirst10overs'.(Ashwinimitating ministry. possible, theirmovement will be re- Shastri). But the head coachwas noteveninhis Shastri)'Itmightbedamp,itmightspin,Ihavetold cording to Rakwal, but primarilybecause Ready to play? stricted inside the Games Village, and chair!. Ilooked down and he wasliterallylying Jinks(Rahane)'.Bumrahbowledagoodspell.Jinks Organisers determined, of the healthand financial stress caused Aikman, the DutchcoachofJapan’s onlyhalfofthe 11,000-odd athletes onthefloor'Arre yaar'heshoutedinutterdisap- thengave metheballandthefirstballIbowled,it people worried by thepandemic. hockeyteam,pointstothe other issue – will be apartofthe opening cere- pointment(whenPainewasdropped).Itwasone spun alot andbouncedaswell.Iwas like wow. “People wonder howthings willbe preparation leading up to the Olympics. mony. Japanese media has reported of the best scenes of the Test matchfor me. Sridhar:My firstthought when Isaw you On Friday, after TheTimes reportedthat managed if double the number of people The Olympicsare the end product of a therewill be closeto10,000doctors bowl and the ball spinning was'howisRishabh Japanwas looking to cancel the Olympics landupinTokyofor amonth.Job losses rigorous qualifying system, whichhas and nursesonsiteatdifferent venues. SLAPONCHEEK,HANDONBACK Pant going to keep againstyou on this wicket?' because of thepandemic, the country’s aresevere, povertyhas increasedand gone haywirebecause of the pandemic. The twounansweredquestions, ANDSUGARPILLS government said in astatement that ‘Prime come out in the open,” he tells this paper. So far, onlyfour sports –cycling,eques- though, pertain to the qualification Ashwin:Ascoacheshowdoyougettheteam Sydney, 3rdTest Minister(Yoshihide) Sugahas expressed The issues extend beyond the Games trian, hockeyand softball –havecom- process, whichinsome sports runs to bounce back? ‘SHABASH’SAID249TIMES his determination to holdthe Games.’ themselves. As per Kyodo News, athletes pletedtheir qualifying events.For the re- until June, and the prospect of having Sridhar: Firstofall when emotions arerun- Sridhar:When youand Vihari were batting Aday earlier,International Olympic and supportstaff from roughly180 coun- maining 29, the timelineshavebeen fans. Roughly 4,700athletesare still to ninghighwedon'treact.Youmakebaddecisions weusedthewordShabhash249times!(smiles).. Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach tries aretobehostedbyapproximately extendedand processes modified. But the makethe cut forthe Games and the when emotions arerunning high. If we want to Asaballwasbowled,Shastriwouldleantowards toohad said the Games would go ahead 500municipalities acrossJapan under the prevailingtravelrestrictionsand proto- process might getcomplexdue to the tellaplayersomethingwe runitbyeachotherto the edge of thechair and go 'Shabash Ash!’ Pant as scheduled, from July23toAugust9. TokyoOlympics’ host-towninitiative. cols mean it is still notclear if qualifying pandemic-forcedrestrictions. seeif we arecommunicatingproperly.Thereisa had put them on the backfoot, Puji (Pujara) had “Wehave, at this moment, no reason One of thehosttowns is Kurobe and forall sports will be completedintime. Regarding fans, the organisersare filtration process among the four of us (bowling playedanoutstandingknock.RaviShastrigotan- whatsoevertobelieve that the Olympic Rakwal says thereare underlying con- And forthosewho have qualified,like reportedtobeworking on scenarios coachBharatArun,battingcoachVikramRathore, noyedwith Vihari’s injury. 