· ayyappa devotees to undertake nama japa yatra (rallies in which the participants recite hymns...

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The Kerala High Court onMonday came down heav-

ily on the State Governmentwhile hearing a series of peti-tions filed by various Hinduorganisations challenging therestrictions imposed atSabarimala, the holy shrine inthe Western Ghats.

Justices RamachandraMenon and N Anil Kumarlambasted police for “blatantviolation of human rights”against women devotees andchildren who were taking restat the covered walkway at theshrine on Sunday night bypumping water to make themleave the spot.

The State had a sleeplessnight on Sunday following thecrackdown by police on devo-tees who were taking rest at thewalkway and were recitinghymns and Ayyappa devo-

tional songs. Police arrested 69devotees, threw down theirholy “Irumudikettu”, (the bun-dle containing offerings to thedeity which could be openedonly inside the sanctum of thetemple) and assaulted them forreciting Ayyappa hymns.

They were taken to a courtin Pathanamthitta, and wereremanded in 14 days custodyunder non-bailable sections of the IPC on Monday and sentto Central Jail at Thiruvananth-apuram. This led hundreds ofAyyappa devotees to undertakeNama Japa Yatra (rallies inwhich the participants recitehymns and devotional songs inpraise of Lord Ayyappa) at police stations across the State.

The rallies concludedpeacefully but not before someof them were assaulted bypolice. The devotees staged aNama Japa Yatra in front ofCliff House, the official resi-

dence of the Chief Minister inthe Capital city.

The High Court while

hearing the petitions filed byHindu organisations onMonday took police to task for

their actions which were not insynch with a pilgrimage centre.

Continued on Page 4

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Prime Minister NarendraModi on Monday inaugu-

rated at Sultanpur village inGurugram the long pending83-kilometre stretch betweenManesar and Kundli of theKu n d l i - Ma n e s a r- Pa l w a l(KMP), also known as WesternPeripheral Expressway (WPE).

The PM also inaugurated�580 crore 3.2 km-longBallabhgarh-Mujesar Metrorail link project, which wouldfacilitate travel for people ofDelhi and Faridabad, and laidthe foundation stone of the ShriVishwakarma Skill University,which will come up at Dudholain Palwal district.

Ballabhgarh becomes thefourth city in Haryana to getMetro connectivity afterGurugram, Faridabad andBahadurgarh.

With the inauguration ofthe Kundli-Manesar section ofthe KMP Expressway, the entirestretch of 135-km highway,which is intended to ease con-gestion by bypassing Delhi onits western border, is now openfor traffic.

Addressing a public gath-

ering in Sultanpur later, Modisaid with the inauguration ofthe KMP project, Ballabhgarh-Mujesar rail link and the foun-dation stone of the skill varsi-ty being laid, Haryana hastaken one more step towardsall-round development.

Inaugurating the express-way, Modi said, “It is a signif-icant day for Haryana and itwill bring about a transportrevolution in the State. He alsoblamed the previous Congressregime in Haryana for creatingobstacles and delaying devel-opment projects.

“Work was going on this(KMP) Expressway for 12years. You should have gotthis expressway 8-9 years back.It was to be used during the(2010) New DelhiCommonwealth Games. Thisshows the work culture of theprevious Government whichencouraged delays and wastageof public money,” Modi said.

During a public rally atSultanpur, the PM recountedthe achievements of hisGovernment in developinginfrastructure in the country.

Continued on Page 4

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Four people, including twowomen, were charred to

death after they were trappedinside a narrow cloth launder-ing unit in Beedanpura area ofKarol Bagh on Monday. Thetragedy struck when “solvent”,a chemical used for ironingclothes made of cotton, spilledon to the floor and caught fire.

Delhi Fire Services ChiefFire Officer Atul Garg said fire-fighters received a call at 12.23pm regarding the fire in ahouse at street number-3 inBeadonpura following whichtwo fire tenders were rushed tothe spot and fire was broughtunder control by 12.50 pm.However by then the four haddied in the blaze.

“The owner of the illegalunit Ajay Khurana (45) hasbeen arrested. The bodies havebeen handed over to the fam-ilies concerned after post-mortem. A case under Section304 of Indian Penal Code hasbeen registered at Karol Baghpolice station and investigationis underway,” said AmitSharma, Additional DeputyCommissioner of Police(DCP), Central district.

Detailed report on P2

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Atop Dubai court onMonday ordered the extra-

dition of British national andalleged middleman ChristianMichel, who is wanted by the Indian investigative agen-cies in the �3,600 croreAgustaWestland VVIP chop-pers deal case.

Michel, 54, is currently injail in Dubai since he wasarrested and sent to custodypending the legal and judicialprocedure in the UAE.

The Court of Cassationupheld on Monday a lowercourt order which ruled thatMichel could be extradited,dismissing appeals filed by his defence lawyers, PTIquoted Khaleej Times as havingreported.

Judge Abdelaziz AlZarouni, who headed thebench, pronouncedthe decision in thepresence of memberjudges MusabehThaaloub, Mostafa AlShinawi, MahmoudSultan and anotherjudge, report said.

On Monday, Michel’s

lawyer Abdul Moneim sub-mitted documents showingthat courts in Switzerland andItaly had ruled not to extraditehis client.

“The judicial authoritiesthere concluded that there wasno criminal element in thecase,” the lawyer argued. Earlier,he argued at Dubai’s highestcourt that the extraditionrequest procedure of Michelwould be a “violation” of theinternational treaty signedbetween the UAE and India.

Continued on Page 4

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Andhra Pradesh ChiefMinister Chandrababu

Naidu called on his Bengalcounterpart Mamata Banerjeeon Monday as part of his effortto bring the Opposition partieson one platform to topple theBJP in the next year’s LokSabha polls.

After the meeting, Mamatasaid everyone would be the faceof a “mahagathbandhan” and they would fight togetheragainst the BJP to save the nation.

Naidu said the proposedNovember 22 meeting of anti-BJP parties in Delhi had beenpostponed and it will now beheld sometime before theWinter Session of Parliamentbeginning December 11.

“We wanted to meet onNovember 22 (but) because ofelections we want to make itbefore Parliament (Winter)Session,” said Naidu, addingthose who were opposing theBJP will join and discuss (thefuture plans).

“We will chalk out a pro-gramme to move forward andtake this momentum furtheron the agenda to protect thenation,” he said.

Incidentally Mamata hadbeen among the earliest lead-ers to call for an Oppositionunity through Federal Frontagainst the BJP in which shefloated the “one against one”theory according to which shesaid, “the parties that are strong in a particular placeshould fight the BJP and theremaining parties should sup-port them.”

Talking to the reportersafter the meeting, the TDPchief said the BJP Governmenthad crossed all the limits of“intolerance towards theOpposition parties and theminorities” and was using theCentral agencies like CBI, ED

and Income Tax Department toharass and malign them.

In fact these premier insti-tutions, including the Reserve Bank of India andCAG, were under “severe pres-sure” from the Government toserve its interests, he said.

The two leaders, who metin Kolkata for about an hourand a half, said majority anti-BJP parties have expressedtheir opinions to unite for thesingle-most important cause ofousting the BJP from power.

Both leaders are in touchwith their Opposition parties’counterpart like Congress president Rahul Gandhi, for-mer Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, his son and

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, NationalConference’s Farooq Abdullah, DMK chief MKStalin and others.

Meanwhile, the Bengal BJPon Monday staged road block-ades in Kolkata and districtheadquarters protesting allegedattacks on State BJP presidentDilip Ghosh and senior leaderJoy Banerjee. The two leaderswere attacked allegedly byTrinamool workers in Hooghlydistrict while they were return-ing from a meeting.

Blockades were staged atMidnapore, various places inKolkata, Hooghly, Asansol andelsewhere, sources said.

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Aday before the scheduledhearing on the fate of CBI

Director Alok Verma’s petition,agency DIG MK Sinha onMonday filed an explosive affi-davit in the Supreme Courtaccusing National SecurityAdviser Ajit Doval, CabinetSecretary PK Sinha, LawSecretary Suresh Chandra,CVC KV Chowdary andRAW’s Dubai Officer SamantKumar Goel and Minister forState Haribhai ParthibahiChowdhary for trying to saveCBI Special Director RakeshAsthana from corruptioncharges.

In his affidavit, the CBIDIG accused Doval of inter-fering in the bribery investiga-tion against Asthana and pre-venting searches on the premis-es of suspects. Sinha, who wastransferred while probing bribecharges against Asthana, alsoclaimed that a Union Ministerof State took “a few crores” tohelp a businessman underinvestigation.

Challenging his transferto Nagpur, Sinha said he pos-sessed “documents that willshock the court”. However,rejecting his request for anurgent hearing on Tuesday,Chief Justice of India RanjanGogoi shot back, “Nothingshocks us.”

Sinha claimed after theGovernment sent Verma andAsthana on “forced” leave andtransferred the entire teaminvestigating charges against

Asthana, he heard an officertelling “things have been man-aged and everything is fine”.

In his affidavit, the CBIDIG also accused the CabinetSecretary and the LawSecretary of even intervening toscuttle the CVC’s probe whichis monitored by the SupremeCourt. Sinha also detailed thepressure he faced in arrestingManoj Prasad, who is co-accused with Asthana forallegedly accepting bribe frombusinessman Sana Satish Babu,associate of controversial meatexporter Moin Qureshi.

“On the morning ofOctober 16, 2018, accusedManoj Prasad was interceptedat Delhi Airport on his arrivalfrom Dubai and brought to theCBI Headquarters. During thefirst few hours of his arrival onCBI Headquarters, Manoj wasgarrulous and arrogant, both atthe same time and in equalmeasure. He was interviewedby the applicant (DIG MKSinha) and others. He tried hisbest to ward off the investiga-tion by dropping names of‘high and mighty’ and men-tioning his ‘top contacts’ to cre-ate fear in our mind.

“As per Manoj Prasad,Dineshwar Prasad, father ofManoj and Somesh, whoretired as RAW Joint Secretary,has close acquaintance with theNational Security Adviser AjitDoval. This was one of the firstthings Manoj claimed on beingbrought to the CBI HQ as heexpressed complete surpriseand anger as to how the CBI

could pick him up despite hisclose links with NSA Doval,”said the CBI DIG’s affidavit.

“He started bragging andclaimed that his brotherSomesh is very close to an offi-cer in Dubai (name withheld)and to Samant Goel, presentlyRAW Special Secretary, and hecan get us finished off/kickedout. Manoj taunted us thatyou people have no standingwhatsoever and thereforeshould stay in limits and lethim free. He claimed thatrecently his brother Someshand Samant Goel helped theNSA on an important person-al matter. He further claimedthat India opted out of a con-test from INTERPOL.” saidthe affidavit filed by Sinha.

Continued on Page 4

Mumbai: Signalling a tempo-rary truce, the Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) and theGovernment on Mondayagreed to refer to an expertcommittee the contentiousissue of appropriate size ofreserves that the RBI musthold, while restructuring ofstressed loans of small busi-nesses would be considered bythe Central bank.

The setting up of the com-mittee, whose members will bedecided by the Governmentand the RBI, followed amarathon nine-hour meetingof the central board that dis-cussed threadbare issues thathad brought the RBI and theFinance Ministry at logger-heads.

“The Board decided toconstitute an expert committeeto examine the ECF, the mem-bership and terms of referenceof which will be jointly deter-mined by the Government ofIndia and the RBI,” the Centralbank said in a statement.

The capital base of the RBIis �9.69 lakh crore, and inde-pendent director and Swadeshiideologue S Gurumurthy andthe Finance Ministry have beenwanting it to be lowered in linewith global practices.

Continued on Page 4

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Benched Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI)

Director Alok Kumar Vermaon Monday filed his responseto the findings of the CVC’spreliminary probe report oncorruption charges against himin a sealed cover in theSupreme Court. Verma’s replycame after the SC told him todo so “as quickly as possible” asthe scheduled Tuesday hearingwould not be deferred.

Verma, who was asked by

the SC to file his response tothe Central VigilanceCommission’s (CVC) reportin a sealed cover by Monday 1pm, sought some more timefrom the SC for filing his reply.

However the Bench, head-ed by Chief Justice RanjanGogoi and comprising justicesSK Kaul and KM Joseph, toldVerma’s lawyer GopalSankaranarayanan, “We are notshifting the date (of hearing).You file it as quickly as possi-ble as we will have to read it.”

Continued on Page 4

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Delhi Customs officials onMonday claimed to have

arrested a 45-year-old man atIndira Gandhi International(IGI) airport for allegedly tryingto smuggle foreign currencyworth nearly �96 lakh into thecountry. According to customsofficial, the accused was inter-cepted on Saturday when he wasproceeding to board a flight toDubai.

“The man was stopped bycustoms official and a detailedbaggage and personal search of

the passenger resulted in therecovery of $58,400 and Euro65,100 equivalent to �96.2 lakhwhich the passenger had con-cealed in the falls of sarees(being carried by him),”said thecustom official.

“We have seized the forexand the accused is arrestedunder the provision of section104 of custom act. The accusedhad disclosed that he hadsmuggled foreign currencyamounting to �80 lakh duringhis past two visits adopting thesame modus operandi,” said thecustom official.

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In a bid to provide a safe heathand sanitation for the

women, a group of IndianInstitute of Technology (IIT-Delhi) student has created acheap and affordable device —Sanfe- stand and pee’ for thewomen to have a nature’s callin the public toilets.

Marking the World ToiletDay, the IIT-D incubated start-up launched this device onMonday called Sanfe. Thedevice will protect the womenfrom diseases such as UrinaryTract Infection (UTI) cause dueto poor sanitation and unhy-gienic condition of the publictoilets.

“Dirty public toilets any-where in the world are a bigproblem especially for women.In emergency one use theunhygienic public toilet andmany suffer from UrinaryTract Infection (UTI) by usingpublic toilets. Witnessing theproblems faced by our ownmother, sister and femalefriends, we thought to create aproduct to help and protectthem from facing such painfulproblems,” said ArchitAgarwal, co-founder of Sanfe,is also a final year B.Tech stu-dent, IIT.

The device was developedby the two B.Tech final yearstudents Archit Agarwal,Harry Sehrawat includingSrinivas Venkataraman fromthe Department of Design.

The pee-safe device whichwas tested and approved by theAll India Institute of MedicalSciences (AIIMS) will be avail-able for just �10 With launch-ing the device the team hasalso launched a campaign -

’Stand Up For Yourself ’ toaware the women about safepee and sanitation.

“Lack of hygiene in publicwashrooms exposes one out ofevery two women to UrinaryTract Infection (UTI). Withthis female stand and peedevice one can maintain a safedistance from the toilet seatsand protect themselves fromthe possibility of getting infect-ed. Also, around 100,000 freesamples will distribute towomen across the country,“said Harry Sehrawat.

The product will be furthervery useful for pregnantwomen, women with arthritis,physically disabled at publictoilets at railway stations, trains,bus terminals.

“Innovation needs to beaccessible, affordable and sus-tainable. It’s high time forwomen to stand up andimprove their hygiene level,”said Professor SrinivasanVenkataraman.

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With 710 fresh casesof dengue report-

ed over the last oneweek in the nationalCapital, the total num-ber of people diagnosedwith dengue this seasonhas reached to 5,623,according to the latestreport released byM u n i c i p a lCorporations. However, thenumber of cases reported lastyear till the time was 8,549.

The report also stated thatthree new cases of malariahave also been reported, takingthe total number of cases to 870this year. However, the numbersof Chikungunya cases stand at375 with no new cases havebeen reported this month so far.

The municipal corpora-tions had put all the possibleefforts to contain the vector-borne diseases and that yield-ed a positive result, a seniorcorporation official said. Thedengue breeding checkers ofthe municipal corporationshave found mosquitoes breed-ing in nearly 227818 house-

holds during the inspectionand served 181970 legal noticesfor developing the favourableatmosphere for breeding intheir houses or premises.

According to the datareleased by all three corpora-tions, which are grappling withrising number of cases of thevector-borne diseases, the areasfalling under the three munic-ipal corporations, the cases ofbreeding reported were 71552in areas of North Corporation,94208 and 62058 cases underareas fall under south and eastcorporation respectively.

Further, the three civicbodies have also launched25731 prosecutions after breed-ing was found, the report said.

According tomunicipal health offi-cials, most of the breed-ing detected in wasteproducts left in open.Domestic breeding ofmosquitoes is one of themain reasons responsi-ble for people contract-ing these diseases, hesaid.

Noticing increasingcases of vector-bornediseases, all three civic

bodies had issued an advisoryon prevention and control ofvector-borne diseases andcalled for prevention of breed-ing at the source and made itclear that taking precaution isthe only effective tool for pre-vention and control of thesediseases.

Dengue and chikungunyaare caused by the bite of Aedesagypti mosquito, which breedsin clear water, while Anophelesmosquito, which causes malar-ia, can breed in both fresh andmuddy water. In one of theworst outbreak, a total of12,221 chikungunya cases werereported in Delhi till December24, 2016, out of which 9,749were confirmed.

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Four people, including twowomen, were killed and

one injured in a fire incident ata laundry factory inBeedanpura area in Karol Baghof national Capital on Mondayafter a solvent used for laun-dering clothes spilled out onthe floor accidentally andcaught fire, said police.

People died after one ofthem, a heavily built man, gotstuck at the exit door whileescaping the building andblocked the route for others, saidofficials, adding that the DelhiPolice has registered a case andhas arrested as Ajay Khurana(45) — owner of the illegal unit.

The deceased people havebeen identified as BaganPrasahad (55), RM Naresh(40), Aarti (20) and Asha (40).A 25-year-old man, namedAjeet, was injured and is stillundergoing treatment in thehospital. “We received a callaround 12:23 pm regardingthe fire incident in a house at street number-3 inBeadonpura area near KarolBagh following which fire ten-

ders were rushed to the spot,”said Atul Garg, Chief FireOfficer at Delhi Fire Service

(DFS) adding that two firetenders brought the fire undercontrol by 12.50 pm.

“The victims were rushedto the nearby hospital wherefour were declared brought

dead while one injured is stillundergoing treatment,” saidthe Chief Fire Officer.

“Initial probe suggestedthat the victim, Ajeet, wasabout to steam iron clothes andwas putting solvent in a con-tainer when it spilled on thefloor and came in contact withthe steam iron triggering thefire,” said a senior police offi-cial. “The owner identified as Ajay Khurana (45) is arrest-ed. The bodies were handedover to family members after post-mortem examinationwas concuted. We have registered a case under section 304 of Indian PenalCode (IPC) at Karol Baghpolice station and furtherinvestigation is going,” saidAmit Sharma, AdditionalDeputy Commissioner ofPolice (DCP), Central District.

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Beedanpura in Central Delhiis home to hundreds of ille-

gally running units and narrowpassages and serpentine lanesare virtual death traps for thepoor labourers working there.On Monday in one such inci-dent, four workers lost theirlives after a fire broke out in alaundry unit that was being runillegally in a house at centraldistrict of Karol Bagh. What iseven more painful is the factthese lives could have beensaved, had the civic authoritiessealed this illegal unit.

“This is not the only illegalunit in the area. Gali (street)number-30 — cramped, dirtyand jumbled — at Beedanpuraarea in Karol Bagh of nationalCapital have several small ille-gal factory in four-stroyedhouses running just stone’sthrow away distance fromzonal office of North DelhiMunicipal Corporation(NMC)”, said a resident plead-ing anonymity.

All these units exist inextremely small premises,which are mostly stuffed withgoods, not allowing any venti-lation into the room. Most ofthe buildings do not have asanction plan and have illegal-ly added a third or a fourthfloor to the already existingstructure.

According to a seniornorth corporation official, mostof these unregulated industryhubs have emerged in low-middle class residential areas,unauthourised colonies andslum clusters.

“These illegal hubs are nota part of the conforming indus-trial areas and hence do not fol-low labour laws or fire-safetynorms. The workers here alsosleep inside,” said a senior offi-cial of NMC. The official fur-ther said that in an intensivesurvey carried out in differentresidential areas by the northcorporations, thousands of pol-luting and non- polluting unitsfor producing plastic bags,rubber or chemicals and oth-ers found running in non-confirming areas such as KarolBagh, Mundka, Kamruddin

Nagar, Nilothi, Swarn Parkand Tikri Kalan. The licensingteam of corporation hadalready sealed 516 factories inShahbad Daulatpur,Prahladpur and Pooth Khurdfor running factories in non-conforming areas, he said. Theaction would be initiatedagainst all these units soon, hesaid.

Action was taken on thebasis of a list of 51,837 industriesprovided by the Delhi StateIndustrial & Infrastructure

Development Corporation(DSIIDC) to three municipalcorporations in June this year.

Farhan, a worker in thearea told The Pioneer he hadbeen working here in a denimfactory in the area for last fiveyears. “I work on daily basisand earn Rs 400 per day. Thisincident is shocking for us andI agree there is no provision forus to escape if there is sometragedy or a fire incident but forliving we have work,” saidFarhan.

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The Ghaziabad Police havearrested two criminals in an

encounter on Sunday mid-night. Police said the culpritsidentified as Suraj and Ranvirtried to f lee the spot during the vehicles checking conducted jointly by crime branch and Sihani

Gate police.The suspects opened fire at

the police team after a team fol-lowed them. In retaliation,police also opened fire in whichboth sustained of bulletinjuries, police said. A policeconstable also sustained bulletinjuries in cross firing.

He was admitted in near-by Kailash hospital and his con-

dition is said to be stable. SP City Shlok Kumar

said both were taken to the MMG Hospital and stablenow.

During screening it wasfound that they were involvedin over dozen criminal cases ofdacoity, loot and murder in dif-ferent district of Sonipat,Baghpat and Ghaziabad.

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With the arrest of ninepeople, including a juve-

nile, the Delhi Police has solvedthe murder and robbery case ofa 57-year-old medical practi-tioner Dr Iqbal Qasim inJahangirpuri, police saidMonday.

Police said the murder wasthe result of a well-plannedconspiracy where the familiesof the key conspirators werealso involved.

On November 12 last, DrIqbal Qasim was strangled todeath and he was robbed ofmore than �5 lakh in cash and�5-6 lakh worth jewellery.

Part of the cash �5,50,000 and 70 per cent of thejewellery were recovered bypolice.

The incident occurredwhen his daughter, a schoolteacher left home at around7.30 am last Monday. On

Friday, one of the accused Vishal Rawat wasarrested. During his interroga-tion, the whole plan was uncov-ered.

“While MohammadAmmar and a juvenile played the role of “informer”,Rizwan alias Nesty, Rizwanalias Rijju and Vishal Rawatalias Bunty executed the rob-bery-cum-murder at the doc-tor’s residence,” Deputy

Commissioner of Police (Northwest) AslamKhan stated.

“After executing the murder, the trio distributed

the “booty” among them and handed over the same totheir parents and acquain-tances for safe custody,” said theDCP.

Following which, the trioplanned to visit Shimla andKashmir.

When put to sustained interrogation, theydisclosed the names of all connected with the crimeincluding the receivers of therobbed property.

“Legal action is being taken against all of them which include parents andfriends of accused.

The family and friendsinvolved were identified asSandhya Rawat, Raju Rawat,Riyasat and Afroz,” said the DCP.

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Extension of the Violet Linefrom Escorts Mujesar to

Ballabhgarh was finally thrownopen to the public by thePrime Minister Narendra Modivia remote control on Monday.With the opening of this twoelevated station Sant Surdas(Sihi) and Raja Nahar Singh,the Delhi Metro network hasnow become 317 kilometreslong with 231 stations.

The passenger servicescommenced for the passengersfrom 5 pm on wards. Now, theentire Violet Corridor will con-nect till Raja Nahar Singh fromKashmiri Gate. The DMRCestimates that around 2.14 lakhof people residing in theCentral, south east, Faridabadand other nearby parts will bebenefitted with operational ofthese two stations.

"All trains, which till nowwere operating till EscortsMujesar, will go up to RajaNahar Singh. A total of 40trains will be operational on theentire Kashmiri Gate — RajaNahar Singh corridor," said a

Delhi Metro rail Corporation(DMRC) official.

The official further addedthat the Delhi metro also madeanother foray into the NationalCapital Region (NCR).

Ballabhgarh will become thefourth city in Haryana to getmetro connectivity afterGurgaon, Faridabad andBahadurgarh.

As per the DMRC, now the

Line-6 will become 46.6 km.currently, the 25.8 km of metrolines are operational acrossHaryana. After the opening ofthis section, the total length ofthe network in the state hasbecome 29 km. All trains run-ning on this section have beenmanufactured in India, accord-ing to the DMRC.

The Raja Nahar SinghMetro station of this sectionwill be integrated with theBallabhgarh Railway stationand the interstate bus terminalof Ballabhgarh directly with afoot over-bridge, which is cur-rently under-construction.

"A peak hour frequency ofsix minutes and 48 seconds willbe maintained on this sectionbetween Badarpur and RajaNahar Singh on weekdays,"the DMRC said.

�� "+/�'+0(,

Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal has directed all

the heads of departments(HoDs) of the DelhiGovernment to redress publicgrievances on "top priority".Kejriwal issued the directiveswhile he held a review meetingwith the HoDs on the func-tioning of the Government’sPublic Grievance MonitoringSystem (PGMS) on Monday.

According to an officialrelease from the CM office,"The CM will hold meetingswith the HoDs twice a monthto personally review the func-tioning of the PGMS. Thedepartment heads have beenasked to review the cases ofthose individuals who areunsatisfied with the grievanceredressal done by the respectivedepartment", it said.

No complaint should beleft unattended and it must beresolved within the time limit(15 days) specified by thedepartment, it stated.

The government shareddepartment-wise complaintdata according to which 39,449complaints were receivedagainst the Delhi Policebetween February 2015 toNovember 16 this year at the

PGMS. Of which, 1,937 com-plaints were overdue whichcould not be resolved within 15days of receiving the same.

A total of 2,59,512 com-plaints have been received ingovernment departments dur-ing the same period.

It stated that 94,205 com-plaints were received at all thethree municipal corporationsruled by the BJP.

