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US President Donald Trumpon Sunday said that

“strategic issues” would be onthe table when he holds talkswith his “true friend” PrimeMinister Narendra Modi inWashington on Monday, asthe two leaders look to strike apersonal rapport in their maid-en meeting. “Look forward towelcoming India’s PM Modi to@WhiteHouse on Monday.Important strategic issues todiscuss with a true friend!,”Trump posted on his official(@POTUS) Twitter handle.

Modi, in his reply toTrump, thanked him for the“warm personal welcome” andsaid he was “greatly” lookingforward to the meeting and dis-cussions tomorrow at theWhite House.

Modi, who arrived inWashington DC on Sundaymorning on the second leg ofhis three-nation tour onSunday, will hold his first sum-

mit talks with Trump onMonday afternoon in theWhite House. The two leaderswould spend several hourstogether in various settings,including one-on-one and del-egation-level meetings, a recep-tion and a working dinner. Theworking dinner that Trump ishosting for Modi is the first ofits kind under the current USadministration.

The India-US civil nucleardeal is expected to figure dur-ing talks between Modi andTrump, but a pact between theNPCIL and Westinghouse tobuild six power reactors inAndhra Pradesh is unlikely to

be signed. As Modi arrived at Hotel

Willard Intercontinental inWashington to address around-table gathering of topAmerican business honchoson Sunday, he was welcomedwith loud cheers and applauseby the Indian communitymembers who were waitingoutside the hotel to catch a

glimpse of the PM. Members ofthe Indian community urgedModi to raise the contentiousH-1B visa issue besides defencecooperation and terrorism dur-ing his first bilateral meetingwith Trump.

The PM told the businessmagnets, “The whole world islooking at India. 7,000 reformsalone (have been carried out)

by the Government of India forease of business and mini-mum Government, (with)maximum governance.

The growth of India pre-sents a win-win partnership for India and the US both. US companies have a great opportunity to contributeto that.”

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Streets and roads in as manyas 21 States and Union

Territories are witnessing atransformation, one that isbeing showcased as the out-come of a ‘best practice’ indevelopmental governance.The national targets might failto meet the deadline, but theStates and UTs that have zeal-ously taken up the Street LightNational Programme (SLNP),are witnessing a windfall,already. The programme waslaunched by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi two-and-a-half-years ago to replace the3.5-crore conventional streetand domestic lights with ener-gy-efficient Light-EmittingDiodes (LED) lights

Power consumption hascome down by half, and theconsiderable savings thus accu-mulated are helping the UrbanLocal Bodies (ULB) becomeself-sustainable as they are rein-vesting these funds for furtherimplementation of the project.

The States/UTs havetogether replaced over 23 lakhof their street lights with LEDlights, with Rajasthan leadingthe pack and contributing toone-third of such replacements.Andhra Pradesh, Delhi,Gujarat and Goa are the othersin the top five.

In just two-and-a-half-years of the LED project’simplementation, Rajasthan hassaved a whopping 873 lakhunits (kwh) of energy, resultingin monetary savings of �69.83

crore. Once the project is com-pleted, Rajasthan is expected tosave 1515.40 lakh units ofpower worth �121.23 croreevery year.

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Ajoy ride on a cable car inworld famous ski-resort

of Gulmarg turned out to betheir last journey together for

a Delhi-based family of fourmembers after their cabin wasbrought down by a falling pinetree on Sunday.

Two minor girls, along withtheir parents and three others,were in the cabin at the time ofthe accident. This is the firstfatal accident involving cablecar in Gulmarg tourist resort.

According to the Jammu &Kashmir Police, the pine treewas uprooted due to high speedwinds and fell on the ropeway.Large numbers of tourists,stranded across different phas-es, were rescued by the localpolice and others to safety.

The police teams lead bySSP Baramulla had rushed tothe spot along with rescueteams soon after learning aboutthe tragic accident.

The victims from Delhihave been identified as Jayant

Andraskar (36), his wifeManshea Andraskar (33) andtheir two daughters Anagha (4)and Janhvi (6). Local residentskilled in the mishap were iden-tified as Mukhtar Ahmad Ganai,Jehangir Ahmad Khanday andFarooq Chopan of Tangmarg.

Jayant and Manshea were natives of Maharashtraand both were engineers work-ing in Nagpur.

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Ajoint team of securityforces led by Para

Commandos of the IndianArmy on Sunday evening neu-tralised both the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) terrorists holedup inside the sprawling campusof Delhi Public School (DPS),Srinagar for over 24 hours.

These two terrorists hadentered the DPS campus soonafter targeting a mobile patrolparty of the Central ReservePolice Force near Pantha Chowkon Saturday, in which one CRPFSub-Inspector was martyredand two others were injured.

Though contact was estab-lished between the securityforces and the terrorists late onSaturday night, the operation toflush them out was launchedwith the first light of day toavoid any collateral damageinside the school campus.

Amid firing from bothsides, the special forces zeroed

in on the location of the ter-rorists inside the school build-ing and tried to pin them down.The final assault was launchedafter 5.00 pm and it was onlyafter 6.00 pm that senior policeofficers confirmed that both theterrorists were neutralised andtheir bodies were recoveredfrom the fourth floor of thebuilding. Unconfirmed reportsclaimed that two ParaCommandos were also injuredduring the operation.

The school building,including the administrativeblock, library and some class-rooms suffered huge damageduring the operation.

The security forces took allpossible precautions to preventcollateral damage. The teamsconducted room-to-roomsearches to clear the buildinginstead of using IED and UnderBarrel Grenade Launchers(UBGL) to blast the concretestructures.

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Union Minister SushmaSwaraj on Sunday posted a

video of her Lok Sabha speechin 2013 in which the thenSpeaker, Meira Kumar, now anOpposition presidential candi-date, is seen repeatedly inter-rupting the then leader of theOpposition and seemingly notextending “protection” toSwaraj against the disruptionscaused by the then senior UPA Ministers.

“This is how Lok SabhaSpeaker Meira Kumar treatedthe Leader of Opposition,”Swaraj tweeted along with alink to the over six-minute-long video of her address in

April, 2013. Swaraj had accusedthe UPA Government of cor-ruption in her speech.

Swaraj was apparentlyquestioning the neutrality ofKumar, pitted against BJP-ledNational Democratic Alliancecandidate Ram Nath Kovindfor the presidential contest.The External Affairs Ministeralso tweeted a link to a news-paper report with the headline

“Speaker interrupted Sushma60 times in 6-minute speech.”

Swaraj, as the then leaderof the Opposition in the LokSabha, had lashed out at theManmohan Singh-led regimeon alleged financial scams,calling it “the most corruptGovernment” sinceIndependence.

In the video, Kumarrepeatedly said “thank you” and“all right” to Swaraj, indicatingthat the MP had to cut shorther address. Swaraj had latersaid the Speaker did not “pro-tect” her when a number ofsenior Ministers raised a ruckus during her speech in theLok Sabha.

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In a first-of-its-kind gesture, agood Samaritan has offered to

refund the subsidy amount paidfor his journey by the IndianRailways as per the reservationrules. The senior citizen, AvtarKrishen Kher, enclosed a chequein the name of IRCTC for thedifferential amount of the actu-al fare and the subsidy.

The Railways recently start-ed printing the subsidy “burden”it is bearing on the train ticketsto make passengers aware of the“real cost” involved in the trav-el. Even though in the past, LPGgas consumers have voluntarilyoffered to opt out from the sub-sidy scheme on Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s appeal, this isperhaps one such case for theRailways which has now madethe country’s largest transporterthink about going along thelines of gas consumers.

“This case has made usthink whether it will be alrightto give an option during thereservation procedure to thepassenger to either avail thesubsidy or travel by paying fullfare to the Indian Railways,’’said a senior Railway officer.

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It has become custom-ary for the critics of

any Government inIndia to casually use anexpression “UndeclaredEmergency”. Thosemaking these exagger-ated comments need tointrospect their own roles dur-ing the Emergency. Most ofthem were either supportingthe Emergency or were absent in any protest against the Emergency.

Emergency was an assaulton all democratic institutions.It not only established the dic-tatorship of an individual, itcreated an environment oftyranny and fear in the society.Most institutions collapsed ontheir own. The Emergency was

declared on the mid-night of June 25-26,1975. The ostensibleand the official rea-son was a threat topublic order but obvi-

ously this was a phoney rea-soning. The real reason wasthat Mrs Indira Gandhi hadbeen unseated in an electionpetition by the Allahabad HighCourt and the Supreme Courthad granted only a condition-al stay of the High Court order.She wanted to continue inpower and resorted to imposi-tion of Emergency to enablethis to happen. It would be inthe fitness of things to remind those who loosely use a phrase

“Undeclared Emergency” with what happened duringthat period.

The first act after the impo-sition of the Emergency was thedetention of the political oppo-sition under the PreventiveDetention Law. DistrictMagistrates and Collectorswere handed over blank deten-tion forms to enable themdetain thousands of leadersand workers of the politicalopposition. Just the name,father’s name and address ofeach detainee were filled inhand. No grounds of detentionexisted in any case. Police sta-tions were advised to registeridentical FIRs arresting ordi-

nary political work-ers under theDefence of IndiaRules after alleging

that they were either membersof banned organisation or werethreatening to overthrow theGovernment. Nine HighCourts in the country held thatthe detention orders were jus-ticiable and in the absence ofthe grounds of detention thesame could be quashed. TheSupreme Court decided other-wise.

In preparation for theEmergency, the SupremeCourt had already been packedwith pliable judges. Threeseniormost judges of theSupreme Court were super-seded and those believing inthe social philosophy of theGovernment were in control of

the court. The Supreme Courtheld that an illegally detaineddetainee had no judicialrecourse during theEmergency. Justice HRKhanna was the only dissent-ing judge. Pre-censorship wasimposed on the entire newsmedia. Not a word could bepublished in the newspaperwithout going through thecensor. An officer of the cen-sor stayed in the premises ofevery major newspaper. Theentire activities of theOpposition were blacked outand the media contained onlygovernmental propaganda.Many of those who now com-plain of an “UndeclaredEmergency” were either activeor reluctant supporters of theEmergency regime.

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Washington: Leading US con-gressmen have called onPresident Donald Trump topress Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi to remove bar-riers to US trade and invest-ment when they meet for thefirst time on Monday.

The lawmakers, from theRepublican and Democraticparties, said in a letter toTrump that high-level engage-ment with India had failed toeliminate major trade andinvestment barriers and hadnot deterred India from impos-ing new ones.

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Bhopal: It rained at isolatedplaces in the State capital onSunday, however, monsoon islikely to arrive here in thenext 24 hours. For the pastwhole week, the citizens areexperiencing hot and humidconditions during the day.

Met officials told that theadvancement in the monsoonis at normal pace and it is like-ly to reach the city within next48 hours. Several areas havewitnessed heavy rainfall in thepast 24 hours, Bhanskhedirecorded the highest rainfall at6 cm, Jobat and Bhabhararecorded 4 cm, Amarwadarecorded 3 cm and Chhindwaraand Mhow recorded 2 cm each.

Day temperature dipped byaround 2 degree Celsius due tothe rainfall in the past 24 hoursin the city and the day temper-ature at 36 degree Celsius whichwas 3 degree Celsius above thenormal temperature while thenight temperature was recordedat 24.7 degree Celsius. Fewplaces in the city have recordedheavy and light showers in thepast 24 hours providing relieffrom the hot and humid condi-tions. Continued on Page 4

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To mark the World MusicDay, a film screening event

was organised here on Sundayat Daylogg Restaurant. Threemovies based on musicSearching for Sugar Man, SoHeddan So Hoddan and ToCatch the Wind were screenedto mark the event.

‘Searching for Sugar Man’ isan award-winning documen-tary charts the extraordinaryand inspirational story of mys-terious 1970’s musicianRodriguez. It is directed byMalik Bendjelloul.

In the late 60s, a musicianwas discovered in a Detroit barby two celebrated producerswho were struck by his soulfulmelodies and prophetic lyrics.They recorded an album thatthey believed was going tosecure his reputation as one ofthe greatest recording artists ofhis generation.

Despite overwhelming crit-ical acclaim, the album bombed

and the singer disappeared intoobscurity amid rumours of agruesome on-stage suicide. Buta bootleg recording found itsway into apartheid South Africaand, over the next two decades,it became a phenomenon.

Searching for sugar manfollows two South African fanswho set out to find out what real-ly happened to their hero. Theirinvestigation led them to a storymore extraordinary than any ofthe existing myths about theartist known as Rodriguez. Thisis a film about hope, inspirationand the resonating power ofmusic.

Next movie was ‘So

Heddan So Hoddan’. The filmis a journey into the music andeveryday life of these commu-nities, set against the backdropof the Rann and the pastoralBanni grass lands.

It was directed by AnjaliMonteiro and KP Jayasankar.Another movie ‘To Catch theWind’ was about exploring theconnections between theAmerican blues music and folkmusic from North East India.

The film screening wasmuch enjoyed by the moviebuffs of the city. The filmscreenings were especially heldto observe the World MusicDay which was on June 22.

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Parvarish, the Museumschool, organised 12th

annual function on Sunday atthe Regional Museum ofNatural History. The studentsof the school enthralled theaudiences with their splendidperformances on stage.

The students performedwith great enthusiasm. Thisyear the theme of annual func-tion was ‘Reviving NatureThrough Culture’.

The students staged vari-ous cultural performances con-cerning the theme leaving theaudience mesmerised.

The programme startedoff with the lighting of thelamp. Honourable PadmashreeOudh Narain Shrivastava IPSretired and ex–Governor,Nagaland and Manipur was thechief guest on the occasion.

The students first per-formed welcome dance whichwas followed with otherenthralling performances.

Founder and Coordinatorof the school Shibani Ghoshsaid, “We work for the urbanslum children and give them achance to grow their talent. Anopportunity is provided tothem to learn and educatethem.”

Elaborating further shesaid, “Every child has a funda-mental right to quality educa-tion. Yet there is a huge dis-parity in the quality of educa-tion between a rich child anda poor child in the same city.”

Notably, ‘Parvarish-TheMuseum School’ is a non-for-mal holistic education modelfor the underprivileged chil-dren from urban slums. Withan aim to let every child learnto read and write and everychild has a right to education,Parvarish- The MuseumSchool was established. Withproviding children the kind ofeducation, the school has com-pleted 12 years of success. Theprogramme was a total treat forthe audience.

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Valuables worth �70,000were burgled from Neerja

Nagar under Piplani policestation area on Saturday.

Police said that the victimSV Warwade along with hisfamily had gone to meet his rel-ative on June 18 and when theyreturned on June 24 the housewas found burgled. In the bur-glary a gold chain, one wristwatch and �20,000 cash werefound burgled.

A complaint was lodgedwith the Piplani police. Afterthe preliminary investigationthe police have registered a caseunder Section 457 and 380 ofthe IPC and have started fur-ther investigation.

Meanwhile, valuablesworth �50,000 were stolenfrom a bag from city bus atKoh-e-fiza area; a complaintwas lodged with the Koh-e-Fizapolice on Saturday.

According to the police, abag carrying gold jewelry and

valuables from victim SushmaBhargava was targeted by mis-creants and valuables werestolen; one of the corner of thebag was cut to remove the bagwhile the bag remained withthe victim.

The incident took place onMay 5 but fearing that her par-ents would scold her she do notreport the incident to the fam-ily member. Later when thefamily members found thatthe valuables were missingthey asked the victim and

whole incident was revealed bythe victim.

The victim was on his wayto home after meeting a rela-tive. One gold chain, one goldfinger ring and �8,000 werestolen from the bag. The totalloss in the theft was around�50,000.

Based on the complaintafter preliminary investigationthe police have registered a caseunder Section 379 of the IPCand have started further inves-tigation.

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Raising a serious issue of thecountry, where a family

desires for a son but not daugh-ter, in other words, occurrenceof female infanticide, a Hindiplay ‘Hirnyagarbha’ was staged.

More than 30 artists onstage presented the play onSunday at Samanvay BhavanAuditorium. The poetic dramawas adorned with 45 poemsthat depicted the conversationbetween Lord Krishna and hisuncle Kansa.

The play is a collage of 45poems by IAS and PrincipalSecretary of Culture ManojShrivastava. The play wasdirected by Mangilal Sharmaand was presented by varioustheatre artists of Bhopal.

Keeping the story ofKrishna and Kansa as the back-ground of the play, the play fea-tured about the ill-treatment ofwomen in society. The play isbased on the facts picked fromancient times and presented inthe same manner.

“Women are consideredto be a goddess in our country,but every day something or theother happens which declinesher dignity, questions her beingin the world. To let peopleknow all this, we had used dif-ferent forms to present thescene before the audience,”shared director of the playMangilal Sharma.

In this performance theartist portrayed the beauty ofLord Krishna. They describedhis prowess, his captivating

smile and much more.Through expressive expres-sions and wondrous acting thedancers were able to captivate

the interest of the audience.The play keeping the con-

cept intact, showcased aboutwhat all a woman goes through.

The play was wonderfullyshowcased by the artists.Costumes and light designadded zest in the performance.

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The much talked about sedi-tion case against 15 persons

in Burhanpur district took adifferent turn on Sunday whenSubhash Koli, a dish antennaerepairer in Mohad village, wentmissing mysteriously. His fam-ily members and neighboursalleged that the police hadreached his residence ar around2.30 am and took him forquestioning.

Koli had on Saturday filedan affidavit with the districtcourt accusing police of fabri-cating a case against 15 Muslimresidents of the village.

The police had filed a caseagainst the Muslim men forallegedly bursting firecrack-ers, chanting pro-Pakistan slo-gans and distributing sweetsduring and after the India-Pakistan Champions Trophyfinal on June 18. In the FIR, thepolice had named Koli as acomplainant.

While the police had ini-

tially filed charges of seditionagainst the 15 Muslim men,they later dropped this chargeand replaced it with disturbingcommunal harmony. The 15accused are at present inKhandwa jail.

Koli claimed that he didnot approach police and notcomplained at all, but that hehad gone to the police stationwith his father and friend Salim

Mansuri on the night of June 18to see if he could secure therelease of one of his neigh-bours, Anis Mansuri, who wasone of the first men to havebeen picked up.

He alleged that in thepolice station, the cops used hismobile phone to dial 100,police control room lodging acomplaint and arresting morepeople.

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The annual interactive event—Industry Meet 2017 —

for the industrialists from theregion and adjacent areas washeld at IIM Indore on Saturday.The event witnessed over 250industrial leaders and special-ists from numerous sectors,sharing their experience andknowledge with a huge gather-ing comprising of buddingentrepreneurs, scholars, youngmanagers and the students andfaculty of IIM Indore.

Ashwani Lohani, Chairmanand Managing Director, AirIndia Ltd. was the Chief Guestat the event. The objective of themeet was to understand thechanging paradigms of theindustry needs and according-ly change the curriculum for theparticipants.

The event began with theformal lamp lighting ceremonyby the Chief Guest, along withSatish Nadiger, MD and CEO,John Deere; ProfessorRishikesha T Krishnan, Director,IIM Indore and Professor NMKBhatta, Chairperson, IndustryInterface Committee andFaculty, IIM Indore.

Professor Bhatta welcomedthe dignitaries and gave a briefintroduction of all the guests.

Professor Rishikesha TKrishnan then addressed thegathering and shared his viewson IIM Indore and its IndustryConnect. He said that the pur-pose of Industry InterfaceOffice is to connect with the

industries not only with regardsto executive educational pro-grammes, but also to modifythe curriculum for diversifyingstudents’ knowledge.

‘The first year studentshave Industry InterfaceProgramme, under which 95projects were taken by the par-ticipants during the last year.This not only gives an exposureto the participants, but alsohelps the industry to find var-ious solutions for the problemsfaced by the organisation’, hesaid. He also discussed aboutthe Expert Talk Series and var-ious other initiatives taken bythe students to enhance indus-try connect.

This was followed by thetalk by Ashwani Lohani on thetopic—‘Managerial Excellencein a Challenging Environment’.He began his speech appreciat-ing the Industry Meet initiativeand mentioned that such eventshelp the students learn at a stagewhen they can easily grasp andquickly enhance their skills.

Addressing the gatheringand sharing the importance ofhuman values Lohani said,“Before you jump to a conclu-sion and take a move ahead for

your career, ask yourself, whatis the purpose of your life? Doyou just wish to be successfuland famous and earn money; oryou really want to develop as ahuman being?”

He advised the students tounderstand that life is beyondgreat lifestyle and enjoyment—and we need to identify thetrue-self and take our aimsforward slowly and steadily, get-ting over the setbacks andremaining strong. ‘Everyyoungster today wants to reacha top position in the sectorhe/she works in. Attaining a topposition isn’t worthy, if youdon’t use that position andpower for the welfare of thesociety.”

Discussing about failuresand fears, Lohani said thatevery successful person is suc-cessful because he chose thepath less chosen. “Most of usfear taking decisions, taking apath no one previously wentahead with, fear of losing orbeing harmed. But we need tolearn to conquer our fears andbe strong—create a worldwhere the mind is without fearand the head is held high”, hequoted Rabindranath Tagore.

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Three women of a familywere killed while two oth-

ers were injured after thunderand lightning struck at around3 pm at Umri Khurd village inPadhurna under Chhindwaradistrict on Sunday. The five hadtaken shelter under a tree.

Town Inspector of Padurnapolice station BhupendraGulbanke said that the incidenttook place when the familymembers were at work at theirfarms and after it started rain-ing heavily they took shelterbelow a tree and while theywere waiting for the rains tostop due to sudden lighteningthey were injured and wererushed to a nearby hospitalwhere three women of thefamily were declared deadwhile two men escaped withinjuries.

The deceased were identi-fied as Rajni Bobade, her sisterShantibai Paradkar and hermother Seetabai.

The two injured were iden-tified as Manku who work aslabour for the family andDevnath who is husband ofShanti Bai.

After the preliminaryinvestigation the bodies weresent for the most mortem. Thepolice have registered a caseunder section 174 of the CrPCand have started further inves-tigation.

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Departmental preparationsrelated to proposed GST

are in progress in MadhyaPradesh. In this connection,State Government has decidedto close down all the commer-cial tax check posts at the Stateborders. There will be no checkposts under the GST. The checkposts functioning currently isbeing closed down from July 1,2017. This will make move-ment of goods easier andsmoother.

At present 29 check postshave been set up out of which27 check posts are on theState’s border and 2 are set up in Indore and Bhopal airport. Earlier a declarationform 49 and 50 had to be givenat the check posts for move-ment of goods outside theState and vice versa. Nowtraders will be free from thishassle also.

The same office of Circleand Divisional Office that areworking under VAT Act in the

departmental structure inCommercial Tax Departmentwill work under GST legisla-tion. The work area of financeat present will be GST workarea also.

On purchase of services orgoods by Government depart-ments, authority, Governmentventures the responsibility ofdeduction at source has beengiven under GST.

As per Section 51 of GSTAct, on purchase of goods formore than Rs 2.50 lakh oracquiring services, the related

department or venture willhave to deposit tax before the10th of the coming monthafter tax deduction before mak-ing payment of the goods.

