· 2021-02-23  · sarnath and gaya, the government had said at the time of granting the...

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A s many as 194 persons in India are infected with three known strains first found in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, but there has been no evidence to show that these new variants are responsible for the upsurge in Covid-19 cases in Kerala and Maharashtra, said the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday. The two States account for 75 per cent of total active Covid-19 cases in the country. The Ministry said that a total 187 individuals have been reported infected with the UK strain, six people with South African strain, and one with Brazilian strain till date. “Two variants of SARS- CoV-2 — N440K and E484K have been detected in Maharashtra and Kerala, but there is no reason to believe presently that they are respon- sible for the surge in cases in some districts in these two States,” NITI Aayog Member (Health) VK Paul said at a Press conference here. He said that 187 people have tested positive for the UK strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the country so far, while six peo- ple have been detected with the South Africa variant. Also, one person has been tested positive for the Brazil variant strain. “Both the N440K and E484K variants of SARS-CoV- 2 have been detected in Maharashtra. In Kerala and Telangana also these variants have been found. Also, three others — UK, South Africa and Brazil variants are there in the country. But there is no reason for us to believe that they are responsible for the upsurge of the outbreak in some districts of Maharashtra and Kerala,” Paul said. He added that the two variants have been found in India’s three States. “There are two variants in Maharashtra being talked about — N440 K variant and E484 K variant. These variants have been reported in Maharashtra, Kerala and Telangana,” Paul said. Reporting only detection does not lead to any attribution for a phenomenon on the ground because to relate the occurrence of a virus mutation to change in disease pattern, other epidemiological infor- mation and clinical informa- tion has to be linked to these mutants, Paul explained, adding, “because otherwise these (mutations) happen but they have no influence on the pandemic.” He said the behaviour of mutations is being constantly and closely watched in the country and 3,500 strains have been sequenced so far. “When we are doing sequencing, we are looking for any abnormal shift in the virus character. We have been watching the mutants. “Today, based on the information and as analysed and understood by a very emi- nent scientific advisory group of Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), we would like to underline the fact that we do not see attribution of mutant strains to the upsurge of the infection being seen in some districts. But this is work in progress. “We will continue to watch the situation with full respon- sibility,” Paul said. I n a boost to the indigenisa- tion in Defence production, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Tuesday gave the nod for deals worth over 13,000 crore. This includes the 8,400 crore con- tract for 118 Arjun Mark-I A main battle tanks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14 had handed over the first Arjun tank to the Army. Besides this big-ticket item, the DAC chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also approved Nag missile carrier Namica, Arudhra medium power radars and Armour- Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) 125mm practice ammunition. Most of these weapon systems are designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Giving details here after the DAC meeting, officials said these proposals catered to all the three Services. All these approvals are in the highest pri- ority category of Defence Acquisition viz ‘Buy [Indian- IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)]. All these acquisition pro- posals worth 13,700 crores will be indigenously designed, developed and manufactured. These will include inter-alia platforms and systems designed and developed by the DRDO. To meet the Atmanirbhar Bharat goals of the Government on time-bound defence procurement process and faster decision making and to systematically work towards reducing the time taken for capital acquisition, the DAC also approved that all capital acquisition contracts (delegated and non-delegat- ed) other than design and development cases shall be concluded in two years. The Ministry, in consulta- tion with the Services and all stakeholders, will come up with detailed plan of action for achieving the same, they said. As regards the Arjun tanks, sources said soon after getting the nod, the Army will now place the indent with Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF), Avadi. The factor which makes tanks is expected to receive the indent within this financial year before March 31. Moreover, within 30 months from the date of indent, HVF Avadi will deliver five pre- production model tanks to the Army for evaluation and for- mulation of General Service Quality Requirements (GSQR) for the larger order, they said. In a related development, Bharat Forge announced that it has received an order from the Defence Ministry for mine protection vehicles for the Army. The deal is 118 crores. The vehicle known as Kalyan M4 is a multi-role plat- form, designed for quick mobility in rough terrain and in areas affected by mine and Improved Explosive Devices (IED) threats. “It offers best in-class lev- els of ballistic and blast pro- tection, up to 50kg TNT side blast or IED, roadside bombs due to its innovative design, built on a flat-floor mono- coque hull,” a company state- ment said. The Kalyani M4 successfully completed a series of extreme vehicle trials in some of the toughest environ- ments in India, it added. Bharat Forge and global aerospace and technology com- pany Paramount Group have announced a cooperation agreement to jointly manu- facture armoured vehicles in India. A court here on Tuesday granted bail to climate activist Disha Ravi, arrested in connection with allegedly being involved in sharing a "toolkit" on social media related to the farmers' protest, saying citizens are conscience keepers of Government in any democra- tic nation and cannot be put behind the bars simply because they choose to disagree with the State policies. The court said the evi- dence produced by police against Ravi was “scanty and sketchy” and there was nothing on record to establish any direct link between her and pro-Khalistan activists of 'Poetic Justice Foundation' (PJF) and also there was not even an iota of evidence brought connecting the perpe- trators of the violence on January 26 in the national Capital with the PJF or her. Further, it observed that there was nothing on record to suggest that the activist sub- scribed to any secessionist idea and there is absolutely no link established on record between her and banned outfit Sikhs for Justice. In the 18-page order, Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana granted relief to Ravi on a personal bond of 1 lakh and two sureties of the like amount and noted that the 22-year-old activist has “absolutely blem- ish free criminal antecedents”. Ravi has been slapped with the charge of sedition in the case which entails maxi- mum punishment of life sen- tence. She is also booked for the offences of criminal con- spiracy, provoking people to cause riot and promoting enmity between different groups. The Additional Sessions Judge said the freedom of speech and expression includes the right to seek a global audience and that there are no geographical barriers on communication and that creation of a WhatsApp group or being editor of an innocu- ous Toolkit was not an offence. C ivil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said the Kushinagar Airport in Uttar Pradesh has got the necessary clearances from aviation regulator DGCA to operate international flights from the facility. The Union Cabinet had in June last year approved the Kushinagar airport’s status as an international facility, stating it will offer improved connec- tivity to the important Buddhist pilgrimage site. Once this airport begins operating international flights, it will become third function- al international facility in the State. “Kushinagar to become 3rd licensed international airport of UP. Will boost tourism in the region and facilitate travel on Buddhist circuit by providing direct aviation connectivity to the city where Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana,” Puri said in a tweet on Tuesday. At present, two interna- tional airports — Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at Lucknow and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Varanasi — are operational in the State while another one is coming up at Jewar in Gautambudh Nagar. Kushinagar is the mid- point of the Buddhist circuit. It has pilgrimage sites in Lumbini, Shravasti, Kapilvastu nearby it. A little farther, it has sites in Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna- tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200-300 devotees from Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Myanmar, among others, come to offer prayers at Kushinagar on any given day. The announcement comes a day after the Yo g i Government presented 5.5 lakh crore budget for the com- ing financial year. Many devel- opment projects, including air- port, were the special focus in UP Finance Minister Suresh Khanna’s outlay. He announced 101 crore has been earmarked for an upcoming airport in Ayodhya that has been named Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram Airport. Khanna said that the State Government was working on the mantra of making UP self- reliant and said a number of campaigns had been launched to establish the rule of law in the state. He also spoke about the industrial reforms that make setting up of industry easy in UP and improved con- nectivity in schools/colleges by development of digital vil- lages to make the youth aware about education and employ- ment scenario in the world. The “Buddhist Circuit” is a key pilgrimage destination for 530 million practising Buddhists across the globe, the statement had noted. T he BJP on Tuesday put an impressive show in elec- tions to six municipal corpo- rations of Gujarat, winning or leading in Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Surat, Ahmedabad, and Vadodara. As per the latest data, the BJP is winning/leading in 451 of the total 575 seats. The Congress has won 44 of the declared seats so far, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a new entrant in these elections, made impressive inroads so far. The AAP outshone the Congress by winning 25 seats in Surat with the latter failing to open its account from the municipal corporation. BJP president JP Nadda thanked voters in Gujarat for giving his party their over- whelming support. The counting of votes was held for 192 seats across 48 wards in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, for 120 seats across 30 wards in the Surat Municipal Corporation, 76 seats across 19 wards of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, for 72 seats across 18 wards in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, 52 seats across 13 wards in the Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation and 64 seats across 16 wards in the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation. T he sale of Coronil tablets of Patanjali will not be allowed in Maharashtra with- out "proper certification", state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Tuesday. The statement came a day after the Indian Medical Association expressed shock over the “blatant lie of WHO certification” for Coronil which Patanjali claims is an evidence-based medicine to fight Covid. While the IMA demanded an explanation from the Union Health Minister in whose pres- ence the medicine was launched, the World Health Organisation clarified that it had not reviewed or cer- tified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for the treatment of Covid-19. P akistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday arrived in Sri Lanka on a two- day visit to the country on the invitation of Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Earlier, India allowed a plane carrying Khan to fly through Indian airspace for Lanka. Incidentally, Islamabad in 2019 had denied permission to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft to enter its air- space while travelling to the US and Saudi Arabia. The Indian Government had then said Pakistan was deviating from well-estab- lished international practice. India had also taken up the denial of permission to VVIP flight with the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Meanwhile, keeping Indian sensibilities in mind, Lanka cancelled Khan’s scheduled address to its Parliament in Colombo. Khan is the first foreign head of state to arrive in Sri Lanka since the cornoa pandemic last year. P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the contribution of traditional Indian medicines in the fight against the pandemic. He said that the benefits of domestic spices and decoc- tions have been noticed by peo- ple around the world. “In addition to India’s med- icines and vaccines, the world has witnessed the contribution of our spices and decoctions as well. Our traditional medi- cines have established their place in the world,” said Modi during a webinar on Budget for health sector. New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed to have secured 27 seats in the Gujarat municipal elections. “Heartfelt congratulations to the people of Gujarat for introducing new politics,” tweeted AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. “The people of Gujarat wanted an alternative and AAP has emerged as the key alter- native to the present parties. Now the upcoming assembly election will be only between Aam Aadmi Party and BJP,” he added. A mid a surge in Covid infec- tion, the Chhattisgarh gov- ernment has told Commissioners and District Collectors to screen visitors from other states coming by various means of transport and also arrange for contact tracing of suspected coron- avirus patients. On Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's instructions, all passengers including those reaching the Raipur and Jagdalpur (Bastar) airports from Mumbai and Delhi would be checked for Covid-19, an official order said on Tuesday. The order called for con- tact tracing of passengers com- ing by road and rail, especial- ly from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, at the rail- way station, bus station and other points of entry. Baghel also urged the peo- ple to follow the guidelines issued earlier for prevention of Covid-19 infection. "Until we conquer this pandemic, we need to wear mask, practice social and physical distanc- ing, and wash hands every once in a while." RNI Regn. No. CHHENG/2012/42718, Postal Reg. No. - RYP DN/34/2013-2015

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Page 1:  · 2021-02-23  · Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna-tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200 …

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As many as 194 persons inIndia are infected with

three known strains first foundin the UK, South Africa andBrazil, but there has been noevidence to show that thesenew variants are responsible forthe upsurge in Covid-19 casesin Kerala and Maharashtra,said the Union Health Ministryon Tuesday.

The two States accountfor 75 per cent of total activeCovid-19 cases in the country.

The Ministry said that atotal 187 individuals have beenreported infected with the UKstrain, six people with SouthAfrican strain, and one withBrazilian strain till date.

“Two variants of SARS-CoV-2 — N440K and E484K— have been detected inMaharashtra and Kerala, butthere is no reason to believepresently that they are respon-sible for the surge in cases insome districts in these twoStates,” NITI Aayog Member(Health) VK Paul said at aPress conference here.

He said that 187 peoplehave tested positive for the UKstrain of SARS-CoV-2 in thecountry so far, while six peo-ple have been detected with theSouth Africa variant. Also,one person has been testedpositive for the Brazil variantstrain.

“Both the N440K andE484K variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in

Maharashtra. In Kerala andTelangana also these variantshave been found. Also, threeothers — UK, South Africaand Brazil variants are there inthe country. But there is noreason for us to believe thatthey are responsible for theupsurge of the outbreak insome districts of Maharashtraand Kerala,” Paul said.

He added that the twovariants have been found inIndia’s three States. “There aretwo variants in Maharashtrabeing talked about — N440 Kvariant and E484 K variant.These variants have beenreported in Maharashtra,Kerala and Telangana,” Paulsaid.

Reporting only detectiondoes not lead to any attributionfor a phenomenon on theground because to relate theoccurrence of a virus mutationto change in disease pattern,other epidemiological infor-mation and clinical informa-tion has to be linked to thesemutants, Paul explained,adding, “because otherwisethese (mutations) happen butthey have no influence on thepandemic.”

He said the behaviour ofmutations is being constantlyand closely watched in thecountry and 3,500 strains havebeen sequenced so far.

“When we are doingsequencing, we are lookingfor any abnormal shift in thevirus character. We have beenwatching the mutants.

“Today, based on theinformation and as analysedand understood by a very emi-nent scientific advisory groupof Indian SARS-CoV-2Genomics Consortium(INSACOG), we would like tounderline the fact that we donot see attribution of mutantstrains to the upsurge of theinfection being seen in somedistricts. But this is work inprogress.

“We will continue to watchthe situation with full respon-sibility,” Paul said.

���� 45&�"5678

In a boost to the indigenisa-tion in Defence production,

the Defence AcquisitionCouncil (DAC) on Tuesdaygave the nod for deals worthover �13,000 crore. Thisincludes the �8,400 crore con-tract for 118 Arjun Mark-I Amain battle tanks. PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onFebruary 14 had handed overthe first Arjun tank to theArmy.

Besides this big-ticket item,the DAC chaired by DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh alsoapproved Nag missile carrierNamica, Arudhra mediumpower radars and Armour-Piercing Fin-StabilisedDiscarding Sabot (APFSDS)125mm practice ammunition.Most of these weapon systemsare designed by the DefenceResearch and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO).

Giving details here after theDAC meeting, officials saidthese proposals catered to allthe three Services. All theseapprovals are in the highest pri-ority category of DefenceAcquisition viz ‘Buy [Indian-IDDM (Indigenously

Designed, Developed andManufactured)].

All these acquisition pro-posals worth �13,700 croreswill be indigenously designed,developed and manufactured.These will include inter-aliaplatforms and systems designedand developed by the DRDO.

To meet the AtmanirbharBharat goals of theGovernment on time-bounddefence procurement processand faster decision makingand to systematically worktowards reducing the timetaken for capital acquisition,the DAC also approved that allcapital acquisition contracts(delegated and non-delegat-ed) other than design anddevelopment cases shall beconcluded in two years.

The Ministry, in consulta-tion with the Services and allstakeholders, will come upwith detailed plan of action forachieving the same, they said.

As regards the Arjun tanks,sources said soon after gettingthe nod, the Army will nowplace the indent with Heavy

Vehicle Factory (HVF), Avadi.The factor which makes tanksis expected to receive the indentwithin this financial year beforeMarch 31.

Moreover, within 30months from the date of indent,HVF Avadi will deliver five pre-production model tanks to theArmy for evaluation and for-mulation of General ServiceQuality Requirements (GSQR)for the larger order, they said.

In a related development,Bharat Forge announced that ithas received an order from theDefence Ministry for mineprotection vehicles for theArmy. The deal is �118 crores.

The vehicle known asKalyan M4 is a multi-role plat-form, designed for quickmobility in rough terrain andin areas affected by mine andImproved Explosive Devices(IED) threats.

“It offers best in-class lev-els of ballistic and blast pro-tection, up to 50kg TNT sideblast or IED, roadside bombsdue to its innovative design,built on a flat-floor mono-coque hull,” a company state-ment said. The Kalyani M4successfully completed a seriesof extreme vehicle trials insome of the toughest environ-ments in India, it added.

Bharat Forge and globalaerospace and technology com-pany Paramount Group haveannounced a cooperationagreement to jointly manu-facture armoured vehicles inIndia.

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Acourt here on Tuesdaygranted bail to climate

activist Disha Ravi, arrested inconnection with allegedly beinginvolved in sharing a "toolkit"on social media related to thefarmers' protest, saying citizensare conscience keepers ofGovernment in any democra-tic nation and cannot be putbehind the bars simply becausethey choose to disagree withthe State policies.

The court said the evi-dence produced by policeagainst Ravi was “scanty andsketchy” and there was nothingon record to establish anydirect link between her andpro-Khalistan activists of'Poetic Justice Foundation'(PJF) and also there was noteven an iota of evidencebrought connecting the perpe-trators of the violence onJanuary 26 in the national

Capital with the PJF or her.Further, it observed that

there was nothing on record tosuggest that the activist sub-scribed to any secessionist ideaand there is absolutely no linkestablished on record betweenher and banned outfit Sikhs forJustice.

In the 18-page order,Additional Sessions JudgeDharmender Rana grantedrelief to Ravi on a personalbond of �1 lakh and twosureties of the like amount andnoted that the 22-year-oldactivist has “absolutely blem-ish free criminal antecedents”.

Ravi has been slapped

with the charge of sedition inthe case which entails maxi-mum punishment of life sen-tence. She is also booked forthe offences of criminal con-spiracy, provoking people tocause riot and promotingenmity between differentgroups.

The Additional SessionsJudge said the freedom ofspeech and expressionincludes the right to seek aglobal audience and that thereare no geographical barrierson communication and thatcreation of a WhatsApp groupor being editor of an innocu-ous Toolkit was not an offence.

���� 45&�"5678

Civil Aviation MinisterHardeep Singh Puri on

Tuesday said the KushinagarAirport in Uttar Pradesh hasgot the necessary clearancesfrom aviation regulator DGCAto operate international flightsfrom the facility.

The Union Cabinet had inJune last year approved theKushinagar airport’s status asan international facility, statingit will offer improved connec-tivity to the importantBuddhist pilgrimage site.

Once this airport beginsoperating international flights,it will become third function-al international facility in theState.

“Kushinagar to become 3rdlicensed international airport ofUP. Will boost tourism in theregion and facilitate travel onBuddhist circuit by providingdirect aviation connectivity tothe city where Lord Buddhaattained Mahaparinirvana,”Puri said in a tweet on Tuesday.

At present, two interna-tional airports — ChaudharyCharan Singh InternationalAirport at Lucknow and LalBahadur Shastri International

Airport at Varanasi — areoperational in the State whileanother one is coming up atJewar in Gautambudh Nagar.

Kushinagar is the mid-point of the Buddhist circuit. Ithas pilgrimage sites in Lumbini,Shravasti, Kapilvastu nearbyit. A little farther, it has sites inSarnath and Gaya, theGovernment had said at thetime of granting the interna-tional status to the airport.

The Central Governmenthad also said around 200-300devotees from Thailand,Cambodia, Japan, Myanmar,among others, come to offer

prayers at Kushinagar on anygiven day.

The announcement comesa day after the YogiGovernment presented �5.5lakh crore budget for the com-ing financial year. Many devel-opment projects, including air-port, were the special focus inUP Finance Minister SureshKhanna’s outlay. He announced�101 crore has been earmarkedfor an upcoming airport inAyodhya that has been namedMaryada Purushottam ShriRam Airport.

Khanna said that the StateGovernment was working on

the mantra of making UP self-reliant and said a number ofcampaigns had been launchedto establish the rule of law inthe state. He also spoke aboutthe industrial reforms thatmake setting up of industryeasy in UP and improved con-nectivity in schools/collegesby development of digital vil-lages to make the youth awareabout education and employ-ment scenario in the world.

