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HYDERABAD, SUNDAY APRIL 11, 2021; PAGES 10+16 `5

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IMF, World Bank urged to ensure timely

delivery of vax

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Daily caseload may touch 10,000, cases are increasing

at an average rate of 222 per day since April 1

Covid 2.0 is spreading 5 times faster in Telangana state

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

Telangana State reported 181cases of coronavirus on March 9.In just a month, i.e. as of April 9,the number of daily cases touched2,909. This represents a five-fold

increase in the intensity of theCoronavirus infection, comparedto that registered last year.And there is a steep risein infections. It wasonly on August25, that thestate witnessedthe highestnumber of casesat 3,018.

After this peak,the state nevertouched 3,000cases. However,it is not goingto takem u c htime for

the caseload to eventually crossthat of the first wave peak.

From March 2, 2020,when the first case of

Covid was reported inTelangana, it took

nearly 5 months totouch 3,018 cases.The second waveis evidently morefurious than thefirst wave.

Four killed as CISFopen fire after attacked

BENGAL POLLS

PNS n KOLKATA

In the first major outbreak of vio-lence during West BengalAssembly elections, five personswere killed, including four in a fir-ing by CISF personnel, while fivecandidates were attacked duringthe fourth phase of polling in 44seats on Saturday.

Four people were killed as cen-tral forces opened fire allegedlyafter coming under attack fromlocals, who "attempted to snatchtheir rifles", in West Bengal'sCooch Behar district, police said.

The Election Commissionordered stopping the voting exer-cise at polling station number 126of the Sitalkuchi constituency

where the incident happened whenpolling was underway.

Centre hasmismanaged Covid,vaccine supply: SoniaPNS n NEW DELHI

Congress president Sonia Gandhiaccused the Centre on Saturday of"mismanaging" the COVID situ-ation and creating a vaccineshortage in the country by export-ing it, as she called for cancellingall public gatherings and poll ral-lies in view of the rising numberof coronavirus cases.

Addressing a virtual meetingwith the chief ministers of theCongress-ruled states and min-isters of the party in stateswhere it is in power in alliancewith others, she said the prior-ity should be to test, track andvaccinate.

Three held for online fraudPNS n MEDCHAL-MALKAJGIRI

Sleuths of the RachakondaCybercrime wing on Saturdayarrested three persons in Bengalurufor committing online frauds andcheating people via fake apps, afterhaving created and registered fakecompanies.

The police acted on the basis ofa complaint lodged by a resident ofHayathnagar on February 24.

The complainant received aWhatsApp message from a Hong

Kong number giving informationabout an investment and onlinetrading app 'Winbiz'. The com-plainant, a woman, was told that

the app would help her make hugeprofits. She was asked to downloadthe app.

Later, she was added to aWhatsApp group by 'StrategyTeam' with group admin mobilenumbers, which were found to befrom Hong Kong. On February 25,she recharged for an amount of Rs20,000 in the Winbiz app andshowed interest to participate intrading up to Rs 30,000.

Identical ‘car’ symbols;tension to TRS againK VENKATESHWARLUn HYDERABAD

It appears as if the TelanganaRashtra Samiti can never avoidtension over symbols clashingwith its 'car' symbol at the hustings.At least three symbols - those oftractor, chapathi maker and roadroller - look almost similar to itscar symbol and hence may nega-tively impact its prospects in theupcoming Nagarjuna Sagar by-elections.

The party is under the impres-sion that it had lost the Dubbak by-

elections to BJP mainly because ofsymbols that were similar to thepink party's car symbol. Now,even in the Nagarjuna Sagar pollssymbols almost identical to that ofcar have been allotted to independ-ents, giving TRS leaders sleeplessnights.

The Election Commission isusing two EVMs as there are 48contestants in the fray. In the firstEVM itself, the symbols identicalto that of 'car' are those tractor, cha-pathi maker and road roller.

Take Covid vaccine jab, get biryani freePNS n KAKINADA

Even as vaccination againstCoronavirus is on at full swing acrossthe country, there are still some whoare reluctant to take the jab despite thedramatic spike in the number of peo-ple getting infected daily. Efforts arebeing made by doctors, leaders andinfluencers to convince such peopleto get vaccinated and help in arrest-ing the spread of the virus.

Doing their bit, some hotels,restaurants and bars are offeringschemes like ‘beer and biryani free’to those who have got themselvesvaccinated. These eateries see such

offers as win-win; not only they arepromoting their business, they are alsodoing some social service. Recently,a company from Andhra Pradesh has

come up with an offer ‘Biryani Free’for those who have been vaccinated.

As part of the vaccination drive,the company – ‘Hello Kitchen' has

announced that it would providefree biryani to those who have beenvaccinated any time between April11 to April 14.

The free biryani offer would beavailable at the company'sVizianagaram and Kakinadabranches, according to theannouncement made on socialmedia. However, conditions apply—the biryani is offered free only if thereceipt shows that the vaccine hasbeen taken. Also, the offer stands forthe first 100 people. While not allhopefuls may get the free biryani,the eatery has got what it wanted –some positive publicity.

HC backs Govt overcurb on Vakeel Saabmovie ticket pricePNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Andhra Pradesh High Courton Saturday refused to accept theargument put forth by the dis-tributors of the Pawan Kalyanstarrer ‘Vakeel Saab’ on the tick-et price hike. A division bench ofthe High Court amended theorder issued by the single benchrestricting the ticket hike andallowed it till Saturday only.

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Coronavirus is spreading 5x faster in second wave

No

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PNS n HYDERABAD

The Enforcement Directorateauthorities started conductingraids at various places in the twincities on Saturday in connectionwith the 'ESI scam'. The raids havebeen going on since morning at10 places across the city.

The authorities searched thehouses of Srinivas Reddy, son-in-law of late former minister NayiniNarasimha Reddy, MukundaReddy, former principal secretaryof Nayini Narasimha Reddy, andthe other accused, includingDevika Rani.

ED raids Nayani son-in-law house

INSURANCE SCAM

Eatala seeks pvt medicalcolleges’ cooperationPNS n HYDERABAD

Health Minister Eatela Rajenderhas said that the state governmentwill provide required equipmentand drugs free of cost to privatemedical colleges and urged themto treat Covid-19 patients, especial-ly the poor, on humanitariangrounds, without troubling themfor bills. He asked private medicalcolleges to provide beds for treat-ment of Covid patients and coop-erate with the government.

The Minister held a meeting withmanagements of private medicalcolleges here on Saturday to discuss

treatment of Covid patients, bedcharges in private medical collegehospitals,

Team up with bars, pubs, wine shops instead!PNS n HYDERABAD

After a long, corona-induced gap,police checks for drunken drivinghave resumed on Hyderabad roads,compounding the problems ofcops who have always had a toughtime taming tipsy drivers andanswering those stopped on meresuspicion of drunken driving. So,it appears, the police have recon-ciled themselves to a better alter-native: team up with bars, pubs andwine shops to put down drunkendriving!

Given certain unseemly inci-dents of clashes and confrontationbetween cops and tipsy driversreported in the past, the largerquestion is: Are the police officialsreally interested in conductingthe breathalyzer tests inHyderabad? Or, are they scared oftipplers, considering the ones whohave previously given a tough

time to officials conducting drunkand drive checks?

Recently, a drunken man gavetense moments to traffic cops as hethreatened to jump off a flyover.

Telangana has vax for 3 days,seeks 30L doses from CentrePNS n HYDERABAD

In a letter addressed to UnionHealth Secretary Rajesh Bhushan,Telangana Chief Secretary SomeshKumar on Saturday requested theCentre for allotment of 30 lakhdoses of vaccine to Telangana forthe coming 15 days as the presentstocks of 5.66 lakh doses would lastfor three days maximum.

Somesh Kumar said since theCovid-19 vaccine has been rampedup in the State and owing to con-certed efforts, the number of vac-cinations given in the state in oneday on Friday crossed 1.15 lakhdoses. It would be enhanced to overtwo lakh doses per day in the com-ing days. Hence, the state requirs 30lakh doses for the next 15 days, the

Chief Secretary added.Over 16.08 lakh people in the

state have received their first doseof COVID-19 vaccine while over2.90 lakh got their second shot alsoas of April 9. The state has 17,791active cases and over 1.11 lakh sam-ples were tested on Friday.

Cumulatively, over 1.08 croresamples have been tested. Thesamples tested per million popula-tion was over 2.92 lakh, the bulletinsaid. The case fatality rate in thestate was 0.54 per cent, while it was1.3 per cent at the national level.

The recovery rate in Telanganawas 93.96 per cent, while it was 90.8per cent in the country.

Over 16.08 lakh peoplein the state havereceived their firstdose of Covid vaccinewhile over 2.90 lakhgot their second shotalso as of April 9

10

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Cops fight shy of checksagainst drunken driving

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MARTHI SUBRAHMANYAM

n VIJAYAWADA

Will Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy apply thesame yardstick to MegastarChiranjeevi’s film Acharya thatis slated to be released in Mayas the ones he had applied toVakeel Saab.

The AP Government hasdenied permission to screenbenefit shows and hike theticket prices, and this has ledto allegations that this wasdone since Pawan Kalyan is atloggerheads with Jagan politi-cally.

What is in store for Acharyahas stirred up a lot of interestamong political circles.

It is pertinent to note thatChiranjeevi has been praisingJaganmohan Reddy’s policiesfrom the beginning, whilePawan Kalyan is among theChief Minister’s harshest crit-ics.

In fact, Pawan Kalyan haseven termed some of theYSRCP MLAs as “goons”.

In this backdrop, the YSRCPgovernment denied permis-sion to screen benefit shows ofVakeel Saab and sell the filmtickets at a higher price. Theproducers of the film movedthe AP High Court to get anorder in their favour. However,Joint Collectors threatened tocancel theatre licenses if they

were found to be selling tick-ets at prices higher than thatfixed by the government.

YSRCP’s “vindictive” atti-tude towards Pawan Kalyan’sfilm was condemned by allpolitical outfits. In fact, TDPsupremo N ChandrababuNaidu has accused the YSRCPgovernment of deriving sadis-tic pleasure by placing curbs onVakeel Saab taking advantageof his power.

The BJP government at theCentre has condemned therestrictions placed on the film.

BJP AP unit in-charge SunilDeodhar went to the film the-atre screening Vakeel Saab inTirupati on Saturday andraised a hue and cry over thecurbs on the film.

YSRCP rebel MP RaghuRamakrishnam Raju has raisedthe point whether the YSRCPgovernment would place thesame restrictions onChiranjeevi’s film? Acharya isset to hit screens on May 13and has succeeded in generat-ing a lot of expectations amongthe audience.

The fact is that Jagan has norivalry with Chiranjeevi.

Moreover, Chiranjeevi hasclose ties with Jagan right fromthe beginning. Earlier, his fam-ily went to Vijayawada in a spe-cial flight to have lunch withthe CM. Later, Chiranjeevisupported the three-capital

formula of Jagan. More recent-ly, Chiranjeevi thanked Jaganfor having waived the duesfrom various theatres.

During the lockdown, led byChiranjeevi, some bigwigs ofTollywood industry includingNagarjuna, some actors andproducers called on Jagan.

As far as film industry mat-ters are concerned, right fromthe beginning Nagarjuna andChiranjeevi have been main-taining cordial relations withthe CM.

In fact, the Telugu stateshave been taking positive stepswith regard to Chiranjeevi’sfilms. Most importantly, thegovernment of Telangana hasclose ties with film heroes andproducers. The bigwigs of thefilm industry have good con-tacts with Telangana ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao, Minister KT Rama Rao,Minister Talasani SrinivasYadav and MP Santosh.

The film industry bigwigshave been attending all activ-ities arranged by MP Santosh.KCR has been giving top pri-ority to Chiranjeevi familyright from the beginning. KCRfacilitates increasing ticket fareand conducting benefit shows.

On polling day for theTelangana Legislative Council,Pawan Kalyan declared hissupport to TRS MLC candidateVani Devi. Therefore, there

were no curbs placed on hisVakeel Saab in Telangana.Similarly, there will be nocurbs on Chiranjeevi’s films inAndhra.

A YSRCP MLA said thatJagan is angry with PawanKalyan but not with his elderbrother Chiranjeevi. Hence,there will be no problems fromthe government for Acharya.

But, it is not easy to fathomwhat is going across the mindof Jagan. Therefore, therewould be no surprise if heplaced curbs on Chiranjeevi’sfilms because of the currentcriticism. Several Kapu MLAsand leaders of YSRCP say thatbecause of curbs on VakeelSaab they are not able to paci-fy the irate youth brigades ofKapus especially in East andWest Godvri, Krishna andGuntur districts. They say thatthe Kapus in these districts aretreating them as their archrivals. Unable to digest the gov-ernmental restrictions onPawan Kalyan’s film, the Kapuyouth have been exerting pres-sure on MLAs and leaders ofthe communityh, they said.

hey have no alternativeexcept following the diktat ofthe party. But at the sametime they are not in a positionto sever ties with Kapus in theirconstituencies, they saidadding that they are in a dilem-ma.

Will Jagan place curbs onChiru’s film Acharya too? ML MELLY MAITREYI

n HYDERABAD

Agriculture department shouldconsistently give a message tothe farming communitythrough the Agriculture offi-cers to bring down the extentof paddy cultivation and optfor crops with demand in themarket, said AgricultureMinister S Niranjan Reddy.

Addressing a virtual meet-ing with Agriculture officers ofall districts, department offi-cials and seed company repre-sentatives from his camp officeat Minister’s Quarters here onSaturday, Niranjan Reddy saidthat the Chief Ministerinstructed that the message toreduce paddy cultivationshould be conveyed in everymeeting at the field level tobring awareness among thefarmers.

Instead of cultivating paddywhich has become surplus inthe country, farmers should be

encouraged to opt for redgram, cotton and oilseeds cul-tivation.

A target should be set to cul-tivate red gram in 20 lakh acresand cotton in 75 lakh acres inthe ensuing monsoon season.A district-wise survey beundertaken on cotton cultiva-tion and an action plan shouldbe submitted to the govern-ment, he said.

Steps should be taken toensure that the seed companiesmake oil seeds available to thefarmers easily.

He instructed the officers toensure that 170 lakh packets ofcotton seeds through 57 cottonseed companies were keptready in time. A vigil should bekept for fake cotton seed com-panies.

Similarly, for red gram cul-tivation in 20 lakh acres, 80,000quintals of red gram seedshould be kept ready throughState and National seed devel-opment agencies, agricultural

university, and other privatecompanies.

For the first time qualityseeds with QR code and seedtraceability features were beingprovided to farmers in time.Overall 22 lakh quintals ofseeds for cultivation of variouscrops in 90 lakh acres would beprocured and the seeds wouldbe made available at the districtlevel by May 15, he said.

The Minister said task forceteams would be deployed andthose indulging in irregulari-ties would be booked underthe PD Act, he said.

The area under cultivationwas increasing every year dueto pro-agriculture policies ofthe government, free powersupply, Rythu Bandhu invest-ment assistance, Rythu Bhimaand irrigation facilities.However, farmers should beeducated to cultivate cropswhich have demand in thenational and internationalmarkets.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Indian Council ofMedical Research (ICMR)has appointed BP AcharyaRetired Special ChiefSecretary and director gener-al of Dr Marri Channa ReddyHuman Resource Development Institute of Telangana asthe advisor for their impor-tant national project NationalAnimal Resource Facility forBio medical Research (NARFBR), coming up on 100 acresin Genome valley nearShamirpet. This is in recog-nition of his efforts to createthe world class life sciencescluster in Genome valley andhis contribution to the sector.This project with an invest-ment of Rs 300 crore will caterto the pharma and biophar-ma / vaccine industry in thecountry for pre clinical ani-mal trials.

BP Acharyaappointedas advisor ofNARF BR

Run campaigns to increase cultivationof red gram, cotton, oilseed: Niranjan

Continued on Page 1

The next four weeks havebeen marked as critical, andif the infection spreads at thisrate, the number of cases willeasily cross 10,000 per day.

If even the rate of increasewitnessed in April every daysustains for next four weeks,the state could be reportingclose to 10,000 cases per day.The cases have been increas-ing at an average rate of 222per day since April 1, calcu-lated based on data provid-ed in a health bulletin.

The spike in cases can alsobe attributed to the highertesting levels in the secondwave, compared to those inthe first wave. The state, forthe first time on Friday, con-ducted 1 lakh tests - some-thing which never happenedlast year. Health MinisterEatala Rajender said onSaturday,"Even though casesare increasing faster thanprevious year and the spreadis increasing, infection sever-ity has reduced. The fatalityrate is less. The Governmentwill work 24/7 to control the

spread and any eventuality".The Minister added that,

given the experience over thepast one year, results due towearing masks would bebetter than imposing lock-down to control the spreadof coronavirus. He advisedpeople not to go to gather-ings in the name of pilgrim-age, public address, andfunctions. He urged thatevery house should turn intoAyurvedic hospital like lastyear and people should takehealthy food, apart from fol-lowing Covid norms.

FAST & FURIOUSContinued on Page 1

"According to preliminaryreports, four persons werekilled as CISF personnelopened fire after comingunder attack in a village. Ascuffle took place, and localsgheraoed them and attempt-ed to snatch their rifles, fol-lowing which the centralforces opened fire. Furtherdetails are awaited," a policeofficial said.

