follow us:
thursday, march 16, 2017
Delhi City Edition
thehindu.com facebook.com/thehindu twitter.com/the_hindu
Printed at
.
C he n na i
24 pages 앫 ₹ 10.00
.
Set of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ilm Padmavati vandalised
Biren Singh sworn in as Manipur CM, allies get lion’s share in Cabinet
Fed raises interest rates, driven by steady economic growth
Shashank Manohar quits as chairman of International Cricket Council
page 4
page 10
page 13
page 15
C o i m b ator e
.
B en g a lu ru
Absconding Prajapati nabbed in Lucknow
.
Madurai
.
N o i da
.
V i s a k h a patn a m
.
T h i ru va na nt h a p u r a m
.
Ko c h i
.
V i j ayawada
.
M a n g a lu ru
Search party engaged in anti-militancy operation was ired upon in Kupwara Peerzada Ashiq
Absconding for almost a month, controversial Samajwadi Party leader and former minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati was on Wednesday nabbed by the Uttar Pradesh police. Mr. Prajapati and six others are accused of gang-raping a woman and attempting to rape her minor daughter. He was sent to 14 days judicial custody after being produced before a POSCO court.
Srinagar
쑺 PAGE 6
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Cop probing Ramjas clash transferred NEW DELHI
The Delhi Police oicer probing the alleged “highhandedness” of police personnel during the recent clashes outside Ramjas College has been transferred. Additional DCP-I (North) Esha Pandey has been transferred to the special police unit for women and children as its DCP.
Three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants and a civilian were killed during an encounter in north Kashmir’s Kupwara on Wednesday. A police official said militants fired upon a search party during an anti-militancy operation launched in Jugtiyal, Hyhama, Kupwara, over 90 km north of Srinagar. “Security forces returned fire, leading to the encounter. Three LeT militants were killed. Their identity is being ascertained,” said the official.
Weapons recovered The operation was jointly carried out by the Army’s 41 Rashtriya Rifles and the CRPF’s 98 Battalion. Three
stable so far,” he said. The Kashmir Valley has witnessed more than 30 encounters this year. As protests near the encounter sites grow more frequent, five civilians have lost their lives so far, fuelling more anger. Thirty-one people, including nine security personnel and 22 militants, lost their lives since January this year.
Fiery end: Flames rise from a house, where militants were hiding, after an encounter in Kupwara on Wednesday. PTI weapons were also recovered from the slain militants. An 11-year-old girl, Kaneeza, and a boy, Faisal, were injured “as stray bullets hit them.” The minors were injured
more than 100 metres away from the encounter site, according to the official. “Later, the girl succumbed to her injuries. The boy has been referred to Srinagar and his condition is
‘Example of state terror’ Condemning the killing of the girl in Kupwara, Hurriyat faction chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said: “The incident is yet another worst example of state terrorism. It indicates how the government forces enjoy impunity to kill Kashmiris under the garb of combating insurgents.”
Nistula Hebbar New Delhi
DELHI METRO 쑺 6 PAGES
CM YK
T i ru c h i r a pa l l i
.
Ko l k ata
.
Hubballi
.
Mohali
.
Allahabad
.
Malappuram
.
Mumbai
NIA hunts for 5 men from T.N. who received IS funds They are alleged to have helped people leave for Syria, Iraq Vijaita Singh
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is looking for six men who have gone off the radar after their names surfaced for receiving and sending funds on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) to establish its presence here. An official said the accused had helped a dozen people leave for Syria and Iraq by mobilising funds for them. The Hindu has accessed the details of eight suspects from Tamil Nadu who have been named in an FIR filed by the NIA. They are Haja Fakkrudeen (Cuddalore), Khaja Moideen (Cuddalore), Shakul Hameed (Chennai), Ansar Meeran (Chennai), Masood Asarudeen (Tirunelveli), Sadiq Basha (Nagapattinam), Mohammad Sayed Abu Thahir
(Karur) and Mohammed Thabraze (Chennai). The ninth suspect Nouman Jaleel is from Telangana. Fakkrudeen, Thahir and Hameed are said to be in Syria, but they have also been named in the present
case. Their names had surfaced during the interrogation of Adnan Hassan Damoodi, 36, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka and a former Indian Mujahideen operative, who was deported from the UAE last year for propagating the ideology of the IS on social media platforms. “It was during Damoodi’s interrogation that these names surfaced, but as soon as we registered a case in January this year, the nine men went off the radar. We had been keeping a watch on them for the past one year,” said a senior intelligence official. Nouman Jaleel, a civil engineer from Hyderabad, was picked up by agencies last year and was released after being counselled. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10
Suspense over U.P., Uttarakhand CMs Uzbek woman gangraped in south Delhi
쑺 PAGE 1
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
.
New Delhi
LUCKNOW
DELHI METRO
Hy d e r a b a d
3 ultras die in J&K encounter, stray bullet kills 11-year-old
NEARBY
NATION
.
Suspense over who would be the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand prevailed even five days after the poll results were announced. A meeting of the BJP legislature party in Uttar Pradesh, scheduled to be held on Thursday, is not going to
take place, with senior leaders maintaining that “it wasn’t supposed to take place then in any case.”
‘Decision rests with PM’ Top sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party say the decision on who would be chief ministers in the two States has to be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party
president Amit Shah alone. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, considered the frontrunner for the CM’s post in U.P., when asked whether he had been offered the job, retorted: “Kya faltu baat hai, sab anaavashyak hai (what useless talk is this, completely unnecessary).” CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10
Staff Reporter New Delhi
A 36-year-old woman from Uzbekistan was allegedly gangraped by her former boyfriend and four of his friends at her rented accommodation in South Delhi’s Masoodpur Village. Her former boyfriend, Anubhav Yadav, has been arrested. According to the police,
Anubhav and his friends went to the woman’s house around 2 a.m. on Friday. They forcibly entered the house and beat her up for not taking Anubhav’s phone call.
Fell semi-unconscious “I thought they had come to talk to me. But when I opened the door, he and his friends started assaulting me
for not taking their calls. I fell semi-unconscious after they thrashed me brutally,” the woman told the police in her complaint. When she gained consciousness, she found herself with nothing on her lower body. Traumatised, she went to a hospital but left without much medical help as she could not gather the courage to speak to
anyone. On Tuesday, she spoke to a friend who guided her to report the matter to the police. Based on her complaint, the five were booked for gang-rape and causing hurt. In her statement, the woman said she and Anubhav were together for the past four years but broke up recently.
A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
2 NORTH
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI
Timings
Thursday, March 16
RISE 06:30 SET 18:30 RISE 21:56 SET 08:46 Friday, March 17
RISE 06:29 SET 18:31 RISE 22:48 SET 09:23 Saturday, March 18
RISE 06:27 SET 18:31 RISE 23:40 SET 10:02
Five killed, 8 hurt in Kanpur cold storage explosion Many feared trapped in the debris; Army, NDRF carrying out rescue operations
Kushwah’s wife iles papers for Dholpur by-election Seat fell vacant after her husband’s conviction for murder Special Correspondent JAIPUR
The Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Shobharani Kushwah, wife of former MLA and murder convict B.L. Kushwah, filed her nomination papers for the April 9 Assembly by-election in Dholpur constituency of Rajasthan on Wednesday. The seat fell vacant three months ago following Kushwah’s disqualification upon his conviction.
Press trust of India KANPUR
Five people were killed and eight injured on Wednesday, while several others are feared trapped, after a gas leak at a cold storage in Shivrajpur area here caused an explosion in which parts of the structure collapsed. According to SP (Rural) Rajesh Kumar, the gas leak started at the Katiyar Cold Storage in the afternoon. In the resulting explosion, the roof of the structure collapsed. Several people are feared trapped in the debris, and fire brigade personnel along with NDRF and Army teams are carrying out rescue and relief operations, Mr Kumar said.
IN BRIEF
‘Chouhan not moving to the Centre’ BHOPAL
Scotching speculations that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Chouhan could move to the Centre, a senior member of the State Cabinet said the party had already decided that next Assembly elections would be contested under his leadership.
Unclaimed bag creates scare at airport
Brought dead Chief Medical Officer Dr Ramayan Prasad said the five seriously injured labourers, who were rescued between 4 pm and 6 pm, were declared brought dead by doctors at the medical collegecum-hospital here. Eleven labourers have been rescued and those with minor injuries have been released from the hospital after treatment, he said.
The aftermath: Rescue and relief work under way after a cold storage building collapsed due to an explosion in Kanpur on Wednesday. PTI Doctors at the hospital have been put on alert as the number of those injured is expected to rise, Mr Prasad said. Kanpur District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said
around two dozen labourers were having their lunch when the incident happened. More labourers could be still trapped under the debris, district administra-
tion officials said. The DM said rescue workers have been given protective gear, including masks. The district administration will also check if the cold storage had a license.
Panic after two leopards escape from zoo Press trust of india
AMRITSAR
Palampur
An unclaimed bag, apparently forgotten behind by a passenger, created a scare at the Sri Guru Ramdass International Airport here on Thursday. However, when the bag was opened only medicines and some clothes were found inside it. - PTI
Two leopards escaped from the Gopalpur Zoo, 20 km from, here on Tuesday night triggering panic among residents in the area. The administration has sounded an alert in surrounding areas and parents
have been asked not to sent their children alone to school. A control room has been set up at Gopalpur and the situation was being closely monitored, officials said. The leopards escaped from the zoo after some miscreants allegedly cut the
wire fence. A third leopard, which was injured, had also escaped but was captured while two others ran into the forests.
Case registered A case has been registered and investigation is on to
nab the culprits, DFO (wildlife) Nitin Patil said, adding that all out efforts are being made to capture the leopards. There are 12 leopards in the zoo and when attendants enter the enclosures in the morning, three leopards were found missing.
Co-accused in fraud case Ms. Kushwah is also an accused, along with her husband, in a chit fund fraud case registered against their financial company. A large number of complainants had alleged that the company had cheated gullible investors by promising exorbitant returns on fixed and recurring deposits. B.L. Kushwah was elected to the State Assembly on the Bahujan Samaj Party ticket. The ruling BJP inducted Ms. Kushwah along with her supporters into the party in February this year with an eye on her community which has a significant strength
among the 1.82 lakh voters in the constituency. Though Dholpur is the home turf of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, as she was married to Hemant Singh of the erstwhile ruling family, the BJP had won only one of the four seats in the district in the 2013 Assembly election. BJP could only win from the reserved constituency of Baseri, while Dholpur went to BSP, and Bari and Rajakhera to Congress. BJP State president Ashok Parnami, Jhalawar-Baran MP Dushyant Singh, who is Ms. Raje's son, and a large number of supporters accompanied Ms. Kushwah when she filed her nomination papers before Deputy District Election Officer Manish Faujdar. Both the BJP and the Opposition Congress are treating the Dholpur by-poll as a matter of prestige in view of the Assembly election due next year. In fielding Ms. Kushwah, the BJP is banking on her community's support, as her husband continues to be a popular leader despite his conviction.
After filing the nomination, Ms. Kushwah addressed a huge public rally outside the Dholpur Municipal Council office in the presence of three Ministers and a large number of senior BJP leaders.
Promise of development Ms. Kushwah sought people’s support while promising that she would work hard for development of villages in the constituency. While Mr. Parnami said at the rally that the Chambal lift project was the Chief Minister's gift to Dholpur, Mr. Dushyant Singh said the people of Dholpur were like Ms. Raje’s family members. Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf, Rural Development Minister Rajendra Rathore and Transport Minister Yunus Khan also addressed the rally. B.L. Kushwah's membership of the State Assembly was terminated after he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on December 8 last year in a 2012 case of “honour killing”.
Congress, BJP accuse each other over Baba Ramdev’s land deal Heated exchanges in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Staff Correspondent Shimla
Heated exchanges were witnessed in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday on the issue of allotment of 22 acres to Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth at Sadhupul in Solan district in 2009. State Revenue Minister Kaul Singh Thakur revealed that the Cabinet had on February 17 given its nod to reconsider the lease of land to the Yogpeeth that was earlier cancelled by it in February 2013. The Congress government after coming to power in December 2012 had taken back the land given to the Yogpeeth on a 99 years lease by the previous BJP government because of certain anomalies and undue favours given to the Yog Guru, he said.
Necessary formalities The incumbent government would remove all irregularities and carry out the necessary formalities before finalising the land deal with the Yogpeeth, he added.
Baba Ramdev
Mr. Thakur claimed that the lease deed was signed in haste during the previous government and it had the signatures of someone else and not that of Acharya Balkrishan of the Yogpeeth who had further given the power of attorney to someone else. Some multi-storey buildings and hospitality units were being constructed there when the government took repossession of the land, he said. The Minister also maintained that if the Yogpeeth takes back its writ in the High Court against the government for illegally cancelling its lease deed, the in-
cumbent government would take a relook at the matter and again register the lease in its name after carrying out the necessary preconditions. Some of the Congress MLAs also requested the government to not renew the lease deed with the Yogpeeth since it had openly violated the conditions in the memorandum and instead an orphanage or shelter for stray cattle should be constructed on the let out land.
‘Unnecessary move’ The BJP members blamed the government for unnecessarily cancelling the lease to the Yogpeeth earlier which was constructing a herbal garden and a branch of the Patanjali Yog Centre on behalf of its Trust. Leader of the Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal and other BJP members wanted to know why the government was now planning to reinstate the lease deed in favour of Baba Ramdev who is close to the upper echelons of the Union government.
Nitish stresses Aadhaar card for availing of govt beneits ‘All anomalies in list of beneiciaries would be removed’ Press trust of india PATNA
The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday emphasised linking beneficiaries of all kinds of government assistance with Aadhaar card for which the State is making continuous efforts. Mr Kumar informed the State Legislative Council that after completion of Aadhaar seeding, all anomalies in list of beneficiaries would be re-
moved. The State government is making continuous efforts to prepare Aadhaar card for every citizen and for this several centres have been opened. The Chif Minister exhorted public representatives to help in publicity for this purpose.
EPS machines Earlier, in reply to a question of BJP’s Mangal Pandey, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Madan Sahni said that the
State government is installing Electronic Point of Sale machines in 59 Public Distribution System (PDS) outlets in Noorsarai block in Nalanda district as part of a pilot project. Later, this facility would be extended in all PDS outlets across Bihar, he said. The Minister said that as per 2011 census, a total number of 55,312 PDS outlets are needed in Bihar out of which 41,725 are functioning at present.
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. 64 ●
CM YK
●
●
●
A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU
EAST 3
NOIDA/DELHI
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
IN BRIEF
Funds for medical colleges soon: Nadda
Leftist leader held for Bhangar stir CPI-ML [Red Star] has been at the forefront of the agitation against power grid Staff Reporter Kolkata
Arunachal passes Budget for 2017-18
Odisha has got ₹170 crore of Central share of ₹567 crore
ITANAGAR
Special Correspondent
The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly passed the Budget for 2017-18 by voice vote on Wednesday. Chief Minister Pema Khandu reiterated his government’s commitment to treat all constituencies equally while giving thrust on agri-horti sectors. PTI
Bhubaneswar
CBI arrests two in ponzi scam case KOLKATA
The Special Crime Branch of the CBI on Wednesday arrested Prayag Group CMD Basudeb Bagchi and his son Avik Bagchi after their interrogation at the CGO complex here. The firm had mobilised over ₹1,900 crore from the public. PTI
Bodo groups call off hunger strike KOKRAJHAR (ASSAM)
The All-Bodo Students Union and other groups called off their indefinite hunger strike on Wednesday, its sixth day, demanding a separate Bodoland after the Assam Home and Political Department assured them of holding tripartite talks on the issue. PTI
Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda on Wednesday assured Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of releasing the balance Central share of ₹397 crore at the earliest for the five new medical colleges at Baripada, Koraput, Balasore, Bolangir and Puri. Mr. Nadda’s assurance came when Mr. Patnaik met him in New Delhi. Mr. Patnaik informed Mr. Nadda that works relating to five medical colleges are continuing in full swing and two medical colleges at Baripada and Koraput were ready to start their first batch admission from the ensuing 2017-18 session. The State had already received ₹170 crore as against the committed Central share of ₹567 crore for these colleges.
Permission sought The Chief Minister further urged the Union Health Minister to give letters of permission to the two medical colleges at Baripada and Koraput to enable them to
Inside Capital: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik talking to the media at Parliament House on Wednesday. PTI start their admissions from 2017-18. Highlighting the initiatives being taken by the State government for strengthening cancer care, Mr. Patnaik urged the Union Health Minister to approve the four tertiary cancer care centres at Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar; VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla; MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur and District Headquarter Hospital, Kalahandi. Mr. Nadda said that financial assistance of ₹45 crore each will be provided for three tertiary cancer centres at Burla, Berhampur and Ka-
lahandi. As regards the fourth at Bhubaneswar, he assured to consider it favourably.
Cancer-care centre The Union Minister mentioned that the Central government has already approved a State-level cancer care centre at Cuttack at an estimated cost of ₹120 crore. Mr. Nadda also agreed to look into the proposal for establishment of Regional Institute of Paramedical Sciences at Bhubaneswar, and doing away with the restriction on number of attempts for students appearing in the NEET-UG.
A Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Red Star (CPI-ML [Red Star]) along with a leader of the Mazdoor Kisan Parishad (MKP) has been arrested in connection with the agitation in Bhangar. The CPI-ML [Red Star] has been at the forefront of the agitation in South 24 Paraganas district against the setting up of a power grid in the area. A Central Committee member of the
party, Sankar Das, and a leader of the MKP, Kushal Debnath, were arrested on Tuesday afternoon.
10 days police custody Speaking to The Hindu their counsel Rangta Munshi said the two were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from Baruipur in South 24 Paraganas on Tuesday and have been charged under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his or her duty), 147 (rioting) and
148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons). They were remanded in 10 days police custody by a district court. Calls to Nishat Parvez, DIG, CID (Operations) went unanswered. Addressing the media at Bhubaneswar in Odisha on Tuesday, party national general secretary K. N. Ramachandran accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of “resorting to terror tactics” and said they will not get intimidated. “We want to tell the Mamata government that we
will not be cowed down by such terror tactics,” said Mr. Ramachandran. In January, two more leaders of the party -- Central Committee member Sarmistha Chowdhury and State secretary Pradeep Singh Thakur -- were arrested by the CID. Mr. Ramachandran was also picked up by the State police in January after he arrived at the Kolkata railway station. After resurfacing in Delhi within a couple of days, he said that the police put him on a Delhi-bound train.
Two arrested in child theft case in Kolkata Hospital staf may be involved, no evidence of traicking angle yet: police Staff Reporter Kolkata
A day after two persons, including a woman, were arrested for allegedly stealing a newborn boy from the government-run Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, the police on Wednesday said they were not ruling out the involvement of the hospital staff in the matter. The accused, Chinmayee Bej, and her husband, Prashanta, were arrested
Probe into exam irregularities ordered
accused < > The remanded in police custody till March 24 Vishal Garg Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime)
late on Tuesday night from Baghmari in North Kolkata. The baby has been returned to its mother, Saraswati Naskar. Asked whether they are suspecting the involvement of some hospital staff in the
case, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vishal Garg said: “We are looking into it.” He said so far they have not got any evidence to suggest a child trafficking angle to the case. Earlier in the day, locals of Baghmari said one of Prashanta’s relatives worked at the hospital and hence his wife was able to get easy access to the premises. On Tuesday afternoon, Bej allegedly fled with the
child on the pretext of taking him to the doctor for a check-up. The police released CCTV footage in a bid to identify the accused. “The accused were produced in court on Wednesday and were remanded in police custody till March 24,” said Mr. Garg. A senior police official said that during interrogation Ms. Bej has “admitted” to stealing the child.
EDUCATIONAL
EDUCATIONAL
Chemistry questions were found in maths paper packets for Plus-II Press Trust of India Bhubaneswar
Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra on Wednesday asked the Controller of Examinations of the CHSE to probe into irregularities during the annual Plus-II mathematics paper. Mr Mishra said that questions on chemistry were found in the mathematics question paper packets when they were opened for distribution among examinees yesterday. Chemistry question papers in mathematics question paper packets were found at least in 14 examination centres, he said adding that the press, where the question papers were printed, would come under the purview of probe. “The government would not
Debi Prasad Mishra
hesitate to black-list the printing press if it was found guilty,” Mr Mishra said adding that the Controller of Examinations of the Council of Higher Secondary Examination (CHSE) will probe under which circumstances the chemistry questions entered into the mathematics question paper
packets. “The Controller of Examinations will also investigate whether there was any conspiracy,” Mr Mishra said. He said the Controller of Examinations has been asked to submit a report within two weeks. The official will visit the press where the question papers were printed and packed, he said. The irregularities which were detected across 14 examination centres had delayed the examination. However, the centres managed to conduct the examination after providing photo copies of the mathematics questions to the students. Mr Mishra said that the chemistry examination which was earlier scheduled for March 16 afternoon will now be conducted between 2 pm and 5 pm on March 30.
EDUCATIONAL
OBITUARY & REMEMBRANCE DEATH
SITUATIONS VACANT GENERAL
TENDERS
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.
CM YK
PERSONAL CHANGE OF NAME
LOST & FOUND
I, Anand Singh Bhakuni S/o Sh Khem Singh Rawat R/o E−423 Shanti Marg E−Block West Vinod Nagar, Delhi−92 have changed my name to Anand Singh Rawat for all purposes.
I Nidhi Sumnyan D/O Sumnyak Sumnyan have lost my original 12th CBSE passing certificate year 2012, Roll no 9164832. Finder please contact 9871386706. A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
4 WEST
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Padmavati set vandalised in Kolhapur; costumes burnt
IN BRIEF
Congress seeks Rahul Gandhi’s intervention PANAJI
Unidentiied group sets ire to Bhansali ilm’s props and costumes in Kolhapur
CORRESPONDENT
Budget session to begin from March 22 PANAJI
The Budget session of the Goa Assembly will begin from March 22, State Legislature sources said on Wednesday. They added that the election of the Speaker will be held on the same day, the Governor’s address to the members will be held on March 23, and the budget presentation will be held on March 24. SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Goa Nautical Conference to be held on Saturday PANAJI
The CII will hold the second Goa Nautical Conference on Saturday at a resort at Dona Paula to promote sustainable development of nautical tourism. It will also educate State authorities and the industry on ‘New Pleasure Craft Regulations’ notified by the Directorate of General Shipping. SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
The set of director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s historical pageant Padmavati was torched in the early hours of Wednesday by an unidentified group in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra. In January, Mr. Bhansali was assaulted while filming at the Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur by a Rajput outfit named Karni Sena. Thereafter, the production was shifted out of Rajasthan. Reports said the props and costumes were damaged, but there was no injury to the crew. The incident is said to have occurred between 1 and 1.30 a.m. at the picturesque Masai Pathar, 10 km from Panhala, when a gang of 20 set fire to the props so as to gut the set spread on 50,000 sq. ft., the police said. A case was yet to be registered, they said. Following the incident, the film’s crew has been provided police protection, Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Deepak Kesarkar said. The designer duo of Rimple and Harpreet Narula, who worked on the ornate period costumes, said they were “broken sentimentally” over something unfortunate
Charred: A gang of 20 reportedly set ire to the props to gut the 50,000 sq. ft set at Masai Pathar in Kolhapur district on Wednesday. ANIL VELHAL that happened because of “the illiteracy in the country”. Filmmakers took to Twitter to condemn the attack. Padmavati is based on the fictionalised epic poem, written in 1540 C.E. by Malik Muhammad Jayasi. The poem deals with the 1303 C.E. siege of Chittorgarh by Delhi Sultan Ala-u-din Khilji, who was allegedly motivated by his desire for Queen Padmini. Outfits opposing the film
accuse the director of misrepresenting Padmini, who is believed to have committed jauhar (self-immolation) instead of falling in the hands of the Sultan after Chittorgarh fell to the invaders. The opposition is based on rumours that Mr. Bhansali has allegedly implied a romantic connection between Padmini (played by Deepika Padukone) and Ala-ud-din Khilji (Ranveer Singh), in a dream and song sequence.
Man held for murder of Irish woman Special Correspondent Panaji
Vikat Bhagat, an accused from Canacona in south Goa, was arrested on Tuesday evening for the murder of a 25-year-old Irish woman. Vikat was remanded in police custody till March 21 by a local court on Wednesday. Inspector Filomeno Costa told The Hindu that though
Sena candidates withdraw before the commencement of polls Shoumojit Banerjee Pune
Shoumojit Banerjee Pune
Upset with the Congress’s inability to form a government in Goa despite being the single largest party, the Congress Legislative Party’s senior legislator Vishwajit Rane on Wednesday urged party vice president Rahul Gandhi to intervene. SPECIAL
Mukta Tilak, MBA, is Pune’s irst BJP mayor
there was a possible sexual exploitation angle in the case, the police have yet not pressed charges of rape. The body of the victim was found in a field, around 150 metres from the main road at Devbag in Canacona on Tuesday morning. Superintendent of Police, Crime, Umesh Gaonkar told The Hindu that the police
rounded up several persons and zeroed in on Vikat, a local petty thief and an ex-convict.
Bruises on body A case of murder has been registered against Vikat under Section 302 of the IPC. The police said they were awaiting the post-mortem report before pressing charges of sexual assault.
EDUCATIONAL
The body bore bruises and the face had cuts inflicted by a blunt object, the police said.
The director has denied the charge. Mr. Bhansali’s BajiraoMastani also ran into trouble after the descendants of the Peshwa Baji Rao I criticised the liberties taken by the director in the name of artistic licence. BJP workers protested its screening, taking umbrage at the song Pingaa Pingaa and the portrayal of Kashibai, which they said was offensive to the Marathi culture. (With PTI inputs)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukta Tilak was formally elected as the mayor of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Wednesday, making it the first instance of a BJP member’s election as the mayor of the civic body. Along with Ms. Tilak, Republican Party of India (Athawale) leader Navnath Kamble was elected as the deputy mayor. The RPI (A) had supported the BJP in the PMC polls. Moments after her appointment, the 51-year-old Ms. Tilak — a scion of Bal Gangadhar ‘Lokmanya’ Tilak’s family — said, “my objective is to oversee the Pune’s transformation into a Smart City, even if it involved some tough decisions.” “The need of the hour is to effect a change in the city’s traffic [problems] and enhance the bus transport system. Affordable housing is another area which will receive top priority,” Ms. Tilak said. Ms. Tilak, wife of Lokmanya Tilak’s great-grandson Shailesh Tilak, and an MBA with a specialisation in marketing, won her fourth successive civic election on a BJP ticket from old Pune’s
After her appointment on Wednesday Mukta Tilak said her aim is to oversee Pune’s transformation into a Smart City. MANDAR TANNU
Narayan Peth-Sadashiv Peth area, where she lives with her family. While members of her family, like her nephew Rohit Tilak, contested on Congress tickets, she chose to side with the BJP. With the BJP sweeping the PMC with an unprecedented landslide, snaring 98 of the 162 seats, Ms. Tilak’s victory was a foregone conclusion, as was Mr. Kamble’s. Despite this, the BJP’s saffron ally, the Shiv Sena, along with the opposition NCP and the Congress had stepped in to queer the BJP’s pitch by propping up candidates for the mayoral elections.
