DURGAPRASAD SUNKUn HYDERABAD

The boy, Hemanth, is fromVaishya community and thegirl, Avanthi, from Reddy com-munity. After being in love foreight years, they married on thesly on June 11th this year anddecided to face their elders onlyafter getting hold of the papersof their civil marriage from theregistrar's office atQutubullapur.

The newlyweds, in order toinsulate themselves from trou-ble like the sensational 2018honour killing of PranayKumar in Miryalaguda, had

even approached CyberabadPolice Commissioner VCSajjanar, who directed theChandanagar Police to counselthe parents since the boy andthe girlwere

majors. Separately Avanthi hadsought police protection fromthe Chandanagar Police duringher initial days of wedded life.

In spite of all this, onThursday night, con-tract killers, with help

from relatives of thegirl's parents, strangulat-

ed and killed Hemanth onthe outskirts of the city, trigger-ing public outrage over yetanother honour killing in thecity. The worst part is that thistime the killing took placedespite prior intimation to thepolice of the inter-caste couple'sthreat perception.

PNS n CHENNAI

Celebrated playback singer S PBalasubrahmanyam, who heldsway over millions of fans withhis golden voice for over fivedecades, died on Friday athospital here where he wastreated for COVID-19 sincelast month, the hospital said

The 74-year old singer,whose condition becameex-tremely critical on Thursday,breathed his last at 1.04 pm, astatement from MGMHealthcare, where he wasadmitted on August 5 after test-ing positive for COVID-19,said

However, the hospital saidhe had tested negative forCOVID-19 on September 4

A six-time national awardwinner, Balasubrahmanyam,who had sung over 40,000songs, was also honoured with

Padma Shri in 2001 and PadmaBhushan in 2011. He is sur-vived by wife, a son and adaughter Announcing thedeath of SPB, as he was popu-larly known, his son and film-maker S P Charan toldreporters that his father's songswould live forever in the hearsof his fans Charan thanked allthose who had prayed for therecovery of his father and thedoctors, nurses and the admin-

istrative staff of the hospital fortheir attempts to save him Astatement from MGMHealthcare said: "In a furthersetback this morning, despitemaximal life support measuresand the best efforts of theclinical team, his(Balasubrahmanyam's) condi-tion deteriorated further andhe suffered a cardio-respirato-ry arrest "With profound grief,we regret to inform that he

passed away at 13.04 hours," itsaid The hospital extended itscondolences to his family,friends and well wishers

The hospital noted that fromAugust 14 the singer was put onlife support measures -ventila-tor and extracorporeal mem-

brane oxygenation support- inview of 'severe COVID-19pneumonia.' "He continued tobe closely monitored by ourmulti- disciplinary team in thecritical care unit. He testednegative for COVID-19 onSeptember 4," it added.

HYDERABAD, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2020; PAGES 12 `3

www.dailypioneer.com

RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

Established 1864Published From

HYDERABAD DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN VIJAYAWADA

*LATE CITY VOL. 2 ISSUE 348*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:

MONEY 8‘CENTRE USED GST COMPENSATIONCESS ELSEWHERE, VIOLATED LAW’

ANALYSIS 7PACIFIER IN THE

INDO-PACIFIC

SPORTS 12DC THUMP

CSK

HYDERABADWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated September 24, 2020 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Ashwin (Adhik) & Shukla Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Navami: 06:43 pm

Nakshatram: Purva Ashadha: 06:31 pm

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 10:37 am – 12:07 pm

Yamagandam: 03:06 pm – 04:36 pm

Varjyam: 02:49 am – 04:29 am,

12:00 am – 05:31 am

Gulika: 07:38 am - 09:08 am

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 01:38 pm – 03:16 pm

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:43 am – 12:31 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: ThunderstormTemp: 29/22Humidity: 84%Sunrise: 06.05 amSunset: 06.09 pm

"I planned to be an engineer. Then music turned the courseof my life. I realised I should not plan and let things playout for me," Balu had said in an interview, suggesting thetruth behind the proverb "Man proposes, God disposes".In a strange coincidence, his end too came in a similarmanner, after his reassuring message to countless fans. In avideo clip recorded soon after he was hospitalised, he saidaddressing his anxious fans: "I have mild symptoms... I willreturn from hospital in two days. Nothing to worry". But asfate would have it, the legendary singer succumbed to thepandemic.

8

‘Not forcing any-one to invest insmall-caps’

5

Is coronaviruspandemic overnow?: Raut onBihar poll dates

2

Covid 19:Importance ofrole-based tactics

Cong, Leftstage protestsin TSPNS n HYDERABAD

The Left parties and Congresson Friday staged protests inTelangana as part of thenation-wide agitation againstcontentious farm bills passedby the Parliament. The CPIand CPI-M, their affiliatedorganisations, All India KisanSabha (AIKS) and other farm-ers' bodies held a protest inHyderabad.

Holding their respectiveparty flags, dozens of activistsparticipated in the protestheld at Ayakaar Bhavan in theheart of the city. Raising slo-gans against the Centre andholding placards, the protes-tors including women sat infront of the Income Tax office.

Rakul Preetquestionedfor 4 hoursPNS n MUMBAI

Actor Rakul Preet Singhwas questioned for fourhours in Mumbai today in adrugs case linked to actorSushant Singh Rajput'sdeath. She was to be ques-tioned by the NarcoticsControl Bureau (NCB) yes-terday, but it was deferred toFriday after she claimed shehad not received "thealleged summons".

"Rakul Preet Singh's state-ment was recorded by theSIT (special investigationteam) today. It will beanalysed and producedbefore court," NCB DirectorGeneral Mutha Ashok Jainsaid.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana State govern-ment on Friday issued orderspermitting reopening of bars

with immediate effect undercertain conditions after a gapof over six months. The ordersissued by Chief SecretarySomesh Kumar permitted allbars, clubs, includ-ing those int o u r i s mspots, toopen andoperate rightaway. Thebars and clubshave remainedshut since mid-Marchdue to corona-induced lock-down.

KBR and 32 Urban forestparks to open todayHYDERABAD: Two days after theHigh Court nudged the stategovernment over keeping the parksshut, the Telangana governmentclarified that the "Parks belongingto local bodies and Forestdepartment are no more under theprohibited list of activities". P KBRNational Park and 32 other UrbanForest Parks across the state willreopen from Saturday. Telanganagovernment gave orders toMunicipal, Forest and Panchayatdepartments to reopen parks asthey're not prohibited in latestunlock rules. Meanwhile theHyderabad Zoo Park will reopen on

October 6. Zoo officials are clearingup water stagnation during to therains and clean up the parkthoroughly before reopening.Minister for Forests IndrakaranReddy said that all urban forestparks will be available to the publicfrom Saturday and urged the Cityand town dwellers are advised totake advantage the lung spaces.

With the unfortunate demise of Shri SP Balasubrahmanyam,our cultural world is a lot poorer. A household

name across India, his melodious voice and musicenthralled audiences for decades. In this hour of grief,my thoughts are with his family and admirers. OmShanti.

— NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister

The void created by SPB death can never be filled.It was unfortunate that the best efforts put in by

the doctors to save his life did not succeed, condolencesto members of the bereaved family.

— K CHANDRASEKHAR RAO, Chief Minister

Honour killing in Hyd city sends shockwaves̈Girl's parents conspire to kidnap, kill the newlyweds ̈ Contract killers eliminate boy

TRS-MIM explore ‘Delhiformula’ to check BJP L VENKAT RAM REDDYn HYDERABAD

The ruling TRS and itsfriendly party AIMIM arelearnt to have devised a 'jointstrategy' to win the upcomingGHMC polls and to preventBJP from polarising votes onreligious lines.

Towards this end, the twoparties are mulling the adop-tion of the "Delhi Assemblyelections formula" or the strat-egy that the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) successfuly adopted,resulting in its resoundingvictory in the Delhi Assemblypolls in February this year.

It may be mentioned here

that AAP had deliberatelyignored anti-CAA protests atShaheen Bagh and elsewherein Delhi, and, by doing so, itsuccessfully nixed BJP’s plansto polarise voters on religiouslines. Thus, AAP proved thatsometimes it pays to be silent.

In a comparable situation,ever since Karimnagar MPBandi Sanjay took over as BJPTelangana unit president inMarch this year, he has beentrying hard to project TRS-AIMIM friendship as an 'anti-Hindu' factor. Hardly a daypasses without Sanjay attack-ing the 'friendship' betweenTRS and AIMIM.

Bars, clubs opened inTelangana after six months

KING OF MELODY GOES SILENT

GIRL'S CRY: WHEN WILLPEOPLE LEARN LESSONS? S

tanding distraught on thepremises of Osmania General

Hospital, where her husband'sbody had been brought for post-mortem, ChintaAvanthiquestions:"What type of love isit? What happened to MarutiRao(main accused in theMiryalagudahonour killing case)?I thought people will learn atleast from the experience ofMaruthi Rao? Is this the way to

show love? My family hasbetrayed me.

What went wrong for Balu?NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

Centenarians have survivedCovid-19. Several high-profilepersons infected withcornoavirus, including thoseaged above 65 years withcomorbidities, have beaten thedreaded virus. For instance,77-year-old AmitabhBachchan could defeatCovid-19. Yet, unfor-tunately 74-year-oldS PBalasubramanyamsuccumbed to postCovid-19 complica-tions. Noticeably, whilemost bigwigs in this catego-ry were not entirely inIntensive Care Unit (ICU),Balu was in ICU for 42 days.

Balu tested positive for coro-navirus on August 5 and decid-ed to get admitted after suffer-ing from fever, cold and chestcongestion. He was shifted toICU on August 13 after hisoxygen saturation dropped

and health declined further.The very next day he was puton ventilation.

According to a doctor atMGM, Balu was given plasmatherapy as well as medica-tions like remedisivir, steroidsand drugs to prevent bloodclots. Apart from ventilator

support, doctors addedanother mechanical

support system –extracorporea lmembrane oxy-genation (ECMO)the same day.

Doctors opinethat it is an individ-

ual's immuneresponse system that is

important in curing any infec-tion and age is not just the onlyfactor.

“Age is one factor, butcomorbidities and the severi-ty of the infection are alsoimportant factors that we can-not ignore”, said a doctor oncondition of anonymity.

The fatefulevent ...HYDERABAD: Even as millionsof Balu's fans are yet to cometo terms with his deparature,those in the know of how andwhy he contracted Covid-19are blaming the organisers ofthe show that could havedefinitely waited. They saydisregard of Covid-19precautions by those behindthe show was one of the mainreasons why the legendarysinger is no longer with us.He had participated inshootings continuously inJuly. According to singerMalavika, 'Samajavaragamana'SP Balu garu's episode wasshot on July 30th with manysingers like Hemachandra,Anudeep, Pranavi and Lipsikaand on 31st with Karunya,Damini, Satya Yamini, VasaPavani and Malavika.

‘Two days’ thatturned eternalPNS n CHENNAI

"I am perfectly alright... in twodays I will be discharged and Iwill be home..," was what vet-eran playback singer S PBalasubrahmanyam said in hislast public video message lastmonth on his admission to ahospital after testing positivefor coronavirus.

Fate had it otherwise and thesinger died on Friday, after agrim 52-day battle for lifethough he was found negativefor the virus early this month.

In a video clip, on his admis-sion to the MGM Healthcareon August 5,Balasubrahmanyam, popular-ly known as SPB, said he hada little discomfort, chest con-gestion, cold and "on and offfever" for sometime.

"It's a mild, mild, very mildpositive of corona, (doctorssaid) you can stay home andquarantine yourself and takemedication," he had said.

SPB had said he chose to getadmitted in hospital since the

family was concerned and alsoto take rest without disturbanceand follow medication. He hadexpressed confidence that hewould be back home in abouttwo days and said "I am per-fectly alright but for the cold.I am fine and I will be fine."

However, his health suffereda sudden setback and his con-dition turned critical on August13, prompting the doctors toput him on life support, whichcontinued till his end on Friday.

PNS n NEW DELHI

When two brothers fell critical-ly ill with COVID-19 aroundthe same time in March, theirdoctors were baffled. Bothwere young -- 29 and 31 yearsold -- and healthy. Yet withindays they couldn't breathe ontheir own and, tragically, oneof them died.

Two weeks later, when a sec-ond pair of Covid-strickenbrothers, both in their 20s, alsoappeared in the Netherlands,

geneticists were called in toinvestigate. What theyuncovered was apath leading fromsevere cases, genet-ic variations, andgender differencesto a loss of immunefunction that may ulti-mately yield a newapproach to treating thou-sands of coronavirus patients.

The common thread in theresearch is the lack of a sub-stance called interferon that

helps orchestrate the body'sdefense against viral

pathogens and can beinfused to treat condi-

tions such as infec-tious hepatitis. Now,

increasing evidencesuggests that some

Covid-19 patients getvery ill because of an

impaired interferon response.Landmark studies publishedThursday in the journalScience showed that insuffi-cient interferon may lurk at a

dangerous turning point inSARS-CoV-2 infections.

"It looks like this virus hasone big trick," said ShaneCrotty, a professor in theCenter for Infectious Diseaseand Vaccine Research at the LaJolla Institute for Immunologyin California. "That big trick isto avoid the initial innateimmune response for a signif-icant period of time and, inparticular, avoid an early type-1 interferon response."

Why Covid is life-threatening for some?

PNS n CHENNAI

The cremation of legendaryplayback singer SPBalasubrahmanyam, whopassed away on Friday after-noon, will take place at hisfarmhouse in Red Hills onthe outskirts of Chennai onSaturday.

Last rites atfarm housetoday

Bihar polls in threephases from Oct 28PNS n NEW DELHI

Voting for Bihar assemblyelections will be held in threephases on October 28,November 3 and November 7in one of the biggest electionsglobally during the COVID-19pandemic, followed by count-ing of votes on November 10,the Election Commissionannounced on Friday.

Announcing the poll sched-ule for the 243-member Biharassembly, Chief ElectionCommissioner Sunil Arorasaid voting will begin as usualat 7 am but the period will beextended by one hour until 6pm, except in the Left WingExtremism-affected areas, sothat COVID-19 patients canvote in the last hour of the day.

"The world has changed sig-nificantly since the last majorelection in our country, whichwas held for Delhi assembly,and the COVID-19 pandem-ic has forced a new normal inevery aspect of our life.

"Bihar assembly polls will beone of the biggest electionsglobally to be held duringprevailing COVID-19 situa-tion," Arora said.

2 2

2 2

22222

2 22

Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Phone: 040-23322341, Hyderabad Office: F-502, Diamond Block, Lumbini Rockdale, Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082. Telangana. Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, Plot No.19, IDA Balanagar , Hyderbad-500037, Medchal -Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Chief Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for any

damage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement before

responding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

EGG

RATES

` 52,370 (10 gm)

` 5500

GOLD

` 59,300 (1kg)

` 22300

HYDERABAD 490

VIJAYAWADA 510

VISAKHAPATNAM 515

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `̀55..99

SILVER

HYDERABAD

BULLION RATES

`̀//110000

CHICKEN

RATES

Dressed/With Skin `180

Without Skin `205

Broiler at Farm `124

`̀//KKGG

(IN HYDERABAD)

In a recent study, AssistantProfessor Guo Xu, at theUniversity of California

(Berkeley) has assessed theperformance of Indian andBritish district offices duringthe 1918 influenza pandemic.

For this he examined mor-tality records of 1,271 districts(towns) during 1910-25.

He found that death rates inthese towns were nearly equalin towns led by Indian andBritish district officers beforeand after the Spanish flu pan-demic. However, districtsmanned by Indian officersreported 15 percent fewerdeaths, as compared to theirBritish counterparts.Additionally, lower mortalityrates were not related to dif-ferences in the qualificationsor experience of Indian offi-cers.

Furthermore, differencesin mortality effects were notdue to differences in hospitaladmissions, capacity, treat-ment success and expendi-tures during the pandemic

years. The Indian and the British

district officers handled theirtask in different ways. TheBritish officers went abouttheir tasks by relying on rules,while the Indian officersadapted rules to the role theywere expected to discharge.

The rule-based tactics arefounded on the classicalmodel proposed by Germansociologist Mark Weber. In a1953 study, Paul Applebyidentified the followingaspects of a rule-basedapproach - preferring "tech-nique over purpose", alwaystrying to find a "wholly scien-tific or technical and whollyright decision" and conceivingprogramme planning to be a"mechanical, merely technical,unvarying" activity.

On the other hand, therole-based approach is found-

ed on the assumption thatevents in real-life are unpre-dictable and district officersmake decisions under condi-tions of uncertainty and insta-bility. This is more so in blackswan events (rare occur-rences), such as pandemics.

Past trends do not providea reliable guide to the future.District offices have to man-age the present as it unfolds ora cross the river by feeling thepebbles under one's feet.

Crossing a river by feelingthe stones under one's feetrequires small solutions.

Importantly, the touch of eachstone provides feedbackwhether to place more weighton the stone or lift the leg andtry to place the leg elsewhere.This is called the feedfor-ward based on the informa-tion provided by the feedback.

Role-based district officersused such constant feedbackto monitor external forcesand change tactics mid-wayduring anti-pandemic opera-tions. The British district offi-cers were schooled in therational method of decision-making and lacked capabilities

to move forward by feeling thestones in the river.

Thus, they were less suc-cessful in managing the 1918flu-pandemic. If the feed-back-feedforward frameworkis so important in decision-making in uncertain andunstable environments, then

how to make it operational inpractice of administration?

In this book, planning the-ory for practitioners, MichaelBrooks has developed theidea of "trial balloons". A trialballoon is an idea presented,or an action undertaken, forthe express purpose of gener-ating feedback.

Under conditions of uncer-tainty and instability, rarely, ifever, the district officers knowwith certainty what the singlebest course of action is withregard to a particular problem.Trial balloon is an explicitlyexperimental method to dealwith uncertain and unstableenvironments.

While floating trial bal-loons, the district officer con-ceives each action as an exper-iment - as a means of gettingmore information about theeffectiveness of a given course

of action. Decision-makingthen becomes a process ofsocial experimentation whereactions are tested and contin-uously assessed, against thepossibilities and constraints ofreality.

In trial balloon tactics, dis-trict officers have to getinvolved in messy reality con-nected with dealing with peo-ple and politics. This dependson how well they understandthe intricacies of the circum-stances and what is their rolein managing them.

In order to understand the"messy" reality, the districtofficers have to keep their earsto the ground; develop agroup with multidisciplinaryskills as it is impossible for oneperson to unravel completely,understand a complex realityand know how future eventsare likely to unfold.

Following role-based tac-tics, district officers are able torespond to unforeseenchanges that arise in the realworld. The way to make deci-sions is to reduce the extent ofanalysis by examining only alimited number of alterna-tives. Here, issues areaddressed individually byfloating trial balloons, ratherthan in a holistic manner.

No visionary goals are setand the objective is to givesmall solutions to what arelarge more complex prob-lems. When new problemsarise, these are addressedthrough a new round of trialballoons. In this way fasterdecision-making happenswhich is also more political-ly relevant and people-centredas it has a short-term focus.

(Author has a PhD fromthe USA and a DLitt from

Kanchi University. The article is based on hisresearch and practice and

views are personal)

DR. SAMEER SHARMA

Covid 19: Importance of role-based tactics Furthermore, differences in mortalityeffects were not due to differences inhospital admissions, capacity,treatment success and expendituresduring the pandemic years

COVID-19 EFFECT

Rising prices take a toll onmiddle class, poor familiesK VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

Inflation is often considered asan economic villain. By defin-ition, inflation refers to thegeneral rise in the price level inan economy. An increase ininflation leads to a fall in thepurchasing power of a curren-cy as the commodities andprices gets dearer. In simplewords, we would be able topurchase only fewer items forthe same money. The impactwould be far greater when ris-ing inflation is accompaniedwith a stagnant output. Insuch a scenario, the economywould be facing the situationof 'stagflation'.

The Covid-19 pandemictook a toll on the people acrossthe world and has turned peo-ples' lives upside down. Thelockdowns imposed to containthe spread of the virus furtherworsened the woes of nationsacross the world. The impact ofthe virus was such that many

people have lost their jobs. Thisdevelopment is leading to'stagflation' not only inTelangana but across thenation. The earnings of com-mon people are decreasingbut their expenditure isincreasing due to the indis-criminate hike in prices ofessential goods.

However, not only theprices of essential goods butalso other goods are increasingindiscriminately during thesetesting times.

The prices of goods have

increased from 10 per cent to75 per cent. The prices of rice,dal, oils and other essentialshave increased indiscriminate-ly in the open market.Groundnut seeds prices havebeen increased from Rs 100 tonearly Rs 200 per kg andground nut oil price reached toRs 170 per kg. The prices ofeggs, chicken and meatincreased indiscriminately. Theprice of egg reached all-timehigh with the price of a singleegg now costs Rs 6.The pricesof electronic goods, especially,

computers have increased upto 50 per cent. The people areforced to purchasecomputers/laptops, cell phonesand other electronic gadgetscome what may as the onlineclasses have begun. They arealso paying school fees ontime though their salaries arenot regular.

Even the private teachers arenot getting salaries properly;however, they were forced toteach online classes using hi-figadgets. Many poor and mid-dle class families are facingsevere troubles due to loss ofjobs and decreased salaries.Besides these, many familiesare severely disturbed due toCoronavirus impact. AProfessor from the Departmentof Economics in OsmaniaUniversity on condition ofanonymity opined that thegovernments have to controlthe increased prices of thevarious goods or else manyfamilies would face furtherdevastation in their life.

Why Covid is...Continued from Page 1

The work highlights thepotential for interferon-basedtherapies to enlarge a slowlyaccumulating range of Covid-19 treatments. These includeGilead Sciences Inc.'s remde-sivir and convalescent plasma,a component of the blood ofrecovered patients that maycontain beneficial immune fac-tors. These treatments providelimited benefit and are typical-ly used in very sick, hospitalizedpatients. The possibility thatinterferon may help some peo-ple is enticing because it appearsmost efficacious in the earlystages of infection, when life-threatening respiratory failurecould still be averted. Dozens ofstudies of interferon treatmentare now recruiting Covid-19patients. "We think timing maybe essential because it's only inthe very early phase one canreally battle the virus particlesand defend against infection,"

said Alexander Hoischen, headof the genomic technologies andimmuno-genomics group atRadboud University MedicalCenter in Nijmegen that ana-lyzed the DNA of the two setsof brothers. Being male, elder-ly, and having underlying med-ical conditions can all raisepatients' risk of life-threateningCovid-19. But even within thesegroups, disease severity varieswidely. Scientists have speculat-ed other factors influence sus-ceptibility, including pre-exist-ing levels of inflammation andimmunity, the amount of virusthat starts an infection, andpatients' genetic makeup.