For tax deduction, the reg-istration will have to beobtained from concerned AreaCircle Office by Drawing andDisbursement officers.Commercial Tax Departmenthas released a circular in thisconnection. There is provi-sion of punishment also forviolation of rules under GSTlaws.

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Twelve passengers wereinjured after two buses col-

lided head on at Kaliysot cul-vert between Misrod andMandideep in the afternoon onSunday. Two passengers whosustained critical injuries werereferred to Bhopal.

According to the police,bus bearing registration num-ber MP04PA2157 andMP04PA0470 collided headon, thus, injuring 12 passengerswhile two of the injured whosustained severe injuries werereferred to Bhopal for treat-ment.

On the receipt of theinformation police teams andin charges of Misrod andMandideep police stationrushed to the spot and ambu-lance were rushed to the ser-vice.

In the initial investigationpolice found that Mandideepbound bus MP04PA2157 andBhopal bound busMP04PA0470 collided and dri-

ver of one of the bus wasdrunk and after the accidentthe driver escaped the spot.

SHO of Misrod police BSKushwaha said that two busesrammed into each other. Theaccident took place in the after-noon and on the receipt ambu-lance service was pressed intoservice and all the injured wererushed to the hospital andprovided treatment.

The condition of theinjured could be provided atthe moment but none of theinjured sustained injury whichcould prove fatal, he added.

After the accident hugebee line of vehicles was wit-nessed on both sides of theroad and to clear the trafficbuses were removed makingthe traffic smooth.

The passengers of theMandideep bound bus havetold the police that the driverwas drunk and was driving thebus at a very high speed whichled to the accident and after theaccident he escaped leaving thebus.

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Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan distributed loans

worth �53.09 crore to over7,800 beneficiaries during theblock-level Antyodaya Mela,Divyang Mela and District-level Agriculture Seminarorganised at Dhodhar inSheopur district. He also laidfoundation and dedicated con-struction and developmentworks worth �93.52 crore.

Chouhan said that hisintention of reaching Sheopurdistrict on Sunday is to stop atevery village to have a direct dialogue with people and collectinformation about the ground reality of the imple-mentation of variousGovernment schemes.

He said that MadhyaPradesh is a State in the coun-try where farmers are beinggiven loan on zero per centinterest whereas earlierGovernment would give loansto farmers on 18 per cent interest.

He said that farmers haveto repay only �90,000 againsta loan of �1 lakh taken bythem for fertilizer and seeds.The Chief Minister said thatthe state has witnessed bumper

production of onions due tothe hard work of farmers andState Government schemes.The Government has declareda support price for purchase ofonions at �8 per kg so that thefarmers get a fair price for theironions. He said that Moong isbeing purchased in the State at�5, 200 per quintal on supportprice.

Chouhan said the crops onwhich support price has beendeclared, will not be pur-chased on a lesser price.Facility of cheque payment hasalso been made for the farm-ers who are selling their pro-duce on support price apartfrom the fund being deposit-ed in their accounts.

The Chief Minister saidthat both BPL and APL cardholders will be able to pur-chase onions at �2 per kg fromfair price shops. He said thatthe poor are being givenwheat, rice and salt at �1 perkg so that no person has tosleep hungry in the State.

The CM said that everypoor family will own a houseby the year 2022. He said thatthe families who are residingon forest land but do not havepattas will be given pattas andland ownership.

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Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan has said that

Bhopal will set parameters forsmart city in the world. The cityhas efficiency and capacity forthis. He said that people herehad taken resolution to make thecity clean and they successfullyachieved it. Today, Bhopal is thesecond cleanest city in the coun-try. Chouhan was addressingprogramme to mark the secondanniversary of Smart City Plan.

Chouhan said that arrange-ments for Smart City should be

taken care of human sensitiv-ities. Poor’s life and environ-ment should be better by smartsystems. People living in slumsshould reside in houses. Effortsare being made for this.

He issued directives that alllogos of Smart City should bein Hindi as well. Trees of localspecies should be planted sothat oxygen is availed in envi-ronment. Next generation getsclean environment. All effortsfor this should be made.

Appreciating efforts for con-structing cycle tracks, ChiefMinister said that cycling, on the

one hand, makes peoples healthy,it reduces drastically pollution inenvironment on the other hand.He underlined the need to con-trol rising vehicle number.

Suggestion was given toincrease financial burden onpeople having more than onevehicle. He said that BhopalMunicipal Corporation isworking fast for the resolution,taken to make Bhopal as clean,healthy, hightech and globalcity. For efforts made for bet-terment of poor in smart sys-tem, he extended greetings toteam of the corporation.

The Chief Minister saidthat Madhya Pradesh is gainingprogress and development inevery sector. Urban develop-ment is the first in the State.Twenty cities, from 100 SmartCities in the country are fromthe State. Agriculture produc-tion of Madhya Pradesh is thehighest. Onion production is 32lakh metric tonnes. DescribingSmart City Plan as amazing, heemphasised on keeping fastthe working speed. In thebeginning, he unveiled GISportal, Smart Poll and SmartCycling facility. Chouhan

announced that he would soonuse cycling facility.

Municipal Corporationcommissioner ChhaviBhardwaj told that the secondanniversary of re-developmentplan of Tatya Tope Nagar isbeing celebrated in BhopalSmart City. He presented con-ceptual plan of Smart CityBhopal sprawling in 342 acrearea. Short film was displayedin the programme.

Urban Development andHousing Minister Maya Singh,Mayor Alok Sharma, Memberof Parliament Alok Sanjar,

MLA Surendra Nath Singh,MLA Vishnu Khatri, Chairmanof the corporation SurjeetSingh Chouhan, Chairman ofCivil Supplies Corporation DrHitesh Vajpayee, Chairman ofBhopal Development AuthorityOm Yadav, Vice President ofState BJP Brijesh Lunawat,Chairman of Bhopal SmartCity Development Corporationand Collector, Sudam Khare,public representatives, emi-nent persons, municipal cor-poration representatives andofficials were present in theprogramme.

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Apainting competition wasorganised at the Bhopal

Branch of the Institute of char-tered Accountants of India(ICAI) on Wednesday where-in the students presented theirimagination over canvas.

As many as 20 partici-pants of age group from 4 to 13years participated in the com-petition. The kids participatedwith a lot of enthusiasm as theywere excited to portray theirpainting skills over canvas.

Through this competitionsome participants portrayedthe message of social evilsthrough modern art and somegave this message through fig-urative and abstract work. Theparticipants beautifully show-cased about to save environ-ment.

Few participants show-cased their broad imaginaryand wrote eye-catching sloganson their paintings. On theother hand few participantsportrayed patriotism in theirpaintings.

The participants used dif-ferent medium of painting.From oil painting to mixedmedia and from pastels tocrayons, the participants usedall kind of medium. The par-ticipants enjoyed every bit ofthe competition as they

expressed their perceptionsover the canvas.

The competition was likean extravagance for the littlepainters and the spectators aswell, as they have used theirbrilliance of painting blendedwith the perceptions displayedon the painting sheet. Furtherthe little artists also displayedthe uniqueness and beauty of ahealthy body and mindthrough the variations ofcolours was commendable.

On the occasion, CANaresh Balani, CA VinitaMathur and CA Rajni Jainwere present as the chief gueston the occasion. The prizes willbe announced on June 30.

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Over 26 people were nabbedfor consuming liquor at

K-2 restaurant who had serv-ing without without procuringlicense. The manager of therestaurant was also held. Theraid was conducted late in thenight in Chunabhatti area onSaturday.

According to the policeacting on a tip off K-2 restau-rant was raided at around 12 inthe night and found that sev-eral youths were consumingliquor. The party goers weredetained by the police and

started the further investiga-tion.

CSP Habibganj CMDwivedi said that the hotel wasraided after receiving infor-mation of serving liquor with-out having license for the facil-ity.

In the initial investigationit was found that it was aweekend party where youthswere found with girls takingdinner who were warned andreleased while the youths weredetained.

Action would be takenagainst the manager who facil-itated the serving of liquor.

The police have registereda case under Excise Act. Themanager of the restaurantAshish Baghel was booked for

serving liquor without procur-ing license. Police said that theperiod would be investigatedfor which the restaurant wasserving liquor.

Police went lenient with thegirls some of whom were alsodrunk but were released aftergiving and no action was takenagainst them.

Ruckus was created at therestaurant after police raidedK-2 restaurant situated in aposh area but the youths con-suming liquor were detainedand no one managed to escapeas the restaurant was sieged bythe police.

In the raid police nabbed25 youths while girls accom-panying them were releasedafter giving warning.

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Bhopal: A play, ‘Shatrugandh,’ displaying the plight of an eldercouple was staged in the city onSunday evening. The play nar-rated a story which is known toall, but ignored by all. The play‘Shatrugandh’ that discloses thesecrets behind the wrinkled skinand teary eyes was much appre-ciated by the audience.

The play was performedmarking the fourth day ofMadhya Pradesh Rangotsav.They were living in their sec-ond-innings, with more aspi-rations no one understands.They almost lived their life tothe fullest, sometimes sacrificedand sometimes compromisedbut they did all what theycould for their children, but inreturn what they receive isjust emptiness.

Directed by Saroj Sharma,the play was performed by theartists of Koshish Theatre Group,Bhopal. The story is about an

elderly couple. The couple livealone in their house and their sonis far away from them. Their sonlives in a foreign country anddoes not even bother about hisparents. A tragedy suddenlybefalls them and how do theytackle with the problems formedrest of the story.

According to the directorSaroj Sharma, “This story hasbeen told to people enormoustimes, but still we have old-agehomes in our country, or the par-ents are left alone. Every secondthere is an intuition of dangerand each person is seen as anenemy. The play is about theiremptiness and how they dealwith situations at this walk of life.”

Every phase of the storyshowcased on stage during the play was worthwhile watch-ing. Moreover, the acting skills,the light design and the dialogue delivery were out-standing. SR

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As Eid was declared onSunday evening, a huge

crowd accumulated at EidMela, Gauhar Mahal. Peoplewere seen shopping their heartsout and buying the stuff forthemselves on Sunday.

Every time there is a hugeopportunity for the Bhopalitesto shop something new forthem. There are different artistswho have brought the special-ty of their regions. Around 55Self Help Groups (SHGs) haveparticipated in this mela.

Besides, there is a hugerange of Chanderi andMaheshwari dress materialswith the starting range of �600to �12,000.

There is major collectionfrom Madhya Pradesh such as

a variety of Dabu print, Batik,terracotta, Bagh print and juteand leather items like pursesand hand bags. Items fromTikamgargh, Neemuch, Dhar,Khandwa, Satna and AshokNagar, Rewa, Budni, Gwaliorare available as well.

There is also a variety ofdecorative items, rugs, carpets,imitation jewellery, dress mate-rials, ladies hand-bags, metalcrafts, bamboo furniture andsculptures of metal. Besides,there are also flower vase ofpaper mache, cotton duppatasand carpets too. As the fair isentitled as Eid Mela it has gotall sorts of dates, hijab stolesand hijab accessories, IslamicBooks as well.

The mela began on June 14and would conclude here onMonday.

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From Page 1“Of the total 190 ULBs of

Rajasthan having 12.50 lakhstreet lights, the LED projectwork has been completed in 86ULBs. Replacement work is onin 49 ULBs. We have so farreplaced 7.50 lakh convention-al street lights with the energy-efficient LED lights. The averageenergy saving is 50 per cent.Under Chief MinisterVasundhara Raje, it’s one of ourbest practices that we are show-casing,” Manjit Singh, PrincipalSecretary, Local Self-Government, Rajasthan, toldThe Pioneer.

The report of a third-partyinspection of the project main-tains that 11 ULBs in Rajasthanwhere the installation processwas completed in 2015-16 col-lectively saved 61 per cent ener-gy. It is 247.20 lakh units of ener-gy savings. In monetary terms,the ULBs of Jaipur, Ajmer,Pushkar, Dholpur, Bhiwadi,Ratangarh, Ratannagar, Churu,Mount Abu and Udaipur togeth-er saved nearly �20 crore.

The Rajasthan Governmentsigned an MoU with the NewDelhi-based Energy EfficiencyServices Ltd (EESL) on January23, 2015 following which it wasallocated �1,500 crore for a

seven-year period to implementthe project.

The SLNP envisages that thereplacement of 3.5 crore con-ventional street lights by 2019will result in saving of 9,000 mil-lion units annually with a reduc-tion of 1,500 MW of installedstreet light load. The total costsavings of municipalities everyyear are pegged at �5,500 crorewhile the carbon footprint is esti-mated to reduce by 6.2 milliontonnes.

“Initially, there was appre-hension that LED lights onstreets and roads would lead toreduced illumination. But thatwas soon dispelled. The fundssaved through reduced powerconsumption means no separatefunds are required for the pro-ject. The overall cost of the pro-ject will be borne from thefunds released through UrbanCess. Hence, there will be nofinancial burden on the ULBs,”Singh outlined. However, it’snot just a mere replacement ofthe age-old sodium bulbs ortubelights in Rajasthan. Thelamp posts are being convertedinto multi-purpose ones, servingfor installation of CCTVs andWi-Fi networks too under otherCentrally-sponsored schemesworth a hefty �40,000 crore.

From Page 1Both the Constitution of

India and the provisions of theRepresentation of the PeopleAct were retrospectivelyamended so that each groundon which Mrs Indira Gandhi’selection had been set asidecould be statutorily reversed.

The pliable Supreme Courtupheld the retrospectiveamendments to the provisionof the Representation of thePeople Act by upholding thepower of Parliament to amendany law retrospectively. TheOpposition members of boththe Houses of Parliament stooddetained. The numericalstrength of Parliament wasreduced. This gave to theGovernment an opportunity toamend the Constitutionthrough a procured two-thirdmajority in Parliament. AParliament elected for a period

of five years extended its ownlife beyond five years byamending the Constitution.Opposition Governments insome States were dismissedand India witnessed virtually asingle individual rule. All ingre-dients of an absolute dictator-ship existed. There was nopersonal liberty, no Press free-dom, Parliament became afarce, the highest Court becamesubservient to the dictatorshipand there was no room for dis-sent. This now was an idealopportunity for the dictator toperpetuate her family and,therefore, the younger son ofthe Prime Minister, Mr SanjayGandhi, was proclaimed as thede facto successor. The coun-try witnessed forced sterilisa-tion, mass scale uprooting ofthe poor, including the minori-ties, from their homes andmisuse of the mass media.

An era of sycophancyalways suffers from a dichoto-my. A dictatorial regime isoften misled by its own propa-ganda. It becomes consumer ofits own propaganda withnobody else believing it. Itmisled itself to believe that thepeople were in support of thedictatorship. It, therefore,committed the ultimate error ofordering an election whichwitnessed a rebellion againstthe Emergency regime.

Today I wonder if thosewho routinely use the expres-sion “Undeclared Emergency”introspect and ask themselvesa question “where was I duringthose nineteen months andwhat was my publicly declaredstand at that time?”

The writer is the currentUnion Minister for Finance,Defence and Corporate Affairs

From Page 1Later they shifted to Delhi and

their daughters were born in Delhi.While Jayant started teaching at PusaPolytechnic, his wife took the role ofa homemaker. Their daughters werestudying at Goodlay School inShalimar Bagh” he said.

The neighbours and friends of theAndraskars were shocked after theylearnt about the tragedy that hadbefallen on the family.

Speaking to The Pioneer, NeerajMeena, an executive engineer inPublic Works Department and aclose friend of Jayant, said, “I stay afloor above Jayant’s flat and after theday’s work was over, we both used togo for walks and discuss varioussubjects as we both belong to the engi-neering field. Our families used toparty together. His wife and mine wereboth fast partners and my three-year-old daughter would everyday playwith jayant’s younger daughter.”

“I am shattered and have nowords. It is like I have lost someonefrom my family. Two weeks back theyhad gone to Maharashtra to their fam-ilies and had specifically planned theGulmarg trip considering the fact thatthere was a three-day work holiday tillMonday and also the summer vaca-tion of the two daughters. They wereabout to return on Monday night,”Meena said with teary eyes.

From Page 1Railway Minister Suresh

Prabhu, who has beeninformed about this, hasinstructed the officials to exam-ine and also convey his bestwishes to Kher who saw thelight and now has become acontributor to the develop-ment of Indian Railways.

“I was pained to learn frommy e-ticket that a common tax-payer is carrying a burden of 43per cent of my travel.

Ever since I arrived at myresidence I have been feelingthe pain on this count. I appre-ciate the Government for giv-ing us senior citizen status, butI personally feel that thereshould be no financial benefitfor those who can do withoutit,” said Kher in his letter to theRailway Minister.

Kher, a resident ofFaridabad, had travelled byJammu Rajdhani last month.Besides enclosing a cheque of�950, Kher vowed in his letter

to Prabhu that now on he andhis wife would not travel onsubsidised fare.

“We recover 57 per cent inpassenger service and 37 percent in suburban services andthis is reflected on our ticketsnow,” said the official.

Describing it as a “steptowards awareness,” the officialsaid this will make passengersrealise the real cost involved intrain travel and how much ofthe burden the Railways isbearing. “Awareness is a mustas it will lead to the rationali-sation of fares which is requiredfor the survival of theRailways,” added the official.

Now all Indian Railwaystrain tickets, including unre-served ones, have the infor-mation about the subsidyinvolved in the journey.

Currently the loss in thepassenger segment is �34,000crore annually which is metthrough cross-subsidy fromfreight earnings.

From Page 1“Many sectors of the Indian economy

remain highly and unjustifiably protected, andIndia continues to be a difficult place forAmerican companies to do business,” theywrote, noting that a 2017 World Bank reportranked India 130th out of 190 countries forease of doing business.

The lawmakers — Republican HouseWays and Means Committee Chairman KevinBrady and Ranking Member Richard Neal,and Republican Senate Finance CommitteeChairman Orrin Hatch and Ranking MemberRon Wyden — said the bilateral economicrelationship “severely underperforms” as aresult of India’s failure to enact market-basedreforms. They said the barriers covered mul-tiple sectors and included high tariffs, inad-equate protection of intellectual propertyrights, and inconsistent and non-transparentlicensing and regulatory practices.

Among US goods affected were solar andinformation technology products, telecom-munications equipment and biotechnologyproducts, they said.

The lawmakers also pointed to limitationson foreign participation in professional ser-vices, restrictive foreign equity caps for finan-cial, retail, and other major services sectors andbarriers to digital trade and Internet services.

“The list is long and growing,” they said.Agencies

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Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) Delhi unit chief

Manoj Tiwari on Sundayfelicitated people who hadbeen arrested in Delhi forprotesting against theGovernment during the 1975-77 Emergency.

Honouring the soldiers ofdemocracy at the BJP Stateoffice here, Tiwari advocatedthat this programme needs tobe organised at a larger levelfrom next year onwards, sothat future generations wouldnot forget about the"Emergency sufferers".

While speaking at a func-tion to felicitate party workersand social activists detainedduring the Emergency, hesaid that before June 25 nextyear the detainees ofEmergency will be given cer-tificates.

Tiwari promised this, assome of the social activists andparty workers present at thefunction informed him thateven after 42 years, they were

yet to get acknowledgementfor their sacrifice.

Criticising the AAPGovernment in Delhi fornot hearing the woes of theEmergency sufferers, Tiwarisaid he would take help fromthe Centre in this regard. Hesaid the detainees duringthe Emergency acted as sav-iours of democracy.

Sharing his experience,senior BJP leader Vijay KumarMalhotra said that the

Emergency, remains a blot inthe post-Independence histo-ry of the country.

The BJP leaders also tar-geted the Congress for field-ing former Lok SabhaSpeaker Meira Kumar as itspresidential candidate.

"The people of the coun-try revolted against thisauthoritarianism," Malhotraadded.

The BJP leaders in theirspeech also targeted

Congress party for fieldingformer Lok Sabha speakerMeira Kumar as its presi-dential candidate.

The BJP-led NDA out-smarted the Opposition bydeclaring Ram Nath Kovindas its presidential candidate.Stumped by the rulingalliance's move, the Congressand 16 other partiesannounced the name ofKumar, thus making it aDalit versus Dalit contest.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi on Sunday remem-

bered the Emergency imposedon this day in 1975, saying“such a black night” cannot beforgotten, and underlined theneed for eternal vigilance topreserve democracy. Herecalled that democracy-lovershad fought a big battle againstthe Emergency imposed bythen Prime Minister IndiraGandhi and said the pro-democracy “heritage” needs tobe strengthened.

In his monthly radio pro-gramme Mann Ki Baat, Modisaid it was essential to remem-ber the incidents which havecaused harm to democracy andmove ahead towards the posi-tives of democracy. “Democracyis not only a system. It is our cul-ture... Eternal vigilance is theprice of liberty,” he said.

Recalling imposition of theEmergency on June 25, 1975,the Prime Minister said it was

“such a black night which can-not be forgotten by any lover ofdemocracy. No Indian can for-get that.” He said that in a way,the entire nation had beenconverted into a prison, withopposing voices being curbed.

“Along with JaiprakashNarayan, many prominentleaders were jailed. Even thejudiciary did not remain unaf-fected by the shadow of theEmergency. The media wascompletely rendered useless,”

the prime minister said.He said the students of

today’s journalism and thoseworking for democracy havebeen remembering “that blackincident” as part of their con-tinuous efforts to create aware-ness about democracy. “Theyshould be doing so,” Modi said.

At that time, Atal BihariVajpayee was also imprisonedand he had penned a poemduring that period, he saidand recited the couplets writ-ten by the BJP stalwart. Theimposition of the Emergencyhad evoked a nationwide out-rage and a mass movementwhich forced Indira Gandhi tolift it in less than two years.

“The democracy lovershad fought a big battle andshowed how democracy wasengrained in the hearts ofevery citizen of the vast coun-tr y. That was ref lectedthrough the elections. That isour heritage and we have tostrengthen that heritage,”Modi said.

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Lieutenant Governors ofUnion Territories have exec-

utive powers wider than the dis-cretion which is exercised by aGovernor of a State. TheMinistry of Home Affairs hasmade it clear that LieutenantGovernor while exercising suchpowers and discharging suchfunctions which any lawrequires to be done ‘in his dis-cretion’ acts on his own judg-ment without seeking the aidand advice of the Council ofMinisters.

The MHA has justified theintervention of LieutenantGovernor seeking files fromthe secretaries of the depart-ments and interacting with theofficers citing the Rule 21 (5) ofthe Business of Government ofPuducherry. The MHA clarifi-cation on powers of the LtGovernor (L-G) has come at atime when Kiran Bedi’s inde-pendent functioning hasbecome the main bone of con-tention for the elected Congress

government in Puducherry.“In a case of difference of

opinion while referring the caseof the central government/pres-ident, in case of urgency, theLieutenant Governor can takeaction as he deems necessaryand can give such directions ashe deems necessary,” the MHAsaid while responding to queriespertaining to powers ofLieutenant Governor in UnionTerritories . In the question-and-answer format clarifica-tion to the letters written byNarayanasamy on February 3, 6,7 8 and 19, the MHA said thepower to dispose of businessrelating to the department on aday-to-day basis is of the min-isters aided by the secretaries.

