THE LARGEST CIRCULATED ENGLISH DAILY IN SOUTH INDIACHENNAI I THURSDAY 23 I JULY 2020

CITY pg 2DECCAN CHRONICLE | THURSDAY | 23 JULY 2020 | CHENNAI

J. STALIN | DCCHENNAI, JULY 22

Keeping in view the pre-vailing Covid-19 situationparticularly in the state ofTamil Nadu, the Madrashigh court has said pur-suant to the Prevention ofCruelty to Animals (DogsBreeding and Marketing)Rules, 2017, no furtheraction to seize dogs fromtheir owners shall beundertaken by the statesubject to any furtherorders.

The First bench compris-ing Chief Justice A.P.Sahiand Justice SenthilkumarRamamoorthy passed theinterim order on a peti-tion filed by the KennelClub of India, whichsought to declare as ille-gal, the Prevention ofCruelty to Animals (DogsBreeding and Marketing)Rules, 2017.

The bench said the chal-lenge raised is to the Rulesframed under section 38 ofthe Prevention of Crueltyto Animals Act, 1960 by

the Central governmentcontending that it clearlyamounts to an incompe-tent exercise of framing adelegated legislationwhich was constitutional-ly impermissible keepingin view the nature of thederinition of Entries ascontained in Entry-15 ofList II of the SeventhSchedule of theConstituion of Indiawhich was exclusively astate subject. It was in con-trast to Entry 17 and Entry17B of the Concurrent Listi.e., List III and therefore,it was urged that breedingnot being a defined crueltyunder section 11 of thePrevention of Cruelty toAnimals Act, 1960, therewas no competence withthe Central government toframe any such Rules.

Thus, the challenge wason the ground of totalincompetence with a fur-ther contention that iteven travels beyond theboundaries contained inthe Prevention of Crueltyto Animals Act, 1960, thebench added.

The bench said the coun-sel for the authorities havecome up with a plea thatbreeding per se may not becruelty, but, breeding inviolation of certain normsrelatable to dignified ani-mal existence of pets maybe excessive and it was inorder to regulate such con-tingencies which mayamount to cruelty thatRules can be framed andthus, saved under List IIIEntry 17B of the SeventhSchedule of theConstitution of India readwith section 38 of 1960Act. “Other submissionsare also sought to beraised, but, we find that itwill be appropriate thatthe matter is proceededwith after the Union ofIndia also files its counter

affidavit. The Assistantsolicitor generalG.Karthikeyan submittedthat counter affidavit hasbeen prepared and readywhich shall be served onthe counsel for the peti-tioner by tomorrow”, thebench added.

The bench said counselfor the petitioner submit-ted that he will file a

re-joinder within twoweeks upon receipt of thecounter affidavit. “Duringthe interregnum period,keeping in view the Covid-19 situation existing as ontoday, particularly, in thestate of Tamil Nadu, wefind it expedient and inthe interest of justice toprovide interim relief tothe effect that pursuant tothe impugned Rules, nofurther action to physical-ly seize dogs from theirowners shall be undertak-en by the respondent Statesubject to any furtherorders,” the bench addedand posted to August 21,2020, further hearing ofthe case.

Don’t take away dogsfrom their owners: HC

Volunteers participate in Covid-19 and traffic awareness programmes at Anna archin the city on Wednesday. — DC

58 VBM flights to bring back 9,500Indians stranded abroad till Aug. 5DC CORRESPONDENTCHENNAI, JULY 22

The Union governmenthas informed the Madrashigh court that underVande Bharat MissionPhase-4, 58 flights to repa-triate the strandedIndians from abroad, arearranged to reach four dif-ferent destinations inTamil Nadu and over 9,500 Indian nationals(mostly from Tamil Nadu)are expected to be repatri-ated by these flights.

Additional solicitor gen-eral R.Sankaranarayanmade the submissionwhen the Public InterestLitigation filed by theDMK represented by itspress relations secretaryT.K.S.Elangovan came upfor hearing before a divi-sion bench comprisingJustices M.M.Sundreshand R.Hemalatha onWednesday.

In his PIL, Elangovansought a direction to thestate government toaccord necessary permis-sion/clearance for thelanding of aircraft tobring back the Indiansstranded abroad to their

respective native placeswithin the tate of TamilNadu by strictly adheringto the order issued by theUnion government and toframe the StandardOperating Procedures forsuch purposes in line withthe guidelines issued bythe Union government.

When the case came upfor hearing on Wednesday,ASG Sankaranarayanansubmitted that underVBM Phase-4, after July11, 2020, there were 596international flights and124 domestic feeder flightsscheduled from 19 coun-tries for different destina-tions in India. Phase 4 wascurrently scheduled untilAugust 2020. From July 20,2020, 58 flights were sched-uled to reach four destina-tions in Tamil Nadu viz.,Chennai-41, Trichy-11,

Coimbatore-4, Madurai-2.Over 9, 500 Indian nation-als (mostly from TamilNadu) were expected to berepatriated by these 58flights. Vande BharatFlights were beingarranged regularly. Inaddition, charted flightswere being facilitatedespecially in countries notcovered by VBM, headded.

Senior counsel P.Wilson,appearing for DMK, sub-mitted that only becauseof courts interventionmore Vande BharatMission flights were pro-vided which helped all thestranded passengers toreach their destinationstill today. Even going byCentral government docu-ments filed on July 4, 2020,out of 149 flights to bring25, 939 passengers only 58flights have been providedand that balance strandedIndians have to bebrought, he added. ASGSankaranarayanan sub-mitted that a schedule willbe filed on July 30, 2020.Recording the same, thebench posted to July30,2020, further hearing ofthe case.

■ Senior counselP.Wilson, appearing forDMK, submitted thatonly because of courtsintervention more VandeBharat Mission flightswere provided whichhelped all the strandedpassengers to reach theirdestinations till today

CREATING AWARENESSIN BRIEF

Collaboration to aidfinance edu

Chennai: NSE Academy andFinest announced a tie-up foreducating, skill-development

and training of financial inter-mediaries, aimed towards

equipping them to enhancetheir offerings, besides certi-

fication courses to becomeregistered advisors. The tie-up also involves co-creating

content and holding investoreducation forums for clients

of intermediaries. This is acritical thrust to address low

financial awareness acrossinvestment community and

first-time investors.

CV maker offers 100%connected vehicles

Chennai: Commercial vehiclemanufacturer, VE CommercialVehicles Limited (VECV) hasmodernised the CV industry

with industry-first propositionof 100% connected vehicles

across its entire product port-folio, powered by connected

vehicle solution – Eicher LIVE.From August 1, the trucks and

buses built will be equippedwith pre-fitted hardware that

would enable them to becompletely connected while

on the road along with indus-try first ecosystem.

CPI and CPI (M) senior leaders and cadres in Chennaion Wednesday stage a protest against people whodefamed the party name on social media and demand-ed immediate action against them. — DC

DC CORRESPONDENT withagency inputsCHENNAI, JULY 22

Actor Rajinikanth congratu-lated the state governmentfor quickly cracking down onthose who denigrated KandaSashti Kavacham and also forintervening and removingthe offending videos.

In a tweet on Wednesday, theactor several crores of Tamilpeople had been hurt by themean act that cannot be for-gotten in this life.

Anti-religious and anti-godshould end with this,

R a j i n i k a n t hsaid.

The denigra-tion of “KandaS a s h t iKavacham,” aTamil hymn

sung in praise of the Lord,had hurt “crores of Tamils,”he said in a tweet.

“My wholehearted appreci-ation to the Tamil Nadu gov-ernment for the quick actiontaken against those who hadvery badly denigrated Kanda

Sashti Kavacham and hurtmany crores of Tamils,” hesaid, and welcomed thereported removal of relatedvideos from the chan-nel.

He described the vulgarinterpretation of the hymn asa “lowly act”.

“Atl east now, let religioushatred and God-baiting end...it has to,” he said in the Tamiltweet. All religions wereacceptable, he said, adding“Kandanukku Arogara,” aterm used to hail Lord Muruga, and it soonstarted trending on Twitter.

Rajini lauds govt’s actionagainst YouTube channel

■ ‘Kandanukku Arogara’trends on Twitter

UP IN ARMS

Aries: You will start getting successful resultsfor all your endeavours. With renewed zestyou will accomplish major jobs. A satisfyingday on the professional front.Taurus: There might be sibling rivalry for someof you. Try to stay away from any dispute orconfrontation. Your seniors will be happy withyour performance.

Gemini: You will be more spiritually inclinedtoday. Some of you may even plan for a pil-grimage with family. Finances look good now,a great time to make investments.

Cancer: Advice given or taken now will be ben-eficial for you in the long run. Take up aninteresting hobby to spend quality time alone.Money flow will be good.Leo: You may feel at odds with your familytoday over small issues. A tiff with an elderin the family is indicated. Try to maintain acalm and composed life.

Virgo: Today it is about being a team playerrather than struggling with work pressure alone.You may develop some political contacts whichmay prove to be fruitful in the coming future.

Pisces: Spend quality time with your near and dearones. Children need attention. Some of you mayfeel trapped in your current job position. Don’tworry, all will be fine soon and you will move togreener pastures. Enjoy the evening with friends.

Your day today

Daniel Radcliffe, an English actor and producer. He isbest known for playing Harry Potter in the Harry Potter

film series apart from his roles in Imperium, Kill YourDarlings, Victor Frankenstein and Swiss Army Man.

You share your b’day with

COFFEE-BREAK

Across1.Ten raced (anag) (8)

6. Pollute (4)7. Soothed (6)9. Nab (5)

11. Inoculation fluid (5)12. Tusk substance (5)13. Memorise (5)16. Tooth coating (6)18. Short skirt (4)19. Providing food and

drink (8)

Down1. Faulty (9)2. Outer loaf (5)3. Mark correct (4)4. Alleviate (7)5. Compete (3)8. Taxing (9)

10. Fired clay article (7)14. Accused's

defence (5)15. Deflated (4)17. Pen end (3)

QUICK CROSSWORD

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

Across: 6.Shoemaking, 8.Dingy, 10. Agape,13. Abracadabra,14. Tibet, 17. Dowel,19. Groundless.

Down: 1. Shun, 2.Deny, 3. Lava, 4.Diva, 5. Agreeable,7. Advantage, 9.Grade, 11. Guano,12. Vat,15. Book, 16. Tuna,17. Dull, 18. Wasp.

TODAY’S RATINGS: 35 AVERAGE; 40GOOD; 45 OUTSTANDING

Word Mine

ANSWERS:acid, acre, acrid, acted, arced, cadet,cadre, cage, caged, cagier, card, care, cared,carried, cart, carted, CARTRIDGE, cater, cedar, cider,cigar, cite, cited, crag, crate, crater, credit, cried,crier, dice, dicer, direct, edict, erratic, grace, graced,iced, race, raced, racer, racier, react, rice, ricer,trace, traced, tracer, tragic, trice

CE R D

T G A R I

By Dr C.V.B. Subrahmanyam

Charles Schwab said, "Allsuccessful employersare stalking men who

will do the unusual, men whothink, men who attract atten-tion by performing more thanis expected of them."

He could have said that allsuccessful bridge players arestalking men or women ... etcetera. What is the unusualplay needed in this deal?South is in four spades. Weststarts with his three top dia-

monds. After ruffing the last,how should declarer continue?

In the auction, North used asupport double, which enjoysconsiderable popularity withtournament players.

It showed exactly threecards in partner's suit and anyhand strength. If instead Northhad raised spades, it wouldhave guaranteed four trumps.(Note that the double must bemade below two of respon-der's major.)

It is easy to be careless inthis contract. There seem tobe 11 winners: five spades,one heart and five clubs. Justin case East has jack-fourth ofspades, many players wouldcash their spade king and playa spade to dummy's ace. Butwhen East discards, suddenlythe contract cannot be made(as the heart finesse loses). IfSouth turns to the clubs, Westruffs the third round and playshis last trump. There is no

dummy entry left.Instead,South should cash the spadeking and spade queen. Ifeveryone follows, he drawsthe last trump and claims anovertrick. Here, though, heswitches to clubs. West mayruff in, but the spade ace isstill on the board as the entrycard to the last two club win-ners.

Copyright United FeatureSyndicate

(Asia Features)

bridge

PHILLIPALDER

AN UNUSUALAPPROACH

IS DIFFICULT TO SPOT

jumble

C A L V I N A N D H O B B E S | B i l l W a t t e r s o n

B L O N D I E | D e a n Y o u n g a n d J o h n M a r s h a l l

A N D Y C A P P | R e g S m y t h e

T A R Z A N | E d g a r R i c e B u r r o u g h s

T H E W I Z A R D O F I D | P a r k e r a n d H a r t s d

A R C H I E | B i l l H e n r y S c a r p e l l i & c r a i g b o l d m a n

How many words of four or more letterscan you make from the letters shown intoday’s puzzle? In making a word, each

letter may be used once only. Each wordmust contain the letter at the top of thepyramid. There should be at least one

nine letter word. Plurals, foreign wordsand proper names are not allowed.

Libra: It is advisable to think before you speak today,especially on the professional front. Colleagues willbe jealous of your achievements and will even try todisrupt your plans. Spend time with friends to relax.Scorpio: You will involve in controversies andclashes. Don’t look to others for help, until youare absolutely sure you cannot handle the situ-ation on your own.Sagittarius: Do not believe all that you heartoday. Confirm facts before taking crucial deci-sions. Hold off any important business dealsfor time being.

Capricorn: You need to control your temper as itmay lead you to troubles and misunderstandingin both, your personal and professional life.Travelling will be relaxing.Aquarius: The day is favourable for puttingacross your new ideas. On the financialfront, it is advised to stay away frominvestments in stock market.

c m y k c m y k

WEATHERMax: 34OC Min: 25OC Rainfall: Nil

ASTROGUIDESarvari: Aadi 8Tithi: Thrithiyai

Star: MagamRahukalam:

1.30 pm to 3 pmYamagandam:

6 am to 7.30 am PRAYERS

Fajar: 4.35 amZohar: 12.20 pm

Asar: 3.36 pmMaghrib: 6.38 pm

Isha: 7.55 pmSUNSET TODAY 6.39 PM

SUNRISE TOMORROW 5.53 AMMOONRISE TODAY 8.12 AM

MOONSET TOMORROW 9.05 PM

COUNTER POINT

SPORT | 8Anand goes down in

Legends event

THE LARGEST CIRCULATED ENGLISH DAILY IN SOUTH INDIACHENNAI I THURSDAY 23 I JULY 2020

STATE | 4Bedi to address Pondy

Assembly on July 24

New Delhi: Gold prices in thenational capital hit a new record

high rising `430 to `50,920 per 10gram on Wednesday, reflecting

gains in the international prices ofthe precious metal, according to

HDFC Securities. Silver was also in huge demand as

its prices zoomed `2,550 to`60,400 per kg, from `57,850 per

kg on Tuesday.

At 9-year high, gold hits`50K on MCX, silver

at 6-year high

Ghaziabad (UP): Ghaziabad-based journalist Vikram Joshi,

who was shot in the head bysome assailants two days ago,

succumbed to the injuries onWednesday, his family said.

Joshi, who had made a complaintwith police alleging harassment

of his niece on July 16, wasattacked around 10.30 pm on

Monday while he was returninghome in Vijay Nagar area on a

two wheeler along with his twodaughters, according to officials.

Ghaziabad journalist shotat by assailants dies

WORLD | 7Pandemic may get worse,

says Trump

1,52,13,943WORLD CONFIRMED CASES

STATE GOVERNMENT BULLETINS

CASES

(+43,494)12,37,577

(5,849)TN: 1,86,492

DEATHS

(+1,122) 29,887

3,144

6,22,415213

DEATHS

COUNTRIES,AREAS WITH

CASES

CORONA C UNT

worldometers.info

covid19india.org

deccanchronicle.com, facebook.com/deccannews, twitter.com/deccanchronicle, google.com/+deccanchronicle Vol. 16 No. 118 Established 1938 | 8 PAGES| `3.00

BORDER TENSIONSC seeks response from Prashant, TwitterRajnath deliversChina alert to IAFPAWAN BALI | DCNEW DELHI, JULY 22

With talks between Indiaand China on military face-off hitting a dead end as ofnow, Defence ministerRajnath Singh on Wed-nesday told the top com-manders of the Indian AirForce “to stand ready tohandle any eventuality”.

There has been no furtherprogress in the disengage-ment after the CorpsCommanders meetingbetween the two countrieson July 14 on Pangong Tso,Hot Springs general areaand Depsang plains.

India wants China torestore the status quo ofApril 2020 at LAC.

Chinese have not vacatedthe finger 5 area in thePangong Tso and are stillcontinuing to hold theridges in the finger 4 area.During the initial phase ofdisengagement, Chinesetroops had vacated thebanks of Pangong Tso lakein finger 4 area on July 9and gone back to finger 5.But Chinese troops stillhave to vacate area betweenfinger 5 and finger 8, whichIndia claims is its territory.

In May 2020, Chinesetroops in an aggressivemove occupied the areabetween Finger 4 to Finger 8and prevented Indiantroops from patrolling.

In the Hot Springs generalarea, Chinese troops havereportedly not moved backto that extent in the firstphase as was agreed in theagreement of June 6 and hasstill maintained some pres-ence. However, senior armyofficials maintained that inHot Springs and Gogra Post,Chinese had disengaged byupto 2.5 kilometers.

“Chinese disengaged fromHot Springs and Gogra Postin the first phase. There wasa first phase and there was a

second phase. It’s the sec-ond phase of disengagementwhich is awaited,” said asenior official.

US House passesresolution on LAC

Fresh cases go upin Tamil Nadu

Washington, July 22: TheUS House of Represe-ntatives has passed a bipar-tisan resolution, urgingChina to peacefully de-esca-late the situation with Indiaalong the Line of ActualControl.

