˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend rhea chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ......

12
A fter her father Indrajit Chakraborty claimed that his family had been “effective- ly demolished” and lawyer Satish Maneshinde said that his client was being subjected to “witch-hunt” and she was “ready” for arrest, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday grilled actress Rhea Chakraborty for six hours in connection with a drug case reg- istered in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. A day after it told the city court that it would have to con- front Showik Chakraborty with her elder sister (Rhea) and the late actor’s domestic help Dipesh Sawant — who is in now in the agency’s custody, the NCB began to look into the “specific roles/ingredients of conspiracy theory, abetments and various attempts to commit offences” by questioning Rhea for six hours. She has been called by the NCB for ques- tioning once again on Monday. At Monday’s questioning, Rhea is likely to be confronted with her younger brother Showik, the late actor’s house manager Samuel Miranda and Sawant. Showik, Samuel and Sawant, who was arrested on Saturday night, have been booked under 20 (b) and other sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NPDS) Act. Rhea — whose brother Showik was arrested along with late actor’s house manager Samuel Miranda by the NCB on Friday night -- reportedly admitted that she was procur- ing drugs for Sushant through her arrested brother (Showik). She is understood to have acknowledged that she knew about Samuel purchasing drugs for the actor from drug peddler Zaid. Informed agency sources said that the investigators ques- tioned her about the WhatsApp exchanges between Rhea and others that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had shared with the CBI and NCB alleging “procuring and usage” of drugs. It was on the basis of this WhatsApp message trail that the ED had joined the investi- gations on August 26 into the allegations that Sushant’s girl- friend Rhea Chakraborty used to procure banned drugs ille- gally from dealers and admin- ister them to the late actor. It may be recalled that the messages accessed by a few tele- vision channels on August 25- 26, Rhea talks about drugs and in a chat between her and Gaurav Arya who is allegedly a drug dealer, Rhea writes: “In case we speak about hard drugs, I haven’t been doing too much. Tried MDMA once”. In anoth- er message sent to Gaurav Arya, she asks: “You have MD?”. In the first chat message, Miranda writes to Rhea “Hi Rhea, the stuff is almost over”. In the next message, Jaya Saha tells Rhea: ‘Use 4 drops in tea, let him sip it …. Give it 30-40 mins to kick in’. Then, there emerges a message in a chat between Rhea & Jaya Saha: “I have asked him to coordinate with Shruti (Modi) & reach it up”. In yet another message, Rhea writes to Jaya Saha “Thank you so much” Reply from Jaya: “No problem bro, hope it helps”. In the seventh and last accessed chat message, Miranda writes to Rhea: ‘Should we take it from Showik’s friend? But he has just hash & bud’. The WA chat messages hint at the fact that Rhea was allegedly procuring drugs for use by the actor. On her part, Rhea had earlier denied consuming drugs and said that she was prepared for a drug test anytime. She, however, admitted that Sushant used to take marijuana and despite her efforts, she could not control him. Rhea, who was mentally prepared for her possible arrest by the NCB, walked into the NCB’s Zonal Office on the third floor of the Exchange Building at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai, around 12 noon. The actress was at the investigating agency’s office till 6 pm. A fter a relentless month- long surge, India on Sunday pipped Brazil to the sec- ond spot in the list of nations worst-affected by Covid-19. The reports that India occupied the second spot on Saturday was misleading because Brazil’s tally was updat- ed well after midnight, hours after last of the Indian States reported their daily surge. Exactly one month ago — on August 6 — India had 20.25 lakh cases and Brazil 29.17 lakh cases. In thirty days, India overcame this 9 lakh difference by recording an average of nearly 30,000 cases more on a daily basis to end on Sunday with a caseload of over 42 lakh. India is now around 22 lakh cases behind the USA, which had a total of around 6.4 million cases. The USA is recording around 45,000 cases daily, which around 35,000 to 45,000 less than India. With this sort of acceleration, India should be able to now occupy the top spot in the world in the next two months, if not earlier. India added the maximum number of cases in the world during the last one month. While the country added near- ly 22 lakh cases between Agust 6 and September 6, during the same period the USA added around 15 lakh cases and the Brazil recoded a total of 13 lakh cases. T he CRPF has issued a detailed set of guidelines with do’s and don’ts to its per- sonnel to avoid being targeted on social media platforms by counterintelligence operations or cyber attackers from hostile foreign Governments or radi- cal outfits inimical to India. Apart from other things, the personnel have been asked not to post Government emblems, weapons or back- ground photographs of opera- tional locations on social media platforms. The Paramilitary personnel have been asked not to share personal information that scam artists or identity thieves could use and manipulate. The per- sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories that can reveal information about the organisation. The personnel have also been advised against sharing classified information obtained through offi- cial channels or otherwise on such social media tools. “Do not use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, or engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable as a Government servant, including gossips about work and col- leagues,” says the guidelines issued by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) along with a separate set on guide- lines on use of smartphones in the Paramilitary offices across the country. The personnel have been barred from sharing on social media applica- tions e v e n unclassified reports especially about manpower issues, pro- motions, local orders and the like as the same can give an opportunity to the adversaries in gathering intelligence. The men and officials have further been cautioned against uploading photos in uniform or profile picture on WhatsApp/Facebook and any other social sites. They are also not supposed to upload pictures with weapons on such sites even in civil dress. The paramilitary personnel have also been advised against accepting friend requests from unknown or use official details and official email addresses for opening accounts on social media. T he International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has decided not to procure four marble statues of horses from Chinese firm for its under construction temple in Kurukshetra in view of anti- China sentiments. The man- agement is negotiating with Indonesia for the same. The negotiation with a Chinese company was almost done before the ISKCON decided to shelve the plan. The ISKCON is the first reli- gious organisation which can- cels its order in view of the Chinese attempt to change the status of the LAC. According to Gobind Gopal Das, who is looking after the construction of Kurukshetra’s ISKCON temple, the quality of Indonesian marble is better. “The decision was taken not to import marble horses from Chinese firms keeping in view of the ongoing anti-China sen- timents in the country,” he said. The statute of each horses will be 34 feet tall and 41 metres long and it will cost 1 crore each. The ISKCON, which is constructing a massive Krishna temple in Kurukshetra at a cost of 100 crore, has not completed nearly 60-65 per cent of the project. The construction of the temple complex began in 2018 and it will be completed in 2022. It is being built on six acres and the temple itself will be spread over 23,000 square feet with three storeys and height of 165 feet. It will have the world’s biggest Bhagawad Gita, a multimedia centre in which the Mahabharata will be played for devotees, a library which will have all scriptures, Govinda’s restaurant (a chain of ISKCON), 75-room guest house, art gallery, spiritual gift shop, supermarket and cafe. Mumbai: Actor Arjun Kapoor on Sunday said he has tested positive for Covid-19 and is asymptomatic. The 35-year-old actor said he is “feeling ok” and will be under home quarantine. “It is my duty to inform all of you that I have tested positive for coronavirus. I’m feeling ok and I’m asymptomatic. F ormer Independent MLA from Uttar Pradesh Nirvendra Kumar Munna was beaten to death in a land dispute in Lakhimpur on Sunday. Nirvendra Kumar Munna had been elected from the Nighasan Assembly seat as an independent legislator in 1989 and 1991 and in 1993 on the Samajwadi Party ticket. The land in question is located near the bus station and the matter is in court. According to reports, the other group came to forcibly occupy the land and the former legislator resisted the attempt after which the opposite party, led by one Kishan Kumar Gupta, beat him and his son Sanjeev Kumar Munna with ‘lathis’. The former legislator was seriously injured and suc- cumbed to injuries on way to hospital while his son has been admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008