“However, equally so thereis Rule 21(5) under which the L-G can call for the papers relat-ing to any case. Thereafter,there are Rules 50-53 which dealwith the situation of the differ-ence of opinion,” it said.

On whether LG can exer-cise executive functions held bythe Council of Ministers and the

Legislative Assembly and is itnot violating the basic structureof the Constitution, the MHAhas cited a judgment given by aDivision Bench of the DelhiHigh Court stating that the L-G would have executive powerswider than the discretion whichis exercised by a state Governor.“In fact, it has been held that theL-G while exercising such pow-ers and discharging such func-tions which “any law” requiresto be done “in his discretion”acts on his own judgementwithout seeking the aid andadvice of the Council ofMinisters. Further, in a case ofdifference of opinion, whilereferring the case to the CentralGovernment/President, in caseof urgency, the L-G can takeactions as he deems necessary,”it said.

The MHA also clarifiedthat the business rule did nothave any provision where L-Gcould call the Chief Ministerand his Cabinet colleagues formaking a presentation ondepartments held by them.

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Diagnostic laboratorieswhich have been operat-

ing unbraided across the coun-try will be soon come underthe legal ambit.

With States showing dis-mal response to implement theClinical Establishment Bill2011, which has path labsunder its purview, theGovernment is working onways to frame a separate set ofrules for their regulation.

As per an estimate, thereare at least 100,000 diagnosticlaboratories in the country,majority of which are in unor-ganized sector.

The long-awaited moveaims to tighten the noose aroundthe path labs which are facingvarious complaints ranging fromfleecing the patients, incorrectreports and to unethical prac-tices where even doctors werealso found to be involved.

“The issue of regulation ofpath labs was taken up at theDrugs Consultative Committeeof the Drug Controller General

of India early this month.Stakeholders in the sector arebeing consultated to chalk outways to prevent them from mis-using their services,” a seniorofficial from the Ministry said.With increasing non-commu-nicable diseases due to seden-tary lifestyle as well as patientsbecoming more health con-scious, the official said, it hasbeen noted that diagnosticindustry is becoming a quickway to earn money for pathcentres owners.

There is check as most ofthe States have failed to adoptthe Clinical Establishment Act.The legislation makes itmandatory for all the diagnos-

tic laboratories to be registeredwith the authorities.

The Act which was passedby Parliament in way back in2011 has in detail safety stan-dards and parameters that thepath labs have to follow beforethey start functioning.

Currently, a large number ofthe path labs are being run bytechnicians with Diploma inMedical Laboratory Technology(DMLT) or equivalent qualifi-cations. These technicians col-lect samples, conduct tests andcertify reports. As per the normslaid by Medical Council ofIndia, a registered medical prac-titioner having a post-graduatedegree in pathology can onlycertify test reports.There are nochecks to ensure these labs aremaintaining standards, proce-dures and quality.

In fact, in 2014, the MedicalCouncil of India (MCI) hadissued an advisory to all med-ical councils, asking them tomonitor diagnostic centres andtake immediate action when-ever there is a complaint forunethical practices such as

accepting commissions or refer-rals for diagnostic tests.

The council had written tothe Delhi government too toenforce necessary legal provi-sions for registration of privatediagnostic centres in the capi-tal and put in place mechanismsto monitor and prosecute anyunethical practices among doc-tors in prescribing diagnostictests.The MCI’s move came inthe wake of Union HealthMinister Harsh Vardhan order-ing an inquiry into the issue fol-lowing a sting by a televisionchannel exposing around nineleading diagnostic chains in analleged nexus with doctors forprescribing tests.

However, the MCI was toldthat since the Delhi Governmenthad not implemented theClinical Establishment Act, thediagnostic centres were not reg-istered with the HealthDepartment.

Of these, 70 per cent offerpathology services and the restprovide radiology and imagingsuch as MRI, CT scan X-ray andultrasound.

�� 423��26-��

Foodgrains trade body IPGA( India Pulses and Grains

Association) has demanded thatthe Government allow tradersmethyl bromide fumigation ofall imported agri-commoditiesat Indian ports till June 2018 toensure smooth supply.

In March, the agricultureministry had extended till thismonth the deadline on exemp-tion given to traders for fumi-gating all imported agri-com-modities including pulses atIndian ports instead of thecountry of origin. India needsto import at least 3-4 milliontonnes of pulses to meet thedomestic demand despiterecord production of 22 milliontonnes in last crop year.

According to the Marchorder, the consignments of allimported agri-commodities,whose date of bill of lading inthe country of export is June 30,2017 or before will be allowedwithout offshore methyl bro-mide fumigation from those

countries, which certify dis-continuance of this chemical forphytosanitary measure.

“We have sincerely urgedthe government to allowmethyl bromide fumigation atIndian ports for next one year,”India Pulses and GrainsAssociation (IPGA) ChairmanPravin Dongre said. IPGACEO Pradeep Ghorpade saidthe import volumes will beaffected and consignments willbecome costlier if methyl bro-mide fumigation is not allowed

after this month. “It will takesome time and research tofind alternative to methyl bro-mide fumigation,” he added.

“There is some researchwork going on for fumigationwith aluminium phosphine.But it kills only live insectsand that too in a week,”Ghodpade said.

“It has been extended tillJune for all farm commoditiesincluding pulses. Till we don’thave an alternative to methylbromide, we have decided toallow fumigation methyl bro-mide upon arrival in India,” asenior Agriculture Ministryofficial had said in March.

India produced a record22.40 million tonnes of puls-es in the 2016-17 crop yearand imported about 6 milliontonnes of pulses last fiscal,resulting in sharp fall indomestic prices and causingdistress to farmers. TheCentre has bought about 1.9million tonnes of pulses, large-ly from local market, for itsbuffer stock.

�� 423��26-�

BJP leader SubramanianSwamy on Sunday sought

clarifications from FinanceMinistry on the implication ofGST on Temple Boards andother Hindu Religious institu-tions. In his letter to RevenueS e c r e t a r yH a s m u k hAdhia and PM’sPrincipal Secretary NripendraMishra, Swamy urged that exist-ing exemption from all kind oftaxes should be maintained forthe Temple Boards and otherHindu Religious Institutionsand Endowments.

Citing various reports on theburden of more than Rs.100crore taxes on Tirupati TempleBoard after GST implementa-tion, Swamy said that theseorganisations are not profit ori-ented organisations and deservethe existing exemptions from allkind of taxes.

“Although certain items eg :Prasad, sale of hair in Tirupatiwere belatedly excempted by

the rescent resolution in the GSTCouncil, other services offered bythe Hindu Religious Institutionswere not exempted from GST>There are apprehensions, forexample, that the Guest Housesprovided to pilgrims and otherservices on nominal rent byTemple Boards and many Hindu

organisations areto be adverselyaffected by GST.

“I suggest Hindu Templeand other Hindu ReligiousEndowments, Institutions andBoards are exempted as beforefrom taxes, especially thoseexemptions which they enjoypresently. If GST can avoid newlevies on whopping profit mak-ing hard liquor related trades,such relief could also beextended to Hindu Templeand religious organisations.These organisations are notprofit oriented and thusdeserve the right for existingtax exemptions. Thus, statusquo on all tax exemptionsmany be maintained for theseorganisations,” said Swamy.

�� 423��26-�

The Congress on Sundaycriticised Prime Minister

Narendra Modi for not raisingthe issue of country’s internalsecurity during his monthlyradio programme ‘Mann KiBaat’ claiming that it was in adifficult situation .

“The so-called separatistshave now become full-grownterrorists, thanks to the help ofPDP and choreography of theBJP which speaks one languagein the Kashmir Valley andtalks about nationalism allover India,” Congressspokesperson Tom Vadakkantold newspersons here.

“We listened to his ‘Mannki Baat’. There were variousissues raised by him, but I wishissues of internal security werealso raised, a thought for thosekilled while defending thisnation... Not one word have weheard on the death of a DSP (inSrinagar),” he said.

On China’s refusal to allowentry to the first batch ofaround 50 Indian pilgrims toKailash Mansarovar throughthe Nathu La pass in Sikkim,

Vadakkan said this reflectsthat India’s ties with neigh-bouring countries are suffer-ing.

He said the threat to thecountry’s internal and externalsecurity “is running parallel”and reasoned that wheneverthere is firing and incursionsfrom Pakistan, terrorists andseparatists become activelyengaged in Jammu andKashmir.

Referring to Modi’sremarks during the radio pro-gramme on Sunday that the“more we promote sports, themore we see the spirit ofsportsmanship”, he demandedto know what kind of “sports-man spirit” it was to chargethose who praised Pakistan’sperformance in ICCChampions Trophy final heldlast week.

In sports, there is a winnerand a loser. We must have theheart to accept the victoryand defeat. But in this country,we find a situation that ifsomebody praises a stroke of aopponent team’s batsman, he isimmediately labelled as anti-national, he said.

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Union Home Ministry hasfiled contradictory affi-

davits in the Supreme Courtand the Delhi High Court ongiving security clearances totwo separate TV channelgroups. On February, theMinistry took one stand on SunTV group’s case in the apexcourt and presented an entire-ly different stand in the HighCourt in March on STV’s secu-rity clearance related case.Interestingly, both stands werefiled by the same officer.

In the Supreme Court onSUN TV’s security clearancecase, Home Ministry said eventhough persons related to acompany could be facing pros-ecution in economic relatedcharges, security clearance stillmay be given. The Ministry alsosaid in such cases the final deci-sion would be subjected to thejudgment in the case. TheMinistry was responding tothe PIL filed by BJP leaderSubramanian Swamy for creat-ing a national policy on issuingsecurity clearances to compa-

nies. The Home Ministry filedthe affidavit on February 21.

The Home Ministry alsoinformed the apex court that abody headed by the recently-formed Cabinet Secretariat isthe ultimate authority in issu-ing security clearances in con-sultation with the concernedMinistry and Finance Ministry.The MHA’s powers were cur-tailed in mid 2016, after thecontroversy on the Sun TVsecurity clearance issue. Thepromoters of Sun TV, Maranbrothers were chargesheeted in

Aircel-Maxis and illegal tele-phone exchange cases. Thoughthe MHA objected first, later itdiluted its stand. There werecontradictory judgments fromdifferent High Courts in thisregard. Swamy approached theapex court for formulation ofthe national policy after thecontradicting judgments fromdifferent High Courts.

But within a month onMarch 29 in Delhi High Court,the MHA took a different standin another TV channel’s secu-rity related issue. Opposing

STV’s petition, the MHAretained its authority in grant-ing security clearance. In thiscase, none of the Directors ofthe company was facing casesand only issue was that the pro-moters were related to contro-versial Haryana politicianGopal Kanda, who was facingmany criminal cases. Taking aU-turn from the Sun TV case,the MHA said the IntelligenceBureau’s reports are crucial intaking decisions on providingsecurity clearances. Taking acontradictory stand from theSUN TV affidavit, the Ministrysaid that the facts that pro-moters of company are facingprosecution would also affectthe security clearance.

The affidavit filed in theDelhi High Court by the MHAshows the decisions on the issu-ing security clearances for thepast decade, where theIntelligence Bureau Report wasconsidered as the prime deci-sion maker. Only in the highprofile Sun TV Group’s case,the MHA took a diluted stand,arguing for the economicaspect in the sector.

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Making an emotionalappeal to MPs and MLAs,

Opposition presidential candi-date Meira Kumar today urgedthem to cast their votes withtheir “inner conscience”.Shealso said the President’s postcannot be used for narrowpolitical interests.

Taking a leaf from formerPrime Minister Indira Gandhi’sappeal made during the 1974presidential poll in favour of VV Giri, Kumar said, “This is thatmoment when one should heedthe inner voice of conscience andset the course of the nation.”She said, the Constitution recog-nises the office of the Presidentas the “final touchstone” for the

passage of laws. “It, therefore,cannot function to serve narrowpolitical interests.”She has issuedthe appeal to the members ofthe electoral college even beforefiling her nomination paperswhich she is likely to do onJune 28, the last date for filingnominations.

Kumar said, she was for-tunate to have been associated,in various ways, with twomonumental struggles of India-- the struggle to free Indiafrom the colonial rule and thefight against the tyranny ofcaste system -- that, she said,still plagues the Indian cultureand polity.”The nature of thesetwo struggles has deeply influ-enced my sentiments, mythoughts and my actions,” she

said.Kumar said during her

public life, she has beeninspired by the example set bythe founding fathers of India,regardless of their politicalaffiliations.”Despite the differ-ences, I have found that whenit comes to preserving the val-ues of inclusiveness and theneed for social justice, we allshare the same goals,” she said.

Kumar said the Presidenttakes an oath to “protect anddefend the Constitution - thebackbone of Indian democra-cy”. “It is this Constitution thatI and countless others haveinvoked to reinforce our demo-cratic values. It has guidedand elevated us in times of cri-sis and confusion,” she said.

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Aslew of commentaries andtelevision pieces appeared inthe national and internation-al media, recently, to markthe third anniversary of

Narendra Modi taking the helm of India.Most of them commended him for steer-ing the Indian ship through a particular-ly rough time, globally. Crisis upon cri-sis in the Arab world and democraticmayhem in the West coupled with anadversarial China and an unclear eco-nomic outlook, complicate matters.Despite persistent law and order issues,India has pretty much kept on sailing inthe turbulent waters. But some of the arti-cles and commentaries make the samepoint: ‘Could India have done muchmore?’ Te answer is universally — ‘Yes’.

While some of these commentariesmight have weak spots and a lack ofunderstanding of how the Indian polit-ical system or bureaucracy works, they domake a point that even this columnistmade a month ago. Narendra Modi is,possibly, the first Prime Minister Indiahas had in decades — in some respectsthe first since Rajiv Gandhi — who hasthe political mandate and political cap-ital by virtue of both his popularity andenduring image as a corruption-freereformer as Chief Minister of Gujarat toactually deal with and implement deep-rooted structural reforms in the Indianeconomy. Yet, three years into his helms-manship, Modi has just about started toaddress the �50,000 crore Air Indiaquestion. There have been no attempts atlabour or industrial reforms, let alone anyimprovement in policing and judicialreforms. What is worse for Modi is thathis extremely loud opponents in themedia and politics miss no opportunityto point out his missteps. Even if some-times these opponents are deeply discred-ited individuals themselves, their abilityto make noise must be noted.

Part of Modi’s problem is that he hasbeen a very infrequent communicator tothe media, and other than the occasion-al scripted interview and opportunitiesin the foreign media, his outreach to themedia has been extremely limited, to theextent of even avoiding speaking on plat-forms at media events. This, coupled withthe fact that there is no politicallyappointed Press and media officer inModi’s team, has made muchGovernment reportage of events inPrime Minister’s Office extremely spec-ulative. While the Government oftencommunicates through huge political ral-lies that are televised, Narendra Modiwould be served well by a capable Pressofficer and opening up to the media. Forone, it would let Modi communicatesome of the clear successes that his

Government has achieved, such as inpower, India’s renewables sector, DigitalIndia. Social reform, particularly withregards to the distribution of gas connec-tions to the poor has been a story thatpaid immense political benefits, as wellthe dramatic increase in India’s bankingsector, but these have been poorly com-municated. This is odd, given that Modimissed no opportunity to talk up his suc-cesses in Gujarat.

Better communication skills couldhave alleviated some of the confusing andcontradictory statements that appearedduring demonetisation. While the moveto Goods and Services Tax regime is adramatic simplification of India’s indirecttax code, communication to companiesand individuals who will be impacted bythe new tax code has been borderlineabysmal and many expect chaos in thecoming months.

Thankfully, the Government hasbeen proactive in Parliament of late, asthe Opposition has rolled over, particu-larly, after their humiliation in UttarPradesh. But there needs to be a movebeyond sheer optics. There is no doubtthat this Government is very good whenit comes to optics and on what the pub-lic wants to see and hear. The fact thatthe Government has not been blamedcompletely for the spurt of public violentincidents, is remarkable.

That brings us to the other over-whelming problem for Modi; how to deal

with the people who believe that 2014was a ‘cultural’ victory of ‘us’ versus‘them’; and not the mandate to rid thecountry of crony-capitalism and driveforward through economic and socialreforms. Visit any foreign country andforeign investors are bewildered about the‘beef ’ debate, particularly that peoplehave been murdered or beaten on theissue. And for a Government so clear onoptics, the sudden move to drasticallyorganise the bovine trading sector, andits instant deliberate misinterpretation bycertain members of the media, was badoptics. This strengthens those whobelieve that this Government is notdoing much work to raise living stan-dards and is not doing much eithertowards reforms — making foreigninvestors particularly incredulous.

There is an urgent need for strongcomments from the leadership in thiscountry towards these domestic issues.Some may argue that such incidents havebeen taking place in India for years. Thatis no excuse. We do live in an era ofinstant media gratification — and oncea video is shot on a mobile phone, thanksto the dramatic improvement of 4G cel-lular networks over the past few years, itcan be viral within minutes. The mediacoverage is also instant, as are the stan-dard commentary pieces attacking Modi.While it is disingenuous to blame Modifor all the failings of law and order, itmust be said that he must come out

strongly against mob attacks and that theGovernment should enable their law offi-cers to go after these criminal elements.

Simply put, the lack of policing andjudicial reforms are holding Indian soci-ety back and the lack of labour and indus-trial reforms are holding the Indian econ-omy back. Now, there are still two yearsleft, Modi and the BJP should not treat2019 as a shoo-in. Overconfidence inwhat voters will do laid low HillaryClinton and has been equally devastat-ing towards Theresa May.

Voters are an impatient lot nowadays.While the Modi Government has beenblessed with some capable Ministersand bureaucrats, this Government shouldseize the opportunity it has been givenand drive some dramatic reforms in thecoming months. There are still severalmajor systemic issues in India — not leastof which is one of Modi’s favourite talk-ing points — India is a country of a lotof young people. That is true, but theseyoung people, a disconcerting majorityof them male, are impatient, under qual-ified and angry.

The demographic ‘dividend’ that manykeep talking about can rapidly become ademographic timebomb, and when it comesto the sex-ratio it already is. The only way toaddress it is for rapid and irreversible reforms— and reforms that are strongly communi-cated to the outside world.

(The writer is Managing Editor, The Pioneer)�

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Sir — This refers to the editorial,“Now, a symbolic contest” (June 24).Ending any possible row aboutcastes in the race to Raisina Hill, theCongress and its allies have chosento field Meira Kumar, a ScheduledCaste member, against the BJPcandidate from the same category,Ram Nath Kovind, for the office ofthe President. The high office of thePresident has become a victim ofdirty political game which mocksthe secular credentials of our nation.The law-makers of the ruling partyand the Opposition are strongly onthis path.

S VasudevanSecunderabad

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Sir — This refers to the editorial,“Now, a symbolic contest” (June 24).With due regard to Meira Kumar,the fact is that much of what she istoday is due to her being thedaughter of late Jagjivan Ram. RamNath Kovind has no such back-ground and he is a self-made per-son. The selection of Meira Kumar,as the Congress-led Opposition’spresidential candidate, has exposedthe Opposition’s hypocrisy as, morethan anything else, it is because ofher being a Scheduled Caste mem-ber and to counter the BJP’s candi-date, she has been chosen.

It may be recalled that theCongress could have easily installedMeira Kumar as President in 2007,when it was in power at the Centre.Instead, it brought a little knownPratibha Patil to become thePresident. The Congress has refusedto support Kovind saying that no

effort was made to build a consen-sus. It is only when the BJP is inpower that consensus is talked of.While in power, the Congress, uni-laterally, selected and installed itscandidate as the President.

MC JoshiLucknow

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Sir — It has come to the light thattheft of petrol is happening byinstalling a microchip, in manypetrol pumps. We have been hear-ing this repeatedly for the past twomonths. Yet, we do not see any steptaken anywhere in the country totackle the problem. Not destroyingthe centres of these thieves is akinto giving them encouragement. Isthis not injustice to the customers?

Immediate action and penaltyto the tune of their shortfall plusinterest should be imposed onpetrol pumps which have beenfleecing the customers and cheatingthe Government. Only then themessage will go around that this willnot be tolerated. Sealing errantpetrol pump will be of inconve-nience to the people.

Hence, other solution should belooked for and implemented. Petrolpumps which have been indulgingin these illegal activities should beasked to give petrol to their cus-tomers at a cheaper rate for a fewdays or make up for the theft by giv-ing them the amount of petrol thatthey had been losing on to. Thesecould be ways in which they can beeffectively penalised.

Arpita PathakPanvel

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President Donald Trump’s rad-ical decision to renege on theParis agreement has created

shockwaves across the world.Former President Barack Obamahad worked tirelessly to navigate theintricacies of politics and diploma-cy to craft this agreement.

We live in a world where choic-es are very important, and it is vital-ly important to take cognisance ofthe consequences of the choiceswhich are made. This may appear tobe very evident but the correlationis not well understood. Such is thecase with the decision to abrogatethe Paris agreement, which was cob-bled together so meticulously.

The planet has been here for 4.5billion years; in comparison, the Homo

sapiens have existed for a very tiny andinsignificant part of the earth’s histo-ry. The planet is certainly going to out-live us. Meanwhile, what we need todo is to align our policies and make aconcerted effort to grow in a sustain-able manner. Rejecting the fact that ourpolluting industries are resulting in anegative externality is ignorance. Thedecision to look askance at an egre-gious abuse is a grave injustice. We owemore to our posterity.

Carl Sagan’s captivating andthought-provoking video, The PaleBlue Dot, is a lesson in humility forthose who absorb its message. It con-veys a very profound message. Weare insignificant and need to sur-mount our petty disputes and cher-ish life on this planet. Carl Sagan con-veys this message eloquently when hesays, “The earth is where we makeour stand.” President Trump’s arro-gance has clearly indicated that theUS alone is where he takes a stand.

When President Trump rejectedthe idea of shared prosperity byputting “America first”, was he reallynot aware of the consequences of the

choices he was making? Worldrenowned economist Paul Samuelsonstated that choices do reveal preference.

If this is the choice PresidentTrump has made, then it certainly doesnot auger well for the future. SomeStates in the US have vehementlyopposed this draconian decision, butone cannot gainsay that this ‘choice’made by the President is going to haveconsequences; and grave ones.

The truth is that Trump was the

‘choice’ of the world’s oldest moderndemocracies. The democratic rightexercised by the Americans has cat-apulted a fledgling politician to power— and the choices he will exercisenow are going to have a ripple effectaround the world. Elections are neverfair, as the famous ArrowsImpossibility theorem in economicsillustrates. But it would be fair to saythat Trump was the choice of millionsof Americans, if not of all.

The choices we make are reflectiveof our concerns, both as individuals aswell as a society — at least, in mostcases. A lot about leadership is beingsensitive to the consequences of ourchoices and the impact of such choic-es on the individual and the society. Agood leader must have the patience tounderstand an issue.

He must be responsible and cre-ative in finding solutions to thenumerous problems which plaguesociety. President Trump appearsimpatient and irresponsible. Andcreativity is certainly not his forte.

The US is enduring a rudderlessera. Good leadership could alsoentail the ability to be more discern-ing and to evaluate disparate perspec-tives without a modicum of prejudice.In the case of the Paris agreement, thestakeholders are the United States andother countries’ posterity. No onestands to gain with this choice.