Interferon's role represents anew nexus in Covid-19's com-plex interaction with the humanimmune system. Many patientssuffer their worst complicationsbecause of an immune overreac-tion sometimes called a cytokinestorm, and may benefit fromdexamethasone, a cheap gener-ic that calms these storms.

Honour killing in Hyd city sends shockwavesContinued from Page 1

After being invited for 'talks'between the families with thecouple in tow, Hemanth waswhisked away and eliminated ina premeditated manner at asecluded spot in Kistaigudemvillage of Sanga Reddy district.

On Friday, the CyberabadPolice booked 18 members,including Avanthi's parentsDonthireddyLaxma Reddy andhis wife Donthireddy Archana, inthe murder case, and arrested 14members. The family membersof the girl had hired contractkillers to get rid of both Hemanthand Avanthi, investigationsrevealed.

The contract killers werepromised a sum of Rs 10 lakh fortheir mission and given Rs 1 lakh

in advance. Giving the sequenceof events M Venkateshwarlu,DCP Madhapur said: "At about2-30 hours her (Avanthi's) rela-tive A. Ranjith Reddy, his wifeSpandana, Rakesh Reddy,Vijayender Reddy, SanthothReddy, Swapna, K. SandeepReddy, G. Yugender Reddy,Rajitha, Saheb Patan (driver)and some others came in threecars to the couple's house atTNGOs Colony, Gachibowli.They asked the couple to cometo their house at Lingampally todiscuss the matter. On the way,at Gopanapally X Road, theyturned the car towards ORR,instead of proceeding towardsLingampally. On that, the couplegot afraid and they jumped fromthe car and started to run towardsLingampally. Meantime

Yugender Reddy (maternaluncle) and some others who hadbeen tailing them in another caroverpowered Hemanth and kid-napped him. Meanwhile, RanjithReddy, Rakesh Reddy, VijayenderReddy, Rajitha, Spandana,Swapna and Santosh Reddy,travelling in the other two cars,tried to catch her. Avanthi had torun for her life till she met herfather-in-law Murali Krishnaand his wife Lakshmi Rani."

Girl's cry: When will people...Who gave them the right to killhim? They could have killedme. What did my husband do?"

Wailing the next moment, shecontinued:"In just a few hours,my whole life has turned upsidedown. I have lost the love of mylife and I must live with this loss

for my entire life. No one can fillthe gap. I want justice to bedone. I did not want this to hap-pen to my family. They madethis happen. Everyone should bepunished as per law."

Chinta Yoga Hemanth, 28-year-old graduate in B ScChemistry, had fallen in lovewith ChintaAvanthi Reddy, 23-year-old engineering graduate.Their families live in the samecolony at Chandanagar, withtheir residences some 150meters apart. Although theygot married without their par-ents' consent, they were hopefulthat they would ultimatelyaccept them in future. Aftermarriage, Hemanth started hisown contract business.

The couple's dreams of yearsand years of wedded bliss were

shattered with the murder ofHemanth on Thursday. Matterstook a turn for the worse, afterAvanthi's parents,DonthireddyLaxma Reddy, 54,and his wife DonthireddyArchana, lodged a complaintwith the Chandanagar Policestating that their daughter was'missing', pointed an accusingfinger at Hemanth, and usedtheir clout to harass the boy'sparents. Speaking to ThePioneer, Hemanth's fatherMurali Krishna said:" AfterAvanthi's family filed a missingcomplaint with theChandanagarPolice, the policeasked us to come to the stationfor questioning. Continuouslythey called me to police stationevery day and made me to staythere from morning to evening."

Maoists call forBandh on Sept 28PNS n WARANGAL

The CPI (Maoist) PartyTelangana State Committeehas called for Telanganabandh in protest againstthe killing of naxals inpolice encounters at dif-ferent parts in the state inSeptember month. A state-ment by the party statecommittee spokesmanJagan here on Friday hasalleged that and in erstwhileAdilabad district were fake.

The Maoist leaderdemanded a judicial probeinto the encounters andpunishment to the police-men involved in theencounters . The eightMaoists who died inencounters atChennapuram, Kadamba,Pusuguppa andDevarlagudem were arrest-ed by police.

What went wrong for Balu?Continued from Page 1

The singer was responsiveand his vital parameters weresatisfactory, but his clinicalcondition warranted anextended stay in the ICU.Doctors opine that prolongedstay in ICU gives very mildhope of survival. Apart fromdamaged lungs, the late singerreportedly had co-morbidconditions like blood sugarand complications related toobesity.

ECMO is a specializedheart-lung bypass machinethat is used when the lungscannot function themselves. Adoctor said, “ECMO is thenext stage after ventilator andis almost like artificial lungsand heart. Research suggeststhat the chances of survival ofolder patients above 65 yearson ECMO is less than 30 percent. Generally ECMO cours-es are around five days and in

very rare cases it goes upto 30days. Long-term ECMO sup-port increases the chances ofcomplications.” Towards theend August, Balu underwentpassive physiotherapy andlater "actively participated inphysiotherapy". He was fullyawake and responsive duringthat phase. Doctors pointedthat it was ‘passive physiother-apy’ -- done by a third partylike a machine -- and so hisresponses does not mean hewas talking, but were possiblyhis gestures. During physio-therapy, Balu was kept in aprone position to improveoxygenation. Another seniordoctor, on condition ofanonymity, said, “It is alwaysup and down when someonehas a pulmonary infection. Itwas sort of expected for some-one who has been in criticalcare for so long. Multiple fac-tors come into play, leading tocardiac arrest.”

Last rites at...Continued from Page 1

The final rites will be held with full hon-ours extended by the Tamil Nadu Stategovernment.

The mortal remains of SP Balu or SPB,as he is fondly called, were shifted to hisresidence in Mahalingapuram inChennai, a few hours after he was pro-nounced dead at the MGM Healthcare.

The fateful...Continued from Page 1

What followed the shootingspree was that almost all theparticipants of the TV show,including Balu, tested positive.In her video message earlier,Malavika stated, “In fact, Balugaru messaged me on August1, saying 'I am very tired, I havebeen shooting for 4 days con-tinuously. Don't forget my age'."On August 5, Balu tested pos-itive and got admitted to hos-pital. For, he was 74 years oldand had underlying comorbidi-ties. Coronavirus is known tospread through aerosols anddoctors have warned time andagain that it can spread whenyou speak, sing, laugh loudly orare in a closed room. Since itappears on hindsight that thepossible source of infectionwas the event, questions arenow being raised over why theorganisers of the programmechose to disregard Covid-19precautions.

Bars, clubs...Continued from Page 1

However, the state govern-ment has set certain condi-tions for the managements ofthese bars. They have to fol-low Covid-19 norms for busi-nesses such as establishmentof non-touch infrared ther-mometers, or thermal screen-ing at the entrance, properqueue management andensuring hygienic conditions,crowd management in park-ing lots, provision of handsanitizers, and wearing ofmasks by bar/club staff andcrew.

However, the order barsgatherings, musical eventsand dance floors. Deep-cleaning and sanitization ofentire bar premises has to bedone twice a day every day.Seats must be sanitized beforethe customer occupies it. Thebars must have proper venti-lation. However Permit room(A4) shops will remain closeduntil further orders.

Bihar polls...Continued from Page 1

He also said special protocolshave been readied for voterswho are COVID-positivepatients. Announcing thepoll schedule at a press con-ference here, Arora said thenumber of phases for 243-member Bihar assembly pollshas been reduced keeping inmind security arrangementsand festive season, amongother factors. Voting for thefirst phase on October 28 willcover 71 assembly constituen-cies, while the second-phasevoting on November 3 willcover 94 seats. The thirdphase of voting on November7 will cover 78 assemblyseats. Counting of votes for allseats will take place onNovember 10.

According to the ElectionCommission, 7 lakh handsanitisers, 46 lakh masks, 6lakh PPE kits, 6.7 lakh faceshields and 23 lakh pairs ofhand gloves have beenarranged for Bihar polls.

Besides, postal ballot facil-ity will be provided wherev-er required and requested.Social distancing norms willneed to be followed at pub-lic gatherings during the pollcampaign.

Arora further said anyoneusing social media for mis-chievous purposes, such asfor flaring communal ten-sion, during elections willhave to face consequences,while hate speech will bealso dealt with harshly by theElection Commission.

Cong, Left ...Continued from Page 1

Terming the new farm legisla-tions as 'anti-farmer' theydemanded their immediaterevocation.

Senior Congress leader V.Hanumanth Rao also partici-pated in the protest. He saidthe new laws will hit hardIndian farmers.

The Congress party alsoorganised protests across thestate. Party leaders and work-ers participated in the sit-in atdistrict and Assembly con-stituency headquarters. Theparty also held a candle-lightrally last night at AmbedkarStatue near Tank Bund.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)also staged a sit-in atAmbedkar Statue to protestagainst what it called dracon-ian legislation.

Ruling Telangana RashtraSamithi (TRS) is also oppos-ing the new farm legislationsbut its protest was confined tothe Parliament.

Continued from Page 1

Early this month, Bandi madeinflammatory commentswhen he visited the Old City,saying "If a hand rises on aHindu in Old City, a hand willbe chopped off in the NewCity." Bandi then continued:"Hindus in the Old City are infear. They are worried if theywill be alive or not. I visited thewhole of Old City recently.Igave the Hindus the assurancethat I am with them. I askedthem to boldly fight."

TRS and AIMIM viewBandi's tour of the Old Cityand his incendiary remarks asa calculated attempt to polarisevotes on religious lines inview of the upcoming GHMCpolls scheduled for February2021. So, TRS and AIMIM,unlike in the past, are now rec-onciled to 'fighting' each otherin mock aggression during theGHMC polls, thus showing nosigns of any 'friendly contest'between the two. That is, the

TRS wants to project itself as'a soft Hindutva party' for theGHMC polls by 'taking on' theMIM in the Old City. The just-concluded Assembly session,which witnessed surprisingexchange of fireworks betweenTRS and AIMIM, was a pre-cursor to this joint strategy.

AIMIM floor leader inAssembly Akbaruddin Owaisi,known for showering praises onthe TRS government and ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Raoalmost on every occasion in theHouse, took a different stand allof a sudden, and attacked theTRS government. He lashed outat the TRS government onCorona issue. Akbar alsoattacked the TRS governmentfor introducing a resolution inthe House seeking Bharat Ratnafor former Prime Minister latePV Narasimha Rao. He evenstaged a walkout from theHouse on both these issues,which was never witnessedduring the past six years.

TRS-MIM explore ‘Delhi formu...

Rakul Preetquestionedfor 4 hoursContinued from Page 1

Actor Deepika Padukonewll be questioned tomorrow.Her manager, KarishmaPrakash, was interrogatedtoday and she is likely to becalled again. KarishmaPrakash's questioning wenton for much longer thanRakul Preet Singh's, whichlasted four hours, sourcessaid. The NCB questionedRakul and Karishma Prakashabout the contents ofWhatsApp chat whichallegedly indicated marijuanawas bought for consumption.

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY| SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 hyderabad 03

IN BRIEFIN BRIEF

Hyderabad has been a proudparticipant in the Global

Climate Action on Friday atOsman Sagar, by donatingshoes tagged with messages.The Global Climate Strike, anannual event spearheaded bySwedish teen climate changeactivist Greta Thunberg to speak against the inaction ofgovernments and leaders in containing climate change, has changedin form this time in view of Covid pandemic.Instead of peoplestorming into the streets, the strike saw shoes sent by protesters torepresent them. All the shoes thus gathered will be put at one placewith personal messages to the governmentVanita Khatter of CFHsaid “We have received more than 1200 shoes with supportmessages to protect the environment. Shoes have been collectedfrom citizens across the city and represent people of all ages fromtoddlers to grand-moms, from migrant workers to tribals.”

Senior surgical oncologistDr. G Suryanarayana

Raju has been nominated asmember of MedicalAssessment and RatingBoard of the NationalMedical Commission(NMC), which has replacedthe Medical Council of India

(MCI).The NMC replaced the MCI from Thursday and the Ministryof Health and Family Welfare established four Autonomous Boardsunder NMC including Under-Graduate Medical Education Board,Post-Graduate Medical Education Board, Medical Assessment andRating Board and Ethics and Medical Registration Board.Creditedfor establishing and heading the Surgical Oncology department atNizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Dr. Raju has morethan 32 years of experience. After retiring from NIMS, the seniorcancer specialist established ASVINS Speciality Hospital located atRajbhavan Road.

As the Covid pandemiccontinues to wreak havoc,

the important role thatpharmacists can play in guidingpatients during an epidemic isbeing realised, the members ofDoctor of Pharmacy Association(DPA) said on World Pharmacists Day on Friday. Pharmacistsare the most accessible healthcare professionals globally andare uniquely trained to make patients aware of safety ofmedicines through medication management skills that arepart of the clinical pharmacist’s role, the association said.This year, the World Pharmacists Day, which was instituted byFIP, is being celebrated with the theme ‘Transforming GlobalHealth’ by highlighting the role of pharmacists in public healthand the positive benefits they offer when it comes to health.“Pharmacists play a vital role in advising people on healthyliving, vaccinating to prevent disease, and ensuring thatmedicines are taken correctly, thereby managing diseases welland improving quality of life. This is where pharmacists aremost important,” said DPA national president, Dr Sai Kumar.

Hyd takes part in unique shoe strike for global climate action

Dr Suryanarayana nominatedto NMC board as member

‘Pharmacists play pivotal role inadvising people on healthy living’

Despite ICMR downplay, docs believe plasma therapy viableNAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

Notwithstanding ICMR's studystating that convalescent plas-ma therapy failed to benefitpatients, doctors continue tobelieve that that plasma is aviable treatment option.

Despite several researchesproving that plasma thera-py's efficacy is minimal inmoderate and severe Covidpatients, the doctors stillbelieve that it is proving help-ful in the treatment. Severaldoctors in the city-based hos-pitals have confirmed that theplasma therapy is continuingin the hospitals. Each day sev-eral Covid survivors are shar-ing their experiences of plas-ma donation and the need forplasma-donors has been com-ing from all corners.

Dr A Sahithi who donatedplasma said, "The patient forwhom I donated plasma sur-vived and was recently dis-charged. If this is a ray of hope,

we can try as everything iscurrently in trails, there is nodefinitive medicine. I donatedeven before the ICMR's trailsquestioned the efficacy."

In fact large number ofdoctors themselves have wentahead and donated plasma inTelangana. Dr K Mahesh, Pre-sident of Healthcare ReformsDoctors Association (HRDA)

said, "Plasma therapy is goingon in almost all the hospitalsin state and physicians areadvising. There is currently noeffective treatment for Covid,we are living in a hope andstudies are going. Convalesc-ent plasma is another optionthat gives a hope for criticalpatients. Just like remedisivir,fabiflu where there is no direct

evidence that it is effective,plasma is also an option. If yousee the treatment protocol ofAIIMS, they leave it to physi-cian and the convalescenttreatment is advised."

HRDA itself coordinated30 donations. Even on Thurs-day, ICMR said in a statement,"ICMR's randomised clinicaltrial on convalescent plasmatherapy contributed to theglobal evidence around thefutility of it in reducing mor-tality of Covid patients andpreventing progression frommoderate to severe stage of thedisease."

Tollywood celebrities MMKeeravani and his son KalaBhairava have donated plasmatwice. Donation of plasmawill take about 45 to 60 min-utes while giving it to patienttakes about two hours.However, not all are eligible todonate plasma.

Dr Nirupama, Pulmonolog-ist at city-based hospital said,"There is a group of patients

who benefited from plasmatherapy. Covid in itself is anew disease and all efforts andtreatment are directed forpatient improvement. Beforewriting off the efficacy ofplasma therapy in handlingCovid, more scientific evi-dence and multi-centric trialsare still needed. Till we do nothave any definitive treatmentor vaccine, It is one of theavailable supportive ways tofight with Covid as it generatesantibodies against the virus"

There are certain rules forplasma donation apart fromtesting negative twice forCovid. Dr Nirupama added,"Not all people can donateplasma.

Women who have beenpregnant in the past, peoplewith co-morbidities likehypertension, blood pressure,heart and kidney-related ail-ments, cancer patients cannotdonate plasma. Presence ofantibody titers is most impor-tant to donate plasma."

Criminal cases against publicrepresentatives delay trial

DURGA PRASAD SUNKUn HYDERABAD

Keeping in view of delay incriminal cases pertaining topublic representatives inTelangana, the Forum forGood Governance (FGG)requested the Governor tointervene and make theprocess speedy by appointinggovernment pleader and creat-ing the special team to pursuethe case.

Secretary of FGG Padman-abha Reddy said, "The specialcourt which was formed todeal these type of cases isunderstaffed and police laxityin pursuing the case and ensur-ing the conviction is attained."

There are more than 300cases pending against MLAsand MPs, out of it only 118cases are transferred to specialcourt and balance cases are yetto be transferred.

The FGG urged the stateGovernor Dr TamilisaiSoundararajan for immediate

appointment of governmentpleader and their supportingstaff. They also urged to createspecial team to bring the wit-ness and pursue the cases andregular monitoring of cases byDGP.

After several representa-tions from FGG, a full timeJudge was appointed, saidPadmanabha Reddy addingthat no permanent public pros-ecutor and supporting staff isposted yet, with the result thespecial court which was estab-lished two years ago is non-functional.

Finding fault with the policedepartment and their negli-

gence, Padmanabha Reddysaid, "There is no police assis-tance and co-operation forprosecution of the cases. Thejudge of special court report-ed that the police inspectorsare not attending the court norproducing the witness."

The FGG cited that there istoo much interference bypoliticians in transfer of policepersonnel. To save their skinand expecting rewards fromthe politicians, the police willdrag their feet and may not co-operate or take interest in suc-cessful prosecution of the caseagainst a politician, more so ifthe accused belongs to rulingparty.

Padmanabha Reddy furtherrequested to ensure that theSupreme Court directions ofestablishing special courts fortrial of criminal cases relatingto elected MLAs and MPs andfurther directed to dispose offthe cases within one year tostate government should beimplemented strictly.

Forum urges Governor to make process faster

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Enforcement, Vigilanceand Disaster Management(EVDM) wing of Greater Hy-derabad Municipal Corpor-ation (GHMC) on Fridaypenalised two malls on Fridayfor raising advertisement ban-ners illegally. While SharatCity Capital Mall in Miyapurwas slapped with Rs 17 lakh,Manjeera Mall in Kukatpallywas penalised with Rs 10 lakh.

The EVDM wing was actingon complaints raised byactivist Vinay Vangala whosought action against the mallfor illegal advertisements. Forthe 17 unauthorised advertise-ments put up by the mall, theEV&DM wing penalised itwith 17 lakhs. The mall was inviolation of erecting an unau-thorised advertisement ele-ment above 15 feet height

from the ground level. Severalnetizens on social media areposting pictures of malls andplaces which are violating theadvertising rules.

As per GHMC, the penal-ties levied through socialmedia is only a minisculepercentage of the total penal-ties levied.

Director of EV&DMViswajit Kampati said in atweet, "The proportion ofpenalties levied through socialmedia to total penalties leviedis 1.9 per cent.

The present penalties per-taining to GO 68 have comeinto effect recently and hencecitizens are proactively point-ing them out. The EV&DM isone of the very few govern-ment systems which isenabling citizen participationin a transparent and account-able manner".

2 malls fined Rs 27Lfor unauthorised ads

ACB gets nodto book formertahsildarPNS n HYDERABAD

The state government onFriday accorded permissionto the ACB to book a case ofcriminal misconduct againstsuspended Keesara TahsildarNagaraj, who was arrested inthe Rs.1.10 crore bribe case afew weeks ago.

The government has askedthe ACB to book a case onthe basis of the probe con-ducted by the Vigilance andEnforcement department onthe criminal misconduct,conspiracy and abuse of offi-cial position by Nagaraj andcausing pecuniary losses bycorrupt and illegal means toone K Dharma Reddy. TheACB has already booked acase under the Prevention ofCorruption Act apart frominvoking charges pertainingto conspiracy, cheating, fal-sification of records andusing fake documents asgenuine and arrestedNagaraj, Village RevenueAssistant Bongu Sairaj, andtwo realtors Ch SrinathYadav and K Anji Reddyafter conducting a raid at aguest house in Kapra, a fewweeks ago.

Officials' negligence leaves RTC buses in bad shapePNSn HYDERABAD

A healthy public transport sys-tem can help in the sustainabledevelopment of any city huge-ly. However, the Telanganaauthorities, looking over theTSRTC have been neglectingthe public buses for ages,resulting in the poor quality ofvehicles on road as well asfinancial crisis for the transportcorporation.

According to a recent RTIfiled by a transport activist andan advocate for better buses inHyderabad, Sai RatnamChaitanya, at least 1,375 RTCbuses on road have clockedmore than 10 lakh kilometers.Of these, 249 buses have done

more than 15 lakh kilometersand 62 buses have completed17 lakh kilometers. "I had anidea about the bad state ofTSRTC, however the replyfrom the authorities confirmedmy doubts. At least 2,111 busesrunning on Telangana roadsare more than 10 years old, andabout 603 are older than 15years."

Talking about the averageage a bus, Ratnam shares thatevery state has their own def-inition about what is the age ofan old vehicle. "In Telangana,a public bus is old when eitherit has completed 15 lakh kilo-meters of ride or was bought 15years back. We have buses sur-passing both the criteria run-

ning on the roads. These busesneed more maintainence andcan break down easily, theirfuel consumption is also morecompared to new vehicles."

According to the RTI,

Telangana has added no newRTC buses to their fleet afterFY 2015-2016. They got sixnew buses in 2015-2016. In2014-2015 the state got two cityordinary, one metro express, 45

metro deluxe and 80 metroluxury buses.

The Greater HyderabadZone had 3,811 buses in FY2014-2015. This includes inter-city buses like Super Luxuryand Rajadhani. However, therehas been a steady decline in thefleet since then.