Upload: others

Post on 08-Sep-2020

1 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

��������������������� ���� ��������������������������� ����������� ������������������������������������������������������� ���������� ������������������������������������������������������������� ��������� ��������������������������� ��������� ��������

��������������� ���� ������� ������ ���!"#$�� ������������� ���� ���� ���������������������������� �����!���"����#�������� ��������$���������#��%�����������������������&����� ����������������� ���������������&�� �������&���'����������� �������� ������(�����

���%� ������ � �%�'

After her father IndrajitChakraborty claimed that

his family had been “effective-ly demolished” and lawyerSatish Maneshinde said thathis client was being subjected to“witch-hunt” and she was“ready” for arrest, the NarcoticsControl Bureau (NCB) onSunday grilled actress RheaChakraborty for six hours inconnection with a drug case reg-istered in connection with actorSushant Singh Rajput’s death.

A day after it told the citycourt that it would have to con-front Showik Chakraborty withher elder sister (Rhea) and thelate actor’s domestic helpDipesh Sawant — who is innow in the agency’s custody, theNCB began to look into the“specific roles/ingredients ofconspiracy theory, abetmentsand various attempts to commitoffences” by questioning Rheafor six hours. She has beencalled by the NCB for ques-tioning once again on Monday.

At Monday’s questioning,Rhea is likely to be confrontedwith her younger brotherShowik, the late actor’s house manager SamuelMiranda and Sawant.

Showik, Samuel andSawant, who was arrested onSaturday night, have beenbooked under 20 (b) and other

sections of the Narcotics Drugsand Psychotropic Substances(NPDS) Act.

Rhea — whose brotherShowik was arrested along withlate actor’s house managerSamuel Miranda by the NCBon Friday night -- reportedlyadmitted that she was procur-ing drugs for Sushant throughher arrested brother (Showik).She is understood to haveacknowledged that she knew about Samuel purchasingdrugs for the actor from drug

peddler Zaid.Informed agency sources

said that the investigators ques-tioned her about the WhatsAppexchanges between Rhea andothers that the EnforcementDirectorate (ED) had sharedwith the CBI and NCB alleging“procuring and usage” of drugs.It was on the basis of thisWhatsApp message trail thatthe ED had joined the investi-gations on August 26 into theallegations that Sushant’s girl-friend Rhea Chakraborty used

to procure banned drugs ille-gally from dealers and admin-ister them to the late actor.

It may be recalled that themessages accessed by a few tele-vision channels on August 25-26, Rhea talks about drugs andin a chat between her andGaurav Arya who is allegedly adrug dealer, Rhea writes: “Incase we speak about hard drugs,I haven’t been doing too much.Tried MDMA once”. In anoth-er message sent to GauravArya, she asks: “You have MD?”.

In the first chat message,Miranda writes to Rhea “HiRhea, the stuff is almost over”.In the next message, Jaya Sahatells Rhea: ‘Use 4 drops in tea,let him sip it …. Give it 30-40mins to kick in’. Then, thereemerges a message in a chatbetween Rhea & Jaya Saha: “Ihave asked him to coordinatewith Shruti (Modi) & reach itup”. In yet another message,Rhea writes to Jaya Saha “Thankyou so much” Reply from Jaya:“No problem bro, hope it helps”.

In the seventh and lastaccessed chat message,Miranda writes to Rhea:‘Should we take it fromShowik’s friend? But he has justhash & bud’.

The WA chat messageshint at the fact that Rhea wasallegedly procuring drugs foruse by the actor.

On her part, Rhea hadearlier denied consuming drugsand said that she was preparedfor a drug test anytime. She,however, admitted that Sushantused to take marijuana anddespite her efforts, she couldnot control him.

Rhea, who was mentallyprepared for her possible arrestby the NCB, walked into theNCB’s Zonal Office on the thirdfloor of the Exchange Buildingat Ballard Estate in southMumbai, around 12 noon. Theactress was at the investigatingagency’s office till 6 pm.

����� )*+��*,-'

After a relentless month-long surge, India on

Sunday pipped Brazil to the sec-ond spot in the list of nationsworst-affected by Covid-19.

The reports that Indiaoccupied the second spot onSaturday was misleadingbecause Brazil’s tally was updat-ed well after midnight, hoursafter last of the Indian Statesreported their daily surge.

Exactly one month ago —on August 6 — India had 20.25lakh cases and Brazil 29.17lakh cases. In thirty days, Indiaovercame this 9 lakh differenceby recording an average ofnearly 30,000 cases more on adaily basis to end on Sundaywith a caseload of over 42 lakh.

India is now around 22lakh cases behind the USA,which had a total of around 6.4million cases.

The USA is recordingaround 45,000 cases daily,which around 35,000 to 45,000less than India. With this sortof acceleration, India should beable to now occupy the top spotin the world in the next twomonths, if not earlier.

