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VOL NO. XI ISSUE NO. 354 PAGES. 8+8 VOL NO. XI ISSUE NO. 354 PAGES. 8+8 /- 4/- 4`

PUBLISHED FROM: HYDERABAD, CHENNAI & BANGALORE EDITOR IN CHIEF: BUCHI BABU VUPPALA16 SUNDAY, AUGUST, 2020www.thesouthindiatimes.com /facebook/thesouthindiatimes.yahoo.in / thesouthindiatimes.yahoo.in

VP, PM, LS Speaker attend ‘At home’ hosted by Prez

TSIT BUREAU

New Delhi, Aug 15 : Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the ‘At Home’ reception, hosted by President Ram Nath Kov-ind on Saturday evening, on the occasion of 74th Inde-pendence Day. In the wake of Novel Coronavirus pan-demic, only select Cabinet Ministers, dignitaries from the Judiciary, bureaucrats and diplomats had been in-vited to attend the ceremony, organised at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, with social distanc-ing norms. Defence Ministry Rajnath Singh, External Af-fairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General Manoj Muku-nd Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh and Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadau-ria, among others, attended the function.

Muted but special ‘At Home’ this time

New Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) This year’s ‘At Home’ reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan was a relatively muted affair given the trimmed guest list. How-ever, all the power centres of Lutyens Delhi were present. Also present was a select group of corona warriors who are fighting the pandemic from the frontline. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, De-fence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as well as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar were also present. Among the other attendees were Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

SHORT TAKES

PUTIN PROPOSES URGENT STATE ONLINESUMMIT ON IRAN,

PERSIAN GULF

HIMACHAL CM PAYS RICH TRIBUTES

TO SOLDIERS

DON’T BE AFRAID OF COVID , I TOO GOT INFECTED:

YEDIYURAPPA

TSIT BUREAU

New Delhi, Aug 15 : Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi on Satur-day unfurled the Tricolour at the Red Fort and addressed the nation amid Covid-19 induced new norms after paying tribute at the Raj Ghat on the occasion of 74th Independence Day. Con-tinuing the tradition of sporting bright-coloured turbans for his Independence Day speeches, the Prime Minister chose an off-white saafa with broad streak of orange for the second I-Day ad-dress of his second term. Modi also extended greetings to the people of the nation. “Happy Independence Day to all fel-

low Ind . Jai Hind!” tweeted Modi from his official Twitter account. The Independence Day function, this year, is rela-tively muted in terms of partici-

pation of people in view of the Coronavirus pandemic. On his arrival at the Lahori Gate of Red Fort, Modi was received by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) Ac-cusing the Narendra Modi gov-ernment of standing contrary to Democratic and Constitu-tional values and established traditions, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said that these are testing times for Indian Democracy. In her mes-sage to people on Independence day, Mrs Gandhi said, ‘in the past 74 years of independence, we have, from time to time, tested our democratic values to strengthen Indian democracy. Today, it appears that the ruling

government is standing against democratic and constitutional principles and established tra-ditions. These are testing times for the Indian democracy.’ Call-ing on the people of the country to introspect as to what is the

meaning of freedom, she said, ‘Today every countryman needs to introspect as to what freedom means to them? Is there freedom in the country today to write, to speak, to ask questions, dis-agree, to put forward their views and to seek accountability? As a responsible opposition, it is our duty to ensure Indian’s demo-cratic credentials are protected.” Paying tribute to 20 Indian sol-diers killed in border conflict with China in Ladakh and the violent faceoff in Galwan Valley on June 15.

These are testing times for Indian Democracy: Sonia

Hyderabad Aug 15: Chief Minister K Chandrashek-har Rao has hoisted the national flag at Pragathi Bhavan here on Saturday. TRS Parliamentary Party leader Dr K Keshav Rao, Government ‘s Chief Advi-sor Rajiv Sharma, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, DGP Mahender Reddy, and others participated. Chief Minister also felicitated renowned poet (padya kavi) Tirunagari Ramanujam who was se-lected for Dasarathi Krishnamacharya award for 2020. The Chief Minister offered him a shawl, Rs 1, 01,116 cash award and a memento. The75-year-old Tirunagari has been active in the literary field for the last 50 years. The Chief Minister described Tirunagari as a literary legend who has made Telangana proud. “We believe that Tirunagari will continue the legacy of Dasarathi. He said that the works of Tirunagari such as Balaveera Satakam, Akshra Dhara and Tirungareeyam have found a permanent place in reader’s hearts.”Tirunagari has knowledge about Sanskrit and traditions and is aware of the modern trends in literature. I wish and hope that he will remain in Telugu literature as an icon and also nurture it. In addition to government officials, secretary culture Srinivas Raju, director Mamidi Harikrishna, CM-OSD Desapathi Srinivas, and T Srinivas, son of Tirunagari were also present.

COVID tally crosses 25 lakh mark; PM assures 3 vaccines on wayNew Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) The

country’s COVID-19 tally sur-passed the 25 lakh mark with 65,002 fresh cases on Saturday, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the people that three vaccines for the deadly virus were in different stages of testing. According to the minis-try, the total number of positive Novel Coronavirus cases stood at 25,26,192, including 6,68,220 ac-tive ones. According to Mr Modi, three Corona vaccines were be-ing developed in India and large-scale production would begin, “once we get the nod from sci-entists”. ‘Our roadmap to bring the Coronavirus vaccine to all Ind in the shortest possible time is ready… Today, three vaccines are in testing stages in

India. As soon as scientists give a green signal, the country will begin large scale production,” he added, while delivering his Independence speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 74th Independence Day.

Former India cricketer and Uttar Pradesh Home Guard Minister Chetan Chauhan, who was detected COVID-19 positive

last month, was put on ventilator support at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on Saturday.

The fresh cases included Be-lagavi SP Laxmana Nimbari, while condition of legendary playback singer S P Balasub-rahmanyam, popularly called as “SPB”, who had tested posi-tive for Coronavirus a couple of days back and was admitted to a

private hospital, was stable and continued to be on life support in the Intensive Care Unit.

As many as 996 more patients died in the past 24 hours, bring-ing the death toll to 49,036.

India has scaled another peak, posting the highest recoveries of Coronavirus cases in a single day, so far with 57,381 patients discharged in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of re-coveries to 18,08,936. The coun-try’s recovery rate was at 71.61 per cent. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers to donate Oximeters and save lives of the people. ‘My appeal to all the workers of the Aam Aadmi Party is to donate as many Oxim-eters as possible, and that every

worker should take responsibil-ity of his village, so that we can save the lives of people through the Oximeter,” he said.

“In case of Delhi, home isola-tion was a measure that helped us in fighting the battle against Covid-19. For instance, if there are 10,000 cases, only 1000 are severe and taken to hospitals, the remaining get cured at home. It saves 9000 beds, this can be followed in villages,” the CM added. The national capital has at present 11,366 active cases. Maharashtra, however remains the worst-affected state with tally of 5,72,734 cases, 1,51,865 active cases and 19,427 cases. Tamil Nadu, where Chief Minis-ter Edappadi K Palaniswami an-nounced hike in pension.

Consider me retired: MS Dhoni bids adieu to international cricket

New Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday announced his retirement in an Instagram post. Dhoni posted a video montage with pictures at different points of his career along with a cap-tion: “Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired (sic).” The two-time World Cup winning skipper didn’t give details of the development as to whether he is retiring from the game entirely or if he is only bowing out from inter-

national cricket.Dhoni is currently part of the

Chennai Super Kings training camp at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and is expect-ed to lead the team in the 2020 sea-son of the Indian Premier League which is set to start on September 19. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan had recently said that the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman would be a part of the franchise, even for the 2021 and 2022 editions of the IPL. Dhoni’s last appearance in the blue jersey came in India’s

semi-final defeat to New Zealand at the 2019 World Cup af-ter which he took a break from profes-sional cricket. In this time, Rishabh Pant and later KL Rahul took his place as wicketkeeper of the Indian limit-ed-overs side. Earlier, head coach Ravi Shastri had said that Dhoni’s chances to make it to the Indian team that goes to the 2020 T20 World Cup -- originally scheduled

to be held in Australia in October-November this year -- would de-pend on his performance in the IPL. However, both the IPL and the T20 World Cup were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

No change in Pranab Mukherjee’s health condition

New Delhi Aug 15: The condition of former president Pranab Mukherjee remained unchanged on Saturday and he continued to be on ventila-tor support, doctors attending on him said. They said his vital and clinical parameters are stable and are being closely monitored by a team of specialists. The 84-year-old former president was admitted to the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on Monday and was operated upon for the removal of a clot in the brain. He had also tested positive for COVID-19.

and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar. The Defence Secretary introduced Gen-eral Officer Commanding (GoC), Delhi Area, Lieutenant General Vijay Kumar Mishra to the Prime Minister. The GoC

then conducted the Saluting Base in the presence of the Prime Minister, where a combined Inter-Services and Police Guards presented the general salute to him. Thereafter, Modi inspected the Guard of Hon-our. He then proceeded to the ram-parts of the Red Fort where he was greeted by Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff General M.M. Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff Ad-miral Karambir Singh and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria. On unfurling the National Flag by Modi, the National Guard per-formed the ‘Rashtriya Salute’ as the Army Grenadiers Regimental Centre Military Band played the National An-them. Major Shweta Pandey assisted the Prime Minister in unfurling of the Tricolour that was synchronized with the 21 Gun Salute fired by the valiant gunners of the elite 2233 Field Battery (Ceremonial).

74TH I DAY: PM UNFURLS TRICOLOUR, ADDRESSES NATION

CM KCR Hoists national flag at Pragathi Bhavan, honours Tirunagari

2EDIT16 SUNDAY, AUGUST, 2020

Email : thesouthindiatimes@yahoo.in / (H.O) HyderabadTHE SOUTH INDIA TIMES

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THE SOUTH INDIA TIMES16 SUNDAY, AUGUST, 2020

US President Donald Trump issued two executive orders on Thursday restricting Chinese social media networks TikTok and WeChat, on the grounds that they pose significant national security threats to the United States. These executive actions set a 45-day deadline to ByteDance, which owns TikTok, and Tencent, owner of WeChat, to sell the two platforms to American companies, or face a complete ban in the US. ByteDance has already been in talks with Microsoft to sell the US operations of TikTok, an enormously popular video-sharing platform. Now by issuing the executive order, Trump has virtually ensured the certainty of that sale. WeChat, which is mainly used by the Chinese diaspora to communicate with their family members and friends in the mainland and make mobile payments, now faces a more uncertain future in the US. Trump’s crackdown on TikTok and WeChat, and by extension, Chinese technology and business interests, opens up another front in the President’s on-going confrontation with China, which started with a trade war involving farming, dairy products and other American goods. More recently, the Trump administration has taken actions to restrict Huawei access in the US and the use of government funds to purchase Huawei products and services. Does this latest phase in the Sino-American confrontation, which began on June 21 with the US ordering the closure of the Chinese consulate general in Houston, and China, in retaliation, closing the US consulate in Chengdu, in the southwestern province of Sichuan, benefit or provide an opportunity for India? Several analysts in both Washington and New Delhi have observed that it does. It is easy to see the logic behind that argument. In restricting TikTok and WeChat, the US has merely followed India’s footsteps in banning these two and 57 Chinese apps in late June, in response to encroachments by People’s Liberation Army soldiers into Indian territory. From a geopolitical standpoint, there is no doubt that the current US-China conflict has come at an opportune time for India, which has been engaged in multiple standoffs with China along the border in Ladakh since the beginning of this summer. It once again reinforces the convergence of security interests of India and the US on the China front. There may be a temptation because of this to escalate the tension with China and in attempt to get concessions in Ladakh. Many armchair warriors have urged Prime Minister Modi to ally with the US and force China to the back foot, to use a cricketing term. Even though New Delhi and Washington have become closer strategic partners, especially in the past two decades, India has never openly aligned with the US on China, despite US pressure to do so. The historic US-India civil nuclear deal, signed in 2008, was widely seen in Washington as a move to empower India as a bulwark against China. But, much to the frustration of the anti-China hawks in Washington, India has never been comfortable playing that role. This hesitancy continues till today. Notwithstanding calls by many in India and the US to do so, New Delhi has not rushed into Washington’s arms in the wake of the Galwan attack. This appears to be a quite prudent decision. In any scenario, it is highly unlikely that the US will engage in a full-scale cold war similar to the one it waged with the erstwhile Soviet Union for much of the last half of the 20th century. China doesn’t pose any physical threat to the US, or its European allies, unlike the Soviet Union back then. Economically, the US and China are more integrated than perhaps any two large sovereign nations ever have. Besides being the source of many American goods, China also holds more than $1 trillion worth of US securities. There is every possibility for a reset in Sino-US relations if Trump loses to Democrat Joe Biden in November. Even if Trump is re-elected, it is unlikely that he will pursue an all-out economic war with China during his second term. Knowledgeable observers suggest that the immediate provocation for Trump’s TikTok and WeChat restrictions are not geopolitical, but domestic politics. With Covid-19 continuing to ravage the American heartland and the much anticipated US economic recovery not materializing, the President’s re-election prospects have dimmed considerably.

What should India do in response to the

US-China Rift?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has come out with guidelines as to how cricket will operate at this time of COVID-19 pandemic. This is essential as the safety of the players and the people involved in cricket needs to be foremost protected.

The world is reeling under the spread of this unexpected virus attack and the uncertainty of being able to deal has put a threat to all. “The show must go on” and therefore cricket as a sport has taken the plunge to get back on track.

England, by creating a bio-bubble and isolating teams from the outside world, so as to greatly minimise the risk of getting an infection, proved that it could be done successfully. This has been a huge positive where cricket is concerned as countries around the world now have a template to follow.

Indian cricket finally breathed a sigh of relief as the popular and financially lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) can be played finally. This they plan to do in the UAE as India is still not ready to hold a major tournament given the current circumstances.

The IPL is a very important tournament in world cricket, especially for India. The glamour and glitter that it brings along with the cricket uncertainties is a script that is unique as every match creates an excitement similar to what one feels when reading a murder mystery. This is what makes T20, the shortest official format of the game, so absorbing.

The BCCI will have a major challenge in ensuring that the 53-day tournament goes through without any blemish. The only way this will be possible is for all the participants to take the responsibility on themselves and follow the rules and regulations to the tee. A single error could burst the bubble and jeopardise the whole

tournament.With eight participating teams, the

controls to ensure that nothing goes awry will be a humongous task for each franchise. The IPL has been one event which has always brought out the BCCI with flying colours. One hopes and prays that this edition showcases that India has the capabilities of hosting a major sporting event successfully even in such a difficult time.

BCCI has also in the meanwhile issued very elaborate guidelines for domestic cricket. Each Indian cricket association has been told to follow them. One is a bit skeptical as to how effectively it will be implemented. A bio-secure bubble to create around India is a huge challenge. This requires players, support staff as well as all the people involved, to be ensconced in a secured space for two months or more.

The BCCI has announced that they will be only playing two tournaments this season -- the Ranji Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. A domestic cricketer is paid on a match-fee basis and hence many of them will be affected financially. With the reduction in the number of matches,

their annual income will be reduced quite drastically. One hopes that the BCCI and the state associations will take this into consideration and compensate them suitably.

However, the U-19 and junior tournaments will be played as usual. This is rather unusual as creating a safe environment for them, especially as they do not stay in five-star comfort like their seniors, would be an enormous task.

The tournament, that one cannot understand as to why it is being omitted this season, is the prestigious Irani Trophy. This is a match between the winner of the Ranji Trophy and the Rest of India. The match is very important for players from the winning Ranji Trophy side, in this case Saurashtra, because a good performance in this encounter could catapult one into the Indian team. The Rest of India side also has players vying for a place in the Indian side. Depriving the Saurashtra players and the rest is definitely unfair.

The Irani Trophy should have been the first match of the season. Most of the players would already have been a part of the IPL whereas the players

missing could have been put into a safe bubble at a stipulated venue. This would have been an ideal game for selecting players for the difficult tour that India will be embarking on Down Under against Australia at the end of the year.

The recent guidelines issued by the BCCI also has one more controversial regulation which needs to be enforced. It states that no coaching or support staff can be 60 years or over. Many of the teams have former cricketers as coaches, mentors and advisors who are above the age stipulated. Some of them have done extremely well for their respective state sides and for them to lose their job just because of the age factor is simply not acceptable.

The age barrier is one area that has been the bone of contention even in the Lodha committee proposed recommendations that were approved by the Supreme Court and inserted into the BCCI Constitution. The BCCI also has put their own age criteria as regards selectors, match referees, fitness coaches and even administrative staff.

