2020/10/29 · assembly during a debate. when some of his fellow lawmakers objected to his men-...

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

� �� !"! ��/��0�'�� !�� 1��.� � �� %�� &�

�� 23!3�34�

In a sensational admission, asenior Pakistani Minister on

Thursday admitted thatPakistan was responsible forthe Pulwama terrorist attack inJammu & Kashmir in 2019 thatkilled 40 CRPF personnel andbrought the two countries tothe brink of a war.

“Humne Hindustan koghus ke maara (We hit India intheir home). Our success inPulwama is a success of thisnation under the leadership ofImran Khan. You and we are allpart of that success,” Science &Technology Minister FawadChaudhry said in the NationalAssembly during a debate.

When some of his fellowlawmakers objected to his men-tion of “success in Pulwama”,the Minister said that “after thePulwama incident, the wayPakistan went inside the Indianterritory to target it, the entiremedia in India was ashamed ofit.”

However, he didn’t retracthis statement about “success inPulwama” under PrimeMinister Khan’s leadership.

Chaudhry, a close aide ofPrime Minister Khan, made theremarks a day after OppositionPakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader AyazSadiq said that ForeignMinister Shah Mahmood

Qureshi in an important meet-ing pleaded to release IndianAir Force Wing CommanderAbhinandan Varthaman, whowas captured by the PakistaniArmy on February 27, 2019after his MiG-21 Bison jet wasshot down in a dogfight withPakistani jets.

In the early hours ofFebruary 26, 2019, the IAF jetsbombed the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorcamps in Balakot in KhyberPakhtunkhwa of Pakistan andavenged the Pulwama terroristattack that claimed the lives of40 CRPF personnel.

The international commu-nity led by the US has pressedPakistan to deny safe haven toterror groups operating from itssoil and bring the perpetrators

of the Pulwama attack to jus-tice.

“Legs were shaking andforehead perspiring, and theforeign minister (Qureshi) toldus, ‘For God’s sake, let him

(Varthaman) go back nowbecause India is attackingPakistan at 9 PM in the night’”,Sadiq said, recalling the high-level meeting which was alsoattended by Army chief GenQamar Javed Bajwa, and addedthat “India was not planning toattack...They just wanted tokneel before India and sendback Abhinandan.”

Chaudhry, who was theInformation & BroadcastingMinister at the time of thePulwama attack, criticisedSadiq’s remarks and termedthem as “inappropriate”.

He said Sadiq lied with alot of confidence regarding hisstatements and asserted thateveryone has the right to dis-agree with the Government butthe state should not be sub-jected to criticism.

�� 567�462��

Brushing aside Pakistanobjection on reference to it

backing terrorism in the 2+2India-US dialogue, India onThursday said the whole worldknows about its role in sup-porting terrorism and noamount of denial can hide thistruth.

This terse statement by theMinistry of External Affairscame in response toIslamabad’s objection to ref-erences to it and cross-borderterrorism in the India-US jointstatement after their 2+2 dia-logue on Tuesday here.

External Affairs MinistrySpokesperson AnuragSrivastava said the countrythat provides shelter to “max-imum number of UN-pro-scribed terrorists” should noteven attempt to play the victimcard.

“The whole world knowstruth about Pakistan’s role insupporting terrorism,” he saidat a media briefing while

answering questions onIslamabad’s reaction to theIndo-US joint statement.

“Even their leaders havetime and again spoken abouttheir role with regard to ter-rorism,” Srivastava said.

In the joint statement,India and the US on Tuesdaystrongly condemned cross-border terrorism in all itsforms and asked Pakistan totake “immediate, sustainedand irreversible” action toensure that no territory underits control is used for launch-ing terror attacks.

In its reaction, Pakistan onWednesday called it “unwar-ranted” the reference madetowards it. “We reject thePakistan-specific reference inthe joint statement’,’ issued byIndia and the US after their2+2 ministerial dialogue,” thePakistan Foreign Office hadsaid in its reaction.

The India-US statementalso asked Pakistan to takeimmediate, sustained and irre-versible action to ensure that

no territory under its controlis used for terrorist attacks, andto expeditiously bring to jus-tice the perpetrators of allsuch attacks, including 26/11Mumbai, Uri, and Pathankot.

The two sides “empha-sised the need for concertedaction against all terrorist net-works, including al-Qaeda,ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen,” the statementsaid.

Reacting to the joint state-ment, the Pakistan ForeignOffice said, “We reject thePakistan-specific reference inthe ‘joint statement’, issued byIndia and the US after their‘2+2 Ministerial Dialogue’, asunwarranted and misleading.”

The Pakistan ForeignOffice also said the worldshould recognise the sacri-fices and successes in fightingterrorism by it. Islamabad alsosaid the country has sufferedthe most from cross borderterrorism.

��

��

Islamabad: “Legs were shak-ing and forehead perspiring”at a meeting of Pakistan’s topleaders, including Army chiefGeneral Qamar Javed Bajwa,wherein Foreign MinisterShah Mahmood Qureshi

pleaded to release Indian AirForce Wing CommanderAbhinandan Varthaman, say-ing if he was not released,India would attack Pakistan, atop Pakistani oppositionleader has said.

��

�� 567�462��

Delhi’s air quality inchedcloser to the severe cate-

gory on Thursday morning aspollution levels rose sharplyafter a marginal reduction, pri-marily due to calm winds andspike in farm fires.

The Central Government’sAir Quality Early WarningSystem for Delhi said a signif-icant increase in the number of“fire points” was observed overPunjab (around 3,000),Haryana and Uttar Pradeshwhich is likely to impact the airquality of Delhi-NCR andother parts of northwest India.

Delhi recorded an air qual-ity index (AQI) of 397 at 11 amon Thursday.

The 24-hour average AQIwas 297 on Wednesday, 312 onTuesday, 353 on Monday, 349on Sunday, 345 on Saturdayand 366 on Friday.

Sixteen monitoring sta-tions, including at Shadipur(406), Patparganj (411),Jahangirpuri (429) and VivekVihar (432), recorded air qual-ity in the “severe” category.

An AQI between 0 and 50is considered “good”, 51 and100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200“moderate”, 201 and 300“poor”, 301 and 400 “verypoor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

A senior scientist at theIndia MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) said thewind speed dipped onWednesday which allowedaccumulation of pollutants.“Following slight relief, the airquality again entered the ‘verypoor’ category by the evening,”he said.

PM10 levels in Delhi-NCRstood at 420 microgram percubic meter (μg/m3) at 10 am— the highest this season so far,according to CPCB data.

PM10 levels below 100μg/m3 are considered safe inIndia.

PM10 is particulate matterwith a diameter of 10 microm-eters and is inhalable into thelungs. These particles includedust, pollen and mold spores.

��

�� 567�462��

Pollution-related offenceswill now invite a jail term

of up to 5 years and a penaltyup to �1 crore. The Centreissued an Ordinance —Commission for Air QualityManagement — onWednesday night after theapproval of President of Indiato curb air pollution in Delhiand NCR.

In recent years, the regionhas been facing huge air pol-lution issues with respectiveGovernments in Delhi,Haryana, Uttar Pradesh andRajasthan passing the buck oneach other.

The ordinance will alsohave the power to prohibitactivities that are likely tocause or increase air pollutionin the NCR and adjoiningareas.

“The Ordinance may becalled the Commission forAir Quality Management InNational Capital Region and

Adjoining Areas Ordinance2020. It shall apply to NCR andalso adjoining areas in so faras it relates to matters con-cerning air pollution in theNCR. It shall come into forceat once,” said the notificationissued by the Union LawMinistry.

As per the Ordinance, theadjoining areas where it shallbe in force include Punjab,Haryana, Rajasthan and UttarPradesh, adjoining areas of theNCR and Delhi where anysource of pollution is locatedwhich is causing an adverseimpact on air quality in theNCR.

The commission whichwill be heavily dominated bybureaucrats will consist ofover 20 members, including achairperson, who is or hasbeen a secretary of theGovernment of India or chiefsecretary of a State, a repre-sentative of EnvironmentSecretary and five ex-officiomembers who are either chiefsecretaries or secretaries in

charge of the environmentdepartments of Delhi, Punjab,Haryana, Rajasthan and UttarPradesh, it added.

“There shall be a full-timesecretary who shall be thechief coordinating officer ofthe commission and shallassist in managing the affairsof the commission,” it said.

The commission whichwill have three sub-commit-tees, one each for monitoringand identification, safeguard-ing and enforcement, andresearch and development willhave power to take mitigationmeasures, issuedirections/orders suo motoand entertain complaintsunder any other existing lawssuch as the Air (Preventionand Control of Pollution) Act,1981 and the Environment(Protection) Act, 1986.

The EPCA in the last 22years when it was set up by theapex court has introducedseveral important interven-tions to control pollution.

��

�� 5��6�

An attacker armed with aknife killed three people

inside a church on Thursday inthe southern French city ofNice, prompting theGovernment to raise its secu-rity alert status to the maxi-mum level hours before anationwide Covid lockdown.

“He cried ‘Allah Akbar!’over and over, even after he wasinjured,” said Christian Estrosi,the mayor of theMediterranean city who con-firmed a woman and a mandied inside the church, while asecond woman fled to a near-by bar but was mortallywounded. “The meaning ofhis gesture left no doubt.”

It was the third attack intwo months in France thatauthorities have attributed toMuslim extremists, includingthe beheading of a teacher. Itcomes during a growing furorover caricatures of the Prophetthat were republished in recentmonths by the satirical news-paper Charlie Hebdo, renewingvociferous debate in France andthe Muslim world over thedepictions that Muslims con-sider offensive but are protect-

ed by French free speech laws.Other confrontations and

attacks were reported onThursday in the southernFrench city of Avignon and inthe Saudi city of Jeddah, but itwas not clear if they werelinked to the attack in Nice.

French PresidentEmmanuel Macron said hewould immediately increasethe number of soldiers

deployed to protect schoolsand religious sites from around3,000 currently to 7,000, andFrance’s anti-terrorism prose-cutor opened an investigation.

French churches have beenferociously attacked by extrem-ists in recent years, andThursday’s killings come aheadof the Roman Catholic AllSaints’ holiday.

��!��"��#��# ��#

��

�� 567�462��

Covid-19 survivors shouldnot drop their guard and

should avoid close contact withothers as they could still be car-rying the virulent coronavirus,researchers have said.

According to a study, pub-lished in the American Journalof Preventive Medicine, close to17 per cent of patients consid-ered fully recovered, as per theWHO criteria, from Covid-19tested positive for the virus infollow-up screening.

Patients who continued tohave respiratory symptoms,especially sore throat and rhini-tis, were more likely to have anew positive test result.

This suggests the persis-tence of these two symptomsshould not be underestimatedand should be adequatelyassessed in all patients consid-ered recovered from Covid-19.

Researchers from AgostinoGemelli University Policlinic

looked at a group of recoveringCovid patients to see how theirbodies react after treatment andquarantine. The study includ-ed 131 patients who all met theWHO’s guidelines for endingquarantine following theirinfections. Those guidelinesrequire a patient to be fever-free without using medica-tions for three days. They mustalso have an improvement in

their symptoms and test nega-tive for Covid twice at least 24hours apart.

“Researchers have focusedon the acute phase of Covid-19,but continued monitoring afterdischarge for long-lastingeffects is needed,” said thestudy lead author FrancescoLandi from Catholic Universityof the Sacred Heart in Italy.

A new RT-PCR test was

administered at the time ofpost-acute care admission.

Demographic, medical,and clinical information wascollected, with an emphasison the persistence of symptomsand signs related to Covid-19such as cough, fatigue, diar-rhea, headache, smelling dis-orders, loss of appetite, sorethroat, and rhinitis.

�� #��!�� *+%++%++8 9:%;*)��*9%<9%8)<3��.�� 8%*;%+;< +%+=<��;%89%;=(1�� 8%*(%;89��**%)9+��;%:9%+8(�� 5�� ;%*9%(:=�� *)%<8:��+%;=%=*8� ��.�� 9%;9%)=9 +%<9)��9%9)%89;1�� 9%*8%98= *%9:) :%(=%*++4� �� :%;=%;=: $%&'(��:%:8%:;87�� :%+=%+<( +%;(=��:%(*%8;:>�� (%8;%)<< *%:=)��(%;(%):8�� (%:(%+;* *%:*=��(%*:%9++�� (%*:%:8: *%)+= (%):%(993�� (%)=%+:= <(:��*%<:%=;*#�'�� *%8<%899 *%8+;��*%;(%)(8�� *%;<%+=9�� *%88*��*%=+%)8)0�'�� *%;*%)9) :%;)8��*%=9%*;8!��.�� *%+8%98: (%8<8��*%==%(:(

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

$��%!&�!&'!(� ��

)��* �+�,'*��-��#��

�� !�� "��#�� #��

� �� -3!!�

Two former Jammu &Kashmir Chief Ministers

Omar Abdullah and MehboobaMufti jointly mounted a fierceattack on the CentralGovernment after police inSrinagar stopped the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) chieffrom joining protests by herparty workers against the newland laws on Thursday.

Several PDP workers wereprevented by the police fromtaking out a protest marchand the PDP office was sealedafter detaining party workers.

Reacting strongly, NationalConference vice presidentOmar Abdullah lashed out atthe Central Government askingif it wants political parties in theState to leave mainstream pol-itics in Kashmir.

“What do you want fromus? Do you want us to leavemainstream politics here?”former Chief Minister OmarAbdullah asked.

�� 2��15>7

Days ahead of UP LegislativeCouncil polls, Bahujan

Samaj Party chief Mayawati onThursday suspended seven ofher MLAs for revolting againstthe party candidate and saidher party would vote forBharatiya Janata Party or anyother party candidate to defeatthe Samajwadi Party.

“Candidate of any party,even the BJP, who will be dom-inant over the SP’s second can-didate, will get votes of all BSPMLAs for sure,” she said. Shealso regretted her party’salliance with the SamajwadiParty before the 2019 LokSabha polls. The BSP and theSP had joined hands after a gapof over two decades to contestagainst the BJP in the 2019P a r l i a m e n t a r yelections.

The BSP had won 10 of the38 Lok Sabha seats it contest-ed while the SP won five out of37 seats.

�� !��"��

��#� �� $��%"��#��&� ��'(�

��&�� )*+,-��.��/�� 0�

$�! ��! !�� ! �%�&��

�� 567�462��

Fresh violence erupted inMunger on Thursday even

as the Election Commission(EC) shifted out Bihar’sMunger District MagistrateRajesh Meena andSuperintendent of Police LipiSingh. The protesters set somepolice stations and outposts onfire and ransacked the SP office.

The EC has also ordered anenquiry into the firing andstone-pelting during theimmersion of an idol ofGoddess Durga on late onMonday in which one person

had died and several otherswere injured. The poll body hasasked Magadh DivisionalCommissioner Asangba ChubaAo to complete the probe with-in a week. The EC has alsoasked the State Government toappoint a new DM and SP inthe district soon.

Meanwhile, in a fresh vio-lence, the agitated crowd, com-prising mostly youth, set policeoutposts at Purab Sarai andBasudeopur on fire, and ran-sacked the SP office and severalother police stations and out-posts. The office of SDO wasalso allegedly targeted by theprotesters.

?��4�� .�� &��@�� "��

��

�� &��@�� @

2� �� #/�0�*9�112� :))A3��6B ��3��

.�� /��462��2��15>7 ��>.32��356�73#

#35��#3�.�# ��354�03#��46�#34�5 �C46#3�34�D�-3C7343

�13!"��1�� ,)$&��

��%�� (*%�'*'*4��,'��'

��!&!�&�.

5>�>4C��24

/�01'�2��1��23�>�#�.3#�C��.654��-6#6!C

�>#�C5��5�35��6!��!�#>7

�-��03��4

�3#�3��63��-�D6��5��3!.�>5��2630�6

��

�� !"�#!#!

�� !��"�� #�� $��%��&�� '�� "��(��

�� 0�#�0#3!�

A45-year-old woman wasallegedly raped by an RTI

activist at multiple locations.The accused reportedly tookundo advantage of the woman'semotions and raped her multi-ple times.

A case in this regard hasbeen registered at the womenpolice station (west), the policesaid on Thursday. The policeadded that efforts are on to nabthe absconding accused.

According to the police, thewoman, a resident of Gurugram,alleged in her police complaintthat she came in contact with theman identified as Om PrakashKataria, also a resident of

Gurugram, in October 2015 inconnection with another casewhich the woman had filedagainst former deputy mayor ofGurugram. The woman stated inher complaint that at that timeKataria had assured her of fullsupport during her litigation.

Later conversations thoughwhatsapp chat and phone callsstarted between them andKataria used to talk about thewoman's past and started toemotionally support her.

“I used to stay at my sister'shome at Vasant Kunj, Delhi. OnMarch 20, 2020 the man visitedmy home at Bahadurgarh andthere he molested me and whenI objected to the man, he offered

me some ‘Pakoda’ laced withintoxicating substances and afterhaving this I felt unconscious.When I came back to my sens-es I felt that I had been raped andKataria had left my house,” thevictim alleged in the FIR.

Thereafter, the victimclaimed in her complaint that onJuly 30, 2020 she came to knowthat Kataria had shot an objec-tionable video of the March 20incident and started to emo-tionally blackmail her.

“On April 3 Kataria hadcalled me via whatsapp andagain forcefully shot an objec-tionable video of me and pres-sured me to indulge in sexualtalk,” the woman alleged in hercomplaint.

�� 567�462��

Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia on

Thursday wrote a scathing let-ter to three Mayors of MunicipalCorporations criticising the"petty politics" over the issue ofdelayed salaries to health work-ers of hospitals.

The three Mayors had ear-lier protested in front of chiefminister residence claiming alarge amount of balance pay-ment from Delhi government tothe MCDs. Countering thebogus claims made by theMayor, Sisodia presented hardfacts showing that not only hadDelhi government paid all thefunds due to the MCDs as perthe Fifth Delhi FinanceCommission but they have paidover and above this amountresulting in a huge outstandingloan.

Based on latest records,MCDs have outstanding loansfrom Delhi Government to thetune of Rs 6008 Crores, they alsohave arrears of Rs 2596 Croresto the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).Hence, they (MCDs) owe overRs 8600 Crores to the Delhi gov-ernment.