Giving insight about theissue, Prashanth Bachu anUrban Transport Specialistshares, "There is very little orno attention to the bus services.There are at least 30 lakh peo-ple relying on TSRTC for com-muting each day. However,there hasn't been any newbuses for at least five years.Also, the corporation is finan-cially in a bad state."

Covid tally crosses1.80L-mark in statePNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana has added 2,381new Covid cases, pushing thestate's tally to 1,81,627, officialssaid on Friday.

The state also reported 10fatalities during the last 24hours, taking the death toll to1,080. The fatality rate in thestate stands 0.59 per centagainst the national average of1.58 per cent.The daily countshows a spike in both GreaterHyderabad and the districts.

GHMC reported 386 newcases against 308 the previous

day. Rangareddy district was atthe second place with 227new cases followed byMedchal Malkajgiri (193),Nalgonda (132), Karimnagar(119), Bhadradri Kothagudem(97) Siddipet (86), Khammam(84), Warangal Urban (83)and Suryapet (78).

A total of 2,021 people haverecovered from the virus dur-ing the last 24 hours. With thisthe cumulative recoveries inthe state rose to 1,50,160.According to bulletin, 57,621tests were conducted duringthe last 24 hours.

Durgam Cheruvu cablebridge opened for trafficPNS n HYDERABAD

The much-hyped cable bridgeacross the ancient DurgamCheruvu Lake at Madhapur,which entails a four-lane ele-vated corridor from road num-ber 45, was finally inaugurat-ed on Friday evening.

State Minister for MunicipalAdministration and UrbanDevelopment KT Rama Rao,Union Minister of State forHome Affairs G Kishan Reddy,Telangana Principal Secretary

Arvind Kumar and otherswere present for the event.

The project undertaken bythe GHMC under SRDPstands as world’s largest spanconcrete deck extradosed cablestayed bridge, the GHMC said.The project involved meticu-lous planning and coordina-tion with various internation-al accredited firms from US,Europe, Russia and HongKong and keeping in view theMake in India campaign, thebridge was purely designed

and constructed under EPCmode by L&T-HCIC, the civicbody said.

Army symphony band topopularise cable bridge

During the launch, ArvindKumar said that the coveted‘Army Ceremonial andSymphony Band’ of the IndianArmy will be performing livefrom 5.30 pm on Saturday onthe bridge to commemoratethe opening of the cable stayedbridge across the DurgamCheruvu.

Swiggy: Officialsinterfere to helpresolve disputePNS n HYDERABAD

Indefinite strike by Swiggydelivery executives hasentered the eleventh day onFriday in Hyderabad.

The delivery executivescontinue to prevent pick-upof orders from high volumerestaurants in some parts ofthe city.

However, looking at thedistress of food deliveryworkers, the Joint Commiss-ioner of Labour has agreed tomediate between the workersand company.

Labour Commissio-nerhas fixed joint meeting atSamkshema Bhavan onSaturday. Swiggy manageme-nt has been asked to attendthe meeting to resolve theissue. Salauddin NationalGeneral Secretary IndianFederation of App BasedTransport Workers (IFAT)will also be attending themeeting.

INDEFINITE STRIKE

New machine at NIMS totest 3,000 samples in a dayPNS n HYDERABAD

In a bid to increase the testingcapacity in Telangana, Ministerof Health Eatala Rajenderlaunched first Cobas 8800instrument for South India atTelangana's first MolecularLab and Centre of Excellencelocated in the Nizam's Instituteof Medical Sciences (NIMS).

Cobas 8800 can test 960Covid samples in 8 hours andapproximately 3000 samples in24 hours. Developed by Rochediagnostics, this RT-PCR plat-form for Covid diagnostic testsdetects the genetic signature(RNA) of the virus in a simpletest performed by a healthcareprovider using nasopharyngealand oropharyngeal swab sam-ples. The Minister said, "Withthe launch of Cobas 8800, our

Covid testing capacity will goup to 3,000 samples per day.Additionally this lab will sup-port in testing for other infec-tions including HIV andHepatitis giving us sustainablehealthcare infrastructure."

Dr Shravan Subramanyam,MD of Roche Diagnostics said,"High-volume and high-qual-ity tests are important to pro-vide appropriate clinical sup-port in time and implement

social measures that can avoidthe spreading of virus. This isalso the time to enhance ourinfrastructure to support man-agement of other infectiousdiseases. The Cobas 8800addresses almost all the chal-lenges faced by the labs in pan-demic times, namely reducedturnaround time, maintain-ing efficiency and improvedproductivity of lab personnelon account of automation.”

Students unhappy withprivate varsities in stateNAMRATA SRIVASTAVA n HYDERABAD

Several students in the state arenot happy with the way newprivate universities, includ-ing Anurag University, MallaReddy University andMahindra University. Theystate that these universitiesstray away from the idea ofTelangana Government'spromise of free education toall, and thus shall not beallowed to function.

Talking about the issue, TNagaraju, State Secretary ofSFI shares, "The governmentis trying to discourage poorstudents from going for high-er education. The fees beingcharged in the private univer-sity is very high. I think in itselection manifesto the TRShad said that it would providefree education to everyonefrom KG to PG. I am not surehow they can be achieved bybringing in private universi-ties." He adds, "Instead of

concentrating too much onprivate universities, Telanganagovernment should fill the2,000 vacant faculty and non-teaching posts in various stateuniversities. We request thegovernment to concentrateon state universities and devel-op more facilities there. Thestate government has broughtthe poor students of the stateaway from education. They donot care if unemployment andeducation opportunities forthe poor are declining."

According to Sohail Uddin,General Secreatry of NSUI, thestudents who have availed thescholarship from theTelangana government haven'treceived any thing in the lastone year. "Several studentsare waiting for the dues fromthe last many years. In suchscenario, the colleges ask thestudent to pay and ask them toapply for reimbursement.However, in 2019-20 no stu-dent received a rupee as reim-bursement."

40-yr-old manmurdered afterdrunken brawl PNS n HYDERABAD

An unidentified man wasmurdered by a group of per-sons at Attapur on Thursday.

According to the police,the person, aged around 40years might have been killedduring a brawl. The assailantsare suspected to have hadattacked him with a boulderon his head, killing him onthe spot.

Passers-by noticed thebody and informed theRajendranagar police whoshifted the body to OGH forautopsy.

CRIMINAL MISCONDUCT

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 hyderabad 04

SPB's melodious voice will echo foreverSPB's melodious voice will echo foreverSPB's melodious voice will echo foreverPNS n CHENNAI

Sripathi PanditaradhyulaBalasubrahmanyam, popular-ly known by the magical threeletters 'SPB', belonged to a rarebreed of playback singerswhose golden voice cast aspell over generations. Themesmerising voice ofBalasubramanyam, who diedaged 74 at a hospital here afterbeing treated for Covid-19,endeared him to millions offans as he strode like a colos-sus in the film and stage musicworld with numerous hits in16 languages, more domi-nantly in South Indian films -- Tamil and his mother tongueTelugu.

Quite unassumingdespite his unpar-alleled achieve-ments, includ-ing countlessnational ands t a t eawards andthe covet-ed PadmaShri andP a d m aP a d m aBhushan, heworked withgenerations ofmusic composers,crooning a stagger-ing 40,000 plus songs dur-ing his enviable over fivedecade career.

An extraordinary singer,who was influenced by veter-an Mohammed Rafi, SPBstamped his class in thousandsof evergreen songs, evokingvarious emotions, be it joy,romance or pathos and lateralso took to acting in somefilms. Living and breathingmusic aptly fitted him as thegifted singer said a couple ofyears ago that he was record-ing a song every day, even over50 years after he made hisdebut in 1966, besides beingassociated with several realityshows on TV.

The evergreen song'Ayiram Nilave Vaa'

(come thousandmoons) from

MGR starrer Tamil flick'Adimaipen' catapulted him tofame in 1969 and there hadbeen no looking back for SPBsince then. He carved out aniche for himself after enter-ing the field when the thenveterans like T MSoundararajan (TMS) and P BSrinivas were ruling the roost.

For someone with no for-mal training in classical music,the heights SPB scaled werenot something that even welltrained singers could touch.Born on June 4, 1946, inNellore in neighbouringAndhra Pradesh, the filmworld was never in the mindof SPB, also fondly called

'Balu' by manyof his

friendss u c h

a s

m u s i cm a e s t r o

Illayaraja. "Itwas never my desire to enterthe film industry. I wantedto become a gazetted rankengineer which couldfetch Rs 250 salary, a jeepwith a chauffeur in the1960s," he had repeatedlysaid over the years.

It was renowned play-back singer S Janaki whofirst spotted his talentwhen he took part in amusic competition whilepursuing engineering(AMIE) in Chennai andtold him he will have a brightfuture in the film industry ifhe gave it a shot.

In 1966, his career beganwith Telugu and Kannada

songs with S P

Kothandapani, whom SPBregarded as his guru, givinghim the opportunity Hisdebut song in Tamil"Athanodu Ippadi Irundhu" aduet song with L R Easwari ina movie titled 'Hotel Rambha'never saw the light of the day.Undeterred, he continued totry for opportunities and hisentry in the Tamil film indus-try happened with 'ShanthiNilayam' and 'Adimaipen',both of which hitscreens at the sametime in 1969. Hebagged the best play-back singer awardfrom the Tamil Nadugovernment forsongs in bothAdimaipen andShanthi Nilayam. SPBwent on to sing undermusic directors spanninggenerations fromKodhandapani, M SViswanathan, Ilayaraja, A RRahman and Deva andpairing female artistslike P Suseela, SJ a n a k i ,Vaani

Jayaram and Chitra, among oth-ers, and won six national awards.He could whistle, mimic anysound or voice and had theuncanny ability to seamlesslyblend stammer, laughter, coughor give a voice form to any emo-tion in songs. SPB's sister Sailajaand his son Charan are also wellknown playback singers.

Maestro’s regret: Not seeinghis children grow up

PNS n BENGALURU

"I missed watching my children grow up," cel-ebrated playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyamonce said as he opened up on regrets in his life.

As he entered the 50th year of his career in2015, SPB, as he is fondly called, counted

Telugu movie'Sankarabharanam' and 1981hit'Ek Duje Ke Liye'as films that were theturning points of his singing journey.

Balasubrahmanyam had said heregretted not watching his kids grow updue to his busy schedules, but termedhis professional journey as "amazing"."It is amazing. I dont know how I last-ed so long. I am not a trained singer.At this age, I am getting work and I amable to deliver, Balasubrahmanyamhad said in an interview.

"I missed watching my children growup. I dedicated (to singing) all my 49years (in the year 2015). On an average,I am working 11 hours every day. Imissed my children growing," he had

said. The singer, who got his first break inthe 1966 Telugu film 'Sri Sri Sri Maryaada

Raamanna', had felt every day is a turningpoint because his passion and sincereapproach towards work and his dedicationkept him going. "If I have to report (forrecording of songs) at 5 oclock, I rush comewhat may. I prepare myself. I never go to themicrophone until I am sure of it. Whethersmall or big directors, I will do justice, he

had said.

The superstar who lent his voice to Balu PNS n HYDERABAD

While there are countlessactors who benefited by lip-syncing to the flawless rendi-tions of legendary playbacksinger SP Balasubrahmanyam,one superstar holds the raredistinction of having lent hisvoice to the singer-par-excel-lence. True to his humblenature, SPB acknowledged thisfact in all humility.

The renowned singer, whorendered over 40,000 songs inat least 17 languages, includingHindi, gave his voice to manyan established star as well asupcoming actors and trans-formed them into superstarswith his golden voice. But heremained indebted to aKannada superstar who lent hisvoice to SPB in a Kannada film.

The legendary singer got anopportunity to act in theKannada film Muddina Mava,which was a remake of theTelugu movie Mavagaru.

As per the screenplay, there

was a song and dance sequencein the film. Naturally, the filmcrew expected Balu to sing, buthe refused saying that it wouldnot be proper for him to doboth - sing and dance.

The filmmakers thenapproached Kannada superstarand another legendary singerDr Raj Kumar through hisson Sivaraj Kumar, who con-veyed SPB's wish to his fatherthat the doyen wanted him tolend his voice for a song.

Dr Raj Kumar was glad tohave the opportunity and ren-dered the song 'DipavaliAnanda Leelavali' which waspicturised on the lead actor,lead actress, SBP and host ofdancers. Humble to the core,Balasubrahmanyam alwaysmaintained that he was fortu-nate to have Dr Raj Kumar singfor him. While Dr Raj Kumarmay have lent his voice to SPB,there are legions of actors whoowe their careers to the singer.SPB very often would say thathe got the opportunity to sing

in at least 17 languages sincethe music composers had givenhim the chance to do so, out oftheir love and affection for him.

Fast learner SP Balasubrahmanyam was aquick learner, otherwise itwould not be possible for himto sing at least 15 songs a day,while commuting from one

studio to the other. Famousmusic director duoLakshmikant Pyarelal wouldoften advise upcoming singersto take a cue from SPB, whogot the nuances behind eachcomposition very quicklyindeed.

Playful & mischievous Dr S Janaki, who sang many

songs with DrBalasubrahmanyam, wouldrecall how mischievous he was.She would say that Balu wouldpreempt her by performing onemusic feat or the other whichshe would want to employ. Shealso said that he would playpranks to distract other singers,but all in jest. Interestingly,both S Janaki and SPB never hadany training in classical music.

Wish not fulfilled In an interview to a televisionchannel, Balu expressed thedesire to have a painless deathby passing away while in sleep.

Agonised by criticism Responding to criticism that

he was depriving upcomingsingers opportunities, Baluwould rather painfully say thathe did not deploy his hench-men at airports, railway sta-tions and bus stations to turnaway any aspiring singer whowould want to make a mark inthe film industry.

n SP Balasubrahmanyam, a singer par excellence who aced vocal ranges, captivated millions of hearts

PNS n HYDERABAD

Legendary singer SPBalasubrahmanyam, who died inChennai on Friday, is a householdname in his native Andhra Pradeshand its sibling Telangana, havingenthralled music lovers for more thanfive decades. It's not an exaggerationto say that people wake up in themorning listening to the mellifluousdevotional songs rendered byBalasubrahmanyam and played intemples across the length and breadth

of thetwo Telugu

states every daybesides enjoying his songs of variousgenres. Born as SripatiPanditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyamat Nellore in coastal Andhra Pradesh,Balu or 'Balu garu', as he is respect-fully called by his millions of fans, hasbeen a colossus in the Telugu filmindustry. He had lent his voice toscores of film actors since 1967when he made his debut as a play-back singer in the Telugu film "Sri SriSri Maryada Ramanna".

From peppy numbers to songs

reflecting myriademotions, Balasubrahmanyam

was the ubiquitous playback singerin Telugu films since the 1960s.Balu sang for generations of filmactors in Telugu fromlegendary N TRama Rao andA k k i n e n iNa ge s w ar aRao to thepresent gen-eration ofstars.

Te l u g u s ,known fortheir love forcinema, grew upenjoying his songs infilms of top-ranking stars, includingSobhan Babu, Krishna in the 1970s

a n d1 9 8 0 s ,C h i r anj e e v i ,N a g a r j u n a ,Balakrishna, Venkatesh

and others since 1980sand 1990s, Mahesh Babu,Allu Arjun and others of pre-sent times.

Despite not being a trainedsinger in Carnatic music, SPBgained international fame and

won awards with the iconicTelugu film Sankarabharanam

released in 1980. He has baggednumerous awards and honours in

the Telugu land during his distin-guished career. SPB has sung sever-al Christian devotional songs as well

i nTeluguwhich havebeen popularamong the faithful.He has not only been asinger but a multi-facetedpersonality, excelling as avoice over artist, actor and filmproducer.

A householdname in TS, APA householdname in TS, APA householdname in TS, APA householdname in TS, APA householdname in TS, APA householdname in TS, APA householdname in TS, AP

PNS n CHENNAI

Ironically, before he testedpositive for Coronavirus,singer S P Balasubrahmanyamcomposed music and sung aTamil song to create awarenessabout the deadly pathogenwith the lyrics brimming withconfidence that mankindwould eventually win over thepandemic.

"I composed this number.Let us listen to this... it is notmore musical, it is more lyri-cal," he had said months ago inhis foreword to the song,penned by renowned lyricistVairamuthu. Popularly knownas 'SPB', he had in the three-minute plus video post urgedhis fans to pay attention to thedepth and import of the wordsand act accordingly to helpprevent the virus spread.

The song that begins with

'Corona, Corona,' goes on toexplain that though the viruswas pretty small in size, small-er than an atom, it was dead-ly like an atom bomb and itinfected people stealthily. Therendition byBalasubrahmanyam, who diedon Friday at a hospital heredays after testing negative forthe virus, also attached impor-tance to avoiding physical con-tact, following hygiene and

other aspects aimed at avoid-ing the pathogen.

The 74-year old singerswitched to a higher pitchwhile singing verses laced withconfidence that human racewould annihilate coronavirusand emerge victorious and thesong ended on that note. SPBlater tested positive for coron-avirus, but even then he wasconfident he would recover.

When Balasubrahmanyam tuned anumber on Covid, its deadly effects

LIFE OF A LEGEND

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 nation 05

SHORT READS

Revoke ban on onion export: MahaMinister tells CentreAurangabad: MaharashtraHorticulture Minister SandipanBhumre has urged the Centreto withdraw the ban on onionexport. He has made this demand in a letter written to UnionAgricu lture Minister NarendraSingh Tomar. "The letter saysthat in order to avoid the lossof onion producing farmers, thecentral government mustrevoke the ban imposed on thiskitchen staple," an officialrelease said on Thursday."In the letter, the minister urgedTomar to revoke the ban sayingthat the farmers are facingproblems due to thegovernment's unexpecteddecision," it added.The decisionto ban export of onions isunjust. The Centre recentlybanned the export of allvarieties of onions, a moveaimed at increasing availabilityand curbing prices.

Security forcesdefuse 4 landminesin Jharkhand Medininagar (Jharkhand):Security forces on Fridaydefused four landmines allegedly planted by Naxalites on aroad in Jharkhand's Palamudistrict, police said. TheImprovised Explosive Devices(IEDs), weighing 12- 15 kgeach, were laid on a road nearMansuria village in Manatupolice station area, Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Kumar,said. "The landmines were laidto inflict casualties on thesecurity forces. Investigation ison to find out which Naxaliteoutfit was behind it," the officertold PTI. Manatu area bordersChatra district and Bihar'sGaya, where Maoists have astrong presence, he added.

Aligarh (UP): BJP workersstaged a dharna at a policestation in the old city areahere to protest lodging of acase of sexual harassmentagainst office bearers of theparty's Minority and ahilaMorcha, a police officialsaid on Friday. Heatedexchanges took placebetween the BJP workersand policemen posted atthe station but seniorpolice officers preventedthe situation from escalat-ing, the official said. "Theincident took place late onThursday night when newstrickled in that a formerlady office bearer of theBJP Mahila Morcha hadfiled a case of sexual arass-ment against some partyoffice bearers at the DelhiGate police station," theofficial said. Shortly after-wards, BJP workers inlarge numbers led by for-mer Mayor Shakuntla Bharti and city BJP presidentVivek Saraswat and a hostof other senior city BJPleaders arrived at the spotand asked why the officebearers have been booked"without any verification,"the police official said.

Panel to include Bodo villages in BTRPNS n GUWAHATI

The Assam government hasconstituted a four-membercommittee to include Bodo-majority villages in theBodoland Territorial Region(BTR) and exclude non-Bodosettlements from it, as per theBodo Accord signed onJanuary 27, senior ministerHimanta Biswa Sarma said onFriday.

The panel, headed by formerchief secretary P P Verma,will take a decision afterreviewing applications fromvillages bordering the fourBTR districts for inclusion ofsettlements with majority Bodopopulation in the region and

exclusion of those withmajority non-Bodo popula-tion from it, the minister toldreporters. "It will also advisethe government on increasing

the existing 40 seats in theBodoland Territorial Council(BTC) to 60 in the BTR,besides reorganising the con-stituencies," he said.

Apart from Verma, BTADadministrator Rajesh Prasad,Jayanta Basumatary of the AllBodo Students' Union (ABSU)and Dalim Gayan, representingthe non-Bodos, are membersof the committee, the ministersaid. Governor Jagadish Mukhihad earlier given approval for

constituting the committeeand renaming BTC as BTR,comprising Kokrajhar, Baksa,Chirang and Udalguri dis-tricts, Sarma said. C h i e fMinister Sarbananda Sonowaland Union Home MinisterAmit Shah had recently helddiscussions on the speedy

implementation of the BodoAccord and steps are beingtaken to ensure all the clauses

are implemented in a time-bound manner, he said.

The state government willinitiate steps next month toimplement Bodo as the associ-ate official language of Assamand create the Bodo-KachariWelfare Territorial Council forBodos living outside the BTR,the minister said.

The Assam government andthe Centre has also held discus-sions on the implementation ofother clauses of the Bodo

Accord and those will beannounced as and when thedecisions are finalised, he said.

On elections to the BTC,which had to be deferred dueto the COVID-19 outbreak,Sarma said the HealthDepartment has made it clearthat it is not safe to conduct thepolls till November 30.

The chief minister will sooncall an all-party meeting toreview the situation, he said.

"We are following the Biharelections and a decision will betaken based on the Bihar expe-rience," the minister said.

The elections to the 40-member BTC, earlier sched-uled to be held on April 4, waskept in abeyance due to theCOVID-19 outbreak and thecouncil is currently adminis-tered under the supervision ofthe governor, after its termended on April27.

BJP workers stagedharna to protestfiling of case

PNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Friday accused theOpposition of "misleading"farmers and "using their shoul-ders to fire" at his governmentover the farm bills for selfishpolitical interests, and assert-ed that for the first time indecades, the Centre has framedlaws that will benefit farmersand workers.

Addressing BJP leaders andworkers on the 104th birthanniversary of the party's ide-ologue Deendayal Upadhyay,Modi launched a powerfuldefence of farm as well aslabour bills, saying the reformsbrought in the agriculture sec-tor will benefit the small andmarginal farmers the most as85 out of 100 farmers fall inthis category.

