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West Bengal Congress swings into action for Rajya Sabha seat

Kerala priest abducted in Yemen makes fresh appeal for help

Exit poll shows landslide win for Moon Jae-in in South Korea election

Jhulan Goswami becomes highest wicket-taker in women’s one-dayers

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Sonia hospitalised with food poisoning, stable

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Student protests erupt again in Srinagar SRINAGAR

Violent protests by students again erupted in Srinagar and Pulwama, for the fourth consecutive week, on Tuesday, fuelling tension and forcing the security forces to use tear-smoke shells. NEWS

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Orders his immediate arrest; bans media from reporting his statements

In a major breakthrough in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the former naval officer sentenced to death in Pakistan, New Delhi won a stay order from the International Court of Justice at The Hague. In its petition, India had accused Pakistan of gross violations of international laws. Ordering the stay, President of the International Court of Justice Ronny Abraham directed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to “act in such a way as will enable any order the Court may make on the request for provisional measures to have its appropriate effects,” effectively staying Mr. Jadhav’s execution until the court hears the matter and passes orders. In their petition filed on May 8, the team of lawyers, led by senior advocate Harish Salve, listed the details of the case and the “egregious violations” of the Geneva convention that deals with consular relations, including Pakistan’s refusal to give any details of Mr. Jadhav’s arrest and trial until after the death sentence was passed, the failure to provide consular access to India despite 15 requests, and suggesting that access would be given only in exchange for information about Mr. Jadhav from India. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she had informed Mr. Jadhav’s mother.

Noting that all are equal in the eyes of the law, a sevenjudge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced Calcutta High Court sitting judge, Justice C.S. Karnan, to six months’ imprisonment for “contempt of court, judiciary and judicial process of the gravest nature.” The Bench ordered Justice Karnan’s prison sentence to be executed forthwith. The Bench had on February 8, 2017 – when the contempt proceedings commenced – ordered him not to handle any judicial or administrative work. When a police team went to arrest him in Kolkata, he was not in his residence.

‘No need to wait’ Earlier the Bench declined to accept senior advocate K.K. Venugopal’s submission that it should ideally wait for another month and act after Justice Karnan retired. “The only question is when he has to be punished. Does Your Lordships punish a sitting judge or a retired judge next month? Do you invite on yourself the blemish that you punished a sitting judge and put him in prison,” Mr. Venugopal asked the Bench. “So what about the blemish that we did not punish him? Have you considered

He can seek suspension of sentence Legal correspondent NEW DELHI

Justice C.S. Karnan addressing journalists at the State Guesthouse in Chennai on Tuesday. M. VEDHAN *

the question from that side?” Chief Justice Khehar reacted. The Chief Justice said “contempt of court has no colour, no privileges and there is no distinction to be made between a sitting judge and retired judge.” Justice P.C. Ghose, who was on the Bench, added that there was no difference between a sitting judge or any other person. “For us, everyone is the same. We do not see this person as a judge and the other as something else. For us all are citizens of India... Just look at the orders he [Karnan] has passed against us. He has even sentenced us,” Justice Ghose, who was on his last working day as judge in the Supreme Court, observed. Besides the Chief Justice and Justice Ghose, the other

judges on the Bench were Justices Dipak Misra, J. Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph.

Unanimous view In its order, the Constitution Bench held that it was of the “unanimous view that Justice C.S. Karnan has committed contempt of court, judiciary and judicial process of the gravest nature.” The court ordered the media not to report any statements made by Justice Karnan. As a court of record under Article 129, the SC has the authority to order a ban on such publication or airing of contemptuous material in the media. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10 THE RECALCITRANT JUDGE 쑺 EDITORIAL

Justice C.S. Karnan, who was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment by a sevenjudge Bench of the SC on Tuesday, can seek suspension of his sentence till he receives a copy of the detailed order. He can argue that the order to arrest him forthwith has curtailed his right to seek a review under Article 137 of the Constitution. Article 137 gives the SC the power to review any judgment pronounced or order made by it. The court had ordered immediate execution of the sentence.

Details later Only the operative portion of the order was read out. Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, who headed the Bench, said the detailed version of the order giving reasons for finding Justice Karnan guilty of contempt and justifying the sentence would come later. Justice Karnan requires this detailed order to counter the reasoning of the Bench and file a review petition.

He did not come clean about his assets and failed to disclose $40 million he received from Diageo Plc The Supreme Court on Tuesday found fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya guilty of contempt for wilful disobedience of the court’s order to come clean about his assets and not disclosing a sum of $40 million (₹600 crore) he received from British liquor major Diageo Plc following his resignation as Chairman of United Spirits Limited in February 2016. Mr. Mallya had told the Supreme Court that the $40 million was one among

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Damini Nath Jatin Anand NEW DELHI

Months after questions over the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) first emerged, the Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday presented its “proof ” of the possible tampering by demonstrating how the EVMs could be hacked using a “secret code” at a special session of the Delhi Assembly. AAP MLA for Greater Kailash Saurabh Bhardwaj, a former software engineer, gave the House a live demonstration on what he called an “EVM-like machine” that was put together for the purpose.

‘Mock polls’ He conducted two “mock polls,” mirroring the actual election process where the votes cast for each ‘candidate’ tallied with the results shown in the counting unit. Then, he said certain “secret codes” had been programmed into the mother board that would lead the chosen party to win irrespective of the votes cast. To demonstrate, he pressed the first button, which was to represent the AAP, 10 times and the third button, which was for the BJP, three times. But, this time he punched in a code while the beep sound played. The additional buttons punched for the code did not emit beeps.

“thousands of transactions” he did and cannot be counted as an asset. He said he had no control over that money now as he had already disbursed it among his three adult children, who are U.S. citizens. Countering allegations made by a banking consortium led by the State Bank of India which had filed the contempt of court petition against him, Mr. Mallya said he had implicitly complied with the SC order and given a complete list of assets as of March 31, 2016. The court

Vijay Mallya

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had ordered Mr. Mallya to provide the banks with a list of his assets so that they could recover ₹9,200 crore

due to them. The banks had sought contempt action against him arguing that the disbursal of the $40 million among his three children was in direct violation of a standing Karnataka High Court order that none of his assets should be “alienated, disposed of or be subjected to the creation of third party rights.”

‘Mocking judiciary’ “His wilful, contumacious conduct of siphoning off the money and disbursing it out

of reach of the authorities at a certain level shows that the gentleman is mocking the Indian judicial system. Please issue an injunction directing him to bring the money [40 million] back forthwith,” senior advocate Shyam Divan had argued for the banks. A notice of contempt from the SC was then already pending against Mr. Mallya for allegedly supplying the banks with vague information about his assets.

Saurabh Bharadwaj conducts a demonstration. PTI *

Then, Mr. Bhardwaj displayed in the control unit that the votes cast for the AAP after the code was used appeared to have gone to the BJP, which ended up getting 11 votes as per the final result. “People asked us how can there be tampering if the EVMs are sealed and kept in secure stores, but like we have shown, the tampering is done before. Suppose, a BJP voter comes in around 10 a.m. on polling day and punches in the code after casting the vote,” he said. He added that it took “only 90 seconds” for the motherboard of the EVM to be switched to a compromised one, adding that the AAP was not casting aspersions on the government officials and security personnel guarding the EVMs. Later in the session, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the role of engineers from governmentrun companies, who service the EVMs, was in question, not that of the government and police officials in-charge. SEE ALSO DELHI METRO 쑺 PAGE 1

NEW DELHI

ACB iles three FIRs in PWD scam Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI

H u bb a ll i

Suhasini Haidar

Mallya guilty of contempt, says Supreme Court Legal Correspondent

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He claims secret code can rig results

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NATION

N oida

ICJ stays sentence in Jadhav case

NEW DELHI

A police chowki was burnt, over 20 vehicles torched while several instances of stone pelting and clashes were reported on Tuesday from across Saharanpur, which has been witnessing caste-based based violence since Friday.

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AAP MLA ‘unpacks’ EVM tampering

Congress president Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here on Sunday due to food poisoning. “She is well now and will be discharged soon,” hospital chairman Dr D S Rana said.

SAHARANPUR

Ma du ra i

SC sentences Karnan to six months in jail for contempt

NEW DELHI

Violent protests engulf Saharanpur

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New Delhi

The Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) on Monday registered three separate FIRs in connection with an alleged scam pertaining to the Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD).

One of the FIRs puts in the dock a company owned by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s brother-inlaw Surender Kumar Bansal, who passed away on Monday. The FIRs were registered on the basis of a complaint by Rahul Sharma,

the founder of NGO Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO). He has alleged irregularities in the grant of contracts for roads and sewer lines in Delhi in 2015-16. DETAILS ON DELHI METRO 쑺 PAGE 1

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CBSE blames staf for NEET frisking Four teachers suspended in Kannur Special correspondent Thiruvananthapuram/Kannur

With the intrusive frisking of a girl student appearing for the National Eligibility-cumEntrance Test (NEET) in Kannur evoking widespread criticism, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday ordered the principal of the school where the incident took place to apologise to her.

Meets HRD Minister The directive came after CBSE Chairman R.K. Chaturvedi met Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi, two days after the incident. The CBSE, meanwhile, attributed the incident to the overzealousness of the female staff of the examination centre. Four teachers of the school at Kunhimangalam in Kannur were also suspended on Tuesday pending an inquiry into an incident on May 7 in which the student was asked to remove her brassiere before she could take the test. The management of the TISK English Medium School at Kunhimangalam CM YK

said the teachers tasked with frisking students were placed under suspension for a month pending inquiry. The suspended teachers have been identified as Sheeja, Safeena, Bindu, and Shahina. The CBSE, which conducts the NEET for admission to MBBS and BDS courses, said the incident was very unfortunate. Board officials present in Kannur were not informed of the incident either by the Principal of the school concerned or the parents of the candidate, it said. Defending frisking in the interests of candidates, the Board said it followed the same “protocol of frisking” for NEET this year as was done in 2016 and 2015. The candidates were informed well in advance of the “guidelines for frisking and dress code” through the NEET information bulletin, the CBSE NEET website, printed instructions on admit cards, and individual communication through emails and SMS. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10 KERALA MLAS FLAY NEET DRESS CODE 쑺 PAGE 5 A ND-ND

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Timings

Wednesday, May 10

RISE 05:34 SET 19:02 RISE 18:34 SET 05:21 Thursday, May 11

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BJP leaders seek an end to darbar move State party chief says call for ‘bifurcation of the State oices’ not the BJP’s stand but views of only two senior leaders

Press Trust of India Peerzada Ashiq

Friday, May 12

RISE 05:33 SET 19:03 RISE 20:18 SET 06:36

Mann’s appointment condemned

Srinagar

Two senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have demanded an end to the 146year-old Dogra-era practice of shifting the State capital biannually. Called the darbar move, the State’s civil secretariat shuttles between the summer capital, Srinagar, and the winter capital, Jammu.

Seconded by Speaker J&K Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta of the BJP and party spokesman Virendra Gupta called for a “bifurcation of the offices”. “The practice of the dar-

Minister Omar Abdullah had raised questions on the practice.

bar move should be abandoned. There should be a bifurcation of the State offices,” Mr. Virendra Gupta said.

Costly for the State His demand was seconded by the Speaker, who said the practice was “costly for the State exchequer”. “It was a compulsion in the past because of poor means of transportation and communication,” the Speaker said. State BJP president Sat Sharma, however, said this was not the party’s stand but the view of only the two senior party leaders.

Security personal keeping vigil as vehicles loaded with oicial documents travel to Kashmir during ‘darbar move’ in Jammu.

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FILE PHOTO PTI

It’s not for the first time that the darbar move, introduced by Maharaja Gulab

Singh in 1872, has come under criticism. In 2012, the then Chief

Bridging regions However, the ruling People’s Democratic Party patron, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, saw the darbar move as “a bridge between diverse regions of the Kashmir Valley and Jammu plains”. “If the BJP is serious about bifurcating the offices, let it come up with a proposal. Our party is for meeting the aspirations of the people of all the regions of the State,” said Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma. Every year, over 7,000

employees of the civil secretariat shuttle between Srinagar and Jammu along with thousands of files, which are ferried in buses and trucks, on the 300-km-long route. The move costs the State over ₹40 crore. The secretariat is located in Srinagar from May to October and in Jammu from November to April.

Questioned earlier In January 1987, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, stranded in the Kashmir Valley due to heavy snowfall, had asked the government “to review the age-old practice”.

Amritsar

AAP leader Upkar Singh Sandhu, who unsuccessfully contested the Amritsar Lok Sabha by-poll, on Tuesday opposed the decision of the party appointing Bhagwant Mann as the State unit chief. Talking to media persons here, Mr Sandhu strongly condemned the party high command’s move for appointing Mr Mann as the State president by saying that it would give birth to conflict among the volunteers across the State. He said the move would diminish the party roots in the State.

Punjab withdraws dress code for teachers Education dept directed women teachers not to wear ‘jeans, tops, bright suits’ Press Trust of India Chandigarh

Facing flak for its order directing women teachers not to wear ‘jeans, tops and bright suits’, the Punjab government on Tuesday withdrew the directive while suspending two employees of the Education Department in this regard. The State Education Department had yesterday imposed the dress code on government school teachers, especially women, asking them not to wear jeans, tops and bright suits as the outfits have a “bad” effect on students. The circular, which was issued to all circle education

officers and district education officers, cited complaints received by the department regarding the “bright outfits” worn by women teachers.

‘Effect on students’ “In government schools, teachers, especially lady teachers, are wearing bright dresses while being on duty. Some teachers wear jeans, tops and several types of ‘provocative’ fashionable dresses when they are on duty. It has an effect on students,” said the order. “Therefore, the dress code should be implemented in government schools and regular checking should

be done to ensure implementation of the order,” it said.

‘Intolerable language’ Condemning the Congressled State government for issuing such a diktat, Democratic Teachers’ Front general secretary Davinder Punia said, “The language used in the order is intolerable for teachers. This is not the way such directives should be passed on to the teachers. We strongly condemn this order.” Meanwhile, Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary suspended Deputy Director Amrish Shukla and Assistant Director Amarbir Singh of

the department. The Minister said the ‘controversial’ order containing “denigrating” language about women teachers was issued without proper authorisation. She said the two officials issued the order without taking the higher authorities into confidence. She made it clear that any affront to the dignity of the ‘nation builder’ teaching community would not be tolerated, adding that such a mindset needed to be condemned in this age of women empowerment. The Minister added that the order has been withdrawn.

Ten killed in Bihar thunderstorm ₹4 lakh ex-gratia announced for the next of kin Special Correspondent Patna

At least ten people lost their lives in a thunderstorm that swept Bihar in the early hours of Tuesday. Most of them were killed in lightening strikes or wall collapses. The State Disaster Management Department said two deaths each were reported from Aurangabad and Lakhisarai, and Madhubani districts, while one each was

reported from Patna, Purnia, Darbhanga, Madhepura and other districts. In all, seven persons were killed in lightning strikes, while three from wall collapses and falling trees. Disaster Management Department, Principal Secretary, Pratyaya Amrit has asked District Magistrates to release ₹4 lakh as ex-gratia to the next of kin of the deceased.

A portion of the pontoon bridge in Danapur, connecting Patna with north Bihar, also drifted away in the thunderstorm, affecting vehicular traffic. At several places uprooted trees fell on roads blocking traffic for hours. The thunderstorm, lightning, rain and winds up to 80 kmph, hit the State early on Tuesday morning.

BJP posters torn in UP Press Trust of India Meerut

Some people on Tuesday tore posters and banners of the BJP here, claiming that U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath did not garland the statue of B. R. Ambedkar, the police said. They also vandalised a liquor shop in Gadhi. However, the police restored order.

Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Mukund Padmanabhan (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 RNI No. TNENG/2012/49940 ISSN 0971 - 751X Vol. 7 No. 111 ●

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IN BRIEF

Suspended BJD leader joins BJP Bengal Cong swings into action for RS seat Party had denied ticket to tribal leader Jayaram Pangi in 2014 elections Special Correspondent

BHUBANESWAR

‘Eforts on to improve relations with Manipur’

Deepa Dasmunshi is among the strong contenders

IMPHAL

Special Correspondent

Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Tuesday announced that efforts were on to improve inter-State relations between Nagaland and Manipur. “All must realize that only when there is peace, there can be development and this applies to the entire Northeast region,” Mr. Liezietsu, who is on a visit to Manipur, told reporters here. PTI

Kolkata

West Bengal Governor Tripathi stable KOLKATA

West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, who was admitted to hospital with acute epistaxis (nose bleeding), was in a stable condition on Tuesday. “The condition of the Governor is stable hemodynamically and he is cheerful...,” a bulletin issued by the private hospital, where he is being treated, said. PTI

Hailstorm, heavy rain lash Nagaland KOHIMA

Hailstorm and heavy rain lashed parts of Nagaland, including its capital town, on Tuesday but there was no report of any major damage due to the hailstorm. PTI

With Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury making it clear that he is not keen to seek a third term to the Rajya Sabha, sections in the Congress are demanding that the seat in the Upper House be given to their party. Elections to six seats from Bengal will be held in August. For five seats, the Trinamool Congress [TMC] will nominate its members. The sixth seat is up for grabs between the Congress and the Left parties. In 2011, the Left parties nominated Mr. Yechury and the Congress sent Pradip Bhattacharya to the Upper House. Their terms will expire in August. A number of Congress leaders have made it clear that the Rajya Sabha nomination should be from their party as the party has more seats in the State Assembly. Congress sources said party chief Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi have told them that the party would “either back Yechury or no one from the Left.” “We had decided on sup-

Deepa Dasmunshi porting Mr. Yechury but in the circumstances if the party leadership seeks my opinion, I will try to come up with the best possible choice,” West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said. Mr Bhattacharya, 72, is not averse to another term. But former MP Deepa Dasmunshi and State Congress general secretary Omprakash Mishra are considered strong contenders.

Soft corner The party has a soft corner for Ms. Dasmunshi because of her ailing husband, Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi. “The Gandhi family has a soft corner for Priya-da, but the question is how long will

they back someone like Deepa Dasmunshi, who has steadily lost her base in Raiganj,” said a senior Congress leader. In the last Lok Sabha polls, she was defeated by the CPI-M’s Md Salim and has since kept a low profile. Mr. Mishra has not won a major election but is a popular face of the party on television. He can effortlessly articulate the party’s position on many issues, according a leader close to the Central leadership. He has a good understanding of Asian politics, especially China, which may help the Congress in the Rajya Sabha, a section of the leadership feels. More importantly, he is considered the architect of the Left-Congress alliance in the 2016 Assembly polls, an alliance that is still surviving and perhaps is the only hope for both the Left and the Congress. The Left parties, however, are keeping their cards close to their chest. “It is too early to comment on the matter. The Rajya Sabha nomination will be decided by the end of June,” CPI-M polit bureau member Md Salim said.

Suspended Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former Lok Sabha member from Koraput, Jayaram Pangi, joined the BJP here on Tuesday. Mr. Pangi, who was suspended from BJD after the recent panchayat polls over “anti-party activities”, joined the BJP in the presence of Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and others. Former Congress leader Giridhar Gamang, who had joined the BJP two nearly two years ago, was also present. While Mr. Pradhan said that Mr. Pangi joining the BJP will be a boost to the party in tribal-dominated areas, senior BJD leader from Koraput, Rabi Narayan

New entry: Former BJD MP Jayaram Pangi with Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. BISWARANJAN ROUT *

Nand, said it will not make any difference to his party.

Murder case Mr. Pangi’s name had figured in the case relating to the murder of primary school teacher Itishree Pra-

dhan at Tikiri in Rayagada district in 2013. The BJD had denied a party ticket to the tribal leader in 2014 elections Meanwhile, a tweet by Baijayant Panda, BJD MP from Kendrapara, created a

flutter in political circles during the day. “One gone yesterday, another today. Yet when I cautioned last week, was contradicted. Now large sections unrepresented, resentment everywhere,” he tweeted. He was referring to BJD leader Amar Nayak joining the BJP in Jajpur district on Monday and Mr. Pangi joining the saffron party on Tuesday. Reacting to Mr. Panda’s tweet, BJD spokesman Pratap Keshari Deb said the MP should have asked the BJP how they accepted Mr. Pangi, whom they had accused of having a role behind the killing of Itishree Pradhan. “The BJP was accusing the BJD of shielding Mr. Pangi in the murder case, but how did they accept him now,” he asked.

Ministers ignore us: Assam BJP MLAs Legislators complain to Speaker who said CM should look into the matter Press Trust of India Guwahati

Ruling BJP legislators on Tuesday complained to the Assam Assembly Speaker that ministers never reply to their letters on concerns raised by people. The legislators also sought a mechanism by which min-

isters would be bound to reply to their letters in a fixed time-frame. Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami said that the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal should look into the matter. The issue was brought to the notice of the speaker by Palasbari MLA BJP MLA

Pranab Kalita. “Sir, if the Prime Minister can reply to letters in six days, why cannot we make a system to receive replies from our ministers in a fixed time-frame? Can you do something?” Mr. Kalita said in the House. Expressing similar sentiments, Dhekiajuli’s BJP MLA

Ashok Singhal said: “We keep writing on many issues and ask many questions to the ministers. But they never reply to us.” He too requested the speaker to take initiative in this regard. Other BJP MLAs supported Mr. Kalita and Mr. Singhal by thumping on the desk.

Doc shifted for demanding bribe Staff Reporter BERHAMPUR

A couple from the primitive Bonda tribal community has alleged that a gynaecologist posted at the Malkangiri district hospital had demanded bribe for a caesarean. Malkangiri Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Uday Shankar Mishra on Tuesday removed the doctor concerned from duty and attached him to the CDMO office. “I have ordered the

ADMO to make a detailed inquiry into the allegation and file a report,” he said.

Twins born According to sources, four days ago the pregnant wife of a tribal from the remote Dantepada village of Khairaput block was admitted to the hospital. She gave birth to twins through a caesarean operation. Later the couple and their relatives alleged that the doctor who conduc-

ted the operation had demanded ₹ 5,000 from them and they paid ₹ 2,000 to the doctor. The woman’s husband said that he had arranged Rs.2,000 with difficulty and had promised to pay up ₹3,000 later. Later the husband submitted a written complaint to the ADMO and CDMO of Malkangiri district. For his part, the concerned doctor has denied the allegations.

OBITUARY & REMEMBRANCE OBITUARY & REMEMBRANCE

EDUCATIONAL

DEATH

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‘GST regime will bring State beneits worth ₹1,000 crore’ Goa becomes the 23rd State legislature to ratify the tax reform ficers and asked the government to ensure it would not usher in licence-Raj again. Mr. Parrikar said ahead of implementation, training workshops would be organised for officials, traders and service providers on the provisions of the Bill. In August last year, the Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution ratifying the amendments to the Constitution to pave way for the presidential assent to the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2016.

Special Coresspondent Panaji

The Goa Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, becoming the 23rd State legislature to ratify the tax reform. In his reply to the debate during the specially convened session, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said though the Congress-led UPA introduced the GST Bill, it failed to find consensus among States for the Bill. Mr. Parrikar said this consensus was clinched by the NDA government by making provision for compensating States for losses in the first five years. “It is no more a mere promise from the Centre, it is a legal undertaking,” he said. Mr. Parrikar said Goa being a consumption State with a huge tertiary sector would benefit around ₹600 to

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar addresses the Assembly during a debate on the GST Bill on Tuesday. ATISH POMBURFEKAR *

₹1,000 crore a year. The legislation, which was passed by Parliament earlier this year, is crucial for a pan-India indirect tax regime and is expected to be rolled out in July this year. Mr. Parrikar said, “The GST will simplify the tax structure. Several taxes in force now will be

done away with. It will bring relief to people across sections, including the business community.” Former Chief Ministers Digambar Kamat and Pratapsingh Rane, both of Congress, cautioned the government that the Bill gives sweeping powers to of-

Industry welcomes move The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) welcomed the passing of the GST Bill. “Implementation of GST is expected to trigger a economic revolution and lead to total transformation of all businesses including trading, manufacturing and services,” said Narayan Bandekar, president of GCCI.

Gujarat gives GST go-ahead Special Correspondent

Reduce road accidents by 40% in Goa by year-end, says Parrikar Vows to bring out composite action plan within 15 days

AHMEDABAD

Special Correspondent

The Gujarat Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill at a special one-day session. During the debate on the Bill, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Nitin Patel said the State with its robust manufacturing base would lose “some tax income after the GST is rolled out nationally.” According to sources in the state finance department, with implementation of GST the State’s finances will be hit but the Centre’s proposal to compensate the States for five years will partially offset the losses. On Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition Shankersinh Vaghela and senior Congress legislator Shaktisinh Gohil demanded changes in the Bill to ensure that revenue income of the State is not affected under GST regime.

Panaji

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday announced in the Assembly a multipronged action plan to bring down accidents in the State by 40% by the year-end. He was replying to a calling attention motion tabled in the Assembly by former Chief Minister and Congress MLA Pratapsingh Rane over the growing accidents in the State. Mr. Parrikar said last year, of the 336 people who died in 316 accidents, 96 were due to personal errors and 30 due to not wearing helmets. Mr. Parrikar directed stern action against police personnel found not complying with traffic rules. He said the number of vehicles in the State had shot up from around 7 lakh to 13.5 lakh in just last five years. Goa’s tourist arrivals have gone up from 26 lakh to 63 lakh. He said, “Every death is very serious and pains me.”

In 2016, 336 people lost their lives in 316 accidents in Goa.

Mr. Parrikar said he has asked all agencies including police, transport and public works department to work together to bring down the number of accidents by 30% to 40% between May 1 and December 31, 2017 as compared to the previous period. He said if “we manage to bring down the number of accidents from 300 to 200 per annum, it would be a great achievement.” Mr. Parrikar said the government has directed the

education department to include traffic education in the school curriculum. To deal with habitual rule breakers, Mr. Parrikar has asked the police to not only impose fines on them but also make them attend three-hour remedial classes on traffic rules at the police station in the evening. Mr. Parrikar requested the Assembly members to give him 15 days to put a composite action plan in operation.

Nayana Pujari rape-murder case: Pune court sentences three accused to death Acquittal of fourth accused, Rajesh Chaudhari, who turned approver, courts controversy Shoumojit Banerjee Pune

A city trial court on Tuesday awarded death penalty to the three accused in the 2009 rape and murder of software professional Nayana Pujari in one of the most anticipated judgments in the State in recent times. The protracted seven-year trial concluded with the sentencing of Yogesh Raut (32), Mahesh Thakur (31) and Vishwas Kadam (34) by Special Judge L.L. Yenkar, who said that the crime could be counted among the rarest of the rare cases. However, the acquittal of the fourth accused Rajesh Chaudhari

(30), who later turned approver, has courted controversy. “Judge Yenkar has acquitted Chaudhari of all charges in the case while holding three other accomplices guilty. Despite Chaudhari playing an equal role in the crime, why was he let off the hook?” asked Defence lawyer B.A. Aloor. He said the judgment could set a dangerous precedent by which an accused could absolve his role in a serious crime by turning approver. The prosecution during the course of the trial had taken a stand that Chaudhari was told that the victim was

a sex worker and this prompted him to be part of the gangrape. At first, the Yerwada police had arrested all the four accused and slapped similar charges, including kidnapping and murder, against them. However, after the charge-sheet was filed, Chaudhari filed an application to turn approver. No charges were framed against him since then.

‘Nirbhaya’ case invoked Earlier in the day, Special Public Prosecutor Harshad Nimbalkar argued for the death penalty and compared the case with the ‘Nirbhaya’

EDUCATIONAL

Justice served: The relatives of Nayana Pujari wait outside the trial court in Pune. MANDAR TANNU *

gangrape case in Delhi. “The accused have shown no remorse for the crime they’ve

committed to this day,” said Mr. Nimbalkar. Ms. Pujari, 28, an engineer

EDUCATIONAL

with Synechron Technologies in the city’s Kharadi area, was abducted near the Kharadi bypass on October 7, 2009 while awaiting her transport back home. According to investigators, Raut, along with Thakur, Kadam and Chaudhari, who worked as a security guard with the firm, kidnapped the victim and raped her in the car. They withdrew Rs. 61,000 using her ATM card and killed her. The body was recovered two days later from Khed Taluk, 50 km from the city. “The victim was murdered in cold blood and the criminals showed no mercy. One

can only imagine her plight and helplessness while she was gangraped in the car. After strangulating her, the killers attempted to wipe out traces of her identity by attempting to disfigure her,” said Mr. Nimbalkar. The accused were brought to the courtroom at 11 a.m. to hear their final statements. Raut, the cab driver who was responsible for planning the abduction of Ms. Pujari, pleaded innocence by stating that the vehicle used in the crime was not with him on that fateful day. Raut said he had been “wrongly accused” by the approver, Chadhuri. Likewise, Thakur and Kadam

told the judge that if they were to be sentenced, then Chaudhuri, too, must share the punishment. On Monday, Judge Yenkar, the fourth to hear the case since the trial commenced in 2011, had pronounced Thakur, Raut and Kadam guilty under Sections 376 (rape), 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) 361 (kidnapping) and other Sections of the Indian Penal Code. The victim’s husband, Abhijit Pujari, and Nayana’s sisters, Manisha and Madhura, were present in the courtroom. Mr. Pujari said justice had finally been served with this sentence.

EDUCATIONAL

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THE HINDU

SOUTH 5

NOIDA/DELHI

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IN BRIEF

Row over dismantling of barricades in Sabarimala

Karnataka to seek legal team’s view on Cauvery experts’ group

Kerala legislators lay NEET on dress code

Contempt case against Netto closed

Govt. asks police to register a case

Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI:

At all-party meeting, leaders decide to send a delegation to New Delhi

Special Correspondent THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

PATHANAMTHITTA

The dismantling of iron barricades by the Kerala Forest Department at Marakkoottom on the Pampa-Sannidhanam trekking path in the Periyar Tiger Reserve has led to a controversy. The executive engineer of the Travancore Devaswom Board said the dismantling of barricades would affect crowd management on the Sabarimala trekking path.

Appoint new EO for Kerala temple: SC NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that a new Executive Officer should be appointed for the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple by June 18. A Bench led by CJI J.S. Khehar asked the Kerala government to furnish the temple trust and the amicus with eligible names for the post.

Special Correspondent Bengaluru

The Karnataka government has decided to seek the opinion of its legal team headed by Fali S. Nariman before taking a final decision on consenting to the Centre’s proposal to constitute an experts’ group on Cauvery basin management. The decision was taken at an all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday. Floor leaders of both the Houses of the State legislature discussed the impact of constituting an experts’ group on the final hearing of the appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal on sharing of Cauvery river water. The final hearing will begin on July 11.

Long-drawn issue: A view of the dried-up Cauvery river in Mandya, Karnataka. K. MURALI KUMAR *

According to Minister for Water Resources M.B. Patil, six issues listed in the proposal of the Union Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) were discussed at the meeting. It was decided to take a delegation to New Delhi and

meet the legal team at the earliest.

Reservations expressed Sources said some of the leaders expressed reservations over the clause that says all experts would be appointed by the MoWR. Their

NITI Aayog shelves A.P. port project Study by U.S. consultant found it was technologically and inancially unviable Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district.

Santosh Patnaik VISAKHAPATNAM

After many twists and turns, the NITI Aayog has finally shelved the proposal to develop a greenfield port at Dugarajapatnam in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh as it was found to be technologically and financially unviable. The decision to close the chapter was triggered by the techno-economic feasibility study conducted by American consultant Aecom for the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), the major equity partner in the project, sources told The Hindu.

Cabinet approval The development of the greenfield port has been mentioned in the A.P. Bifurc-

Honour for Chandrababu Naidu

argument was that the Union government might take unilateral decisions in the absence of State representation. They said consenting to the constitution of an experts’ group might delay the hearing of special leave petition (SLP) against the CWDT award by the Supreme Court. Some leaders sought clarification on whether the expert group’s decisions would be over and above the CWDT, whose verdict had already proved detrimental to Karnataka’s interests. The State’s Advocate General, Madhusudhan Naik, reportedly explained the advantage of giving consent, citing the distress formula clause. However, consulting Mr. Nariman was agreed upon as the only way to clarify the various issues involved.