The EC has sought adetailed report on the inci-dent.

According to officialsources, the preliminaryreport submitted by theEC's special police observ-er Vivek Dubey said a hugemob of around 350-400people had gheraoed thecentral forces, followingwhich they fired in "self-defence". The incident led toviolence in the area wherebombs were hurled,prompting central forces tobaton-charge to bring thesituation under control.

In another incident, an18-year-old voter, AnandaBarman, was gunneddown outside booth num-ber 85 at Pathantuli, alsoin Sitalkuchi, after clash-es broke out betweenactivists of the ruling TMCand the BJP.

Four killed asCISF open fireafter attacked

Continued on Page 1

It may be recalled that the win-ner in the Dubbak by-elec-tions, M Raghunandan Rao,had secured 63,352 votes(38.47 per cent) and TRS can-didate S Sujatha got 62,273votes (37.82 per cent) and thedifference between the twocandidates was only 0.65 percent. TRS party working pres-ident KT Ramarao then con-ceded defeat, but said theresult was an alarm bell for theparty and its leaders. TheElection in-charge Minister THarish Rao took completeresponsibility for the party's

defeat. However, some TRSparty leaders alleged that someof the TRS voters had mistak-enly voted for an independentcandidate whose election sym-bol was identical to the TRS'car symbol. While an indepen-dent was allotted a 'chapatimaker' symbol, many allegedthat the symbol on the EVMmachine was similar to that ofthe car on the EVM. So, TRSlocal leaders in Dubbaka con-stituency alleged that TRSvotes in some mandals went tothe independent due to confu-sion. One independent candi-date, Bandaru Nagaraju,secured 3,570 votes. Those

votes became controversial assome TRS leaders claimedthose votes as their votes.Nagaraju had got 3,510 votesthrough EVM and another 60votes through postal votes.Whereas all other independentcandidates had got single-digitvotes in postal votes and a fewvotes through EVMs.

TRS leaders claimed thatthose votes of independentNagaraju originally belongedto the TRS. As the majority ofBJP was just 1,118 votes, TRSlocal leaders claimed that theparty lost due to the allotmentof symbols that look almostidentical.

Continued on Page 1

allotment of staff, and collec-tion of bills. The state govern-ment is now reconciled totreating Covid patients in pri-vate medical colleges as thenumber of cases has beenincreasing in Telangana by theday. Eatela said that he hadasked the government to pro-vide drugs and oxygen to pri-vate medical colleges. Thegovernment had accepted therequest, he added.

There are 24 private med-ical colleges, each with 750beds. Previously each privatemedical college had allotted100 beds for Covid treatment,the managements said, recall-ing how they had treatedpatients free of cost.

The Minister said that the

government would give Covidvaccine free of cost to peopleand asked private colleges tocharge money from patientsonly for some tests andpromised them to provide allother essentials.

Later, speaking to media,Eatela said that the number ofcases in Maharashtra,Chhattisgarh, AP andKarnataka had increased.Under its impact, the numberof cases in Telangana wasalso on the rise. However,quoting medical experts assaying, he maintained thatthe severity of virus was lessin spite of the spike in num-ber of cases.

Eatela said that the manage-ments of private medical col-leges and super specialty hos-pitals had been urged to keep

some beds ready for Covidpatients. He exhorted peopleto remain on the alert andadvised them not to travelunless it is absolutely neces-sary. Answering a question,the Minister ruled out impos-ing lockdown again. Normallife should continue and peo-ple should learn to live withthe virus, he felt.

He said that vaccines andtreatment facilities for Covidwere available in all districts.Doctors were treating Covidpatients without wearing PPEkits as they had come out ofthe pandemic scare.

The health of ChiefSecretary Somesh Kumar wasnormal and he remainedasymptomatic, he said. Covidhad been spreading rapidlyalbeit with severity, he said.

Continued on Page 1

She was reviewing the effortsby the states ruled by theCongress to tackle the secondwave of the coronavirus infec-tion after the country saw arecord 1,45,384 fresh COVID-19 cases and 794 deaths onSaturday.

Former Congress chiefRahul Gandhi, RajasthanChief Minister Ashok Gehlot,his Punjab counterpartAmarinder Singh andChhattisgarh counterpartBhupesh Baghel were amongthose who participated in themeeting.

Rahul Gandhi called forputting money in the hands ofthe poor.

While Singh pointed outthat Punjab's vaccination stock

will last for five more days,Baghel said Chhattisgarh willrun out of the vaccine stock inthree days. Gehlot said theCentre should not see thestates ruled by other parties asadversaries.

The Congress chief alsoreviewed the efforts to fightCOVID-19, including theavailability of vaccines, accessto medicines and ventilators,chief spokesperson of theparty Randeep Surjewala said.

"The (Narendra) Modi gov-ernment has mismanaged theCOVID situation. It hasexported the vaccines andallowed a shortage to be cre-ated in India," the Congresschief said at the meeting.

She said all public gather-ings and poll rallies should becancelled as the number of

COVID-19 cases is on the rise."Mass gatherings for elec-

tions and religious events haveaccelerated COVID for whichall of us are responsible tosome extent. We need toaccept this responsibility andkeep the interest of the nationabove our own," Sonia Gandhisaid.

Rahul Gandhi expressedconcern over the second waveof COVID-19 hitting thecountry.

He urged the government tolook at new mutations, whichare the source of the secondwave, and called for joininghands and energies, instead ofcomplacency and prematurevictories.

He also pointed towards adirect connection between thespread of the infection and

nutrition and livelihood. Hesaid the virus attacks the poor-est and disadvantaged thehardest, as he reiterated hisdemand for a "basic incomesupport" by the government.

Surjewala said the Punjabchief minister has pointed outa vaccine shortage.

"He candidly points outthat the Central governmenthas given no assurance ofnumbers and supply," hewrote on Twitter.

Surjewala also said Gehlothas pointed out that the short-age of the vaccines is a reali-ty that cannot be wished away.

"Pointing to the spurt ininfections, he states that theCentre must take States onboard as stakeholders andnot as adversaries," he said.

Continued on Page 1

Subsequently from Sunday,the ticket price shall be as perthe state government normsand no hike shall be allowed.However, for tickets soldonline, the price hike shall betill Sunday.

It may be noted that theHigh Court had earlier stayedthe orders of the Governmentrestricting special shows andticket price hikes for the movie.

In an unprecedented move,a midnight GO on ticket priceswas issued by the Government.The next day, the High Courtallowed the theatres to contin-ue the sale of tickets withhiked prices for the weekendand said that the next hearingwould be on Monday.

Centre has mismanaged Covid,vaccine ...

Identical ‘car’ symbols;tension to TRS again

Eatala seeks pvt medical...

IT Minister KT Rama Rao on Saturday visited the soonto be unveiled building of T Hub, which will be one ofthe largest tech incubators in the world when finished.“T Hub will further consolidate Hyderabad’s positionthe innovation ecosystem,” KT Rama Rao tweeted.

TAKING STOCK

Continued on Page 1

On the insistence of thefraudsters, she 'invested' upto Rs 20,00,000 in Winbizthrough several transac-tions between February 24and March 15. Later, sheobserved that Rs 54,39,310was shown virtually in herWinBiz account. However,when she tried to withdrawthe amount, she found toher dismay that optionsfor withdrawal and cre-dentials were blocked.

On investigation, thepolice team went toBengaluru and arrestedAshok Kumar Arumugam,Kanchi Sanjeev Kumar,Asim Akthar at HanuvelConsultant India PrivateLimited and seized 24stamps of fake registeredcompanies, 22 mobiles, 14bank accounts, 15 fakecompanies' ROC certifi-cates.

During the course of theinvestigation, several bankaccounts were identifiedand with the help of therespective bank authori-ties, Rs 3.5 crore was frozen.

Under the direct supervi-sion of Mahesh M Bhagwat,Commissioner of Police,Rachakonda, with the guid-ance of Yadagiri, DCP(Crime), D Srinivas, DCPOSD (crime), S Harinath,Assistant Commissioner ofPolice, the case was inves-tigated by Inspector KVVijay Kumar of cybercrimeand the accused wereapprehended.

Continued on Page 1

It all began when the man, whowas driving under the influenceof alcohol, was stopped by traf-fic cops as part of their driveagainst drunk driving. Infuriatedsince the police did not allowhim to drive his vehicle, he wentto the edge of the under-con-struction Hyderabad-Bangaloreflyover and threatened to jumpoff the flyover if he was not givenback his vehicle. With great dif-ficulty, the police could take himinto custody and bring the sit-uation under control.

There have been several otherinstances of Hyderabad policeofficials facing nasty encounterswith those stopped for breatha-lyzer tests. At least 36 such inci-dents have been reported in thelast three years, including thosewhich involved attacks on copsby tipsy drivers. An uncooper-ative car driver clashed with copsKukatpally recently, forcing thepolice to lodge a complaint withthe Kukatpally Police Station.The drunken driver even triedto run over Assistant Sub-inspector Mahipal Reddy withhis vehicle, causing him grievousinjuries. The ASI later suc-cumbed to his injuries. The

incident put the police on theback foot.

The Cyberabad police officialson Thursday held a meetingwith the representatives of man-agements of all bars, restaurants,pubs, malls, wine shops, func-tion halls and hotels. Policeofficials said that the meetingwas held to contain the numberof road accidents taking place,with drunken driving being themain reason for the mishaps.

Given this meeting, appar-ently intended to give addition-al responsibility to the manage-ments of bars, wines hops andpubs, are the police officials try-ing to reduce their burden ofconducting breathalyzer tests?

Police officials find thedrunk and drive checks as aburden with tipplers not yield-ing to the police authorities eas-ily when traffic police person-nel approach them for breath-alyzer test. Instead, they areinstead giving trouble to thepolice.

These trouble mongers arenot blowing air properly intothe breathalyzer as a result themeter is not able to show cor-rect reading. Tipplers are sup-posed to blow air for 15 sec-onds; otherwise, the authorities

have to conduct blood alcoholtest. To conduct one bloodalcohol test, it would require atleast 20 minutes.

While some tipplers drivingvehicles abuse police inunprintable language, othersrefuse to give sample for theblood alcohol testing. Still oth-ers call up elected people's rep-resentatives and superior offi-cers to complain of 'policeharassment'. Therefore, thepolice officials are worried overconducting drive againstdrunken driving.

Senior police authoritieshave been warning drivers ofstern action against them if theydo not cooperate with thepolice when caught for drunk-en driving.

A police personnel ofShamshabad Traffic PoliceStation at Rajiv GandhiInternational Airport (RGIA),on condition of anonymity,poured out their tales of woesduring the drive which includesabuses from drivers. He alsosaid that the drivers had beenlodging complaints against thepolice with officers and politi-cal representatives, ignoringtheir sincerity in dischargingduty.

Cops not keen to resumedrunken drive checks

Three held foronline fraud...

HC backs Govtover curb on ...

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | APRIL 11, 2021hyderabad 03

Narayana School students have once again reigned withextraordinary results in IOQM 2021 Olympiad. Most number ofselections from South India are from Narayana. With 12

selections (57.14%) from just Telangana region, this achievement isanother feather in our crown. Another 3 selections from AndhraPradesh, 2 from Karnataka, and 1 from Tamil Nadu from the Southregion. The IOQM exam is organised by the Mathematics Teachers'Association (India) - MTA(I) with support from the IndianAssociation of Physics Teachers (IAPT) and by the HBCSE on behalfof the NBHM of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE),Government of India. DrSindhura Narayana, Managing Director ofNarayana Group, said that the result once again emphatically provedthat the education system at Narayana is exceptional. The superiorintegrated curriculum and superlative academic planning is thereason why Narayana students are coming out in flying colours inall the exams, she said. DrSindhu reminded that Narayana studentshave topped almost all of the National and International Olympiadsin 2021. She informed that Narayana students are given a strongfoundation in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Astronomyalong with Computer Sciences and General Aptitude.The ExecutiveDirector of Narayana Group PuneethKothapa congratulated thestudents on their success and thanked the teachers and parents. Heexpressed his confidence that the students of Narayana wouldcontinue their winning streak in future also.

CITY LIGHTS

In view of the rising Covidcases in the city, the GreaterHyderabad Municipal

Corporation (GHMC) hasbanned the entry of visitorsand media persons in theGHMC zonal offices and itsmain building at Khairtabad.However, those who havereceived the Covid vaccine and those who have recovered fromCovid and are holding recovery certificates will be allowed inside theoffice from April 10. As per the instructions given by the TelanganaChief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, all the workers and officials ofthe GHMC must get vaccinated against Covid. GHMC CommissionerDS Lokesh Kumar issued orders that all the staff and officials getCovid vaccination before April 15. Commissioner during a video callpassed on the orders to all the zonal commissioners and asked themto organize for the vaccination drive in GHMC offices, or hospitals, orurban health centers. Details of those who have been vaccinatedshould be sent to the head office and updated on the Covid portal, hesaid. The GHMC has close to 30,000 frontline staff, and all of themshould arrive vaccinated from April 15, the Commissioner said.

Only vaccinated persons areallowed inside GHMC offices

Parkinson's disease is aprogressive nervoussystem disorder that

affects movement of humanbody. Symptoms startgradually, sometimes startingwith a barely noticeable tremorin just one hand. Tremors arecommon, but the disorder alsocommonly causes stiffnessand slowing of movement. April 11th is commemorated as WorldParkinson’s Day, and on the occasion, it is important we developmore understanding about the ailment. While, proper diagnosis ofParkinson’s disease is difficult, particularly in the early stages, it maytake years before the ailment is accurately diagnosed. The fact thatsymptoms and progression of symptoms varies between individualsadds to the complexity of diagnosing Parkinson’s disease.Elaborating on the symptoms, Dr. Abhinay M Huchche, ConsultantNeuro-Physician said, “Though Parkinson’s disease causes slowingof overall body movements, mental health issues are quite commonin such patients. Not infrequently, the disease manifests with mentaldisorders rather than physical slowing. These mental disorders havea greater impact on the overall quality of life then the physicaldisability. Depression is the commonest mental disorder, along withfeeling sad, reduced interest on surroundings, phobia of socializing,among Parkinson’s disease victims.”

Anxiety, depression could belinked to Parkinson’s disease

PNS n HYDERABAD

New infection numbers roseto 2,909 from 2,478 cases onFriday. The fresh cases havefurther pushed the state'scumulative tally to 3,24,091.

During the last 24 hours,six deaths were reported fromthe state, taking the death tollto 1,752. According to thehealth bulletin issued by theDirector of Public Healthand Family Welfare, the fatal-ity rate stands at 0.54 percentas compared to the nationalaverage of 1.31 percent.

Meanwhile, the number ofactive cases rose to 17,791from Friday's tally of 15,472.These numbers include11,495 persons who are inhome/institutional quaran-tine.

The last 24 hours also saw584 people recover from thepandemic, taking the cumu-lative recoveries to 3,04,548.The recovery rate hasimproved nominally to 94.63from Friday's 93.86 percent -- even as the national averageslipped from 91.2 to 90.8percent.

Greater Hyderabad report-ed the highest infected num-bers with 487 cases while its

bordering districts also con-tinue to witness a surge.MedchalMalkajgiri andRanga reddy districts report-ed 289 and 225 cases, respec-tively.

Nizamabad district bor-dering Maharashtra remainsthe third-worst affected dis-trict with 202 new cases.Nirmal registered 131 newcases followed by Jagtiyal 121,Sangareddy 117, Kamareddy102, Mahaboobnagar 93,Karimnagar 92, Nalgonda 89,Warangal Urban 86, Siddipet82, Warangal Urban 86,

Mancherial 77 and Adilabad70.

For the second consecutivetime since the pandemicbroke out, the authoritiesconducted over one lakh testsin a single day. Of the over-all 1,11,726 tests conductedduring last 24 hours, 99,478samples were tested in gov-ernment laboratories and12,248 in private labs. Withthis the number of tests con-ducted in the state has risento 1,08, 73,665. Samples test-ed per million populationrose to 2,92, 145.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Manipulations continue to sur-face in illegal mining of sandfrom rivers and streams in thename of government schemesand other needs. Even thoughTelangana State MineralDevelopment Corporation(TSMDC) stated that the exca-vations were being carried outin accordance with the regula-tions, but the illegal sand min-ing is done at the sandresources, which are underthe supervision of TSMDCand the district administrationonly.

The district administrationgave permission for sand min-ing in primary, secondary andtertiary category resources forlocal construction needs. Butthe sand mining works do notfollow any government proto-cols and officials aren't carefulabout smuggling. In manyplaces, the people's represen-tatives are engaged in sandsmuggling. The staff of gov-ernment departments does notseem to notice. In particular,there are allegations that somelower-ranking police personneland revenue officials arebehind the illegal trade. Therehave also been complaints that

some members of the publicare also involved in the illegaltrade.

TSMDC is extracting sandthrough category four, fivequarries and selling it through'Sand Sale Management andMonitoring System '.

Even though the portalallows online payments andissuance of permits, some staffmembers at stock points and

weighbridge are introducingflaws in the system. Projectofficers at the stock points arehiring private individuals tocarry out collections.

Most of the monitoringCCTV cameras at stock pointsin many places are not work-ing. Illegal operatives are col-lecting up to Rs2, 000 for fill-ing more sand than the per-mitted load and up to Rs 1,500

for quick arrival of a serialnumber of the vehicle.