The three farm bills --theFarmer's Produce Trade andCommerce (Promotion andFacilitation) Bill, 2020, theFarmers (Empowerment andProtection) Agreement of Price

Assurance and Farm ServicesBill, 2020 and the EssentialCommodities (Amendment)Bill, 2020-- and the labour billswere passed by Parliament

during the recent monsoonsession.

Amid vehement protests bythe Congress and other oppo-sition parties against thesebills, Modi hit out at them, say-ing many governments came topower in states and at theCentre over the decades in thename of farmers and workers,"but what did they get nothing;just a web of promises that nei-ther the farmers understoodnor the workers." "The farmerswere entwined in laws that pre-vented them from selling theirproduce at prices that they

wanted; consequently, eventhough the produce went uptheir income did not go up," hesaid, adding those who always"lied" to farmers are now"shooting from their shoulders"and misleading them.Asserting that the small andmarginal farmers are "happiesttoday", the Prime Ministersaid, "for the first time, theyhave got an alternative to bar-gain for the price of their pro-duce. The tradition earlier wasto sell in 'mandis'. If he thinkshe will benefit by selling there,he will sell there. If he thinksthe benefit is more outside, hewill sell outside." TheOpposition, farmers and manyfarmer organisations have beenprotesting against the pro-posed reforms in the agricul-ture sector by the Modi gov-ernment, dubbing these mea-sures as "anti-farmers".

Speaking of the workingclass, he said his governmenthas brought labour codes tobring workers out of the com-plex web of dozens of laws.

Modi accuses Oppn of ‘usingfarmers shoulders to fire’ PNS n MUMBAI

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rauton Friday asked if it was appropriate to conduct assemblyelections in Bihar amid theprevailing coronavirus situa-tion in the country.

Talking to reporters, Rautsaid the pandemic has givenrise to an "unprecedented" sit-uation. "Is coronavirus pandemic over now? Is the situationright for elections?" he asked.

The Election Commissionon Friday announced dates forthe Bihar assembly elections,which will be held in three

phases- on October 28,

November 3 and November 7-while the counting of votes willtake place on November 10.

Raut said the issue of pas-sage of farm sector bills in theParliament will have no impacton the elections in Bihar as the

state votes "only on the basis ofcaste and religion". Replying toa question if actor SushantSingh Rajput's death willbecome an election issue inBihar, the Shiv Sena MPalleged, "The government theredoes not have any issues relat-ed to development or gover-nance to speak about." "Whathappened to the CBI probe inSushant case? The Bihar DGPhas now resigned and will becontesting assembly polls,"Raut claimed. He said filmcities should come up in all states."With the abrogation of Article370, a film city should also be setup in Kashmir valley," he said.

Is coronavirus pandemic overnow?: Raut on Bihar poll dates

PNS n BENGALURU

Farmers in Karnataka staged-demonstrations across the stateon Friday as part of a 'bandh'call given by several outfits toprotest the 'anti-farmer' policiesof the central and state govern-ments. A large number of ryotsfrom various parts of the stateflocked to the state capital totake part in the protests againstthe amendments to theAgricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act and theKarnataka Land Reforms Act.

Amendment to APMC Actwould allow farmers to selltheir produce directly to anypurchaser outside APMC or inother APMCs. The agitatorsblocked highways and stagedroad rokos in many placesaffecting the traffic flow.

Terming the amendments as'anti-farmer', they alleged thatsome people in power broughtthem to convert their blackmoney into white. A group offarmers blocked the busyTumakuru road near

Yashwantpur in the city andengaged in sloganeeringagainst the recent amend-ments. As the police arrived atthe spot to clear the blockade,

the farmers courted arrestand were taken away in buses.

Demonstrations were alsoheld in other districts, includ-ing Mysuru and Davangere.

In Mangaluru, workers ofCongress, other non-BJP par-ties and farmers' outfits gath-

ered at the Nanthoor circle inthe morning and staged theblockade. A large number ofpolice personnel were deployedat major junctions to avertany chock-a-block.

Peasant leader KuruburuShanthakumar, who is amongthose leading the agitation,said all the highways toBengaluru will be blocked.

He said more than 34 out-fits have come together tostage agitations across the city.

Shanthakumar alleged thatthe government did not takethe farmers into confidencewhile bringing amendments tothe law pertaining to the agri-culture sector.

Farmers outfits protest ‘anti-farmer’ policies

PNS n GANDHINAGAR

The Comptroller and AuditorGeneral of India (CAG) onFriday said the Gujarat gov-ernment's claim that therewas no chemical contamina-tion of drinking water any-where in the state was "notcorrect".

In its report tabled in thestate Assembly, the CAG citedlaboratory reports and men-tioned that over 20,000 out of1.30 lakh samples, that is 15per cent, "failed the chemicalexamination conducted bygovernment laboratories in2015-16". The report furtherstated that a similar trend ofcontamination was found intests conducted in subsequentyears. The CAG's perfor-mance audit report on 'Ruraldrinking water supply pro-gramme in Gujarat' for the

financial year 2017-18 wastabled on Friday, the last dayof the state AssemblysMonsoon session. The CAGnoted that presence of certainchemicals in drinking waterabove prescribed limit causesmajor diseases. Arsenic caus-es cancer, fluoride causes flu-orosis, nitrate hampers theblood's capacity to transportoxygen resulting in braindamage, iron causeshemochromatosis.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Election Commissionwill take a call on bypolls toone Lok Sabha and 64 assem-bly seats on September 29after going through inputsprovided by poll officials andchief secretaries of the statesconcerned, Chief ElectionCommissioner Sunil Arorasaid on Friday.

Responding to questionson the issue during a pressconference to announce theschedule for Bihar assemblyelections, Arora said ECSecretary General UmeshSinha will issue a press releaseof the schedule the sameevening based on the decisiontaken at the poll watchdog.

Earlier, the EC had said ina statement that Bihar elec-tions and the bypolls will beheld around the same time.

Arora said when the EChad decided on holding thebypolls along with Bihar elec-tions then it had no inclina-tion towards some statessending representations toraise issues related to thebypolls. He said most of therepresentations were receivedin the last one week and thecommission will have to dis-cuss the inputs before takinga final call.

Call onbypolls onSept 29: CEC

PNS n JAIPUR

The Congress on Fridaytermed the agriculture-relatedbills introduced by the Centreas a "disgusting conspiracy"against the farmers of thecountry and said it standsfirm with them in support ofthe Bharat Bandh call.

At a press conference here,Congress' chief spokespersonRandeep Surjewala describedthe farm legislations as "blacklaws".

"The Modi governmentthrough three black laws haslaunched a brutal attack onfarmers, farm labourers andtheir livelihoods," Surjewalasaid on Friday.

He said the bills are a "dis-gusting conspiracy" againstthe farmers and barns in the

country. Surjewala said thecountry has been attacked bythe coronavirus, and by Chinaon the border while "Modi jihas targeted the barns inIndia".

He further said, "Today,farmers and farm labourershave called for a Bharat Bandhacross the country and underthe leadership of RahulGandhi and Sonia Gandhi, theCongress Party stands firmwith them."

Cong terms FarmBills as ‘conspiracy’

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi government hasasked all districts to retest allsymptomatic patients, whohave tested negative forCOVID-19 on rapid antigentest, using the more reliableRT-PCR method, after itfound the process was not fol-lowed in over 1,400 cases.

"Total 1,437 antigen nega-tive symptomatic who havenot undergone RT-PCR.Kindly ensure that this ismade NIL from today i.e.from today onwards thereshould be no antigen negativesymptomatic case who is nottested for RT-PCR," read adirective by Special Secretary(Health and Family Welfare)Udit Prakash Rai to all dis-tricts. The directive was issuedon Thursday. According to thegovernment, Northwest dis-trict had the maximum 870cases where symptomatic anti-gen negatives were not fol-lowed up with an RT-PCR testby Wednesday. In Southwestdistrict, 258 symptomatic per-

sons were not tested using theRT-PCR method after testingnegative in rapid antigen tests.

The Delhi government isworking out modalities toramp up RT-PCR testing, offi-cials said Wednesday, a weekafter the high court suggestedincreasing the capacity tomaximum as rapid antigentests were found to be accuratein only 60 per cent cases.

Yet, the number of RT-PCRtests has not shown anincrease with the figures hov-ering around the 10,000 mark.

On September 17, the num-ber of RT-PCR tests conduct-ed stood at 9,564. The nextday, it was 11,203. The num-ber of tests conducted onSeptember 19, 20, 21, 22, 23stood at 10,681, 11,322, 8828,9,459 and 10,359, respectively.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The condition of DelhiDeputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia, who is bat-tling a double infection ofCOVID-19 and dengue, isbetter now, an official fromhis office said on Friday.

Sisodia is undergoing treat-ment at Max Hospital, Saket,where he was moved onThursday evening from theDelhi government-run LNJPHospital due to his "falling"blood platelet count and lowoxygen level. He is admittedto the ICU of the private hos-pital in south Delhi. "Hiscondition is better now," saidan official from the deputychief minister's office.

Sisodia had tested positivefor COVID-19 on September14.

Condition ofSisodia betternow: Official

Delhi govt: Retest allsymptomatic patients

PNS n NEW DELHI

A court has directed DelhiPolice to register an FIR on acomplaint over a morphedvideo of Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal allegedly singing anobscene song, saying its toneand manner lowers his repu-tation and addresses the pub-lic in an abusive manner.Metropolitan MagistrateKishor Kumar directed theSHO of Paschim Vihar PoliceStation to lodge an FIR on thebasis of the complaint filed byan advocate within one week.

The complaint filed byadvocate Amit Sahni, claimedthat after the result of DelhiVidhan Sabha Election, a videowas uploaded on Youtube inwhich Kejriwal has beenshown singing an obscenesong.

Delhi courtdirects policeto lodge FIR

PNS n KOLKATA

Longview Tea Garden in WestBengal's Darjeeling districtwill resume its operationsfrom Wednesday after themanagement of the estate hasagreed to clear dues of itsworkers, an official said.

The management of thegarden, which employs around1,200 workers, had declaredsuspension of work at theestate on August 21 over somelabour-related issues, he said.

Additional labour commis-sioner of north Bengal MdRizwan said a tripartite meet-ing among the representativesof the management, mem-bers of three trade unionsand the government officials

was held on Monday to resolvethe issues. "The garden willreopen from tomorrow andthe management has agreed topay all the dues of the work-ers, which include bonus forlast fiscal, salaries and wagesof the employees and workersamounting to around Rs 80lakh," he said.

The dues will have to bepaid by the management byOctober 7, he said.

Darjeeling’s Longviewtea estate to reopen

PNS n SRINAGAR,

The DNA samples of threemen who were killed in analleged fake encounter withthe Army in Jammu andKashmir's Shopian districtin July have matched withtheir families from Rajouri, asenior police officer said onFriday. Asked whether thethree men were indeedlabourers, as claimed by theirfamilies, and not involved inmilitant activities, he said itis a matter of further inves-tigation.On July 18, the Armyhad claimed three militantswere killed in Amshipuravillage in the higher reachesof south Kashmir's Shopian.The police also launched aninvestigation.

DNA samplesof 3 men killedin Shopian

PNS n DETROIT

The union that representsCanadian auto workers hasextended its contract withFord beyond an 11:59 pmdeadline, a sign that progressis being made toward anagreement.

The Unifor union hasscheduled a news conferencefor 10 am Tuesday to discussthe talks.

It picked Ford as a poten-tial strike target on Sept. 8.

Union President JerryDias said in a statement lateMonday that the bargainingcommittee is willing to workthrough the night to get afair contract and avoid astrike at Ford's Canadianfactories.

Canadian autoworkers extendFord contract

Farmers hit the streetsin Kerala against CentrePNS n THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Farmers under the aegis ofthe All India Kisan Sabha(AIKS) staged widespreadprotests\ in Kerala on Fridayagainst the Farm Bills passedrecently in Parliament, alleg-ing that the new legislationswill hand over the country'sagriculture sector to corpo-rate giants.

Senior CPI(M) leader andVice President of AIKS, SRamachandran Pil lailaunched the protest in frontof the Raj Bhavan here andsaid the new agri bills willturn farmers into labourers ofcorporate giants.

"The central governmenthas passed laws that willturn all farmers into labour-ers dependent on giant cor-porates.

Their aim is to hand overthe agriculture sector to the

corporates. Through thismove, our agricultural land,the production and sale offarm produce will be takenover by corporates. We areselling our agriculture sectorto corporate giants," Pillaialleged.

Noting that over 60 percent population in the coun-try were farmers, he said theCentre was not ready to takeproactive steps to protectthe majority.

Hitting out at the centralgovernment, the AIKS leader

said it was 'privatising'everything in the country,including the Defense andSpace sectors besides thePublic Sector

The CPI(M) also said theNarendra Modi government"bulldozed 3 Farm billsthrough the Parliament, vio-lating all parliamentary pro-cedures".

The report furtherstated that asimilar trend ofcontaminationwas found in tests conducted in subsequentyears

Amendment toAPMC Act wouldallow farmers tosell their producedirectly to anypurchaser outsideAPMC or in otherAPMCs

Many governmentscame to power instates and at theCentre in thename of farmersand workers, butwhat did they getnothing, he said

CAG disputesGujarat govt's claim

It sounds pretty heartless toworry about the economyand livelihoods and appearless concerned with peoples’lives. It is difficult to weigh in

golden balance whether lives orlivelihoods are more important.

On December 31, 2019, Chinafirst told the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) that 41patients in Wuhan had contracteda mysterious pneumonia notamenable to conventional treat-ment. Beginning January 23, firstthe city of Wuhan, then the entireHubei province and then someother cities were locked down. Theunprecedented quarantine wasimposed on 50 million peopleacross 15 cities.

After a 6.8 per cent contractionin January-March 2020 quarter,China’s economy recorded 3.2 percent growth in April-June 2020.China is the first major economyto return to growth after the pan-demic.

For us, the pandemic is animported calamity. The main gate-ways to India have been worstaffected. Major democracies,including India, have failed toemulate the ruthless measurestaken by China (and could betaken by China alone) to containthe damage. Maybe there is morethan what meets the eye here.

With confirmed infections ofover 50 lakh, albeit with a some-what modest case fatality ratio of1.64 per cent and a significantlyhigh 78 per cent recovery rate, thefirst peak is not in sight at thenational level although there is sig-nificant disruption of economicactivity. Individual estimates varywidely with observers’ biases asexpected because the pandemic hasfooled all forecasting tools. A gen-eral sense is that we face stagnationif not outright contraction in eco-nomic growth in the current year.

The GDP at current marketprices was `45.51 lakh crore,`49.18 lakh crore and ̀ 38.08 lakhcrore during April-June 2018,April-June 2019 and April-June2020, respectively. The GDP at2011-12 prices was `26.89 lakhcrore during April-June 2020,compared to ̀ 35.35 lakh crore dur-ing April-June 2019. This is thedirect effect of the lockdown thatwas in force for almost two out ofthree months in the first quarter.Experts are divided as to how theGDP is going to behave in theensuing quarters due to the impact

of the pandemic on jobs andincomes.

Another way to analyse theeconomic impact of the pan-demic is to look at GST collec-tions which indicate the quan-tum of documented sales ofgoods and services. MonthlyGST collections during April-August have been ̀ 32,172 crore,`62,151 crore, `90,917 crore,`87,422 crore and ̀ 86,449 crore.In August 2019, GST collectionwas ̀ 98,202 crore, so, obvious-ly we are far away from reach-ing pre-lockdown levels ofspending and registering adecent growth on that level. Theshortfall from August 2019 GSTcollection is 12 per cent inAugust 2020. Obviously, GSTcollections would not measurethe impact of the pandemic onthe informal economy whereundocumented sales take placeon kutchha bills.

The first quarter GDP con-traction affected almost all sec-tors. The only sector that post-ed positive growth (3.4 percent) was agriculture, withbumper Rabi crops. High-con-tact sectors like tourism andhospitality are very badly affect-ed.

Past years’ trends show thatthe GDP is almost equally divid-ed in the four quarters withsome increase in the last quar-ter. In 2017-18, the contributionof the four quarters was 23.4,24.4, 25.3 and 26.9 per cent forquarters one, two, three andfour. In 2018-19, it was 24, 24.5,25.4 and 26.1 per cent. In 2019-20, it was 24.2, 24.2, 25.4 and26.2 per cent. This year’s quar-terly GDP trends are going to beabnormal.

If the four quarterly GDPsdon’t add up to ̀ 204 lakh crore,we are going to have negativeannual growth. Just to catch upwith the 2019-20 GDP of `204lakh crore, and quarter one isjust `38 lakh crore, we need toadd `166 lakh crore in theremaining three quarters.

The catch-up target is stiffbecause we have to offset a bigshortfall of `11 lakh crore inquarter one. Something likeGDP of ̀ 50 lakh crore, ̀ 55 lakhcrore and ̀ 60 lakh crore wouldbe needed in quarter two, threeand four just to maintain the2020-21 GDP at the 2019-20level sans growth. With trainand air services suspended andlocalised lockdowns, normalcyhasn’t returned.

The pandemic and the lock-down have reminded most well-off people that they can live withfewer wants. The cost-cuttingausterity measures byGovernments and corporatesmean incomes and even jobs areon the chopping block.

In a crisis like this, borrow-ings are inevitable to move for-ward. Long ago, popular culturestigmatised lenders and borrow-ers. An indebted person feltembarrassed and lenders werereviled. But attitudes havechanged over the years and“borrow and spend” is anaccepted way of life.

Major economies are surviv-ing on people buying things thatthey don’t really need and livingon borrowed funds. It is a para-dox that the richest countries arealso the most indebted coun-tries. New aspirational needs arefelt or created, new technologyis developed to fill those needs

and finance is arranged byprinting money or borrowings.Governments in particular bor-row and spend, leaving theburden of debt servicing onfuture Governments/genera-tions.

The total worldwide debtwas close to a record high of$253 trillion (September 2019),a whopping 322 per cent of theworld GDP. It was about 100 percent of the world GDP in 1961.There is also unreported debt.

The US Government has thehighest debt of over $ 24 trillion.Among foreign lenders of theUS Government, Japan andChina top the list. Of course, afuller picture emerges not justby looking at the size of debt butalso on the ability to repay, rollover/re-finance, to print moneywithout backing of gold and tocontrol good quality productiveassets. That is how the game hasbeen going on.

In 1961, the nominal GDP ofthe whole world was 1.4 trilliondollars and the population was3.09 billion. By 2017, it hadgrown to 80.9 trillion dollarsand the population hadincreased to 7.55 billion. Percapita income had grown from$3,827 to $10,632. The total debtin emerging and developingeconomies climbed to a record$55 trillion in 2018, marking aneight-year surge that has beenthe largest, fastest and mostbroad-based in nearly fivedecades.

To offset the pandemic’shuman and economic costs,Governments need to spendmore. If consumers andGovernments stop spending,livelihoods will be lost andthere are too many of them atrisk. This is no time to fret aboutGovernment debt. We arecursed to keep borrowing andspending, particularly during acrisis. It is a fate akin to that ofthe mythical Sisyphus movingthe boulder up the mountain.Stop rolling it up and it willcome down crushing. Ridingthe tiger is another apt analogy.

The present generation isforced to borrow prosperityfrom future generations. It willbe morally right only if wespend borrowed money wiselyand leave scope for future gen-erations to be prosperous. Tomitigate the economic distress,we need to facilitate banks tolend more. Unlike the situationin 2008-09 during the globalfinancial crisis, we have bettermacro-economic fundamen-tals. Bank credit is just 50 percent of the GDP. We need a sup-portive policy regime and mon-itoring of end-use of credit.

(The author is an IAAS offi-cer, superannuated as SpecialSecretary, Ministry of Commerceand Industry)

As Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Aroraannounced the dates for the Bihar Assemblyelections, he also detailed the precautions being

taken to conduct them. The fact is that the entire elec-toral process is a crowded one, and in a densely pop-ulated State like Bihar, almost guaranteed to be so,no matter what rules and regulations are put in place.So the Election Commission is deploying millions ofmasks and gloves and thousands of litres of handsanitiser across booths to protect voters, booth offi-cials and security personnel. Given that thousandsof voters will touch every voting machine, each will

be provided with a single disposable glove. But while the health and safety of ourvoters is paramount, there is another concern. That is the mountains of trash thatwill be generated as a result of these precautions. Given that several State Governmentshad declared a war on single-use plastics over the past few years, it is especiallyironic that single-use plastic gloves will be needed to keep democracy alive. In fact,it is one of the side effects of the pandemic that huge volumes of non-recyclable,non-biodegradable trash have been generated.

There is little doubt that COVID warriors in intensive care wards need plastic per-sonal protective equipment. Even surgical masks worn by millions are for the largepart non-biodegradable. As more cities get back to work across the world and human-ity learns to live with the virus and new protocols, both the Government and citizensmust ponder over medical waste management and disposal. One immediate changethat millions can adopt is to move to using washable cloth masks instead of poly-mer-based masks. While such polymer masks will be essential in hospital wards,in regular daily use cloth masks are quite effective at protecting others and morecomfortable as well. Protocols for the reuse of protective kits and other plastic equip-ment should also be put in place, whether that involves washing or ultraviolet sani-tisation. We must look at newer incineration technologies. We might be coming toterms with the pandemic, even if we have paid a terrible price in deaths and withthe economy. However, we should not make the environmental costs so dramatic

as well. We will be undoing all that we

The Bihar Assembly elections, right in the middle ofthe pandemic, will be the greatest logistical and pub-lic health challenge and if successful, could become

a template of how a mass participatory process couldbe initiated without risking the virus. So yes, the newelection code has new rules, including virtual campaign-ing, spread out schedule, longer voting hours, morepolling booths, quarantined centres so that even theCOVID-positive can vote and an unprecedented stockof preventive gear. The biggest challenge will be to ensurethat the electoral process doesn’t become a super-spread-er event. For the Election Commission, it is a big test,

considering more State elections are to follow in rapid succession under the shadow ofthe pandemic. For Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, it is time toconvince his people that he is still good enough to deliver, his personal stock having takena beating. For the Opposition and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav,it is a chance to prove that his sons have it in them to continue his political movementrobustly and more importantly, that he is still a leader who matters in reshaping discourse.Let’s take Nitish, who is under attack for his patchy response to the pandemic, poor floodmanagement and mishandling of returnee migrants, a new constituency that is being court-ed by all parties. He may coast to victory in alliance with the BJP but the latter, while acknowl-edging him as the chief ministerial candidate, is still as ambitious about becoming the vot-ers’ first choice and having its own man in the future. It hasn’t helped that Nitish has lostout in ratings to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath in crisis management, theappreciation damagingly coming from his own people. The labourers, students and teach-ers are most peeved with him. Besides, unlike his initial years, he has stagnated and hasnothing to show as a deliverer. The row over farm Bills may not have that much of an eco-nomic resonance in Bihar as the Government procurement here is low. Besides, it wasthe first State in India to have scrapped the Agriculture Produce Market Committee Act in2006 and pave the way for the private sector to get involved in procurement of agricul-tural produce. But he cannot ignore the political consequences simply because Bihar’sfarmers haven’t benefitted after the APMC was dismantled. The markets suffered a lossof fee revenue, there was no major private investment in the State’s agricultural sector andthe smaller farmers continue to depend on trader cartels for buys as there is no guaran-teed price mechanism. If anything, Bihar shows how taking down a regulatory frameworkhastily without necessary checks and balances can hurt the small and marginal farmerseven more. The Opposition could use this for its campaign pitch. Politically though, Nitishhas already neutralised the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), whose leader Chirag Paswan wasattacking him almost every day, by inducting Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) founderand his protégé Jitan Ram Manjhi, into his fold. The Dalit vote is now consolidated underthe NDA umbrella. According to the 2011 census, the Scheduled Castes are 15 per centof Bihar’s population. The Mahadalits constitute nearly 16 per cent and though cultivatedby Nitish, were beginning to swerve towards the RJD, which has the core traditional votesof the Muslims and Yadavs. Manjhi could return the Dalit swing in his favour. This wouldbring Nitish the numbers he needs to stay relevant.

