HYDERABAD, SATURDAY OCTOBER 3, 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 354*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:

MONEY 8FINMIN ALLOWS STATES TO BORROW ADDL RS 7,106 CR

ANALYSIS 7NO THOUGHT FORSMALL FARMERS

SPORTS 12SRH BEAT

CSK BY 7 RUNS

}ANU AND NIDHHI IN RAVI

TEJA’S NEXT

Page 12{

8

Dept of Fertilizersranks 3rd among65 depts

5

Fresh charge-sheetagainst PNB official

2

The way forwardfor AgriculturalProduce MarketCommittees

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Friday that the electric car maker is finallyready to enter the India market in 2021. Musk revealed his plans to

bring Tesla cars to India in his response to a Twitter post that askedabout the progress on Tesla's planned entry into India. "Next year forsure," Musk said in response to the tweet that posted pictures of T-shirtswith "India wants Tesla" and "India loves Tesla" printedon them. "Thanks for waiting," he added. On severaloccasions earlier, Musk had revealed that he would liketo bring Tesla to India, but in a 2018 Twitter post hecited "some challenging government regulations"as a hurdle.

TESLA COMING TO INDIA NEXTYEAR, SAYS ELON MUSK

PENCE COULD BE TEMP PREZ IFTRUMP BECOMES INCAPACITATED

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien, who was on his way today toUttar Pradesh's Hathras where a 20-year-old was gang raped and

tortured about two weeks ago, was pushed to the ground in aconfrontation with police when he and three otherparty leaders tried to enter the village where thevictim lived. In a 32-second video, a man in a whiteshirt and a helmet can be seen grabbing TMC MPPratima Mandal by the shoulders to prevent herfrom walking to the village. Derek O'Brien rushesto rescue her and the man then pushes himto the ground.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Friday attacked PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, alleging he is running his government in an

atmosphere of "fear". On Gandhi Jayanti, she alsoinvoked the Father of the Nation, to assail thegovernment which, she claimed, swears by hisname but demolishes his ideals through its actions.The Congress leader also accused the Centre ofhaving weakened laws like MNREGA and Right toInformation (RTI) Act which her party'sgovernment had enacted to protect theinterests of common people.

ATMOSPHERE OF ‘FEAR’ UNDER MODI RULE: SONIA GANDHI

Like two U.S. presidents before him, Donald Trump could temporarilyhand over power to his vice president should he become incapacitated,for example while undergoing a medical procedure as treatment for thecoronavirus. Trump said on Friday that he had testedpositive for COVID-19 and was going intoquarantine to begin the recovery processimmediately. Under Section 3 of the U.S.Constitution's 25th Amendment, adopted in 1967following the 1963 assassination of President JohnKennedy, Trump could declare in writinghis inability to discharge his duties.

UP COPS PUSH DEREK O'BRIEN TOGROUND, MANHANDLE WOMEN MPS

HYDERABADWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated October 2, 2020 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Ashwin (Adhik) & Krishna Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Dwitiya: Full Night

Nakshatram: Revati: 08:50 am

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 09:07 am – 10:36 am

Yamagandam: 01:33 pm – 03:02 pm

Varjyam: NIL

Gulika: 06:10 am - 07:38 am

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 03:46 am – 05:34 am

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:41 am – 12:28 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Mostly cloudyTemp: 34/22Humidity: 62%Sunrise: 06.06 amSunset: 06.03 pm

TS handling Covidbetter: Guv Tamilisai PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana was now doingbetter in managing theCOVID-19 pandemic com-pared to some other statesand it is evident in the recov-ery rate and decline in positivecases in some districts, stateGovernor TamilisaiSoundararajan said on Friday.A medical doctor,Soundararajan, who had ear-lier pitched for stepping uptests and ramping up health-care facilities in districts, alsosaid the government hasimplemented some of the sug-gestions.

"Continuously, I have comeout with so many suggestionsto the government from thebeginning. In some districts,there is decline in cases. Thereare a large number of patients

now recovering. The recoveryrate is more in Telangana. Thepeak has been slowed in someof the districts," she said dur-

ing an interaction with medi-apersons through video con-ferencing.

Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao payingfloral tributes at Bapu Ghat in Hyderabad on Friday.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A massive protest erupted inDelhi Friday evening as anumber of civil societyactivists, students, women andpolitical leaders gathered atJantar Mantar against thealleged gangrape and death ofa young woman in Hathras dis-trict and the UP government'sresponse to it.

Wearing masks and raisingslogans against the UP admin-istration, they demanded jus-tice for the 19-year-old victimand asked Chief Minister YogiAdityanath to resign.

The protest was to be held atIndia Gate initially but had toshifted to Jantar Mantar owingto the prohibitory orders in

place in the Rajpath area.Several political leaders,including from the Aam

Aadmi Party and the Left,joined the protest.

Hathras incident: Massive protest in Delhias hundreds gather at Jantar Mantar

‘Rape victim’ endslife, family allegescops did not act Narsinghpur (MP): A 32-year-old Dalit woman, who wasallegedly raped by three menfour days ago, committedsuicide on Friday in MadhyaPradesh's Narsinghpur district,police said. The woman'sfamily alleged that the policedid not register a complaint inthe last three days. on Friday,the police arrested threepersons, including one of thealleged rapists.

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

Some Covid-19 survivors arenow dealing with severe hairloss post recovery.

As part of Long Covid, sur-vivors are experiencing variousissues like fatigue, fibrosis inlungs, rashes and hair loss,which has become an increas-ingly common complaint overrecent months.

V Lavanya, a techie, said, "Iwas infected with Covid-19 inSeptember first week. I am nowexperiencing severe hair falland it is a noticeable changeespecially on my forehead.However it is not the same for

others at my home. A few of ushave been shedding hair, whileothers have different postrecovery symptoms likefatigue."

Hollywood actress AlyssaMilano was one of the first

celebrities to talk publicly abouther experience with hair fallafter recovering from Covid-19.

Another homemaker UVijaya Lakshmi said, "A baldspot has been formed on my

scalp and it is clearly visible toanyone. Post-recovery, my hairstarted falling out in clumps.When I sought advice from adoctor, I was told not to worryand said it even happens postrecovery of other diseases. Thedoctor said that the hair willcome back and I was advisedto avoid brushing as frequent-ly. Now, even if I want to hidethat I was infected with Covid,the bald spot on my headdoesn't allow me to."

Doctors point that whenthe body has gone through astressful or shocking event, itgoes into lockdown mode.

In such a condition, it focus-es on essential functions and

hair growth is not as vital.Doctors term this phenome-non of hair loss as 'telogeneffluvium' (TE) and say thatthis is a form of temporary hairloss that usually happens afterstress, a shock, or a traumaticevent.

This condition beginsmonths after a stressful expe-rience and usually occurs onthe top of the scalp.

Hyderabad-based dermatol-ogist K Pratyusha said, "Thereis no direct documentary evi-dence yet that hair loss is relat-ed to Covid-19; but there areincreasing complaints frompatients.

Covid survivors now experience hair lossThis conditionbegins monthsafter astressfulexperienceand usuallyoccurs on thetop of thescalp.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Seeking to galvanise theparty apparatus well inadvance, the Congressparty on Friday unveiled itsVision 2023, setting thegoal of winning at least 79seats in the next Assemblyelections in order to cometo power in TelanganaState. Telangana Congress incharge Manickam Tagore, PCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy

at a protest rally in Sangareddy on Friday.

Ward boy molestsCovid patient at Gandhi PNS n HYDERABAD

In an appalling incident, award boy tried to sexuallyassault a corona patient atGandhi Hospital. He has sincebeen sacked.

As per the police, the inci-dent took place on 27September, though the com-plaint was registered on Friday.

The 45-year-old ward boy,identified as B Chandrashekar,who went to the 73-year-oldfemale patient receiving treat-ment in the ICU ward of thehospital wearing a PPE kit,allegedly behaved in an obscene

manner with her. A doctor who had noticed

the incident handed him overto the medical officers.

Gandhi Superintendent DrRaja Rao confirmed the reportof assault. He said, “The misbe-havior of a Class 4 employeecame to my notice on Thursdayafternoon through the HealthInspector. Immediately Iremoved that fellow onThursday itself. I gave policecomplaint also from the super-intendent office”.

A complaint has been filedunder Section 354 A of IPC atthe Chilkalguda Police Station.

DURGA PRASAD SUNKUn HYDERABAD

It was not a cakewalk for thespecial team that had landed inRajasthan a month ago withthe sole mission to nab thecyber criminals involved inOLX frauds. The team recent-ly returned to Hyderabad, aftersuccessfully nabbing five cybercriminals from Bharatpur dis-trict of Rajasthan against allodds.

The team members had toface several hurdles andhandicaps, includingsome of the villagers'violent past, localsbeing used aspawns by thecr iminals ,lack ofaccommo-dation, lan-g u a g ebarrier,food

scarcity, limited support fromlocal police, and, on top of all

this, like the last nail in thecoffin, the Covid19 scare.Their fears did come true;

for, four ofthem havesince test-ed posi-tive.

W h e nt h e ylaunchedtheir oper-

ation in the first week ofSeptember, there was practical-ly no support from the localpolice in Rajasthan. "To theteam's good fortune, aftermeeting their superiors andexplaining the enormity of thecrime, they instructed theirsubordinate police personnel togive us whatever support weneeded," said M. RavinderReddy, Inspector of Police,who headed the team.

Hyd cops’ filmi operation to nab Cyber criminals OPERATION BHARATPUR

Property survey sparks family feudsL VENKAT RAM REDDYn HYDERABAD

The ongoing survey of non-agriculture properties acrossTelangana, commissioned bythe state government in con-nection with the revamp of theRevenue set-up, has sparkedproperty disputes among someof the impacted families.

The state government'sattempt to streamline officialrecords of houses/flats/plots isleading to disputes between

family members with regard toownership of the assets. In par-ticular, properties in posses-sion of joint families havebecome a bone of contention.

KCR sets a wider agenda forApex Council meeting: Put all Krishna, Godavari disputes on the table: CMPNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao late onFriday shot off a letter to theCentre demanding the inclu-sion of all water disputesbetween Telangana andAndhra Pradesh in the agen-da of the Apex Council meet-ing to be held on October 6.

The Apex Council meetingwill be attended by ChiefMinisters of Telangana andAndhra Pradesh, with UnionJal Shakthi Minister Gajendra

Singh Shekhawat in the chair,to resolve water disputesbetween both the Telugustates.

KCR demanded that theCentre should issue immedi-ately direct Andhra Pradeshto stop work on expansion ofthe Pothireddypadu regulatorand construction of theRayalaseema Lift IrrigationScheme. In order to enforcethis, the operational controlof the Srisailam reservoirshould be handed over toTelangana forthwith, he said.

Addressing the letter tothe Union Jal ShakthiMinister, KCR said he want-ed to raise issues pertainingto both Krishna andGodavari rivers in the meet-ing.

On the Krishna river, KCRsaid he wanted to put in per-spective instances of injusticemeted out to Telangana insharing of Krishna water inthe erstwhile state of AndhraPradesh, right of Telangana toknow about its share.

5 UP copssuspended inHathras casePNS n LUCKNOW

Five policemen, including theSP, have been suspended inUttar Pradesh's Hathras dis-trict amid growing nation-wide outrage over the death ofa 20-year-old woman whowas allegedly raped by agroup of men from a so-called"upper caste" community. Aninitial report by SIT probingthe incident called for theirsuspension over allegations ofmismanagement. The inves-tigators have also asked for anarco-analysis, also known aslie-detector tests, of all thoseinvolved including the arrest-ed suspects and the family ofthe victim.

NHRC summonsTelangana DGPPNS n HYDERABAD

Taking serious note of thenon-responsive attitude ofTelangana State DirectorGeneral of Police MahenderReddy, the National HumanRights Commission (NHRC)issued conditional summonson Thursday directing theDGP to personally appearbefore the Commission onFebruary 1 at 11 am, alongwith the Action Taken Reportthat the Commission hadsought in January 2020.

1,00,352COVID

DEATHS IN INDIA

RECOVEREDACTIVE9,45,17964,49,259

CONFIRMED CASES54,02,807

DALIT LIVES MATTER

4

4

2

22

3

2

22

Vision 2023: TPCC targets 79seats in the next Assembly polls

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 | OCTOBER 3, 2020

EGG

RATES

` 52, 640 (10 gm)

` 990

GOLD

` 60,700 (1kg)

` 3300

HYDERABAD 521

VIJAYAWADA 521

VISAKHAPATNAM 520

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `̀55..2211

SILVER

HYDERABAD

BULLION RATES

`̀//110000

CHICKEN

RATES

Dressed/With Skin `199

Without Skin `226

Broiler at Farm `137

`̀//KKGG

(IN HYDERABAD)

Prior to the advent of theBritish, many cities and

towns flourished all over India.These urban centres hadgrown over centuries and wereorganically connected to set-tlements in the hinterlands.This balanced system of rural-urban settlements (and mar-kets) was disrupted with theadvent of British rule.

The method was to developvertical trade and ignore hor-izontal trade. Vertical tradewas promoted by focusing onexpanding the output of afew specialised commoditiesfor export. Thus, investmentswere made in mines, planta-tions and tea gardens, and fortheir movement to the portcities. In turn, facilities for pay-ments were made for reverseflow from the port cities to thelocal areas.

While vertical trade wasgiven a fillip, horizontal tradestagnated. Horizontal tradeincludes buying provisions inthe rural markets for the urbanmiddle class and selling indus-

trial or other city goods tothem. Any development ofhorizontal trade was more aby-product of the verticaltrade.

In order to promote verticaltrade, the British created con-trived (also called regulated)markets. One such regulatedmarket was the AgriculturalMarketing Committees(AMC).

For example, the objectiveof the Cotton and GrainMarkets Act of HyderabadAssigned Districts (1897) wasto induce farmers to producecotton and provide insuranceby ensuring a fair, fixed price.

Later, such contrived mar-kets were developed inBombay (1927), Hyderabadproper (1930), CentralProvinces (1932), Madras(1933), Punjab and Mysore(1939).

In an AMC, market com-mittees supervise the sale andpurchase of certain designat-ed (notified commodities).These committees are respon-sible for orderly and fair mar-keting procedures. The juris-diction of a committee extendsthroughout a 'notified area'and it is this control over a realmarketing area that makes itpossible to influence spatialeconomic development andcreate stronger rural-urbanlinkages.

Thus, each AMC serves anarea, called the trade area. In

this area the farmers areexpected to sell their produceto the AMC. The most desir-able distribution of AMCs inspace occurs when the tradearea of each AMC takes theshape of a hexagon. If thesehexagons (trade areas) arestacked side-by-side we get ahoneycomb pattern. The rea-son is that the hexagon leadsto optimum rural-urban links,balanced pattern of rural-urban links and rapid eco-nomic development.

As the markets in Indiawere created by administrative

decisions the trade areas arecircular, not hexagonal.Circular trade areas do notlead to optimum outcomes.

The reason is that when weplace a number of circles inclose proximity, the fit is notperfect and some spacesremain between the circles.These interstitial spaces are

holes between trade areas andlead to sub-optimal develop-ment outcomes. It is notewor-thy that when we stack hexag-onal trade areas side-by-sideareas no interstitial holes areobserved.

Thus, the regulated Indianagricultural market systemhas not evolved organically. Itwas established on a givenscale at a particular place andhas holes in trade areas ofAMCs. The simplest way tobridge the holes is to relocatethe AMCs in order to create ahexagonal trade area aroundeach AMC. However, an AMCis a physical structure 'locked'to a local place. DemolishingAMCs in order to create a newpattern of AMCs is not apractical proposition. Therecently enacted law holdsmuch promise to fill the holesand restore the rural-urban

continuum. The first step has already

been taken and farmers havebeen allowed the freedom tosell wherever they get the bestprices for their produce. Thenext step is to create a virtualplatform at the national levelin order to create the balancebetween vertical and hori-zontal trade.

The digital marketplacewould directly connect thefarmers to the retail/bulk con-sumers, intermediaries, andothers. The successfulGovernment e-marketplace(GeM) is an exemplar forsuch a platform, and the exist-ing Multi CommodityExchange of India Limited(MCX) could perform thisrole. Importantly, the FoodCorporation of India couldalso operate on this platformand be the buyer of the last

resort in case the price fallsbelow the MSP.

The freeing of farmers tosell their produce anywhere,anytime, and to anyone islikely to lead to a rapidincrease in their incomes.Alongside the change in laws,digital technology has thepotential to reinstate verticaland horizontal trade andrestore the rural-urban contin-uum lost nearly a centuryago. Most importantly, itwould bring about a paradigmshift by moving away from thecommunity developmentmodel, in practice since the1950s, to a model that relies onintegration of settlements.

(Author has a PhD fromthe USA and a DLitt from

Kanchi University. The articleis based on his research

and practice and views arepersonal)

DR. SAMEER SHARMA

The way forward for Agricultural Produce Market CommitteesWhile vertical trade was given a fillip,horizontal trade stagnated. Horizontal tradeincludes buying provisions in the ruralmarkets for the urban middle class andselling industrial or other city goods to them

PNS n HYDERABAD

Governor TamilisaiSoundararajan and ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao paid tributes to MahatmaGandhi on his 151st birthanniversary on Friday. Thetwo leaders offered floral trib-utes at Bapu Ghat at LangerHouz here, where the ashes ofMahatma Gandhi wereimmersed in the Musi River.

The official programme washeld as per the Covid-19 pro-tocols. The Governor and theChief Minister paid theirrespects at the Samadhi andlater garlanded the statue of theFather of the Nation. Only afew selected leaders wereallowed to accompany theGovernor and the ChiefMinister. Assembly Speaker P.Srinivas Reddy, LegislativeCouncil Chairman G.Sukehender Reddy, someMinisters and top leaders ofthe ruling TRS were present.

The authorities permitted alimited number of partici-pants in the brief programme,

which was over in half-an-hour. Wearing masks andsocial distancing was manda-tory. Paying tributes toMahatma Gandhi, theGovernor tweeted, "Gandhiji'sprinciples of truth, non-vio-lence and service are more rel-evant today. Our country isbecoming Atmanirbhar Bharatby following his path."

Union Minister of State forHome G Kishan Reddy offered

floral tributes at Bapu Ghat. Helater garlanded the statue ofMahatma Gandhi inSecunderabad and distributedhappiness nutrition kits(poshan kits) among studentsof a government primaryschool. The Assembly Speakerand Council Chairman alsopaid tributes by placing flow-ers at the pedestal of the lifesize statue of Mahatma Gandhiin the Assembly premises.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Schools have opened up inmany states since September 21amid rising cases of Covid-19in the country. However, manystate governments are still hes-itant to open up educationalinstitutions amidst the pan-demic that is raging across thecountry.

Moreover, parents of chil-dren are unable to take anyconcrete decisions aboutsending children to schoolsdue to fear of being infectedby the virus. Meanwhile, theCentral government onWednesday released theguideline of Unlock 5.0, chart-ing out the rules to open alleducational institutionsincluding schools and col-leges.

In the state, SC, ST, BC,

Minority ResidentialEducational Institutions'Societies are keen to resumeschools. However, these soci-eties are eagerly awaiting thestate government's nod. Theseinstitutions will give priorityto resume classes for ninth

class, SSC and Intermediatestudents.

As per the rules, studentsattending the residentialschools will be quarantinedfor 14 days. Later, they will besent to classes, if they have nosymptoms of Coronavirus. If

they have any health issues,treatment will be provided tothem. A health commandcentre titled Panacea has beenoperational in the residentialeducational institutions forSCs and STs.

To enable students toobserve physical distance, firstsome students would be enter-tained in the classroom. Later,some others will be allowedinside the classroom. During

quarantine period, stepswould be taken to rule out stu-dents congregating at oneplace. The admissions for2020-21 did not complete inSC, ST and BC residentialeducational institutions. Theentrance test is slated forNovember 1. The societies arekeen to conduct online class-es for students barring theClass V students. The societiesare contemplating to imple-ment special menu in residen-tial schools in view of theCoronavirus. Several studentsvisiting the residential schoolsto clear their doubts fromteachers are contracting thevirus, it is learnt. In this back-drop, the societies have decid-ed to extend nutritious food tothe students and the food thatprevents students from con-tracting the virus.

Residential schools await nod to reopenMany state govtsare still hesitant to open up eduinstitutions amidstthe pandemic thatis raging acrossthe country

Guv, KCR pay tributes toMahatma at Bapu Ghat

Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Raopaying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 151st birth anniversary on Friday

‘Rape victim’ends life...Continued from page 1

The shocking incident,which comes in the wake ofHathras rape-and-murder case,took place in Gadarwara areaof the district. On Friday, assis-tant sub-inspector MishrilalKodapa of Gotitoriya policeoutpost was suspended for lax-ity in duty, said Gadarwara SubDivisional Officer of Police(SDOP) S R Yadav.

"We registered a case todayagainst Arvind and ParsuChoudhary, who belong to thesame community as the vic-tim, and another accused AnilRai for gang-rape," Yadavinformed. "Arvind Choudharyhas been arrested and a hunthas been launched for theother two," he added.

The trio allegedly rapedthe woman on Monday whenshe was out in a field to cutgrass for the cattle. The SDOP,however, said the woman's twonieces who saw the incidentstated that the accused caughthold of her and teased her, butdid not confirm that she wasraped. When they raisedalarm, the accused fled, thetwo girls told police.

Continued from page 1

She stressed that tracing,testing and treating should becarried out without loweringthe guard while following pre-ventive measures such as wear-ing of mask, and social distanceto check the spread of thevirus, which has so far affect-ed 1.95 people in the state.

Actually, we are very opti-mistic when compared withother states like TamilNaduand Andhra Pradesh, she saidin reply to a question.

Noting that the state wasmoving forward in controllingthe COVID, she, however, saidall must be aware reinfectionwas possible.

"Telangana, when comparedto the previous stage, now weare doing in a much better way,according to me. Reports also

say that, she said.Observing that she found

(on television) most of thepolitical parties were not fol-lowing social distance,Soundararajan said she want-ed them to be a role model tothe public.

