����������������� ����������������������������������� ������������� ���� ����������� �� �������������� ������ ��������������������� ��� ������������� ���� ����� �������������� � ����� ��� �������������������������� ��������� ������� ������� ����� ������� ���������������� �������������� ������������������� ������ �� ������� ��� !������� ����"�������������������������"������#�������� ������������� ����

����������������������������� ����������������� $������ � �%�����&������ ��� ����������������������� ���������� ����' � !���� (�)���������� ��*� ����������������+,��������������� ���� �!� �(����������*�� ����������� �-����� ���������� ��

�������������������������������������� !"#�� &�����.���� �.������� �� ����������� ����/����������������������������� ����0���� ��������� ������ ����������������� ������� "�� !�����������(�������� ������������� ��������� ���0����������� ������"��.�������������� ���������/��������������������� ����0� ��1��������0������� ����������������2����0�������� ����� ���� ��. �� ���3 � ���*���� ������

����� $ 45

They seemed courage andtenacity personified as

India’s women hockey playersstunned three-time champi-ons Australia to enter theirmaiden Olympic semifinals,while debutant discus throwerKamalpreet Kaur held her ownagainst a world-class field togive the country a lot to beproud of on day 10 of theGames here on Monday.

Rani Rampal and her res-olute team brought their ‘A’game and lots of determinationto the field and the Australiansdid not know what to do.

It was a case of real imitat-ing the reel as blockbuster“Chak De India”, which told thetale of an underdog Indianwomen’s hockey team guidedby a discredited coach winningthe World Cup, trended allacross. The pinnacle is stillsome distance away for the realbunch but it has already sur-passed all expectations andredeemed itself for the 12thplace finish back in the 2016Rio Games.

This was a day after theIndian men’s team entered theOlympic semifinals following a49-year gap, a phenomenallygritty run for both the teams.

Drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur

rose to the occasion when itmattered and converted India’slone penalty corner in the22nd minute to surprise theAustralians on the day, whocried in disbelief even as theIndians shed tears of joy and letout ear-splitting screams tocelebrate.

“I don’t know what to saybecause emotions are too highat the moment, and we all arevery happy because it was notan easy game to win fromAustralia,” an elated skipperRani Rampal said after theupset win.

India will play Argentina inthe semifinal on Wednesday.

“I think that belief like wecan work really hard through-out the game... And this is only60 minutes, just focus on the 60minutes. Don’t think furtherwhat will happen, just focus on60 minutes, and give every-thing that you have got. And Ithink everyone did that, soyeah, I am super proud,” Ranisaid, a reminder of the “70minute speech” that had gal-vanised the reel team in ChakDe India’.

Continued on Page 11 ����� �62�76'8�

Experts from IIT Hyderabadand Kanpur have set off an

alarm saying that a third Covid-19 wave could hit India in thecoming weeks of August itselfwith 1 lakh daily cases in the bestof scenario, or nearly 1,50,000 inthe worst scenario. The peakcould come about in October.

However, it would not be asbrutal as the second wave, wherecases rose to 4 lakh on a dailybasis before slumping downagain, they said.

For the record, 17 States andUnion Territories showed a risein coronavirus cases on Sundaywith a total 40,134 new Covid-19 cases and 422 deaths regis-tered as the tally of positive casesreached 3,16,95,958. The Covid-19 cases saw an uptick on aweek-on-week basis for the firsttime since mid-May after thedecline in the second wave of thecoronavirus pandemic. Keralahas reported the maximumsurge during the past week.

Talking to a news agency,the researchers whose predictionis based on a mathematicalmodel said that States reportinga high number of Covid caseslike Kerala and Maharashtramay play a significant role inskewing the case count duringthe third wave.

Earlier in May,Mathukumalli Vidyasagar, aprofessor at IIT Hyderabad, hadpredicted that India’s coron-avirus outbreak could peak inthe coming days based on themathematical model. However,their prediction that the wavewould peak by the middle of lastmonth was incorrect. Taking to

Twitter, the team of researchershad then justified that it wasbecause of incorrect parametersas “the pandemic was changingrapidly, even wildly, until abouta week ago.”

Experts have now warnedthat the Delta variant, whichspreads as easily as chickenpoxand can be passed on by vacci-nated people, can fuel the surge.According to data from theIndian Sars-CoV-2 GenomicConsortium (INSACOG), near-ly 8 of every 10 Covid-19 casesin May, June, and July werecaused by the highly infectiousDelta variant of the coronavirus.Additionally, the medical expertsalso warned that the Delta vari-ant of COVID-19 can also bepassed on by vaccinated people,which can in turn fuel the surge.

Latest data compiled by theUniversity of Michigan’s COV-IND-19 study group is no dif-ferent as it painted gloomy sce-nario by noting that India’s Rcount has hit 1.01 as on July 30.

This would be the first timesince the decline of the secondwave -- roughly after May 12 -- that India’s national R value hasagain touched the ‘one’ value.

The R value is an importantindicator on Covid-19’s preva-

lence and spread. This effectivereproduction number (Re)points to the number of peoplewho can be infected by an indi-vidual. Kerala and theNortheastern States apart —which have been reporting highactive cases — Delhi, HimachalPradesh and Uttarakhand, haveall seen the R count rise upabove 1, as per the latest data.

����� �62�76'8�

Amid the ongoing stalematein Parliament, former

Congress chief Rahul Gandhihas invited leaders ofOpposition parties to a break-fast meeting at the ConstitutionClub on Tuesday to chalk outa joint strategy on the Pegasussnooping issue. All OppositionMPs and floor leaders of vari-ous parties have been invitedfor the meeting, sources said.

AICC sources added aninvite has also been sent to theTrinamool Congress, whichhas been skipping all meetingsconvened by Rahul so far.Rahul met with TMC chiefMamata Banerjee when shecalled on Congress chief SoniaGandhi last week.

After a meeting with thefloor leaders of Oppositionparties last week, Rahul said theOpposition has only one ques-tion: whether the Governmenthad bought Israeli spywarePegasus to use it as a “weaponagainst its own people”.

While the Opposition hasbeen insisting on a full-fledgeddebate on the Pegasus issue, theGovernment’s stand has beenthat it is ready to discuss any-thing but the tapping scandal.

Continued on Page 11

��� � �62�76'8�

The India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) on

Monday said monsoon rain islikely to be “normal” in Augustand September, between 95per cent and 105 per cent of thelong-period average (LPA).

According to the IMD,during August and September,“below normal” to “normal”rainfall is likely over manyareas of the northwest, east andnortheast India while “nor-mal” to “above normal” rainfallis most likely over peninsularIndia and adjacent centralIndia.

The monsoon halted itsprogress across central India inthe third week of June, result-ing in a three-week delay in therain during the key sowing sea-son.

The IMD said after wit-nessing uncharacteristically

heavy rain and an irregularweather pattern in July, Delhiis likely to receive normal rain-fall in August. Normally, thenational Capital receives 210.6

mm and 247.7 mm rainfall inJuly and August, respectively.

In another forecast forAugust, IMD Director GeneralMrutunjay Mohapatra said

monsoon is also likely to benormal in the month. WestMadhya Pradesh and adjoiningRajasthan, some parts of inte-rior Maharashtra, Jammu &

Kashmir, Ladakh, some parts ofPunjab and Himachal Pradeshare likely to receive below-normal rainfall in August,Mohapatra said.

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,Telangana, Rayalaseema regionof Andhra Pradesh, Konkanand Goa, central Maharashtra,south Gujarat, northeasternStates, Bihar are likely to receiveabove-normal rainfall duringthe month, he added.

July recorded a 7 per centdeficiency in rain, with 26 percent deficiency over east andnortheast India; 27 per centexcess over south peninsula; 7per cent deficiency over north-west India and 7 per cent defi-ciency over central India. Juneended with 10 per cent excessrain but a monsoon break ofaround 12 days from June 19 toJuly 11 led to a long dry spellin many parts of the country.

Continued on Page 11

���$$����������� �62�76'8�

The Delhi Police on Mondayfiled a thousand-page

chargesheet against Olympicmedallist wrestler SushilKumar and 12 others in con-nection with the alleged mur-der of a former junior nation-al wrestling champion atChhatrasal Stadium in thenational Capital.

The chargesheet names 13accused persons, with SushilKumar as the main accused. Atotal of 15 accused have beenarrested in the case and five areon the run.

The chargesheet has been

filed before Chief MetropolitanMagistrate (CMM) Satvir SinghLamba by the crime branch.The judge will announce thedate for hearing of the case atthe point of taking cognisanceof the chargesheet on Tuesday.

Continued on Page 11

����� 96�3��#

A20-year-old Indian studentstudying in a university in

the Chinese city of Tianjin hasbeen found dead in his roomand the cause of his death is notyet known, officials here saidon Monday.

Aman Nagsen, who hailedfrom Gaya in Bihar, was a stu-dent of BusinessAdministration in the TianjinForeign Studies University. Hewas found dead on July 29.

The cause of his death isunder investigation, officialssaid. He was one of the fewIndian students who remainedin China through the coron-avirus pandemic.

The Indian Embassy hereand his family have beeninformed.

������������ � �����������

�����������

%�� ,: +; +<�.& ,, ,= +;3 � +; < +>&��� �� +? ? +=� % +, ,+ +;#�9��� � ++ +, +,@� �� = +> ;��� > + +

% &'() � � *New Delhi: In a major victorybefore firing a shot in theupcoming Tokyo Paralympics,the Supreme Court on Mondayordered the PCI immediatelyinclude Arjuna awardee andfive-time Paralympian shooterNaresh Kumar Sharma as anadditional participant for thesporting mega-event in Japan.

�������������������������� ����������� �����

������������� ����� ������������ ������� ����������!"#�$����%����������&���'���

�������� ��������������� ������� �� �����������������

������������� �����������������������

��(��)!* � ������������� +�,-�.+�/01

23./�4516�������4�.1�.70�23+5/6��������� +�7/�/0�057

23+-�77/6�������+�55�4,7

���A�0+�,1�70+�234�/056

8�������+4�.1�4-+�23,+�5/46

8���8���.5�7/�./4�23,�./16

����.1�0+�144�23,�51-6

��� ,-�7/�177�23.46

���������������� ������������������������������������

����������� ���������������������� �!"# �������������������������������

����� �&$�&

In a major embarrassment toally BJP, JD(U) supremo and

Bihar Chief Minister Kumarhas backed the Opposition’sdemand for a probe in thePegasus snooping scandal.

“A probe should be done,indeed. We have been hearingabout telephone tapping for somany days, the matter should

be discussed (in Parliament).People (Opposition) have beenreiterating (for talks) for somany days, it should be done,”Nitish said on Monday.

While Opposition partieshave stalled Parliament for tendays over demand for a debateand probe, this is the first timethat an ally of the BJP hasbacked their stand for a probe.

Continued on Page 11

������'�����&����� ���������'����������+���

������������������������������������������������������������������ ��!������������������"�"#���������$� ����%����� &$�

&�������������������������������������������������'�(����������������%�������%����� �&

��������������)����*�����������&����������+��,������%����� &$�

������������������������������������������������������������� ��������� ����� �&

$����%��&�'��� �����'�� ���� ��� ���������� ���������'������

B$��7 ��������� � �����!����C� ���������,����%�����-

������� ������������

�� �� �����C� ���������C

' ���%��� �%�9,1- �:: � ,>:D&���.���� ����6)�� ����&����� ���

���������@�����76'8���'�%4� 2 98 �&'��98�9&�6.2&�

�&�%8���&���� %8&�7�#&�8�768�&7�� 8576�&9&7�E�3&52&7&

�:'#"��:��;�,/04����������� ��������������������������� ��

��8������������������� +�.7.,<�������,4��+

��&.��!/��7�&�$ �@&%6

96'#�������.@�$ 7&5

��0&.���!!

&@���6F�.664.�76@6�%6� @�%�$�6.�&.�$&'�9&��&7E&�%6

�������� ����� ����������������������

&� & �1� '�$�%.�&�7�$86��'�$&�5�7 �0$�#6'

&������!� ���'������� ��������(��������)*��� � '�%4� 2

High and intermediate schoolsin Uttar Pradesh will resume

classes from August 16, but with50 per cent attendance, accord-ing to an order issued by the stategovernment on Monday.

Apart from this, instruc-tions have also been issued forcommencement of classes inhigher educational institutes fromSeptember 1, the UP governmentsaid in a statement.

Chief Minister YogiAdityanath said that the resultsof all the boards have beendeclared and classes should bestarted from the IndependenceDay (August 15) on which a pro-gramme called ‘Swatantrata KaAmrit Mahotsav’ should be

organised.The CM said arrangements

of sanitisers, infrared ther-mometers and masks should bemade when the schools reopenand all the institutes should fol-low Covid-19 protocol to ensurethat social distancing is practised.He said all the schools should besanitised and it should be ensuredthat classes and washrooms arecleaned. “The Basic Educationdepartment must coordinatewith the Panchayati Raj andGram Vikas departments forcleanliness and sanitisation exer-cise,” he added.

The CM also said that withthe reopening of the education-al institutions, special campsshould be organised for the vac-cination of students above 18

years. “The Health departmentshould make all the preparationsprior to the opening of schools,”he said.

Yogi said that in the sec-ondary educational institutes,the admission process should bestarted for those who havealready been promoted to high-er classes. The admission processfor graduates should start fromAugust 5, he added. He alsoissued directions for the sessionsof all higher educational institutesto commence from September 1.

It may be noted that all theschools were opened after thefirst wave in October last year butclosed again due to the secondwave. Because of the pandemic,online teaching method wasadopted in schools and colleges.

-������������������������.&��������� ��������

��� � �62�76'8�

Bad news for those waitingfor the US pharma giant

Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot Covid-19 vaccine ‘Janssen’in India. The top drug regula-tor, Drugs Controller Generalof India (DCGI), said onMonday that the pharma majorhad withdrawn its proposalseeking accelerated approval ofits vaccine in the country. Itdidn’t give additional details.

So far, four vaccines havebeen given Emergency UseAuthorisation (EUA) in India— Covishield, Covaxin,Sputnik V and Moderna.

In mid-July, Dr VK Paul,Niti Aayog member (health),had said, “We are in talks withJohnson & Johnson regardingtheir single-dose vaccine.” Hehad added, “As per the plan,this vaccine will also be pro-duced in Hyderabad’s Bio E.”

The US-based Johnson &Johnson had sought approval inApril to conduct a bridgingclinical study of its JanssenCovid-19 vaccine candidate inIndia.

It was reported earlier thata few thousand doses ofJohnson & Johnson’s vaccinecould arrive in India in July.

Continued on Page 11

�� ��

������������ ������������������������������� �������������������� ��! ����������""����������!�#��$���������%&''()*(����������+��+�����������,�������&--./���0������� .���1������������%�2�����3����������$�������2�����3���������������$101��')*(456�������%+� �"�����32�.783 )-(())!93'- 55:'�. ���;�����3<)5-'=' '):*:�' '*)*:�-'>) ()���"��;�����3<)5*'='-) ))(�'-) *(������;�����3<)5 '=' * '> �' * '>5�?� ��;�����31��(�7�����@� �7�%��7�������A������1�%?� ��&**)))'������3)**& )**) 55���//��������;�����3!&-*�������(�1;0?.�@��/7���1��&')*-)*�B��������3)*')& :6>:))C :6>>))

���������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� ��������������� �� ���������������������������������������������������������� ������������ ����� ��������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������ ���������� ���������������������������� �������������������� ���� ��������������������������!������� �����������������������������"��������������������������� ���� ����#����$����%�������������������������� ��������������� �����������������������&����������������������������������� ��������������� ��������������������!�����������������������������

����� ! "�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

����� '�%4� 2

In yet another setback toMohammad Azam Khan,

the Samajwadi Party MP fromRampur, a court of Rampurdistrict has ordered demolitionof the main gate of MohammadAli Jauhar University.

The Jauhar University hasalso been ordered to pay Rs63.80 lakh as penalty.

The court has declared theconstruction of the main gateof the university as illegal con-struction on government land.Azam Khan is the promoter ofthe private university.

The court has asked theJauhar University administra-tion to pay Rs 4.55 lakh permonth for continuing theoffence till the 'illegal' main gateis demolished.

It may be recalled that inFebruary 2021, a portion of theboundary wall of the JauharUniversity, which was alleged-ly built illegally on governmentland, was demolished to pro-vide a passage to the farmers totheir land on the universitycampus.

Following an order by thecourt of Additional DistrictMagistrate JP Gupta, theRampur district administration

in January 2021 had vested theownership of 173 acre land ofthe Maulana Mohammad AliJauhar Trust with the stategovernment and this entry wasalso registered in state's revenuerecords.

The trust is run and con-trolled by Azam Khan and hisfamily.

Azam Khan has been inSitapur jail since February 2020with more than a hundredcases registered against him.Azam Khan and his familymembers, including his wifeTazeen Fatma and sonAbdullah Azam, have beenbooked under charges likeland-grabbing, forgery, booktheft, statue theft, goat theft,buffalo theft, power theft andothers.

His wife has been releasedon bail while the son is still injail.

The Samajwadi Partyleader had tested positive fornovel coronavirus infection onApril 30 and was shifted toLucknow for treatment. Khanwas discharged on July 13 afterremaining in ICU for severaldays. However, his health dete-riorated a few days later and theSP leader was again shifted toa hospital in Lucknow.

����� '�%4� 2

With barely six months togo for the next assembly

elections in Uttar Pradesh, thenewly-elected zila parishad ofFerozabad has moved a pro-posal to change the name thedistrict to Chandwar Nagar,arguing that the present namewas given by Mughal EmperorAkbar to honour his militaryofficial Feroz Shah.

Firozabad is famous for itsglassware, particularly bangles.

The Yogi Adityanath gov-ernment has earlier changedthe names of Allahabad toPrayagraj, Faizabad to Ayodhyaand Mughalsarai to Deen DayalUpadhyaya Nagar.

A proposal to this effectwas moved by Sadar blockpramukh, Laxmi NarayanYadav, who said that theancient name of Ferozabad

was Chandwar Nagar andhence its original name shouldbe retained. The proposal waspassed unanimously and nowit would be sent to the state

government to affect the namechange in the official gazette.

Samajwadi Party members,however, claimed that it wasnot a unanimous decision.

“The Bharatiya JanataParty member brought theproposal when none of theopposition members were pre-sent. We came to know aboutthe proposal after it was passed

unanimously. In fact, threeparties – Samajwadi Party,Bahujan Samaj Party andCongress -- have raised objec-tions to the proposal,” SP leaderDilip Tyagi told this reporter.

Ferozabad DistrictCongress chief Sandeep Tiwarisaid that it was unfortunate thatthe ruling BJP members werenot concerned about improv-ing urban facilities as city roadsturn into cesspools after lightdrizzles, the roads are full ofpotholes and water and powersupply are inadequate in thedistrict.

“Instead of looking intothese issues, the BJP wants tochange the name of the districtfor political gains becauseassembly elections are aroundthe corner," he said

The official website ofFerozabad district administra-tion says, "The ancient name of

this town was ChandwarNagar. The name of Ferozabadwas given during the reign ofAkbar by his military officialFeroz Shah in 1566. It is saidthat Raja Todarmal was pass-ing through this town during apilgrimage to Gaya and he waslooted by robbers and at hisrequest Akbar sent Feroz Shahhere. The tomb of Feroz Shahand ruins of Katra Pathanan arethe evidence of this."

It is reported that AligarhMuslim University professoremeritus and noted historianIrfan Habib has claimed thatthere is no historical evidenceto prove that Ferozabad wasknown as Chandwar Nagarearlier. The name Ferozabadcame into being during thetenure of Feroz Shah Tughlaq.The point that Akbar changedthe so-called ancient name ofFerozabad is incorrect."

����� '�%4� 2

Former minister in theBahujan Samaj Party gov-

ernment, Chaudhary Bashir,was booked for polygamy ashe was getting ready to marrya sixth time in Agra.

A report in this regard waslodged against Bashir by oneof his wives’ Nagma atMantola police station in Agraand the police were makingfurther investigations.

As per reports, Bashir’sthird wife Nagma came toknow through a family friendabout her husband planning toget married for a sixth time toa woman named Shaista onJuly 23. A desperate Nagmaconfronted Bashir at one of hishouses, where the husband notonly assaulted her but alsodivorced her with triple talaqbefore throwing her out of thehouse.

Nagma later approachedthe Mantola police stationand lodged a report againstChaudhary Bashir for

polygamy and divorce throughtriple talaq. Subsequently,Chaudhary Bashir was bookedunder Section 3 of theProtection of Rights onMuslim Women's MarriageAct, 2019 and Section 504 ofthe Indian Penal Code.

Later speaking to mediapersons, Nagma said that shegot married to ChaudharyBashir in November 2012 afterwhich they had two sons. Shealleged that her husband andsister-in-law had been physi-cally and mentally harassingher since the marriage wassolemnised. Nagma also post-ed a video on social media,requesting help from thepolice.

Chaudhary Bashir was aminister in the Mayawati gov-ernment but later switchedover to the Samajwadi Partybefore leaving the outfit. Hehas not joined any politicaloutfit after that.

The accused politiciancould not be contacted for hiscomments.

����� '�%4� 2

Witnessing the trough in thenumber of fresh coronavirus

cases, Uttar Pradesh recorded only25 positive cases on Monday, mak-ing it the lowest daily case count forthe state while no death due to theviral infection was reported in thestate for three consecutive days.

The continuing downward trendresulted in the drop in daily Covidtest positivity rate (TPR) -- thenumber of positive cases against thetotal tests done -- to 0.01 per cent,which was the lowest in the country.

On April 24, this rate was at itspeak at 16.84 per cent and nowremains even lower than the lowestpost-first wave of COVID-19.

The number of active cases nowstands at 646, coming down by over99 per cent from its peak capped at3,10,783 cases on April 30.

Expressing satisfaction over thesituation, Chief Minister YogiAdityanath said at a high-level Covidreview meeting in Lucknow onMonday, “The state is now left withmerely 646 active Covid cases. Thedecline has been over 99 per cent

since the peak, which recorded 3.10lakh cases on April 30. We must con-tinue with a better system of preven-tion and treatment to break the chainof coronavirus infection.”

Meanwhile, Additional ChiefSecretary (Information) NavneetSehgal told media persons onMonday, “With 11 districts of thestate namely, Aligarh, Amroha,Budaun, Etah, Farrukhabad,

Hathras, Kasganj, Kaushambi,Mahoba, Pratapgarh and Shravasti,adding to Uttar Pradesh’s success inbringing down the Covid curve, thestate’s recovery rate too has climbedup to a remarkable 98.6 per cent.Ramping up daily testing to detectthe virus helped in the fight againstthe second wave of COVID-19.True to the spirit of 'trace, test, andtreat' policy, as many as 2.38 lakhsamples were tested in the last 24hours, of which nearly 1.25 lakh wereRT PCR examinations.”

Sehgal said that out of the 6,700paediatric intensive care unit(PICUs) to be established in medicalcolleges across Uttar Pradesh tillAugust 15, as many as 6,572 hadalready been set up and the state gov-ernment was imparting training todoctors and paramedical staff forpreparing them to fight a possiblethird wave of COVID-19.

“As many as 14,534 doctors aregetting special training and a pro-gramme of providing skill trainingis being conducted, under which, atotal of 9,000 paramedical staff,nurses, and technicians are beingtrained,” he said.

Lucknow (PNS): In what appears to be another out-come of man-animal conflict in Lakhimpur Kheri, thepartially eaten body of a nine-month-old baby girl wasfound near a pond on the outskirts of the Mauzamabadvillage on Sunday afternoon.

This is the second such attack on a child in the dis-trict. On July 29, a three-year-old girl was killed in a sim-ilar manner in Maigalganj area of the district.

Baby Shivani went missing mysteriously whilesleeping with her mother in the courtyard of the houseafter which her parents lodged a missing person’s com-plaint at Phoolbehad police station of Lakhimpur Kheri.

Subsequently, two dedicated police teams weredeputed to comb the area during which one of the teamsfound the body.

A police inspector said, “Shivani's house is on thefringe of the village and is surrounded by agriculturalfields. A number of carnivores like jackals, wolves and

leopards lurk amid the cane crops which are ready forharvest. Recently, a pack of wolves killed two goats inthe village. The autopsy report confirmed that the infantwas killed by an animal. It is suspected that some wildanimal picked up the child and slipped away. Forestdepartment officials have been asked to run awarenessdrives in the villages and urge villagers not to let chil-dren sleep in the open.”

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old man died after being runover by a train when he fell on the tracks while board-ing it at Shujatpur railway station in Kaushambi around9 am on Monday. As per reports, Narendra Yadav ofKanpur Nagar, was trying to board a Memu train to trav-el to Kanpur. The train was moving when Yadav triedto board it at Shujatpur railway station and in the process,he slipped on the track and was run over by the train.

The body was sent for autopsy and investigationswere on.

&$.� ������ " � ��� ��������������������������� '�%4� 2

The sleuths of the Anti-Terrorism Squadclaimed to have made a breakthrough in ter-

ror racket when they arrested a man fromGorakhpur district for his alleged involvementin sending money through the hawala route toPakistani handlers, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Dinesh Kumar Singh aliasAjay Kumar Singh alias AK Singh (46) ofGorakhpur, was arrested on Sunday. He wasevading arrest for the past three years and car-ried a reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest, the offi-cials said.

In a statement issued here, the ATS said,"Information was received that on the instruc-tions of Pakistani handlers, some people wereusing fake documents to open accounts in dif-ferent banks, duping people to deposit moneyin those accounts, withdrawing the depositedmoney and sending it to the Pakistani handlersthrough the hawala route.

"On March 24, 2018, accused personsArshad Naeem, Naseem Ahmed, MukeshPrasad, Musharraf Ansari alias Nikhil Rai aliasDabloo, Sushil Rai alias Ankur Rai andDayanand Yadav were arrested,” it said.

In this regard, a case was registered on March25, 2018 under various sections of the IndianPenal Code at the ATS police station in Lucknowand during investigation, Singh's name came tolight, it added.

"Accused Dinesh Kumar Singh along withMusharraf used fake documents and his photo-graph to open accounts in different banks.He used to hand over the accounts to Musharraf,who withdrew money from the accountsand sent it (to Pakistani handlers) throughhawala.

"This gang had opened more than 150accounts using fake documents and carried outtransactions worth lakhs of rupees. After with-drawing the money, it was sent to Delhi throughother members of the gang and from there it wassent outside (the country) through hawala," thestatement said.

"On August 1, Dinesh Kumar Singh wasarrested from Gorakhpur by the ATS," it said.

An Aadhaar card, a PAN card, a Delhi Metrocard, the registration certificate of a motorcy-cle, a diary and a purse, among other things, wererecovered from him, the ATS said.

"The arrested accused is being presentedbefore a court, and seven days' police remandwill be sought for him. During this period, aninvestigation will be carried out into bankaccount transactions and people who hadhelped in opening the bank accounts," the state-ment said.

%�� ��������������� )����

Lucknow (PNS): Uttar PradeshChief Minister Yogi Adityanathwas administered the second doseof Covid vaccine here on Monday.The chief minister was given thesecond dose of Covaxin at the SPMHospital (Civil Hospital) here, saidDr Subhash Chandra Sundariyal,

The first dose was administeredto the chief minister on April 5 butafter that he was found to be coro-navirus positive which delayed hissecond dose.

����� '�%4� 2

The monsoon session of theUttar Pradesh legislature

will commence here fromAugust 17.

The meeting of UP cabinetheld here on Monday that waspresided over by Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath, approved theproposal to convene the secondsession (monsoon session) ofboth the Houses of UP legisla-ture of 2021 from August 17.

The session is expected tobe brief with three sittings.

It is to be noted that the lastsession -- the budget session ofUP legislature -- was convenedon February 18 and it ended onMarch 4 after passage of thebudget for 2021-22. Thereafter,both the Houses were alsoprorogued with effect fromMarch 30.

As Clause (1) of Article 174of the Constitution providesthat there shall be not morethan a gap of six monthsbetween the last sittings ofone session of each House ofthe legislature hence this ses-sion is being convened.

Official sources said thatthe state government wasexpected to bring the first sup-plementary budget for the cur-rent fiscal. This will be the sec-ond last session before thecrucial assembly polls in thestate early next year. The last

PRESS NOTICE INVITING PERCENTAGE RATE e-TENDERExecutive Engineer(C), Postal Civil Division, Lucknow invites on behalf of

The President of India, online percentage rate (CPWD-7) e-tenders for thefollowing work :N.I.T. No. : 24/EE/PCDL/2021-22Name of Work : Construction of Post office building at kichhauchha,Faizabad (U.P.).Estimated Cost: ��2862930/-.Earnest Money: ��nil.Period of completion - 04 Months.Last time and date of submission of bid : 12.08.21 18:00 Hrs.The bid forms and other details can be obtained from the websitewww.dopcivil.euniwizarde.com

NOTICE

I Anuj Rastogi s/o VimalKant Rastogi resident of(Address) My laptop bag wasstolen from my car on date inwhich I have lost my builderbuyer agreement and pay-ment receipt of unit no B1-1217in DLF my pad Vibhuti KhandLucknow along with otherthings in my laptop bag.

NOTICE

In School Records of myson name spelling written asAtha Abbas & Father's namespell ing written as AthaHussain, where as correctname of my son Ata Abbas &father's correct name is AtaHusain. Please correct accord-ingly. Kaneez W/o Ata Hussain237/39, Jahageer Beg, Chowk,Lucknow

NOTICE

Be it known to all that MyOriginal Allotment LetterRegistration No. 2183864which was issued by LucknowDevelopment Authority PlotNo 2/424, Vikalp Khand, GomtiNagar named SanjeevBhardwaz has been lost. It'sFIR No. 070609/2021 dated30/07/21. If any person foundPl contact to Dr. SanjeevBhardwaz 2/424, Vikalp Khand,Gomti Nagar, Lucknow Mo.9454412941

NOTICE

I have changed my name fromShobhit Garg to Shobit Garg allfuture purpose, Shobit Garg s/o SriNeeraj Garg R/O 18 -B PokharpurLal Bangla kanpur 208007

NOTICE

I Rajdeep Yadav , resident of vil-lage Ekdala, Kalyanpur Baiti,District Raebareli, hereby statethat my father 14428308 N ExHAV Raj Mohan' army record hasmy name wrongly registered asRajdeep Singh which actually isRajdeep Yadav

��������259/EE-8/21-22 �������� ���� � �

���������������������������� ������ !�� ����"�� #!�!�$�!�� �!� �%��&��� ��'(� )!�*

�������� ���'!���� ������������)�+,� ����-��� ���� �����'(��� !�������.��� � ����!���$�)/���0����1�!�����2�3�������'4��5���!�����!���'�(�'��!��+3����647$��!�-�8���'!�������!)+�,����9����:�������.��� � ����!��2�3��������'4��5���!����!���'�(�'� !����$�)/��0�0��1�!�������9�7!49$�1;<�� !��-�8������'!���,�-�8����������:�������.��� � ����!�6�=>�����������!��!�� ?��@����1�!���!�����!���'�(�'� !��&��!�����'!���,

��� �A����� �� ���$�!�$� ��9(� �!� �4��(�� =>��� )4��$��!�:��7��5� �!<7$�: ��� ��!�:��7��5� �!<7$�: ���!�:��7��� ��!<7$�:����!�:��7�������B�C(������'(5�2�$�!)$�$�3��DE��.F�G�:������� ��'�DE�@��G��

��'�(�'������2�3���������'4��5����!���5�����������5����$��� 5���&��H

�2�3���������'4��5����!�������������5����$��� 5���&��H

��� ������ ��'��(����+���,���

�2)3��� �������'��������������+� �

%������������������������3 �� ��E ������ ��� �������������

&���4#��%�������(����������������������������

��� ������� ���������(�-.��� �.��������(��������������

����� ������� ���@���G � �� �%� �" ��� � �

/�������� ���0�����������������(��������� �)1

session of the present assemblywill be held in February aheadof the elections to approve thevote on account for the firstthree months of the next finan-cial year 2021-22.

