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MONEY 8CENTRAL GOVT MULLS FDI PERMIT FOR LLPS

ANALYSIS 7SNAP THE

STRANGLEHOLD

SPORTS 11KOHLI WILL BREAK TENDULKAR’S

100 TONS RECORD: IRFAN

VIJAYAWADA, TUESDAY AUGUST 25, 2020; PAGES 12 `3

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SHARWANAND TO TIE THE

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Page 12www.dailypioneer.com

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RNI No. APENG/2018/764698

*Late City Vol. 2 Issue 293*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864Published From

VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN HYDERABAD

5

Congress in a quagmire, its leaders see salvation in BJP

2

Toll collections on recovery path,says ICRA

8

How Dalai Lamatraced teacherKhunu Lama in India!

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated August 24, 2020 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Bhadrapada & Shukla Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Saptami: 12:21 pm

Nakshatram: Vishakha: 01:58 pm

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 03:24 pm – 04:57 pm

Yamagandam: 09:11 am – 10:44 am

Varjyam: 05:49 pm – 07:22 pm

Gulika: 12:17 pm - 01:51 pm

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 03:03 am – 04:36 am

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:53 am – 12:42 pm

VIJAYAWADAWEATHERFFoorreeccaasstt:: CloudyTemp: 34/26Humidity: 66%Sunrise: 06.01 amSunset: 06.34 pm

Jagan moots law on lines ofDisha Act to curb corruptionPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Proposing stricter laws beingbrought in to eradicate corrup-tion, Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy onMonday said that a legislationon the lines of Disha Actwould be coming up soon tofix a timeline for completingthe trial in corruption cases.

The Chief Minister held areview meeting at the campoffice here on Monday wherethe IIM-Ahmadabad repre-sentatives presented theirreport on Good Governancealong with a CabinetSubcommittee report and thefunctioning of ACB CallCentre number 14440 call cen-tre, Judicial Preview, Reverse

Tendering and other issueson eradicating corruption.

During the meeting, thedelay in trial of corruptioncases was discussed and theChief Minister said that a leg-islation should be brought into fix a timeline for the trial of

those involved in corruptionand strict action should betaken to ensure corruption isuprooted.

Even if an employee iscaught red-handed takingbribe, the case is often draggedon for a long period and insome cases even for over 25years. “To stop this we have tobring in a legislation on thelines of Disha Bill fixing thetimeline for trial,” the ChiefMinister said.

He continued: “We coulderadicate corruption at thetop level and it should perco-late down the line. On twoissues the contrast between thisgovernment and the previousone is crystal clear,” Jagan said.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Interim Congress PresidentSonia Gandhi on Mondayoffered to quit, but persuadedby seniors in the party to con-tinue as interim chief,. withoutreposinding to this, she askedthe Congress WorkingCommittee to initiate theprocess for selecting a newparty chief, sources said

In her opening remarks atthe meeting, called in the wakeof a section of leaders seeking

a "full time and visible"Congress president, SoniaGandhi made the offer to quitsaying she had given a detailedreply on the issue to AICCgeneral secretary K CVenugopal

Former prime ministerManmohan Singh, who spokeafter Gandhi, urged her to con-tinue, so did former DefenceMinister A K Antony, withboth the veterans criticising theletter by some party leaders,including Ghulam Nabi Azad,

Anand Sharma, MukulWasnik, who are a part of theCWC, the party's highest deci-sion-making body

Sources said Sonia Gandhireferred to Azad and otherstwice during her brief addressand the issues raised by them

She also handed over adetailed reply to Venugopal,who read out its contents at theCWC meeting in whichGandhi sought to be relievedfrom the post.

Sonia remains interim chief,asks CWC to pick successor

Telugu CMs to meet, discusswater sharing by month-endC PRADEEP KUMARn VIJAYAWADA

As reported by ThePioneer on May 25,Telangana ChiefMinister KChandrasekhar Raoand his AndhraPradesh counterpartYS JaganmohanReddy will meet one-on-one to resolve thewater disputes withoutinvolving the Centre,according to reliablesources.

As per these sources, KCRand Jagan are likely to have ameeting in Hyderabad beforethe end of August in the pres-ence of senior irrigation offi-cials of both the states to dis-cuss and come to an under-

standing on the Krishna andGodavari river water sharing.

Both the CMs were sup-posed to meet through video-conference at the Apex Councilmeeting convened by Union JalShakti minister Gajendra SinghShekhawat from New Delhi on

Tuesday, but the meeting waspostponed due to the UnionMinister testing positive forCovid-19.

The Apex Council meetingis likely to be rescheduled tothe second week of September,subject to the health conditionof the minister. However, boththe Chief Ministers are learntto have decided to meet one-on-one even before they go tothe Apex Council meeting.

It is not exactly knownwhich Chief Minister has

moved the proposal first, but ifthe reports are believed to betrue, the meeting is likely to beheld at the earliest, most prob-ably before the end of thismonth.

“The agenda is getting ready.Once it is done, the exact datewill be announced,” sourcessaid.

It remains to be seenwhether the two states wouldresolve the water issues at theCMs’ meeting or they couldcontinue to stick to their guns.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

A YSRCP leader wasstabbed to death onSunday night bysome unidentifiedpersons. The inci-dent took place inDarshi constituencyof Prakasam district.

According to police, MaramSubba Reddy (64) aliasBhumireddy Subbarao washaving dinner at his housewhen unidentified persons

attacked him andhacked him todeath.

According tosources, there wasno one in thehouse at the timeof the attack.Subba Reddy’swife had gone to

get milk and found her hus-band lying on the chair in apool of blood. Locals informedthe police about the incident.

EG crosses 50K cases, AP reports 8,601 fresh infections PNS n VIJAYAWADA

One district crossed the 50,000mark and three more the30,000 mark in theoverall number ofcoronavirus cases,pushing AndhraPradesh’s totalinfection count to3,61,712 onMonday.

The state that tillrecently boasted a"record low" infection pos-itivity rate has now touched10.99 per cent, higher than the

national average of 8.65 percent, growing on a daily basisas 8,601 fresh cases were added

in 24 hours ending 9 amon Monday, a bul-

letin said. Thoughthe recovery ratewas showingsigns of improv-ing moderately,it remained

lower at 74.32 percent compared to

the national averageof 75.27 per cent.

In 24 hours, 8,741 moreCovid-19 patients had recov-

ered, taking the total to2,68,828.

Also, 86 fresh casualties werereported, increasing the over-all toll to 3,368, with a mortal-ity rate of 0.93 per cent.

East Godavari districtcrossed the 50,000 cases markwith the addition of 1,441 and

touching 50,686, the highest inthe state.

Visakhapatnam added 911and reached 30,715, Chittooradded 495 and touched 30,325,West Godavari reported 466more and increased its tally to30,326.

Kurnool (39,319), Anantapur

(35,726) and Guntur (30,859)are the other districts with ascore of more than 30,000 caseseach. Krishna, which once wasthe number two in the state,now slid to the bottom (13thplace) with the lowest numberof 14,029 cases, including 2,024active.

SPS Nellore and Prakasamreported 10 fresh fatalities eachin the last 24 hours, EastGodavari and Guntur nineeach, Chittoor and Kadapaeight each, Srikakulam andVisakhapatnam seven each, thebulletin said.

Man dies of Covid; wife, twodaughters consume sanitiserPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Three members of a familyattempted suicide by con-suming sanitiser atPrakasraopeta area under MRPeta police station limits inVizag city on Monday, a dayafter the head of the familysuccumbed to Covid-19.

A 42-year-old woman and

her two daughters aged 20and 14 years, consumed alco-hol-based sanitiser in a bid toend their lives after they cameto know that the head oftheir family was no more.

Owner of a medical store,P Ramesh Kumar, 53, con-tracted the virus a few daysago. He succumbed to it whileundergoing treatment at a

private hospital on Sunday.Inspector of MR Peta Police

station, Somasekhar, said rel-atives of Ramesh Kumar wereinitial ly informed thatRamesh was availing treat-ment and they didn’t informabout the death to his wifeand daughters.

Kollu Ravindragets bail, withsome ridersPNS n VIJAYAWADA

A court in Machilipatnamon Monday granted condi-tional bail to TDP leaderand former minister KolluRavindra who is an accusedin the murder case ofYSRCP leader MokaBhaskara Rao and is cur-rently lodged in aRajahmundry jail. As per theconditions imposed by thecourt, Ravindra would haveto stay in Vijayawada for 28days and he shall make noattempt to influence the wit-nesses.

The court also directedRavindra to be under self-quarantine.

GGH doctorjumps intoswollen Krishnato end lifePNS n VIJAYAWADA

Srinivasa Rao, a doctor work-ing in the Guntur GovernmentGeneral Hospital (GGH) isbelieved to have committed sui-cide by jumping into the RiverKrishna late on Sunday. Thedoctor has a wife and two chil-dren. He was a resident of Kothapet, Guntur. As per reports,the doctor took the extremestep due to family disputes.

Srinivasa Rao was last seenalive near Prakasam barrage,moving in a suspicious man-ner for a while before hejumped into the river leavinghis two-wheeler, Aadhaar card,ID card and mobile on thepavement.

Minister Suresh testspositive, quarantinedPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Education Minister AdimulapuSuresh has tested posi-tive forCoronavirus. Theminister under-went tests afternoticing symp-toms of thevirus and diag-n o s e dC oronav i r uspositive.

After tests con-firmed the infection,the minister has opted forhome quarantine.

Also, the authorities are inthe process of taking thedetails of those who metSuresh and conduct tests onthem. Another minister from

Prakasam district, BalineniSrinivasa Reddy, was alsoinfected by Coronavirus and

has since recovered.So far in theState,many YSRCP

MLAs, includingDeputy ChiefM i n i s t e rAmzath Basha,M i n i s t e rB a l i n e n i

Srinivasa Reddyand Deputy

Speaker KonaRaghupathi, have tested

positive for Coronavirus. Meanwhile Andhra

Pradesh has reported 8,601fresh cases of Covid-19 in thepast 24 hours, taking the totalnumber of cases in the state to3,58,817 on Monday. Inflows fall significantly after rain abates

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

With rains stopping in the lastcouple of days, particularly inthe upper catchment regions,inflows into the major reser-voirs on rivers Godavari andKrishna fell significantly inAndhra Pradesh on Monday.

A drastic reduction of overfive lakh cusecs in the floodflow eased the situation in themarooned villages along itscourse in East and WestGodavari districts and normal-cy is expected by Tuesday,according to sources in theState Disaster ManagementAuthority here.

The Sir Arthur CottonBarrage at Dowaleswaram nearRajahmundry received aninflow of 13.92 lakh cusecs on

Monday evening and thatmuch was discharged into theBay of Bengal.

The second warning signal

at the Barrage has also beenwithdrawn now.

In river Krishna, the floodflow dwindled to just about2.65 lakh cusecs at Srisailamand only 1.91 lakh cusecs waslet out downstream.

As against its full reservoirlevel of 215.81 tmc ft, Srisailamwas now holding 209.88 tmc ft,with a flood cushion of 5.93tmc ft, according to the WaterResources Department data.

Downstream, theNagarjunasagar reservoir held305.68 tmc ft of water with aninflow of 1.45 lakh cusecs anddischarge of 1.28 lakh cusecs.

It is not exactly known which Chief Minister has moved the proposal first, but if the reportsare believed to be true, the meeting is likely tobe held at the earliest, most probably beforethe end of this month

Though the recovery rate was showing signsof improving moderately, it remained lowerat 74.32 per cent compared to the nationalaverage of 75.27 per cent

YSRCP leader hackedin Prakasam district

Maram Subba Reddy

3

3

33

3 3

3

Members of the Congress Working Committee attend the crucial meeting of the party in New Delhi on Monday.

Renowned scientist G Satheesh Reddy was on Monday given two-year extension as the chairman of Defence Research and

Development Organisation (DRDO), according to aPersonnel Ministry order. He was appointed to thepost in August 2018 for two years. TheAppointments Committee of the Cabinet hasapproved the extension of Reddy's tenure as theDRDO chairman and as the Secretary of theDepartment of Defence Research & Development(DoDRD) for a period of two years beyond August26, the statement said.

HARYANA CM ML KHATTAR TESTSPOSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS

DRDO CHIEF G SATHEESH REDDYGETS TWO-YEAR EXTENSION

MILITARY OPTION TO DEAL WITHCHINA IF TALKS FAIL: GEN. RAWAT

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today joined the list ofpoliticians who got infected with the deadly coronavirus. In a

tweet, he informed that he has tested positive for theillness. "I was tested for Novel Corona Virus today.My test report has returned positive. I appeal to allcolleagues and associates who came in my contactover the last week to get themselves tested. Irequest my close contacts to move into strictquarantine immediately," he tweeted. I wastested for Novel Corona Virus today.My test report has returned positive.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan, who celebrates Ganesh Utsavwith his family every year, was trolled for his Ganesh

Chaturthi post this year, again - the trolls had a problem withShah Rukh celebrating a Hindu festival because he isMuslim. The comments thread of Shah Rukh's post hadmany unwarranted hateful messages questioning his faithwhile some commenters countered the trolls saying, "Hecelebrates all festivals, he is a true Indian." Shah Rukh, 54,shared a black-and-white picture of himself with a teeka on his foreheadhighlighted in red and he wrote, “May Lord Ganesha bestow upon you and yourloved ones, blessings and happiness... Ganpati Bappa Morya."

GANESH CHATURTHI: SHAH RUKHKHAN TROLLED FOR VISARJAN POST

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said today that India has"military options" to deal with China regarding the incursions in

Ladakh if the military and diplomatic level talks do not producethe desired results. The stalemate in part of Ladakh, wherethe Chinese army set up camp earlier this year, has notbeen resolved despite five rounds of talks between themilitary of both nations. "The military option to deal withtransgressions by the Chinese Army in Ladakh is on,but it will be exercised only if talks at the militaryand the diplomatic level fail," General Rawat wasquoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, D.No. New 3-88, Old 3-22, Chandra Theatre, Gosala, Penamaluru Mandal, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh - 521 151, Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for any

damage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement before

responding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | AUGUST 25, 2020 vijayawada 02

EGG

RATES

` 55,080 (10 gm)

` 0

GOLD

` 67,150 (1kg)

` 0

HYDERABAD 378

VIJAYAWADA 407

VISAKHAPATNAM 425

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `̀44..3300

SILVER

VIJAYAWADA

BULLION RATES

`̀//110000

CHICKEN

RATES

Dressed/With Skin `158

Without Skin `180

Broiler at Farm `109

`̀//KKGG

(IN VIJAYAWADA)

Severing decades of associ-ation with the Congress,senior leader of the party

Bhubaneswar Kalita resignedfrom his Rajya Sabha member-ship in protest against thestand adopted by the party onthe Bill to abrogate special sta-tus to J&K piloted by the BJPin Parliament.

Kalita had served as anMLA and minister in theAssam government a numberof times, and had been thepresident of the PradeshCongress Committee, besidesbeing a multiple time MP andthe Chief Whip of the party inthe Upper House. The veter-an Congress leader realisedthat the BJP holds the key tothe country’s future and washappy at abrogation of Article370.

Prior to Kalita, Rai BirendraSingh of Haryana, anothersenior leader, not able to with-stand internal bickering inthe party, crossed over to theBJP. After 42 years in theCongress, the five-time MLAand three-time MP crossingover to the BJP is no joke.

Prime Minister Narendra

Modi honoured him keepingin mind his experience. He wasmade Rural Development,Panchayat Raj, DrinkingWater, Sanitation, steel andmines minister in the firstCabinet of Modi.

In Karnataka, former for-eign minister and former CMof the Congress SM Krishnajoined the BJP saying that theCongress was at the cross-roads.

UPCC president RitaBahuguna resigned from herparty posts, contested on a BJPticket and was elected. She feltthat the people were not readyto accept the Congress underthe leadership of RahulGandhi.

Congress media cell in-charge Tom Vadakkan,described as the right handman of Sonia Gandhi, badegoodbye to the party to jointhe BJP as he did not agreewith the Congress response onthe Balakot surgical strikes.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, YouthCongress leader in MP, joinedthe BJP along with six minis-ters in the state Cabinet and 22MLAs.

The list continues…In fact, many leaders

belonging to various partiesare keen to cross over to theBJP. Not only did those in theOpposition, but also rulingparty leaders are ready to jointhe BJP.

The reasons are not far toseek

During the more than six-decade rule of the Congress,

the extent of loss caused to thestate, corruption, anarchy,favouritism, undemocraticdecisions caused immensedamage to the economy.Democracy surrendered tofamily rule.

During Congress rule, theNorth-East, Punjab and J&Kreeled under turmoil. Internalsecurity problems flared up.Development took a backseatright from grassroots level.The people wanted to wriggleout of the miserable conditionsthat prevailed during Congressrule and found a ray of hope

in Narendra Modi. The peoplegave him a landslide victoryand brought the BJP to power.

A new era dawned innational politics since 2014

There is a marked differencebetween previous regimes andthe BJP regime. All politicalequations existing previouslywere shattered since Moditook many novel decisions

and had direct relations withthe people. Modi has been tak-ing decisions for thepast six years tosafeguard theidentity of Indiaand to undo thegrave mistakescommitted duringCongress rule.

There is no doubt that theModi Government is deliver-ing a blemish-free administra-tion. The Modi governmentalways endeavours to get clos-er to the people with onedecision or the other.

Clean and safe drinkingwater to people in villages,medical identity cards for peo-ple, optical fibre connectivity tovillages, transforming the coun-try’s economy into a five trilliondollar economy in five years,Atma Nirbhar Bharat, neweducation policy and so on.

At the same time, theCongress has lost its glory inthe past six years. Rahul

Gandhi emerged as an ineffi-cient leader after taking the

reins of the party intohis hands.

The Congressleaders find theirfuture in peril. The people also

turned down RahulGandhi’s leadership in the lasttwo general elections leadingto the party receiving evenmore severe drubbing than thefirst time. Rahul Gandhi relin-quished the party top postpushing it into darkness fur-ther and his ridiculous state-ments reduced him to a laugh-ing stock.

That’s why many prominentCongress leaders are joiningthe BJP.

For any party to sustain,people should extend sup-port. But the people votedCongress out of power at theCentre and are getting rid of itin one state after another.

In a letter to Sonia Gandhi,

many Congress leaders praisedthe Modi Government andsaid youth are inclined towardsModi and Modi is becomingmore popular each passingday.

There is no internal democ-racy in Congress, they felt.They wished that their leadershould be constantly amongthem and remain accessible tothe party activists.

Congress is in a crisis withthe party leaders questioningthe leadership and Gandhi-Nehru family rule.

Whether the Congress lead-ers come out of the ideologi-cal bankruptcy or not will bedecided by time.

In a democracy, the oppo-sition party should not becomestale and should not be riddledwith internal differences. Itdoes not augur well fordemocracy.

The BJP is looking forwardto a constructive and healthyopposition.

Y SATYA KUMAR

BJP National Secretary

TRULY

SPEAKING

UPCC president Rita Bahuguna resigned from her

party posts, contested on a BJP ticket and was

elected. She felt that the people were not ready

to accept the Congress under the leadership of

Rahul Gandhi. Former CM of the Congress from

Karnataka SM Krishna joined the BJP saying that

the party was at the crossroads

Congress in a quagmire, its leaders see salvation in BJP

Amaravati agitation is onlyhype, says Ambati RambabuPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The agitation for retainingAmaravati as the sole capital isa hype created by oppositionleader N Chandrababu Naiduand vested interests, who fearthat their real estate businesswould be lost, said YSRCP MLAAmbati Rambabu.

Speaking to the media here onMonday, he said there was noagitation in Amaravati but Naiduwas fooling people by claimingin Zoom app sitting inHyderabad that some 85 peoplehad died in the agitation andfarmers would be left in the lurchif Amaravati was not retained asthe sole capital of the State.People in Amaravati know, whothe agitators are, as they are realestate owners backed by Naiduand supported by their favouredmedia houses, he pointed out.

There is no agitation inAmaravati as such, he said andadded that it was a vicious cam-paign started by Naidu to helphis supporters gain a good pricefor their land, which was jackedup due to the hype created byNaidu, which was a big scam.Naidu and his benamis hadbought hundreds of acres of landhere and were expecting a wind-

fall through it. Assigned landsbelonging to Dalits weresnatched by Naidu and hisbenamis, which were given forland pooling, he said.

Probe is being conducted intothe whole episode and theaccused would be brought tobook soon, the MLA said andadded that all the accused in thescam were now agitating forAmaravati just to get away frombeing arrested.

In this connection, Rambabusaid Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy was bentupon decentralisation of admin-istration as they had seen whathad happened with Hyderabadbeing the sole capital. People ofAndhra Pradesh lost everythingafter bifurcation, he reminded.

The process of decentralisedadministration was visualised bythe Chief Minister so that all theregions of Rayalaseema, CoastalAndhra and north Andhrawould be equally benefitted, hesaid and asked why Naidu wasagainst decentralisation.

He also lashed out at the CPIfor supporting Naidu on theAmaravati issue and saidCommunists were siding withcapitalists, who were opposingdistribution of land sites toDalits and other weaker sections.

With reference to the firemishap at Swarna Palace Hotelin Vijayawada where RameshHospitals was conducting aCovid-19 camp, he asked whyNaidu was supporting DrRamesh, who went into hidingout of fear of arrest.

Party MLC Dokka ManikyaVara Prasad said it was unfortu-nate that CPI leader Narayanawas backing the agitation forAmaravati as the sole capital asit was an agitation by capitalists.He said it was not a Dalit agita-tion at all and only by capitalistsbacked by Naidu and hisbenamis. He said it would be bet-ter if Narayana withdraw fromthe agitation as it was against theprinciples he stood for.

