6( 7 c˜/ , ˇ b%ˇ = ˘ 8#1#81 9 :8 2*; ˙

�� !� �� "�� # ��$�� #��$%

�� &�� '�� (�� "��)�� *�� *�� *�+� �� !��" (��!,�� - � ��.��,��!��/��,� ��- � �� 0��*��%

� �� !"�� !�� "��1�� 2 � �� "�� *�� "��" ��%

#$#��!��!��%!� �� !�!%�!��"��!"�&'��1�� 3�3 �� !� ��&456/+3�� %1�� *��27��&��89: ��!� ��*�� *�� *�� 2�� 3�3�� *�� %��*�� &�� %

��

�� ';./;-<6=�16,>7

After calling off his rebellionagainst Rajasthan Chief

Minister Ashok Gehlot,Congress leader Sachin Pilotreturned to Jaipur on Tuesdayamid indication that the partyhigh command may againentrust him with some “signif-icant” responsibility.

There were telltale indica-tions of this proposition. Tostart with, the high commandset up a three-member com-mittee consisting of seniorleaders to look into the issuesraised by Pilot and some MLAsagainst Gehlot’s style of func-tioning.

If Pilot was not going to beassociated with the StateGovernment or State Congress,there would have been no needto set up such a committee,which would primarily ensurebetter coordination betweenPilot and Gehlot in the future.

Secondly, throughout theday in his different mediainteraction and interview, Pilotnever said he was not lookingto regain the post of Deputy

Chief Minister or the Statepresident. “I’ve left it to the highcommand,” was his stockreplies to pointed questionsabout his future, though hekept asserting he would con-tinue to serve people ofRajasthan.

Thirdly, Pilot made it apoint to emphasise he hasnothing personal againstGehlot, whom he addressed as

an “elderly” and “experienced”leader.

Against this background itlooks obvious that Pilot and hissupporting MLAs could hopeto get their pound of flesh,though it may take time.

On his arrival in Jaipur, hewas greeted by hundreds of hissupporters. Pilot said he waspained by the words usedagainst him, but he would like

to forget and move on.“I am sad, shocked, and

hurt due to the kind of wordsused against me,” Pilot said. Hesaid there should not be anyspace for “personal ill-feel-ings” in politics and thereshould not be any vendetta pol-itics.

“I have not demanded anypost from the party but havesaid that MLAs have raisedissues and there should be novendetta politics against them,”he told reporters at his resi-dence.

He said differences can beideological, on functioning orthoughts but in politics, thereis no space for vendetta. “I hadand have good relations with allleaders,” he said.

“I am happy that the partyleadership heard our issue to beit related to functioning, devel-opment, workers participation,self-respect, etc. The AICChas constituted a committee,which in a time-bound mannerwill address the issues,” saidPilot.

Pilot was fired from hispost of Deputy CM as well as

State Congress chief after herebelled against the AshokGehlot Government lastmonth.

“We never spoke or didanything against the party orparty leadership. Several peo-ple spread many rumors andraised many questions but weremain on the stand that wetook 30 days ago,” Sachin Pilotsaid.

Continued on Page 2

��!�� ';./;-<6

Holding that daughters can-not be deprived of their

right of equality, the SupremeCourt on Tuesday ruled thatthey will have equal rights toinherit joint Hindu familyproperty as sons, saying theamended Hindu Successionact that came in force in 2005will have retrospective effect.

“A daughter alwaysremains a loving daughter. Ason is a son until he gets a wife.A daughter is a daughterthroughout her life,” the topcourt observed in a significantjudgment while upholding therights of a daughter even if thefather died before the enact-ment of the Hindu Succession(Amendment) Act, 2005.

A bench of Justices ArunMishra, S Nazeer and MR Shahsaid the provisions contained insubstituted Section 6 of theHindu Succession Act, 1956,confer the status of coparceneron the daughter born before orafter the amendment in thesame manner as a son with thesame rights and liabilities.

Coparcener is a term usedfor a person who assumes alegal right in parental proper-ty by birth only.

The verdict makes it clearthat the amendment to theHindu Succession Act, 1956,granting equal rights to daugh-ters to inherit ancestral prop-erty would have retrospectiveeffect. The top court overruledits earlier 2015 decision inwhich it had originally heldthat the rights under theamendment are applicable toliving daughters of livingcoparceners as on September 9,2005, irrespective of when suchdaughters are born.

The judgment on a batch ofappeals against the 2015 verdictcame on the issue whether theamendment to the HinduSuccession Act, 1956, grantingequal rights to daughters toinherit ancestral propertywould have retrospective effect.

“The rights can be claimedby the daughter born earlier

with effect from September 9,2005 with savings as providedin Section 6(1) as to the dis-position or alienation, partitionor testamentary dispositionwhich had taken place beforeDecember 20, 2004. Since the right in coparcenary is bybirth, it is not necessary thatfather coparcener should be liv-ing as on September 9, 2005”it said.

The SC, in its 121-pagejudgement, said the statutoryfiction of partition created byproviso to Section 6 of theHindu Succession Act, 1956 asoriginally enacted did not bringabout the actual partition ordisruption of coparcenary.

“The fiction was only forthe purpose of ascertainingshare of deceased coparcenerwhen he was survived by afemale heir, of Class-I as spec-ified in the Schedule to the Actof 1956 or male relative of suchfemale.

Continued on Page 2

�� ';./;-<6

Amid the race to develop aCovid-19 vaccine, Russia

has become the first country inthe world to register a vaccineagainst coronavirus disease.Russian President VladimirPutin announced the approvalof a coronavirus vaccine for useon Tuesday, claiming it as a“world first,” and one of hisdaughters has already beeninoculated amid continuedconcern and unanswered ques-tions over its safety and effec-tiveness.

The vaccine has been givenregulatory approval after lessthan two months of testing onhumans. The vaccine wasnamed ‘Sputnik V’ in referenceto the 1957 launch of a Sovietsatellite, which opened space toexploration by humans.

“This morning, for the firsttime in the world, a vaccineagainst the new coronaviruswas registered in Russia,” Putin

said during a televised video-conference call withGovernment Ministers. “Oneof my daughters had this vac-cine. I think in this sense shetook part in the experiment,”Putin said.

He said that his daughterhad a temperature of 38 degreesCelsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) onthe day of the first vaccineinjection, and then it droppedto just over 37 degrees (98.6Fahrenheit) on the followingday. After the second shot she

again had a slight increase intemperature, but then it was allover. “She’s feeling well and hashigh number of antibodies,”Putin added.

Meanwhile, Dr RandeepGuleria, Director of the NewDelhi-based All India Instituteof Medical Sciences (AIIMS),has said, “First, we need to beclear that the vaccine is safe.That is the first standard thatthe world will look at for massproduction.”

He also said that if the vac-cine makes antibodies, howlong would they last for, alsoneeds to be answered.

The claim of victory byPutin in the global push tomake an effective vaccineagainst Covid-19 comes amidsuggestions that Russia has cutessential corners in its devel-opment. The vaccine has yet togo through crucial Phase 3 tri-als where it would be admin-istered to thousands of people.

Continued on Page 2

�� ';./;-<6

Former President PranabMukherjee continues to

remain critical on ventilatorsupport post-surgery for abrain clot, the Army’s Researchand Referral (R&R) Hospitalsaid on Tuesday.

The Tuesday evening med-ical bulletin said the formerPresident “has not shown anyimprovement and his status hasworsened. He remains on ven-tilator support”.

Mukherjee underwentemergency life-saving surgeryfor a brain clot on Monday.

In a statement, the ArmyHospital said, “PranabMukherjee’s health conditioncontinues to remain critical atArmy Hospital (R&R) DelhiCantonment. The formerPresident, who underwent life-saving emergency surgery forbrain clot on August 10, 2020,has not shown any improve-ment and his health status hasworsened. He remains on ven-tilator support.”

A multidisciplinary team ofdoctors is constantly monitor-ing Mukherjee’s health.

The former President, 84,was admitted to the militaryhospital on Monday afternoonand was tested Covid-19 pos-itive. “On a visit to the hospi-tal for a separate procedure, Ihave tested positive for Covid-19 today. I request the peoplewho came in contact with mein the last week, to please selfisolate and get tested for Covid-19,” Mukherjee tweeted onMonday afternoon.

Defence Minister RajnathSingh visited the R&R Hospitalon Monday and enquired aboutthe former president’s health.Singh was at the hospital foraround 20 minutes.

��!�� 6'/47;

Famous Urdu poet RahatIndori, whose powerful and

lucid poetry filled halls andconnected with the young andold alike, died of a heart attackat a hospital here on Tuesdaywhile being treated for Covid-19, his son said. He was 70.

The teacher-turned-poethad been admitted to hospitalon Tuesday morning after hetested positive for the disease.He is survived by three sonsand a daughter. “He was admit-ted for coronavirus treatmentbut died after suffering a heartattack,” son Satlaj Indori, alsoa poet, told PTI.

Indore District CollectorManish Singh said Indori wasundergoing treatment at the SriAurobindo Institute of MedicalSciences.

In the morning, the lyri-cist-poet tweeted about hisCovid-19 diagnosis and said hewill keep everyone updatedthrough social media.

Continued on Page 2

��!�� 0>-1'/�<1<7=->&�'4.

A20-year-old woman, on avisit home from the US

where she studied, died inBulandshahr in a road accident,which her family alleged hap-pened because two motorcycle-borne men were following hertwo-wheeler and harassing her,officials said on Tuesday.

The daughter of a tea-shopowner, Sudiksha Bhati diedMonday morning nearAurangabad when she was rid-ing pillion on a motorcycle withher younger brother, a minor,they said.

The two were en route totheir maternal uncle’s home inBulandshahr’s Khanpur areafrom their house at Deri Scanarvillage in Gautam BuddhNagar’s Dadri tehsil, the offi-cials said.

The eldest among six sib-lings, Bhati had an envious aca-demic record. “She got admit-ted in our school in 2011 in

Class 6. In 2018, she scored 98per cent marks in class 12examination and topped thedistrict,” said BishwajitBanerjee, the principal ofSikandrabad VidyagyanSchool, Bulandshahr.

She then went onto win a�3.8-crore scholarship fromBabson College, Massachusetts(US), and was pursuing a grad-uation course in entrepre-neurship, he said.

She had come to India dueto the coronavirus pandemicand was scheduled to go backto the US on August 20.

They also alleged thatwhile going to her maternaluncle Monday, she was beingharassed by the two unidenti-fied persons during the ridewhich led to the accident.

Additional Superintendentof Police (City) Atul KumarSrivastava said there was traf-fic on the route when the acci-dent happened.

Continued on Page 2

�� ';./;-<6

Bihar and MaharashtraGovernments sparred in

the Supreme Court on Tuesdayover jurisdiction to probe filmstar Sushant Singh Rajput’sdeath.

While the late actor’s fathertold the Supreme Court thatthe Mumbai Police was notprobing his son’s death “in theright direction” even as theMaharashtra Government con-tended that Bihar Police lacksjurisdiction in the actor’salleged suicide case.

The submissions camebefore the apex court in

response to a petition filed byactress Rhea Chakraborty,accused of abetting Rajput’s sui-cide, seeking transfer of theBihar Police FIR against herand others to Mumbai police.

The Bihar Governmentsubmitted before the SC thatthe FIR lodged in Patna in thecase is legal and valid andalleged that there is non-coop-eration from Maharashtra.

The Bihar Governmentfurther contended that evenRajput’s post-mortem reportwas not given to Patna Policeby Mumbai Police, and refut-ed the allegation of politicalpressure in the case.

Senior advocate ManinderSingh, representing BiharGovernment, told the benchthat no FIR has been lodged inMumbai yet with regard toRajput’s death.

Reserving verdict onChakraborty’s plea, the SCasked all the related parties inthe matter to file their writtensubmissions, not more thantwo pages each, by August 13.

Senior advocate AbhishekManu Singhvi, appearing forMaharashtra, told a bench ofJustice Hrishikesh Roy thatthere was complete lack ofjurisdiction of Bihar in the case.

During the nearly three-hour hearing, Singhvi furthersaid that he has never seen suchsensationalization beingattached to a transfer petition.

Senior advocate VikasSingh representing Rajput’sfather Krishna Kishore Singhsaid that his matter is onlyabout a proper investigation ofthe case and according to himMumbai Police were not inves-tigating in the right direction.

Advocate Singh said themark on Rajput’s neck does notappear to be of hanging and itappears to be of a belt. Singhsaid the family of the deceasedhas not seen the body hangingand what they had seen was hisbody lying on the bed.

Continued on Page 2

�� 0;'(1->7>

Former Union Minister andBJP MP from Uttara

Kannada Anantkumar Hegdehas sparked a major contro-versy by calling BSNL employ-ees “traitors” and “anti-nation-

als” who would be fired as theyrefused to work.

In a video of an event inKumta in his parliamentaryconstituency on Monday, theMP was seen saying the State-owned BSNL was a blot on thecountry as even after being pro-vided money, infrastructureand a ready market, the PSUtelecom employees just refuseto work.

“The only cure for that isprivatisation which ourGovernment will do. Some85,000 will be fired and later on

more need to be fired,” he wasseen saying in the video. Hegdewas so angry with BSNL due tothe delays in restoring ser-vices in calamities affectedareas. He was seen sharing thelackluster and non-caring atti-tude of BSNL employees.

The Opposition Congresscriticised Hegde’s remarks, saying the comments onlyshowed his own worth. Theparty also said the Centre wasout to privatise everything andthis indicated its inability togovern.

New Delhi: The national cap-ital recorded 1,257 fresh coro-navirus cases, and eight deaths,the lowest in over two months,in the last 24 hours, authoritiessaid on Tuesday.

This is the first time in overtwo months that the daily

number of deaths has droppedbelow 10, said DelhiGovernment’s health bulletin.

On August 5, Delhi record-ed 11 Covid-19 deaths, indi-cating a significant improve-ment in the situation in the city.

Chief Minister Arvind

Kejriwal said in a tweet, “Delhirecorded just 8 deaths onTuesday. It is after many daysthat the number has gonebelow 10. We have taken sev-eral steps to reduce the num-ber of fatalities due to thecoronavirus.”

Vrindavan: The ISKCON tem-ple at Vrindavan has beensealed after 22 people, includ-ing the priest tested positive forCovid-19 infection on Tuesday, according tonews agency ANI. “Movement of people hasbeen restricted and the temple sealed,” said anofficial. ISKCON is celebrating KrishnaJanmashtami tomorrow.

��

Mathura: Janmashtami festival in KrishnaJanmasthan will be observed on Wednesday withall the rituals, but the devotees will not be allowedentry to the temple due to the Covid-19 pan-demic. However, arrangements have been madeto live stream the ‘puja’ for devotees. The sanc-tum sanctorum of the Janmasthan will begiven the shape of a ‘Purnendu Kunj’, sparklingwith gems like pearls, diamonds and ruby.

Imphal: Six Congress MLAs inManipur have submitted theirresignation from the LegislativeAssembly and also quit theparty on Tuesday. The six leg-islators who had handed overresignation letters to SpeakerYumnam Khemchand Singhthe previous night, formallyinformed the Congress officehere about leaving the party.

�� ';./;-<6

Aday after grilling actressRhea Chakraborty and her

family members, theEnforcement Directorate EDon Tuesday questioned latefilm star Sushant Singh Rajput’sfriend and roommate SiddarthPuthani and business manag-er Shruti Modi besides record-ing the statement of deceasedactor’s elder sister Meetu Singhin the ongoing money-laun-dering probe.

The ED has not tracedanything to prove that Rheafraudulently siphoned off �15crore from Sushant’s account,as alleged by his father. .

Pithani and Modi arrivedat the ED’s Mumbai office ataround 11 am in keeping withthe summons but Meetu Singhreached a while after 1 pm.Modi is a named accused inboth the abetment to suicide ofRajput and resultant moneylaundering case in the matter.

It’s the first time a memberof Rajput’s family is appearingbefore the ED in the case

Continued on Page 2

��

!"�� "#$��%��$��&��

� '(��&��

��

!�� "� ��#�� $��

)��

��%�� "�� &��

��

�" '�� (�� &��%)

��

!*�+��,, ��-��

./� 0� ��.�12��3��-�� &�� &4��

��()�*&�+�*��'�&,��)��&'��-�.)�'�&

/��&��.�&'��'�.0��)1'�)2�3)1�*&�2)��*�4)'��&�

*�� %��+,��%��

�� !�� "� ��#�� #�

�� %��2�� ?8?@�3 3A8�@8@A:8?�� '�� 8�A@:� ?3?� �?�@A�1��,�� ::?:� ��83?:9:��B� 3AA@3388�A3�??��/�� 3:98�3 5,#6$ 38�8A:>��,�� 3839@8 �39@A�?A�.��0��*�� 3�38�� 3:�988�?0 �� A@A3� :@??9�8��*�� A�@:9 @:??�89:(�!�� 98�8A �@�??@?3@1�� @::�9 3??:8?A97�!�� ?:AA9 A33:�8��4� �� :A9�@ 8:�8:A�@<�� :8��9 ?��8@�A�2�� ,�� :�98: 3�888�?�@�� 8@�8� 3�3 �:�:�

�� -6,-+,578��59,#++�� %��#9,69,9#5��!%��9,58,#67�

$��4%5#1�#1*#��

C��/� � , �� "��B%��=�� 6��(��7

��

��*��%��=�� =

D-��& � %)�:�8�!&&1� ��8D1 ��*�;�� 1�� "��

,�"� ��/;-<6->&�'4. 0<4,1-0<>01';�.17

71'&<6716,>7 &<1'/6(17</;<71/>' <E/;7101/56�1E.1/1

&'�3��&��*�#+95�� !"��#$%��

��!,�� #-,�-7-7;��#-��6

�8�#1#81�9�<;047/;7&<1--;'(;

:8�2*�;�&474'1567>�07;1��4>�1(16'6'';.F;1-1'/1��;73��/1E�

��

�<!1=!��%��6--;/21'1(;2;'�(71/>1�;�';;/;/

�� !� " " ��

�� !��"��#�� $��%&&'''(� ��)#��*��$(&'�(&&!��%�+��,-��.�/��0��123!-3�413�/��(�''/��0��0��5��0��6 �71�6�� !��0��#��7��0��8��$�� 9��0/�1�:%;'<=;&''�(+<==(<&%<;�>?<&(+;(<&��*�� @��0;��A��!��!��#��A�B �3��*�� %((�'&��9��0'=((%(+;�;;+�(+;�;;;�(+;�;;=�

�� !��"�� #�� $��%��&�� '�� "��(��

�� ';./;-<6

Following the IndependenceDay function at the Red

Fort and for its full dressrehearsal ceremony on August13, the Delhi Police on Tuesdayissued a traffic advisory toensure safe and smooth vehic-ular movement across thenational Capital.

Police said traffic aroundRed Fort from where PrimeMinister Narendra Modi willaddress the nation onIndependence Day will remainclosed for general traffic from4 am to 10 am and only labelledvehicles will be permitted.

Traffic restrictions for thefull dress rehearsal on August13 and for Independence Dayfunction will be the same,police said. According to theadvisory, eight roads — NetajiSubhash Marg, Lothian Road,

SP Mukherjee Marg, ChandniChowk Road, Nishad RajMarg, Esplanade Road and itsLink Road to Netaji SubhashMarg, Ring Road from Rajghatto ISBT, Outer Ring Road fromISBT to IP flyover will be usedfor general public from 4 am to 10 am.

Vehicles without parkinglabels for the rehearsal and theIndependence Day functionhave been advised to avoid C-Hexagon India Gate, CopernicsMarg, Mandi House, SikandraRoad, Tilak Marg, MathuraRoad, Bahadur Shah ZafarMarg, Subhash Marg,Jawaharlal Nehru Marg and theRing Road betweenNizammuddin Bridge andISBT Bridge.

For north-south access,commuters need to take alter-native routes from AurobindoMarg — Safdarjung Road,

Connaught Place-Minto Roadand Nizamuddin bridge tocross Yamuna — Pushta Road-GT Road. For east-west corri-dor, commuters will need tofollow alternative routes fromDND-NH24-Vikas Marg,Vikas Marg -DDU Marg, andBoulevard Road-Barfkhana,the traffic advisory stated.