The cabinet also approveda proposal for financial assis-

tance for children/adolescentsof 18-23 years of age orphanedby the COVID-19 pandemicafter losing one or both the par-ents to the deadly virus. Suchorphaned children, after pass-ing Class 12, will be providedfinancial assistance to pursuehigher studies in a degree col-lege, university, technical insti-tution, JEE, NEET and CLAT.The children of the divorcedmother or of parents in jail willalso be eligible for financialassistance.

Only two children per fam-ily will be eligible for the finan-cial assistance of Rs 2,500 permonth.

Home guards and otherhonorary employees will alsobe eligible for ex gratia paymentto the survivors in case ofdeath and permanent injury.The nominee of the homeguard will be given Rs 5 lakh incase of death and Rs 2.5 lakh incase of permanent injury to theeye. The scheme will be imple-mented with retrospectiveeffect from December 6, 2020.

To reduce the complianceburden on the common citi-zens and business establish-ments, the cabinet approved thedraft of the ordinance for therepeal of as many as 321 oldand obsolete Acts passed by theUP Assembly in the past. Thecabinet granted approval tothe draft of the ‘UP RepealOrdinance 2021. The seventhUP Law Commission hadrecommended the repeal of1,430 Acts, of which 960 Actsremain to be repealed. Of the960 Acts, the IndustrialDevelopment department hasrecommended the repeal of 297Acts for ease of doing business(EODB).

�� ������� ! "��#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

��������8�������'�%4� 2

Gosainganj area inLucknow witnessed 15-20

cases per day in the secondwave and the cases went up to50 in a day during the peak.The Gosainganj CHC hasmade all preparations to com-bat the third wave.

CHC superintendent DrHemant Kumar said therehave been no hotspots identi-fied in the areas under themas there were only one or twocases in each village in thearea. Dr Kumar said the workswhich they did to check thespread of coronavirus cases inthe second wave includedtracing of 25 to 30 contacts ofeach patient.

“Now we are carrying outfocused sampling in the vil-lages besides keeping a trackof street vendors and othercategories of people. Besides,we are testing all the villagerswho visit the CHC,” he said.He pointed out that ruralareas had less Covid cases ascompared to urban pockets.

“Those areas in closeproximity to urban areas suchas Khurrai Bazaar witnessed

relatively more cases in thesecond wave and then it wasKashipur (which is inhabitedby people who are the mem-bers of marriage band parties)which also saw quite a fewcases. Otherwise, there large-ly have been no hotspot areas,”he said. Dr added that beinga totally rural area, Gosainganjwitnessed only a few cases.

The CHC superintendentsaid that nigrani samitisformed by the RuralDevelopment department arecarrying out monitoring tocurb the spread of virus. “Wecarry out the sampling thor-oughly so that the virus doesnot spread,” he said.

The Gosainganj CHC cov-ers a population of over twolakh. The vaccination whichwas held as a pilot projectfrom June 21 to 26 continuedthereafter. The areas weredivided into 10 clusters. Thereare two nagar panchayats ineight clusters and 14 revenuevillages in one cluster.

‘We have divided 117 vil-lages as per the map of thearea. We have covered fourclusters and at the mega vac-cination camp which will beheld on Tuesday. We will be

taking up the vaccination ofone more cluster for a targetof 4,000 jabs in a single day,”Dr Kumar said.

He said they faced chal-lenges at the start of the clus-ter campaign when few peo-ple turned up on the first daybut the crowd swelled slowlyas people shed vaccine hesi-tancy.

Dr Kumar said that ASHAworkers and ANMs carriedout the vaccination. “In thecluster approach, there aretwo people under whom thejabs are given; one is the vac-cinator and the other whoverif ies the vaccination.Lekhpal also played an activerole in the cluster campaign,”he pointed out.

Even before the pilot pro-ject, two gram panchayats(Misa and Pairoli) had been covered in the first week of June and the jabs weregiven at primary schools, he said.

“It was a successfulattempt and a report wastaken from us and sent tohigher authorities after whichthe strategy of the clustercampaign was chalked out,” hesaid.

����� '�%4� 2

Asingle-day mega vaccina-tion drive with a target of

85,000 jabs will be conducted inLucknow on Tuesday (August3), District ImmunisationOfficer Dr MK Singh said.There will be 85 workplacevaccination centres which peo-ple can visit with their ID cardsfor registration to get the vac-cine shots.

“These camps will be in dif-ferent areas such as Chinhat,Aliganj, Malihabad,Mohanlalganj, Sarojininagar etc.The remaining 59 centres whichare regular ones will keep func-tioning in the same manner asearlier,” he said.

The target is to administerthree times as much shots as inroutine drive in the district. DrSingh said they have alsoincreased the availability of vac-cinations at the routine centres.“The target at each of these cen-tres is different. For the districthospitals, a target of 1,500 hasbeen fixed while that of 500-700for the different CHCs,” hesaid. Lucknow has the maxi-mum target among all the dis-tricts of the state, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, a senior official

from the National HealthMission said that since theyreceived an adequate stock ofvaccines on Saturday andSunday, they sent the same tovarious districts of the stateswhich are now taking theirown initiatives to ensure thatmaximum number of people getvaccinated.

“The demand has increasedmanifold and the main issuewhich we are facing is that allthe vaccines which are supposedto be used for a certain periodgoes out of stock in a less time,”he said, adding: “Due to thisproblem, we have stopped giv-ing a target to the districts as the

demand is so high.”“We hope that in the vacci-

nations which take place onTuesday, UP will cross the 5crore-mark as it already hasadministered 4.8 crore doses,”he said. The official pointed outthat private hospitals have pro-cured their own vaccines.

“Across the state onTuesday, the districts will tryand carry out the maximumvaccinations and all the clusterswill also be covered. Everyblock has 7-8 clusters. The vac-cination centres will not beincreased and only the availabil-ity of vaccines will be increasedat the centres,” he added.

��������������������5��0��+����6���������+��������������� '�%4� 2

An unidentified man intruded into a school’sWhatsApp group created for online classes and

sent lewd messages to a Class IX girl student. He saidallegedly harassing the girl for a long time.

In her complaint, the mother of the victim saidher daughter is a member of the group created byschool teachers for teaching online. “The number bywhich the harasser was sending the messages andposts appeared to be of a foreign country. The mis-creant sent lewd messages to the girl and also pro-posed to her. “My daughter is stressed and she losther concentration in studies. The harasser has beenat it since June and I also complained about the sameto the college administration,” the woman said.

She added that the caller threatened to kill herand other family members and tried to force her intosubmission. “The harasser said that the law enforc-ing agencies would never be able to get him,” she said.

The girl is a meritorious student and was hon-oured by the district magistrate for participating insocial work in the past. The woman said that herdaughter is traumatised and even fears stepping outeven for studies. “We also sought help from theWomen Power Line-1090, but in vain. If children areharassed like this, online classes will be hampered,”she said, requesting the police to take action againstthe accused. The police said a case was registered inthis connection and experts had been tasked withworking out the case while the girl and her familyhave been provided security.

����� '�%4� 2

Two bike-borneunidentified miscre-

ants looted Rs 500, amobile phone and anidentity card from anemployee of UP StateRoad Authority near theoffice of Uttar PradeshNew and RenewableEnergy Development Agency (UPNEDA) inVibhuti Khand police station area on Mondaymorning. Luckily though, the robbers did notharm the victim.

Police registered a case of loot in this connec-tion and started further investigation.

The victim, identified as Dalchand of MantriAwas (A-block) in Vibhuti Khand, was going hisoffice at Kisan Mandi Bhawan in Vibhuti Khandon a bike. Around 9:20 am, the miscreant reachednear the victim and stopped him near UPNEDAoffice (close to an ATM booth). “They looted mymobile phone, Rs 500 which I had in my purse andthe identity card issued by the department,” he stat-ed in his complaint. He said as he was scared dueto the sudden turns of event, he reached the officewhere he informed his colleagues about the inci-dent. Later, he lodged a case in this connection.

A police spokesman said a case of loot was reg-istered against unidentified miscreants. “We arescanning the CCTV footage to get a clue about theaccused,” the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, a fraudster duped a sub-inspec-tor of Rs 24,999 while impersonating a treasuryofficer. The victim, identified as Ram ChandraNishad, lodged a case in this connection.

As per reports, Nishad got a call from anunidentified number and the caller introducedhimself as Sanjay Srivastava from the treasurydepartment of UP Police. The caller soughtdetails of Nishad’s debit card and later sent himseveral messages. He then asked Nishad to sharethe OTP to link his bank account to the pensionscheme. After a while, Nishad received a message regarding deduction of money from hisbank account.

Nishad is presently deployed in security at thegate number 3 of Vidhan Bhawan and is attachedwith Gomtinagar police station. The incident tookplace around 4:42 pm on July 30.

��+��(������������(�����������������������

/����������������������������������*��������0�-�

Lucknow (PNS): Two youthsabducted their rival over anissued related to a girl outsidehis house in Indiranagar underGhazipur police station area. Apolice team worked on thecase and rescued the victim.The police also arrested theaccused. Those arrested wereidentified as Gaurav Ahuja ofNew Delhi and Akhand PratapSingh of Gonda. The victim wasidentified as Roshan.

As per reports, the accused

moving in a car (Honda Civic)reached the house of the victimand asked him to come out.They bundled him into the carand sped off around 5:30 pm onSunday. They later calledRoshan’s parents and demand-ed a ransom of Rs 1.5 lakh. Hismother Radha Singh called thepolice. The number from whichthe ransom call was made wasput on surveillance. The policeteam traced the location of theaccused and rescued the victim.

�'���������������������'��������

������������� !"�����#�$�%&�'�(�)����'���*��

�������� ������� ! "��#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

��������12/EE-7/LJS/21-22 �������� ���� � �

���������������������������� ������ !�� ����"�� #!�!�$�!�� �!� �%��&��� ��'(� )!�*

�������� ���'!���� ������������)�+,� ����-��� ���� �����'(��� !������������ � ����!���$�)/���0����1�!�����2�3�������'4��5���!��I��!���'�(�'��!��+3����647$��!�-�8���'!�������!)+�,����9����:������������ � ����!��2�3��������'4��5���!��I�!���'�(�'� !����$�)/��0�0��1�!�������9�7!49$�1;<�� !��-�8������'!���,�-�8����������:������������ � ����!�6�=>�����������!��!�� ?��@����1�!���!��I��!���'�(�'� !��&��!�����'!���,

�������� �����5���!��I��!��4��(��C4$����$��!<7$��@=>������9J�'����$��)!�*�: �������1��5�=�K!9$�7 (������!1������������(��>����2�L#���������'(5�2�$�!)$�$�3��DE� ���G��:������ ��'�DE����G��

��'�(�'������2�3���������'4��5����!��I5�����������5����$��� 5���&��H

�2�3���������'4��5����!��I����������5����$��� 5���&��H ����%����'�

'��%��%���������������������� -��'���7 �Bhadohi: Samajwadi Party leaderAbu Asim Azmi Monday said theAsaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM willbe “blown away by an SP storm” inthe Uttar Pradesh Assembly pollsnext year. He claimed that Owaisiand other leaders like him werepropped up by the BJP and the BSPto divide the Muslim votes know-ing fully well that they are losing thepolls. Talking to reporters after ameeting here of party organisations,Maharashtra SP president Azmisaid, “Owaisi’s party (AIMIM) willbe blown away in the face of an SPstorm in the coming elections.”

“Since the BJP knows that it islosing, it wants some Owaisis orAzads to enter the electoral fray orthe BSP fields Muslim candidates todivide their votes. But the people arenow alert,” he said.

The AIMIM has announced itwould contest 100 seats in theUttar Pradesh Assembly polls in2022. Praising Samajwadi Party’snational president Akhilesh Yadav.Azmi said Uttar Pradesh canachieve development only if he leadsthe state as its chief minister.Speaking about the Congress, Azmisaid there is a need for the party toimprove its organisation.

It should have a leader who isaware of the conditions prevailingin the country, who talks aboutfarmers and knows how to speakHindi well, he said. He said theCongress demanded from its alliesand contested 70 seats in Bihar andperformed poorly. It did similarthings in West Bengal, he said.

“The Congress is not realisingthe present reality. We want anational party like the Congress tobe strong. It has to first strengthenitself in places where there are noother parties like the SP,” he said.Azmi also faced opposition from asection of the SP leader in the dis-trict with a faction led by corpora-tor Danish Rumi Siddiqui takingout a procession and raising slogansagainst him. PTI

�������������$�����As many as 47 students of

City Montessori School havecracked the Common LawAdmission Test (CLAT-2021),which is the largest number byany school in the country.

Lucknow (PNS): A day afterchallaning three youths forbreach of peace in a road rageincident in which a girl was seenrepeatedly slapping one of theaccused, the police also regis-tered a case against the girl.

A spokesman said a caseunder sections 394/427 of IPC(committing or attempting tocommit robbery, voluntarilycausing hurt and committingmischief and thereby causingloss or damage to the amount ofRs 50 or more) against the girlwho was identified asPriyadarshini aka Lakshmi ofKesari Kheda in Krishnanagar.

The case was lodged on thecomplaint of Shahadat Ali ofWazirganj. Shahadat and hisfriends (Inayat Ali and DawoodAli, both of Wazirganj) were ear-lier booked for breach of peaceon Sunday.

���3.�,�

����� '�%4� 2

To woo the Dalit communi-ty ahead off the 2022

assembly elections in UttarPradesh, the Congress hasdecided to organise ‘DalitSwabhiman Diwas’ onTuesday.

Desperately trying to findits lost political foothold in thestate, the Congress had earli-er organised conferences ofvarious castes which couldplay important role in thestate politics, like Nishad-Kevat-Mallah conference,M a u r y a - S h a k y a - S a i n i -Kushwaha conference and Pal-Gaderia-Dhangar conference.

Formerly with Congress,Jitin Prasada too had started aBrahmin Sabha to woo thecommunity, alleging harass-ment by the ruling BharatiyaJanata Party across the statebefore recently switching alle-giance to the saffron outfit.

The Dalit cell of UPCongress will be celebrating'Dalit Swabhiman Diwas'

across the state on August 3and will also take out a DalitSwabhiman Yatra in all 75districts of the state.

“After Independence in1947, first Prime MinisterPandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s cab-inet had passed a resolution tomake Babasaheb BhimraoAmbedkar the law minister onAugust 3 and the UP DalitCongress will celebrate theday as Swabhiman Diwas,”said state chief of Dalit cell ofUP Congress, Alok Prasad, inLucknow on Monday.

“On this occasion, leaders,workers and supporters ofDalit Congress will take outDalit Swabhiman Yatra in all75 districts of the state and goto Dalit settlements and makethem aware of how Congresswas the first party to respect anhonour Baba Saheb and ensurethe rights to the Dalit commu-nity. We also plan to hold Dalitpanchayat soon as well,” Prasadadded.

Earlier this year, theSamajwadi Party had

announced plans to organise a'Dalit Diwali' on April 14 tomark the birth anniversary ofDr Ambedkar and alsoannounced the setting up afrontal organisation by thename ‘Baba Saheb Vahini’ afterthe Dalit icon.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJPalso announced plans to cele-brate Ambedkar Jayanti asHarmony Day. Dalit leaderlinked with the Ram templemovement, KameshwarChaupal, was appointed amember of Ram MandirNirman Trust in Ayodhya,ostensibly to woo the commu-nity. Analysts said that Dalitvoters would definitely play acrucial part in deciding theoutcome of the 2022 assemblypolls in UP and thus everyparty was attempting to reachout to them.

They also maintained thatthe Bahujan Samaj Party hadlost some of its charm amongthe community, opening upopportunities for others tostep in.

��+���������'���(���������%�'�� ����%�������� New Delhi: RJD supremo Lalu

Prasad Yadav and SamajwadiParty (SP) patriarch MulayamSingh Yadav met here onMonday. SP president andMulayam Singh Yadav’s sonAkhilesh Yadav was also pre-sent in the meeting.

In a tweet in Hindi, Lalusaid, “Met the country’s seniormost socialist friend ShriMulayam Singhji and enquiredabout his wellbeing. We havecommon concerns and fightabout farmers, inequality, thepoor and the unemployed.”He also tweeted pictures of themeeting, and said, “Today, thecountry is in dire need ofequality and socialism, notcapitalism and communalism.”Akhilesh Yadav also tweetedpictures of the meeting. Sourcesin both parties said the meet-ing took place in the nationalcapital. Earlier in the day,Akhilesh Yadav attended LokSabha proceedings. PTI

�!�+��!$!,�'��#"��+�!*!'�)��-�2����+������(���������Lucknow (PNS): A 28-year-oldmissing zardozi worker wasfound dead under mysteriouscircumstances in Chinhat onMonday. The body was recov-ered from a water body inBharwara under Chinhat policestation area. Police said he diedof drowning. The deceased wasidentified as Arjun Gautam ofUjariaon in Gomtinagar.

As per reports, Arjun hadgone to his aunt’s house inMalhaur (Chinhat) along withhis wife and children on Sundayevening. Preliminary investiga-tion revealed that Arjun took Rs400 from his wife and went outon Sunday night. He returnedhome in a drunken state and hada verbal spat with his wife. Later,his aunt asked him to have din-ner but he refused and went out.

On Monday, some com-muters spotted a body floating inthe lake alongside Rail ViharColony road in Vikalp Khand-3.A team of police reached thescene and fished out the body.ACP (Chinhat) Anoop Singhsaid he night have jumped intothe lake to end his life followinga tiff with his wife.

Meanwhile, a 28-year-oldcarpenter was found hanging athis house in Saleh Nagar(Ashiyana) on Monday. He wasidentified as Siraj Ahmad. Sirajwas found hanging from the ceil-ing with a dupatta tied aroundhis neck. Siraj’s brother RiyazAhmad informed police aboutthe incident which took placearound 11:45 pm on Sunday.

Minister for Law and JusticeBrajesh Pathak felicitated thesestudents at a ceremony organisedat the Gomti Nagar Campus Iauditorium on Monday. Parentsof these students, teachers andprincipals of various CMS cam-puses were present on the occa-sion. Pathak said that these stu-dents would make a significantcontribution to the judicial sys-tem and would lay the founda-tion for world unity, world peaceand world parliament.

�����Director of Birbal Sahni

Institute of Palaeobotany(BSIP) Vandana Prasad hasbeen selected by the Ministryof Earth Sciences for theWomen Scientist Amma ManiNational Award for significantcontribution to the field ofevolutionary biology, high-res-olution biostratigraphy andquaternary palaeoclimaticstudies. The award carries anaward amount of Rs 1 lakh anda citation. The cash award willbe shared with Dr TharaPrabhakaran, the co-recipientof the award.

1��$����2�0����!������������������3����� ����������Lucknow (PNS): Efforts are onto make water available in theparched and ruggedBundelkhand region where theUttar Pradesh government hasset a target to set up 10,000ponds under Khet Talab Yojanaat an estimated cost of Rs10,000 crore.

“People of Bundelkhandwill no longer be thirsty as theYogi Adityanath government istrying diligently to ensure opti-mal use of every drop of waterin the region through variousprojects, including sprinklerirrigation and Khet TalabYojana. The state governmentplans to build 10,000 farmponds at a cost of Rs 100 crorein the 2021-22 financial year.Government agencies havealready dug 4,400 farm pondsat a cost of Rs 49.56 crore so faras part of the ‘Other

Intervention’ component of its'Per Drop More Crop' scheme.Most ponds have been con-structed in Bundelkhand andVindhya regions. Besides geo-tagging of these ponds, 50 percent subsidy is given to thefarmers through direct benefittransfer (DBT). Water saved inthese ponds during the rainyseason will be used for irriga-tion purposes and as drinkingwater for the cattle in the restof the season,” a governmentspokesman said in Lucknow onMonday.

In this context, the Yogigovernment has been workingon three sprinkler projects,including Masgaon Chilli(Hamirpur), Kulpahar(Mahoba) and Shahzad(Lalitpur) projects, as a modelto irrigate more areas with lesswater. “The projects are like-

ly to be completed this year.There is also a plan to connectother irrigation projects withsprinklers later. The ArjunSahayak Canal Project, whichis going to be completed thisyear, will not only facilitateirrigation of 44,381 hectares ofland in Banda, Hamirpur andMahoba, but also make drink-ing water available to people,”the spokesman said.

According to an estimate,around 20 million cubic metreof drinking water will beavailable to the people ofMahoba. Aiming to realisePrime Minister NarendraModi's slogans such as 'PerDrop, More Crop' and 'Waterto Every Field’, the BJP gov-ernment in the state has beenintensively working on theseprojects since taking over fouryears ago.

�!"��!-!��"#�-�&��!%#�&���*�+#�"���.�$�%�&�&�! ���%���! �

8����������� ���������%���'�������5Lucknow (PNS): Respondingto tweets posted by SP chiefAkhilesh Yadav on the inaugu-ration of a ropeway by HomeMinister Amit Shah atVindhyachal Dham inMirzapur on Sunday, UP min-ister Sidharth Nath Singh flayedthe SP chief for making irre-sponsible statements. In histweet, Akhilesh had attributedthe credit for conceptualisingand planning the ropeway inVindhyachal Dham to the pre-vious government headed byhim. “Akhilesh Yadav has nofuture left in 2022 UP Assemblyelections and is perturbed overhis party’s predictable defeat.Samajwadi Party’s defeat in the2022 elections is a foregoneconclusion,” he said.

Gorakhpur: The head of theDDU Gorakhpur Universityhome science department andher assistants were booked formurder after the body of athird-year student was foundhanging in the institution,police said on Monday.

As per reports, PriyankaKumari, a student of the depart-ment, had gone to the univer-sity on Saturday to sit for anexamination but her body was

found hanging in a storeroomlater in the day.

“On the basis of a writtencomplaint of the father of thedeceased student, a case undersection 302 (murder) has beenregistered against the head ofthe home science department ofDDU Gorakhpur Universityand also against her assistants.Police have initiated the probe,and soon the truth will berevealed,” Superintendent of

Police (City) Sonam Kumarsaid. Earlier, police and the uni-versity administration weretreating it as a case of suicide.

The post-mortem was con-ducted by a panel of doctorsand videography as per thenorms was performed.According to the report, thecause of the death has been stat-ed to be asphyxia as a result ofante-mortem hanging, SeniorSuperintendent of Police

Dinesh Kumar P said. However,on the basis of the writtencomplaint by the victim’s father,a murder case was registered,the SSP said. On the request ofthe family, a panel of five doc-tors constituted by the ChiefMedical Officer will review thevideo of post-mortem, headded. He said instructionshave been issued to CircleOfficer Chauri Chaura for con-ducting an impartial probe into

the matter and submitting thereport at the earliest. The com-plainant has raised many ques-tions such as why the student’sfeet were touching the groundwhile her body was hanging bya dupatta, why her clothes weredirty with dust and mud, andwhy her sandals were lying faraway from the body in theroom, police said. The familymembers cremated the body onMonday, they said. PTI

�������������������9�����(:����������6�����������'�����

��� � 4 '4&$&

In a “bizarre presentation” ofstatistics for the number of

ageing “life convicts” beingreleased from Bengal jails theTrinamool CongressGovernment on Monday dis-closed their caste and religiousidentities apart from mention-ing their age and sex leading theBJP to come down heavily onthe ruling Trinamool Congresssaying “this list of convicts beingreleased is the greatest exampleof the kind of ‘secularism’ beingpracticed by the TMCGovernment.”

Speaking on the issue StateBJP spokesperson SamikBhattacharya on Monday saidthat “we have always known thatthe criminals have no caste,creed or political affiliation …they are only criminals … buthere the TMC Government hasprepared a list in which theyhave claimed that out of thosebeing released 5 are SCs, 3 areSTs, 2 are OBCs, 53 are Generalcaste, 51 are Hindus and 12 areMuslims …”

He added, “by classifyingthe convicts according to theirreligion the TMC is only pursu-ing its divide-and-rule politics

… based on communal andcaste lines … Nowhere in Indiathe convicts have been releasedby identifying them by theircastes or religion … It is noth-ing but a way to show that ‘lookin Bengal more number ofHindus are criminals than theMuslims… and when we willraise this issue they will call usnames.” The Mamata Banerjeegovernment on Monday saidthat it had ordered the release of63 life convicts from Bengal pris-ons so that the prisons could bedecongested ahead of the thirdwave of the corona pandemic.

A senior official said that“there was a need to decongestthe prisons because of the pre-vailing Covid-19 situation.Section 432 of the CrPC (Codeof Criminal Procedure) empow-ers the state government toconsider the premature releaseof life convicts who have alreadyserved 14 years in jail.” Therelease of the convicts servinglife sentence was recommendedon humanitarian grounds by thestate sentence review board.Accordingly 61 male convictsabove 60 years and two femaleconvicts aged above 55 yearswould be released before theIndependence Day.

8��������������� 4 %8�

Kerala, which has been reel-ing under unabated

increase in the number ofCovid-19 cases and fatalities,got a small relief on Mondayas the cases came down slight-ly to the comfort of HealthMinister Veena George, who isleading the operation to fightthe pandemic from the frontline.

The Minister’s plea to thepeople of the State for the lastone week to abide by theguidelines and not to crowdanywhere had its impact as thenumber of persons diagnosedwith the pandemic came downto 13,984 on Monday from thedaily average of more than20,000 new cases.

The Test Positivity Ratetoo came down from the aver-age figure of 13 to 10.93 percent on Monday though thefatalities recorded during thelast 24 hours showed 118 per-sons succumbing to the dis-ease. The death toll till datereached 16,955 (excluding the7,000+ under reported cases).

George said 1,27, 903

samples were tested during thelast 24 hours. Thrissur toppedthe table of districts with thehighest number of positivecases (2350). Malappuramwhich was the district with thehighest number of patients tillSunday (the district had 3,770cases ) diagnosed 1,925 newpatients on Monday.

The Health Minister saidthat as on Monday, the Statehad 1.65 lakh patients under-going treatment for Covid-19.Idukki district diagnosed 196new cases while Wayanadu(represented in the Lok Sabhaby Congress leader RahulGandhi) had 263 patients.

Dr Rajiv B Pillai, seniorAyurvedic physician, was ofthe view that Idukki andWayanadu were ideal districtsto study about the immunitycapability of the population.“Both these districts areknown for people who workhard to earn their livelihoodand have not changed theirlifestyle to what we see in citieswhich are full of fast foodjoints and Arab foods,” said DrRajiv while glancing throughthe day’s figures.

3����������;�����6��(������� ��'�����

34��� �'���"��� ��5�� �(����� (����'���' �����������

&��������������4'��������������������Lucknow (PNS): On the call of NationalCoordination Committee of ElectricityEmployees and Engineers, the poweremployees and engineers will hold afour-day satyagrah at Jantar Mantar inthe national capital from August 3 inprotest against the unilateral announce-ment of the Central government to passthe Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021in current monsoon session ofParliament.

All India Power EngineersFederation (AIPEF) chairman ShailendraDubey said here on Monday that thepower employees of northern regionwould participate on in the satyagrahaon August 3, those of eastern and north

eastern on August 4, of western regionon August 5 and the power employeesof southern region on August 6.

He said that power employees andengineers across the country were agi-tating against the unilateral approach ofthe Central government to rush throughthe Bill in Parliament. He said many pro-visions of the Electricity (Amendment)Bill, 2021 were anti-people and anti-employees and if enacted it would havefar reaching adverse consequences.

Dubey said that the Electricity(Amendment) Bill, 2021 should not bepassed in Parliament in haste and itshould be referred to the StandingCommittee on Energy of Parliament. He

further said that the main stakeholdersof the power sector namely electricityconsumers and electricity employeesshould be given proper opportunity toexpress their view point on the Bill beforeplacing it in Parliament.

Dubey said that after the four-daysatyagrah in Delhi, about 1.5 millionpower employees and engineers wouldresort to one-day strike/work boycott onAugust 10 across the country. He said ifthe Central government placed the Billbefore August 10 then the strike wouldbe preponed and all power employeesand engineers would be forced to pro-ceed on strike the same day the Bill istabled in Parliament.

����� �5����� ! "��#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

�����������������������&''&8&9&7

On his arrival at Prayagrajafter taking charge as

GM/NCR Pramod Kumaraddressed the meeting of offi-cers at NCR headquarter office.All PHODs, senior officers ofNCR were present in the meet-ing and DRMs of all the threedivisions along with branchofficers joined through videoconferencing.

Earlier, Pramod Kumarconducted window trailinginspection of Manikpur-Prayagraj section of PrayagrajDivision. DRM/PrayagrajMohit Chandra accompanied

him during the inspection. Itis to be informed thatWindow-trailing inspectionis a specialised inspection inthe Indian Railways in whichthe track and its surroundinginstallations like signals, OHE,platforms etc are inspectedfrom the rear window of aninspection car attached to amoving train. During theinspection, important para-meters like cleanliness andoverall condition of stationsfalling en-route, riding qual-ity of the train-especially onpoints and crossings, improve-ment in Track GeometryIndex (TGI), OHE status,

Condition of level crossinggates en-route etc wereobserved by the GeneralManager/North CentralRailway. General Managerexpressed satisfaction overthe overall upkeep of the sec-tion and announced a groupaward for the PrayagrajDivision.

After reachingHeadquarter off ice,Subedarganj, while addressingthe officers Pramod Kumarexpressed his feeling of satis-faction for getting opportuni-ty to serve again at Prayagraj.While highlighting about hispriorities Kumar said that

safe and punctual train oper-ations, enhancement in assetreliability along with buildinga cohesive atmosphere forour most precious asset i. e.human resource are utmostpriorities. He said, a satisfiedemployee is the key for ashining organisation so weshould create a positive work-ing environment. He also saidthat together we will be doinga lot of positive things & wewill have to work as a cohesiveteam. He appealed to all offi-cers to perform more thantheir capacities to bring laurelsfor NCR and in turn forIndian Railways.

��(������<���������������������;�����=���%������� ��������������������������E&�&�&.�

Lakhs of devotees offeredprayers at one of the

dwadasa jyotirlingas, KashiVishwanath, and about a dozenother famous temples of LordShiva located in the city and itsoutskirts here on secondMonday of Shravan monthamidst tight security arrange-ments and Covid-19 restric-tions.

However, social distancingnorms were rarely followed atany of the temples. In compar-ison to last Monday, heavyrush was seen at KashiVishwanath temple, right fromDashaswamedh Ghat. A one-km long queue was witnessedduring the day.

Like the last week at manytemples, the devotees were notallowed to touch the Shivling asthey offered jalabhishek fromoutside the garbhagriha (sanc-tum sanctorum) through metalstructures. However, at SarangMahadev temple in Sarnath,the devotees were allowed thistime to touch the Shivlings asthere are two such Shivlingas inits garbhagriha.

At Kashi Vishwanath tem-ple, right from the wee hoursafter Mangla Aarti, the devo-tees started thronging the tem-ple and the lines of devoteeswere witnessed on both sides ofthe temple crawling towardsthe temple from Maidagin and

Godowlia. Elaborate security arrange-

ments were made and no vehi-cles were allowed to movebetween Godowlia andMaidagin throughout the day.To maintain law and order, thedevotees were checked at manyplaces through metal detectors.Senior administrative andpolice officers were presentthere to keep a watch atGyanvapi premises. All theactivities were also watchedthrough various CCTV cam-

eras. To avoid congregation thedevotees were asked to movetowards Gyanvapi only throughbarricading and Rapid ActionForce (RAF), para-military andPAC jawans were deployedboth inside and outside of thepremises.