The Sena, despite winning only 10 seats in the PMC, had fielded Sangeeta Thosar for the mayor’s post and Vishal Dhanawade for the deputy mayor’s post. The NCP had fielded Nanda Lonkar for the mayoral post while the Congress had fielded Lata Rajguru for the deputy mayor’s post. However, the Sena’s candidates withdrew their nominations on Wednesday morning, before the commencement of the mayoral poll. Ms. Rajguru, who was backed by the Congress and the NCP, secured 52 votes, but was beaten by the BJP’s superior numbers, all of whom voted for Mr. Kamble.
‘Submit report on BRICS food scam in 30 days’ Rodrigues, in his complaint to the GSHRC, had submitted The Goa State Human Rights that the contract of food supCommission (GSHRC) directed ply to police personnel posted the Goa Chief Secretary on at the summit was given to a Wednesday to conduct an in- local caterer, but was sub-let dependent investigation and to another contractor who fix responsibility on the de- clandestinely prepared the faulting officers in the alleged substandard food in an open ₹51 lakh food scam at the place in Verna, South Goa. BRICS summit last year. The complaint said that Activist and lawyer Aires road side labourers were en-
Prakash Kamat Panaji
EDUCATIONAL
gaged for cooking the food and insects were also found in it. The GSHRC directed the Chief Secretary to submit a detailed report within 30 days. It also noted that the Chief Secretary had not conducted an independent inquiry as directed by the commission on October 18 last year. The GSHRC also said the
EDUCATIONAL
reply filed by the Chief Secretary was a mere replica of the inquiry report submitted by the Director General of Police to the State Home Department. The commission has directed the government not to make any payment to the food contractors till the probe is completed. The hearing was adjourned to April 18.
EDUCATIONAL
EDUCATIONAL
CM YK
A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU
SOUTH 5
NOIDA/DELHI
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
IN BRIEF
Siddaramaiah focusses on welfare Please-all budget in A.P. Karnataka CM rolls out measures to establish ‘Ramarajya’ but leaves farmers out when he said: “I am ready to waive 50 per cent of the crop loans if the Centre waives loans borrowed from nationalised and commercial banks (₹42,000 crore).”
Nagesh Prabhu Bengaluru
Mani completes 50 years as MLA, House lauds him THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
The Kerala Assembly on Wednesday paid glowing tributes to veteran politician K.M. Mani who completed 50 years as legislator. Cutting across party lines, members of the House joined Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan in highlighting Mr. Mani’s diligence and prowess as a legislator and politician.
KIA ranked best regional airport again BENGALURU
Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) became the ‘Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia’ for the second time by bagging the SKYTRAX Award on Tuesday. The airport, which saw 22.18 million passengers in 2016, received the award at the World Airport Awards in Amsterdam. The award covered 550 airports worldwide.
Kunhalikutty is UDF’s Malappuram candidate MALAPPURAM
Indian Union Muslim League general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty will be the United Democratic Front candidate for the Malappuram Lok Sabha by-election to be held on April 12. IUML State president Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal announced his candidature at Panakkad on Wednesday.
Student kills self over charge of copying VARKALA
A 16-year-old boy here committed suicide, allegedly after being harassed by school authorities over an incident of copying during the annual examinations. The parents of Arjun, a plus one student, were summoned to the school. The authorities insulted him in front of his parents. On Tuesday, the boy was found hanging in his house. PTI
With the Karnataka Assembly polls a year away and a slowdown in the State’s economic growth, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented a “welfare-oriented and tax-free” budget on Wednesday. He attempted to reach out to the weaker sections for the establishment of what he called “Ramarajya”. Largely focussing on strengthening and expanding the scope of flagship schemes he had rolled out in his earlier four budgets, the Chief Minister announced an increase in the quantity of food grains distributed under the Anna Bhagya scheme from 5 kg to 7 kg per unit, and free electricity under the Bhagya Jyothi scheme (up to 40 units).
Sops for weaker sections Among other announcements were free laptops for students of government and aided colleges, increase in
Reaching out: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah being greeted by Minister for Tourism R.V. Deshpande. V SREENIVASA MURTHY the honorarium for ASHA workers, members of rural local bodies and anganwadi workers, Namma Canteen on the lines of Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu in all the wards of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, and free supply of potable water in slums. He also offered many incentives for
BJP leader’s murder: Cong. councillor held Her son, a prime accused, is on the run Special Correspondent Bengaluru
The Bengaluru police have arrested a Congress Bommanhalli Town Municipal Council member, Sarojamma, for allegedly murdering BJP Councillor Srinivas Prasad. Prasad was hacked to death on Tuesday on Hosur Road. Sarojamma’s son, Manju, who is also a prime accused in the case, is on the run.
Four more arrests Four other men, believed to be friends of Manju, were arrested by the Hebbagodi police for allegedly carrying
out the murder on the orders of Sarojamma and her son. The police are yet to determine whether Manju was part of the gang that killed Prasad.
Personal enmity: police The police are yet to confirm whether the murder was politically motivated or was carried out for personal reasons. “We are yet to ascertain the motive for the murder. Initial inquiries have revealed that there was some enmity between the two councillors,” Superintendent of Police Amith Singh told the media.
SC/ST/BPL families, including free LPG connections. Despite the agrarian crisis and drought situation in the State, there was little in the budget to boost agriculture. The absence of crop loan waiver came as a huge disappointment to farmers. Mr. Siddaramaiah used the issue to target the Centre
Shattered by their son’s death, Cherukuri Satyanarayana and Krishna Kumari wanted the next generation to take forward the legacy of the Vijayawadabased Volga Archery Academy and took the help of advanced medical methods to bring Shivani to this world.
J.R. Shridharan
Five-year-old city archer Cherukuri Dolly Shivani is all set to take the world by storm next month, not due to her shooting expertise, but for her acting skills, as a biopic made by a U.S. crew will hit the screens at the Full Frame Documentary Film festival in Durham (England), which begins on April 6. Vijayawada-based Shivani drew the attention of the world when she created a national record in archery as a 35-month-old kid by hauling 200 points in five and seven-metre distances in the compound segment in 2015. Her parents, who took the surrogacy route for her birth, believe she is the reinCM YK
A ile photo of 5-year-old Dolly Shivani. V. RAJU
carnation of their only son, Cherukuri Lenin, an international archer and coach, who died in a road accident in 2010 while returning to Vijayawada from Hyderabad after attending a felicitation function for Delhi Commonwealth Games medallists and coaches.
U.S-based director The biopic took shape due to the interest of Jamie Dobie, the film’s director from New York, who came to Vijayawada make a short film on Shivani in 2015. Satyanarayana has trained several archers who won medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Games, but he has a bigger plan for Shivani – the Olympics.
New concept The TDP’s poll promise of providing unemployment allowance found place in the budget with the government earmarking ₹500 crore. It has also proposed to spend ₹695 crore, for the first time, to support the
Good to go: A.P. Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu before presenting the Budget in Vijayawada. CH.VIJAYA BHASKAR
Economically Backward Classes. The Finance Minister said comprehensive action would be taken during the fiscal and beyond to improve the lives of women. The government came up with a new concept, outcome budget, to ensure clar-
BENGALURU
Space4Life, a student team from Naples in Italy, has won the contest to send an experiment to the moon on the TeamIndus spacecraft in December this year. A second experiment from the Central University at Thiruvarur has also been chosen. It will be sponsored by Bengaluru-based biopharmaceuticals company Biocon Ltd., TeamIndus announced on Wednesday. TeamIndus is itself taking part in the $20-million Google Lunar X Prize contest along with four other
global teams. Its lander is scheduled to take off on the Indian PSLV rocket tentatively on December 28 and land on the moon on January 26 next year, carrying its own cameras and these experiments. The GLXP contest is for the first private-funded spacecraft that will land on the moon, briefly roam its surface and send pictures and videos. Announcing the results of the contest that was opened last year, Sheelika Ravishankar, a senior TeamIndus official, said six more teams can be accom-
modated if sponsored. They include three Indian, a Peruvian, a British and a U.S. proposal.
‘Great potential’ Former ISRO Chairman and member of the three-person jury, K. Kasturirangan, was quoted as saying: “The data results from [Space4Life’s] experiment have the potential to dramatically impact mankind.” Dr. Natarajan called them potentially transformational experiments, some of which had been tested only closer to earth, as on the International Space Station.
ity on goals, strategies as well as physical and financial targets. Doing away with plan and non-plan expenditure classification, the government switched to the system of expenditure as revenue and capital, in line with the Centre’s move.
Centre clears special assistance to A.P. Spells out modalities of implementation Special Correspondent
Special Correspondent
Huge task: Workers removing silt as part of the repair and maintenance work at Yeleru canal, one of the major sources of water supply to Visakhapatnam. About 14 earth-moving machines and 1,000 men have been deployed for the work. C.V.SUBRAHMANYAM
VIJAYAWADA
VIJAYAWADA
Close to completion of three years in office, the Andhra Pradesh government has given a push to welfare, education and rural development in its annual budget of ₹1.56 lakh crore for the year 2017-18. Presenting the budget in the Assembly on Wednesday, Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the outlay marked an increase of 15.77% compared to the previous year. The budget had a bagful of goodies as the government focussed on job creation, housing, and revival of sick industries.
‘Six more teams can be accommodated, if sponsored’
Reviving a precious resource
Dolly Shivani set a national record before she turned 3
G.V.R. Subba Rao
TeamIndus picks Italian, Indian experiments for moon
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Short ilm on child archer to be screened in Durham
No new taxes Other major proposals included the formation of 49 new taluks, development corporations for the OBC communities, one-time incentive of ₹2 lakh each to students of the OBC and minority community who get admission in the IIM, the IIT and the IISc, construction of seven lakh houses, and hike in old age pensions. Presenting the fifth State budget of the ruling Congress, overall his 12th, Mr. Siddaramaiah refrained from announcing new taxes. Noting that the budget was aimed at ensuring social justice and inclusive growth, he said: “Ramarajya cannot be built by those who oppose the concept of social justice.”
Government lays stress on job creation, housing
NEW DELHI
In a post-U.P. Assembly election bonanza to Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved ‘special assistance measure’ for the successor State of A.P. This was done by way of special dispensation in funding Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) and the irrigation component of the Polavaram project. In a statement here, the Centre spelt out the modalities for implementation. The Centre will provide special assistance measure
A language that ‘smells like earth’
to A.P., which would make up for the additional Central share the State might have received during 2015-16 to 2019-20. The assistance will be provided by way of repayment of loans and interest for the EAPs signed and disbursed during 20152016 to 2019-20 by the State. On the Polvaram project, it said the Centre would provide 100% funding for the irrigation component. The A.P. government would execute the project. However, the overall coordination, design issues, etc., are to be dealt with by the Polavaram Project Authority.
Pemmaraju’s documentary traces the journey of Dakhani
KCR rules out early elections
Serish Nanisetti
Special Correspondent
Hyderabad
HYDERABAD
Buzdil hai voh jo jeetey ji marney sey dar gaya Mayich tha jo kaam kuch aur kar gaya. Jab maut aako karney lagi mujhko salaam. My valeykum salaam bola aur mar gaya. (It is a coward, he who fears death when still alive; It was but me who did something else; When death came to me and did a salaam; I said valeykum salaam and promptly died.) The audience roars with laughter and wah-wah as Ghouse Mohiuddin Ahmed, known by his takhallus (pen name) Khamakha, delivers the lines with dead-pan expression. Then, a man dressed like a king, with borrowed costumes, drives his puttering Vespa scooter towards Charminar from Gulzar Houz. And we are in the midst of an engrossing fare promised by A Tongue
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday ruled out early elections to the Assembly. “I am not playing any tricks with a view to advancing polls,” Mr. Rao said in the Legislative Council while reacting to Congress leader N. Uttam Kumar Reddy’s charge that the TRS government appeared to be getting ready for midterm polls, going by the concessions offered to various sections of the people in the budget. Mr. Rao was replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address to both Houses of Legislature. Terming the Opposition’s criticism as hollow, he said the parties would not get any opportunity to target the government once ‘Mission Bhagiratha’, meant to provide drinking water, was completed.
’Spoken vernacular’: A scene in which a man dressed like a king drives his scooter towards Charminar. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Untied, a documentary on Dakhani by Gautam Pemmaraju.
90-minute film Beginning with that archaic image, Mr. Pemmaraju fleshes out the story of a language that has been reduced to a ‘spoken vernacular’. Using interviews, poetry reading sessions called mazihiya shayri and just plain conversations across the sub-continent, including Karachi and other places in India, Mr. Pemmaraju has docu-
mented the journey of the language that has the smell and freshness of the earth. “The 90-minute documentary is nearly ready and will be released by the end of March,” says Mr. Pemmaraju. Why does he call it a ‘spoken vernacular’ and not a full-fledged language? “Earlier, there was literature, there was poetry, but now the language survives only in some pockets. New literature or poetry is not being written or created.”
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Cashless Ramanavami fest on cards in Bengaluru Mandalis & sabhas have introduced e-hundis and e-wallets for annual celebrations beginning next month during the month-long festival. “We will have 300 artists performing for 32 days from April 5. We are also requesting our canteen organisers to put up QR Codes for e-wallets” said Abhijith who decided on this move after thousands of requests on the website.
Ranjani Govind Bengaluru
Demonetisation has made digital wallets and e-banking part of the popular lexicon. As lakhs of people across Bengaluru rely on cashless transactions, several wellknown mandalis, samitis and sabhas have introduced ‘e-hundis’ for this year’s Ramothsava celebrations, slated to begin in the first week of April. For a month, mandalis will hold live concerts showcasing the best of Indian classical music. Organisers believe that e-hundis will be a hit as people can easily donate money with the click of a button or via a swipe on their smart phones. “For our Ramanavami music fest this year, we will display 50 prominent cutouts with
Music bonanza: A ile photo of Ramanavami celebrations in Bengaluru. V. SREENIVASA MURTHY
PayTM QR Codes at our pandal in the Fort High School, which has a seating capacity of 10,000,” said Abhijith Varadaraj of the Chamarajpet Ramaseva Mandali, one of the oldest in the city founded by S.V. Narayanaswamy Rao nearly eight decades ago. In the traditional set-up,
people have to walk nearly 300 ft to reach the hundis, which are placed on the front row, to give their offerings. “Now, they can donate at their convenience,” Abhijith said. He is hopeful that donations will increase this year as the mandal is expecting footfalls of up to 1.5 lakh people
‘Cash still popular’ Other manadalis and samitis are also planning to introduce e-hundis. However, most artists prefer cash payments, say organisers. The Seshadripuram Ramaseva Samiti has decided to pay all the artists by cheque this year. The Vani Kala Kendra at Basaveshwaranagar is considering the introduction of e-wallets. “This time, we will make payments with cashless
transfers. This will be extended to people as we are considering Paytm’s too,” said Lakshmi Keshava who, along with his committee members, is zeroing in on the choices before the music fest. The Karanji Sri Rama Seva Trust at Basavanagudi has a week-long Ramanavami music programme, a tradition that has been on for six decades. “We too are considering the inclusion of e-wallets to make it easier for the public,” said K.R. Anantharaman, Managing Trustee. The Jayarama Seva Mandali in Jayanagar and the Sri Rama Bhaktha Sabha at Malleswaram have also decided to bring in cashless payment options at their venues this year for Ramanavami. A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
6 NATION
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
IN BRIEF
New Patna High Court Chief Justice sworn in PATNA
Justice Rajendra Menon was on Wednesday sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court by Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind at a function here in Raj Bhawan. Patna High Court Acting Chief Justice Hemant Gupta has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his Deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and others were present on the occasion. PTI
27 hurt in inter-caste clashes over poll result BALLIA (UP)
Twenty-seven people were injured on Wednesday during an inter-caste clash over the result of the Assembly election in village Middha in Fefna area here, police said. They said 22 Dalits and five Thakurs were injured in the clash following which crossFIRs were registered. A hut and a four-wheeler was also set afire. The police are probing the matter and no arrest has yet been made. The Fefna Assembly constituency was won by Upendra Tiwari of the BJP, who defeated Ambika Chaudhary of BSP. PTI
Haryana DSP attempts suicide, critical PANCHKULA
A Deputy Superintendent (DSP) of the Haryana Police on Wednesday tried to allegedly commit suicide by shooting himself with a revolver after he was named as an accused in a case of triple murder in Hisar district. “DSP Bhagwan Dass shot himself in the head from a gun and was critically injured. The incident took place at the police guest house in Panchkula where he was staying. Later, he was admitted to a hospital in Panchkula,” DCP Panchkula, Anil Dhawan said.PTI
CM YK
Ex-Minister Prajapati inally Amarinder to take oath nabbed in central Lucknow as Punjab CM today On the run for almost a month, SP leader and six others are accused in a rape case
Manmohan Singh, Rahul to attend ceremony Press Trust of India
Omar Rashid Lucknow
Absconding for almost a month, controversial Samajwadi Party leader and former Minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati was on Wednesday nabbed by the Uttar Pradesh police. Mr. Prajapati and six others are accused of gangraping a woman and attempting to rape her minor daughter. He was sent to 14 days judicial custody after being produced before a POSCO court. The leader was “arrested around 7.00 am from a location in central Lucknow,” a spokesperson for UP DGP Javeed Ahmed said. The police had last month filed a non-bailable warrant against the former Minister and six others, including his security guard, Chandrapal, in connection with the case on the orders of the Supreme Court. A look out notice was also
In police net: Gayatri Prajapati in police custody in Lucknow on Wednesday. PTI issued against him while the authorities impounded his passport to prevent him from fleeing the country. The six other accused in the case have already in police custody. While the UP Special Task Force nabbed two Ashish Shukla and Ashok Tiwari from Noida on March 6, Mr. Prajapati’s security guard Chandrapal was
also arrested soon after. On Tuesday, the police arrested the three others in the case -- Rupeshwar, Vikas Verma and Amrendra Singh -- after a raid in Lucknow.
Planning to surrender SSP Lucknow Manzil Saini said the police intercepted Mr. Prajapati after a tip-off that he planning to
surrender. Mr. Prajapati’s arrest brings to an end a highpitched drama, which also became a part of the UP election campaign. To the embarrassment of the SP, allegations against Mr. Prajapati surfaced in the middle of the campaigning, with the BJP using it to target Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The BJP had accused the SP of shielding the leader and not taking him into custody despite a court order. Prime Minister Narendra Modi even used the phrase “Gayatri Prajapati Mantra” to accuse Mr. Yadav’s government of providing patronage to the tainted leader. Mr. Prajapati claimed there was a “conspiracy” to malign him and that he was even willing to go through a NARCO test in the matter. He said he was planning to surrender but was arrested.
Chandigarh
After steering the Congress to a stupendous victory in Punjab, Amarinder Singh will take oath as Chief Minister here on Thursday, a ceremony which will be attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi. Capt. Singh, who turned 75 on March 11 when Assembly results were declared, will be sworn in as the State’s 26th chief minister along with nine Cabinet ministers. The ceremony will take place at Punjab Raj Bhavan at 10 a.m. and the oath will be administered by Punjab Governor V. P. Singh Badnore. The State can have a maximum of 18 ministers. The Congress has 77 MLAs in the Assembly. “Besides Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Na-
tional Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will attend the swearing-in,” a party release said. Capt Singh said his government’s priority would be to bring the State’s economy, “which has been completely devastated under the SAD-BJP regime, back on the rails through
every possible measure and innovative, out-of-the-box initiatives“. Several newly elected MLAs including Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Singh Badal, Brahm Mohindra, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjit Singh, Pargat Singh, Razia Sultana, O. P. Soni are in the race for becoming ministers, party sources said.
Phoolka to be Leader of the Opposition Press Trust of India New Delhi
Senior Supreme Court advocate H. S .Phoolka will be Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly with the Aam Aadmi Party MLAs electing him as leader of the
legislature party. Sukhpal Singh Khaira was appointed the party’s chief whip. “We will fight for the rights of the people in Punjab and highlight the plight of farmers,” Mr. Phoolka said.
Nuh mini-secretariat gets makeover with display boards, heritage gallery Plagued by poor public services, it has now become the irst secretariat in Haryana to earn the coveted ISO 9001: 2015 certiication Ashok Kumar NUH
For those visiting the Nuh Mini-Secretariat, the sudden transformation over the past couple of months is hard to miss. Motivational quotes, display boards, properly managed records, heritage gallery, reading zone, lush green lawns, clean corridors and forthcoming staff marks the new identity of the secretariat building situated in one of the most backward districts of Haryana. In a major image overhaul, the Nuh Mini-Secretariat, plagued by poor public services, bad management and uncleanliness till a few
months ago, has now become the first secretariat in the State to earn an ISO 9001: 2015 certificate adhering to the priniciples of quality management and improving the efficiency of processes. “I have been to Gurugram and Faridabad on a few occasions, but the Nuh secretariat building is far more cleaner and the services here are more prompt compared to those two cities. Stinking toilets, broken window glasses, unkempt lawns and beggars roaming inside the premises are common sights in Gurugram Mini-Secretariat, but not anymore in Nuh,” said
New identity: Clean corridor of the building. Feroze Khan, a local resident visiting the Nun Mini-Secretariat. But the turnaround was
easier said than done. “When I took over almost a year ago, it was unthinkable for the secretariat to earn the
coveted certificate. Let alone the quality of services rendered to the public, the building did not even have drinking water facility for visitors. The toilets were dirty and the elevators were dysfunctional. When city magistrate Pradeep Ahlawat mooted the idea of an ISO certificate for the building, I suggested to him to get the basic issues addressed before aiming so high. But we have now achieved it with the support and dedication of the staff,” said Deputy Commissioner, Nuh, Mani Ram Sharma. Additional Deputy Commissioner Naresh Narwal
said effective delivery of public services and citizen satisfaction was one of the major pre-requisites for the certificate, besides clean premises. “We hired a consultancy agency for the purpose and the agency representatives met the secretariat officials to collect their feedback, gave power-point presentations to make them aware about the certificate conditions and explored the reasons for the poor public services. The agency even conducted a pre-audit before the International Certification Services (ICS) team visited for inspection and gave useful tips to officials on how
to deliver better services,” said Mr. Narwal, one of the forces behind the change.
Similar certificate After three days of continuous assessment, and reviews across a wide range of departments, the ICS, an independent certification and inspection body, finally approved the certification of the building. The certificate holds good for three years. Encouraged by the success, Mr. Sharma has now decided to bid for a similar certificate for the two hospitals in the district to ensure better services to patients and visitors.
A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU
NATION 7
NOIDA/DELHI
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
IN BRIEF
Clerics ‘warn’ budding singer against show It’s not a fatwa but an appeal, says Muslim Law Board
Court’s poser to BMC on Kapil Sharma matter MUMBAI
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation whether or not they wanted to pursue comedian Kapil Sharma’s alleged illegal construction in his house or wanted the civil court to look into it. A division bench was hearing a petition filed by the 35-year-old comedian who moved court aggrieved by an order dated April 28, 2016 issued by the BMC.
EPF scheme to enable members buy homes NEW DELHI
The Government will amend the EPF scheme to enable around 4 crore members of the retirement fund body EPFO to withdraw up to 90% of their fund for making down payments while buying homes, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. The amendment will also allow the EPFO subscribers to use their EPF accounts to pay (EMIs) of home loans. PTI
Elderly man, son found murdered
Congress alleges ₹1000 cr payof to lure MLAs in Goa BJP denies charge, says it does not indulge in horse-trading
Suvojit Bagchi Kolkata
Prakash Kamat
A leaflet, described as a ‘fatwa’, issued by 46 Muslim clerics in Assam against budding singer Nahid Afrin has triggered a controversy. The 15-year-old girl, a runner-up in a reality television show, was taken aback following the issue of the leaflet which has argued against her performing in a musical show later in the month. However, a member of the Muslim Personal Law Board of Assam said it is not a ‘Fatwa’ but “an appeal” given in the form of a notice. The leaflet, a copy of which is with The Hindu, neither mentioned the name of the girl, nor threatened her as was projected by the media. The girl’s mother Fatima Ansari said they had not seen the ‘fatwa’ or the notice. “We heard that such a leaflet was issued asking our daughter not to perform in the college. Nahid is
Panaji
On song: Nahid Afrin (right) is greeted by students on her arrival in Guwahati on Monday. PTI
shattered,” Ms. Ansari said.
‘Tough time’ “We had a tough time when she performed well in Indian Idol show in 2015. Many people called us Bangladeshis and another section, the Maulanas, said we are not doing the right thing by engaging with such things as music; ‘it is a sin,’ they said. And now this has occurred —Nahid has been
crying since she heard about the incident,” said Ms. Ansari, who hails from Uttar Pradesh. Since Tuesday, the issue has snowballed into a major talking point in Assam, while many of State’s Ministers and MLAs have visited the family. “Even Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called up to say that the government is with us,” said Ms. Ansari.
The Congress has alleged that ₹1,000 crore had been spent by the BJP to lure nonCongress legislators to form a coalition government in Goa. Addressing a press conference late on Wednesday evening, AICC secretary Girish Chodankar alleged that the BJP’s general secretary in Goa, Sadanand Shet Tanavde “knew the details of the horse-trading and pay-offs made to MLAs.”
‘Congress frustrated’ When contacted for his response, Mr. Tanavde said, “This is an outburst of frustration by Mr. Chodankar and his party. The MGP, GFP and independents have all come to BJP on their own.” He asserted that there was “not a single paisa transaction in this” and added that the BJP does not indulge in such horse-trading.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Chopper down
JAIPUR
A 73-year-old man and his son were found murdered in their house in Mansarovar area here, the police said on Thursday. Their decomposed bodies were discovered last night after neighbours complained of a foul smell, SHO Mansarover police station Surendra Singh said.- PTI
MUZAFFARNAGAR
ED attaches assets worth ₹414 crore in NSEL scam
Out of control: Indian Air Force personnel inspect a Chetak helicopter that crashed while attempting to land in a village near Bamrauli Air Base in Allahabad on Wednesday. Reports said the crew escaped unhurt. AFP
New Delhi
The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth over ₹414 crore of Lakshmi Energy & Foods Limited in connection with the money laundering probe into the National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) scam, in which 13,000 investors were cheated of ₹5,600 crore. The agency had registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, on the basis of an FIR lodged by the Economic Offences Wing in October 2013. It is alleged that the accused persons induced the investors to trade on the NSEL platform. They created documents like bogus warehouse receipts and falsified the accounts to deceive the investors. “Of the ₹5,600 crore swindled by the accused persons, total liability of LOIL group of companies — consisting three defaulters: LOIL Health Foods Limited, LOIL Overseas Foods Limited and LOIL Continental Foods Limited — was ₹720.30 crore,” said an ED statement.