Amid criticism of low testingin the state, the governor hadin June said it should beincreased to effectively dealwith the pandemic and hadlater called the Chief Secretaryand Health officials for discus-sions on the then situation.

As of Thursday, the tally ofpositive cases in Telanganastood at 1,95,609 while thedeath toll was 1,145. The recov-ery rate was 84.78 per centagainst the country's 83.5 percent.

The Governor spoke to

reporters through a video con-ference on the occasion oflaunching Raj BhavanDigitalisation, Paperless andEnvironment Friendly Office.

The process of digitalisa-tion would promote communi-cation, she said, adding it wasnot only for carrying out theformal work in the Raj Bhavanbut also to communicate withthe people in an easier way.

Asked about her recent com-ments during a webinar, sup-porting the contentious centralagriculture legislations and theopposition to them by the stategovernment and others, thegovernor said she lauded themeasures as she saw manygood things in them.

Her special interest was agri-culture and she had seen andunderstood the problems offarmers while studying in a

medical college in her native inTamil Nadu, she said.

"I want to project what all thegood things in the farm bill. Iam not there to politicise or tocounter it or debate...," shesaid.

On the Congress protestingnear the Raj Bhavan over thefarm bills and the party claim-ing that they did not get anappointment to meet her,Soundararajan said it has beenclearly communicated that per-sonal visits by delegations werenot being entertained duringthe pandemic.

The party was told to send itsrepresentation through email,she said.

Raj Bhavan cannot be a placefor "political drama", she saidadding because of the pandem-ic, representations were beingreceived by email.

TS handling Covid better: Guv

NHRC summonsTelangana DGPContinued from page 1

The petitioner, Mujeeb, hadpreviously informed theNHRC that AssistantCommissioner of Police P.Ashok and an Inspector ofSpecial branch, both serving inKarimnagar district, hadthreatened the victim for tak-ing out a rally in protestagainst the CitizenshipAmendment Act onDecember 22, 2019. Further,the ACP passed communalremarks, saying that protestorsshould go to the neighbouringcountry. The Commission,having taken cognisance of thematter in January 2020, hadcalled for an Action TakenReport from the DGP ofTelangana. However, theCommission did not get thereport. After reminders, a lastopportunity was given to theDGP submit the report.

Yet, the Commission hasnot received the report till date.Hence, the NHRC directed theDGP to personally appearbefore the Commission onFebruary, 1, 2021 at 11 am,along with the requisite report.However, if the requisite reportis received by the Commissiona week prior to the scheduleddate, then his personal appear-ance will be exempted, theNHRC stated.

Covid survivors’ hair lossContinued from page 1

Telogen effluvium is tempo-rary hair loss and in mostcases, the hair grows backwhen its growth cycle nor-malises. But this can take sometime. On average, on any givenday, a person sheds about 100hairs a day. However, hair lossis a highly emotive issue for alot of patients. They must restassured that the hair will growback slowly and eventually."

Before treating a patient,doctors typically go throughthe case history on what hap-

pened in their life over the pastfew months to narrow downthe stress a patient has experi-enced recently.

Meanwhile, health officialstoo have confirmed that therehas been a rise in post Covid-19 complications.

A senior official from thehealth department said, "It isnot just in Telangana but thesepost Covid-19 complicationsare being seen across theworld. A majority of the pop-ulation doesn't have, but in cer-tain groups of long-haulers,there are some infections. Of

these, the most common arefatigue, reduced concentra-tion levels, infections to otherorgans. We are advising recov-ered patients to take care anddo not ignore any symptoms".

In early September, theMinistry of Health and Familywelfare had said that as perpost-Covid-19 managementprotocol, the first follow-upvisit (physical/telephonic) fora recovered patient should bewithin seven days after dis-charge, preferably at the hos-pital where he/she underwenttreatment.

PROPERTY SURVEY SPARKS FAMILY FEUDSContinued from page 1

It was found that a signifi-cant number of property own-ers had passed away intestate,i.e. without having transferredthe property to their heirs.This has now sparked dis-putes among family memberslaying claims to various assets.

Members of such familiesare refusing to give details tosurveyors, citing dispute overownership, individual shares offamily members in these prop-erties etc.

The government had decid-ed to issue maroon-colouredpassbooks to owners of non-agriculture properties, whilegiving ownership rights basedon the details furnished byproperty owners. This surveywas supposed to be complet-ed within 15 days from theword go.

However, surveyors in sev-eral districts are beingobstructed by family membersin discharging their duties dueto property disputes.

Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao hadlaunched the ambitious exer-

cise to survey all non-agricul-ture properties acrossTelangana to ensure that eachand every item of property inthe state, be it agriculture landor non-agriculture propertieslike houses, flats, open plotsetc., is listed as part of govern-ment records and completedata relating to it enteredonline. This is to ensure that noirregularities take place in thetransfer of properties later andthere is no scope for anyencroachments later. Such datapertaining to each item ofproperty, once entered with thename of owner and their fam-ily members, will be on 'autolock' mode so that no one canresort to any irregularities likeencroachments, transferringproperties to names of othersusing forged documents etc.

However, property disputesamong family members arehalting a part of this massiveexercise now.

Although there are no dis-putes with regard to self-acquired properties, there areseveral complications inrespect of ancestral properties.This is because they continue

to be in the name of personswho had passed away withouttransferring them to theirheirs. Now siblings and otherfamily members are disputingownership rights sought to begiven, in the name of govern-ment survey, to particular indi-vidual(s) in the absence of con-sent of all family members.

NRIs who had inheritedproperty in villages or else-where and presently living inthe US, Canada, Australia, theUAE etc. too are making callsto panchayat and revenue offi-cials, asking them not toupdate records till the disputesamong their family membersare resolved. They are alsoinsisting that the survey betaken up only in their

presence.This is fuelling disputes

among family members incases where the land continuesto be in the name of theirdeceased ancestors.

Disputes are cropping ofover sharing of propertybetween parents and siblings,due to which attempts arebeing made to block the sur-vey itself.

Massive protest atJantar Mantar Continued from page 1

Most of them said they wereoutraged over the way UPpolice cremated the body of thevictim, who died in Delhi'sSafdarjung Hospital, a fort-night after she was allegedlyraped by four upper caste men.

The woman's family allegedthe police forced them to con-duct the last rites in the dead ofthe night. But local police offi-cers said the cremation wasdone "as per the wishes of thefamily".

"What is happening in UP isgoondaraj," lawyer-activistPrashant Bhushan said.

"The police have surround-ed the village, are not allowingopposition leaders and media-persons to enter it and havetaken away the mobile phonesof the family members of thevictim." Bollywood actor SwaraBhaskar, Bhim Army chiefChandrasekhar Azad, AAPMLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, Leftleaders Prakash Karat andSitaram Yechury also attendedthe protest.

Swaraj India leader YogendraYadav said the Hathras incident"brings out the complete break-down of anything called rule oflaw".

"It's not just that a rape hap-pened, or that she was killedwhich is worse. There is apolitical patronage right fromthe beginning... The UttarPradesh administration is outthere to ensure that this newsdoesn't come out."

Yadav alleged the family wasdenied even a decent crema-tion, which even criminals areentitled to.

Calling what happened a"shutdown of democracy", hesaid, "The UP government hasno basis to exist anymore".

Azad demanded that a fast-track court be set up to hear thecase daily.

"The culprits should be pun-ished as soon as possible so thatothers get scared before com-mitting such crimes. We will goto Hathras and till the time thematter doesn't come to Delhi,there is no chance of getting jus-tice," he said.

Scare overrumblings inBorabanda PNS n HYDERABAD

Apparently non-seismic rum-blings from the ground atWeakers Sections Colony,Site 3 in Borabanda, createdpanic among residents onFriday, with some peopleseeing a similarity with thetremors that were felt inOctober 2017. Assumingthat it was an earthquake,people rushed on to the roadsfrom houses.

Residents of Borabandasay that similar loud noiseswere heard in October 2017.GHMC team reached thespot on Friday. Initial reportssuggest that the sounds weredue to ground water chan-nelling. The disaster manage-ment wing was at the spot (atthe time of publishing) toinquire into the incident.The 2017 tremors were latercharecterised as 'very mildquake'. When contacted,Deputy Mayor BabaFasiuddin said: “We are mon-itoring the situation, alongwith NGRI. They will be vis-iting the site on Saturday toascertain facts... I urge peo-ple not to believe in rumoursthat are being spread.”

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2020 hyderabad 03

IN BRIEFIN BRIEF

Inaugurating the FitIndia Freedom Run –Fit Telangana Run at

the Lal BahadurStadium in city onFriday, Sports MinisterV Srininvas Goud saidthat one should makesports and physicalactivities part of theirlifestyle to make the State a healthy one. He also lauded SportsAuthority of India (SAI) programme Fit India campaign which wasinaugurated on August 15 in a bid to create awareness about theimportance of a healthy lifestyle. “In the current situation, it isimportant that everyone should stay healthy by walking, or jogging. Itwill improve our immunity levels and creating awareness is the solereason for this Fit Telangana Run moment,” he said after the run. Hefurther said that whoever participating in the run in districts shouldfollow physical distancing during the event. National chief badmintoncoach Pullela Gopichand, Badminton Association of Telangana vicepresident V Chamundeswaranath were also present.

The ‘Fit India Movement inNIT Warangal’ campaign,which began two weeks

ago has concluded with aplantation programme onFriday. The Department ofPhysical Education, NITW, andTEQIP-III organised a 2K Run,cycling and yoga programmesover the past two weeks as

part of the Fit India campaign. At the valedictory programme on thecampus, Prof NV Ramana Rao, Director, NITW, lauded students andfaculty of the institution for their initiatives under the motto “Each OnePlant One”. He also congratulated the Department of PhysicalEducation and TEQUIP-3 for making the Fit India movement a successin the NIT. Prof P Ravi Kumar, Department of Physical Education, ProfVenuvinod, coordinator, TEQUIP-3, NITW Deans, senior professorsand faculty members attended the event.

Srinivas Goud inaugurates FitIndia Freedom Run

‘Fit India Movement’ a hit at NIT Warangal

Intensifying itsconservationefforts for the

Hussain Sagar,the HyderabadMetropolitanDevelopmentAuthority(HMDA) isworking oninstalling afloating boombarrier at thePicket nala toarrest flow of floating trash into the lake. To this effect, a tripartiteagreement has been signed between the HMDA, WRI India andDESMI to install the boom barrier for cleaning up floating solid wastefrom the Picket drain near Hussain Sagar (KIMS pond area) as a pilotdemonstration project, tweeted MAUD Principal Secretary ArvindKumar. The idea is to arrest the entry of floating waste into the lake.The boom barrier will be partially floating on the water surface andbeneath as well. The boom barrier will be installed at a strategiclocation to stop the floating material and later the accumulated wastewill be collected and dumped into dumper bins through an automaticconveyor belt. The exercise of clearing the accumulated waste will betaken up every two to three days.

NAMRATA SRIVASTAVA n HYDERABAD

Despite several complaintsagainst the school manage-ments for hiking the annualfees and not disclosing thebifurcated fee receipts, author-ities haven't taken any actionagainst them yet. Now, schoolshave even started humiliatingand stopping the students fromattending online classes if theparents fail to pay the fees.

Concerned with these issues,the parents are now looking fora simpler, efficient and lessheavy on the pocket option.Many parents are putting theirkids in the Government schoolsinstead of private schools.

Director of SchoolEducation, A Sri DevasenaIAS, said, “There is definitelyan increase in the number ofstudents taking admission inthe government schools, acrossthe state. Till now we haveadmitted at least 60,000 newstudents, and the admissionsare still in process.” Explainingwhy parents are choosing gov-ernment schools over private,she adds, “The first reason is

definitely that we are more costefficient. The private schoolshave been giving lessons onsmart phones or laptops.Whereas schools are takingclasses via TV, which is a morefeasible option. Secondly, ourteachers are way more trainedthan the ones in privateschools. I really feel that goingforward Government schoolsare going to attract more kids.”

Parents whose children havebeen asked to leave online class-es as they couldn’t pay the feesare finding government schoolsa more reliable option. SeemaAgarwal, vice President of

Hyderabad Students' ParentsAssociation shares, “My daugh-ter hasn't attended a singleclass for the past 15 days as wedidn't pay the fees. This ishumiliating. Several parentshave approached me who arenow looking at governmentschools as well as NIOS. Whenwe are investing so much timeand money for our kids, whynot invest in institutions whichare more reliable and won't stopteaching them all of a sudden.”It seems like the stubborn atti-tude of private school manage-ments can cost them several stu-dents.

Govt schools go-to ‘option’ for many

HMDA to install floating boombarrier at Picket nala

PNS n HYDERABAD

Hyderabad has a special con-nection with the memory ofthe Father of the NationMahatma Gandhi as this his-toric city was one of the fewplaces where his ashes wereimmersed. The ashes wereimmersed at the confluence ofMusi and Esi rivers, whichhave now dried up. Tuckedaway in Langer Houz in thewestern part of the city, BapuGhat, however, comes aliveevery year only on the birthand death anniversaries ofMahatma Gandhi.

The visit by the Governorand Chief Minister to payhomage brings the memorialinto focus but the rest of theyear it remains mostly desert-ed. The plans of the Telanganagovernment to develop BapuGhat on the lines of SabarmatiAshram in Ahmedabad haveremained on paper for the lastsix years.

Earlier, there were efforts toensure some activity at theplace, which boasts of a memo-rial building, Gandhi's statue ina meditation position, a prayerhall, an interactive museumcalled Peace Truth Ahimsamuseum and a 76-feet long col-lage wall featuring more than400 pictures of Gandhi.

Also on display at Bapu Ghatis a Harley Davidson motor-bike. Named Ahimsa Harley, ithas signatures of 900 students

from 26 countries as a symbolto announce that Gandhi hasarrived in 21st century. It wasin 2012 that Mahatma GandhiDigital Museums (MGDS) setup a digital museum at BapuGhat in an effort to conveyGandhi's message through thelanguage of technology.

However, the place continues

t or e m a i nout of bounds for visitors.Employees say it is openedonly for school students whoare brought with prior permis-sion from authorities. MahatmaGandhi's great-grandsonTushar Arun Gandhi, duringhis visit to the memorial lastyear, was all praise for use ofmodern technology to depictthe life of the Mahatma. Hedescribed the collection of pho-tographs as nice but said theywere meaningless as they wereneither arranged in chronolog-ical order nor tell the story.According to him, the pho-tographs do not tell the story oflife, the story of those times andthe history of the Independencemovement.

Hyderabad’s Bapu Ghatremains a neglected memorial

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation opened mobile toilets for public use inKukatpally on Friday

MORE FFACILITIES

COVID IMPACT

Lakhs of studentsdeprived of education PNS n HYDERABAD

Over 10 lakh students whohave been pursuing educationin hundreds of small privateschools across the state arebeing deprived of educationduring the current fiscal year.The managements of theseprivate schools are not able toconduct online lessons for thestudents on lack of finances.Moreover, even if the privateschools somehow manage torun the online classes, the par-ents of the students of theseschools are not able to affordthe cost of online teaching.

In respect of CBSE, ICSEand state government recog-nised private schools havebeen conducting online class-es for the students. The stu-dents who enrolled in theseclasses mostly belong to high-er middle classes and middleclasses. On the contrary, the

poor and lower middle classstudents pursuing educationin small private schools arenot able to get access to onlineclasses on the grounds of nonaffordability.

In government schools,classes are being aired fivedays in a week through TVfrom September 1. By July, 60per cent of the private schoolshave started online classes.These schools conducted theclasses for 15-20 days andthen demanded the paymentof tuition fees. Some privateschools even threatened togive the online lessons link tothose students who pay thetuition fees. As school man-agements are calling up stu-dents for payment of fees,many students did not showinterest to pursue educationonline. Some schools havesuspended online classes afterone month.

Candidates gear upfor UPSC PrelimsPNS n HYDERABAD

The Civil Services exam will beheld on October 4. This year46,171 candidates have registeredto write exam from Hyderabad,which will be held in 99 centresconstituted in the city.

The exam will be conduct-ed in two sessions - morning(starting at 9:30 am), after-noon (starting at 2:30 pm).Due to the Covid-19 pan-demic, the Commission hasalso set rules which are pre-cautionary measures to con-tain the spread of the infection.The authorities have askedcandidates to bring their ownsanitisers to the exam centre intransparent bottles.

“Besides above, candidateshave to follow Covid-19norms of 'social distancing' as

well as 'personal hygiene'inside the examination halls/rooms as well as in the premis-es of the venue,” the authori-ties mentioned. The candi-dates will have to produce theprintout of their e-Admit Cardat the allotted venue forappearing at the examination.

The experts feel that thisyear the paper might carrymore questions towards pub-lic health. SharesGopalakrishna, Director ofBrain Tree Institution, "Thegovernment has worked welltowards encouraging morestudents towards UPSCexams. This year the studentshave also got some extra timeto prepare. I feel this year theemphasis will be a little moreon questions related to publichealth and how to manage it."

Cricket bettingracket bustedPNS n HYDERABAD

The North Zone Task Forceon Friday busted cricket bet-ting racket and arrested fourpeople, including two organ-isers. The accused were iden-tified as Khimani Saleem(41)and Anwar Akbar Khoja(44),Sandeep Agarwal andKontham Abhilash. Thepolice seized 1.5 lakh fromtheir possession. Based on atip off, the police raided Flatno. 202, 2nd floor, DwarakaResidency, IndirapuriRailway Colony in WestMarredpally and found theaccused indulging in bettingof IPL -2020 Cricket matchheld between Kings XIPunjab (KXIP) Vs MumbaiIndians (MI). The arrestedwere handed over toMarredpally police for fur-ther investigation.

Govt to set up two morehospitals, says EatalaPNS n HYDERABAD

Health Minister EatalaRajender on Friday said thatthe Telangana government willset up two more hospitals --one on Shamirpet-Medchalside and another onKongarakalan side. "ChiefMinister K ChandrashekarRao's idea is to build four bighospitals around Hyderabad.As part of this, Bibi NagarAIIMS and TIMS inGachibowli have been set up.Due to Covid-19, our positionin the medical field becameclear, and the Chief Ministerhad already said that thedepartment should be furtherstrengthened".

Citing ICMR-NIN surveythat, 40 lakh people in our statehave developed antibodies, hesaid, "In a few days, people haveto coexist with Coronavirussimilar to dengue, viral fevers,

common viral fevers, H1 N1, aswell as malaria. Corona doesnot have the power to kill peo-ple if precautions are taken butwith some vigilance otherwisedanger is lurking," he said.

"It is now evident that what-ever Telangana governmenthas said and done from thebeginning in the case ofCoronavirus pandemic is cor-rect, he claimed. "Aboutexploitation due to plasmatherapy and tocilizumab injec-tions, we said a person cannotsurvive and that came true. Wesaid that those who have nor-

mal symptoms can be cured byspending Rs 10,000. Everythingsaid by the Telangana state gov-ernment has come true," hefurther said. "The governmenthas hit every house in thename of tests. We did testingeverywhere, giving medicinekits, putting in home isolation,putting in government isola-tion, providing treatment atPHC, secondary, tertiary cen-ters," he said.

NIMS gets Stem Cell labMinister Eatala Rajender

inaugurated the Department ofStem Cell and RegenerativeMedicine at NIMS. Speaking onthe occasion, the Minister said,“Today we have set up the high-est standard stem cell treatmentunit for treating people withblood cancer. With this unit, wecan now provide free treatmentto the poor suffering fromleukemia through Aarogyasri.”

Sabitha bats forquality education

PNS n HYDERABAD

Education Minister SabithaIndra Reddy on Friday held ameeting with the top officialsof Education Department toensure quality of education inschools across the state.

In the meeting, which wasattended by Special ChiefSecretary to Government,Education ChitraRamchandran; Board ofIntermediate EducationSecretary Syed Omer Jaleel;Director of School EducationA Sri Devasena, among otherofficials, various possibilities ofimplementing the newNational Education Policy(NEP) 2020 in Telangana werediscussed for the benefit ofstudents at large and strength-ening the State EducationDepartment.

The Minister directed offi-

cials to come up with mea-sures on how to strengthen theEducation Department andaccordingly submit a report.The Minister directed the tosee that the standards are onpar with international stan-dards and students from theState emerge successful acrossthe globe.

The Ministerasked theofficialsconcerned tocome up withmeasures onhow tostrengthen theEducation Dept

ACB arrests 8more in ex-ACPDA casePNS n HYDERABAD

The Anti corruption Bureau(ACB) on Friday arrested 8more people in dispropor-tionate assets case of YNarasimha Reddy, formerACP of Malkajgiri. Accordingto the officials, the accusedcreated fraudulent docu-ments of a government landand sold it to NarasimhaReddy, who bought them forRs 80 lakh by undervaluingthem as against the marketvalue of Rs 50 crore. Duringthe raid on the residence of YNarasimha Reddy, the sleuthsof ACB stumbled upon theland documents of four plotsof 1960 Sq. Yards of land rightin fornt of Cyber Towers atMadhapur. The proberevealed that the land actual-ly belongs to Governmentallotted to APIIC, HUDAand other Governmentorganisations and was in pro-hibitory list of RegistrationAct.

Harley Davidson,named AhimsaHarley, hassignatures of 900students from 26countries as asymbol toannounce thatGandhi hasarrived in 21stcentury

Two teenagers drown inShamirpet LakePNS n HYDERABAD

Two teenagers drowned inShamirpet Lake on Fridayevening. The teenagers wereidentified as Manish(16) andUttej (15). The locals, whorushed to the spot fished outManish’s body and efforts areon to trace Uttej. According tothe police, a gang of six mem-

bers went to Shamirpet Lakefor sightseeing on Friday andunfortunately two of them,who entered the lake drowned. “The boys, who did not knowhow to swim entered the lakeand drowned around 4.30p.m. While Manish's bodywas fished out efforts are on toretrieve Uttej's body," thepolice said.