Parents express concernover reopening of schoolsSUMIT ONKA

n VISAKHAPATNAM

As the government is gearingup to reopen schools fromSeptember 5, educationists andHuman Rights activists havebeen urging the government toreconsider its decision puttingforth various problems thatcould arise unless a clear andconcrete plan is framed.

The State government isapparently in a hurry to reopenthe schools as other States inthe country are yet to come upwith such proposals. On socialnetworking platforms, parentsare also expressing their con-cern over the reopening ofschools and intending not tosend their kids to school.

According to the latestUNESCO figures, over 100countries are currently imple-menting nationwide schoolclosures due to Covid-19,affecting over 60% of theworld's enrolled students. Thetopic of reopening primaryand secondary schools hasbeen heavily politicised inmany countries with parents,

teachers, and politicians some-times at odds over when toreopen.

"Hundreds of students andteachers had to go to the quar-antine. Whether a thoroughstudy of the extreme conse-quences and severe conditionsalready faced by schoolsreopening abroad was con-ducted and if so what were thelessons learned is the questionthat needs to be asked.Reopening schools too early indeveloping countries couldundermine the gains made so

far in containing the spread ofthe virus," argued RightsActivist and Head of CatherineGroup of Institutions OliverRayi adding that a commonjustification for re-openingschools is that children are veryunlikely to die from Covid-19.Yet, children live with adults,and - particularly in develop-ing countries - elderly adults.This raises the risk that chil-dren may contract the virus atschool and transmit it to par-ents and grandparents at home,he reasoned.

"It would also be difficult forchildren to wear masks for along period of time," hestressed. Highlighting plight ofstudents belonging to lowerstrata of society, he asked whatabout children, who attendschool using public transportand studying at governmentwelfare hostels.

He further claims that aboutfive lakh children from SC, ST,BC and minority communitiesacross the State are enrolled inabout 3,200 government wel-fare hostels. "What about thesechildren? Where will theystudy? How will they beaccommodated?" he said.

It is known that childrenopting to stay in these hostelsare predominantly from thepoor families. Children of sin-gle-parent, broken families andorphan/semi orphan childrenare also high in number inthese hostels. "In the absence ofspecific guidelines for operat-ing these hostels, what does thegovernment intend to do? Arethese facilities ready to accom-modate children in the presentcircumstances?" he said.

Covid negatively impacts people with eating disorders: StudyIANS n LONDON

Researchers have found theCovid-19 pandemic is having aprofound, negative impact onnine out of 10 people withexperience of eating disorders.

According to Beat, the UK'seating disorder charity, approx-imately 1.25 million people inthe UK alone have an eating dis-order. Until now, little wasknown about the impact of thepandemic on this population.

While it is evident that theCovid-19 outbreak is having asignificant effect on the globalpopulation, the study publishedin the Journal of EatingDisorders shows that the pan-

demic raises additional, uniquechallenges for individuals witheating disorders.

During the early stages of the

pandemic lockdown, Dr DawnBranley-Bell and Dr CatherineTalbot from the NorthumbriaUniversity in the UK, surveyed

individuals across the country,who are currently experiencing,or in recovery from, an eatingdisorder. The results suggestthat disruptions to daily life asa result of lockdown and socialdistancing may have a detrimen-tal impact on an individual'swellbeing, with almost nine outof 10 (87 per cent) of partici-pants reporting that their symp-toms had worsened as a result ofthe pandemic.

According to the researchers,over 30 per cent stated that theirsymptoms were much worse.Findings indicate detrimentalimpacts on psychological well-being, including decreased feel-ings of control, increased feelings

of social isolation, increasedrumination about disorderedeating, and low feelings of socialsupport.

Through analysis of partici-pants' responses, researchersfound that the negative effectsmay be due to changes to indi-viduals: regular routine, livingsituation, time spent with friendsand family, access to treatment,engagement in physical activity,relationship with food and useof technology.

One of the major challengesfaced by those surveyed was areduction in healthcare serviceprovision, or discrepancies inaccess to healthcare services.Some reported being prema-

turely discharged from inpatientunits, having treatment sus-pended or continuing to

The research team warns thatthe consequences of not beingable to access professional eat-ing disorder treatment duringthe pandemic could be severe,causing some people's condi-tions to become much worseand, in some cases, could provefatal.

"Our findings highlight thatwe must not underestimate thelongevity of the impact of thepandemic. Individuals withexperience of eating disorderswill likely experience a long-term effect on their symptomsand recovery," Branley-Bell said.

AIGETOA winsover SNEA inBSNL pollsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

All India GraduateEngineers and TelecomOff icers Associat ion(AIGETOA) won the elec-tion against the SancharNigam Execut ivesAssociation of the BharatSanchar Nigam Limitedconducted on August 18and the results wereannounced here onMonday.

AIGETOA, which wasestablished in 2005, partic-ipated in the elections withthe support of the SC andST Employees WelfareAssociation (SEWA) andsecured a clear majority,said D Venugopala Rao, APTelecom Circle presidentof AIGETOA and secretaryK Srinivasa Rao.

He said in a statementhere on Monday that out of29,480 officers of the BSNLacross the country, 27,420officers exercised their fran-chise in the election inwhich AIGETOA polled11,930 votes as against the11,158 votes secured bySanchar Nigam ExecutivesAssociation (SNEA).

Association leaders FazalAhmad, Rasuri MaheswaraRao thanked all the officers,who bestowed a massivevictory upon the AIGE-TOA. They said that theywould strive for the brightfuture of the BSNL, and forachieving the rights of offi-cers.

The leaders of both asso-ciations AIGETOA andSEWA J Srinivasa Rao, PVeerabhadra R ao, KHaribabu, V Ranga Rao,Benny Jacob, M PrasadBabu, S Rama Rao, Kumar,P Srinivas, Gopalakrishna,and others were present.

Reservoirsbrimming withwater for 2ndconsecutive yrPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Reservoirs are brimming withwater for the second time ina row after YS JaganmohanReddy took over as the ChiefMinister, said Minister forWater Resources Anil KumarYadav.

Addressing the media hereon Monday, he said that reser-voirs in the State are filled tocapacity. The ministerreminded that more than suf-ficient rains had lashed dur-ing the regime of formerChief Minister YS RajasekharaReddy, again, people in theState are witnessing rains dur-ing the tenure of his son YSJaganmohan Reddy. "Somasilareservoir was filled to capac-ity with 78 tmc feet. Hence, weare releasing water intoKandaleru reservoir and pro-viding abundant water tocrops this year," the ministersaid.

Farmers' produce wasbeing procured by the gov-ernment by giving a mini-mum support price in RythuBharosa Kendras, he reiterat-ed. He said that there was apossibility of change of colourof produce with incessantrains but farmers need notworry as the governmentwould buy the food grainsfrom farmers.

Pavitratosavamsat GovindarajaSwamy temple PNS n TIRUPATI

The annual three-dayPavitrotsavams at SriGovindaraja Swamy temple inTirupati will be held fromAugust 28 to 30 with Ankurarpanam onAugust 27.

On first day ofPavitrotsavams on August 28,Pavitra Pratista will be per-formed, on the second day,Mulavirat, utsava deities,V i m a n a m ,Dhwajasthambham, SriMatham Anjaneya located infour mada streets will beadorned with Pavitra Malaswhile on August 30 PavitraPurnahuti will be performed.

While on these three days,Snapana Thirumanjanam willbe performed to the utsavadeities. In view of Covidrestrictions, this festival will beperformed in 'ekantham'.

Woman accuses SI of askingfor sexual favours to help herPNS n SRIKAKULAM

A woman from Ponduru area inSrikakulam district has accusedsub-inspector of Pondurupolice station KolliRamakrishna ofdemanding sexualfavours from her tohelp her in an ille-gal liquor tradecase. On August22, police carried araid on the house ofwoman's father atTungapeta in Ponduruof Srikakulam districtand seized 48 liquor bottles inthe house. However, Sub-Inspector Ramakrishna didn'tregister case against the womanand her father. On Sunday,Ramakrishna made a phone callto the woman and asked her tocome to his residence inPonduru to discuss the case. Heindirectly sought sexual favours

from the woman to help her inthe case.

Though she denied that shewouldn't offer any such favour,

the Sub- Inspector repeat-edly sought sexual

favours from her.Apparently disap-pointed with theattitude of the sub-inspector, she sub-

mitted recordings ofher conversation with

the SI as proof in hercomplaint at thePonduru police stationon Monday.

Inspector of Ponduru policestation Malleswara Rao saidthat the inquiry is going on.However, Superintendent ofPolice of Srikakulam AmitBardh suspended the sub-inspector Ramakrishna askingpolice personnel to submit acomprehensive report on theincident.

SI KolliRamakrishna

PNS n HYDERABAD

Finding the biological parents ofGeeta, who had accidentallyreached Pakistan and returnedto India in 2015 after Ex-External Affairs MinisterSushma Swaraj's extensiveefforts, has become a herculeantask for the officials concerned.

On October 26, 2015, Geetareturned to India fromPakistan. Earlier, PakistanRangers had found Geeta whenshe was eight-year-old inSamjhauta Express. Indore DIGHari Narayan Chari Mishrasaid, "She couldn't understandTelugu words but she couldrecognise Hindi words. We aresuspecting that she might befrom Northern Telangana orSouthern Chhattisgarh. Wehave even a plan to send a teamto trace her parents but tocovid-19 it had been delayed."

Speaking to 'The Pioneer' fromIndore in a telephone conver-sation Gyanendra Purohit, theactivist from Anand Servicessociety, who is presently takingcare of Geeta said, "She tied ablack thread to her left legwhich is usually seen in boththe Telugu States.

In addition to that, her nosepiercing on right side in con-trast to North Indian it was onthe left side of nose. Her food

habits also resembles the styleof Telugu States."

He further added that, she hadinformed that her village is onthe banks of a river and she usedto visit Devi temple in her villageand there is a maternity centrenear to her home. With all thesestatements we are quite sure thatshe is from one of the TeluguStates. So we are trying our bestto connect her with her parents.

Five years after return from Pak,Geetha's parents still elusive

On October 26,2015, Geetareturned to Indiafrom Pakistan.Earlier, PakistanRangers had foundGeeta when she waseight-year-old inSamjhauta Express

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | AUGUST 25, 2020 vijayawada 03

Continued from Page 1

Sources added that RahulGandhi in his speech alsoquestioned the timing of theletter, which was sent to SoniaGandhi when she was inGangaram hospital and undermedication

"It is the CWC and not themedia where we put out ourthoughts and discuss," he islearnt to have said at the meet-ing, the sources said

The crucial meeting of theWorking Committee startedhere amid divisions in theparty over the leadership issue

The party is divided on theleadership matter with a sec-tion demanding collective lead-ership and another reposingfaith in the Gandhi family

Around 20 party leadershad written to Sonia Gandhidemanding a full-time, visiblepresident and overhauling ofthe organisational structureincluding elections to the CWCand reconstitution of theParliamentary board.?

There has been a huge out-pouring of support for theGandhis with party leadersfrom across the country urgingher to continue as party chief

or appoint Rahul Gandhi to thepost.

The Congress WorkingCommittee on Monday urgedSonia Gandhi to continue as itsinterim chief till an AICC ses-sion can be convened andauthorised her to effect neces-sary organisational changes todeal with the challenges facingthe party.

At an over seven-hour longmeeting, which took place inthe backdrop of more than 20party leaders seeking an imme-diate organisational overhauland a collective leadership,Gandhi is said to have offered

to quit but was requested by theparty's top decision-makingpanel with over 50 members tostay on.

Announcing the resolutionpassed by the CWC, theparty's General Secretary(Organisation) K CVenugopal later said at apress conference that theCWC unanimously requestedGandhi to continue to "leadthe Indian National Congressuntil such time as circum-stances will permit an AICCsession to be convened."

The CWC also authorisedher to effect necessary organ-

isational changes to take onvarious challenges before theparty.

The party further said theCWC unanimously resolved tostrengthen hands of Sonia andRahul Gandhi in every possi-ble way, while it also made itclear no one will be permittedto undermine or weaken theparty and its leadership.

The CWC also resolved thatinner-party issues cannot bedeliberated through media orin public fora and all suchissues must be raised within theparty "in the interest of propri-ety and discipline".

Sonia Gandhi to continue as interim chief, asksCWC to start process for selecting new chief

PNS n AMARAVATI

The Andhra Pradesh govern-ment on Monday revised theProfession Tax structure,enhancing one slab rate from Rs1,250 to Rs 2,000 and continu-ing the second slab at Rs 2,500for different professions, to netan additional revenue of aboutRs 161 crore per annum.

The state government realisedRs 231.68 crore in the form ofProfession Tax in 2019-20 andRs 221.80 crore the previousyear.

However, due to the impactof coronavirus, profession taxcollection up to July in the cur-rent financial year was only Rs46.85 crore as against Rs 69.60crore in the corresponding peri-od last year, a fall of 32.70 percent, according to Special ChiefSecretary (Revenue), RajatBhargava.

"The last revision of profes-sion tax was done back in

February 2013. Since then, theeconomic scenario saw manychanges, impacting the incomesof various professionals andwarranting an upward revisionof tax slabs in certain categories,"Bhargava said. Taking variousfactors into consideration, thegovernment has decided torationalise the rates of ProfessionTax for certain categories, ensur-ing that the maximum tax

payable by any person did notexceed Rs 2,500 per annum, theSpecial Chief Secretary said.

Under the new structure,public telephone operators havebeen removed from the profes-sion tax payers list, while restau-rants, take-away food points,canteens and curry points wereadded anew, with a tax rate ofRs 2,500.

The Revenue Special Chief

Secretary also issued an orderdirecting 18 government depart-ments, appointed as professiontax collection agents, to amendthe relevant Act or Rules admin-istered by them making pay-ment of profession tax a pre-condition for grant or renewalof licenses and permits. Thedepartments include transport,irrigation, municipal adminis-tration, revenue, marketing,endowments, registration andstamps, industries, handloomsand textiles, horticulture, fish-eries, education and excise.

Website launched for publicopinion on Amaravati: NaiduPNS n VIJAYAWADA

A website www.apwithamara-vati.com was launched to elic-it opinion of people on capitalcity Amaravati, disclosedLeader of the Opposition NChandrababu Naidu.

Addressing a press confer-ence here on Monday, he saidapart from ticking yes, or nofor Amaravati as the sole cap-ital of the State, the respon-dents can also leave their tes-timonials. As a responsiblepolitical party, the TDP wasdoing this in order to empow-er the people and give furtherstrength to their voice at a timewhen the development of theState came to a grinding halt.

Naidu criticised that ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy was going ahead withhis destructive and conspirato-rial strategies to virtuallyreduce the entire State into aburial ground. In the past 15months of his rule,Jaganmohan Reddy has notushered any development inany region with not a singlenew road laid nor a single con-struction taken up anywhere,he pointed out.

Naidu asked whether theJaganmohan Reddy regimecould give suitable compensa-tion to farmers as the commer-cial rates of their lands wouldgo up to as high as Rs 10 croreto Rs 12 crore per acre in onesingle project like HappyNestHousing Complex. “With his

unrealistic and impracticalideas like three capitals, theChief Minister was bringingall-round devastation to AP asa whole. The future of 4.9 crorepeople was in danger now. TheYSRCP government has noright to continue in power forfive years to crush and destroythe State with its demolitiondrives,” he lamented.

Stating that breach of trustmarked the government'sactions now, Naidu saiduntruths and betrayals seemedto be the sole motto of Jagangoing by how he had promisedto develop Amaravati beforeelections but began demolish-ing it after winning the people'smandate. The Chief Ministerwas also not accepting theTDP demand to seek a freshmandate on three capitals plan.Alarmingly, Jagan was noteven ready for a referendumfearing large-scale oppositionfrom people.

Naidu refuted the allegationsof caste levelled by the YSRCPagainst the TDP, stating that inhis political career, he hadnever worked for the benefit ofone particular community.“The ruling party was inca-pable of bringing any develop-ment and passed 15 monthswithout showing any progress.It was busy with misinforma-tion and smear campaignsagainst Amaravati and theOpposition TDP. Amaravatiwould by now have emerged asa potential city with a capaci-ty to create Rs 1 lakh crore toRs 2 lakh crore wealth. Thiswould have helped AP todevelop its capital on an equalfooting with Hyderabad,” heopined.

n Apart from ticking yes,or no for Amaravati asthe sole capital of theState, the respondentscan also leave theirtestimonials, the TDPchief disclosed

n As a responsiblepolitical party, the TDPwas doing this in orderto empower thepeople and give furtherstrength to their voiceat a time when thedevelopment of theState came to agrinding halt, he said

Inflows fallsignificantlyin AP afterrain abates

Continued from Page 1

Nagarjunasagar now has aflood cushion of 6.37 tmcfeet.

The Dr KL Rao Sagar atPulichintala has almost beenfilled to its capacity of 45.77tmc feet by Monday eveningand accordingly, 41,884cusecs was being dischargeddownstream.

The Prakasam Barrage inVijayawada received 2.26 lakhcusecs, out of which 1.81 lakhcusecs was discharged intothe sea.

Kollu Ravindragets bail, with riders

Continued from Page 1

Earlier, the police havearrested three people inconnection with the June 29murder of Moka BhaskaraRao. Kollu Ravindra's fol-lowers were also involved inthe case. The informationthey provided revealed thatRavindra was involved inthe case.

The police registered acase against Ravindra andarrested him. He was latershifted to Rajahmundry Jail.

Jagan moots stricter lawto curb corruption

Continued from Page 1

In the Pinnapuram PowerProject, Kurnool, the previousgovernment and in July 2018signed an MoU and allotted4,766.28 acres of land at thecost of Rs 2.5 lakh per acre.“When our government cameto power, we renegotiated withthe same company and withthe same specifications and thecompany has agreed to pay Rs5 lakh per acre increasing theland value by 2.5 lakh per acrewhich has benefited the Stateby Rs 119 crore,” the ChiefMinister said.

He said that similarly, rene-gotiation in the solar/windpower projects has yielded Rs3,382 crore.

“In Bhogapuram airportproject as well, the previousgovernment allotted 2,703acres of land, while we haverenegotiated with the verysame company which agreedto develop the airport in anextent of 2,203 acre which

resulted in government get-ting 500 acres of land worthover Rs 1,500 crore,” Jagansaid.

He said that all complaintsof corruption coming toPhone No. 1092 should bediverted to ACB toll freenumber 14440 which coversfrom village Secretariat andupwards.

The ACB Call Centre wasstarted one year back and tillnow 44,999 call were receivedof 1,747 calls pertain to cor-ruption and all the cases wereaddressed to. Of them actionwas taken on complaintsreceived from 161 calls and 35are pending, the officials said.

The officials briefed theChief Minister about ReverseTendering involving 788 ten-ders 15.01 per cent was savedin place of 7.7 per cent. TheChief Minister said that thegovernment should go forreverse tendering in all sectorswherever the tender amountexceeds Rs 1 crore.

The officials told the ChiefMinister that for the year end-ing August 2020, so far 45 pro-jects were sent for JudicialPreview worth Rs 14,285 crore.

The Chief Minister saidthat complaints from villagesecretariat upwards shouldbe received by ACB whichshould be linked to theCollector off ice. TownPlanning, Sub Registrar,MRO, MDO and other suchoffices should be free of cor-ruption.

Prof. Sundaravalli NarayanaSwamy of IIM-Ahmedabadhad submitted to the ChiefMinister, the Report on GoodGovernance, which identifiesthe grey areas of corruption inGovernment Departmentsand the means in which it canbe eradicated.

Chief Secretary NilamSawhney, DGP GouthamSawang, ACB DIG PSRAnjaneyulu, IIM representa-tives and other officials partic-ipated in the review meeting.

YSRCP

leader

hacked at

homeContinued fromPage 1

It’s said that SubbaRao was a soft-spokenperson. He was involvedin the business of bricksin Bangalore. Presently,he was into cultivationof pomegranates in thevillage. The motivebehind the murder isunclear. Police filed acase and SI Nagraj col-lected details from thescene of incident.Investigation is on.

GGH doctorjumps intoswollen Krishnato end life

Continued from Page 1

Locals saw the doctorjumping into the river andimmediately informed thepolice. Vijayawada I-Towninspector Venkateshwarlu,who was there, tried to rescueSrinivasa Rao with the help ofa rope with his staff butcould not. The doctor wasswept away by the currenteven as onlookers watchedaghast. Police registered acase. Police, NDRF and SDRFteams launched a searchoperation for the doctor.

Man dies of Covid;wife, daughtersattempt suicide

Continued from Page 1

However, Ramesh’s wifeSivalakshmi and daughters came toknow on Monday morning.Somasekhar said that all three womenwere admitted to King GeorgeHospital in Vizag city. While thedaughters are out of danger, themother is stable and is undergoingtreatment. It may be recalled a fewdays ago, a mother along with her sonand daughter jumped into RiverGodavari near Kovvuru of WestGodavari district after the head of thefamily succumbed to Covid-19. Socialactivists are demanding the govern-ment to take steps to prevent suicidesrelated to Covid-19.

Fire breaks out

in hostel-turned

Covid CentrePNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

In another incident of firemishap at Covid Care Centre,fire broke out at Valmiki hos-tel in Chaitnya College inKommadi here on Monday.

Fire spread from the com-puter room of the second floorof the building around 7.30pm. There are about 56 Covidpatients in the fourth and fifthfloor of the building.Immediately all of them wereshifted to nearby block bypolice and staff. Station fireofficer of Chittivalasa SKMadeena said after getting acall from the centre, theyrushed a fire tender to the spotand doused the fire. He said thecomputer room was not in usesince lockdown. However, firebroke out due to a short circuit.He said there was no problemin shifting people from the toptwo floors as there were threeseparate exit routes. All 30computers got damaged due tofire. He said there was all nec-essary fire safety equipment inthe building.