Sisodia urged the three

Mayors to rise above petty pol-itics and focus on the real issueof corruption and financial mis-management in each of thethree MCDs.

“I am writing this letter withmuch anguish and disappoint-ment over your actions as thethree Mayors of Delhi (NDMC,EDMC, SDMC) with regards tothe unpaid salaries of doctorsand healthcare workers in MCDhospitals. From your actions, itis clear that rather than find aviable resolution of the matterusing all administrative optionsavailable to the MCDs, you areonly interested in peddling liesand indulging in shameful pol-itics over this issue," he said inthe letter.

Presenting facts to counterthe bogus claims of the threeMCD mayors, Sisodia said thatover the past many years, notonly has the Delhi governmentpaid MCD their due share oftaxes but it has paid a large sumover and above as loan.

"As on 1st April 2020, a totalof Rs 6,008 Cr loan is out-standing over the three MCDs,as per records of the UrbanDevelopment department ofthe Delhi government. Thisincludes Rs 1977 Cr outstand-

ing from EDMC, Rs 3243 Crfrom NDMC and Rs 788 Crfrom SDMC," he said.

"Even the recent CAGreport (Audit Report No. 1) onState Finances of NCT of Delhihas noted that a large amount ofunpaid loans to the extent of Rs3814.89 Cr are due from thethree MCDs to the Govt of NCTof Delhi as on 31st March2018," he added.

The deputy chief ministerfurther said that besides thehuge amounts of outstandingloans owed by the MCDs toDelhi government of Delhi, thethree MCDs collectively owe Rs2596.32 Cr in arrears to theDelhi Jal Board.

"As for the amount owed byGovt of NCT of Delhi to MCDsfor the current financial year2020-21, as per the Fifth DelhiFinance Commission calcula-tions, a total of Rs 1965.91 Cr isdue until 26th October 2020 ofwhich Rs 1752.61 Cr has beenalready paid. So it is clear thatno major amount is due fromDelhi government and anyother figure that the Mayors ofMCDs are demanding is fic-tional and an attempt to divertthe attention of public from thedeep financial mismanagement

and corruptioninside theMCDs.

"It is theC e n t r a lG o v e r n m e n tthat has not paidthe due amountto the MCDs tothe tune of Rs12,000 Cr. It iswell known thatthe CentralG o v e r n m e n tprovides grantsto all theM u n i c i p a lCorporations ofour country. Theamount given toM u n i c i p a lCorporations iscalculated basedon their popula-tion and for every person resid-ing in that city, Rs 488/- per per-son is given as municipal devel-opment funds. In total, Rs2,87,636 is given as municipalfunds to all the cities of thecountry except the DelhiMCDs," he added.

The Central governmenthas granted funds to Ghaziabadand Gurugram from this fund,but none to the MCDs in Delhi,

he said, adding that based onDelhi’s population, this amountsto a total of Rs 12,000 Cr overthe last ten years that shouldhave been granted by the Centreto the MCDs. Why has not asingle rupee out of this amountbeen demanded by the MCDsfrom the Central government,he asked ?

Sisodia also said thatMCD's own internal audit

reports have pointed to com-plete financial mismanagementof the three MCDs. "In theinternal audit report of 2016-17,North MCD's Chief MunicipalAuditor found Rs 3,299 Cr offinancial irregularities.Additionally, the audit reportspointed that South MCD has Rs.1,177 Crore outstanding arrearsof property tax but there is noattempt to recovery," he said.

�� 46�#34�5

At a time when bookstoresare flooded with numerous

romantic novels, Gamed- Will

Love Find Me comes as a freshwhiff of air. The author KaveriBhar has gathered the courageto reflect on the intricacies ofrelationships after marriage.

The book not just hooks itsaudience through the variousturmoils of Kristina- the pro-tagonist, but also portrays var-ious emotions characterisedby precision.

Being an adult novel, ittries to gauge the various emo-tions of an individual, whichare a part, and parcel of humanlife. Gamed is the first install-ment of the forthcoming trilo-gy, and readers can expect fardeeper and concrete aspects inthe upcoming books.

�� 567�462��

The Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal on Thursday

launched the 'Green Delhi'App to increase citizen partic-ipation and ensure timelyaction in Delhi's fight againstpollution.

Kejriwal said that a com-plaint lodged on the App willbe received by the concerneddepartments, which will haveto resolve the complaints in atime-bound manner, as perthe specified timelines for dif-ferent types of complaints.

"Today, we are launchingthe 'Green Delhi' App. Our aimis to enable every citizen to par-ticipate in our 'Yuddh,Pradushan Ke Viruddh' cam-paign. No movement can hap-pen until people take part inthe movement. We are launch-ing the 'Green Delhi' app thatcan be downloaded from the

play store, it is available onandroid for now and will beavailable on other platformssoon," he added.

"In this app, a citizen cantake a photo or shoot a videoand audio of local pollutants,such as garbage burning, indus-trial pollution, constructiondust, etc and upload them onthe app to report it. Whilereporting the activity, we willautomatically get your locationwhere the source of pollutionwas found," he said.

Kejriwal said that a com-plaint lodged on the App willbe received by the concerneddepartments, which will haveto resolve the complaints in atime-bound manner as per thespecified timelines for differenttypes of complaints. “When theissue is resolved, the concerneddepartment will also upload apicture that should show thatthe complaint has been

resolved in a specified timeline.But if the citizen is not satisfiedwith the resolution of the com-plaint, he/she can reopen thecomplaint,” he said.

The monitoring of the res-olution of all complaints and thenumber of complaints receivedwill be done in our 24x7 GreenWar Room. Around 70 Greenmarshals have also beendeployed for effective resolution

of complaints registered on theapp,, he added.

"Please make us aware ofany difficulties that you mayface in the app initially, and wewill work towards resolvingthem. Our aim is to involveevery agency and department,be it DDA, MCD, Delhi gov-ernment, to strengthen our'Yuddh, Pradushan KeViruddh'," he added.

Among a slew of anti-pol-lution measures announcedearlier this month under the

'Yuddh, Pradushan KeViruddh' campaign, Kejriwalhad said that the Delhi gov-

ernment will launch a photo,audio, and video-based 'GreenDelhi' app to enable citizens ofDelhi to report pollution vio-lations and local sources of pol-lution in the city such asgarbage burning, dust due toconstruction activities, indus-trial activities, and other localpollutants.

"The people of Delhi aresuffering due to rising pollutionlevels in the city. In the last fiveyears, pollution has reduced by25 per cent due to severalmeasures taken by the Delhigovernment and the people ofDelhi. This year too, efforts arebeing made to reduce pollu-tion, such as shutting down of

thermal power plants in Delhi,shifting 95 per cent of theindustries to non-pollutingfuels, launching the progressiveEV policy, and tree transplan-tation policy etc,” he said.

“This year, we have con-verted stubble (Paraali) intomanure using a bio-decom-posing technique and havereceived satisfactory resultsuntil now. If this experiment issuccessful, we will be able toreduce smoke due to stubbleburning by next year. We havesprayed the solution on thefarmlands in Delhi and wehope that other governmentswill adopt the technique,” headded.

�� 4�$� �� E0��4� ��E�3�� . ��

� #�� %�� F��>�.%��

�� $�� .��

� �� E#�� E�� &��$� �� 0�� !��&

� �� %�� %�� %��

� C�� %�� %��"�� G�� H&�C�� $

� � ��

� C�� %� �� "��%�� .�� 3��

� 5�� 6��7��

�� 567�462��

Environment MinisterGopal Rai on Thursday

said that around 228 com-plaints related to variousdepartments have been regis-tered until now since thelaunch of the 'Green Delhi'App by Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal earlier in the day.

Rai said that around 21departments, both Centralgovernment and DelhiGovernment monitored havebeen attached to the app withseparate nodal officers andcoordinators for effective res-olution of the complaints.

The minister further saidthat a meeting on the com-plaints received and overallmonitoring with the nodalofficers and coordinators ofevery department will be con-ducted on November 2 at 4PM.

Rai said that around 228complaints related to differentdepartments, have been reg-istered on the 'Green Delhi'App which was launched onThursday.

"A system has been creat-ed in the Green War Room fordaily and effective monitoringof the complaints. Around 21departments, includingMCDs, DDA, DJB, DelhiPolice, DSIDC, DelhiGovernment departments, etcare attached to the App," hesaid. Every department has anodal officer attached with italong with the senior officerwho is incharge of all the com-plaints registered related to thedepartment. he said, addingthat a team for overall coor-dination has also beendeployed.

" Around 12 coordinatorshave been assigned to thegreen war room who willcheck every complaint andoverlook the resolution of allthe complaints as per thetimeline, especially a specifiedtimeline of 48 hours. If thecomplaints are not resolvedwithin 48 hours, they willcoordinate with the seniorofficials of the departmentsand work to resolve the com-plaints," he said.

"We are deploying 70Green Marshals for monitor-ing of the complaints. Forinstance, if a complaint isbeing registered repeatedly

despite being resolved, thegreen marshals will visit thelocation to inspect the situa-tion for any false reporting,"he said.

Rai said that the app hasbeen launched for the effectiveresolution of issues caused dueto local pollutants such bio-mass burning constructionactivities, industrial activities,etc. "The bio decomposersolution has been used on thefarm lands in Delhi, which hashelped prevent stubble burn-ing in Delhi. We will get thefinal report on it onNovember 4. But the massivecampaign launched by theDelhi government to combatinternal sources of pollution inDelhi, has been happening forthe first time in the country,"he added.

The government is alsogoing to launch an anti-crack-er campaign in Delhi fromNovember 3 to prevent thepollution caused by burningcrackers this year, he said.

On the formation of theCommission for Air QualityManagement by the Centre,Rai said, "Stringent steps doneed to be taken to curb pol-lution but taking action is bet-ter and more important thanforming teams. These powerswere granted by the SupremeCourt to CPCB and EPCA ear-lier as well but these powers areuseless if there is no action.

Recently, generators wereallowed to operate in Noida.In this case, no committeewould work, he said. "We shutdown thermal plants in Delhidespite having no special com-mittee in Delhi. The centralcommittee needs to act againstthe 11 thermal power plantsaround Delhi that are causingpollution. Law is necessary butif there would be no action,then biomass burning, stubbleburning, thermal powerplants, and implementation ofdifferent policies in Delhi andother states will continue,"he said.

�� ' �� (�� )��!��

1��2��.��#��

��#�345�.��10�0&��

�� !��"��#��$��#��%�&'((��)(�*+%��,*�� -.(&+(+,,', �� !�"#$�"%&'��!(��")��*�+��,�� -��.��/��+0� 0�1�02.��0��3�44.��/��0��5�� 6��!��/��/7��/�� $�� /5�(��$��/��,��)��/!��8�5��2�� 5�6�� 5��9��(�!�6,��"33444#� ��/433":4334:''��)��/;"<3��8�!)+,��2��5��!(�"#43<43� ��/43#4":=%>=44$:=%>>44��-��6)��/:��;��(��;�? �0��-��6"##8438�@��/4'##"#<:8::<":'

�� !"�#!#!

�� 46�#34�5

The Supreme Court hasordered a stay on the order

of the Uttarakhand high courtdirecting a CBI inquiry in thecase of the social media posttargeting the Chief MinisterTrivendra Singh Rawat.Welcoming this decision, theBJP State chief spokesman andMLA Munna Singh Chauhansaid that this is a jolt for theCongress and other oppositionparties.

Addressing the media hereon Thursday Chauhan said,“We were confident that theHC order would not stand inthe apex court as it was full ofloopholes and also ignored theprinciple of natural justice.Ordering an immediate stay onthe HC order, the SupremeCourt justices have also made

some sharp observations on theHC judgement which is alsoimportant to note.”

He said that actually thisdevelopment has not broughtany relief to the CM becausethere was nothing against himin the case in the first place. Infact, this has stumped thosepeople who had orchestratedthe conspiracy against the CM.“The manner in which theCongress state president, leaderof opposition and former CMHarish Rawat along with otherCongress leaders were impa-tiently demanding the CM’sresignation and making irre-sponsible statements followingthe HC order made us inquireinto it. We reached the con-clusion that the Congressarrived at a settlement withUmesh Sharma who had con-ducted a sting operation onHarish Rawat in the past. TheCongress reached an agree-ment with Sharma and in orderto derive improper politicalbenefit, participated in theconspiracy to taint the image ofthe CM. When Sharma hadcarried out the sting operation,the Congress representativeshad stated in the high courtthat he could not be trusted and

that he was a blackmailer. Nowthose very people told the highcourt that Sharma was an eth-ical journalist whose democ-ratic rights were beingimpinged upon. I ask HarishRawat whether he considersSharma to be a good journal-ist, whether the criminal casesagainst him are wrong andwhether he is working ethical-ly as a journalist,” saidChauhan.

He further said that CMTrivendra Singh Rawat has

implemented zero tolerancefor corruption in letter andspirit. This has disturbed thosewho were involved in unethi-cal activities in the corridors ofpower. It is such elements whohave been conspiring consis-tently against the CM. Replyingto a query on what action theBJP will take against theCongress for its alleged role inthe conspiracy, he said thatbeing a political party, the BJPwill respond politically.

�� 46�#34�5

Demanding resignation ofchief minister Trivendra

Singh Rawat in the Jharkhandbribery case, the Uttarakhandunit of Congress party organ-ised a march towards the RajBhawan on Thursday. TheCongress leaders and workersassembled at the state head-quarter of the party located atbusy Rajpur road and startedthe march towards Raj Bhawan.The party leaders claim thatthey had requested theGovernor Baby Rani Maurya togive them time so that a dele-gation of Congress leaderscould meet her but no time wasgiven by her office. The partyin order to hammer home itsdemand of the Central Bureauof Investigation (CBI) inquiryin the case and immediate dis-missal of CM Trivendra SinghRawat, organised the march

towards Raj Bhawan.The march was

led by the in-chargeof UttarakhandCongress DevendraYadav who is on athree day visit to thestate, the general sec-retary of All IndiaC o n g r e s sCommittee (AICC)and former chiefminister HarishRawat and PradeshC o n g r e s sCommittee (PCC)chief Pritam Singh.The slogan shoutingworkers of theCongress party werestopped by the police person-nel near Hathibadkala. At thebarricades erected by the policeheated arguments were wit-nessed between Congress lead-ers and the officers of admin-istration and police. Deniedforward march the Congressworkers started a vehement slo-gan shouting against the gov-ernment.

The Congress leaders were

later detained by the police andtaken to police lines beforebeing released later.

Speaking on the occasion,the in charge of the state unitof the party, Devendra Yadavsaid that the mask over the zerotolerance on corruption claimof the Trivendra Singh Rawatgovernment has been removed.The former CM Harish Rawatsaid that the CM Rawat should

resign from his post withoutdelay. The PCC presidentPritam Singh also demandedresignation of CM Rawat.

The Leader of Opposition(LoP) in the state assemblyIndira Hridayesh, co- in chargeof Uttarakhand RajeshDharmani, secretary of AICC,Qazi Nizamuddin and otherCongress leaders also took partin the agitation.

- ��$� ��5�+#�$� ��

"��&��3�6�'�� .��!��!� ��!"��!��

�� 46�#34�5

Schemes being implementedthrough State and Centrally

funded projects in the UrbanDevelopment and Housingdepartment should be imple-mented effectively. Chief min-ister Trivendra Singh Rawatissued this direction whilereviewing the functioning ofthese and other departmentsunder cabinet minister MadanKaushik here on Thursday.

Addressing the officials,the CM said that timely imple-mentation of the schemesensures timely benefit to theintended beneficiary while pre-venting unnecessary hike in theproject cost. He stressed on theneed for laying special focus onachieving the set targets inSwachchh Bharat Mission,Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana,Deendayal Antyoday Yojana,Atal Mission for Rejuvenationand Urban Transformation(AMRUT). Rawat also instruct-ed that the PradhanmantriSwanidhi Yojana should be

effectively implemented in allthe 91 local bodies in the state.The tasks of forming vendingcommittees and facilitatingbank loans for the beneficiariesshould be expedited. He saidthat the district magistratesshould also be accordedresponsibility for this. He fur-ther directed that constructionof bus stations and parkingfacilities in mountainousregions should also be expe-dited. Plans for smart parkingfacilities in tourist destinationslike Nainital and Mussoorieamong others should also beprepared. Initiative should betaken for private partnershipfor this, he added.

The CM further stressedon the need to focus on prepar-ing master plans for local bod-ies for which funds have alsobeen made available. Masterplan and detailed planning oflocal area will help in develop-ment of the local bodies andinfrastructural facilities. Hefurther said that the online map

approving system should bemade effective and the draft ofthe policy to be prepared forthis purpose should be pre-sented in the next cabinetmeeting. He also spoke ofascertaining a policy for reso-

lution of problems experiencedby various authorities.

Urban development secre-tary Shailesh Bagauli andDehradun Smart City Limitedchief executive officer AshishKumar Srivastava also

informed the CM about vari-ous aspects related to urbandevelopment and housing.Cabinet minister MadanKaushik and other officialsconcerned were also present inthe review meeting.

�� 46�#34�5

The associations of the gov-ernment teachers have

vehemently opposed the edu-cation department’s directive tothe teachers to get the docu-ments of their educationalqualification verified from theboards and universities fromwhere they have passed out.The president of the PrathmikShikshak Sangh (PSS), thepowerful organisation of pri-

mary teachers, Digvijay Singhthat the teachers have alreadysubmitted copies of their edu-cational qualification and otherdocuments to the office ofBlock Education Officer (BEO)concerned. He said that thenew directive to the teachers isoutrageous.

He said that verification ofthe documents is the duty ofthe department and not of theteachers. Singh said that theverification of documentsshould be done at the time ofappointment and asking thedocuments from teachers iswrong. The general secretary ofthe Junior High SchoolShikshak Sangh, RajendraBahuguna said that the order ofthe department to the teachersto get their documents verifiedis wrong and should be imme-diately withdrawn. He warnedthat if the decision is not takenback then the teachers wouldbe forced to start a statewideagitation.