The resolution onTuesday came a day afterthe House unanimously pa-ssed an amendment to theNational Defense Autho-rization Act (NDAA), slam-ming China’s aggressionagainst India in the GalwanValley and its growing ter-ritorial assertiveness in andaround disputed areas likethe South China Sea.

The troops of India and

China have been locked in astandoff in several areasalong the Line of ActualControl in eastern Ladakhsince 5 May. The situationdeteriorated last month fol-lowing the Galwan Valleyclashes that left 20 IndianArmy personnel dead.

The resolution, sponsoredby Indian-American Congr-essman Raja Krishna-moorthi along with 8 oth-ers, was passed by theHouse along with NationalDefense Authorization Act(NDAA) for the fiscal year2021 and condemnedChinese aggression towardsIndia along the Line ofActual Control. — PTI

Raj Speaker goes to SC;ED raids Gehlot’s brother

Both India and US are naturalpartners, says PM Modi

Jaipur/New Delhi, July22: The battle within theCongress reached theSupreme CourtWednesday with theRajasthan Speaker filing apetition against a highcourt order directing himto defer disqualificationproceedings againstSachin Pilot and 18 otherdissident Congress MLAs.

Seeking an interim stayon the high court order,his petition said it was thetop court's duty to ensurethat all constitutionalauthorities act within the“Lakshman rekha” drawnfor each one of them.

Amid the tussle forpower in Rajasthan, theEnforcement Directorateconducted raids at thepremises of Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot’s brother aspart of nationwide search-es over an alleged fertilis-er scam. The Congresslinked the raids targetingAgrasain Gehlot to thealleged attempt by the BJPto topple its governmentin Rajasthan. “Prime Minister Modi hascreated a 'raid raj’ in thecountry but we are notgoing to be scared,” partyleader Randeep Surjewalasaid. Gehlot has written direct-

ly to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, allegingthe involvement of hisBJP in “horse-trading” ofMLAs in the state andnaming Union ministerGajendra SinghShekhawat. “I am not aware to what

extent this is in yourknowledge or if you arebeing misled,” he said inthe letter released to themedia on Wednesday. “History will not forgive

those who participate inthis deed.” Sacked deputy chief min-

ister Sachin Pilot has also

sent out a notice, askingCongress MLA GirirajSingh Malinga to apolo-gise — and pay `1 as com-pensation — for allegingthat he was offered moneyto switch sides and jointhe BJP.

In Jaipur, Speaker C PJoshi said he was movingthe Supreme Court toavert a constitutional cri-sis.

His petition argued thatthe disqualification pro-ceedings under the TenthSchedule of theConstitution are the busi-ness of the legislature, andcannot be interfered with. The decision to move the

apex court was taken theprevious evening after theSpeaker’s office took noteof an order from theRajasthan High Court, giv-ing a “direction” to him. The order by the court of

Chief Justice IndrajitMahanty and JusticePrakash Gupta said itsproceedings will resumeFriday and requested theSpeaker also to put onhold any action on thenotices till then, recordingthat “we direct according-ly”. — PTI

Pawar and Scindiaamong RS memberswho took oath

TN’s first plasmabank openedat RGGGH

Centre trying to topple Gehlot govt:Rajasthan minister Jaipur, July 22: Rajasthantransport minister PratapSingh Khachariyawas Wed-nesday said the Central gov-ernment should play therole of a guardian, but theBJP-led NDA regime is“making all efforts” to top-ple the Congress govern-ment in the state.

“They are misusingCentral agencies like theCBI, Income Tax Depar-tment and EnforcementDirectorate against thestate government and mur-dering the democracy,” healleged. “It seems they havetaken a pledge to topple thestate government,” he toldreporters outside the hotelat the Jaipur-DelhiHighway where the Gehlotcamp MLAs are staying. Hisstatement came amid apolitical crisis in Rajasthandue to rebellion in theCongress, which the partyhas been blaming on theBJP. — PTI

New Delhi, July 22:Forty-five of the 61 newlyelected members of RajyaSabha took oath onWednesday, withChairman M VenkaiahNaidu urging them touphold rules and proce-dures when dischargingtheir duties as lawmak-ers and not fall prey todisruptions.Among the 45 were arch-

rivals JyotiradityaScindia and DigvijayaSingh, with the scion ofthe erstwhile Gwaliorroyal family taking oathfirst and the formerMadhya Pradesh chiefminister following him.Scindia, who is now withthe BJP and took oath asa member from MadhyaPradesh, greeted his betenoire before taking oath.Scindia and Singh haddifferences that led toScindia quitting theCongress.

Scindia also greetedCongress leadersMallikarjun Kharge andGhulam Nabi Azad. The45 members, including 34first-timers, took oath inthe Rajya Sabha chamberfollowing physical-dis-tancing norms. The Raj-ya Sabha Secretariat ear-lier said 36 first-timerstook oath but later cor-rected it to 34. In total, 61members have been elec-ted to the upper house ofwhich 43 are first-timers.Those who could not takeoath Wednesday will doso during the monsoonsession. Twelve sittingRajya Sabha memberswho have been re-elect-ed. — PTI

New Delhi, July 22: TheSupreme Court Wed-nesday issued notice toactivist-lawyer PrashantBhushan on the contemptproceedings initiatedagainst him for his allegedderogatory tweets againstthe judiciary, saying hisstatements prima facie“brought the administra-tion of justice in disre-pute"”While referring to recent

tweets by Bhushan, theapex court said these state-ments are prima faciecapable of “underminingthe dignity and authority”of the institution of theSupreme Court in generaland the office of ChiefJustice of India in particu-lar, in the eyes of public atlarge. A three-judge bench head-

ed by Justice ArunMishra, which took suomotu (on its own) cogni-sance in the matter, alsoissued notice to AttorneyGeneral KK Venugopalseeking his assistance. The bench, also compris-

ing Justices BR Gavai andKrishna Murari, also

asked Twitter Inc. to fileits reply in the matter.

“We are, prima facie, ofthe view that the aforesaidstatements on Twitterhave brought the admin-istration of justice in dis-repute and are capable ofundermining the dignityand authority of the insti-tution of Supreme Courtin general and the officeof the Chief Justice ofIndia in particular, in theeyes of public at large,”the bench said in itsorder.

“We take suo motu cog-nizance of the aforesaidtweet also apart from thetweet quoted above (in theorder) and suo motu regis-ter the proceedings,” thebench said, adding, “Weissue notice to the

Attorney General for Indiaand to Prashant Bhushan,Advocate also.”

The bench noted in itsorder that a petition wasplaced before it “on theadministrative side whet-her it should be listed forhearing or not as permis-sion of the AttorneyGeneral for India has notbeen obtained by the peti-tioner to file this peti-tion.”

“After examining thematter on administrativeside, we have directed thematter to be listed beforethe court to pass appropri-ate orders. We have gonethrough the petition,” thebench said and referred toone of the tweets “madeagainst the CJI”. It also referred to another

tweet by Bhushan on June27.

During the hearing,senior advocate SajanPoovayya, appearing forTwitter, told the benchthat Twitter India haswrongly been made aparty in the matter and itshould have been TwitterINC. He also told the bench thatif the top court directs,then Twitter would dis-able the alleged contemp-tuous tweets.

The bench noted in itsorder that Poovayya has“submitted that theTwitter Inc., California,USA is the correct descrip-tion on which the tweetswere made by PrashantBhushan.”

— PTI

���� While referring to recent tweets byBhushan, the apex court said these state-ments are prima facie capable of “under-mining the dignity and authority” of theinstitution of the Supreme Court in gener-al and the office of Chief Justice of Indiain particular, in the eyes ofpublic at large

HC prods Guv on freeing Rajiv case convictsJ. STALIN | DCCHENNAI, JULY 22

The Madras high court hasobserved that the authorityconcerned (Governor), towhom the Tamil Nadu gov-ernment’s resolution torelease all the seven life con-victs in Rajiv Gandhi assassi-nation case, has been sent,cannot sit on the matter forabout two years without tak-ing a decision.

A division bench compris-ing Justices N.Kirubakaranand V.M.Velumani said theTamil Nadu government’sresolution has been sent to theauthority concerned, whocannot sit on the matter for

about two years without tak-ing a decision. Either theauthority can decide or evenreject the resolution. “It isexpected that within a reason-able time, the authority woulddecide even though there is notime limit”, the bench added.

The bench made the obser-vations orally while hearing apetition filed by T. Arputham,mother of A.G.Perarivalan,serving life sentence in

Central Prison, Puzhal,Chennai, for his involvementin Rajiv Gandhi assassinationcase, seeking to release herson on leave for 90 days on theground that he was vulnera-ble to Covid-19 attack as hewas suffering from chronic ill-ness and more than 50inmates were affected by theCovid-19 in Puzhal centralprison.

Directing the public prose-cutor to get instructions fromthe state government on theplea to release Perarivalan onparole for 90 days, the benchalso asked the Registry toinform the counsel for theOffice of the authority con-cerned (Governor) to get

appropriate instructions as tothe recommendation of thestate government to releasethe convicts.

In her petition, Arputhamsubmitted that her son hascompleted 29 years of actualimprisonment on June 11,2020.

He was suffering fromHypertension since 1996 andother chronic illness for thelast five years. At present, itwas reliably learnt that therewere more than 50 inmatesaffected by the Covid-19 atPuzhal Central Prison.

On the present medical con-dition of her son, he was morevulnerable to the Covid-19attack. � P4

SRIDHARKUMARASWAMI | DCNEW DELHI, JULY 22

In what is being seen as aveiled barb at China amidgrowing Indo-US strate-gic proximity, PrimeMinister Narendra Modion Wednesday toldAmerican investors thatIndia is a country theycan “trust” and that bothIndia and the UnitedStates are “natural part-ners” and “two vibrantdemocracies with sharedvalues” , even as he

donned the hat of invest-ment salesman and madea fervent appeal for evenmore foreign investmentfrom the US in varioussectors in India includinghealthcare, energy, infra-structure, insurance,defence and space, andcivil aviation.

PM Modi reminded theAmerican investors that“in the middle of Covid,India has attracted for-eign investmentof morethan 20 billion dollarsbetween April and July,2020”, adding that India is

country with “opennessin people and gover-nance” and that it was the“best time to invest” inIndia. Delivering thekeynote address throughvideo-conference at the“India Ideas Summit”organised by the US-IndiaBusiness Council, PMModi declared, “May theIndia-America friendshipgrow further!” Tongue-in-cheek, PM Modi told theUS investors, “I havegiven you a few optionsand that too without anyconsultancy fees.”

DC CORRESPONDENTCHENNAI, JULY 22:

The number of new coron-avirus cases in TamilNadu went up to 5,849 onWednesday when Chennaireported 1,731 infectionsand many districts show-ing a spike in numbers,say like Kancheepuram325, Ranipet 414, Thiru-vallur 430, Thoothukudi327 and Virudhunagar 363.

In areas with a low posi-tivity rate between two tofive per cent, the govern-ment has planned to poolsamples for testing in theratio of 1:5.

It will increase the test-ing capacity and helpearly detection of Covid-19cases in the community, aletter from the Director ofPublic Health andPreventive Medicine, T SSelvavinayagam, to thenodal officers of RT-PCRlaboratories said.

Pooling of sampleswould also improve turn-around time of the sam-ples tested, the letter saidand identified 21 districtsthat are fit for pooled sam-ple testing.

In Chennai, CorporationCommissioner G Prakashheld a meeting of repre-sentatives of ICMRapproved private labs –there are 23 of them in thecity – and urged them tocollect personal detailsand medical data of thosevisiting them for test andhand over the details tothe Corporation.

He told them that thetests should be done metic-ulously and the resultsgiven in 24 hours. Allemployees should be tech-nically qualified and ICMRregulations like putting upbanners, sanitizing thelabs and providing PPEs toemployees should be fol-lowed, he said. � P4

Chennai, July 22:Tamil Nadu’s first plas-ma bank was launched atthe Rajiv GandhiGovernment GeneralHospital (RGGGH) hereon Wednesday, with aruling AIADMK legisla-tor who had recoveredfrom Covid-19 becomingthe first donor at thefacility.

Health minister DrC.Vijaya Bhaskar inau-gurated the plasma bank,established at a cost of Rs2.34 crore and equippedwith all modern facili-ties.

AIADMK'S N. SathanPrabhakar, representingParamakudi Assemblyconstituency inRamanathapuram dis-trict and who had recov-ered from coronavirusrecently, donated plas-ma, becoming the firstdonor here. The infrastructure sup-

ports plasma retrieval of500 ml each from sevenpeople simultaneously in30 minutes. The plasmatherapy, involving infu-sion of blood from per-sons who had recoveredfrom coronavirus to theaffected ones, is beingused in the treatment ofthose infected. “With the continuoussupport of chief ministerK. Palaniswami, we haveestablished the first plas-ma bank. Those whorecovered from Covid-19are encouraged to donateplasma after 14 days,” theMinister said. However,patients with comorbidi-ties should not donate theplasma, he said and urgedthose who have recoveredfrom the dreaded virus tocome forward withoutfear or apprehension anddonate plasma for savinglives.— PTI � P4

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Indian Air Force (IAF)chief Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria(left) and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar (second right )at the inaugural session of the Air Force Commanders’Conference in New Delhi, Wednesday. — PTI

It is welldefined bythe Supreme

Court that only thespeaker can decide onanti-defection. The speak-er had full authority tosend a notice,”

— C.P. Joshi, Raj Speaker

TheCentrehas

created a ‘raidraj’ but the Congresswon’t be scared”, — Randeep Surjewala,

Congress chiefspokesperson

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raidedthe premises of Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot’s brother on Wednesday,under the provisions of PMLA, as part ofcountrywide searches in connection with

a money laundering case linked to an alleged fer-tiliser scam. The raids are being conducted at 13places in the country including Rajasthan, WestBengal (2), Gujarat (4) and Delhi (1).

STATE pg 4DECCAN CHRONICLE | THURSDAY | 23 JULY 2020 | CHENNAI

IN BRIEF

G. BABU JAYAKUMAR |DCCHENNAI, JULY 22

The return of three-timeMLA from Vedaraniyam,S. K. Vedarathinam, to theDMK fold on Wednesdayhas come as a big boost tothe party, particularlywhen the state Assemblyelections are not too faraway.

Vedarathinam, whojoined the DMK alongwith 14 other local politi-cal leaders, had left theparty in 2015 to join theBJP, in whose ticket hecontested the 2016Assembly elections from

Vedaraniyam. The BJPthen consideredVedaranyam as awinnable seat in view ofthe candidate's popularityand brought in PrimeMinister Modi to cam-paign for him.

Earlier, Vedarathinamhad won the seat in threesuccessive elections - in1996, 2001 and 2006 – as a

DMK candidate. A busi-nessman who hasendeared himself with thepeople of the region, he‘never misses a marriageor a death,’ according to alocal reporter.

His individual populari-ty was reflected in the 2016election in which hepolled 37,086 votes. In the2011 election that he con-

tested as an independent,he polled 32 per cent votes.

Stalin said those joiningthe party to do field workwant to bring back theDMK to power in the statethat had plunged intobackwardness in the last10 years.

Stalin said the state gov-ernment was apathetic tothe needs of the people inthese times of pandemicand lockdown and theCentre was demolishingreservation.

Stalin welcomed the newentrants to the party andaddressed them throughvideo conference.

A big catch for DMK

Bus owners, workers seek govts’ helpA.ARUL PALANII DCCHENNAI, JULY 22

Reeling under pandemiclockdown, the bus own-ers’ association and 40,000-odd crew members haverequested the support ofcentral and state govern-ments to tide over the cri-sis and to resume the oper-ations.

The livelihood of busowners and thousands ofworkers was affected sinceMarch 25.

D.R Dharmaraj, secre-tary, Federation of BusOperators Associations ofTamil Nadu, told DC: “Weare under pressure frommultiple sides, fuel pricehikes, reduced capacitydue to social distancingnorms, loan EMIs, taxes,insurance premiums, pay-ment of wages to employ-ees, maintenance cost of

buses, offices etc”.The association mem-

bers operate 4,600 stagecarrier buses, across thestate, except in Chennai,Nagercoil and Nigiris.

Dharmaraj said: “Wewere allowed to operate onJune 10 with only 60 percent occupancy withineach zone.

For example, the erst-while Trichy zone consist-ed of seven districts -Trichy, Thanjavur,Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam,Pudukottai, Ariyalur andPeramblaur.

Buses which were oper-ating from Trichy to near-by Namakkal, Karur,Dindigul, Madurai andSalem were unable to ply,since these towns were located in otherzones.

Again, the state govern-ment came up with the

idea of operating busesonly within the districtsfrom June 24. As this wasnot viable, the service washalted across the state.

Subsequently a ban onpublic transport wasimposed in the state.

The bus operators, crewmembers and allied work-ers are struggling for sur-vival.

There should be somesupport from central andstate governments to comeout of the crisis. Many busowners obtained loansfrom banks and otherfinance institutions topurchase buses and theydepended on the incomefor running buses, taxes,insurance, payment ofEMI, wages for workers,diesel and other mainte-nance.

Despite facing difficul-ties, the bus owners are

paying 50 per cent ofwages to the workers.They have to pay a roadtax of Rs 30,000 for threemonths.

The state governmentshould not collect road taxfor the lockdown period,they demanded.

The operators will not beable to pay insurance pre-miums.

The Bus & CarOperators’ Confederationof India (BOCI) urged theInsurance Regulatory andDevelopment Authority ofIndia and the Centre toextend vehicle insurancevalidity equal to the num-ber of lockdown days fromthe date of expiry withoutadditional premium andno increase in annual pre-mium for the next oneyear.

A few insurance firmsoffered the relief in other

states, but not in TamilNadu.

