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Punjab government to come up with new transport policy

Sushma terms African envoys’ statement on attacks unfortunate

Gaikwad light ban: Sena MPs warn of protest in Parliament

T20 format has revived the game, says Viv Richards

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Ties severely damaged, says China

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Foreign Ministry says that the Dalai Lama’s Arunachal Pradesh visit will escalate border dispute Atul Aneja Beijing

‘Stone-throwing youth are ighting for nation’ SRINAGAR

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday defended the stone-pelting youth in the Valley, saying they are ighting for the nation and for the resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the wishes of its people. NATION 쑺 PAGE 6 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Dargah head ‘ousted’ by brother JAIPUR

The seat of Sajjadanashin (spiritual head) at the historic dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer witnessed an acrimonious battle on Wednesday with the younger brother of Syed Zainul Abedin, the present Dewan, staking claim to the prestigious post. Mr. Abedin summarily rejected his claim. NORTH

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The row between India and China on the visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh spiralled on Wednesday, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry asserting that the Tibetan leader’s visit to the State “will escalate the dispute in border areas.” China also lodged a protest with India’s Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying stressed, in response to a question at her regular briefing, that the Dalai Lama’s visit had “severely damaged” Sino-Indian ties. “India is keenly aware of the role of the 14th Dalai Lama. Arranging this visit to the disputed areas not only

‘Delhi never used me against Beijing’

runs counter to India’s commitments on Tibet but will escalate the dispute in border areas,” she observed.

‘Chinese interests hit’ Ms. Hua said that the Tibetan leader’s visit had “severely damaged China’s interests.” According to her, India had acted “obstinately” by green-lighting the visit, despite repeated Chinese protests. Arunachal Pradesh is at the heart of the Sino-Indian boundary dispute in the eastern sector. The dispute in this zone is over territory south of the McMahon Line in Arunachal Pradesh, which includes Tawang — which is on the Dalai Lama’s itinerary. The McMahon Line was the result

Press Trust of India Bomdila (Arunachal Pradesh)

unachal Pradesh as saying that the State does not share a boundary with China, but with Tibet.

Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Wednesday emphatically said India had never used him against China. The Dalai Lama also urged China to give Tibet meaningful “self-rule” and “autonomy.” “I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go,” he said.

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Under watch: Security men guard Buddha Stadium in Bomdila where the Dalai Lama delivered a discourse. AFP *

of the 1914 Simla Convention, between British India and Tibet, and was rejected by China. Reuters quoted Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Ar-

Man transporting cows beaten to death in Alwar Rajasthan Home Minister says no one has the right to take the law into his own hands

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Chetan Cheetah recovers after 9 bullet injuries NEW DELHI

CRPF commander Chetan Cheetah, who was shot nine times during an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir, has made a ‘miraculous’ recovery and was discharged from the AIIMS on Wednesday. DELHI METRO

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JAIPUR

Pehlu Khan (55), a man attacked by vigilantes for allegedly smuggling cows, died at a hospital in Alwar district of Rajasthan on Monday. Late on Wednesday night, the Alwar police arrested three persons in connection with the case. In Jaipur, Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said it was “all right” that some people caught those who

were illegally transporting animals but added that “no one has the right to take the law into his own hands.” Mr Kataria said the police would take appropriate action.

Brutally thrashed The deceased, Pehlu Khan, 55, and four others, including his two sons, were beaten brutally on Saturday by villagers who suspected that they were smuggling cows. Sixteen persons were

allegedly transporting 36 bovine animals illegally in six pick-up vans. They were on their way to Haryana from Jaipur when the vigilantes stopped two of the vans in Behror on the Jaipur-Delhi National Highway. Pehlu Khan, his sons Aarif, 22, and Irshad, 25, were in the first van, while Ajmat, 28. and Sharif, 24, were in the second. All of them were thrashed and their vans damaged.

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Best foot forward

The four vans which followed were also stopped by the police. In them, 11 persons were found and arrested under the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, ASI of the Behror police station Vikram Singh said. The five men who were beaten were admitted to a district hospital where Pehlu Khan died on Monday night. The condition of the

others was said to be stable, Mr. Singh said. They had not been arrested yet. A case of murder was registered against Om Yadav, Hukamchand Yadav, Naveen Sharma, Sudhir Yadav, Rahul Saini and Jagmal. 200 other “unidentified” persons have also been listed as accused. In Delhi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury accused the BJP government in Rajasthan of being “complicit in the murder.”

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Rail regulator gets green light It will look into fares, private role Special Correspondent New Delhi

The Centre on Wednesday cleared the decks for setting up an independent rail regulator that will be responsible for recommending passenger fares, setting performance standards for rail operations and creating level playing policy for private sector participation. The regulator, named Rail Development Authority (RDA), will be based in Delhi with an initial corpus of ₹50 crore and will be set up through an executive order later this month. The RDA will act within the parameters of the Railway Act, 1989 and only make recommendations to the Ministry which will take a final call on passenger and freight fares.

Comfort to investors “The move will improve the services offered to passengers, provide comfort to investors in the rail sector and will enhance transparency and accountability,” said an official statement. The need for a regulator has been emphasised by various committees, including the Dr. Bibek Debroy Committee on Mobilisation of Resources for Major Railway Projects and Restructuring of Railway Ministry in 2015, the National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC) in 2014 and Expert Group under the

The move will help to improve services. Chairmanship of Dr. Rakesh Mohan in 2001. The Authority’s primary functions will be to recommend tariff “commensurate with costs,” frame principles for social service obligation, and ensure a level playing field for stakeholders by suggesting policies for private investment. It will also fix efficiency standards and resolve disputes related to future concession agreements, the Ministry said. It will also collect, analyse and disseminate information and statistics concerning the rail sector. “This is a commendable move as the Central government has been fixing the fares mostly based on political considerations,” said former Railway Board Chairman S.S. Khurana. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10

Saifullah does not belong to IS: Rajnath NIA still probing Ujjain-Bhopal train blast, says Home Minister after three of his associates were arrested in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly planting a bomb on a train at the Bhopal railway station.

Special Correspondent New Delhi

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Wednesday that he never said that Saifullah, a Kanpur resident who was killed in an encounter with the police in Lucknow last month for alleged terror activities, was associated with the Islamic State (IS). Mr. Singh said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was still investigating the Ujjain-Bhopal train blast case but based on the material recovered from Saifullah’s hideout some people had concluded that the accused

Saifullah

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belonged to the IS. A large amount of arms, ammunition and a hand painted signature black flag of the IS was recovered from the house. Saifullah was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh police on March 7

‘Inspired by the IS’ After initially claiming that the module had links with ISKhorasan in Afghanistan, the Uttar Pradesh retracted its statement saying the group was “self-radicalised and inspired by the IS.” In his earlier statement to Parliament, Mr. Singh desisted from mentioning the name of the Islamist terrorist organisation or any other outfit but described Saifullah

as a “suspected terrorist.” Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said around 80 people suspected to have been influenced by the IS ideology had been held but no input suggests that the terror outfit had established a base in India. Congress member Digvijaya Singh referred to a USbased intelligence website, Site Intel, and said it had claimed that Saifullah was linked to the IS. He wanted to know the government’s position on this. To this Mr Singh replied: “I never said Saifullah was linked to the IS.”

SC dismisses review plea in Jaya case Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI

Sporting spirit: Indian and African students participate in a football match in Greater Noida on Wednesday. The match was organised by the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration in order to showcase unity between the two communities, which came under strain following the recent attacks on Africans. SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR (REPORT ON DELHI METRO PAGE 1) *

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Gurugram hotels open new entrance gates Deputy Commissioner says he is aware of the issue and has sought expert opinion Ashok Kumar Gurugram

A few hotels and complexes in Gurugram have changed the entrance to their establishments following the Supreme Court order banning liquor vends, bars and pubs within 500 metres of national and State highways. At least three hotels -- The Oberoi, The Trident and The Leela -- have shut the main entrance and opened the staff gate for their guests. The hotels have deployed security guards at the main gate to guide their guests to the new entrance. When asked if this had been done to increase the motorable distance from National Highway 8 in order to circumvent the apex court CM YK

No entry:The main entrance to The Trident.

order, Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Hardeep Singh said the matter had been brought to his notice. He said he would seek the opinion of the Town and Country Planning Department on the new entrances before deciding on the distance from NH-8. “The new entrance will

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be considered for measuring the motorable distance only if it is not in violation of the plan,” Mr Singh added. A guard at one of the hotels said this was the only option left for them. The opening of new entrances has also led to traffic snarls. The Leela has closed the earlier U-turn leading to its

premises and instead opened another U-turn just opposite Lagoon Club. Both The Oberoi and The Leela refused to comment. The U-turn just opposite Leisure Valley Park, too, has been closed, increasing the distance to the Sector 29 commercial complex by a few metres from the service road along NH-8. Similarly, the cut to the main entrance of CyberHub has been closed and vehicles now have to take a detour from the U-turn underpass. However, a bar owner said the unauthorised cut was allowed due to the construction of the DLFHUDA road and the new route was as per the master plan. SEE ALSO 쑺 DELHI METRO PAGE 1

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed on merits a review petition filed by Karnataka challenging the abatement of its appeal against the acquittal of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case. “We have considered the review petition filed by the State of Karnataka on merits. In our opinion, no case for review of our order dated February 14, 2017 is made out...,” said a Bench of Justices P.C. Ghose and Amitava Roy.

State’s contention The State has contended that the court’s finding in its February 14, 2017 judgment that the case against Jayalalithaa stood abated with her demise on December 5, 2016 was an “error on the face of the record” which merits a re-look. In a scathing judgment based on an appeal filed by the Karnataka government, the Bench had set aside the Karnataka High Court’s acquittal of Sasikala, V.N. Sudhakaran and J. Ilavarasi in September 2014. A ND-ND

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Timings

DELHI

Thursday, April 06

RISE 06:06 SET 18:42 RISE 14:17 SET 02:57 Friday, April 07

RISE 06:05 SET 18:42 RISE 15:15 SET 03:41 Saturday, April 08

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Dargah head, who backed beef ban, ‘ousted’ by brother The spiritual chief rejects claim even as brother moves to get fatwa from Muftis

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Mohammed Iqbal JAIPUR

The seat of Sajjadanashin (spiritual head) at the historic dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer witnessed an acrimonious battle on Wednesday with the younger brother of Syed Zainul Abedin, the present Dewan, staking claim to the prestigious post. Mr. Abedin summarily rejected his claim.

Alauddin Alimi Brother of Syed Zainul Abedin

Syed Zainul Abedin

Rain cools north India Press Trust of India New Delhi

Rain brought little relief from hot conditions in the northern States. Light showers were recorded in several parts of Punjab and Haryana. Rajasthan also saw fluctuating weather, recording light rain.

Remarks on Triple talaq The controversy had its genesis in the recent remarks by Mr. Abedin at the conclusion of 805th Urs at the dargah. Mr. Abedin had stated that triple talaq, which did not enjoy sanction in the Quran and Shariah, had no relevance in modern times and called for a complete ban on slaughter of bovines. Mr. Abedin’s brother, Alauddin Alimi, who is a lawyer by profession, declared himself the new Dewan while affirming that Mr.

Since Mr. Abedin’s remarks are not in keeping with the Islamic faith, the hereditary seat of Sajjadanashin has devolved to me

Abedin had ceased to be a Hanafi Muslim after his remarks. “Since Mr. Abedin is not a Muslim any more, he cannot occupy the seat of Sajjadanashin,” Mr. Alimi told The Hindu. Mr. Alimi said he had consulted some Muftis about the status of his brother and would soon get a formal fatwa (opinion) from a good number of Muftis, which would clarify his position. “My position is clear. Since

Mr. Abedin’s remarks are not in keeping with the Islamic faith, the hereditary seat of Sajjadanashin has been devolved to me,” he said.

‘Rightful head’ Mr. Alimi proclaimed himself as the new Dewan on the dargah premises when Mr. Abedin had gone to the tomb for the Kul (completion) rituals. He announced Mr. Abedin's “removal” in the presence of pilgrims and hereditary staff and stated that henceforth he would be the rightful spiritual head of the 13th Century shrine. An angry Mr. Abedin re-

jected the claim of his younger brother. He said at a press conference later in the day that Mr. Alimi’s move had no legal sanctity under the Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act, 1955, and he continues to occupy the highest seat at the dargah.

Son named successor While affirming that the seat of Sajjadanashin was hereditary, Mr. Abedin declared his son, Naseeruddin Chishti, as his successor. He said he was being targeted by “extremist elements” because of his views which were in national interest. “No one has the right to remove the dargah Dewan,” said Mr. Abedin, adding that he would seek legal opinion in the matter. He reiterated his views about the ban on beef and said Muslims should not consume beef and stay away from slaughtering bovines in order to promote communal harmony.

BJP wants panel to probe soil scam Lalu says he’s open to investigation Amarnath Tewary Patna

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday demanded an all-party committee probe into the alleged soil purchase scam involving Bihar Forest and Environment Minister Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the son of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad.

Defamation case Mr. Modi’s demand comes a day after the RJD chief dared Mr. Modi saying he was open to probe in the alleged scam by any agency and his son threatened to file a defamation case against the BJP leader late on Tuesday night. “Since the RJD chief is open to probe by any agency, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should set up an all party committee to probe the scam without delay,” Mr. Modi said, adding that all documents related to the alleged scam should be sealed as they may be tampered with by the accused.

Mr. Modi had on Tuesday during Janata Durbar released documents and accused Mr. Yadav of giving a ₹90-lakh contract to a company for earth filling work at the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park (Patna zoo) without following the tender process. Patna zoo comes under the State Forest and Environment Ministry. The senior BJP leader had also demanded the sacking of the Minister. Mr. Modi had further alleged that the soil was lifted from a construction site owned by Mr. Prasad’s family. A company owned by RJD MLA Syed Abu Dojan has been constructing Bihar’s biggest shopping mall at the site, located at Saguna More near Danapur in Patna. “Mr. Prasad has a habit of brushing aside scams that took place during the RJD rule, including the fodder scam, in which he was convicted in one case four years ago. Soil from both spots should be tested to ascertain whether it is the same or not,” said Mr. Modi.

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. 82 ●

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Manipur not to reappoint retired govt staf

6-year-old saves mate from croc Press Trust of India Kendrapara (Odisha)

Previous Congress government had engaged technical, non-technical employees after superannuation Iboyaima Laithangbam IMPHAL

The Manipur government has decided to dispense with services of retired employees who have been engaged in almost all State government offices, stated a directive issued by Chief Secretary O. Nabakishore to all Commissioners on Wednesday. The previous Congress government had engaged on contractual basis several technical and non-technical employees after superannuation as there were restrictions on fresh appointments to vacant posts due to finan-

cial crunch.

Financial assistance However, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government here has decided to make fresh appointments due to the promise of financial assistance by the BJP-led Central government. During a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh was given ₹150 crore. Mr. Singh said the money would be used to construct women’s markets in tribal areas.

N. Biren Singh

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Officials said some major departments may be affected if services of retired employees are discontinued as most are technical persons and that offices can’t run effectively without them. How-

ever, the government is of the view that inconveniences, if any, will last a few days before appointment of new candidates. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said his government’s emphasis was on development of tribal areas since peace and prosperity can only be achieved through balanced development of the valley and hill areas. Mr. Singh and other Ministers are scheduled to visit Ukhrul district on April 11 to identify areas where developmental projects are to be taken up. Weapon Zimik, the

president of Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), the apex body of Tangkhuls and other tribal bodies, said civil organisations are preparing to give them a warm welcome. In contrast, former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had faced public boycott during his visits to tribal areas. In one instance, tribal militants had even shot at the security guards during his visit to Ukhrul district.

Economic blockade The incumbent Chief Minister ended the four-monthlong economic blockade

soon after his swearing in on March 15. However, the core issue is yet to be discussed. Efforts are on to end the impasse over non-burial of bodies of eight tribal youth who were killed over 700 days ago during agitations. Though both sides are ready for talks, there has been a delay since tribal activists may demand withdrawal of the three Inner Line Permit Bills that were passed by the Assembly. However, the valley dwellers are all for the enactment of the Bills, which were returned by the president.

A six-year-old girl in Kendrapara district displayed exemplary courage to save her playmate from a crocodile. Basanti Dalai, a Class I student in Bankuala village undergoing treatment at a government-run hospital, recalled the harrowing ex-

perience and thanked schoolmate Tiki Dalai for saving her from the crocodile. Both the girls were taking bath in village pond on Tuesday when a crocodile attacked Basanti. Tiki picked up a bamboo stick and dealt a blow on croc’s head. The reptile left the girl and slipped into the water.

Tripura forms panel to review salaries Syed Sajjad Ali Agartala

In a move that will benefit 1,75,073 employees and 57,688 pensioners, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar announced the formation of a pay revision committee on Wednesday. Former Chief Secretary G.K. Rao will head the three-member panel that will submit a report to the State government in 45 days. Employees’ unions, in fact, have been demanding a pay hike for a long time citing the discrepancy in pay structures between employees of the State and Central governments. Passing a resolution in this regard, the council of ministers set four terms of reference to recommend new pay scales based on salary structures of 2009. However, the Left-front government’s move is being seen as a ploy to woo government employees and pensioners ahead of the Assembly elections early next year. The BJP and the Trinamool Congress, meanwhile, have already announced their intention to introduce pay scales at par with that of Central government employees. “The CPM has started playing politics with an eye on the Assembly elections. But people in general, and employees in particular, are desperate to defeat it,” said Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman.

PUBLIC NOTICES EDUCATIONAL

0 DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested to verify and make appropriate enquiries to satisfy themselves about the veracity of an advertisement before responding to any published in this newspaper. Kasturi & Sons Limited, the Publisher & Owner of this newspaper, does not vouch for the authenticity of any advertisement or advertiser or for any of the advertiser’s products and/or services. In no event can the Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Director/s, Employees of this newspaper/ company be held responsible/liable in any manner whatsoever for any claims and/or damages for advertisements in this newspaper.

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BJP forms committees for Gujarat polls Special Correspondent Ahmedabad

The Gujarat BJP on Wednesday constituted three committees, including the State Parliamentary Board, election campaign committee, and manifesto committee, ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled later this year. The 14-member Board, which will screen candidates for the Assembly seats, consists of senior leaders like Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, State party chief Jitu Vaghani, former CM Anandiben Patel, deputy CM Nitin Patel, and Union Minister Purushottam Rupala. Former minister Kaushik Patel is in-charge of the campaign committee. Another committee, consisting 14 members, has been constituted to prepare the party’s manifesto. The party also constituted a three-member disciplinary committee.

Garbage dumping along Mutha river irks citizens

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Tigers’ day out

Press Trust of India Shirdi

Says waste is burned 100m from schools Press Trust of India Pune

A group of parents has asked authorities to act against those responsible for dumping garbage along the banks of Mutha river near the Nanded City locality in the outskirts of Pune. Advocate Gajanan Dhage, a resident of the locality, said parents of children from two schools in the affected area and some citizens have approached the district administration. Residents complained that garbage collected from five localities around Khadakwasla is dumped along the riverbank, posing a serious health risk to people in the surrounding areas.

Mr. Dhage said garbage is dumped and burnt barely 100 metres from school campuses. “Garbage collected from Nanded and Shivane gram panchayats, and Warje, Uttamnagar and Kirkatwadi areas, and even construction debris, are dumped here.” Residents wrote to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board claiming that dumping and burning of garbage is a major source of pollution. “It may contain anything like plastic, hospital waste, etc. Setting it on fire may release toxic smoke,” the letter read. Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Daulat Desai said action will be taken against those polluting the riverbed.

Safety measures intensiied in Goa following monkey fever scare

Cooling of: Four sub-adult tigers and a tigress resting in a waterhole at Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve on Tuesday evening. The rare view captured by a wildlife enthusiast. NIKHIL ABHYANKAR

Prakash Kamat Panaji

The Goa Health Services have intensified fever surveillance and other precautionary measures in areas near North Goa’s border, adjacent to Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, following rise in deaths due to Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) or monkey fever, particularly in Banda town of the district. Dr. Utkarsha Betkikar, an Epidermiologist with Goa Health Services, said nine deaths have been reported in Sindhudurg as of now. On Monday evening, he said

are being < > Tests conducted and no [KFD] cases have been detected [in Goa] so far Dr. Utkarsha Betkikar Epidermiologist

some KFD cases from Banda, which is adjacent to Pernem (North Goa border), had been admitted at the State-owned Goa Medical College (GMC) Hospital in Bambolim for treatment. He said the patients had to be admitted to the GMC as a tertiary care facility was not available to them, other than the State-owned Goa

North District Hospital in Mapusa or the GMC. For Goa, he said, all precautionary measures are in place. “Fever surveillance is on in villages near Goa’s border adjacent to Banda. Tests are being conducted constantly and no [KFD] cases have been detected so far. Health authorities are also conducting tests at North Goa’s Valpoi taluk.” He added that the vaccination programme has been going on for quite some time. Health service authorities said the State has not recorded any deaths due to KDF since last year.

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Telugu cultural festival in Pune Staff Reporter

The Andhra Association Pune will hold a cultural festival in the city on April 8 and April 9 as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations. The key highlights at the festival include a Telugu classical music performance by Padmavathy Thyagaraju, a mythological stage drama Surabhi, a programme on Telugu literature, and a musical night. The festival will be held at Ganesh Kalaa Kreeda Mandir at Swargate, and will be attended by celebrities and government officials of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.

Devotees donated golden and silver articles worth around ₹4 crore to the famous Saibaba shrine during the three-day ‘Ram Navami’ festival. However, officials are yet to count online donations, and amount received by cheques or demand drafts, which will be done after April 7. Among the devotees who made their offerings public, Hyderabad-based Parthsarathi Reddy donated a decorative railing made of 12 kg gold and 16 kg silver on Tuesday. The article will be placed around the samadhi of Saibaba. An Agra-based couple donated a devghar (a small structure where deities are kept for worship) made of 67 kg silver, and one devotee donated two donation boxes made of 30-kg silver.