It is rather unfortunate to enforce the age barrier of 60 or 70 years on people who are fit and capable of bringing experience and knowledge and are a valuable asset. The BCCI cricket administrators like J. Dalmia, N. Srinivasan and Sharad Pawar and many others have shown the way Indian cricket can flourish off the field even after they have passed their golden age. Arun Lal for Bengal and Karsan Ghavri for Saurashtra, both former cricketers and above the magic age limit, have shown what they can do with their bunch of cricketers on the field. All these stalwarts have proven that it is how one thinks, feels and behaves that is important and that age as one says “is only a number”.

At a time of social distancing forced by the coronavirus pandemic, it is becoming increasingly difficult to cope with loneliness. But then, loneliness was not an unknown phenomenon in the pre-Covid world even though the vast majority of the populace might refuse to accept this given the enormous opportunities - now on temporary hold - to let off steam. Loneliness was quite an eye-opener for Vivek H. Murthy, a physician, researcher, public health expert, and entrepreneur of Indian origin, who from 2014 to 2017 served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States in the rank of a Vice Admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps during the Barack Obama administration.

He expected that his focus as the “nation’s doctor” would encompass issues like obesity, tobacco-related diseases, mental health, and vaccine-preventable illness but, as he learnt during an extensive tour of the US, “one recurring topic was different”. It wasn’t a frontline complaint nor was it even identified directly as a health ailment. “Loneliness ran like a dark thread through many of the more obvious issues that people brought to my attention, like addiction, violence, anxiety, and depression. The teachers and school administrators and many parents I encountered, for example, voiced a growing concern that our children were becoming isolated - even, or perhaps especially, those who spent much of their time in front of their digital devices and on social media. Loneliness also was magnifying the pain for families whose loved ones were struggling with addiction to opioids,” Murthy writes in “Together - Loneliness and What Happens When We Find Connection” (Profile Books/Hatchette). In some cases, Murthy writes, loneliness was driving health problems. In

others, it was a consequence of the illness and hardships that people were experiencing. It wasn’t always easy to tease out cause and effect, but clearly there was something about our disconnection from one another that was making people’s lives worse than they had to be. As much as he learned about how prevalent loneliness is, he also learnt a great deal about the healing power of human connection. “In these instances and so many others, I could see the vital role that social connections can play when individuals, families, and communities face difficult problems. While loneliness engenders despair and ever more isolation, togetherness raises optimism and creativity. When people feel they belong to one another, their lives are stronger, richer, and more joyful.

“And yet, the values that dominate modern culture instead elevate the narrative of the rugged individualist and the pursuit of self-determination. They tell us that we alone shape our destiny. Could these values be contributing to the undertow of loneliness I was witnessing,” Murthy asks. In spite of his personal bouts of loneliness, however, he’d never considered this issue as a potential public health priority and it certainly wasn’t on the agenda he’d shared with the US Senate during his confirmation hearings.

“But suddenly, it loomed very large indeed. The question was how to address it. Many of the people I was meeting assumed I had billions of dollars in discretionary spending and a staff of tens of thousands. I often had to tell them this was off by a few orders of magnitude. Despite this, my new position gave me a bully pulpit from which to raise public awareness about loneliness, to convene conversations with

key stakeholders, and to make the case for shifts in everything from research and policy to infrastructure and individual lifestyles. “The more I studied the seesaw relationship between loneliness and togetherness, the more convinced I became of the great power of human connection. So many of the problems we face as a society - from addiction and violence to disengagement among workers and students to political polarization - are worsened by loneliness and disconnection. Building a more connected world holds the key to solving these and many more of the personal and societal problems confronting us today,” Murthy explains. Noting that social connectedness matters to a doctor who wants to help patients get better but doesn’t know how to heal their loneliness - or the doctor’s own, Murthy writes: “My own desire to heed this call continued beyond my tenure as surgeon general. So did the persistent questions around loneliness that arose from the people and experts I’d met.”

What exactly has led to the fraying of relationships in communities and such high levels of loneliness? What other aspects of health and society are affected? How can we overcome the stigma of loneliness and accept that all of us are vulnerable? How can we create stronger, more enduring and compassionate connections in our own lives and communities, and a more unifying sense of common ground in our larger society? How do we shift the balance of our lives from being driven by fear to being fuelled by love, he asks and deals with these aspects in two sections in the book.

The first, Making Sense of Loneliness, discusses issues like Under Our Noses, The Evolution of

Loneliness, Cultures of Connection, Why Now and Unmasking Loneliness. The second addresses Building a More Connected Life through chapters dealing with Relating Inside Out, Circles of Connection and A Family of Families. “The great challenge facing us today is how to build a people-centred life and a people-centred world. So many of the front-page issues we face are made worse by -- and in some cases originate from -- disconnection. Many of these challenges are the manifestation of a deeper individual and collective loneliness that has brewed for too long in too many. In the face of such pain, few healing forces are as powerful as genuine, loving relationships.” The bottom line, Murthy writes, creating a connected life begins with the decisions we make in our day-to-day lives. “Do we choose to make time for people? Do we show up as our true selves? Do we seek out others with kindness, recognizing the power of service to bring us together; work that isn’t always easy as it requires courage - the courage to be vulnerable, to take a chance on others, to believe in ourselves?

“But, as we build connected lives, we make it possible to build a connected world. In such a world, we design our schools, workplaces, and technology to support human connection. We shape our laws to be forces for strengthening community. We treat kindness and compassion as sacred values that are reflected in our culture and our politics,” Murthy concludes. These are words of wisdom that come straight from the heart, and, as the world emerges from the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the various stakeholders would do well to pay heed to them to begin a new chapter of human togetherness.

Indian cricket guidelines ‘age is just a number’

‘Together’ building a connected world to overcome loneliness

Srinagar, Aug 15 (UNI) The cultural and religious mosaic of Jammu and Kash-mir has survived all attacks and has always stood out as a beacon light for the entire country, Lieutenant Gov-ernor Manoj Sinha said on Saturday. Addressing the main Independence Day pa-rade at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium in Srinagar, Sinha said when followers of the ‘Two Nation Theory’ were drawing a bloody line to divide the country, the people of Jammu and Kash-

mir stood out to join the na-tional mainstream where all religions and cultures were

regarded as binding forces and not as divisive forces.

“Huge sacrifi ces were

made by the people of Jam-mu and Kashmir to protect the sovereignty and integ-rity of the country. “Briga-dier Rajinder Singh (MVC) fought invaders in Uri and stood like a rock till his last breath to protect the sov-erei gnty of India. “Briga-dier Usman laid down his life fi ghting the invaders in 1947 and his last words were ‘I am going, but let not the state go into the hands of the invaders’. “The invaders were forced to turn back,” Sinha said.

He also said that Jammu and Kashmir is the land of the Prophet of Islam as it is that of Gautam Bud-dha and Lord Shiva. “I am deeply impressed by the spirit of Hindu-Muslim unity of Jammu and Kash-mir and this has been said best by Kashmiris poetess saint, Laleshwari when she said don’t think in terms of Hindu and Muslim be-cause such narrow mind-set will take you away from the greatness of your cre-ator.”

3NATION16 SUNDAY, AUGUST, 2020

Email : thesouthindiatimes@yahoo.in / (H.O) HyderabadTHE SOUTH INDIA TIMESReligious, cultural mosaic of J&K has

survived all attacks: Lt Guv Bhubaneswar, Aug 15 (UNI) The Inde-pendence Day was celebrated across Odi-sha on Saturday with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik hoisting the Tricolour at Exhibition Ground here and pay-ing tribute to Covid warriors in his address to the state. The Chief Minister also paid rich tribute to freedom fi ghters who have sac-rifi ced their lives in freedom movements. For the fi rst time, the fl ag hoisting ceremony was held without the

participation of pub-lic. “India has been fi ghting Covid-19 for the past fi ve months. I pay my tribute to Covid warriors mar-tyred in the battle,” he added.

He said Covid-19 has posed a huge chal-lenge not just for India or the world but to the entire human race. It has deeply affected education, health, economy, tourism, transport as well as human society. Crores of people are losing their livelihood due

to the pandemic, said the Chief Minister. He said the government has set up dedicated Covid hospitals and taked every step so that the patients are not deprived of any treatment available. In view of the prevailing Coronavirus situation, the Independence Day was celebrated in schools without students’ participa-tion. Following Co-vid guidelines issued by the government, only headmasters and teachers attended.

Independence Day celebrated in Odisha

Amritsar, Aug 15 (UNI) In an unprecedented devel-opment in 61 years, India’s Independence Day celebra-tions at the Attari-Wagah international border near here in Punjab on Saturday were held in the absence of spectators due to coronavi-rus pandemic, offi cials said.

Those who have wit-nessed the ceremony dur-ing normal times would vouch for the electrifying effect it has on the boister-ous audience that sits virtu-ally on the edge of stairs of the spectators’ gallery. In contrast, Saturday’s fl ag-hoisting, ceremonial drill and Beating Retreat on the country’s 74 Independence Day was a low-key affair.

Also missing was the tra-

ditional bonhomie between border forces of both India and Pakistan -- the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers -- who in normal times would share sweets and exchange greetings at the Joint Check Post, around 30 km from the holy city.

However, a band per-formance by BSF person-nel was held on Friday and Saturday evening to mark the occasion. In March 2020, the BSF had stopped the entry of visitors from across India who other-wise thronged the JCP to witness the famous Beat-ing Retreat ceremony -- a daily charged-up drill per-formed by the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers in the evening hours -- in view

of the spread of the deadly coronavirus. However, fl ag-hoisting and lowering of fl ags daily by both the forc-es is being held as usual.

At sunset, border guards on both sides lower their national fl ags. The cer-emony is a major tourist attraction on both sides of the borders. “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was no exchange of sweets between the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers,” a BSF spokesperson told . The Pakistan Rangers also did not distribute sweets on Pakistan’s Indepen-dence Day (August 14),” the spokesperson added. BSF Director General Surjeet Singh Deswal, besides se-nior offi cials.

In a fi rst in 61 years, no spectators at I-Day ceremony at Attari

Mumbai, Aug 15 (UNI) Maha-rashtra on Saturday witnessed sol-emn but colourful celebrations of the country’s 74th Independence Day, at the offi cial, political and mass levels with ‘social distancing’ amid the Covid pandemic, offi -cials said. The state’s offi cial func-tion was held at the Council Hall in Pune where Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari hoisted the National Tricolour in the presence of top dig-nitaries and offi cials including Dep-uty Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is Guardian Minister of Pune.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray hoisted the national fl ag at his offi -cial residence ‘Varsha’ and later at Mantralaya and the Bombay High Court in the presence of a large number of dignitaries. Addressing the state on the occasion, Thackeray said the country is now fi ghting an-

other war for freedom from the grip of the Corona pandemic.

“The Covid-19 has limited our boundaries of personal freedom, but we have to conquer it unitedly with

weapons like self-discipline, cleanli-ness, hygiene and wearing masks...Only then can we achieve indepen-dence from the coronavirus,” Thac-keray urged. The Chief Minister lauded the efforts of all the Corona warriors like doctors, nurses, police, conservancy staffers, who are work-ing all out, without fear, in the pan-demic at great risks to themselves. “On this auspicious occasion, I bow before them. I pay my respects to all the soldiers who fought for India’s Independence from the British, the jawans who safeguard our borders,” Thackeray said. Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar hoisted the fl ag at the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters in the presence of BMC Commissioner I.S. Chahal and other top civic dignitar-ies. Nationalist Congress Party lead-er Praful Patel and MP Supriya Sule

hoisted the national fl ag at the party state and city headquarters. State Congress President and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat hoisted the national tricolor at Sangamner in Ahmednagar and celebrated the I-Day among the local tribals. Cen-tral Railway General Manager San-jeev Mittal did the I-Day honours at the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Konkan Railway Chairman Sanjay Gupta hoisted the tricolor at the Konkan Rail Vihar in Navi Mumbai and Western Railway General Manager Alok Kansal hoist-ed the national fl ag at the Church-gate headquarters. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Chairman Sanjay Sethi hoisted the national fl ag and paid tributes to the Corona war-riors. Similar functions were held at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

Colourful I-Day celebrations in Maha amid Covid precautions

Statehood for J&K will be restored when guns fall silent: Ashok Koul

Itanagar, Aug 15 (UNI) Unfurling the national fl ag on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday launched the “Arunachal Pradesh Chal-lenge Entrepreneurship Programme” to boost en-trepreneurship among the people and to set up more industrial units in the state.

Khandu said the state government’s scheme “Chief Minister Compre-hensive Roads Plan 2019 to 2024” would strengthen and broaden the road infra-structure in the state.

Addressing a small gath-erng on Independence Day at IG Park in Itanagar,

the Chief Minister said the state is taking appropri-ate steps to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Aru-nahcal was among the fi rst few states in the country to follow the mandatory in-stitutional quarantine and do the RT-PCR test on all

the people who returned to the state from different parts of the country, he added. Arunachal Pradesh, he said, has the lowest Co-vid positivity rate among all the eight north-eastern states and ranked in the top six in the country.

Mumbai, Aug 15 (UNI) Maharashtra recorded Cov-id-19 deaths above the 300-mark besides 12K plus new cases, even as Mumbai and Pune were separated by just 198 cases, health offi cials said here on Saturday. With 322 Covid deaths -- lower than the peak of 413 (Aug 13) -- the state’s toll stood at 19,749 on Saturday, while the number of new cases stood at 12,614, down from the previous high of 12,822 (Aug 8), taking the num-ber of infectees to 584,754 till date -- both highest in the country. There was one death roughly every 4 minutes and a staggering 526 new cases added to the state’s tally every hour, as per Saturday’s fi gures. The state recovery rate in-

creased from 69.08 per cent to 69.82 per cent, while the current mortality rate stood stable at 3.38 per cent on Saturday. Against this, a total of 6,844 recovered pa-tients returned home, tak-ing the total number of dis-charged patients to 408,286 till date -- considerably higher than the 156,409 ac-tive cases currently in the state. Of the total 322 fatali-ties, Pune again topped the

list with 73 deaths, followed by 60 fatalities in Thane and 48 in Mumbai in the higher bracket. Besides, there were 19 deaths in Nagpur, 18 in Palghar, 13 in Kolhapur, 10 each in Nashik and Jalna, in the middle range. On the lower side, there were 9 deaths in Raigad, 8 each in Jalgaon and Sangli, 5 each in Dhule and Beed, 4 each in Solapur, Ratnagiri, Aurangabad, Latur and

Osmanabad, 3 in Satara, 2 each in Nandurbar, Sind-hudurg, Akola and Buldha-na, 1 each in Ahmednagar, Amravati, Bhandara and Chandrapur, besides one from another state.

Dropping below the 50-range for the second consecutive day, with 48 fatalities Mumbai’s toll in-creased from 7,038 to 7,086 and the number of corona cases increased by 1,254 to touch 127,716 now. Of the total 8 divisions, MMR (Thane division, compris-ing Mumbai, Thane, Pal-ghar and Raigad) remains on the edge as deaths spi-ral and cases pile up, with the toll shooting up by 135 - to touch 11,454 deaths and 3,512 new cases push-ing up the total infectees

to 284,193 now. Pune dis-trict cases have touched 127,518 - just 198 cases less than Mumbai - with the death toll increasing from 3,057 a day earlier to reach 3,130, while Thane district had 112,638 cases with the toll increasing from 3,240 fatalities the previous day to 3,300 now. With 80 more fatalities, Pune division’s (comprising Pune, Solapur and Satara districts) death toll touched 3,966 and the case tally zoomed up with 3,332 new cases to reach 148,739. Nashik division has recorded 1,660 fatalities and 61,833 cases, followed by Aurangabad division notching 756 deaths and 23,704 cases, and Kolhapur division recording 647 fa-talities and 22,790 cases.

Kullu (HP), Aug 15 (UNI) The 74th Independence Day was celebrated with enthusi-asm and gaiety by maintaining social distancing throughout Himachal Pradesh amid the Co-vid-19 pandemic on Saturday.

Presiding over the state-level function at the historic Dhalpur Maidan here, Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur hoist-ed the national fl ag and took sa-lute from the contingents of the police, ITBP, home guards and SSB cadets. Deputy Superin-tendent of Police Veeny Minhas commanded the parade.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister paid tributes to the freedom fi ghters who made supreme sacrifi ces for the freedom of the country and to the martyred soldiers who laid down their lives while protect-

ing the frontiers of the country.He said the ‘Dev Bhumi’ (Hi-

machal Pradesh) was also the ‘Vir Bhumi’ as the fi rst Param-vir Chakra of the country was conferred upon Major Somnath

Sharma and heroic soldiers like Capt. Vikram Batra and Haval-dar Sanjay Kumar.