The “Buddhist Circuit” is akey pilgrimage destination for530 million practisingBuddhists across the globe,the statement had noted.

���� 45&�"5678

The BJP on Tuesday put animpressive show in elec-

tions to six municipal corpo-rations of Gujarat, winning orleading in Jamnagar,Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Surat,Ahmedabad, and Vadodara.

As per the latest data, theBJP is winning/leading in 451of the total 575 seats. TheCongress has won 44 of thedeclared seats so far, the AamAadmi Party (AAP), a newentrant in these elections,made impressive inroads sofar.

The AAP outshone theCongress by winning 25 seatsin Surat with the latter failingto open its account from themunicipal corporation.

BJP president JP Naddathanked voters in Gujarat forgiving his party their over-

whelming support.The counting of votes was

held for 192 seats across 48wards in the AhmedabadMunicipal Corporation, for120 seats across 30 wards in theSurat Municipal Corporation,76 seats across 19 wards of theVadodara Municipal

Corporation, for 72 seatsacross 18 wards in the RajkotMunicipal Corporation, 52seats across 13 wards in theBhavnagar MunicipalCorporation and 64 seatsacross 16 wards in theJamnagar MunicipalCorporation.

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The sale of Coronil tablets ofPatanjali will not be

allowed in Maharashtra with-out "proper certification", stateHome Minister AnilDeshmukh said on Tuesday.

The statement came a dayafter the Indian MedicalAssociation expressed shockover the “blatant lie of WHOcertification” for Coronilwhich Patanjali claims is anevidence-based medicine tofight Covid.

While the IMA demandedan explanation from the UnionHealth Minister in whose pres-ence the medicine waslaunched, the World Health Organisation clarifiedthat it had not reviewed or cer-tified the effectiveness of anytraditional medicine for thetreatment of Covid-19.

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Pakistan Prime MinisterImran Khan on Tuesday

arrived in Sri Lanka on a two-day visit to the country on theinvitation of Lankan PrimeMinister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Earlier, India allowed aplane carrying Khan to flythrough Indian airspace forLanka. Incidentally, Islamabadin 2019 had denied permissionto Prime Minister NarendraModi’s aircraft to enter its air-space while travelling to the USand Saudi Arabia.

The Indian Governmenthad then said Pakistan wasdeviating from well-estab-lished international practice.India had also taken up thedenial of permission to VVIPflight with the InternationalCivil Aviation Organisation.

Meanwhile, keepingIndian sensibilities in mind,Lanka cancelled Khan’sscheduled address to itsParliament in Colombo. Khanis the first foreign head ofstate to arrive in Sri Lankasince the cornoa pandemiclast year.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi on Tuesday hailed the

contribution of traditionalIndian medicines in the fightagainst the pandemic.

He said that the benefits ofdomestic spices and decoc-tions have been noticed by peo-

ple around the world.“In addition to India’s med-

icines and vaccines, the worldhas witnessed the contributionof our spices and decoctions aswell. Our traditional medi-cines have established theirplace in the world,” said Modiduring a webinar on Budget forhealth sector.

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New Delhi: The Aam AadmiParty (AAP) claimed to havesecured 27 seats in the Gujaratmunicipal elections.

“Heartfelt congratulationsto the people of Gujarat forintroducing new politics,”tweeted AAP convenor andDelhi Chief Minister Arvind

Kejriwal.“The people of Gujarat

wanted an alternative and AAPhas emerged as the key alter-native to the present parties.Now the upcoming assemblyelection will be only betweenAam Aadmi Party and BJP,” headded.

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Amid a surge in Covid infec-tion, the Chhattisgarh gov-

ernment has toldCommissioners and DistrictCollectors to screen visitorsfrom other states coming byvarious means of transportand also arrange for contacttracing of suspected coron-avirus patients.

On Chief MinisterBhupesh Baghel's instructions,all passengers including thosereaching the Raipur andJagdalpur (Bastar) airportsfrom Mumbai and Delhi wouldbe checked for Covid-19, anofficial order said on Tuesday.

The order called for con-tact tracing of passengers com-ing by road and rail, especial-

ly from Maharashtra, MadhyaPradesh and Delhi, at the rail-way station, bus station andother points of entry.

Baghel also urged the peo-ple to follow the guidelinesissued earlier for prevention ofCovid-19 infection. "Until weconquer this pandemic, weneed to wear mask, practicesocial and physical distanc-ing, and wash hands everyonce in a while."

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Page 2:  · 2021-02-23  · Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna-tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200 …

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Taking serious notice of therising COVID-19 cases in

Punjab, The Chief MinisterCapt Amarinder Singh onTuesday ordered fresh restric-tions in the State from March 1.

As per the decision, takenduring a high-level meeting toreview COVID-19 situation inthe State, the number of peo-ple allowed in indoor gather-ings will be capped at 100,while for outdoor gatherings, itwill be kept at 200.

Further, the Chief Ministerstressed for strict enforcementof COVID-19 appropriatebehaviour such as wearingmasks and social distancing,while adding that testing in theState will be ramped up to30,000 per day.

“At least 15 contacts shouldbe tested per positive case,” hesaid, while ordering strict mon-itoring by COVID Patient

Tracking Officers (CPTOs)and review by the HealthDepartment.

The Chief Minister alsoauthorized the DeputyCommissioners to imposenight curfews in the hotspots intheir districts if needed, withmicro containment strategy tobe adopted.

He directed the Police forceto ensure strict enforcement ofwearing of masks, along withnotification of COVID moni-tors by all restaurants, marriagepalaces, with the Departmentof Excise and Taxation to be thenodal agency for the same.

At the same time, the ChiefMinister asserted that a deci-sion on reducing occupancy incinema halls will be taken afterMarch 1. “Private offices andrestaurants shall be encouragedto display last tests done for allemployees,” he said.

Expressing concern overthe case fatality rate (CFR) of3.23 percent, Capt Amarindertook note of the mortalityaudit findings that many ofthe deaths are happeningwithin two to 14 days of hos-pitalization. He underscoredthe need for continued super-vision of protocols for man-

aging patients with co-mor-bidities, especially in privatefacilities.

Citing cases of some deathsat home, he further directed theHealth Department to ensureproper monitoring of homeisolation cases, especially thosewith co-morbidities. The FatehKits, comprising self-monitor-

ing instructions, should posi-tively reach all persons in homeisolation the same day that theyare tested positive, he directed.

The Chief Minister askedthe Health and MedicalEducation departments toensure that all positions forwhich special hiring has beenallowed are filled at the earliest.

Earlier, in a presentation,the state Health SecretaryHussan Lal said that Amritsar,Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar,Ludhiana, Patiala, SAS Nagar(Mohali), and SBS Nagar(Nawanshahr) had shown aspike in positivity in recentdays, triggering concerns of apossible fresh COVID wave inthe State.

Dr KK Talwar, who isheading the State Government’sexpert group on COVID, saidthat a detailed analysis wasbeing done on the recent spikein positivity rate, which sug-gested an increase in casesamong young people.

At the current rate, the pos-itivity rate could go up to fourpercent in two weeks, translat-ing into 800 cases per day, hesaid, stressing on the need forurgent preventive measures.

So far, no new mutatedvariant of the Coronavirus hadbeen witnessed in Punjab butnew samples had been sent fortesting and the results wereexpected next week, said DrTalwar.

Plan, strategise vaccinerollout for elederly, those with comorbidities: Capt tohealth dept

Taking stock of vaccina-

tion status, the Chief Ministerunderlined the need to carryout an information, education,and communication (IEC)campaign to promote 100 per-cent coverage of healthcareand frontline workers. He alsodirected the HealthDepartment to plan for andstrategize the roll-out of vac-cines for the elderly and thosewith comorbidities. The stateHealth Secretary Hussan Lalstated that there had, so far,been 61 cases of minor adverseevents following immuniza-tion, while six severe and 14serious cases had been report-ed. All had since recovered, he added.

CS rules out re-closure ofgovt schools

The state Chief SecretaryVini Mahajan ruled out re-closure of governmentschools saying that theDepartment is taking all stepsto ensure the safety of stu-dents. Education SecretaryKrishan Kumar said thatteachers have been designat-ed nodal officers in schools toinstruct students on the prop-er use of masks etc and ensureadherence to COVID appro-priate behaviour. These stepshave come as a significant

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Haryana’s fourth Regional ForensicScience Laboratory (FSL) has start-

ed functioning in Hisar and it will helpexpedite crime investigations, aspokesperson of the state police depart-ment said on Tuesday.

Three such laboratories are alreadyfunctional at Bhondsi in Gurgaon,Sunaria in Rohtak and Moginand inPanchkula, besides the main facility atMadhuban.

The spokesperson said that the newFSL has started receiving samples relat-ed to various criminal cases for exami-nation in the narcotic drugs and psy-chotropic substances, toxicology andserology divisions since February 12. Hesaid that the laboratory would receivesamples from four districts — Hisar,Fatehabad, Sirsa and police districtHansi.

“The objective of establishing theregional lab is to ensure a more efficientinvestigation process using scientific

methods. Thiswould ensuretimely prepara-tion of reportsand hence dispos-al of cases,” theofficial said.

Chandigarh: Former HaryanaChief Minister and Leader ofOpposition, Bhupinder SinghHooda on Tuesday said theCongress will bring a no-confi-dence motion against the stategovernment in the Budget ses-sion of the assembly nextmonth.

The Budget session of thestate assembly is starting onMarch 5. “We will bring a no-confidence motion after theGovernor’s Address in the

assembly. The Congress will alsobring a private member bill todemand amendment to theAPMC Act by adding guaran-tee of the MSP for farmers’’ ben-efit,” Hooda said here. “The no-confidencemotion will let people knowwhich MLA stands with thegovernment and which MLAstands with farmers,” he said,adding that the issues to beraised during the Budget sessionwere discussed at the Congress

Legislature Party meeting andsaid problems of farmers andunemployment will be high-lighted in the Vidhan Sabha.

“The Congress will alsoseek answers from the govern-ment on the issue of risingunemployment and frequentleak of papers in recruitmentexams,” he said. On the ongo-ing farmers’ agitation againstCentre’s new farm laws, Hoodasaid the government shouldfind a solution soon. PNS

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With the presence of feraldogs in high-altitude

areas of Himachal Pradeshposing a threat to biodiversityand some of the endangeredspecies in the region, the ForestDepartment has decided toconduct regular monitoring ofthe population of feral dogs intheir habitats.

A first of its kind recentstudy on feral dogs throughZoological Survey of India(ZSI), Kolkata has pointedout that feral dogs in high alti-tude areas which are habitat ofglobally significant wildlifespecies like Snow Leopard isa bit concerning, since theferal dogs are reported to leadto biodiversity loss, depreda-tions of wildlife species andalso competing with large car-nivores l ike SnowLeopard.

The Lahaul and Pangilandscape of Himachal Pradeshhas about three feral (wild)dogs per 100 square kilometresarea.

In the study, the feral dogdensity was found to be 2.78individuals per 100 km2 onan average ranging from 1.4to 5.5 individuals per 100

km2 in the Lahaul and Pangilandscape. The survey wasconducted under the UnitedNations DevelopmentProgramme’s (UNDP’s)SECURE HimalayaProject.

While talking to ThePioneer, Anil Thakur, ChiefConser vator of Forest(wildlife) cum state nodalofficer, SECURE HimalayaProject, said that the wildlifewing of Forest Departmenthas decided to undertake reg-ular and long term monitor-ing of population of feral dogsin Lahaul and Pangi valleyregion.

Elaborating, Thakur saidthat identification of key habi-tats which are infested byferal dogs, mapping resourceavailability and regular mon-itoring for documenting thechange in their populationwould be an integral part ofthe working plans in theregion.

The present study pro-vides a map indicating areaswhich are hotspots of theferal dog distribution. Theseareas will be earmarked formonitoring activities underthe working plans and otherschemes such as SECUREHimalaya, he said.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) on Tuesday accused

Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh of adoptingdouble standards on the farm-ers’ welfare by favouring aliquor baron to set up a dis-tillery in Hiranwali village inFazilka district.

BJP national general sec-retary Tarun Chugh said thatthe farmers of 29 villages havebeen protesting against thesetting up of liquor distillerybut the Capt AmarinderGovernment, which claimeditself to be the supporter offarmers, has overlooked farm-ers’ pain to help a liquor baron.

Chugh said that ever sincethe Capt Amarinder SinghGovernment has come topower, it had been promotingliquor mafias much at the costof common man’s health.

“Setting up of distillerywill cause immense health haz-ards for people and agriculturein the areas of Fazilka,” he saidwhile demanding from theState Government to immedi-ately withdraw permission fordistillery.

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Haryana on Tuesday recorded131 new coronavirus cases, tak-

ing the total number of infections inthe State to 2,69,967, a healthdepartment bulletin said.

At the same time, 13,240 healthworkers and frontline workers werevaccinated. So far, 273,892 healthworkers were vaccinated in differentdistricts of the State.

With no death taking place duringthe last 24 hours, the total number ofCovid-19 fatalities in the State stood at3,042, according to the bulletin. Thefresh cases include 48 from Gurugramand 24 from Karnal districts.

The number of active cases inthe state are 908, while as many as

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The union territory of Chandigarh on Tuesdayreported 37 fresh COVID cases. While the tally

stood at 21500, the death toll has reached 350 in thecity, according to the Chandigarh HealthDepartment’s evening bulletin. No death due toCOVID-19 was reported in the last 24 hours. 15patients have recovered in the past 24 hours takingthe total number of recoveries to 20923. 2.46 lakhsamples have so far been tested in the city. A totalof 1671 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours andthe report of 165 was awaited, the bulletin added.

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Virtually mocking the DelhiPolice’s efforts to arrest him

by announcing a reward of Rsone lakh, the “wanted” LakhaSidhana on Tuesday came out inthe open to blatantly challengethe cops to arrest him during a‘Youth Mahapanchayat’. For thepurpose of throwing the chal-lenge, a gangster-turned-activistSidhana strategically chosePunjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh’s ancestral vil-lage, Mehraj, in Bathinda toexpress solidarity with those fac-ing police action for supportingthe cause of the protestingfarmers in a massive show ofstrength.

Even as the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) accused theCongress of shielding LakhaSidhana, Punjab’s ruling partycontended that he was notwanted by the State police andno case has been registeredagainst him in the State.

Lakhbir Singh Sidhana,alias Lakha Sidhana, is abscond-ing after being booked by DelhiPolice for instigating violenceduring the farmers’ tractor rallyat Red Fort on the Republic Day.Delhi Police has also announceda reward of Rs one lakh for anyinformation on Sidhana. “IfDelhi Police come to arrestanyone in Punjab, villagers willgherao (surround) them,”declared Sidhana while address-ing the rally, indirectly referring

to his arrest.Sidhana’s announcement

came days after the senior farm-ers’ leaders and members ofSamyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM)— an umbrella body of theprotesting farmers’ union —also called upon the villagers togherao in case Delhi Policecomes to Punjab to make anyarrests. Before leaving thevenue on a motorcycle, Sidhanawas seated on the stage for along time and also addressed thegathering. Organisers on thestage also dared the police toarrest Sidhana.

Sidhana’s supporters wereholding placards bearing pho-tos of actor Deep Sidhu, who isalso accused in the Red Fort vio-lence. The banners read as,

“Look at these lions who are ourheartbeat”, while demandingwithdrawal of “false” cases reg-istered against them.

He said that the BJP ledCentral Government was arrest-ing the people of Punjab andannouncing rewards for aidingwith their arrest. “Gal fasla dinhi hai, nasala di hai (Thequestion is not of the crop, butthat of generations) ,” he said. Atthe same time, he also appealedto the Dalit community to par-ticipate in the protest in largenumbers.

Earlier, the grandfather offarmer Navreet Singh, who haddied in New Delhi on January26, and the kin of HarbhagwanSingh, who had died in theBehbal Kalan firing, also

reached the rally. Also presentthere were Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) MLA Kultar SinghSandhawa, and son of renownedPunjabi singer Kuldeep Manak,Yudhvir Manak.

Earlier, Sidhana had givena call on social media for therally which was called to expresssolidarity with another RedFort violence accused DeepSidhu—presently in judicialcustody, another jailed labouractivist Nodeep Kaur, and otherarrested people associated withthe farmers’ agitation and “togive a message that youth isupbeat and not defeated or dis-appointed”.

Calling to intensify the agi-tation, speakers at the rallyfavoured that reins of the agi-

tation should be handed over tothe youth. They asked the farm-ers’ union leaders to show bigheart by saying that “they arewith every youth of Punjabwho are being prosecuted byDelhi Police”.

The leaders should raisetheir voice for all such youth sothat governments should knowthat we are one, the leadersadvocated at the rally.

Sources said that a team ofthe Delhi Police was camping inBathinda and was aware thatLakha Sidhana was going toaddress a rally. Besides, over adozen Punjab Police personnelwere also deployed in andaround the venue but theyreportedly had no directions toarrest Lakha Sidhana.

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2,66,017 people have recov-ered. The recovery rate in

the state is 98.54 percent, it stated.

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The Union Ministry of FoodProcessing Industries has

appointed Punjab Agri ExportCorporation (PAGREXCO) asthe state implementing agencyfor Kinnow crop under theOperation Greens Scheme —TOP to TOTAL.

“After state government’spersistent effort, the UnionMinistr y has includedKinnow in the list of desig-nated crops under thescheme. Earlier, the schemewas restricted to three crops— Tomato, Onion, and Potato(TOP). Now, the Ministryhas included many fruits andvegetables and hence the

name of the scheme isTOTAL. The scheme is thepart of Aatma-Nirbhar BharatAbhiyan,” said the spokesper-son of Punjab’s FoodProcessing Department onTuesday.

The spokesperson said thatthe food processors, FPO orFPC, Co-operative Societies,Individual farmers, LicensedCommission Agents,Exporters, State Marketing orCo-operative Federations,Retailers and others engaged inprocessing, marketing ofKinnow would be entitled forassistance under the scheme.

The beneficiaries wouldget a 50 percent subsidy

towards the cost of trans-portation or storage of Kinnow.

The objective of interven-tion is to protect Kinnow grow-ers from making distress saledue to lockdown, and to reducepost harvest losses.

PAGREXCO has invitedeligible beneficiaries to comeup for taking the benefit of thescheme by registering and sub-mitting required documentson the website of Punjab Agro(PAIC) or depositing the samewith the Kinnow Waxing andGrading Centres of PAGREX-CO at Badal village (SriMuktsar Sahib), Sito Guno(Fazilka) and Kangmai(Hoshiarpur).

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Continuing to witness anupward trend in the daily

cases of the novel coronavirus,Punjab on Tuesday recordedanother high with 426 freshcases taking the total numberof active cases to 3,295 — reg-istering a jump of 56.83 per-cent from 2101 active casesreported on since February 1.The state’s COVID-19 tally hasreached 1,79,261.

With 10 more deathsreported from seven districtsof the state—three fromNawanshahr, two fromLudhiana, and one each fromHoshiarpur, Mansa, Mohali,Pathankot, and Patiala — inthe past 24 hours, Punjabtotal death toll has reached5,779 with the case fatality rateof 3.22 percent.

Among the fresh cases,highest 103 were reportedfrom Nawanshahr, followed by81 from Ludhiana, 48 from

Amritsar, 39 from Jalandhar,36 from Mohali, 25 each fromPatiala and Hoshiarpur,among others, with Barnalaand Mansa reporting no casesin the past 24 hours.