It is pertinent to mentionhere that the Uttarakhand HighCourt (HC) had recently

directed the education depart-ment to get the educationalqualifications of all its teachersverified. In response to theorder the education depart-ment asked all its 35000 teach-ers to submit documents per-taining to their educationalqualifications in three sets. It islearnt that after these docu-ments were received in theoffices of BEO’s the departmentrealised the enormity of thetask. Taking a way out thebeleaguered department hasnow asked the teachers to gettheir documents verified them-selves.

This order has agitated theteachers. “The department asksus to get our documents veri-fied from the universities andboards. The basic objective ofthe exercise is to find teachersin the department workingwith dubious documents. Howa teacher who has got the jobby fraudulent means wouldget caught if he himself isbeing asked to get the verifica-tion done? ‘’ asked a teacher.

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

��

�� 46�#34�5

The chairperson of the StateCommission for Protection

of Child Rights (SCPCR) UshaNegi has directed the police toinvestigate a Budhhist schooland a Madarsa in Dehradundistrict after she found sever-al anomalies in the manage-ment of these institutes duringa recent inspection. Recently,the commission received acomplaint letter from the par-ents of an eight year old childaccording to which the childwas purportedly beaten in aMadarsa in Vikasnagar duringthe class. Another case wasbrought into Negi's considera-tion in which seven Nepalesechildren allegedly fled fromBuddhist school situated inPurkul to Banbasa after beingbeaten up by the teachers. Negisaid that these institutes wererunning even during the lock-down when no education insti-

tute was allowed to providephysical education due toCovid-19 pandemic. The com-mission has confiscated all therecords like registers, logs andCCTV footages to get moreinformation about the situationin these bodies. Talking aboutthe issue in the Budhhistschool, Negi said that theNepalese children in this schoolasked to go to Nepal duringDussehra as they have beenhere since before the lock-down.

"Why are these childrennot registered in the embassy ofNepal? Why have they notbeen sent back to Nepal sinceMarch? The school has madeAadhaar cards for these chil-dren when they are here just fortheir studies from Nepal andnot to be a citizen. Besides,when these seven children ranaway from the school, themanagement did not bother tofile any police complaint. Who

would have taken the respon-sibility if the police wouldn'thave found these children ontime," questioned Negi. She hasdirected police to investigateboth the institutes and verifythe information of childrenmentioned in documents. Negi

also expressed her disappoint-ment with the educationdepartment which let suchinstitutes run during the pan-demic when regular physicalclasses are closed in all the edu-cation institutes. Meanwhile,Negi added that she will also

write to the Home Ministrysoon regarding the manage-ment of children in such insti-tutes where the children fromother countries are being con-verted into Indian citizens andno one is paying attention to it.

�� 46�#34�5

Atotal of 305 persons testedpositive for Covid-19 in

the state on Thursday. Nodeaths of Covid patients werereported on the day while 456patients recovered from the dis-ease.

With this, while the totalnumber of Covid cases in thestate has climbed to 61,566, thenumber of recovered patientshas also climbed higher to56,529 leaving a total of 3,545active cases in the state. Therecovery percentage in the stateis currently 91.82 per cent.

Of the people found posi-tive for Covid on Thursday,eight were found in Almoradistrict, 10 in Bageshwar, 22 inChamoli and six in

Champawat. Similarly, 78 pos-itive cases were found inDehradun, 24 in Haridwar, 33each in Nainital and Pauri, 14in Pithoragarh, 21 inRudraprayag, 24 each in TehriGarhwal and Udham SinghNagar, and eight in Uttarkashi.

Of the total active cases atpresent, the highest- 773 are inDehradun district followed byPauri with 391 and Haridwarwith 390.

Among the other districts,Almora has 91 active cases,Bageshwar has 115, Chamolihas 175, Champawat has 138,Nainital has 371, Pithoragarh has 187,Rudraprayag has 216, Tehrihas 223, Udham Singh Nagarhas 259 while Uttarkashi has216.

�� 46�#34�5

The doctors of MahantIndiresh hospital here have

claimed to have successfullytreated a kidney transplanted49 year old female patient whowas suffering from Covid-19.The doctors inform that in thiscase the treatment of thepatient was very challengingbecause the working capacity ofthe kidney was reduced and thepatient was on drugs forimmune suppression. Afterclose supervision and treat-ment by specialist doctors forfourteen days, the patient hasrecovered and has been dis-charged from the hospital.

The patient had under-

gone kidney transplantation afew years ago. The patient wason medical management andmedicines after kidney trans-plantation.

The Kidney specialist of thehospital Dr Alok Kumarinformed that any serious infec-tion including Corona can proveto be fatal for any such patientwho had undergone kidneytransplantation. “Such patientsare kept over regular medi-cines. These medicines play asignificant role in medical man-agement after transplantation,but these medicines also resultin decreased immunity. Lack ofimmunity can even prove to belife threatening in such patientsdue to Covid-19”, he said.

�� 46�#34�5

While the MunicipalCorporation of

Dehradun (MCD) is talkingabout focusing on improvingthe sanitation facilities in thecity to get better ranking in theupcoming SwachchhSurvekshan, a site near the dryRispana river in Adhoiwalahas become a garbage collec-tion center for several months.According to the locals, thesanitation workers collectinggarbage from the nearby areasin their carts dump the garbagein the trash bins and when thebins seem full, they empty thecarts in the open area.Observing the heap of garbagenear the bins, the people pass-ing by the site started to dumptheir garbage which stays therefor days until the municipal

workers collect the garbagefrom the site, informed locals.During the last few months,some ragpickers can be seenregularly near the site to takethe garbage from the binsspread on the ground and col-lect the things in their bags thatthey find sellable. "Initially itwas one or two bags but nowthe ragpickers fill four to fivebig bags regularly and some-times they call some men whotake the filled bags on bicycles.Sometimes it also causes traf-fic jam there," said a local res-ident Dharam Das.

Another local DurgaBhandari said, "They don'twear gloves or use masks whilesifting through the garbagethat probably has several usedface masks. It can be dangerousduring the Covid-19 pandem-ic." On asking why the people

do not complainabout the matter,locals said that theyhave approachedthe councillor butnothing has beendone yet.Meanwhile, whenthis correspondentspoke with the rag-pickers collectinggarbage from the site, theyinformed that they live in thenearby slums and collect thesellable items from the garbageto earn some money. On beingasked whether the municipalworkers allow them to lookinto the pile of garbage, theysaid that workers have occa-sionally scolded them but theycontinue to do their work any-way as they are poor and thisprovides them some extrabucks. When this issue was

brought to the notice of MCDofficials, they stated that nosanitation worker can dumpgarbage in the open. The offi-cials further said that the cor-poration will look into thematter and take appropriateactions.

It is pertinent to mentionhere that dumping of garbagein the open around bins placedby the MCD is a problemfaced in various localities of theprovisional state capital.

$��# ��! ��$�� )��

��# �� #��*�� +��

��!'()��!��

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

, �� $�! �

$�� 0��&&��&��

�� -��,�� #�� #��$��.��.��!��/ ��#��,��0��

� ��*�� !"�#!#!

�� 567�462��

In an effort to have securecommunication system in

the backdrop of Pakistan-basedagencies hacking smart phonesof the Indian security person-nel, the Indian Army has devel-oped its own messaging app. Itis named ‘SAI’ (SecureApplication for Internet).

It will help the Army offi-cers to talk to each other in asafe system of their own andnot be apprehensive of spyingby the rival agencies. In fact, thearmy had to ban more than 90apps in the last one year toavoid spying. The Navy bannedthe use of smart phones by itspersonnel while sailing on war-ships after some personnelwere allegedly trapped by aPakistani based agency andmade to reveal operationalinformation.

Seen as big boost to the‘Atmanirbhar’ project, the app

is similar to other messagingapps like WhatsApp, Telegram,SAMVAD, GIMS & supportsan end to end encryptionmessaging protocol. The SAIapp also supports secure voice,text & video calling service forAndroid users. The SAI scoresover on security features withlocal in-house servers andcoding which can be tweakedas per requirements.

“The application has beenvetted by a CERT-empanelledauditor and Army CyberGroup. The process for filingIntellectual Property Rights(IPR), hosting the infrastruc-ture on NIC and working oniOS platform is currently inprogress. SAI will be utilisedby the Army to facilitate securemessaging within the service,”the Army said.

Defence Minister RajnathSingh reviewed the function-alities of the app and compli-mented Colonel Sai Shankar

for his skill and ingenuity indeveloping the application,the statement added.

The indigenously designedsystem comes at a time whenthere were concerns over theuse of commercial mobileapplications by the Army offi-cials for communicating witheach other thereby compro-mising security.

The Army had ordered itspersonnel earlier this year todelete popular apps such asFacebook, Truecaller,Instagram and games likePUBG from their mobilephones.

The order was intended toplug leakage of sensitivenational security informationfrom phones of armed forcespersonnel. The in-house appli-cation has been developed byColonel Sai Shankar .

The army has also devel-oped a software for infra-structure management.

(��+��+��-(!

+,��-��, �./��+/,.��0�+�

�� 567�462��

In continuation ofWednesday’s search opera-

tions, the NIA on Thursdayconducted more searches atseven locations in Srinagar,Baramulla, Anantnag andKulgam ( Jammu andKashmir) and two locations inDelhi in connection with thecase relating to certain NGOsand Trusts raising funds inthe name of charitable activ-ities and then using thosefunds for carrying out seces-sionist and separatist activitiesin the Valley.

The NIA had registeredthe case on October 8, 2020under Indian Penal CodeSections relating to criminalconspiracy and seditionbesides various provisions ofUnlawful Act ivit ies(Prevention) Act.

The case was registeredon a directive from the Union

Home Ministry followingreceipt of credible information that certainNGOs and Trusts are col-lecting funds domesticallyand abroad through dona-tions and business contribu-tions etc. in the name of var-ious welfare activities such aspublic health, education andthe like.

Further, these funds weresent to Jammu and Kashmirthrough various channelssuch as hawala and cashcouriers and are used to carryout and sustain secessionistand terrorist activities inJ&K, the NIA said in a state-ment.

The latest round ofsearches were conducted atJK Yateem Foundation atSrinagar and Kulgam, TheSalvat ion Movement atSrinagar, run by Zafar AkbarBhat , Human WelfareFoundation at Delhi andAnantnag, Jammu andKashmir Voice of Victims atBaramulla, run by AbdulQadeer, Falah-e- Aam Trustat Budgam, run by GM Bhatand Charity Alliance, atDelhi, run by Zafar ul Islam.

75��,��.��0��&�.��

�� 567�462��

Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs (CCEA)

on Thursday allotted �10,211crore for the safety and mainte-nance works of 736 dams acrossthe country. The CCEA alsoapproved Ethanol purchasingpolicy and increased procure-ment prices of different levels ofEthanol products benefittingsugarcane farmers and extend-ed the mandatory use of jutematerials for packaging bene-fitting the jute industry.

“The CCEA chaired byPrime Minister Narendra Modihas approved the DamRehabilitation andImprovement Project (DRIP)Phase II & Phase III with thefinancial assistance of theWorld Bank (WB), and AsianInfrastructure Investment Bank(AIIB) to improve the safetyand operational performance ofselected dams across the wholecountry, along with institu-tional strengthening with sys-tem wide managementapproach.

“The project cost is �10,211 crore. The Project willbe implemented over a periodof 10 years duration in twoPhases, each of six years dura-tion with two years overlappingfrom April, 2021 to March,2031. The share of externalfunding is �7,000 crore of thetotal project cost, and balance�3,211 crore is to be borne bythe concerned ImplementingAgencies (IAs). The contribu-tion of Central Government is

�1,024 crore as loan liabilityand �285 crore as counter-partfunding for CentralComponent,” said UnionMinister Prakash Javadekardetailing the Cabinet meetingdecisions in media briefing.

The CCEA approved fix-ing higher ethanol pricederived from different sugar-cane based raw materialsunder the Ethanol BlendedPetrol (EBP) Programme forthe forthcoming sugar sea-son. “The price of ethanolfrom C heavy molasses routebe increased from �43.75 perlit to �45.69 per litre. The priceof ethanol from B heavymolasses route be increasedfrom �54.27 per lit to �57.61per litre. The price of ethanolfrom sugarcane juice / sugar /sugar syrup route be increasedfrom �59.48 per lit to �62.65per litre,” said Government ina statement.

“Consistent surplus ofsugar production is depressingsugar price. Consequently,sugarcane farmer’s dues haveincreased due to lower capa-bility of sugar industry to paythe farmers. Government hastaken many decisions forreduction of cane farmer’sdues. With a view to limitsugar production in theCountry and to increasedomestic production ofethanol, Government hastaken multiple steps ,” saidJavadekar.

The CCEA also approvedthat 100% of the foodgrainsand 20% of the sugar shall bemandatorily packed in diver-sified jute bags.

The decision to pack sugarin diversified jute bags willgive an impetus to the diver-sification of the jute industry.

�12�/11�� 345��

�� 567�462��

The Uttar PradeshGovernment has chalked

out a �10 crore plan to cleansethe Ganga Ghats in the Statewith the help of CCTVs andstate-of-the art gadgets.

The cleaning and moni-toring plan will be executed inphases, with work to be firstrolling out from religioushotspot Kashi. Around 200CCTVs and best of state-of-the-art gadgets wil l bedeployed to cleanse and mon-itor sanitation work at theghats which are thronged bythousands of devotees everyday.

The officials posted at theGanga Namami Departmentof the Yogi Government willmonitor the activities sittingin their offices in Lucknowthrough the computers con-nected with the 200 CCTVsinstalled on the Ghats.

“The 200 CCTV camerasto monitor the safety andcleanliness of the Ghats will bedirectly connected to the com-puters of officials associatedwith the Namami Gange project at Lucknow, the capi-tal of the State,” said an offi-cial from the StateGovernment.

The task is in keeping

with the promise made byPrime Minister NarendraModi and State Chief MinisterYogi who have promised tomake Ganga incessant andclean.

Not only the ghats, effortsare already being undertakento keep cleanse the con-stituency of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi so as to makeit a role model.

For executing this mam-moth task, the UPGovernment has already start-ed the process of selection ofan agency.

This time along withcleaning workers, modernmachines wil l also bedeployed on the Ghats.

The waste released fromthe Ganga Ghats will be col-lected into these machines tobe recycled to ensure that thegarbage does not again flowinto the water and spoil ghaton the bank of the river.

After 79 ghats of Kashi,the Namami Gange depart-ment is also working on a planto rejuvenate the cleaning sys-tem of 19 ghats of Prayagraj,20 in Bithur, 21 of KanpurNagar, 27 ghats of Mathuraand Vrindavan. “With thecompletion of the job at Kashi,work will be started at otherghats as well,” said the official.

6 7��#��#��"��#�#�� 8�# )�9�

�� 567462��

The UnionCivil Aviation Minister

Hardeep Singh Puri onThursday promised to takeimmediate action after a pas-senger posted images onTwitter of people floutingsocial distancing protocol atthe Srinagar airport.

Sanjay Raina, who postedthree pictures on Twitter onThursday morning showingpassengers standing extreme-ly close to each other during asecurity check at the airport.

Raina tagged Puri in histweet, saying: “Shocking vio-lation of #COVID19 protocol, sheer incompetence ofauthorities & security person-nel at #SrinagarAirport.Horrible to say the least.Someone needs to take respon-sibility. Hats off to airline staffstill managing.”

In his response, Puri saidthat he had discussed the mat-ter with Arvind Singh,Chairman, Airports Authorityof India (AAI). “We will checkthe facts & take immediate cor-rective action,” the minister

� � �� $�! ��! �� ' ��#��

� ��1�� !"�#!#!

�� !�!�3�

Having cancelled the global ten-dering process set into motion by

the previous BJP-led Governmenttwo years ago, the Shiv Sena-ledMVA Government on Thursdaydecided to float new tenders for theambitious Dharavi RedevelopmentProject (DRP), a project that is aimedat transforming Asia’s largest slum intoan integrated planned township.

At a weekly Cabinet meetingpresided over by chief ministerUddhav Thackeray decided to revivethe Dharavi Redevelopment Project byinviting fresh tenders for the project.The earlier cost of the project was Rs22,000 crore. Given that there hasbeen a delay in the execution of theproject, it remains to be seen as whatwill be the cost escalation in the pro-ject.

“At a Cabinet meeting held onOctober 16, 2018, the secretaries’committee had decided to cancel thethen prevailing tendering process. Attoday’s meeting, the State Cabinet

approved the new terms and condi-tions recommended by the secretariescommittee for floating new tenders forthe DRP. The State Cabinet alsodecided to make necessary changes inthe implementation of the project ata later stage, “ an official release issuedby the state government said.

Spread over 240-hectare area,Dharavi has remained an ugly face anda dark underbelly of Mumbai – alargest slum which has been roman-ticised in Indian films over the years.It has also been a cottage industry hubfor decades on end.

The DRP is being seen as thebiggest redevelopment effort under-taken for the region since 1972, afterwhich there have been slum improve-ment project in 1976, SlumUpgradation project in 1985, SlumRehabilitation Scheme in 1995, andthen the Dharavi RedevelopmentProject of 2004.

In an apparent effort to derivepolitical mileage in the run-up to theMay 2019 Lok Sabha and the subse-quent October 2019 State Assembly

polls, the BJP-led saffron alliancegovernment had embarked upon theDRP.

In advertisements seeking inter-national bids for the DRP put out inmajor news papers, the SlumRedevelopment Authority (SRA) stat-ed that the last date for submitting thebids for the project is December 28.

As per the guidelines notified inthe tender, the selected lead partnerhas to form a Special Purpose Vehicle(SPV) with 80 per cent equity ( Rs 400crore), while the Maharashtra gov-ernment will hold 20 per cent equity( Rs 100 crore) in the project.

The SPV will construct free hous-es for the eligible slum dwellers withamenities and infrastructure. TheSPV will be entitled to construct hous-es in the free sale area and sell themin the open market. The state gov-ernment has fixed 4 as Floor SpaceIndex (FSI) for the project.