Explorations of religion and globalisation in Konkani Prakash Kamat Panaji

Mumbai

Nine deaths reported in adjacent Sindhudurg district

Shirdi shrine gets bumper donation

Suresh G. Amonkar, an educationalist and writer, released two of his books, Christha Purana and Goenchem Savasarikikaran, in Panaji last week. The books are written in Konkani and deal with religion and globalisation. Christha Purana, an epic poem on the life of Jesus Christ, was originally written in 1616 in Rachol, Goa, by Jesuit priest Father Thomas Stephen. It was written in Marathi in Roman script, which Mr. Amonkar translated to Konkani in Devanagari script. The octogenarian, in his address during the book release, said he is paying homage to Fr. Stephen, who was known as the Apostle of Salcete, a Catholic dominated taluk of

South Goa. He said the priest deserves a feast, “which we need to celebrate every year.” As per Mr. Amonkar’s research, Christha Purana was used for 70 years in churches of Bardez, Tiswadi and Salcete, but was withdrawn in 1684. Fr. Stephen had learnt Konkani and Marathi from the Brahmins

EDUCATIONAL

of Salcete to write the book. Mr. Amonkar said Marathi was the written language and Konkani was the spoken language in Goa at the time. The second book, Goenchem Savasarikikaran (Goa’s globalisation), throws light on the socio-religious conditions in Goa during the 16th and 17th centuries. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Amonkar

EDUCATIONAL

explains that the State was a strategic port on the Western coast, and its conquest by Portuguese was “the first battle of globalisation of Goa.” He adds: “I have looked upon the encounter between East and West as a process of globalisation. I would like people to consider this encounter as indirect influence of Renaissance, Reformation and counter-Reformation.” Mr. Amonkar has been a patient of cancer since 10 years. He says he is influenced by Buddhism and has been studying the Bible since he was a college student in Mumbai. Mr. Amonkar would also be publishing his Konkani translations of the works of William Shakespeare in the next six months.

SITUATIONS VACANT GENERAL

EDUCATIONAL

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PERSONAL CHANGE OF NAME

PUBLIC NOTICES

I, Ashwani Kumar Bansal, S/o Shri Om Prakash Bansal, R/o, Flat No. 102, Plot no 102, Gyan Khand I Indirapuram Ghaziabad, has changed my daughter’s name from Pritha Bansal to Aaradhaya Bansal, for all purpose.

LOST & FOUND IT IS notified for the information that my Original Qualifying Examination Certificates of both Secondary Examination of Year 2007 and Roll No.−3121340 and also of Senior Secondary Examination of Year 2009 and Roll No.−5664790 issued by CBSE have been lost. Name :Abir Sengupta Address: C/O Rajib Gupta, H.No.− 822, Krishnanagar, Hojai(P.O & Dist.) Assam−782435 Contact−9859273371

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IN BRIEF

Oppn. calls for hartal in Kerala Depression among students Police action against mother of Jishnu, who was found dead, leads to stir Special Correspondent Thiruvananthapuram

A.P. BPL families to get free power up to 75 units GUNTUR

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced a new scheme — Babu Jagjivan Ram Jeevan Jyothy — under which BPL households would not be charged for 75 units of power consumed. He announced it at the 110th birth anniversary celebrations of Jagjivan Ram on Wednesday.

CID nabs Dreamz Infra chief from Delhi airport BENGALURU

In a breakthrough in the multi-crore Dreamz Infra India Ltd. case, in which thousands of citizens were allegedly duped by the developer, a team of officials from the Bengaluru’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID), nabbed company director Anoop K.M. from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Monday. According to the CID officials, Anoop — one of the accused in the case — was trying to flee the country when he was arrested.

The police action against Mahija, mother of Jishnu Pranoy who was found hanging in the Nehru College of Engineering, Pambadi, in March, has prompted two major Opposition fronts in Kerala to call for a State-wide dawn-to-dusk hartal on Thursday. The United Democratic Front and the National Democratic Alliance have, however, exempted the Malappuram district from the hartal in view of the parliamentary by-election campaign. The police forcibly removed Ms. Mahija and her supporters when they arrived at the police headquarters (PHQ) to stage a sit-in on Wednesday. Their action, which was repeatedly broadcast on television, drew widespread criticism. The police behaviour was seen by civil society activists as an “attestation” of the government’s apathy to the

plight of a working class mother who had lost her son. The television images of Ms. Mahija being dragged away by a posse of policewomen triggered a cascade of protests.

Black flag protest Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan faced a black flag protest by BJP workers at Karakulam. Opposition student activists blocked police officers from entering the hospital where Ms. Mahija was admitted. Administrative Reforms Commission chairperson V.S. Achuthanandan telephoned State Police Chief Loknath Behera to register his angst. Mr. Vijayan despatched Mr. Behera to meet Ms. Mahija personally. He later told reporters that a few “outsiders” had tried to hijack Ms. Mahija’s cause for their own political ends. The PHQ was open to complainants. But protests outside its gates was not allowed.

KOZHIKODE

The District Police Chief has set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the suicide of an Army veteran, allegedly after being assaulted in public by the Balussery Circle inspector K. Susheer. Rajan Nair, 58, of Eramangalam was found hanging near his house on March 25. Nair, who had been in police custody a few hours before his death in connection with a wayside quarrel with a bus driver, had alleged that a police officer assaulted him and the humiliation was too much for him to bear.

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Stress related to education and exams highly prevalent Afshan Yasmeen Bengaluru

Recently, a 14-year-old student of a residential school dialled 104 Arogyavani, the Karnataka-run health helpline with a dedicated counselling centre for mental health, complaining that he could not remember what he studied. The student was worried that his exams were nearing and although he put in his best, his memory was poor. “My parents have high expectations as I am their only child. But I don’t know if I can meet their expectations,” he said. This is not a one-off case. A major chunk of the calls made to the helpline in the last four years has been from students with education and exam-related stress and youth with career issues. Widespread outrage: Police block a march taken out by Congress workers protesting the alleged police assault on Jishnu’s mother, in Kozhikode on Wednesday. K. RAGESH *

SI attacked in Mangaluru Could be a retaliation to action against PFI , say police About 500 PFI activists, protesting alleged police atrocity on one Ahmed Qureshi, accused of attempt to murder, tried to lay siege to the Police Commissioner’s Office on Tuesday. When they did not heed police direction and began throwing stones, police resorted to lathi-charge.

Special Correspondent

SIT to probe Army veteran suicide case

MANGALURU

Within 24 hours of police action against activists of the People’s Front of India (PFI) in Mangaluru, a police SubInspector was attacked by miscreants early on Wednesday. According to the police, Sub-Inspector Aithappa, attached to the Urva police station, was attacked with blunt weapons when he was on night rounds. He was rushed to a private hospital and is said to be stable. The police suspect this could be an act of retaliation. On Tuesday, police lathicharged PFI activists who had laid siege to the Police

SI Aithappa in a hospital in Mangaluru on Wednesday. *

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Commissioner’s office. They arrested 98 activists. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) Sanjev M. Patil said the incident occurred when Mr. Aithappa was returning to the station.

a huge mental health issue

Allegation against police Leaders of the PFI and the Social Democratic Party of India have alleged that Qureshi was subjected to police torture. But the police claimed that he was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody thereafter.

Sasikala violated prison rules? Press Trust of India Bengaluru

AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala has met visitors 12 times in a month at the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail here. This is allegedly in violation of the prison rules. According to information made available by the Central Prison in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query, Ms. Sasikala met the visitors between February 16 and March 18. Activist Narasimha Murthy, who had filed the RTI application, claimed that this was in violation of the prison rules.

Memory problems According to an analysis of the 1,15,220 callers who sought counselling through the helpline from April 2013 to March 2017, 63.17% calls in the age group of 15 and below are linked to memory problems, exam fear and exam failure. These issues are the highest in this age group apart from others such as family problems and death in the family. However, the number of calls seeking counselling for depression owing to career issues is the highest (73.09%) in the age group of 16 to 24. Callers in this age group also reported about family problems, love failure, memory problems, exam fear and exam failure, among other things. Shalini Rajneesh, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), told The Hindu that there was a steady rise in the number of callers in the last four years. From 11,531 callers who

sought counselling in 20132014, the number had increased to 57,473 in 20162017. Every year, the number of calls from students increases from January onwards. G. Gururaj, Professor and Head, Department of Epidemiology at NIMHANS, said depression among students was being increasingly recognised as a major mental health problem. The burden of depression was found to be on the rise over the years due to greater recognition, awareness and media influence, he said.

More among males Quoting the recent National Mental Health Survey carried out by NIMHANS, Dr. Gururaj said the prevalence of depression was estimated to be 1.5% and students who had suffered from depression any time in the past is estimated at 2.2%. “Depression is more among male students and

highest in the age group of 18 to 22 and among those in urban areas (1.7%) than that compared to rural areas (1%),” he said. Pointing out that nearly one-third of the students with severe depression were likely to have suicidal ideations, Dr. Gururaj attributed this to stress linked to education, career prospects, parental pressures, and interpersonal relationships. “It is the age of biological and physiological changes and hence there is greater vulnerability and susceptibility. There is also a greater stress to perform as they start moving away from family and trying to establish their identity,” he explained. Nuclear families with lack of support system had increased parents’ expectations on the single child, he said. The need of the hour was to talk. The theme for World Health Day on April 7 this year is ‘Depression: Let’s Talk’.

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IN BRIEF

Nitish for quality check of roads with drones PATNA

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday laid emphasis on building good roads in rural areas and directed to conduct their quality check with the help of drones. He stressed on following the reservation policy while issuing tenders. - PTI

Lightning strike kills two in Himachal SHIMLA

Two persons were killed and 10 injured, including two police personnel, in an incident of lightning strike at Rampur Sub-Division’s Khadahan village on Wednesday, around 130 km from here. - PTI

Woman, driver held with 15 kg of poppy husk GURDASPUR

A medical store owner and her driver were on Wednesday arrested with 15 kg of poppy husk near Chawa village here, the police said. She used to smuggle poppy husk from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, they said. - PTI

Woman killed in stampede in Ayodhya AYODHYA

A woman died and over a dozen others were injured on Wednesday in two incidents of stampede in Ayodhya as lakhs of pilgrims thronged the holy city to take a dip in the Saryu on the occasion of Ram Navami. - PTI

Stone-throwing youth are ighting for nation: Farooq PDP dubs his remarks political opportunism while BJP says it’s worrisome

‘Multani mitti’ comes to the rescue of the monument Press trust of india

Press Trust of India

NEW DELHI

SRINAGAR

A kind of mud therapy is being used on the Taj Mahal as the white marble structure is changing colour, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after members voiced concern over the maintenance of the world famous monument. Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said efforts are also being made to reduce the impact of insects on the 17th century monument. During question hour, members voiced concern over the maintenance of the Taj Mahal, while referring to change in the colour of the marble structure and the damage caused by insects. Mr Sharma said a kind of mud therapy, involving application of a paste of ‘multani mitti’, was being undertaken to preserve the colour of the monument. It has been applied on

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday defended the stone-pelting youth in the Valley, saying they are fighting for the nation and for the resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the wishes of its people. But the remarks by the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister came in for sharp condemnation from the State’s ruling coalition partners PDP and the BJP. The PDP dubbed the remarks as “political opportunism” while the BJP said it was “worrisome” Mr Abdullah, who also said that the stone-pelting youth were not giving up their lives for tourism, is contesting the by-election to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat as the joint candidate of opposition NC and the Congress. The polling in the constituency is to be held on April 9. The National Conference leader was reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on April 2 at the inauguration of Chenani— Nashri tunnel that the youth of Kashmir need to choose between tourism and terrorism.

In poll mode: National Conference chief and Lok Sabha by-poll candidate Farooq Abdullah addressing party workers during an election rally at Sonawar in Srinagar on Wednesday. Party working president Omar Abdullah and senior leaders are also seen. NISSAR AHMAD *

“If he (stone pelting youth) is giving up his life, he is not doing it for tourism. He is giving his life so that the destiny of this nation is decided which should be acceptable to the people of this place. This needs to be understood,” Mr Abdullah said at an election meeting in Sonawar here. “Recently the tunnel was opened. He (the Prime Minister) said the youth here should think whether they want tourism or terrorism. I

want to tell Modi sahib tourism is our lifeline, there is no doubt about it.

‘Nothing with tourism’ “But he is a stone pelter. He has nothing to do with tourism. He will starve to death but he is pelting stones for his nation and there is a need to understand this,” he added. Mr Abdullah also said that if India and Pakistan cannot resolve their problems, then the US should come forward and facilitate

as third party to resolve their bilateral issues. Union Minister and senior BJP leader Jitendra Singh dubbed as “worrisome” Mr Abdullah’s defence of stonepelters in Kashmir and accused him of getting tempted to speak “language of separatists” for electoral gains. Senior PDP leader and Works Minister Naeem Akhtar said the NC was indulging in political opportunism.

Commercial lights to Shimla to resume soon Alliance Air successfully conducts test light on the newly renovated runway

Abattoirs to remain shut on April 9 every year

Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH

SHIMLA

The Haryana government on Wednesday announced that from now on, abattoirs in the State will remain closed on April 9 every year as the government has decided to celebrate Mahavir Jayanti as Ahimsa Divas on April 9

Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, successfully conducted a test flight on the newly renovated runway at Jubarhatti airport here earlier this week. An Airports Authority of India official said the 42-

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Taj changing colour, mud therapy being used: govt

seater aircraft executed a perfect landing and take-off from the airport which is located 22 km from Shimla.

ATF facility Following the renovation, the airport will now provide ATF and night landing facilities, he said.

There is a probability that regular flights to Shimla will start now as flying rights have been given to five carriers to connect a number of smaller towns with metros. Kingfisher Airlines, which operated a daily flight from Delhi to Shimla, had stopped operations in September

2012 because of load restrictions imposed on its aircraft due to high altitude. Shimla airport is a table-top airport and has a single runway.

Small terminal The small terminal can handle only 40-50 people at a time.

Colour crisis: The Taj Mahal seen through one of the arched entry gates of the complex. FILE PHOTO *

three-fourths of the structure and is “showing results”, he added.

Upkeep report He said that the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has also submitted a report about the upkeep of the Taj. To another question, Mr

Sharma said the irrigation department had proposed creating a barrage to raise the water level of the Yamuna which has been approved by the Archaeological Survey of India. Now it is for the state government of Uttar Pradesh to take a further action, the Minister said.

Punjab govt to come up with new transport policy Slew of steps suggested at review meet chaired by CM Chandigarh

tured to make them more seamless and hassle-free.

In an attempt to streamline the ailing public transport system across Punjab, the Congress government has decided to come up with a new draft transport policy within two weeks. A review meeting of the transport department, chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday, suggested a slew of initiatives to overhaul the transport system, which includes restructuring of the 22 district transport offices and a more transparent sys-

Route permits The government said in a statement that the new policy, to be framed by May 15, 2017 as directed by the High Court, will affect 750 private bus route permits, 1840 extensions beyond 24 km of original routes and 6700 mini bus permits. The State government has directed department officials to professionalise the registration as well as licence issuance and renewal services.

Special Correspondent

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh FILE PHOTO *

tem of permit allotment. Also, the four regional transport offices in Patiala, Jalandhar, Feorzepur and Bathinda will be restruc-

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IN BRIEF

Bihar, Jharkhand children ‘undernourished,’ says NGO

Triple talaq back in focus after Hyderabad man’s arrest Mohammad Haneef divorced his wife through a postcard

Yashwant Sinha released, say police

Analysis of NFHS-4 data by CRY shows just over 7% get adequate diet

HAZARIBAGH (JHARKHAND)

Amarnath Tewary

Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha, who was detained for taking out a Ram Navami procession near Mahudi village in Hazaribagh district on Tuesday, was released on Wednesday, the police said. He was detained by the Hazaribagh district administration on charges of violating prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 of CrPC. Mr. Sinha was detained at a camp jail set up at the Soil Conservation Research Guest House in Demotand. PTI

Ola ride to nowhere with ₹149 crore bill MUMBAI

In an unusual incident, taxi aggregator Ola charged a city passenger a whopping bill of ₹149 crore for a local trip that never happened on April 1, and it was not a joke on All Fools’ Day. Sushil Narsian booked a cab from his home in Mulund West to a location less than 300 metres away when he was handed out a bill of ₹ 1,49,10,51,648. Though the driver cancelled the ride due to a technical glitch, Mr. Narsian was unable to book another cab and was slapped with a bill of ₹149 crore, according to his statement on Twitter. PTI

Jyoti Shelar Mumbai

PATNA

In Bihar and Jharkhand, nine out of every 10 children aged 6-23 do not get an adequate diet. The nutrition and health status of children in these two States has been found to be “critically low” in comparison to the national standard. According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2015-16) data, only 7.5% and 7.2% of children in Bihar and Jharkhand respectively in this age group receive an adequate diet, according to a trend analysis of the NFHS-4 data released by the NGO, Child Rights and You (CRY). The comparative figure in the case of Tamil Nadu, for instance, is 31%. CRY’s findings indicate that inadequate provision of quality antenatal care, and the States’ failure to address the special nutritional requirements of expecting and lactating mothers are negatively affecting child health. “Malnourishment in early years is directly linked to maternal health…only 3.3% of mothers in Bihar and 8% of mothers in Jharkhand had access to full antenatal care services,” said a CRY release on its trend analysis. “Moreover, more than onethird of the total births in the two States continue to re-

Losing out: A child with its mother at a hospital nutritional rehabilitation centre in Darbhanga, Bihar. AFP *

main home births.” The NFHS-4 data on childfeeding practices and the nutritional status of children further suggest that almost two-thirds of children under the age of three years in these two States (65% in Bihar and 67% in Jharkhand) are not breastfed within the first hour of birth, noted the CRY analysis. “Child malnutrition is an irreversible phenomenon in the lives of children. Its effects are felt through adolescent and adult life”, said Ms. Mohua Chatterjee, a programme head at CRY.

Acute anaemia The analysis also observed that almost two-thirds of children (63.5% in Bihar and 69.9% in Jharkhand) aged 659 months were suffering from acute anaemia. The

prevalence of anaemia among a high percentage of pregnant women in the agegroup of 15-49 years (62.6% in Jharkhand and 58.3% in Bihar) further indicates that juvenile anaemia is merely a manifestation of the malnutrition-cycle transmitted through generations, thereby extending the legacy of under-nutrition. Further, the data on maternal health also revealed that only 9% of pregnant women in Bihar and 15% of pregnant women in Jharkhand consumed iron and folic acid supplements for hundred days or more during pregnancy. “An adequate diet in terms of quality and quantity for a child below 6 months means that she is exclusively breastfed. For children aged 6-23 months, it means that they receive

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solid/semi-solid food comprising five nutrient groups (carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, and minerals) along with the breast milk,” said Mr. Abhik Bhattacharya, senior manager for policy and advocacy at CRY. On the positive side, both Bihar and Jharkhand have done well in several child health and nutrition indicators such as institutional delivery, immunisation, and treatment of critical childhood diseases. “A comparative analysis between NFHS-4 and NFHS-3 data suggests that institutional deliveries were less than 20% in Bihar and Jharkhand a decade ago (2005-06). They have now risen to around 60% of total births. But the rate of progress in critical indicators such as child nutrition, which has a direct linkage with a child’s overall growth and development, remains far below expectations,” noted the analysis. “The NFHS-4 findings are not just a reflection of the nutritional well-being of children and expecting mothers. They also point in the direction we need to take for corrective measures in State policies and programmes on child health,” said Mr. Atindra Nath Das, a regional director at CRY.

The arrest of 38-year-old Mohammad Haneef of Hyderabad, who divorced his wife a day after his marriage through a postcard pronouncing triple talaq, has once again brought back the focus on the practice. The Hyderabad police added Section 376 (rape) of the IPC in the case after the victim charged that the accused married her for sexual exploitation. “The accused got bail in the case. We’re now probing the sexual exploitation angle,” South Zone DCP V. Satyanarayana told The Hindu. The police decided to rearrest Haneef on the sexual assault charge after seeking cancellation of the bail granted to him.

‘Un-Islamic practice’ Mumbai women activists say the majority of triple talaq cases are unilateral, and letters and phone calls have been largely replaced with SMSes and WhatsApp messages. “Triple talaq is un-Islamic and un-Quranic,” said Islamic scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali, adding that all eyes are now on the Supreme Court that will hear the triple talaq case in May. “Women have a lot of expectations from the court. The practice must come to a

Talaq through ad in daily A Hyderabadi working in Saudi Arabia allegedly divorced his wife through a newspaper advertisement, the city police learnt on Wednesday. According to the Moghalpura police, Mohammed Mustaquddin, pronounced talaq to his wife Syeda Naznen through an advertisement issued in a local Urdu daily on March 4. The woman had approached the police on February 17 alleging harassment and cheating. “The complainant alleged that when the couple arrived in India in February, he left her here with her child and

returned. He also told her she would hear from his advocate. “Neither the man nor his family responded to her calls, forcing her to approach the police,” Assistant Commissioner of Police, S. Gangadhar said. The police had obtained a copy of the advertisement and translated it. The police said a case had been registered under Sections 498 A, 420, 506 and 509 of the IPC. But with the latest revelation that the man had issued a talaq, the validity of the case, in the light of violation of the Muslim Personal Law, had to be considered.

halt.” Triple talaq is oral divorce wherein the husband demands separation by mentioning the word talaq thrice. There is no law to protect Muslim women from the practice. Zakia Soman, co-founder of the Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), said the lack of legal framework is the main reason behind the suffering of many Muslim women. “The men are not bound or accountable. Even the clerics are not accountable and, in most cases, they sup-

port men. That is why when action is taken against a man once in a while, as in Hyderabad, everyone is surprised,” said Ms. Soman. The BMMA conducted a survey in 2015 on 525 divorced Muslim women, of which 349 were divorced unilaterally. It has demanded a ban on triple talaq. Last year, it ran a social media campaign in which 30 women from across the country shared their stories. (With inputs from Hyderabad)

Staff Reporter HYDERABAD

WhatsApp case for Constitution Bench Giving FB access to personal details of users is a violation of privacy: plea Krishnadas Rajagopal NEW DELHI

Mammoth project:The Aga Khan Trust for Culture carrying out restoration and conservation of the Quli Qutub Shahi tombs near Golconda Fort in Hyderabad. The project, estimated to cost ₹100 crore, is likely to take 10 years to complete. NAGARA GOPAL *

A Constitution Bench of five judges will decide on April 18 whether a larger denomination of judges should hear a petition for a declaration that a 2016 policy of instant messaging app — WhatsApp — to give Facebook access to information and personal details shared by millions of its users is a violation of their privacy and free speech. Having at first meant to hear the case during the summer vacation, Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar on Wednesday advanced the date for the Constitution Bench hearing to April 18, saying it is a “serious issue.” The case is based on a petition by two students — 19year-old Karmanya Singh Sareen and 22-year-old Shreya Sethi — to challenge the contract entered into between the two Internet gi-

‘Gross abuse of power by Kejriwal’

Ban cow slaughter, says Cong. MLA

Press Trust of India

Mahesh Langa

New Delhi

AHMEDABAD

The three-member Shunglu committee, formed by the then Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, has pointed out “gross abuse of power” by the Arvind Kejriwal government in its report. The committee has flagged decisions including the allotment of land to the AAP for its party office, appointment of Minister Satyendra Jain’s daughter as “mission director” of Delhi State Health Mission and a number of purported AAP functionaries as “advisers.” The report deals with decisions taken by Mr. Kejriwal and his Cabinet where it allegedly had no authority do so.