With the addition of over100 cases in a single day, thetotal number of active cases inNawanshahr has gone up to595. Next is Ludhiana districtwith 445 active cases, fol-lowed by 421 in Mohali, 308in Amritsar, 378 in Jalandhar,258 in Patiala, 201 inHoshiarpur, 155 inKapurthala, with remainingdistricts having less than 100figure.

A total of 276 coronaviruspatients were discharged afterrecovering from the infec-tion, taking the number ofthose recovered to 1,70,187.

Of the total active cases,10 critical patients are on ven-tilator support while 77 are onoxygen support.

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number of cases have beenreported from the recentlyreopened schools, especially

in Ludhiana, with a positivi-ty rate of 3.1 percent andBathinda (2.9 percent).

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Page 3:  · 2021-02-23  · Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna-tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200 …

RAIPUR | WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 24, 2021

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STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

BJP members in theChhattisgarh Assembly

were suspended automaticallyafter they staged a noisy dis-ruption during a debate onthe crime situation but theSpeaker revoked the suspen-sion after five minutes ofadjournment.

The incident took placeduring Zero Hour on the sec-ond day of the budget session.

BJP member BrijmohanAgrawal, speaking on anadjournment motion movedby his party on what it saidwas the deteriorating law andorder in the state, listed themajor incidents of crimereported in the last two years.

He alleged that peoplewere not safe. He said crimi-nals from outside the statewere involved in crime and

raised the issue of illegal saleof liquor, drugs and narcoticsin Chhattisgarh.

BJP's Ajay Chandrakar saidmurders and attempts to mur-der were being reported daily,Another BJP member, NarayanChandel, said the administra-tion was controlled by politi-cians and criminals were dic-tating the political arena.

Replying to the motion,Home Minister TamradhwajSahu refuted the grim picturepainted by the BJP and insist-ed that the police took imme-diate action whenever crimestook place.

In most cases, theaccused were arrested withina short period, he said. Life inthe state is normal, theMinister added.

The Speaker then rejectedthe motion but the Oppositionalleged that the Leader ofOpposition, Dharamlal

Kaushik, was not allowed tospeak. The BJP members thenentered the Well of the Houseshouting slogans, leading totheir suspension.

The House wasadjourned for five minutes.The Speaker revoked the sus-pension as the House metagain.

STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

Chhattisgarh MLAs onTuesday paid rich

tributes to four formermembers.

On the second day of theBudget session, SpeakerDr Charan Das Mahant

made obituary references toOm Prakash Rathia,Dr Bhanupratap Gupta,Laxman Ram and RoshanlalAgrawal.

Rathia was a formerParliamentary Secretary, DrGupta was a former Ministerof State in undivided MadhyaPradesh, Laxman Ram was aformer ParliamentarySecretary in undividedMadhya Pradesh and Agrawalwas a former member of theHouse.

Chief Minister BhupeshBaghel said Agrawalwas an energetic memberwho rose up the ladderslowly. He had friendsacross the politicalspectrum.

Rathia was a two-timemember and a key triballeader who died at a youngage, Baghel said.

Laxman Ram wasanother tribal leader whoserved the people till hisdeath, he added. Dr Gupta,a doctor by profession,was known for his selflessservice and was a HealthMinister.

Leader of OppositionDharamlal Kaushiksaid that while Rathiahailed from a family offarmers, Agrawal was also ajournalist who died due to anaccident.

Dharamjeet Singh,Narayan Chandel, KeshavChandra (BSP) and ShivratanSharma shared theirmemories with the departedmembers.

After a two-minutesilence, the House wasadjourned for five minutes asa mark of respect to the fourleaders.

STAFF REPORTER n DURG

In what is seen as a majorachievement under the

"Mukhyamantri SuposhanAbhiyan", two villages of Durgdistrict, Gujra and Batrel, havebecome malnutrition free.

espite the challenges of Covid-19, the campaign against malnu-

trition turned out to be a hugesuccess because of the dedicationof the Women and ChildDevelopment Department, anofficial press release said onTuesday.

Sixteen out of 150 children of sixAanganbadi centers in GujraPanchayat were marked and theirbetter feeding yielded positive results.

Last week, the onlyundernourished girl child,Kshama of Matiya village, wascured of malnutrition.

Earlier, five out of 177 childrenwere under nourished in Batrl.

District Programme OfficerVipin Jain said a SuposhanSoftware has been developed inDurg district to track the results.

STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR

India Legends will take onBangladesh Legends in the

first cricket match of the ‘RoadSafety World Series’ scheduledat Nava Raipur from March 5.

According to the officialschedule available on the web-site of the organizers, thematch will be played on March5 at the Shaheed Veer NarayanSingh International CricketStadium.

The other new team,England Legends, will opentheir account againstBangladesh Legends onMarch 7.

All matches will start at 7p.m. and will be played everyday till the first semi-final onMarch 17 and the secondsemi-final on March 19.

The final will be played onSunday, March 21. The newly-built 65,000 capacity stadiumin Raipur will be open for 50percent attendance as per the

standard operating procedureissued by the Central govern-ment in view of the coronapandemic.

An array of stars includingSachin Tendulkar, VirenderSehwag, Brian Lara,Tilakratne Dilshan and othersfrom England, South Africa,Sri Lanka, the West Indies,Bangladesh and India willrecreate magic in the T20tournament organized to cre-ate awareness towards roadsafety.

STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR

Not even one person shoulddie due to drug addiction,

Chhattisgarh Director Generalof Police D.M. Awasthi said hereon Tuesday as he launched thewebsite of a special de-addictionprogramme for police personnel.

“Be it the Naxalite front orcivilian safety, you alwaysperform your duty even if it maycost your life. Giving up life onthe line of duty is a mark ofbravery for us but not a singlelife should be lost due to addic-tion,” Awasthi said.

The website of ‘Nai Subah’de-addiction programme waslaunched at the 3rd Battalion atAmleshwar.

Awasthi said the policeman'swill power must be strong. "Withstrong willpower one candistance themselves fromaddiction. Think about yourfamily without you, their livesare incomplete," he told hispersonnel.

The Commandant of the 3rd

Battalion, Prakhar Pandey, saidthere is a treatment for addictionwhich affects health and family.

Under the ‘Nai Subah’ pro-gramme, police personnel suf-fering with different kinds ofaddictions are kept in the 3rd

Battalion. In batches of 30, theyare undergoing the programmefor 15 days.

The addicts are kept undermedical observation andphysiatrists regularly providecounselling.

STAFF REPORTER n BIJAPUR

The Bijapur district level selection trialsfor admission in Raipur and Bilaspur

based Sports Academy for Hockey,Archery and Athletics was held onTuesday.

A total of 76 boys and 40 girls

participated in the trials. The selectedplayers will undergo a second round oftrial at the state level in Raipur andBilaspur.

According to the government, all theselected players at state level will get freetraining in the three disciplines. Their school-ing will be taken care of at the Academy.

STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

Chhattisgarh ChiefMinister Bhupesh

Baghel said on Tuesdaythat 20 percent alloca-tion made for construc-tion works under theDistrict MineralFoundation Fund(DMF) can be hiked ifmembers permitted.

Baghel was answer-ing a query by BJP's DrKrishna Murthi Bandhiwho sought details offunds allocated underDMF in his Masturiconstituency fromJanuary 2019 toDecember 2020.

In a written answer,the Chief Minister saidthere were 9,269

beneficiaries under theWomen and ChildD e v e l o p m e n tDepartment, 1,135under the AgricultureDepartment and 3,077under the HorticultureDepartment. Thistotalled 13,481 benefici-aries.

Dr Bandhi pointedout that at the MasturiCommunity HealthCentre, an X-raymachine was lyingunused due to lack ofadequate power supplyand only procurementswere being done usingDMF.

The Chief Ministersaid it is his governmentwhich made key changesin DMF. MLAs and even

village Sarpanch have beenincluded in the committee.The public representativeshave to give the proposalsbased on the guidelinesissued.

BJP's Ajay Chandrakarsaid that in Kurud propos-als had been given for thelast two years but nothinghad happened.

Home MinisterTamradhwaj Sahu, the in-charge Minister of Bilaspurdistrict, intervened andsaid MLAs and even offi-cials were told to give pro-posals with a framework.

Already, `1 crore hasbeen sanctioned to fightmalnutrition, he said. Upto 40 crores have beensanctioned for differentproposals in Bilaspur.

Give proposals basedon DMF guidelines: CM

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel tabled the third supplementarybudget for fiscal 2020-21. Speaker Dr Charan Das Mahant saidthis will be taken up for discussion on February 24 andadjourned the House for the day.

Gujra, Batrel villages in Durgbecome malnutrition free

Protesting BJP MLAs suspended Members pay tribute to departed leaders

Not one should die due to addiction: DGP

STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

Junior Doctors on Tuesdaycalled off a strike they

launched in the morning toprotest an attack by apoliceman here afterauthorities agreed to increasesecurity in all governmentmedical colleges acrossChhattisgarh.

The Director of MedicalEducation also pledged toimplement the demandsraised by Junior Doctors in2018.

A committee will be setup with the Pt JawaharlalNehru Memorial MedicalCollege Superintendent andDean to discuss ways tofurther strengthen securitymeasures. The teachers,

Junior Doctors and studentscan forward their suggestionsto the panel.

This was stated to ThePioneer by Dr RakeshGupta, President, MedicalCell, CGPCC, andChairman, Hospital Board,after talks with thestriking Junior Doctorsand others in the presenceof Health Minister T.S. SinghDeo.

Dr Gupta added thatCCTVs will be installed inthe medical colleges andresidential premises. Armedsecurity personnel will beenhanced.

The panel will review thesecurity status on a regularbasis.

The meeting decided toimplement the eight demands

raised after a similar physicalattack on Junior Doctors in2018.

They include restrictingthe time for entry of relativesof patients, increasing beds intrauma and emergencycentres, fixing responsibilityon police personneldeployed in premises,registering FIR at thehospital, increasing Class IIIand IV employees, installingCCTVs and operating HelpDesks round the clock toassist the patients and theirrelatives.

After a constablethrashed two Junior Doctorson duty here on Monday, thedoctors commenced a strikeon Tuesday. The strike waswithdrawn after assurancesfrom the Health Minister.

Road Safety WorldSeries: India legendsvs Bangladesh

Players take part in trialsfor Sports Academy

Security to be up in medical colleges, doctors end strike

The newly-built65,000 capacity

stadium in Raipurwill be open for 50percent attendance

as per thestandard operating

procedure

Page 4:  · 2021-02-23  · Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna-tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200 …

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New Delhi: Warning againstthe dangers of climate changeand natural disasters like theone in Uttarakhand recently,Prime Minister Narendra ModiTuesday asked the IITs to devel-op disaster resilient infra-structure that can withstandtheir effects.

Addressing the 66th con-vocation of IIT (Kharagpur),the oldest of Indian Institutesof Technology, he gave thestudents the mantra of “Self-3”“self-awarness, self- confidenceand selflessness” in order tobecome startups for bringingabout a change in the lives ofpeople.

He also spoke of the needfor making available safe,affordable and environmentfriendly energy to peoplethrough initiatives like theInternational Solar Alliance.

“Climate change is a majorchallenge as natural disastersdestroy infrastructure. Indiadrew the attention of the worldto the issue of disaster man-agement.

“You can see what hap-pened recently in Uttarakhand.We should focus on developingdisaster resilient infrastructurethat can withstand natural dis-asters,” he said.

The Prime Ministerreferred to the global Coalitionfor Disaster ResilientInfrastructure (CDRI), whichhe announced at the UNClimate Action Summit in2019.

The CDRI envisages part-nership of national govern-ments, UN agencies and pro-grammes, multilateral devel-opment banks, financing mech-anisms, private sector, and

knowledge institutions to pro-mote the resilience of new andexisting infrastructure systemsto climate and disaster risks toensure sustainable develop-ment.

He hailed the role played bythe IITs in developing technol-ogy to battle COVID-19, andsaid the hallowed institutesshould now work fast on find-ing futuristic solutions to otherhealth care problems.

“You represent the aspira-tions of 130 crore people ofIndia,” he said, while address-ing the convocation virtually.

Noting that the needs andaspirations of the 21st centuryIndia have changed, Modi saidIITs also need to transformfrom being just Indian Institutesof Technology to Institutes ofIndigenous Technologies.

“You have to become star-tups to bring about a change inthe lives of people. You have towork on Self 3—self-aware-ness, self-confidence and self-lessness. You should recogniseyour potential and move for-ward, move ahead with fullconfidence, move ahead withselflessness,” he told the stu-dents.

Underscoring the need for

clean and affordable energy, theprime minister said India pre-sented to the world the conceptof International Solar Alliance.

He said the cost per unit ofsolar power was very little inIndia. However, it was still agreat challenge to reach it topeople’s homes.

“Can you do somethingabout reaching solar cookers tohomes using ‘chulha’ (earthenovens),” he asked.

He said before the coron-avirus struck people used tokeep only medicines at theirhomes.

“Things have changed.They now keep machines thatmeasure blood pressure,machines that measure bloodoxygen. A huge market hasemerged for personal healthcare equipment,” he said whilespeaking about research andinnovation in the field.

He said IIT students canmake use of PM ResearchFellow Scheme and the StartupIndia Mission for idea incuba-tion.

The Prime Minister spokeabout the Government liberal-ising regulations on geospatialdata to allow private companiesto conduct survey. PTI

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The Ministry of Housingand Urban Affairs

(MoHUA) on Mondayapproved construction of56,368 houses under PradhanMantri Awas Yojana-Urban(PMAY-U). These houses areproposed to be constructedunder various verticals ofPMAY-U Mission. The deci-sion was taken at the 53rdCentral Sanctioning andMonitoring Committee meet-ing which 11 states and unionterritories attended.

The construction ofPMAY-U houses are in variousstages. As of now, more than 73lakh houses have been ground-ed and nearly 43 lakh havebeen completed, the ministry

said.“Let’s get

into the modeof implemen-tation and exe-cution,” saidDurga ShankerMishra, secre-tary, MoHUA.He urged thestates andunion territo-

ries to ensure 100% comple-tion and delivery of PMAY-Uhouses to all its eligible bene-ficiaries within the missionperiod.

He urged the states/UTs toensure 100 percent completionand delivery of PMAY-U hous-es to all its eligible beneficia-ries within the Mission period.The participating States/UTswere also directed to use theonline mechanism (MIS) forproper implementation andmonitoring of the Mission.

Mishra also reviewed theprogress of Light HouseProjects (LHPs) andDemonstration HousingProjects (DHPs).

Prime Minister NarendraModi on 1 January laid thefoundation stones of LightHouse Projects. Under thisproject the houses are beingconstructed at Lucknow,Ranchi, Rajkot, Agartala,Chennai and Indore.

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Aday after the IndianMedical Association

(IMA) slammed Yoga GuruBaba Ramdev’s Patanjali’s claimthat its herbal Coronil tabletsare effective against the Covid-19 virus, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Tuesdayhailed the contribution of tra-ditional Indian medicines inthe fight against the pandem-ic.

He said that the benefits ofdomestic spices and decoc-tions have been noticed by peo-ple around the world.

“In addition to India’s med-icines and vaccines, the worldhas witnessed the contributionof our spices and decoctions aswell. Our traditional medi-cines have established theirplace in the world,” said Modiduring a webinar on budgetimplementation to the healthsector.

The Prime Minister’sremark comes in the backdropof amid the controversy sur-rounding Patanjali’s claim thatits Coronil tablets are effectiveagainst the COVID-19 virus.Patanjali had claimed that itsproduct is the “first evidence-based medicine for corona”.

In his address, PM Modilauded the efforts of theMinistry of Ayurveda, Yoga &Naturopathy, Unani, Siddhaand Homoeopathy (AYUSH).

“Our network of AYUSHhas done excellent work in the‘Corona era’. The infrastructureof AYUSH has been usefulnot just for human research butalso for immunity and scientificresearch,” he said.

“The country needs well-ness centres, district hospitals,critical care units, health sur-veillance infrastructure, mod-ern labs and telemedicine. Wehave to work at every level,”Modi added.

Modi also hailed the

enhanced budget allocated forthe health sector by the Centrefor this financial year.

“The budget allocated forthe health sector now is extra-ordinary. It shows our com-mitment to this sector.COVID19 pandemic hastaught us a lesson to be pre-pared to fight similar chal-lenges in the future,” said Modi.

The IMA on Monday tookstrong exception to the “bla-tant lie of WHO certification”for Patanjali’s Coronil tablet,which the company claims is anevidence-based medicine tofight Covid-19. The IMA alsodemanded an explanation fromUnion Health Minister Harsh

Vardhan in whose presence themedicine was launched recent-ly.

The WHO had clarifiedthat it has not reviewed or cer-tified the effectiveness of anytraditional medicine for thetreatment of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Union HealthSecretary Rajesh Bhushan at apress conference said that atotal of 1,17,54,788 Covid-19vaccine doses have beenadministered in the country till1 pm Tuesday, with 1,04,93,205getting the first dose and12,61,583 being given the sec-ond dose.

He said that 12 States andUnion Territories, includingRajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat andOdisha, have administered firstdose of COVID-19 vaccine tomore than 75 per cent of theregistered healthcare workers,while 11 states and UTs, includ-ing Karnataka, Telangana,Delhi, Punjab and Chandigarh,have administered the firstdose to less than 60 per cent ofhealthcare workers.

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The 45th Battalion of theIndo-Tibetan Border Police

(ITBP) recovered twoImprovised Explosive Devices(IEDs) in a series circuit nearDhanora, Narayanpur,Chhattisgarh on Tuesday. Boththe IEDs were defused on thespot by the paramilitary per-sonnel.

Of the two recoveredIEDs, one was a pressurecooker bomb and the otherone concealed the explosivesand the detonator in a pipetype casing, ITBP spokesper-son Vivek Pandey said.

While the pressure cook-er IED weighed about 5 kg,the pipe bomb concealedapproximately 12 kg explo-sives. Both the IEDs wererecovered and destroyed nearPingunda Nalla, 4.1 km fromDhanora on Narayanpur-Orchha road.

IEDs are part of a low costtactic in use by the Maoists totarget the security forces intheir operational areas andconvoy movement.

The Maoists, mostly basedin the jungles of the affectedStates, illegally source ammo-nium nitrate and detonatorsoften used for carrying outcontrolled blasts for miningpurposes.

The IED tactic has alsobeen gaining currency in theJammu and Kashmir theatrewhere a host of Pakistan-sponsored terror groups areseeking to exploit these crudebombs to target the securityforces and IEDs are beingrecovered almost on a dailybasis from various districts inthe Valley. Amid the tightsecurity grid on the ground inthe Valley, IEDs are relativelyeasy for the terrorists to plantagainst the security forces,officials added.

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The Supreme Court-appointed expert commit-

tee on Tuesday held discussionswith representatives of the Alllndia Kisan CoordinationCommittee (AIKCC) andsought their viewpoints on thefarm legislations. This was the12th round of meeting of thecommittee members withstakeholders engaged in theagriculture sector. In Decemberlast year, a delegation of farm-ers led by AIKCC metAgriculture Minister NarendraSingh Tomar to extend supportto the farm laws.