Geeta Colony Bridge willbe closed towards Shantivanand vehicles will not be per-mitted on lower Ring Roadfrom ISBT Kashmere Gatetowards Shantivan and from IPflyover towards Rajghat, it said.

Goods vehicles will pro-hibited between Nizamuddinbridge and Wazirabad bridgefrom 12 midnight of August 12to 11 am on August 13 and thesame will be applicable for theIndependence Day from 12midnight of August 14 to 11 amon August 15.

��!�� ';./;-<6

The Income Tax Departmenthas conducted raids against

some Chinese individuals andtheir local associates forallegedly indulging in a moneylaundering racket involving�1,000 crore using shell ordubious firms, the CBDT saidon Tuesday.

It said the “subsidiary ofChinese company and its relat-ed concerns have taken over Rs100 crore bogus advances fromshell entities for opening busi-nesses of retail showrooms in

India”. The Central Board ofDirect Taxes (CBDT), thatframes policy for the taxdepartment, said the searcheswere launched based on cred-ible inputs that a few Chineseindividuals and their Indianassociates were involved inmoney laundering and hawalatransactions through a series ofshell entities.

Some bank officials werealso raided, it said.

“Search action revealed thatat the behest of Chinese indi-viduals, more than 40 bankaccounts were created in various

dummy entities, entering intocredits of more than �1,000crore over the period,” it said ina statement without identifyingthe entities involved.

“Incriminating documentsof hawala transactions andmoney laundering with activeinvolvement of bank employ-ees and Chartered Accountantshave been found as a result ofthe search action,” it said.

Evidences of foreignhawala transactions involvingHong Kong and US dollarshave also been unearthed, theCBDT said.

#4>�* "��$��

�#,777<�� !�� #��$$ �� $��%��$�� &��'��

�� (((From Page 1

Solicitor General TusharMehta, appearing for theCentre, said that no FIR hasbeen lodged in Mumbai andunless an FIR is lodged undersection 154 of CrPC and theconcerned magistrate is inti-

mated, there cannot be anyinvestigation.

Mehta said that in theabsence of any investigationpending in Maharashtra, thereis no question of transfer ofinvestigation. Mehta added theEnforcement Directorate (ED)was also probing certain mat-ter in the case.

Senior advocate ShyamDivan, appearing forChakraborty, told the bench thatthe FIR lodged by Rajput’sfather has absolutely no con-nection with any offence inPatna. Divan said there appearsto be a considerable amount ofState interference, influence andtherefore apprehension of bias.

��%��???From Page 1

Experts have voiced uneaseover Moscow’s rapid approvalprocess for the vaccine. OnTuesday, the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) said ithad been in talks with Russianauthorities about undertakinga review of the vaccine.

Amid fears that safetycould have been compromised,the WHO urged Russia lastweek to follow internationalguidelines for producing a vac-cine against Covid-19.Presently, coronavirus pan-demic has infected more than20 million people and killednearly 750,000 worldwide, thus,crippling world economies.

The vaccine is developedjointly by Gamaleya ResearchInstitute and the RussianDefence Ministry. Putin said thevaccine had passed all therequired checks. Putin alsoasked Health Minister MikhailMurashko to keep him informedabout the vaccine, while at thesame time noting that he knows

“it works quite effectively” and“forms a stable immunity”.

Currently, the Russian vac-cine is not among the WHO’slist of six vaccines that havereached phase three clinical tri-als, which involve more wide-spread testing in humans.There are 25 other vaccines inthe clinical evaluation stage ofdevelopment and a further 139candidate vaccines in the pre-clinical evaluation stage accord-ing to the WHO. Companiesincluding AstraZeneca Plc andModerna Inc. are still con-ducting final-stage trials oftheir vaccines in studies that areexpected to soon yield results.Despite rapid progress, mostexperts think any vaccinewould not become widelyavailable until mid-2021.

According to SputnikNews, Russian Health MinisterMikhail Murashko has saidthat the first Russian vaccineagainst the coronavirus willbegin to be produced at twosites - the Gamaleya ResearchInstitute and the companyBinnopharm.

� '(��---From Page 1

“The provisions of the sub-stituted Section 6 are requiredto be given full effect.Notwithstanding that a prelim-inary decree has been passed thedaughters are to be given sharein coparcenary equal to that ofa son in pending proceedingsfor final decree or in an appeal,”the bench said. It also clarifiedthat unregistered oral parti-tion, without any contempora-neous public document, cannotbe accepted as the statutoryrecognised mode of partition.

“However, in exceptionalcases where plea of oral partitionis supported by public docu-ments and partition is finallyevinced in the same manner asif it had been affected by a decreeof a court, it may be accepted. Aplea of partition based on oralevidence alone cannot be accept-ed and to be rejected outright-ly,” the bench said.

The apex court said theappeals on the issue were pend-ing before different High Courtsand subordinate courts and thematters have already beendelayed due to legal imbrogliocaused by conflicting decisions.“The daughters cannot bedeprived of their right of equal-ity conferred upon them bySection 6. Hence, we requestthat the pending matters bedecided, as far as possible, with-in six months,” the bench said.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta,appearing on behalf of Union ofIndia, had argued that daugh-ters have been given the right ofa coparcener, to bring equalitywith sons, and the exclusion ofdaughter from coparcenary wasdiscriminatory and led tooppression and negation of fun-damental rights. “TheAmendment Act, 2005, is notretrospective but retroactive inoperation since it enables thedaughters to exercise theircoparcenary rights on the com-mencement of the AmendmentAct. Even though the right of acoparcener accrued to thedaughter by birth, coparcenaryis a birthright,” Mehta had said.

!�� "� �???From Page 1

“After initial symptoms ofCOVID-19, my corona test wasdone yesterday which came outpositive. Pray that I defeat thisdisease as soon as possible,”Indori said in what would be hislast post. With a 50-year careerin poetry, Indori, an Urdu schol-ar of great repute, was one of thebiggest mushaira (poetry sym-posiums) stars in the countryand someone who fearlesslycalled a spade a spade. Thewordsmith that he was, Indoritranslated the mood of thenation in his poetry that wasemotive, direct and political.

�� (((From Page 1

“A Bullet (a Royal Enfieldmotorcycle) which was movingahead of them suddenlystopped due to braking, and thetwo-wheeler of Sudiksha Bhatiand her brother rammed intoit from behind.” “She sufferedinjuries in the crash and wastaken to a community healthcentre but she died,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh DirectorGeneral of Police HC Awasthysaid, “There is definitely anaccident. People will be ques-tioned during probe, and theinvestigation will proceedaccording to what comes tolight.” “A motorcycle was goingahead, and accident happenedafter its brakes were applied.After the motorcycles collided,the girl fell down and gotinjured. She was taken to a hos-pital, where unfortunately shedied,” he said.

!*�+��,, �???From Page 1

in the ongoing probe andher statements are expected tosubstantiate the allegations ofabuse of the late actor’s bankaccounts.

Both Pithani and Modiwere also questioned by theagency on Monday and theirstatements were recordedunder the Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA). Modiwas even questioned on Friday.

Pithani had earlier record-ed his statement with theMumbai Police as part of anaccidental death case under theCrPC. The ED is probing if

Pithani too was linked to the lateactor’s business interests or hadany information about Rajput’sinvestments, sources said.

The ED is probing sus-pected money laundering inthe alleged transfer of Rs 15crore from Rajput’s bankaccount in one year to accountsof persons not known or con-nected to the late actor.

Modi was questioned onfunds transfers of smallamounts to Showik’s accountfrom those of Rajput andChakraborty. Chakraborty,Showik and Modi were con-fronted with the bank state-ments to the effect during thegrilling session on Monday.

��

From Page 1Pilot also said if he had

made any mistakes then he wasready to correct it but on hismonth-long rebellion againstGehlot his stated suggestions toimprove should not be viewednegatively.

Pilot made it clear thatwhile he was going to keepRajasthan as his karmabhoomiand his grip intact on the State,it won’t be easy to forget theharsh words used against himby Chief Minister AshokGehlot, who had called hisdeputy “nikamma, nakaara”.Pilot who was a Union Ministerin then Manmohan SinghGovernment said that he didnot feel bitter or sad about the events that unfoldedover the past one month inRajasthan.

“I have imbibed certainvalues from my family, nomatter how much I opposeanyone, I’ve never used such

language. Ashok Gehlotji iselder to me and I respect himpersonally but I have the rightto raise work-related concerns,”Pilot reacted on Gehlot’s‘nikamma’ remark against him.

Gehlot on his part said itwas his responsibility toaddress the grievances ofMLAs. But why did the MLAsgo and what promises weremade to them, only they knowit, Gehlot remarked. “If anyMLA is annoyed with me, thenit is my responsibility to addressthat. I have kept doing this inthe past and will do this nowalso,” Gehlot said at Jaipur.

Pilot also made it clear thathe harbours no wish to have apost, these things come and go.“We need to work in the direc-tion of strengthening the pub-lic’s confidence and trust in us,”Pilot tweeted.

“The Congress is unitedunder Sonia Gandhi, she has astature beyond the party. Shehears everyone’s problems.Sonia, Rahul and PriyankaGandhi Vadra will take theparty forward,” said Pilot.

�� !� " "

�� ';./;-<6

Delhi Government’s initia-tive to launch plasma

banks in Delhi has proved as aboon for Covid-19 patientswith 710 of those infected have been administered plasmatill now. Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal said the plasma banksestablished by the Delhi

Government in ILBS and LNJPhospitals are providing freeconvalescent plasma to all hos-pitals, including the CentralGovernment, StateGovernment, private, andMCD hospitals in Delhi.

“Around 710 units of con-valescent plasma have beenprovided, enabling recovery ofpatients across hospitals inDelhi,” he said. Along with var-ious steps taken by the DelhiGovernment to combat corona,plasma therapy has streamlinedthe recovery of critically ill

Covid-19 patients across Delhi.The first plasma bank was

started in ILBS by the DelhiGovernment on July 2, with anobjective to provide free of costconvalescent plasma to patients.Subsequently, another plasmabank was launched at the LNJPHospital in Delhi. This systemhas been a crucial element in theDelhi Model of COVIDresponse and is being adoptedby other States too. Kejriwal saidexperts across the world haveclaimed that plasma therapy can aid in the recovery of critically

ill Covid patients.The Delhi Government had

thereafter asked for permissionto administer plasma therapy inhospitals from the CentralGovernment. The plasma ther-apy trials were conducted afterthe permissions received fromthe Central Government. Theestablishment of the plasmabank by the Kejriwal-led DelhiGovernment was done to putforward an efficient system forthe recovery of patients andreduce the number of Covid-19deaths to zero.

�� ';./;-<6

Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia on

Tuesday interacted with teach-ers and parents on Tuesday andtook first-hand feedback fromparents to improve the currentonline and semi-online educa-tion system.

Addressing teachers andparents in a programme organ-ised at KGSBV School (ChiragEnclave) to review the onlineand semi-online education sys-tem, Sisodia said, “According tothe report the experiment isgoing well but I am here tounderstand the ground realityfrom you.

He emphasised the impor-tance of schools and said,“Students are facing huge loss-es due to the ongoing pan-demic. The kind of exposureand growth a child gets whilecoming to school cannot becompensated through an

online medium. Our motive isto reduce the quantum of theloss which students are facing.Therefore, online and semi-online education is the need ofthe hour.”

“Almost 83 per cent of thechildren of this school and zoneare connected with us throughonline and semi-online classesbut the remaining 17 per cent ofthe children have not yet beencontacted. Nearly 35 per centchildren of class 6th in this zoneare not in contact as they aremostly those who joined DelhiGovernment school from MCDschools. Either their address ischanged or they have changedtheir number and MCD schoolsdid not update it before trans-ferring them,” he said.

Giving credit for this successto parents and teachers, Sisodiasaid the Government has onlyprovided the platform but all thehard work has been done by theteachers and parents.

��%��(>7>(712

Gurugram Police onTuesday claimed to have

busted a fake call centre in DLFPhase-2. This call centre usedto cheat foreign nationals onthe pretext of technical helpand took several dollars as aservice charge.

Two accused have beenarrested and an FIR was filedagainst them under relevantsections of the Indian PenalCode (IPC) including IT Act atthe Cyber Crime police station.

A team of the cybercrimedepartment raided the callcentre at N-4/19 DLF Phase-2,after a tip-off. The probe teamhave seized Rs 1.45 lakh fromthe culprits.

Police have also seized 3computers and CPU’s andother electronic gadgets fromthe accused.

Gurugram: A local Congressleader in Gurugram has beenbooked by the cyber police onthe complaint of the BJP IT cellfor allegedly spreadingrumours and posting false and misleading informa-tion on social media against the party.

According to the com-plaint filed on August on 8 byArun Yadav, IT Convener BJPHaryana, Tejbir Mayna, ViceChairman of Haryana KisaanCongress, was constantlydefaming the BJP party andleaders via social media post.

However, after the casewas registered, Mayna apolo-gized by deleting the post fromFacebook. Inspector MukeshKumar, the SHO of cyberpolice station, said that theaccused Tejbir Mayna will beissued a notice and called forquestioning. SR

New Delhi: Delhi Jal Board(DJB) vice-president RaghavChadha on Tuesday inspectedthe progress of the constructionof underground reservoir andbooster pumping station inMayapuri and pulled up officialsat the slow pace of the projects.

The project was expected to

complete in 18 months but isdelayed by over 14 monthsand counting. The under-ground reservoir at Mayapuriwas inaugurated in 2018 to keeppace with the growing waterdemands of the area and ensureproper equitable supply to all.

Chadha expressed disap-

pointment over the non-com-pletion of the project. Oncecompleted the project will ben-efit the residents of parts ofSubhash Nagar, Hari Nagar,Maya Enclave, M — Block,Khazan Basti, A-block, Mayapuriphase I and II etc. The awardedcost of the project is approxi-

mately �14 crore. Reprimandingthe contractor for delaying theproject by over 14 months,Chadha said “Show cause noticeis issued to the concerned con-tractor as delay in completion ofthe project and laxity in work isposing a problem for residents ofthe command area”. SR

��!��)�� $��!��

�� (�� "� ��

'�)��*��

��! �� $��!�� !� ��)�

��4��&0�('&�0�)��&&�)2�()�&'�1('�)��)2�1�*��)1�*��&��4)��=�01��

�2��0��<!��@%��2#<!�

�� !� " "

�� ';./;-<6

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Tuesday pointed

out that 10 States account for80 per cent of the total Covid-19 cases and asked for aggres-sive testing and exchange ofbest practices to contain thepandemic. .

The Prime Minister inter-acted with the Chief Ministersof ten States and reviewed thecoronavirus situation in thecountry and further measuresrequired to check its spread. Heinteracted with the ChiefMinisters of Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, WestBengal, Maharashtra, Punjab,Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, andUttar Pradesh. DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh wasalso present in the meet.

Modi said the battle againstthe coronavirus could be wonif the situation in these tenStates where 80 percent ofactive cases (six lakh) are con-centrated, could be contained,he said.

“Today, 80% of active casesare in the 10 States whom yourepresent. Across the country,there are more than 6 lakhactive cases are mostly in these10 states. Therefore, it is impor-tant that we talk and exchangebest practices and learn fromeach other’s experience”, hesaid.

“If we defeat corona inthese 10 States, the whole coun-try will overcome this disease”,Modi said.

The Prime Ministerobserved in some States such asBihar, UP, Telangana and WestBengal, testing rates were low,but the positivity rate was high.He urged these four states toramp up testing.

He also insisted on contacttracing. “Experts are now say-

ing that if we can identify andtrace the infection in the first72 hours, the disease treatmentis easier,” he said.

Citing the “Delhi model” tocontain the pandemic, Modisaid: “The template for this isthe same for all, to separatecontainment zones, 100%screening, isolation, tracingand treatment.”

Prime Minister said thenumber of testing has reachedseven lakhs per day and is alsoincreasing continuously.

He said if we try more infocussed way then we canachieve the target to bringdown Case Fatality Rate to lessthan one percent.

“The average fatality rate ismuch lower than in the rest ofthe world. It is a matter of sat-isfaction. It is constantlydecreasing. The percentage ofactive cases has decreased andthe recovery rate has increased.So this means that our effortsare proving effective”, PrimeMinister said.

Modi said there was aphase when Covid19 hadbecome a huge problem insome districts of Uttar Pradesh,Haryana and Delhi but “ weheld a review meeting and acommittee was formed underthe chairmanship of Unionhome minister Amit Shah andto a great extent, we achieved

desired results”, Prime Ministersaid.

This is the seventh videoconference of the PrimeMinister with the states ChiefMinisters since the outbreak ofthe pandemic and also thefirst meeting of Modi withchief ministers during Unlock3.0 on the coronavirus pan-demic.

Since March , Modi hadinteracted with the ChiefMinisters and reviewed thecoronavirus pandemic in India.During his interactions, he hadcalled for strict adherence toCentre’s guidelines and thesocial distancing norms tocheck the spread ofCoronavirus.

India, the third countryworst hit by the COVID-19pandemic recorded a spike of53,601 coronavirus cases onTuesday, pushing the total tallyto 22,68,675. The country test-ed a record over 871 deaths ina single day.

The number of recoveriesmounted to almost 16 lakh,more than twice the activecases. Out of the total cases,over 6,39,929 are active caseswhile 15,83,489 have recoveredfrom the disease and 45,456people have lost their lives inthe fight against the viruswhich has no proven cure or avaccine yet.

�� $��7�0��

�� ';./;-<6

As the stalemate continues atthe Line of Actual Control

(LAC) with China reluctant topull back its troops, the Indianarmed forces are ready for along haul. Presenting thisassessment to a parliamentarypanel, the military also said theprocess of disengagement andde-escalation is likely to takemore time.

Led by Chief of DefenceStaff(CDS)General BipinRawat, the armed forces alsoinformed the Public AccountsCommittee(PAC)that theServices are geared for deploy-ment even during the wintermonths in Ladakh in the pre-sent situation. This is signifi-cant as temperature drops tominus 20 degrees in the regionand winter sets in bySeptember end.

The parliamentary panelwas apprised of the ground sit-uation at the moment at thevolatile border in EasternLadakh and informed that theprocess of disengagement andde-escalation may take longer,sources said here on Tuesday.This comes in the backdrop ofno substantial reduction oftroops and withdrawal by theChinese even after six roundsof military level talks besidesscores of parleys at the diplo-matic level.

Apprising the lawmakers ofthe current position, the mili-tary top brass, however, assuredthem that the armed forces areready to face any challenge andare operationally ready.Moreover, adequate logisticalarrangements are underway toenable the soldiers to performtheir duties during the harshwinter months, the panel wasinformed.

As regards the time-con-suming disengagement andde-escalation process, sourcessaid it was a complex issue and

both the sides were dealing itwith utmost caution. Also,India all along maintained thatChina has to restore statusquo ante. It means the Chineseforces will have to go back totheir positions as existing inApril end.

The stand-offs started withthe Chinese intruding into thePangong Tso(lake)area on May5 and obstructing an Indianarmy patrol. It led to a scufflebetween soldiers of the twoarmies. At present, the ‘’frictionpoints’’ include Galwan valley,Hot Springs and Gogra besidesPangong Tso.

While the Chinese havewithdrawn in considerablenumbers from Gsalwan, HotSprings and Gogra, they are notready to retreat from thePangong Tso. In fact, somemore rounds of talks are like-ly in the coming days at themilitary and diplomatic levelsto sort out this contentiousissue, sources said.

Not willing to take anychances in the present scenar-ios, the Indian army has alsoramped its troop strengthbesides bringing forward heavyguns and tanks. This move wasundertaken after the Chinesebuildup at all the ‘’frictionpoints’’ and the Depsang Valley.It has amassed more than15,000 soldiers on its side of theLAC in the Depsang regionleading to Major Generals ofthe two armies holding talks todefuse tension there last week.

On strengthening trooplevels during winter months inLadakh, sources said morethan 20,000 troops are nowready to be deployed at a shortnotice in any operational areason the LAC.

The troops are acclima-tized for high altitude stints asmost of the personnel havealready served in the Siachenglacier and other tough terrainin the mountains.