Closed chapter: The proposed location of the Dugarajapatnam major port in Vakadu mandal, Nellore district. K. RAVIKUMAR *

ation Act, 2014. UPA-II had obtained the Cabinet’s approval for the project along with another port in Sagar (West Bengal). While the Sagar project is gaining momentum, there

was no progress on the Dugarajapatnam port ever since it was finalised after an experts’ panel zeroed in on the site. It was proposed to be located at Nakkapalli in Visakhapatnam and

‘No wilful default’ She had, in a short affidavit, submitted that there was no “wilful default or disobedience” from her side. “I have acted expeditiously and according to legal advice, after duly consulting with the Advocate General,” she had submitted.

Bird’s route from Somalia, tracked by satellite, throws new light on migration Mohit M. Rao Bengaluru

Alternative project An official of the Visakhapatnam Port said the Centre would fund an alternative project proposed by the State government. However, as per indications, a port of a large scale is not viable anywhere as the country is witnessing economic slump and most of the ports are not able to ensure capacity utilisation. One of the main reasons for finding Dugarajapatnam unviable is its proximity to Chennai, Krishnapatnam, Kattupalli and Kamarajar (Ennore) ports. The massive dredging required to handle big size vessels is another deterrent.

‘Violation of rights’ Mr. Chennithala said the House should condemn the incident as it was a violation of students’ human rights. Mr. Kurup said the incident amounted to cruelty. Mr. Rajagopalan called for steps to prevent such incidents in future. Mr. George wondered why Education Minister C. Ravindranath and Culture Minister A. K. Balan did not respond to the incident immediately.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday closed the contempt case filed by Kerala DGP T.P. Senkumar against Chief Secretary Nalini Netto for allegedly delaying his reinstatement as State Police Chief. A Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur remarked that “nothing more survives in the case” when informed that Mr. Senkumar has been appointed the State Police Chief. Ms. Netto had also offered her “unconditional apology” to the court.

Kolar welcomes an Amur falcon On May 1, perched on a lookout in Somalia, the Amur falcon named ‘Longleng’ prepared to fly towards India, the midpoint of a nearly 22,000-km journey to Northern Mongolia. The project has provided new evidence on altered flight patterns of the species. After a four-day crossing of the sea – a non-stop flight – it halted near Pune before “surprisingly” heading towards Kolar Gold Fields. “This is the first time one of our tagged birds has gone south during this season, rather than fly across the Gangetic plains towards

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Welcome respite

Special Correspondent

Longleng, an Amur Falcon, has been spotted for the irst time near the Kolar Gold Fields, Bengaluru.

Nagaland,” said R. Suresh Kumar from the Department of Endangered Species Management at Wildlife

Institute of India (WII), which is tracking three other falcons to better understand their migration routes. Between October and November, Amur falcons go from Nagaland towards Central Peninsular India and then to Somalia before wintering in Southern Africa. On their return, they fly over 5,500 km from Somalia into Northern India and then Southeast Asia. On why the Amur Falcon turned up in KGF, Mr. Kumar said: “While it is too early to say, we believe it may have something to do with the cyclonic depression over the Arabian Sea. These birds follow rain, and

air currents letting them to fly longer with little effort.” Short rain spells may have brought the bird here, with termite mounds that thrive just after showers providing food.

Contact lost WII’s programme began in November 2013 with tagging of three birds for satellite tracking. After contact with them was lost, five were tagged in October 2016 : Longleng, Hakhizhe, Phon, Eninum and Intangki — all of them named after villages in Nagaland. Contact was lost with Intangki, while the other three birds were traced to locations in Somalia.

Illegal building in Hyderabad to be brought down today After failed attempt on Monday, implosion to be tried again

VIJAYAWADA

The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) honoured the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with the ‘Transformative Chief Administer Award’ (title as per citation) on Tuesday. The USIBC representatives said most programmes launched by the Chandrababu Naidu government were role models, which was why the Board of Directors of the Council voted to give this award to Mr. Naidu. They said they were looking forward to bringing the U.S. companies to set up industries in A.P. Responding to their gesture, Mr. Naidu said he was very happy because this award would bring recognition to the State.“It may pave the way for big investments which in turn would help in the development of Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

The Kerala government has asked the police to register a case and investigate the alleged removal of a girl’s brassiere at a school near Kunhimangalam in Kannur district, as part of enforcing the dress code for the aspirants of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), on Sunday. A woman police team has talked to the girl students and their parents who were subjected to the humiliation. A woman Sub-Inspector is heading the probe, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly on Tuesday. Responding to the submission by Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, K. Suresh Kurup, M. Rajagopalan and P.C. George, the Chief Minister said there was no justification in the action taken to

enforce the dress code, and the mental agony and pressure the NEET aspirants had to face. “There is no clarity on many aspects on the dress code issued by the CBSE,” Mr. Vijayan said, joining the legislators to condemn the incident. The Chief Minister said he would take up the issue with the CBSE authorities and the Centre as demanded by the Leader of the Opposition.

Staff Reporter Hyderabad

Summer showers: Rain brought relief to people of Bengaluru from the heat on Tuesday. A scene at Bellary Road.

*

SUDHAKARA JAIN

A day after an attempt was made to raze an illegal structure using the implosion technology, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) went about doing manual work in the leaning under-construction building here. On Tuesday morning, the GHMC workers hesitated to enter the five-storeyed structure located at Guttala Begumpet as the ground floor and first floor, along with the foundation, were damaged due to Monday’s blast. The town planning officials had to convince the workers and allay their fears of a collapse. As per the recommendations of the technical team of JNTU ( Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University), the officials ensured the re-

Uninished task: Construction workers and GHMC oicials at the illegal structure in Hyderabad on Tuesday. K.V.S. GIRI *

moval of bricks from some points.

Walls broken Walls on multiple floors were also broken for a greater impact of the next implosion. From afternoon, the workers started drilling

holes but could not finish the task because of which the next implosion was postponed to Wednesday. There are 18 columns in each of the four floors and officials plan to drill between four and six holes in every column.

Army notiies closure of Gough A dry Kabini fails to draw elephant herds Road in Secunderabad area As water level in reservoir declined even before the onset of summer, backwater shoreline has receded Move will hit travel to northern parts of the city

R. Krishna Kumar MYSURU

Rohit P.S. HYDERABAD

The Army has notified the closure of Gough Road that connects AOC Circle to Neredmet on May 31. If closed, the road can affect commuting from the centre of Secunderabad to several northern areas. The closure of the road is a hotly contested matter between various citizens’ groups and the Army administration, with the former demanding that the road remain open while the latter insists on its closure for security purposes. The issue also reached the High Court which allowed the Army to close the road. In the past, the Telangana government had managed to convince the Defence Ministry to let CM YK

the local military authority keep the road open with assurance to develop an alternative. “While land negotiation is on between the State and the Central government, the GHMC is preparing project reports for two alternative roads. These reports are expected to be completed soon,” a State government official informed.

GHMC’s plans Accordingly, the GHMC plans to develop two roads, one each from Safilguda Railway crossing to R.K. Puram and to the start of Entrenchment Road passing through Mahindra Hills. These two roads will run along the peripheries of defence land and eventually fa-

cilitate the closure of AOC Centre to civilian traffic. However, until the governments agree on land, the project cannot go ahead. In all, 34 acres of land are required for developing the roads, 24 acres for the road to R.K. Puram and 10 acres for the connection to Entrenchment Road that will serve as an alternative to Ordnance Road. As compensation for parting with its land, the Defence Ministry has sought land of equal value from the State government. The closure of roads within the AOC area first came to light in 2014. The Army had closed the Mornington Road, which was to be followed by closure of more roads.

The Kabini backwaters, which have been a paradise for elephants during scorching summer, is a letdown for wildlife this year owing to extreme drought. Though the animals, especially elephants and other herbivores, continue to be spotted near the backwaters, the number of animals is negligible compared to what it used to be in the previous years. Also, the size of the elephant herds is small.

Paradise lost: Though elephants can be spotted at the Kabini backwaters, their numbers have dwindled this year. M.A. SRIRAM *

Clockwork precision Large herds of elephants would flock to the backwaters for not only water but also fodder in the form of fresh shoots of grass that would cloak the moist backwater bed as the shoreline would gradually recede dur-

ing summer. There was a clockwork precision to this cycle – of the arrival of migratory animals and availability of fodder and water during crunch time from March through May. This was a regular annual

feature ever since the Kabini reservoir was commissioned in the early 1970s. The congregation of animals would peak during late March and last through April or early May and the backwaters would harbour the highest

density of wildlife anywhere in Asia. But the water level in the Kabini reservoir ebbed as early as February this year and the backwater shoreline receded considerably owing to the drought and continu-

ous discharge from the reservoir to meet Karnataka’s obligation to the neighbouring State besides meeting the drinking water requirements in the region. D. Rajkumar of Wildlife Conservation Foundation, Mysuru, told The Hindu that as many as 250 to 300 elephants could be counted near the backwaters during peak summer. “There would be scores of elephant herds, some with as many as 30 to 40 members. But this year, the number of the herds was less and the size was also small,” he added. “Drought has forced the outward migration of elephants towards the moist deciduous portions of Nagarahole and Wayanad and the foothills of Ooty,” he said. A ND-ND

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IN BRIEF

Bihar smells rat, destroys liquor bottles Over 17,500 bottles seized by the police crushed at the Excise Department godown in Khagaul Amarnath Tewary Patna

Assam govt spent ₹2.37 crore on Priyanka’s visit GUWAHATI

The Assam government has spent ₹2.37 crore on a single visit of the State tourism department’s brand ambassador, actor Priyanka Chopra, though her remuneration has not been fixed on annual basis, the Assembly was informed on Tuesday. PTI

Man rapes minor daughter in Punjab Gurdaspur In a shocking incident, a man allegedly raped his 14-yearold daughter in a village here, the police said on Tuesday. The man has been booked for rape. He is yet to be arrested, the police said. PTI

Powerful IED recovered in Chhattisgarh RAIPUR

Security forces on Tuesday averted a major mishap by recovering a powerful IED, allegedly planted by naxals, in Chhattisgarh’s insurgencyhit Kanker district, police said. The IED, weighing 10 kg, was recovered during a search operation. PTI

After media reports last week on “rats having guzzled lakhs of litres of alcohol seized and stored at Bihar police stations”, the administration on Tuesday decided to do something a little stronger. On Tuesday, 17,586 Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) bottles worth about ₹90 lakh seized from across Patna district were destroyed at an Excise Department godown at Khagaul, located on the outskirts of Patna. A road roller crushed the bottles in front of Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Agrawal. “We destroyed the seized bottles after completing court formalities. The process will continue in future too,” Mr. Agrawal told journalists. In the neighbouring Nalanda district too, 4,172litre of liquor bottles worth ₹75 lakh were destroyed by a road roller at Chandi Police station. Nalanda police had

Destroyed: Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Agrawal (in blue shirt) supervising the destruction of seized liquor bottles on Tuesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *

sought permission from the Magistrate to destroy liquor bottles seized in connection with 24 cases. Huge quantities of illegal alcohol bottles were confiscated from Nalanda districts during the past year. Nalanda Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish said: “The process will continue in future as well.” Since Bihar was declared a dry State in April 2016, over

Himachal Congress leaders trade charges

Girls top Himachal Class X board exams

Party secretary accused of smuggling

DHARAMSHALA

Staff Reporter

Girls secured the top two positions in the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education Class X exams, the results of which were declared on Tuesday. Isha Chouhan of Minerva Academy in Bilaspur district topped the exam. PTI

Shimla

Hunting festival remains ‘bloodless’ JAMSHEDPUR

The annual hunting festival of tribals was observed in a ‘bloodless and symbolic’ manner in and around Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary for the third consecutive year, officials said on Tuesday. - PTI

The Congress MLA from Bilaspur, Bambar Thakur, on Tuesday accused a party leader of conniving with the BJP in smuggling acacia wood to Punjab and other States. The állegation came a day after Himachal Congress general secretary Ramlal Thakur called a press conference to highlight the MLA’s alleged involvement in a ₹200 crore mining scam in Bilaspur’s Naina Devi. Mr. Ramlal Thakur, who is the chairman of the 20Point Programme Implementation Committee, had

also alleged that the MLA took commission from people involved in the construction of four-lane highways.

FIR demanded Demanding an FIR against the legislator, the leader said Mr. Bambar Thakur was threatening State government officials with transfers and was aggressive in his behaviour. Mr. Ramlal Thakur had also accused sitting MLA Randhir Sharma and former BJP MP Suresh Chandel of being involved in a mining scam.

EDUCATIONAL

8-lakh litre of alcohol was seized and stacked in maalkhanas at police stations in all 38 districts. The seized products include 5-lakh litre of IMFL and 3-lakh litre of country-made liquor.

Illegal consignments According to official records, most illegal consignments seized under the stringent Bihar Prohibition and Excise

Act, 2016, had come from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Despite senior officers claiming they hadn’t received reports from police stations regarding “tippler rats”, the government had asked the District Magistrates to destroy the seized bottles in their respective districts. “Following court formalities, the District Magistrates started destroying the seized liquor bottles. The process will pick up momentum in the days to come...We’ll destroy all the seized liquor bottles,” a senior officer told The Hindu, adding “na rahega baans, na bajegi baansuri [no one will be blamed when there’s no liquor left]”. At a meeting with Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj on May 2, the in-charge of some of police stations had reportedly informed him that rodents were consuming liquor stocked at various maalkhanas.

It’s now hic hic time in Udaipur! Press Trust of India Jaipur

Like their cousins in Bihar, it seems Rajasthan’s rodents do not quite believe in keeping matters bottled up. An excise department official in Udaipur, when asked to present before a local court alcohol seized from a resident eight years ago, turned up with a pile of empty bottles, a lawyer said. The official told the court on Monday that it was possible that the liquor had been polished off by rats. The department had seized 36 beer bottles and 83 quarter bottles of liquor from Udaipur in 2009.

Violence erupts in Kolkata market area Trinamool Minister criticises police Staff Reporter Kolkata

Violence erupted in the Charu Market area of South Kolkata on Tuesday after people from two neighbourhoods clashed and resorted to stone-pelting, prompting the police to lathi-charge to disperse the warring groups. The incident drew sharp comments from local Trinamool Congress MLA and Minister Sovandeb Chatterjee, who criticised the police for not taking adequate measures even though there was tension in the area since Monday night. Calls to the Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police (Headquarters) Supratim Sarkar went unanswered. “The police have been repeatedly informed that the area near the local railway station has become a hub for anti-social activities. But they have not bothered to take any action,” said Mr. Chatterjee. He further alleged that “even though

Sovandeb Chatterjee

*

there was tension in the area since Monday night, the number of police personnel deployed there was grossly inadequate.” Locals said that on Monday night a youth from one of the neighbourhoods got involved in a drunken brawl with people from the other neighbourhood. However, the situation was temporarily resolved. But on Tuesday afternoon the situation flared up again and both sides resorted to large-scale stone-pelting in which a couple of police personnel were injured.

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Weaver birds hint at early monsoon in Odisha Locals say birds have started building their nests before schedule; may be due to recent rain, say experts

Busy at work: Weavers birds building nests on a palm tree near the Rushikulya Rookery in Ganjam district. LINAGRAJ PANDA

month before schedule. Mr. Sahu said weaver birds start building their nests a month before the start of the monsoon, which usually arrives in the State by the second week of June. “The rains promote growth of vegetation, which houses insects that can be eaten by the birds. But, this year the birds have started building their nests in April,” he said. Locals have taken this to believe that the monsoon will arrive early this year.

As per a survey by Mr. Sahu and his team, there are nearly 500 weaver bird nests that are almost completely

Changed behaviour Ornithologist Gohar Abedin, however, said nothing can be said for sure regarding

Sib Kumar Das BERHAMPUR

Locals of Ganjam district in Odisha are sure that the monsoon will arrive early this year. When asked how they know this, the locals pointed towards the nests of weaver birds. "Usually these tiny industrious birds start weaving their nests with leaf fiber of weeds and grass from the second week of May. But this year, the birds started building their nests from April," said Rabindra Nath Sahu, a wild life activist and head of the Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee.

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built. Within the next 10 days, these nests will be ready to house eggs, which would be more than a

this changed behaviour of the tiny birds. Male weaver birds build their nests ahead of monsoon, but we do not know how they sense that the rainy season is about to begin, he added. According to him, availability of food may be a major reason behind the early construction of the nests in the region. The weaver bird times the building of its nest so that the eggs hatch by the time monsoon arrives and there is ample food in the area, he added. So, are the weaver birds trying to tell us something? Only time will tell.

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THE HINDU

NATION 7

NOIDA/DELHI

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Tax processed foods: FSSAI panel Dalits denied permission ‘Ban ads promoting products high in fat, salt & sugar during children’s TV shows’ Jacob Koshy NEW DELHI

War of words in SC over funding to Teesta’s NGO NEW DELHI

The Gujarat government and activist Teesta Setalvad on Tuesday traded charges in the Supreme Court during the hearing of a case registered against Ms Setalvad for alleged misappropriation of funds received by her NGOs for the 2002 riots victims. The State government alleged that she and her husband Javed Anand had “siphoned” off the funds.

89 trains cancelled on Lucknow-Varanasi route LUCKNOW

Eighty-nine trains on the Lucknow-Varanasi route have been cancelled between May 12 and 17, the Northern Railway announced on Tuesday. The cancellation of the trains has been done due to scheduled noninterlocking work along the Lucknow—Sultanpur-Varanasi rail route, an official said. In all, 89 trains will remain cancelled for these five days — of these, 28 trains originate from Lucknow, the Railways official said.

A committee of medical experts and nutritionists has recommended a tax on “highly-processed” foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. The body, tasked by the Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI), which is a Union Health Ministry body, has also advocated a ban on advertisements promoting foods high in FSS (fat, salt, sugar) during TV shows and channels aimed at children. “In fact, we should progress towards a total ban, as being done in a few other countries like Chile. Celebrity endorsements of such foods need to be discouraged,” says the report on the FSSAI website.

WHO guidelines The 11-member committee has compiled existing scientific literature on the consumption of fats, sodium and sugar in foods, across

NEW DELHI

A Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel was killed in an encounter with National Democratic Front of Bodoland (S) militants in Chirang district of Assam on Tuesday. Sub-inspector Amal Sarkar was part of a joint team of SSB and Army, which was conducting operations in the area. The team was conducting a patrol, when they came under attack. One militant was killed in the operation. Others were injured but managed to flee.

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socio-economic groups in the country, and endorsed that the proportions of these food constituents not exceed guidelines by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). A salient finding was that Low Income Groups (LIG) reportedly consumed more fried snacks and sweets than

High Income Groups (HIG) and, the highest consumption of bakery items was in slums, said a study on urban populations cited in the report.

Detailed labels must The panel also recommended that all packaged food carry detailed labels specifying the energy value in kcal

Police outpost, vehicles burnt as violence continues Press Trust of India Saharanpur

A police outpost was burnt and over 20 vehicles torched while several instances of stone pelting and clashes were reported on Tuesday from across Saharanpur, which has been witnessing caste-based violence since last Friday. According to the Uttar Pradesh police, permission had been denied to Dalits to hold a ‘mahapanchayat’ on Tuesday in the Gandhi Park, demanding compensation and relief for those affected by an inter-caste clash last week.

Tension, stampede Senior Superintendent of Police Subhash Chand Dubey said as the district administration had not permitted any such gathering, police acted against people who had gathered for the

A ile photo of police in action in Saharanpur. PTI *

’mahapanchayat’. This led to tension and a stampede-like situation, it is learnt. As the news of the police action spread, there were several incidents of violence in the district, including some targeting policemen. Several commuters were manhandled and their vehicles set on fire on the Malhipur road, it is learnt.

Two minors sexually assaulted

Grain output at record high

One accused was working at the girl’s house in Jaipur

Rises to 273.38 MT, up by 21.81 MT, thanks to good monsoon

Special Correspondent JAIPUR

Soldier dies in encounter with militants in Assam

Case against sugar: The panel has said celebrity endorsements need to be discouraged. S. SIVA SARAVANAN

(kilo calories); the amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat; and the amount of any other nutrient for which a nutrition or health claim is made. If relevant, the label should also specify the amount or type of fatty acids or the amount of cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in gram (g) and cholesterol in milligram (mg), the panel said. While many companies provide a breakdown on the nutritional constituents, they are not systematically enforced. “Taxation is not within the remit of FSSAI,” Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, told The Hindu, “but several of these recommendations are being put in place.” The FSSAI is yet to enforce a long standing order that requires food companies to ensure no more than 5% of the daily calorie requirement of their products derives from fats.

to hold rally in Saharanpur

Two instances of sexual assault of minor girls was reported here in the last three days. One of the victims was admitted to hospital with serious injuries. The accused in one of the cases — a domestic help at the child's house — has been arrested. A four-year-old girl was allegedly raped in her house in the Manak Chowk area of the Walled City here on Saturday, while a six-year-old girl sleeping next to her mother on a pavement in the Mansarovar locality was allegedly abducted and assaulted by an unidentified

person early on Monday. The accused in the second case is yet to be arrested. A 20-year-old youth, working at a jewellery shop and also at the shop owner's house, allegedly took his four-year-old daughter inside a room and raped her after increasing the volume of television to make her screams inaudible. Police said the girl's mother spotted the youth in the room and raised an alarm. Police have arrested the youth and registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against him. The charge-sheet in the case

is likely to be filed within a week. In the second instance, an unidentified man allegedly abducted a six-year-old girl, daughter of a labourer couple, from a pavement near the Mansarovar Metro depot, where she was sleeping, and assaulted her in the early hours on Monday. When the girl's mother raised an alarm after finding her daughter missing, police launched a search and found her at some distance. The victim, who had received multiple injuries, was rushed to the Jaykay Lon Children's Hospital and admitted there.

Special Correspondent Chandigarh

The country’s foodgrain output for the crop year (2016-17) is seen at an alltime record 273.38 million tonnes, up by around 21.81 million tonnes compared to last year, on account of good monsoon rains during the season. Government data released by the Union Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday said that total production during 2016-17 is estimated at 273.38 million tonnes, which is higher by 21.81 million tonnes (8.67%) compared to last year’s production. The previous record

production at 265.04 million tonnes was achieved during 2013-14.

Wheat output soars As per the third advance estimates for 2016-17, wheat output is likely to touch a record 97.44 million tonnes this season, which is 5.15 million tonnes higher than the previous year’s (2015-16) production of 92.29 million tonnes. The previous record production of wheat was achieved during 2013-14, when the country produced 95.85 million tonnes. Rice output during 201617 is estimated at a record 109.15 million tonnes, which

is 4.74 million tonnes more in comparison to 104.41 million tonnes of 2015-16. This year’s rice production is likely to be higher by 2.50 million tonnes (2.34%) than the previous record production of 106.65 million tonnes achieved during 2013-14. On account of higher acreage, the pulses production is seen rising at 22.40 million tonnes during 201617, significantly higher by 6.05 million tonnes against the previous year’s 16.35 million tonnes. Oilseeds are also likely to register an increase by 7.27 million tonnes over the previous year’s production.

Mediapersons covering the incidents were also beaten up and their vehicles damaged. Police reinforcements, including the PAC, who rushed to the spot were also attacked and pelted with stones. A police ‘chowki’ was set ablaze while several police vehicles were damaged. A garbage heap was set on fire on Chilkana road near Halalpur. On the Behat road, a bus was set on fire. Protesters also blocked Chakrota road near Nazirpura while a building was burnt down on the Malhipur road. The situation in the district continued to be tense and there was heavy police deployment. Top police and State administration were monitoring the developments with fire tenders rushing across town to tackle the fires.

Actor appears for questioning Press Trust of India Kolkata

Actor Vikram Chatterjee on Tuesday appeared at the Tollygunge police station in connection with the probe into the accident that killed his copassenger, model and TV host Sonika Chauhan, and injured him last month. Vikram was served a notice by the Kolkata Police last week and he appeared before the investigating officers tonight, a senior officer said. Police sources said Vikram was interrogated for an hour.

Bishnoi farmers ill troughs of water for deer Deer and blackbuck were dying, as they were unable to reach canals, the only sources of water left 10,000 deer and blackbuck amid temperatures ranging between 40 and 45 degree Centigrade. Mr. Bishnoi, 45, a farmer living in the Lakhasar village of Hanumangarh district, told The Hindu that the villagers had dug small troughs and lined them with plastic sheaths to prevent loss of water through seepage. These troughs are filled with water and replenished every 10 days.

Mohammed Iqbal JAIPUR

In a novel initiative, Bishnoi farmers in Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts of northern Rajasthan are providing drinking water for a large number of deer and blackbuck facing the intense heat this summer in the plains of the region. The farmers have dug about 70 troughs, many of them in their own agricultural fields, over a 60 sq. km. area, and filled them with water to quench the thirst of the wild ungulates. Deer were earlier dying by drowning while trying to drink water at the two major canals here. The Indira Gandhi Canal and the Bhakra Canal irrigate the fields in the otherwise arid areas of the two districts. Blackbuck were

Unique initiative: A trough dug in Hanumangarh being illed to provide water for blackbuck. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *

earlier climbing up the canal banks, trying to drink the flowing water, but they drowned as the canal edges have 45-degree slopes and they could not climb back. About 30 deer lose their lives every year while trying

to drink water from the canals and if they approach water sources in villages, stray dogs pounce upon them, Anil Bishnoi, who has led the initiative, said on Tuesday. The crisis had affected a population of

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‘Junk food ban is not enough’ Schools say the issue is transforming children’s eating habits

NEW DELHI

Mumbai

CM YK

‘No El Nino threat to monsoon’ Jacob Koshy

Shreya Ramachandran

On Monday, the Maharashtra government issued a resolution instructing schools to stop serving junk food in their canteens, to stem health problems and aid learning. Foods banned: those high in fats, salt and sugar (HFSS): soft drinks, sweets, pastries, pizzas, and burgers. Approved foods include rajma, vegetables, daals, wheat rotis, vegetable pulav, and idlis. Many schools have banned junk food, but kids still bring unhealthy snacks in their tiffin boxes, says Rebecca Shinde, principal of CBM High School, Mumbai. “I am strict, but parents fight with me, asking why children should not be allowed to eat food from home,” she says. “We are not an affluent enough school to have a canteen, so there is a limit to how much we can control what children bring.” Meera Isaacs, principal at

₹2 lakh collected Mr. Bishnoi, a recipient of the State-level Amrita Devi Environmental Award in 2009, has been working for the protection of environment and wildlife for the last 20 years. He said he had convinced the Bishnoi farmers of the region to dig water holes for deer, for which the

community had collected about ₹ 2 lakh. The water is fetched from the canals or the village water supply scheme. The Bishnoi community of Rajasthan is known for its beliefs associated with nature worship and wildlife conservation. Villages falling in the Padampura and Raisinghnagar tehsils of the Sriganganagar district, and the Pilibanga and Suratgarh tehsils of Hanumangarh district, have been covered by the initiative. Jaipur-based environmentalist Harsh Vardhan said it was commendable the villagers had come together to ensure that the deer do not die of thirst. “If the State government cannot support such an initiative, what else will it do,” he asked.

Easy eats: The government aims to solve health issues.

Cathedral and John Connon School, says, “As students get to higher classes, they do not want to eat healthy food. Fruits and milk have no takers; channa, kaathi rolls, pizza, chips and sandwiches have better appeal. We will have to change these eating patterns. I wonder how much luck we will have.” “Our canteen is good,” said Ujwala Zare, principal of Gopalji Hemraj High School. “It has no problem in terms of cleanliness, but it still depends on how much children will show interest in government-approved

food.” Bina Chheda, clinical dietician at Cumbala Hill Hospital, says, “Colas bind together B-complex vitamins; ingredients added for colour or to make a dish cook faster also destroy B-complex vitamins.” She says that ideal meals for children involve carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins and protein. “Foods like biscuits are high on glucose and generate short-term energy spikes but do not give any sustenance” says Krushmi Chheda, sports nutritionist.

The threat to the Indian monsoon from an El Nino may have receded. However, it is not yet clear if this would result in improved rainfall, says the India Meteorological Department’s latest assessment. The odds of the meteorological anomaly, known to dry up the monsoon, have dipped and so called “neutral conditions” are likely to prevail, according to D.S. Pai, Chief Forecaster, IMD Pune. Another sea anomaly, the Indian ocean dipole that refers to oscillating temperatures in that ocean, was likely to be positive. “It is already becoming positive,” Mr Pai said. A positive dipole buffered against an El Nino’s effects but didn’t on its own improve chances of rains. IMD Director General, K.J. Ramesh said the latest assessment was in line with international models. A ND-ND

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8 EDITORIAL

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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Now playing in Karnataka While Siddaramaiah has embraced the constituency of Devaraj Urs, the BJP borrows from Ramakrishna Hegde pression in highly variegated but localised social assertions and movements. The social justice policy initiatives have also nurtured a huge clientele who have stakes in this patronage. Besides, it has articulated cleavages among Dalit communities, the north and south divide in the State, the indigenous philistines and the globalisers etc. Overall, the regime has invoked a stronger Karnataka identity without overtly splashing it across.