Hyd cops’ filmi operation to nab Cyber criminalscontinued from page 1

All the villages in which theyhad to maintain vigil and lookfor suspects are remote. Sincethere are no hotels to stay insuch villages, they managed bystaying in shelter homes withunderstandable trepidation.For, they were aware of the vio-lent past of villagers, whoresort to attacks the momentthe sense the presence of non-local persons or police person-nel. So, the team had to shifttheir base every three or fourdays to avoid any untowardincidents. As a part of theirpreliminary field work, theteam scoured certain villages,changing their dressing styleoften so as to avoid drawingattention of the suspicious vil-

lagers. Rajasthan is a place that is

known for people wearingmostly traditional clothes. So,locals can easily spot non-locals solely by their dress. Itwas not an easy task to mingleamong people. Each and everymember of the team donnedturbans and occasionally woretraditional dress. In addition tothat, they were accompaniedby local police personnel incivil dress.

The team had to adapt to thelocal people's food habits likemeals, which had rotis, andeating twice a day; unlike inTelangana, where people havethree meals, which includesrice. After having breakfast, thenext meal is in the evening onlyand that too before 7 PM.

Beyond that, most of the shopswill be closed and the villageswear a deserted look. On sev-eral days, the team survived onfruits. Fear of contractingCovid-19 also forced them attimes to cook their own food.Apart from that, most of themen were shabbily dressedand unkempt by choice due towhich the team maintainedminimal contact with thelocals. With the help of localpolicemen, while scouringsome villages on two-wheelers,the team observed the dailyroutine of villagers and learnedthe history of their communi-ty before jumping into action.

After identifying their tar-gets, the team took the help ofan informer to observe theirmovements. Further they used

to connect with their technicalteam in Hyderabad to ascertainthe details of the informer.Informers played an importantrole in identifying and pin-pointing the criminals.

Keeping in view unityamong the villagers, who oftenobstruct the police from per-forming their duties by attack-ing, the team came up with arobust plan of bringing the tar-geted persons to the outskirtsof the village so that police cannab them, instead of having topick them up from the village.To implement their plan, theyused the informer and laid thebait.

Ignorant of the bait, theaccused took it and walkedright into the trap. They wereapprehended by the team.

TS logs 10 deaths,2,009 new casesPNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana on Friday reportedhigher number of recoveriesfrom Covid-19 than the newcases during the last 24 hours.The state added 2,009 casesbut 2,437 recovered from thevirus. While the tally of posi-tive cases rose to 1,95,609, therecoveries also jumped to1,65,844.

The state's recovery rateimproved further to 84.78 percent against the national aver-age of 83.5 per cent. The 24-hour period ending 8 p.m.Thursday saw 10 more deaths,taking the death toll to 1,145.

The fatality rate in the statestands at 0.58 per cent againstthe national average of 1.6 percent. Officials said the percent-age of death due to Covid-19was 44.96 while the remaining55.04 had comorbidities. Thestate now has 28,620 activecases including 23,732 who arein home/institutional isola-tion. Of the fresh cases, 293were recorded in GreaterHyderabad. MedchalMalkajgiri district recordedsecond highest number ofcases at 173 followed byRangareddy (171), Karimnagar(114), Nalgonda (109)andWarangal Urban (72).

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2020 hyderabad 04

PNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Friday visited RajBhavan to personally congrat-ulate Governor Dr TamilisaiSoundararajan's husband andrenowned Nephrologist Dr PSoundararajan, who wasrecently selected for theDronacharya Award inNephrology.

Chief Minister went to theresidence of the Governor inRaj Bhavan premises and felic-itated Soundararajan with ashawl and bouquet and con-veyed his greetings and wish-es. The Chief Minister said thatentire Telangana is proud ofthe achievements ofSoundararajan and appreciat-

ed his illustrious career span-ning more than 35 years in thefield of Nephrology and hisresearch contribution in thefield of Nephrology and hisservice to the patients.

Soundararajan was one ofthe pioneers in the transplantof kidney collected from a

brain dead snakebite victimand he has also organisedmore than 1,200 kidney trans-plants including 200 diseasedonor transplants. TheGovernor and DrSoundararajan thanked theChief Minister for the person-al visit.

KCR felicitates Dr Soundararajan

PNS n HYDERABAD

Soon after assuming charge asthe Congress party's new incharge for Telangana,Manickam Tagore urged theparty leaders in the state towork together for victory in theensuing by-elections toLegislative Assembly andLegislative Council.

Even at a meeting inSangareddy on Friday,Manickam asked the cadre towork together to defeat ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao in next Assembly elec-tions. However, the Congressleaders showed Congresstrademark politics at Jangaoneven the in-charge is in thestate. The differences amongthe leaders came to the foreduring farmers' signature cam-

paign programme.Jostling and verbal war took

place between the followers offormer Minister and formerPCC Chief Ponnala Laxmaiahand Janagaon DistrictCongress Committee presi-dent Janga Raghava Reddy.Ponnala Laxmaiah's followersentered into an argument withRaghava Reddy's followersalleging that the latter isencouraging 'rowdism'. The

argument escalated leading tojostling among the followers ofboth the leaders. However, theissue subdued when Dasojuand other leaders intervened.

Differences between the fol-lowers of Ponnala Laxmaiah andJanga Raghava Reddy are notnew to the party. During munic-ipal elections too, Ponnala fol-lowers argued with RaghavaReddy followers alleging that nota single seat had been allocatedto them and was not given B-Form to Ponnala, who workedas PCC Chief and Minister.These sorts of incidents are notnew in the Congress and simi-lar incidents took place inGandhi Bhavan itself. One hasto wait and see how ManickamTagore will solve these problemsand set right the leaders tomove forward unitedly.

Tagore's ‘unity mantra' falls flat

PNS n KAMAREDDY

Former Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Fridayalleged that the BJP govern-ment at the Centre was misus-ing its strength in theParliament to help a few cor-porate by ruining the lives ofcrores of farmers.

Shabbir Ali was addressinga gathering in Kamareddy aspart of Congress party'snationwide 'Kishan MazdoorBachao Diwas' agitation on theoccasion of Gandhi Jayanthion Friday. Shabbir Ali, alongwith former MLA GangaramJanardhan Reddy, KailasaSrinivas Rao, Madan

Mohan Rao, V SubhashReddy, Congress ZPTCs,MPTCs, Sarpanches and otherleaders paid floral tributes toMahatma Gandhi at his stat-ue at Gandhi Ganj inKamareddy.

Shabbir Ali said that thenew agricultural laws of theCentral Government were

aimed at benefiting the corpo-rator sector. He said that thefarmers would not get MSP fortheir produce and the priceswould be dictated by a fewcorporate companies. Healleged that the Modi govern-ment has removed the protec-tive shield of farmers provid-ed by the Constitution.Shabbir Ali said that the Modigovernment appears so com-mitted to the corporate sectorthat it got the Bills passed inRajya Sabha while violating allrules and set precedents. It didnot bother that one of its old-est allies Akali Dal has quit thegovernment in protest againstthe laws.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Former Deputy Chief MinisterDamodara Raja Narsimha onFriday alleged that 'contracts','commissions' and 'conspira-cies' have become commonfeatures in Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao's rule. "Inever saw a lying ChiefMinister like K ChandrasekharRao across the nation. Thereis a need for the people to pro-tect Telangana from KCR'sfamily".

While participating in'Kisan and Mazdoor BachaoDiwas' meeting held at Ganj

Maidan in Sangareddy townon Friday, the former DeputyChief Minister predicted thatthe Chief Minister will not rulethe state for more than fouryears as elections will come in2022. He called upon the peo-ple to teach a fitting lesson toPrime Minister NarendraModi and KCR.

Sangareddy MLA T JaggaReddy said that there is a needfor the people to give a befit-ting reply to the Chief Ministerin next Assembly elections."Congress has to win 10 seatsin the erstwhile Medak districtin the next elections," he said.The Jeedimetla Traffic Police installed a new three-way traffic signal at the Qutbullapur junction to

streamline the flow of vehicles, on Friday

MAKING IIT EEASY Cong alleges graftunder KCR's rule

Centre ruining ryots’lives, alleges Cong

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Saifabad Police on Fridayarrested Congress partyleader Feroz Khan on chargesof assaulting a journalist.Following an argumentwhich broke out betweenFeroz Khan and a journalistfrom ANI during a candlelight rally organised by theCongress to protest Hathrasrape on Thursday night,Khan and his supportersallegedly assaulted thereporter. Feroz Khan wastaken into custody on Fridayand underwent a Covid-19test at the District Hospital inKing Koti before being pro-duced before a judge. Hewas later granted bail.

Cong leaderheld for attackon scribe

PNS n HYDERABAD

Protesting against the Centre'sFarm laws, Congress leaderson Friday conducted farmers'signature campaign 'Kisan -Mazdoor bachao diwas' acrossthe state. Responding to thecall given by the party highcommand, the Congress lead-ers conducted signature cam-paign programmes at districtheadquarters. Bhongir MPKomatireddy Venkat Reddyparticipated in the programmeat Yadadri Bhongir district.Speaking on the occasion,Komatireddy said, "Onceagain the BJP governmentproved itself that it is anti-farmer. The Congress willlaunch a movement againstthese laws. The party willhold power in the state and atthe Centre in the next elec-tions. There is no use withChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao's loanwaiver scheme as it will not

even clear loan's interest," healleged.While participating inthe programme at Khammam,CLP leader Mallu BhattiVikramarka alleged that thenation is under the rule ofWest India. "The Centre'sFarm laws will help only cor-porates. The BJP led Centralgovernment is trying to handover the agriculture sector toAdani, Ambani, Amazon andother companies," he alleged.

Malkajgiri MP A RevanthReddy participated in thefarmers' signatures campaignat Shapur.

PNS n HYDERABAD

All India Congress Committee(AICC) in charge for TelanganaManickam Tagore on Fridaylaunched a scathing attack onChief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao. On hissecond visit to Telangana in lessthan a week after beingappointed as AICC inchargefor the state, Tagore led a hugerally in Sangareddy town alongwith party's state unit chief NUttam Kumar Reddy.

Targeting the ruling TRSgovernment, Manickam Tagorealleged that KCR's family hasbecome the richest family. "Innext five years he will competewith Mukesh Ambani," he said. "Mukhesh Ambani is earningmoney by doing business, how-ever, KCR is earning money bytaking commissions," healleged. Terming KCR as'Commission Chandrasekhar',the AICC in charge forTelangana urged the partyworkers to work unitedly todefeat TRS in upcoming elec-tions. Participating in farmers'signature campaign in GanjMaidan in Sangareddy town,Manickam Tagore said,"Former Prime Minister IndiraGandhi filed her nominationsfrom Sangareddy constituencyand hence I decided to launchmy activities across the statefrom Sangareddy as an in-charge of Telangana Congress

Affairs." Targeting Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, Tagore allegedthat PM had pushed farmersinto trouble by introducingfarm laws. "TRS is B team ofBJP. KCR can't defeat NarendraModi and Amit Shah. He is theB team of BJP. Only RahulGandhi can defeat them," hesaid.Praising Sangareddy MLA TJagga Reddy, who organisedthe programme, Tagore saidthat the party will giveMinister post to Jagga in2023. Speaking on the occa-sion, TPCC chief N UttamKumar Reddy said that every

Congress activist has to strivehard to bring Congress topower. Referring to newfarm legislation, he said theCentral government decidedto handover farmers toAdani and Ambani. Healleged that they will decidethe prices of agriculturalproduce grown by farmerswith their hard work in thefield. Uttam alleged that bothPrime Minister NarendraModi and Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao betrayedfarmers. He said if TRS wassincere in opposing newfarm legislation it shouldpass a resolution in theAssembly that this legislation

will not be implemented inthe state. Reddy said both theCentral and state govern-ment had made the life offarmers miserable and thesuicides by farmers havegone up. It may be recalledthat the C ongress hadlaunched a nationwide agita-tion against the farm Billspassed by Parliament andalso initiate a campaign forcollecting two crore signa-tures of farmers and the pooragainst these proposed legis-lations.

Also, apart from TelanganaPradesh C ongressCommittee (TPCC), AndhraPradesh C ongress

Committee (APCC) has alsolaunched a signature collec-tion campaign on GandhiJayanti against the threerecently enacted farm laws.Vice President of AndhraPradesh Congress GGangadhar and other leaderspaid tributes to MahatmaGandhi and Lal BahadurShastri at the market centre inVijayawada on their birthanniversaries.

After that, they started a sig-nature drive to collect signa-tures from farmers and alsoagainst the decision of theYSRCP government in thestate to fix meters to electricpump sets in the fields.

‘KCR will become richer than Ambani’ManickamTagore targetedruling TRS andtermed it as Bteam of BJP.ChandrasekharRao can’t defeatNarendra Modiand Amit Shah.He is the B teamof BJP. OnlyRahul Gandhican defeat them,he said.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for MunicipalAdministration and UrbanDevelopment KT Rama Raoon Friday informed that thestate government was workingwith a target to turn all 142municipalities as OpenDefecation Free (ODF) ++urban local bodies in the state.Bhongir will undergo seachange once the Yadadri tem-ple renovation works arethrough, the Minister saidand added that MMTS servicewill be extended up toBhongir.

Participating in a string ofdevelopment works in thetown, the Minister said thatwidening of roads should betaken up in the town. Thenumber of Swachh Autosshould be doubled to 35. "Thetown should have foot-paths.Each and every town is beingdeveloped as per the master

plan," he said predicting lakhsof devotees would visit Yadadritemple.

"Improving sanitationshould get priority. More andmore toilets should be built inthe town. The state govern-ment has been releasing fundsto municipalities and pan-chayats without any hiccups.The state is the front runner inthe implementation ofSwachch Bharat programmes.It won three awards in a rowin implementation of sanita-tion," he further said.

Earlier, the Minister alongwith Minister for Energy GJagadish Reddy took part in astring of development worksin the town. They laid founda-tion stone for a human wasteprocessing plant built at thedumping yard here. Theystarted shops built for streetvendors at a cost of Rs 11.50lakh. They distributed chequesof loans sanctioned to them.

Top priority forsanitation: KTR

Cong leaders up theante against Centre

KCR sets a wider agenda...continued from page 1

He also mentioned about 'ille-gal' Pothireddypadu HeadRegulator Project and its unau-thorized expansion by theAndhra Pradesh, which willirreversibly compromise theinterests and rights ofTelangana, ineffective supervi-sion of Krishna RiverManagement Board and issuesrelated to Section 89 of the APReorganization Act 2014.

As for Godavari river, KCRsaid he wanted to addressobjections of Andhra Pradeshabout ongoing projects ofTelangana on the GodavariRiver, utilization of Godavariwaters, demands of Telangana,instances of injustice meted outto Telangana in sharing ofwater in the erstwhile state ofAndhra Pradesh.

KCR stated, "I am sad to saythat, even after seven long yearsafter the formation of the Stateon 2nd June, 2014, relief toTelangana in getting its rightfulshare has not been realized dueto the gross inaction on the partof Government of India." "Iwant to express strong objectionsof Telangana to the taking up ofexpansion of PothireddypaduHead Regulator and the newlyproposed Rayalaseema LiftIrrigation Scheme by theGovernment of Andhra Pradesh.The original project itself iscompletely illegal as it has nowater allocation, no approval byany statutory authority, and ismeant to send water outsideKrishna Basin. The KrishnaRiver is intended to meet theneeds of water of the parchedareas of Telangana such asMahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Ranga

Reddy and Hyderabad districts,some of which are also sufferingfrom excess fluoride content indrinking water." Although theRayalseema Lift IrrigationScheme was never sanctioned byany statutory body, AndhraPradesh has proposed to lift 3TMC per day from the bottomof the Srisailam reservoir andtransport it to Pennar andadjoining basins, vide GO Rt 203dated 5th May 2020. AndhraPradesh had gone ahead with thefinalisation of tenders for thework despite our strong objec-tions and the orders given byKRMB not to proceed with theProject. It had also issued addi-tional administrative sanctionsamounting to approximately Rs.24,000 crores for works relatedto transfer of Krishna waters tothe Pennar Basin, KCR men-tioned in the letter.

Will developmore lungspaces: PuvvadaPNS n KHAMMAM

Priority was being given todevelop urban lung spaces atall the water bodies inKhammam city, statedTransport Minister PuvvadaAjay Kumar. He inaugurateda walking track named,“Walkers’ Paradise” at mini-Lakaram tank bund here onFriday. Speaking on the occa-sion he said a tank bund, parkand recreational area havebeen developed aroundLakaram tank, which nowhas become a centre of attrac-tion in Khammam. Similarly,walking track, yoga centre,open gym and panchatantrapark were developed at mini-Lakaram tank bund spendingaround Rs 2 crore to encour-age the citizens to maintainphysical fitness besidesspending their leisure time,he said.

District Collector RVKarnan have taken specialcare in developing the Walkers’Paradise in a speedy manner,Kumar said adding that mem-bers of walkers associationsshould enroll their names andsteps should be taken to set upan advisory committee tomaintain the walking track. Bypaying a nominal fee the fit-ness enthusiasts could makeuse of the walking track atWalkers’ Paradise and opengym, the Minister said.

Tourist sites in TSsee surges in footfallPNS n HYDERABAD

After pubs and parks, thestate government decided tounlock city's tourism sites,playgrounds, sports facilitiesand swimming pools. As partof unlock 5.0, all touristattractions - including his-toric sites, forts, museumsand stadiums under thedepartment of tourism andarchaeology - are thrownopen to the public. Even aboat ride on the iconicHussainsagar Lake is nowoff the barred list. As per theguidelines of state and centralgovernments, places oftourist interest in the city aswell as the state, sports stadia

and other sporting facilities,archaeological museums andstructures, places of histori-cal interest were thrown opento the public from Thursdayonwards.

As they have been openedafter a gap of six months,people were seen gathering atthese places on the first day.The Silparamam on the cityoutskirts became operationalfrom Friday. Thermal scan-ners, sanitisers have beeninstalled at all these facilities.Those who have worn maskswere allowed inside. Ministerfor Tourism Srinivas Goudsaid that all tourist facilitieswill be fully thrown open tothe public in a day or two.

TPCC targets 79 seats ...continued from page 1

This was announced by AICCTS Incharge ManickamTagore, along with TelanganaPradesh Congress Committee(TPCC) president & MP Capt.N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, whoparticipated in the 'Kisan,Mazdoor Bachao Diwas' atSangareddy, as part of theCongress party's nationwideagitation against the three newfarm laws introduced by theBJP government.

Addressing the meeting,Tagore said that the party's'Vision 2023' had beenunveiled in Sangareddy as itwas the place from where for-mer Prime Minister IndiraGandhi filed her nominationpapers to contest for theMedak Lok Sabha constituen-cy 1980. He hoped thatSangareddy would once againprove lucky for the Congressparty and bring it power in2023. He expressed his confi-dence that the next ChiefMinister of Telangana wouldbe a Congress leader andassured that Sangareddy MLA

Jagga Reddy would be a cabi-net minister. "When Congressparty could fight and defeat theBritish to get freedom for thecountry, it is not difficult for usto beat KCR in the next elec-tion," he remarked.

Tagore said that Congresspresident Sonia Gandhi hadgranted statehood forTelangana to ensure that allsections of society will enjoy itsfruits. However, except forChief Minister K.Chandrashekhar Rao and hisfamily, no one had benefittedfrom the formation ofTelangana, he observed. TheAICC Incharge appealed topeople to think about theirfuture and defeat TRS in nextelections. People should not getlured with Rs. 1,000 or Rs.2,000 which TRS leaders werepaying to get their votes.Instead, they should vote forthe Congress party to ensure abright future for their children.Referring to the new farmlaws, he said that PrimeMinister Narender Modi andHome Minister Amit Shahhad mortgaged the interests of

farmers to corporate entities.Uttam Kumar Reddy, in his

address, appealed to theCongress cadre to work hardto bring the Congress party topower in 2023. Uttam KumarReddy said that the Congressparty had launched a signaturecampaign; it would collectmore than two crore signaturesfrom across the country. Thesignatures would be submittedto the President of India byCongress president SoniaGandhi on November 14. Aspart of a nationwide agitation,protests had been held acrossTelangana State on Friday topressurise the CentralGovernment to withdraw thecontentious farm laws.

Uttam reiterated the party'sdemand that CM KCR con-vene a special session of theLegislative Assembly to pass aunanimous resolution againstthe new agricultural laws andoverride those laws underArticles 254 (2) of theConstitution of India. KCRneeded to prove his oppositionto the new laws by his actionand not by just words.

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2020 nation 05

IN BRIEFIN BRIEF

Two persons, including a woman,have been lynched, beheaded andset on fire by an angry mob over

suspicion of practising witchcraft inAssam's Karbi Anglong district, asenior police officer said on Friday.The mob had accused the duo ofperforming 'black magic', causing thedeath of a teenaged girl in Rohimapurvillage in Dokmoka police station area, he said. The incident came tolight on Thursday after some locals reported it to the law enforcers,following which nine persons have been arrested, district SP DebajitDeuri said.

The Krishak Mukti SangramSamiti (KMSS) alongwith 70 indigenous groups

and a regi onal party on Fridayfloated a political outfit to fightthe Assam assembly electionsdue next year, outgoingpresident of the peasant bodyBhasco De Saikia said. Thenew party, named 'Raijor Dal'

(People's Party) was launched on Gan dhi Jayanti and the birthday ofjailed KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi at a press conference here. The 70indigenous groups and the regional party, the 'Sanjukta Anchalik Dal,Asom', were together during the anti Citizenship Act agitation.

The Centre has declared threedistricts and four policestations in three other

districts in Arunachal Pradesh as"disturbed area" under the AFSPAfor six more months after reviewof insurgent activities and the lawand order situation there. TheUnion Home Ministry said in aotification that the order comesinto effect from October 1. "...Tirap, Changlang and Longdingdistricts in Arunachal Pradesh and the areas falling within thejurisdiction of the following four police stations in other districts ofArunachal Pradesh, bordering the State of Assam, are declared as'disturbed area' under Section 3 of the Armed Forces Act.