India added the maximumnumber of cases in the worldduring the last one month.While the country added near-ly 22 lakh cases between Agust6 and September 6, during thesame period the USA added

around 15 lakh cases and theBrazil recoded a total of 13 lakh cases.

�&����&����%��� )*+��*,-'

The CRPF has issued adetailed set of guidelines

with do’s and don’ts to its per-sonnel to avoid being targetedon social media platforms bycounterintelligence operationsor cyber attackers from hostileforeign Governments or radi-cal outfits inimical to India.

Apart from other things,the personnel have been askednot to post Government

emblems, weapons or back-ground photographs of opera-tional locations on social mediaplatforms.

The Paramilitary personnelhave been asked not to sharepersonal information that scamartists or identity thieves coulduse and manipulate. The per-sonnel are not supposed to usephotographs with identity cardsor clothing accessories thatcan reveal information aboutthe organisation.

The personnel have alsobeen advised againstsharing classifiedi n f o r m a t i o no b t a i n e dthrough offi-cial channels orotherwise on such

social media tools.“Do not use ethnic slurs,

personal insults, obscenity, orengage in any conduct thatwould not be acceptable as aGovernment servant, includinggossips about work and col-leagues,” says the guidelinesissued by the Central ReservePolice Force (CRPF) alongwith a separate set on guide-lines on use of smartphones inthe Paramilitary offices acrossthe country.

The personnel havebeen barred

from sharingon social

m e d i aapplica-

t i o n se v e n

unclassified reports especiallyabout manpower issues, pro-motions, local orders and thelike as the same can give anopportunity to the adversariesin gathering intelligence.

The men and officials havefurther been cautioned againstuploading photos in uniform orprofile picture onWhatsApp/Facebook and anyother social sites. They arealso not supposed to uploadpictures with weapons on suchsites even in civil dress.

The paramilitary personnelhave also been advised againstaccepting friend requests fromunknown or use official details and official emailaddresses for opening accountson social media.

����� )*+��*,-'

The International Societyfor Krishna Consciousness

(ISKCON) has decided not toprocure four marble statues ofhorses from Chinese firm forits under construction templein Kurukshetra in view of anti-China sentiments. The man-agement is negotiating withIndonesia for the same.

The negotiation with aChinese company was almostdone before the ISKCONdecided to shelve the plan.The ISKCON is the first reli-gious organisation which can-cels its order in view of the

Chinese attempt to change thestatus of the LAC.

According to Gobind GopalDas, who is looking after theconstruction of Kurukshetra’sISKCON temple, the quality ofIndonesian marble is better.“The decision was taken not toimport marble horses fromChinese firms keeping in viewof the ongoing anti-China sen-timents in the country,” he said.

The statute of each horseswill be 34 feet tall and 41metres long and it will cost �1crore each. The ISKCON,which is constructing a massiveKrishna temple in Kurukshetraat a cost of �100 crore, has not

completed nearly 60-65 percent of the project.

The construction of thetemple complex began in 2018and it will be completed in2022. It is being built on sixacres and the temple itself willbe spread over 23,000 squarefeet with three storeys andheight of 165 feet. It will havethe world’s biggest BhagawadGita, a multimedia centre inwhich the Mahabharata will beplayed for devotees, a librarywhich will have all scriptures,Govinda’s restaurant (a chain ofISKCON), 75-room guesthouse, art gallery, spiritual giftshop, supermarket and cafe.

���� ���� ��������������������������� �'���������������� ��./�0�0���� 01�1.2�����������1�22�2..������3������ 2��4��05 2�2�/�������������6��2�.��!�� �)��� 2�16�24. /�46� 2�.2��417�����"� 6��4�55�������������1�6�6�������������0��0�4/6 �����3������ 0�11�046 6��0.�������������0�..�/64�� �� �����22� ()*�+���������������15��/6+����%��� ��4.�/44 6�510���������������52�..4%����� ��2/�154 /52������������������6.�6..!� ���� ��2.��1� 441������������������./�56.����� ��05�21. 61.������������������5�.1�8���� ��02�.6� 5��������������������1�6129�:����� ��.2�62� 6��.1��������������42�454;�:����� �.��51 ���6/��������������/2�41�7��� � 4/�420 624 12�/5�-����� /1�52�������� 4.1�����������������1.�.5��������3������ /6�5/2������� ��5/0��������������55�44/

����� (,)--).���������+�)��.�� �'����.,)(()�-+�� �'���/)/.)(+.

���������� ����

Mumbai: Actor ArjunKapoor on Sunday said he hastested positive for Covid-19and is asymptomatic. The35-year-old actor said he is“feeling ok” and will be underhome quarantine. “It is myduty to inform all of you thatI have tested positive forcoronavirus. I’m feeling okand I’m asymptomatic.

�01!2�&$3440�5�656346�5�7��840� 47�9���

������������������������������������������� ������������ ��������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������ ������������

�� �������������� �����!� ���" ������

������������������������������������ !�"����������������������������#$���%�������

������,�7-'�3 ;�7-*;'�

Former Independent MLAfrom Uttar Pradesh

Nirvendra Kumar Munnawas beaten to death in aland dispute inLakhimpur on Sunday.

Nirvendra KumarMunna had been elected fromthe Nighasan Assembly seat asan independent legislator in1989 and 1991 and in 1993 onthe Samajwadi Party ticket.

The land in question islocated near the bus station and

the matter is in court.According to reports, the

other group came to forciblyoccupy the land and the former

legislator resisted theattempt after which theopposite party, led byone Kishan KumarGupta, beat him andhis son Sanjeev Kumar

Munna with ‘lathis’.The former legislator was

seriously injured and suc-cumbed to injuries on way tohospital while his son has beenadmitted to the hospital in acritical condition.

���������� ������������ �����������������������&������������'&�������(�����'���'�"�&���������"����&���"�&�������������'������

��#�$������������ ���������������������������� �����������

)*�!+�,������������������������������&����

�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� !��"������ ����#���������$�����"��������� �%&

��! ���� ������������������$��������������������%������'�(� !������!�����������������������(�������������)!!���*�����������������������������������������������(�����!������������!� ���������� ����������

�'����� �� �������������

��656 45$��� $6�6 �0�6�� $6�6%���� ���������162������������������/'�������������25������������������0/19&� ����������1624�����������������62

<!���� �3���� �������"����=�� ������-�����������.