The recalcitrant judge

Chasing peace The latest de-escalation bid for Syria is the most realistic agreement yet

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he so-called de-escalation agreement reached among Russia, Turkey and Iran last week in Astana is the latest in a series of attempts to bring the six-year-old Syrian civil war to an end. Previous ceaseire plans have either failed to take of or collapsed soon after, given the continued hostility between the regime of Bashar al-Assad and rebels. Still, the latest agreement is signiicant for a number of reasons. First of all, any attempt to cease violence is welcome given the destruction the war has wreaked in Syria. More than two million people are estimated to be living in rebelheld territories (barring areas controlled by the Islamic State) in terrible humanitarian conditions and under constant fear of aerial bombing. For them, an end to the Russian-Assad regime strikes is a great relief. Second, the agreement involves the three main external players in the civil war. Russia and Iran are the key backers of the regime, while Turkey supports some rebel groups. Under the agreement, Syria and Russia will stop bombing rebel-held areas, divided into four zones in Idlib, Homs, Damascus suburbs, and southern Deraa and Quneitra towns, to de-escalate tensions. The regime will also allow “unhindered” humanitarian supplies to rebel-held areas and provide public services. In return, the rebels should stop ighting government forces. Third, this appears to be a more focussed, phased attempt to end violence. The agreement was reached barely weeks before a two-track political process was to begin. In June, the government and rebel representatives will meet for negotiations in Geneva, while the Russia-led talks of external actors will continue in Kazakhstan in July. If the de-escalation plan holds, it will be a big boost for the political process. But implementing the agreement itself will be a major challenge given the complex nature of the civil war. For the deal to hold, Russia and Iran will irst have to rein in the Assad regime. In the past it has shown little interest in a political solution. Foreign Minister Walid Muallem’s comment that the regime would not allow UN monitoring of the implementation of de-escalation is not in the spirit of the agreement. A bigger challenge for all actors involved is how to tackle the threats from al-Qaeda-linked groups. The Astana agreement is clear on that — Russia and Syria will continue to attack them. In Idlib, the Qaeda-linked Tahrir al-Sham is the main anti-regime militia. In Homs and the Damascus suburbs, they have joined hands with other groups. So if the government continues to attack them, it could drag more rebel groups into the ight, risking an end to the ceaseire. Ideally, the regime should exercise restraint and the non-jihadist rebels distance themselves from Qaeda-linked organisations, while allowing Russia, Turkey and Iran to play the role of facilitators. To take the political process forward, everyone has to act more responsibly, keeping in mind the humanitarian situation. CM YK

he Siddaramaiah regime in Karnataka is pushing towards a political polarisation of social constituencies which, while subjecting a well-tried-out strategy in the State to test, is likely to have wider ramiications for the future direction of the Congress party elsewhere. The outline of this political strategy was initially laid down by the late Devaraj Urs as Chief Minister of the State (1972-77), and its success even made him challenge Indira Gandhi at the near end of his political career and befriend Chaudhary Charan Singh during the closing days of Janata Party rule (1977-1979) at the Centre. Urs bypassed the existing revenue bureaucracy and set up a collective of oicials and elected local leaders at the tehsil level all across the State to confer land entitlement on the direct cultivator, estimate surplus land, and adjudge claims for homestead land by landless labour; and set up the credit and marketing infrastructure for the peasantry. He also directed an inventory and classiication of backward classes and extended to them reservation in employment, higher education and other social sector policies. He took initiative for the organisation of relatively marginal backward castes, and decisively shifted political recruitment to ofices and positions to backward classes and minorities undercutting the prevailing dominance of upper castes, mainly Lingayats, Vokkaligas and Brahmins. The outcome was an electorally formidable platform of the lower agrarian strata, the backward classes, the minorities and a section of Dalits and Adivasis. Political contestation in cities did not enjoy the same weight in the 1970s as it does today, and was taken care of by mainstream Congress politics. After Urs, many leaders in the State have invoked his

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legacy but had little of his adroitness to mount a distinct conception of social justice in practice. The political constituency that Urs nurtured remained adrift. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has come to embrace it enthusiastically.

already presented 12 Budgets. A close scrutiny of these Budgets highlights that he has tended to focus resources on irrigation, roads and communication, and power. Industry in Karnataka has taken note of such disposition in spite of his mouthfuls of statements on social justice. The Congress in power in Karnataka under Mr. Siddaramaiah’s leadership has pursued a complex social justice agenda, very different from the one mounted by Urs that focused on redistribution and access. It identiies certain key disadvantages of vulnerable social strata, such as the lower rungs of peasantry, below poverty line (BPL) families, the shelterless, schoolchildren, pregnant women and nursing mothers, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, transgenders, backward regions etc. and extends some support to overcome their disadvantage. Similarly the diferent authorities and corporations under the State reach out to a set of grievances and aspirations of religious and linguistic minorities, sustaining a stratum of elite among them. The regime has also reached out proactively in support of Kannada, folk traditions, and local icons. Mr. Siddaramaiah himself is an astute speaker of rustic and idiomatic Kannada with an excellent sense of irony and humour. Such disposition and policy measures have enormously increased the presence of vulnerable groups in the public domain that often inds ex-

Complex agenda Mr. Siddaramaiah was nurtured in a school of politics that did not assign centrality to state initiatives, to industry and the city, at least, as much as the Congress did till the early 1990s. His politics revolved around agrarian concerns with an assemblage of fragments of thoughts of Gandhi, Ram Manohar Lohia, and folklore. For long he worked with the non-Congress formation in Karnataka led by Ramakrishna Hegde and H.D. Deve Gowda, who were the backbone of the Janata formations in the State. But he was also the strident champion of backward classes and thought that there cannot be a level playing ield for them without a regime of preferential policies. His partisanship with backward classes eventually made him part ways with Mr. Deve Gowda, whose social base of support was among the peasantry of the dominant castes, particularly Vokkaligas. When Mr. Siddaramaiah joined the Congress in 2005, its claim to represent the backward classes was reinforced alongside Dalits and minorities. Mr. Siddaramaiah has also been one of the astute managers of the inances of the State, and has

The BJP calculus The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposition has pandered to the Hindutva agenda to unite one of the most socially heterogeneous States in India while making the Lingayats, a dominant and numerous community, its social anchor. B.S. Yeddyurappa, the leader of this formation, a Lingayat himself, has tried to highlight the grievances of the upper strata of peasantry to reinforce his base of support. The BJP thinks that it will be able to enlist the support of the service castes among backward castes, a section of Dalits aggrieved with the working of preferential measures, and the urban middle classes at the hustings. However, there is a nagging feeling within it that this not adequate to seize an electoral victory. A few leaders of the party have tried to form a backward caste brigade within its fold, but the party leadership is divided on the issue. In the 1980s Ramakrishna Hegde set up a truce between the Lingayats and Vokkaligas against the alliance that Urs had nurtured. But it was far too caught in the rivalry among dominant castes for power and eventually gave place to alternative alliances under the leadership of a dominant caste. The recent entry of S.M. Krishna, an Vokkaliga, into the BJP was an attempt to resurrect the alliance that Hegde fathered. However, there is little that Mr. Krishna can bring to the BJP given the fact that Mr. Deve Gowda commandeers the Vokkaliga bastion more than anyone else. Given this coniguration of political equations, the balance at

The persisting divides However, what is too late for Mr. Siddaramaiah, as he is soon going to complete four years in power, is the little enablement that his initiatives have aforded to his political constituency at large. While he has succeeded in according a presence to backward classes, minorities, Dalits and other disadvantaged social groups, there is little that he has done by way of enabling these sections by redistributing assets and afording access. Even if he was not a position to shift resources decisively in favour of these sections like Urs did, he could have done much to put Kannada medium schools, that his clientele have to invariably resort to, on a par with the rest. Primary health care in Karnataka, as elsewhere in the country, is abysmal. The State is perennially prone to drought and the water table in large parts has sunk alarmingly low. While the State was known for institutional corruption, some of the social sector policies of the government have given it a further illip. Much of the economy is concentrated in Bengaluru and the southern part of the State and very little has been done to close the yawning gulf between North Karnataka and the rest of the State in this regard. While Muslims are still with the Siddaramaiah regime, a community divide in the State persists and the presence of Muslims in the mainstream economy is pitiably low. While the internal rivalry within the State Congress probably inhibited the Chief Minister from putting his best foot forward for long, political choices cannot always await opportune moments. Valerian Rodrigues is a former professor at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and currently national fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research

Duplication isn’t synergy Indian science needs hard work and a critically large base of experts, not more management Gautam R. Desiraju

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PARK (Sustainable Progress through Application of Research and Knowledge) is a proposed initiative to synergise science activity in India. A new, more eicient way of managing science is surely welcome, but one needs to put in a lot of thought before taking any action. The existing systems of science governance in this country are robust with departments reporting to ministers who in turn report to the Union Cabinet. There is no lack of sound advisory bodies and committees within these departments. As for overarching bodies, we already have the Scientiic Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister and the Principal Scientiic Adviser to the Government of India. Why are there two such similar bodies? Have any of their recommendations resulted in concrete actions? In the end, they have remained toothless. Do we need a third such body? The science departments are too diferent from one another to

come under the purview of one “overarching” body like SPARK. The Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology are purely funding and outreach organisations. The Council of Scientiic & Industrial Research (CSIR) has a special and tricky mandate which involves interaction with industry. The Department of Atomic Energy, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Department of Space and others are into mission-mode projects. There is hardly a government department or ministry that science does not touch.

Reality of Indian science The goals of SPARK seem to be most closely attuned with NITI Aayog, and it might well be efective only within this parent organisation, taking inputs from various quarters such as industries, the ministries themselves and NGOs to make proposals, some of which could move forward to become major initiatives. What one needs

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Not taking a ‘right’ turn In a phase when right-wing forces are on the ascendant in India, the United States and in certain European countries, the victory of Emmanuel Macron, a former socialist, in France comes as relief to the liberal forces which espouse values of tolerance and multiculturalism (“The Centre holds,” editorial, May 9). The Fifth Republic, wobbling due to issues such as Islamophobia and unemployment, has opted for the centre when confronted with the far right. Ashok Alex Luke, Kottayam

Mr. Macron’s victory has been hailed by many as a victory of French liberalism when in fact it is more a loss of neo-fascism (“A triumph for French liberalism,” May 9). The people voted for Mr. Macron, yes, but they did so

THE HINDU

I

t is singularly unfortunate that the Supreme Court’s eforts to discipline Justice C.S. Karnan of the Calcutta High Court has had to end in a six-month prison term for contempt of court. With the recalcitrant judge making it a habit to bring the institution into ridicule by his aberrant behaviour, the court probably had few options but to act in defence of its reputation by holding him guilty of contempt of court — a inding that is unexceptionable. He had not only lung irresponsible charges of corruption against several judges, but also sought to make political capital out of his Dalit identity. He had repeatedly sought to pass purported judicial orders in his own cause. His arrest will undoubtedly mark an abysmally low moment in the country’s judicial history. Therefore, it remains a pertinent question whether the court could not have waited for his imminent retirement so that the country is spared the unseemly event of a high court judge being arrested while in oice. It was only last week that the court itself doubted whether Justice Karnan was of sound mental health. After all, it is highly unusual for a judge to charge other Supreme Court judges with committing ‘atrocities’ against him and threatening to prosecute them — an act that could only do harm unto him. As expected, Justice Karnan declined to subject himself to a medical examination by a team of mental health professionals as directed by the court. Having gone so far as to question his mental soundness, it would have been pragmatic to let things be until his retirement, due in a month. After all, Justice Karnan, having been denied judicial work, posed no threat to the administration of justice. At the same time, it was increasingly clear that nothing was really going to chasten him or prevent him from challenging the Supreme Court’s authority. It is doubtful whether sending him to jail will achieve anything other than possibly encouraging him to play martyr and portray himself as a victim in his ‘war’ against judicial corruption. That the only punishment that the highest court could come up with against a sitting high court judge was imprisonment speaks volumes about the total absence of any disciplinary mechanism short of impeachment to deal with contumacious conduct by a member of the higher judiciary. It is a pity that a case of proven misbehaviour did not attract the attention of the political class, which alone can initiate impeachment. The court’s gag order on the media from reporting Justice Karnan’s purported orders and comments only adds to the sense of unease about the whole episode. The lesson here is that while the collegium system had been unable to stop someone of his nature entering judicial oice, maintaining internal discipline in the judiciary is an equally vexing issue.

Valerian Rodrigues

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

It is doubtful if sending Justice Karnan to jail is the most judicious way of restraining him

present is deinitely tilted towards Mr. Siddaramaiah. Further, an alliance between Mr. Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress in Karnataka, which is not unimaginable, would make them electorally formidable.

is a management technique that effectively identiies scientiic challenges and links the resulting breakthroughs with national problems. However, the issue is not that we need a new system of science management. The bald fact is that we do not have so much to manage. The report of top science administrators that recommended the setting up of this independent authority is correct in that “the stature of Indian science is a shadow of what it used to be” but this is not because of “misguided interventions”. It is because there is a lack of scientiic expertise across all levels.

We have failed in our educational system to harness the enormous latent talent in our country and build a solid foundation of science. Science does not end with the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research and other elite institutions. I disagree with the report’s contention that “there is a huge support system”, and “global goodwill” which is “positive”. We have none of these. Anyway, India does not need global goodwill to succeed in science. It needs hard work, honest management and a critically large base of experts. Soothing yet baling expedients to solve the problems of Indian science might make for good copy in the short run but they are not going to yield real results. For example, SPARK is not even required to “closely work with industry and evolve public private partnerships”. That is the mandate of CSIR. Decisions on new initiatives like SPARK should not be taken within

government departments in Delhi following a proposal from one closed administrative group to another. A broad-based consultation with stakeholders is a must. Even if SPARK is constituted, it needs inancial independence; given the relationship between the Ministry of Finance and its Department of Expenditure on the one hand and the science departments on the other, this remains a moot point. Large systems that work even moderately satisfactorily should not be tinkered with too much, for we may then have to face unintended consequences. Indian science is certainly not in a good state of health today. But what is wrong is not the structure of the system. The wrongs emanate from the many sins of omission and commission over the years by the individuals who have led the system. Gautam R. Desiraju is a professor at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and former president of the International Union of Crystallography

Letters emailed to [email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

more to stop Marine Le Pen than because they had any trust in him. In fact, the record abstention number — between 25% and 27% — shows that a signiicant portion of the electorate was dissatisied with having to choose between a capitalist and a far-right candidate. Mr. Macron’s win may not have stopped the march of the far right but merely delayed it. If he decides to go forward with the neoliberal policies that he and others of his ilk have proposed, it will lead to even more dissatisfaction among the working class, which may drift towards the right. Remus Noronha, Kozhikode

The results of the widely watched French presidential election will soothe the wounds caused by Brexit and make the

European Union stronger. Keeping in with the global trend, the inal race was between two antiestablishment political parties. The world will keenly watch how a young and inexperienced leader tackles issues like the refugee crisis and the terror threat. Paul Jom, Palakkad

L’afaire Karnan The saga of Calcutta High Court Judge C.S. Karnan and his judicial pronouncements has gone too far (“Karnan orders 5-year RI for CJI, 7 other SC judges,” May 9). By making an ego clash with Supreme Court judges look like an atrocity case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Justice Karnan has trivialised the battle for Dalit rights. Dalits continue

to face severe discrimination which requires a concrete redressal mechanism. By ighting their personal battles with the help of a law meant to protect the rights of the downtrodden, people in high constitutional posts undermine the credibility of the movement for rights. In a way, this episode is also comes across as a commentary on the inefectiveness of collegium system, which allows promotion of people of questionable competence to such high posts. Vinita Saxena, New Delhi

not on the same wavelength reminds us of sermonising ofered as part of organised religions. Also, there is a clear failure to recognise that in the present scenario, many traditional Left values are losing relevance. The Left now comes across as whining about every issue without giving practical and workable solutions. This appears to be naive and reactionary. Issues such as human rights, liberty and equality are no doubt fundamental to democracy but the ideological framework of the Left and its methodology both need evolution.

Left behind

Nakshatra Singh,

While claiming to oppose exclusionary politics of the political Right, those on the Left often adopt a binary world view (“Righting the Left,” May 9). The condescension expressed by the Left towards those

New Delhi

AAP still relevant The plot to inish of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is as sure as eggs is eggs (“Fired Delhi Minister

hires bribery charge at Kejriwal,” May 8). The “bribe bombs” have been dropped with the intent to demoralise Mr. Kejriwal and ruin AAP’s credibility. The AAP’s trademark topi and broom are an eyesore to the BJP and the space it inds in the political sphere as an alternative is not to its liking. Blame Mr. Kejriwal for anything, but not for corruption; even his worst enemies would agree on his incorruptibility. It is true that the setbacks in Punjab and Goa Assembly elections have put the party in a downbeat mood. But the AAP has not ceased to represent value-based politics and still appeals to those who believe that politics shouldn’t be fully detached from idealism. G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

more letters online: www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/

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THE HINDU

OPED 9

NOIDA/DELHI

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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THE WEDNESDAY INTERVIEW | SALMAN KHURSHID

‘Most Muslim thinkers say there’s no such thing as triple talaq’ The senior Congress leader talks Pakistan, triple talaq, Indian Muslims, and his party’s need for a new vocabulary Smita Gupta

Congress leader, former Foreign Minister and lawyer Salman Khurshid is a man of many parts. From tomorrow, he will be appearing in the Supreme Court as amicus curiae in the controversial triple talaq case. In a wide-ranging conversation, he talks about the triple talaq issue, what it means to be a Muslim in Narendra Modi’s India, the need in the Congress party for a new narrative, and the problem with the government’s Pakistan policy. Excerpts from the interview: Why have you offered your services to the Supreme Court on triple talaq?

Why not? It may have a political context, but it’s not necessary to look at it in a political context. It can be seen in pure humanistic terms, and towards (developing) a pure understanding of the sociology of Islam. Instead of a partisan approach, we can have an objective discussion that will be helpful for both parties, the court and society. I have done some research, I offered it to the court and am very encouraged that the court accepted it. But for the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), it is a political issue.

In politics, [you can] pose something for the benefit of a segment of society; or you can propose something [because] it gives you political advantage. If the BJP is genuinely concerned about the welfare of Muslim women, then it is understandable. If they are doing it to excite aversion to Muslims, it’s very sad. My view is that they may be taking a simplistic political stand. Therefore I hope an objective understanding of triple talaq will be an appropriate response. The Muslim ulema see it as an interference in personal laws.

That’s their point of view. There are many other points of view. If ulema from elsewhere in the world and ulema from India have different positions then there

needs to be a dialogue between the two sets of ulema rather than for Indian Muslims to say we will only listen to the Indian ulema. Do you think the BJP is gradually moving towards enacting a Uniform Civil Code?

Maybe, but anyone in the BJP who thinks framing a Uniform Civil Code is about removing elements of Islam from the law in this country is barking up the wrong tree because there are many more complicated issues that arise. Let me give you an example: what is the position of the BJP on same-sex marriages? If you have a Uniform Civil Code, you can’t stop at traditional attitudes towards human relations. Isn’t there a court ruling already on triple talaq?

There are High Court rulings and one specifically from Delhi of Justice Badar Ahmed which is very explicit: the ruling doesn’t say we will overrule triple talaq, it says there is no such thing as triple talaq. The world over, the majority view of Muslim thinkers is that there is no such thing as triple talaq. Even if you say talaq three times, it amounts to talaq being said only once. So we have to look at the texts more closely and then come to a conclusion. Is triple talaq really a big issue for Muslim women?

It is not an issue at all, but anyone who feels the threat of adversity would like to stand up against it. But for

of pressure from the NGOs to use a language that is unfortunately divisive. The Congress has a very inclusive and nationalistic idiom that it has used in the protection of minorities and of vulnerable sections of our society. If we lose that idiom, we will be hurt, and that’s what the BJP has done. It doesn’t mean that we have second thoughts on our ideology.

the BJP to assume that Muslim women think only it can save them from this adversity is completely wrong. There are systems within Islam, and an understanding within the Muslim community that does not favour triple talaq. In fact, triple talaq is largely a propagation and promotion of Hindi movies. You have written at least two books in which you have dwelt at length on what it means to be a Muslim in India. What does it mean to be a Muslim in Narendra Modi’s India?

Those books are already dated. What it means today is to understand what it means to be irrelevant. And you cannot blame Mr. Modi or [Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister] Yogi Adityanath for making Muslims irrelevant. The BJP is a political party and it has to win elections, and they have won elections by making Muslims irrelevant. But Muslims have played a major role in making themselves irrelevant. Muslims have been wrongly described as a political group that is captive of the Congress and other liberal parties. They were participants in the Congress movement because it was the only movement that vigorously fought against Partition, refuted the idea of a divided India. So Muslims of India are those who rejected the idea of Pakistan. Where would they go? There have been disappointments with the Congress. Periodically, they return to the Congress. That’s how 10 years of UPA rule was possible. But Muslims have been constantly attacked for being Congress lackeys and the Congress has been attacked for appeasement of Muslims. However, the fact remains that Muslims are not the only ones who have made themselves irrelevant. The liberals

Doesn’t the party need a new narrative?

*

people are < > Ifunwilling to understand what secularism means, we should take the larger picture and talk of liberalism. Deine it as freedom, the right to express yourself have made themselves completely irrelevant. The liberal voices are in complete isolation. It is liberal India that stood up for the minorities and women. On the subject of appeasement of Muslims by the Congress, the A.K. Antony Report after the

2014 elections hinted that that might have been part of the problem.

I have not seen the report but I don’t accept the report has this because I have spoken to Mr. Antony. He said he was saying this is in the context of political structures in Kerala, it was not a general proposition. That is not how it is read in your party.

My party has all kinds of characters but I don’t think they have a right to claim they speak for the party. I can say with enormous confidence that either in private conversations or in public we

SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY

haven’t heard such a direction from our top leadership. You mean Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

Yes, yes. But there is ideology, principle and perception. If a perception is being created against the Congress, then we have to learn the idiom and the manner of presentation so that we don’t become susceptible to perception. And that’s where some of our colleagues are lacking. We are not an NGO, we are a political party. And therefore, what needs to be said has to be said in a manner that will unite, not divide people. We were under a lot

What about dialogue?

In our party we tend to concentrate more on organisation. There’s always a lot of good people available all the time but the larger winning strategy — of course the changes you make in the organisation are absolutely indispensable, the fresh flavour, the fresh passion, fresh vigour to work, reorganise yourself — will come from new thought processes. Perhaps we have not done enough of that. We did this when we had conclaves in the past in the years before we came to office in 2004,

Let them say that dialogue will never be resumed. You start it, one day you stop it. Nowhere in the world does conflict end without dialogue. To hold out a promise that there won’t be a dialogue is silly. There will be dialogue at an appropriate time and under appropriate conditions after we have no reason to feel a sense of weakness. Casualties must stop, that is the first priority and it won’t stop by begging Pakistan to stop it. We must have the strength to stop it.

ARCHIVES

FIFTY YEARS AGO MAY 10, 1967

Paciism and realpolitik

Zakir Hussian elected President Dr. Zakir Hussain has been elected President of India. He polled 4,71,244 first preference electoral votes, as against 3,63,771 by his immediate opponent, Mr. K. Subba Rao. Of the 15 other candidates, only six secured some votes. As anticipated in these columns, Dr. Zakir Hussain, who was sponsored by the Congress, secured a comfortable majority of 1,07,273 electoral votes over the former Chief Justice of India, who was supported by the Opposition parties. The announcement of the election was made this afternoon by the returning officer, Mr. B.N. Bannerjee, Secretary of the Rajya Sabha. From the beginning its was obvious that Dr. Zakir Hussain would win on the basis of the Congress Party’s strength in the two Houses of Parliament and in the State Assemblies.

Japanese PM Abe proposes to revise the country’s Constitution by 2020 Garimella Subramaniam

CM YK

Disastrous. They have not understood Pakistan. Mr. Modi thought it was all about hugs and kisses, and the amazing charm that won him elections in India would win him Pakistan. He has realised that is not the case. Pakistan is a hard nut, very complicated case. Not only are they convinced that their existence is hugely dependent on the continuing disharmony with India but also that their internal structures are very finely balanced on hostility towards India. In all my references to Pakistan, I have said we must stand by the government. It is our duty and obligation that the nation remains united and speaks in one voice. But frankly, how long can we keep our eyes shut and not cry out in pain about what is going on — the repeated casualties and no explanations? What happened to all those promises of we will fix them, show them what India is… There are no easy answers, but you can’t show you are weak as far as your military preparedness is concerned.

FROM

SINGLE FILE

Article 9, the bone of contention The document drafted by the Supreme Command of the Allied Powers (SCAP) divided the Japanese Diet between the conservatives and nationalists on the one hand and the social democrats on the other. Whereas the former view the Constitution as an imposition on Tokyo, the latter see the text as a canon of progressive and forward-looking principles. At the heart of these divisions lies Article 9 through which Japan renounced the use of force in the resolution of international disputes and proclaimed never to maintain land, sea and air forces. The charter merely made provision for the country’s own defence, which resulted in the establishment of the Self-Defence Forces (SDF). However, the beginnings of a gradual shift away from a strict commitment to paciism were soon to become evident. The 1954 Mutual Defence Assistance Agreement between Tokyo and Washington assured Japan external protection in exchange for the installation of permanent U.S. military bases in the country. The quid pro quo could hardly have been an antidote against an assertive nationalism following Japan’s economic and industrial triumph through the decades. If anything, an accent on national sovereignty underscored the need for a more pragmatic interpretation of the essence of paciism in relation to the growing military might of neighbouring China. The execution in January 2015 of two Japanese hostages by the Islamic State (IS) may have strengthened the voices that have been eager to see the end of the ‘no war clause’. The 2015 law on collective self-defence nearly ensured that. The measure authorises Japanese forces to join a battle to defend the nation’s allies, even where its territory is not at threat. Mr. Abe would hope that the proposed amendment would combine the piecemeal measures of the past and reorient the Constitution to the current geopolitical realities. But it will require a two-thirds backing in both Houses of Parliament and also a simple majority in a popular referendum. To jettison the foundational tenets of peace in any Constitution seems a morally regressive act.

It’s been three years since 2014 but there is no talk of a new narrative in the Congress.

What will you say about the BJP’s Pakistan policy?

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The present geopolitical situation in East Asia may have looked conducive, even compelling, for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to set a 2020 target to rewrite the country’s controversial postwar paciist Constitution. Nevertheless, the move to accord legal recognition to the country’s military, which has already grown to assume international commitments, must clear many legislative hurdles. The country’s 1947 Constitution has been at the centre of competing narratives, in much the same way as the contentious historical accounts on Japan’s pre-eminent part in the Second World War.

Of course, we need a new narrative, a redrafting of strategies, a change in vocabulary. I would say fight for liberal India, you don’t have to fight for secular India. If people are unwilling to understand what secularism means, we should take the larger picture and talk of liberalism. Define it as freedom, the right to express yourself, do things that you want to do in a way that does not impinge on the other person, community. That’s how all liberal societies define themselves and that’s how India should define itself till such time as we can get the balance back to speak more freely and more openly about the rights of minorities.

we built up a narrative that brought us to power for 10 years. I think a similar exercise is called for.

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO

MAY 10, 1917

America at war

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CONCEPTUAL

NOTEBOOK

Preference falsification

Mr. Mandal, I presume?

Sociology The act of misrepresenting one’s actual opinions or preferences due to a fear of social pressures. The term was first coined by social scientist Timur Kuran, who used it in his book Private Truth, Public Lies, published in 1997. The idea has since been used to explain some sudden and unexpected political and social revolutions. The fear of social rejection can cause even preferences that are widely held to remain undercover for a long time, and exposed suddenly at some point. The latter could happen, for instance, when a sufficient number of people learn by some means that others covertly share the same preference. CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

MORE ON THE WEB

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Dress code a hurdle for NEET aspirants http://bit.ly/NeetKerala

You can’t take anything for granted on the campaign trail Omar Rashid

Some names are more political than others. More so in Uttar Pradesh, where names are often an expression or reflection of caste hierarchy, political ideology, social mobility or rejection or acceptance of values. Many people belonging OBC castes incorporate the customarily Kshatriya title “Singh”. Some Dalits adopt more authoritative surnames like Chaudhary, or use Buddhist titles like Siddharth or Gautam as a sign of rejection of Brahmanical ideals. These are just a few examples. This context played large on my mind when a couple of months ago, while travelling for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, I was introduced to Moti Chand Rajbhar. He and I met at a litti-chokha stall in Ballia on the eastern fringes of the State. He belonged to the Rajbhar community, a most backward caste, but preferred to be called Moti Mandal.

We soon got debating the electoral mood in the State. To be honest, however, I was more enticed by his name. Mandal was not his birth name. In the Hindi belt, Mandal more often than not evokes the legacy of B.P. Mandal of the Mandal Commission. As tribute to him, many pro-reservation scholars and leaders have even added Mandal to their names. Given Mr. Mandal’s strong views on identity politics, I assumed there were lofty ideals behind his adoption of the name. Mr. Mandal was campaigning for the Samajwadi Party but he had started out his politics by forming the Jai Suheldev Party, named after the medieval Bhar icon whom the BJP is trying to appropriate as a Hindutva figure. The party aspired to ignite aspiration and identity among the Rajbhars. Over time, he merged his forces with another Rajbhar leader, Om Prakash

Rajbhar, giving rise to the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party. The partnership did not last though. Among many things, Mr. Mandal says, he was miffed by Mr. Rajbhar’s insult of Mayawati, whom he himself considered to be a Bahujan icon. To my disappointment, Mr. Mandal spoke more about Mr. Rajbhar than about himself. And soon, it was time to part. I was not letting him go without quenching my curiosity. I thought it now best to ask directly. "Do you take the name Mandal after Mandal politics?" I asked. His response, however, proved to be a bit of an anticlimax. The name had nothing to do with ideology, he told me. While working with his previous party, SBSP, Mr. Mandal was in-charge of the Varanasi administrative division. In Hindi, division translates to mandal. “That’s how I got my name,” he said with a smile.

Mr. Balfour and the British Mission were received most enthusiastically in the Senate. Mr. Balfour in his speech said Germany had blundered in thinking that Great Britain and America were afraid to fight. ``My confidence in the issue,” he said, ``is redoubled since you have thrown in your lot. I do not believe that Germany will win by the submarine. The war will not be settled by sinking neutral ships and drowning women and children. It will be settled by hard fighting. I do not doubt that success will crown our efforts, and posterity will regard the union of America and Great Britain and France as marking a new epoch in civilisation.” CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

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THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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SC orders six-month jail for Justice Karnan “Since the incidents of contempt include public statements made by Justice C.S. Karnan, which are being published by the electronic and print media, we are of the view that no further statements made by him should be published hereinafter,” the Bench ordered. The hearing started with senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, for West Bengal, giving the update about what happened when a team of government doctors met Justice Karnan in Kolkata. The doctors had gone there to conduct a medical examination of him on the orders of the Supreme Court on May 1. The court had wanted to know from the doctors whether he was fit to defend himself in the contempt proceedings. Mr. Dwivedi submitted that the judge had declined to be medically examined. He had further conveyed that he was normal and of stable mind. Mr. Dwivedi read out from a letter that Justice Karnan had challenged the jurisdiction of the Bench to conduct the contempt proceedings against him. Chief Justice Khehar responded that his reactions showed that he was lucid and fit. If not, the medical

board would have contradicted him. The doctors had not done so, and this meant there was no ambiguity about his fitness to face contempt proceedings and no further examination was required. Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh submitted that Justice Karnan seems to “know what he is doing” and action needs to be taken against him in the contempt proceedings. Officials of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate told The Hindu that a police team “from the New Town police station went to Justice Karnan’s residence in New Town on Tuesday morning to arrest him as per the Supreme Court’s direction.” The official said that the police team returned as he was not in his residence.

Meets media in Chennai Meanwhile, Justice Karnan on a personal visit to Chennai on Tuesday, had a ‘press meet’ at the State Guest House in Chepauk. He shared an “order” he had passed on Tuesday against some members of the higher judiciary. Later in the day he left for Srikalahasti, a religious town in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

Mallya guilty of contempt: SC But instead of being either present in court or even filing a response to the notice, he had filed an application in the SC for its recall. The court on Tuesday ordered Mr. Mallya to be present on July 10 for his sentencing order. Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi and senior advocate Shyam Diwan had said the businessman was taking the Supreme Court “for a ride” and his conduct showed he cared “two hoots” for the judiciary. While reserving the case for judgment on March 9, Justice Goel had asked Mr. Rohatgi whether there was

any action that could be taken under the criminal law to secure the presence of Mr. Mallya back in an Indian court. Mr. Rohatgi had informed the court that the case of deportation was before the Westminster Magistrates Court. “When you [Supreme Court] pass an order of contempt, we will show it in the proceedings in England,” Mr. Rohatgi had submitted. It is reported that ₹8000 crore worth of properties of Mr. Mallya lie attached under the anti-money laundering law and he has income tax dues of about ₹2,000 crore.

CBSE blames staf for NEET frisking Precautions such as dress code and frisking were imperative to ensure that only “bonafide and deserving candidates” were selected, the Board said. More than 6.42 lakh female candidates had registered for the NEET this year, and the examination went off smoothly across the country, it claimed. The guidelines, the board said, were issued after the Supreme Court directed it to develop a mechanism for fair and transparent conduct of examinations. This followed the apex court’s direction to conduct the NEET again in 2015 after detection of exam malpractice. The board said it would further sensitise the frisking staff to avoid such incidents in future, and take all steps necessary to ensure that students sat for the exam in a “relaxed mood” without any compromise on its “sanctity”.

DYFI protest The decision to suspend the teachers was given in writing during the talks between

the school management and leaders of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) at the school in the morning following a protest staged by DYFI workers to the school demanding action against those responsible for the incident of removing the brassiere of a student before the examination as part of enforcing the dress regulations for candidates appearing for the CBSEadministered NEET examination. The school Principal was not immediately available for comment.

Case registered In another development, the Pariyaram police station registered a case in connection with the alleged incident. The police said the case was registered against the school staff on frisking duty under Indian Penal Code Sections 405 and 409 (criminal breach of trust). A woman police officer visited the house of the students and recorded her statement on the incident, the police said.

Panel set up to improve staf data Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

In the face of a poor employment generation report card, the government has, on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, set up a task force to look into how to solve the problem of poor employment data in the country. A task force has been created under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog viceCM YK

chairman Arvind Panagariya, with members including Labour Secretary Satyavati and others. “India suffers from a lack of reliable, timely data on employment which has made it difficult for policy makers and independent observers to assess the extent of employment generation at different points of time,” a government official said.

BJP’s bid to woo Muslim delegation meets PM, hails his call on reforms OBC Muslims

To hold outreach programmes, rallies

Modi urges community leaders to take the lead in resolving triple talaq issue

Nistula Hebbar NEW DELHI

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

A delegation of prominent people from the Muslim community, led by the Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Hind called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, among other issues, urged community leaders to take the lead in initiating reforms on the triple talaq issue and not allow the issue to be politicised. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was present at the meeting with JUH leaders, including its general secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani. Welcoming the delegation, Prime Minister Modi said that the Indian democracy’s greatest strength was harmony and amity (Mel Milaap). According to an official release, the PM also said that India “must not be allowed to fall victim to the rising global tide of extremism”. Members of the delega-

For a cause: A delegation of leaders from the Muslim community with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI *

tion included Maulana Qari Syed Mohammad Usma Mansurpuri, president of the JUH, Dr. Zahir I. Kazi, president of the Anjuman-i-Islam, Professor Khtarul Wasey and Maulana Badruddin Ajmal.