'Howcan he tear his GamesinTokyowillnot open on the 23rd cerns in the city, avirtual Covid-free zone, Aikman’s Asian Games champions, there of having full capacity crowds, 50 per- Shastri).Eachplayerrespondsdifferently. Forone hamstringbyrunningjustasingle?Why?How? of July. This is whythereisnoPlan B,” Bach about hosting athletesfromacountry arefew opportunities to playmatches. centcapacity and emptystadiums. A youput ahand on the back, oneyou give aslap told Kyodo News. But on the ground,the with morethan 10 million cases. The town Japanhas imposedrestrictions on teams decision is also pending on whether onthecheek[smilesasAshwinplaceshishandon THEMESSAGESHARDULNEVER anticipation forthe world’s biggestsport- officials arescrambling to put in place a entering the countryand getting clear- to allowfansfromoutside Japan dur- his cheek]. Alot of times youhavetogivesugar CONVEYED ing eventhas made wayfor anxiety.“Ifeel plan to create asecureenvironment for ances to playoverseas has become ing the Olympics. One wayoranother, pillsalso (sugar-coatedfiring). Sridhar: Ravi Shastri calls Shardul and tells people aremoreworried now,”Japan’s the Indian archers, whichhas to be sub- tougher afterthe emergence of newvirus it is expected that the fate of the him(togiveamessagetoAshwinandVihari)that hockeycoachSiegfriedAikman tells The mitted to the Games organisersnext strains. TokyoOlympics will be knownby DAY-OFFAFTER36ALLOUT. Ashwin should take careofthis end (Lyon) and IndianExpress from the team’s training month. “Weare allowedtopractise and there March. Ashwin: AdelaideAlapparaigal (Adelaide Vihari should bat from theotherend (pacers). baseinKakamigahara. “Inthe area where “They arewonderinghow many PCR aretournamentsbeing playedwithin Shenanigans) is over.Mission Melbournebegan 'AshwinisthebestbatsmanagainstNathanLyon we train, thereisnoCovid. But the increas- teststoconduct on players,what should Japan. But it is almost ayear since we last in Adelaide only. ViratKohli wasleaving likein inthisentireteam',Shastrisaid.'Vihariismanag- ing cases in Tokyoare aconcern formany.” be theirmode of transport, howtomoni- playedaninternational match,” Aikman With Tokyo’s reputation on the line these collegefarewells. We were like'even you ing Starcand Cummins very well... ask them to Rakwal, aDelhi-born Japanese resi- torthem, who will be the people to take says. and moneyatstake forthe IOC, the organ- areleaving? Please don't go.[laughs]. continue'. dent, addsthat public opinion about the careofthem…Theydonot knowwhat to isers arepressing ahead with the Games, Sridhar: Onthedaywewerebowledoutfor Ashwin: We areoblivioustoit... Thakur Olympics “was notsogood even before do because theyhavenot experienced Political call with the onlypoint of contention being 36,ViratKohlimessagedmeasking'whatareyou comesrunninginandheispanting.Itellhimjust the pandemic.” Now, it has worsened.Ina this; theyare in remote areas whichare The futureofthe TokyoGames, accord- whether to allowfans from abroad. doing? It was12:30am. Head coach, Arun sir, tellmewhatthemessageis.Shardulafterawhile poll earlier this month, morethan 80 per almostCovid-free,” Rakwal says.Public ing to RaySaitofromthe faculty of culture Asahi Shimbun reportedonFridaythat Vikram sir, all of us were sitting together.Kohli says:'theytold me manythingsinthe dressing cent of Tokyoresidentssaid theywanted interaction wasthe most importantas- and sportpolicyatthe Toin University in the organising committeehas come up said'Iwillalsocome'.RaviShastrimadeapointin room,Iamnot goingto sayany of it.Youguysare the Games to be either postponed(44.8 pectofthe host-towninitiative.Indian Yokohama, will also be influencedbythe with three options regarding spectator that chat. ‘'This 36, wear it likeabadge. This 36, is alreadydoingagreatjob.Socontinue.'Itoldhim, per cent) or cancelled(35.3 per cent). archers were to visit people at their general elections scheduledlater this year. numbers at the venues:nolimit,50per whatwillmakethisteamgreat'[mimicsShastri’s Is this the message? Whydid youcomeall this homes, sharemeals and meetchildren The cancellation costs,Saitotold The cent capacity,ornofans at all. The final boisteroustone!]We were abitconfusedatthat wayfor this?! (smiles). Afterthe match, he tells Safetyand monetary issues during their stay.