"The chief minister willhold meetings with the HoDson 15th and 31st (or whichev-er will be the last working dayof the month) to personallyreview the PGMS functioning,"the statement said.

In the meeting, Kejriwaltold the HoDs, "Since the gov-ernment stands committedtowards public welfare, it isimportant that individualgrievances of the residents of

Delhi are duly addressed with-in the specified time limitgiven by each department."

The chief minister alsosaid, "It has to be the top mostpriority of all the HoDs toensure that no grievanceremains unattended and aftera grievance is resolved thereshould be no dissatisfaction ofthe citizens with the concerneddepartment."

According to the state-ment, the CM told the officersthat figures of those not satis-fied with the redressal of theirgrievances must be broughtdown by the Delhi governmentdepartments.

"Priority of the governmentand its officers has to be towardsthe public and their grievancescannot be left unresolved at anycost," the statement quotedKejriwal as saying.

�� "+/�'+0(,�

In two months span, DelhiGovernment has received a

sizeable number of documentspertaining to different schemesunder its flagship DoorstepDelivery (DSD) scheme.Importantly, the Governmentof National Capital Territory ofDelhi (GNCTD) is mulling toadd 30 more services into itsambit.

According to DelhiGovernment's official data-base, the total number of15,621 documents have beenreceived till date. It may berecalled that the DelhiGovernment on September 10of this year, had launched DSDto ensure to end the nexus oftouts to earn money from peo-ple by being mediator. Duringthe initial days of DSDlaunched, the total number ofcalls connected was 71,637.

Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal had directed that nocase submitted by the 'MobileSahayaks' to any of the depart-ments be rejected by thedepartment without theapproval of the Minister-in-charge.

"The present Governmentfeels that various cases arerejected at the lower levels onthe pretext of one or the other'discrepancy' in the applicationfor the purpose of taking bribein lieu of getting the job done

or getting the case/applicationapproved," the DelhiGovernment statement quoted.

Kejriwal also directed thattime limits prescribed for thedelivery of the services underthe scheme must be adhered toin totality and strictly. RtheChief Minister had also made

it clear that no violation of timelimits would be tolerated at anycost. The Government feels that some corrupt officialsdelay a particular application or request intentionally to force the applicant to pay in lieu of getting the job donequickly.

�� "+/�'+0(,

The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) defended its Punjab

leader HS Phoolka who wadedinto a controversy with hisremarks on a grenade attack inAmritsar, saying he has alreadyregretted it and should not bedefamed.

Commenting on thegrenade attack in Amritsarthat claimed three lives,Phoolka had on Sunday toldnews channels that "the Armychief came and made a state-ment. To prove his statement,he could have orchestrated theattack".

However, the AAP MLAon Monday regretted his state-ment, saying it was "inadver-tent". "Please see the wholevideo. An inadvertent state-ment made standing on road isbeing blown out of proportion.Ihave stated that history is evi-dence of that fact thatGovernments in the past have

caused violence to further theirinterest (sic)," he had tweeted.

He said one should notreach a conclusion withoutdetailed, impartial inquiry andregretted his remark. "Like inlast year's Maur blast, no oneshould reach a conclusion with-out detailed impartial investi-gation.Even a moderate personlike me who has always beenagainst Khalistan-think so. Iregret statement that may havepurported to be against theArmy Chief (sic)," he said inanother tweet.

The army chief had earli-

er this month said that attemptsare being made through "exter-nal linkages" to "revive insur-gency" in Punjab and Assamand if early action is not taken,it will be too late.

Senior AAP leader andRajya Sabha member SanjaySingh defended Phoolka,emphasising his role as a lawyerwho fought for 1984 anti-Sikhriot victims.

"HS Phoolka has regrettedhis statement. He should not becommented upon anddefamed. He should be givencredit for fighting the anti-sikhriots cases for 35 years," Singhsaid.

Phoolka had resigned asthe Leader of Opposition in thePunjab Assembly last month,protesting over the state gov-ernment's alleged "failure" toinitiate action against formerchief minister Parkash SinghBadal and retired DGPSumedh Singh Saini in sacri-lege incidents.

�� "+/�'+0(,

During the first five days ofthe 38th India

International Trade Fair (IITF)-2018, only two cases of pick-pocketing and minor theftswere reported.

The cases were registered during the businessdays of the fair, the DelhiPolice officials told The Pioneeron Monday.

"Two FIRs were registeredduring the business daysagainst three women. The firstFIR was registered against awoman for pick-pocketing of�4,000 and the other one wasagainst two women for minortheft of at various cosmeticsstalls," said a senior DelhiPolice official. The accusedwere detained immediately inboth the cases he added.

"The woman in the firstcase belonged to Jahangir Puriand was caught red-handed bypolice while trying to steal �4,000 from a visitor's wallet. Inthe second case, the womenbelonged to Rohini Sector-24.They were also detained," hesaid.

This year, no case of eve-teasing has been reported sofar, said the official. As per theofficial, last year, more than 55reports were registered duringthe Trade Fair out of which twowere for eve-teasing. The restwere registered for minorthefts, he added.

"The size of the fair hasbeen reduced to 25 per cent ofits capacity this year due to

some construction work. Only25,000 people per day are beingallowed inside which could bea reason behind the less num-ber of crime this year," he said.

Apart from that, the effec-tive measures to tackle thecrime are also being taken, hesaid.

"The staff has beendeployed in shifts, so nobody gets tired and everyoneis alert. Also, we have severalpolice officers patrolling incivil dress. Also, we have all theinformation about the peoplewho were arrested in previousyears, so if they enter, our eyesare on them and we are keep-ing an eye on all such suspects,"he said.

Besides this, measures likeSWAT teams, Anti terroristmeasures, Bomb DetectionTeams (BDT), ObservationTowers, Morchas, patrollingparties are there. CCTV cam-eras have also been installedeverywhere in the area for sur-veillance, he added.

�� "+/�'+0(,

Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal will go to Sonipat

on Wednesday to give ex-gratiaof �1 crore to the family of BSFjawan Narender Singh, who wasbrutally killed by Pakistan forceson the IB near Jammu inSeptember.

It came days after the AAPGovernment approved a pro-posal to amend a rule on givingex-gratia of �1 crore to the kinof slain security personnel toinclude those who have settledin the national Capital afterjoining service. AAP's Haryanaconvener Naveen Jaihind said,"The chief minister will go toSonipat on November 21 to giveex-gratia of �1 crore to the kinof slain BSF jawan NarenderSingh." In September 21,Kejriwal had also visited thenative village of Singh, whowas brutally killed by Pakistanitroopers along the InternationalBorder (IB) near Jammu.

�� "+/�'+0(,

Delhi's airq u a l i t y

remained 'verypoor' on Mondaydue to slow windspeed and highhumidity, author-ities said.According to theC e n t r e - r u nSystem of AirQuality and WeatherForecasting (SAFAR), the over-all air quality index (AQI) wasrecorded at 326, which comesunder 'very poor' category.

The Central PollutionControl Board (CPCB) datasaid 20 areas in Delhi record-ed 'very poor' air quality and 13recorded 'poor' air quality.

On Monday, the PM2.5 -particles in the air with a diam-eter of less than 2.5 microme-tres - level was recorded at 174,while the PM10 level wasrecorded at 320, the CPCB datasaid.

The air quality inGhaziabad, Faridabad, Noidaand Greater Noida was 'poor'while Gurgaon recorded 'mod-erate' air quality, it said.

An AQI between 0 and 50is considered 'good', 51 and 100'satisfactory', 101 and 200'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor',301 and 400 'very poor', and401 and 500 'severe'.

Air quality is very poor andexpected to increase graduallyin next two two to three daysbut well within 'very poor'limit, the SAFAR said in areport.

"At present, winds areunfavourable for dispersionbut it may slow down any timewith fall in temperature whichis expected.

Humidity is still highwhich is unfavourable. Firecounts from stubble burningdeclined and will have marginalimpact," it said.

�� "+/�'+0(,

The Delhi Police crimebranch have arrested five

people and busted a gang ofinter-State train robbers whowere wanted in a case of crim-inal assault and robbery wherethey had stabbed a personmultiple times to rob him of�20,000 on a running train.The accused persons werearrested from Mukarba Chowkon Sunday.

Police revealed that tencases of train robbery and theftwere worked out with theirarrest. The accused were iden-tified as Vikram (46), Vicky(23), Rajinder (43), Sonu (25)and Mustakim (52).

"Information was receivedon Sunday that the gang mem-bers would be coming to

Mukarba Chowk. Under theoverall supervision of DeputyCommissioner of Police (Crime)Dr Joy Tirkey, a trap was laid andthe five were arrested. Three ofthe accused were found carry-ing sharp paper cutters they usedto commit crimes on trains,"Additional commissioner ofPolice (Crime) Rajiv Ranjanstated.

"During interrogation, allfive admitted to their involve-ment in the Sarai Rohilla rail-way station case on September16 this year where they stabbeda person multiple times androbbed him on a running train.The gang members furtherdisclosed involvement in nineother cases registered at variouspolice stations of Railways,Delhi," Ranjan said.

The gang members men-

tioned that they usually tar-geted women passengers trav-eling alone or careless maletravelers and rob them. Thegang members surround andoften intimidate the victimbefore robbery. Immediatelyafter robbery the gang mem-bers would jump of the mov-ing train.

The gang also revealed thatin the year 2016, they had ascuffle among the group andone member Vikram was bru-tally beaten up by the rest of thegang.

A case of attempt to culpable homicide had beenregistered on Vikram's com-plaint at Punjabi Bagh policestation. However, the gangmembers resolved their issuesand started working togetheragain.

�� "+/�'+0(,

ADelhi court on Mondaydirected RJD chief Lalu

Prasad to appear before it onDecember 20 through videoconference in connection withthe IRCTC scam case.

Special judge ArunBharadwaj passed the directionsafter he was told that theaccused could not appear beforethe court, as per earlier direc-tion, owing to his ill health.

The court directed the CBIand ED to ensure Lalu's pres-ence from video conferencefrom the hospital, if he is stilllodged there, or from jail.TheED, meanwhile, opposed the bailapplication of Prasad's wifeRabri Devi, son Tejaswi Yadavand others on the grounds thatthey were influential personswho could hamper the probe ifgranted the relief.

�� "+/�'+0(,

Delhi Bhartiya Janta Party(BJP) president Manoj

Tiwari asked party-ruledmunicipal corporations onMonday to purchase machinesfor cleaning of septic tanks andsewers to prevent deaths due tomanual scavenging in the city.

Speaking at an eventorganised by SulabhInternational here on WorldToilet Day, Tiwari saidalthough sewer cleaning comesunder the Delhi governmentbut municipal corporationsneed to equip manual scav-engers.

"Mayors of the threemunicipal corporations should

order as soon as possible pur-chase of machines for cleaningof septic tanks and sewer toprevent deaths due to manualscavenging," he said.

A machine purchased by

Sulabh International formechanical cleaning of sewersand septic tanks was launchedon the occasion.

Founder of SulabhInternational BindeshwarPathak said the machine will be

deployed for mechanical clean-ing if needed by civic bodies.

The mayors gave their nodfor ensuring mechanical clean-ing of septic tanks and drains.

The sewer cleaning job inthe national capital is a respon-sibility of city government'sagency Delhi Jal Board. EastDelhi mayor Bipin Bihari Singhsaid the machines could bepurchased through SwachhBharat fund.

His South Delhi counter-part Narendra Chawla alsostressed on the need formechanical cleaning of drainsand sewer saying Delhi gov-ernment should release pend-ing funds of corporationsenabling them to do so.

�� "+/�'+0(,

Upping the ante on the issueof deliberate omission of

names from the voters' list inSouth Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) convener and DelhiChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday accused theBJP of getting voters' namesdeleted from electoral rolls inDelhi as a "last resort" to avoiddefeat in the next Lok Sabhaelections.

Hitting back at the AAP,Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwarisaid it was expressing "hope-lessness" by mounting an attackon the Election Commissionover alleged deletion of namesof 15 lakh voters.

Kejriwal's attack on theBJP came a day after his partyleader Raghav Chadha termedthe EC's enquiry into thealleged deletion of names fromthe voters' list in Tughlaqabadas "farcical".

The EC had conducted adoor-to-door survey in LalKuan and Harikesh Nagar areasof the Tughlaqabad Assembly segment to verifyAAP's claims that "over onelakh votes were deleted inSouth Delhi since the lastassembly elections in 2015".

"BJP is losing. This seemsto be the last resort of BJP.

They have got lakhs ofnames deleted from voter lists.Hope EC wud take immediateaction (sic)," Kejriwal said in atweet.

In a letter to Chief ElectionCommissioner O P Rawat,Chadha demanded a freshinquiry into the alleged dele-

tion of names. Delhi BJP chief Tiwari

claimed the AAP is staring atdefeat in the Lok Sabha pollsand is now attacking the ECwhich proves its "anarchic"nature.

"Terming the EC's verifi-cation exercise farcical andhogwash proves the AAP'sanarchic nature. The commis-sion should ensure actionagainst them," Tiwari said.

An AAP delegation hadmet the chief election commissioner earlier thismonth, alleging that names ofover 10 lakh voters, mostly sup-porting the AAP and theCongress, were deleted in Delhisince the 2015 Assembly elec-tions.

The District ElectionOfficer of South East Delhitermed the AAP's charge "base-less" and said the verificationexercise on the complaint of theparty was conducted in a trans-parent manner.

The officer also denied the AAP's charge that a list of deleted votes was not pro-vided to political parties inDelhi.

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DSD is a 24x7 helpline andany citizen of Delhi can

dial 1076, the call centre takesall details and inform aboutthe required documents forfurther procedure. By paying�50, an appointment would bebooked.

A Mobile Sahayak carry-ing a biometric machine and

camera visits home , and thisis how a delivery processstarts, the applicant gets aconfirmation text.

DSD includes certificatesfor marriage, birth, caste,income and disability, besidesdriving licences, ration cars, domiciles and water con-nections.

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Narsinghpur/Betul/Dewas(MP): BJP chief Amit Shah onMonday trained his guns at thesaffron party's political rivals,saying they were sufferingfrom "Narendra Modi phobia",and sought votes for the rulingparty to throw "infiltrators" outof the country.

Addressing a series of ral-lies ahead of the November 28Assembly polls in MadhyaPradesh, where campaigninghas picked up momentum,Shah said Congress presidentRahul Gandhi was raising ahue and cry over the issue ofidentification of "infiltrators" inAssam, but ignoring the rightsof martyrs. Speaking atNarsinghpur, he asked theCongress to give an account ofwhat did the four generationsof the Nehru-Gandhi family dowhen they ruled the country.

"The Opposition is suffer-ing from Narendra Modi pho-bia. They just want to get ridof Modi from the PrimeMinister's post, while we wantto get rid of poverty, insecuri-ty and air pollution among

others," Shah said.He lauded the Centre for

the Army's surgical strikes onterror launchpads across theLine of Control (LoC) post theUri terror attack in 2016.

"When the Uri terrorattack took place, the entirecountry was angry. Modiordered the surgical strikesand made India the thirdcountry in the world after theUS and Israel to avenge thekillings of its soldiers," Shahsaid. During the days of formerPrime Minister ManmohanSingh's Government, terroristsfrom Pakistan would sneakinto India and escape after car-rying out explosions, he added.

At another rally in Betul,the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) chief slammed Gandhi,saying he had created a furore

over identification of infiltra-tors. "We have done the job ofidentifying 40 lakh infiltratorsin Assam. On this, Rahul andcompany have raised a lot ofhue and cry. They saw in it aviolation of their (infiltrators')rights. But they do not care forthe rights of the martyredcountrymen," he said.

"Should infiltrators bethrown out or not?," he askedthe crowd, adding, "Vote forShivraj (Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhan) in 2018 and theModi Government in 2019. Wewe will flush them out com-pletely from Kashmir toKanyakumari."

"For us, the nation's secu-rity comes first," Shah said.

Taking a jibe at Gandhi forthe Congress not declaring itschief ministerial candidate inMadhya Pradesh, he asked,"Who is your commander?Why have you not declaredhim? How will they do it asthey have a raja (king), amaharaja and a tired industri-alist." PTI

*�� &��

New Delhi: The SupremeCourt on Monday said it hadquashed an FIR against BJP MPAnurag Thakur and others ina case related to allegedencroachment of land for theconstruction of theDharamshala cricket stadiumby "mistake".

A bench of justices A KSikri and S A Nazeer was toldby the counsel appearing forformer Himachal Pradesh ChiefMinister Virbhadra Singh, whohas been arrayed as a respon-dent in the case filed by theHimachal Pradesh CricketAssociation (HPCA), that theNovember 2 order of the topcourt should be recalled first.

On November 2, the apexcourt had quashed two FIRsagainst Thakur, his father andformer Himachal Pradesh chiefminister Prem Kumar Dhumaland others in two separatecases — one related to allegedirregularities in granting landon lease for the construction ofthe Dharamshala cricket sta-dium and another pertaining toalleged encroachment ofGovernment land.

Senior advocate P SPatwalia, appearing for Thakurand others, told the bench thatthere was no need to recall theorder as the main FIR wasalready quashed by the court.

The counsel representingSingh said the November 2order should be recalled as theapex court had by mistakequashed a separate FIR againstThakur and others in connec-tion with a case related toalleged encroachment of land,where staff quarters of theeducation department of thestate was situated.

He said no argument wasadvanced by them in the sec-ond FIR, which was quashed bythe court "by mistake". PTI

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New Delhi: The AustralianGovernment has cautionedIndian nationals who want tolive permanently in Australiaagainst organised contrivedmarriage scams targeting SouthAsians.

The warning came afterAustralian Border Force (ABF)shut down a contrived mar-riages syndicate operating outof Sydney, with a 32-year-old

Indian national facing courtover his alleged role as the mainfacilitator.

Four Australian citizenstoo are facing charges of con-vincing individuals to fraudu-lently marry non-citizens seek-ing to obtain permanent resi-dency, the Australian HighCommission here said in arelease titled 'warning aboutfake marriage scams'.

It said the long runningoperation by the ABF also result-ed in 164 foreign nationals hav-ing their applications for a "part-ner visa" refused after they werelinked to the syndicate.

None of the participants inthis scam obtained permanentresidency. Some of these clientspaid significant amounts ofmoney, for no immigrationoutcome, it added. PTI

From Page 1Verma’s reply will deal with

the CVC report, which was cat-egorised into four parts by theapex court as “complimentary,very complimentary, not socomplimentary, and veryuncomplimentary” for the CBIDirector.

The SC on November 16had directed Verma, AttorneyGeneral KK Venugopal andSolicitor General Tushar Mehta--- who were also suppliedwith the confidential report ofthe CVC --- to maintain secre-cy, saying it was needed toensure people’s faith in theCBI as an institution.

Earlier, the apex court hadsaid the CVC had made some“very uncomplimentary” find-ings in its probe on corruptionallegations against Verma andwanted further investigationinto some of the charges whichrequired more time.

FromPage 1“Regarding genuineness of

this claim of Manoj, no attemptwas made to verify the claimregarding NSA Doval,” saidthe affidavit filed by Sinha. Hesaid later he found that ManojPrasad’s information aboutIndia opting out from Interpolwas factually correct.

“When the IO, AK Bassi,came to know that SamantGoel/ Somesh had stoppedtalking and were exchangingWhatsApp messages, he insist-ed that we need the cellphonesets of the public servants as theevidence is likely to be storedon the device and that searchbe conducted. The CBI

Director did not give immedi-ate permission and revertedthat the NSA has not permit-ted the same,” said the affidavit.

The CBI DIG in his affi-davit also said that duringinterrogation they found thatManoj Prasad and brotherSomesh Prasad were in regulartouch with Rakesh Asthana andSomesh Goel. He said thatthere were several WhatsAppmessages to prove this “dubiouslinks.” The officer further saidhis team has records of con-versation between RakeshAsthana and Samant Goel,when Manoj Prasad was intheir custody.

The affidavit filed by Sinhabrings to light the role of theCabinet Secretary PK Sinha inprotecting Astana. “In themorning of October 17, 2018,a call came from the DCP of

Special Cell of the Delhi Policeon the mobile of InvestigatingOfficer AK Bassi, DSP, CBI,who did not take the call. Lateranother Inspector of SpecialCell called up and sought toknow if Manoj has been arrest-ed. Enquiries revealed that thequery had originated from theCabinet Secretariat.”

Further, the interesting partis how a Minister in the ModiGovernment intervened withthe DoPT to protect Asthana.“As per Sana, Shri Haribhai(Minister of State) had inter-vened with the senior officersof CBI through the office of theMinister of Personnel, PublicGrievances and Pension, towhom, apparently, the CBIDirector reports to,” said theCBI DIG.

He also said that CVCChowdhray also met Sana tosave his relative from theseissues. The officer said thatthe CVC and Asthana werealso in touch during thesedays. “Sathish Babu Sana alsodisclosed that he met CVCKV Chowdhary along withone Gorantla Ramesh (closerelative of Chowdhary andowner of Delhi Public SchoolHyderabad, as per Sana)somewhere in Delhi (exactdate and location was notinformed) and that they dis-

cussed Moin Qureshi’s case.As per Sana, in the year 2011,Gorantla Ramesh sold someland and gave around Rs 4crore out of the said sale con-sideration to Sana, in thesame month, in which Sanahad given Rs 50 Lakhs toMoin Qureshi. Therefore,Gorantla Ramesh was exam-ined by CBI in the MoinQureshi’s case.

“As per Sana, subsequent-ly, CVC Chowdhary calledRakesh Asthana to his resi-dence and made enquiries.Asthana informed the CVCthat there is not much in evi-dence against them. There is noillegality in this, but the sameis put on record here for thesake of completeness. No ver-ification was undertaken andthe same is based on disclosuremade by Sana”

“On October 23, 2018, theapplicant herein was informedby DIG/DD (SU) that someonespoke to Samant Goel (whowas in Chandigarh at thattime) and asked to help him towhich Samant Goel repliedthings have been managedwith the PMO and everythingis fine. The same night theentire investigating team wasshifted,” said CBI DIG pointinga finger at the PMO.

The CBI DIG also said that

on November 8, Sana wasadvised by Law SecretarySuresh Chandra to saveAsthana from the SupremeCourt monitored CVC probe.He said that IAS officer RekhaRani met Sana to contact theLaw Secretary. The womanIAS officer was owner of Sana’soffice premises. According toSana, Chandra told him that hewas talking to him on behalf ofCabinet Secretary PK Sinha.“Sana spoke to him onWhatsApp on the evening ofNovember 8. The Union LawSecretary, Suresh Chandra, saidhe was in London for somework related to the Nirav Modicase, that he was trying to con-tact him for last 4/5 days inorder to convey message ofCabinet Secretary PK Sinhathat the Union Governmentwill offer full protection tohim, that there will be a dras-tic change on Tuesday (13th)and that he (Sana) should meethim (Suresh Chandra) onWednesday(14th),” the peti-tion says.

Responding to the allega-tion, the Law Secretary toldmedia that the allegations weretotal baseless. “This is all false.I never went to London, Idon’t know who Satish Sana orRekha Rani is. It is completefabrication,” said Chandra.

From Page 1The expert committee to

be set up will now decideabout the adequate size of cap-ital base.

The central board headedby RBI Governor Urjit Patel,which met amid the on-goingtussle between the FinanceMinistry and the central bankover various issues, discussedthe Basel regulatory capitalframework, a restructuringscheme for stressed MSMEs,bank health under PromptCorrective Action (PCA)framework and the EconomicCapital Framework (ECF).

Patel and his deputies cameface to face with governmentnominee directors —Economic Affairs SecretarySubhash Chandra Garg andFinancial Services SecretaryRajiv Kumar — and indepen-

dent members like SGurumurthy to arrive at amiddle ground on some of thecontentious issues.

According to sources, novoting on any proposal tookplace and a detailed presenta-tion was made by DeputyGovernor NS Vishwanathanto the board. Vishwanathan isthe incharge of banking regu-lation and supervision.

The Board also advisedthat the RBI should consider ascheme for restructuring ofstressed standard assets ofMSME borrowers with aggre-gate credit facilities of up to Rs25 crore, subject to such con-ditions as are necessary forensuring financial stability.

Most of the RBI’s 10 inde-pendent directors, includingTata Sons Chairman NChandrasekaran, attended themeeting that had drawn intensemedia and market attention.

With regard to banks

under Prompt CorrectiveAction (PCA), it was decidedthat the matter will be exam-ined by the Board for FinancialSupervision (BFS) of the RBI.

Of the 21 State-ownedbanks, 11 are under the PCAframework, which imposeslending and other restrictionson weak lenders. These areAllahabad Bank, United Bankof India, Corporation Bank,IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Bankof India, Central Bank of India,Indian Overseas Bank, OrientalBank of Commerce, DenaBank and Bank ofMaharashtra. The PCA frame-work kicks in when banksbreach any of the three key reg-ulatory trigger points — name-ly capital to risk weighted assetsratio, net non-performingassets (NPA) and return onassets (RoA).

Globally, PCA kicks inonly when banks slip on a sin-gle parameter of capital ade-

quacy ratio, and the govern-ment is in favour of this prac-tice being adopted for thedomestic banking sector aswell.

The Board, while decidingto retain the capital adequacyratio or CRAR at 9 per cent,agreed to extend the transitionperiod for implementing thelast tranche of 0.625 per centunder the Capital ConservationBuffer (CCB), by one year,that is up to March 31, 2020.

CCB currently stands at1.875 per cent and remaining0.625 per cent was to be met byMarch 2019, as per the dead-line fixed by the RBI.

According to sources, thenext meeting of central boardof the RBI is scheduled to beheld on December 14.Amid growing tensions withthe central bank, the FinanceMinistry had sought discus-sions under the never-used-before Section 7 of the RBI Act

which empowers the govern-ment to issue directions to theRBI Governor.

RBI Deputy GovernorViral Acharya had in a speechlast month talked about theindependence of the centralbank, arguing that any com-promise could be “potentiallycatastrophic” for the economy.