Satisfied with meeting Speaking to The Hindu after the meet, Maulana Madani said that the delegation was

satisfied with its meeting with Prime Minister Modi, and especially appreciated his words on not politicising the issue of triple talaq and making it a community initiative. “We appreciated this stand of the Prime Minister,” he said. The delegation also expressed the view that terrorism was a “major challenge”

and added that it was “the Muslim community’s responsibility that under no circumstances should anyone compromise the nation’s security or well being”. The delegation also spoke on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and said that only Prime Minister Modi could give the necessary push to resolve the issue.

Mission Northeast: Modi to address rally in Guwahati

‘Muslims to be expelled for RSS links’

Visit to coincide with completion of his three years in oice

Staff Reporter

Special correspondent NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally in Guwahati on May 26, when his government completes three years, and the BJP-led government in Assam its first year. Marking a departure from last year, when Mr. Modi addressed a star-studded extravaganza in New Delhi called ‘Ek Nayi Subah’ (A New

Dawn), he will make this anniversary part of what BJP leaders call his Mission Northeast. The BJP has been keen on spreading its footprint in the N-E States and have become aggressive in the poll-bound States of Meghalaya and Tripura.

Longest bridge In Guwahati, Mr. Modi will also open the Dhola-Sadiya bridge across the

Brahmaputra in Tinsukhia district of Assam. The 9.15km bridge, considered the country’s longest, will connect to eastern Arunachal Pradesh. According to senior BJP office-bearers, Mr. Modi will speak about his government’s efforts to reach out to the northeastern States. The BJP heads the governments in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

Kolkata

A day after The Hindu reported that the BJP is fielding several Muslim candidates in Bengal for the upcoming municipal polls, a key religious leader in Kolkata declared that Muslims joining the RSS will be expelled from the community. The announcement was made by Moulana Syed Noorur Rahman Barkati, the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Mosque in the city.

The BJP will be running an outreach programme to attract Muslims belonging to the backward classes. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted party members to do so during the BJP national executive meet in Bhubaneswar last month. Former Rajya Sabha MP Sabir Ali organised the first of such conferences under the aegis of the Bharatiya Muslim Pichchda Warga Sammelan at Delhi’s Talkatora stadium on Tuesday. Mr. Ali, formerly with the Janata Dal (U), had run such outreach programmes for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too, in the past.

Religion no bar “After Prime Minister Modi spoke about the Other Backward Classes (123rd Constitution Amendment) Bill in Bhubaneswar, the only reservation available to the backward Muslims, I thought that these conferences should be held to make sure people know how the Bill is being blocked by the Opposition. I will be doing at least 100 such outreach programmes, and two big rallies, one in Lucknow and one in Patna over the issue,” said Mr. Ali, speaking to The Hindu. “No doubt Nitish Kumar started to do something for the Passmanda Muslims (backward class Muslims), but he didn’t take it further and not a single person from any of the 39 Passmanda castes in Bihar have received a single advantageous position because of him,” he added. Prime Minister Modi had, in an intervention during a debate on a resolution on

Plea challenges social media ban in J&K British-era Telegraphs Act can regulate not ban the service itself, say petitioners Peerzada Ashiq Srinagar

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has issued notice to the State government on a plea challenging the ban on social networking sites that argues that the archaic Indian Telegraphs Act, 1885, “cannot be used for the exercise of maintaining the public order” in J&K. Hearing two separate petitions filed by Raja Faisal Malik and Bilal Ahmad Bhat, Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar has issued a notice to the government to file objections by May 16. Lawyer Pirzada Salih, one of the counsels, told The Hindu that the sub-clause 2 of Section 5 of the Indian Telegraphs Act in the past was invoked “only to monitor and regulate the messages, which could be in the form of voice, video, picture or text”.

Phone tapping “However, the Telegraph Act in the case of banning of the social media sites is being used to ban the telegraph (a

service) itself and not any objectionable message. The Act may have been invoked to tap phones for security reasons but never to stop the phone services itself,” argues Mr. Salih. Mr. Salih submitted before the court that “public order cannot be regulated by the provisions of the Act and in any such eventuality would amount to excessive delegation”. He said the provisions of the Act “cannot be executed while employing the provisions of the Central legislation when public safety falls within the domain of State Legislature.” Twenty-two social media sites offering services of instant message were banned on April 24 in the Kashmir Valley by invoking the colonial era Act, legislated by British after the mutiny of 1857. “Curtailment of access to internet by the State is tantamount to infringement of freedom of speech and expression as well as basic human right,” said Mr. Salih.

the OBC Bill in Bhubaneswar, spoken out about the Bill as being applicable to backward communities across religions and that this should be understood by all. This was seen as taking a subtle dig at parties that claim the OBC and Muslim votes to explain their Opposition to the Bill that seeks to give constitutional status to the backward classes commission on the lines of the Scheduled Caste Commission.

Idea of secularism “Those who consider themselves the flag bearers of secularism should explain why the meaning of secularism is so different in India. These parties have not done justice with the idea of secularism nor the 39 Passmanda castes in Bihar or the 84 such castes in Uttar Pradesh, and blocking this Bill is part of it,” Mr. Ali said. The Bill (the Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill) was cleared by the Lok Sabha and now lies with a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha. Significantly, the meeting in New Delhi was addressed by Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who had earlier opposed Mr. Ali’s entry into the BJP. Leader praised On Tuesday he heaped fulsome praise on Mr. Ali, terming him as someone who was “diligently working for the poor in the community”. He added that there were 84 such groups, like Qureshi, Momin and weavers, among Muslims who would get help from his government's development push for the poor and backward.

Jaya verdict remarkable, says CJI Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI

On the boil: Police in action in Srinagar on Tuesday. Violent protests by students again erupted in Srinagar and Pulwama, for the fourth consecutive week. NISSAR AHMAD *

Protests erupt in Srinagar Special correspondent Srinagar

Violent protests by students again erupted in Srinagar and Pulwama, for the fourth consecutive week, on Tuesday, fuelling tension and forcing the security forces to use tear-smoke shells. Students of premier gov-

ernment educational institutions, Sri Pratap Higher Secondary and Government Women's College, located in commercial hub Lal Chowk clashed with the security forces. Trouble started when a group of students hurled stones at a cavalcade of gov-

ernment vehicles. “Students took to the streets and started attacking police vehicles and bunkers near the Exchange Road," said a police official. The clashes affected daily life in Lal Chowk. Scores of tear-smoke shells were used to control the situation.

Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose’s judgment in the Jayalalithaa disproportionate assets case was a remarkable verdict, Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar said on Tuesday. Justice Ghose, who authored the verdicts in both the Jayalalithaa case and the revival of conspiracy charges against senior BJP leaders like L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, is scheduled to retire later this month after a four-year stint in the Supreme Court. Tuesday was his last working day as judge of the Supreme Court, which is going into summer recess from May 10, 2017 till July first week. Speaking at his farewell ceremony organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, Chief Justice Khehar reminisced how he and his brother judges in the court would tell Justice Ghose that he would be remembered for the Jayalalithaa wealth case verdict.

AICTE to facilitate internships for students

Disclose foreign funds, MHA tells political parties

Will also ofer them counselling and guidance

Seeks details of their sources of funding

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has signed an agreement with Internshala, an internship and training platform, to facilitate internships for Indian students. As per the MoU, all colleges affiliated to the AICTE — the regulatory body for technical education under the Ministry for Human Resource Development — will now be able to help their students find internships through Internshala free of cost. Internshala is used by over 40,000 organisations that offer more than four lakh internships every year, said an official release.

The platform would help students find internships as well as offer them counselling and guidance, it added.

Internships mandatory The AICTE is set to mandate internships for all students enrolled in institutions recognised by it in a bid to enhance the employability of students. “We have made internships mandatory for students so that they can be equipped with skills before they take up jobs. Students will get exposure to the work environment and their professional skills including technical, managerial and communication skills would be honed,” said AICTE chair-

man Anil Sahasrabuddhe. “Internships would make them industry-ready before they step out of their colleges. We are hoping that, through our partnership with Internshala, colleges and students get easier access to more and meaningful internships.,” Mr. Sahasrabuddhe added. Internshala was founded in 2010 and provides internship opportunities to over 1.5 million students registered with it, the release said. Students can find internships in a diverse range of fields including engineering, management, applied arts, science, law, design, hotel management, architecture, etc.

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

The Ministry of Home Affairs said on Tuesday that all political parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, have been sent notices to disclose the foreign funds received by them. Last week, the Aam Aadmi Party, which was also sent the questionnaire, had accused the Centre of a “political witch hunt” and described the move as a danger to democracy.

As per norms A senior Home Ministry official said the notices were sent as per norms prescribed under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act

(FCRA), 2010, which bars any political party from receiving donations from any “foreign company”. Last year, the National Democratic Alliance government had amended the FCRA through the Finance Bill route, which allowed foreign origin companies to fund NGOs here, and also cleared the way for donations to political parties by changing the definition of “foreign companies”. The amendment ensures that “donations made by such (foreign shareholding) companies to entities including political parties will not attract provisions of the FCRA, 2010”. Contributions made by Indian companies

with foreign holdings up to the prescribed limit as per the extant Foreign Direct Investment policy will not be treated as foreign contribution. The Representation of People’s Act bars parties from receiving foreign funds. Both the BJP and the Congress supported the amendment. The Ministry has asked parties to give details of their sources of funding, including those from abroad or foreign business enterprises, an official said, adding that this was part of the routine communication sent to parties every year to ascertain whether they have violated provisions of the FCRA. A ND-ND

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THE HINDU

NEWS 11

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Tharoor lays report on Sunanda’s death

Indo-Pak. tensions hold up Samjhauta blast case trial India is yet to summon 13 Pakistani witnesses for deposition in the case Vijaita Singh

Shashi Tharoor, MP, has expressed his strong resentment against a television report regarding his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death. Mr.Tharoor, who described the news report as an “exasperating farrago of distortions, misrepresentations and outright lies....,” in his Twitter message, said that the media need not take over functions of the police and the judiciary.

New Delhi

JAIPUR

The Rajasthan Cabinet on Tuesday decided to amend prison rules to include remuneration days in the parole tenure, in a bid to provide relief to prisoners who have displayed good conduct.

‘Indian woman to return after legal formalities’ ISLAMABAD

Pakistan will send back an Indian woman, who said she was sexually abused after her forced marriage with a Pakistani citizen at gunpoint, once all legal requirements in the case are completed, a media report said on Tuesday. Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry was cooperating in the matter, the report said. PTI

Remove encroachments by June 6: SC to Haji Ali NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Mumbai’s Haji Ali Dargah Trust to remove encroachments in a 500 square metre area in the shrine in four weeks, while lauding its efforts in this regard so far. The Supreme Court said that the Bombay High Court’s task force will intervene in case of failure to comply with its fiat by June 6. PTI

Supply of HIV drugs for children hit Vidya Krishnan

The Netherlands eager to upgrade trade and commerce ties Kallol Bhattacherjee New Delhi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Rajasthan Cabinet amends parole rules

India’s Security Council seat bid gets Dutch help

The current tensions in India-Pakistan relations may affect the ongoing trial of the 2007 Samjhauta Express train blast case as India is yet to serve summons to 13 Pakistani witnesses. A special NIA court in Panchkula had on March 17 issued summons to 13 Pakistani witnesses asking them to depose before July 4. The summons were to be served by the Ministry of External Affairs, but the diplomatic row after the May 1 incident at the Line of Control, when two Indian soldiers were beheaded by Pakistan’s Army, is said to have derailed the process. Pakistan High Commission officials said they had no knowledge about the “summons.”

a makeshift court at the Wagah-Attari border for their convenience, but now we have decided that they depose at the Panchkula court itself,” said an NIA official.

Close watch: A ile photo of the BSF personnel guarding the Samjhauta Express near the Attari border. PTI *

An NIA official however, said the 13 Pakistani witnesses were “not critical” to the case and the trial was at an advanced stage. The Pakistani witnesses include persons injured in the blast and relatives of those killed. Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member Aseemanand is one of the prime accused in the

case and the delay in summoning witnesses could delay the verdict. Out of 299 witnesses, over 250 have been examined and the NIA is expecting a verdict in the case this year. “As and when the Pakistani witnesses come here, their security would be our responsibility. Earlier there was a plan to construct

Pakistan’s charge Pakistan has accused India of weakening the Samjhauta blast case as the NIA did not oppose the bail plea of Aseemanand earlier. He was recently acquitted in the Ajmer Dargah blast case and is out on bail in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case. The NIA is yet to challenge his acquittal. Pakistan has also asked India to send 24 witnesses to depose before an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack trial. India is yet to act on the request.

The Netherlands has extended support to India’s membership bids for the United Nations Security Council and a host of export control regimes. Visiting Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said on Tuesday that the Netherlands was eager to upgrade trade and commerce between the two countries and expressed the hope of overcoming the shock of Brexit. “We continue to support Indian membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). We will continue to make our position known in discussion with other members. We also support Indian membership of the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) and Australia Group (AG),” the Dutch Minister said in an email interview. He reiter-

‘Tallest bridge built can withstand blasts’ Konkan railway, executing project across the Chenab, says mega structure can resist quakes too

ated that the Netherlands has been a steady supporter of India’s admission into export control regimes. India accepted membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) last year when the Netherlands had the chairmanship of the multilateral organisation.

‘Regulated globalisation’ Mr. Koenders also came out in support of regulated globalisation to overcome the shock of Brexit and asked for structural adjustments in the international community. “We believe that the U.N. is best served by inclusive and transparent decisionmaking by its Security Council. India would be an obvious candidate for such a permanent seat,” he said. The visiting minister who arrived in India on Monday

announced that a new Consulate General of the Netherlands would be opened in Bengaluru later this year. He also inaugurated the Barapulla drain cleaning project in Delhi and pledged to contribute to the flagship programmes of the Indian government. On Tuesday, he held discussion with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Delhi and expressed the hope that trade-related issues between India and the EU could be resolved soon. Following bilateral discussions, the MEA said terrorism was a common concern. “Minister Sushma Swaraj sought the support of the Netherlands for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), at the U.N.,” a statement from the MEA stated.

Abducted priest makes fresh appeal for help Terms response of oicials ‘very poor’

Somesh Jha KATRA

The world’s tallest railway arch bridge over the Chenab river in Jammu, providing rail connectivity to Kashmir, will be capable of handling high intensity blasts and resisting the worst possible natural disaster. “This is for the first time globally that a bridge is designed to handle high level trinitrotoluene (TNT) blast load. We consulted the Defence Research and Development Organisation to ensure safety of the bridge architecture,” said Rajendra Kumar, Project Director at Konkan Railway Corporation Limited which is executing the ₹1,200-crore Chenab rail bridge project. The 1.3 km long bridge over the Chenab at a height of 359 metres will be 35m

Press Trust of India Dubai

taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris and five times the height of the Qutab Minar in Delhi. The bridge will be a crucial link in the 111-km stretch between Katra ( Jammu) and Banihal (Kashmir) which is

part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla section of the railway project aimed at linking Kashmir through rail with the rest of the country. The project site located barely 60 km from the Pakistan border — has faced

Digvijaya seeks changes in GST Bill

Soon, Navy to be without minesweepers

Says paper work will increase

Special Correspondent

Krishnadas Rajagopal

By the end of 2018, the Indian Navy would be left without any minesweepers to defend its ports and vessels from enemy mines. The countdown to the grim scenario began on Tuesday with the retirement of two minesweepers from service after 31 years. “INS Karwar and INS Kakinada were decommissioned at sunset at Naval Dockyard Mumbai after a distinguished service of 31 years,” the Navy said. With this the Navy is left with four other such ships all set to be retired next year. A ship is most vulnerable when it is at the harbour and minesweepers are crucial to detect mines and explosives planted by the enemy targeting our ships as they enter or leave harbour. Efforts to procure new minesweepers have been repeatedly delayed. Navy officials said all issues have been addressed and the deal is in the final stages.

several delays since its inception. The construction work of the Chenab Bridge – declared as a national project — was awarded in August 2004 with a completion target of April 2007. However, the

project has since missed several deadlines as the Railways was in the process of addressing bridge alignment and safety issues. (This correspondent visited the project site at the invitation of Ministry of Railways)

Father Tom Uzhunnalil, an Indian Catholic priest, abducted by terrorists in Yemen, has made a fresh video appeal for urgent help. He said his health was deteriorating and he required hospitalisation. Father Tom, 58, who hails from Kerala, was abducted in March last year by a terror group. He went missing in Yemen after the Islamic State attacked a care home run by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. Gunmen stormed the refuge for the elderly and killed a Yemeni guard before tying up and shooting 15 other employees. Four foreign nuns, in-

cluding an Indian, working as nurses were among those killed. In the video carried by the Aden Time news website, the frail-looking priest said: “I am Father Tom Uzhunnalil. My date of birth is August 18, 1958. I received the message of concern that you sent me my dear family people...Thank you very much. “They [the abductors] are treating me well to the extent that they are able. My health is deteriorating quickly and I require hospitalisation as early as possible. They contacted our Indian government authorities several times and I have seen the message of their response. It was very very poor.”

New Delhi

New Delhi

Despite having run out of child-friendly HIV drugs, the Indian drug controller’s Subject Expert Committee (SEC) has rejected fast track registration of the Lopinavir and Ritonavir pellets. The drugs are currently not registered in India and therefore, not available in the national HIV Programme. Meanwhile, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) programme is running out of the substitute for oral pellets currently available in India — Lopinavir syrup. The Hindu had reported on March 6, that India had run out of paediatric formulations of the syrup after Cipla Pharmaceutical, Lopinavir syrup’s sole manufacturer, stopped production over non-payment of duesNACO had placed an emergency order for Lopinavir and written to the Drugs Controller General, requesting that Lopinavir and Ritonavir be registered soon.

NEW DELHI

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has asked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to consider amending clauses 37, 38, 39 and 44 of Chapter IX of The Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Bill as he said it demanded that tax-paying merchants submit 37 forms in a year, up from four that they gave every quarter at present. How would such a law, Mr. Singh asked Mr. Jaitley in a letter dated April 7, 2017, “improve” India's global ranking in “ease of doing business”, something the government had been promising. He also pointed out that a mistake in one return would lead to a mismatch because of which the tax payer would be deprived of the benefit of input credit. These provisions would defeat the very purpose of GST and on each transaction, tax would be levied, Mr. Singh said, stressing it

Digvijaya Singh would have a cascading effect resulting in inflation. The Congress released copies of the communication between the two on the issue.

Jaitley’s reply The Finance Minister, in his reply to Mr. Singh, dated April 18, wrote that in the proposed GST design the tax payer has to file only his initial return on the 10th of the next month while the other returns on invoice matching and availment of ITC credit are “auto-populated.”

Sacking of Navy man quashed He was summarily dismissed for allegedly leaking national secrets Josy Joseph NEW DELHI

An Armed Forces Tribunal in Mumbai has quashed a Navy order dismissing one of its officers for alleged breach of national security. The order marks an embarrassing watershed for the Navy, which dismissed three officers in 2013 accusing them of leaking national secrets. The Navy chief invoked his special privileges to summarily dismiss them without even court-martial proceedings. This is the second officer among the three to successfully challenge the Navy’s decision. The first officer chalCM YK

lenged the Navy up to the Supreme Court, and is now back in service, while the third officer is believed to have migrated out of India after his dismissal, without raising any legal challenge to the order. With the Navy’s entire stand over their dismissal coming apart, it raises questions about internal accountability for ruining the careers of the three mid-service officers. “All charges against Commander Lijo Stephen Chacko has been set aside and he has been notionally reinstated for the purposes of pension and other priv-

ileges,” Advocate Satendra Kumar, counsel for the officer, said. The order was issued on April 28.

Flaws in claims The order found serious flaws with the entire inquiry and the claims made by the Navy. “Though there was a staff recommendation to get the involved machines and hard-drives analysed by experts, the same was never done,” the order said. “There is no documentation of any forensic analysis of the unauthorized pendrives, home computers, connecting Internet data cards on official laptops/

computers. This is a serious shortcoming in the B of I [Board of Inquiry]. There are file-notings to show that the sensitivity of the information passed was also low,” said the AFT Bench, comprising Air Marshal D.C. Kumaria and Justice B.P. Katakey. The Bench said: “In our opinion, the charge that the applicant had deliberately jeopardised National Security is too far-fetched. That is not to say that he has not violated the laid down rules and regulations. The case has been grossly overstated.” The Bench dismissed other charges of moral turpitude against the officer. A ND-ND

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Jakarta’s Christian Governor found guilty of blasphemy

ELSEWHERE

He is accused of insulting the Koran during last year’s polls Joe Cochrane Jakarta

An Indonesian court found the Christian governor of the country’s capital, Jakarta, guilty of blasphemy against Islam on Tuesday, sentencing him to two years in prison in a case widely seen as a test of religious tolerance and free speech. The governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, was defeated last month by Anies Baswedan, a former minister of education and culture, in an election in which the blasphemy case, and religion, was a major issue. Mr. Purnama began his sentence on Tuesday. Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat is to serve as acting governor until October, when Mr. Baswedan takes office. Blasphemy is a crime in Indonesia, a secular democracy with the world’s largest Muslim population. The sentence was harsher than what prosecutors had asked for. They had recommended a sentence of two years’ probation on a lesser charge, which would have spared Mr. Purnama prison time.

Abbas says he is ready to meet Netanyahu RAMALLAH

Mahmud Abbas said on Tuesday Donald Trump was expected to visit the Palestinian territories “soon” and that he was ready to meet Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of the U.S President’s peace eforts. AFP

‘Trump approves supply of weapons to YPG’ VILNIUS

U.S. President Donald Trump has approved the supplying of weapons to Kurdish forces battling the Islamic State in Syria, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. The funding “to support the YPG has been approved”, the official said. The move is sure to infuriate ally Turkey, which considers the YPG terrorists. AFP

Imran accuses Sharif of taking Osama’s money ISLAMABAD

Pakistan’s Opposition leader Imran Khan’s party has said it will sue Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly taking money from Osama bin Laden to promote jihad in Kashmir. Mr. Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief, has been demanding Mr. Sharif’s resignation for alleged corruption. PTI

In deep trouble: Basuki Tjahaja Purnama speaks to his lawyers after his sentencing in Jakarta on Tuesday. AFP *

Mr. Purnama told reporters that he would appeal the ruling, as supporters outside the court looked on in shock. Hardline Islamic groups opposing him were seen celebrating.

Pressing for Shariah Mr. Purnama’s 16-point defeat last month was seen as a sign of the increasing power of Islamic conservatives, who have pressed for the adoption of Islamic law, or Shariah, throughout Indonesia. Mr. Purnama, known as Ahok, became Governor of Jakarta in 2014 when his pre-

decessor Joko Widodo became President. He was only the city’s second nonMuslim Governor. He had been leading in the polls last year, but in September his campaign faltered when he tried to address attacks from Muslim hard-liners who argued that the Koran forbade Muslims from voting for a nonMuslim. Mr. Purnama said those making that argument were misleading Muslims, a statement that was interpreted by some people as an insult to the Koran. NYT

Another extremist German soldier held Reuters Berlin

German police have detained a second soldier suspected of involvement in a plan by an army officer and a student to carry out an attack, possibly on left-wing politicians who don’t oppose immigration, the federal public prosecutor said on Tuesday. The federal prosecutor’s office named the third suspect in the case, which has shocked the country and prompted a debate about

Over 50 injured in Thailand car bomb blast PATTANI

Suspected insurgents in Thailand detonated a car bomb on Tuesday outside a Big C shopping centre, a major grocery and retail chain, in the Thai city of Pattani, wounding more than 50 people. The huge blast ripped the targeted building apart and sent people running for their lives. AP

‘Flynn was compromised by Russia’

the depth of right-wing radicalism in the military, as Maximilian T., a 27-year-old German national.

Hit list prepared “The accused is strongly suspected of planning a severe act of violence against the state out of a right-wing extremist conviction,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. The three had planned to carry out an attack and make it look like it had been the work of Islamist milit-

ants, it said. Former president Joachim Gauck and Justice Minister Heiko Maas were on a list of possible targets prepared by the suspects. The first soldier and the student, named Franco A. and Mathias F. respectively, were detained on April 26. The prosecutor’s office said in its statement that Maximilian T. had at times covered up Franco A.’s absences from military barracks, suggesting he was also a soldier.

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Marching with pride

Former acting A-G testiies she had warned the Trump White House about Flynn Ms. Yates refused to discuss the details, citing confidentiality reasons, and stuck to the formulation that Mr. Flynn’s “underlying conduct” made him susceptible to Russian blackmail. She told the committee that she sought to meet with White House officials as “a matter of some urgency” after seeing the intelligence intercepts.

Varghese K. George Washington

Testimonies of two key former officials before a Senate committee that is investigating alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election last year brought the issue into sharp focus again even as President Donald Trump termed the ongoing inquiry a “taxpayer-funded charade”. The Senate Judiciary Committee is also probing potential links between Russian agents and people linked to the President’s campaign. Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates — an Obama appointee who was sacked by Mr. Trump after she refused to defend an executive order that barred travel from several Muslim majority countries — told the committee that she had warned the White House that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn

Key remarks: Former acting Attorney-General Sally Yates listens as former Director of U.S. National Intelligence James Clapper testiies before the U.S. Senate on Monday. AFP *

may have been compromised by Russia. “To state the obvious, you don’t want your National Security Adviser compromised by the Russians,” Ms. Yates said, recalling that she made the point emphatically to Trump White House officials in meetings on January 26 and 27. Mr. Flynn resigned as

NSA on February 13. Before assuming office, Mr. Flynn discussed with the Russian ambassador in Washington the possibility of relaxing U.S. sanctions, according to leaked media reports of intelligence intercepts, but there is no official version of what transpired in those conversations.

Information leak While Democrats in the Senate Committee and critics of Mr. Trump sought to focus on the delay by the White House in sacking Mr. Flynn, Republicans and the President himself wanted to press on issues related to the leaking of classified information. Republican members pointedly asked Ms. Yates and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who testified with her, whether they leaked the information to the media.

In sync: Russian servicemen at Red Square during the annual Victory Day military parade, held to mark Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, in Moscow on Tuesday. In his address, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the horrors of the war demonstrate the necessity of countries working together to prevent conlicts in the future. AFP *

Sri Lanka clears wasp nests CPEC doesn’t change Former PM Valls ofers to Kashmir stand: China ahead of Modi’s visit back Macron in June polls He will address a meeting in Central Province’s estates

‘Corridor is an economic undertaking’ Atul Aneja

Meera Srinivasan Colombo

Sri Lankan police are clearing nests of hornets and wasps in tea estates in the island’s Central Province ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the area on Friday. Police in Hatton, near the popular hill station Nuwara Eliya, has roped in a private company to help evict thousands of wasps to prevent a possible attack on the visiting leader.

The police in Hatton have roped in a private irm to help with the exercise. AFP

UN celebrations Mr. Modi arrives in Sri Lanka on Thursday evening, and will inaugurate the UN Vesak Day celebrations in Colombo, being held to mark Buddha Poornima on Friday. Following the event, he would proceed to the

Central Province, which is home to thousands of upcountry Tamils, descendants of Indian-origin tea estate workers brought down to Sri Lanka by the British. Apart from inaugurating an India-funded hospital facility nearby, Mr. Modi will

CM YK

*

address a public meeting in the estates, in which President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe are expected to participate. Wasps are commonly found insects in tropical Sri Lanka and are known to have a formidable sting. Wasp attacks are often reported in the island’s tea estates, where workers are most vulnerable. “We have cleared the nests and declared the area safe for the VVIPs to visit,” an officer incharge told AFP. Mr. Modi will also visit the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, before returning to New Delhi on Friday night. Sri Lankan police have deployed 6,000 additional police personnel for his security, and made special traffic arrangements.

BEIJING

China on Tuesday reiterated that its position on the Kashmir issue remained unchanged, despite its “promotion” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as an economic undertaking. “With regard to the CPEC, China has been stressing that it is an economic programme. China’s promotion of the relevant programme does not mean we have changed our position on the relevant issue. These are two different things,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. In his remarks last week at the United Services Institute in New Delhi, Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui rebutted the as-

sumption that the CPEC infringed on India’s sovereignty, as it passed through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “The CPEC is for promoting economic cooperation and connectivity,” he said.

Renaming CPEC In an apparent bid to accommodate India’s concerns, Mr. Luo offered to rename the CPEC. However, the posting of the Ambassador’s speech on the embassy website has subsequently dropped this line. Asked whether Pakistan has sought clarification from China over renaming CPEC, Mr. Geng said: “I am not aware of that. As for the Ambassador’s participation and his speech, the embassy has released relevant information on the website.” (With PTI inputs)

His support could boost chances of President-elect’s party around 10% and dwindling competitiveness. Mr. Macron’s party currently has no seats in Parliament, though an opinion poll last week predicted it would emerge as the largest in the parliamentary elections next month.

Reuters Paris

French President-elect Emmanuel Macron won an offer of support from Socialist exPrime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday as he and his aides worked on strategy ahead of parliamentary elections that will be crucial to his ambitious reform plans. The 39-year-old centrist’s emphatic election victory over the anti-European Union Marine Le Pen of the Front National on Sunday brought relief to France’s EU allies and financial markets. But once he has moved into the Elysee Palace next week, Mr. Macron faces the task of securing a second election victory in June for his start-up party, now renamed ‘En Marche la Republique’ or ‘Republic on the

Manuel Valls

Move’, in order to get the majority needed to implement his plans for economic recovery. Successive centre-right and centre-left governments have failed to pull France out of deep economic malaise which includes slow growth, high unemployment of

Reform plan A majority would provide Mr. Macron with a decent chance of implementing a blueprint for lower state spending, higher investment and reform of the tax, labour and pensions systems. Politicians from the traditional parties in France have taken on the air of survivors from a ship-wreck following Mr. Macron’s triumph, which in particular dealt a death blow to the Socialists. A ND-ND

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THE HINDU

BUSINESS 13

NOIDA/DELHI

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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market watch 09-05-2017

% CHANGE

Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 29,933 ddddddddddddddd0.02 US Dollar dddddddddddddddddddd 64.63 ddddddddddddd -0.50 Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 28,570 ddddddddddddddd0.07 Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 48.74 ddddddddddddd -0.73

NIFTY 50 PRICE CHANGE

ACC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1701.20. . . . . . -10.05 Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347.50. . . . . . . . . 7.00 Ambuja Cements. . . .. . . . . . 257.55. . . . . . . . -3.20 Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1165.30. . . . . . . . -2.05 Aurobindo Pharma . . . . . . 594.35. . . . . . -10.30 Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518.20. . . . . . . . . 7.00 Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2873.15. . . . . . . 16.20 Bank of Baroda . . . . . .. . . . . . 186.75. . . . . . . . -2.10 Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 345.25. . . . . . . . -6.05 Bosch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23336.50. . . . . . -55.60 BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721.40. . . . . . . . . 5.80 Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552.95. . . . . . . . . 1.40 Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278.15. . . . . . . . -0.95 Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 2581.15. . . . . . -19.35 Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. 27128.50. . . . . 209.05 GAIL (India). . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 421.80. . . . . . . . . 3.65 Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1167.60. . . . . . -17.10 HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849.75. . . . . . . . . 9.55 HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1523.50. . . . . . . . -6.00 HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1535.75. . . . . . . . . 0.95 Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 3282.35. . . -118.90 Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.40. . . . . . . . . 2.20 Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 952.05. . . . . . . . -2.80 Indiabulls HFL . . . . . . . .. . . . 1085.95. . . . . . -34.00 ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300.60. . . . . . . . -2.35 IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1420.90. . . . . . . . -3.95 Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 365.90. . . . . . . . . 1.45 Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 946.65. . . . . . . . . 1.15 Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 440.75. . . . . . . 12.25 ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271.50. . . . . . . . -1.45 Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 906.85. . . . . . . . -0.50 L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1744.65. . . . . . . 35.05 Lupin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1250.15. . . . . . -29.65 M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1343.65. . . . . . . 10.30 Maurti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 6629.30. . . . . . . . -1.25 NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161.25. . . . . . . . . 0.65 ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.10. . . . . . . . . 0.15 PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 208.35. . . . . . . . -1.65 Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1330.35. . . . . . . . . 8.95 State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296.50. . . . . . . . -2.90 Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 640.30. . . . . . . . . 3.15 Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 426.80. . . . . . . . . 4.15 Tata Motors DVR. . . .. . . . . . 262.25. . . . . . . . . 0.95 Tata Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.10. . . . . . . . . 0.00 Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433.50. . . . . . . . . 1.60 TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2352.55. . . . . . . 10.10 Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . . . 426.20. . . . . . . . . 5.05 UltraTech Cement . .. . . . 4432.90. . . . . . . . . 6.65 Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508.90. . . . . . . . . 6.60 YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1602.50. . . . . . -12.95 Zee Entertainment . . . . . . 495.65. . . . . . . . -6.00

EXCHANGE RATES Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit except yen at 4 p.m. on May 09 CURRENCY

TT BUY

TT SELL

US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 64.42. . . . . . . 64.74 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 70.18. . . . . . . 70.53 British Pound . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 83.25. . . . . . . 83.66 Japanese Yen (100) . .. . 56.61. . . . . . . 56.90 Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 9.33. . . . . . . . . 9.38 Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 64.25. . . . . . . 64.58 Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 45.68. . . . . . . 45.92 Canadian Dollar . . . . . . . . .. . 47.07. . . . . . . 47.30 Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 14.82. . . . . . . 14.91 Source:Indian Bank

BULLION RATES

CHENNAI

May 09 rates in rupees with previous rates in parentheses Retail Silver (1g) . . . . . . . . . . . 40.40. . . . . (40.50) 22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . . 2,715. . . . . (2,708)

IndiGo to spread its wings into Data may understate regional aviation market soon cash crunch impact: IMF To induct smaller turboprop planes, a break from the single aircraft model

‘Oicial statistics don’t cover worst-hit informal economy’

Special Correspondent

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI

NEW DELHI

IndiGo’s fourth-quarter profit rose 25% to ₹440 crore due to rising fuel costs but said it will participate in the government’s UDAN scheme for providing regional air connectivity, changing its business model by inducting smaller planes for the first time since its inception in 2005. In the full financial year 2016-17, the airline registered its ninth consecutive yearly profit of ₹1,659 crore — a 16.5% decrease from ₹1,986 crore in the previous fiscal year. The airline, India’s largest by market share, on Tuesday announced signing a term sheet (a non-binding agreement) with Avions de Transport Regional G.I.E. (ATR) for purchase of 50 ATR 72600 aircraft at $1.3 billion at list prices. The airline’s move to induct smaller turboprop planes in its fleet will be a breakaway from the single aircraft model it has followed so far.