+�!��$��$��!�� !�� ,��)��+��

��

�� ';./;-<6

The expert committee onvaccine administration,

chaired by NITI Aayog’s Dr VKPaul, will meet on Wednesdayto consider “selection, logisticsand ethical aspects” of pro-curement and administrationof vaccines against the coron-avirus disease that has claimedover 45,000 lives and infectedover 22.70 lakhs people in thecountry.

“The panel will decide toidentify the COVID-19 vaccinethat are effective in fight againstthe virus. The committee willalso chalk out a plan how thevaccines should be procured.Finally, the panel will preparea strategy on inventory man-agement, distribution, andadministration,” Union HealthSecretary Rajesh Bhushan saidat a press briefing here onTuesday.

The high-level panelincludes AIIMS director DrRandeep Guleria, representa-tives of the ministries of exter-nal affairs, biotechnology,information technology, theDirector General of Health

services, India’s Aids ResearchInstitute, the Indian Council ofMedical Research, and alsorepresentatives from states.

The panel’s terms of refer-ence constitute all matters relat-ed to logistics of vaccines andways to address issues of equi-ty etc, said the official whenasked if the Government plansto tie-up with Russia which hasrecently announced manufac-ture of a vaccine to curb theCovid-19.

The committee memberswill decide which vaccine orvaccines will be effective forIndian citizens. The task forcewill also chalk out a budget anddiscuss how capital can beraised for procurement, distri-bution of the vaccine.Moreover, the high-level panelwill prepare a strategy oninventory management andadministration.

According to the IndianCouncil of Medical Research(ICMR) scientist Balram

Bhargava, India has three vac-cine candidates in differentphases of the clinical study.

The first is inactivatedvirus vaccine which is beingdeveloped by Bharat Biotech incollaboration with the ICMR.The vaccine has completed itsPhase-1 study on one site andhas started Phase-2 clinicaltrial.

The second is the DNAvaccine being developed byZydus Cadila. This vaccine hasalso begun its Phase-2 trial at11 sites.

The third is the OxfordUniversity-AstraZeneca vac-cine that will be manufacturedby the Serum Institute of India(SII). The Drug ControllerGeneral of India (DCGI) hasgiven approval to SII to con-duct Phase 2 and 3 clinicalstudies in the 17 sites in thecountry.

Once the vaccines areready, the Government willwork on priority and fair dis-tribution of vaccine, to look outlogistic and roll out in a coldchain, stockpiling, and trainingpeople who are being given thisvaccine.

-.��!! �� $��$$�� $ ��

�� ';./;-<6

Amid reports that Covid-19 sur-vivors are facing health issues

post recovery, the Union HealthMinistry is preparing guidelines tohelp such patients manage any long-term complications.

“A group of experts in theMinistry is presently seized with thisissue and working on a guidance notefor recovered people and possiblecomplications that may afflict them,”said Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary,Health Ministry on reports of lungailments in some of the patients whohave recovered from COVID-19.

The ministry’s technical wing, orJoint Monitoring Group (JMG)which is looking into the matter,includes several domain experts. DrRajiv Garg, the director-generalhealth services, chairs the group. Thegroup includes experts from AIIMS,Delhi, representatives from theICMR and World HealthOrganisation’s India office.

“This group provides an expert

opinion on various topics from timeto time… it has been responsible forproviding technical inputs to draftguidelines on issues related to test-ing, isolation of patients, home iso-lation dos and don’ts, clinical man-agement of Covid-19 cases in andoutside hospitals…”

There have been global studiestoo wherein researchers have foundthat the infection free patients facedone or many health issues likefatigueness, breathlessness, psycho-logical distress - including problemswith concentration and memory -and a general decline in quality of life.

For instance, a research team -involving multidisciplinary special-ists from the University of Leeds,Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust,Leeds Community Healthcare NHSTrust and Leeds Beckett University– had followed 100 people recover-ing from Covid-19, four-to-eightweeks after being discharged fromhospital in Leeds and found suchhealth issues among the survivors.

The findings - Post-discharge

symptoms and rehabilitation needsin survivors of COVID-19 infection:a cross-sectional evaluation - havebeen published in the Journal ofMedical Virology.

The researchers identified a pat-tern of longer-term symptoms like-ly to be experienced by people whowere hospitalised with the Covid-19infection.

Some patients, particularlythose who had been in intensivecare, had symptoms associated withcases of PTSD (post-traumaticstress disorder). PTSD symptomsare a well-recognised component ofpost- intensive care unit syndromecaused by a variety of factors includ-ing fear of dying, invasive treatment,pain, delirium, inability to com-municate, weakness, immobility,and sensory problems and sleepdeprivation.

Meanwhile, the Union HealthMinistry said that for the first timein the country, the COVID-19 fatal-ity rate has fallen below 2 per centand is currently at 1.99 per cent.

�� !� "��!�! ��

�� ';./;-<6

Giving a boost to the Indiandefence industry, the

Defence AcquisitionCouncil(DAC)chaired byDefence Minister RajnathSingh on Tuesday cleared pro-posals worth �8,722.38 croreincluding procurement of 106Basic Trainer Aircraft(BAT).They are manufactured by theHindustan AeronauticsLimited(HAL)

Giving details, defenceministry officials later said withthe HAL having successfullydeveloped Basic TrainerAircraft (HTT-40) Prototypesand certification process under-way, the DAC approved pro-curement of 106 Basic TrainerAircraft from the HAL. It willaddress the basic trainingrequirements of the IAF. Postcertification 70 Basic TrainerAircraft will be initially pro-cured from the HAL and bal-

ance 36 after operationalisationof HTT-40 fleet in the IAF. TheDAC is the apex body toapprove acquisition plans of thearmed forces.

To improve the fire powerof Navy, the DAC approvedprocurement of an upgradedversion of Super Rapid Gun

Mount (SRGM), which is fittedas the main gun onboard Navyand Indian Coast Guard (ICG)warships, from Bharat HeavyElectricals Limited (BHEL).The upgraded version of SRGMhas enhanced capability to per-form against fast manoeuvringtargets like missiles and FastAttack Crafts. The guns haveconsiderable engagement range.

In view of the availability ofrequisite capability for indige-nous development of theammunition, both in terms of‘Manufacturing’ and‘Technology’, the DACapproved procurement of 125mm APFSDS (ArmourPiercing Fin StabilisedDiscarding Sabot) ammuni-tion for the Army as a ‘Designand Development Case’. Theammunition being procuredwill have a 70 per cent indige-nous content. The DAC alsogave approvals that are likely tospeed up the procurement ofAK- 203 assault rifles andUnmanned AerialVehicle(UAV) upgrades.

%� ��$� ��/�0**(1/��

/ �� 4&<6

People in Huston, US, may nothave heard of Kerala’s

Karkkadaka month (theMalayalam equivalent of Sravan)but thanks to Ramayana, peoplein the far away continent are get-ting to know more about Indianheritage and Kerala.

While Hindu householdsobserve Karkkataka asRamayana month in Kerala,Hindus who went to far awayplaces in search of livelihood andeducation took with them a

portion of Karkkadaka. The netresult? A Lord Krishna Templeat Houston, more famous as SriGuruvayurappan Temple andrecitation of Ramayana through-out Karkkadaka. Yes, more thana hundred households join theRamayana recitation everyevening at this temple for theentire month and they make theneighborhood reverberate withthe lyrics known for its devotion,dedication and Bhakti towardsthe Maryada Purushotham. Fornearly a decade Dr Rekha Nair,a paramedic scientist, has been

reciting Ramayana at this HustonTemple with silent prayers forpeople in Kerala as well as therest of the world.

“The numbers haveincreased manifold over theyears. This year due to Covid-19norms, we use the social mediato propagate the message ofLord Rama. Every evening oneperson comes to the temple andrecite Ramayana which is airedthrough the social media page ofthe temple. Others join the ses-sion from their homes,” said DrNair.

�� ';./;-<6

The Election Commission(EC) has explored the

potential of using blockchaintechnology to enable remotevoting. Speaking at a webinarorganised by the EC and theTamil Nadu e-GovernanceAgency (TNeGA), ElectionCommissioner Sushil Chandraemphasised that in designing atechnology based solution, theprimary consideration shouldbe the ability to “inspire trustof all stakeholders, assureintegrity of electoral processand secrecy and inviolability ofballot.”

Blockchain is a system inwhich the database of record-ings (a ‘chain’) appears on mul-tiple computers at the sametime even as it is updated withany new digital information (‘ablock’).

This distributed collectionof the information has ledsome to claim that this systemcan overcome issues of over-centralisation.

Chandra expressed hisconcerns over geographicalhurdles in voting.

# ��$�� !�� %!&'��(�� !�

�� $�� )� �

!�� *�� +�*��,'�� $�

)�� - � %!&� �. �� +.��,��

-��.��2��)�� 3�$��!��

��+�!��,��&�!��4�� 5��3��&�!��

/ �� 4&<6

Tamil Nadu’s top education-ist has come out in the

open questioning the logicbehind the State Government’sdecision not to allow the three-language policy prescribed inthe New National EducationPolicy of the UnionGovernment.

Prof E Balagurusamy, for-mer vice-chancellor, AnnaUniversity and former memberof the Union Public ServiceCommission, in a hard hittingletter to Chief MinisterEdappadi Palanisami hasexpressed his anguish and dis-appointment over the StateGovernment’s stance that thethree-language formula was“saddening and painful”. Theeducationist , held in highesteem all over India describedhimself as a victim of the two-language formula implement-ed by the five-decade longDravidian rule in Tamil Nadu.

Immediately after theannouncementof the NationalE d u c a t i o nP o l i c y ,Palanisamy hadsaid that hisg ov e r n m e ntwould notallow in TamilNadu the three-

language formula envisaged inthe policy.

“Ours is the only State inthe country that has been deny-ing its students an opportuni-ty to learn any other Indian lan-guages other than Tamil formore than five decades now. Iam one of those who werebadly affected by the two-lan-guage formula,” Balagurusamysaid in a letter to the ChiefMinister, copies of which were

released to the media. He said the decisions of the

governments led by theDravidian parties ruling theState since 1967 have deprivedthe poor and rural studentsstudying in governmentschools of learning any addi-tional language while the richand urban joining the CBSE,central and private schoolshave the freedom to study anylanguage they wish.

�� !�"��#�$��

�� /�� !� " " � %!�<#$�� "��/

� �� 4-�1�1

Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee has once

again asked the CentralGovernment to clear the State’sdues that had gone beyond�50,000 crore.

Raising the issue during theChief Ministers’ meeting withPrime Minister Narendra ModiBanerjee on Tuesday said thatthe Centre owed �52,000 croreto Bengal in terms of funds thatwere to be sent to the State onvarious accounts. The statedamount is exclusive of �4,153crore that the State will get fromthe Centre towards the settle-

ment of GST, she added.Bengal is “yet to receive

�4135 crore towards GST com-pensation and overall out-standing dues of �53,000 crorefrom the Central Government,”Banerjee said requesting inaddition for more high flownasal canulas and ventilators.

Reminding the PrimeMinister that the “Centre hasraised the FRBM limit fromthree per cent to five per centbut only 0.5 per cent out of theincreased 2 per cent has beenmade unconditional,” sherequested the Centre to “makethe remaining 1.5 per cent

unconditional too for one year.”Ruing the fact that the

Centre had sent paltry amountstowards fighting the pandem-ic she said the BengalGovernment had spent morethan �2,500 crore whereas ithad received from the Centreonly �125 crore. Besides,Banerjee also raised the issue ofcorona vaccine asking theCentre to “immediately” issueguidelines.

“Regarding the vaccine, thecentral government shouldauthorise which vaccine is to beprocured and used. It mustissue guidelines in this regard,”sources quoting her said.

Lucknow: Congress GeneralSecretary Priyanka GandhiVadra has slammed the YogiAdityanath government overthe Bulandshahr accident inwhich a US student was killed.

The accident, which tookplace on Monday, was appar-ently caused when motorcycle-borne men chased the girlwho was on a scooty with heruncle.

In a tweet, Priyanka said,“There is no fear of the law inUP and women are gettingincreasingly insecure. It appearsthat the state government doesnot take incidents of eve teas-ing seriously.” IANS

��>�� 1-6(17<

In a colony of Bannadevi area of the city, youthraped a teenager who went to a neighbour's

house to take onions on Monday evening. Themob gathered at the screaming of the teenager andgrabbed the accused and beat him fiercely.When the matter reached the BJP leaders, the fightbroke out. All the leaders including the formermayor reached the police station in support of theteenager. Up late in the night, the police stationcreated a ruckus for action. Police has also takenthe accused into custody. Action is being takenby investigating the case on the basis of complaint.

Late in the evening, the victim went to herfriend's residence in the neighborhood to ask foronions where her friend's maternal uncle wasalready present. He dragged her into the room andraped her. The local people gathered as the teenag-er screamed. They saw the teenager lying in blood.People took her to the hospital. At the same time,grabbed the accused from spot and beated him.

��>�� 1-6(17<

Despite the Supreme Court's order to ban thebonded labour, a large number of such

labourers are working in different brick kilns ofAligarh and Hathras district.

Although the labour department of UttarPradesh has rescued 670 bonded labourers,including 20 fron Aligarh and 21 fromBulandshahr, from clutches of brick kiln ownerstill now. Sources said most of rge kiln labourersbelong to Atrauli tehsil. More than 30,000 laboursare hired to work at kilns situated in UP, Haryana,Punjab and Delhi. Some organised gangs areinvolved in arranging bonded labourers.

They lay advance money to the labourers andsend them to different district. The agents chargea high commision from kiln owners fo theselabours.

Nearly 1,200 bonded labours have been res-cued from different places. Of the 1,200, more than220belongs to Atrauli region in Aligarh district.

/ �� 4&<6

Kerala Police have startedpreparing a data bank of

persons who do not wear facemasks while they come out oftheir houses.

“Though the police officerswould only warn the law break-ers for the first time, the viola-tors would be fined �2,000/-when they are caught the sec-ond time without masks,”Pinarayi Vijayan, ChiefMinister of Kerala, toldreporters in his daily pressbriefing on Tuesday.

Vijayan said that 1,417new persons were tested posi-tive for Covid-19 on Tuesdaywhile 1,426 patients were curedof the pandemic.

0�� 0��

�� )��!��6�� 3��

��"�%�%��#&��"$#��%��

0 � ��- ��1��

.�/.0%��

� �!��/��! � �122>

The Jammu & KashmirGovernment on Tuesday

set a ceiling of permitting amaximum number of 5,000 pil-grims per day to visit MataVaishno Devi Shrine nestled inTrikuta hills from August 16.

The yatra was suspended tothe cave shrine on March 18ahead of the imposition ofnationwide lockdown.

The Government had ear-lier decided to throw open thegates of all other major shrinesand religious places like Charar-e-Sharif,Hazratbal,NangaliSahib,Shahdara Sharief,ShivKhori where devotees visit from

all parts of the union territoryand the country from August16.

According to the freshguidelines issued by the admin-istration, “a maximum numberof 500 pilgrims per day will bepermitted within this ceiling ina graded manner from outsideJammu and Kashmir”.

Pilgrims coming from out-side Jammu & Kashmir willundergo 100 percent antigentesting along with those visitingthe shrine from red districts ofJammu & Kashmir. A detailedset of guidelines for worshippersand other stakeholders in andaround these religious placeswere also issued.

2�� (�!��3�� -�)�� $��)��4 �� 2>2016

Mumbaikars bade an emotionalfarewell to Wing Commander

Deepak Sathe (retd) -- who was killedin the ill-fated Dubai-Kozhikode AirIndia Express flight crash on Fridaylast, as he was cremated here amid theState honours on Tuesday.

People from the north-easternsuburbs of Mumbai who had lined upon either side of the road and peoplefrom the balconies of the housing soci-eties en route paid last respects to WgCdr Sathe, as his funeral procession ofpassed from Nahar Amrit Shakti com-plex at Chandrivli to Tagore Nagarelectric crematorium at Vikhroli,where he was cremated in the presenceof family members, defence officialsand friends.

Chants of ‘Capt. Deepak Sathe

Amar Rahe' rent the air, as late CaptSathe’s funeral cavalcade, escorted bythe Mumbai Police, proceeded fromthe Nahar Amrit Shakti complexwhere Sathes live in Jalvayu Viharbuilding, on its final journey.

Capt Sathe's body had on Sundayafternoon been flown from Kochi andkept at an Air India facility nearTerminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivajiinternational airport for some time

before being taken to Bhabha Hospitalat Bandra, from where the mortalremains were brought by his sonsShantanu and Dhananjay to the fam-ily home at Chandivli on Tuesdaymorning.

The pilot's father Col. VasantSathe (retd) (87) and mother Neela(83), who reside in Nagpur, hadreached Mumbai on Monday to havea last glimpse of their son.

��%�)��!�� $��

�1.3��1��. �*&��/��B��G��H� �� *�� "�� " �*� ��#�� *��"�� *��$%#/��B�� *��"�� *��

�� " � ��* �� %<�� "��%<�� *�� "�� "��/��!� �� %

�� %!�� "��,��!��!��

�� 2>2016

In a noticeable drop in the Covid-19triggered fatalities and an increase in

the number of infections, Maharashtraon Tuesday witnessed 256 deaths and11,088 infected cases in various parts ofthe state.

With the fresh fatalities and infec-tions, the Covid-19 toll in the statemounted to 18306, while the totalnumber of infected cases jumped to5,35,601.

Of the total 256 deaths reported onTuesday, Pune accounted for 53 deaths,followed by 48 deaths in Mumbai and43 deaths Thane.

As the fatality figure dropped below50 mark in Mumbai for the third con-secutive day, the total Covid-19 tollMumbai rose by 48 from 6,845 to 6893,while the infected cases increased by 917

to touch a total of 1,25,224.Apart from fresh deaths reported in

Pune, Mumbai and thane, there therewere 27 deaths in Kolhapur, 15 deathsin Nashik, 12 in Nagpur, 11 in Palghar,7 each in Jalgaon and Solapur, 5 each inAhmednagar and Sangli, 4 in Raigad, 3in Beed, 2 each in Dhule, Satara,Ratnagiri, Jalna and one death each inAurangabad, Parbhani, Latur,Osmanabad, Nanded, Buldhana andWardha. In addition, there was death ofone from another state.

Meanwhile, as many as 10088patients were discharged from hospitalsin the state after full recovery, taking thetotal number of patients dischargedfrom various hospitals after full recov-ery since the second week of March thisyear to 3,68,435. The recovery rate wentup to 68.79 per cent. The mortality ratein the state is 3.42 per cent.

�?@� �33�AAI�� 2��

One’s blood boils watch-ing the way India and itsArmy are being pushedaround by the ChinesePeople’s Liberation

Army (PLA) along the Line of ActualControl (LAC). Roughing up sol-diers, intruding/transgressing on theIndian side of the LAC at will andviolating border protocols havebecome second nature to the PLA.And yet, many citizens keep harpingthat when it comes to joining the bat-tle, Indians are six feet tall. The PLAhas no experience to fight in high-altitude terrain; whereas Indian sol-diers have been deployed in Sikkim,Ladakh and Siachen for decades.China lacks the regimental system ofthe Indian infantry and is composedmostly of short-term conscriptscompared to India’s wholly volunteerArmy. The PLA has not fought a warsince 1979. Neither have the Indiantroops since the skirmish they fought“on our side of the Line of Control(LoC)” against a mixed bag ofPakistani frontier militia and hard-core terrorists at Kargil.

Because the PLA has done a sortof Kargil in east Ladakh, loud think-ing can be heard about launching aland-air offensive a la Kargil, con-fined to our side of the LAC to vacateaggression in Ladakh. This compar-ison has many holes: It likens LACto LoC, which is delineated with themaps exchanged in 1972 between thetwo militaries. The LoC is violatedregularly by infiltration, cross-borderfiring and is a hot border. Not a shothas been fired along the LAC since1975 and a no-shooting protocolexists. The Indian Air Force (IAF)has not carried out any joint militaryexercises for air support of groundtroops along the LAC. Border pro-tocols debar the use of force in set-tling the boundary question, whichincludes the LAC.