Apart from KashiVishwanath temple, rush ofdevotees was also seen atTilbhandeshwar (PandeyHaveli), Sarang Mahadev(Sarnath), Vishwanath(Banaras Hindu University),

Maha Mrityunjaya Mahadev(Daranagar), GauriKedareshwar Mahadev (KedarGhat), Jogeshwar Mahadev(Ishwarganji) and many othersin the city areas whileMarkandey Mahadev (Kaithinear confluence of rivers Gangaand Gomti), ShooltankeshwarMahadev (Madhopur) andKamdeshwar Mahadev, BhimChandi, Rameshwar Mahadev(Rameshwar), Paanch Pandav(Shivpur) and Kapildhara onPanch Kosi Marg.

5����������������*��������������������������1����6���������������������%������������� ������7

5������'����'������ ������������������������������������E&�&�&.�

Intermittent rains in the pastcouple of days again led to a

rise in the level of Ganga. Thewater level is closer to thewarning levels in many parts ofPurvanchal (eastern UP) belt asduring the last 24 hours, the ris-ing speed was more than dou-ble. In the city, the water levelincreased by 2.16 metres, indi-cating that the river was risingnine centimetres per hour incomparison to four and 3.6 cmsduring the previous two daysrespectively. This intensifieduptrend increased the con-cerns of thousands of resi-dents living in low-lying areas.

In downstream Ballia, theriver was recorded at 55.38metres at 8 am as per the reportof local office of Central WaterCommission (CWC) onMonday which shows that it isflowing just around one metre

above than the warning level at56.61 metres.

In Varanasi, the river wasat 66.52 metres against 64.36metres a day ago against thewarning level of 70.26 metres.Due to the high level of theriver has already disconnectedthe links between the ghats andmany low-lying temples locat-

ed at ghats were submergedinto the water apart from pos-ing problems for cremation atManikarnika andHarishchandra ghats. Thevenues of regular Ganga-Aartihave already shifted upstairs.Not only this, the water hasstarted entering several low-lying areas. If the same trend

continues for a couple moredays more, the flood situationin this region would start turn-ing grim.

The Ganga river continuedto rise right from Phaphamauto downstream Ballia includingAllahabad, Mirzapur, Varanasiand Ghazipur.

The rising trend of riverGomti in Maighat has alsoincreased the pulse rates of theresidents of several villages ofDaab area surrounded by riversGanga and Gomti near theirconfluence at Kaithi about 25kms from here.

However, there is somerelief as the river is recordedsteady at upstream Jaunpur.Though in Sonbhadra district,rivers like Sone, Rihand andKanhar were either steady orreceding in their upstreams.Besides, Choti Sarju whichcreated havoc last year wassteady both at Azamgarh andMau.

8���������������*��������������������6���������%�����7&������

����������(��%�����+���������(���� ���%���������������������������E&�&�&.�

UP Minister of State(Independent Charge) for

Women’s Welfare, ChildDevelopment and NutritionSwati Singh reviewed theprogress of department worksin a meeting held at CircuitHouse here on Monday. Sheinstructed the officers to pro-vide the benefits of pension andother schemes to all the eligi-ble women of the district byholding camps.

In the meeting, she wasinformed that last year 54,651widows were given pensions inthe district and this year, 749pensions have been sanctionedso far.

She asked the officers to

discuss suitable place for campswith. She was also informedthat last year 2,929 were givenbenefits under MukhyamantriKanya Sumangala Yojana. TheMinister directed that a door-to-door campaign should belaunched to fill the forms.“This is an ambitious schemeof the government to developpositive thinking in the societytowards the girl child and thereis a provision of financial assis-tance of Rs 15,000 in sixstages from the birth of the girlchild till the time of her grad-uation,” she said.

While reviewing theprogress of MukhyamantriBal Seva Yojana, she wasinformed that159 children havebeen benefited from the

scheme and in addition to this,26 children are being benefit-ed from Rs 2000/- per monthunder the sponsorship schemeand action is being taken toidentify 235 new children andbenefit them. The problems ofwomen and girls are beingresolved by the One StopCenter operated in the district.In this financial year so far 173women/girls have been provid-ed services. The concernedofficers informed her that mostof the complaints received atthe centre were of domesticviolence against the woman.

Under the Uttar PradeshRani Lakshmibai Mahila andBal Samman Kosh, compensa-tion has been provided to 69victims so far. While reviewing

the ICD’s, she was informedthat there are 45,034 yellow cat-egory and 5,460 red categorymalnourished children in thedistrict. She directed that everyAnganwadi centre shouldensure that at least one child ofeach category has to be freedfrom malnutrition every monthso that in a few months theentire district would becomemalnutrition free.

She said a total of 838Anganwadi centres have beenadopted by MLAs, officers andothers. She also reviewed theprogress of many otherschemes. District ProbationOfficer Praveen KumarTripathi, District ProgramOfficer, CDPO etc were presentin the meeting.

/���������������������������������������VARANASI (PNS): It wasnone other than the daughterof a foodgrains trader whohatched a conspiracy to elim-inate her father with the help ofher lover after he disapprovedof her wedding plans. Policetook the daughter, her loverand one of his associates intocustody. It is noteworthy herethat Rajesh Jaiswal, who was aresident of Tamachabad inMirzamurad, was shot dead onJuly 29 evening on his way toa private hospital in Bhadvar,where his mother-in-law wasadmitted. When he was on thenational high-way inMirzamurad, two motorcycle-borne criminals overtook hisbike and opened fire targetinghim. He died on the spot. Thepolice had recovered four usedshells of the pistol of .32 bore.

The wife of the trader hadlodged an FIR against VijayJaiswal, his wife and three sonsin this connection.

During the investigationthe crime branch personneland Rohania police scannedfootage of CCTV camerasinstalled near the crime spotand also took help of electron-ic surveillance. They came toknow that the daughter of atrader had fallen in love with ayouth of the same village. Shehad applied for the passportabout a year ago and men-tioned the mobile number ofher lover Javed instead of herfather. During the investigationit surfaced that the trader ear-lier expressed annoyance overdaughter's love affair and alsoscolded her lover’s parents.Both daughter and her lover

started mounting pressure onthe trader for the marriage buthe often denied it.

Then, the daughter of thedeceased hatched a conspiracywith her lover Javed to elimi-nate her father from their wayto get married. And as per con-spiracy, Javed along with one ofhis aides Aqib Ansari overtookthe bike of the deceased andshot him dead. After commit-ting crime, Javed had alsoinformed the daughter ofdeceased about the murder.

The joint teams of crimebranch and Rohania policenabbed Javed, Aqib Ansari anddaughter of the trader. Thecrime branch and police teamsalso recovered a pistol andbike used in the crime by thecriminals besides three mobilehandsets from their posses-

sions. During the interrogation,Javed informed the crimebranch and police teams that hehad purchased a pistol fromVikramganj in Bihar about sixmonths ago, the SP, Rural AmitVerma informed while produc-ing the criminals before themedia persons at police linehere on Monday.

FIRE BREAKS OUT ATBIKE SHOWROOM: A majorfire broke out at a motorcycleshowroom in Aktha, Pahadiaunder Pandeypur-Lalpur policestation on the intervening nightof Sunday and Monday. Shortcircuit was said to be the rea-son. The showroom ownersuffered losses to the tune oflakhs but no life loss wasreported. Firefighting person-nel had to work hard to dousethe flames.

#��� ���� ����������� �����������������������������&''&8&9&7

Alarge number of devoteesformed a beeline outside

the city temples to pay obei-sance to Lord Shiva on the sec-ond Monday of Shravanmonth. There was a rare com-bination of Navami Tithi,Kritika Nakshatra, Gar Karanand Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga onMonday.

Dharmacharyas said thatin this holy time, Lord Shivashowers his blessings on thedevotees who pray sincerely.Lord Shiva is pleased by wor-shiping and performingJalabhishek amid vedic ofchanting mantras.

Despite the ban, the kan-wariyas in small groups left toperform jalabhishek at theVishwanath temple in Varanasi.After taking a dip in theSangam and the Ganga, thekanwariyas performed jalab-hishek at Pagoda.

After offering milk, belleaves, fruits, flowers andsweets to the idol of LordShiva or Shivling in the ancientPagoda, devotees performed

aarti. On August 9 (3rd

Monday), Shlesha Nakshatra,Variyan Yoga, Pratiprada Tithi

of Shukla Paksha, Kimstughnaand Bar Karan will remaineffective. Similarly, the fourthMonday on August 16 will

have the impact of AnuradhaNakshatra, Brahma Yoga,Yayjay Yoga, Sarvartha SiddhiYoga.

,������������������������� ���������������������������%������� ������������&�������0&������

�. 9� ������ ����+�������������

���=��� �������� ������������''������������������������&''&8&9&7

There was panic among therailway employees after the

case of imposition of duty inTTE lobby came to the fore inPrayagraj Junction. Now,CCTV cameras are beinginstalled to keep a watch on theemployees. The officers of thedepartment and the team ofvigilance are investigating thematter. If sources are to bebelieved, many big officers canalso come under the ambit ofthe investigation. At the sametime, modernisation has beenstarted by railways for damagecontrol.

The investigation startedafter the matter of takingsalary and allowances of manyTTEs sitting at home throughfake signatures on the rostercame to light. It was allegedthat in the name of roster, thegame of imposing duties of theloved ones in their desiredtrains was underway. To

improve this system, digitisa-tion of the TTE lobby is alsobeing done. In this sequence,a roster is being made onlineto avoid tampering. The data(name, designation) of theemployees is being uploadedin the e-lobby software.

Apart from this, CCTVcameras are being equipped tomonitor the TTE lobby.Biometric attendance systemhas also been started for theattendance of the employees.However, about 80 percent ofthe work has been completed.

According to SeniorDCM-2 Vipin Kumar Singh,apart from Prayagraj Junction,CCTV cameras are also beinginstalled in Prayagraj Chheokiand Tundla. The process of abreath analysis test was alsostarted a fortnight ago.

After the action inPrayagraj, a confidential inves-tigation began in other divi-sions of the zone. After themistakes on the roster in

Prayagraj came to light, manyemployees were questioned inthe CIT line. When the mat-ter came into the limelight, theCIT was also suspended. Nowon the basis of the complaint,investigation is being done inKanpur, Tundla, Jhansi andAgra .

PRO of Allahabad divisionAmit Kumar Singh said thatCCTV has been installed inthe TTE lobby. The location ofthe roster will be monitored.Biometric attendance has alsostarted.

Meanwhile, the RailwayRecruitment Cell (RRC) hasmade preparations for thedepartmental examination ofrailways to be held fromAugust 4 to 6. For the firsttime, jammers will be installedin all examination centres. Sothat no railway employee canuse any electronic device dur-ing the examination. A controlroom of 58 centers has alsobeen set up in the RRC office

for this examination to beheld in 11 cities includingPrayagraj.

Actually, 339 vacanciesare to be recruited underGeneral DepartmentCompetitive Exams (GDCE).29005 railway personnel work-ing in North Central Railwayand Diesel LocomotiveWorkshop (now BLW) haveapplied for promotion. Forthis, the online examination ofall these railway employees isto be held from August 4 to 6.In view of the large number ofrailway personnel appearingfor the examination, thisexamination will be held in thecities of Prayagraj, Kanpur,Agra, Mathura, Noida,Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Jhansi,Greater Noida, Varanasi andGwalior. Admit cards forComputer Based Test (CBT) inthree shifts can be down-loaded from the website ofRailway Recruitment Cell(RRC).

6���5"�'����� ��� ���5��7�� �,���������������������������&''&8&9&7

Indian women’s hockey teamscripted history by making

their maiden entry into thesemi-finals of Tokyo Olympicson Monday. Gurjeet Kaur ofNorth Central Railway(Prayagraj division) became ashining star after scoring the

only goal against Australia tolead the team to victory onMonday morning. Gurjeetscored the all-important goal inthe 22nd minute of the game,while the Indian defence, par-ticularly the goalkeeper didnot allow Australia to let theball into the net. Gurjeet Kauris from the Prayagraj division

of North Central Railway andis known as a solid defender.She is also considered to be apenalty expert, and she showedher mettle against a strongopponent. It was Gurjeet’s firstgoal in the Olympics. BesidesGurjeet, Nisha of the Prayagrajdivision of NCR is also anactive member of the Indian

women’s hockey team forTokyo Olympics. NCR GeneralManager Pramod Kumar andthe CPRO congratulated thehockey team for making thesemis. The GM reached theselfie point at the Prayagraj sta-tion and posed for a picture toboost the morale of the hock-ey teams.

,�������'�������������������������������������A L L A H A B A D ( P N S ) :Building trustworthyautonomous systems goes farbeyond the current artificialintelligence vision. To reachthis vision, we need a new sci-entific foundation enrichingand extending traditional sys-tems engineering with data-based techniques. These viewswere expressed by TuringAward Laureate Prof JosephSifakis while delivering theinaugural talk in the ATALonline Faculty DevelopmentProgramme on ‘Cyber securi-ty of Critical Infrastructure’organised by Indian Institute ofInformation Technology,Allahabad, on Monday.

Speaking on the topic“Autonomous systems and Self-driving cars” Prof Joseph clar-

ified why self-driving was sohard. Despite the enthusiasticinvolvement of big technolog-ical companies and the massiveinvestment of billions of dol-lars, all the optimistic predic-tions about self-driving cars“being around the corner”went utterly wrong. He arguedthat these difficulties emblem-atically illustrate the challengesraised by the vision for trust-worthy autonomous systems.These are critical systemsintended to replace humanoperators in complex organisa-tions, very different from otherintelligent systems such asgame-playing robots or intelli-gent personal assistants. I dis-cuss complexity limitationsinherent to autonomic behav-ior but also to integration in

complex cyber-physical andhuman environments, addedProf Joseph. The AICTEapproved FDP was formallyinaugurated by Professor PNagabhushan, Director of IIITAllahbad who addressed theparticipants while highlightingthe significance of cyber secu-rity in today’s world. ProfessorNagabhushan also enthusedthe participants for high qual-ity research in the related areasof Cyber security while extend-ing his warm welcome to theeminent Computer ScientistProfessor Sifakis, Director alsorequested Professor Sifakis tokeep his association with IIITAllahabad for future also.

Prof Vijayshri Tewari,Registrar urged the partici-pants to keep connecting the

teachings with good qualityresearch and to take inspirationfrom the path breakingresearch work of Prof Sifakis.

Prof Pawan Chakraborty,Head of the Departmentexpressed his gratitude towardsTuring award laureate ProfSifais while requesting him toextend his long term relationwith IIIT Allahabad into amore formal level. At the endof the event, the program coor-dinator Professor OP Vyas gavethe outline of the workshop byciting many examples of recentcyber attacks and specially inthe view of emerging automat-ed systems and smart cities inthe country, the possibility andfrequency of cyber attacks isgoing to be more real andincreasing so worth addressing.

����� �6����� !�"�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

�1�� '���(�)*

Under the direction ofDivisional Railway

Manager (DRM) VaranasiVijay Kumar Panjiar vaccina-tion for the prevention of coro-navirus infection in Varanasidivision is going on continu-ously.

In this sequence under theleadership of Additional ChiefMedical Superintendent Dr RRSingh, at North EasternRailway Divisional Hospital,Lahartara, here on Thursdaythe Covid vaccination work ofcontract employees workingat various railway stations at thedivision besides associated withrailway service through othermeans was being done in theform of a campaign by the rail-way medical team and the one

constituted by the state gov-ernment. In collaboration withthe district administration, atotal of 291 doses of Covid vac-cine were administered onThursday, in which Varanasidivision’s eight employees, fam-ily members of 30 employees,including two contract labour-ers and 251 non-railway peo-ple were administered theCovid vaccine. At theDivisional Hospital vaccinationof aged, physically disabledand sick persons is being donein their private vehicles in itslobby. Besides, employees andtheir family members werealso informed to follow thecoronovirus prevention guide-lines i.e. proper wearing ofmasks, washing hands fre-quently and thoroughly besidesmaintaining physical distanc-

ing. Apart from it in various railsections, station premises, sta-tions and trains of the divisiondeep cleaning, sanitisation andcleanliness was being donedaily. Moreover in the main sta-tions of the division for railwaypassengers and in the stationpremises for awareness ofpassengers and employees mes-sages related to the preventionof coronavirus infection andvaccination against it are beingdisplayed through posters.Marking have been made in sta-tions and railway premises forfollowing social distancing.Compliance of Covid-19 pre-vention protocol is beingensured in the station premisesand trains and strict action isbeing taken against the violators,Public Relations Officer (PRO)Ashok Kumar said.

�;$$2��;1?21+� +,�(-�.�*

Police arrested four criminalsfollowing encounters

which took place in areas underthree different police stations inone night. According to infor-mation, during checking nearKatsila Mod under SadarKotwali area around midnighton Sunday when the police sig-nalled the motorbike-ridingmiscreants to stop one of themfled while the other opened fireon the police team. At this thepolice retaliated during whichthe bullet hit the miscreant’s legand he was immediately takento the district hospital. He wasidentified as Piyush Singh ofZamania, Ghazipur. Besidesthe Sakaldiha Kotwali policeand crime branch had anencounter with the other mis-creant. However as he was try-ing flee by firing on theSakaldiha police team the lat-ter retaliated. As a result thebullet hit KrishnanandVishwakarma of Kamalpuron his left leg and the police

got him admitted to the dis-trict hospital. Meanwhile dur-ing the checking near MathelaRoad by the Balua police teamtwo persons on a motorcyclewere signalled to stop butthey did not do so and start-ed running towardsDhanapur. The Balua policestation incharge while chasingand encircling them informedthe Dhanapur police.Thereafter the police teamstarted checking. The policesignalled the bike-borne mis-creants to stop at which theystarted firing on the team asa result of which a constablewas injured. When the police

team fired in retaliation, onemiscreant was shot in hisright leg and the other in theleft leg, Along with a motor-cycle, one pistol and anotherof 32 bore were recoveredfrom them. The injured mis-creants were taken to the hos-pital for first aid by the police.Regarding the incident,Superintendent of Police (SP)Amit Kumar said that threemiscreants were arrested dur-ing the day. After informationreceived from them, four mis-creants were arrested late atnight. Around three dozencases have already been regis-tered against them.

�;$$2��;1?21+�/*�0�#.�

One person died in a roadaccident under Padari

police station on Saturdaynight. Arvind Kumar SinghPatel, a resident of Bargavaanvillage under Chunar policestation, was on the way onMirzapur-Chunar road on hisscooty that he was hit by aunknown vehicle atDagmagpur as a result he diedon the spot. On getting infor-mation Padari police reachedthe spot, informed the familyof the victim and took the bodyinto custody for completing thelegal formalities.

Meanwhile on opersonwho was injured in a road acci-dent died during treatment onSaturday night. Ashok KumarSahni (54), a resident ofSarainya Kamarghata villageunder Padari police station, was

on the way on his bicycle whenhe was hit by a tractor atSindhora Tiraha near AmbaDevi temple under Padaripolice station. He was broughtto a hospital in Varanasi in aninjured condition where hedied in the hospital duringtreatment in late at night. Ongetting information the Padaripolice reached the hospital andtook the body to complete thelegal formalities.

BOY RECOVERED: TheJigna police on Sunday recov-ered a missing boy. The localsfound a missing boy atBhaanvaan Chauraha underJigna police station and hand-ed over him to the police. Hedisclosed his name asRajkumar, a resident of Sihavalvillage near Renukoot,Sonbhadra. The police wastrying to find out about theparents of the boy for handing

him over to them.THEFT: Some thieves

stole �20,000 in cash besidesfruits from a fruit shop onHargarh road under Jignapolice station on Saturdaynight. Babloo Sonkar, a residentof Gonaura under Jigna policestation, has the fruit shop. OnSunday morning he found thelock of his kiosk broken and�20000 cash had been stolenalong with fruits. On his infor-mation the police reached onthe spot and inquired about thematter. Meanwhile goods keptin a kiosk in Majhiyar village onLalganj-Halia road under Haliapolice station were reduced toashes when a fire broke out thereon Friday night. As a result gascylinder kept there too explod-ed. On getting information itsowner, Kamlesh Pal, reachedthe spot but by then everythinghad been reduced to ashes.

�;$$2��;1?21+� $1��2,#.�

The sequence of continuous better perfor-mance in the field of loading of goods by the

North Eastern Railway (NER) is going on.This achievement is aresult of the BusinessDevelopment Units(BDUs) better market-ing strategy at variouslevels besides availabil-ity of advanced facilitiesbeing provided for load-ing of goods and con-tinuous increase in thespeed of goods trainsetc. In NER in July thisyear 0 .2956 milliontonnes (MT) of goods were loaded which com-pared to the goods loading of 0.1654 milliontonnes in the corresponding period last year is

78.71 per cent more, Chief Public RelationsOfficer (CPRO) Pankaj Kumar Singh said.Similarly, against the set target of 0.2700 mil-lion tonnes for July this year 9.48 per centmore loading of goods was done. In the cur-

rent financial yearup to July total1.1901 milliontonnes loading ofgoods was donewhich compared to0.5595 mill iontonnes in the corre-sponding period inthe last financialyear is 112.70 percent more. In thecurrent financial

year against the set target of 1.1800 milliontonnes by July, in NER success has beenachieved in loading 0.86 per cent more goods.

�;$$2��;1?21+� )1(3,�-��

Director (Finance) ofNorthern Coalfields

Limited (NCL) Ram NarayanDubey, has been entrustedwith the additional charge ofdirector (personnel) of thecompany. He replaces formerDirector (Personnel) of NCLBimlendu Kumar who super-annuated last month. Dubeyhas been serving as Director(Finance) in NCL since Junelast year. With 33 years of vastexperience in the financial sec-tor, Dubey was working asGeneral Manager (Finance) atCoal India Limited (CIL)headquarters, Kolkata beforejoining NCL. Dubey started hisjourney in Coal India in 1987from CIL’s Chattisgarh-based

subsidiary SECL. After that in1988, he was posted in BCCL.From the year 2013 to 2020, herendered his invaluable servicesat Coal India HQ, Kolkata.With his managerial skills, hehas contributed significantly inthe implementation of variousprojects and plans in Coal

India and NCL.Meanwhile from NCL fam-

ily in July including company’sdirector (Personnel) BimlenduKumar, General Manager(Materials Management) AKSingh, six officers and 76employees retired. At a cere-mony organised at NCL head-quarters recently Satyanarayan(driver/mechanic), RoopNarayan Sahu (pump opera-tor), Millu Ram, (photocopyoperator) were presentAddressing the functionDirector (Technical/Projects& Planning) SS Sinha wishedthe retired personnel a suc-cessful and healthy life.Besides, in all the projectsand units of NCL, functionswere organised in honour ofthe retired personnel.

/�+&� &�'��!�"�!&&�"#�$

�.���+����������������������+�

+�5 �������9�������:��������������������

,:+��������%������ ����� ����������

����.����$����! �$��#

�����������������������4&����

Kanpur DivisionalCommissioner Dr Raj

Shekhar, who inspected theSmart City works on Monday,said that as per the directive ofChief Minister YogiAdityanath, the progress ofthe development works underSmart City project must bereviewed every week. He saidto maintain quality of theongoing works, the Smart CityCorporation had appointedHBTU for concurrent qualitychecking of the project.

He said although the firstquality check was to be carriedout two months back, the CEOof Smart City was directed toget the second quality checkcarried out by next week andsubmit the report to the divi-sional commissionerate. Hesaid the objective was to ensurethe development works werecarried out timely so that thebenefits reached the grassrootslevel.

The divisional commis-sioner was accompanied byKanpur MunicipalCommissioner DrShivasharanappa GN, CEO ofSmart City and executive engi-neers of Smart City and KanpurNagar Nigam and togetherthey reviewed the ‘PalikaStadium New Sports complex’.He said the physical progress ofthe project was around 25 percent and directed the authori-ties concerned to complete thefirst phase (administrativebuilding, banquet hall etc) by

November this year and thevarious sports facilities likeswim pool, badminton courts,gym, table tennis, by March2022.

He said it would be a greenbuilding with provision ofample natural light, rain waterharvesting system, water recy-cling, sewage treatment systemand adequate plantation onthe campus.

He directed the CEO toassess and work out the addi-

tional electricity load and infra-structure required along withparking area identification fornearly 200 to 300 vehicles. Hesaid currently it had a provisionto park just 80 to 100 vehicles.He also stressed on widening ofthe front road of the PalikaStadium for easy movement ofvehicles.

Dr Shekhar also orderedthe preparation of a request forproposal for operations andmaintenance of the sports com-

plex in the next 15 days andalso to float the RFP by Augustend. He also asked the officialsto take feedback from state andnational level sports associa-tions for ensuring that the RFPfor the operation and mainte-nance was prepared well. Headded that the cricket stadiumside of the multi-sports com-plex would have a viewersgallery of 250 to 300 personsand changing rooms for crick-et players.

�����������������������4&����

Chairman of DistrictD e v e l o p m e n t

Coordination and MonitoringCommittee, AK Rawat, whileaddressing a meeting at VikasBhawan, said the UP andCentral governments hadlaunched a prestigious schemeto ensure every house had a tapconnection.

He said all the pendingwork in this direction shouldbe accomplished at the earliest.

He said all the leakage inwater pipe lines should berepaired and places where thewater pipe line was to be set upshould finalised at the earliest.

He asked the officials toprepare a list of repair worksunderway and get it verified.He said laxity in this regardwould be dealt with strictly.

He said the Central gov-

ernment was also emphasisingupon water conservation andrainwater harvesting projectsand under the Pradhan MantriKrishi Sinchai Yojana all thebeneficiaries should be asked tostrictly stop wastage of waterand also make efforts for con-servation of water.

He said the officials con-cerned should motivate farm-ers and end users to adopt newmethods like sprinkler irriga-tion and to conserve ground-water as well.

He said no village shouldbe left out from the electrifi-cation project under theDeendayal Upadhyaya GramJyoti Yojana. He said everyhome must have an electricityconnection.

He said there were manycomplaints that if any trans-former developed a snag, ittook several days to replace it

and said the out of order trans-former should be replacedimmediately.

He said all electricity polesthat were in a dilapidated shapeshould be replaced or set rightat the earliest.

He took feedback from theofficials regarding the Covidvaccination drive under theNational Health Mission andsaid that the chief medicalofficer should be informedabout the pace of the vaccina-tion drive and the focus shouldbe on vaccinating the maxi-mum number of people.

Rawat said the nationalold age pension and nationalfamily pension benefits of Rs6,000 per year should be pro-vided to all eligible beneficia-ries and no one should be leftout from the scheme. Hestressed on transparency andwarned against any irregulari-

ty.He directed the NHAI offi-

cials to ensure that the water-logging issue of Ghatampurwas resolved soon. He tookfeedback of all the govern-ment schemes and projectsand directed officials to ensurethat they were completed ontime with full transparency.

He then distributed devicesto beneficiaries of BC Sakhiunder Deendayal AntyodayaYojana and National RuralLivelihood Mission.

Prominent among thosewho took part in the meetingwere DS Bhole, SD Pachauri,Mayor Pramila Pandey, MLCsArun Pathak, Salil Vishnoi,Surendra Maithani, DistrictMagistrate Alok Tiwari, CDODr Mahendra Kumar,Municipal Commissioner DrShivasharanappa GN and sev-eral others.

�����������������������4&����

The Director of UniversityInstitute of Health Sciences,

CSJM University, Kanpur, DrPravin Katiyar, said there hadbeen a substantial rise in brainfog complaints after the infec-tion by novel coronavirus thatcaused COVID-19.

Addressing a virtual ses-sion on ‘Brain Fog’ on Monday,Dr Katiyar said researcherswere trying to co-relate thebrain problem with the coron-avirus and of late cases havebeen reported of as altered con-sciousness or damage to brain.

He said a recent study car-ried out in April 2021 foundincreased levels of inflamma-tory cytokines in the fluid sur-rounding the brains of peopleweeks after they contractedCOVID-19. He said inflam-mation in the brain hinderedthe ability of neurons to com-municate with each other andthis may be one of the factorsthat contributed to brain fog.He said in common terms thesymptoms that surfaced inpeople who suffered an attackof COVID-19 was poor sleepquality, loneliness, depression,increased stress or anxiety,dietary changes and decreasedphysical activity.

He said there were manyways that COVID-19 coulddamage the brain. He saidapart from this there could be

indirect impact like fatigue,body aches, inability to exer-cise, headache, and difficultysleeping. He said the first andmost important thing to do wasto visit with a doctor and shareall of the lingering symptomsone was experiencing. He saidmedical experts felt that to helpclear the brain fog one shouldavoid alcohol and drugs andstop smoking and give thebrain the best chance to heal byavoiding substances whichcould adversely affect it. Hesaid the best was to sleep welland this was the mantra as thebrain and body cleared out tox-ins and worked towards heal-ing. He said those heavilyaddicted to mobile phone andcomputer viewing also facedsimilar brain fog symptoms andadded that excessive screentime could cause long-termvision problems and other eyehealth issues. He said comput-er vision syndrome (CVS), also

known as digital eye strain, wasassociated with activities thatstressed the near vision such asusing computers, cell phonesand other devices. Dr Katiyarsaid the problematic use of cellphones had been associatedwith anxiety, stress, and evendepression and these habitswere causing "digital dementia,"harming important right-brainfunctions, including short-termmemory, attention, and con-centration in ways that may ormay not be reversible. He saidone should spend less time onthe computer and mobilephone and take frequent breaksand adopt a positive attitudeand reduce stress. He saidseven-hour sleep was manda-tory along with regular exerciseand reduction in alcohol, cof-fee and other caffeine drinks.

ADHIVAKTA KALYANSANGHARSH SAMITIFELICITATES LAWYER: TheAdhivakta Kalyan Sangharsh

Samiti felicitated lawyer ArvindDimri at a function organisedin Kanpur Bar Association hallhere on Monday.

Dimri was felicitated for hiseffective follow-up of the mur-der case of his colleaguePrashant Nishad which led thecourt to award life sentence tothe accused Rajiv Tewari onMonday. Assistant governmentcounsel Arvind Dimri is also aformer secretary of KanpurBar Association. General sec-retary of Kanpur BarAssociation, Rakesh Tewari,while felicitating Arvind Dimri,said with the life sentenceawarded to the accused in thePrashant Nishad murder case,he gave a message to societythat all perpetators would beconvicted as per the laws of theland. Vice-president of KBA,Madhu Yadav, said the legal fra-ternity would unitedly fight forthe conviction of people com-mitting crime against thelawyers. Convener ofAdhivakta Kalyan SangharshSamiti, Pt Ravindra Sharma,said the Prashant Nishad, afterbeing drugged and looted, waspushed before a speeding trainabout 21 years ago due towhich he had died on the spot.He praised the efforts and vig-orous follow-up of the case byArvind Dimri which, onMonday, convinced the courtto award life sentence to themurderer Rajiv Tewari.

��������������+�������8������������� 5�%����

1�����,����������������������,�)�0 �� ���������������������������� ��� �������&��� � �������%�����7&������

&��������������������������������������(���������

��'���������������'������+�� ��������������&=�)!*

&�����������)���������3����������������������������1����������������������������4&����

The police have launched adrive to zero-in on

Rohingyas and Bangladeshisliving in the city and their activ-ities.

During the drive, the policehave found 16 suspicious per-sons living in various localitiesin South City who identifiedthemselves as natives ofBarpeta (Assam). On the basisof details collected from them,police have now contacted theAssam police and are verifyingtheir names, addresses, relativesand other information relatedto them.

It may be recalled thatafter the arrest of two Al-Qaeda terrorists in Lucknow bythe Anti Terrorist-Squad (ATS)a few days ago, several startlingrevelations had come to foreduring investigation and theirstrings were found to be con-nected to Kanpur.

During investigation, thecity police came across thesuspects living in Panki andother localities of KanpurSouth. The drive was launchedon the directive of theCommissioner of Police AsimArun who deputed a team tocarry out a verification cam-paign of foreign nationals liv-ing in the city in order to naildown the anti-national ele-ments, if any. The team wasalso asked to verify the identi-ty cards of such suspects. Thedrive yielded results after SouthCity police spotted 16 sus-pects in Machhariya localityunder Naubasta police stationand other nearby pockets.