Inspired by the teachings of MahatmaGandhi on his 151st birthanniversary, Google Arts & Culture

launched "Be the Voices of Change viaPostcards" online exhibition on Friday.Organised in association with Kochi-based non-profit LetterFarms, the online

exhibition aims to inspire people to be the change through messageswritten or painted on handcra fted postcards. The postcards featuredin this exhibition bear “ideas of change” by ordinary citizens, andwere handpicked from the nationwide CHANGE150 community artproject by LetterFarms. The exhibition comprises a cluster of 10exhibits each categorised on themes of national relevance.

2 lynched, beheaded, set onfire over witchcraft suspicion

KMSS floats political party on Gandhi Jayanti

Govt extends ‘disturbed area'tag for 3 districts in Arunachal

Seema Kushwaha, lawyer of the2012 Delhi rape victim, known asNirbhaya, will now fight the case of

the Hathras victim. Seema tried to meetthe victim's family on Thursday, but wasprevented from meeting them by thepolice. "I will not leave Hathras withoutmeeting the family. They have requestedme to stand as their legal counsel butthe admini stration is not allowing me to meet them," she toldreporters. She said that she was in touch with the victim's brother.Kushwaha was the family lawyer of the 23-year-old paramedicalstudent who was gang-raped on a moving bus on the night ofDecember 16, 2012, by six people, including a juvenile in Delhi.The woman died at a Singapore hospital later.

If you're taking coffee before breakfast,read this carefully. Researchers havefound that drinking coffee first thing

can have a negative effect on bloodsugar control -- a risk factor for diabetesand heart disease. For the study,published in the journal British Journal ofNutrition, the research team looked at theeffect of broken sleep and morning

coffee across a range of different metabolic markers. "The resultsshow that whilst one night of poor sleep has limited impact on ourmetabolism, drinking coffee as a way to perk you up from a slumbercan have a negative effect on blood glucose (sugar) control," saidstudy authors from the University of Bath in the UK.

Congress leader Priyanka GandhiVadra on Friday attended a prayermeet at Delhi's Valmiki Temple

organised amid nationwide outrage overthe alleged rape and murder of a 20-year-old Dalit woman in UP’s Hathras. "We willensure justice for our sister. We won't sitquietly till she does not get justice," shesaid, addressing a crowd of Congress supporters anddemonstrators."The government did not help at all. Her family isfeeling helpless. We will put pressure on the government. She wasn'teven given a cremation following Hindu customs," Vadra said.

Nirbhayas;lawyer to fightcase of Hathras’victim

Drinking coffee beforebreakfast may up diabetes

Will ensure justice for ‘sister’,says Priyanka at prayer

PNS n MUMBAI

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rauton Friday condemned thetreatment meted out by UttarPradesh police to Congressleader Rahul Gandhi when hewas on his way to meet Hathrasvictim's family, and termed itas "gang-rape of democracy".

Talking to reporters, Rautsaid that Gandhi was a leaderof a prominent political partyand nobody would support theway he was "manhandled" bythe police. "We may have dif-ferences with the Congressparty. He (Rahul Gandhi) canbe stopped from going toHathras citing imposition of

section 144, but the way policebehaved with him holding hiscollar...the way he was pushedand then thrown on theground was highly con-

demnable," he said."This is gangrape of democ-

racy and the incident should beprobed. Is this the way oppo-sition leaders should be treat-

ed so that nobody asks ques-tions? You can ridicule himpolitically as is always beingdone. But the way police man-handled him is an act nobodywill support," he said. Raut alsoquestioned the silence of thosewho targeted the Maharashtragovernment.

PNS n PATNA

The seat-sharing for "Mahagathbandhan" has been finalisedahead of the Bihar Assemblyelections, sources said onFriday adding that Congresswill be contesting nearly 70seats whereas the Left partieswill field candidates on around30 seats.

Lalu Yadav’s RJD will give70 seats to Congress but willnot let them have a seat oftheir choice. Senior NDA lead-ers also held a meeting inPatna on Thursday regardingthe finalisation of seats for theAssembly polls and are likelyto announce the seat-sharingformula before October 4 inDelhi.

The first phase of the nom-ination has already begun inBihar for 71 seats and theElection Commission of Indiais busy in the preparation ofstate election monitoring allpoll-related matters with offi-

cials. According to anannouncement by CEC ofIndia, Sunil Arora, the Biharassembly election 2020 will beheld in three phases beginningfrom October 28 amid strictCOVID-19 protocols andresults for all seats will beannounced on November 10.

PNS n KOLKATA

Describing farmers as the"backbone" of India, WestBengal Chief Minister andTMC boss Mamata Banerjeeon Friday said she and herparty members would "standby them till last breath", comewhat may. Banerjee, afterpaying tribute to formerprime minister Lal BahadurShastri on his birth anniver-sary, remembered that hehad raised the slogan 'JaiJawan, Jai Kisan' 55 years agoto enthuse and motivate thecountrys soldiers and farm-ers. "Remembering formerPrime Minister Lal BahadurShastri on his birth anniver-sary. 55 years ago, he gave usthe inspirational slogan of 'JaiJawan, Jai Kisan' for ourproud farmer brothers & sis-ters. Come what may, we willalways firmly stand by themtill our last breath," Banerjeetweeted.

PNS n CHENNAI

Chief Minister K Palaniswamiand Deputy Chief Minister OPanneerselvam together tookpart in public events here onFriday for the first time days afterthey crossed swords over whoshould be the ruling AIADMK'schief ministerial candidate for2021 assembly elections.

The twin events of GandhiJayanathi and the deathanniversary of former TamilNadu chief minister K Kamarajbrought the two leaderstogether as they took part inthe official functions payingtributes to the late leaders.

It assumed significance sincePanneerselvam, the AIADMKcoordinator, had kept himselfaway from some official eventschaired by Palainiswami amidreports of a rift between themon the leadership issue.

Panneerselvam did not takepart in a COVID-19 reviewmeeting of District collectorson Tuesday while he was notinvited to a project launch

event here on September 30,both presided over by thechief minister. Also, thedeputy CM did not attend the"One Nation, One RationCard" scheme launch byPalaniswami at the Secretariaton Thursday and in theevening he visited temples innearby Tiruvallur district.

Panneerselvam had alsobeen holding discussions withhis loyalists besides other lead-ers. On September 28, bothPanneerselvam andPalaniswami had a heateddebate at the AIADMKExecutive Committee meetinghere on the issue of chief min-isterial candidate for the next

PNS n NEW DELHI

Compromised immunity alongwith withdrawal of certainmedications pose an increasedrisk to diabetic patients whocontract coronavirus, expertssaid on Friday.

According to the serologi-cal surveillance report sub-mitted by the Delhi govern-ment in the High Court onWednesday, it was stated thatdiabetes mellitus was observedto be a risk factor for subclin-ical infection. Dr Vimal Gupta,Senior Consultant, Endocrinology, Fortis Hospital VasantKunj said the coronavirus,besid es affecting the lungs, alsoaffects the pancreas.

"It has been observed that it

causes pancreatitis in somepatients. Pancreas secretesinsulin but the virus decreas-es secretion of insulin whichregulates glucose levels, thusincreasing sugar levels inpatients. Many patients becomediabetic for the first time afterbeing infected," he added.

Gupta said most of the dia-betic patients in India are hav-ing obesity and other co-mor-bid conditions.

"SGLT2 inhibitors and someother drugs, which reduce theweight and regulate sugar lev-els, cannot be given if a patienthas coronavirus. When wewithdraw the drugs, diabeteslevel is increased," he said.

Sodium-glucose co-trans-porter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors

are a group of medicationsused for treating type 2 dia-betes. Dr B L Sherwal, MedicalDirector of Rajiv Gandhi SuperSpeciality Hospital, said sugarlevels are bound to increase dueto stress in a disease like CO

VID-19. "Immuno-compro-mised patients are at a greaterrisk due to the virus. The mor-tality in such patients will bemore because their immunityis low and additional care is tobe taken," he added."Extra

efforts have to be taken for thetreatment of such patients. Ifwe look at the data of thepatients who die, majority ofthose are having uncontrolleddiabetes," Dr Sherwal furthersaid.

Rahul is a leader of aprominent politicalparty and nobodywould support the wayhe was manhandledby police, said Raut

‘UP cops treatment to Rahul gang-rape of democracy’

Diabetics at higher risk if they contract CoronavirusSodium-glucose

co-transporter-2(SGLT2) inhibitorsare a group ofmedications usedfor treating type 2diabetes

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Ministry of Jal Shakti onFriday launched a 100-daycampaign to ensure potablewater supply in all schools andanganwadi centers across thecountry.

Union Jal Shakti MinisterGajendra Singh Shekhawatrequested the states and Unionterritories to make it a 'JanAndolan'. He said he has writ-ten to chief ministers and lieu-tenant governors, requesting

them to lead the campaign intheir respective regions.

The minister said the initia-tive will be a fitting tribute toMahatma Gandhi on his 151st

birth anniversary on Friday.“Prime Minister NarendraModi, while launching thelogo of JJM on September 29,called for ensuring drinkingwater supply in all schools andanganwadi centres in the coun-try. "In this backdrop, we arelaunching a 100-day campaignto ensure the same. We are ask-ing all the state governments toensure piped drinking water inall schools and anganwadicentres in next 100 days,”Shekhawat said.

Mission to ensure potable water supply in schools

‘Mahagathbandhan’ finalisesseat-sharing for Bihar polls

‘Would standby farmers tilllast breath’

TN CM, Dy CM attendevents together after stand-off

PNS n NEW DELHI

The CBI has filed a freshcharge sheet against GokulnathShetty, the Punjab NationalBank Deputy Manager whoallegedly helped Nirav Modiand Mehul Choksi perpetrateRs 13000-crore fraud, and hiswife for amassing dispropor-tionate assets worth Rs 2.63crore, officials said Friday.

The agency has chargedShetty and his wife Asha LathaShetty, a clerk in Indian Bank,under corruption charges foramassing assets worth over Rs

4.28 crore during the period2011-17 when the scam wasbeing perpetrated at the BradyHouse branch of PNB inMumbai where he was posted,they said.

Of the total assets, the CBIalleged they could not providesatisfactory explanation forassets worth Rs 2.63 crore,which were 2.38 times dispro-portionate to their knownsources of income.

The CBI looked into therelationship between Shettyand Modi-Choksi duringwhich it dug into the assets

amassed by the retired deputymanager, they said.

The agency has registered aseparate FIR in November,2018 against Shetty and hiswife to look into their assets.

It emerged that against a

genuine income of Rs 72.52lakh during a six-year period,Shetty couple had assets intheir as well as family mem-bers' names primarily in theform of flats in Mumbai, theCBI alleged.

In its charge sheet filedbefore a Mumbai special courtrecently, the agency has saidthat they had purchased a flatworth Rs 46.62 lakh inGoregaon while paid advancebooking amount for threemore flats in various localitiesof Mumbai and neighbouringareas.

PNS n BALRAMPUR

The Uttar Pradesh govern-ment will provide a residentialplot and job to a family mem-ber of the 22-year-oldBalrampur woman who diedafter she was allegedly rapedby two men, according tolocal BJP MLA Palturam.

The state government willalso give Rs 2 lakh more asfinancial assistance, theBalrampur MLA who met thevictim's family said on Friday.

"Chief Minister YogiAdityanath has taken note ofthe incident. The governmentwill provide a residential plotand job to a member of thefamily," he said, adding that

those involved in the act willbe given strict punishment."The family has been given afinancial assistance of Rs6,18,750. They will be given Rs2 lakh more," he added. TheDalit woman had died onTuesday after she was alleged-ly raped by two men here.

Job, plot for kin ofrape victim: UP MLA

Fresh charge-sheet against PNB official

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Congress has prepared adraft model law that will belegislated by party-ruled statesin order to annul the centralfarm laws.

Sources said on Friday thatthe model law has been draft-ed and will soon be sent toCongress-ruled states to repli-cate it in their state assemblies.

The move comes days afterCongress chief Sonia Gandhi

asked states under party's ruleto enact legislations to bypassCentre's three farm-relatedlaws that have triggeredprotests by farmers.

The move also comes aheadof the tractor rallies to be takenout by the Congress in Punjaband Haryana from October 4,in which party leader RahulGandhi will participate. Therallies are part of Congress agi-tations against the farm legis-lations.

Cong preparesdraft model law

Google launches onlineexhibition of postcards

BJP leaderAnupam Hazratests Covid +vePNS n KOLKATA

BJP leader Anupam Hazra,who had threatened to hugWest Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee if he gotinfected with COVID-19, hastested positive for the disease,health officials said. Hazra,who has recently beenappointed as a national sec-retary of the saffron party,was admitted to a private hos-pital in Kolkata on Friday,they said. He had complainedof uneasiness and his sampleswere tested for coronavirus,the report of which returnedas positive on Thursdaynight, the officials said.

PNS n JAIPUR

Congress leader Sachin Piloton Friday condemned thebehaviour of Uttar Pradeshpolice and the administrationtowards party leaders RahulGandhi and Priyanka Gandhi,saying the Yogi Adityanathgovernment was trying to "sup-press the voice of opposition".

The two leaders were detainedby UP police in Greater Noidaon Thursday, when they insist-ed on marching to Hathras tomeet the family of a Dalitgang-rape victim, whose deathfollowed by a hurried crema-tion triggered nationwide out-rage. "UP CM YogiAdityanath and the entireadministration have left no

stone unturned to suppressthe voice of the opposition. Thetreatment given to RahulGandhi and Priyanka Gandhiyesterday was indecent. It iscondemnable. Rights ofhumanity, constitution andlaw were torn apart," Pilottold reporters on Friday.

"There is an outrage in theentire country today that the

Uttar Pradesh government istrying to save the perpetratorsof this disgusting crime," hesaid. The 19-year-old womansuccumbed to the severeinjuries she suffered when shewas allegedly assaulted by fourupper-caste men – later arrest-ed -- in the fields at her villagein Hathras district onSeptember 14.

‘Yogi govt suppressing voice of Oppn’

PNS n KOLKATA

West Bengal GovernorJagdeep Dhankhar on Fridayhit out at the West Bengal gov-ernment, claiming that powercorridors in the state are "get-ting infested" with extra-con-stitutional authorities, and theadministration, too, was bow-ing down to them.

Dhankhar, who has beenunsparing in his criticism ofthe TMC dispensation, also

said that "attacking the RajBhavan was akin to insultingthe Constitution of the coun-try". "Power corridors in thestate are getting infestedwith extra-constitutionalauthorit ies . The wholeadministration is bowingdown to those who have noc o n s t i t u t i o n a lauthority."Officials workingas political workers duringpolls will never be allowed,"the governor said.

Congress will becontesting nearly70 seatswhereas the Leftwill fieldcandidates onaround 30 seats.RJD will give 70seats to Cong butwill not let themhave a seat oftheir choice

Bengal admin bowing down toextra-constitutional authorities

How many peopleremembered onSeptember 26 (lastSaturday) that it wasthe 200th birth

anniversary of IshvarchandraVidyasagar — as the correct Englishrendering of his name, as spelt inBengali, would be? One of thegreatest Indians ever born, muchhas been written about his contri-butions as a scholar, educationist,social reformer and writer. Asearly as 1841, Sanskrit College —now Sanskrit College andUniversity — in Kolkata (thenCalcutta), had conferred upon himthe honorific title of Vidyasagar(Ocean of Learning) for his vastknowledge of classical Sanskrittexts and philosophy. He wrote twobooks on Sanskrit Grammar —Samagra Byakaran Kaumudi andUpakramonika — in Bengali, andtranslated several books fromSanskrit into Bengali.

Instead of seeking laurels forhimself, he dedicated his life tospreading education. In 1864,Calcutta Training School, estab-lished by Thakurdas Chakrabortyin 1859, came to be known as theMetropolitan Institution, which, inturn, was subsequently recognisedby the University of Calcutta (NowKolkata) as an affiliated college —the first Indian-managed privateinstitution to be given this status.Saradaranjan Ray, a great mathe-matician whose exploits as a bats-man led him to be called “WGGrace of Bengal”, was an early prin-cipal; Surendranath Banerjee, stal-wart national leader and a founderof the Indian National Congress,was a teacher. The institution,which owed its remarkable growthand expansion mainly to the tire-less efforts of Isvarchandra, wasnamed Vidyasagar College in 1917.

An educationist described byRabindranath Tagore as Bengal’sfirst Shikshaguru (preceptor ofeducation), Vidyasagar had alsoopened schools in villages becausehe believed that sans education thecountry could neither progressnor become independent. His spe-cial emphasis was on children’s andwomen’s education. Even now,many children learn the alphabetsand the fundamentals of Bengalilanguage from his primerBornoporichoy (Introduction toLetters) first published in 1855. HisKathamala (Garland of Stories) isperhaps the best-known collectionof folk tales — each with a moral

message — for children.Compiled from several Englishsources, Bodhoday (Dawn ofUnderstanding) was meant toinitiate the readers, particularlyboys and girls, into a rational sys-tem of knowledge, providingbasic ideas about animate andinanimate objects, vegetation,humankind, the senses, shapesand forms of objects, countingnumerals, buying and selling,monetary systems and proper-ty and labour.

His efforts to promotewomen’s education, manifestedamong other things in the open-ing of a number of schools forthem, was based on his firmbelief that women were equal tomen but suffered grave injusticesand inequalities. This, he felt,had to be fought. His unflaggingstruggle for legalising widowremarriage, in support of whichhe cited Hindu scriptural texts,particularly the Parasarsanghitaand the Manusanghita, led to thepassage of the Hindu Widows’Remarriage Act (Act XV) onJuly 16, 1856. His exertions ledto the enactment of the FemaleInfanticide Prevention Act (ActVIII) on March 18, 1870, and theAge of Consent Act (ACT X) onMarch 19, 1891. The title of thefirst of the above two Actsspeaks for itself; the second,passed a little more than sixmonths before his death, raisedthe minimum marriageable ageof girls from 10 to 12 years. His

best efforts failed to get an Actenacted for banning hyperga-mous polygamy, especially of theKulin Pratha or the Kulin sys-tem. Under it, descendants of thefive Brahmin families fromKannauj, brought to Bengal atthe time of king Laxman Sen(1178-1206), commanded greatvalue in the marriage marketand had numerous wives, someof them mere girls. But themoral stigma the evil acquired,thanks to the campaign led byVidyasagar, tapered it down toan end.

Vidyasagar was a rationalhumanist whose cerebral psychewent with limitless compassionand a generosity of spirit thatinstinctively prompted him tohelp out the straitened and suf-fering. This had led him to becalled “Karunasagar” or “DayarSagar” (both meaning an Oceanof kindness) — KarunasagarVidyasagar is the title of IndraMitra’s well-researched biogra-phy of him — by public acclaim.The cue perhaps came from thefamous poem dedicated to himby Michael Madhusudan Duttwhom he had bailed out whenthe iconic Bengali poet was insevere financial distress.

It would be worthwhile toquote the first four lines of thepoem rendered in English alpha-bet for this column: “Vidyarsagar tumi bikhyato Bharate/Karunar shindhu tumi, shei janemone,/ Deen je, deener bondhu!

Ujwal jagate/ Hemadrir hem-kanti, amlan kirone.” Its roughEnglish translation would be,“You are famous in India as anOcean of Learning/ That you arean Ocean of Kindness is known/Only to the poor, friend of thePoor! Shining worldwide/ In theunfading golden light of thegolden mountain.”

Vidyasagar wrote the firstdefinitive grammar that gaveform, structure and a highlySanskritised but intelligible andfluent mode of expression to theBengali language. Earlier, the lat-ter was used mainly inChandidas’ songs on the lovebetween Radha and Krishna,Krishnadasa Kaviraja’sChaitanya Charanamrita, ahagiography on the life of themedieval saint, ChaitanyaMahaprabhu, versified rendi-tions of the Mahabharata andthe Ramayana in Bengali byKashiram Das and KrittibasOjha respectively, Ramprasad’sdevotional songs,Bharatchandra’s poetry andRamram Basu’s prose.

The groundwork laid byVidyasagar was built upon by thechaste literary language ofBankimchandra Chattopadhyay,the distinct style evolved byRabindranath Tagore, the use ofcolloquial Bengali by PearyChand Mitra, author of AlalerGharer Dulal (A WealthyFamily’s Pampered Boy), andthe easy prose of KaliprasannaSingha’s Hutom PyancharNaksha (Sketch by the Owl),both, in their own ways satiricaldepictions of affluent mid-19thcentury Kolkata, andUpendrakishore Ray’s simplelanguage meant for children.The result of the interactiveand mutually influencing stylesand forms led to the emergenceof Bengali as a powerful medi-um of complex and varied artic-ulation in diverse areas likecriticism, analysis and argu-mentation.

An important result of thiswas the emergence of the essayboth as a literary format and atool of discourse. BesidesRabindranath Tagore andBankimchandra Chattopadhyay,its two other important expo-nents were Akshay Kumar Boraland Ramendra Sundar Tribedi.Vidyasagar’s two tracts support-ing widow remarriage were out-standing pieces, which weremore in the nature of longessays than books. It was not justthe essay. The evolved Bengalilanguage made possible the pro-duction of path-breaking worksin it in social, political, philo-sophical, theological and cultur-al domains, which made a sig-nificant contribution to theunfolding of the BengalRenaissance.

Like the European

Renaissance, which stretchedfrom the late 14th to the late 18thcentury, the Bengal Renaissance,which had unfolded from thefirst half of the 19th century andwaned gradually in the firsthalf of the 20th, was the resultof a multiplicity of factors — thecoming of British rule; the intro-duction of Western educationthrough the medium of theEnglish language; the creation ofa strong zamindari systemthrough the implementation ofPermanent Settlement; the riseof a trading class from the ranksof the banyas (agents) of the EastIndia Company and its ser-vants, who and others benefit-ted from the expansion of tradeand commerce under Britishrule; and the rise of a growingbureaucracy to cater to theadministrative needs of the EastIndia Company’s expandingregime.