Where does it leave Lalu then? The Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) announcedthat it will not contest and support all RJD candidates instead. Lalu still has the drawingpower but he is not on the ground to smoothen wrinkles in the grand alliance of like-mind-ed parties. And that could work to the RJD’s detriment. The problem with the Oppositionbloc members is that they would only end up dividing the non-NDA vote if they do notform a strategic partnership. At the same time, they become aggressive about bargain-ing for seats in return for staying together and that reduces the seat quota for the RJD. Areduced number of seats for the RJD only helps the BJP to manipulate numbers in itsfavour and keep the former in check. The Lok Sabha election results are proof of this under-cutting. The RJD could go it alone but that would be self-defeatist considering some ofits allies are already questioning the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav in public. The youth areparticularly not taken in by the dynastic entitlement of Lalu’s sons, who wage their ownego battles in the public sphere than inspire confidence. Tejashwi and Tej Pratap need tobe on the same page. Or at least use their father’s wisdom. Tejashwi, so far, has appearedmore interested in pursuing his individual ambition, grooming his yes men and runningdown senior leaders of the caste movement as deadwood. The arrogance cost the RJDits dependable associations with the Left and the Congress. Besides, with the BJP wait-ing to splinter unhappy parties, the Opposition bloc is caught in a cleft stick at the moment.The Left parties may look down and out but they are holding on to their traditional pock-ets. Perhaps if they had effectively used former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union(JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar as the change-making candidate, they could have becomea key fringe player. The Congress is gasping for breath and though it won’t harm the RJD,another poor performance could see it losing more members to the BJP. The tide of dis-content is there against Nitish but without Lalu at the helm, can the Opposition ride it?

Pandemic powerplay

China plays NepalSir — The local authorities ofLapcha-Limi region in Humlahave alleged that China has con-structed nine buildings one kilo-metre inside the territory ofNepal. Lapcha-Limi is of greatstrategic importance to Nepal asKailash Mansarovar can be clear-ly seen from this point. This sortof expansionist move isn’t thefirst by China. Earlier in June thisyear, the Nepal Government hadcomplained that China was usingroad construction in Tibet tooccupy its land. While Nepal isprotesting against the encroach-ment, maybe it should also pon-der on its move of releasing anew political map that claimedKalapani, Limpiyadhura andLipulekh of Uttarakhand as partof its sovereign territory, osten-sibly at China’s behest.

Rahul ChouhanUjjain

Lost gameSir — The Minister of State forExternal Affairs, VMuraleedharan, provided detailsof the Prime Minister’s visitsabroad since 2015, includingtheir outcome. According to thedetails furnished, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has visited 58

countries since 2015 and a totalexpenditure of `517 crore wasincurred on them. He visited US,Russia and China five timeseach and made multiple trips toother countries like Singapore,Germany, France, Sri Lanka andthe United Arab Emirates.

To what extent did these vis-its help India with its bilateral,regional and global issues? Today,India is facing multiple territor-

ial challenges from three of itsneighbouring countries —China, Nepal and Pakistan. Thefinding by the Comptroller andAuditor-General of India (CAG)that French aerospace majorDassault Aviation and Europeanmissile maker MBDA havedefaulted on offset clauses of theRafale deal puts a question markon the Government’s negotiationcapabilities. The same amount

should have been put to betteruse elsewhere.

Bhagwan ThadaniMumbai

Honour offset clauseSir — The Comptroller andAuditor-General of India (CAG)has slammed French firmsDassault Aviation and MBDA —the main companies in the

`59,000 crore contract for 36Rafale fighter jets — for their fail-ure to transfer advanced technol-ogy to India. As per the deal, theFrench firms are required toplough back 50 per cent of thecontract value to India as offsetsor re-investments.

India, being the world’s sec-ond-largest arms importer, suf-fers from shortages of criticalweapon platforms. TheGovernment should ensure thatforeign vendors aren’t allowed toview Indian contracts as easycash cows.

N Sadhasiva ReddyBengaluru

Disturbing numbersSir — According to the 2018annual report of the NationalCrime Records Bureau(NCRB),33,356 rape cases were reportedacross the country, or an averageof 91 rapes a day. The numbersare disturbing and the legislativereforms haven’t been of muchhelp. Our society needs to re-awaken and more seriousreforms should be undertaken.

Urvi JainUjjain

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

www.dailypioneer.comfacebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

op nionHYDERABAD | SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

06

Rescue packageWe need a supportive policy regime so that banks can lend more and

there is a rigorous monitoring of end-use of credit

We will review progress on theeconomic recovery in each Budgetupdate, but I expect phase one toremain in place until the unemployment rate is comfortablyback under six per cent.

Australian Treasurer—Josh Frydenberg

The rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, a dentedeconomy and tension around the borders do notseem to concern us as much as the alleged seami-

er side of life in Bollywood. The Narcotics ControlBoard’s (NCB) probe into the drug use in Bollywoodhas captured the imagination of the nation so muchso that it appears to have become the be-all-and-end-all of our lives. The information gathered during its“grilling” of celebrities, leaked to select media, has nowbecome the staple diet of television drama.

The idiot box is now a voyeur’s delight; it wallowson prying into the private lives of screen idols. Breathlessreporters heighten the drama by their delivery of thestory in a frenzy of excitement. The “arrivals” of actress-es at the NCB office in the morning and their “depar-tures” in the evening are marked by hustle and bustleas if they are earth-shattering events.

What started as a probe into actor Sushant SinghRajput’s demise and the circumstances surrounding ithas meandered its way into a fishing expedition in

Bollywood to “name and shame” selective actresseswho might have consumed drugs in little quantities.The way NCB is handling the case casts serious doubtson its independence and integrity. And never before hasa death been so repugnantly used as a weapon to fightpolitical battles.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Environmental damage

Nitish Kumar’s stock is low without the BJP’s heft. Can Lalu’s RJDstill make a difference as leader of the Opp bloc?

Without plastics and polymers, we might not have been able to faceCOVID. But it is time to start worrying about the environment

SC PANDEY

MAJORECONOMIES ARE

SURVIVING ONPEOPLE BUYING

THINGS THAT THEYDON’T REALLY

NEED AND LIVINGON BORROWEDFUNDS. IT IS A

PARADOX THATTHE RICHEST

COUNTRIES AREALSO THE MOST

INDEBTEDCOUNTRIES. NEW

ASPIRATIONALNEEDS ARE FELT

OR CREATED ANDFINANCE IS

ARRANGED BYBORROWING

While the economy hasbeen doing better thanexpected, I think there's adownside risk to that ifthere is no further fiscalsupport.

Federal Reserve Chairman—Jerome Powell

The malafide intent that drivesthe Pakistani deep state is intotal contradiction to the objec-tives and principles that we allhave gathered to promote inthis temple of human rights.

First Secretary, MEA—Vimarsh Aryan

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

Russia will in no waybuild its policy on thebasis of taking intoaccount these aggres-sive demands that haveno legal force.

Foreign Minister—Sergei Lavrov

Diverting public attention

S O U N D B I T E

Pacifier in the Indo-Pacific

INHONE LOCKDOWN MEIN BAS ANUSHKA KI BOWLING KI

PRACTICE KI HAIN (VIRAT HAS ONLY TRAINED AGAINST

ANUSHKA’S BOWLING DURING THE LOCKDOWN).

—FORMER CRICKETER

SUNIL GAVASKAR

OVER THE YEARS YOU HAVE RESPECTED THE PRIVATE

LIVES OF EVERY CRICKETER. SHOULDN’T YOU HAVE AN

EQUAL AMOUNT OF RESPECT FOR ME AND US?

—ACTOR

ANUSHKA SHARMA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

Even as the world is grappling with theCOVID-19 pandemic, geopolitics is under-going a seismic shift. The Indo-Pacific

region, which accounts for almost 40 per cent ofthe global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), hasemerged as the epicentre of the “New GreatGame,” especially between the US and China, forinfluence. The rule-based international order isbeing contested in the Indo-Pacific reportedly bynone other than a UN Security Council (UNSC)member, the People’s Republic of China (PRC).Speaking at the Munich Security Conference onFebruary 14, the German Federal PresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier said, “…(China) isselective in accepting international law only whereit does not run counter to its own interests. Itsactions in the South China Sea are unsettling theneighbours in the region.”

Beijing’s constant hammering on the exist-ing global order has caused alarm in the US andamong its allies. Compared to China, India hasbeen endorsing the prevalence of a rule-basedworld order in the Indo-Pacific region.Delineating New Delhi’s vision for the region,Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech atthe Shangri-La Dialogue on June 1, 2018, said,“India stands for an open and stable internation-al trade regime. We will also support a rule-based,open, balanced and stable trade environment inthe Indo-Pacific Region...”

Re-ordering the world: After the collapse ofthe Soviet Union in 1991, what emerged was aunipolar world order dominated by the US. It wasbelieved that post-1991, the emergence of the USas the sole world power would expedite therestoration of global peace, security and stabili-ty and strengthen Pax Americana.

That is, the post-World War-II internation-al order shaped and maintained by the USemploying its overwhelming might. However,instead of growing in strength, Pax Americanahas been fraying since the collapse of the SovietUnion. The strategic space ceded in the Indo-Pacific by the US, thanks to its “America First”policy, has been occupied by regional powers, thusturning it into a multi-polar region and the cen-tre of a major geopolitical tussle for dominance.The fear among the world powers is that if therules of the international order are disobeyed anddisowned, the already fragile global form mightcollapse. What would happen next? A chaosresulting out of world disorder? Or a global re-order leading to resuscitation of peace and secu-rity?

Wary of the consequences that might ensue,India has been championing for a world basedon a new global security architecture supportedby multi-lateralism and mutual cooperation.During his recent visit to Russia, in a meeting ofthe Shanghai Cooperation Organisation onSeptember 4, Defence Minister Rajnath Singhdeclared New Delhi is committed to this as it will“be open, transparent, inclusive, rules-based andanchored in international laws.” Earlier in May,in his address to the Non-Aligned Movement(NAM) countries, Modi had appealed, “In thepost-Corona world, we need a new template ofglobalisation, based on fairness, equality, andhumanity. We need international institutions thatare more representative of today’s world.”

Indo-US partnership: In recentyears, India has come strategically clos-er to the US and its allies to containChina through diplomatic and militarymeans. The Indian Navy’s participationin the Malabar naval exercise led by theUS Navy is one such example of thegrowing partnership between the twonations.

But it has not come to terms withthe “America First” policy. UnlikeWashington DC, New Delhi has beena proponent of multi-lateralism to pro-mote peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. And that is why itis treading a fine line in the region bynot squarely aligning with the US in itsbalancing act, making no explicit ref-erence to China and opposingAustralia’s entry into the Malabar navalexercise.

However, amid the growing bordertension with China, India may “aggres-sively” pursue the Indo-Pacific balanc-ing act together with the US, Japan andAustralia. Though so far New Delhi hasopposed Australia’s entry into theMalabar exercise, it might considerinviting it to the next one. This wouldstrengthen the Quad (the US, India,Australia and Japan strategic partner-ship) further and probably make it anti-China. In 2015, Japan had alreadybeen elevated as a permanent memberof the Malabar exercise group.

China as a sea power: In his bookPrisoners of Geography, Tim Marshallnotes, “Until now China has never beena naval power…and it was rarely ideo-logically expansive…It was always aland power with a lot of land and a lotof people.” However, Beijing now har-bours ambitions of becoming a globalpower and setting the international ruleson its own terms. To fulfil its ambitions,it simply follows in the US’ footsteps togain control over the seas.

It has already taken measures todominate the South China Sea (SCS)

and the Indian Ocean. Beijing is alreadymaking efforts to set up an Air DefenceIdentification Zone in the SCS anddevelop a Blue Water navy to defend itssea controls. Tim Marshall furtheradds, “China…intends to become a twoocean power (Pacific and Indian). Toachieve this, China is investing indeep-water ports in Myanmar,Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka…”

The great American naval strategistof the 19th century, Alfred Mahan, oncesaid, “Whoever rules the waves, rulesthe world.” His naval strategy findssupreme place in China pursuing itsstrategic ends. Just like other globalpowers, Beijing, too is Mahanian, prob-ably with Maoist tactics. China isexpanding its sea controls in a piecemealmanner, mouthful by mouthful, a typ-ical Maoist strategy to wipe out enemyforces one by one. Mao asserted, “In war,battles can only be fought one by oneand the enemy forces can only bedestroyed one by one.” Tacticisation ofstrategy is doomed to fail againstChina’s well-designed strategy of piece-meal expansion in the Indo-Pacificregion. Only a coherent grand contain-ment strategy can counter Beijing’sexpansionism in the region.

India as the pivot State: Given theexpansionist agenda of China in theIndo-Pacific and beyond, countries inthe region are forming a strategic part-nership to contain it. The success of thealliance, however, depends on howIndia responds to the emerging geopol-itics in the region. Can New Delhi playa pivotal role in arresting Beijing’sgrowing influence? Does its geograph-ic position allow for that?

Quoting naval strategist AlfredMahan, Robert Kaplan writes in hisbook The Revenge of Geography,“Mahan thought that instead of theHeartland of Eurasia being the geo-graphical pivot of empires, it was con-versely the Indian and Pacific oceans

that constituted the hinges of geopolit-ical destiny.” Mahan sees India’s locationin the centre of the Indian Ocean littoral,with the Himalayas protecting its rearflanks, as critical for the seaward pen-etration of China, adds Kaplan. Thisexplains precisely the strategic signifi-cance of India’s geography in regionalgeopolitics, making it a pivot of theIndo-Pacific. Kaplan has rightly predict-ed, “As the US and China become greatpower rivals, the direction in whichIndia tilts could determine the courseof geopolitics in Eurasia in the 21st cen-tury. India, in other words, looms as theultimate pivot State.”

Germany’s return to realpolitik:On July 1, Germany took charge of thepresidency of the Council of theEuropean Union (EU). In Septemberit articulated its strategy on the regionthrough a document titled “Policyguidelines for the Indo-Pacific region.”In his statement, German ForeignMinister Heiko Maas declared: “We aresending a clear message today, the Indo-Pacific region is a priority of Germanforeign policy…We want to help shapethat order, so that it is based on rulesand international cooperation, not onthe law of the strong. That is why wehave intensified cooperation with thosecountries that share our democratic andliberal values.” In fact, this is indicativeof Germany’s return to a realpolitikapproach towards its foreign and secu-rity policies from its so-called “moralpolitics” and “political escapism.”

This augurs well for India, as bothnations believe in a multi-lateralistapproach to foreign policy and interna-tional politics. Just like Germany, multi-lateralism is key to transforming Indiainto a global power. Their beliefs indemocratic and liberal values makethem natural allies and together theycan play a vital role in ensuring peaceand security in the Indo-Pacific region.

(The writer is a policy commentator)

Germany’s return to realpolitik augurs well for India as it emerges as a pivot of theaggressive counter-balancing act in the region together with the US, Japan and Australia

07F I R S T C O L U M N

Save Bollywoodfrom ‘gutterisation’

ANURAG TIWARY

ABHINAVJHA

The entire process of turning actors into marketingagents for selling certain political ideologies

must stop after Kangana Ranaut

SANDEEP KUMAR DUBEY

GIVEN THEEXPANSIONIST

AGENDA OF CHINA IN THE

INDO-PACIFIC AND BEYOND,

COUNTRIES IN THE REGION

ARE FORMING ASTRATEGIC

PARTNERSHIP TOCONTAIN IT.

THE SUCCESS OFTHE ALLIANCE,

HOWEVER,DEPENDS

ON HOW INDIARESPONDS

TO THE EMERGING

GEOPOLITICS INTHE REGION. CAN

NEW DELHI PLAY A PIVOTAL

ROLE IN ARRESTING

BEIJING’S GROWING

INFLUENCE IN THE REGION?

DOES ITSGEOGRAPHIC

POSITION ALLOWFOR THAT?

The Government’s recent decision to set up the country’s “mostbeautiful” and “biggest” film city in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, hasto be read in its wider socio-political context. An attempt to

decentralise Bollywood, negate Mumbai as the entertainment cap-ital of this country and control the dissemination of art and cre-ativity is under way. The timing couldn’t be any better. The debateover nepotism, drug use and the proliferation of the so-called“mafia” of film-makers in Mumbai, amid the controversy surround-ing Sushant Singh Rajput’s (SSR’s) untimely death, has changedthe way we, as an audience, look at Bollywood today. The Hindifilm industry is allegedly ruled by a bunch of oligarchs and dynastswho are extremely arrogant, egotistical and self-absorbed in theirattitude towards “outsiders.”

Globally, the entertainment industry runs on a nonpareil imagethat it builds for itself. The insider-outsider debate in Bollywoodhas tainted the larger than life image of actors and film-makersand has brought the good, bad, and ugly side of the industry outin the open. How much of it is true remains to be seen. However,interestingly, Kangana Ranaut has emerged as the unflinching faceof the rebellion against power, albeit in a highly uncouth manner.

Resultantly, it has so happened that much of this controver-sy has led to a debate between the far-Right and the Left-of-Centrepolitical ideologies. In their attempts at winning the hearts of theurban middle-class, political parties have paved the way for a rad-ical overhauling of cinema, art, and artists. This will be done bycreating parallel power structures within the entertainment indus-try that will be backed by the State. We see that happening almostostentatiously in the SSR-Rhea-Kangana drama. We have alsoseen that as a gradual development since the NDA Governmentcame to power.

The likes of Anupam Kher, Paresh Rawal and MadhurBhandarkar, among many others, have been used to lend theirvoice to debates on nationalism and religion. However, the nexusbetween Bollywood and politicians isn’t a new phenomenon. Greatpoliticians understand that politics alone will not get their mes-sages to the masses. So, both the groups have, historically, lookedafter each other. Film personalities help politicians in their cam-paigns and similarly, politicians help failed actors become admin-istrators in the name of “cultural diplomacy.” It is almost like arule. However, what the Kangana saga has revealed is that thereis an attempt to forge a parallel entertainment industry which willact as the mouthpiece of Right-wing political parties and theGovernment. This group will help in disseminating what is knownas “fringe cultural nationalism.” The mechanism is simple, involv-ing shifting of power structures and bringing the industry withinthe control of the State. For the services of such actors, theGovernment will either provide them with security sponsored frompublic money or citizenship in case you are Akshay Kumar.

What is ignored during this entire debate is that the democ-ratisation of cinema originally meant the production and promo-tion of diverse ideas previously not permitted within the indus-try. It also meant that for an “outsider”, there would be “lowerbarriers to entry” without any particular pedigree. It meant exper-imentation with alternative modes of artistic expression and cre-ativity. It meant due recognition for films and works of expres-sion that display counter-culture. Diversified cinema and artisticcreativity were the major goals behind the demands for democ-ratising the industry.

The present developments pose a threat to all stakeholders,including the audience, who are the primary and the majority stake-holders in artistic expression. The emergence of newbie politi-cians, who are regarded as pariah actors, will serve the purpos-es of disseminating Right-wing nationalism and will do no goodto creativity and art. Actors, on the other hand, will lose creativeautonomy and will be burdened with social responsibility. Filmsthat challenge majoritarianism or films that are against an ideaimposed by the State will not be permitted to go on the floors.Existing norms on censorship will change and become worse thanwhat they already are. Discretion will be exercised almost freely.Turning artists into marketing agents for selling a certain politi-cal ideology must stop after motormouth Kangana Ranaut. JayaBachchan’s “save the industry” from “gutterisation” remark in RajyaSabha last week should act as a clarion call and must forceprospective cine-goers and film-makers to do some introspec-tion.

(Anurag is from the National Law University and Abhinav isa student of law, Amity University)

On September 26, 200 years ago, anextraordinary personality was born ina village in south West Bengal. By the

standards of his time, why, even by today’sstandards, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar wasunique in every respect. As RabindranathTagore once said, “One wonders how God, inthe process of producing 40 million Bengalis,produced a man.”

The 19th century Bengali society was inan advanced state of decay brought about bya lethal cocktail of superstition, depravity andexploitation, being trapped inside a complexhierarchy of castes and sub-castes embeddedwithin each other. One half of the society —women — was excluded from education andeconomic activities, being confined to homeswhere they had no voice. They were treatedas intellectually and morally inferior, andhence unworthy of education. Superstitionproclaimed that a girl’s education wouldinevitably beget her widowhood. Her best con-tribution to society was to become one of thecountless wives of Kulin Brahmins, whose

main aim was collecting handsome dowriesfrom multiple marriages — one had as manyas 156 wives as per records. She would be luckyto enjoy her absentee husband’s company afew nights a year. She would attain salvationby burning on the same funeral pyre with herhusband, who was 50-60 years older than her.Through the efforts of Raja Rammohan Roy(1772-1838), the horrendous practice of Satiwas abolished in 1829, nine years afterVidyasagar’s birth.