“During the identificationdrive, the suspects showedtheir Aadhaar cards and otherdocuments that had a mentionof their address in Barpeta(Assam),” said AdditionalCommissioner of Police(South) Deepak Bhuker.

Commissioner of PoliceAsim Arun said, “On the basisof the documents collectedfrom the suspects, the Assampolice were being contacted toget their credentials cross-checked. If their documents arefound to be fake, action will beinitiated against them.”

8���9����������������� ��KANPUR (PNS): TheMaharajpur police have busteda gang involved in smugglingof illicit liquor with the arrestof two persons and recovery of102 cartons of country-madeforeign liquor from them onMonday. Station House OfficerRaghvendra Singh said on atip-off, he raided the spot alongwith police force and seized thetruck carrying 102 cartons ofillicit liquor being smuggledfrom Haryana to Jharkhand.The identity of the arrested per-sons could not be ascertained.

6���' ����� ������������( ��������� ���KANPUR (PNS): NanhuSingh of Purvamir village,Maharajpur, while addressingmedia persons on Monday,said his two minor daughters,Raksha and Radha, were kid-napped by two village youthsRahul and Sushil on June 28but the cops were taking noaction in the case. He alsoalleged the involvement ofRadha and her sons Hansrajand Ram Milan of JausahanKheda village in the kidnap-ping. Nanhu said that despitehis repeated visits toMaharajpur police station, thecops had registered the FIRagainst only the two accused.He said as the accomplices ofthe accused were always in con-tact with the Maharajpurpolice, the cops had not takenany action against the kidnap-pers. He alleged that one of thesub-inspectors had even askedhim to trace the missingdaughters himself as he wasunable to get any clue of theirwhereabouts. He said on con-tacting the SP (Outer)Ashtabhuja Prasad Singh, theofficer had set a time of sevendays to work out the case butnothing had been done so far.

5�����������,��������������������%�����7&������

����� �7����� !�"�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

����� �62�76'8�

The Supreme Court onMonday dismissed the plea

of a rape survivor fromKottiyoor, Kerala, who movedthe Supreme Court seekingpermission to marry herassaulter — a defrockedCatholic priest who is under-going 20-year imprisonment.The apex court also dismisseda separate plea of the defrockedPriest Robin Vadakkumcheryseeking bail on the ground thathe wanted to marry the sur-vivor, who was a minor at thetime of rape had given birth toa child.

A bench of Justices VineetSaran and Dinesh Maheshwaritold the former priest, “TheHigh Court has taken a deci-sion consciously and we wouldnot like to interfere with itsfinding”.

The apex court told the vic-tim that she may knock on thedoor of trial court with her pleato marry the former priest.During the hearing, advocateAmit George, appearing for theformer priest, said the High

Court had passed sweepingdirections in the case withregard to the marriage, whichis a fundamental right. Thebench asked George what is theage of the victim and the for-mer priest to which he repliedthat his client is 49, while therape survivor is around 25. Thetop court then told George,“You yourself have invitedsweeping directions from theHigh Court and it would notlike to interfere.”

At the outset, senior advo-cate Kiran Suri, appearing forthe woman, said that she hassought interim bail for theaccused for two months, so thathe can marry her and givesome legitimacy to the four-year-old child. The bench saidthat both the victim and theformer priest can take recourseof whatever remedy is availableunder law.

Meanwhile, the State pros-ecution said that it is up to thetwo adults to decide on themarriage and bail can’t begiven. Marriage can be con-ducted at jail premises but nobail can be allowed, said theKerala State’s prosecutor.

����� �62�76'8�

Adelegation of Janata Dal(United) MPs, led by the

new party president LalanSingh, met Home MinisterAmit Shah on Monday with thedemand for a caste-based cen-sus.

Speaking to reporters,Singh said the Bihar assemblyhad passed unanimous resolu-tions in 2019 and 2020 for hav-ing census on the caste lines,and added that it is now for thecentral government to take afinal decision. He said, Shahassured them that the matterwill be discussed.

The JD(U) had also passeda resolution in support of thecaste-based counting of popu-lation, a move with potential-ly wide political ramifications,in its national executive meet-ing on Saturday where Singhwas elected its president. Itsrival RJD too has been press-ing for a caste-based census andeven suggested that the Stateshould do on its own, if theCentre isn’t willing.

The Central governmenthad recently again made itclear that it will not includecaste wise data on population

other than Scheduled Castes(SC) and Scheduled Tribes(ST) in the national Census.The Ministry of Home Affairssaid this decision has beentaken as a “matter of policy”.

Responding in the LokSabha, the MHA noted that arequest for the collection ofcaste data in the Census hadbeen made by some state gov-ernments.

“The State governments ofMaharashtra and Odisha haverequested to collect caste detailsin the forthcoming Census.The Government of Indiadecided as a matter of policynot to enumerate caste wisepopulation other than SCs andSTs in Census,” the MHA saidin the Lok Sabha.

In March this year too, theGovernment had informedParliament that it was notplanning to release the data oncaste Census collected as partof the 2011 exercise.

To a question that someBihar BJP leaders haveexpressed reservation againstsuch a move, Singh claimedthat he was unaware of theirstand but noted that the saffronparty had also backed the res-olutions in the Assembly.

����� �62�76'8�

With China flexing itsmaritime muscle in the

Indo-Pacific and South ChinaSea, a task force of the IndianNavy comprising warshipswill proceed for deploymentin these zones. The durationof the overseas deploymentwill be for more than twomonths.

Besides, the Indian Navywill also take part in theMalabar series of exercise inthe Western Pacific with theother Quad nations includingthe US, Japan and Australia.China is against the Quad andhas repeatedly claimed thatthis grouping will lead to mil-itarisation of the region.

Giving details of thedeployment, the Navy saidhere on Monday in pursuit ofIndia’s ‘Act East’ policy and toenhance military cooperation

with friendly countries, a TaskForce of Indian Navy’s EasternFleet is scheduled to proceedon an Overseas Deploymentto South East Asia, the SouthChina Sea and Western Pacificfrom early August.

The deployment of theIndian Navy ships seeks tounderscore the operationalreach, peaceful presence andsolidarity with friendly coun-tries towards ensuring goodorder in the maritime domainand to strengthen existingbonds between India andcountries of the Indo Pacific.

The Indian Naval taskforce comprises GuidedMissile destroyer Ranvijay,Guided Missile FrigateShivalik, Anti-SubmarineCorvette Kadmatt and GuidedMissile Corvette Kora. Thelatter three ships are indige-nously designed and areequipped with a versatile arrayof weapons and sensors, and

are Made in India by DefenceShipyards.

During the deploymentin the Indo Pacific, the shipsare scheduled to participate inbilateral exercises with RoyalMalaysian Navy (SamudraLaxmana), Vietnamese

Peoples’ Navy, Republic ofPhilippines Navy, Republic ofSingapore Navy (SIMBEX),Indonesian Navy (SamudraShakti) and Royal AustralianNavy (AUS-INDEX).

Further, they will alsoparticipate in multilateral

exercise MALABAR-21 along-side Japanese Maritime SelfDefence Force, RoyalAustralian Navy and theUnited States Navy in WesternPacific.

The Indian Navy under-takes regular deployments to

friendly foreign countries andIndian and the Pacific Oceanregions in furtherance of thePrime Minister’s initiative of‘Security and Growth for Allin the Region – SAGAR’.

Further, such engage-ments build ‘bridges of friend-

ship’ and strengthen interna-tional cooperation. Thesemaritime initiatives enhancesynergy and coordinationbetween the Indian Navy andfriendly countries, based oncommon maritime interestsand commitment towards

Freedom of Navigation at sea.Besides regular port calls,

the task group will operate inconjunction with friendlynavies, to build military rela-tions and develop interoper-ability in conduct of mar-itime operations.

�(����������������������������������6�����������+����������� �62�76'8�

India and China have agreedto sustain the dialogue

process to ensure disengage-ment of troops from the fric-tion points at the Line ofActual Control (LAC) inEastern Ladakh. The two sidesalso reiterated their resolve tomaintain peace in the interimat the border.

These two main pointsemerged from the CorpsCommander level talksbetween India and China onSaturday last and the twocountries on Monday issued ajoint statement.

The statement issued heresaid, “The 12th round of India-China Corps CommanderLevel Meeting was held at theChushul-Moldo border meet-ing point on the Indian side.

This round of meeting washeld following the meeting ofthe Foreign Ministers of Indiaand People’s Republic of Chinaon July 14 in Dushanbe,Tajikistan and the 22nd meet-ing of the Working Mechanismfor Consultation andCoordination on India-ChinaBorder Affairs (WMCC) held

on June 25.The two sides had a can-

did and in-depth exchange ofviews on resolution of remain-ing areas related to disengage-ment along the LAC in theWestern Sector of India-Chinaborder areas. The two sidesnoted that this round of meet-ing was constructive, which

further enhanced mutualunderstanding.

They agreed to resolvethese remaining issues in anexpeditious manner in accor-dance with the existing agree-ments and protocols andmaintain the momentum ofdialogue and negotiations.

The two sides also agreedthat in the interim they willcontinue their effective effortsin ensuring stability along theLAC in the Western Sector andjointly maintain peace andtranquility.”

The 12 rounds of talkswere held nearly four monthsafter the last round in earlyApril. Stalemate persists atthree friction points includingHot Springs, Gogra and theDepsang valley for the lastmore than a year.

A breakthrough was not

expected in the latest round asChina wants the involvementof local military commandersof both the sides in the talks.However, the Indian securityestablishment is wary of theproposal.

Moreover, India has allalong maintained that disen-gagement and withdrawalfrom all the stand-off sites isthe prerequisite for restoringnormal ties between the twocountries. China is in favour ofkeeping this issue aside and geton relations. Also, India hasinsisted that status quo antehas to be restored at the LACas was in April 2020.

The first stand-off beganin the first week of May lastyear at the PangongTso(lake)and snowballed intoface-offs at many other placesat the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

After several rounds oftalks the military and diplo-matic levels, armies of both thecountries withdrew from thesouthern and northern banksof the Pangong Tso inFebruary this year.

Since then, no progresstook place in terms of disen-gagement from the three fric-tion points despite military anddiplomatic level talks in the lastfew months.

Jaishankar and his Chinesecounterpart Wang Yi heldbilateral talks on the issue onJuly 14 on the sidelines of theforeign ministers’ conclave ofthe Shanghai CooperationOrganisation(SCO). Thisinteraction at the high politi-cal level saw both the sides reit-erating their commitment tocontinue dialogue for earlyresolution of the disputes.

���������������������������������������5�� ������������

��8���8��������62�76'8�

To bolster better assessmentof the security situation

emerging from the neigh-bourhood, the Indian mis-sions in the countries adjoin-ing the frontiers will holdmeetings on half yearly/year-ly basis with officials of thebordering States/UnionTerritories and border guard-ing forces to have a better sen-sitisation and assessment ofsecurity concerns.

“The Union HomeMinistry in coordination withthe External Affairs Ministry,Research and Analysis Wing,Intelligence Bureau andDirectors General of borderguarding forces will initiateaction for holding such meet-ings with officials of the con-cerned States and UnionTerritories on six monthly oryearly basis,” a senior securi-ty official said.

In addition to this, theborder guarding forces like theBorder Security Force (BSF),Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP) and Sashastra SeemaBal (SSB) have been directedto organise problem-specifichackathons in collaborationwith premier educational insti-tutions and start-ups in thecountry to evolve cost-effec-tive indigenous solutions forborder arrangement. The

Assam Rifles, deployed on theborder with Myanmar, willalso be in such an exercise,officials said.

They said all issues con-cerning construction of roadsalong the Indo-China borderunder the India-China BorderRoads-II scheme are beingresolved in top priority.

In order to keep the bor-der population synced withthe security apparatus, thepolice forces of the borderingStates have been advised tohold “vikas utsavs” in their respective areas along thefrontiers by involving the localcommunity, public represen-tatives, local administrationand all stakeholder agencies.

The developments comein the backdrop of borderrow with China in easternLadakh and the continuingthreats from the Pakistan armyand its terror cohorts along thefrontiers in Punjab and Jammu

and Kashmir.Officials said these mech-

anisms will lead to a betterassessment of the ground sit-uation in the bordering areasand simultaneously tweakingthe emerging threats byputting in place relevantcounter-measures in relationto the challenges from inimi-cal forces and agencies.

The comprehensive mech-anisms in place on the groundare also expected to lead tobetter synergy between the stakeholder agen-cies for an effective counter tochallenges emanating fromdynamic security scenariosamid two major hostile neigh-bours.

While the ITBP securesthe frontiers along China, theBSF is deployed on the borderwith Pakistan and Bangladesh.The SSB is the designatedparamilitary force for the fron-tiers with Nepal and Bhutan.

����� ������� ����� ����������� � �� ��!"� #�"��"

����� �62�76'8�

BJP MPs from North East onMonday met Prime

Minister Narendra Modi andsubmitted a memorandum,apprising him of the develop-ments in the region against thebackdrop of the ongoing bor-der dispute between Assamand Mizoram. The BJP MPsaccused a section of politiciansled by the Congress for politi-cizing the issue.

“Through 2018, they triedto make CAA and NRC polit-ical issues but the people ofNorth East gave them a befit-ting reply. Now, they are stok-ing tempers between Assamand Mizoram,” the BJP MPssaid.

The memorandum alsopraised the Modi-led NDAGovernment’s “developmentwork in the Northeast”, callingit “historic and unparalleled”. Ina related development,Mizoram Governor K HariBabu met Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and UnionHome Minister Amit Shah onMonday and said the Centre istrying to find a solution to theborder issue.

In the memorandum, theBJP MPs highlighted variousissues pertaining to the region,including the border row. “Aseries of confidence-buildingmeasures have (been) takenover last few days by bothAssam and Mizoram govern-ments, yet actions of Congress

remain devious and mischie-vous,” they said.

The BJP MPs said that theywant to convey to all those ele-ments who view the Assam-Mizoram issue as a means of“spreading chaos in India thattheir shenanigans will notwork”. The MPs further allegedthat during the tenure of theprevious Congress govern-ments, chief ministers ofNortheastern states had to waitfor hours before they could getan appointment from Congressleaders and if they managed toget the appointment “theywould play with their pets”.

“Today North-EastDemocratic Alliance (NEDA) islooking after the inclusivedevelopment of Northeasternstates. Unable to digest this,Congress and its ecosystem istrying many dirty tricks. In2018 they tried to make CAAand NRC a political issue butthe people of the Northeast gave

them a befitting reply. Todaythey are trying to stoke tempersbetween Assam and Mizoram,”said the BJP MPs in their mem-orandum to the Prime Minister.

Speaking to the media postthe meeting, Union MinisterKiren Rijiju accused “elementsfrom outside our country” of“fuelling violence by makinginciting statements”. “FormerPrime Ministers PanditJawaharlal Nehru and IndiraGandhi were not sensitive tothe aspirations of Mizo andNaga communities,” they said.

The MPs from Northeastfurther said, “The Naga-accord, Bodo accord, BruReang moved towards peace-ful resolutions. Northeast ishome to infrastructures likeBogibeel Bridge and DholaSadiya bridge. Insurgency andviolence have been reduced.On the contrary, Congress hasno regard for the culture of theNortheast.”

Earlier, the PM metMizoram Governor Hari BabuKambhampati to discuss theborder situation and ways todiffuse the tensions betweentwo states, as per sources.

Meanwhile, Assam chiefminister Himanta Biswa Sarmaon Monday said he has direct-ed state police to withdraw FIRagainst Rajya Sabha MP KVanlalvena as a “goodwill ges-ture”. However, he further saidthat cases against the otherpolice officers will be pur-sued.

34��"���(����6�� ���� ���� �"�����������."+��������� �

������"���!����� $"���� ���%��&��� '(�)�*�"�������+��*���$������"� � ���'�"������,-

����. � +����"��� !�$�"�������,

�����8�8�����=����62�76'8�

The crisis within the AshokGehlot Government and

the ruling Congress is gettingmurkier. With Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot seemingly not toready to give in to his politicalbête noire and former deputySachin Pilot’s demands, sourcessaid party chief Sonia Gandhirushed senior Congress leaderand Haryana Congress chiefKumari Selja to hold anotherand perhaps the last round ofmeeting with Gehlot.

Selja reached Jaipur onSunday night and returnedDelhi on Monday after a longmeeting with Gehlot. Selja wassent after AICC GeneralSecretaries K C Venugopal,Ajay Maken, RandeepSurjewala conducted a series ofmeeting with party members,legislators, rebels and the ChiefMinister during the last onemonth.

AICC sources said thatSelja returned with Gehlot’squery for the central partyleadership whether the partywill keep repeating Punjab ifthere are differences within.“Should we repeat Punjab inRajasthan, Chhattisgarh andthen set a trend as this is thelast resort to run a party andgovernment,” Gehlot is under-stood to have conveyed andasked, according to the sources.

The sudden trip has addedto the speculation over theexpected reshuffle, amiddemands by Pilot that he andhis loyalists should get a biggershare. Selja enjoys the confi-

dence of Congress presidentand is also considered close toGehlot.

She was the chairperson ofthe screening committeeformed to decide the Congresscandidates in the last assemblyelections in Rajasthan.

Selja’s meeting with Gehlotcomes just a day after Makenreturned and briefed the highcommand about his three daysof meeting with MLAs and CMlast week. In a clear indicationthat some members of theGehlot Cabinet may bedropped, Maken had told themedia that a few ministershave expressed willingness toquit the state government towork for the organisation.

The Gehlot government,which came to power inDecember 2018, has complet-ed half of its tenure. Thedemand for a cabinet reshuffleand political appointments toother posts gained momentumin June after some MLAs closeto Pilot expressed resentment,saying promises made by theparty high command to himlast year had not be fulfilled butsimilar issues were met inPunjab within a few weeks oftrouble there.

As of now there are 21 cab-inet members including theCM in Rajasthan and after areshuffle nine will be addedtaking the tally to 30 membersin the Gehlot government. Athree-member AICC commit-tee too had been formed tolook into the grievances ofPilot and his MLAs and boththe time the central leadershiptook the step to pacify Pilot.

�"�� � /�0���������."��� ���$������ �.��

;,9.:������������� ������� �����'�����������

�$�1 �!"� �1��"�$� �!"**�"�� $����� ��""� �!���

����� �62�76'8�

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin,India’s first indigenous vac-

cine to fight Covid-19, is effec-tive against the Delta Plus(AY.1) variant of SARS-CoV2virus, a new study by theIndian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR) has said.Despite a slight reduction inneutralisation of antibodytitres, Covaxin is effectiveagainst Delta, AY.1 (Delta Plus)and B.1.617.3 variants, thestudy added.

Covaxin has been devel-oped by the Hyderabad-basedpharma major, in collaborationwith ICMR. As per the website,when the vaccination waslaunched on January 16, just alittle over 5 crore doses ofCovaxin have been adminis-tered in the overall 45 croreimmunisation so far. Majorityhas been contributed by SerumInstitute of India, a Pune basedvaccine manufacturer which ismaking Covi-shield.

So far 70 cases of the DeltaPlus variant have been foundby INSACOG, a group of 28laboratories involved ingenome sequencing. Delta Plusis a mutated form of the Deltavariant, first discovered inIndia. It is characterised byincreased transmissibility.

“Our research showed thatCovaxin could still neutraliseDelta, AY.1 and B.1.617.3 vari-

ants,” Dr Samiran Panda, headof epidemiology and commu-nicable diseases, ICMR,according to reports.

The new ICMR-NationalInstitute of Virology study —‘Comparable neutralization ofSARS-CoV-2 Delta AY.1 andDelta in individuals sera vac-cinated with BBV152’ — pub-lished as a pre-print on bioRxiv,said that Sera of vaccinesamong Covid naïve, recoveredcases with full vaccination andbreakthrough cases demon-strated 1.3, 2.5 and 1.9-foldreduction against Delta variantin comparison to B.1 variantrespectively.

Lead author of the study,Dr Pragya Yadav said a minorreduction was observed in theneutralising antibody titer inCovid- 19 recovered cases, fully vacci-nated and post immunisedinfected cases as compared toCovid-19 naive vaccinated

individuals.“However, with the

observed high titers, the sera ofindividuals belonging to allthe groups in the study wouldstill neutralise the Delta, DeltaAY.1 and B.1.617.3 variantseffectively,” Dr Yadav said.

In July, the Hyderabad-based company released datafrom the final analysis ofCovaxin and said that itdemonstrated overall efficacyof 77.8 per cent against symp-tomatic infection. It also saidthat Covaxin has now receivedemergency use authorisations(EUAs) in 16 countries includ-ing, India, Philippines, Iran,Mexico, with EUAs in processin 50 countries worldwide.

In another development,Bharat Biotech said thatRotavac 5D, a variant of itsRotavac vaccine, has received“Prequalification” from theWorld Health Organisation(WHO).

����� �62�76'8�

Parliament on Mondaypassed the Inland Vessels

Bill, 2021, with the Rajya Sabhapassing it by voice vote amidstprotests and sloganeering bythe Opposition. The Lok Sabhahad already passed the Bill onJuly 29, 2021.

Ports, Shipping andWaterways MinisterSarbananda Sonowal movedthe Inland Vessels Bill, 2021 forconsideration and passing. TheBill aims to bring uniformity inthe application of the law relat-ing to inland waterways andnavigation within the country.

The Minister of TribalAffairs also introduced theConstitution (ScheduledTribes) Order (Amendment)Bill, 2021 in Rajya Sabha amidthe din.

During the debate on theInland Vessels Bill, certainOpposition members, whowere in the well of the House,yet again tore papers and flungthose in the air just like they dida couple of days ago.

��*�1� �22��*� �.����(���� ��!�- ���� ��%/ ��!��

� ���� ��� ��E���9�����,>,+

strength of character.He then initiated action to

ensure that the military was notdragged into the political sphere,despite Trump having appoint-ed his own lackeys to key posi-tions within the Pentagon. If theauthors are to be believed, hewent so far as to compareTrump to Hitler and refer to theJanuary 6 insurrection as the“Reichstag Moment” for theUS. On Trump’s attempts tocling to power through force, hereportedly told his colleagues inthe Joint Chiefs: “They may try,but they’re not going tof@@###g succeed…You can’t dothis without the military. Youcan’t do this without the CIAand the FBI. We’re the ones withthe guns.”

His actions have lessons thatour military leadership woulddo well to imbibe. It is incon-ceivable that our senior militaryhierarchy can, or ever will,adopt such a confrontationalattitude towards the leadershipof a democratically electedGovernment, whatever be theprovocation, or however uncon-stitutional be their actions. Thealoofness displayed by the mil-itary during the 1977Emergency is a case in point.True, there have been the likesof General Thimmayya, Field

Marshal Manekshaw and a fewmore of that vintage who havedisplayed spine and opposedGovernment directions, butthese have been few and farbetween, and restricted only toprofessional matters within theirpurview. Moreover, till recent-ly, the military’s senior leader-ship has been quite circumspectin ensuring that its actions werecompletely unbiased, apoliti-cal, secular and within constitu-tional parameters. In fact, it wastheir adherence to such behav-iour that made the military themost popular and respectedinstitution within the country.

Unfortunately, while thebulk of our military remainsapolitical and secular, theactions and public statementsof the Chief of Defence Staff,General Bipin Rawat, havecreated perceptions that themilitary’s senior leadershiphas become excessively politi-cised. Then there is the factthat some very senior officershave taken the plunge intoactive politics immediately onshedding their uniform.

While some within theruling elite may see this turnof events as advantageous totheir ideological cause, and infact encourage this shift with-in the military hierarchy

through the process of “deepselection”, as some allege, theymay well be biting off morethan they can chew. If there isanything to learn from histo-ry, it is that once the militarygets sucked into politics, it willnot be satisfied acting as amere handmaiden of those inpower. As General Milley soeloquently put it, they are theones with the guns! We justneed to look closely at our ownneighbourhood for examples.

It would be in the interestof the political establishmentto desist from politicising themilitary. Creating an uncon-trollable monster, that will goon to bite the hand that feedsit, is nothing but sheer stupid-ity. The Government and thelegislative would do well to putrules in place that preventmembers of the military andeven the Civil Services fromjoining politics without anappropriate cooling- off peri-od. That would go a long wayin insulating them, especiallythe military, from politics.

(The writer is a militaryveteran, who is a Visiting Fellowwith the Observer ResearchFoundation and Senior VisitingFellow with The PeninsulaFoundation, Chennai. Theviews expressed are personal.)

������������������ �����������Sir — Nowadays, we often hear about thenortheastern people being harassed inthe national Capital. These unfortunateincidents pain me somewhere because Ihave always regarded Delhi as my sec-ond home. I was there for the most partof my early childhood, from 1994 to1999. Since my father used to travel fre-quently, my mother and I were in a quar-ter which we can term “Mini India” asthere were people from various States.

We used to exchange our local foodwith their delicacies. The aunties would‘kidnap’ me to take me along on theirevening walks and sometimes tomandirs, gurudwaras and mosques. Mymother, who would go to the bazaarsalone, never faced any untoward inci-dent; in fact she was helped by peoplewith her bags. What has happened to theCapital now? Has it been hijacked byhooligans? Delhi earned the title of“Dilwalo ki Dilli” for a reason but suchincidents are bringing shame to it and tothe real ‘Dilwalas’ of Delhi. I urge theGovernment to be more strict on thisfront so that our northeastern peoplekeep feeling safe and loved, like my fam-ily did in the national Capital.

Noopur Baruah | Tezpur

���� ���������� �������������Sir — India will witness another alarm-ing rise in COVID-19 cases in the mid-dle of August with the third wave peak-ing, and nearly 1,50,000 infections a dayis the worst scenario. A study by a groupof researchers led by MathukumalliVidyasagar and Manindra Agrawal at theIndian Institute of Technology (IIT) inHyderabad and Kanpur predicts that ifthe third wave occurs, it will hit us some-time around the middle or end ofAugust and continue increasing tillOctober.

This peak can be of two types. If thevariant is more infectious, the peak canbe more like the first wave. If it is not thatinfectious, the cases will not be that high.India reported 40,134 new cases ofCOVID-19 and 422 deaths in the last 24

hours, as per the Government onMonday. The total number of cases cur-rently stands at 3,16,95,958 and the deathtoll at 4,24,773. The number of activecases in the country is 4,13,718. Less than50,000 daily new cases have been report-ed in 36 days, which is the result of sus-tained and collaborative efforts by theCentre, the States and UTs.

Bhagwan Thadani | Mumbai

�������������� ���Sir — After missing the glorious chanceof bagging the gold, Pusarla VenkataSindhu settled for the bronze medal witha clinical performance at TokyoOlympics 2020. PV Sindhu fixed her hair,shuffled her feet thrice, leaned forwardand muttered “come on” as she took upthe challenge and settled for a bronze.She took a deep breath before letting theshuttle sail over the net. The point endedwith a thunderous cross-court smash,and she let out a scream.

She had scaled the mountain ofexpectations, beating China’s He Bingjiao21-13, 21-15 to clinch the Olympicbronze medal. She is now the firstIndian woman to clinch back-to-backmedals at the Olympics. Sindhu had herChinese opponent scrambling aroundthe court and a couple of authoritativeshots put the Indian 11-8 ahead and shenever looked back.

In the end, Sindhu’s power andguile proved just too much. Bingjiaobegan to engage Sindhu in longer ralliesin the second game to control thetempo of the game, but the Indian wasprepared. She finished points early andderived great success from her ferociousforehand cross-court smashes. Thus,Sindhu cast her name in bronze in afierce battle for supremacy.

CK Subramaniam | Navi Mumbai

� � � � . � 0 � > � � � � � &

0001$!��*������&1 �'� �����!����C� �����������H B$��7 �����������H �� �� �����C� ���������C

����� !�"�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

�8

���������������� �<��''�(:'%>�%&��(?@!#��9A%!�

���"����������������������������������� ���� ���������������������������������������� �������������� ��� ��������� ���������

�$��.���% �%6�E&9'6$8&$� ���

.6�� ����'�$&�58�6�&�%85�%&��� ��6E6��2�''�&7 �$�.�%8�&

% �@� �$&$� �&'&$$�$�76�$ 2&�7.$86�'6&76�.8��� @&�76� %�&$�%&''5

6'6%$67# E6���6�$�28&$6E6��96�

$86��� E %&$� �� ��8 26E6�

��% �.$�$�$� �&'96�$86���&%$� �.

�� �/� 3 4� �(� 3/

2 ��� ��'4�

$���.� ������4�� � ����������������������,>�>>>� % E�7�+:� � �� � ���� �������������� �+�=�� !�������$�����������

���������������������������� ���������7��� � �� ��������������������.� ����5��������� ��� ��� � �������.� ���#�������0�% E�7� ������ ���� ���� �����)�� ��� ���� � �����������������������������$������4�� � 0���� ���� �������I?�++�� !��� �� ���������+>�;<������������������� ��� ������������������������������ �����������+<�JI;���I�:<������������������ ���������&� ��������������0�� � ������ ������+�I?����������4�� � 0��

>�?:�������������� ������������������ �����������$���.� ���� ������������!���������� � ��������"���������� ��������������������������� �� ������ �������������� ��� ���'�������� ������������#��0� "�%�������

&��"������������������������� ���������� ��% � � ������������.� ���� ������� 0� �� ���� �����������"���I+� ��I?� !���$���������� ��� ���������� ������ ���� ���� ����������4�� � ���+�?���������������� ��������� %�������� �� ���� ���� ��� ��� ����������� �� ���� ���� ��� �� � � ����� � ��"��������:�;J������������������� ��� ������������ ��4�� � 0�"�������������>�<:���������$������� �������)��������� � �� ��������� ������ �������������� ������������ ������ ����� ���������� ��������������� ������ ���� ���������.� ���������"��� �� ������������������ ��������"���������K��������� �� ����� �� ��������"���� � ��������� ���� � ������� ���������$���4�� � ���������% E�7�+:�� ������� �������������� ����������������

#(�;#:#&��#B#&�| ��������

������� !"#�$%#�&��'(�()(�*

��� '������ ���� �������0 ����

The former President of theUnited States, DonaldTrump, has always had thereputation of being a man

of questionable moral and ethicalintegrity with close connections tothe radical right. Yet, there werethose who voted for him in 2016because they genuinely believedthat he was the lesser of the twoevils, and strongly felt that only an“outsider” like him was capable ofdraining the “Washington Swamp”,a phrase alluding to the seeming-ly all-pervasive corruption sur-rounding the Washington powerelite. They would certainly havebeen disappointed by his insipidperformance as President, especial-ly the extent of his chicanery andselfishness. These have been laidbare in a recent book by twoPulitzer Prize-winning WashingtonPost journalists, investigative staffwriter Carol Leonnig and formerWhite House Bureau Chief PhilipRucker, on Trump’s final year inpower, titled “I Alone Can Fix It”.A fitting sequel, and as perceptiveand illuminating, is “A Very Stable Genius”.

One of the most fascinatingaspects of their latest book pertainsto the manner in which theChairman of the Joint Chiefs ofStaff, General Mark Milley,responded to President Trump’sbrazen attempts to overturn theelection results by peddling his “BigLie” that the elections had been“stolen” by the Democrats resort-ing to widespread fraud. Despite hislegal challenges being summarilydismissed, he continues to peddlethese allegations to this day. Therecan be little doubt that his incite-ment of his supporters culminat-ed in a violent but abortive attempton January 6 to disrupt proceed-ings at Capitol Hill to formalise theelection results.