And yet, rogue actions of thePLA have continued periodicallylike the intrusions at Sumdorongchu(1988), Depsang (2013), Chumar(2014), Doklam (2017) and nowacross east Ladakh, stretching over250 km. They have all gone unpun-ished. Instead, PLA raw recruitsmanaged to thrash outnumberedIndian soldiers near the Pangong lakeon May 17/18 last year so badly that72 soldiers had to be hospitalised.PLA helicopters chased away anIndian helicopter in the same areaaround the same time. In short, Indiahas been at the receiving end of PLAdepredations except possibly atGalwan. The mystery is, why haveIndian troops never done a tit-for-tat

counter intrusion?That the disengagement

and de-escalation process hasended in utter failure wasrecognised by the IndianMinistry of Defence (MoD) onits website earlier this monthbut the admission was pulleddown within 48 hours. Indianforces have been left with bufferzones at friction points wherethey have had to withdrawand dismantle their fortifica-tions from the Indian side ofthe LAC. Worse, the PLA is notpermitting these soldiers toexercise their patrolling rightsupto established patrollingpoints, which when connected,roughly align with the IndianLAC.

Still worse is the stubbornrefusal of the PLA and itscommanders to even discussthe 18-km deep massive intru-sion made in Depsang, a repeatof the intrusion in April 2013,from where the PLA with-drew after three months.Crowning the multiple intru-sions is the PLA’s constructionof infrastructure on the Indianside of the LAC. Violative ofborder patrols, PLA activitiesare nothing short of acts of war.

Not only has China unilat-erally changed the status quobut it has also shifted the LACseveral kilometres westwards,attempting to conform to its1960 claim line. It has alsoannexed several hundred kilo-

metres of Indian territory.Prime Minister NarendraModi’s in-denial statement ofJune 19 — “neither has anyoneintruded across our bordernor is anyone intruding” — hasbecome the great enabler ofPLA intrusions. Taking downthe belated acceptance of intru-sions on the MoD website issupportive of Beijing’s actions.

China is rejoicing thatModi has kept the Wuhan spir-it alive whereas it is an abysmalfailure of summitry. By virtu-ally condoning the Galwanclash, Modi seems to havedone the reverse of Nehru’s cav-alier orders to throw out theChinese from the Thagla ridge.

The joy and excitementexuded by Modi and DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh overthe arrival of five Rafalesreflected the dire and option-less situation at the LAC. Giventhe phenomenal spike in theCOVID-19 pandemic in India,a debilitating decline in theeconomy and the military over-stretched on two fronts, aKargil-like response to multi-ple intrusions will lead to a warthat India cannot afford.

India’s continental strategy(if there is one) for border man-agement has come unstuckbecause the PLA has changedthe rules of engagement, bothon the ground and at the nego-tiating table. Five rounds ofmilitary commander talks, four

rounds of Working Mechanismfor Consultation andCoordination (WMCC) dia-logue and conversationsbetween high ranking SpecialRepresentatives on border talkshave hit a cul-de-sac.

With wholesale intrusionsin early May, China delivered aninitial fait accompli. This was fol-lowed by a Chinese-scriptedDPP in July end that made cos-metic disengagement to easetensions at friction points butwas tantamount to quarantiningIndian soldiers on their own ter-ritory. The PLA, on the otherhand, dug down like it did atDoklam after disengagementand nobly proclaimed that dis-engagement is completed. Thisnew fait accompli has imposedon India a new status quo with-out a hint of restoring the May5 situation.

The Modi Government canpretend it is business as usual:Take down belated acceptanceof intrusions from the MoDwebsite, talk tough the virtuesof Rafales and most of all, usediversionary strategies to focuson its spectacular politicalachievements like the grandceremony at the Ram templeon the same day it erasedArticle 370 at Jammu &Kashmir a year ago.

In deference to Chinesesentiment, the new status ofLadakh has been played down.The setback at LAC has almost

disappeared from TV andmedia, reflecting India’s accep-tance of aggression by the PLA.The tragedy playing out alongthe LAC for 10 weeks, that wasessentially concealed by theGovernment, is a reminder ofIndia’s colossal intelligence andoperational failures.

It has blemished the ModiGovernment’s tough muscularimage created in the wake ofUri and Balakot responsesagainst Pakistan, which won itan overwhelming politicalmandate. The Chinese PLA haschanged that perception. That,too, 60 years after the 1962 warwhen China gave India a dress-ing down and withdrew unilat-erally, vacating areas it nowcovets: Tawang and EastLadakh. India’s failure to shapeand maintain a deterrent hasled to the loss of face.

Three days from now, onAugust 15, Independence Day,Modi will recount hisGovernment’s achievements,including the handling of thepandemic. How he will framethe situation along the LAC,where the Chinese PLA hasaltered status quo and annexedIndian territory, will be worthwatching out for.

(The writer, a retired MajorGeneral, was Commander IPKFSouth, Sri Lanka and foundermember of the Defence PlanningStaff, currently the IntegratedDefence Staff.)

�� )��*�� +��$��)��,+$)-��

�� .��+$)��&��(��/��(��#��/��&��/�� +$)�� +��0��1��2��3��1��

��(��4��4�� 5��6.��+$)�� 7��4��,7�4-��

#�7�4�� 8��(��+��1�� 9:�� 1�� "��+$)�� ;��+$)�� #�7�41�� +��1��(��#�� 7�4��+$)�� 0��<#�� (�� +$)��(/��+��=��0��!��(��$��+$)��<#�� "�� /�� +$)�� +�� *� �� /��#��2��

#��/��(�� (�� (��"��(

��&��.�� 0��.��)��5��/��6��5��+��6�� (��0�� +�� (��+��

$��*��>$.��?�� 2��)��!�� (� �� 0��(�� #�� 4��*��.@��&��/++��*��%��)��0��+��A�� ?��$��*��*��>�� 5��6#��0��)�� +��"�� 0��)��0�� +��(��0�� .�� +��(��0��%� �� .�� (� ��>��0��)��!��0�� +�� "��#��)��0��+�� .��+��(��<0 ��!��#��0��;��;�� +�� (��(��#�� .��?�� +�� (��/��.��+��/��(�� (��"��B:3C�

?��&��+��"��(��+��)��$��0��#��+�� 39CD�� +��/�� >��*��"��(��#��/��+��+��&�� 0��(�� )�� )��>�� (��E�+�� F: ��4��)��"�� >��)�� (��)��#��>��)�� )�� "�� >��39�� >��+��7��/��+��0�� ;�� *��/��+��&��(�� /?A+�(39��&��/��9:�� &�2�+��

1 "��

��

Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Atmanirbhar raksha”(August 11). There is nothingwrong with the Government’scall for “vocal for local” butactions such as those taken byDefence Minister Rajnath Singhto impose import embargo on101 items are ill-conceived andmay prove to be detrimental inthe long run. Instead, theGovernment should have comeout with a clear picture as to howvarious sectors could reducedependence on imports so thatwe gradually start producingworld-class products in thecountry. Such a hasty decisionwill send the wrong signal toboth our domestic suppliers aswell as hostile neighbours. Ourdefence preparedness, too, is notupto the mark.

Bal GovindNoida

��

Sir — The deadly explosion inBeirut is another instance ofconscience-keepers of safetyabdicating their responsibility.

Military ammunition depots,inflammable gas and fuel sta-tions in the energy sector andnuclear facilities exclusively relyon meticulous standard operat-ing procedure manuals.

The presence of 740 tonnes

of ammonium nitrate atChennai port is now suddenlyremembered even as some con-signments are missing.Universally, we seem to be shortof inspired administrators witha grip on their jobs. It is such

drift that causes mishaps. Theaccident in Beirut is a reminderthat despite the strict regulationof hazardous substances interna-tionally, the risks remain.

R NarayananNavi Mumbai

��

Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Needed, full-time chief ”(August 11). In a belated yetpragmatic move, the Congressleadership has succeeded inaverting a fall of its Governmentin Rajasthan. Concerted effortsby the Gandhi siblings haveyielded results. This new sce-nario has paved the way fortruce, howsoever fragile,between Chief Minister AshokGehlot and Sachin Pilot. Pilot isready for an unconditional truceand Gehlot has agreed to followthe leadership line. Hopefully,the Rajasthan Assembly sessionscheduled for August 14 willpass without any hurdle.Grievances flagged by the Pilotcamp should be addressed.Rahul Gandhi must now takecharge and call for elections tothe Congress WorkingCommittee without any delay.Sans a permanent head, thegrand old party looks like a rud-derless boat.

Azhar A KhanRampur

� � � ! � � : # > � � � � � � # 8 1

'''(��!&��%(��)��"��B%��=�� J C��/� � , ��J ��*��%��=�� =

�� !� " "

�4

1��

��*�* ��5#�

��,-1��"�� 2�� (��K�� *�� B��>� ��0��B��*� ��,�B �� *��

6�� B��"�� +��*�� "� �� 6��K�� %

�)��&&��*��L�� , ��

�� +��B�� %��"+�� %;�� * ��)��4��%'��*�� *��" *��"��%

�(')�L7�� B�2��

6K�� G(+9�� *H��+� �� %M.�� *��+�� *�� *%

��&�*��'L/��

� 6 � % ( 0 . # �

� � # # � * � # 6 � ## 5 � � � ( . # 6 *

��

�� "� ��3��B��1*� �� 6�� G16�H " ,� ��2 � ��'��2�� +��

�� %�� +�� +�� "� �*��+��*��%1��(��3@�� *��"��3�� +�� )��*�� *�� + � ��%2�� *��*� �� " ��%�� *��+�� %� ��16� �� *�� N��*�� +� ��G�,4�H��"� �� +�� *�� "��%�� *��*�� + �*��"��*� � �*��6�� %

<�� *� �� "�� **�� "�� %;��"�� B�� "��%/ �� %6�� B��

��,4�� "�� 16�� "�� "�� *�� +��%;�� "�� +� ��%�� "��16�� B��!��3��%�� *+�� "�� +�N�� (��N� " * � �B��%�� *�%

��*��&�4��**=��

��$$��)��''��&')0�)��?�.��:().�

0�� 6�� K�� %0��6��"�� "�� %

�)��&&��*��L��

$%��#��2��)�� %3��

1��)#�� 4��%%��%��

��551��

��!��-7-7��!��!��:�!��!��!��% !�� !�!�� !��"�!��"��

�%!� ��! ��!�� :��@� ��

�� !

��%�� ! ��!�� :��!�� !��:��/�� !��!��A!�B��:�@ �! ��%!� ��!�!��/��%��/��

��6�%#�*��

Each year, August 12 is celebrated as theInternational Youth Day (IYD) to raiseawareness about the challenges and prob-

lems being faced by the young people of today.IYD, which was first observed in 2000, aims toendorse ways to engage the youth and help themparticipate in affirmative contributions to soci-ety. The theme of the IYD this year is ‘YouthEngagement for Global Action.’ It seeks to high-light the ways in which young people at the local,national and global level are enriching nation-al and multilateral institutions and processes, aswell as draw lessons on how to enhance their rep-resentation and engagement in formal institu-tional politics.

As per the United Nations (UN) populationprospects, the youth segment (15-29 years) glob-ally stands at 1.8 billion now. Out of the totalnumber of young people in the world, every fifthperson (20 per cent) resides in India (366 mil-lion) reflecting the importance of this segmentin the country. The youth are faced with manychallenges and one of the most serious issuesconcerning them is the growing number of idleyoungsters or those who are not in employment,education and training (NEET in short).

NEET youth tend to experience a varyingdegree of social and economic marginalisationand are more likely to be left behind in main-stream development. The SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs), 2030, adopted bythe UN in 2015, also set the agenda specifical-ly for target 8.6, which calls for the proportionof youth with NEET status to be substantiallyreduced in the next 15 years.

The Global Employment Trends for Youth2020 noted that there has been a continueddecline in the participation of young people inthe labour force across countries. The popula-tion of the youth has increased from one billionto 1.3 billion in the period between 1999 and2019, but the number of young people engagedin the workforce (either employed or unem-ployed) has seen a decrease from 568 million to497 million during the same period.

The most disturbing pattern globally is thatone young person out of every five (20 per cent)and 30 per cent of the girls and 13 per cent ofthe boys among them— those aged between 15and 24 (which is the international definition ofthe youth) — are currently classified as NEET.This means that a whopping 267 million out of1.3 billion young people worldwide are neithergaining experience in the labour market, norreceiving income from work or enhancingtheir education and skills. This suggests that theirlabour remains under-utilised.

India, at present, is home to the largest pop-ulation of youth in the world. The National YouthPolicy of India, 2014 defines them as peoplebelonging in the age group of 15-29 years.According to the census data for 2011, the youthconstitute 28 per cent of the total population inthe country and contribute to over 34 per centof India’s national income. The latest estimatesshow that they comprise around 27 per cent ofthe total Indian population of 1.3 billion.

However, a major positive development hasbeen their growing enrolment in the secondaryand tertiary-level of education, which hasresulted in better-skilled employees and prolif-

eration of decent employment in manycountries around the world.

However, the Periodic LabourForce Survey (PLFS) for 2017-18reported a significant increase in unem-ployment rates for the young segmentof the population. A more serious con-cern is the increasing joblessnessamong educated youth (15-29 years),which went up nearly three timesfrom 6.1 per cent in 2011-12 to 17.8 percent in 2017-18. In particular, techni-cal degree holders have been noted tofare the worst with their unemploymentrate being pegged at 37.3 per cent,closely followed by those who arepost-graduates and above (36.2 percent), graduates (35.2 per cent), andyouth with formal vocational training(33 per cent).

For young women, the unemploy-ment situation is graver in terms oflabour force participation as well asunemployment. Women are movingout of the workforce in greater num-bers, but among those who remain,unemployment rates are higher thanthose among men. This holds true evenfor women who are educated or havereceived training, and this trend hasworsened during the prevailingCOVID-19 pandemic.

One would imagine that the youngpopulation with “industry-relevant”formal vocational training would havebetter job prospects in India. But only1.8 per cent of the population report-ed receiving formal vocational/techni-cal training in 2017-18. Young peoplecomprised more than half of those whoreceived formal vocational/technicaltraining, which is in sharp contrast tothe 50-80 per cent participation indeveloped nations.

Around 33 per cent of the formal-ly-trained youngsters were unemployed

in 2017-18. Nearly a third of trainedyoung men and more than a third oftrained young women were unem-ployed. Among those who did notreceive such training, 62.3 per cent wereout of the workforce.

Further, the growing number ofNEET is also posing a serious challenge,as it has increased from 70 million in2004-05 to 116 million in 2017-18. TheGovernment has increasingly beenwary of this and has taken steps to dealwith this growing challenge. In recentyears, it has launched the “Skill India”campaign, which includes an array ofinitiatives under its purview to bridgethe gap between lack of skill trainingand joblessness. A key initiative underthe campaign is the Pradhan MantriKaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), theNational Apprenticeship PromotionScheme and so on.

The PMKVY was envisioned toimpart employable skills and help theyouth in securing better livelihoods.Although it intends to provide trainingfree of cost, most of the youth who havereceived formal training have had topersonally arrange the fees. The PLFS2017-18 data shows that only 16 percent of the youth who received formaltraining were funded by theGovernment. Around 73 per cent of theyouth underwent full-time training.The coaching period for more than halfof the youth exceeded a year andabout 30 per cent of them underwenttraining for more than two years.

However, it was apparent as earlyas 2016 that there were several issueswith the initiative, when a Government-appointed committee to rationaliseSector Skill Councils (SSCs) andimprove Skill India, led by ShardaPrasad, found that the programme’s tar-gets were too ambitious. Additionally,

it was discovered that the spending ofthe funds allocated for the programmewas not subject to adequate monitor-ing mechanisms. On the whole, mostof the youth in the country still remainoutside the ambit of formal training andmany of those who are able to person-ally finance themselves in order toundergo months of vocational training,remain jobless. The subsequent declinein budgetary allocations for PMKVY isan indicator that the Government itselfis not convinced about its working.

In sum, as argued by economistsand researchers, if the youth are prop-erly skilled and absorbed in the labourmarket, they can contribute to highereconomic growth of the country. We aregoing to have a larger youth populationfor the next two decades, which posesan imminent challenge as well — ofleveraging the potential of the abundanthuman resource. The spiral of theunemployed is posing some seriousquestions on higher education, skilldevelopment, demographic dividendand India’s future. There are other con-cerns about quality of jobs, decentworkplaces, upward mobility, wages,aspirations, competition accrued bylimited supply of new jobs, contractu-al nature of jobs, mental health, oppor-tunities for entrepreneurship and fos-tering innovations among the youngminds. Amid the COVID-19 pan-demic, as the country is movingtowards the vision of a new India andan Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliantIndia), we need to prioritise the aspi-rations of the young population forinculcating and strengthening theiratma vishwas (confidence).

(Balwant is Research Director,IMPRI and Senior Fellow, IHD; Simi isCEO and Editorial Director and Kumaris Director, IMPRI)

1��6��(��%�� %��

�&�� 78 . * � # � 6 � � � %

*�+,��5�%9�*

.;17;(46'(�4<15;1-17(;7

E4>�<,4,>-1�64'�47�<;';O��.4/;&1/;�.<6&<

,4�;�1'6226';'�

&<1--;'(;1�.;--L4�

-;5;71(6'(�<;,4�;'�61-4��<;10>'/1'�<>21'

7;�4>7&;%�<;�,671-4��<;

>';2,-4E;/6�,4�6'(�42;

�;764>�P>;��64'�4'

<6(<;7;/>&1�64'��6--

/;5;-4,2;'�/;24(71,<6&/656/;'/1'/

6'/61K��>�>7;%�<;7;17;4�<;7&4'&;7'�104>�P>1-6�E4��40�

/;&;'�.47�,-1&;�

>,.17/2406-6�E.1(;�

1�,671�64'�&42,;�6�64'1&&7>;/0E

-626�;/�>,,-E4�';.�40�

&4'�71&�>1-'1�>7;4��40�2;'�1-<;1-�<

4,,47�>'6�6;��47;'�7;,7;';>7�<6,

1'/�4��;76'(6''451�64'�

124'(�<;E4>'(26'/�

@��3C��+�� 9��G��+�� C�B:B:��0@$�=��

��!�� $��*�� *��5�� 6+��*�� (�� @��>��,@'>-�#�!�� (��HI:�� 0��*��0@$&��;�� *��(�� (��(��+��5@��3C� �� (�� ,��-�� !��6*��5��6��!��+��C��/��?��5��6

#�� !��(��!�� .�� .��,!..-��#�0@$��!..��(��#�0@$��(��39J:�� #�� *��&��;��#��0@$��B:3D �� B:39 )�� .�� #� �� ?�� #��0@$��*��

)��>��+��C�B:39��.��HI:��@'>��#��(�� #��@'>�� /��*��*��*��#�� @'>�� *�� .��$�$K0@$%��B:3J�@'>��%��&�!��2��*��*��.��)��(%�� *�� @'>�� #��>�� /��(�� #��8�� (�� #��/��

+��*��.��&��(�� 5#�� @��>��#�� 6#�� #��

�� !�� .��/��&� �� %��&��=��*�� "�� #��.��/��%�� *�� #�� B:BH��B:BD��0@$��A�� >�� >��*��0@$&�� 7��/��/��0@$&��#�*��%��#�0@$��!..��!��!�� *��

,�� -

Uttar Pradesh (UP) organises aJoint Entrance Examination(JEE) for B.Ed. every year,

where students compete for almosttwo lakh seats. Conducting it thisyear was a challenge in more waysthan one. The State had received 4.31lakh applications for the examinationthat was initially scheduled for April8 but got postponed thrice in viewof the COVID-19 pandemic and wasfinally held on August 9.

Last year, it was conducted inonly 15 districts with 60 to 130 cen-tres per district. This year there werethe twin targets of least movementand ample social distancing. Henceit was decided to host the entrancetest in all districts indicated by the

candidates. The number of districtswas increased to 50 and later to 73.To reduce the number of studentscongregating in one place, thestrength of candidates allotted to acentre was halved, as compared toearlier years. Thus, the number ofcentres also increased proportionate-ly. Special care was taken to ensurethat women and divyang candidateswere allotted the district of theirchoice, while other candidates wereaccommodated at or near their firstplace of preference.