No clarity on bus operations between TS & APPNS n HYDERABAD

The officials of TSRTC andAPSRTC met here at BusBhavan in Hyderabad to dis-cuss over the resumption ofbus services between the twoTelugu states. During themeeting, the APSRTC officialshave stated that will informtheir decision on TSRTC'sproposal of running buses onthe basis of inter-state recip-rocal after discussing withtheir government.

The TSRTC officials haveasked their counterpart toreduce the number of APbuses, which are running1,11,000 km in Telangana. Interms of buses, the APSRTC isrunning 1,100 buses inTelangana and TSRTC is run-ning 750 buses in AP. TSRTCofficials opined that the twostates have to run equal num-ber of buses as TSRTC is fac-ing losses due to running lessnumber of buses in AP.

The TSRTC officials askedtheir counterpart to enter into

a new reciprocal agreement oninter-state bus services as thereis no agreement yet after thedivision of the state. However,the APSRTC officials statedthat they will inform them oftheir decision after discussingwith their government. Themeeting also discussed onrunning buses between thetwo states, in view ofCoronavirus. However, themeeting failed to take decisionon it and decided to meet

again on the issue. The officials of two states

are showing interest to run thebuses between the two statesafter the Centre lifts all thecurbs. AP ED BrahmanandaReddy, Telangana EDsYadagiri, Purushotham Naikand other officials participat-ed in the meeting.

It may be recalled that thebus services betweenTelangana and AndhraPradesh has been suspended

after the Centre announcenation-wide lockdown onMarch 22. After the relax-ations in the lockdown, theAndhra Pradesh resumed busservices to Karnataka, TamilNadu, Maharashtra andOdisha. However, no buses arebeing operated between thetwo Telugu states. This comesafter the Telangana govern-ment decided to make anagreement on the bus servicesto Andhra Pradesh.

The government said thatTSRTC has been incurringlosses with no agreementbetween AP and Telanganaduring the bifurcation ofstates. Hence, it decided tosuspend the bus services untilboth states come to an under-standing. The meeting wasearlier scheduled to be held inJune but was postponed afteremployees in Bus Bhavaninfected with the coronavirus.The officials said that the busservices will be resumed afterthe two states enter into anagreement.

PNS n AMARAVATI

The APCC on Mondayrequested Sonia Gandhi tocontinue as the AICC presi-dent as "there is no otherleader in the Congress to givea strong leadership."

In case Sonia Gandhi madeup her mind otherwise, theAPCC wanted Rahul Gandhito come forward and take upthe responsibility as Congresspresident. "The APCC unan-imously resolved and holds astrong belief that you shouldcontinue to lead the party asthe Congress president atthis crucial juncture," APCCpresident S Sailajanath said.

"But if you have made upyour mind otherwise and achange is inevitable, I believethat Rahul Gandhi shouldcome forward and take upthe responsibility of Congresspresident since the partyneeds him to lead the strug-gle from the front as thecountry faces the biggestchallenge ever to its seculardemocracy and theConstitution," he added.

He wrote a letter to SoniaGandhi in this regard, refer-ring to media reports of herpossible resignation and"controversial letter" pur-portedly written by somesenior Congress leaders. "Iwish to reiterate the fact thatcurrently no other leader inthe Congress can give theparty a strong leadership and

any move to deprive theparty of an able, visionaryand courageous leadershipwould give advantage to thedivis ive and dictator ia lforces," Sailajanath said.

Rahul Gandhi has alreadyproved that he "had guts andthe commitment" to take onthe treacherous enemy withcourage and conviction.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A local court here on Monday granted fourday police custody of a Chinese national, whowas arrested along with three others in thetransnational online betting scam. Thepolice arrested a Chinese National, Yah Haowho is Head of Operations for South EastAsia- Beijing T Power Company and threeother Dheeraj Sarkar, Ankit Kapoor andNeeraj Tuli.

When questioning, the three Indian nation-als, who were arrested in the scam revealed thatthey were offered jobs by the Chinese nation-al through a job portal. They joined the com-pany in December 2019. They claimed theirinnocence in front of investigation officials.Although police official asked for seven dayscustody, the court had granted them four dayscustody starting from Monday. According tothe police, the gambling is based on color pre-diction it is played by investing some amountand predict a color or combination of color.

Online gamblingscam accusedtaken into custody

PNS n HYDERABAD

A Telangana court onMonday restrained contro-versial filmmaker RamGopal Varma from goingahead with the productionof 'Murder' till the comple-tion of probe into the inci-dent of honour killing onwhich the film is based.

The special court forSC, ST (Prevention ofAtrocities) cases inNalgonda directed Varmaand producer Natti Karunanot to make and release themovie till the probe into themurder of Pranay Kumarwas completed. The courtpassed the interim orderson a petition filed by P.Balaswamy, whose sonPranay Kumar was mur-

dered in 2018 allegedly byhis father-in-law MaruthiRao who had refused toaccept his marriage withhis daughter.

Speaking to 'The Pioneer', special public prosecutorDarshanam Narsimha said,"Amrutha varshani

approached the courtagainst the film 'Murder',which is violating her pri-vacy. In addition to that, thefilmmaker RamgopalVarma didn't even seekpermission from them asthey are directly related tothe case."

Setback for RGV, courtissues stay on film ‘Murder'

l "The APCCunanimously resolvedand holds a strongbelief that Sonia Gandhishould continue to leadthe party as theCongress president atthis crucial juncture,"APCC president SakeSailajanath said

l In case Sonia Gandhimade up her mindotherwise, the APCCwanted Rahul Gandhito come forward andtake up theresponsibility asCongress president

l Rahul Gandhi hasalready proved that he"had guts and thecommitment" to takeon the treacherousenemy with courageand conviction. "He isfully competent to leadthe party to success,"Sailajanath added

APPC chief Sake Sailajanth offering a bouquet to Sonia Gandhi in NewDelhi (file photo)

State government revisesProfession Tax structure

AP Congress urges Sonia Gandhi tocontinue to lead party as its president

The stategovernmentrealised Rs 231.68crore in the form ofProfession Tax in2019-20 and Rs221.80 crore theprevious year

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | AUGUST 25, 2020 nation 04

SHORT READS

Karnataka to be thefirst state toimplement NEP:DCMBENGALURU: Karnataka wouldbecome the first state in thecountry to implement the newNational Education Policy,Deputy Chief Minister Dr C NAshwath Narayan said onMonday. "The state governmentis making all preparations tobring in administrative reformsand amendments to the lawswhich are essential toimplement the nationaleducation policy. The statewould become the first state inthe country to implement thepolicy," Narayan, who holds theportfolio of higher education,said while addressing theinaugural session of a five-dayonline workshop on "Highlightsof the national education policyand its implementation." Theworkshop is being organisedby the Bangalore University.The Deputy CM said the stategovernment is going aheadwith regard to this with specificgoals and a clear agenda.

No bail for lawyeraccused in Lankangangster case

Low pressure areaover Bay of Bengal totrigger heavy rainsBHUBANESWAR: With forma-tion of a new low pressure areaover north Bay of Bengal likelyto trigger heavy rain in mostparts of Odisha till Thursday, thestate government has askeddistrict collectors to deal withpossible flash flood, landslideand water-logging. Under theinfluence of Sundays cycloniccirculation over Bangladesh andits neighbourhood, a lowpressure area has formed overnorth Bay of Bengal andneighbouring areas, the MeTCentre here said. This is the fifthlow pressure area formed overthe Bay of Bengal this month.Four back-to-back low pressuresystems on August 4, 9, 13 and19 have already triggered heavyto very heavy rainfall in manyparts of the state and createdflood-like situations in severalareas, particularly in Malkangiridistrict last week.

COIMBATORE: The ChiefJudicial Magistrate Court hereon Monday rejected the bail pleaof Madurai-based lawyerSivakami Sundari, one of thethree arrested in connectionwith fabricating of documents toget an aadhar card for SriLankan don Angoda Lokka whodied on July 3. Sundari had filedthe petition for conditional bailand the appeal came up forhearing before Magistrate PSreekumar. The CB-CID,investigating into the case,opposed the bail claiming thatSivakami Sundari would tamperwith the evidence if released.Hearing the submissions, theMagistrate dismissed herpetition. The Lankan gangsterdied of cardiac arrest here onJuly 3 and the body, afterpostmortem, was cremated inMadurai. Besides Sundari, aLankan woman Amani Thanjiand another personDyaneshwaran were arrested onthe charge of assisting Lokka ingetting an aadhar card in thename of Pradeep Singh bysubmitting forged documents.

PNS n DEHRADUN

The Uttarakhand BJP onMonday revoked the suspensionof controversial Khanpur MLAKunwar Pranav SinghChampion from the party 13months after the action wastaken against him when a videopurportedly showing him danc-ing with guns in hand went viral.

The decision was taken by theparty's core committee based onthe legislator's "good conduct"during the last 13 months of hissuspension and his repeatedapologies to the party leadership,Uttarakhand BJP chief BansidharBhagat told reporters. After wel-coming Champion back into theparty fold at his residence, Bhagatsaid the MLA had apologised tohim, to the party's core commit-tee and to the media for his "mis-conduct" which had led to hissuspension in June last year.

Champion was suspended

from the BJP initially for threemonths on charges of breach ofparty discipline, for engaging ina public spat with JhabredaMLA Deshraj Karnawal andchallenging him to a wrestlingbout at a Roorkee stadium.

When the action was takenagainst him, he was also facingthe charge of abusing an elec-tronic media reporter atUttarakhand Bhawan in Delhi.

His suspension was extendedindefinitely just a month later

after a video in which he wasseen dancing with guns in handto popular Bollywood songswent viral, leaving the partyred-faced.

After being welcomed backinto the party, Champion said heremained loyal to the BJP evenduring his suspension period.

The Khanpur legislator alsooffered an apology before thepress for his misconduct whichhad led to his suspension.

"I was sorry then and I apol-ogise again today with foldedhands for what I did. But evenduring the 13-month period ofmy suspension, I worked for thepolicies and programmes of theBJP," Champion said.

Champion is a fitness enthu-siast and known for his love forguns. He was among three otherMLAs who had been sum-moned by the BJP's state unitleadership recently to offer theirexplanation.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A three-day online internation-al conference on aerosol airquality, climate change and itsimpact on water resources andlivelihoods in the GreaterHimalayas will be held fromSeptember 14 to 16.

The Aryabhatta ResearchInstitute of ObservationalSciences (ARIES), Nainital andHemvati Nandan BahugunaGarhwal University will joint-ly organise the conference,according to a statement onMonday.

This is the first online inter-national conference to be heldat ARIES during this pandem-ic, the statement issued byARIES said.

The conference will deliber-ate on rapid increase in the airpollution associated with

industrialisation, urbanisationand its resultant impact onregional and global air quali-ty, visibility degradation, cloudformation, and atmosphericchemistry, radiation budget,ecosystem, Himalayan climate,and glaciology, cryosphere,monsoon patterns, water avail-ability, and human health.

The invited speakers in theconference are from differentparts of the globe and willdeliver lectures under thethemes: Growing air pollu-tion over the Indo-Gangeticplains and central GangeticHimalayan region, Himalayanglaciers, climate changeimpacts on Himalayan Glacier

and monsoon over theHimalayas, extreme eventsamong others.

BJP revokes suspension of U'khand MLAseen in viral video dancing with guns

MISS MY FRIEND A LOT

PM on Arun Jaitley's anniversaryPNS n NEW DELHI

The BJP paid rich tributes toparty stalwart Arun Jaitley onhis first death anniversary onMonday, with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi saying that hemisses his friend a lot and thathis late Cabinet colleague dili-gently served India.

Top BJP leaders, includingHome Minister Amit Shah,Defence Minister Rajnath Singhand party president J P Nadda,fondly remembered Jaitley, whowas the voice of the party onvarious issues for decades andwas seen as its main troubleshooter.

The prime minister tweeted,"On this day, last year, we lostShri Arun Jaitley Ji. I miss myfriend a lot. Arun Ji diligentlyserved India. His wit, intellect,legal acumen and warm person-ality were legendary. Here iswhat I had said during a prayermeeting in his memory."

He posted a video of hisspeech at the condolence meet-ing held here for Jaitley last year.

Remembering Jaitley, Shah

said he was an outstandingpolitician, prolific orator and agreat human being who had "noparallels" in Indian polity.

He was multifaceted and afriend of friends, who willalways be remembered for histowering legacy, transformativevision and devotion to thenation, the former BJP presi-dent added.

Nadda said Jaitley's hugecontribution in nation-buildingwill always be remembered.

He also inaugurated a blooddonation camp organised at

AIIMS in Jaitley's memory andsaid that the late leader's fam-ily members are serving societyas he did.

Defence Minister RajnathSingh tweeted, "RememberingArun Jaitley ji on his punyatithi.Jaitleyji was a stalwart whomade a big contributiontowards BJP's growth and riseto power."

"He made a mark as a suc-cessful lawyer, seasoned parlia-mentarian and effective admin-istrator. I offer my heartfelt trib-utes to him," Singh said.

PNS n WASHINGTON

Nikki Haley, popular Indian-American Republican politicianand former US envoy to the UN,will be among the star speakerson the first day of the RepublicanNational Convention whichbegins on Monday, according toa list released by the Trump cam-paign. The four-day RNC willformally nominate 74-year-oldincumbent President DonaldTrump as the party's candidatefor the November 3 US presiden-tial election.

Haley, 48, the two-termGovernor of South Carolina, isthe only Indian-American leaderto be featured in the list of RNCspeakers released by the Trumpcampaign on Sunday.

She is considered as one of thepotential presidential candidatesof the Republican Party post theTrump era. Haley, who served asUS ambassador to the United

Nations during the first twoyears of the Trump administra-tion, is close to the Trump fam-ily and plans to campaign aggres-sively in his re-election bid overthe next several weeks.

Born as Nimrata Randhawa inSouth Carolina, she is the daugh-ter of Indian immigrants fromPunjab. Her parents Ajit SinghRandhawa and Raj KaurRandhawa emigrated fromAmritsar in Punjab, India.

In a statement, the Trumpcampaign said: "Over four nights,President Trump's 2020Convention will honour thegreat American story, theAmerican people that have writ-ten it, and how President DonaldJ Trump's 'Make America GreatAgain' agenda has empoweredthem to succeed”. The president'sson Donald Trump Jr andKimberly Guilfoyle, an attorneyand television news personality,

are among the other star speak-ers on day one of the RNC.

The Republican convention,which would conclude withTrump delivering his acceptancespeech from the South Lawn ofthe White House on August 27,would be mostly in virtual mode,just like the rival DemocraticNational Convention, which washeld from August 17 to 20.

Indian-American Nikki Haley starspeaker at Republican convention

n BERKELEY (US)

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs,who died in 2011, was a toughact to follow. But Tim Cookseems to be doing so well at itthat his eventual successor mayalso have big shoes to fill.

Initially seen as a mere care-taker for the iconic franchisethat Jobs built before his 2011death, Cook has forged hisown distinctive legacy. He willmark his ninth anniversary asApple's CEO Monday -- thesame day the company willsplit its stock for the second timeduring his reign.

Grooming Cook as heirapparent was “one of Steve Jobs'greatest accomplishments thatis vastly underappreciated,” saidlong-time Apple analyst GeneMunster, who is now managingpartner of Loup Ventures.

The upcoming four-for-onestock split, a move that has noeffect on share price but oftenspurs investor enthusiasm, isone measure of Apple's successunder Cook. The company was

worth just under USD 400 bil-lion when Cook the helm; it'sworth five times more than thattoday, and has just become thefirst U.S. company to boast amarket value of USD 2 trillion.

Its share performance haseasily eclipsed the benchmarkS&P 500, which has roughlytripled in value during the pastnine years. But it hasn't alwaysbeen easy. Among the chal-lenges Cook has faced: a slow-down in iPhone sales as smart-phones matured, a showdownwith the FBI over user privacy,a U.S. trade war with China thatthreatened to force up iPhone

prices and now a pandemic thathas closed many of Apple'sretail stores and sunk the econ-omy into a deep recession.

Cook, 59, has also struck outin into novel territory. Applenow pays a quarterly dividend,a step Jobs resisted partlybecause he associated share-holder payments with stodgycompanies that were past theirprime. Cook also used his pow-erful perch to become an out-spoken advocate for civil rightsand renewable energy, and ona personal level came out as thefirst openly gay CEO of aFortune 500 company in 2014.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is fulfillinganother Steve Jobs vision

PNS n WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump willfocus on the American peopleduring the four-dayRepublican NationalConvention where he wouldbe formally nominated as theparty's presidential candidate,according to the White HouseChief of Staff.

The convention, beginningon Monday, will concludewith 74-year-old Trump deliv-ering his acceptance speechfrom the South Lawns of theWhite House on Thursday.

Vice President Mike Pence,61, is also all set to be re-nom-inated as Trump's runningmate by the Republican Partyat its convention from August24 to 27.

The event would be mostlyin virtual mode like that of theDemocratic NationalConvention, held from August17 to 20, during which formervice president Joe Biden was

nominated as the party's pres-idential candidate along withIndian-origin Senator KamalaHarris as his running mate.

"This president (Trump)will focus on the Americanpeople this week (at RNC),"White House Chief of StaffMark Meadows told Fox Newson Sunday.

He said that Biden, who ischallenging Trump in theNovember 3 presidential elec-tions, lacks actions and it wasreflected in his conventionspeech.

Trump will focus onAmerican people duringRepublican convention

PNS n GUWAHATI

The political party that the AllAssam Students Union andAJYCP have proposed tolaunch before the assemblyelections due next year will bein the "tight grip" of the stu-dents body, which does notwant another "uncontrollable"AGP-like organisation toemerge in Assam, a top AASUleader said on Monday.

He said Asom GanaParishad (AGP), which wasformed by AASU leaders, whohad led a protracted movementagainst Bangladeshi infiltratorsthat culminated in the signingof the Assam Accord in 1985,had become "uncontrollable"after it came to power.

The AGP twice formed thegovernment in the northeasternstate in 1985 and 1996. "TheAASU leadership is clear that theoutfit will have to commit itself

to the ideologies of the studentwing unlike the AGP," AASUgeneral secretary LurinjyotiGogoi told an interview.

The AASU, which stillwields considerable influencein the state despite the emer-gence of the BJP as a strongpolitical force, and AsomJatiyatabadi Yuva ChhatraParishad (AJYCP) have formedan 18-member 'Assam

Advisory Committee' to sug-gest the future course of action.

"Some preliminary ground-work is being done although afinal decision on the formationof the party will be taken afterthe committee's report. If weare advised to form a politicalfront, then it cannot detach itsroots from the parent body.AASU will have a tight gripover it," Gogoi said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Activist-lawyer PrashantBhushan refused to offer anapology to the Supreme Courton Monday for his two tweetsagainst the judiciary sayingwhat he expressed representedhis bona fide belief which hecontinued to hold.

An insincere apology wouldamount to the contempt of myconscience and of an institution,Bhushan said in his supplemen-tary statement filed in the suomotu contempt case againsthim by the top court, takingnote of advocate Anuj Saxena'scomplaint.

An apology for expression ofbeliefs, conditional or uncondi-tional, would be insincere, hesaid.

On August 20, the top courthad granted time till August 24to Bhushan to reconsider his“defiant statement” refusing toapologise and tender “uncondi-

tional apology” for contemptu-ous tweets against the judiciaryand rejected his submissionthat quantum of punishment bedecided by another bench.

Bhushan said as an officer ofcourt he believes as a duty tospeak up when he believes thereis a deviation from its sterlingrecord. “Therefore I expressedmyself in good faith, not tomalign the Supreme Court orany particular Chief Justice, but

to offer constructive criticism sothat the court can arrest any driftaway from its long-standingrole as a guardian of theConstitution and custodian ofpeoples' rights,” he said.

He said, “My tweets repre-sented this bona fide belief thatI continue to hold. Publicexpression of these beliefs wasI believe, in line with my high-er obligations as a citizen and aloyal officer of this court.

Therefore, an apology forexpression of these beliefs, con-ditional or unconditional, wouldbe insincere.”

Bhushan further said that anapology cannot be a mere incan-tation and any apology has to,as the court has itself put it, besincerely made. “This is espe-cially so when I have made thestatements bona fide and plead-ed truths with full details, whichhave not been dealt with by theCourt. If I retract a statementbefore this court that I otherwisebelieve to be true or offer aninsincere apology that in myeyes would amount to the con-tempt of my conscience and ofan institution that I hold in high-est esteem,” he said.

Bhushan said he believes theSupreme Court is the last bas-tion of hope for the protectionof fundamental rights, thewatchdog institutions andindeed for constitutionaldemocracy itself.

11 killed inbomb attacksin southernPhilippinesn MANILA

Suspected Islamic militants setoff bombs in a southernPhilippine town on Monday,killing at least 11 soldiers andcivilians despite extra tightsecurity because of threats ofsuicide attacks by Islamic Stategroup-aligned rebels, officialssaid. Nearly 40 soldiers, policeand civilians were wounded inthe attacks, military and policeofficials said. Regional militarycommander Lt. Gen. CorletoVinluan said at least five sol-diers and four civilians werekilled in the first attack, whena bomb attached to a motor-cycle exploded at noon neartwo parked army trucks infront of a grocery store andcomputer shop in Jolo town inSulu province.

Prashant Bhushan refuses to apologisein SC for his 2 tweets against judiciary

AASU to have ‘tight grip’ over newparty, doesn't want another AGP

Intl conference on climate changeand its impact on Himalayan region

Haley, who served asUS ambassador tothe United Nationsduring the first twoyears of the Trumpadministration, isclose to the Trumpfamily and plans tocampaignaggressively in his re-election bid over thenext several weeks.