Indeed most of the sandreaches of all categories areunder the influence of publicrepresentatives or their bene-factors. Some private con-struction companies are loot-ing sand in the name of trib-al cooperative societies.Moreover, the provision pro-hibiting the use of machinery

in the reaches allotted to trib-al societies is also notenforced.

The lack of an adequatenumber of TSMDC officialweighbridges have been aboon to the intruders. Manycases have already been reg-istered in Mulugu,Mahadevpur, Kataram andGhanpur Police stations forincidents involving lorrieswith the same number plateand transportation throughfake way bills.

Even though Officials saythe excavations are being car-ried out in accordance withthe geo coordinates, but thegovernment supervision onthe sand reaches is still notgood. There have also beenincidents of attacks on somepersons who went into thesand reaches in some cases.There are allegations that ille-gal sand traders in the jointMahabubnagar district havehit and killed people withvehicles, especially those whoobstructed them from carry-ing out the illegal trade.

Finally, the lack of coordi-nation among the mining,revenue, police and transportauthorities has come in handyfor the illegal operators.

TS reports about 3K Covid cases

For nature lovers and adventure-seekers, who find peace in exploring green forests andstuding birds, need not worry about planning their holidays elaborately, as Kandlakoya

Oxygen Park, spread over sprawling 75 acres has come up just in city backyard, which isabout 20 km from Paradise Circle and six km from Kompally on the NH44. Hyderabadisalong with family and friends can escape from the concrete jungle and city's hustle bustle

to spend time in tranquility whenever they want without any elaborate planning.?Municipal Administration and Urban Development Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar onSaturday tweeted "Oxygen park Kandlakoya on the outskirts of #Hyderabad a perfect wayto start the long weekend," along with few pictures clicked at Kandlakoya Oxygen Park.

GO GREEN

PNS n HYDERABAD

Three teenaged sisters havebeen reported missing fromtheir home in Vanasthalipuram locality of the city,since Friday.

According to police offi-cials of the Vanasthalipurampolice station, the threemissing girls aged 17, 15, and14 years, live with their par-ents in Pragatinagar area ofVanasthalipuram.

On Friday evening, thegirls allegedly entered into anargument with their moth-er over some trivial matter.On waking up on Saturdaymorning, the parents noticedthat their daughters are miss-ing. When their attempts tolocate the three girls failed,the parents approached thepolice.

Family members fear thatthe girls may have been kid-napped by someone in thelocality.

The police have registereda complaint and are check-ing video footage of CCTVcameras used for monitoringthe area.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A heritage structure that wasalmost demolished in the erst-while Andhra Pradesh has gota fresh lease of life, thanks tothe revival and renovationprojects being taken up by thecurrent administration.

The building, which is cel-ebrating not just a fresh coat ofpaint but an extended lifespanitself, is the Bachelors' Quartersnear the MoazzamJahi Market,constructed by Mir Osman AliKhan, the Seventh Nizam, inthe early 1940s.

According to MunicipalAdministration and UrbanDevelopment PrincipalSecretary Arvind Kumar, the 39tenants of the heritage struc-ture, which was one of the

tallest buildings of that timewith Ulemas climbing it tosight the new moon, had comeforward to restore it. Therestoration took about Rs.1crore, with Arvind Kumar laud-ing the people's involvement.

"Bachelor quarters (as it'sknown), built by 7th Nizamin 1940s, restored by 39 ten-ants costing about a crore.Ulemas used to sight moonfrom top of this building..This is what people's involve-ment can do.." (sic) he tweet-ed, also tagging MA & UDMinister KT Rama Rao in thetweet.

The building, according toreports, was constructed foryoungsters from financiallybackward families and thosefrom villages outside

Hyderabad who came to thecity pursuing education in theOsmania University or theCity College. The AndhraPradesh Housing Board hadreportedly converted into acommercial property andaround 2007-2008, had plansto demolish the structure cit-ing its dilapidated condition.

The structure, said to bethe first reinforced cementconcrete four-storied struc-ture in the city, also saw legaltangles, with the HousingBoard and the Wakf Boardalso claiming ownership forthe building, which has wit-nessed connoisseurs of Urdulanguage and poetry gather-ing on its premises for meet-ings and cultural events in itsheydays.

First four-storyed structurein Hyderabad gets a facelift

Three teenaged sisters missingin Hyderabad

PNS n HYDERABAD

Even at a time when theTelangana government isgoing all out with various ini-tiatives to protect Hyderabad'sheritage and turn several of itshistoric monuments into pop-ular tourist spots, there is onebaoli in the heart of the citythat is falling apart.

The stepwell inside the age-old Saidanima's tomb, locatedat one end of Tank Bund,paints a sad picture with novisible effort made to restorethe historic stepwell.

The Maqbara or grave of thelady Sufi saint has a hugeenclosure area, most of whichhas also been reportedlyencroached upon by localswho run businesses inside.

The baoli has not just beenunused from years, but that itis in dire need of repairs. Thestaircase of the stepwell itselfhas been damaged to such anextent that one cannot even godown inside to look at the edi-fice. On the face of it, it seemsas if the shops inside the tombcomplex (selling wood) havebeen burning waste andwooden materials inside the

baoli itself.Except for the main tomb

area, the rest of the complexhas clearly fallen prey toencroachments, as is the caseof many historical Waqf prop-erties in Hyderabad andTelangana. Syed MerajAhmed, a descendant ofSaida-bi-Ma Sahiba, knownfamously as Saidanima, saidthat the Dargah complex hasbeen in a very bad state fromover a decade.

However, in some respite,Principal Secretary ofMunicipal Administrationand Urban Developm-entArvind Kumartweeted lastmonth that he would look intothe restoration of the baoli.Kumar was responding toMeraj's tweet after the latterposted about the baoli'spathetic condition.

Age-old stepwell in heartof Hyd cries for attention

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Malkajgiri CCS policeapprehended two house bur-glars and recovered 48.5 tulasgold ornaments, 53.4 silverornaments and Rs 1.55 lakhcash all worth Rs 26 lakh onThursday. The accused wereidentified as Roshan, Chetan,both residents of JawaharNagar. The complainantVeera Reddy along with hiswife locked their house andwent to Nacharam on 16March and returned to homesame day only to find thatdoor lock was broken andhouse was looted.

2 house burglarsheld, booty worthRs 26L recovered

PNS n HYDERABAD

The police have registered acase against two persons andtaken them into custody forillegally transporting cattleinto the city on Friday night.

On a tip off, the policealong with the local cow pro-tection committee members,stopped a truck carrying thecattle. On checking, thepolice found that the cattlewas being transported intothe city and took the driverand another person into cus-tody. A case was registeredagainst them and the cattlewas shifted to a cattle shed.

2 held for illegaltransportationof cattle in Hyd

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana government's poli-cies, programmes and schemesto strengthen the rural econ-omy and ensure economicprogress of the weaker sectionsin the society have becomemodel for the entire country.

This success of Telanganawas entirely due to the inspi-ration taken from visionarieslike Mahatma Jyothi RaoPhule, said Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao.

Paying rich tributes tophilosopher, visionary andsocial reformer MahatmaJyotiraoPhule on the eve of his195th birth anniversary onSaturday, KCR said the actionprogramme implemented byMahatma Phule to eradicatecaste discrimination andupliftment of Dalit Bahujanand Women was of the high-est order.

Recalling the services ren-dered by JyothiraoPhule, theChief Minister said theTelangana government hadtaken inspiration fromMahatma Phule's philosophythat socio-economic prosper-ity could be achieved onlythrough education and equal-ity, irrespective of the caste orgender and the governmentwas striving to implement thesame.

The six-and half-year-oldTelangana has been followingself-governance process asadvocated by eminent per-sonalities like Phule.

The welfare schemes beingimplemented by the State gov-ernment at a cost of about Rs45,000 crore annually werehelping in the upliftment ofthe backward SC, ST, BC andMinority women, he said saidChief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao.

Narayana has yet again proved to be the leader

TS translating Phule'sideas into action: KCR

Illegal sand mining continues

PNS n HYDERABAD

The ‘namaz-e-janaza’ (lastprayers) of Maulana MuftiMohammed AzeemuddinQuadri, head mufti of theJamia Nizamia seminary here,who passed away after a briefillness on Friday, were heldhere on Saturday.

The prayers were held afterZohar (afternoon) prayers atthe mosque in Jamia Nizamiaseminary and led by MuftiKhaleel Ahmed, rector, JamiaNizamia.

Mufti MohammedAzeemuddin Quadri, who

was 84, is survived by his wife,four sons and three daugh-ters. He was associated withthe Jamia Nizamia for sever-al years in different capacities.

He was also associatedwith the Hyderabad-basedDaeratul Maarif, an institu-tion that acquires, edits andprints rare Arabic manu-scripts.

The body was later takento the Dargah SujjahuddinQuadri at Edi Bazar inYakutpura where it was laidto rest. Several eminent per-sonalities attended thefuneral.

Head mufti of JamiaNizamia passes away

PNS n HYDERABAD

After a brief respite from theheat with light showers onFriday, Hyderabad is back tobeing hot on Saturday. As of 1pm, Telangana State PlanningDevelopment Society’s (TSPDS)automatic weather stationsacross the city saw temperaturesbetween 33 degree Celsius and36 degree Celsius.

The highest recorded tem-perature so far today was atRed Hills Play Ground,Nampally, with 36 degreeCelsius. The heat seems tohave put a damper on the

weekend excitement, as evi-denced by relatively emptyroads. In contrast to theweather expected after rainstoday, TSPDS forecasts dryweather for the next threedays, with maximum temper-atures hovering around 35degree Celsius, while the min-imum temperature is expect-ed to be in the 21 to 23 degreeCelsius range.

The highest maximum tem-perature recorded on Fridaywas 38.7 degree Celsius andlowest minimum temperaturerecorded was 22.9 degreeCelsius.

Day temperatures incity rise again on Sat

hyderabad 04HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | APRIL 11, 2021

31 eve-teasersnabbed bySHE-TeamsPNS n MEDCHAL/

MALKAJGIRI

Rachakonda SHE-Teams regis-tered 36 cases against eve-teasers in the past six weeks andapprehended 31 respondenteve-teasers, out of them, 27majors and four minors. In all,36 cases were filed against them.

The respondent eve-teasersattended the counselling ses-sion conducted byRachakonda SHE-Teams atthe Commissioner’s campoffice in LB Nagar, alongwith their family members,and professional counsellorsfrom Bhumika Women’sCollective, an NGO, con-ducted counselling for them.Children in conflict with thelaw will also be counselled bypsychiatrist Dr Vasavi to bringa change in their behaviour.

In addition to that withinin six weeks 31 eve-teaserswere caught by RachakondaSHE-Teams in decoy opera-tions and through WhatsAppcomplaints from differentareas of Rachakonda whilethey are teasing girls at metrot r a i n / j u n c t i o n s / b u sstops/working places and col-leges under the limits of theRachakonda area.

SUNKARI SAMPATH RAO

n MULUGU

High alert was sounded in theAgency areas by the police in thewake of an exchange of firebetween the Maoists and secu-rity forces in the Junagadh for-est area in Chhattisgarh.

As a precautionary measure,Mulugu and Bhadradri policeconducted vehicle inspections inWajedu, Venkatapuram, Charlaand Dummugudem mandals.

In the Bijapur encounter, 22jawans were killed in a Maoistattack while police claimed that12 Maoists were killed in theincident.

Police in the Agency areasissued a high alert with intelli-gence agencies warning thatMaoists may enter the Telanganaregion as the airstrikes havebeen intensified inDandakaranya after theencounter. The Telangana policeare sifting through the forests fora Maoist stronghold while sur-veillance has been strengthenedat the boat docks in the Godavaribasin.

Police have been carrying out‘Operation Prahar’ for the past

few months in Abujhmad ofDandakaranya to flush out theMaoists. Thousands of police-men infiltrated into the forest,which was a bastion for theMaoists, and intensified opera-tions. Intelligence sources havewarned that the Maoists arelikely to enter Telangana andAndhra Pradesh, which haveborders with Chhattisgarh,hence, police cordoned off thearea.

In this backdrop, TelanganaDGP Mahender Reddy has dis-cussed the issue of peace andsecurity with the jointKhammam and Warangal dis-trict police officers.

A high alert was declared as aprecautionary measure. Police inall areas were advised to be vig-ilant. Police are conducting reg-ular vehicle inspections in

Wajedu, Venkatapuram, Charlaand Dummugudem zones on theChhattisgarh border.

Air raids were carried out insuspected areas. A surveillancesystem has been set up in theGodavari basin. A war-like situ-ation was prevailing inChhattisgarh after the Bijapurencounter. Tribals are caughtbetween a devil and deep seawith the presence of police andMaoists. Mulugu Superintendentof Police Sangramsingh G Patilhas alerted the Greyhounds,CRPF and Cobra parties to keepround-the-clock surveillance onthe Mulug district border areasand adjoining districts ofChhattisgarh to curb infiltrationof Maoists into Mulug andDandakaranya. It's learnt that theSP has deployed forces inMaoist-infested areas.

AFTERMATH OF ENCOUNTER IN CHHATTISGARH

High alert sounded in Agencyn The Telangana police are sifting through the forests

for a Maoist stronghold while surveillance has beenstrengthened at the boat docks in the Godavari basin.

n Police have been carrying out ‘Operation Prahar’ for the past few months in Abujhmad of Dandakaranya to flush out the Maoists

ML MELLY MAITREYI

n HYDERABAD

Telangana Rashtra Samithileaders, having chosen to qui-etly watch for nearly twomonths the contours of theregional party taking shape inTelangana under the watch ofYS Sharmila, daughter of for-mer combined AP chief minis-ter late YS Rajasekhar Reddy, onFriday sat up and took notice ofher 'Sankalpa Sabha' atKhammam. This is becauseSharmila directly targeted TRSand party supremo and ChiefMinister K.Chandrasekhar Raoin her address, going to theextent of stating that 'feudalrule' was back in Telangana,which was formed on the plankof self-respect.

Cementing Sharmila's dia-tribe, her mother YSVijayamma, who endorsed herdaughter's wish to bring back'Rajanna Rajyam' in Telangana,thanked the people ofTelangana for being solidlybehind the Congress leaderRajasekhar Reddy when helaunched his padayatra 18 yearsago, thus helping him end theTelugu Desam rule and usher ina slew of welfare schemes forthe benefit of farmers, poor, stu-dents and women groups. Theyexpressed their gratitude toTelangana people for showing

same affection to the family oflate YSR.

Dismissing Y.S. Sharmila'sclaim that farmers, students,unemployed youth, poor andwomen groups had been 'suffer-ing' in Telangana and 'yearning'for the 'golden era' positedunder YSR rule, TRS leaderssaid her comments were 'ridicu-lous' and 'far from truth'. TheTRS government's welfare pro-grammes reached every needysection of society and the resultswere there for everyone to see,they said.

People of Telangana couldnot be hoodwinked by meetingsorganized with 'paid outsiders',said a TRS Minister. Jana Senaleader Pawan Kalyan had drawneven bigger crowds inTelangana; yet, when it came toelections, people chose onlyTRS. Dismissing 'RajannaRajyam' concept, he said YSRwas not an independent politi-cian but a loyal Congress leaderwho had implemented party'spolicies with the approval ofparty.

However, Sharmila's bold,self-driven initiative is beingwatched with interest by politi-cal observers, considering that,barring actor Vijayashanti,women have rarely taken the ini-tiative to launch a political partyin the State on their own.Vijayashanti had launched

'Thalli Telangana Party' in 2009only to merge it with TRS osten-sibly for the common goal ofachieving separate TelanganaState. She later parted ways withTRS, cut up with party leader-ship's style of functioning, to joinnational parties, alternatingbetween BJP and Congress. Atpresent, she is again with the BJP.

Both Vijayamma andSharmila sought to give animpression that Sharmila wason her own as Telangana need-ed an opposition party on asound footing that can questionthe ruling party on behalf ofpeople.

Sharmila said time had comefor Telangana people to decidewhether they needed a politicalparty that can fearlessly ques-tion the ruling party.

The Congress party wasfunctioning like a companythat supplied MLAs to TRS,while BJP had been trying toprovoke people in the name ofreligion.

"Did BJP give TurmericBoard, Coach factory toTelangana?" asked Sharmila,who described herself as thebonafideTelangana citizen.

More people died of shock inTelangana when RajasekharReddy died in a copter crashand that reflected YSR's bond-ing with Telangana people. YSRwas one leader who lovedeveryone equally, irrespective ofthe region from which a personhailed, Vijayamma said to but-tress her point that her late hus-band had great affection forTelangana people.

"Sharmila inherited herfather's courage and commit-ment and she was raised like ason by her father," saidVijayamma seeking the bless-ings of people for her daughter.

Meanwhile, LegislativeCouncil Chairman GuttaSukhender Reddy said that newpolitical parties were enteringthe State to "rob Telanganapeople again". People were well

aware during whose tenure fac-tional fights ruled the roost inthe region and water from irri-gation projects and funds ofTelangana were diverted toAndhra.

The exploitation of Telanganacontinued till 2014 under therule of Congress leaders. Someinimical forces were trying todisrupt the stable government,while some other forces werefomenting trouble in the nameof caste and religion, SukhenderReddy said. The allegationsthat TRS leaders were behavinglike feudal lords were baseless,he maintained.