A Congress lawmaker in Gujarat, Gyasuddin Shaikh, has demanded that the cow be declared the “national animal.” He has requested all slaughterhouse owners and operators in Gujarat to ensure that the cow or its progeny is not slaughtered anywhere in the State. Mr. Shaikh, along with a group of Muslim community leaders, appealed to those engaged in running slaughter houses after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Gujarat amended the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act on March 31 to make cow slaughter punishable with life imprisonment, a first in

The animal is deeply associated with religious sentiment: Gyasuddin Shaikh communal harmony in the State,” said Mr. Shaikh, a legislator representing the Dariapur Assembly segment in Ahmedabad city.

Gyasuddin Shaikh

the country. “The cow is deeply associated with the religious sentiments of the majority community. Therefore, Muslims, and particularly those involved in the meat business, must respect religious sentiments in order to maintain

Bill passed On the last day of Assembly’s Budget session on March 31, the ruling BJP passed the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill which has stringent provisions like awarding maximum imprisonment up to life, but not less than ten years, to those found involved for slaughter of cows, calves, bulls and bullocks. The Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by the Assembly in the absence of the Opposition members, who were suspended from the

House on the last day of the Budget session, has also made cow slaughter and transportation of cow or beef and beef products cognisable and non-bailable offences.

Strict punishment “I support the ban on cow slaughter and my demand is that the ban should be extended nationally. But I also want to stress that in Gujarat, the BJP government has handed over vast areas of grazing lands to industries and, as a result, cows are roaming the streets and are forced to eat plastic bags,” Mr. Shaikh said. “Let there be strict punishment for cow smuggling carried out by anti-social elements,” he said.

Centre hands over to SC accreditation guidelines for NGOs They contain details such as maintenance of accounts, audit and recovery proceedings Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI

The Centre on Wednesday handed over to the Supreme Court the new guidelines framed for accreditation of nearly 30 lakh NGOs and voluntary organisations (VOs) in the country. A Bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud was informed by Additional Solicitor GenCM YK

eral Tushar Mehta that the Ministry of Rural Development framed the accreditation guidelines to regulate “manner in which the VOs/ NGOs, which are recipient of grants, would maintain their account, the procedure for audit of the account, including procedure to initiate action for recovering of the grants in case of misappropriation and criminal ac-

tion.” The guidelines, which are yet to be notified, were handed over to the court, amicus curiae and senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi and advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, who filed the PIL, for suggestions.

Nodal agency According to the guidelines, NITI Aayog has been appointed as the nodal agency

for the purpose of registration and accreditation of VOs/NGOs seeking funding from the Government of India.

Database systems The Aayog has been also tasked with maintaining of database systems to manage and disseminate information relating to NGOs/VOs. “The existing portal at

NITI Aayog (NGO-Darpan) shall be strengthened and aligned with accreditationlike functions which should also provide a snapshot of the NGO with regard to its ongoing and past work, particularly with respect to public and foreign funds so as to facilitate grant making authorities on the bona fides,” the affidavit by the Centre said.

ants to provide access to calls, photographs, texts, videos and documents shared by users despite the fact that privacy is prized and guaranteed by WhatsApp.

HC decision The duo was aggrieved by the Delhi High Court decision to uphold the contract. The High Court took a nuanced position by confirming the legality of the policy effective from September 25 though directing WhatsApp to “delete completely” from its server

information/ data/ details of all users who choose to delete their account. On appeal, the Supreme Court responded by directing Facebook, WhatsApp, the Centre and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to file responses and roped in Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi to assist it in the case. When the hearing began, senior advocate K.K. Venugopal, for Facebook, raised the contention that if the WhatsApp-Facebook contract is going to be challenged as a violation of the right to privacy, then a larger Bench than five judges should hear the case. He referred to the 1954 eight-judges Bench verdict in M.P. Sharma’s case and the six-judges Bench judgment of 1962 in Kharak Singh case on the right to privacy. Both judgments had categorically

rejected the existence of privacy as a guaranteed right under Article 21 of the Constitution. Mr. Venugopal argued that any future debate on the question of right to privacy should be decided by a larger Bench of at least nine judges. However, advocate Madhavi Divan, assisting the court, intervened to submit that the Supreme Court should not only hear the question of violation of right to privacy under Article 21 but also the right to free speech under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal contended that privacy cannot be construed as a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21. What is under contention here is the terms of a simple contract between two companies — WhatsApp and Facebook.

12,000 fake ₹500 notes seized Vijaita Singh New Delhi

It’s not only the ₹2,000 notes that have been counterfeited, over 12,000 pieces of fake ₹500 notes have been seized after demonetisation in 17 border States, according to the information provided by the Home Ministry to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said he could not confirm whether the security features of the new currency notes could never be copied. The maximum number of fake notes was recovered in Gujarat and West Bengal, but they were of “low quality and low grade.” After November 8 last year, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the scrapping of ₹1,000 and ₹500 notes, 40,905 fake notes in the denomination of ₹2,000 and ₹500 have been seized by the Border Security Force, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the police in the 17 border States. The face value of these fake notes is ₹6.2 crore. Mr. Rijiju said the government was taking steps to help the people identify fake notes, which were mostly “photocopies” of the original. A ND-ND

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8 EDITORIAL

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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A new Delhi chapter for Sheikh Hasina Expectations are high in Bangladesh that her India visit will yield substantial results

In largesse we trust

Never-ending tragedy The chemical attack in Syria must compel the global community to bring the war to an end

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he barbarism of Syria’s civil war was on display once again when at least 72 people were killed in a chemical attack in Idlib province. The heartbreaking images of dead and injured children and desperate parents from Idlib’s Khan Sheikhoun have understandably triggered global outrage and calls for international action. Syrians have sufered a lot over the past six years. There have been multiple chemical attacks for which both the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the jihadists were held to blame. More than 400,000 people are believed to have been killed and millions displaced since the crisis broke out. With violence continuing unabated and the Assad regime not showing any real interest in settling the crisis, even hopes for peace and normal life look surreal. The needle of suspicion for the Idlib attack points towards the regime whose murderous nature has been exposed several times in the past six years. Idlib is a rebel-held province where the regime is currently carrying out air strikes. Activists in the province and Western governments have claimed the regime used chemical agents in Khan Sheikhoun. If they are right, Damascus has not only committed a war crime but also violated a major international agreement. After the 2013 sarin attack in Ghouta in a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds — which was also blamed on the regime — the U.S. and Russia had agreed to remove Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles. As part of the deal, 1,300 tonnes of chemical agents were shipped out of Syria and destroyed. The question is, where did the latest chemical weapons come from? Syria had either hidden some of the stockpiles or clandestinely developed such weapons after the deal was reached — both serious violations. This is a regime that neither respects the fundamental human rights of its people nor cares about the international agreements it has entered into. Irrespective of its role in Tuesday’s attack, the Syrian regime is primarily responsible for the country’s humanitarian catastrophe. For years, it justiied whatever it did in the war saying it was ighting terrorism. But how long can Mr. Assad sustain this argument, leaving millions of people vulnerable to bombers, snipers, chemical agents and tanks? The real crisis of Syria is that its regime is acting with a sense of impunity, thanks to the blank security cheque the Russians have issued to Mr. Assad. The international community could not hold Mr. Assad to account for his actions at any point of the Syrian war, which worsened with the involvement of other regional powers. The latest attack should be a wake-up call for all these countries. Syria has to be treated as an immediate priority, and in a way that transcends the narrow geopolitical interests of regional and global powers. There must be a coordinated efort to bring the war to an end, and to hold the perpetrators of war crimes accountable for their barbarism. Only then can Syria be rebuilt. CM YK

angladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s forthcoming visit to India is being observed keenly here in Dhaka. There is little question that in the three years since Narendra Modi took charge as Indian Prime Minister, the degree of cooperation which has generally characterised Dhaka-Delhi ties has gone up by a good number of notches, with the two countries seeing eye to eye on a number of issues afecting them as well as the South Asian region. As an instance, both India and Bangladesh have adopted a common stance on tackling terrorism through not only cracking down on the purveyors of terror but also keeping at arm’s length, and in fact condemning, nations regarded as sponsors of terrorism in the region.

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A recent trajectory In recent times, cooperation between Dhaka and Delhi has been enhanced in other areas, particularly with respect to Bangladesh’s measures toward setting up a power plant in the Sundarbans. At the same time, Bangladesh has witnessed a rather impressive degree of Indian investment in other areas where its economic development is concerned. In terms of diplomacy in the South Asian region, both countries have had identical views on how organisations such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) should be going forward in pro-

moting cooperation among its member nations. It may be recalled that India and Bangladesh, for diferent reasons, pulled out of the SAARC summit scheduled to be held in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad last year. The upcoming visit of the Bangladesh leader to Delhi, on the face of it, would appear to be a courtesy call on the Indian leadership. Yet that would be a rather naïve way of looking at the realities which today underscore IndiaBangladesh relations. Sheikh Hasina’s great need at this point of time is to convince her people that with her in charge, Bangladesh’s foreign policy and its operation are on track, and that through such a process, Bangladesh stands the best chance of being part of a time of regional stability in the region. At home, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has already begun hurling the usual epithets at

the Awami League government to highlight what it has called genulection before India where preserving Bangladesh’s interests is the issue. Those charges have of course been roundly dismissed by observers. It has not helped the BNP any bit that since its formation and subsequent exercise of political power in Dhaka, its fundamentally anti-India card has continued to power its attitude to Dhaka-Delhi relations.

The electoral timescale Even so, Sheikh Hasina will need to convince Bangladeshis through this visit that her government is on top of things where ties with India are concerned, given especially the fact that she and her party faces a general election in early 2019. There is little question that in the last few years, the Hasina government has provided stability in such areas as the economy, even though

ment’s worry about the increasing levels of cooperation between Bangladesh and China, particularly in the spheres of the economy and defence. Dhaka’s recent procurement of two submarines from Beijing, coupled with Sheikh Hasina’s statement that no country would now dare to attack Bangladesh, can only have raised eyebrows in the corridors of power in Delhi. The Bangladesh Prime Minister has therefore a particular need now to convince the Indian leadership that Dhaka’s links with Beijing are in no way an efort to turn away from its traditional links with Delhi, but are aimed at ensuring for itself a basis of balanced, cooperative relations with the major players in the region. For good measure, the Chinese will be keeping a hawk’s eye on the HasinaModi deliberations in Delhi.

The Teesta factor And then, of course, there is the matter of the sharing of the Teesta waters, a subject that has continued to be the focus of discussions in Dhaka ever since the possibility of a deal was scuttled in 2011. Bangladeshis by and large continue to hope that Prime Minister Modi will be able to live up to his promise of a treaty being arrived at through his inluence. That could again depend on how a meeting of three Bengalis — President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — goes at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi. The Hasina visit should throw up substantive results for both Bangladesh and India. Anything less will be disappointing.

Syed Badrul Ahsan is associate editor, The Asian Age, in Dhaka

Painting it all black Demonetisation may not unearth much because large deposits in banks aren’t necessarily black money

arun kumar

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inance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his reply to the discussion on the Finance Bill, has pointed again to the small direct tax base. Detailed tax data for 2012-13 showed that the picture has changed little from the 1990s, when only 1% of Indians were in the direct tax net. Mr. Jaitley has presented data on the large sums of money deposited into some bank accounts post the demonetisation of November 8, 2016. The implication is that these may be black funds and they are being tracked and the people behind them will be caught. The secretary of the Income Tax Gazetted Oicers Association has written to the Central Board of Direct Taxes Chairperson that the top leadership has issued directions, at times hourly, leading to confusion and indecision and to spoiling the image of the tax department. Oficers have exerted pressure on taxpayers via email, SMS and summons. In spite of all this, apparently little black income has been declared.

Decoding account deposits In the Budget speech, the Finance Minister stated, “Deposits of more

than ₹80 lakh were made in 1.48 lakh accounts with average deposit size of ₹3.31 crore… deposits between ₹2 lakh and ₹80 lakh were made in about 1.09 crore accounts with an average deposit size of ₹5.03 lakh.” These two add up to about ₹10 lakh crore. Thus, two-third of the total of ₹15 lakh crore of old notes returned to the banks were accounted for by 1.1 crore accounts. Even if one or two lakh crores of this sum proves to be black (after years of litigation, etc.), this would hardly dent the black economy generating ₹93 lakh crore in 2016. Many businesses such as petrol stations and hospitals generate a lot of daily cash. They were allowed to use old currency notes; every day, they would have deposited lakhs of rupees, and over a month, crores. Businesses hold working capital and cash in hand which, depending on the size of the business, could be substantial. Mr. Jaitley has stated that there are “5.6 crore informal sector individual enterprises and irms doing small business”. Such small businesses work mostly in cash and, therefore, may hold fairly large sums of it. He has also said that there are 13.94 lakh registered companies as of March 31, 2014. Of these, 5.97 lakh iled tax returns but 2.76 lakh of them showed a loss or zero income. Companies not iling returns or running at a loss or at zero proit also hold cash — to hire labour, buy inputs, spend on overheads. The number of businesses mentioned

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR U.P. loan waiver Uttar Pradesh’s climatic zone can be described as tropical monsoon. Variations do exist in diferent parts of this large State, but the uniformity of the vast Indo-Gangetic plain which forms a bulk of the land mass of the State gives it a predominantly single climatic pattern with minor regional variations. Some districts of the Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh were blighted by continuous drought between 2003 and 2010, loods in 2011, a late monsoon and deicit rain in 2012 and 2013, followed by a second spell of drought in 2014. Unseasonal rain just around the time the winter (rabi) crop was to be harvested in 2014 and 2015 spelt ruin. The Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme initiated by the UPA government in 2008 faced sharp criticism at that time from many groups, including the Opposition

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hairing his irst cabinet meeting after taking over the reins in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved a write-of on outstanding farmer loans of up to ₹1 lakh taken before March 31, 2016. The State cabinet also decided to waive loans worth ₹6,000 crore extended to small and marginal farmers that had turned into non-performing assets. Together, this package, aimed at fulilling the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election promise, will cost the exchequer about ₹36,000 crore. There was no mention of a bigger plan to ramp up the farm sector, in which U.P. invested just 2.3% of total expenditure in 2016-17 — one of the lowest rates across major States. A little earlier, the Madras High Court ordered the Tamil Nadu government to extend a similar farm loan waiver scheme for small farmers (with land holdings of up to 5 acres) and marginal farmers (who own up to 2.5 acres) to all farmers. Oicials have even been forbidden from trying to recover loans where repayments have slipped. The State, which had already doled out ₹5,780 crore on this front, would need nearly ₹2,000 crore more to comply with the court’s order. This is a worrying trend for a country that wants to double agricultural incomes by 2022. Not only could it trigger a countrywide clamour for similar debt relief packages, political parties would also be more inclined to make such grand promises ahead of future polls. This is a slippery slope with multiple unintended outcomes likely in the years to come. The Madras High Court has clearly reached into the the domain of the executive. The risk is that this overreach could be cited in other courts to seek omnibus loan waivers. Opposition parties in U.P. have already criticised the cap of ₹1 lakh on farm loans that will attract relief. The timing of these drastic interventions is unusual as India had a good monsoon in the 2016-17 crop season, after two years of drought, and a bumper output is expected for all major crops barring sugarcane. Forgiving loan burdens is a powerful political gesture that glosses over the fact that governments have had little patience to make agriculture a sustainable economic activity with eicient linkages to formal markets, be it for credit or for supply chains from farm gate to fork. FDI of up to 100% was allowed in food retail trading but investments are stuck over the reluctance to allow a small proportion of non-food sales. Writing of loans as a blanket policy, without scrutiny and restructuring attempts creates a moral hazard for borrowers, who will have no incentive to stick to credit discipline. Frequent write-ofs will prod banks to invest in alternatives such as the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund instead of reaching out to individual farmers to meet their agricultural lending targets. In which case, usurious local moneylenders could have a ield day.

syed badrul ahsan

DEEPAK HARICHANDAN

Two separate decisions on farm loan waivers could have a domino efect

there has been disquiet in other areas, notably in security, as the government has been coming down hard on terrorists. A fresh injection of energy into relations with India can only beneit Bangladesh and of course convince Bangladesh’s people that their future is in good hands, those of Sheikh Hasina. The extent to which ties between India and Bangladesh can be re-energised is to be observed from the fact that a slew of agreements are expected to be signed by the two countries during the presence of the Bangladesh leader in Delhi. A critical aspect of the trip will certainly be a defence deal that will likely be initialled by the two Prime Ministers. This is an area that is clearly sensitive for the Bangladesh leader since questions are already being raised in Dhaka about the terms of, or even the need for, such a deal. It may be recalled that the 25-year treaty of friendship and cooperation reached by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972, within months of Bangladesh’s emergence as an independent state, continued to be the subject of criticism in anti-Awami League circles till the deal reached its natural end. Sheikh Hasina will surely be extremely cautious as her government proceeds to a new deal with the Modi government. She comprehends the worries associated with the move and will need to convince Bangladeshis that the deal will be initialled on the basis of sovereign equality and is not a measure that will have India roping Bangladesh into its interpretation of geopolitical realities. There is, with all this importance attached to Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Delhi, the Indian govern-

by the Finance Minister and the crores of farmers together could legitimately hold about ₹9 lakh crore of cash in hand. The remaining ₹8.5 lakh crore of currency in circulation in October 2016 would have been with households.

All cash isn’t black The government has said it would use ‘data mining’ to igure out whether the large deposits in accounts are consistent with their declared incomes. This will be a diicult exercise at best. Cash as working capital has to be distinguished from cash as saving from income. Every household keeps some

money for day-to-day requirements and for emergencies. The 26 crore Indian households could hold about ₹5.5 lakh crore for these purposes. The balance of the currency in circulation, another ₹3 lakh crore, could be held as black savings. Since about four crore people generate substantial black incomes, the average cash holding of this group would be ₹75,000. Not a huge sum of money. This is not to say that some individuals may not hold large sums of cash which may be black. It is generally believed that lakhs of people have sacks full of currency at home or on their business premises. Suppose one lakh entities hold ₹20 crore as black cash; that would amount to ₹20 lakh crore which is more than the currency in circulation (₹17.5 lakh crore) in October 2016. It is very likely that not even 10,000 entities would have an average of ₹20 crore in cash. The notion that black means holding cash is not generally correct and may be true only for a few. The Finance Minister pointed to the narrow direct tax base by saying that the number of people declaring income of above ₹50 lakh is only 1.72 lakh. He contrasted this with the 1.25 crore cars bought in the last ive years. He said, “The predominance of cash in the economy makes it possible for the people to evade their taxes.” Again, black has been equated with cash. The lacuna is that the above tax data do not give the actual

income but the income declared for tax purposes. Given the large number of concessions and deductions available, actual incomes are much greater than the taxable income. So, many more can legitimately aford to buy cars. Further, clarity is needed as to how many cars bought were commercial or by the wealthy. More importantly, if the department could not catch them during normal times then in these days of heavy pressure of work, is it possible? The Income Tax Department is barely able to audit 1% of those in the tax net. The money deposited in the banks cannot be assumed to be black — the Income Tax Department has to prove that. The explanation given by the suspects would have to be scrutinised. Most of those who deposited more than ₹2.5 lakh would have known that they could be asked questions since the government had already announced that. So, care would have been exercised in depositing the sums, such as showing it on the books as cash in hand and working capital or using shell companies. In brief, the data given by the Finance Minister in the Budget speech does not imply that demonetisation will help unearth substantial black incomes, because cash deposited does not automatically make it black and black cash is a tiny part of the black economy. Arun Kumar is a retired professor of economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University

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

parties in Parliament, agricultural experts, and bankers. The main criticism was that it could cripple the agricultural credit system. Hence, the present U.P. government should have announced the farm loan waiver in selected regions only where crop yields were afected, and not to the entire State (“Yogi waives farm loans up to ₹1 lakh”, April 5). K.M.K. Murthy, Secunderabad

Right to recall The framers of the Constitution would never have visualised such a drastic decay of political morals in independent India. The preamble of the Constitution, ‘We the people of India’, speaks volumes of the faith members of the Constituent Assembly reposed in the people who have since been betrayed. The fact that the ‘right to recall’ has entered public discourse clearly shows a craving for political

reforms (“The right to recall legislators”, April 5). However, considering the vastness/diversity of the country and its largely illiterate voter base, the recall procedure may not remove deiciencies in electoral laws. It could also turn out to be a burden on the exchequer and could even induce chaos in governance with frequent elections and recalls. Further, there is no guarantee that even with safeguards, political parties will not turn the recall process too into a farce. It is time the overhauling of electoral laws and reforms in polity with necessary constitutional amendments is done to bring in transparency in the dealings and accountability in the conduct of public representatives.

Vikramshila University in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, President Pranab Mukherjee expressed interest in a revival of this ancient university on the lines of Nalanda University (“Pranab hopeful of reviving Vikramshila University”, April 3). In expressing this, he has highlighted the need of academic research in our educational institutions. This university was an important seat of learning in its time but was later destroyed. Vikramshila, along with Nalanda and Takshashila, are ine examples of India’s rich and ancient academic heritage. At a time when India’s top ranking educational institutions struggle to ind an honourable place among the world’s top educational institutions, we should learn from our past.

Vijay Yellamelli,

Dinesh Kumar,

Visakhapatnam

Jhajjar, Haryana

Ancient academic roots

IPL 10

During his visit to the excavated site of

As the tenth IPL season begins, only one thought

crosses my mind: how long has one to endure this extravaganza (Editorial – “The IPL at 10”, April 5)? It is high time that this form of cricket, and the ugly face of Indian cricket, faded out. It is distressing to read about discussions on how many crores are spent on each cricketer, a jarring issue in a country where farmers are facing agrarian distress and governments are looking the other way instead of in alleviating their plight. Apart from being the fountainhead of inancial irregularities such as undeserving auction prices for cricketers, encouraging betting and mindless advertising, the IPL has only inlicted great damage by corrupting the very values of cricket as a game, which have taken years and years to evolve. One hopes that there is a miracle to end this menace and the BCCI juggernaut kept in check.

Super Sindhu

Y.V.N Sarma,

more letters online:

Visakhapatnam

www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/

The Indian Open win is signiicant for P.V. Sindhu, which she has achieved by defeating a few top-ranked players in the world (‘Sport’ – “Sindhu canters to India Open title”, April 3). In a nation swept by cricket frenzy, her recent accomplishments are all the more striking. She has been able to draw the nation’s attention towards herself through her achievements. R. Sivakumar, Chennai

P.V. Sindhu’s victory can easily be described as “sweet revenge” for her Olympic loss. She let the racquet do all the talking, never giving her opponent a chance to recover. One needs to admire her ‘refuseto-lose’ attitude. I hope she continues to fetch more laurels for herself and India in the days ahead.