The BOCI and TamilNadu Omni Bus OwnersAssociation have soughtwaiver on motor vehicletax for six months, waiveron toll for public transportvehicles, reduction instate tax & cess on dieselfor public transport sectorvehicles for next sixmonths, portal access tointeract with RTO for payment of fees, documen-tation etc. avoid person toperson contact and reducevirus spread, insurancecoverage to drivers andtransport workers plyingduring pandemic, allowutilisation of ESI / EPFfunds to pay staff salaries,viability gap funding forpublic transport anddeferment of EMI pay-ments for next 6 to 12months.

CB-CID probe into custodial death beginsDC CORRESPONDENTTHOOTHUKUDI, JULY 22

The CB-CID investiga-tion into the death of S.Mahendran, a construc-tion worker, in police cus-tody commenced onWednesday. Mahendran'sdeath too was reportedlycaused by the torture ofSathankulam police just afew days before traderJayaraj and his sonBennicks were done todeath in custody in thesame police station.

This case, shifted for aCB-CID probe on a highcourt direction, will behandled by DSP AnilKumar of Tirunelveli CB-CID. Receiving all the doc-uments related to the

death of 23-year-oldMahendran of Peikulamvillage in theSathankulam police cir-cle, from Thoothukudidistrict police superinten-dent S Jeyakumar, DSPAnil Kumar visited thehouse of the victim's sis-ter at K V K Nagar inThoothukudi, whereMahendran's motherSudalaivadivu, the com-plainant of the case,resides after the death ofher son.

Mahendran, thoughwithout any case againsthim, was taken by thethen sub-inspector, RaguGanesh of Sathankulampolice on May 23 as a baitto make his elder brother,S Durai, an accused in a

murder case along with 17others. The youth, kept inillegal detention for a day,was allegedly tortured bythe police and, on hisrelease, was taken to alocal hospital. Later he gotadmitted at Thoothukudimedical college hospitalon June 10. Mahendranwas scanned to find asevere injury on his brainto which he succumbed atthe hospital on June 13.

Another accused RajaSingh in a murder case inthe same Sathankulampolice limit too com-plained of police torturebefore he was remandedto judicial custody atKovilpatti sub-jail.

Agatheeswarar temple tank, the oldest in Villivakakam, has dried up due to scorching sun andlack of rain. Residents urge authorities to construct rainwater harvesting structures in the sur-rounding areas. — DC

Lingam attraction

Shiva Lingam with waterfalls set up in Elephant Gate police station in Sowcarpetleaves complainants and petitioners visiting the station surprised. — DC

Waiting for rain

Kites, manja thread seized in footwear shop

Police personnel seize around 500 banned flying kites with manja thread in afootwear shop at Virugambakkam on Wednesday. — DC

T. SUDHEESH I DCCHENNAI, JULY 22

Amid Covid-19 pandemic,tech-based applicationshave become a muchsought-after option amongtech-savvy elderly peopleto get services and bene-fits.

Jagadish Ramamoorthy,who founded the city-based senior care startupAlserv along withSaravanan Adiseshan andAtul Jagadish to assist thesenior citizens, said thepandemic had made theelderly people across thecity worried about not get-ting medical care, food,

groceries and otherrequirements.

‘‘It’s the duty of everyresponsible citizen tomake amenities and facili-ties accessible to the elder-ly people at their doorstep.So, we used the technologyto connect them to thecommunity. Our technolo-gy-powered applicationhas provided the facility ofa call-centre helpdesk tomake access to ser-vice easier for se-niors.

“Hundreds of seniors inthe city have accessed ourservices including med-ical assistance, home-cooked meals, grocery

delivery and home mainte-nance. In recent weeks wehave seen five timesincrease in traffic on theirplatform as more seniorswant to get hold of theavailable services, espe-cially healthcare,” hesaid.

The use of mobile tech-nology among senior citi-zens increased in the pan-demic period at a timewhen the Ministry ofSocial Justice andEmpowerment has issuedan advisory for the wellbe-ing of 16 crore senior citizens across coun-try.

Rama Rao, vice-presi-

dent of city-based SeniorCitizen Forum, said that itwas time to make seniorcitizens aware of theadvantage of utilizingtechnology.

Now only tech-savvy sen-ior citizens can get theservice of these apps. Itshould be expanded to allsenior citizens. Most ofthe senior citizens hadstrict fitness regimes inthe pre-corona era. If wewould be able to dissemi-nate information of suchtechnology especiallyamong uneducated sen-iors, it could help themaddress their pandemicblues, he said.

Tackling elders’ pandemicblues with tech-based appS

OPS greets new MPs

Chennai: Deputy ChiefMinister O. Pannerselvam

greeted the new Rajya Sabhamembers of AIADMK and its

friendly party TMC, who tooktheir oath of office in the

House on Wednesday. In atweet, Pannerselvam wished

K P Munusamy, MThambidurai and G K Vasan

(TMC) all the best in theirendeavours.

Over `394 crore for CM’s fund

Chennai: The Chief Minister’sPublic Relief Fund has

received donations to thetune of `394, 14,47,331 till

July 21 with generous contri-butions from industrial hous-

es, government employees,employees of governmentundertakings, government

boards and common people.An official press release said

that donations stood at`367,05,38,348 on May 14 andgave the list of all those whogave more `10 lakh between

May 15 and July 21. It alsogave instances of common

people donating for the fund.

Don’t reopen schoolstill there is zero CovIdcase: Prince of Arcot

Chennai: Prince of Arcot,Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali

has expressed his concernand requested the state gov-ernment to delay the reopen-

ing of schools and colleges,until the government declares

zero Covid-19 cases in thestate. Opening of educational

institutions in the presentenvironment will be a badidea. It is like playing with

fire, the Prince said. He alsopointed out in a press state-

ment that most of the par-ents felt that schools and col-leges should not be reopened

until the state reaches zero-Covid mark.

Perarivalan’s mother seeks hisrelease from jail

FROM P1

In prison, her son has nochance to protect himself fromthe deadly virus attack and itwas significant to note thatthere were so many reportscoming in the media thatchronic patients were vulnera-ble for Covid-19, she added.

She said the Tamil Nadu StateCouncil of Ministers onSeptember 9, 2018, recommend-ed for her son’s prematurerelease and it was pendingbefore the Governor of TamilNadu for signature.

Therefore at any point oftime, her son could be releasedfrom prison. It was only a pro-cedural issue. There was nolegal impediment for theGovernor of Tamil Nadu totake a decision.

It was the duty of theConstitutional authorities con-cerned, to avoid such procedur-al delays which cause immensetrouble for the voiceless poorpeople like them.

If such delay was avoided herson could have been released 19months earlier. The need of thispresent petition would not havearisen. Earlier her son wasgranted 60 days leave by theauthorities, she added.

Bedi to addressPony Assembly on July 24Puducherry, July 22: Two days after thePuducherry budget for2020-21 was presentedwithout her address,Lieutenant GovernorKiran Bedi onWednesday said she willdeliver the customaryaddress on July 24 as thegovernment has sent herthe relevant file and afresh invitation. — PTI

Plasma therapy:Govt plans to set up in all GHsFrom P1The state governmentwas planning to set upsimilar facilities inGovernment StanleyMedical College Hos-pital, Omandurar Multi-speciality Hospital andDr MGR Medical Univ-ersity, all in this city,besides the Governmentmedical colleges atSalem, Coimbatore,Tiruchirappalli andTirunelveli, he said.

The RGGGH, the pre-mier government med-ical institute, is also con-ducting trials in conva-lescent plasma therapy.As many as 24 out of 26persons who participat-ed in the process recov-ered from the ill-ness.

The hospital, whichwas the first to treatCOVID-19 patients inTamil Nadu, is equippedwith 2,000 bed facilitiesto treat those infected.

— PTI Techie’s houseburgled inNanganallurDC CORRESPONDENTCHENNAI, JULY 22

Gold jewels and cashwere burgled from alocked house of a techiein Nanganallur. Theburglary came to lightafter the resident retu-rned home on Tuesdayevening. Police said Ela-varasan( 33), a residentof 13th street in Nan-ganallur is a softwareengineer at a privatefirm in Perungalathuron the city outskirts.

The burglary hap-pened during the lock-down when Elavarasanleft for his native townCoimbatore. He was liv-ing there for the last fourmonths due to lock-down.

According to sources,he returned to the cityon Tuesday evening.When he reached hishome, he found twobureaus forced open andthe contents werestrewn about. gold jew-els worth 25 sovereignsand ` 5 lakh were stolenfrom the house.Subsequently, he lodgeda complaint at thePalavanthangal policestation that someonehad entered into thehouse in his absence anddecamped with jew-ellery and cash.

Palavanthangal policehave registered a case.The police were check-ing footage from CCTVcameras in the area.

Welcoming Vedarathinam and the 14 otherBJP functionaries, some of whom are localbody office-bearers, DMK president M. K.Stalin said ‘Vedaranyam is Vetharathinam’,which aptly captured the popularity of thepolitician in his home turf

4 flights bring Indians stranded abroadDC CORRESPONDENTCHENNAI, JULY 22

Four special flights havebrought back as many as706 Indians strandedabroad.

A flight from Singaporelanded in Chennai onWednesday bringing back148 stranded Indians.

The passengers willundergo mandatory quar-antine for 14 days at afacility or hotels, followedby 7 days of home quar-antine.

Around 558 Indiansstranded in gulf coun-tries such as Qatar, Dubaiand Kuwait arrived at the

City Airport on Tuesdaynight.

A flight arrived fromDoha with 203 Indiansand another flight fromDubai landed with 179Indians and a flight fromKuwait arrived with 176Indians.

Passengers from boththe flights were classifiedafter immigration andcustoms clearancebesides temperaturescanning.

They were sent toGovernment and paidquarantine facilities inthe city, by the busesarranged by the state gov-ernment.

Curb crimes againstwomen, govt urgedDC CORRESPONDENTTIRUCHY, JULY 22

The Consumer RightsMovement has appealed tothe Tamil NaduGovernment to ensure theopening of complaintboxes kept in police sta-tions twice a day, registercases and take suitableaction immediately.

In a letter to the ChiefSecretary, movement'sstate general secretaryMaheswari Vaiyapuri wel-comed Chief Minister

Edappadi K.Palani-swami's efforts for main-taining law and order andpreventing crimes.

But, she pointed outthat, women who go outfor work are beingharassed by anti-socialsand sexual offenders.

Despite this, women arehesitating to give com-plaints to police, sheadded.

In order to help women,Maheswari Vaiyapuriwanted that police com-plaint boxes should beinstalled at bus stands,railway stations, marketplaces and places of wor-ship, women educationalinstitutions and othercrowded places.

She wanted theGovernment to imple-ment Usury Act in toto.

From P1Food and Civil SuppliesMinister R Kamaraj saidthat ration shop employ-ees had been supplyingrice and other essentialsat the doors of three lakhfamilies that have beenquarantined.

The state would soon beliberated from the epi-demic and everyone wasworking with that hope,he said after visiting amedical camp in Kilpaukarea in Annanagar divi-sion.

In the division that oncehad infections in 52streets, there were only 24

streets with Coronaviruscases, he added.

Meanwhile, Rajapa-layam MLA Thangapanditested hospital and wasadmitted to hospital inMadurai, becoming the17th legislator to beinfected by the virus.

The districts that con-tinued to have high num-ber of new infections we-re: Chengalpattu 223, Co-imbatore 178, Kanya-kumari 152, Madurai 197,Thanjavur 106, Theni 165,Thiruvannamalai 210,Tirunelveli 120, Tiruchi213, Vellore 137 andVillupuram 105.

3L quarantined get ration goods

“Women who go out forwork are being harassedby anti-socials and sexu-al offenders. Despitethis, women are hesitat-ing to give complaints topolice”

NATION pg 5DECCAN CHRONICLE | CHENNAI | THURSDAY | 23 JULY 2020

SHORT TAKES

MANOJ ANAND | DC GUWAHATI, JULY 22

In what has triggeredprotest by students organ-isations, Assam policehas arrested an anti-Citizenship AmendmentAct (CAA) activist andGauhati University stu-dent Dipjyoti Gogoi forposting a fake flood-relat-ed fund-raising appeal onthe social media in thename of Chief MinisterSarbananda Sonowal.

The Crime Branch ofthe Assam Police arrestedthe student leader after

an appeal by the ChiefMinister asking for a pub-lic donation to help theflood-hit in the state wentviral.

The ‘forged appeal’allegedly circulated byGogoi, said, “Let usextend our helping handtowards the flood victims.Your little donation canhelp smiling thousands offlood victims.” Notably,the ‘social media post’also highlighted the bankaccount of the ChiefMinister’s Relief Fund.

Gogoi is pursuing a mas-ter in journalism and

mass communication atthe Gauhati University.

He was also active inanti-CAA movement. Hehas been booked undersection 420 of the IPC, asource in the CrimeBranch of Assam Policesaid. It has been learntthat the Chief Minister

never issued such appealin the public domain.

He was arrested fromhis Demow residence inSivasagar district by Ass-am Police and brought toGuwahati. Friends andmembers of Gogoi’s fami-ly said that he waswhisked away in a whitevehicle around 8 pm onJuly 20.

“The Assam police app-rehended Dipjyoti Gogoifor creating fake informa-tion. A case has been reg-istered under the CrimeBranch police station,” astatement from the state

government said onWednesday. It added thathe had been booked underrelevant sections of theIndian Penal Code andInformation TechnologyAct.

Gauhati Universityorganisations and theStudents’ Federation ofIndia while condemningMr Gogoi’s arrest saidthat the Bharatiya JanataParty-led State govern-ment was indulging inwitch-hunting against allthose who have taken partin the anti-CAA move-ment.

Student bodies slam arrest of anti-CAA activistStudent leader in Assam allegedly posted a fake fund rasing appeal‘FORGED’ | REQUEST

CONVICTED RAJEX-COPS GIVEN

LIFE TERM

OPPN HITS OUT ATKERALA TOP

BUREAUCRATSGILVESTER ASSARY | DC THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 22

The Congress-led Oppositionin Kerala on Wednesdayaccused top bureaucrats in thestate of attempting to wipe outevidence in connection withthe gold smuggling case.

Opposition leader RameshChennithala alleged that sen-ior officers led by chief secre-tary were behind the move todestroy evidence includingCCTV camera footage of thechief minister’s office, ministers’ offices andSecretariat.

At a press conference here,the Opposition leader allegedthat the idea was to preventthe NIA from laying its handson crucial evidence againstthe chief minister’s formerprincipal secretary and otherofficials, who had close con-nection with gold smugglingaccused.

He said the chief secretaryhad issued an order statingthat CCTV cameras had devel-oped snag due to lightning andrequired replacement. “I sus-pect the order was aimed attampering with the evidence,”he said.

Mathura, July 22: All 11 for-mer policemen fromRajasthan convicted for killingRaja Man Singh of the erst-while Bharatpur royal familyand his two colleagues over 35years ago in Deeg area of thestate were awarded life sen-tence by a court here onWednesday.

The convicts, who were sen-tenced to life term by MathuraDistrict Judge Sadhna RaniThakur, include former DeegDy SP Kan Singh and localpolice station in-charge, sub-Inspector Virendra Singh, whohad led a police team in killingRaja Man Singh and his twocolleagues Sumer Singh andHari Singh on February 21,1985 in an encounter.

The other policemen sen-tenced for the crime are SukhRam, Jeevan Ram, Jag Mohan,Bhanwar Singh, Hari Singh,Chhatar Singh, Sher Singh,Daya Ram and Ravi Shekhar.

The encounter had takenplace in Deeg grain market aday after Raja Man Singh, thencontesting the state VidhanSabha election as an independ-ent candidate, had allegedlybanged his jeep into formerRajasthan’s chief ministerShiv Charan Mathur’s helicop-ter.

According to the prosecu-tion, he was also accused ofdamaging some publicitymaterial and a stage set up forMathur to address an electionrally in favour of the Congresscandidate Brajendra Singh, aretired IAS officer, the prose-cution had told the court.

Family members of journalist Vikram Joshi stage a protest demanding justice for him in Ghaziabad on Wednesday.Joshi, who was shot at by miscreants in Ghaziabad Monday night, died at a hospital Wednesday morning. — PTI

Dismiss Babricase, says SenaBHAGWAN PARAB | DCMUMBAI, JULY 22

As the date for the bhoomipujan ceremony for theproposed Ram Mandir atAyodhya approaches near-er, the Shiv Sena hasdemanded dismissal ofthe Babri Masjid demoli-tion case before the eventtakes off. It would be atrue homage to ‘martyrs’of the Ram Janmabhoomimovement, the party hassaid.

“It’s an irony that whilethe foundation for theRam Mandir is being laid,the Babri Masjid demoli-tion case is still going onagainst several peopleincluding Lal KrishnaAdvani and MurliManohar Joshi. Evenafter the Supreme Courthas delivered the verdicton Ram Janmabhoomi,the CBI continues withthe Babri case andAdvani, who was theprime leader of Ayodhyamovement, appears in itas an accused,” the ShivSena said in an editorialin party mouthpiece‘Saamana’ on Wednesday.

When you accept Babarwas an aggressor, theBabri case itself becomesobsolete. If the Babrimosque demolition case isdismissed before the bhoomi pujan of the RamMandir, it would be ahomage to the martyrs of the Ram Janmabho-omi movement, the Senasaid.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party claimed that theMughal emperor Babarwas connected with

Ayodhya only throughinvasion. “Babar, whocame from Uzbekistan,demolished several Hindutemples.

He did not even spareRam Janmabhoomi. TheBabri encroachment wasdemolished by lakhs ofKarsevaks, who were fromShiv Sena and others,” itadded.

Had the domes of Babrinot been razed, the RamJanmabhoomi premiseswould have never been lib-erated. The day BabriMasjid was pulled down,the world saw that faces ofmany warriors turnedblack with fear.

“We haven’t done this,this is the job of ShivSena,” the then BJP vicepresident Sundar SinghBhandari had said. On

this, BalasahebThackeray thundered inMumbai that if hisSainiks had indeed doneit, he was proud of them.”Since then, he was adoredby people as ‘Hin-duhridaysamrat,’ said theSena.