CM YK
Kunkolienkar has also worked as a political assistant to Manohar Parrikar when he was the Chief Minister from 2012 to 2014. How can he be fair as pro-tem Speaker?” asked Mr. Chodankar. Mr. Parrikar was sworn in as the CM on Tuesday with
the backing of 22 MLAs comprising 13 BJP MLAs, three MLAs each from the Goa Forward Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and three independent MLAs. He has to prove his majority in the House on Thursday.
Sukhoi jet crashes, 3 civilians hurt
JNU suicide: Centre orders swift action
Special Correspondent
Jobs for sisters to be considered
A Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Barmer in Rajasthan on Wednesday. Three civilians on the ground were injured in the incident but both the pilots managed to eject safely. This is the seventh crash of a Su-30MKI aircraft since their induction in 1997. It was on a routine sortie when it crashed near the Utarlai air base, a senior IAF official said. The injured civilians are Narayan Ram, his daughter-in-law and grandson. The incident occurred near Shivkar village in the Sadar police station area, police said.
‘No fair play in ighting terrorists’ 54 additional companies Israeli MP justiies disproportionate use of force
for Kashmir LS by-polls Special Correspondent
Dinakar Peri NEW DELHI
Special Correspondent
On his part Mr. Chodankar also objected to the appointment of two-time Panaji MLA Sidharth Kunkolienkar as the pro-tem Speaker of the Assembly and questioned his neutrality. “A pro-tem Speaker has to be the senior-most member of the Assembly. Mr.
PTI
NEW DELHI
Team formed to nab notorious gangster The police on Wednesday said a special team has been constituted to arrest a notorious gangster who escaped from Mainpuri jail recently. Several raids were conducted at the whereabouts of Murshad Ali, including his house at Khan Daali village in the district yesterday, they said. - PTI
Hot seat: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on his irst day in oice on Wednesday.
There is no fair play with terrorists and a country has to use all its tools to crack down on terrorists to avoid casualties on the part of security forces, said Avi Dichter, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee and a Member of Parliament in Israel, justifying the disproportionate use of force in fighting terror. “If it is needed, it is authorised to use an F-16 fighter jet against a terrorist armed with an M-16 rifle. That is the only way. Because, otherwise if you are seeking fair play, may be in trying to catch the terrorist you are going to lose your own people…,” Mr. Dichter said in his address at the
Counter Terrorism Conference 2017 in the Capital. The quantum of force in fighting terrorists has been an issue of much debate in India. The Indian Army has a high attrition rate in its counter-terror operations which has gone up steadily in recent times.
Initial firing Most causalities on the part of security forces tend to occur in the initial firing by terrorists. Mr. Dichter referred to such instances and suggested use of heavy force as long as civilians were not around. However, he cautioned on the need to stick to rules. Countries will always win
the war against terrorists, he stated, if they connected as countries, cooperating and generous in sharing information and at the same time are fully convinced that they are obeying the law as it is written. “Because when you are starting to cross lines and to bypass laws you are getting into trouble, you are losing your values…,” he said speaking to The Hindu. With both India and Israel being victims of terrorism, Mr. Dichter said cooperation has increased over time but added there was scope to expand it further. With the threat of the Islamic State going up sharply in India, there is emphasis on both sides to expand the cooperation.
Srinagar
To ensure that militants’ do not derail the election process in Jammu and Kashmir, an additional 54 companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed for the smooth conduct of by-polls to the Lok Sabha constituencies of
Srinagar and Anantnag. As the parties, including the National Conference and the Congress, have expressed apprehension over the security scenario, J&K Director General of Police S.P. Vaid said: “The police are fully geared to hold violence-free elections.”
Special Correspondent New Delhi
Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that the government had asked the Delhi police to file FIRs under the SC/ST Act and abetment to suicide — against unknown persons — in relation to the alleged suicide of a Dalit student at Jawaharlal Nehru University. She told the Upper House that she had visited the family of Muthukrishanan Jeevanantham, a resident of Jhelum hostel, who had allegedly hanged himself outside the campus. “It is true that, within 48 hours, the FIR which was to be filed had not been filed. But, now, after we all sat there and heard everybody’s voice — father, guardian, student leaders and friends of the boy — very clearly directed the police, as per instructions from the hon. Home Minister, that by
Nirmala Sitharaman 12 o’ clock the FIR should be filed and a copy should be given to father, guardian and to any number of students who would want a copy of it,” Ms. Sitharaman said. She also said that the Home Minister would consider the demand of the student’s father that the deceased’s two sisters – one a nurse and the other a private school teacher – be given jobs. The elaborate statement came in response to Opposition members raising the matter in the Rajya Sabha in Zero Hour.
A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
8 EDITORIAL
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Safron storm in Uttar Pradesh U.P. has been the epicentre of identity politics, but this election exposed the limits of the politics of social justice
Gauntlet at Sukma
It’s complicated
he big verdict in the big State is out. It highlights several important trends, which though speciic to Uttar Pradesh, have implications far beyond it. The spectacular political triumph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the strongest evidence yet of the tectonic shift in progress since the 2014 Lok Sabha election; to all intents and purposes, the BJP’s resurgence in U.P. consolidates the rightward shift in Indian politics and alters the balance of power to its advantage ahead of the 2019 general election.
T
Nationalisation of elections At a broader level, the historic outcome represents the nationalisation of State elections which is a key element of the BJP’s strategy to establish its electoral dominance across the country. The similarity in the national and State election outcomes indicates the re-nationalisation of elections. What underpins nationalisation? Mr. Modi was front and centre in the campaign; thanks to him, the party won a massive majority in a State election without a local face. People voted for Mr. Modi in the State election as though they were voting in a general election. This knocked out the earlier trend of regionalisation when people voted in the general election as though they were voting in State elections. Also, people voted for Mr. Modi even though he has not done much to deliver on the promises of development, and moreover has not done much for U.P. But the public dissatisfaction with the incumbent State government was enough to persuade voters to believe the Prime Minister’s promise of development rather than either of the two State-based alternatives on of-
U
CM YK
Marginalising Muslims In the event, many voters were willing to buy into the BJP’s charges of minority appeasement. Muslims, on the other hand, were expected to vote en masse for the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance in order to check the BJP’s advance but it seems this didn’t quite happen because many Muslims reportedly voted for the Bahujan Samaj Party. Nonetheless, the prospect of Muslim consolidation behind the SP was used as a rallying cry for the polarisation of Hindu votes. While the BJP leadership was propagating its mantra of ‘development for all’, it lost no opportunity to indulge in ‘community-oriented developmentalism’ of its own. It repeatedly attacked the SP government for discriminating between Hindus and Muslims even at the level of providing basic facilities like electricity. The SP government released detailed data of electricity provisions during Eid and Diwali festivals, but it certainly didn’t stop the BJP from continuing to make
was clearly aimed at mobilising the most backward castes, notably non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav Dalits, to capture the heartland State. In pursuit of this agenda, he distributed tickets copiously to nonYadav OBCs and to non-Jatavs in reserved seats. Mr. Modi’s assiduous wooing of non-Yadav OBCs and Dalits convinced large sections of them to desert the SP and BSP in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and again in the 2017 Assembly elections.
The power of propaganda Finally, the stunning victory emphasises the importance of propaganda and messaging. No one can match up to the appeal and the energy of Mr. Modi when it comes to non-stop election campaigning, and the organisational capacity of the RSS when it comes to relentless propaganda and booth management executed in this election by 1.4 lakh booth samitis. Demonetisation is a good illustration of the power of propaganda. Voters in U.P. seem to connect to Mr. Modi’s political messaging and were more than willing to forgive the hardships inlicted on them by notebandi. In the end, a fractured opposition too helped the BJP. In a threecornered contest, the BJP had a strong advantage. The party’s vote share jumped from just 15% in 2012 to 39.6% in 2017, which was large enough to win more than a threefourths majority against a divided opposition. The combined vote share of the BSP (22.2%) and the SP-Congress alliance (28.2%) adds up to over 50%. The Opposition’s only hope of taking on Mr. Modi and the ruling party is to unite on a common platform and ensure that the vote is not split since 50% of voters have not been swayed by BJP’s ideology of ‘communalised development’, which is an essential part of its growth strategy. Zoya Hasan is Professor Emerita, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Distinguished Professor, Council for Social Development, New Delhi
Crimes of apartheid A new UN report should strengthen the global consensus against Israeli policy
Turkey and the EU nations can’t aford to wait till the referendum to de-escalate tensions ntil Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan started a high-voltage campaign for next month’s referendum on constitutional reforms that give him more powers, relations between Ankara and the European Union were relatively stable, though not without glitches. Trouble started when Mr. Erdogan’s allies drew up plans to organise campaign rallies in European cities to mobilise support among the tens of thousands of Turks living in Europe who are eligible to vote in the April 16 referendum. Several European countries, including Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and some German towns, banned such rallies, raising security concerns as well as fear of domestic political repercussions. Mr. Erdogan, however, turned this into a Turkey versus West spat. When German towns blocked the rallies, Mr. Erdogan accused the country of “Nazi practices”. When the Netherlands refused landing rights to a plane carrying Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was on his way to address a referendum rally, Mr. Erdogan called the country “fascist” and “a Nazi remnant”. Ties between the Netherlands and Turkey deteriorated rapidly thereafter, with Ankara efectively removing the Dutch ambassador. The Turkish government has also hinted that it would scrap an agreement reached with Europe last year to curb the passage of migrants through Turkey in return for inancial help from the EU. The referendum is crucial for Mr. Erdogan’s ambitious plans to overhaul Turkey’s political system. If he gets the reforms approved by a majority of voters, Turkey would move towards a presidential system. He would then handpick his own cabinet and his Justice and Development Party’s MPs and gain at least two iveyear terms uncontested. It is therefore unsurprising that Mr. Erdogan is turning the diplomatic crisis into a political battle to appeal to nationalist sections of the electorate. But the crisis could have undesirable outcomes. European leaders fear that Mr. Erdogan’s outreach could help the anti-Muslim far-right parties in the continent. In the Netherlands, which went to the polls on Wednesday, the far-right candidate, Geert Wilders, has already questioned the “loyalty” of Dutch Muslims of Turkish origin and called for a tough response to Ankara. Mr. Erdogan might win short-term political dividends from this ongoing spat, but in the longer run he is endangering both Turkey’s ties with Europe and the prospects of the hundreds of thousands of Turks living in the continent. European countries could also have avoided extreme reactions, such as refusing to give landing rights to a plane carrying Turkey’s Foreign Minister. Such escalation is politically unwise, given the context in which Mr. Erdogan is running his campaign. Instead, the Netherlands and other countries could have opted for direct engagement with Ankara to avoid a showdown. After all, Turkey and Europe need each other. The EU is Turkey’s largest trading partner. And Turkey is a NATO member. Both sides will be tested on whether they can turn the focus to more positive aspects of this complicated relationship.
president Amit Shah immediately afterwards and laced with ‘KASAB’ left no scope for misunderstanding which way the politics of development was going. The mordant discourse split U.P., which was once deined by cultural syncretism and Ganga-Jumni culture, along HinduMuslim lines.
fer. Polarisation was actively fuelled by communal appeals, with Mr. Modi taking the lead in stoking the feeling of discrimination against Hindus, pushing in the process a shift towards majoritarian consolidation. The election campaign which started on the high note of development then began to traverse the proverbial ground of polarisation. Not a single Muslim was given a BJP ticket. This sent a clear message that the BJP would not ‘appease minorities’, and that Muslims would be shown their place. Muslims have indeed been shown their place in this election. As in 2014, it was not overt communalism or straightforward development rhetoric; it was a heady cocktail of both elements couched within a discourse of ‘communalised development’. This mix was dressed up in the political language of ‘nationalism’ which appeals to large parts of U.P.’s electorate. The secular parties were unable to ofer an efective counter-narrative to this discourse. In a surcharged political climate, the critical issue is not the project of ‘development for all’, but the prospect of development for certain groups cleverly articulated in the rhetoric of discrimination against none. The odious communal reference to graveyards and crematoriums in Mr. Modi’s Fatehpur speech repeated by BJP
vijay prashad
A
partheid is a powerful word, and the United Nations does not use it loosely. But now, in a report released on March 15 in Beirut, Lebanon, the UN has proclaimed that Israel ‘is guilty of the crime of apartheid’. This is a very signiicant judgment, one with important ramiications for the UN, for the International Court of Justice and for the international community. In 2015, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) was charged by its member-states to study whether Israel has established an apartheid regime. ESCWA asked two American academics — Richard Falk and Virginia Tilley — to undertake the study. The report that they have now produced makes the ‘grave charge’ that Israel is guilty of apartheid not only in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem — the Occupied Territory — but also within its own boundaries and against the Palestinian refugees. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu was in Washington, DC recently to meet U.S. President Donald Trump. At that meeting, Mr. Trump seemed to disregard the international consensus towards the creation of two states. In fact, as this report and others show, the twostate solution has been long vitiated. The Israeli government’s illegal Jewish settlement project in the West Bank and its virtual annexation of East Jerusalem makes it impossible to imagine the establishment of Palestine in that region. What exists is one state with an apartheid system, with Israeli Jews in a dominant position over the Palestinians. The new UN report speaks to this disturbing apartheid situation not only in the Occupied Territory of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, but in all of Israel.
A ‘demographic threat’ One reason why the Israeli government is unwilling to consider a onestate solution with equal rights for all Israelis and Palestinians is what they call a ‘demographic threat’. If the 12 million Palestinians — exiles and refugees included — would be citizens of this one state, then they would dwarf the six million Jews in the country. The UN report argues that Israel is a ‘racial regime’ because its institutions are premised on maintaining a Jewish nation by
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Largely oline According to Census 2011, close to 69% of India’s population lives in rural areas. A lack of accessibility to efective digital infrastructure and computing abilities is what poses a major impediment in creating a Digital India (“On computing ability, rural India lost in the woods”, March 15). Most rural schools do not teach computer education in the curriculum. It is time the government made basic computer education mandatory and provided a computer in every village school. Even though the penetration of smartphones is on the rise, most people are still ignorant about the use of digital transactions and e-governance in rural as well as urban India. The programme to provide all gram panchayats with optical ibre connections
techniques of suppression and expulsion. Palestinians who have Israeli citizenship (ezrahut) do not have the right to nationality (le’um), which means that they can only access inferior social services, face restrictive zoning laws, and ind themselves unable to freely buy land. All Palestinians — whether those who live in Haifa (Israel) or in Ain al-Hilweh (Lebanon) — sufer the consequences of Israeli apartheid. This indignity is punctuated with laws that humiliate the Palestinians. The latest law — the Muezzin Bill — imposes limits on the Muslim call to
prayer in Israel and East Jerusalem. Matters would be less grave if the Israeli political system allowed Palestinians rights to make their case against apartheid-like conditions. Article 7(a) of the Basic Law prohibits any political party from considering a challenge to the state’s Jewish character. Since this description of the Israeli state renders Palestinians as secondclass citizens, their voting rights are reduced to merely an airmation of their subordination. Since most of the world’s states have signed the Convention Against Apartheid, they are now obliged to act to punish instances of apartheid. Two recommendations from the report stand out. First, the authors ask that the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate the situation in Israel. The ICC’s Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda opened an investigation on Israel’s 2014 bombing of Gaza and on the illegal settlements in the West Bank. Second, the report asks that member states allow ‘criminal prosecutions of Israeli oicials demonstrably connected with the practices of apartheid against the Palestinian people’. When the UN Security Council declared late last year that Israel’s settlements in the Occupied Territory were illegal, there was worry in
Israel that Ms. Bensouda would accelerate her work. Others in Israel said that there was nothing new in the resolution, which neither used the word ‘grave’ to describe the situation nor considered Israeli actions to be a war crime. But the new report does both. If it is acknowledged that Israel is an apartheid state, then this is tantamount to war crime (in the 1977 Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions) and to a crime against humanity (in the 1973 Apartheid Convention and the 1998 Rome Statute of the ICC).
India’s reaction To prepare the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Israel later this year, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will soon go to Israel. Word comes from the Ministry of External Afairs that it is likely that Mr. Modi will not visit the Occupied Territory, which will be a snub to Palestine. India’s overall reaction to this report will deine Mr. Modi’s attitude towards Israel. The appearance of this report — and its strong conclusions — should give Mr. Modi pause before he shreds decades of consensus for Palestine from India. Vijay Prashad, Professor of International Studies at Trinity College, is the author of ‘The Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution’
Letters emailed to
[email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.
still remains a pipe dream. In short, Digital India cannot become a reality without providing digital facilities and enabling e-literacy in every village. Gagan Pratap Singh, Noida, Uttar Pradesh
■ The use of a personal computer, irrespective of it being in a rural or urban setting, primarily depends on one’s interest and attitude and is not related to the knowledge or capability of a user. Another reason for low digitalisation is that most Indians are habituated to interacting with people rather than machines, which is in complete contrast to what it is in the West.
Kshirasagara Balaji Rao, Hyderabad
Vaccine misconceptions Soon after the measles rubella vaccination
GETTY IMAGES
I
t would be tempting, but dangerous, to see the deadly ambush by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Saturday as just a desperate act of a fading insurgent group. It must, instead, serve as a wake-up call for the security forces to beef up their standard operating procedures, especially intelligence-gathering capabilities, in the Maoist heartland in central India. Twelve personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed in Sunday’s attack, and four others sustained injuries. A road-opening party of the CRPF’s 219 battalion was ambushed about 450 km from the State capital Raipur. The insurgents used improvised explosive devices, country-made mortars and arrows mounted with explosive heads, and made of with some weapons and radio sets of the force. Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha that extremist groups were restless because of the “unprecedented success of the forces against them” in 2016, especially in Chhattisgarh where there was a 15% drop in left-wing extremist incidents. However, the precision and scale of the attack are an indication that the Maoists continue to hold formidable sway in Sukma, their long-time stronghold. In 2013 they ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in Sukma district, killing more than 25 persons, including former Union Minister V.C. Shukla. There have been periodic Maoist attacks in the region. It is estimated that over the last two decades at least 15,000 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence. More than 3,000 of them were security personnel. And while violence is down from its peak in 2009-10, in 2016 oicial estimates put the toll at 213 civilians, 65 security force personnel and 89 Maoists. The government has over the past decade taken a patchy approach to bringing the so-called “red corridor” under its writ. The only presence of the state consistently visible across the region has been of the security forces, not of the civil administration. Counter-insurgency operations by the security forces have often been undermined by poor intelligence, lagging alertness of the security forces and the absence of a multi-layered political strategy. The Maoists do not survive merely on ideology; they have a well-oiled machinery providing protection to various interest groups in the absence of a robust state responsive to the security and welfare needs of the civilian population. Ultimately, any ight against non-state actors will be efective only when the state puts forward its combined might to exhibit what it can — and indeed must — provide to the people.
zoya hasan
GETTY IMAGES
The Maoist ambush suggests that the state has a lot more to do to establish its writ
wild charges of discrimination and giving the impression that it is the only party to challenge the patronage system practised by the SP and Congress. Undeterred by facts, it went on to complain that Muslims were the only ones to beneit from the Kanya Vidya Dhan Yojana, under which the U.P. government provides assistance of ₹30,000 to each girl student who has passed the 12th board examinations with distinction. It is evident that posttruth is having a ield day in U.P. A blithe disregard for facts characterised the political campaign of the BJP in this election. U.P. has been the epicentre of identity politics for over two decades but this election exposed the limits of the politics of social justice. The OBC and Dalit movement, which started of as a political voice of the marginalised social groups giving them a sense of participation in political afairs, had been reduced to the politics of reservations with beneits cornered by particular segments of these castes which alienated sub-groups within the wider category. The BJP was quick to take advantage of the discontent of large social segments with old style identity politics. Turning the politics of social justice on its head, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)/BJP crafted a broad-based identity politics on the ruins of the old political order which had outlived its utility for a critical mass of OBCs. It mobilised a new bloc of voters by showering attention on the most backward among them — the nonYadav OBCs and non-Jatav Dalits — that blunted the politics of BSP and SP in one stroke. The terms of engagement were unmistakably driven by identity and motivated by resentment towards YadavMuslim domination under SP rule. The BJP’s idea of community politics gained new traction as a large number of Hindu voters saw it as a more capacious identity which aligns them to a larger narrative than the fragmentation inherent in caste politics. The strategy of reverse social engineering that Mr. Shah scripted
campaign was announced by the government, strange messages began to be circulated on social media. I found most of them to be baling given my background — I am an intern from a medical college in Mangaluru who was sent to a few schools on the outskirts of the city to educate parents about MR. For instance, we walked into a classroom to tell parents all they needed to know but found that those in the room had already made up their minds about what to tell us. They saw us as agents of the government trying to reduce the population in the name of an MR campaign. In the end, we could convince a few parents about the need to vaccinate their children. There are no side efects, but a few may develop fever which is self-limiting. For the MR vaccine campaign to
be a success, we need to communicate the right message. Prasanth G. Narahari Attavar, Mangaluru
Prejudice and learning There is an urgent need to enlist experts to revamp the existing education system (“JNU student from TN ends life”, March 14). The system is impoverished and cannot ensure the holistic development of children, which leaves especially students from an underprivileged background vulnerable. Children with educated parents generally have a robust internal defence mechanism and learn to weather the inadequacies embedded in the system. Children who do not inherit such a mechanism fall prey to various maladies.
■
Maternity beneits
The Central government’s decision to increase paid maternity leave for women in the organised sector to 26 weeks is a progressive step (Editorial – “Partial cover”, March 11). In this connection, one must note that the World Health Organisation had also recommended exclusive breastfeeding of children for the irst 24 weeks. The move should be expanded to the unorganised sectors as a majority of the working women force is here. Besides maternity leave, mothers need nutritious food and medical facilities, either free or at subsided rates. The government should ensure these. Bobbili Sridhara Rao,
Rameeza A. Rasheed,
Hyderabad
Chennai
Nagarajamani M.V., Hyderabad
facilities to enhance opportunities for selfemployment through household industries such as easy credit, free skill training in the making of marketable products and services, help in acquiring mobility through the use of cycles or scooters and baby care centres near their homes would help marginalised women retain their jobs after childbirth. Women labourers in the unorganised sector already face obstacles in the form of discriminatory wages, lack of job security and denial of government facilities. Hence, if the government resorts to inclusiveness in rendering labour rights to these women workers, they would continue to contribute to GNP.
more letters online: ■
I would also suggest that
www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/
A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU
OPED 9
NOIDA/DELHI
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
An exit from Brexit?
A battle settled from the start Last-hour promises couldn’t stem anti-incumbency against the Congress in Uttarakhand. A BJP romp was inevitable
vidya ram
vipin pubby
In early March, British Prime Minister Theresa May took to the stage in Glasgow to address a gathering of Scottish Conservatives as talk of a potential second Scottish referendum gathered pace. Mrs. May adopted a strategy of attack: lambasting the Scottish National Party (SNP) for “tunnel vision nationalism”, including in its approach to the EU referendum. The SNP had been highlighting the significance of retaining single market access to the EU, but this, she said, clouded the fact that the U.K. domestic market was worth “four times more to Scottish firms” than Europe. She then pointed to an example of what she believed could be achieved outside the EU. She noted that Scottish whisky represented just a 1% share of the Indian market, thanks to a tariff of 150%. “I am determined we should do better than that for our key industries,” she said. “That’s why I led a major trade delegation to India last year, and why I was delighted to take the Scottish Whisky Association with me.” That speech — delivered just over a week before Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s momentous announcement that she would be seeking Scottish parliamentary approval for a second referendum on independence — highlighted one of the challenges facing Scotland, which will have to weigh up EU and U.K. membership should a new referendum on independence go ahead.
The writings on the wall had long been clear in Uttarakhand, with the Congress led by Chief Minister Harish Rawat fighting a losing battle. And so it did not come as too much of a surprise when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) romped home with the highest margin since the formation of the State 17 years ago. Riding on the Modi wave, it bagged 57 of the 70 Assembly seats in the State, with the Congress winning just 11. Mr. Rawat, who waged a lonely battle for his party, lost both the seats he contested. Even the president of the State unit of the party, Kishore Upadhyay, lost his election. A majority of Mr. Rawat’s Cabinet colleagues also bit the dust. Mr. Rawat had survived an attempt to topple his government last year after a section of Congress leaders joined hands with the opposition BJP. His government survived only after the intervention of the courts but it was clear that he had lost popular support. The Rawat government faced several allegations of corruption and maladministration. Even during the attempted coup led by some of his colleagues last year, a sting operation had allegedly exposed the Chief Minister himself offering to look the other way in exchange of support to him. The issue is now being investigated under a directive from the courts.
More about market access While Scotland voted decisively in favour of remaining in the EU (62% of Scots voted to remain, against 55.8% of Northern Ireland, 47.5% of Wales, and 46.6% of England), Brexit was as divisive of the “yes” and “no” camps of the 2014 Scottish referendum as it was of communities across the U.K., says John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde and a noted pollster. “Although a lot of people may have voted to remain in the EU, they weren’t doing so with an enormous enthusiasm that says we must stay above everything else,” he adds. It’s one reason why even after the Brexit
In the puzzle: “Leaving the union and joining the EU could prove a logistical nightmare, calling the current open border between England and Scotland into question.” GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
referendum took place last year, opinion on independence didn’t change dramatically from where it was in 2014, when just over 55% of the population said they wanted to remain within the U.K. in the independence referendum. Could that be about to change? Recent polls have suggested a rise in support for independence (to around 50%), perhaps spurred by the announcement of the U.K. government earlier this year that it would have no alternative but to leave the single market and the customs union — seen as a kick in the teeth by the Scottish government which in December published a White Paper setting out the case why it was essential for Scotland to retain unfettered access to it. Dubbing the Westminster government’s unwillingness to engage on this issue as a “brick wall of intransigence”, Ms. Sturgeon this week set out the case for a second referendum. Her focus on the single market — rather than E.U. membership — is perhaps indicative of her awareness that it is the risk of losing this rather than full-blown membership that is likely to rile voters. Exactly what question voters could face in a second referendum on independence remains to be seen. Ms. Sturgeon believes a referendum between autumn next year and spring 2019 would be ideal: by this stage the shape of the Brexit negotiations is likely to be somewhat clearer, enabling voters to make a more informed choice. While the U.K. government has the power to block the referendum from happening under current legislation,
whether it would take the highly controversial step of doing so (particularly at a time it has emphasised taking back control and parliamentary sovereignty) remains to be seen. It is thought more likely that it could push to hold the referendum after Britain leaves the EU, though Ms. Sturgeon has warned that this would be akin to puncturing a lifeboat after sinking the ship. “I was elected as [First Minister] on a clear manifesto commitment…the [Prime Minister] is not yet elected by anyone,” she noted in a tweet earlier this week.