Congress leaderV.Hanaumantha Rao, while dis-approving of Sharmila's deci-sion to launch a party inTelangana, said she shouldmake her efforts in Andhra. Hefound fault with the police offi-cials for giving permission toSharmila's public meeting inspite of the mounting Covid-19cases. The same officials haddenied permission to others tohold even small meetings, hementioned.

BJP leader NVSS Prabhakarrefuted Sharmila's criticism ofBJP and said 'Rajanna Rajyam'was synonymous with "lootingand amassing ill-gotten money".It was the time when'Jalayagnam' was converted into'Dhana yagnam', he alleged.

TS parties deride Sharmila’s ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ talk

K VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

Union Minister of State forHome Affairs G Kishan Reddyalleged that the important pro-jects in the Nagarjunasagarconstituency are going on at asnail’s pace. He blamed theCongress and TRS for thebackwardness of theNagarjunasagar constituencyand called upon the people toteach a lesson to the Congressand TRS in the elections.

He said that Congress can-didate K Jana Reddy did zeroto the development of theNagarjunasagar constituencyand the TRS, too, walked in thepath of Congress regardingthe development of the con-stituency. He said that theTelangana people want achange, therefore, they votedfor the BJP in the Dubbakbypoll.

He released a video song‘Anthyodayam’ and releasedthe party’s manifesto for theNagarjunasagar by-election onSaturday, along with DubbakMLA M Raghunandan Rao, atHaliya. He exhorted the peo-ple to teach a lesson to theCongress and TRS in the by-

elections. Alleging that theTRS had failed to release fundsto the development ofThandas, he said that ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Raohad not implemented theassurances given in the last

elections.He urged the people to seal

the deal for a change in Sagarby ensuring the victory of BJPcandidate. He said that theywill set up an industrial corri-dor and a special road will be

laid from the Regional RingRoad to Nagarjunasagar if thepeople of the constituencyensure the victory of the BJPcandidate.

He said that they released amanifesto for the coming twoyears. The BJP will develop theSagar constituency in ‘Sab KaSath Sab Ka Vikas’ manner. Itwill set up Kendriya Vidyalay,and provide revenue divisionstatus to the Haliya municipal-ity. The BJP would also devel-op the International BuddhaCentre, he said.

The BJP will implementadequate reservations to trib-als, he said and assured that theBJP will complete the nation-al highways connectingNagarjunasagar as early aspossible if the people ensuredthe victory of BJP candidate DrRavi Naik.

Raghunandan Rao allegedthat both Congress and BJP aredeceiving the people with fakeassurances. Jana Reddy didnothing to the constituency, hesaid alleging both the TRSand Congress are two sides ofthe same coin. Later, they hadlunch at the house of a tribal atPangani Kunta Thanda inHaliya mandal.

‘No growth in Sagar under TRS rule’

PNS n HYDERABAD

CPI National Secretary KNarayana alleged that PrimeMinister Narendra Modi hasbeen creating ‘hungama’ in thename of ‘Tika Utsav’. Narayanaalleged that the Centre had failedin controlling the Corona spread.

In a statement issued here onSaturday, Narayana alleged thatthe Centre is not providing ade-quate Corona vaccines. Helamented that Modi raised the

curtain to enact a new drama inthe name of ‘Tika Utsav’ at theChief Ministers’ meeting.

Andhra Pradesh Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy’s letter tothe Centre seeking 25 lakh Coronavaccines is the best example andsaid that not only Andhra Pradesh,but also all States' condition is sim-ilar. He expressed doubts onwhether there is a truth in theCentre’s statement that it is has astock of 13.5 crore vaccines andalready supplied 9.5 crore.

Centre failed in controllingCorona, alleges Narayana

n Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddyurged the people to seal the deal for a change in Sagar byensuring the victory of BJP candidate

n He said that they will set up an industrial corridor and aspecial road will be laid from the Regional Ring Road toNagarjunasagar if the people of the constituency ensurethe victory of the BJP candidate

SNCN ACHARYULU

n HYDERABAD

When the redoubtable NTRama Rao launched theTelugu Desam Party in 1982to take on the Congress inAndhra Pradesh, it is doubt-ful that he would have fore-seen how similar the fates ofthe two parties would be inthe then undivided state.

For the first time in theirrespective histories, both theCongress and TDP are floun-dering and struggling to sur-vive their bleakest period yet.In fact, the situation is so direthat while the TDP has norepresentation in theTelangana Legislat iveAssembly and Council, theCongress has none in both theHouses in AP.

After bifurcation, Congressfielded candidates in AndhraPradesh in both the 2014 and

2019 elections and did not wina single seat. In the LegislativeCouncil too, the Congress hasno representation, for the firsttime in its history.

Interestingly in Telangana,the TDP is facing a similar sit-uation. In the 2018 Assemblyelections, the party won twoseats. Recently, the two MLAsmerged in the ruling TRSLegislature Party. With this,the TDP lost its representa-

tion in the TelanganaAssembly. The party has norepresentation in theLegislative Council too.

One might say that the sit-uation is worse for theCongress than the TDP since,in 2018, the party won 19 seatsin Telangana but has at presentonly five members in theAssembly. While TPCC pres-ident N Uttam Kumar Reddyresigned as MLA after winning

the Lok Sabha seat, the remain-ing Congress MLAs havemerged into TRS LegislatureParty. CLP leader Mallu BhattiVikramarka was recognised asthe leader of the Oppositionbut has lost the position after12 Congress Members jumpedship to the TRS.

TDP supremo NChandrababu Naidu too islikely to lose the position inAP as more and more TDPMLAs appear to be on theverge of deserting the ship.The TDP had won 23 seats inthe 2019 Assembly polls andtill now, four of its MLAs havedistanced themselves and areindirectly behaving likeYSRCP members.

If one goes by the happen-ings on the ground, resur-gence by either party in thenear future in these two statesdoes not appear to be a pos-sibility.

Fate of Congress, TDP similar in Telugu States

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy having lunch at thehouse of a tribal in the Nagarjunasagar Assembly constituency on Saturday

Cong submitsmemo toEC officialPNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Congress leadersmet General Observer SajanSingh R Chowhan andbrought to his notice electoralmalpractices of Union andState Ministers, ruling partyMPs, MLAs in theNagarjunasagar by-elections.

The party requested theElection Commission to takeaction to prevent the free flowof money and liquor by theTRS to ensure free and fairelections.

TPCC chief and NalgondaMP N Uttam Kumar Reddyand former MLA MaheshwerReddy, former MLC RamuluNaik and others submitted amemorandum to him in thisregard on Saturday.

Speaking to the media,Uttam alleged that the localpolice were cooperating withthe ruling party.

He alleged that he told theGeneral Observer that theElection Commission hasbeen failing in conducting theelections in a free and fairmanner.

PNS n PEDDAPALLI

Minister for Welfare KoppulaEshwar said that 306 centreswould be set up to procureRabi paddy whose yield willbe around 4.25 lakh tonnes.He said that there is anunprecedented paddy yield inthe district compared to theearlier yield.

Taking part in a paddyprocurement awareness pro-gramme for the Rabi seasonheld here on Saturday, hesaid that the governmentlifts paddy from farmersright from the village level inview of the pandemic situa-tion.

The government wouldprocure till the last paddygrain in the district, he said

asking officials to get toughin ensuring the quality ofpaddy to be lifted. He want-ed the farmers to dry paddyin their drying yards andbring paddy with 17 per centor less moisture content. Theempty grain content shouldnot exceed one per cent whilethe dust and stones in thepaddy should be less than oneper cent. The discolouredpaddy content should be lessthan five per cent of the totalpaddy, he said.

He asked officials and localpeople’s representatives toexplain to the farmers how toconform to quality standards,decrease the moisture contentin paddy and use of paddycleaners to shed empty grainsand so on.

PNS n NAGAR KURNOOL

The three-day Telugu NewYear festivities began atSrisaialm temple from Saturdayamidst rituals to deitiesGoddess Bhramaramba andLord Mallikarjuna Swamy.

On account of festivities,several devotees travel toSrisailam from Karnataka andMaharashtra. Therefore, thetemple authorities advised thedevotees not to stay long atSrisailam in view of the Covid-

19 scare.At least five-lakh turn out of

devotees is expected for theUgadi festivities.

The devotees reaching hereby foot submit their offerings-- saris, tamarind, mangalsutras, flowers --to the deities

carrying them on their shoul-ders.

Devotees from Karnatakaobserve rituals like walking onfire and piercing parts of theirbody, including the tongue,with sharp weapons. Dailyabhishekams are conducted todeities besides Rudra homam,Chandi homam. The devo-tees from other States take partin special pujas and processionof deities to be held on Sundaybefore they return to theirplaces.

Ugadi fete begins at Srisailam shrine

306 paddy purchase centres to be set up in Peddapalli dist

Govt rendered injustice toNalgonda dist: Cong MP

HYDERABAD: Congress MPKomatireddy Venkat Reddy allegedthat Chief Minister K ChandrasekharRao has the habit of passing timetelling lies every day and he is usingthe money looted in projects inNagarjunasagar by-elections. Whileparticipating in an election campaignin Marlagadda Gudem, Pulimamidiand other villages in Anumula man-

dal of Nagarjunasagar Assembly constituency on Saturday, he said thatthe Chief Minister is not taking any steps to fill the two lakh vacantposts and asked the people to teach a befitting lesson to him in theSagar bypoll. He reiterated that Jana Reddy worked as the Minister for20 years, but never indulged in corrupt practices. He wondered that thecorrupt MLAs and an MLA, who was involved in the drug case, havebeen criticising K Jana Reddy. He alleged that the TRS government didnothing to the Nagarjunasagar constituency. He remembered that JanaReddy had brought drinking and irrigation water to the Sagar con-stituency. The TRS government is rendering injustice to the Nalgondadistrict by not completing the pending works of Srisailam tunnel works,which were completed 70 per cent already by the then Congress gov-ernment, spending Rs 1,300 crore.

1,933 cases disposed at Lok AdalatMEDCHAL-MALKAJGIRI: TheNational Lok Adalat wasorganised on Saturday by thePrincipal District SessionsJudge Ranga Reddy and theDistrict and Sessions JudgeNalgonda following a directivefrom the High Court ofTelangana and Legal ServiceAuthority. In all, 1,933 cases

compromised in the limits of Rachakonda Commissionerate.Commissioner of Police Rachakonda Mahesh M Bhagwat monitoredthe conduct of National Lok Adalat and motivated the CDOs, IOs andSHOs of Commissionerate for maximum disposal. CP Rachakondaand Addtional CP G Sudheer Babu appreciated the DCPd, ACPs,SHOs, CDOs and CCRB staff of Rachakonda for their efforts in getting1,933 compoundable cases disposed of in Lok Adalat

One CCTV camera isequivalent to 100 cops: MLA

PATANCHERU: The municipalitieswhere public safety and protectionwere accorded importance aredeveloping rapidly, disclosedPatancheru MLA Gudem MahipalReddy. He inaugurated 32community surveillance cameras

worth Rs 10 lakhs on Saturday in Eedulanagulapalli and Velimelawards under Tellapur municipality limits. Addressing a gathering onthe occasion, he said that he was happy to set up CCTV cameras inevery ward under Tellapur municipality. He said each surveillancecamera is equivalent to hundred police officers and plays a crucialrole in solving the cases. He further stated the crime rate wasgradually decreasing with the installation of CCTV cameras invillages, colonies, municipalities and GHMC limits. Municipalchairperson Lalitha Somi Reddy, DSP Bheem reddy, vice-chairmanRamulu Goud, CI R Amiredy, councillors, local leaders, officers andothers participated in the inauguration.

Revanth dares Minister for adebate on Sagar developmentHYDERABAD : TPCC working president and Malkajgiri MP ARevanth Reddy alleged that the TRS is spending Rs 200 crore towin the Nagarjunasagar bypoll. He alleged that the liquor has beenflowing in the constituency like water. He lamented that ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Rao was trying to win the by-election bykeeping the people in an inebriated condition. He challengedMinister for Energy G Jagdeesh Reddy and MLC Palla RajeshwarReddy that he is ready to prove that there is no development tookplace in the State in the TRS rule. Speaking to the media atPulicharla village in Peddvura mandal on Saturday as part of hiscampaign, Revanth Reddy alleged that KCR had come toNagarjunasagar before the Election Commission issuednotification. “I came to know that KCR is coming again to theconstituency. KCR didn’t visit the Dubbak constituency even asingle time, however, I don’t know why KCR is visiting for thesecond time,” he wondered. He pointed out that KCR didn’t followthe tradition of making the kin of from the bereaved family as anMLA not even a single time. KCR allocated a ticket to Bhagatassuming that sympathy will work in the favour of Bhagat aftertaking the names of Gutha Sukhender Reddy and MC Koti Reddyinto consideration. He questioned KCR to tell as to why the latterhad failed to accept the challenge of K Jana Reddy to stay awayfrom participating in the campaign if KCR did development inNagarjunasagar. Revanth Reddy said that the Congress MPs did alot for the formation of a separate State and reminded that JanaReddy left the opportunity of becoming the Chief Minister of theunited Andhra Pradesh.

SHORT TAKES

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | APRIL 11, 2021 nation 05

India has established abilateral air bubble

arrangement with Sri Lankafor operation of specialinternational passengerflights between the twocountries, the Civil AviationMinistry said on Saturday.With this, India now hassuch pacts with 28

countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany,Iraq, Japan, the Maldives, Nigeria, Qatar, the UAE, the UK and theUSA.Under an air bubble pact between two countries, specialinternational passenger flights can be operated by their airlines intoeach other's territories under restrictive conditions. "India hasfinalized an air bubble agreement with Sri Lanka, making it the 6thsuch arrangement in SAARC region and the 28th in total," the CivilAviation Ministry said on Twitter. "All the eligible passengers will beable to travel between the 2 countries in the near future," it noted.

India has finalised air bubblepact with Sri Lanka: Ministry

The weekendlockdown

imposedacrossMaharashtra to

bring under controlthe COVID-19 surge,has elicited a positivereponse from peopleso far with thestreets and marketsin most parts of the

state, including Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur, wearing adeserted look, officials said on Saturday. However, at some locationsin the state, including some market areas in Mumbai, people wereseen flouting social distancing and other norms by gathering at oneplace in largenumbers. The first weekend lockdown in the statebegan at 8 pm on Friday and it will continue till 7 am on Monday.

Lockdownn in Maha: Streets,markets wear deserted look

The Madhya Pradesh HighCourt has asked the mem-

bers of the Indian MedicalAssociation (IMA) and MPNursing Home Association todesist from "exploiting" thecoronavirus situation by over-charging the affected personsin the wake of the second

wave of the pandemic. A division bench comprising Chief JusticeMohammad Rafiq and Justice Sanjay Dwivedi said this in its orderpassed on Wednesday. "In the time of the current crisis faced by thecountry following the second wave of COVID-19, their (associations')members should desist from exploiting the situation by overchargingthe affected persons," the court said. It directed the secretary of statepublic health and family welfare department to give wide publicity tothe rates fixed by the government for RT-PCR test, rapid antigen testand chest CT/HRCT scan of COVID-19 suspects/patients, deputy advo-cate general Swapnil Ganguly said.

Desist from exploiting Covidsituation: HC to IMA members

Maharashtra Health MinisterRajesh Tope has urged the

Centre to formulate criteria forallotment of COVID-19 vaccines by taking into considera-tion factors like population andnumber of active coronavirus

casesof a particular state. He alleged that many states, which aresmaller than Maharashtra in terms of population and the number ofpatients, have received more doses.Talking to reporters, Tope saidthat out of thelatest dispatch of 3.5 crore doses by the Centre,Maharashtra received 7 lakh and the Centre added another 10 lakh"after much persuasion". "The criteria should be decided in terms ofthe size of the population and the number of active cases," he said,adding that many smaller states with less population and number ofactive cases had got more doses than Maharashtra. He said thatMaharashtra, with a population of over 12 crore, accounts for 60 percent of the total number of active cases in the country.

Formulate vaccine allotmentcriteria, Tope tells Centre

INDIA CORNER

PNS n KOLKATA/COOCH BEHAR

A political firestorm raged onSaturday after five persons werekilled, including four in firing byCISF personnel, while five can-didates were attacked during thefourth phase of polling in 44seats in West Bengal.

An estimated 76.16 per centof 1.15 crore voters exercisedtheir franchise till 5 pm, an offi-cial said.

Four people were killed ascentral forces opened fireallegedly after coming underattack from locals, who "attempt-ed to snatch their rifles", in WestBengal's Cooch Behar district,police said.

West Bengal BJP presidentDilip Ghosh had come underattack in Sitalkuchi area earlierthis week.

Amid the incidents of vio-lence, the EC has directed theUnion Home Ministry to deploy71 additional companies ofCentral Armed Police forces(CAPFs) in the state for conduct-ing the remaining four phases of

polls.Till now, 1,000 companies

were earmarked for holding theelections in the state which has294 assembly seats.

Condoling the deaths inCooch Behar, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi requested theElection Commission to takestern action against those respon-sible for the incident and blamedthe ruling TMC for perpetratingviolence during the polls.

He also accused Chief

Minister Mamata Banerjee ofinstigating people against thecentral forces, sensing defeat.