The Babri Masjid inAyodhya was demolishedon December 6, 1992 byKarsevaks. A special CBIcourt has charged BJPleaders Mr Advani and MrJoshi, who were leadingthe Ram Mandir move-ment at that time, withcriminal conspiracy inthe Babri Masjid demoli-tion case.

It has set July 24 forrecording the statement ofMr Advani in the casethrough video conferenc-ing.

Amit Shahmeets AdvaniDC CORRESPONDENTNEW DELHI, JULY 22

Ahead of BJP veteranL.K. Advani’s depositionbefore a special CentralBureau of Investigationcourt, which is hearingthe Babri Masjid demoli-tion case, Union homeminister Amit Shah onWednesday met the partyveteran at the latter’s resi-dence.

One of the prominentfaces of the

Ramjanambhoomi move-ment, Mr Advani has todepose before the specialcourt in Lucknow on July24 and a day before anoth-er party veteran M.M.Joshi, has to deposebefore the court either inperson or through video-conferencing.

Also, both the BJP veter-ans are likely to be invitedfor the foundation layingceremony of the RamMandir in Ayodhya on

August 15.

BAGHJAN FIRE:THREE FOREIGNEXPERTS HURTIN EXPLOSION MANOJ ANAND | DC GUWAHATI, JULY 22

In what is said to be anexplosion due to sometechnical glitch, threeforeign experts, engagedin capping the fire in agas well at Baghjan oilfield in eastern Assam’sTinsukia district wereinjured on Wednesday.

The explosionoccurred near well num-ber five. The threeinjured foreign expertshave been rushed to ahospital in Dibrugarh.The medical team of theOil India Limited accom-panying the injured per-sonnel said that all ofthem were out of danger.

Southern states report highestever surge; AP’s 6045 tops listChennai, July 22:South Indian states--Andhra Pradesh, TamilNadu, Karnataka andKerala--achieved an unen-viable record onWednesday when all ofthem reported the biggestsingle day spike inCoronavirus caseloads,with the highest exceed-ing the 6,000 mark inAndhra Pradesh.

Collectively, the freshinfections from the fourstates totalled 17,696, asthe Union Territory ofPuducherry reportedanother 124 new casestoday.

Andhra Pradesh toppedthe chart with 6,045 caseswhile Tamil Nadu camesecond at 5,849.

Karnataka reported4,764 cases, with 2,050 ofthem coming from the cap-ital city Bengaluru, wherea week-long lockdownclamped to prevent thespread of the virus endedthis morning, even as thegovernment had ruled outits extension.

Kerala, witnessing aspurt in cases after man-aging to keep the numbersdown earlier, saw 1,038persons getting infectedwith the virus onWednesday.

Andhra Pradesh alsoregistered 6,494 dis-charges and 65 deaths, allnew single day high, tak-ing the aggregate numberof cases to 64,713 and thetoll to 823 on Wednesday.

The state now has 31,763active cases after a total of32,127 recoveries.

The infection positivityrate shot up to 4.51 percent while the recoveryrate was 49.65 per cent.The mortality rate stoodat 1.27 per cent.

An MLA of the rulingYSR Congress tested posi-tive for coronavirus inGuntur district, the sev-enth legislator to havecontracted the disease.

In Karnataka, the dayalso saw a record 1,780patients getting dis-charged after recovery.

Out of the 4,764 freshcases today, a whopping2,050 were reported fromBengaluru urban alone.As of July 22, cumulative-

ly 75,833 COVID-19 posi-tive cases have been con-firmed in the state, whichincludes 1,519 deaths and27,239 discharges.

Kerala, which reportedthe country''s first Covid-19 case on January 30, astudent who had returnedfrom the virus epicentrecity of Wuhan in China,saw for the first time, thesingle day fresh positivecases breach the 1,000mark. While 785 peoplecontracted the virusthrough contact, thesource of infection of 57people is not known, ChiefMinister Vijayan said inThiruvananthapuram.

Of the infected, 87 hadcome from abroad and 109from other states. PTI

India adds 37,724more Covid casesNew Delhi, July 22:India added 37,724 freshcases of Covid-19 onWednesday, taking thecountry's tally to 11,92,915,while recoveries surged to7,53,049 with 28,472 peoplehaving recuperated in aday, the highest so far,according to the UnionHealth Ministry data.

The death toll due to thedisease rose to 28,732 with648 people succumbing tothe disease in the last 24hours, the data updated at8 am showed.

There are 4,11,133 activecases of coronavirusinfection at present in thecountry, while 7,53,049people having recoveredso far.

This is the seventh con-

secutive day that Covid-19cases have increased bymore than 30,000.

Of the 648 deaths report-ed in the last 24 hours, 246are from Maharashtra, 75from Tamil Nadu, 62 fromAndhra Pradesh, 61 fromKarnataka, 37 from UttarPradesh, 35 from WestBengal, 34 from Gujarat,27 from Delhi, 18 fromMadhya Pradesh, 9 eachfrom Haryana, Jammuand Kashmir andRajasthan. Telangana hasreported seven fatalitieseach followed by Odishawith six deaths,Chhattisgarh four, Goathree, Jharkhand twowhile Kerala, Puducherryand Punjab registered afatality each. PTI

Chief Minister is invisible: TejashwiNAYEAR AZAD | DC PATNA, JULY 22

Amid rising cases ofCovid-19 and deterioratingflood condition in Bihar,the opposition RJD onWednesday blamed thestate government for itsfailure in dealing with thecrisis.

During his visit to flood-affected Darbhanga andMadhubani districts, RJDleader Tejashwi Yadavsaid, “People are sufferingdue to the apathy of ourstate government. OurChief Minister is invisibleand there is no one to lookafter the people”.

RJD insiders said thatTejashwi Yadav is likely to

visit other districts of thestate to take stock ofCovid-19 and flood situa-tion.

As per an assessmentmore than three lakh peo-ple have been badly affect-ed in around eight dis-tricts of north Bihar. Flo-od water has entered intoseveral low-lying areas ofEast Champaran, Supaul,Darbhanga, Kishanganj,Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhiand Sheohar districts.

Earlier this week, ChiefMinister Nitish Kumarhad directed governmentofficials to step up reliefmeasures for people livingin containment zones ofthe flood-affected areas.

Officials said that the

state government has setup seven relief camps andaround 27 communitykitchens in areas wherethe situation is grim.Besides, administrativeofficials have also beenasking people who havetaken shelter in reliefcamps to follow the Covid-19 guidelines.

“Masks and gloves willbe mandatory in reliefcamps especially in thecontainment zones”, offi-cials said.

Reports suggest that themajor cause of concernfor the state governmenthas been the rising casesof Coronavirus. As per thefigures issued by the statehealth department on

Wednesday the total num-ber of Covid-19 cases hasgone up to 30,066 in thestate.

Patna with more than4,000 cases and 31 deathshas been the worst hit fol-lowed by Bhagalpur wheremore than 1,800 cases havebeen reported and 17 per-sons have died due to thedisease.

On Wednesday civil sur-geon of Samastipur diedat AIIMS Patna after beinginfected with the deadlyvirus. Earlier on Tuesday,BJP MLC Sunil Singh diedof a sudden heart attack.

Singh was found positivea few days ago and wasundergoing treatment atAIIMS Patna.

�� FAKE APPEAL said,“Let us extend our help-ing hand towards theflood victims. Your littledonation can help smilingthousands of flood vic-tims.”

SLAIN COL’S WIFEAPPOINTED

DY COLLECTORDC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, JULY 22

Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao onWednesday handed over anappointment order toSantoshi, wife of martyredColonel Santosh Babu, atPragathi Bhavan, posting heras deputy collector in theGroup-I cadre of the state gov-ernment.

Colonel Santosh Babu wasamong the 20 Indian soldiersmartyred in Galwan Valley inEastern Ladakh on June 15 ina violent clash with Chinesetroops. Many casualties werereported among the Chinesetroops too, though they havenot yet been officiallyacknowledged by China.

The colonel's family arrivedat the Pragathi Bhavan follow-ing an invitation by the ChiefMinister for lunch. Whileinteracting with them, KCRinquired about their well-being.

Handing over the appoint-ment letter to Santoshi, theCM instructed CMO secretarySmita Sabharwal to guide andmentor Santoshi till she com-pletes her training and settlesdown in her new job. KCR alsodirected the authorities con-cerned that they give her aposting in Hyderabad or itssurrounding areas. Later theChief Minister had lunch withfamily members of lateColonel Santosh Babu.

Earlier, Hyderabad districtcollector Swetha Mohantyhanded over documents of aplot measuring 711 squareyards to the family of the mar-tyred colonel. The plot is locat-ed opposite KBR Park on RoadNo 14 in Banjara Hills.

The dismissal would be homage to ‘martyrs’of Ramjanmabhoomi, says Shiv Sena

Justice for journalist...

CONG WANTSBALLOT PAPERIN MP POLLSRABINDRA NATHCHOUDHURY | DCBHOPAL, JULY 22

Opposition Congresshere on Wednesdaymoved ElectionCommission (EC)seeking to shun elec-tronic votingmachines (EVMs) andreturn to ballot paper votingsystem in the upcom-ing byelections in the26 assembly con-stituencies in MadhyaPradesh, citing threatof Covid-19 outbreak.

EDIT pg 6DECCAN CHRONICLE | THURSDAY | 23 JULY 2020 | CHENNAI

The serological survey conducted by the National Centre forDisease Control under the directorate-general of health services inthe Union ministry of health and family welfare between June 27and July 10 in Delhi has come out a finding that 22.86 per cent of

the population there showed signs of antibodies for the Sars-CoV-2, thevirus that causes pandemic Covid-19. This means that almost one in everyfour persons in the national capital had contracted the disease and recov-ered without being noticed.

The survey results assume significance in the backdrop of the successfulcoronavirus containment strategy worked out by the Delhi and Union gov-ernments in the national capital. With no lockdown, the daily number ofinfections has come down today to less than half of what it used to be at thesame time last month. The new plan focused on extensive home visits andaggressive testing followed by prescription of home quarantine for theasymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients. Such a move ensured thatthe under-nourished and fragile healthcare infrastructure was put to opti-mum use and prevented overwhelming of hospitals by patients. The exper-iment also resulted in remarkable improvement in the reproduction rate(Rt), or the average number of people infected by a single infectious case,which has now fallen below 1. It may be noticed that there are no com-plaints of major under-reporting of deaths, too.

It may be noted that Tamil Nadu government has also been able toachieve similar results in Chennai but only after imposing a strict lock-down. The survey results and the encouraging experience in Delhi shouldforce the government to make a rethinking on using lockdown as a Covidcontainment strategy. Though the nation is officially into Unlock 2.0, it isa fact that the big metros and parts of several states are at present underlockdown.

Restrictions on movement of people and their activities, of course, slowdown the spread of the pandemic but there has to be a cost-benefit analy-sis of the same in the backdrop of the new pieces of information. Therepeated editions of the lockdown have thrown economic life out of gearand pushed crores of people into poverty and misery. With many of therelief schemes failing to reach the targeted population and the inflationrearing its head, the Union government should advise the states againstany more lockdowns. Instead, it must help the states replicate the Delhimodel which can protect both lives and livelihoods. It could lay focus onreverse quarantine—to keep the most susceptible people under quaran-tine while allowing others to go to work keeping social distancing normsincluding ensuring physical distance among people and frequent washingof face and hands etc. Restrictions on social and religious gatherings,however, should not be eased.

With the arrival of a vaccine being very much on the cards, the govern-ment must play its cards well and ensure that we do not suffer too manylosses in this short span. It is time we bid goodbye to lockdowns andembrace other successful models to keep the virus at bay.

Delhi spells cautioushope for reopening

Challenges lieahead as newconsumer law

is now in force

In the time of a war ora pandemic, eachcountry looks out forits own first. It comesas no surprise that the

rules of global trade wentout of the window betweenFebruary and April thisyear with nations fightingone another to secure sup-plies of personal protectiveequipment (PPE).

India faced an acute cri-sis in the early weeks ofCovid-19 as it was hugelydependent on imports forcritical supplies of medicalproducts, including PPEs.Much has changed sincethen.

The coronavirus pan-demic has spawned a cot-tage industry in PPEs,hand sanitisers, masks, etc.India is now the secondlargest manufacturer ofPPEs, after China.

Amid a global shortageand the world’s strictestlockdowns that ground allproduction to a halt, bar-ring that of essential items,many garment makers, forexample, sensed a bigopportunity and got intothe protective wear space.

Now, there is an oversup-ply of indigenous PPE kits.Many are unsold. Andprices have dipped.

Worryingly, there isanother more serious prob-lem. Atmanirbharta, orself-reliance, is facing aquality challenge in theprotective gear market.

There has been a flood ofcomplaints about low-qual-ity PPEs, sanitisers, glovesand so on, raising concernsabout the impact on India’spublic health response toCovid-19 and infection con-trol strategies.

This week, the direc-torate-general of foreigntrade issued a notificationwhich said that the govern-ment had not found anyapplications from July 1 to3 seeking to export PPEmedical coveralls meetingthe necessary criteria, and“all applications thereforehave been found ineligible

for allocation of exportquota”. Last month, thegovernment had decided toshift the export of PPEsfrom the “prohibited” to“restricted” category, witha permissible limit of 50lakh kits.

Till the time of writing,no export licence has beenissued. The Centre hasgiven a new deadline tolocal PPE makers to put intheir applications forapproval of exports.

What is happening? Whatexactly is the problem?

Several health profes-sionals I spoke to saidwhile it was very cred-itable that India had man-aged to shed its importdependence on protectivewear and certain medicalproducts in barely twomonths, the mad rush tostep up production hadopened the floodgates tomany fly-by-night opera-tors who had skipped allquality norms. This, theysaid, posed a serious chal-lenge for the domestic andexport markets.

At the heart of the matteris the lack of standards.

The Central DrugsStandard Control Organi-sation has not defined anyclassification of PPE com-ponents intended for med-ical use, says Dr SanjeevRelhan, chairman of thePreventive Wear Manufac-turers Association of India(PWMAI).

Without classificationunder Medical DeviceRules, it is not possible forthe industry to understandthe applicable regulatoryrequirements.

There are additional chal-lenges. There are few test-ing laboratories to validatequality and even after anincrease in their number,“these labs are not suffi-cient to enable manufactur-ers to follow global stan-dards”, says Dr Relhan.

What needs to be done?Even in a healthcare set-

ting, everyone is not atequal risk. Dr Relhan and

many others are seekingguidelines for choosing theright PPE after risk assess-ment for various levels ofprotection.

Another looming chal-lenge is disposal of protec-tive gear. Currently, thereis no formal standard forthe safe disposal of soiledPPEs. This can lead to afurther spread of infec-tions. “Hence, a standardfor safe disposal of biopro-tective PPEs is required onan urgent basis,” saysPWMAI’s head.

What about exports?Sections of the local pro-

tective gear industry wantto tap the export marketnow that domestic demandhas been met, but manyinsiders strike a caution-ary note. Dr Relhan pointsout that the regulations ofthe importing countriesare stringent, and theindustry first needs to meetthese quality standards. Hesays the governmentshould allow the export ofPPEs meant for medicaluse only after regulatingthe quality protocolsrequired for manufactur-ing. Since a large numberof PPE manufacturers arein the MSME (micro, smalland medium enterprisessector), the MSME min-istry and state govern-ments should support themfinancially by bringing in ascheme for funding tech-nology upgradation, coun-selling and training forboth the Medical DevicesRules 2017 (India’s newrules for medical devices)as well as global regula-tions, especially those ofthe United States andEurope, and the certifica-tion costs.

What about strict qualitynorms for domestic sales?

No doubt, we can’t affordto risk our reputation inthe export market by send-ing out products whichdon’t meet internationalquality norms. The cau-tionary note struck by theDGFT is welcome. But it isequally important toensure that Indian doctors,health workers and ordi-nary citizens are not at riskthrough use of low-qualityprotective wear, sanitisers,etc.

“Prof. Arvind Baronia,head of critical care,Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute ofMedical Sciences,

Lucknow, said the facilityreturned 60-70 per cent ofthe PPEs supplied. It is dif-ficult to spend even a fewminutes in those madefrom cheap non-woven fab-ric with polyethylene lami-nation…” a recent reportin the Indian Expressnoted.

Established manufactur-ers of infection-preventionclothing say that a regula-tory mechanism must be inplace for purchases byhealthcare establishmentsto check the practice ofbuying substandard prod-ucts. Hospitals should notbecome amplifers of infec-tion.

Last year, the Niti Aayog,the government’s thinktank, proposed bringing allmedical devices under oneregulatory regime in aphased manner and to havea separate Medical DevicesAdministration with fourdivisions. That plan is yetto materialise.

Arguably, low quality inprotective wear is not justan Indian problem. Lastmonth, Doctors WithoutBorders, which won theNobel Prize in 1999, pub-licly urged for better regu-lation to ensure that per-sonal protective equipmentis distributed in an equi-table and transparent man-ner during the ongoingcoronavirus pandemic.

“The market for personalprotective equipment isdominated by a lack oftransparency about what isbeing produced and where,its quality, the amount instock, and how they areallocated,” said MSF’sThierry Allafort-Duverger.

The bottomline is thatregulation can’t be a cussword if PPE makers inIndia wish to nurture a rep-utation for quality and pluginto global supply chains.The global PPE industry isexpected to touch $92.5 bil-lion by 2025. There may bea ready market for protec-tive wear.

But to get a juicy slice ofthat, Atmanirbharta and“Make in India” must meetits quality challenge athome as well as abroad.

The writer focuses on devel-opment issues in India and

emerging economies. Shecan be reached at

patralekha.chatterjee@gmail.com.