In his first public com-ments since the spat betweenthe RBI and the FinanceMinistry came out in the open,Gurumurthy had last weeksaid the stand-off “is not ahappy thing at all”.Gurumurthy, who was appoint-ed to the board of RBI a fewmonths back, had said thecapital adequacy ratio pre-scribed in India is 1 per centhigher than the global Baselnorms. He also pitched for eas-ing lending norms for smalland medium enterprises, whichaccount for 50 per cent of thecountry’s GDP.

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From Page 1“Development of infra-

structure plays a very impor-tant role in raising the standardof living of the people of thiscountry. Highways, railways,airways, waterways, as well aselectricity-related infrastruc-ture, our focus areas of thisGovernment,” the PM said.

During the occasion,Haryana Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar said theexpressway would lead to moredevelopment of the NationalCapital Region (NCR) here. Healso blamed the previousCongress regime of delay in theKMP project.

He said the 83-km Kundli-Manesar section was complet-ed four months ahead of therevised deadline.

Union Minister for RoadTransport and Highways NitinGadkari had formally inaugu-rated the 53-km Manesar-Palwal section of the express-way, which was opened to traf-fic in 2016.

The expressway will pro-vide an alternative route tovehicles headed for UttarPradesh and Rajasthan and isexpected to help ease trafficflow, especially that of heavyvehicles. It is estimated that itwill divert 50,000 vehicles.

The total cost of the projectis Rs 6,400 crore, 3,846 acre wasacquired at a cost of Rs 2,988crore. The expressway willreduce 30 per cent pollutionand ease 40 per cent traffic jamin Delhi.

The significance of the six-lane KMP expressway is that itwill connect four major nation-al highways (NH), NH-1(Delhi-Ambala-Amritsar),NH-2 (Delhi-Agra-Varanasi-Dankuni), NH-48 (Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai)and NH-10 (Delhi-Hisar-Fazilka-Indo-Pak border).

The length of the Kundli toManesar stretch was over 83km. The stretch has fourteenmajor and minor bridges, fourrailways over bridges, 56underpasses, 7 intersections, 7

toll plazas 64 pedestrian cross-ings.

The exact toll rates forvarious vehicles are yet to berevealed but it will be about1.25 times more expensivethan regular national high-ways.

Similarly, the Manesar-Palwal stretch is over 52 kmlong and has 32 underpasses,three intersections and four tollplazas. The design speed of theexpressway was 120 kmph forlight vehicles and 100 kmph forheavy ones.

Furthermore, commuterstravelling on the KMP willpay for the distance they trav-el and not for the entire corri-dor.

Seven toll plazas have beenset up on the 83-km stretch ofthe six-laned KMP Expressway,which is access-controlled tocharge the commuters accord-ing to the distance travelled bythem.

Of the seven toll plazas,two of the toll plazas will be inSonepat district at Abbaspurand Pipli villages, while anoth-er two will be in Jhajjar districtat Mandholi and Badli. Theremaining three toll plazas willbe in Gurugram at Sultanpur,Patli-Hazipur and Mokalwas.

There are also weigh-in-motion machines installed at allentry points to stop the entryof overloaded vehicles on thesuper expressway. Amenitiesfor users include one ambu-lance, one crane and one policepatrolling vehicle with ahelpline number has been sta-tioned in every 20km forspeedy response in case ofaccidents or emergencies.

The HaryanaGovernment has announcedplans to develop five newcities over an area of 50,000hectares on each side of theKMP (KMP) expressway.

Apart from this, nearthe toll plaza, a world-classArt and Culture Gallery hasbeen set up to depict the pro-ject development historythrough 3D Holographic

models. Fountains, historicaland cultural monuments con-nected to Shrimad BhagwadGita and Yoga have been placedat various locations to improvethe aesthetic look of theexpressway.

The expressway, which wasconceived in 2002, was to beoriginally completed in July2009. However, on account oflitigation and various contro-versies, the project continued tohang fire during the 10-yearrule of the previous Congressgovernment led by BhupinderSingh Hooda.

The PM was accompaniedby Chief Minister ManoharLal Khattar, Union MinistersRao Inderjit Singh, who is aGurugram MP, HaryanaGovernor Satyadev NarayanArya and PWD Minister RaoNarbir Singh was also presenton the occasion.

Khatttar said the inaugu-ration of the KMP expresswayand extension of FaridabadMetro Rail by PM was thebeginning of the 2019 LokSabha polls.

Khattar said he was surethe BJP will win as much as 350Lok Sabha seats in the 2019general elections. He said underthe guidance of the PM, theParty would win all the ten LokSabha seats in Haryana.

The expressway will pro-vide an alternative route tovehicles headed for UttarPradesh and Rajasthan and isexpected to help ease trafficflow, especially that of heavyvehicles. It is estimated that itwill divert 50,000 vehicles.

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Contesting the lowercourt’s ruling, according towhich his client could be extra-dited, the lawyer argued thatthe Indian authorities did notfollow ‘the proper procedures’when requesting the extradi-tion, the newspaper reported.

“The request should havebeen filed by India’s Ministryof Home Affairs rather than itsMinistry of External Affairs,”Abdul Moneim was quoted assaying. He contended that theprocedure was ‘flawed’ since itdid not comply with the claus-es of the treaty signed on theissue, the paper said.“Accordingly, the lower courtorder should be reversed,” heargued.

Michel filed his appealbefore the Dubai Court ofCassation within 30 days afterthe lower court’s ruling. WithDubai’s top court upholdingthe lower court’s decision, it

has become final but it willneed approval from the UAEMinister of Justice for theextradition procedure to start.

The extradition procedureis executed in coordinationwith the Interpol and theCriminal investigationDepartment.

Since the appellate courtruled on September 2 that hecould be extradited, inresponse to a request filed bythe Indian authorities to theUAE in connection with cor-ruption-related charges,Michel lost his bail condi-tions, the paper said.

Michel, whose passporthad been impounded by thejudicial authorities in Dubaiand had been granted releaseon bail, became ‘wanted’ onSeptember 2, following thedecision issued by the DubaiCourt of Appeals.

India officially made therequest to the Gulf nation ear-

lier this year for his extradition,based on the criminal investi-gations conducted in the caseby the CBI and theEnforcement Directorate (ED).

The ED, in its chargesheetfiled against Michel in June2016, had alleged that hereceived EUR 30 million(about Rs 225 crore) fromAgustaWestland.

The money was nothingbut ‘kickbacks’ paid by the firmto execute the helicopter dealin favour of the firm in ‘guiseof ’ genuine transactions forperforming multiple work con-tracts in the country, accord-ing to the chargesheet.

Michel is one of the threemiddlemen being probed inthe case, besides GuidoHaschke and Carlo Gerosa, bythe ED and the CBI. Both theagencies have notified anInterpol red corner notice(RCN) against him after thecourt issued a non-bailable

warrant against him.The ED investigation

found that remittances madeby Michel through his Dubai-based firm Global Services toa media firm he floated inDelhi, along with two Indians,were made from the fundswhich he got fromAgustaWestland through‘criminal activity’ and corrup-tion being done in the chopperdeal that led to the subsequentgeneration of proceeds ofcrime.

Following allegations ofcorruption, India on January1, 2014 scrapped the contractwith Italy-basedFinmeccanica’s British sub-sidiary AgustaWestland forsupplying 12 AW-101 VVIPchoppers to the IAF overalleged breach of contractualobligations and charges ofpaying kickbacks to the tune ofRs 423 crore by it for securingthe deal.

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From Page 1“On what ground you

passed orders making it illegalfor the devotees to stay in thewalkway during night hours?How can you pump water andmake the walkway wet to keepold devotees and tiny tots awayfrom the walkway? Do you havemade alternate arrangementsfor their stay in theSannidhanam after the closureof the temple doors everynight?” asked the judges to theGovernment advocate.

The court said it is not con-tent with the explanations givenby the advocate general andasked the State Police Chief tofile a comprehensive report byThursday.

K Ramkumar, the septua-genarian senior lawyer, who

represented the devotees saidthe Court told the Governmentand police that they have norights to fix the schedule for thedevotees to pray at the temple.

“The judges were takenaback when they were toldthat devotees were sent backfrom the temple without per-mitting them to offer theIrumudykettu at the sanctum,They also asked theGovernment to implement theapex court verdict permittingwomen of all ages in the tem-ple peacefully and withoutupsetting the other devotees,”said Ramkumar.

He said there was blatantviolation of human rights atSabarimala.

K P Sasikala, leader of theHindu United Front toldreporters after her darshan atthe temple on Monday that theCPI-M led Government has

failed in making any kind ofbasic arrangements at the tem-ple. “It is to cover up the failureof the Government that policewere being used to scare awaythe devotees. It is pathetic to seethat infants have to sleep nearheaps of garbage where wildboars and pigs come in searchof food,” said Sasikala.

But Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan said at Kozhikode thatthe RSS and the BJP werebehind all the troubles atSabarimala. “The Governmentis duty bound to implement theSupreme Court order allowingwomen inside the temple.What is important is to protectthe rights of the devotees. Butthe RSS and the BJP are foment-ing troubles all over the State,”said the Chief Minister whileinaugurating the annual meet ofthe Kerala Union of WorkingJournalists at Kozhikode.

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BJP president Amit Shah willbe on a day visit to Mizoram

on Tuesday, where he willaddress a public meeting first atAriopagi, Lawngtlai and there-after, at Varirengte in the State.

Shah will also address aPress conference and releaseVision Document of the BJPfor Mizoram at the State BJPOffice in Aizawl.

The first public meetingwill be at Lawngtlai in themorning followed by JointYMA playground, Vairengtelater in the evening. The battlefor votes in Mizoram is a directfight between ruling Congresswhich has been in power since2008 and Mizo National Front(MNF), the biggest regionaloutfit. An optimist BJP whichalready penetrated North-Eastwell and succeeded in Assam,Manipur and Meghalaya hasfielded 39 candidates for the40-strong Mizoram Assembly.The State has 87 per centChristian population.

New Delhi: A high-poweredtelescope will be installed alongthe Indo-Pak border for devo-tees to view Kartarpur Sahib inPunjab, one of the holiestshrines of Sikhs.

The Government onMonday also announced that acommemorative coin andpostage stamps will be releasedas part of a series of activitiesplanned to mark the 550thbirth anniversary of GuruNanak Dev.

The Ministry of Electronicsand IT will install a high-pow-ered telescope in India for thedevotees to view KartarpurSahib in Pakistan, while theRailways Ministry will run atrain, which will pass through

places associated with the Sikhguru, a Home Ministry state-ment said.

The issue of KartarpurSahib came into focus afterPunjab Minister Navjot SinghSidhu visited Pakistan in Augustto attend the oath-taking cere-mony of his cricketer-turned-politician friend Imran Khan asPrime Minister of that country.

After his return, Sidhuclaimed that Pakistan Armychief Qamar Javed Bajwa hadtold him that Pakistan mayopen a corridor to KartarpurSahib, which is located justacross the International Borderin Punjab.

Kartarpur Sahib is the finalresting place of Guru Nanak.

The National ImplementationCommittee, chaired by RajnathSingh, also launched events,including the release of com-memorative coin and postagestamps. Following this, it wasdecided that the 550th birthanniversary of Guru Nanak Devwill be commemorated througha series of activities, commenc-ing in November, throughoutthe country and across theglobe, the statement said.

"The year 2019 marks the550th birth anniversary ofShri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, thegreat saint and founder of theSikh faith. Guru Nanak'steachings of love, peace andbrotherhood hold universalappeal," it said. PTI

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The fast track court handlingNational Herald case on

Monday dismissed seniorCongress leader Motilal Vora'splea seeking to restrain com-plainant Subramanian Swamyfrom tweeting about the caseand using "derogatory lan-guage" against Congress leaders.Additional Chief MetropolitanMagistrate Samar Vishal reject-ed the plea of Vora, also anaccused in the case, sayingthere was nothing to show thatthe tweets caused any damageto the trial of the case, or anyprejudice to the court.

Vora, in his application,had alleged that Swamy wastrying to influence the courtproceedings with his tweets. Healso accused Swamy of usingderogatory language againstCongress leaders Sonia Gandhiand Rahul Gandhi often on thesocial media platform. The

court said the tweets cited byVora "cannot be said to inter-fere or obstruct the adminis-tration of justice nor can be saidto prejudice the due course ofany judicial proceedings, first-ly because no such instance dueto which the applicant can saythis has either been stated inthe application, nor has beenput forth in the argument".

"The trial is going on andhas reached the stage of evi-dence, and I am unable to findanything on record nor any-thing has been put forth toshow that these tweets mayhave caused any damage to thetrial or any prejudice to the

court," the judge said. It said "acourt cannot prohibit any per-son from reporting the pro-ceedings of a case unless it isshown that the reporting ispatently and malafidely false".

"The tweets may not behappily worded from the pointof view of the applicant or otheraccused, but how they interferein the administration of justiceor are prejudicial to the defenceof the accused is not clear," thecourt said, posting cross exam-ination of Swamy in the maincase to January 11.

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In the wake of confrontationbetween the Government

and the RBI, Congress presi-dent Rahul Gandhi onMonday hoped that theCentral bank gathered thecourage to put the onus of liq-uidity crisis on Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. Rahul said ifRBI Governor Urjit Patel hasa "spine" he will show thePrime Minister "his place".

Later, the RBI's crucialboard meeting on Mondaytook up the liquidity crisis thathas triggered a tiff between thegovernment and the centralbank. "Mr Modi and hiscoterie of cronies, continue todestroy every institution theycan get their hands on.Today,through his puppets at the RBIBoard Meet he will attempt todestroy the RBI. I hope MrPatel and his team have aspine and show him his place,"Rahul tweeted earlier in the

day.The Congress has accused

the Modi Government ofdestroying every institutionin the country and the latestone being the RBI. The meet-ing is being held in the back-ground of tension betweenthe Centre and the RBI afterFinance Ministry cited thenever-used-before Section 7 ofthe RBI Act which empowersthe Government to issue direc-tions to the RBI Governor.

The Government onNovember 9 had said it wasdiscussing an "appropriate"size of capital reserves that thecentral bank must maintainbut denied seeking a massivecapital transfer from the RBI.Economic Affairs SecretarySubhash Chandra Garg hadalso clarif ied that theGovernment wasn't in anydire needs of funds and thatthere was no proposal to askthe RBI to transfer �3.6 lakhcrore.

New Delhi: The Supreme Courton Monday deferred tillNovember 26 hearing on theplea of Zakia Jafri challengingthe clean chit given by theSpecial Investigating Team (SIT)to Narendra Modi, who wasthen Gujarat Chief Minister, inconnection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

Zakia, the wife of Ehsan Jafri,an ex-MP who was killed in oneof the worst incidents during theriots, has challenged the GujaratHigh Court's October 5, 2017order rejecting her plea againstthe SIT's decision.

A bench headed by JusticeA M Khanwilkar said, "Thematter will take some time forhearing. The plea will be heard

on November 26".At the outset, senior

Advocate Mukul Rohatgiappearing for the SIT, saidZakia's plea was not maintain-able and social activist TeestaSetalvad cannot be the secondpetitioner in the case. The benchsaid it will look into the appli-cation before hearing the matteron making Setalvad as the sec-ond petitioner in Jafri's plea.During the previous hearing,Jafri's counsel had said thatnotice needs to be issued in theplea as it pertains to the aspectof alleged "larger conspiracy"during the period from February27, 2002 and May 2002 and hadalso maintained that after the SITgave a clean chit in its closure

report in the case before a trialjudge, a protest was filed by thepetitioner which was dismissedby the magistrate without con-sidering "substantiated merits".

On February 8, 2012, theSIT filed a closure report, giv-ing the clean chit to Modi and63 others, including senior gov-ernment officials, saying therewas "no prosecutable evidence"against them. Ehsan Jafri wasamong 68 people who werekilled at the Gulberg Society inAhmedabad when a mobattacked it on February 28,2002, a day after the S-6 Coachof the Sabarmati Express return-ing from Ayodhya at Godhrawas burnt, triggering the riots inGujarat. PTI

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In the wake of the "terror"attack in Punjab, where three

people were killed and 20 oth-ers injured in a grenade blast,Union Home Minister RajnathSingh on Monday reviewedthe security situation in thecountry.

Senior officials of theHome Ministry and securityagencies briefed the HomeMinister regarding the explo-sion at a religious gatheringnear Amritsar on Sunday, anincident which police are treat-ing as a "terrorist act".

The Home Minister direct-ed the officials to provide allassistance to the PunjabGovernment in their investi-gation to nab the perpetratorsof the crime, a Home Ministryofficial said.

Singh was told that a team

of the National InvestigationAgency has already visited theblast site along with their inves-tigators and explosive experts.

Three persons, including apreacher, were killed and 20others injured when two-motorcycle borne men threwgrenade on a religious congre-gation on the outskirts ofAmritsar.

The incident took placeinside the Nirankari Bhavan'sprayer hall at Adliwal villagenear Amritsar's Rajasansi,police said.

A religious congregation ofthe Nirankari followers wasbeing conducted inside theBhavan at the time of the inci-dent. The Sant NirankariMission is a spiritual organisa-tion and the Bhavan lies closeto the Amritsar internationalairport and the Indo-Pak bor-der.

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With an aim to break themyth and stigma sur-

rounding leprosy, a three-dayYouth Festival 'Youth againstLeprosy' was kicked off fromMonday here. Mentionworthy,India accounts for 60 per cent ofglobal cases. Its purpose is towork towards the socio-eco-nomic development of thoseaffected by the crippling diseaseand their families.

Several youths from leprosycolonies across the city have con-gregated at the festival organisedby Sasakawa-India LeprosyFoundation (SILF), an organi-sation that focuses on creatingeconomic opportunities for lep-rosy-affected people.

Vineeta Shanker, executivedirector of the SILF said that ideabehind holding the YouthFestival, bringing youth andstakeholders under one roofhere, is to make the youngergeneration aware about the dis-ease. "They have a little idea orunderstanding on leprosy as adisease. Whatever little they

may know comes from familyand friends and is often vagueand reaffirms the stigma againstthe disease."

It is unfortunate that despitebeing non contagious and fullycurable, leprosy is still consid-ered as a curse and the myth isstill there that whoever will getin touch with these people willget affected, Shanker said. Shepointed out that "In 2005, whilewe were applauding ourselves,we did not look deep enough tosee the regional variations. That,in itself, should have given us apointer that this problem was farfrom over."

Tehseen Zaidi,Communications and AdvocacyManager with SILF informedthat the collaborations like YouthFestival provides a platform for

the youth from the sector toshare their ideas and challengesin tackling the disease.

Prestigious Rise to DignityAwards is being given for thehard work and dedicationshown by persons affected by

leprosy who are now effiscimi-nation iciently running liveli-hood enterprises. "This initiativehas enabled them to make a suc-cessful transition from beggingto a dignified livelihood," saidTehseen.

The awardees of the 8thRising to Dignity Awards-2018are two groups from Indore,Madhya Pradesh andKamareddy District inTelangana. An all women groupof Indore, dealing in Sari retail-ing project and a mix group ofmen and women from

Vendrikal, Kamareddy runningDairy and Goat Rearing(Agricultural Development andfinancing) project have won theaward.

India still accounts for 60per cent of new cases reportedglobally.

In the year 2007, new casesdetected in India were 137,685,and nine years later in 2016, thenumber remained almost thesame at 135,485, a significantincrease over the 127,326 newcases detected in 2015, accord-ing to a study.

New Delhi: The CIC has direct-ed the Registrar General ofIndia (RGI) to change its prac-tices of data collection, espe-cially with regard to births anddeaths.

Information CommissionerYashovardhan Azad, in animportant order, issued direc-tives to make changes in thesoftware and practices of theRGI.

He was hearing a petitionfiled by an RTI applicant, seek-ing information about thedeaths reported in all the wardsof Mumbai in 2016.

The information was notprovided to him, followingwhich he approached theCentral InformationCommission (CIC).

During the hearing, theofficial representing the RGIsaid the office was a data aggre-gator.

He submitted that theStates were tasked with theoverall implementation under

section 3 of the Registration ofBirths and Deaths (RBD) Act,whereas the ground-levelrecord was maintained by theregistrars appointed by therespective States, Azad noted.

"Despite the contention ofthe PIO that the CRS (CivilRegistration System) Divisionof the Registrar General, Indiacannot be held to be the custo-dian of ward-wise data assought by the appellant, thecommission finds that the roleof the Registrar General in theimplementation of the RBD Actcannot be lost sight of," he said.

Azad added that the pre-sent controversy was limitedonly to the practices related todata maintenance and preser-

vation."There is no legal impedi-

ment in creation of two or moreequally effective access points ofinformation, both at the centralas well as at the state level. It israther a question of 'data mir-roring' and the essential ques-tion raised in the present caserequires forging new practicesof data management, which isin furtherance of the RBD Actas well as the RTI Act," he said.

The CIC also took note ofthe PIO's submission that it wascomparatively difficult to reg-ister the data of deaths with thecause of the deaths, in contrastto the data regarding births,Azad added.

"The judicious aggregationas well as the preservation of the'data of death' are very impor-tant for ensuring the quality oflife of the living. The data is acrucial indicator of various fac-tors, which is a key for ensur-ing good governance and effi-cient policy planning. PTI

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Nearly two years after theReal Estate Regulation Act

(RERA) was enacted by theParliament, six northeasternStates have finally agreed toimplement the law, paving wayfor protecting the interest ofhomebuyers in these States.Arunachal Pradesh,Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram,Nagaland and Sikkim havefailed to notify RERA due toland and other issues.

The development comesafter a team of the UnionHousing and Urban Affairs(HUA) Ministry visited thenortheastern States on October26 and held a workshop withtheir representatives and dis-cussed the issues coming in theway of notifying the Act.

According to HUA secre-tary Durga Shankar Mishra, thenortheastern States have agreedto implement RERA. We arehelping them in notifying the

RERA rules.Sources said representa-

tives of these states had someissues about the implementa-tion of RERA, but the Ministryofficials cleared all their doubtsin the last month's workshop.

The Act, which providesproper protection to homebuyers, was enacted by theParliament in 2016. The Stateswere given powers to notifytheir respective rules andappoint regulatory authori-ties.

All States and UnionTerritories in the country hadnotified the rules under RERA,except the six northeasternstates and West Bengal. The Act

is not applicable in Jammu &Kashmir. "There are 27 Statesthat have established theAuthority. Out of them 14States have set up interim ones.All the States of northernregion have established per-manent Regulatory Authoritiesexcept Himachal Pradesh,Delhi and Chandigarh," anofficial of HUA said.

According to the Ministry,33,750 real estate projects havebeen registered under RERA,while 26,018 agents have beenregistered across the country.Maharashtra tops the list ofStates with 18,392 projects reg-istered.

Instead of implementingRERA, West Bengal had noti-fied its own real estate law —the Housing and IndustrialRegulation Act, 2017 (HIRA).Mishra had written to theBengal Government, asking itto repeal its own act as therewas already a central law on thesubject.

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With as many as 60.53 lakhindividual household toi-

lets constructed and 4.7 lakhseats of community or publictoilets under constructionunder the Swachchh BharatMission (Urban), PrimeMinister Narendra Modipraised the Ministry ofHousing and Urban Affairs(HUA) for its remarkable speedof construction on the occasionof World Toilet day.

Hailing the HUA Ministry,Modi said India is proud of theremarkable speed with whichsanitation coverage hasincreased in the last four yearsand reiterated hisGovernment's commitment toenhancing sanitation facilities.The Prime Minister said thedrive for a cleaner India andensuring better sanitation facil-ities is in fact a people's move-ment.

Modi took to Twitter tothank women and youth fortaking the lead in the sanitation

drive. World Toilet Day, cele-brated on November 19, isabout taking action to ensurethat everyone has a safe toiletby 2030.

"Today, on World ToiletDay, we reiterate our commit-ment towards enhancing clean-liness and sanitation facilitiesacross the nation. We in Indiatake pride at the remarkablespeed with which sanitationcover has increased in the lastfour years," he wrote. He saidit is the 130 crore Indians, par-

ticularly women and youths,who have taken the lead in themovement. "I congratulate allthose working to fulfil thedream of a Swachh Bharat," hesaid.

According to the Ministry,around 4.7 lakh public toiletseats have been constructed sofar. The target set under themission was 5.07 lakh publictoilet seats. More than 12,000public toilets have been built inDelhi since 2015, the ministrysaid. Speaking at an event here,HUA Secretary Durga ShankerMishra said 19 states and UTswere already Open DefecationFree (ODF) in their urbanareas.

"This has been achieved bythe construction of nearly 60.53lakh individual household toi-lets (against a mission target of66 lakhs; i.E. 91.7% construct-ed and under-constructionagainst target)," Mishra said inan official statement.

"In the area of solid wastemanagement, at least 40 per-cent of the total waste generat-

ed in the country is beingprocessed, and 52 percent ofwards are practising sourcesegregation," the ministry offi-cials said.

On the occasion of the"World Toilet Day", the gov-ernment also released StandardOperating Procedures (SOPs)for cleaning of sewers and sep-tic tanks for field staff whorespond to sewer overflows orspills.

The workshop on urbansanitation is aimed at address-ing challenges in the urban san-itation space thereby enableparticipating states and cities inproactively implementingviable, affordable and sustain-able sanitation solutions for aSwachh Bharat.

The Swachh BharatMission (Clean India Mission)aims to achieve 100 per centopen defecation free (ODF)and scientific solid waste man-agement in India by October 2,2019, the 150th birthdayanniversary of MahatmaGandhi.

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New Delhi: India and 10 othercountries in sub-SaharanAfrica accounted for around 70per cent of estimated malariacases (151 million) and deaths(274,000) globally last year,with only India reportingprogress in reducing its malar-ia cases when compared to2016, a report said on Monday.

India has turned out as theonly country among the 11highest-burden countries tomark progress in reducing itsdisease burden, registering a 24per cent decrease in 2017 com-pared to 2016, according toWHO World Malaria Report2018.

By leading the world in

malaria case reductions in2017, India is no longer amongthe top three countries with thehighest malaria burdens.However, 1.25 billion Indiansremain at risk of malaria.