������������� ���

�����������=�� ������=

>,������� '4�:��/��66!� 026>���(���������*?��������� ��� �

3�� �����@������*,-'��, �7)8+ %-83�,��%- %�)*(+�;

;�)�-'�;�'3 ; �-�)�'9�;-��*-;�� ) -A�*;�%���B'C�A+���

�65$#��6��9��/�(RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008

;�����)�������������;��+)�,-,-<���%����,���:*-

�/+�/��#@*�*;�,'(��)��,*9�,'!A

0/�� �1���;'8!D��83(�8)�%,��7�,'B*(���!!*;;�,,A�')� (��'!A���8E*)(��;;*(!*�

��������������������� ����������������� �

!+/�2���*)9,�)��

+')�!0.�(*;'*(

Page 2: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

�� ���������� �������� ������������ !�"#"#

����������� ������ �������������� ������������������������������������� !"#���$"�!"�%&!��������'()*+(),+()-������"������"�����������.��������#����/01232)+4�'�'5���� �������(62���������7/2��8����+�'�'�9�+:���(+#����/0123((4�'�5+%��������;3*66/2663-**+�� ';3-,-)()3)10'&�����;���������+!�"!�9�'��'��&�.<2330<()*3)+!�9�'��'�/2<#��=�<0(<2331/233,+�"!�>!� �!.&��!�'('33&��;������+!����+#�� ���?�+��������@���;��� �A����� ������;#�9����A������'������;��B����+C����=�����;��'1+#�����.�� #�?�+#�������:����9+��?C����/((3332+�����;3((/03((3066+������������=�����;8/)(+������1+�="C�+.���#����9�/23()3(+>'�'�����;3(23/0,*-,33A0,*--33+��� �=�����;C����������D���� �����';3-,1*6*6-))+3-,-2,2-26-+���D��?=�����;0��8����+����������9������+8�E �!��+���D��?2213(1'%���������;3622/2)0100)+2)01000+2)01006'

���������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� ��������������� �� ���������������������������������������������������������� ������������ ����� ��������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������� �!����������������"���������� ���������������������������� �������������������� ���� ��������������������������������� �����������������������������#��������������������������� ���� ����$����%����&�������������������������� ��������������� �����������������������'����������������������������������� ���������������"��������������������(�����������������������������

����������� %-83�,

On the basis of works car-ried out in Madhya

Pradesh in the year 2018, theState has bagged fourth place inthe country in the ranking ofEase of Doing Business-2019.Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradeshand Telangana are at first, sec-ond and third positions respec-tively.

The Union Minister forFinance and Corporate Affairs

Nirmala Sitharamanannounced the ranking of Easeof Doing Business-2020 in anevent of the fourth edition ofthe Business Reforms ActionPlan, held at New MediaCentre of New Delhi onSeptember 5, 2020. The UnionMinisters Piyush Goyal,Hardeep Singh Puri and SomPrakash were also present at theprogramme.

Chief Minister ShivrajSingh Chouhan has expressed

pleasure for receiving 4th placein the ranking of BusinessReforms Action Plan-2019. Hesaid that Madhya Pradesh hasbeen successful in receiving thishonour for its excellent works,carried out in 12 differentfields, prescribed under thenational ranking. All thedepartments connected tothese fields have accomplisheda good work, which was eval-uated and lauded by theCentral Government. Chief

Minister Chouhan said thatMadhya Pradesh has securedhundred percent implementa-tion score in terms of businessreforms.

It is noteworthy that thestates’ ranking was started inthe year 2015 based on theimplementation of the BusinessReforms Action Plan. Therewere 187 points prescribed forreforms during the period2018, which were evaluated forthe ranking. The evaluation

was based on users’ feedback.Madhya Pradesh has jumped 3positions compared to the pre-vious ranking and this time ithas risen from seventh tofourth position in the nation-al ranking. The top 10 States inthe Business Reforms ActionPlan 2018-19 include AndhraPradesh, Uttar Pradesh,Telangana, Madhya Pradesh,Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan,West Bengal and Gujarat.

�������������������������������

��������������� ������������������

����������� %-83�,

The State capital has in recentyears positioned itself as a

fast-growing educational hub ofCentral India, offering multi-stream facilities for higher edu-cation. At the same time, sever-al parts of the city have seen amajor rise in terms of numerouscoaching centers and institutesaimed at preparing students forcompetitive exams like IAS,GATE, medical and engineeringentrance exams like JEE andNEET.

However, in the wake of theCovid-19 outbreak and strictlockdown across MadhyaPradesh, the coaching and men-

toring businesses in the city andthe State have suffered a lot overthe past few months. Ever sincelockdown started, home tutorsand coaching centers based outof Bhopal and other parts ofMadhya Pradesh have been con-stantly struggling to sustain theiroffline businesses, and a major-ity of them are trying to take theonline route to impart education.

In the current times whenonline teaching-learning is obvi-ously becoming the new normfor the education industry, thelack of one single platform toholistically digitize the coachingand tutoring business was feltimmensely; this is exactly whereed-tech start-up Teachmint,founded by IITians from Bhopal,has come to the rescue with theirfree live tutoring mobile appli-cation.

%���� ����������������� '��#��������������!������������&�������� ������������

����������� %-83�,

The city artists are wooing theaudience across the country.

A young actor from the city oflakes Vinayak Gupta will nowbe seen in a lead role of a fea-ture film.

The city lad was recentlyseen in ALT Balaji’s web seriesClass of 2020. After the series,there was no turning back forthe young actor. He signed thefeature film D&J as the protag-onist of the film. He will be seenopposite actress Shreya Singh.

The film D&J is shot underthe banner of the award-win-

ning production Nudo filmand is directed by AbhilashSahu. The film is based on TeenPregnancy.

Talking about the dream-like breakthrough, Vinayak toldThe Pioneer, “The producer ofthe film, Pranav Sawhney, waslooking for an actor. Then heasked me for my audition whichhe liked very much and invitedme to Delhi.” As shooting tookplace during the pandemic,Vinayak said, “The safety pre-cession was fully taken care of.The production of FlameBudget work was very wellmanaged by the crew.”

He further added, “Whiledoing the feature film, I was ner-vous but I soon got mingledwith the friendly environment.Actor Shreya is an excellent co-actor and was really supportiveon the sets.” Talking aboutupcoming projects, Vinakaysaid that there are few projectsin the pipeline, which he is look-ing forward to.