He also paid rich tributes to the brave soldiers of the state who were martyred recently

while guarding the borders of the country in the Galvan Valley in Eastern Ladakh.

The Chief Minister said the state government was commit-ted to the welfare of the free-dom fi ghters, soldiers, ex-ser-vicemen and their families.

The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh has made unprecedented development in education, tourism etc.

He also said the Atal Tunnel in Rohtang would be developed as a major tourism attraction. He said the state government is contemplating to start a Vista-dom bus for tourists in this tun-nel. He said the Bijli Mahadev temple in Kullu would also be developed from a tourism point of view. Efforts are on to pro-vide a rope-way facility there, the Chief Minister added.

Srinagar, Aug 15 (UNI) BJP J&K General Secretary Ashok Koul on Sat-urday said that statehood and high speed internet in J&K will be restored when guns will fall silent. He was speaking to reporters after unfurl-ing the national fl ag on the 74th In-dependence Day at the BJP offi ce in Srinagar. “Prime Minister and Home Minister have spoken about state-hood on the fl oor of the house. State-

hood will return when people start moving around without fear,” Koul said. “For the restoration of state-hood, guns must fall silent. Yesterday two policemen were killed. What was their fault? One of the slain policemen was getting engaged today.” He said while 2G internet is working in J&K, high speed 4G internet will be eventu-ally restored when terrorists’ guns will fall silent. To a question about some regional mainstream leaders having stated that they won’t contest polls, he said that they had made similar claims in the past when panchayat polls were announced. “They didn’t contest panchayat polls but took part in the Parliamentary elections. I bet when the Assembly polls will be an-nounced all these mainstream lead-ers who are talking of boycott will come out of their homes like frogs and join the poll fray,” he said.

Arunachal CM launches entrepreneurship plan to boost economy

Maha Covid Crisis: One death every 4 mins, 526 new cases each hr

Himachal CM pays rich tributes to soldiers

4SOUTH16 SUNDAY, AUGUST, 2020

Email : thesouthindiatimes@yahoo.in / (H.O) HyderabadTHE SOUTH INDIA TIMES

74 INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION, FLAG HOSTING BY VISHAL,( CHIEF GUEST ), DAVID ( CITY B.J.P. MINORITY MOARCH, VICE PRESIDENT) K

ANIL BABU, ( CITY B.J.P. SC MOARCHA SECRETARY) NARESH, SHIV AND OTHER OPP: IT TOWER, REDHILLS , HYD, T.S. .

State Tribal, Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod has directed the authorities to take all measures to prevent the spread of corona virus in Mahabubabad district without giving any scope to negligence. Earlier she hoisted the national flag at the Collector's office on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day. Later in the Collectorate, Minister Satyavathi Rathod along with local MP Maloth Kavitha, MLA Shankar Nayak, District ZP Chairperson Kumari Angothu Bindu, Collector Mr. VP Gautam, SP Kotireddy and other district officials reviewed COVID 19. The minister said five new doctor posts were sanctioned for the Mahabubabad District Government Hospital in the wake of rising corona virus outbreak in the district. "We are providing medical equipment and facilities at the government hospital to provide better medical care to those who come in with the corona virus, as well as providing additional medical staff," she said. Satyavathi urged people to cooperate, follow government regulations, wear masks and maintain physical distance to prevent the spread of the virus. She instructed the government officials to educate the public about the corona virus and provide them with mental stability along with medical treatment. She hoped that the district would march towards progress in all aspects. Later Satyavathi Rathod distributed fruit juice tins to the victims of the corona virus.

Janagaon: 15 August, Government Chief Whip Bodakunti Venkateswarlu unveiled the flag at the Janagama District Collectorate premises on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day. Legislators Muttireddi Yadagiri Reddy, Thadikonda Rajaiah, district collector K.Nikhila, Chairperson Jamuna pokala kenikhila, DCP Srinivas Reddy, Additional Collector Bhaskar Rao, Abdul Hamid and

the district authorities were present at the ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, Government Chief Whip Shri Bodakunti Venkateswarlu addressed the people of the district and said that the Independence Day celebrations were held at the District Collectorate premises in accordance with the rules of the Corona. A police parade was organized on the occasion. Later Bhukya

Rakesh Nayak, who was recently selected as the top IAS officer in the district, was honored with a shawl by the celebrities. The event was attended by public representatives, district officials and journalists. Later e-office was inaugurated by the district collector K.Nikhila in the presence of Chief Whip of the Government Shri Bodakunti Venkateswara Rao, legislators Muthireddy Yadagiri Reddy, Thatikonda Rajyagarla. The event was attended by Additional District Collector Shri A. Bhaskar Rao, Additional District Collector local bodies Shri Abdul Hameed and EDM Gautam and other officials.

WHAT A DELUSIONTHAT WORK IS SOMEHOW THE LIFE I TAKE FOR GRANTED A LOT OF PEOPLE GOT ACQUAINTED WITH ME AND WALKED AWAYI NEVER SAW THEM FROM ANY ANGLE. DID NOT FALL INTO SWEETNESS. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT SWEETNESS IS .SO I DID NOT FALL INTO THEIR TRAPBUT YOU WERE INTRODUCED AT ANY MOMENT BUT I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOUI DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS IN YOUR MIND BUT YOUR WORDS YOUR GREETING YOUR CONSOLATION I HAD THE IDEA TO BE NEAR YOU MANY PEOPLE HAD HIGH HOPES FOR ME I DID NOT LOOK IN THAT DIRECTION TODAY DID NOT RESPOND IN THE HEART WHAT A DELUSION

Competition for the chil-dren in the age group of 5-10 drew huge response. Over 50 children participated in the event organised by Mys-uru Rail useum . The theme for the drawing competition was ‘trains and train jour-ney’ or any inspiration from the museum. In the two-hour event admist sprawl-ing lush green environment of the Rail Museum children could be seen deeply im-mersed in their work to be in contention for the top prize. A select committee of Rail-way Officers evaluated the drawings submitted by the children. Besides 7 conso-lation prizes, one first, two second and one third prize was handed over. Speaking

on the occasion, Ms.Aparna Garg, Divisional Railway Manager , South Western Railways and Chief Guest in the function said she was very happy to see so many enthusiastic children, some as young as five years, show-ing so much creativity in the young talent. Everyone is a winner here she told draw-ing a thunderous applaud from the children and their parents assembled in the award distribution function. She complimented the or-

ganisers of the competition for the conducting the func-tion in an orderly fashion duly observing protocols like social distancing, wear-ing of masks, sanitation in the premises, etc. Mrs. Sub-hashini Devasahayam Vice-President, South Western Railway Women’s Welfare Organization (SWRWWO) was present on the occa-sion. Shri Shanthi Babu, Sr.Divisional Mechanical Engineer, SWR, Mysuru proposed the vote of thanks.

Mysuru Rail Museum organises drawing competition for children on the occasion of

74th Independence Day.

Amaravati, August 15(Correspondent apnews:) Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Tammineni Sitaram has called for making the fruits of freedom provided by the freedom fighters available to the people. He hoisted the Thirty Months flag on Saturday in the Assembly premises on the occasion of Independence Day. Speaking on the occasion, the speaker said,He said it was a pleasure to celebrate the 74th Independence Day. He said that flying the national flag was an experience of freedom. He said that the freedom fighters of that time had given their freedom to the people of the country with their sacrifices and their fruits should be given to all the people. He also lauded the efforts of all

the current leaders to make India number one in the world. He boldly stepped forward to preserve the national and constitutional spirit. Governments elected by public judgment want to work towards their aspirations.

Let's bring the fruits of independence to all

Kurnool, August 15(Correspon-dent apnews agency): The 74th Independence Day celebrations were held in the district. Min-ister of Water Resources at the local police parade ground on Saturday,Minister in charge of the district Dr. B. Anil Kumar unveiled the national flag. State Finance Minister Bugna Rajendranath, State Labor Minister Gummanoor Jayaram, MLAs Hafeez Khan, Kat-sani Rambhupal Reddy, Togur Arthur, Shilpa Chakrapani Reddy, J.P. Sudhakar, Kangati Sridevi, Shilpa Ravichandra Kishore Red-dy, District Collector G. Veera-pandian, On the occasion, the Minister in charge of the district observed the parade of the po-

lice armed forces and received the salute. DRDA, Department of Education, SE Corporation, Medical Health, Duma, 108, 104 Ambulances demonstrated their efforts on development. Gargeya-puram ZP High School, Peddapa-du EP Model School, Orvakallu EP Model School, Krishnagiri KGBV School, Newpower Dance Acad-

emy impressed the audience with their cultural performances such as patriotic songs and corona awareness songs.Afterwards, the Minister in charge of the district conveyed the message on the progress achieved by the district. We provide government services to every nook and cranny. During the last year.

74th Independence Day celebrations

Government Chief Whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar unfurled the national flag here at the Warangal Urban District Collector’s Office and received the police salute during the 74th Independence Day celebrations. Later Vinay Bhaskar inaugurated the e office at the district collectorate. District Collector Rajivgandhi Hanumanthu, ZP Chairman, Mayor, MP Pasunuri Dayakar, Chairman DCCB, MLA Aururi Ramesh, Police Commissioner P.Pramod Kumar, DCP, ACP and others were present. Later Hanumanthu along with Chief Whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar and other officials visited the flood affected areas in Ambedkar Nagar, Naimnagar and Vaddera street in Kakatiya colony and instructed the Tahsildar to evacuate 100 people to function hall in flood-prone areas on Kakatiya Colony Vaddera Street and 150 people from Sammayya Nagar in Hanamkonda. Because of the recent heavy rains in the district, the collector Rajivgandhi Hanumanthu said a toll free number 1800 425 1115 had been set up at the district collector’s office for relief operations.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar today held a teleconference with the district collectors and took stock of the arrangements put in place for handling the situation arising out of incessant rains and floods in the state over the past few days.Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary asked the col-lectors to be on high alert as there are indications that the rains are likely to continue for a few more days. He asked all the officials to remain in headquarters, work in close coordination and ensure that no loss of lives or property takes place in the state. He cautioned the District Collectors to be very vigilant in respect of tanks across the railway lines as well as with regard to those tanks which are vulnerable and likely to be breached. He wanted them to reduce the weir height of the tank to prevent any breach where the tanks have reached full tank levels. Chief Secretary urged the District Collectors to set up a round the clock control room in their districts to maintain a close watch. He informed that a state control room (040-23450624) is also set up and operationalised immediately. Anyone having any problems can contact control room. He told them to immediately bring to the notice of the higher officials about any submergence or inundation of low lying areas.

Flood victims rehabilitatedAbout 2140 people have been shifted to 12 rehabilitation centers under the Warangal Revenue Zone from Hanmakonda and Warangal fort. People from the inland areas have been shifted to safer areas due to heavy rains over the past four days. Five rehabilitation centers under Hanmakonda Revenue division have rehabilitated residents of Indira Nagar, Sammayya Nagar and Ambedkar Nagar in Gundla Singaram. A total of 840 people have been rehabilitated at Santoshmata Temple, Potana Nagar, Enumamula Market, Sushma Garden and Desaipet and MS Nagar in Warangal zone. According to the Collector, Talent High School and JSM School in fort Warangal Zone have rehabilitated a total of 600 people. The Collector directed the Tahsildars to set up a two-course meal at the rehabilitation center with safe drinking water and electricity facility without any deficit. The RDO has been directed to set up rehabilitation centers wherever needed.

Heavy rains created havoc

in old Warangal district

TSIT Warangal Bureau :Warangal, August-15 : The heavy rains that lashed from the

past three days created havoc and resulted in overflowing of reservoirs, tanks and streams along with prompting the authorities to shift people from flooded areas here in the united Warangal district on Saturday. The heavy rains with gusty winds caused flooding homes and bringing down fully grown trees in many parts of the district. The brunt of the heavy rains was evident in the evening

with the fallen trees and water logged roads affecting vehicular movement. Heavy velocity winds uprooted trees and power cables and disrupted electricity supply in the many towns and in tricities of Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet along with inundated the low lying areas of almost all the 60 divisions present under the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) Heavy downpour flooded the cellulars

of many apartments nearly submerging the vehicles that are parked. The roads near the apartments were water logged in GWMC. 10 members of farmers of Kundanpally village of Tekumatla mandal in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district was struck in Chaliwagu with heavy inflow of waters due to rains from the past three days. The locals informed

the district administration about the farmers who were struck in Chaliwagu. Receiving the information, the district collector Abdul Azeem along with local MLA Gandra Venkataramana Reddy and additional SP Srinivas informed the rescue team who in turn arrived in helicopter and rescued 10 members of the farmers. Due to heavy rains and gusty winds, the land of the helicopter became

a problem, so the rescue team dropped the farmers safely in the fields. The District Collector of Warangal Urban along with the government chief whip D Vinay Bhaskar, City Mayor Gunda Prakash and KUDA chairman M Yadav Reddy inspected the low lying areas in Ambedkarnagar and Vaddera street of Kakatiya colony which were submerged in the rain water and shifted the people to one function hall.

Bengaluru, Aug 15 (UNI) Turning the tables and blaming the BJP government for the riots in the city on Tuesday night, senior Congress leader G. Parameshwara on Saturday said failure of state intelligence and police led to the violent mob attack on the party MLA’s house and a po-lice station. “The riot on August 11 night in the city’s eastern suburb is an absolute failure of the state intelligence and its police. Didn’t the state government have the information that its police station would be attacked and burnt? It had no clue that people would gather after a derogatory post on so-cial media was brewing trouble,” Parameshwara

told reporters here.The former deputy

chief minister in the JD-S-Congress coalition government (2018-19) is heading the party’s fact-finding committee to ascertain reasons for the mob violence in which Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy’s house and D.J. Halli police sta-tion in the Pulakeshi-nagar assembly seg-ment were burnt and scores of vehicles and public property were destroyed. As the unruly mob went on a rampage, police resorted to firing to quell the violence and bring the situation un-der control. Three youth died in the violence. “As even innocent people, including boys were ar-rested after the riot, an

atmosphere of fear has gripped the densely populated area,” said Parameshwara.

The opposition party’s 6-member committee visited the riot-hit area earlier in the day and met Mur-thy and the other af-fected people for a first-hand account of the violence, arson and mayhem that oc-curred on Tuesday night. “We are yet to talk to many people to find out what actu-ally happened that led to rioting and looting. We will submit a re-port on our findings to the party’s state unit president D.K. Shiva-kumar, who appoint-ed the probe panel,” he said.

Bengaluru, Aug 15 (UNI) Terming Covid-19 as the century’s most disruptive and danger-ous pandemic, Karna-taka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said on Saturday that the people across the southern state were in distress due to the huge loss it caused them since its outbreak in mid-March.

“The people of the state are in distress, as Covid-19 brought eco-nomic and social activi-ties to a grinding halt and caused recession, job losses and revenue loss to the state government,” lamented Yediyurappa in his address on the 74th Independence Day here.

The chief minister said

that though the state government enforced a lockdown to prevent its spread in the early stages of its outbreak, economic and social activities came to a standstill.

“After realising that lockdown was not the so-lution to prevent the vi-

rus spread, we unlocked since June 1 to revive the economy and restore near normalcy by making wearing mask, washing hands and maintaining social distancing manda-tory for all citizens,” as-serted Yediyurappa in his 30-minute I-Day speech

in Kannada at the Field Marshal Sam Manek-shaw parade ground in the city. Noting that the communicable disease had impacted every sec-tor, the chief minister said the pace of life that had slowed during the lockdown was slowly re-

covering.“Though I too was in-

fected by the infection, I have recovered. I would like to tell on this occa-sion that the people need not worry or be afraid of this infection,” reiterated Yediyurappa.

Unfazed by the Covid challenge, the state gov-ernment ensured that the migrant workers who returned to their villages from urban clusters had a job under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme since April.

“While fighting the pandemic, we have amended the Industrial Facilitation Act for ease of doing business for en-trepreneurs.

B’LURU RIOTS DUE TO FAILURE OF INTELLIGENCE, COPS: CONGRESS

Don’t be afraid of Covid-19, I too got infected: Yediyurappa

By Paul KrugmanConservatives in the US do love their

phoney wars. The Trump campaign des-perately searches for political avenues of at-tack, we’re hearing a lot about the “war on the suburbs.”