A critically important factorwas the emergence of theBhadralok. In Elite Conflict in aPlural Society: Twentieth CenturyBengal, JH Broomfield hasdescribed the Bhadralok as “asocially privileged and con-sciously superior group, eco-nomically dependent on landedrents and professional and cler-ical employment.” He carefullydistinguished between theBhadralok and the middle class.According to him, the Bhadralokwere upper and not middleclass, if class was taken as a sta-tus group after Talcott Parsons.For the category did not includemany middle-class elements inthe Marxian sense of the latterbeing an economic group, whileencompassing persons fromboth higher and lower classes.

As a status group, theBhadralok constituted an elite,which, in turn encompassedseveral elites comprising land-lords, businessmen, governmentemployees as well as profession-als like lawyers, doctors, andteachers. They became flag bear-ers of the Bengal Renaissancethrough not only their person-al achievements but contributionto processes like the spread ofeducation which extended thereach of the Renaissance. Theirrole in this context was muchgreater than that of Europe’semerging bourgeoisie in further-ing the European Renaissance.

The many-splendouredachievements of the BengalRenaissance transformed theprovince’s intellectual life andwas instrumental to the adventof modernity in Bengal, andthen India. Vidyasagar’s strivingsin multiple fields were a signif-icant factor in its waxing. He wasone of the greatest Indians whoever lived.

(The writer is ConsultantEditor, The Pioneer, and anauthor)

Many were incredulous that US President DonaldTrump had contracted the Coronavirus when hetweeted that he and First Lady Melania had test-

ed positive for the “Chinese Virus” as Trump refers tothe COVID-19 infection. Some predicted that Trump wasfaking it in order to withdraw from the US Presidentialelections on medical grounds. Others thought that hewas faking it in order to prove to the public that the infec-tion is mild and that his vigour and vitality are intact, andthose panicking about the infection like Dr Anthony Fauci,the Presidential advisor on infectious diseases, are noth-ing but scare-mongers. Maybe, Trump is just one of those

countless getting infected these days, and most countries, including India have proper pro-tocols in place to manage the illness, which is why fatality rates are dropping significant-ly. The actions of the US Defence Forces, managed from the Pentagon, however, broughtinto stark relief these conspiracy theories with the US Air Force putting its airborne com-mand centre EA-6B aircraft into the air. This plane ensures Government continuity in caseof a nuclear strike and with the US adopting a bipartisan attitude of belligerence againstChina, this was also to send a message to any nation opposing it.

Trump will most likely have access to the best healthcare money can buy if he is indeedill, because no matter what people say about his relationship with the truth, one shouldassume that people do not lie about their health, or rather falling prey to a pandemic. Also,given that the US makes its national leaders’ health a matter of public discussion, it wouldbe almost impossible to fake the illness. This just proves that it remains important for every-one of us to continue to practise safe hygiene practices, meaning wearing masks, con-tinuing social and physical distancing, washing our hands frequently and using sanitis-ers. While many people are indulging in “revenge travel,” now that flights and hotels areup and running, we just cannot afford to be lax. As Deep Kalra, Chief Executive of onlinetravel agency MakeMyTrip, says, many resorts in and around major cities like Delhi, Mumbaiand Bengaluru were fully booked for the long weekend we are currently in. Trump is alsoproof that this disease, like any other airborne infectious disease, makes no distinctionsabout who to infect. Hope he recovers and revises his controversial views on the pan-

demic and acknowledges its seriousness.

The Uttar Pradesh Government believes that Section144 is the antidote to all ills and has mighty ammu-nition, howsoever archaic and authoritarian, to

silence its critics and shield itself from the consequencesof its wrong-doings. And now that it has bungled in itshandling of the Hathras gang-rape, where a Dalit girl wasbrutally violated and killed by upper caste men and herbody hastily cremated, it is using a colonial law to silencethe massive outcry over it. The law, as originally intend-ed, was meant to stop assemblage of people or deterthem from speaking out collectively on any issue thatthreatened the peace and well-being of society. How can

an unpunished rape not be a threat to our conscience and peace? How can commiser-ating with the family that wasn’t even allowed the dignity to give a decent farewell to theirdaughter or standing by them amount to social unrest? And how does the burning of “evi-dence” before sunrise become legal and proper? So by desperately stopping Oppositionleaders, activists, mediapersons or genuine sympathisers from entering Hathras, the StateGovernment is being seen as fuelling societal fury than dousing it. When it allows only itsown officials and party functionaries to visit the family and talk to them, it makes the fam-ily feel more isolated, vulnerable, compromised and at their mercy even to seek redress.Or coerced into toeing the official line. What Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath doesn’t realiseis that his rather belated assurance that those “harming women would get such punish-ment that it will set an example” rings hollow in comparison. Only because it seems likean afterthought to stall the Opposition parties, who have been handed a new cause tofight for. Had his administration been proactive enough, registering FIRs in time, investi-gating the case, visiting the girl’s family and reassuring them instead of intimidating themby shutting out their access to the world, things wouldn’t have come to such a pass.

By cracking down on senior Opposition leaders wanting to visit Hathras, who had any-way respected COVID protocols in limiting their numbers, the ruling BJP just proved it isguilty and handed them an issue on a platter. Certainly the dramatic visuals of Congressleader Rahul and Priyanka being heckled, the former even physically brought down by restrain-ing policemen, made them look like crusaders for a just cause than politicians in searchof news-making fodder. When Trinamool Congress MP Derek O Brien and his women partycolleagues were seen caught in a scuffle, it automatically blighted the UP police even more.The women legislators wondered aloud if they could be accosted and roughed up, whatchance did any ordinary rape victim have testifying and seeking justice before the cops?The stiffer the crackdown, the louder will be the dissent as Bhim Army leader ChandraShekhar Azad asked a pertinent question on whether the police would have dared to sub-vert the law had the victim been an upper caste woman. Can any restraining order denythe hierarchical politics of caste that is at play here? For the Congress, the Hathras rapehas certainly given it the momentary relevance it needs. The Gandhi scions are known tohave tactically used optics in building narratives against the establishment, be it during themigrant workers’ exodus or Priyanka’s sit-ins over the Sonbhadra clashes. But this time,the visuals of them being hectored and stopped despite choosing to walk and being car-ried away in a police vehicle have had an intended effect. It made them look hands-onand determined, a strong message for the party rank and file as well as recalcitrant seniorsthat they mean business and can hit the dusty road if need be. Rahul Gandhi’s retort tothe police that he wasn’t violating Section 144 but would go alone walking did get himsupport from other Opposition parties as well. Certainly, it made the Gandhi scions lookmore than just seasonal paratroopers. With their outing, they were also able to stall criti-cism of the party’s rather tepid response to the Babri demolition case ruling absolving allBJP veterans of conspiracy charges. But it was pragmatic, slamming the order and insteadasking States to challenge it, knowing full well that Ayodhya had become a national emo-tion and that the BJP would let out its predictable offensive had the Gandhis objected. TheHathras rape case has given the party an opportunity to make the State’s law and ordera poll plank, something that Priyanka, as general secretary, has been consistent about. Ifshe can persist in her crusade against excesses on women, what with UP topping thecharts in the country in the worst crimes, she may at least carve a dedicated constituen-cy for herself. Also with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)not pressing the issue as stridently as would have been expected — probably becauseof the BJP pressure of CBI probes against their respective leaders — the Congress is hop-ing to move into an unclaimed space. On its part, the BJP must stop its whatabouteryabout Dalit excesses in Congress States and focus on demonstrable proof of Adityanath’spledge to destroy violators. For UP has errants roaming free. Besides the caste-brother-hood bias doesn’t hold water within the BJP’s own rainbow coalition, Dalit MPs admittingthat the incident had damaged the party’s image, particularly in view of the Bihar elec-tions and byelections in 56 seats. That the Allahabad High Court has summoned seniorGovernment and police officials to explain their procedural flaws and lapses in Hathras isencouraging. But this isn’t about just the police, the entire administration is guilty.

Clampdown backfires

Justice denied Sir — Exonerating all the 32accused, including LK Advani,earlier indicted by the CBI forconspiracy to demolish the BabriMasjid, the special court has notonly disappointed the peoplewho expected justice but has alsovetoed the Supreme Court’srecognition of the demolition ofthe mosque as an “egregious vio-lation of the rule of law”. This ismore so, when the learned judgewent to the extent of quoting ver-batim the fallacious theory advo-cated by the BJP, RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS) andVishva Hindu Parishad (VHP)combine, that the demolition wasa “spontaneous act” and not apre-planned criminal act tostrengthen his decision to acquitall the accused.

While the motive behind therath yatra undertaken by Advaniwas crystal clear, when everydevotee was advised to send abrick each for the new temple tobe constructed on the disputedsite, the verdict of the specialcourt defies all logic. TheSupreme Court should interveneand in the rightful constitution-al spirit ensure justice.

Tharcius S FernandoChennai

Safety firstSir — The Government hasannounced the opening of cin-ema halls and multiplexes fromOctober 15. Given the capacityof the halls, maintaining socialdistancing would be a huge chal-lenge even with 50 per cent seat-ing. Keeping the current situationin mind, since most of the book-ings, especially in big cities, are

made online, alternate seats canbe left unsold. Strict proceduresneed to be enforced during theintervals and also ensuring thesame while entering or exitingthe movie halls. Maintainingthe crowd would require someskill from the staff members, whoshould be properly trained forthe present circumstances. Theresponsibility equally lies on themovie-goers. They should strict-

ly follow COVID protocols, thus,ensuring that the process isseamless.

Bal GovindNoida

Unjustly detained Sir — Congress leaders RahulGandhi and Priyanka GandhiVadra were detained on thehighway between Delhi and

Uttar Pradesh as they headed toHathras to meet the family of thegang-rape victim. Rahul allegedthat he was lathi-charged andpushed when he and PriyankaGandhi started marching aftertheir convoy was stopped by theUP Police. In visuals, too, he wasseen resisting policemen whowere trying to stop him. He wasbeing pushed around in thechaos due to which he lost hisbalance and fell on the ground.So, was it wrong for theOpposition to visit the victim’sfamily or was it a sheer displayof power by the UPGovernment? With the nationenraged over the rising genderand caste violence in UP, the StateGovernment is under attack forbeing negligent to the oppressionof Dalits. The ongoing nation-wide attack on Opposition lead-ers, liberal thinkers, activists andstudent leaders has only provedthat the current Government isusing State police to further itspolitical agenda and crush dis-sent. It is time it stops armtwisting the police to do itsdirty work.

Bhagwan ThadaniMumbai

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 | OCTOBER 3, 2020

06

Two oceans in oneFrom his struggle for legalising widow remarriage to his emphasis on women’s

education, Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar laid the foundations of modern India

During the Congress Governmentno law was passed without consultation with farmers orstakeholders, but in thisGovernment laws are passed tohelp the crony capitalists.

Congress president—Sonia Gandhi

Regressive mindset of upper caste men

The eerie image of the pyre in the far-flung villageof Hathras in Uttar Pradesh will be etched in ourminds for a long time. The whole incident has high-

lighted our country’s growing insensitivity towards theDalits and other vulnerable sections of society. The factthat Dalits continue to be humiliated and brutally vic-timised by the upper caste reflects the deep-rootedcasteist mindset of the society.

Dalit women suffer the twin disadvantages of gen-der and caste biases. And rape is often used as an instru-ment of caste oppression. Unfortunately, the UttarPradesh State administration has deemed it okay to cre-mate the victim’s body in the dead of night without thefamily’s consent. Additionally, the Hathras district mag-istrate’s intimidatory tactics to force the victim’s fam-ily to change their statement has shown the utter lackof empathy and sensitivity.

The right-wing, Hindutva-oriented Yogi AdityanathGovernment’s acts of commission and omissionexemplify its notoriety for mistaking the demonstration

of might before the meek for valour. All those who believe in equality, freedom and democ-

racy should deplore and condemn the gruesome gang-rape and murder of the Dalit woman. We, as a soci-ety, should see to it that such heinous crimes don’t recurand further the struggle for “annihilation of caste”.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Trump gets it!

By stopping Opp leaders from meeting rape victim’s family, the UPGovt looks guilty and has handed them an issue on a platter

The US President and his wife, Melania Trump, have tested positive. Will he now change his views?

HIRANMAY KARLEKAR

Nawaz Sharif is playing a dangerousgame against Pakistanand I am 100 per centsure that India is supporting him.

Pakistan PM—Imran Khan

I'm in a good place. I feelconfident. I guess it's goodto have that motivation toget to Vegas now, I guess,or maybe even better. Sowe'll see.

Golfer —Anirban Lahiri

I will not leave Hathras without meeting the family.They have requested me tostand as their legal counselbut the administration is notallowing me to meet them.

Lawyer—Seema Kushwaha

S O U N D B I T E

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

No thought for small farmers

THE RAINFORESTS OF BRAZIL ARE BEING TORN DOWN. I

WOULD SAY STOP TEARING DOWN THE FOREST. AND IF

YOU DON’T THEN YOU’RE GONNA HAVE CONSEQUENCES

—FORMER US VICE-PRESIDENT

JOE BIDEN

GREED (FOR AMAZON) BY SOMEONE WHO IS RUNNING

FOR THE PRESIDENCY (OF THE US) IS A SIGN OF

CONTEMPT FOR COEXISTENCE BETWEEN TWO NATIONS.

—BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT

JAIR BOLSONARO

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The recently-passed three farm laws — theEssential Commodities (Amendment) Act,the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce

(Promotion and Facilitation) Act and Farmers(Empowerment and Protection) Agreement onPrice Assurance and Farm Services Act — have cat-apulted India’s agricultural sector into nationalnews. The three Act, which have received both par-liamentary and presidential assent, ostensibly seekto change the condition of the beleaguered farm-ers for the better. However, the Acts have run intorough weather in a short span of time as the farm-ing community does not seem to agree with theGovernment’s views.

However, the fact of the matter is that on paper,they allow the farmers to sell their produce out-side the APMCs without paying any necessarytaxes to the Government. The Farmers(Empowerment and Protection) Agreement onPrice Assurance and Farm Services Act on theother hand facilitates contract farming and directmarketing. The Essential Commodities(Amendment) Act deregulates the production,storage, movement and sale of several major fooditems such as cereals, pulses, edible oils, onion andso on. With major changes pertaining to the wayagricultural produce is marketed, sold and stored,the Government maintains that these Acts willimprove the conditions of the farmers.

However, the farmer community across Indiaseems to think otherwise and one of the main con-cerns of the growers is the ambiguity regarding con-tinued protection of the Minimum Support Price(MSP) and Government procurement of the pro-duce. The farmers also want the MSP regime tobe extended outside the APMC market so that theMSP is observed as a minimum floor price,whether the farmer chooses to sell to a private buyeror a Government one. Adding to the dissent againstthe Acts is the tussle between the Centre and Statesas some non-BJP ruled States have pointed out thatagriculture is a State subject and the Centre hasno locus-standi to take a decision on the same.Amid protests by farmers’ organisations across thecountry, the Governments of Chhattisgarh,Maharashtra and Punjab have said they might notimplement the new laws while Kerala and Punjabintend to challenge them in the Supreme Court.In fact, Congress MP from Kerala, Prathapan TN,has already done so.

As the debate rages regarding the Acts andtheir impact on growers, one cannot help but noticehow many other issues plaguing the farmers arebeing ignored. Marginal farmers with small tractsof land are possibly the worst affected as they nei-ther have the quantum produce nor the financialmuscle to bypass low-balled offers on their pro-duce and wait for better quotes. These marginalfarmers are not directly benefitted by these Actsas they are not extricated from the vice-like gripof the money lenders. It is these entities who mostof the time are the reason why growers end theirlives as they are unable to come out of the never-ending debt cycle. The Acts may have all the goodintentions of the Government behind them butthey may also usher in bigger private players withconsiderable financial heft into the agricultural pro-duce market dynamics. This may further dimin-ish the say of the marginal farmers whose nego-tiating powers would get eclipsed by the dealingsbetween big buyers and big producers.

The architects of these farm “reforms” seemto have entirely missed the medium and smallfarmers and their woes. The National CrimeRecords Bureau (NCRB) statistics show that in2019 about 10,000 farmers committed suicide due

to agrarian distress. This colossal loss oflife is not an issue to gloss over especial-ly when a national policy with lastingimpact is being drafted. But that is whathas happened.

Instead of strengthening the middleand lower rung farmers with a slew ofspecial measures aimed at stemming thesuicide rates and instilling confidence, theActs actually direct their attentiontowards making the playing field moresuitable for bigger players while margin-alising small stakeholders further. Howthese apparent woes of the small farm-ers escaped the Government’s attentionis unclear.

Through these Acts, theGovernment is not only trying to bringdown its financial costs by gradually lim-iting the MSP but also driving down stor-age costs at the Food Corporation ofIndia (FCI) warehouses. However, themarginal farmers are becoming unwit-ting pawns in this cost-cutting processas they are staring at the major possibil-ity of the MSP going down on one handand negotiating as equals with big cor-porates on the other hand. More likelythan not the small farmers will be dic-tated terms by the big players on a “takeit or leave it basis.”

Yet another hurdle facing the farm-ers is their lack of education and aware-ness, which stops them from organisingthemselves into a meaningful forum thatcan put forward their opinion in onevoice. As a result, this hard-working com-munity that forms the spine of India fallsprey to dodgy schemes of political par-ties which aim at leveraging their suffer-ing for personal gain. A more intriguingaspect of this entire episode is the speedwith which these Bills went through thedraft stage and approval in a remarkablyshort time, including presidential assent.

The moot question in such a situa-tion is why were the farmers not giventime to respond and convey their con-

cerns? Is this the way a Government ina large democracy like ours should takedecisions regarding a sector which is themainstay of our economy? Becauseabout 60 per cent of our populationdepend directly or indirectly on agricul-ture and contribute about 16 per cent tothe country’s Gross Domestic Product.Plus, the farm sector provides raw mate-rials to the major industries and Indiaearns foreign exchange by exporting agri-cultural products. So, would it not havebeen prudent to involve all the stakehold-ers before bringing in these Acts? Onlythe Government can answer these ques-tions.

The farm reforms were a greatopportunity to provide a much-neededbalance to the Indian crop calendarbesides ensuring protection of the envi-ronment. The choice of crops over timein the country has become lopsided ingrowers’ preference for a certain catego-ry of crops that are water-intensive. Thishas not only resulted in unequal prosper-ity among the farming community butis also contributing to environmentaldegradation and water shortage.

There is an urgent need to divert theefforts and the precious finances of thefarmers towards other non-water inten-sive crops so that the excess productionof rice, sugar and wheat is adequatelycounterbalanced with non-water inten-sive crops such as pulses and oilseedswhose reserves are noticeably less.

Too much focus on water-intensivecrops such as paddy and wheat over thepast decades has resulted in the Indianagricultural system drawing nearly 89 percent of the ground water. To make mat-ters worse, the provision of incentivesfrom the Government in the form of freeelectricity has resulted in over-exploita-tion of ground water and has put thecountry’s future water security in majorjeopardy. The subsidised canal waterfacilities provided by the Government

have added to the problem. The fact that water-intensive crops

such as paddy and wheat consumenearly 10 times the water needed foroilseed and pulse crops and around 500-600 litres of water is required to produceone kilogram of grain has to be takenseriously. This extreme consumption isinadvisable for the environment whichis struggling to bridge the gap betweendemand and supply of precious waterresources that are increasingly becomingstressed. In order to diversify cropchoice, protect natural resources andensure environmental resilience, theGovernment must set up policies that,instead of depending on the pricesbased on the previous year’s productionperiod, are based on the MSP that isbacked by enough procurement. This willenable the farmers to take acreage deci-sions based on the MSP rather than bas-ing their decisions on last year’s prices.For this precise reason, the MSP is crit-ical and the fact that it might get impact-ed due to the farm Acts is an unsettlingaspect.

Government policy plays an impor-tant role in providing much-needed con-fidence to farmers, be it in the form ofextending stable prices, assured procure-ment or weeding out bottlenecks pertain-ing to finances. An efficiently-drafted andimplemented policy can also safeguardthe environment by rationalising the useof natural resources and curbing theirexploitation.

The three farm Acts have put thespotlight on the agri-sector which isbesieged by challenges for farmers andimplications for the environment. TheActs could have provided innovative eco-logical solutions for the farm sectorbesides seeking to solve some of thechronic problems facing the Indiangrowers. Sadly, this has not happened.

(The writer is an environmentaljournalist)

Marginal farmers are becoming unwitting pawns in the Govt’s cost-cutting process as they arestaring at the MSP going down on one hand and negotiating with big corporates on the other

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

Don’t ignore theplight of divyangs

SOUMI ROYCHOWDHURY

SANJIBPOHIT

In the Covid era, physical distancing and isolationmay be impossible to follow for those who rely on

the support of others to eat, dress and bathe

KOTA SRIRAJ

THE THREE FARM ACTS

HAVE PUT THE SPOTLIGHT

ON THE AGRI-SECTOR

WHICH IS BESIEGED BYCHALLENGES

FOR FARMERS AND

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE

ENVIRONMENT. THE ACTS

COULD HAVEPROVIDED

INNOVATIVEECOLOGICALSOLUTIONS

FOR THE FARM SECTOR

BESIDES SEEKING

TO SOLVE SOME OF THE

CHRONICPROBLEMS

FACING THE INDIANGROWERS.