In the past, B.Ed entrance testswere conducted by the nominateduniversity with the help of other Stateuniversities while the Department ofHigher Education played a negligi-ble role. This year, the nominateduniversity, Lucknow University, hadsought the department’s help due tothe special circumstances arisingout of COVID-19. Ensuring compli-ance with the directive of the ChiefMinister to ensure that there were noincidents of copying or other mal-practices during the examination wasthe department’s biggest challenge.This required a marked departure

from established practices and it wasnot easy to change the ways of themanagement accustomed to workingin a particular fashion.

Formerly, 50-60 per cent of thecentres were in private institutes andthere was a suspicion of malpracticesin some of them. To check the men-ace of cheating, it was decided thatexamination centres would be set uponly in Government andGovernment-aided institutions. Thisturned out to be a daunting task. Ascreening committee was constitut-ed in each district, comprising thedistrict administration, theSecondary Education and HigherEducation Departments and a coor-dinator from Lucknow University.Their task was to identify potentialexamination centres in the district,including State and Central univer-sities, degree and intermediate col-leges, engineering colleges, ITIs,polytechnics and even Governmentschools. Nevertheless, this was notsufficient. There was so much resis-tance to change that when requestsand persuasions failed to yield results,the organising team ultimately had

to be convinced by those at the high-est level.

The Deputy Chief Minister andChief Secretary held a special videoconference with the DistrictMagistrates and finally, after a metic-ulous exercise, success was achievedand 1,089 centres were identified.

The mammoth task of organis-ing the centres, informing the stu-dents and mobilising the districtadministration was done throughvirtual meetings over the next month.Centres had to be changed becauseof new containment zones and floodsin a few districts. Care was taken toensure that the candidates did notbear the brunt of any of this and werekept updated through e-mails andSMS. Battling time constraints andinfection risks, a programme fortraining invigilators and superinten-dents was designed. They were edu-cated in the best practices for infec-tion prevention as well as new anti-cheating measures. The optimum useof technology was witnessed at alllevels during the crisis.

Ensuring the safety and health ofcandidates and staff was the highest

priority and adequate monetaryallocation was made for sanitisationof each centre — a minimum of�4,000 plus an additional �20 percandidate if the number surpassed200 at any centre.

Face masks and sanitisers wereprovided free of cost. Thermal scan-ners were used and proper social dis-tance was maintained in and outsidethe centres. Lucknow Universityadopted an innovative method fortaking the thumb impressions of thestudents. Instead of the routine com-mon ink pad, an individual dispos-able ink strip, specially made for theJEE, was given to each student for thepurpose.

On the day of the examination,static magistrates and flying squadswere deployed and an effective face-detection system was used. Thetechnology uses Artificial Intelligence(AI) to collect information of the can-didate’s face from 27 points andmatches him/her with the profilephoto on 13 indicators including hair,ears, spectacles and so on. Each can-didate’s biometric picture was takenon special phones with this app.

Other mobile phones and commu-nicating devices were not allowedinside the centre. CCTV cameras thathad been specially-installed in eachexamination centre were continuous-ly monitored through live webcast-ing at the university’s commandcentre, having 100 screens.

Before the examination washeld, there were live debates innewsrooms and drawing rooms onwhether this exam should be con-ducted at all. People argued thatadmissions to B.Ed could be madebased on marks obtained in the finalyear of college itself and that this testcould be done away with in view ofthe need for safety. However, the factremains that this would be unfair toall stakeholders as final year examsare not standardised across univer-sities.

Additionally, marking is oftendone on a bell curve based on the stu-dent pool of that university. Thus, thetop few students from each univer-sity are expected to score higher, irre-spective of how they compare withstudents across the State. Thus, a JEEwas conceived years ago. Denying

this opportunity to a student bodythat has already suffered academical-ly due to the Corona crisis wouldhave been remiss.

The option of holding the testonline this year was given due con-sideration, but the digital divideacross the State and access issues,especially for the vulnerable sections,weighed against it.

Since this is a prestigious coursewith fierce competition, it was essen-tial to give a fair and uniform oppor-tunity to all. The result will bedeclared on September 5 and the newsession will commence in October-November. Conducting this examwas an experience worth sharing. Itshowcased the sensitivity and cautionof the State Government and set thetrend for holding competitive examsduring the outbreak. It is an exam-ple for others to emulate, right fromthe selection of centres to logistics.It shows how fair, safe examinationscan be held, even in these testingtimes.

(The writer is Additional ChiefSecretary, Higher EducationDepartment, UP)

7)3-5��8�8955�� %�� &��' ()#��*�+��$�+��(,# ��+%-$��*+�(��$��#�.�%�&��*�.�&�+��#�-%��%.��$�/��$�/�* %+�� *��' (%& �%�&��. &�0��$�#��1�&�%&��$��%&-��%(��

��*��*�

�� !� " "

'''(��!&��%(��)

-�+.��5#�

��5#�

� /��9��*

��$��)��$�0��1

��0�,��7�� 7��7�! � �� "��

� ��!��

� �� :�� !� " "� %!�<#$�� "��/

Islamabad: Ahead of anupcoming release of Talibandetainees held in Afghan pris-ons, the insurgent groupwarned the Government inKabul on Tuesday against anyattacks on those released, say-ing such incidents would jeop-ardise the peace talks.

A Taliban spokesman toldThe Associated Press therehave been at least 11 suchattacks in the past severalmonths — instances whenfreed Taliban figures werekilled, harassed and re-arrest-ed by government forces.

Kabul officials deniedunwarranted attacks on freedTaliban. The prisoner release ispart of a deal the insurgentssigned with the United Statesearlier this year. A final 400Taliban prisoners remain ingovernment prisons.

Over the weekend inKabul, an Afghan traditionalcouncil, known as the LoyaJirga, agreed to free the final400 imprisoned Taliban, pavingthe way for an early start tonegotiations betweenAfghanistan’s warring sides.

The council agreed to an “immediate” release of Talibanprisoners but by Tuesday, theyhad not been freed.Negotiations between Kabul’spolitical leadership and theTaliban are expected to beginwithin weeks — and will beheld in the Mideast state ofQatar, where the Taliban main-tain a political office. TheTaliban said the talks couldbegin within a week of the finalprisoner releases.

Taliban politicalspokesman Suhail Shaheenwarned that attacks on newlyfreed prisoners will drive themback to the battlefield despiteorders from their leaders “ to

stay at home, with their fami-lies.” Attacks on their homeswill “ make it impossible forthem to stay in their homes,”Shaheen said. “ Such incidentshave happened that they havebeen re-arrested and alsokilled.”

In recent months, bothsides have freed prisoners in linewith the deal the Taliban signedwith Washington on February29 to bring an end to decades ofwar. The government was to free5,000 — and has alreadyreleased all but the last 400. TheTaliban freed the 1,000 mem-bers of the government forcesand Afghan officials they hadheld captive. AP

Prague: US Secretary of StateMike Pompeo is in the CzechRepublic at the start of a four-nation tour of central and east-ern Europe expected to focuson threats to the region posedby Russia and China.

Amid post-election vio-lence and concerns about sig-nificant democratic backslidingin nearby Belarus, Pompeoplans to use his visit to push hishosts to counter Russian andChinese influence.

Russia and China are activeand seeking greater roles

throughout the continent in theenergy, infrastructure andtelecommunications sectors, atrend the United States is keento reverse. Pompeo on Tuesdaywas opening his visit in theCzech city of Pilsen, where hewas to visit the Patton Museumand memorial to the WorldWar II liberation of westernCzechoslovakia by U.S. Troops.

In his talks, Pompeo willlikely face questions about theTrump administration’s deci-sion to reduce the U.S. Militarypresence in Germany. AP

Rome: The number of confirmed coronavirus casesworldwide topped 20 million, more than half ofthem from the United States, India and Brazil.

Russia has reported more than 890,000 cases,the fourth-most in the world, according to a JohnsHopkins University tally that also showed total con-firmed cases globally surpassing 20 million.

It took six months or so to get to 10 millioncases after the virus first appeared in central Chinalate last year. It took just over six weeks for thatnumber to double.

An AP analysis of data through August 9showed the US, India and Brazil together account-ed for nearly two-thirds of all reported infectionssince the world hit 15 million coronavirus cases onJuly 22.

Health officials believe the actual number of peo-ple infected with the virus is much higher than thattally kept by Johns Hopkins University, given test-ing limitations and that as many as 40 per cent ofthose with the virus show no symptoms. In Europe,countries that appeared to have gotten their out-breaks under control during nationwide lockdownsand lifted many public restrictions worked to pre-vent a resurgence of the virus. Finland joined Franceand Germany in announcing it would test travel-ers from at-risk countries upon arrival. AP

Wellington: New ZealandPrime Minister Jacinda Ardernon Tuesday said authoritieshave found four cases of thecoronavirus in one Aucklandhousehold from an unknownsource, the first reported casesof local transmission in thecountry in 102 days.

Ardern said Auckland, thenation’s largest city, will bemoved to Alert Level 3 frommidday Wednesday throughmidnight Friday, meaning thatpeople will be asked to stay athome, while bars and manyother businesses will be closed.

“ These three days will giveus time to assess the situation,gather information, make surewe have widespread contacttracing so we can find out moreabout how this case arose andmake decisions about how torespond to it once we have fur-ther information,” Ardern saidat a hastily called news confer-ence late Tuesday.

“I know that this informa-tion will be very difficult toreceive,” Ardern said. “ We hadall hoped not to find ourselvesin this position again. But wehad also prepared for it. And asa team, we have also been herebefore.”

She said that traveling into

Auckland will be banned unlesspeople live there and are trav-eling home.

She said the rest of thecountry will be raised to Level2 through Friday, meaning thatmass gatherings will be limitedto 100 attendees and peoplewould need to socially distancethemselves from each other.

Director-General of HealthAshley Bloomfield said theinfections were confirmed aftera person in their 50s went totheir doctor on Monday withsymptoms and was swabbedtwice, testing positive bothtimes. Six other people in theperson’s household were thentested, with three more positive

results. “ Importantly, the per-son has no history of overseastravel,” Bloomfield said, addingthat the source of the infectionsremains unknown.

Until Tuesday, the onlyknown cases of the virus in NewZealand were 22 travelers whohad recently returned fromabroad and were being held inquarantine at the border.

The country has beenpraised globally for its virusresponse.

New Zealand initially gotrid of the virus by imposing astrict lockdown in late Marchwhen only about 100 people hadtested positive for the disease.That stopped its spread. AP

Belgrade: Serbia is considering buying a mod-ern Chinese air defense missile system, theSerbian president said Tuesday, as the UnitedStates warned that such deals with Beijingcould jeopardize the Balkan country’s pro-claimed European Union membership goals.

Aleksandar Vucic said that “ we werethinking, but we have not yet purchased” theFK-3 system — the export version of theChinese last-generation, medium range HQ-22 anti-aircraft system.

Serbia, which has been beefing up its mil-itary mainly with Russian aircraft and armoredvehicles, last month received six Chinese CH-92A attack and reconnaissance drones. Thatmade Serbia the first European country todeploy the Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles.

The U.S. Embassy in Belgrade said that “procuring military and defense equipment isa sovereign decision. However, governmentsshould understand the short- and long-termrisks and costs involved in doing business withChinese companies.”

“ Procurement choices should reflectSerbia’s stated policy goal of greater Europeanintegration,” an embassy statement said. AP

Minsk: The top opposition can-didate in Belarus’ presidentialvote, who initially refused toconcede her defeat amid a mas-sive police crackdown on anti-government protesters, said onTuesday she has left forLithuania and called on her sup-porters to end demonstrations.

Looking haggard and dis-tressed, SviatlanaTsikhanouskaya, a formerteacher and political novice,apologized to her supporters ina video statement and said it washer own choice to leave thecountry.

“ It was a very hard decisionto make,” she said. “ I know thatmany of you will understand me,many others will condemn meand some will even hate me. ButGod forbid you ever face thechoice that I faced.”

In another video statementreleased later on Tuesday, she

urged her supporters to respectthe law and avoid clashes withpolice.

Her campaign aides said shemade the unexpected moveunder duress. Tsikhanouskaya’shusband has been at aBelarusian jail since his arrest inMay. “ It’s very difficult to resistpressure when your family andall your inner circle have beentaken hostages,” said MariaKolesnikova, a top figure inTsikhanouskaya’s campaign.

Tsikhanouskaya previouslydismissed the official results ofSunday’s election showingauthoritarian PresidentAlexander Lukashenko win-ning a sixth term by a landslide.

Thousands of oppositionsupporters who also protestedthe results met with a toughpolice crackdown in Minsk andseveral other Belarusian cities fortwo straight nights. AP

Taipei: Taiwan sent COVID-19assistance to foreign countriessurreptitiously to avoid protestsfrom China, its foreign minis-ter said on Tuesday during ameeting with the highest-levelAmerican official to visit theisland in four decades.

China claims Taiwan as itsown territory and has sought toisolate it diplomatically, includ-ing barring its participation inforums such as the World

Health Assembly.The trip by US Health and

Human Services Secretary AlexAzar comes against the back-drop of a sharp downturn inrelations between China andthe US and Azar said in hisremarks that the US support-ed Taiwan’s participation ininternational health forums.

China’s attempts to isolat-ed Taiwan has compelled theisland at times to keep its

donations of masks and per-sonal protective equipmentunder the radar, ForeignMinister Joseph Wu said.

“ Truth is, we even had to deliver these supplies quietly in some occasions tokeep the recipients free fromtrouble, trouble from Beijing,”Wu said.

Taiwan has brought itsvirus outbreak under control,and Wu said the island has

donated 51 million masks over-seas, including 10 million to theUS, along with other items ofpersonal protective equipment.He did not name the othercountries to which Taiwan hasmade quiet donations or giveother details.

Just 15 countries maintainformal diplomatic ties withTaiwan, and China has soughtto peel away its remainingallies. Wu said Chinese pressure

to accept political conditionsfor bringing Taiwan underBeijing’s control has made life“ increasingly difficult.”

However, acquiescencewould merely turn Taiwan intoanother Hong Kong, Wu said,referring to recent arrests ofmedia figures and pro-democ-racy activists under a newsecurity law being enforced inthe semi-autonomous Chineseterritory. AP

Penang (Malaysia): Malaysia’sformer finance minister accusedthe government of taking polit-ical vengeance on Tuesday aftera third graft charge was filedagainst him and his wife wascharged with money laundering.

Lim Guan Eng was part ofa reformist Government oust-ed in March and the newGovernment under PrimeMinister Muhyiddin Yassin issupported by graft-tainted par-ties defeated in the 2018 gen-eral election.

At a news conference afterhis court hearing, Lim was vis-ibly upset as he told reportersthat Muhyiddin’s governmenthad targeted his family to breakhis spirit.

“ They are caught in thecrossfire. This is completelyexcessive, just too much. Go forme but leave my family alone,”Lim said.

His wife, Betty Chew, wasmore emotional as she slammedas frivolous and baseless thecharges against them, calling it“ cruel and terrible” .

Lim, 59, pleaded not guiltyto abusing his position as chiefminister of Penang state to

obtain gratification for his wiferelated to a workers’ dormitoryproject.

Chew pleaded not guilty tothree charges of receiving372,009 ringgit ($88,584) inunlawful proceeds linked to thesame project. A businessacquaintance of Chew was alsocharged with abetting Lim.

Chew is a lawyer, and Limsaid the money was her legalfees. He was earlier charged withsoliciting bribe and abusing hispower related to a $1.5 billionundersea tunnel project.

Both projects were approvedduring Lim’s tenure as Penangchief minister from 2008-2018,before he became Malaysia’sfinance minister.

Muhyiddin’s Malay-centricgovernment has only a thintwo-seat majority in Parliament.Some political observers saidLim’s prosecution could indicatea possibility of early elections,which are not due until 2023.

Rights groups have voicedconcerns over his government’sclampdown on dissent andmedia independence, with jour-nalists and media groups beinginvestigated. AP

3�� "�� (��A �"�� " ��-�

<��!"�� "��:�%��;�� "��%� ��%�

$�� 1 (�B �� %��&�

7 �8�� !�� "�� +��% ��6��$�4��+��!$ �� $�� 9�� 7 �8��#�� +�

�� 3��

Thimphu: Bhutan ordered itsfirst nationwide lockdown onTuesday after a returning res-ident tested positive for coro-navirus after being dischargedfrom quarantine and cominginto close contact with peoplein the capital Thimphu.

The case took the total inthe tiny Himalayan kingdom to113, still the lowest in SouthAsia, and it has yet to record afatality.

Bhutan, which is heavilyreliant on high-end tourists,banned tourism in March afteran American visitor tested pos-itive, and ordered a three weekmandatory quarantine for every-one returning from abroad.

The lockdown was orderedafter a 27-year-old Bhutanesewoman, who returned fromKuwait and was dischargedfrom quarantine after testingnegative, tested positive at aclinic on Monday. Agency

.�� (�� (�� %%)

Washington: Goods made inHong Kong for export to theUnited States will need to belabelled as made in China afterSeptember 25, according to a USGovernment notice posted onTuesday.

The move follows China’simposition of a national securi-ty law on Hong Kong and a U.S.decision to end the formerBritish colony’s special statusunder U.S. law, escalating bilat-eral tensions that were alreadyrising over trade war tariffs and

the handling of the coronavirusoutbreak. The latest step will seeHong Kong companies subjectto the same trade war tariffslevied on mainland Chineseexporters, should they makeproducts subject to these duties,said the U.S. Customs andBorder Protection notice.

It said that 45 days after itspublication, goods “ must bemarked to indicate that their ori-gin is ‘China’” .

The step was taken after theUnited States determined that

Hong Kong is “ no longer suffi-ciently autonomous to justifydifferential treatment in relationto China” .

Trump has made tough talkagainst China a feature of hiscampaign for re-election inNovember.

The United States on Fridayimposed sanctions on HongKong Chief Executive CarrieLam and the city’s current andformer police chiefs accused ofcurtailing political freedoms inthe former British colony. AFP

7��%��*��<�� :��

��" ��" ��4$��4��$, ��

1��&��3��=��

� �� &��$�� "�� =��(��

>�� 8��

$ �&��;�� !� " "

��!�� ';./;-<6

Industrial productiondeclined by 16.6 per cent in

June, mainly due to lower out-put of manufacturing, miningand power generation, as perthe government data releasedon Tuesday. According to theIndex of Industrial Production(IIP) data, manufacturing sec-tor production registered adecline of 17.1 per cent, whilethe output of mining andpower fell 19.8 per cent and 10per cent, respectively.

In a press release, theMinistry of Statistics andProgramme Implementationissued a disclaimer saying that“it may not be appropriate tocompare the IIP in the post-

pandemic months with the IIPfor months preceding theCovid-19 pandemic”.

However, on a monthlybasis, the Index of IndustrialProduction has shownimprovement. The index,which was 53.6 in April,improved to 89.5 in May and107.8 in June, the data revealed.

The IIP had expanded by1.3 per cent year-on-year inJune 2019.

The data further revealedthat the contraction in theconsumer durables and capitalgoods segment was 35.5 percent and 36.9 per cent, respec-tively during June 2020.

However, consumer non-durables segment posted agrowth of 14 per cent.The IIP

for April-June period has con-tracted by 35.9 per cent,according to the data. It hadregistered a growth of 3 percent during the same periodlast fiscal. In view of the pre-ventive measures andannouncement of a nation-wide lockdown by the govern-ment to contain the spread ofCovid-19 pandemic, a largenumber of industrial sectorestablishments were not oper-ating from March-end, 2020onwards. This has had animpact on the items being pro-duced by the establishmentsduring the period of lock-down. With the lifting ofrestrictions in the subsequentperiods, industrial activity isnow resuming.

��!�� ';./;-<6

Mankind Pharma onTuesday said it has col-

laborated with South Koreanf i r m D a e w o o n gPharmaceutical Co for con-ducting phase-I clinical trial ofa novel formulation ofNiclosamide for the treatmentof Covid-19 patients in India.

The trial is designedtowards addressing the need foran investigation on this newformulation based on encour-aging preclinical evidence forthe treatment of Covid-19,Mankind Pharma said in a

statement.“We are excited to collab-

orate with DaewoongPharmaceutical Co Ltd to bringnovel formulation ofNiclosamide (DWRX2003) forthe treatment of Covid-19patients in India. “We believethat the product would providefor a safe and effective alter-native to patients sufferingfrom this disease,” MankindPharma COO Arjun Junejasaid. Both the companies havereceived approval from theDrugs Controller General ofIndia (DCGI) to conductphase-1 clinical trials.