Child marriage was the order of the day.Girls were married before attaining pubertyin a custom called gouridan. Born into a KulinBrahmin family, Vidyasagar himself wasmarried at the age of 14 to a girl eight yearsold. Bankimchandra, who was born 18 yearsafter Vidyasagar, was married at 11 to a girlonly five years old. Female infanticide was alsothe order of the day. Female foetuses wouldbe destroyed brutally through what wascalled “ghat murder.” These monstrosities stillexist in many pockets in rural India despiteall the laws we have in our books.

Women had no right to property or inher-itance. Once they became widows, a lifetimeof misery awaited them. They were forced toa single stringent vegetarian meal a day to robthem of their sexuality, youth and beauty.Sexual exploitation by relatives and termina-tion of unwanted pregnancies leading to deathwere not only common but met with society’stacit approval. Legal abolition of sati did notend women’s miseries. The daily privations,

insults and misery of existence forced manyto join the brothels that were there to sustainthe perverted Babu culture of Bengal. In 1853,the population of sex workers in Kolkata was12,419 and by 1867 it touched over 30,000.And 90 per cent of them, according to theAmritabazar Patrika, were widows. By a crudeestimate, the sex worker population increasedfrom about five to nearly 10 per cent ofKolkata’s population over this period.

This, then, was the society Vidyasagar wasborn into, and this was the society he hadsought to reform. He did so with a gusto anda fearlessness we have not seen in any otherpersonality ever since. To fight the orthodoxsociety steeped in deep superstition and ruledby the semi-literate Brahmins, Vidyasagarknew he would have to beat his adversariesat their own game. So, in January andOctober 1855, he wrote his two famous trea-tises on the Marriage of Hindu Widows, draw-ing upon the Sutras (literary compositions)and the Sastras (scriptures) to establish his log-ical argument that there was no prohibitionon remarriage of widows in the Sastras.

Rather the Parashara Samhita sanc-tioned widow remarriage: “Women are at lib-erty to marry again if their husbands areinsane, dead, have renounced the family or areimpotent or outcasts.” About 2,000 copies ofthe first book were sold in the first week itself,followed by 3,000 and then a third reprint of10,000 copies got sold out too. But the salesfigures did not indicate society’s response. He

was heaped with criticism, insults, motives,ridicule and even threatened with death.

The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act wasfinally passed on July 26, 1856 and the reformdid not remain limited to Bengal alone. In1864, Jyotiba Phule succeeded in persuadinga Saraswat Brahmin widow to remarry. In1866, Vishnu Shastri Pandit translatedVidyasagar’s book on widow remarriage intoMarathi. But passing of the statute was onlythe first of the many obstacles. Vidyasagar per-sonally presided over the first remarriage ofa widow, Kalimati, with SrishchandraVidyaratna, and then many others at his ownexpense, in the process gathering significantpersonal debt.

He even got his only son,Narayanchandra, married to a widow,Bhavasundari. Not many have the courage topractise what they preach. As he wrote to hisbrother: “Remarriage of widows is the noblestdeed of my life. I don’t think I shall be ableto accomplish a greater one, ever. I have sac-rificed everything for this cause and won’tmind even laying down my life for it.”

He was also propagating women’s educa-tion. In 1849, he set up the Calcutta FemaleSchool along with Drinkwater Bethune foreducating the girl child. In 1856, appointedSpecial Inspector of Schools, he established 30schools exclusively for girls. Between 1857 and1858, when the Mutiny was ravaging the coun-try, he was fighting a different kind of battle,opening 35 girls’ schools all over Bengal.

After widow remarriage, it was the turnof polygamy. In 1857, he orchestrated a peti-tion to the Government with 25,000 signaturesfor the prohibition of polygamy among KulinBrahmins. The Mutiny postponed any actionon this petition but in 1866, he inspired anoth-er petition, this time with 21,000 signatures.The Government, reluctant to interfere inIndian customs, refused to take any legisla-tive measure, instead allowing time and edu-cation to bring an end to the practice.

In 1871 and 1873, he wrote two brilliantcritiques on polygamy, arguing that it was notsanctioned by the sacred texts, but wasopposed by five eminent scholars, led by hisfriend Taranath Tarkavachaspati of CalcuttaSanskrit College. Outlawing polygamy amongHindus, however, had to wait till 1955, eightyears after Independence, through the HinduMarriage Act. As regards child marriage, theIndian Penal Code, 1860, had fixed the ageof consent to 10 years for girls, which wasraised successively to 12 (1891), 14 (1925), 16(1940) and 18 (2013). The Child MarriageRestraint Act, 1929, also known as the SardaAct, fixed the age of marriage at 14 for girlsand 18 for boys, that was later raised to 18 and21 respectively in 1978. This has since beenrepealed and replaced by the Prohibition ofChild Marriage Act, 2006.

In 1873, disgusted with the so-calledbhadralok society, Vidyasagar went to live withthe Santhals at Karmatar, a sleepy hamletabout 20 km from the district headquarters

of Jamtara now in Jharkhand, where he wouldspend the last 18 years of his life till his deathin 1891. There he set up a girls’ school and anight school for adults on the premises of hishouse, which he called Nandan Kanan. Thehouse today lies in shambles.

The irony is that though in this village 24tribal child widows were remarried byVidyasagar, just two years ago, a tribal boy waskilled in Karmatar because he wished to marrya widow. Has anything really changed in mod-ern India?

Sati was abolished only in name.Countless satis continue to get burnt in 21stcentury India, though not on pyres. Countlessbrides get burnt to death in their nuptialhomes for dowries, the faces and minds ofcountless more are scarred forever by acidattacks inflicted by spurned lovers and oth-ers. Scores of girls are murdered in “honour-killings” in rural India for marrying intoanother caste or community, by defying theirfamilies’ diktats.

Sati has actually metamorphosed intoanother form that is equally brutal andvicious. It is not about burning a woman. Itis about denying her the choice to decide thecourse of her life. She is continued to be treat-ed as morally and intellectually inferior tomen, as she was 200 years ago. We need anoth-er Ram Mohan Roy and a Vidyasagar now,more than ever.

(The author is a retired Director-Generalfrom the Office of the CAG)

India needs another Vidyasagar nowJust two years ago, a tribal boy was killed in Karmatar because he wished to marry a widow. Has anything really changed in modern India?

GOVIND BHATTACHARJEE

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com analysis

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 money 08

SHORT READS

Dr Reddy's launchesgeneric drug in USmarketNew Delhi: Drug major DrReddy's Laboratories on Fridaysaid it has launched genericversion of Precedex injection,used for sedation purposes inpatients, in the US market. The Hyderabad-basedcompany's DexmedetomidineHydrochloride in 0.9 per centSodium Chloride injection isthe generic version of HospiraInc's Precedex injection. "Weare pleased to bring thisimportant generic product tomarket, making it affordable -and readily available - forpatients," Dr Reddy'sLaboratories Chief ExecutiveOfficer North America GenericsMarc Kikuchi said in astatement.The company'sability to adequately supplyDexmedetomidine is importantfor patients as it is on theFDA's Drug Shortage list, headded.

Vakrangee gets RBInod to set up BharatBill Payment unitNew Delhi: Vakrangee Ltd onFriday said the Reserve Bankhas granted in-principleapproval to set up Bharat BillPayment Operating Unit(BBPOU) to handle paymentservices related to bills.Vakrangee (VL) has receivedin-principle authorisation to setup and operate BBPOU underthe Payment and SettlementSystems Act, 2007 from theReserve Bank of India (RBI), itsaid in a release. The companyoffers banking, insurance,money transfer services, e-commerce, e-governance andother digital services on behalfof its partner banks, insurers,government agencies, e-commerce players amongothers through its branchesmostly located in rural andsemi-urban areas. "Vakrangeecan now directly handlepayment and aggregation ofpayment services relating tobills under the scope of BBPS,"the company said.

Lupin launchesgeneric DivalproexSodium ER tablets

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Lupinon Tuesday said it haslaunched generic DivalproexSodium extended-releasetablets used for treatment ofvarious conditions, includingmanic episodes associatedwith bipolar disorder, in theAmerican market. Thecompany has unchedDivalproex Sodium extended-release (ER) tablets USP, in thetrengths of 250 mg and 500mg, having received anapproval earlier from theUnited States Food and DrugAdministration (USFDA), Lupinsaid in a statement. Theproduct will be manufacturedat the company's Nagpurfacility, it added. Thecompany's tablet is genericversion of AbbVie Inc'sDepakote extended-releasetablets in the same strengths,Lupin said. According to IQVIAMAT July 2020 data,Divalproex Sodium extended-release tablets USP had annualsales of approximately$130m.

Flipkart, Amazon strengthen furniture offeringsPNS n NEW DELHI

E-commerce giants Flipkartand Amazon have expandedthe number of sellers on theirplatforms and ramped up selec-tion in the furniture categoryas they gear up to compete inthe upcoming festive season.

Walmart-owned Flipkartsaid it has more than doubledthe number of sellers in furni-ture category on the market-place since last year to over10,000 sellers across the coun-try, and increased its selectionto over 3.5 lakh products tomeet consumers' evolvingdemand.

These sellers, including smalland micro furniture manufac-turers, have been onboardedfrom various furniture clustersacross Churu, Ratangad,Sardharsheher in Rajasthan,

Jabalpur, Indore in MP andSaharanpur in Bihar, Flipkartsaid in a statement.

Amazon India Director(Large Appliances andFurniture) Suchit Subhas saidover the last year, Amazon.inhas enabled thousands of smallsellers in the furniture catego-ry to get online and access anationwide customer base.

He added that these includefurniture sellers from severalartisanal hubs of Rajasthan,Madhya Pradesh and UttarPradesh that are known fortheir unique furniture designsacross the world.

"We have launched a 'QualityVerified' program that aims toeducate and help sellersimprove quality of their prod-ucts by developing standard-ized product, packaging andcatalog improvement guide-

lines based on industry bestpractices that will help sellersoffer a great shopping experi-ence to customers," he noted.

Flipkart said COVID-19pandemic has catalysed newdemand patterns across prod-ucts categories, including fur-niture, as people spend moretime at home.

With consumers now invest-ing more in creating their owncomfortable space at home,there is a notable increase inthe demand for ergonomicfurniture across furniture seg-ments, it said.

While metro cities account-ed for a large percentage of thisdemand before the pandemic,

an increasing number of con-sumers from tier-2 and tier-3markets are purchasing furni-ture online since the lock-down and now, with the festiveseason approaching, Flipkartaims to offer customers a one-stop destination for furnitureshopping, it added.

Flipkart has also expandedits work from home (WFH)furniture seller count withbrands such as Wipro andFeatherlite by over 30 per cent.

It added that the companyhas strengthened its furniturebusiness with an enhancedfocus on availability, affordabil-ity, accessibility and quality tooffer consumers easy access toonline furniture across thecountry.

"Through our expandedpool of thousands of sellers,wide assortment and a pan-India reach, furniture as a cat-egory will play a key role in thegrowth of e-commerce in theyears to come...The success ofonline furniture retailing, espe-cially in the COVID period,also marks the tipping point ofonline commerce in India andhighlights the growing con-sumer confidence in the valueof e-commerce," FlipkartSenior Vice-President, BGMH,Furniture and Grocery, ManishKumar said.

Walmart-ownedFlipkart said it hasmore than doubledthe number ofsellers in furniturecategory on themarketplace

PNS n NEW DELHI

The CAG has found that theUnion government in the veryfirst two years of the GSTimplementation wronglyretained Rs 47,272 crore ofGST compensation cess thatwas meant to be used specifi-cally to compensate states forloss of revenue.

In its audit report of govern-ment accounts, the Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG) flagged that the amountwas to be credited to the non-lapsable GST CompensationCess collection fund for pay-ment to states for loss of rev-enue due to implementation ofGST since 2017, but the gov-ernment did not do so, andthus violated the GST law.

"The GST CompensationCess Act, 2017 provides forlevy of cess for the purpose ofproviding compensation tothe states for loss of revenuearising due to implementationof GST for a period specifiedin the Act," CAG said.

As per the Act and theaccounting procedure, theentire cess collected during the

year is required to be credit-ed to a non-lapsable Fund (theGST Compensation CessFund) which shall form part ofthe Public Account and shallbe used for the purpose men-tioned i.e., for providing com-pensation to states for loss ofrevenue. CAG said out of the

Rs 62,612 crore GSTCompensation Cess collectedin 2017-18, Rs 56,146 crorewas transferred to the non-lapsable fund.

In the following year (2018-19), Rs 54,275 crore out of Rs95,081 crore collected wastransferred to the fund.

The short transfer in 2017-18 was Rs 6,466 crore and in2018-19 it was Rs 40,806 crore,CAG said adding the Centreused this money for "otherpurposes" which "led to anoverstatement of revenuereceipts and understatementof fiscal deficit for the year".

The short-crediting was a

violation of the GSTCompensation Cess Act, 2017.

The issue of compensationcess is driving a wedgebetween the Centre and statesat the GST Council - thehighest decision making bodyof the GST regime that hadsubsumed 17 different centraland state taxes such as exciseduty and VAT.

States have not been paidtheir promised compensationfor letting go their powers tolevy taxes on goods and ser-vices since last fiscal. TheCentre says a slowdown in theeconomy has meant that notenough money is being col-lected by way of cess that islevied on luxury and singoods.

The Centre has asked statesto borrow for meeting the rev-enue shortfall. States ruledby Congress, Left, TMC andAAP have opposed the movecompletely arguing that theCentre should borrow andprovide to states, since stateshave given majority of theirtaxation powers to the Centreunder GST regime introducedin July 2017.

PNS n NEW DELHI

India Ratings and Research(Ind-Ra) on Friday said it hasmaintained a negative outlookon transport and energy infra-structure for second half of thecurrent financial year.

It said the negative outlookstems from likely low demandin the sectors.

"India Ratings and Research(Ind-Ra) has maintained anegative outlook on energy andtransport infrastructure for2HFY21, stemming from alikely low demand, driven bylow thermal plant load factorand subdued wind genera-tions, and the resultant impacton coverage metrics," the ragt-ing agency said in a statement.

The agency has also main-tained a negative outlook onthe roads and airport sectors.

It said toll collectionsrebound was strong at around

90 per cent of pre-COVID-19levels in the first 15 days of September 2020, exceeding Ind-Ra's April 2020 expectations.

"Nevertheless, possibleregional lockdowns, a surge inCOVID-19 infections, travelrestrictions, people behaviour-al changes and a weaker eco-nomic recovery are threats tofurther growth," Ind-Ra said.

The airport sector wasimpaired by almost nil opera-tions in the first quarter of2020-21 and restrained passen-ger movements, it said. The

agency added that the short-term risks to traffic recoverycloud the sector prospects butthe long-term potential isintact, given the protectedreturns for airports and a longconcession framework for oth-ers. Liquidity would be animportant rating considera-tion for airports, the agencysaid. About energy infrastruc-ture projects, it said it expectsthe effect of liquidity enhance-ment on distribution compa-nies (discoms) to be temporary,

and payables from discomsare likely to increase slightly bythe end of 2020-21 year-on-year. It added that the weakoperating profiles of most dis-coms continue to be drag onthe sector. On toll road pro-jects, it maintained a negativeoutlook and said India's tollroads' V-shaped recovery wascomparable to geographiessuch as China. In the first 15days of September 2020, tollcollections touched 90 per centof the average in the previousfinancial year. "The recoveryin toll roads has been swifterthan Ind-Ra's original expec-tation. However, projects havedisplayed a varied trend of rev-enue recovery due to individ-ual corridor-specific dynam-ics." it added. The agency alsosaid commercial traffic con-tributes 75-80 per cent to thetoll collections and the balanceis from passenger vehicles.

India Ratings maintains negative outlookIt said negativeoutlook stems fromlikely low demandin the sectors. Italso maintained anegative outlookon roads andairport sectors

PNS n NEW DELHI

Drug firm Strides PharmaScience on Tuesday said itssubsidiary, Strides PharmaGlobal Pte Ltd, has receivedapproval from the US healthregulator for Butalbital,Acetaminophen, andCaffeine tablets, used to treattension headache.

The approved product isbioequivalent and therapeu-tically equivalent to theReference Listed Drug(RLD), Butalbital, Acetaminophen, and Caffeine tabletsof Actavis Laboratories FLInc.

Strides Pharma Global PteLtd, Singapore, has receivedapproval for Butalbital,Acetaminophen, andCaffeine tablets USP in thestrengths of 50 mg/325 mg/40mg from the United StatesFood and DrugAdministration (USFDA),Strides Pharma Science saidin a regulatory filing.

StridesPharma getsUSFDA nod

PNS n NEW DELHI

Sebi chief Ajay Tyagi onTuesday said the markets reg-ulator is not forcing anyone toinvest in small-caps andinvestment should always bein the interest of investorsamid new portfolio alloca-tion rules for multi-cap mutu-al fund schemes.

He further said multi-capmutual fund schemes shouldbe "true to label".

The regulator, earlier thismonth, directed multi-capfunds to invest at least 25 percent of their corpuses each inlarge-cap stocks, mid-caps andsmall-cap stocks.This raisedconcerns among the mutualfund industry and fund man-agers estimated that the movewould result into Rs 30,000-40,000 crore moving out oflarge-cap to mid-cap andsmall-cap companies.

Earlier, there was no restric-tion on the exposure suchfunds needed to make in large,mid and small-cap stocks andtherefore majority of themulti-cap funds have run witha large-cap bias. "Multi-capform should be as per theirname. We are not forcing any-

one to invest in these caps(small-cap, mid-cap) andinvestment should be in theinterest of investors," Tyagisaid while addressing industrybody Amfi's 25th annual gen-eral meeting. According tohim, improper categorizationof mutual fund schemes willlead to confusion and mis-sell-ing. "Schemes not true to labelwill create confusion in theminds of investors," Tyagisaid.

‘Not forcing anyone toinvest in small-caps’

PNS n NEW DELHI

TVS Motor Company onTuesday launched a new vari-ant of TVS Apache RTR 2004V motorcycle equipped witha new braking technology,Super-Moto ABS, priced atRs 1,23,500 (ex-showroomDelhi). The motorcycle willoffer single-channel ABSfunction, giving it formidablestopping power and superiorbraking control coupled withthe fun of sliding around therace track, the company saidin a statement. TVS ApacheRTR 200 4V is powered by a197.75 cc single-cylinder, 4-stroke engine deliveringpower of 20.5 PS of power at8,500 RPM. It is enabledwith Race Tuned-Fuel injec-tion 'RT-Fi' technology.

PNS n MUMBAI

The state-run lenders are see-ing faster pick up in retail cred-it inquiries than their privatecounterparts on quickerreopening of branch network,a report by a credit informa-tion company (CIC) said onTuesday.

Despite the inroads doneby digital a lternatives,through which lenders arereceiving inquiries and evendisbursing loans online,branch offices continue toplay an important role,Transunion Cibil said in thereport.

The lenders get in touchwith CICs while doing dili-gence on every credit propos-al, which triggers in inquiries.

It can be noted that manyanalysts have said that a largeshare of the incremental cred-it demand is coming from themore aggressive private sectorlenders who also have largercapital buffers.

"Public (sector) lenderssaw the biggest rebound in

inquiries in July and August2020, most likely becausethey were early in recom-mencing operations thantheir private and NBFC (non-bank finance companies)counterparts," the report byCibil said.

Inquiries from over a dozenstate-run lenders for the twomonths were at 102 per centof the same observed inJanuary-February this yearand 118 per cent of that in thesame period a year ago, itsaid.

The same numbers for theprivate sector lenders were at70 per cent and 78 per cent,respectively, while for NBFCs

and housing finance compa-nies, inquiries were muchlower at 51 per cent of thepre-COVID period inJanuary-February and 57 percent of the levels observed inJuly-August last year. At asystem-wide level, inquiryvolumes rebounded in July-August, but were still lowerthan the pre-COVID period,the report said, adding that asof August 2020, the inquirieswere at the same level asduring April 2018. It alsosaid that a lot of demand seenin July-August was pent-uploan demand which had beenaffected due to the coron-avirus-induced lockfowns.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) hasapproved the restructuring ofSAIL's board, the steel min-istry said in a statement onFriday.

The restructuring of theboard will bring in greater effi-ciency, and decentralisation inthe company, it said.

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the restructuring of theboard of SAIL. The 4 posts ofCEOs of SAIL's integratedsteel plants are to be elevatedas functional directors by des-ignating them as directors-in-charge of Bokaro, Rourkela,Bhilai and one director-in-

charge jointly for Burnpurand Durgapur steel plants," thestatement said.

The restructuring alsoinvolves merging the functionsand duties of the post ofDirector (Raw Materials andLogistics) and that of Director(Projects, and BusinessPlanning) with the post ofDirector (Technical) and itsconsequent re-designation asDirector (Technical, Projectsand Raw Materials).

PSBs get more retail creditinquiries than private banks

PNS n MUMBAI

The Gem and Jewellery ExportPromotion Council (GJEPC)on Friday said it is organisingIndia Global Connect, anexclusive virtual business meetbetween Indian manufacturersand retailers or buyers fromthe UK, next week to boost exports to the European nation.

The India Global Connectconference will provide a plat-form to explore opportunities,understand business needsand help further the tradebetween India and the UK in

gems and jewellery sector,GJEPC said in a statement.

"The pandemic has forcedus to look for innovative waysto reach out to the globalbusiness fraternity, and IndiaGlobal Connect is one suchendeavour where manufac-turers, exporters and

importers have an opportuni-ty to gain crucial marketinsights to further enhancetheir business," GJEPCChairman Colin Shah said.

"India's USD 35 billiongem and jewellery exportindustry has the wherewith-al to deliver client-specificproducts to every majorworld market. I am confidentthat the India Global Connectvirtual platform will open upnew avenues and deepenknowledge sharing betweenthe two trade partners," headded.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Vodafone has won the arbi-tration case against Indiaover Rs 20,000 crore retro-spective tax dispute, ccordingto sources. The Hague Courtruled that the conduct of theIndian tax department is inbreach of fair and equitabletreatment, the sources added.Vodafone has won the arbi-tration against India on theissue of retrospective tax caseof Rs 20,000 crore, they said.