Prior to this, one may recall,General Milley had been excoriat-ed by military veterans, politiciansand the media for having unwit-tingly dragged the military into pol-itics by being present, in uniform,at Trump’s infamous “Bible photoop” at the St John’s Church, imme-diately after peaceful protestors hadbeen forcefully evicted whiledemonstrating for racial equality.Indeed, that he then went on to ten-der a public apology for his errorof judgement speaks volumes of hisforthrightness, integrity and

���������� ����������������& ������������"����� "�����@��� � ���4E � ��� ��8�0�������� -� �. �� ���������G�� ��

�::#!����C���&�:'�(L�8�� � �9�" �. ��

2� ���������M$ ��� ������ �0N�� ��O�$����� ����������������������������������������

��������

�C@�#&�:'#&��(�:�;�&'L &�� ��#� �

2��������������������������� ������� �����"� ������� ����������� �������� � ������ ����� ������"��������������� ����P

�A'%(L�$�����.�����

$���93�0������ �� �������"��� �� ���������������� ������ �/� �������"�������������� ����������2������������

���D���&#�>(�:�;�&'L����� ��$� �!�� �

����"��������� �� ������ ������ ��������������� ������!��� ��� ��� �������������������

� ���� � ���&��� �� �

�&;�#&��%!�&�:��%AE�)�A%#A�L�.-������ ��-�

2������������ �������������������"�)�����������������������������+1'*-!45����466���� ����������������������!����������������� �3�������������2��������������76�666

���������� �����������"��#�������� �����48�"���������������!��������������������9��+���/������#����� �'��� ����������/�

:� 7676� ���� �� )��� ��� +1'*-!��� 2�����������������������������;������<,����/������22)��������3������������������������=����������������>2��������?�����!�����>2������������������������������� �!������������"���������������������� ��@���� ��"�������������������������45AB������������������"�)���%������������������������� �����������������������������������������������������������������������!����?�� �-�))������������������� �����������������������������,���������!

���������������������������������� �������������3������������ ������������ ����������������������������������

"�$����������������!��������������������������������:6���������)���%�������������� ��"�2����$�������/�����1�����������������%�������������4�666��������������������������������"����������������!������������������������������������������������������������������!�������"��"*������������������������������������������������B�666+1'*-!45�����������"��������������+1'*-�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������!������������������������������������������*��������9� ����������������������9����$������������� ������������������������� �������������'��� ��%��������������������������������������������$�������������������������������������������������$���������������������+1'*-����������������(���������)�����������C6�������������������������� ������������ �*�������������������������������������������������������������������������������

*�����*������������������������������������������#�������!�������$�����!3�����������*����2���$����������������������������������������������D�����������%��������2�����������������������(������"�������������

� *�������������������������������������� ���� �����������������#������������������������������������������*����������������������������������������������������������$�����!3������������������������E�������2���������������������������������*����� �����������������������"�������������������������������������� ����������������������������������*�����#����������+�����*���#�������%���� ���������������������+�����*����+����%�F����������������������������������*����������������������������������"�+����#�������G�������+�������;+#G+<���������������*������!

����� ���� ��� $�����!3�������� � ������ ��������H����������������������#�������!�������2��������������������E�������2��������������"�����������������������������I��� �����(����������I �����������������*�������������� #�������!������� 2������ ���� ��� ���+�������������������� �"���������������$�����!3��������;G�����������)��!$�������<1�����7665������������������������������ �������������������(�������������������+�������

"�������� #������������������������������������������������������������!

�������������������2������� �������$�����!3������������������������#�������!�������2�������*������������������������������������$�����!3������������������������������������������"������������ �������%�������!������������D�����������%�*���������������������������������������������#���/������(������/�����������������*�������-� ������764J�#������� �*�����#�������������������������455A�!����������������������������*�764B���3������#����������������������$�����!3�������������#�������%�����������������*�����$����������������+����%�����������������������������������,����� ���9�����������������$��������$�������������������������������������*�����1��������+#G+���������������+�����"����������+����%�KAJ�������+#G+����������������������������������������� ����$��������F����������$�������������+����%������������!����$�����!3��������������������,����L)������G����#������������������������������������� ����������������������������+���������+������� �"����������������������������*����%����������������E�������2��������������������������������+����%��������$������#��������������������������������*����%����������

��%�������

����;�������������( ��� ����� �' ����(������ ���(�� ���:!#.(���� � ���,�����������'���� �������� ���9������

������

&����������&���������1�1������������������������������;����� &$�

!�������!�������� �� ������� ����� ����� ���� ���� ���''��� ����(�5�� .3�� � ��

�������(�����;���� �� ������

������������2�������6���������=�����*�����$��������2������������69������������

��*��$�������������������������9F����������������

��8�����**�����G��

��������������������������������������������������*��������������������������������������9�������������$�������������$�HF��������������������8��=���8����

Since last year, there have been sev-eral announcements regarding thereformation of power distributioncompanies (discoms). They include

the Electricity (Amendment) Act,2020,Reforms-Linked, Result-BasedScheme for Distribution (RLRBSD), and aspecial loan of �90,000 crore(subsequent-ly raised to �130,000 crore)to discomsin2020, and the new draft National ElectricityPolicy, 2021.

The key reform measures included (i)developing an efficient market for electric-ity distribution; (ii) de-license the distrib-ution business, bring in competition, andgive the consumer power to choose sup-plier (or “open access”); (iii) direct bene-fit transfer (DBT) of subsidy; (iv) puttinga cap on the hike in power tariff; (v) link-ing payments by discoms to letter of cred-it (LoC); (vi) denying grants or loan to loss-making discoms, etc.

An overwhelming share of powergenerated by PSUs such as the NationalThermal Power Corporation (NTPC),etc., independent power producers (IPPs),besides generating stations of State electric-ity boards (SEBs) is procured by discoms(these are mostly owned and controlled byState governments) under power pur-chase agreements (PPA). Most of thesePPAs are long-term contracts up to 25years. A mere five per cent of the electric-ity is traded.

The State governments order discomsto sell electricity to some preferred con-sumers, viz., poor households and farmers,either at a fraction of the cost of purchase,transmission, and distribution, or even free.On the units sold to these groups, theyincur colossal under-recovery. This isaggravated by aggregate technical andcommercial (AT&C) losses - most of it isplain theft. In flated tariff allowed toIPPs/PSUs under a cost-plus formula(under the PPAs) adds to the revenue short-fall.

A deadly cocktail of these three factorscontributes to persistent and increasinglosses of discoms. In 2015-16 it was�52,000 crore, Ts. 17,000 in2017-18 (thisreduction has to do with a massive bail-outgiven in November 2015 under UjwalDiscom Assurance Yojana), �30,000 crorein 2019-20, and �58,000 crore in 2020-21.

In this backdrop, let us analyze thereform measures: (i) A pre-requisite for thedevelopment of an efficient market for elec-tricity distribution is that a major chunk ofpower should be available for sale in theopen market. But, with 95 per cent of elec-tricity tied to PPAs, that too long-term, thisis unthinkable.

About (ii), considering that the entiredistribution network — transmission lines,feeder lines, transformers (that caters tohouseholds), industries, etc. — is ownedand controlled by discoms, any talk of let-ting in private entities is a misnomer.

As for ‘open access’, a provision wasmade even under the amended ElectricityAct (2003). Under this policy, to be imple-

/����'������(���'������� �������� ��������������� �����7��� ������� ���������� �������(������'����<(��������� ���������� ����' ��� ��

95�@�Q��#�$86.��%8&�#6�&$�&8�#8�'6E6'�&�7� $�9 $86���#$ ��67�%6��$�M&.��&�7&$67

��76��$86�&%$N�$86�.$&$6

# E6���6�$.6�.��67�$8&$� .$�.2�$%8�$86�6@@6%$�E6

% .$� @�� 26�$ �$86

% �.��6��L$&��@@�%8&�#67

95�$86��62.���'�6���'�.

&%�L��.�8�#86�$8&��28&$�$865

�&5�$ �.69.�$8&$��6�76�67

$86�.2�$%8��6% � ��%&'

"������������ �������������������������������!����� ��������������������������+1'*-!45�����!���"������������������� ������������������!

�������������������������������������������*���������� �������������������������������������������������� �� �� �� �� ��������� �������� ��������� ������� ������ ���������������J6�����������������������������������������������56��������������������������������������������������������������-���!����($1�+����@���*������� ������ ��JA���������������������*���������!������������������������������������@�������������������������������������� ��������������������������������#����� �������������������������������������������������(����� ��������������������������� �!��������������������������������������������"��

��������� ������������ ��������������������������� ������������������)��������F�F*���F**���������������������������� ���������������@������������������������������������������������������������������� �� �#������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������1��������� ����������H>*����� �� �� �������������� *����������������� ��������*����������� ��� ���� �������%��������?#��������������������������� ����+1'*-!45������������������������� �� �������� ������ .���������� � �� �� ���� ���� �������������������������� �������������%�������@������!���������������������������� ������������� �������!���������������%��� ��������1����������������������������������������������"��������������������������!���������������������������������

0���� /�����/���3/�� ��������������� ���������������� �����7676!74�)����������������������!� ������������@�����������������������������������46�� ������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����*����������������������C!46������������������������4:��������������������������������������MG������������������������������������������������������������� �*���������������������������������������������������������������������*���������������������������������������������������������������"��������� ��������� ������������������������������������������������������"��������������������������� ���������������� ��)����+����%��������"������� ��������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������"��������������������������������������������!��������������9������������������������������������������������������������������9� ����������!���%���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������!���� ������������������������������� �������������!������������������������������ ��������

������������������������������������������������������������������������ �����������������!

Thirty years and India isstill waiting for thedream to become real.

The liberalization of the econ-omy in 1991 is erroneouslytaken as being limited todivesting government assetsand holdings in industry.

Liberalisation was not avoluntary decision but wasnudged by major lenders, theIMF and World Bank, whothreatened to stop lendingwithout a firm commitment to“reforms”. The country wentthrough a foreign exchange cri-sis in the late 1980s and 1990sand family jewels were pawnedbecause forex reserves plungedto unexpected lows. In July1991, the RBI pledged 46.91tonnes of gold with the Bankof England and Bank of Japanto raise $400 million to meet itsinternational obligations. The

reforms that meant losing gov-ernment assets to the privatesector started with a “bang” butdid not bring the private sec-tor to par with the government.The reforms initiated by thethen finance minister,Manmohan Singh, were not aroaring success but a piece ofconfusing policy that hasdumped subsequent govern-ments into a policy quagmire.

While liberalizing the soci-ety from licence-permit rajwas welcomed, the process ofdoing so gradually becamecomplicated. Changes weremade in industrial policy,monopolies law was annulled,import licensing was abol-ished, India joined WTO andTRIPS, quantitative restric-tions on import of manufac-tured goods and farm productswere removed, and current

account convertibility wasintroduced, business process-es were eased, and the GST wasintroduced.

But disinvestment of pub-lic assets caught all attention.Every government took pridein selling assets or being seendoing that. Still, the private sec-tor is suspect in the eyes of thebureaucracy.

It is still a mystery why apartial opening up was consid-ered revolutionary. India isstill not free of its socialist

mindset and a preference forgovernment control on thepretext of “concern for people’swelfare”.

The “reforms” worked abit. But the pandemic impov-erished 80 crore people.Growing joblessness duringthe lockdown pushed themiddle class to the edge ofpoverty. This is reflected inthe slow growth of the GDP.In 2020-21, India’s economicgrowth slowed and contract-ed by 7.3 per cent, theNCAER says.

Liberalisation in 1991 wasfollowed by a series of �7 lakhcore scams - Harshad Mehtato Ketan Parekh, UTI, LIC(about �2 lakh crore), and aseries of banks, leading to aJPC probe. The top scams arecoal allocation (�1.86 tril-lion), 2G spectrum (�1.76

lakh crore), Waqf Board land(�1.5 lakh crore),Commonwealth Games(�70,000 crore), Telgi stamp(�20,000 crore), Satyam(�14,000 crore), and Hawalascandal (�100 crore).

Scams of such magnitudehad never happened sinceIndependence. Every divest-ment deal was also ques-tioned. While the large privatehouses acquired these assetswith loans from public sectorbanks, it also opened up an eraof high bank losses (NPAs)particularly after the Lehmanmeltdown in 2007-08. TheRBI Financial Stability Report(FSR) says despite banks writ-ing off �23,786 crore loans in2019-20, enabling the PSUbanks to show lower NPAs,banks could go into severestress as it fears the NPAs may

escalate to 16.2 per cent bySeptember 2021 as borrowersare saddled with unpaid dues.

Repeated reorganizationand mergers of banks have notboosted confidence. The lat-est move to sell four majorbanks and LIC is not beingseen as a happy event. Manybuyers could be from the listof 50 major defaulters.

Since 1991, governmentassets worth �3.63 lakh crorewere divested. During 2014-19, �2.79 lakh crore worthasserts were disinvested. Thetarget set for 2020-21 is �2.1lakh crore. The moneyreceived is adjusted in bud-getary expenditure and is notknown to have been used forbuilding assets.

In 2016, demonetizationshook the economy. The cashflow was severely hit, affecting

sales of goods and commodi-ties. People’s purchasing powercollapsed, delaying the post-pandemic industrial, real estate,and market recovery. It mightlead to years of moderate toslow post-pandemic growthand that means a severeresource crunch. Thirty yearssince the reforms, the powersector is in a mess again andagriculture remains the main-stay of the economy.

Have we made progress?Prime Minister Narendra Modisays his government is workingfor a targeted $5-trillion econ-omy. But former PMManmohan Singh says thatthe future economic path istougher than in 1991. Eitherway, the country must bite thereforms bullet and recast itspolicies keeping in mindgrowth in the next 30 years.

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

����� !�"�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

�90001$!��*������&1 �' � �����!����C� �����������H B$��7 �����������H �� �� �����C� ���������C

���� �������?���& ��� �@��������� ���; 9

���� ��������

(The writer is a policyanalyst. The views

expressed are personal.)

8�� ���������� ����=��(���%��� � ��������

)3���4����/:�/

(The writer is a senior journalist. The views

expressed are personal.)

)3(53���/� 4�

mented within five years of itsenactment, i.e., by 2008, the choicewas given to the bulk consumers(having consumption more than 1megawatt) to choose their supplier.But another provision in the Actrequired such customers to pay an‘open access surcharge (OAC)’ to theconcerned SEB they wanted toleave.

State governments used thislacuna to the hiltto shield the SEBswho are prone to charging exorbi-tant tariffs from industries. By fix-ing the surcharge at a high level andnot bothering to reduce it (as man-dated under the Act), they ensuredthat post-switch, the effective costof power to the consumer — tariffcharged by the new supplier plusOAC — is higher than what theypay to SEBs. That rendered theswitch uneconomical.

They have not even spared theRailways which spends over �12,000crore annually on the purchase ofelectricity. Under the Railways Act,it is allowed to distribute and sup-ply power and is a “deemed” licenseeas it is buying electricity for its con-sumption and is exempt from pay-ment of the surcharge. Yet, it has topay OAC as States will not give’NOC’ - a requirement for availingexemption.

Coming to (iii), under DBT, theState Government gives subsidiesdirectly to the target beneficiaries,even as discoms fix tariff in a man-ner as to fully recover their cost ofpurchase, wheeling, and distribu-tion, thereby avoiding any under-recovery on such sale. They alsoneed not charge more from indus-triesand businesses which they have

to do under the present regime tocross-subsidize supplies to pre-ferred users. With direct cash trans-fer, discoms can be freed from statecontrol which will help them reducecosts including by reining in theft.Under this regime, it will also be eas-ier to implement “open access”.

Despite these positive spin-offs, the Union Government has notshown the gumption to imple-ment the DBT. In fact, followingstrong protests from farmers’ lead-ers on its inclusion under theElectricity (Amendment) Act, 2020,it has even promised that the sta-tus quo will continue. If the exist-ing system of supplies at heavilysubsidized tariff or even withoutcharge to farmers has to continue,then, logically, the same shouldapply on supplies to householdsasyou cannot have two differentmethods of delivering subsidy todifferent sections of the society. So,there is no hope of the DBT everseeing light of the day.

As for (iv), discoms can recov-er only up to 15 per cent of under-recovered power supply cost fromother consumers. Simply put, if theirunder-recovery from supplies tofarmers/households is say, ‘X’, thenthey will be allowed to recover only0.15X by hiking tariff on supplies toindustries and businesses.This willend up further bloating the lossesof discoms (though industries willface a modest hike in tariff vis-à-visthe existing scenario of no cap). Butthis will not prompt them to settheir house in order all the morewhen they know that eventually, theGovernment will bail them out.

As for (v), under the LC

arrangement, the banks guaranteethat a buyer’s payment to a seller willbe received on time and for the cor-rect amount. If the buyer is unableto pay, the bank will be required tocover the full or remaining amount,which, in turn, it will recover fromthe buyer using all available legalmeans. Here, the buyer being thediscom - owned by the State -it willbe a daunting challenge for thebank.As for (vi), denial of loan toloss-making discoms will not makethem feel the heatas experienceshows that help reaches them byhook or crook.

To conclude, measures such asthose mentioned under (iv), (v), and(vi) are merely cosmetic while thepolitical brass does not have thegumption to act on other measures—as discussed under (i), (ii), and(iii) — which are real reforms. Thisis because it will requirethe unshack-ling of discoms and that will takeaway the leverage that all partiescurrently enjoy to serve their pop-ulist goal of giving cheap/free elec-tricity to the people who matter atelection time. No wonder that wehear proclamations about reformsonly to justify mammoth capitalinfusion whenever discoms needsalvaging.

Under UDAY (2015), discomswere givena package worth�400,000 crore but are still saddledwith under-recovery of �0.42 onevery unit of electricity sold and adebt of about �450,000 crore as onMarch 31, 2021.Under RLRBSD, thegovernment will be spendinganotherRs 300,000 crore but with nohope of trimming under-recovery.The vicious cycle will continue.

(���)�� �

$������������ ����� �� ������������� �!����� ��� ����� �"������!�"������� �

����� 10����� !�"�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

Script Open High Low LTPGRANULES 382.00 390.80 378.50 383.20TATAPOWER 126.70 133.95 125.50 133.45RELIANCE 2047.20 2079.00 2041.00 2071.50TATASTEEL 1448.90 1448.90 1405.90 1409.95IRCTC 2474.00 2512.00 2423.00 2468.35CHOLAFIN 475.90 528.80 470.00 526.35SUNPHARMA 781.00 799.60 764.00 774.45SBIN 435.40 436.60 431.85 434.85IDEA 8.33 8.54 8.20 8.25TCS 3173.55 3224.65 3166.05 3217.90BHEL 57.70 61.30 57.20 59.85DLF 340.50 354.75 337.90 351.80BAJFINANCE 6270.00 6278.80 6170.75 6198.95ADANIENT 1435.55 1444.00 1424.00 1437.25SRF 8660.00 9072.00 8649.95 9018.00IBULHSGFIN 278.45 291.50 276.55 286.80ESCORTS 1178.25 1204.00 1158.00 1200.15VEDL 304.00 319.45 300.20 313.10ADANIPORTS 683.00 695.00 678.00 692.05BHARTIARTL 565.05 570.00 559.65 565.05SAIL 143.30 143.50 139.00 139.45BANDHANBNK 292.50 307.70 292.50 299.60AUBANK 1230.00 1231.55 1207.75 1220.30PEL 2348.00 2500.05 2337.95 2480.15HDFC 2461.00 2487.55 2425.40 2462.30CONCOR 657.60 696.00 654.40 691.20GUJGAS 721.00 760.65 720.70 754.65CIPLA 925.95 933.05 913.50 921.80AXISBANK 714.20 725.50 712.55 720.95BRITANNIA 3432.50 3540.00 3432.50 3503.75TATAMOTORS 300.40 300.40 295.55 296.80PIIND 2980.00 3355.00 2962.00 3318.90

JSWSTEEL 743.90 751.30 733.35 746.60ASIANPAINT 2968.65 2987.95 2961.00 2979.00HCLTECH 1035.00 1038.85 1023.10 1035.25SRTRANSFIN 1390.00 1428.55 1336.60 1375.95INDUSTOWER 225.90 225.90 220.25 223.30DRREDDY 4717.00 4749.75 4687.35 4701.80JINDALSTEL 435.05 435.05 423.00 424.45TRIDENT 21.35 21.65 19.85 20.30CAMS 3351.00 3525.00 3348.85 3495.05CANBK 153.95 157.70 153.95 155.60INFY* 1620.00 1634.90 1620.00 1631.35HDFCBANK 1437.80 1437.80 1416.25 1422.75ICICIBANK 682.70 688.00 677.70 681.55IBREALEST 153.65 162.90 151.20 157.55IDFCFIRSTB 48.65 52.05 48.60 51.85ITC 206.10 207.45 205.55 207.25GODREJPROP 1605.00 1675.00 1603.00 1657.45MOTHERSUMI 237.95 237.95 231.80 234.50KOTAKBANK 1666.00 1676.95 1657.65 1664.55ALLCARGO 201.90 216.80 195.50 212.55ATUL 9071.00 9144.25 9071.00 9102.00BAJAJFINSV 14450.00 14450.00 14090.00 14124.75BPCL 447.10 459.45 446.50 457.85OBEROIRLTY 673.15 754.10 673.15 740.15UPL 812.00 812.00 785.60 791.00PVR 1409.05 1437.75 1391.05 1418.05DEEPAKNI 2069.80 2093.30 2035.80 2061.40ASHOKLEY 135.00 137.30 133.85 134.75HEG 2270.55 2382.70 2270.55 2346.15GRASIM 1571.50 1614.35 1559.95 1591.55NMDC 182.65 183.30 177.20 180.00M&MFIN 151.65 152.60 149.50 151.25NAUKRI 5225.00 5346.00 5199.05 5297.90HAPPSTMNDS 1375.00 1389.40 1358.80 1369.95CENTURYTEX 807.95 833.35 795.60 822.25HAVELLS 1177.00 1204.50 1176.90 1185.95HINDALCO 444.90 452.15 442.85 445.10AVANTI 635.30 673.00 632.65 644.00JUSTDIAL 981.00 981.00 962.35 965.50SPARC 269.90 282.95 262.60 280.50MOTILALOFS 940.00 968.00 928.95 934.60PNB 39.90 40.95 39.65 40.70BALKRISIND 2400.00 2526.90 2390.00 2480.00GRAPHITE 708.20 732.55 706.90 721.90NATIONALUM 95.00 96.00 94.00 94.95MARUTI 7066.20 7105.30 7030.05 7075.30GMRINFRA 28.60 29.35 28.45 28.95IOC 104.95 105.80 103.60 105.50POWERGRID 172.00 172.00 169.45 170.90SIS 485.00 501.60 485.00 493.25EICHERMOT 2550.00 2613.90 2541.10 2602.35LAURUSLABS 650.00 663.85 648.00 654.00WIPRO 588.50 595.20 582.30 591.85RAMCOCEM 1097.55 1099.15 1080.00 1095.55TITAN 1735.00 1775.00 1726.25 1770.25TATACHEM 770.00 780.80 767.95 774.50NAVINFLUOR 3650.00 3725.00 3611.05 3695.00VOLTAS 1069.95 1079.50 1050.45 1053.35LALPATHLAB 3607.05 3773.35 3573.45 3716.00

KEI 730.00 754.45 716.55 750.55TRENT 925.00 968.35 924.30 960.00KNRCON 279.40 279.40 268.60 271.80M&M 751.00 759.35 744.40 757.85SUNTECK 372.60 408.95 372.60 400.40EMAMILTD 568.00 579.00 555.90 571.85RECLTD 152.00 157.15 151.40 156.50HINDUNILVR 2334.00 2353.45 2325.00 2332.35BLISSGVS 120.10 128.40 115.45 126.80EDELWEISS 93.00 96.30 93.00 96.20TATACONSUM 763.00 770.95 756.85 759.25LICHSGFIN 416.70 416.70 406.20 407.75CHAMBLFERT 310.45 313.50 307.40 310.10HINDPETRO 261.35 274.00 261.35 272.85COLPAL 1714.90 1715.35 1676.00 1677.95APLAPOLLO 1775.00 1786.00 1760.95 1781.75ASTRAL 2085.00 2240.00 2075.00 2178.95INDUSINDBK 985.00 996.95 985.00 987.95CARBORUNIV 675.50 748.00 675.50 707.20TECHM 1218.00 1218.00 1195.95 1211.00SOBHA 605.00 652.10 601.30 639.35PETRONET 219.95 221.00 218.15 219.75RAIN 270.00 272.90 251.60 255.20MAHLOG 745.00 818.00 727.90 801.35LTI 4700.05 4774.95 4686.00 4700.65ABBOTINDIA 19199.00 19983.70 18984.55 19748.15GLENMARK 617.00 618.00 602.00 605.85AARTIIND 944.50 965.00 930.25 948.10BANKBARODA 80.80 81.75 80.35 80.65SUNTV 580.05 586.40 565.20 572.15AMARAJABAT 722.90 727.45 717.25 720.20HDFCLIFE 665.25 671.35 665.25 670.25ADANIPOWER 97.00 98.00 92.35 92.85APOLLOTYRE 223.05 229.65 223.05 228.50JSLHISAR 296.00 298.50 289.25 290.85SBILIFE 1099.70 1128.60 1099.70 1106.35ROUTE 2084.00 2094.10 2039.70 2050.00KPITTECH 282.05 301.30 282.05 296.20FSL 198.40 201.05 196.00 198.70SIEMENS 1948.05 1980.00 1948.05 1977.05BATAINDIA 1632.00 1699.00 1623.85 1683.85VBL 775.00 807.95 761.75 789.20MANAPPURAM 208.40 215.05 207.55 212.90HFCL 76.15 77.00 74.00 74.20SUZLON 6.27 6.58 6.25 6.58HEROMOTOCO 2766.00 2795.05 2764.15 2782.15BURGERKING 182.80 189.95 181.00 185.75PFC 131.70 134.00 130.25 133.60COROMANDEL 918.30 929.15 905.40 912.40BIOCON 386.55 391.70 385.25 390.00JKTYRE 152.00 152.00 145.35 146.40MUTHOOTFIN 1576.00 1595.30 1557.05 1584.25PRESTIGE 356.15 369.10 342.80 365.10CADILAHC 590.00 593.30 585.00 591.70RBLBANK 194.70 195.65 192.05 194.45ADVENZYMES 399.45 427.50 399.45 425.05DABUR 603.50 608.90 594.65 599.20BAJAJ-AUTO 3853.00 3870.00 3813.70 3840.65POLYCAB 1888.30 1888.30 1837.00 1865.25LT 1614.85 1618.00 1602.85 1613.70ISEC 731.40 763.15 730.40 743.00ABFRL 225.35 229.40 221.70 224.10SHREECEM 28463.85 29351.00 28330.75 29317.95TATACOFFEE 215.00 215.65 210.40 211.70ZEEL 205.00 205.00 201.75 202.60BEL 184.75 186.95 183.50 183.80METROPOLIS 2865.00 2987.00 2859.85 2888.00NTPC 119.00 119.00 117.00 117.80JINDALSAW 140.60 144.70 136.65 138.60ONGC 115.25 117.45 114.90 117.15KRBL 275.05 280.05 273.00 275.45ULTRACEMCO 7623.00 7717.35 7623.00 7660.00HINDCOPPER 156.00 157.35 152.20 153.00KSCL 715.05 775.00 715.05 760.70INTELLECT 753.20 759.50 732.65 737.70HDFCAMC 2880.00 2889.95 2835.00 2870.30NOCIL 264.80 275.60 258.95 271.85COFORGE 5088.00 5187.00 5088.00 5149.00LUPIN 1124.95 1126.70 1111.30 1125.00GAIL 141.35 143.20 139.50 142.90CRISIL 2787.65 3020.00 2787.65 2994.65JUBLFOOD 3790.00 3790.00 3725.00 3734.05MRF 80874.95 81300.00 80188.30 80499.95FEDERALBNK 87.65 88.05 86.30 86.55APLLTD 795.00 795.00 777.75 782.00LTTS 3744.00 3759.90 3638.10 3670.90TVSMOTOR 585.00 586.60 570.05 571.85MARICO 550.00 552.20 533.00 536.50PHILIPCARB 277.00 278.65 268.90 274.85L&TFH 89.70 90.25 88.55 89.95AUROPHARMA 916.30 924.70 912.60 918.00GSFC 124.00 126.55 123.15 124.10INDIACEM 193.00 198.15 191.85 193.50BALRAMCHIN 385.00 385.00 365.05 367.60GUJALKALI 481.00 494.95 478.25 487.85TATACOMM 1449.00 1488.95 1437.80 1479.65MINDTREE 2895.00 2902.80 2850.95 2888.60JKPAPER 264.90 269.85 256.30 261.00MAXHEALTH 301.10 305.50 293.00 295.10UFLEX 532.00 564.00 532.00 551.00CANFINHOME 541.25 565.00 541.25 554.00DEEPAKFERT 453.65 453.65 435.00 446.95GODREJAGRO 701.95 721.00 691.00 694.20DIVISLAB 4919.00 4962.10 4897.80 4928.00EXIDEIND 179.95 180.30 175.65 176.00GODREJCP 987.90 1007.40 987.90 991.65ALKEM 3479.20 3500.00 3430.00 3475.00ABCAPITAL 116.00 120.80 115.85 119.10

OFSS 4380.00 4380.00 4259.00 4288.75DALBHARAT 2165.90 2179.00 2064.40 2139.05ROSSARI 1299.00 1308.95 1241.70 1289.55DELTACORP 183.50 184.50 179.00 179.60APOLLOHOSP 4229.50 4229.50 4037.60 4049.00SANOFI 8400.00 8740.00 8400.00 8546.00GLAND 3948.45 4008.05 3889.30 3930.00RCF 84.90 85.50 83.80 84.95TORNTPOWER 463.90 468.65 453.20 467.40ORIENTCEM 162.45 163.35 159.80 162.25AARTIDRUGS 668.65 674.30 661.30 669.95GMM 4668.00 4859.90 4601.85 4807.75AMBUJACEM 411.05 419.50 410.75 418.30BOSCHLTD 15190.00 15335.85 15002.55 15272.00SEQUENT 298.90 298.90 285.75 288.65MPHASIS 2637.85 2644.50 2602.40 2628.05IGL 560.00 561.75 551.75 557.70JAICORPLTD 154.00 156.60 152.75 153.80SWSOLAR 289.35 293.20 285.75 288.75FINOLEXIND 180.00 180.00 173.60 176.00BHARATFORG 771.80 786.85 771.05 784.10BANKINDIA 75.95 76.20 73.75 74.20NBCC 51.55 51.75 50.55 50.70INFIBEAM 44.55 45.45 43.90 44.15ZENSARTECH 418.10 421.00 407.25 410.10IRB 167.00 167.00 162.70 163.10J&KBANK 38.15 39.85 38.15 38.90SBICARD 1039.00 1044.95 1030.70 1040.40CGCL 533.15 547.00 530.00 547.00MFSL 1122.05 1129.80 1099.55 1107.75SHILPAMED 639.90 653.00 635.60 645.00VENKYS 3092.00 3228.25 3092.00 3165.00ACC 2394.00 2429.60 2382.25 2425.40PAGEIND 31600.00 32521.15 31600.00 32521.15REDINGTON 334.00 334.80 327.20 330.70QUESS 872.00 894.20 871.90 880.65INDOCO 455.00 484.95 452.00 473.00MGL 1171.45 1188.50 1170.70 1183.90INDHOTEL 145.00 148.30 144.75 147.40IOLCP 680.00 682.00 667.00 671.35JKLAKSHMI 699.00 700.45 675.70 679.95HSCL 52.00 52.45 51.25 51.55STLTECH 290.05 303.80 290.05 301.50NCC 88.70 89.40 86.40 86.70NESTLEIND 17703.05 17900.00 17675.05 17709.05BALAMINES 3320.00 3344.00 3241.05 3320.00BSOFT 405.90 405.90 396.30 397.00RHIM 351.25 375.00 351.25 367.55DIXON 4335.00 4365.00 4310.00 4357.90INDIGO 1666.90 1672.60 1651.70 1663.95AEGISLOG 321.25 321.90 303.60 307.50IDFC 56.10 57.70 55.65 57.35GREAVESCOT 163.00 165.90 161.15 163.95UTIAMC 1044.25 1061.00 1012.35 1051.60AFFLE 4220.00 4350.00 4193.00 4252.60JSWENERGY 257.50 257.50 238.80 243.90PFIZER 5880.80 5967.00 5880.80 5960.00VTL 1904.05 1938.90 1858.55 1869.75NAM-INDIA 404.60 405.15 398.00 400.15RVNL 30.00 30.35 29.70 29.95COALINDIA 144.80 145.00 143.10 143.85CENTRALBK 24.50 24.65 23.40 23.75ICICIPRULI 636.60 644.70 631.45 635.35HINDZINC 322.00 327.65 322.00 324.05IEX 436.70 440.75 430.15 432.25PIDILITIND 2283.90 2299.05 2256.50 2263.50IOB 24.75 24.80 23.60 24.05CCL 442.75 442.75 426.30 428.65JSL 164.00 164.30 156.30 158.50SWANENERGY 150.00 152.75 143.40 145.05LAOPALA 281.00 295.95 277.90 289.00ICICIGI 1484.70 1487.95 1445.90 1458.00CROMPTON 485.10 495.55 483.85 489.90IDBI 38.00 38.30 37.70 37.80MMTC 50.65 51.35 49.30 49.50IRCON 44.90 46.15 44.45 44.90SPICEJET 75.95 75.95 74.60 75.00GSPL 348.90 350.80 343.00 344.80SOUTHBANK 10.77 10.97 10.71 10.73VINATIORGA 2005.50 2017.40 1918.55 1936.95ADANIGREEN 888.20 920.00 875.00 883.45ORIENTELEC 322.70 328.95 317.30 319.40SCHNEIDER 142.70 146.05 137.30 138.80TORNTPHARM 3074.80 3106.00 3059.00 3082.00AMBER 2985.00 3054.45 2985.00 3020.00PERSISTENT 3105.00 3190.05 3105.00 3133.90JMFINANCIL 107.95 107.95 102.00 102.35UNIONBANK 37.20 37.45 36.70 36.80CUB 150.65 153.95 150.65 151.95DMART 3535.00 3535.00 3488.00 3500.90TATAMETALI 1349.00 1349.00 1316.15 1338.95HATHWAY 26.05 27.20 25.80 27.00CAPPL 885.00 918.00 885.00 895.60WOCKPHARMA 535.95 535.95 525.50 528.30AAVAS 2588.40 2588.40 2445.00 2469.75ABB 1692.50 1730.85 1661.35 1681.70TATAELXSI 4289.80 4289.80 4215.30 4231.00PHOENIXLTD 875.05 918.35 874.10 891.65FORCEMOT 1527.00 1566.10 1503.00 1514.00EIDPARRY 436.55 440.35 427.80 429.15BRIGADE 322.80 342.00 320.85 334.25RAJESHEXPO 628.70 628.70 611.80 615.25HAL 1120.00 1123.10 1095.00 1098.75ERIS 792.00 802.00 765.00 768.00FRETAIL 62.30 62.80 60.00 62.30CEATLTD 1370.00 1380.00 1364.10 1368.00MAHLIFE 762.65 814.30 762.65 803.00INDIAMART 7195.65 7307.15 7150.05 7265.95