��!�� 2>2016

The rupee appreciated by 12paise to close at 74.78

against the US dollar onTuesday tracking weakness inthe greenback and gains in thedomestic equity market.

Forex traders said gainsin the domestic currency weresupported by foreign fundinflows into domestic equityand debt markets.

Foreign institutionalinvestors were net buyers in thecapital market as they pur-chased shares worth �302.88crore on Monday, according toprovisional exchange data.

At the interbank forexmarket, the local unit openedat 74.83 against the US dollarand gained further ground tosettle at 74.78, up 12 paise overits previous close of 74.90.

Meanwhile, the dol-

lar index, which gauges thegreenback’s strength against abasket of six currencies, wastrading 0.13 per cent lower at93.46.

Market participants willtrack Index of IndustrialProduction (IIP) numbersscheduled to be released laterin the day for further cues, theysaid.After touching a high of38,556.27, the 30-share BSESensex pared some gains to end224.93 points or 0.59 per centhigher at 38,407.01. The NSENifty jumped 52.35 points or0.46 per cent to finish at11,322.50. Brent crudefutures, the global oil bench-mark, rose 0.47 per cent toUSD 45.20 per barrel. “Indianrupee gained in line with otherAsian currencies amid weak-ness in dollar,” HDFCSecurities Deputy Head RetailResearch, Devarsh Vakil said.

��!�� ';./;-<6

Industry body CII on Tuesdayasked the Government to

come out with new foreigntrade policy at the earliest inview of the Covid-19 outbreakto increase India’s shares in theglobal merechandise exports to5 per cent by 2025.

The Confederation ofIndian Industry (CII) has alsooutlined a 10-point agenda forincreasing India’s exports ofgoods and services in line withthe prime minister’s vision ofan “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.Fordeveloping international com-petitiveness, key suggestions byCII include re-examining FTAsand tariff structure with anaggressive market-seekingapproach, and build Indiabrand and undertake marketpromotion in key markets.

The CII report, titled ‘Re-orienting India’s ExportEndeavour in the Covid-19World’, states India must aim toachieve 5 per cent share inworld merchandise exportsand 7 per cent in servicesexports by 2025.

India’s share in global mer-chandise exports is 1.67 percent, with a low share in topglobally traded items. In ser-vices, it enjoys 3.54 per centshare.

The onset of the COVID-19 outbreak that led to a glob-al trade slowdown, affectedIndian exports substantially,and led to a drop in Indian

exports by 35 per cent inMarch, 60 per cent in April,and 36.5 per cent in May 2020.

Outlining 10 areas whereaction is required to boostexports, the chamber said anopen and facilitative importenvironment is required toattract global companies andensure competitive access tointermediate goods.

In general, higher duties onfinished goods and lower dutieson intermediates should beapplied.CII Director GeneralChandrajit Banerjee said thepandemic situation has impact-ed world trade negatively.

However, it also provides abig opportunity for India tobetter engage with the worldand boost its export perfor-mance. This is an opportunetime for India to strengthen itsdomestic manufacturingthrough a strong partnershipbetween the government andindustry, he said. “As moreand more countries are lookingat realigning their tradingstrategies and diversifying theirimport sources post theCOVID-19 outbreak, Indiamust leverage the present sit-uation to emerge as an alter-native destination for sourcingcost-effective, quality prod-ucts”, stated Banerjee.

��!�� 2>2016

The BSE Sensex closed in thegreen for the fourth straight

session on Tuesday, propelledby index heavyweights HDFCtwins and Reliance, amidrobust gains in global equities.

A strengthening rupee,encouraging quarterly resultsand persistent foreign fundinflows further bolstered mar-ket sentiment, traders said.After touching a high of38,556.27, the 30-share BSESensex pared some gains to end224.93 points or 0.59 per centhigher at 38,407.01.

The NSE Nifty jumped52.35 points or 0.46 per cent tofinish at 11,322.50. The Niftyhas extended its winning run tosix sessions.

Axis Bank was the topgainer in the Sensex pack, ral-

lying 3.96 per cent, followed byIndusInd Bank, ITC, HDFCBank, Tata Steel, HDFC, ICICIBank and Reliance Industries.

HDFC twins and RILaccounted for over half of theSensex’s gains. On the otherhand, Titan, Bharti Airtel, HCLTech and ONGC were amongthe laggards, dropping up to3.73 per cent.

Global markets surged toover five-month highs asinvestors looked forward to anagreement on a US stimuluspackage. Market participantsalso cautiously weighed thenews of Russia becoming thefirst country to officially regis-ter a coronavirus vaccine anddeclare it ready for use, despiteinternational skepticism.

The number of casesaround the world linked toCovid-19 has crossed 2 crore,

while the infection count inIndia has reached 22.68 lakh.

“Indian markets continuedtheir positive run, in spite ofintraday volatility and unabat-ed virus infections across thecountry. It was in sync withpositive global cues, on theback of expected stimulus mea-sures from the US, improvingeconomic data points fromChina and the first coron-avirus vaccine getting regis-tered in Russia.

“Indian markets continuedtheir run on the basis of earn-ings results and stock specificnews, amidst hopes of anoth-er round of stimulus measuresby the government. This expec-tation should ensure liquidityin the markets in the nearterm,” said Vinod Nair, Head ofResearch at Geojit FinancialServices.

��!�� ';./;-<6

Adani Ports and SpecialEconomic Zone Limited

(APSEZ) on Tuesday reported26.33 per cent decline in itsconsolidated profit to �757.83crore for the first quarter endedJune 30.

The country’s largest inte-grated logistics player hadclocked a consolidated netprofit of �1,028.69 crore in thecorresponding period a yearearlier, the company said in aBSE filing.Its total incomedeclined to �2,749.46 crore forthe first quarter as against�3,216.92 crore in the year-agoperiod.

The company’s totalexpenses during the quarterunder review rose to �1,805.24crore, compared to �1,796.34crore in the year-ago peri-od.”In the first quarter of FY21,we were able to perform oper-ationally at par with pre-COVID levels. We kept supplychain running and stood by ourcustomers to prove as a bank-able service provider at alltimes ensuring stronger cus-tomer relationships and stick-iness in cargo.

��!�� ';./;-<6

The Rs 1-lakh croreAgriculture Infrastructure

Fund launched by theGovernment will be crucial inenhancing contribution of theagriculture sector to the coun-try’s GDP, especially at a timewhen it is expected to add toeconomic stability amid thecoronavirus-induced slow-down, according to farmers’body FAIFA.

The Federation of AllIndia Farmer Associations(FAIFA) said the fund will beimportant for farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, start-ups, agri-

tech players and farmer groupslooking to boost the country’sagriculture infrastructure.

The federation claims torepresent farmers and farmworkers of commercial cropsacross Andhra Pradesh,Telangana, Karnataka andGujarat.

“Agriculture currently con-tributes to over 14 per cent ofthe national GDP and provideslivelihood to over 40 per centof the nation’s workforce.

In 2020-21, its contribu-tion towards economic stabil-ity is expected to be even high-er amid the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown,”

FAIFA said in a statement.This fund will be crucial

for farmers, agri-entrepre-neurs, start-ups, agri-techplayers and farmer groupslooking to boost the country’sagriculture infrastructure, itadded.

“It will also allow the agri-culture sector to help enhanceits contributions to the GDP,improve balance of trade, stim-ulate greater export potential ofthe farm sector and ensure astable and prosperous life forfarmers by increasingincomes,” the farmers’ bodysaid.

New Delhi: Mines MinisterPralhad Joshi on Tuesday saidthe Government will come outwith more industry-friendlyreforms in the mining sectorvery shortly. “More industry-friendly, productive friendlyreforms will be brought to themining sector very shortly,”Joshi said during a webinar on“Indian Mining Industry:Contribution TowardsAatmanirbhar Bharat” organ-ised by FICCI. “At this junctureI would also like to urge theindustry stalwarts and stake-

holders to share their insightsas to how collectively we cancollaborate and innovate tomake this sector self reliant,” hesaid. The minister also invitedinvestors, explorers and minersto come and explore the hugeopportunities that the Indianmining sector offers. The min-ister said that other issues likeillegal mining, environmentclearance and forest clearancewill be deliberated and suitableaction as per the law will betaken in the due course of time.

PTI

#��"�� %9?9�C��/��

��4��?*(; ��

� ��3�� *��9:%9A�*� ��>�Q

New Delhi: Power GridCorporation of India Limited(POWERGRID), a ‘Maharatna’Company under Ministry ofPower, GoI and the ‘CentralTransmission Utility (CTU)’ ofthe country, has posted a ProfitAfter Tax of �2,048 crore andTotal Income of �9,817 croreon consolidated basis forQ1FY21. On standalone basis, theCompany posted Profit AfterTax and Total Income of �1,979crore and �9,620 crore respec-tively for Q1FY21. During the

quarter, the Company recog-nized as an exceptional item,the one-time consolidatedrebate of �1,075 crore toDISCOMs / PowerDepartments of the States andUnion Territories for passingon to the end-consumers onaccount of Covid-19 pandem-ic against the billing of Apr’20& May’20. Excluding theimpact of this one-time rebate,the Company’s profit increasedby 18% over the correspondingperiod of FY2019-20 on stand-alone basis.

For the quarter, theCompany incurred a CapitalExpenditure of about �1,906crore and capitalized assetsworth �1,184 crore (excludingFERV) on consolidated basis.

�#>!��D%6E�%�� )@5��>��9 ��Gurugram:RITES total stand-alone revenue has decreased by33.9% to �366 crore on accountof lessexports scheduled for thequarter and impact of restric-tions & supply chain disrup-tions due topandemic.Similarly, operating revenue,excluding other income, standsat �323 crore inQ1FY21 against�519 crore in Q1FY20. EBIT-DA and PAT stand at �94crore and �60crore against�151 crore and �93 crore,respectively, in Q1FY20. After making adjustmentforone-time expenditure on CSRof �9.92 crore and donations(PM-CARES Fund) of �7crore,EBITDA and PAT stand at�111 crore and �75 crore,respectively, with improved-margins of 30.4% and 20.6%against 27.3% and 16.8% inQ1FY20, respectively.

MarginsHighlights forQ1FY21 ConsolidatedFinancials1) Total Revenue stands at�379 crore against �573 crorein Q1FY202) EBITDA stands at �121crore with margin of 31.9%against �167 crorein Q1FY203) Profit After Tax stands at �65crore with margin of 17.1%against �102crore in Q1FY20

Highlights for Q1FY21Standalone Financials1) Total Revenue stands at�366 crore against �553 crorein Q1FY202) EBITDA stands at �111crore with margin of 30.4%against �151crore in Q1FY203) Profit After Tax stands at`60 crore with margin of16.4% against �93crore inQ1FY20.

2�� +�� *�� R,��

�:��)��+�� $��'�� $��!�� 6%��'��!��3��

��!!��0�%��%!&�2��%��3��"!�#�!�4��%��$�%��5��

6��7� �� $�-.�� ;$$ ��7��#��!�� (�#�� (�+��$�� :<� ��$�� (�;$$ �� $�� !!� ��$��!��) ��=�� !��(�� 5�!�� ;$$ �� !��$��

2��B ��,�� &�� +3��*

��D%�� "��9�C��@ ;��

)�@52>2(��)��%��$%��1�4�%��8/+ ��%��A.;6�.# ��.� $��-&�/<�� ;':�7��

�� !� " " !��6��2��,�

*�� !�� )�� )��!��&� &'��-��)��=�.��& ��)��$�� &'��$>�� &��=?�5 ��

.�#��%��'��!��&�� ';./;-<6

The All India Technical andManagement Council (AITMC)

has organised a webinar on the NewEducation Policy (NEP) which hasrecently been released by theGovernment. The impact of theNew Education Policy on highereducation and the possibilities of skilldevelopment were discussed in thewebinar.

Aman Mittal (AdditionalDirector, Lovely ProfessionalUniversity), Dr Pramod Pampatwar(Founder Director, VNIT AlumniAssociation), Preet Sindhu Sihag(CEO, AITMC) and Smt.RajniJhulka (Advisor & Strategist,

STEAM) were present as the keyspeakers. Brijesh Srivastav, produc-er of the programme Aap Ki Baatwelcomed all the speakers as themoderator of the webinar. This edu-cation policy has been appreciated byall the speakers in the webinar.

Preet Sindhu Sihag (CEO,AITMC) said that this education pol-icy will promote life-long learning.When a person becomes a life-longlearner, then he is ready to deal withall the challenges coming in his/herlife. This policy will not only helpbuild educated youth but will alsocreate empowered youth. sI am verymuch confident about the future ofour students with the introductionof this policy.

�� ';./;-<6

In the times ofCOVID-19 pan-

demic when the edu-cation has becomeonline and the futureof education com-pletely depends uponexperiential learning,JK LakshmipatUniversity, in collab-oration with All IndiaM a n a g e m e n tAssociation (AIMA),on July 30, 2020unveiled the first-evervirtual lab for man-agement students for

business stimulationexercises in Jaipur.

Dr RL Raina,VC, JKLU, men-tioned that theBizLab will exposestudents to real eco-nomic, environmen-tal and businessissues related tofinance, operations,marketing and otherbusiness functionsand that with thesupport of AIMA, itcan develop andevolve as the mosteffective learning toolfor management.

Engineering education in Indiahas been at the forefront to cre-

ate engineering leaders in multi-disciplinary fields like chemicalengineering, mechanical engineer-ing etc. With time the teaching ped-agogy at engineering institutesalong with curriculum have evolveddynamically. Earlier the focus wasmuch more on theoretical learning.Now, an integrated approachtowards following work-basedlearning, multidisciplinary pro-grams in emerging courses and ashift towards outward facing engi-neering courses is being followed.

The pandemic situation in thecountry has shown that technolo-gy has been a huge enabler in timesof crises. With the COVID-19pandemic clouding the world, workand workplaces are also undergo-ing a tectonic change. The postCOVID world will be in need ofskilled engineers who are equippedwith the knowledge of emergingtechnologies like ArtificialIntelligence, Machine Learningand Robotic Process Automation.

In general, experts believe thatindustrial automation, manufac-turing industries will see a sharprise with the unlocking procedurein the country. MSME and youngstartups are also expected to pickup. We as consumers are alreadyshifting to e-commerce platformsand are becoming dependent on it.This means, such players will needprofessionals to handle humongous

data to understand consumerbehaviour patterns, buying behav-iour etc. Here arises the need of datascience and data analytics, becausewhen such data is on the web, theneed for various forecast and pre-dictions also emerge.

Following are some of theways in which AI will revolu-tionise the career journey for engi-neers in the post COVID world:

Healthcare and AI: As health-care professionals are working dayin and day out to come up with avaccine that can help the world getback on its feet, AI is a key enablerin this sector. As costs continue toswell in the healthcare industry, costsavings are also crucial. AI plays animportant role in medical research.As the government is keen on med-ical research and the environmentis conducive, hospital research,

robotic surgeries are some domainswhere AI can be used.

AI in retail and supply chain:With the unlocking procedure inthe country, factories are nowunder the mounting pressure ofcutting costs and increased effi-ciency in production. The suddenlockdown has also compelled theretail industry to strengthen theirsupply chain and logistics.Startingfrom integrating their CRM toolwith AI to post sale customer ser-vice, everything can be driventhrough AI.

AI in Industrial Automation:The evolution of new computingtechnologies and artificial intelli-gence, industrial automation hasbecome more than just a buzzword.For manufacturing companies, it isessential to come out of their tra-ditional technologies and make

changes in their manufacturingprocesses for eg: re-programmingor re-tooling the application. Suchindustries can optimize scheduling,operator productivity and help ingaining production visibility.

AI in Agriculture: Companiesare developing autonomous robotsfor essential tasks like harvesting.Predictive analytics is being used todevelop and track different envi-ronmental conditions suitable forcrops, service of agriculturalmachinery, crop yield and weath-er conditions.

AI in Construction and RealEstate: AI is used in real estate pro-jects to predict costoverruns.Machine learning and AIare used to scrutinise the data andforecast cost based on size of theproject, types of contractors, skillsand competence level of workforce.It also helps to envision the start andend date of the project.

We can foresee a world postCovid with tremendous changesand opportunities as well.Organisations are already adaptingto the new normal and transform-ing digitally. The engineering tal-ent with skills and different com-petencies in such emerging tech-nology will help organisations drivethrough the new normal. A broadunderstanding of emerging tech-nologies like AI will enable them tocreate, innovate and collaborate.

#�� % ��7��>��6��$��

We are witnessing unprece-dented times in our lives.The COVID-19 outbreak

has completely changed the world aswe know it. The people have beenforced to remain locked in theirhomes for months, and it has affect-ed their physical and mental health.Millions have lost their jobs and theunemployment rate is at an all-timehigh in countries from India to theUSA. Historic events such as theCOVID-19 outbreak, will have a last-ing effect on humanity, and thisunique time of pandemic will leave uswith many lessons to learn in life andmanagement of businesses. The sevenmanagement skills that must be taughtin B-Schools to make budding man-agers better equipped to face chal-lenges affecting businesses, during apandemic.

The first skill they should learn isto prioritise the tasks. Smaller short-term benefit providing tasks need tobe jettisoned paving the way for larg-er projects and long-term objectives.They should be taught that, if thingsare not going their way not to loseheart and trying while keeping eye onthe larger goals.way not to lose heartand trying while keeping eye on thelarger goals.

Heraclitus, the Greek philosophermaintained that change is the onlyconstant in nature. The biggest lessonCOVID-19 has taught is that life is fullof uncertainties and one needs to beprepared to deal with them. We needto fortify ourselves with new tech-nologies, keep ourselves updated,and identify different goals. Thus thesecond must have skill a managementgraduate should acquire is changemanagement.

Suddenly, we have started hearingabout the Spanish Flu and how itaffected mankind. We are also wit-nessing how the experience from thepast of managing a different strain ofcoronavirus made South Korea betterarmed to tackle the COVID-19. Thispandemic will provide us with manyexemplary case studies on how busi-nesses failed or succeeded in this pan-demic. The management studentsshould develop a keen eye and learna lesson or two from such exampleswhich will give them a hint on whatthe future holds for them.

To manage unforeseen situationsorganisations, need to innovate fast.As we have seen, the learning curvefor digital technologies has drastical-ly reduced. The pandemic haschanged the way essential services like

healthcare and education are beingdelivered. The present approachadopted focusses on physical dis-tancing and digital proximity (PDDP)as a result, online shopping of theessential supplies is at an all-time high.Now businesses should innovate topave the way for service delivery sim-ilar or better than traditional servicedelivery. The ability to innovate andprovide effective solutions for unan-ticipated problems should be thefourth skill a management graduateshould learn.

The prevailing tension betweenIndia and China has resulted in esca-lated anger in India. The people arecalling for boycotting Chinese prod-ucts. The Government has banned 59mobile apps citing security concernsas a reason behind the move. If yourbusiness is dependent on the rawmaterials from China, your supplychain is at risk. Hence, maintaining thebalance between global and localshould be the fifth skill a B-Schoolgraduate should acquire.

Leadership matters, and a man-ager should demonstrate these skillsduring tough times. Gone are the daysof managers barking orders andexpecting employees to dutifullyabide. Accountability, responsibility,

and transparency are on the rise in thebusiness world. The manager isrequired to be sensitive, compassion-ate and demonstrate self-awareness.Thus, Leadership is the sixth skill; Iwould recommend a manager tolearn in a B-School, if at all it couldbe taught.

A manager should learn to per-form a stress test of the organisation,in expectation of a sudden outbreakof calamities like COVID-19. Themanager should have the knowledgeand desired sensitivity to anticipate thedifferent risks an organisation couldface.

They should also have the abilityto prepare the risk mitigation strate-gy for these identified risks. Thus,managing the risk is the seventh skilla manager should acquire.

Finally, it is difficult to predict thefuture with certainty, but we canacquire the above mentioned skills tobe better prepared for the challenges.The future doesn’t always unfold asper our plan, thus, lamenting aboutthe past is futile. Henceforth, living inthe present, and preparing for thefuture should be the new mantra ofthe current times.