“That becomes very dif- Ticket podcast, would sway publicopin- decision in this regard willbetaken by time (laughs). Ajinkyajoinedthe next morning. me what the messagewas (laughs). The reasons forthis arevarious, ac- ficult now,”hesays. ionaswell. March-end, it said. Chennai Tests Satwik the enforcerhelps behind closed doors EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE doubles stars earn their stripes KOLKATA,JANUARY22

Closed-doorsTests,threeroundsof Covidtest- Shetty would helpholdonsteering inginthelead-upto thefirstgame,teamhotel SHIVANINAIK the game towardsvariation smashes, blockedfor outsiders –India’s home interna- MUMBAI,JANUARY22 cutting on the pace and drops. But Satwik tionalseasonissettocommenceinafortnight. would soon fetchupright next to him on Afteragap of nearly ayear-and-a-half – SATWIKSAIRAJ RANKIREDDYisthrilled the forecourtand push them backtofin- the lasthome Test wasplayedinNovember to be on the badminton courtwith his ish in straightsets. 2019 –India would be hosting ahome Test strategy:attack, attack. He doesn't actu- "Firsttime I'm playing both men's series, and the Tamil Nadu Cricket allygoballistic, trying to mangle every doubles and mixed doubles semis. Very Association (TNCA)secretaryRSRamasaamy shuttlethat floats in his orbit. He can sting excited.It'llbereally challenging. Illbe confirmed that the firsttwo Tests of the four- even standing, likesomeonecatching a ready.Wehavetokeep calm," he would matchseries againstEngland,tobeplayed butterfly. Butthe burly enforcer knows say. The man is 20, fitand raring to slay in Chennai, would be held behind closed the thunderous trickthat bulges up his Satwik combinedwith Chirag twoevents. It'll be pointless to wrap the doors. “Wehavebeen instructed (bythe sleeve -his abilitytokillarallywithone Shetty to beat Ong YewSin -Teo Hulk in cotton wool and ask himtora- BCCI)that crowds would notbeallowed. Not swingofthe axe, the moment he pleases. Ee Yi 21-18, 24-22. Badminton Photo tion his rage forjustone event. even the press would be allowed. That’s the On Saturday, alongwith his partners situation now. We don’tknowwhat the BCCI Ashwini Ponappaand Chirag Shetty, Sindhu ready forfinals would decide in the future. As of now, all SatwikprovidedIndian badmintonthe master's whip. "On courtwejustwant to PV Sindhu made plenty of unforced closed,” Ramasaamytold TheIndianExpress. solidrocket boosterseparation -for the play100 percent. If we losealso, doesn't errors losing 21-13, 21-9, to Intanon The BCCI, however, is notincreasingthe firsttime twodoubles pairings will bein matter.One year we areresting. So we Ratchanok,with her lifts going all over hostingfee forthe stagingassociation, which semifinals of aSuper 1000.Singles play- want to playmorematches, moretour- the place to exit Thailand Super1000on remainsRs2.5 croreper game and without ers PV Sindhu and SameerVerma exited naments. That's my strategy," he would Friday. But the weekend's best usedto fans the TNCA would miss out on gate re- before thebusinessend kickedin, losing say. Ashwini had workedup nervous en- preparefor the big one next week -- ceipts –nearly Rs 1crore over five days by a their quarters. ergy thatwrecked her composure. But WorldTour Finals. "Didn't play100 pc. rough estimate. It's takenawhile, but Indian doubles she brings the mostprecious commodity Made alot of unforcederrors. It was13- The firsttwo Testsofthe series would be pairings have finallytaken centrestage. to this partnership -her honesty.So, she 14 at one pointbut Icontinuouslygave playedinChennai followedbythe next two Satwik-Ashwini beat their quarterfinal letSatwiktakeover. her points. Therewererallies,but those in Ahmedabad. The series commences on opponentsWorld No.7 Malaysian oppo- "Satwik held his nerves. Mine were lifts were going out. Iwas playing com- February5and both India andEngland are nentsPeng Soon Chan--Liu Ying Goh 18- all over the place. He took charge.He fortably earlier but theykeptgoingout. I scheduled to arrive in Chennai on January27. 