It’s probably not a line that will play well outside the GOP’s hard-core base; Joe Biden and Kamala Harris don’t exactly come across as rabble-rousers who will lead rag-ing antifa hordes as they pillage America’s subdivisions.

Yet it is true that a Biden-Harris adminis-tration would resume and probably expand

on Obama-era efforts to finally make the Fair Housing Act of 1968 effective, seeking in particular to redress some of the injustices created by America’s ugly history of using political power to create and reinforce racial inequality.

For what Trump calls the Suburban Life-style Dream didn’t just happen; it was cre-ated by government policies. The great sub-urban housing boom that followed World War II was made possible by huge federal subsidies, via programs — especially the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Veterans Administration — that protect-

ed lenders from risk by insuring qualifying home mortgages. By 1950 the FHA and the VA were insuring half of all mortgages na-tionwide.

Of course, these subsidies didn’t just help homebuyers. They were also a gold mine for real estate developers, among them a guy named Fred Trump, who was later sued for discriminating against Black tenants, and whose son currently occupies the White House.

All-white communitiesBut these subsidies were only available to

white people. In fact, they were only avail-able in all-white communities.

Indeed, the FHA went well beyond fa-vouring all-white locations; it set out to create them. After the war, when develop-ers like William Levitt began building new communities on what had been farmland, they cleared their plans in advance with the FHA, thereby guaranteeing that buyers would have automatic access to subsidised mortgages.

And one of the things the FHA required from such plans was strict racial segrega-tion, supposedly to insure property values.

Now, all of this may sound like old history. But the raw racism of postwar housing pol-icy cast a long shadow over our society. For the 20 or so years that followed World War

II represented a unique opportunity for the middle class to solidify its position — an op-portunity that was denied to Blacks.

A chance to build wealthYou see, the ‘50s and ‘60s were an era both

of relatively good pay for ordinary workers and of relatively cheap suburban hous-ing. Wages were fairly high, in part because America still had a strong union move-ment, and houses were affordable, as long as you had access to those federal housing programs. So millions got a chance to build some wealth.

Then the window of opportunity closed. Wages, adjusted for inflation, stagnated. Housing prices soared, in part because building restrictions in many suburbs banned multifamily units.

And Black families, who were shut out of a rising market at a time when many Ameri-cans were sharing in the fruits of a housing boom, found the financial barriers to home ownership especially daunting.

So Trump’s Suburban Lifestyle Dream is basically a walled village that the govern-ment built for whites, whose gates were slammed shut when others tried to enter.

What is Biden proposing to remedy at least some of these injustices? Reasonable, significant, but hardly revolutionary stuff — things like expanding rental vouchers while

cracking down on redlining and exclusion-ary zoning. Trump may claim that such policies would “destroy suburbia,” but that only makes sense if you believe that the only alternative to bloody anarchy is a commu-nity that looks exactly like Levittown in 1955.

And it’s very important to understand that none of the scare talk about a war on the suburbs has anything to do with the usual conservative rhetoric about “freedom” and not having the government tell Americans what to do.

Individual choices and free markets aren’t what made America such a segregated, un-equal society. Discrimination was a statist policy, involving the exercise of political power to people free choice.

And it still goes on. What the Black Lives Matter movement has done is to reveal to many white Americans that we’re still a long way from being a society in which everyone is treated equally by the law, whatever the colour of their skin. (Blacks already knew that very well.)

But the big difference between the par-ties now is that Biden and Harris are trying to make things better, trying to make us more like the country we’re supposed to be. Trump and Pence, by contrast, are basically trying to make open racism great again.

Gulf News

RACISM STARES AMERICA IN THE FACE

By Petula DvorakHow totally appropriate that this forgot-

ten generation — which is currently hitting 55, the median age of all US presidents — gets on the presidential ticket in the sidecar.

It’s OK — whatever. We’ll deal. Always have.

When Joe Biden picked 55-year-old Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., to be his running mate this week, it was a historic choice because of her gender, ethnicity, race and heritage as the daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica. But it’s also a rare chance for someone of Gen X age to (final-ly) get close to the reins of power.

And it’s about time.Born in October 1964, Harris is just three

months shy of what most official demog-raphers consider the start of the Gen X era — typically, those born between 1965 and 1980. Still, she was born the same year as Keanu Reeves, Courteney Cox, Courtney Love and Melissa Gilbert. Need more proof that she’s true Gen X?

Like other Gen Xers, Harris is part of the adaptive, resilient cohort that went from analogue to digital and Reagan to Obama without a stumble, all while the Boomers and Millennials bookending us bickered.

As a latchkey child of non-European immigrants who has Salt-N-Pepa, Prince and Phil Collins on her summer playlist, Harris — a Dorito-loving, Converse-and-pearls-wearing collaborative leader who doesn’t always seek the spotlight- is ours. Pure Gen X.

And the nation needs Gen X in power. Now.

With a Baby-Boomer president who turned the past three years into a greatest hits of the worst part of the ‘80s — replays of scandals, corporate greed and skinhead hate — we’re done with their time in office.

Generational theorists have shown that this is how functioning society has always worked, that the generation in midlife — ages 42 to 62 — should be the generation in power.

Things go sideways when those in elder-hood stay in power, clinging to the social order that defined their childhood and their worldview. Sound familiar?

Workplace analysts have found they’re disrupting the natural evolution and flex of the workplace, too.

“Gen Xers — now ranging in age from their late thirties to early fifties — should currently be in the peak stage of their careers, and advancing rapidly,” wrote Stephanie Neal, director of the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Research at global leadership consulting firm Develop-ment Dimensions International.

“However, many Baby Boomers are de-ciding to stay in the workforce much lon-ger than previous generations, which may be affecting Gen X’s advancement,” Neal wrote.

“More than half of Baby Boomers are re-portedly delaying retirement, many until 70 or later, because of financial insecurity and rising health care costs. As a result,

older workers are not only holding onto their jobs longer but also are still trying to advance into higher-paying roles.”

When Biden took the lead in the Demo-cratic nomination race, it was even more disruptive to the social order. He’s 77 and a pre-Boomer — the Silent Generation — and would be the oldest man ever to take office as president. That record is now held by Presi-dent Donald Trump, who took the oath of office (but didn’t take it seriously) at age 70.

Only 10 of our presidents were 61 or old-er when they were inaugurated.

Harris is actual presidential ageWith Harris running on the ticket, we

finally have someone who is of actual presidential age. It’s also the first time the Democratic Party has given Gen X a chance. Republicans tried out Sarah Palin (also a 1964) and Paul D. Ryan (a solid 1970 Gen Xer), with no luck. And with their aim to make geriatric history with Biden, Dems needed to embrace the influence Gen Xers already are having in the public sector.

We so-called slackers are the ones en-gaged in state and local governments, long the domain of busybody retirees. As Governing, a government advocacy publication, wrote in a report about Gen X: “It shouldn’t be surprising that this generation, which long ago shook off its disengaged-slacker stereotype to become known for its entrepreneurialism, DIY ethic, scepticism about bureaucracy and comfort with collaborating over far-flung networks, would now be pressing local

government to think in new ways about the work of democracy.”

Duh. We’re the ones who successfully navigated the shared custody and ego clashes of Generation Divorce — Boom-ers continue to hold the record for divorce rates, even in their elderly years.

And doesn’t our nation feel like we’re on the brink of divorce — deeply divided, en-trenched in a cultural civil war that rivals every Kramer vs. Kramer scene? We need a Gen Xer in there to help mend America. It’s what we do.

Sure, lefties think Harris is too moderate, a law enforcement officer who put a lot of Californians of colour in jail. But that’s what Gen X does, making the hallmark of

our group not wanting to belong to any group. In her memoir, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” Harris writes about her refusal to accept binary leader-ship, like the falsehood that a prosecutor has to be either soft on crime or tough on crime, or that being for workers’ rights means being against capitalism.

“I know how hard it is for the officers’ fam-ilies, who have to wonder if the person they love will be coming home at the end of each shift,” Harris wrote. “I also know this: It is a false choice to suggest you must either be for the police or for police accountability. I am for both. Most people I know are for both. Let’s speak some truth about that, too.”

Gulf News

WHY KAMALA HARRIS FOR VICE PRESIDENT IS PEAK GEN X

KIDS WHO ARE VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE CAN SHOW SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC

STRESS DISORDER

BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT HAS REVEALED THAT NOT EVERYONE IS TREATED EQUALLY BY LAW

By We now know that many schools

in the US won’t reopen for in-person classes this year. While this is judged necessary to slow the spread of the coro-navirus, it has frightening implications for the psychological and physical well-being of vulnerable children.

School closures have led to a dra-matic fall in reports of child abuse across the country since educators ac-count for more than a fifth of reports

of child abuse and neglect _ more than any other category of reporter. If schools remain physically closed, teachers may need training and sup-port in identifying signs of abuse on-line.

Family members and friends need to know that they are now the only in-person witnesses. As hard as it is for anyone to accept that someone they know or love is abusive, friends and families must have the moral strength

to identify abuse and put the health and safety of a child above all else.

At the same time, we’ve seen a surge in domestic violence-related calls to police, which itself suggests height-ened danger to children. In the major-ity of families in which a woman is bat-tered, children are also battered.

In California, for example, the Part-nership to End Domestic Violence is reporting more calls to service pro-viders involving extreme physical vio-lence, including strangulation.

At this rate, by the time we emerge from the pandemic, preventable vio-lence will have scarred the lives _ and even cost the lives _ of children.

For all the important steps taken to increase funding for programs and shelters to help domestic violence vic-tims, no one seems to have an answer to how to step forward and meet this moment.

Child protection agencies are con-ducting fewer visits to vulnerable chil-dren. Access to essential domestic vio-lence services, and in some areas court proceedings that can provide addi-tional protection, is harder than ever. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has gone so far as to call for a “ceasefire” in domestic vio-lence globally.

Before the pandemic, an estimated 10 million children in America were exposed to domestic violence annu-ally. This was already a child health emergency. That violence against chil-dren can be happening on such a scale without it being our most urgent pri-

ority reveals the extent to which it is normalised.

Victims of domestic violence of-ten face a culture of disbelief, com-pounded by a lack of specialised train-ing for those entrusted with decisions about the welfare of children. Fewer than half of child welfare agencies in America engage in universal screening for domestic violence in child abuse cases, and fewer than a quarter require caseworkers to receive domestic vio-lence training or any formal training in working with perpetrators of violence.

And in the vast majority of states in America, judges handling domestic violence cases are not required to have training in domestic violence.

A form of child abuseNor is it widely understood that a

parent committing domestic violence against the other parent in front of a child is a form of child abuse. Or that children who witness or are victims of violence “can show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder similar to those of soldiers coming back from war,” in the words of the UN special representative on violence against children.

These blind spots could not be more serious. The Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention estimated that 1,720 American children died from abuse or neglect in 2017, although it notes that the actual figure is likely to be much higher because there is no national register or a standard for categorising abuse-related deaths. According to the Justice Department,

24% to 45% of those cases involved families who were already known to child protective authorities because of earlier problems. In the US, an es-timated 58,000 children a year are court-ordered into unsupervised con-tact with a physically or sexually abu-sive parent following divorce.

What is at stake is the mental health, physical safety and, ultimately, the lives of children. Their needs in all these cases should be the central con-sideration _ based on medical and trauma assessments, with appropriate screening for domestic violence spe-cifically.

Science has laid bare the impacts of trauma and toxic stress on the bod-ies, brains and immune systems of children, and the long-term damage it may cause to their mental and physi-cal health.

Yet in America, only 16% of children with a mental health condition receive any treatment _ and 70% to 80% of those who do, rely on schools to pro-vide that service. This is one more way children are suffering as a result of the pandemic.

The long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for children won’t be understood for years. But we can already see the heavy cost in missed schooling, lost opportunities, mental anguish and an increased ex-posure to life-changing violence.

It is time to elevate children’s needs to the forefront of the discussion of how we build a better society.

Gulf News

CHILDREN SUFFER MORE VIOLENCE AMID COVID-19

5OP-ED16 SUNDAY, AUGUST, 2020

Email : thesouthindiatimes@yahoo.in / (H.O) HyderabadTHE SOUTH INDIA TIMES

6INTERNATIONAL16 SUNDAY, AUGUST, 2020

Email : thesouthindiatimes@yahoo.in / (H.O) HyderabadTHE SOUTH INDIA TIMES

OWNER PUBLISHER PRINTED BY BUCHI BABU, VUPPALA, PRINTED BY. THANMAYEE PRINTERS #17-1-469/A/42/23, ADARSH NAGAR, SAIDABAD, HYDERABAD-59, PUBLISHED FROM: #17-1-469/A/42/23,OWNER PUBLISHER PRINTED BY BUCHI BABU, VUPPALA, PRINTED BY. THANMAYEE PRINTERS #17-1-469/A/42/23, ADARSH NAGAR, SAIDABAD, HYDERABAD-59, PUBLISHED FROM: #17-1-469/A/42/23,ADARSH NAGAR, NEAR UNIQUE GRAMMER SCHOOL, SAIDABAD, HYDERABAD-59, T.S.EDITOR. BUCHI BABU VUPPALA. RNI.NO.APENG/29225/2009. E-MAIL: THESOUTHINDIATIMES@YAHOO.INADARSH NAGAR, NEAR UNIQUE GRAMMER SCHOOL, SAIDABAD, HYDERABAD-59, T.S.EDITOR. BUCHI BABU VUPPALA. RNI.NO.APENG/29225/2009. E-MAIL: THESOUTHINDIATIMES@YAHOO.IN

PUTIN PROPOSES URGENT STATE ONLINE SUMMIT ON IRAN, PERSIAN GULF

‘TURKEY TO RETALIATE AGAINST ATTACK ON ITS VESSELS IN MEDITERRANEAN’

Istanbul, Aug 15 (IANS) Turkish President Recep Tayy-ip Erdogan said Turkey would retaliate against any attack on its vessels in the eastern Medi-terranean Sea.

“We cannot leave the slight-est attack on our civil ships unanswered,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.He said such an incident oc-curred on Thursday “when

the Greek navy tried to harass the Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis, and Turkey’s TCG Kemalreis frigate gave the

necessary response.”Erdogan added that Oruc Reis will con-tinue its activities in the region until Aug. 23.

The tension between Tur-key and Greece, which have been at odds over energy explorations in the Medi-terranean, has signifi cantly increased after Turkey dis-patched a research ship and two auxiliary navy vessels to the region earlier this week.

Colombo, Aug 15 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will present the new governments Policy Statement during the fi rst session of the ninth Parliament on August 20, it was announced.

On Friday, the Department of Communication of Parlia-ment said President Rajapaksa is scheduled to chair the in-augural meeting at 3 p.m., af-ter which he will read out the statement, reports the Daily Mirror newspaper.

The President will be re-ceived by the Speaker of Parlia-ment and the Secretary Gen-eral of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake at the main stair-case of the Parliament build-ing, followed by the hoisting of the Presidential fl ag.

The ninth Parliament will convene at 9.30 a.m. starting with electing the Speaker of Parliament followed by the members taking oaths.

Thereafter, the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chair-person of Committees will be elected respectively.

In the crucial August 5 gen-eral elections, the President’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) won 145 seats off the 225-member Parliament.

Moscow, Aug 15 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed holding an urgent online meeting of the heads of the fi ve states that are permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) with the participation of the leaders of Germany and Iran to discuss Iran and the Per-

sian Gulf situation.“Should the leaders agree in principle to have this conversation, we propose that the foreign min-istries of the seven countries agree on a meeting agenda, make the necessary arrange-ments and schedule a video summit,” Putin said in a state-ment on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said that discussions on the Iranian issue within the UNSC are becoming more intense, while the situation is getting worse, as there

are groundless accusations against Iran and draft reso-lutions are being drawn up aimed at destroying the pre-vious unanimous decisions of the Security Council.

Russia remains fully com-mitted to the Joint Com-prehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, the conclu-sion of which in 2015 was a major political and diplomat-ic achievement and it made possible to avert the threat of armed confl ict and strength-

ened the nuclear non-prolifer-ation regime, Putin said.

It is important to secure collective support for the im-plementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that sets forth an international le-gal framework for the execu-tion of the JCPOA, he said.

Putin also proposed to agree at the summit on parameters of joint work in order to facili-tate the formation of reliable mechanisms for ensuring se-curity and building confi dence in the Persian Gulf region.