VIPIND 417.60 424.65 407.00 416.60GICRE 181.00 182.10 176.65 178.45FORTIS 253.00 254.25 248.75 251.30RAYMOND 448.65 453.55 442.50 448.45GALAXYSURF 3102.00 3212.50 3102.00 3152.90ASHOKA 107.15 109.80 105.40 106.10AJANTPHARM 2330.00 2336.00 2230.05 2261.30HAWKINCOOK 6500.00 6550.00 6310.15 6420.00LEMONTREE 41.20 41.25 40.35 40.60

VMART 3950.00 4039.95 3832.40 3963.35KEC 419.00 423.95 408.40 419.20NATCOPHARM 1024.05 1027.85 1000.00 1009.85RALLIS 325.00 331.50 323.00 324.80DHANUKA 960.00 960.00 921.15 927.85NHPC 26.65 27.30 26.25 26.55LAXMIMACH 8720.00 8870.00 8602.00 8605.00CESC 840.10 852.95 821.50 823.35CUMMINSIND 855.55 871.00 854.90 861.70SONATSOFTW 780.50 796.00 780.00 788.00MAZDOCK 260.30 263.80 258.50 258.50ALOKTEXT 24.75 24.90 24.45 24.50MCX 1624.00 1624.05 1587.00 1591.85KSB 1168.00 1197.35 1134.10 1184.00ITI 130.00 135.45 127.80 132.25SYNGENE 644.00 644.00 631.05 640.00MAHABANK 22.50 22.60 21.15 21.65RADICO 911.00 912.90 885.40 893.70ALKYLAMINE 4479.00 4480.00 4390.00 4438.95HUDCO 45.45 45.55 45.05 45.20RELAXO 1135.00 1157.05 1128.00 1151.85WELCORP 140.00 141.00 137.50 138.00KANSAINER 626.00 631.80 623.60 627.60GODREJIND 539.00 561.85 539.00 547.60NLCINDIA 59.35 60.15 58.65 58.90GHCL 377.90 380.20 367.00 369.65POLYMED 975.05 990.95 955.90 968.60ADANITRANS 897.10 915.00 860.50 904.15VAIBHAVGBL 851.00 858.15 806.55 817.00KPRMILL 1910.00 1966.25 1900.00 1956.70SHK 170.00 176.85 169.25 173.55SOLARA 1660.25 1753.20 1660.25 1732.65FCONSUMER 8.45 9.06 8.35 9.03BIRLACORPN 1510.00 1518.00 1474.00 1505.00GNFC 389.65 389.65 380.40 383.65MHRIL 314.00 320.95 311.65 313.80GEPIL 336.50 340.50 331.85 334.20NIACL 162.35 165.35 162.05 162.85FLUOROCHEM 1751.30 1805.95 1743.35 1803.90WELSPUNIND 135.00 138.90 135.00 137.50ENDURANCE 1794.00 1820.05 1735.90 1751.00KALPATPOWR 481.00 485.75 472.00 478.75DCMSHRIRAM 920.20 944.50 910.00 933.00EQUITASBNK 61.35 61.80 59.75 60.75ATGL 895.00 900.00 868.00 882.00SHOPERSTOP 275.85 275.85 263.90 265.80UJJIVAN 241.00 241.60 238.10 239.30BAJAJCON 295.00 295.00 282.20 289.60STAR 780.00 780.00 758.90 762.05TEAMLEASE 4208.00 4264.15 4107.40 4137.60BERGEPAINT 850.90 850.90 838.75 842.65UBL 1428.50 1449.50 1427.00 1443.05TANLA* 965.00 998.10 950.00 981.05IFCI 14.35 14.72 14.35 14.60MINDAIND 753.00 763.10 745.40 757.45MIDHANI 191.55 192.00 190.20 190.80TTKPRESTIG 8701.00 8857.00 8650.00 8795.95SUPREMEIND 2125.00 2167.95 2110.00 2117.85EQUITAS 124.05 127.05 122.60 126.80INDIANB 140.00 141.00 138.95 139.40JTEKTINDIA 119.00 119.90 116.65 117.55BEML 1305.30 1329.85 1290.00 1318.85JBCHEPHARM 1837.50 1837.50 1773.85 1797.50HEIDELBERG 268.20 269.15 264.80 267.90VAKRANGEE 37.90 37.90 36.45 36.60BLUEDART 5428.00 5476.00 5345.15 5476.00BDL 428.90 428.90 409.00 415.80DBL 569.95 569.95 559.35 560.80TATAMTRDVR 141.95 142.20 139.75 141.35CERA 4535.20 4605.40 4482.50 4560.00JAMNAAUTO 90.30 90.30 88.45 89.60SYMPHONY 950.00 955.00 945.10 954.95NAVNETEDUL* 102.45 105.65 102.45 104.20TV18BRDCST 39.50 39.65 38.70 39.10SOLARINDS 1744.00 1754.00 1703.70 1715.90CYIENT 988.00 996.55 985.45 985.45SCI 112.80 112.80 109.40 109.55

MINDACORP 140.10 141.65 135.30 135.95TATAINVEST 1156.00 1168.90 1150.00 1153.00MAHINDCIE 273.60 274.65 268.00 268.30GPPL 113.40 113.40 110.50 111.15BAJAJELEC 1175.00 1188.00 1145.60 1160.00PTC 102.60 104.00 101.00 101.05THYROCARE 1319.95 1332.45 1310.00 1318.30NESCO 614.50 651.15 613.85 638.25RATNAMANI 2180.00 2249.05 2130.00 2155.25ZYDUSWELL 2135.05 2195.05 2135.05 2180.00SUVENPHAR 507.00 521.55 507.00 517.85VGUARD 249.10 253.35 246.25 247.15FINCABLES 527.65 539.20 525.30 528.35GODFRYPHLP 1010.20 1050.00 1010.20 1038.00KTKBANK 60.70 63.00 60.60 62.05EPL 254.25 257.65 251.60 255.00PRSMJOHNSN 141.00 142.35 137.60 139.60JKCEMENT 3280.00 3310.00 3218.80 3247.75FDC 373.00 378.30 370.15 371.35IIFL 305.00 308.50 295.05 299.60ASTRAZEN 3360.00 3410.00 3358.15 3370.00UJJIVANSFB 29.00 29.00 28.50 28.60SCHAEFFLER 6885.00 6955.20 6725.70 6788.10ITDC 394.05 409.30 391.70 396.35RITES 274.05 284.95 274.05 279.60ENGINERSIN 75.60 75.65 73.95 74.75IPCALAB 2105.00 2121.45 2079.60 2103.15INOXLEISUR 326.00 328.20 320.10 321.90NETWORK18 49.50 50.45 49.40 50.00UCOBANK 13.80 13.92 13.70 13.76BAYERCROP 5743.40 5850.00 5743.40 5789.00CASTROLIND 140.00 140.15 138.00 138.20BALMLAWRIE 136.90 137.00 135.60 135.90HONAUT 42781.30 43097.10 42253.00 42286.00MRPL 46.30 46.30 44.75 45.20GARFIBRES 3461.05 3496.30 3430.00 3488.00SUMICHEM 431.95 433.50 426.75 429.30WESTLIFE 562.00 571.90 555.00 559.00ASTERDM 165.00 166.15 160.95 162.30GLAXO 1611.00 1629.00 1601.00 1605.00LUXIND 4193.20 4280.00 4191.60 4219.00PGHH 12800.00 12800.00 12652.00 12749.00SUDARSCHEM 750.00 758.85 744.60 750.45IFBIND 1017.65 1034.50 995.00 1024.55WHIRLPOOL 2200.00 2218.70 2165.80 2174.25OIL 169.60 169.60 164.80 165.20KAJARIACER 1010.00 1010.00 993.50 1001.00VSTIND 3388.85 3452.00 3324.10 3354.00TCIEXP 1515.05 1566.00 1515.05 1559.15JYOTHYLAB 171.50 173.75 170.80 171.40LINDEINDIA 1774.15 1786.85 1736.85 1756.10DCAL 213.90 214.25 209.25 209.95POWERINDIA 1929.05 1990.00 1916.30 1945.00PNCINFRA 314.90 318.90 311.60 312.45BAJAJHLDNG 4049.95 4076.85 3968.95 3995.40TRITURBINE 122.00 124.30 118.65 119.85AIAENG 2005.00 2006.05 1960.00 1960.00MOIL 191.05 191.90 185.75 186.85COCHINSHIP 379.95 380.15 374.00 375.20SKFINDIA 2877.90 2882.80 2833.75 2860.05DCBBANK 105.25 105.80 103.75 104.15PNBHOUSING 650.00 690.00 650.00 677.50GMDCLTD 69.60 70.10 68.70 69.05THERMAX 1412.15 1427.25 1397.15 1412.00DISHTV 14.35 14.35 14.01 14.07BBTC 1250.35 1258.10 1242.05 1244.75EIHOTEL 113.50 113.50 110.90 111.50GILLETTE 5996.85 6065.40 5969.65 5990.00BASF 2923.85 2954.55 2887.60 2937.00GRSE 196.60 200.00 196.60 197.50CSBBANK 353.20 353.30 342.65 349.90ESABINDIA 1900.05 1941.25 1897.45 1932.00TASTYBIT 18382.80 18450.00 18050.00 18062.05GESHIP 345.00 347.70 341.05 345.003MINDIA 24670.00 24809.55 24502.05 24751.45PGHL 5400.00 5460.00 5372.15 5455.00NH 493.00 499.50 493.00 496.35SPANDANA 664.55 664.55 649.00 651.50VRLLOG 304.40 312.65 304.40 304.75SJVN 27.60 27.75 27.20 27.55GRINDWELL 1288.70 1288.70 1234.70 1245.00IIFLWAM 1464.50 1464.50 1400.00 1434.60GULFOILLUB 650.00 664.05 650.00 658.70SHRIRAMCIT 1849.90 1899.00 1808.25 1825.70TIINDIA 1129.90 1129.90 1093.10 1101.60MAHSCOOTER 4241.90 4300.00 4201.00 4201.00ECLERX 2295.00 2330.00 2270.00 2329.90FINEORG 3049.00 3049.00 2978.65 3001.90SFL 2408.85 2451.00 2384.60 2400.95SUNDRMFAST 767.40 784.80 763.20 779.65NILKAMAL 2612.80 2697.05 2612.80 2650.00MAHSEAMLES 314.90 319.20 311.05 313.00MASFIN 820.00 822.75 807.00 814.00CHALET 180.20 180.20 175.40 176.85GDL 288.80 295.70 282.00 294.75VARROC 340.25 342.00 338.75 339.10CENTURYPLY 427.15 434.65 424.65 433.35BLUESTARCO 840.00 851.00 838.10 845.30STARCEMENT 111.90 112.95 109.45 110.60CREDITACC 689.50 689.50 651.95 654.90AKZOINDIA 2288.45 2289.90 2268.00 2272.05JCHAC 2358.00 2358.00 2288.95 2295.00TIMKEN 1575.85 1592.45 1534.40 1544.10INDOSTAR 342.30 342.30 330.55 333.20WABCOINDIA 7319.30 7403.15 7254.90 7401.00CHOLAHLDNG 664.95 664.95 645.40 654.95RESPONIND 137.70 137.70 132.00 132.90TCNSBRANDS 590.20 591.65 584.30 589.85

����� ��

SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY 50 15874.90 15892.90 15834.65 15885.15 122.10TITAN 1728.00 1776.00 1725.00 1776.00 61.45SHREECEM 28280.20 29375.00 28280.20 29260.10 994.35BPCL 448.05 459.90 446.50 459.10 13.60ADANIPORTS 682.00 695.00 678.00 694.25 19.75EICHERMOT 2558.80 2615.00 2535.30 2603.50 73.25IOC 104.50 105.85 103.65 105.85 2.70GRASIM 1565.00 1614.20 1558.65 1591.00 39.65BRITANNIA 3446.70 3542.00 3440.05 3505.05 81.65M&M 750.00 759.05 744.60 757.00 13.90ONGC 114.95 117.50 114.80 117.45 2.15TCS 3180.00 3224.90 3167.00 3220.00 52.55RELIANCE 2054.30 2079.40 2041.15 2068.50 33.20AXISBANK 715.00 725.55 712.00 720.35 11.45MARUTI 7100.00 7107.45 7031.00 7073.00 95.30WIPRO 588.20 595.40 582.25 595.00 7.85INFY 1627.45 1634.75 1619.20 1632.00 21.50JSWSTEEL 741.40 751.45 733.50 746.60 9.65HCLTECH 1034.00 1039.00 1023.05 1036.35 11.40ITC 206.45 207.50 205.45 207.20 2.25HDFCLIFE 669.00 671.45 665.40 670.35 6.30TATAMOTORS 299.15 299.40 295.60 296.70 2.75INDUSINDBK 991.80 997.15 985.45 990.00 9.00LT 1606.30 1618.00 1602.05 1616.00 14.55HEROMOTOCO 2770.10 2796.80 2765.25 2787.80 24.50HDFC 2466.00 2487.00 2425.10 2462.55 21.40ULTRACEMCO 7622.05 7718.80 7621.30 7649.00 66.80KOTAKBANK 1665.00 1677.30 1657.50 1668.00 13.20ASIANPAINT 2985.60 2986.80 2960.65 2978.00 19.55BHARTIARTL 566.00 569.95 560.00 565.20 3.55SBILIFE 1111.05 1128.50 1101.95 1105.25 6.65SBIN 434.75 436.70 431.80 434.35 2.55TATACONSUM 763.00 771.00 756.60 759.70 3.45CIPLA 928.30 933.60 913.40 923.55 3.50HINDALCO 448.00 452.25 442.70 446.00 1.20BAJAJ-AUTO 3874.00 3880.00 3813.20 3838.00 8.40COALINDIA 144.30 144.90 143.10 143.60 0.30DIVISLAB 4893.50 4962.15 4893.50 4915.40 9.30NESTLEIND 17795.80 17900.80 17675.00 17701.00 -1.65HINDUNILVR 2342.00 2353.40 2324.60 2332.95 -0.35POWERGRID 171.50 172.00 169.30 171.10 -0.05ICICIBANK 684.05 688.05 677.70 682.00 -0.50HDFCBANK 1435.00 1435.00 1416.25 1423.80 -2.65DRREDDY 4739.00 4750.50 4687.60 4701.50 -9.70NTPC 118.60 118.75 117.00 117.90 -0.30SUNPHARMA 785.00 801.90 764.10 772.00 -1.95TECHM 1210.00 1214.00 1195.55 1206.00 -3.55BAJFINANCE 6270.00 6283.95 6170.00 6202.45 -25.65BAJAJFINSV 14375.00 14399.95 14082.55 14134.00 -88.20TATASTEEL 1446.00 1447.00 1405.50 1413.00 -21.30UPL 808.55 810.65 785.05 790.35 -18.20

SE 500B

����������

SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY NEXT 50 39607.60 39757.20 39485.95 39721.35 357.70PEL 2347.35 2500.00 2337.00 2486.00 167.40HINDPETRO 262.30 274.30 261.95 273.80 12.65DLF 340.00 354.90 337.95 351.00 13.35VEDL 303.10 319.55 300.00 312.90 11.05PNB 39.75 40.95 39.60 40.90 1.40BANDHANBNK 294.90 307.80 294.25 299.95 8.70ABBOTINDIA 19000.00 19994.70 18999.00 19550.00 537.25GAIL 140.95 143.30 139.35 142.95 3.40BOSCHLTD 15073.05 15347.00 15005.10 15270.00 301.75AMBUJACEM 412.00 419.95 410.45 419.25 8.10MUTHOOTFIN 1565.90 1595.50 1557.00 1584.00 29.25ADANITRANS 911.35 927.65 885.00 910.00 16.55LUPIN 1114.80 1127.00 1111.00 1126.00 18.60NAUKRI 5250.00 5349.00 5204.90 5300.00 85.20ADANIENT 1435.00 1445.00 1424.10 1443.15 22.90MCDOWELL-N 647.00 654.50 642.00 650.70 9.95SIEMENS 1961.80 1980.00 1947.40 1979.40 26.20ACC 2395.00 2434.40 2381.20 2424.00 29.90HAVELLS 1180.00 1205.00 1175.65 1184.95 11.30INDIGO 1657.00 1674.90 1650.00 1663.00 15.65CADILAHC 590.00 593.75 584.75 591.50 5.40BIOCON 387.30 391.80 386.45 389.80 3.45PETRONET 220.85 220.85 218.05 220.00 1.75UBL 1438.25 1450.00 1430.25 1438.50 9.90MRF 80499.00 81349.95 80133.30 80440.00 532.55HDFCAMC 2890.00 2894.00 2833.15 2871.00 16.85ALKEM 3455.00 3500.00 3432.05 3473.00 19.40APOLLOHOSP 4059.65 4092.95 4035.05 4055.00 20.00GODREJCP 990.05 1007.25 990.05 992.45 4.65TORNTPHARM 3088.00 3105.00 3058.10 3085.00 13.90LTI 4737.00 4775.35 4684.85 4705.15 20.80YESBANK 12.85 12.90 12.70 12.80 0.05SBICARD 1038.00 1044.45 1029.95 1040.05 3.30INDUSTOWER 225.00 225.30 220.20 222.70 0.60AUROPHARMA 920.10 924.70 912.65 918.60 2.00DMART 3524.80 3524.80 3486.00 3506.95 6.15ICICIPRULI 640.80 645.00 631.00 634.00 1.05IGL 562.00 562.00 551.85 558.45 0.70GLAND 3958.90 4011.00 3880.00 3933.00 2.55PGHH 12690.00 12770.00 12645.05 12685.00 4.40BERGEPAINT 845.00 849.30 838.30 841.80 -1.75ADANIGREEN 882.40 900.00 874.80 879.95 -2.35DABUR 605.90 609.00 594.05 599.00 -1.70JUBLFOOD 3770.00 3774.80 3725.00 3750.95 -24.20NMDC 182.35 183.50 177.15 180.00 -1.20BAJAJHLDNG 4025.00 4080.00 3966.55 3990.00 -33.05PIDILITIND 2299.90 2299.90 2255.80 2259.00 -19.80ICICIGI 1477.30 1488.60 1446.00 1457.00 -14.75COLPAL 1705.00 1716.00 1676.00 1681.95 -22.45MARICO 550.00 552.15 532.75 536.50 -10.20

����� �62�76'8��

Billionaire MukeshAmbani’s oil-to-telecom

conglomerate RelianceIndustries Ltd slipped 59places to rank 155th on the2021 Fortune Global 500 listreleased on Monday.

Reliance took a beatingon the rankings as revenuesdropped owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is its low-est ranking since 2017.

Walmart continues to topthe Fortune list with a revenueof USD 524 billion, followedby China’s State Grid at USD384 billion.

With USD 280 billionrevenue, Amazon came in atthe third spot, replacingChinese giants. ChinaNational Petroleum wasranked fourth and SinopecGroup fifth.

Reliance’s revenue fell 25.3per cent to USD 63 billion,mostly because oil pricesplunged in the second quarterof 2020 when the globalspread of the pandemic wipedaway demand.

Other Indian oil compa-nies on the list too slippedranks as their revenues tum-bled because of the fall in oil

prices.State Bank of India (SBI)

moved up 16 places to rank205 but Indian OilCorporation (IOC) dropped61 places to 212th rank.

This is the second straightyear of SBI improving itsranking. It had moved up 15places last year.

Oil and Natural GasCorporation (ONGC) wasranked 243rd, 53 notcheslower than last year’s ranking.

Rajesh Exports wasanother firm that improved itsranking with a massive 114positions jump to 348th rank.

Tata Motors slipped 20places to rank 357 and BharatPetroleum Corporation Ltd(BPCL) fell to 394 from 309last year. Fortune said com-panies are ranked by total rev-enues for their respective fis-cal years ended on or beforeMarch 31, 2021.

While SBI had a revenueof USD 52 billion, IOC hadrevenue of USD 50 billion.ONGC had revenue of USD46 billion and Rajesh ExportsUSD 35 billion.

“Walmart claimed the topspot for the eighth consecu-tive year, and for the 16th timesince 1995,” Fortune said.

����� �62�76'8��

The country’s exports grewby 47.19 per cent to USD

35.17 billion on account ofhealthy growth in the out-bound shipments of petroleum,engineering, and gems andjewellery, according to the pro-visional data of the commerceministry.

Imports during themonth also rose by 59.38 percent to USD 46.40 billion,leaving a trade deficit of USD11.23 billion. Exports ofpetroleum, engineering, andgems and jewellery in Julyincreased to USD 3.82 billion,USD 2.82 billion and USD1.95 billion respectively, thedata showed.

However, exports ofoilseeds, rice and meat, dairyand poultry products haverecorded negative growth inthe month under review.

Imports of petroleum,crude, and products rose by97 per cent to USD 6.35 bil-lion. Similarly, imports ofgold were up by 135.5 percent to USD 2.42 billion andpearls, precious and semi-precious stones inboundshipments stood at USD 1.68billion in July.

However, imports oftransport equipment, projectgoods and silver have record-ed negative growth in July.

����� ���9&�

Equity benchmarks openedthe week with robust gains

on Monday as strong corporateresults, supportive macroeco-nomic data and a bullish trendoverseas turbocharged senti-ment. Auto stocks were pro-pelled by recovery in July salesnumbers, while IT countersalso saw brisk buying.

The 30-share BSE Sensexrallied 363.79 points or 0.69 percent to finish at 52,950.63,while the broader NSE Niftysurged 122.10 points or 0.77per cent to 15,885.15.

Titan was the top gainer inthe Sensex pack, spurting 3.25per cent, followed by M&M,Reliance Industries, Axis Bank,TCS, Maruti and Infosys.

HDFC gained 0.88 percent after the country’s largestmortgage lender reported a 31per cent jump in its consoli-dated net profit at Rs 5,311crore for the June quarter.

On the other hand, TataSteel, Bajaj Finserv, BajajFinance, NTPC, Dr Reddy’sand HDFC Bank were amongthe laggards, shedding up to1.66 per cent. Domestic equi-ties recovered sharply as posi-tive cues from global equitiesand strong rebound in auto

supported benchmarks, saidBinod Modi, Head-Strategy atReliance Securities.

Further, modest recoveryin financials, IT and pharmaalso supported market, he said,adding that realty stocks werein focus after sharp improve-ment in property registrationsin Mumbai for July whiledecent improvement in month-ly auto sales volume aidedoriginal equipment manufac-turers (OEMs).

����� �62�76'8��

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Monday

launched e-RUPI, a personand purpose specific digitalpayment solution that isaimed at improving trans-parency and targeted deliveryof benefits. Over the years,several programmes havebeen launched to ensure thatthe benefits reach its intend-ed beneficiaries in a targetedand leak proof manner, withlimited touch points betweenthe Government and the ben-eficiary. The concept of elec-tronic voucher takes forwardthis vision of good gover-nance. To begin with e-RUPIfacility is available for healthservices and will be expand-ed to other segments.

“Today the country isgiving a new dimension todigital governance. ERUPIvoucher is going to play ahuge role in making digitaltransactions, and DBT moreeffective. This will help

everyone in targeted, trans-parent and leakage free deliv-ery,” the Prime Minister saidwhile launching e-RUPI.

Not only the government,if any general organisation ororganisation wants to helpsomeone in their treatment,in their education or for anyother work, then they will beable to give eRUPI instead ofcash, he said. This will ensurethat the money given by himis used for the same work forwhich that amount has beengiven, he added.

e-RUPI is a cashless andcontactless instrument fordigital payment, an official

statement said, adding, it is aQR code or SMS string-basede-voucher, which is deliv-ered to the mobile of the ben-eficiaries. The users of thisseamless one-time paymentmechanism will be able toredeem the voucher withouta card, payments app or inter-net banking access, at the ser-vice provider. e-RUPI isdeveloped by the NationalPayments Corporation ofIndia on its UPI platform, incol laborat ion with theDepartment of FinancialServices, Ministry of Health& Family Welfare andNational Health Authority.

������������������+������� ������������).?��

&����%������+�������%������������').&���+��,���� &$�

"���� �����'����������� ��������������������'���

����� ���9&�

The rupee gained 8 paise toclose at 74.34 against the

US dollar on Monday, sup-ported by a firm trend indomestic equities and a weakAmerican currency.

Forex traders said therupee is trading in a narrowrange as investors are await-ing the RBI’s monetary pol-icy meeting outcome for fur-ther cues.

�����'�������>-���'������?�� ������ ��3!�7�����)*��� '���

������� ��J� ����������� �;?�I?� � ���.����� �

�2��������/A"*!������B������CD#"!A�'

���#�!#�,��"#!&#"0�#��%! ���#*�%�&��!�#��"�&,� �"

��"�� ==����� !�"�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

Kabul: The Afghan Presidenton Monday blamed theAmerican troops’ speedy pull-out for the worsening violencein his country and said that hisadministration would nowfocus on protecting provincialcapitals and major urban areasin the face of the rapidlyadvancing Taliban.

Ashraf Ghani also urgedlawmakers to back a nationalmobilisation drive against the

Taliban amid an intensifyingwar between the Taliban andAfghan government forces overthe past few months as US andNATO troops complete theirpullout from the war-torncountry. An imported, hastypeace process a reference toWashington’s push for negoti-ations between Kabul and theTaliban not only failed to bringpeace but created doubt andambiguity” among Afghans,Ghani said in his address toParliament.

The Afghan Presidentarrived by helicopter for theextraordinary session of thehouse, called because of thedire situation on the ground.Ghani touched down at theDarul Aman Palace in Kabul

and inspected an honor guardbefore heading inside.

The Taliban are now tryingto seize provincial capitals afteralready taking large swaths ofland and scores of districts inmore rural areas, as well as sev-eral key border crossings withneighboring countries.

The Taliban do not believein lasting or just peace,” Ghanisaid. He predicted a sea changeon the battlefield in the next sixmonths” that would push theTaliban back, without elabo-rating. He claimed that Afghanforces are up to the task andhave the capacity” to defeat theinsurgents. But in past weeks,Afghan forces have struggledagainst the Taliban onslaught,and have often been left with-

out reinforcements and resup-plies. On Sunday, the Afghanarmed forces spokesman, Gen.Ajmal Omar Shinwari, toldreporters that three provincesin southern and westernAfghanistan face critical secu-rity situations.

Southern Kandahar thebirthplace of the Taliban as wellas Helmand and Heratprovinces have witnessed sev-eral attacks.

Helmand provincial coun-cil chief Attaullah Afghan saidthe Taliban are also advancingin the provincial capital ofLashar Gah, and now havecontrol of the city’s seventh dis-trict. On Monday, elite Afghancommando units were dis-patched to Lashar Gah to help

defend the city.There has been relentless

gunfire, air strikes and mortarsin densely populated areas.Houses are being bombed, andmany people are sufferingsevere injuries, said SarahLeahy, Helmand coordinatorfor Doctors Without Borders.

The group, also known asMdecins Sans Frontires or MSF,said in a statement Mondaythat life in Lashkar Gah was ata standstill as residents hunkerdown inside their homes, afraidto venture out.

Some of our colleagues arestaying overnight in the hos-pital as it’s safer, but also so theycan keep on treating patients,”the organization said. The sit-uation has been dire for

months but now it is evenworse.

Faizullah, who like manyother Afghans goes by onename, told The AssociatedPress over the phone that hefled Lashkar Gah with his fam-ily and was now following theHelmand River to safety.

Clashes between theTaliban and Afghan forces haveintensified, he said, and Afghansecurity forces are out of sup-plies and food in the city.

Back in Kabul, Ghaniclaimed his government has thefinancial and political supportof the United States and theinternational community toturn the tide even as he urgedthe insurgents to rejoin peacetalks. AP

������7�������������������������������'����(���

Washington: The Bidenadministration on Mondayexpanded its efforts to evac-uate at-risk Afghan citizensfrom Afghanistan as Talibanviolence increases ahead thereof the US military pullout atthe end of the month.

The State Departmentsaid it is widening the scopeof Afghans eligible for refugeestatus in United States toinclude current and formeremployees of US-based newsorganizations, US-based aidand development agenciesand other relief groups thatreceive US funding. Currentand former employees of theUS Government and theNATO military operationwho don’t meet the criteria fora dedicated program for suchworkers are also covered. AP

%�����$ ��� ����������.�)� ��&��� ������������� �

Beijing: Millions of peoplewere confined to their homesin China on Monday as thecountry tried to contain itslargest coronavirus outbreak inmonths, including seven pos-itive tests found in Wuhan,where the virus first emergedin late 2019.

China reported 55 newlocally transmitted cases onMonday as an outbreak of thefast-spreading Delta variantreached over 20 cities in morethan a dozen provinces.

The Wuhan cluster cameafter the official daily tally wasreleased, but it was confirmedby state media which said theinfections had been traced to atrain station.

“The seven were identifiedas migrant workers,” Xinhuareported, citing Covid-19 pre-vention and control officials.

Major cities includingBeijing have now tested mil-lions of residents while cor-doning off residential com-pounds and placing close con-tacts under quarantine.