India has set a target ofbeing malaria-free by 2027and eliminating the disease by2030. PTI

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New Delhi: The Supreme Courton Monday asked the BombayHigh Court to deal with the pleaof Lt. Col. Prasad ShrikantPurohit, one of the accused inthe 2008 Malegaon bast case,that he was being prosecuted inthe matter without any validsanction.

A bench headed by ChiefJustice Ranjan Gogoi directed theHigh Court that Purohit's plea bedealt with on November 21. Aspecial court on November 2had commenced the formaltrial against Purohit, SadhviPragya Singh Thakur and fiveother accused after framing ofcharges under various penal lawin the Malegaon blast case.

Purohit, in his plea, referredto the earlier apex court order

by which the trial court and theBombay High Court weredirected to deal with the claimof Purohit that he was beingprosecuted under penal lawsincluding the UnlawfulActivities (Prevention) Act with-out any sanction from theauthorities.

The plea also alleged thatthe charges have been framedagainst Purohit and others bythe trial court which had com-menced the trial without deal-ing with the claim on sanction.

Six people were killed andover 100 injured when an explo-sive device strapped on a motor-cycle went off near a mosque inMalegaon, a town about 200 kmfrom north Maharashtra, onSeptember 29, 2008. PTI

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Sugarcane farmers fromacross the State staged

protests here on Monday seek-ing loan waiver, higher mini-mum purchase price and relieffor losses incurred due todrought in 17 districts, whichhave been declared drought-hit.

Farmers fromRamanagara, Mandya, Mysuru,Kodagu, Kolar, Gadag,Tumukuru, Shivamogga,Hassan, Haveri, Hubballi,Belagavi and Bagalkot came toBengaluru to protest against theanti-farmers policies of theJD(S)-Congress Governmentin the State.

"Farmers from all over thestate have come to force theState Government meet ourdemands on loan waiver, high-er price for sugarcane andcompensation for kharif croploss due to drought this year,"Karnataka State FarmersAssociation PresidentChamaraj Patil told reporters .

"Though Chief MinisterH.D. Kumaraswamyannounced farm loan waiver inJune, the banks have not writ-ten off a rupee even after fivemonths. Except for makingannouncements and givingassurances, nothing has hap-pened. "We are also unable totake fresh credit as old loanshave not been waived off yet,"Patil added.

Bengaluru City Policestopped hundreds of agitatorsfrom marching towards theVidhana Soudha fromFreedom Park as prohibitoryorders were in place.

The Sugarcane farmers aredemanding payment of �1,500crore dues from state-run andprivate sugar mills for fiscal2017-18; �3,000 per tonnehigher minimum support price(MSP) for sugarcane from�2,500 per tonne fixed lastyear; fresh loans from cooper-ative and state-run banks forthe rabi crop, supply of seedsand fertilisers.

Karnataka is the thirdlargest sugarcane producer afterMaharashtra and Uttar Pradesh,which had harvested 32 milliontonne in 2017-18. The droughthas affected 15-lakh hectares ofagricultural and horticulturalcrops in 17 districts across thestate, with an estimated loss of�8,000 crore.

Meanwhile Chief MinisterHD Kumaraswamy had creat-ed a controversy by callingfarmers goondas and alsoallegedly abused a womanfarmer who was protesting inBelagavi. This has severely hitthe pro farmer image of thecoalition Government led byKumaraswamy and alsoangered the coalition partnerthe Congress.After JayashreeGurannavar, a woman farmerwho was leading the agitation,called Kumaraswamy “a goodfor nothing CM”, the CM hitback calling them “goondas inthe guise of farmers”. After hisstatement farmers were angryand intensified their agitationacross the State.

Later the farmers’ angerforced Kumaraswamy toretract saying that his statementwas misinterpreted.

“My intention was not tohurt anyone. My statement hasbeen misinterpreted by themedia. I apologise if the farm-ers are hurt,” Kumaraswamysaid. Coalition partnerCongress has criticisedKumaraswamy for makingsuch a statement against thefarmers. Deputy Chief MinisterG Parameshwara said that hewould apologise to the farmersfor the CM’s angry statement.“I don’t know in what contexthe has used the word ‘goondas’.But he should not have saidthat. The Congress party hasalways been with the farmersand I personally apologise tothem,” Parameshwara said.

The BJP was quick todemand an apology from chiefminister for his remarks on thefarmer. Yeddyurappa said “TheGowdas call themselves a fam-

ily of humble farmers. Buttheir attitude is exactly theopposite. How could a CM callfarmers “goondas”? hedemanded a clarification fromformer Prime Minister HDDeve Gowda.

However JDS chief H DDeve Gowda has blamed asection of the media forSunday’s incident in Belgaum.Meanwhile Chief Minister hascalled for a meeting of the agi-tating farmers on Tuesday toresolve the issue. "I appeal tothe farmers to be patient as theGovernment is committed tofind solutions to their prob-lems. I held meetings withofficials and stakeholders ondemands of sugarcane growers.I have directed the districtdeputy commissioners toresolve their issues," said thestatement citing the ChiefMinister. Though debt waiverwas not a solution to the farm-ers' woes, Kumaraswamy saidthe State Government wasworking hard to waive off farmloans taken from cooperative,scheduled and State-run banks."I hope the waiver will enablethe farmers to seek fresh loansfor the next crop. The loanwaiver will begin soon as theprocess is at the final stage,"said the Chief Minister.

Claiming that the JanataDal (Secular)-Congress coali-tion Government was pro-farmer, Kumaraswamy said apermanent solution was beingworked out to ensure thatfarmers would not have toprotest or resort to an agita-tion.

"I have been always on theside of farmers and don'thave bias against those fromthe northern or southernregions of the State.

“All are equal and samefor me. As the loan waiveramount is about �48,000crore, we need time andworkforce to verify eachaccount. I want farmers to bepatient and not be desperate,"said the Chief Minister.

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Union Minister AlphonsKannanthanam on

Monday hit out at the KeralaGovernment for turning theSabarimala temple complexinto a "war zone" and treatingthe pilgrims like "dacoits".

"They have imposedSection 144 (prohibitoryorders). The pilgrims are beingtreated like dacoits. Where isthe basic infrastructure...This ispathetic," the Minister, whoarrived here to take stock of thefacilities at the hill shrine, told reporters.

"The State Governmenthas turned the temple complexinto a war zone. The devoteesare not terrorists, they are pil-grims," he said.

Restrictions have beenimposed at the temple complexfollowing protests by activistsof the BJP, RSS and right-wingoutfits over the StateGovernment's decision toimplement the September 28Supreme Court order allowingthe entry of women of all agesinto the shrine.

"The state governmentmust take responsibility...TheUnion Tourism Ministry hadgiven �100 crore...They havenot spent even a rupee..,"Kannanthanam said.

The Union minister visit-ed Nilackal, the base camp,Pamba and SannidhanamMonday morning, hours afterpolice removed around 200-odd people who had gathered

at the temple complex lateSunday night. They held"nama japam" (chanting thename of Lord Ayyappa)protest against the policerestrictions. The police hadalso taken into custody 68 pro-testors on Sunday night.

The CPI(M)-led LDFGovernment is making life dif-ficult for all the pilgrims com-ing here, the Minister said."This is like the Stalin era of theSoviet Union," he said.

"Sabarimala is one of thebiggest pilgrims centre in thecountry. Here, everyone livespeacefully. This Government isdetermined to ensure that peo-ple do not have the right totheir belief," the Minister said.

Pointing out that there wasno basic facilities at Pamba, hesaid there were no toilets andall the three sheds at Nilackalare waterlogged.

"What is the intention ofthe Government? They want tomake sure the pilgrims are notprovided with basic facilities. What is happening with lawand order? Section 144? Is thisa democracy?" Kannanthanamsaid.

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Patna: The Central Bureau ofInvestigation has discoveredthat five minor girls, and nottwo as reported earlier, died inthe shelter home in Bihar'sMuzaffarpur district.

Their post-mortem exam-inations were conducted at aGovernment hospital, policesaid on Monday.

The CBI, probing the allegedrape of 34 girls at the shelterhome, on Sunday searched doc-uments at Shri Krishna MedicalCollege and Hospital and foundthat the post-mortem examina-tions of five girls of the shelterhome were conducted there.

According to the hospitalregister, the post-mortems of twogirls were conducted in 2013,two in 2015 and one in 2017.

The CBI officials are nowtrying to find out as to whomthe bodies of the girls werehanded over after their autop-sies and also whether caseswere registered in the matter.

"A team of CBI officials islikely to soon interrogate somehospital doctors to collect moredetails about the case," a districtpolice officer said.

The CBI had earlier foundhuman bones at a cremationground on October 4 followinga tip-off. It had also carried out

an extensive excavation at theshelter home premises on sus-picion that some inmates mighthave been killed and buriedthere, but could not recoveranything from there.

Last month, a shelter homeemployee Krishna Ram, whoalso ran the press of BrajeshThakur — the main accused —told the CBI sleuths that somebodies were stuffed in gunnybags and disposed of in theBurhi Gandak river a year ago.

However, the CBI couldnot recover anything from theriver. According to the CBI,Ram disclosed that BrajeshThakur had ordered the dis-posal of the bodies. He revealedthat two inmates of Thakur'sNGO, Seva Sankalp Ewam VikasSamiti, had died under mysteri-ous circumstances and theirbodies were dumped in the riverfrom Akharaghat Bridge with thehelp of Guddu, another employ-ee of the shelter home, andVijay Tiwari, Thakur's driver.

Of the 42 girls lodged at theshort-stay home run by BrajeshThakur's NGO, 34 were foundto have been sexually assaulted.The crime came to light after asocial audit by the Tata Instituteof Social Sciences, Mumbai, fivemonths ago. IANS

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Mumbai: A special NIA courthere on Monday directed thata copy of photographs andvideos pertaining to the 2008Malegoan blast be provided toLt. Col. Prasad ShrikantPurohit, who is one of theaccused in the case.

Purohit, in an applicationfiled last week, had asked thespecial National InvestigationAgency (NIA) court to give himcopies of photographs andvideos related to the incident toprepare his defence.

During the argument onMonday, the prosecutionobjected to his plea, saying noother accused had asked forthese documents and that thiswas a delay tactic.

However, special judge V SPadalkar directed the courtregistrar to provide a copy of

the photographs and videos ofthe incident to Purohit. Thematter was then adjourned tillNovember 21. The pho-tographs and videos are part ofthe charge sheets submitted bythe prosecution in the case.

The special court had onOctober 30 framed terrorcharges against Purohit, SadhviPragya Singh Thakur and fiveother accused in the 2008Malegaon blast case, setting thestage for their trial to commence.

On September 29, 2008, sixpeople were killed and over 100injured when an explosive devicestrapped on a motorcycle wentoff near a mosque in Malegaon,a town in Maharashtra's Nashikdistrict and located about 200km from Mumbai. PTI

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Former Assam Minister andsenior Congress leader

Chandan Kumar Sarkar died ata hospital at Bongaigaon onMonday following a cardiacarrest, family sources said.

Sarkar was 65 and is sur-vived by wife, two sons and adaughter.

The Congress leader suf-fered a cardiac arrest at hisBongaigaon home on Mondaymorning and was immediate-ly rushed to a local hospital,where he passed away.

Mourning his death,Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal said the formerMinister had worked withcommitment and dedicationfor the welfare of the peopleand made significant contri-butions to the political andsocial life of the State.

"As a Minister of the pre-vious Congress Government,Sarkar had rendered valuableservices, which would alwaysbe remembered by the peopleand his death is an irreparableloss to society," Sonowal said ina statement.

Sarkar was elected to thelegislative assembly thrice-1991, 2001 and 2011- fromAbhayapuri South constituen-cy and served as the irrigationMinister in the third term ofthe Tarun Gogoi-led CongressGovernment.

Assam Pradesh CongressCommittee (APCC) presi-dent Ripun Bora expressedshock at Sarkar's death andoffered his condolence to thebereaved family.

"I had held a meeting onthe forthcoming panchayatelections only three days agowhere he was present and hadspoken to him even on Sunday.

It is a big loss for theCongress and during the badtimes of the party, it was healong with Bhumidhar Barmanwho had played a pivotal rolein maintaining the party'sunity," Bora said.

An APCC delegation, ledby Bora, has left forBongaigaon to attend the lastrites of the former Minister.

Finance Minister HimantaBiswa Sarma has also con-doled Sarkar's death and prayedfor the eternal peace of thedeparted soul.

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The Jammu & KashmirPolice on Monday threat-

ened action against thoseuploading videos on socialmedia of executions carried outby militants.

Inspector-General of Police(Kashmir Zone) SP Pani toldthe media: "Action will betaken against those who uploadthese videos on social media."

Videos of executions oftwo youths carried out by theHizbul Mujahideen outfit insouth Kashmir were recentlyuploaded on the social media.

The outfit accused theyouths of providing informa-tion about militants to thesecurity forces.

Pani also said that thepolice were investigating therole of two overground womenworkers arrested recently.

While one woman wasarrested along with ammuni-tion during the search of avehicle in Lawaypora on theoutskir ts of Sr inagar, another, from Sumbal inBandipora district, had beendetained for luring youths toterrorism through herFacebook account.

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In an apparent attempt to cashin on its popularity gained dur-

ing its crusade for Marathareservations for the past twoyears, the hitherto social outfitMaratha Kranti Morcha (MKM)on Monday floated a politicalparty, Maratha Kranti Sena —(MKS) and announced that thenew party would contest all the48 Lok Sabha and 288 Assemblyseats in the forthcoming elec-tions in the State.

A day after theMaharashtra Governmentaccepted the recommendationsof the Maharashtra StateBackward Class Commission(MSBCC) and announced thatit would grant reservations toMaratha community under anew Socially EducationallyBackward Class (SEBC) cate-gory, MKM convenor SureshPatil, along with the outfit’ssenior leaders BapusahebShirsat and Nanasaheb Moshre,

announced the formation of theMKM and said that it wouldcontest the forthcoming LokSabha polls and subsequentAssembly elections in the State.

Addressing a news confer-ence at Kolhapur in westernMaharashtra, Patil said: “Ourparty Maratha Kranti Sena willcontest all the 48 Lok Sabhaseats and 288 Assembly seats inMaharashtra. We are conven-ing our party’s first conventionat Vadgaon in Hatkanangaletown in Kolhapur district onNovember 25. At this con-vention, we will devise a strat-egy mobilise cadres for our newpolitical party in the run-up theLok Sabha polls to be held inMay next year”.

As a first step towards rop-ing in a prominent politicalpersonality into their party,Patil urged Maratha warriorChhatrapati Shivaji’s descen-dant and NCP MP from SataraUdayanraje Bhosale to contestthe forthcoming Lok Sabhapolls on a MKS ticket. “Since hehas extended his blessings toour political, we would like tocontest the Lok Sabha polls onMKS ticket. We will call on himtomorrow at Satara and discussissues relating our politicalparty,” Patil said.

The significance behind

the formation of a politicalparty by the MKS should beseen in the context of massivemobilisation of Marathas aspart of as many 58 mammothsilent morchas organised byMKM in various district head-quarters and major towns andcities across Maharashtra todemand reservations forMaratha community whichaccounts of 32 per cent of thestate’s total population.

It is mainly because of thetremendous pressure mountedby the MKM – which enjoyedthe support of the OppositionCongress, NCP and ruling ShivSena — on the ruling BJP thatthe Devendra FadnavisGovernment has now decidedto accord reservations to theMaratha community under anindependent SEBC category.During the winter session of theMaharashtra Legislature thatbegan on Monday, the StateGovernment is likely to intro-duce a bill according reserva-tions to Maratha community.

It may be recalled thatafter a 15-year-old Maratha girlfrom their community wasgang-raped and murderedallegedly by three Dalit men inAhmednagar district of west-ern Maharashtra on July 13,2016, members of Maratha

community came together andfloated Maratha Kranti Morchato demand among other thingsdemanding reservations ineducation and jobs toMarathas, scrapping of the“misused SC and ST(Prevention of Atrocities) Act,initiation of stern action againstthe culprits behind the gang-rape of the Maratha girl.

The MKM took out silentmorchas in one and districtheadquarter or major townafter another to press for itsvarious demands. Despitebeing without a prominentleader to head the outfit, theMKM became a force to reckon with in the followingmonths.

The tremendous responsethat the MKM evoked for itsmassive silent morchasbenumbed the MaharashtraGovernment and various polit-ical parties. What captured theattention of the state govern-ment, various political partiesand people across the state wasthe disciplined and peacefulmanner in which an apoliticaloutfit like MKM organised itsvarious silent morchas.

On August 9 last year, morethan five lakh Marathas owingallegiance to MKM virtuallylaid seize to south Mumbai for

nearly six hours to press forreservations and other demands,compelling the BJP-led saffronalliance Government to comewith a package for Marathas,including concessions in educa-tion along the lines of OtherBackward Classes (OBCs) andannounce its readiness to accordreservations to the community ineducation and Government jobs.

Mumbai’s was the 58thsilent morcha that the MKMtook out every since the mem-bers of Maratha communitycame together and floated theoutfit in August 2016. Later on,MKS also became a party to thepublic interest litigations in theBombay High Court which onAugust 7 2018 directed theMaharashtra State BackwardClass Commission (MSBCC)would submit its report to theState Government on the socio-economic status of the Marathasby November 15, so as to expe-dite the process of accordingreservations to Marathas.

It remains to be seen if thenew political outfit MKS wouldevoke as much response fromthe people in the run-up to theLok Sabha as the MKM evokedduring the course of its 58 silentmorchas taken out in variousparts of the State for a periodspanning one full year.

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Kolkata: The CPI(M) onMonday attacked ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee forbanning the CBI from Bengal.

Wondering as to why theState Government made a priorpermission mandatory for theCentral investigating agency tocarry out investigations in theState, State CPI(M) secretaryand party politburo memberSuryakanto Mishra said “theorder itself smacks of some-thing fishy.”

He said, “When we were inpower we had given a “gener-al consent order” allowing theCBI to conduct any kind ofprobe in the State because wewere sure of our clean recordsand were not afraid of the CBI,”adding “why this Governmenthad to withdraw that ordermaking it mandatory to seekthe Government’s permissionfrom the State before a probe.”

This meant that “they havesomething to hide from the peo-ple,” Mishra said adding “the rea-son why they have stopped theentry of CBI is that the Agencyis catching new faces every dayand getting information regard-ing the involvement of seniorTMC leaders who flank theChief Minister.”

These leaders’ involvementcould jeopardize the entireGovernment and the TMCwhich was why the CBI hadbeen blocked in Bengal, Mishrasaid adding the TMC was alsoafraid of the way the BJP wasutilizing its leaders’ involve-ment in corruption to makethem leave that party. PNS

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Escalating tension betweenIndia and Pakistan is keep-

ing border residents worriedahead of a harsh winter seasonin Jammu & Kashmir.

In the absence of start ofconstruction work on individ-ual/community bunkers alongthe line of control andInternational Border in Jammudivision, the border residentsare spending sleepless nights.

Over 14,000 communityand individual bunkers wereapproved at a cost of �415.73crore for border residents fac-ing Pakistani shelling in Jammudivision.

A total of 13,029 individualbunkers and 1431 communitybunkers were sanctioned toaccommodate border residentsduring cross border firing.

On ground zero, the theborder residents of most vul-nerable areas, falling in thedirect line of firing of Pakistanarmy, continue to wait for startof construction work.

"We are now tired of hear-ing big announcements regard-ing sanction of bunkers fromCentral Ministers and localBJP leaders but on ground zerothe construction work is yet tobegin in frontier Rajouri dis-trict", border residents of worstaffected villages in Nowsherasector told The Pioneer.

Confirming the status ofconstruction work of bunkers,

Deputy Commissioner, RajouriMohd Aijaz told The Pioneer,"the construction of bunkers isexpected to begin soon after thefixation of rates in the district".

He said talks are going onto resolve the issue with the con-tractors. He said an estimatednumber of over 5000 bunkerswere sanctioned by the centralgovernment for the frontierdistrict. Under a pilot project asestimated 100 bunkers wereconstructed in the district dur-ing peak hostilities last year.

Meanwhile, Executiveengineer, Public worksDepartment (R&B) Division,Kathua Monday issued a warn-ing to the contractors to startconstruction of bunkers with-in seven days time and com-plete the construction byDecember 2018.

At least 3076 individualand 243 community bunkerswere sanctioned for Kathua.

According to officialsources, the construction workof bunkers were sanctioned onpolitical considerations,withoutascertaining their credentials.

Speaking to The Pioneer,Deputy Commissioner, Kathua,Rohit Khajuria said, "majorityof contractors who have beenawarded contracts are not ade-quately equipped to take upconstruction work of thesebunkers in one go". He saidthey lack experience and do noteven possess capacity to exe-cute the task on this scale.

He said despite repeatedreminders they have failed tostart construction work onground zero.

J&K Chief Secretary ismonitoring the constructionwork of bunkers on weeklybasis. These contractors havebeen directed to execute thetask within stipulated timeperiod failing which fresh ten-ders will be floated,officialsources said.

Out of 14460 bunkers,7298 bunkers would be con-structed along the LoC in thetwin districts of Poonch andRajouri, and 7162 undergroundbunkers would be constructedalong the IB in Jammu, Kathuaand Samba districts.

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Jammu: A senior BSF officerwas killed in a blast under mys-terious circumstances in one ofthe border outposts in Sambasector of Jammu frontier whilefour others received criticalinjuries, on Monday. Theinjured were immediatelyrushed to the military hospital

in Jammu. BSF spokesman inJammu confirmed, "one BSFofficer was killed in a blast ata BoP in Samba sector onMonday". The deceased officerwas identified as AssistanceCommandant Jabbar Singh.

Two inspectors and twosub-inspectors received criticalinjuries in the blast.Unconfirmed reports claimed,during grenade practice insideBoP one Assistant Commander,Jabbar Singh, was killed whilefour others were injured. PNS

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Amove by the Pune police toquestion senior Congress

leader Digvijay Singh in con-nection with the investigationsinto the activities of the bannedCPI (Maoist) took a politicalturn on Monday with the rul-ing BJP making an issue in thecampaign for the MadhyaPradesh Assembly polls anddaring the Congress leadershipto expel Singh from the partyfor his alleged Maoist links.

After news reports emanat-ed from Pune that the localpolice planned to questionSingh over the finding that hismobile number was mentionedin one of the letters claimed tohave been seized from thearrested Maoist sympathisers,BJP spokesperson Sambit Patratargeted the senior Congressleader for his alleged Maoistlinks.

Talking to media persons atUjjain in Madhya Pradesh, Patraalluded to the reported recoveryof a letter allegedly linking Singhto the CPI (Maoist) and chargedthat the senior Congress hadlinks with the outlawed Maoists.He dared Congress presidentRahul Gandhi to expel Singhfrom the party.

“Now that it has becomeclear that Digvijay Singh haslinks with the Maoists. Thematter is serious and it involvesnational security. I would liketo know if Rahul Gandhi wouldexpel the senior Congress fromthe party or decorate him as arevolutionary,” Patra asked.

Meanwhile, Pune’s JointPolice CommissionerShivajirao Bodkhe confirmedthat the team investigating theBhima-Koregaon riots, whichhas so far arrested ten humanrights activists from variousparts of the country for theiralleged links with Maoists,might question the seniorCongress leader for his linkswith the arrested activists. “Wemay call him for questioning,but we have not fixed anytime-frame for it,” Bodkhe said.

The investigations by thePune police have revealed thatin a letter written on September25, 2017, one ‘Com Prakash’purportedly tells one ‘ComSurendra’ that Congress leaderswere “very much willing toassist” in their efforts to “inten-sify nationwide protests usingstudents”. The letter allegedlymentions a mobile numberthat ‘Com Surendra’ can contact“in this regard”. This is report-edly Singh’s mobile number.

‘Com Surendra’, accordingto the investigators, is a refer-ence to Surendra Gadling, aNagpur-based lawyer who wasarrested on June 6. ‘ComPrakash’ is said to be one of thetop CPI(Maoist) commanders.

The purported letter, inwhich there is alleged referenceto the senior Congress leader,became public after the Punepolice submitted it in court asevidence of the links betweenthe arrested activists and thetop Maoist brass

Singh had earlier daredthe Centre and statement toarrest him. Singh was earlierquoted as saying: “If I amguilty, I challenge the Centre

and the State Government toarrest me”.

On their part, the Punepolice claim that they haveascertained the mobile numbermentioned in the incriminatingletter was that of Singh.

It may be recalled that fiveMaoist-linked activists HumanRights activists Rona WilsonJacob, Surendra Gadling, SudhirDhawale, Prof Shoma Sen andMahesh Raut were arrested bythe Pune police on June 6, inconnection with the ElgaarParishad and subsequentBhima-Koregaon caste riots.

Subsequently on June 8,the investigators had claimedthat they had recovered fromthe laptop of Wilson an alleged-ly incriminating letter, whichuncovered an alleged plot by theMaoists to carry out “RajivGandhi-type” assassination ofPrime Minister Narendra Modi.

On August 28, the Pune

police arrested five more activistsVaravara Rao, Vernon Gonsalvesand Arun Pereira, SudhaBharadwaj and GautamNavlakha for their associationwith the Elgaar Parishad held inPune ahead of the January 1,2018 Bhima-Koregaon riots andtheir alleged links with theMaoists. However, the SupremeCourt ordered that the fivearrested activists be placed underhouse arrest till September 6.

In a charge-sheet filed ina Pune special court onNovember 15 against 10 per-sons, including five activistsarrested for their allegedMaoist links, the investigatorshad said that accused numbertwo Rona J. Wilson had col-luded with Shoma Sena andPrashanto Bose, secretary ofthe outlawed CPI (Maoist)’sEastern Regional Bureau,along with other under-ground activists hatched aconspiracy to kill the PrimeMinister of India. “All thefive (arrested) arrested accusedwere part of the conspiracy towage a war against the nationwith illegal bombs and arms totopple the government withviolent means,” the charge-sheet said.

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The body of an arrestedIndian fisherman, who died

in a Karachi jail, is expected tobe sent back to India onNovember 29, an activist saidon Monday.