"What happened in CoochBehar is unfortunate and sad. Iextend my condolences to thebereaved families and urge theElection Commission to takestern action against thoseresponsible. Mamata Didi andher TMC goons have become jit-tery because of groundswell ofsupport for BJP," Modi told anelection rally in North Bengal's

Siliguri.The Chief Minister, who

rushed to North Bengal and willmeet the bereaved families,demanded the resignation ofHome Minister Amit Shah anda reply from him on firing by thecentral forces which led to thedeath of people "standing in thequeue to vote".

Asserting that she had appre-hended such an incident allalong, Banerjee said, "Afterkilling so many people, they

(Election Commission) are say-ing the firing was in self- defence.They should feel ashamed."

"This is a lie....The centralforces opened fire on peoplestanding in the line for voting,killing 4 in Sitalkuchi. I had beenapprehending the forces wouldact in such a manner for long. Asthe BJP knows it has lost the peo-ple's mandate, they are conspir-ing to kill people," she said at arally in North 24 Parganas dis-trict.

The Chief Minister said a CIDprobe will be instituted into theincident.

Meanwhile, a TMC candidateand four BJP nominees wereattacked in various constituen-cies across the state.

At Dinhata in North Bengal,TMC candidate Udayan Guhawas attacked by alleged BJPactivists.

He received injuries when ascuffle broke out with the saffroncamp over allegations that it wasnot allowing the TMCs pollingagents inside booths, a chargedenied by the BJP.

Political storm erupts after 5 killed duringBengal poll, including 4 in CISF firing PNS n NEW DELHI

Amid rising coronaviruscases, the ElectionCommission has flaggedinstances of star campaignersand political leaders cam-paigning without masks, andwarned it will not hesitate toban rallies if COVID guide-lines issued by it last year arebreached.

In a letter to leaders of allrecognised political partieson Friday, the poll panel said,"It is widely known that in therecent weeks, COVID casesare being reported in largernumbers. However, instancesof election meetings/cam-paigns have come to thenotice of the commission,where norms of social distanc-ing, wearing of masks havebeen flouted in disregard tothe commission's guidelines."

The letter pointed outinstances of star campaignersand political leaders or candi-dates not observing COVID-19 protocols, "including non-wearing of masks themselvesat stage or while campaign-ing".

"By doing so, the politicalparties and candidates areexposing themselves as well asthe public attending such elec-tion meetings to the gravedanger of the infection," theletter said.

In cases of breach, theElection Commission (EC)said it will "not hesitate inbanning public meetings, ral-lies of defaulting candidates,star campaigners or politicalleaders without any furtherreference".

On Thursday, the DelhiHigh Court had soughtresponses from the commis-

sion and the central govern-ment on the use of masks dur-ing poll campaigns.

While the three-phase elec-tion in Assam and the single-phase polls in Tamil Nadu,Kerala and Puducherry areover, the fourth leg of theeight-phase West Bengalassembly election is beingheld on Saturday.

The poll panel said it hastaken "serious view of the lax-ity" in following norms, par-ticularly not wearing masksand not maintaining socialdistancing by political leaderson the dais or stage.

EC fiat to political parties on Coronavirus guidelines

PNS n CHANDIGARH

Intensifying their stir againstthe Centre's three contentiousagriculture laws, farmers onSaturday blocked theKundl i–Manesar–Palwalexpressway in Haryana.

They, however, said emer-gency vehicles such as ambu-lances will be allowed to ply.

The call for a 24-hour block-ade was given by the SamyuktaKisan Morcha, an umbrellabody of farmer unions spear-heading the agitation.

The blockade started at 8am and will last 24 hours tillSunday morning.

The 136-km Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP)expressway is also known asthe Western PeripheralExpressway.

Farmers, including women,carried flags of their organisa-tions and raised slogansagainst the government. Theysquatted on the expressway

while slamming the centralgovernment for not repealingthe farm laws.

Farmers in Sonipat andJhajjar districts parked theirtractor-trailers and other vehi-cles in the middle of thestretch.

In Nuh, some protesterswere detained near theRewasan toll plaza by theHaryana Police after they triedto block the road.

Several commuters facedinconvenience because of the

KMP Expressway blockadeand cited that they wereunaware of the farmers' call forthe protest.

Farmers, however, said theyhad given their call for block-ade beforehand. Becauseof the road blockade, longqueues of vehicles, especiallycommercial four-wheelers,were seen.

Farmer leader HarinderSingh Lakhowal said theblockade will remain for 24hours.The Haryana Police had

issued a traffic advisory, ask-ing travellers to avoid theKMP Expressway for com-muting.

Haryana AdditionalDirector General of Police(Law and Order) NavdeepSingh Virk on Friday had saidelaborate arrangements hadbeen put in place to maintainpeace and order and preventany kind of violence.

Proper traffic diversionshad been planned in Sonipat,Jhajjar, Panipat, Rohtak,Palwal, Faridabad, Gurgaonand Nuh, Virk said.

Passengers coming from theChandigarh/Ambala side onthe National Highway-44 maygo towards Ghaziabad andNoida via Karnal to Shamliand from Panipat to Sanauli.

Vehicles going towardsGurgaon and Jaipur can takethe National Highway-71Afrom Panipat and travel viaGohana, Rohtak, Jhajjar andRewari.

Ryots block KMP Expressway in Haryana

PNS n MUMBAI

Two Russian nationals werearrested for allegedly per-forming stunts at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link here, policesaid on Saturday.

The incident took place onWednesday evening and theRussian nationals were iden-tif ied as MaksimShcherbakov (24) and VasiliKolesenikov (30), an officialsaid.

The duo had reached thesea link in a taxi fromBandra. After walking forsome distance on the bridge,

Maksimstarted climbing thepuller of the sea link byholding the high-strengthgalvanised steel pipes, hesaid.

His colleague remained onthe bridge to click Maksim'spictures and videos, hesaid."Some onlookersinformed the sea link's man-agement staff about theirstunts, following which thepolice were alerted," the offi-cial added. Police rushed tothe spot and apprehendedthe duo, Anil Koli, seniorinspector of Worli police sta-tion, said.

2 Russians heldfor performingstunts at sea link

PNS n CHANDIGARH

Punjab's COVID-19 vac-cine stock will last anoth-er five days, Chief MinisterAmarinder Singh said onSaturday as he urged theCentre to share the sched-ule of supply of the vac-cines.

The state has been inoc-ulating 85,000-90,000 ben-eficiaries in a day, and atthis rate, Punjab's currentstock of 5.7 lakh vaccinedoses will run out in fivedays, he said.

Pinning hopes on freshbatches of vaccines fromthe Centre, Singh stressedthat if Punjab was able tomeet its target of adminis-tering two lakh shots a day,then its current supplieswill last only three days.

In an official statementhere, he said he wrote tothe prime minister and theUnion health minister togive confirmed supplyschedules for the nextquarter.

Punjab hasvax forjust 5 days

PNS n KOLKATA

A controversy erupted onSaturday amid the polling for44 assembly seats in WestBengal, with the BJP releasingan audio clip where TrinamoolCongress' election strategistPrashant Kishor is purported-ly heard saying Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is "as popularas" Chief Minister MamataBanerjee in the state.

Sharing excerpts of Kishor'schat with some journalists,BJP's IT cell chief AmitMalviya claimed that "TMC'selection was just thrown away!"

Kishor dared the BJP to

release the full record of thechat on Clubhouse, a socialmedia platform, and claimedthat the saffron camp wouldnot get more than 100 assem-bly seats in the ongoing elec-tions.

In the purported audio clip,which the PTI could not inde-

pendently verify, Kishor isheard, saying "Modi is huge-ly popular in Bengal, andthere is no doubt about it. Heis equally popular l ikeMamata Banerjee".

"Modi is hugely popular inBengal, and there is no doubtabout it. There is a cult aroundhim across the country.

There is anti-incumbencyagainst TMC, polarisation is areality, SC votes is (are) a fac-tor plus BJP's electionmachinery, says MamataBanerjee's strategist in anopen chat," Malviya said onTwitter after releasing theaudio clips.

Controversy over PrashantKishore’s clubhouse chat leak

PNS n BENGALURU

The 11-day 'corona curfew'will come into effect in somedistricts of Karnataka, includ-ing the state capital, fromSaturday night to contain thespread of coronavirus andonly essential services, patientsand passengers would beallowed to ply.

The state government hadannounced night curfewbetween 10 pm and 5 amevery day from April 10 to 20in Bengaluru, Mysuru,Mangaluru, Kalaburagi, Bidar,Tumakuru, Udupi-Manipalcities.

This apart, the curfew willbe in place in other prominenttowns and district headquar-ters, the government said.

The police have made elab-orate arrangements to ensure-

compliance of the rules atnight.

In Bengaluru, PoliceCommissioner Kamal Panttold reporters that vehiclesproviding essential services,patients and their relativeswill be allowed to travel atnight.

Besides, home delivery, e-commerce and the transporta-tion of essential goods such asvegetables and food com-modities for sale in the morn-ing will be allowed in thenight.

Night curfew inK’taka from Apr 10

PNS nGUWATHI

The Election Commission ofIndia on Saturday orderedrepolling in four polling boothsof Assam.

Repolling will be held at thepolling stations in Ratabari, Sonaiand Haflong constituencies onApril 20, the ECI said in a letteraddressed to the Chief ElectoralOfficer, Assam.

"The Commission declaresvoid, the votes cast at thesepolling stations on April 1," it said.

All the three constituencieswent to polls in the second phaseof Assam assembly elections onApril 1. The ECI order said,repolling will be held at Ratabari(SC) contituency's polling station

number 149 at Indira M VSchool, after an electronic votingmachine (EVM) was found in acar belonging to the wife of a BJPcandidate.

A magisterial probe wasordered by Karimganj districtDeputy Commissioner andReturning Officer to enquire as towhy a polling team in Assam car-ried a polled EVM in a vehicleowned by the wife of BJP candi-date and sitting MLA KrishnenduPaul.

In an auxiliary polling sta-tion at 107(A)-Khothlir LPSchool under Haflong assem-bly constituency, 171 voteswere cast even though 90 peo-ple were eligible to exercisetheir franchise.

EC orders repollingin four Assam booths

PNS n SILIGURI

Condoling the deathoffive people in CoochBehar, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi Saturdayrequested the ElectionCommission to takestern action against thoseresponsible and blamedthe ruling TMC for per-petrating violence duringthe polls.

He also accused ChiefMinister MamataBanerjee of instigatingpeople against the centralforces.

Modi condolesdeaths in CoochBehar, blamesTMC for violence

PNS n KOLKATA

West Bengal Congress chiefAdhir Ranjan Chowdhuryruled out the possibility ofextending support to theMamata Banerjee-led TMCor seeking her support in casethe high-octane assembly elec-tions throw up a fracturedmandate.

Accusing the chief ministerof trying to communalise theelections, Chowdhury said thatthe TMC and the BJP mightjoin hands if both the partiesfall short of the requisite num-bers to form the government.

"BJP and communal politicshave found a foothold in WestBengal because of MamataBanerjee. There is no questionof supporting the TMC in apost-poll scenario if it fallsshort of a majority.

"Similarly, there are zerochances of the Congress- Left-ISF Sanjukta Morcha or UnitedFront alliance seeking her sup-port to form the government.There is no possibility of anypost-poll tie-up with theTMC," Chowdhury told PTI inan interview.

When asked whether theCongress and Left's refusal toextend support to the TMCwill help the BJP, the two-timestate Congress chief said, "Insuch a scenario, you will seethe TMC and the BJP joininghands to form the govern-ment."

"Just like old wine tastes bet-ter, old friends are also trust-worthy. The TMC and theBJP, who were earlier alliancepartners, will join hands. Theyare like two sides of a coin," hesaid.

Chowdhury, however,mocked Banerjee for "surren-dering" before Congress pres-ident Sonia Gandhi through

her letter seeking the supportof all the opposition parties.

"Mamata Banerjee haddeliberately destroyed theCongress in West Bengal in thelast 10 years despite the grandold party helping her come topower. Now see the irony, shehas become so nervous thatshe surrendered before thesame Congress, which shetried to finish off politically," hesaid. The TMC had joinedhands with the Congress tooust the Left Front from powerin 2011. However, the alliancefell apart after coming topower. "The Congress leader-ship is well aware of the polit-ical character of the TMC.

No question of post-polltie-up with Mamata: Cong

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | APRIL 11, 2021money 06

MONEY MATTERS

As the effects of COVID-19 continueto unfold, the corporate world has

witnessed unique trends in PrivateEquity, Mergers and Acquisitions andECM space in Q1 of 2021. As perVCCEdge research, Q1 of 2021recorded an incline with 376 dealsworth $6.6 billion when comparedwith the 350 deals recorded in Q12020. While the number saw an

incline, the deals' value also increased by 43% from $4.6 billion to $6.6billion. However, Q1 2021 also witnessed the lowest number of dealsand deal value in the mergers and acquisitions' space in the last fiveyears on a Y-o-Y basis. The quarter recorded 184 deals worth $5.20billion, a decline of 10% and 65% respectively as compared to Q1 2020.Domestic M&A dominated the show by garnering 118 deals worth$3.09 billion. ECM deal activities saw an upward trend in the first quarterof 2021 as the quarter witnessed 26 deals for $4.61 billion, as against 18deals worth $4.85 billion in Q1 2020. The major contributor for ECMdeal activities were Initial public offering at 15 deals ($2.34 billion),followed by qualified institutional placement at 10 deals ($1.86 billion) .On the other hand, exits experienced a slowdown both in terms of dealactivity and deal value for the fifth year in a row on a Y-o-Y basis. Thisquarter witnessed a decline of 30% and 28% in deal activity and dealvalue respectively, when compared to same period last year.

PE investments rocket 43 percent in Q1, up by USD 2 billion

The 38th Annual General Meetingof Ambuja Cements Ltd. was

conducted virtually today. Mr. MartinKriegner, Non-Executive Director ofthe Company, chaired the meeting.The Chairman mentioned thatAmbuja Cement is stronglyprogressing to become the ‘MostInnovative, Sustainable andCompetitive Building SolutionsCompany in India'. Ambuja Cement

has a robust road map to become the best in the industry with strategicpriorities structured under key levers of Growth, Competitiveness,Innovation & Digitalisation, and Sustainability. Growth: Ambuja Cementhas ambitious growth plans to increase capacities and capture marketgrowth in India. Its upcoming facility in MarwarMundwa, Rajasthan willenhance clinker capacity by 3 MTPA and help improve cement sales by5 MTPA, contributing to long-term strategy of capacity expansion. ThisGreenfield integrated plant, at a total investment of Rs. 2350 crores, willcommence operations by Q3 2021. Ambuja is evaluating brownfieldexpansions in Bhatapara and Maratha plants. It is also looking atsignificant debottlenecking opportunities across all plants. The growthplans will be executed in mid-term for Ambuja to reach 50 MTPAcement capacity. Competitiveness: Ambuja's Operating EBITDA grew by23% to Rs. 2,647 crores and Net Profit grew by 17% to Rs. 1,790crores in 2020. Operating EBITDA and Net Profit margin for the yearstood at 23.7% and 16% respectively, reporting a growth of 480 basispoints and 260 basis points, over 2019.

Ambuja Cement to expandcapacity to reach 50 MTPA

Bajaj announces specialcashback offers on LED TVs PNS

Thiscricket

season,thoselooking toget astadiumlike feelfrom thecomfort oftheir home

can purchase the latest LED TVs on No Cost EMI starting Rs. 999 fromthe Bajaj Finserv EMI Store. The EMI Store is also offering customersbenefits up to Rs. 4,500 on purchase of LED TV. This offer is valid onsmart TVs from all major brands such as LG, Samsung, Sony, andPanasonic. Whether it is a 32-inch LED TV or a 4K Ultra HD LED TV,customers can choose from a wide range of options on the EMI Storeand avail benefits worth up to Rs. 4,500. Customers buying an LED TVfrom the Bajaj Finserv EMI Store are entitled to a cashback worth up toRs. 1,500. Additionally, they will also get mobile recharge vouchersworth up to Rs. 1,500 and electricity bill vouchers worth up to Rs.1,500*.

PNS n WASHINGTON

India, which is projected togrow at an impressive rate of12.5 per cent this year, needs togrow at a much faster pace tomake up for the unprecedent-ed contraction of eight per centthat it clocked during theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020,according to a senior IMFofficial.

The International MonetaryFund Deputy Chief Economist,Petya Koeva Brooks, in aninterview to PTI on Friday alsomade a strong case for anadditional economic stimulusto address the impact of thepandemic on the country'seconomy. "When it comes toIndia there was a major col-lapse of output last fiscal yearand the number as you men-tioned is eight.

"So, we are very glad to seethe strong rebound this yearwith projected growth of 12.5for fiscal year 21-22 and we areseeing also high frequencyindicators including PMI(Purchasing Managers' Index),and trade and more mobilityindicators which give us asense that there is continuedrecovery in the first quarter of

this year," she said. That said, there are some

recent emergencies of the newvariants in the localised lock-downs that are seen as one ofthe threats to this recovery,Brooks noted.

“On the recovery itself, whenit comes to level in terms of thelevel of output, we are expect-ing that level to return to thepre-crisis one from 2019 to thisfiscal year. That is what we havein our projections.