Located between WesternRailway’s Bandra-Matunga andCentral Railway’s Sion-Matunga sta-

tions in north-central Mumbai,Dharavi has the highest density ofpopulation. The Mithi River slicesthrough a portion of Dharavi into theMahim Creek and then onto theArabian Sea. Currently, it is home toover anywhere from 60,000 to 70,000families.

A mini-India of sorts where peo-ple belonging to different faiths live,Dharavi has s 28 temples, 11 mosques,six churches, 50 banks, 60 governmentschools, a mobile design museum, sev-eral slum tourism outfits, thrivingcriminal groups, and a tiny dilapidatedfort.

Dharavi also has a small fortknown as the Riwa Fort. Better knownas Kala Qilla or Black Fort, it is cur-rently in a dilapidated condition. Itwas built by the first Governor ofBombay, Gerald Aungier(1669–1677). It was part of the larg-er Bombay Castle, and marked thenorthern portion of British-heldBombay in the 17th century. The cas-tle was also used as a watchtower,guarding the territory against the

Portuguese-held (and later Maratha-held) Salsette Island.

At that time, the entire area wasa large swamp and primarily inhab-ited by Koli fishermen who made a liv-ing from the waters. As the legendgoes, the British built a dam on theMithi river because of which there wasno water to feed the swamp and itdried off.

The fishermen near the sea anda community of potters moved inhere. In fact they could be called thefirst settlers of the region.

As Mumbai turned into a hub fortextiles in the post Independenceera, thousands of men from northIndia moved in as well and the slumas we know it started to take shape.Slowly and slow since the sixties,migrants – particularly those fromsouth India started moving in – mak-ing what Dharavi is today.

Dharavi has several business units-- right from textiles to pottery to fab-rication to leather industry. Plasticrecycling and garbage segregationtoo is done here.

�� 1>��

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayanblamed the Centre and its investi-

gating agencies for the arrest of his for-mer Principal Secretary M Sivsankarwho was arrested by the EnforcementDirectorate late Wednesday night inconnection with gold smuggling andmoney laundering.

Briefing the media about the Covid-19 situation in Kerala on Thursday,Vijayan read out a prepared statementto express his displeasure over the waycentral agencies are handling the goldsmuggling scam though he remainedsilent about the arrest of BineeshKodiyeri, son of party strongmanKodiyeri Balakrishnan.

“A senior Customs official (AnishRajan IRS) had told the media that therewere no interference from the ChiefMinister’s Office to get the baggageaddressed to the UAE Consulatereleased. But he was transferred out ofthe State overnight and there was noreaction from anybody about thistransfer,” said Vijayan when askedabout the arrest of Sivshankar.

He said the whole gold smugglingscam, LIFE Mission corruption chargesand other allegations were part of thestrategies of the Congress and the BJPto portray the government in poor light.“This will not work. We stand com-mitted to the upliftment of the poor anddowntrodden,” said the chief minister.

Instead of directly attacking theCentre, Vijayan opted to read fromCongress President Sonia Gandhi’sarticle published in a newspaper recent-ly about how the Centre was misusingits probe agencies to target and victimiseopposition parties. “Rahul Gandhi toohad told recently that he was a victimof the political vendetta,” said Vijayan.

The Chief Minister claimed hehad no acquaintance of any kind withSivsankar. “He was appointed to myoffice based on his experience in dif-ferent departments of the governmentand that was how I met him,” saidVijayan.

But a senior IAS officer said thatSivsankar was an officer promoted tothe IAS from the State Governmentcadre and he was a senior leader of theSFI during his student days.

��8�� 32�03#�

The Inspector of Kanpur branch EOW(Prevention of Corruption Organization)

has registered a corruption case at Lodha policestation against SO and an inspector posted inLodha. One of them is currently SO at Pisaawapolice station in the district, while another is onsuspension from Meerut. After the registrationof this case, departmental action against PisawaSO is fixed.

Aligarh: Corona vaccine trialsstarted in the country and areexpected to be ready by sum-mer. First, doctors and para-medical staff of private andGovernment hospitals will bevaccinated. Therefore, details ofMedical College, AyurvedaHospital, Unani Hospital,Homeopathy Hospital, Railway

Hospital, ESI Hospital besidesdoctors and paramedical staffof the private nursing home,pathology lab, ultrasound cen-ter have been sought. However,the department's staff is wor-ried therefore, the cooperationof the Indian MedicalAssociation is also beingsought. PNS

�� 1>213�3

There is no rule of law inBengal which had been

reduced to a police State,Governor Jagdeep Dhankharhas told Union Home MinisterAmit Shah with whom he metin Delhi on Thursday.

Alleging that the MamataBanerjee Government hadreduced Bengal into a “BananaRepublic,” the Governor saidthat he was anguished abouthow the next year’s Assembly

elections would be conductedthe State.

Emerging from a meetingwith Shah the Governor said“you don’t have any idea ofwhat is happening in WestBengal. The law and order sit-uation has completely crumbled down. Police andbureaucrats are working aspolitical servants of the rulingparty. The crime statistics hasgone up and Al-Qaeda isspreading its fangs inMurshidabad.”

Alleging that, the State hadbeen reduced to a “police state”and a “banana republic” he saidthat all his requests for infor-mation on the state affairs areignored by the Government.

“It is my duty to save theConstitution. … I believe inreformation and that can hap-pen only through dialogues.But they hardly respond to myletters. Under such circum-stances, how can a constitu-tional head like me have asound sleep?”

He however remained eva-sive about whether Bengal hadbecome a fit case for President’sRule though he said that therewas a “virtual anarchy” inBengal and the political vio-lence had become a matter ofconcern.

“Political leaders are gettingkilled. The power of corridorsin the state is infested by non-state actors. This is surely notdemocracy,” he said even as theruling Trinamool Congressleadership launched a scathing

counterattack on the Governorsaying “he is a liability forBengal.”

Bengal Minister ParthoChatterjee said “so much hasbeen said by him and so muchhas been said about him in thepast one year that nothingmore is left…. And all such dis-courses have only proved thathe isacting as the BJP’sspokesperson who has con-verted the Governor’s Houseinto a party office. Less saidabout him the better.”

Another senior leader saidthat there was nothing new inwhat the Governor had said onThursday.

Rather what is new is thetiming of his visit to Delhi andmeeting with the HomeMinister which took placehours before his shifting ofoffice to Darjeeling for amonth.

“Had he gone to meet theHome Minister just before hisDarjeeling trip people wouldhave said that he has gone to

take the briefing on his politi-cal activities in Darjeeling… Now he can atleast say that he had gone tobrief the Home Minister aboutthe State of affairs in Bengaland in the disguise he is car-rying back instructions onwhat he has to do inDarjeeling,” where he will stayfor a month from November 1.

Meanwhile all hell brokeloose at Bagnan in Howrahwhere the BJP supporters

clashed with the police duringa saffron party sponsoredbandh to protest against theinordinate delay by the admin-istration to conduct secondpost porterm on a slayn partyworker who was allegedly mur-dered by the TMC men abouta fortnight ago.

The police resorted to lathicharge after the angry saffronworkers threw burning tyres infront of the local police station.Severalpersons were arrested,sources said.

KOCHI: The CPI(M) in Keralasuffered two major setbacks onThursday which has put theparty in a dilemma as it getsready for the elections to thelocal self Government and thelegislative Assembly.

M Sivsankar, formerPrincipal Secretary to ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayan, wassent to the EnforcementDirectorate’s custody for sevendays on Thursday by the DistrictSessions Judge, Ernakulam inconnection with charges of goldsmuggling, money launderingand interference in the func-tioning of other department ofthe Government. Later in theday, the ED arrested BineeshKodiyeri, the controversial sonof CPI(M) strongman KodiyeriBalakrishnan on charges of nar-cotics smuggling.

Sivsankar was arrested bythe ED late Wednesday nightfollowing the Kerala High Courtdismissing the former’s antici-patory bail application. TheIAS officer, a former leader ofthe CPI(M)’s student wing SFI,was the most powerful bureau-crat in Kerala who wasaddressed as “Super CM” byother ministers in the cabinetand other bureaucrats, was con-sidered as Vijayan’s eyes, earsand words.

The arrest memo served on

Sivsankar by the ED officialstells that the IAS official hadaccepted during the questioningthat he had spoken to a seniorCustoms Official atThiruvananthapuram airportat the instance of Swapna Sureshto get the baggage seized by theagency released. “This clearlyshows your active involvementin the offences committed bySwapna.This also amounts tomisuse of public office andinterference in the official work-ing of other Governmentdepartments,” said the EDmemo. It further states thatSivsankar has helped SwapnaSuresh in all the gold smug-glings and other illegal opera-tions held by her in the past.

The CPI(M)’s woes gotaggravated by Thursday after-noon when the ED arrestedBineesh Kodiyeri, second son ofKodiyeri Balakrishnan, theparty’s state secretary, in con-nection with charges of drugtrafficking. The ED officialshad summoned Bineesh toBangalore for questioning onThursday to elicit more detailsabout his association withAnoob Mohammed, a notori-ous drug smuggler. Mohammedis in the custody of NarcoticsControl Bureau for his role inthe infamous drug traffickinggang busted by it recently. PNS

$��6�6 ��+��3*$�� -#�#

�� 3��6�.��

: ;� ��$�� !�� #�� !��#�� ' !��

�.!� �� 64��

�� !�!�3�

Amid the continued flattening of the Covid-19 curve, Maharashtra on Thursday wit-

nessed an upward fluctuation in deaths and a dipin the number of infections in various parts ofthe State.

A day after the state logged 91 deaths and6,738 infections, the daily death tally went up to156, while the infected cases dropped to 5,902.With 156 fresh deaths, the Covid-19 toll inMaharashtra rose from 43,554 to 43,710. Similarlywith 5902 fresh infections, the total infected casesjumped from 16,60,766 to 16,66,668.

As 7,883 more people were discharged fromvarious hospitals in the state, the number of peo-ple discharged from various hospitals after fullrecovery since the second week of March this yearwent up to 14,94,809. The recovery rate in thestate rose from 89.53 to 89.69 per cent.

Of the 156 deaths reported on Thursday,Mumbai accounted for a maximum of 33 deaths,while there were 27 deaths in Pune, 19 in Thane,11 in Solapur and 10 in Nagpur.

In the lower range, there eight deaths inNanded, 7 each in Satara and Sangli, 4 each inAhmednagar, Ratnagiri, Jalna and Chandrapur,3 each in Nashik and Akola, 2 each in Palghar,Raigad, Aurangabad, Beed, Washim andBhandara and one each in Parbhani, Latur,Osmanabad, Amravati, Buldhana and GadchiroliAs many as 11 districts reported zero deaths. With34 fresh deaths, the Covid-19 toll in Mumbai tollshot up from 10196 to 10229, while the infect-ed cases rose by 1120 to trigger a jump in theinfections from 2,54,240 to 2,55,360.

, % # �%�# �-�.��$� �%�!�/!0�1��

�� 3!3#3D3��

Andhra Pradesh has allowedall Government schools

and colleges to reopen fromNovember 2 with all precau-tionary measures amid theCovid pandemic.

Chief Secretary NilamSawhney confirmed that thestate government is goingahead with reopening educa-tional institutions. The date forreopening schools was alreadycommunicated earlier, even asthe uncertainty over collegeshas also been cleared now.

“Schools would be run onalternate days in three phasesfor which officials are makingarrangements. Precautionarymeasures would be taken tocontain the spread of Covid-19,” Sawhney said.

As part of the reopening,

classes 9, 10 and intermediatefirst and second year will func-tion on alternate days for onlyhalf a day.

Likewise, all HigherSecondary colleges will alsostart functioning fromNovember 2 on rotation basisand from November 23, class-es 6, 7, and 8 would start func-tioning on a half day basis.“Classes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wouldstart functioning fromDecember 14 on alternate daysand on a half-a-day basis. Thesame schedule would apply toall government schools andcolleges,” she added. Thoughthe state government thoughtof reopening schools almost amonth ago, it extended thereopening by a month, to atime when active Covid caseshave come down to around 26,000.

)��2��+�$��&��##'��&��

2��%��!�� 3�� !�� !��

��"�!��#��!�/

�� 567�462��

The National Investigation Agency(NIA) on Thursday conducted

searches at four locations in Guwahati(Assam) and Sangli (Maharashtra) inconnection with the Delhi GoldSmuggling Case.

“These locations are premises relat-ed to accused persons and their han-dlers from where they used to give effectto the commission of crime,” the agencysaid in a statement here.

The NIA further said, “During thesearches, incriminating documents andelectronic devices containing details ofsuspicious transactions as well as of thepersons involved in the instant crime,who are also having linkages abroad

including Myanmar and Nepal, wereseized.”

The NIA had registered the case onSeptember 16 this year which relates toseizure of 83.62 Kg of smuggled goldbars having market value of Rs 42.89crore at New Delhi Railway Station onAugust 28, 2020 from the possession ofeight accused persons.

Interrogation of these accused hasso far revealed that they had collectedthe said consignment from Guwahati for its further delivery at NewDelhi on the directions of their handlerswho are suspected to have sourced thesmuggled material from Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan, it said,adding further investigation is contin-uing.

75� ��8��.�� &��0&&��&�.��

In mid-October, a 17-year-oldgirl, Neema (name changed)was found by the UttarPradesh (UP) Police in adazed state, hungry and deliri-

ous. Sold to traffickers by herpoverty-stricken parents on theadvice of “well-meaning” neigh-bours in her village in MadhyaPradesh, the teenager had escapedfrom her tormentors in Delhi.Neema walked and hitch-hiked forthree days to cover a distance of 200km before she was spotted by con-cerned passersby and the police inHathras. Unaware of her where-abouts and determined to reachhome, she was still 794 km short ofher home in Mandla district whenshe was rescued. The girl told thepolice that there were 12 otherminors like her, confined to oneroom in Delhi. Fortunately, they allmanaged to escape.

Neema is not the only childfrom her village to have been traf-ficked. Several others like her havebeen sold by needy parents. Thisstory is repeated over and over againin India, particularly in rural areas.India is starving and its children arebearing the brunt of this hunger.They are being sacrificed at the altarof the crippling poverty that hasworsened because of the suckerpunch delivered to the already tot-tering economy by the Coronavirus.As feared by the experts in the fieldof rescue and rehabilitation of traf-ficked children, the number ofminors, particularly girls, sold totraffickers for as little as �10,000-�50,000, has grown alongside thenumber of people rendered joblessby the pandemic. As a result, des-perate parents, having to choosebetween survival of the family fora little while longer and their love,chose the former. So many girls andboys were sold to traffickers acrossthe country.

This is despite the fact thatArticles 23, 39, 14 and 21 of theConstitution guarantee every childfreedom from exploitation in anyform. The Immoral Traffic(Prevention) Act, 1956 was enact-ed in pursuance of the InternationalConvention signed at New York onMay 9, 1950 and it was amended in1986 to widen its scope to cover allcitizens. However, according torights advocates, the Act has glar-ing lacunae as it fails to define theterm “traffic” or “trafficking” andaims to penalise those who aid andabet commercial sexual exploita-tion. Therefore, its focus on the def-

inition of the term brothel leadsto the inference that commercialsexual exploitation takes placeonly in a brothel and not in otherplaces, such as in a house. TheAct is clearly not victim-centricas women and children, who areforced into prostitution, are alsotreated as criminals and arrest-ed when raids are conducted.

Similarly there are severalother laws to protect the rightsof children, such as theCommissions for Protection ofChild Rights Act, 2005, theRight of Children to Free andCompulsory Education Act,2009, the Protection of Childrenfrom Sexual Offences Act, 2000.The rights of child labourers canbe adequately secured only if themonitoring and controlling pro-visions contained in the saidstatutes are fully implemented.However, they are not despite theSupreme Court insisting upontheir applicability.

In 2013, the top court lament-ed that despite its directions, lit-tle or no progress was made bythe States in protecting the rightsof children. Thus, we have hor-ror stories emerging from acrossthe country. Desperate children,sold to traffickers by impover-ished parents, making hopelessbids to return home to the sameparents who pushed them intothe hell in the first place.

Though Neema and severalothers like her have escaped fornow, not everyone is so lucky.Thousands of children are beingtrafficked globally for initiationinto the sex trade, to be recruit-ed as bonded labour, drug run-ners, child terrorists or humanshields. The InternationalLabour Organisation has pre-dicted that with the pandemicravaging economies globally,

the world may witness anincrease in child labour for thefirst time in 20 years and thereis a huge risk of years of progressin this arena being reversed.First, it was hunger induced bythe lockdown that fuelled thetrafficking. And now that theeconomy has opened up, it is thedemand for cheaper labour andbigger margins by businesses.Closer home, ever since thelockdown was imposed andthen eased a few months later inphases, Delhi-NCR has becomea hub of trafficking as more andmore children are being rescuedfrom factories and brothels.

The Delhi Commission forProtection of Child Rights res-cued 93 children from gold andjewellery factories in Karol Baghin May. Of them, 57 were belowthe age of 14 and some were even10-year-olds. The rest of the chil-dren were between 14 and 18.Then in July, nine child labour-ers were found working at sev-eral scrap shops in North EastDelhi’s Mustafabad. But theserescues are like a drop in theocean as the lockdown sloweddown such initiatives as well.There was a time when only 27per cent of the Anti-HumanTrafficking Units were func-tional. Thankfully, in September,36 children under 14 years wererescued from bangle-makingunits in West Delhi’sJahangirpuri area where theywere made to work for 15 hoursa day and sleep in the same dingyroom. All lured or sold on thepromise of food and a roof overtheir heads.

Nobel laureate KailashSatyarthi, Chairperson of NGOBachpan Bachao Andolan, esti-mates that in Delhi, “at least fivelakh children are in full-time

jobs. That means every sixthchild is out of school and work-ing somewhere.”

Every time we hear such sta-tistics, we are shocked and angry.Even more disturbing is the factthat these children are there inour midst, suffering abuse, hard-ship, deprivation and long hoursof work in dingy, dark and pol-luted places where they have nobusiness to be. We are blissfullyignorant of this invisible, silentand hapless workforce. The tinyfactory workers, who are wellhidden from our sight, toil topander to our penchant for buy-ing things at discounted prices,the cheaper the better. But we arecontent sweeping our collectiveguilt under the carpet, simplybecause they do not torment usvisibly.