■

R. Sampath, Chennai

A ND-ND

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THE HINDU

OPED 9

NOIDA/DELHI

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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Raring to leave? Brexit could complicate the delicate balance between Britain and Spain over Gibraltar

In June last year the first result to be declared in Britain’s EU referendum was from Gibraltar, the tiny British overseas territory on Spain’s southern coast, with an estimated population of around 30,000. The result was a resounding victory for the remain-in-Europe campaign: nearly 84% of voters turned out, and 96% of them voted in. The result was hardly surprising. While most residents of Gibraltar are British passport holders (following legislation in 1981), the territory is very interlinked with that of the European Union, and Spain in particular; its status as an offshore banking centre, thanks to its low-tax environment, is boosted by its membership of the EU. Even before the referendum there were warnings that Brexit could complicate the delicate balance that had been struck between Britain and Spain in recent years over the thorny issue of the “Rock”, as it is often known.

A British outpost in Europe Gibraltar is a British overseas territory, ceded to Britain in 1713, one of 14 such locations dotted across the globe, though the only one to be part of the EU single market (it is not part of the customs union). The population has been resolutely committed to remaining in Britain, when offered the choice in past decades. In 1967, a referendum on whether to pass under Spanish sovereignty or retain their link with Britain resulted in over 99% voting in favour of the latter option. A second referendum held in 2002, which proposed joint sovereignty with Spain, was also rejected by 98.97% of the voters. Over the centuries the relationship between Britain and Spain over Gibraltar has been marked by tensions, with various developments (such as an early visit by Queen Elizabeth in the 1950s, and a 1965 “red book” published by Spain that accused Britain of imperialistic advances) stoking the situation. Modern tensions reached their height in 1969 when a new constitution of Gibraltar declared that it would remain a part of Britain’s dominions. The Spanish dictator Francisco Franco shut the border, which remained closed till 1982, several years

EU, U.K. and Gibraltar Despite the clear role that the EU played in stabilising the situation, it was accorded limited attention, in Westminster at least. The White Paper outlining the British government’s position on Brexit, published in February, made brief mention of Gibraltar, noting that it had particular interests and was not part of a customs union. However, it was not referred to in the formal letter Prime Minister Theresa May sent last week triggering Brexit talks. “One of the great complaints in Gibraltar has been their anxiety that they are not being taken seriously when it comes to the special circumstances of what they stand to lose by exiting,” says Professor Whitman. It’s a message reiterated by some politicians: over the weekend Clare Moody, the Labour Member of European Parliament for the South West and Gibraltar, told the BBC that the failure to include Gibraltar in the triggering letter highlighted the lack of recognition being given to it by Britain, something that she said risked hurting not just Gibraltarians, but also the thousands of Spanish people who came across the border to work on a daily basis. Over the past week, Gibraltar has suddenly surfaced as a major issue of contention following the EU’s draft negotiating guidelines’ inclusion of a reference to Gibraltar. “After the United Kingdom leaves the Union, no agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without the agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom,” the document reads. The draft is set to be discussed and approved by member states at a meeting at the end of the month. In reality, the document simply states facts: when it comes to negoti-

The road map must include higher budgetary allocation to public health care and increasing AIDS awareness

Kirit Premjibhai Solanki & Catherine Yuk-ping Lo In July 2000, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 1308, calling for “urgent and exceptional actions” to mitigate the threats posed by HIV/AIDS. As the first disease to be the subject of a UNSC resolution, the exceptional status of HIV/ AIDS has brought about unprecedented levels of international funding allocated primarily in developing countries where responses to the disease have historically been scarce or non-existent.

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vidya ram

after his death. EU membership of both Spain and Britain has influenced the treatment of Gibraltar in a number of ways, says Richard Whitman, head of the politics and international relations at Kent University and a senior fellow at Chatham House. “When the U.K. joined the European Economic Community, it got the principle accepted that Gibraltar was in effect part of the U.K.’s accession to the EU. The U.K. used EU membership to normalise the situation and not make it anomalous in anyway,” he says, adding that when Spain did join the union, it implicitly recognised the status of Gibraltar.

AIDS-free by 2030, India included

ating any post- Brexit deal for the U.K. and its territories, Spain, as a member of the EU, would have always had a veto. However, that has not stopped the sabre-rattling in the U.K. “Up Yours Senors!” declared the right-wing newspaper The Sun, that campaigned heavily to leave the EU, while a former Conservative leader, Michael Howard, went one step further, essentially suggesting that Britain would be willing to defend Gibraltar by force, likening what Ms. May would be willing to do to how Margaret Thatcher went to war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in 1982. Spain, for its part, has expressed bafflement about the hype that the issue had generated in Britain.

A foretaste of the future The developments highlight a number of things: from the early days after the referendum, the British government has stood accused of not being prepared to face the very complex issues that Brexit would bring to the surface — from the status of Northern Ireland and Scotland to the plight of individual industries. Gibraltar would seem to be yet another such example. It also highlights the dangerous, nationalist rhetoric often being invoked by politicians, within and outside the government, as Britain prepares to leave the EU. “It reeks of

19th century jingoism,” former Labour Minister Jack Straw told the BBC on Monday, noting that not even Franco had resorted to discussing military force as a means of resolving the Gibraltar issue. For now, tensions have subsided somewhat, and Prof. Whitman says he is at least optimistic that both sides will have to commit to finding a solution that works in everyone’s interests. Getting a right deal on Gibraltar is important for Spain as much as it is for Britain: providing a source of employment to a deprived part of Spain. It will also be keen to reach a deal that tackles Gibraltar’s low-tax status, which it says is detrimentally impacted, and has long been one of the issues of contention. Britain, for its part, will be acutely aware of the role that Gibraltar’s combined membership of the EU and its tax status has on its economic success (it could lose out to other low-tax EU economies such as Luxembourg) and how it would struggle to peg its future on the “great trading nation” that Britain says it strives to be as it exits Europe. Says Whitman, “It’s a question of how integrated the EU wants the U.K. to remain and for the U.K. to decide where it trades off this desire for sovereignty against a need to preserve so much of what it has.” [email protected]

Sword of funding cuts While the exceptional approach to HIV/AIDS was warranted in the earlier stages of responses at the national level, it has become increasingly ineffective over time. This is visible through duplicated/parallel health systems and unsustainable funding. The overdependence on international assistance, coupled with the overwhelming policy preference towards HIV/AIDS, has resulted in the marginalisation of other pressing health threats such as malnutrition, and maternal and child health care. Most importantly, there has been a stagnating and even declining trend of HIV/AIDS international financial assistance in recent years. Data show that most European donor governments have reduced their financial commitments since 2012. Moreover, in light of the continuous economic boom in India and China, international funding agencies now argue that these countries should be donors instead of recipients of international HIV/AIDS-specific grants and loans. Without renewed and increased commitment from international donors and recipient governments, the sustainability of future national HIV/AIDS programmes is in doubt. In response to the changing global health agenda, most of these countries are prioritising the integration of HIV/AIDS programmes into existing health-related systems. This shift implies that international funding organisations now exert a tremendous influence on the priority of health issues in the developing world. In this, India is by no means unique. An integration of HIV/ AIDS interventions and primary health-care systems has taken place in India from 2010 onwards. For instance, six components of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP)-III merged with the National Rural

Health Mission (NRHM) in 2010. The integration of HIV/AIDS responses under the umbrella health system is ongoing in the NACPIV; where all the service delivery units except the targeted interventions (TIs) have been set up within the health-care system. At the 2016 high-level meeting at the UN General Assembly, India pledged to follow targets towards ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat in the next five years, and ending the epidemic by 2030. India is now playing a larger role in funding its HIV/AIDS programmes — two-thirds of the budget for the NACP-IV is provided by the Government of India and comes from the domestic budget. Indian HIV/AIDS programmes have progressively become less dependent on foreign assistance considering that over 85% of the budgets in the first and second phases of the NACPs and 75% in the third phase were supported by international and bilateral funding mechanisms. But in order to ensure the sustainability of the HIV/AIDS interventions, continuous integration of HIV/AIDS programmes into a larger health system is required. However, despite rapid economic development over the past two decades, public expenditure on health care in India as a proportion of GDP is among the world’s lowest. India’s health-care expenditure is also comparatively less than other BRICS countries.

Awareness versus stigma A UN report showed that “India has the third largest number of people living with HIV/ AIDS in the world and accounts for about 4 out of 10 people living with HIV/AIDS in the region”. If the goal of ending HIV/AIDS in India by 2030 is to become reality, there not only has to be an increase in budgetary allocation to public health care but also a more concentrated effort to increase AIDS awareness. Evidence suggests that many people suffering from HIV/AIDS in Asia lack the awareness that they test positive. Despite the prevailing advocacy of HIV/ AIDS interventions in an integrative manner, there has been a consistent push to maintain the exceptional status of HIV/AIDS as a unique global health challenge. It is argued that certain levels of AIDS exceptionalism should be maintained when we perceive ending HIV/AIDS as a means to an end. If we can end HIV/AIDS, we can end other pressing developmental problems, where the costs of the disease and its care present a serious economic burden. Kirit Premjibhai Solanki, a professor of surgery, is a Member of Parliament. He is also a member of the Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS & Maternal Health, Inter-Parliamentary Union. Catherine Yuk-ping Lo is a Research Fellow, Department of Asian and International Studies, City University of Hong Kong

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Anniversary analyses

FIFTY YEARS AGO APRIL 6, 1967

To successfully conclude a war, one needs a swift, reconciliation-driven diplomatic initiative

The Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, declared with all the emphasis at her command, that there was no desire to impose Hindi on the South and the D.M.K. need not have any concern in this regard. While the Government believed that all the national languages would have equal status, it was also important that to understand each other they should have a link language. The Government had given the solemn assurance that English would be retained as an associate language of the Union till such time as it was necessary, Mrs. Gandhi said. The Prime Minister also said that the bill to implement the assurances given by her father would be introduced in the budget session of Parliament..

English as associate language

kallol bhattacherjee

GETTY IMAGES

The simple building of the Israeli state archives is a wonder that has not been explored by many Indians despite the fact that it has been 25 years since India and Israel established formal diplomatic ties. It is in this building that letters from Indians are stored, addressed to leaders like Golda Meir and Shimon Peres, just to convey appreciation of Israel’s ability to triumph against forces opposed to it. After the setback of the war of 1962 with China and the pyrrhic victory of the 1965 war with Pakistan, young and old Indians alike found the spectacular victory of Israel in the 1967 war ifty years ago inspiring and fan letters from India began to pour into Israel with queries and appreciation for the ‘brave’ Israelis. Most of these ‘civil society letters’ poured in the late 1960s and in the early 1970s. Though not of much historical sentiment, these letters written following the Six-Day War of 1967 show how Israel’s supporters romanticised the country besieged on all sides by hostile powers. The war of 1967 which built much of the Israeli legends of valour was not the irst war that the tiny country won. Israel fought a war soon after its birth in 1948. This was followed by the 1956 Suez war which provided a battleield victory but drew diplomatic criticism for the uneasy partnership of Israel with the U.K. and France. The war of 1967 was special as Israel inally got the Jewish holy sites from the control of Jordan, including Old Jerusalem. Though negotiations for the peace treaty with Jordan and Egypt would go on for years for settling the outcome of the 1967 war, the fact was that the war, brief and surgical in execution, achieved its goal of defeating all the “frontline states”.

Four years on India’s hero of its own brief war soon after, in 1971, the late Lt. General J.F.R. Jacob, had his brush with a similarly well-executed plan, leading to the creation of Bangladesh. General Jacob, who features in the famous photograph of surrender of Pakistan forces in Dhaka, loved to recount how the brevity of the ierce war of 1971 was the result of careful calculation of the Indian military commanders and political leadership. Following the war, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi took a diicult decision during the Shimla Pact of 1972, and freed 93,000 Pakistani soldiers for the sake of post-war reconciliation with Pakistan. June 2017 marks the half century of that deining military victory of Israel which also bears similarity with the IndiaPakistan war of 1971. But the war of 1967 is also a reminder that war could be the product of failed diplomacy, but such wars as of 1967 and 1971 also demand post-war successful diplomacy and negotiation for a just settlement of issues. CM YK

ARCHIVES

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO APRIL 6, 1917

Cofee imports question

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CONCEPTUAL

FAQ

Ethnocentrism

For the love of Pluto

Sociology Ethnocentrism refers to people’s tendency to use their own beliefs, values and standards as reference points to judge others’ beliefs, values and standards as morally wrong, inferior, or simply incorrect (for instance, ancient Greeks and Romans believed all others to be “barbarians”). This tendency to see one’s group as the centre of everything can result in serious miscommunication, distrust, hostility or contempt in cross-cultural interactions. While most social scientists credit sociologist William G. Sumner for the introduction of this concept in his 1906 book Folkways, others argue that it was described by sociologist Ludwig Gumplowicz. This confusion, or error, could be because English-speaking social scientists often failed to acknowledge those thinkers whose works were in other languages. CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

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3

Why BS IV? A video story http://bit.ly/bsIVvehicles

Plans are aloat to revive its planetary status jacob koshy Why has the debate about Pluto being a planet been exhumed all over again?

The immediate provocation was a Johns Hopkins University scientist, Kirby Runyon, and his poster last month at a scientific conference. His presentation argued that the definition of what constitutes a planet be changed. Dr. Runyon and poster co-authors (including Alan Stern, a senior astronomer who’d vigorously opposed Pluto’s demotion a decade ago) were part of the science team on the New Horizons mission to Pluto, operated for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. In the summer of 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft became the first to fly by Pluto, passing within 8,000 miles and sending back the first close-up images ever of Pluto. These factors combined to whet interest in the revivification of Pluto’s planetary status. What’s Runyon’s argument

and will that once again mean nine planets? The In-

ternational Astronomical Union, in 2006, laid down three criteria for a rocky body to be planet: it must orbit the sun, it must be round, the body and its satellites must “orbit in a clear path around the sun”. It’s the last bit that buried Pluto, as many other asteroids and planets, some bigger than Pluto, were found in its orbital neighbourhood. Dr. Runyon and co-authors proposed that the offending third clause be deleted. To be sure, there isn’t a novel scientific argument for Pluto’s case that hasn’t already been made. Pluto being made a planet again, according to him, would mean that “the public would again fall in love with planetary exploration.” What are the consequences of accepting the modified definition?

Along with Pluto being upgraded from its current “dwarf planet” status,

nearly 100 other celestial bodies in the solar system could also become planets. The celestial bodies include Europa, a moon of Jupiter, and our very own moon. It also means that there will be nothing special about the existing eight planets and that, according to critics of Dr. Runyon, would offer a distorted picture of the solar system.

Various quarters including the British Empire Producers’ Association are energetically appealing to the Imperial Government to remove the embargo on the exportation of Indian coffee to Great Britain. The “Morning Post” says: “Mr. Chamberlain has proved himself a friend to India and it is difficult to believe, that he will allow this injustice to be perpetrated, more especially as the tonnage required is small and is already reserved. Moreover, something in the nature of preference is being given to South American coffee, large quantities of which arrived in England before prohibition. Most of it is believed to be held to the German account, and before the war was usually shipped direct to Germany. The paper strongly protests against coffee grown by neutrals, for enemy destination, being given a monopoly in the British market, against coffee grown in one of the most loyal Native States.” CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

DATA POINT

Can there be finality to this debate? The International

Astronomical Union arrived at their decision to demote Pluto after two years of debate and a proposal to a ‘Planet Definition’ sub-committee. This was then put to a vote, with 237 astronomers voting for and 157 against. There’s no report yet of the IAU moving to reconsider their position. Dr. Stern has argued that most of these astronomers were not ‘planetary scientists.’ Those who are convinced, proceed with their science as if Pluto is the planet from pre-2006 textbooks. A ND-ND

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10 NEWS

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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FROM PAGE ONE

Ties severely damaged, says China “As far as the boundary issue is concerned, I have also maintained that we don’t share our boundary with China, but with Tibet,” he observed. Analysts say that the statement can be interpreted as questioning the “one-China” principle. An op-ed in the state-run tabloid Global Times accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of seemingly taking “a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing’s bottom line.” Rejecting India’s position that the visit was purely religious in nature, Ms. Hua said that no one believed that the Dalai Lama was visiting a “disputed region” for religious reasons alone.

“We demand the Indian side immediately stop wrong actions, not hype up sensitive issues and take concrete steps to safeguard growth of India-China relations,” she observed. Sections of the Chinese state media have linked the Dalai Lama’s visit as India’s comeback to Beijing’s refusal so far to include Masood Azhar, the head of the Pakistan-based Jaish-eMohammad group in the U.N. ban list, as well as obstruction to New Delhi’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. When asked for its reaction, the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi referred to its statement a day earlier that “no political colour be ascribed to his visits to States of India.”

‘Delhi never used me against Beijing’

Uproar in Upper House over EVMs Government and Deputy Chairman ask Opposition to go to Election Commission with complaint didate for whom they were cast. He demanded that ballot papers be used for the upcoming byelections and elections. HRD Minister Prakash Javedkar countered him saying the Election Commission had made it clear that there could be no manipulation of EVMs and the Opposition should go to the EC.

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned briefly on Wednesday, as the Opposition members from the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the BSP trooped into the well of the House, alleging tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs). The government said that since the Election Commission had said tampering was not possible, those dissatisfied should go to it rather than disrupt Parliament. Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien also asked the Opposition members to make any complaints they had before the Election Commission. The Congress and the SP members gave four notices under Rule 267 seeking suspension of business to take up the issue, but these were rejected. However, they were allowed to make brief submissions. The government countered the attacks of the

Raising a point: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad speaks in the Rajya Sabha, which was rocked by Oppostion charge on EVM manipulation on Wednesday. PTI *

Opposition, saying this was an insult to the people, and accused the Opposition of lacking grace in defeat.

Selective manipulation Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said general elections in 2004 and 2009 and the Assembly elections in Bi-

har, Punjab and Delhi — where the BJP lost — were all conducted using EVMs. The Congress did not seem to have any objections to these. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that the “manipulation” was done selectively in Uttar Pradesh so that the government

did not attract suspicion. Earlier, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, raising the matter, said the testing of EVMs a few days ago for a byelection in Madhya Pradesh had shown manipulations. Votes were credited to the BJP irrespective of the can-

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The Dalai Lama said, “Many Chinese love India but there are some narrow-minded politicians who consider me as a demon.” Articulating the Tibetan stand, the spiritual leader told reporters on the second day of his week-long visit to the State, “We are not seeking independence. We are willing to remain within the People’s Republic of China.” “I always admire the spirit of the European Union. Individual nations’ sovereignty is important but that’s not so important. What is important is the common interests. So for material development to remain with the People’s Republic of China is in our interest. So, the Chinese government also should feel

ok. At the same time the Chinese government should give us meaningful self-rule/ autonomy,” he said. He spoke fondly of Arunachal Pradesh and said he had a special connection with the State as it served as his point of entry when he arrived in India in 1959.

Probe ordered into Gomti project Retired HC judge to head the panel Omar Rashid LUCKNOW

Two weeks after coming to power, the Yogi Adityanathled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh has constituted a judicial probe into financial irregularities in the Gomti riverfront project, a muchpublicised initiative of the previous CM, Akhilesh Yadav. The government has constituted a three-member committee under the chairmanship of retired Allahabad High Court judge Alok Kumar Singh for the probe. A.K. Garg, a professor of finance at the Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow (IIM-L) and retired professor of riverine engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology-Benaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU) U.K. Chaudhary are part of the committee. The probe team is expected to submit its report within 45 days. The Gomti riverfront in CM YK

Lucknow came under the scanner of the government after Mr. Adityanath inspected the site last month and questioned the progress of the work. “People’s money cannot be allowed to be looted at any cost,” the chief minister tweeted after his visit. He said a probe would be ordered into the Gomti riverfront project and asked officials to link the project to the Centre’s Namami Gange scheme. The Gomti merges with the Ganga in Jaunpur. U.P. chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar on Wednesday evening issued notifications and orders for the judicial inquiry. A sum of ₹ 656 crore was approved for the Gomti river channelisation project, which was later revised to ₹ 1,153 crore. According to a government spokesperson, however, even after the expenditure of around 95% of the revised sanctioned amount, only 60% of the project work was completed.

NEW DELHI

Shiv Sena members, in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, said they would be forced to hold protests in Parliament if they did not get any response on the issue of MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who has been “banned” by several airlines after he hit an Air India staffer. Member Anandrao Adsul said party members had moved a privilege notice, but no decision had been taken yet. Assuring the member, the Speaker said she would talk to them once she received the notice. Mr. Adsul said an MP had been forced to travel by train. He pleaded with the Speaker to resolve the issue saying she was the custodian of the House. BJP MP Devji Mansingram Patel also complained that Jet Airways did not provide him a seat last week despite booking.

No change even in a comma, he says Special Correspondent

‘Emotional connect’ “I would like to thank the government of India. I have been in this country since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them. When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunachal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the State. It is a special place for me.”

in determining the fares instead of making recommendations,” Mr. Khurana added. The Authority will have a Chairman and three members with a fixed term of five years and will be allowed to engage experts from various fields. “The RDA will be an independent body with separate budget. The independence is ensured through separate budget, appointment and removal process,” the statement added. The Chairman and members of the Authority will be appointed by a Search and Selection Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary with members including the Railway Board Chairman, Department of Personnel and Training Secretary and Chairman of any regulatory body of the Central Government nominated by the Cabinet Secretary.

Special Correspondent

Venkaiah denies Cong. charge on RTI NEW DELHI

Rail regulator gets green light The Railways’ estimated losses in the passenger segment has ballooned from ₹6,159 crore in 2004-05 to around ₹30,000 crore in 2015-16, mainly due to sharp increases in input costs and no commensurate increase in fares over the same period, according to a concept paper on the Authority prepared by the Indian Railways. Keeping rail fares within affordable limits has led to cross-subsidisation as the goods fares have increased considerably more than the passenger fares in the past. “The present fare structure is distorted in the Railways network. The passenger fares are subsidised by goods fares which has led to the freight traffic moving away to the road sector. However, we are half-way through as the regulator should be the final authority

Underground in Lucknow

‘Wrong programming’ While SP leader Ramgopal Yadav alleged that EVMs were being deliberately programmed to favour the BJP, BSP chief Mayawati said mass irregularities were committed in the Assembly elections in U.P. Mr. Kurien said the EC had clarified that tampering was not possible. “This is an issue to be taken up with the Election Commission. The Election Commission is to examine if EVM is functioning properly or not. Chair cannot do anything,” he said.