SADLY, THIS HAS NOT

HAPPENED

Disability is an issue which has been the least researched.According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, dis-ability ranges from five per cent in children, to 15 per cent in

people between 15-59 years of age and 46 per cent among thoseaged 60 years and above. In India, 2.21 per cent of the total popu-lation is physically challenged as per the 2011 census. However, itis a matter of great worry that those in the age group of 10-19 yearsform the major part of the disabled population (17.23 per cent). Thisimplies that India may be losing out on the demographic dividendbecause divyang (physically challenged) children are not found tobe at par with their counterparts when it comes to completing pri-mary and secondary education. It is seen that almost a third of thechildren without primary education suffer from some degree of dis-ability. This has a ripple down effect on their employment opportu-nities. In fact unemployment rates among the divyangs are as highas 80 to 90 per cent in some countries. Not only does this leave adamaging effect on the household, a higher unemployment rate ofthe divyang population increases a country’s social expenditure.Moreover, family members may have to cut down their work hoursor opt out of the labour market to care for them, further adding tothe financial burden.

Amartya Sen argued the economic loss due to disability throughtwo ideas: ‘Earning handicap’ and ‘Conversion handicap.’ “To achievethe same level of opulence, a disabled person may find it harder toget a job or to retain it, and may receive lower compensation for work,”he says. This is an ‘Earning handicap.’ “To do the same things asan able-bodied person, a person with physical disability may needmore income than the able-bodied person. To move easily or at all,a person who happens to be, say, crippled by an accident or by ill-ness may need assistance, or prosthesis, or both. The ‘Conversionhandicap’ refers to the disadvantage that a disabled person has inconverting money into good living,” he adds.

To ensure inclusiveness of the divyang population such thatUniversal Health Coverage (UHC) is attained and no one is left behind,the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank realisedthe need for health interventions to promote equity. The UN refersto assistive technologies (ATs) as pre-conditions to achieving equalopportunities, enjoying human rights and living with dignity. Withoutthe aid of ATs, employment opportunities for divyangs are signifi-cantly reduced. Even when employed, labour productivity ofdivyangs is significantly lower than that of others.

So far, the Indian Government does not have a plan on ATs andthey are not built-in as basic requirements within the medical sys-tem. But time to time, ATs are distributed as part of media programmesof politicians. There is little or no planning on how the beneficiarieswould maintain or repair the ATs in case of a problem. To the bestof our knowledge, Indian data on ATs, their procurement procedures,and the financial hardship in acquiring and maintaining those are absent.Policymakers need to realise that making universal access to ATs isnot a charity but a major need to reduce GDP loss.

We are living in a Covid era and most likely, we have to live withthe virus till a vaccine comes into the market. In effect, this impliesthat one has to continue living with the new norms and maintain socialdistancing. While the Government’s diktat on social distancing appliesto all and imposes financial as well as physical costs, it significant-ly affects divyangs. The crucial question is whether they are in a posi-tion to follow the “stay safe” manual as advocated repeatedly by theGovernment? Physical distancing and self-isolation may be impos-sible to follow for those who rely on the support of others to eat,dress and bathe. The WHO has stated that divyangs may be at a greaterrisk of contracting COVID-19 as frequent washing may not be pos-sible for them due to mobility issues. Divyangs who require addi-tional support may find it difficult to practise physical distancing; itis unlikely that divyangs with intellectual impairments may cope withself-isolation; people with visual disabilities rely on “touch functionsfor mobility and work”, thereby increasing their risk of infection. Further,most of the information about the new social norm or on social dis-tancing, health information is being distributed through normal media,which may not be accessible to people with hearing/visible impair-ments.

To take care of the needs of divyangs, just like the financial pack-age for migrant workers, the Government should provide financialcompensation for families and care-givers who need to be self-iso-lated and are prone to infection. At present, the Arogya Setu app,the principal front for disseminating information on COVID-19 andcoping with the same, does not address the special needs of divyangseven after activists flagged it. This goes against the Rights of Personswith Disabilities Act, 2016 where it is mandatory to provide all infor-mation in accessible formats to divyangs. Till now, the rules do notmake any exception for these people. This must be rectified at theearliest.

(Chowdhury is Associate Fellow and Pohit is Professor at NCAER)

The International FinanceCorporation (IFC), a member ofthe World Bank, in its report

released late last year offered a ray ofhope amid the threat posed by climatechange. It pointed out that by 2030, inemerging markets like India alone,green buildings will offer a $24.7 tril-lion investment opportunity, which willspur economic growth and acceleratesustainable development.

The study further said that greenbuildings can be a strong driver of eco-nomic growth, generating upwards ofnine million skilled jobs in both the

renewable and construction sectors by2030. Currently, green buildingsaccount for just eight per cent of theconstruction and renovation sector,indicating a vast potential for growth.

“The floor area of the buildingsthat dot our skylines is expected to dou-ble by 2060,” noted Alzbeta Klein,Director of Climate Business at IFC.“Green construction is one of thelargest investment opportunities of thenext decade that can spur low-carboneconomic growth and create skilledjobs for decades to come.”

India is no exception and the IFCestimates a $1.4 trillion opportunity forthe country. A whopping $1.25 trillionin the residential sector and $228 bil-lion in the commercial one, given thatbuildings in the two segments accountfor 30 per cent of the energy consump-tion, which is expected to zoom to 48per cent by 2042. It is estimated thatIndia will have a shortfall of three croreadditional housing units by 2022.

Having committed to cut downemissions as envisioned in the Paris

Agreement on climate change, Indiashould have no choice but to promotegreen buildings. Experts say that theGovernment’s “Housing for All by2022” scheme, which envisages con-struction of one crore homes by 2022,can be a game changer. Provided theGovernment seriously looks into it.

“These homes will be made usingconventional building techniques andan energy consumption of 21 millionunits per year and massive CO2 emis-sion of 17 million tonnes per year willbe recorded,” says Ajay Jaiswal, Head,Compliance, IIFL Home Finance. “Wecan change this through green afford-able housing. Therefore, it would notbe wrong to call green affordablehousing the alternative face of India’s‘Housing for All by 2022’ mission,” headds.

Some State Governments, includ-ing West Bengal, Rajasthan, Punjab,Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, HimachalPradesh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra(Pune) are offering additional FloorArea Ratio (FAR) ranging from five to

15 per cent for the Indian GreenBuilding Council’s (IGBC’s) silver,gold and platinum-rated projects toboost green housing.

However, this is not enough.While financial and lending institutionsin developed nations are giving fundsin a big way to developers and buyersin the green sector, India is still at anascent stage as far as financing greenbuildings is considered.

“Green real estate has not receivedthe much-needed attention by investorsdue to several market barriers such aslack of awareness about the greencomponent and limited financial prod-ucts and instruments,” says ShreyansJain, Consultant, Asian DevelopmentBank.

Sameer Maithal, from GreentechKnowledge Solutions, a clean energyresearch and advisory firm, concurs,“India has worked a bit in the finan-cial market in the green housing sec-tor. For instance, the State Bank of India(SBI) has signed a pact with theGerman development bank KFW

while the National Housing Bank(NHB) has one with the AgenceFrancise de Development (AFD) undera borrowing programme SUNREF(Sustainable Use of Natural Resourcesand Energy Finance). But these are justpilot programmes. There are no reg-ular products which are available.”

Though the SBI launched itsGreen Home Loan scheme in 2009, notmuch progress has been reported as itdoes not look so lucrative to prospec-tive home buyers. Experts are of theopinion that there is no major changein the features of the existing home loanproducts except for the five per centconcession in margin, 0.25 per cent cutin interest rate and waiver of the pro-cessing fee.

Similarly, the regulator for hous-ing finance companies, the NHB’sperformance in providing loans to thegreen housing sector has not beenencouraging. So far it has doled out just`300 crore out of the total kitty of ̀ 800crore in the last three years under theSUNREF to housing companies to spur

energy and environment efficiency inthe residential housing sector. “It’s aminiscule amount. In reality, the build-ing industry will go green in two ways.Either if policies are strictly implement-ed or if the end users start demandingthem. Here, finance can play a majorrole. The banks can link the rebate onloan with green certification of thebuilding project,” points out Maithel.

Jain says, “Housing loans arealready covered under the priority sec-tor lending (PSL) guidelines of the RBIand the possibility of including greenmortgage as a sub-category underPSL norms could be explored. Toincentivise property buyers, bankscould explore linking home loan inter-est rate to the star rating/certificationof the property. The higher the star rat-ing, the lower the interest rate.”

Does opting for green housingescalate the budget? Not really. Thereare numerous studies which point outthat as long as the design is appropri-ate, the additional cost of energy-effi-cient and environment-friendly build-

ings would not be more than one percent compared to a traditional build-ing. Therefore, the misconception thatgreen buildings cost more in terms ofcapital cost should be dispelled, accord-ing to experts. Like we have commit-ted finance and targets underInternational Solar Alliance, there areno serious targets for green buildings.If one goes by the Johnson Controls’ssurvey, India has only four per centgreen buildings. However, 38 per centof buildings in India want to get thegreen building certification in thefuture as compared to the global per-centage of 44, the survey points out.

Around 46 per cent people in Indiaare willing to pay a premium to leasespace in a certified green building ascompared to 51 per cent globally. Thisis a positive outlook and can be takenfurther with the right policies and push.

(The writer is SpecialCorrespondent with The Pioneer. Thearticle has been published as part ofCMS-BEEP Media FellowshipProgramme.)

Indians keen to embrace green buildingsAround 46 per cent of buyers are willing to pay a premium to lease space in a certified green building as compared to 51 per cent globally

ARCHANA JYOTI

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com analysis

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2020 money 08

IN BRIEFIN BRIEF

Motorcycle maker RoyalEnfield on Friday reported a 1per cent increase in its totalsales at 60,041 units inSeptember.The company had sold a total

of 59,500 units in thecorresponding month last year,Royal Enfield said in astatement. Domestic sales were at 55,910 units last month asagainst 54,858 units in September 2019, a growth of two per cent, itsaid. Exports were, however, down 11 per cent to 4,131 units ascompared to 4,642 units in the year-ago month, the company added.

The country's largestcarma ker MSI on Fridaysaid its entry-level small

car S-Presso has crossed the75,000 unit sales milestone inthe first year of its launch.Launched in September lastyear, the car, which takes theshape on a sports utilityvehicle, made its debut entryin the top-10 best selling cars

in India within a month of hitting the market, the company said in astatement. The S-Presso has been indigenously conceived, designedand developed vehicle, made for India as well as the world, it added.MSI Executive Director (Marketing and Sales) Shashank Srivastavasaid, "Within a short span of a year, Maruti Suzuki S-Presso hascarved a strong niche for itself with many segment-first features likedynamic centre console with SmartPlay infotainment system,steering mounted audio and voice control."

Sonalika Tractors has reporteda 46 per cent year-on-yearjump in overall tractor sales

to 17,704 units, including exports,for September, according to arelease. While domestic salesgrew 51.4 per cent to 16,000units in September 2020 ascompared with 10,571 units in theyear-ago month, exports rose 9.8per cent to 1,704 units as against 1,552 units a year ago, the firmsaid in the release on Friday. The Hoshiarpur-based tractormanufacturer also sold 6,400 units of implements during themonth, registering a 135 per cent growth over September 2019, itadded. The industry sales growth for both tractors and implementsduring the previous month stood at 28 per cent and 30 per cent,respectively. "Sonalika Tractors outperformed the industry in salesduring September," it added. The cumulative tractor sales in the firsthalf of the financial year 2020-21 stood at 63,561 tractors.

Royal Enfield sales fall 1 pc to 60,041 units in Sept

Maruti Suzuki India's S-Pressocrosses 75,000 unit sales

Sonalika's tractor sales jump 46pc to 17,704 units in Sept

Confident of getting money backfrom LVB, says Religare chief

Religare Enterprises Ltd hassaid its NBFC arm ReligareFinvest Ltd (RFL) will be able

to fully recover its fixed deposits,with an interest, of around Rs 950crore from debt-ridden LakshmiVilas Bank (LVB), whose officialsallegedly misappropriated the FDamount in connivance witherstwhile Religare promotersSingh brothers. LVB had set off FDs of Rs 750 crore as recovery forloans given to the erstwhile promoters and their private entitieswithout authorisation, Religare Enterprises Chairperson RashmiSaluja told PTI. She added that RFL is following up the case forrecovery and punishment to the perpetrators of the fraud."There are legal cases that have been filed by us for recovery of

money. Because of proactive approach of the company for justice,erstwhile promoters and management are in jail because theysiphoned off the money," Saluja said. She added that the bankofficials will also not be pardoned, who allegedly misappropriated theFD amount to adjust against the money borrowed by formerpromoters and their private companies. "We complained to theEconomic Offences Wing (of Delhi Police). They investigated the casethoroughly and found that Lakshmi Vilas Bank officials were incahoots with former promoters to misappropriate the FD,” she said.

PNSn HONG KONG

Ahead of what’s likely to be theworld’s largest initial publicoffering, China’s Ant Group CoLtd is asking lead bankers topersonally sign confidentialitypacts and pressing someinvestors to explain why theyshould be allowed to attendmarketing meetings, sourcesfamiliar with the matter said.

In doing so, Ant is followinga highly unusual process thatdraws on some of the tactics itsformer parent and affiliateAlibaba Group Holding Ltdpreviously used.

Other unique measurestaken by Ant include dividingup the underwriting work forwhat could be a $35 billionoffering among several bankssuch that no one firm has thefull picture of the process, foursources with direct knowledgeof the matter said.

Three of the sources said themain underwriters are alsodiscouraged from working onassignments for competitors.

While banks typically signnon-disclosure agreements

when taking on underwritingassignments, companies rarelyask bankers to personally do soas well. The lead banks usual-ly also run the entire processand competitive concerns arehandled through Chinese wallsthat separate teams working ondifferent deals. Ant's IPO mea-sures, which have not been pre-viously reported, are frustrat-ing some bankers andinvestors, and sometimes sow-ing confusion in the market,three of the sources said.

Taken together with whathas been a fast pace of regula-

tory approvals for the IPO, theypose the risk that the offeringwill not get sufficient scrutiny,some lawyers and bankingexperts said.

Ant and Alibaba declined tocomment. Philippe Espinasse,an Asian capital markets con-sultant and former banker,said there is merit in tightlycontrolling the process forsuch a large transaction.

“This is not only to ensurethat the banks focus on gettingthe deal done, and getting itdone well, but also to create asense of competition both

among the underwriters andinvestors,” Espinasse said.

A person close to Ant, whosestatus as the world’s biggestunicorn and China’s top fintechgroup has resulted in a rapidrise in valuation, said all thebanks had the same informa-tion and access to data aboutthe company.

FRAGMENTED PROCESSIn its $25 billion IPO in 2014,Alibaba divided up the work sothat no single external adviserhad the complete picture of itsoffering, Reuters reported at

the time. here Then, during itssecondary listing in HongKong last year, it also madeadvisers personally sign confi-dentiality agreements.

Ant is planning a dual-list-ing in Shanghai and HongKong. Three of the sources saidbankers at firms with the leadunderwriting roles had beenasked to sign confidentialitypacts.The Hong Kong leg of theIPO is being sponsored byChina International CapitalCorp (CICC), Citigroup IncC.N, JPMorgan Chase & CoJPM.N and Morgan StanleyMS.N. Ant's listing onShanghai's Nasdaq-style STARMarket is being led by CICCand China Securities Co (CSC)

The fragmentation of theprocess has sometimes causeddifficulties. Some banks onthe deal, for example, did notknow that the IPO’s HongKong leg would not have anycornerstone investors that usu-ally commit to buying largestakes and hold shares forsome time, said four sourceswith direct knowledge of thematter.

Inside Ant Group’s unusual IPO processAnt is following ahighly unusualprocess that draws onsome of the tactics itsformer parent andaffiliate Alibaba GroupHolding Ltd previouslyused

PNSn NEW DELHI

The Centre on Friday permit-ted Uttar Pradesh and AndhraPradesh to go for an addition-al borrowing of Rs 7,106 crore,to meet their expenditurerequirements amid falling rev-enues due to the COVID-19crisis.

"The Ministry of Finance hasgranted additional borrowingpermission to two more states,Uttar Pradesh and AndhraPradesh, for successfullyundertaking reforms in thepublic distribution system(PDS) and ease of doing busi-ness," an official statementsaid. This will make an addi-tional amount of Rs. 7,106crore available to these states,it added. Uttar Pradesh hasbecome sixth state to completethe reform process in PDS to

implement the One Nation-One Ration Card system.

This has made the state eli-gible to raise an amount of Rs4,851 crore through open mar-ket borrowings (OMBs).

Andhra Pradesh hasbecame the first state in thecountry to successfully under-take ease of doing business

reforms and has thus becomeeligible to raise an additionalamount of Rs 2,525 crorethrough open market borrow-ings. Earlier, Andhra Pradeshhad also completed PDSreforms to enable the OneNation-One Ration Card sys-tem. Last week, five states –Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,

Goa, Karnataka and Tripura –received the finance ministry'snod for additional Rs 9,913crore borrowing, after meetingthe reform condition of theimplementation of OneNation-One Ration Card sys-tem.

In view of the COVID-19pandemic, the central govern-ment in May 2020 allowed anadditional borrowing limit ofup to 2 per cent of gross statedomestic product (GSDP) tothe states for the year 2020-21.

PNSn NEW DELHI

Department of Fertilizers hasbeen ranked third out of 65departments/ministries basedon its performance in theimplementation of centralschemes.

It is in second place among16 economic ministries/departments. "Departmentof Fertilizers under theMinistry of Chemicals andFertilizers has been ranked2nd amongst the 16Economic Ministries /

Departments and 3rd out ofthe 65 Ministries / Departments with a score 4.11 on ascale of 5 on DataGovernance Quality Index(DGQI)," an official state-ment said on Friday. A sur-vey was conducted byDevelopment Monitoringand Evaluation Office , NitiAayog, to assess differentMinistries /Departments'performance on the imple-mentation of Central SectorSchemes (CS) and CentrallySponsored Schemes (CSS).

FinMin allows states toborrow addl Rs 7,106 cr

This has made thestate eligible to raisean amount of Rs 4,851crore through openmarket borrowings(OMBs)

Dept of Fertilizers ranks3rd among 65 depts

PNSn MUMBAI

Home First Finance, TrueNorth-backed affordable hous-ing finance firm, on Friday saidit has entered into an agree-ment with Warburg Pincus-affiliate Orange CloveInvestments BV for an invest-ment of about Rs 700 crore.

The investment is a combi-nation of primary fund raiseand secondary sales by existingshareholders, it said.

Global private equity firmWarburg Pincus has bought a25 per cent stake in the hous-ing finance company, accord-ing to a source. As per theagreement, all the existingshareholders including TrueNorth Fund V LLP, Aether(Mauritius) Ltd, BessemerIndia Capital Holdings, andBank of Baroda former man-aging director and CEO P S

Jayakumar, have sold their 25per cent stake on a proportion-al basis, the source said. Priorto this transaction, while TrueNorth was holding 45.97 percent, Aether (Mauritius) andBessemer India owned 30.65per cent and 16.28 per cent,respectively.

The primary investment byWarburg Pincus is of Rs 75crore and the balance is through

the secondary route, the sourcesaid.

"Warburg Pincus' investmentin Home First at this junctureis an acknowledgement ofHome First's inherentstrengths," Home First ChiefExecutive Officer ManojViswanathan said in a release.

He added that the company'sstrong focus on the salaried cus-tomer segment, its investments

in technology and deep belief indigital processes and paymentmechanisms have netted excel-lent dividends through multipledisruptive events.WarburgPincus Managing DirectorNarendra Ostawal said,"Warburg Pincus looks for-ward to the partnership withTrue North and towards back-ing Manoj and the managementteam in its next phase of expan-sion." As of March 31, 2020,Home First had an AUM of Rs3,618 crore with a net worth ofRs 933 crore.

PNSn NEW DELHI

India has initiated an anti-dumping probe against twoproducts imported fromChina, following complaints bydomestic companies.

The commerce ministry'sinvestigation arm DirectorateGeneral of Trade Remedies(DGTR) is probing allegeddumping of 'Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Blends', used incommercial and residential airconditioning; and 'Decorpaper' from China.

SRF Ltd has filed an appli-cation before the DGTR seek-ing initiation of anti-dumpinginvestigation concerningimports of HFC Blends' fromChina.

Similarly, ITC Ltd has filedan application seeking initia-tion of anti-dumping investi-gation concerning imports ofDecor Paper from the neigh-bouring country.

Both the companies have

alleged that dumping of theseproducts has impacted respec-tive industries.

On the basis of the duly sub-stantiated written applicationby or on behalf of the domes-tic industry, and having satis-fied itself, on the basis of theprima facie evidence submit-ted by the domestic industry,the DGTR has initiated theinvestigations, according totwo separate notifications ofthe directorate.

If it is established thatdumping has caused materialinjury to the domestic players,

the DGTR would recommendimposition of anti-dumpingduty on the imports fromChina.

The directorate is also prob-ing alleged dumping of'Caprolactam', used in nylonmaking, from EuropeanUnion, Korea, Russia andThailand.

Gujarat State Fertilizers andChemicals Ltd has filed theapplication for the same.

"The applicant has allegedthat material injury is beingcaused to the domestic indus-try due to dumped importsfrom the subject countries andhas requested for the imposi-tion of the anti-dumping dutieson the imports," according toa separate notification of theDGTR.

An investigation is alsostarted against alleged dump-ing of 'Elastomeric FilamentYarn' exported from Singaporefollowing a complaint byIndorama lndustries Ltd.

PNSnFRANKFURT/AP

Annual inflation in the 19-country eurozone sagged fur-ther below zero in September,bolstering expectations thatthe European Central Bankwill add to its emergency stim-ulus efforts aimed at cushion-ing the impact of the pandem-ic on the economy.

The consumer price indexwas down 0.3 per cent inSeptember, even lower than theminus 0.2 per cent figure inAugust, according to new fig-ures released Friday by theEuropean Union statisticsagency. Excluding volatile foodand fuel prices, the inflationrate was 0.2 per cent inSeptember, down from 0.4 percent in August. The so-calledcore inflation figure is oftenconsidered the better mea-sure of price movements in theeconomy as a whole.

Low inflation is a major rea-son why analysts predict theECB will add to its 1.35 tril-lion-euro (USD 1.6 trillion)programme of regular bond

purchases, which push newlyprinted money into the finan-cial system. The pandemicemergency purchases are cred-ited with keeping borrowingcosts down and preventingturmoil on financial marketsthat would have worsened therecession caused by the virus.