Talking about the film,Vinayak shared that D&J is thestory of a teen couple and teenpregnancy. Their life is about totake a detour as Jane decides shewants an abortion but the prob-lem is she is 17, its illegal and

they are in Jaipur. The filmrevolves around these two char-acters, their online love, offlineproblem and what happens tothem at the end of it.

Vinayak shared that it wasreally difficult to shoot duringtough times. “The lockdownperiod gave us some more timeto prepare for the characters,”added Vinayak. “With a smallbudget, little plan and bigdreams we managed to shoot inand around Delhi and Jaipurwith a small crew of 8 people.Overall even though it was hardto manage initially, but after fewdays everything was in sync.”

����� ')�8;*

Indore collector Manish Singhhas ordered to curb the men-

ace of illegal liquor as now theIndore district is unlocked for24x7 for which assistant excisecommissioner Indore RajNarayan Soni has formed dif-ferent team to check entireIndore district.

The team of excise depart-ment led by Excise ControllerIndore Rajeev Dwivedi and DEOSantosh Singh Kushwaha did aneffective action against the ille-gal liquor smugglers in Indoredistrict. A four-wheeler loadingjeep mpo9 gh 6045 carrying 25boxes of country made liquortotal quantity 225 bulk liters

worth value �1,35,000 of liquorand �8lakh of jeep. The accusedraju son of kailash sonare andsagar shinde son of kailash chan-dra both resident of Indore wasarrested. In another case 345units of country made liquoraround 62 bulk liters worthvalue �37,500 was recoveredfrom the house of nitesh choukse

of village Bhangia ps Banganga. A youth Yogesh Bhabhar

was arrested on Mhow ManpurState highway carrying 339 unitsof country made and foreignliquor on two-wheeler scooter intwo jute bags. The total quanti-ty of illegal liquor seized by excisedepartment is around 61 bulkliters worth value �1.11L withscooter. All the 4 smugglerswere arrested under excise actsection 34 (1) and 34(2). ADEOsRajeev Mudgal Rajkumar NigamGirish Pratap Singh Sikarwar,Manish Barwe, Sub InspectorsSantosh Singh, Meera Singh, KC Roiwal, Manish Rathore,Manmohan Sharma, DevendraSharma Priyanka Sharma werethe part of different trap teams.

% ���� �������������������&���������

����������� %-83�,

Pulkit Sharma, a well knownclinical psychologist and

Author launched his new book‘ When the soul heals’, whichoffers a ray of hope to such peo-ple who are going throughstress and anxiety during thepandemic. When the soul healscan spark a change in the out-look of people towards suffer-ing and encourages them todevise better coping strategiesamid the rogue waves of lock-down and unlock.

Talking about the bookSharma shared his insight, “The book is an amalgamationof thoughts in clinical psychol-ogy with ancient spiritual wis-dom, elucidating an in-depth

approach to reclaim one’s life. Itwill help the readers understandand work through commonpsychological problems by tap-ping their own deepest poten-tial. On the other hand the bookintegrates mystical perspectivesfrom Hinduism, Christianity,Islam, Jainism, Buddhism aswell as many other faiths.”

Taking different aspectsfrom ancient spiritual wisdom

as well as several faiths, thebook is pointed towards creat-ing a balance in the lives of peo-ple during the worst times.Sharma elaborates, “The ongo-ing pandemic has kindled agamut of emotional reactions inpeople — fear, helplessness,hopelessness, mood swings, asense of loss and meaningless-ness.‘When the Soul Heals’talks about suffering as anopportunity for self-growth. ”

The work of the Author asa clinical psychologist revolvedaround helping those who werestruggling with emotional pain,despair, meaninglessness. TheJourney of writing the bookembarked from experiencingand understanding the traumaof people in real lives.

���� ������� ����������� �����������������+,���������� �-�� ��

����������������������� ��������������� �

����������� %-83�,

Acultural webinar based onfolk dance of Madhya

Pradesh was organized onSunday. Neeta Singh, President,CRD welcomed everyone in theprogramme. The chief guest ofthe programme was Dilip Singh,Joint Director Indira GandhiNational Human Museum, whoencouraged such programmes tokeep the culture rich.

Ramesh Dave, PrincipalChief Conservator of Forests andHead of Forest Force (Retired)gave information about the richtribal culture of MadhyaPradesh. Piyush Mishra,Chairman, MES BuilderAssociation, India praised suchprogram at the time of Covid-19.

The programme featureddances from various tribal com-munities such as Karma, Bardi,Muria, Tritali from remote placesof the State.

Matki dance, greetingsdance, Dholki dance, Malvidance were also performed bysome students. A total of 20selected dances were included inthe programme. There were 8folk dances and solo dancessent by the school studentswhich were totally mesmerised.

The programme was con-ducted by Sherin Khan, andtechnical cooperation and coor-dinator Naveen Pandey.

����������� %-83�,

Teacher’s Day was organizedat Sanchi Buddhist-Indian

Knowledge Studies Universitywith simplicity.

The impact of Covid-19was seen on this Teacher's Dayprogramme organized in thecontext of the new educationpolicy. Without the students,the day seemed really dry.

During the programmeuniversity professors presentedtheir views on the new educa-tion policy. Naveen Dixit,Assistant Professor of IndianPhilosophy, through the vers-es mentioned in the VishnuPurana, said that education isactually education acquiredwith karma. He said thataccording to this verse ofVishnu Purana, the best karmais that which is not put inbondage and the best knowl-edge is that which leads to lib-eration. Dixit also mentioned

three dimensions of knowledge- Shravan, Manana andVidyasana.

Prabhakar Pandey,Assistant Professor in theDepartment of AlternativeEducation discussed variousaspects of the new educationpolicy. He discussed the qual-ity, universalization and all-inclusive themes included inthe new education policy.

Vishwabandhu, AssistantProfessor of SanskritDepartment, said that in Indianperspective it would be appro-priate to call the new educationpolicy as National EducationPolicy. He said that Kalidasa'sepic also mentions clearly howthe teacher should be.

University head doctor OPBudhaulia said that knowl-edge is actually a mixture oftime and experience. Heinformed that the teacher hasbeen placed paramount in thenew education policy.