The conference willdeliberate on rapidincrease in the airpollution associatedwith industrialisation,urbanisation and itsresultant impact onregional and global airquality, visibility degra-dation, cloud format-ion, and atmosphericchemistry, radiationbudget, ecosystem,Himalayan climate,and glaciology, cryosp-here, monsoon patte-rns, water availability,and human health

n CHRISTCHURCH (NEW ZEALAND)

Families and survivors had theirfirst chance to confront thewhite supremacist who slaugh-tered 51 worshippers in a massshooting at two New Zealandmosques as his four-day sen-tencing hearing began Monday.

“You killed your own human-ity, and I don't think the worldwill forgive you for your horri-ble crime,” said a tearfulMaysoon Salama, the mother of33-year-old Atta Elayyan, whowas killed in March 2019 attacks.

“You thought you can breakus. You failed miserably.”

The gunman, 29-year-oldAustralian Brenton HarrisonTarrant, pleaded guilty in Marchto 51 counts of murder, 40counts of attempted murderand one count of terrorism —the first terrorism conviction inNew Zealand's history.

He could become the firstperson in New Zealand to besentenced to life imprisonmentwithout the possibility of parole,

the toughest sentence available.Tarrant was brought into the

Christchurch High Court shack-led and wearing a gray prisonoutfit. In the dock, unshackledand surrounded by five officers,he showed little emotionthroughout the hearing. Heoccasionally looked around theroom, tapped his fingers, andwatched the survivors as theyspoke. The courtroom was onlyhalf full due to coronavirus dis-tancing requirements, whilemany others watched from adja-cent courtrooms where the hear-ing was streamed. Survivors andfamily members occasionallywept and comforted each other.

Families confront NewZealand mosque shooter

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | AUGUST 25, 2020 nation 05

SHORT READS

Water level in Yamunaclose to danger mark;Delhi governmetNEW DELHI: The water level ofthe Yamuna river on Mondayrose to 204.38 metres,perilously close to the dangermark, with Delhi's WaterMinister Satyendar Jain sayingthe government is ready to dealwith any flood-like situation. Anofficial said 5,883 cusec waterwas released from theHathinikund Barrage inHaryana's Yamunanagar districtat 8 am, leading to rise in waterlevels. The water level of theriver was recorded at 204.38metres at 8 am, which is justbelow the danger mark of205.33 metres. At 8 pm onSunday, the water levels wasrecorded at 204.18 metres. At3.30 pm on Monday, the waterlevel was at 204.32 metres,officials said. One cusec isequivalent to 28.317 litre persecond. Jain said the govern-ment was keeping a close watchand was fully prepared to dealwith any flood-like situation.

Two senior IPSofficers suspended inUP over irregularities

Maoist carrying Rs one lakh rewardsurrenders in OdishaMALKANGIRI: A Maoistcarrying a reward of Rs onelakh on his head surrenderedbefore the police in Odisha'sMalkangiri district with adesire to return to the socialmainstream, an officer saidon Monday. MahadevMadkami, who had joined thebanned CPI (Maoist) in 2015,surrendered before MalkangiriSuperintendent of PoliceRisikesh D Khilari on Sundaysaying he had realized thefutility of the violent pathadopted by naxals, the officersaid. The Odisha governmenthad announced a reward ofRs one lakh on the head ofthe surrendered Maoist, theSP said.

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradeshgovernment on Mondaysuspended two senior IPSofficers Dinesh Chandra Dubeyand Arvind Sen on complaintsof alleged irregularities. On thedirectives of Chief Minister YogiAdityanath, the government hassuspended DIG (Rules andManuals) Dinesh ChandraDubey and DIG, PAC Agra,Arvind Sen, a home departmentspokesman said. There werecomplaints of Dubey gettingtenders awarded for certainbenefits in connection with theconstruction of Kasturba hostelsin Shivgarhand Bachhrawan inRae Bareli district and Sadabadbesides bus stands in Bareillyand Kaushambi and a buildingfor the physically challenged inLucknow, home departmentsources said. With regard toArvind Sen, there werecomplaints in connection withcheating and forgery in theAnimal Husbandry department,the sources said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Senior Congress leader KapilSibal on Monday withdrew histweet in which he had hit out atRahul Gandhi, and said the for-mer party chief had informedhim personally that he hadnever made the "colluding withthe BJP" remark.

Sibal is among the 23 partyleaders who have written toSonia Gandhi seeking "full-time"leadership that is active in thefield and "visible" in party offices,devolution of powers to stateunits and revamping of theCongress Working Committee(CWC) in line with the partyconstitution among otherchanges.

As the CWC meeting wasunderway on Monday and it wasreported that Rahul Gandhi hadlashed out at the letter writers,Sibal tweeted, "Rahul says 'we arecolluding with BJP'. Succeededin Rajasthan High Court defend-ing the Congress Party.Defending party in Manipur tobring down BJP government.

"Last 30 years have nevermade a statement in favour of

BJP on any issue. Yet 'we are col-luding with the BJP'!"

Sibal said a little later that hewas withdrawing the tweet.

"Was informed by RahulGandhi personally that he neversaid what was attributed to him.I therefore withdraw my twee,"he said.

Sibal then deleted his earliertweet in which he had hit out atGandhi. Tagging Sibal's earliertweet, Congress' chief spokesper-son Randeep Surjewala also saidthat Rahul Gandhi hasn't said aword of this nature nor alludedto it.

"Please don't be mislead by

false media discourse or misin-formation being spread. But yes,we all need to work together infighting the draconian Modirule rather than fighting & hurt-ing each other and theCongress," Surjewala tweeted.

Congress leader GhulamNabi Azad said a section ofmedia is "wrongly attributingthat, in CWC I told Shri RahulGandhi to prove that the letterwritten by us is in collusion withBJP- 'let me make it very clearthat Shri Rahul Gandhi hasneither in CWC nor outside saidthat this letter was written at thebehest of BJP'".

PNS n CHENNAI

BJP national president J P Naddaon Monday assailed the opposi-tion DMK in Tamil Nadu accus-ing it of being a "shelteringground for people not workingin the interest of the nation" and"always inciting feelings againstnational spirit." He appealed tohis party members to give a befit-ting reply to the Dravidian partyin the Assembly election duenext year.

Attacking the M K Stalin-ledparty, Nadda said DMK hasalways been "inciting feelingsagainst national spirit" and on alookout to see to it that "nation-al mainstream assimilation for-mation is always disrupted."

Addressing the state BJP'sexecutive meeting via videoconferencing from New Delhi,Nadda alleged the DMK was

always "anti-development" andagainst the interest of the nation.

"In Tamil Nadu, the DMK hasbeen a sheltering ground for peo-ple not working in the interest ofthe nation. You should see to itthat we give a befitting reply tothe people who are workingagainst the interest of the nation,"he said.

Others too should ensure thatthe divisive forces do not get

strengthened in Tamil Nadu,Nadda added.

Referring to YouTube channelKaruppar Kootam allegedly den-igrating 'Kanda ShashtiKavacham,' sung in praise ofLord Murugan, Nadda said theenlightened people of TamilNadu agitated against the outfit.

The saffron party's nationalpresident exuded confidence thatin the coming times, the BJP willhave a substantial share inmunicipal and Assembly elec-tions in the state, and appealedto the party members to increasethe vote share in Tamil Nadu.

"Tamil Nadu is a land of tem-ples, very rich culture, architec-tural beauty, full of revolution-aries, freedom fighters, legendaryadministrators and worldwideknown entrepreneurs. I bow tothe people of Tamil Nadu for therich culture they have," he said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhion Monday questioned thetiming of the letter by a sectionof the party and attacked themfor going public against theleadership, saying differencesneeded to be discussed inparty platforms and not themedia.

He also insinuated that theletter seeking leadershipchanges was written in cahootswith the BJP, as it came at atime when Sonia Gandhi washospitalised and the party wasfighting with the BJP inRajasthan to save its govern-ment, sources said.

The charge invited sharprebuttals from former ministerGhulam Nabi Azad at the meet-ing. Azad said he would resignif any such link with the BJP isestablished, the sources said.

In his brief moving interven-tion at the CWC, RahulGandhi is learnt to have saidwhy that timing was chosen to

send the letter when SoniaGandhi was in hospital and theparty was fighting the BJP inRajasthan, insinuating thatsuch a letter at the time wouldhelp the BJP, the sources said.

Azad, who is one of the sig-natories of the letter, read outthe contents, saying the lead-ers are not questioning SoniaGandhi and only wantedorganisational reform in thelarger interest of the party.

Echoes of the fiery CWCmeeting which is underway,

were also heard outside withformer minister Kapil Sibal,another signatory to the letter,publicly questioning Rahul'sremarks insinuating a BJP linkto the letter seeking sweepingchanges to party organisationand elections to the CWC.

Sibal later withdrew histweet hitting out at RahulGandhi and said the formerparty chief had informed himpersonally that he had nevermade the "colluding with theBJP" remark.

Rahul questions timing ofletter, insinuates it helped BJP

Sibal withdraws tweet, saysRahul has 'personally' clarified

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court Mondayextended an interim orderstaying the investigation in acriminal case against seniorjournalist Vinod Dua, forallegedly making statementsconducive to public mischief.

Justice Anup JairamBhambhani noted that anoth-er similar matter relating toFIR against Dua is pendingbefore the Supreme Court andsaid it is deemed appropriate tohear the case thereafter.

“It is proper that we await thedecision of the Supreme Court.It can have some bearing on thiscase. I may get valuable guidancefrom the Supreme Court on theissue…. It is deemed appropri-ate to await the decision of the

Supreme Court in that matter.Accordingly, list for considera-tion on September 22,” the judgesaid.

The high court was hearingthe journalist's plea seekingquashing of an FIR lodgedagainst him by the Delhi PoliceCrime Branch on a complaint bya Delhi BJP leader. The FIR was

lodged on June 4 on the com-plaint of BJP spokespersonNaveen Kumar who claimed that"Dua, a known India mediapersonality, committed offenceof public nuisance, mischief,printing and engraving mattersknown to be defamatory, inten-tional insult with intent to pro-voke breach of peace".

PNS n JAIPUR

Deputy Leader of Opposition inthe Rajasthan AssemblyRajendra Rathore was barredfrom taking part in House pro-ceedings for the remainder of thesession after he engaged in aheated argument with Speaker CP Joshi on Monday. The propos-al for removal of Rathore fromthe House was moved byParliamentary Affair MinisterShanti Dhariwal on the requestof the Speaker and passed byvoice vote.

Rathore alleged thatOpposition members were notbeing allowed to speak sufficient-ly on the Bills, ensuing a heatedargument with the Speaker.

The House witnessed uproarwith the opposition BJP legisla-

tors trooping into the Well andshouting slogans.

Amid the din, the Housewas briefly adjourned thrice.During discussion on theRajasthan Rehabilitation ofBeggars or Indigents(Amendment) Bill, 2020, theSpeaker asked BJP MLA MadanDilawar to restrict himself tospeaking on the bill, saying it was

not a general debate. Rathoreintervened and requested theSpeaker to let the membersspeak. The Speaker then askedthe Opposition members toreturn to their respective seat.

When Rathore challenged theChair, the Speaker askedParliamentary Affair MinisterDhariwal to move a proposal forhis removal from the House.

PNS n MUMBAI

Actor Sonu Sood on Mondayannounced that he is offeringaccommodation to 20,000migrant workers in Noida.

The actor, who was in thenational spotlight for his workin helping migrants reachtheir homes amid the coron-avirus pandemic, shared thenews on Instagram.

Sood, 47, also said theseworkers have also been pro-vided jobs in garment factoriesof the region through their ini-tiative Pravasi Rojgar.

"I am delighted to now offeraccommodation for 20,000migrated workers who havealso been provided jobs in gar-ment units in #Noida through#PravasiRojgar.

"With the support of#NAEC President Shri LalitThukral, we will collectivelywork round the clock for thisnoble cause @pravasirojgar,"he wrote alongside the poster

promising that the workerswill be put up at a "hygienicstaying facility".

The actor along with histeam had rolled out a toll-freenumber and a WhatsApphelpline to connect withstranded workers and arrangetheir transportation duringthe lockdown.

Sood recently launched anapp to offer support to work-ers in finding job opportuni-ties in various sectors acrossthe country.

Sonu Sood offersaccommodation to20K migrant workers

PNS n NEW DELHI

ndia's COVID-19 tests per mil-lion rose sharply to 26,016 ascumulative tests surged to 3.59crore, the Health Ministry saidon Monday underlining that akey component in India'sCOVID-19 response has beenearly identification of cases bytimely and aggressive testing. Thenumber of people recuperatingfrom COVID-19 has crossed 23lakh pushing the recovery rate toover 75 per cent, while the casefatality rate, maintaining a steadydownward trajectory, has furtherdropped to 1.85 per cent, it said."A key component in India'sresponse to the COVID-19 pan-demic has been early identifica-tion of positive cases by timelyand aggressive testing," the min-istry said. Prompt identification

and isolation synced with effi-cient treatment have led to therising number of recoveries, andlow and declining mortality dueto COVID-19, the ministryunderlined. A cumulative3,59,02,137 samples have beentested up to August 23 with6,09,917 being tested on Sunday.Easy access to testing throughexpanded diagnostic lab networkacross the country has given asubstantial boost to the figures.

PNS n BENGALURU

Former Karnataka ChiefMinister Siddaramaiah onMonday urged interim Congresspresident Sonia Gandhi to con-vince Rahul Gandhi to take upthe party's top post if her healthdoes not permit for full-fledgeddedication.

The Leader of the Oppositionin the Legislative Assemblyrequested Sonia Gandi to con-

tinue as AICC president."And if you feel that your

health may not permit for full-fledged dedication, I urge youto convince Shri Rahul Gandhito take up the position,"Siddaramaiah said in a letterto Sonia Gandhi. The party isdivided on the leadership mat-ter with a section demandingcollective leadership andanother reposing faith in theGandhi family.

India conducts nearly 3.6 crCovid tests so far, tests permillion scale new peak

How Dalai Lama traced teacher Khunu Lama in India!PNS n NEW DELHI

Soon after the Dalai Lamaescaped to India in 1959, he madeseveral efforts to locate his teacherKhunu Lama, who wasrumoured to be in the country atthat time, and finally managed tofind him living incognito in aShiva temple in Varanasi, says anew book. "Running TowardMystery: The Adventure of anUnconventional Life", released onMonday, is an account by TenzinPriyadarshi, president and CEOof The Dalai Lama Center forEthics and Transformative Valuesat the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology, of his lifelong jour-ney as a seeker.

Co-written with IranianAmerican author and literarytranslator Zara Houshmand,Priyadarshi talks about the teach-ers who have influenced his life,among them the Dalai Lama, for-mer Archbishop of Cape TownDesmond Tutu, and MotherTeresa. The Dalai Lama found itdifficult to locate Khunu Lama asthe latter kept a low profile andshunned attention and had ahabit of disappearing wheneverhis reputation caught up withhim.

"When people came to pay

their respects, he would have anassistant place a huge padlock onthe outside of his door as a deter-rent, and slide the key under thedoor to him. Hours later hewould slide the key back out againand knock quietly to be let out,"the book, published by PenguinRandom House, said.

The Dalai Lama sent emis-saries to all the Buddhist pilgrim-age sites, to all the places whereKhunu Lama was known tohave taught, and found no traceof him. Finally, he was acciden-tally discovered, living incognitoin a Shiva temple in the middleof Varanasi.

"When the emissary knocked

on the door of his small closet ofa room and asked if he wouldmeet with the Dalai Lama, he saidno, he wasn't feeling well. "HisHoliness was actually waitingdownstairs and would not be putoff, so then Khunu Lamademurred again because he did-n't have a chair to offer his guest- an old blanket was his only fur-nishing," the book says.

But the Dalai Lama insistedand they met standing up in thetiny room. The Dalai Lama askedKhunu Lama to teach theyounger 'tulkus' (reincarnatedTibetan Buddhist masters) whohad accompanied him into exile,and to teach him personally as

well. Khunu Lama was not recog-nised as a tulku himself. Nor washe ever initiated into a monasticcommunity, in spite of the factthat he spent many years study-ing and teaching at several differ-ent monasteries.

He was born in the late 1800s.He came from Kinnaur, in thefoot-hills of the Himalayas, froma prosperous farming and trad-ing family who were devoutBuddhists but opposed his desireto travel for study. He left homearound the age of 18 so sudden-ly that he didn't stop to put on hisshoes, and he never really stoppedtravelling from that point on.

He made a point of learningthe languages deeply - bothTibetan and Sanskrit - as a pre-requisite to the study of the reli-gious texts, and gained a reputa-

tion for extraordinary scholarship.His expertise in Tibetan grammarand poetics was famous, to thepoint of inciting dangerous jeal-ousies among native Tibetans.

When the Dalai Lama askedKhunu Lama to teach him per-sonally, one theme among othersthat he specially requested wasKhunu Lama's dearest, mostconstant preoccupation.

Bodhicitta' was the subject hetaught most eagerly and onwhich he wrote a poem of praiseevery day. He embodied bodhicit-ta with all his being. It didn't mat-ter how great a scholar he was,how his knowledge of Sanskritcould unlock nuances ofShantideva's and Nagarjuna'swriting that few others could fath-om, the teaching was never justtheoretical, the book says.

Cong deniesRahul's colludingwith BJP remarkNEW DELHI: The Congress onMonday denied that RahulGandhi had accused any partyleader of "colluding with theBJP", saying he "has not said" aword of that nature nor alludedto it. At a Congress WorkingCommittee (CWC) meeting,Rahul Gandhi lashed out at theparty leaders who had written toSonia Gandhi seeking severalorganisational reforms,including a collective leadershipand devolution of powers to theparty's state units. Sourcespresent at the meeting saidGandhi was furious about thetiming of the letter and it beingleaked to the media, andappeared to suggest whetherthese leaders were "colludingwith the BJP".

Deputy Leader of Opposition barred fromtaking part in Raj Assembly session

HC extends stay on investigation incriminal case against journalist Vinod

"When people came to pay their respects,he would have an assistant place a hugepadlock on the outside of his door as adeterrent, and slide the key under thedoor to him. Hours later he would slidethe key back out again and knock quietlyto be let out," the book, published byPenguin Random House, said

Cong protestsat Guwahatiairport againstprivatisationPNS n GUWAHATI

The opposition Congress onMonday staged a protest at theGuwahati airport against theCentre's decision to privatise itby leasing out to AdaniEnterprises for 50 years.

Besides, the AirportAuthority Employees Union(AAEU) has been agitatingevery day since August 19when the Centre decided toprivatise the Guwahati, Jaipurand Thiruvananthapuram air-ports. "The Congress has beenprotesting since 2018 when theBJP government decided to pri-vatise the airports. Some peo-ple have filed PILs in the court.But not waiting for the verdict,the government took a Cabinetdecision to privatise it," theparty's state president RipunBora said.

He also said the airport is inthe name of the first chief min-ister of Assam, GopinathBordoloi, and it is a very emo-tional matter for the people ofthe state.

Another planecrash passengersuccumbs toinjuries,toll now 21PNS n KOZHIKODE

A 37-year-old woman, injuredin the Air India Express planecrash at the nearby Karipur air-port on August 7, died at a hos-pital here, taking the death tollin the accident to 21, govern-ment sources said. ManjulaKumari died last night, thesources said. The woman hadbeen to the UAE to meet herhusband early this year, but hadto extend her stay due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.Eighteen people, were killedand several others injuredwhen the flight from Dubaiwith 190 people onboard over-shot the tabletop runway andfell into a valley.

Nadda lashes out at DMK;says it incites people

Convince Rahul to becomeCong Prez : Sidda to Sonia

Arecently publishedbook by the NetajiSubhash Bose INATrust and released byVice President

Venkaiah Naidu on the eve ofIndia’s 74th independence dayprovides a fresh perspective to theevents leading up to the BritishGovernment’s decision to quitIndia in August 1947.

The British Raj, which wascruising along majestically for200 years, suddenly developedserious doubts about its ability torule the sub-continent in 1946 andhurriedly began the process ofpacking up. What hastened its exitfrom India? The book, Netaji —India’s Independence and BritishArchives, authored by KalyanKumar De, has put together sev-eral key reports and documentswhich throw light on the suddenchange of mood in the Britishcamp. These reports, primarilyfrom the Governors of the variousprovinces and from theIntelligence Bureau (IB), indicatethat by the mid-1940s, the Britishgot into a panic mode because ofthe tremendous popularity ofSubhas Chandra Bose and thenationwide appreciation and sym-pathy for the Indian NationalArmy (INA), which he had estab-lished to militarily oust the colo-nial power. This, in turn, triggereda Naval mutiny in Bombay (nowMumbai) and several other sta-tions and rebellions in some Armycamps, including in Madras (nowChennai) and Poona (now Pune).

Historians have often won-dered as to what brought about asudden change in the mood in theBritish camp. The answer to thisquestion was not easily availablein the decades after indepen-dence for two reasons. The first isthat the archival material wasnot available. The second reasonis that since the 1950s, theCongress made every effort todownplay the popularity of Netajiand the INA. If it had come intothe public domain that the Britishchose to hastily wind up opera-tions for fear of a mutiny withinthe Indian Army and a generalrevolt among the masses, it wouldhave spoiled the narrative vis-à-visthe non-violent struggle to gainindependence. This process ofsuppressio veri (suppressing truth),which began in the days of formerPrime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru,was carried on by the Nehru-Gandhis — Indira Gandhi and

Rajiv Gandhi — because itsuited the “history” the familywanted to popularise.