The factors at play The biggest question going forward will be public appetite for independence. Downing Street has insisted that it does not exist, and there are certainly factors that may make Scots cautious about leaving the union, such as the impact of the low oil price environment on the Scottish economy. Leaving the union and joining the EU would also be a logistical nightmare, calling the current open border between England and Scotland into question. The Westminster government is likely to play on those concerns as well as highlight the potential for industries such as the Scottish drinks industry within a U.K. unshackled by EU membership, with links to fast-growing Commonwealth countries, and beyond. However, winning that argument may prove tricky, given the already existing concerns about the future of sectors such as banking in a Britain outside the EU. An independence campaign is likely to emphasise the opportunities that remaining within the single market could have to at-
tract investment from the financial services sector, among others. There are other factors at play too: while all political parties in Westminster threw themselves into the “no” campaign in 2014, their ability to do so is likely to be more constrained this time round, particularly if Brexit negotiations are under way. Also given the electoral impact in 2014 for Labour of sharing a platform with the Conservatives (essentially electoral oblivion in Scotland), it is questionable whether they would do so again, particularly under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. According to Nighet Riaz, who headed “Scots Asians for Yes to an Independent Scotland” during the first referendum campaign and is currently standing for election as a councillor in Pollokshields, one of the most ethnically diverse wards of Glasgow, while opinion on the EU referendum was mixed within the local community, there is a real concern about the future. “On the doorstep, we are hearing people asking, ‘What does Brexit mean for us, our jobs, our mortgages, and our day-today living?’” She believes the campaign for a second referendum is likely to gather momentum. “Everything we were promised [in the first referendum] did not materialise: we were told we would be listened to, we were an important part of the union, but we have been disregarded and ridiculed on the same lines as before and during the referendum… we voted against Brexit and we are now getting dragged out of the single market.”
[email protected]
Ploughing a lonely furrow Hardly any senior Congress leader campaigned in Uttarakhand. Even party vicepresident Rahul Gandhi addressed just a couple of election rallies, which too did not evoke much response. In an effort to woo the large number of youth in the State, Mr. Rawat announced an attractive but controversial ‘Berojgari bhatta’ (unemployment allowance) card promising one job per household for those unemployed between the ages of 18 and 35, by 2020. The scheme also provided for a monthly allowance of ₹2,500 for one jobless member of each family for 36 months to all such cardholders. The Election Commission later directed the State authorities to stop the distribution of cards although over 10,000 people had registered within 48 hours of its launch. However, such last-hour promises failed to cut much ice with the electorate, which turned out in huge numbers at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three major public rallies in Uttarakhand. This, despite the fact that the State unit of the BJP was in bad shape and facing internal rebellion. In fact, State BJP president Ajay Bhatt eventually lost
to his Congress rival by a margin of over 49,000 votes in Ranikhet. The rebellion within the State unit of the BJP resulted from the unsuccessful attempt last year to topple the Rawat government. The party had to accommodate all nine Congress rebel MLAs, including former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. Those denied the party ticket to make way for the Congress rebels joined the Congress. Interestingly, almost 80% of the constituencies in the State had rebels contesting against their party’s candidates.
A targeted BJP campaign The BJP had several factors going in its favour. It pitched its campaign to target the youth, who make up more than half the electorate. The party announced several schemes for them including unemployment allowance and creation of jobs. It also announced many developmental schemes for the State.
PTI
A second independence referendum for Scotland would open up a new bunch of questions
Uttarakhand has the distinction of contributing a disproportionately large number of personnel to the defence forces and other paramilitary forces. It also has a large number of retired personnel from these forces settled in the State. The BJP’s campaign targeted the roughly 1.75 lakh such households, which makes up a substantial vote bank in the small hill State. The party pitched the successful surgical strikes and never failed to mention the contribution of the State towards the defence forces. The acceptance of the demand for ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP) also gained popular goodwill for the party. The performance of the BJP in Uttarakhand is likely to have an impact on the party’s fortunes in the neighbouring hill State of Himachal Pradesh where elections are due later this year. Vipin Pubby is a Chandigarh-based journalist
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
SINGLE FILE
FROM
A lost opportunity
FIFTY YEARS AGO MARCH 16, 1967
P.M.’s talks with Opposition leaders
How the Maternity Beneit Bill fails to enable gender parity
The meeting which the Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, had with the leaders of the Opposition parties on the eve of the Fourth Lok Sabha failed to reach any agreement on several issues, particularly on the choice of the Speaker. It is learnt that the Communist Party (Marxist), the Praja Socialist Party, the Jan Sangh and the Samyukta Socialist Party whose leaders attended this morning’s [March 15, New Delhi] meeting have informally agreed to the choice of Mr. Tenneti Viswanatham, who has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Andhra, as the candidate for Speakership. The Swatantra Party, whose leader, Mr. Masani, attended the meeting, seems to be in favour of Mr. Kunte, former Speaker of the Bombay Assembly, who has been elected as an Independent candidate from Maharashtra. But it is expected that the Swatantra may not object to Mr. Tenneti Viswanatham since all other Opposition parties seem to be agreed on him.
Veena Venugopal
GETTY IMAGES
On March 9, a day after International Women’s Day, Parliament cleared the Maternity Beneit (Amendment) Bill. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya called it his “humble gift to women.” The Bill extends the period of paid maternity leave for women working in the organised sector to 26 weeks from the current 12. This is applicable to all organisations that employ 10 or more people. Although on the face of it this is a Bill that will beneit women employees, in its implementation it is likely to adversely impact women in the workplace. The gender ratio in corporate India is already highly lopsided. In 2015, women accounted for only 21% of the jobs at the entry level to managerial position, according to a report, From Intention to Impact, published by Catalyst, a non-proit organisation. Even as HR managers strive to increase the gender diversity in their organisations, they are wary about the added costs of hiring young, fertile women. This extension of maternity leave to six months will efectively double these costs and this is likely to result in much fewer women being employed in the corporate sector. In progressive countries, at least a part of the maternity costs are borne by the government. In India, this is entirely passed on to companies. There is both a direct as well as an indirect cost to long maternity leaves. “We have to also consider that, especially when teams are small, the cost of the absentee employee is borne by other employees, not so much in money, but in terms of working additional hours to make up for the absence,” the HR head of a large organisation said. “Therefore, when we make a hiring decision, we have to think about the impact that having several young women in a team will have on the overall productivity of the team and the hidden costs that the organisation has to bear.” Also, India’s leaking pipeline – the number of women who quit their jobs between junior and middle levels – is 50%, compared to the average of 29% in Asia. This also implies that the number of women who avail their maternity beneits and yet do not resume their jobs is rather high, adding to the cost concerns of their recruiters. That said, some of the other provisions in the Bill are encouraging and if implemented well, will help young mothers stay in the workplace. For example, organisations which employ more than 30 women (or 50 people, whichever is less) will now have to provide a crèche. The mother is allowed to visit the crèche four times during the day. Also, mothers who adopt babies are entitled to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave.
Forgotten fathers Where the Bill fails utterly though, is in its complete negligence of the roles of fathers. Not only is this a lost opportunity to make some provisions for gender parity, it also works as a double whammy against women, by heaping all parental responsibilities exclusively on her. It further pushes the arguments of both comparative costs of hiring women versus men, as well as ties women down to the primary role of being childcare providers and not professionals in the workplace. CM YK
ARCHIVES
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO MARCH 16, 1917
A successful session CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CONCEPTUAL
FAQ
Modernism/ Arts & Literature
Comparing budgets
Modernism was the broad movement in Western arts and literature that gathered pace from around 1850 to last some 40 years. It was marked by a deliberate rejection and questioning of past styles and prior representations of human life, emphasising instead innovation and experimentation in terms of forms, materials and techniques to create works that better reflected modern society. Ezra Pound’s reiteration to ‘Make it New!’ was the standard of the movement’s approach towards what it saw as the culture of the past. Those three words are indeed assumed to sum up most of what modernism stands for.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
MORE ON THE WEB
3
On South India and its many women Carnatic singers http://bit.ly/CarnaticMusicSouthIndia
China’s arms spending versus that of the U.S. and India Josy Joseph
What is new about the Chinese defence budget?
On March 6, China announced its official defence budget for 2017. With a rise of 7%, the official spending on defence would be 1.044 trillion yuan ($151.43 billion, or about ₹10 lakh crore) in 2017, a spokeswoman for the National People’s Congress announced in an effort to dispel global concerns about lack of transparency in Chinese defence spending. The figure was omitted a day earlier from the annual budget report released by the Ministry of Finance. The modest budget increase was surprising, especially since President Xi Jinping, who chairs the Central Military Commission, is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of the military to turn it into a nimble, modern force. Is the figure reliable?
The officially announced figure may not fully reflect the Chinese spending in
beefing up its military capabilities in both conventional and unconventional arenas. Most China observers believe that the total spending by the country is significantly more than the official budget. It is well known that much of the Chinese spending on dualuse capabilities is not accounted as military spending. Would it be instructive to compare China’s defence budget to that of the U.S.?
Observers were surprised by the increase in defence spending, especially given that American President Donald Trump proposes a 10% increase in military spending, though the U.S. has wound up most of its major foreign operations, and the growing tension between the two countries. Pentagon’s budget, proposed in the last week of February, is $603 billion. While China inhabits a far more complex neighbourhood, it is nowhere near the U.S. in terms of military capabilities, expeditionary
operations and strategic capabilities. However, China would also be drawing its lessons from the collapse of Soviet Union, which stretched its resources in an arms race with the U.S.
The Ninth Session of the Nambudiri Yogashema Sabha, the representative association of the Nambudiris of Malabar, Cochin and Travancore was held at Trichur on Sunday and Monday last in a huge pavilion put up for the occasion. The session was attended by about five hundred Nambudiris from the different parts of Kerala. There were also a number of visitors. Mr. Cherumukku Vaideekar Vasudevan Somayachipad presided. Mr. Karur Damodaram Nambuduripad, the President of the Reception Committee, in an interesting speech welcomed the assembly. CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
DATA POINT
What about India?
For 2017-18, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has allocated ₹3,59,854 crore (roughly $53.5 billion) to the Ministry of Defence, which is a third of the Chinese defence budget. Some part of the Indian budget would be spent in catching up with the modern infrastructure and military capabilities across the border. However, much of New Delhi’s plans to counter China’s growing military strength is shelved already. India’s first Mountain Strike Corps, meant for China operations, is now scaled down, the IAF is struggling to meet the huge shortage of fighters, and the Navy does not even have enough capital budget to pay for committed liabilities. A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
10 NEWS
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
FROM PAGE ONE
NIA hunts for 5 men from T.N. for IS links He had alleged at a press conference that the NIA was forcing him to become a witness against a few suspects, who were arrested from Hyderabad in July for alleged activities supporting the IS. Fakkrudeen and his family became citizens of Singapore six years ago. In November 2013, he, along with his wife and three children, went to Syria, but came back to India as he could not establish any contact with IS operatives there. In Syria, he is reported to have stayed with some Chechen Mujahideen.
Untraceable since 2014 On January 22, 2014, he left Chennai for Syria through Turkey and has been untraceable since. Damoodi had earlier funded three men from Hyderabad who had attempted twice to flee India. They first tried to go to Syria through Bangladesh and Afghanistan. When they were caught, a second attempt was made to go to the
Kashmir Valley but they were caught at the Nagpur airport. “All this while they were available and evidence was being collected against them. As soon as a case was registered against them in January this year, all of them have slipped off the radar. At least two left the country in the past two years,” said the official. An FIR filed by the NIA said: “A group of nine persons — eight hailing from Tamil Nadu and one from Telangana — and some other unknown persons, with the intention to further the activities of Daesh/ Islamic State, a banned terrorist organisation in India, hatched a criminal conspiracy in Chennai and other parts of the country by forming a terrorist gang which raised and received funds, organised camps, recruited and trained some persons, and facilitated their travel to Syria to join the IS.”
Suspense over U.P., Uttarakhand CMs The party’s parliamentary board had on Sunday evening passed a resolution leaving the choice of CMs in both States to Mr. Shah. “That is the reason why central observers [also appointed during Sunday’s meeting of the parliamentary board] Venkaiah Naidu and Bhupendra Yadav have not been despatched to Lucknow yet to ascertain the views of the MLAs on who should be their leader,” said a source.
Front runners Besides Mr. Rajnath Singh, front runners for the CM’s post in U.P. include Union Minister for Telecommunications Manoj Sinha and State BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya. Mr. Sinha is considered a
Bigger role for PHCs in health policy
safe pair of hands in terms of administration and also does not represent a numerically dominant social group which could be an advantage in a situation where there are competing community interests to take care of. Mr. Maurya, hailing from a non-Yadav OBC background that came out in huge numbers to support the BJP in these polls, has the advantage of a community base that the party would like to see attached to it beyond these polls. “It is rather ironic that States where the mandate was unclear like Goa and Manipur, have already seen the installation of a government, but not where everything is clear,” said a party leader.
Staff Reporter NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW
The government on Wednesday approved the National Health Policy, which proposes to provide “assured health services to all” in the country. Government sources said the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its nod to the policy which had been pending for the last two years.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday joined Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati in casting doubts over the working of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) after his party’s poor show in Punjab. Ms. Mayawati went a step further and announced in Lucknow that her party would be taking the Election Commission of India (ECI) to court over alleged tampering of EVMs and observe a “black day” every month over what she termed the “murder of democracy.” The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), headed by Mr Kejriwal won 20 seats in the 117member Assembly with a vote share of 24.9%. Mr.
CM YK
Special Correspondent New Delhi
The Rajya Sabha failed to function on Wednesday, after the Congress forced three adjournments, vociferously protesting against the “stealing of the mandate” in Manipur and Goa. Its contention was that it was not invited to form the government even though it had emerged as the single largest party in the two States, albeit short of a majority. Congress MPs, who raised the issue as soon as the House met for the day, stormed the well, shouting slogans, even as Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad stressed that despite the Congress emerging as the single largest party in Goa
and Manipur, the BJP had installed its governments through their Governors “after violating the Constitution and the Supreme Court judgment.” He, therefore, demanded “that the Governors of Goa and Manipur be removed and Congress Chief Ministers be allowed to take oath in both States.”
House adjourned With the BJP not conceding any ground and the Congress sticking to its line, the House was adjourned finally for the day at around 3.10 p.m. Earlier, citing rulings of the Supreme Court’s Constitution benches, the Congress stressed the Governor was bound to invite the party with the largest number of
the elections in a democracy should be accepted and respected by all. He also demanded that the House adopt a resolution against the role of the two Governors. If the Congress protested against the “undemocratic” manner in which the BJP had formed governments in Goa and Manipur, the latter maintained that all democratic norms were followed.
Crying foul: Opposition members protest in the well of the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI/ TV GRAB MLAs to form the government and prove its majority in the House. If it had failed to get the requisite numbers, then the BJP could have been called, the party said. Raising the issue through
a Zero Hour mention after his notice under rule 267 seeking the setting aside of the business was converted, Congress Deputy Leader Anand Sharma said the people’s mandate through
From footballer to Chief Minister
Congress MLA’s defection helps BJP
Shiv Sahay Singh
Special Correspondent Kolkata
N. Biren Singh was sworn in as the first BJP Chief Minister of Manipur at Raj Bhavan in Imphal on Wednesday. Having come to power with the support of three regional parties and a dissident member from the Congress, the new government has accommodated its different allies in the Cabinet, even if it meant fewer berths for the BJP.
Two for BJP Of the nine Cabinet berths including that of Chief Minister, BJP MLAs were given only two posts. The only other legislator from the BJP to get a Cabinet berth was prominent party leader T. Biswajit Singh, an MLA from Thongu constituency. The National People’s Party (NPP) which was set up by former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma, gofour berths in the Cabinet, with Yumnan Joykumar
Singh beingappointed as deputy Chief Minister. The lawmaker from Uripok constituency is the former Director General of Police, Manipur. Three others legislators of NPP, L. Jayantakumar, N. Koyisi and L. Haokip, have also been included in the Cabinet.
An important ally Naga People’s Front’s Losi Dikho, an MLA from Mao, was given a Cabinet berth. The party has four members in the House. Karan Shyam, the only MLA from Lok Janshakti Party and Congress MLA from Andro constituency T. Shyamkumar who has defected to the BJP, were also among the list of Ministers. It was the defection of Mr. Shyamkumar, who was expelled by the Congress during the day, that had tilted the balance in favour of the BJP. In the 60-member House, the Congress won 28 seats and the BJP 21.
A former Congressman, Biren Singh joined BJP just ive months before polls 1993”, he said. From 1993 to 2002, he said that he was associated with the regional newspaper called Naharlogi Thoudang (Responsibilities of Youth). During his stint as the editor of the paper, he also had a brush with the law when he was arrested for publishing a statement in April 2000 which the police claimed was “anti-national and seditious”.
Imphal
Nongthombam Biren Singh, who on Wednesday was sworn in as the first Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) Chief Minister of Manipur, is a politician who has donned many hats. A graduate from Manipur University in Arts, Mr. Singh hails from Luwangsangbam Mamang Leikai, a rural area in Imphal East district and has been representing Heingang Assembly constituency in the district since 2002. The 56-year-old politician, who has been a national-level footballer, served in the central paramilitary forces and also worked as an editor of a local newspaper. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Singh said his foray into active politics began in June 2001, when he along with other leaders started the Democratic Revolutionary People’s Party. Subsequently he joined the Congress. “After joining the Congress in 2003, I was Minister of State for Vigilance. Later, I
Kejriwal claimed that around 20 to 25% of its votes may have been transferred to the SAD-BJP coalition as the EVMs were tampered with. “The poll result is beyond understanding and raises a big question mark on the reliability of EVMs as political analysts across the spectrum had predicted a landslide win for AAP,” he said. Mr. Kejriwal refrained from mentioning Goa, where his party drew a blank.
Raising suspicion Mr. Kejriwal claimed that in some of the booths in Punjab, the number of votes AAP got was even less than its volunteers deployed there, adding that it has raised suspicion of foul play. Asked what explains AAP’s stun-
Ballot battle: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leader Sanjay Singh addressing the media in New Delhi. V. SUDERSHAN
ning victory in 2015 polls in Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal said that it may have got to do with BJP’s ‘over-confidence’ that it would clinch a victory. “So they may not have indulged
Clear all doubts on EVMs, Quraishi tells poll panel
in tampering. The same would explain the victory of JD(U)-RJD in Bihar. Even then BJP was very sure of winning the State,” he said. Ms. Mayawati in Lucknow
New role: Biren Singh was sworn in as the Manipur CM on Wednesday. PTI
was handed the portfolios of Irrigation and Flood Control along with Youth Affairs and Sports,” he said.
Served in BSF Speaking about life before politics, he talked about his love for sports and journalism. “I got into the BSF through sports quota and sports, particularly football, remains my first love. I served the BSF from 1979 to
Nistula Hebbar New Delhi
S.Y. Quraishi
raised doubts over the EVMs but kept quiet when they won, instead of eating their words. It’s the voter who needs to be conveyed the facts.” He added that the ECI had also undertaken, before the Supreme Court, that the 2019 general elections would be held using Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)
machines. “That would require two million machines, as of now one million should have been manufactured. It would be good if subsequent elections be held with VVPAT machines,” says Mr. Quraishi, who has authored the book The Undocumented Wonder: The Great Indian Election. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have questioned the credibility of EVMs after massive losses in the recent polls. “When you win, EVMs are right. When you lose, EVMs are wrong. This shows that there are some defects in you [Mayawati],” Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said. “You should gracefully accept the people’s mandate,” he added.
said that her party would be hitting the streets in Uttar Pradesh to protest against EVMs and their alleged tampering. She too had an explanation for why she wasn’t mentioning the results in states like Goa and Manipur or even Punjab in her (where BJP didn’t fare well). “Had they done the same in other States they would not have been able to give a proper reply to questions raised by people and would have been caught easily,” she said, adding they did not indulge in tampering in smaller States as they had to keep something for their defence. “They got this victory through tampering of EVMs and this win smacks of dishonesty, fraud and murder of democracy,” she alleged.
Voting machines are foolproof, says expert Devesh K. Pandey
‘It will be good if subsequent elections have paper trail’ Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi has asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to “proactively and aggressively” counter the doubts raised by leaders of various political parties regarding tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). Speaking exclusively to The Hindu, Mr. Quraishi says while there can be no doubt about the integrity of the elections being held under the aegis of the ECI, the message should be conveyed to the people, more than the political parties. “The ECI should communicate it to the people so that there is no doubt among the people. All political parties at one time or another have
Jaitley’s explanation Finance Minister and Leader of the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, rejecting all allegations of wrongdoing, pointed out that the Governor had only two options — that of inviting the single largest party or the alternative coalition. Citing the example of Jharkhand, he recalled that
some years back his party, despite getting 30 seats in the 81-member Assembly, was not invited to form the government; instead, the JMM with 17 seats had formed the government along with some other parties. In 1998 too, when the Vajpayee government was formed, he said, the then President had also spelt out the option of an alternative coalition to be taken into account in government formation. “When the alternative coalition has a clear majority and they have written to and presented themselves before the Governor, there is no scope of inviting a minority in a democracy,” Mr. Jaitley explained.
In Manipur Cabinet, allies get lion’s share
Delhi CM claims 25% of AAP votes may have gone to SAD-BJP; BSP chief threatens to take EC to court
Press Trust of India
Upgrade of hospitals The source said that under the new policy, there would also be a bigger focus on upgrading of district hospitals. The health policy, which has been pending for the past two years, aims to provide assured health services to people as an “entitlement”. A Cabinet note, which had been given earlier, however, had not talked about making health a “fundamental right” as it would have “legal consequences” but proposed assured health services.
Opposition members raise voice against ‘stealing of mandate’ in both States, demand removal of Governors
Kejriwal, Mayawati up the ante against EVMs
New Delhi
Minister to speak today Union Minister J.P. Nadda is likely to make a suo motu statement in Parliament on Thursday, elaborating on the salient features of the policy. Health Ministry sources said that in a major shift, the policy increases the gambit of sectors covered in the Primary Health Centre (PHC) level and envisages a comprehensive approach. “For example, till now, the PHCs were only for immunisation, ante-natal check-ups and others. A major policy shift is that now it will also include screening for non-communicable diseases and a whole lot of other aspects,” according to a senior official.
Congress rocks RS over Goa, Manipur
New Delhi
It is impossible to hack the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used by the Election Commission, owing to the technology used and the administrative processes that have been put in place for their secure handling, says CDAC Director-General Rajat Moona, who is part of the Technical Expert Committee on EVMs. Dr. Moona says the allegations made by political parties are unsubstantiated and the claims are being made only for publicity. “Our EVMs are the best in the world. No other such device comes close to our machines. We have verified them several times,” he says. Following similar allegations, the Election Commission had in 2009 invited those who had expressed reservations about the EVMs to
demonstrate how they can be tampered with. One hundred EVM samples were randomly collected from 10 States for the purpose. None of the claimants were able to prove that the machines could be hacked.
No modification possible Mr. Moona says: “EVMs do not have any communication device. They don’t have even an antenna and therefore, any device from outside cannot be connected to them wirelessly. To say that they can be modified is a completely false claim.” On the claims that some University of Michigan researchers had demonstrated how they had “hacked” the EVMs used in India, as reported by the BBC in 2010, Mr. Moona says: “We had invited them, but they could not prove it. None of the allegations were provable at all.”
Once an aide of Ibobi He was once considered a close aide of Okram Ibobi Singh. He was the spokesperson for the Manipur government between 2007 to 2012 and later spokesperson for the Congress. However things started changing after 2012, when in the last term of the Congress government, he could not make it into Mr. Ibobi Singh’s Cabinet. Sources in the Congress say that in the last quarter of 2016, he and certain others lobbied for a Cabinet reshuffle. In the reshuffle, only three Cabinet ministers could be dropped. When offered a Cabinet
berth he refused to accept it. He left the Congress to join the BJP in October 2016, hardly five months before the 2017 Assembly polls.
Dark horse in the BJP Though relatively new in the party, his elevation as the leader of the BJP legislature party on Monday has been because of a host of factors including the defeat of BJP heavyweights like Thounaojam Chaoba Singh, a veteran politician and BJP State president. Just before the polls K. Joykishan, a prominent BJP leader switched sides and joined the Congress. Politicians and people cutting across party lines in Manipur, describe Mr. Biren Singh as a very accessible and friendly person. “I assure the people that our team will bring good governance to the people of Manipur,” he told journalists. His first task will be clearing the blockade on the National Highways which has crippled the State for over four months, following creation of new districts.
‘Attacks on Indians isolated incidents’ Case discussed in detail, says Sushma Special Correspondent New Delhi
The recent hate attacks against members of the Indian community in the U.S. were isolated actions of a few individuals and do not represent the sentiment of the American people towards India, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Wednesday. Speaking in the Lok Sabha , Ms. Swaraj said the government has discussed such attacks at the highest levels of diplomacy with the U.S. and has been assured of an investigation into the causes behind the incidents. “People-to-people contacts are the foundation on which the India-U.S. strategic partnership has been built. Broad sections of the American society have expressed their deep sorrow over these incidents reassures us that despite these individual incidents, the American society values the people-to-people engagement between our two countries,” said Ms. Swaraj in her statement.
A warm welcome Ms. Swaraj, who made her first appearance in Parliament three months after she underwent a kidney transplant, was greeted by her colleagues with a spontaneous applause.
Sushma Swaraj arrives in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, three months after a kidney transplant. R.V. MOORTHY Ms. Swaraj said the U.S. had condemned these attacks at the highest levels. “The Government has taken up this issue with the U.S. Government at very high levels and conveyed our deep concerns. We have called for necessary measures to ensure the safety of [the] Indian diaspora and expeditious investigation into these incidents.” The response came after a series of attacks on Indians in the U.S.. In the first attack in Kansas on February 22, an IT professional, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, was shot dead. It also left his colleague injured. On March 2, Harnish Patel, a U.S. national of Indian origin was shot dead in South Carolina. The third attack on March 4 injured Deep Rai.