������������� �����������������������

����������� %-83�,

Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan said that banks

should be alert and activetowards their social responsi-bilities. Owing to the situationsemerged from corona period;it is our responsibility to bringthe life of street vendors toentrepreneurs back on track.For this, banks should playtheir role with full responsibil-ity and accountability.

The stand of banks shouldbe cooperative in ongoingschemes for street vendors,farmers, milk producers, fish-ermen and empowerment ofself-help groups.

This is the top most prior-ity of the Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. Chief MinisterChouhan was deliberating withthe State chiefs of the banksthrough video conferencing. Inthe conference held atMantralaya, Chief MinisterShri Chouhan said that the

banks, which will have unco-operative attitude then the duecooperation from the StateGovernment also be reconsid-ered. Along with this, their per-formance will be conveyed tothe Union Finance Ministerand the chairman of the bankconcerned.

During the video confer-ence, review of Pradhan MantriStreet Vendors Swanidhischeme (Urban), MukhyaMantri Rural Street Vendorsscheme, issuance of credit cardsto left out farmers, dairy farm-ers, other milk producing farm-ers as well as fishermen and thestatus of financial assistance tothe self-help groups was con-ducted. Chief MinisterChouhan said that he will takepart every month in a meetingof State level BankersCommittee to constantlyreview the progress of theseschemes.

It was informed in thevideo conference, that more

than 8.78 lakh street vendorsare registered on the portal ofPradhan Mantri Street VendorsSwanidhi scheme (Urban).Forty seven percent cases arefrom Madhya Pradesh, out ofthe total sanctioned cases of thecountry and the State is at firstposition in the country. Underthe Mukhya Mantri StreetVendors scheme, One lakh 35thousand cases have been for-warded to the banks. Banks

have received applications from3.10 lakh farmers for issuingcredit cards.

Similarly, applications of1.76 lakh members by variousmilk federations have alreadybeen presented before thebanks for K.C.C. A target fordistribution of loans worth�1300 crore to self-help groupshas been set, out of which, tillnow loan cases worth �1070crore have been forwarded tothe banks’ branches.

Chief Minister Chouhansaid that at least 10 percent ofthe target given to banks underthe Pradhan Mantri SwanidhiYojana should be achieved pos-itively in the next three days.Instructions were also given toprivate banks for ensuring theiractive participation in theseschemes. Chief MinisterChouhan congratulated StateBank of India, Bank of India,Central Bank of India andCooperative Banks for betterperformance.

��������� ������ ��������� ����!����� �����.��$�

+������ ��� ��� "������� �

����� �-8+

ASP Mhow Amit Tolani willcontinue as ASP Mhow as

the State Government has can-celled the transfer of AIG

Sonali Dubey who was trans-ferred as Mhow ASP recentlyfrom the zonal office of IGIndore.Amit Tolani hasassumed the charge of ASPMhow six months back and hewas also infected with coronaduring his service in lock-down which began on 23March 2020 and after recover-ing from the corona he alsodonated plasma to save lives ofcorona patients in Indore hos-pital.

����!� �������������(3����&��

� ������� !� �"# ����$� "�� � #%����%������ ����&'�(�)"��)# � #%����$�#�*"�)����

����������� %-83�,

Habib Tanveer NatyaSamaroh concluded with

play Havaldar Mahavir Prasad.The play was streamed onFacebook Live and a lot of artand theatre lovers were spell-bound with the performance.

A Hindi play in Baghelitheatre-style Havaldar MahavirPrasad was presented here onSaturday. The play marked thelast day of the online theatrefestival.

The play described the lifeand struggles of policemen. Itis a play that showcased the lifepf policemen on a larger frame.The play is about a HawaldarMahavir Prasad who is dedi-cated and hardworking cop.

What goes around in his lifeand around him forms therest of the play.

The play was directed byManoj Mishr. It is written bySunil Mishr. It will be per-formed by the artists ofMandap Sanskritik evam KalaKendra, Rewa. The playreceived a wonderful response

from the art and theatre loversof the city.

Director Manage Mishratold that the play was based ona true incident. It showed thatMahavir Prasad, an honestpoliceman, has to be troubledin many ways. He leaves hisfamily anxious and works dayand night in patriotism, public

service and proves his honestyeven in adverse situations.

In the play, an honest andhardworking policeman killsMahavir Prasad on duty oneday by a goon knife namedChutan. Hundreds of peoplestanding on the street insteadof helping the sergeant remainspectators.

At the same time, insteadof helping the police adminis-tration, Mahavir calls the job ofdismissing him as careless.Hanuman devotee Mahavir,while challenging it, arrestsChhutan and proves his inno-cence.

Through this play, the real-life story was beautifully show-cased. It was very well pre-sented online.

$��������������������$�����������(�� ��������������������/������������������0'����������������� ��������������������������!����� ���������������������������������!�������! �"�����/��������������������������!� ���������

����������

�/��$������(���������������%�������������� ��������������� �����'� ��������������������$�������(������������������������������$��������������������$�����������(�� ��������������!���������������� �������!� ��!���� ������(������ ����������������������������������������(�����!������������!� ���������� ����������

-�������(�����!������+%��!��1������ ������������������������������������������������������)!!���*��������������������������������������������������������(�����!������������!� ���������� ����������

����������� %-83�,

Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan was presented a

cheque of �5 lakhs at the CMHouse by the Loktantra SenaniSangh, Bhopal. This assistanceamount has been given forCovid assistance. NationalPresident and Member ofParliament of Loktantra SenaniSangh Kailash Soni, ExecutiveChairman Bharat Chaturvedi,General Secretary SurendraDwivedi and Treasurer SantoshSharma presented the chequeto Chief Minister Chouhan.

,((���������5,����F������������������������

)�*;�!-*� 7-A����)!;'(!;**!�B*)�8;((�-*�*��8)*,�7-�65

!-8 (�)����(*(-�B*�%**)

@8;+�;�*��!8!-*�%�)7(

+�����,,��-��.����,/�����*�.�+�

� ���+-�(� ����$���(��������������������� ��������������!-*�3,�A�'(��%8 !���-�+�,��;

��-�B';�3;�(���+-8�'(�*�'��!*���)��-�;�+8;7')9�83��+-�!�98*(��;8 )��')�-'(,'@*��)���;8 )��-'��@8;�(�!-*

;*(!�8@�!-*�3,�A

Page 3: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

,�) "����0������ �������� ������������ !�"#"#

����������� %-83�,

Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan has said that

there has been no loss of lifedue to severe floods in the Statein the recent past, but the vic-tims have suffered due todestruction of houses, belong-ings, etc. on a large scale.