Subhas Chandra Bose’sdetermination, stamina andvision can be gauged from thefact that thousands of men andwomen responded to his call,joined the INA in India and inthe South-east Asian coun-tries and sacrificed their livesin order to liberate the country.In his book, De reproduces anIB report of November 1945,which warns the BritishGovernment that there wasenormous sympathy for thesoldiers of the INA across theland and that this was not justconfined to the cities. It saidthat if the Government did nottake cognisance of this senti-ment, the consequence wouldbe a mass agitation and blood-shed.

Going by the fear and anx-iety displayed by severalGovernors in their reports tothe then Viceroy, Lord Wavellin late 1945 and early 1946, thelatter had little choice but tobegin winding up operations.The Governors — one moreworried than the other —expressed their trepidation atthe ongoing INA trials andtheir repercussions. Almostevery Governor warned theViceroy that the Governmentwould be playing with fire if ittargetted the INA because it

was seen as an organisation ofbrave freedom fighters. Theywarned that this could result ina mutiny in the Indian Armyand they were not very muchoff the mark.

The Viceroy, in turn, keptKing George-VI informed ofthe growing popularity of theINA and the mass protests itwas generating in Calcutta andelsewhere. He said there wasgrowing interest in the INA tri-als and it was bound to havepolitical implications. InFebruary 1946, he wrote to thethen Prime Minister, ClementAttlee, and gave him an updateon the naval mutiny in Bombayand other stations. He said itwas now under control but therioting by the mobs was still onin Bombay.

These fears forced theBritish to commute the sen-tences of deportation for lifegiven in the court-martial tothe most prominent three INAsoldiers on trial — PremKumar Sehgal, Shah NawazKhan and Gurbaksh SinghDhillon.

This is corroborated byGeneral CJ Auchinleck’s “strict-ly personal and secret” letter tothe Army Commanders onFebruary 12, 1946, in which hetalks about the reasons thatprompted him to commutethe sentences of deportation forthe life of Sehgal, Dhillon and

Khan. He says, confirmation ofthe sentences would have led toviolent internal conflict. Therewas a “genuine feeling thatthey were patriots and nation-alists” and, therefore, even ifthey were misled, “they shouldbe treated with clemency astrue sons of India.”

Officers in the IndianArmy, he said, were glad andrelieved at the final outcomebecause if the sentence hadbeen enforced, “it would haveled to chaos in the country andprobably to mutiny and dissen-sion in the Army...” Along withthis, the Naval mutiny and themutiny in the Army camps inJabalpur, Madras and Poonaconvinced the British that theycould no longer rely on theIndian armed forces to keep theBritish flag flying on the sub-continent. Once this realisationdawned on them, action wasswift. The British Governmenttook a formal decision to endthe colonisation of India inMarch 1946.

Sir Twynam, Governor,Central Provinces and Berar,wrote a secret letter to LordWavell on November 26, 1945,in which he confessed that hehad just 17 European officers,including three judicial, and 19European members of theIndian Police (total 36) tomanage a population of 18million over an area of one lakh

square miles. These figures, given by Sir

Twynam, indeed sums up thetragedy of India’s colonisationby the British. At the best oftimes, it is said that there werejust a few thousand Europeansin the bureaucracy, police andArmy and they had coloniseda nation of India’s size with apopulation of about 400 millionpeople.

Every Indian today will bestunned by these figures. Howdid millions of Indians allowthemselves to be subjugated bya handful of Europeans? Lackof unity and self-confidencewere certainly two factors thatled to this dreadful tale ofcolonisation.

The work of De should alsomake us reflect over the workof other historians over the last70 years who diligently prac-tised suppressio veri and kept somany truths away from thepeople. We must re-examine allthat they have written andchallenge the postulates con-structed on half-truths. Manyindividuals have worked forseveral years to dredge up hid-den facts, including KalyanKumar De. All of them deserveour gratitude for enabling us toget closer to the truth.

(The writer is an authorspecialising in democracy stud-ies. Views expressed are personal.)

The Coronavirus pandemic has afflicted a total ofthree million Indians by now and has caused over57,000 deaths in the country. Almost every day,

over 70,000 new cases are being detected for the pastweeks. Thankfully though, it appears that the dramaticgrowth in the number of cases has tapered to someextent. The number of tests, too, has seen a tremendousrise. Unfortunately, there is an interesting, albeit a wor-rying caveat: The cities and States that were worst afflict-ed by the virus in the early days, particularly Delhi andMumbai, seem to have got the numbers in check. Butthe virus has moved elsewhere. In Maharashtra, for exam-ple, while the situation in Mumbai might have improved,

the State’s second city, Pune, and its suburbs are now facing the brunt. Worryingly, otherStates such as Bihar, with critically poor health infrastructure, are also seeing a rising case-load after not being hit hard initially.

However, it isn’t just India where the virus seems to be finding new nooks andcrannies to fill. Even in the European Union, where many southern countries, such asItaly and Spain, bore the brunt at the start of the pandemic, the virus has found a wayto resurface with case numbers going up again. In the US, too, numbers are in con-trol in New York, which was one of the worst-hit States at the start of the crisis. Butmany other States are seeing rising numbers, particularly as the US, like every othercountry in the world, tries to open up its economy. The virus might not kill people butit certainly has killed livelihoods. Yet, there is hope. Even though the Russian “Sputnik-V” vaccine might be more of a public relations stunt than reality, some of the moreviable vaccine candidates, such as the one developed by AstraZeneca and which willbe mass produced by the Serum Institute of India, are in the final stages of their tri-als. While a successful vaccine might not bring the world back to normalcy immedi-ately, it might provide a glimmer of hope in what has been the darkest year in livingmemory. May be finally, humanity will be able to get rid of the yoke of the virus andmove on with life although many more will be struck down by it.

The Gandhis would have hardly expected thatJawaharlal Nehru’s words would come to hauntthem and be used to judge their role as “passion-

less” leaders of a party, driving it to “non-existence.” Theywould have never dreamt that his words would be theirconscience call on whether they have been custodiansof a family heirloom, surviving on the retainership it givesthem, or whether they have been worthy legacy keep-ers who can ensure that the grand old party runs foranother hundred years and remakes India. The Congress’first family, used to revolts by young Turks, would havenever expected their old comrades to question them ona job that they should have done, showing that the party

is much bigger than the individual or that dynastic entitlements, while being honoured, couldnot be stretched to their limits. And when senior leaders — former Union Ministers, ChiefMinisters and legal eagles, who got the party out of trouble and steered the ship for years— write a letter to their chief, they do it on the understanding that they have earned theright as loyal stakeholders of the party they built. That they have as much right to save it,having invested their political lives in it, considering the leadership is adrift. They are asmuch entitled to speak out, given the organisational pyramid and democracy that the partyconstitution provides for, the efficiency of which has now been appropriated by other par-ties, namely the BJP. It is here that Sonia Gandhi’s hurt and stepping down or Rahul Gandhi’sdiatribe against the seniors, accusing them of dissent and playing into the BJP’s hands,fall short compared to the long-standing commitment of true blue Congressmen. Particularlyone as unquestioning as Ghulam Nabi Azad. Of course, both camps played down the warof words, with Azad and Kapil Sibal denying that Rahul Gandhi was provocative, therebyarresting a PR blooper that the BJP is already going to town with. So the question is whetherthis will be a transformative moment for the party or another made-up show of democ-racy that would throw up Gandhis as the only adhesive among divergent voices, what withSonia agreeing to hold the reins for another six months? As of now, it just drags on thediscomfort and stasis when she could have worked out an institutional mechanism. Clearly,the lustreless family is still hoping to bounce back. “Without that passion and urge, thereis a gradual oozing out of hope and vitality, a settling down on lower levels of existence,a slow merging into non-existence,” wrote Nehru which senior leader Shashi Tharoor quot-ed to articulate his and 20 of his peers’ concern about the irrelevance of the party. Theirletter is nothing short of an indictment of Sonia’s functioning and the unhappiness withthe new-fangled ways of her son Rahul that haven’t worked electorally. They want “full-time, visible” leadership, a clear reference to the disembodied presence of the Gandhi scionon social media while being absent from the ground. But the stinging attack came fromthe observation that Modi had captured the imagination of the youth, clearly a commenton Rahul’s failure as a younger leader and the futility of developing a personality cult. Thefact that they suggested the formation of a “collective leadership” and stressed that theGandhis can still be an integral part of it — given their past contribution — hints at anorganisational overhaul that would corporatise its structure from a fetid fiefdom. By call-ing for inner party elections at every level and empowerment of State units, they have laida roadmap of revival to build on the party’s existing pan-India matrix. There’s no doubtthat the central leadership has had little role to play in States where the party is in poweror as an alliance partner. That success purely goes to the solidity of the State leadership.The letter, dated August 7 and signed by senior leaders like Azad, Sibal, Tharoor, PrithvirajChavan and Anand Sharma, cannot be seen as a rebellion simply because none has everdone this before. It is about their last-ditch effort to save the party, occupy the alternativeliberal space that is being encroached upon by the BJP, and spearhead a larger Oppositionunity with its breakaway parties.

The bigger question is if this is really a woke moment for the Congress or another episodeof the ego wars that keep plaguing it? Sonia Gandhi is no stranger to challenges to herfamily’s leadership, having handled the exit of Sharad Pawar and Purno Sangma in 1999.She even called the CWC meeting to address each of the issues raised by seniors but isupset that the letter was leaked before the session could begin. In that sense, there aremany who feel that the letter was leaked by a dissatisfied segment of the old guard to off-set Sonia’s plans to anoint Rahul Gandhi as the chief, who is believed to have made hisreturn conditional on a complete overhaul on his terms and sidelining of some deadwood.They are also upset by the younger Gandhi’s remote-controlling the party’s policy with-out being accountable and stubbornly sticking to taking on the persona of Modi and Rafale,issues which have tanked and elicit only ridicule and trolling. Yes, the Gandhis still have apulling capacity compared to each of the individual leaders in question. Perhaps that’s whythey had quite a few senior and younger leaders, like Capt Amarinder Singh and SachinPilot, rooting for them. Yet this politics of consensus is well past its expiry date. And theCongress needs elections, leaders honed by a competitive spirit, a participative and empow-ering contest among its grassroots leaders to bring in fresh breath energy. For India haschanged between dynasties. And wants stakeholdership, not a grant.

Cong still at crossroads

Safety in our hands

Sir — The COVID-19 pandem-ic has changed the way we livewith many of us confined toworking from home and livingin isolation. In several nationsacross the world, the number ofcases per day has risen to thou-sands. It appears that wearinga very large, rather ornate maskprobably isn’t enough to stopthe infection. The outcome of amedical crisis depends, to alarge degree, on social rules andour ability to follow them.Much also depends on the rulesformulated by Governments,which make for tricky business.

Under lockdowns, peopleknew what they have to do. Butwith it easing, we remaindependent on the set of rulesannounced by Governmentsthat keep changing frequentlyand are often very poorly com-municated and executed. Withthe winters approaching, thetask to keep the infection ratedown will get tougher.Nevertheless, we need to worktogether, separately and wearour masks to get out of the pan-demic.

Dennis FitzgeraldMelbourne

For democracy’s sake

Sir — This refers to the edito-rial, “Is Bihar poll-ready?”

(August 22). The ElectionCommission (EC)’s initiative tohold the Assembly elections inBihar on time is welcome. In theabsence of any hope of relief

from the pandemic or a credi-ble vaccine in the near future,indefinite postponement ofelections doesn’t augur well forthe people or the democracy.

Bihar Chief Minister NitishKumar’s preference to go forelections to sustain his credibil-ity or the Opposition parties’reluctance to face the electionsfor their own reasons don’tcount here. The EC is planningto allow public rallies but withlimited physical presence; per-mit online filing of nomina-tions; allow limited door-to-door campaigning; and reducethe number of people in pollingin each polling booth andcounting hall. All these mea-sures are legitimate in the con-text of the pandemic.

N Sadhasiva ReddyBengaluru

Exams on track

Sir — It is appreciable that theGovernment has decided not topostpone the JEE and NEETexaminations. Postponement ofexams would have delayed theupcoming academic year.Results and counselling alsotake time. The Governmentmust now ensure safety.

SrinivasVia email

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op nionVIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | AUGUST 25, 2020

06

Netaji and the Raj

A SURYA PRAKASH

Writers like Kalyan Kumar De and several other historians deserve all our gratitude to

have brought before us certain hidden facts and constructed half-truths

I love watching the nextgeneration because thereyou see progress. You see how they are settingthe bar higher for thenext generation.

Former cricketer—Sunil Gavaskar

I was told I was too dark, tootall, too broad. I didn’t fit into that girl next door look. Ihad to constantly try and fit in it and it really exhausted and tired me.

Actor—Sameera Reddy

It is a matter of shame thatsome people who enjoyed being in power,whose existence is due toCongress are questioningour leadership.

HPCC president—Kumari Selja

S O U N D B I T E

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

Strengthen the auditor’s office

Article 148 (1) of the Constitution states, “There shallbe a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of Indiawho shall be appointed by the President by war-

rant under his hand and seal and shall only be removedfrom office in like manner and on the like grounds asa Judge of the Supreme Court.” Speaking in theConstituent Assembly, RK Sidhva said, “The Auditor-General should always be independent of either the leg-islature or the executive.” While the ConstituentAssembly put in force stringent rules for the CAG’sremoval from office, it thought it prudent to leave theresponsibility of establishing a foolproof system for theselection of an independent body to posterity. In fact,that set the stage for a Cabinet secretary to shortlist thename(s), a Finance Minister to approve it and the PrimeMinister to make the final selection. Days ago, GirishChandra Murmu (IAS) was sworn in as the new CAG.He had served as the principal secretary to PM Modiduring his tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, jointsecretary in the Home Department, which was then head-ed by Amit Shah, and had handled the Gujarat riotspapers at various times. He vacated the office of the LGof Jammu & Kashmir perhaps to remain on course totake over the reins of the supreme audit institution.

Prof KT Shah, speaking in the ConstituentAssembly had said, “The members of the civil servicehave a particular type of education and develop a par-

ticular outlook, which does not necessarily have spe-cific reference to the duties and functions of an Auditor-General.” That is one part. A report titled, DeliveringTrust: Impartiality and Objectivity in the Digital Ageby Richard Sambrook stated, “Impartiality involves nomore than the attempt to regard different ideas, opin-ions, interests or individuals with detachment.”Recently, doubts have surfaced over the impartiality ofthe national auditor. When an audit report turned outto be a virtual affidavit of the Government in court —the report on the Rafale deal is a case in point — theoffice of the CAG looked like yet another subordinateinstitution. It leaves one quite disturbed.

Haridasan RajanKozhikode

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

UnmanageableNow it’s proven that anyoneopposing Janeudhari lead-ership will be branded B-Team. I hope Muslims nowknow the high cost of loyalty to Congress.

AIMIM chief —Asaduddin Owaisi

Is the letter bomb another war of egos or will it usher in the much-needed reforms and elections in the party?

The Coronavirus pandemic seems to be constantlymorphing despite everyone's best attempts

Snap the stranglehold

WAS INFORMED BY RAHUL GANDHI PERSONALLY THAT HE

NEVER SAID WHAT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM. I,

THEREFORE, WITHDRAW MY TWEET.

—LAWYER AND CONGRESS LEADER

KAPIL SIBAL

YES, WE ALL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER IN FIGHTING

THE DRACONIAN MODI RULE RATHER THAN HURTING

EACH OTHER AND THE CONGRESS.

—CONGRESS COMMUNICATION CHIEF

RANDEEP SINGH SURJEWALA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hasannounced the broad contours of the NarendraModi Government’s plans on privatisation of

Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs). ACPSU is defined as an undertaking in which theUnion Government has shareholding of morethan 50 per cent and by virtue of this, exercisesmajority ownership and control (there were 249operating CPSUs as on March 31, 2019). Its privati-sation means the shareholding of the Centre will bebrought down to below 50 per cent. Before we lookat the plan and how the Government goes aboutimplementing it, it may be worthwhile to reviewwhat it has already done on this front and its out-come. Under the Modi dispensation, this is not thefirst time that the privatisation of CPSUs has beenput on the table.

In early 2016, the NITI Aayog had recommend-ed to the Government a “strategic” sale (a sophis-ticated nomenclature for selling more than 50 percent of the Government’s shareholding) of over twodozen CPSUs. Meanwhile, the then FM, Arun Jaitley,had set targets for sale proceeds from this route at`28,500 crore (2015-16) and `20,500 crore (2016-17). Against this, during 2015-16, there was not evena single case of strategic sale whereas for 2016-17,the target itself was lowered to a meagre ̀ 5,500 crore.During 2017-18, the Government sold 51.11 per centof its shareholding in Hindustan PetroleumCorporation Limited (HPCL) to Oil and Natural GasCorporation (ONGC), yielding about `37,000crore. In 2018-19, it sold 52.63 per cent of its stakein Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) toPower Finance Corporation (PFC) to yield ̀ 13,000crore. But, the sale of shares in HPCL to ONGC orin REC to PFC (i.e. from one PSU to another) can-not be termed as strategic as even after relinquish-ing 51 per cent plus shareholding, the Governmentcontinues to exercise full control (albeit indirectly)over HPCL/REC by virtue of being majority ownerin the acquirer, namely ONGC/PFC.

During 2018-19, Air India (and its subsidiaries)were also put on the block but didn’t elicit any inter-est. During 2019-20, besides resurrecting thatoffer, the Government also took up sale of all of itsshareholding in Bharat Petroleum CorporationLimited (BPCL) at 53.29 per cent; ContainersCorporation of India (ConCor) at 30 per cent;Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) at 63.75 percent; North Eastern Electric Power Corporation(NEEPCO) at 100 per cent and THDC India Limitedat 75 per cent. Sans NEEPCO and THDCIL, whichwere sold to National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC) — a CPSU in the power sector — othersmade no progress.

In January 2020, even as the Finance Ministrywas pretty confident that the sale of BPCL, ConCorand SCI, besides Air India et al, would materialiseduring 2020-21 (this is also reflected in the ambi-tious target of divestment proceeds at ̀ 2,10,000 croreof which the revenue from strategic sale is over`1,00,000 crore), the devastation triggered byCOVID-19 changed everything. From the above, itis abundantly clear that the privatisation initiativepursued during the last five years has not taken off.There are two major reasons for this failure.

First, the exercise all through has been linkedto garnering revenue (albeit non-tax) to meet fis-cal targets, which drives the efforts and not privati-sation per se which ought to be the way forward.Second, the Government’s moves in this directionare hamstrung by an inherent desire to remain inthe driver’s seat even after the so-called strategicdivestment. A clear indication of this is available from

what Sitharaman said in her Budgetspeech for 2019-20. She stated that theintent was to change the extant policy ofthe Government “directly” holding 51 percent or above in a CPSU to one wherebyits total holding, “direct” plus “indirect”,is maintained at 51 per cent.

To illustrate, let us take the case ofIndian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).In addition to its direct stake of 51.5 percent, the Union Government holds morethan above 51 per cent in other PSUs,which in turn, hold shares in IOCL. Thus,Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), whichis 100 per cent owned by the Government,holds 6.5 per cent shares in IOCL. Oil andNatural Gas Corporation (ONGC), whichis 63 per cent Government-owned, holds14 per cent shares in IOCL. Likewise, OilIndia Limited (OIL), which is 60 per centowned by the Union Government, holdsfive per cent shares in IOCL.

The “indirect” stake of the UnionGovernment in IOCL viaLIC/ONGC/OIL being 25.5 per cent, it canreduce its direct stake in IOCL to 25.5 percent (sending a message that it has beenprivatised) and yet, including the “indi-rect” control, it will still have majority stakeof 51 per cent. This approach can be a bigbottleneck in the way of successfully exe-cuting strategic divestment plans.

Now, under a big bang approach toprivatisation, CPSUs are divided into twobroad categories viz. “strategic sector” and“non-strategic.” In strategic, theGovernment has identified 16 sectors,including among others petroleum refin-ing and marketing, crude exploration,power generation, coal and metals, atom-ic energy, space, heavy and mediumengineering sector and so on. On the otherhand, the non-strategic sectors includehotel and tourist services, transportationvehicle and equipment, industrial and con-sumer goods, trading and marketing andtransport and logistics and so on.

As per the plan, all PSUs in the non-strategic sector will be privatised. In thestrategic sector, too, the Governmentwill be open to privatisation with thecaveat that at least one undertaking (anda maximum of four) will be retained in thepublic sector.

When seen in the backdrop of theUnion Government having made anindiscriminate entry in almost everyconceivable business activity, includingareas such as hotel and tourist services,where it had no business to be present(look at the Indian Tourism andDevelopment Corporation which runs achain of hotels and restaurants), any ini-tiative aimed at exiting from all of theseis welcome. This has the potential tounlock value and generate huge revenuebecause of the high valuation that the realestate and properties — many of these inprime locations — under these PSUs com-mand.

Coming to the strategic sector, thoughthe Government does not rule out privati-sation, the caveat of retaining a maximumof four undertakings in the public sectorcan defeat the purpose. For instance, cur-rently there are around 12 oil PSUs rang-ing from upstream oil producers, likeONGC and OIL, to downstream oilrefining and fuel marketing firms, likeIOC, BPCL and HPCL to gas transporterGAIL India Limited and engineering firmEngineers India Limited. These 12 couldbe consolidated into four behemothsthrough a process of merger and amalga-mation leaving no space for privatisationwhatsoever. Why does the Governmentwant to put this caveat? What does it fearfrom? Sans this, will it compromisenational interest? In the above example,consider an extreme scenario, in whichthere is not even one PSU and the entireoil and gas space is occupied by privateenterprises. Are we to infer that this willcompromise India’s energy security? If this

were to be the case, then why not reservethis sector exclusively for PSUs? Why alloweven one private company? This line ofargument is bizarre.