"However, if you look at aconcept of scarring, which just

compares what the level of out-put would have been hadn'tthere not been a crisis in 2024,which is the measure which weare using. Then at and comparewhere our current growth tra-jectory is for India that gap ismuch larger,” Brooks said.

The gap, she said, which iseight per cent of GDP is signif-icantly larger than what it is forthe world as a whole.

"For the world as a whole it'sabout three (per cent), whichis another way of saying thateven though in the near term

we have this real rebound,there's still scope in the com-ing years to see higher growthwhich would reduce and hope-fully, eliminate that scarring,which we are currently expect-ing,” the top IMF official saidin response to a question.

"If we were to just thinkabout the level of output thatit was prior to being a pandem-ic then that catch happens thisyear, which is not surprisingalso given the very high levelof the underlying high level ofgrowth which India has. But

again, if we compare it to thepath of what it would havebeen without the pandemicthen we are getting too manylarger gaps there,” she said.

Noting that the Indian gov-ernment took several steps toaddress the COVID-19 crisis,Brooks said, “We have seenpolicy responses, which havebeen coordinated and in sev-eral areas. We have seen thatthe fiscal support, the mone-tary easing as well as the liquid-ity and regulatory measuresthat were taken."

What makes sense is tomaintain the focus on havingthat coordinated policyresponse because this is what'sgoing to prevent the long-term damage to the economy.Providing that support to smalland medium-sized firms aswell as vulnerable houseswould be particularly impor-tant, she said.

Brooks said the IMF verymuch welcomes the measuresthat were announced by Indiaduring its budget. It is partic-ularly supportive of maintain-ing the accommodative fiscalstance and also emphasisingexpenditures on health andinfrastructure.

India needs to grow faster to makeup for contraction during COVID-19 PNS n WASHINGTON

Asserting that the effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic will befelt for years, a joint minister-ial committee of theInternational Monetary Fundand the World Bank has urgedthe two global financial bodiesto ensure timely delivery of safeand effective vaccines across allcountries.

"Timely delivery of safe andeffective vaccines across allcountries is critical to endingthe pandemic, especially asnew variants emerge.Developing countries need tostrengthen their readiness forvaccination campaigns anddevelop coordinated strategiesto reach vulnerable popula-tions," the DevelopmentCommittee said in a commu-nique after the Spring Meetingsof the IMF and the World Bankhere on Friday.

The panel noted that theCOVID-19 pandemic hascaused an unprecedented pub-lic health, economic and socialcrisis, threatening the lives andlivelihoods of millions.

The economic shock isincreasing poverty, worseninginequalities and reversingdevelopment gains. As theglobal economy begins a grad-ual recovery, uncertainty sur-

rounds near- and medium-term prospects, it said.

According to Johns HopkinsUniversity, the coronavirus hasso far infected 134,545,099people and claimed 2,914,590lives globally.

"We call for sustained, differ-entiated, and targeted financialand technical support for anadequate policy response,strong coordination acrossbilateral and multilateral organ-isations, and further support tothe private sector.

We urge the World BankGroup (WBG) and theInternational Monetary Fund(IMF), in line with their respec-tive mandates, to work closelytogether and with other part-ners to contain the impacts ofthe pandemic," the commu-nique said. The committeecalled for redoubling the efforts

to support manufacturingcapacity for vaccines and thepandemic-related medical sup-plies in developing countries.

"The pandemic has trig-gered far-reaching conse-quences, and we must strength-en global preparedness forfuture pandemics, and at thesame time make progress inbuilding robust health systemswith universal coverage," itsaid.

As poorer countries face thecrisis with increased resourceconstraints, limited fiscal space,and rising public debt levels,more of them, including smallstates, are vulnerable to finan-cial stress, it said, noting thatthe rapid initial response underthe Debt Service SuspensionInitiative (DSSI) has providedmuch-needed liquidity for IDAcountries.

IMF, World Bank urged toensure timely delivery of vax

PNS n NEW DELHI

HarperCollins India is delight-ed to announce the publicationof the book NOISE. Most indi-viduals show noise neglect.Leading to unfairness, ineffi-ciency, and reduced productiv-ity, it pervades everything frommedicine, law, public healthand food safety to forensic sci-ence, bail verdicts, child protec-tion, performance reviews andpersonnel selection. If onewants better, more accurateoutcomes for the things thatmatter, everybody must recog-nize and reduce noise. It willsave money, improve publicsafety and health, increase fair-ness, and prevent avoidableerrors.

In NOISE, DanielKahneman, Cass Sunstein andOlivier Sibony explain this lit-tle-known phenomenon, whyit happens so frequently, and

explain how to counter it.Their findings are as fascinat-ing as they are alarming.

Packed with newideas, and draw-ing on thesame kind ofd i l i g e n t ,i n s i g h t f u lresearch thatm a d eT h i n k i n g ,Fast andSlow andN u d g eg r o u n d -b r e a k i n gNew YorkTimes best-sellers, NOISEexplains how and why humansare so susceptible to failure injudgment -and what one cando about it.Pre-order now:https://www.amazon.in/Noise-D a n i e l - K a h n e m a n

/dp/0008309000/Praise For NOISE

'Noise may bethe mostimportantbook I've

read in morethan a decade.

A genuinelynew idea so

e x c e e d i n g l yimportant youwill immediate-ly put it intopractice. Amasterpiece.' -A n g e l aDuckworth,author of Grit

' N o i s ecompletes a trilogy that start-ed with Thinking, Fast andSlow and Nudge. Together,they highlight what all leadersneed to know to improve theirown decisions, and moreimportantly, to improve deci-

sions throughout their organi-zations' - Max H. Bazerman,author of Better, Not Perfect

'In Noise, the authors bril-liantly apply their unique andnovel insights into the flaws inhuman judgment to everysphere of human endeavour....a masterful achievement and alandmark in the field of psy-chology.' - Philip E. Tetlock, co-author of Superforecasting

'The influence of Noiseshould be seismic, as it exploresa fundamental yet grosslyunderestimated peril of humanjudgment. Deepening its must-read status, it provides acces-sible methods for reducing thedecisional menace.' - RobertCialdini, author of Influenceand Pre-Suasion

'After reading Kahneman,one's thinking about oneself—and one's thinking aboutthinking—is permanentlyaltered.' - Samantha Power.

HarperCollins India presents NOISE

PNS n NEW DELHI

Bengaluru-based ShriramProperties has filed a draftdocument with market regu-lator Sebi to raise up to Rs 800crore through an initial pub-lic offer (IPO).

According to sources,Shriram Properties filed thedraft red herring prospectus(DRHP) on Friday.

As per DRHP, the companyproposes to raise up to Rs 800crore through IPO. Out of thetotal IPO size, it plans to raiseRs 250 crore through freshissue of equity shares and Rs550 crore through offer forsale.

Shriram Properties hasproposed partial exits to itsfour existing investors -- TPGCapital, Tata Capital, WaltonStreet Capital and StarwoodCapital -- which hold around58 per cent stake in the com-pany.

In offer for sale, each of theselling shareholders will beentitled to their respectiveportion of the proceeds fromthe offer for sale in proportionof the shares offered by them.

The company will notreceive any proceeds from theoffer for sale.

Shriram Properties propos-es to utilise the net proceedsfrom the fresh issue towardsrepayment and/ or pre-pay-ment of debt and general cor-porate purposes.

Sources had earlier said thatthe company expects to getSebi nod next month andthereafter it will hit the capi-tal market with the proposedIPO.

The company has a majorpresence in South India. It hascompleted various real estateprojects and many projects areunder construction.

Despite the COVID-19pandemic, the Indian realestate sector has witnessedtwo successful public issues ofthe Real Estate InvestmentTrust (REIT).

Mindspace Business ParksREIT, owned by K Raheja,was listed in August last yearafter raising Rs 4,500 crore,while global investment firmBrookfield's REIT public issueworth Rs 3,800 crore got list-ed in February this year.

India's largest realty firmMacrotech Developers, erst-while Lodha Developers, israising up to Rs 2,500 crorethrough IPO, which closed onFriday.

Shriram Properties filesdraft papers with Sebi

PNS n BEIJING

Alibaba Group, the world'sbiggest e-commerce company,was fined 18.3 billion yuan(USD 2.8 billion) by Chineseregulators on Saturday foranti-competitive tactics, as theruling Communist Party tight-ens control over fast-growingtech industries.Party leaders worry about thedominance of China's biggestinternet companies includingAlibaba at a time when theindustry is expanding intofinance, health services andother sensitive areas. The partysays anti-monopoly enforce-ment, especially in tech indus-tries, is a priority this year.Alibaba was fined for “abusingits dominant position” to limitcompetition by retailers that

use its platforms and hinder-ing the “free circulation” ofgoods, the StateAdministration for MarketRegulation announced. It saidthe fine was equal to 4 per centof its total 2019 sales of455.712 billion yuan (USD69.5 billion).The move is a new setback for

Alibaba and its billionairefounder, Jack Ma, following aNovember decision by regula-tors to suspend the stock mar-ket debut of Ant Group, afinance platform spun off fromthe e-commerce giant. Itwould have been the world'sbiggest initial public stockoffering last year.

Alibaba fined USD 2.8 billionon competition charge in China

PNS n KOTA (RAJASTHAN)

Adverse climatic conditionsand insufficient rainfall lastyear in the Jhalawar districthave adversely affected orangeproduction, which has droppedby about 60 per cent this yearin the second spell of flowering.

Over the years, oranges fromJhalawar have come to berecognised better in taste thanthe variety of orange grown inMaharashtra's Nagpur, famousfor production of oranges.

Orange is produced in over40,000 hectare of land in Dug,Bhawanimandi and PedawaJhalrapatan areas of theJhalawar district, fetching yieldin lakhs of metric tons from thesecond spell of flowering offruit, P K Gupta, joint directorof horticulture department,Jhalawar, said.

He, however, added that the

adverse climatic conditions lastyear in the district restricted theorange production to only 40per cent, noting 60 per centdrop.

Last year, the orange cultiva-tion was estimated to haveyielded 3,28,000-3,30,000tonnes of the fruit in its secondspell of flowering that takesplace in July-August. But, thisyear, only 1,31,000 tonnes ofthe fruit in the second spell was

produced causing huge loss tothe cultivators, he said.

The flowering on orangetree takes place thrice in a year— in April, August, December,which the farmers usuallymemorise as 4/8/12. However,the farmers in Jhalawar preferto the production of the fruitof second spell of flowing thatthey locally call 'Mrig Bahar'and the fruit 'Narangi', Guptasaid.

Orange production in secondspell drops 60 pc in Rajasthan

PNS n JAIPUR

People faced difficultyacro3ss the state due to aone-day strike called byRajasthan PetroleumDealers Association offuel stations on Saturdaywith the demand of arollback in VAT on fuel inthe state.

Around 7,000 petrolpumps remained closedin the state due to thestrike.

However, fuel pumpsthat are company ownedand company operatedwere open for the public.

Association presidentSuneet Bagai said dieseland petrol sales remainedclosed on the day.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The recruitment and trainingplatform, Internshala hasbrought out a new reportregarding the increasingawareness of internshipsamongst the students of India.The key highlight of thereport is that 76,000 studentsapplied to internships everyday in the past year. The rea-son behind this is that intern-ships have become an integralpart of a college student'scareer journey in India, irre-spective of their educationalbackground or level of educa-tion -undergrad, postgrad,or doctoral.

Every year, the number ofstudents registering forinternships is increasing. Even

in 2020 when the wholenation was facing the chal-lenges posed by the pandem-ic, there was a 35% rise in thenumber of students seekinginternships. The studentsunderstand the value ofinternships in building theircareer and exploring theiroptions. Therefore, they tookup the challenge of adaptingto the circumstances duringthe testing times of COVID-19 and as a result, 76% of thestudents applied to virtualinternship opportunities.

Another important learn-ing from the report was thatof all the students who wereable to grab fresher jobs in thepast year, 65% of students hadone or more internship expe-rience listed in their resume.

76K applying forinternships every day

Ranchi-basedstart-up PureshDaily raises Rs1.2 cr seed fund

Petrol pumpsclosed inRajasthan

n MUMBAI

Jharkhand-based dairy start-up Puresh Daily on Saturdaysaid it has raised Rs 1.2 croreseed funds from DhianuDas of Alfa ventures andAgility Venture Partnersthat will be utilised for busi-ness development, technol-ogy and brand building.

"We're charged with theinvestors' confidence, as theyoversubscribed our start-up during this seed round.With these funds, we willexpand our product base toat least 10 more tier-II cities,to 20,000 subscribers andpartner with different entre-preneurs," Puresh Dailyfounder Manish Piyush saidin a statement.

sundaymagazine

98A rare Jugalbandi Just play

HYDERABAD, April 11, 2021

Augmented Reality toys are the new entrantsin the market justifying extra play time onground of contributing to child learning.

You just cannot miss the beautifulmural painted in colours of Goa asyou drive past the busy road in DonaPaula, Panjim, Goa. It’s an unusualcanvas. Painted in bright hues, mostly

blue, this work of public art is painted on Goa’sdry waste sorting stations, making for an attrac-tive selfie point.

Called Goa Glitch, this mural is a joint ini-tiative of Bombay Sapphire’s Stir Creativity,Serendipity Arts Foundation, the Corporation ofthe City of Panaji (CCP) and St+art India co-founder Hanif Kureshi. The idea being to tapinto the imaginative spirit of those passing by.The mural features geometric visuals in beautifulhues of the Bombay Sapphire blue, representingthe spirit of adventure and the openness of Goa,and bringing to life the endless coastlines, andthe expansive blue skies of the city.

“The mural is about exploiting the colours ofGoa, like a glitch,” says Kureshi in a candid con-versation post the unveiling of the mural. “Ivisualised it as glitching of the colours of Goanskies — in summer, monsoon, winter;morning, afternoon and noon…Different shades of blue that could alsobe interpreted as colours of water,more specifically the ocean. It’s like theglitch of both skies and the ocean andthat’s why Goa Glitch,” he says.

Kureshi has been working withSerendipity Arts for the last four years orsince it started. In the first edition,Kureshi participated as an artistand then from the nextedition onwards heworked as a curator,where he brought inSt+art India and puttogether street arteditions in Panjim.BombaySapphire’s StirCreativity plat-form aims torevive andenable creativeself-expressionamongst theaudience. Forover threedecades, the

brand has collaborated with designers, artists,architects, and individuals from outside the cre-ative industry to create artworks that reawakencreative potential.

“Each mural has a story. It’s interesting whenyou work on the street, you find that there are somany stories that are waiting to be told. As forthis, I am kind of familiar with Panjim’s land-scape and whenever a new structure comes up,we look at it as a possible canvas,” he shares.This, or shall we say, these canvasses have beenparticularly interesting. “Not many are awarethat these new structures are actually dry wastesorting stations. This is where CCP segregatesthe waste of dry kind such as paper, plastic,sharp objects, glass, steel and metal. These shedsplay a very important role in the whole recyclingscheme of things. Our idea was to bring atten-tion to the process and promote recycling. Wewanted to give it a new life and make it not looklike a dustbin. And we thought what better thanart to get the conversation started,” he says,speaking of the collaboration.

Considering Dona Paula is one of thebusiest public areas in Goa, the mural

highlights the artist’s message on theimportance of sustainability and recy-cling very effectively. In India, Goa isone of the cities that recycles 80% oftheir waste with a strong model created

for waste management and sustainability.In addition to stirring creativity among the

community, the collaboration builds aware-ness for environmental sustainability

and encourages people to bemore conscious of theiractions, he shares. Besidesthis shed, Kureshi is collabo-rating to paint at least threemore in a year.

An alumni of BarodaSchool of Art, Kureshistarted painting on

streets in 2008. He beganwith Graffiti and graduallymoved on to the world ofstreet art which he says, hefinds “more free”. “Thedifference between Graffitiand Street Art, you couldsay, is the sense of style.While Graffiti can be

likened to vandalism, Street Art is more positive-ly thought out and refined. So, yes, you could saythat I sought an expression that is more positiveand would provoke people to think,” he shares.

From getting German street artist, HendrickECB to paint the 150 ft mural of MahatmaGandhi at the Police Headquarters in NewDelhi, as part of the St+Art Delhi street art festi-val in January 2014 to commemorate the mar-tyrdom of the Father of the Nation, to puttingtogether Street Art festival in Shahpur Jat andHauz Khas in Delhi, the entire process evokedthe idea on gentrification in the city. “The aware-ness regarding the street art grew as we movedtowards Lodhi Colony and worked with the gov-ernment properties. However, working at a cen-tral location like Lodhi Colony, we realised thatthere is no room for gentrification there. Wehave been doing similar work in Chennai andMumbai,” he shares.

While Kureshi shares that the response andreception to street art has grown in the pastdecade, the element of planning in the urban-scape continues to elude in the country. “There’sno urban planning element to street art as ofnow. And that’s why, I feel, it becomes moreimportant for art to cover up for all that is notplanned,” he avers. Delhi’s Lodhi Colony perhapsis a case in point but then there is a catch.“Maybe at some point, Lodhi Colony will bedemolished and there would be high risesinstead. But I still feel the art that found placethere would leave a lasting impact. I think aboutthe children growing up in Lodhi Colony andtheir imagination and what they would likethink about art and perhaps, choosing art as acareer option,” he says.