Ban on MP: Sena warns of protests

Making headway: Tunnelling work in progress for the 3.5-km Sachivalaya-Hussainganj-Hazratganj section of Phase 1 of the Lucknow Metro Rail Project. RAJEEV BHATT *

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu has vehemently denied allegations by the Opposition that the government had tampered with the amendments dealing with word limits and fees to be charged from the public for getting information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. “There is no change even in a comma or a full stop in the proposed amendment to the RTI rules relating to word limit and fee from the ones proposed by the Congress in 2012,” Mr. Naidu said on Wednesday. The Centre had proposed new rules under Section 27

of the RTI Act, 2005 to modify it. The Congress alleged that the government was changing the RTI norms by bringing in a word limit for applications and higher charges to make seeking information expensive. “Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Rules notified by the UPA government and those proposed now relate to word limit and fee to be paid and are the same, word by word. There is no change even in a comma or full stop mark,” Mr. Naidu said. The Centre had also invited opinions from the people over the proposed rules till April 15. “I demand an apology from the Congress for its blatant disinformation campaign” he said.

BC Commission set to get constitutional status

African envoys’ remarks unfortunate: Sushma

Union government introduces Bill in the Lok Sabha

Questions move to approach UN on Noida attacks

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

The Union government on Wednesday introduced a new Bill in the Lok Sabha that seeks to accord constitutional status to the Backward Classes Commission, which now has only statutory powers. This will bring the body, which looks after the interests of Other Backward Classes, on a par with that of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Commission, and give powers to Parliament to designate castes as OBCs. Social Justice Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot introduced the Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, a move seen as part of the ruling BJP’s aggressive outreach to politically crucial other backward castes.

Mandate The proposed commission will have a chairperson, vice-

Duty-free import of sugar till June Press Trust of India Neqw Delhi

The government on Wednesday allowed duty-free import of up to 5,00,000 tonnes of raw sugar to boost domestic supplies and check price rise amid production fall. The duty-free imports will be allowed until June 12 under the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ), according to a notification laid in Parliament. Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said refiners would have to apply online with the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) from April 13 to 24 for undertaking imports.

Thaawarchand Gehlot

chairperson and three other members and will hear the grievances of socially and educationally backward classes, a function discharged so far by the Scheduled Castes commission. At present, the functions of the commission are limited to examining the requests for inclusion of any class of citizens as a back-

ward class and hear complaints of over-inclusion or under-inclusion of any backward class in the existing quota and advise the Central government, the Constitution Amendment Bill said. “In order to safeguard the interests of the socially and educationally backward classes more effectively, it is proposed to create a National Commission for Backward Classes with constitutional status at par with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes,” the Bill states in its intent. The Bill will require the support of two-thirds of the members of the House for its passage. The Cabinet gave its nod to the formation of the new commission in a meeting headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (With inputs from IANS)

Kallol Bhattacherjee NEW DELHI

Questioning the decision of African envoys to approach the UN on recent attacks on people from their continent, India said on Wednesday that there was sufficient institutional mechanism in the country to ensure safety of foreigners. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the attacks were not racially motivated, though the African envoys planned to call a special meeting on the issue.

Institutional mechanism “They said that they want to go to the Human Rights Council. Do we have any shortage of institutional systems in India? We have a free press, judiciary, national human rights body to ensure safety of not just Nigerian citizens but of all Africans,” Ms. Swaraj said.

India asserts sovereignty over Gilgit-Baltistan Will not part with our territory, Sushma tells Lok Sabha Special Correspondent New Delhi

Responding to reports of a Pakistani move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan its new province, India on Wednesday asserted its territorial sovereignty over the region. Responding to questions in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India would not part with any part of its territory. “Even raising a doubt over this government, that it will let go of some area, will be wrong,” the Minister said. Ms. Swaraj recalled that

both Houses of Parliament had passed resolutions which reiterated India’s claims over Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan and the government was bound by it. Ms. Swaraj’s statement came after BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab asked the government about its diplomatic response to Pakistan’s reported plans to make Gilgit-Baltistan its fifth province. Ms. Swaraj said India had been opposed to such a move and had communic-

ated its objection to Pakistan soon after the news became known.

On Jammu & Kashmir “We are bound by Parliament’s resolutions and our resolve,” Ms. Swaraj said. “The position of the government regarding Jammu and Kashmir is well known. The entire State of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India in 1947. It has been, is and will always be an integral part of India,” an Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson had said.

Sushma Swaraj

India had conveyed its opposition to the idea of a UNlevel intervention in the issue, during a meeting with the Dean of the African Group Head of Missions, Alem Tsehaye Woldemariam, the Eritrean Ambassador. Ms. Swaraj said the mob attack in Greater Noida took place when local miscreants took advantage of the anger over the death of a 19-year-

old student who allegedly died of drug overdose. She addressed the concerns raised in the statement by the African envoys.“The statement of the Dean that there was no sufficient response from the political leadership against the violence against Africans is entirely against the facts in this case. Six people have been arrested regarding the case. Please do not say that the crime was motivated by racial reasons till the inquiry is over. Recently, an Indian died in Mozambique but we did not term the incident racially motivated. We did not do that when attacks against Indians took place in the U.S. [till the end of the inquiry],” Ms. Swaraj said. “That is why we insist that let the probe get over before you conclude if the incident was racially motivated,” she said terming the statement “unfortunate”.

Cong. seeks privilege motion against Jaitley Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Congress members have sought to move a privilege motion against Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on his statement related to the Lokpal Bill. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and party member K.C. Venugopal raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, urging Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to take a decision. Mr. Jaitley was also present in the House. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar intervened stating that the Congress leaders were well versed with the rules governing privilege notices and

Arun Jaitley that it would be taken up in due course. Mr. Venugopal said that the Finance Minister had told that the Bill was in the Standing Committee, which was not true as the President had already given assent to the Bill. A ND-ND

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THE HINDU

NEWS 11

NOIDA/DELHI

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Himachal CM moves SC for relief in assets case NEW DELHI

Accusing the Centre of “political vendetta,” Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court decision refusing to quash a disproportionate assets case against him. “The case as set up by the CBI is nothing but political vendetta by the present government at the Centre,” he alleged in his petition.

₹2 lakh cap won’t apply to deposits, withdrawals NEW DELHI

The ₹2 lakh cap on cash transactions will not apply to deposits in and withdrawals from banks, the government clarified on Wednesday, adding that capital expenditure of more than Rs. 10,000 will not be eligible for depreciation allowance. “that no person… shall receive two lakh rupees or more, (a) in aggregate from a person in a day; (b) in one transaction; or (c) in transactions relating to one event or occasion from a person, otherwise than by an account payee cheque or draft or through a bank account,” a statement said.

Mamata to meet Hasina in Delhi

Now, the reality bites of liquor ban

But still not in favour of water sharing

Krishnadas Rajagopal

Shiv Sahay Singh Suvojit Bagchi Kolkata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday ended speculation about whether or not she will meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi. Ms. Banerjee, who is touring south Bengal districts, told presspersons that she would reach Delhi on Friday. She is expected to discuss the sharing of Teesta river waters with Ms. Hasina. She, however, indicated that she was not in favour of sharing. “What will I do if there is no water? Mukutmanipur [town] has dried up... Ma-

Mamata Banerjee hananda [river] is dry... By the time the rains start, it will be July,” she said at a public meeting in Bankura district. The Centre has welcomed the Chief Minister’s decision to travel to Delhi during Ms. Hasina’s visit.

Can the 500-metre ‘no-liquor zone’ discourage a driver from reaching the nearest outlet? NEW DELHI

As trouble brews and livelihoods suffer over the Supreme Court’s ban on retail liquor outlets and bars along the National and the State highways, practical issues raised in the courtroom by the Attorney-General, the States and liquor traders about the adverse impact of a blanket ban have come alive, challenging the rationale of the court’s decision. The March 31 order, which largely confirmed the December 15, 2016 judgment with certain modifications, said the ban was sourced from the court’s “overarching concern for public health”. The Bench of Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar and

New Delhi

The Indian Coast Guard contained a fire on board the container ship m.v. Daniella off the Colombo coast by Wednesday evening. Sri Lanka requested Indian assistance after the fire broke out the previous night. ICGS Shoor, which has been in Colombo, was deployed within two hours of the request, a Coast Guard statement said. The ship had the equipment to fight fire.

In the nick of time: ICGS Shoor sprays water to contain ire on m.v. Daniella of Colombo on Wednesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *

BJP too lost Gujarat local polls after Hardik’s protest: MP Nistula Hebbar NEW DELHI

Press Trust of India

and not in some godforsaken place outside the city limits. State highways crisscross every small town and district headquarters in my State. Towns have developed rapidly. Small roads with shops on both sides form State highways due to the rapid rise in urbanisation,” Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, representing Tamil Nadu and Telangana, submitted. He asked the court how the 500-metre “no-liquor zone” on highways would discourage a person driving a vehicle from reaching the nearest available liquor

Special Correspondent

BJD hopes to recover lost ground by 2019

Pak. again violates ceaseire

Varied topography The lawyers submitted before the court that the States must not be put under the guillotine, and an effort should be made to understand the topographical peculiarities of each State. The two-day marathon hearings leading to the March 31 order saw lawyers question if the ban would end up as a “futile” attempt to prevent drunk driving. “I can have a good drink before I leave home,” K.K. Venugopal, lawyer, said. “Ninety per cent of the liquor vends are in the city

leave home [and not from a bar] K.K. Venugopal Lawyer

Coast Guard vessel puts out ire in m.v. Daniella of the Colombo coast after a long operation

IMPHAL

The local body polls in Odisha may have handed a jolt to the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) but senior party MP Bhratruhari Mahtab told The Hindu there was every chance that the party would recover its position by 2019, the year both the Assembly elections in the State and the Lok Sabha elections are due. Mr. Mahtab compared his party’s performance to the BJP’s show in local polls in Gujarat in the immediate aftermath of the Patidar agitation led by Hardik Patel. The BJP had lost most rural panchayats while managing to hold on to city bodies. “We have seen a 3% dip in

can have a good < > Idrink before I

vend. Challenging the court’s logic to remove liquor sales from highways, Mr. Rohatgi asked, “The liquor trade is not illegal, so why this prohibition? The States back it, the people back it.” Mr. Venugopal argued how the States would lose revenue. “This revenue was meant to better education in the States. Look at the macro picture. This is not just a question of road accidents,” he said. “This ban is unconstitutional,” senior advocate Rajiv Dhawan had submitted.

Central studies Mr. Dhawan pointed out that the ban was based on Central government studies alone and should be confined to

the National highways. “But you [the court] went on a limb by transferring the ban from the National highways to the State highways,” Mr. Dhawan said. Countering these arguments, the Bench observed that the States did not have any “indefeasible right” to grant licences and no one was entitled to a liquor licence. “Besides, it can’t be the principle that you can’t drink and drive on a National highway but can do so on a State highway,” Justice Chandrachud had observed. The Chief Justice said very few States — eight of them — had challenged the ban, thus making it clear that the majority of the other States were “completely for the judgment”.

India answers SOS, saves ship and crew JuD declares 2017

Women vendors stage protest in Imphal Hundreds of women vendors on Wednesday staged a sit-in protest in the main market in Imphal city. They were protesting against the large number of vendors, including street vendors, some of them licensed by the Imphal Municipal Corporation. This had impacted their sales, they said. The police tried to disperse the women vendors unsuccessfully. The three women’s markets in the heart of the city are collectively known as the Ima market.

Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao dismissed warnings by lawyers that a “one-size-fits-all” approach would spell more harm than good.

Naveen Patnaik

our vote share in the Zilla Parishad elections, compared to the 2014 elections, but this comparison is unfair because the panchayat and Assembly elections are on two different trajectories,

the platforms are different. And if you make a comparison between what has happened in Gujarat when local polls were held after Hardik Patel’s agitation... the BJP was also in a bad shape. But yes, a fall in 3% vote is a point of concern, which our party is taking up in full earnest, and already the leader of the party [Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik] has started interacting with leaders,” he said in an interview. Asked about the public airing of differences between his Parliament colleagues Tathagata Satpathy and Baijayan “Jay” Panda, Mr. Mahtab was reluctant to comment.

China’s Sri Lanka foray worries Tharoor Calls for equal chances for India irms

Jammu

Dangerous cargo Officials said m.v. Daniella was now anchored 11 nautical miles off Colombo. The vessel had dangerous cargo, and hence utmost caution was exercised while fighting the fire to ensure the safety of the crew members and the vessel, the statement said.

“At about 8.30 p.m. on Tuesday, information was received from the High Commission of India, Colombo, regarding a request received from the Sri Lankan Navy to render assistance to extinguish fire on board m.v. Daniella, which was reported to have broken out on April 4 at about 10.55 a.m. about 120 nautical miles west of Colombo while on transit from Singapore to Suez,” the Coast Guard statement said. By Wednesday morning, the fire on the port side, or left side, of the vessel was extinguished. ICGS Shoor continued efforts to control the fire on the right side using water cannon mixed with foam, the statement added. The Navy deployed INS Gharial and INS Darshak to provide assistance to the Coast Guard operation.

‘Year of Kashmir’

Agencies warn of a surge in violence Dinakar Peri NEW DELHI

Security forces are bracing for a hot summer in the Kashmir Valley this year, with Intelligence inputs warning of an aggressive effort by Pakistan-based terror group Jamaat-ud-Dawa ( JuD). JuD, which was earlier known as Lashkar-e-Taiba and is now called Tehreek Azadi Jammu and Kashmir (TAJK), has declared this year as the “year of Kashmir.” “The declaration is a clear indication that they are looking to give a surge to Kashmir militancy. They have conducted eight social media workshops recently on how to use it to further their cause,” an Army source said.

Intelligence agencies believe that this is part of efforts by the separatists and terror groups in India to escalate the situation in the Kashmir Valley as a face-saving gesture to extract concessions from the Central government. In 2008, the separatists got concessions on the Amarnath land issue and in 2010, the interlocutor group was sent for talks. In 2016, they have no achievements to show, the Intelligence source noted. Starting 2014, the violence in Kashmir has been spiralling up with continued protests and stone pelting. Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat had recently warned that his force would treat those obstructing operations as “over-ground workers of terrorists.”

Jaishankar meets Ranil, Sirisena Meera Srinivasan COLOMBO

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar on Wednesday met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and discussed bilateral matters, The Hindu learns. Mr. Jaishankar was in Colombo to address German Ambassadors from India Ocean Rim (IOR) countries. In his meeting later on Wednesday, the Foreign Secretary and the Sri Lankan leaders reportedly discussed development cooperation. The two neighbours are in the process of finalising various projects, including in the strategically-significant Sampur in Trincomalee.

SC to decide on using MP panel report Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI

Pakistani troops on Wednesday violated ceasefire by shelling mortar bombs on forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. This is the fourth ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops in the last 48 hours. “The Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing from small arms and fired automatic and mortar shells on Indian posts along the LoC in the Poonch sector,” a defence spokesman said. Troops deployed on forward posts retaliated and the exchange was continuing till last reports came in. On Tuesday, the Pakistani Army fired mortar shells on Indian posts along the LoC in the Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri district. CM YK

Meera Srinivasan COLOMBO

Shashi Tharoor, MP, on Wednesday flagged India’s concerns over China’s presence in Sri Lanka, pointing to “military intervention in the guise of trade”. He was speaking at the launch of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s political biography, authored by Dinesh Weerakody. He said some in India wondered whether China’s interest in the Indian Ocean Region undermined India’s own historical links and cultural networks.

Level playing field Batting for Indian private sector firms seeking to enter the Sri Lankan market, Mr. Tharoor said many of them voiced concern over “the extraordinary stringency” of Sri Lanka’s Environment Impact Assessment regulations, as applied to Indian

Shashi Tharoor

firms. “Some of the Indian executives say that Chinese companies don’t face as many environmental hurdles as Indian companies do,” he said. Mr. Wickremesinghe said, “We see a lot of opportunities in the region, the wealth of which helped the West in the past. It is now time for us to ensure we can rebuild the Indian Ocean and strengthen ourselves. There is much more scope for us to work together with India.”

The Supreme Court on Wednesday referred to a Constitution Bench the question whether a parliamentary committee report can be relied upon in judicial proceedings. A Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra indicated that it “might be crossing the boundary of federal structure” by acting on the basis of a parliamentary committee report in a public interest litigation petition. “Regarding the important and substantial issue relating to the interpretation of this constitutional issue, we think it is appropriate to refer it to a Constitution Bench for consideration,” the court observed. During the hearing of a petition on HPV vaccines Colin Gonsalves, counsel for the petitioner, referred to the 81st report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare. A ND-ND

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12 WORLD

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THE HINDU

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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ELSEWHERE

North Korea tops agenda as Trump set to meet Xi State Secretary says U.S. has no further comment on North’s latest missile test

Bannon dropped from National Security Council U.S. oicial says the removal comes as part of shake-up Agence France-Presse

‘Greece wants eurozone summit if debt talks fail’ ATHENS

Greece has asked for a eurozone summit to be held if creditor talks on Friday fail to break months of deadlock on the country’s debt and reform goals, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday after a meeting with the EU President. AFP

Kerala doctor wins ₹17.5 cr. lottery in UAE DUBAI

An woman doctor from Kerala has won a lifechanging lottery in Abu Dhabi of over ₹17.5 crores. Nishita Radhakrishna Pillai, currently in the U.S., won the Dirham 10 million lottery in the Big Ticket rale. After about 50 attempts at striking gold, the mother of two inally joined the ranks of high-net-worth individuals. PTI

DR Congo’s Kabila to name new PM this week KINSHASA

Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Joseph Kabila on Wednesday pledged to appoint a new Prime Minister in the next two days, which is in line with a stalled December peace deal struck with the opposition. AFP

6 held for terror in wake of Petersburg bombing

Washington

desk prior to his meeting with Mr. Xi,” said Mr. Gupta.

A terse and potentially ominous statement in 23 words issued by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on North Korea’s latest missile test forms the immediate setting, but President Donald Trump’s first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday could be the beginning of a reorientation of bilateral ties. “North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment,” Mr. Tillerson said. Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast. The missile flew about 60 km from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on the east coast, South Korea said. Sinpo is home to a North submarine base. The Secretary of State had said last month that military options to neutralise North Korea’s nuclear capability were on the table. Mr. Trump has repeatedly blamed China for not taking effective measures to rein in

Key issues The One-China policy and trade will be the other two issues that could dominate the talks between the two leaders over Thursday and Friday. Mr. Gupta said there would be a number of disquieting undercurrents in America’s Taiwan policy from China’s point of view”. “President Xi is likely to try to pin the American President down with two categorical demands: first, the official level of U.S. representation to the government in Taipei must not be upgraded in any way; second, the U.S. must refrain from any sale of sophisticated arms to Taipei,” he said. Trade and economic issues could also lead to what Mr. Trump has described as “difficult” talks with Mr. Xi.But on this, the U.S. President will be more thoughtful and planned, compared to the urgency he is showing about the North Korean threat. “His push-back against China on trade will come a bit later,” according to Mr. Gupta.

Varghese K. George

Cover story: A magazine featuring Donald Trump is on display at a Beijing news stand on Tuesday. AP *

Pyongyang. “North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been ‘playing’ the United States for years. China has done little to help,” the President tweeted last month.

Serious threat “North Korea will be the real deal that Mr. Trump will be looking for,” said Sourabh Gupta, Resident Fellow at the Institute for China America Studies in Washington. “North Korea has become a serious threat to the U.S. On trade, the President has built a campaign that is based on beliefs that he has held for 30 years and it may not be easy for him to make a quick

turnaround,” said Mr. Gupta. China has tightened sanctions on North Korea in recent months but it has not touched the oil supply to it. “China has its own North Korea policy, independent of what the U.S. might want.” From India’s perspective, Mr. Trump’s approach to American allies in Asia will be of significance, according to Mr. Gupta. The Trump administration has undertaken a review of the U.S.’s North Korea policy, which is being coordinated by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. “A broad outline, if not more detailed recommendations, will be on the President’s

Seven killed in Lahore suicide attack

ST. PETERSBURG

As the residents of Russia’s second-largest city try to regain their nerve in the wake of a fatal subway bombing, officials announced on Wednesday that six people have been arrested on suspicion of recruiting others, mostly immigrants from the republics of Central Asia to commit extremist crimes. AP

Karachi

which has been undertaken in the country after 19 years.

At least seven people, including five soldiers and two census officials, were killed and 19 others were injured in a suicide attack on a van in Lahore on Wednesday morning. The van was ferrying staff for the ongoing census,

Sharif condemns According to police and rescue service officials, the van was hit by a suicide bomber riding a motorbike on the Bedian road. Hospital authorities said at least three

MUBASHIR ZAIDI

‘It’s time to act in Sri Lanka’ Amnesty urges govt. to repeal Prevention of Terrorism Act Meera Srinivasan Colombo

Acknowledging “important improvements” in the overall situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, Secretary General of Amnesty International Salil Shetty on Wednesday said it was now time for the government to act, after it recently got a twoyear extension at the UN Human Rights Council to fulfil its commitments. Drawing from a report that Amnesty released earlier this week on enforced disappearances, Mr. Shetty said: “Families of the disappeared have spent years, sometimes decades, waiting for answers. The government can delay no longer.” Urging the government to swiftly operationalise the Office On Missing Persons and to repeal the

Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty

Prevention of Terrorism Act, Mr. Shetty emphasised that Sri Lanka would not be able to break away from its violent past until families of the disappeared “get the truth they demand and the justice they deserve”.

Poverty underscored In addition to questions on accountability and militarisation, people in the north constantly underscored

poverty and the loss of livelihoods, particularly among women-headed households, Mr. Shetty observed. “Often, this was closely linked to land... these are people whose land is their livelihood,” he said, even as hundreds in the island’s north and east are protesting for their land, currently held by the military, to be returned. On the sidelines of the press conference, Mr. Shetty told The Hindu geopolitical dynamics had a direct bearing on the nature of engagement of international actors. The fact that there was now a UNHRC resolution cosponsored by the U.S. and Sri Lanka was positive. “But once it comes into the domestic sphere, I am not sure how much influence the U.S. or anybody else has.”

people among the injured were in critical condition. Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa condemned the attack, while asserting that despite terrorist attacks, the census programme would be completed as it

was “a national obligation.” Seventeen soldiers and two census officials were travelling in the van when the attack took place. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said in a statement the authorities had prior intelligence of an attack in Lahore.

Washington

Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s chief strategist, has lost his seat on the powerful National Security Council in a high-level shake-up, a U.S. official confirmed on Wednesday. Mr. Trump’s elevation of Mr. Bannon to a permanent spot on the NSC had been widely criticised as injecting politics into White House deliberations on sensitive defence, foreign policy and intelligence matters. A former head of the farright website Breitbart and now chief White House strategist, Mr. Bannon is regarded as a controversial

Steve Bannon

proponent of the nationalistic anti-globalism that helped propel Mr. Trump to the White House. In a presidential memo dated April 4, Mr. Bannon no longer appears on the list of regular attendees of NSC meetings. Confirming that he has

been removed as a permanent NSC member, a White House official said the move resulted from a reorganisation by Mr. Trump’s new national security advisor, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster. Mr. McMaster took over on February 20 after his predecessor Michael Flynn was fired amid a scandal over his secret conversations with Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr. McMaster has his own ideas about how to do things, and Mr. Trump had promised he could name his own people to the NSC.