For ensuring security in strategicitems, the critical requirement is to havea minimum number of companies toensure there is adequate competitionand supplies in the market. Who thosefirms are — whether owned by privatepromoters or the Government — shouldnot matter. In the 70s and the 80s, whenIndia needed to develop these sectors andthe private sector was unwilling to come,it made eminent sense for the Governmentto take the lead. Since then, a lot of waterhas flown down the river Ganga.Currently, there is considerable interestamong private investors and theGovernment itself is inviting them.Therefore, any arbitrary restriction shouldbe avoided.

In the present scenario, instead of get-ting bogged down with drawing a linebetween strategic and non-strategic sec-tors, any decision to privatise a PSU shouldbe taken on the merit of each individualcase. It should come from the manage-ment of an individual PSU instead of beingthrust on them under a top-downapproach. For coordination at the macrolevel and providing guidance, theGovernment may constitute a panel ofeminent professionals.

The process of strategic sale should bedelinked from the Centre’s resource-mobilisation exercise. This will give themuch-needed flexibility to the PSU man-agement to decide the contours and tim-ing of the divestment, taking into accountmarket conditions so as to maximise theproceeds from sales.

The only way to avoid delay and expe-dite the process of privatisation is tounshackle it from bureaucratic red tape.

(The writer is a Delhi-based policy ana-lyst)

The only way to avoid delay and expedite the process of privatisation of Central PSUs is to unshackle them from bureaucratic red tape

analysis 07F I R S T C O L U M N

A seat at the table

KAVITHA MURALI

Optimism and encouragement may not guaranteewomen a seat at the table as that requires

organisation-wide initiatives and personal support

UTTAM GUPTA

IN THE PRESENTSCENARIO, INSTEAD

OF GETTING BOGGEDDOWN WITH

DRAWING A LINEBETWEEN

STRATEGIC ANDNON-STRATEGIC

SECTORS, ANYDECISION TO

PRIVATISE A PSUSHOULD BE TAKENON THE MERIT OFEACH INDIVIDUALCASE. IT SHOULDCOME FROM THE

MANAGEMENT OFAN INDIVIDUAL PSU

INSTEAD OF BEINGTHRUST ON THEM

UNDER A TOP-DOWNAPPROACH. FOR

COORDINATION ATTHE MACRO LEVEL

AND PROVIDINGGUIDANCE, THE

GOVERNMENT MAYCONSTITUTE A

PANEL OF EMINENTPROFESSIONALS

Ihave been in the corporate world for over 12 years now,spending time across companies with no women to a fewwomen to a reasonable ratio of women to men over time.

All through these years in the male-dominated sphere, I havehad a nagging worry which has got heightened since I becamea mother. When will women get a seat at the table? We comeacross data points every day on the skewed gender ratio atwork across the world, particularly in India. Women lose outto equally-qualified male candidates on parameters such asgreater willingness to clock in late evening hours or the like-lihood of seeking maternity leave. Employers’ attitude tendsto be as if it is women’s fault that their gender requires mater-nity leave.

While hiring and retaining women at the workplace remainsa continuing challenge, the saving grace is that the ratio isgetting better as the decades go by. That’s good news, isn’tit? Yes and no. More women are entering the workforce. But,women are still falling off the curve at frequent intervals, dri-ven by life stages. So, if we were to analyse the gender ratioat every level of the organisation, it is maximum at the base,the entry level, while thinning out to almost nothing by thetime we move up the pyramid to the Chief Experience Officer(CXO) and Board levels.

A seat at the senior management table is achieved aftera long and arduous journey filled with bottlenecks spanningmarriage commitments and motherhood demands, not to for-get the woman’s own guilt at not being there for her familywhen required, leading to career sacrifices. It is no surprisethen that we have had to mandate regulations to increase gen-der ratio among Boards of Directors.

Through these years, as I have seen senior managementmeetings happening in those large conference rooms, morethan being impressed and aspiring to get in, I have been both-ered. That there is barely one lady at the main table. The lonewarrior. To me, she is not just one of the senior managementfolks. She is my spokesperson. The spokesperson for allwomen. The woman who gives all of us hope that we havea chance to get there, weak though that chance is, going bytoday’s statistics and empirical evidence.

Navigating the workplace and moving to the top dependson a number of factors unrelated to a woman’s capabilities— childcare, elder care, equal sharing of household chores,flexible work policies, to name a few. Those are challengesthat require solutions at a systemic and behavioural level tobuild a level playing field. Meanwhile, what can we, as employ-ees do at our workplaces to encourage women to stay andfight the good fight? A chance to have a seat at the table?

Some of the things that we can do are related to our ownattitudes. For instance, don’t discourage young women abouthow their lives will undergo a sea change when they get mar-ried and have children. Rather, help them with some practi-cal inputs on how they can figure out work and life as theygrow older and look to start a family.

Second, don’t judge a woman for shutting shop early.Working mothers are some of the most efficient people in theworld. They have a sense of urgency about them, as they raceagainst time to reach the day care before end of day, or hometo relieve the babysitter who needs to catch the last local. Whileefficiency and efficacy-based measurements are priority forthe entire workforce, this is even more crucial when think-ing about the working mother, because she really has no timeto dawdle.

The other thing relates to the attitude of the women them-selves. If you are a working woman, don’t talk about your-self in a pessimistic or negative tone. We are speaking ofcareers spanning 25-30 years. Cribbing about how we could-n’t get a promotion because we became mothers is not onlydetrimental to our own mental well-being but also to othersin the workforce, especially in the context of encouraging youngwomen starting their journeys in the world of work.

Optimism, encouragement and positive reinforcement maynot guarantee the coveted seat at the table, for that requiresorganisation-wide initiatives and personal support. But it willhelp in retaining more women at the base and middle man-agement levels, which gives more women a shot at a seatat the table. That, after all, will only make things better thanthey are today!

(The writer is director, business development at Visa Inc.The views expressed are personal and in no way representthe views of anyone else including the organisation that thewriter works for.)

The world has been watching withconcern the ingress of Chinesetroops along the Line of Actual

Control (LAC) into Indian territory andthe long-drawn stand-off between thetwo countries that were on the verge ofa war in June. India and China are notonly the two biggest countries popula-tion-wise but they are also two friend-ly, ancient civilisations. After the 1962War, the Chinese had occupied morethan 40,000 km of Indian territory andthe ties between the two countries werefrozen. The ice was broken by the thenExternal Affairs Minister AB Vajpayee,when he visited China in February1979, and met the then Chinese supre-mo Deng Xiaoping.

India has always shown greatmaturity in the overall interest ofpeace despite being a victim of Chineseaggression. Hence, late Prime MinisterRajiv Gandhi, too, visited China despiteBeijing propping up Pakistan in inter-national fora and the relationshipbetween the two nations continued toflourish. In international dialogues onclimate change, New Delhi and Beijingput up a joint front until China signeda treaty with the US on reduction ofemissions. For boundary disputes, thetwo nations had set up a mechanismbut it was resolved that the territorialconflict must not hold better relationshostage.

However, China suddenly uppedthe ante against India on May 5through its incursions into Indian ter-ritory. The worst happened on June 15when the Indian and Chinese troopsfiercely clashed for six hours in GalwanValley resulting in casualties on bothsides. Since then, India and China haveheld several rounds of military anddiplomatic talks but no significantheadway has been made in resolution

of the border row. Last week, India andChina held a fresh round of diplomat-ic talks to resolve the border row as theChinese have not retreated complete-ly even after agreeing to do so. TheChinese intentions are to redraw theLAC by occupying vantage points.Understandably, the public mood inIndia has completely turned against theXi Jinping regime. Let us examine thecurrent imbroglio with China from thepoint of Indian intellectuals and thecommon man.

The Indian leadership, for the last30-35 years, has been building bridgesin the hope of forging sustainable tiesmutually beneficial for the two neigh-bours. The Indian leadership remainedin a fool’s paradise for a long time andignored developing infrastructure alongthe borders and defence fortificationuntil Narendra Modi took over as thePrime Minister.

The Government started creatinga road network along the Chinese bor-der and fortified defence preparedness,including weapon procurements keep-ing the Chinese and Pakistani threat in

mind. The approach was purely defen-sive. However, the Chinese leadershipsaw this as a challenge to its ambitionsof emerging as a global superpower.

Xi, though attending summitswith Modi, was getting impatient withIndia challenging Chinese hegemony bynot joining the Belt and Road Initiative.Plus, the fact that India did not join the11-nation Regional ComprehensiveEconomic Partnership as it fearedmore trade deficit with these groups,further enraged Xi. The Galwan attackwas a premeditated strategy authorisedby the Chinese Military Commissionat the highest level and the trigger pointwas the construction of infrastructurealong the LAC, particularly the DurbukShyok road.

India is giving a fitting response toChinese temerity and a stern messagehas gone that it is not an unpreparedIndia of 1962. It is 2020 and has anexcellent mountain combat force readyto meet the aggressor head on. In themidst of mounting tensions, the ques-tion is how the contours of the relation-ship between the two countries should

develop. Are we ready for a war? Theanswer is that mature nations abhor warand opt for reconciliation. All mustknow that the time of bullying nationsand expansionist policies is gone. Xi andhis associates need to know that esca-lating tension with India will costboth the nations dearly, militarily as wellas economically. China and its cohortsmust junk the misconceptions that bybullying India, Pakistan and otherneighbouring countries will getimpressed by Chinese prowess.

The time is ripe for the Chineseleadership to think of the Confucianprinciples of humanity, righteousness,loyalty, social propriety and filial piety.These are the virtues of Indian societyas well and are reflected in our inter-national diplomacy. It is due to thesesimilarities that we had a great bond-ing in the past. The Communist ideol-ogy must get these virtues back andmust learn a lesson from modern his-tory of aggressors getting defeated inVietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan andso on.

The Chinese leadership should

read the quotes of Hu Shih, the Chinesephilosopher, liberal and diplomat on theIndia-China relationship. He said,“India conquered and dominated Chinaculturally for 20 centuries withoutever having to send a single soldieracross her border.” In today’s world itis ridiculous to spoil relations betweentwo emerging powers when the focusshould be mutual economic gains andfighting the pandemic.

Modi stressed on the necessity tobuild up ties between the two nationswhen he said, “Our relationship hasbeen complex in recent decades. But wehave a historic responsibility to turn thisrelationship into a source of strength foreach other and a force of good for theworld”.

Xi could have delved into the his-toric past and forged a massive partner-ship with India to bring much-neededworld peace for poverty eradication.War is a destructive prescription andsuicidal. China must wake up, have faithin its ancient Confucian wisdom andmake more friends than foes.

(The writer is a retired civil servant)

China should take the path of peaceBeijing must wake up, have faith in its ancient Confucian wisdom and make more friends than foes

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VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | AUGUST 25, 2020

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VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | AUGUST 25, 2020 money 08

CAPSULE

Shilpa Medicareforays into OTCsegment NEW DELHI: Drug firm ShilpaMedicare on Monday said ithas forayed into over-the-counter (OTC) segment withthe launch of ready-to-drinkgreen tea films. The green teafilm was launched after doingrigorous research anddevelopment of the green teamarket, which is expected togrow USD 3,515 millionworldwide by the end of 2021,Shilpa Medicare said in astatement. The company'sgreen tea films completelydissolve in water with no lossof nutrients, aroma, essentialoils, flavour and provideaccurate dose as per the labelclaims whereby providing thebenefits of green tea, it added."Shilpa Medicare Ltd has madea foray into the OTC segmentwith the pan-India launch ofShilpa Green T films...," MDVishnukant Chaturbhuj said.

Gold declinesmarginally by Rs 44NEW DELHI: Gold priceswitnessed volatile trading onMonday and dipped marginallyby Rs 44 to Rs 53,040 per 10gram in the national capital,according to HDFC Securities.In the previous trade, theprecious metal had closed atRs 53,084 per 10 gram. "Spotgold prices for 24 carat inDelhi traded volatile with rupeefluctuation as prices paredearly gains with sharp rupeeappreciation," HDFC SecuritiesSenior Analyst (Commodities)Tapan Patel said. Making asharp U-turn, the rupee soared52 paise to settle at 74.32(provisional) against the USdollar on Monday, in line withupbeat domestic equities andsustained foreign fund inflows.

Well-spreadmonsoon to resultin bumper kharifMUMBAI: The overall kharifcrop output is expected toincrease 5-6 per cent this yearmainly driven by higher cropacreage and productivityfollowing a well-spreadmonsoon across the country,according to a report. As onAugust 21, rains were 7 percent above the long-periodaverage and this good spatialand temporal distribution hasled to sowing across crops inmost states, Crisil Researchsaid in a report. CrisilResearch expects an overall 5-6 per cent growth in farmoutput, including a 2-3 percent rise in the sowing area at109 million hectares for kharifseason 2020. The productivitywill also increase by 2-3 percent resulting in bumperkhariff output, it added.Further, the report said thepaddy cultivation is set toincrease because of both rainsand reverse migration oflabour to the eastern andsouthern states.

Central govt mulls FDI permit for LLPsPNS n NEW DELHI

The government is consideringa proposal to permit foreigndirect investment (FDI) inlimited liability partnership(LLP) firms engaged in con-struction development with aview to attracting overseasfund inflows, sources said.

At present, FDI is permittedunder the automatic route inLLPs that are operating insectors where 100 per cent for-eign direct investment isallowed through the automat-ic route and there are no FDI-linked performance condi-tions.

In the construction develop-ment, 100 per cent foreigndirect investment is permittedunder automatic route butwith certain conditions.

"So, at present, LLP firms inthis segment are not permittedto receive foreign funds. Now,

the government is consideringmaking a carve out for LLPs inthe construction developmentsector," a source said.

The Department forPromotion of Industry andInternal Trade (DPIIT) isexpected to soon approachthe Union Cabinet to seekapproval on this.

The DPIIT has also workedon a proposal to permit 100per cent FDI in AVGC (anima-tion, visual effects, gamingand comics) sector.

PNS n MUMBAI

The National Bank forAgriculture and RuralDevelopment (Nabard) onMonday said it has introduceda dedicated debt and creditguarantee product to ensureunhindered flow of credit inrural areas hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The product- StructuredFinance and Partial GuaranteeProgramme to NBFC-MFIs -entails providing partial guar-antee on pooled loans extend-ed to small and mid-sizedmicro finance institutions(MFIs), a release said.

Nabard signed a pact withVivriti Capital and UjjivanSmall Finance Bank earlierthis month to roll out the ini-

tiative, which will enhanceaccess to sustainable financefor microenterprises and low-income households.

“The partially guaranteedloan facility will catalyse much-needed financing to millions ofhouseholds, agricultural andbusiness markets to sustain inthe post COVID-19 environ-

ment,” Nabard Chairman G RChintala said.

It will help facilitate Rs 2,500crore funding in the initialphase and is expected to bescaled up. The programme isexpected to cover over 1 mil-lion households across 28 statesand 650 districts, the releasesaid. The pooled loan issuance

(PLI) structure provides thelending bank adequate comfortthrough Nabard's partial cred-it protection, reduces cost ofcapital as the rating of the loansgets notched up and helpslenders meet priority sectorgoals. For the first transactionunder the programme, Nabardand Vivriti have partneredwith Ujjivan Small FinanceBank, the release said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Toll collections on highwaysare on the road to recovery,reaching 85 per cent of the pre-COVID-19 levels in July and ifthe trend continues the reduc-tion in collections could bebelow 10 per cent in 2020-21,rating agency ICRA said onMonday.

It said there were encourag-ing trends in traffic in July andabout 85 per cent of ICRArated toll road projects havedebt service reserve greaterthan or equal to one quarter ofdebt obligation and areresilient enough to absorb theCOVID-19 induced revenueshock.

"Overall, the traffic in 4MFY2021 has rebounded quite

well, which is encouraging.This is also corroborated bythe e-way bills generated. Thispace of recovery, if sustained,the overall reduction in tollcollections for national high-way projects could be lessthan 10% in FY2021,” ICRA

said in a statement.Post the resumption of

tolling on national highwaysfrom April 20, the movementof commercial vehicles pickedup at significant pace over thelast three months and reachednear 90 per cent of the pre-

COVID-19 levels. However, the movement in

passenger vehicles is yet torecover fully, it said.

The unabated rise in coro-navirus infections in theunlock phase, localised reim-position of lockdowns in sev-eral states, and heavy mon-soons in many parts of the

country had interrupted thisrecovery in the first fortnightof July, the rating agency saidadding that nevertheless, tollcollections reached 87 percent of the pre-COVID-19levels in the second fortnightof the month.

“Majority of the nationalhighway stretches being arte-rial routes have 70-75 percent of toll collections fromcommercial vehicles; passen-ger vehicles account for lessthan a quarter of toll collec-tions. While 90 per cent ofcommercial vehicles are backon roads, the passenger vehi-cle movement is less than 60per cent of pre-COVID-19levels," Rajeshwar Burla, VicePresident, Corporate Ratings,ICRA said.

Toll collections on recovery path, says ICRA

Markets cement gains amid tailwinds;banks, financials lead charge PNS n MUMBAI

Equity benchmarks Sensexand Nifty closed near six-month highs on Monday asinvestors scooped up bankingand financial stocks amid sup-portive global cues.

A sharp rebound in therupee -- which soared 52 paiseagainst the US dollar -- alsobuoyed market sentiment,traders said.

The BSE Sensex opened inthe green and gained furthermomentum as the session pro-gressed. It finally closed at38,799.08, up 364.36 points or0.95 per cent.

Similarly, the NSE Niftyjumped 94.85 points or 0.83per cent to finish at 11,466.45.

This is the highest closingfor both the benchmarks sincelate-February this year.

Kotak Bank was the topgainer in the Sensex pack,spurting 3.53 per cent, fol-lowed by IndusInd Bank, BajajFinance, HDFC Bank, ICICIBank, Bajaj Finserv, SBI,Maruti and HDFC.

On the other hand,PowerGrid, M&M, TechMahindra, Titan, NTPC, BajajAuto, HUL and UltraTechCement were among the lag-

gards, dropping up to 2.06 percent.

Reports also said the Trumpadministration is mullingrelaxation of certain norms toallow an experimentalCOVID-19 vaccine from theUK to be used in the USahead of the presidential elec-tions in November.

"Key indices rallied as finan-cials led the charge, ably sup-ported by select pivotals acrossthe BFSI space. The broadermarket too depicted strengthas smart investors were seenbuying select small and mid-cap stocks across sectors whichlent considerable steam to therally today," said SRanganathan, Head ofResearch at LKP Securities.

Broader BSE mid-cap andsmall-cap indices rallied up to1.57 per cent.

PNS n TAIPEI

Taiwan ordered China'sAlibaba Group on Monday todispose of its stake in a locale-commerce platform, TaobaoTaiwan, citing a risk that users'personal information might betransferred to the mainland.

The order adds to mountingpressure on Chinese compa-nies in the United States andother countries over securityconcerns.

Taiwan and China split in1949 during a civil war. Theyhave no official relations buthave thriving trade and invest-ment ties. Taiwan closelywatches those links to try toavoid being dominated by itsgiant neighbour, which hasthreatened to invade theisland.

Taobao Taiwan is operatedby a British company, but

Alibaba Group's stake in thatcompany allows it to controlthe consumer-to-consumerplatform in violation ofTaiwanese rules, the Ministryof Economic Affairs said.

Alibaba Group, headquar-tered in Hangzhou, southwestof Shanghai, is the world'sbiggest e-commerce companyby total sales volume.

The user agreement forTaobao Taiwan gives permis-sion to “send the member'stransaction data back to theAlibaba Group server inChina,” the ministry said.

“There may be an informa-tion security risk.” Alibaba's29% stake in British CladdaghVenture Investment Ltd. isbelow the 30% legal limit, theministry said. But it said theshareholder structure allowsAlibaba to control the Britishventure by vetoing decisions.

Sell stake in e-commerceplatform, Alibaba told

PNS n BENGALURU

Wipro Limited on Mondayannounced a partnershipwith Standard Initial MarginModel (SIMM) vendor,Quaternion RiskManagement.

As part of the collabora-tion, Wipro will offer SIMM-in-a-box to financial institu-tions covered underUncleared Margin Rules(UMR), the Bengaluru-head-quartered IT major said in astatement.

The offering will allowfinancial institutions to calcu-late trade sensitivities, gener-ate CRIF (Common RiskInterchange Format) file andcalculate initial margin in-house, according to Wipro.

The solution simplifiescompliance procedures byincluding back testing,benchmarking and preparingdocumentation required forregulatory approval, the state-ment said. It also offers inde-pendent model validation ofa firms own internal SIMMsolution, AANA (AggregateAverage Notional Amount)calculation, and InitialMargin exchange thresholdcalculation/simulation, it wasstated.

PNS n MUMBAI

Domestic equity benchmarkSensex rallied 364 points onMonday, driven by strong buy-ing in financial counters amida positive trend in global equi-ties and sustained foreign fundinflows.

The BSE Sensex ended364.36 points or 0.95 per centhigher at 38,799.08. The NSENifty jumped 94.85 points or0.83 per cent to 11,466.45.

Kotak Bank was the topgainer in the Sensex pack, ris-ing over 3 per cent, followed byIndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance,

HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, BajajFinserv, Maruti and SBI.

On the other hand,PowerGrid, M&M, TechMahindra, Titan, NTPC, Bajaj

Auto and UltraTech Cementwere among the laggards.

According to traders,domestic bourses followed thepositive trend in global equi-

ties, with strong buying infinancial stocks lifting the keyindices. Bourses in Shanghai,Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoulended with significant gains.

Stock exchanges in Europetoo opened on a strong note.