In many villages, entirehouses and goods weredestroyed. But people shouldnot worry, we will rebuild theirhouses in the same pattern.Also, the loss of their fields,goods etc. will also be compen-sated to the maximum. Eachand every flood victim willsmile again, this is Mama’spromise.

Chouhan was taking ameeting today in connectionwith providing assistance tovictims of floods in the Statethrough RBC 6/4, MNREGAand other schemes. ChiefSecretary Iqbal Singh Bains,Additional Chief SecretaryPanchayat and RuralDevelopment ManojShrivastava, Principal SecretaryRevenue Manish Rastogi,Commissioner Public Relations

Sudam Khade, etc. were pre-sent in the meeting.

Chouhan directed thatthose whose houses have beencompletely damaged due tofloods should be provided withan amount of �1 lakh underRBC 6/4, �20,000 underMNREGA and �12,000 forconstruction of toilets that is atotal amount of �1 lakh 32,000.

The Chief Ministerinformed that animal shedshave also been destroyed in thefloods. Those animal breederswhose sheds have beendestroyed and who have 5 cat-tle will be given �70,000 andthose with 10 animals will begiven �1 lakh to build animalsheds. With this, they can getnew animal sheds built. Acompensation of �5,000 shouldalso be given to the flood hitpeople for food grains, utensilsetc.

Additional Chief SecretaryManoj Shrivastava informedthat there is a provision underMNREGA to get work of up to�3.80 lakh done for repairs inthe flood-affected fields. Underthis, works including KapilDhara well, fields-ponds, fenc-

ing, etc. can be done. ChiefMinister Chouhan instructedthat maximum benefits shouldbe provided to affected farm-ers under the provisions forfield repairs.

Chief Minister Chouhansaid that in addition to 100 daysof employment in areas withnatural calamities, there is aprovision of 50 days of addi-tional employment underMNREGA scheme. In this con-nection, permission should beobtained by writing to the cen-tral government at the earliestand additional 50 days ofemployment should be provid-ed in the f lood affected areas.

Chouhan directed that thepublic places in flood affectedareas should be improvedunder MNREGA.

Under this, works likeremoval of silt and dirt, shan-tidham repair, school boundarywall repair, repair works inmarkets, repair of panchayatbuilding, sports ground etc.should be done. Also, works toprevent erosion in flood affect-ed areas, repair of water sourcesetc. should also be done.

������������������������������������������������������������ ��������"�������� ��������������������������������� �������������'�

Shimla: The Himachal PradeshGovernment is considering toprovide security to Bollywoodactor Kangana Ranaut, ChiefMinister Jairam Thakur saidhere on Sunday. Talking toreporters after a BJP legislatureparty meet, the Chief Ministersaid the State Government isconsidering to provide securi-ty to Kangana for her Mumbaivisit on September 9.

Thakur said Kangana’s sis-ter called him on Saturday andher father too formally wrote tothe Himachal police, request-ing security for his daughter.

The Chief Minister, howev-er, refused to say anything onKangana Ranaut’s recentremarks on actor Sushant SinghRajput’s suicide case, statingthat the matter is being inves-tigated. He also refused to sayanything on the alleged threatsgiven by Shiv Sena leaderSanjay Raut to the actor. PTI

9�������������������������������7����;����D�-3���� Shimla: The 12-day Himachal

Pradesh Assembly session willbegin on Monday under strictCOVID-19 protocol.

This will be the first sessionof the state Assembly after thecoronavirus-triggered lock-down/curfew was imposed onMarch 24.

The ninth session of the13th state assembly will beheld from September 7 to 18and it will have 10 sittings.

The 68-member assemblysession will begin at 2 pm onMonday.

Jal Shakti MinisterMahender Singh Thakur isunlikely to participate in theAssembly session as he testedpositive for the coronavirus onSeptember 3. He is being treat-ed at the Indira GandhiMedical College (IGMC).

He has fever and high BP,IGMC Senior MedicalSuperintendent Janak Raj said.

Earlier, Power MinisterSukhram Chaudhary andDoon MLA Paramjeet Singhhad tested positive for theinfection. Both recovered fromthe novel coronavirus a fewdays ago.

Adequate steps have beentaken to check the spread of thecoronavirus on the Assemblypremises during the session,Speaker Vipin Singh Parmarsaid.

Six-feet-high transparent

polycarbonate sheets wereinstalled in the Assembly witha cost of Rs 4 lakh to maintaindistance among the legisla-tors.

Besides, several other stepshave been taken to check thespread of the infection duringthe Assembly session, headded.

The Speaker said thermalscanners will be available at fiveentrance gates of the VidhanSabha and any person withfever would be sent to the dis-pensary in the Assembly com-plex.

Stating that no visitor willbe allowed in the complexduring the session, the Speakersaid the ministers and legisla-tors have been asked to bring

either a personal assistant or aPSO with them.

The number of officialsand the staff for holding thesession has also been curtailedfrom 1,200 to 400 this time, hesaid.

Parmar said 577 starredand 228 unstarred questionsand notices for debates and dis-cussions for the session werereceived from the legislatorswhich have been sent to thegovernment.

The questions asked bythe legislators are about thecoronavirus pandemic; reorga-nization of panchayats;appointment of SMC teachers;condition of roads and drugmenace among other issues, theSpeaker said.

He urged all members ofthe legislative assembly to par-ticipate in discussions of pub-lic interest in the session whilefollowing COVID-19 guide-lines.

Earlier on March 23, thestate Assembly was adjournedsine die amid the COVID-19outbreak.

As per norms, theAssembly session has to beconvened at least once in sixmonths, Parmar said, addingthat the Budget session hadbeen adjourned on March 23,so the next session was to beconvened before September22.

()�%�������������������� ����������������" *+,����� ���

����� �-�)�'9�;-

Punjab on Sunday registeredthe steepest single-day spike

of 1,946 fresh cases of thenovel coronavirus, taking thestate’s Covid-19 tally to 63,473.The State had earlier registeredthe highest number of coron-avirus cases on August 27,with 1,746 testing positive forthe contagion in a single day.