The meeting came abouteven as the agitating farmers’unions observed ‘pagdi samb-hal divas’, have asked support-ers across the globe to wear agreen pagri/dupatta and posttheir pictures on social mediawith the hashtag ‘Go green forfarmers’ and decided that fivefarmers from each UttarPradesh village will fast foreight hours daily,

The committee membersrequested the participatingoffice bearers of AIKCC to givetheir detailed views on thethree laws -- The Farmers’Produce Trade & Commerce(Promotion and Facilitation)Act, 2020, The Farmers(Empowerment andProtection) Agreement onPrice Assurance and FarmServices Act, 2020 andEssential Commodities(Amendment) Act, 2020.”Allthe participating office bearersof All lndia Kisan CoordinationCommittee gave their detailedviews, suggestions and sub-missions on the three FarmActs, before the Committee,”the committee said in a state-ment.

In its submission, the

AIKCC has urged the com-mittee to ensure MSP for allVarieties of Cereals, restruc-turing the farm sector withintegration, technology andmarket access, scrapping ofthe ECA or define the regula-tor as (Who will determine theBase price of Horticulturalproduce) EC ACT 2020, regu-lator for Commodity trading (NCDEX, MCX), and mutual-ly agreed Remunerative PriceFramework in a fair and trans-parent manner. The AIKCCmembers have advocated pri-vatization of mandis or mandireform to ensure better pricefor farmers and technologydriven farm sector.

According to the agricul-ture ministry, many farmergroups which presented viewsbefore the committee havepitched for a legal guarantee forprocurement at MSP eventhough most of them are sup-portive of the new farm laws.Some of the groups have soughtthe price to be decided on thebasis of comprehensive cost. The com-mittee has last held discussionswith officials of ministry ofagriculture, consumer affairs,food processing and procure-ment agencies such as FCIand NABARD.

The committee has, so far,heard views of stakeholdersincluding farmer groups fromacross the country who havenot participated in the ongoingagitation at Tikri Borders,Amul and ITC.

Thousands of farmers,especially from Punjab,Haryana and parts of UttarPradesh, have been camping atDelhi’s borders for nearly threemonths now seeking repeal ofthe new legislations and a legalguarantee of the minimumsupport price (MSP) system.

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Page 5:  · 2021-02-23  · Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna-tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200 …

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Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh): A man and his sonhave been booked for allegedly kidnapping andkilling their rival after getting him released froma jail on bail.

The wife of the deceased, Shaira Begum, aresident of Naugwan Pakadia village said thather husband Feroz Ali had a rivalry with Shabbirand his son Amir of Baghpat.

“The father-son made several attempts to killmy husband but did not succeed. However,about four months ago, my husband, who hadgone out of home for some work, did not return.I searched for him and later I came to know thathe had been sent to jail in a case registered underthe Arms Act.

“When I inquired with the police throughmy lawyer on January 29 and learnt thatShabbir and Amir had obtained a bail order for

my husband just two days after he was lodgedin the jail. They kidnapped my husband after hecame out of the prison,” she alleged.

“The father-son duo allegedly killed my hus-band and disposed of his body,” Shaira added.

Shaira finally went to court when policefailed to act on her complaint.

Following the chief judicial magistrate'sorder, police have now booked Shabbir and hisson Amir.

Sungarhi police station SHO ShrikantDwivedi said the accused were booked undersection 364 (kidnapping in order to murder) and506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian PenalCode (IPC).

“The matter is under investigation at themoment,” he added. The body of the deceasedis yet to be recovered. IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram: TheCovid test positivity rate (TPR)in Kerala on Tuesday continuedto remain under 6 per cent with4,034 people testing positiveafter 69,604 samples weresent for testing in the past 24

hours.State Health Minister K.K.

Shailaja said 4,823 peopleturned negative, taking thetotal cured people in the stateto 9,81,835, while 54,665 con-tinue to remain Covid positive.

The day saw 14 Coviddeaths, taking the total deathtoll in the state to 4,119.

Across the state there are2,35,225 people under obser-vation at various places whichincludes 8,083 in hospitals.There are 372 hotspots in thestate. IANS

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Jammu and Kashmir onTuesday saw 94 new Covid

cases come to light, while 62patients were discharged fromdifferent hospitals after recov-ery and one patient succumbed duringthe last 24 hours.

An official bulletin saidthat of the new cases, 22 werefrom the Jammu division and72 from the Kashmir division.

So far, 126,019 people havebeen infected with coronavirusin J&K, out of which 123,298have recovered while 1,955 have died, includ-ing the sole fatality on Tuesday.

The number of active casesis 766, out of which 163 arefrom the Jammu division and603 from the Kashmir division.

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Chikkaballapur: At least fivepersons were killed and onereceived severe injuries in a sus-pected gelatine explosion at aquarry site in Hirenagavallihamlet borderingChikkaballapur and Bengaluruin the wee hours of Tuesdaymorning, police said.

Hirenagavalli is a smallhamlet in Chikballapur taluk inChikballapur district ofKarnataka. It is located 86 kmsfrom tech hub Bengaluru.

According to the policethe deceased were identified asengineer Umakant, securityguard Mahesh, billing clerkMurali, computer operatorGangadhar and one Abhi, allworking in Sri Bhramaravasinistone crusher plant inChikkaballapur.

Inspector General of Police

(Central Range) M.Chandrashekhar told reportersthat the Chikkaballapur policehad conducted a search oper-ations of this unit twice, first onFebruary 7 and second searchled by SP K. Mithun just 10 or12 hours prior to this incident.

“Our prima facie investi-gations reveal the mine ownersseem to have hired inexperi-enced people in handlingexplosive material to disposeoff 'excess' materials in theirpossession. In a hurry theyhave tried to dispose it off andled to the accident,” he said.

He added that the policehad already picked up a personafter search operations onFebruary 7, who sells explosivematerials in this region. “We

were still on the investigationand now this incident hastaken place,” he said.

While Karnataka HealthMinister K. Sudhakar said thatthe quarry was storing gelatinsticks illegally. “There is noquestion of protecting anyone,

as these are illegally held explo-sives. This will be dealt with bylaw, strict action will be taken,”he said.

Prime Minister NarendraModi and Chief Minister B.S.Yediyurappa offered condo-lences to the families of the vic-

tims and assured strict action.“The death of six people

near the village of Hirenagavalliin Chikkaballapur, which killedsix people, is a shock.Information has been obtainedfrom the District Ministersand senior officials, who havebeen instructed to conduct athorough investigation andtake stern action against theguilty,” Yediyurappa said onTwitter.

He added, “A high-levelinvestigation into the disasteris underway and strict actionwill be taken against the guilty.”

“Pained by the loss of livesdue to a mishap atChikkaballapur in Karnataka.Condolences to the bereavedfamilies. Praying that theinjured recover quickly,” thePrime Minister tweeted. IANS

Panaji: Setting up a StateGovernment-run mineral cor-poration would delay theresumption of mining in Goa,a collective of mining industrydependants said on Tuesday.They demanded immediateresumption of iron ore extrac-tion in Goa which has beenhalted since 2018.

In a statement issued here,Puti Gaonkar, President of theGoa Mining People's Front(GMPF), a collective of miningindustry workers and smallallied businesses, said forminga government mining corpo-ration to oversee mining activ-ity in Goa would be goingagainst the grain of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi's firmbacking to private sector enter-prises.

“We do not see a mineralcorporation being a viablealternative to resumption ofmining in Goa, as it will onlydelay the resumption of min-ing with issues like surfacerights and perpetuity rights

enjoyed by the mine owners.The same is with auctioning ofleases,” Gaonkar added.

“Formation of a mineralcorporation seems to beantithesis to the idea pro-pounded by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, who seeks topromote private enterprises inthe country to overcome yearsof inefficiencies which havebeen seen in the public sector,”he added.

Setting up a mining cor-poration to serve as the keyagency overseeing the miningindustry, has been one of theoptions which the state gov-ernment has been consideringto restart the beleaguered sec-tor.

Leading green NGO 'GoaFoundation', whose petitionhad led to the Supreme Court'sban on mining activity in Goain 2012, has also been lobbyingfor setting up a state govern-ment-run mining corporationto oversee and regulate the sec-tor. IANS

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Puducherry: Outgoing ChiefMinister of Puducherry andsenior Congress leader, VNarayanasamy said that tons ofmoney and Central agencieswere used by the UnionGovernment led by the BJP totopple the secular Governmentled by him in Puducherry. Hewas speaking to IANS in a tele-phonic interview.

Q: You resigned as theChief Minister of Puducherryon Monday, what was the rea-son for that?

A: Tons of money andCentral agencies were used bythe Union government led bythe BJP to topple the democ-ratically elected government ofPuducherry led by secularforces. This is real subversionof democracy and BJP hasproved time and again that itdoes not have any respect forthe people's mandate anddemocracy.

Q: The 2021 assembly elec-tions are around the corner, asa senior Congress leader andformer CM, what's your takeon the elections?

A: The secular combine ofCongress and DMK is wellpoised for a landslide victory inthe next assembly electionswhich are around the corner.BJP and its coalition does nothave the grassroots support inthis state and people are reallyangry at the central govern-

ment for toppling a democra-tically elected, secular govern-ment. The people ofPuducherry will teach the mur-derers of democracy a lesson.

Q: If the Congress ledcombine returns to power inthe next elections, will you bethe Chief Minister again?

A: I am a Congressmanfirst and a Congressman last. Idon't think that power is thegelling force for me and I amalways a party man and acceptany responsibility which isbestowed upon me. My pointis that bringing back aCongress-led combine is myfirst priority and we will come-back to power in right earnest.

Q: You were on a collisioncourse with Kiran Bedi, formerLieutenant Governor ofPuducherry but when yourgovernment was to face thefloor test in the House, theUnion government removedher and gave charge to theTelangana Governor, why wasit so?

A: Yes ,we were fightingagainst the over indulgence ofLieutenant Governor Hon.Kiran Bedi in the affairs of thegovernment and had petitionedthe Union government sever-al times. Unfortunately all ofthat fell on deaf ears and thegovernment at the Centre did not pay heed to ourpleas. IANS

T h i r u v a n a n t h a p u r a m :Around 92 CPM members inThiruvananthapuram onTuesday joined the BJP in thepresence of Union MinistersPrahlad Joshi and V.Muraleedharan, the loneKeralite in the Union Cabinet.

Among those who joinedthe BJP included five womenand local leader M.Prabhakaran, a formerKovalam panchayat president.

The membership washanded over to these newmembers by Joshi, who was inthe state capital to inauguratethe election campaign office ofthe state BJP.

The members belong to thePanavilla and Nellikunnu localcommittees in the KovalamAssembly constituency. IANS

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Bengaluru: Thousands of teachers, staffand heads of private schools acrossKarnataka on Tuesday staged a massiverally in the tech city against the StateGovernment's recent order to reducefees by 30 per cent due to the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting classes.

“We have staged a rally in the cityfor the state government to reconsid-er its order to reduce the tuition fee by30 per cent, as we are unable to runschools and pay salaries to teachers andother staff,” said a member of theKarnataka private unaided school

managements.The rally by nearly 50,000 people

from the railway station to FreedomPark in the city centre blocked the 2-km road and disrupted traffic forhours. As hundreds of private andunaided schools across the southernstate remained shut for over 10 monthssince April 2020 due to the Covid-induced lockdown and restrictions onresuming classes to check the virusspread, they could not collect tuitionand other fees from the students. IANS

��������������������������������������� �� Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

Yogi Adityanath's flagship programme forwomen, 'Mission Shakti', is all set to enterits second phase. All the district magistrateshave been asked to prepare a roadmap forthe next one year to continue the missioneven after April 2021 and hand it over tothe Women Welfare Department by March31.

Under the campaign, about 7.06 crorepeople have been made aware of women'sissues, including more than 4.27 crorewomen and over 2.78 crore men. ManojKumar Rai, director, Women WelfareDepartment, and nodal officer, MissionShakti, said, “Women and girls still sufferdiscrimination and gender inequality. In

such a situation, effective communicationhas an effective tool in helping them over-come these situations.”

A special social behavioural changecommunication module has been preparedand public awareness programmes will beconducted in March through this module,he added. The theme for March forMission Shakti will be 'Social and behav-ioural change in communication in womenand girls'. Under this, women and childrenwill be made aware of the role of effectivecommunication in the fight for theirrights. A positive environment will be cre-ated in the society to overcome the con-servative beliefs through social behaviourchange in communication. IANS

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Chennai: Moving towardsclean and green fuel, TamilNadu will buy 12,000 newbuses out of which 2,000 will beelectric ones, Deputy ChiefMinister O. Panneerselvamsaid on Tuesday.

“Tamil Nadu is the firststate in India to sign the GlobalC40 Clean Bus Declarationindicating its strong commit-ment to migrate to clean andgreen fuel,” Panneerselvam,who also holds the financeportfolio, said while presentingthe interim Budget for 2021-22for the poll-bound state.

He said over the next fewyears, 12,000 buses will be

procured, of which 2,000 wouldbe electric buses. “In the firstinstance, with KfW financialassistance, 2,200 BS-VI busesand 500 electric buses at a costof Rs 1,580 crore will be pro-cured. In the Interim BudgetEstimates for 2021-22, anamount of Rs 623.59 crore hasbeen provided for the imple-mentation of this project,” hesaid.On the performance ofstate transport undertakings(STU) during 2020-21,Panneerselvam said the yearwas very difficult one for themand STUs have incurred rev-enue losses of Rs 3,717.36 croreupto January 2021. IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram: TheMoU signed between theKerala Government's KSIDCand a private company EMCCInternational India (Pvt. Ltd.),for the promotion and upgra-dation of the deep sea fishingindustry in the state with aninvestment of Rs 5,000 crore isagainst the Indian BiodiversityAct of 2002 enacted byParliament and implemented inthe country, said an expert.

Oommen V. Oommen, aformer chairman of the KeralaState Biodiversity Board, saidthe Act has been implementedin Kerala through rules framedin 2008 by the Kerala StateBiodiversity Board constitutedin 2005.

“The present agreementenvisages over exploitation ofour natural bio resourcesagainst the interest of biodi-versity conservation. The agree-ment is also against the UN

Sustainable Development Goals(SDG) to be achieved by 2030.Goal 14 of the SDG is intend-ed to conserve and sustainablyuse seas and marine resourcesfor sustainable development.India is also a signatory to theUN SDGs. It further envisagesby 2025, prevent and reducepollution of all kinds, in par-ticular from land based activi-ties, marine debris and nutrientpollution,” said Oommen.

For the past one week, thisproject of the Pinarayi Vijayangovernment has come underheavy criticism from the oppo-sition. The stakeholders in thesector have called for a 'coastalhartal' on Saturday as a protest.

On Tuesday, Leader ofOpposition RameshChennithala demanded a judi-cial probe into the proposedproject, which the Vijayan gov-ernment says it has cancelledand a probe by a senior bureau-

crat has been announced.Oommen also pointed out

that the vision of the NationalFisheries Policy (NFP) is todevelop an ecologically healthy,economically valuable andsocially inclusive fisheries sec-tor that contributes to eco-nomic prosperity.

“The Kerala govt is alsocommitted to implement theNFP and State Fisheries Policyencompassing responsible andregulated use of bio-resourcesin an environment friendlymanner. Chapter II of theFisheries Policy mentions aboutnot allowing corporates (bothIndian and foreign) to do deepsea trawling and should bringit to the attention of the Centre.It also mentions about regulat-ing mechanized trawling incoastal areas to ensure thattraditional fishermen are able tosustain their livelihood,” addedOommen. IANS

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Bharuch: Two workers died, 23were injured and five were stillmissing after a massive fireerupted following an explosionat a chemical factory in theBharuch district of Gujarat onearly Tuesday morning, policesaid.

The incident took place atUnited Phosphorus Limited''splant in Jhagadia GIDC indus-trial area, said inspector P HVasava of the local police sta-tion. The fire started after a blastaround 2 am, he said.

While local sources said itwas a boiler blast, the police offi-cial did not specify and saidprobe was on. The factory madechemicals used in the pharma-ceutical industry, sources said.

“Two bodies have beenfound so far from the debrisinside the factory. Search isunderway for five workers whoare still missing,” inspectorVasava said.

As many as 23 other work-ers were injured in the fire andnine of them were hospitalized,he said. The blast was so pow-erful that it was heard a long dis-tance away, the inspector said.Around 15 fire tenders wererushed to the spot and the firewas brought under control by6.30 am, he added. PTI

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BUDGAM: The DirectorTourism Kashmir, Dr G N Itooalong with District DevelopmentCommissioner (DDC) Budgam,Shahbaz Ahmed Mirza onTuesday visited tourist resortDoodhpathri, to review the pre-paredness amid upcomingtourist season.

The Director during thevisit convened a meeting ofconcerned officers to reviewthe status of implementation ofDraft Master Plan designed andprepared for beautification andfacelift of this beautiful touristresort.

He said the Master Plandrafted in the year 2011 remainsunimplemented due to certainreasons, however for its speedyimplementation we have put itin public domain for sugges-tions/objections from all stake-

holders and till date 42 sugges-tions have been received fromdifferent corners.

He said for speedy dispos-al and consensus on suggestionsa committee consisting of ChiefTown planner as its Chairmanand member, besides ADC,CEO of DoodhpathriDevelopment Authority, SDMKhansahab and AD Tourism asits members will sit and exam-ine the status ofsuggestions/objections receivedso that a concrete action plan isdrafted for speedy action andimplementation of master planrecommendations.

Gangtok: In the light of postCovid scenario an unique ini-tiative “Udbhav” was launchedfor school going children inSikkim on Tuesday.

The project was launchedin 10 schools of Sikkim withthe association of EducationDepartment, Govt. of Sikkimand Alkem Foundation andSulabh School Sanitation Club.The aim of this project is toensure that all students con-tinue their studies in a safe andhealthy environment.

While launching the cam-paign at Govt Sec School,Chakung, West Sikkim ,Sikkim’s Education ministerKunga Nima Lepcha said , dueto collective efforts of Sikkimgovernment and its residents,Sikkim is still free from thedangerous corona virus

G.P Upadhay,AdditionalChief secretary,EducationDepartment Govt of ,Sikkimsaid that under this project

four Covid Resource Centersare being opened in fourschools of Sikkim.

MLA of Soreng, AdityaGolay Tamang, was of the viewthat this programme shallfocus on the development oflife skills and the mobilizationand involvement of teachers ,students , parents, communi-ties, governments and institu-tions to work together toimprove hygiene, water andsanitation conditions in theidentified schools of Sikkim.

Rupak Roy Choudhury,National Coordinator, SulabhWash in School Programopined that it’s time to plan andprepare for the immediatefuture and Project Udbhavwould try to harp on the factthat schooling is not equivalentto merely learning, but encom-passes a social space, a socialprocess, to learn to live, thinkand act for one’s self and thecollective good. PNS

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Mystery deepened over thecircumstances leading to

the death of seven-time LokSabha member from the UnionTerritory of Dadra and NagarHaveli Mohan S Delkar, even ashis body was handed over to hisfamily members after a post-mortem at the state-run JJHospital here.

A day after Delkar wasfound hanging in a hotel in theMarine Drive in south Mumbai,available pointers suggested thathe was under some duress thatmight have driven him to takethe extreme step.

The Mumbai police are cur-rently examining the suicidenote left by Delkar —written inGujarati on his official letterhead as an MP – which theyfound in the room of Sea GreenHotel along the Sea facingMarine Drive in south Mumbai,where he had checked into onSunday. Sources said that theinvestigators were taking theassistance of a language fromSilvassa to decipher the letter.

In a video of his speechmade in Lok Sabha onSeptember 19, 2020 that sur-faced on Tuesday, Delkar hadalleged that he was “harassed”and “insulted” by the local UTadministration.