A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU
NEWS 11
NOIDA/DELHI
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
IN BRIEF
New Delhi gets busy with VIP visits Prime Ministers of Malaysia, Bangladesh and Australia expected to travel in March and April Suhasini Haidar NEW DELHI
Farooq to contest LS bypolls from Srinagar SRINAGAR
Formally announcing a prepoll alliance, the National Conference and the Congress on Wednesday decided to field Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar and Ghulam Ahmad Mir from Anantnag for the Lok Sabha byelections. At a joint press conference, NC working president Omar Abdullah said, “The alliance is not a compulsion but a strategy to emerge as winners in the by-polls.”
Central govt. hikes DA by 2% from January 1 NEW DELHI
The Centre on Wednesday increased dearness allowance and dearness relief to 4% from existing 2% from January 1, 2017, benefiting 48.85 employees and 55.51 lakh pensioners. The statement said that the combined impact on the exchequer would be ₹5,857.28 crore per annum and ₹6,833.50 crore in the Financial Year 2017-18. PTI
Kharge set to become next PAC Chairman NEW DELHI
The Congress’s floor leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, is all set to become the next chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Mr. Kharge will succeed his party colleague K.V. Thomas, who will complete his third term as Chairman of PAC on April 30. The chair of the PAC, given to an MP of the main Opposition party, will also entitle Mr. Kharge to a Cabinet rank. PTI
7,059 Indian nationals lodged in foreign jails NEW DELHI
As many as 7,059 Indian nationals are lodged in foreign jails, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. In a written reply, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh said that due to strict provisions of privacy laws, the U.S., Canada, Australia and many countries in Europe do not share information about Indian nationals lodged in their prisons. PTI
After months of “go-slow” due to the Assembly elections, the government is preparing for a series of incoming and outgoing visits of leaders in the next few weeks, with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, and Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull expected to travel to New Delhi in March and April. Officials confirmed that discussions are also being held for a possible visit of Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz to India, but as he is currently wrapping up one tour to Asia this month, he may not be able to carry out a visit again until “later this year”. Sources said that the
on trade and investment as well as further enhancement of defence and strategic ties, sources said.
Saudi government had earlier proposed his visit to India at the end of February, at the beginning of his mega 7-nation tour to Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, China, etc. which will end in the Maldives, but New Delhi had not confirmed dates due to the ongoing Assembly polls in five States.
Tight schedule While dates in April are now being discussed, diplomats on both sides confirmed, they may be postponed to October, given both the Saudi King and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s busy schedule for the next few months. Mr. Razak is expected to be in Delhi for a visit from March 30-April 4 that comes two years after Mr. Modi vis-
Sheikh Hasina ited Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Prime Minister visited India in January 2010 when both countries signed a Strategic Partnership agreement and then in December 2012 for an ASEAN-India Summit. Mr. Razak’s trip is expected to see announcements
Water-sharing deals Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s visit, on April 7-10 has been much anticipated after she put it off twice, in December 2016 and February this year, due to “scheduling difficulties”, understood to be because she had wanted to have a “substantive agreement” on water sharing. While officials would not confirm whether a breakthrough was expected on either the Teesta water agreement that has faced resistance from the West Bengal government or the Ganga barrage agreement which the Bihar Chief Minis-
ter, Nitish Kumar, has opposed. Australian Prime Minister Turnbull will make his first visit to India in the “first half ” of coming April, officials on both sides told The Hindu. The big ticket item both countries have been pursuing is a free trade or Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, that is already more than a year behind the deadline set by Mr. Modi and former Australian PM Tony Abbott. Meanwhile, Mr. Modi’s “outgoing” calendar is also filling up, with visits planned to Sri Lanka, followed by a visit to Germany and Russia for Inter-governmental Commission meetings and the St. Petersburg forum respectively.
MoP may have security clause
OPS meets CEC to stake claim for AIADMK symbol
SC Collegium seems willing to add it
‘Sasikala’s appointment as party general secretary invalid’
Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court Collegium may have arrived at a consensus with the Union government’s proposal to include the contentious “national security” clause in the draft Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of judges. The clause, which gives veto power to the government to reject a name recommended by the Collegium, has been a bone of contention, delaying the finalisation of the MoP. The clause may find a place in the new memorandum, provided the government revert to the Collegium with specific and detailed objections against a name under the national security clause.
Little progress The MoP draft was handed over to the collegium in August 2016. But no progress was made in resolving the differences till J.S. Khehar took over as the Chief Justice
of India. Chief Justice Khehar has repeatedly given positive signals — once in open court and the other at a function last week — that he would have the MoP finalised soon. Sources recently indicated that the national security clause was no longer a roadblock. Under Chief Justice Khehar’s immediate predecessor, Justice T.S. Thakur had time and again made strong observations against perceived government inaction.
Thaw in strained ties However, in the past two months of Chief Justice Khehar’s taking over, there has been a perceptible thaw. Though both the judiciary and the government have maintained that the pendency of the MoP would not stand in the way of judicial appointments, an amicable resolution in that issue would clear the air on the procedure for appointments of judges to the higher judiciary.
B. Muralidhar Reddy NEW DELHI
A delegation led by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam called on Chief Election Commissioner Nazim Zaidi here on Wednesday, and staked claim for the AIADMK’s “two leaves” symbol. His group had sought a meeting with the CEC to claim that the appointment of V.K. Sasikala as AIADMK general secretary was illegal and in violation of the party constitution. Addressing the media after the meeting, Mr. Panneerselvam said, “Amma [ Jayalalithaa] had always been against family rule. However, the Sasikala group has again established family rule by nominating [her nephew] Dinakaran.” “We asked the Election Commission to allow officerbearers appointed by the then AIADMK general secretary, Jayalalithaa, to continue until a new person is appointed to the post. We urged the panel to let presi-
BJP win raises hope of Dadri murder accused
BJP wins one more seat in Uttarakhand
Kin believe that new govt. will help them get ‘justice’
Dehradun
O. Panneerselvam dium chairman Madhusudanan select the party candidate and allot us the ‘two leaves’ symbol,” he said.
April 12 byelection The R.K. Nagar seat fell vacant after Jayalalithaa’s death on December 5. Sasikala has nominated the party’s deputy general secretary and her nephew, T.T.V. Dinakaran, as candidate for the April 12 byelection. Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar is also in the fray.
Mr. Panneerselvam said Sasikala’s appointment as AIADMK general secretary was invalid since she was not elected as per the party constitution. “We want to explain to the CEC why the symbol should be granted to us before the filing of nominations for the R.K. Nagar constituency begins on Thursday,” said a Mr. Panneerselvam loyalist. The Panneerselvam faction sent its reply as sought by the CEC to the submissions made by Sasikala recently. AIADMK Rajya Sabha member V. Maitreyan sent a 61-page reply to the EC. The EC had asked the OPS group to reply to Sasikala’s submission sent on March 10. The EC had returned the reply given by Mr. Dinakaran stating that it should rightfully be sent by Sasikala. The OPS faction has explained in detail the developments that preceded Sasikala’s appointment as general secretary.
‘Put an end to bottom trawling’ Sri Lankan leader for ishermen talks Kallol Bhattacherjee NEW DELHI
The fishermen issue between India and Sri Lanka has a better chance of resolution if left to the fisherfolk on both sides, said R. Sampanthan, Leader of the Opposition in Sri Lankan Parliament, on Wednesday. He said the governments should ensure an end to bottom trawling while leaving the issues of daily importance to the fishermen. “There is no space for violence in dealing with the fishermen’s issue between the two countries. As far as India is concerned, it must ensure that bottom trawling is stopped as this has devastated Sri Lankan fishing communities, and fishermen on both sides should hold dialogue to resolve territorial and fishing issues of daily significance,” Mr. Sampanthan, Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), said in a chat with The Hindu.
Trawling Bill Mr. Sampanthan’s comments about the bottom trawling comes in the backdrop of his party’s push to ban the bottom trawlers from the waters around Sri Lanka which will be introduced in the Colombo’s Parliament on March 17. The Bill which was introduced by TNA MP M.A.
R. Sampanthan Sumanthiran has now become a government Bill in the Sri Lankan Parliament. Various provinces of the country have given their consent to the Bill which is likely to be adopted by the end of the month. “Fishing is an issue of livelihood and issues related to this should be left to the fishermen on both sides. The governments has a role in enforcing rules that will help in ensuring sustainable fishing practices,” Mr. Sampanthan said on the sidelines of a conference on counter-terrorism that was held in Delhi. Sri Lanka also has hundreds of bottom trawlers, especially in the Northern Province, that will be banned once Bill is passed. The issue is at the centre of political controversy in Sri Lanka as it is believed that banning the practice will increase pressure on India to do the same.
ED notices to Geelani, Malik on cash seizures Devesh Pandey New Delhi
The Enforcement Directorate has served notices on two Kashmiri separatist leaders S.A.S. Geelani and Yasin Malik in connection with separate cases of alleged seizure of foreign currency worth $1.1 lakh. In both the cases, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, most of the documents were purportedly damaged in the 2014 floods in Jammu and
Kashmir. The case involving Mr. Malik was detected in 2002 when the police seized $1 lakh from one Mushtaq Ahmed Dar and his wife Sahazia Rasool. They allegedly disclosed that they had got the currencies in Nepal, through one Altaf Qadri of All-Parties Hurriyat Conference. The notice to Mr. Geelani pertains to the alleged seizure of $10,000 from his residence by the IncomeTax Department in 2002.
Staff Reporter
would get justice and get bail and also that the cow, which we consider our mother, killed by Akhlaq would get ‘justice’,” he said.
Mohammad Ali Meerut
With a BJP government assuming charge in Uttar Pradesh soon, Bishahra village in Dadri is again talking of the September 2016 killing of Mohammad Akhlaq. Akhlaq was lynched over rumours of cow slaughter. The families of the murder accused believe that a BJP government will not oppose bail for those lodged in jail. “The Samajwadi Party government was biased against us in the way the case of cow slaughter was handled by the investigative agencies. That is why a false case has been filed against our children for doing something in which the entire crowd took part. Cow is an emotional matter, and if someone kills a cow, then it is bound to make a Hindu’s blood boil,” said Om Kumar, an electrician and father of two of the accused, Saurav
Mohammad Akhlaq
and Gaurav. Mr. Kumar expressed hope that the “investigative agencies will now look at the case in a fresh way and not be biased against the innocent children and oppose their bail.” Sanjay Rana, a local BJP leader whose son and nephew are among the accused, said people expected that the BJP’s victory would “lead to justice in both the cases”. “Residents of Bishahra voted for the BJP in the hope that their innocent children
Cow slaughter case Last year, the Greater Noida police registered a case of alleged cow slaughter against Mohammad Akhlaq, his wife, Ikraman, mother, Asghari, brother Jaan Mohammad, daughter, Shaishta, and son, Danish, under the U.P. Cow Protection Act, 1955. Later, the Allahabad High Court granted immunity from arrest to them till the “conclusion of police investigation” in the alleged cow slaughter case. The court had refused to stay the arrest of Jaan Mohammad. BJP leaders like Sangeet Som and Yogi Adityanath had raised the issue of cow slaughter and the SP’s alleged bias towards “cow killers”.
With the result of the Lohaghat seat being announced on Wednesday, the BJP’s tally in the Uttarakhand Assembly elections rose to 57. Re-polling was held in the Karnkarayat booth in the constituency as an EVM had malfunctioned on the original day of polling. Puran Singh Fartyal won the seat, defeating the Congress candidate by 834 votes. In the final tally, the BJP has 57 seats and the Congress 11. Two seats went to Independents. The Congress has been left without a leader in the State after the outgoing Chief Minister, Harish Rawat, was defeated in Haridwar Rural and Kichha. In the BJP, the current challenge is that of deciding a Chief Minister. Sources said Chaubattakhal MLA Satpal Maharaj, Pithoragarh MLA Prakash Pant and Doiwala MLA Trivendra Singh Rawat were being considered.
‘Disallow lawmakers from practising other professions’
Raj Babbar ofers to resign
Petition in SC seeks to impose curbs on lawmakers
New Delhi
Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to ban legislators from practising other professions, including as advocates. The petition, filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, said the restriction imposed on public servants and judges against engaging in other jobs should apply to CM YK
lawmakers. Many legislators who double up as advocates are even retainers of big corporate bodies entities, giving rise to a situation of conflict of interest between their constitutional duties as a legislator and a lawyer meant to vouchsafe client interests. “We cannot curb corruption without having a uniform policy relating to conflict of interest and
restricting our legislators to practice other professions as similar to the restriction imposed on public servants and members of the judiciary... many lawmakers hold corporate retainership and defend their lawbreaker clients in courts. It is not only immoral, unethical but also violation of the Rule 49 of the Bar Council of India Rules,” he said.
Press Trust of India
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar has offered to resign, taking moral responsibility for the poll debacle in the State, amid demands for structural changes and fixing responsibility in the party. Mr. Babbar also echoed Rahul Gandhi on the need for making structural changes to strengthen the party, but defended the Congress vice-president. A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
12 WORLD
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
ELSEWHERE
‘Spirit of fascism rampant in Europe’
Security high as Pakistan begins irst census in 19 yrs Around 1,18,000 ‘enumerators’ will gather data from across the nation in 70 days
‘Trump should speak up against racial crimes’ Sikh soldier says attacks are encouraged by political climate Varghese K. George
ISTANBUL
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said the “spirit of fascism” was rampant on the streets of Europe, comparing the treatment of nonEuropeans there to that of the Jews in World War II. “Turkophobia is mounting. Islamophobia is mounting. They are even scared of migrants who take shelter...” he said. AFP
30 killed in Damascus suicide attack DAMASCUS
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives’ vest inside Justice Palace, the main judicial building in the Syrian capital on Wednesday, killing at least 30 people, state media said. The bombing was the latest in a spate of attacks targeting governmentcontrolled areas in Syria and its capital. AP
‘Kim’s identity confirmed using child’s DNA’ KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia used a DNA sample from one of Kim Jong-nam’s children to confirm the identity of the assassinated half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Wednesday. Investigators “confirmed the identity of the body... based on the sample obtained from his child”, he said. AFP
Mohammad Yunus sued over unpaid dues DHAKA
Staff at a Bangladeshi company set up by Mohammad Yunus are suing the Nobel laureate over allegedly unpaid dues, their lawyer said on Wednesday. They say Grameen Telecom (GT), which holds a roughly one-third stake in Bangladesh’s largest mobilephone operator, had a legal obligation to share profits with its employees. AFP
Reuters
Washington
Karachi/Peshawar
Fast-growing Pakistan, estimated to be the sixth-largest country by population, kicked off its first national census in 19 years on Wednesday, a delay caused by a lack of funds, political squabbling and too few available troops to oversee security. Around 1,18,000 “enumerators” in 63 districts began the 70-day data-gathering campaign, flanked by police and soldiers, under the order of the Supreme Court, which had set a March deadline. The security officials, including 200,000 military personnel, will be present to protect census teams but also to ensure households can enter data without being intimidated. Electoral seats in Pakistan’s Parliament are assigned using population density data, and with rural populations fluctuating due to urbanisation, powerful feudal landlords and political families fear losing influence. “We made all the arrangements for a smooth, safe and transparent process of population census,” said Javed Iqbal at the census department in Peshawar, the capital of the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Count of transgenders The census will for the first time also count Pakistan’s transgender community, though members in Peshawar were surprised to be given forms without a separate column for transgender people. “We have been waiting for the process to begin but it hurt us as there is no separate column in the form,” said Farzana Riaz, president of Trans Action, a trans rights group. Parts of Peshawar were cordoned off by police
First since 1998: (Clockwise) Census oicials collect information from residents in Peshawar; and Quetta; an oicial in Lahore marks a house after inishing the process. REUTERS, AFP as census teams visited homes. A counter gathered the census data inside buildings while police and soldiers stood guard outside. “Today we are just asking for the ID card of the head of the family and marking the houses,” a counter told Reuters outside a house in the port city of Karachi, declining to be named as he said counters were strictly instructed not to speak to the media. “A day after, we will visit again and get further details of families.” Chief Statistician Asif Bajwa told local Dawn News channel that Afghan refugees would be counted in the census, confirming a move strongly opposed by leaders of sparsely populated Balochistan Province where the ethnic Balochs fear being turned into a minority.
The Dutch vote in elections seen as a ‘tolerance test’
Gilgit-Baltistan to be declared a Province Press Trust of India Islamabad
Pakistan is planning to declare the strategic GilgitBaltistan region as its fifth Province, a move that may raise concerns in India as it borders the disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Pakistan’s Minister for inter-provincial coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada told Geo TV on Tuesday that a committee headed by Advisor of Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had proposed giving the status of a Province to Gilgit-Baltistan. He also said that a constitu-
tional amendment would be made to change the status of the region, through which the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes. Gilgit-Baltistan is treated as a separate geographical entity by Pakistan. It has a regional Assembly and an elected Chief Minister. It is believed that China’s concerns about its unsettled status prompted the move, which could signal a historic shift in the country’s position on the future of the wider Kashmir region, Dawn newspaper had quoted experts as saying.
The spate of violence against people of Asian descent in America will pass, but the Donald Trump administration must take a stronger and more vocal position on this issue, said Lt. Col. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, whose campaign for allowing Sikh turban in U.S. military uniforms met with success recently. In 2001, Mr. Kalsi was the first Sikh to join the U.S. military after new uniform restrictions in early 1980s barred turbans and beards. Mr. Kalsi’s petition for an exemption was granted after 50 members of Congress, a petition signed by 15,000 people and the White House supported him. The changes announced recently allows religious accommodation to be granted at the brigade level. “The process will be simpler and faster. And there is a presumption of approval,” Mr. Kalsi told The Hindu on the phone from New Jersey. Overlapping with the U.S. military’s new accommodation policy that will allow Sikhs, Muslims, Jews and African Americans to join its ranks has been the spate of racial crimes against them in the recent weeks. Mr. Kalsi said the campaign ran by President Trump has contributed to this. “These vicious attacks are encouraged by the current political climate in the country, running through the entire election cycle. The administration needs to speak out strongly against this,” Mr. Kalsi said. “I can guarantee you that after the changes in uniform policy, more Sikhs, more Muslims will join the military,” Mr. Kalsi said. While the proud Sikh is excited about the victory of the cam-
Lt. Col. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi. AFP
paign supported by the Sikh Coalition and an array of American civil rights groups, the attacks on immigrants and minorities disturbs him. “As a six year old, my grandmother witnessed all her family members being killed in 1947, in Lahore. She came to India as an orphan, as a refugee. I always remember that and I feel bad when people are put down because they are refugees. The recent refugee ban by the Trump administration, and attacks on people of Indian descent remind me of my own grandmother’s story,” Mr. Kalsi, who came to the U.S. as toddler, said. His father was an Indian Air Force officer and he was born in the Kanpur Air Force Base.
Great military heritage Mr. Kalsi said it was the “great military heritage” of the Sikh community and faith that motivated him to join the U.S. Army in 2001. He went to the medical school and in the initial years, turban and beard
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
How can I help you?
Prologued coalition-building process likely after results The Hague
The Dutch tested their own tolerance for immigration and Islam on Wednesday in an election magnified by a furious row with Turkey, the first of three polls in the European Union (EU) this year where nationalist parties are seeking breakthroughs. The centre-right VVD party of Prime Minister Mark Rutte (50) is vying with the PVV (Party for Freedom) of anti-Islam and anti-EU firebrand Geert Wilders (53) to form the biggest party in Parliament. As many as 13 million voters began casting ballots at polling stations across the country that was to close at 2000 GMT. With as many as four out of 10 voters undecided a day before voting and a tight margin of just 4% between
A child casts her mother’s ballot paper in The Hague on Wednesday.
leading candidates, the outcome was unpredictable. “Whatever the outcome of the election today the genie will not go back into the bottle and this patriotic revolution, whether today or tomorrow, will take place,” Mr. Wilders said after voting at a school in The Hague.
20% threshold “I think the rest of the world will then see after Brexit, after the American elections again the wrong sort of populism has won the day,” he said. Unlike the U.S. or French presidential elections, there will be no outright Dutch winner under its system of proportional representation. Up to 15 parties could win a seat in Parliament and none are set to reach even 20% of the vote. Experts predict a coalition-building process that will take many months once the final tally is known.
Washington
Jurassic welcome: Japan’s second robot-run hotel ‘Henn na Hotel’ (’Strange Hotel’) opened on Wednesday in Urayasu, near Tokyo. Picture shows dinosaur robots, acting as receptionists, greeting a hotel employee. REUTERS
‘Israel has imposed an apartheid regime’
Russian spies indicted over Yahoo hack
UN agency’s report accuses nation of strategic fragmentation of the Palestinians
Reuters
Reuters
Washington
Beirut
The U.S. government on Wednesday unsealed charges against two Russian spies and two criminal hackers for allegedly pilfering 500 million Yahoo user accounts in 2014. The indictments, announced at a news conference in Washington, represent the first time the U.S. government has criminally charged Russian officials for cyber-offences. The contents of at least 30 million accounts were accessed and at least 18 million people who used other service providers were also victimised, the government charged. The officers of the FSB were identified as Dmitry Dokuchaev and his superior, Igor Sushchin. Both men are in Russia, the government said.
A UN agency published a report on Wednesday accusing Israel of imposing an “apartheid regime” of racial discrimination on the Palestinian people, and said it was the first time a UN body had clearly made the charge. The report commissioned by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) concluded “Israel has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole”. UN Under-Secretary General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf said the report was the “first of its type” from a UN body that “clearly and frankly concludes that Israeli is a racist state that has established an apartheid system that persecutes the Palestinian
CM YK
Institutionalised segregation: Palestinian children playing near the Israeli settlement of Sosya, near Hebron. AFP
people”. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Khalaf was speaking at an event to launch the report at ESCWA’s Beirut headquarters. ESCWA comprises 18 Arab states in Western Asia, according to its website. The report was prepared at the request of member states, Mr. Khalaf said. The report said it had es-
‘Trump wrote of $100 mn. in 2005’ Agence France-Presse
Mr. Rutte, who has called the Dutch vote a quarter-final before a French semi-final and German final said a Wilders victory would be felt well beyond the Netherlands.
Reuters
didn’t bring any attention. “I went on medical rotation at several military bases, without any problem. When I was going to fulltime active duty in 2008, I had to apply for accommodation. There began the whole campaign,” Mr. Kalsi said. His request was granted by the U.S. Secretary of Defence, and Mr. Kalsi was deployed in Helmand, Afghanistan, in 2011. Four-star general of U.S. Marine Corps John R. Allen was Mr. Kalsi’s commander in Afghanistan. In July 2016, Mr. Allen was a special speaker at the Democratic National Convention, questioning Mr. Trump’s policy towards minorities and his strategy for fighting the Islamic State. A group of veterans drawn from all ethnic and religious origins stood behind Mr. Allen, showcasing the U.S. military as the symbol of the diverse America. Mr. Kalsi stood right behind his former commander, in the frame. “These are the people who fight for America,” the general said. The current turmoil will pass, believes Mr. Kalsi, who was himself the target of a racial attack in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attack. “I was at a shopping mall in California and four men started abusing me. They were making fun of my turban and started hitting me. But thankfully, the cops arrived immediately and they were all arrested,” recalls Mr. Kalsi, who is now an active reserve in the U.S army. Mr. Kalsi is associated with the Truman National Security Project in Washington DC, combining his passion for matters related to national security and civil rights — a soldier for America and the Sikh faith.
tablished on the “basis of scholarly inquiry and overwhelming evidence, that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid”. “However, only a ruling by an international tribunal in that sense would make such an assessment truly authoritative,” it added. The report said the “strategic fragmentation of the Palestinian people” was the main method through which
Israel imposes apartheid, with Palestinians divided into four groups oppressed through “distinct laws, policies and practices”. It identified the four sets of Palestinians as: Palestinian citizens of Israel; Palestinians in East Jerusalem; Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and Palestinians living as refugees or in exile. ESCWA hoped the report would inform further deliberations on the root causes of the problem in the United Nations, among member states, and in society, Mr. Khalaf said. ESCWA also hoped it would prompt action. It was authored by Richard Falk, a former UN human rights investigator for the Palestinian territories, and Virginia Tilley, professor of political science at Southern Illinois University.
Madhesi front UDMF takes back support It has 39 members in the House Press Trust of India Kathmandu
An alliance of Madhes-based political parties on Wednesday withdrew its support to the Prachanda-led Nepal government after it failed to meet a seven-day ultimatum to fulfil their demands that included endorsement for the revised Constitution Amendment bill. The United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), which has 39 lawmakers, withdrew support. The government, however, continues to enjoy a majority as it has the support of more than 320 members in the 601-member Constituent Assembly. Meanwhile, in a meeting with UDMF leaders, Prachanda urged them to participate in the upcoming local polls after amending the
Constitution, setting aside the issue of State delineation for the time being. He said the government would form a commission to finalise the issues relating to provincial demarcation before holding the provincial elections. The UDMF on March 7 had issued the ultimatum to address their concerns that include re-demarcation of the provincial boundary and liberal citizenship policy among others. It has been demanding government’s endorsement for revised Constitution Amendment bill and withdrawal of the decision to conduct local polls in May. IT said that it could not support the government as it had been preparing to hold local level polls without addressing the issues raised by them.
The White House has acknowledged that U.S. President Donald Trump paid $38 million in taxes in 2005, a rare peek into the President’s finances that was leaked to the U.S. media. Mr. Trump reported an income of $150 million 12 years ago, and paid an overall tax rate of around 25%, according to a leaked summary of part of his tax return. The document also shows that he wrote off more than $100 million in business losses to reduce his tax burden. The White House described it as a “large-scale depreciation for construction”. But the two-page partial return does not reveal the source of Mr. Trump’s income, the key question that has fuelled demands for him to disclose his tax history in line with standard practice for U.S. Presidents.