Syria chemical attack an afront to humanity: Trump He reairms vow to destroy IS and ‘protect civilisation’ Agence France-Presse Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday denounced the Syrian regime’s latest alleged chemical weapons attack as an “affront to humanity” and warned it would not be tolerated. Speaking alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah at a White House news conference, Mr. Trump did not lay out any detail how the United States would respond to the killings. However, he renewed his criticism of his predecessor Barack Obama’s failure to take military action in 2013 after Syrian leader Bashar crossed a “red line” in his

use of chemical weapons. “It crossed a lot of lines for me,” Mr. Trump said of this week’s attack. “When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies... that crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line, many, many lines.” Mr. Trump also reaffirmed his vow to destroy the Islamic State group and “protect civilisation.” He predicted that the campaign against the IS in Syria and Iraq would be “a shorter fight than a lot of people are thinking about, believe me.”

‘Nerve agent exposure’ Earlier, the World Health Organisation said some victims of the suspected chemical at-

tack had symptoms consistent with exposure to a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents. The United Nations health agency said the attack in Idlib province appeared to have involved chemical weapons, pointing to the “apparent lack of external injuries reported in cases showing a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress as the main cause of death.” Russia, meanwhile, defended ally Syria against allegations that it launched the chemical weapons attack, denouncing a proposed United Nations resolution on the incident as “unacceptable.”

IS suicide bombers kill 31 in Tikrit Agence France-Presse Baghdad

Militants opened fire and later blew themselves up in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, killing at least 31 people in an attack claimed on Wednesday by the Islamic State group. Police and army officers said the attack, which began on Tuesday night, also wounded at least 42 people. A police lieutenant colonel said three militants shot dead three policemen in central Tikrit and then opened fire on civilians, before later blowing themselves up inside homes. IS issued a statement claiming the attack, saying it was carried out by seven militants who clashed with security forces until they ran out of ammunition.

China’s railway drives silk road plan A 174-km underground high-speed rail link will connect Beijing with Lanzhou Atul Aneja Beijing

Not far from where legions of tourists climb up the steps of China’s Great Wall at the Badaling section in Beijing, railway engineers are working overtime to build an underground station. Work is in full swing as the 174-km section of high-speed railway, starting from Beijing north station, has to be completed by 2022. That is the year when China will host the winter Olympics. Feeder lines from the high speed station will carry tourists and sport enthusiasts to Zhangjiakou, one of the major sites of the games. “The work is particularly challenging as this will be the first underground highspeed railway station in China,” says Yang Lei, Director of the office of Key Projects, undertaken by China Railway Group Limited (CREC), which has been contracted for this work. “We have to dig to over 300 meters beneath the ground, to ensure that the vibrations do not cause damage to the Wall,” she adds. CM YK

On course: A ile photo of a high-speed train travelling at Anshun in southwest China's Guizhou province. AFP *

The construction at Badaling is part of a strategic project, integrated with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — China’s giant connectivity project, mostly along the ancient Silk Road, which in the past connected Asia with Europe. Officials at CREC say the 174-km section is part of China’s north-west high speed corridor, which will link Beijing with Lanzhou, a city along the Yellow river in north-central China. In turn, Lanzhou has already established a high-speed link with Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region, China’s gateway

to Central and South Asia. Once the Beijing-Lanzhou high speed section is complete, it will be possible to travel from the Chinese capital to Xinjiang’s administrative hub in 17 hours flat.

Energy security Apart from serving as the entrepôt to Central Asia, Xinjiang is also vital for the China’s energy security. A string of West-East gas pipelines carry copious reserves of the gas from Central Asia to power China’s industrial heartland along the coast. The CREC is also playing a crucial role in extending the

BRI into South Asia. The company has undertaken the Padma Bridge Rail Link project in Bangladesh. Officials say that the $3.14 billion project covers railway construction of 168.8 km. That will include the over 6 km long bridge over the Padma river. A CREC statement said China and Bangladesh will sign an inter-governmental framework and financial agreement in “One Belt One Road” Summit to be held in Beijing in May this year. The Chinese view the Padma project as part of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor, another spur of the BRI. The BCIM hopes to connect Kolkata with Kunming in China. The 2800 km corridor will pass through West Bengal, Assam, Bangladesh, Manipur, Myanmar, before entering China’s Yunnan province, with Kunming as its capital. On the way, it is expected to establish industrial parks, cyber-cities, centers of “soft power” and tourism hubs. A ND-ND

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market watch 05-04-2017

% CHANGE

Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 29,974 ddddddddddddddd0.21 US Dollar dddddddddddddddddddd 64.87 ddddddddddddddd0.25 Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 29,400 ddddddddddddddd0.44 Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 54.46 ddddddddddddddd2.60

Flipkart may steal a deal on Snapdeal Investor Softbank tweaking proposal to resolve valuation impasse; conclusion expected in a month ror in the execution strategy by diversifying without getting the foundation right. They also said at the time that the company would be downsizing — by laying off many employees — as part of its attempts to turn profitable. The e-mail did not specify the number of jobs that would be cut.

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

NIFTY 50 PRICE CHANGE

ACC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1470.20. . . . . . . . . 8.25 Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358.15. . . . . . . 16.05 Ambuja Cements. . . .. . . . . . 238.75. . . . . . . . . 1.20 Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1082.55. . . . . . . . -7.30 Aurobindo Pharma . . . . . . 677.50. . . . . . . . -5.45 Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508.30. . . . . . . . . 7.70 Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2760.85. . . . . . -22.75 Bank of Baroda . . . . . .. . . . . . 174.55. . . . . . . . . 2.15 Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 344.50. . . . . . . . . 2.70 Bosch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22899.15. . . . . 263.40 BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637.75. . . . . . . . -0.65 Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593.05. . . . . . . . . 0.40 Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290.05. . . . . . . . -4.95 Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 2741.35. . . . . . . . -3.10 Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. 25765.25. . . . . 221.60 GAIL (India). . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 382.40. . . . . . . . -2.35 Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1065.30. . . . . . . 14.70 HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 850.50. . . . . . -15.75 HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1490.15. . . . . . -43.50 HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1432.35. . . . . . . . -0.85 Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 3198.05. . . . . . . . -4.10 Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198.20. . . . . . . . . 4.60 Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 935.35. . . . . . . 14.70 Indiabulls HFL . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 986.30. . . . . . . . -9.60 ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284.85. . . . . . . . -1.85 IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1400.95. . . . . . . . -2.50 Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 337.70. . . . . . . . . 8.15 Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995.95. . . . . . -12.85 Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 381.35. . . . . . . . . 0.20 ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278.95. . . . . . . . -2.60 Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 889.85. . . . . . . 13.90 L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1696.45. . . . . . . 35.45 Lupin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1454.95. . . . . . . 20.35 M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1290.75. . . . . . . . . 4.25 Maurti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 6342.40. . . . . 270.40 NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166.50. . . . . . . . . 1.85 ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.25. . . . . . . . . 0.45 PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 195.00. . . . . . . . -1.20 Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1415.00. . . . . . . 40.35 State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297.35. . . . . . . . . 4.20 Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 690.70. . . . . . . . -1.70 Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 473.50. . . . . . . . . 3.10 Tata Motors DVR. . . .. . . . . . 285.15. . . . . . . . . 3.95 Tata Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88.20. . . . . . . . -1.00 Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493.30. . . . . . . . . 7.45 TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2401.25. . . . . . -10.45 Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . . . 446.95. . . . . . . . -6.15 UltraTech Cement . .. . . . 4081.25. . . . . . . 54.50 Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510.65. . . . . . . . . 3.55 YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1567.50. . . . . . . 28.65 Zee Entertainment . . . . . . 543.50. . . . . . . 14.95

EXCHANGE RATES Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit except yen at 4 p.m. on April 05 CURRENCY

TT BUY

TT SELL

US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 64.67. . . . . . . 64.99 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 69.00. . . . . . . 69.36 British Pound . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 80.71. . . . . . . 81.11 Japanese Yen (100) . .. . 58.36. . . . . . . 58.65 Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 9.38. . . . . . . . . 9.43 Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 64.43. . . . . . . 64.76 Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 46.19. . . . . . . 46.42 Canadian Dollar . . . . . . . . .. . 48.27. . . . . . . 48.51 Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 14.59. . . . . . . 14.68 Source:Indian Bank

BULLION RATES

CHENNAI

April 05 rates in rupees with previous rates in parentheses Retail Silver (1g) . . . . . . . . . . . 45.70. . . . . (45.90) 22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . . 2,781. . . . . (2,794)

Flipkart is the frontrunner to acquire smaller rival Snapdeal and a deal is likely to be sealed within a month’s time, according to people aware of the developments. Softbank, a major shareholder in Snapdeal, is tweaking its proposals to resolve an impasse over valuations with other key co-investors Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners, said one of the persons, who did not wish to be identified. At a meeting on Tuesday of the board of Jasper Infotech Pvt. Ltd., which owns Snapdeal, the company’s directors were unable to reach a consensus on the terms and conditions of the proposed sale.

‘New proposal’ “A new proposal with tweaks is being prepared by Soft-

Packing up: New proposal with tweaks is being prepared by Softbank and will be sent to the board in the next few days.

bank and would be sent to the board in the next few days,” the person said. The source added that the three investors had moved closer to resolving the issues that came up at the board meeting and everything was likely to be finalised within a

few weeks to a month. Snapdeal has been struggling in recent months. Founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal had in a February e-mail to employees said they had decided to take a 100% pay cut after acknowledging that they made an er-

Possible buyers While there has been market speculation that Snapdeal could be sold either to Flipkart or Paytm, another person said Flipkart was the frontrunner for acquiring the third-largest e-commerce platform in the country. Paytm is backed by China’s Alibaba, which is also a shareholder in Snapdeal. While Snapdeal was valued at about $6.5 billion in its last funding round in February 2016, a source said the valuation had taken a beat-

ing since then and that the sale to Flipkart could value the e-commerce marketplace at as low as a sixth of that figure. Japan’s Softbank Group, which invested $627 million in Snapdeal’s parent in October 2014, announced last November a substantial write down of its Indian investments, mainly in the ecommerce firm and cab aggregator Ola.

Keen on a sale Softbank is very keen for a sale to go through and is mulling possible ways to expedite the process of selling Snapdeal, one of the persons in the know of the developments said. Softbank was said to be pegging Snapdeal’s valuation at less than $1 billion, which was not acceptable to Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners, the source said.

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Centre mulling new ₹200 note If okayed, note to arrive in 6-8 months MANOJIT SAHA MUMBAI

‘Steps on liquidity will be in focus’ It is likely that the RBI will take measures to reduce surplus liquidity, say analysts MANOJIT SAHA MUMBAI

With the central bank widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged in the new fiscal year’s first bimonthly monetary policy review on Thursday, markets are keenly waiting to see what steps the RBI may take to tackle surplus liquidity in the banking system. Post demonetisation, deposits increased by ₹4.27 lakh crore. Deposits grew 13% year-on-year till March 17. Credit growth was 4.4%. Foreign investors have invested close to ₹45,000 crore in equities since February. According to an estimate by State Bank of India, average cash withdrawals declined in March as compared with January and there has been a

permanent liquidity injection of ₹1.7 lakh crore in the system. The surplus liquidity in the system is estimated to be about ₹4 lakh crore. “The surplus liquidity in the system is likely to rise further when the government starts spending in the new fiscal year,” Abheek Barua, chief economist, HDFC Bank, wrote in a report. “If the rupee continues to appreciate, there could be added pressure as the RBI will start buying dollars to cap gains in the currency. Leaving the surplus problem unattended could lead to investments into riskier assets... Hence, it is highly likely that the RBI will implement measures to soak up excess liquidity,” he said.

One way to drain the excess liquidity is to raise the cash reserve ratio (CRR) which is at 4%. CRR is the proportion of deposits that banks have to keep with RBI. “We do not believe that a hike in CRR is feasible given the abundance of liquidity,” said Dhawal Dalal, CIO-Fixed Income, Edelweiss Asset Management.

U.K., India unveil joint ‘green’ fund

Carlson Rezidor eyes 200 hotels in India

Google unveils ‘YouTube Go’

Special Correspondent

To go for acquisitions to reach target

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI

The proposed standing deposit facility (SDF) could be a useful tool to tackle liquidity. SDF is a mechanism to drain surplus cash at a rate lower than the repo rate without the need for any collateral. The implementation of SDF requires an amendment to the RBI Act. Hence, it is felt that the RBI could start draining liquidity from banks at a lower rate so that it would bring interest rates down. “The RBI is constantly absorbing excess liquidity at around repo rate of 6.25%, which is also the LAF (liquidity adjustment facility) rate. Is there a thought process within the RBI to gradually trend LAF rates towards the reverse repo rate, which is 5.75%” Mr. Dalal observed.

Bharti Airtel parent, SEBI settle case Press Trust of India New Delhi

Bharti Airtel’s promoter firm Indian Continent Investment has settled an alleged insider trading case after paying ₹2.17 lakh towards settlement charges to SEBI. It had acquired 26.58 crore shares constituting 7% stake in the company in the period July 2007 to December 2010. As a result, Indian Continent Investment’s shareholding in Bharti Airtel crossed 5% on April 29, 2008, requiring it to make necessary disclosures under PIT (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations. It was alleged that the promoter failed to make such disclosure, prompting SEBI to initiate a probe.

The Centre is examining a proposal from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to introduce ₹200 denomination currency notes to improve the cash situation, top central banking sources told The Hindu. According to the sources, a smaller denomination note will improve liquidity. In November last year, the Centre announced the demonetisation of ₹1,000 and ₹500 notes. While a new ₹500 note was introduced with added security features, a new ₹1,000 note was not reintroduced. Instead, a new ₹2,000 denomination currency note was introduced.

Smaller denomination “We felt there is a need now for smaller denomination notes,” said the source. “There are no denominations between ₹100 and ₹500. So, we have proposed introduction of ₹200 by the government,” the source

said. “In case a decision is taken to introduce the new note, it will take 6 to 8 months for the new currency to be in circulation,” the source added. There are two bank note printing presses in the country — Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited — a subsidiary of the RBI, and the governmentowned Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited. According to RBI, smaller denomination notes constituted only 13.6% of the total currency in circulation, in value terms, as at March 2016. The higher denomination notes — ₹500 and ₹1,000 — that were demonetised constituted 86.4% of the currency in circulation. At end-March 2016, the value of banknotes in circulation was ₹16.415 lakh crore — a rise of 14.9% over the previous year. According to RBI, the volume of banknotes increased by 8% against 8.1% in 2014- 15.

NEW DELHI

India and the U.K. on Tuesday announced a joint Green Growth Equity Fund in which they have committed to anchor invest up to £120 million each. “The purpose is to help India enhance inclusive growth by boosting investment into green infrastructure on commercial terms,” the draft agreement said. “The success of the Fund will crowd in private investment that will have a transformational impact on India’s development.” The fund aims to raise about £500 million, and may unlock more in future. The deal was announced at the bilateral meeting between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond.

Lalatendu Mishra MUMBAI

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which operates Radisson brand of hotels among other brands in its portfolio, is eyeing to have over 200 hotels in India by 2020 through organic growth and acquisitions, top company officials said. “As of today, we have 84 operating hotels in India and including the properties in pipeline, we have 140 hotels under our six brands,” said Raj Rana, chief executive officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group in an interview. “The new hotels under construction and with the planned organic growth, we will go upto a maximum of 170 hotels by 2020. But our plan is to have 200 hotels by 2020. The balance 30 hotels

Raj Rana will come through portfolio acquisitions,” he said. “We are looking for opportunities as the hospitality industry is heading for consolidation,” he added.

Pilgrimage towns The company has hotels in 60 cities across 16 states and is planning to expand to pilgrimage towns and other locations of tourism importance.

Google on Tuesday rolled out the beta version of its new ‘YouTube Go’ application for India, first unveiled in September last year. The application promises to give a better experience of watching videos on a slower network. “Today, after months of expanded testing and refinement, we’re happy to announce that we’re making the beta version of YouTube Go available for download on the Google Play Store in India,” the firm said in a statement. It added that the application had been designed to be offline first and to improve the experience of watching videos on a slower network. Users can also keep a tab on data used for streaming or saving videos.

Lacker leaves U.S. Fed over leak of news Richmond Fed chief quits, says he may have disclosed conidential details in 2012 Mark Bialek, said in a separate statement that he was closing an investigation into the leak.

Reuters WASHINGTON

Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker abruptly left the U.S. central bank on Tuesday after admitting that a conversation he had with a Wall Street analyst in 2012 may have disclosed confidential information about Fed policy options. The 2012 leak had triggered a criminal investigation after research firm Medley Global Advisors told its clients the details of a key Fed meeting a day before the Fed released its own record of the discussion. At the Fed’s September 2012 policy meeting, officials laid the groundwork for the massive bond-buying stimulus they were to roll out later that year. Early knowledge of that discussion could have given some traders an unfair edge. Lacker who had previously announced he would CM YK

Jefrey Lacker

retire in October, on Tuesday said he decided to make his departure effective immediately because of his role in the leak. It was not clear if Lacker was pushed out of his post. The Richmond Fed said in a statement that it took “appropriate actions” after learning the outcome of government investigations into the leak. Lacker’s lawyer said he would not be facing charges. The Fed’s inspector general,

‘Crossed the line’ “I crossed the line,” Lacker said in a statement, saying he never intended “to reveal confidential information” and that he may have broken rules against giving people an edge in business. Lacker admitted to talking to an analyst from Medley in October 2012, but did not say he provided her with details about the Fed’s policy options, which aimed to boost the economy following the 2007-09 financial crisis. Lacker said it was the Medley analyst who brought up confidential Fed information. “I should have declined to comment and perhaps have ended the phone call. Instead, I did not refuse or express my inability to com-

ment and the interview continued,” Lacker said. In addition, Lacker said he had not fully disclosed details about his discussion with the Medley analyst when he was interviewed by a Fed lawyer later in 2012. But he said he did disclose further details in a 2015 interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Lacker gave no reason for the time gap between the 2015 interview and his statement on Tuesday. The Medley report triggered a furore in Congress and became a source of friction between the Fed and lawmakers. “This development could hurt the Fed politically,” said Roberto Perli, an economist at Cornerstone Macro. Lacker, one of the U.S. central bank’s most reliable proponents of interest rate increases, had led the Richmond Fed since 2004. A ND-ND

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14 BUSINESS

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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IN BRIEF

In a irst, foreign buyer bids for SME IPO India-focussed fund bids for shares of Bohra Industries ASHISH RUKHAIYAR MUMBAI

Amazon invests in fulilment centres BENGALURU

Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, said it had invested in nine dedicated fulilment centres (FCs) and 33 delivery stations exclusively for furniture and large appliances. The company said the new FCs had been opened in nine States, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, to cater to the growing demand for large appliances and furniture across the country.

Dr. Reddy’s unit receives two USFDA observations HYDERABAD

The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) plant of Dr.Reddy’s Laboratories in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, has received two observations on completion of an audit by the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA). The regulator has issued “a Form 483 with two observations, which we are addressing,” the company informed the stock exchange on Tuesday.

No proposal to let private cars share rides NEW DELHI

The government said there is no proposal under its consideration to allow private car owners to share rides and charge fare, and no steps have been taken to evolve a regulatory mechanism over the same. “At present there is no such proposal under consideration of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways,” Minister of State, Road Transport and Highways Mansukh L Mandaviya said in a reply to Rajya Sabha. PTI

CM YK

A foreign investor has participated in the public issue of a small and medium enterprise (SME) for the first time since the segment was introduced five years ago on the BSE and the NSE. The initial public offer (IPO) of Bohra Industries saw a bid from a foreign institutional investor (FII) amounting to almost 35% of the issue size. The Udaipur-based company, which was incorporated in 1996, entered the capital market to raise ₹25 crore but the issue was subscribed more than three times with bids amounting to ₹80 crore coming in. “Recently completed IPOs have received over-whelming response in both primary and secondary markets, which is quite encouraging,” said Mahavir Lunawat, group managing director, Pantomath Advisory Service Group, the investment banker for the IPO. “The past has proved that SME companies give good return on investment. This is one of the major reasons behind increasing participation of investors,” he said. He said they were in constant dialogue with institutional investors and bank treasuries seeking their participation in SME stocks. Market participants said this marks an important development for the segment that has been consistently showing signs of maturity with growing interest from institutional investors.

Retail participation Apart from a bid from an FII, the issue witnessed strong participation from both retail and non-retail investors, including corporates and high net worth individuals (HNIs). The FII is believed to

Positive tiding: Some SME IPOs have seen ‘heavy oversubscription.’ GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO *

be an India-focussed fund of an overseas investor registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The BSE and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) unveiled separate SME platforms in 2012. While BSE has more than 170 companies listed on its SME segment, NSE has almost 50 entities on board so far. Incidentally, Bohra Industries got listed on the NSE platform called Emerge. Since January 1, NSE and BSE have seen listing of 14 and 15 SMEs respectively. “In recent times, we have seen significant improvement in the way SME IPOs on ‘Emerge’ have been oversubscribed. Some have seen heavy oversubscription, which shows enhanced investor interest in SME IPOs and their growth story,” said

Ravi Varanasi, who heads business development at NSE. Data from Prime Database shows that the year 2016-17 saw a total of 78 SME IPOs raising a cumulative amount of more than ₹800 crore – an almost three-fold jump from the previous fiscal that saw ₹311 crore being raised from 50 issues. Recently, Suratbased Euro India Fresh Foods came out with an IPO to raise ₹51 crore – the largest till date. “The average size of SME IPOs is increasing with the same going beyond ₹10 crore. Recently, we lead managed the biggest SME IPO of Euro Foods and the response clearly shows the increasing capability of this platform to raise growth capital for relatively larger businesses,” said Mr. Lunawat.

Millennials plan inances better: study

‘Liquor ban to hit tourist arrivals, forex earnings’

Special Correspondent New Delhi

Millennials are better financial planners, as per a survey by Aviva Life Insurance. The study also found that childless couples are better at financial planning than couples with children, and South Indians manage money better than their North Indian counterparts. The report stated that 81% of Indian parents don’t know the cost of higher education in the future, 71% of parents in India are willing to go into debt to fund their child's higher education, 89% of healthcare expenditure is done out of pocket, and that those who do save for their retirement are on course to achieve only 71% of the income they will need. The survey report measured respondents and scored them on two indices — the Dream Index and the Plan Index. The Dream Index takes into account whether the respondents had an estimate of time horizons, an estimate of the expenditure amounts involved, a clear articulation of life goals, and an awareness of the various financial asset classes that can be used. The Plan Index represents “firm action plans that people have to achieve these key life goals”, such as tracking progress of the plans, covering the risk factors, etc. Overall, Indians scored 61 out of 100 in the Dream Index, but only 24 in the Plan Index. “No dream is too big when it comes to Indians today, who are shining across the global stage,” Trevor Bull, MD & CEO, Aviva Life Insurance, said. “However, when it comes to planning for life goals, most Indians don’t have concrete financial plans to achieve their life goals.”