The International Monetary Fund’s latest regional outlook has projected a slowdown in India due to the lingering effects of a cash crunch caused by demonetisation even as economic growth is expected to remain robust in the Asia and Pacific region compared with the levels forecast in October 2016. India’s national accounts statistics may understate the economic impact of the cash crunch, at least in the near term, according to the IMF’s May 2017 Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and the Pacific.|

20 ATR aircraft IndiGo has a market share of around 40% and has 133 planes in its fleet — all of which are Airbus A230 narrow-body aircraft. IndiGo plans to start its regional aircraft operations by end of this year and expects to induct up to 20 ATR aircraft by December 2018. “In support of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s UDAN vision, we are embarking on a journey to build a nation-wide regional network and connect cities that have not benefited from the growth in Indian aviation,” IndiGo’s President and Whole-time Director Aditya Ghosh said in a statement. Mr. Ghosh said that tier-II and tier-III cities are becoming the growth engines and bringing air connectivity in

Changing course: IndiGo has signed an agreement to purchase 50 ATR aircraft at $1.3 billion as per list prices. this market would be beneficial. IndiGo chief financial officer Rohit Philip said that the airline will participate in the second round of bidding for UDAN scheme to be held later this year. In the first round, the Centre had awarded 128 routes connecting 70 airports to five airlines — SpiceJet, Alliance Air, TruJet, Air Deccan and Air Odisha Aviation under the regional connectivity scheme. Under the scheme, airfares are capped at ₹2,500 for an hour’s flight on regional routes. The government provides subsidy to cover up losses incurred by airlines through a levy on domestic air tickets and contribution from respective state governments.

Separate division IndiGo will set up a separate division to run turboprop aircraft operations, separate from the company’s main divisions in a bid to avoid com-

standalone < > The ATR operations will add synergy to our overall operation Aditya GhosH President, Indigo

plexities to the airline’s mainline operation. “While it would be part of IndiGo, we will have a focused division that will have complete responsibility of running this division with autonomous operating function that will not overlap with our narrow-body function. These operating groups would comprise of flight operations, in-flight services, dispatch and operation control and revenue,” Mr. Ghosh said, in a conference call with analysts after the airline announced its fourth quarter results for 2016-17. The low-cost airline chief also justified its deviation from the existing business model of operating with a single type of aircraft to mul-

RBI places restrictions on loss-making IDBI

‘NPA ordinance may have limited impact’

Dividends, branch expansion curbed

Stressed assets’ value low: Moody’s

MANOJIT SAHA MUMBAI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed sanctions on state-run IDBI Bank that include curbs on branch expansion and distribution of dividend after the lender’s financial health weakened. IDBI Bank is the first lender to be sanctioned by the RBI after the central bank recently revised its prompt corrective action framework and RBI sources said the regulator may shortly take action against another one or two more banks. Sanctions are imposed if a bank breaches a certain level of net non-performing assets (NPA), Return on Assets (RoA) and capital adequacy ratio. IDBI Bank informed the exchanges that RBI, in a letter dated May 5, had initiated prompt corrective ac-

tion in view of high net non-performing assets (NPA) and negative Return on Assets. “This action will not have any material impact on the performance of the bank and will contribute to improving the internal controls of the bank and improvements in its activities,” IDBI Bank said.

Breaches threshold According to RBI sources, IDBI Bank had breached the risk threshold 2 following which mandatory sanctions were imposed. Restrictions on dividend distribution, domestic and overseas branch expansion, higher provisioning, are part of mandatory restrictions. However, discretionary restrictions like curbs on lending or accepting deposits had not been imposed, the sources added.

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

The effect of the ordinance empowering the Reserve Bank of India to deal more effectively with non-performing assets will be limited as operational problems of the stressed sectors remain, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report. “The government's recent ordinance provides RBI with greater legal authority to intervene in non-performing loans (NPL) resolution,” according to the report. “RBI can now direct banks to initiate insolvency proceedings with respect to specific borrowers who are in default, and can appoint advisory committees to advise banks on the resolution of stressed assets.” These measures were aimed at encouraging banks to be more proactive in NPL resolution as well as im-

tiple aircraft. “Complexities come from adding a Boeing 737 or a Boeing 757 into a narrowbody A320 operation and then we have to optimize the mainline network with different types of operation,” Mr. Ghosh said, “In fact, when we run the numbers, the standalone ATR operations while avoiding this complexity will add synergy to our overall operation and some activities like ground handling. We will immediately start putting the infrastructure and people necessary to start operation later this year.” At present, rival low-cost airline SpiceJet already operates Bombardier Q400 turboprops to serve regional routes. “Both ATR and (Bombardier) Q400 manufacturers make great products. The Q400 operated by one of our competitors has proven to be successful in India. For us, ATR was the right product,” Mr. Ghosh said.

Cash-based sectors “Specifically, the impact on the informal economy and cash-based sectors, which are relatively large and have been affected the most by the cash crunch, is likely to

IMF logo at its Washington headquarters. AP *

be understated because these sectors are either not covered in the official statistics or are proxied by the formal sector activity indicators,” it said. However, these were likely to be short-term impacts and demonetisation was likely to have medium and long-term gains, especially in terms of fiscal gains,

increases in bank liquidity, and the push towards cashless transactions and digitisation, the IMF noted. An analysis by IMF’s staff suggested that compared with the October 2016 forecasts, cash shortages were likely to have slowed India’s GDP growth in financial year 2016-17 by about 4/5ths of a percentage point and would drag down output by about half a percentage point in fiscal 2017-18. “The recent growth momentum in the largest economies in the region remains particularly strong, reflecting policy stimulus in China and Japan, which in turn is benefiting other economies in Asia,” the IMF observed in the report. “More broadly across the region, forward-looking indicators such as the Purchasing Managers’ Index suggest continued strength in activity into early 2017.”

Bharti Airtel’s Q4 net proit falls 72%

PM reviews progress in infra sectors

‘Sustained predatory pricing’ to blame

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Bharti Airtel’s consolidated net profit fell 72% to ₹373 crore for the January-March quarter as a result of “sustained predatory pricing by the new operator,” Reliance Jio, impacting voice and data businesses. The telecom services provider has also warned that the market conditions would remain “turbulent” in the current quarter as well. The company’s revenues declined by 12% to ₹21,935 crore. It had posted a net income of ₹1,319 crore in the year-ago period.

“The sustained predatory pricing by the new operator has led to a decline in revenue growth for the second quarter in a row. The telecom industry as a whole also witnessed a revenue decline for the first time ever on a full-year basis. “The deteriorating health of the industry was compounded by the tsunami of incoming voice traffic from the new operator as a result of which significant investments had to be made just to carry the incoming traffic on our network,” Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, India & South Asia, said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the progress of key infrastructure sectors including petroleum and natural gas, power, renewable energy and housing. “In... the presentation made by CEO NITI Aayog, it was noted that remarkable progress has been made in several sectors, including generation of renewable energy, affordable and rural housing, LED bulbs,” said a statement on Tuesday. It said that the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has reached 1.98 crore BPL households.

prove co-ordination among banks. The RBI could now direct banks to undertake a plan of action for specific assets if it felt that banks were not taking a prudent approach, it added.

‘Credit positive’ “These moves are credit positive for Indian banks,” Moody’s said. The ordinance followed regulatory steps taken by the Centre to address the NPL issue. “The reason for the limited success of the various regulatory measures so far is that they do not address related structural factors.” The current market value of the stressed assets were far lower and the banks will have to take a significant hit when they write-down the value of these assets to market value, according to the report.

Passenger vehicle sales rise 15% Sales of commercial vehicles fall due to demonetisation Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Nisaba Godrej

Godrej scion Nisaba to chair GCPL Special Correspondent MUMBAI

Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. has named executive director Nisaba Godrej as its new executive chairperson effective May 10, 2017. Chairman Adi Godrej, Nisaba’s father, will in turn assume the position of chairman emeritus. Vivek Gambhir will continue as MD and CEO, the company said on Tuesday. CM YK

Sales of passenger vehicles segment, including cars, utility vehicles and vans, posted a 15% jump in domestic sales in April compared with the same month last year. The growth was mainly driven by new models and more than 23% rise in sales posted by market leader Maruti Suzuki. However, commercial vehicle sales saw a steep fall of 23% due to impact of demonetisation as well as advance buying by customers ahead of new BS-IV emission norms coming into effect from April 1. Passenger vehicles sales grew to 2,77,602 units in April 2017 from 2,42,060 units in the same month last year. Car sales grew at more than 17% to 1,90,788 units,

Maruti sales drove the industry.

while utility vehicles saw a nearly 14% growth to 70,691 units, according to industry body SIAM’s data.

New factories “Factors such as commissioning of new manufacturing plants and new model launches led to strong growth in the passenger

vehicle segment during the month,” SIAM deputy director general Sugato Sen said. He explained that the segment also grew as market leader Maruti Suzuki saw over 23% growth during the month with the Gujarat plant becoming operational and easing supply pressure. The sectoral body also pointed out that the industry is will invest about ₹1 lakh crore for upgrading products so that they meet upcoming safety and emission norms. “The figures which we are getting from member companies is almost ₹1 lakh crore,” SIAM Executive Director (Technical) K. K. Gandhi said, adding that the investment will go into developing new platforms, emission norms, safety upgrades and fuel efficiency norms. A ND-ND

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14 BUSINESS

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Oracle eyes India in cloud ITC aims for top slots in new FMCG businesses in two years battle with Amazon, Google Unveils GST-enabled enterprise software at lagship event The irm is the third-largest company in the overall FMCG space

Peerzada Abrar NEW DELHI

foods space players include Mondelez and Adani besides ITC, Parle and Britannia.

Indrani Dutta

NHAI to list masala bonds on LSE soon NEW DELHI

The National Highways Authority of India will soon raise about ₹5,000 crore by issuing masala bonds to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will open the market for LSE trading on May 11 to which will “coincide with the culmination of the NHAI’s debut Masala Bond issuance which is expected to list on the LSE shortly,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Carborundum Universal net rises to ₹42.26 crore CHENNAI

Carborundum Universal Ltd., part of the diversiied conglomerate Murugappa Group, has reported a marginal rise in net proit for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 to ₹42.26 crore, compared with ₹41.88 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. For the year ended March, net proit grew to ₹164.69 crore from ₹139.69 crore in the same period of the previous year. PTI

Lupin’s unit receives 8 USFDA observations NEW DELHI

Drug irm Lupin said on Tuesday the U.S. health regulator has made eight observations after inspecting its Aurangabad facility in Maharashtra. Lupin said in a BSE iling, “Subsequent to the inspection, the USFDA issued Form 483 citing 8 observations.” As per the USFDA, “FDA Form 483 is issued when investigators have observed any conditions that in their judgement may constitute violations of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act...” PTI

CM YK

KOLKATA

ITC plans to emerge as one of the top players in the noncigarette business that it refers to as the ‘new FMCG segment’ and a market leader in the foods business, which is the main growthdriver in its new business foray. As per Nielsen’s latest report, ITC is the third-largest company in the overall FMCG space (excluding cigarettes) and the thirdlargest in the foods space. In the fourth quarter of 2016-17, its overall FMCG business grew 9% by value, while the foods business grew by 8.9%. “As per Nielsen, ITC has registered the highest growth-rate among the top FMCG companies”, B. Sumant, President and head of ITC’s FMCG businesses

Tobacco to spices: ITC is chasing a ₹1 lakh crore turnover target by 2030 in its non-cigarette FMCG business. said. “ITC is well-poised to become the largest player in the foods segment in the next two years and the second-largest player in the overall FMCG segment excluding cigarettes. ITC is the fastest growing FMCG com-

pany in India. We are a relatively new-entrant in all categories but are competing against well-entrenched players”, he told The Hindu. The major players in the FMCG space are HUL, P&G, Parle and Britannia. The

Dena Bank loss soars 76.4% Vijaya Bank proit triples; Syndicate Bank net at ₹104 crore Staff Reporter BENGALURU

Dena Bank’s loss widened to ₹575 crore in the fourth quarter of the year ended March 31, 2017, compared with a ₹326 loss in the same period of the previous year. For the full year 2016-17 too, the bank posted a loss of ₹863.63 crore as compared with a loss of ₹935.32 crore for FY16. “[The] main reasons for [the] loss during the year are the increase in NPAs, which leads to a decrease in Interest on Advances by ₹786.27 crore and also increase in provisions from ₹1,860.62 crore in FY16 to ₹2,253.84 crore in FY17,” the bank said while explaining

the loss for the full financial year. For the fourth quarter, the provision for bad loans was at ₹878 crore as compared with ₹1,094 crore. Its gross NPAs, as a percentage of gross advances, increased to 16.3% as on December 31, from 9.9% a year earlier while net NPA moved to 10.6% from 6.3%. Its capital adequacy ratio was 11.39%. Its return on assets was negative for the second consecutive year.

Vijaya Bank Vijaya Bank reported an almost threefold jump in net profit to ₹204 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2017, due to lower provisioning and a rise in other

income. The total income for the quarter rose 8.56% to ₹3,504.73 crore, according to a BSE filing. Net interest income increased 27%. For the full year ended March, the bank’s net profit almost doubled to ₹750.48 crore. Total income also increased to ₹14,030.72 crore from ₹12,957.44 crore. Provisions and contingencies dropped 33.85% to ₹432.06 crore. The shares of Vijaya Bank rose 4.36% to ₹92.25. Meanwhile, Syndicate Bank reported a net profit of ₹104 crore for the fourth quarter, against a loss of ₹2,158 crore in the same period the previous year due to lower provisions and higher other income.

Non-cigarette business ITC is chasing a ₹1 lakh crore turnover target by 2030 in its non-cigarette FMCG business. There are three FMCG segments around which the cigarette-major is trying to grow. These are foods, personal-care products, stationery and education products and agarbattis. “The new FMCG businesses have been profitable over the last three years despite large investments in new categories that we have forayed into including luxury chocolates, coffee, juices, dairy and others. ITC has registered ₹14,000 crore of consumer spends in the new FMCG segment,” Mr. Sumant said.

Air India to ly to six new destinations Press Trust of India NEW DELHI

National carrier Air India will unveil flights to three new destinations in the U.S. as well as to Stockholm, Nairobi and Tel Aviv this year, its CMD Ashwani Lohani said on Tuesday. Making it the fifth nonstop destination in the United States, a direct service would start to Washington from July 7, followed by a flight to Los Angeles from September 1 and then to Dallas. The airline will begin service to Stockholm from August 15. Mr. Lohani said it would also start flights to Tel Aviv, Nairobi and Dallas this year.

Oracle, a leader in enterprise software, has chosen India as a major battleground to take on rivals Amazon, Microsoft and Google in its bid to dominate cloud computing services. The Redwood City, California-based firm is betting big to sell its cloud technology to Indian businesses and the government for its initiatives like Digital India. At its flagship event Oracle OpenWorld in New Delhi, held for the first time in the country, the company announced the availability of Oracle enterprise resource planning (ERP) cloud in India. It would help local and multinational firms operating in the country to prepare for the country’s transformational tax reforms. The firm said that Oracle ERP Cloud delivers built-in features to facilitate compliance with new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regulations. GST aims to simplify the taxation of trade in goods and services, minimising processes and augmenting the ease of doing business. “Who would have thought GST will pass in March and be effectuated on July 1, that is amazing. And what did we do? We created and are launching ERP cloud for India, compliant for GST,” Oracle chief executive Safra Catz told an audience consisting of thousands of its customers and partners during her keynote address. “It is so fantastic and shows to you our commitment to India. All of it was developed (here), just like the honourable Prime Minister (Modi) wanted, ‘Make in India’ for India,” she said. Ms. Catz said that her last visit, when she met some chief ministers and Prime

Safra Catz

Minister Modi, changed her life. “Because the courage and the spirit of transformation in this country and the massive opportunity for over a one billion people told me that we have to do even more in India,” she said. She said that when she joined the company 18 years ago, Oracle had 40,000 employees globally and now in India alone it has the same number of employees and nine development centres. “We are truly an integrated American-Indian company.” She said that many companies and governments are moving to the cloud because it allows them not only benefit from their “economies of scale” but also enables them to benefit from everybody’s “economies of scale”. She said this opportunity was clearly seen by the Prime Minister because “the entire Digital India vision is based on harnessing the massive economies of scale in the country to allow services like e-learning and e-voting.”

Demographic power Ms. Catz said that India now is at an “amazing” moment with the demographic power of the young people. By 2020, India would be the largest and youngest of important nations, with millennial age far younger than many established economies. She said with each hand stands a phone, more

powerful than the computers used in the past and it is a doorway to the digital economy, digital nation and digital education. The firm had earlier announced that it is investing more than $400 million in Bengaluru and opening nine incubation centres throughout the country. During a media interaction, Ms. Catz said that Oracle wanted to foster startups by not only providing them Oracle’s technology platform but business guidance and advice as well. When the company wanted to set up its first start-up accelerator it chose India’s Silicon Valley Bengaluru. The initiative, launched as a pilot, been successful and replicated across the globe.

Protectionism fears Regarding growing fear of protectionism in the U.S., Ms. Catz said that America had been created as a country of immigrants. She said that besides her, leaders of many technology companies are immigrants. She said all sorts of ideas and regulations are being discussed. “However, I know and I am very confident that common sense will always prevail, that it would always be focused on advancing the agenda for the greatest possible minds.” Ms. Catz, who also teaches at Stanford Graduate School of Business, said that about half of many of her students are foreigners and many would stay and build businesses in the U.S. “ But I will tell you that they also have opportunities to come to India and start great companies and operations here.” (The writer was in New Delhi at the invitation of Oracle)

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Kings live to ight another day

Only pride to play for

Surmount Kolkata Knight Riders’ challenge in a close inish

Uthra Ganesan

S. Dipak Ragav

With no chance of advancing past the group stage for either team, Gujarat Lions will be looking to improve its position on the leaderboard when it takes on Delhi Daredevils in its penultimate IPL game here on Wednesday. The Green Park Stadium is the alternate home ground for Gujarat and would be hosting the first of its two games here. It would also be the penultimate IPL game for the venue with the franchise most likely ceasing to exist — at least in its current form — after this edition. With the squad for the Champions Trophy also named, neither the team nor the players have anything at stake and the best the fans could hope for would be enough entertainment to make it worth it. Their hopes would be raised by the fact that the last time the two teams met, it was a barrage of sixes and fours. It was the game that saw Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant make a mockery of Gujarat’s massive 209-run target after Suresh Raina lucked out with three lives during his blistering innings. But while Gujarat went on to redeem itself with a victory in the next game and exchange spots with Delhi on the table — it is sixth now despite the same number of points — Delhi embarrassingly collapsed against Mumbai Indians. As such, it would also be a battle for pride and redemption for the Zaheer Khan-led side of youngsters. The teams are also suffer-

IPL-10

Mohali

After being taken to the cleaners in the PowerPlay, Kings XI Punjab bowlers, led by spinners Rahul Tewatia and Axar Patel, produced a brilliant effort in the middle overs to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 14 runs. The win has kept Kings XI’s hopes alive in the tournament and KKR will now have to win its final game against Mumbai at home to be sure of a berth in the final four. Chasing 168, Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn provided some fireworks as KKR made 61 for the loss of one wicket in the first six overs. The Aussie raced to 41 off just 19 balls in the first six overs with seven fours and a six. But Kings XI fought its way back into the game when Tewatia scalped Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa in the tenth over and checked the flow of runs. In the seven overs after the PowerPlay, Knight Riders managed only 36 runs. Axar too did his bit, chipping in with quiet overs as the visitors failed to find a boundary for more than six overs. Pacers Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma and Matt Henry then came back strongly in the last six overs with some tight bowling to keep the battle for the playoffs alive with Lynn waging a lone battle.

Power-hitting Earlier, put into bat Punjab were meandering in the first half until skipper Glenn Max-

KANPUR

well’s power-hitting and few boundaries in the end from Tewatia, helped put a decent score of 167. Opener Manan Vohra gave the innings the initial momentum picking two boundaries each of Sunil Narine and Umesh Yadav before getting caught behind to a poor ball. Guptill and Shaun Marsh too followed soon as Sunil Narine and Chris Woakes checked the runflow. Maxwell, who walked in at 56 for three, wasted no time in getting a move on as he slammed four sixes in 25ball 44. The Australian then launched into Kuldeep Yadav getting under the deliveries to pick two sixes over the mid-wicket fence. However, the wily chinaman bowler sent a googly wide outside off-stump and Maxwell could only slice it over cover with Woakes completing a brilliant running catch diving to his left.

SCOREBOARD

Collective efort: Kings XI Punjab bowlers made life diicult for the big-hitters of Kolkata Knight Riders to eke out a crucial win. AKHILESH KUMAR *

KINGS XI PUNJAB VS KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

Kings XI Punjab: Martin Guptill lbw b Narine 12 (16b, 1x4), Manan Vohra c Uthappa b Umesh 25 (16b, 4x4), Shaun Marsh b Woakes 11 (10b, 2x4), Wriddhiman Saha st Uthappa b Kuldeep 38 (33b, 2x4, 1x6), Glenn Maxwell c Woakes b Kuldeep 44 (25b, 1x4, 4x6), Axar Patel (not out) 8 (10b), Swapnil Singh b Woakes 2 (2b), Rahul Tewatia (not out) 15 (8b, 3x4); Extras (b-2, lb-4, w-6): 12; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs):

167. Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Vohra, 4.5 overs), 2-41 (Guptill, 5.5), 3-56 (Marsh, 8.3), 4-127 (Maxwell, 15.3), 5-146 (Saha, 17.5), 6-149 (Swapnil, 18.2). Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Umesh Yadav 3-0-26-1, Colin de Grandhomme 4-0-37-0, Sunil Narine 4-0-27-1, Chris Woakes 4-0-20-2, Ankit Rajpoot 2-0-17-0, Kuldeep Yadav 3-0-34-2. Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil

Narine b Mohit Sharma 18 (10b, 4x4), Chris Lynn run out 84 (52b, 8x4, 3x6), Gautam Gambhir c Marsh b Tewatia 8 (18b), Robin Uthappa c Axar c Tewatia 0 (1b), Manish Pandey c Axar b Henry 18 (23b, 1x4), Colin de Grandhomme (not out) 11 (7b, 1x4), Yusuf Pathan c Maxwell b Mohit 2 (3b), Chris Woakes (not out) 8 (6b, 1x6); Extras (lb-2, w-2): 4; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 153. Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Narine,

3.4), 2-78 (Gambhir, 9.3), 3-79 (Uthappa, 9.5), 4-131 (Manish, 17.1), 5-132 (Lynn, 17.2), 6-139 (Yusuf, 18.1). Kings XI Punjab bowling: Sandeep Sharma 4-0-31-0, Matt Henry 3-0-31-1, Mohit Sharma 3-0-24-2, Axar Patel 40-28-0, Rahul Tewatia 4-018-2, Swapnil Singh 2-0-19-0. Toss: Knight Riders. Man-ofthe-match: Mohit Sharma. Kings XI won by 14 runs.

‘Carry on Manohar’

I have been able to give back, whether it’s on or of the ield

Virtually all the ICC full members — barring BCCI and Cricket Sri Lanka — who had urged Shashank Manohar to defer his resignation as chairman of the ICC, and associate and affiliate representatives from all five regions — Asia, Europe, Americas, Africa and East Asia Pacific — are pushing for him to continue beyond the annual conference in London in June 2017. Manohar, citing personal reasons, had quit as chairman, but the eight full members impressed upon him to reconsider it. After the recent round of ICC meetings in Dubai, eight full members have urged Manohar to continue till the ICC annual conference in June 2018. Those in the know have been given to understand that PCB and BCB have spoken to him a few times and so have other boards who have either spoken or written to him to stay on. One member went to the extent of saying: “After the dark days, ICC is seeing light,” urging Manohar to complete his term.

MUMBAI

He has retired from international cricket. But he isn’t a stereotypical freelance Twenty20 player. Having returned to the Mumbai Indians team after a gap of four years, Mitchell Johnson opens up about his association with the IPL franchise and his views on international cricket. Excerpts: You have made no bones about airing your opposition to pink-ball Test cricket. What is it that doesn’t work for you?

Why do you need to change it? That’s my question. It’s all about money. The countries, the associations just wanna put people on seats. Yes, there’s been a loss of attendance in Test matches but I am sure the ratings will show a lot of people — if not more — are still watching it on TV. The game is exciting enough as it is. I think pinkball cricket changes too many things. I think you have to change the stats because it’s a different kind of

ball, played at night, different things happen, the wicket is different. In Adelaide, the first time around, they kept heaps of grass on the wicket, why can’t you do that in a normal Test match and bring the bowlers in? Five-day Tests are ideal but if I had to choose between a pink-ball Test and a four-day Test, I would go with a four-day match on an exciting wicket. Do you think with the advent of T20, all three formats of international cricket can co-exist?

I don’t see any point of International T20s. Maybe a World Cup. The (T20) games are either scheduled at the start or end of a series. What they are starting to do is split the teams. I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Are you getting the best teams? Are you getting the best players? The standard has to be good. Are ODIs in danger of losing their relevance?

There’s so much talk about

G. Viswanath Mumbai

talk of what happens to oneday cricket, especially over the last 10 years. But I think Twenty20 cricket exists only because of one-day cricket. Were you surprised to have returned to the Mumbai Indians camp for IPL 2017?

Mitchell Johnson.

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the relevance of one-day cricket. I think it’s very important because you learn so many skills playing one-day cricket. You can’t really get rid of one-day cricket. That’s where I started, learnt to bowl with the new ball in all kids of conditions. But the most important skill I learnt was bowling through those middle overs — the cutters, the slower balls, change-ups, learning about conditions, having catchers in front, you learn a lot. There has always been a

To be honest, I didn’t like Twenty20 cricket as much because you are going back from Test matches to onedayers to a couple of T20s here and there, so I found I didn’t really enjoy it as much. But I have really enjoyed it this year. Last year for the Kings XI I was pretty flat, to be honest. My interest levels were pretty low because I had just retired. That’s why I played just three games and didn’t perform well. To be honest, I was surprised that I got a contract, but it’s very nice that Mumbai put their faith in me. Hopefully I have been able to give back, whether it’s on the field or off the field helping out with some of the young Indian boys.

BETWEEN WICKETS suresh menon

Who is running Indian cricket? Some of the names: N Srinivasan, Niranjan Shah, Rajiv Shukla… Who are the people disqualified by the Supreme Court from running Indian cricket? Some of the names: N. Srinivasan, Niranjan Shah, Rajiv Shukla… When the good guys (Supreme Court, Lodha Committee, Committee of Administrators) do not speak in one strong voice, the other side (the long-serving officials) interprets the cracks in communication to their advantage. There was the business of nine years in total that an official was allowed to serve. Then it was clarified: it would be nine at the State-level and another nine at the National, making for 18 in all. The question of whether a CEO CM YK

Significant Nothing may come of these, but the fact that there is an attempt to hold out olive branches to a national sports body which has been dragging its feet in following the Supreme Court’s rulings is significant. All this might be rendered moot before the year is out if the Parliament passes the Sports Bill which, miraculously, might not have the age-limit (70 years) for office-bearers, or cooling off periods. It will then be a strange case of back to the future — everything going on as before, officials back in their chairs officially, and four years

to which Indian officials can break rules, both legal and moral, and hang on till they are expressly told by the highest court in the land not to do so. They were not expressly told not to in this case, and therefore didn’t see the need to keep away despite the fact that technically they could not be office-bearers in their respective associations. The good guys might lay down the rules, but the opposition knows all the loopholes.

Worrying thought The BCCI’s gradual return to “normalcy” (meaning, the “good old days” before the CoA or Lodha Committee or Mudgal Committee or the Supreme Court) is worrying. Perhaps, it saw the post-Lodha period as one of merely minor irritation — a break for a few months — before its return to power. If India come off second best in the negotiations with the ICC before the final vote on both money sharing and governance next month, then the old lot would have strengthened their case for a return to such “normalcy”. The decision to eschew black-

PLAYING TODAY DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

GL v DD Sony Six, Sony ESPN, Sony Max (SD & HD), 8 p.m.

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ers, Chirag Suri could create history as the first UAE player to figure in the IPL. The bowling unit of has failed to get the results, though Basil Thampi has been impressive enough to be one of only two Lions bowlers to take 10 wickets or more, the other being Andrew Tye whose absence has affected the team the most.

POINTS TABLE TEAM Mumbai Indians Kolkata Knight Riders Rising Pune Supergiant Sunrisers Hyderabad Kings XI Punjab Gujarat Lions Delhi Daredevils Royal Challengers Bangalore

W 9 8 8 7 6 4 4 2

M 12 13 12 13 12 12 11 13

L 3 5 4 5 6 8 7 10

NR 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

PTS 18 16 16 15 12 8 8 5

NRR +0.903 +0.729 -0.060 +0.565 +0.280 -0.369 -0.660 -1.454

*After the KXIP-KKR match

Agencies Potchefstroom (South Africa)

Jhulan Goswami, who took three wickets against South Africa in the women’s quadrangular series here on Tuesday, has become the leading wicket-taker in women’s ODIs. Playing her 153rd match, Jhulan took her tally to 181 wickets to overtake former Australia bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick, who had 180 in 109 matches. The Indian created the record, trapping Raisibe Ntozakhe leg-before. Jhulan’s three for 20 was instrumental in India’s seven-wicket win over the host. With 271 international wickets across all formats, the 34-year-old is the alltime leading wicket-taker in women’s cricket.