Leak to media The White House confirmed late on Tuesday the details of Mr. Trump’s 2005 taxes just before David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, and MSNBC revealed the short filing. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump attacked the reporter on Twitter, questioning his account of how he obtained the document. “Does anybody really believe that a reporter, who nobody ever heard of, ‘went to his mailbox’ and found my tax returns? @NBCNews FAKE NEWS!” Appearing with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Mr. Johnston said he did not know the source of the leaked return, which was placed in his mailbox. But Johnston suggested a member of Mr. Trump’s entourage — possibly even, he speculated, the President himself — anonymously delivered the tax documents to him. A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU
BUSINESS 13
NOIDA/DELHI
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
market watch 15-03-2017
% CHANGE
Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 29,398 dd -0.15 US Dollar dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 65.69 dddd 0.20 Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 28,650 dd -0.87 Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 51.68 dddd 1.86
‘Bad loans slowing, remain a challenge’ The core problem of NPAs is with large corporates in steel, power, infra and textile sectors, says Jaitley problems faced in the infrastructure, power and textile sectors. A presentation was made to the MPs on various measures undertaken by the Government and the Reserve Band for tackling NPAs.
Special Correspondent NEW DELHI
NIFTY 50 PRICE
CHANGE
ACC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1420.40. . . . . . . . . 5.00 Adani Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310.30. . . . . . . . . 1.05 Ambuja Cements . . . . 233.00. . . . . . . -0.70 Asian Paints . . . . . . . . . . . . 1064.05. . . . . . . -7.35 Aurobindo Pharma . 678.00. . . . . . . 15.80 Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511.70. . . . . . . . . 0.80 Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2873.10. . . . . . . . . 6.40 Bank of Baroda . . . . . . . 166.50. . . . . . . . . 5.50 Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . . 363.20. . . . . . . . . 2.10 BHEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166.90. . . . . . . . . 5.55 Bosch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22784.75. . . . . 193.30 BPCL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636.50. . . . . . . -0.20 Cipla. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600.20. . . . . . . . . 0.00 Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292.70. . . . . . . -2.25 Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . . 2739.60. . . . . . . -1.40 Eicher Motors . . . . . . . . . 24133.40. . . . . 132.15 GAIL (India) . . . . . . . . . . . . 375.30. . . . . . . -0.50 Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1048.55. . . . . . . 14.65 HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 842.90. . . . . -10.70 HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1426.10. . . . . . . . . 1.95 HDFC Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1416.60. . . . . . . . . 5.90 Hero MotoCorp . . . . . . . 3401.10. . . . . . . 43.65 Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190.85. . . . . . . . . 0.45 Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . . 900.50. . . . . -13.25 ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285.15. . . . . . . -2.10 Idea Cellular . . . . . . . . . . . 113.10. . . . . . . 10.05 IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . . 1348.35. . . . . . . -5.85 Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . . 308.90. . . . . . . -1.15 Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1011.95. . . . . -22.85 ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268.20. . . . . . . . . 1.10 Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844.15. . . . . . . . . 8.00 L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1548.90. . . . . . . -9.20 Lupin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1449.85. . . . . . . . . 2.90 M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1323.55. . . . . . . -2.45 Maurti Suzuki . . . . . . . . . 6137.35. . . . . . . . . 4.95 NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158.65. . . . . . . -0.95 ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190.70. . . . . . . -1.20 PowerGrid Corp . . . . . . 192.95. . . . . . . -0.70 Reliance Ind. . . . . . . . . . . . 1304.95. . . . . . . 15.45 State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277.35. . . . . . . . . 2.70 Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . . 705.85. . . . . . . -2.35 Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . 473.45. . . . . . . . . 3.70 Tata Motors DVR . . . . 286.45. . . . . . . . . 4.35 . 85.05. . . . . . . . . 1.40 Tata Power . . . . . . . . . . . . Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479.05. . . . . . . . . 6.50 TCS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2498.30. . . . . -69.20 Tech Mahindra . . . . . . . . 479.65. . . . . . . -0.20 UltraTech Cement . . 4017.45. . . . . . . 18.50 Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494.80. . . . . . . -6.55 YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1529.05. . . . . . . -2.70 Zee Entertainment . 525.60. . . . . . . . . 2.95
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the resolution of banks’ non performing assets (NPAs) remained a challenge even though the rate of increase of such bad loans had slowed in the last quarter of the current financial year. The idea of a ‘bad bank’ for such assets was still under discussion, Mr. Jaitley said, even as the Centre was considering multiplication of the oversight committee mechanism set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to process cases referred by different banks. Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Arvind Subramanian, who had floated the idea of a ‘bad bank’ to take over stressed assets in the Economic Survey for 2016-17, said earlier this week that the government must sometimes consider bailing out large corporate borrowers even at the risk of being charged of crony capitalism in order to surmount the NPA problem. RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya has said that a piece-by-piece approach won’t fix the NPA problem which needs an urgent solution.
Uphill task: The government is taking sector-speciic measures to deal with bad loans, says Arun Jaitley.
porates, though few in numbers, predominantly in the steel, power, infrastructure and textile sectors. They had expanded their capacity during the boom period (200308), but could not face the onslaught of global financial crisis and consequent slow-
down thereafter,” the Finance Minister said. The government, Mr. Jaitley said, is taking sector-specific measures to deal with bad loans and the steel sector is on the recovery path, while several decisions have been taken to help resolve
Banks against farm loan waiver in U.P. MANOJIT SAHA MUMBAI
Bankers plan to write to the finance ministry voicing reservations over possible implementation of a pre-poll promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to waive farm loans in Uttar Pradesh if voted to power. The BJP, which won elections in the State, had promised a waiver of loans given to small and marginal farmers. BJP president Amit Shah said the party would honour its promises. According to bankers, the Indian Banks’ Association will take up the matter with the department of financial services in the finance ministry. The magnitude of the problem, if the proposal is implemented, can be seen from the fact that U.P. ranks third in India in terms of agricultural credit
Retail Silver (1g). . . . . . . . . . 42.80. . . . (43.30) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . 2,714. . . . (2,739)
Public debate “Several possible alternatives exist and the issue is being debated on public platforms,” Mr. Jaitley told MPs at a consultative committee meeting on the NPAs, referring to the ‘bad bank’ proposal. A few MPs said the Centre must ‘go ahead’ and establish a Public Sector Asset Rehabilitation Agency (PARA) mooted by the CEA, but said such an agency should only consider those NPAs where sector specific reforms do not help, and called for taking tough action against wilful defaulters, including naming and shaming them. “The core problem of NPAs is with very large cor-
SBI to raise ₹15,000-cr. in equity
Fed raises interest rates as job gains, inlation spur conidence
EXCHANGE RATES Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit except yen at 4 p.m. on March 15
TT BUY
CURRENCY
TT SELL
US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 65.50. . . . . . . 65.82 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 69.58. . . . . . . 69.92 British Pound. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 79.84. . . . . . . 80.24 Japanese Yen (100) . . .. . 57.15. . . . . . . 57.43 Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 9.47. . . . . . . . . 9.52 Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 64.92. . . . . . . 65.24 Singapore Dollar . . . . . . . .. . 46.37. . . . . . . 46.60 Canadian Dollar . . . . . . . . . .. . 48.68. . . . . . . 48.92 Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . . .. . 14.70. . . . . . . 14.79 Source:Indian Bank
BULLION RATES
CHENNAI
March 15 rates in rupees with previous rates in parentheses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT MUMBAI
State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, will raise ₹15,000 crore equity capital through a follow-on public offer, qualified institutional placement, global depository receipt or through on any other instrument, according to the bank. The board cleared the proposal to raise ₹15,000 crore on Wednesday, the bank said in a notification to the exchanges. “The central board of the bank at its meeting held of 15.03.2017 has accorded approval for raising equity capital upto ₹15,000 crore during FY 2017-18 by way of FPO/ rights issue/ QIP/ADR/GDR and any other mode of combination of these, as may be decided at the opportune time subject to approval of government” and RBI.
‘Criminal action’ “Apart from recovery proceedings, criminal action must be taken against the big wilful defaulters and their photographs may also be published. A member also suggested that under the SARFAESI (Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest) Act, the focus should be on catching big wilful defaulters,” according to an official statement, which listed some of the suggestions made by the members of Parliament. Taking cognisance of investigative agencies’ actions
against bankers for some bad loans, a few MPs stressed on the need to restore the confidence of bankers and enable them to take commercially viable as well as rational decisions. “One of the members said that the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Public Sector Bank be made a part of the bank’s credit committee and the Board of the bank should take a call first about the decisions taken by their officials rather than investigating agencies directly acting on the basis of their own information,” according to a Finance ministry statement. Some members also suggested allowing state governments to bid for stressed assets and keeping a close eye on the functioning of private asset reconstruction companies, whose performance ‘is not up to the mark in many cases.
Arundhati Bhattacharya
exposure, bankers said. The State has a 9.3% market share in agricultural credit and about 45% of its total exposure is in the rural areas. Bank of Baroda is the leading bank at the State-level and its branch network is as high as the country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI). Arundhati Bhattacharya, chairman, SBI, said such schemes disturb credit dis-
cipline and raise hope for more waiver by other States. “We feel that in case of a [farm] loan waiver there is always a fall in credit discipline because the people who get the waiver have expectations of future waivers as well. As such future loans given often remain unpaid,” Ms. Bhattacharya said on the sidelines of an event organised by the CII. “Today, the loans will come back as the government will pay for it but when we disburse loans again then the farmers will wait for the next election expecting another waiver,” she said. Ms. Bhattacharya, however, said the bank had not received any proposal to waive off farm loans in Uttar Pradesh. She said though it is important to support farmers it has to be
done in a way which does not disrupt credit discipline among them.
One-time settlement She said SBI had announced a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme worth ₹6,000 crore in the tractors segment to speed up loan recovery. The bank had also announced such OTS schemes in education and SME segments. “We do give OTS in respect of many loans which are outstanding for a long time and people may have had some difficulties.” She said the recovery due to OTS scheme in these segments had been fairly good. In 2014, banks had raised opposition to a similar scheme for Andhra Pradesh and had written to the finance ministry expressing their concerns.
Exports climb for a sixth straight month Trade deicit widens to $8.9 bln. in Feb. Special Correspondent NEW DELHI
India’s goods exports rose for a sixth consecutive month in February even as the trade deficit widened due to a jump in the value of imports of gold and oil. Exports, which grew 17.5% year-on-year to $24.5 billion, increased due to higher shipments of engineering goods and petroleum products among others, according to data released by the Commerce Ministry on Wednesday.
Gold imports surge Imports went up 21.76% to $33.4 billion during the month owing to a surge in gold and oil imports. This led to the trade deficit widening to $8.9 billion last month, from $6.5 billion in February 2016. However, the trade shortfall was narrower than the $9.84 billion posted in January 2017. Shipments of engineering goods shot up 47.3% to $6.6 billion, while petroleum products’ exports jumped 27.6% to $2.46 billion. Readymade garments rose 5% to $1.6 billion, while chemicals increased 11.3% to $1.3 billion and gems & jewellery shipments went up 2.3% to $4 billion. Drugs & pharmaceuticals exports, however, shrank 4.1% to $1.2 billion. Non-petroleum and non-gems & jewellery exports in February rose 20.1% to $18 billion. S.C. Ralhan, president of the country's apex body for exporters, Federation of Indian Export Organisations, said continuous growth in exports for the last six months was due to the commitment of the exporting community to deliver even during such challenging times of global trade slowdown that has affected exports of many countries including China. He pointed out that 23
Exports grew on higher shipments of engineering goods. out of 30 major export items recorded positive growth in February, adding that going by the current trend, India's goods exports for 2016-17 could touch about $270 billion. However, due to the prevailing uncertainty in global trade, exporters should further diversify the product basket with more focus on high–tech items where India’s share in global trade is low, he said. Gold imports in February surged 147.6% to $3.48 billion, and pearls & precious stones imports increased 9% to $2.2 billion. Oil imports jumped 60% to $7.68 billion. Incidentally, the global Brent prices ($/bbl) and Gold ($/troy oz) increased by 67.14% and 2.89% respectively in February 2017 vis-à-vis February 2016 as per World Bank commodity price data.
Coal imports Non-oil imports during February were up 13.65% to $25.7 billion. Coal imports went up 33% to $1.6 billion, while chemicals imports rose 22.5% to $1.4 billion. Electronic goods imports rose 12.2% to $3.4 billion. Machinery imports contracted 29% to $2.3 billion. Exports during April-February 2016-17 went up by 2.5% to $245.4 billion. Nonpetroleum and non-gems & jewellery exports during April-February 2016-17 rose 2.2% to $ 179.1 billion.
U.S. central bank lifts target overnight rate by 25 basis points Reuters Washington
The U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday for the second time in three months, a move spurred by steady economic growth, strong job gains and confidence that inflation is rising to the central bank’s target. The decision to lift the target overnight interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 0.75% to 1% marked one of the Fed’s most convincing steps yet in the effort to return monetary policy to a more normal footing.
No acceleration However, the Fed did not flag any plan to accelerate the pace of monetary tightening. Although inflation is “close” to the Fed’s 2% target, it noted that goal was
Janet Yellen “symmetric,” indicating a possible willingness to allow prices to rise at a slightly faster pace. Further rate increases would only be “gradual,” the Fed said in its policy statement, with officials sticking to their outlook for two more rate hikes this year and three more in 2018. The Fed lifted rates once in 2016. Business investment “appears to have firmed some-
what,” the Fed said in language that reflected a stronger sense of the economy’s momentum. Fresh economic forecasts released with the statement showed little change from those of the December policy meeting and gave little indication the Fed has a clear view of how the policies of Donald Trump’s administration may impact the economy in 2017 and beyond. “It relieves some of the fears we’ve had that perhaps the Fed was going to raise rates faster in the future. They’ve chosen not to signal that,” said Brad McMillan, Chief Investment Officer at Commonwealth Financial. The Fed’s projections showed the economy growing by 2.1% in 2017, unchanged from the December forecast.
‘BJP poll wins credit positive for India’ Party’s overall gains come despite economic hit from note ban, says Moody’s nominate a local chief ministerial candidate to represent the party, but instead focused on the leadership of Mr. Modi himself. By contrast, the 2012 Uttar Pradesh election outcome reflected popular support for individuals in the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party,” Moody’s said in an issuer comment on Wednesday.
Special Correspondent NEW DELHI
The BJP’s electoral wins in the recent Assembly polls are a credit positive for the Indian sovereign as they show broad-based popular support for the Centre’s economic and institutional reform agenda, according to global credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service. The BJP’s solid overall gains come despite the negative economic hit from demonetisation in late 2016 and, although securing an Upper House majority in Parliament may take time, a partnership between the Centre and the States under BJP could help circumvent federal hurdles to reforms in areas such as land and labour laws, Moody’s noted. While Moody’s maintains its lowest investment grade rating of Baa3 for India with CM YK
The polls relect strong support for Modi’s national policy agenda.
a positive outlook, it said the State elections had yielded substantial gains to the government and reflect strong popular support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national policy agenda. “Unlike rival parties in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP did not
No immediate gains “The ruling party will not immediately benefit from its electoral gains. The changes in the upper house will only occur in 2018 when some members’ terms expire. Currently, the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP and its allies hold about 30% of the total seats in the upper house. Therefore, the ruling party will continue to rely on alliances with representat-
ives of other parties to push through policy measures,” according to the note. “Next year, 69 seats in the upper house, including 10 from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand, will come up for re-election. If the BJPled coalition increases its seat tally to or closer to an outright majority, passage and implementation of additional reforms will be easier.” “In addition, collaboration between the central government and new BJP-led states could improve, partially circumventing impediments to reform at the federal level on politically sensitive issues like land and labor reform. This would support state-led reform momentum — BJP-led States like Gujarat and Rajasthan have already amended some land and labour laws,” according to Moody’s. A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
14 BUSINESS
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
IN BRIEF
‘Post polls, all political parties Ease norms for foreign must support labour reforms’ investors: Zoomcar CEO ‘Exploring opportunities in South Asian markets’ Panel to inalise labour code for easing retrenchment norms, says Dattatreya
Special Correspondent KOLKATA
panel of Union Ministers led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will meet next week to finalise the labour code on industrial relations aimed at easing retrenchment norms.
Somesh Jha NEW DELHI
Jet Airways’ lyers can book Uber on airline app MUMBAI
Jet Airways has entered into a pact with ride-hailing service provider Uber to help the airline’s passengers book a cab while reserving tickets on the Jet Airways app. Madhu Kannan, chief business oicer, Uber India and Emerging markets said, ‘Through this partnership, Jet Airways’ guests across 29 cities will be able to request their Uber when they book their light. That removes any last-minute hassles.”
WNS buys HealthHelp for $95 million MUMBAI
NYSE–listed Business Process Management (BPM) irm WNS (Holdings), has announced the acquisition of Houston, Texas based HealthHelp, an industry leader in care management, for $95 million. “Consideration for the transaction is $95 million excluding adjustments for cash, debt and working capital,” according to a statement from WNS, a company which has its headquarters in Mumbai.
India Cements offers stock option for staff CHENNAI
India Cements Ltd. has come out with a stock option scheme for its employees by offering 18.35 lakh shares to certain selection grade employees. The scheme will come into effect on April 1, 2017, and the option will vest with the employees on April 1, 2018. Upon exercising this option, the employees will be allotted assigned equity shares at ₹50 a share on the face value of ₹10 (including a premium of ₹40).
CM YK
The Centre will aggressively push for labour reforms following the recent state elections, said Bandaru Dattatreya, Labour and Employment Minister. “After the state election results, all political parties should step forward to support development, including labour reforms,” Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya told The Hindu at the International Vision Zero Conference on Occupational Safety and Health organised here. “It should be given priority instead of playing politics. Our government has given top priority to labour reforms for employment generation and safety and working conditions for workers and we will keep pursuing them intensively.” The recent election res-
Poll illip: Getting higher numbers in the Rajya Sabha will facilitate more labour reforms. ults in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur will help the National Democratic Alliance Government to increase its share of seats in the Rajya Sabha. The NDA has a majority in Lok Sabha but lacks the numbers for a majority in the Rajya Sabha.
UBHL appeals against winding up verdict ‘Firm can make a settlement ofer’ Special Correspondent Bengaluru
A Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court asked counsel for Vijay Mallya’s United Breweries (Holdings) to seek instructions on how much UBHL could deposit for taking up its appeal against an order for winding up the company for failing to pay liabilities to unsecured and secured creditors as per its corporate guarantee extended to Kingfisher Airlines. Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and
Justice Budihal R.B. said UBHL could make a “fair one-time settlement” offer, while hearing UBHL’s plea against a February 7 singlejudge order for winding up the company on a petition filed by a consortium of banks, led by the State Bank of India. “UBHL is a commercially insolvent company and is unable to meet its admitted financial obligations and square up its admitted liability towards the petitioning creditors,” the single-judge had said in his ruling.
The NDA has 74 out of 245 members in the Rajya Sabha at present. Getting more representation in the Upper House following the state election results will help the NDA Government facilitate further reforms, Moody’s Investors Service had said. Mr. Dattatreya said a
Wage code “The Ministers have cleared the code on wages. The first phase of discussions on industrial relations code has already happened. We will again meet next week to take it forward,” Mr. Dattatreya said. The proposed labour code on wages aims to bring about uniformity in the definition of wage in various labour laws and make national minimum wage mandatory for all establishments. The code on industrial relations seeks to relax retrenchment norms for companies and provide skills to retrenched workers, among other measures.
Greg Moran, CEO and cofounder of self-drive carrental service start-up Zoomcar, said the Centre could attract investment to India “by trying to make it easier for foreigners to invest in the country.” “Prime Minister Modi has done a decent job of making it easy to set up industry here but things could be better,” he said while talking to The Hindu after unveiling a new car-share facility for vehicle–owners. He said the areas where attention was needed to facilitate foreign investors were “visa, tax abatements for start-ups, and improved facility for setting up business. An investor also wants a 3-5 year policy framework in place which provides clarity on certain infrastructure and taxation issues.” He hinted that broadband
Greg Moran connectivity was a roadblock for technology-based companies like Zoomcar. In 2013, the U.S.–based, Greg Moran and his friend David Back founded India’s first self-driven car rental company Zoomcar, allowing users to rent cars. While his partner left for the U.S. later, Mr. Moran dug his heels in and has not only tasted success but has had several rounds of financing, the last being from an arm of Ford Motors. The firm is now
exploring opportunities in some South East Asian markets like Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia and in African countries like Nigeria and Kenya. The Bengaluru-based company is now in 17 cities with a fleet of 3,000 cars of which 2,000 are its own. It has recently introduced a facility ZAP, whereby a new car owner can rent out his/ her car on the Zoomcar platform when it is idling, with Zoomcar managing all the formalities and helping the owner cut his vehicle ownership cost.
Utilisation rates “Utilisation rates for private cars in India are very low at around 10% and Zoomcar will create a truly hyper local product,” he said, adding there were 100 cars in this asset-light model and this would be the future growth path for the company.
New MD for Murugappa Group arm
Centre unveils plan for export infra
K.T. Jagannathan
Special Correspondent
Chennai
NEW DELHI
addressing quality and certification measures.”
The ₹295 billion Murugappa Group has announced top-level changes in a couple of its leading companies. N. Srinivasan, Group Director (Finance), has been appointed as the Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd (CIFCL). His appointment will take effect from August 19 when the current Managing Director Vellayan Subbiah completes his term in office.
The Centre on Wednesday unveiled a scheme to create export-related infrastructure and boost the competitiveness of India’s shipments. The scheme would have a budgetary allocation of ₹600 crore, with an annual outlay of ₹200 crore per year, and it would be implemented from FY’18 till FY’20, according to a Commerce Ministry statement. “The objective of the proposed scheme — Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) — is to enhance export competitiveness by bridging
Replacing ASIDE The scheme replaces a centrally sponsored scheme — Assistance to States for creating Infrastructure for the Development and growth of Exports (ASIDE). Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: “The focus is not just to create infrastructure but to make sure it is professionally run and sustained. There will be an (inter-ministerial) Empowered Committee (chaired by the Commerce Secretary) to periodically re-
The ₹600 crore-scheme is aimed at strengthening India’s trade competitiveness
Nirmala Sitharaman
gaps in export infrastructure, creating focused export infrastructure, first mile and last mile connectivity for export-oriented projects and
view the progress of the approved projects in the Scheme and will take necessary steps to ensure achievement of the objectives of the Scheme.” Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said the scheme would provide assistance for setting up and upgrading infrastructure projects with overwhelming export linkages — like border haats, land customs stations, quality testing and certification labs and cold chains. She said last and first mile connectivity projects related to export logistics will also be considered.
A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU
SPORT 15
NOIDA/DELHI
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
IN BRIEF
Manohar quits eight months into term as ICC chief Veteran administrator cites personal reasons for resignation, says decision has ‘nothing to do with ICC issues or BCCI’ G. Viswanath Mumbai
Johri in Colombo to meet other board chiefs MUMBAI
It’s understood that the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri is in Colombo for a meeting with the cricket boards of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to discuss ICC’s proposed constitutional and financial changes that would be placed before the ICC Board at Dubai on April 26 and 27. The Bangladesh Cricket Board is part of the ICC’s Working Group along with England and Wales Cricket Board, Cricket Australia, Imran Khawaja (Associate Member, Singapore) and hence it would be difficult for it to withdraw its signature. Shashank Manohar was the fifth member of the Working Group. G. VISWANATH
Players clash as Aussie game turns ugly SYDNEY
A cricket match in Australia has turned ugly with a batsman shoulder-barging a celebrating bowler, knocking him over and sparking an on-field clash. Footage from the incident last weekend shows a paceman for Yackandandah in Victoria State running towards the Eskdale batsman after bowling him out. The celebration wasn’t appreciated with the batsman dropping his shoulder into him, knocking him to the ground. That prompted a fielder to charge at the batsman and push him over with fellow fielders rushing in to break up the melee.
Shashank Manohar resigned as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday to bring to an end a long innings in cricket administration. He had had a meeting with Committee of Administrators (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai and member Vikram Limaye here on Tuesday evening. Not specifying a reason for his abrupt decision to vacate the prestigious post, Manohar told The Hindu, “Honestly, my resignation has nothing to do with the ICC or its issues or the BCCI. It’s purely a personal decision. Personal reasons have to remain personal. I told my wife about my decision on Monday evening.” After being elected as BCCI president for the second time in October 2015, the Nagpur-based lawyer resigned from the post in May 2016 to be subsequently
elected as the first independent chairman of the ICC, for a two-year term, ín May 2016. “The ICC has confirmed it has received an email from chairman Shashank Manohar tendering his resignation. “The ICC Board will assess the situation and next steps before making a further announcement,” said an ICC press release.
Keeping CoA informed Manohar sent an email to the ICC on Wednesday, but he informed Rai and Limaye of his decision to leave the ICC before the start of the meeting. The CoA chairman had been keen to meet Manohar during the first Test between India and Australia at Pune, but the latter had other engagements, which led to the meeting being put off for three weeks. It is learnt from sources privy to what went on during the meeting between Rai, Limaye and
Steve Smith and Virat Kohli will meet match referee Richie Richardson on Thursday morning, before the start of the third Test, and the focus will be on player behaviour. Yet, Smith has already termed Kohli’s allegations that the Aussies deliberately misuse DRS as “complete rubbish.” Smith said: “Perhaps I might be able to ask a few questions [to Kohli] tomorrow. We’ll see what the mood is like at that time. Virat obviously stuck by his comments. From my point of view I think they are completely wrong.” On Wednesday, Smith met Richardson and the two
JACK DABAGHIAN/GETTY IMAGES
Manohar that the topic of discussion was the “constitutional and financial changes” proposed by the ICC’s special working group that had received an overwhelming 7-2 support during the ICC Board meeting in Dubai in the first week of February. Inducted as an ICC Board member four days after he
S. Dinakar RANCHI
Spin twins: Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe hold the key to Australia’s fortunes in the third Test. K.R. DEEPAK
Smith rubbishes Kohli’s allegations Special Correspondent
Shashank Manohar.
The BCCI has expressed surprise at Shashank Manohar’s decision to step down as ICC chairman. “Mr. Manohar’s contribution to Indian cricket is invaluable. “He is a man of few words, but excellent deeds.
The BCCI Committee of Administrators (CoA) was looking forward to a longterm cooperation between the ICC and BCCI with Mr. Manohar at the helm of affairs. “The BCCI wishes him the very best for his future endeavours,” the Board said in a statement.
was nominated to the CoA and therefore not in full grasp of the goings-on in the ICC, Limaye had voted against the governance and revenue-sharing model. During the course of the meeting, Rai and Limaye conveyed categorically to Manohar that “since the CoA is only a temporary body,”
they will not be able to support the proposals worked around the theme of ‘equity’.
“We are also concerned that India, as a country, should get the best deal, it should get the money. Supposing there is a loss, a big loss of money, that has to be taken care of. “The issue is how it should be taken care of in the best possible manner.” Manohar’s resignation has surprised many, especially after he had initiated sweeping constitutional and financial changes in late 2015. “The Big Three (India, Australia and England) should not bully the ICC” was his famous statement.