We do know that certainindustries traditionally employchildren. Like bidi factories, thecarpet industry, the garmentsweatshops, incense and fire-work factories, brick kilns, thefarm sector and so on. Butwhen buying these products, dowe ever take the pain to ensurethat the brand that we are pur-chasing has nothing to do withchild labour? It is our demandfor cheaper products that in turncreates the demand for childlabour as businesses then cankeep the cost of productiondown and their margins up. Wedon’t bother to boycott goodsover unethical trade practices. Ifwe did so, the factory ownerswould have revised their norms.So, by extension, we are as guiltyas the perpetrators of the crimeof trafficking and hiring childlabour.

And what about child labour-ers, who are staring us right inour faces? What of the minor

hired to “baby-sit” children? Orthe ubiquitous chotus (appren-tices/assistants) all over India,selling chai at the local tea shopand even delivering it to ouroffices and at the railway station?What of the little boy cleaningthe car in the neighbourhood,his little hands and musclesstraining to carry a heavy buck-et full of water? Or the shoeshineboy, the child manning a road-side dhaba, serving food to cus-tomers? Have we ever botheredto question the people who hirethem or even inform the lawenforcement authorities abouttheir presence? Clearly we do notwant to get out of our comfortzone and easily attribute it to asocietal crime, without realisingwe form the society that con-dones it. We could have pickedup the phone and called theNGOs and rights activists whocan help the child in distress. Butwe don’t do that either.

And what about childrencaught in the sex trade? If peo-ple stop watching child pornog-raphy, there will be no marketfor it. If men stop violatingminor girls for a price, there willbe no market for it again. So, onall counts, society is as guilty asthe criminals who traffic chil-dren.

Apart from a mindset change,there has to be communityalertness and personal account-ability by each citizen. Theremust be non-Governmental andGovernment intervention toensure that hapless parents donot take the extreme step of trad-ing their children for a dole.There is no time to be lost, elsea nation will forget the meaningof bachpan.

(The writer is Senior Editor,The Pioneer)

��)�� *�)+�� ,��&��-��

�� .��(��)��/0( �� $��!�� 1��"�� 2��(-��3��# ��4��5��4�� 5# ��(��6�� 2��(-��,,67

�� 8�� $��(2-�$��$-8��(��.��# �� $��(2-�� )&�9��-��#��# ��$��$-8��!��)��6�� 9��&��2- �� .�� 9��-�� $��7��1��7��-��!��!��#�� # ��$��8��$��(2-��%��:��6��8��(��!��2��%��(�� 9��-��#�� ;�� <=<=(<=<>�� : ��"�� # �� .��6�� ?��2(-�� (��# �� (��(��,��9��*,�9+�#��

#�� 6�� # ��2(-��(��#��(�� #��6��(�� -��,�� %��2(-��

#�� 6�� $�� :�� :8$

%��7��:��(��:8$��-��#�� #�:8$�� >=@��<A=(�� ,��7��$�� *7$+��:��7��$�� *:7$+6B��7��

��<0��(�� #�-��006B��8 �� 7��<<�� :8$��(��1�� %��,��<0�� <=(�� (��#��(��&��#��-��(��8 �� &�� (�� &��,�� .�� C$�� -�� (�� 7�� !��B��:�� %��(-�� 8 �� .��:8$�� :7$��7��-��7��#��*$��+��<=>0�:��:7$��6� ��8 �� D��,��1�� (� ��-��#�:8$��8 �� 6B�� #��-��6��7��7��-��&��8 �� 7�� ,�� 7��:8$��-�� #��8 �� &�� -��,��8 �� 1�� ,�� -��6��

#��:8$��-��8 �� &��.��(�� &��-��(��-��6��:��-��-D2,�(>/��)��6�� 7��#��-�� (��1�� :�� 1�� ,��8 �� 7�� :8$�,�� 6B��-��6��E��-��6B��,��(�� (��D��:��(�� :8$��&�� (��-��7��

7��

��Sir — As per the Centre’s guide-lines, many cinema halls are re-opening. However, the footfallremains in single digits.Currently, the halls are permit-ted to operate with 50 per centcapacity; one seat between twopersons is to be kept empty toensure social distancing. Othermandatory norms include wear-ing of masks, applying sanitis-ers, compulsory thermal scan-ning, adequate ventilation andfreezing temperature settingsof all air conditioning at 23degree Celsius or above. Evenwith strict guidelines in place,people are extremely hesitant tovisit the theatres. Also, no big-time releases are slated for nowas it is preposterous to imaginea producer or an actor riskinghis/her fortune during suchcrucial times. Over the monthssince the lockdown, the loyalfilm audience has adapted toonline streaming apps.Adjusting to big screens againmight take some time. Alsomany are cutting on expenditureowing to their financial stress.

The cinema hall owners, too,are in a quandary because of thefinancial losses they have beenbearing due to the complete clo-

sure of the theatres for the pastseveral months. In addition toelectricity and ancillary costs,the huge challenge of sanitisingthe halls after every show can betaxing. Many are hoping that thefestive season might make somedifference but given the currentscenario, the future of moviehalls seems rather bleak.

Ganapathi BhatAkola

�� Sir — On October 27, India andthe US signed the BasicExchange and CooperationAgreement (BECA) to furthermilitary ties between the twocountries. India will now be ableto keep an eye on the move-ments of Chinese warships inthe Indian Ocean Region (IOR).BECA will help us get real-time

access to American geospatialintelligence that will enhance theaccuracy of automated systemsand weapons like missiles andarmed drones. Sharing informa-tion on maps and satelliteimages will help us gain accessto topographical and aeronau-tical data. The signing of thelong-negotiated defence pactcomes against the backdrop ofa tense border standoff with

China in eastern Ladakh. Theincreasing defence and securi-ty partnership between the twonations will help monitor the sit-uation in the Indo-Pacific at atime when China is attemptingto expand its economic and mil-itary clout in the region. In June,India and Australia had signeda pact allowing their militariesto access each other’s bases. Asimilar agreement with Japanalso came to fruition last monthafter years of negotiations. It isalso hoped that the sharing oftechnology will contribute sig-nificantly towards bringingIndia closer to the lofty goal ofatmanirbharta in the defencesector.

Yash Pal RalhanJalandhar

�� Sir — The air quality has furtherworsened as hundreds of Ravanaeffigies and firecrackers wereburnt in the Capital on Dussehra.The Government needs to wakeup and put a blanket ban on fire-crackers this Diwali.

Yugal Kishore SharmaFaridabad

� ( � 8 0 � / ! 3 5 � � ( - - ! � &

3334$ �-(��&��#4��5��&��@�� I ?��4�� .��I �� &��@�� @

�� !"�#!#!

�4

7��#��.��/�� ,�� %

�� "�� $��

��B�� %�� &�C�� $��$� �� "�� $��%�� &�

��9��213�:��/9�; �!�J�3��

��

��.��'��3�� 3� �� &�� $��

��!�� .��G!�.H�� ,��&�� "� �� %��,��%�� 3�� .�� !�� G3.!�H��%�� "�� &��%��"�� &� �� "�� $�� &�

3�� %�� $�� "� �� F�� !�.�� $��&�3��,"�� B� �� ,�� $� ��!�.%� �� "�� &��

�� "��"�� "�� ,�� .��'��3�� .��!�� 3� �*<+*� ��$� �� "� ��&�� '�� E�� $�� "�� ,�� .��'��&�

�!<� !1!;��!=!;��

'�� %��33�<13/>�/;��<?@�!��0:/��

'9��6��+��

4��#�� 0��.��&�� "��9��7��'(�

4�� 0�� :�.��"��.��:"��#��&��0��0��#

6��7��,��20��

�� $ ��&-��1��"� �� '�� &�7�� $� �� %$��$��E �� %�$��$� �� &�

�/<��<��9��;�13�<J!��!��

7��"��(%(=%)))�� %� �� $�E�� $�� $�� %� �� '�� E�� &

�� 1�!1��A>�<3J3� ��/��

� � + + � - � + , � ++ 5 � � � 2 / + , -

��$�� %� �� $�� $�� ,�� ()**7� ��!�� &

�<�:B�3�<J��0�

� , � . 2 � / + �

1��&��.�

�� 5��0��

��%��0C� ��

��

�� 5�� 5�� 0�� D�� 0C�� #��

��7��,�.+�-��7��

Among the issues in public discourse that havecaught the attention of the country is the prob-lem of corruption, which elicits strident crit-

icism. The issue has triggered a slew of reforms aimedat strengthening the fabric of integrity, like the enact-ment of the Public Procurement Bill, the Lokpal Actincorporating, inter alia, the public disclosure of assetsby public servants, reforms in higher judicialappointments and so on. While anti-graft activistsdiffer in terms of strategies and focus areas, there isa unanimous acceptance of the fact that technolo-gy and e-governance promote greater transparency.The rationale is very simple. Deny the opportunityfor manual manipulation and replace it with tech-nology, crafted around well-defined protocols andlegal safeguards with minimal human intervention.

It has been five years since India adopted theUN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Corruption in general and venality in public life inparticular adversely affect the fulfilment of theseSDGs. Therefore, a proactive and preventive vigilanceregime forms the backbone of good governance andis critical to their realisation. How then do we makegovernance more effective without inhibiting itsobjectives? Today, administrative affairs grapple withleakages in public delivery of welfare and develop-ment goals on account of manual processes that canbe manipulated. But by leveraging technology,these leakages can be plugged. Incremental improve-ments to technology should continue to be the main-stay of advancements in administration.

In the recent discourse on procurement meth-ods, transparency of policy, procedure and practicesis increasingly being seen as an imperative of usingpublic monies to remove any allegations of opacityand inconsistencies in decision-making. Achievingtransparency ensures that procurement is open topublic scrutiny, which results in best value for pub-lic monies. For example, the transparency of proce-dure as achieved in online applications is one of thesimpler yet effective features of digitisation, as it shiftsthe onus of submitting correct information and datato the applicant. This, once verified by the public ser-vant, retains the maker-checker wedge in a direct way.

In an effort to plug leakages in procurement sys-tems, the Government launched the Government E-Marketplace (GeM) in 2016 as an end-to-end mar-ketplace for goods and services required by Centraland State Governments as well as Public SectorUndertakings. As per an assessment by the Centrefor Public Impact, the savings impact of GeM hasbeen substantial, wherein a maximum price reduc-tion of approximately 56 per cent of goods and ser-vices, coupled with demand aggregation, has alreadyled to savings to the tune of �40,000 crore annual-ly. Given the fact that the public procurement econ-omy constitutes about 20 per cent of India’s GDP, itis imperative to build on this initiative through ampli-fied efforts and bring as many goods and serviceson board as possible. And in order to make the plat-form more robust, addressing the issue of quality con-trol should be the next level of sophistication thatGeM should aspire for.

In the next 10 years, the business of Governmentwill experience massive disruption. This comes onthe back of technological enhancements that reducethe need for intermediaries and ensure that the sanc-tity of process remains unimpeachable. One suchtechnology which has been discussed widely in recenttimes is blockchain. A NITI Aayog discussion paperhas identified use-cases where the technology canpotentially improve governance, ranging from trac-ing of drugs in the pharmaceutical supply chain toverification of education certificates. The three keyprinciples of the blockchain technology are:Transparency, decentralisation and accountability.

One of the most interesting areas ofintervention for this technology would bein the space of land records. Ever since thePermanent Settlement of Bengal in 1793,the issue of land records has occupied theadministration and citizenry with itscomplexities, misgivings and fraud. Thesystem is riddled with inefficiencies thatreduce trust in the Government. Currentlythe UNDP is involved in certain Proof ofConcept (POC) pilots across India. Theunderlying theory intends to create animmutable history of transactional recordsthat helps in checking authenticity; a tam-per-proof system to avoid forgery; a dis-tributed ledger so that all stakeholders seethe same information; and a secureencrypted environment, where updates areavailable in near real time. The NITI Aayogpaper also identifies this value proposition.For example, the paper notes that, in orderto ensure that transactions are not fraud-ulent, the physical presence of witnessesis mandated at the time of sales deed reg-istry. Deployment of blockchain wouldpotentially eliminate the need of theseprocesses while maintaining the sanctityof the transaction.

This helps create a tamper-proofaudit trail that allows for tracking decision-making and ensures that they are in accor-dance with anti-corruption principles. Itaddresses concerns around cyber securi-ty. Currently there are interesting pilotsbeing conducted across the world, wheredeployment of blockchain is being testedfor public procurement, wherein systemsare being built in to identify graft with aview to disincentivise corrupt actors fromaccessing the system at the outset.

From the perspective of InternalControls and Governance (Vigilance), itis strongly recommended to employ a five-part test while assessing such deviationsfrom process: Whether the issue being pur-sued has corrupt connotations; the gener-al reputation of the employee involved;whether better options were available andignored without valid reasoning; whetherthe situation inhibited the selection of any

other option but the one finally chosen andfinally, whether the larger interest of theorganisation was safeguarded or not.

Deployment of technological solutionslike blockchain can potentially remove theneed or significantly reduce the time takenfor making such assessments. In a recentpaper released by Denmark’s Ministry ofForeign Affairs, titled Code to Integrity, theauthors have highlighted how blockchaincan be a powerful tool in the fight againstGovernment corruption. The report citescase studies of countries like Kenya,Rwanda and Ghana where Governmentrecords pertaining to court systems, edu-cation and land rights are migrating to dis-tributed ledgers.

However, a significant factor inblockchain’s success will be a country’s abil-ity to develop/reform laws and buildrobust data protection and maintenanceregimes. Till such time we address theseissues, blockchain is not likely to have amonumental impact in creating an integri-ty-first governance ecosystem.

The general environment now is infavour of a regime which ensures that com-panies not only do profitable business butdo so in a manner which is ethical. TheUnited Nations Convention againstCorruption, ratified by India in 2011, aswell as the anti-corruption principlesexpounded by the Organisation forEconomic Cooperation and Development(OECD) cover a wide gamut of vulnera-ble areas and aspects of business opera-tions, including anti-bribery, public pro-curement and conflict of interest. More andmore countries in the coming years willbe obliged to establish laws and mecha-nisms in place to ensure clean businessoperations as well as seize and confiscateassets derived from corrupt practices.

India, too, needs to review its existinglegal framework to address issues arounddata security, corrupt practices and corpo-rate governance with a view to address ouranti-corruption objectives and provide thenecessary guidance to well-intentionedofficials in the Government.

The Centre made a significant changeto the Prevention of Corruption Act in2018. The element of intention has beenadded under definition of criminal mis-conduct. Similarly, broadening the defin-ition of “unfair advantage” and introduc-tion of corporate criminal liability will goa long way in apprehending or deterringbad actors on both sides from indulgingin bribery. The amendments also haveensured that our obligations under the UNConvention against Corruption are ade-quately addressed and bring us closer toleading anti-bribery legislations in theworld such as the UK Bribery Act.

While these amendments will go along way in guiding the work of internalcontrol agencies, it would be important toinstitutionalise a system, wherein compli-ance against said legislation and establishedprocesses can be checked and quantified.A metrics-based system for oversightover governmental processes will bringtransparency, build trust and spur furtherdigital innovation to make any adminis-tration more robust without inhibitingpublic interest-oriented decision-mak-ing.

It would be incorrect to end this dis-cussion without addressing the well-intentioned public servant who finds theprocesses leading to greater transparencyand ensuring value for taxpayers’ moneycumbersome and time-consuming andwho is, therefore, tempted to short-circuitit. Well-intentioned though it may be, butany attempt to overwrite the processes,despite even demonstrable honesty of pur-pose, carries the major risk of opening upthe system to misuse by corrupt playersand would lead to eventual loss of publictrust and decimation of the structure ofpublic procurement. Thus, the intent ofprocesses involved is to keep the prover-bial Caesar’s wife above suspicion. Throughrobust yet streamlined procedures, abureaucrat can achieve the intended out-come and avoid unintended consequences.

(The writer is an IPS officer. The viewsexpressed are personal)

��.��#��&��&��.�� &��.#��0��&��#��0�� 0��&��0��.��

�67 / - � + � , � � .

, +��%��#�.%��-��(��%��

�),�6 �� .�-��

3�� $� �� "�� $��

�� %�� "��

6�8��-�.��.

�>76D6#%�3��05�/��35�

/3��>#��5�2>�1��3�5��

��6��7�22��63��>�5�#C��

3��2��C��>46D62>.@#6/>#!237��354��24

#>��43�3.#>�6��>5�354

!3�5�6535�6#60�!6�&��22��!6�76

344#6��6�6��6�%

�2>�1��3�5��5>��2�162C��>

�3D6�3!>5�!65�32

�!.3��5�#63��50�35

�5�60#��C,/�#��0>D6#535�6

6�>�C��6!

,�� ,��

��*��+��(��F��(��(�� (��6�� (�� (�� :�� #��(�� :��7��

F��9��-��*9-+��(�� B9��%�� :�� (��(� ��#�� :�� 7��7��,�� 7��(��

#�� 7�� ,��:��6�� :��&��G=��#�� (�� (��

��&��$��)7�� A��-D2,� ��#��(�� :��$��)7�� (�� (�� (�� &�� (��

#�� (��(��(�� &�� ?�� *��+��(�� (��(��

-D2,�� F�� ,�� (�� ,��"�� (��,��%��(�� #�� ,�� $�� (�� (� (�� (�� (��(��,��(� (��(�� #�� (��(��,��

*�� +

Most nations imposed someform of shutdown to limit thespread of the Coronavirus.

India’s lockdown, which involved anear cessation of all movement andeconomic activity, has been rated asone of the most stringent across theworld. Not surprisingly, it had a severeimpact on our economy.