AFGHAN FIGHTING INTENSIFIES AS GOVT, TALIBAN PREPARE FOR TALKS

WORKING FROM HOME IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR LONDON : MAYOR

Yemen govt conducts prisoner swap with Houthis

S.KOREAN PREZ READY TO SIT WITH JAPAN OVER FORCED LABOUR ISSUE

Kabul, Aug 15 (IANS) Fighting in Afghanistan has intensifi ed resulting in the deaths of over 50 people, including security personnel, as the government and the Taliban militant group were preparing for peace talks.

Amid increasing fi ghting, the two sides have been accusing each other of sabotaging the peace process, Xinhua news agency reported.In the latest wave of violent incidents, Tali-ban militants attacked security checkpointsin Darazin area of

Daikundi province on Satur-day morning, killing fi ve and wounding four others, provin-cial police spokesman Gul Aqa Sajadi said.

Three militants were also killed in the gunfi ght that last-ed for hours, the offi cial add-ed.The Taliban outfi t, which accuses the government of sabotaging the peace talks, is yet to confi rm the attack.Taliban militants have also blamed the government for intentionally delaying the re-

lease of prisoners to facilitate the intra-Afghan dialogue.Su-hail Shaheen, the spokesman for the Taliban political offi ce

in Doha has reportedly said that the intra-Afghan dialogue would take place within a week “if the Kabul administration

set free all the 5,000 prison-ers” demanded by the armed group.The exchange of 5,000 Taliban inmates with 1,000 Afghan troopers is part of the US-Taliban peace deal signed in late February to facilitate the intra-Afghan dialogue, pave the way for the withdraw-al of foreign forces and to end the war in Afghanistan.The Af-ghan government has released more than 5,000 prisoners but has still held 380 controver-sial inmates, although Afghan

president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has inked the decree for their release.

A senior government offi cial, Wahid Omar said recently that the Taliban has “no political and cultural assets, except im-posing violence” for the talk.The Taliban-led violent inci-dents, according to a statement of Interior Ministry released on Thursday, had claimed the lives of 121 civilians and wounded 336 others over the past two weeks.

I HAVE MORE INDIANS THAN KAMALA HARRIS: TRUMP SL PREZ TO

PRESENT NEW GOVT'S POLICY STATEMENT ON

AUG 20

Seoul, Aug 15 (IANS) South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Saturday that his government was ready to sit face-to-face with Japan to resolve a long-drawn-out is-sue of forced labour during World War II.

"Our government is ready to sit face-to-face with the Japanese government at any time," Moon said in a televised address to mark the 75th anni-versary of the Korean Peninsu-la's liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.

"The government respects the judiciary's ruling, and has consulted with Japan's gov-ernment on a smooth resolu-

tion, to which the (South Kore-an) victims can agree," Xinhua news agency quoted the Presi-dent as saying.Moon noted that South Korea currently left the door of consultations with

Japan "wide open" over the forced labor issue.

Four South Korean victims, who were forced into heavy labour without pay during the colonial era, fi eld a damages lawsuit in 2005 against a Japa-nese steelmaker.

Among the four victims, Lee Chun-sik is the only surviv-ing plaintiff.It was followed by other wartime forced la-bour victims and their families lodging compensation suits against Japanese companies.

South Korea's Supreme Court delivered a ruling in 2018 that ordered some of Japanese companies to pay reparation to the victims.

Washington, Aug 15 (IANS) In yet another scathing attack, US President Donald Trump has claimed that he has “more Indians” than Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican heritage.

He made the remarks on Friday while addressing the New York City law enforce-ment union, the Police Benev-olent Association (PBA), that has endorsed the President in the race for the White House.

“(If) Sleepy Joe Biden were to become President, he would immediately pass legis-

lation to gut every single po-lice department in America... And probably she’s a step worse, Kamala.

“She is of Indian heritage. Remember I said I have more Indians than her... I have more than she does,” he added.

Referring to Massachusetts’ Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, Trump said: “I was sort of hoping he (Biden) was going to pick Pocahontas... She’s another beauty.”

“We got names for all of them. What’s better Sleepy Joe or Slow Joe?” the Presi-dent asked, having his crowd cheer louder for the nickname they preferred, reports Fox News.In his ad-dress, Trump also attacked New York City Mayor Bill de

Blasio, also a Democrat, and said he “has launched a cru-sade against the police”.The President described how he watched a protestor dump a bucket of water on two police offi cers and said, “I wish they fought back”.

Trump’s latest attack on Harris came a day after he said that that the California Senator “doesn’t qualify” to serve as US Vice President, while amplifying the fringe le-gal ‘birther’ theory that critics decry as racist.

“I just heard it today that she doesn’t meet the require-ments and by the way the lawyer that wrote that piece is a very highly qualifi ed, very talented lawyer.“I have no idea if that’s right.

London, Aug 15 (IANS) Lon-don Mayor Sadiq Khan has admitted that working from home is a “big problem” for the British capital, as the na-tion enters the biggest reces-sion on record, the media re-ported on Friday.

Khan has urged big com-panies to consider bringing more staff members back to offi ces, as it was revealed that 730,000 workers lost their jobs

between March and July this year, reports the Metro news-paper.

He also promised that Transport For London is doing everything possible to make tubes and buses safe for com-muters, after the government body slashed tube services to 15 per cent and bus services to 12 per cent compared to normal levels.Speaking on Thursday to LBC, a London-

based national phone-in and talk radio station, Khan said: “The key thing I think we need to understand is that if we all stay at home working it’s a big problem for central London.

“Many small businesses rely on your workers going to work... When I meet those not just in the culture industry and hospitality, small businesses they are struggling.“What I would say to other big employ-

ers is that we are doing what we can to make sure London is as safe as it can be.”

Khan’s remark came he threw his support behind working from home during the height of the pandemic, saying “we all still need to play our part in stopping the spread of Covid-19”, the Metro newspa-per reported.The government has clamped down on people who repeatedly refuse to wear

face masks on public trans-port in England, announcing fi nes for up to 3,200 pounds on Thursday.

Travellers who don’t wear a face covering currently face a 100 pound fi ne, which can be reduced to 50 pounds if paid within 14 days.

Under new measures, this 100 pound penalty will double for subsequent offences, up to a maximum of 3,200 pounds.

Sanaa, Aug 15 (IANS) Ye-men's government forces conducted a prisoner swap with the Houthi militia in the country's northeastern prov-ince of al-Jawf, a military of-fi cial said.

The offi cial told Xinhua news agency that "the Sixth Regional Military Command succeeded in exchanging prisoners with representa-tives of the Houthi group"

on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.He confi rmed that the government forces released four members of the Houthi group captured dur-ing previous battles.

In return, the Iranian-backed Houthis released four soldiers of the government forces from the militia's jail.

Yemen's local tribal me-diators have more than once succeeded in completing

prisoner exchanges between government forces and the Houthis.Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition against the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen for more than fi ve years in sup-port of the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Man-sour Hadi.

Dubai, Aug 15 (IANS) Indian expats across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday cel-ebrated the 74th Independence Day, while missions held low-key events due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Indians represent the biggest expat group in the UAE, with around 3 million of them living and working in the Emirates, re-ports Gulf News.Due to the ongo-ing health crisis, no large gather-

ings were held at Indian schools and associations that normally host Independence Day cel-ebrations.Only staff at the Indian Consulate General in Dubai and the Embassy in Abu Dhabi were present for the celebrations be-cause of social distancing.

However, the proceedings were shown live on the missions' social media channels.Aman Puri, Consul General of India to Dubai and Northern Emirates,

unfurled the Tricolour at the Cconsulate as the national an-them played.

In his address, Puri thanked the UAE for its solidarity in the "unprecedented crisis" of the pandemic and as well as for its support in the repatriation of stranded Indians, Gulf News re-ported.Similar celebrations and ceremonies were held shortly af-terwards at the Indian embassy, led by Ambassador Pavan Ka-

poor.At the embassy, a minute's silence was held for the victims of the Dubai- Kozhikode Air India Express fl ight crash on August 7, which killed 158 on board.

Ambassador Kapoor also thanked community members and mission staff for supporting efforts in the treatment and care of Covid-19 patients in the UAE as well as the repatriation of over 325,000 Indians from the UAE over the past three months.

Indian expats in UAE celebrate I-Day

Baghdad, Aug 15 (IANS) Three Katyusha rockets landed at the edge of Baghdad Inter-national Airport, the Iraqi mili-tary said.

The attack took place on Friday evening and the three rockets were fi red from al-Rad-hwaniyah area in southwest-ern Baghdad, the media offi ce of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

The attack caused only minor damage, the statement said

without giving further details.Meanwhile, an Interior Min-

istry source told Xinhua news agency that the three rockets landed at the edge of the air-port near an Iraqi army base, housing US military experts, who are tasked with training the Iraqi forces, without caus-ing casualties.No group has so far claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, but Baghdad

airport and the Iraqi military bases housing US troops across Iraq, as well as the American embassy in the Green Zone, have been frequently targeted by mortar and rocket attacks.

More than 5,000 US troops have been deployed in Iraq to support domestic forces in the battles against the Islamic State militants, mainly provid-ing training and advising.

3 ROCKETS HIT BAGHDAD AIRPORT

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Kolkata, Aug 15 (UNI) Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday led wishes on social media after former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni called time on his decorated international career where he helped the batting masterclass realise his dream of winning an ODI World Cup in 2011. “Thanks. Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired (sic.),” Dhoni wrote in an Instagram post, ending over one year of suspense and also an era during which his leadership and finishing skills became stuff of legends.

“Your contribution to Indian cricket has been immense MS Dhoni. Winning the 2011

World Cup together has been the best moment of my life. Wishing you and your family all the very best for your 2nd innings,” Tendulkar said in a tweet as social media went into a tizzy on India’s 74th Independence Day following the Ranchi stumper batsman’s sudden decision.

The announcement came a day after he joined his Chennai Super kings teammates in Chennai ahead of this year’s

Indian Premier League (IPL) set to be played in the UAE from September 19.

The 39-year-old’s last outing in India colours was during the World Cup semi-final defeat against New Zealand.

“The legend retires in his own style as always, @msdhoni bhai you have given it all for the country. The champions trophy triumph, 2011 World Cup and the glorious @ChennaiIPL triumphs will always be etched in my memory. Good luck for all your future endeavours. #MSDhoni,” senior India off-spinner R Ashwin said in a tweet. “Welcome to the retirement club, MSD! What a magical career!” said former England batsman Kevin

Pietersen.“The 2011 World Cup win

was Sachin Tendulkar farewell but masterminded by MS Dhoni ... What an incredible international career ... You could argue the greatest ever white ball captain & finisher ... Cheers for all the memories MS,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan.

One of the finest players to have represented India, Dhoni played a whopping number of 350 ODIs, 90 Tests and 98 T20I matches. He has 10,773 ODI runs, averaging more than 50 despite batting between No.5 and 7 for a major chunk of his career. In the Test format, Dhoni amassed 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09 and led India to more wins (27) than anyone else before him. In T20Is, Dhoni played.

98 games, scoring over 1617

7SPORTS16 SUNDAY, AUGUST, 2020

Email : thesouthindiatimes@yahoo.in / (H.O) HyderabadTHE SOUTH INDIA TIMESKolkata, Aug 15 (UNI) His

achievements are there for everyone to see, but Virat Kohli on Saturday chose to focus on MS Dhoni the person, doffing his hat to the legendary former India captain who called time on his illustrious international career on Independence Day.

“Every cricketer has to end his journey one day, but still when someone you’ve gotten to know so closely announces that decision, you feel the emotion much more,” an emotional Indian captain Kohli said in a tweet. “What you’ve done for the country will always remain

in everyone’s heart...but the mutual respect and warmth I’ve received from you will always stay in mine.

“The world has seen achievements, I’ve seen the person. Thanks for everything skip. I tip my hat to you,” added Kohli.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who had ended his long wait for an ODI World Cup under Dhoni’s captaincy in 2011, too wished luck to the former Indian skipper for his second innings. “Your contribution to Indian cricket has been immense MS Dhoni. Winning the 2011

World Cup together has been the best moment of my life. Wishing you and your family all the very best for your 2nd innings,” Tendulkar said in a tweet as social media went into a tizzy on India’s 74th Independence Day following the Ranchi stumper

batsman’s sudden decision. “The legend retires in his own style as always, MS Dhoni bhai you have given it all for the country. The champions trophy triumph, 2011 World Cup and the glorious @

ChennaiIPL triumphs will always be etched in my memory. Good luck for all your future endeavours. #MSDhoni,” senior India off-spinner R Ashwin said in a tweet. “A visionary leader who has given us innumerable memories to cherish. May your story continue to inspire people to push beyond the boundaries of wisdom and success. You will forever be a champion, MS Dhoni,” tweeted Mayank Agarwal. “Congratulations MS Dhoni on a great international career. It was an honour to play alongside. Your calm

demeanour and the laurels you brought as skipper will forever be remembered and cherished. Wishing you the very best,” said Anil Kumble.

“Welcome to the retirement club, MSD! What a magical career!” said former England batsman Kevin Pietersen.

“The 2011 World Cup win was Sachin Tendulkar farewell but masterminded by MS Dhoni ... What an incredible international career ... You could argue the greatest ever white ball captain & finisher ... Cheers for all the memories MS,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan.

THE WORLD HAS SEEN DHONI’S ACHIEVEMENTS, I’VE SEEN THE PERSON: KOHLI

Southampton, Aug 15 (UNI) Australian spin legend Shane Warne on Saturday invited Mahendra Singh Dhoni to play for his side London Spirit in The Hundred next year.

Dhoni called time on his illustrious international career on Saturday after which Warne, while in the commentary box for Sky Sports during the ongoing second Test between England and Pakistan, wondered if Dhoni might be interested in playing for the side that he is set to coach in The Hundred next year. “I’m just wondering if I can get him down to the London Spirit next year for The Hundred. Ok MS, if you would like to continue to play outside of the IPL (Indian Premier League), would you like to come and play for the London Spirit at Lord’s next year in The Hundred?” said Warne.

Pakistan fast bowling great Wasim Akram, who was commentating alongside Warne, then jokingly said that Dhoni might be wondering if the team can afford him.

“Warney if I was MS Dhoni, I would be asking you how much budget do you have,” said Wasim to which Warne replied: “I’ll find the money, MS.” The Hundred is a cricket tournament that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had initially scheduled for the summer of 2020. However, it had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will now be played in 2021. The tournament features a new format of cricket and Warne is the head coach for the London Spirit.

Warne appeals to Dhoni to

join his ide for ‘The Hundred’

next year

New Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday appealed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to organise a farewell match for Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Ranchi after the former India captain announced his retirement from international cricket. In two tweets that he

posted on Saturday in Hindi, Soren said: “MS Dhoni, who has given the country and Jharkhand countless moments to be proud of, today retired from international cricket.

“We will never be able to see Mahi, our beloved son of Jharkhand, in the blue jersey of India again. But the people of this country have not yet had

their heart’s fill. “I would like to see a farewell match for our Mahi in Ranchi which will be seen by the entire world. I appeal to the BCCI to organise one farewell match for Mahi which will be hosted by Jharkhand.” While the BCCI paid tribute to the 2011 World Cup winning former captain after he made his announcement on his

Instagram handle, it did not speak of any plans for a farewell match. “Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced his retirement from international cricket. The boy from Ranchi, who made his ODI debut in 2004, changed the face of Indian cricket with his calm demeanour, sharp understanding of the game and

astute leadership qualities,” said BCCI in its statement. Dhoni posted a video montage containing images from various points of his international career on his Instagram account. “Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired (sic.),” he said in his caption to the post.

Dhoni will finish with no regrets on the field: Ganguly

Confident about being at 100 per cent ahead of next season: Federer

New Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Saturday paid tribute to former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who has announced his retirement from international cricket.

“It is the end of an era. What a player he has been for the country and world cricket. His leadership qualities have been something, which will be hard to match, especially in the shorter format of the game,” Ganguly said in a BCCI media statement.

“His batting in one-day cricket in his early stages made the world stand up and notice his flair and sheer natural brilliance.

Every good thing comes to an end and this has been an absolutely brilliant one.

“He has set the standards for the wicketkeepers to come and make a mark for the country. He will finish with no regrets on the field. An outstanding career; I wish him the best in life,”

he added.Dhoni, who made his

ODI debut in 2004, changed the face of Indian cricket with his calm demeanour, sharp understanding of the game and astute leadership qualities. One of the most admired and respected cricketers.

Lausanne (Switzerland), Aug 15 (UNI) The first world ranking archery event since the Covid-19 pandemic brought the sport to a halt is scheduled to be held in Antalya in Turkey in October.

Antalya was the first venue to bid for an event.

A long-time host of international archery competitions, the city was due to stage the European

Championships and -- after Shanghai’s early postponement

-- a stage of the Archery World Cup in 2020.