21,24-22, 22-20 shirking offacoupleof dealtwith situationsmuchbetter. Iwas wasnervous and made simple errors." Theywill enter the bio-bubble,with both matchpoints. This is the CWGchampion alittle tooexcited,alittle tooeager,so teams to be put up in the same hotel. mixed doublespairing's firstSuper 1000 endedupmakingafeweasy mistakes. Sameer ‘Warrior’ “Both teams arestaying at the Leela semifinal, India's best result on the circuit When needed, he wascalm," she told Anders Antonsen whose focus wasin Palace. The entirehotelhas been blocked; in XD in adozen years. Jwala Gutta -VDiju BWF. and out throughout his match with therewill be no otherguests in the hotel. hadmade theSuper Seriesfinalsin2009. Satwik's attackisthe sort that can SameerVerma, had atough time quelling Theywill followthe quarantine and bio-se- Moreexpectedly,Satwik combined makematch-points seeminflammable the opponentand his slingy defense. curity protocols; notonlythe players and with Chirag Shetty to beat back because opponentsrealise he will roar "Sameer is awarrior.Tough match," he coaching staffand matchofficials, but every- Malaysian Ong YewSin -Teo Ee Yi 21-18, and revuphis attackfromhalf ametre would say, as the Indian wrung out bodywho will be involved with the Tests. 24-22 in 37 minutes, wheretheylooked away.Satwik usedthe bulky smash to Antonsen's depleting reserves and Upon arrival, theywill undergo Covid tests scratchy,but did what all topinterna- put them underpressureinthe second, pushed him to the very endinthe most followedbytwo morerounds of testing (be- tional pairsdo-win on abad day. and the confidencecarriedhim through exciting matchofthe day. Defending fore the match). This is applicable to every- All talk of Satwik needing to focus on to the end. Liu Ying Goh is formidable but everyshotand transitioning manyre- body, including some of the groundstaff,” one event lookingahead at the Olympics, recuperatingfrombackpain. She would trievesintowinners, Sameer would leave the TNCA secretarysaid. might run intoamassive wall: Satwik's parry attacksfromSatwik and wasen- Antonsen gasping. Preparations have startedand as choic "Wedidn't seeour opponents. gagedinsome topnotch reparteeshots At one point the WorldNo.4 Dane Ramasaamyinformed, five pitches will be Doesn't matter if we lose or win," he with Ashwini,but the Indians managed would tell his coachquiteastoundedthat kept readyatChepauk.Chennairecently would sayafter knocking offthe to unsettle their focus. Sameer waspicking the tough shots,but hostedthe PlateGroup matchesofthe Syed Malaysians who held their three match- Satwikwas only warming up forthe wasatad vulnerable when going forthe Mushtaq Ali Trophyand according to the points, likematchsticksflaming tooclose men's doubles pairing of Malaysians. The easy kills. The Indian's precision wasn't official, “pitches will be good”. On to thefinger:with great trepidation. Indians wouldtrail atad with their attack the best.But he dissectedeveryAntonsen Thursday,Chennai’s totalCovid tallystood The reason wasSatwik standing right losing itssting at halfway stages of both attackfor 80 odd minutes before going at 229,705. thereatthe net-with aracquet foraring- sets,asthe Malaysians defendedwell. down 13-21, 21-19, 20-22.

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