“During the last fourmonths of Corona period, someofficials – with an intention toharass and malign me-- triedfoist false cases against me.They also curtailed my freedomand prevented me from helpingmy constituents during theCovid-19 period. I was openlyinsulted on the UT formationday ceremony. As the local elect-ed representative, I was deniedmy right to address my con-stituents on that day. I am yet toreceive a reply from the admin-istration as to why I was deniedpermission to my constituents.During the last four months, Iam constantly being harassedand insulted in a conspiratorialmanner,” Delkar said in LokSabha speech.

In another video released inAugust-September last year,Delkar is understood to have

told his constituents that thelocal administration was “block-ing” him in doing justice to themand the officials were trying to“foist” false cases against himand that the local officials wereacting at the behest of “some toppeople”. Delkar had also spokenabout his plans to tender his res-ignation as the MP during thefollowing Parliamentary ses-sion. The preliminary investi-gations had d that Delkar hadcommitted by hanging himselfin the hotel room. His body wasfound in the hotel on Mondayroom.

Delkar’s body was subse-quently been taken to JJ Hospitalwhere after a post-mortem, hisviscera has been preserved forhistopathological examination toascertain the exact cause of thedeath. Later, his mortal remainswere handed over to his familymembers to be taken to Silvassafor the last rites.

While confirming thatDelkar’s body had been handedover his family, Mumbai’sDeputy Commissioner of Police(operations) and police

spokesperson S Chaitanyadeclined to comment on theinvestigations. “We cannot sayanything at this stage.Investigations are in progress,”Chaitanya said.

Meanwhile, theMaharashtra Congress onTuiesay demanded the BJP’srole in Delkar’s suicide. “Willsoon call on Hon'ble HMM a h a r a s h t r a@AnilDeshmukhNCP with ademand to investigate the role ofBJP in the death of Dadra NagarHaveli MP Mohanbhai Delkar,”Maharashtra CongressSpokesperson Sachin Sawanttweeted.

On his part, Deshmukhoffered condolences on the pass-ing of Delkar and termed the lat-ter’s death as ‘very shocking.’

“The news of the demise ofMohan Delkar, seven time MPfrom Dadra Nagar Haveli LokSabha constituency, commit-ting suicide at a hotel in Mumbaiis very shocking. May Godgrant his soul eternal peace,”Deshmukh had tweeted onMonday night.

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Page 6:  · 2021-02-23  · Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna-tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200 …

ongoing three Ds —Disengagement, De-escalationand De-induction. In the past,contradictory informationwould be leaked by theGovernment and military offi-cials even as independent jour-nalists claimed they had theirown sources, all of which ledto mammoth confusion. Lastweek Lt Gen Joshi, who waspilloried over last year’s mul-tiple intrusions, explained howthe disengagement deal cameabout following an audacioustactical operation by stealth toseize strategic heights onFinger 4 and on Kailash rangeon August 29/30 to turn thetables on the PLA. That theseoperations were on the Indianside of the LAC does notdiminish their brilliance.

Elaborating, Lt Gen Joshisaid placing tanks at Rezanglaand Rechinla on Kailash rangewas the game-changer intoreviving stalled talks and forc-ing the PLA to withdrawingfrom Finger 4 to beyondFinger 8. He noted that thewithdrawal plan was in writ-ing for the first time and thatthe talks would resume.

To be clear, details of with-drawal on the south bank arenot as specific as on the northbank. In the written agree-ment, no mention is made ofRSQA April 2020 though dis-

cussion on other frictionpoints is included. AssumingLt Gen Joshi has been quotedaccurately, the Kailash trumpcard has already been playedas quid pro quo for Fingers. Hesaid no land was ceded toChina, presumably referring tothe Pangong lake sector andnot across the intrusion sites.The field is still wide open —with India’s core concernslocated at Galwan, andDepsang apparently left in alimbo without the toweringKailash heights available as abargaining chip. This round iswin-win for both India — withthe vacation of Fingers — andChina — securing removal oftanks and troops from Kailashrange. But using the Ace ofSpades in the first move is a biggamble though Lt Gen Joshisaid it is not advantage in per-petuity. He called the entireepisode — Indian seizure ofKailash heights and the PLA’swithdrawal from Fingers as aloss of face for China whichhas annoyed the Chinese.

The resumed dialogue onSaturday ended not in a writtenagreement but a joint statementto “push for a mutually accept-able resolution of remainingissues so as to jointly maintainpeace and tranquility in borderareas”. Key questions remain:Final disposition of troop sep-

aration at Galwan, Ghogra-Hot Springs, Demchok andDepsang. At Galwan, Indiantroops were pushed back two-and-a-half km from their tradi-tional patrolling point No 14and a buffer zone created.China regards Depsang a lega-cy dispute and the absence ofeyeball confrontation may prob-ably preclude its inclusion froma friction point. But it is of thehighest strategic sensitivity forIndia’s defence of theKarakoram range and an offen-sive towards Aksai Chin; and ofvital strategic import for Chinafor similar reasons. India couldlikely be left with Chinaensconced along its 1959 claimline, buffer zones predomi-nantly on India’s territory, stale-mate at Depsang, no RSQAApril 2020, de facto loss of ter-ritory and most importantly col-lapse of peace, trust and tran-quility along the border, thebedrock of sound and stablebilateral relations. China, on theother hand, wants decoupling ofborder dispute from bilateralrelations. Depsang will prove tobe a test case.

(The writer, a retired MajorGeneral, was Commander,IPKF South, Sri Lanka, andfounder member of the DefencePlanning Staff, currently theIntegrated Defence Staff. Theviews expressed are personal.)

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Some questions on disen-gagement from the Line ofActual Control (LAC)need to be asked again:

Why did India withdraw fromthe commanding heights onKailash range without quid proquo like Return Status Quo Ante(RSQA) April 2020 integrallylinked with withdrawal fromDepsang and instead settle forvacation from just north-southbanks of Pangong Tso? Theanswer was located in NorthernArmy Commander Lt Gen YKJoshi’s interviews last week; thedetails follow. For a year now,India has been claiming it has theskill and tenacity in high-altitudewarfare, including Siachen,whereas the People’s LiberationArmy (PLA) — which perhapsfor the first time had occupiedposts on Kailash range since1962 — does not have similar tal-ents. China has imposed addi-tional deployment costs of �1,000crore, excluding �20,000 crore inemergency operational acquisi-tions, which is a godsend as innormal course, the transactionswould not have materialised.

To recap: Under the shadowof COVID-19 pandemic, Chinadiverted the PLA on training inXinjiang to intrude at multipleplaces from Depsang toDemchok across 300 km of eastLadakh. India looked like a tube-light bereft of counter-intrusioncontingencies. China pushed theLAC westwards to its 1959 claimline, establishing a buffer zone atGalwan and refusing to discussDepsang. The Galwan clash andan Indian coup de main in thatorder froze and nudged disen-gagement which secured anIndian vacation from dominatingheights on Kailash range over-looking Chinese garrisons atMoldo and Spanggur lake. As inthe first disengagement, it isadvantage China. Beijing hasimposed economic costs, trans-forming the LAC into LoC. WhileIndia has politically withstoodChina’s bullying, the perception inthe neighbourhood about India’sability to be a net security providerhas been cast in doubt.

Still the Government has tobe congratulated for providing,for the first time, critical opera-tional information about the

SOUNDBITE������������� �� �� �������Sir—There is no point in not reopeningschools. There is no substitute for classroomlearning and online education system hasseveral drawbacks. All States must take acue from Uttar Pradesh (UP) which hastaken the lead in announcing the reopen-ing of schools for younger students of class-es one to five. The UP Government has saidschools can open from March 1, and alsoissued a set of guidelines.

While parents are worried, they mustalso understand that staying at home is nosolution. However, it is on the part ofschools and colleges to ensure that socialdistancing is followed and the students aremade to sit at a safe distance from eachother inside classrooms. Further, the schooladministration should distribute soft dis-posable cotton masks to each studentdaily and must place sanitising machinesoutside the entrance and exit of the class-es and at the main entrance of the school.

Staying away from school for long willmake the students lethargic and create sev-eral psychological disorders, especiallyamong the young students. They willdevelop the habit of staying at home andnot going to schools which would provecounterproductive to their mental andphysical development in the long run.Students in the age group of three to 10years will develop fear psychosis and willavoid going to school. They will try theirbest to make excuses and then parents willunderstand the importance of early reopen-ing of schools.

P Senthil | Mumbai

���������������Sir —This refers to the editorial ‘Harvestingvotes’ (February 23). In the last threeAssembly elections in Delhi, the AAP hasproved its mettle even as there was a strongBJP wave across the country. Now the AAPis looking to expand its base to UttarPradesh, Uttarakhand and other States rid-ing on the farmers’ protest. But the partymust remember that the politics of UP isentirely different and winning the westernregion is the toughest nut to crack. With

parties like RLD, SP and BSP having quitesignificant base among the voters, the AAPventuring into UP elections might proveto be a misadventure for the party.

For the AAP, unlike Delhi, it won’t bea plain contest but a fight where religion,caste, traditional loyalties and other fac-tors will play a crucial role. The AAP madeup its mind to contest the elections in UPlast year itself. Delhi Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia had previously targeted theUP Government regarding the state ofeducation in UP. In December last year,Sisodia conducted a debate programmetitled ‘State of Education—Kejriwal’s DelhiModel versus Yogi’s UP Model’ inLucknow. But the AAP must rememberthat the BJP will leave no stone unturnedto fight anti-incumbency and win the 2022UP elections.

Nischai Vats | Sultanpur

����� ����������������Sir —The BJP has never been a consider-able force on its own in Punjab. But still

the fourth place in the State civic polls isa reflection of the anti-Centre mood thathas gripped the farming community. Forfarmers, the Centre means NarendraModi and the BJP again means NarendraModi. On the other hand, the poor showof the SAD is attributed to its past alliancewith the BJP.

The voters were reluctant to believeboth had “really” parted ways. For theCongress, the massive victory is satisfyingin the sense that there has been no anti-incumbency in the State and it remains thestrongest political party in Punjab. CaptainAmarinder Singh, always seen as his ownman, has strengthened his position in theState though there was a palpable local-level dissent against him. The BJP shouldthink fast to even things even things out.It has lost ground in districts consideredits bastion in Punjab.

Ganapathi Bhat| Akola

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Page 7:  · 2021-02-23  · Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna-tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200 …

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Unlike other nations, education in India isconsidered a costly affair. Historically,Government spending in education has

been low, with less than four per cent of the GDPspent per annum. This lack of budgetary supportcoupled with an increasing population has result-ed in the cost of education becoming inflated inthe country. However, in India, where a majori-ty of the population finds it hard to make endsmeet, parents and students consider a good edu-cation from a reputed institute a dream worth chas-ing. Inevitably, a good education, be it primary,secondary, higher or professional, has made itsplace in the list of fundamental needs of individ-uals. Considering this, the Government has, timeand again, intervened to regulate and formulatepolicies for promoting quality education across thecountry.

Timely financial support and policy measuresbecome enablers for not only educational institu-tions but students, too. They collectively promotequality education in order to deliver a skilledhuman capital that, in turn, takes the economy ona higher and sustainable growth trajectory. Of late,there have been a slew of reforms in higher andprofessional education, which institutions haveresponded to in different ways. This articleexamines one such reform, its consequences andimpact on the country’s education scene.

The concept of Indian Institutes ofManagement (IIMs) was initiated by JawaharlalNehru on the recommendation of the PlanningCommission in 1960. Subsequently, IIM-Calcuttaand IIM-Ahmedabad were established in 1961with the support of the Ford Foundation, IndiaInc. and the Harvard Business School. This fol-lowed the emergence of other IIMs, and todaythere are 20 in number, including six legacy IIMsand 14 new ones set up after 2007.

The establishment of IIMs aimed to producea skilled workforce equipped with managerial anddecision-making skills required for growingindustrialisation in the country. The need for suchmanagerial skills was felt, especially post-1991,when investment and privatisation buttressed theemergence of corporate giants in the liberalisedIndian economy. Given their role in nation-build-ing, IIMs were declared “institutions of nationalimportance” by the Ministry of Education after thepassage of the IIM Act, 2017. The Act also award-ed autonomy to the IIMs for fee regulations apartfrom selection and removal of the chairperson anddirector, student intake and institute expansion.The Government and bureaucracy cannot inter-vene in the day-to-day and strategic operations ofIIMs.

Exercising this autonomy last year, about halfof the IIMs increased their already exorbitant feesfor the two-year full-time MBA course. Thisincluded IIMs from Lucknow, Calcutta, Bangalore,Jammu, Tiruchirappalli, Sirmaur, Nagpur, Udaipurand Rohtak. The fees increase ranged betweenthree per cent (Rohtak) and 36 per cent (Lucknow),averaging at 13 per cent. There already exists a dif-ference in the fee structure of old and new IIMs,which was further widened by the current hike.With the fee hike in 2020 for the academic year2020-2022, the average fee in old IIMs is �20.7 lakh,whereas that in new IIMs is �13.7 lakh. The man-agements of these premier institutions attribute this

hike to inflation and the associatedcost of faculty and infrastructure.However, as such, no quantitativeassessment is provided to justify thisargument. Lack of accountabilitydue to the absence of Governmentintervention leads to more questionsthan answers.

On the other hand, the manage-ment institutions under the ambitof the University GrantsCommission (UGC) and the AllIndia Council for TechnicalEducation (AICTE), are restrictedfrom increasing their fees. In itsnotification dated May 1, 2020, theAICTE had asked the B-schoolsoffering AICTE-approved PostGraduate Diploma in Management(PGDM) programmes not toincrease either admission or tuitionfee for the academic session 2020-21 for existing as well as new stu-dents. These two contrasting stories— fee hike in unregulated IIMs andno fee hike in regulated institutions— make one think. Did autonomyplay a significant role in incentivis-ing the IIMs to hike fees?

Fee hike in premier manage-ment institutions becomes a hurdlefor eligible aspirants to acquiremanagerial skills. This problemwas aggravated by the fee hike coin-ciding with the economic recessionand the COVID-19 pandemic.When the contagion has taken a tollon lives, livelihoods and incomes, anincrease in management educa-tion fees has made it impossible formost aspirants to achieve theirdream of studying at these premierinstitutions. Collectively, the current

scenario compromises the veryfundamental objective of educationin the nation that aims to provideaffordable education to the prospec-tive and existing workforce innation-building.

It is well-known that premiermanagement institutions inviteheavyweight offer letters from cor-porate giants. These huge placementpackages are the primary catalyst forfierce competition among manage-ment study aspirants and even pro-fessionals to get into premier IIMs.The bigger the package offered fora particular IIM, the fiercer the com-petition to get into the institute.Does this higher demand for a par-ticular IIM translate into higher feefollowing the fundamental princi-ples of economics?

In other words, it was worthinvestigating the relationshipbetween placement packages fromIndia Inc. and the fees of IIMs. Tothis end, we collated the averagepackage and fees of all 20 IIMs for2020 and performed a linear regres-sion analysis due to which we dis-covered a significant cyclical rela-tionship between an IIM’s fees andthe packages offered during place-ments. This implied that an IIMattracting a higher salary with alucrative job opportunity was like-ly to charge more than other IIMs.

In the empirical analysis, topIIMs (as per the NationalInstitutional Ranking Framework)like IIM-Ahmedabad, IIM-Bangalore and IIM Calcutta attractextremely high packages (average�26.8 lakh per annum) and they

charge inordinately high fees (aver-age �23 lakh) as compared to otherIIMs, particularly the new ones.

This resembles the typical pric-ing structure of a market commod-ity wherein the supply-demanddynamic in the market decides theproduct price. Education is not amarket commodity meant to meetan individual’s demand. Therefore,it cannot be left unregulated, espe-cially in terms of pricing or feesstructure. Education serves a larg-er purpose of social uplift andnation-building by generating awell-trained and equipped humancapital.

An inflated fee in premier man-agement institutions leaves most eli-gible aspirants with the only optionof an education loan to fund theirdreams. An education loan poses ademonic challenge of repayment.This burden is carried by the stu-dents during the course of theirstudy and afterwards too. The man-agerially-trained brains coming outwith the burden of liabilities expe-rience constrained freedom and lackof creative thinking. This thwartsproductivity and overall value addi-tion to the economy. It is high timethat policymakers critically observethe amendment in the fee structureof India’s premier managementinstitutions of national interest.Policymakers must curtail unregu-lated fee hike in premier institutions,keeping in mind the followingquestion: How can the objective ofstrengthening the human capitalwith managerial skills and its afford-ability marry each other?

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In India, there are a littleover one million allopath-ic doctors to treat a pop-

ulation of about 1.39 billion,with one State-run hospitalfor about 90,343 people anda single Government hospitalbed for nearly 2,046 people.It depicts a grim scenariowith an overburdened health-care system.

The effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic havebeen devastating for thealready fragmented health-care system. The outbreakclearly highlighted the lack ofresources, facilities and infra-structure and so on. It showedthat the Indian public health-care system required an inte-grated approach whichshould be a combination ofallopathic clinical or curativeservices and preventive ser-vices like naturopathy. This isbecause, an alternative systemof medicine like naturopathy,

with its preventive approach,can help reduce the burden ofdiseases and lessen thehealthcare costs and thegrowing burden on health-care facilities across the coun-try.

According to a 2018 studypublished by ‘Lancet GlobalHealth’, non-communicablediseases (NCDs) are growingin India. The study men-tions that from the year 1990to 2016, ischemic heart dis-ease and stroke made thelargest contribution, that is28.1 per cent of the total mor-tality rate in India, whilechronic obstructive pul-monary disease (COPD) andasthma made the second-largest contribution to thetotal mortality burden in thenation, at 10·9 per cent.

Also, the ratio of cardio-vascular diseases in causingdeaths increased by 34·3 percent from 1990 to 2016, the

study revealed. These figuresrepresent some of the world’slargest health losses, withenormous policy ramifica-tions.

Furthermore, the lack ofadequate facilities and infra-structure is a big problem forthe healthcare system, result-ing in overcrowding in hos-pitals. Many major metropol-itan cities reported an alarm-ing shortage of beds in hos-pital Intensive Care Units(ICUs) and general wardsduring the pandemic.

Despite the poor state offacilities and due to the dif-ficulty in accessing them,out-of-pocket (OOP) expen-diture for healthcare in ourcountry continues to beamong the leading causes ofpoverty for many households.The British Medical Journalpublished a study in 2018stating that 55 million Indiansfell below the poverty line

because of high OOP expen-diture in 2011-2012. In acountry with low per capitapublic spending on health-care, a preventive method oftreatment can certainly makea big difference in the lives ofthe citizens.

In such a situation, thebig question is how cannaturopathy help?

Naturopathy is a preventivemodel of holistic care thataddresses the root cause ofvarious diseases rather thanmerely treating the symp-toms.

Naturopathy is more inte-grated, where everything istaken into consideration, likethe patient’s physical, mental,and emotional health and allthe social and environmentalfactors. According to theWorld Health Organisation(WHO), NCD’s result in thedeaths of over 41 millionpeople annually, with 15 mil-lion people dying between theages of 30 and 69 years. Withthe increasing threat ofNCDs, behavioural andlifestyle changes are reck-oned as the way forward.

Naturopathy, with itsholistic approach, educatesand makes people moreresponsible for their health.The combination of yoga

therapy and naturopathy cansuccessfully treat patients andspread knowledge and aware-ness about health and diseaseamong the public.