Sustained foreign fundinflows also boosted investorsentiment here, traders said.

Foreign institutionalinvestors bought equities worthRs 410.16 crore on a net basison Friday, exchange datashowed.

In the forex market, therupee soared 52 paise to settleat 74.32 against the US dollar.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Goa Mining People'sFront (GMPF), an umbrellabody of mining dependents,on Monday sought the inter-vention of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi with regard toresumption of mining in thestate without delays.

All mining activities in Goacame to a halt with effectfrom March 15, 2018, after theSupreme Court quashed 88mining leases. "GMPF, whichhas been at the forefront of theongoing people's movement toprotect livelihood of 3,00,000Goans in the state, urged thePrime Minister of India,Narendra Modiji, for hisimmediate intervention to pre-vent a third consecutive yearwithout livelihood opportuni-ties... on account mining stop-page," it said. The state govern-ment, it said, has itself men-tioned on various occasionsthat the yearly loss on accountof mining stoppage amounts toRs 3,500 crore per year and the

cumulative loss faced by thestate would stand at a stagger-ing Rs 10,500 crore at thevery least. "Prime Ministerand various other nationalleaders have publicly acknowl-edged the severe impacts dueto stoppage of mining and hadassured the relief in the formof immediate resumption ofmining in Goa but 3,00,000Goans are still awaiting posi-tive news on account of min-ing activities resumption forpast 29 months," the statementsaid. If an immediate solutionis not found, the fate of Goanswill languish amid a global

economic slowdown during apandemic, the GMPF said.

"...one-fifth of Goa's popu-lation is dependent on miningand... we are afraid that athird consecutive year wouldbe lost when we would not beable earn a living and fullfill thebasic necessities of their chil-dren and family.

"We would therefore urgethe Prime Minister....to under-take necessary policy reformsas suggested by theGovernment of Goa to enablemining resumption in thestate," GMPF President PutiGaonkar said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Leading depository CDSL onMonday said it has slashedtransaction charges up to 91per cent for margin pledge andrepledge.

The decision was taken afterreceiving representations fromthe broking community andinvestors, seeking to considera lower rate revision specifical-ly for margin pledge andrepledge transactions, CDSLMD and CEO Nehal Vorasaid in a statement.

Accordingly, in the interestof market development andinvestors, the depository hasdecided to reduce the chargessubstantially and levy a charge

of Rs 5 for margin pledge ormargin unpledge involving theend investor, he added.

Besides, it has decided tolevy a charge of only Re 1 foreach margin repledge orunpledge of margin repledge.

The changes in tariff have

been also duly notified withmarkets regulator Securitiesand Exchange Board of India(Sebi). At present, CentralDepository Services Limited(CDSL) charges Rs 12 foreach pledge and unpledge set-up.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Punjab National Bank (PNB)on Monday said its overallcredit growth is likely to be ataround 4-6 per cent in thecurrent fiscal year as itexpects the economy toreturn to normalcy fromOctober onwards.

"We still maintain thatour overall credit growthwould be around 4-6 percent. We are expecting theeconomy to come back moreeffectively from Octoberonwards. Though some ofthe sectors would be impact-ed, it will take longer periodfor them (to recover)," PNBmanaging director and CEOS S Mallikarjuna Rao said ata virtual news conferencehere.

Rao said tourism, hospi-tality and aviation are amongthe sectors that will takelonger time to recover or getback on track in view of thechanging social behaviourafter the COVID-19 out-break.

"So as on date, we are notrecalculating or reviewingour credit growth anticipa-tion or guidance. We willstick to 4-6 per cent. We maylook at the position onlyafter October," Rao said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Mahindra Truck and Bus(MTB) has equipped its BS-VIcompliant commercial vehicles(CVs) range with new telem-atics solution MahindraiMAXX to provide insightson vehicle health and perfor-mance, the company said onMonday.

The new telematics solu-tion is fitted into Mahindra'sBS-VI emission norms com-pliant CV range, includingBlazo X range of heavy CVs,Furio range of intermediateCVs and light CVs, andCruzio range of buses, it said.

Connected vehicle technol-

ogy has become even moreimportant in the new BS-VIera, given the increase in elec-tronics based vehicle controls.

"The iMAXX Telematicssolution is based on next gen-eration telematics technology.It is an intelligent fleet telem-atics solution which deployscutting-edge telemetry tech-nology," said Jalaj Gupta,Business Head.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The country's second largeststate-owned lender PunjabNational Bank on Mondaysaid it does not envisageapproaching the governmentfor capital support rather itintends to raise funds from the market, whichseems to have appetite forthe public sector bankingspace.

The bank has sharehold-ers' approval for raising Rs14,000 crore, comprising Rs7,000 crore of the equityalone, from the market tomeet COVID-related impactand finance growth, PunjabNational Bank (PNB)Managing Director S SMallikarjuna Rao said in avirtual interaction withreporters.

In the constructiondevelopment, 100per cent foreigndirect investmentis permitted underautomatic routebut with certainconditions

Nabard signed apact with VivritiCapital and UjjivanSmall FinanceBank earlier thismonth to roll outthe initiative

The BSE Sensexopened in thegreen and gainedfurther momentumas the sessionprogressed. Itfinally closed at38,799.08

Wipro inkspartnership withQuaternion

Sensex surges 364 pts; financial stocks lead rally

PNB expects4-6% creditgrowth thisfiscal

Goa mining dependents seek PMintervention to resume mining ops

Post resumption oftolling on nationalhighways fromApril 20, themovement ofcommercialvehicles picked upat significant pace

Mahindra Truck & Busequips BS-VI CVs

No need toapproach govtfor capital

BSE Sensexended364.36points or0.95% higherat 38,799.08.The NSENifty jumped94.85 points

All miningactivitiescame to a haltwith effectfrom March 15,2018, after theSC quashed 88mining leases

The newmechanism ofpledge andrepledgetook effectfromAugust 1

CDSL reduces margin pledge,repledge transaction fee

Nabard launches credit guaranteeprogramme for NBFC-MFIs

andloom artisanshave been on thereceiving end ofthe pandemic thathas brought thecountry’s economy

to a standstill. Ekor DesignStudio, a star-up that is trulyconnected to nature, express-es concern over the plight ofthe weavers amidst the pan-demic. One of the foundersof the design studio high-lighted the grappling circum-stances of weavers from thehandloom sector. Sai KiranKore said that as a part of his profession he got soengrossed in the scuffles ofhis handloom compatriotsthat he noticed how much ofgovernment intervention isneeded to save this industry.Recollecting his grandmoth-er’s thoughts about the weav-ing industry, he says, “Sheardently believed in the say-ing that our strength lies inour roots — all their life mygrandparents wore onlykhadi clothing. Somewheredown the lane, due to theurban hustling, we discon-nected ourselves from thisaspect of our culture whichwas venerated and loved bypeople like the father of ournation, Mahatma Gandhi.Today, our company EkorDesign Studio stands in soli-darity with the weavers inthese unprecedented times.Small-time weavers are find-ing it difficult to meet theirends and being a commercial

hub, clothing is piling up dueto lack of wholesale buyers.Many celebrities have comeforward earlier as well whenwe launched Ekor, I appeal tothem to do the same all overagain.”

There is an eerie silenceamongst the handloomindustry, these skilled work-ers depend on weekly wages

for their livelihood.Moreover, with marriagesbeing put off, the sector hasalso been deprived of earningfrom one of its major sourcesof revenue. Handloomweavers are facing stiff com-petition from units that oper-ate power looms as the latter

is able to supply rapidly tomeet demands. “We arestruggling to save hand-looms, workers are facingfinancial issues. Handloomsare the Indian way of livingand these textiles are breath-able. The pandemic hasworsened the circumstancesas the customers are fre-quently worried about themanufacturing process, theywant an untouched sanitisedexperience. Several artisanshave been sitting at home,idle, they are in such grimconditions that they mightdie out of hunger. They won-der — what’s the point ofworking if we are not able tosell our products in the mar-ket?” shares Sneha Reddy, co-founder of Ekor.

Unfortunately, it looks likesituations might not get anybetter until Durga puja.Middlemen are worryingover pending dues and buy-ers are not in a position toplace new orders. Retailevents too, that fetch mostartisans cash sales, aren'thappening anytime soon,leading to a liquidity crunchoverall. The founder is of theopinion that the ‘aatmanirb-har bharat package’ hasn’thelped their craft sector atall, believing it all looks goodwith sensational headlines innewspapers but it is far fromthe truth. “We at Ekor appealto the state government totake consideration of ourmiddlemen as well, they

deserve your attention. Wewould like to emerge as oneof the mainstream industriesand appreciate our hon-ourable Prime Minister’srecent movement of going‘vocal for local’, which hascome as a boon for smallscale industries in suchtimes. This new mantra is anesteemed vision that will helpIndian brands flourish with-out any foreign companyintruding our brand policies.It’s like building a nation allover again on Indian penny,”Sneha adds.

Weavers are looking tofinding new ways to nurturethe business. While we havethe privilege of spendingtime with loved ones in thecomfort of our own homes,they have been left withoutfamilies and stuck in cities faraway from their homes,hence it’s time we lend ahand to them. Be vocal andsupport local!

eachers are nationbuilders, they givetheir all to the stu-dents, selflessly.One such teacherfrom the city,

Padma Priya Vummaji, hasbeen honored the prestigiousNational award for her con-tribution to the field of edu-cation. A mathematicsteacher from GovernmentNehru Memorial High

School, Malakpet, Padmastarted her journey as ateacher at a very young age.

“My mother was a singleparent, we lost my fatherwhen I was very young. Tohelp her, I started teachingwhile I was still studying inschool. I don’t rememberwhen exactly it became mypassion, but over time I wasvery sure that I wanted tobecome a teacher fulltime

when I grow up,” she says. Padma believes that a

teacher’s contribution tobuilding a better society isimmense. Being a govern-ment teacher, she says, is ahuge responsibility as moststudents in their schoolscome from economicallyweaker sections. “We treatthem like our kids. The par-ents of these kids aren’t well-educated, so the onus of

teaching them life lessonsalong with the subjects fallson us. Hence, I want to dedi-cate my award to all the gov-ernment school teachers inTelangana state, who aredoing their best to help thestudents,” she adds.

Padma tries to implementinnovative strategies in herclassroom and is alwaysready to adopt new teachingtechniques that benefit the

children of her school. Sheexplains, “I like to keepthings interesting in my class.So I give my students tasksthat interest them and thenteach them. For example,once when I was teaching thekids about marking the x-axis and y-axis coordinateson the graph, I asked them todraw their favourite cartooncharacter and then map theco-ordinates at importantpoints. That way the kidsaren’t bored and learn quickly.”

Padma also participated inTeaching Excellence andAchievement Program in theUSA back in 2016, whichenhanced her teaching skillsand helped her to explorenew methodologies forengaging students in a moreparticipatory way in theclassroom. She shares,“During the TeachingExcellence and AchievementProgram, I went to Nevada,USA, and taught studentsthere. It was a great learningexperience, I also met 80teachers from different coun-tries.” She adds, “After com-ing back to Hyderabad, Iarranged several video con-ferences between USA class-rooms and ours. Our stu-dents learnt a lot from that.”

An open advocate of girls’education, Padma had coun-

selled parents as a part ofsocial responsibility to over-come the problem of drop-outs from the school. “Thereare so many cases of drop-outs every year, especiallygirls. Whenever I comeacross any such case, I try toreach out to the parentsmyself and counsel them. Itell them about my struggleand all that their daughtercan achieve if she is educated.

Most of the time, this works.I feel as a society it is our col-lective responsibility to seethat each child — irrespectiveof their gender — are educat-ed,” Padma asserts.

She concludes, “My familyis very happy and excited togo to the Rashtrapati Bhavanto receive the award. It is thegreatest achievement of mylife!”

T

Padma PriyaVummaji, a

mathematicsteacher, recently

won the Nationalaward for her

contribution tothe field of

education. She isthe only one

from Telanganastate to havereceived the

prestigious awardand she

dedicates it to allgovernment

school teachers,reports

NAMRATASRIVASTAVA

‘Thrilled to receive the

National Award'

My mother was a singleparent, we lost myfather when I was veryyoung. To help her, Istarted teaching while Iwas still studying inschool. I don’tremember when exactlyit became my passion,but over time I was verysure that I wanted tobecome a teacherfulltime when I grow up.

PADMA PRIYA VUMMAJI

Weavers acrossthe state havebeen waiting forthe economy topick up since thelast six monthsbut the situationstill seems grim.The Pioneer'sSHIKHADUGGAL talks tothe founders ofEkor DesignStudio, a newlyestablishedcouture start-up,who're raisingconcern over thesad state ofaffairs ofweavers, and areurgingHyderabadis togo vocal forlocal

Lending a helpinghand to weaversH

SAI KIRAN

ugust is a month offestivals and the fes-tival of GaneshChaturthi calls forpuja, get-together,games, and compe-

titions. With no get-togethers this year becauseof the COVID-19 pandem-ic, organisations like PollenArt, a fine art studio locat-ed in Hyderabad, are morethan happy to take thesecompetitions online.

The art studio recentlyorganised an internationalart competition on theoccasion of GaneshChaturthi which includedan online exhibition ofbest artworks from abroad spectrum — paint-ings, ink, charcoal art, andidol making. The com-pelling representations ofurban artwork of indepen-dent artists offered analternative space ofpromising craft.

The winners of theevent were announcedrecently — Prajwala GMath and V Ravi Kumarbagged the first prize inpainting, followed byVijaya Ayancha, DevanshiDamani Shah, and NareshBollu taking the second

and third places recently.Usha Elangovan’s Ganesha

was adjudged best 3D idolart while Potla Ramu’s

charcoal drawing was thebest. Tilottama Pradhan,Deepawali Dutta, andLaxmi Giridhar Awarstood first, second, andthird for Pen and Ink art.The Best Digital Artworkprize went to RameshSunkoju. Jury Award win-ners include Ayesha Jilkar,DR Suneet Madan,Vidarthe Nagarajan,Anuradha Gadgil,Rudrappa S Talawar, PattaUsha Nagalakshmi, andChhotan Shil.

Reflecting on this cre-ative ambiguity, Sona, thefounder believes in moti-vating craft by focusing ona unique style, innovativeideas, and new dimen-sions. “You may noticethat the painting of eachwinner is different andinnovative — some triedshowcasing mandala, reliefwork, contemporary art,etc however we are notmoving away from theancient artistic expressionsas we also have calendarart like Raja Ravi Vermas’,after all, old is gold. Eachart form has its own beau-ty and strength,” adds thefounder and organiser ofPollen art studio!

A

Art to celebrateGANESH CHATURTHI

TuesdayAugust 25, 2020

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@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

wo centuries ago,the Britishbotanists began avisual study ofIndian flora.Indian artists were

commissioned to makebotanical paintings whichwere sent back to Britainwhere it survives in collec-tions at some of the Royalbotanical gardens. The practice is spotlighted newonline exhibition.

The exhibition titled‘Botanical Paintings ofIndian Flowering

Plants’ by Siddhartha DasStudio is on view fromAugust 24 onwww.iicdelhi.nic.in.

The Studio has recentlycommissioned skilled minia-ture artists to create a seriesof botanical paintings ofIndian flowering plants tocelebrate this legacy.

“India has always been apluralist society with manyinfluences. The flora is a

manifestation of this. Overthe centuries the Indian florahas been cross-pollinatedthrough trade from regionsacross the world. These overtimes got indigenisedand became Indian,” the studio said.

The series of botanicalpaintings of Indian floweringplants merge the beauty offlora with extraordinaryartistic skill, to celebrate thislegacy.

The online exhibition isopen for public view-

ing till September 6.

10

Vijayawada Tuesday August 25 2020 what’s brewing?

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

T

Botanical miniaturesgo on view in online exhibition

or many of us,monsoon is proba-bly the most-awaited season ofthe year. Sureenough, the first

drops of rains are rejuvenat-ing, and provide us themuch-sought relief fromscorching summer heat.However, the onset of mon-soon also means that yourrisk of catching a number ofseasonal infections or diseaseshas increased considerably.

As “prevention is alwaysbetter than cure”, having arobust immunity can help usstay protected against manymonsoon-related infectionsand/or maladies. When itcomes to the right diet for‘Immunity Building’ or‘strengthening our body’sinternal defense mechanism’over the long term, one of theless-talked-about yet highly

effective immunity builders iswheatgrass (popularly knownas gehu ki ghaas).

Wheatgrass can be activelyused as an everyday healthtonic to prevent diseases, saysGurpreet Singh, ManagingDirector, Jivo Wellness. “Oneof nature’s finest medicine; itis also known as ‘GreenBlood’ due to its exceptionallyhigh chlorophyll content of70 per cent. This natural, highchlorophyll content makesthe wheatgrass juice uniquelygreener amongst other green

juices with detoxifying, heal-ing and strengthening prop-erties. As a mocktail, wheat-grass and chlorophyll togeth-er serve as a powerful purifierand help build a healthy car-diovascular system,” he says.

Here are a few more ways,deciphered by Singh abouthow wheatgrass can help youstay healthy and disease-free,especially during the upcom-ing monsoon season:

DETOXIFICATION &LIVER STRENGTHENER:Wheatgrass is 70 per cent richin chlorophyll, which is goodfor cleansing the liver Gallbladder and purifying bloodby eliminating various harm-ful toxins. One wheatgrasscapsule a day can will purifyeach and every part of yourbody. Isn’t that amazing?

RELIEVES ACIDITY &

AIDS DIGESTION:Wheatgrass consists ofenzymes that help in diges-tion by breaking down thefood you eat. The fibre inwheatgrass improves our guthealth. Regular wheatgrass con-sumption can be useful inmanaging minor gastro-intestinal issues such as stomach ache or diarrhea.Wheatgrass also helps relieve constipation, stomachulcers.

ANTI-INFECTION: Thereis more than enough evi-dence that wheatgrass con-sumption helps to slow thegrowth of certain infections.It can be particularly helpfulin curing antibiotic-resistantinfections,or also help you toavoid harsher antibiotics forminor infections such ascold and flu.

INNUMERABLE HEALTHBENEFITS: With a gluten-free, soy-free, entirely veganprofile and low in calories,wheatgrass is a healthy ‘super-food’. To name only a fewhealth benefits — it stabilizesour blood sugar levels, lowerscholesterol, reduces fatigue,boosts energy and metabo-lism, and promotes formationof red blood cells. Studieshave also linked active wheat-grass consumption to reducethe risk of chronic inflamma-tion, diabetes, and even vari-ous types of cancer.

As mentioned, scientificevidence shows that wheat-grass bestows vitality to ourbodies and can contribute to our fight against variousdiseases/infections. Staringright now, it would be a goodpractice to begin your daywith a glass of wheatgrassjuice every morning.

F

HOW WHEATGRASS CANHELP YOU MANAGEMONSOON ILLNESSES

WHEATGRASS CANBE ACTIVELY USEDAS AN EVERYDAYHEALTH TONIC TOPREVENT DISEASES

11VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | AUGUST 25, 2020

PTI n SOUTHAMPTON

James Anderson is England’s Greatest ofAll Time (GOAT) , said off-spinner

Dom Bess after the veteran pacer closedin on an unprecedented 600 Test wicketswith just two more to get in the Pakistansecond innings.

Only Muttiah Muralitharan (800),Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble(619) have crossed the 600 wicket markbut no fast bowler has ever breached themark which is a testimony to Anderson’slongevity in international cricket.

The 38-year-old Anderson returnedwith his 29thfive-wickethaul (5-56)on day threeof the ongo-ing third Test against Pakistan to achieve598 wickets in red-ball cricket.

“He’s the GOAT (greatest of alltime) isn’t he? He’s the GOAT ofbowling and England’s greatest,”Bess was quoted as saying byPress Association.

“Myself, Dom Sibley,Ollie Pope and Zak Crawleyhave all grown up watchinghim play. It’s phenomenal tostand there at point watch-ing him nick people offand hit people on theshins, to watch him takeas many poles as hedoes and do it so con-sistently.”

AFP n LISBON

Bayern Munich becamekings of Europe for thesixth time on Sunday as

Kingsley Coman’s goal gave thema 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the ChampionsLeague final in Lisbon, complet-ing a fantastic season for theGerman giants and leaving theiropponents still searching for thetrophy they covet more than any-thing.

It was often a cagey final,with a bit of needle, but chancestoo, especially before formerPSG player Coman appeared atthe back post to head in JoshuaKimmich’s inviting 59th-minutecross and wrap up a treble for ateam who had already won theBundesliga and German Cup.

PSG will regret not takingany of the chances that wereoffered up to them on a surrealoccasion at an empty Estadio da

Luz, but it is an extraordinarysuccess for Hansi Flick, who wasonly appointed last November toreplace the sacked Niko Kovac.

“I am proud of the team.When I started in November, allthe headlines were about ‘nomore respect for Bayern’, but theway the team has developed hasbeen sensational,” he told SkyGermany.

“PSG have really good for-wards, but we deserved to winthe final.”

However, the outcome mighthave been different had KylianMbappe done better than shootstraight at Manuel Neuer justbefore half-time.

The World Cup-winningforward had spoken of his deter-mination to go down in hiscountry’s history by helpingPSG become just the secondFrench winners of Europeanfootball’s greatest prize. But theywill have to wait for the chanceto match Marseille, winners in

1993. “We gave all our heart onthe field. You can expect thatfrom your team, but you can’tcontrol the result,” PSG coachThomas Tuchel told Frenchbroadcaster RMC.

ONE THAT GOT AWAYPSG’s Qatari owners spent a

combined 402 million euros($474m) on Neymar andMbappe in 2017 to win this com-petition. Yet in the end it was onewho got away from Paris whodenied them.