Vodafonewinsarbitrationagainst India

ACC okays overhaulof SAIL's board

PNS n NEW DELHI

Volkswagen Passenger CarsIndia on Friday announced thelaunch of its digitally integrat-ed service outlets for pre-owned cars.With the launch ofDas WeltAuto (DWA)Excellence Centres, the compa-ny aims to strengthen its one-

stop solution to buy, sell orexchange certified pre-ownedcars. Through these Centres,customers can avail a bouquetof features, including profes-sional car evaluation, specialfinance offer, unique accesso-ry packages and hassle-freetransfer, the company said in astatement. To begin with, the

company has launched DWAExcellence Centres inCoimbatore, Hyderabad,Bengaluru, Cochin andThrissur. The company said itaims to offer a digitallyenabled, professionally man-aged, value for money propo-sition to customers looking forindividual mobility options.

GJEPC to hold virtual bizmeet with UK buyers

Inquiries from overa dozen state-runlenders for the twomonths were at102 per cent of thesame observed inJanuary-February

TVS MotorlaunchesApache RTR

PNS n CHENNAI

Daimler India (CommercialVehicle), a subsidiary of Stuttgart-based Daimler, has plans toexpand dealership network toover 250 outlets by this year-end, a top official has said.

The dealership networkwould increase by 10 per centthis year cutting down the dis-tance between dealershipsfrom the existing 160 km to120 km. "We are steadilyexpanding our dealer networkto ensure that all customershave easy access to our prod-ucts and services," the compa-ny's vice-president (marketingand sales) Rajaram Krishnamurthy said.

"That is a commitment wemade to BharatBenz buyersfrom the beginning, and we

will continue to honour it," hesaid. Early this year, DaimlerIndia sold one lakh BharatBenz trucks in the country.

The company's managingdirector Satyakam Arya said,

"Last month, BharatBenzshowed double digit salescompared to August 2019.

Daimler to strengthendealership network

Last month,BharatBenzshowed doubledigit salescompared toAugust 2019

The regulatordirected multi-capfunds to invest atleast 25% of theircorpuses each inlarge-cap stocks

The CAG flaggedthat the amountwas to be creditedto the non-lapsableGST CompensationCess collection fund

‘Centre used GST compensationcess elsewhere, violated law’

VW launches digitally integrated service outlets

Fans can’t help lose their mindsover Tollywood's Adah Sharmain her masala films — herportrayal of the latest fashiontrends or even setting some ofthem, her vibrant hair colours,contribution to the society, andher deep affection for her pet‘Radha'. But something thateven professing fans don't knowmuch about, is her extreme endearmenttowards the tinsel town that isHyderabad. Abode toTollywood, one of the biggest filmindustries in Indiafor both the Telugustates, Hyderabadhelped her makea name forherself, saysAdah in herchat withThe Pioneer'sSHIKHADUGGAL.Read on to findmore reasonsthat make theactress fall for the city every day

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

SaturdaySeptember 26, 2020

ifting herwith thesterling joyof a debutfilm, it gother

a lot of appreciationand recognition forthe work she does.This urban area isnot just one of thepedestals that aug-mented her name in the history ofTollywood cinema asone of the mostloved actresses butalso instilled a deep

thought in herthat ‘work is in

progress’ and isstrengtheningher to climbhigher in life.Born in thewell-known‘mayanagrike sheher’ — Bombay,now knownas Mumbai,she neverlost lovefor the cityshe worksin —Hyderabad.

She was nevercomplacent about itneither irked byminute things ofcommuting. Whenquestioned aboutone of the many thingsshe loves about thecity, Adah says sheadmires the netizens’utmost regard forcinema and howthey consider it to bean equally religiouspodium of display-ing art. “I feelblessed to be work-ing for Telugu cine-ma in Hyderabad. I got to be part ofsome successfulfilms for years nowand it’s my pleasureto be serving as anagent who caninspire the audiencesthrough my piece ofart because talkingabout cinema loversfrom the South, theyreally look into theintricate details of amovie which in turnhelps us also growinto promisingartists,” expressesAdah.

Every nowand then, shehas given her-self opportu-

nities to reconnecthere and believe inthe notion thatthere’s much morethat the city canoffer her and keptmoving forward. Byfollowing one of thesimplest yet pro-found mantras forframing a recalledrelationship withthis city, Adah saysshe always identifiesall the good thingsabout the place,except for the onecontentious thoughtthat’s been lingeringin her mind thesedays — public health issues.

Known for herhonesty and holdingher ground,Hyderabad felt likelove at first sight forher which gave her abalanced life andhelped her built agood networkingsystem amongst A-listers from theworld of Tollywoodcinema. Sharingmore about it, shesays, “I am intoxicat-ed with the people of this town. They give me immense love,make me feel

relevant, notice mygreat deal of workand the impressionis such that theylinger in mythoughts. They radi-ate warmth to anextent that it cancaptivate you.”

Considering the metropolitan of Hyderabad a pure wanderlust and a magnateattracting many visi-tors takes her backto the fondest mem-ory she has remi-nisced here, “I fond-ly remember when Ionce visited a multi-plex theatre inHyderabad and theway fans went out oftheir way amid theroaring crowd tomeet me was sohumbling. Fansmake us who we are, their reactionsare very genuine.They make edits forus, pen down poemsor love letters,sketch, all to attain

one post ofappreci-

ation.”

Work is indeed amajor part of thecharming actressand she thinks thetalent exchangebetween the two filmindustries havingnothing to do withnorthern or south-ern ends and itshould only reflectquality talent.“Hyderabad to me isall about my crazyfans who encourageme to do moreexperimental filmsand shower with meimmense love. Theyinstil a new passionin me every day tocontinue to wake up,go to the set, andlive It’sdream ofbeing an ‘adakaara’.Its not necessary forme to have a perma-nent residence to callit a home, a home iswhere I feel welcome and a sense of belonging,and Hyderabad isthat place for me. A fact about me that proves mystrong associationwith Hyderabadis that I am

known as a Teluguactress,” Adah signs off.

ADAH SHARMA’S IMMUTABLE RELATIONSHIP WITH HYD

YouTube is arguably a space where one has seen one of the mostdynamic changes in people’s mindsets. At a time when not manyviewed it as a suitable platform to promote, educate, and market, PlayInfo Pvt Ltd, began to make hay even before the sun shone. Thedirector talks to us about their timely decisions, their out-of-the-boxcontent, the future being digital, and more.

ntil as recently as acouple of years ago,no prominentachiever fromacross the spec-trum fancied

YouTube, as many felt it wasn'tattractive enough to be usedas a promotional or educa-tional tool. Today, the trans-formation is such that appear-ing on the ever-vibrant mediaplatform is the in-thing and ispatronised by just abouteveryone.

In keeping with the marketdynamics, this has resulted inthe emergence of several play-ers, who have establishedYouTube platforms much tothe delight of every Youtuberin town. A survivor in thehighly competitive field hasbeen Suman Network, SumanNetwork, which is the flagshipbrand of Play Even Info PvtLtd., today, ranks amongst themost popular Telugu digitalmedia platforms. “One needsto produce the right content tosurvive in the ever-growingdigital world,” avers Suman,Managing Director of SumanTV Network.

To keep in line with themarket demands and viewerexpectation, the network isbranching out by foraying intoseveral new genres, despite italready having around 100YouTube channels. The imme-diate plans are to expand theplatform base with district-specific YouTube channels tocater to the local demands,which, according to him, is

where there is a dearth ofquality content. There will beexclusive independent slots forhealth, employment opportu-nities, personality develop-ment, and astrology. There isan increasing demand fortechnology reviews and videosof personality development,cookery, and interviews ofinspirational role-models,which all enjoy loyal patron-age.

The industry compels everypromoter to introduce innova-tions and new features almostat regular intervals. Towardsthis in addition to the e-com-merce platform that has beenlaunched, Suman Network willbe on more platforms likeYouTube where content cre-ators can upload their videos.

“The future is digital. As it

is the most patronised medi-um, visibility, and an out-of-the-box, but viewer-relatedcontent is essential,” states the44-year-old from Naidupeta,echoing the sentiments of thesegment’s major players. Heknows the compulsions andexpectations of the peoplehaving learnt the basics as anindividual YouTuber in 2015.

It goes without saying thatpicking the right topic and

making timely videos is thekey to survival. It is importantto create quality content, espe-cially the kind that will reachthe audience on a particularday. According to data, farmerand spiritual-centric channelsare the most viewed in southIndia. For every digital mediaplatform, advertisementswould be the primary revenuemodel and this, to a signifi-cant extent, will determine theacceptance levels on theYouTube platform. Accordingto estimates, the turnover ofSuman Network in the previ-ous fiscal was around Rs 15 crores, thanks to theviewership it enjoys in India,the United States, Dubai andSingapore, and wherever thereis a sizeable presence ofTelugu population.

Viewer-related content is essential

U

Rakul, Deepika's managerKarishma join NCB probein drug case

day after skippingthe NarcoticsControl Bureau(NCB),Bollywood actorRakul Preet Singh

deposed before the drug lawenforcement agency in adrug case related to the deathof actor Sushant SinghRajput.

Bollywood actor DeepikaPadukone managerKarishma Prakash alsodeposed before the agencyfor questioning.

According to the NCBofficials, Rakul was first toarrive at the NCB office fol-lowed by Karishma.

The development comestwo days after the NCB sum-moned Deepika, Rakul,Shraddha Kapoor, Sara AliKhan and others.

On Thursday, NCBrecorded the statement ofSushant's former managerShruti Modi and fashiondesigner Simone Khambatta.

NCB sources said thatthey all have been sum-moned after their names sur-faced in WhatsApp chatsaccessed by the NCB andduring the questioning oflate Bollywood star SushantSingh Rajput’s girlfriendRhea Chakraborty.

The source said that thesecelebrities will be questionedabout how and from whomthey procured drugs andwhether they were meant forpersonal consumption or forsomeone else.

The source further saidthat while probing the link ofthe Kwan TalentManagement Agency in the

case, Deepika’s chats withKarishma surfaced.Karishma handled Deepika’saccount at Kwan till 2017.

According to an NCB offi-cial, the names of Sara andShraddha came up in twodrug cases registered by theagency.

The official said that theNCB is presently investigat-ing two separate cases whichrevolve around the drug car-tel that is active in the tinseltown. The first case was reg-

istered on the directions ofthe top brass of the NCBafter the EnforcementDirectorate (ED) forwardeda brief note on Rhea and herbrother Showik’s WhatsAppchats.

In its FIR number 15, theNCB claimed, “Analysis ofWhatsApp chats of RheaChakraborty with other enti-ties reflect the angle of con-spiracy and abetment in pos-session, sale, purchase, con-sumption, transportation

and usage of substances cov-ered under the NDPS Act.”

In the second case (FIRnumber 16), the NCB has sofar arrested 19 persons,including Rhea and Showik.

The NCB has also record-ed the statements of KwanCEO Dhruv Chitgopekar,producer Madhu MantenaVarma and Sushant’s talentmanager Jaya Saha.

Sushant was found dead inhis Bandra apartment onJune 14.

A

Suman

G

WOMEN MORE PRONE TOUNCONTROLLED DIABETES: STUDY

10

Hyderabad Saturday September 26 2020 what’s brewing?

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

raditionally, womenplay the role ofcaregivers in Indiawhen it comes tofamilies and theirhealth. More often

than not, this means that theyprioritise the health of theirloved ones over their own.When it comes to diabetes inwomen, a new study showshigher incidence of diabetesin women — as compared tomen.

A study by BeatO, a digitalhealth platform for diabetesmanagement, indicates thatwomen tend to have higherblood sugar levels or poorercontrol than men, by almosteight percent. As per the plat-form, this can be attributed togender roles in a household,inequitable access to resourcesand even lack of time to caterto their wellbeing.

While Type 2 diabetes ismore frequently diagnosed ata younger age and lower bodymass index in men; the mostprominent risk factor is obesi-ty, which is more common inwomen. BeatO’s study showsthat women (especially above40 years of age) on their plat-

form tend to have higherBMI, with average BMI forwomen being 27.5, versus thatof men being 26.

The study also indicatesthat for women above the ageof 40 years, almost 67 per centof the population is obese andoverweight, whereas, for men,this number is 59 per cent.Healthcare experts suggestthat reduced physical activityand obesity fasten the onset ofdiabetes in genetically predis-posed people.

It is also interesting to notethat while there is awarenessamongst women about dia-betes and the impact of nutri-tion and lifestyle on theirhealth, there is a minimalisticeffort into the management of

the condi-tion.

Thecurrentstudystatesthatwomentend toignore regularmonitoring andself-manage-ment, (they

monitor approximately 25 percent lesser than men). It isalso noticed that participationof women on health platformslike BeatO, which enable self-management of the condition- is only 26 per cent comparedto men (74 per cent).

Uncontrolled diabetes alsoposes risks for other compli-cations including cardiovascu-lar disease, kidney disease andneuropathy. Although bothgenders are at-risk for heartdisease, it has a greater impacton women’s heart health thanmen.

Dr Minal Mohit Vohra,Consultant Endocrinologiston the platform, shared,“While the occurrence of dia-betes in both men and womendo not have any clear dispari-ties, factors such as obesity,lifestyle, high blood pressureand even hormonal changescontribute to the onset of dia-

betes. Women are moresusceptible to compli-

cations arisingfrom

uncon-

trolled blood-sugar levels,especially when it comes tocardiac health. Further,women are also more prone tounique complications ofuncontrolled sugar levels,such as vaginal and oral yeastinfections along with theincreased risk of urinary tractinfection. Women inmenopause also face highblood sugar and weight given,due to changes in hormones.”

Studies also show that morethan half of women withPCOS develop Type 2 diabetesby the age of 40. This isbecause PCOS may causeinsulin resistance that resultsin elevated blood sugar levelsand increases the risk ofdeveloping diabetes.

This brings forth the bur-geoning need for women toearnestly manage their healthregularly, especially when evi-dence suggests that thatlifestyle conditions affectwomen more strongly thanmen. A conscientious decisionby them to better managetheir lifestyle with balancedfood and exercise can be keyto controlling diabetes.

T

A STUDY BY BEATO, A DIGITAL HEALTH PLATFORMFOR DIABETES MANAGEMENT, INDICATES THATWOMEN TEND TO HAVE HIGHER BLOOD SUGAR LEVELSOR POORER CONTROL THAN MEN, BY ALMOST EIGHTPERCENT. AS PER THE PLATFORM, THIS CAN BEATTRIBUTED TO GENDER ROLES IN A HOUSEHOLD,INEQUITABLE ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND EVENLACK OF TIME TO CATER TO THEIR WELLBEING.

11

Hyderabad Saturday September 26 2020tollywood

PNS n HYDERABAD

n a career spanningmore than fivedecades, SPBalasubrahmanyamhas recorded over40,000 songs in 16

Indian languages, evokingvarious emotions, be it joy,romance or pathosenthralling the connoisseursand common people alikethrough his mellifluousvoice. Born SripathiPanditaradhyulaBalasubrahmanyam on June4, 1946, in Nellore, he isassociated with some of themost iconic film songs in hisnative tongue Telugu, Tamil,Hindi, Malayalam, Kannadaand Hindi, collaboratingwith some of the most well-known music composers inthe business like MSViswanathan, Ilaiyaraaja, KVMahadevan, Hamsalekha,AR Rahman, Deva, Raj-Koti,Bappi Lahari, SA Rajkumar,Raj-Koti and Devi SriPrasad. A glance at his jour-ney:

JANAKI’S PUSH

Balu never harboureddreams of becoming a singer.After taking a break fromengineering in due to healthissues in ‘60s, he started par-ticipating in music shows forfun in home town Nellore.During one of his perfor-mances in Gudur, singerJanaki, impressed by hissinging, asked him to try hishand at playback singing. Aperplexed Balu had a smilefor it, saying that he didn’tlearn music. “Even I don’tknow music but I’m singing”,she had famously told him.She later confided in himthat his voice is special and ifhe tunes it according tomusic, he can have a brightfuture. So, in a sense, it was

she who sowed the seed ofsinging in him and that hecan depend on music forlivelihood.

KODANDAPANI’SBREAK

He later started visitingmusic directors in Madraswhile simultaneously pursu-ing studies. While most com-posers lauded his singingabilities, he couldn’t get hisfirst break, prompting him todiscontinue his efforts aftertwo years. During a contestconducted by Andhra SocialCultural Association inMadras, he sang a non-filmsong. Upcoming musicdirector Kodandapani saw aspark in the youngster and inthe same auditorium asked ifhim if he would sing play-back. Balu initially refusedbut after knowing the cre-dentials of the composer, heagreed to visit him next day.Turns out, he couldn’t land asong but the composer askedhim to stay in touch as hehas other films lined up. Baludidn’t leave his address, keenon not bothering the com-poser. Kodandapani, howev-er, was keen on making himsing. He located Balu in acollege after 18 months andmade him sing a duet with PSusheela called Emi EeVintha Moham for Sri SriMaryada Ramanna (1967).After getting to know aboutthe new singer in town andhis potential, producer MSReddy made Balu sing for hisdubbing movieKalachakram, starring MGR.The singer got a single cardfor the album.Release-wise too,it took prece-dence as itreleased twomonths priorto the releaseof Sri SriMaryada

Ramanna.Soon he became busy with

Telugu movie songs. Lookingback, SPB, who is influencedby veteran Mohammed Rafi,in an interview said that hisevolution as a playbacksinger was largely due toTelugu music directorSathyam. It was the Telugumovie Sankarabharanam thatmade the nation turntowards SPB. Directed by KViswanath with music scoredby KV Mahadevan, the filmturned out to be a box-officesmash. He rendered as manyas nine songs, includingDorakuna Ituvanti Seva andSamaja vara gamana in themusical drama. He even gothis first National Film Awardfor Best Male Playbacksinger.

ASSOCIATION WITHILAIYARAAJA

The mid 1970s saw theentry of music directorIllaiyaraaja who later becamea major force in Tamil andTelugu industries. The two— SPB and Ilaiyaraaja — hadknown each other evenbefore the latter became amusic director. The1980s saw the trio— Illaiyaraaja, SPBand S Janaki —recording alarge numberof songs andmost of thembecame greathits in bothTamil andTelugu. It isa dif-

ferent matter that Illaiyaraajaand SPB had some differenceof opinion on the royaltyissue. As per law Illaiyaraajahad demanded that SPB payhim royalty for singing hissongs on stage performances.The two patched up soon.

A MULTI-FACETED TALENT

Apart from singing, SPBhas also dubbed for severalleading artists in Tamil andTelugu movies. ForKamal Haasan hewas the defaultvoice for several ofTamil dubbedmovies into Telugu.He had dubbed forBen Kingsley in theTelugu dubbing ofEnglish movieGandhi. He lent hisvoice for Suman inacclaimed films likeAnnamayya and SriRamadasu. Besidescomposing music,he also dabbled inacting, from doingcameos to full-fledged roles.Some of his memorable rolesinclude the ones he played inPavitrabandam, Premikudu,Aaro Pranam and Mithunam.For about 20 years, he alsohosted the immensely popu-lar music show PaduthaTheeyaga on ETV, programof which launched thecareers of many a singer.

Film music aside, he wasalso associated with singingdevotional numbers likeNamashivaya and albumShivashtakam which are

immensely popular

among devotees.He attributed his success

to God, saying that he proba-bly had a connection to hisprevious births since he hadeven sung classical composi-tions, which he neitherunderstood nor was trainedfor. “I love my life. If possibleI don’t want to die. I have apassion for life,” he had saidonce while speaking abouthis spiritual inclinations.

I

SPB'S HIDDENHAND IN VISHYANAND'S CAREERGROWTH

Not many know that famedplayback singer S.P.

Balasubrahmanyam, had played anindirect role in the career growth offormer World Chess ChampionGrandmaster VishwanathanAnand during his school days.

“Really sad to hear about thepassing away of such agreat yet simple person. Hewas my first sponsor! Hesponsored our teamChennai Colts (thenMadras Colts) in thenational teamchampionship in1983. One of thenicest persons I havemet. His music gave ussuch joy #RIPSPB," Anandsaid in a tweet expressing griefon the demise of the famedsinger. "It was a team chesschampionship held in thenBombay (now Mumbai). Anandwon the board prize andqualified for the National Bchampionship and from there hewent to National A. After that hiscareer went up and up,”International Master and one ofthe Madras Colts teammembers, T.S.Ravi, toldIANS.

Twitter talk

MAMATA BANERJEE"Grieved to hear of the passing of a true legend ofmusic, S P Balasubrahmanyam. His golden voice

will be remembered for generations. Condolences tohis family, many admirers and colleagues in the

music industry."

LATA MANGESHKAR"I'm very disturbed by the demise of SP

Balasubrahmanyam. We have recorded many songtogether and did a lot shows. My condolences to his

family," the veteran singer wrote.

HE ADVISED MENOT TO GETTRAPPED WITHCOMMERCIAL CINEMA: CHIRU

Superstar Krishna:

“When SPBalasubrahmanyam wasestablishing himself as asinger, composer SPKodandapani proposed hisname to sing the entiresoundtrack of NenanteNene (1968). I and Doondyimmediately endorsed it.The film became a super hitand made Balu a busysinger. Even whenGhantasala was at the peakof his career, Balu was thevoice of my films albums.Personally too, we both go along way. His death hasshaken me. He might not bepresent among us but withhis beautiful songs, hewould continue to stay withus.”

Kamal Haasan:

“SPB was like my brotherand advised me all the time.He has always compliment-ed me. I was the one whomade him act in films. He isalways in my thoughts. Hehad no enemies. He is partof my life. He is a nationalvoice and that is how weshould celebrate him. I hadthe privilege of having beenthe image on screen, to sev-eral songs that he has sung.In several languages, he hasbeen the voice of four gen-erations of heroes. His lega-cy will be remembered forseven generations to come.”

Rajinikanth:

“There cannot be anyonewho is not a fan of SPB’svoice and songs. Those whoknew him personally lovedhim more than his voiceand songs. That’s because ofhis humanity. He respectedeveryone, and without see-ing them as big or small, hegave them his regard, love.He was such a great andloving man. You have beenmy voice for many years ...your voice and your memo-ries will live with me forever... I will truly miss you.”