A sector that was hit particularlyhard is retail. This is due to several rea-sons. First, shops and warehouseswere closed during the initial phasesof the lockdown. This brought the

operation of both physical and digitalretailers to a standstill. Second, restric-tions on inter-State movement ofgoods and the opening of only specif-ic industries disrupted supply chains.For instance, the Centre recognisedboth medicines and processed foodsas essential goods and allowed theirsale. However, similar status was notgranted to units which manufacturethe packaging for medicines andprocessed foods. Hence, sellers ofthese goods found it difficult to oper-ate. Third, the system of issuing pass-es and permits to personnel workingfor physical and digital retail was notwell-implemented. It was unclearwhich authority would issue the pass-es and for how long they wouldremain valid. Further, personnel hav-ing to travel across districts wererequired to obtain separate passes fromthe authorities for each district. Fourth,the Ministry of Home Affairs issued anorder directing all employers to ensurefull payment of wages to all employ-ees even if they were unable to work.

As a result of the order, several migrantlabourers returned to their towns andvillages once restrictions on movementof persons were lifted. A survey ofretailers selling their products online,conducted as part of the Esya Centre’sreport on e-commerce, shows thatnearly 60 per cent of such entities willbe unable to recover losses sufferedbecause of the lockdown. Given thatpeople are likely to be wary of enter-ing shops and stores even after lock-downs are eased, it is important toexplore different avenues throughwhich retail outlets can avoid furtherlosses.

One such avenue is e-retail. Areport by Global Trade and RegionalIntegration Unit of the World Bankhighlights the utility of e-commerce inthe post COVID normal. Not only cane-commerce help reduce the risk ofnew infections and preserve jobs, it canalso increase the acceptance of pro-longed social distancing measuresamong the population. Further, previ-ous research has shown that there are

numerous benefits for MSMEs thatadopt e-commerce, in the form of bet-ter price discovery, access to new con-sumers, support with logistics andinventory management. It is in recog-nition of the above that several nations,such as the United Kingdom and NewZealand, have given preference todigital forms of retail both during andafter the lockdown. However, India isone of the few countries that has notleveraged the numerous benefits thate-commerce brings, particularly dur-ing a lockdown.

Policy-making towards e-com-merce, both before and during thelockdown, may have hindered theoperation of e-commerce entities.Prior to the lockdown, legacy govern-ment rule-making on e-commerce pre-sented several barriers to the growthof the sector. These included ever-changing FDI rules, unresolved issuesof data localisation and source codedisclosure as well as the over-regula-tion of platforms. During the lock-down, the Government failed to adopt

a clear and consistent approach to pol-icy formulation vis-a-vis retail. As anexample, both physical and digitalretailers were only allowed to sell essen-tial goods in the initial phase of thelockdown. This continued till aboutmid-April, when the Governmentissued a notification which allowed e-retailers to deliver non-essential itemsfrom April 20. In conformity with thisorder, e-commerce firms began tomake predations to resume their fullscale of operations. However, on April19, the Government withdrew itsnotification, seemingly under pressurefrom industry organisations that rep-resented small and medium traders.Subsequently, relaxations regardingdelivery of non-essential items werefirst given to physical outlets while e-retail continued to be limited to essen-tial items for 8-10 days thereafter. Thezonation framework introduced by theGovernment additionally preferredphysical outlets in Red zones, as theycould sell a wide range of merchandisewhile e-retail tasks were limited to

essential goods.As pointed out, e-commerce

enjoys numerous advantages overphysical retail, particularly in a situa-tion where social distancing continuesto be important. Hence, there is a needto provide a policy environment thatfosters the uptake and adoption of e-commerce by both consumers and sell-ers. To achieve this, we recommend afive-step recovery process. The firststeps are geared towards fostering anatmosphere of trust and credibilitybetween the Government and marketentities.

This can be achieved by holdingregular consultations, opening avenuesfor feedback and providing sufficientnotice before major changes. Further,policy actions should not skew com-petition between physical and digitalbusiness models. Instead, both mod-els should be allowed to leverage theirrespective strengths. Finally, theGovernment must reassess what itseeks to achieve through its proposede-commerce policy. In the current sce-

nario, a policy framework governinge-retail or e-commerce in general,should look to assist small enterpris-es in capacity-building for a digitallyenabled future through the provisionof finance, skill development andunderlying infrastructure. There is,therefore, a need to move away fromlegacy regulatory institutions, based onlicensing and control, to an entity thatactively participates in capacity-build-ing and development of small andmedium retailers in India. In this con-text, it is worthwhile to explore the rolebeing played by digital economy devel-opment authorities in countries suchas Malaysia and Vietnam, whichactively promote the adoption of dig-ital solutions and e-commerce forSMEs as well as consumers. Thisapproach would be in keeping with theGovernment’s focus on a Digital Indiawhere citizens are able to leverage theirconnectivity into better opportunitiesand prospects.

(The writer is a research assistantat the Esya Centre)

70��0��.� ��

,��5�825-0

�� !"�#!#!

3334$ �-(��&��#4��5 ��

9��!��:�� !"�#!#!

Islamabad: Pakistan PrimeMinister Imran Khan wasaquitted by an anti-terrorismcourt on Thursday in the 2014Parliament attack case butother senior ministers, includ-ing Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi, were sum-moned on November 12 for theindictment.

Anti-Terrorism CourtJudge Raja Jawad AbbasHassan, however, halted pro-ceedings against President ArifAlvi due to the presidentialimmunity granted to him, TheExpress Tribune reported.

On August 31, 2014, work-ers of the now ruling PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) andPakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT)tried to enter Parliament and gotowards the Prime Minister’sHouse and clashed with police.

Police had invoked sectionsof the Anti-Terrorism Actagainst Khan and other PTIleaders, according to a reportin the Dawn newspaper.

The incident had happenedduring the sit-ins by PTI andPAT workers in front of theParliament. PTI

Warsaw (Poland): Poland’sPresident Andrzej Duda saidThursday that women them-selves should have the right toabortion in case of congenital-ly damaged fetuses, apparentlybreaking ranks with a conser-vative leadership that pushed aban that has led to mass streetprotests.

“It cannot be that the lawrequires this kind of heroismfrom a woman,” Duda said inan interview with radio RMFFM.

He spoke after sevenstraight days of huge protestsacross Poland following a con-

stitutional court ruling declar-ing it unconstitutional to ter-minate a pregnancy due tofetal congenital defects. The rul-ing effectively bans almost allabortions in a country thatalready had one of Europe’smost restrictive abortion laws.

That ruling has triggeredhuge nationwide protests, withyoung people heeding a call bywomen’s rights activists to cometo the streets to defend theirfreedoms. Deep divisions thathad been brewing for a longtime in Poland are now erupt-ing on the streets.

On Thursday night, men

with a far-right group, All-Polish Youth, attacked womentaking part in protests overnightin some cities, includingWroclaw, Poznan and Bialystok.

Their actions came afterPoland’s most powerful politi-cian, ruling party leaderJaroslaw Kaczynski, called forhis supporters to turn out onthe streets to defend churchesafter women disrupted Masseslast Sunday and spray-paintedchurches.

Many interpretedKaczynski’s call as permissionfor violence against the pro-testers. AP

Jakarta: China is the “gravestthreat” to the future of religiousfreedom, US Secretary of StateMike Pompeo said Thursday, inhis latest verbal assault onBeijing during a whirlwindAsian tour.

Pompeo has made attacksagainst China the focus of histrip this week which kicked offin India and included visits toSri Lanka, the Maldives,Indonesia and, later Friday,Vietnam.

In Indonesia -- which hasthe world’s biggest Muslimpopulation -- Pompeo tookaim at China’s treatment of itsUighur Muslim minority.

“The gravest threat to thefuture of religious freedom isthe Chinese Communist Party’swar against people of all faiths:Muslims, Buddhists,Christians, and Falun Gongpractitioners alike,” Pompeosaid in a speech Thursday to

major Muslim organisation theNahdlatul Ulama. “The atheistChinese communist party hastried to convince the world thatits brutalisation of UighurMuslims in Xinjiang is neces-sary as counter-terrorism orpoverty alleviation,” he added.

Rights groups say thatmore than one million Uighurslanguish in camps in the north-west Xinjiang region as Beijingattempts to forcibly integratethe community and root out itsIslamic heritage.

China has denied the num-bers and describes the camps asvocational centres that teachskills to prevent the allure ofIslamic radicalism following aseries of attacks.

“But we know that there isno counter-terrorism justifica-tion in forcing Uighur Muslimsto eat pork during Ramadan, ordestroying a Muslim ceme-tery,” Pompeo said. AFP

�� >50�1>50

Ateenage Hong Kongdemocracy activist was

charged on Thursday withsecession, the first public polit-ical figure to be prosecutedunder a sweeping new nation-al security law Beijing imposedon the city.

Tony Chung, 19, appearedin court two days after he wasarrested by plainclothes policein a Hong Kong coffee shop

opposite the US consulate, alsocharged with money launder-ing and conspiring to publishseditious content.

He was remanded into cus-tody until his next court hear-ing on January 7 and faces apossible life prison sentence ifconvicted under the new law.

Chung is a former memberof Student Localism, a smallgroup that advocates HongKong’s independence fromChina.

Jeddah: A Saudi citizenwounded a guard in a knifeattack at the French consulatein Jeddah Thursday, officialssaid, as France faces growinganger over satirical cartoons ofthe Prophet Mohammed.

The assault follows anoth-er knife attack at a church in theFrench city of Nice that leftthree people dead and severalothers wounded, in whatauthorities are treating as thelatest jihadist attack to rock thecountry. “The assailant wasapprehended by Saudi securi-ty forces immediately after the

attack. The guard was taken tohospital and his life is not indanger,” the French embassysaid in a statement.

Police in Mecca province,where Jeddah is situated, saidthe attacker was a Saudi, but itdid not give the nationality ofthe guard, who they said hadsustained minor injuries.

The French embassy inRiyadh strongly condemnedthe attack and urged its nation-als in Saudi Arabia to exercise“extreme vigilance”.

Neither the Saudi author-ities nor the French embassy

gave any indication of themotivation for the attack.

But it comes after FrenchPresident Emmanuel Macronvigorously defended the publi-cation of satirical cartoons ofthe Prophet Mohammed by thesatirical magazine CharlieHebdo on free speech grounds.

Regional heavyweightSaudi Arabia — home to Islam’sholiest sites — has criticised thecartoons, saying it rejected“any attempt to link Islam andterrorism” but it stopped shortof condemning the Frenchleadership. AFP

Islamabad: Legs were shakingand forehead perspiring at ameeting of Pakistan’s top lead-ers, including Army chiefGeneral Qamar Javed Bajwa,wherein Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi pleaded torelease Indian Air Force WingCommander AbhinandanVarthaman, saying if he wasnot released, India would attackPakistan, a top Pakistani oppo-sition leader has said.

Recalling the tension inIslamabad after India bombeda terror training camp inPakistan’s Balakot on February26, 2019, Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz (PML-N) leaderSardar Ayaz Sadiq criticised theImran Khan government overits response, saying theOpposition has supported thegovernment on every issue,including Kashmir andVarthaman, but it will no longerbe appropriate to provide anyfurther support, Dunya Newsreported on Wednesday.

Sadiq, who was the Speakerof the National Assembly dur-ing the PML-N government,made a similar statement ear-lier on Wednesday inParliament here that ForeignMinister Qureshi in an impor-tant meeting pleaded that letVarthaman go back becauseIndia is attacking Pakistan.

The 37-year-old IAF pilotwas captured by the PakistaniArmy on February 27 after hisMiG-21 Bison jet was shotdown in a dogfight withPakistani jets during aerialcombat.

In the early hours ofFebruary 26, 2019, the IAF jetsbombed the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror

camps in Balakot in KhyberPakhtunkhwa of Pakistan andavenged the Pulwama terroristattack that claimed the lives of40 CRPF personnel.

Before his jet was hit,Varthaman downed an F-16fighter of Pakistan. He wasreleased on the night of March

1 by Pakistan.In a speech in the National

Assembly, Sadiq said thatPrime Minister Imran Khanskipped the high-level meeting,which was attended by topleadership, including Armychief Gen Bajwa and ForeignMinister Qureshi.

��&��

Islamabad: Pakistan’s supremereligious body has said thatthere are no constitutional orSharia restrictions on the con-struction of a Hindu temple inIslamabad or any other part ofthe country.

The Council of IslamicIdeology (CII) made its decisionin a meeting on Wednesday onthe basis of the Constitution andthe Liaquat-Nehru Agreementof 1950, which led to the estab-lishment of the Evacuee TrustProperty Board (ETPB) inPakistan, the Dawn Newsreported.

The CII also allowed thegovernment to hand over anancient Hindu temple andadjoining Dharamshala (com-munity centre) in Saidpur vil-lage to Islamabad’s Hinducommunity.

“In view of the currentpopulation in Islamabad theancient temple and the adjoin-ing Dharamshala at Saidpurvillage be opened to the Hindusand they should be facilitated to

reach there to perform religiousservices as per their beliefs,” theCII said.

The decision, signed by 14CII members, added thatHindus, like all other religiousgroups in the country, have theconstitutional right to a place forlast rites according to theirfaith.

“Under this Right theHindu community in Islamabadcan have a suitable place for cre-mation of their dead and per-form last rites of the deceasedaccording to religious instruc-tions,” the council said.

An application was referredto the CII by the Ministry ofReligious Affairs on July 6,seeking its opinion on theallotment of a land to the Hinducommunity for a crematori-um, community centre andtemple. The ministry had alsosought the CII’s advice on theallocation of Rs 100 million bythe prime minister for the con-struction of the crematoriumand temple. PTI

�� '�� %�� # ��

�� !"#��

$� ��#�!�� # ��%�� New York: The 2020

Presidential election is turningout to be the most expensiveelection in history and twice asexpensive as the previous pres-idential election cycle, withthe total cost of the electionexpected to reach an unprece-dented $14 billion, a researchgroup said.

The Center for ResponsivePolitics said that an “extraor-dinary influx” of political dona-tions in the final months — dri-ven by a Supreme Court battleand closely watched races forthe White House and Senate —pushed total spending in theelection past the previouslyestimated 11 billion dollarsfigure.

The Center said that the2020 election will cost $14 bil-lion, shattering spendingrecords.

Democratic presidentialnominee Joe Biden will be thefirst candidate in history toraise $1 billion from donors.

His campaign brought in a

record-breaking $938 millionthrough October 14, ridingDemocrats’ enthusiasm todefeat Trump.

President Donald Trumpraised $596 million, whichwould be a strong fundraisingeffort if not for Biden’simmense haul.

“Even amid a pandemic,everyone is giving more in2020, from ordinary individu-als making small donations tobillionaires cutting eight-figurechecks to super PACs.

Women are smashingdonation records, andAmericans are increasinglydonating to candidates whoaren’t running for office intheir state,” it said in a state-ment. PTI

'�� <��#�� =�� 6��#�,��#��#�� ! ��

��.��.��

London: The UK’s OppositionLabour Party on Thursday sus-pended former leader JeremyCorbyn from its ranks after areport by the country’s humanrights watchdog held the party“responsible for unlawful actsof harassment and discrimina-tion” during his time in charge.

The Equality and HumanRights Commission (EHRC),which had launched an investi-gation into antisemitism with-in the party following a stringof complaints, found thatLabour had broken the law in itsfailure to handle antisemitism,or anti-Jewish, complaints andthere were “serious failings” byits leadership at the time.

However, in his reaction tothe report, Corbyn said that thenumber of complaints madeduring his tenure were “dra-matically overstated”.

“One antisemite is one toomany, but the scale of the prob-lem was also dramatically over-stated for political reasons by ouropponents inside and outsidethe party, as well as by much ofthe media. That combinationhurt Jewish people and mustnever be repeated,” said Corbyn,in reference to the report.

A Labour Party spokesper-son issued a statement soonafter to announce that Corbynhad been suspended from theparty. PTI

;9��%��0��#�0��(��#�"��#��

Kabul: Rioting at a prison inwestern Afghanistan has left atleast eight inmates dead,provincial officials saidThursday.

The violence erupted onWednesday night at the prisonin the city of Herat, the capitalof western Herat province,according to Mohammad RafiqShirzai, a spokesman for theprovincial health department.

He said 12 others — eightinmates and four prison guards— were wounded in the out-break at the facility, whichholds around 2,000 prisoners.It wasn’t immediately known ifthere are any Taliban at thepenitentiary.

The rioting erupted afterprison guards began clearingsome partitions created byprisoners in the so-called Block5 of the prison, said JelaniFarhad, a spokesman for theprovincial governor. The policetried to collect “unnecessaryitems in the possession of theprisoners, which the prisonersresisted,” he said. AP

$��%��&��' ��

/2/2�9'�� >�� !�� >��?1@��

��(��

��)�� !"�#!#!

/.�-/�7�� $%***��4�� "�� #��+%)))�� F�� &�� >� ��(<%�()()%�� "�� B��#��+%)))�� F�� F�� '�� "� �� @�� %��4�� &

�5�� $��%�� 7�� G�7�H�� .�� 3� �,�� >K:;>>*�� 7��&�3�� 7�� $��D�� >��7��.��.��%��#��4�� 0�� G��H%�.��1��$��&

�� 5�� 5��5�$�4� ��K��3�� 0��

�"�� 0�� !��%5� ��#�� $�� &�&��(8&*)&()()&.�� 0�� !��5� ��#�� $��%��0�� $��$��3�� !��%. ��%�#�� $��&

��#��6 ��7�� 8��;;!��!�� G�#!�� !�� H�� F�� %�� %� �� >54�%G�> � ��B�5��4�� L�� H%�� $� �� "�� 4�� G� �� #�� H�� B��'�� D�� &�

E�F�� #��5��/�B!3!� !� ��#�� $��%�1� �� "��D�� 3$��7��(; ��>� �� (��5�"��%�()()&��3�� %��F��M�� $��M��D�� 4�� &�&��(<&*)&()()�� $��!� �� &�9)�� &��$�� $��$��4�� D�� >��&��$��M�� >D�4,*<�� &

� ��

�� 567�462��

To help the jute industry, theGovernment on Thursday

decided to extend the normsfor mandatory packaging of100 per cent food grains and 20per cent sugar in diversifiedjute bags.The decision on theextension of norms for manda-tory packaging in jute materi-als was taken at the meeting ofthe Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs.