Honours Goswami, who made her ODI debut against England in 2002, won the 2007 ICC Woman Cricketer-of-theYear award. She has also been honoured with the Ar-

The good guys might lay down the rules, but the opposition knows all the loopholes of time, effort and money down the drain. The CoA, appointed to oversee the transition from the old BCCI to the new one, may have been unduly soft and gentlemanly, when the situation called for tough measures without any wiggle room. Officials, both elected and appointed, have used the uncertainty to their own advantage, complaining here of not having enough money to pay junior cricketers, there of being short of funds to run the daily business. This is a good time to put systems in place, to ensure that institutions like the National Cricket Academy are never affected by cricket politics at any time, that the support staff are given contracts well in advance so they can plan their immediate future. The contracts of Sanjay Bangar and Sridhar expired on March 31, but these haven’t been renewed even as the Indian team prepares to leave for the Champions Trophy in England. That the likes of Shah, Shukla and Srinivasan (via Skype from England) were allowed to attend the general body meeting suggests a lack of understanding of the extent

ing from loss of their key players for various reasons. Delhi’s best bowler in that previous face-off was Kagiso Rabada. He and Chris Morris have returned for national duty. The Delhi batting, barring Samson and Pant, and, to some extent Corey Anderson, has fallen flat through the season. The problem is more acute for Gujarat that only has four overseas players eligible and remaining after Brendon McCullum joined the injured list. If the team does decide to field its full complement of foreign play-

The Indian pacer now has 181 scalps

Call wrongly, and it will be back to the future (or a patron or any other fancy title) is part of ‘office-bearers’ within the meaning of the Court’s ruling might cause a non-elected official to continue to wield power. And now the CoA is recommending a fresh look at a couple of the more contentious rulings: the oneState-one-vote which gives some associations, including Mumbai, a vote only once in three years (in some cases it is two), and having five national selectors instead of the three as recommended by the Lodha Committee.

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Jhulan becomes leading wicket-taker in ODIs

Don’t see any point in T20 Internationals, says Johnson Amol Karhadkar

Fun time: Gujarat Lions skipper Suresh Raina sharing a light moment with Delhi Daredevils coach Rahul Dravid and pacer Mohammed Shami. RAJEEV BHATT

mail and send the national team to the Champions Trophy was sensible. The CoA advising the BCCI members on the eve of the general body had something to do with that. Even a nay-sayer like Shah turned yea-sayer overnight. Anand Jaiswal, the Vidarbha Cricket Association president, was quoted as saying, “The reason why (we) decided unanimously was the CoA’s explanation of the matter. They described clearly what we stand to gain and lose. “Before that, members had been misled on certain crucial points. Once they realised that, this was not a difficult decision.”

Disturbing What is disturbing here is that grown men, dedicated to serving the game, have to be told right from wrong on important issues. Lodha should have insisted on an Ethics Committee for the Board. There are two kinds of normalcy ahead — one as defined by the BCCI, and the other by the Supreme Court. It seems more effort has gone towards the first than the second.

Top of the world: Jhulan Goswami went past Cathryn Fitzpatrick’s mark of 180 wickets. ROBERT CIANFLONE/GETTY IMAGES *

juna Award and Padma Shri. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has congratulated Jhulan Goswami for becoming the leading wicket-taker in ODIs. The scores: South Africa 119 in 39.3 overs (Mignon du Preez 31, Jhulan Goswami three for 20, Shikha Pandey three for 22) lost to India 121 for three in 41.2 overs (Mithali Raj 51 n.o., Mona Meshram 38).

keeps breaking < > She records & this is one to cherish. Jhulan is now the leading wicket-taker — @BCCI Women

Congratulations to India’s Jhulan Goswami who has become the top wickettaker in women’s ODIs with 181! — ICC

Shami hopes to build on conidence Speedster enjoying comeback sPECIAL CORRESPONDENT KANPUR

Coming back to national duty after more than two years can be a testing experience. Mohammed Shami is, therefore, expectedly nervous and excited after making the cut for the Champions Trophy next month. The speedster, who last played in the World Cup semifinal defeat against Australia in 2015, said that he was enjoying his comeback to competitive cricket. “The more you play after coming back from an injury, the more you enjoy. It is easy to get depressed and feel low, down and out while sitting on the sidelines during an injury. “So regardless of the results, I’m looking forward to assessing myself in the remaining [IPL] games. This will give me more time to gauge my fitness, practice

Mohammed Shami. and confidence levels,” Shami said ahead of DD’s match agianst Gujarat Lions here. Shami missed the first few games of the IPL this season and admitted that it was frustrating. “Coming back into the Indian team after a long time, there were a lot of questions on whether I was fit enough.” “There is a lot of increase in confidence and hopefully it will only get better from here,” he said. A ND-ND

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IN BRIEF

Ashwini-Sikki duo a work in progress

Yuki tames Prajnesh

The Bengaluru shuttler says that she has begun to embrace change, which was not the case earlier

Sports Bureau

Jwala. But now, I’m enjoying this change. It is great fun,” she said. Ashwini is also open to playing with different partners. “If a combination works, then it is great. If not, I’m open to playing with others, which I was not in the past. The same is true for my mixed doubles career as

Ashwin Achal Bengaluru

Infantino to speak to Muntari, slams racists MANAMA

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has decried the “idiots” who directed monkey chants at Pescara’s Sulley Muntari and offered to speak to the Ghanaian soccer player who was initially banned for protesting against racism. “There are always idiots everywhere but we have to fight them ... continue to fight. It’s good to bring these things out when they happen. We have to work,” said Infantino. AP

Advocaat returns as Dutch coach ZEIST

Veteran coach Dick Advocaat is returning to the Dutch National team aiming to kick it into shape fast and save the country’s World Cup hopes, football federation officials announced on Monday. Advocaat, 69, will return for a third stint in charge of the team, taking over from Danny Blind, sacked in March after the Dutch were felled 2-0 by Bulgaria. Advocaat, currently at Turkish club Fenerbahce, will be joined by former Dutch star Ruud Gullit as assistant coach. AFP

Curry leads Warriors past Jazz LOS ANGELES

Stephen Curry scored 30 points as the Golden State Warriors completed a sweep of the Utah Jazz 4-0 with a 121-95 victory in their NBA second round playoff series on Monday. The defending Western Conference champion awaits the winner of the Rockets-Spurs series. The result: Warriors 121 bt Jazz 95. AFP

Late last year, badminton players Ashwini Ponnappa and G. Jwala decided to end their long and successful doubles partnership. Ashwini then joined forces with Sikki Reddy, who like Jwala, is a southpaw. A final spot gained in the Syed Modi championship (held at Lucknow), in January, counts among their best performances. “When I switch partners, I have to start from scratch. It takes time to settle in,” Ashwini said, on the sidelines of the PSPB inter-unit championship here on Tuesday. Apart from the runner-up finish at Lucknow, the duo has had its fair share of early exits. Ashwini explained that while she is disappointed with the losses, the partnership is a work in progress. For one, there is the matter of deciphering each player’s role. When Ashwini was paired with Jwala, the former

Karshi (Uzbekistan)

well,” she said. The Bengaluru shuttler is excited about competing in the upcoming Sudirman Cup — a team competition. “We have a very good chance of doing well, even though we have Denmark and Indonesia in our group. They are tough teams, but beatable,” Ashwini said.

ONGC, BPCL win PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENT BENGALURU

Forging new combinations: Ashwini Ponnappa, after her split from long-time partner G. Jwala, feels that it will take time for her to settle in with Sikki Reddy. G.P. SAMPATH KUMAR *

would cover the back court, while Jwala prowled the net. The new alliance demanded a few changes to this routine. “Initially, Sikki and I tried to play the way I did with Jwala. So Sikki would go to the net, but it did not work. In the last couple of

tournaments, we tried something different. “Both of us went up and down, taking turns to go to the net and play at the back. This has worked well and we want to stick to it. Being successful in doubles is all about getting along, in terms of

Nicollet’s Twitter bonanza

Chelsea inches towards title

Sports Bureau

Agencies LONDON

Indian golfer Sharmila Nicollet has won a Twitter poll to claim a playing spot in the 2017 ShopRite LPGA Classic. Nicollet rode a huge wave of support on social media to win the poll by nine percentage points ahead of America’s Blair O’Neal. Organisers of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, to be held from June 2 to 4 near Atlantic City, New Jersey, ran a week-long online poll, which concluded on Monday, to give away a sponsor exemption to the tournament. Four golfers were chosen for the poll — including Scotland’s Carly Booth and Bolivia’s Susana Benavides — based on data from a social media tracking firm. Nicollet received 39% of the 27,652 votes cast, while O’Neal, also a TV presenter and model, got 30%. Booth (25%) was third and Benavides (6%) fourth. Nicollet enjoyed the support

Star striker Diego Costa struck his 20th league goal of the season as Chelsea moved closer to the Premier League title following a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge on Monday. Chelsea will be crowned champion if it is able to win at West Brom on May 13.

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of a Twitter campaign, labelled #GetSharmilaToLPGA. “Thank you for the opportunity with this brilliant idea! It has definitely created a buzz in India around the game of golf,” she wrote on Twitter. “In a small way, this poll has helped boost awareness of the game in India where it is still a niche sport,” the 26-year-old said in a statement posted on the tournament website. This will be Nicollet’s third LPGA event, after appearances at the 2011 and 2012 Evian Masters, where she missed the cut.

The results: Premier League: Chelsea 3 (Costa 23, Alonso 34, Matic 65) bt Middlesbrough 0. La Liga: Leganes 4 (Szymanowski 7-pen, 80, Nabil El Zhar 15, Gabriel 65) bt Real Betis 0.

The results (finals): Team event: Women: BPCL bt ONGC 2-1 (P.V. Sindhu bt Rituparna Das 21-10, 21-8;

Men: ONGC bt BPCL 3-1 (Saurabh Verma lost to R.M.V. Guru Sai Dutt 17-21, 13-21; H.S. Prannoy bt Sameer Verma 21-14, 15-21, 21-19; Satwick Sairaj & Krishna Prasad bt Aditya Joshi & Sameer 17-21, 21-9, 21-10; Sai Praneeth bt Harsheel Dani 21-12, 21-16).

Asian meet: Indians well set Kamesh Srinivasan

WRESTLING

After all the turmoil during the Rio Olympics, and the eventual bronze medal through Sakshi Malik, Indian wrestling will attempt to consolidate the gains, in the Asian Championship to be staged at the KD Jadhav Stadium in the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex, from Wednesday. The five-day meet will feature wrestlers from 24 countries, fighting for 24 gold medals, starting with the

Greco-Roman, then freestyle and women’s events. “I am looking forward to another medal, at home, after the Olympics. I am confident about my preparation and my training,” said Sakshi Malik. Another woman wrestler will also be in focus, as Vinesh Phogat, who had to be taken away on a stretcher from the competition, owing to an injury, during the Rio Olympics, will re-

turn to mat, and attempt to make up for lost time and missed opportunities. Ravinder Singh and Hardeep Singh will be competing in the Greco-Roman 66 and 98kg sections. The opening day will feature competition in the 66, 75, 80, 98 and 130kg sections of Greco-Roman. Sandeep Tomar and Satyavart Kadian will be the JSW supported wrestlers in the freestyle event, fighting in the 57 and 97kg categories.

NBA academy inaugurated

TV PICKS Federation Cup football: TEN 2, 4 p.m. & 7 p.m.

West Indies v Pakistan: Third Test, TEN 1 HD & TEN 3, 7.30 p.m. Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid, TEN 2, 11 p.m. Premier League: SS Select HD1, 12.05 a.m. (Thursday). NBA: Sony Six & Six HD, 5.30 a.m. (Thursday).

Bindra lashes out at NRAI after shooters stranded at airport Press Trust of India New Delhi

ADRIA

Kush Maini finished among the points in all three races in the second weekend of the Italian F4 championship here. After clinching the fourth spot in race 1, Kush earned eighth and seventh place finishes in the second and third races respectively. The championship now moves to Vallelunga for Round 3 on June 25.

Olympic gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra on Tuesday lashed out at the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) for not coming to the aid of the shooters who were stranded at the IGI Airport for hours after their ammunition was denied clearance. “Saddened to hear that the National Shooting Team is

detained at The IGI Airport with the customs refusing to clear their guns,” Bindra tweeted. He said that the official team manager left the athletes “to fend for themselves”. “Chatted with a few athletes and the lack of support coming through from the national federation is pathetic. @RaninderSingh @TheNrai,” Bindra said. “They are our countries ambassadors

Collage SC in last eight Sports Bureau

Collage Sports Club beat RP Academy by six wickets and enter the quarterfinals of the 33rd All India Laxman Das Chhabra memorial cricket tournament. The scores: RPA 204 for nine in 40 overs (Vaibhav Rawal 66, Puneet Mehra 43, Arish Alam 39; Sumit Kumar three for 29) lost to CSC 205 for four in 34.5 overs (Robin Bisht 50 not out, Kshitiz Sharma 44, Chetan Bisht 33).

Gush Club wins big Gush Club beat Delhi Gymkhana by seven wickets in the 3rd Sardari Lal Makkar memorial cricket tournament. The scores: Delhi Gymkhana 154 all out in 32.1 overs (Yash Kothari 44, Umesh Kumar 30; Rohan Rawat three for 13, Mohit Badeshra three for 41) lost to Gush Club 155 for three in 29.2 overs (Parth Jain 67 not out, Risiket Sisodia 33).

UEFA Champions League:

Ready: The trainees of the NBA Academy with the NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum.

Kush Maini among the points

The results: $75,000 Challenger, Karshi, Uzbekistan: (first round): Yuki Bhambri bt Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-4, 6-2; Vladyslav Manafov (Ukr) bt Vishnu Vardhan 6-3, 7-5; Sriram Balaji bt Farrukh Dustov (Uzb) 6-3, 6-1; Cem Ilkel (Tur) bt Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-4, 6-4. 64,000 Challenger, Rome, Italy: Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Kimmer Coppejans (Bel) & Marton Fucsovics (Hun) bt Christopher Rungkat (Ina) & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 7-6(3), 6-3. $25,000 ITF men, Abuja, Nigeria: (first round): Sasi Kumar Mukund bt Jose Fco Vidal Azorin (Esp) 7-6(4), 6-2; Kunal Anand bt Garry Tokas 6-0, 6-3. $25,000 ITF women, Hua Hin, Thailand: (first round): Ankita Raina bt Zhang Yukun (Chn) 6-1, 6-1.

New Delhi

Sakshi and Vinesh in focus among women NEW DELHI

Bengaluru

Sharmila Nicollet.

your game styles,” she said. The 27-year-old said that she has begun to embrace change, which was not the case earlier. “In the past, I was uncomfortable moving to the net, as I had a natural tendency to hang back. Also, the net area was strictly for

ONGC and BPCL clinched the men’s and women’s team titles in the PSPB inter-unit badminton championship at KBA on Tuesday. The individual events begin on Wednesday.

Sindhu & Saina Nehwal lost to Ashwini Ponnappa & Rituparna Das 10-21, 14-21; Saina bt Arundhati Pantawane 21-18, 21-16).

Yuki Bhambri beat compatriot Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the $75,000 Challenger tennis tournament.

and should not be treated like this. Would this ever happen to our cricket team?,” he asked. The Indian shooters had to wait for more than 10 hours before they were allowed to leave with their ammunition. “Shooters held up at IGI airport for no valid reason or any fault of theirs. Dats d price v pay for always following d rules. been 10 hrs now,” Heena Sidhu tweeted.

Special Correspondent GREATER NOIDA

After gauging the Indian basketball talent from 2011 the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the setting up of the NBA Academy India at the Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Complex here on Monday. The NBA deputy commissioner, Mark Tatum, who had invited Satnam Singh on stage when he was drafted into the NBA in the US in 2015, inaugurated the “world class’’ residential facility by lighting the lamp along with the managing director of NBA India, Yannick

Colaco. All the 21 players who had been selected after trials across the country followed by a National camp, went through the drill on court under the supervision of technical director Ray Farrell and team manager Shiv Kumar. The academy, with a holistic approach towards the development of the trainees, in terms of their game, personality and education, will cater to 24 athletes. “We have kept three spots as reserve. Our focus is to help these players realise their potential. Some of them may go on to play division-1, 2,

college and the NBA development league,” said Mark Tatum. The NBA deputy commissioner said India was viewed as a good market, and that was the reason the NBA decided to set up an academy in the first year of such a venture. While all the NBA academies will have women players as well, it will take some more time to have a residential training scheme for them. Former professional player and NBA scout Jacques Vandescure will be the strength-and-conditioning coach.

Aryan scalps four Aryan Chaudhary picked up four for 13 as West Delhi Academy beat Maharaja Agarsen Academy by 85 runs in the Ghevra Cup cricket tournament. The scores: WDA 187 for nine in 35 overs (Ankit Singh 49, Dhruv Singh 42; Manan Bhardwaj three for 19) bt MAA 102 all out in 23.2 overs (Aryan Chaudhary four for 13).

Dabas hits 195 not out Ankit Dabas’ blistering, unbeaten 195 in just 78 balls saw Telefunken Club thrash Turf Academy by eight wickets in the first Admiral Cricket League. The scores: Turf Academy 260 for eight in 40 overs (Ashish Sehrawat 47, Rohit Jhanjharia 40) lost to Telefunken Club 264 for two in 19.4 overs (Ankit Dabas 195 not out).

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THE HINDU CROSSWORD 12003 1

2

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5

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(set by xChequer)

11 Bubbly stuff, temperature controlled, for bosses (5)

FAITH

SUDOKU

On the Buddha’s path

4 Reading novel on love, ine material (8)

8

12 Give in quietly, leaving women to rave (6) 9

10

14 Balanced funds help, so good in extreme depression (6,2,7) 11

12 13

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17 Spooks seek to obtain answer by spying in the main (6)

5 Rent twice controlled — appeal to proceed without control (3,2,3) 6 Base rumours accepted, something in our blood? (5)

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18 Instruct journalist, providing limit for copy (5) 17

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22 Gradually disappear, retaining accountant as false front (6)

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23 Leaves competitive exam — good to leave, 'get-up-andgo'? (8) 24 Better be ready to engage a dancing girl (8)

■ ACROSS 7 Plan chores engaging support (6) 8 Trapped? Essential to keep normal at indication of danger (8) 9 Run amok, more to leave space (4,4) 10 A problem at home relecting bad blood (6)

CM YK

8 Acute it, bogman endlessly treated for shell shock (6,7)

25 Gift of storybook (6)

13 Score showing opener out after single? Equally matched (3-3-3) 15 Turmoil in path out of town, value suffering (8) 16 Basic wine in hotel overexploited without hesitation (5,3)

■ DOWN 1 Immature drive to migrate left Indian stranded (9) 2 Guard left inside, criminal hides (6) 3 Caught cheat in bishop's staff (5)

Solution to puzzle 12002 O D

19 Dead ish swing loosely (6)

U N

20 Roughly judge cut weight for stones (5) 21 Cross examination before closing for jury (5)

A D M I S S I O N

F H O A S L S

I K DMA N S O P O E D A C T I C I S O E R S U N F D N C OM P O S A A P P I D G I N A M N N C H O I S I N O A T T E R N Y Y

D I S C L A I M

T H I E

P D O L F F L S

I T G O E S N M I R P S T T R O V N T I S C O R E D R V A T E D T R E N S E S A

Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

May 10, 2017 marks the 2561st Buddha Jayanti, the birthday of the Buddha, and Buddha Purnima. It is an important day charted by Buddhist monks and all followers of the message of Gautam Buddha. Siddhartha Gautam, who later became Gautam Buddha, founded Buddhism. Interestingly, Buddha Purnima, celebrated in May every year, is even more special because the Buddha’s enlightenment and mahaparinirvan also happened during the Purnima in the month of May. The world over, the day is observed through dhana, sila and bhavana. Followers give food alms, practise the Buddha’s lessons and spend time chanting and meditating. The chantings may vary from country to country but the core celebration remains the same. On this day, monks, or the Buddha’s disciples, from Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries gather to discuss world peace. The Buddha’s message is one of peace, compassion and non-violence. To mark the day that is also known as Vesak, in some countries such as Vietnam, China and Japan the Buddha’s idol is bathed in water and flowers. It is more like an abhishekam popular in India. Temples are decorated with flowers and offerings of kheer and fruits are made. In the evenings, diyas are lit. Disciples spend the entire day in the temples remembering Siddhartha and introspecting whether they have followed all his teachings to the core. The United Nations has declared it an international holiday. A story tells us that one of the Buddha’s followers asked him who would guide the disciples after he was gone. The Buddha told him, “After my death, my teachings will be your teacher.” Therefore, for his followers, refreshing themselves with his teachings and spreading them to others becomes essential. Bhanthe Sumiththananda, Chief priest, Buddha Vihar, Delhi

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THE HINDU

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Atletico needs Real miracle Simeone says comeback at the Vicente Calderon not impossible

A birthday to remember for Robin East Bengal posts its irst win; Aizawl enters the last four Y.B. Sarangi

< >

Agencies Madrid

Atletico’s much-hyped defence failed in the first leg, and now it’s up to the offence to try to get the team back on its feet. Forwards Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro will need to regain their best form and come up with outstanding performances on Wednesday if Atletico is to overturn the three-goal deficit from the first leg. The French duo has struggled recently, scoring only three goals between them in their last six games. Griezmann, the team’s top player, hasn’t scored in four matches. “This is probably impossible for many, but not for us,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. “I’ve told the players it is very difficult, that we are facing the best team in the world, who score goals in every game, but that it is possible,” the Argentine said. “I am convinced of it. If I wasn’t I wouldn’t say it. If we are united and under-

For eight or nine months, the players have worked every day with incredible professionalism, but every three days you have to prove yourself again

CUTTACK

Amidst exhaustion, cramps and water breaks on a hard surface, Robin Singh’s brace helped East Bengal beat Chennai City FC 2-0 in a Group-A match and record its first win in the Federation Cup football tournament, at the Barabati Stadium, here on Tuesday. CCFC crashed out following its second successive loss. Later, Aizawl FC fought hard to beat Churchill Brothers 2-1 and enter the semifinals. East Bengal and CCFC exchanged moves in the first half, but it remained goalless till the 45th minute. Birthday-boy Robin, whose terrific edge-of-the-box leftfooter was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Karanjit Singh in the 14th-minute, put East Bengal ahead in injury time. Willis Plaza cashed in on CCFC captain D. Ravanan’s

Zidane

stand that it is a semifinal at home, we have a chance.” Meanwhile, Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane will be able to count on a fresh Cristiano Ronaldo, who was rested against Granada on Saturday. Real Madrid will attack and not sit back and defend its 3-0 lead as it chases a place in the final, Zidane said on Tuesday. “We’re going to approach the second leg just as any other game, to go out strong and give everything,” Zidane told a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s game at the Vicente Calderon. “We’ll see what happens then, but our aim won’t change, the result changes

nothing and we’re going to try and score.”

Masterstroke Simeone’s principal strategy — defend deep and make lightning-quick counter-attacks — was nullified by Zidane’s clever use of Isco. The Frenchman tinkered his 4-3-3 shape to a diamond 4-4-2 with Isco in a holding role. An extra man in midfield created numerical superiorities in possession and also a passing option whenever Atletico tried to press. Benzema was asked to drop deep and break down Atletico’s attack. The ploy worked wonderfully well and gave Real the upper hand.

On song: East Bengal’s Robin Singh makes his feelings known after netting his second goal against Chennai City FC on Tuesday. BISWARANJAN ROUT *

FEDERATION CUP poor clearance to pass it on to Robin and the Delhi boy shot home. A minute later, Plaza made a stunning solo run, but could not beat Karanjit. In the second half, CCFC returned with greater intent and made some promising moves into the rival’s box.

Zakeer Mundampara was unlucky to see his 30-yard freekick hitting the left vertical bar. East Bengal, which received five yellow cards while thwarting CCFC’s attempts, returned the compliment soon after. An attempt originating from the PlazaRobin combine was blocked by Karanjit. Robin converted a 76th-minute penalty to

Bouchard sees of Sharapova

Amir against pro boxers at the Olympics MUMBAI

England’s youngest Olympic boxing medallist at 17 and youngest pro boxing champion at 22, Amir Khan is not enthused by the decision to allow pros into the Olympic ring. Rio 2016 was the first step by AIBA (world boxing governing body) to allow boxing without headguards, as in professional boxing, in a move to attract high-profile pros to compete with amateurs. The 30-year-old Amir is in India to promote the Super

CM YK

Boxing League (SBL). Excerpts:

Vijender Singh’s rise in pro boxing

Pro boxers’ reluctance to step into the Olympic ring

Vijender is doing great things. I like the way he fights. He is skilful, looks good and is learning fast. Winning a medal at the Olympics (2008 Beijing) and Commonwealth Games is not easy. Moving from India to England for training, he seems serious. He has good training in England and is doing what he needs to do. He has not really been tested.

Mr. Wu (AIBA president Dr Wu Ching-Kuo) is is a friend of mine and wanted me to fight in the Olympics. You are not going to get the best pros. Is AIBA going to pay you millions? Why would I risk my pro career by going to the Olympics, get my hand injured in the second round and probably get beaten by an amateur? People will say an amateur beat a pro. We are prize fighters and box for money.

On a pro bout against Vijender

I don’t know why it has not

The results: Group A: East Bengal 2 (Robin Singh 45+1, 76) bt Chennai City FC 0; Aizawl FC 2 (Lalramchullova 21, Laldanmaiwa 90) bt Churchill Brothers 1 (Kromah 84). Wednesday’s fixtures: Group B: DSK Shivajians vs Bengaluru FC (4 p.m.); Shillong Lajong FC vs Mohun Bagan (7 p.m.).

TENNIS

Agence France-Presse

Nandakumar Marar

make it 2-0. Aizawl maintained a better grip over its match against Churchill to lead 1-0 at the breather. Lalramchullova scored from the spot to put the I-League champion ahead in the 21st-minute. Both sides tussled hard on the sluggish turf as rain lashed Barabati from halftime onwards. Churchill equalised through Ansumana Kromah’s 84thminute penalty. Laldanmaiwa Ralte dramatically headed in a long ranger in the 90th minute to ensure Aizawl’s second win.

materialised. I am in the top three in the world. Vijender is still building his career. Vijender will need to come down (from super middleweight). I will need to move up (from middleweight). Fight with Manny Pacquiao being called off

Manny did not want to fight. He obviously knew it would be tough. We have known each other since 2008. I used to train with him. It (Khan versus Pacquiao) can still happen, because it makes good money in Dubai, big pay-per-view money in the United States.

‘Many wished me luck ’

Madrid

Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard shocked Russia’s Maria Sharapova 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round of the WTA Madrid Open on Monday. Bouchard battled back from 4-2 down to claim a topsy-turvy first set and she edged a marathon 11th game before serving it out for just her second set in five meetings with Sharapova. Other results: ATP Madrid Masters: Second round: David Goffin bt Florian Mayer 7-6(3), 6-0; Andy Murray bt Marius Copil 6-4, 6-3. First round: Ryan Harrison bt Bernard Tomic 7-5, 4-6, 6-2; Tomas Berdych bt Denis Istomin 6-4, 6-4; Gilles Simon bt Gael Monfils 0-6, 6-0, 7-6

ANI Madrid

Walk the talk: Eugenie Bouchard and Maria Sharapova manage a handshake after the grudge match. REUTERS *

(0); David Ferrer bt Mikhail Kukushkin 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-4. WTA Madrid Open: Second round: Qiang Wang bt Saisai Zheng 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; Coco

Vandeweghe bt Laura Siegemund 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Samantha Stosur bt Mariana Duque 6-3, 7-5; Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Alison Riske 2-6, 7-6(9), 6-2.

Eugenie Bouchard, who called Maria Sharapova a “cheater”, believes many on the WTA Tour have a similar opinion about the Russian’s return from a doping ban, but are too “scared” to speak. She said she had a lot of motivation going into the clash as many players had come to her privately to wish her luck. “I definitely had some extra motivation... players I don’t normally speak to, a lot of texts from people in the tennis world that were just rooting for me.”

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THE HINDU

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IN BRIEF

Now, turn any surface into a touch screen Spraying a coating of electrically conductive material does the trick, researchers show could use a well-known technique called electric field tomography to sense the position of a finger touch.

Press Trust of India Washington

India to replace Maitri station in Antarctica KOLKATA

India has decided to replace the Maitri research station in Antarctica with a new one in the next three or four years, Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary Madhavan Nair Rajeevan said on Tuesday. The country is poised to expand its research activity there and is procuring a ship with ice-cutting capacity, he added. PTI

Scientists have developed a new technology that can turn any surface — including walls, furniture and steering wheels — into a touch screen using tools as simple as a can of spray paint. The “trick” is to apply electrically conductive coatings or materials to objects or surfaces, or to craft objects using conductive materials, researchers said. By attaching a series of

A toy coated with material that turns its surface sensitive to touch. CMU *

electrodes to the conductive materials, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S. showed they

A simple idea “For the first time, we have been able to take a can of spray paint and put a touch screen on almost anything,” said Chris Harrison, Assistant Professor at Carnegie’s Human – Computer Interaction Institute. With the new technology dubbed Electrick, conduct-

ive touch surfaces can be created by applying conductive paints, bulk plastics or carbon-loaded film. Yang Zhang, a PhD student at the institute, said that Electrick is both accessible to hobbyists and compatible with common manufacturing methods, such as spray coating, vacuum forming and casting/molding, as well as 3D printing. Like many touchscreens, Electrick relies on the shunting effect — when a finger

touches the touchpad, it shunts a bit of electric current to ground. By attaching multiple electrodes to the periphery of an object or conductive coating, Mr. Zhang and his colleagues showed they could localise where and when such shunting occurs. Electrick can detect the location of a finger touch to an accuracy of one centimetre, which is sufficient for using the touch surface as a button or slider, Mr. Zhang said.

Bill Clinton and James Patterson ‘Primitive hominids lived co-writing White House thriller alongside modern humans’ Baba Ramdev series on Discovery’s Hindi channel

The book will be informed by details only a President can know, say publishers Financial terms for the novel, which the authors began working on late in 2016, were not disclosed. Mr. Clinton and Mr. Patterson share the same literary representative, Washington attorney Robert Barnett, who negotiated the deal.

Associated Press

MUMBAI

A 65-episode biopic series on Baba Ramdev will be aired on Discovery’s new Hindi channel in India. Discovery Communications plans to roll out JEET, an entertainment channel, by the end of the year. Saragarhi — India’s Bravest Day, Gabru: The Birth of Hip-Hop and Gangs of Mumbai are some of the other shows planned. IANS

London Marathon gets record registrations LONDON

A record number of 3,86,050 applicants from around the world had registered for a place in the 2018 London Marathon when the application system closed on Friday, organisers said here on Tuesday. A ballot will decide on the candidates who can participate. IANS

New York

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and best-selling novelist James Patterson are collaborating on a thriller. The President is Missing is to come out in June 2018 as an unusual joint release from rival publishers Alfred A. Knopf and Little, Brown and Co. In a statement, the publishers called the book “a unique amalgam of intrigue, suspense and behind-thescenes global drama from the highest corridors of power. It will be informed by details that only a President can know.”

Teaming up with a friend Knopf has long been Mr. Clinton’s publisher, and Mr. Patterson has been with Little, Brown for decades. The President is Missing will be the first work of fiction by Mr. Clinton, whose bestknown book is My Life. For Mr. Patterson, it’s the chance to team up with a friend who knows as well as anyone about life in the White House.

Powerful combination: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, left, and author James Patterson. AP *

“Working with President Clinton has been the highlight of my career, and having access to his firsthand experience has uniquely informed the writing of this novel,” Mr. Patterson said in a statement. “I’m a storyteller, and President Clinton’s insight has allowed us to tell a really interesting one. It’s a rare combination. Readers will be drawn to the suspense, of course, but they’ll also be given an inside look into what it’s like to be President.” Mr. Clinton, in his state-

ment, said, “Working on a book about a sitting President drawing on what I know about the job, life in the White House and the way Washington works has been a lot of fun. And working with Jim has been terrific. I’ve been a fan of his for a very long time.” Knopf and Little, Brown declined to offer any more details about the book, including whether it refers to U.S. President Donald Trump, who last year defeated Mr. Clinton’s wife, Hillary Clinton.