Venkatesh:

“Extremely sad tohear the news of SP

Balasubramaniam Garu’spassing. We have lost a leg-end today. I’ve had the priv-ilege to work with him insome of my best movies likePrema and PavitraBandham. Your legacy willlive on Sir! My heartfeltcondolences to the family.RIP (sic).”

Nagarjuna:

“As the memories andconversations with BaluGaru come flooding back sodo the tears... I still remem-ber the call I got from himafter my film Annamayya.He was such an unsaid inte-gral part of my life… hidehim lord, hide him carefully(sic).”

Pawan Kalyan:

“He mesmerized themusic lovers by signing a

wide variety of songs cut-ting across film industries.He is a singer who invokedthe soul of the song andgave life to the lyric. Hisaffection towards Telugulanguage and thirst to getthe pronunciation rightdevoid of errors is ideal forthe singers of younger gen-erations to emulate. Despitehis fame, he had a down-to-earth personality.”

Mahesh Babu:

“Unable to process thefact that#SPBalasubramaniam garuis no more. Nothing willever come close to thatsoulful voice of his. Rest inpeace sir. Your legacy will

live on. Heartfelt condo-lences and strength to thefamily (sic).”

Jr NTR:

“Indian Music has lost itsfavourite son. Devastated!In a Legendary career span-ning over fivedecades,Padma Bhushan S.PBalasubrahmanyam Garuhas breathed life into over40,000 songs. As long asmusic exists in this uni-verse, you will live on sir(sic).”

SS Rajamouli:

“The impact of his songswill transcend generations.Many Tamil and Kannadafriends would never believethat he was a Telugu. Theywould argue among them-selves, saying that hebelongs to their language.He holds the rare distinc-tion of being called as‘mavadu’. He lorded over themusic worlds of Telugu,Tamil and Kannada lan-guages for decades and I

don’t think anyone hasachieved such a feat.”

Ravi Teja:

“Shri. S. P.Balasubrahmanyam Garu isan integral part of everyIndian household. His voiceand his contribution tomusic will always remaineternal. To the legend whogave us songs for everyhuman emotion Rest inpeace sir. You will foreverbe missed (sic).”

Ramya Krishna:

“Someone so special cannever be forgotten, may hissoul rest in peace my deep-est condolences to the fami-ly....#ripspb sir.”

Tributes galoreTributes galoreTributes galoreTributes galoreTributes galoreTributes galoreTributes galore

FOR MEGASTAR CHIRANJEEVI,an era has come to end with thepassing away of SPB. “When theworld of music wondered whowould succeed the legendaryGhantasala garu, Shri Baluemerged as one of the brighteststars. His melodious voicetranscended linguistic, culturalboundaries and enchantedaudiences across India alike fordecades. There can never beanother SPB. Only he must beborn to fill his vacuum,” adevastated Chiru posted on hissocial media pages. The actorsays that his association withBalu extended beyond work. “Ishared close ties with his familyas we used to live a stone’s throwaway from each other in Chennai.We would often meet. From thebeginning of my career, he hasbeen very cordial towards meand I would address him fondlyas Annaya. As I realized hisstanding over years, I used toaddress him with ‘meeru’. Helater told me not to distance himby addressing him as ‘meeru’,”Chiru recalled. Balu also hadsome pearls of wisdom for themegastar. “He told me not to limitmyself to commercial cinema asthere was an actor inside me.Maybe it was the reason thatdrove me to act in films likeSwayam Krushi, Rudraveenaand Apathbandavudu. He oncesaid that I was one of the fewactors who would reel out rightexpressions to the songs sung byhim. I considered it as a greataward,” Chiru noted, adding thatthe singer deserves a lion’s shareof credit for his successful run asan actor.

FOR MOHAN BABU, friendshipwith Balu goes back to theirschool days in Sri Kalahasthi.“Our friendship continued inChennai as well. He was a regularto all the functions of myeducational institution inTirupati,” the actor said. Statingthat Balu’s death is a personalloss to him, the actor recalls anincident that has always featuredin their conversations over years.“During the times when I workedas an assistant director inChennai, I had borrowed Rs 100from him but didn’t pay himback. Till recent times, hereminded me of the debt andused to crack jokes for theinterest that I owe him,” MohanBabu said in a statement.

RAMNATH KOVIND"In the passing of music legend SPBalasubrahmanyam Indian music has lost one of itsmost melodious voices. Called 'Paadum Nila' or'Singing Moon' by his countless fans, he washonoured with Padma Bhushan and many NationalAwards. Condolences to his family, friends andadmirers."

SALMAN KHAN"Heartbroken to hear about #SPBalasubrahmanyamsir... you will forever live on in your undisputed legacyof music! condolence to the family #RIP. Lucky to havehad him dub for me... Give his voice to myperformances in my first Telugu and Kannada film...SP Balasubrahmanyam will be missed truly...myheartfelt condolences & prayers to the family..."

AKSHAY KUMAR"Just a few months back I'd interacted with him

during a virtual concert in this lockdown..he seemedhale, hearty & his usual legendary self...life is truly

unpredictable. My thoughts & prayers with hisfamily."

GAUTAM GAMBHIR"One of the greatest singers of all time,

#SPBalasubramaniam sir's soulful voice will remainin our hearts forever! He is irreplaceable.Condolences to his family & loved ones."

VVS LAXMAN"Extremely saddened to hear about the demise of#SPBalasubramanyam garu. My deepestcondolences to his family. His voice will alwaysremain etched in our hearts. Om Shanti!"

19

46

- 2

02

0

PTI n DUBAI

Young Prithvi Shaw strucka fluent half-century andshared a a 94-run opening

stand with Shikhar Dhawan toguide Delhi Capitals to 175 forthree against Chennai SuperKings in an Indian PremierLeague match here on Friday.

Shaw made 64 off 43balls in the company ofDhawan (35 off 27 balls, 3fours, 1 six) to provide asuperb start to DC's inningsafter being put into bat.

The duo started slowly,scoring just 36 runs of the firstsix overs of powerplay beforeopening up to stitch 94 runsfor the opening wicket in 10.4overs.

Shaw got into his stride, hit-ting two consecutive boundariesoff Deepak Chahar.

The Mumbai youngsterdidn't appear to rush thingsand played some attractiveshots.

Once CSK skipperMahendra Singh Dhoniintroduced the spin duo ofPiyush Chawla and RavindraJadeja in the seventh over, bothShaw and Dhawan went on theoffensive.

Chawla, who was takenapart by Sanju Samson in theirprevious game againstRajasthan Royals, came in forsome rough treatment as didJadeja who went wicketless inhis four overs (0/44).

Dhawan after playing sec-ond fiddle for a while, joined theparty and hit a couple of attrac-tive boundaries and sloggedJadeja's first ball for a six overmid-wicket.

The DC openers ham-mered 58 in the next 4.4overs after the slow start.

Chawla broke thedangerous- lo okingpartnership by remov-ing both Dhawan andShaw in consecutiveovers.

Rishabh Pant (37 notout, 25 balls) and captain Shreyas

Iyer (26, 22 balls) pushed thescoreboard along before the lat-ter was caught by a diving Dhonioff Sam Curran as CSK managedto pull things back.

CSK players also paid tributeto veteran singer S PBalasubrahmanyam and formerAustralian cricketer Dean Jonesby wearing black armbands.

KL Rahul 153 runs

Sam Curran 5 wickets

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

12

MOTION PICTURE

DUGOUTOnce I am in the middle and during the toss is theonly time I feel like a captainand otherwise I try tobalance being a playerand the captain

We have had a good game(against SunrisersHyderabad), we have had abad game and now it is timeto move on and learn fromthe mistakes we made

Anil sir has always asked meto back strength in mybowling and skill. He askedme not to try too many thingsand try to be cool and calmin the middle

It is just the second matchand in the first match, wewon because of the deathbowling. So, it is too early.We bowled well but KLbatted so well

TODAY

Live from 7:30pmSTAR SSPORTS 11 && 3

KOHLI FINED `12 LAKHRCB captain Virat Kohli has been fined `12 lakh after histeam maintained a slow over-rate during their IPL matchagainst Kings XI Punjab in Dubai on Thursday. “As it washis team's first offence of the season under the IPL'sCode of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences,Mr Kohli was fined `12 lakh,” the IPL said in a release.

VIRAT TAKES BLAME FOR DROPPING KLRCB captain Virat Kohli took the blame for his team's 97-run thrashing by KXIP. Without hesitation, Kohli took theblame for dropping Punjab's skipper KL Rahul twice,which contributed significantly to their defeat. Kohli felthad he not dropped two catches off the blade of Rahul,who remained unbeaten on 132, KXIP would not havebeen able to go past the 200-run mark. “I have to standin front and take the brunt of it, not the best day in theoffice, couple of important chances of KL when he wasset and that cost us 35-40 runs at a later stage. “Maybeif we restricted them to 180 we wouldn't have beenunder pressure from ball one of the chase,” said Kohli.

ALWAYS BACK YOUR STRENGTHSKXIP's young spinner Ravi Bishnoi says head coach AnilKumble has advised him to always stay calm and backhis skills as a bowler. The 20-year-old Bishnoi snaredthree wickets in an emphatic 97-run win over RCB. “Anilsir has always asked me to back strength in my bowlingand skill. He asked me not to try too many things and tryto be cool and calm in the middle,” Bishnoi said.

KL WASN'T ‘FEELING IN CONTROL' KXIP captain KL Rahul, who made a scintillating century(unbeaten 132 off 69 balls) against RCB, said he waslacking in confidence heading into the team's second IPLfixture. “I have actually been not so confident (hitting itthis well). I had a chat with Maxi (Glenn Maxwell)yesterday (Wednesday), he said how are you feeling, Isaid that I am not feeling completely in control of mybatting, he said you must be joking, you are hitting reallywell,” Rahul said. After Rahul starred with the bat, KXIPbowlers put a disciplined performance to bundle out RCBfor 109 in 17 overs. “It's as complete a teamperformance as it can get. We had few different plansgoing into this game. “We knew RCB have a powerpacked batting line up and we had to get 2-3 wickets upfront and that also meant putting runs on the board, weknow what these guys can do if they get set. The analyst,coaches and the management will be happy.”

GAUTI CRITICIZES KOHLI'S CAPTAINCYFormer Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir criticized ViratKohli's captaincy in the loss against the KXIP, particularlyfor bowling part-timer Shivam Dube in the final 20thover. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo's analysis show T20

Time Out, Gambhir said that he would have bowled anyof the specialist death bowlers in the last over. “I knowShivam bowled really well in his first two overs. Yes, youwould be tempted to give him a third over, but not thelast over. When KL Rahul is already set and batting on100+, you are walking on the edge, because that canhappen. I would have Navdeep Saini or Dale Steynbowling the last over, even though Steyn is not the bestdeath bowler. But I would have given the last over to thebest bowler of the team,” Gambhir said.

VVSS

POINTS TABLE

P W L NRR PTS

1 KXIP 2 1 1 +2.425 2

2 MI 2 1 1 +0.993 2

3 RR 1 1 0 +0.800 2

4 DC 1 1 0 +0.000 2

5 CSK 2 1 1 -0.145 2

6 RCB 2 1 1 -2.175 2

7 SRH 1 0 1 -0.500 0

8 KKR 1 0 1 -2.450 0

AP n BUDAPEST

Javi Martínez is BayernMunich’s Mr Super Cup.

Seven years after scoring anextra-time goal to help Bayernwin its last UEFA Super Cup,Martínez netted the winner inthe 104th minute on Thursdayas the German club beat Sevilla2-1 in the European curtain rais-er in a stadium partially filledwith fans.

Martínez rose above acrowd of players to head in therebound when Sevilla goalkeep-

er Yassine Bounou parriedDavid Alaba’s speculative shot.

Bayern midfielder ThomasMüller hailed Martínez as “MrSuper Cup,” recalling the 2013goal which sent a game againstChelsea to a penalty shootoutwhich Bayern won.

It could be one of Martínez’slast games for Bayern after eightyears and eight Bundesliga titles.Chairman Karl-HeinzRummenigge told Germanmedia last month that the ver-satile defensive player was seek-ing to leave.

“When I play in a Bayernshirt I want to give everything,100%, and I showed that today,”Martínez told Sky, leaving aquestion about his future open.

Playing extra time was farfrom ideal for either team in aseason which has started laterthan normal and will have amore congested calendar amidthe coronavirus pandemic. Forboth Bayern and Sevilla it wasthe start of a run of four gamesin 11 days and came barely amonth after Bayern beat ParisSaint-Germain in theChampions League final.

Europa League championSevilla took an early lead whenDavid Alaba fouled Ivan Rakiticand Lucas Ocampos convertedthe 13th-minute penalty.Champions League winnerBayern leveled when LeonGoretzka hammered in a ballexpertly cued up for him byLewandowski in the 34th.

Bayern was largely in con-trol of the second half but sawtwo goals ruled out — one foroffside, one for a shove byLewandowski — and neededNeuer to save Youssef En-Nesyri’s shot on the counterat-tack in the 87th minute.

AP n LONDON

Liverpool teenager CurtisJones scored twice in a 7-2

victory over Lincoln in theLeague Cup, and defendingchampion Manchester Cityedged past Bournemouth 2-1.

Liverpool advanced to afourth-round meeting nextThursday with Arsenal, whichalso plays at Anfield in thePremier League on Monday.

Phil Foden’s late goalsecured City’s progress to amatch next week with Burnley.

The 19-year-old Jonesscored Liverpool’s third andfourth goals before halftime, cut-ting in from the left on bothoccasions to curl in right-foot-ed shots, and was the visitors’main creative force in midfield.

Jones also won the free kickfrom which Xherdan Shaqiriwhipped in the opener for hisfirst goal in over nine months.

Takumi Minamino contin-ued his promising start to theseason with a first-time shot inthe 18th minute.

All of Liverpool’s four first-half goals were scored from atleast 20 yards.

Eighteen seconds after thebreak Minamino added anoth-er, stabbing in Harvey Elliott’s

smothered effort.Marko Grujic scored his

first for the club almost five yearsafter joining, and Divock Origiwrapped up the rout in the 89thwith his ninth goal in 12 LeagueCup matches. Tayo Edun andLewis Montsma had made it 5-1 and 6-2 by scoring for third-tier side Lincoln.

SPURS AAWARDED BBYETottenham have been

awarded a bye into the fourthround of the League Cup aftertheir tie with Leyton Orient wascalled off on Tuesday followinga spate of coronavirus cases at

the League Two club.Fourth-tier Orient tried to

rearrange the game but LeagueCup rules mean that they mustforfeit the tie, allowing Spurs togo through to play Chelsea.

Spurs will now prepare forfour games in eight days, start-ing with the visit of Newcastle onSunday.

Jose Mourinho’s men thenhost Chelsea on Tuesday, hostMaccabi Haifa in Europa Leaguequalifying on Thursday andtravel to Manchester United aweek on Sunday.

PTI n ABU DHABI

Skipper Dinesh Karthik’s tacticalnous will once again be put to

test when Kolkata Knight Riderstake on a depleted SunrisersHyderabad in their second IPL fix-ture on Saturday.

Much was expected from arevamped Kolkata Knight Ridersset-up but it seemed Karthik didnot learn from his past mistakesand made some inexplicable deci-sions that led to their completecapitulation against MumbaiIndians.

Once again, the batting posi-tion of their biggest hitter AndreRussell became the talking point intheir 49-run loss to MumbaiIndians.

The Jamaican, who was theirhighest run-getter last season with510 runs from 249 deliveries and

the tournament’s higheststrike rate of 204.81, wasseen at No 6 but by thenthe task had becomeextremely difficult.

World Cup winningcaptain Eoin Morgan,who was roped into bolster thewobbly middleorder, also couldnot do much asthe asking ratehad shot past13 by the timehe came to batat No 5.

In bowling too,there was a tacticalblunder by holdingback their ace spinnerSunil Narine till thelast over of powerplay.

On a day, their biggest buy PatCummins failed miserably, Narinewas given a go only when his IPL‘bunny’ Rohit Sharma was well set.

It really defied logic to see sucha defensive strategy by a team

now coached by Kiwi greatBrendon Mccullum who

is known for his aggres-sive mindset.

Known to put upa balanced side on thepark, Hyderabadlacked strength andexperience in their

middle-order, fail-ing miserably

againstR o y a l

Challengers Bangalore.Needing just 43 runs from last

five overs, SRH lost their last sevenwickets for 32 runs to lose the gameby 10 runs.

If that was not enough, injuryto their all-rounder Mitchell Marshhas compounded their misery.

Skipper David Warner, afterbeing run out in an unfortunatemanner at the non-striker’s end, willbe keen to get into the act, while itremains to be seen whether KaneWilliamson has recovered from hisinjury to bolster the batting depart-ment.

SRH bowling has always beenimpressive and it seems thethink tank may bring inMohammed Nabi to bowlalongside his fellow mateRashid Khan whileBhuvneshwar Kumar willspearhead the pace attack.

Dubai: Sunil Gavaskar on Fridayfound himself in the midst of acontroversy for a comment onIndia skipper Virat Kohli and hiswife Anushka Sharma but thelegendary batsman asserted thathis remarks, construed as sexist,were misinterpreted.

Kohli had a bad day inoffice on Thursday when he ledRoyal Challengers Bangaloreagainst Kings XI Punjab. Hedropped two catches of rivalskipper KL Rahul and managedonly a run off five balls in chase.

While Kohli was still atcrease, Gavaskar said ‘India cap-tain is keen to improve and heknows that he can do so only bypracticing more and more’. Hethen added that ‘during thelockdown Kohli faced onlyAnushka’s bowling and it isshowing that it did not helpmuch’.

Gavaskar was speaking inHindi when he made the com-ment.

However, the comment didnot go down well with Kohli andAnushka’s fans and some evendemanded his sacking from StarSports commentary panel, lash-ing out at him on social media.

Reacting to it, Anushka alsoissued a statement on herInstagram page and said thatGavaskar’s message was “distaste-ful”. She was livid that her namewas unnecessarily mentionedby a respected personality likehim.

She wrote, “That, MrGavaskar, your message is dis-tasteful is a fact but I would lovefor you to explain why youthought of making such a sweep-ing statement on a wife accusingher for her husband’s game?.”

“I am sure over the years youhave respected the private livesof every cricketer while com-mentating on the game. Don’tyou think you should have equalamount of respect for me andus?”

“I am sure you can havemany words and sentences inyour mind to use to comment onmy husband’s performance fromlast night or are your words onlyrelevant if you use my name inthe process?”

“......Respected Mr Gavaskar,you are a legend whose namestands tall in this gentleman’sgame. Just wanted to tell youwhat I felt when I heard you saythis.”

Gavaskar though said hiscomments were not understoodin right context.

The remark according toGavaskar was in reference to avideo clip where Kohli andAnushka were seen enjoyingsome tennis ball cricket in theircompound.

“Firstly, I would like to say,where am I blaming her, I’m notblaming her. I am only sayingthat the video showed she wasbowling to Virat. Virat has only

played that much bowling in thislockdown period,” Gavaskar toldIndia Today.

“It is tennis ball fun gamethat people have to pass timeduring the lockdown, so that’s all,so where am I blaming her forVirat’s failures.”

Gavaskar also rubbishedallegations on social media thathe made a “sexist comment”.

“I’m the one who has alwaysbatted for wives going with hus-bands on tours. I am the onewho has always said that like anormal guy going to office for a9-5 job, when he comes backhome, he comes back to his wife,similarly why can’t cricketershave their wives with them,”Gavaskar said.

He also tried to explain hiscomment.

“As you can hear from thecommentary, Aakash was talk-ing about the fact there has beenvery little chance for any prop-er practice in the lockdown, foreverybody...

“.....That has actually shownin rustiness of some of the play-ers in their first matches. Rohit(Sharma) didn’t strike the ballwell, now in the second match hehas got runs, MSD (MahendraSingh Dhoni) didn’t strike theball well in the first match.”

“.....Anushka was bowling tohim, so that’s what I said, that’sthe only bowling, I have not usedany other word. She was bowl-ing to him, that’s all, where amI blaming her, where I am beingsexist in this.”

“I’m just only stating whatwas seen on the video which wasmaybe recorded by somebody inthe neighbouring buildings andput up and that’s the only thingI’m doing, but the point I’mmaking trying to make is thatthere was no practice for any-body including Virat in thelockdown. “...I have not beensexist, if somebody has inter-preted it, what can I do,”Gavaskar said. PTI

KXIP captain KL Rahul and pacer Mohammed Shami pose forphoto after Punjab’s 97-run win over RCB IPL/Twitter

DC thump CSK

Iyer achieves unique recordPNS n NEW DELHI

Shreyas Iyer, who washanded the captaincy

of Delhi Capitals in 2018,on Friday surpassedGautam Gambhir andbecame the second mostcapped captain of thefranchise.

Iyer's side on Fridayplayed their second gameof IPL 2020 againstChennai Super. This is

Iyer’s 26th game as DelhiCapitals’ captain. The25-year-old is now justbehind Virendra Sehwagwho has played 52 IPLmatches for Delhi as cap-tain.

Iyer was one of theplayers retained by thefranchise in 2018. OnApril 25, 2018, the man-agement of the DelhiCapitals announced Iyeras the new captain of the

team, replacing GautamGambhir. The franchisehas had 11 captains sofar.

Iyer, who is theyoungest captain in thisyear’s IPL, so far hasbeen successful skipperfor the Delhi Capitals. In2019, Iyer also led DelhiCapitals to the playoffs ofthe season where theylost against MS Dhoni’sChennai Super Kings.

Delhi Capitals 175/3 (20 overs); CSK 131/7 (20 overs)

KKR, SRH hunt first win

MATCHES 17

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS 10

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD 07

Stats: Faisel FFeatures

Gavaskar’s ‘misinterpreted’comment on Kohli-Anushkacreates controversy

Martínez delivers emotional extra-time Super Cup for Bavarians

Lionel Messi posted a photo of himself with Luis Suárez on Instagram with amessage expressing his sadness for his friend's departure and his anger at how theclub transferred him to Atlético Madrid

Liverpool to play Arsenal twice next weekAll Bayern do is win trophies

Takumi Minamino celebrates with his Liverpool teammates after scoring AP

Bayern Munich players celebrate with the UEFA Super Cup trophy AP

MS Dhoni stumped out Prithvi Shaw during Delhi Capitals innings IPLT20.com