This year’s international tour was ultimately cancelled due to ongoing travel and event restrictions. But world ranking events were permitted to restart from September 1 as part of the #BacktoArchery campaign and a steady, safe return to competition.

According to the World Archery’s website, a minimum

of four countries must attend the tournament for the world ranking status to be upheld. The shortened schedule focuses on individual events and the finals will be streamed live on World Archery’s digital platforms. Mandatory health restrictions from local authorities and the new event guidelines published by World Archery will also be observed. The invitation package.

First archery world ranking event since Covid lockdown in Oct

Organise a farewell match for Dhoni in Ranchi: Jharkhand CM to BCCI

Zurich, Aug 15 (UNI) Swiss tennis great Roger Federer expects to be at 100 per cent ahead of next season considering he was able to get a long break from the game due to coronavirus pandemic.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed he underwent couple of knee surgeries in the last two months and spent majority of the time recuperating from it in his home nation.

"For me, it's been very nice to be in Switzerland for as long as I have been since the lockdown," Federer

was quoted as saying by Tennis World."For the last 25 years or so, I have been traveling a lot, never spending two consecutive months at home; now, we have been in Switzerland for four or five months, enjoying ourselves."The

life quality in Switzerland is great, now we have summer and the people who spend time outside, just like we do. The last couple of months were dominated by two knee surgeries.I had to take step by step,

going with the rehab and slow recovery," he added.With recovery underway, Federer expects himself to return to full fitness before the 2021 season.

Federer had earlier announced via his Twitter handle in June that he had to undergo an 'additional arthroscopic procedure' on his knee that will see him miss the revamped 2020 tennis calendar.

"I must say I feel much better already, I'm not at the level where I can play tennis fully yet, but I'm confident about being at 100% ahead of the next season," he said.

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 15 (UNI) The Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Tuesday announced the cancellations of the China Masters and Dutch Open from its revamped calendar for the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic."Two BWF Tour Super 100 tournaments have been cancelled from the revamped BWF Tournament Calendar for the year -- the

Lingshui China Masters 2020 and YONEX Dutch Open 2020," said the BWF in its statement.

"The Lingshui China Masters 2020 was rescheduled twice previously from its original slot at the start of the year (25 February – 1 March) due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It was initially postponed until May and then moved again to 25-30 August 2020."Badminton Netherlands announced the

cancellation of their flagship tournament citing continued risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The YONEX Dutch Open was due to take place 6-11 October in Almere, Netherlands."Last month, the 2020 Swiss Open and the 2020 European Championships were both cancelled due to unavailability of dates for the two tournaments.

China Masters, Dutch Open badminton tournaments cancelled

Singapore, Aug 15 (UNI) World Table Tennis (WTT) on Monday announced that Khalil Al-Mohannadi, Deputy President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) President, will join the newly formed WTT board.

This comes a week after the announcement that Liu Guoliang will become Chair of the newly formed WTT Council, taking overall leadership and responsibility for pioneering the future of table tennis.

WTT was set up by the ITTF in August 2019 to modernise its commercial business activities and realise the full

potential of table tennis in order to compete and excel among the highest-profile sports in the world.

The WTT Board will oversee all WTT business activities and represent the interests of the shareholders.

"WTT is providing table tennis the platform it needs in order to grow and become one of the biggest sports on the planet, so I am truly excited to be involved in the leadership of WTT. In recent years, we have improved table tennis' status globally, but now we have an incredible opportunity to achieve our ambitious goals for the future," said Al-Mohannadi in a statement.He brings a

wealth of experience to WTT, having contributed greatly to the success of the ITTF both in his role as Deputy President (2014-present and 2005-2009) and previously as Vice President (2009-2014). Also an ITTF Executive Committee member, he has contributed to significant milestones, including the creation of the first ITTF Strategic Plan in 2018 and the ITTF's notable progress in good governance.

"Khalil Al-Mohannadi has achieved so much for our sport already and it is fantastic news for the table tennis community that his rich experience and expertise will be utilised for the benefit of WTT. The future of table

Khalil Al-Mohannadi appointed to World Table Tennis Board

Winning 2011 WC together with Dhoni best moment of my life: Tendulkar

8ENTERTAINMENRT16 SUNDAY, AUGUST, 2020

Email : thesouthindiatimes@yahoo.in / (H.O) HyderabadTHE SOUTH INDIA TIMES

After two years of house hunting, actress Meera Chopra has fi nally

found a home in Mumbai. The "Section 375" actress has pur-chased a 3-BHK apartment in Lokhandwala.

"All that mattered to me while zeroing in on a home in Mumbai was a good locality, amazing building and good space.During the house hunt-ing I realised that it's so dif-fi cult to get all three together. Space is a big issue in the city, but I'm glad I managed to fi nd the one," said Meera.

She is planning to shift to her new home soon. She wants to have a big red bed in her bed-room and place a hammock in the balcony.The actress has just purchased the property and will start work on the in-teriors soon. "I still have to hire somebody for the interiors. But I'm clear about the interi-ors in my head. I want to keep it to bare minimun and have a modern look. I love bright co-lours, so I am planning to use lot of colours. I will personally give a lot of creative inputs for the interiors," she informed. On the work front, Meera Cho-pra will next be seen in Ama-zon Prime's upcoming web series "Kamathipura". Meera Chopra, who made her debut in Telugu with Pawan Kalyan in Bangaram in 2006.

MEERA CHOPRA

IS FINALLY AT HOME IN

MUMBAI!

FILM CELEBS WISH INDIA ON INDEPENDENCE DAYFrom Amitabh Bachchan to

Akshay Kumar, from Kareena Kapoor Khan to Taapsee Pan-nu, and from Mahesh Babu to Varun Dhawan and Abhishek Bachchan, a gamut of fi lm ce-lebrities took to social media to wish India on the occasion of Independence Day. Big B saluted frontline Covid work-ers who are fi ghting day and night to protect the nation from the outbreak of corona-virus. “The true warriors in the fi ght against CoviD .. sa-lute .. and on this auspicious day of our Independence wishes for peace prosperity,” he tweeted. Akshay Kumar

shared an important message in a video he tweeted, urg-ing everyone to help street vendors. He also mentioned how diffi cult it is for them to survive amid the lockdown. “#Together4India...We all

know these people, we all have these people in our lives.On this #IndependenceDay, lets come together for them, lets come #Together4India,” Akshay wrote. Telugu super-star Mahesh Babu tweeted:

“The day that marked the dawn of a new beginning...When Independence became our greatest victory! May this freedom lead our way. Let’s always be grateful. Happy #IndependenceDay to all my fellow Ind ! Jai Hind”

Actresses Kareena Kapoor Khan, Soha Ali Khan and Neha Dhupia have posted pictures of their children holding the Indian fl ag. “Freedom in our minds, faith in our words and pride in our souls,” Kareena captioned her image that has son Taimur holding a fl ag. “We in 2020 are now in a bet-ter situation to comprehend

what an infringement on our freedom truly means. It may only be a fraction of the time and a fraction of the scope of what our fore parents en-dured but it is enough for us to value our liberties and look forward to the return of the old normal. #happyinde-pendenceday #jaihind,” Soha wrote along with an image of her daughter Inaaya with a handmade fl ag. “Happy In-dependence Day. Jai Hind,” Abhishek Bachchan tweeted.Actor Varun Dhawan shared a throwback video where we see him interacting with Jawans at Wagah Border.

SRK FINDS ‘GUIDELINES FOR

BEING A TRUE INDIAN’ IN

NATIONAL FLAG

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan vowed to follow the basic values that the Indian national fl ag stands for, on the occasion of Independence Day on Saturday. “Strength & Courage. Peace & Truth. Fertility & Growth. Life in Movement. My country stands for these values. I promise to do the same on this day of 15th August and for-ever. We don’t need anymore guide-lines for being a true Indian, than these laid down by the colours of our Indian fl ag. Happy Independence Day to all. Jai Hind,” SRK wrote on Instagram. Along with his note, SRK posted a picture of his signature pose of outstretched hands, set against the backdrop of the Tricolour. On the work front, as an actor SRK was last seen in Aanand L. Rai’s “Zero”, which released in December 2018. The fi lm fared below expectation at the box of-fi ce. Lately, Shah Rukh has been busy as a producer.

Sonakshi Sinha has re-vealed how she deals with trolls, during a

Twitter interactive session with fans on Saturday eve-ning.

The subject came up when, during the #Sona-Says session, a user quizzed about the background pic-ture on Sonakshi's Twitter profile, where the actress can be seen standing with her eyes closed and fingers in her ears, in a T-shirt reads "I am listening".

Talking about the pho-tograph, Sonakshi replied:

"My background picture im-plies how I respond to trolls.During the online chat,

the actress also revealed facts about herself includ-ing her favourite food, her

nicknames, her favourite cartoon characters and the directors on her wishlist.A

fan was curious to know her height, to which she replied: "There has been too much speculation on this... let me settle the matter now only. I am tall enough." Respond-ing to a fan who asked which directors she would want to work with, the actress re-vealed: "Raju Hirani sir and Rohit Shetty sir are on my wishlist! Love love love their movies!"Asked about the fa-vourite cartoon characters from her childhood days, the actress wrote: "Tom and jerry, swat cats, johnny bravo, dexters laboratory!

Omg bring em back!"A fan wanted to know about her culinary skills."In lockdown tried to make any stuff in kitchen??" the user asked. "A mess," she replied.

Sonakshi also revealed her nicknames on a fan's request: "Sona baby, Sonz, Sonu, Son, So and S." An-other fan asked: "If you could eat only 3 foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?" Sonakshi shared a video where she replied: "Margherita pizza with extra cheese, schezwan noodles and dal chawal." On the work front, Sonakshi will next be seen in the Ajay Devgn-starrer "Bhuj.

Rabia Khan, the mother of late Bollywood actor Jiah Khan, has said that she believes that her daughter, Sushant Singh Rajput, and his ex-manager Disha Salian fell victim to serial killing and asserted that people from Bollywood and politics were involved in the two deaths in June that she as dubbed murders. Rabia, who herself has worked in a few Bollywood fi lms in the 80s, said that from the similarities in all the three death cases, it could be easily made out that the same crime

syndicate had given effect to these crimes.

She also drew parallels be-tween the cases of Sushant Singh Rajput and her daugh-ter to buttress her assertions. Jiah Nafi sa Khan had allegedly committed suicide at her Juhu fl at in June 3, 2013 at the age of 25. In an exclusive telephonic interview to from London, Rabia said: “I have the feeling that whosoever killed Jiah has also used Rhea (Chakraborty) to kill Sushant.” “The person who killed Jiah has killed Su-

SONAKSHI SINHA REVEALS HOW SHE DEALS WITH TROLLS

Popular writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar has won

the prestigious Richard Dawkins Award 2020 for critical thinking, holding religious dogma upto scrutiny, advanc-ing human progress and humanist values.Be it on

social media or sessions in different cities, Akhtar has been vocal about topics like CAA and Islamophobia.

Akhtar was not reach-able, but his proud wife and veteran actress Shabana Azmi said: "He is the only Indian ever (to win the award).

Previous recipients include Bill Maher and Christopher Hitchens. It is a huge honour.

"The award has been presented since 2003, and is named after Eng-lish evolutionary biolo-gist Richard Dawkins.

Actress Dia Mirza took to Twitter on Sunday to congratulate Akhtar.

JAVED AKHTAR WINS RICHARD DAWKINS AWARD 2020

P roducer Ekta Kapoor, who has given many hit "saas-bahu" TV

shows, says she always wanted to tell a mature love story and she is glad to have done that through her web series "Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain".

"I am delighted to have launched the third sea-son of one of my favourite shows, 'Kehne Ko Humsa-far Hain', just a day before my birthday. I've always wanted to tell a mature love story and I'm glad to have done that through 'Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain', a show that intricately weaves the complexities of modern-day relationships," said Ekta, Joint MD, Balaji

Telefilms."On the back of two highly successful sea-sons, season 3 will contin-ue to examine many shades of relationships along with delving into infidelity. It's a season that will show us what happens when love turns shades of dark and make the audience ques-tion the societal norm.

The show is my birthday

treat to all the viewers of ALTBalaji and ZEE5. See-ing them shower their love and affection for the show would be the perfect gift," she added. The series fea-tures Ronit Roy, Gurdip Kohli Punjj, Mona Singh, Apurva Agnihotri, Pooja Banerjee, Palak Jain, and Aditi Vasudeva. A fourth season of the popular series is already in the pipeline. "As an individual and as an organisation we are deeply respectful towards the In-dian Army. Their contribu-tion to our well-being and security is immense.

We have already deleted the scene that is being spo-ken about, so action has been taken from our side.

EKTA KAPOOR: I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO TELL MATURE LOVE STORY

shant. My child’s boyfriend used her for her money. He controlled Jiah. Rhea was also doing the same. From where did she get this much money? If it came from Sushant, we know that (it is possible) since he was doing fi lms, endorsements, and advertisements. If not, from where did all the money come from? Was she into drug traffi ck-ing? Was she into narcotics? Was she friends with drug peddlers?” asked Ra-bia, who was married to Indian-origin US businessman Ali Rizhvi Khan. She had worked in movies like ‘Arrested’, ‘Karamyudh’ (both 1985) and ‘Locket’ (1986). Rabia added: “Rhea is not as shrewd as she is projected to be. Who-

ever is conducting the whole affair (from behind the scenes) is respon-sible for the serial murders in view of the similarities in the Jiah and Sushant cases.”

“The person who killed Jiah killed Su-shant too,” Rabia alleged. She asserted that her late daughter was ‘brave’ and that was the reason she was in Bolly-wood, pointing out that she had acted along with megastar Amitabh Bach-chan (Nishabd) in 2007 and Aamir Khan in Gajni in 2008. “Who can act against such established names? Only someone who can communicate at an intellectual level. Not some illiterate or any Tom, Dick or Harry,” she rea-

soned. “Poor boy, Sushant, my daugh-ter... really... they were simple, honest, spiritual, and innocent persons. That’s why they got snared by vile people, the criminals. They did not have the brains of a criminal.”

Rabia again stressed the point that her daughter Jiah too was simple and honest. “Look, if someone is honest, he or she will easily be convinced by another person’s claim of love. She was getting fl owers for three months. Tiffi ns were sent to her. Both were go-ing out. My daughter was spending the money. He was enjoying at her ex-pense.”

“Similar thing happened with Su-shant also. Sushant had big dreams, and so did my daughter. He was edu-cated, and so was my daughter. Su-shant loved animals, and so did my daughter. She used to bring even strays to the house -- she had made her house a zoo. Sushant loved playing guitar, and Jiah loved piano. Sushant was into astronomy, and so was my daughter. She had a Hubble telescope too. She had so many encyclopediae. Sushant was picky about doing fi lms and so did Jiah. Sushant did not run after money, and Jiah was also the same. There are so many similarities in the case - I am surprised police did not see all these.” Rabia said that she had kept quiet for a long time, fi ghting her battle to get justice for Jiah. “But after witnessing

Sushant’s and Disha’s cases, I had to come out - just as in case of Jiah, here too the angle of ‘depression’ is be-ing touted. I am witnessing the same things which I saw in my daughter’s case. That’s why I had to step forward and speak on the whole issue,” Jiah’s mother said. Asked if people from the Bollywood industry and politics could be involved in the alleged murders of Sushant and Disha Salian, Rabia shot back: “It is not ‘could be’ involved. They ‘are’. They are fully involved. They have everyone in their pocket. They are involved in Disha Salian’s case too. Disha was present at a party where all the row started. Sushant Singh said ‘do not do to Disha what you did to Jiah’. From where all did these things come out? There can be no smoke without fi re. Why are you going after the smokescreen created in the names of Karan Johar and the Chopra family? Why are you not chas-ing what is behind this smoke? The en-tire syndicate is now standing united to save the person who killed Sushant and Disha. What are these people try-ing to hide? Who all will be exposed in the Sushant case? To save whom has the whole army of people jumped in to save? The whole universe you have created has become one to save Rhea Chakraborty. And there is someone behind Rhea who has weaved all this game.”