Unlike conventionalmedicine, the naturopathictreatment method usuallyinvolves diet therapy, lifestylechanges, yoga and varioustherapies that are often lessexpensive. Since naturopa-thy’s primary focus is toimprove the body’s immuni-ty system to boost physicaland mental health, the needfor expensive, repeated, andsometimes ineffective treat-ment is eliminated.

A major advantage ofnaturopathy is its ability toeliminate the associatedhealthcare costs that comewith adverse reactions to pre-scription drugs. According toa Harvard University studypublished in 2014, about3,28,000 patients in the US

and Europe die from adversereactions to prescriptiondrugs each year.

The naturopathic treat-ment method uses therapiesthat are gentle, non-invasive,effective and do not haveadverse side effects.

Often, economically vul-nerable sections of the soci-ety fail to get the treatmentthey need from public healthfacilities as they are mostlyovercrowded and under-staffed. Even if they manageto get evaluated, it is cursoryand incomplete on account ofthe time constraint underwhich most physicians oper-ate. As a result, the health out-comes of the patients suffer.In such a scenario, naturopa-thy’s modality can be animmense support to theGovernment’s dream of uni-versal health coverage, pro-vided the standardisation ofthe practice happens soon.

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Soni andKalyanasundaram are

senior research fellows atthe Department of

Management Studies ofIndian Institute of Science,

Bengaluru.The views expressed

are personal.

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The Biden administration’searly efforts to resurrect the

2015 Iran nuclear deal are get-ting a chilly early responsefrom Tehran. Though fewexpected a breakthrough in thefirst month of the new admin-istration, Iran’s tough line sug-gests a difficult road ahead.

Having made several sig-nificant overtures to Iran in itsfirst weeks in office, the admin-istration’s outreach has been allbut shunned by the Iranians.They had already rejectedBiden’s opening gambit: a USreturn to the deal from whichPresident Donald Trump with-drew in 2018 if Iran resumes

full compliance with its oblig-ations under the accord.

Iran is shaping up to be amajor test of the Biden admin-istration’s overall approach toforeign policy, which the pres-ident has said will realign itselfwith the kind of multilateraldiplomacy that Trump

shunned. Although there areother hot-button issues —Russia, China and North Koreaamong them — Iran has a par-ticular significance for Biden’stop national security aides.

They include Secretary ofState Antony Blinken, nation-al security adviser Jake Sullivanand special envoy for Iran RobMalley, all of whom were inti-mately involved in crafting the2015 deal under PresidentBarack Obama and may havepersonal stakes in salvaging it.

Biden took office pledgingto reverse Trump’s pullout fromthe deal, which gave it billionsof dollars in sanctions relief inexchange for curbs on itsnuclear program. Just last week,Biden delivered in at least threeways: agreeing to return tomultinational talks with Iranabout reviving the deal,rescinding Trump’s determi-nation that all UN sanctions onIran must be restored, andeasing onerous travel restric-tions on Iranian diplomatsposted to the United Nations.

Yet, Iran has held firm todemands that it will notrespond to anything less thana full lifting of the sanctionsTrump reimposed. Over theweekend, Iran made good on athreat to suspend adherence toa UN agreement allowingintrusive inspections of itsdeclared nuclear sites.Although it stopped short ofordering the removal of inter-national inspectors, Iranreduced cooperation with themand vowed to revisit the step inthree months if sanctions aren’tremoved.

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Islamabad: After more than amonth of delays, escalatingviolence and a flurry of diplo-matic activity, peace talksbetween the Taliban and theAfghan government haveresumed in the Middle EasternState of Qatar.

Taliban spokesman Dr.Mohammad Naeem tweetedon Monday night that talks hadresumed. There were no detailsother than the atmosphere was“cordial”, a commitment thatnegotiations should continueand an announcement that thefirst item of business will be set-

ting the agenda. When talksended abruptly in January, justdays after beginning, both sidessubmitted their wish lists foragendas. The task now is for thetwo sides to sift through therespective wish lists, agree onitems to negotiate and the orderin which they will be tackled.

The priority for the Afghangovernment, Washington andNATO is a serious reduction inviolence leading to a ceasefire. The Taliban have said it isnegotiable, but until now haveresisted any immediate ceasefire. AP

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Iran officially has begun restrict-ing international inspections of

its nuclear facilities, state TVreported on Tuesday, a bid topressure European countries andUS President Joe Biden’s admin-istration to lift crippling eco-nomic sanctions and restore the2015 nuclear deal.

The state TV report gavelittle detail beyond confirmingthat Iran had made good on itsthreat to reduce cooperationwith International AtomicEnergy Agency inspectors.

Iran’s move to limit inter-national inspections under-scores the daunting task facing

Biden as he seeks to reverseTrump’s policies and return tothe deal, the most significantpact between Iran and majorworld powers since its 1979Islamic revolution.

“The law has gone intoeffect from this morning,” saidIranian Foreign MinisterMohammad Javad Zarif, reit-erating that Iran would nolonger share surveillancefootage of its nuclear facilitieswith the U.N. Agency.

“We never gave them livevideo, but (recordings) weregiven daily and weekly,” Zarifsaid of the IAEA’s access toinformation recorded by cam-era monitors.

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The Biden administrationhas announced the reversal

of the stringent Trump-erapolicy by reverting to the 2008version of the naturalisationtest module to make the pathto US citizenship more accessible to all eligible indi-viduals.

US Citizenship andImmigration Services (USCIS)announced on Monday that itis reverting to the 2008 versionof the naturalisation civics testbeginning March 1, 2021.

The previous Trumpadministration had introducedsome changes to the naturali-sation civics test, called the2020 civics test, whichincreased the number of ques-tions from 100 to 128 and thecorrect answers in the multiple-choice questions had politicaland ideological overtones.

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Protesters against the mili-tary’s seizure of power in

Myanmar were back on thestreets of the country’s biggestcity on Tuesday, a day after acall for a general strike shut-tered shops and brought hugenumbers out to demonstrate.

Numbers were down fromMonday’s massive crowds, butaround 1,000 people in Yangonhad gathered by mid-morningat the city’s Hledan Center, amajor meeting point for pro-testers, with other groups assembling at othervenues.

In Mandalay, the coun-try’s second-biggest city, a

funeral was held for 37-year-old Thet Naing Win, one of twoprotesters shot dead by securi-ty forces on Saturday. He anda teenage boy were killed when

police and soldiers opened fireon a crowd that had gatheredto support dock workers whomthe authorities were trying toforce to work.

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Pakistan police havelaunched an investigation

into the marriage of a 14-year-old girl with MaulanaSalahuddin Ayubi leader ofJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), and a Member of NationalAssembly (MNA) fromBalochistan.

Citing local media, PakObserver has reported that thepolice have launched the probeafter receiving a complaintfrom an NGO working for thewelfare of women in Chitral.

According to a report bythe Dawn, the girl was a stu-dent of Government Girls HighSchool, Jughoor, where herdate of birth had been record-ed as of October 28, 2006,which showed that she had not

attained the age of marriage.Maulana Salahuddin

Ayubi, the Member of theNational Assembly is in his late50s, according to Pakistanmedia.

Chitral police station SHOInspector Sajjad Ahmed wasquoted as saying that a few daysago on the complaint of theorganisation, the police hadreached the girl’s home, but herfather had denied the girl’smarriage and had even givenan affidavit to this effect.

The marriage of theteenage girl with the PakistanMP, who is four times her age,comes despite the country’slaw, which does not allow mar-riages of girls below the age of16 and also recommends pun-ishment for parents if theywilfully do it.

Kinshasa: An ItalianCarabinieri unit is expected inCongo on Tuesday to investigatethe killings of the Italian ambas-sador to Congo, an ItalianCarabinieri police officer andtheir driver. Congolese author-ities and members of the UnitedNations Mission in Congo arealso expected in Goma.

Luca Attanasio, the ambas-sador to Congo since 2017,Carabinieri officer VittorioIacovacci and their driverMoustapha Milambo were killedMonday in an ambush as theirWorld Food Program convoy wastraveling from Goma, Congo’seastern regional capital, to visit aWFP school project in Rutshuru,the UN agency said. AP

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Malaysia’s immigrationauthorities said on

Tuesday they have deported1,086 Myanmar migrants,breaking a court order to halttheir repatriation following anappeal by two human rightsgroups.

Just hours earlier, a highcourt granted a one-day stayorder for the deportation of1,200 Myanmar migrants tohear an appeal by AmnestyInternational Malaysia andAsylum Access Malaysia, whichsaid refugees, asylum-seekersand minors were among thosebeing sent back.

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�����Equity benchmarksSensex and Nifty ended mar-ginally higher on Tuesdayamid high volatility and tepidcues from global markets.

After gyrating 667.46points during the day, the 30-share BSE Sensex ended 7.09points or 0.01 per cent higherat 49,751.41.

After a similar movement,the broader NSE Nifty settled32.10 points or 0.22 per cent upat 14,707.80.

ONGC was the top gain-er in the Sensex pack, rallyingaround 6 per cent, followed byIndusInd Bank, L&T, UltraTechCement, Titan, SBI and NTPC.On the other hand, KotakBank, Maruti, Bajaj Auto,HDFC Bank and HCL Techwere among the laggards.

Domestic equities witnessedroller coaster ride amid highvolatility, with metals and real-ty indices recording substantialgains, said Binod Modi, Head -Strategy at Reliance Securities.

"Concerns pertaining toincrease in bond yields andhigher commodity prices dent-ed investors' sentiments in lastcouple of days. However, under-lying strength of economy andmarket remains intact," headded. Elsewhere in Asia, bours-es in Shanghai and Seoul endedon a negative note, while HongKong settled with gains.Stockexchanges in Europe were alsotrading in the red in mid-sessiondeals. Meanwhile, the glob-al oil benchmark Brent crudewas trading 0.81 per cent high-er at USD 64.88 per barrel.PTI

Mumbai:The rupee slippedfrom the day's highest level butmanaged to eke out a margin-al gain of 3 paise at 72.46against the US dollar onTuesday, tracking muteddomestic equities and strongergreenback against key rivals.

At the interbank forexmarket, the local unit opened

at 72.36 against the US dollarand witnessed an intra-dayhigh of 72.31 and a low of72.46.

It finally ended at 72.46 adollar, registering a rise of 3paise from its previous close.

Meanwhile, the dollarindex, which gauges the green-back's strength against a basket

of six currencies, advanced0.16 per cent to 90.15.

"The Indian rupee mar-ginally appreciated thisTuesday against the US cur-rency on speculative dollarsales and exporter covering,"said Sriram Iyer, SeniorResearch Analyst at RelianceSecurities.

���� �����India's exports toChina has increased by 16.15per cent to USD 20.87 billionin 2020 from USD 17.9 billionin the previous year on accountof healthy growth in the ship-ments of ores, iron and steel,aluminum and copper, accord-ing to the data of the commerceministry.

Trade deficit with Chinahas declined 19.39 per centfrom USD 56.95 billion in 2019to USD 45.91 billion in 2020 asthe country's imports from theneighbouring country con-

tracted 10.87 per cent to USD66.78 billion from USD 74.92billion in 2019, the data showed.

The bilateral trade in 2020decreased by 5.64 per cent to87.65 billion compared to USD92.89 billion in the previous year.

In the agriculture sector,the main export commoditieswhich recorded healthy growthincludes cane sugar, soybeanoil, and vegetables fats and oils.

However, the exports ofmangoes, fish oil, tea, andfresh grapes declined.

Commenting on these

numbers, Federation of IndianExport Organisations (FIEO)President S K Saraf said thatthis is a positive sign and itreflects increasing competi-tiveness of domestic exporters.Imports of goods includingelectrical machinery and equip-ment, boilers, machinery andmechanical appliances, plasticsand related articles, articles ofiron and steel, furniture, fertil-izers, vehicle parts and acces-sories, have recorded a decline.

PTI

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Sebi on Tuesday disposed ofadjudication proceedings

against three entities after theysettled cases related to allegedfraudulent trading activities inthe illiquid stock options seg-ment on the BSE.

The entities that have set-tled the cases with the regula-tor are Open Futures andDerivatives Pvt Ltd, Raj RatanSmelters Pvt Ltd and QuestPartners.

According to three sepa-

rate orders, it was alleged thatthe entities were indulged innon-genuine trades and creat-ed a false and misleadingappearance of trading in thestock options segment.

Thereafter, the regulatorinitiated adjudication pro-ceedings and issued show-cause notices to them foralleged violation of provisionsof the Prohibition ofFraudulent and Unfair TradePractices (PFUTP)Regulations.

The entities had filed

applications for settlement.In January this year, Sebi

passed an order under its set-tlement scheme in respect of1,018 entities, including OpenFutures and Derivatives PvtLtd, Raj Ratan Smelters Pvt Ltdand Quest Partners.

Subsequently, settlementcharges of Rs 33.32 lakh eachwere paid by Open Futures andDerivatives and Quest Partners.An amount of Rs 19.37 lakhwas been paid by Raj RatanSmelters towards settlementcharges.

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Billionaire Mukesh Ambani'sReliance Industries

announced the contours ofspinning-off its oil refining, fuelmarketing and petrochemical(oil-to-chemical) business intoan independent unit with aUSD 25 billion loan from theparent, as it looks to unlockvalue by settling stakes to glob-al investors like Saudi Aramco.

The carving out of RelianceO2C Limited (O2C) will enablethe focused pursuit of oppor-tunities across the oil-to-chem-icals value chain, improve effi-ciencies through self-sustainingcapital structure and a dedicat-ed management team, andattract dedicated pools ofinvestor capital, according to acompany presentation filed withthe stock exchanges.

The transfer of twinrefineries at Jamnagar inGujarat, petrochemical sites inmultiple states, and a 51 per centstake in the fuel retailing busi-ness to O2C will be on a 'slumpsale basis', subject to requisiteapprovals that are expected tocome in by September.

However, upstream oiland gas producing fields suchas KG-D6 and textiles businesswill not form part of the newunit, where it aims to maintaina significant majority stake.Theconsideration for the transferwill be in the form of long-term interest-bearing debt ofUSD 25 billion to be issued byO2C to Reliance IndustriesLtd (RIL). RIL's external debtis proposed to remain with RILonly.

45&�"5678��The Housing &Urban DevelopmentCorporation Ltd is organizinga week-long in-service train-ing programme for All IndiaService Officers from 22nd-26th February, 2021, throughits Research and Trainingwing (Human SettlementManagement Institute). Theprogramme sponsored byDepartment of Personnel &Training, Govt of India on'Cities of Tomorrow-Equitable, Sustainable andResilient'aims to sensitize theofficers towards sustainability,equity and disaster riskreduction in cities to meetfuture challenges.

Speaking at the inauguralfunction, Shri Durga Shanker

Mishra, Secretary Ministry ofHousing & Urban Affairs(MoHUA) highlighted the needto recognize the distinct indi-vidual character of each citywhile planning for the future.He stressed the need to make'Smart Thinking' a movementthat can ensure optimal utiliza-tion of resources. Further, ShriMishra urged city managers touse technology and innovationto create inclusive & resilientcities to propel the country to a$5 trillion economy.

Addressing the partici-pants, Additional Secretary andChairman & ManagingDirector, HUDCO, ShriKamran Rizvi,reiterated theneed to make cities peoplecentric.

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���� ������ Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Tuesdayinaugurated several Railwayprojects for the people of WestBengal in a function held atDunlop Estate Village.

The much awaited exten-sion from Noapara toDakshineswar of Metro Railwaywas inaugurated and the firstservice was flagged off by hon-orable Prime Minister. This 4.1

km extension from Noapara toDakshineswar has been con-structed at a cost of Rs. 464crores., fully funded by theGovt. of India.

This extended stretch willprovide fast, easy, pollution-free travel, bereft of traffic snarlsto thousands of commuters inthe city and its adjoining areas.Around 50,000 daily commuterscoming from Howrah, Hooghly,

and North 24 Parganas will bebenefited from this exten-sion. Passengers of Howrah-Bardhaman Main line, Chordline, Howrah-Katwa line andHowrah-Tarakeswar branchline of Eastern Railway will beable to avail Metro services bymerely crossing the BallyBridge. Students, professorsand foreign scholars of IndianStatistical Institute, BaranagarCampus, Rabindra Bharati

University and EconomicsDepartment of CalcuttaUniversity will also be benefit-ed. Baranagar andDakshineswar stations built onthis extended stretch, are in closeproximity to Eastern Railway’sBaranagar and Dakshineswarstations and BelghoriaExpressway, the Gateway to theNorth 24 Parganas district.

With this extension, lakhs oftourists and devotees will be ableto visit the two world famousKali Temples at Kalighat andDakshineswar easily by Metro.Commuting from Dakshineswarto Kavi Subhash (New Garia) byMetro will take only 62 minutesas compared to 2 ½ hours byroad.

The two newly built stationsat Baranagar and Dakshineswarare replete with modern pas-senger amenities like lifts, esca-

lators, toilets, tactiles, sittingchairs and various safetyarrangements like fire fightingfacilities, EarthquakeMonitoring and LightningProtection System etc. Thesetwo stations are also aestheti-cally designed and decoratedwith murals, photographs,sculptures and idols.

The Prime Minister alsoinaugurated the third linebetween Kalaikunda andJhargram (30 km) of the 132kms long Kharagpur-AdityapurThird Line Project of SouthEastern Railway which wassanctioned with an estimatedcost of Rs.1,312 crores.

This project covers 55 kmsin West Bengal and 77 kms inJharkhand. In the 2021-22Budget an amount of Rs.225crores have been allotted for thisproject.

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The Great Learning, anedtech company for pro-

fessional and higher educa-tion will host a webinar onData Science for beginners onFebruary 24, 2021 at 12 pm.The one-hour long live ses-sion is free of cost and can beattended by anyone who iswilling to kickstart a career indata science.

The live session on “DataScience for beginners” byAnirudh Rao, Expert ofPython, Machine learning &Data Analysis will talk about

various aspects of DataScience, including its signif-icance in the coming years,components that fit into theecosystem of Data Scienceand its architecture whichdenotes its working. Theinstructor will further break-down the concepts into bite-sized pieces along with givingthe attendees a sense of direc-tion that they can considerwhen beginning to chalk outa career path in this domain.Log on tohttps://www.greatlearning.in/academy/learn-for-free/cours-es/data-science-for-beginners1.

Technology is the future. Thereis no sector which remainsuntouched from the influence of

technology and the present pandem-ic has accelerated the pace of thisinfluence. In our rapidly changingglobal economy, critical thinkers whohave the confidence and flexibility tocontinually learn new skills are in highdemand. Educational experts predictthat people with multidisciplinaryskills would be greatly in demand.

The New Education Policy alsoemphasizes on interdisciplinary think-ing, discussion, debate, research andinnovation at the centrality of theguidance on professional education.Future of technical education is alsocontemplated towards multidiscipli-nary approach so that educationalinstitutions and programmes andhave a renewed focus on opportuni-ties to engage deeply with other dis-ciplines.

Today there is an increasingdemand for legal professionals whoare well-versed with the concepts ofengineering, in particular in the cut-ting-edge areas that are fast gainingprominence, such as ArtificialIntelligence (AI), 3-D machining, bigdata analysis, and machine learning.Legal Industryitself is becoming tech-nology and data driven therebyrequiringnew skillset.

Legal services delivery is evolvingand requires new skillsets that includestrategic planning, data analytics,technology support, knowledge man-agement, and other competenciesnot presently taught at most lawschools.