The ECB's goal is to haveannual inflation of just under2 per cent. Economists say thepandemic is contributing tolow inflation as merchantskeep prices down in hopes ofattracting customers amidrestrictions on travel and activ-ity. While low inflation canbenefit consumers up to apoint, weak prices over a peri-od of time can be a sign of too

much slack in the economy.Weak inflation can also makeit harder for indebted countriesin the eurozone to improvetheir competitiveness com-pared with the other membersof the currency bloc.

The recent string of lowinflation figures has beenattributed to one-time factorssuch as the late start of sum-mer sales in France and Italyaffecting the prices of clothesand shoes. But it is also beingattributed to businesses likehotels and airlines, which havebeen among the hardest hit bythe coronavirus outbreak,slashing their prices to enticebuyers.

At the ECB's September 10meeting President ChristineLagarde gave little indicationthat more stimulus was com-ing but said the bank stoodready to adjust its programs ifneeded. The bank's 25-mem-ber governing council nextmeets on October 29 andDecember 10, although it canenact new measures at anytime.

PNSn NEW DELHI

The InterGlobe Aviation hasappointed Albert Saretsky,who was the former CEO of aCanadian airline, as a non-executive non-independentdirector on the board ofIndiGo, according to a state-ment.

Saretsky is a nominee ofRahul Bhatia's InterGlobeEnterprises (IGE) group,which holds around 38-per-cent share in the budget car-rier. He has been the presidentand CEO of the WestJet airlinefor eight years from 2010-2018, IndiGo said on Friday.

"In this role, he was respon-

sible for providing strategicdirection to the organisation,as well as for financial man-agement of the company," itsaid.

Prior to WestJet, Saretskywas associated with AlaskaAirlines from 1998-2008.Currently, he is associatedwith the Wood BuffaloEconomic DevelopmentCorporation as the directorand chairman of its board,according to the statement.

"I am honoured to be partof the Board of IndiGo, an air-line that continues to play asignificant role in transform-ing the Indian aviation indus-try," Saretsky said.

PNSn NEW DELHI

The Securities AppellateTribunal (SAT) has extendedthe suspension of physicalhearing till Oct 16 amid thecoronavirus pandemic.

Interim orders, if any,which are operational wouldremain in force till the nextdate of hearing, according toa notification.

"... the judicial work of theTribunal (physical hearing)shall remain suspended till16th October, 2020," SATsaid in a notification datedOctober, 1.The directionsalready issued and permittedfrom time to time shall becontinued and all earlierorders shall be aligned withthe present order and shallremain in force up to andinclusive of October 16.

However, it would keepfunctioning via video confer-ence from October 5 from11.30 am to 4.30 pm untilfurther orders, it said.

PNSn NEW DELHI

After contracting for sixmonths in a row, the country'sexports grew by 5.27 per centyear-on-year to USD 27.4 bil-lion in September, whileimports slipped by 19.6 percent to USD 30.31 billion,according to the commerceministry data released onFriday.

The trade deficit duringthe month under review nar-rowed to USD 2.91 billion asagainst USD 11.67 billion inthe same period of 2019. Theexports in September last yearstood at USD 26.02 billion.

Exports during April-September this fiscal dipped by21.43 per cent to USD 125.06billion. Imports during the

period stood at USD 148.69billion, recording a negativegrowth of 40.06 per cent. Theministry said that inSeptember 2020, oil importsfell 35.92 per cent to USD USD5.82 billion. During April-September 2020-21, it con-tracted 51.14 per cent to USD31.85 billion. Non-oil importsin September too declined by14.41 per cent to USD 24.48billion. Gold imports dippedby 52.85 per cent duringSeptember this year.

Inflation slump in Europe couldpresage more stimulus

Warburg invests Rs 700 cr in Home First

Ex-WestJet CEO appointednon-executive director

India initiates anti-dumpingprobe against Chinese products

Exports rise 5.27%;trade deficit narrowsThe investment is a

combination of primaryfund raise andsecondary sales byexisting shareholders,said Home First

SAT says nophysicalhearing till Oct16 amid Covid

INDIGO BOARD

wing to the pandemic, foodconsumption has become acautious habit and people arehighly conscious of what theyare eating and where it is com-ing from.

“It has given us an opportunity toexplore ways to keep food simple, nutri-tious and how it can be transported safe-ly from one place to the other with limit-ed human handling,” says Chef PrabhakarNagaraj, Managing Partner, Elior India.

Prabhakar Nagaraj speaks about thechanges being seen in kitchens in terms ofsafety measures, ingredients, collaborativedishes and waste management.

Food safety measures taken by chefs inthe kitchen

This pandemic has taken away the exoti-cism of food from the menu. The masseshave switched to basic meals, keeping awayfrom complexity in its preparation and theingredients used. Food consumption hasbecome a cautious habit and people arehighly conscious of what they are eatingand where it iscoming from.To serve thisneed, we haveswitched top r e - p a c k e dmeals withlimited vari-ety as com-pared to thelavish buffetspreads dur-ing the pre-Covid times.We assumethat this isgoing to beshort lived.Although thisstep hasrestricted theinclusion of thenumber of dishes served during everymeal, safety measures are in place as thisstep reduces the number of human touch-points.

Food is safe when it is handled by as fewpeople as possible and cooked close to thehour of consumption. The pandemic has

given us an opportunity to explore waysto keep food simple, nutritious and howit can be transported safely from oneplace to the other with limited humanhandling. We can also use flash-cook-ing methods. Flash cooking involvescooking ingredients on a very highflame so that the outer surface of theingredient gets sealed, eliminatingany loss of internal juices and thussustaining the nutritive aspects ofthe ingredients.

Growing importance of Indianspices in the kitchen in thetimes of pandemic

We are creating menus thatare primarily based on localproduce rather than beingsourced from other states orthe country at large. In thenear future, we will wit-ness many internationaldishes being given anIndian twist and vice versa.Our chefs are handpicked from the best

hotels and we are able to translate globalfood trends to our cafe food with ease.

The food which is delivered is as per therequirement of the clients; even thoughthey may all be from the same geography;they still have completely different require-

ments from each other. For example,consider Vegetable Au Gratin, a famouswestern dish where you mix vegetableswith cream sauce, grate cheese and bakeit in the oven. Here we have substitutedcream sauce with Makhani sauce which is

typically creamy and slightly sweet. Youmix it to the right consistency, add grat-ed cheese and paneer on top and gratinateit. This dish acts as Au Gratin but it actu-ally is Veg Makhani. However, the presen-tation becomes completely different.

A sIndians, we

like to bite into food thattastes Indian but looks very

Western. For example, if you bite into anapple pie, it may not just have apple inside;instead it may have Anjeer Badam Halwa.These are some of the innovations that canbe brought into corporate cafes especial-ly when there is a growing importance tomatch the taste buds of consumers in India.

The cooking process stays the same, butyou need to start mapping ingredientsaccordingly. Once you use Anjeer BadamHalwa as a substitute ingredient for a piefilling, it should have good consistency, sothat the dough doesn’t become soggy.Otherwise, the whole purpose of using dif-ferent ingredients gets defeated. From anoutsider’s perspective, it is just a pie untilyou bite into it to relish the Anjeer halwa.Indian foods can be very nutritive, thoughit all depends on the way you cook it.

Increase in collaborative cuisine to dishout magic on plates

Regarding collaborative cuisines, thetype of clients that we cater to need us tobe at our innovative best. Their profiles cre-ate an opportunity to explore the possibil-ity to innovate, which is what differenti-ates us from our competitors.

The financial luxury of these clientsgives us an advantage to continuouslyinnovate and be ahead of our time whenwe talk about mundane menus with typ-ical components that we hardly ever thinkof changing. Our chef-led model acts as anenhancer to explore any opportunity to sat-isfy hungry tummies.

At the same time, when we stand as apremium catering provider, we look for-ward to bringing a change rather than theusual food. For example, a regular AlooMutter Samosa can be changed into achicken Fajita Samosa. Basically, you areusing chicken which is mixed with Fajitaseasoning and flavor the dough withcumin giving a Mexican twist to the Indiancuisine.

You can have a samosa of this nature,but instead of using mint chutney orTamarind chutney, you can substitute itwith Salsa. This is something which wehave innovated and is the differentiatingfactor that we bring to the platter when itcomes to cafeteria services. It is a require-ment at this point in time because whenyou present your menu to a corporatecrowd who are well travelled, they don'twant to have the same rice, dal and cha-pati. They look for something different andwish to explore new cuisines.

Waste management in kitchensThis process is being mapped with our

ERP (Enterprise resource planning).Whatever the food requirement for anyclient-site is, it comes to the ERP. Based onthis, the production process is initiated,and the dispensation takes place. This isthen tracked basis the sales on the site andif there is a huge difference in expected ver-sus delivered outcomes, the on-site headis responsible for it.

By doing this, we have witnessed atremendous reduction in food-wastage andthis is something we follow as a processwhere ensuring minimal food wastage isconcerned. This drives complete informa-tion about the quantity of production thatshould take place and the raw materialsthat need to be used in order to fulfill pro-duction. Then, requisition happens basedon the raw materials where the purchasehappens accordingly. So the complete end-to-end process is tightened.

How Indiankitchens are

changing

O

an you share your associa-tion with Hyderabad?

Traditionally from Buxar,Bihar, we moved toHyderabad at the beginningof millennial years as my

father who formerly worked in CRPF wasposted here in the year 2000. As fortunewould have it, I remained here ever since.I have not only studied here from mytenth standard but also managed to com-plete my post-graduation from theUniversity of Hyderabad. Since then, Ihave been working in the city through-out diverse arenas. By a stroke of luck,even my husband is an IT professionalbased in this most happening city.

How has the city been treating you?For a person who has spent all her

years of growing up in this beautiful city,I can state without batting an eyelid thatthe folks here make outsiders feel muchlike the part of their own world. Thereis a generous unity that everyHyderabadis exemplify. The tehzeeb isvirtually in-built, so to say. Even my par-ents would tell us how homely and wel-come they had felt when they first cameto Hyderabad. That’show the city treatseveryone withthe samesense oft o g e t h e r -ness.

For everyone migratingto new cities, there areapprehensions aboutthat city. What kind ofthoughts did you haveabout Hyderabadbefore moving hereand how do youfind it now? I can assert this forsure, that even thoughmy parents had cer-tain reservations aboutworking down south,my father being in theCRPF helped us a lotbecause he had alwaysinteracted with col-leagues from across thecountry. With Hindiand Urdu being widely used here, it sim-plified matters. No North Indian feels outof place in Hyderabad because there areno language barriers. It also explains whyso many are migrating to this lovely andpeaceful city.

Have you lived in other cities? If so, howis Hyderabad different from others?

Of course, we have been in severaltowns and cities but the fact remains that

by the time I came to Hyderabad, Iwas in my tenth standard and I can-not exactly compare it with thelifestyle in other cities. But fromwhatever I can recall, Hyderabad

has a unique blend. The enthusias-tic reception one gets will

straightawaygladden

t h e

hearts, irrespective of where the individ-ual has come has come.

One thing that comes to your mind whenyou think of Hyderabad and why?

Quite apparently, it is the warm-hearted people and the air of cheerful-ness that pervades the city. There is thiscosmopolitan culture that helps blendpeople from across the spectrum. Ofcourse, the landmarks that abound thecity and its glistening landscape are also

an intricate part of our city. And,when talking of Hyderabad

— how one can forgetthat the city is a

gourmet and a foodconnoisseur’s ulti-mate delight. Astrict veggie andsomebody wholoves to cook, Ihave learnt tomake traditional

dishes of almostevery state, thanks

to the lovely

neighbourhood we are in.

Can you share one of your fondest mem-ories here?

I can think of several cherishedmoments here, one of which that hap-pened in the year 2006 — since my child-hood I was interested in music andaspired to be an anchor or show presen-ter. I got an unexpected opportunity toexhibit my skills on radio and I took myfirst big step into the professional worldof entertainment. Shedding the initialnervousness of any first-timer, I debutedas FM Radio 101.1 Radio Jockey (RJ) tothe delight of my family and people backin my native place.

Another equally momentous occasionwas on December 1, 2010 - the day I mar-ried my husband, Rahul Ojha. We havea daughter Adwita who keeps me occu-pied when I am home.

How is the city helping you in yourcareer?

It has given me everything. Soon aftermy PG, I was employed as a news anchorand moderator by HY TV, theHyderabad-based multilingual channel

that had a pan-Indian viewership.Although I enjoyed my stintthere, I had to quit because ofthe offer I received from

Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganization (DRDO). It was a careerpush that was also close to my heart andone in which there was stability. The bestpart was the job allowing me to uninter-ruptedly pursue my creative passion.

Enlighten us with your transformation-al shift from being a program anchor toan assistant director

You see, I was absorbed as a casualannouncer/programme host byDoordarshan even as I was pursuing myPost Graduation. It was a wonderfulopportunity and I jumped onto thenational broadcaster bandwagon themoment I got the offer. There is a thrillattached to my DD experience. However,as with the RJ stint, despite my scheduleat DRDO, which I joined in 2009, I man-age to do shows as an anchor onDoordarshan and as RJ. I am enjoying thebest of both worlds.

What do you like and dislike the mostabout Hyderabad?

The people, the city by itself, the weath-er, and the cultural richness that itboasts of are things that I love and enjoy.However, the regrets are the deplorableroads, horrifying traffic sense of the peo-ple, and lacklustre civic amenities. Onthat note, we are blessed as a DRDOTownship, though where I stay current-ly feels like Utopia.

What is it that your relatives or friendswho visit you would like to take back andwhat are the places they wish to visitwhen they come to Hyderabad?

Apart from the historic Charminar,Golconda Fort, and Salarjung Museum,the women who come particularly wantto visit Chudi Bazar and that entirestretch where they can go shopping forproducts that are unique in Hyderabad,especially pearls and bangles.

What is Hyderabad to you?I must admit with a sense of pride that

Hyderabad is not my second homebut my primary home,

because I have achievedeverything here. It meanseverything to me. It touch-es my heart and reflects mypersonality to the core.

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

SaturdayOctober 3, 2020

She manages,orchestrates, leads,

and makesimportant

decisions — meetAnuradha Pandey.

From being aradio jockey at All

India Radio tobeing the program

anchor forDoordarshan andnow the assistant

director forDRDO, she's

progressing andhow in

Hyderabad! Shetalks to The

Pioneer'sSHIKHA

DUGGAL aboutwhat it means tohold a powerfulposition, lead ateam of people

coming fromdifferent

backgrounds whilestill staying true toour roots. Comingfrom the place of

pilgrimages, Bihar,with a radiant

smile andenergetic vibe,she's living her

best life inHyderabad.

The people, the city by itself, theweather, and the cultural richness

that it boasts of are things that Ilove and enjoy. However, theregrets are the deplorable roads,horrifying traffic sense of the

people, and lacklustre civicamenities. On that note, we areblessed as a DRDO Township,though where I stay currently feelslike Utopia.

C

VOICING HER LOVE FORTHE CITY OF DIVERSITY

10

Hyderabad Saturday October 3 2020 what’s brewing?

THE FINEST OF

KANJIVARAM

SAREES

VRK Heritage, known forKanjivaram silks,launched another store

at Jubilee Hills on Friday. Theinaugural was graced byFashion Designer and formerMrs India Shilpa Reddy, andPadma Shri Dr. ManjulaAnagani, a renownedgynaecologist. In addition totheir Kanjivaram sarees, thiscollection brings a range ofhandpicked Paithanis, Ikkat,Handlooms, etc.

FESTIVE FRENZY

Ahead of the festive season, Maangalya Shopping Mall launched its 9th store in the buzzingmarket lanes of Ameerpet. Inaugurated by TRS leader and former MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha,the mall assures maintenance of proper hygiene amid COVID, reasonable prices, and

exciting offers to ring in the festivals with usual pomp.

Bhumi Pednekar: I have touse my voice to educatepeople about climate change

ctress Bhumi Pednekar, whohas taken up the cause of cli-mate conservation to raiseawareness among fellowIndians, says she wants to useher voice to bring about pos-

itive change.“I always had this fear,” she claimed,

recalling how concerned she alwayswas about the environment, even as achild. “It started from my childhood.‘What would happen to this world whenthe water dries up?’ That was the firstquestion in my head. So, I started read-ing up on climate change,” she recalled.

“I have always been conscious, andI tried to have a sustainable style ofliving, especially sinceI became an adult.But then I realisedI wasn’t reallydoing enough andthat’s when I start-ed ClimateWarrior,” shedeclared.

Bhumi’s onlineand offline initia-tive ClimateWarrior is an ini-tiative to mobilisecitizens of India tocontribute towardsprotecting theenvironment.

The initiative has turned a year old.She wants to use her fame to educate

people about climate change.“I have become an actor. I have the

power to reach out to so many peopleand I have always tried doing thatthrough my cinema. I have to use myvoice, my social media platforms to bringabout positive change in the world andeducate people about climate change,” shesaid.

Bhumi feels every individual must par-ticipate in raising community awarenessabout environment protection.

“When we speak about love for ourfamily, when we speak about love

for our nation, do we actuallymean all this

because weshould be doingmore to protectour families andour nation andour future gen-erations. Thesewere all thelooming ques-tions in myhead and that’swhen I realisedI should start

C l i m a t eWarrior,”

she said.

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

Al

Shi

lpa

Red

dy

l Dr Manjula Anagani

l Lakshmi

Photos by SV Chary

ore than seven months afterits release, Karuna Kumar’sPalasa 1978 continues to winaccolades. After Maruthi,Indraganti Mohana Krishnaand Pa Ranjith among others,

the latest celeb who is bowled over by thefilm is none other than stylish star AlluArjun. Taking to his social media pages,the actor congratulated the film’s team,saying they’ve made a wonderfulattempt.

“Congratulations to the entire team ofPalasa 1978. Watched it and met thedirector the very next morning.Wonderful attempt with a great under-lying message. It had so many goodmoments. I personally liked it. Soo gladsuch good directors and actors arecoming up in new age Telugu films. Myheartfelt Congratulations to the Actors,

T e c h s ,Producers andthe entire team(sic),” the actorwrote.

Responding toBunny’s praise, KarunaKumar replied, “Thank you Sir. Itwas a wonderful memory. Yourkind gesture, heartfelt appreciationtowards good cinema made meemotional. It’s a lifetime memory.”

Palasa 1978, which wasKaruna’s feature debut, discussedcaste-based oppression and itsmany complexities organically,with many references to the atroc-ities committed on Dalits across thecountry. Rakshit, Thiruveer,Nakshatra and Raghu Kunche playedlead roles. e l u g u -

Hindi actressIleana D’Cruz,who has in thepast spokenabout battling

Body Dysmorphic Disorder, recentlytook to Instagram and shared an inspi-

rational post about accepting that she is‘beautifully flawed’, inspiring others to do the

same, in the process. Sharing a black-and-whitepicture of herself, she penned a powerful note on

how she has finally decided to overcome her inse-curities. “I’ve always wor-ried about how I looked.

I’ve worried my hips are toowide, my thighs too wobbly,my waist not narrow enough,my tummy not flat enough,my boobs not big enough,my butt too big, my arms

too jiggly, nose not straightenough, lips not full enough(sic),” she wrote.

Replying to her own ques-tion, she added, “Not realisingI was never meant to be per-fect. I was meant to be beautifully flawed. Different.Quirky. Unique. Every scar, every bump, every “flaw”just made me, me. My own kind of beautiful (sic).”

She wrote further, “That’s why I’ve stopped. Stoppedtrying to conform to the world’s ideals of what’s meantto be beautiful. I’ve stopped trying so hard to fit in.Why should I?? When I was born to stand out (sic).”

ourtesy his associa-tion with Dil Rajuand Sirish in theautomobile busi-ness, actor Surendar

Reddy has been a regular to theshoots of SVC films, makinghim develop interest towardsacting. On the sets of DJ,Harish Shankar told Reddythat he can thrive as a villain inthe industry. Resultantly, hewanted to do at least a smallrole in DJ, but couldn’t, as thefilm was inching towards thefinish line. Later Raju took theonus of introducing him in alengthier role in one of hisupcoming productions. “AnilRavipudi auditioned me for arole in Raja-The Great.Impressed by my body lan-guage and dialogue delivery, herang Sirish garu and told himthat the industry has got anoth-er good actor. He speciallydesigned the priest role in Raja— The Great, Surendar Reddybeams, crediting the directorand his associate Sai for givinghim birth as an actor.

The wide appreciation for hisrole, which is a meme favourite,in the debut film meant that healso sheds his camera fear,fuelling his passion towardsacting further. In fact, duringthe shooting of his maiden filmitself, he landed a gig — as alawyer — in Nani-starrer MCA,which was from the stables ofSVC. Roles in F2, SrinivasaKalyanam, Sarileru Neekevvaruand Ala Vaikunthapuramlosoon followed. Now, Reddy isa sought-after supporting actor.“Initially, I felt I was better fitfor serious and antagonist rolesbut Anil Ravipudi garuchanged my perception. Eversince, I thought of not limitingmyself to any particular role. Iwant to do a wide variety ofroles and prove myself as anactor. Even if it’s a small role, Iwant to arrest the audiencewith my performance,” theNizamabad native declares.

Some of his future projectsinclude superstar Rajinikanth-starrer Tamil flick Annaatthe,powerstar Pawan Kalyan-star-rer Vakeel Saab, Alludu Adhurs,NTR Arts untitled film andSampath Nandi’s Odela RailwayStation.

Talking about the experienceof doing a Rajini film, heshares, “He is a great actor butat the same time, an extreme-ly down-to-earth person. Iconsider myself lucky to be apart of his film. I can’t describethe experience in words. I willbe seen as a family friend ofPrakash Raj in the film.”