Nanubhai KanabhaiSolanki, 45, who was arrestedin November 2017 by theMaritime Security Agency ofPakistan for allegedly strayinginto Pakistani territorial waters,was ailing for some time beforehis death on September 20.

"Solanki hailed from Unatehsil of Gir Somnath districtof Gujarat. His body was keptat Edhi Foundation's morguein Karachi for couple ofmonths. It is expected to besent back to India to his fam-ily on November 29," PakistanIndia Peoples' Forum for Peaceand Democracy activist JatinDesai said.

Besides, another 460 Indianfishermen continue to languishin Pakistani jails for years, asagainst 90 Pakistani fishermenin Indian jails, he said.

"Both countries need towork out a mechanism throughwhich - if someone dies in thecustody of the other country -his body should be immediatelyreturned to his country. The sadreality is it takes minimumone month for this process. InSolanki's case, it took over twomonths," Desai added.

He said both countriesmust immediately revive theIndia-Pakistan JudicialCommittee on Prisoners com-prising retired judges of high-er judiciary on both sides.

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Bangladesh, in an ironical move,is seeking the cooperation ofSaudi Arabia to popularise‘model Islam’ amongst her pop-ulation. The project will crys-

tallise in the form of 560 ‘model mosques’across the country built with Saudi funds.Paradoxically, in 1971, Saudi Arabia alongwith other Arab nations, had stronglyopposed the independence of Bangladesh.Her war of liberation, actuated by Banglanationalism, was perceived as anti-theti-cal to Islam. Even secular Turkey and pro-gressive Egypt had chosen to side withPakistan.

Tajuddin Ahmad (1925-1975), thePrime Minister of the wartime provision-al Government of Bangladesh based inMujibnagar (district Meherpur), had atough time convincing the Arab nationsthat the Pakistani armed forces were notfighting a battle of Islamic righteousnessin Bangladesh. They were rather indulgingin “well-documented crimes of arson, loot,rape and murder.” Ahmad had to remindthe Arabs how they had once to fight fortheir own independence from the TurkishOttoman Empire albeit Turks were also fel-low Muslims.

The professed aim of the ‘modelmosque’ project is to salvage Islam fromthe hands of radicals and militants. PrimeMinister Hasina feels that Islam, a religionof peace, has been usurped by theseextreme elements. But how to be sure thatthe religion is in its pristine and peacefulstate in Saudi Arabia? After all, 15 of the19 citizens involved in the hijacking of air-planes used in 9/11 attacks were citizensof the kingdom.

Being starry-eyed about the project,Hasina has put Bangladeshi Taka 8,722crore from the public exchequer into theinitiative, not having received Saudi fundsas yet. But what model of Islam is expect-ed from Saudi Arabia? The desert kingdomis infamous for exporting Wahabism, arigid and intolerant variant of Islam,worldwide. In September 2015 it hadoffered Germany to build 200 mosques —roughly one for each of the 100 refugeesfleeing Syria.

Susane Schröter, Director, FrankfurtResearch Centre for Global Islam, esti-mates that Riyadh has invested at least 76billion Euros ($86 billion) in the last 50years of oil boom to promote Wahabismacross the globe. So, Sheikh Hasina shouldnot complain if she finds Bangladesh drift-ing towards gender segregation, Shariapenal code and prohibition on the publicpractice of other religions and traditions.

Saudi Arabia could not be the modelfor Bangladesh, not merely because the for-mer is a retrograde dynastic monarchy.The identity of the desert kingdom isdefined merely through its religion. Islamhistorically originated in the territory of

Saudi Arabia (formerly calledHejaz), thus the kingdom is toIslam what a shadow is to anobject placed in the sun. Butthe same is not true ofBangladesh, which is placed ina different geographical, envi-ronmental and cultural zone.To make Bangladeshis ‘moreMuslim’ is surely to fomentinternal trouble.

If, today, to believe SheikhHasina, Islam has gone intoradical hands, the reason is notbecause any Government ofBangladesh deliberately pro-moted radical Islam. The rea-son is that every Governmentof Bangladesh has tried toinfuse more and more Islaminto Bangladeshi society. As aresult, Bangladesh, by negatingits foundational principles, isen route to becoming a mirrorimage of Pakistan.

Ironically, the initiativewas started by BangabandhuMujibar Rehman, the absenteefounder of Bangladesh (hewas a prisoner in Mianwali Jailin Pakistan through themonths of the Liberation War).Rahman as the first President(later Prime Minister) ofBangladesh prohibited horseracing, gambling and sale ofliquor in Bangladesh in defer-ence to Islamic traditions.Thus, activities that were per-mitted in the Islamic Republicof Pakistan became haram insecular Bangladesh.

The Pakistani Army, dur-ing the Liberation War, heav-ily damaged the ancientRamna Kalibari, an iconicDhaka structure; it also slaugh-

tered most of its residentsincluding the priest. It wasexpected that sovereignBangladesh would prioritiserebuilding the temple as asymbol of its heritage andcommunal harmony. But toeverybody’s surprise, MujiburRahman got the damaged tem-ple disestablished brick-by-brick in 1972.

The huge cleared up space(along with the dismantledRace Course) was convertedinto a park viz SuhrawardyUddyan named after HuseynShahid Suhrawardy, the archi-tect of the Great CalcuttaKillings (1946) who happenedto be the mentor of Rahmanduring his early years in theMuslim League.

What is distinctive aboutBangladesh is its language,Bengali. It was consistently seenwith suspicion by the Pakistanauthorities. They saw it as animpediment to true Islam. Thepeople of Bangladesh (thenEast Pakistan) rebuffed attemptsby Karachi to impose Urdu. Thelanguage agitation of February21, 1952, that led to sevendeaths in police firing, left anenduring legacy for Bangladesh.

The UNESCO has hon-oured the date by recognisingFebruary 21 as ‘InternationalMother Language Day’. TheBangladesh Liberation War of1971 — as against popularmisconception in India —wasnot prompted by the languageissue. Yet the demolition of theShaheed Minar (estd 1963)dedicated to the language mar-tyrs of 1952 by the Pakistan

Army during 1971 war creat-ed widespread hurt amongBengalis. It was rebuilt after thewar and subsequently expand-ed it in 1983. It has attained thestatus of a pilgrimage centre inBangladesh.

So, why has the Bengalilanguage been exalted to acult status in Bangladesh?This is because they would bebereft of their cultural moor-ings to their soil without it.Their religion, Islam, con-nects them with Arabia, in apsychological sense but italso alienates them from theirancestry, history, culture andenvironment. Hasina shouldintrospect. Why is only anemphasis on Islam needed forcourse correction in an alreadyMuslim majority state?Successive Governments havepromoted only Islam inBangladesh, whether out ofpiety or political expediency,but the result is the deracina-tion of a large section of thepopulation dependent onIslamic curriculum.

Until 1970, says AbulBarkat in his signal book,Political Economy of MadrasaEducation in Bangladesh, therewere 2,721 madrasas. But by2008, their number hadincreased to 14,152. The neteffect is that Bangladesh’s foun-dational legacy is under threat.The ‘model mosques’ projectwill only contribute to thederacination process.

(The writer is an indepen-dent researcher based in NewDelhi. The views expressedherein are his personal)

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Sir — This refers to the editorial,“Whose wings clipped?”(November 19). Undoubtedly, theIT department started question-ing and raiding the Telugu DesamParty (TDP) leaders only after theparty parted ways with theNational Democratic Alliance(NDA). But by revoking generalconsent to the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI), TDP chief, NChandrababu Naidu and WestBengal Chief Minister, MamataBanerjee, have sent negative sig-nals, hinting that there’s a lot morethan meets the eye.

It will take some time beforethe CBI gets its act together asboth its chief and deputy arefighting a dirty battle. But theCentre will do well and assureboth the leaders that they are notin for a witch hunt. This is the leastit can do to restore glory of theinvestigative body. Police reformhas become the dire need of thehour and should not be delayedcome what may. It is institutionslike these that need to have thispride restored for the larger inter-est of the country.

Bal Govind Noida

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Sir — It is alarming that more thantwo tonnes of thick furnace fuel oilspilled when a flexible hosesnapped while discharging oil atthe Kamarajar Port in Chennai inthe wee hours on Sunday. It maybe recalled that this is the secondoil spill within two years — anoth-er occurred on January 28, 2017,

when an LPG tanker rammed intoanother petroleum tanker twonautical miles off the KamarajarPort at Ennore, resulting in mas-sive oil spill that polluted close to35-km coastline.

Though immediate steps havebeen taken to recover the spilledoil with help from skimmers andabsorbent pads, how much itwould succeed is the concern.Besides, it will also cause irrepara-

ble damage to the environment.Had the port authorities takenextra care, the disaster could havebeen averted.

TK NandananKochi

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Sir — Despite the Governmentconcentrating on protecting the

coastal districts from natural dis-asters, the severity of cycloneGaja that had a landfall in TamilNadu and the resulting magnitudeof landslides were high. The dis-aster management team has beenin full swing and the Navy tooextended help that salvaged the sit-uation. However, with the Centreassuring help, it needs to be seenhow soon the affected get rehabil-itated.

KR SrinivasanSecunderabad

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Sir — Finally, after years ofMaratha reservations battle, theMaharashtra Cabinet cleared thedecision to extend reservation tothe Maratha community by creat-ing a new category called theSocially and EducationallyBackward Class on the recommen-dations of the State BackwardClass Commission. The decisionwill bring relief to the State fromthe chain of protests which contin-ued since a long time.

Mohd FaheemMumbai

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President Ram Nath Kovind’smaiden visit to Australia comesclose on the heels of the release

of Peter Varghese’s report, ‘An IndiaEconomic Strategy to 2035: Navigatingfrom Potential to Delivery’, a compre-hensive and incisive India strategy tobe commissioned by any PrimeMinister till date. While the reportbodes well for economic ties, thefuture of India-Australia relationshinges on reinventing the 3Cs —Curry, Cricket and Commonwealth —with a new 3Cs approach — nurturingConstituencies of Country Champions— that requires investing in people andinstitutions. Six years ago, Australianeconomist Ken Henry was delegated bythe then Prime Minister Julia Gillardto develop the ‘Australia in the AsianCentury White Paper 2012’, which rec-ommended Australia to expand itsstrategic net in Asia, engage with

Indonesia and rising power India andshape the future of the region.

The Varghese report, too, said thatengaging with India was no more anoption but a necessity. Importantly, bothreports recognised that policy-makingis not a purely Government-task but ajoint exercise involving academics,scholars, analysts and institutions, whopossess knowledge and expertise on theregion and regional matters. Varghesewent a step ahead to posit that theAustralian Government neither had thecapacity nor the inclination to imple-ment a strategy of its own. Let us bemindful that the report is largely an eco-nomic strategy. Business and tradestrategies remain susceptible to period-ic market volatility, domestic politicsand ever altering policy priorities.Therefore, for a long-term future ofbilateral relations, creatingConstituencies of Country Championsis paramount to shape strategic think-ing, influence policy-making and facil-itate people-to-people interaction.

This requires a three-prongedapproach. In the immediate term,focus must be on people and institu-tions who possess requisite country

expertise, lived experiences and profes-sional linkages. In the intermediateterm, lessons must be drawn from therecommendations of research worksand Government reports, notably, theMelbourne Declaration on education-al Goals for Young Australians, 2008,which noted, “India, China and otherAsian nations are growing and theirinfluence on the world is increasing.Australians need to become ‘Asia liter-ate’, engage and build strong relation-ships with Asia”. In the long-term,schools and universities must beencouraged to introduce courses andprogrammes on India, not only sup-porting existing institutions specialis-ing in India-Australia studies but alsocreating new ones. The US andSingapore are two examples where peo-ple and institutions, possessing coun-try expertise, have played a vital role inshaping strategic thinking, lobbied aspeace advocates during testing timesand bolstered a vibrant and well-informed Constituency of CountryChampions. Australia must solve itsAsian literacy conundrum, which hasfuelled debate among academics andpolicy-makers.

Asian literacy is not just about lan-guage proficiency. It is about under-standing values, customs, traditions,socio-political and cultural nuances todecode how a nation thinks and acts.It requires familiarising oneself withAsian history, values and culture earlyin school, alongside developing lan-guage skills and undertaking countryvisits as a part of immersion pro-grammes or other study visits.Unfortunately, a steady decline acrossAustralian primary and secondaryschools in Asian language and historyteaching has made Australia knowl-edge-deficient on Asia, especially, Indiaand Indonesia. During schooldropoff/pickup hours, it is common tosee Asian kids conversing with theirAsian parents in English than in nativelanguage. While English learning isvital, developing Asian multi-lingualproficiency and country knowledge willtrigger intellectual curiosity in youngminds, which can be tapped and sati-ated by universities.

But most Australian universitiesdon’t offer India studies in their curricu-lum, an indication of how they perceiveAustralia’s interests in the Asian centu-

ry. The Ken Henry report has cut lit-tle ice in building Asia-oriented univer-sity curriculum, at least from theIndian viewpoint. There appears a dis-connect between national and institu-tional visions which can be melded byintroducing core and elective courseson India with integrated field study forgaining in-country experience.

Most importantly such courseswould serve the domestic Australianstudents more on whom leadershipmay be thrust upon at various institu-tions for developing or leading Indiastrategy. The CommonwealthGovernment funds several fellow-ships, such as the New Colombo Plan,which supports over 10,000 researchfellowships in 40 Asian countries,including India, producing around900 Australian undergraduates under-taking research, study and internshipsin India during 2015-16. The AustraliaIndia Council grants, Australia-IndianStrategic Research Fund andEndeavour Leadership grant also fundresearch projects on India-Australiaissues but they develop subject exper-tise, not necessarily country expertise.

As per the Australian High

Commission data in New Delhi, thereis a 20-30 per cent increase in the enrol-ment of Indian students, totalling70,000 in 2017 at Australian universi-ties. But this is good news for Australianliteracy in India, as many will return asAustralia’s brand ambassadors andhelp nurture the constituency ofAustralia champions in India. AtIndian universities, Australia remainsa passing reference in courses on Asia-Pacific. New centres are emerging butAustralian literacy in India remains farfrom satisfactory. In the absence ofcountry champions and specialisedinstitutions, overnight experts assumepolicy-making responsibilities, whichis worrisome. During an interview ata high-profile federal department inCanberra, once a ‘expert’ in the panelasked this writer whether he spoke‘Hindu’, unaware of the distinctionbetween Hindu and Hindi. Suchknowledge gaps can only be filled byinvesting in people and institutions onboth sides, and creating Constituenciesof Country Champions.

(The writer is CEO and FoundingExecutive Director, Institute for AustraliaIndia Engagement, Brisbane)

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Jawaharlal Nehru provided India a distinctplace of importance in the internationalsphere with his policy of non-alignmentand Panchsheel. He firmly rejected com-munalism. We cannot think of any state

which can be called communal or religious.We can think of a secular, non-communal,democratic state in which every individual, towhatever religion he/she may belong, has equalrights and opportunities. To him, first and fore-most, democracy meant individual freedom. Onsocialism, Nehru said: “Socialism is...not onlya way of life but a certain scientific approach tosocial and economic problems.” On capitalism,he said: “The forces in a capitalist society, if leftunchecked, tend to make the rich richer and thepoor poorer.”

During the Nehruvian era, industrialisationbecame the first fundamental principle for eco-nomic development of the country. Nehru hada strong conviction that the well-being of theIndian community lay in rapid industrialisationand the use of science and technology. He pre-ferred to set up key industries in the public sec-tor for sustenance of economic independenceand took the public sector to commandingheights of the Indian economy. Nehru said thatthe application of science and technology isinevitable and unavoidable for all countries andpeople today. Scientific approach and temperare, or should be, the way of life, process ofthinking, method of acting and associated withour follow countrymen.

Science deals with the domain of positiveknowledge but the temper which it should pro-duce goes beyond that domain. It is sciencealone that can solve problems of hunger andpoverty, of insanitation and illiteracy, supersti-tion and deadening custom and tradition, ofvast resources running to waste, or a rich coun-tr y inhabited by star ving people.Simultaneously, he worked for ‘trained person-nel’ to effectively implement the policy. Nehruwas convinced that modern technology shouldcome in a big way to help India solve many ofits chronic problems. The launching ofPanchayati Raj was without doubt a great stepforward in taking democracy meaningfully tothe people in rural areas. The process of insti-tution-building received a further fillip whenit was launched.

That people should be actively involved inthe process of nation-building and that India’sdiversity and vastness required a wide institu-tional framework for developmental workwere stressed by Nehru right from the dawn ofIndia’s Independence. Thanks to JawaharlalNehru’s vision, India not only adopted andoperated successfully the Westminster type ofparliamentary democracy, but created new insti-tutions to meet the challenging demands ofspeedy development. In this regard, Nehru’sleadership was dynamic and innovative.

Nehru’s Cabinet colleague, MC Chagla,summed up his personality: “Most people whobecome Prime Minister or Chief Minister owethe adulation they receive from the people sole-ly to the position they occupy. Nehru’s case wasquite different. He honoured the office of thePrime Minister by holding it and the prime

ministership in itself did not add anyfurther lustre to the reputation whichhe already enjoyed either at home orabroad.”

Nehru was an institutionalbuilder. Most institutions establishedby him struck roots despite the lackof adequate resources and the num-ber of trained personnel. He pavedway for India’s educational exaltationby envisioning the country’s top-tierinstitutions, like the Indian Instituteof Technology (IIT), All India Instituteof Medical Sciences (AIIMS), IndianInstitute of Management (IIM) andmany more world-class commercialpublic sector undertakings whichsubsequently became the backbone ofthe Indian economy.

However, contemporary historyhas not treated this statesman kind-ly. This is a pity because today’s gen-eration might know what globalisationis but not about cosmopolitanism.Even as our society globalises at a fre-netic pace, it has turned inwards andbecome claustrophobic. History mustremember Nehru because he taught usto look outward, express solidarity andin the process become cosmopolitan.

An American research scholar,Granville Austin, brilliantly summedup the Nehru era by publishing in hisresearch work that Nehru and his gen-eration initially created tensions in theseamless web, many of which subsidedby the close of the period. It is diffi-cult to imagine how it could have beenotherwise. Citizens’ expectations werehigh, and that of their leaders wereeven higher. But the successes of theperiod were fundamental. Power rela-tionships were sorted out constitution-

ally, the parliamentary system becameentrenched, democracy not only sur-vived Nehru’s charisma but popularparticipation strengthened it, powerwas democratically transferred fromone Prime Minister to another twicein 16 years. One-party Governmentcombined internal party democracyand political variety with preservingnational unity and integrity: Thefoundation was laid for an industrialeconomy and the social revolution wasset in motion. This was no golden agebut the Nehru years set the standardsagainst which others would be mea-sured — and many fell short.

Nehru was a human being per-ceived to be a demi-god by a large seg-ment of Indians during his life span. Itwas believed that Nehru could do nowrong but he faltered on Kashmir andChina issues. His peace-lovingapproach and over-dependence ontrusted friends caused us deep embar-rassment on both the issues. Two sig-nificant setbacks in his long distin-guished political career were the rea-son why he never recovered from thetrauma. With all its faults, the Indiandemocracy under Nehru’s leadershipgrew to be the most enduring systemin the Third world. Flourishing democ-racy and scientific temper of the nationwere the two greatest gifts of Nehru tohis motherland India. Unfortunately,this freedom might be the reason whyhe is freely abused by a handful of coun-trymen in his absence without any fear.

Even more depressing is the factthat the Grand Old Party, which wasnurtured by the blood and sweat ofNehru, is defenceless against theonslaught from political opponents —

reason being that the currentCongress leadership is intellectuallyhollow and is controlled by politicaladvisers, secretaries and peons ratherthan mass base leaders.

On a positive note, today, whenwe talk about the state of affairs, whichcan be best termed as ‘AdvantageIndia’ that somehow India seems topossess and we hold every single ofthose attributes needed for econom-ic development in the 21st century, wepause and do a historical analysis ofthe situation. How did this advanta-geous state of affairs come about?Clearly, it was not some hiddenpotential in India that was waiting tobe resuscitated from time immemo-rial. Nor is it simply the economicreforms of the last couple of decades.The roots for this success lie deeperthan that. It is in Nehru’s vision forIndia that we need to seek the real rootof this development.

The success of India actuallyowes a lot to the domestic capacitiesbuilt in India to withstand global pres-sures and produce completely inno-vative solutions to important econom-ic challenges. The personality ofJawarharlal Nehru can be scanned bythe endorsement he got from the twogreatest political giants of his era: “Ihave wanted to see you (Nehru). If youhad not come I would have come toyou. You are a man of peace”. (FidelCastro). “This man has overcome twoof the greatest failings in humannature — he (Nehru) knows neitherfear nor hatred.” (Winston Churchill).

(Concluded)(The writer is Editor-in-Chief,

Opinion Express Group)

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Nissan chairman CarlosGhosn was reportedly

under arrest in Tokyo onMonday, as his firm accusedhim of “significant acts of mis-conduct” and said it would seekto oust him.

Japan’s public broadcasterNHK and other media outletssaid Ghosn had been arrestedafter being questioned byJapanese prosecutors for vari-ous improprieties includingunderreporting his income.

“The Tokyo District PublicProsecutor’s Office arrestedNissan chairman Ghosn onsuspicion of violation of theFinancial Instruments andExchange Act,” NHK said.

In a statement, Nissan saidit had been conducting a probeinto Ghosn for several monthsafter receiving a whistleblowerreport and had uncovered mis-conduct going back severalyears.

The Tokyo prosecutor’soffice had no comment on thereports about Ghosn, who alsoheads an alliance of Renault,Nissan and Mitsubishi.

Nissan said it had launchedan investigation into bothGhosn and RepresentativeDirector Greg Kelly severalmonths ago.

“The investigation showedthat over many years bothGhosn and Kelly have beenreporting compensationamounts in the Tokyo StockExchange securities report thatwere less than the actualamount, in order to reduce thedisclosed amount of CarlosGhosn’s compensation,” thestatement said. “Also, in regardsto Ghosn, numerous other sig-nificant acts of misconducthave been uncovered, such aspersonal use of company assets,and Kelly’s deep involvementhas also been confirmed.”

The company said it hadprovided information toJapanese prosecutors andwould propose to the board ofdirectors that it “promptlyremove Ghosn from his posi-tions” along with Kelly.

The astonishing news firstemerged on Monday evening,when the Asahi Shimbun news-paper reported Ghosn wasbeing questioned by prosecu-

tors and was likely to facearrest.

Public broadcaster NHKreported that Tokyo prosecu-tors were raiding Nissan’s head-quarters in the city ofYokohama.

Renault shares plunged 12percent in late morning trad-ing in Paris on the shock news,which emerged after the end ofthe Tokyo session. “If he isarrested, it’s going to rock theRenault-Nissan-Mitsubishialliance as he is the keystone ofthe alliance,” said SatoruTakada, an analyst at TIW, aTokyo-based research and con-sulting firm.

“He is the man of charismafor the alliance. It is likely tohave a negative impact on itsbrand image,” he told.

Nicknamed Le Cost Killer,Brazil-born Ghosn, 64, isknown for overhauling Renaultand Nissan starting in thenineties. Renault came to therescue of the then-ailingJapanese automaker in 1999and parachuted in Ghosn, whoset about slashing costs andjobs in a huge corporate over-haul.

In 2016, Ghosn also tookcharge at troubled Mitsubishiafter Nissan threw it a lifeline,buying a one-third stake forabout $2.2 billion as it wrestledwith a mileage-cheating scan-dal that hammered sales.

Ghosn has a high profile inJapan and is known as a majoradvocate of the country’s autosector. He has not yet com-mented on the allegations.

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The BSE benchmark Sensexrallied over 300 points

Monday to end at over a six-week high of 35,774.88 asinvestors widened their port-folios ahead of the RBI’s boardmeet outcome amid foreignfund inflows.

Also, positive cues fromother Asian markets and afirm opening in Europeanshares buoyed investor senti-ment here.

A crucial meet of theReserve Bank’s central board isunderway amid a rift betweenthe central bank and the gov-ernment over future course ofpolicies.

The finance ministry nom-inees and some independentdirectors were expected to takeon Patel and his team overissues ranging from MSMEcredit to the central bank’sreserves, though both sidesare in favour of reaching a com-mon ground.

Expectations of a positiveoutcome boosted marketmood after the meetingbegan.

According to analysts,domestic bourses are focusingon RBI’s board meet to get cueson liquidity crunch with non-banking financial companies(NBFCs) and relaxing normsfor state-run banks.

The Sensex started off ona high note at 35,647.62 andcontinued its upward march tohit a high of 35,818.65 as buy-

ing activity gathered momen-tum. It finally settled 317.72points, or 0.90 per cent, high-er at 35,774.88.

This is the benchmark’shighest closing since October3 when it had closed at35,975.63. The barometer hadgained 315.17 points in the pre-vious two sessions.

Also, the broader NSENifty raced past the 10,750-mark to touch a high of10,774.70 before settling at10,763.40 points, showing a riseof 81.20 points, or 0.76 percent.

Yes Bank was the star per-former among Sensex con-stituents, jumping 7.19 percent, its biggest gain in almostthree weeks.

ITC, Tata Motors,IndusInd Bank, Vedanta, SunPharma, RIL, M&M, MarutiSuzuki, Tata Steel, L&T, Wipro,TCS, Hero MotoCorp, BhartiAirtel, Adani Ports, KotakBank, PowerGrid, HDFC Bank,HUL, Infosys, HDFC and CoalIndia also gained up to 2.77 percent.

However, ONGC, ICICIBank, SBI, Asian Paints, NTPC,Axis Bank and, Bajaj Auto allsuccumbed to profit-bookingand ended lower by up to 1.37per cent.

Jet Airways stock plunged6.88 per cent, after Tata Sonssaid on Friday that it was onlyin preliminary talks with thestruggling carrier, but had notmade a proposal to acquire astake.

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Trai is expected to meettelecom industry players

next month, to deliberate onthe issues that will be taken upduring 2019, its Chairman RSSharma said Monday.

The discussion — now anannual feature — is howeverexpected to entail a wider set ofplayers in the telecom spacethis time, spanning operators,infrastructure providers andothers.