A decade ago, one would have notimagined how studying BTech withLLB would be helpful, but in the lastfew years the integrated BTech LLBprogramme has found its niche. It isa unique combination of two profes-sional disciplines wherein a techno-lawyer is created who can understandan engineering contract, draft a patentor defend their company with pro-found understanding not only as alawyer but also as a technical personwhich is a great combination.Technical understanding helps thelawyer to craft a customised legal com-pliance solutions for the technologycompanies which are emerging inlarge numbers due to the futurerequirements impacted by techno-logical developments.

While a graduate with BTech

LLB has several opportunities at theirdoorsteps both from the technical andlegal side, some of the career optionsexclusive to this specialisation.

Intellectual Property Lawyers: Intoday’s competitive landscape, com-mercialisation of IPR is the buzzword.Demand for intellectual propertylawyers is high. These lawyers focuson the protection of creative thought,whether it is a patent, design, trade-mark or copyright. A patent attorneyhaving sound technical knowledge isa boon for a client as he understandsthe requirements best and takes careof the patent from filing to protectingit from infringement.

IP Solicitor: Intellectual proper-ty solicitor or consultant help com-panies make financial decisions bycarefully evaluating the potential andcommercial value of a specific projectincluding the visible competition inthe market. The information which anIP solicitor may provide can help theclient in multiple ways, whether it isprotecting their own IPR or avoidinginfringing someone else’s IPR. Both

these incidents involve a great cost.We have seen several IP related liti-gations in major sectors like, tech-nology, pharmaceuticals, and alsomedia and entertainment industry.

Cyber Law Consultants: Theinternet has opened up severalopportunities and challenges. Thereare several dimensions to theseopportunities and challenges, somewhich have now established over aperiod like electronic contracts, juris-diction issues, e-commerce relations,cybercrimes, domain name disputes,cyber piracy and cyber defamation.However, new opportunities areemerging in plenty in the new agetechnologies of future like ArtificialIntelligence (AI), Internet of Things(IOT), Big Data, and MachineLearning. The future is for digitalinnovation and law.

Cyber Forensics andInvestigation: A new destination forcommitting crimes is the onlinemedium, which necessitates under-standing of cyber forensics and cyberinvestigations. A technology lawyer

is best suited to work on the cyberevidence. Corporate fraud, bank-ruptcy fraud and banking fraudinvestigations employ professionalswho are well versed with technolo-gy and the legal requirements of evi-dentiary value of an electronic evi-dence.

Startups: Millennial lawyers withengineering knowledge have found-ed a number of successful startupsand the numbers are growing everyday. A brief analysis of data onStartup India website shows howmajority of the startups are nowemerging in technology space including the areas like Agritech, bigdata, bitcoin and blockchain, billingand invoicing, business intelligence,clean tech, crowd funding, cybersecurity, digital media professionals,e-education, electronics and instru-mentation, and many more.Venturing out as an entrepreneurarmed with techno-legal knowledgewould definitely provide an edge tothe evangelist.

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The objective of a successfulleadership should be twodimensional. To reach the goal

making optimum use of skill inven-tory available within the team andensuring that each member not onlyhas the satisfaction of giving his bestbut also experiences an elevation inskill and confidence level personally.

The exercise of goal setting, midcourse review and accomplishmentwould need intense involvement ofeach team member. At each step eachteam member needs to feel encour-aged and valued for their role andcontribution and confidence in eachother. One way to ensure that teamperformance is linked to the indi-vidual, self development is to carry theprocess of self development throughthe entire pursuit of objective.

This has to be done in the formof self development milestones to berecognised by individual at eachmilestone of goal accomplishment.

The four dimensions of self-development can be built into theindividual review of self through thejourney to achieve goal. These are:

Self insight: Self insight/selfawareness is an important tool toequipt individual with knowledge ofpsychological triggers that guide

behavior and attitude .Self competence: This involves a

realistic self-assessment of ones abil-ities and noting addition in them.

Self planning: Constant appli-cation of self improvement strategiesrelated to skills set in demand in theteam can lead to closer engagementwith team objective both at mentaland emotional level.

Self management: Based on thebasis of self insight, self competenceand self planning a comprehensivestrategy to treat oneself as an asset tothe team to be used in best possibleways individually in whatever role isassigned has to be formed.

Having addressed dimensionsthat recognise and value each indi-vidual of the team the leadership hasto focus on the team as an effectiveresult oriented unit working in per-

fect harmony.The onus is on the leader to knit

the team and each individual in it asa cohesive unit. And this requires himto take some proactive measures.

Putting team before self: Eachteam leader is as good as his teamdeserves to get higher importancefrom the leader than the leader.

Role clarity: Some of best inten-sive and suitably skilled endeavors falldue to lack of clarity. It is for this thatRole clarity that should be there foreach member of the team.

Batting for the Beleaguered vsBrick Bats: When situation does notwork on expectant lines and resultsare not forthcoming, the pressureemitted from the same can furtherdemoralise team members anddemolish the prospects of the team.The act of leader who stands by histeam in crisis determines whether theteam emerges from the experiencestronger and wiser or defeated.

A leader who is integral part ofthe team and is acknowledged andappreciated by all members for thesame would be more successful whenthe situation requires him/her toapply authority he wields.

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The Indraprasths University InternalQuality Assurance Cell (IIQAC), IP

University oraganised an award ceremo-ny to honour its students and staff for theirachievements in various fields.

The vice-chancellor of the universi-ty Professor Mahesh Verma said thataward is a testimony of hard work. DrJitendra Tripathi, Joint Secretary,University Grant Commission, the guestof honour, said that the activities of thecell will motivate other universities towork in a similar fashion.

The students who were awarded were:Akash Gautam, Anshu Dahiya, ApoorvaVashistha, Shelly Gupta, Prashant Kumar.

Arnav Tavetia, Ishant Shakya, Chetan andYogender Rathore from University Schoolof Biotechnology, Sunny (University Schoolof Law & Legal Studies), Sachin Kundu,Vikas Rana (University School ofArchitecture & Planning), MandeepSehrawat (University Svchool of Law &Legal Studies), Shubham Verma andJitender Singh Punia from UniversitySchool of Information, Communication &Technology, Deepak University School ofManagement Studies).

Two faculty members — Dr SatyabrataMohapatra, University school of Basic &Applied Sciences and Dr Manoj Kumar,University School of Information,Communication & Technology were alsoawarded at the occasion.

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In a bid to keep its personnel fit, the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) has collaborated with LPU to establish Institute of

Immunity and Nutrition Management at the Force Group Centrein Jalandhar, Punjab. The institute was inaugurated by DG CRPF,Dr AP Maheshwari. The institute will train the CRPF’s cooking-staff to prepare tasty and nutritious meals keeping the physicaland mental requirements of the force in mind.

The cooks from the CRPF will be trained and upskilled in20 different modules prepared by the faculty members of LPU’sSchool of Hotel Management. Through these modules, the fac-ulty will teach them cooking, hygiene, working with kitchen appli-ances, food storage and preparing different dishes.

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C������������������� �������(��������� �� ����������� ������ �����������K�C�����O������������ (����� ����� �����$�� '����4H*55C��/��F

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+���� �����������'����//.���!/CThe foundation plaque of

Indian Institute of Law(IIL) was unveiled by JusticeUday Umesh Lalit, Judge,Supreme Court of India;Justice BhushanRamkrishna Gavai, Judge,Supreme Court of India;and Justice VRamasubramanian, Judge,Supreme Court of India inBhubaneswar on February20, 2021. Manan KumarMishra, Sr Advocate andChairman, Bar Council ofIndia (BCI) & Bar Councilof India Trust (BCIT);

Ashok Parija, AdvocateGeneral, Odisha; DebiPrasad Dhal, Sr Advocateand Executive Chairman,BCIT; Prof AchyutaSamanta, AssociateManaging Trustee, BCITand Founder, KIIT & KISSand a host of legal luminar-ies graced the FoundationCeremony of Establishmentof Indian Institute of Law(IIL) by BCIT at KIITdeemed to be university.

IIL, being set up by theBar Council of Indiathrough its trust (BCIT)

with the support of KIITDeemed to be University,will be a model institute oflaw teachers’ academy forpromoting continuous legaleducation and researchalong with skill develop-ment of law teachers andpractising lawyers.

The institute will facil-itate young law schoolteachers of the country andadvocates to enhance theirexpertise, professional skillsand acumen. Speaking atthe Foundation Ceremony,Hon’ble Justice Uday Umesh

Lalit welcomed the estab-lishment of the IIL andcommended BCIT andKIIT Deemed to beUniversity for the step.“Continuing education isimportant in every profes-sion; it is part of everybody’slife. Perhaps, this is the firststep which will again imbibethe culture when we will behaving more and more suchinstitutes, and more andmore the idea of continuingeducation taking root ineverybody’s mind,” he stated.

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The SRM KattankulathurDental College and

Hospital has bagged the BestOutreach Programme Awardfrom The Indian Association ofPublic Health Dentistry(IAPHD). The college has beenrecognised for its best outreachactivity and is honored with USumithra & Ramanath BhatAward.

The department partici-pated in this category for theyear April 2019 to March 2020.The event which made itsentry in this category was theWorld Health Day which wascelebrated at the department inApril 2019.

The World Health Day(April 7) is marked with glob-al awareness on the preventionand control of diseases. Thisday was observed by the

department under the guid-ance of Dean Dr N Vivek andvice-principal Dr KT Magesh.

This event was an attemptinitiated by the departmentwhere doctors and internsfocused on undertaking oralhealth awareness programmesto different age groups as pre-scribed by WHO.

Programmes like puzzles,games and storytelling whichemphasize oral health wereheld at schools, communities,and oldage homes. Activitieson oral and general healthwith an added benefit of freescreening, treatment of basicoral ailments and referral sys-tem for complex procedureswas undertaken as well.

This was sent to theIAPHD and SRMKattankulathur Dental Collegeand Hospital was selected forthe award.

Understanding the psychology ofa child, arranging for their learn-

ing and getting rid of the hindrancesrelated to their learning is what wecan term as a child centeredapproach. Basically, the outlay is toprovide education keeping in mindthe interests, tendencies and abilitiesof the child.

Education is an important anduniversal subject for the societytoday. A privilege that one and all hasa right to. Education has helped ingiving direction and form to the soci-ety in every era. The education sys-tem is now changing as per the needsof the society. Earlier all educationmeant was providing knowledgeand information, but now it hasaltered a lot. Today education meansdeveloping the child’s innate powersand working on a holistic develop-ment and not just academic perfor-mance.

It is no longer believed thatteachers should be the only onesactive in the education process, butchild activism is considered equallycrucial. For the child’s effective activecontribution, it is necessary that heis provided such facilities, so that hemay get the opportunity to developthe strengths and abilities inherent inhim.

The National Education Policyhas also recommended that childrenare valuable assets of a nation, whichshould be carefully nurtured anddeveloped. Since, every child has dif-ferent development needs so, theireducation should also be made keep-ing in mind their particular interestand ability. The upcoming generationwill have to be educated in such a waythat they can develop confidence and

ability to constructively solve prob-lems with firmness while maintain-ing loyalty to human values andsocial justice.

Child-centered education meansthat the educational process shouldbe conducted while keeping thechild in the center. The child’s placeis important in today’s educationalsystem. Therefore, the teachers todayshould alter their teaching approachand emphasise on developingpartic-ular learning skills. A child’s learningdepends on his basic abilities ofthinking, contemplation, reasoning,imagination and sensory perception.

Children are always observingevery thing and event in theirvicin-ity.Learning is a never ending proces-sand the approach of learning has tobe layered keeping these things inmind. Modern educationists alsoconsider the child as the foundationof education, in this sense, the cur-rent education is called child-cen-tered, in which the education systemis determined according to the child.

Principles of child-centeredlearning

�The subject matter should beselected according to the qualificationof the children and their mental con-

dition should also be taken care ofwhile teaching.

�Sometimes student should betaught in a fun and interactive wayof learning, it can be through vari-ous creative games or through mod-ern education techniques.

�The curriculum under child-centered education should be flexi-ble, environment-based, knowledge-based and has to be as per studentsinterest.

�Teachers have to understandthe children before imparting knowl-edge therefore, teacher should be wellaware of the behavior, interest, abil-ity, mental level and environment ofthe children.

Role of a teacher: Every studenthas their own independent person-ality, who have theirpersonalthoughts and ideas. There are vari-ous values, which need to begroomed wisely by providing a holis-tic approach. The faculty plays a vitalrole in this direction. They need totake it upon themselves and carry outdifferent roles along with teaching.Teachers need to play a role of aguide, counselor, friend and leader.In other words, today the teacher’swork is not limited to teaching, butin also setting the right examples.

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Page 11:  · 2021-02-23  · Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna-tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200 …

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The fashion industry will see hugeamounts of innovation in comingyears as new technology and

changing customer trends and demandswill transform the industry which bringsmore new challenges for students.Apparel industry moves at breakneckspeed and due to COVID-19 outbreakhas sped up the pace considerably fash-ion industry operators have had toswitch to a multi-channel strategy andbecome more data-driven in their deci-sion-making. Here are few changesthat must be required in 2021 for theprofessionals working in the fashiondesign industry,

Data-Driven: Many stores andbrands use data to predict the rise andfall of trends. Predictive analytics con-sider everything from climate to colorpreferences, social media trends andpolitical movements. The benefits ofusing data in fashion are numerous fromonly producing pieces consumers willactually wear to reducing waste andconnecting the right consumers withpieces they will enjoy. Data also helpsbrands run more efficiently, givingthem room to innovate and balancesupply and demand.

Fashion brands now use data tounderstand and monitor their cus-tomer preferences, their shopping behav-iour and after analysing they createproducts that meet their needs.

Sustainability: Over recent yearssustainability has been one of the hottesttopics in terms of fashion because afterall, fashion is one of the most pollutingindustries on the planet. With fast-fash-ion taking over, clothes quickly becom-ing outdated, and being made withcheap materials it isn’t setting the worldup for much hope. But the tides arechanging, and brands are movingtowards more sustainable fabrics andmanufacturing methods. Althoughbrands are trying to incorporate moresustainable practices.

Digitalisation: Due to restrictionsof COVID-19, consumers increasinglyprefer the convenience and speed ofonline shopping, even if it means notbeing able to try an item on in person.Successful fashion brands of the future

won’t just make their clothing availableonline they will also create an immer-sive digital shopping experience with vir-tual showrooms, virtual fits or sizingtools and virtual style lists. The futureof fashion is happening online, andbrands will have to adjust how they cre-ate and sell clothing to make it work ina digital world. With more shoppers tak-ing advantage of online shopping, fash-ion retailers have to follow suit.

Fashion brands will also leveragetechnology like AR and VR to allow con-sumers to try on items digitally from thecomfort of their own homes.

Simplified: With many peopleworking from home and social dis-tancing for the foreseeable future, most-ly fashion brands have toned down theirstyling in favour of comfortableloungewear and clothing that works forsleeping and living. Even after the pan-demic, clothing will likely stay simpleand comfortable.

The new shift in fashion is to twocollections a year spring/summer andfall/winter. The future of fashion willfocus on customers and provide an inno-vative experience. The industry is con-tinually evolving, but changes in thefuture will create a more sustainable, cus-tomer-centric and efficient industry.

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Applications are open for theinternational scholarshipsfor the academic year 2021-

2022. This funding programme isadministrated by the FairleighDickinson University.

Indian students can apply.Award: Up to $22,000 per yearEligibility: Must have a high

school certificate with an excellentrecord. Supporting Documents: Toapply, candidates must be ready tosubmit the previous transcripts atthe university.

Undergraduate degree will beawarded in any subject offered bythe university

Admission requirements: Foradmission, applicants must meet allentry requirement of university.

Language requirement:Students need to demonstrate thatthey have a good level of written andspoken English.

How to apply: If you want toapply for this studentship then youare required to take admission in anundergraduate degree at the uni-versity. After being enrolled, appli-cants can apply through the onlineapplication form.

Application deadline: May 1,2021.

Applications are invited forStudy a Bachelor’s in the USScholarship providing a tuitionaward for undergraduate studentsfor the 2021 fall semester.

There is one scholarship of$5000 that will help you cover your

tuition and get you one step closerto your next great adventure. Theprogramme is open to studentsfrom any country who will bestudying a bachelor’s degree abroadat a college or university in the US.

Eligibility: You must haveapplied (or will apply) to a collegeor university in the US. You musthave applied (or will apply) for abachelor’s-level degree starting inthe Fall 2021 semester. The degreeprogramme must be studied eitheron campus or online via distancelearning from an institute based inthe US. You must hold or be eligi-ble to apply for a relevant study visa

You mustn’t be a US citizen andyou can’t currently reside in the USunless you’re currently studyingabroad. You must be at least 18 yearsold by the time of the applicationdeadline.

Admission requirements:Applicants must hold a previousdegree with excellent marks.

Language requirement: Mustbe proficient in written and spokenthe English language.

Supporting documents:Submitting a short essay (500-700words) that answers the question:Why did you choose the US as astudy abroad destination, and howwill it help you to shape your future?Proof of acceptance into a univer-sity in the form of a copy of youracceptance letter. Proof that you’vefinished high school in the form ofa copy of your transcript. A copy ofyour passport to prove your iden-tity

How to apply: Submit essay [email protected].

Application deadline: August31, 2021.

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At the beginning of the year2020, there were innumer-ous career predictions,

most of which fell flat. Since theoutbreak of the pandemic, a lot ofcareers have been impacted in oneway or the other.

The year will be distinctivelyremembered because of the par-adigm shift it has brought to theworld. With this shift, businessoperations, jobs and various ele-ments of the ecosystem haveundergone fundamental changes.

There are many industriesthat incurred losses and witnessedslowdown, which directly impact-ed employment situation in manysectors. However, sector likeHealthcare, Pharmaceutical, E-commerce, Ed-Tech and FMCGlogged growth even during thepandemic and many opportunitieswere created within the industries.

The need for specific andadvanced skills was already stem-ming up, but the pandemic furtheraccelerated the need. From hereon, agility and creativity will be thetop preferences for organisations,along with digitisation, as organ-isations re-imagine operations tomaintain continuity.

With this at the backdrop

there are certain career and skilltrends we see this year and willimpact the job market.

Digital competencies:Counted amongst the mostemployable new age skills, digitalskills are the most sought after.Considering the fact that workfrom is here to stay, employers willexpect their employees to be dig-itally savvy and socially fit. Skilledlabours in cyber security, webtechnology and social media willenjoy preferences of organisation.

Technology skills:Technology has influenced workworld over. We have all come along way from basic mechanisa-tion to complex technologies. Asthe global supply chain sufferedimmensely due to the COVID-19pandemic, with the trans-borderrestrictions; it further pushedcompanies to go local. With thisaccelerated adoption, companieshave realised that these technolo-gies ensure high productivity andis also cost effective. This acceler-ated adoption of technology, war-rants niche domain knowledge oftechnical skills like mechatronics,robotics, data architect and net-working software coders fordesigning platforms

Analytical skills: This is skillsthat has always been appreciatedby employers, as it helps in futureplanning and decision making.Making the right decisionalthough involves a lot of datacrunching, but only an analyticalmind can put it in the right per-spective. Moreover these skillsare also essential for various otherfunctions such as financial plan-ning, customer satisfaction, mar-keting strategies.

Communication and socialskills: Along with the above men-tioned technical skills, communi-cation and social competencies toget along with colleagues are skillsorganisations are looking for tocreate a good work culture. In viewof the uncertainties launched bythe pandemic, employers are look-ing for proficiencies like ability tocommunicate eloquently with clar-ity of thoughts and the capabilityto align self with business objec-tives. Alongside, good social skillswill be greatly appreciated as itencourages group and peer-to-peer learning.