Making it clear The CoA gave clear hints that it would not go with the proposed financial changes and the Supreme Court’s observations on March 6 on the ICC’s revenue sharing model has only compelled it to strike a better bargain.
Especially the prospect of a heavy cut from a previously proposed net revenue of $445 million (gross revenue of $570 million less an expenditure of $125 million), over the 2016-2023 cycle, to the proposed net revenue of
It’s being speculated that Manohar resigned because the proposals may not receive two-thirds support at the next ICC Board meeting scheduled in Dubai on April 26 and 27.
Showers predicted on days three and four; spinners likely to come into the picture as match progresses
RANCHI
RANCHI
Mumbai
At their meeting on February 25, the CoA had discussed the ICC’s financial model with Rahul Johri (BCCI CEO), R.P. Shah (former GM, Commercial, BCCI), Dr. M.V. Sridhar (GM, Cricket Operations, BCCI) and Adarsh Saxena (Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, attorney, BCCI) and resolved that “the BCCI should take all steps necessary to protect the interests of BCCI, including engaging with other ICC member countries and garnering their support for the BCCI’s position on the proposed changes.”
An intense Test with high stakes in the oing
Australian cricketers visit city-based NGO Members of the Australian cricket team visited Yuwa, an NGO based in the city that provides a platform through team sport for young women to gain confidence to make a change in their world. The players took time out from their preparations for the third Test to interact with some young girl athletes from Jharkhand. PTI
‘Man of few words, but excellent deeds’ Special Correspondent
The Supreme Court bench had said: “Let us get the facts clear. We have nothing to do with the ICC.
$290 million, was not acceptable to the CoA.
umpires. “What they basically said was they wanted to see cricket as the winner in this Test match, that both teams should play within the rules of the game,” the Australian captain said. Queried on the pitch here, Smith said: “The pitch looked a little bit drier than it was yesterday. Only a quick look but I think it’ll play reasonably well on the first day. I don’t think there will be a great deal of bounce. I think it’ll shoot quite low and then from there, it’ll break up as the game wears on.” He said off-spinner Nathan Lyon was set to play. “His finger has healed nicely over the last week or so. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
On an emotional rollercoaster for most part, India and Australia have faced off in two volatile matches that tested both nerve and skill. Pitches have been demanding, and duels fierce. The low-scoring Tests, high on both intensity and verbal spats, have been ultra competitive. And situations have thrown up heroes. This dramatic and rather ill-tempered Border-Gavaskar series — rival captains and celebrated batsmen Virat Kohli and Steve Smith were caught up in a behavioural storm — is on a razor’s edge going into the third Test beginning here on Thursday. With the scores 1-1 in the four-Test series, the stakes are high. Both teams will seek to grab Ranchi’s first ever Test by the scruff. Much focus has been on the surface. Smith and Aussie coach Darren Lehmann had a
rather close look at the pitch on Wednesday.
Might play better The pitch might play better than it looks — images of the track have been doing the rounds on Twitter — since it may not be very dry. Spells of rain in the city leading up to the Test have meant the surface had to be periodically kept under covers. The curator, resultantly, hasn’t really been able to prepare a bone dry wicket. Showers have been forecast on day three and four of the Test. If it rains, then this will have a direct bearing on how the surface plays. Lack of adequate sunlight and the covering up of the surface will slow down the breaking up of the wicket. Yet, as the match progresses, spinners are increasingly likely to come into the picture. There is a possibility that, like in Bengaluru, the bounce on this track might be
low. Both teams will not want to bat last here. From a batting perspective, use of feet and shot selection will be crucial to success. Judgement of length is vital as it is this attribute that guides footwork. If the ball turns, then the batsmen need to remember that the real game is square of the wicket. They need to keep the good deliveries away and wait for opportunities to essay the cut, pull and the sweep. India will seek runs from its skipper Virat Kohli. His duels with the Aussie spin duo of Nathan Lyon, who seems to have recovered well from a sore spinning finger, and Steve O’Keefe should be engrossing. Kohli has to play his natural, aggressive game, be decisive and look to play than ‘leave’. Opener Murali Vijay — he practised on Wednesday — appears to have put his
shoulder injury behind and is set to play his 50th Test. India could continue with a four-man attack unless it decides to pick an additional spinner in either Jayant Yadav or Kuldeep Yadav for Karun Nair.
game with R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja holding the joint No.1 ranking in Tests. Will the strangely subdued David Warner come out with a different game-plan against Ashwin? The action could be gripping.
Maxwell has the edge The Aussies might choose between Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis for the slot vacated by the injured Mitchell Marsh. Maxwell has the edge for he brings with him the Xfactor and has this ability to disrupt attacks. Left-handed specialist batsman Usman Khawaja is also in the frame. And Pat Cummins should replace the mercurial Mitchell Starc. Cummins has speed and aggression and may do some damage during his short bursts. The Aussies will be up against the top bowling combination — in these conditions — of the contemporary
The teams (from): India: Virat Kohli (capt.), M. Vijay, K.L. Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, R. Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R. Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Abhinav Mukund, Kuldeep Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Australia: Steve Smith (capt.), David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Mathew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Steve O’ Keefe, Marcus Stoinis, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Agar and Jackson Bird. Umpires: Ian Gould (England) and Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand). Third umpire: Nigel Llong (England). Match starts at 9.30 a.m.
‘I think about what I say, don’t regret anything’ It’s time we focused on the series, says the India captain Special Correspondent RANCHI
Virat Kohli was his feisty self while answering questions from the media here. On what he had said during and after the Bengaluru Test, the India captain noted: “I think about what I say. I don’t regret anything I have said. “But, at the same time, it is very important not to be stupid and go on about the same thing on a daily basis because there is a lot of cricket to be played. It’s time we focused on the remainder of the series.” Kohli said: “It is not the first time in my life that people have spoken about me, certainly not the last time. I must have done a few things right in my career to
be given the opportunity to captain the side. “As long as you are honest with yourself, work hard on a daily basis, you are answerable to no one.” Asked whether he had made specific allegations against his counterpart Steve Smith without adequate proof, Kohli replied: “If no charges were pressed against me, how are they allegations?” Kohli emphasised that the series was not about individual battles but about teams facing one another. “Honestly, Ashwin didn’t look at his second innings performance in Bengaluru as a reply to Lyon’s eight-wicket haul in the first. We don’t look at any of these competitions,” he said.
The India captain lauded Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane’s batting in the second innings of the second Test. “I saw Pujara opening up his stance which was an apt adjustment for him to give himself more space to play the ball. Ajinkya, again, getting inside the line of the ball and not playing through the covers,” Kohli said. “But I think those two guys stepped up their game and found a way to score runs on a difficult wicket.” Kohli refused to make predictions about the surface in Ranchi. “I have not come across a cricketer who can look at the pitch and predict correctly as to what will happen,” he said.
Team theme: Virat Kohli emphasised that the series was not about individual battles but about two sides facing each other. K.R. DEEPAK
Dhoni — the catalyst for Jharkhand’s cricket revolution S. Dinakar RANCHI
There is a cricket revolution happening in Jharkhand. You can see it in the billboards across the city, advertising the mushrooming cricket academies. On them are not just the images of the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni but also of lesser stars such as Saurabh Tiwary. It is fitting that Ranchi is staging its inaugural Test when Jharkhand’s fortunes in the domestic arena are at an all time high. The side, bucking the odds, reached the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy and has progressed to the last four stage in the ongoing Vijay Hazare oneday competition. The boys from the small towns are staring at the big, bold lights of the city as cricket spreads its wings in the country. We have come a CM YK
long way from the time when traditional power centres ruled the cricketing scene in India. Jharkhand is a wonderful example. And Dhoni has been an inspiration. Ranchi’s cricket boom has been triggered and sustained by his immense achievements.
First name on lips Dhoni might be far away from Ranchi, captaining the State in the Hazare tournament, but his presence can be felt in different ways. From the taxi driver to the man in the hotel lobby, Dhoni bhaiya is the first name on many lips. Chanchal Bhattacharya, Dhoni’s first coach, who visited the ground on Wednesday, spoke about the wicketkeeper-batsman’s desire, commitment and immense ability that he was able to
harness. Dhoni’s story is the stuff of dreams; from being a ticket collector who boarded one of the crowded trains in these parts, he became India’s legendary captain. During his journey, the man called Mahi broke through several barriers. And his explosive ways with the willow fired the imagination of many aspiring cricketers of his State. Today, Jharkhand has so many cricketers with potential, from Ishan Kishan to Ishank Jaggi, from Rahul Shukla to Shahbaz Nadeem.
Sense of belief Not to speak of fast bowler Varun Aaron, who became the second cricketer from Jharkhand to represent India. “Dhoni gave us all a sense of belief,” Aaron said. Dhoni has been the torchbearer for his State, its brightest shining star.
‘Blindly following Mahi isn’t the way to go’ Shayan Acharya Chennai
There are many things that differentiate Chanchal Bhattacharya and Keshav Banerjee. But then, there is also something that binds the two. And that is M.S. Dhoni.
Captain Marvel: The talismanic M. S. Dhoni is a hit everywhere, especially in his hometown Ranchi.
PTI
“One M.S. Dhoni has helped Jharkhand find a place on the cricket map. It’s time we bring out more youngsters to keep the momentum going,” Banerjee told The Hindu.
The two senior coaches from Ranchi are the ones that helped Jharkhand get its first international icon. While Banerjee was the first to inspire Dhoni to take up cricket during his days at the Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Bhattacharya honed his skills at the club and State level.
The senior coach will miss Ranchi’s debut, as he is in Vellore with his ailing wife. Meanwhile, Bhattacharya, who will be present at the venue on all the five days, said: “Now everyone wants to emulate Mahi. But we also must realise that blindly following Mahi won’t make things easy.”
As the small town gears up for its Test debut, Banerjee and Bhattacharya feel that the State’s real challenge has just begun.
On normal days, Banerjee, who is still associated with Jawahar Vidya Mandir, receives around 10 to 15 requests from parents. “Only
sending kids to me won’t help. The parents must realise that to make a cricketer, strict discipline is necessary,” Banerjee said. Bhattacharya admits that even though quite a few academies have come up in Ranchi, other parts of the State still need a lot more. The only major cricket facility in Ranchi is the JSCA International Stadium. But one needs to be at least a first division player to avail it. “A lot of young cricketers are on the verge of making it big. But for most, it’s not possible to spend heavily. The State board should ensure that the game is spread to different corners,” Banerjee said. A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
16 SPORT
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Superb win for Leicester
IN BRIEF
Beats Sevilla 2-0; Juventus sails into the last eight, defeating Porto AGENCIES LEICESTER
From heroes to zeros and back again, Leicester City’s remarkable roller-coaster ride took another twist as a superb 2-0 victory over Sevilla put it in the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Tuesday. Down 2-1 from the first-leg last month in Spain — when it was also careering towards relegation — Leicester rolled back the clock to last season’s Premier League title heist as goals by skipper Wes Morgan and Marc Albrighton put it in the last eight in its first crack at Europe’s elite competition. Europa League aristocrat Sevilla’s dream of a first appearance in the Champions League quarterfinals turned sour as Samir Nasri was sent off shortly before Steven N’Zonzi’s 80th-minute penalty was saved by Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel. The Dane, also saved a penalty in the first-leg in which a dominant Sevilla could have won by a landslide. It can look forward to a potential clash with the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid. It looked ominous for Champions League debutant Leicester in the early exchanges as Sevilla sought the away goal that would have put it in complete control of the tie. Leicester keeper Schmeichel made a great save to keep out Nasri’s stinging shot, but Sevilla struggled to find the passing rhythm that had overwhelmed its opponent in the first-leg. A well-organised Leicester worked tirelessly and looked dangerous from set pieces
Shakespeare has a surprise package LEICESTER
Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare believes his team can become the Champions League’s surprise package after it eliminated Sevilla to reach the quarterfinals. “We have to be delighted with the performance in knocking Sevilla out. But we’re in there on merit. We might just be the surprise team,” Shakespeare said. AFP
Brazil’s Marta takes Swedish nationality STOCKHOLM
Five-time World Player-ofthe-Year Marta said on Wednesday she would continue to play for Brazil internationally after taking Swedish nationality. “I feel Swedish too, and I’m super happy that’s done now,” Marta told the media while showing off her brand new joint nationality papers. AFP
German Cup: Dortmund sails into last four BERLIN
Christian Pulisic set Borussia Dortmund on its way to a comfortable 3-0 win over third-tier Sportfreunde Lotte on Tuesday that took it into the semifinals of the German Cup. The result (quarterfinals): Sportfreunde Lotte 0 lost to Borussia Dortmund 3 (Pulisic 57, Schurrle 66, Schmelzer 83). AFP
AAI finally adopts Sports Code
MUMBAI: Allora, who ran second in her last start, should make amends in the Kailashpat Singhania Trophy, the feature event of the races to be held here on Thursday evening. Rails will be placed 2 metres away from its original point from 1400m to 1200m and 4 metres from 1000m upto the winning post.
After defying the National Sports Development Code (NSDC) for years, the Archery Association of India (AAI) on Wednesday adopted the code and paved the way for regaining its recognition from the Government. “The amendments included all the age and tenure related clauses — such as 70 years as the upper age limit, 12 years’ term, cooling off period etc. — relating to a candidate’s eligibility to be an officebearer,” said a key officebearer of the AAI.
1
ASTRAL FLASH PLATE (1,400m), Cl. III, rated 40 to 66, 4-15 p.m: 1. Uncle Scrooge (6) Parmar 59, 2. Cezanne (7) Ajinkya 57, 3. Chizzler (2) Sandesh 57, 4. Bounty Queen (3) Daman 56.5, 5. Merabella (5) S.Sunil 55, 6. Wind Craft (4) K.Kadam 55, 7. Dancing Lord (1) Trevor 52.5 and 8. Sawgrass (8) C.S.Jodha 51.5. 1. SAWGRASS, 2. CHIZZLER, 3. DANCING LORD MADRAS RACE CLUB CUP DIV.II (1,200m), Maiden, 3-y-o only, 4-45: 1. Art O War (10) Parmar 55, 2. Baby Face (2) N.Rawal 55, 3. Lord Commander (7) C.S.Jodha 55, 4. Morocco (5) Pereira 55, 5. Optimum (9) Sandesh 55, 6. Towering Storm (4) S.Sunil 55, 7. Imperial Beauty (3) Bhawani 53.5, 8. Manzanita (1) Dashrath 53.5, 9. Shamwari (8) J.Chinoy 53.5 and 10. Turning Point (6) Trevor 53.5. 1. LORD COMMANDER, 2. SHAMWARI, 3. OPTIMUM
2 Man United charged with lack of player control LONDON
Manchester United has been charged with failing to control its players during Monday’s 1-0 FA Cup quarterfinal defeat at Chelsea, the FA has said. The charge relates to an incident in the 35th minute of the match at Stamford Bridge. United has until Friday evening to respond to the charge. REUTERS
MADRAS RACE CLUB CUP DIV.I (1,200m), Maiden, 3-y-o only, 5-15: 1. Alsace (1) Tograllu 55, 2. Kotor (8) Sandesh 55, 3. Lucky Luciano (2) Nirmal Jodha 55, 4. Sereno (11) Trevor 55, 5. Artus (7) Parmar 53.5, 6. Daughterofthesun (10) J.Chinoy 53.5, 7. Gentillesse (6) Neeraj 53.5, 8. Loire (5)
3
SA buoyed as Kiwis lose Boult
Sriram Balaji overcomes Siddarth
Agence France-Presse
Principal Correspondent
New Zealand bowling spearhead Trent Boult has been ruled out of the second Test starting in Wellington on Thursday, lifting South Africa’s chances of going one up in the series. Boult pulled up lame during South Africa’s second innings in the first Test in Dunedin to be the second senior player to be sidelined after Taylor suffered a calf tear. Neither side had finalised its lineup on Wednesday for what should be a seamerfriendly Basin Reserve wicket, but South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said the absence of Boult and Taylor would hurt New Zealand. “If you lose two key players like that you definitely feel you’re a little bit light,” he said. “For a new (batsman) coming in it’s important for us to put pressure on him and not make him feel comfortable. From a bowling perspective Boult is a huge loss.” With the first Test drawn, Wellington is effectively the start of a two-Test series which du Plessis said heightened the need to get a result.
BENGALURU
Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Vishnu Vardhan broke little sweat in reaching the quarterfinals of the $15,000 ITF Futures tennis tournament at the KSLTA here on Wednesday.
Impressive wins Prajnesh trounced Hong Kong’s Hong Kit Wong 6-2, 6-1 while Vishnu recorded an equally impressive 6-2, 6-1 win over Dakshineshwar Suresh. Sriram Balaji had to overcome a stiff second set challenge by Siddarth Vishwakarma before going through 6-2, 7-5. The results (second round): Singles: Vijay Sundar Prashanth bt Mohit Mayur 6-2, 6-3; Prajnesh Gunneswaran bt Hong
Pumped up: Wes Morgan celebrates after scoring Leicester’s irst goal. The English champion stunned Sevilla to enter the quarterinals AP
and it was from a Riyad Mahrez free kick that it took the lead with skipper Morgan bundling the ball into the Sevilla net with his thigh in the 27th minute. Ahead on away goals the situation played perfectly into Leicester’s hands as it sat deep and broke quickly with Jamie Vardy’s pace always a threat. Sevilla upped the ante in the second half and came within a coat of paint of equalising in the 54th minute when Sergio Escudero’s swirling effort from 30 metres beat Schmeichel but struck the underside of the crossbar. It proved a pivotal moment as a minute later the ball dropped kindly for Marc Albrighton just inside the penalty area and he was allowed time and space to dispatch a left-foot shot past
Dashrath 53.5, 9. Mocassin (3) Ajinkya 53.5, 10. Nembe Greek (9) C.S.Jodha 53.5 and 11. Sassy Lass (4) Akshay 53.5. 1. KOTOR, 2. DAUGHTEROFTHESUN, 3. GENTILLESSE RUNNING STAR PLATE DIV.II (1,200m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to 46, 5-45: 1. Beneficial (13) Trevor 59, 2. Knight’s Quest (1) Parmar 54, 3. Slam Dunk (4) Hanumant 54, 4. Ice Angel (6) C.S.Jodha 53.5, 5. Arvan (2) Roushan 53, 6. Noble Chieftain (11) Ayyar 52, 7. Zabrok (10) Vishal 52, 8. Azeeza (3) K.Kadam 51.5, 9. Flower Dust (8) Nazil 51.5, 10. Panatela (7) Bhawani 51.5, 11. Shalom (12) Neeraj 51.5, 12. She’s A Tiger (9) Santosh 51.5 and 13. Impossible Dream (5) Pradeep 51. 1. SHALOM, 2. SLAM DUNK, 3. ICE ANGEL
4
5
KAILASHPAT SINGHANIA TROPHY (1,200m), Cl. II, rated 60 to 86, 6-15: 1. Nascar (1) Raghuveer 60, 2. Valentino (3) Parmar 58, 3. Papakura (6) A.Gaikwad 54.5, 4. Incentio (7) Dashrath 53.5, 5. Ancient Glory (5) Neeraj 52.5, 6. Allora (4) Trevor 52, 7. Alishas Pet (2) C.S.Jodha 51.5 and 8. Governor General (8) Sandesh 51.5. 1. ALLORA, 2. NASCAR, 3. GOVERNOR GENERAL
6
IBRAHIM A RAHIMTOOLA TROPHY (1,000m), Cl. III, rated 40 to 66, 6-45: 1. Free Speech (6) Daman 62, 2. Rider On The Storm (4) Parbat 62, 3. The Civilian (10) Joseph 59, 4. Arabelle (9) Jaykumar 58, 5. Cyclone (2) Neeraj 56, 6. Queen Credible (5) A.Gaikwad 55, 7. Hirohama (7) K.Kadam 54.5, 8. Lady Danehill (11) Trevor 53.5, 9. Quixotic (8)
Kit Wong (HK) 6-2, 6-1; Vishnu Vardhan bt Dakshineshwar Suresh 6-2, 6-1; Sami Reinwein (Ger) bt Paramveer Singh Bajwa 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Hadin Vava bt Rishab Agarwal 6-4, 6-4. Siddarth Rawat bt Suraj Prabodh 7-6(4), 7-6(3); Karunaday Singh bt Mukund Sasi Kumar 7-6(4), 6-3; Sriram Balaji bt Siddarth Vishwakarma 6-2, 7-5. Doubles: Chandril Sood & Lakshit Sood bt Vasisht Cheruku & S.D. Prajwal Dev 3-6, 6-3, [10-7]; Vishnu Vardhan & Sriram Balaji bt Jui Chen Hung (Tpe) & Hong Kit Wong 7-5, 6-1. Jeson Patrombon (Phi) & Vijay Sundar Prashanth bt Tejas Chaukulkar & N. Kaliyanda Poonacha 6-7(2), 6-1, [10-4]. C. Alexander & R. Sami (Ger) bt C. Amorudh & P. Vignesh 7-5, 6-3.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Sevilla keeper Sergio Rico. Sevilla went desperately in search of a goal but Nasri got himself needlessly sent off in the 74th minute after squaring up to Vardy and bumping foreheads. Nasri received a second yellow card while Vardy, an irritation all night to Sevilla, was cautioned. Sevilla was handed a lifeline almost immediately though when Schmeichel clattered into Vitolo and the referee awarded a penalty. N’Zonzi was handed the task of putting Sevilla back into the tie but his weak kick was saved by Schmeichel.
Dybala converts penalty At Turin, Juventus coasted into the Champions League quarterfinals as Paulo Dy-
Bhambri advances
bala’s penalty gave it a 1-0 home win over Porto which played the second half with 10 men on Tuesday. The Italians never looked like relinquishing its 2-0 lead from the first- leg of the last 16 tie in Portugal despite allowing the visitor plenty of possession in the first half. Porto’s lingering hopes ended when Maximiliano Pereira stopped Juve striker Gonzalo Higuain’s goalbound shot with his hands and was sent off, leaving Dybala to dispatch the penalty with aplomb three minutes before halftime.
To meet Nikola Milojevic Sports Bureau
3-6, 7-6(3), [10-5] victory.
Shenzhen
The results:
Yuki Bhambri beat Stefano Napolitano of Italy 7-5, 6-2 in the first round of the $75,000 Challenger tennis tournament in China on Wednesday. In the pre-quarterfinals, Yuki will play Nikola Milojevic of Serbia. But Ramkumar Ramanathan lost in three sets in the third and final qualifying round of the $150,000 Challenger in the US. The Indian duo of Divij Sharan and Purav Raja knocked out the second seeds Brian Baker and Nicholas Monroe of the US for a
The results: Leicester City 2 (Morgan 27, Albrighton 54) bt Sevilla 0 (Leicester won 3-2 on aggregate); Juventus 1 (Dybala 42-pen) bt Porto 0 (Juventus won 3-0 on aggregate).
$150,000 Challenger: Irving (US): Qualifying singles (third and final round): Andrey Rublev (Rus) bt Ramkumar Ramanathan 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Purav Raja & Divij Sharan bt Brian Baker & Nicholas Monroe (US) 3-6, 7-6(3), [10-5]. $75,000 Challenger: Shenzhen (China): Singles (first round): Yuki Bhambri bt Stefano Napolitano (Ita) 7-5, 6-2. $15,000 ITF women: Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt): Singles (first round): Sai Samhitha bt Laura Deigman (GBr) 6-2, 6-4.
Federer, Nadal set a date
Allora should make amends
KOLKATA
Prajnesh and Vishnu in cruise mode
Mosin 53, 10. Dancing Prince (12) N.Rawal 52.5, 11. Rock In Rio (1) Dashrath 50.5 and 12. Alpine Express (3) Sandesh 50. 1. ALPINE EXPRESS, 2. FREE SPEECH, 3. CYCLONE RUNNING STAR PLATE DIV.I (1,200m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to 46, 7-15: 1. Angel Girl (9) Trevor 60, 2. Flag Flying (13) Raghuveer 59.5, 3. Orla (2) Ajinkya 59, 4. Top Wizard (4) Dashrath 56.5, 5. Furiosa (1) S.Sunil 55, 6. Pacific Dunes (11) Santosh 55, 7. New England (5) C.S.Jodha 54.5, 8. Kings Baron (12) Bhawani 52.5, 9. Thunder Down Under (7) J.Chinoy 52.5, 10. Abbeyroad (8) S.J.Sunil 52, 11. Auroden (6) Sandesh 51.5, 12. Shape The Scape (3) Nazil 51.5 and 13. Triple Threat (10) Pereira 51.5. 1. NEW ENGLAND, 2. ANGEL GIRL, 3. FLAG FLYING P A D’AVOINE TROPHY (1,400m), Cl. IV rated 20 to 46, 7-45: 1. Rashun (8) C.S.Jodha 59.5, 2. Arsenal (10) Zeeshan 58.5, 3. Hunting Pleasure (2) Trevor 57.5, 4. Marvel (14) Ajinkya 57, 5. Simona (6) S.J.Sunil 56.5, 6. Ventura (4) S.Kamble 56.5, 7. Royal Classic (13) Neeraj 55.5, 8. Elsa (7) Bhawani 55, 9. Centaurus (12) Pereira 54.5, 10. Aeolus Maximus (11) Dashrath 54, 11. Jeena (9) Vishal 53.5, 12. Bay Of Love (3) K.Kadam 52, 13. Rapid Girl (1) Sandesh 52 and 14. Samurai (5) Parmar 52. 1. HUNTING PLEASURE, 2. SAMURAI, 3. RAPID GIRL Day’s best: LORD COMMANDER Double: SHALOM – NEW ENGLAND Jackpot: 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8. Treble: (i) 5, 6 & 7. (ii) 6, 7 & 8. Tanala: All races. Super Jackpot: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8.
7
8
Djokovic also advances from the ‘group of death’ Agence France-Presse Indian Wells
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer booked a mouthwatering fourth-round clash at the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday, where five-time champion Novak Djokovic also advanced from the “group of death”. With the three superstars drawn in the same quarter, only one — at most — can make it to the semifinals. The weeding out will start in earnest when Federer meets Nadal in the round of 16 in a reprise of the Australian Open final in January that saw the Swiss star claim an 18th Grand Slam crown. Three-time Indian Wells champion Nadal was the first to go through, defeating fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 7-5. Federer edged American Steve Johnson 7-6(3), 7-6(4) in a match in which neither player was able to break. Djokovic made it past dangerous Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, who shocked the Serb star in the first round of the Rio de
Mouthwatering clash: Roger Federer will take on Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 in a reprise of the Australian Open inal. AP
Janeiro Olympics last year en route to singles silver. The results: Men: Third round: Malek Jaziri bt Taylor Fritz 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Jack Sock bt Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7); Donald Young bt Lucas Pouille 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; Kei Nishikori bt Gilles Muller 6-2, 6-2. Rafael Nadal bt Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 7-5; Roger Federer bt Steve Johnson 7-6(3), 7-6(4); Nick Kyrgios bt Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4; Novak Djokovic bt Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.