When the Blue Marble photographof the earth was taken from Apollo 17in 1972, it evoked very strong senti-ments and infused very romantic ideasin the discourse of the day. People fer-

vently spoke about a world without bor-ders, a common Government and onelanguage. Fast forward 40 years, and wehave the famous selfie taken by astro-naut Aki Hoshide in space.

The faint image of the Blue Marblecan be seen in his space helmet.There is a subtle message. In the past40 years, there has been a pivot in thetrajectory of thought. We are movingfrom universalism to individualism.

Our capacity to empathise withone another is diminishing and wehave become rapacious consumers. Itis imperative that we take responsi-bility for our actions and elected lead-ers make a rational choice, since thereis going to be an opportunity forevery decision they make.

Choices made today are going toreverberate in the future. And choic-es which are made with respect to anexistential threat must be moreaccommodative, wise and inclusive.Let us not choose to condone the sim-mering reality that individual choic-es have global repercussions.

(The writer is a socio economiccommentator)

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The real choice confrontingus in the 21st century isbetween admiration ofachievement versus envyand resentment of it. Your

attitude towards people who excel invarious fields and towards peoplewho are striving to make a mark, isof critical importance. Do you aspiretheir excellence or do you seethe at it like the disgruntled stu-dents of Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) and the University ofCalcutta?

The students of the two univer-sities are busy showing their sympa-thy towards the jihadis. Do youadmire and celebrate achievement ordo you impugn and seek to tear itdown like the jihadis and theMaoists? Some people admire effort,potential and talent, and some envyit. The enviers hate Israel, India andall countries and society where peo-ple are working towards building astrong nation.

Today, Israel, with its populationof less than eight million people, five-and-a-half million Jews is secondonly to the United States in techno-logical contribution.

In per capita innovationm, Israeldwarfs all other nations. Forces ofcivilisation in the world continue tofeed upon the quintessential wealthof mind epitomised by Israel. By thefirst decade of 2000, Israel hasemerged as a leading global power —with more than $200 billion grossdomestic product (GDP), a per capi-ta income of close to $30,000 and atrillion dollars of market capitalisa-tion for the companies operating inthat country.

Israel has the highest density ofstart-ups in the world. By the firstdecade of 2000, it had close to 4,000start-ups, one for every 1,800 Israeli.After the US, Israel has the highestnumber of listed companies on theNational Association of SecuritiesDealers Automated Quotations(NASDAQ). By 2010, Israel hademerged with a per capita venturecapital investment 2.5 times greaterthan the US and eight times greaterthan China. Israel is a world leaderin the percentage of economicexpenditure on research and devel-opment (R&D).

According to a high-rankingGoogle executive, outside the US,Israel is the best place to invest in.Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer has calledMicrosoft in Israel as much anIsraeli firm as an American compa-ny because of the size and centrali-ty of its Israeli team. Warren Buffettbroke his decade-long record of notbuying any foreign company, withthe purchase of an Israeli firm at fivebillion dollars — just around thetime Israel began to fight the

2006 Lebanon war. Israel today has emerged as a

much sought after destination forbusiness, academia and to live, as itdoubled its economy relative to theUS while multiplying its populationfive-fold and fighting three full wars.

This is a totally unmatched featin the economic history of the world.Half of the world’s top technologicalcompanies brought start-ups oropened R&D centres in Israel. Thetiny nation grew rapidly in the term2001-2010, in spite of the globalrecession, a period of intense terror-ist attack and the second Lebanonwar. The consistency and efforts ofpeople triumphed over the culture ofjihad. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchangewas higher on the last day of theLebanon war than on the first in2009, showing the victory of peopleof Israel over forces of jihad.

In his book, The Geography ofBliss, author Eric Weiner describesIsrael as a country with great abili-ty to turn failures and challenges intoopportunities and successes. Themore mortar and rockets the jihadisfired at Israel, the more its people gotdetermined to keep progressing.Companies l ike InternationalBusiness Machines (IBM) and Intelhave a major presence in Israel andtheir Israel team has played a criti-cal role in the growth of the organ-isations. It is the teams that are exam-

ples of resilience and talent to the world.

The Technion institute in Israelis considered to be one amongst thebest technical education institutionsin the world. Israel has made signif-icant contributions in the field ofinformation technology, medicalscience and irrigation.

It would not be an over-state-ment to say that everything weexperience or touch has somethingfrom ‘Israel inside’. Israel draws itsstrength and source of success bydeveloping its human resource andnational service in the form of con-scription for two to three years.

According to the Organisationfor Economic Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD), 45 per centof Israelis are university-educated —which is the highest in the world.According to recent IMD WorldCompetitiveness Yearbook, Israel isranked second among 60 developednations on the criterion of whetheruniversity education meets the needof a competitive economy.

Netafim, an Israeli company, isone of the world’s pioneers in devel-oping innovative ways to increasecrop yield by up to 50 per cent whileusing 40 per cent less water. Thereare many more Israeli companieswho are at the forefront of makingthe planet a better place for all of us.Israel entered the nuclear club in

1960s. It features among the world’stop 10 producers of nuclear patents.

Both India and Israel are democ-racies that face the menace of jihad.Most important is the historic, peo-ple-to-people link between the Jewsof Israel and the Hindus of India.India was late in recognising thevalue of Israel as a friend for a verylong time. India’s domestic politicalcompulsion of appeasing to theMuslim world prevented it fromdeveloping diplomatic relations withIsrael till the mid-1990s.

Israel has time and again stoodby India. Its military supply con-tributed significantly in India’s Kargilvictory against Pakistan. Israel hadgone out of the way to help India,rejecting pressure from the then USpresident Bill Clinton. India andIsrael must enhance the scope of col-laboration and make the engagementdeep for the benefit of both the countries.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlinvisited India in November 2016. Theforthcoming visit of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi to Israel, the first byany reigning Prime Minister of thecountry, will be a historic momentin India-Israel diplomatic relations.The addition of strengths of twofriendly nations will augur well forthe world.

(The writer is a human resourceprofessional based in Ahmedabad)

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The JD(S) led by formerPrime Minister HD

Devegowda and his son HDKumaraswamy has endorsedthe UPA nominee, former LokSabha Speaker Meira Kumar inthe Presidential electionsscheduled on July 17.

The JD(S), which has 40MLAs and 3 MPs, on Sunday,endorsed the candidature ofMeira Kumar , a nominee of 17Opposition parties in the pres-ence of the Congress leaders.Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

too put his signature proposingthe candidature of MeiraKumar. However, the JD(S)has disqualified eight MLAs onthe grounds of indulging inanti-party activities duringelections to the Rajya Sabha lastyear.

This move comes just aftera week supporting theBharatiya Janata Party in theno-confidence motion movedby the Congress againstKarnataka Legislative CouncilChairman DH Shankaramu-rthy and has surprised manypolitical pundits.

A Congress leader said itwas after G Parameshwara,KPCC president approachedDeve Gowda seeking supportfor Meira Kumar in the presi-dential elections and the JD(S)leader agreed to provide party’ssupport to defeat communalforces in the country.

The NDA has fielded RamNath Kovind. The JD (S),which was known to switchsides, also supported theMayoral candidate of theCongress in the BruhatBengaluru Mahanagara Palike(BBMP) two years back.

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In a mighty blow to ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee’s

“Hills are smiling” claims,Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chiefBimal Gurung on Sunday iter-ated his party’s “determina-tion” against taking part in the-upcoming elections for theautonomous GorkhalandTerritorial Authority whichsprang into existence in 2011post a tripartite agreementinvolving the Centre, BengalGovernment and GJM.

While Morcha second incommand Roshan Giri said“GTA chapter is closed”Gurung said “Our party willnot take part in the elections aswe are out of it. We will not letthe elections happen inDarjeeling. There is no ques-tion hence forward of stoppingat anything short ofGorkhaland.”

An unwavering Morchaleadership’s statement camewith parallel developments in

Dooars region showingDarjeeling crisis was headingfrom bad to worse. Regions inDooars saw a counter postur-ing by the non-Gorkha ele-ments when a large anti-Gorkhaland rally in Siliguriended up with attacks onGorkhas living in the plainsand drivers from Sikkim.

Incidentally, PawanChamling the Chief Minister ofthat State, had a few days agoopenly advocated the cause ofGorkhaland writing a letter toUnion Home Minister RajnathSingh seeking his interventionfor the favour of creating a newState based on the GJM’sdemand.

Sikkim and Darjeelingbound drivers were attackedand their vehicles were dam-aged by angry TrinamoolCongress-backed mob protest-ing formation of Gorkhaland.The incident could provokefresh trouble in the Hills, policesources said.

Darjeeling had been silent

for the past one week afterthree Morcha supporters werekilled in alleged police firingwith neither the security forcesnor the rallyists messing witheach other.

Gurung, who had beenprotesting against the StateGovernment’s imposition ofBengali as the (optional) fourthlanguage in the Hills, becamefurious after Mamata ordered

a special audit of the GTAaccounts worth �2,000 croreallocated by the StateGovernment.

He called it “aggressiveexpansionist policy” of Mamataby toppling the GJM by impli-cating it in false cases and giv-ing it a bad name. “She is try-ing to do to us what she hasdone to Congress and theCPI(M) in the State. But we arenot them and this is our terri-tory where we will give them abloody nose,” he said remind-ing the Chief Minister that hewas not Maoist leader Kishenji.

“I am not Kishenji whomyou can kill. I am Gurung andwill show you my mettle. I amready to die for Gorkhaland,”he said while the politicalobservers blamed the ChiefMinister for pushing theMorcha chief against the walland “leaving him with nooption but to take extremepath.”

In an apparent bid to senda signal to the minorities, the

Morcha on Sunday announcedpartial relaxation to the ongo-ing indefinite Darjeeling bandhon the occasion of Eid onMonday.

“Considering the festival ofthe Muslims we have decidedto give partial relaxation onMonday when the vehicles tak-ing the worshippers and theirfamilies will be spared move-ment. But the shops will remainclosed as usual,” NorbungLama a Morcha leader said.

Meanwhile, the State BJPon Sunday made its stand clearstating that it was not in favourof Gorkhaland.

“We had indeed backedChhattisgarh, Uttarkhand orTelengana but that is differentfrom this issue because newStates are created on certainprinciples which do not fithere. You cannot create newStates in each municipality ordistrict or perhaps a village onthe basis of language only,” saidBJP State president DilipGhosh.

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Aday after saffron leaderand MP George Baker was

roughed up and his car wassmashed, the BJP on Sundaydemanded the resignation ofChief Minister MamataBanerjee owing moral respon-sibility to the incident.

Bengal was a place wheredemocracy did not prevail,BJP leader and grand nephewof Netaji Subhas Chandra Bosesaid adding the TrinamoolCongress had unleashed aregime where only one partywould have its say.

Bengal under MamataBanerjee had been convertedinto a “land of hoodlums”where the Opposition workerswere attacked and their voicesstifled every day.

“Even the senior leaderslike MPs of other parties can-not escape their attacks,” he saiddemanding resignation ofBanerjee as the State’s HomeMinister.

Wondering whether theChief Minister should contin-ue to handle the Home port-folio he said “She should imme-diately put in her resignation.The peace-loving people ofBengal will not tolerate suchbehavior of the Trinamoolgoons any longer.”

Baker’s car was attacked, hewas pulled out of it and beat-en up with wickets by TMCgoons when he went to conduct

a “Bistarak” programme of theBJP at Kalna in Burdwan dis-trict. The windshield — withsticker indicating “MP” mark -— of the car was smashed.

Complaints against fiveTMC men, including a coun-cilor, was lodged at the localpolice station while the ruling outfit claimed theSaturday’s incident was a product of intra-party clash ofthe BJP.

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The second biggest annualprocession (Rath Yatra) of

Lord Jagannath across thecountry concluded peacefullyat Ahmedabad at around 8.30pm on Sunday in the presenceof lakhs of devotees and amidtight security arrangements.

The major attraction ofthe 140th Rath Yatra was com-munal harmony as large num-ber of Muslims not only wel-comed but also joined the pro-cession in different areas of thewalled city of Ahmedabad. Inits 15 km long route, the RathYatra passed through severalMuslim dominated areas.

In the past, the Stateadministration had witnessedcommunal tension during theannual religious event of theHindu community. However,since last one and half decadesnot a single untoward incidentoccurred and all credit goes tothe State administration.

Keeping the dark history ofcommunal riots in the city,entire route of the Rath Yatraliterally transformed intofortress. The Ahmedabad RathYatra is considered as the sec-ond only to Jagannath Puri inOdisha.

The 140th Rath Yatracommenced at around 9 amafter Gujarat Chief MinisterVijay Rupani performed thereligious ritual of ‘PahindVidhi’ with golden broom on

the main chariot of LordJagannath on the auspiciousoccasion of ‘Asadhi Bij’. DeputyChief Minister Nitinbhai Patelalso joined the ‘Pahind Vidhi’.Prime Minister Narendra Moditoo performed the same ritualfor 13 long years when he wasGujarat Chief Minister.

The procession kicked offfrom four century oldJagannath temple in Jamalpur

area and lord Jagannath, hisbrother Balbhadra and sisterSubhadra, set for their sojournin decorated chariots alongwith hundreds. As the proces-sion marched, people joinedthe procession.

Rupani invoked the bless-ings of Lord Jagannath forpeace and tranquility in everyplace and all round develop-ment and prosperity of the

State. He said this is one festi-val in which people from allsections of the society join theprocession and hence it is alsocalled ‘Nagar Utsav’. SinceAsadhi Bij (second lunar phaseof bright moon) is the first dayof the Kutchi calendar, hewished happy New Year to thepeople of Kutch. As perGujarati Hindu calendar,Ashathi Bij is considered as

beginning of monsoon andmost parts of Gujarat in factreceive heavy to light rainsincluding that of Ahmedabadon the auspicious day.

The Chariots of LordJagannath were accompaniedby 18 decorated elephants,more than 100 trucks, over 30religious congregations and 20singing troupes.

Around 20,000 security

personnel, including Gujaratpolice, SRP, CRPF as well asPara-military forces weredeployed enroute the proces-sion. The entire route is beingmonitored by police through anetwork of CCTV cameras,connected with two controlrooms, one in the city andanother in the State capitalGandhinagar,” said joint com-missioner of police JK Bhatt.

According to Bhatt, theprocession was also monitoredthrough camera embeddedunmanned aerial vehicleswhich were connected withtwo control rooms one inAhmedabad and another at theState capital. Apart fromAhmedabad, over 100 RathYatras were taken acrossGujarat to mark the auspi-cious day of ‘Ashathi Bij’.

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On the eve of the festival ofEid, Pakistan Army resort-

ed to indiscriminate firingalong the Line of Control inNaushera sector of Rajouridistrict. Pak Army had earlierviolated ceasefire agreementearly sunday morning in thesame sector.

Pak Army not only target-ed several forward posts in thearea but also fired mortar shellsto target civilian pockets. Largenumber of people engaged inEid festivities were affectedand ran for cover.

Several hundreds camp-ing in relief camps acrossNaushera were also gearingup to celebrate Eid with otherdisplaced people.

Defence spokesman inJammu said, Pak Army violat-ed ceasefire agreement inNaushera around 6.30 am. Thefiring continued for over twohours. Firing in the same sec-tor resumed later in the eveningaround 5.50 pm and was goingon intermittently till the timeof filing the report.

After the BAT strike inPoonch, Pak Army is desper-ately trying to push in smallgroup of infiltrators inside theIndian territory.

�� 6'<E453

Ram Nath Kovind, the for-mer Bihar Governor and

the presidential candidate ofthe National DemocraticAlliance (NDA), the rulingalliance at the Centre, arrivedin Lucknow on Sunday tokick-start the campaign.Accompanied by UnionMinister and BJP general sec-retary Bhupendra Yadav, theNDA presidential candidatewas received at the Amausiairport by Uttar Pradesh ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath.

From the airport, RamNath Kovind drove straight tothe Chief Minister's officialresidence at Kalidas Marg.Both the Deputy ChiefMinisters Keshav PrasadMaurya, Dinesh Sharma,Union Minister Uma Bhartiand most of the CabinetMinisters and BJP MLA andState Assembly SpeakerHridya Narayan Dikshit werepresent at the Chief Minister'sresidence.

In the meeting of the BJPMLAs and the allies, the leg-islators with a voice voteendorsed the candidature ofRam Nath Kovind for thepost of president.

The BJP allies — ApnaDal (Sonelal) president andUnion Minister of StateAnupriya Patel, Bharat Samajparty leader and CabinetMinister Om Prakash Rajbharwere also present at the meeting.

Kovind met all the BJPMLAs and Ministers and lead-ers of alliance partners andappealed for their support forthe president election. RamNath Kovind after meeting theBJP Legislators and Ministersleft for Delhi. He will visit

Dehradun on Monday, theState Capital of the BJP ruledState Uttarakhand.

In his brief address to thelegislators, Kovind expressedhis gratitude to the MLAs forcoming for the meeting. “Ihave come to seek your bless-ings. I feel honoured for beingnominated as the candidatefor the office of Presidentand I thank you all,” saidKovind.

BJP MLA Jagan Prasadsaid in a statement that nonefrom the Opposition partieswere present at the meeting atthe Chief Minister’s residence.He said only the MLAs fromthe BJP and its allies were pre-sent in the meeting.

Chief Minister YogiAdityanath had invited theleaders of all the political par-ties, including the Samajwadiparty, Bhaujan Samaj Partyand the Congress. However,none from the Oppositionparties turned up for themeeting.

Samajwadi Party patri-arch Mulayam Singh Yadavhas not only pledged his sup-port for Kovind but alsopraised the NDA candidate.His son and SP presidentAkhilesh Yadav has alreadyannounced his support toMeira Kumar, the Congressleader and joint candidate ofthe 17 Opposition parties.

The electoral college ofthe Presidents election com-prise of the MLA, MLCsmembers of Lok Sabha andRajya Sabha. Though smoothsailing for Kovind is a fore-gone conclusion, UP is impor-tant State for the NDA candi-date as not only it has thehighest number of MLAs(325) but also the number ofLok Sabha MPs is 73.

�� 6'<E453

The Yogi Government haspostponed release of

‘White Paper’ on the ‘mis-rule’ of the previousAkhilesh YadavGovernment due to the visitof NDA presidential candi-date Ram Nath Kovind, offi-cial sources here said.

Now, the White Paper islikely to be released simul-taneously along with the100 days report card of theYogi Aditynath governmenton June 27.

“The White Paper wasscheduled to be releasedbut as it coincided with thearrival of Ram Nath Kovind,hence the programme hasbeen postponed,” thesources said.

The Chief Minister alsocancelled the award distrib-ution to hockey players ofboth senior and junior cat-egory which was also sched-uled for Sunday evening.

The Government hadgiven much hype aboutrelease of white paper onSunday. Government spok-esman and Health MinisterSidharthnath Singh hadclaimed that Governmentwill highlight failure of pre-vious SP Government. Heeven said that Yogi Govern-ment has failed to go fullsteam because of the rot oflast 15 years.

�� 6'<E453

Former UP Chief Ministerand Samajwadi Party pres-

ident Akhilesh Yadav has ques-tioned the claims of achieve-ment by the Yogi Adityanathgovernment on completion of100 days of BJP Government inthe State.

Social media savvyAkhilesh Yadav on Sundaytweeted "Ram Ram KarnaParaya kaam Apna ". AkhileshYadav had been consistentlyclaiming that the BJPGovernment lacks vision andagenda for the development ofthe state. He had also beenclaiming that the schemes andthe development projects ini-tiated by the previousSamajwadi Party regime arebeing projected as the achieve-ment of the BJP Government.SP and its president are also rat-tled by the spate of inquiries bythe CBI into the projects imple-mented during the previousregime recommended by theYogi Adityanath government.

The SP president also feelsoutmaneuvered by the ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath overthe in principal approval grant-ed to the GreenfieldInternational Airport at Jewarin Gautam Buddh nagar dis-trict. The previous SPGovernment wanted to shiftthe airport to Sefai, the nativeplace of Akhilesh Yadav inEtawah district.

SP spokesperson RajendraChowdhury said this BJPGovernment has failed to deliv-er to the people in its first 100days in office. He alleged thatthe BJP lacks the agenda for

development of UP and theGovernment was working withvendetta and ordering inquiriesand investigations into theworks done by the previousSamajwadi Party Government.He said in last 100 days the BJPgovernment has notannounced even one scheme orthe project for the developmentof the state and were onlyrepackaging the schemesannounced by the previousAkhilesh Yadav government.

The BJP however coun-tered the charge saying the SPhas a myopic vision andclaiming credit for the projectswhich were incomplete yetinaugurated by the formerchief minister Akhilesh Yadav.The State BJP general secretaryVijay Bahadur Pathak said thatthe opposition parties havenothing to say against the YogiAdityanath Government.

"The SP leaders are yet torealise that they had been votedout of power by the people of Uttar Pradesh and they wereno longer in office'' said the BJPleader.

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The initial relief among thelakhs of Keralites in Qatar

has started giving way to anx-iety as there are no signs of anend to the crisis brought aboutby the trade and diplomaticembargo imposed by SaudiArabia, UAE and their allies. Itis entering the fourth week butthe general feeling among themis that Doha should not andneed not give in to the pres-sures from those countries.

The escalation in ArabianGulf ’s worst diplomatic disputein years since the handing overof a 13-point list of conditionsby Saudi Arabia and its allynations to Qatar and that coun-try’s refusal to completely com-ply with those demands haveenhanced the worries of expa-triates in Qatar about how thesituation is going to develop inthe days after Eid’ul Fitr.

“When this embargo wasimposed, there were worries,especially about food avail-ability, among the people. Butsoon things stabilised. We hadhoped that the crisis would endby Eid but that has not hap-pened. The worry has nowbecome more real. Expatriateshave even begun talking aboutthe possibilities of a conflict,”says Subair, a Thrissur nativeworking in Doha.

According to journalistsworking with Kerala newspa-pers in Doha, life is still normal

in the Qatar capital and its sub-urbs and there are no signs ofany crisis prevailing in thecountry as far as the native peo-ple and expatriates are con-cerned. However, reports on“renewed threats” from the“anti-Qatar axis” are causingdiscomfort, they say.

“Air fares have gone up tolevels unbearable to even medi-um and high income groupexpatriates and that is expect-ed in such a situation. However,the Qatari Riyal has not suf-fered a serious jolt so far, espe-cially in comparison with theIndian Rupee, and that is a bigrelief,” says a senior journalistof a Kerala-based newspaper inDoha.

What has caused the sud-den escalation in anxietyamong the expatriate commu-nity, including the more-than-300,000 Keralites, in Qatar isthe list of “threatening” condi-tions handed over to QatariGovernment by the “axis”through Kuwaiti authorities.

“The Government andalmost all the people here con-sider these conditions as unrea-sonable and impractical,” hesays.

Even Keralites in Qatarwho normally would havenothing to do with interna-tional politics seem to be of theview that the blockade by SaudiArabia and others is unjusti-fied.