“The meeting will takeplace next month. We will talkto them and ask them about theitems they think, should betaken up in the next calendaryear,” Sharma told on the side-lines of an interactive sessionon ‘New RegulatoryFramework for Broadcastingand Cable Services’.

This time around, TelecomRegulatory Authority of India(Trai’s) discussion would not belimited to telecom serviceproviders alone but expected toinclude infrastructureproviders and “couple of otherstakeholders in telecom space”as well, he noted.

“So it will be a broaderconsultation to figure out thenew areas to be deliberatednext year,” Sharma said.

He noted that the priorityareas for 2018, too, were iden-tified through a prior discus-sion with players.

“We certainly have ourown list of areas too, Sharmasaid.

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National Stock Exchange ofIndia Ltd (NSE), India’s

leading stock exchange onMonday announced the launchof its new mobile app andweb-based platform ‘NSEgoBID’ for retail investors tobuy Government securities.Ajay Tyagi, Chairman SEBI

launched the new App at anevent held in Mumbai.

The ‘NSE goBID’ App willbe available to all the registeredinvestors with NSE’s tradingmembers and will also facilitatetrading members in acquiringnew retail investors.

It wil l al low retai linvestors to make paymentdirectly from their bank

accounts using the UnifiedPayments Interface (UPI) andinternet banking. While retailinvestors will benefit from aconvenient payment option,its cost effectiveness willappeal to Trading Members ofNSE as the cost associated forsetting-up infrastructure ismuch lower than the existingplatform.

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The Government will nextweek launch the fourth

tranche of CPSE ExchangeTraded Fund to garner up to�14,000 crore, investmentbanking sources said.

The Government hasalready raised �11,500 crore inthe earlier three tranches of theETF, which functions like amutual fund scheme.

The issue will open earlynext week and investors wouldget 3.5-4 per cent discountover the issue price, the sourcessaid.

The Government is aimingto mop up �8,000 crore, with agreen-shoe option to retaineither �4,000 crore or �6,000crore from the fourth tranche

of CPSE ETF, they added.The number of scrips in

the CPSE ETF has beenincreased to 11 state-ownedcompanies, as against 10 earli-er, with the entry of four newfirms namely NTPC, SJVN,NLC and NBCC.

Three existing companies,GAIL, Engineers India Ltd(EIL) and ContainerCorporation of India, havebeen removed from the indexas the Government holding inthese companies has fallenbelow 55 per cent.

Since the weightage andscrip value of these three com-panies were higher, four newCPSEs had to be included inthe ETF to replace them tokeep the CPSE ETF indexvalue at the same level.

The other seven bluechipPSUs in the CPSE ETF areONGC, Coal India, IOC, OilIndia, PFC, REC and BharatElectronics.

CPSE ETF was set up in2014 and the Governmenthas so far sold stake in the 10companies in the basket inthree tranches, thereby rais-ing �11,500 crore — �3,000crore from the first tranche inMarch 2014, �6,000 crore inJanuary 2017 and �2,500crore from the third in March2017.

In June 2018, theGovernment garnered about�8,400 crore through follow-onoffer of another ETF — Bharat22 ETF, which comprises sharesof 22 companies, includingbanks.

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Commerce and IndustryMinister Suresh Prabhu

Monday said that discussionagenda of the World TradeOrganisation (WTO) mustinclude both old as well as newissues to maintain the relevanceof the global trade body.

He said that there werechallenges before the globaltrade and their impact wouldhave implications on the worldeconomy.

“Today, we must agree thatwithout WTO, we will have aproblem because we need glob-al trade...We must make sure

that WTO remains intact.WTO has to change andchange for the better,” he saidhere at a programme organisedby law firm Lakshmikumaranand Sridharan and an industrychamber.

Prabhu said that based onhis discussions with othermember countries, an agendawas being prepared which willbe forward looking, agreeableto all nations and include sub-stantive issues.

“We cannot forget theissues that have been put on thetable with an agreement of allthe countries and those issuesalso need to be taken intoaccount... So, we cannot forgetthe so-called old issues. At thesame time, we cannot just for-get inclusion of new issues. So,we must find out a proper sub-stantive agenda which will be

encompassing all these impor-tant elements,” he added.

While developing coun-tries, including India, wantissues related to agriculturalsubsidies to be resolved, devel-oped nations, such as the US,are keen to push forward newmatters related to e-commerceand investments.

WTO’s relevance is nowunder question as some coun-tries are taking unilateral mea-sures, which are impactingglobal trade.The 164-memberGeneva-based organisationdeals with global trade-relatedissues.

At its last meeting inArgentina in 2017, the talkscollapsed after the US wentback on its commitment to finda permanent solution to thepublic food stockholding issue,a key matter for India.

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Air passengers can now seekhelp of chatbots to resolve

their problems and register griev-ances using social media, with theGovernment on Monday launch-ing an upgraded version ofAirSewa digital platform.

Passengers will also haveaccess to real-time flight statusand schedule for both domes-tic and international flightswith AirSewa 2.0, according tothe Civil Aviation Ministry.

Besides, the ministry plans tocome out with the next generationof AirSewa 3.0 digital platform inthe next few months, wherein airtravellers can register themselvesunder DigiYatra initiative.

DigiYatra seeks to pro-mote paperless and hassle-freeair travel. It is biometrics-

based digital processing systemfor passenger entry and relat-ed requirements at the airport.

AirSewa 2.0, the upgradedversion of the web portal andmobile app, provides chatbotsupport for faster resolution andpersonalised traveller experi-ence. Also, passengers can sign upusing their Facebook and Googleaccounts. Generally, chatbots arecomputer programmes thatinteract with people throughaudio or text messages.

Among other features,grievances can be registeredusing social media with hash-tag ‘#AirSewa’.

The AirSewa portal andmobile app were launched inNovember 2016. Since the launch,AirSewa 1.0 has helped resolve sig-nificant number of air passengerconcerns, as per the ministry.

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Leukaemia can be confusing because it refers to a group ofcancers that aren’t all that similar except for the fact thatthey involve the bone marrow and blood. Leukaemia can

be divided into four main groups — acute, chronic, lymphocyt-ic, and myelogenous leukaemia. Depending on how quickly thecancer progresses, leukaemia is either classified as acute (acutelymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia(AML)), or chronic (chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) andchronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)).

The disease is one of the most common cancers in the worldaffecting approximately 3.5 lakh people and killing about 2. 65lakhin 2012. Great strides, however, have been made in our abil-ity to better treat and manage certain forms of the disease, includ-ing in children.

��Chemotherapy: It is the main treatment for all kinds ofleukaemia. �Stem cell transplant: It is an option for high risk and recur-rent acute leukaemia patients.�Radiation therapy: It is most often used to prevent leukaemiafrom spreading to, or treat leukaemia that has spread to, the cen-tral nervous system (CNS). It is also used to prepare the bonemarrow for stem cell transplant.Targeted therapy is offered for some types of leukaemia. �Watchful waiting is a treatment option for some people withchronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

�Supportive therapy is given tomanage the expected complica-tions of the leukaemia and itstreatments.

Treatment for leukaemia isgiven with the intent to achieveremission. Remission meanswhen no more leukemic cells canbe detected in the blood or bonemarrow and the bone marrow isfunctions normally again.

In patients treated for acuteleukaemia, remission may lastmany years, and then they are

considered cured. CLL is still incurable but treatment can relievesymptoms and induce long-lasting remissions. Some people withacute leukaemia were told they had achieved remission after theirfirst course of chemotherapy, but treatment was continued todestroy any remaining leukemic cells and give the best chanceof a long-lasting remission or cure.

��Many factors contribute to the leukaemia survival rate includ-

ing patient’s age at the time of diagnosis; whether the cancer cellshave spread to the brain or spinal cord; whether the leukaemiais a recurrence of a condition for which the patient was previ-ously treated and the patient's response to treatment.

Current research is aimed at developing novel therapies thataddress an unmet medical need in acute leukaemia therapies toobtain disease control, maintain remission, prevent relapse, andprolong survival. The evolution of therapy from stem cell trans-plants and chemotherapy to the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKI) has changed the course of the disease for CML patientsand provides an encouraging example for the leukaemia com-munity as they work to advance new treatments which will hope-fully bring similar success to acute leukaemia patients.

Only through the continued commitment to research andinnovation will we identify important and cumulative advancesthat give patients more time until our goal of a major transfor-mation becomes reality, treating both acute and chronicleukaemia as manageable diseases.

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�� Is believed to be the warmest of all spices. A pinchof its powder is mixed in mother’s milk and given to babies

to keep them warm from within. It is considered to be high inpotassium, calcium, iron and manganese, and Vitamin C andB. Consuming a pinch of it daily can not only stimulatedigestion but can treat intestinal problems as well. Nutmegcan contribute to treating various oral problems such ascavities, bleeding gums and toothache. It can prevent yourliver from the adverse effects of environmental pollution,stress and unbalanced diet.

Copper is an important nutrient in nutmegs which helps tobalance the blood pressure and consequently helps in the main-tenance of heart rate. It reduces hair fall by increasing blood cir-culation and enhancing hair growth. It is also rich in mineralsthat help in keeping the immune systemof the body robust. According toAyurveda, you shouldadd a pinch of nut-meg to a glass ofwarm milk andhave it before sleep-ing. You can also addin some almonds anda pinch of cardamom foradded benefits. Nutmeg isa good ingredient for skincarebecause of its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties as well as its ability to remove black-heads, treat acne and clogged pores.

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Breastfeeding for sixmonths or morecould lower the

risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver dis-ease (NAFLD) years later dur-ing mid-life in women, according to recentresearch. While the benefits of breastfeed-ing in babies are known, this researchhighlights those for the mothers. Estimatesindicate that globally tens of millions ofpeople are living with NAFLD and NASH.Weight loss and a healthier diet are thecurrent standards of care.

The NAFLD is usually asymptomaticuntil advanced stages of liver disease andincludes a spectrum of disease severity,with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)being the most aggressive type. Multiplegenetic and environmental factors con-tribute to NAFLD, and certain health con-ditions, such as obesity and Type 2Diabetes, can be predisposing factors.

Some signs and symptoms of this con-dition include enlarged liver, fatigue,pain in the upper right abdomen. Whenit progresses to cirrhosis, it can causeascites, enlarged blood vessels and spleen,red palms, and jaundice. Tips from HCFI:

�Eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, veg-etables, whole grains and healthy fats.

�If you are overweight or obese,reduce the number of calories you eat eachday and get more exercise. If you have ahealthy weight, work to maintain it.

�Exercise most days of the week. Tryto get at least 30 minutes of physical activ-ity every day.

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Winters are here and soare many ailmentsthat find their way

during this season like acough, cold, loss of appetiteand importantly not drinkingenough water. This canlead to many prob-lems especially forthe elderly. Buthere are a fewthings that theycan do to stayfit:

Drink plentyof water. It’s easy toget dehydrated in thewinter. Try and drink atleast eight glasses of water aday. if you are not Diabetic,you can drink fresh juice aswell.

Eat a healthy and bal-anced diet. Women need to beextra careful. Eat six to sevensmall meals instead of threelarge ones. Ensure that you eat

two-three meals of fruits. Fordinner have vegetable soup —no thickening agent to theadded.

If you are used to going fora morning walk try using a

walking stick even ifyou don’t need it.

Winter monthstend to affect thelimbs and thejoints. However,don’t give up onyour exercise;

take up yogainstead. Not only

will you keep fit, butit will also keep your

limbs and joints fit as well.Even if it is not very cold

always wear socks and shoesespecially in the morningsand evenings. These will helpyou keep warm and protectyou from the cold and chancesof catching an infection aregreatly reduced.

Winters are here. This meansthat the elderly prefer to stay

indoors rather than venture out.This may affect their health butby following a few tips they canremain healthy this season, says

ROSHANI DEVI

Brush your teeth for two minutes,twice a day, every day. The Mobile

Dental Clinic Project, under the aegis ofMaulana Azad Instituteof Dental Sciences, NewDelhi, and Dr MaheshVerma, Director-Principal, celebratedNational Tooth BrushingDay, an annual cam-paign designed to reachundeserved populationsto reinforce the impor-tance of oral health andpromote good tooth-brushing habits.

Tooth decay is the single most com-mon chronic childhood disease, and themost common disease after commoncold. Despite the high rates of oral diseasein children, dental health in India is stillperceived as a low priority health bene-fit. The correct method of brushing:

�Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums.

�Gently move the brush back andforth in short (tooth-wide)strokes.

�Brush the outer sur-faces, the inner surfacesand the chewing surfacesof the teeth.

�Brush your tongueto remove bacteria andkeep your breath fresh.

�Don’t forget to floss,eat a balanced diet andvisit a dentist regularly.

The project supported school children,and conducted competitions related todental health. Dr Swati Jain and DrShekhar Grover (consultants, DentalPublic Health) visited Government GirlsSenior Secondary School, Yamuna Vihar.Around 200 students participated andspread the message of oral health.

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Twenty-one-year-old SanjayKandasamy did not have anordinary childhood. Though

you couldn’t tell, at just 20 monthshe had a part of his father’s livertransplanted into him in November1998. In doing so, Kandasamy andhis doctors created history in theannals of Indian medicine as thecountry’s first successful liver trans-plant surgery. Remarkably, not onlyhas Sanjay done exceedingly well,he is now training to be a doctorhimself — a testament to the exper-tise of the treating team and thetenacity of Sanjay and the family.

On the 20th anniversary of theera-changing operation thatchanged the face of medical sci-ences in India, Indraprastha Apollohospitals showcased the evolutionthat liver transplants have gonethrough over the last two decadesas well as felicitate Kandasamyand his family for the braveryshown since the surgery.

Speaking on the occasion, DrPreetha Reddy, vice-chairperson,Apollo Hospitals Group, said: “Liverdisease is a major cause for concernin the country with as many as twolakh people dying from it everyyear. While around 1,800 livertransplants are done annually, asmany as 20,000 people need a livertransplant at any given point. Thefact is around 10 lakh people arediagnosed with the liver diseaseevery year, making it the 10thmost common cause of death inIndia as per the World HealthOrganisation. While India hascome a long way since the firstoperation, there is still a huge gap

to be filled. We have endeavouredto create world-class transplantcentres with leading clinicians run-ning the program. Going forwardwe will expand our services to hith-erto unreachable geographies andpopulations.”

Cricketer Gautam Gambhir, along time proponent of organdonation was also present at theoccasion. “Every three minutes aperson gets added to the list whoneed a transplant. Today, over twolakh Indians are on the list whileless than 10 per cent get a trans-plant. We have to work as a nationto increase our organ donation rate.I pledged my organs in 2011 andencourage the youth to raise aware-ness on organ donation andbecome donors themselves. Thisneeds to become a national move-ment,” Gambhir said.

Kandasamy said: “I would liketo thank the doctors at Apollo whogave me a new lease of live 20 yearsback. I would not have made it thisfar without this help. My parentsand family have always encouragedme to make the most of this secondchance at life. Seeing the work thatdoctors do from such close quartersmade me determined to become adoctor myself. I want to contributetowards saving the lives of ourcountrymen and also set an exam-ple that any challenge in life can beovercome.”

Kandasamy was born with arare condition called Biliary Atresia.This is a disease that affects one in12,000 babies with the only lastingremedy being a liver transplantsurgery. Highlighting the expertise

developed at Apollo, Dr NeeravGoel, Senior Consultant, LiverTransplants, said: “Over the past 20years our expertise has greatlydeveloped. Today, we are doingABO incompatible and combinedliver-kidney transplants. We are alsooperating on babies as small as fourkg. We intend to further developour program to help an even larg-er section of the population in thefuture.”

Ashok Bajpai, Managing direc-tor, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals,said: “As we mark this historic day,we would like to thank our patientsand families who have entrusted uswith their faith. Our transplant pro-gram is today a beacon of hope forthousands thanks to the expertiseand commitment of our specialistsand staff. We intend to dedicate the

coming years to become the besttransplant centre in the world.”

Marking the occasion, ApolloHospitals’ Group Medical Director& Senior PediatricGastroenterologist, Dr AnupamSibal said: “Today marks a specialday for Indian medical sciences. Itwas over 20 years ago that Indiafinally entered the hallowed exclu-sive club of countries that carriedout liver transplants. This pioneer-ing work and the awe-inspiring atti-tude of patients like Kandasamy hasensured that over the last 20 yearsthe Apollo Institutes of Transplanthas performed more than 3200 livertransplants in patients from over 50countries of which 302 have beenchildren. We endeavor to offer ourexpertise to patients from all overthe world who seek liver transplantservices.”

By performing 1,200 solidorgan transplants in 2013, the pro-gramme is amongst the largestSolid organ transplant program inthe world, a position which Apollohas held for six consecutive yearsnow.

While there is still a lack ofinfrastructure for life-saving organdonations and transplants, thenumbers in the country are show-ing some improvement in thecountry. Out of 301 hospitalsequipped to handle the process, 250have registered with NationalOrgan and Tissue TransplantOrganization (NOTTO), showingthat in order to conduct an organtransplant, there exists one fullyequipped hospital for around 43lakh people.

We are nearing the end of 2018 and 2019does not seem very far. In the last couple

of years, a lot has changed about what and howwe eat. Omega 3’s have become more common-place, trans-fats have become a common foodvillain, probiotic milk have raided our fridgespace getting pride of place along with humblehomemade dahi, the egg (whole egg mind you)and good fats like ghee and coconut oil havemade a come back and wisdom of following alow-fat diet is being questioned extensively.

Carbs are no longer being branded as clearcut villains anymore, and even though new dietsare breaking the internet and joining the book-store rack masses weekly (and there are multi-ple takers for these fad diets still), people are nowbeginning to question their very veracity. Theseare all healthy signs of healthy times! But there’sstill lots more that is about to happen. Here’swhat we will see more going forward:

��There is a non-diet approach towards seek-

ing wellness. The focus has always been on habitchanges. Only sustainable way to gain health isto live a life and lifestyle where your good habitsoutnumber the bad ones. This is what I writeabout in the book Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of ThinPeople Too and reiterate in my new bookUltimate Grandmother Hacks Too. There is moreacceptance for this way of gaining health (andlosing weight). Millennials, although a little con-fused, are driven by logic and looking to puthealth first.

0��!�� Today, everyone is taking a hard look at how

they are eating, moving away from our tradition-al way of eating, and cooking is gaining ground.People are going back to our roots to find theright way of eating and living. Nutrition scienceis simply trying to catch up with many age-oldnuggets of wisdom and observation-led beliefsthat we have been following since yesteryears.

��JThere’s also now far more understanding

about the importance of protein in our diet andthus, I see a renewed push for protein. Plus thetalk has moved from just protein quantity to pro-tein quality — the kind of amino acids the fooddelivers, and this is good news, as quality alwaysscores over quantity.

��.��We will see a perceptive shift towards eat-

ing a more plant-based diet, and mindless gorg-ing on meat will become a thing of the past. Iforesee a rise in the numbers of part-time veg-etarians, who will reduce their meat consump-tion. And that is a good way to eat and live.

��Some local trends that gaining strength are:

�Local staples and grains like amaranth, ragi andsattu will become more commonplace. Theyounger generation is now getting interested inthem, as their health benefits are hard to ignore.�Brown rice may become passé, instead morered rice and local lesser-known varieties will gainprominence. �Organic jaggery, coconut sugar and healthi-er, unrefined sugar options finding more accep-tance and becoming a part of grocery shoppinglists as a norm.

It’s time to slow down a bit and choose howwe want to live our life. Our health will becomea priority only when we make it a priority.

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The Maldives’ newGovernment will pull out

of a free trade agreement (FTA)with China because it was amistake for the tiny nation tostrike such a pact with theworld’s second biggest econo-my, the head of the largest partyin the ruling alliance said.

It is the latest sign of abacklash against China in theMaldives, best-known for itsluxury resorts on palm-fringedcoral islands.

“The trade imbalancebetween China and theMaldives is so huge thatnobody would think of anFTA between such parties,”

said Mohamed Nasheed, thechief of the MaldivianDemocratic Party, which leadsthe ruling federal alliance.“China is not buying anythingfrom us. It is a one-way treaty.”

On Saturday, as he tookoffice, the new PresidentIbrahim Mohamed Solihdeclared the state coffers havebeen “looted” and warned thatthe country was in financialdifficulty after racking up debtwith Chinese lenders.

Former President AbdullahYameen, who lost the electionin September, signed the FTAduring a visit to Beijing inDecember, and the samemonth his parliament ratifiedthe treaty despite opposition

protests that he had rushedthrough the 1,000-page docu-ment in less than an hourwithout any debate.

Nasheed, a former presi-

dent and now an advisor toSolih, said parliament wouldnot pass the law changesrequired for the zero tariffsagreement to come into force.

“It was ratified by parlia-ment, but fortunately it calls fordifferent sets of legislation. Weare not going to have this fur-ther legislation. We can’t go with

that,” Nasheed told Reuters in aninterview in the capital Male.

China’s embassy in Maledid not respond to a request fora comment on the trade pact.

But China’s ForeignMinistry said in a statementthat Culture and TourismMinister Luo Shugang,President Xi Jinping’s specialenvoy to the inauguration, toldSolih that China paid greatattention to developing rela-tions with the Maldives.

The Maldives is among anumber of small countrieswhere China has invested bil-lions of dollars building high-ways and housing as part of itsBelt and Road Initiative.Through that initiative, Beijing

hopes to improve trade andinvestment flows with much ofAsia and parts of the rest of theworld.

China was willing to workwith the Maldives to consoli-date their traditional friend-ship, plan their practical coop-eration and promote Belt andRoad to inject “new impetus”into their future relationship,the foreign ministry cited Luoas saying during Sunday’s meet-ing with Maldivian president.

The statement cited Solihas expressing appreciation forChina’s long-term support ofthe Maldives and that he waswilling to further deepen coop-eration under the Belt andRoad framework.

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Brussels: European ministerssigned off Britain’s draft divorcedeal on Monday as theylaunched an intense final weekof negotiations on future cross-Channel ties.

Brexit negotiator MichelBarnier and the Union’sAustrian rotating presidencysaid the negotiated text wouldbe presented to EU leaders ata signing summit on Sunday.

“The first, difficult step isdone,” said Austrian ministerfor Europe Gernot Blumel,whose country holds the rotat-ing EU presidency, after theministers met.

Meanwhile, detailed dis-cussions continue on a parallelpolitical statement setting outthe bloc’s ambitions for futurerelations with post-Brexit Britain— and on a possible extensionto the transition period. Britainwill leave the Union on March29 next year, but remain withinits single market for a further 21

months as negotiators seek adeal to avoid a potential break-down in trade between the keyeconomic partners.

If no deal remains in sightwithin this period, Britain canrequest a one-off extension.Barnier has suggested that thisshould expire at the end of2022, but he admitted that theother 27 member states haveyet to sign off on this date.

“I think that during thisweek we’ll have a definitiveproposition for this date. Thedecision will be made jointlybetween the United Kingdomand the 27,” Barnier said.

Neither European mem-ber states, who want to protectaccess to their single market bynon-member Britain, nor hard-line British Brexiteers, who fearbeing trapped in a bloc wherethey don’t make the rules, wantan endless transition.

Barnier stressed it wasPrime Minister Theresa May’s

Government that had request-ed the extension option andthat he had agreed to it to reas-sure nervous businesses, butwarned: “It can’t be indefinite.It needs to be decided.”

Meanwhile, preparations forSunday’s summit, where Mayand her 27 colleagues will signthe withdrawal agreement,continue apace.

“A painful week in

European politics is starting,”Blomel said. “We have thedivorce papers on the table.Forty-five years of difficultmarriage are coming to anend.” AFP

London: British PrimeMinister Theresa May onMonday vowed that Brexitwould level the playing field formigrant workers in the UK,with migrants from the EU nolonger be able to jump thequeue ahead of those fromcountries like India.

Addressing theConfederation of BritishIndustry annual conference inLondon, she said the country’spost-Brexit immigration sys-tem will be based on skills and

talent rather than which coun-try the immigrant comes from.

“Once we have left the EU,we will be fully in control of whocomes here. It will no longer bethe case that EU nationals,regardless of the skills or expe-rience they have to offer, canjump the queue ahead of engi-neers from Sydney or softwaredevelopers from Delhi,” shesaid in her speech.

“Instead of a system basedon where a person is from, wewill have one that is built

around the talents and skills aperson has to offer,” she said,adding that the core of thepost-Brexit immigration sys-tem will be “skills based” ratherthan “quota based”.

Under the current EU free-dom of movement rules,migrant workers from withinthe economic bloc are free tocome in and find work in theUK, while workers from non-EU countries like India have toundergo strict visa applicationrequirements. PTI

Beijing: Beijing on Monday downplayed the unprecedented fall-out from this year’s APEC summit, which for the first time everfailed to issue a joint statement after US-China trade tensions boiledover. Clashes between the world’s top two economies over the rulesof global trade blocked agreement on a formal written declara-tion by the 21 nations represented at the Port Moresby meeting.

Washington had pressed for leaders to issue what amount-ed to a denunciation of the World Trade Organization and a callfor its wholesale reform — a step too far for Beijing, which wouldlikely suffer in the event of any change to trade rules.

But China on Monday chose instead to focus on the “posi-tive results” of the summit. AFP

Islamabad: Pakistan on Mondayreacted angrily to DonaldTrump’s latest tirade against it fornot doing “a damn thing” forAmerica in curbing terrorism,saying the US President “suffersconveniently from perpetualhistoric amnesia!”

Human Rights MinisterShireen Mazari’s terse remarkscame a day after PresidentTrump defended his adminis-tration’s decision to stop hun-dreds of millions of dollars inmilitary aid to Pakistan for notdoing enough to curb terrorismand criticised Islamabad foroffering a hideout to Laden inAbbottabad. PTI

Brussels: Germany will bar 18 Saudis from entering its territo-ry and Europe’s Schengen passport-free zone over their allegedlinks to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Foreign Minister HeikoMaas said on Monday. Maas said the move was “coordinated veryclosely with” states France and Britain and the broader EU asthey seek more information in Khashoggi’s death last month inthe Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Berlin has “decided thatGermany should impose an entry ban on 18 Saudi citizens, whoare presumed to be in connection with this deed, in the Schengeninformation system,” Maas told reporters. AFP

Washington: President DonaldTrump said there is no reasonfor him to listen to a recordingof the “very violent, veryvicious” killing of Saudi jour-nalist Jamal Khashoggi, whichhas put him in a diplomaticbind: how to admonish Riyadhfor the slaying yet maintainstrong ties with a close ally.