LETTERSMISPLACEDSYMPATHYA few months ago, Nalini,one of the convicts in theRajiv Gandhi assassinationcase, had gone on fast forrelease of all seven convicts.She was also peeved whenshe was not allowed to makevideo calls to Sri Lanka.Now she has reportedlythreatened to end her lifefollowing a quarrel with thejailor (Nalini threatened tocommit suicide, July 22). Allthese problems could havebeen avoided had we stuckto the original court verdictof death sentence to theconvicts, instead of commut-ing it to life imprisonment.Today, nobody talks aboutAfzal Guru or Ajmal Kasab.If they were to undergo lifeimprisonment, as opposedto death by hanging, leadersof some political outfitswould be now clamouringfor their early release ongrounds of their ‘goodbehaviour’ in jail.

P.G. MenonChennai

Subhani

PatralekhaChatterjee

A quality challenge for‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’

The banality and horror of crime against women in UP came onceagain to fore when a journalist was shot for reporting the sexualharassment of his niece to police. Vikram Joshi, who worked with a

Hindi newspaper, had filed an in-person molestation complaint on behalfof his relative on June 16 but even after he followed it up with postal mail,no action was taken. Nine people have been arrested after his death. Theruling party is at it now, trying to add communal colour to the tragedy.

The promise was of ramraj, epistemically problematic but putativelyassuring rule of law and peace. When the incumbent chief minister, YogiAdityanath, took over the reins from his predecessor in 2017, it was expect-ed that he would bring down the crime graph in Uttar Pradesh. Law andorder had deteriorated under his predecessor who nonetheless boosteddevelopment. It turned out to be a false hope. It appears that the CM onlybelieves in encounter raj; his casually brutal, inherently misogynist andtrigger-happy force groomed to look the other way in the face of the mostdreadful atrocity but quickly bump off the odd don fallen out of politicalfavour. Law is forever the first casualty, and it is ones who are politicallyweakest, dalit, women or Muslim, who are at the receiving end. OnWednesday, too, a woman, who immolated herself in front of MrAdityanath's office over police inaction in a land dispute case in Amethi,died. Her daughter who accompanied her in the gesture is struggling.

With medieval notions of honour circumscribing lives of Indian womenand making them soft targets of sexual crime, sexism and gendered hate,any outrage often perpetuates a sick and pervasive reality. But there arebreakthroughs. Rape survivors have reclaimed their identities and goneto court. Nevertheless, the price they are being forced to pay is too steep.Remember the Unnao rape cases? It seems the bodies must pile up beforethe administration is nudged to sit up and take note.

Economic development of anycountry starts and ends with con-sumers. This stands true if we go

by the present carnage of the Indianeconomy, which went into further dol-drums because of the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns.

The central government took almostone year to notify the new consumerprotection law. It was notified on July 20.

Consumerism is traceable toEcclesiastes 5:11 of the Old Testament inwhich it was said, “When possessionsincrease, so does the number of con-sumers, therefore what good are theyto their owners, except to look atthem?” The modern consumer organi-sations sprung up in Denmark in 1947and Great Britain in 1955, which led tocreation of Consumer Councils to fightagainst unscrupulous producers andtraders, but actual “consumerism”started in the United States, thanks toleaders like Ralph Nader.

The turning point, however, came onMarch 15, 1962, when the then USPresident, John F. Kennedy, addressedthe US Congress, emphasising that, “Ifa consumer is offered inferior prod-ucts, if prices are exorbitant, if drugs

are unsafe or worthless, if the con-sumer is unable to choose on aninformed basis, then his dollar is wast-ed, his health and safety may be threat-ened and national interest suffers.”Then, he extolled four basic consumerrights — the right to safety, right to beinformed, right to choose, and right tobe heard. On April 16, 1985, the UnitedNations General Assembly passed aresolution containing the UnitedNations Guidelines for ConsumerProtection, recognising more con-sumer rights — the right to satisfactionof basic needs, the right to redress, theright to consumer education, and theright to healthy environment.

The Indian Parliament enacted theConsumer Protection Act in 1986 con-taining 31 sections and bestowing sixconsumer rights — the right to protec-tion against hazardous goods and ser-vices, the right to be informed, theright to access to a variety of goods, theright to be heard, the right to getredressal and the right to consumereducation. To enforce these rights, thelaw provided for establishment ofConsumer Councils and a three-tierredressal mechanism at the district,state and national levels. In all fairness,

this law worked successfully, with theaid of the judiciary, to a large extent.

For providing more effective protec-tion of consumers, the Union govern-ment enacted the new legislation in2019 consisting of 107 provisions. Thecardinal principles of speedy, inexpen-sive and informal justice appear tohave been whittled down by the newlegislation, notified recently.

Besides introduction of new conceptslike product liability, protectionagainst unfair trade practices in e-com-merce and punishment for misleadingadvertisements, the new law envisagesestablishment of Consumer ProtectionCouncils at central, state and districtlevel to render advice on the protectionof consumer rights. The new law alsomandates formation of a CentralConsumer Protection Authority withextensive powers to investigate,penalise or refer to the ConsumerRedressal Commissions, complaintsagainst any trader for violating con-sumer rights, adopting unfair tradepractices or publishing misleadingadvertisements.

The new law also stipulates establish-ment of Consumer Disputes RedressalCommission in each district for redres-

sal of consumer disputes, where thevalue of goods or services is up to `1crore. Similarly, the law also stipulatesestablishment of State ConsumerDisputes Redressal Commissions toredress complaints valued between `1crore to `10 crores and to decideappeals from the decisions of districtcommissions. The National ConsumerDisputes Commission has the originaljurisdiction to decide cases where thevalue of goods or services exceeds `10crores and to decide appeals from thedecision of state commissions.

The unique provision in the new lawis the establishment of the consumermediation cells to be attached to eachdistrict, state and national commissionfor settlement of disputes throughmediation, which is welcome.

However, the provisions relating toCCPA, supposed to be a superhero inconsumer protection, direct selling,director general, e-commerce and pun-ishment provision for false or mislead-ing advertisements, and so on, are yetto be notified. This non-enforcementcould be because of the pressure fromthe industry, a large number of provi-sions in the new law and also becauseof concurrent rule-making power in

multiple authorities. The consumercannot be a king in the real sense ifthese provisions are not implemented.

Lamentably, the consumer affairsdepartment is still tied up with the foodand public distribution department,which factor does not permit theauthorities to have a determined focusto safeguard various rights of con-sumers. A dedicated consumer affairsministry is the need of the hour.Further in the age of false advertise-ments, penal provisions relating tothese have to installed at the earliest.

Consumers International, a well-known international NGO, gave thetheme “sustainable consumerism” tothis year’s World Consumer Day,envisaging “usage of products and ser-vices that have a minimal impact onthe environment so that future genera-tions can meet their needs”. If we useproducts and services having lessimpact on the environment, futuregenerations might be safeguarded fromdeadly pandemics like Covid-19.

Dr G.B. Reddy is a professor atUniversity College of Law, Osmania

University. Akash Kumar Baglekaris a student at the same college.

G.B. Reddy andAkash Baglekar

CENSORSHIPAPROPOS REPORT Pandemic cen-sorship: Artist ‘seals’ tongue in 30-daystir (July 21). The above had hap-pened in China, a totalitarian state.Had he opened his mouth and loudlyprotested like Indian politicians hewould have been deported to someobscure place or even eliminatedphysically. Imagine our loose can-non and motor mouth netas accus-tomed to talking through their hats,were to seal or shut their mouths like‘Mr Brother Nut’. Peace would thenreign in India. Let us hope our politi-cians maintain stoic silence orprotest by waving black flags with-out creating law and order problems.

A .Seshagiri RaoChennai

REOPENING OFSCHOOLSA MAJORITY of the states andUnion territories are non-committalabout reopening educational institu-tions. Closure of schools has put mil-lions of school children from poorand marginalised communities nowat the risk of being afflicted with mal-nourishment and starvation withfree noon- meal scheme coming to ahalt in several states.

M. JeyaramSholavandan

Jungle raj in UP

Dev 360

23 JULY 2020

DECCAN CHRONICLE

ADITYA SINHA K. SUDHAKAREditor Printer & Publisher

R. MOHANResident Editor

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Lenders may bypass IBC and sell to funds

Soon, AIFs can buybad loans directly

pg 7THURSDAY | 23 JULY 2020 | CHENNAI

SANGEETHA GCHENNAI, JULY 22

Gold prices on the MultiCommodity Exchangehave breached Rs 50,000mark, touching a newrecord high even as goldin the Delhi spot marketmoved up above Rs51,000. Silver made aneight-year high of Rs62,200 in the futures mar-ket as the internationalrates continued theirbull-run amidst a weak-ening US dollar.

In the domestic futuresmarket, gold made afresh high of Rs 50,085per 10 gm and in theDelhi spot market, 24carat gold was trading atRs 51,650, gaining morethan Rs 1,700 from theprevious close.

While silver went aboveRs 62,000 in the futuresmarket, it was trading ata discount at Rs 60,700per kg in the spot market.

Both gold and silverhave been moving up forthe past several sessionsas bullion continued itsbull-run in the interna-tional market.

On Wednesday, gold wasseen touching $1,861 perounce, a level last seen in2012. Silver at $23 anounce too was trading ateight-year high levels.Bullion has been gainingfrom the weakness of theUS dollar, with which ithas an inverse correla-tion. The dollar index wasseen at a three-month lowof 95 and has seen weak-ening for the past oneweek, said Ajay Kedia,MD, Kedia Commodities.

The new stimulusannounced by the Euro-pean Union has raisedconcerns about econom-ic risks and fuelled antic-ipation of similar stimu-lus in the US.

“US lawmakers could

soon agree on a new stim-ulus package, as extend-ed unemployment aid formillions of Americanswill expire at month-end.Republicans are in talksto provide additional $1trillion, Democrats aretalking of even a biggerone close to $3 trillion,”said Sriram Iyer, seniorresearch analyst atReliance Securities.

Prices also found sup-port amidst escalation oftensions between the USand China. Besides,Covid-related uncertain-ties have not eased yet.

Analysts say though thefundamentals are stillstrong for the bullion,technical correction cancreate volatility.

“Inves-tors have to becautious at this time asthere could be correc-tions due to profit-book-ing. Gold has the poten-tial to move towards$1,880 and to all-timehigh of $1,920 in thefuture. In the Indian mar-ket, depending upon thetrajectory of rupee, goldcan move up to Rs 54,000-55,000 levels,” said Kedia.

ASHWIN J PUNNENMUMBAI, JULY 22

The Securities andExchanges Board of India(Sebi) may soon allowAlternative InvestmentFunds (AIFs) to directlypurchase stressed loansfrom the lenders to helpimprove liquidity for thepandemic-hit financialservices sector.

Speaking at the FicciCapital Market summit onWednesday, Sebi chairmanAjay Tyagi said, "We hadinitiated a proposal forallowing AIFs to directlypurchase the stressedloans from the lenders."

He said the RBI hasrecently issued a consulta-tion paper on permittingpurchase of stressed loansby a wide set of entities. "Ifallowed, the AIFs would beable to buy out stressedloans of banks and NBFCs,thereby, releasing theirlocked capital," he said.

Due to the suspension ofInsolvency and Bankrup-tcy Code (IBC) provisionsfor six months, the compa-nies and the lenders areunable to utilise the IBCframework for resolution.

To help such stressedcompanies to raise capitalthrough preferential allot-ment, the Sebi has relaxedthe pricing methodologyfor issues and exemptedallottees from open offerobligations.

These relaxed norms canbe used for restructuringstressed companies with-out going through the IBCprocess, he said.

Further, the Sebi hascome out with several

relaxations to facilitatefundraising by the corpo-rates during these times.

These relaxations relate

to rights issue, follow-onoffer, qualified institution-al placements, creepingacquisition of shares bypromoters and easier pric-ing framework for allot-ment of shares throughpreferential issue, headded.

According to him, manycorporates have alreadyused or are in the processof using these relaxationsto raise funds to meet theirrequirements.

Tyagi mentioned aboutthe challenges faced bycorporates because of theunprecedented pandemic,adding that the Covid-19situation has pushed manycompanies into stress andworsened it for alreadystressed companies andsuch firms are finding itdifficult to raise fundsfrom the market.

He said funds raised dur-ing Q1FY21 were Rs 2.77lakh crore as compared toRs 2.94 lakh crore duringQ1FY20. For equitymopup. the comparisonbetween the two periodswas Rs 0.67 lakh crore ver-sus Rs 1.28 lakh crore. Fordebt, it was Rs 2.1 lakhcrore versus Rs 1.67 lakhcrore.

"Thus the overall situa-tion is not all that bad,especially considering thatfund raising this yearstarted only from Mayonwards. There is no causefor despair," he said.

Tyagi said that overseaslisting of companies willdepend on two crucial poli-cy interventions, on theForeign Exchange Mana-gement Act and on theIncome Tax Act.

Mumbai, July 22:While the US remainsthe favourite destinationfor Indians looking forjobs overseas, there hasbeen a substantial fall inthe number of searcheslooking for employmentopportunities in Amer-ica, a report by job por-tal Indeed has said.

According to theIndeed data, job search-es for the USA fell to 42per cent in June 2020from a high of 58 percent in January 2019.However, the USremained the favouritedestination for Indianslooking at jobs abroad,the global agency noted.

The downward trendpredates impacts of theCovid-19 pandemic andcorresponds with uncer-tainty around and tight-ening of the US immi-gration policy, it added.

The data for this reportis compiled and analy-sed from job searches onthe Indeed platform.

Indian job seekersremained keen toexplore work opportuni-ties across the globe,making up a significantfraction of thoseemployed in various sec-tors such as technology,administration andmanagement, sales andconsumer marketing,among others interna-tionally, the report said.

Over the same period,there was a rise insearches for these rolesin Canada, the UAE, theUnited Kingdom,Singapore, Australiaand Qatar, it added.

—PTI

Indian jobseekers losinginterest in USopportunities

July 22: Royal Philips NVhas reached out to Chineserivals to gauge their inter-est in acquiring its homeappliance unit, whichcould fetch as much as $4billion, people with knowl-edge of the matter said.

The Amsterdam-basedcompany has approachedfellow white goods manu-facturers Haier GroupCorp and Midea Group Coahead of a formal sale

process expected to start inthe fourth quarter, the peo-ple said, asking not to beidentified as the informa-tion is private.

Philips is contactingTurkish household appli-ance makers Arcelik ASand Vestel as well to testtheir appetite for a deal,one of the people said.Buyout firms BlackstoneGroup Inc, CVC CapitalPartners and KKR & Co are

also expected to study thebusiness when the salekicks off, according to thepeople.

Philips said in January itplans to sell its home appli-ances unit, which gener-ates revenue of 2.3 billioneuros ($2.6 billion). The dis-posal forms part of CEOFrans van Houten's effortsto revamp Philips into afocused health-care equip-ment maker. —Bloomberg

Sebi chairman AjayTyagi said retail partic-ipation in the equitymarket has increasedsince the lockdown andnew demat accountshave shot up, as severalparticipants were firsttime investors. To facili-tate a smooth entry ofthese newcomers to thecapital markets, Tyagisaid it would be idealthat they begin theirjourney by first invest-ing in risk-free govern-ment securities (G-Secs). To achieve this,he suggested that G-Secs be issued in thedemat form.

Ajay Tyagi

Philips looks for buyers of appliances business

quickBITES

INDICATORS %Sensex 37,871.52 -0.16Nifty 50 11,132.60 -0.27S&P 500* 3,266.82 0.29Dollar (`) 74.76 -0.01Pound Sterling (`) 94.58 0.26Euro (`) 86.10 -0.77Gold (10gm)* (`) 50,920▲430 0.84Brent crude ($/bbl)* 44.17 -0.15IN 10-Yr bond yield 5.814 -0.015US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 0.587 -0.020

* As of 9:30 PM IST

L&T profit drops68% to `537 cr,income falls 27%Larsen & Toubro posted 68.37per cent decline in consolidatednet profit to Rs 536.88 crore forthe first quarter against Rs 1,697.62 crore in the year-ago quarter.Total income fell 27.19 per centto Rs 22,037.37 crore from Rs30,270.94 crore. Total expensesfell to Rs 21,367.63 crore from Rs 27,615.71 crore. "The Group'soperations and financial resultsfor the quarter have been veryadversely impacted by the lock-down,” the company said.

‘NEWCOMERSSHOULD STARTWITH G-SECS’

Gold breaches `50,000 onMCX, `51K in Delhi spot

WORLDIN BRIEF

7.8 quake hitsAlaska seas

Anchorage: A powerful 7.8earthquake has struck the Al-aska Peninsula and a tsunamiwarning has been issued. Ac-cording to the US Geological

Survey, the 7.8 magnitudequake struck Tuesday at abo-ut 11:12 p.m. PST. It had a de-pth of 6 miles and was cent-

red 60 miles south-southeastof Perryville, Alaska. Early

Wednesday, the Pacific Tsun-ami Warning Center said the

tsunami warning that was iss-ued for South Alaska, the Al-

aska Peninsula and the Aleut-ian Islands had been cancel-led. A tsunami advisory wascancelled Tuesday evening.

Two Egyptiantroops killed

Cairo: The Egyptian armedforces said an Islamic militantattack in northern Sinai killedtwo of its troops and wound-

ed four others on Tuesday.The statement said the milit-ary thwarted the assault on asecurity checkpoint in the re-stive northern part of the Si-nai Peninsula, near the smalltown of Bir al-Abd. Egyptianarmed forces, backed by air-

power, killed 18 suspectedIslamic militants, one wearingan explosive belt, it said. Themilitary also said it destroyedfour vehicles, including threecar bombs. The official state-

ment provided scant detailon the scale of the attack.

Nobel Foundation cancels banquet

Stockholm: The Nobel Found-ation, which manages the pre-

stigious Nobel Prizes, says ithas cancelled the traditional

December banquet at the St-ockholm City Hall due to the

Coronavirus. Lars Heikensten,CEO of the Nobel Foundation,said it is not possible to gath-er up to 1,300 banquet guests

and let them sit next to eachother amid the Covid-19 cur-

bs. He said the pandemic alsomakes it uncertain whether

winners can travel to Sweden.The foundation said it was notcompletely clear yet how andin what form the ceremonies

will take place. The NobelPeace Prize is announced in

Oslo, Norway.