“They must be using the

terrorism card as a tool toattract attention. Their maintargets are Qatari media, espe-cially Al-Jazeera TV, and itsopenness,” says MK Nair, anauditor with European firm inDoha.

As per reports, the mostimportant demands in the 13-point list of conditions SaudiArabia and others have pro-posed to Qatar are closure ofAl-Jazeera, drastic scale-back incooperation with Iran andremoval of Turkish troops fromQatari soil. Doha has alreadytermed this list as somethingthat interferes with its foreignpolicy and sovereignty.

“They have given a ten-daydeadline. Nobody in Qatarthinks that this is going towork. The expatriates hereknow that they will be the firstvictims if the crisis snowballsinto a conflict but the beauty isthat they don’t want the Qatariauthorities to give in to thepressures from outside. Theyseem to love this country,” saysthe journalist.

That feeling of love for thecountry they work in is notunfounded as SulaimanMuhammad, a plumber whohad worked in Riyadh, SaudiArabia for seven years and hasbeen in Doha for the pastthree years, says. “In Riyadh, Iused to fear the law. In Doha,I respect the law. That is all Ihave to say about it,” saysSulaiman.

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American forces in Afghan-istan and Qatar are using

drones to bomb the camps ofIslamic State terrorists. Reportsabout the number of IS extrem-ists getting killed in droneattacks have become a routineaffair in these countries. But inthe land of Mahatma Gandhi,drones have been deployed tosave precious wildlife.

Sophisticated drones andsome ingenious methods arethe new “weapons of peace”being used by the Governmentof Tamil Nadu to scare awaywild animals trespassing intohuman habitation. The drones,five in number, were given tothe Department of Forest bythe Union Ministry ofEnvironment and Forest.

Officials of the forestdepartment have confirmedthat every year Tamil Naduloses 70 elephants due to man-animal conflicts. The year 2016saw officials shooting downfour tigers which were labelledas man eaters.

Since severe water shortagein the forests is forcing wildanimals, especially elephants, to

come out of human habitationsin search of drinking water andfood, the State administrationhas decided to dig farm pondsin the reserve forests. This wasannounced by Dindigul CSreenivasan, Minister forEnvironment and Forest.

“We will construct 60 farmponds at a cost of �3 crore inthis current financial year itself.Wild animals are migratingfrom forests in search of wateras the landscapes had dried updue to monsoon failure. Theman-animal conflicts are onthe rise. Farm ponds will helpin harvesting rain water, repl-enish ground water and enrichthe flora,” said the Minister.

The forest department isgoing hi-tech by introducinginformation technology dri-ven systems for tracking andmonitoring wildlife habitats.Taken aback by the death ofseven elephants in the first fivemonths of the current year, theTamil Nadu Forest Departm-ent is all set to introducesophisticated drones to controlthe movement of wild ele-phants and prevent them fromentering human habitation.

“We will soon start usingdrones to scare away wild ele-

phants. These drones wouldhave loud speakers which willblare out pre-recorded roars ofpredators,” said Senthil Kumar,Range Officer, Madukkarainear Coimbatore. He said ele-phants have some kind of aver-sion to the bees-like noise ofthe drones.

The drones were given bythe Centre for monitoring ani-mal habitation and track themovement of animals onround the clock basis. “As ondate, farmers scare away wildanimals, especially wild ele-phants, with the noise emittedby empty tins and drum beats.If we could use the roar of tigersand leopards through loudspeakers attached to the drones,the animals would be scaredaway to their dwelling places,”said one of the senior forestofficials based in Chennai.

A senior official ofSouthern Railway confidedthat they too are in the processof making use of drones tocheck the movement of wildanimals along the Coimbatore-Palakkadu stretch which falls inthe periphery of WesternGhats. Last year saw ten ele-phants getting mowed down bytrains in this sector alone.

��+��+� �� 24.(6'�'

In one of the major haul ofdrugs in the country, the cus-

toms and excise sleuths haveseized 475 kgs of ephedrine onSaturday at KempegowdaInternational Airport inBengaluru. The seized drugsworth �24 crore were meant tobe transported to Malaysia.

According to Rajiv BTiwari, chief commissioner ofcentral excise and customs,the bags of ephedrine seizedwere meant to be transportedto Malaysia and hidden inammonium chloride bags.

He said “Our officers haveseized ephedrine, a drug whichwas hidden in ammoniumchloride bags in the cargocomplex. Acting on a tip-off,we have seized ephedrine hid-den in the bags.”

According to officials,Bengaluru has been used as atransit point to shift ephedrineto other countries.

“The suspects wanted tosmuggle the substance througha Malaysia-bound Sri Lankanflight. Hours before the flight’sdeparture, we have receivedalert about the possibility ofsome bags containingEphedrine,” an official said.

The customs officials are intouch with their Malaysiancounterparts and have exchan-ged information. The Malaysi-an customs officials are con-ducting a separate investigationin their country.

Ephedrine is a controlledmedication and stimulant usedto make amphetamines andmethamphetamine.

According to officials, onexamining the bags, sleuths

found that two of them con-tained ephedrine. The firmthat had booked the consign-ment is based in Chennai.Later, sleuths tracked downthe rest of the goods that thecompany plans to export to agodown in Kothanur inBengaluru.

According to officials inthe Directorate of RevenueIntelligence (DRI), the drugephedrine is illegally manu-factured in India and smuggledabroad. It is in high demand fortreatment of insomnia andblood pressure, but can also beconverted to illegal drugs likemethamphetamine andamphetamine.

According to AdditionalCommissioner of Customs, DAnil, the two bags were beingsmuggled along with a con-signment of 81 bags, whichwere declared as ammoniumchloride. Officials estimatedthe cost of the seized drugs tobe �2.5 crore.

The drugs were packed in17 gunny bags and the totalseizure is valued at �24 crore.

According to Customs offi-cials, this is the biggest drug bustin south India. Customs sleuthsare now looking out for the ten-ant of the godown as the ownerhas already shared the rentalagreement with the officials.

Ephedrine is not a bannedsubstance, but its use is gov-erned by the Narcotic Drugsand Psychotropic SubstancesAct. “Those who manufacture,store or use it should be regis-tered with the NCB. Theyshould submit a report of everytransaction,” said a NCB officer.

The department had, inMay, seized ephedrine, whichwas being smuggled in file cov-ers. The drug was concealedinside the rexin of thick file cov-ers. In December, 25kg ephe-drine worth more than �1 crorewas seized.

��%��%�� E5<-�

Alleged discrimination andrefusal by house owners

and hostels in the city to pro-vide accommodation for themseem to be prompting thetransgender employees ofKochi Metro, which had set outto create a new trend in genderequality by appointing mem-bers of the community as itsstaff, to abandon their jobs. Asper reports, only 12 of the 21transgenders, who had joinedthe Kochi Metro, are current-ly appearing for duty.

“The supervisors and otherstaff are interacting with themen and women in my sectionwarmly but I haven’t been get-ting that warmth,” complaineda member of the transgendercommunity working in thehousekeeping department ofthe Kochi Metro.

“The fact is that the soci-ety’s outlook is refusing tochange. It is almost impossible

to get accommodation for us,”she said.

The decision of the KochiMetro Rail Limited (KMRL) toinduct transgenders as its staffhad received appreciationnationally and to some extent,internationally and even PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, whilecommissioning the Metro onJune 17, had showered praiseson Kerala’s CPI(M)-led LDFGovernment and KMRL forthe revolutionary move.

“That revolution may notsurvive for long if the Keralasociety, which takes pride in itsstatus of being fully literate andhighly conscious politicallyand socially, doesn’t change”,says a Kochi-based activistworking for the rights of thecommunity.

“The KMRL is capable ofresolving the problems withinit, if there are any, but it is dif-ficult to change the society’smindset,” she says.

According to a transgender

Ragaranjini, who works in theticketing section of the KochiMetro at Idappally, for a take-home salary of �10,400, she is

not facing any serious problemsat the work place but what wor-ries her is the difficulty in get-ting accommodation in the

city, known as Kerala’s com-mercial capital and for its cos-mopolitan culture, for mem-bers of her community.

“Landlords in Kochi aregenerally unwilling to rent outhouses or rooms to us. We haveto depend on lodging facilities

that charge �600, �700 or �800as rent for a day. How can Ispend that kind of money dailyconsidering the size of mymonthly pay? Presently, finan-cial assistance is coming fromthe family. But how long can itwork?” Ragaranjini asks.

“Some passengers seem toshow some aversion to mycounter but most of them areall right. Some even ask meabout my work and life. But theworld outside the Metro is dif-ferent. When I get out of thestation late at night after dutyand wait for a vehicle on theroad, the only thing that givesme confidence is my uniformwith KMRL emblem,” she toldthe media.

“Somehow, even the mostmodern-minded Keralites arestill unable to recognise peoplefrom this community as nor-mal individuals. They can’tdigest the fact that these peo-ple were also born to parentsjust like them. There seems to

be a general feeling that trans-genders should earn their liveli-hood from the city’s dark back-streets,” fumes the Kochi-basedactivist.

However, not all the trans-genders are finding fault withthe KMRL though someactivists question the MetroRail company’s sincerity inensuring availability of mini-mum facilities they require. “Itis up to the State Government,which had initiated the revo-lutionary step, to help thetransgenders with the KMRL inthis regard,” said Deena, amember of the community.

Sources in the KMRLexpressed helplessness as far asproviding additional facilitiesexclusively for their employeesfrom the transgender commu-nity. “We can understand theproblems of the members ofthis community. But we havelimitations. There must beother ways to solve the prob-lem,” said a KMRL official.

8��B��C� ��

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The new gold-covered mastat the Sabarimala hill shrine

in Kerala was found damagedusing some chemical, suspect-ed to be mercury, on Sundaywithin hours of its installation,triggering widespread concernamong the millions of devoteesof Lord Ayyappa, the deity ofthe world-famous temple. Fivepeople, hailing from Vijaya-wada, Andhra Pradesh havebeen taken into custody by thepolice in connection with theincident.

The damage of the gold-covered base (Pancha VargaThara) of the mast at its pede-stal was identified by the sculp-tors of the mast. The chiefsculptor and his associates saidthe erosion of gold at the mast’sbase could have been caused bymercury application. Sources inthe temple administration bodysaid the damage could be rec-tified.

Five persons were takeninto custody by the police fromthe bus stand in Pampa, thebase station for the Sabarimalahill shrine, as they were prepar-ing to leave the place, on thebasis of the visuals found fromthe CCTV recordings fromSannidhanam, the abode of

Lord Ayyappa at the temple.The Superintendent of

Police, Pathanamthitta con-firmed that the liquid waspoured on the mast base by theAndhra persons themselves.“We can confirm this much.The police have been able tonab them within 45 minutes ofthe identification of the dam-age,” he said. A special team ofAndhra Pradesh police isexpected to reach Kerala toquestion them.

The police official said thatthe detained persons hadadmitted that they had poured

the liquid at the mast base butclaimed that they had done itas part of a ritual. “That is whatthey are saying. Two of themhad visited Sabarimala earlieralso,” said the official. Thepolice seized a bottle with theremainder of the chemical sub-stance from them.

The CCTV grab showedthree men standing near thenewly installed mast and one ofthem, aged around 60, pouringsome liquid on the mast basefrom a bottle. These visualswere recorded at 1.27 pm.Temple authorities said the

mast base was intact till theperformers of installation rit-uals had left the spot a few min-utes before that.

The cost of the gold-plat-ing of the flag mast was borneby a Vijayawada-based indus-trial group. Preparations for theinstallation of the new 12-metre mast costing �3.2 croreand for which over nine kilosof gold, 17 kilos of silver and250 kilos of copper were usedhad started a year ago.Authorities said the goldencylinders (Swarna Para) of themast were intact.

Acting upon a complaintlodged directly by PrayarGopalakrishnan, president of temple administration body Travancore DevaswomBoard (TDB), Director Generalof Police TP Senkumar direct-ed the Inspector General of Police and thePathanamthitta district policechief to conduct a thoroughprobe into the incident.

Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan directed the police tocarry out a detailed investiga-tion into the incident and cap-ture the culprits behind it.“Kerala is a much advancedState and there is every facili-ty required to solve such cases.We believe that the culpritswould be nabbed and the moti-vation would be learned,” saidthe TDB president.

“The mast base was intacttill the Ucha Pooja (noon ritu-als within the sanctum sancto-rum) was over. It seems thatthis is part of an attempt atcheating and that it has beendone on purpose,” saidDevaswom MinisterKadakampally Surendran.

The mast base was founddamaged within an hour of the performance of the final ritual of mast installation, VajiVahana Pratishtha.

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BBharat, brother of popularTelugu actor Ravi Teja died

in a road accident on the OuterRing Road of Hyderabad lastnight.

According to police, Bharatwas going alone in his Skodacar from Shamshabad airporttowards Gachi Bowli when thespeeding car hit a stationarylorry at Kotwalguda. Bharatdied on the spot.

Alerted by the highwaypatrol, the Shamshabad policerushed to the spot and shiftedthe body to Osamania Hospital.

Police inspector M Maheshsaid that the lorry was parkedon the roadside after it brokedown. “We have booked a caseagainst the lorry driver as thevehicle was parked withoutswitching on the parking lightto alert the other vehicles,” hesaid.

Such trucks and lorrieswithout any warning light orradium marking on the backpose a deadly threat to thespeeding vehicles coming frombehind causing major acci-dents on the ORR.

Death of Bharat, who hadalso worked in a few films, has

plunged the Telugu film indus-try into mourning. After post-mortem, the body was cre-mated at Jubilee Hills crema-torium on Sunday afternoon.

With this another VIPname has been added to thelong list of victims of accidentson ORR. Earlier son andnephew of former Indian crick-et captain Mohammed Azhar-uddin, son of Telugu film actorKota Srinivas, son of formerMinister Komatireddy VenkatReddy and his two friends andgrandson of former State DGPP Ramulu died in accidents onthe ring road.

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UK’s Cairn Energy, whichbecame the first compa-

ny to face coercive recoveryin retrospective tax action,had created a maze of sub-sidiaries in a span of just sixmonths to transfer Indianassets, an event that led to ademand of �10,247 crore asdues.

According to documentsaccessed by the news agency,Scotland-based Cairn Energytill 2006 held Indian assets,including the prol i f icRajasthan oil fields, throughnine Indian subsidiaries.

What followed was cre-

ation of layers of subsidiaryfirms and transfer of Indianassets. The tax departmentsaid the company made cap-ital gains out of the restruc-tur ing , hence the taxdemand.

When contacted, CairnEnergy spokesperson justi-fied the structure, saying thecompany chose India listingover the option of getting theIndian company listed onUK bourses.

The structure it built hadbeen presented to Sebi, theerstwhile Foreign InvestmentPromotion Board (FIPB) andthe Reserve Bank of India in2006 in a “transparent” man-

ner.On June 26, 2006, Cairn

f irst created Cairn UKHolding Ltd (CUHL) andtransfered the Indian assetsto it. In return, it got 221.44million shares of CUHL onJune 30, 2006. It also gotanother 29.78 million sharesfor sale of 29.78 millionpound debt on September 1,2006.

On August 3, 2006, CairnIndia Holding Ltd (CIHL)was incorporated in Jersey,Channel Islands -- a taxhaven -- as a wholly-ownedsubsidiary of CUHL.

The Indian assets weretransfered to CIHL which

issued 221.44 million sharesto CUHL, UK, on August 7,2006. CUHL also sold debt of29.78 mil l ion pound toCIHL, for which the Jerseyfirm issued another 29.78million shares.

So, CUHL in all acquired251.22 million shares ofCIHL at one UK pound ster-ling apiece.

Thereafter, CUHL, UK,on October 12, 2006, sold41.49 million shares of CIHLto newly-incorporated CairnIndia Ltd, which transferedto the British firm �5,037crore for the same.

Three more such sharetransfers happened between

November and December2006. In all, the four trans-actions put together, 251.22million shares of CIHL weresold to Cairn India for�26,681 crore.

The income tax depart-ment, documents showed,calculated the cost of acqui-sition as 251.22 millionpound (Rs 2,178 crore) con-sidering the price at whichthe debt was transfered.

So, the capital gainsCUHL made were calculatedat Rs 24,503 crore (�26,681crore gained minus acquisi-tion price of �2,178 crore),the documents showed.

The tax department felt

that a short-term capital gaintax should apply as CUHLhad acquired 251.22 millionshares of CIHL at the cost of251.22 million pound inAugust-September 2006. Thesame was then sold to CairnIndia within few months.

Cairn India was there-af ter l i s ted on stockexchanges through an initialpublic offering (IPO) thatraised �5,261 crore.

The short-term capitalgain of �24,503 crore at thehand of CUHL was con-firmed by income tax tri-bunal ITAT in March, fol-lowing which a demand notewas sent seeking �10,247

crore.With the British firm not

paying, the tax authorities firstappropriated the �1,500 croreof past tax refund that waslying and then took over $104million of dividend incomedue to it from Cairn India.

“The interactions withmultiple agencies of the Indiangovernment underscores theextent to which Cairn trans-parently disclosed all elementsof the contemplated transac-tion in India. Cairn is of theview that the company con-ducted the transaction in com-plete candour and opennesswith the Indian Government,”Cairn Energy spokesperson

said.Cairn, he said, “can

demonstrate that the 2006transaction structure andthe formation of holdingcompanies was a function ofthe mandatory Indian secu-rities and other regulationsand they had definite eco-nomic purpose”.

“Cairn’s case is that noneof the 2006 transactions wastaxable in India according tothe law in force at the time,which was also evident fromthe Indian government’s pastprac t ice , and that thedetailed steps of those trans-actions were fully disclosed,”he said.

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�?�� The inter-minis-terial group (IMG) lookinginto financial difficulties ofthe telecom sector is expect-ed to submit its policy pre-scription to the TelecomCommission next month.

“The (IMG) recommen-dations will be submittedwithin a month,” an officialtold the news agency.

The IMG was set up onMay 16 to examine issuesthat are affecting viabilityand repayment capacity oftelecom companies. Thegroup has to furnish recom-mendations for resolution ofstressed assets, policy reformsand strategic interventionsfor the telecom sector in threemonths.

“Now, no external meet-ings are required by the IMG.There will be only internalmeetings and examinationsby various divisions of theDepartment of Telecom. Therecommendations will be sentto the Cabinet for finalapproval af ter TelecomCommission examines it andfirms up a view,” the officialsaid.

Another official pointedout that there are many issues

in the sector on which thegovernment cannot do muchas they are sub judice like def-inition of adjusted gross rev-enue (earning of companiesfrom telecom services only)and many others that mayrequire a bold decision at thepolitical level, especially inline with the suggestion madeby the Economic Survey2016-17.

According to the Survey,policymaking in certain areaslike telecom and banking hasbeen severely constrained by“abundant caution in bureau-cratic decision-making”.

It added that senior man-agers in public banks are

wary of becoming the targetof the so-called ‘4 Cs’ —courts , CVC (CentralVigilance Commission), CBI(Central Bureau ofInvestigation) and CAG(Comptroller and AuditorGeneral).

The Supreme Court inFebruary 2012 had quashed122 telecom licences issued in2008 and asked theGovernment to allocate spec-trum for mobile servicesthrough auction.

The CAG had said thespectrum allocated adminis-tratively in 2008 had led to anotional loss of �1.76 lakhcrore to the national exchequer.

“In telecommunications,the judicially imposed require-ment for transparency andauctioning while respondingimportantly and appropriatelyto the previous experience ofcorruption has created a pub-lic policy dilemma,” the surveyhas noted.

It said that in some cases,it may be socially optimal to sellspectrum at lower than auctionprices because of the sizeableexternalities stemming fromincreased spread of telecom-munications services.

“But the understandabledistrust of discretion meansthat methods other than auc-tions could be perceived asfavouring particular parties,”the survey stated further.

Telecom bigwigs, includingSunil Bharti Mittal and AnilAmbani, in their meeting withthe communications ministerhave requested easing of normsfor payment of spectrumacquired by their firms duringauction.

The sector, with a cumulativedebt of �4.6 lakh crore, hasapproached the government forreduction of levies like licence fee,spectrum usage charge and theGoods and Services Tax. �

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�?� �� In the high-profile NSE co- locationcase, markets regulator Sebiwants its forensic audit toquantify unlawful gainsmade by some brokers,allegedly in connivance withthe exchange officials, whichmay put in limbo a settle-ment plea proposed by thebourse.

There is a strong viewwithin Sebi that settlementshould not be considered atthe moment as the caserelates to a top market infra-structure institution and itsoutcome may have a signif-icant impact on investorsentiments about regulatoryframework in India, a topofficial said.

When contacted, aspokesperson for NSE(National Stock Exchange)declined to comment onthe status of the settlementplea, saying the boursewould not want to say any-thing on a matter betweenthe exchange and the regu-lator.

Sources maintainedhowever that any settlementis unlikely at this juncture asthe case is under the scannerof various regulators. �

�� Union MinisterNirmala Sitharaman on Mondayallayed fears over whether theprices of essential commoditieswould rise post implementationof Goods and Services Tax, say-ing no fresh rates would beimposed on those goods whichalready come under tax ambit.

“There is no separate expla-nation to public and another fortraders. It is all the same. Theprice of essential commoditieswill not rise (post GST)”, theCommerce and IndustriesMinister said here.

Sitharaman was speaking toreporters at the sidelines of aconference organised on Goodsand Service Tax for traders.

Explaining about the taxstructure under GST, she said “Iam answering those who raisequeries whether there will be anincrease in price of essentialcommodities post GST”.

“Rate fixed in GST is --Revenue Neutral Rate -- whichmeans suppose if there is a taxfor a particular product, it comesunder GST. If a new tax rate isfixed, it is comparatively less tothe existing structure. So, theprice of essential commoditieswill not rise”, she said.

“No additional taxes areimposed on products which

already come under the taxstructure”, she clarified.

On the conferences con-ducted for the benefit of traders’community, she said, in everyconference an official equal tothe rank of Central ExciseCommissioner takes part toaddress the queries raised by thetraders.

“Over the last few days,

conferences were conducted inCoimbatore, Tiruppur andTiruchirappalli”, she said.

“We are answering queriesraised on GST. Apart from thatfor questions that are frequent-ly asked, answers are alreadyavailable in the internet. The e-mail addresses of governmentofficials are also shared for thebenefit of traders during suchconferences”, she said.

Noting that the traderscan also get trained at variousoff ices of CharteredAccountants, she said theGovernment also conductsconferences on GST in part-nership with variousChambers of Commerce.

“Those officials who hadundergone training on GSTare also appointed in everydistrict (of the State) for thebenefit of traders”, she said.

The Government has saidthat the Goods and ServiceTax could add two percentagepoints to economic growth. Itis termed as India’s mostambitious tax reform, createsa single economic zone withcommon indirect taxes.

It is expected to belaunched at midnight of June30 in the Central hall ofParliament. �

�� 4

�?�� The proposal toprivatise Air India is a wel-come move but salary arrearsshould be settled first aspromised earlier, feel pilots atthe national carrier.

Facing tough financialconditions, Air India hadresorted to salary cuts in 2012.Since then, arrears have beenaccumulating even as certainsection of employees accept-ed revised pay scales.