#�� +�� $��';&-��$��!��7 �%��

After getting postponed manytimes due to the on-goingpandemic IIM Rohtak con-

ducted its Integrated Program inManagement Aptitude Test (IPMAT)on July 20, 2020 in a Google formformat for its five-year IntegratedProgramme. Being conducted for thesecond time this came as a surpriseas the exam was conducted throughGoogle form.

While the structure of the paperwas changed this year, various guide-lines were also issued by the presti-gious institute in different formsincluding the exam to be conductedas an open book exam through Googlesheets with weightage being given tothe past academics.

Being an MCQ based aptitude test,the questions from last year’s patternwere reduced to 60 to be solved with-in 45 minutes, with 20 questionseach in Quantitative techniques,Logical Reasoning and Verbal Abilitysections. The marking scheme wasthat each correct answer will get you4 marks and each incorrect attemptwould get you a penalty of 1 mark.

The difficulty level of the paperwas more or less on similar lines of2019, but overall, it was easy. Whilemany students faced technical glitch-es and complaints regarding submis-sion of the paper, still the paper wasconducted smoothly with some minordelay of 10 to 15 minutes.

The overall level of the exam waseasy and the cut-offs are anticipatedto be on the higher side. The detailedanalysis of each section shows that thequantitative techniques’ section had

moderate level of difficulty while noquestions were asked from highermaths. And a student could easilyattempt 13 to 14 questions. While theLogical reasoning section was easy,with only a set of two question beinglittle confusing and 16-17 questionscan be considered as a good attemptin this section. One question from thetopic ‘Dice’ was incomplete as the fig-ure required to solve the question wasmissing.

The Verbal Ability section wasagain very easy following the footstepsof last year’s exam. The questions weredirect. There were few questions thatwere ambiguous, but overall anattempt of 15-16 questions was good.

Post the Aptitude test there was abreak of 15 minutes, and the students

were then required to write essays onthe topics provided as part of theWritten Ability Test (WAT). This toowas changed this year. The studentswere given 30 minutes and they weresupposed to write on two topics,namely ‘Post COVID World’ and‘What does being successful mean toyou?’ Both the topics according to thestudents were easy and they couldwrite their thoughts in the giventime.

Candidates will be shortlisted forPersonal Interview on the basis of theirperformance in the exam which willconsist (Entrance Test, WAT, andpast academic record).

#�� % ��!�#��

(��%)"$1�8�8��7��'�&�0�%��!!�"��"��%�@�� (B.C�� -1�� %��&��%$�"#��2)$��(2�>>�)$#$�2�*�$

"5,��

�� ';./;-<6

In times like these, when kidscannot step out of their

homes, it’s very difficult to keepthem engaged. Most of the par-ents are concerned about theincreased screen time for theirchildren. But what if that screentime can be made hands-on andeducational? Now withPlayShifu’s Augmented Realitybased educational toys, chil-dren can sharpen their skills,learn, and play, all at the sametime!

Orboot Earth is a one-of-its-kind Augmented Reality globethat transforms your tablet orsmartphone into a magical gate-way. Travel to any corner of theworld and explore thousands ofundiscovered trivia. Scan the

globe to catch world’s wonderspop up in 3D, interact withthem, and hear their enchanti-ng stories. Explore wildlife, land-marks, cultures, cuisines, andinventions of various countries.The globe doesn’t have bordersor names but the Orboot Earthapp has detailed informationwith maps.

It sensitises young minds tocultures and people around theworld. Built for ever-curiouskids, it sparks their imagination.It helps children with geography,world knowledge, environmen-tal science, social science that inturn develop STEAM skills.Encouraging hands-on play,Orboot Earth’s world tour comeswith a travel kit — passport,stamp, and lots of stickers for thelittle globetrotter.

-��

0�� B� �� ';./;-<6

The SRM Institute of Scienceand Technology (SRMIST),

has announced the SRM BTechRank List for 2020 admissions.In the light of the ongoing pan-demic, the SRMJEEE whichdetermines entry into the muchsought after engineering degreeprogrammes, was cancelledthis year, and replaced withrankings based on +2/pre-uni-versity/equivalent marks inPCM/PCB submitted by thecandidate. A total of 1.36 lakhcandidates from across Indiaand overseas had applied foradmission to SRM BTech 2020.

The top 10 rankers repre-sent the student diversity ofSRM, and come from diversebackgrounds across India:Ekkaluri Harshitha, AndhraPradesh; R Sanjay, Karnataka;Abhinav Tripathi, Rajasthan;Dharshin Balakrishnan, Tamil

Nadu; Shivam Kumar, Bihar;Arun Martin, Kerala; AjayParmar, Madhya Pradesh; RudrKesar, Jammu and Kashmir;Mayank Singh, Uttar Pradeshand Hil Savani, Gujarat,emerged as toppers in the allIndia Top 10 Rank list.

On enrolment, top 100rank holders will be awardedFounder’s Scholarship with 100per cent tuition and hostel feewaiver. The top 101 to 500 rankholders will be awarded SRMMerit Scholarship with 100per cent tuition fee waiver.The university also offers anincredible range of scholarshipto the tune of �40 crores ben-efiting 3200+ students everyyear, making studying in theuniversity affordable to all.

The next step in the admis-sion process is the rankingsalong with the allocated branchwill be sent to the candidatesregistered email ID.

�� +��"�� *�� 1'�6��1,447

�F#22�>��>�0�>>!��F#22�>��>�0�>>!�1��%%� ��%�� )2�;��$61��*"�*2$

#��>��$)�$��

)� ��

�� >�=��$�� "��$

-�� !� �)��>�� -�@�� !�)�&�� )�� @�� )"��$ -@��!��

�� ';./;-<6

In continuation of pertinenteducational reforms being made

of Ministry of Education, ShriRamesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’,Education Minister launchedonline the Minimum Standardsof Architectural EducationRegulations Act, 2020 in a simpleceremony here on August 11,2020.

Council of Architecture(COA), in a first after educationalreforms, brought these reforms inArchitecture after 38 years inIndia.

The occasion was graced bySanjay Dhotre, Minister of Statefor Education, Amit Khare,Secretary Education, senior offi-cials of Ministry of Education, ArHabeeb Khan, President Councilof Architecture, Sapna, VP, COA,RK Oberoi, Registerar, COA,Heads of ArchitecturalInstitutions, Executive Membersof COA and other officials &membersof the Council.

Pokhriyal reminded aboutthe unique historical and archi-tectural beauty of India. Hefocused on the monuments andtemples that put India in leader-

ship position in the world andfurther said that COA should takeinspiration from the presentand past treasure of Architectureand bring a paradigm shift in thefield of Architecture to makeIndia a leader again.

Sanjay Dhotare also empha-sised on the role of architecturaland said that Architecture is inbuilt in the history and culture ofIndia and he appreciated the ini-tiative of COA to bring up thesereforms which the new genera-tion of Architecture should takeas a challenge to turn around theculture and heritage of India.

Khare, Secretary Educationappreciated the initiative of COA.The role of Shri RK Oberoi,Registrar , COA was highly appre-ciated for being instrumental inbringing these Regulations tothe light.

Earlier the EducationMinister Pokhriyal appreciatedthe work of Ar Habeeb KhanPresident of the Council andalso asked the young architects totake a leap in the field ofArchitecture.

The programme concludedwith a vote of thanks by Sapna,Vice President of the Council.

�� %��

Isn’t the concept of machine fly-ing sound amazing? Constantinnovations in technology are

growing at a fast pace, playing agreat role in transforming our lives.Yes, we are talking about eye in thesky technology that has beenincreasingly adopted for differentpurposes across various industries.Drones, also known as UnmannedAerial Vehicles (UAVs) areequipped with state-of-the-artremote control systems, GPS, HDcameras, and autopilot functions.Also referred to as a ground cock-pit, drones are controlled by remoteground control systems (GSC).

The technique has emerged asa boon during the Corona pan-demic. States like Gujarat,Telangana, Maharashtra have usedthe drone for different purposesduring Lockdown, whether formonitoring an area, sanitising orthermal scanning, it has proved tobe an excellent technique in allplaces. In view of this, there is agreat possibility of increasing its util-ity in future.

From real estate to construc-tion, agriculture to logistics, andwind energy to defense industries,drones have entered many majormarkets and are benefiting them toa great extent. The telecom indus-try is one of the recent industriesbeing revolutionised by UAVs.Drones offer an ideal tower inspec-tion solution to the telecom com-panies through visual analysis andaid in digitising assets for towercompanies.

��/��!CThe UAV market in the coun-

try has grown over a period of time.According to the 6Wreserach con-sulting firm, the drone market sizeis estimated to grow at a CAGR of18 per cent by 2023. Drones are atthe forefront of the new-age gen-eration technological shift and so,many big corporate companies areinvesting heavily in the drone space.

The association for UnmannedVehicle Systems International pre-dicts that there will be more than lacnew jobs in unmanned aircraft anddrone technology by 2025, and theglobal market for commercial appli-cations of drone technology isexpected to reach $127 billion by2020. New drone jobs will be cre-ated across a wide span of indus-tries. In a recent report, FICCI andEY projected that the value of theIndian UAV industry and the mar-ket would be around $885.7 millionby 2021. The widening possibilitiesfor which UAVs can be used thanksto their flexible and rapidly evolv-ing software and hardware, has ledto their employment in a variety offields.

� "� �� !��Drone technology makes it

easier to capture visual informationand utilise data through enhancedcomputer models. UAVs offer agreat market opportunity for equip-

ment manufacturers, investors, andbusiness service providers.

Employment opportunity areawould be passive infrastructure(ground, training center), activeinfrastructure (hardware and soft-ware), drone services and mainte-nance (customer support, call cen-ters), data drone collection and pro-cessing, pilot/operator, engineer,link engineer, and some sectorswhich are connected to the drone.Things are getting automated whichis changing the existing job profilesand leading to upskilling. Many ofthe things which required humanintervention are now getting auto-mated. At the same time, newtypes of jobs are emerging.

/!��In view of future employment

prospects and career opportunities,Telecom Sector Skill Councilformed under the aegis of theMinistry of Skill Development andEntrepreneurship (MSDE) is inthe process of designing a curricu-lum related to drone technology.Low-level to high-level skills will berequired in the field of UAV tech-nology. However, skill gaps existamong the workforce and there isa need to fill that gap. Differentmodules are being worked on by thecouncil to reduce the skill gap so

that youth can become skilled andable to get employment in theindustry.

Recently, the Director-Generalof Civil Aviation (DGCA) hasissued draft guidelines on UASthrough a circular titledRequirements for Operation of CivilRemotely Piloted Aircraft System(RPAS). The UAV ecosystem with-in India is currently host to only ahandful of companies that are man-ufacturing and catering to the con-sumers.

These companies are also con-cerned about the ongoing discus-sions on UAS regulations and thefact that they may not be able tomeet the market demands.

In the next few years, the coun-try will be the largest importer ofdrones worldwide. It will also leavemany countries behind in terms ofusage. Drones have now startedbeing used in industries on largescales. This aerial vehicle willreplace the need for manpower andwill create new opportunities. Thesejobs will not only be in the form ofremote pilots, but there will also bea dire need of skilled people on thefront like drone engineering, oper-ations, monitoring, sales, and mar-keting.

#�� +�� -;�#��!��) ��

2��*�� "�� *��"��

�)� �� *�� B�&456/+3�%��)� ��)� ��B��*��B �� "�� "��+�� * ��+��"��%

��*��B�� &456/+3� �� *�� R

��'�(�� *�� "�� K�� S��"�� )� ��B��*��B �� &456/+3�%

*1(�'�)�� *��

�� "�� * �� "�� S�� *�� *��%�� B�� %

�'��0��1�&��0��*��"�� *��"�� *��" * � �*�� *�� %��*��*� �� " * � �*��B��*�� B �*��"�� %

�)&0�'��'=�.��.��'� ��*��

�� * �� B �* ��<�� %

��(��'��&�.��.��'� ��*�� *�� " �� =*��*��" �� *�� *�� *�� %

!.0��.��'�'�)��)2�0��4��'�4�&'��'��&� �� * �� B��B�� *��*� �**��" �� *�� *��B�

��*�� S��*�� *��&456/ ��%

��&��.��.��'� ��B ��"�� *�� *��+��B�� "�� %�� *� �*�� /��'��%

��'�&��&�� *�� B �*�� "�� %

��2�&'=��.��.��'� ��

�� "�� *�� "�� *� �B%

��'�.��.��'��*�� "�� *��%�� * �� *��* �� " � � �� *��"��%

�)��&'�(&�0��*�.��.��'��B��* �� *��*�� "�)�� B"�� *�� &456/3�%

D1��'��.��.��'� ��*��*��)�� *��

�� %

100�=�(��.��.��'� �� "�� %

��)0��.��.��'�� "�� *��%

)(��*�&'��(��.��.��'��*��*�� "�� *%�� B��)�� B �*�� =�� "� �*��"�� *� �� %

#�� $��?%�@�&�� A ��)� � ��

�� !� " " !��

� .%( . #

��!��!�� "�� -�� R.��B��<�� R�3��- �BR ��%��= =:��A9?9/�� R1�*��3��

� ��%� ��-�� R.��B��<�� R��- �BR ��%��= =:��AA?9/�� R1�*��3��

��/�!��"�!�/!�-�� R.��B��<�� R�3��- �BR ��%��= =:��A�@A/�� R1�*��3��

�� /-�� R/�� R�3��- �BR ��%��= =:��:3�1�� R1�*��

" !��%� ��A��B�� !��!�-�� R/�� R�3��+�38��- �BR ��%��= =:��?8�1�� R1�*��3��

� � �� "�� -�� R&�� *��2�� F ��B��,��B�� R�3:��+��:��- �BR ��%��= =:��9@:1�� R1�*��3A��

�%��!� ��"!�� " �!��-�� R7�� -�� R�3��+�3?��- �BR ��%��= =:�8��8A1�� R1�*��:��

��1��0 �� 5�!�� < �� >� �� 0�� *��2�>� �� 1 �&�� 6�� %��

�"!�� "��"��B�� B�� %>�� 1��0 �� 5�!�� < �� >� �� 1&6� �� 2�� ,��%

�� *�� +�� %��*�� 1 �&�� 6�� *� �*��+ ��

1 �� / ��&��'�� E�* �� / ��&��1 �� ,��/ ��&��%�� "�� " �� 2�� ,��*��%0 �� *�� "��"�� %

1��*� �� "�� "�� B�1 ��2�� >�� 2�� <�� ,�� 1�� 2�� 2�� 1��'�� %

0��" 6��A�T6��

"�� %�%�� *��!�"��"�� N��*�� %??T�� %1�� ?3T

�� "�� 0�� %

?AT"�� "��@�T�� B �*�!�"=�� " ��B �*�� %��6��,��

�� %2��B��%

'�� "�� "�� )� ��*+�� )� �� *��!�" �� "��B ��%0� �0�� *��"�� %

��6�� 6�� * 2��

��+��+ ��+B �� 0 �� %1��**�� B��'�� "��%

6� ��

" ��* ��* �� *%E��"�� " ��* ��* ��" �� %

�� * �� *��* �� *�"�� B��*��

�� %�� "�� *" �� !�� *��'��"�� *�� "�� %

��B��B�� R��39@@3�8�8

��B ��%��

��"!��!�%��!��!� �!%�!��!��

88E�!��!��%�� !��!��!��

�� "! �!�!��"��!!��

.%�00*.�8

Social commerce is not a new con-cept in the country major chunkof social commerce existed only in

the fashion, beauty, and retail indus-tries. Today, social commerce is gain-ing popularity for one of the funda-mental aspects of life —fresh food.

A $200 billion fresh produce cat-egory is now witnessing major dis-ruption through social commerce. It isgarnering the attention of consumer,entrepreneurs, and investors . In fact,consumers are increasingly preferringtheir food sourced through socialcommerce for various reasons such ashigher credibility, rational price andmost importantly, fresher produce(delivered within a day). For womenlooking to be a part of the businessenvironment without monetary invest-ment, social commerce within thefood category is the ideal solution. Letus take a look at how social commerceis playing a key role in helping womenmake it big in business.

Increasing Internet penetrationand social media usage have paved theway for the rise of social commerce. Amajority of the population today usesand is in fact hooked onto social mediaand brands are leveraging this aspect.With the rise in demand for fresh pro-duce,women are joining hands withbrands to become resellers withintheir community to make a mark forthemselves in their community byleveraging social commerce. At present,fresh produce is a supply-led modeland social commerce is flipping it todemand-led model that further helpsin solving the problem of middlemenand wastage. Apart from this, it helpsresellers connect with their customers-base efficiently and offer real-time feed-back to the farmers regarding the qual-ity of the produce.

For the first time, women are tak-ing the centrestage in spurring theadoption of e-commerce and helpingthe industry as well as themselvesprogress. The advent of technology,rapid digitisation of businesses, andeasy access have helped drive thischange. For women sellers, a slew offeatures aided by cutting-edge tech-

nology such as voice chats/chatbots,real-time updates and feedback to thefarmers, and most importantly,WhatsApp-based marketing is cominghandy to open more doors to becomemicro-entrepreneurs.

Women sellers also have a higheraverage order value, better retentionand repeat orders, making them moresuitable. In fact, not just urban cities,but women resellers hail from tier-IIand tier-III catchment areas are hop-ping on the fresh produce social com-merce bandwagon to fulfill their goalsand achieve financial independencewith almost no investment. A whop-ping 68% of women in most platformssell from tier-II and tier-III cities.

They also help customers gain trustfor unbranded products since they usu-ally tend to lean towards known/estab-lished brands. In return, social com-merce platforms offer easy access forwomen to build an entrepreneurialempire of their own through commu-nity engagement without hindrances.

Social commerce is quickly becom-ing a multi-million-dollar market inIndia. With technological advance-ments, greater digitisation and theavailability of regional languages pro-viding easy access and seamless expe-rience, the rise of women entrepreneursthrough social commerce is inevitable.

3�� "�(�� -

A��55��'��;� �

The University of Illinoisinvites applications forits Merit Award that will

minimise bright internationalstudents’ financial strain.

Benefits: The award of thegrant is varied depending on theGPA — ranging between $2,000to $4,000

Eligibility: Entrants can becitizens of any country.Applicants must be wishing toenrol in an undergraduatecourse at the University ofIllinois Springfield.

As supporting documents,candidates can provide the fol-lowing: Pre-qualification degree,copies of academic transcripts,certificates of English languageproficiency, a statement, and acopy of passport.

Admission requirements:Applicants who possess a highschool diploma can take part inan undergraduate degree courseat the University of IllinoisSpringfield.

Language requirement:Entrants whose native languageis not English will have to sub-mit an official score reportfrom the TOEFL or IELTS.

How to apply: Applicantswill be eligible to apply for thisapplication programme if theirapplication for admission in anundergraduate programme hasbeen accepted successfully.

Application deadline: Thelast date to apply for the merit

wasrd is November 1, 2020.

The University of Calgaryinvites applications for itsInternational EntranceScholarship. Students enteringthe first year in any undergrad-uate degree in the upcoming fallterm are invited to apply for thescheme.

Award: $15,000Nationality: Anyone can

applyEligibility: Must be an

international student enteringthe first year in any undergrad-uate degree in the upcoming fallterm. Must have satisfied theuniversity’s English LanguageProficiency requirement.Renewable in the second, third,and fourth year at the Universityof Calgary, provided recipientsto achieve a GPA of 2.60 ormore over a minimum of 24.00units in the previous fall andwinter terms. Pre-qualificationdegree, copies of academic tran-scripts, certificates of Englishlanguage proficiency, a state-ment, and a copy of passport.

Language requirement: Ifyour first language is notEnglish, you will have to fulfilthe language proficiencyrequirement in by presentingone of the following:

How to apply: Studentswho have received an offer tostudy in an undergraduatedegree program from the uni-versity will be eligible to applyfor this application .

Application deadline: Thelast date to aply for this schol-arship is December 1, 2020.