US orders Beijingto shut consulateCyber espionage hint; China warns retaliationBeijing/Houston, July22: China and the USwere headed for a majordiplomatic confrontationas Washington on Wedne-sday ordered the closureof the Chinese consulatein Houston, a move it saidwas aimed “to protectAmerican intellectual pr-operty and private infor-mation”, hinting at cyberespionage. Reacting stro-ngly to the move, ChineseForeign Ministry spokes-man Wang Wenbin term-ed it as an “unpreceden-ted escalation” and warn-ed retaliatory measures.

“China demands the USrevoke the wrong decisi-on. If the US went ahead,China would take neces-sary countermeasures,”he warned. Wang alsosaid the Chinese embassyand consulates in the UShad received both explo-sives and death threatsrecently. Earlier, the USState Department in abrief statement said “wehave directed the closureof PRC [People’s Republicof China] Consulate Gen-eral Houston, in order toprotect American intel-

lectual property and Ame-rican’s private informa-tion.” State Departmentspokeswoman MorganOrtagus said the US “willnot tolerate the PRC’s vio-lations of our sovereigntyand intimidation of ourpeople, just as we have nottolerated the PRC’s unfairtrade practices, theft ofAmerican jobs, and otheregregious behaviour”.

Ortagus also pointed tothe Vienna Convention,under which states “havea duty not to interfere inthe internal affairs” of ahost country. The consul-ate in Houston, Texas, isone of five in the US, notcounting the embassy inWashington DC. It isunclear why this one wassingled out. The US movefollowed the AmericanJustice Department’s cla-im that hackers workingwith the Chinese govern-ment targeted firms dev-eloping vaccines for theCoronavirus and stolehundreds of millions ofdollars worth of intellec-tual property and tradesecrets from companiesacross the world.

Both the US and Chinawere locked in a politicaland strategic conflict inrecent months on a host ofissues, including the ori-gin of the Coronavirus,China’s decision to imple-ment its national securitylaw in Hong Kong anddeepening trade frictions.Beijing apparently is loo-king at options to orderthe closure of the US Con-sulate in Wuhan or inHong Kong, where the Ch-inese officials had accu-sed the US of backing theanti-China protests.

Earlier, the ChineseForeign Ministry said in astatement that on July 21,the US abruptly demand-ed that China’s ConsulateGeneral in Houston ceaseall operations and events.“It is a political provoca-tion unilaterally launc-hed by the US side, whichseriously violates intern-ational law, basic normsgoverning internationalrelations and the bilateralconsular agreement betw-een China and the US.China strongly condemnssuch an outrageous move,” it said. — PTI

Washington, July 22:The price tag for the nextCovid-19 aid packagecould quickly swell above$1 trillion as White Houseofficials negotiate withCongress over money toreopen schools, prop upsmall businesses, boostvirus testing and keepcash flowing to Ameri-cans while the virus cri-sis deepens.

Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell onTuesday promised a newround of direct paymentsto earners below a certain

income level, similar tothe $1,200 checks sent inthe spring. PresidentDonald Trump insists ona payroll tax holiday forworkers. And Democratswant billions to outfitschools and shore up localgovernments.

“Regretfully, this is notover,” McConnell saidafter a raucous privateGOP lunch, urging Ame-ricans to learn to livewith the virus by wearingmasks and practicingsocial distancing until avaccine is found.

Virus aid deal mayswell past $1 tn

Chicago, July 22: Fifteenpeople were injured, oneperson was being questi-oned and multiple suspe-cts were being soughtafter gunfire erupted out-side a funeral home onChicago’s South Sidewhere at least one squadcar was present, policesaid. First Deputy Supe-rintendent Eric Cartersaid mourners outside afuneral home in theGresham neighbourhoodwere fired upon Tuesdayfrom a passing vehicle.

Carter said several tar-gets of the shooting retur-ned fire. The vehicle latercrashed and the occupa-nts fled in several direc-tions. Carter said all thevictims were adults. Aperson of interest was

being questioned Tuesdaynight but no arrests hadbeen made, said policespokesman Hector Alfaro.The shooting comes as theDepartment of HomelandSecurity is planning todeploy dozens of federalagents to Chicago to dealwith an uptick in violentcrime in the city.

Most victims were takenby the Chicago Fire Depa-

rtment to nearby hospi-tals in serious condition,said spokesman LarryLangford. They include 10women from the ages of 21and 65, including one ofwhom was shot in thechest, police said. The 65-year-old was treated at thescene. Other victimsinclude a man who wasshot in the chest, arm andforearm, and two men, 32and 22, who were shot in ahand, police said.

Police said the shootinghappened at or near thesite of a funeral or post-funeral event for a manfatally shot last week inthe Englewood neighbour-hood. Arnita Geder andKenneth Hughes said theyheard gunshots while intheir home. — AP

Shooting outside Chicagofuneral home: 15 injured

Colombo, July 22: Thewife of one of the suicidebombers belonging to alocal extremist group thatcarried out the Easter Su-nday bombings in Sri Lan-ka killing nearly 260 peo-ple may have fled to Indiato avoid arrest, accordingto a media report.

On April 21, 2019, ninesuicide bombers belong-ing to the local Islamistextremist group NationalThawheed Jamaat (NTJ)linked to ISIS carried outa series of blasts that torethrough three churchesand as many luxury hotelsin Sri Lanka, killing 258

people, including 11 India-ns, and injuring over 500on the Easter Sunday.

Sri Lankan police havearrested over 200 suspectsin connection with thebombings. According tothe English languagedaily The Island, a probepanel has been told thatPulasthini Rajendran ali-as Sarah, the wife of Ach-chi Mohammdu Moham-madu Hasthun, the suic-ide bomber who blew him-self up at St. Sebastian’sChurch in the westerncoastal town of Negombo,most likely had fled toIndia by the sea in Sept-

ember 2019. Chief Inspector Arjuna

Maheenkanda told thePresidential Commissionof Inquiry (PCoI) that theperson who assisted her toflee had been arrested, thereport said. The policeofficer said that in Octo-ber 2019, he was assignedto investigate the attackscarried out by the NTJ.Maheenkanda told thePCoI that on July 6, 2020,he received a tip-off froman informant that Sarah,who was in the NTJ hide-out in the immediateaftermath of the attacks,had escaped. — PTI

Easter Sunday attacker’swife may have fled to India

OHIO SPEAKER’SARREST MUDDIES2020 ELECTIONColumbus, July 22:The arrest of Ohio’sHouse speaker on feder-al bribery charges hassuddenly thrown a shad-ow over not just hispolitical future, but thatof his party, in a statewhere Republicans havebeen preparing to solidi-fy control. Federal pros-ecutors say RepublicanSpeaker Larry Househ-older and four others —including a former stateGOP chairman — perpe-trated a $60 million fed-eral bribery scheme con-nected to a taxpayer-funded bailout of Ohio’stwo nuclear power plan-ts. How many others gotcaught up in the sweep-ing probe is yet to beknown. The scope of theaccusations threatens tounfurl the GOP’s tighthold on Ohio’s govern-ing body, which is set todraw new congressionalmaps in 2021 that willdictate Ohio's represen-tation in Washington fora decade.

— AP

UK’S FRESH SPYLAWS AFTERINTEL REPORTLondon, July 22:Britain is consideringnew legislation to crackdown on the activity ofhostile governments aft-er a damning intelligen-ce committee report onRussian meddling in thenation’s politics.

The government isplanning to introducenew legislation to givesecurity services greaterpowers and is consider-ing a new law requiringpeople working onbehalf of foreign statesto formally registertheir activities.

“We are looking at add-itional powers to look atthe activities of hostilestates and that mayinclude introducing newlaws,” Transport Secret-ary Grant Shapps toldSky News on Wednesday.

●● FIRST DEPUTYSuperintendent EricCarter said mournersoutside a funeral homein the Gresham neigh-bourhood were firedupon Tuesday from apassing vehicle.

Washington, July 22: TheUS is leading the world interms of Covid-19 testingand India is second, Presi-dent Donald Trump has saidwhile warning Ame ricansthat the pandemic may “getworse before it gets better”.Over 140,000 Americanshave died due to theCoronavirus and 3.8 millionhave tested positive in thecountry. “As one family, wemourn every precious lifethat’s been lost. I pledge intheir honour that we willdevelop a vaccine and wewill defeat the virus.”— PTI

PANDEMIC MAYGET WORSE, SAYS TRUMP

Jadhav case: Pak moves court to appoint legal representativeSHAFQAT ALI | DCISLAMABAD, JULY 22

Pakistan on Wednesdayapproached IslamabadHigh Court (IHC) forappointment of legal rep-resentative for Indian spyand agent of intelligenceagency Research andAnalysis Wing (RAW)

Kulbhushan Jadhav.The federation through

defence secretary andjudge advocate generalbranch General Head-quarters has been madeparty in the plea.

The petition stated thatKulbhushan Jadhav, whowas involved in severalterrorist activities in

Pakistan, has refused tofile plea against his sen-tence.

The agent cannotappoint lawyer in Paki-stan without assistancefrom India, it read.

The government sidehas filed the petitionunder the PresidentialOrdinance.

Printed & Published by K Sudhakar on behalf of Deccan

Chronicle Holdings Limited. Printed &Published at Deccan Chronicle Presses

situated at SP-3 Developed Plot,Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai.

Editor: T.Venkatram Reddy, RNI Reg.No. TNENG/2008/25473 Air surcharge Re1. © All rights reserved. Reproduction in

whole or in part without written per-mission of The Editor, Financial

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GAMES pg 8DECCAN CHRONICLE | CHENNAI | THURSDAY | 23 JULY 2020

Sterling nets brace as Manchester blank WatfordWatford, July 22: As theball rolled past him andManchester City’s scoreracked up, goalkeeper BenFoster increasingly fearedfor Watford’s PremierLeague survival.

Taking points off Citywas always going to be atough task but collapsingto a 0-4 loss to the PremierLeague runners-up alsowiped out Watford’s goal-difference advantage overrelegation rivals onTuesday.

A 1-0 win for Aston Villaover Arsenal hours laterdropped Watford into thebottom three, because ofits inferior goal differenceto Villa.

It wasn’t even lifted byWatford’s last desperateroll of the dice firing itsthird manager of the sea-son. Hayden Mullins waspromoted for a secondtemporary stint in chargeafter the ousting of NigelPearson for the finalmatches against City andArsenal on Sunday.

City winger RaheemSterling left VicarageRoad with a welcomerecord of his own. A first-half double a half-volleyand a follow-up after hav-ing a penalty saved tookhis season’s goal tally to apersonal high of 19.

Sterling set up the thirdwhen his close-range shotwas saved by FosterWatford’s star performerand Phil Foden tappedinto an empty net in the63rd minute.

Aston Villa climbed outof the Premier League’srelegation zone with onematch to play after beat-ing Arsenal 1-0.

Trezeguet netted thewinning goal in the 27thminute on Tuesday asVilla moved aboveWatford on goal differenceand out of the bottomthree for the first timesince February.

It set up a dramaticfinale on Sunday, withVilla, Watford andBournemouth locked in athree-way fight againstthe drop. — Agencies

New Delhi, July 22: In amassive jolt to India’sOlympic preparations, theWorld Anti-Doping Agency(WADA) has extended thesuspension of the coun-try’s National DopeTesting Laboratory(NDTL) by another sixmonths citing non-confor-mation to internationalstandards.

The WADA first suspend-ed NDTL in August lastyear for a period of sixmonths. A fresh round ofinspection by the worldbody, much to the embar-rassment of country’ssporting establishment,showed that non-conformi-ties still existed.

“The World Anti-DopingAgency has suspended theaccreditation of theNational Dope TestingLaboratory in New Delhi,India, for a second periodof up to six months,”WADA said in a statement.

The suspension prohibitsthe NDTL from carryingout any anti-doping activi-ties, including all analysesof urine and blood sam-ples.

The laboratory’s non-con-formities pertain to theInternational Standard forLaboratories (ISL) identi-fied during a WADA sitevisit, including the labora-tory’s isotope ratio massspectrometry — the analyt-

ical technique of choice forconfirmation of prohibitedsubstances.

Sports minister KirenRijiju said that technicalproblems are beingaddressed as the first sus-pension notice was servedbefore he took over theNDTL chairmanship.

“WADA served suspen-sion notice before I tookover as Chairman ofNational Dope TestingLaboratory. The rules ofrevoking it’s accreditationafter six months suspen-sion is avoided by extend-ing the suspension periodbecause all technical prob-lems are being addressedno,” Rijiju tweeted.

Currently, urine samplescollected by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)are being sent primarily tothe WADA-accredited labin Doha. — PTI

Tokyo, July 22: Thedelayed Tokyo Olympicscould not be held next yearif conditions surroundingthe Coronavirus pandemiccontinue as they are, thepresident of the organis-ing committee saidWednesday.

In an interview withJapanese broadcasterNHK, Yoshiro Mori said hewas hopeful the situationwould improve and sug-gested a vaccine was thekey.

“If this kind of situation(with Covid-19) continues,is it possible to hold thegames?” Mori was askedby NHK.

“If current situation con-tinues, we couldn’t,” Morireplied, speaking inJapanese.

The Tokyo Olympics arescheduled to open on July23, 2021 a year fromThursday. A small, 15-minute ceremony withoutfans is scheduled forThursday at the newnational stadium to markthe date.

The International

Olympic Committee andJapanese organisers haverepeatedly expressed confi-dence the games will takeplace, though they haveoffered few details on howthey can happen in themiddle of a pandemic.

The IOC and organisershave also said theOlympics will not be post-poned again and would becanceled. Researchers havesaid a vaccine could be six-to-nine months away,which Mori said was thekey. Some, however, ques-tion if young athletesshould be a priority, and ifall would agree to be vacci-nated. — AP

New Delhi, July 22: TheSupreme Court onWednesday said it wouldhear after two weeks theapplications which haveraised issues relating tothe Board of Control forCricket in India (BCCI).

The matter came up forhearing before a benchcomprising Chief JusticeS. A. Bobde and Justice L.Nageswara Rao.

The advocates appearingfor cricket associations ofTamil Nadu andHimachal Pradesh toldthe bench that they havefiled applications in thematter and they should belisted for hearing.

“I am appearing forTamil Nadu CricketAssociation. We have filedan IA which is not listedtoday. So, kindly directthat our IA be listed forhearing in the court,” sen-ior advocate Kapil Sibal,appearing for Tamil Nadu

Cricket Association, toldthe bench.

Senior advocate HarishSalve, appearing forHimachal PradeshCricket Association, alsosaid that application filedhas not been listed.

Recently, theComptroller and AuditorGeneral (CAG) has alsomoved the top court seek-ing modification of its2016 order and to enable itto annually or bienniallyundertake financial, com-pliance and performanceaudit of the BCCI andstate cricket associations.

The CAG, in its applica-tion, has sought modifica-tion of the July 18, 2016order by which the apexcourt had accepted therecommendations ofJustice R. M. Lodha com-mittee, including the oneregarding inclusion of anominee of the CAG inthe apex council. — PTI

Milan, July 22: LuisMuriel came off the benchto score the only goal asAtalanta beat Bologna 1-0in a fiery Italian leagueclash on Tuesday to moveback second behind lead-ers Juventus.

Muriel struck just afteran hour as Atalantaextended their unbeatenrun to 15 games to movesix points behindJuventus, and two aheadof third-placed InterMilan.

Swedish star ZlatanIbrahimovic turned backthe clock with a double asAC Milan beat 10-manSassuolo 2-1 to move fifthahead of Roma and Napoliand into the EuropaLeague berths.

Atalanta had won sixsuccessive games sincethe league resumed afterthe coronavirus lockdownbefore drawing 2-2 withJuventus, and were held 1-1 at Verona last time out.

The Bergamo side have74 points this season withthree games to play, over-

taking their previous besthaul of 72 during the 2016-17 season.

Atalanta coach GianPiero Gasperini was ban-ished from the sidelines

after a spat with counter-part Sinisa Mihajlovicbefore the break, with theBologna boss receiving ayellow card.

It was the second red

card in recent weeks forGasperini who has beenshowing signs of frayednerves before his sidemeet Paris Saint-Germainin the Champions Leaguelast eight next month.

Bologna, in tenth, bat-tled after their 5-1 defeatagainst AC Milan lasttime out with MusaBarrow missing a doublechance against his parentside.

Muriel came off thebench after the break andpicked up a cross from fel-low Colombian DuvanZapata to score his 18thgoal this season and 11thoff the bench. — AFP

Japan not sure ofhosting Olympics

BCCI’s pleas tobe heard later

New Delhi, July 22:Former ICC elite-levelumpire Daryl Harperlooks back at his contro-versial decision againstSachin Tendulkar in the1999 Adelaide Test “every-day of my life”.

A bouncer fromAustralian pace spear-head Glenn McGrath hadTendulkar ducking andthe ball hit him on hisshoulders. Officiating inthe game, umpire Harperdeemed it as LBW and, toIndia’s surprise, raisedhis finger, igniting adebate.

Recalling the controver-sial decision, Harper saidhe still thinks about thatdismissal even after 20years and stands by thecall he made that day.

“I look back on thatTendulkar decision everyday of my life. It’s not thatI sleep badly or havenightmares and replays

dancing through mybrain. When I walkthrough my garage I amconfronted by a huge can-vas print of Sachin andGlenn McGrath, takenmomentarily after the ballmade contact,” Harpertold Asianet Newsable.

“You may be disappoint-ed to know that I’m stillextremely proud of thatdecision because I consid-ered the action before meand applied the law with-out fear or favour,” headded.