The arrears to be paid tothe 27,000-odd staff of AirIndia that includes pilots andcabin crew are estimated to bearound �1,200 crore. Out ofthe total amount, about �400crore is due for pilots, accord-ing to a senior pilot.

When Ashwani Lohanitook over the reins of the ail-ing carrier nearly two yearsago, he had assured that all

pending dues would be paidin a phased manner.

Now, as the Governmentlooks at privatisation andother options to revive the air-line, pilots want the salarydues to be cleared first beforeany decision is taken at thehighest level amid uncertain-ty over the future course ofaction.

“We are looking forwardto the privatisation of AirIndia. We are very pleased by

this news and we hope that aprofessional managementtakes over. We want to work inan environment where thereisn’t too much Governmentinterference,” a representativeof the Indian Pilots’ Guildsaid.

Before privatisation hap-pens, “our dues have to becleared,” he said.

The Guild, comprisingpilots of wide-bodied aircraft,has around 500 members.

Echoing similar senti-ments, a representative ofIndian Commercial Pilots’Association (ICPA) said hav-ing a professional manage-ment could help in the airline’srevival.

“If Air India is going to beprivatised then we will take upthe issue of our dues,” hesaid.

The ICPA, which claims tohave more than 1,000 mem-bers, represents the pilots ofnarrow-bodied planes.

According to the pilots, ifthe government privatises theairline they would like to starton a “clean slate” rather thanjust “outsourcing the currentproblems” such as salaryarrears to the new investor.

“This is a problem createdby the management and theyhave to first resolve the issue,”

the pilot from IPG said.While discussions are still

at initial stages on the way for-ward for the debt-laden AirIndia, sections of employeesseem to be on different pageswhen it comes to the idea ofprivatisation.

Earlier this month, sevenunions of Air India employeeswarned of large scale protestsif the Government went aheadwith privatisation of the airline.

The Government thinktank NITI Aayog has sug-gested complete privatisationof the airline, which has adebt burden of over �52,000crore.

The ministry of civil avi-ation is looking at ways torevive Air India, which is sur-viving on �30,000 crorebailout package extended bythe previous UPA regime. �

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�?�� The country’s largeststeel maker SAIL has sought helpfrom government think-tankNITI Aayog to resolve differenceswith ArcelorMittal over settingup of about �5,000-crore auto-grade steel plant.

“SAIL has written to NITIAayog to find a solution,” an offi-cial privy to the developmentsaid.

There were differencesbetween the two companies oncertain points under theMemorandum ofUnderstanding, so it was decid-ed to extend it for another threemonths from the deadline of May31, 2017, the official said.

“After the expiry of MoU,both the companies have extend-ed the pact to conclude the deal,”the official added.

SAIL could not be reachedfor comments.

“Now, they (both compa-nies) are thinking of resolving theissue under the guidance of steelministry and NITI Aayog hasalso stepped in,” the officialadded.

A query sent toArcelorMittal also went unan-swered.

“Earlier, ArcelorMittal washell bent on its terms and condi-tions. But now, it is not stringentin its demands and I think the dealis on its right track,” the official fur-ther said.

The much-awaited joint ven-ture (JV) between steel giantArcelorMittal and state-run SAILwill also focus on producing spe-cialised grade steel products fordefence, space and automobiles.

In May last year, an inter-ministerial group (IMG) hadreviewed the progress of MoU.

The proposed JV will con-struct a cold rolling mill andother downstream finishing facil-ities in India, touted as one of thefastest-growing automotive mar-kets in the world with productionexpected to double between 2014and 2020, from 3.6 million unitsto 7.3 million units.

In an investor presentation inJune 2015, ArcelorMittal had saidthe proposed steel plant will comeup at a major auto cluster inIndia.India has four major autoclusters — Pune-Chakan belt inMaharashtra, the outskirts ofChennai in Tamil Nadu, Sanandin Gujarat and the Gurgaon-Neemrana belt spread acrossHaryana and Rajasthan. �

�?� �� Retirement fundbody EPFO may bring 500 pri-vate PF trusts within its foldwhose EPF accumulations arearound �1 crore each, or haveup to 20 members, for offeringbetter services to those sub-scribers.

Besides, this will improvemonitoring of over 1,000 suchtrusts which have large sub-scriber base and manage hugeEPF accumulations.

The Labour Ministry is inthe process of amendingEmployees’ Provident FundScheme 1952, so that large pri-vate PF trusts having accumu-lations can carry on the man-

agement of their employees’EPF money and accounts.

“After the amendment inthe EPF Scheme, the existingprivate PF trust having up to 20members or EPF accumula-tions of around Rs one croreexcluding pension and insur-ance contributions, would losetheir exemption from filingEPF returns. Their trust’s fundsand accounts would be takenover by the Employees’Provident Fund Organisation(EPFO),” a Labour Ministrysource said.

The source added that afteramendment to the scheme,these small trusts would be

exempted from filing EPFreturns for a period of 180 daysafter which they would lose theexemption.

The source further saidthat only those firms would beeligible to run PF trusts whoseemployee strength is at least 500and EPF accumulations of theiremployees excluding pensionand insurance contributionsare at least �100 crore in fiveyears period.

The proposal to amend thescheme was approved by theapex decision making body ofEPFO, Central Board ofTrustees (CBT), headed by the

Labour Minister last year.

According to an analysis bythe EPFO, there are 1,550 pri-vate PF trusts having total sub-scribers of over 82 lakh employ-ees. These trusts are managingaround �3 lakh crore corpus.

Out of these exemptedfirms or trusts, there are over500 trusts which are eithermanaging a meagre amount ofEPF (up to Rs one crore) or theirmembers are not more than 20.

The EPFO had proposedthat since these trusts managemeagre EPF amounts and havefew members, they should betaken over by the EPFO forproviding host of online andother facilities which they can-

not provide to their subscribers.Earlier, the firms were

allowed to operate their ownPF trusts so that their employ-ees get better services whenaccounts and funds were man-aged manually and the EPFOused to take months to settleclaims like EPF withdrawals.

However, as the EPFO isproviding a lot of online ser-vices like claim settlement,account balance informationthrough SMS, EPF passbook, itwould be better that the EPFOmanages the money as well asaccounts of these small privatePF trusts.

The source said, “The kind

of prompt services EPFO isproviding today cannot bematched by these small trustswith scarce resources.”

At present, these trustsprovide administrative chargesof 0.18 per cent of the basicwages (on which PF contribu-tions is calculated). After theEPFO takes over, they wouldhave to pay 0.65 per cent ofbasic wages as administrativecharges.

The EPFO has a subscriberbase of around 4.5 crore andmanages a corpus of around Rs10 lakh crore with annualinvestible deposits of �1.5 lakhcrore. �

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British lender Royal Bank ofScotland said today that it

is cutting 443 UK jobs dealingwith business loans, and plansto shift many of the roles toIndia.

The UK’s largest govern-ment-owned bank said it wasmoving the jobs, which helphandle loans for small busi-nesses, as part of an ongoingcost-cutting drive.

“As we become a simpler,smaller bank, we are makingsome changes to the way weserve our customers.

Unfortunately, these changeswill result in the net reductionof 443 roles in the UK,” aspokesperson for the bank said.

The bank said it wouldsupport staff affected by the“disappointing news”, includingby moving them into new roleswhere possible.

Workers’ union Unite saidBritish workers and taxpayerswould lose out from the move.

“By shipping these jobs toIndia, RBS will be getting thatwork done more cheaply at thecost of jobs and livelihoodshere in the UK,” the spokesper-son said.

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Fifteen bodies have beenretrieved by hundreds of

rescuers trying to find sur-vivors among 118 people who are still missing a dayafter a huge landslideengulfed a village in China’sSichuan Province.

Rescuers had retrieved 15bodies from the debris by 10pm, the rescue headquarterssaid. The search and rescueoperation was underwayovernight and people havebeen sent to observe potentialsecondary disasters.

Geological experts at thesite said the chance of survivalfor the people buried was real-ly slim.

Rescuers were combingthe area with life detectors andsniffer dogs but no new signsof life have been found.

“We won’t give up as longas there is a slim of chance,”said one rescuer.

Xu Zhiwen, executivedeputy governor of the Tibetanand Qiang AutonomousPrefecture of Aba said theidentities of 118 missing will besoon made public on the gov-ernment’s website.

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China has asked Pakistan andAfghanistan to improve their

bilateral ties and “meet eachother halfway”, underlining thattensions between the two coun-tries were not conducive toregional stability.

Chinese Foreign MinisterWang Yi during talks withPakistan Prime Minister’sAdvisor on Foreign Affairs SartajAziz yesterday discussed a rangeof bilateral issues as well as thesituation in Afghanistan.

Wang, who arrived hereyesterday on a two-day trip aftervisiting Kabul, discussed the sit-uation in the war-torn countryand the relations betweenPakistan and Afghanistan thathave been on a steep downslide.

Wang was quoted by China’sXinhua news agency as sayingthat tensions between Pakistanand Afghanistan are not con-ducive to their stability anddevelopment as well as regionalcooperation, calling on bothcountries to meet each otherhalfway so as to improve bilat-eral ties.

China was proposing a tri-lateral mechanism for coopera-tion for peace and reconciliationin Afghanistan and coordinationof counter-terrorism actionsbetween Pakistan and Afgha-nistan, the Dawn reported.

Wang’s visit is a follow-up tothe discussions the Chinese lead-ership had with Pakistani andAfghan leaders on the sidelinesof the Shanghai CooperationOrganisation summit earlier thismonth on counter-terrorismcooperation and revival of theAfghan peace process.

China has lately got increas-ingly involved in Afghanistan.Besides its bilateral engagementwith both Islamabad and Kabul,it is part of a number of inter-national processes onAfghanistan.

Beijing’s interest inAfghanistan is out of its securi-ty concerns related to presenceof Uighur militants inBadakhshan province. Moreover,China’s regional engagement isdriven by its economic invest-ment in Afghanistan and the $50billion China-PakistanEconomic Corridor.

Kabul: At least 10 policemen were killedand four others injured on Saturdaynight when Taliban militants attackeda checkpost near India-made Salmadam in Afghanistan’s Herat province.

“A group of Taliban militantsattacked the checkpoint near Salma damin Chasht district and fled after killingthe policemen,” a security official said.

Jelani Farhad, spokesman for thegovernor of the western Herat province,said the Taliban attacked late Saturday,setting off a gunbattle in which fiveinsurgents were killed.

The Taliban have steadily expand-ed their reach across Afghanistan sinceUS and international forces formally

concluded their combat mission at theend of 2014, switching to a support andcounterterrorism role.

In an address on Sunday markingthe start of Eid al-Fitr, a major Muslimholiday, President Ashraf Ghani reit-erated his call for the Taliban toreturn to peace talks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modiand Afghan President Ashraf Ghani inJune 2016 jointly inaugurated the Salmadam, a Rs 1,700 crore showpiece infra-structure project by India in strategicallyimportant Herat province, reflectingIndia’s strong commitment to recon-

struction of the war-ravaged country.Prime Minister Narendra Modi

and Afghan President Ashraf Ghaniin June 2016 jointly inaugurated theSalma dam, a Rs 1,700 crore show-piece infrastructure project by Indiain strategically important Heratprovince, reflecting India’s strongcommitment to reconstruction of thewar-ravaged country.

Touted as a “landmark” infrastruc-ture project, the dam located 165km eastof Herat town, is expected to signifi-cantly boost the agricultural economyof the province.

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About 151 people werecharred to death and 140

others injured on Sunday in amassive blaze that erupted afteran oil tanker overturned andcrowds rushed to collect thefuel that spilled over on ahighway in Pakistan’s PunjabProvince.

The oil tanker comingfrom Karachi and headed toLahore overturned early thismorning on the national high-way at the Ahmedpur Sharqiaarea of the Bahawalpur district,some 400 km from Lahore,after a tyre burst.

The fire was apparentlycaused by someone who lit acigarette after people fromnearby localities gathered onthe highway to collect spiltpetrol, officials said.

The blaze from the oil spillengulfed scores of residents,killing 151 people and injuring140 others, officials said.

District CoordinationOfficer (DCO) BahwalpurRana Salim Afzal termed it a“huge tragedy” in the history ofPakistan.

“At least 123 people werekilled before getting any med-ical help while the rescue offi-cials shifted more than 100injured to the district head-quarters hospital and VictoriaHospital in Bahawalpur wherethe condition of most of themis critical,” Afzal said, addingsome 50,000 litres of petrolspilled from the oil tanker.

Afzal said women and chil-dren were among the victims.

The death toll later rose to149 and rescue official JamSajjad said most of the deadbodies were completely charredand they will be identifiedonly by DNA tests.

Muhammad Hanif, 40,who suffered burns, toldreporters at the VictoriaHospital that he was present athis house when his cousincalled him informing that thevillage people were rushing to

the highway to collect “free oil”.“My cousin told me to

pick bottles and come out ofthe house. When I came out ofthe house I saw many peoplerushing towards the highwayand some going there bymotorcycles. Me and my cousinRashid reached the highwayand joined the people busy incollecting the petrol spillingfrom the tanker.

“Suddenly the tanker burstand the people gathered near itwere burnt alive. Rashid and Iwere a little away from thetanker therefore we are alive,”Hanif said.

He said it was “greed” ofthe villagers which took themto the “valley of death”.

The Punjab governmentsaid three helicopters wereshifting the critically burntpeople to Multan’s combinedmilitary hospital and Nishter

Hospital for providing betterhealth facilities.

Regional Police OfficerBahawalpur Raja Rifat said themotorway police personnelhad reached the spot when theoil tanker overturned.

“The people from nearbyvillage Mauza Ramzan hadalso gathered there. The policepersonnel asked them to leavethe place but they started col-lecting petrol. Suddenly thetanker exploded and withinseconds the fire erupted givingno chance to the people pre-sent there to leave the place,”Rifat said.

Dozens of motorcycles andcars were also burnt at the site.

“Most people reached thesite on motorcycles to collectspilling petrol,” he said.

Punjab Chief MinisterShahbaz Sharif directed theauthorities to ensure best med-ical treatment to the injured.He also sent his chopper forshifting the injured to Multanhospitals.

Prime Minister NawazSharif, President MamnoonHussain, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khanand Pakistan Peoples Partychairman Bilawal Bhutto con-doled the tragedy.

Army chief Gen QamarJaved Bajwa ordered the Armyto assist the civil administrationin the rescue effort.

London: A Muslim woman hasfiled a religious discriminationcomplaint against her employ-ers at a UK tribunal for alleged-ly ordering her to remove herblack hijab because it signified“terrorist affiliation”.

The estate agent, who hasnot been named, had been working for HarveyDean in Bur y, GreaterManchester, for about a yearwhen she said her managerstook issue with her hijab.

A complaint filed at theManchester EmploymentTribunal was quoted by TheIndependent as saying that thewoman was told that movingfrom a back office into publicview meant “that it would be inthe best interest of the businessfor her to change the colour ofher hijab, due to the supposedterrorist affiliation with thecolour black”. PTI

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Turkey’s President onSunday rejected a demand

by major Arab states to removeTurkish troops from Qatar,saying their sweeping list ofultimatums has threatened thesmall Gulf country’s sover-eignty.

Speaking after Eid prayersin Istanbul, President RecepTayyip Erdogan called thedemand “disrespectful” andsaid Turkey would not seekpermission from others whenmaking its defence cooperationagreements.

“Demanding that Turkeypull its soldiers is unfortu-nately also disrespectful towardTurkey,” he said.

He said Turkey would con-tinue to support Qatar againstthe many sanctions it has facedsince several Arab countriesmoved earlier this month to

isolate the country for itsalleged support of terrorism.

In a sign of support, theTurkish parliament swiftly rat-ified a 2014 agreement withQatar earlier this month, allow-ing the deployment of troops toits base there. The military saida contingent of 23 soldiersreached Doha on Thursday.

Erdogan said he made asimilar offer to Saudi Arabiato set up a base there in thepast but did not hear backfrom the king.

Doha received a 13-pointlist from Saudi Arabia, UnitedArab Emirates, Egypt andBahrain that included demandsto shut down the media net-work Al-Jazeera and cut tieswith Islamist groups includingthe Muslim Brotherhood. Theenergy-rich country said it wasreviewing the ultimatum butadded it would not negotiateunder siege.

Turkey’s president said hiscountry “admires andembraces” Qatar’s attitude,while slamming the demandsby arguing they contradictinternational law.

“Here we see an attackagainst a state’s sovereigntyrights,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan called the demandthat Qatar shut down Al-Jazeera an attempt to take awaythe network’s press freedomand urged rights groups tospeak out against that.

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad led Eid al-Fitr

prayers in the central city ofHama on Sunday, appearing inpublic outside the capital forthe first time in a year.

Assad’s office publishedimages of him praying insidethe brightly-lit Al-Nuri mosqueat dawn on Sunday beforegreeting worshippers outside.

He was flanked by IslamicEndowments MinisterMohammad Abdel-SattarSayyed and Syria’s top Muslimcleric Ahmad BadredineHassoun.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end ofthe holy month of Ramadan,during which Muslims fastfrom dawn until dusk.

Ahead of the holiday,Syria’s Government releasedmore than 670 detainees —including some children bornto prisoners — from jailsaround Damascus on Saturday.

Assad’s last public appear-ance outside Damascus wasduring Eid al-Fitr in July 2016,which he spent in third cityHoms.

Presidential trips outsidethe capital have become raresince Syria’s conflict broke outmore than six years ago.

�� 654�54

Britain’s Minister in charge ofBrexit talks warned today

that any bid from within theConservative Party to unseat PMTheresa May would be “cata-strophic” for negotiations.

David Davis also said he was“pretty sure” Britain could reacha satisfactory deal with theEuropean Union, and that nodeal would be better than a “pun-ishment deal.”

When asked by the BBC’sAndrew Marr whether May’souster would be catastrophic,Davis replied “Yes. Yes.

“I happen to think we havegot a very good Prime Minister,”he said. “I know she is comingunder a lot of pressure at themoment, but I have seen her inaction. She’s bold. She takes hertime.” May is under intensepressure after losing her overallparliamentary majority in a snapelection called in an attempt toincrease her majority andstrengthen her hand in Brexittalks. She faces her first major testnext week when MPs vote on herlegislative agenda, traditionallyseen as a test of confidence in thegovernment.

Davis has been mentionedas a potential replacement, butwhen asked by Marr if he was aleader-in-waiting, he replied:“I’m not getting into it.”

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The President of Afghanistancalled on insurgents on

Sunday to give up arms andjoin the ongoing peace processinitiated by Kabul.

“I clearly tell the armed mil-itants, who bring tragedy to our

people every day: you don’t havetime, take a decision; if you areAfghan (then) join peace, if not,then face the bravery of theAfghan security forces,” AshrafGhani said in an address to thenation after holding the Eid-al-Fitr prayer at the Presidentialpalace, reports Efe news.

Remarking that both theinsurgents as well as their sup-porters were “isolated”, Ghanisaid Afghanistan enjoys backingfrom the international com-munity as well as the Afghanpeople. Emphasizing peace asthe only alternative available tothe insurgents, the Afghan

leader said: “We want peace andour conditions are clear.”

His remarks came a dayafter the Kabul visit of ChineseForeign Minister Wang Yi, whosaid Beijing was looking toback an Afghan-led peaceaccord, and also offered tomediate with Pakistan.

Tehran: Iran said on Sunday thetwo-stage missiles it fired atISIS targets in Syria broke apartover the Iraqi desert as planned,mocking reports that some of theprojectiles fell short. State TV’swebsite quoted the airspace divi-sion chief of Iran’s RevolutionaryGuard Gen Amir Ali Hajizadehas saying “we had coordinatedthe fall of the engines in thedesert in Iraq” in advance.

“The missiles we used weretwo-stage, it means that theengine separates from the war-head,” said Hajizadeh. Hajizadehsaid US drones hovered over thetargets after shortly the Iranian

missiles hit them. He said the USmay have been informed before-hand about the attack, as theyhad informed the Russian mili-tary, which may have relayed theinformation to the Americans.The Guard said it fired six suchmissiles today at IS targets in thecity of Deir el-Zour, more than600 kilometres away.

He mocked media reportsciting Israeli sources who saidsome of the missiles fell shortof their targets, suggesting thatthe Israelis were unable to iden-tify two-stage missiles, whichare designed to split apart mid-flight. AP

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Does your child love playing videogames? Let him, as it can help

alter the brain regionsresponsible for attentionand visuospatial skills —skills that enable us torecognise a square, trian-gle, cube or pyramid — aswell as make them moreefficient, say scientists inan analysis of over a 100scientific studies.

In the study, researchers led byMarc Palaus from Universitat Obertade Catalunya in Spain, revealed that

gamers showed improvements in sev-eral types of attention, such as sus-tained attention or selective attention.

Playing video games also increasedthe size and efficiency ofbrain regions related tovisuospatial skills.

Further, in gamers,the brain regions involvedin attention were found tobe more efficient andrequired less activation tosustain attention ondemanding tasks.

On the other hand, the right hip-pocampus was found enlarged inlong-term gamers.

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$:� �� London: An English teacher in the UK asked over 60 teenage stu-dents to draft a suicide note for homework as part of a module onShakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, sparking outrage and prompting theschool to apologise.

Pupils at Thomas Tallis school, Kidbrooke, London, were askedto pen a final note to their loved ones after reading one of the play’smost celebrated scenes, when Lady Macbeth takes her own life.

However, the decision caused outrage among parents, some ofwhom claimed their children had been personally affected by theissue, The Telegraph reported.

Criticising Thomas Tallis for its lack of sensitivity, one moth-er said her daughter had been told to write the note – despite hav-ing lost three friends to suicide.

She was quoted as saying that her daughter had become “verydistressed” over the issue, and had told the teacher in question thatsuch material made her feel uncomfortable.

“Other parents branded the decision “absolutely disgusting” and“insensitive”, with one claiming that the assignment had been ill-conceived given the age of the students involved. PTI

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Inclement weather once again threatened toplay spoilsport as the second one-day inter-national between India and West Indies was

delayed due to rain and wet outfield here onSunday.

The toss, and consequently the start of thematch was delayed by around two hours as play-ers and support staff waited in the dressing roomareas hoping for the sky to clear and the outfieldto be drained.

When the toss finally happened, West Indiancaptain Jason Holder won it and chose to bowlfirst. Both teams remained unchanged from thefirst ODI.

India's opener's Shikhar Dhawan and AjinkyaRahane continued their success as an opening pairby once again putting up a hundred-run part-nership between them. This is the sixth consec-utive 50+ opening stand between the two bats-

men.Rahane looked in good form once again, tim-

ing the ball smoothly and finding his rhythm.Shikhar Dhawan was more cautious at the startand looked to get settled at the crease. But oncehe got going, Dhawan looked in unimpeachableform and quickly overtook his partner's score.

Skipper Jason Holder tried to test Dhawanwith both the short-length and fullish deliveriesbut he looked in no trouble. Able to beat theinfield with his sizzling cuts and scintillating dri-ves, Dhawn marched on to his half-century.

What was most impressive about Dhawan'sinnings until that part was his inclination to playstraight.