About 10 lakh people could lose jobs: hospitality industry mote sale of liquor to be consumed outside of them, he said.

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

The Supreme Court order banning the sale of liquor within 500 metres of a highway will impact foreign tourist arrivals, foreign exchange earnings and result in job losses potentially affecting 10 lakh people, according to a top official of The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH). “Almost nine million tourists visit India, resulting in almost 27 million foreign visitations across Indian states,” said Nakul Anand, chairman, FAITH. “These, along with 1.8 billion domestic visitations, frequent a significant portion of these establishments as guests,” he said. “Tourism establishments employ more than five crore people directly,” he said, adding that their earnings indirectly impacted the living conditions of their almost 20 crore family members.

Nakul Anand

“All of this will be put to risk if the overall food and beverage experience is compromised at such legitimate establishments which pay direct and indirect taxes and levies to both the central and state governments.” Establishments approved under the tourism category exist primarily for lodging, conferencing, meetings, banqueting and dining out experiences which include liquor service. None of these establishments is licensed for, nor practice, nor pro-

Tata Motors doubles production of Tiago Move follows increasing demand

Forex outflow “India has less than an estimated 0.5% of the world share of this sub-sector of tourism which will see largescale cancellations. That has already started happening. Tourists who bring in $20 billion plus forex earnings will reduce their coming to India and a large number of Indians will increasingly prefer travelling out of India for such events leading to a major outflow of foreign exchange,” Mr. Anand said. “With reduced business, these establishments will result in [becoming] distressed financial assets.” Condemning drunken driving, Mr. Anand said, “We request that any damaging impact on investments... should be reconsidered while ensuring enforcement through effective policing to prevent drunken driving.”

Mahindra arm invests in Medwell Special Correspondent BENGALURU

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

Tata Motors Ltd. has doubled the production of its latest Tiago hatchback at the company’s Sanand Plant in Gujarat to meet increased demand, said a top official. “We rolled out this product in April 2016,” said Mayank Pareek, president, passenger vehicles business unit, Tata Motors. “We got over 83,000 bookings and so far, more than 50,000 have been delivered,” Mr. Pareek said.

“In less than a year’s time, we have doubled the production [of ] Tiago from 3,000 to 6,000 per month,” he said. Speaking after unveiling compact sedan Tigor here, Mr. Pareek said the phasing out of BS-III vehicles did not have much impact on Tata Motors as the inventory was not high. Barring Indica and Indigo cars, all other vehicles are BS-IV compliant, he said. The firm will also unveil its compact SUV Nexon by Diwali.

Medwell Ventures, the operator of Nightingales speciality home healthcare services in India, said that it had raised $21 million in its Series B investment round led by Mahindra Partners. Existing investors Eight Roads Ventures and U.S.-based F-Prime Capital Partners also participated in the round. This is the first healthcare investment for Mahindra Partners, a $1-billion private equity and venture capital arm of the Mahindra Group.

A ND-ND

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THE HINDU

SPORT 15

NOIDA/DELHI

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Sunrisers blaze away in opener

Short and swift ceremony

Yuvraj and Henriques, the architects of the 35-run win over Royal Challengers V.V. Subrahmanyam HYDERABAD

A. JOSEPH ANTONY

Twitter unveils IPL-special emojis NEW DELHI

In a first for the IPL, Twitter unveiled special emojis for 30 of the league’s biggest stars on Wednesday. “Fans can just tweet using the designated player hashtag (i.e. #ViratKohli for Virat Kohli) and an emoji version of that player will automatically appear after the hashtag within the tweet,” the company stated in a press release. There will also be an emoji for the 10th season when fans tweet with #IPL. “These special player Twitter emojis are a celebration of our superstars... We would like to dedicate this launch to them and can’t wait to see the conversation that unfolds,” said BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. PTI

More pressure on Mills, says Pietersen NEW DELHI

The tag of being milliondollar buys has its own pitfalls, but Kevin Pietersen feels pressure will be a lot more on speedster Tymal Mills than all-rounder Ben Stokes in IPL-10. Mills will turn out for Royal Challengers Bangalore while Stokes is representing Rising Pune Supergiant. “Mills is neither playing Test cricket nor ODIs. He is just playing T20 cricket, and that’s just a couple of games. So there is a lot more pressure on a guy like Tymal Mills than on a guy like Ben Stokes,” said Pietersen. PTI

Defending champion Sunrisers Hyderabad began on a rousing note, notching up a 35-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL-10 opener at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Wednesday. Yuvraj Singh and Moises Henriques powered the host to an imposing total before the bowlers defended it with a disciplined performance. Though Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Travis Head and Kedar Jadhav showcased their big-hitting ability, their stay was too brief to make an impact in a big chase. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan made an impressive debut, picking up two wickets. The leg-spinner tasted success in his very first over when he bowled Mandeep with a quicker one; he went to remove Travis Head who holed out in the deep.

Cutting’s brilliance When Jadhav was run out off a brilliant throw by Ben Cutting from long-leg, the writing was on the wall as the pacers — Ashish Nehra and Bhuvneshwar Kumar — gave the batsmen no room to free their arms. In Sunrisers’ innings, Henriques and Shikhar Dhawan, with some lusty blows, added 74 for the second wicket off 53 balls after skipper David Warner had departed in the second over of the innings. Dhawan, slow to start with, smashed RCB captain Shane Watson for four fours in an over. Stuart Binny

HYDERABAD

In top form: Yuvraj Singh was in scorching form during his 27-ball 62 which powered Sunrisers Hyderabad to a formidable total against Royal Challengers. K.R. DEEPAK *

provided Royal Challengers the breakthrough when he had Dhawan caught at longon in the 11th over. It was a Yuvraj show after that. The left-hander, who was dropped by S. Arvind at deep square-leg off left-arm paceman Aniket Choudhary, made the visitors pay.

Switching gears His 58-run stand for the third wicket off 29 balls with Henriques took the game away from Royal Challengers. The latter fell to leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal — RCB’s bowler of the day — while the former was done in by the pace of left-arm speedster Tymal Mills after pulling him nonchalantly for a six.

SCOREBOARD

SUNRISERS VS ROYAL CHALLENGERS

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner c Mandeep b Aniket 14 (8b, 2x4, 1x6), Shikhar Dhawan c Baby b Binny 40 (31b, 5x4), Moises Henriques c Baby b Chahal 52 (37b, 3x4, 2x6), Yuvraj Singh b Mills 62 (27b, 7x4, 3x6), Deepak Hooda (not out) 16 (12b, 1x6), Ben Cutting (not out) 16 (6b, 2x6); Extras (lb-1, w-5, nb-1): 7; Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 207. Fall of wickets: 1-19 (Warner, 1.4 overs), 2-93 (Dhawan,10.3), 3-151 (Henriques, 15.2), 4-190 (Yuvraj, 18.4). Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Tymal Mills 4-0-31-1, Aniket Choudhary 4-0-55-1, Yuzvendra Chahal 4-0-22-1, S. Arvind 3-0-36-0, Shane Watson

Supergiant looks to Big Ben

3-0-41-0, Travis Head 1-0-11-0, Stuart Binny 1-0-10-1. Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle c Warner b Hooda 32 (21b, 2x4, 3x6), Mandeep Singh b Rashid 24 (16b, 5x4), Travis Head c Yuvraj b Rashid 30 (22b, 3x4), Kedar Jadhav run out 31 (16b, 4x4, 1x6), Shane Watson c Henriques b Nehra 22 (17b, 1x4, 1x6), Sachin Baby c Henriques b Bipul 1 (3b), Stuart Binny c Yuvraj b Bhuvneshwar 11 (10b, 1x6), S. Arvind b Nehra 0 (2b), Tymal Mills c Warner b Bhuvneshwar 6 (3b, 1x6), Yuzvendra Chahal run out 3 (7b), Aniket Choudhary (not out) 6 (2b, 1x6); Extras (lb-1, w-4, nb-1): 6; Total (in 19.4 overs): 172.

Ben Stokes made a big splash at the Vivo IPL-10 auction in Bengaluru when a number of franchises loosened their purse strings before Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) bought him for ₹14.50 crore. After the auction, owner Sanjeev Goenka said: “Ben Stokes will be available for the entire league, but not for the play-offs. We have to perform well in the 14 games to dream of the play-offs and we need the right players to perform well in the league games. “The one thing we lacked in our team was a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder and Ben is somebody who can single-handedly win a game on his day.” The time has come for the England all-rounder to show his mettle against two-time champion Mumbai Indians in the second match of IPL-10 at the Gahunje Stadium here on Thursday. The likes of skipper Steve Smith, Stokes, Faf du Plessis, M.S. Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, and Mayank Agarwal make RPS a formidable batting line-up.

IPL TELECAST

A big blow The absence of off-spinner R. Ashwin owing to injury will be a big blow for Smith who has to choose from

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RISING PUNE SUPERGIANT v MUMBAI INDIANS, 8 p.m. Sony ESPN, Sony Max, Sony Six (SD & HD) DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[Stokes] is a big, < > He strong boy and can hit the ball a long way. That is why we got him Steve Smith, Rising Pune Supergiant captain

to have a good tournament, (we need) those guys to score some runs for us at the back-end and in the middle overs as well. It will be exciting,” said Smith.

Caribbean lavour: Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard will be keen to pull their weight for Mumbai Indians. VIVEK BENDRE *

Ashoke Dinda, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur, Adam Zampa, and Imran Tahir. “We have to look to Tahir, Zampa and Stokes, but the Indian bowlers too are experienced,” said Smith. RPS won just five of its 14 league matches last year.

However, the attention will clearly be on Stokes. “He [Stokes] is a big, strong boy and can hit the ball a long way. That is why we got him. We paid a big price to get him. “We obviously have him and MS [Dhoni] who can hit the ball very long too. For us

Toss: RCB. Man-of-the-match: Singh.

Yuvraj

Result: Sunrisers won by 35 runs.

Fab Four: V.V.S. Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were felicitated at the IPL 10 opening function. K.R. DEEPAK *

We have a balanced squad: Mishra Uthra Ganesan

PUNE

Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling: Ashish Nehra 4-0-42-2, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-0-27-2, Ben Cutting 3.4-0-35-0, Rashid Khan 4-0-36-2, Deepak Hooda 1-0-7-1, Moises Henriques 2-020-0, Bipul Sharma 1-0-4-1.

DD will hope to shed its underachiever tag this year

Mumbai will take the ield without Lasith Malinga for the opener G. Viswanath

Fall of wickets: 1-52 (Mandeep, 5.4 overs), 2-60 (Gayle, 6.3), 3116 (Jadhav, 11.4), 4-126 (Head, 12.5), 5-128 (Baby, 13.4), 6-154 (Binny, 16.5), 7-156 (Watson, 17.3), 8-156 (Arvind, 17.4), 9164 (Mills, 18.5).

A short and swift opening act recorded a decade of the Indian Premier League at a packed Rajiv Gandhi stadium on Wednesday evening. It took off on a nostalgic note though, with legends of the game given a guard of honour. They then shared their views on the most widely watched tournament of the cricket world, awful acoustics hardly giving wing to their words of wisdom. V.V.S. Laxman said it had revolutionised the game. “The batsmen have become more attacking while the bowlers have got more defensive. The biggest gains have been made by the uncapped players, who with this experience are not overawed by the big occasion,” said the wristy stylist. Sourav Ganguly said, “young players walk out to 30 to 40,000 people

screaming and have to score under pressure. It takes their game and confidence to a new level.” Cricket should entertain, urged Virender Sehwag. As mentor he was allowing his boys to play their game aggressively. “Such support encouraged players to become match-winners,” the swashbuckler said. Sachin Tendulkar found it hard to believe the IPL had completed 10 years. “It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the spectators. “When we played for the first time in 2008, I honestly never thought it would become so bigAs the tournament progressed juices in sportsmen had gone to a different level,” he observed. Later Vinod Rai feted Laxman, C.K. Khanna did the honours for Ganguly, Amitabh Chaudhury honoured Sehwag and Rajeev Shukla felicitated Tendulkar.

No Malinga Mumbai will take the field without Lasith Malinga, the highest wicket-taker in the league (143). Malinga and Asela Gunaratne will join the squad after Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 match against Bangladesh on Thursday. “But, we have three good overseas seamers in [Mitchell] Johnson, [Mitchell] McClenaghan and [Tim] Southee to choose from,” said skipper Rohit Sharma, who will be keen to get some good scores after a long lay-off due to a thigh injury.

New Delhi

Even as the Delhi Daredevils management has put its faith in a clutch of fast bowlers for IPL-10, in terms of bowling records, it is the spinners who have held the aces for various teams across the tournament. No surprises, therefore, that Amit Mishra remains a leader in his own right within the DD set-up. Understated and effective, Mishra will be leading a bunch of young spinners as DD hopes to shed its underachiever tag this year. “We have a variety of spinners and they are all wicket-takers. We are not looking at spinners only to fill in the overs, but as important wicket-taking bowlers, said Mishra. “If you take wickets in T20, it puts pressure on the batsmen and we are thinking that way only,” Mishra added while talking to the media here, accompanied by Jayant Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem and new recruit M. Ashwin. While Nadeem has proved his effectiveness alongside Mishra in the previous editions of IPL, Jayant made his mark more with the bat in the Test series against England last year, but remains primarily a bowler. M. Ashwin, though, will be keen to improve on the seven wickets he picked up

in his debut season with Rising Pune Supergiants last year. Mishra is quite happy being the senior partner to the younger lot. “Last time our performance was good, but we lost a couple of close, crucial games. We have done well in

the last 2-3 years since I have been with the team. “We will miss J-P [Duminy] and Quinton [de Kock] but that doesn’t mean we are completely out of the reckoning,” the leg-spinner said. While former India captain Sourav Ganguly recently commented that DD was one

of the weaker sides in the competition, Mishra begged to differ. “I personally feel very motivated whenever someone says something like this. We almost reached the playoffs last year. We have a balanced squad and will try to do better than last year.”

Always looking for wickets while keeping things tight Vijay Lokapally NEW DELHI

Roland Jenkins, who played nine Tests for England in the 1940-50s, may not appeal to the current generation of cricketers and fans. The leg-spinner sent down 59,571 balls in a 20-year career of 386 First Class matches. But one of his quotes strikingly stands out. “I never tried to bowl a maiden. Every time I played, I wanted a wicket every ball.” Jayant Yadav and Shahbaz Nadeem also believe in bowling to take wickets. However, they are not averse to planning on keeping things tight. Nadeem, a left-arm spinner, and off-spinner Jayant have specific roles to per-

form for Delhi Daredevils, and they perform them with consistency. Nadeem, 27, has been around for 13 seasons. He qualifies as a veteran. Jayant is the same age, has played six years of First Class cricket and earned four Test caps too. For Nadeem, the driving force is an India cap. “The will to play for my country is my driving force. When I started my cricket that was my goal. It keeps me going,” says Nadeem. He is adept at producing dot balls under pressure. “By bowling a dot ball you create pressure on your opponent. In each and every aspect of cricket, whichever format, dot ball means bowling in a good

area and maintaining the pressure on the batsman,” he says.

The main mantra The ideal mindset in a T20 match, emphasises Nadeem, “should be to get the batsman out. If you can get him out there are less chances of your getting hit”. “The main mantra is to get the batsman out, and you can be on top.” Jayant agrees. “In T20 you have to vary a lot even though your stock ball remains the same,” he says. “You have to adjust the pace according to the pitch, can’t bowl six balls with the same pace and angle.” “You have to keep changing.”

T20 and IPL have given the game the kiss of life, says Viv Richards ‘What they have created is the family sort of environment around the matches’ G. Viswanath Mumbai

Vivian Richards is among the greatest and most charismatic West Indian cricketers to have visited these shores. The gum-chewing Antiguan plundered runs against India, starting with his unconquered 192 at the Kotla in December 1974. In all, he amassed 1927 runs in 28 Test matches for an average of 50.71 against the Indians. Recently, he played his part as mentor of Delhi Daredevils in 2013. Even today, the 65-year old remains popular, drawing immediate attention wherever he goes. While talking to The Hindu at St. Regis hotel on Wednesday, Richards gave the impression that he’s not at all against T20 per se; on the contrary, he says the T20 and the IPL were welcome CM YK

Smith was just ‘naughty’ Special Correspondent

About the recent India-Australia Test series, Richards said: “It was exciting and thrilling and India was focused.” He categorically stated

developments in cricket’s long history. Invited to India for the Goafest 2107 by entertainment, media and communication company, itw playworx, Richards, when asked to comment on the role played by the IPL in the development of cricket said: “In my opinion, I think the IPL has sent a great message. I think it came at a time

that the incident involving Steve Smith’s referral in the Bengaluru Test cannot be termed as cheating. “To be fair, and I have seen them all with my eyes, I would not say ‘cheat’, but ‘naughty’.

when Test match cricket was on a downward spiral. What it has created, more than anything else, is the family sort of environment around the matches. It’s just been phenomenal. T20 and the IPL have given the game, on an overall basis, the kiss of life.” While recognising the tremendous success of the IPL and many other versions of

“I saw that incident (Steve Smith looking to the dressing room after a players DRS call). Now that’s naughty when we know exactly what the rules are about,” added the West Indian legend.

the T20 cricket, Richards touched a note of caution saying that youngsters are probably jumping the gun and making a false start and that the governing body has to step in to strike a balance and give primacy to first class and Test cricket. “The youngsters should know what cricket really represents. Why the 50-over game was started and why

the T20 version has come in. “There is nothing wrong in individuals wanting to play T20, but I am encouraged by Virat Kohli who said he still enjoys playing Test match cricket.” Richards added: “I would like to see the game go ahead. We cannot remain stagnant. T20 is good for the game. There have been many great players and they should not be lost. I still feel everyone can enjoy the game across all formats.”

Likes financial model Richards liked the idea of the ICC and its chairman Shashank Manohar adhering to the “equity, good conscience, common sense and simplicity” theme to share the ICC gross revenue over a period of eight years. “Well, to be fair, if that’s what he (Manohar) thinks,

then I think that may be a new avenue for us to try and explore... and in order to maintain that level of fairness, that’s not a bad idea. If it can be achieved, good luck and hopeful he can do it.” Richards recalled the days when a strong West Indies used to help other countries to improve their financial status. “The West Indies is not in the same situation now. Every member must be given as much help as possible. You are going to have a level playing field. To me that’s huge. “And he (Manohar) should be given all necessary support in trying to achieve it. And this would send a message that we are all part of this great game. I would applaud him for that.”

Good augury: The shortest version has been a welcome development in cricket’s long history, according to Vivian Richards. VIVEK BENDRE *

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16 SPORT

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Johnson favoured for glory

Arnav beats Yajat Special Correspondent

Fellow players fancy McIlroy to win his irst Green Jacket

NEW DELHI

Arnav Goyal defeated Yajat Bhatnagar 11-10, 8-11, 11-9 in the boys’ under-11 second round of the PNB Metlife junior badminton championship at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.

Agence France-Presse AUGUSTA

Top-ranked Dustin Johnson is favoured to capture the 81st Masters but plenty of golfers see Rory McIlroy as a green-jacket threat when the year’s first Major championship begins on Thursday. A showdown of global greats at the 7,435-yard Augusta National sees Johnson arrive on a three-tournament win streak and secondranked McIlroy, a four-time Major champion, seeking a Masters crown to complete a career Grand Slam. “I’ve done all the preparation I can. It’s just about going out on the golf course and getting it done,” said McIlroy, mindful of 2011 when a back-nine Sunday collapse saw him squander the Masters lead. “Having a chance to win a few years ago and not giving myself a chance since... internally that’s not good enough. I want to give a better account of myself at this tournament and on this golf course and I feel like I can.”

It was just a round of golf: McIlroy AUGUSTA

Rory McIlroy would ‘think twice’ about playing another round with US President Donald Trump after the backlash he received from a February round at Trump International in Florida. “I felt I would have been making more of a statement if I had turned it down. It’s not a tough place to be put in; but it was a round of golf and nothing more. Would I do it again? After the sort of backlash I received, I’d think twice about it,” McIlroy said. AFP

Jeremy Lalrinnunga claims silver KOLKATA

Indian weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga hoisted a total of 240kg and bagged the men’s 56kg silver medal in the World youth weightlifting championship in Bangkok on Wednesday. Jeremy, who lifted 110kg in snatch and 130kg in clean and jerk, was beaten by Chen Maoran by just one kg. The Chinese, who did 106kg in snatch, took the gold on the strength of his performance of 135kg in clean and jerk. Toptas Caner of Turkey claimed bronze with an aggregate of 237kg (109kg+128kg).

Day’s emotional start Third-ranked Jason Day makes an emotional start two weeks after withdrawing from an event to be with his mother as she battled lung cancer while Jordan Spieth tries to bounce back from a back-nine collapse in last year’s final round when on the verge of a second consecutive Masters title. And five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson, two months shy of his 47th birth-

Prep time: The world’s top-ranked golfer Dustin Johnson practises at the Augusta National Golf Club ahead of the Masters tournament starting on Thursday. AFP *

day, will try to replace Jack Nicklaus as the oldest champion in Masters history. Forecasts for heavy rain on Wednesday to soften the course add to the drama that one of golf ’s great stages annually produces. “If it’s soft, obviously it will definitely help,” longdriving Johnson said. “With the forecast, wind on Thursday and Friday, the course will play very difficult. “It’s going to be tough to hit the greens. You’re going to really have to be careful where you hit it and just try to make pars.”

US MASTERS That will make a strong start even more imperative than usual. “It’s always important to get off to a decent start but especially here. You don’t want to feel like you’re playing catch up on this course, because you feel like the more you force the issue, the more things can go wrong,” McIlroy said. “You start to shoot at a few pins... leave yourself in spots you don’t really want to. “Then you can run up

numbers pretty quickly. You don’t need to come out and shoot 65 the first day but you’re better off shooting something under par.” McIlroy has made a believer out of 81-year-old South African legend Gary Player. “My choice this week — Rory McIlroy,” Player said. “He made a mess of it one year. He has gotten that out of his system and he’s playing really well.” Spieth, never worse than second in three career Masters starts, cited McIlroy as an intimidating leaderboard presence.