Authorities in the capital

met and agreed on the need to“raise vigilance, take strict pre-cautions and defend (the city)to the death, sparing noexpense,” in comments put outby the Beijing Government.

Elsewhere, over 1.2 millionresidents were placed understrict lockdown for the nextthree days in the central city ofZhuzhou in Hunan provinceMonday, as authorities roll outa citywide testing and vacci-nation campaign, according toan official statement.

“The situation is still grimand complicated,” the Zhuzhougovernment said. China hadpreviously boasted of its successin bringing domestic casesdown to virtually zero after thecoronavirus first emerged inWuhan, allowing the economyto rebound. But the latest out-break, linked to a cluster in thecity of Nanjing where ninecleaners at an internationalairport tested positive on July20, is threatening that successwith more than 360 domesticcases reported in the past twoweeks. AFP

%�������������������� ����=����������,���6�����������

Orlando: A day after it record-ed the most new daily casessince the start of the pandem-ic, Florida has broken a previ-ous record for current hospi-talisations set more than a yearago before vaccines were available.

The Sunshine State had10,207 people hospitalised withconfirmed Covid-19 cases,

according to data reported tothe US Department of Health& Human Services.

The previous record wasfrom July 23, 2020, more thana half-year before vaccinationsstarted becoming widespread,when Florida had 10,170 hos-pitalisations, according to theFlorida Hospital Association.

Florida is now leading the

nation in per capita hospitali-sations for Covid-19, as hospi-tals around the state report hav-ing to put emergency room vis-itors in beds in hallways andothers document a noticeabledrop in the age of patients.

In the past week, Floridahas averaged 1,525 adult hos-pitalisations a day, and 35 dailypediatric hospitalisations. AP

Tehran: Iran on Mondayreported more than 37,000new coronavirus infections,the country’s single-day recordso far in the pandemic, statemedia reported.

State TV said health work-ers registered 37,189 newCovid-19 cases since Sunday -surpassing the previous dailyrecord of 34,951 infectionsreported on Tuesday. Also,

there were 411 deaths, bringingthe country’s total death toll inthe pandemic to 91,407 - thehighest in the Middle East.

The new surge has beenfueled by the contagious deltavariant, and Iranian authoritiessay less than 40% of the popu-lation follows measures such aswearing face masks and socialdistancing. Iranian health offi-cials have regularly warned

that hospitals in the capital,Tehran, and other major citiesare overwhelmed withCOVID-19 patients.

On Sunday, HealthMinister Saeed Namaki in a let-ter to Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei askeda two-week shutdown of thecountry, something the minis-ter said the military wouldhelp enforce. AP

London: Britain summonedIran’s ambassador to theForeign Office on Mondayafter an attack on a merchantvessel off the coast of Oman.

James Cleverly, the minis-ter for the Middle East, sum-

moned Mohsen Baharvand inresponse to the attack on MVMercer Street on Thursday,which killed a British nationaland Romanian. “MinisterCleverly reiterated that Iranmust immediately cease actions

that risk international peaceand security, and reinforcedthat vessels must be allowed tonavigate freely in accordancewith international law,’’ theForeign Commonwealth &Development Office said in a

statement.The United States, the UK

and Israel have alleged that Irancarried out the fatal dronestrike on the oil tanker, thoughTehran denied involvement inthe attack. AP

Brisbane: A lockdown ofAustralia’s third-largest cityBrisbane was extended untilSunday because of a growingCovid outbreak.

Brisbane and several sur-

rounding municipalities inQueensland state were due toend a three-day lockdown onTuesday. But the Queenslandgovernment on Mondayannounced the extension after13 locally acquired infections ofthe highly contagious deltavariant were detected in the lat-est 24-hour period. APPortland:The release of about

3,000 pages of documents delv-ing into the deadliest submarinedisaster in US history has notyielded any sinister effort to hidethe truth, a retired Navy skippersays. Instead, documents showthe Navy’s policies and proce-dures failed to keep pace withfast-moving technologicaladvances during the Cold War,allowing a series of failures thatled to the sinking of the USSThresher on April 10, 1963, said

retired Capt. James Bryant, whosued for release of the documentsunder the Freedom ofInformation Act. “There’s nocoverup. No smoking gun,” hesaid.That doesn’t make it any lesstragic, though.

The loss of the nuclear-pow-ered submarine and all 129sailors and civilians aboard dur-ing a test dive in the AtlanticOcean was both a tragedy for thefamilies and a blow to nationalpride during the Cold War. AP

Kuala Lumpur:Police blockedOpposition lawmakers frommarching on Monday toprotest a two-week lockdownof Malaysia’s Parliament, whichthey consider another ploy forthe embattled Prime Ministerto dodge a no-confidence vote.

With a crucial parliamen-tary session due, PrimeMinister Muhyiddin Yassininstead postponed it andParliament will be shut fortwo weeks. The health ministrysaid Parliament was deemed ahigh-risk venue because four of11 COVID-19 cases detectedamong staff and others were

suspected to be the fast-spread-ing delta variant.

Lawmakers and activistsquestioned the timing of theannouncement of Parliament’’sclosure, which came after theking rebuked Muhyiddin’’s gov-ernment on Thursday for mis-leading Parliament on the sta-tus of ordinances it issued dur-ing the seven-month coron-avirus state of emergency. Theopposition immediately filed amotion of no-confidenceagainst Muhyiddin that wasexpected to have been raisedMonday.

AP

Beijing: The death toll fromfloods triggered by torrentialrains in China’s Henanprovince has increased to 302as of Monday, according to theinformation office of the localGovernment. Another 50 peo-ple remain missing, Xinhuanews agency quoted the officeas saying. A total of 292 peo-ple were confirmed dead and47 missing in Zhengzhou, theprovincial capital. IANS

� � �� �� "� !���������� ��� ����������� �����������

?���������������'����(������������ ���� ���

����������������2����������%�������������+��%

�� ������������������������� ����%������ �

London: Britain opened its bor-ders to vaccinated travellers fromthe US and European Union onMonday as travel industry lead-ers urged the Government to fur-ther ease restrictions and allowpeople to enjoy the benefits of aCovid inoculation programme.AP

�4�� ���� �������� ���������������������� .1������������������������������� �����

).����&��2� +'��#"�"��0��� �,�&+�����"+�'!&����"��.��-

�������������� �������������5�>���������DE4

>/3% ��)� =%8&4�76���7�&�� �6�$����$ 45 �

India’s undeniable woman power in sports also came to the fore in athleticswhere discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur finished a creditable sixth in her firstOlympics in a rain-interrupted final.

The 25-year-old Kaur, who qualified for the final as second best on Saturday,was never in the running for a medal in the eight rounds of competition whichwas interrupted by rain for more than an hour.

Her best throw of 63.70m in the third round saw her finish sixth and equal2010 Commonwealth Games Gold-medallist Krishna Poonia’s performance inthe 2012 London Olympics.

The youngster, who was without her personal coach, looked nervous and shortof confidence, perhaps due to lack of international exposure but she did hold herown in a field where the gold-medallist Valarie Allman produced a 68.98m throw.

Sprinter Dutee Chand, however, ended her campaign on a disappointing noteby failing to qualify for the 200m semifinals.

Equestrian Fouaad Mirza, meanwhile, finished a creditable 23rd in eventingafter he became the first Indian to reach the final of the event.

Mirza and his equine Seigneur Medicott sneaked into the top-25 in the morn-ing to make the jumping finals.

In the final, Mirza incurred 12.40 penalty points for an overall 59.60 that includ-ed the points from the three rounds of qualifying events -- dressage, cross coun-try and jumping.

It was a creditable performance for the 29-year-old Bengaluru rider, who wasthe first equestrian to qualify for the Olympics since Imtiaz Anees in Sydney 2000.

It was finally an end to their misery as Indian shooters ended their campaignat the Games. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Sanjeev Rajput failed to qual-ify for the finals of the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event , finishing 21st and 32ndrespectively at the Asaka Shooting Range.

The Indian shooting team will be returning without a medal for the secondstraight time at the Olympics.

On Tuesday, the men’s hockey team will compete in its semifinal against worldchampion Belgium, aiming to book its first Olympic medal in over 40 years.

Also, the wrestling contingent will begin its campaign with medals expect-ed from the likes of Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat. Apart from Bajrang (65kg)and Vinesh (53kg), Ravi Dahiya (57kg) is expected to deliver at the biggest stagein the next few days.

The 19-year-old Sonam Malik will be first to take mat in the 62kg category,pitted against Mongolia’s Asian Championship silver medallist BolortuyaKhurelkhuu.

�&8�'���E�$6.� ���'6&76�.�$ ��'&��.$�&$6#5 ���6#&.�.�� 2

The meeting is being held to forge unity among the opposition ranks on theissue. Asserting that “the voice of the Opposition is being suppressed in Parliament”,Rahul Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home MinisterAmit Shah of tarnishing India’s democracy by “using Pegasus against India, itsinstitutions”. Rahul and other Opposition leaders have questioned why the issuecannot be discussed in Parliament. They have stressed that the Opposition is notdisturbing Parliament proceedings by raising the issue but “only fulfilling ourresponsibility.”

The Supreme Court is also scheduled to take up on August 5 petitions seek-ing an independent probe into allegations of surveillance using the Pegasus soft-ware made by Israeli cyber security firm NSO Group. The petitions have beenlisted before a bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justice Surya Kant. Thereare three petitions before the court in the matter, one filed by senior journalistsN Ram and Shashi Kumar, another by advocate ML Sharma, and a third one byCPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas.

��$�.8�9&%4.� ���76�&�7�@ ���� 96���$ .� �#&$6

Addressing reporters in Patna, the Bihar Chief Minister said people knowonly what’s been said in Parliament and what the media is showing, but to knowthe whole truth, the matter should be probed.

“In today’s time, people can misuse technology. There should be a probe sothat this can’t be misused to exploit anybody. If the Opposition is demanding dis-cussion for so many days, then there should be a discussion on the matter,” Nitish

Kumar said.

%8&�#6.866$�&#&��.$�.�.8�'�+,� $86�.�@�'67�@ ��2�6.$'6�0.����76���

Sushil Kumar and his associates had allegedly assaulted 23-year-old wrestlerSagar Dhankar and two of his friends Sonu and Amit Kumar on the interven-ing night of May 4 and 5. Sagar succumbed to the injuries later.

Police had earlier called Sushil the main culprit and mastermind of the mur-der and said that there is electronic evidence wherein he and his associates couldbe seen beating Dhankar with sticks.

Sushil, facing charges of murder, culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy amongothers offences, is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.

Delhi Police had filed an FIR in the case under sections 302 (murder), 307(attempt to murder), 308 (culpable homicide), 364 (kidnapping), 365 (kidnap-ping), 325 (causing grievous hurt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrong-ful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The case has also been registered under 452 (house trespass), 188(Disobedience to order by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infec-tion of disease), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention), 147(rioting), 148 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC.

It also includes sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 392 (robbery), 394 (vol-untarily causing hurt in committing robbery), 397 (dacoity), 411 (dishonestlyreceiving stolen property) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and var-ious sections under the Arms Act.

�&��.�'�46'5�$ �96�� ��&'���&�#��.6�$A���7

Every year, the IMD issues forecast for the second half of the southwest mon-soon, for August and September. The spatial distribution suggests that below nor-mal to normal rainfall is likely over many parts of the north, east and northeastparts of the country. Normal to above-normal rainfall is most likely to be expe-rienced over most parts of peninsular India and adjacent central India, the IMDsaid. The IMD has also started issuing a month-wise forecast for the four-monthrainfall season from this year. For August, it said, “Rainfall averaged over thecountry as a whole is most likely to be normal (94 to 106 percent of LPA).” TheLPA of the August rainfall over the country as a whole for the period 1961-2010is 258.1 mm.

Mohapatra added that currently the Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) and theatmospheric conditions over the equatorial Pacific Ocean indicate neutral ENSO(El Nino) conditions. The SSTs are one of the major factors that influence theIndian monsoon. The SSTs over central and east equatorial the Pacific Ocean areshowing a cooling tendency.

The latest forecasts suggest that ENSO neutral conditions are likely to con-tinue during the remaining part of the monsoon season and increased the pos-sibility of re-emergence of the La Nina conditions in the end of the monsoonseason or thereafter. La Nina is associated with the cooling of the Pacific Oceanwaters, while El Nino is linked to its heating. Mohapatra said it has been observedthat if October, November and December have La Nina conditions, then it helpsin cyclogenesis (development or strengthening of cyclonic circulation in atmos-phere) over the Bay of Bengal.

Rainfall between 96 per cent and104 per cent of LPA is considered “normal”;between 90 per cent and 96 per cent is considered “below normal” and between104 per cent and 110 per cent is considered “above normal” by IMD.

3R3�$&46.�9&%4��'6&�@ ��E&Q�� 7������7�&�

The US FDA authorised Johnson & Johnson’s viral vector Covid-19 vaccinefor emergency use in February 2021. However, weeks after its authorisation, thevaccine was linked to a rare but serious blood-clotting disorder.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Johnson & Johnsonvaccine’s efficacy was 66.3 per cent for mild to moderate Covid-19 and 76.3 percent for severe to critical infection. Additionally, it provides 100 per cent pro-tection from hospitalisation for Covid 28 days after vaccination.

Johnson & Johnson has said its single-shot vaccine showed strong promiseagainst the Delta variant and other emerging strains.

����� �62�76'8�

After Kerala, Maharashtrahas reported its first case

of Zika virus infection,prompting the Centre onMonday to rush a high-levelteam to the State to supportthe authorities to draw anaction plan to control the fur-ther spread of the disease.

Zika virus is transmittedmostly by the bite of an infect-ed Aedes species mosquito,mainly Aedes aegypti.

On July 31, Maharashtrareported the first case in a res-ident of Purandar district inrural Pune. The 50-year-oldwoman was admitted to Belsarprimary health centre in

Purandar and has now recov-ered and been sent home. Shewas also infected by chickun-gunya.

A statement issued by theUnion Health Ministry saidthat the three-member Centralteam consists of a public healthexpert from the office ofRegional Director, Pune; agynecologist from LadyHardinge Medical College,Delhi; and an entomologistfrom National Institute ofMalaria Research (NIMR),ICMR, New Delhi.

“The team shall workclosely with the State HealthDepartment, take a stock of thesituation on the ground andassess whether the Union

Health Ministry’s Action Planfor Zika Management is beingimplemented, and recommendnecessary public health inter-ventions for the managementof Zika in the State,” said thestatement.

Kerala has so far reported61 Zika cases. The infection ismostly found in the tropicaland subtropical regions. Thesymptoms of Zika are similarto dengue, including fever, skinrashes and joint pain. In thevast majority of cases, there areno symptoms. Zika can causeparalysis (Guillain-BarréSyndrome) in some people. Ithas the potential to cause birthabnormalities in pregnantwomen.

�������������������F����(��������6�����������������

������ ���������>�����������?�����������%���������������������9&�

An irate group of Shiv Sainiksvandalised a brand new

"Adani Airport" signboard erect-ed by Adani Airport HoldingLtd. (AAHL) outside theChhatrapati Shivaji MaharajInternational Airport (CSMIA)here on Monday, in protestagainst the AAHL’s move torename the city airport chris-tened after the Maratha warriorwhich they dubbed as “an insult”to the people of Maharashtra.

Still fresh from jubilation oftaking over the management ofCSMIA from the MumbaiInternational Airport Limited(MIAL), the Adani group tast-ed anger of the Shiv Sainiks overthe renaming of CSMIA, as theShiv Sainiks went on a rampageand tore down a brand new"Adani Airport" signboarderected by the AAHL.

Raising slogans like‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj kijai ho’, Shiv Sainiks climbed upthe landscaped garden outsidethe city airport where the con-troversial hoardings have beenerected, uprooted AAHL signboards in English and Marathilanguages and planted saffronflags there.

Monday’s protests by theShiv Sainks were in line with theserious reservations expressed by

Sena MP and party spokesper-son Sanjay Raut over the renam-ing over the CSMIA as AdaniAirport Holding Ltd. (AAHL).“It is Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj International Airport.We had undertaken an agitationand had the city named asCSMIA. We do not accept if theairport is named after any indus-trialist. It will remain as CSMIA,”Raut said.

“The AAHL employeeshave been given T-shirts withAdani Airport written on them.You have to use binoculars to seethe name of Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj written in such smallletter. This is an insult to thegreat Maratha warrior. Whenthe Adani group ignores ourreservations about the renamingof the airport, you can expect thekind of angry reaction from theShiv Sainiks as the one you wit-nessed in the afternoon,” ShivSerna MP Arvind Sawant said.

“The name of ChhatrpatiShivaji is not known just inMaharashtra but in the entirecountry. Earlier we had a bigcompany GVK group that wasmanaging the Airport. But, it didnot name the airport after thegroup. Has Industrialist boughtthe entire Airport? Why is theindustrialist trying to desta-bilise Mumbai and Maharashtraby resorting to this kind of

acts? And for what?,” MumbaiMayor Kishori Pednekar asked.

Meanwhile, reacting to theShiv Sena’s protests, an AAHLspokesperson said:"In light of theincidents around Adani Airportsbranding at the MumbaiInternational Airport, we firm-ly assure that Adani AirportsHolding Limited (AAHL) hasmerely replaced the previousbranding with Adani Airportsbranding and that no change hasbeen made to ChhatrapatiShivaji Maharaj InternationalAirport’s branding or position-ing at the terminal

“The branding at CSMIA isin compliance with the normsand guidelines of AirportAuthority of India (AAI). AAHLwill continue to adhere to all theguidelines laid out by the gov-ernment in the interest of theaviation community at large,” thespokesperson added.

The AAHL’s move to erecta new sign board comes nearlythree weeks after AAHL a whol-ly owned subsidiary of AdaniEnterprises Ltd, took over themanagement control of MumbaiInternational Airport Limited(MIAL) from the GVK Group.It may be recalled that on July 13,the AAHL had taken over themanagement control of MumbaiInternational Airport Limited(MIAL) from the GVK Group.

����� Cocoa is consideredto be one of the bestmedicinal foods. It is full offlavonoids. It helps controldiabetes and cocoa basedproducts are advisedto be included inthe daily diet toi m p r o v ethe insulinresistance andlevel of glucosein the body.

Cocoa powder isgood for the heartand prevents fatal blood clots.Hence, avoiding severe cardiacproblems. The flavonoid and

anti-oxidants in cocoa beanslowers blood pressure andimproves the elasticity of veinsand blood vessels.

Cocoa is great forthe skin. It is also con-sidered to cure cancer

- used particularlyin the cure ofprostate and

colon cancer. Ithas anti-depressant

properties that can helpprevent mental exertion andfacilitate certain physiologicalprocesses and elevate themood.

Even though the monsoon brings withit the much-needed relief from thescorching heat, it does have a down sideas well. Dengue and malaria are someof the diseases that are common dur-

ing this season. Then there are diseases that comedue to flooding and water-logging of low-lyingareas. One such disease is leptospirosis.

?4� ��� �� It is mainly a monsoon associated infection

associated with exposure to water, soil or mudcontaminated with the urine from infected ani-mals. It is caused by a bacteria called Leptospira.It is carried by many animals. It lives in their kid-neys and is found in the urine and faeces.

?43 �� � /��:@Anyone who wades through flooded water

is at risk. When there is water-logging, the watergets contaminated by bacteria because of the mix-ing of the stool or urine. The bacteria then entersthe body through skin cuts or abrasions when aperson wades through this contaminated water,and occasionally through the lining of themouth, nose and eyes. Farmers are also at highrisk as they may get exposed to the urine and exc-reta of field rats while working.

�A%� 3%�Symptoms usually develop after five to 14

days following exposure. The most common ini-tial symptoms of this disease include either fewor all of these symptoms: Fever, severe headache,sore muscles, chills, vomiting, and red eyes. Sincethese mimic other monsoon-related illnesses likemalaria and dengue, clinical diagnosis cansometimes be difficult.

Few people with leptospirosis can developsevere disease and may need hospitalisation.

This can include kidney failure, jaundice, liverfailure, bleeding and respiratory complications.Lesser common complications include menin-

gitis where the lining of the brain and spinal cordgets involved and causes altered sensorium.

/�� %�' This disease is commonly treated with

antibiotics. Treatment is thought to be most effec-tive when detected early. The testing can takesome time and the disease may be severe in somepatients. A doctor may therefore sometimeschoose to start antibiotics prior to confirming thediagnosis with tests. However, some people recov-er spontaneously without antibiotics.

�3')& �/% �>>�� �Most individuals recover from leptospirosis

without further sequelae. But in some individ-uals who went undiagnosed and untreated in theearly and or acute illness, there can be long-termeffects. People can have a chronic-fatigue-like ill-ness that lasts for months. Others can have per-sistent headaches, depression or other neurolog-ic complaints. Occasionally the bacteria can per-sist in the eyes and cause chronic eye complaints.

�/�B�' �3'As far as possible, avoid wading through pud-

dles and water-logged areas. Wear well coveredfootwear in monsoon. Cover any cuts and abra-sions with waterproof dressings. Wash hands andlegs with soap, as leptospira bacteria are quick-ly killed by soap, disinfectants, and drying.Rodent control is of paramount importance andrequires efforts both at individual and govern-ment level. Prompt cleaning up of garbage dumpsand removing food sources that are close to hous-ing is essential. Appropriate personal protectivegear for those who work with animals or on thefarms (like waterproof boots)

Those who may have been exposed to thebacteria because they waded through floods mustcontact their doctor immediately. The doctor mayprescribe certain antibiotics (like Doxycycline)that can be taken to prevent the disease.

(3�('/&7��.8&�'6.8�3&��

Principal Consultant,Neurosciences

��������

COVID in the last 18 months has shown a devastating effecton human life. Apart from affecting the lung, it also affect-

ed different parts of the body. However, it mainly affects the lungand increases level of ferritin, D-Dimer, CRP and cytokines egIL-6. High levels of all these chemicals may have catastrophiceffect on vital organs.

Neurological involvement is a spectrum of loss of olfactorysenses to necrotising encephalitis and involving almost everyaspect of central (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS).Prevalence is around 0.1-1 per cent of COVID infections. Mostcomplications are seen by second to fourth week of COVID infec-tion. CNS-related events were more common than PNS mani-festations. Common CNS manifestations are headache, distur-bance in consciousness, dizziness, acute cerebrovascular disease,ataxia, and seizures. PNS symptoms are impairment in taste, smell,and vision. Musculoskeletal symptoms were observed in formof myalgias and nonspecific pain.

Stroke comprises of 60-70 per cent, encephalopathy 30-40per cent and neuropathy around 6 per cent and all other neu-rological complications in 0.1 per cent cases of neurological casesrelated to COVID.

Neurological involvement is mainly categorised into CNS andPNS involvement. CNS involvements are in form of stroke,encephalopathy, delirium, psychoses, necrotising encephalitis andfungal infections eg. Fungal abscess or rhinocerebral mucormy-coses. PNS involvements are facial palsy, acute inflammatorydemyelinating neuropathy (AIDP) and paraesthesia in all limbsand myalgia.

Strokes are ischemic type usually due to large vessel occlu-sion with high degree of morbidity or mortality and it is moreprevalent with diabetic, hypertensive and Coronary artery dis-ease. It is also associated with large coronary occlusion or sud-

den cardiac death upto six-eight weeks after COVID.Most patients were found tohave hypercoagulable state

Encephalopathy or delir-ium or psychoses were seenby third to fourth week ofCOVID. It is a non-specificterm used to describe theacute impairment of brainfunction which presents clin-ically as alteration in the levelof consciousness and trig-gered by viral infections. It iscompletely reversible withappropriate medications.

Neuropathy may be inform of facial palsy or severeweakness of all limbs in formof G B Syndrome. Both arecompletely reversible withmedications. Headache,myalgia and paresthesia andfatigue are minor symptoms

and it disturbs sleep but didn’t cause any disability. These recov-er with time and medications.

Some unusual complications are necrotising encephalitis andmyelitis. They have high level of morbidity and mortality.Encephalitis is a serious condition with significant impact andburden. About 20–50 per cent of encephalitis cases are causedby viruses, and half of the cases have no known etiology. Thedisease causes a variety of neurological abnormalities, such asaltered consciousness, hallucination, confusion, abnormalmovement, and aphasia.

Smoking accelerate the process of atherosclerosis all over bodyand leads to endothelial dysfunction, thrombus formation andhypercoagulable state. It also aggravates dyslipidemia. It increas-es chances of cardiovascular disease in all forms eg CAD, CVA, PVD.It locally affects the lung parenchyma and make it vulnerable toCOVID related lung damage and oxygenation of body. Coexistenceof smoking related atherosclerosis and COVID induced hyperco-agulable state increases chances of large vessel stroke.

�����.����"��� ���

$"���� �2����"����"���

��� �*�" #��� �������� �� ����������

���2!����-��"��#!�

2�"����� �����$�"��.!��#��

�����C �� �����.."�*��������$����

� ����� #0$�1� �$$/������ !�"�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.=2

���������������������2������3��&� ���� 4������������ 5�&6.7+�� �������������4��� ����8�����

/�����3�9��8/:��������4����� �������8��������������������� ��������3��;3����

;�����3������ ������������3���8/������������ �����4������14����#3���4�������<�=#3���������������4� ��3��������4 �����4�����9���3����

���:�����>��3����2����������� �6���4����������3��'��������2�����&� ��+�&� ���'(�.�����;�.�?.@�*�A

��*�1�6�&."

� � � � � � � �

�What was the idea behind the inceptionof Faibr-x?

Faibr-x was conceptualised on the ideaof safespace for every human and child.Clothes are the biggest carrier of virus andbacteria and we strongly believe thatclothes can also be the biggest protectoragainst both. Faibr-x was conceptualised toadd an element of protection, certified pro-tection in this case, to our daily wear clothesto protect us against virus, bacteria andinsects including mosquitoes. And to behonest, this was called for by the situationcaused by the COVID pandemic. Now wemay have started to move out of our hous-es but it is still not safe, the pandemic isn’tentirely over yet and we do need an extraline of defence against this virus.�How is it different from already treatedantiviral clothes?

Faibr-x uses nanotechnology to impartprotective nature to garments against virusand bacteria. The protective finish as addedto garments is done on a nano level(1nanometre is 10^-9 metre) wherein theprotective finish is applied on the fibre ofthe cloth. This nano level application allowsthe garment to not only be completely pro-tective in nature but also makes it long last-ing. A once treated garment would remainprotective even after 10 washes. Here we arenot just fighting a specific virus, we are tak-ing down all kinds of viruses and diseasecausing bacteria. Along with the bacteriathat cause odour. This is what sets theclothes treated with Faibr-x apart fromalready treated antiviral clothes.�What are the challenges that you face?

Biggest challenge is to make the endconsumer understand and acknowledge oursolution. We realise Faibr-x is a first of itskind solution and therefore many peoplemay not be aware of our vision and theimpact of our solution. With that said, weare making a constant stride forward,towards brand awareness and making peo-ple realise how significant can Faibr-x proveto be during this pandemic. �How safe are Faibr-x treatments for var-ious individuals?

Faibr-x nanotechnology and its ingre-dients are certified by OekaTex Class 1 andhave been evaluated by CDSCO, ISO, andNABL labs human and environment safe-ty. Non metal, non silver, non itching tech-nology is safest not only for various indi-viduals but even for newborn and youngtoddlers.�How can one get their clothes Faibr-xtreated?

As mentioned above, we have tied upwith grocery stores, medical stores, drycleaners, and departmental stores that actas collection points for us. People can droptheir clothes with these stores, from wherethey would be picked up and sent for Faibr-x treatment. And then returned.�What has been the people’s response tosuch treated clothes?

People’s response to the treated clotheshas been positive so far. Our services havebeen perceived by our customer base as aunique concept of protection. People do feeldonning Faibr-x treated clothes acts as adefence mechanism against virus and bac-teria. Customers have been happy with theaffordability and the accessibility of our ser-vices, given we have collaborated with localgrocery stores and dry cleaners, we are eas-ily accessible.

"/�3��&��&"!������� � ���&��3��@��#��' ��A��@���(�6���'���9���� B ������� � �������� �'�����'� ��� �� ������������ �� ���� ����������� �' ������� ������ ����������� ��������� ��

A DOSE FORYOUR CLOTHES

#+"�,% -�(,�#�*

#���"7"������������������������������������ �����!�����������7�� ��������� �� �����((�;�������(��� ����������������'���(�������������� ��������(�(��(���( ������ ��������������������� ���� ����� ��������������� �����������5&�:�,&�66�

�& �&& �������& �&& ������

&�5 �6�28 �2&76.$8� �#8�@' 767

2&$6���.�&$���.4��286�$86�6��.�

2&$6��' ##��#��$862&$6��#6$.

% �$&���&$67�959&%$6��&�96%&�.6� @$86���Q��#� @�$86.$ '� ������6��$869&%$6��&�$86��6�$6�.$86�9 75�$8� �#8�.4��%�$.� ��&9�&.� �.�

2����� �������������� ������� ����������������������7��$���$��#�'&7&������.8&'����.&4.6�&

&���<))��

0��,,��

��

Thousands of lives can beimproved through organand tissue transplants,

enabling people to live better, andin many cases, survive. So, whyare only 0.01 per cent of Indiansconsenting to donate their organsafter their death?

Organ donation is theprocess of retrieving or procur-ing an organ legally with theintention of being able to med-ically help someone in need.Consent is given either by thedonor while they’re still alive, orafter death by their Next of Kin.First the organ is recovered, orharvested, before being trans-planted into the recipient inneed. Organ donation in India isregulated by the 1994Transplantation of HumanOrgans and Tissues Act. The actaims to control the removal,storage, and transplantation oforgans and prevents any com-mercial dealings, while theNational Organ and TissueTransplant Organisation facili-tates procurement, allotment,

and distribution of organs with-in India. With a budget of �149.5crore, the Government imple-mented the National OrganTransplant Programme for pro-moting organ donation.

Despite the Governmentidentifying the need for organdonation, there is a disparitybetween huge demand and lowsupply. Organ donation in Indiais only just beginning to take off— reason for the delay being lackof awareness, spiritual belief of lifeafter death, and generally nega-tive attitudes towards organ dona-tion. Donation is encouraged asa charitable act that saves orenhances life; therefore, it requiresno action on the part of the reli-gious group.

India’s Statistical Data as of2015 shows that in response tothe demand for 1.75 lakhs of kid-ney transplants, only 5000 trans-plants were completed. With50,000 people dying of terminalliver disease, only 1000 got trans-plants. These statistics are evenmore distressing in organs like

hearts and lungs. About 0.5 mil-lion people in India die every yearfrom causes that could havebeen prevented by organ trans-plants that were not available tothem. Organ donation rates inIndia sit at 0.01 percent, a minis-cule figure in comparison tocountries like Croatia’s whichsits at 36.5 per cent and Spain’s at35.3 per cent. One donationfrom a deceased whose brain gaveway before their heart can savelives of up to eight people who aresuffering from end stage organfailures. If India’s donation rateswere to be improved to onedonation per million deaths, itwould satisfy the country’s organrequirement completely.

The process of pledging issimple. A donor card is provid-ed to a person who is willing todonate the organs after death.Donor cards are not a legallybinding document - it is only anexpression of a person's willing-ness to be a donor. At the time oforgan donation, the family of thepatient will make the final deci-

sion on whether to donate organsor not. Any person willing todonate his/her organs can do soby filling out the donor consentform available on the Ministry of

Health and Family Welfare,Government of India website.

Government of India shouldundertake the responsibility forestablishing proper infrastructure

all over India to facilitate speedytransport and harvesting oforgans. The official paperworkshould be more donor-friendlyand convenient.