In one of Holder's overs, Dhawan made useof a couple of fullish deliveries outside the off-stump by driving them, while giving the appear-ance of gently pushing, straight down the groud,past the hapless mid-off fielder for two gloriousboundaries.

Holder then shifted tack to bowling a short-length as Dhawan has been known to be a com-pulsive hooker in the past. But this tactic also did-n't work as he put away these short deliveries fromboth Holder and Joseph for easy fours.

Holder was forced to make an early changein his attack and introduced spin in only the fifthover in form of off-spinner Ashley Nurse.

Nurse couldn't managed to extract any turnfrom the wicket and struggled early on to find theright line and length, often pitching the ball tooshort and even too full on certain other occasions.However due to the lack of pace in the wicket also,Indian batsmen couldn't go after him with dis-dain and were content to milk his bowling for reg-ular singles rather than attempting ultra-aggres-sive strokes.

Except for Nurse, no other bowled seemed totrouble the Indian batsmen as the pair batted onsmoothly to reach one milestone after another.India's 50 came up in just 7.6 overs while they

reached their hundred in 16.4 at exactly run-a-ball.

Dhawan got to his half-century in 49 ballswhile his partner took a little bit longer, 56 balls,for reaching the same landmark.

West Indies finally managed a breakthroughthanks to their most consistent bowler of the day,Nurse, who had Dhawan stumped by the wick-etkeeper Shai Hope when he was batting on 63.

Since then, however, things have continuedlargely in the same fashion with Rahane and cap-tain Kohli holding fort and taking the scoring for-ward.

When reports last came in India had reachedtheir fifty in just 24.2 overs with Rahane battingon 65 and Virat Kohli unbeaten on 15.

�� 192/1 in 30.2 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 90*,Shikhar Dhawan 63, Virat Kohli 31; Ashley Nurse1/38)

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Anil Kumble's resignation as chiefcoach may come up for discussion

at the BCCI's Special General Meetingon Monday where the primary agen-da will be 'One State One Vote' and thereinstatement of a five-member selec-tion committee.

The Kumble issue is not on theagenda for the SGM but it is likely tobe raised by members.

"The members may ask actingSecretary Amitabh Chaudhary andCEO Rahul Johri as to what was the sit-uation that led to Anil Kumble steppingdown from the chief coach's post," astate unit official told PTI today.

"It's not always required to be onthe agenda. Some issues can be raisedon floor with permission of the chair,"he said.

The state units on Sunday met theCOA in two batches. The issues per-taining to the Lodha Committeereforms was once again discussed.

It is learnt that all state units are onthe same page on the 'One State OneVote' issue. The body is likely todecide that while new members mustbe included, units like Mumbai,Vidarbha, Saurashtra, Baroda shouldnot lose their voting rights.

The other issues include reinstate-ment of a five-member selection com-mittee as it will be impossible for threeto track domestic matches.

Jatin Paranjpe and Gagan Khodawere removed from the panel for nothaving played Test Cricket.

The 'three-year cooling off period'is another issue. Current CricketAssociation of Bengal (CAB) PresidentSourav Ganguly may have to go in fora "cooling off " if it is implemented.

For a few members like formerBCCI President N Srinivasan and sec-retary Niranjan Shah, the age cap of 70years is an issue.

In fact, Srinivasan was presentduring COA's meeting with the first

batch."Vinod Rai told us that the General

Body is the supreme body in theBCCI and he is hopeful that right stepswill be taken at the SGM. MrSrinivasan was also present but he onlylistened to the discussions," the officialsaid.

"Srinivasan said that if he has to putacross his viewpoint, he will do so atan appropriate forum," the official said.

C��%�� +�Continuing their opposition to

some of the Lodha Committee reforms,the BCCI state associations today toldthe Committee of Administrators thatone-state- one-vote was the majorpoint of contention among the threerecommendations they are opposed to.

The CoA headed by Vinod Rai,met the representatives of various stateassociations at the BCCI headquartersin South Mumbai in batches.

"Two, three reservations were dis-cussed. One state-one vote, selectioncommittee and cooling off period ofnine years. Age tenure is not thatmuch a major issue," a source said.

Ousted B CCI president NSrinivasan attended the meeting as arepresentative of the Tamil NaduCricket Association.

According to sources, Srinivasandid not raise the issue of ICC's newrevenue share model but is most like-ly to speak about it during SpecialGeneral Meeting tomorrow.

Meanwhi le , ac t ing B CCIS ecretar y Amitabh Choudhar yrefused comment on appointment ofthe new coach, saying a Committeewas there to look into it. Asked if thecaptain will be consulted, Choudharysaid, "That's for the committee todecide".

Former India skipper and CricketAssociation of Bengal PresidentSourav Ganguly, who is part ofCricket Advisory Commitee (CAC)also refused comment on the issue.

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Batting coach Sanjay Bangar says AnilKumble's departure as head coach has

definitely left a void in the Indian crick-et team set-up even though the players are"coping up" well.

Kumble, a spinner par excellenceand a former India captain, tendered hisresignation as chief coach after the ICCChampions Trophy due to "untenable" dif-ferences with skipper Virat Kohli.

On the eve of the second ODI againstthe West Indies here, questions related tothe Kumble episode were directed atBangar.

"We are professionals and such thingsare part and parcel of any organisationwhere changes happen. The support staffand the players have shown a lot of pro-fessionalism in compartmentalising theissues and so far we have coped up real-ly well," said Bangar.

The 44-year-old former all-roundersaid the team was focused on the job athand.

"Everyone's contributed towards itand as I said earlier, when you part waysit's never easy. You need to accept that attimes such things are going to happen,have happened in the past. But what is ofparamount importance is that Indiancricket should keep moving forward andthe performances of the team shouldn'treally be affected in any manner."

Without a head coach, who alsoused to double up as the team's bowlingcoach, Bangar has his work cut out.

"Yes, Anil was doubling up. There

were a lot of positive results under him.We all know that the team enjoyed a lotof success.

“The void, there is definitely a bit oflacuna but the experience that this teampossesses — when you have a MahendraSingh Dhoni, a Yuvraj Singh and ViratKohli, who've played close to 700 inter-national games, they're doing a lot of workbehind the scenes, they are guiding theplayers."

Further speaking about the role of thesenior players, he said, "It's not only thecoaching staff, the mentoring that they doand the exchange of ideas among them,there is a wealth of knowledge which theplayers benefit from."

Asked what defines the captain-coachrelationship, Bangar stressed on trust.

"It's not only the coach and the cap-tain, it's also the relationship and trustbetween the coach and all the players.

“Basically, it's a work in progress thatrequires a lot of time to earn the trust ofthe players.

"Once you do that, the job and theresponsibilities of the coach become thatmuch easier. That is something that I'velearnt to work (with)."

Regarding some of the senior pros'future, Bangar was positive.

"It all boils down to the fitness part.If you're fit and capable of delivering. Yousaw in the match against Pakistan, howthe experience came to the fore — In thelast eight overs we scored 108 runs andthat wouldn't have been possible withoutthe contribution of Yuvraj Singh.

"Even when we were four down atCuttack, it was the experience of YuvrajSingh and MS Dhoni, who got two bighundreds and put us on a score of 360.

"They have done these things in thelast four or five months and if they man-age to keep themselves fit, motivated —and I can definitely vouch that they arevery motivated to play — you can onlystand to benefit from their continuedpresence in the team," Bangar concluded.

� �� 2� F

Indian captain Mithali Raj feels post-ing totals in excess of 250 is good for

the overall development of women'scricket.

Mithali's team started its campaignin the ICC Women's World Cup with aresounding 35-run victory over hostsEngland here on Saturday.

Put into bat, Smriti Mandhana strucka sizzling 90 off 72 balls in a dominat-ing batting display as India posted 281for three - their best-ever score battingfirst.

Mandhana forged a 144-run openingwicket stand with Punam Raut (86 off134) before skipper Mithali Raj (71 notout) completed an unprecedented sev-enth consecutive half century in ODIs.

"The way both of them started theinnings... With the conditions assistingthe bowlers and that's why they(England) elected to field, it didn't feellike they were playing the World Cup orthere was any kind of pressure or nerveson them, they just played on merit andkept going till 25 overs," said Mithali atthe post-match press conference.

India then dismissed England for 246with 15 balls to spare at the CountyGround.

"Half the overs being played by theopeners I think that's a great openingstand and we look forward for similaropening partnerships in coming gamesbecause if you have a solid openingstands your middle-order will comeexactly when we are supposed to comeand carry on from there, and that makesit much easier to post 250 and above,which is very good for the overall gameof women's cricket."

Asked about her terrific, record runof form with the bat, she was clear in herreply.

"I definitely don't want to be remind-ed about it, but it feels nice to get runsunder your belt, feels nice to get runs forthe team in the World Cup and the teamdoes well, I am hoping that I continue todo that."

The Decision Review System hasbeen introduced in the women's gameand Mithali was all for it.

"DRS is a good edition to thewomen's game because if you see mostof the dismissals were very close, even therun outs were by few inches, so it makessense to have DRS," said Mithali.

This was India's first win overEngland in five years and they had lostall six previous matches to the hosts.

But this match, according to Mithali,is significant for other reasons too.

Mithali said: "This game definitelymakes a lot of impact for the Indianteam, because posting 280 on the boardthis is the highest that we have postedbatting first and winning against thehosts and with you so many players whoare playing their first World Cup...."

The skipper said there was still scopefor improvements. "Definitely there is a lotto improve on in terms of catches andstumpings. Since we have a fielding coachnow I hope we can really improve in thatdepartment," said the Indian skipper.

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Hosts England on Sunday registered asolid victory over South Africa by 19 runsto win the final T20 match in a three-gameseries thereby winning it 2-1.

South Africa won the toss and electedto bowl first. England lost the wicket ofJason Roy early on as Morne Morkel got thefirst breakthrough for his team.

However, debutant David Malan andAlex Hales built a solid partnership to putEngland on course for a big score.

Malan was especially impressive in hisinnings of 78 as he played some devastat-ing strokes against the Proteas’ bowlers.

England posted a score of 181/8 in 20overs with Malan being the leading run-scorer in the innings.

In reply, South Africa were jolted earlywith two quick wickets with opener ReezaHendricks and pinch-hitter Chris Morrisbeing dismissed early in the innings.

South Africa never recovered fromtheir bad start and remained behind thegame throughout.

Their much-vaunted batting line-upcouldn’t contribute much and they werecontained to just 162/7 in their 20 oversthereby losing the match. Chris Jordan wasthe star with the ball, picking up 3 wickets.

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If you want to become a better person, you haveto start by working on yourself. A lot of self-reflec-tion and self-investment is needed before you can

interact with others in a kind, compassionate man-ner. If you want to be admired, work on yourself andthen reach out to others through genuine compas-sion and charity.

Being a good person is not hard, but it doesn'tjust happen. As much as anything else, you have towant to be a good person and make choices that cor-respond with your beliefs. No matter where you arein your life, you can make the choice to change.

Everyone has areas they know they are strong inand areas they know that don't come as easily.Everyone must deal with mistakes and not seeing apayoff for their efforts on the first try. People don't have to be perfect to be good. Genuine people are comfortable with the fact that they still havetheir challenges and strengths. They are also com-fortable with having to try multiple times until theysucceed.

Do not judge those around you. Genuine peo-ple tend to not compare others to themselves or tooutside standards. Truly genuine people accept oth-ers for who they are.

Good people understand that others need praise.Complimenting is not only a good thing to do, buta sign that you can be excited for other people's tri-umphs. A truly good person will compliment when

deserved and offer constructive criticism whenwarranted.

It's simple, but being respectful and grateful foryour parents is a truly great thing. It's easy to get busyand let life get in your way, but truly good people findtime to make sure they check in with mom and dadregularly.

Good people are polite. They show respect andmind their manners. It's not to be a showoff or to seembetter; they just truly respect individuals and wantto treat them how they want to be treated. You don'thave to be formal or walk on eggshells to be polite.It's more a function of ensuring you act in a way thatis fitting for your present location.

A good person doesn't have to like everyone, butthey are at least kind. They look at people for the per-son they can be and can look past the present to seethe person's positives.

It's easy to be selfish and do what's best for your-self. Yet, truly good people consider others in theirdecisions. They understand that what's good for themmay not always be the best for others. They don't haveto cater exclusively to others; rather, they understandand take into consideration how their actions willaffect others and are comfortable with the decisionto move forward.

When it comes to looking for the greatest qual-ities in a friend or the best qualities in a mate, thereare questions to be answered when determining what

your compatibility with another person will be like"does my mate value the same qualities I do" or "domy friend and I share the same qualities".

Sometimes you can be great to others but treatthe ones who love you the most the worst. A trulygood person doesn't take out their problems on theirloved ones and is as pleasant at home as in the pub-lic eye.

A smile can light up a room, and truly good peo-ple smile often-not just when things are going well.

In every situation, there are positives and nega-tives. A truly good person will find and focus the pos-itives. That's not to say they don't take the negatives;rather, they find ways to improve and become bet-ter because of the bad things.

A truly good person is one who people want tobe around. People are drawn to them. By being pos-itive and finding the best in others, they can makeand keep friends easily.

Being generous with friends and family membersis a great way to be admired and to be a better per-son. Small, kind gestures go a long way.

If you're invited to a party, bring something toshare. A snack or a drink will show the host you appre-ciated the invitation. Even if you know food willalready be served, it couldn't hurt to bring a dish.

When going out with friends, offer to buy a roundof drinks or be the designated driver. If a friend is hav-ing a hard day, making them a small gift, like a home-

made card or a baked good, can help.Giving does not always have to be in the form

of physical gifts. You can give people your time. Forexample, take an hour visit a friend in hospital or stopby a family member's house if they're going througha rough break-up. Sometimes, just the presence ofanother person's positive energy is helpful.

Being a truly good person is an ongoing pursuit.They understand that what they've done in the pastdoesn't ensure results in the future. A first impression is a lasting impression. By being consis-tent in what they do, a truly good person will ensurethey always put their best foot forward and treat everyperson and situation the same. Being a good personisn't hard, but it does take a consistent approach. Byusing the traits above, you too can be a truly goodperson.

The possession of intense and eager interest ina subject or cause and it is an energy that often inspiresothers. The quality of having and living by a code ofsound moral principles and the ability to have clar-ity on the objectives that you strive for in your per-sonal and professional life.

The best qualities in a person will vary, based onthe person assessing or being assessed, but there's nodenying there are certain qualities to look for in a per-son that are common across the board. Most peoplewould agree that the best traits in a person includebeing trustworthy, loyal and fun-loving.

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Aspiring street photographers shouldstart loving their subject. They

don’t have to wait for the perfect occa-sion to click photos; every ordinarything is an event. The need is to sharpen your imagination and perspective”, advised street photogra-pher Rajan Bhatt.

Recently, he held an exhibitiontitled DIRECT - An Ode to the LivingStreets of Delhi, which showcasedsome of his amazing photographs atthe Indian Habitat Centre. Street photography focuses and captures life

in motion and in a given moment.Bhatt , an architect, claims that his inspiration is street photographerVivian Maier. So he has captured thecommon masses living out their ordinary lives in both the modest and the extraordinar y ways. He has succeeded in connecting peopleto their daily routine through his lensand thus, broken the pattern of same-ness on our streets.

A dog lover, Bhatt said that man’sfaithful friend motivates him to capturethe hidden beauty of the streets. “The stray dogs are everywhere and

they experience everything. I justwish to be able to capture the essenceof streets through my lens, as closely asthese canines do. I dedicate my love forstreet photography to these awesomebeings that I adore.” Not surprisingly, hisfavorite photograph is one where a dogis playing with a mannequin head.

Bhatt is the founder of the MoolFoundation, an interactive platformfor all artists to come under a roof,learn, share and contribute in the fieldof art and design. He wants to removethe barriers that separate different art forms so that a common languageof expression can evolve spontaneous-ly. The exhibition has photographs of rickshaw pullers, paan vendors,

school children, high wire walkers andstreet vendors.

Of course, captuirng them was a tallorder for Bhatt. He said, “You have towait for the perfect moment, which ina way is uncertain. The way out is toclick as many pictures as you can. Whiletaking street portraits, I always feltapprehensive. But now I don’t hide mycamera from strangers. I just smile atthem in order to make them comfort-able for the shot.”

Bhatt also explained how photogra-phy as an art is evolving with advance-ment in technology and the evolutionof smartphones. He pointed towardstwo aspects of technology in relation toart. One is the art of photography, where

the focus is on the message that the pho-tograph wants to convey and the otheris the craft of photography, where thefocus shifts to equipment rather than on the message. “Art is a source of plea-sure for those who appreciate its power to influence society. It brings a positivevibe. At a certain level, art increases thevisual value of anything. Being an architect, I believe everything is insome or the other way related to the artand design,” said Bhatt describing the essence of art. He also observedhow graffiti was combining art andculture. The beauty of the age-old dullbuildings and colonies like Hauz Khasand Lodhi Colony are getting revampedthrough this evolving technique ofgraffiti.

He has clear pointers for would-bephotographers. Said Bhatt, “Don’t shootto fill your 64GB memory card. Rathershoot to convey a message. It’s essential to have your perspective andtheme organised. Try to look aroundand discover things.” His exhibitiondepicted the interplay of lights andshadows to discover the drama in themiddle of the mundane.

Jump into a lake amid the rains, feel thedrizzle wet your back and slide off intothe eddies as you splash about wild,

gorge on cucumber salads or dance on afloating raft.....head to Goa for a monsoonbreak which is about celebrating the out-doors just as they are meant to be.

While for metrozens, the city canturn into a slightly humid squib with pud-dle-filled potholes, the rainy season is thebest time of the year in Goa, which puts

on its greenest shade, has a balmyweather and helps you reconnectwith your primal roots. Monsoonis the time for local festivals whichpromise the visitor an experientallike no other. And while the seamaybe rough, this is the perfecttime to explore Goa’s inland secrets,which always get overrun by clich-

es. No wonder all tour and traveloperators this season are customising

packages to Goa. Here’s a rundown ofactivities that you could be part ofthrough the season:

��%��The monsoon begins with the cele-

bration of Sao Joao festival on June 24every year. This festival has a special sig-nificance among Catholics and is dedi-cated to St John the Baptist, the firebrandprophet. Belief has it that John theBaptist leapt in joy in the womb of hismother, Elizabeth, when she was told ofJesus’ birth. He later went on to baptiseJesus in the river Jordan. Since then, in

Catholic tradition, the well is consideredto be a representation of Elizabeth’swomb and a jump into it a sign of joy forthe birth of Christ.

San Joao, like any other Goan feast,has that captivating spirit of merriment,colour and tradition. People dressed incolourful outfits from several villagesmeet near a stream in carnival-colouredboats and floats. Regardless of age, all ofthem jump into the water. Such gather-ings take place around wells, ponds andrivers. The festival is then followed by dif-ferent types of folk dances and exchangeof fruits and other eatables betweenfriends and relatives. It is mostly celebrat-ed in the village of Siolim.

��This is a jackfruit festival, which is

also celebrated on the day of Sao Joao.This was originally celebrated to savour

Goa’s choicest jackfruits and the deliciousitems made from it. It takes place inSocorro village and is now popular inother villages of the state as well.

��$��This festival is celebrated across the

state on June 29. This is a monsoon-basedcelebration by Goa’s local fishing commu-nity. Fishermen tie their boats togetherto form rafts and floats, which serve asmakeshift stages for performances. Thereis a live cultural programme on a church-like structure that is erected across four

boats. The binding together of the boatsis a metaphor for binding the communi-ty. Konkani artistes put together variousculture performances, seeking blessingsfrom the heavens above as it were.

�� This literally means “play in the mud.”

Held two days after Aashadhi Ekadashiat Marcel village, devotees plunge into aroll-in-the-muck excess. It is a mud pack

treatment like no other.��+&��

This is a cucumber feast and is cel-ebrated at the magnificent Church of StAnne, also known as the Santana Church,at Talaulim in Tiswadi taluka. Young cou-ples come to the church to seek the bless-ings of St Anne, who herself was blessedwith a child after 40 years of barren life.

Devotees buy cucumbers from localvendors, offer them at the feet of St Anneand carry them home to prepare all kindsof delicacies, from salads to soups.Needless to say a healthy detox practicelegitimised by a ritual.

��It is a feast depicting the rich and old

Goan cuisine and culture. It is organisedon the feast of Our Lady of Assumptionevery August 15. Patollio (a sweet made

of jaggery and rice covered with aturmeric leaf) is prepared by the villagers.After the priest blesses it, the delicacy isdistributed to the parishioners and allthose attending the feast. Held at Socorro

village.

��This is the most happening festival

celebrated on a grand scale on the Divarisland. “Bandeira” is the Portugueseword for flag and it is a ritual symbolicof honour. During Portuguese rule inGoa, there were frequent disputesbetween two sections of the Divar villageover property issues. These often led toviolence and squabbles. To find a solu-tion to this problem, the Portuguese intro-duced a system of demarcation of bound-aries with flags. The festival is a memoir

to the protest by the local villagersagainst the Portuguese while trying toresolve the property ownership disputes.This festival starts with a flag which isaccompanied by the brass band. Laterthere is a fancy dress competition whichis followed by the traditional float parade.This is followed by a live band perfor-mance by famous music bands of Goa.Bonderam draws huge crowds from allparts of Goa and the world.

�� +��E��+�� OnePlus has launched its next big flagshipdevice, the OnePlus 5, andpacks top of the line specsincluding a QualcommSnapdragon 835processor, 8 GB of RAM,dual camera module, dualsim, VoLTE. DASHcharge and global 4Gsupport. DASH charge isby far the fastest phonecharging technology andcharges your phone to 50per cent in under 30minutes. Consumers haveto pay a premium pricethough this time roundcompared to previousOnePlus devices. TheOnePlus 5 with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB ofstorage will cost �32,999 and the versionwith 8 GB or RAM and 128 GB of storagewill cost �37,999

��+�$��+��

Samsung has launched the Galaxy TabS3 to take on the Apple iPad in India. It fea-tures a 9.7-inch Super AMOLED display

which is a treat to watch. Thetablet is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 820 chip

and runs onAndroid 7.0. Ithas quad-stereo speak-ers tuned byAKG byHARMANand comes

with S Pen. It has Samsung Flow that usesbiometric authentication to log in and canwirelessly tether compatible devices to trans-fer documents from a mobile device to thetablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 comesin black and silver and is priced at �47,990.

�� ?��

Nokia smartphones are back on shelvesin mobile stores across India and this timethey are running the latest version ofAndroid and are being launched by HMD

Global, a new entitywhich isreviving theNokia brandacross theworld. Afterre-launch-ing the icon-ic 3310 fea-ture phone,

HMD has launched the Nokia 3, 5and 6 Android smartphones starting at �9,499 for the Nokia 3 and the Nokia 5 at�12,899. Both these devices will be exclusive-ly sold offline. The Nokia 6 will retail for�14,999 and will be sold on Amazon.in start-ing July 14.

(The author is currently Editor-in-Chiefof FoneArena.com, a leading technology

portal. He can be reached @varunkrish /[email protected])

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The prevalence of metabolic syn-drome and diseases like diabetes arepotential health threats in India.