"The Cabinet Committeeon Economic Affairs chaired byPrime Minister Narendra Modihas approved that 100 per centof the foodgrains and 20 percent of the sugar shall bemandatorily packed in diver-sified jute bags," said an officialrelease.Information andBroadcasting Minister PrakashJavadekar, while briefing mediaafter the Cabinet meeting, saidthe CCEA decision will bene-

fit farmers and workers locat-ed in the eastern and north-eastern regions of the country,particularly in West Bengal,Bihar, Odisha, Assam, AndhraPradesh, Meghalaya andTripura.Union TextilesMinister Smriti Irani said thatthe decision will benefit 3.7lakh workers and 40 lakh farm-ers, especially in West Bengal.

"Government purchasesover Rs 7,500 crore worth jutebags to sustain core demand ofthe sector. Decision to provideextension for mandatory pack-age in Jute material will furtherboost demand for jute andsupport livelihood of Juteworkers," Irani said in atweet.The decision also man-dates that initially 10 per centof the indents of jute bags forpacking food grains would beplaced through a reverse auc-tion on the Gem portal, therelease said.

New Delhi:A parliamentarypanel on Thursday questionedPaytm representatives aboutthe quantum of Chineseinvestment in the companyand told them that the serverson which customer data isstored should be in India.

Top officials of Paytmappeared before the JointCommittee of Parliament onthe Personal Data ProtectionBill, and submitted their sug-gestions on key aspects of theproposed legislation such asmanagement and transferabroad of sensitive personal

data, sources said. Members ofthe panel from different polit-ical parties asked Paytm whythe server on which data of itscustomers is collected andstored is abroad when it claimsto be an Indian firm, sourcessaid. The panel members toldPaytm representatives that theserver on which customer datais stored should be based inIndia, sources said, adding thatthey also wanted to know aboutthe quantum of Chineseinvestments in the digital pay-ment service and specificsabout its "backend linkages".

�� 567�462��

The upper and lower limitson domestic airfares will

remain in place for anotherthree months post November24, Civil Aviation MinisterHardeep Singh Puri onThursday.

The Ministry had on May21 placed these limits throughseven bands, classified on thebasis of flight duration, tillAugust 24. Later, it was extend-ed till November 24.

Puri said if the scheduleddomestic flights reach pre-COVID levels by the end of theyear, he will have no hesitationin removing the fare limits atthat time."We are extending theprice bands for another threemonths," he said at a press con-ference.

�� 567�462��

The Indian economy is get-ting back on track faster

than expected as a timely lock-down and various relief mea-sures announced by theGovernment helped addressissues faced by all sections ofsociety and all economic sec-tors due to the Covid-19 pan-demic, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has said.

He also expressed confi-dence that the target of makingIndia a USD 5-trillion econo-

my will be achieved by 2024,saying that the crisis gave theGovernment an opportunity tocarry out reforms that werewaiting to happen for decadesbut no one earlier took the ini-tiative.

"Reforms across sectorssuch as coal, agriculture,labour, defence, civil aviationand so on have been under-taken which will help us getback on the high growth paththat we were on before the cri-sis," Modi said in an interviewpublished in the EconomicTimes newspaper on Thursday.

On COVID-19 vaccine, hesaid every Indian will be vac-cinated as and when a vaccinebecomes available, though thefocus initially would be onprotecting the most vulnerableand the frontline workers.

Modi reiterated that thereshould be no room for com-placency in fighting this virusand the only way forward is totake precautions such as wear-ing masks, hand washing andsocial distancing.

He said the government inthe very beginning decided tobe proactive and introduced atimely nationwide lockdown.

"We not only got the broadtiming of various phases oflockdown right, we also got theunlock process right and muchof our economy is also comingback on track. The data forAugust and September indi-cates that" he said.

He said this is a new virusand countries which had ini-tially controlled the outbreakare now reporting a resur-gence.

"The geographical spreadof India, population density, theregular social gatherings mustbe kept in mind when we lookat these numbers and seek tocompare with others. Many ofour states are larger than coun-tries," he added. Modi saidIndia's response in tacklingthe crisis has been focused onincreasing capabilities to han-dle the situation, making peo-ple more aware, creating morefacilities etc in keeping with thedictum 'Hope for the best butprepare for the worst'. Askedabout plans for further stimu-lus for the economy, he said,"We will take all measuresneeded to constantly stimulatethe economy in a timely man-ner while ensuring overallmacro-economic stability.

"Remember, we are still

not over with the pandemic.Yet, our economy has shown aremarkable capability tobounce back, largely because ofthe resilience of our people.

"This is something that isnot captured in these numbersbut is the reason behind thosenumbers. The shop-owner, thetrader, the person running anMSME, the person working onthe factory floor, the entrepre-neur, all these are the heroesresponsible for the strong mar-ket sentiment and revival of theeconomy," he said.

Modi further said India hasnot started speaking aboutmanufacturing only after thepandemic and the work hasbeen continuing on increasingmanufacturing for some timenow."India is, after all, a youngcountry with a skilled work-

force. But India doesn't believein gaining from the loss of oth-ers. India will become a glob-al manufacturing hub on itsown strengths. "Our effort isnot to become some country'salternative, but to become acountry which offers uniqueopportunities. We want to seethe progress of all. If India pro-gresses, one-sixth of humani-ty will progress," he said.

Referring to a new worldorder that was formed afterWorld War II, the prime min-ister said something similar willhappen post-COVID-19.

"This time, India will ridethe bus of manufacturing andintegrating in global supplychains. We have specific advan-tages in the form of democra-cy, demography and demand,"he said.

�� !�!�3�

Equity benchmarks nursedlosses for the second

straight session on Thursday asinvestors offloaded banking,finance and infra stocks amidexpiry of monthly derivativecontracts and lacklustre glob-al cues.

A depreciating rupee andweak Q2 results from blue-chips further sapped riskappetite, traders said.

The 30-share BSE Sensexended 172.61 points or 0.43 percent lower at 39,749.85 inchoppy trade.

On similar lines, the broad-er NSE Nifty fell 58.80 pointsor 0.50 per cent to 11,670.80.

L&T was the top loser inthe Sensex pack, dropping 4.99per cent, after the engineeringmajor posted a 45 per centdecline in consolidated netprofit for the September quar-ter.

Titan, ONGC, Axis Bank,HUL, NTPC , M&M and

HDFC were the other majorlaggards, shedding up to 3.32per cent.

On the other hand, AsianPaints, UltraTech Cement,HCL Tech, Kotak Bank, ICICIBank and Reliance Industrieswere among the gainers, spurt-ing up to 2.79 per cent.

�� 567�462��

The Government is likely toextend the deadline to bid

for Air India till December 14and also give flexibility to apotential investor to decide onthe humongous debt with thenational carrier, a source said.

The deadline to bid forbuying out Air India ends onOctober 30.

The flexibility to potentialinvestors on the quantum of the� 60,074 crore debt that theywant to absorb will replace thecurrent condition of the buyertaking over more than a thirdof the debt and transferring therest to a special purpose vehi-cle.

The source said the AirIndia Specific AlternativeMechanism (AISAM) hascleared the extension of dead-line to December 14 to givetime to potential investors toraise queries on the changesbeing made in the PreliminaryInformation Memorandum

(PIM).As per the Air India EoI

floated by DIPAM in January,of the airline's total debt of Rs60,074 crore as of March 31,2019, the buyer would berequired to absorb �23,286.5crore, while the rest would betransferred to Air India AssetsHolding Ltd (AIAHL), a specialpurpose vehicle.

�� 567�462��

Maruti-Suzuki revealed thatnet profits for the quarter

ended September 30, 2020 hadgrown marginally to �1,371.6crore versus �1,458.6 crore inthe same period last year. Saleshowever for the quarter grew to�17,689.3 crore mainly onaccount of selling 393,130 vehi-cles in the quarter primarily inthe domestic market. Speakingto the media after the resultswere announced, RC Bhargava,Chairman of Maruti-SuzukiIndia Limited made it clear thathe did not view the restorationof demand as a ‘rebound’ andargued that some of theincreased sales were also due tothe extremely weak first quar-ter. He also said that these sales

did not even take into accountthe demand for the festive sea-son which began mid-October.It was revealed that the com-pany sold 96,700 vehicles dur-ing the Navratri-period andwith Dhanteras and Diwali inNovember as well as the inven-tory reduction sales inDecember, October-Decemberquarter ought to be very posi-tive as well. However, Bhargavarefused to predict how saleswould develop post Decemberas he believed that the trueimpact of the pandemic andlockdown might be felt in2021.

Additionally, while Maruti-Suzuki, the country’s largestcarmaker saw commercial andfleet sales decline from sevenpercent of its sales to just 2.4

percent as behavioural pat-terns change and commutersshow an increasing preferencefor personal mobility. In addi-tion, Maruti-Suzuki manage-ment claimed that the compa-ny had not been adverselyimpacted by the decision towithdraw from the diesel mar-ket following the introductionof Bharat Stage - 6 emissionnorms from April and in facthad grown marketshare to 49.4percent in the relevant quarterup from 48.3 percent andBhargava also attributed this toincreased demand for CNGvehicles. He also said that thereis no need for any demand sidereduction in GST rates at thecurrent time as “we are sellingeverything that we are pro-ducing”.

8��#��:��*"��&�<=��&��#�>?>8

1��#��@��5��.�)8

�#�� 8��

��

�� 567�462��

The Ministry of CivilAviation has revised the

bidding parameters for AirIndia’s divestment and hasdecided to ask for bids atenterprise value instead ofequity value. The deadline forinviting bids has also been tillDecember 14. The Ministryhas also extended the cap onairfares till February 24, 2021.In the wake of the coronavirusoutbreak, the aviation ministryimplemented a cap on domes-tic airfare in May. The

Ministry has also announcedthe direct flights betweenAmritsar and Nanded willrestart from November 10.

“The bids will now beinvited on the enterprise valuewhere bids will be invited onboth equity and debt, Unioncivil aviation MinisterHardeep Puri announced onThursday while addressing apress conference. The decisionwas taken by the Air IndiaSpecific AlternativeMechanism on Wed followinga meeting with the home min-istry, Puri added.

��3�� "� ��K�.��

�� ;��3��!<�326��.�*)N�>D6#��3!6�.6#�>4�23��C63#��.#>/��0#>7��/23�

1��#��.��&��&��&��60��&�

.� �� F��

.�� "�� %� �� "��

�� %��

�&��9��9��&$��-�� 5�$�:;��9��#(�"+��1��

�� !"�#!#!

�� %�� #��$� ��,� �� ,�� %�� 5� ��&

�� $� ��$� �� !;B�<��!�!;%��5� �� 3$��,$��,� ��$��"�� &

�� "�� D�� %�� 4�� &�� F�� $�� $� �� "�� %�#��&

#�� D�� "��>D�4,*<&�� "�� &

�-�� "��&��"��&

� E��%�� $�� %�� "��&

��$��1� ��

�� "��

��

�� $��

1� ��$��"�,� ��%��"�� &�� $��"��,�� &

;8� $��9��% $�� 3� �� $��%��!��$ ��9�/

�� !%�� &��9�9$ � $��!��=�+$��!��3��3��9�� 9�� %��'�� $�� !��9�3��=�� $�� $�� $�� !��=<�>��?��.�3��

@$��,#/2'()��

�� (�

@��A�� &��3� �� "�� "�� , �� ,��,� �� &

>��7��%�1�� $��, ��"�� %�$�� $� ��,�� &

�� E�� &��"�� $��E �� "�� E"�� ()*+&�� :)�� "��"��B��,�� E�� "�� %�� &

3��%1�� E��$�� 3 �1�� "�� $��1�� $�� , ��$��&

World over, the concept of luxuryis not a uniform one. Every

nation has a very different idea — onethat is crafted in that nation’s own his-tory. That is other than the UnitedStates, which doesn’t have that histo-ry. Having said that, there are somesimilar threads, but when it comes toculture, history and thus, luxury,Japan is a slight outlier. Forme, as amazing as Londonand New York are as cities,no other large metropolison earth is quite like Tokyo.And this allows me to dove-tail to the Lexus LS500h. Lexus, forthose of you don’t know, is a luxurymarque established by the ToyotaMotor Company in 1989 to competewith the likes of Mercedes-Benz.These are not Toyota’s in a fancy dressas some earlier models were called.New Lexus vehicles are cars that areindependently engineered, designedand have an aesthetic that is complete-ly unique.

While on the LS500h, the ‘h’standing for hybrid, means that it doesshare hybrid technology from its par-ent as well as other elements of theengine and transmission, everythingelse about the interiors are unique. Thequality of craftsmanship is utterlybrilliant and the way you could alwayscheck that is by running your fingersthrough the stitching. Believe me, Ihave driven a couple of luxury brandswhere the stitching is worse than onsome mass-produced cars but this one?Wow! The fabric works on the doorswith their perfect geometric fabric pat-terns, you will not see that on a Rolls-Royce, let alone the kiriko glass orna-mentation. Heck, the geometric pat-tern on the grille came thanks to somecomplicated design work and notdrawing lines with a ruler. You feel asif you are sitting inside a vehicledesigned with mathematical equations,and I mean that in a very good way.With the headlights, for example, you

think of the design as the perfect slash-ing of a katana by a samurai master.

Now to the driving, I have neverreally enjoyed driving cars in this cat-egory because honestly, nobody whoacquires such a vehicle would everdrive it themselves. This is a car thatone is driven around in, just like itscompetition the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-series, Audi A8 andJaguar XJ. Getting into the ‘luxury seat’,diagonally behind the driver, you get

to push back the front passenger seatand use an ottoman as well as get allthe other nice features such as a mas-sager, screen et al. From a driving pointof view, the 354 horsepower engine candrive the car very fast but when youare sitting in the driver's seat, you wishyou had white cotton gloves becauseyou do feel like a chauffeur. The hybridsystem ensures that you get amazingfuel economy as well, despite havinga big, fat V6 motor under the hood.

If you have to arrive in style, thisis a great car. The problem is that itis twenty lakh more expensive than itssole competitor in the market, theBMW 745Le, BMW’s hybrid 7-series.Yes, the Teutonic sense of luxury andaesthetics are very different, weird-ly enough in terms of modern tech-nology the BMW is slightly betteroff, the LS500h feels slightly dated.Even a chauffeur would like AppleCarPlay I guess. The combinedpower output of the BMW is supe-rior and unlike the LS500h, it is aplug-in hybrid.

This is a car you buy becauseyou admire the Japanese aesthetic,because you have walked the streetsof Akihabara, because you have expe-rienced both — the practicality andthe sensibility of a bento box. Theremay not be a practical reason to buythis car over the competition, but at�1.82 crore anybody consideringthis car does not necessarily havepracticality on their mind and theaesthetic sense and practical senseare independent of each other. Thisis a vehicle you buy if you love any-thing and everything Japanese.

Actor Nushrratt Bharuccha, who recentlyteamed up with the award-winning director,

Hansal Mehta, for Amazon Prime Video’s forth-coming film, Chhalaang, has been praised by thedirector.

Hansal said, “Nushrratt was a revelation! Withso many wonderful actors in the film, she heldher own and how. She was hard working but

always chilled out. Her performancewas comfortable and she

worked really hard on heraccent to make it a part ofher characterisation. Shehas a lot of potential.And she is a very chilled

out person to be work-ing with.”

He added thatNushrratt worked

“remarkably hard”to get herHaryanavi dic-tion for thef i lm right.The actorwho gainedfame after thePyaar kaPunchnama

series will nowbe seen oppo-s i t eR a j k u m m a rRao in the film.

The film isset to releaseon the Diwaliweekend, onNovember 13.Other than this,Nushrratt willalso be seen inHurdang oppo-site SunnyKaushal and

Vijay Varma.

Imagine walking inside the oldest fortor monument in your city. You findout that the building is in a tattered

condition. All that remain are blackenedcorners, broken window panes, crookedsteps, faded marble floors, stones chis-elled out of the walls, and tarnishedinscriptions. Now imagine viewingeverything in the condition it wouldhave ideally been when the rulers liv-ing in that palace actually existed. Well,this is no more a mere thought or awishful imagination, if we think digital-ly!

Reconstructing places of historicalsignificance physically might include alot of archaeological investigations, pri-mary and secondary sources of research,guesswork, labour, funds and time.However, ever imagined if we were torevamp and reconstruct them digitally?

Well, Ancient AI, a team of IITRoorkee students, has developed deep-learning Artificial Intelligence (AI) andMachine Learning (ML) algorithms todigitally provide aid to the restorationprocess of murals recovered from theAjanta Caves in Maharashtra. Therestored digital murals have now beendeposited at the Arctic Digital Archive(AWA) located close to the North Pole.This will ensure its protection from nat-ural disasters and secure accessibility forfuture generations for over 1,000 years.

So how does the algorithm work?Parth Chhabra, second year student ofMechanical Engineering and leader ofthe team, says, “The algorithm that wehave created helps fill the spots andspaces present in an image based ontheir surroundings and previously-learned features from various otherpaintings. Also, we can use it to colourthe image to give it a more realisticlook.”

The algorithm was worked upon asa part of the Tech4Heritage Hackathon,which aimed at finding AI & ML-basedsolutions to help in the restorationprocess of murals recovered from theAjanta Caves. It was spearheaded by theRishihood University, InternityFoundation and Sapio Analytics, sup-ported by the Ministry of Culture andLTI (Larsen & Toubro Infotech).Ancient AI, the winner team, now hasthe opportunity to work closely with theSapio Analytics Heritage RestorationTeam.

Another student from the team,Kushagra Babbar highlights that theyutilised a dataset of more than a 1,000reference paintings to develop AI mod-els built on General AdversarialNetworks (GANs). So what were thechallenges in curating the data? He adds,

“The biggest challenge that we faced wascreating a data set of damaged paintingsand their corresponding restoredimages, which are not readily available.Hence, we thought of a completelyopposite approach, that of damagingsome clean images to an extent, whichmatches real-life damaged images. Withimage-processing, we took spots fromthe damaged ones and overlaid them onthe clean ones. Post that, throughNeural Style Transfer, a fascinating AIachievement, we styled our imagessimilar to the damaged ones. With thisand some randomisation, we created adataset of approximately 850 damagedimages from the 36 clean ones, of thepaintings. It took around 40 to 50 hoursgenerating this much big dataset.Completing this step was very crucial

since our result for the next stepdepended a lot on this. It was a verychallenging process and this could nothave been done without team work. Wedivided the images equally among usand generated 210 images each.”