����� !�"�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

=3�������� �����

����������2���6�3��2���

���������B1�������;���

3���<CC������� ������������C��������C

;� �����

&�����������������8����� ���!������ ������ ������ ��������� � ������� ������� ������� ����������������� ����� ���� ���(&�����"���� ����� ���0� ������

������ �������� ��������� ������������� ��������� ��������� �-����� ������

��/�������������������������� ����0� �1��������0�������� ����������������2����0�������� ����� ���� ������ ����������� "�� !������������� ������ ��P*���� ����� � �������� �� ��

������������� � ��8����������� ����"��������'�����"������������������������� �� ������������������ ����$�� ����� ��������" 0������ ��������-����"�1���0� �-���� ���� �� �������

(6������������1���!����0�����"� ����0��� �������������������0�5���� ����" �����!�"����� ����������� ������2� ����������������� ���������1 ���������������������0�'�!��������0������ ���� !���������*�8 ����������&����8����"����

63����5��4�5� ��3������

1@�������������������������" ����� ��������� ���1 ����������� ������0����������������������� ��� �� ��������!��!�� �������2��������������������������� ������� �����"� � ������ ������������ ������� �� ������ ����� �������"�������������� ����P�&����� ������������������������������ ���� ���! ��0�

fairtalk����������

1�����!�������� ��� ��������������������������� ������������������ ��"�������� ���� ������ �"�����������������������"�������������� ����� ������ ���������� ��� ��"��������������"��������� !��������������������� ��������� ����� �������!��������������������������������0

dailytalk���

/�'(F��G�/76 �2��8�2 ) �� ��� 2�������8

Exercise is an important part ofrecovery after falling prey toCOVID-19. As the number of

COVID-positive cases is on the rise,remember that irrespective of howrestless you may feel after being restrict-ed to your home, if you were strickenby the disease, you should take it easyand remember that it is only natural totake some time to achieve the fitnesslevel you possessed before you gotinfected.

Generally, doctors recommend abreak of three-six months, even after thesymptoms subside, depending on theseverity of the infection in the patient.Provided below are some guidelines toease your transition to the active lifestyleyou once led.

�Always warm up before and cooldown after exercising. Begin withbreathing exercises and mild walking.You will be shocked to see how you gaspfor breath even after walking for 100metres.

�Wear comfortable clothes that

circulate air to help you breathe normal-ly. Also, wear comfortable shoes for freemovement.

�Eat healthy and nutritious food insufficient quantities an hour before theexercise. Forget about dieting post-COVID19 illness.

�Staying hydrated while recoveringfrom the illness is imperative. Ensurethat you drink ample water before andafter exercising.

�Don’t exhaust yourself by exercis-ing in hot weather. Try working out earlyin the morning or in the evening. If bychance you can’t work out in the morn-ing, then meditate during the afternoon,but don’t indulge in rough workout ses-sions.

�At the same time, avoid exercis-ing indoors with the air conditioner on.Extreme cold weather can leave youbreathless which can lead to an unevenflow of blood in the vessels and stressedmuscles.

Doctors claim that weakness can lastup to six months after recovering,depending on a person’s immune sys-tem and energy levels. If your friend canrun 20-25 laps of the field post-recov-ery, doesn’t mean that your body canalso tolerate the same.

Immediately stop working out if youexperience any of the following symp-toms:

�Nausea�Dizziness or lightheadedness�Breathlessness is common while

exercising. However, stop if the breath-lessness worsens and doesn’t subsideeven after resting

�Excessive sweating

�Tightness in the chest area�Increased pain especially in the

arms and jawThe moment you experience any

uncommon symptoms, you should stopexercising and contact your doctorimmediately. There is no harm in dis-cussing the symptoms with your fitnessexpert as well. Remember, medicalstaff and doctors are there for our assis-tance.

The best way to start exercising isby warming up. Mild exercises canloosen the muscles and increase bloodflow. This will help in exercising prop-erly without any room for injuries, sore-ness or uneasiness in the body.

Few exercising tips that can loosenmuscle and increase strength

�Warm-up exerciseRoll your shoulders slowly to loosen

the muscles and increase blood flow. Youneed to roll them clockwise and anti-clockwise five times consecutively.Continue this motion for five minutes.

�Fitness exerciseWe all have marched during the

school graduation ceremony, so, it willnot be difficult to march on one spot for10 minutes. You can also walk/run upand down the staircase for 10 minutes.It helps in improving breathlessness.

�Strength exerciseStand facing the wall and raise both

hands and place your palms on it. Nowpush yourself towards the wall, againstthe force and then return to your posi-tion. This exercise helps in buildingstrength in arms and joints.

Start with mild exercises.Gradually, increase the frequency,intensity and duration of your work-out at your ease. This is the best wayof challenging yourself by increasingone level further. Breathlessness isnormal while exercising, but too muchof it can be harmful and should beaddressed immediately. Increase theintensity of your workouts accordingto your tolerance. Fatigue and extremepain can be signs of over-exertion. Itis advised to work out with a fitnessexpert so that if you feel breathless orare in extreme pain, s/he can provideyou with emergency assistance.

(The author is co-founder ofSynq.fit, a one-stop solution for your

home workouts.)

Who is Freddy, you might ask? This introductionneeds a drum roll or rather some suspenseful stac-

cato played at a steadily increasing pace.Producer Ekta Kapoor, in collaboration with Jay

Shewakramani, is all set to kickstart their next produc-tion, Freddy. The film, directed by Shashanka Ghosh, isa romantic thriller starring Kartik Aaryan in the titularrole.

Incidentally, Shashanka’s last outing Veere Di Weddingwith Balaji Telefilms was a super-hit and now they’reteaming up again. Full of unpredictable twists and sharpturns, characters in this movie are set to take us on a darkand chilling roller coaster ride, where the lines betweenlove and obsession blur! Freddy is jointly produced byBalaji Telefilms and Northern Lights Films.

Ekta, who’s known for genre-bending content is excit-ed as the movie is all set to go on floors. “I’m thrilled tohave Kartik on board. His choices of the subject havealways been unique and this one is no different and col-laborating with Jayu makes it even more special,” she says.

Jay adds, “It is the first time I am collabo-rating with Ekta and Kartik on a film and forit to be on a script like this, makes it all themore exciting! Freddy is a script we workedon incessantly and we can’t wait for Shashankato bring to life these crazy characters!”

Speaking about the movie, an ecsta-tic Kartik shares, “As an actor, I craveto explore different facades of enter-tainment and with Freddy, I’m ven-turing into an uncharted territorywhich is both exciting and intrigu-ing in equal measures. I look for-

ward to marking my presence inFreddy's world and bring alive thisdark romantic thriller. This will be myfirst collaboration with a visionary likeEkta Kapoor and creative forces suchas Jay and Shahshanka. Couldn’t haveasked for a better team on this newjourney.”

The director, Shashanka, fur-ther adds, “As a filmmaker, there is

a lot to play with the genre, like athriller. I am more than excited to

work with an incredible team on a pro-ject as inspiring as Freddy. I am surethat the film is going to be one of the

best thrilling cinematic experiences for theaudience across the nation.”

Currently, most of the prominentsocial media platforms have

become vehicles that proliferatenegativity, drive divisiveness, andenable cyberbullying. While theyeach have standards for behaviouroutlined for all to see, they are at bestinconsistently applied, and at worstcompletely ignored. The sites havebecome so toxic that not a day goesby where many regular users are notexposed to some level of negativity.People regularly report the loss ofinteractions with friends, familyand colleagues online.

The call for reform has beenside-stepped by these companies.The likes of key social media plat-forms have held up the freedom ofexpression flag in their defense,though many believe this is just away to justify a business model thatis lucrative to them and their share-holders. There is little doubt thatextreme societal damage has beendone from these platforms’ unwill-ingness to make meaningful changesto address these issues. To date, theconversation has largely been aboutthe issues with these platforms.However, now is the time for solu-tions. It is time to bring about a morepositive way to interact online wheremembers can connect in a safe andsecure environment openly andfreely.

Various new-age networking

platforms are focussing on improv-ing online forums while makingconcerted efforts to mitigate nega-tivity and cyberbullying. Their sole

aim is to bring about a social revo-lution that counterbalances theonline negativity and toxicity that isperpetuated, enabled and perhaps

unknowingly supported by majorsocial media platforms today.

These modern social network-ing platforms enable people to giveand receive guidance for free and themembers help each other in achiev-ing their respective goals. These tar-gets could be related to fitness,career, health, parenting, hobbies,personality development, or anyother topic.

These platforms are a commu-nity where like-minded people andthose who share common interestsand goals come together to supporteach other and render a helpinghand to each other. The members insuch a scenario can interact andengage one-on-one amongst like-minded individuals or other com-munities across the globe instantlyand seamlessly. They are devoid ofads, negativity, fake news, trolling,and cyberbullying and work beyondthe popularity contest approach ofgarnering maximum likes andshares.

New-age networking platformsleverage the power of content mod-eration, identity verification, andtechnology mix to come up withstate-of-the-art community-enabledsolutions that help resolve all theassociated issues. People with realidentities facilitate an increasedlevel of trust, credibility, and safetyamongst the members and prefer

platforms that provide a safe and pro-tected environment where their pri-vacy is secured.

Trust, respect and genuine con-nections form the core of thesesocial networking platforms andthey are leaving no stone unturnedto ensure that their community isfree from negativity and toxicity. Allthey want is to leave a positiveimpact on the members' lives.

These new-age networking plat-forms don't function as the usualsocial media platforms but ratherlend a helping hand to solve theproblems faced by people in thesocial space. They aim to come upwith a new social contract so thatpeople can interact quickly, easily,and instantly with each other. Theyare aware that negativity, divisiveness,polarisation and fake news rule thesocial media space today. However,they wish to take a bold stance andbet on the goodness of the people.They desire to uplift each otherrather than tearing each other down.The broader vision of these new-ageplatforms is to normalise a differentonline experience and provide analternative way to spend your timeonline which is positive, interactive,engaging, and fosters connections!

(The author is co-founder &CEO of ChekMarc, a social plat-form that enables impactful one-

on-one connections.)

Gauahar Khan has managed to find her fanbase in every section of the audience.From featuring in TV reality shows like

Bigg Boss, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Fear Factor:Khatron Ke Khiladi, to sharing screen space withBollywood stars like Ranbir Kapoor, Saif AliKhan and Vidya Balan in films like RocketSingh: Salesman of the Year, Begum Jaan andrecently in the web series Tandav and her lat-est film 14 Phere, Gauahar has done it all.

Even though she is mostly grabbing head-lines for her social and personal life on socialmedia, in a recent interview, the actress sharesthat with time, her parameters on choosing pro-jects, especially films, has changed because sheis looking to explore her acting skills now.

"Honestly speaking, I do not look at any-thing with regret. I do not regret why I couldnot have the role of the female protagonistopposite Ranbir in a Bollywood film or whydirectors, producers are not considering me forlead roles. For films, the footage did not mat-

ter to me, the character did. If you look at mycharacter in Ishaqzaade and Begum Jaan,those scenes and moments in the story wereimportant. For me, it is always about creatingsomething on-screen that resonates with theaudience, and it did," expresses Gauhar.

“Initially, for me, I would try to use everyopportunity to the best of my ability becauseI started from zero. It has been around 19 yearsfor me in the entertainment business and I haveseen so much change... Especially with OTTplatforms, actors like myself are getting theopportunity to showcase their skills, earlier in

cinema chances were limited,” she adds.Gauahar started her journey as a model and

was one of the participants in 2002 for theFemina Miss India beauty pageant. She wenton gaining popularity with many non-fictionTV shows like The Khan Sisters, Ticket toBollywood, India’s Raw Star, I Can Do That anddifferent seasons of Bigg Boss. She was the win-ner of Bigg Boss 7.

“The web-series space is interesting for meand I am getting good offers from OTT plat-forms. Tandav was an important show for methat was released on Amazon Prime Video. Ihave a couple of things lined up for OTT andagain, all of them are very versatile and inter-esting. Now my parameter of choosing a pro-ject is to collaborate with directors and story-tellers who will use my potential; I want to bechallenged with new and exciting roles,” sharesGauahar who also appeared in the Hotstar spe-cial sitcom show The Office.

@��+

Bollywood actor Sonu Sood hasjoined Special Olympics Bharat

as its brand ambassador. At a vir-tual event attended by over 500athletes, coaches, families, officialsand volunteers, Sonu interactedwith the special athletes respond-ing to their queries while admir-ing and appreciating their sport-ing achievements.

The inaugural session intro-duced him to the#WalkForInclusion, an initiative ofthe Special Olympics Asia PacificRegion, demonstrated by the ath-letes, marking his entryinto the InclusionRevolution of theSpecial Olympics move-ment.

Speaking about hisrole as the ambassador,Sonu said, “Today is a veryspecial day for me and Iam delighted to jointhis journey of inclu-sion with SpecialOlympics Bharat.Through their sport-ing achievements,each athlete redefinesthe human spirit thatstands tall in the faceof every challenge. Iwish luck to all ofthem to do their bestand showcase theirabilities with confi-dence which in itselfwould send a strong messageto the world that theydeserve to be mainstreamed.I feel privileged to join theSpecial Olympics Bharat fam-ily and vouch to make this plat-form even bigger and resonatewith people all over the coun-try.”

Not to be confused withthe Paralympics, the SpecialOlympics is for individualswith intellectual disabilities,whereas the Paralympics is

generally for athletes with any dis-ability, including physical, andonly at an elite level. Sonu will leadthe team of Special OlympicsBharat Athletes who will travel toKazan to participate in the SpecialOlympics World Winter Games inJanuary 2022.

He went on to express his grat-itude, “I feel honoured to have thisopportunity to be with our teamin Russia for the Special OlympicsWorld Winter Games. We willtogether encourage our athletes togive their best and cheer them onwith such enthusiasm that the roarof support will echo back home inIndia as well.”

Speaking on the occasion,Mallika Nadda, chairperson ofSpecial Olympics Bharat,

remarked, “I wish to conveymy gratitude to SonuSood for accepting ourinvitation to join theSpecial Olympicsfamily. We are cer-tain that he will playa major role in giv-ing a new directionto the SpecialOlympics move-ment in India andhelp the cause of per-sons with intellectu-

al disabilities all overthe world. Sonu Sood

has offered his supportto Special OlympicsBharat on several occa-sions in the past, and weare thrilled that he isnow going to lead theSpecial Olympics move-ment. We look forwardto working together withSonu Sood in our effortto provide an equalopportunity and the dig-nity of life for personswith intellectual disabil-ities.”

@��+

����

�����������

����� )(2 !$,�"�"� !+#����!-!��"#�9�&#��-�*�+&"��%�#���'+ ��!%#�&&� �,�&��-�%&�'�����2:�;�

$��������������������6/����# 7�������'��������'�3���� ��������������������

3�'���� �������&�����4&�$�4�&&�5&� �� ���������� ��������������������� �������������@�������9��$6&� E�E&

5!".��-����#���-��&*������������ �����#&�&8&��48&� ���!�� �!�����"���� �������������������� ����������������+:��� �

������+���(���"��� ,��B�6 ������������.������'���������� (����������������������� �������������������'�

�$�"� =4����� !�"�#�$%&'( "�'�)�%# *+�,-,.

3:A3 �%���'�

MONDAY HIGHLIGHTS

�Hockey : India beatAustralia 1-0 in women’squarterfinal.�Athletics: Dutee Chand7th and last in women’s200m Heat 4; fails to qual-ify for semifinals.Kamalpreet Kaur sixth inwomen’s discus final witha best throw of 63.70m.�Shooting: AishwaryPratap Singh Tomar 21stand Sanjeev Rajput 32ndin men’s 50m rifle 3 posi-tions qualification; fail toqualify for final. �Equestrian: FouaadMirza 25th in eventingjumping individual quali-fier; 23rd in final.

IN ACTION TODAY

�Athletics: Annu Rani inwomen’s javelin throwQualification Group A.(5:50am)Tajinderpal Singh Toor inmen’s shot putQualification Group A.(3:45am)�Hockey : India vsBelgium in men’s semifi-nal. (7:00am)�Wrestling: Sonam Malikvs Bolortuya Khurelkhuu(Mongolia) in women’s62kg. (8:30am onwards)

Live on SONY TEN &SIX Network

Nottingham: India’s openingbatsman Mayank Agarwal wason Monday ruled out of the firstTest against England after beingconcussed by a short ball fromteammate Mohammed Sirajduring a training session here.

While facing Siraj, Agarwalsaw the ball thudding into hishelmet when he took his eyes offa short delivery.

The first Test starts here onWednesday.

“Opening batsman MayankAgarwal was hit on the helmetwhile batting during India’s netssession at Trent Bridge inNottingham on Monday,” BCCIsecretary Jay Shah was quoted assaying in a media release.

“The BCCI Medical Teamassessed him, and a concussiontest was conducted. He hasshown signs of concussion andis ruled out of the opening Testagainst England. The 30-year-old is stable and will remainunder close medical observa-tion,” Shah further stated.

When vice-captain Ajinkya

Rahane was asked about the fit-ness of all players, he did say thatAgarwal sustained a head injury.

“Mayank Agarwal got hit onthe head. The medical team islooking after him. All others arefit,” Rahane told mediapersons.

After being hit by Siraj’sdelivery, Agarwal was seen insome discomfort as he removedthe helmet and sat on theground with physio Nitin Patelattending to him. He was thenseen pressing the back of hishead while leaving the nets,escorted by Patel. PTI

���'������"������� ��(�)� �@���8�� Tokyo: Reigning world champion P V Sindhu

on Monday said she was completely blank afterwinning a second successive Olympic medal andit took her a while to realise the enormity of herhistoric achievement in the ongoing Games.

The 26-year-old Indian on Sunday etchedher name among the all-time greats after win-ning badminton’s women’s singles Bronzemedal to add to the Silver she won at Rio deJaneiro five years back.

“...I was blank, my coach was literally intears, it was a big moment. I hugged him andsaid ‘Thank you’. I didn’t know what to do for5-6 seconds, I shouted, so all emotions cametogether at that moment,” she said during a vir-tual press conference.

In the third-place play-off, Sindhu beatChina’s He Bing Jiao. The win came after apainful loss in the semifinals to world No 1 TaiTzu Ying.

Sindhu said coach Park Tae-sang’s encour-agement helped her to recover from the semi-final loss and claim the Bronze for the coun-try.

“After semis, I was really sad, I was in tearsbut my coach said it is not over yet. There weremixed emotions, if I should be sad or happy butPark told one thing. He said ‘there is a lot of dif-ference between a fourth position and a Bronze’and that really hit me,” she said.

“I went with the mindset that I have to givemy 100 percent and get that medal.”

A lot of questions were raised when Sindhu

decided to move out of the Pullela GopichandAcademy and train at the Gachibowli indoorstadium which had bigger halls similar to the

venue in Tokyo.Sindhu said it was one of the best decisions,

especially since drift played a role during theGames at the Musashino Forest Plaza.

“Yeah, from the beginning there was nocontroversy, I mean, we had this opportunityto play in conditions similar to Olympics, sofrom February we have been playing there, ithas really helped us because drift played a bigrole and I learnt a lot in Gachibowli, I learnt tocontrol the shuttle better.

“It had international standard courts withair conditioners, which was important. So I feelit was the best decision...”

GOPI SIR CONGRATULATED, SAINA ‘NO’P V Sindhu said she received congratu-

latory message from chief national bad-minton coach Pullela Gopichand but she hasnot got any such gesture yet from senior shut-tler Saina Nehwal.

Asked if she received any communicationfrom Gopichand and Saina after her win,Sindhu said: “Of course, Gopi sir wished mecongrats. That’s all. I haven’t seen the socialmedal. I am slowly replying to everybody.

When further probed, Sindhu said: “Gopisir messaged me, Saina no. We don’t talkmuch, so....”

��0!"���!�.��'*� �! ��0!"����#�!&"��)��$�+�!%#�&�0��

Tokyo: Indian shootersAishwary Pratap Singh Tomarand Sanjeev Rajput failed toqualify for the finals of themen’s 50m rifle 3 positionsevent at the Tokyo Olympicshere on Monday.

Tomar finished 21st in thequalification while Rajput wasplaced in 32nd position at theAsaka Shooting Range as theIndian shooting team returnedwithout a medal for the secondstraight time at the Olympics.

Only the top 8 athletesqualify for the final.

Tomar shot a total of 1167with 63 inner 10s in the qual-ification over the stages ofkneeling, prone and standing,while Rajput, appearing in histhird Olympics, aggregated1157 with 55 inner 10s.

The cut was made at 1176.With this, Indian shooters

failed to win a medal for a sec-ond successive Olympics. PTI

)���#�&"�%���"�0�#��+#�'�$!�

Tokyo: Discus throwerKamalpreet Kaur finished acreditable sixth in her firstOlympics in a rain-interruptedfinal while sprinter DuteeChand ended her campaign ona disappointing note by failingto qualify for the 200m semifi-nals here on Monday.

The 25-year-old Kaur, whohas qualified for the final as sec-ond best on Saturday, was neverin the running for a medal inthe eight rounds of competitionwhich was interrupted by rainfor more than an hour.

Her best throw of 63.70min the third round saw her fin-ished at sixth and equal 2010Commonwealth Games Goldmedallist Krishna Poonia’s per-formance in the 2012 LondonOlympics.

Throughout the competi-tion, Kaur looked nervous andshort of confidence as shelacked international exposure.She has taken part in WorldUniversity Games in2017, her lone interna-tional competition.

It was a toughcompetition for all theparticipants as rainstarted pouring downtowards the endof the secondround and afew throwerstaking theirattemptsin spiteof slip-p e r ycircle.

R a i nstopped after anhour but thehumidity seemedto have affected thethrowers’ perfor-mance and theyhave to be cautiousas the approach areato the circle was wet.

With her rightshoulder heavily

strapped, Kaur began with a61.62m effort before fouling hernext attempt. That put herunder pressure and on theverge of being eliminated as shewas ninth just before her thirdthrow.

But she gave her best andcame up with a 63.70m, thatsaved her and put her in thesixth position as the bottomfour out of the 12 finalists wereeliminated after three rounds.

Not much changed in theposition of the throwers in thefinal three rounds. Kaur fouledthe fourth throw and then hada 61.37m in her penultimateattempt before sending the dis-cus out of sector in the finalone.

American Valarie Allmantook the Gold with a firstround throw of 68.98m whileKristin Pudenz (66.86m) ofGermany and reigning worldchampion Yaime Perez(65.72m) of Cuba won theSilver and Bronze respectively.

In the morning session,sprinter Dutee ran her sea-son’s best in 200m but thatwas not enough for a semi-finals berth as she made a

disappointing exitfrom the

Olympics afterfinishing lastin her heatrace. The2 5 - y e a r-o l dclocked2 3 . 8 5secondsto fin-i s hs e v -e n t ha n dlast inHeat 4

a n d3 8 t ho v e r a l l

out of 41competitors.

,�������� �(�����* ������'���(���

Tokyo: Young Indian wrestlerSonam Malik was on Mondayplaced in the challenging bottomhalf of the women’s 62kg draw,where she will open herOlympics campaign againstAsian Silver medallist BolortuyaKhurelkhuu from Mongolia.

The 19-year-old will be thesole Indian wrestler in action onTuesday. Relatively new to thebig stage, every single bout willbe a test of character for Sonam,who qualified for the TokyoGames by making the final at theAsian Qualifier in April inAlmaty.

Khurelkhuu is more experi-enced than Sonam and hasstood on the podium on boththe occasions she took the matthis season but the Indian is notintimidated.

Sonam came into Olympicsafter recovering from a rightknee injury that did not let herfly to Russia for training inbuild-up to the Games.

“I am fine. There is no painin my knee. It’s neither tough noreasy draw for me,” Sonam, whoearned a name for herself bydefeating Rio Bronze-medallistSakshi Malik four times, saidafter the draw ceremony.

If Sonam manges to crossthe first hurdle, she will mostlikely find 2018 world champi-on Taybe Mustafa Yusein fromBulgaria in the quarterfinals.

The draw is such that therepechage route may open upfor Sonam if she does not godeep on her own. PTI

����� �� #�.� ����I��"�����. ��$�.�

Tokyo: Equestrian FouaadMirza on Monday finished acreditable 23rd in eventing afterhe became the first Indian toreach the final of the event hereon Monday.

Mirza and his equineSeigneur Medicott sneaked intothe top-25 in the morning tomake the jumping finals andbecome the first Indian to do so.

In the final, Mirza incurred

12.40 penalty points for an over-all 59.60 that included the pointsfrom the three rounds of qual-ifying events — dressage, crosscountry and jumping.

It was a creditable perfor-mance for the 29-year-oldBengaluru rider Mirza, whowas the first equestrian to qual-ify for the Olympics since ImtiazAnees in Sydney 2000.

Mirza started off the three

qualifying eventing rounds witha spectacular dressage round bytaking the ninth place onSaturday.

On Sunday, Mirza picked up11.20 penalty points in the chal-lenging Sea Forest CrossCountry Course to be placed22nd.

Mirza and Seigneur fin-ished the cross country run injust over eight minutes afterstarting a bit late owing to a tech-nical issue.

In the final qualifying event,Mirza knocked two fences in thejumping round to incur eightpenalty points en route to finish-ing 25th with an overall 47.2penalty points.

The final was once again ajumping round where the top 25competed.

Germany’s Julia Krajewskiwon the Gold in the event,making her the first femaleOlympic champion in eventing’shistory. PTI

Tokyo: Handling the immenseburden of expectations wouldperhaps be the key when theIndian men’s hockey team takeson world champion Belgium,aiming to secure a place in theOlympic finals and with it, amedal for the first time in 41years here on Tuesday.

With 11 Olympic medals,eight of them Gold, in its kitty,India has a rich history in theGames and the ManpreetSingh-led side seems on courseto resurrect that glorious past.

The Indians achieved thesemifinal slot by beating GreatBritain 3-1 in the quarterfinalson Sunday, and are now intouching distance of a medal.

The Graham Reid-coachedcurrent side knows very wellthat another good outingagainst Belgium on Tuesdaywould etch its name in the his-tory books in golden words nomatter the colour of the medal.

The Indians are on a four-match winning streak after the1-7 drubbing against Australia

in their second pool match andcome Tuesday, Manpreet andhis teammates would look tocontinue the momentum.

But it would be easier saidthan done as in Belgium, Indiaface a tough opponent, whichhas improved leaps and boundsin the last few years.

Besides being currentworld champions and worldNo 2 side, Belgium are also thereigning European champi-ons.

Going by rankings, how-ever, there is hardly anythingto separate between the twosides as India are currently

ranked third in the world.The recent head-to-head

record also favours India.India and the Red Lions

played each other three timesin 2019 during their tour ofthe European nation and theAsian side came out victoriousin all the matches. India

defeated Belgium 2-0, 3-1 and5-1 in the three games duringthat tour.

In the most recent outingin March this year, India beat

Belgium 3-2 during theirEurope tour. In fact, in theirlast five matches againstBelgium, the Indians haveregistered four wins.

However, the last time boththe sides met each other in theOlympics, Belgium came out 3-1 winners in Rio. PTI

3��+�� ������'$%�����G ����

%��A��B���������������������

Tokyo: His phone hasn’tstopped buzzing ever since PV Sindhu claimed the Bronzemedal at Tokyo Olympics butIndia’s foreign badmintoncoach Park Tae-sang says hedid feel ‘little pressure’ afterbeing suddenly asked to trainthe star shuttler for theGames.

The 42-year-old fromSouth Korea was initially

hired to train the men’s singlesplayers but started workingwith Sindhu after the abruptdeparture of Kim Ji Hyun, fol-lowing the WorldChampionship in 2019.

“I’m really happy becausethis is the first time my play-er has got a medal in mycoaching career,” Park, whocompeted at the 2004 AthensOlympics before taking up

coaching the national Koreanteam, said during a virtualpress conference.

“When I first startedteaching Sindhu, she wasalready a big Olympic star. Ifelt little pressure but I tried.My Korean players also didn’tget an Olympic medal, so Ithought I can try to get her aGold. We failed but Bronze isalso a very big medal. PTI

��"� 2��� $"���!"� �2��" #��.���.��� �� �"�� ����!

����� $ 45 �

Abrave and determinedIndian women’s hockeyteam etched its name in

the history books by entering theOlympic Games semifinals forthe first time, stunning three-time champions and world No2 Australia 1-0 in an intense last-eight tie here on Monday.

A day after the Indian men’steam entered the Olympic semi-finals following a 49-year gap,the world No 9 women’s sidealso produced a phenomenallygritty performance to make itway into the last four.

Drag-flicker Gurjit Kaurrose to the occasion when itmattered and converted India’slone penalty corner in the 22ndminute to surprise theAustralians.

“We are so happy, it is theresult of hard work that we putin for several, several days. In1980, we qualified for the Gamesbut this time, we made thesemifinals. It is a proud momentfor us,” Gurjit said after thematch.

“This team is like a family,we have supported each otherand found support from thecountry as well. We are veryhappy,” she added.

But the Indians, determinedto prove a point, produced astrong and brave performance toeke out the narrow win over theHockeyroos.

How much it meant for theteam and Indian hockey in gen-eral could be gauged from the

emotions that were on displayafter the final hooter went off.

The players screamed,hugged each other, and got intoa huddle with their Dutch coachSjoerd Marijne with tears of joyrolling down their faces.

India’s best performance inthe Olympics came way back in

the 1980 Moscow Games wherethey finished fourth out of sixteams. In that edition, women’shockey made its debut in theOlympics and the sport wasplayed in a round-robin format.

The Rani Rampal-led sidewill play Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday.

Tokyo: India men’s hockeyteam chief coach Graham Reidhas told his players to keeptheir emotions in check andavoid cards against a strongopponent like Belgium insemifinals.

While Reid expressed thathe was happy with the 3-1 vic-tory against Great Britain inthe quarterfinal on Sunday, hehighlighted that getting twogreen cards and one yellowcard in the game is somethingthey must avoid against

Belgium.“The things we can learn

from last night (Sunday) is thatthere is a difference betweenpassion and emotion.Sometimes, we let our emo-tions take over.

“We need to keep 11 play-ers on the pitch. The problemis that we played a lot of ourgame against Great Britainwith 10 men on the pitch. Wecan’t do that against Belgiumand think that we can be vic-torious,” asserted Reid. PTI

������'�#���"���� �� .��!,��$ !&$"�����$�#���"���"�#�!'

&6 �����������������&�� $��'��������������������?����������������3���A���������� &$�

%���� �������������������������������0������������� C3���

>��&.���;�.�!����(�� ��!���������0����'���� ������ ��������'���(����� ����� ������).C��������&�'�������

�������������������������*��0�1���90�����+��:��������������������������������������������������� ��!�������������� C$� ���"�"��

������������'������D��������������������� <%���0��Tokyo: Watching a movie onself belief after three consec-utive losses rebuilt the Indianwomen’s hockey team’s shat-tered morale and helped it to‘aim for the clouds’, the side’sDutch coach Sjoerd Marijnerevealed on Monday afterRani Rampal and Co enteredtheir maiden Olympic semifi-nals here.

The Indian team bouncedback tremendously in thetournament after successivelosses and Marijne said themovie helped psychologicallyahead of the must-win poolgame against Ireland but didnot reveal its name.

“The difference is believ-ing in ourselves and believingin their dreams and then it’sabout going back to realityfocussing on your past. I thinkthat is the main thing andthat’s what we did,” Marijnesaid after upsetting Australiain the quarterfinals.

“If you lose you don’t stop

believing and that’s what I toldthe girls. The most importantthing is to stay in the moment.I showed them a movie andthat movie is about being inthe moment and I think thatwas really helpful. AgainstIreland we kept on referring tothat movie,” he said.

He said all he asked theteam to do was to aim for thehighest.

“In India you must thinkbig and that’s what I said to thegirls. If you aim for the high-est, for the clouds, you will fallon the highest mountain. Ifyou aim for the mountain youwill fall on the ground,” heexplained.

“We went for the cloudsand I said whatever happensafter it doesn’t matter, butthat’s where we have to aimfor.”

India captain RaniRampal too credited themovie for the turnaround offortunes. PTI