Novels rare Presidents and ex-Presidents have been turning out books for a long time, but novels are rare. Jimmy Carter, a prolific author since leaving the White House in 1981, released the historical novel The Hornet’s Nest in 2003. Penguin Random House, which has published both Mr. Clinton and Mr. Patterson, has U.K., Commonwealth and European rights to the collaboration. “This unprecedented collaboration with its compelling mix of insider knowledge and edge-of-the-seat suspense is utterly irresistible,” Susan Sandon, divisional managing director at Penguin Random House, said in a statement.

Fossil ind raises fresh questions on evolution of Homo sapiens Agence France-Presse Maropeng

Primitive hominids may have lived in Africa at the same time as humans, researchers said Tuesday, in new findings that could change the understanding of human evolution. Fossils found deep in South Africa’s Rising Star cave complex in 2013 have been dated by several expert teams with their findings suggesting the hominids, called Homo naledi, may have lived alongside Homo sapiens. It had earlier been thought that the hominids were millions of years old. A team of 20 scientists from laboratories and institutions around the world, including in South Africa and Australia, established the age of the fossils which suggests that Homo naledi may well have lived at the same time as humans. Their findings were published Tuesday in three papers in the journal eLife. The focus of the team’s research has been South Africa’s barely accessible Rising Star Cave system, part

Ditch the Stradivarius? Dancing on air New violins sound better

Distant relative: Lee Berger displays a cast of a Homo naledi skull at a world heritage site near Johannesburg. REUTERS *

of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, about 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg. The area has been an incredibly rich source of artefacts.

Drawing the timeline “There has been a great deal of speculation on how old Homo naledi was,” said project leader and researcher at Wits University, Lee Berger. But now, having established the age of the fossils using six independent meth-

ods, the team estimates that they are between 2,36,000 and 3,35,000-years-old — the beginning of the rise of modern human behaviour, said Professor Berger. Rearcher John Hawks said, “Humans, relatives of humans and distant relatives of humans such as Homo naledi were living here in southern parts of Africa throughout most of all our evolutionary history over the past 1.5 to 2 million years.”

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Hair therapy boosts Istanbul’s tourism

Study analyses audience response Agence France-Presse Miami

Despite the lofty reputation of old violins by Italian masters such as Antonio Stradivari, blindfolded listeners in concert halls in New York and Paris say they preferred the sound of newer instruments. The latest salvo in the long-running debate over which violins best project sound appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peerreviewed U.S. journal. “Because Old Italian instruments are now priced beyond the reach of the vast majority of players, it seems important to test the fundamental assumption of their tonal superiority,” said the study, led by Claudia Fritz, a researcher at France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Stradivarius violins were made in the 17th and 18th cen-

turies. Today, the instruments often fetch millions of dollars. Experts say these antiques possess the curious ability to sound quieter under the player’s ear, yet project sound farther and better in a concert hall than newer models. So researchers asked musically versed listeners to compare three Stradivarius violins to three newer models, based on listener preference and sound projection. One test was conducted in a 300-seat concert hall near Paris, involving 55 listeners. The second involved 82 listeners in an 860-seat hall in New York. The instruments were played behind a screen by blindfolded soloists. “Regardless of musical experience, listeners preferred new over old violins,” concluded the study.

Bandaged heads are a common sight Agence France-Presse Istanbul

Synchronised steps: Dancers from the National Ballet of Cuba perform during a rehearsal of Giselle, in a version choreographed by Cuban dancer Alicia Alonso, in Madrid on Tuesday. AFP *

London museum puts Pink Floyd on show The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s irst album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn runs to Oct. 1. “It was, ‘Whatever it costs do it, because that’s what we believe in.’

Associated Press London

The Victoria & Albert Museum’s new exhibition is a psychedelic time capsule of a show devoted to the band Pink Floyd, complete with floating pigs, surreal animations and trippy projections. But it’s not the visuals, or the group’s experimental and sometimes indulgent music, that marks this out as an ode to a vanished time. It’s the economics. Pink Floyd was given limitless studio time to create sprawling albums that sold in the tens of millions. The band staged multimedia shows so huge and technically ambitious that the set for one tour took eight days to assemble. Aubrey “Po” Powell, a founder of the Hipgnosis design team behind Pink Floyd’s most famous album covers, said the exhibiCM YK

Unusual set: A room featuring the Pink Floyd’s Learning to Fly, along with replicas of Lightbulb suits featured in the artwork for the album Delicate Sound of Thunder on display. AFP *

tion celebrates “a 25-year golden period when album sales were through the roof and the industry was awash with money to allow renegades to be able to expand.”

“The adage that Pink Floyd had was, the art comes first, the money comes later,” Mr. Powell said on Tuesday at a preview for the exhibition , which opens Saturday and

Art comes first “I don’t know anybody these days who would put the art first and the money later, because the money isn’t there.” The show, given the elegiac title “Their Mortal Remains” is a return to music for the V&A after its hit 2013 exhibition devoted to David Bowie, which went on to tour the world. It traces Pink Floyd from its origins in the 1960s London psychedelic scene where it was house band for the swinging UFO nightclub through landmark albums like The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall to the familiar rock ‘n’ roll story of splits and reconciliation. On display are scores of in-

struments, letters, items of clothing and other artefacts, as well as some impressively large installations, including a replica of London’s Battersea Power Station. The building appeared accompanied by a flying pig on the cover of the 1977 album Animals. There’s a tinge of nostalgia to the show, which comes 50 years after the release of Pink Floyd’s first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn recorded at Abbey Road Studios while The Beatles created Sgt. Pepper in the next room. “No band today would have the freedom that Pink Floyd arranged to have,” said the V&A’s Victoria Broackes, who co-curated the exhibition. Like the Bowie show, the exhibition charts the outward ripples of the band’s influence through the arts and technology. It celebrates the

technical and artistic collaborators who helped Pink Floyd pioneer psychedelic slide shows, embrace computers and re-imagine the visual side of live performance. Several band members trained as architects, and the group had a fondness for building and dismantling large structures, like the giant barrier of The Wall, which was destroyed every night of the band’s 1980 – 81 tour. Ms. Broackes said that for a musical act to merit an exhibition, “it has to have a huge cultural context, and also a big visual component.” “And that is what we have with Pink Floyd going back to their earliest days,” she said especially “the use of staging, which then goes on to drive the industry forward in the 80s and 90s.”

On his to-do list for his trip to Istanbul, Palestinian tourist Jameel wants to visit the Blue Mosque and take a tour on the Bosphorus, like any other tourist. But he has one more, less conventional purpose — to have 1,500 strands of hair implanted one by one, in an increasingly popular anti-hair loss treatment in the Turkish metropolis. With over 300 clinics specialised in hair transplant alone, Istanbul is becoming a growing hub in the industry, attracting patients from all over the world but mainly from the Middle East and the Gulf. Experienced surgeons, advanced technology and relatively low prices are a plus for many tourists. And its growth in the last couple of years has come as a boon for a city where foreign tourism has fallen drastically since a spate of terror attacks in 2016. “I came to Turkey for the hair transplant and a bit of tourism. Turkey has an excellent reputation when it comes to hair implants,” 27-year-old Jameel said, after the surgery at an Istanbul hospital, on condition of not using his full name. Faisal Abu Ahmad, from Saudi Arabia, said his uncle underwent the treatment in Turkey and so he followed suit. “Rapid hair loss pushed me to undergo the operation. I started getting bald spots,” he said. At the tourist hubs of Istanbul such as Taksim Square, it is hard to miss the men wandering around with shaved heads and bandages after their operations, proudly sporting the branded headbands of their clinics. They have become so ubiquitous that residents

A hair specialist checks a patient in Istanbul. AFP *

of Istanbul joke that a man with a bandaged head could be the city’s new symbol. “Prices are very, very attractive. However, the second most critical element is the quality of this treatment,” said Talip Tastemel, the general manager of Clinic Expert. “Turkey is very advanced in cosmetic surgeries and hair transplantation, so the patients are buying a very high quality treatment at a quarter of the normal cost” in some other countries.

Cost-effective care Package offers for foreign patients include pick-up from the airport, hotel accommodation, the surgery itself and tourism. Around €1,200 would get a patient three days in Istanbul and a top quality medical treatment, whereas the same surgery could cost up to €6,000 in Europe, or only slightly less in the Middle East. The operation is carried out with Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) where tiny hairs are taken out one by one from areas where the patient still has hair like the nape of the neck. After the harvesting, they are implanted in the areas where the patient has lost hair. The procedure takes around eight to 10 hours, while the tiny transplanted hairs can take weeks or months to take root and grow. A ND-ND

wednesday 앫 may 10, 2017

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Protest against school principal

NGT upset over noise

Course creates buzz at Tihar

A Preity afair!

Parents and teachers of Ramjas School protested outside the Ramjas Foundation office in Daryaganj Page 2

The NGT pulled up the government for not exploring alternative sites to Jantar Mantar Page 2

Young offenders of jail number 5 to undergo training in beekeeping, honey production Page 3

Preity Zinta says the IPL has become a springboard for young talent and has a family audience Page 4

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IN BRIEF

‘Democracy in danger’ chorus at session Sisodia says if allowed, AAP could show how EVMs are hacked; Oppn claims party using issue as excuse for civic poll loss Damini Nath Jatin Anand

Man duped of ₹4 lakh by Facebook ‘friend’, aides NEW DELHI

A woman and her accomplices allegedly duped a businessman of ₹4 lakh by befriending him on social media and then abducting him on the pretext of meeting at a mall. The victim is a resident of Anand Vihar. The police said he met the woman on Facebook last month. CITY

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JNU student accuses hosteller of stalking her NEW DELHI

A student of Jawaharlal Nehru University has accused a fellow student of stalking her. The police said a case has been registered but the accused has not been held yet. The victim and the accused are hostellers and are enrolled in diferent courses. CITY

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Scouts & Guides oicer alleges harassment NEW DELHI

A Bharat Scouts and Guides oicer has accused her senior of sexually harassing and threatening her, the police said on Tuesday. The woman iled a complaint with central Delhi’s IP Estate police station and her statement is likely to be recorded before a Magistrate on Wednesday, they said. She has met DCW oicials as well. PTI

EC rejects AAP's EVM tampering claim Devesh K. Pandey New Delhi

Hours after the Aam Aadmi Party government demonstrated in the Delhi Assembly how an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) can be “tampered with”, the Election Commission on Tuesday dismissed the claim stating that it had no relevance as the machine was only a “look-alike”. The Commission said such “so-called demonstration” on extraneous and duplicate gadgets which are not owned by it could not be exploited to influence intelligent citizens and electorate to assail or vilify the EVMs used by the Commission in its electoral process. Terming it a “so-called demonstration”, the EC in a statement said: “In this context, it should be understood that it is possible for anyone to make any electronic gadget which ‘lookslike’ ECI-EVM and demonstrate any magic or tampering.” The Commission said: “Very simply put, any ‘lookalike’ machine is just a different gadget, which is manifestly designed and made to function in a ‘tampered’ manner and has no relevance, incidence or bearing on the Commission’s EVMs”. It is common sense that gadgets other than ECIEVMs can be programmed to perform in a pre-determined way, but it simply can’t be implied that ECI-EVMs will behave in the same manner because the machines used by the Commission are “technically secured and function under an elaborate administrative and security protocol”, said the EC. Stating that the Commission has scheduled an allparty meeting on May 12 on the issue of EVM security and electoral reforms, the EC said it had also released a status paper on its EVMs on its website. CM YK

NEW DELHI

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of allegedly tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the recently held polls across the country, Aam Aadmi Party MLAs on Tuesday said that “democracy was in danger”. At a special session of the Delhi Assembly called to discuss the alleged tampering of EVMs, AAP MLAs hit out against the BJP government at the Centre. With elections in Gujarat slated for the end of 2017, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said if allowed, the AAP would be able to show how EVMs are “hacked”.

Gujarat polls “Give us your machines, we’ll show you how motherboards can be changed. Just give our engineers some time in the EVM storerooms for the Gujarat polls and the AAP will end up winning,” said Mr. Sisodia, after Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj gave a demonstration on an EVM-like device in the House. 2009 elections Earlier, the discussion was introduced by Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba, who said the BJP had itself raised concerns over EVMs in 2009 when the Congress had won the Lok Sabha polls. She said that Opposition parties had raised concerns with the Delhi State Election Commission ahead of the municipal corporations elections in Delhi last month, where the BJP won 181 and the AAP 40 of 270 wards. Echoing Mr. Sisodia’s sentiments, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who did not speak in the Assembly, later said that “EVMs could be hacked within 90 seconds”. Stating that Mr. Bhardwaj had shown how EVM-like machines could be tampered

with, Mr. Kejriwal said people should raise their voices about using EVMs. Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti said the tampering of EVMs was “the biggest fraud on democracy”, adding that the Delhi State Election Commission could have postponed the municipal polls in order to implement voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT), but chose not to.

BJP MLAs hit back A total of 10 MLAs spoke in the Assembly. Of this, eight AAP MLAs, excluding Ms. Lamba, hit out against the BJP and the Centre. The Opposition in the Assembly hit back, saying that the AAP was trying to blame EVMs for its loss in the municipal polls. Of the four BJP members in the Assembly, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta was removed from the House as he protested when his adjournment motion was not allowed and Vishwas Nagar MLA O.P. Sharma remained suspended. Newly-elected Rajouri Garden MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa joined Mustafabad MLA Jagdish Pradhan in the Opposition benches. ‘Problems plaguing city’ Instead of talking about EVMs, Mr. Sirsa said, the Assembly should have discussed the problems plaguing Delhi. On the EVMs, he said that the Election Commission of India had invited political parties on Friday to discuss the matter and the AAP could demonstrate its “rigged” machines there. Mr. Pradhan added that instead of discussing Delhi’s water and infrastructure problems, the session had been used to talk about the AAP’s loss. “In my constituency, there is water shortage and in some cases there is supply of dirty water. But we didn’t discuss that,” he said.

Poll position: AAP MLA from Greater Kailash Saurabh Bhardwaj demonstrates how an EVM-like machine could be tampered with, at the special Delhi Assembly session on Tuesday. PTI

BJP throws deceit barb at ‘corrupt’ Kejriwal Says AAP trying to create deception by not using a real EVM, but a prototype Staff Reporter New Delhi

The State unit of the BJP on Tuesday lashed out at the AAP over its “live demonstration” of alleged EVM manipulation in the special one-day session of the Delhi Assembly. Terming it a “deception” aimed at diverting attention from corruption allegations against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, BJP leaders said the machine used by AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj for the demonstration was not an

EVM but prototype.

a

“duplicate”

‘EC impartial’ “The machine used to demonstrate that an EVM can be hacked was not really an EVM used by the EC. The party is trying to create deception,” said BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi. Highlighting the “impartial” nature of the Election Commission of India, she said the representatives of all political parties get to check an EVM’s functioning before

polls are held and so allegations of manipulation were unfounded.

Tiwari’s complaint Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, who lodged a complaint with the EC over alleged “wrong information” given by AAP regarding donations received by it, said the party is trying to “divert” attention from current issues faced by it. “They are trying to divert attention from the funds issue. But they cannot do so, as they have lied to the EC. Now,

they should reply to the questions over funds received by them and other corruption charges,” he said. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Maken said: “The issues expected to be discussed in the Assembly were the CM taking a bribe, dengue, water and power shortage and metro fare hike, but none of these issues was discussed, as Mr. Kejriwal was only diverting public attention from governance-failure and corruption,” Mr. Maken alleged.

People have rejected Kejriwal: Mishra with their fingers and they end up pressing other buttons while voting than theirs. People don’t want to vote for Arvind Kejriwal any more, it is the truth and they just want to hide this fact,” he told reporters outside the House.

Staff Reporter New Delhi

A day after he was shown the door by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) following his sacking from the Delhi government's cabinet of ministers, Karawal Nagar MLA Kapil Mishra ridiculed the demonstration of “live EVM rigging” in the Assembly. One of the three MLAs in the House who chose not to give his legislative colleague, Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, a standing ovation – the other two included Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Jagdish Pradhan of the BJP – Mr. Mishra said it was time for the AAP to acknowledge that the

Under ire: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrives for the special Assembly session on Tuesday. SANDEEP SAXENA *

people had “rejected Arvind Kejriwal.”

‘Just a tactic’ Mr. Mishra attended the day-long special session of the Delhi Assembly after filing three separate

complaints of “corruption” with the CBI, including one involving Mr. Kejriwal. “It is just a tactic to divert attention from the real issues. Tomorrow they (the party) will say that there is something wrong

‘Tampered machine’ “They brought a prototype machine, tampered with it and are now claiming that elections can be rigged,” Mr. Mishra claimed. Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti said:“He [Mr. Mishra] was our friend. Don't know who has had an effect on him. But, even our political opponents cannot believe the allegations,” he said.

ACB iles three FIRs in PWD scam CBI to probe Mishra’s Firm owned by CM’s brother-in-law, who passed away on Monday, in the dock charges against AAP govt Staff Reporter New Delhi

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Monday registered three separate FIRs in connection with an alleged scam pertaining to the Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD). One of the FIRs puts in the dock a company owned by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal, who passed away on Monday. The FIRs were registered on the basis of a complaint by Rahul Sharma, the founder of NGO Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO). He has alleged irregularities in the grant of contracts for roads and sewer lines in Delhi in 2015-16. The three companies named in the FIRs include Mr. Bansal’s Renu Constructions and those owned by Kamal Singh

and Pawan Kumar. “Three cases have been registered on the basis of a complaint by RACO. Since there are three separate companies, three FIRs under sections of forgery, cheating and prevention of corruption Act have been registered,” said ACB chief Mukesh Kumar Meena.

RTI application RACO, which claims to monitor construction projects in the Capital, has alleged that a firm linked to Mr. Bansal was involved in financial irregularities in building a drainage system in northwest Delhi. According to documents obtained by RACO through an RTI application, invoices pertaining to the project were sent to the Sales Tax Department for verification. The Department informed in writing that bills sent to the PWD

Satyendra Jain were fabricated, Mr. Sharma alleged. Mr. Meena said it had been found during probe that fake bills were attached for materials that weren’t supplied and some of the bills were from companies that don’t exist or supply those materials. He said the probe ahead would focus on the possible involvement of PWD officers. In his complaint, Mr. Sharma also al-

leged that Mr. Kejriwal and PWD Minister Satyendra Jain had misused their office for grant of contracts to Mr. Bansal. However, Mr. Meena clarified that they haven’t been named in the FIR. According to a senior officer, the ACB has already questioned some PWD officials, while representatives of the three firms in question will be interrogated next week. The ACB had in January sent a notice to the PWD asking it to share details pertaining to alleged irregularities. The department had submitted certain files to the anti-graft body in this regard.

Kapil Mishra to visit ACB Former Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra is scheduled to visit the ACB office at 11 a.m. on Thursday in connection with the ₹400 crore water tanker scam.

Former Delhi minister submits documents to agency Special Correspondent New Delhi

The Central Bureau of Investigation will examine the veracity of three complaints lodged by the sacked Delhi Water Minister, Kapil Mishra, on Tuesday against his former Delhi government colleagues. Mr. Mishra, who submitted the documents to the CBI in three sealed envelops, also threatened to go on hunger strike on Wednesday if details of the foreign visits by five Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members were not made public.

‘Bribery, irregularities’ Confirming that the agency had received the complaints, CBI spokesperson R. K. Gaur said they pertained to allega-

Kapil Mishra outside Delhi Assembly SANDEEP SAXENA *

tions of bribery and irregularities. As earlier disclosed by the AAP MLA, the first complaint is against CM Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, alleging that he had seen ₹2 crore changing hands. Mr. Jain has threatened to sue Mr. Mishra for defamation.

The second complaint alleges that Mr. Jain helped a close relative of Mr. Kejriwal in a ₹50-crore property deal, while the third seeks investigations into the foreign trips undertaken by AAP leaders in the recent past. “The CBI is empowered to directly take cognisance of corruption cases filed by private persons, without any reference from the government or the High Court, as it happens in the cases of bribery allegations,” said an agency official. On Monday, Mr. Mishra had lodged a complaint with the Delhi government’s Vigilance wing, under the Lieutenant-Governor, demanding an investigation into the ₹400-crore “Water Tanker Scam”. B ND-ND

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THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Parents, teachers protest school principal’s conduct Allege ‘misuse of power’; principal says outsiders are conspiring against her

Not liable for Yamuna damage, say ministries

NEW DELHI

The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday told the National Green Tribunal that they had "no role" in permitting the cultural extravaganza of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living that had caused damage to the Yamuna floodplains. The ministries said that the Delhi Development Authority was responsible for it. PTI

Parents, teachers and alumni of Ramjas School at Anand Parvat on Tuesday protested outside the Ramjas Foundation office in Daryaganj against the alleged “misuse of power” by school Principal Sandhya Bindal.

NEW DELHI

Transportation of cattle meant for slaughter on overloaded trucks has come under the scanner of the Delhi High Court, which has sought to know the stand of the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party government on the issue. The court sought their response to a PIL which has alleged that cattle for slaughter were being transported under “cruel” conditions. PTI

No clarity yet on M.Phil/Ph.D admission policy Staff Reporter

and part of a conspiracy hatched against her by teachers and outsiders.

Jaideep Deo Bhanj

NEW DELHI

Cattle on overloaded trucks under HC scanner

Stuck on 1 point for 5 hrs, JNU AC meet adjourned

Corporal punishment The protesters said that despite the Deputy Director of Education (District West-A) writing to the chairman of Ramjas School on April 27 saying that they had probed allegations levelled against the principal and had found that the school administration was “involved in corporal punishment”, the school management had not taken any action. The letter to the chairman directed him to initiate action against the principal and address all grievances. It further asked the chairman to instruct the principal to maintain “a good atmosphere in the school” and that “no discriminating ac-

‘False allegations’ “None of the people protesting are parents. They are outsiders with vested interests. I hope the management of the school will investigate and take appropriate action against them,” she said. One voice: Parents and teachers raise slogans outside the Ramjas Foundation oice in Daryaganj on Tuesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *

tions should be taken against students whose parents are involved in litigation with the school authorities”.

Closed since May 5 The parents said the school has been closed since May 5 on orders of the school management and they were informed that a meeting would be held to sort out the issue on Tuesday. However, the meeting was postponed on Tuesday. Mukesh Sharma, a parent,

Won’t interfere with HC relief to DU photocopy shop: SC

said: “Ms. Bindal was caught planning and plotting against a 14-year-old student in an audio clip. She levelled false allegations against the student, framed him and suspended him from the school. This is just one of many such instances and such behaviour from the principal of the school is really dangerous for the students.” Responding to the protesters, Ms. Bindal said all allegations against her were false

‘Callous attitude’ The parents on Tuesday directed their anger at the school management saying that “the callous attitude of the management proves that they are party to the conspiracy by the principal. We will see to it that each of the persons involved gets punished and not a single child becomes their target”. The staff of the school, in a letter to the school’s management, alleged that Ms. Bindal had made the school “an unsafe place to work” and that many good students and teachers had left the school since she took over.

promised that the recordings would be made public and provided to the members. The JNUSU has said that if the V-C claims that the minutes had been passed, JNU should immediately make the recorded proceedings public. Ayesha Kidwai, the president of JNU Teachers’ Association, said only 13 members of the AC spoke in favour of the minutes being confirmed while the rest were against it.

V-C’s tactic of < > The bulldozing his

New Delhi

The 143rd Academic Council (AC) meeting of the Jawaharlal Nehru University ( JNU) on Tuesday was adjourned after the discussion on the first point of the agenda — to confirm the minutes of the 142nd AC meeting — went on for over five hours. While the university has claimed that the minutes of the 142nd meeting had been passed, teachers and students said that this was not the case.

whims in the AC [Academic Council] meeting has been defeated today Satarupa Chakraborty General secretary of JNUSU

they need correction, he insisted that the meeting move ahead after registering the dissent. However, after much persuasion, the V-C opened the floor for discussion,” said JNU Students’ Union ( JNUSU) president Mohit Pandey.

‘Policy illegal’ Teachers and students present at the meeting said that since the minutes of the 142nd meeting — in which the admission policy based on the UGC Gazette Notification of May 5, 2016, was discussed — had not been confirmed, the current admission policy of JNU is illegal as it has not been passed by any decision-making body of the university. “The Vice-Chancellor tried to pass the minutes of the 142nd meeting but when AC members said that the minutes have been forged and

‘Stand validated’ Satarupa Chakraborty, general secretary of JNUSU, said: “The V-C’s tactic of bulldozing his whims in the AC meeting has been defeated today”. She added that the 143rd AC meeting yet again validated the position of JNUSU that the UGC Gazette Notification of May 5, 2016, has not been adopted or passed by any of the decision-making bodies in JNU. “The JNU administration must, therefore, issue a corrigendum or fresh notification for M.Phil/Ph.D adhering to JNU’s existing admission policy,” said Ms. Chakraborty.

Meeting recorded He added that the majority of members were of the opinion that because the minutes of the 142nd meeting have larger implication on JNU’s admission policy, they must be corrected before the council can move ahead with any other agenda. AC members said that after the discussion went on for over five hours, the V-C unilaterally adjourned the meeting. In a first, the AC meeting was recorded and the V-C

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Every drop counts

Apex court observes main lawsuit has been withdrawn Press Trust of India New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with a Delhi High Court order declining the plea of foreign publishers to stop a Delhi University-based photocopy shop from circulating photocopied books. The apex court did not find merit in the petition moved by Indian Reprographic Rights Organisation (IRRO), a society formed under the 1957 Copyright Act for issue or grant of licences in respect of any literary work in which copyright subsists for reproduction on behalf of rights holders. A Bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Navin Sinha said that since the main lawsuit, which was pending before a division Bench of the High Court, was withdrawn, it would not interfere with the order. Senior advocate Aman Sinha, who appeared for the Delhi University in the mat-

Rameshwari photocopy shop, near the Delhi School of Economics. FILE PHOTO *

ter, welcomed the apex court’s order saying the object of Copyright Act was to increase knowledge and not to impede it.

‘A developing country’ “We are a developing country with limited resources and a huge population. Students, teachers and education has to be given priority over private interests of a handful of copyright owners for financial gains,” Mr. Sinha said. He also referred to a provi-

sion of the Act and said it has been specifically incorporated for benefit of students. The division Bench of the High Court, in its order, had not stopped the shop from selling photocopies of textbooks published by leading foreign publishers: Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press (UK), Taylor and Francis Group (UK) and Taylor and Francis Books India Pvt Ltd’s. The publishers had told the division Bench that they had decided to withdraw the suit against Rameshwari Photocopy shop as they did not want to engage in a legal battle with their stakeholders — the educational institutions. The publishers had approached the division Bench against the HC’s single judge order, which had allowed the shop to sell photocopies of their textbooks saying copyright in literary works does not confer “absolute ownership” to the authors.

Precious liquid: Residents of Sanjay Camp, which falls under the jurisdiction of the NDMC, crowd around a water tanker on Tuesday.

Teachers gherao DU V-C’s house

Govt gives nod to extend Metro NGT ines drug line from Najafgarh to Dhansa irm ₹50 lakh

Demand hearing of their grievances

Will serve travel needs of additional 10,000 commuters daily

Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI

New Delhi

Members on the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) on Tuesday evening “gheraoed” the Vice-Chancellor’s residence after he allegedly refused to meet members of the association to discuss matters relating to their service conditions and benefits. DUTA had written to the V-C seeking an appointment with him on Tuesday but had received no response. DUTA said that the V-C had not met them even once in the past 10 months. After failing to get a response from the V-C, the teachers decided at 10 p.m. on Tuesday that they would

Dhansa bus stand in the Capital will be connected by the Delhi Metro by 2020. The Najafgarh-Dhansa bus stand metro extension is expected to serve the travel needs of an additional 10,000 passengers daily and cater to the people of Nangloi, Dhansa, Bahadurgarh and adjoining areas.

Was discharging untreated eluents

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SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

HC orders inquiry against ‘banned’ doc Akanksha Jain

DU teachers protest on Tuesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *

continue their sit-in overnight outside the V-C’s house on Chhatra Marg till the V-C gives them a hearing and resolves their problems. The teachers said that “no appointments, no promotions and no pension have been granted for the past several years by the increasingly authoritarian, corrupt and vindictive governance”.

1.18-km stretch As per the Urban Development Ministry, the Centre has approved the 1.18-km underground metro extension from Najafgarh to Dhansa bus stand at a cost of ₹565 crore. This extension is scheduled for completion by the

Work on the extension is likely to start in July. FILE PHOTO *

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) by 2020. Of the total cost, the Centre will bear ₹107 crore in the form of 50% equity (₹75.50 crore) and subordin-

ate debt; the Japanese International Cooperation Agency will provide ₹323 crore and the rest will be borne by the Delhi government, including equity (₹75.50 crore) and subordinate debt. As per 2016 estimates, 3.61 lakh vehicle trips are generated in Najafgarh. Since the area between Najafgarh and Dhansa is densely populated with substantial built up areas, the metro extension has been made underground. The 4.5-km Dwarka–Najafgarh Metro section, approved in September 2012, is likely to be completed by December this year. Work on the Najafgarh-Dhansa bus stand extension is likely to start in July this year.

Staff Reporter New Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped a fine of ₹50 lakh on five units of Amroha-based drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences for discharging untreated effluents in the open and extracting ground water beyond permissible limits. The green panel directed the Uttar Pradesh-based Jubilant Life Sciences (distillery unit), Jubilant Industries Ltd (Polymer unit), Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd (chemical unit-1), Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd (chemical unit-2), and Jubilant Agri and Consumer Products to deposit the amount with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

“After payment of ₹50 lakh, four units of the Jubilant Group will be permitted to operate except the distillery unit. All directions and recommendations contained in the joint inspection report should be complied with by the industries without delay,” a Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said. The NGT asked the Central Ground Water Authority to inspect the premises of the drug firm and report whether ground water extraction was being done as per law. It also made it clear that industry shouldn’t be permitted to extract water in excess of the permission granted.

Upset with noisy protests at Jantar Mantar, NGT asks govt to allot new spot Panel acts on plea complaining of high-decibel noise pollution due to frequent agitations in the area Bindu Shajan Perappadan New Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday pulled up the Delhi government for not exploring alternative sites to Jantar Mantar for allowing protests after a plea alleged that massive noise pollution was caused due to the frequent agitations. A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said that various courts have passed CM YK

orders from time to time for relocating the venue for protests to some other place but nothing has been done till date. “Have you ever visited Jantar Mantar? Have you ever seen the condition and plight of the residents in that area. Why don’t you do something? You have laws in place. The Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court has already passed orders on this issue. Why don’t you shift

them to some other alternative place”.

‘Consider Ramlila Maidan’ The green panel said there are many people camping at the site for many months but are not part of any agitation. Moreover there are food stalls there for the protesters and “businesses” are being run at the venue, added the Tribunal. It asked the AAP government to look into the possib-

ility of shifting the venue to Ramlila Maidan, which is also used for holding major political rallies and meetings. The observations came while hearing a plea filed by Delhi resident Varun Seth and others who had alleged that processions and agitations held at Jantar Mantar road were a major source of noise pollution in the area and violated their “right to live in a peaceful and healthy environment”.

The plea also claimed that despite there being a law against noise crossing 40 decibels, they have to bear loudspeakers that generate higher decibels. During the hearing, Delhi government’s counsel told the Bench that they were ready to shift the site for protests to some other place as police officials of the nearby Tilak Marg police station too face problems in reaching their office.