Several museums and exhibitionsare now evidence of how art is being dis-played through AI and VR technologies,making experts believe that AI is thefuture face of preserving history. SahilAgar wal, co-founder and CEO,Rishihood University, explains how,“Technology certainly has a massive rolein the future of art and history. Thereare several benefits to this. Today,when I enter the fossils section of amuseum, I can not only see the part ofan animal’s skeleton, I can visualise thereal animal movement and other char-

acteristics such as how it grew older andso on, through the AI. When I look ata painting, I can feel as if the paintingis a visual reality around me. People aredeveloping games and videos on histo-ry using AR and VR. Similarly, AI canbe used to curate, store and recreate art.I believe the day is not far where themachine can learn from an artists’style and recreate an art.”

So, what would an art on climatechange look like if Van Gogh were todepict it in his style? he questions andsays, “I think AI will reach that sophis-tication!”

Finding out evidence for historicaltheories and tracking records of pastevents have only been hindered by thelabour-intensive process of identifyingdata from artefacts and handwritteninscriptions. Talking about how AI canhelp historians solve ancient puzzles,Kushagra says, “AI is the most efficaciousway to build any automated solution.With the help of different algorithms incomputer vision and natural language-processing, we can extract and even pre-dict the ignored and missing informa-tion about ancient civilisations. Even ifit is an old painting or an ancient liter-ature in an unknown language, throughAI, we can restore and know our pastmuch better. I think the hackathon wasa great opportunity to channelise ourskills and have a head start in restoringour own culture, identity and heritage.”

Even though the technique might beof major help to the historians, expertsargue that looking at the current pan-demic and frequently-occurring healthhaphazards, archaeological puzzles donot seem to be as urgent as computer sci-ence projects in healthcare, finance andother industries. Talking about whetherAI’s usage has more of an urgencytowards healthcare infrastructure ratherthan historical research at present, Sahilsays, “Algorithm-based decision-makingis quite useful, definitely in the areassuch as healthcare, where we are short

of skilled professionals. However, I willnot say that there is an urgency becausethe robustness and efficiency of suchtechnologies develop over time. Theyneed constant human supervision tomaintain and improve their decision-making. The implication of incorrectresults from technology in healthcare ismuch more severe than in an area likearchaeology. Therefore, we should notprioritise among the two. Rather, weshould judge whether the technology hassufficiently matured so that it can beapplied for mass usage in a particulararea.”

Parth agrees that applying algorith-mic techniques to historical research canimprove AI’s capabilities “more thandirectly applying them to a sensitive arealike healthcare right now.”

Well, why just healthcare andfinance, Sahil believes that “education”is an area where AI has immense poten-tial. He adds, “It can become a 24x7companion for a student. Using AI, aperson can realise her/his current lev-els and ways of learning, how efficient-ly one reads and what time of the day isbest suited for one to read, what skillsone needs to pick up if s/he wants a par-ticular job, etc. Similarly, employers canuse AI to track the levels and speed oflearning much before the recruitmentand for on-the-job training. Some com-panies are developing AI-based recruit-ment models, too.”

For Parth, “AI can excel inAgriculture and Farming, Security andSurveillance, Sports Analytics andActivities, Manufacturing andProduction, Live Stock and InventoryManagement, Autonomous Vehicles,Logistic Supply Chain, creating VirtualAssistant or Chatbots, Retail andFashion.”

He adds that while this was aboutrecreating the images of the damagedstructures, the team aims to work on aproject that could involve “interpretingthe ancient texts through AI!”

GIVING LIFE TO THE WORN AND TORN��!��

�� #��#� �� # �� #��

�;��$�!�A�$6�6�, ��B �� !�

�� <<��

7'�%## ��3 �� #��- ��&<�� &� -

1��35�!��#3

�@A0��#��@��%��9'��%�� 2#�--� &�-(��# =��$�� #4>'��&��&��.5�&�!��= #��#��(

��$�� ,��#��*��

�� $%�&�((�� !"�#!#!

6�?��>�7�7�!��7)��7 ��@��>�>5�� ● #�$��K�+))��

● /�� K�(=)��

● �� K�:))��

● 3 ��K�9)��

● .��K�*� ��

● ��

● 0�� K�=�

● �� ()��

● 7��%�� &�� &

● /� ��%�� $��$� �&��

● �� %�� $�&

● ��B ��

�� &�

● /�� &!�� &

● �� "�� $ ��B�$� &

● 4�"��"��B �� &

● ��

�� %�� &�4�� &● �� ,� ��&�7�� $�&● ��"�� &$�� %�� C ��$�� '��A�

��6��!��7��6��5��

● -��K�=)� �

● 2��'��K�(=�

● ��K�()� �

● ��

● 6��$�� K�(=� �

��

● �� G�� H&

● �� "�� "�� $�� &�

● 3��$� �� $ �� &�

● . �� %��$� &�

● 4�� &�0��$� �� &

$�� %��& �� A

��@��?��@7@�6��7 ��7��5�� ● . �� K�((=��

● ��

● �� G�� HK�*(=��

● �� K�(� ��

● �� $� �K�(O� ��

● �� K�9

● 0�� K�*9)��

● 4��K�==��G*� ��B �� H

● � ��G�� HK�*))��

● #��K�(� ��

● 2��'��K�:� ��

● !� �� K�(O� ��

● � ��G�� M��HK(,:� ��

● .�� "�� *<)�� &�

● �/<�3�� /2@�� $ %��

��B �� &�� %��

��$� �� %$�� &

● .�� %�� F�� "�� &�

● �� F�� "�&�

● �� $� �� $�� '�� "�� $��&

● #� �� "�� $�� :8��G*=��H�� &

● �� $� �� $� �� %�� $�� B�� &

● �� %�� &�

● 3�� $�� $��&

● !�B� ��$� �� '��"�� &

● 7� � ��B�� $� �� $� �� %�� $�� "� ��&��B��"�� F�� &

● �� "�� $� �� $� �� B ��&

● �� "��=)� ��==�� $��%��"�� $� �� %�� $��&

● #��"�� "�� $� �� &�● ��"��$�� $� ��"�� %$��%�� &$�� %�B��$��A�

��7��6��7��@6��5�� ● .��K�())��● �� G.�� HK�=)��● 7�� G��%��%�� "�� HK�*=��● ��:)��● !� �K�*))� ● ��$%�$�� K+)��● ��$�� K�()��● #��K�()��● ��$��K�=��● �� ● 7�� $��K�(��● ��K�*=��● �� K�*))��● ��*=��● ��K�*��● /�� "��G ��H● .�� G ��H�� ● 4�� "�� &● �� $�� &● >�� %��$%�� &● 5�$�� "�&�� &● 3�� %��$�� $��&�!�� &�� $� �� "��$� ��$��&● �� &��"�� %�� &● �� %�� B�$� &�3��B��&● �� &��"�� &$�� %�$��:� ��!�*��#�!��*��*�;��*��&��A

The lockdown phase has gotmany food enthusiasts to donthe chef ’s hat and innovate

with various dishes and cuisines.More focus has been given tohealthy eating during the peak ofthe pandemic as staying immune tothe virus was considered as impor-tant as breathing. However, there isa myth attached to healthy eatingthat it does not tastes upto the markand its presentation is not so attrac-tive. To change this mindset, chefsacross the world have been innovat-ing with food to introduce mealsthat are not just tasty and healthy,but also visually appealing.

Though there are ample nutri-tious food items available in therestaurants as well as on the shelvesof supermarket, one of the fanciestyet basic idea is ‘eating the rainbow’.Yes, that’s right. The term ‘eating therainbow’ means including foods ofdifferent colours to the platter.This comprises fruits, vegetablesand other key components thattogether form the required nutritionbase that is needed for a healthybody and mind.

It is a commonly known andacknowledged fact that more theinclusion of vegetables and fruits inour diet, the better it is for the body.However, there is a lack of motiva-tion which entails most people notfollowing this eating habit.

The concept of this food beingused for medicinal purpose hasbeen around for more than a mil-lennium and is still actively followedacross various schools of medicinelike Ayurveda and Unani. Such spe-cial foods were known and trea-sured due to their use in treating or

preventing diseases. Hence, it isimportant for us to include morefruits and vegetables in our dietbecause they possess vitamins andminerals that not only help preventbut also delay the onset of variousdiseases.

��

Vitamins like vitamin C, vita-min K, riboflavin, folic acid andcompounds called carotenoids(some of which can be converted tovitamin A in the body) are foundin many vegetables and fruits.Guava and gooseberry are some ofthe easily available sources of vita-min C. Vegetables like capsicum arerich in thiamine, a member of theB complex family of vitamins.

Some vegetables like potato,sweet potato, tapioca, yam andfruits like mango, banana andsapota make a fair contributiontowards energy intake. Most vegeta-bles and fruits are high in water andfibre contents and low in calorificvalue.

Many of the greens are packedwith iron. Drumstick called asMoringa is loaded with essentialnutrients.The leaves are the mostnutrient dense part of the plant andone of the finest sources of calcium,iron, zinc, selenium and magne-sium. Fresh pods and seeds are the

best for oleic acid — a healthy fattyacid that keeps the heart health incheck. Moringa leaves are loadedwith great amount of protein andare one of the best sources.

Flavonoids, a diverse group ofphytonutrients (plant chemicals)

found in probably all fruits and veg-etables also play an important role.Along with carotenoids, they areresponsible for the vivid colours infruits and vegetables. Flavonoids arethe largest group of phytonutrients.They are found in lemons, oranges,

plums, peaches, apricots, apples,green leafy vegetables, yellow cap-sicum, onions and broccoli.

Grape fruit is known to reduceblood cholesterol and glucose con-centrations. Yellow fruits like man-goes and green leafy vegetables andcarrots are rich in beta carotenewhich is converted to vitamin A inthe body and also helps to fight can-cer.

Red fruits like tomatoes andwatermelon contain lycopene,which is important for fightingprostate cancer and heart diseases.

Strawberries, blueberries,apples, grapes and onions are beingstudied for their anti-ageing effects.

The most natural way to over-come constipation is to increaseintake of green leafy vegetables andother high fibre vegetables andfruits. Their high water and fibrecontent and low energy valuespromote satiety, decrease energyintake and could be important inweight management. Nutritionistsrecommend regular moderate exer-cise and many servings of soupsand salads for those who need toshed a few pounds. Substitutingfruits and vegetables for a caloriedense evening snack helps inweight loss.

(The chef is Director — Culinarydevelopment & Innovation, EliorIndia.)

Ahealthy lifestyle which includesexercise and a nutrient-dense

diet may help reduce the risk of can-cer. Foods which are rich in antiox-idants and fiber have been found toregulate oestrogen and inhibit can-cer cell formation. Small changes toa routine can help reduce the risk ofbreast cancer. Rohit Shelatkar, VP atVitabiotics, Fitness and NutritionExpert lists down some superfoodsto add in ones diet to reduce the riskof breast cancer.

Walnuts: Walnuts are packedwith Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxi-dants and phytosterols which helpsregulate oestrogen levels and slowthe growth of breast cancer cells.They have been known to help fightinflammation which in itself is ben-eficial in avoiding heart diseaseand a host of other chronic condi-tions, but it is also linked to cancer.

Blueberries: Research suggeststhat blueberries can reduce thegrowth of breast cancer tumours bycausing cancerous cells to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis.Frozen wild blueberries are just asantioxidant and nutrient-packed asfresh. One can consume blueberrieswith smoothies, oatmeal or yogurt.

Sweet Potatoes: The sweet pota-to can inhibit proliferation and canregulate cell growth, defend andrepair them. Studies have shown thatwomen who eat sweet potatoes on

a regular basis are at a 17 per centlower risk of developing breast can-cer.

Flaxseeds: Flaxseed has all kindsof amazing health benefits, includ-ing lowering blood pressure andcholesterol. It is the richest source oflignans — a type of antioxidant.Dietary flaxseed has the potential toreduce tumour growth in patientswith breast cancer. One can addflaxseeds to smoothies, yogurt par-faits or mix in the morning oatmeal.

Garlic: Garlic gets its cancer-busting properties from allicin, acomponent of garlic that’s beenshown to inhibit the division of can-cer cells. Other cancer risks alsofound to lower lung, stomach, andprostate, possibly due to theflavonols present in the garlic. Eatinggarlic raw can maximise the anti-cancer effects.

Green Tea: It is packed antiox-idants with immense health benefits.One of those benefits includes hav-ing anti-breast cancer properties.

Decreasing the number of fattyfoods in the diet and replacingthem with whole foods will reducethe risk and have been shown toimprove the survival rate of breastcancer patients. While no single foodis guaranteed to keep oneself cancer-free, changing the diet to includemore of these superfoods that canhelp fight breast cancer would provebeneficial. D��'

RAINBOW IN MY PLATE$��:��C�&�&�= �##�� #�� !�#�� E� ��

B��0��.�� .��.��

- � � / � � �

�� (�� !"�#!#!

B��.��3�$B�!3�'�� 9��)F72�� G�*��$ � ��7��=�!��

�� #�5

Marcus Rashford was againthe star for Manchester

United in the Champions Leaguewith a hat-trick in a 5-0 thump-ing of RB Leipzig on Wednesdayas Barcelona put their off-fieldtroubles to one side to win 2-0away to a Juventus side deprivedof Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rashford's late goal earnedUnited a 2-1 victory away to ParisSaint-Germain last week and atOld Trafford, the England strik-er came on as a second-halfsubstitute and scored three timesfrom the 74th minute on in whatwas a fine win against last sea-son's semi-finalists.

Paul Pogba released MasonGreenwood to open the scoringin the first half, before the young-ster made way for Rashford afterthe break and Ole GunnarSolskjaer's side ran away with thegame to make it two wins fromtwo in Group H.

Anthony Martial also nettedfrom the penalty spot as Unitedruthlessly exposed the side whocurrently top the GermanBundesliga and went clear at thetop of the section.

"We looked dangerousthroughout and that we couldscore every time we went for-ward," said Rashford. "It was areal team performance."

Meanwhile PSG got theircampaign up and running bybeating Istanbul Basaksehir 2-0in Turkey, although they lostNeymar to an adductor injury inthe first half.

Both PSG's goals were scoredin the second half by MoiseKean, the on-loan Everton strik-er heading in Kylian Mbappe'scorner in the 64th minute andthen turning to fire in the secondlate on.

BARCA BOUNCE BACKIn Italy, Barcelona bounced

back from their weekend defeatin the Clasico against RealMadrid and shut out the board-room crisis which led to presi-dent Josep Maria Bartomeuresigning on Tuesday.

Ronald Koeman's side hadluck on their side as they took thelead through a def lectedOusmane Dembele strike andthen saw Alvaro Morata havethree goals disallowed for offsidefor the hosts.

The absence of Ronaldobecause of a positive coronavirustest meant no chance to see himrenew his on-field rivalry withLionel Messi, but the Argentinegot his name on the scoresheetlate on, netting a stoppage-timepenalty to seal Barca's second vic-tory in as many Group G outings.

"This was our best game allseason," said Koeman.

"The team reacted well,despite the resignation of thepresident. We were focused onthe football because all the otherstuff is not our responsibility."

Juve had Turkish defenderMerih Demirel sent off late on astheir underwhelming start tothe season under novice coachAndrea Pirlo continued.

Their next game is away atFerencvaros, who came frombehind to draw 2-2 with 10-manDynamo Kiev in Budapest.

ZIYECH IMPRESSESViktor Tsygankov's penalty

and a Carlos de Pena effort hadthe Ukrainians in control butthey then had captain SergiySydorchuk sent off and the hosts— with a sizeable crowd behindthem — took full advantage.

Tokmac Nguen pulled oneback and Ivorian Franck Boliscrambled in a stoppage-time lev-eller for the Hungarians.

In Group E Chelsea werecomprehensive 4-0 winnersaway to Krasnodar in Russia,with Jorginho missing apenalty before Cal lumHudson-Odoi opened thescoring.

Timo Werner smashed ina spot-kick on 76 minutes todouble Chelsea's lead, withHakim Ziyech and ChristianPulisic adding late goals.

For Ziyech it was a firstChelsea goal on his first startsince signing from Ajax for£37 million ($48 million).

"We brought him in to doa job, maybe people have for-gotten a bit because we signedhim in January and he missedthe start of the season, buttonight he showed he is here,"said Chelsea boss FrankLampard of Ziyech, who hasstruggled with injury.

Sevilla beat Rennes 1-0 inthe same section with Luuk deJong scoring the only goal.

Borussia Dortmundclaimed their first points inGroup F with Jadon Sancho's78th-minute penalty and

Erling Braut Haaland's stop-page-time strike securing a 2-0 win over Zenit Saint-Petersburg.

The Germans are a pointbehind Lazio and ClubBrugge, who drew 1-1 inBelgium with a Hans Vanakenpenalty securing a draw forthe hosts.

Lazio had travelled with-out a host of players due tocoronavirus, including starstriker Ciro Immobile, buthad gone in front early onthrough Joaquin Correa.

.�� "�� 3 ��*� �>4�� #3732.�54�

The Pakistan team manage-ment has left out the promis-

ing duo of batsman Haider Aliand uncapped AbdullahShafique in its 15-membersquad for Friday’s first ODIagainst Zimbabwe inRawalpindi.

Vice-captain Shadab Khanwas not considered after beingruled out of the first match due

to stiffness in his left upper-leg.Senior batsman

Mohammad Hafeez and youngfast bowler MohammadHasnain were also not pickedeven though they were namedin a preliminary squad, likeHaider and Shafique, last weekfor the white-ball series againstthe visitors.

Pakistan’s top batsman,Babar Azam, will be leading theteam for the first time in an ODI

series and said he wanted to starthis tenure on a winning note.

“I’m keen on winning theODIs as this is my first series ascaptain,” said Azam.

“No team is easy in interna-tional cricket so we won’t takeZimbabwe lightly.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) has scheduled all threeODIs and as many T20Internationals in Rawalpindidue to smog in Lahore.

2020/10/29 · assembly during a debate. when some of his fellow lawmakers objected to his men-...

Documents