Kohli named Wisden’s Leading Cricketer

AFI chief ’s thumbs up to send drug cheats to jail

Press Trust of India

Some of the sport’s biggest names have failed dope tests

New Delhi

Indian captain Virat Kolhi was on Wednesday named Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World for 2016, adding another feather to his cap. Kohli amassed 1215 Test runs at a stupendous average of 75.93 last year. Ten ODI appearances fetched him 739 runs at 92.37, while he scored 641 Twenty20 International runs at 106.83. Only six batsmen have ever scored more international runs in a calendar year than Kohli but none of them have come close to the Indian captain’s average. “Virat Kohli, who features on the cover of the 2017 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, is also the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2016, an accolade put in place in 2003 when Ricky Ponting became the first honouree,” Wisden announced. Owing to his phenomenal run with the bat, Kohli had won the prestigious ‘Polly Umrigar award’ presented to the ’International Cricketer of the Year’ at the BCCI Annual Awards. Kohli has already been declared Wisden India Almanack’s Cricketer of the Year for

Stan Rayan Kochi

Indian athletics hit a mysterious high with some worldclass performances in the run-up to last year’s Rio Olympics. Some of India’s finest produced their life-bests on the road to Rio, but could not replicate this form at the Olympics, raising uncomfortable questions.

the second time in its 2017 edition. Two Pakistan cricketers — Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan — have been named in the list of the five Cricketers of the Year for the first time since 1997. With Misbah and Younis making the list, the total number of Pakistanis to have been chosen Cricketers of the Year went up to 14, one less than India’s tally of 15. Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack honours: Leading Cricketer in the World: Virat Kohli; Leading Woman Cricketer in the World: Ellyse Perry; Five Cricketers of the Year: Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Ben Duckett, Toby Roland-Jones, Chris Woakes.

Severe consequences Now, the Athletics Federation of India has given its thumbs-up to the Sports Ministry’s planned anti-doping law that could send offenders to jail. “I am all for it, why should the sport be dirty. We must protect clean athletes,” said AFI president Adille Sumariwalla told The Hindu, from Mumbai, on Wednesday. “For the last three years, I have been pushing the Government to do it. “They should be giving credit to Adille Sumariwalla for this. I had said that anybody caught giving dope to athletes should be put in jail. The same for athletes, they

should be in jail too.” Some of the sport’s biggest names including Asian shot put champion Inderjeet Singh — the lone Indian to win gold at the World University Games — along with 200m National recordholder Dharambir Singh and Asian Games women’s 4x400m relay gold medallist Priyanka Panwar all failed dope tests and missed the Rio Olympics. So isn’t Sumariwalla worried that some big names would have been in serious trouble had the law to criminalise doping in sport been in effect earlier? “If Marion Jones (the American sprinter who won three golds at the 2000 Sydney Olympics but who was forced to return them many years later after admitting to taking performanceenhancing drugs) can go to jail, who are these athletes,” said Sumariwalla. “In my view, there is really no greater athlete than Marion Jones. So, why should our athletes be pampered.” Jones, it must be mentioned here, was not jailed

for taking dope but for lying to Government investigators about it. Looking back at some of last year’s magical performances, does the AFI chief feel that doping could have been a big reason? “I can’t pinpoint whether they were doping issues or performance-manipulation issues but I can say that there definitely were issues,” he said. “I’m sure of that, otherwise our performance would not have varied so much.”

Frequent tests With India getting ready to host the Asian championship in Bhubaneswar in July, Sumariwalla revealed that there were frequent dope tests at National camps currently. “Every 10 days there is dope-testing at the National camps. “The problem is, people are running away from National camps. Most of the people who were caught last time were training outside the National camp or running away from one place to another.”

The results: Boys: Under-13 (third round): Chirag Khatri bt Chirag Choudhary 15-10, 15-5; Veer Pratap Singh bt Prashant Dagar 15-14, 15-14; Mohd. Akram Khan bt Garv Sahni 7-15, 15-6, 15-5; Aaryan Sapiah bt Rahul Nashier 15-11, 15-7; Dhwanit Kriplani bt Ashish Garg 15-9, 15-9; Devant Tomar bt Mohit Duhan 15-13, 15-9; Pullkit Bansal bt Devansh Jajoria 15-9, 12-15, 15-9. Under-11 (second round): Pulkit Bazad bt Harsh Choudhary 7-11, 11-5, 11-7; Ayaaz Malik bt Mohit Duhan 11-7, 5-11, 11-9; Siddharth Rawat bt Ayush Kumar 11-10, 11-8; Bhavya Chhabra bt Ankur Singh 11-2, 10-11, 11-3; Vibhas Agarwal bt Rithwik Sriram 11-9, 10-11, 11-4; Arnav Goyal bt Yajat Bhatnagar 11-10, 8-11, 11-9; Aryan Gupta bt Ishan Khatri 8-11, 11-8, 11-9; Divyansh Rawat bt Prerit Yadav 7-11, 11-10, 11-8. Under-9 (second round): Arith Aggarwal bt Jai Singh 11-8,

11-9; Uday Bhan Mehra bt Abhigyan Prrakhar 11-8, 8-11, 11-7; Ayush Kumar bt Vedant Pahwa 6-11, 11-6, 11-10. Girls: Under-15 (third round): Sneha Rajwar bt Tanisha Khari 15-2, 15-2; Khushboo Sao bt Nehal Sharma 5-15, 15-4, 15-8; Anna Phogat bt Palak Arora 515, 15-14, 15-13; Kanika Ballharia bt Parthivi Panvar 11-15, 15-10, 15-5; Nupur Malhotra bt Chitwan Khatri 15-11, 11-15, 15-3. Under-11 (second round): Riddhima Sahrawat bt Baruni Parswal 10-11, 11-3, 11-2; Khushi Punia bt Drishti Waldia 11-9, 11-9; Rayaana Manchanda bt Sanskriti Malik 11-8, 9-11, 11-4; Anandini Nagda bt Anushka Golash 11-10, 9-11, 11-8; Ridhima Sharma bt Vinita Dagar 11-8, 11-7. Under-9 (pre-quarterfinals): Manya Lalani bt Divyanshi Gautam 11-9, 11-10; B.R. Madhumita Ramamoorthy bt Shreya Tripathi 11-6, 11-5; Ashleesha Sharma bt Diyaa Bhagchandani 11-5, 10-11, 11-8; Ashe Singh bt Vatsala Mehta 11-3, 11-2; Ananya Bhardwaj bt Rishika Nandi 11-9, 11-3; Harshita Yadav w/o Gauri; Shruti Chouhan bt Arushi Koner 11-4, 11-3; Naisha Ahlawat bt Saanvi Lohia 6-11, 11-10, 11-6.

Pakistan team for Windies tour Agence France-Presse Lahore

Pakistani selectors on Wednesday named young legspinner Shadab Khan in a 16-man squad for its threematch Test series in the West Indies. Shadab, 18, who rose to fame in the second edition of the Pakistan Super League, took 10 wickets in Pakistan’s 3-1 T20 series victory against the West Indies last week. Chief selector Inzamamul-Haq said Shadab's inclusion highlights the policy of introducing fresh blood. The first Test starts in Jamaica on April 21, the second in Barbados on April 30 and the third in Dominica on May 10. The squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Usman Salahuddin, Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asghar, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.

Ibrahimovic is United’s saviour Hofenheim stuns Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich Agencies London

Manchester United’s struggle to achieve a topfour finish continued on Tuesday as Zlatan Ibrahimovic came to its rescue with an added time penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw against Everton in its Premier League clash at Old Trafford. Sunderland moved closer to what seems almost inevitable relegation, beaten 2-0 at Leicester City whose new manager Craig Shakespeare celebrated a fifth successive league win since taking over from Claudio Ranieri. In a dramatic finish, a goalbound shot from Luke Shaw — a welcome response from the England defender to Mourinho’s recent criticism of him — was handled on the line by Ashley Williams, who was shown a straight red card before Ibrahimovic tucked away the 94th minute spot kick. Meanwhle, Runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich had it’s 20-match unbeaten run in all competitions ended at Hoffenheim on Tuesday as striker Andrej Kramaric’s winner sealed the hosts’ 1-0 victory. Bayern’s run came to an

Opening salvo: Phil Jagielka’s goal for Everton had United sweating for more than 70 minutes. REUTERS *

end a week before it’s mouth-watering Champions League home leg quarterfinal against Real Madrid. This was Bayern’s first loss since going down 3-2 at Russia’s Rostov in a Champions League group game last November. The results: Premier League: Burnley 1 (Boyd 58) bt Stoke 0; Leicester 2 (Slimani 69, Vardy 78) bt Sunderland 0; Manchester Utd 1 (Ibrahimovic 90-pen) drew with Everton 1 (Jagielka 22); Watford 2 (Niang 13, Deeney 49) bt West Brom 0. La Liga: Athletic Bilbao 2 (Aduriz 16, 37) bt Espanyol 0; Atletico Madrid 1 (Filipe Luis

28) bt Real Sociedad 0; Real Betis 0 lost to Villarreal 1 (Adrian Lopez 47). Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund 3 (Castro 13, Kagawa 81, Aubameyang 90+3) bt Hamburger SV 0; Cologne 1 (Jojic 53) bt Eintracht Frankfurt 0; Werder Bremen 3 (Gebre Selassie 24, Kruse 76-pen, Eggestein 80) bt Schalke 0; Hoffenheim 1 (Kramaric 21) bt Bayern Munich 0. Italian Cup (semifinal, secondleg): Roma 3 (El Shaarawy 43, Salah 66, 90) bt Lazio 2 (Milinkovic-Savic 37, Immobile 56) (Lazio wins 4-3 on aggregate).

Sarabjot pips Suhpreet Special Correspondent CHANDIAGARH

Sarabjot Singh bounced back from a slow start to pip Suhpreet Jhoje 2-6, 7-6(5), 76(4) in the under-14 boys’ quarterfinals of the AITA Championship series junior tennis tournament at the CLTA Complex on Wednesday. The results (quarterfinals):

Boys: Under-18: Naresh Badgujar bt Akarshit Mahajan 6-4, 6-3; Bhupender Dahiya bt Asav Kumar 6-2, 7-6(3); Tushar Sharma bt Shrut Mohan Nargeta 6-2, 6-0; Shashikant Rajput bt Krishan Hooda 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Under-14: Ajay Singh bt Aryan Thakur 6-3, 6-0; Jitin Chetry bt Sidharth Goel 6-1, 6-4; Pranav Chopra bt Sarthak Arora 6-3,

2-6, 6-3; Sarabjt Singh bt Sukhpreet Jhoje 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4). Kaavya Girls: Under-18: Sawhney bt Priyanka Jakhar 6-2, 6-0; Harleen Kaur bt Aishwarya Andalkar 6-2, 6-0. Under-14: Krishti Boro bt Mehar Kohli 7-5, 6-2; Nimrat Atwal bt Suryanshi Tanar 7-5, 4-6, 6-1; Prachi Batra bt Aaditaa Vasishta 6-3, 6-4; Kuhoo Atray bt Harnoor Sidhu 6-3, 7-5.

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THE HINDU CROSSWORD 11974 1

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13 Awful and dangerous (7) 14 Harry stops to buy gin, maybe it's an indication (8)

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■ ACROSS 1 Guy growing old in the US, surviving (8) 5 Pope upset with an article in French magazine (6) 10 Yes, try and end spreading this disease (9) 11 Part of Supreme Court’s directions (5) 12 Artist's ight with depression doesn't come to an end (6)

6 Guaranteed to stop accepting new user (7)

22 Treaty, perhaps best one to stop initiations in nuclear trials coming about (4,3)

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4 Provokes the leader of Syria, it's unnecessary (8)

8 Trained duty doctor basically around emergency room (9)

25 Pop group's extremely crazy official site? (6)

29 Promote editor backed by English writer (6) 30 Quiet street — it's supposed to be without a sidewalk (8) ■ DOWN

The soul’s identity

3 Comfortable up in an aircraft! (7)

20 Expert considered as sincere (8) 21

FAITH

SUDOKU

14 Shocked, setter had messed up (9) 16 Aunt and niece funny and articulate (9) 17 Design a menu, for starters included in meal (5,3) 19 Colour houses, pretty and regular (7) 21 Upset after month gets hot (7) 23 Composition of small muscles (5)

1 Style seen in Morrison's irst poem (4)

24 Catch is, it moves slowly after starting (4)

2 Sadly lost again in longing for the past (9)

26 Left wearing favourite coat (4)

Solution to puzzle 11973 A C R O S C E P C OMMA E A R P R I D E T N E D I T E E E M I R A C I H N O N E N E Y I N U A N C C L A E N A B L

T I C O P T N R N D O M E D U P T C L O S E C E S N E D H I D E E L E P E RM X A T I T Y H A T S I E F L I P P I P E O P P O N

I O N N E D L E I D A L L E O U S R S I T G D I T I N K A N T T A E N T

Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

‘Who am I’ is a crucial question that has to be a constant refrain in every body’s consciousness, says Narada to Prachina Barhis in the Bhagavata Purana. He relates the story of Puranjana to illustrate the fact that by pursuing this enquiry one is led towards jnana and salvation, pointed out Swami Paramasukhananda in a discourse. King Puranjana goes in search of a city with his close friend named Avignatha Saka and finds an exquisite one with nine openings. He resides there with a beautiful girl, experiencing the joys and sorrows of life. Kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya jostle with one another in his mind, and he forgets his friend. He then dies and is reborn as a princess who marries a king and is attached to her family. When the king dies, she feels lost and cries in despair. A kindly old man advises her about the inevitability of the course of each one’s life that continues through every birth and points out that she is Puranjana reborn as a woman. Every jivatma’s life is subject to fear, old age, disease and sickness and the cycle continues. But it is also true that every jivatma has a close and most dependable friend in Avignatha Saka, who is the very Paramatma. He is the only support, but the gap between these friends widens when one forgets this and begins to chase the desires of this world. Sita is always with Rama, but her desire for the deer separates her from Him. At that moment she is so deluded that she does not even heed Lakshmana’s advice. Awareness of the truth of the atma and its undying relationship with the Paramatma is the jnana that leads to liberation. It is in the heart and mind of a jivatma and is fostered by aligning oneself with the company of the pious. A ND-ND

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India still looking to solve the doubles puzzle Given the choices available, captain Bhupathi will consider pairing Sriram Balaji with either Paes or Bopanna DAVIS CUP N. Sudarshan BENGALURU

The doubles format in tennis is often called the ‘hidden jewel’. It is fast and entertaining, and a great tool to popularise the sport. Not for India, though. For long, it was the only jewel. For a country which has rarely had a top-50 singles player, lining up champion doubles outfits gave it an identity. In the last three years, the country seems to have lost this, winning only one rubber of consequence — against Serbia in the World Group play-off here in 2014 with Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes teaming up. The most painful of the defeats came when Paes and Bopanna lost in straight sets to the Czech Republic in 2015, a match the previous captain Anand Amritraj decribed as the worst of his tenure. In the last six ties, India has used four different com-

binations. As India now gears up to play Uzbekistan in the Asia-Oceania Group-I tie here from Friday, it might try a fifth with Sriram Balaji teaming up with either Paes or Bopanna. But the aura of invincibility which characterised Indian doubles is a thing of the past. “We’ve always fielded what we thought was our best pair,” Bhupathi said on Tuesday. “You win some and you lose some. We (Leander and Mahesh) won 22 in a row. So it doesn’t mean the legacy is going to continue [forever].” In fairness, this sort of legacy has long been dead in most countries. As Bhupathi noted, there has been a decline of specialist doubles players in general. Apart from the Bryan brothers, the French pair of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert and the Brazilian duo of Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares, not many come to mind. This decline has instead been accompanied by a shift

Team trial: Leander Paes and Sriram Balaji, foreground, and Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan had a hit as India tried out various pairs during Wednesday’s practice. V. SREENIVASA MURTHY *

towards the four singles rubbers rather than the one doubles. The Bryan brothers’ retirement from Davis Cup has,

in fact, made the US team more dangerous. It has four solid singles players in Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey and John Isner. Two

Dustov ready to step up to the plate Says the inspirational Istomin’s absence can be dealt with Ashwin Achal BENGALURU

Uzbekistan Davis Cupper Farrukh Dustov is not unduly worried about the absence of his team’s mainstay, Denis Istomin. “Injuries can happen to anyone. It’s not like anyone died,” Dustov remarked, “Of course, it will be tougher for us, because Istomin could have got us points in both the singles and doubles rubbers.” Dustov is ready to step up to the plate. The 30-year-old is likely to feature in the doubles rubber, while his chances of playing in the singles fixtures will be known only after the draw ceremony on Thursday. A former top-100 singles player, Dustov’s fortunes took a big hit after he suffered an injury last year.

Farrukh Dustov... ready to roll V. SREENIVASA MURTHY *

Nearly six months out of action has seen his ranking slip to 737. “I broke a cartilage in my hand. It takes a lot of time to recover. This is my return to competitive tennis. I want to get back into the top-100 again,” he said. Earlier this year, when Dustov was in Germany as part of his injury rehabilitation process, his countryman shook the tennis world.

Istomin pulled off the impossible when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Australian Open. “Istomin’s victory was the biggest moment in Uzbekistan’s tennis history. Our previous President, Islam Karimov, was a big tennis fan, but he died last year. If he was still alive, maybe Istomin would have had a monument built in his honour,” he said. Dustov explained that while boxing is the most popular sport back home, Istomin’s success has raised the profile of tennis. “Istomin has inspired many youngsters to take up the sport. We are a small country, but children are beginning to believe that they too have what it takes to be

world-class tennis players,” he said. He also spoke warmly about his relationship with Istomin. “We have known each other for many years. There is a good atmosphere in our Davis Cup team. Yesterday, someone from the media asked me about the rivalry between Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. We don’t have these sorts of problems. There is a brotherhood among us,” he said. Dustov, who has appeared in 26 Davis Cup ties so far, is not very well versed with his other Indian opponents. “I know that Ramkumar Ramanathan is a good player. I don’t know much about the other guy (Prajnesh Gunneswaran), but I’ve heard that he’s also very good.”

of the three rounds of Cup ties are played the week after Grand Slam tournaments. Having more than two singles players is a god-send

in such a situation. When Bhupathi said “the Davis Cup is about winning three points, not one,” he was only reflecting the gen-

eral trend. But India does not have even one player in the singles top-100. What it means is that none of the players who will play the singles has the experience of best-of-five-set matches. So the captain is forced to field three singles specialists, not as a show of strength but as a safety measure, for in the event of an injury to any player, it needs a back-up. Even if India had had a world-beating doubles team, it could not possibly take to the court. “Once the level (standard of competition) declines past a point, every tennis player is capable of playing doubles,” Bhupathi said. “That’s the reason we are still uncertain on who’s playing doubles.” On Wednesday, as the trio of Paes, Bopanna and Balaji tried all three combinations, Uzbekistan’s Farrukh Dustov was in the audience. “Will Paes play?” he was asked. “Yes, I think so,” he replied. “Otherwise why else would he be here?”

Will address players’ concerns on central contracts: Rai ‘CoA does not need any intermediaries’ Press Trust of India New Delhi

The head of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), Vinod Rai, on Wednesday termed his discussion with Indian captain Virat Kohli a “fruitful one” and promised to address their concerns regarding central contracts. The former CAG made it clear that the COA doesn’t need “any intermediary” between the body and the players. “Let me make it clear at the very onset that any issue pertaining to players’ in-

terest will be addressed with utmost seriousness. We will not leave any stone unturned in this regard. But the CoA will directly deal with players and does not need any intermediaries,” Rai said. Rai and another committee member, Vikram Limaye, met Kohli and a few Indian players in Hyderabad to discuss the central contract issue. “We met Virat and a few other players and it was a very fruitful discussion with them. We have already asked chief coach

Anil Kumble to make a presentation,” Rai said. When asked if the next hike in central contract would be based on Kumble’s presentation, Rai replied, “That I can’t tell you right now but like we doubled the retainership fee for 2016-17, we would certainly work on it again. “The players’ interest will be kept in mind.” The CoA also met BCCI office bearers Aniruddh Chaudhry and Amitabh Chaudhary to discuss about operational details of IPL.

TV PICKS Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh: 2nd T20, TEN 3 & TEN 1 HD, 7 p.m. La Liga: Sony Six, TEN 1, 2 & Sony Six HD & TEN 1 HD, 1 a.m. (Friday) NBA: Sony Six & Sony Six HD, 5.30 a.m. (Friday)

Shyam, Rohit enter medal rounds Press Trust of India Bangkok

India was assured of two medals at the Thailand International boxing tournament after K. Shyam Kumar (49kg) and Rohit Tokas (64kg) advanced to the semifinals here on Wednesday. Shyam got the better of Thailand’s Samak Saehan. Rohit, on the other hand, defeated Kazakhstan’s Kuatov Kuan. Former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar lost in the welterweight quarterfinals to Uzbekistan’s Giyasov Shakhram.

Sindhu and Saina toppled IANS Kuching (Malaysia)

P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and B. Sai Praneeth lost in the opening singles round of the Malaysia Open Super Series Premier, while Ajay Jayaram moved into the men’s second round here on Wednesday. The results (first round): Men: Singles: Ajay Jayaram bt Qiao Bin (Chn) 21-11, 21-8; Lin Dan bt B. Sai Praneeth 18-21, 21-19, 21-18. Doubles: Liao Kuan Hao & Lu Chia Pin (Tpe) bt Manu Attri & B. Sumeeth Reddy 18-21, 21-18, 21-17. Women: Singles: Chen Yufei (Chn) bt P.V. Sindhu 18-21, 2119, 21-17; Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Saina Nehwal 19-21, 21-13, 21-15. Mixed doubles: Kim Astrup & Line Kjaersfeldt (Den) bt Pranav Jerry Chopra & N. Sikki Reddy 21-19, 19-21, 23-21.

Haadin Bava advances Sports Bureau Jakarta

Haadin Bava beat HyungChan Lim 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the first round of the $15,000 ITF Futures tennis tournament here on Wednesday. The results (all first round): $15,000 Futures, Jakarta: Haadin Bava bt Hyung-Chan Lim (Kor) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0; Brydan Klein (Gbr) bt Karunuday Singh 7-6(3), 6-3. $15,000 ITF women, Heraklion, Greece: Karman Kaur Thandi bt Ella Taylor (Gbr) 6-0, 6-2.

Pacers bounce back Reuters Indiana

Pacers erased a 19-point deficit to snap a four-game losing streak beating the Raptors 108-90 in the NBA on Tuesday. Other results: Warriors 121 bt Timberwolves 107; Kings 98 bt Mavericks 87; Jazz 106 bt Trail Blazers 87; Spurs 95 bt Grizzlies 89; Nuggets 134 bt Pelicans 131; Thunder 110 bt Bucks 79; Knicks 100 bt Bulls 91; Nets 141 bt 76ers 118; Wizards 118 bt Hornets 111; Cavaliers 122 bt Magic 102. AGENCIES

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