Sushant, Disha victims of serial killing, just like Jiah, says Rabia Khan

THE SOUTH INDIA TIMESGreater Hyderabad

16 Sunday, auguSt, 2020 PageS-8

Chief Minister K. ChandrasheKar rao said tirunagari raManujaM is a a great literary personality about whoM the entire telangana soCiety is proud of. the CM opined that raManujaM would reMain as the literary heir to Maha Kavi dasaradhi. the CM presented dasaradhi award for 2020 to raManujaM at pragathi bhavan here on saturday. the CM presented raManujaM with a MeMento, shawl and a Cash prize of rs 1,01,116. the CM said sri raManujaM deserves the dasaradhi award Cent perCent. he said bala veera sathaKaM, aKsharadhara, tirunagareeyaM written by raManujaM beCaMe very popular. the CM appreCiated raManujaM for his grip on traditional and sansKrit literatures as well as his Knowledge about the Modern literature. blend of traditional and Modern literature that what MaKes raManujaM stand out. the CM hoped that raManujaM would Continue to Contribute More to enriCh the telugu literary world. Mp dr. K Keshav rao, governMent’s Chief advisor rajiv sharMa, Chief seCretary soMesh KuMar, dgp Mahender reddy, Cultural affairs seCretary srinivas raju, direCtor MaMidi hariKrishna, CM osd desapathy srinivas, raManujaM’s son srinivas and others attended. raManujaM reCited a poeM he wrote praising the CM as the Modern day Maha vishnu.

governor dr. taMilisai soundararajan has unfurled the national flag at the raj bhavan, on saturday. governor greeted all the offiCers and staff MeM-bers at raj bhavan and Conveyed happy indepen-denCe day greetings to theM. governor along with her husband dr. soundararajan and other faMily MeMbers tooK part in the Celebrations. dr. taMilisai soundararajan perforMed spe Cial puja at the raj bhavan teMple. she personally went to the staff MeMbers, standing in their positions as part of the soCial distanCing norMs, to greet theM and obliged requests for photographs with the staff of differ-ent wings at raj bhavan.governor advisors retired ias offiCer apvn sharMa and retired ips offiCer aK Mohanty, seCretary to governor K. surendra Mo-han, ias, joint seCretaries j bhavani shanKar and C n raghu prasad, liaison offiCer Ch. sitaraMulu and other staff MeMbers tooK part in Celebrations.

Hyderabad, Aug.15 ( ) : Municipal and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao to-day unfurled Tricolour at Rajanna Siricilla district here to mark 74th Indepen-dence Day Celebrations. Speaking on the occasion, the minister has said that the independence Day cel-ebrations are being held on a low key affair due to Coro-na pandemic. The minister took guard of honour from the police on the occasion. Local leaders and dis-trict officials were pres-ent. Srinivas Goud hoists national flag at Mahabub Nagar Excise and Sports Minister V Srinivas Goud today unfurled Tricolour at Mahabub Nagar district here to mark 74th Indepen-dence Day Celebrations. Speaking on the occasion, Srinivas Goud has said that the 74th independence Day

celebrations are being con-ducted rather on a low key affair as the nation fighting against Corona pandemic. The minister took guard

of honour from the police on the occasion. The min-ister extended greetings to the people to mark the in-dependence Day celebra-

tions. In other districts, the ministers, whips and other dignitaries concerned at-tended the event as per the government order.

KTR unfurls Tricolour at Siricilla to mark 74th Independence Day celebrations

THE SOUTH INDIA TIMES 25 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST, 2020 216 Sunday, auguSt, 2020

today was the flag festival. Culture CaMpus apartMent baba nagar naCharaM hyderabad professor satyanarayana president Culture CaMpus flag hoisted by honorary presidents gauri shanKar garu and banjara hills aCp srinivas rao viCe president raMa rao general seCretary subroto vasudeva Murthy vijay KuMar bhasKar rao subraManiaM rao garu sneha garu rashMitha garu and aditya garu and the Children all sang the national antheM together with the faMily MeMbers. even during this Covid-19 all the preCautions were taKen to Celebrate the flag festival with joy every year lage the adults heard their preCious Mina sandeshalanu about this flag festival. Kindly publish the Matter.

PARAMESHWAR REDDY HOISTED FLAG AT

RAMANTHAPUR TSIT BUREAUUppal Congress party senior leader Ex Cor-porator MANDUMULA PARAMESHWAR REDDY hoisted the National Flag at old Ramantgspur and paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of 74th Independence Day. PARAMESHWAR REDDY recalled the great sacri-fices made by the freedom fighters to get indepen-dence to the nation. He congratulated the doctors, health workers, sanitation

workers , police depart-ment and media person-nel for their services dur-ing this pandemic , he said Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, this year Inde-pendence Day is celebrat-ing on a low-key affair to contain the virus from spreading. in this program MD Taufeeq,Naam Gov-ardhan Reddy,Prashanth Reddy, Bodupally Bhasker, Madhubabu Goud, Balraj and Jithu Reddy and other MPR team members par-ticipated in this event.

Hyderabad, August 15::Telanga-na Pradesh congress commitee secretary and senior Leader greeted 74th Independence Day greetings in his karwan con-stituency people and Congress Leaders and party workers. Bandulalsaid that with tsit buereau result of hundreds of years of struggle is today’s inde-pendence.The freedom that we enjoy today is the result of the sacrifices and lives of thousands of Congress leaders he added. Many countries along with us are looking at us and imple-menting our flexible and great-democracy . Bandulal explained about great ness of democracy The four pillars of democracy work very freely.Whether the legislature, the judiciary, the media are functioning freely today has become a major de-bate he expressed his anxiety. According to public opinion, the UPA government formed Telangana separate statehood.In 6 years ofdemocracy has violated humanrights and civil rights in Telangana.The Con-gress party is always at the forefront of implementing social justice Bandulal said. There have been several attacks on the poor and weaker sections of the state many incidents prevails TRS government undemo-cratic ruling he lashed out. The Congress party is com-pletely supportive of the weaker sections in Telanga-

na congress party dedicated and committed to the wel-fare of weaker section people He stated in his Me-dia statement. He critisized the ruling party misusing powerIn Telangana, the Congress does not seem to have been annoyed by these rulers who are committing large scale injustice in the field of irrigationIf a single drop of water is unjustified to Telangana, don’t settle wa-ter matter till today he said Greater elections are likely to be announc very soon. Lead-ers and activists must be vigi-lant and act in his karwan assembly segment advancely alerted the Congress party cadre.

THOUSANDS OF CONGRESS LEADERS SACRIFICES RESULT IS INDEPENDENCE

OFINDIA: BANDULAL

RLR Celebrate INDEPENDENCE DAY at Nacharam

Uppal constituency Congress party Senior leader and Uppal constituency incharge RAGIDI LAXMA REDDY graced the occasion as the Chief Guest at Nacharam Division and national flag

was unfurled. RLR while speaking he described The social and economic conditions of the time , As well as he described the sacrifices of the freedom fighters who worked for independence and

their sacrifices. The celebrations were held with very few people in this program Krishna Reddy, Prakash Reddy , Ashu ,Naveen Reddy ,B Sreekanth Goud ,Mosali Sandeep Reddy N.Raju , Venkatesh ,Fassiuddin ,J.Rajesh and Many more Leaders were Present.

TPCC Spokes person Srirangam hoisted flag at Kukatpally TSIT BUREAUH y d e r a b a d , August15::TPCC of-ficial spokes person and senior congress leader Dr Satyam Sri-rangam, who hoisted the national flag in Kukatpally constitu-ency Balajinagar today On the occasionof the 74th Independence Day celebrations, Sri-rangam said that even till today, 74 years after India’s independence,

economic inequalities are still continuing lost the constitutional val-ues In the same way, education and health care should be the goals of governments. secularism and social-ism, especially in our constitutional funda-mentals, srirangam has recollected and also said that have included in the 42nd Amend-ment. Let us preserve them In this cellabra-

tions Balajinagar divi-sion president Subhash Goud, Youth Congress leaders Krishna Rajput,

Jibin, Balaji, Sai and Pradeep were present on the Independence day occasion.

THE SOUTH INDIA TIMES 25 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST, 2020 316 Sunday, auguSt, 2020

Two aRReSTeD In GuTKa caSe

A case has been registered against two persons for il-legally selling amber packets banned by the govern-ment at shop on Vellampalli Road and 40 amber pack-ets (1000 small amber packets) estimated at Rs.15000 were seized from them. A case has been registered against Randla Sampath Kumar (35) and Syed Rafique (44) according to a press note released by Warangal police commissionerate.

The 74th Independence Day celebrations were held today in the premises of the District Police Office. Earlier in the day, District SP Sunil Dutt IPS unveiled the national flag in memory of the freedom fighters and saluted the Police Armed Forces. Speaking on the occasion, the District SP wished the police officers, staff and the people to be rededicate themselves to national service. Recalling the freedom struggle, Sunil Dutt lauded the sacrifices made for the freedom of the nation and said that every human being would find fulfillment in his dedication to the country. Police officials

should strive their efforts for the establishment of a peaceful society. Constantly remembering the sacrifices of the freedom fighters, he said that everyone should strive for fulfilling their aspirations. District Additional SP Operations V Tirupati, AR Additional SP B Kishtayya, ASP Vineet, ACB Inspector Ravi, DCRB Inspector Guruswamy, Police Control Room Inspector Rajagopal, RIs Krishna, Prasad, Somulu, Damodar, District Police Officers Association President Srinivasa Rao and staff and other police personnel participated.

Badradri Kothagudem:SP Sunil Dutt unfurls the

national flag

Mulug Aug 16: Government Whip and MLC M.S.Prabhakar Rao participated as the Chief Guest in the 74th Indepedence Day celebrations held at Mulug district here on Saturday. Mr.Prabhakar Rao hoisted the national flag. Later he planted a sapling in the premises of the district collectorate. Later in a press release, Mulug District Collector Mr.S.Krishna Aditya said the authorities should be vigilant so as not to cause any harm to the people of the flood-hit areas due to heavy rains. He said that the authorities were instructed on precautions to be taken in view of heavy rains besides asking the Tahsildars to monitor the risk indicators from time to time and take action accordingly. Tahsildars have been asked to evacuate the people in flood-hit areas to safer areas and to prepare accommodation facilities in public schools and buildings in advance. The note further added that if the transport facility were stopped due to the effect of rains, measures would be taken to facilitate transport with temporary routes. The Collector also informed that sign boards be set up on the condition of the

roads so that people would not have difficulty in transportation. Village level revenue officials have been instructed to monitor directly the situation of old and dilapidated houses in the villages and to take care not to cause loss of life and property in view of past experiences, measures should be taken to prevent further damage to the ponds by floodwaters. The note said that Tahsildars had discussed with irrigation officials about 3 level indicators on Godavari catchment areas and ponds and asked the authorities to be available for phone calls. They were directed

to identify the families of the flood-hit areas of Godavari and Jampannavagu and relocate them and to distribute ration goods in advance for 3 months to ensure that the people would not get into trouble. The Collector in the press note said that the officials concerned were ready with adequate machinery to remove fallen trees on the roads. The concerned panchayat secretaries were instructed to bring to the notice of the authorities the fall of trees and the occurrence of damages and appropriate action should be taken immediately.

Government Whip and MLC M.S.Prabhakar Rao participated as the Chief Guest in the

74th Indepedence Day

BANNALA PRAVEEN CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE

DAY BY HOISTING NATIONAL FLAG

TSIT BUREAU

The 74th Independence Day was celebrated with patriotic fervour in Chilkanagar Division by TRS chilkanagar Division president BANNALA PRAVEEN MUDIRAJ on Tuesday He unfurled the national flag at the function organized by various associations in various parts of Chilkanagar division on the occasion of Independence Day, He congratulated the doctors, health workers, sanitation workers, police department and media personnel for their services during covid19. He said that many people fought with British people for independence 74 years ago and sacrifised their lives, now we are fighting to save the country from an epidemic called corona. He congratulated the doctors, health workers, sanitation workers, police department and media personnel for their services during covid19.

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gutha suKender reddy, hon'ble ChairMan, telangana state legislative CounCil seen hoisting the national flag in ConneCtion with independenCe day Celebrations at CounCil.

Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Hon’ble Speaker, Telangana State Legislative Assembly is seen Hoisting National Flag in connection with Independence Day

Celebrations at Assembly premises.

Ms. Santoshi has sub-mitted her joining re-port to the Chief Secre-tary, Somesh Kumar, as Deputy Collector at BRKR Bhavan.Ms. Santoshi, W/o Colo-nel Santosh Babu who martyred in the recent clashes on the Indo-China border, was ap-pointed as Deputy Col-lector in the Revenue Department.

arvind KuMar, CoMMissioner, i&pr departMent hoisted the national flag on the oCCasion of independenCe day Celebrations at i&pr departMent, saMaChar bhavan, hyderabad.

Independence Day Celebrations at Lokayukta .

MaLKaJGIRI acP naRSIMHa ReDDY Hoisted national flag at Uppal Press Club

TSIT BUREAUMalkajgiri Zone ACP N a r a s i m h a r e d d y unveiled the national flag at the Uppal Press Club premises on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day. another ACP NLN RAJU inaugurated CCTV cameras which were set up at Uppal Press Club. Speaking on the occasion, two ACPs said that many great people had fought for independence for a hundred years to absorb the freedom of our Indian nation. He said the virtue of their sacrifices was the fruits of our democracy. He said journalists are responsible for the most social service in the community. they said During Corona time journalists perform their duties with social responsibility as well as their professionalism even He said the police department would co-

operate so that journalists could take the lead in organizing social service

programs. Launching CCTV cameras at the press club, he said they

had brought about a revolutionary change in the way injustices, anarchists, thieves, and criminals were kept in his third eye and caught criminals. The number of crimes has also dropped significantly since the advent of CCTV cameras. They said that Hyderabad has a reputation as the city with the most CCTV cameras in our country. ACP on behalf of the Press Club congratulated Gudi Mahender Reddy for handing over the CCTV cameras. CIs Rangaswamy and Kashi Vishwanath were present on the occasion. The press club said the sanitary machine was donated by the Meer Peta Lions Club. The event was attended by

representatives of the Uppal Press Club.

Minor Girl Raped In Orphanage

HYDERABAD Aug 15: A 14-year old orphan girl who was allegedly raped by a man in March, died while undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The girl was staying at an orphanage in Ameenpur on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

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HYDERABAD Aug 15: In Telangana, a total of 1,863 people have tested positive for coronavirus. With this, the cumulative COVID-19 cases in the state increased to 90,259 and the death toll due to the virus went up to 684 with ten fatalities being reported on Saturday, August 15. According to the bulletin released by the state health department on Saturday, a total of 1,912 people were discharged taking the total COVID-19 recoveries

in the state to 66,196 till date. The state's recovery rate stands at 72.72 per cent while the country's recovery rate is at 70.76 per cent. The mortality rate in the state is 0.76 per cent as against the country's mortality rate of 1.96 per cent. Currently, there are 23,379 active cases of coronavirus in the state out of which, which included 16,221 persons in either home or institutional isolation. The state tested 21,239 samples on Thursday.

Hyderabad, Aug.15 ( ): Social Media users have

good news this Independence Day. A Made in Hyderabad mobile app with more advanced features than TikTok is set to be launched soon. Telangana Information and Technology Association (TITA) Startup Community has developed Alap app, a video sharing platform that will be available for netizens by the end of this month. TITA Global President Sundeep Kumar Makthala released the teaser and logo of Alap app, which will be available in 13 languages, on Independence Day here on Saturday.

There are numerous apps that are completely commercial and with a profit motive in the market but there are none to meet the social needs of the users. The launch of Alap app by the TITA Startup Community was aimed at filling this social void. Though TikTok has changed hands, it is a fact

that it is still in the hands of Chinese ownership. Though there are numerous such apps available to users, technology, data security and more focus on Made in India app are some driving factors behind the launch of Alap app. This was also an attempt to employ those techies who lost their jobs due to Covid-19 triggered economic slowdown.

It was in this context, the Enterprise Softlabs Private Limited (E-Soft Labs) developed the Alap app. The firm played a key

role in providing finances to the techies on its own, technology support and the market launch. Loknath Reddy provided funding and programming support, while technical support was provided by Ram K, while Amit supervised operation affairs. This Made in Hyderabad app will be available in 13 Indian languages. Alap app which is being developed in Telangana will emerge as the best alternative to the existing apps and congratulated the team behind the development of the app.

Telangana Reports 1,863 Fresh COVID-19 Cases, 10 Deaths

Hyderabad, Aug.15 ( ): TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy Today hoisted national flag at the party headquarters Gandhi Bhavan Despite continuous heavy rain. Speaking on the occasion he Conveyed his independence day wishes to all the congress party cadres

and all sections of Telangana society. He also Paid tributes to sacrifices of freedom fighters.