Moreover, Indian spices like cinnamon donot have a scientific validation which couldhelp us use it as a curative or preventiveaid. Inspired by this, Dr Anoop Mishra,Director, National Diabetes, Obesity andCholesterol Foundation and Chairman,Fortis CDOC Hospital, Dr Seema Puri,Associate Professor at Institute of HomeEconomics, Dr Sonal Gupta Jain, AssistantProfessor at Institute of Home Economicsand Dr Seema Gulati, conducted a studyto assess the value of cinnamon in man-aging and preventing metabolic syn-drome, diabetes, cardiovascular diseasesand so on.

Talking about their research study onPromising Effects of Oral Cinnamon onWeight and Multiple Metabolic Parametersin High Risk Individuals, which has beenpublished in an acclaimed internationalmedical journal, they emphasised theimportance of diagnosing intermediatediabetes. It’s the stage which involves thehigh risk of diabetes and if adverse, evenleads to heart diseases. “The only differ-ence is that diabetes is irreversible whilethe intermediate stage, if addressed withhealthy diet and exercise, can lead to a nor-mal condition with no risks involved. Inour research, we have taken people whoare half way down the intermediate stageand are prone to acquire diabetes. In orderto pull them back to normal stage, weexperimented with their diet. We increasedand decreased several ingredients andnoted the change. After the process, wecame to our conclusion that the compo-nents which are associated with metabol-ic syndrome, that is fasting blood glucose,triglycerides, obesity, particularly abdom-inal obesity, were reduced to a significantamount. Also, there was a reduction inblood pressure — post systolic and dias-tolic blood pressure. The most importantchange was increase of HDL which is goodcholesterol. We could reverse the condi-tion of 34 of our patients to normal withour experiment,” said Dr Sonal.

Nutritional modulation remains cen-tral to the management of metabolic syn-drome. The team investigated the effect oforal cinnamon consumption on bodycomposition and metabolic parameters ofAsian Indians with metabolic syndrome.In the 16-week double blind randomisedcontrol trial, 116 individuals with meta-bolic syndrome were randomised to two

dietary interventiongroups, cinnamon [6capsules (3 g) daily] orwheat flour [6 cap-sules (2.5 g) daily].Body composition,blood pressure andmetabolic parameterswere assessed.

S i g n i f i c a n t l ygreater decrease [dif-ference betweenmeans, (95% CI)] in fasting blood glucose(mmol/L) [0.3 (0.2, 0.5) p = 0.001], gly-cosylated haemoglobin (mmol/mol) [2.6(0.4, 4.9) p = 0.023], waist circumference(cm) [4.8 (1.9, 7.7) p = 0.002] and bodymass index (kg/m2 ) [1.3 (0.9, 1.5) p =0.001] was observed in the cinnamongroup compared to the placebo group.Other parameters which showed signifi-cantly greater improvement were: waist-

hip ratio, blood pres-sure, serum total choles-terol, low-densitylipoprotein cho-lesterol, serumtriglycerides andhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol.Prevalence of defined metabolic syn-drome was significantly reduced in theintervention group (34.5%) vs. the place-bo group (5.2%).

A single supplement interventionwith 3 g cinnamon for 16 weeks resultedin significant improvements in all compo-nents of metabolic syndrome in a sampleof Asian Indians in north India. So imag-ine the effects of sustained use.

Dr Sonal talked about the basic factors

they kept inmind whilecarrying outthe research

on people.“While perform-ing the research,one thing we

observed that even though patientsare aware of the importance of diet andexercise, the actual problem lies in apply-ing a regimen to their daily routine.Discipline and adherence to a diet is thefirst step to a healthy life. But in India, peo-ple usually cover up by giving excuses likethey had to go to parties and so on. Propermotivation and discipline help one to carryout the diet regime honestly while happi-

ness on seeing it work on their body andhealth keeps them loyal to it.”

In order to cure people from interme-diate condition, it’s very important to cre-ate awareness among them to go throughregular body check-ups and most impor-tantly follow a strict and healthy diet.“People did not know that they had cer-tain conditions like high lipids, low HDLand so on until they were asked to under-go a test. We went to a lot of screeningsand conferences where we were able to fig-ure out certain conditions by merelylooking at the subjects’ physique. Thestrangest part was that they were complete-ly unaware of it. Compelled to undergotests, they discovered that they sufferedfrom conditions like blood sugar and high

blood pressure. We can arrest so manycases of full blown diabetes just by follow-ing discipline,” Dr Sonal added.

Significant self-referral symptoms andsigns which call for consulting a dieticianinclude an elevated BMI (body massindex) count, which should not be morethan 23, waist circumference higher than80 cm for Indians, family history of dia-betes and heart disease, birth weighthigher than 4 kg (which makes one proneto acquiring diabetes) and existence of apolycystic ovarian syndrome.

Dr Seema Gulati said that educatingpeople is the first step towards creatingawareness. “People who have metabolicsyndrome are one step away from diabetesand two steps away from heart diseases.Left on their own, they keep following afaulty lifestyle which aggravates theirlatent condition. But if they are educatedabout the importance of a healthy lifestyle,there can be complete reversal to normalstage. Our research paper has been pub-lished in international journals and hasgone through a lot of revisions afterresponses from there. We are trying ourbest to create a mass awareness campaign.”

Dr Mishra said diet was such a deli-cate and personalised issue that no amountof internet aids could help you decide whatfoods are good for you. “Nowadays, every-body searches Google for an answer. Weeven find people searching emergencymedicines on it. If we get all the answerson the net, then why go to a doctor fordietary suggestions? Google providesanswers for the general public. But whatwe fail to understand is that every individ-ual has his own problems and dynamics.A dietician will prescribe the diet based onhis or her family history, gene tree, weight,etc. Individualising diet plans, puttingemphasis on and deleting certain fooditems require a lot of detailed studywhich can be possible via human inter-action. That’s the difference between adietician and internet”, said Dr Mishra.

Talking about the type of awarenesscreated in the field of nutrition and dia-betes, Dr Mishra felt that these were themost neglected fields of study andresearch. The most important step has tobe taken by the government.“Unfortunately, nutrition, diabetes andproper diet are not receiving the samestatus as HIV, polio and AIDS. What weas doctors can do is just a small bit. TheGovernment can do public awarenesscampaigns,” he added.

Psycho-therapist Anna Chandymay have answers for you in

her book Battles In The Mind but she had her own to wage before shecould become counsellor for others, help actress DeepikaPadukone and go on to head thestar’s Live, Love, Laugh foundation.She describes her childhood as one without an ambition, thoughshe was always a good listener. “I decided to become a counselloronly after I got married. It was when my husband’s brotherwas suffering from schizophreniaand I had to learn how to help him that I realised this is exactly what I want to do. Twenty yearsdown the line, there has not beena single day when I have regrettedtaking up this profession,” Chandyshares.

Talking about her book that hasboth personal and technical touch-es regarding mental health, she tellsus, “The book is in two parts. The first part is about my own per-sonal journey and the struggles Ihave been through to establish aneasy connect and relatability. In the second part I have talked abouthow to work through these strug-gles and the essentials tools to fight mental illness. I have alsoincorporated ways to free yourselfof emotional baggage and use my positive responses that I have nurtured all through my life.”

Being a therapist and a coun-

sellor herself, she is well - acquaint-ed with the theoretical concepts of transaction analysis very well.She feels that this knowledge hashelped her understand herself bet-ter and been a boon when she start-ed writing her book. “Also, one ofthe advantages of knowing the concept is that you can experi-ence an abnormality when it’s happening to you. Especially, when you catch yourself

repetitively working on a singlething that you are not really supposed to. You automatically are called on toit and it becomes a pattern.Working on transaction analysishelps lay a map of understandingyour inner psychological world. It tells you what you need to do and what you should refrain yourself from,” she shares.

Talking about the rampant out-

burst of people suffering frommental illness, Chandy feels that thesociety needs to stop judging thepeople who are suffering fromdepression and give them an envi-ronment to open up themselves.She asserts, “One of the things thatyoungsters should always remem-ber is that it’s okay to share one’sfeelings, especially when you arevulnerable. They should realisethat there is no shame or any stig-ma attached when we talk aboutmental health or any illness that isassociated with the mind. Onlythen will they be able to get profes-sional help.”

She strives to create an environment where people suffer-ing from mental illnesses are treat-ed equally. “I am 54 years old andI have been thinking what kind oflegacy I want to leave behind in my professional space. I really want tocreate a space for mental healthprofessionals to practise ethicallyand I aspire to build an India wheremental health can be an issuewhich can be discussed on a regu-lar basis and not something to beashamed of.”

Reminiscing her days whenshe was being trained under DrBrian Weiss and Louise Hay, sheshares, “I was deeply affected by Hay’s philosophy of how phys-ical illnesses are associated with ourminds. Today, I do a lot of workwith my clients and concentrate onwhat really troubles them. I met DrBrian in 2007 and he was reallyfascinated with the role spirituali-ty plays in India. He asked me whyI did not use spirituality as a toolto help people out of depression. It was only after that I started look-ing at the larger universal purpose,where there is always something tounfold.”

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In the last 50years or more,

medical profes-sionals areincreasingly pin-pointing stress ortrauma as thecause of seriousdiseases anddeaths. Isn’t it sur-prising that stress,about which we were not so serious,has today become a part of oureveryday life? Today, there is floodof literature available on stress-relat-ed diseases and their treatment.

Although we talk about stress,it often isn’t clear as to what it is real-ly about. Even though WHO, in itswell-known definition of health, hastaken into account the social, moraland spiritual aspects of health,some very important aspects ofstress have been missed, overlookedor at least under-emphasised bydoctors, social scientists, criminol-ogists, administrators, historiansand others. Many people feel thatstress is something that happens tothem during an event such as phys-ical injury, emotional heart break orsome family feud. Some people saythat stress is a feeling experiencedby our mind and body in responseto an event like a terror attack, railaccident or a plane crash. However,experts believe that while stress doesinvolve events and our response tothem, these are not the most impor-tant factors causing it. Our thoughtsabout the situations in which wefind ourselves in are more criticalcompared to other reasons men-tioned above.

We need to understand thatwhen something happens to us, weautomatically evaluate the situation

mentally and decide if it is reallythreatening to us, how we need todeal with the situation and whatskills we can use. So, if we feel thatthe demands of the situation out-weigh the skills we have, then wetreat the situation as stressful. On theother hand, if we feel that our cop-ing skills outweigh the demands ofthe situation, then we don’t see it asstressful.

According to psychologists,stress in small quantities is good andat times necessary because it moti-vates a person and helps him/her tobecome more productive. However,an excess of it, or a strong responseto it, can be fatal. Hence, the way inwhich we deal with a stress-provok-ing event would determine itsimpact on our health. The basic ideais to understand ourselves and ourreaction towards stressful events,thereby learning to handle themmore effectively. One should under-stand that stress management is notabout avoiding or escaping the pres-sures and turbulence of modern liv-

ing. NO! In actual sense, it is aboutlearning to appreciate how thebody reacts to external pressuresand develops skills which enhancethe body’s adjustment.

The Gita states that man can behis own best friend or his own worstenemy. But in order to be my bestfriend, I have to spend time withmyself. I have to learn to love andrespect myself so that I can love oth-ers and respect them as well. Theonly time to do that is to spend timewith myself. By getting to knowmyself and to watch what is goingon in my mind, I need to gentlypush the mind back on the righttrack. If during the day, I allow mymind to be negative or to havewasted thoughts, it would be a dif-ficult task and I would struggle todo meditation. Yet, if during theday, I threw out the waste stuffwhich is of no use to me and justmade sure my thoughts would begood and positive, it would be thatmuch easier to have that elevatedexperience.

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Aresolute Kidambi Srikanthclinched his fourth Super Seriestitle with an incredible straight-

game triumph over reigning Olympicand world champion Chen Long in theAustralian Open final here on Sunday.

The world No 11 Srikanth won 22-20, 21-16 in a 45-minute clash againstthe world No 6 Chinese, who is alsoa two-time All England champion.

The triumph is his second suc-cessive after clinching the IndonesiaOpen Super Series Premier title lastweek.

"As a whole I played very well, butsince I arrived in Sydney I have gas-troenteritis and have had diarrhoea, soI have not been at my best physicalcondition. But since I made the finalI wanted to continue to play as well asI could," said an ecstatic Srikanth afterthe victory.

"It's just that I'm not thinking ofwinning or losing. I missed competi-tive badminton and wanted to enjoythe match. It's like it happened becauseI missed that period of competitivebadminton. It's like I wanted to hangin and play as many matches as pos-sible," added the Australian Openchampion.

Entering the summit showdown,Srikanth was only the fifth player inthe world to contest three successiveSuper Series finals (Singapore andIndonesia prior to this).

The Indian, a semi-finalist in thelast edition of the tournament, was theone to grab the early lead. Followinga sedate start, Srikanth capitalised onhis opponent's rather sluggish game toclinch a 10-6 lead.

"These conditions are such thatyou can't really attack, it's a bit slow,you have to be prepared for a longmatch. In all the breaks I had theadvantage, the coach told me to keepit going, not to make simple mistakesand allow him back into the match. Myattack worked really well," saidSrikanth.

But perhaps jolted by the lead hehad conceded, Long gathered himselfjust in time, starting with a deftly-placed smash, to make it 11-11.

The Chinese shifted gears quitesuddenly to add pace to the proceed-ings and his baseline strokes stood outfor both ferocity and accuracy.

But the Indian was no pushoverand played the catch-up game quitewell, coming up with a couple of bril-liant smashes of his own.

"I'm playing better after theSudirman Cup. I should thank my

physio for keeping me fit for these twotournaments. It was tough for me onTuesday and Wednesday," said theshuttler.

And it was this tenacity which gotSrikanth a 17-15 lead even thoughLong continued to breathe down hisneck.

But Srikanth did not let themomentum slip, and helped by Long's

erratic play, the underdog earned hisfirst game point at 20-19.

Long managed to save that with arasping smash but Srikanth's perse-verance fetched him another at 21-20when the Chinese was foxed by a lowbackhand return. This time, Srikanthmade no mistake and sealed the firstgame in 23 minutes.

The second game began with anengaging baseline rally, which endedwith Srikanth smashing his way toearn the first point.

"There was a long rally early in thesecond game and after I won that I gotmore confident. If he had won it hewould've kept doing it (rallies),"explained Srikanth.

The see-saw battle continued fora while before Srikanth broke away tolead 6-3, dominating the rallies withhis accurately, rather awkwardly,placed shots, which Long found dif-ficult to return.

But it was not to say that Long wascompletely out of the contest. He didmanage to keep the gap in check withflashes of brilliance that make himamong the best in the world.

However, Srikanth seemed deter-mined to end his winless streak againsthis fancied rival and led 11-9 at thelemon break of the second game.

Srikanth did not let the lead slipfrom that point, raising his game byquite a few notches against an increas-ingly faltering Long.

It took Srikanth a minute less thanthe first game to wrap up a rather com-fortable victory.

The triumph was a morale-boost-ing jinx-breaker for Srikanth, who hadlost all his previous five encounters toLong.

"I'm just happy to be doing well fornow," concluded the Indian Shuttler.

� �� 423��26-�

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cricket iconSachin Tendulkar, among others, lavished praise

on Kidami Srikanth for claiming the Australian Opentitle with a stunning win over reigning Olympic andworld champion Chen Long.

It was Srikanth's fourth Super Series title and sec-ond successive.

"We are really proud of the victory of @sriki-dambi in the Australian Open. I congratulate himfor yet another wonderful win," Modi wrote on histwitter handle.

The triumph is his second straight after clinch-ing the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier titlelast week and Tendulkar said he was proud of "cham-pion" Srikanth.

"Heartiest congratulations to @srikidambi onwinning 2nd successive superseries title. Proud of youchampion! #AustralianSS," wrote Tendulkar on histwitter handle.

Another former India cricketer Virender Sehwagalso extended his best wishes as he wrote,"Congratulations @srikidambi on beating reigningOlympic & World Champion Chen Long & winninga 4th Superseries title. Take a bow, Srikanth !

Srikanth's compatriot H S Prannoy tweeted:"Looks like it's getting tough for everyone to Clinchtitles when Indian boys are in form!! Congrats @sriki-dambi."

Denmark shuttler Mathias Boe felt Srikanth'sachievement of winning back-to-back titles was rare.

"Massive congrats @srikidambi back to backtitles, not many players have done that. Jai hind."

Sports Minister Vijay Goel also lauded Srikanth'ssecond consecutive Super Series title.

"2nd successive Superseries title for @srikidambi.Defeats Olympic champ Chen Long 22-20, 21-16 tobecome #AustraliaSS winner! Proud of you!," Goeltweeted.

Former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinhanot only applauded Srikanth but also his coaches,especially national coach Pullela Gopichand.

"Congrats @srikidambi what a stunning win.Salute!! Amazing work Gopichand, Indonesiancoaches @GoSportsVoices," he wrote on his twitterhandle.

Tennis ace Sania Mirza said, "@srikidambi on firelove it.. Huge congratulations once again .. Keep itrolling."

� �� 654�54

An inconsistent India wastedchances galore to finish a dis-

appointing sixth in the HeroHockey World League Semifinalsafter being stunned 2-3 by lowlyCanada here on Sunday.

It was India's second upsetdefeat against a lower-ranked sidein the tournament after having lostto Malaysia in the quarterfinals.

Gordon Johnston (3rd, 44thminutes) scored two goals whileKeegan Pereira (40th) found thenet once for the 11th rankedCanadians.

Harmanpreet Singh (7th,22nd) converted two of India'snine penalty corners.

By virtue of this win, Canadanot only finished fifth in the tour-nament but also qualified for nextyear's World Cup, to be held in theIndian city of Bhubaneswar.

The loss, although, didn'tdeter sixth-ranked India's qualifi-cation to the Hockey WorldLeague Final, to be held later thisyear, and the World Cup as they

are already assured of places inboth the events by virtue of beingthe hosts.

However, it definitely countsfor a morale-shattering outing.

India started the encounter asthe overwhelming favourites hav-ing defeated the same opponents3-0 in the pool stages, but thescript panned out to be completelydifferent as, with a World Cupberth at stake, Canada playedwith great determination and gavetheir higher-ranked rivals a run fortheir money.

Even though India dominat-ed the share of possession and hadmore shots at the goal comparedto their opponents, Canada sur-prised their rivals when it matteredthe most with some great counter-attacks.

India continued their dismalperformance from penalty cornersas they converted just two out ofnine they earned in the match.

Canada took the lead early onin the game when Johnston con-verted a penalty corner in the thirdminute.

But Harmanpreet drew pari-ty four minutes later from a penal-ty corner.

In the second quarter, theIndians secured their third penal-ty corner but Harmanpreet's lowflick was saved by goalkeeperAntoni Kindler, who was brilliantunder the Canadian goal today.

Seconds later, Harmanpreetagain wasted another penalty cor-ner for India before the dragflick-er found the target in the 2ndminute with a powerful low flickto hand his side the lead.

Canada mostly relied ondefending in numbers and sur-prising India on counters.

The Canadians too were dis-mal with penalty corners, con-verting just one of the five theyearned in the entire 60 minutes.

In the 26th minute,Talwinder's effort, after a fineinterchange with AkashdeepSingh, was saved by an alertKindler.

India secured their sixthpenalty corner in the 27th minutebut Harmanpreet was off the

mark to go into the breather witha marginal 2-1 lead.

After the change of ends,India secured two more shortcorners but to no avail.

The missed chances cost Indiadearly as Canada struck twice ina span of four minutes to stun theIndians.

Keegan Pereira first levelledthe scores in the 40th minute,pushing in Mark Pearson's crossbefore Johnston scored the winnerwith a reverse hit four minuteslater.

Down by a goal with just aquarter to left, the Indians went allout attacking and secured twomore penalty corners but, as hasbeen the case in the tournament,the chances went wasted.

Credit should also go to theCanadian goalkeeper Kindler, whoproduced some brilliant savesincluding a breathtaking effort todeny Mandeep Singh in the 50thminute.

The Canadians defended innumbers to register one of theirmost memorable wins.

� �� -(662

Roger Federer defeatedGermany's Alexander

Zverev 6-1, 6-3 to win theGerry Weber Open for arecord ninth time on Sunday.

Playing in his 140th careerfinal, Federer saved theonly break point hefaced and convertedfour of his eightopportunities toclinch his 92ndcareer title in 53minutes. At 35, theSwiss player becamethe oldest winner ofthe grass-court tour-nament.

"I played unbelievablywell. I felt good and never letup," said Federer, whodropped just nine points onhis serve. "It was my best gamethis week. Nearly everythingworked out for me."

Federer, who skipped theclay-court season after win-ning the Miami Open in earlyApril, claimed his fourth titleof the year, matching RafaelNadal's tally, and he will beseeded ahead of his Spanishrival for Wimbledon, whichstarts in eight days.

Federer had already wonthe Australian Open beforetitles in Indian Wells andMiami in 2017.

The 18-time Grand Slamchampion was surprised byGerman veteran Tommy Haason his return from the two-month break last week inStuttgart but brushed off anydoubts over his form in Halle.

Against the 20-year-oldZverev, who lost last year'sfinal to Florian Mayer, Federerraced to a 4-0 lead beforewrapping up the first set in 22minutes. Zverev created hisonly break chance in theopening game of the second,but ultimately was unable toshow why he is regarded asone of the sport's brightestprospects.

"You could have been a bitnicer and allowed me a cou-ple more points," Zverev jokedto his idol.

Federer had words ofaffection for Zverev, who wontheir semifinal in Halle lastyear.

"He's a very nice lad. I'mvery happy for him, how he'sdeveloped in the last years.The future belongs to him,"said Federer.

� �� (E'

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo prof-ited from the chaos to win the

Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, whileSebastian Vettel extended his champi-onship lead over Lewis Hamilton.

The Australian secured his fifthcareer win, while Mercedes driver ValtteriBottas overtook 18-year-old CanadianLance Stroll's Williams in the closingmeters to take second place.

"It was just a crazy race, with all thesafety cars and the chaos," said Ricciardo."On the cool-down lap, I was just gigglinglike a schoolboy."

Vettel steered his Ferrari into fourth,just ahead of Hamilton's Mercedes.

After eight races, Vettel leadsHamilton by 14 points.

In a stop-start race, the safety car cameout three times in quick succession beforea red flag stopped the grand prix near themidway point because debris littered thetrack.

�� Hamilton and Vettel were involved in

an incident that threatens to sour theirgood relations.

Hamilton appeared to stop his carright in front of Vettel, causing Vettel tocollide into him. An irate Vettel then accel-erated alongside Hamilton and appeared

to deliberately swerve back into him.Vettel was given a 10-second stop-go

penalty, but Hamilton lost valuable timechanging a loose headrest at the same timethat Vettel served his time penalty.

Hamilton was on Vettel's tail on thelast lap, but could not overtake.

The slowness of the safety car wasannoying Hamilton,. Then came that inci-dent with Vettel.

"He brake-tested me!" an angry Vettelsaid, while Hamilton argued differently.

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