On the subject of Street Art versus vandal-ism, Kureshi has a take: “There is a thin linebetween vandalism and street art. Personally,when I set out to do graffiti, I could have goneon to become a rebel. More so in principle, asthere is a school that produces rebels and ismore of a breeding ground where you adopt abottom down approach. Street art, on the otherhand, takes a top down approach where you geton the ground with more voices on the street toinspire more people to express themselves. Youcan be vocal about issues with the same amountof rights which any other company has in termsof putting in money and making an ad andputting on the face. If carried out properly, with

requisite permissions, even the people start own-ing street art. That’s when the real change takesplace.”

This is also not the first time that Kureshihas lent his creativity to a cause. Kureshi hasrecently partnered with Art For Change, a virtu-al art challenge and exhibition, as one of the jurymembers. The initiative aims to change the nar-rative by turning the focus away from the victimand putting the spotlight on the perpetrator.Organised by Gordon Thomas Honeywell-GA &Ogilvy India in partnership with UN WomenIndia, Girl Up (UN Foundation), reputed acade-mic institutions like National Institute of FashionTechnology, Delhi (NIFT) and SymbiosisInstitute of Business Management, Pune (SIMB),this initiative seeks to unleash the power of cre-ativity to transform the way our society dealswith survivors of rape & sexual violence, shiftingthe accountability from the survivor to the per-petrator.

“Art for Change is a project all about vio-lence against women, which includes domesticabuse. It is about inviting ideas about how wecan change the situation so the project movespeople to act instead of being mute spectators,”he says.

Besides Delhi, Kureshi has been working alot in Chennai. “We did a district called KannagiArt District. I find cities in south India to bemuch more welcoming than the cities in northIndia. The art culture is there and people under-stand and respect the art as well as the artist,” heshares.

Similarly, Kureshi-led St+art has worked oncreating Mahim Art district in Mumbai;Ukkadam Art District in Coimbatore andMaqtha Art District in Hyderabad. “Differentcities have different styles. So in Maqtha, whichis predominantly a Muslim district, we try not topaint portraits. The focus is to be more abstractin that space, trying to be more sensitive to thesurrounds. It is also about encouraging people toown the art and the space,” he shares.

Ask him about the dream city to paint,Kureshi says: “We are okay with the metros thatwe are painting. There really is no dream city assuch in our mind. The idea, however, is to go tocities where people are excited and reach out tothe grassroots of India. For that is where the realartist would love to leave their mark.

NOT MANY ARE AWARETHAT THESE NEW

STRUCTURES AREACTUALLY DRY WASTE

SORTING STATIONS. THIS ISWHERE CCP SEGREGATESTHE WASTE OF DRY KIND

SUCH AS PAPER, PLASTIC,SHARP OBJECTS, GLASS,

STEEL AND METAL. THESESHEDS PLAY A VERY

IMPORTANT ROLE IN THEWHOLE RECYCLING

SCHEME OF THINGS. OURIDEA WAS TO BRING

ATTENTION TO THEPROCESS AND PROMOTE

RECYCLING

A book that provides the political accountof Vajpayee & Advani, and steers through

the major events of right-wing politics

Street artist and co-founder St+art India, Hanif Kureshi, Bombay Sapphire’s Stir Creativity,Serendipity Arts Foundation and the Corporation of the City of Panaji join hands to paint Goa’s drywaste sorting stations and turn them into works of art. NAVNEET MENDIRATTA speaks to the artist

I'm afraid ofeverything. But maybewhen you're afraid ofeverything, it sort ofseems like you'rescared of nothing

— Natalie Portman

F R O M T H E I N S I D E

sundaymagazine

books 8OUTSIDE OF A DOG, ABOOK IS MAN’S BEST

FRIEND. INSIDE OF A DOGIT’S TOO DARK TO READ

—GROUCHO MARX HYDERABAD, April 11, 2021

NEWARRIVALS

Set in pre-Partition Lahore,from the turn of the century

to the time of Independence, this is thestory of two women, both strong andwilling to challenge the limits of theacceptable, but in their own way and undervery different circumstances. Harjeet,belonging to a landlord family of Punjab, ismarried to Gautam, from an equallyprominent Khatri family of Lahore. Deeplydissatisfied with her life, harjeet enters intoa passionate affair with Haider, a Muslim.The book explores their relationshipagainst the backdrop of the growingHindu-Muslim divide, and the politicallyturbulent times they are living in. AuthorAnuradha Kumar Jain offers a powerfulaccounts of desire,love,society andpolitics, and takes a probing look at thestruggles and aspiration of a nation and itspeople.

WRITTEN ON THE

WIND

Anuradha Kumar-Jain

Rupa, `295

The book, Jugalbandi: The BJPbefore Modi by Vinay Sitapatipresents a fascinating accountto trace the journey of the twotallest and major drivers of the

‘India Right-wing’ as they remained atthe helm and navigated through the test-ing times beginning from RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to managingand executing the affairs of the BhartiyaJan Sangh (1951) and Bhartiya JantaParty (BJP). Book offers a larger ambit tostudy the rise of ‘LK Advani and ABVajpayee’ and analytical chronology of allthe organisations cemented on the ideato unite Hindus that is HinduMahasabha, RSS (1925), Bhartiya JanSangh (1951), VHP (1964), BJP (1980)and Bajrang Dal (1984) and SawdeshiJagran Manch (1991).

Sitapati, an academic’s shadow fallsover the book. He is aptly thoughtful inmetaphorically chosen title; Jugalbandi— demonstrates the relationship betweenVajpayee and Advani — means themelody of the ragas in Indian classicalmusic concerts by two musicians playingdifferent instruments, however perfectlyin tune with the other. Neither of theartistes does survive under the shadow ofthe other, instead mutually complimentto mesmerise through that music recital.Sitapati had pitchfully utilised all theavailable resources, to tease out the argu-ment to his book and left a mark of solidscholarship. It took him three straightyears to complete book.

Book not only provides the politicalaccount of Vajpayee and Advani, it alsodelicately steers through all the majorgleaning events of the India politicsmainly right-wing, who have marked asubstantial presence on the political mapof this country. Markedly, ranging fromtheir struggle — to register mass accept-ability, electorally — prevailing in theearly years of the post-independent Indiato the rise of bahujan politics, Khalistanmovement in Punjab globalisation andBabri Masjid demolition movement.Conspicuous shift had taken place in1980, the author says: “After decades inwhich Advani was subordinate toVajpayee, by 1980 their relationship hadbecome more equal. While Advani hadalways needed Vajpayee, he was nowneeded. They were now a classical jugal-bandi.” (p 108-109) Before 1980,

Vajpayee with support of Advani wasbusy crafting a space for himself by polit-ical burying leaders like Balraj Madhok— founded ABVP in 1948 — ML Sodhi,Nanaji Deshmukh, and others.

First chapter of the book puts lighton events that caused the emergence ofRSS (1925) and Hindu Mahasabha andprepares a background which helpedAdvani and Vajpayee joined politics witha resolve to unite the Hindus of all sects.Sitapati, theoretically spurns a widelybelieved argument followed after themurder of Mahatma Gandhi byNathuram Godse, that Godse was adirect beneficiary/borrower of RSS’ reli-gious-political ideas — on the contrary,he argues far from supporting politicalviolence, RSS had wanted nothing to dowith politics during this period (p. 33).He maintained considering Godse’s dif-ferences with RSS, Godse went on torepeatedly criticise him throughout themid-1940s. Book detests the fact thatRSS was remotely involved in the murderof the Mahatma Gandhi. This could be amatter of great further academic dispute.

Through the journey of both theleaders — nurtured by the RSS — duringthe formative years of the modern Indianstate, book exposes the hypocrisy andinconsistency in their ideology to accom-plish political goals, whether it was theirshift from adopting ‘Gandhian Socialism’to drift towards capitalism as a core eco-nomic principle and approach towardsthe minorities especially Muslims andChristians. Jinnah grandson, NusliWadia, was the first one wealthiest busi-ness person to fund the party; BhartiyaJan Sangh (BJS) and BJP find no hesita-tion in accepting the donation from him.Advani perhaps paved his debt back toNusli’s grandfather, Jinnah, — founder ofPakistan — during his visit to Pakistanand hailing him as ‘secular’, ‘Great Man’and Apostle of ‘Hindu-Muslim Unity.’ Inmy reading, this ‘political jugalbandi’ wasto deceptively trick non-Hindus to gar-ner the political acceptability to furthermarginalise them masking their muchadmired fascist ambition under the garbof so called secularism followed byVajpayee to spear the right-wing.

Jugalbandi of the Advani andVajpayee took shape on the foundation oforganisational Hindu unity and theocrat-ic principles, meanwhile if we take to

first decade of post-independent India,Jugalbandi of Nehru and Patel build ondemocratic-secular values, which thriveon adequate scope to diverse viewpoints,still remains as a major glue to unite thecountry.

In Sitapati’s argument there is a fun-damental flaw, he only takes into accountVaypayee’s verbal conflict with RSS onvarious subjects but it largely ignores hisassessment on the basis of the power andpositions including prime ministership,happily cherishing on the RSS’ support inhis political life, more than benefit takenby Advani, therefore Sitapati’s argumentfails on merit, as Vajpayee markedlycompromised on his principles in publiclife to peddle the idea, Right wing funda-mentally stands for.

Book suggests Vaypayee’s politics wasformulated during the Pt. JawaharlalNehru’s golden era perhaps that ampli-fied his never ending discontent with theRSS in contrast his public politicalactions largely contradict Nehruvianvision except on countable occasions. Forinstance, after the Babri Masjid demoli-tion, Vajpayee is famously known to bequite disturbed; however, he followed theparty route and surprisingly demonstrat-ed himself as secular leader to later siegethe power in Delhi. This morally doesnot carry any weight as Vajpayee neverdistanced himself officially to fight backthe unjust, inhuman and degradingideas. It, however, will remain a perennialirony that the person who drove the rath

to Ayodya to mobilise mass support infavour of the Ram Mandir, could notsecure the seat of prime minister and fin-ished in his self-nurtured party withhumiliation and forced to live life inpolitical seclusion of never fading quar-ters of the Lutyens Delhi.

When the right-wing could notobtain desired outcome, they tacitlydecided to follow the essence ofBrahman — described as absoluteknowledge in Advaita vedantic philoso-phy — known to us as neti neti (not this,not this), similarly, without projecting aclear vision of its hierarchical and com-munal philosophy to gather supportfrom all non-Hindus to establish andpolitically empower RSS and BJP. Netineti, basically, here means it advocatesnothing but accepts everything as longas it suits them to expand organisation,to secure the throne of Delhi, whichIndian right-wing always imagined eversince its inception, to declare India as‘Hindu Rashtra.’ Had DeendayalUpadhyay and Balraj Madhok survivedstrategies employed against them, wewould have read their Jugalbandi.

Book seems lost in its argument as itattempts to strike a balance when twocontentious historical subjects requirethe definite response of the author. Itcould be an intentional move, since thebook is devoid of mere subjective con-victions and prejudices as the authorapproaches them purely, while usingconsiderable references.

Despite other things, it is the Hindunationalism and call for the organisa-tional unity that kept them together.They were devout to their ideology. Atthe end book, attempts to see throughthe new developing jugalbandi betweenModi-Shah.

Book points out their similaritiesand dissimilarities; as new on-goingjugalbandi is more hostile towards theopposition though adhere to age oldconviction of public display of internalunity (p 299). New jugalbandi’s expand-ed social base from upper castes, to trib-als, middle castes and even dalits (p300), mastered the strategy to hide theirfailures by directly channelising theHindu anger towards the Muslims on allthe matters, to conveniently safeguardthe ideology and galvanising the supportfor the larger good of Hindutva. It aimsat Hindutvisation of Dalits, Advasis andOBC, this trait is a unique and distinctattribute of the Modi-Shah jugalbandi. Itis authoritative, less democratic in itsfunctioning as only the few are allowedto speak the truth to power. TheVapayee-Advani relationship was moreideological than the Modi-Shah’s rela-tionship. But still to conclude their rela-tionship, could be a little unfair as longas the artistes of new jugalbandi (Modi-Shah) have not gone off stage after thedelivering performance.

This book engages the reader and iswritten sedately. Sitapati has interwovenall the major events and figures essen-tially required to make it an intriguingread to students of right-wing politicsand post-colonial Indian Politics in gen-eral.

The reviewer is Assistant Professor,Department of Philosophy, Indraprastha

College for Women, DU

Dear partner, this is foryou. Menopause can be abig deal, and maybe your

partner is having a hard-enoughtime to have given you thisbook. This is unlikely to be easy.Sorry. This is not a slight blip inthe road; you are effectively on ajourney together that will takesome time to get to the end —estimates range from 4 to 14years. There will be challengesand setbacks but, at the end of it,you and your partner have thepotential to be astounding. Butyou will both need to worktogether and have a clear under-standing of what you want fromthis second phase of your livestogether.

The fact that she has givenyou this book is an indicationthat she loves you and wantsyour support. She is also sayingthat she is in need of somewords to successfully communi-cate with you what this is like.

THE ICEBERG EFFECT

Menopause is like an ice-berg, in that the majority ofwhat is going on is beneath thesurface. You might think you aregetting the rough end of thedeal. While I sympathize withyou, I can assure you, you arenot.

Your partner’s hormones areslowly but surely receding totheir steady post-Menopausalstate. They play such a pivotalrole in her sense of who she is,and how she is in the world thatas they diminish, they causehavoc with her sense of self andher day-to-day behaviour. Theirincreasing absence delivers awhole host of symptoms as well.

You are likely at the sharpend of her symptoms, vicarious-ly experiencing them with her.Most women require reassur-ance that their partners are stillcommitted to them and the rela-tionship. It’s easy to believe thatyou’re all right and that this isher problem. To some degree itis, but it would be unfair of youto believe that this was com-

pletely the case. You are a team of two that

no doubt has had to face adver-sity before. How did you manageit? What was the dynamicbetween you? Is this the same ordifferent? If it’s the same, due toits unpredictability or that oneof you needs additional consid-eration and support, you alreadyhave a model of how to worktogether. If it’s different, whatkind of different is it? If it’s dif-ferent because it was you whoneeded support and now it’s her,then there is an element of quidpro quo. How did she manage it,what did she do that was soeffective and also, what was inef-fective and why? These are all

things you both can learn from.Discuss between you what

worked and what didn’t andidentify what you can use here.

WHAT IS THIS THING THAT’S

HAPPENING TO HER ... AND ME?

Earlier in this book, you willfind a section on symptomswhere we discuss the variabilityin women’s experience ofMenopause by duration, typeand their severity. Please readthrough it, as awareness is aconsiderable part of successfullysupporting your partner.

First, Menopause is not asprint, which is essentially whatthe monthly period experiencewas, or even an 800m run,

which was pregnancy. No,Menopause is an endurancerace, and it goes on for years.With this in mind, it’s importantto make yourself aware of whatyour partner might be experi-encing and think about whatsupport she might need.

Please note, this does notgive her a licence to be revoltingto you without any form ofcomeback. If her behaviourmakes her more difficult to han-dle than a bag of poisonoussnakes, you have a right to sayso. This is about creating a psy-chologically safe place for bothof you to air your grievanceswithout a shouting match orsulky silences. This space should

be non-judgmental, with no fearof consequences. You are adultsand now is the time to behavelike it.

FIRESIDE CHAT

Where do the two of youget uninterrupted time to chatface-to-face? Whether overbreakfast, dinner or someother time, whenever it is,choose a day when you knowneither of you will be preoccu-pied or focused on somethingelse. Be clear that this is a con-versation about understandingwhat is happening and what itfeels like for her. Make sureyou are actively listening - amethod of intently listening to

what the other person is sayingwhilst giving them your fullattention.

Once you have actively lis-tened, ask questions and sharehow you feel about it. Pleasenote, this about listening, shar-ing and reconnecting, notabout point scoring or arguing.If you find that you aredescending into this, you mayneed to walk away and comeback later. You are both adultsand equal partners — you arenot a winner or a loser, aleader or a follower, in chargeor subservient. You are a teamof two equal parts.

Excerpted with permissionfrom Your Second Phase:

Reclaiming Work andRelationships During and AfterMenopause by Kate Usher, pub-

lished by SAGE PublicationsIndia.

Your Second Phase: Reclaiming Work & Relationships During & After Menopause by Kate Usher is asurvival guide for women to cope with menopause at work, home and play. An edited excerpt:

YOUR SECOND PHASE

Kate Usher

SAGE, `550

The book is a miniature ofhuman life as it comprisesreal-life sentiments. Readerscan feel this book close totheir life as they continue floating betweenemotions like dreams, passion, love,betrayal etc. just like in real life. The booktalks about speaking up for oneselfirrespective of their age, gender, profession,and financial background, etc. #MeToocomes as an eye-opener for the people whothink it is okay to be hurt when it is not. InIndia, where individuals and institutionsgive tremendous amounts of significance torespect and social image, living withhampered self-esteem is incorrect. Thebook highlights that every human is eligiblefor personal space. Anybody violating thepre-defined boundary is dis-respecting andharming that individual space of yourswhich is nothing but a serious crime.