He said that present congress cadres must derive inspiration from the selflessness and sacrifices of the congress party’s freedom fighters. He also said that As long as the he congress

party ruled the country, continuous efforts were made to strengthen and

give full independence to the four pillars of the democracy i.e., legislature, judiciary, executive and media. He said that from the year 2014, the central and state governments were trying to weaken the four pillars of the democracy. Reddy said that the Congress party would always stand

for social justice and justice for dalits, tribals, OBCs and minorities. He added that the Congress will always fight on behalf of the weaker sections. He called upon the party Cadres that they should get ready for early GHMC, Warangal and Khammam municipal elections in November.

TPCC chief asks party caders to get ready for elections

CII Telangana organises Virtual Musical Concert to celebrate 125 years of service to the nation and the spirit of 74th Independence Day

Need a roadmap for economic revival: FTCCI

Hyderabad, Aug.15 ( ) : The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) today celebrated the 74th Independence Day at Federation House. Ramkanth Inani president of FTCCI, said that during these 74 years of India’s Independence from colonial rule, there are many dramatic changes in all areas. In 1947, India got Independence after a unique freedom struggle and gave the world the philosophy of non-violence. Presently India’s fight against the Covid-19 outbreak has been unique and praiseworthy, however despite this the rising number of Covid patients is making people panicky and there is a need to ramp up measures to contain the virus and chalk out a roadmap for economic revival. Indian pharmaceutical companies especially from Hyderabad are making concerted efforts in producing affordable low-cost medicines and vaccines to fight against this pandemic. In the presence of Bhaskar Reddy, Sr Vice President, Anil Agarwal, Vice President, Khyati Naravane, CEO, Karunendra S Jasti, Past President along with members and past presidents were present.

Independence Day celebrated at BIACH&RIHyderabad, Aug.15 ( ) : Basavatarakam

Indo American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute has celebrated India’s 74th Independence day with much fervour today by taking all the precautions due to COVID pandemic. On this occasion, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Chairman, BIACH&RI and MLA, Hindupur Assembly Constituency, Andhra Pradesh has unfurled the national flag. Later addressing the gathering in a brief interaction, Balakrishna has extended best wishes on India’s Independence Day. While remembering the sacrifices made by freedom fighters during the struggle for Independence, Balakrishna urged the gathering to work towards strengthening the nation thus enabling it to face both external and internal threats. While appreciating the staff for their commitment in extending treatment during the COVID pandemic, he asked them to continue the good work by taking all the requisite precautions. Along with Nandamuri Balakrishna, the program was attended by Dr RV Prabhakara Rao, CEO, BIACH&RI; G Ravi Kumar, COO, BIACH&RI; Dr TS Rao, Medical Director, BIACH&RI; Dr Kalpana Raghunath, Associate Director, Academics, BIACH&RI; Dr M. Phanikoteswara Rao, Medical Superintendent, BIACH&RI; Dr. LM Chandra Sekhar Rao, Head, Head & Neck Oncology Department, BIACH&RI and other medical, non medical, para medical, non medical staff of hospital.

This Made in Hyderabad app is the best alternative to TikTok

Hyderabad, Aug.15 ( ): To celebrate 125 years of service to the nation and the spirit of Independence Day, CII Telangana organised a Virtual Musical Concert today. Addressing the occasion, Jayesh Ran-jan, Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce, ITE&C Departments,

Government of Telan-gana mentioned that the community of art-ists has been badly hit due to the ongoing pan-demic and it was impor-tant to help and support the community, espe-cially the tech support artists.He congratulated CII for conceptualizing and organizing the Vir-

tual concert. Mr Ranjan said that such events, will support the artists community and also help in bringing opti-mism during these diffi-cult times. Delivering her Welcome Address, Vanitha Datla, Vice Chairperson & Manag-ing Director, Elico Ltd mentioned that along

with developing the competitiveness of In-dustry, CII also focuses on holistic development of its members. The Culture and Tourism Panel of CII Telangana was formed to enhance Telangana’s visibility as a sought after tour-ist destination and also promote Telangana’s

culture to the world. An-indita Sinha, Convenor, CII Telangana, Culture & Tourism Panel and Head- Corporate Com-munications, L&T Hy-derabad Metro Rail in her address mentioned. that CII Telangana is pleased to organise the very first Virtual Musical Concert.

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In Kukatpally constituency Bharath nagarColony Welfare Association President, State Congress leaders P Nagireddy hoisted the national flags erected by the Auto Union at the Community Hall and Auto Stand in Bharat Nagar Colony Nagi reddy conveyed various precautions to the people at the meeting. Do not eat outside food Do not go outside unless absolutely necessary. In this flaghoisting programmeColony leaders Srinivas, Virareddy, Vinod, Lakshminarayana, Santosh Kumar, Gaus, Ramulu, Venkatesh, Vijay were participated in this Independence day occasion.

Mir Firasath Ali Baqri, BJP Spokesperson, Telangana Minority Morcha , hoisted The National flag on the occasion of 74 Independence Day at Madain -E- Ghadeer, Darulshifa, Jambagh Park and Ali Nagar Colony, Noor Khan Bazar Hyderabad Along with Mr. Ali Raza , Dr. Mir Naqui Ali , Mr. J J Satrayana, Adv. Dr. Siraj Afros , Mr Rajesh Yadav, Mr Mahesh Mr. Rehan Hyder & Students of Quli Qutub Shah School also participated in the Independence Day programme.

MINISTER PRASHANTH REDDY HOISTED THE NATIONAL FLAG DURING THE 74TH

INDEPENDENCE DAY AT NIZAMABADNizamabad Aug 15 ; State Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashant Reddy unveiled the national flag during the 74th Independence Day celebrations. Minister of State for Roads and Buildings Sri Vemula Prashant Reddy along with District Collector Sri C Narayana Reddy and Commissioner of Police Sri Karthikeya on the occasion of 15th August Independence Day on Saturday (15-8-2020) at the Collectorate premises. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister extended heartfelt Independence Day greetings on behalf of the state government to the people of Nizamabad district. He acknowledged that the independence of India on August 15 was the result of the sacrifices of many dignitaries and that the government's intention was to ensure that the fruits of that independence were beautiful to all the people in a democratic India. We have been seeing for the last six years that the government under the leadership of Hon'ble Chief Minister Sri K.Chandra shaker Rao

has been working with the intention of making the welfare development programs for the benefit of the poor, the peasantry and all other sections of the people in the state hungry. Kalyana Lakshmi scheme of Rs 1 lakh for child marriage, support for the poor from the CM Relief Fund for medical expenses, provision for poor students to study through fee reimbursement, farmer bond, investment assistance, 24 hour free electricity, repair of ponds through Mission Kakatiya. On the occasion of Independence Day, he said that projects like Kaleswaram are being built and various

programs are being carried out to bring water to the Beed lands. On the occasion of Independence Day, he wished all the families in the state of Telangana to be happy and prosperous. Zilla Parishad Chairman Sri D. Vittal Rao, MLC Sri Rajeshwar, Rural MLA Sri Bajireddy Govardhan, Urban MLA Sri Begala Ganesh Gupta, Red Co Chairman Sri S.A.Aleem, DCCB Chairman Sri Pocharam Bhaskar Reddy, Additional Collectors Sri Chandrashakar, Smt Lata, Municipal Commissioner Sri Jitesh V Patil, RDO Ravi were present on the occasion. , Corporators etc.

Nizamabad District Railway Magistrate Sri Quadeer Pasha hoisted the tricolour flag on the occasion of 74th Independence Day

at Nizamabad Railway Court premises.

In Nizamabad Mandal Development Office On the occasion of 74th Independence Day Smt Banoth Anusha Mandal president hoisted the Tricolour Flag , Sri Sanjeev Kumar Mandal development officer

and the office staff were also present during the event .

Nalgonda: 2 From Hyderabad Killed In Road

Accident On NH-65

NALGONDA Aug 15: Two persons, including a woman were killed in a road accident near Kattangur in Nalgonda district on Saturday. The accident took place on NH-65 at around 7.40 am. The deceased were identified as 30-year-old Abhi and Renuka, 28. They were natives of ECIL in Hyderabad, as reported by a daily. Another person received head injuries in the accident. Abhi and Renuka were in the car, travelling from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, when it hit a DCM vehicle parked on the roadside on NH-65. Kattangur police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to Kamineni Institute of Medical sciences at Narketpally.

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Today at Nizamabad press club Sri Govinda Raju hoisted the National Flag on the occasion of 74th Independence Day Sri G.Pramod kumar senior journalist , Sri Jaweed General Secretary press club , Mr Subash journalist and Sri M.A.Samad Senior Journalist and State Bureau for The South Times English Daily Hyderabad and other Reporters were also participated in the above occasion.

On behalf of 74th Independence Day morning at 10.00 am Bodhan MLA Sri Mohammad Shakeel Amer, hoisted the tricolor flag at the camp office Bodhan. In this occasion Bodhan constituency MPs, ZPTCs, party presidents, municipality chairperson, vice chairman, councillors and TRS party leaders, activists were participated .

SPEAKER POCHARAM SRINIVAS REDDY HOISTED THE NATIONAL FLAG AT KAMAREDDY

Kamareddy Aug 15 ; Sri Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly hoisted the National Flag at the Kamareddy District Collectorate on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day of India. On this occasion, the speaker said ... Happy 74th Independence Day to all the people. Governments that recognize and meet the needs of the people are true public governments. The real Independence Day is to solve the problems of the poor and farmers. The gap between rich and poor has widened. This difference should be reduced. In the past, it was criticized that the rich got independence, but today with the development and welfare schemes being implemented in the state of Telangana, even the poor feel that they have got independence. After the formation of the state of Telangana, the Chief Minister of the state, Sri KCR, is working to provide real independence to the poor. With the advent of Telangana state, development and welfare schemes are being implemented for the people of the state with effective leadership. Efforts are being made to set up agro processing units to further benefit the farmers. The appearance of the villages is changing with the progress of the countryside. The construction of farmer platforms in the district is in full swing. Development work is underway and welfare schemes are being implemented. Political criticism on all matters is not good in such a good environment. There should be friendly

relations between the states. To live is to be good in all ways. Conflicts between states over river waters are not a good evolution. Sit together and talk and solve problems. Thanks to the police, medical and medical personnel who were at the forefront of the fight against Corona, as well as to the media representatives who provided information to the public with their news of

the Corona. Everyone must be careful and evict Corona. On this occasion, the Speaker inaugurated the newly established Electronic Office (e-office) in the Collectorate. Government Whip Gampa Govardhan, Zaheerabad MP Bibi Patil, Jukkal MLA Hanmant Shinde, District Collector Dr A Sarath, District SP Shweta, officials and public representatives were present on the occasion.

Nizamabad Bodhan Aug 15 ; Hon’ble Sri Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, Minister for Municipal and IT In honour of the promise made by Sri MLA Bodhan to arrange ambulances at his own expense on the occasion of the birthday of Sri Mohammad Shakeel Amer, MLA Bodhan launched the ambulance as a Gift to the residers of bodhan today at his camp office of Bodhan MLA today on the occasion of Independence Day.

As part of the elimination of Covid-19, the Bodhan MLA launched an

ambulance for the convenience of the people of the Bodhan constituency. On the occasion, the MLA said that these ambulances would be very useful to avoid any inconvenience to the public during the Covid diagnostic tests and also he said that two more ambulances are being provided by the municipality. The Hon’ble MLA suggested that people should wear masks strictly keeping in view the social distance.

MLA SHAKEEL LAUNCHED AN AMBULANCE FOR BODHAN PEOPLES

Today at Nizamabad town on the Eve of 74th Independence Day under the auspices of the Police Department 1. At the Commissioner of Police camp office Commissioner of Police Sri Karthikeya IPS, carries the national flag Unveiled. The Sweets were handed out to the staff. 2. At the police station Additional DCP (Admin) Usha Vishwanath hoisted the national flag 3. Police Headquarters Nizamabad Range DCP (AR) Mr. Bhaskar hoisted the flag.

Alert sounded in Telangana as heavy rains trigger flood situation

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Hyderabad, Aug 16 ( ) Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao sounded an alert as heavy rains triggered flood situation in some parts of the state and also directed the concerned officials to be on alert. Several tanks and canals were overflowing on Saturday due to the heavy rains lashing the state under the influence of a low pressure area off Bay of Bengal.

Parts of Warangal town was inundated due to incessant rain. The local authorities launched rescue and relief operations. Local authorities shifted people from affected areas to the relief camps. Meanwhile, 14 farmers were rescued by a helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Jayashankar Bhupalapally dis-trict. The farmers were stuck in floodwater in Kundanpally village when they were on their fields to pump out excess wa-ter. Following a request by the

state government, the Indian Air Force (IAF) sent a helicopter to airlift the farmers. Meanwhile, the chief minister on Saturday reviewed the situation in the state at a high-level meeting held at official residence Pragati Bhavan. He spoke to Chief Sec-retary Somesh Kumar, Direc-tor General of Police Mahender Reddy and the ministers.

He conducted district wise re-view of the situation and made certain suggestions. He also asked the officials to set up two control Rooms in Hyderabad. KCR instructed the ministers to

stay put in their respective dis-tricts, coordinate with the col-lectors and police officials on a regular basis. The CM said since several tanks were filled to the brim, they may breach, roads may be inundated and low-lying areas may be flooded.

He said the united Karim-nagar and Warangal districts have recorded the highest rain-fall and tanks in these districts were filled to their capacity. He said officials should be more alert in these two districts. On the instructions from the CM, the officials have kept two he-

licopters ready and they will be utilised to rescue people strand-ed in the floodwater. Along with a helicopter owned by the state, a chopper from the military was also kept ready for use. Mean-while, met officials said districts like Mulugu, Bhadradri-Koth-agudem and Jayashankar-Bhu-palpally received rainfall of two months in just two days.

Indian Meteorological De-partment (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy spells in J. Bhu-palapally, Mulugu, Warangal, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Man-cherial districts on Saturday and Sunday. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar held a teleconference with the district collectors and took stock of the arrangements put in place for handling the situation arising out of incessant rains and floods in the state over the past few days. He asked the collectors to be on high alert as there were indications.

Independence Day 2020: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Hoists National Flag

Vijayawada Aug 15: Andhra Pradesh Chief Min-ister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy hoisted the National Flag at Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in Vijayawada. He extended wishes to the coun-trymen on the occasion of 74th Independence Day and paid tributes to the leaders who sacrificed their lives.

CM YS Jagan took to Twit-ter and tweeted as “As India celebrates its 74th Indepen-dence Day, I salute the great men & women whose un-swerving determination & patriotism gifted us the free-

dom we relish today. Let’s pledge to uphold & safeguard the values of our nation & contribute to its progress. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minis-ter YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on India’s 74th Independence Day on Saturday expressed hope that if not today, in fu-ture, Centre will accord Spe-cial Category Status (SCS) to the state in accordance with the promise made in Parlia-ment. YS Jagan addresssed the ceremonial function after unfurling the national tri-color at the IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada today.

More cash recovered from Telangana official caught

with Rs 1.1 cr bribe

Hyderabad, Aug 12 (UNI) Telangana Industries Minister K. T. Rama Rao on Wednesday said that social media cannot turn into an instrument for antisocial behaviour. The minister took to Twitter to share his thoughts after violence over a social media post rocked parts of Bengaluru overnight. “Goes to show you how dangerous spreading fake news in social media can be,” tweeted Rama Rao, who is the son of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao. Rama Rao,

who is also the president of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), requested all social media users to be responsible. He urged them not to indulge in propaganda and stop spreading fake news. A Facebook message posted allegedly by a relative of a Congress MLA triggered violent protests in Bengaluru on Tuesday night. Three people lost their lives in the riots and police firing, and 60 police personnel were injured in the violent incidents of stone pelting and attacks by rioters.

NEW DELHI Aug 16: The Centre has reviewed progress of ts flagship programmes, including PMAY (U), AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart Cities Mission and PM SVANi-dhi scheme, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, an official said on Friday. The official said that Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra held a meeting with top officers of these two states on Thursday and reviewed progress of flagship programmes which also included implementation of RERA and Pradhan Mantri Street Ven-dor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi According

to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, Andhra Pradesh has so far provided 3.33 lakh wa-ter tap connections under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation(AMRUT). “To en-hance substantial sewerage network coverage, 1.3 lakh new household sewer connections are proposed to be provided by the end of mission pe-riod. So far, 65,000 sewer connections have been provided by the state,” offi-cial said. In the meeting, the secretary was informed that Andhra Pradesh has tied up with Energy Efficiency Ser-vices Ltd (EESL).

Centre Reviews Progress Of Flagship Programmes In Andhra Pradesh, Telangana