— PTI

New Delhi, July 22: AnilKumble does not regrethis time as head coach ofthe Indian cricket teambut says the ending of histenure could have beenbetter.

The 49-year-old steppeddown after theChampions Trophy in2017 following a rift withskipper Virat Kohli.

“We did really well inthat one year period. I wasreally happy that therewere some contributions

made and there are noregrets. I was happy mov-ing on from there as well,”Kumble told ex-Zimbabwean cricketerPommie Mbangwa in anonline session.

“I know the end couldhave been better but thenthat’s fine. As a coach, yourealise, when it’s time tomove on, it’s the coachwho needs to move on. Iwas really happy I playeda significant role in thatone year,” he added.

Kumble had a successfulone-year stint as Indiacoach with the teamreaching the ChampionsTrophy final in 2017 andalso becoming a dominantTest side, losing just oneout of 17 Tests during histenure.

“I was very happy that Itook up that role (Indiacoach). It was great, theone year I spent with theIndian team was reallyfantastic,” said Kumble.

— PTI

Wada extendsIndian lab ban

Umpire Harper standsby Sachin LBW verdict

Kumble has no regretsfrom his coaching days

SHORT

CHAMP MARC’SRETURN STILL

UNCERTAIN

TAKES

Anand goes downin Legends event

Dates for archeryWorlds are out

Srabani competesin Jamaica meet

CChheennnnaaii:: Former world champi-on Viswanathan Anand went

down 1.5-2.5 to Russia’s PeterSvidler in the opening round ofthe $150,000 Legends of Chess

tournament.The Indian ace, making hismaiden appearance on the

Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour,drew the first three games of

the best-of-four contest beforelosing the final game on

Tuesday.Anand, who is back in action

after having last participated inthe Online Nations Cup in May,

was tied with Svidler at 1.5points each but faltered in the

fourth and final game.The two played out three

close games before Svidlerpipped the Indian for the

important win.Meanwhile, Indian

Grandmaster P. Harikrishnabegan his campaign in the

Classical event of the 53rd BielInternational Chess Festival in

Switzerland with a draw onTuesday.

The world No.26 Indian (Elo2719) drew with veteran

England player Michael Adamsin 46 moves. — PTI

LLaauussaannnnee:: The World Archeryhas announced provisional

dates and venues for the 2021World Cup stages and for the

World Championships.The World Championships willbe held in Yankton, USA fromSeptember 19 to 26, while theWorld Cup stages will start onApril 19 in Guatamela City, thesport’s global governing body

announced on Monday.The other two stages of the

World Cup will be held inShanghai and Paris from May 17to 23 and June 22 to 27 respec-

tively. The final is slated forSeptember-October next year.

Seasons that run in the sameyear as Olympic Games are tra-

ditionally shortened from fourto three stages.

“The final qualification tourna-ment for Tokyo was initially

scheduled to be held in Berlinin June 2020. However, follow-

ing the one-year delay of theGames, it has been replaced byParis,” World Archery said in a

release. — PTI

KKiinnggssttoonn:: Ace sprinter SrabaniNanda has become the first

Indian track and field athlete toparticipate in a competition

amid the Covid-19 pandemic,running in a meet in Jamaica

alongside some of the world’sbest.

The 29-year-old Nanda com-peted in the 100m race at the

Velocity Fest meeting atJamaica College on Sunday,representing the MVP Track

club. She won heat two in 11.78seconds for a third-place finish

overall.Apart from Nanda, the

Velocity Fest also had doubleOlympic sprint champion Elaine

Thompson and Shelly-AnnFraser-Pryce competing.

Reigning Olympic championThompson, also representing

MVP Track Club, was the overallwinner in 11.19 seconds.

Fraser-Pryce won thewomen’s 200m in 22.74 sec-

onds. Former 100m worldchampion Yohan Blake won the

men’s 200m in 20.62s. — PTI

PPaarriiss:: Reigning MotoGP worldchampion Marc Marquez under-went a successful operation onhis arm Tuesday after crashingin the season-opening race in

Spain, but his return date isunknown.

Honda said Marquez wouldremain in a Barcelona hospital

for up to 48 hours after a titani-um plate was inserted into his

right arm during surgery.“His aim is to return to the

2020 World Championship assoon as possible with an

expected date becoming clear-er soon,” the team added.

The 27-year-old Spaniard is asix-time winner of the MotoGP

world title.

Zlatan turns on the heat for AC

Manchester, July 22: England will “consider rotat-ing” star allrounder Ben Stokes even though hispresence makes it a better team, said coach ChrisSilverwood ahead of the third and final Test againstthe West Indies beginning on Friday.

Stokes scored 176 and 78 not out in the two inningsand also took three wickets as England beat WestIndies by 113 runs in the second Test to tie the three-match series 1-1.

His performance also earned Stokes the numerouno position in the ICC all-rounder rankings, dis-placing West Indies skipper Jason Holder.

“We want him out there as much as we can; every-one can see how good he is,” Silverwood said.

“But you know what, we’re going to consider rotat-ing him. He’s been at the centre of the last couple ofgames and we’ve got to make sure he’s okay. But if heis fit and healthy, he’ll play,” he added. — PTI

ENGLAND TO CONSIDERROTATING STAR STOKES

Milan, July 22: Cristiano Ronaldo is eyeing morerecords as Juventus head for Udinese on Thursdaywith a ninth consecutive Italian league title withintheir grasp.

Ronaldo’s double against Lazio to bring his tally to51 Serie A goals since arriving in Turin in July 2018.

The 35-year-old not only became the first player toachieve a half century of goals in Italy, Spain andEngland, but was also the fastest, doing so in 61league games.

Last year the five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored21 goals in his first season in Italy, but thanks to hisbrace against Lazio he brought his tally to 30 thisterm, with four games remaining. Another goalwould see him match former Italy World Cup win-ner Felice Borel, who was the last player to score 31goals for Juventus in the 1933-34 season.

For Ronaldo the title of top scorer —‘Capocanno-niere’ — is up for grabs, as he is currently level on 30with Lazio’s Ciro Immobile. — AFP

RECORD-CHASING JUVE,CR7 HAVE TASK CUT OUT

New Delhi, July 22: The Sports Authority of India(SAI) on Wednesday extended the contract of 32 for-eign coaches in 11 disciplines till September end nextyear to ensure continuity in the training of athletestill Tokyo Olympics.

Top coaches among the 32 included Santiago Nievaand Raffaele Bergamasco in boxing, Graham Reid(men’s hockey) and Pavel Smirnov (shooting) amongothers. The contracts of many of these coaches were toend in September this year.

National football coach Igor Stimac’s contract wasalso extended although ithas nothing to do with theOlympics. He was appointed in May last year for a twoyear tenure.

Earlier this month, the Sports Ministry had said thatthe contracts of all the foreign coaches will be extend-ed till the end of September next year.

The SAI said the decision was taken to ensure thatathletes bound for Tokyo Games have continuity intheir training. — PTI

SAI STRETCHES DEALSOF 32 FOREIGN COACHES

Aston Villa’s Trezeguet (right) celebrates scoring their opening goal with teammate Jack Grealish during theirEnglish Premier League match against Arsenal at Villa Park in Birmingham on Tuesday. Aston Villa won 1-0. — AFP

Sachin Tendulkar (left) and umpire Daryl Harper in thisfile photo.

Raheem steers City���� The WADA firstsuspended NationalDope TestingLaboratory (NDTL) inAugust last year forsix months. After afresh round ofinspection the worldbody has decided toextend the ban foranother six months.

���� Swedish starZlatan Ibrahimovicturned back theclock with a doubleas AC Milan beat10-man Sassuolo 2-1 to move fifthahead of Roma andNapoli in Italy.

���� The president ofthe organisingcommittee of theTokyo Olympics,Yoshiro Mori hassaid that if thecurrent pandemicprevails, Japancannot host theOlympics next year.

FAN FRAME

Kalyan Vadlamani took this photo with former Indiancricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the OldTrafford ground in Manchester, England, ahead ofIndia’s first Twenty20 match in the series againstEngland in July 2018.

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Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited and Printed at

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Simplicity, elegance and piety – these are the watchwords of the Travancore royal family which has been serving the presiding deity of one of India’s richest temples — the Sree Padmanabhaswamy

Temple in Kerala — and managing its affairs for centuries. We speak to the scions of the royal family, who are part of a great legacy and are delighted with the Supreme Court ruling that has upheld

their right to maintain/manage the temple and the deity

GOKUL M.G

Set against the back-drop of rolling, ver-dant hills, theKowdiar Palace inThiruvananthapuram

, Kerala, stands dignified,graceful, and proudly rooted inthe land and its culture. Unlikesome Mogul-era palaces innorthern India which aremade of materials importedfrom faraway places, theornately carved beams and pil-lars of the official residence ofthe Travancore Royal Familyare made of local wood. Thetiled roofs and graceful arches

of the 86-year-old buildingexude an aura made up of afine mix of simplicity and ele-gance — mirroring theapproach to life of the lineageit shelters.

After his visit to the princelystate of Travancore, where hemet the then regent, MaharaniSethu Lakshmi Bayi in 1924, anappreciative Mahatma Gandhiwrote, in Young India maga-zine, “My visit to Her Highnesswas an agreeable surprise forme. Instead of being usheredinto the presence of an overdecorated woman sporting dia-mond pendants and necklaces,I found myself in the presenceof a modest young woman who

relied not upon jewels or gaudydresses for beauty but on herown naturally well-formed fea-tures and exactness of man-ners. Her room was as plainlyfurnished as she was dressed.Her severe simplicity becamean object of my envy.

She seemed to me an objectlesson for many a prince andmany a millionaire whose loudornamentation, ugly lookingdiamonds, rings and studs andstill more loud and almost vul-gar furniture offend the tasteand present a terrible and sadcontrast between them and themasses from whom they derivetheir wealth.”

TURN TO PAGE 2

In the service of lord Padmanabha

Reacting to the SupremeCourt verdict, AdityaVarma’s mother, one of thesenior-most members of thefamily, Princess AswathiThirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi,75, says “This historic deci-sion is a win for the millionsof devotees. All these years Ihave been praying. This isthe Lord’s will and we areobliged to follow it. We thankthe apex court and everyonewho was in it with us duringthe long-drawn court battle.”

(left) Her Highness AswathiThirunal crying with tears ofjoy after the judgement

TAKING THE LEGACY FORWARD: The Travancore royal family in mundu and neryathu (the traditional dress)

THURSDAY | 23 JULY 2020

PG3

PEECEE ALL SETFOR NOSTALGIA

ChennaiCHRONICLE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

SIMPLE, DOWN-TO-EARTHACHIEVERS

“It is the way we are brought up.Throughout history, our lineagehas been taking steps towardsmodernity — not just in our diplo-matic relations with the outsideworld, but within the family too,”says Aditya Varma, the youngestprince of the royal family. “Beinghumble and living a simple life areattitudes and approaches weinherited and we pass it on to suc-ceeding generations. People aresurprised that we still have ourmeals served on banana leaves,and we switch off lights and fanswhen we leave a room. From thecurrent head of the family, SreeMoolam Thirunal Rama Varma,who is the only nephew of the lastreigning King, to the youngestmember of the family, everyone isbrought up that way,” adds Aditya.

The Travancore Royal Familycan trace its origins to theAy/Venad family, the Cheras,Pandyas and Cholas. Founded inthe 1750s, the family ruledTravancore until they decided tojoin the Republic of India in 1949.The last ruling Maharaja of thePrincely State was Sree ChithiraThirunal Balarama Varma, whodied on 20 July, 1991.

Unlike other princely states ofIndia which follow a patriarchalsystem, the Travancore RoyalFamily espouses the matriarchalsystem, as do certain sections ofthe larger society in Kerala.Gopika Varma, wife of PrinceMarthanda Varma and a promi-nent classical dancer, says, “Ourwomen were powerful. Themoment I was married into thefamily, I felt how the matrilinealsystem that was followed empow-ered every woman in the family.Each female member of the fami-ly excels in whatever she does.Everybody around me was veryinspiring and they inspire everynew member. We, who come intothe family should be ready to bepart of that system. I was taughtto be non-materialistic in life.”

Asked what it feels like to be partof such a legacy, Aditya says“They (the women of the family)were all well-educated. The expo-sure to a modern education sys-tem, the open-mindedness thatwas inculcated, helped our womento excel in everything. The womenrulers of Travancore, SethuLakshmi Bayi for example, stoodshoulder-to-shoulder with men inmany ways, Art, diplomatic mat-ters, you name it, they were well-versed in and well-informed aboutit.” The scions of the Royal Familywere also not only patrons of thearts, but renowned artists them-selves, the shining stars being themusic composer Maharaja SwatiThirunal Rama Varma, and thepainter Raja Ravi Varma.

A PROUD LEGACY

The history of the city of

Thiruvananthapuram, orTrivandrum, is inextricablyinterwoven with the history ofthe Travancore Royal Family.Various generations of the rulerswere responsible for much ofwhat a visitor to the city seestoday when he looks around. “Bythe grace of Lord Padmanabha,we were able to do great things forthe city. Our ancestors imple-mented many beneficial policies.Now, going through the city andseeing all the institutions that myancestors built definitely fills mewith pride,” says Aditya Varma.

To the Travancore Royal Familybelongs much of the credit for thediverse, strongly secular face ofKerala.

But as a family, they traditional-ly surrender all to LordPadmanabha, the presiding deityof the famous SreePadmanabhaswamy Temple atThiruvananthapuram – in fact, itis from the ‘Anantha shyanam’posture of the deity that the citytakes its name.

For centuries, thePadmanabhaswamy Temple wasexclusively managed by succes-

sive generations of theTravancore Royal Family, whichrendered ‘shebait’ to the deity.The term is derived from the word‘seva’ or service. Under the termsof the Accession Agreementwhich came into force fromAugust 1, 1949, under which thePrincely State of Travancorebecame part of the Union ofIndia, the administration of theSree Padmanabhaswamy Templewas “vested in trust” in the Rulerof Travancore. After the death ofthe last reigning King, SreeChithira Thirunal BalaramaVarma, the right of shebait of thetemple passed to his youngerbrother, Uthradam ThirunalMarthanda Varma.

But, following a petition filed inthe Kerala High Court, allegingmismanagement of the temple,the family’s handling of the tem-ple’s management becameembroiled in controversy. Now, 10years later, the Supreme Courthas upheld the rights of theTravancore Royal family to per-form shebait in what is one ofIndia’s richest temples.

“We were all sad. For centuries,the family has surrendered every-thing to the Lord, and hearing

these allegations was hurtful. Iwas part of the committee whichdid the audit in Vault A of thetemple. That was the first time Isaw the priceless materials there.I was always curious about whatwas in the area where the vaultswere found. I still remember, onceduring an evening chat withthampuran, my uncle, I wonderedwhat could be there. I was simplytold there were some utensils forthe pooja. Against this back-ground, hearing the allegationsthat were made was heart-break-ing. For us the biggest fortune isthe blessing from the Lord,” saysAditya Varma.

Reacting to the Supreme Courtverdict, Aditya Varma’s mother,one of the senior-most membersof the family, Princess AswathiThirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi, 75,says “This historic decision is awin for the millions of devotees.All these years I have been pray-ing. This is the Lord’s will and weare obliged to follow it. We thankthe apex court and everyone whowas in it with us during the long-drawn court battle.”

She also wishes to see that thepending renovation works at thetemple are taken up immediately.

In the service of lord Padmanabha

2Thursday 23 July 2020

Deccan Chroniclethe buzz

Our women were powerful. Themoment I was married into the family,

I felt how the matrilineal system that wasfollowed empowered every woman in thefamily. Each female member of the familyexcels in whatever she does. Everybodyaround me was very inspiring and theyinspire every new member.”

— GOPIKA VARMA,wife of Prince Marthanda Varma and a

prominent classical dancer

Members of the royalfamily during the annualprocession to the SreePadmanabhaswamyTemple

Being humble andliving a simple lifeare attitudes we

inherited and we pass iton to succeeding genera-tions. People are sur-prised that we still haveour meals served onbanana leaves, and weswitch off lights and fanswhen we leave a room.From the current head ofthe family, Sree MoolamThirunal Rama Varma,who is the only nephewof the last reigning King,to the youngest memberof the family, everyone isbrought up that way.— ADITYA VARMA, theyoungest prince of the royal family

Kowdiar Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, was built in 1934

The engagement ceremony of Nithiin andShalini was held in Hyderabad on

Wednesday. Family and close friends of boththe families attended the event which was a

low key affair. The couple is set to tie theknot on July 26 in Hyderabad.

DC CORRESPONDENT

Priyanka Chopra Jonas has come a long waysince she won the Miss World title in 2000.

From making her acting debut with a Tamil filmThamizan in 2002 before finally venturing intoBollywood with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy in2003, the actress has completed two decades in theentertainment industry.

The Sky Is Pink actress, who is now concretisingher Hollywood career in Los Angeles, has aptlydecided to celebrate 20 years of her hard work.Expressing her gratitude to her fans, theQuantico actress took to her social media accountand shared a heart-warming video. The videosees her inviting her fans to join her in selecting20 significant moments of her career. “How I didthat? I don’t know. I probably missed many, manyof them along the way,” says theactress who has become a glob-al icon.

Alongside the video,Priyanka wrote, “2020marks my 20 years in theentertainment indus-try! What?! You all havebeen by my sidethroughout this jour-ney and your loyalty& support means theworld to me. Joinme as I take thistrip down mem-ory lane & cele-b r a t e# 2 0 i n 2 0 2 0(sic).”

Thursday 23 July 2020 3

Deccan Chronicleglam shamTaapsee’smetamorphosisThe actress talks about transformation and more in her latest social media post

DC CORRESPONDENT

In the currentbatch of actress-es, Taapsee Pannu

has successfully struck abalance between her tal-ent and glamour quo-tient. The athleticactress, who has made aname for herself withback-to-back power-packed performances,has also made evidentthe role glamour plays inthe making of aBollywood heroine.Although, the Badlaactress took to her socialmedia to reveal that itwasn’t always the casewith her.