#ME TOO

Karan PuriInvincible Publisher, `199

JUGALBANDI: THE BJPBEFORE MODIVinay SitapatiPenguin, `799

The book not only provides the political account of Vajpayee and Advani, it also delicately steersthrough all the major events of the Indian politics, mainly right-wing, writes MOHAMMAD IRSHAD

A rare Jugalbandi

FOR YOUR PARTNER

special 09HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | APRIL 11, 2021

All work and no play makes Jacka dull boy, only a few wouldhave believed in it. However,the current education worldhas turned more into a play-

ground for the kids, where they frolic withtoys while learning on the way. The lat-est entrant to enhance the learningprocess is the much-talked about AR tech-nology, which is revolutionising the wayeducation is perceived.

Dolls and guns are slowly be relegat-ed to the kids' cupboards. Gone are thedays when kids used to run away at themere mention of study time. Now, parentsare engaging children with meaningfulplay hours where they get educated with-out them even realising it. Educationaltoys is the biggest category in the toyindustry and is also the fastest growingamong all other categories. Here comesthe new kid on the bloc — AR toys. Withthe arrival of smart AR-toys, the world hasbecome your child's oyster. They can makeplaytime productive, learn through stories,and travel the world without actually leav-ing home. With the increasing number ofkids, parents, and educators alike who useAR-toys regularly, one thing's clear. AR-powered learning toys are the next bigthing in education, and by the looks of it,they're here to stay.

The pandemic has also led the major-ity of parents (62%) to see that devices andtechnology can be used as educationaltools, as per the Morning Consult, a mar-ket research company. “The reasons forthe rise of AR toys are manifold. Childrenin their formative years are bubbling withenergy and enthusiasm. Sadly, their shortattention span is no secret. They loseinterest in games as quickly as they gainit. While traditional games might be excit-ing for a few days, they might not be ableto hold the children’s attention for long,”says Vivek Goyal, Co-Founder & CEOPlayShifu. It is no mean feat that PlayShifutoys are currently bringing joy to childrenacross 35 countries.

When engaging the kids at home, it’sessential to introduce them to toys thatyield a different experience each time.Predictable games often lose their sheenquickly, leaving the children disinterest-ed. Going gaga over the latest fad, and thefact that these toys have helped inenhancing her daughter's concentration,Gurugram’s Kusum, mother of four-year-old Nia, says, “The normal toys got bor-ing after a while as most of them need-ed my assistance too and some of themwere closed-end toys. Most strikingchange has been in her concentrationspan since these toys are interactive, inter-esting, and lead to questions and explo-ration.”

A lot more parents are picking upeducational toys, now more than ever.They are investing in products that offerlearning opportunities for their children.But, these investments are fruitful onlywhen the children themselves find the toyexciting enough. “Our primary focus isto achieve that balance and create phy-gital experiences that are both fun andeducational. Our games thrive on creativestorytelling, animated characters andinnovative interactions that make learn-ing a delight. There’s no greater joy thanto see a child learning while playing —and not being able to tell the difference,”adds Goyal.

HOW THESE TOYS WORKThe link between the real (or physi-

cal) and the digital (or virtual) world, aug-mented reality is an interactive experiencethat blends both worlds. In gaming, ARbridges the gap between the physical toyand the smartphone or tablet. Forinstance, some games need you to useyour smartphone to scan a real-worldobject to move ahead in the story. If thereal-world object is a flashcard of a tiger,the smartphone presents interactiveimage, video or a 3D figure of the animalon the screen. In some games, the goalmight be to find hidden objects by scan-ning your actual surroundings with yoursmartphone.

“The prospect of bringing an objectto life is fascinating and exciting. If thetopic at hand is how animals live in theirnatural habitat, AR can teach it through3D models. Younger children can listento the sounds the animal makes andunderstand its eating habits, all throughstories and simple games. Meanwhile,older children can learn about the foodchain and complex ecosystems, throughinteractive and informative games,”

informs Goyal.AR makes it possible to explore mul-

tiple avenues of learning and present var-ious pieces of information in a visual,easy-to-understand manner. Where aregular map tells you about countries andcapitals, an AR-powered globe takeslearning to a whole new level. It not onlyteaches geography, but also introducesyou to various cultures, cuisines, monu-ments, and animals-all at the touch of abutton. By marrying tactical play and dig-ital storytelling, AR toys bring togetherthe best of both worlds. Various digitalelements like audio, video, images, and3D content, merge with physical compo-nents of the toy, thereby making learn-ing a unique and inclusive process. TheAR technology also helps the child inter-act with the world around them and cre-ates two-way interactivity, where thechild feels like they have control over whatthey're learning.

Moreover, AR creates a system ofinstant feedback that motivates the childto learn more and be more accurate. MostAR toys provide a progress report orgraph, which is a personalised evaluationof your child's learning curve and

progress. This report can be monitoredand tracked from time-to-time.

A GROWING INDUSTRYTech-enabled toys are on the rise

worldwide. In the US alone, tech-enabledtoy segment grew by 36 per cent when theoverall toy industry was almost stagnant.This segment in India is growing evenmore. In the coming years, we see thisgrowth trend continuing.

There are a handful of companiesworking in this industry. “Consumers inthis segment do not buy the tech for thewow factor, but for the lasting impact anduse case. Sooner or later, every compa-ny in this industry will create meaning-ful experiences that have a more signif-icant objective, built on a base of AR/VRtechnology,” says Goyal.

BANE OR BOONSince kids are fond of play-based

learning and augmented reality toys helpto enhance life-skills in children. TheseAR toys and games help improve theirdigital aptitude as well as their cognitiveskills. They have been at the forefront ofcombining education and entertainment

for kids. Various research also says thatcreative thinking in the brain developsmajorly during the early ages of the kids’lives. Kids draw, tell stories, sing, dance,and write without any specific trainingbecause a child’s brain is free to learn andimagine things rather than being logicalabout it.

“It’s still not the same as that of selflearning but is probably the next bestthing and definitely better than passive-ly watching TV screens and tablets andmobiles. Augmented reality toys improvethe child’s imagination power as they getto draw, paint, write and tell stories theway they want. Moreover, these toys arekid-friendly and safe to operate as theydon’t have any live wires or sharp ends,”says Dr Rohit Arora, Head of Neonatology& Pediatric, Miracles Mediclinic,Gurugram. He says that for an early agetech-savvy kids, AR toys provide some-thing extra to boost their brain develop-ment. “Interactive AR toys can help themunderstand information at their comfortlevel and retain it for long. These toys areengaging, experimental and immersivefrom a child’s perspective,” adds DrArora.

However, experts warns that ARgames can have a harmful impact on kids'eyesight. There is a threat of drifting awayfrom reality as they might not get in-per-son interaction as much. These toys canbe addictive for kids, and they can createconfusion in young minds.

“Unlike video games and apps, ARtoys aid in motor skill development withtactile play. However, being too dependenton AR toys can affect the development ofsocial skills in young children.Disproportionate exposure to screenscan affect their concentration levels andcan make them withdrawn,” says PrakritiPoddar, Global Head for Mental Healthat Round Glass, Managing Trustee PoddarFoundation.

Assessing the impact of screen timeon the emotional health of children, theWorld Health Organisation recommendsno screen time for babies under two andno more than one hour of screen time aday for those aged two to four. “Excessivescreen time can reduce the child’s capa-bility to rely on themselves, especially intimes of crisis or strain, and reduce con-centration, focus, and the feeling ofempathy,” she adds.

UNLIKE VIDEO GAMESAND APPS, AR TOYS HELP

MOTOR SKILLDEVELOPMENT WITH

TACTILE PLAY. HOWEVER,OVER DEPENDENCE CAN

AFFECT THEDEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL

SKILLS IN CHILDREN.PROLONGED EXPOSURE

TO A SCREEN MAYIMPACT THEIR

CONCENTRATION LEVELSAND MAKE THEM

WITHDRAW— PRAKRITI PODDAR, GLOBAL HEAD FOR MENTAL

HEALTH, ROUND GLASS

Augmented Reality toys are the new entrants in the market justifying extra play time on ground ofcontributing to child learning. MUSBA HASHMI speaks with experts to tell you more

JUST PLAY

From teaching art to coding, brands areready to walk an extra mile and teach

children in the most engaging way possible.The AR toys are set to become a gamechanger in the industry, if not more. Here area few options that one can choose from:

KANO

Appropriate for kids aged six and older, theKano PC kit is no less than a personal laptopfor kids. The DIY tablet is the ideal destination

for learning art, science along with coding.Consisting of hardware components, the kidneeds to fit the parts to create a functionalWindows 10 tablet that comes with aMicroSD card slot and detachable keyboard.Once completed, the kid can share theirprojects with the Kano community on KanoWorld online.

LITTLEBITS

It provides you the experience of an e-

classroom. Its coding kit is its signatureproduct and is ideal for kids from Class III toClass VIII who wish to step into the codingarena at an early age. The Steam+ kit extendscurriculum-aligned material while engagingthe kids in an analytical thinking process. Itoffers activities, innovations for makerspaces, libraries, camps, clubs, etc.

WONDER WORKSHOP

The platform aims to build future innovators

and is an innovative product for kids aged sixand above. The platform showcases the in-app puzzle library, standard-based lessonsalong with robotic challenges. Theirapplication, Wonder for Dash & Dot Robotsextends learning about robotics in a fun way.It is a coding tool that enables the kid to playand explore robotics all by themselves andoffers 300 plus challenges that teach kidsabout robotics programming and building.With the help of this kids can create their own

machinery, feed in their desired mechanismsand play the challenges.

OSMO

The brand offers electronic toys that arecompatible with iPad or Amazon Fire tablets.The kit consists of numbers, shapes, codinginstructions, puzzles, drawing, businessaptitude and likewise learning features thatallows the kid to explore various fields andlearn independently.

W O N D E R K I T S F O R Y O U R T I N Y T O T S

scopekaleid backpage HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | APRIL 11, 2021

Next stop, SpaceNext stop, Space

ALL-CIVILIAN SPACEFLIGHT

CREW READY WITHTICKETS, TRAINING

PNS n WASHINGTON

Several hundred people havealready booked their ticketsand begun training for aspectacular voyage: a fewminutes, or perhaps days, inthe weightlessness of space.

The mainly wealthy first-time space travellers are get-ting ready to take part in oneof several private missionswhich are preparing tolaunch.

The era of space tourismis on the horizon 60 yearsafter Soviet cosmonaut YuriGagarin became the firstperson in space.

Two companies, VirginGalactic and Blue Origin, arebuilding spacecraft capableof sending private clients onsuborbital flights to the edgeof space lasting several min-utes.

Glenn King is the directorof spaceflight training at theNational Aerospace Trainingand Research Center, a pri-vate company based inPennsylvania which hasalready trained nearly 400future Virgin Galactic pas-sengers for their trips.

"The oldest person Itrained was 88 years old,"King told AFP.

The training program laststwo days -- a morning ofclassroom instruction andtests in a centrifuge.

This involves putting thetrainee in a single-seat cock-pit at the end of a 25-foot-long (eight-meter-long) armand spinning them aroundto simulate gravitationalforce, or G force.

A medical team is onhand at all times.

NASA's training for shut-tle crew members lasted twoyears but the duration hasbeen drastically reduced bythe commercial space indus-

try because of the "numbersof people that want to get upin space," King said.

"We can't take two years totrain these people," he said."We've got to get this downto a matter of days to getthese people up.

"These people aren'tcrews, just strictly passen-gers," he noted.

"For a passenger, thereisn't a lot of work for you todo other than just relax,endure the G forces oflaunch or reentry.

"And then once you'reorbital, enjoy the view outthe window."

King said the pass rate forthe training course has been"99.9 percent."

The cost ranges from sev-eral thousand dollars to as

much as $10,000 if specialcare or medical monitoringis needed.

The single biggest barrierto "spaceflight for all"remains the price tag.

Some 600 people havebooked flights on VirginGalactic, the companyowned by British billionaireRichard Branson, and thou-sands more are on a waitinglist. The cost per flight?$200,000 to $250,000.

Virgin Galactic hopes totake its first private astronauton a suborbital flight in early2022, with eventual plans for400 trips a year.

Blue Origin, owned byAmazon's Jeff Bezos, has notyet published prices or a cal-endar.

A6.0-magnitude earth-quake struck off the coastof Indonesia's Java island

Saturday, the United StatesGeological Survey said, but notsunami warning was issued.

The quake hit at a depth of 82kilometres (50 miles), about 45kilometres southwest of Malangcity in East Java. There were noimmediate reports of casualties,but the temblor shook Malang, acity of several million people.

"It was pretty strong and wentfor a long time," resident IdaMagfiroh told AFP.

"Everything was swaying."Indonesia experiences frequent

seismic and volcanic activity dueto its position on the Pacific "Ringof Fire", where tectonic plates col-lide. In 2018, a 7.5-magnitudequake and a subsequent tsunamiin Palu on Sulawesi island leftmore than 4,300 people dead ormissing.

6.0-magnitude earthquake strikesoff Indonesia coast: US agency

He had $20Billion, then

lost it all intwo days

RSS chief MohanBhagwat testspositive for Covid,hospitalised

RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sanghchief Mohan

Bhagwat has tested posi-tive for coronavirus, theorganisation tweeted on itsofficial handle.

Bhagwat, 70, has beenshowing commons symp-toms of coronavirus infec-tion, the RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS)tweeted. "He is currentlyhaving common symptomsof COVID-19 and hasbeen admitted toKingsway Hospital inNagpur, is undergoinggeneral check-up and cau-tion," the RSS tweeted.

Prashant KishorClubhouse chat on Bengalelections goes viral As 44seats in West Bengal wentto polls Saturday,Trinamool Congress chiefMamata Banerjee’s pollstrategist Prashant Kishorfound himself in contro-versy after statements hepurportedly made during apublic chat on Clubhouse,a social media platform,went viral. Reacting to theleaked audio clips, wherehe can be heard saying thatthe Trinamool’s internalsurvey shows BJP will beelected in Bengal this year,Kishor said, “I am glad BJPis taking my chat moreseriously than words oftheir own leaders! Theyshould show courage andshare the full chat insteadof getting excited withselective use of parts of it.

Madhya Pradesh Ministerperforms ‘puja’ at airport

to ward off Covid

The worryingsurge in coron-avirus cases

seems to have forcedpoliticians to seekdivine intervention toward off the threatposed by the deadlydisease. For instance,Usha Thakur, theMinister for Tourismand Culture in MadhyaPradesh, was seen lead-ing a prayer meet -though without a facemask - in Indore.

The minister wasseen performing 'puja'before the statue ofDevi Ahilya BaiHolkar at the Indoreairport. The MLAfrom Indore's Mhowseat - who was seen

clapping and singingbefore the deity - wasjoined by AirportDirector AryamaSanyas and other staffmembers at the cere-mony.

Ms Thakur has oftenbeen seen without a

face mask in public,critics say. Duringassembly session whenshe was asked why sheis not wearing a mask,Ms Thakur had toldNDTV that she doesn'tneed to wear a mask asshe performs 'havan'(ritual burning) everyday and recites theHanuman Chalisa.

Ms Thakur has pre-viously claimed that'havan' of a cow dungcake can keep a housesanitised for 12 hours.

Last year, a video ofUnion MinisterRamdas Athawalechanting ''Go corona,go corona'' at a prayermeet had gone viral onsocial media.

Elon Musk shares video of monkeyplaying games with its mind

Elon Musk’s latest tweetshowing a monkeyplaying a game using

his mind has triggered aplethora of reactions onsocial media.

Taking to the microblog-ging website, the Tesla CEOretweeted a post byNeuralink along with a cap-tion that read, “Monkeyplays Pong with his mind.”He explained, “A monkey isliterally playing a videogame telepathically using abrain chip!!”

Originally shared byNeuralink, the 3.27-minuteclip features Pager, a nine-year-old Macaque using ajoystick to play a game onthe computer screen.However, moments laterwhen the joystick is discon-

nected, the monkey is ableto continue playing thegame using its mind.

Musk’s start-up is devel-oping a fully-implanted,wireless, count brain-machine interface (BMI)that would enable peoplewith paralysis to directly usetheir neural activity to oper-ate various devices withease. The monkey in thevideo was implanted with aNeuralink weeks before theexperiment was conducted.

In the experiment, themonkey is not only playingthe game with its mind, butis also able to adapt to itwhen the difficulty level isincreased. The clip con-cludes with the monkeybeing rewarded with abanana.

Before he lost it all-all $20billion-Bill Hwang was thegreatest trader you'd never

heard of. Starting in 2013, he par-layed more than $200 million leftover from his shuttered hedge fundinto a mind-boggling fortune bybetting on stocks. Had he folded hishand in early March and cashed in,Hwang, 57, would have stood outamong the world's billionaires.There are richer men and women,of course, but their money is most-ly tied up in businesses, real estate,complex investments, sports teams,and artwork. Hwang's $20 billionnet worth was almost as liquid as agovernment stimulus check. And

then, in two short days, it was gone.The sudden implosion of

Hwang's Archegos CapitalManagement in late March is oneof the most spectacular failures inmodern financial history: No indi-vidual has lost so much money soquickly. At its peak, Hwang'swealth briefly eclipsed $30 billion.It's also a peculiar one. Unlike theWall Street stars and Nobel laure-ates who ran Long-Term CapitalManagement, which famouslyblew up in 1998, Hwang was large-ly unknown outside a small circle:fellow churchgoers and formerhedge fund colleagues, as well as ahandful of bankers.

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