Trump, in an interviewthat aired on Sunday, madeclear that the audio recording,supplied by the TurkishGovernment, would not affecthis response to the October 2killing of Khashoggi, a colum-nist for The Washington Postwho had been critical of theSaudi royal family.

“It’s a suffering tape, it’s a ter-rible tape. I’ve been fully briefedon it, there’s no reason for me tohear it,” Trump said. AP

Colombo: Political parties in SriLanka agreed on Monday toform a select committee to con-duct parliamentary affairs amida power struggle set off byPresident MaithripapalaSirisena’s controversial decisionto remove prime minister RanilWickeremesinghe last month.

Sri Lanka’s Parliament,which was convened onMonday for a third floor testagainst disputed prime minis-ter Mahinda Rajapaksa, wasadjourned just ten minutesafter its opening as the law-makers could not decide on themembers of the committee.

The decision to form theselect committee came a dayafter an all-party meeting called by President Sirisena toresolve the crisis ended incon-clusively. PTI

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Colombo: Sri Lankan law-makers have submitted amotion to Parliament seekingthe suspension of state fundsallocated to disputed PrimeMinister Mahinda Rajapaksa,who has lost two no-confi-dence motions. Ousted PMRanil Wickremesinghe’s UnitedNational Party ParliamentarianNavin Dissanayake said that sixUnited National Front MPshanded over the motion to bedebated in Parliament, theColombo Gazette reportedMonday.

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Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother. Thisholds true for any child, especially a daughter. A girl always

sees a role model, a friend and a confidant in her mother. But canthis work the other way around? Can a mother find inspirationin her daughter and turn to her for life lessons? One such moth-er-daughter duo, Paridhi Sharma as Babita Khurana a.k.a Babesand Ashnoor Kaur as Mini Khurana, are all set to be a part of thesmall screen through Patiala Babes. It’s a journey where the daugh-ter not only gives wings to her mother but helps her take the leapof faith.

“I am excited to be a part of Patiala Babes. This show has rede-fined my relationship with my own mother in many ways. As chil-dren we tend to take our parents for granted without realising thefact that since their world revolves around us, they are more depen-dent on us. I am proud to say ‘Maa you can do it’ to all the moth-ers out there. The best part about the show is that I’m playing myage, because before this I was getting offers for roles that were abovemy age. I’m just 14 in real life, so I was really thrilled when I gotto know about Patiala Babes. I enjoyed the story and the way theyhave portrayed a mother-daughter relationship,” says Ashnoor, whohas been a part of shows like Jhansi Ki Rani, Na Bole Tum Na MaineKuch Kaha, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, and many more.

She adds that the character finds resonance in real life as well.She says, “Mini is completely Ashnoor as Mini loves her motherand so does Ashnoor. Mini is really outspoken, what’s on her mindis on her lips, nothing’s filtered. She’s very blunt, short-tempered,and same is true about me as I feel that when you know you’reright, you have to fight for it. She’s really bubbly, chirpy and Punjabi,so I really feel the character is like me which is why it was effort-less and natural to play it on-screen.”

The story is set against the backdrop of Punjab where Babitais an ideal home-maker who feels everything is perfect in her life.But is it really true or is she living a life of denial? “Babes usuallyforgets herself, her aspirations and dreams while managing her rela-tionships. She draws strength from her daughter Mini, who con-stantly tries to teach her the power of self-reliance. Patiala Babesalso has a tag line which says Janam maa ne diya par jeena betiseekhayegi. I’m wise beyond my age and that sure helped in enact-

ment. I think every individual will be able to relateand connect with the show as the story is entire-ly based on realism,” adds the 14-year-old.

Paridhi feels happy and excited to face thecamera once again after a long gap as she’s amother of a daughter now. Says the actress

who became a household name as Jodha, “Itwas not that challenging for me to play the

role of a mother because now I’m a moth-er in real. Earlier when I portrayed Jodha

in the show Jodha Akbar, I was themother of Salim but at that time I justhad an understanding of what moth-erhood would evoke in me. But now

being a mother, I have the actual expe-rience. My actions come naturally as I feel

them even while acting. I know what all ittakes to be a mother now.

“Acting is my passion and it feels good tolive it. Initially, I was bit apprehensive as I hadto play a mother’s role. But, when I sat for thenarration and heard the story, I was complete-ly sold on the relationship that the characterhas with her daughter. I am glad to have had

the opportunity to portray Babes.” After herinitial hesitance Paridhi was won over

because of how versatile the role was.The actor had catapulted to fame

with her portrayal of Jodha in JodhaAkbar, the TV show that began in 2013and went on for two years. The show

is slated to release on November 27 onSony TV.

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Luxury has been synonymouswith hand-made crafts andcustomised comforts in India,

a boutique quality of living that wasquite commonly ingrained thoughexaggerated as a showpiece by theroyalty. But somewhere along theages, the Indian concept of luxuryhad lost its lustre when juxtaposedwith the Western flood of couture.Our pashminas, handlooms, silver-ware or even the leatherwork havebeen products of immense skill andopulence that continue to be thepride of our creative heritage. Withmultiple fora and exhibitions, TheLuxury League, helmed by RituBeri, is reintroducing us to our ownintellectual property.

“The definition of luxury hascertainly changed through theyears. There was a time when lux-ury was available only to the rar-efied and aristocratic world of old

money and royalty. Luxury isn’tsimply a product, it is a lifestyle, onethat denotes a history of tradition,superior quality and offers a pam-pered buying experience. For metrue luxury is exclusive, unique andnot easy accessibility,” said Beri whowill be organising The LuxurySymposium 2018. “PromotingIndian artisans and revival of a lostpride in our creative heritage lie atthe foreground of a symposium ofthis scale,” she told us. Beri herselfwill bring khadi in a new coutureavatar. “The look is about volup-tuous indulgence — essentially aneclectic blend of modern and tra-ditional,” said she. “I always try tobring design elements from ourheritage in my creations. Khadi forme still is an effective and power-ful symbol of the futility of‘Western imitation’ and the need fora revival of local textiles. This gets

me back to the idea of khadi asmore than just a mere cloth butsomething that always brings usback to our history and heritage,”she added. In that sense, the revivalof lost arts is also akin to the “Makein India” process.

Apart from Beri, other brandstoo will be making a point or twoat the symposium. PASHMA, aluxury brand, will be selling shawls,scarves, knitwear and suiting fab-rics sourced from the Changthamagoat, which is the the source of therarest and finest Pashmina fibres.The Changpa tribe of Ladakhherds the purest breed of Changra

goats at an altitude of 14,000ft.These natural, pristine, undyedshawls in both traditional andmodern weaves are also embell-ished with precious stones andpearls. Complementing the shawlsis the range of pure pashmina handcrafted knitwear, displaying themost intricate needle craft of cables,tuck knits and intarsia.

One can also find products ofpractical use and grandeur, fromcoasters in leather, to ornate silver-ware and handwoven shawls thatcan be heirloom pieces. ExternalAffairs Minister Sushma Swarajtold Shilu Kumar from PASHMA

during a courtesy call that Indialacks official agencies to certify realpashmina. She hoped that issueslike these would be raised at thesymposium and that The LuxuryLeague could lead the industry andrelevant stakeholders to move in adefinite direction. She also pro-posed facilitating necessary guid-ance to the relevant brands throughThe Luxury League. She agreedwith brand representatives whopointed out that there is a need toboost robust mechanisms in themarket to avoid exploitation of theweavers and artisans.

NITI Aayog CEO AmitabhKant discussed the possibility ofreviving the lost grandeur of themonuments of India by creatingboutique heritage shopping hubs intheir premises. He felt a need for theparticipation of more start-upbrands in the luxury business.

“Our heirloom textiles are aproduct of in-depth research on thefinest Indian textiles and architec-ture. We translate the finest weav-ing techniques into contemporaryrenditions by infusing colourpalettes, silhouettes and designlayouts which resonate with mod-ern Indian,” said founders of Ohfab,Aanchal Sagar and Akshita Sagar.They try to revive forgotten ele-ments of our heritage by studyingdesigns and techniques used inantique textiles and assimilatethem. ThreeSixty, a leather store,which too is taking part, createsproducts that are an amalgamationof the contemporary styles and thecustomary. They promote localartisans through their brand. “Inthat way, the whole emotion behindthe products is a home-narrative asthe craftsmen bring into light theirown distinct design styles inspiredfrom design traditions acrossIndia,” said Vikash Gupta. KalyaniChawla of Rezon, a silverwarebrand, said, “Every element that isused is intrinsically Indian, whetherit’s the lotus or the craft of enam-elling or the elephant and peacockdesigns used in various forms.”

The Luxury Symposium 2018will be held on Friday, November

30 at Hyatt Regency Delhi

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Highway.” “Board exams.”“Donald Trump.” “Basket ball.”

Seemingly disparate words thrownby the large audience were strungtogether in an impromptu story byfilm director Imtiaz Ali in an open-air spin-a-yarn contest. Since story-telling was an essential part of theKathakar — InternationalStorytellers’ Festival at Indira GandhiNational Centre for Arts, the filmmaker, who has incidentally madea film Tamasha with one as the pro-tagonist, also wove a tale withthese words. And of his felicity withstory-telling, he attributed it to hislife of ordinariness which hedressed up from childhood with hisimagined details to look and soundgood. “I was average in sports. Butat school I excused myself fromgames saying I played higher lev-els at the neighbourhood competi-tions and vice versa. You could sayit all began from there. Also, I amalways fascinated by the outsider’sperception of the insider.”

Imtiaz played raconteur to the

hilt as he recalled stories from thetime that the songs from his moviewere being recorded at ARRahman’s studio in Chennai.Prodded by festival directorPrarthana Gahilote, he recountedincidents which gave an insight intothe reclusive music director’s senseof humour. “Mohit had beenrecording Sadda Haq for 16 hoursinside the recording room while thetwo of us sat outside. I askedRahman sir if he wanted a coffeeand when he agreed, I slipped in thesuggestion that we should giveone to Mohit too. He refused andsaid, ‘the pain of denial would showin his voice’, which in turn wouldreflect Janardhan/Jordan’s state ofmind, without missing a beat,”recalled the director.

He also recounted incidents,where during a drive back post-din-ner, the team was caught by thelocal police. “Since Rahman sahabwas the only one who knew Tamil,he was talking to the cops but didnot want to say that he was ARRahman. However, finally one ofthe police personnel figured outwho he was and let us go,” saidImtiaz.

Asked how different it wasworking with Rahman and Pritam,both of whom have done the musicscores for him, the filmmaker said,“Pritam is a friend. We knew eachother for a long time. But Rahmansir, he was someone we looked upto much before, since school. Butone thing he made clear at our veryfirst meeting that I was the direc-tor and at the helm of the project.So I would have to give the direc-

tion. Both of them are organic inthe way they work. There is noscript in the way they work. Whilerecording Sadda Haq, we continu-ously worked on these two wordsand the innumerable ways to say itwhile the remaining song was stillbeing written.”

With the discussion returningto Rockstar every few minutes, itwas not surprising that singerMohit Chauhan, who is co-curat-ing the festival as well, belted outtwo of the numbers from the film,Kun Faya Kun and Tum Ho SathMere and the way the audience was

transported by the voice that wassoaked with the feel of the moun-tains was what memorablemoments are made of.

But even as people professedlove for the film, Imtiaz could nothelp pick holes in it. “There is afidayeen squad in defence ofRockstar who would not like it if Isay anything against the film,” hesaid with a laugh and added, “ButI find there are many portions inthe movie which are hollow.”

Despite the November chill

gradually seeping in, the audiencewas unwavering and wanted to hearmore. And he obliged. WhenGahilote expressed her regret thatshe could not meet the originalrockstar, Shammi Kapoor, whilethey were shooting the movie,Imtiaz had a story ready to quali-fy the description. “There is ascene in the movie where Shammijisees the poster and realises thatRanbir is a big star now. When weshot this, he was nearing the end ofhis life. He was suffering from adebilitating condition, had lost twotoes, undergone blood transfusionand was in a lot of pain which couldbe seen in his eyes during the shot.I approached him and told him asmuch and asked him, ‘kya karnahai?’ and he replied, ‘karna kya hai,let’s do it again.’ That’s the measureof a star,” said Imtiaz.

Going on to Jab We Met and hismuch-loved character Geet, thedirector recalled how the ideacame about. “A friend of mine sug-gested a character of a man whowants to commit suicide. I came upwith a counterpoint of a girl whotalks endlessly and is on a train.And then I decided to put this manon the train and the girl saves him.While my friend moved on to moretragic stories, convinced that Iwould try and make any sad storyhappy, I made the movie.”

Many in the audience wantedto know why a sad character alwaysembedded himself/herself in hisfilms, be it Rockstar or Jab We Metor the more recent Laila Majnu.Imtiaz replied, “Don’t go looking forpain or unhappiness to be success-

ful. Many people in real life havehad really tough lives before theycould be successful but othershaven’t. So you do not have to golooking for a heartbreaker likeHeer to be successful.” On the samenote when someone asked why didJordan, who was initially lookingfor success in music, put his careerat stake on several occasions for hislove? Imtiaz said something thatmost of us identify with: “Wealways want what we can’thave while we ignore whatwe have got.”

There were aspiringfilmmakers in the audi-ence who wanted toknow more about film-making to whichImtiaz said, “You donot need to relocate toMumbai to start mak-ing films. Start withshort ones, make useof the social mediaand if you are good,you will be spotted.”Mohit too added,“When I made myfirst album, DoobaDooba as part of SilkRoute, I was verymuch in Delhi. Youcan do the same.”And like all goodstory-tellers, Imtiazis cooptive anddoesn’t considertechnology a bur-den. “That’s story-telling in images.So do not abhor it butuse it as your tool.”

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What sets Navin Thomas apart is hisoriginality and his ability to keep

art lovers guessing about what he willunravel next.

When he won the SKODA Award in2011 he said, “There are a couple of thingswhich I have been preoccupied with overthe last few years — beta-testing on thepossible afterlife of salvaged electronicjunk, mostly discarded transistors andsmaller objects, with a possible audiocapacity. I love to observe how pets andsmaller species react to magnetic fields.”

MELDING MOORINGSSeven years hence, Navin’s exposition atGallery SKE in Delhi is the stuff of meld-ing and meandering moorings which cre-ate corollaries in conversation and com-plexities of transcending sound in myr-iad ways through recycled wood. “Outhere in the exosphere,” he is more thancurious, more than quaint and it holdsup a host of narratives from the past tothe present to the Sappers Band inMadras and the tide of time.

In the past, he has created works bydegrees having a penchant for discover-ing the beginnings of his installations andfilms in and around the discarded detri-tus of scrapyards, recycling plants and fleamarkets. He uses “rough” technology to

construct his poetic and philosophical artfrom the salvage of rapidly transforming21st-century economies.

PHANTOM ORCHESTRAHere at Gallery SKE, it is the brass bandinstruments, The Phantom Orchestra, thatcatch your gaze. References and mem-ories come floating by, think of LouisArmstrong and eternal enchantingmelodies like What a Wonderful World,As Time Goes By, La Vie en Rose and allNavin does is smile because he goes offon a tangent with sound.

“The main work of this show, ThePhantom Orchestra, is an ensemble ofwind instruments, (tuba, french horn,euphonium and so on) which wereoriginally retrieved from the local metalrecycling unit when the instruments werecast off by the local military brass band,”he adds.

“I have always been known for mysound sculptures in the past. Earlier theywere about built architecture and ecolo-gy and now, with this new show it’s moreabout aural form and the mechanics ofit,” he says. “These instruments werereconstructed to become The PhantomOrchestra and for this show they are play-ing a rendition of the Weather Report,which is a score that is written in three

parts. The first part of this piece is anorchestration of instruments ‘tuning’. Theidea of the instrument that can never betuned is the foundation of this piece. I amnot going to get into the details of theremaining two parts as I don’t want toruin it for people visiting the show,” heaffirms.

SENTINELS IN TIMEThe other larger sculptural work, whichis titled Sentinels in time, compriseswooden chambers of sorts. In the artist’sopinion, it is to further explore theprocess of calibrating what cannot betuned and then ultimately turninginwards to tune oneself. It is uncanny howhe creates an entire vocabulary ofdesigned elements around sound and itsintricate references that run throughmemory and time and tide.

QUIXOTIC TITLESTangential narratives and metaphorsspill out of his very reckoning. Navin isperhaps a visionary in the many conver-sations he creates. His titles set you think-ing about his voracious appetite for read-ing and his powers of observation that goback and forth through the grids of deca-dence and history itself. “Most often theempty space of a would-be title is a

chance at a separate text work by itself.When I was younger, it would be to playa trick on your sensibilities, to label acheap red rubber ball as human spirit,some fun and game to get thrown out ofBible studies class and go fishing. Nowthat I am older and more accommodat-ing, the role of the title would be to gen-tly guide the spatial experience of the per-son without having to drop too much ofcultural appropriation,” he adds in sheerhumility.

“When I first conceived ThePhantom Orchestra, I knew for sure thatthe dead members of the local militarybrass band wouldn’t be playing music asyou traditionally knew it. I was keen tomake a piece on the climate, mostly thesounds of ecological disaster,” elucidatesNavin. “It was beginning to sound morelike a Hollywood science fiction filmscore. I trashed it and finally came backto a question of representation and that’show I arrived at the ping pong ball — asmashing object, courageous, battered,uncertain and then symphonic. Thefinal score is called the Weather Report,which is in three parts.”

ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY IN WOODWhen you look around the room

and take in the different paradigms inwood that speak about design dynam-ics, you know how preserving and pas-sionate Navin is about what he creates.Sheet Music for Table Tennis is asenchanting as the two flattened violinprototypes bringing about a host ofmemories and moods.

“I use wood in some of my sculp-tural work not for its aesthetic qualitybut for its inherent acoustic capacity. Inthe choice of timber I have a preferencefor, what is locally called jungle. It usu-ally means trees that are data-deficient,basically trees that have no name andthen in terms of its construction. I do alot of the joinery, mostly because I enjoydoing it and the dynamics of colour arehonestly just a system of chance. I willstretch out to what is closest to me,” clar-ifies Navin. Throughout his career hehas experimented with the reverberantand percussive effects of insects, birds,animals and people as they react and co-exist with invisible electronic fields. Forhis installations at Gallery SKE he usespowerful modern symbols— hybridwooden designs —and creates betweenthem an unfamiliar anthology which isat once dense with sound, memory andsensation.

Israel will be the “country offocus” at the 49th edition of

the International Film Festival ofIndia in Goa with 10 screeningsand a delegation of leadingIsraeli film personalities, includ-ing popular actor Alon Abutbul,will be present.

The opening film is TheOther Story by Avi Nesher withproduction by David Silber. Itwill be screened on November21 and will be followed by apress conference. Other knownfilms are Academy Award can-didates Footnote, Waltz withBashir and the internationallywell-esteemed The Bubble.Newer films that will bescreened are Unorthodox, RedCow, Working Woman, Longing,Redemption and ShalomBollywood: The untold Story ofIndian Cinema.

Film-making in Israel hasundergone major developmentssince its inception in the 1950s.In the last few years, Israeli films

have won reputed awards,including nomination for theBest Foreign Language films atthe Academy Awards. Israelifilm-makers produce films onthemes that appeal to the glob-al market, and Israel, known bymany as the Start-up Nation, ishome to cutting edge technolo-gies in animation and film pro-duction.

India-Israel diplomatic rela-tions, which completed 25 yearsin 2017, are gathering momen-tum in various fields such astrade, fin-tech and agricultureand also in the area of cinemaand film production. PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahuaddressed the galaxy of stars inMumbai during his trip inJanuary 2018. At the climax ofhis India tour, he invited Indian

actors and filmmakers to comeand make films in Israel. At thesame event, India’s mega-starAmitabh Bachchan expressedhis hope that “May cinema fur-ther fortify the strength of tiesbetween India and Israel.”

A film co-production agree-ment between Israel and India,signed during Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu’sstate visit to India in January, hascome into effect in September2018. As per the agreement, ajoint selection committee will beset up to consider collaborationproposals submitted by film-makers from both countries.Expedited visas, financial grantsand tax exemptions are some ofthe benefits the Israeli govern-ment agreed to extend in orderto help joint productions.

Who is an ideal superman?Why has it always been aman-centric world? Don’t

we need to consider other perspec-tives than that of the human to viewthis cosmos? Defying FriedrichNietzsche’s theory of a superman,artist Gigi Scaria brings togethersculptures that remind one of thecrucifixion of Jesus Christ. “Whenone thinks about a superhuman, oneshouldn’t go beyond Christ,” saysScaria. He believes that our bodiesare a bridge between the animal andthe Nietzschean superman. AndChrist is the process of that eleva-tion.

Christ, who faced a lot of trou-bles in his life and yet remained avery humble person throughout, isan ideal man for Scaria. “A mancould go weak, but can go higher tocontrol everything if he wishes toand without even causing any harmto any other being,” says Scaria.

The exhibition of sculptures,paintings and video works, titledEcce Homo: Behold the Man orHow One Become What One is, istaken from German philosopherFriedrich Nietzsche’s final book.The philosopher believed that asuperhuman has the ability to con-quer through all the challenges heis going through. However, Scariaquestions, “One can have everythings/he wants but at what cost?” Therecould be consequences that a mancould go through and suffer whilefollowing the Nietzschean model.

History has inhabited variousversions of man yet we stand at thecusp of time anticipating a post-human cyborg in the future.

The sculpture, Hesitant Attempt,shows Icarus, a Greek mythologicalcharacter, standing at the top of var-ious crooked urbanised structures

like buildings and broken homeswith wings on his shoulders. Icaruswas known to be the creator of thelabyrinth. His wings signify a“labyrinth of possibilities” that lifecould be if seen through the per-spectives of beings other than justhumans.

While one bronze sculpturetakes two to three months to be pre-pared completely, Scaria revealsthat the biggest one, Human Pull,took approximately five months tobe finished.

Another sculpture titled Fallshows a man lying on a mattressthat, as per Scaria, shows the “unset-tled” plight of a human today. “It isa mattress, the surface of whichshows the instability of the humanrace as it is always in a hurry, pack-ing their bags every now and then,”says the artiste.

His sculpture Ringa Ringa Roseswould remind someone of thefamous nursery rhyme, but toScaria, it reminds him of the brutal-ities of World War II and the plague

that hit Europe during the time, tak-ing numerous lives. The sculptureshows women holding hands andstanding in a circle, who are all“Indian women supporting eachother during difficulties.”

Striking a symbolism throughimages and commenting on theurban lives, Conviction is a set ofthree drawings that shows the torsoof a man resembling the torso ofHindu deity Hanuman who split hischest open to show an image of Ramresiding inside his heart. However,Scaria’s drawings interpret the torsothat doesn’t show Ram, rather but-tons of play, pause and play on the

three chests. The drawings remindone of the urban life that is ruled bythe internet and social media.

A video Disclaimer was inspiredby the news of the recent lynchings.In it the magician is playing ThreeCup Shuffle in which one places dif-ferent objects under different bowlsand the viewer has to guess what isplaced underneath each as thebowls are shuffled. “I made thevideo in such a way that it seems itis the magician who is doing allthese tricks,” says Scaria.

His small sculptures are placedon the walls. “I knew that I wantedsculptures but on the walls of agallery because it is the high-reliefstyle that I really like,” says Scaria.

The bronze sculpture titledHuman Pull displays the figure of aman with one wing. Scaria says,“Human beings do so much effortto reach the top but what if they findnothing at the top. They are some-times just trying to grasp the empti-ness. All these ideas are my ownanxieties and my personal issueswhich are actually reflecting throughimages.”

Scaria’s works embody the exis-tential angst about the future ofhuman body and humanity at large.

(The show is on display tillNovember 24 at Vadehra Art Gallery.)

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●Israeli filmmaker DanWolman will be presentedwith a lifetime achievementaward and will give aMasterclass session onNovember 25.● The Country of Focus willbe opened with a gala eveningdinner, hosted by the Israeliconsulate in Mumbai, wherethe Indian-Israeli singer LioraItzhak will perform few of herBollywood-inspired pieces. Ashort Israeli animation film inHindi will be launched duringthe event. The film, A Revivalof a Nation, depicts 4,000years of Jewish history.● On November 22, the con-sulate will host a seminardedicated to discussing oppor-tunities for collaborationsbetween Israeli and Indiancinemas, where renownedIndian producers Apoorva

Mehta and Vishesh Bhatt,together with Tanuj Garg, willshare from their experienceson their work-visit to Israel.

On this occasion, Israel’sConsul General in Mumbai,H.E Mr. Ya’akov Finklsteinsaid: “Israel is proud to be infocus at this year’s IFFI, and isglad for the opportunity to beable to present to Indian cin-ema-lovers. We hope the focuson Israel will serve as a goodintroduction to its cinema butalso to the vibrant Israeli soci-ety. We believe this festival willpromote joint work betweenIsraeli and Indian film artists,as we think that both sides canlearn a lot from each other. Iinvite you all to come andwatch the films and then comeand visit Israel itself, to enjoyat first hand the Israeli expe-rience, for seeing is believing.”

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Ajudging controversy couldn'tstop the Indian juggernautfrom rolling with as many as

eight pugilists reaching the quar-terfinals in the ongoing AIBAWomen's World BoxingChampionships on Monday.

Sonia Chahal (57kg), Pinki Rani(51kg) and Simranjit Kaur (64kg)won their respective pre-quarterfi-nal bouts to place themselves just astep away from assuring a medalwhile Saweety Boora (75kg) was thelone Indian boxer to lose her bouton an eventful day at the K D JhadavStadium.