Talking point: Dozens of protests, scheduled or otherwise, are held at Jantar Mantar every day. SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY *

NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday called for an inquiry against a doctor who reportedly set up clinics in Delhi and Gurugram even though he was banned from professional practice by a court in the USA in 2011 after he plead guilty to three charges of sexual battery. A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice V. Kameswar Rao took suo motu cognizance of a media report about a specialist in diabetes, hypertension and nephrology running clinics in Delhi and Gurugram after he was made to surrender his licence in the US upon pleading guilty to three counts of sexual battery for unwarranted medical examinations on women patients. The Bench issued direction to Sanjeev Jain, Member Secretary of the Delhi State Legal Services Authority, to ascertain the name and address of the concerned doctor, conduct an inquiry and “submit a report within four days”. A notice has also been issued to the Medical Council of India “to place before this court the mechanisms, statutory regime as well as rules and regulations in place to scrutinise and check such practices”. The Centre has also been directed to respond to the notice. B ND-ND

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THE HINDU

CITY 3

NOIDA/DELHI

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Gas leak: HC stays order on entry of containers

Man duped of ₹4 lakh by Facebook ‘friend’, aides Six accused nabbed; victim’s gold jewellery, driving licence recovered

The Delhi High Court has stayed an SDM order directing that no fresh containers be allowed at the Tughlaqabad container depot from where a chemical gas leak had led to 450 students being hospitalised. PTI

Fire at handicraft factory in Noida; no one injured NOIDA

A major fire broke out at a handicraft factory in Sector 63 here on Tuesday. No one was injured in the incident as the workers were safely evacuated in time. Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot. PTI

Woman found dead, husband held for murder

HC serves notice to BJP leader, to take up matter on July 13 Press Trust of India New Delhi

abductors, identified as Arun, to his uncle’s residence, where he paid ₹2.5 lakh to him.

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI

DDCA controversy: HC seeks Jaitley stand on Kejriwal plea

NEW DELHI

A woman and her accomplices allegedly duped a 30year-old businessman of ₹4 lakh by first befriending him on social media and then abducting him after calling him to a mall for a meeting. The victim is a resident of Anand Vihar. According to the police, he became friends with the woman on Facebook last month and started chatting with her on the website’s messenger. One day, the woman asked the victim for his number on the pretext that her husband, who knew her Facebook password, could become privy to their conversations. The victim agreed to share his number, and they started talking over WhatsApp.

NOIDA

Victim threatened Two days later, the accused contacted the complainant again and demanded more money. They threatened to leak “objectionable” photos of the victim if he did not pay up. Scared, the man approached the Geeta Colony police on May 3. Technical surveillance was mounted, and six of the abductors were nabbed. The accused were identified as Sahil Mehandiatta (30), Arun Garg (24), Shoib (23), and Jai Mehta (27). Two others are yet to be identified. Honey-trap: The victim befriended the accused woman on Facebook last month. (FOR REPRESENTATION ONLY) *

A man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly killing his wife for dowry. The woman was found hanging from a ceiling fan at Mamura village here. The police had initially suspected it to be a suicide case. PTI

Man abducted On April 10, the two decided to meet at Cross River Mall in Shahdara. However, when the victim went there, he was allegedly abducted by a group of 8-10 men who took him to a flat in Laxmi Nagar

Van driver held for molestation

JNU student accuses hosteller of stalking her

in their car. “In the flat, the men took away his gold jewellery and driving licence. They also demanded ₹25 lakh from him. The victim called his father for help and ended up pay-

ing ₹1.5 lakh to the accused,” said Nupur Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara). The accused, however, demanded more money. The victim then took one of the

Items recovered The victim’s belongings, which had been seized by the men, were recovered. The police also found a blank paper with the victim’s signature on it. Efforts are on to trace the others, including the woman.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the response of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea to expunge remarks made against him by a trial court in a criminal defamation case filed by the BJP leader. Mr. Jaitley had filed the criminal defamation complaint alleging that the accused, including Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chaddha and Deepak Bajpai, apart from Mr. Kejriwal, had defamed him in a controversy regarding Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) when he headed it for over a decade.

Civil defamation suit A civil defamation suit has also been filed by Mr. Jaitley against them in the Delhi High Court in the matter seeking ₹10 crore as damages. Justice Mukta Gupta on Tuesday issued notice to the BJP leader, and sought his stand regarding Mr. Kejriwal’s plea against the trial

Charges levelled: Mr. Jaitley has accused the Chief Minister and ive other AAP leaders of defaming him. FILE PHOTO *

court’s remarks made while dismissing his application seeking to be heard on the point of framing of notice in the case. The High Court will take up this matter on July 13. The trial court, while dismissing the application filed by the Chief Minister and the five Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, had said the plea was “bereft of any merit, mala fide and filed solely with a view to stall the proceedings”. The trial court had dismissed their application on January 30.

‘Not defamatory’ Mr. Kejriwal has also moved

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Quick ix

Staff Reporter NEW DELHI

A school van driver has been arrested for allegedly molesting a three-year-old girl in north-west Delhi’s Model Town on May 6. According to the police, the accused molested her after dropping the other students at their homes.

Girl narrates ordeal The girl returned home and narrated the ordeal to her parents. They approached the police and the accused was arrested. No other student has made similar allegations against the driver.

FIR registered in case; no arrest made so far, say police

New Delhi

Staff Reporter New Delhi

A student of Jawaharlal Nehru University ( JNU) has accused a fellow student of stalking her. According to the police, a case has been registered but the accused has not been arrested yet. The victim and the accused are hostellers and are enrolled in different courses.

‘Repeatedly followed’ In her complaint, the victim has alleged that the man has often followed her to the

hostel and made repeated attempts to speak to her despite her unwillingness to have any conversation.

‘Unwanted messages’ She has also accused him of sending messages via WhatsApp despite her having told him not to do so. “She told us that he had been bothering her for months,” said a senior police officer. On Monday, the victim approached the police and submit0ted a written com-

Seven persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in robbing people returning in a bus from a wedding party. The police reconstructed the sequence of events and marked out three separate zones -- the area where the bus was replaced, the Devli turn and the place where the vehicle was accosted for carrying out-minute search -- for clues. While scouting the area, the team got inputs about an unattended auto-rickshaw, a few metres away from where the bus passengers were robbed.

plaint based on which a case of stalking was registered. “The FIR was registered at Vasant Kunj North police station under Section 354-D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code. Investigations are on,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ishwar Singh. The police added that they would record the victim’s statement under Section 64 of the Criminal Procedure Code and action against the accused will be taken based on that.

Accused thrashed by locals, handed over to police; victim in hospital NEW DELHI

In the second such incident reported in the Capital in less than a week, a 21month-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her neighbour in New Seelampur on Sunday. The accused, identified as Hari Ram (40), has been arrested.

Victim abducted According to the police, the incident was reported around 8 p.m., when the girl’s mother left her playing outside their house. The victim’s father, who

owns a grocery store nearby, was watching over her. However, when the man went to attend to some customers, the accused allegedly took the girl away. He then took her to his house, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her. After around 15 minutes, he dumped her near her house, said the police.

Girl complains of pain Her father said that when the girl returned, she complained of pain in her abdomen. “My wife presumed that

she wanted to relieve herself and took her to the washroom. However, she was shocked to see her bleeding profusely from her private parts,” said the father. The family then took the child to Chacha Nehru Hospital, from where she was referred to Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital. A subsequent medical test confirmed sexual assault. The accused was caught by the family the same day, and handed over to the police. A local had purportedly

seen the man taking the girl away, who then informed her family.

Accused confesses The family said the accused initially tried to feign innocence and blame the act on one of the victim’s relatives. However, upon being thrashed by locals, he purportedly admitted to the crime. Hari Ram worked as tailor and hails from Bihar. The child, meanwhile, underwent a minor surgery on Tuesday and will remain admitted at the hospital for the next 10 days.

At your service: An MTNL lineman tries to restore a landline connection in New Delhi on Tuesday. The telecom irm is looking to convert nearly 50% of its ixed line users into broadband subscribers as part of its plans to increase revenue and retain customers. V.V.KRISHNAN *

New course creates a buzz at Tihar

Court seeks Tytler’s reply on polygraph test

Young ofenders of jail no.5 to undergo training in beekeeping, honey production

Told to give ‘unambiguous’ answer

GHAZIABAD

Shubhomoy Sikdar

Nirnimesh Kumar

The crime branch team of UP police has busted a cricket betting racket in Sahibabad area here and arrested five persons in this connection. The arrests were made from a flat at Vrindavan Green Apartments in Rajendra Nagar around 11.45 p.m. on Monday night, said SP (City) Aakash Tomar.

NEW DELHI

New Delhi

Tihar Jail is all set to add hundreds of cells to its prison complex. If this makes you think that the number of prisoners would go up, you are in for a sweet reality check. These tiny cells are for bees — to rear them for one of the jail’s newest vocational course — honey production. On Tuesday, the prison authorities launched a fiveday beekeeping course for inmates of jail no. 5. The training is being imparted by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to offenders aged between 18 and 21.

Stating that the CBI plea for a polygraph test on Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and alleged arms dealer Abhisek Verma in a 1984 antiSikh riots case is maintainable, a court here on Tuesday directed both to give an unambiguous answer to the plea. “Both the non-applicants [Tytler and Verma] are directed to file affidavits clearly specifying that they have understood the nature of the test that is sought to be conducted on them and giving a clear and unambiguous consent/no consent for participating in the polygraph test,” Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Shivali Sharma said in the order.

IPL betting racket busted

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Press Trust of India

Raid conducted “Acting on a tip-off, the crime branch team conducted a raid at a flat in Rajendra Nagar and arrested Paras Narang, Anshul Jain, Amrish Mittal, Ashok Kumar and Vipin Goel, while they were engaged in online betting,” he said. The police have recovered a laptop, an LCD TV, a Wi-Fi modem, two calculators, 15 mobile phones, three chargers, 8 note books and ₹12,000 in cash. CM YK

7 arrested for robbing wedding party Press Trust of India

Child sexually assaulted by neighbour Staff Reporter

another application claiming that some of the alleged remarks attributed to him and other AAP leaders by Mr. Jaitley in his criminal defamation case were not defamatory. It was contended by Mr. Kejriwal’s lawyers that the remarks attributed to him were taken from news publications and social media extracts. However, as these news reports or social media extracts had not been filed by Mr. Kejriwal’s lawyer, the court gave them time till May 22 to file the documents in support of their plea. The second plea will be taken up by the court on May 22.

Lessons imparted On the occasion, experts demonstrated how the inmates will be given both theoretical and practical lessons on beekeeping. For example, the prisoners will

Sweet revolution: The ive-day beekeeping course was launched at Tihar Jail on Tuesday. *

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

be taught as to how to save themselves in case the insects attacked them. They were also showed as to how bees will live in the miniature cells and how honey and by-products will be made. Director General (Prisons)

Sudhir Yadav and KVIC Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena, who were present during the launch, said the honey would be available for sale by July. Delhiites can expect to lay their hands on the product at Tihar Jail outlets across the city as well

as Khadi outlets. “This initiative is unique as it will help in boosting the future opportunities of the inmates,” said Mr. Yadav. The other vocational courses launched on Tuesday included soap and incense stick making.

Conditions welcome The court also said that if they wanted to put conditions for undergoing the

test, they should appear in person on May 22 for clarification.

Counsel opposes plea Opposing the plea, the counsel for Mr. Tytler argued that it had been filed with an intent to embarrass him. The CBI had sought the court’s permission to conduct the test on them, stating that it was needed for the purpose of further investigation. Rejecting the third cleanchit to Mr. Tytler by the CBI in the case, the court had in December 2015 directed the agency to further probe the allegations against him. Lakhwinder Kaur is the complainant in the case. She is the wife of a man who was killed along with two others by a mob at Gurdwara Pul Bangas in north Delhi during the riots. She has accused Mr. Tytler of inciting the mob that allegedly attacked the gurdwara.

Missing auto complaint Also the police were informed by one Raj Kumar that his auto-rickshaw had been missing. When the police asked Kumar to join the probe, he did not turn up and switched off his cell phone. He was later traced as the police analysed his call detail records. Upon being confronted, Kumar broke down and confessed to his involvement. Other accused were arrested based on his inputs, the police said. Kumar, during interrogation, said he had received information about the “baraat” bus returning late night from Swaroop Nagar and he and his associates hatched a conspiracy to loot the passengers.

DELHI TODAY Dance: Bharatanatyam arangetram by Akshata Kalloor at C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium, India International Centre (IIC), Lodhi Estate, 6 p.m. Paintings: Painting show by Puniti Lachhwani, Kamaldeep Kaur and Manish Mehra at Convention Centre Foyer, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 11 a.m. – p.m. Photography: “Bhutan Echoes”, a photography show by Serena Chopra, at Bikaner House, Pandara Road, 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Exhibition: “Evergreen Delhi”, a photography exhibition by Rajat Bhushan, at Delhi ‘o’ Delhi Foyer, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Exhibition: “The Chromatic Image”, a show by Gopal Ghose, at Akar Prakar Art Advisory, 1st loor, 29, Hauz Khas Village, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Exhibition: “Human landscape: multiple encounters”, a show of paintings and prints by Human landscapist Anand Moy Banerji, at Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, Copernicus Marg, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Screening: Of English documentary ilm “A Shawl to Die For”; the ilm traces the ancient craft of Shahtoosh weaving in Kashmir and tracks its links to the Tibetan antelope, at Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 7 p.m. Screening: Of Italian ilm “Blame Freud”, with English subtitles, at Italian Embassy Cultural Institute, 50-E, Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri, 7 p.m. (Mail your listings for this column at [email protected]) B ND-ND

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4 SHOWCASE

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017

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A Preity afair! Preity Zinta says the IPL has become a springboard for young talent and has been able to take the gentleman’s game to female and family audience vijay lokapally

An inclusive note Singer Rini Mukherjee paid tribute to Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam To commemorate 156th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore and 118th birth anniversary of Kazi Nazrul Islam, singer Rini Mukherjee captivated the audience with her live performance at Bipin Chandra Pal Memorial Trust Auditorium in New Delhi’s Chittranjan Park recently. Organised by Le Rythme, which provides a platform to underprivileged children to showcase their talent at musical events, “Rabindra-Nazrul Sandhya” was a two-hour non stop event. Rini started her performance with Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrul Geet. After that she sang the Bengali song “Aye Sunder Swarnali Sandhya” and also presented all time hit Hindi songs of Asha Bhosle, Lata Mageshkar and Kavita Krishnamurti. Melodious songs like “Ek Radha Ek Meera”, “Shyam teri bansari pukare radha naam”, “Yeh Ladka hai Allah” were also played. Rini concluded her performance with famous Bengali folk songs “Chhata dhoro go devera”, “Leelawali Leelawali” and “Shubho Noborshe”.

It was by choice that this busy film star invested time and money in cricket. The Kings XI Punjab gave Preity Zinta a platform to explore her love for sport and her interest in cricket has only grown with each passing year in the Indian Premier League (IPL). As co-owner of the franchise and the popular face of the team, Zinta is looking forward to Kings XI Punjab winning the title in the tenth edition. She admits things have not panned the way she had expected. “Obviously not in some ways. In some ways it exceeded my expectations. I always believed that it (IPL) would be a big brand. It’s become an incredible global brand. I would like to win the tournament. That would be a big high. We missed that bar but I am crossing my fingers this year. I won’t say we have played to our potential. It’s been a roller-coaster ride.”

Learning curve Which has been the best phase for Kings XI Punjab? “There’s no good or bad phase,” she responds. “Every phase teaches you but I think our first year was incredible because the first time for anything is most exciting. That was a great year. 2014

was a great year as well. We played the final. Every year has been a learning curve.” On her experience in the IPL, Zinta is candid, “Overall it was my first business venture and something I believed in. I am happy to see where it has reached today. Also look at what it has done to sports as general in the country. Today, when a young guy or girl tells his/her parents that they want to be professional sports persons the parents are like “yes, please go ahead and do it.” Earlier the parents would not support their children to play sport.”

Serious competition She does not appreciate IPL being called mere entertainment than serious competition. “I think the people who say IPL is more about entertainment than competition they are not sure about what they are saying and are jealous,” she snaps. “I don’t know what else to say? How do you not see the competition? Yesterday, this young guy from Delhi (Rishabh Pant) made 97 runs and what an innings he played! Where else would you see the opportunity for a youngster to come and play against the stalwarts of international cricket? After IPL came into being India won the World

this young < > Yesterday, guy from Delhi (Rishabh Pant) made 97 runs and what an innings he played! Where else would you see the opportunity for a youngster to come and play against the stalwarts of international cricket?

The victorious smile: Preity Zinta with Kings XI Punjab players

Cup. We are at the top in Test cricket too. The proof is in the pudding.” Zinta praised IPL for the opportunities it gave to new faces. “The youngsters give their breakthrough performances in the IPL and go on to play for the Indian team. Look at Shaun Marsh. In 2008, he won the orange cap and went on to play for Australia. David Miller had a breakthrough performance in India and eventually went on to play for South Africa. It’s the biggest stage for players to perform in IPL and go

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on to represent their countries.” Was she always interested in cricket? “Not at all. I must have watched three games. Mainly India-Pakistan matches (in World Cup). It’s different now. It’s become a three-hour format. One of the big challenges when IPL happened was how to make women and children watch IPL. Cricket was always a man thing, right! But look at it today. Families, girls, they just love it. It’s been incredible to have the whole country watching IPL and not just

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

the men. I remember when the World Cup final was happening, my friend’s daughters were watching and they identified the players as someone from Kings XI and someone from Mumbai Indians. They knew the players. I never grew up knowing the players except a few Indian players. It has appealed to all sections of the society even if they were not cricket fans.”

Two IPLs What would she like to bring to IPL? “In a perfect world,” she asserts, “it would be

great to have two IPLs in a year – one home and one away. That would be amazing. When the IPL went to South Africa and Dubai it was amazing to see the response.” Ten years of IPL has helped Zinta understand the game better. “Earlier I would think what was so great about cricket. Take a bat and a ball and play. Over the years, I realised there was so much of technique involved. There is so much of mental side to the game. Looking at the pitches, the dew factor,

do we bat first, do we bat second. Now I can read if the ball was a yorker. When the IPL started I would sit in front of the TV screen because I would now know where the ball went. I would say we had fluorescent ball so that I can see it. I don’t see much of cricket when the IPL is not on. But I watch every game of IPL.” Any plans of a movie with IPL as the theme? “I don’t know about that. A blockbuster movie for sure…You never know…Wait for it,” she smiles.

Room for experiment Streaming performances online, Boiler Room provides a global platform for artistes while ofering a wide choice to listeners performances and has included live jazz, experimental acts in the recent years”.

deepa gupta

If you couldn’t attend your favourite music gig last night in Delhi, Boiler Room made sure you didn’t miss it even for a moment. This unique concept allows you to be there with the help of your laptop, phone, iPad or whichever gadget you have. Boiler Room (BR) and Budweiser’s ‘Discover What’s Brewing’ event series that has put the spotlight on some of the globe’s iconic DJs and artists on-the-rise — across a diverse mix of scenes and subcultures in city locations all over the world, were in the Capital recently after gigs in Mumbai and Bengaluru, to feature house music legend and Grammy award winning producer Roger Sanchez, highlyregarded selector Josey Rebelle and Indian producers BLOT known for his emotive electronica productions and Abhi Meer.

has helped propel < > ItIndian artists to a global stage. The contribution is massive and super inluential to smaller music scenes. It's hard to quantify Ketan Bahirat

A close touch: Musician Gaurav Malaker feels Boiler Room experience is intimate and direct

Founded in 2010, Boiler Room televises underground music as it happens from around the world to a massive online community thereby creating windows into scenes and sounds from every corner of the globe, connecting millions of music heads with the specific music they love. As the world’s leading online music broadcaster that evolved from a webcam taped to a warehouse wall to a global broadcaster stream-

ing the best in underground music, from techno and hip hop to jazz and contemporary classical, the BR series has since it’s early years vastly expanded their setup and music policy. With over 12 million dedicated monthly unique users, its award-winning content reaches over 60 million music fans every month. BR also has a significant and growing fan base in Latin America with key broadcast hubs in New York, London, Los Angeles and

Berlin. So what is it that makes the BR concept appealing to the artist? Says BLOT aka Gaurav Malaker, “The fact that it's so intimate and direct! I also admire the programming and how people just seem to lose themselves, often forgetting about the cameras!” Agrees Oceantied aka Ketan Bahirat who played at the BR in Mumbai in December 2016. “It’s exciting how BR has created a worldwide network of most

importantly an audience for all kinds of music, and it’s global approach to music, showcasing acts from all corners of the world”. RHL aka Rahul Giri, who was also part of the December 2016 gig, says, “The fact is that I can watch some of my favourite acts from all over the world perform live online without leaving my couch! Also, BR has turned into probably the most comprehensive archive of contemporary electronic music

Multi-angle shoots Starting as a showcase for electronic music, they now incorporate hip-hop, jazz, world music and more. From a basic one camera operation, now they have evolved into multi-angle shoots at concerts and festivals and have hosted shows in different cities across the world. How much of a difference has the concept made to the music scene currently? “It has helped propel Indian artists to a global stage. The contribution is massive and super influential to smaller music scenes. It's hard to quantify,” states Bahirat. The concept is innovative in the sense that when broadcasting to the world, all kinds of music, no matter how niche, it finds an audience, in some cases far bigger than anyone would have expected. “Of late, a lot of properties/concepts based around ‘Live Streaming/On Demand’ have popped up. I am not sure if it’s entirely because of Boiler Room, but it has definitely played its part. I think this will definitely impact how we consume live music

in the years to come. It might change the dynamics between artists and venues, create new financial/sustenance models and basically do away with current hierarchies, structures of the scene,” explains Giri. No wonder, Sandunes has been selected for a threemonth residency in Berlin and is opening for electronica musician Bonobo in Manchester in July, after her BR debut in December. What sort of impact does it have on the career of the local artists? Says Bahirat, “It has a huge impact. Over a lakh people consume your set over a night and it can lead to a more global, larger listening base. It also creates a sense of togetherness, everyone wants to be a part of something as big as this so the support is global”. What makes BR unique is that the sets are streamed live and then archived on YouTube; it is an invite only event where the actual audience might be 400 clubbers at a venue but 40,000 people end up watching the stream; and they have an open music policy that showcases everything from house and techno to jazz, hip-hop, spoken word and even qawwali occasionally!

Dressing up Bieber... Master couturier Manav Gangwani has created exclusive merchandise for Justin Bieber’s “Purpose Tour To India”. Shedding light on the clothes he has created for the talented artist, Manav Gangwani says: “I hope the teen heartthrob enjoys a little touch of India. I have created merchandise that reflects the rich culture of our country keeping in mind Bieber’s sensational young vibe”. Keeping in mind India’s rich heritage and culture, Manav has created unique merchandise for the 23year-old international pop artist. Top sneakers and embellished caps embedded with Swarovski crystals have been curated and conceptualized for him. He has used crystals in colours such as topaz, purple velvet and blue zircon on these special motifs.

5 EVENTS WORTH-YOUR-WHILE

MUSIC

Tanya Nambiar The Piano Jazz Club will present a performance by Tanya Nambiar. Tanya is a Delhi based singer/ songwriter and her music is a smooth blend of jazz, blues and pop. Accompanying her is Vishal Dixit on the keyboard. Venue: B 6, Commercial Complex, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi Time: 9 p.m.

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DANCE

FILM

GROUP SHOW

Performance

Blame Freud

EXHIBITION

Indian International Centre will be holding Bharatanatyam arangetram by Akshata Kaloor who is a disciple of Guru Pooja Kapoor of Nrityakala School of Dance, Delhi. Learning since she was young, Akshata ‘prabhakar’ from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad. Venue: C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium, Max Mueller Marg Time: 6 p.m.

Italian Embassy Cultural Institute will be screening “Blame Freud”, a Italian comedy film with English subtitles. Directed by Paolo Genovese it is about Francesco Taramelli a psychoanalyst who is dealing with three patients going through various hurdles in their love lives. Venue: 50-E, Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi Time: 7 p.m.

Pravah - A Journey of Creation

Time and Being

India Habitat Centre is holding a group exhibition showcasing paintings by artists Puniti Lachhwani, Kamaldeep Kaur and Manish Mehra. While Kaur captures the divine soul of Lord Buddha, Mehra’s works mostly consist of Arabian Nights and Holy Bible and Puniti presents philosophy of life. Venue: Convention Centre Foyer, Lodhi Road Time: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Shridharani Gallery is hosting a solo art exhibition showcasing the works of Indore-based artist Aparna Bidasaria curated by art criticcolumnist Uma Nair. The artworks portray the banyan tree as a symbol of knowledge, protection, immortality and salvation. Venue: 205, Triveni Kala Sangam, Mandi House Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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THE HINDU

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How AI is making HR functions smarter From screening and interviewing candidates to onboarding and engaging employees, machines have become an ally in the talent management process Deepti Moolya

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rtificial Intelligence (AI), which represents an area in technology that simplifies the way we do things, is being increasingly adopted while carrying out HR functions. Though they can never replace the human element in human resource management, AI machines are gradually developing the intelligence that is necessary to source the right fit or predict the next move and help HR professionals take intelligent decisions. Let us explore how AI is becoming a game changer in the talent acquisition sector.

Screening candidates Recruiters have to go through a vast number of candidate profiles and depend on manual processes, where they screen profiles and set up in-person discussions. An intelligent AI-enabled screening software can bring about much difference

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in this arena. By analysing the necessary intricacies and past success factors in a particular job profile, the software can find the most suitable set of candidates with the required skills, experience and cultural fit for the organisation. Industry giants like SAP, Facebook, IBM and Hilton Worldwide have added such analytics to their sourcing mechanisms and redefined the hiring experience completely.

Interviewing candidates On an average, recruiters spend 30% of their time in scheduling and interviewing candidates. Reports reveal that more than 50% of the candidates don’t hear back after submitting their resumes through traditional corporate pipelines. AI machines can figure out the right fit and engage potential candidates in an efficient manner. Intelligent machines that deliver custom-made messages to potential can-

didates enable recruiters to focus on their time in swiftly closing offers.

Onboarding employees There is always an uncertainty in the period between the offer acceptance and the joining date of the candidate. AI could play a key role in engaging and following up with the potential employee to reduce the chance of lastminute offer rejection. Talent development All of us know that everyone has different learning styles. AI enables personalised learning programmes based on employee information skill set, experience, behaviours and learning patterns. It can also provide a customised career path information which in a few instances your boss might not be able to provide. Employee relations An AI-powered Chatbot can respond to the most com-

mon HR queries and it can schedule the meetings with you and your HR. Through HR analytics it can empower immediate managers to make better decisions through various information — Learning pattern, Performances Track records and Recognition Pattern.

HR analytics AI will take HR-MIS to a different dimension. It can derive huge insights from huge amount of data and predict probable issues way before they strike an organisation. This will also help predict attrition, enabling organisations to take retention steps on time. Analytics also plays a key role in tracking employee engagement trends which are directly proportional to organisational productivity and efficiency. (Deepti Moolya, Global HR Business Partner, Digital Transformation & Enterprise Solutions, Happiest Minds Technologies. )

Human resource professionals are increasingly assisted by systems based on Artiicial Intelligence. PHOTO USED FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY

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6 OPPORTUNITIES

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Performance assessment should be everyday work

Seven points to remember while going for an appraisal meeting

Through discussions, supervisors should try to improve their teams on a daily basis

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for a low target to maximise their salary hike and bonus. How counter-productive it is for the organisation when the negotiation of the target is not around the possibilities of achieving an ambitious goal but on an individual’s earnings! The annual appraisal process cannot achieve this. The HR fraternity and business leaders are trying to find a way by which the goal-setting process is not rigged, and is rather anchored in clearly-set goals.

Aditya Narayan Mishra

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cross the world, organisations believe performance appraisal promotes competitiveness, objectivity, transparency and fairness. In the 1990s and the following decade, organisations invested considerable energy in this process, starting from designing the system to training people to use it and implementing it. Each year, this internal process in an organisation consumes a huge amount of time of the top leadership, the supervisors and the HR team. As a result, the appraisal process results in a huge cost to the organisation. Due to the costly nature of the appraisal process and the entry of millennials, who are keen on having quick feedback, leaders have started evaluating its return on investment. A couple of years ago, large organisations in technology and consulting domains started revamping the process.

Continuous process Today’s employee looks for a fair assessment of the performance output and is open to suggestions for change in his working style and behaviours. The need for course corrections should be communicated at the appropriate time so the process of change is set in motion early. The annual appraisal process creates the setting for a discussion, but one cannot wait for the particular event to offer feedback. Rather, feedback has to be a part of day-to-day work. Organisations must reset the expectations of their workforce to seek feedback and discuss possible changes in behaviour every now and then. Hence, the new normal on performance ap-

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ILLUSTRATION: MIHIR BALANTRAPU

praisal makes it an integral part of day-to-day conversation with the boss. A typical performance appraisal discussion is a hurriedly-convened meeting by the boss. She/ he normally comes ill-prepared for the discussion, offers a few generic inputs to the employee, ticks off a task on the to-do list, finds no time to record the discussions meaningfully and the employee has no means to know what gets recorded in his or her career records. I wonder if this helps the employee in his or her development or the organisation in improving its performance levels. Organisations do well in moving away from the half-yearly or yearly ritual of holding this process all over and spending a huge amount of energy. Rather, make it a day-today practice where the discussion is not limited to the tasks but the process, the behaviours and possible development opportunities. Employees and their supervisors have to learn this new way of engagement.

A record of goals One of the most wasteful

activities in a performance appraisal is ‘re-certifying’ the goals of the review period. And, of course, many a time, the goals are not set in time and hence, there is confusion. Sometimes, the goals are revised along the way due to several factors. Who keeps the records and digs into the past to determine the correct figures? With the advent of technology, digitisation of work processes is on the rise. Hence, measuring the actuals and keeping a record of the goals is getting easier with each passing day. Organisations have to wake up to this possibility. The discussions have to achieve what they are meant to — recognise the achievements, make the employee feel proud and agree on the opportunities to improve further.

Goal-setting process In their eagerness to be transparent and objective, organisations prescribe performance scores, salary hikes and bonuses linked to achievement of targets. So, employees aggressively push

Salary hikes Typically, performance appraisal processes end with salary hikes, bonuses, promotions, new roles and goals for the next review period. Since many of these are centred on the appraisee’s personal gains, they hinder an objective discussion about performance. The employee’s mind is fixated on knowing the performance score, salary hike and bonus. From the days when the appraisal process starts to the time when the final results are announced, employees are quite busy having ‘water-cooler conversations’. The organisation loses momentum. New practice To sum up, the new practice is to link salary hikes, bonuses and promotions with the assessment of the individual’s performance against targets, benchmarks and potential. And the appraisal discussion is not a customary annual conversation; it’s part of day-to-day work where good work is recognised and opportunities for improvement identified and worked upon. Let there not be a specific event called annual appraisal discussion. (Aditya Narayan Mishra is CEO at CIEL HR Services )

Archana Nirwan

f managed well, the appraisal discussion can be an incredibly positive meeting and not the stressful and dreaded one that it often is. A well-managed appraisal meeting needs preparation from both the manager and the employee and it can lead to employee engagement and alignment of goals, provide direction to careers and ultimately ensure career fulfilment. Here are a few tips for employees as they prepare for this crucial meeting:

Authentic self-appraisal Be well aware of how much you have achieved against goals for the cycle. Be honest. Take accountability for your accomplishments and misses alike. This approach will add to your credibility with your manager. Know yourself Take the initiative to assess your strengths and development areas and share them with your manager. Seek feedback Request and be receptive to feedback from both your management team and peers. Being defensive can sometimes be a default response to feedback; rise above it to get inputs on how you can achieve higher performance.

Photo used for representational purpose only

Goals for next review Share your draft goals to seek alignment with your manager. Set up a follow-up meeting to finalise the goals, measures and what success in these goals would look like. Career conversation Share your mid- and longterm career vision and goals with your manager. Solicit his/her inputs to build a development plan to support your current and future growth. Development plan Share your thoughts on what support you need for your development. You could take the 70:20:10 approach to development where 70% of development comes from

on-the-job experiences, 20% through live projects and stretch assignments and 10% through formal training. Draw up a plan and seek your manager’s inputs and support.

Positive participation Prepare yourself for your performance appraisal meeting by trying to relax. Your goal should be to listen deeply to the feedback your manager provides, as well as the goals and development plans they lay out for you. This will help you approach the appraisal discussion as one in which you will learn something about yourself which will help you achieve greater success. While the afore-mentioned tips focus on ‘what’

one needs to do in an appraisal discussion, the ‘how’ is equally important. Be open, be positive and most importantly, be calm during this discussion. Ultimately, it's your career. You have both the power and responsibility to manage your performance and ensure your ongoing development and success. Make the most of the opportunity your performance appraisal offers to make your contributions known and to get meaningful feedback and direction that will help you grow. Proper preparation and positive participation are key. (Archana Nirwan is Senior Director and Head of HR at Qualcomm India .)

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