Growth outlook: Continuedlearning mindset is one thingthat every employer will be happyto hire. Despite being a very basic

skillset, it is very important andrelevant considering the currenttimes, more so, to deal with aftereffects of the pandemic. Growthmindset reflects learnability andopenness of mind for constructivecriticism. Business growth andself-growth demands the capabil-ity and the willingness to adoptand adapt. Apart from willingnessto learn, the growth mindset alsospeaks volumes of a person's risk-taking abilities, creativity andinnovation.

Organisations across theworld have relooked their HRstrategies to ensure productivity,cost effectiveness and socialengagement. Alongside, organi-zations are also investing in a sup-portive work environment thatalso encourages learning. Suchinvestment and initiatives willcontinue over the next few years.

It is of utmost importance foran individual to keep upgradingskills in order to stay relevant tothe corporates and work. In thepost COVID world, the revival ofeconomy will warrant organisationto have skill-based approach, whilehiring their workforce.!���� ���� ����� ����������� ���(� ���

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Dr Sekar Viswanathan, vice-presi-dent, VIT has announced the GVMerit Scholarship and Tmt. The

Rajeswari Ammal Merit scholarship isaimed at supporting candidates enrollingat the university’s BBA, Law, BCom, BScand BA programmes, in addition to theflagship USR activity STARS pro-gramme.

Dr S V Kota Reddy, vice-chancellor,VIT-AP expounded that the scholarshipis for any Board topper. Under this schol-arship, the student will get scholarship forall years of the UG programme.

Dr CLV Sivakumar said that inorder to avail the scholarship, the can-didate must be a district topper from anyState. The student is eligible for a 50 percent scholarship on the tuition fee. If thedistrict topper is a girl, she will get anadditional 25 per cent scholarship (mak-ing it a 75 per cent scholarship).

The university offers the followingprogrammes under general manage-

ment with specialisation in BusinessAnalytics, Fintech and Digital

Marketing, in BA LLB (Hons - five years),B Com with dual degree programmes.This programmes is unique since it offersthe fundamentals of CMA, CA, CFA andACS embedded in its three-year pro-gramme. The university aslo offers BAand MA in Public Services and BSc andMSc in Data Science.

These two merit scholarships can beavailed by all candidates appearing for theUG non-engineering programmes forthe academic year 2021.

The last date to apply is May31, 2021. For details visit:www.vitap.ac.in or write to [email protected]. One can call7901091283 and speak with DrR Thahiya Afzal, assistant direc-tor, Admissions, VIT-APUniversitys

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Page 12:  · 2021-02-23  · Sarnath and Gaya, the Government had said at the time of granting the interna-tional status to the airport. The Central Government had also said around 200 …

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Avirgin Motera strip hasbecome the big talkingpoint as India captain

Virat Kohli prepares the rightpink ball questionnaire to trou-ble a spoilt-for-choice Englandin the day-night third Test start-ing here on Wednesday.

Ahmedabad as a cricketingvenue has been witness to a lot

of cricketing feats in Indiancricket — from Sunil Gavaskar’sfamous late cut to complete10,000 runs in Tests to KapilDev’s best bowling figures of 9for 83 and also him eclipsingRichard Hadlee’s then worldrecord of highest wickets.

On Wednesday, IshantSharma joining Kapil as the sec-ond Indian pacer to play 100Tests would add to the momen-

tous occasion and Kohli scoringa hundred is just what the55,000 odd spectators, whowould be allowed in, mightcrave for.

The refurbished Sardar PatelStadium looks colossal underlights but the first Test match inmany years would mean thateven the home team wouldn’texpect a lot of advantage.

It would prefer a square

turner to go 2-1 up in a high-stakes game but whether it actu-ally gets one remains to beseen.

As senior opener RohitSharma was clear in team’schoice of surface — a turner thathelps Ravichandran Ashwin andAxar Patel just like Joe Rootwould have opted for a green topat the Headingley or the OldTrafford.

There are a few more ques-tions that would demandanswers.

How would the twilightperiod be for the batsmen asJames Anderson feels that theball swings more in that phase?

Will the extra lacquer on the‘SG Test Pink’ make it difficultfor the Ashwin-Axar combowhich wreaked havoc on theChepauk snake pit?

And with a 2:30 pm start,how much will the dew have abearing during the final session?The ball would be difficult togrip at that point for slowbowlers and the pitch, despitegrass being shaved off, mightease out with ball skidding offthe surface.

When there are so manyunknown variables that warrantfactoring, any captain would liketo assess conditions.

Umesh Yadav passing thefitness test was good news forthe Indian camp as KuldeepYadav is likely to be droppedfrom the playing XI.

Umesh, along with Ishantand the now injuredMohammed Shami, had pol-ished off Bangladesh twice insidesix sessions in the inaugural PinkTest match in Kolkata.

But this England team, withJoe Root, Ben Stokes, JonnyBairstow, will pose a far greaterchallenge.

Hardik Pandya has beenkept with the Test team with an

eye on his bowling workload butit’s not known whether the teamthinks that he is Test matchready.

Pandya taking the load of amaximum 15 overs per inningson a turner could provide morebalance to the playing XI and hisbig-hitting can tilt any game inIndia’s favour.

For England, with MoeenAli back home as part of work-load management, Dom Bessis expected to be back along-side Jack Leach in the spindepartment. However,whether Anderson and JofraArcher will have Stuart Broador Mark Wood for company isstill not clear.

Also, talented batsman ZakCrawley could be back in theplaying XI in place of RoryBurns while Jonny Bairstow canreplace Dan Lawrence at num-ber three.

��� 07#5"0�0"

England skipper Joe Root onTuesday said he is yet to have

“real clarity” on what should behis bowling combination for theday-night third Test and willwait some more before finalis-ing it.

“We’re going to take ourtime with the limited informa-tion we have on this ground andpink ball cricket. You know, weare going to make sure, we giveourselves as much (time) as pos-sible heading into the gamebefore we make a decision,”Root said on the eve of thematch.

The England think tankhas a selection headache both in

bowling and batting depart-ments.

In bowling they have JofraArcher fit and available alongwith veteran pace spearheadJames Anderson, who is back infray after workload manage-ment kept him out of the sec-ond Test. Stuart Broad is also incontention for a spot.

“It’s great to see him(Archer) back bowling again, weare excited. He is a world classperformer and have got all theskills...It’s a very exciting placeto be to have now a battery offast bowlers to choose from,”Root said.

Root hinted that they’reweighing a three-seam optionwith the possibility of playing

both Anderson and Broadtogether as the pink ball willhave “a bit more lateral move-ment”.

“Yeah, they have got achance and as I say it’s a greatselection headache to have...The fact that there might beextra lateral movement willobviously work in our favour aswell,” Root said.

Senior wicketkeeper bats-

man Jonny Bairstow has alsoreturned to the squad and itremains to be seen whether theycan keep in-form Ben Foakesout or play both of them.

“We will get you the squadwhen we’re ready... That’s howwe want to do things. We justwant to make sure, we’re reallysure on everything. When we’reabsolutely ready we’ll give youthe full squad together.”

��� 07#5"0�0"

Ravichandran Ashwin hasproved to be England’s

nemesis in the first two Testsand, well aware of his abilitiesnow, visiting skipper Joe Rooton Tuesday described the Indiaoff-spinner as a “world-classperformer” in all conditions.

Ashwin has already taken17 wickets in the series so farand is expected to add somemore to his kitty in the thirdTest.

“Yeah, he (Ashwin) is aworld-class performer. I thinkit’s been quite tricky for every-one but as you mentioned, inparticular, the left-handers isagainst him... Because youknow how skilful he is, howgood his record is against left-handers in world cricket,” Root

said.The 34-year-old Ashwin

has been Virat Kohli’s go-toman in this series. Besides hisnine wickets in the first Testand eight in second, Ashwinhas also scored a century on aChepuak track, where most ofthe specialist batsmen strug-gled against the turning ball.

“So, he is a fine performerat home and guys just have tokeep working hard to try andfigure out how they’re going toscore every run,” Root added.

He also lauded youngwicketkeeper Rishabh Pant forhis batting skills but said hegives the opposition chances.

“We know Rishabh isextremely talented but he willgive you a chance, and we justgot to be ready to take thatwhen it comes,” said Root.

��� 07#5"0�0"

Arank turner is being antic-ipated at Motera but India

captain Virat Kohli expectspacers to have as big a role asspinners in the day-night thirdTest against England, a side rid-dled with “many weaknesses”according to him.

Both teams have won agame each in the four-matchseries and ahead of third Testhere starting on Wednesday,the talk has been incessantlyfocussed on the nature of thevirgin track at the refurbishedstadium.

Asked if the ball is unlike-ly to swing much in the thirdTest, Kohli said he expects thepacers to be in the game till theball is “nice and shiny”.

“I don’t think that is anaccurate assessment (that bowlwill not swing). The pink balldoes tend to swing a lot morethan the red ball. We experi-enced that when we played forthe first time in 2019 (againstBangladesh),” Kohli said in thepre-match press conference.

Kohli also rejected theassessment that England wouldhave an edge if the pitchfavours pacers.

“...Not really botheredabout what the strengths andweaknesses of the English teamare. We have beaten them intheir home as well, where theball does way more and holdthem out every time so we’renot really bothered with that.It’s just about playing well as ateam,” he said.

“And yeah, there are many,many weaknesses in the oppo-sition side as well, if you arekeen to exploit them. If it’s aseamer friendly track for them

it’s for us as well.“And we probably have,

you know, among other teams,the best bowling attack in theworld so we’re not really both-ered by what the ball mightbring differently to the table.We’re ready for anything thatcomes our way,” he asserted.

Kohli said facing the pinkball is more challenging thanthe red ball irrespective of thenature of the surface.

“It is much more chal-lenging to play with pink ball

regardless of the pitch youplay on. Especially in theevening, if as a batting team,you are starting your inningsunder lights then that one anda half hour is very challenging,”he said.

“Yes spin will come intoplay for sure but I don’t thinkthe new ball and fast bowlerscan be ignored. The pink balldoes bring them into the gametill the ball is nice and shiny,something we are very wellaware of and preparing accord-ingly,” added Kohli.

Talking about the experi-ence his team has gained fromthe two outings, Kohli said:“Last time we experienced thatthe first session is probably thenicest to bat when the sun isout and ball doesn’t do much.But when it starts to get dark,especially during that Twilight,it gets very tricky.

“The light changes, it’s dif-ficult to see the ball and thenunder lights, it is like playingthe first session in the morning.In a normal Test match the balldoes tend to swing a lot (inmorning). So, I think it’s areversal of roles and somethingthat you need to adjust toquite quickly,” he explained.

��� B08*/9

Mumbai rode on skipper ShreyasIyer’s unbeaten 103 to beat

Maharashtra by six wickets in their EliteGroup D game of the Vijay HazareTrophy here on Tuesday.

This was Mumbai’s second successivewin after they had beaten Delhi in thelung-opener.

Opting to bat first, Maharashtraposted 279/9, with centuries from YashNahar (119) and Azim Kazi (104) despiteexperienced Mumbai pacer DhawalKulkarni (5/44) running through theirtop-order.

But it was Iyer, who anchored theMumbai chase and saw them home in47.2 overs.

Chasing 280, Mumbai openersYashasvi Jaiswal (40) and Prithvi Shaw(34) conjured 67 for the first wicket.

Iyer, who walked in at three, was inhis elements and hammered nine bound-aries and one six, in his unbeaten knock,he found able partners in SuryakumarYadav (29), Shivam Dube (47) as they

played their roles to perfection.In other matches of the group, Delhi

beat Pondicherry by 179 runs whileRajasthan lost to Himachal Pradesh byfour wickets.

CHANDIGARH ON TOPKolkata: In Group E clash at EdenGardens, Chandigarh continued theirgiant-killing run in their Elite debut,stunning hosts Bengal by five wickets.

Fresh from their win over neigh-bours Haryana, Chandigarh who wereplaying their second domestic seasonchased down Bengal’s 253/9 with sevenballs to spare to climb up to the top ofthe group table, ahead of Saurashra onnet-run rate.

Saurashtra secured a thrilling one-wicket win over star-studded Haryana atthe 22 Yards Academy in Saltlake.

Hosts Bengal, who made a groupstage exit in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s,dropped to third spot with one win anda loss.

Elsehwhere at JU Second Campusground in Saltlake, Jammu & Kashmir

beat Services by three wickets.

UK’S SECOND WINChennai: Opener Jay Bista starred witha 61-ball 71 as Uttarakhand outplayedManipur by seven wickets for their sec-ond consecutive win in Plate Groupencounter.

Sent in to bat, Manipur lost the open-ers by the sixth over and the rest of thebatsmen struggled against a disciplinedbowling attack.

In reply, Bista continued his goodform with a knock of 71 (8 fours, 2 sixes)to follow up his 141 on Sunday againstMeghalaya to set up the win. He added113 runs for the first wicket with KamalSingh (41) and set the platform forUttarakhand’s win.

Assam also notched up their secondwin, beating Arunachal Pradesh by fivewickets to join Uttarakhand at the top ofthe standings with eight points.

In another match, Mizoram wentdown by 29 runs to Nagaland despitetons by Pratik Desai (141) and TaruwarKohli (108).

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ROBERTSON’S BRACE TAKES RKFC TO TOPKolkata: #���� 9�.�����I� ����� .����� ������ ���������9����>������'$�.����0�C����'$��-(����������� ���� ������� ���� 8-6������ ��.������ ����A@�>�!���������� ��� ����� � 0����� �� �������� ������ ��� �����0�C���� '$� ���� ���� �������� 6���������� ��� ���� F����������6������0�����I������������������������������.���.��9�.�����������������������������!���6�����������������������

INDIA TO PLAY OMAN & UAE IN MARCHNew Delhi: ���� 8����� ���I� ����� ����� ����� ����������������� ���������K �������?�������#����� =���/�����0��.�5����������#����� +������08''����������� ����������������������.���������"�.�� �0������������������������ ���������������� ������������� ������������.������������������#�����(= ������������������.���������"�.������������������8����!������������������������������������������������������������ �

HALEP PULLS OUT OF QATAR OPENParis: &�������.��� ������!������7�����������������������������I�N�����?���������������������&�0������ ��������� ��� ����� � 7��� ���������� ���������� 0��������� ?���� 1������-������ ��� ��� !�����&������ � 2/������������� 8I��� ����� ��� ��������� 8���I�� ����� ��� .�� .���� ��� "���� ����� �����3� ��������1��������������������8������� �!�������������������������.��������������#�����(-F�����������

DEEPAK IN Q/F OF STRANDJA MEMORIALNew Delhi: 0���� !�����-�������� "������ >����P= ��Q���������������1�������������������������������8����� .����� ���� ���� ��� �� ����� ����� ��� ���� E �!������� #�������� ����������� ��� !���� � "������������?�C����������C���=-%���������������.����������� ���� ���-������ ���� � ?����� ������� ��� #�����������4������>�����P+(��Q��������������B����P=(��Q�������������I���� �7��������!�����$�����PF%��Q�� 6������ PF+��Q� ��� !����� P=E��Q� ���� �������������.�������.�������������������������

UPUL THARANGA ANNOUNCES RETIREMENTColombo: A�������!���6������������/��������������������� ��������� ��� ����������� ����� ��������������������� ������ �� ������� �������� (=� ����� ��� ���������������������������.������������������� �����������F�� ���� ��� ��� ���� ����� ����� B���� ��� 4����.��� �� %(E��������������������������������������������������!�����0��������� %(+ �28��������������������������������������� ��������3� ��������� ������ ��� ��� ������������ �7��������������������������?"8��������F+=(������������ �=����������������

INDIA-SA SERIES IN LUCKNOW FROM MARCH 7New Delhi: ����/�����*�����$�������0����������������� ��������� ����� ��� ����� .�� ������� ���� �����-�����������������������.����������������I��������8�������!�����0���������6������������#�����E ����?"8����������������-�����������.�����������#�����E�+�� ( �� ()� ��� (E� ��� ����� .�� �������� .�� ���� � %������� ��� #����� %�� (� ��� )� ����� ���� ����� �������� ��� .�� ������ ����� ������ ��� ���� 5����8�������������!����� ����� ��

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A“patriotic” Mustafizur Rahman onTuesday said he is willing to skip the

upcoming Indian Premier League fornational duty and be available for nextmonth’s Test series against Sri Lanka ifpicked in the squad.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board(BCB) has allowed its players, includingMustafizur, to participate in the IPLdespite the fact that the lucrative T20league is likely to clash with their inter-nationals assignments.

But the left-arm pacer, who waspicked up by Rajasthan Royals for �1crore, has decided to give precedence tonational duty. “I will do what BCB asksme to do. If they keep me in Test squad

(for the tour of Sri Lanka) then I will playTests and if they (BCB) don’t keep mein Test then they know what I shoulddo,” Mustafizur told reporters beforeleaving for New Zealand.

“My first priority is to play for mycountry and if I am picked in the Testseries against Sri Lanka, I will natural-ly play. If I am not picked then BCB willtell me that I am not included. At thatpoint, if I am given NOC to play in theIPL then I will play but patriotism comesfirst for me.”

The Test series in Sri Lanka will befollowed by a three-match ODI rubberin May but the fixtures have not beenfinalised yet.

CLAUSES IN CONTRACTSPremier all-rounder Shakib Al

Hasan’s request seeking a longer stint inthe IPL has left the Bangladesh CricketBoard “disappointed” and it has decid-ed to add new clauses in the players’ cen-tral contracts to avoid a similar situationin future.

Signing the annual contract withnew clauses would ensure the playerscommit themselves to playing forBangladesh. “We will enter into a newcontact with the players (for 2021),” BCBpresident Nazmul Hassan told reporters.

“It will be mentioned clearly whowants to play which format. They haveto inform us. If they have any otherengagement, they have to be clearabout their availability.

��� 07#5"0�0"�

England’s lead spinner Jack Leachsays he is ready for a new role as the

day/night pink ball Test against Indialooks set to bring the seamers back intothe forefront after the tweakers’ dom-ination in the first two matches.

Leach is aware that with the pinkball, which tends to move around a lotmore than the traditional red cherry,his role could change over the next fewdays.

“We want to be adaptable, we feellike we’ve got all bases covered in oursquad so I think it’s going to be a fas-cinating Test match if the ball is mov-ing around, and if so, it might be aslightly different role for me,” Leachwrote in Sky Sports.

“I’ve definitely thought about that— it’ll be a different challenge and I’llbe ready.”

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India captain Virat Kohli onTuesday lauded Ishant

Sharma’s commitmenttowards Test cricket, sayingthe veteran pacer couldhave easily prioritisedwhite-ball cricket to pro-long his career but choseto focus on the longest for-mat instead.

The 32-year-oldIshant is set to becomeonly the second Indianpacer after the legendaryKapil Dev to play in 100Tests when he takes thefield in the day-night

third match on Wednesday.“It’s a great achievement in mod-

ern day cricket. To maintain your bodyand play 100 Tests, it’s rare to see a pacerhave such longevity these days. Hecould have easily prioritised white-ballcricket but full credit to him that he did-n’t,” Kohli said at the pre-match pressconference.

“A lot of people even lose theirmotivation. He has the skills, if he want-ed he could have improved his fourover, 10 over cricket and played in theIPL regularly, or presented himself inT20 and ODIs. But he gave his fullcommitment to Test cricket,” Kohliadded.

Ishant last played in an ODI in2016 and a T20I match in 2013.

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