MC Mary Kom (48kg), ManishaMoun (54kg), Lovlina Borgohain

(69kg) and Kachari Bhagyabati(81kg) booked their quarterfinals onSunday while Seema Poonia willdirectly begin her campaign at thelast-eight stage on Tuesday againstXiaoli Yang of China.

Former champion L Sarita Devi(60kg) was the second Indian boxerto bow out of the tournament in thepre-quarterfinals after losing to2016 World Championship Silvermedallist Kellie Harrington ofIreland in a split 3-2 verdict onSunday.

The best show for the Indianswas in the 2006 edition at homewhen the country won 8 medals. Thecountry won just two and onemedal in the last two editions andthis one may turn out to be the best

in recent times.The fifth day's proceedings were,

however, marred by a judging con-troversy when 2014 Gold-medallistStanimira Petrova of Bulgaria (57kg)accused the judges of "corruption"after losing her pre-quarterfinal toIndia's Sonia Chahal.

"I want to say only one thing, itis corruption by the judges. It is nota fair result," the 27-year-old Petrova,who won a Gold in 54kg in the 2014edition, told reporters after losing toSonia.

She was seen laughing when

Sonia was announced the winnerand also waved his index finger indispleasure.

Her coach Petar Yosifov Lesovthrew a water bottle inside the ring

and the world body AIBA later with-drew his accreditation and barredhim from the ringside.

The 21-year-old Sonia, daugh-ter of a Haryana farmer, was trailing

after the second round but recoveredwell in the final round to win theclose bout on 3-2 split decision.

All the five judges gave 10-9points in favour of the Indian in the

third round and that sealed the winfor the local hope.

Sonia, on her part, said it was afair result.

"How can all the five judges gowrong? It was a fair decision," shesaid.

This was Sonia's first majorinternational event having risen tosenior level by winning a Gold in theNational Championships in 2016.

Last year, she won a Gold in theSerbia Cup. She won a Bronze in theAhmet Comert Boxing Tournamentthis year. Sonia next faces AriasCastenada Yeni Marcela of Columbiain the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Pinki and Simranjit, on theother hand, notched up easy winswith all the judges giving unanimous5-0 verdicts in their favour.

The 28-year-old Pinki was trail-ing behind her English opponentAlice Ebonie Jones in the first roundbut recovered in the next two toemerge victorious in the end. It wasa close call on the part of four judgeswho gave 29-28 in favour of theIndian while the fifth judge gave aclear 30-27.

"It was an easier one than myearlier (opening round) bout.Today's opponent was young andinexperienced while my previousopponent (Armenia's 2014 youthworld champion Anush Grigoryan)was more experienced," she said.

Pinki next faces Pang Chol Miof North Korea in the quarterfinalson Tuesday.

The 23-year-old Simranjit's 5-0win against Megan Reid of Scotland,was the most impressive amongIndian bouts of the day as she wonall the rounds for an a 30-27, 30-27,29-28, 30-27, 30-27 win.

Simaranjit, who won Gold in theAhmet Comert tournament inTurkey this year, was taking the ringthree months after he father passedaway. She said on Sunday that shewould try hard to win a medal forhim.

Simaranjit from Chakar villagein Ludhiana next faces Amy SaraBroadhurst of Ireland in the quar-terfinals on Tuesday.

India, however, suffered a joltwith Saweety Boora losing her open-ing to Elzbieta Wojcik of Poland in75kg in a unanimous decision.

The 23-year-old Saweety wonSilver in the 2014 WorldChampionships in 81kj but wascompeting here in 75kg.

All the five judges were not infavour of the Indian in all the threerounds with the Polish boxer win-ning 30-26, 30-27, 30-26, 30-27, 30-27.

�� 02"'2"

Alexander Zverev emphaticallyannounced his arrival at the top

of the men's game by overpoweringNovak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 to win hisfirst ATP Finals title.

The 21-year-old German, mak-ing his second appearance at the end-of-season showpiece, outlasted six-time champion Roger Federer in thesemi-finals and repeated the featagainst the world number one onSunday.

Djokovic had not been brokenonce in the tournament coming intothe match, winning all 36 servicegames and only facing two breakpoints but Zverev wrecked his num-bers, breaking four times in thematch.

The German, coached by IvanLendl, faltered just once whenDjokovic broke him early in the sec-ond set but that was the only blem-ish on an extraordinary performanceof power and skill.

"I really can't describe it," saidZverev.

"It is the biggest title I have everwon. Firstly, I want to congratulateNovak and we may never have seenthe tennis he has played in the last fewmonths before. He barely lost amatch but thankfully he did to me.

"We (Djokovic and Zverev) hadso many talks, not only abouttennis but all different types ofsubjects — I won't mentionwhat — but you are a sharingperson and you have sharedsome titles with me. I appre-ciate you letting me win onetoday."

The Serbian top seed, 31,came into the match seekingto equal Federer's record of six ATPFinals wins but was immediatelyaware he had a fight on his hands atLondon's O2 Arena.

Djokovic beat Zverev 6-4, 6-1 intheir round-robin match onWednesday but it was a different storyin front of a packed and vociferouscrowd on Sunday.

With both players going toe-to-toe from the back of the court, thefirst set went with serve until theninth game, when Djokovic dumpeda forehand into the net to concede thebreak.

��Roared on by the crowd, Zverev

hit three aces on his way to sealing thefirst set 6-4.

Still on a high, the third seedbroke an out-of-sorts Djokovic imme-diately at the start of the second setto leave the top seed with a mountain

to climb.Showing nerves for the first time,

he double-faulted twice in his nextservice game as Djokovic got back onlevel terms but the German brokeagain to lead 2-1 as the Serb's error

count mounted.Zverev broke Djokovic

for the third time in the sec-ond set in the ninth game,producing a stunning back-hand down the line at fullstretch to win the champi-onship.

The young German hasoften been talked about as

the leader of the next generation butdespite having three Masters titlesunder his belt in his short career, hehas a poor record at the Slams.

Djokovic slipped to an unaccus-tomed low of 22nd in the world ear-lier this year but has lost just threematches since the beginning ofWimbledon as he charged back up therankings.

"Sascha (Zverev) definitely playedmuch better than he did in thegroup stage," he said. "He deserved towin. He's still quite young but he's hadan amazing career so far and I wishhim all the best for his future.

"Speaking of being young, hope-fully I'll play many more years and I'llsee you guys here in years to come."

Elsewhere, Mike Bryan and JackSock won the doubles title in thrillingfashion , coming from a set down tobeat Pierre-Hugues Herbert andNicolas Mahut 5-7, 6-1, 13-11.

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Saina Nehwal and KidambiSrikanth will start

favourites when they spear-head the Indian challenge atthe Syed Modi Internationaltournament, which has lost abit of sheen with the pulloutof Olympic Silver medallist PV Sindhu.

The tournament beginshere on Tuesday.

With Sindhu missing,India will have two defendingchampions in the tourna-ment with Sameer Vermalooking to retain the title toenhance his chances of qual-ifying for the year-endingWorld Tour Final. The mixeddoubles pair of Pranaav JerryChopra and N Sikki Reddy,too, will eye a repeat.

Sindhu decided toskip the event to focus onnext month's World TourFinals in China but therewon't be any shortage of starpower when the World TourSuper 300 event gets under-way with the qualifiers.

In Sindhu's absence,Saina will be the cynosure ofall eyes and the celebrated

Indian has been indecent form this yearhaving won a Gold atthe CommonwealthGames and a Bronze at

the Asian Games. She willlook to secure her maidenBWF title of this season whenshe begins her campaign

against Mauritius' Kate FooKune in the opening round.

With a host of Indiansmaking up the draw, Saina islikely to face little resistancetill her journey to the finals,where she is expected tomeet former Olympic cham-pion China's Li Xuerui, whohas won at Canada, US andthe China Masters after mak-ing a comeback.

Srikanth, too, will belooking for his first title of theseason after being in ram-paging form last year, win-ning four titles. The Indianhas been in decent form,winning a Silver at theCommonwealth Games andreaching the quarterfinalsconsistently.

The Indian will hope to

claim the men's singles titleafter winning it in 2016 fol-lowing three final appear-ances. However, he will facetough resistance from secondseed H S Prannoy andSameer, who won titles atSwiss Open and HyderabadOpen.

Srikanth is likely to meetParupalli Kashyap in the sec-ond round if the 2014Commonwealth Gameschampion manages to beatTanongsak Saensomboonsukin the opener.

While, Prannoy will startagainst Thailand's AdulrachNamkul and is likely to meet2014 Commonwealth GamesBronze medallist R M VGurusaidutt in the thirdround.

For that, Guru, who istrying to make a comebackafter recovering from acareer-threatening ankleinjury, will have to fight hisway against Germany'sJonathan Persson and prob-ably Misha Zilberman ofIsrael to enter the quarterfi-

nals.Fourth seed B Sai

Praneeth, who had won theSingapore Open last year,will square off against Russia'sSergey Sirant in the openingmatch, while Subhankar Dey,who claimed his maiden titleat SaarLorLux Open, willopen against China's ZhouZeqi.

Seventh seed SourabhVerma, who won titles atRussia and Dutch Open, willstart against China's ZhouZeqi.

Also in action would beeighth seeded India's topmen's doubles pairs ofSatwiksairaj Rankireddy andChirag Shetty, who are theSilver medallists at theCommonwealth Games, andNational champions ManuAttri and B Sumeeth Reddy.

The women's doublespair of Ashwini Ponnappaand N Sikki Reddy will alsolook to put their best foot for-ward, while Ashwini will alsopair up with Satwik in mixeddoubles.

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Haris Seferovic starred with a hat-trick as Switzerland staged a sen-

sational comeback to thrash Belgium 5-2 in Lucerne on Sunday and qualify forthe Nations League finals in dramaticfashion.

Thorgan Hazard's early double leftSwitzerland needing to win by two goalsto qualify from Group A2 but the hostsquickly fought back, with RicardoRodriguez's penalty and Seferovic'sfirst two goals seeing them into a 3-2half-time lead.

Nico Elvedi nodded home aXherdan Shaqiri cross in the 62ndminute, and Vladimir Petkovic's mensealed a stunning win when Seferoviccompleted his treble late on.

"I want to congratulate each play-er, there was a big mental reaction, theplayers never gave up, they alwaysbelieved," said Swiss coach Petkovic."They played with will, intelligence andwith their heads."

After a thrilling match that con-tinued a trend of goal-filled encountersin the inaugural edition of the NationsLeague, Switzerland will play at thefinals in June next year, alongsideEuropean champions Portugal andEngland, with the final spot going toeither France or the Netherlands onMonday.

Roberto Martinez's men saw theirsix-match unbeaten run since reachingthe World Cup semi-finals brought toan shuddering halt.

"We forgot to defend well, we gaveSwitzerland the opportunity to getback in the game," said Spanish coachMartinez.

"We had a lot of excitement, wereally wanted to finish top of thegroup. The disappointment will makeus more focused when the (Euro 2020)qualification starts."

Earlier on Sunday, Valentino Lazaro

scored an injury-time winner as Austriabeat Northern Ireland 2-1 in a deadrubber in Belfast that Marko Arnautovicdescribed as a "fight".

Northern Ireland had already beenrelegated from Group B3, while Austriawere guaranteed to finish second.

"We can be proud of the win. Wewanted to come here, to finish well witha win and we did that," West Ham for-ward Arnautovic told Sky Sports.

"He (Gareth McAuley) tried tochoke me, fight with me, I don't knowwhy. It is not good to fight with me."

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Spain responded to theirNations League disappoint-

ment by beating Bosnia 1-0 onSunday but an unconvincingvictory will have done little tolift the mood.

Luis Enrique's side needed21-year-old debutant BraisMendez, on as a substitute, toscore the only goal of a scrap-py game at Estadio GranCanaria, in which neither sidewould have been unfairly rep-resented by a stalemate.

Spain already knew theirhopes of progressing to theNations League finals wereover after England snatched topspot in Group 4 following a last-gasp win at Wembley overCroatia.

A thrilling conclusion,which would have sent Spainthrough had Croatia held on fora point, was a feather in the capfor the inaugural tournamentand came in stark contrast tothis rather underwhelmingfriendly a few hours later.

"Bad luck and mistakes we

made meant we didn't make thefinals," Luis Enrique said. "Iwould have liked a draw(between England and Croatia)but I'm focused on qualificationfor the EuropeanChampionship and I think theteam looks good."

A narrow win over Bosniacame with a rotated and youth-ful line-up, in which only Iscoand Dani Ceballos survivedfrom Thursday's defeat byCroatia in Zagreb.

Harry Kane's late winneragainst Croatia had the Spanishpress swooning for a striker ofhis calibre and another erraticperformance from AlvaroMorata hardly promoted theChelsea striker's cause.

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Indian boxing coach Shiv Singhon Monday questioned the ref-

eree's decision to award standingcounts against Sarita andSaweety Boora but refused toterm it the reason for their loss-es.

Former world championSarita, who lost a close bout in60kg against Kellie Harrington ina 3-2 split decision on Sunday,

faced a standing count in thethird round while Saweetyendured the same situation in thesecond round of her 75kg boutagainst Elzbieta Wojcik.

Singh said both Sarita andSaweety fell down not from thepunches of their opponents andwondered how standing countswere done against them.

"Sarita slipped after her legsentangled with those of heropponent and it was not from a

punch. In Saweety's case, she waspulled down. It was not from apoint scoring punch," the coachtold reporters.

"In case of Saweety, the ref-eree was on the blind side (and sodid not see it) when she fell downbut still gave a standing count. Incase of Sarita, the referee saw it(how Sarita fell after entanglingwith her opponent) but he alsostill went for a standing countyagainst Sarita," he added.

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Australia's towering pacers are atan advantage against the "notthat tall" Indian batsmen, says

visiting vice-captain Rohit Sharma butinsisted that his team is ready torewrite the script of the battle this time.

India start the tour with the T20Internationals from November 21 hereand Rohit said it would a tough task tocounter the fast pitches.

"India have always played either atPerth (venue for second Test fromDecember 14-18 this time) or Brisbane.These two conditions are challengingand the Australians have tall bowlerswho exploit those conditions and useit to their advantage," he said.

"Indian batsman are generally notthat tall, so it is not easy for us but theguys are determined to change thingsthis time, we are ready to accept thechallenge," he asserted.

"It is challenging for our bats-men...But most of the guys have cometo Australia before. So they understandthe conditions. Of course their bowl-ing attack will challenge us whicheverformat we play but as a batting unit, weare prepared," Rohit said.

India will start with a three-matchT20I series, followed by a four-matchTest series and a three-game ODI

Series. The visitors have never won aTest series in Australia, drawing threeand losing eight of their previous 11outings.

"Whenever we travel outside Indiathere is always a special feeling andAustralia is one place where we wantto leave our mark and do well as a unit,"Rohit said after India's practice sessionat The Gabba.

"Last time we played a Test serieshere, although we lost two games anddrew one, but I thought we played fewclose games, especially at Brisbane.

"We want to make it count this timearound, there is a real good feeling

inside the group. The motive is to seizeall the moments and win."

Stressing on the significance ofputting up a good performance inAustralia ahead of the 2019 World Cup,Rohit said: "When you do well inAustralia, you feel good as a team andthinking about the World Cup ahead,it can only give you confidence winningin places like Australia."

Rohit said everybody in the teamneeds to step up against a formidableside like Australia.

"Australia in Australia will alwaysbe dangerous without a doubt. Inplaces like Australia you want thewhole unit to come together, that is ourfocus," he said.

"We don't want few individuals tostep up, we want whole lot of guys toput their hands up and take up the chal-lenge. So, we want everybody to step upand make it count.

"We have some quality bowlers, inparticular, spinners, so we will try tochallenge them with our spinners.They still have a quality batting line-up, so let's see how we go."

Rohit has an impressive recordagainst Australia in one-day cricketDown Under, having scored 805 runsin 16 matches at 57.50. The Indianopener said the pace and bounce ofAustralian pitches helps his game.

"I had a good time playing whiteball cricket here. In places like Brisbaneand Perth, the good bounce allows meto play my game because I have grownup playing on cement pitches backhome," he said.

"I have done well in limited overshere but the challenge obviously is red-ball cricket which right now I am notthinking of, just want to do well in T20format and take it forward where we go.

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Bangladesh selectors onMonday called up uncapped

opening batsman Shadman Islamfor the first Test squad against theWest Indies starting later thisweek.

The left-hander was reward-ed for a strong showing with theBangladesh Cricket Board XI ina two-day match against the vis-itors that ended in a draw inChittagong on Monday.

Shadman hit 73 off 169 ballswith 10 fours and a six in the

match, sharing 126 runs withopening partner Soumya Sarkar.

The 23-year-old has been aprolific run scorer in domesticcricket. He tallied 648 runs at anaverage of 64.80 in the domesticfirst-class National CricketLeague and played for theBangladesh Under19 team.

Bangladesh were looking foran opener after veteran batsmanTamim Iqbal was injured duringa recent training session, delay-ing his Test comeback.

The first match of the two-Test series starts in Chittagong on

Thursday.The West Indies will also play

three ODIs and three Twenty20matches during their month-long tour.

��Shakib Al Hasan (Capt),Soumya Sarker, Imrul Kayes,Mohammad Mithun, MominulHaque, Mushfiqur Rahim,Ariful Haque, MahmudullahRiyad, Mehidy Hasan,Mustafizur Rahman, TaijulIslam, Shadman Islam, KhaledAhmed and Nayeem Hasan.

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India will face a formidable Englandin the second semifinals on Friday

after the West Indies defeated 2009champions by four wickets in their lastgroup match of the ICC Women'sWorld T20.

India have been invincible so farin the tournament, winning all theirfour games in the group stage. The in-form team will also have revenge onits mind, having lost to England in the50-over World Cup final last year.

En route to the semifinals,

Harmanpreet Kaur's side also ham-mered three-time former championsAustralia in its last pool match.

Defending championsWest Indies, on the otherhand, topped group A witheight points after beatingEngland in the last-overthriller to set up a clash withAustralia in the first semi-finals in Antigua on November 22.

In the last group A match, theWest Indies dished out a disciplinedperformance as they first restrictedEngland to 115-8 and then over-

hauled the target with three balls tospare, riding on Deandra Dottin's 52-ball 48.

After winning the toss, WestIndies opening bowler Shakera Selman

picked up two early wickets.A mid-innings collapse then

reduced England to 50 for six beforeSophia Dunkley (35) and AnyaShrubsole (29) put on a 58-run part-nership.

The pair was only separated in thepenultimate over, helping England to115 for eight.

And it seemed it would be enoughwhen Shrubsole picked up two wick-ets in her first over, sending backHayley Matthews and Stafanie Taylor,both bowled.

Then Deandra Dottin and

Shemaine Campbelle combined for a68-run partnership.

Dottin (46) was dismissed with thehome team still needing 45, but somebold hitting from Campbelle keptthem in the hunt.

Needing 26 off the last 18 balls,Campbelle was dropped twice in thepenultimate over, but she helped theWest Indies get close enough; they hitthe five runs that remained in the lastover, much to the delight of thecrowd.

West Indies' Deandra Dottin, whowas adjudged Player of the Match.

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Debutant spinner Ajaz Pateltook five wickets to lead a

never-say-die approach fromNew Zealand bowlers as theypulled off a thrilling four-runwin over an indisciplinedPakistan in the first Test in AbuDhabi on Monday.

Defending a modest 176-run target, New Zealand bowlersled by Patel (5-59), fast bowlerNeil Wagner (2-27) and IshSodhi (2-37) bowled outPakistan for 171 on a drama-packed fourth day at SheikhZayed Stadium.

It is the fifth smallest win interms of runs in Test cricket his-tory and gives New Zealand a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

"The attitude, certainlytoday and throughout the game,was brilliant," said New Zealandcaptain Kane Williamson whonow has nine wins in his 18 Testsin charge.

Azhar Ali fought a lone bat-tle for Pakistan with 65 and wasthe last man out when he wastrapped leg-before wicket byPatel. He reviewed BruceOxenford's decision but thetelevision replays upheld thedecision.

Resuming on 37 withoutloss, Pakistan began the day asfavourites to chase down the 176they needed for victory.

Kiwi spinners Patel and IshSodhi opened the bowling andimmediately caused problems asPakistan lost three wickets in thefirst six overs.

Pakistani nerves were easedby the sight of Azhar and AsadShafiq carefully rebuilding theinnings with a fourth wicketpartnership of 82.

Shafiq made a cultured 45,but his dismissal in the last overbefore lunch, edging NeilWagner to wicketkeeper BJWatling, changed the game asPakistan lost their final sevenwickets for just 41.

After lunch, Babar Azamran himself out for 13, the guiltyparty in a mix-up with Azharand skipper Sarfraz Ahmed fell

for a second time sweepingPatel, this time gloving the ballto Watling.

Bilal Asif tried to slog astraight ball from Patel and wasbowled leaving Pakistan 154for seven, still 22 runs short ofvictory.

In the next over Wagner hadYasir caught in the slips and thenHasan Ali attempted a slog-sweep off Patel, picking outsubstitute fielder Tim Southeeon the midwicket boundary.

Azhar then tried to inchPakistan across the line, farmingthe strike from MohammadAbbas. But with five runs stillneeded to win Patel found thedelivery to win the match forNew Zealand.

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Having missed out on a gold-en opportunity to log full

points in the opener, Delhi,sans senior stars GautamGambhir and Ishant Sharma,will face Hyderabad in an awayencounter of the Ranji Trophyfrom Tuesday.

Delhi failed to win outrightin their opening group leaguematch at home againstHimachal Pradesh andHyderabad were no better, hav-ing conceded first innings leadin both their matches.

However, Delhi will missGambhir more as they werealways aware that Ishant wasavailable for onlyone match as perBCCI's specificworkload man-agement pro-gramme.

Gambhir, who scored 44and 49 in the opening game,is suffering from a shoul-der niggle and hadexcused himself from thisaway encounter.

"It's always nice if anexperienced player likeGautam is around. He will cer-tainly be missed as he alsoguides the juniors. But at thesame time, I would look at it asan opportunity where a junior

player will get achance to make amark," Delhicoach Mithun

Manhas said on Monday."There is still a bit of grass

cover on the pitch and let'ssee how it pans out onTuesday. We will take acall on the playing XIon Tuesday," the coach

said.While the coach did-

n't reveal who will be Gambhir'sreplacement, it was learnt thatSarthak Ranjan is expected toopen the innings along withHiten Dalal.

While Hyderabad will nothave pace spearheadMohammed Siraj (on India Aduty) in their ranks, Delhi'sopening pair, with a collectiveexperience of one first-classgame, could be a worry foryoung captain Nitish Rana.

Rana and Himmat Singhwill be aiming to come out allguns blazing against the likes ofleft-arm spinner Mehidy Hasanand pacer M Ravi Kiran beforethey also leave on national duty(for Emerging India in U-23Asia Cup).

There could be a couple ofmore changes in the playing XIwith Ishant being replaced byeither Gaurav Kumar orSimarjeet Singh.

The two left-arm spinnersVarun Sood and Vikas Mishralooked pedestrian on a helpfulfourth day track at the Kotla.

With off-spinner PulkitNarang in the squad, Ranamight be tempted to drop one ofthe two slow left-arm orthodoxfrom the playing XI.

In other Elite group B clashat Eden Gardens, MohammedShami will feature for Bengalagainst Goa. Shami's inclusionin the squad has revived Bengal'shopes for season's first win afterthey secured six points from twomatches on basis of their firstinnings lead.

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Australia-bound Test spe-cialists — veteran Murali

Vijay and youngsters PrithviShaw and Hanuma Vihari —helped themselves to half-cen-turies on the final day of IndiaA's first unofficial 'Test' againstNew Zealand A, which ended ina tame draw.

India A scored 247 for 3 in65 overs in their second inningswhen the match was called off.

However, openers Shaw (50,53 balls) and Vijay (60, 113 balls)got good enough match time asthey added 74 runs for the firstwicket, largely due to the con-tribution of the youngMumbaikar, who hit eight foursand a six.

Test vice-captain AjinkyaRahane (41 no, 94 balls) andVihari (51 no, 63 balls) added 86runs for an unbroken fourth-wicket stand.

On the final day with littlechance of a result, the twoseniors Vijay and Rahane puttheir heads down and showed alot of application.

Young Shaw didn't last longas he was out soon after com-pleting his second century of thematch. Shaw was caught by

Will Young off Doug Bracewell'sdelivery.

In-form Mayank Agarwal(42) then joined Vijay and theduo added 81 runs for the sec-ond wicket with Agarwal beingthe aggressor. The Karnatakaright-hander hit six boundariesand a six.

Blair Tickner got rid ofAgarwal, breaching through thedefence, and Vijay soon fol-lowed, offering a catch to Theovan Woerkom.

Rahane and Vihari thenbatted out the next 25 overs.Vihari, in fact, was more aggres-sive with three fours and threesixes in 63 balls as the matchmeandered towards a draw.

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0��Both Mumbai andKarnataka will be eyeing theirfirst victory of this Ranji Trophyseason when the two sidesclash here from Tuesday intheir Elite Group A match.

Mumbai drew the firstgame of this season againstRailways in New Delhi, butmore importantly they earnedthree crucial points as they tookthe first innings lead.

Same was the case withKarnataka, who grabbed threepoints after settling for a drawwith Vidarbha at Nagpur aftertaking the first innings lead.

Mumbai, led by pacerDhawal Kulkarni, have a strongbatting line-up, despite theabsence of Rohit Sharma,Ajinkya Rahane and PrithviShaw, who are all on the nation-al duty.

For Mumbai, a lot willdepend on how their crisis manSiddesh Lad performs. Otherregulars - Akhil Herwadkar,Surya Kumar Yadav, Jay Bitsaand experienced wicket-keep-er and former skipper Aditya

Tare - will have to play theirroles to perfection.

On the bowling front,Kulkarni has the support ofpacer Tushar Deshpande,besides spinners Karsh Kothariand Shams Mulani. If both thespinners play, then medium-pacer Aakash Parkar is likely tosit out.

Karnataka, led by VinayKumar, also has strong playersand they would also be keen tobeat Mumbai on their hometurf. PTI

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