Coman was born in Parisand started his career at ParisSaint-Germain, but left aged 18in 2014 for Juventus, sensing hewouldn’t get regular football ifhe stayed put.

“It is an extraordinary feel-ing. I’m so happy but I’m also abit sad for Paris,” Coman said.

The winger had been on thebench in the semi-final againstLyon but was promoted to thestarting line-up for the final.

Now he may not be wel-come back in his home cityagain.

Bayern were last Europeanchampions in 2013. Their tally ofsix victories puts them back levelwith Liverpool, winners last year.Only Real Madrid and AC Milanhave won more.

NOT NEYMAR’S NIGHTFlick’s team ended the season

with 21 straight wins and areunbeaten in 30 matches. They

deserved to be crowned in a fullstadium.

However, only a few hun-dred invitees were insideBenfica’s ground to seethe denouement of the‘Final Eight’, at the end ofa competition so longdelayed by the coron-avirus pandemic.

The strangest of finals pittedtogether two clubs who havetaken very different routes tobecoming part of Europe’s elite,

with Bayern the traditionalGerman powerhouse and PSGtransformed by the Qatari

takeover of 2011.But on and off the

pitch right now they arealmost perfectly balanced,and that translated intothe kind of proper match-up on the field that nei-

ther side often experiences thesedays.

Bayern almost opened thescoring midway through the

first half when Lewandowski —looking for his 56th goal of theseason — turned and shot againstthe post.

He also came close with aheader that was saved by KeylorNavas, but PSG should havepunished them at the other endin the first half.

Neymar was denied byNeuer after being set up byMbappe, while Mbappe con-trived to fire straight at the goal-keeper after David Alaba giftedhim possession in the box.

Alaba earlier saw his cen-tral defensive colleague, JeromeBoateng, limp out injured. Thegiant Niklas Süle replaced himand helped contain the Paris

attack as Bayern saw out theirlead. They had broken thedeadlock just before the hourmark in a move that began witha sprayed Thiago Alcantarapass forward, and ended withComan arriving from the left tohead in Kimmich’s delivery.

Neymar ended the gamewith a yellow card for choppingdown Lewandowski, and a run-ners-up medal, while Bayerncelebrated.

AFP n NEW YORK

Top-seeded Karolina Pliskovaand No 2 Sofia Kenin

crashed out of the Western &Southern Open on Sunday,falling in their opening match-es at the National Tennis Centerin New York.

Veronika Kudermetova,ranked 41st in the world, toppledworld No 3 Pliskova 7-5, 6-4 intheir second-round clash.

Kudermetova, who laboredto a three-set first-round victo-ry over Ajla Tomljanovic onSaturday, rallied from a 1-4deficit in the first set, and reeledoff the last three games of thematch to score the upset.

Alize Cornet also notchedher first win over a top-fiveplayer in two years when sheshocked Australian Openchampion Kenin 6-1, 7-6(9/7) to reach the round of 16.

Cornet next faces eithertwo-time Australian Open

champion Victoria Azarenkaor Caroline Garcia, who defeat-ed 2017 US Open championSloane Stephens 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) ina first-round clash.

Men’s fourth seed StefanosTsitsipas lead the way into theround of 16 with a 6-1, 6-3 vic-tory over two-time Grand Slam

finalist Kevin Anderson. Hewas the first of the top eightmen’s seeds to see action as allenjoyed first-round byes.

World number one and topseed Novak Djokovic was sched-uled to open his campaign onMonday against qualifierRicardas Berankis. US starSerena Williams, seeded third, isalso set to open her campaign onMonday with a second-roundclash with Arantxa Rus — a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Alison VanUytvanck.

Tsitsipas, seeking his sixthATP title, next faces either 16th

seeded American John Isner orAustralian John Millman, bothfirst-round winners on Sunday.

Isner beat his doubles part-ner Hubert Hurkacz of Poland7-5, 6-4. Millman rallied to beatFrance’s Adrian Mannarino 4-6,6-4, 7-6 (7/2).

In other first-round action,Argentina’s Diego Schwartzmandefeated Casper Ruud 7-6 (7/2),6-3 to advance.

NEW DELHI: Former all-rounder Irfan Pathanbelieves current Team India skipper Virat Kohlihas the ability and the fitness to break MasterBlaster Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 inter-national centuries.

“I am sure 100 hundreds, he (Kohli) mightnot be talking about it but you know if anyonecould achieve that feat after Sachin Tendulkar,he is the one,” said Pathan speaking on Star Sportsshow Cricket Connected show while talking aboutthe records Kohli would be thinking of break-ing in the next few years.

“He has achieved so much in such a littletime and I hope if anyone breaks the records of100 hundreds, he has to be an Indian and Virathas the ability and fitness, whichis the most impor-tant thing to beable to achievethat feat,” headded.

Kohli, 31, hasso far hit 70 interna-tional hundreds (43 in248 ODIs and 27 in 86Tests). Tendulkar, whoretired from interna-tional cricket in 2013,had scored 51 Testcenturies and 49 ODIhundreds.

“I think he (Kohli) is30 short of that 100 hun-dreds, I think he will beable to achieve it before heretires and I hope so andthat’s the target he willhave in his mind,” Pathanadded.

3Bayern Munich have wonthe treble for a second timein the club's history (after

2013). The only other side inEurope to win the treble twice isFC Barcelona (2009 and 2015)

0Bayern München have wonthe EuropeanCup/Champions League for

a sixth time (level withLiverpool) and for the first timesince 2012-13. Only Real Madrid(13) and AC Milan (7) have beencrowned champions on moreoccasions

1Robert Lewandowski scored55 goals for FC BayernMünchen in 2019-20 — 16

more than any other playeracross Europe's top five leaguesin all competitions

30Bayern Münchenfinished the 2019-20season unbeaten in

their last 30 games (W29 D1),winning each of their final 21matches in all competitions

11Bayern München arethe first side inEuropean

Cup/Champions League historyto win 100% of their games in asingle campaign en route tolifting the trophy (11 wins)

43Bayern Munichscored 43 goals in 11games during this

season's UEFA ChampionsLeague, with only Barcelona in1999/2000 scoring more in asingle campaign (45 in 16matches)

15Lewandowski is thebest goalscorer inChampions League

this season (15 goals): this isthe first campaign since2006/07, with Kaká, that a playerscores more than both CristianoRonaldo and Lionel Messi

FIGURATIVELY

3rd Test. Day 5Live from 3:00pm IST

SONY SIX NETWORK

Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer prepares to lift UEFA Champions League trophy AP

Robert Lewandowski kisses UEFA Champions League trophy after Bayern Munich win the final against Paris Saint-Germain AP

11/11: Side full of goal needs only onein Lisbon to complete historic treble

“We kept marchingon this season, wewere there for eachother, ready to

correct each other’smistakes. We have amazingquality and our mental strengthis brutal”

— THOMAS MÜLLER

“I am very proudof my players. Wehad a greatseason, a greattournament here”

— NASSER AL-KHELAIFI

“It’s an incrediblefeeling, lots ofhappiness and abit of sadness for

Paris, they had agreat run”

— KINGSLEY COMAN

“I am proud of thisteam. When Istarted inNovember I readthe headlines: ‘Noneed to fear or respectBayern Munich anymore’, ‘Theteam is awful’. But thedevelopment of my team sincethen has been sensational. Wemade maximum use ofeverything. It is not easy to winthree titles. It was hard work”

— HANS-DIETER FLICK

“Never stopdreaming. Nevergive up when youfail. Work hard to

achieve your goal”— ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI

Anderson is England’sGOAT: Bess

Kohli will break Tendulkar’s

100 tons record: IrfanTop women’s seedscrash out in opener

Bopanna-Shapovalov godown fightingNew York: Back in actionafter five months, RohanBopanna and his Canadianpartner Denis Shapovalovlost in the opening round ofthe Western and SouthernOpen men’s doubles eventbut not before making it astough as possible for MarcelGranollers and HoracioZeballos here. Bopanna andShapovalov lost 4-6, 6-7(1) to2019 US Open runners-upsin the first round match ofthe $ 42,22,190 hard courttournament.

UnbeatablesUnbeatables

Sofia Kenin in action against AlizeCornet AP

In yet another 2020 surprise, NASA data has predicted that asmall asteroid heading towards the Earth has a 0.41 percent

chance of hitting the planet one day before the US presidentialelection that is scheduled for November 3. NASA scientists havepredicted that the asteroid "2018VP1" with a diameter of 0.002km (about 6.5 feet) will pass near Earth one day before the 2020US election. It was first identified at Palomar Observatory inCalifornia in 2018. NASA says there are three potential impacts.But "based on 21 observations spanning 12.968 days," the USspace agencyhas determinedthe asteroidprobably won'thave a deepimpact. Earlier, acar-sizedasteroid flewpast our homeplanet over thelast weekend, inthe closest flyby of such space rocks on record and scientistshardly had any information about it until it departed. The asteroidpassed 2,950 kilometers above the southern Indian Ocean onSunday at 12.08 am EDT (9.38 pm India time), NASA said. Thevast majority of Near-Earth Asteroids or NEAs pass by safely atmuch greater distances -- usually much farther away than the Moon.

Students climb hill to getInternet for online classes

Asteroid may hit eartha day before US polls

Man opens Nike delivery box, finds worms in it

You know that happy feeling when you order something onlineand it finally arrives? For one New York City man, the

happiness soon turned to disgust when he opened his Nikedelivery box to find it crawling with "dozens of worms". BenSmithee took to social media to document the shockingexperience, sharing pictures of the delivery box with the creepycrawlies inside. "I ordered some clothes from Nike and got theshipment yesterday," Mr Smithee wrote on Facebook this Friday. "To my surprise and immediate gagging were dozens of worms -yes. Freaking worms." He added thatthe worms were alive and crawlingbetween each layer of packaging. "Iseriously have never heard ofsomething like this," Mr Smitheetold The New York Post. "I was soshocked and trying not to add vomiton top of the situation." In hisFacebook post, the CEO of TheSmithee Group said that he foundabout 25 to 30 live worms in theNike box, and he had to shake thepackages from his apartmentwindow to throw them out. "Wow, I've never heard of such athing happening. Gross!" wrote one person in the commentssection of the post, which has garnered hundreds of reactions."Ugh. That is disgusting! I'm not sure that I would have openedthose packages or kept the items," another said.

With schools and colleges being shut due to the pandemic,studies have moved online, however, not everyone in India

is privileged enough to have a steady internet connection orhas access to smartphone and laptops. While many are unableto attend classes due to the availability of these resources,some are going to all possible lengths to ensure that theydon't miss out. One such case is of Manalodai village onPachamalai hill in Tiruchy, where students embark on a 1km-trek every day to get internet connectivity. As per The NewIndian Express,the studentsmake this daily-dangerous trekto reach oneparticular cave-like spot on thetop of the hillbecause that isthe only placethey access theInternet and join their online classes.Students from Thonur,Chinna Iluppur, Thalur and Melur, also make this trek for theirclasses. Explaining the difficulty, a student said, “From the firstweek of August, our teachers started taking classes online.They send recorded videos to a Whatsapp group of students. Wehave to download those videos to listen to their class. Only at thisspot are we able to get notifications and download videos."

Trove of 1,000-year-oldgold coins unearthed

NEW

S

MostRead I

sraeli youths have unearthed hundreds of gold coins stashedaway in a clay vessel for more than a thousand years. The

treasure was discovered on August 18, the Israel AntiquitiesAuthority said on Monday, by teenagers volunteering at anexcavation in central Israel where a new neighbourhood is plannedto be built. "The person who buried this treasure 1,100 years agomust have expected to retrieve it and even secured the vessel witha nail so that it would not move. We can only guess whatprevented him from returning to collect this treasure," saidexcavation directorLiat Nadav-Ziv. Thearea it was found inhoused workshops atthe time the treasurewas hidden and theidentity of the owneris still a mystery. "Itwas amazing," said OzCohen, one of thevolunteers who foundthe treasure. "I dug in the ground and when I excavated the soil,saw what looked like very thin leaves. When I looked again I sawthese were gold coins. It was really exciting to find such a specialand ancient treasure." Dating back to the ninth century AbbasidCaliphate period, the 425 24-carat pure gold coins would havebeen a significant amount of money at the time, said Robert Kool,a coin expert at the Antiquities Authority.

Openers helpPak reach 41/0IANS n SOUTHAMPTON

Pakistan openers Shan Masoodand Abid Ali dug deep and

helped their team reach 41/0before rain forced early Lunch onDay 4 of the rain-affected thirdTest against England at the AgeasBowl on Monday. Abid Ali andShan Masood were unbeaten on22 and 13 respectively beforeumpires were forced to call on

early lunch due to rain and badl ight . Pakis tan s t i l l t rai lEngland by 269 runs.

James Anderson, whoreturned best figures of 5/56 inthe first innings, and couldhave had atleast three more hadcatches not been dropped off his

bowling on Day 3, saw wicket-keeper Jos Buttler drop yet anoth-er catch off his bowling on thefourth day. Earlier, England askedPakistan to follow on after thetourists managed 273 in reply tohost’s mammoth 583/8d in thefirst essay.

Brief scores: England 583/8dvs Pakistan 273 & 41/0 (Abid Ali22*, Shan Masood 13*)

Ashwinsuggests‘mankad’alternativePTI n NEW DELHI

Senior India off-spinnerRavichandran Ashwin on

Monday suggested the introduc-tion of a “free ball” for bowlersif non-strikers back up too far,sticking to his stand that therewas nothing wrong with run-ning such batsmen out.

Ashwin ran out Jos Buttlerduring an IPL match betweenKings XI Punjab and RajasthanRoyals in 2019 when theEnglishman left the non-strik-er’s end much before the deliv-ery was bowled, triggering anage old ‘spirit of the game’debate. While what Ashwin didwas well within the rules of thegame, his new IPL team coachRicky Ponting of the DelhiCapitals doesn’t agree with thisparticular mode of dismissal.

“Make it a free ball for thebowler. If the batsmen gets outof that ball, the batting team willbe docked 5 runs. Free hit addsto the drama for a batter, let’s givea chance to the bowlers too,”Ashwin tweeted in response toDinesh Karthik’s assertion thatit was unfair to link the dismissalto spirit of the game or call it‘Mankading’ as it is permitted bylaws of the game.

khil Akkineni,who is hopingto end his dryspell withBommarilluBaskar’s Most

Eligible Bachelor(MEB), has hit thegym with a vengeance.He said that as some-thing extremely specialhas begun in hiscareer, he decided toup his game. “It’s timeto up my game.Intensity and hardwork. Somethingextremely special hasbegun. My transfor-mation to being thebest version of myself.

This is going to changea lot for me. More tocome soon... (Sic),” theactor posted on hissocial media pages onMonday, while reveal-ing a couple of hisworkout stills from thegym along with histrainer Mustafa.

Although, the actor,who flaunted six-packabs in his debut filmAkhil, didn’t disclosedetails about the spe-cial thing, manybelieve that he istalking about his nextfilm, an action-enter-tainer with SurenderReddy who is known

for his popcorn enter-tainers. 14 Reels Plus isthe frontrunner toproduce the projectafter Krish and RajeevReddy’s First FrameEntertainments exitedit over budget con-cerns.

Meanwhile, Akhilstill needs to wrap up30 per cent of MEB, aromantic comedy.Producers Bunny Vasand Vasu Varma areplanning to resumethe shoot next monthwith all the precau-tions in place. Alsofeaturing Aamani,Murali Sharma,Jayaprakash, Pragathiand Sudigali Sudheerin supporting roles,the film will debut onthe big screen duringSankranti next year.

he Telugu remakeof Kannada superhit romanticdrama LoveMocktail has beentitled as

Gurthunda Seethakalam, themakers announced onMonday. Starring Satyadevand Tamannaah in the leadroles, the film will belaunched later this week inHyderabad, with the princi-pal shooting set to com-mence from the mid ofSeptember.

According to a source,Gurthunda Seethakalam wasa title that lyricist-turned-director Krishna Chaitanyaregistered for one of hisscripts but didn’t use it.“When Satya casually pitchedthe one line story of LoveMocktail remake toChaitanya with whom hewill be collaborating forPower Peta, the directorsuggested the titleGurthunda Seethakalam.Satya liked it pronto andthe director had noissues to part with thetitle,” informs thesource.

Meanwhile, evenbefore it went tofloors, the musicrights ofGurthundaSeethakalam havebeen picked upby AnandAudio for Rs75 lakh. KaalaBhairava, whoproved hismettle withMathuVadalara last

year, is composing music forthe project. No wonder, thefilm’s director and producerNagashekar is thrilled. “Thefancy price that was paid foraudio rights stands as a testi-mony to the craze the film iscarrying,” he said and addedthat the title has alreadyreached a large section of theaudience.

The film will narrate theheartbreaks a software pro-fessional (to be played bySatya) endures in his quest tofind true love. BesidesTamannaah, the remake hasscope for another leadinglady. — NG

12

Vijayawada Tuesday August 25 2020tollywood

‘PANDEMICTAUGHT METO BECOMEA FARMER’

efore the uniongovernmentannounced lock-down earlier thissummer, NaveenChandra was busy

as a bee, shuffling betweenprojects like Virata Parvam,Mosagallu and Miss Indiabesides prepping up for histurn as a pugilist in VarunTej’s next. Naturally, the lock-down had an effect on himinitially. “I slipped into slight

depression for the first fourdays after the lockdown wasfirst imposed. I was at thepeak of my career with multi-ple projects in my kitty. I waspoised for more fame anddreamt of settling downfinancially with my familybut lockdown disrupted theshoot of all my films. Tooccupy myself with someactivity, I started growinghome plants at different cor-ners of my flat in Hyderabad.I used to borrow plants frommy opposite building asnurseries were shut. Soon,the house turned greener andthere was a sense of satisfac-tion that emerged out of it.So, the first thing that coron-avirus taught me was tobecome a farmer,” the actortells us in a conversation.

Continuing in the same

vein, he adds, “Having seenthe difficulties vendors gothrough to see their goodsreach the market during thelockdown made me contem-plate farming. I want to takeup an agriculture course afterthe pandemic ends and laterpurchase land in my hometown Bellary and practicefarming.”

Before he travelled toBellary to be with his motherduring the lockdown, Naveenpoints out that he battledmood swings and observedemotional changes in him.“My thoughts have becomedeeper and I’ve become anintense person now. I canportray any kind of role atthis time. And there’s a feel-ing that until I get to the bot-tom of a role prep-wise, I willnot be happy,” he concludes.

“I slipped intoslight

depression forthe first four

days after thelockdown wasfirst imposed.

To occupymyself with

some activity, Istarted growinghome plants at

different cornersof my flat in

Hyderabad,”Naveen tellsNAGARAJ

GOUD

B

ooks like the sea-son of betrothals,weddings andlove just keepscontinuing inTollywood, as

one of the most eligiblebachelors, Sharwanand, isset to bid adieu to his bach-elorhood status soon. Atleast, that’s what thegrapevine indicates. Reportscircling around indicate thesuave actor, who has main-tained a safe distance frombeing linked up to anyonein his 16-year career, hasbeen in a steady relationshipwith a childhood friendwho is said to be an entre-

preneur. She has no connec-tion whatsoever to theindustry. It is said that withmany of his colleaguesentering into marital blissduring the last four months,Sharwa has given a thoughtof settling down seriously.His and the girl’s familieshave given their consent forthe marriage, it is believed.However, Sharwa, who isextremely guarded about hispersonal life, is yet to makea statement.

On the work front, theactor is set to get busy witha slew of interesting projectsshortly. He is on the vergeof finishing Sreekaram with

Kishorudu. Thefilm will resumefrom Octoberfor a scheduleof aroundthree weeks.He alsoneeds towrap upSreeKarthick’suntitledTelugu-Tamilbilingual beforecommencingnew films withAjay Bhupathi,Kishore Tirumalaand Asian Cinemasrespectively.

Now, Sharwanandto tie the knot?

L

inger and produc-er SP Charan hasslammed reportswhich said thathis legendaryfather SP

Balasubrahmanyam, who isbattling COVID-19 at MGMHealthcare hospital inChennai, has tested negativeon Monday, saying that hisdad is still on he is on lifesupport — on ECMO venti-lator — and requested every-one to not engage inrumour-mongering.

In a video message sharedon his Facebook page onMonday, he stated, “I usuallypost Appa’s health updatesafter I have a discussion withthe medical team from thehospital. But unfortunately, I

am forced to put up a post inthe morning. I am the onlyone who gets the informa-tion about dad, all updatescome to me first and onlythen I post it to the media.Today, unfortunately, there isa rumour going around thatdad has been tested negativefor Covid. Regardless ofwhether it is Covid negativeor positive, the status is stillthe same. Clinically, he is onlife support, on ECMO ven-tilator. He is stable fortunate-ly and we are hoping the sta-bility will help him recoverhis lungs as early as possible.So please kindly refrain fromrumour-mongering.”

SPB was admitted to thehospital on August 5 after hetested positive for COVID.

SP Charan slamsrumours of his dad

testing COVID negative

S

A classy title for Satyadev& Tamannaah's film

T

ctor-Hindupur MLA NandamuriBalakrishna has shown his large-heartedness once again. Afterdonating Rs 50 lakh each to CMrelief funds of both Telugu statesthree months ago and later

announcing Rs 25 lakh to Corona CrisisCharity, which was formed to offer relief todaily wage employees of the industry, theactor has now come forward to contributeequipment, medicines, PPE Kits and masksworth Rs 55 lakh to those affected withcoronavirus and to COVID warriors whoare treating patients at COVID Center inHindupur Government Hospital. The actorwill be visiting the constituency on a two-day visit towards this month-end.

Thebenevolentsuperstar

Akhil says it's timeto up his game

AA