Women: Fourth round: Karolina Pliskova bt Timea Bacsinszky 5-1 retd.; Garbine Muguruza bt Elina Svitolina 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-0; Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova bt Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Caroline Garcia 6-1, 6-4; Caroline Wozniacki bt Madison Keys 6-4, 6-4; Kristina Mladenovic bt Lauren Davis 6-3, 6-3. Venus Williams bt Peng Shuai 3-6, 6-1, 6-3; Elena Vesnina bt Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3.
Wellington
Shahzad and Kamran recalled Press Trust of India Lahore
Pakistan on Wednesday recalled opener Ahmed Shehzad and Kamran Akmal in separate squads for the four-match Twenty20 and three-match ODI series in the West Indies starting later this month. Both batsmen earned their recalls on the back of solid performances in the recently held Pakistan Super League (PSL) where they played for opposing sides in the final. The squads will be led by Sarfraz Ahmed, who will also keep wickets, with the first T20 in Barbados on March 26. The remaining three matches will be played in Port of Spain on March 30, April 1 and 2. The one-dayers are scheduled for April 7, 9 and 11 in Guyana. The limited-over series will be followed by three Tests for which a squad will be announced later. The squads: T20: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt.), Ahmed Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Rumman Raees, and Usman Shinwari. ODI: Sarfraz (capt.), Shehzad, Akmal, Hafeez, Azam, Malik, Zaman, Asif Zakir, Wasim, Shadab, Mohammad Asghar, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Riaz, Fahim Ashraf, and Junaid Khan. AFP
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
THE HINDU CROSSWORD 11956 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10
11
12
13 14
15
16
17
18 19
20
21
22 23
24
25 26
27
28
29
■ ACROSS 1 A gripping cryptic clue might have this hint of surprise to increase fun on cracking (7,7) 10 In return, Stanford University admits Indian college members (5) 11 Theatre at mental asylum for surgery (9)
CM YK
(set by Spinner)
12 Love affairs involving extremely excitative emotions (8) 13 At the end, singer to scream head off? This might help maintain pitch! (6) 15 Surplus gold managed by head of the eatery (10) 16 Members of colony like to drink a bit of neat tequila (4) 19 Movie initially felicitated in ludicrous mix-up (4) 20 Enhancing programme code before appraisal (10) 23 Sailor's net cast away (6) 25 Broadcasts special cricket series played between Australia and England (8) 27 Newspaper introduced excellently detailed redesign, gaining patronage ultimately, as a result (9) 28 Desolate criminal taking drug (5) 29 They deliver notes, send pics & share moves with Snapchat, primarily (4,10) ■ DOWN 2 International valuers jostling to acquire upcoming home (9) 3 Cook feast with some Indian vegetables at large fair (8) 4 Accountant attempts to gain self-esteem in classes (10) 5 It's about preserving energy in
FAITH
SUDOKU
Ideal student
relationships (4) 6 Break into a new state (6) 7 Spinner was irst to retire with a model (5) 8 A true mix-up between partners' identities (7) 9 America rejected proposal after commencement, causing hurt (6) 14 Half-inished Indian politician allowed leading ex-minister to take over irm (10) 17 Adjacent member in hub region broken (9) 18 A vehicle featuring in animated Pixar ilm's trailers (8) 19 Desperate trick to get under foreigner's skin (7) 21 With end nowhere in sight, Gay accelerated and breathed heavily (6) 22 Really stylish act (6) 24 Looks for man captivated by looks (5) 26 Endlessly uttered profanities, raised ights (4)
Solution to puzzle 11955 S N A P U P U L R R O A R I S C O M E T E O R B I A P P O R T R Y T I B E T V N P W I S T E R L W O T E D I UM G N P D E F E C T
N
I R I
O
T I G H T R O P E W A L K E R
E R E P L R A Y N B P R I G H E T E R
A
E
T
L C E
F I N I T E I N T D I O S E N L A S S S U H U P E E S O R
Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku
R I N E T E I N S M E
C E G
Y
T
The great Vaishnava Acharya Ramanuja learnt from his father in his early years, and was later sent to Yadava Prakasa of Tirupputkuzhi, a village near Kanchipuram, for further lessons. Yadava Prakasa explained the Upanishadic statement tasya yathaa kapyaasam pundareekam evam akshinee as a comparison of the Supreme One’s eyes to a monkey’s behind. Ramanuja shed tears when he heard this interpretation. He was hurt by Yadava Prakasa’s disrespectful comparison, said Kidambi Narayanan, in a discourse. And yet, ideal student that he was, he did not offer his alternate explanation with pride, but explained humbly to his guru what he felt the correct interpretation was. Yadava Prakasa had taken the word kapi to mean monkey. But Ramanuja said that there was an alternate meaning, which was the correct one in this context. He said kapi also meant Sun. What the statement from the Upanishad meant was that the Lord’s eyes were like lotuses that bloom when the Sun was up, said Ramanuja. Ramanuja’s explanation of the Upanishadic statement satyam, jnanam, anantam, Brahma was also different from Yadava Prakasa’s. Ramanuja said that satyam meant that Brahman was there always. He is today as He was yesterday, and will be the same in future. Jnanam indicates that Brahman does not change like the waxing and waning moon. Anantam means geographical boundaries do not limit Him. He is the same everywhere. These three qualities define Brahman, said Ramanuja. Thus it is clear that Ramanuja was an ideal student, one who did not hesitate to come up with the right explanation, but one who did so without any pride. Yadava Prakasa, however, was unhappy with his pupil contradicting him, and tried to kill Ramanuja, but the latter was saved by Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram and His Consort Perundevi. A ND-ND
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU
SPORT 17
NOIDA/DELHI
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
IN BRIEF
Jharkhand in semis
Bengal gets past Maharashtra
Dhoni delights with a match-winning six
Majumdar and Chatterjee orchestrate a dramatic win after a sedate start Rakesh Rao NEW DELHI
Westbrook edges closer to Robertson’s record NEW YORK
Russell Westbrook edged closer to Oscar Robertson’s long-standing triple-double record after leading Oklahoma City Thunder to a comfortable 122-104 win over Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. Westbrook brought up his remarkable 33rd tripledouble of the season with 25 points, 19 assists and 12 rebounds. Other results: Cavaliers 128 bt Pistons 96; Pelicans 100 bt Trail Blazers 77; Knicks 87 bt Pacers 81; Warriors 106 bt 76ers 104. AGENCIES
India loses to Japan, bows out NEW DELHI
Japan inflicted a second defeat on India to knock it out of the race for qualification in the Asia Oceania Junior (under-16) Davis Cup team tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex on Wednesday. India, which had lost to Hong Kong and beaten New Zealand in earlier matches, will now play for the ninth place, starting with a match against Malaysia. The results (league): Japan bt India 3-0 [Keisuke Saitoh bt Sashank Theertha 6-4, 6-3; Fumiya Yoshino bt Sacchitt Sharma 6-2, 6-2; Tomoya Ikeda & Fumiya Yoshino bt Rithvik Choudary & Sashank Theertha 6-4, 6-2].
TV PICKS India vs Australia: 3rd Test, STAR Sports 1, 3 & HD 1, 3, 9.30 a.m. Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh: 2nd Test: TEN 3 & TEN 1 HD, 10 a.m. Europa League: TEN 1, 2 & TEN 1 HD, 1.30 a.m. (Friday) NBA: Sony Six & Sony Six HD, 5 a.m. (Friday)
Customary inish: M.S. Dhoni smashes a six over long-on to take Jharkhand to a six-wicket win over Vidarbha on Wednesday. KAMESH SRINIVASAN Kamesh Srinivasan NEW DELHI
It was a Dhoni show in the end! The expectant crowd which waited all day, and endured Vidarbha’s slow batting under the hot sun, was treated to some magic as the former India captain put the finishing touches to Jharkhand’s six-wicket victory with a six over long-on in the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarterfinals at the Palam ground on Wednesday. It was a bonus, as the fans were resigned to the possibility of Jharkhand not requiring Dhoni’s services as a batsman. Ravi Jangid’s 62 (87b, 8x4, 1x6) provided substance to Vidarbha’s challenge. Ganesh Satish (35) and Rajneesh Gurbani (22) were the other batsmen who ensured the fans could wait and hope to catch a glimpse of Dhoni. Pratyush Singh (33) and Ishan Kishan (35) gave Jharkhand a robust start and once they departed, the crowd started appealing along with the Vidarbha
HAZARE TROPHY team, in an attempt to bring Dhoni to the middle! Kumar Deobrat and Saurabh Tiwary got out after scoring 17 each, setting the stage for Dhoni, with 44 required from just over 15 overs. Dhoni was watchful and happy to push for the singles, twos and the odd three, giving Ishank Jaggi (41 n.o., 61b, 4x4, 1x6) the strike. When Satish came on to bowl, Dhoni, who had scored 12 off 26 balls till then, launched into a rousing six to bring the curtains down on the match. It was worth the wait for the spectators, one of whom managed to sneak to the middle before the innings was over, touched Dhoni’s feet and managed to get an autograph as well! The scores: Vidarbha: Faiz Fazal c Dhoni v Aaron 2, Jitesh Sharma c Shukla b Monu 7, Ganesh Satish lbw b Kaushal 35, Siddesh Wath run out 0, Ambati Rayudu c Tiwary b Monu 2, Abhishek Chaurasia lbw b Shukla
Kerala downs Railways
8, Ravi Jangid run out 62, Akshay Karnewar lbw b Nadeem 4, Rajneesh Gurbani run out 22, Akshay Wakhare (not out) 7; Extras (w-10): 10; Total (for nine wkts. in 50 overs): 159. Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-9, 3-9, 418, 5-42, 6-80, 7-87, 8-148, 9-159. Jharkhand bowling: Monu Kumar 9-1-27-2, Varun Aaron 10-141-1, Rahul Shukla 10-1-29-1, Pratyush Singh 3-0-15-0, Kaushal Singh 10-0-34-1, Shahbaz Nadeem 8-1-13-1. Jharkhand: Pratyush Singh b Thakur 33, Ishan Kishan b Thakur 35, Kumar Deobrat c & b Wakhare 17, Saurabh Tiwary b Jangid 17, Ishank Jaggi (not out) 41, M.S. Dhoni (not out) 18; Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-1): 4; Total (for four wkts. in 45.1 overs): 165. Fall of wickets: 1-68, 2-73, 3101, 4-116. Vidarbha bowling: Akshay Karnewar 10-1-25-0, Akshay Wakhare 10-1-43-1, Rajneesh Gurbani 3-0-11-0; Ravi Jangid 9-0-39-1, Ravikumar Thakur 10-3-25-2; Abhishek Chaurasia 3-0-13-0, Ganesh Satish 0.1-0-6-0. Toss: Vidarbha. Jharkhand won by six wickets and 29 balls to spare.
Hat-trick by Jobby; Punjab-Mizoram match drawn
Prannoy, Sameer advance
M.R. Praveen Chandran
Press Trust of India
Panaji
Basel
Jobby Justin’s hat-trick derailed Railways in a group-B match of the 71st Santosh Trophy football championship at the GMC stadium, Bambolim on Wednesday. Kerala, which fell behind in the 17th minute, recovered to post a 4-2 win. Jobby was on target in the 21st, 46th and 63rd minutes. At Vasco, former champions Punjab and Mizoram played out a goalless draw. Kerala struggled initially to find its rhythm and the defence looked shaky as Railways pressed forward. An error by defender Lijo, who lost the ball to Soosanayakam, just outside the box resulted in the opening goal. Rajesh had no difficulty beating goalkeeper Midhun with a stiff grounder. The goal galvanised Kerala. It took just four minutes for Kerala to find the equaliser. Jobby headed in a well directed floater from Nishon Xavier. Railways conceded a freekick when its captain Rajib Boro handled the ball just outside the circle. The resultant free-kick was banged in by Jobby. Kerala dominated the
Defending champion H.S. Prannoy, Sameer Verma and Subhankar Dey advanced to the second round of the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament here.
Putting mind over matter, Anustup Majumdar and Sudip Chatterjee played pivotal roles in Bengal’s dramatic four-wicket over Maharashtra on way to the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare one-day cricket tournament here. The gritty Bengal side chased down an imposing target of 319 in the final over. The effort was rewarded with a place in Thursday’s clash against M.S. Dhoni-led Jharkhand here. For the record, this was the highest run-chase at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground, surpassing Mumbai’s effort in the 2007 edition of the competition. Mumbai had scored 301 for four in its chase of Delhi's 297 for five. After Maharashtra scored 318 for six in 50 overs, made possible by Rahul Tripathi’s
counter-attacking 74-ball 95 and Nikhil Naik’s 52-ball 63, Bengal stayed on target despite losing an early wicket. At one stage, Maharashtra appeared to have regained some control when skipper Kedar Jadhav won leg-before decisions to send back the well-set duo of opener Shreevats Goswami and skipper Manoj Tiwary. These setbacks left Bengal worried at 187 for four in 32.5 overs. But once Majumdar (66 off 59 balls) joined Chatterjee (60 not out off 50 balls), Bengal quickly moved to cruise mode. Their 117-run fifth-wicket stand off 96 balls turned the match on its head and brought the team to the threshold of victory. Though Majumdar and new-man Kanishk Seth fell in the closing overs, Aamir Gani did not let Chatterjee down and struck the winning boundary with a deliv-
ery to spare. Earlier, Maharashtra lifted itself from a slow start with some aggressive batting in the second half of the innings. If the first 25 overs saw 108 runs for three wickets, the second 25 resulted in 210 runs, with the last 10 overs producing 109 runs. Maharashtra’s rally revolved around Tripathi’s 116run fifth-wicket stand with Naik. But it came on a day when Bengal’s fifth-wicket partnership proved decisive. The scores: Maharashtra: Ruturaj Gaikwad c Chatterjee b Ghosh 43, Ankit Bawne lbw b Ojha 14, Naushad Shaikh run out 3, Kedar Jadhav b Gani 44, Rahul Tripathi c Majumdar b Ghosh 95, Nikhil Naik c Majumdar b Gani 63, Shrikant Mundhe (not out) 20, Shamshuzama Kazi (not out) 20; Extras (b-1, lb-3, nb-4, w-8): 16; Total (for six wkts. in 50 overs): 318. Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-56, 396, 4-148, 5-264, 6-288.
Bengal bowling: Ashoke Dinda 10-0-56-0, Kanishk Seth 10-055-0, Pragyan Ojha 10-0-58-1, Sayan Ghosh 10-0-61-2, Aamir Gani 9-0-70-2, Manoj Tiwary 10-14-0. Bengal: Shreevats Goswami lbw b Jadhav 74, Abhimanyu Easwaran c Naik b Mundhe 6, Agniv Pan b Kazi 47, Manoj Tiwary lbw b Jadhav 40, Sudip Chatterjee (not out) 60, Anustup Majumdar c Shaikh b Mundhe 66, Kanishk Seth b Kazi 2, Aamir Gani (not out) 6; Extras (b-1, lb-7, w-11): 19; Total (for six wkts. in 49.5 overs): 320. Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-106, 3162, 4-187, 5-304, 6-314. Maharashtra bowling: Nikit Dhumal 7-1-47-0, Shrikant Mundhe 8-0-51-2, Shamshuzama Kazi 7.5-0-47-2, Rahul Tripathi 3-0-15-0, Jagdish Zope 8-0-61-0, Satyajeet Bachhav 10-0-61-0, Kedar Jadhav 6-0-30-2. Toss: Maharashtra. Bengal won by four wickets, with one ball to spare.
Gritty Chandimal lifts Sri Lanka Bangladesh had reduced the host to 70 for four at one stage by the third umpire as TV replays on whether Mehedi Hasan had caught him cleanly were inconclusive.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Colombo
Dinesh Chandimal scored an unbeaten half-century for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in Colombo on Wednesday after the tourists made a dream start to their 100th Test. Recovering from 70 for four, the home side reached 238 for seven before bad light stopped the opening day’s play on a turning pitch at the P. Sara Oval, owing mainly to Chandimal’s patient 86 not out. Chandimal shared a 66run stand with Dhananjaya de Silva and then added 44 and 43 runs with Niroshan Dickwella and Rangana Herath to halt what had been a procession to the pavilion. Chandimal, who faced 210 balls and hit four fours, was
SCOREBOARD
given out lbw on 38 off leftarm spinner Shakib Al Hasan but the decision was overturned following a review.
He then top-edged Taijul Islam, also a left-arm spinner, to fine leg on 46 but was given a benefit of the doubt
Sri Lanka — 1st innings: D. Karunaratne c Mehedi b Mustafizur 7, U. Tharanga c Soumya b Mehedi 11, K. Mendis st Mushfiqur b Mehedi 5, D. Chandimal (batting) 86, A. Gunaratne lbw b Roy 13, D. de Silva b Taijul 34, N. Dickwella b Shakib 34, D. Perera c Soumya b Mustafizur 9, R. Herath (batting) 18; Extras (b-1, lb-12, w-6, nb-2): 21; Total (for seven wkts. in 83.1 overs): 238. Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-24, 3-35, 4-70, 5-136, 6-180, 7-195. Bangladesh bowling: Mustafizur 15-5-32-2, Roy 15-247-1, Mehedi 15-2-58-2, Taijul 14-2-34-1, Shakib 20.1-3-43-1, Mosaddek 4-0-11-0. Toss: Sri Lanka.
The results: H.S. Prannoy bt David Peng 21-15, 21-18; Sameer Verma bt Gergely Krausz 2110, 21-16; Subhankar Dey bt Alexander Roovers 17-21, 2117, 21-15; Sourabh Verma lost to Rasmus Gemke 21-14, 2123, 12-21; Lakhanee Sarang lost to Kanta 11-21, 5-21.
Trump card: Jobby Justin, right, celebrates one of his three goals.
SANTOSH TROPHY proceedings in the second half. Jobby headed in a corner from Sreesan to increase the lead in the 63rd minute. Usman underlined Kerala’s supremacy by nodding in a Jishnu Balakrishnan cross from the right in the 71st minute. However, Kerala lowered its guard and allowed Railways to claw back. Rajesh, after messing up an easy chance in the 85th
minute, made amends in the next minute when he scored off a free-kick by Deepak Kachhap. Though Railways pressed hard in the dying minutes, Kerala managed to hold on. Kerala coach V.P. Shaji said: “The team still has to improve a lot, especially in the defence. We conceded two easy goals,” he said. The results: Kerala 4 (Jobby Justin 21, 46, 63; Usman 71) bt Railways 2 (Rajesh Soosanayakam 17, 86). Mizoram 0 drew with Punjab 0.
Ghosal in quarters Sports Bureau LONDON
Saurav Ghosal, Mahesh Mangaonkar, and Vikram Malhotra moved into the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Club Squash Squared Open, a $25,000 PSA event on Tuesday. The results: Pre-quarterfinals: Saurav Ghosal bt Olli Tuominen (Fin) 11-4, 11-9, 11-8; Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Ivan Yuen (Mas) 11-6, 12-10, 10-12, 10-12, 11-7; Vikram Malhotra bt Mohamed Reda (Egy) 11-8, 11-4, 11-2.
All set for Goa sailing week The fortnight-long event will be overseen by chief National coach A. JOSEPH ANTONY PANAJI
The Zuari river’s estuary as it merges with the Arabian Sea presents a picturesque setting for the second edition of the Goa International Sailing Week that gets underway on Thursday. As though escorting it on its last leg are the Cidade de Goa and Dona Paula beaches on the right. The lofty ridge on the left serves as a shield of sorts, protecting this playground from the wrath of the sea. So much so that the winds CM YK
pick up, mostly accompanied by the afternoon high tide, gusting to a modest 10 knots. “The beautiful, clean water not only provides for good sailing, (showcasing the sport closest to nature) but offers a panoramic view to the public,” Principal Race Officer Col. Satish Kumar Kanwar told The Hindu. “It will be a windward-leeward loop for the board surfing categories and Hobie 16, while it will be a trapezoid course for the Laser Stand-
ard, Radial, 4.7 and Topper classes. Since so many sections are in the fray, the starts will be staggered but where the number of entries is low, they may be combined,” said Col. Kanwar, also the Commanding Officer of the Army Yachting Node (AYN), Mumbai. The Yachting Association of India’s (YAI) national camp kicked off in Mumbai on Wednesday, in preparation for next year’s Asian Games. The fortnight-long programme will be overseen
by chief National coach Ian Bunny Stewart of Australia. Consequently, most of the country’s cream of yachtsmen, who are with the AYN, will not be seen in action here. This multi-class regatta will however provide the platform for promising sailors such as Mohammad Israj Ali. The 25-year-old from the EME Sailing Association is raring to have a go in coastal conditions, where wind, tide and current throw up so many more challenges. A ND-ND
18 LIFE
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
India hosts world’s oldest algae fossil New ind in the Chitrakoot region of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh may rewrite evolution timeline Agence France-Presse Miami
Scientists in India have uncovered a pair of 1.6 billionyear-old fossils that appear to contain red algae, which may be the oldest plant-like life discovered on Earth. Until now, the oldest known red algae was 1.2 billion years old, said the paper in the journal PLOS Biology. Scientists often debate the question of when complex life began on Earth, but they generally agree that large multicellular organisms became common about 600 million years ago. This discovery could lead experts to rewrite the tree of life, said lead author Stefan Bengtson, Professor Emer-
Salient discovery: An X-ray tomographic picture of fossil red algae, tinted to show detail, found in a 1.6-billion-year-old rock. STEFAN BENGTSON/REUTERS itus of palaeo-zoology at the Swedish Museum of Natural History.
No DNA remains “The ‘time of visible life’ seems to have begun much earlier than we thought,” he
said. No DNA remains in the fossils to be analysed but the material structurally resembles red algae, embedded in fossil mats of cyanobacteria inside a 1.6 billion-year-old phosphorite, a kind of sedimentary rock.
“You cannot be a hundred percent sure about material this ancient, as there is no DNA remaining, but the characters agree quite well with the morphology and structure of red algae,” said Professor Bengtson.
Advanced tools — such as synchrotron-based X-ray tomographic microscopy — allowed scientists to observe regularly recurring platelets in each cell, which they believe are parts of chloroplasts, the organelles within plant cells where photosynthesis takes place. Distinct structures at the centre of each cell wall are also apparent, and are typical of red algae. The fossils were discovered in sedimentary rocks in the Chitrakoot region of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The earliest traces of life on Earth — in the form of single-celled organisms — go back some 3.5 billion years.
Science unravels Woman with Down Syndrome spiders’ giant appetite presents weather on French TV The arachnids are great at pest control
A Twitter fan described it as “a magical television moment”
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Paris
Paris
The world’s spiders eat 400800 million tonnes of insects every year — as much meat and fish as humans consume over the same period, a study has found. In the first analysis of its kind, researchers used data from 65 previous studies to estimate that spiders on Earth weigh a total of 25 million tonnes. Taking into account how much food spiders need to survive, the team then calculated the eight-legged creatures’ annual haul of insects and other invertebrates. “Our estimates... suggest that the annual prey kill of the global spider community is in the range of 400-800 million metric tonnes,” they wrote in the journal The Science of Nature. This showed just how big
Melanie Segard, a 21-year-old woman with Down Syndrome, broke new ground for the disabled on Tuesday by presenting the weather forecast on French national television. Ms. Segard provided a summary of the weekend weather on France 2, achieving a personal goal that she hopes will also boost awareness for people with Down Syndrome. She soared to prominence after an advocacy group, UNAPEI, launched a campaign ahead of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, entitled “Melanie can do it.” On her Facebook page, Ms. Segard announced that her dream was to present the weather, and vowed to do it if she scored more than 1,00,000 “likes”. Within 10 days, she had picked up 2,00,000 “likes”
FILE PHOTO: K.R. DEEPAK
a role spiders play in keeping pests and disease-carriers at bay — especially in forests and grasslands where most of them live. “We hope that these estimates and their significant magnitude raise public awareness and increase the level of appreciation for the important global role of spiders,” the study authors wrote. For context, the study points out that humans consume about 400 million tonnes of meat and fish every year, while whales feed on 280-500 tonnes and seabirds about 70 million tonnes of seafood.
Melanie Segard.
UNAPIE/
GLORYPARIS/AFP
and drawn a following of thousands on Twitter. France 2 TV heard of the buzz and gave her a chance.
In the limelight Before her broadcast, the channel showed her rehearsing her lines and being made up for the cameras. Ms. Segard, shy and clearly moved by the event, was flanked by the channel’s forecaster, Anais Baydemir,
who paid tribute to her flawless delivery, as did her fans on Twitter. “A magical television moment,” said one. “Bravo, Melanie, we are all equal,” said another. Ms. Segard tweeted, “That’s it, I’ve done it, I’m finally a weather girl,” adding: “I am different, but I can do lots of things.” Down syndrome is the most common genetic form of intellectual disability. Also known as trisomy 21, the condition is caused by the presence of an extra, or third, copy of chromosome number 21. Humans normally have 23 pairs of chromosomes, which together contain up to 25,000 protein-coding genes. Last month, Madeline Stuart, a 20-year-old Australian model with Down Syndrome, took part in a fashion show in New York and debuted her own label.
IN BRIEF
SpongeBob creator has Lou Gehrig’s disease LOS ANGELES
The creator of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants says he has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Stephen Hillenburg told Variety he would continue to work on the show and his other passions for as long as he was able. Lou Gehrig’s disease is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. It’s a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells that control the muscles. There is no known cure. AP
Netflix to finish last Orson Welles movie LOS ANGELES
Internet streaming service Netflix has pledged to fund the completion and restoration of iconic filmmaker Orson Welles’ last movie, the unfinished The Other Side of the Wind. The film was shot by Welles between 1970 and 1976 from a screenplay he co-wrote with his lover Oja Kodar, who also stars in the film. AFP
Despicable Me 3 introduces Gru’s twin LOS ANGELES
The new trailer of animated comedy film Despicable Me 3 gives a sneak peek of the character Gru’s twin brother. While the first trailer highlights the film’s villain Balthazar Bratt (voiced by Trey Parker), the new sneak peek reveals that Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) did not know until now that he has an identical twin named Dru living in a huge mansion. IANS
CM YK
A ND-ND