Sharing a photo fromher high-school days onInstagram, the actresshas revealedthe transfor-

mation shehas under-

gone over the years. In the photo, in which she is pos-ing next to her two friends from 12th grade, the actresslooks unrecognisable in her school uniform. “Thiswas my 12th standard. Braces (for the second time ),embarrassing hair ( coz I was combing my curlyhair)…that fence (which could take those spareEXTRA kilos Of mine for the entire year!) (sic),” theactress wrote alongside the photo.

Taapsee further adds that the badge adorned on her blaz-er was the only goal she set in her life and achieved success-fully, and she is grateful for the friends who “made memoriesworth discussing for years after”.

Taapsee’s Instagram post revealed the transforma-tion she has undergone over the years

PeeCee all setfor nostalgia

THE WEBOFF

Mannat gets covered

Getting hitched Shah Rukh Khan’s sprawling res-idence Mannat was seen get-

ting covered in plastic for safetypurposes recently. The six storiedbuilding reportedly worth `200crores is seen covered in plasticdue to the precautionary mea-sures taken to protect the buildingfrom heavy rains.

TaapseePannu has

successfully strucka balance between

her talent andglamour quotientthrough carefully

chosen roles

Vikram to become a grandpaChiyaan Vikram and hiswife Shyla are on Cloud

Nine. They are going to becomegrandparents soon! The versatileactor’s daughter Akshita, who mar-ried Manu Ranjith (grandson of thelate TN Chief Minister M Karunanidhi)in 2017, is expecting a baby.

Chiyaan is planning a private baby showerfunction at home with only family membersattending, due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, R.S. Vimal, director of MahavirKarna, has revealed that the film has not beendropped, but put on hold. Some portions of the filmwere shot last year, including the scenes introducingVikram’s character. He said he would join shooting ofMahavir Karna after Cobra and Ponniyin Selvan.

ANUPAMA SUBRAMANIAN

DECCAN CHRONICLE

A rumour has been doing therounds that GauthamVasudev Menon has

approached Keerthy Suresh for arole in the sequel to VettayaaduVilayaadu, opposite Kamal Haasan.But when DC contacted Keerthy’scall sheet manager, he dismissed itas mere speculation.

GVM had earlier confirmed thathe had discussed makingPart 2 of the block-buster copthriller, and

t h a t

Ishari Ganesh of Vels FilmInternational would be bankrollingthe project.

The buzz was that GVM wanted torope in Anushka Shetty (whoworked with him in YennaiArindhaal) in place of Jyotika whodid the original. Keerthy Suresh’sname also cropped up for the per-formance-oriented role.

But Keerthy’s call sheet managersaid ‘No one approached us regard-

ing VV2.’

4Thursday 23 July 2020

Deccan ChronicleKollywood

Superstar Rajinikanth hasopened up about the KandaSashti Kavacham controversy

on his social media handle. He laudedthe Tamil Nadu police for their swiftaction against the YouTube channelKaruppar Koottam for its gross com-ments.

He put up a post in Tamil which loose-ly can be loosely translated as ‘Mywholehearted appreciation for theTamil Nadu government for removingthe videos that made denigrating com-ments on Kandha Shasti Kavachamand for arresting people behind thechannel who hurt millions of Tamilswith their lowly act and vulgar inter-pretation of the hymn throughthe video. At least now, letthe religioushatred andd e g r a d i n gGod end. Ithas to. Allreligionsa r ea c c e p t -a b l e .

Kandhanukku Arogara(sic).’ (The lastis a slogan hailing Lord Muruga).

Many actors had condemnedKaruppar Koottam for its commentsabout Kanda Shasti Kavacham andKamal Haasan had offered his owntake on the issue as an atheist, but neti-zens had been asking why Rajinikanth,known to be an ardent devotee of LordMuruga, was maintaining a stoicsilence.

Tamil Nadu police arrested the peo-ple behind the offensive video anddeleted hundreds of their earliervideos. The office of the channel wasalso sealed.

No sooner did Rajinikanth put up thepost, it started trending on

Twitter.

‘KandhanukkuArogara,’ says RajiniSuperstar reacts to Karuppar Kootam issue

Keerthy Sureshnot part of VV 2No one has approached us, saysPenguin actor’s call sheet manager

Vijay is relievedand happy

Actor’s son is back home safeActor Vijay’s son Jason Sanjay, whowas stuck in Canada due to the

Coronavirus lockdown, has returned toChennai. Needless to say, Vijay, whowas very concerned over his son’s safe-ty, is a relieved man now.Sanjay who arrived by a special flight

arranged by the government to bringback stranded Indians, quarantined him-

self at a star hotel in the city for 14 days asper rules. He returned to his ECR home to a

happy reunion with his loved ones.Sanjay, who has done a couple of

short films, completed his school-ing and left for Canada to pursuehigher studies in filmmaking.

There’s unconfirmed newsthat Sanjay is all set to makehis acting debut in the Tamilremake of the Telugu love storyUppena with Vijay Sethupathi

playing villain, will also producethe Tamil remake in association

with Mythri Movie Makers.

This dish is full of goodnessof raw, green bananas.Packed with minerals, espe-cially potassium, containsdietary fibre and is also asource of Vitamin C and B6.It aids absorption of essen-tial minerals and nutrients.

INGREDIENTS: Raw banana: 2 Turmeric powder: ½ tsp Sambar powder: 1tsp

Asafoetida pow-der: ½ tsp Oil: 2tbsp Salt to taste Mustard seeds ½ tsp Urad dal ¼ tsp

METHOD: Peel the skin of bananasand cut them into roundels. Heat oil in a pan and

temper with mustardseeds and urad dal. Introduce bananaroundels and sprinkleturmeric powder, salt andasafoetida powder. Spray alittle water and stir well. Add sambar powder andcook till done. Serve as a side dish withrice and sambar orparathas.

5Thursday 23 July 2020

Deccan Chroniclepalate pleasers

Eat tostay fitDevour on some recipes with a little

touch of southern taste, keepingyour immune system on track as

well as your mental healthDC CORRESPONDENT

Food is anabsolute cure andhealer. Keeping in

mind the seasonalchange building resis-tances against any infec-tion is the need of thehour. And during thepandemic, as we wonderto look for an apt immu-nity booster to see usthrough this time, onecan do so much withsome simple seasonal veg-etables and a dose of regularspices from our home kitchen.

Vegetables with a little twistworks wonders for the Indianbody type. While moringa ordrumstick is a superfood andbest for immunity-compro-mised individuals, rawbanana keeps you fit andhelps fight viral infec-tions. Whereas, yel-low pumpkin and

ash ground is just the perfectcombination to com-bat several ailments.So try some recipeswith a little touch ofsouthern taste, keep-ing your immune sys-tem on track as wellas your mentalhealth by warding offdepression and infus-ing a calming effecton your mind.

A pro tip: To sup-port your digestionuse a pinch of anti-

inflammatory asafoetida.Recipes by Gita Hari,

Culinary Expert and WellnessFood Curator

Moringa MolagutalIt purifies blood and helps as astrong antibiotic agent. Loadedwith Vitamin C and anti-bacter-ial properties, it inhibits infec-tions and chest congestion.

INGREDIENTS: Drumsticks: 2 Turmeric powder: ½ tsp Tuvar dal: 1 cup Grated coconut: ½ cup Cumin seeds: 1tsp Red chilli: 1 Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Salt to taste FOR TEMPERING Oil: 1tsp Mustard seeds, urad dal andcumin seeds

METHOD: Wash and cut drumstick into1 inch long pieces. Pressure cook dal and set itaside. Boil drumstick with turmer-ic powder and salt. Grind coconut with cumin

and red chilli into a fine paste. Mix in dal, curry leaves andground paste into boiled drum-stick and cook. Add water to get a semi-liq-uid consistency. Let it simmer for 3 to 4 min-utes. Remove from flame and tem-per with mustard seeds, cuminand urad dal. Serve hot with rotis or riceand pickle.

Raw Banana Poriyal

Pumpkin & Ash gourd Sambar

High on beta caroteneand Vitamin C, pumpkinregulates blood pres-sure, and fights virusand infectious diseaseswhile ash gourd, anunderrated vegetable, ishigh on nutritionalvalue with Vitamins Cand B, minerals andphosphorous.

INGREDIENTS: Yellow pumpkin cutinto 1 inch cubes: 1 cup Ash gourd cut into 1inch cubes: 1 cup Tamarind juice con-centrate: 4 tbsp Tuvar dal: 1cup

Sambar powder: 2tbsp Asafoetida: ½ tsp Turmeric powder : ½tsp Curry leaves: 1 sprig Salt to taste Chopped corianderleaves for garnish

FOR TEMPERING: Oil: 1tbsp Mustard seeds, methiseeds and red chillies

METHOD: Pressure cook tuvardal and set aside. In a vessel, stir in 4glasses of water totamarind concentrate.

Add vegetable cubes,curry leaves, salt,turmeric powder, sam-bar powder and asafoeti-da powder. Let it boil till reducedto one-fourth its volume.Keep stirring inbetween. Add cooked dal andwater as required to geta sambar consistency. Stir well and let itsimmer for 3 to 4 min-utes. Temper and garnishwith coriander leaves. Serve hot with riceand papadam.

Gita Hari

Thursday 23 July 2020 6

Deccan Chroniclemixed bag

Surprisingly Anil Kapoor and Kiara Advani make theirpresence in the top celeb-endorsement list whileSRK, Amitabh, Alia are in the last four slot!

According to a recentreport regardingendorsements in 2020,

there has apparently been aspike in the volume ofcelebrity-endorsed ads ontelevision during theCOVID-19 crisis. TheTelevision AudienceMeasurement (TAM) claimsthat celebrity endorsed advolumes have increased by awhopping 63%.

While actresses took thelion’s share with 43% shareof the volume, Virat Kohlitopped the list, with MSDhoni in the fifth position.Interestingly Good Newwzactress Kiara Advani showsup in the fourth positionwhile the evergreen 63-year-old actor Anil Kapoor is atthe sixth position.

Reinventing himself withthe changing times, AnilKapoor is the second-mostpopular Bollywood actor inthe list, making it to the top10 Indian celebrities with ahuge number of endorse-ments this year by main-taining his relevance forbrands despite his years in

the industry. Kiara, whoturned in hits such as KabirSingh and Good Newwz aswell as a digital debut withher web film Guilty last year,is the second most popularBollywood actress in theabove list. She has films likeBhool Bhulaiyya 2,Shershaah, Laxmmi Bomband Indoo Ki Jawaani com-ing up.

Surprisingly, the last fourpositions go to actor VarunDhawan, actress Alia Bhattand the biggest superstarsAmitabh Bachchan andShah Rukh Khan. Notableomissions, however, includeSalman Khan, Aamir Khan,Hrithik Roshan and RanbirKapoor.

Akshay Kumar, not sur-prisingly, has taken secondspot in the list. WhileKareena Kapoor is in thirdplace as the topmost-rankedBollywood actress, DeepikaPadukone and PriyankaChopra — two bigBollywood brands —aremissing in action here.

— Sanskriti MediaKiara Advani Anil Kapoor

While actresses tookthe lion’s share with43% share of the vol-ume, Virat Kohli toppedthe list, with MS Dhoniin the fifth position.Surprisingly, the lastfour positions go toactor Varun Dhawanand actress Alia Bhattand the biggest superstars AmitabhBachchan and ShahRukh Khan. Notableomissions includeSalman Khan, AamirKhan, Hrithik Roshanand Ranbir Kapoor

Actors cash in on TV advts

Kanye West postponespresidential run?

DC CORRESPONDENT

Kanye West’s declara-tion of the presiden-

tial run came with a lot ofhoo-ha, but it seems that

his interest in the covet-ed post has fizzled

out amidst familydrama. After hiscontroversialcampaign rallybreakdown, theStronger rap-per took toTwitter to havean outburstover his wifeK i mK a r d a s h i a nand mother-in-law Kris Jenner

for “locking” himup.In the campaignrally, the rapperbroke down forhaving consid-ered aborting

daughter North West.Shortly, he took to Twitter,saying “Kim was trying tofly to Wyoming with a doc-tor to lock me up like onthe movie Get Out becauseI cried about saving mydaughters life yesterday(sic).” He then called outKris, tweeting, “Krissdon’t play with me you andthat calmye are notallowed around my chil-dren. Ya’ll tried to lock meup (sic).” Both the tweetshave been deleted.

Shortly after, Kanye post-ed an image of the tracksongs from his upcomingalbum DONDA, alongsidea caption that hints thatthe rapper is postponinghis presidential run for thenext term in 2024.“#2020VISION or maybe‘24 I guess all black peoplesupposed to vote on Biden?Y’all want me to run onnah???,” he wrote.

Suhana is allfor booksShah Rukh Khan’s daughter,

Suhana Khan brightened upsocial media with her latest pic-tures. In the photos, Suhana is allglammed up while reading abook, the star kid captioned,“walked into the room, you knowyou made my eyes burnn it waslike James Dean..”

THE WEBOFF

PictureperfectSara Ali Khan

took toInstagram to postan adorable throw-back picture fromher childhood. TheKedarnath actressis seen with motherAmrita Singh andyounger siblingIbrahim Ali Khan.

LIPIKA VARMA

Chehre is set to release soon on anOTT platform. Sound Designer

Resul Pookutty, who is busy wrappingup the film, shares some insights intothe movie and its star, AmitabhBachchan.

“There are certain theatricsinvolved in Chehre for which spokenwords are very important,”reveals Pookutty, adding, “Ithink I have recorded themovie keeping that inmind. Spoken words aremy element of design.That is probably whyAmitabh Bachchansaab wanted me to workin it.”

Pookutty is all praise forAmitabh Bachchan’s workethics. On the mega star’sdedication, he says, “Bachchansaab is on the sets at 8:30 for a 9 amcall. If he doesn’t have a shot, he willpull a chair and sit down on the sets.He won’t even ask for the AC to be puton. He never goes to his vanity vaneven if he does not have a shot. We arethus on our toes ourselves.”

Talking of Bachchan’s humility,Pookutty says, “If you praise him alittle on Twitter”, he replies, ‘You arecomplementing me far too much, Idon’t deserve it.’

He goes on to add that, “Everyonewho has a name in Hindi cinema, be itShahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar or

Aamir Khan, has certain valuesattached to their persona. It’s thesevalues that sustain them.”

This is not the first time Pookutty isworking with Bachchan. “We havedone many films together. This isfourth or fifth one,” he says.

On his experience workingwith Big B in Chehre, theSound Designer says,

“Bachchan saab is aphenomenal actor.

In Chehre heplays ar e t i r e dl aw ye r.He has ascene inwhich he

makes the clos-ing arguments.

He completed thealmost 40-minute-long

scene in a single attempt!We operated with two camera setups. It took half a day for him toprepare for the scene. And then hedid it in one go.”

Asked about his views on Chehrebeing released on the OTT platform,Pookutty says, “Releasing a film isnot in our hands. That right is vest-ed with the makers. Though we allwish to watch our films in the-atres, in this situation nothing canbe done. For me, whether the film seesa theatrical or digital release, we worktowards giving the same experienceto the audience.”

Yami Gautam is looking forward to hernext release — Ginny Weds Sunny —

expected shortly on an OTT platform. To theactress, who says “Love has become superfi-cial,” this romantic comedy is special. Themother in the story plays matchmaker to thecouple, essayed by herself and VikrantMassey.

She is looking forward to being seen onscreen with Vikrant after having sharedscreen space with Ayushmann Khurrana,Hrithik Roshan, Vicky Kaushal and ShahidKapoor.

Yami, at times, is known to pick roles thatare not the lead. Bala won her awards andaccolades last year. Her role as Pari Mishra,a small town TikTok star in the AyushmannKhurrana-Bhumi Pednekar starrer was ahuge surprise. “When people tell me that Ishould have seen how the audience laughedat the press screening of the film, it feelsnice. When someone appreciates your hardwork, it feels good. Every message, call orvoice note from your actor contemporaries,

directors and even the media feelsvery encouraging,” she says.

“People appreciated my ver-satility. I played an intensecharacter in my debut film(Vicky Donor) and then inKaabil. Then there was theagent’s role in Uri. Andthen there is comedy inBala. So, when everyone

talks about the differ-ent roles you have

done, it mattersa lot,” says theactress.

—Sanskriti

Media

Yami Gautamon a roll

7Thursday 23 July 2020

Deccan ChroniclematineeSalman busywith farmingScripts are not the priority now

During the lockdown,Salman Khan has been athis farmhouse in Panvel,

and has been spotted carryingout farming activity. The actor,who is reportedly contemplatingresuming shooting shortly, has,however, not listened to any newscripts, despite rumours inTinseltown that he has been lis-tening to narrations over Zoomcalls.

“Salman is a person who willcall someone over to narrate ascript if he likes an idea. He isnot the type to listen to long-dis-tance story ideas. Whenever hehears an idea he likes, he imme-diately agrees to it and has meet-ings over it. None of that has hap-pened,” say sources. “Apart fromthree songs that he made — PyarKarona, Tere Bin and Bhai Bhai— he has not done anything con-nected with films or entertain-

ment, recently. He is busy withhis chores at his farm,” addsthe sources.

Salman, who was expect-ed to shoot for Radhe,directed by Prabhudhevain August, followed byAbhiraj Minawala’sGuns of North, willnow wait for the rainsto subside. Accordingto industry sources, asthings stand in thefilm industry, it seemsunlikely that majorshots involving bigstars will take placein India till a vac-cine for theCoronavirus isfound. The buzz isthat the release ofRadhe may be post-poned to 2021.

—Sanskriti Media

‘Big B is phenomenal’

Salman, who was expected to shoot forPrabhudheva’s Radhe in August, followedby Abhiraj Minawala’s Guns of North, willnow wait for the rains to subside