. ��'��F��"��

��+'��F�� S�� +��>� ��

&��"�� '��F��G'FH ��

�� 'F� ��"��"��*��+*�� +��+

�� %�� "��+�� >&�� 'F"�� %

�� +�� *�� "��"��"�� +� �� %

6� ��*��*�� *�� * �� "�� *��%( ��*��"�� *�� "��

"�* � �� +� ��!�� *�� *��+��)�� %4�� *�� +�� * �� +�� %,�� *��"��"�� %

��>&��*�� *�� * �� *"�� %�� * �� B�� *�� B�� B%

E�� K�"�� B�� "�*�� %

6� �� >& �� "��"�� %.��*��"�� *"�� )� ��B�� +� �� %6� �� * �� "�� *� �� "�� %

� ��"� ��

��>� �� &��"�� '��F�� *�� *��

��B�� S� ��

�� *��

&1(7��3AT" ��8�� *!�"� ��

�� *��

�� 1756'/ 01-6

(� ��A��$��)� ��- � ��)�� $��=�&��!�� )

� �> ��>�$ �� )��'��) ��$��)�

1��%��

��B �*��"�� 517>'�<>71'1

��!�� ';./;-<6

The upcoming training campfor India’s male hockey play-

ers in Bengaluru looks uncertainafter half a dozen of them test-ed positive for Covid-19 but thewomen can resume practiceafter all of them tested negativefor the dreaded virus.

Six Indian men’s team play-ers — skipper Manpreet Singh,striker Mandeep Singh, defend-ers Surender Kumar, JaskaranSingh, drag-flicker VarunKumar and goalkeeper KrishanBahadur Pathak — have testedpositive after reachingBengaluru for the national camp,scheduled to start on August 20.

Of these, Mandeep has beenhospitalised after his blood oxy-

gen levels dropped on Monday.“The men’s camp is in doubt

after six positive results, morereports are still awaited from thestate Government,” a SAI sourcesaid.

“But the women’s camp isstill on course after all the play-ers tested negative. They are cur-rently under 14-day quarantineperiod and the light intensitycamp will begin once its over,”the source added.

Currently, 33 male and 24female players are in Bengalurufor the camp.

The six Covid positive men— mostly from Punjab — werepart of a 10-member group thattravelled together from NewDelhi.

According to sources closeto the developments, the num-ber could rise as all the testreports of the men’s team havenot yet to come.

The light intensity nationalcamp was supposed to start in

the last week of August after amonth-long break and was

expected to continue tillSeptember 30.

�� !� " "

KUBO JOINS VILLARREAL ON LOANMadrid: 5 �� *�� B��B��"�� 7��2�� +��3��%��3�+ �� "�� *� ��+�� *��7��2�� *� �� "�� "� �*��*�� *�� %

KUZNETSOVA WITHDRAWS FROM US OPENMoscow: �� >� 4�� S��!� ��*�� *� �� N��&�� +3�� %��7�� "��8��2�� 6��*�� B ��.��4�� "� �*�� '��E��B�� & �� +��1�*83+��38>�4��%

TSIMIKAS JOINS LIVERPOOL FROM OLYMPIAKOSLiverpool: ,�� -��*�� - �� *�� (�� B�� 4� �� B�� Q3? � �� 2�� % �� B�� *�� + �� - �� "��B+�� +"��B1�� 7�"��1�� %

LAWRENCE EXITS BIO-SECURE BUBBLESouthampton: >�� ;�*�� "�� /��-�� *� �*�� *� ��,�B �� N�" �+�� "�""�� "��%#-�� B�� "�� *� �� ,�B ��% <� � �� "� �� "�� 1*��0��$��;�*��.��&� �B��0��G;&0H�� %

SABALENKA ADVANCES IN TOP SEED OPENLexington: .�� '� 33 1� �� "��B�� *��.�1N�� >� ��"��1�� N�2�� 0��*�� *��4��%��'�� 0��0��*�� @+3 @+9G?H @+� �� +��+�+�� 2�� %0��'�3?�� &S��2�� 0��SB��@+:@+:%

UTT UNLIKELY TO TAKE PLACE THIS YEAR SNew Delhi: �� >�� "�� G>��H�� "�� 6�� 1�*��3:��83 �� B�� B�� &�� +3�� %. �� *�� 6�� "�� "��*�� *�� * � �1�*��%

FSDL TEAM REACHES GOA FOR INSPECTIONPanjim: 1 �+��"�� *�� 6�- ��*�� "��/��-��G��/-H��(�� "�� B� ��B �� * *�� %6� �� *��+�� 6�- ��"�� "��" �� B%�� *��G�-'�� B2� �� 5��0��"�� H�"��3� �� **�� *� � �� *��%

MCA APEX COUNCIL MEETING ON AUG 14Mumbai: 7�� B�� * �� *�� *��2��"� &� �B��1�� N�G2&1H1��&�� *��"��1�*��3:%&� �B�� *�� *� �� * �� +2�� "��B ��&�� +3�� 2��"� �� % #.� � �� B�� *�� 4�� *,��" ��0&&6�� *��$��1��&�� "�� % ��(��&

��

� /� � Japanese swimming starRikako Ikee has registered for acompetition in Tokyo thismonth, her first since her shockdiagnosis with leukaemia lastyear, local media reported onTuesday.

The 20-year-old was astrong favourite for 100-metrebutterfly Gold at her homeOlympic Games before reveal-

ing last year that she had beendiagnosed with leukaemia.

She was discharged fromhospital in December after beinghospitalised for about 10 monthsand resumed training in March.

Public broadcaster NHKand Kyodo News said on Tuesdaythat Ikee has registered for a 50-metre freestyle race organised bythe Tokyo SwimmingAssociation on August 29.

Ikee was also considered acontender for the Tokyo 2020200m freestyle, but her diagno-sis forced her to switch herfocus to competing in the 2024Olympics. She has not said ifshe plans to rethink and com-pete in Tokyo next year, follow-ing the postponement of theGames. AFP

��!�� ';./;-<6

Resumption is done andexpansion can now follow,

said Indian boxing’s HighPerformance Director SantiagoNieva, revealing that additionof seven more boxers has beenproposed at the ongoing nation-al training camp for theOlympic-bound in Patiala.

Nine male boxers and a fewof their women counterparts aretraining at the National Instituteof Sports (NIS) in Patiala, tak-ing the first step towards arestart amid the Covid-19 pan-demic. These include worldSilver-medallist and topOlympic medal hope AmitPanghal.

“We are looking to addseven more boxers, two coach-es and a support staff memberto this list in the next fewweeks. Approval has beensought (from SAI). We areassessing things one month at atime,” Nieva said.

“The boxers who are hereare training under the stricthealth safety protocol given tous and things have beensmooth. I can’t give you namesbut the ones we want includednext are second in rankings oftheir respective categories,” hesaid.

The camp started in the firstweek of this month after boxers,willing to take the trip to Patialawere quarantined, tested andthen allowed to enter the NIS.

In between, a controversyflared up when the Olympic-bound duo of Vikas Krishanand Satish Kumar “unknowing-ly” broke the quarantine proto-col.

The two have since madeBengaluru’s Inspire Institute ofSports (IIS) their training baseand won’t be coming back,despite getting a SAI go ahead,due to the travelling involved.

“We are currently able to do70 per cent of the things that weused to do,” Nieva said of the

training regimen in Patiala.“As per the SOP (Standard

Operating Procedure), we can-not enter the ring or do sparringor pad work. But we can do run-ning, strength training, and lotof (punching) bags. That’senough for now,” he added.

A boxer not able to accessthe ring, does it feel weird?

“Not as of now. May beanother three-four weeks and itwill begin to feel weird but whatto do. We have to be patient.Like the rest of the world, wehave to adjust and adapt,” Nievasaid.

With all international com-petition halted for the timebeing and Olympics postponedto next year, Nieva said the box-ers can afford to take it a bit slow.

“We have enough time toget back top form. It’s still oneyear for the Olympics, I am finewith the pace of training at thispoint. But it remains an evolv-ing situation and we are alladjusting,” Nieva said.

��!�� &4-4204

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has postponed the inau-gural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL)

due to unavailability of top foreign players whowould have had to undergo 14-day compulsoryquarantine owing to rising cases of Covid-19 in theisland nation.

The T20 League was scheduled to start onAugust 28, subject to approval from theGovernment and Ministry of health but the 14-daycompulsory quarantine period turned out to be anissue with regards to foreign players

“We had a discussion with the health author-ities and the 14 day quarantine period for anyoneentering the country is compulsory. So it’s difficultto play the tournament at the end of August,” SLCPresident Shammi Silva told NewsWire.

“We will play the tournament in mid Novemberafter IPL,” Silva’s information indicated that theyare looking at roping in the best T20 freelancers.

A total of 23 matches were scheduled in LPLwhich was supposed to end on September 20.

According to reports, a total of 93 internation-al cricketers, including England’s World Cup-win-ning pacer Liam Plunkett and New Zealand seam-er Tim Southee, were also listed for the tournament.

�� !� The IndianPremier League shifting itsbase to the United ArabEmirates for the 2020 editionmay prove to be a blessing indisguise for at least 50 unher-alded cricketers, who are set totravel with the eight teams as“exclusive” net bowlers.

At least three franchises,Chennai Super Kings, KolkataKnight Riders and DelhiCapitals confirmed that theyare preparing a roster of netbowlers.

The list comprises mostlyfirst-class, U-19 and U-23 statelevel cricketers who will get tobowl to the likes of MS Dhoni,Suresh Raina, Rishabh Pant forclose to a month.

The convention all theseyears has been using localbowlers for nets apart from thejunior fringe players but thestrict bio-security measuresfor the tournament means thatall franchise will have toarrange for quality bowlersduring practice sessions.

While BCCI has cappedthe squad strength (players) to24, the franchises have notbeen specified contingent vol-ume which will vary fromteam to team but it could besafely assumed that most of theeight sides will not avail anylocal net bowlers.

“If all goes well, we areplanning to take around 10bowlers exclusively to UAEfor the practice sessions. Theywill be accompanying the teamand will remain till the tourna-ment starts,” Chennai Super

Kings CEO KashiVishwanathan said on Tuesday.

The Kolkata Knight Ridersalso confirmed that they willalso have 10 net bowlers intheir roster, likely to be hand-picked by former Mumbaicaptain and their academycoach Abhishek Nayar.

“It will be a blend of play-ers of who have played RanjiTrophy while some of haveplayed U-23 and U-19 nata-tional level tournaments,”someone who is privy to devel-opments in the KKR campinformed.

The Delhi Capitals are alsotaking around six net bowlerswho will be a part of theteam’s “bio bubble”.

“They will be staying withthe squad and will travel withthe team for the net sessions,”a franchise source said.

Also, CAB presidentAvishek Dalmiya said Bengalpace duo of Akashdeep andSayan Ghosh will travel withthe Rajasthan Royals andKings XI Punjab squadsrespectively as net bowlers.

It is expected that therewill be a healthy number ofspinners in overall net bowlers’list.

“On slow Dubai tracks, itwill be important that teamsstack up their line-up withmore spinners especially forhumid conditions. You will seea lot of left-arm spinners andwrist spinners who have playeda decent level cricket beingincluded apart from the pacers,”the talent scout said. PTI

�� &4-4(';

Bruno Fernandes scored apenalty in extra time asManchester United

scraped past FC Copenhagen 1-0 on Monday in the quarter-finals of the Europa League,reshaped into an eight-teamstraight knockout tournament inGermany due to the coronaviruspandemic.

The Portugal internationalnotched his competition-bestseventh goal of the season asUnited set up a semi-final clashagainst Sevilla or Wolves, join-ing Inter Milan in the last fourfollowing the Italian side’s 2-1victory over Bayer Leverkusen inDusseldorf.

“Third time this seasonwe’ve been to the semis, everycompetition we’ve been in.

Delighted we’ve gone through,we deserved to win tonight,”United manager Ole GunnarSolskjaer told BT Sport.

“Their keeper was fantastic,unbelievable. We hit the post afew times, there were a couple ofVAR decisions against us. Itcould have been one of thosenights that you end up withpenalty shoot outs. They madeit hard for us.”

All games from the quarter-finals onwards in this season’sEuropa League are being playedbehind closed doors as one-offties across four venues —Cologne, Duisburg, Dusseldorfand Gelsenkirchen — in aunique format following a five-month interruption.

Solskjaer recalled Fernandes,Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford,

Mason Greenwood and AnthonyMartial but the 2017 competitionwinners struggled early, and 18-year-old Copenhagen forwardMohamed Daramy was twiceinvolved as the Danish under-dogs threatened a creakingUnited backline.

Greenwood looked to haveput United ahead as he drilled invia the far post moments lateronly for the teenager to be ruledoffside following a VAR review.

He again went close early inthe second half when heslammed against theupright, with Fernandespromptly smacking theopposite post with a dip-ping 20-yard drive.

The Portugal inter-national, who scored fivetimes in the group stagewith Sporting, stung thepalms of Johnsson withanother hit from distance —shortly after Aaron Wan-Bissakamade a desperation block tothwart Bryan Oviedo after amesmerising dribble fromRasmus Falk.

OUTSTANDING JOHNSSONAppearing in their first

European quarter-final, and thefirst Danish club to reach thisstage since 1997, Copenhagencontinued to frustrate United asthey sought a repeat of their 1-0 win when the clubs last met inthe Champions League groupstage in 2006.

Martial nearly won the gamein normal time but again asprawling Johnsson tipped awayhis curling attempt that appeareddestined for the top corner.

The France striker was oncemore repelled by Johnsson at thestart of extra time, but Martialwon a penalty as United kept theattack alive and the striker wasupended by Andreas Bjelland.

Fernandes blasted home

from the spot on 95 minutes butSolskjaer’s team were left tosweat until the end as Johnssonpulled off sensational stops fromthe Portuguese and substituteJuan Mata, with Victor Lindelofthe third United player to strikethe post.

United though ultimatelyensured their 2019-20 campaignwill extend into a second year,having started the season 365days ago with a 4-0 PremierLeague win over Chelsea.

Awaiting them onSunday will be Sevilla —who have won theEuropa League and itsprecursor, the UEFACup, a record five times— or domestic rivalsWolves.

Former United strik-er Romelu Lukakugrabbed the decisive goal

for Antonio Conte’s Inter againstLeverkusen as the Serie A run-ners-up moved a step closer toadding to their titles from 1991,1994 and 1998.

Inter struck first as NicoloBarella guided in from the edgeof the area on 15 minutes, withLukaku bundling in a second sixminutes later.

Kai Havertz reduced thedeficit in possibly his final gamefor Leverkusen on 25 minutesafter exchanging passes withfellow Germany internationalKevin Volland, but Inter held onto seal their place againstShakhtar Donetsk or Basel innext week's semi-final.

“The defence did a tremen-dous job again tonight. We aregrowing but we have to learn tokill games off when we have thechances to do it, and we didn’ttonight,” said Lukaku.

“Now we have time to recov-er physically and prepare foranother great game. We willhave to be ready.”

��!�� 171&<6

Former Pakistan captainRamiz Raja believes wicket-

keeper-batsman SarfarazAhmed should retire fromTests and focus on white ballcricket.

Sarafaraz, a former captain,was seen performing the dutiesof 12th man in the series open-er between England andPakistan in Manchester.

“In my book I am clearonce you have been captain andremained on a pedestal then itis very difficult to come downand be on the bench,” Raja saidon the Youtube channel, CricketBaaz.

“I would advise Sarfaraz tothink about it and retire fromTest cricket and just focus onwhite ball cricket, a format inwhich he is very good andknown for his aggression,” headded.

Raja, who featured in 57

Tests, said a former captain andsenior player of Sarfaraz’sstature carrying drinks,although not rare in cricket, isfrowned upon in Pakistan.

“There is nothing wrongwith that because even JamesAnderson carried drinks whenhe didn’t play in the second Testagainst West Indies. But in ourcricket culture these things arenot looked upon nicely and ifthey involve a former captain,”Raja said. “I don’t see him get-ting a chance in the Test formatsoon so he should focus onwhite ball cricket where he willplay and be respected as well,”he added.

Raja feels the presence ofSarfaraz in the squad also addspressure on MuhammadRizwan, who kept the wicketsfor Pakistan in the first Test.

“He being in the Test squadalso adds pressure onMuhammad Rizwan whoknows there is a former captainkeeper breathing down hisneck and that is not good forhim. I think Sarfaraz shouldnot be on the bench. He shouldcall it a day from Test cricket.”

��!�� 1>&�-1'/

New Zealand Cricket CEODavid White on Tuesday

said Pakistan, Australia,Bangladesh and the WestIndies have confirmed theywill tour the country duringthe summer.

White said New ZealandCricket (NZC) is working toimplement bio-secure bubble,similar to the one the ECB isusing in their ongoing season.

“We are makingtremendous progress. Iwas just on the phone tothe West Indies, they’reconfirmed, Pakistan is con-firmed, Australia andBangladesh... So 37days of interna-tional cricket,”White was quot-ed as saying byESPNcricinfo.

White added

that women’s team will tourTrans-Tasman rivals Australiain September with the reversefixture slated for February.

“The White Ferns willtour Australia in Septemberand then the AustraliaWomen’s team will tour NewZealand in February. We arejust working through the con-tent but probably five ODIsand three T20Is,” White said.

According to the cur-rent Future Tours pro-gramme (FTP), New

Zealand are slated tohost West Indies and

Pakistan for a Testand T20 series each.The red-ball seriesbeing a part of the

World TestChampionship.

Bangladesh arescheduled for ODIs andT20Is followed byAustralia for T20 series.

��!�� ';. /;-<6

Star New Zealand batsmanRoss Taylor said he is “not

sure” if he will have enough inhis tank to represent NewZealand in next year’s T20World Cup in India.

Taylor, who had becomethe first New Zealand player toplay 100 T20Is in February thisyear during a series againstIndia, will turn 37 when Indiahosts the 2021 T20 World Cup.

“Oh! Not sure,” Taylor, whois currently in Trinidad for themonth-long CaribbeanPremier League (CPL), wasquoted as saying byESPNCricinfo.

“As you get older, thingsslow down a little bit, but yourtraining and experience andyour mind become even moreimportant,” added the prolificbatsman, who has so far scoredover 10,000 runs in limited overcricket for New Zealand.

�� Top-seeded SimonaHalep had to fight hard toadvance to the second round ofthe Prague Open in beatingunseeded Polana Hercog 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (3) on Tuesday.

It was the first competitivematch for Halep since she wonthe Dubai Championships inFebruary. The Romanian willface next Czech wild cardBarbora Krejcikova.

Second-seeded PetraMartic, who reached Palermosemis last week, overcameVarvara Gracheva 7-6 (2), 6-3 toface Kristyna Pliskova in the sec-ond round. Third-seeded EliseMertens recovered from a sec-ond set scare to beat JasminePaolini 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. AP

-�B�B��

;��-��*��*��B�6��

�� U7��/��

"��&��*��

&�!��,�)�)��$�� 3�� ,��)�� -��,��B��$ �� +�

�%%� ��%%� �7��7��

6,- �� "��>1;

��"�%�!�+��7��%�)��%+��"��$��C�� $��!�#��&�! C

1� �� @�� ' ��" ��@��)��$��D3:��

�� V��K�"�� *��3��.&

��3��$��7�&��)��%��0��%�8��9�� $�� !�� 0;'(1->7>

Indian hockey team forwardMandeep Singh, who tested

positive for Covid-19, has beenadmitted to a hospital inBengaluru after his blood oxy-gen level dropped but his con-dition is stable, the SportsAuthority of India (SAI) said onTuesday.

“During night monitoringof vitals on August 10 (Monday)it was found that MandeepSingh’s blood oxygen level wasdropping below normal which

indicated that he is movingfrom mild to moderate severi-ty of Covid,” the SAI said in astatement.

“SAI authorities on campustook an immediate decision toshift him to SS Sparsh multispe-ciality hospital as a precaution-ary measure. His condition iscurrently stable,” added thestatement.

The 25-year-old has played129 games for India and scored60 goals so far. He was a part ofthe Gold-winning team at the2018 Asian Champions Trophy.

.>�� <��**��"�� ,��*��

��'�� 3��$ ��$��!��) �)� +�

6( 7 c˜/ , ˇ b%ˇ = ˘ 8#1#81 9 :8 2*; ˙

Documents