After wrapping up Krack, Ravi Teja will diveheadlong into the filming of Ramesh Varma’s

action-thriller, titled Robin Hood. AnuEmmanuel and Nidhhi

Agerwal have evincedtheir interest to be a part

of the project, findsNAGARAJ GOUDnnounced earlier this January, RaviTeja will finally begin the filming ofhis next with Ramesh Varma from thismonth. The director initially contemplat-ed taking the film off the ground in summerbut the plan went pear-shaped due to the lock-

down triggered by the coronavirus. A production ven-ture of educationalist Koneru Satyanarayana under

A Studios, the action-thriller will be launched inHyderabad on October 18 followed by the prin-cipal shoot. What’s more interesting is that the

leading ladies too are more or less finalised.A highly-placed source close to the devel-

opment tells us, “Anu Emmanuel and NidhhiAgerwal have been given script narrations andboth of them expressed their interest to jointhe project. However, they are yet to sign onthe dotted line. It might happen soon.Ramesh felt that the script needed freshfaces opposite Ravi and decided toapproach Anu and Nidhhi who haven’tshared screen space with the MassMaharaja until now. As Ravi playsdual roles, both the ladies will haveequal footage in the film. The filmhas scope for another major malecharacter and Ramesh is on thesearch to sign on a familiar face.”

The source further adds, “As thefilm is set on a massive scale,Ramesh is planning to wrap up theshoot in 110 days in adherence withall safety guidelines. He will shootin Hyderabad for 70 days, whileCroatia will host another 40 days.The makers have chosen RobinHood as the title and an officialconfirmation is around the corner.Prominent Hindi cinematograph-er Dudley, who worked for filmslike Singham and ChennaiExpress, will be making his Telugu debutwith the project. The makers want torelease the film next summer.”

Ravi Teja, who has started the film-ing of Krack last month, will jointhe sets again from October 5and finish the film before heshifts attention to RobinHood.

C

11

Hyderabad Saturday October 3 2020tollywood

Anu and Nidhhi in Ravi Teja’s next

A

AS THE FILM IS SET ON A MASSIVESCALE, RAMESH IS PLANNING TO

WRAP UP THE SHOOT IN 110 DAYSIN ADHERENCE WITH ALL SAFETYGUIDELINES.

SurendarReddy

on a roll

DEBUTING AS AN ACTOR WITH RAVITEJA-STARRER RAJA-THE GREAT(2017), ACTOR SURENDAR REDDYHAS COME A LONG WAY. HE IS NOW

ON THE WISH LISTOF MANYDIRECTORS FORSUPPORTINGTURNS AND SOMEOF HIS FUTUREPROJECTS INCLUDEANNAATTHE,

STARRING SUPERSTAR RAJINIKANTHAND VAKEEL SAAB, STARRING PAWANKALYAN

ike many of his peers,Sharwanand too has report-ed back to work. While manyexpected him to join the setsof Sreekaram, which is 20-25days away from a wrap up, he

has sprung a surprise by resumingwork on his Telugu-Tamil bilingual with

Shree Karthik in Chennai earlier thisweek. Going by a still released bythe makers from the shoot spot, it

is evident that the cast and crew aresticking to safety protocols. Sharwanandsaid, “Getting back to face the cameraafter the lockdown feels like a breath offresh air.”

The untitled film, co-starring RituVarma, Nassar, Vennela Kishore andPriyadarshi in supporting roles, dealswith inseparable bonding in friendshipand love, while filmmaker-turned-actorTharun Bhascker has penned the Telugudialogues.

Produced by Dream Warrior Pictures,the film also sees Amala Akkinenimaking a comeback to acting. RaviRaghavendra will be seen as her husband, while Sharwa is playing herson. Sequences involving the family were shot before the lockdown inHyderabad. Jakes Bejoy is the film’smusic director.

Sharwa reportsback to work

L

M

T

I was meant tobe beautifully

flawed: Ileana

The actress sharedan inspirational postabout acceptingthat she is‘beautifully flawed’,inspiring others todo the same

Bunny laudsPalasa 1978

Mayank Agarwal 246 runs

Mohd Shami 8 wickets

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2020

12

MOTION PICTURE

DUGOUTWe have a lot of faith in big-hitting skills of Pollard & Hardik.Pollard almost took us to thevictory in against RCB. Theyare in good form and they canfinish games in any situation

It wasn't going to be easywith the ball against KXIP'sbatting line-up. We knew wehad to get early wickets andeverything went to plan,credit to the bowlers

Another bowling option wouldbe nice — an all-rounderoption who can bat and bowlwell. We will be sitting withthe coaches to decide if wewant to play an extra bowler

Batting or bowling first doesnot matter. It is just for theteam to go there and do itsbest and play good cricket.Best team on the day willcome out victorious

TODAY

STAR SSPORTS 11

Live from 3:30pm Live from 7:30pm

VS VS

POINTS TABLEP W L NRR PTS

1 MI 4 2 2 +1.094 4

2 DC 3 2 1 +0.483 4

3 KKR 3 2 1 +0.117 4

4 RR 3 2 1 -0.219 4

5 RCB 3 2 1 -1.450 4

6 KXIP 4 1 3 +0.521 2

7 SRH 3 1 2 -0.228 2

8 CSK 3 1 2 -0.840 2

POLLARD'S FORM IS GREAT SIGN: ZAKKieron Pollard's blazing form at the onset of the IPL isa “great sign” for the Mumbai Indians as it has beenthe case over the years, says bowling mentor ZaheerKhan. In his element in the last two games, Pollardsmashed an unbeaten 60 off 24 balls against RCBbefore producing an unbeaten 47 off 20 balls againstKXIP. “It is great to have the big man in such formsince tournament in Caribbean (CPL) and he iscontinuing with that form, which is very important andwe are always banking on him,” Zaheer said in a flashinterview posted on MI Twitter handle. “Pollard, whenhe comes to the party early, it's always a great sign forus,” Zaheer added.

WE KNOW SKY IS THE LIMIT: POLLARD“We know sky is the limit in the last four overs,” saidMI all-rounder Kieron Pollard after adding 67 runs in23 balls with Hardik Pandya in their IPL game againstKXIP. After skipper Rohit Sharma laid the foundationwith a 45-ball 70, Pollard and Pandya smashed foursand sixes at will, lifting MI to 191 for four from 83 forthree in the 14th over. Pollard, who was adjudged theMan of the Match, said: “It's about what's there infront of you. Look at the bowlers and see how manyyou want to get, 15 off the over and then you try to gohard. “Today Hardik had to come and swing and heshowed his prowess. We know sky is the limit in thelast four overs.”

OFFIE’S LAST OVER WAS MOUTH-WATERINGMumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya says thevery sight of off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham beinghanded the ball in the 20th over of his team's IPL clashagainst KXIP had him and his big-hitting partnerKieron Pollard excited before they hit him for 25 runs.Pollard (47*) hit three sixes while Hardik (30*) got onemaximum in that over which took MI to 191 for 4.Interviewed by his elder brother Krunal, Hardik talkedabout how he felt when he saw Gowtham beinghanded the last over. “It was very intense, it was morelike mouth watering that an off-spinner bowling the20th over. Me and Pollard, whoever misses has tostand at the non-striker's end and just watch, and thatwas me today. I missed two balls but Pollard made upmost of it,” he said.

NO REASON TO PANIC FOR DC Having suffered their first defeat of the IPL 2020against SRH on Tuesday, Delhi Capitals' bowling coachRyan Harris believes his team was not at their best intheir last match, and is not in a panic situation at all.“Coming off an unlucky loss, we just weren't at our bestfor that game against the Sunrisers. But, there's nopanicking by any means,” he said. “When you lookback at it, a couple of balls during our bowling were alittle bit of a miss, and they (SRH) probably ran betterbetween the wickets, we didn't run as well. But 15 runsis not a huge gap,” said Harris on the 15-run lossagainst Hyderabad.

Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has said that KXIPcaptain KL Rahul getting flak for bowling an off-spinner in thelast over against MI is unfair. “We all make mistakes and as anew captain, we should all look at the positives that KL Rahulhas brought on,” he added.

PTI n ABU DHABI

The dew factor will go out of thewindow but the searing heat will

be an issue when Royal ChallengersBangalore take on a better preparedRajasthan Royals in the first of the 10IPL double-headers on Saturday.

Having played their first twogames at Sharjah, the small-est of the three venues,Royals got their strategywrong in the game againstKolkata Knight Riders inDubai.

The ground in AbuDhabi too is on the bigger side andRoyals’ experience of playing in Dubaiwill help them take more informeddecisions. RCB will also be makingtheir first appearance at the SheikhZayed Cricket Stadium.

The Royals have now understoodthe perils of playing on bigger groundsand their leg-spinner Shreyas Gopalaccepted the fear of unknown.

“We can’t really estimate anythingsitting here, we’ve practised during theday a few times in the ICC academyso we’ll go there and take a call thereitself. It shouldn’t be too different.

“There might not be dew otherthan that I feel it’ll be a really goodwicket and a good contest,” Gopal saidon the eve of the match.

With the batsmen unable to hitthrough the line as consistently as theycould do in Sharjah, Royals failed tochase 175 against KKR on Wednesday.

Since they have a settled overseasplayers’ combination, one possiblechange in the eleven could be replac-ing pacer Ankit Rajpoot with Varun

Aaron, who is yet to get a game.The team has benched young

opener Yashasvi Jaiswal after JosButtler’s arrival but calls have beengrowing for his inclusion. With the topthree picking themselves, the stylishsouthpaw can only play in the middleorder.

Both Royals and the RCB go intoSaturday’s afternoon matchwith two wins in threegames.

RCB have made apromising start but need toimprove their fielding anddeath bowling. Navdeep

Saini bowled a tidy Super Over againstMumbai Indians to get his team overthe line after RCB leaked as many as79 runs in the last four overs for thegame to be tied.

The Bangalore franchise madethree changes in the previous clash andare likely to give those players — IsuruUdana, Adam Zampa and GurkeeratMann — another go.

The move to open the bowlingwith Washington Sundar paid off asthe offie returned with figures of 12for one in four overs in a game wheremore than 400 runs were scored.

Ab de Villiers has shown ominoustouch and it must be heartening for theteam management to see ShivamDube providing the big hits towardsthe end against Mumbai Indians.

Skipper Kohli is yet to set the tour-nament on fire and Saturday could behis day.

Doubts remain over the availabil-ity premier all-rounder Chris Morris,who picked up a side strain before thestart of the tournament.

PTI n SHARJAH

Andre Russell’s brute power will meetits match in Rishabh Pant’s fearless

approach when Kolkata Knight Ridersface Delhi Capitals with an aim to lightup the Sharjah skyline in what promisesto be another six-hitting IPL contest onSaturday.

Russell gave a glimpse of what is instore with three sixes at a big Dubaiground against Rajasthan Royals whilePant will be itching to throw caution tothe wind and play his natural game —destructive edge of the seat hitting.

In fact, Pant needs it more thanRussell as three of his peers, KL Rahul,Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have gotruns under their belt, something that thebeefy man from Roorkee so desperately

needs. This will be the first weekend of

double-headers in the IPL andthere couldn’t have been a bet-ter ground for that than Sharjah,which has ridiculously shortboundaries promising anoth-er run-feast.

If there is ShubmanGill, Andre Russell andEoin Morgan on one side,there is Pant, MarcusStoinis and ShreyasIyer on the other end,all capable big-hittersand ever ready toadd to the whop-ping 62 sixes thathave been hit onthis ground in the

two games held there so far. KKR havebeen slowly getting into the groove with

some comprehensive performanceswhile Capitals, after two fine victories,hit a roadblock against Sunrisers

Hyderabad in their last outing.For the Knights, their young

pace attack of Kamlesh Nagarkotiand Shivam Mavi will have their task

cut out on a batting paradisewhere their temperament

will be put to test.In Sharjah, a bowler

is destined to go forruns and how the twomanage that and trysubtle variations will bekey to KKR’s success.

KKR are unlikelyto tinker with their

winning combination even though Narineas an opener hasn’t worked well for themin three games so far with only 24 runsscored by the Trinidad all-rounder.

However, he has bowled his full quotaof overs in three games with adecent under 8 economy rateand two wickets.

There is Tom Banton as areserve opener but keepingthe dimensions of the Sharjahground into equation, KKR willpersist with Narine provided he can attackthe weak link in the DC attack whichobviously will be an Indian pacer — beit Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma orAvesh Khan.

Giving an update on Ashwin’s injury,Capitals bowling coach Ryan Harris said:“He’s doing excellent. He had a really good

session last night with the ball, bat and inthe field. So he might be available forselection for tomorrow, but we are stillwaiting for our medical staff ’s confirma-tion this evening.”

In their batting depart-ment, Shimron Hetmyer is yetto fire but again the same for-mula that applies to Narine inKKR is also applicable on theformer West Indies U-19 WorldCup winning captain, provid-

ed he can take on Kuldeep Yadav andVarun Chakravarthy.

Hetmyer has had some degree of suc-cess against Kuldeep in internationalgames and it could be an engaging con-test if he gets a chance to bat on a trackwhere history always favours the top fourfrom either side.

AFP n VIGO

Barcelona’s new double-act delivered again asLionel Messi and Ansu Fati led them to a 3-

0 victory at Celta Vigo in La Liga on Thursday,despite Clement Lenglet being sent off in the firsthalf.

After scoring twice in Barca’s opening gameof the season, Fati fired struck early at a blusteryBalaidos, only for Lenglet to collect a second yel-low card in the 42nd minute for pulling backDenis Suarez.

But even down to 10, Ronald Koeman’s sidewere undeterred and Messi made the lead morecomfortable shortly after half-time, his weavingrun and shot diverted in for an own-goal by Lucas Olaza.

Celta hit the crossbar butnever really threatened a comebackand when the ball spilled looseafter another Messi dash in injury-time, Sergi Roberto made sureof the points.

“We did a great job,” saidKoeman. “I’m very proud ofthis team, we worked hard,played with a lot of disci-pline with a man less andeven then we made thebest chances. I’m very,very happy.”

Celta hasn’t lost toBarcelona at home infive years, with three winsand two draws in leaguematches.

AP n LONDON

Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno saved twopenalties in a 5-4 shootout win over

Liverpool to reach the League Cup quarter-finals, while Aston Villa and Fulham wereknocked out by lower-division clubs.

Joe Willock scored Arsenal’s winningpenalty to set up a home match againstdefending champion Manchester City in thenext round.

Leno, who also kept a clean sheetthrough 90 minutes as the game ended 0-0,blocked penalties from Divock Origi andHarry Wilson on Thursday.

“It was a very tough game,” the Germantold broadcaster Sky Sports.

“It is very good to save some penaltiesand see some laughing faces but I prefer nexttime to win the game before penalties. Butthe main thing is we won.”

A first-half header from SamVokes gave second-tier side Stokea 1-0 win at Aston Villa to setup a quarterfinal at homeagainst Tottenham.

Also, Fulham lost 3-0again — this time against sec-ond-tier side Brentford, whowill next play at home againstNewcastle.

Manchester United willtravel to Everton in the otherquarterfinal.

AP nMILAN

AC Milan reached the EuropaLeague group stage after a

nervy 9-8 penalty shootout winover Portuguese club Rio Ave, hav-ing netted a fortunate last-gaspequalizer in extra time.

Milan trailed 2-1 in extratime until Toni Borevkovic gaveaway a penalty in the 121st minutewith a careless handball, allowingHakan Calhanoglu to level fromthe spot. Rio Ave then had threechances to win the penaltyshootout but missed each time,before Milan goalkeeper GianluigiDonnarumma made the decisivesave to send his team through.

The shootout featured 24penalties in total, with both goal-keepers sending their efforts overthe bar.

Tottenham had no such trou-bles as Harry Kane scoredhis first hat trick of theseason in a 7-2 win overMaccabi Haifa.Tottenham’s win cameexactly a year to theday after losing 7-2to Bayern Munich athome in the ChampionsLeague group stage.

However, last year’squarterfinalist Basel and

German club Wolfsburg wereboth eliminated.

On Friday AC Milan wasdrawn to face Celtic, Sparta Pragueand Lille in Group H of theEuropa League on Friday.

Arsenal, the Europa Leaguerunner-up in 2019 was groupedwith Rapid Vienna, Molde andDundalk. North London rivalTottenham will face LASK,Ludogorets Razgrad and RoyalAntwerp.

Spanish club Villarrealfaces the most demandingtravel schedule, facing Azericlub Qarabag, Israeli teamMaccabi Tel-Aviv andTurkish club Sivasspor.

The group stage beginson Oct 22 and runs through Dec10. UEFA said last week thatgames postponed because of thecoronavirus pandemic can bemade up until Jan 28.

AFPn PARIS

Simona Halep avenged lastyear’s French Open loss to

Amanda Anisimova by thrash-ing the American teenager 6-0,6-1 on Friday to reach the last 16at Roland Garros.

Top seed and title favouriteHalep extended her career-bestwinning run to 17 matches andwill meet another 19-year-old,Poland’s Iga Swiatek, for a placein the quarter-finals.

Polish teenager Swiatek dis-missed former Wimbledonfinalist Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-2 to seal a return to the last 16,matching her best result at aGrand Slam.

Anisimova knockedHalep out in the last eightin Paris a year ago, butthe two-time Grand

Slam championmade only sevenunforced errors as she

secured a resounding vic-tory in just 54 minutes.

Two-time quarter-finalistElina Svitolina ensured she will

stick around for the secondweek in Paris with a 6-4, 7-5 winover 27th seed Ekaterina

Alexandrova.Ukrainian third

seed Svitolina is fullof confidence aftercapturing her 15thcareer WTA atStrasbourg last

weekend. “It’s alwaysreally nice to have

another chance to go deepin the tournament,” saidSvitolina.

“It’s a little bit differentwithout the crowd, so you startto treasure every match andevery Grand Slam you play.”

US Open winner DominicThiem swept into the last 16 ashe broke down early resistancefrom Casper Ruud to secure animpressive 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 victoryand set up a possible showdownwith 2015 French Open winnerStan Wawrinka.

French Open (Day 7)Live from 2:15pm ISTSTAR SPORTS 2 NETWORK

Royal Challengers Bangalore players train during team’s warm-up session @RCBTweets

Royal battle

MATCHES 21

ROYAL CHALLENGERS 08

RAJASTHAN ROYALS 10

Stats: Faisel FFeatures

Halep gets her revengeBopanna losesParis: India’s challenge atthe French Open came to anend late on Thursday afterRohan Bopanna and part-ner Denis Shapovalov wentdown in the first round ofthe men’s doubles.

The Indo-Canadian pairwas beaten 6-2, 6-2 by for-mer Wimbledon men’s dou-bles champions Jack Sockand Vasek Pospisil.

The loss came afterShapovalov, seeded ninthin the singles draw, hadblasted the Roland Garrosorganisers for schedulinghis doubles match soon afterhis singles, where he playedfor five hours in a tough sec-ond-round exit. PTI

Liverpool outof League Cup

Milan win 24-kick shootoutAnsuper Fati

MATCHES 24

DELHI CAPITALS 10

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS 13

Stats: Faisel FFeatures

Another six hitting contest on cards

Simona Halep reacts after win AP

PTI n DUBAI

Arevamped ChennaiSuper Kings controlledthe innings for a large

part before youngsters PriyamGarg and Abhishek Sharmalifted Sunrisers Hyderabad toa competitive 164 for five intheir IPL match here on Friday.

Their top guns not con-tributing much, Garg (51 notout) and Abhishek (31) raiseda 77-run stand for the fifthwicket as SRH collected 53runs in the last four overs tomake it a contest.

CSK’s poor fieldingtowards the end helped SRHcontinue with the momen-tum as they dropped Abhishektwice.

After struggling in theirinitial matches, CSK broughtAmbati Rayudu, DwayneBravo and Shardul Tahakur forFriday’s game.

That CSK came into thematch rejuvenated following a

one-week break was evidentwith the way Deepak Chahar(2/31) troubled the SRH bats-men with his swinging deliv-eries. Sam Curran too showedcontrol.

Chahar was rewarded forhis effort when he deceivedJonny Bairstow (0) with an in-swing ball that uprooted his

stumps.Manish Pandey (29) was in

good touch as he timed the ballnicely when pitched up and didnot hesitate to play lofted shotswhile Warner worked the ballaround. They managed 42runs off the Powerplay overs.

Pandey drove straight toCurran at mid-off off Thakur.

Realising that time isticking away, Warnertried to look for bigshots but fell when

Faf Du Plessis, jumpedperfectly to catch him near theboundary ropes. To make itworse for SRH, KaneWilliamson (9) was run outnext ball in a mix up withGarg.

The responsibility to carrythe team forward fell on theyoung shoulders of Garg andAbhishek, who did not disap-point.

That Abhishek is talentedis already known and thesouthpaw further enhanced

his reputation with some con-fident and cracking shots. Gargtoo found his touch as hespent time at the crease.

SRH beat CSK by 7 runsPTI n DUBAI

Former India captainMahendra Singh Dhoni

on Friday became the most-capped player in the historyof IPL with his 194th appear-ance in the popular tourna-ment, surpassing ChennaiSuper Kings teammateSuresh Raina.

Dhoni, who has playedevery edition of the Leaguesince its inception, is into his11th season with CSK, aside he has always captainedapart from playing two sea-sons for Rising PuneSupergiants.

Those were the seasonswhen CSK got suspendedfrom the league for the 2013spot-fixing scandal.

As Dhoni took the fieldagainst Sunrisers Hyderabadon Friday, it was his 164thgame for CSK. He hadplayed 30 games for RPSduring the 2016 and 2017editions.

Dhoni is the secondmost successful skipper inIPL history after RohitSharma, having led CSK tothree titles (2010, 2011 and2018) with a total of eightfinal appearances.

Dhoni, individually hasplayed, nine finals, whichincludes the 2017 editionsummit clash for PuneSupergiants against MumbaiIndians.

However India’s currentskipper Virat Kohli holds therecord for most number ofappearances for a single fran-chise with 180 caps for RoyalChallengers Bangalore in 13editions.

Dhoni becomes IPL’smost-capped player