Besides, 54 four moredeaths due to COVID-19 haspushed the state’s death toll to1,862. Maximum 13 deathswere reported from Ludhiana,followed by eight from Patiala;six from Kapurthala; five fromAmritsar; three each fromFaridkot, Moga, Jalandhar, andBathinda; two each fromPathankot, Muktsar, andHoshiarpur; and one each fromBarnala, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur

and Tarn Taran. Punjab has been witnessing

a surge in the number of coro-navirus cases and adding over1,000 coronavirus cases everyday for a few days.

In the first week ofSeptember alone, Punjab, on anaverage, has recorded 1,580cases with 68 people succumb-ing to the deadly contagionevery day. In fact, the state hasrecorded highest 106 deaths onSeptember 3.

Among the districts,Jalandhar reported the maxi-mum of 261 infections, fol-lowed by 205 from Pathankot,Gurdaspur (186), Bathinda(168), Ludhiana (161), Mohali(154), Patiala (150),Hoshiarpur (135), Amritsar(133), Faridkot (88),Kapurthala (72), Muktsar (40),Sangrur (40), Mansa (28),

Moga (26), Ferozepur (21),SBS Nagar (19), Tarn Taran(17), Fazilka (15), Barnala (10),Fatehgarh Sahib (10), andRopar (7).

As many 38 prisoners — 26from Bathinda and 12 fromMuktsar; eight Police person-nel — three from Amritsar, twoeach from Kapurthala and TarnTaran, and one from Faridkot;12 healthcare workers — sixfrom Ludhiana, two each fromAmritsar, Kapurthala, and TarnTaran; and nine frontline work-ers — three from Pathankot,and two each from Sangrur,Bathinda, and Gurdaspur —are among the fresh casesreported across the state in thepast 24 hours.

A total of 1,606 coron-avirus patients — including 241from Mohali, 232 fromLudhiana, 207 from Jalandhar,

153 from Gurdaspur, 124 fromAmritsar, among others —were discharged after recover-ing from infection, taking thetotal number of recoveries to45,455. The state still has16,156 active cases, of which 71are critical and on ventilatorsupport while 571 are on oxy-gen support.

TWO MEMBER CENTRALTEAM TO ASSIST PUNJABTACKLE COVID-19

With Punjab witnessing asurge in the number ofCOVID-19 cases and recordinghigh mortalities almost over amonth now, the Union HealthMinistry on Sunday decided torush a central team to assist theState in strengthening publichealth measures for contain-ment, surveillance, testing andefficient clinical management

of COVID-19 patients withan aim to reduce the mortali-ty rate.

The decision was taken asthe state’s COVID-19 tally hasreached 63,473, with 1,862casualties — witnessing, onan average, 1,407 cases and 44deaths every day since August6.

The two-member team,which would be stationed inthe state for a period of 10 days“to assist the state HealthDepartment for review of pub-lic health measures forCOVID-19, comprise a com-munity medicine expert Dr(Prof) JS Thakur from Post-Graduate Institute of Medicaleducation and Research(PGIMER), Chandigarh, andan epidemiologist Dr AkshayKumar (deputy director) fromNational Centre for Disease

Control (NCDC). “The Centre is monitoring

the situation in all the states,and also deputing its teams ofexperts to assist the states inmanaging the scenario. Pastweek, the Health Ministry haddeputed central teams to UttarPradesh, Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.Now, as Punjab is witnessing asurge since, almost a month,the Centre’s expert team wouldvisit the state,” a senior govern-ment official told The Pioneer.

The official said that theteam would interact with thefield authorities to get a first-hand understanding of thechallenges, problems, andissues being faced by them.They will guide in effectivelyaddressing the challenges relat-ed to timely diagnosis and fol-low up.

“The team members willvisit districts reporting highnumber of cases, includingcontainment zones and healthfacilities therein, like Ludhiana,Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala,Mohali, and others, to reviewthe containment and surveil-lance, infection prevention andcontrol practices, testing andstatus of health facilities forCOVID-19,” said the official.

As per the informationreceived by the state, the teamswill submit a daily report ofactivities undertaken to respec-tive District Commissionerwith a copy marked to UnionHealth Ministry’s JointSecretary (Public Health).“Before concluding their visit,the teams will meet Secretary(Health) to de-brief and submita report of their observations

and suggestions with copy toMinistry of Health and FamilyWelfare, and bring to the noticeof the State or UT HealthDepartment and UnionMinistry any issue of urgentimportance,” read the Centre’sofficial communication in thisregard.

The Testing Per Million(TPM) figure for Punjab is37,546, against India’s averagefigure of 34,593.1 at present.With 4.97 percent, it hovers atthe lower spectrum of cumula-tive positivity.

Days before, Punjab, alongwith other state’s witnessing thesurge, have been advised toproactively undertake com-prehensive measures to breakthe chain of transmission of theinfectious disease and lowermortality, such that it eventu-ally dips below one percent.

��-�����������.������,,+��..�����

�� � �����!"# �$%&�'�( �)��*+,�-�.%� ���!��/!0%1�2 �)2� $

����� �-�)�'9�;-

With the COVID-19 casessurging at a rapid pace in

Chandigarh, the CentralGovernment on Sunday deput-ed a two-member team ofmedical experts to assist the UTAdministration in COVIDrelated operations and containthe spread of infection in thecity.

The move comes two daysafter the UT Administrationhad on Friday requested theCentral Government to deputea team of medical experts inChandigarh to deal with theCOVID-19 crisis.

The union territory ofChandigarh is among the worstaffected areas with the highestpositivity rate and growth ratein COVID-19 cases in thecountry.

The total positive casesstood at 5763 including 2250active cases till Sunday evening.71 residents have so far dieddue to COVID-19 in the city.

“The Central team will bedeputed for a period of ten daysin Chandigarh to assist the UTHealth Department for reviewof public health measures forCOVID-19. The team includeDr PVN Laxmi, Department ofCommunity Medicine,PGIMER and Dr Sahil Goel,Deputy Director, NationalCentre for Disease Control,”stated an order issued by theUnion Ministry of Health andFamily Affairs.

The order stated, “Thehigh level teams will assist theunion territory in strengthen-ing public health measures forcontainment, surveillance, test-ing and efficient clinical man-agement of COVID patientswith the aim to reduce mortal-ity and save lives. They shallalso guide the UT HealthDepartment in effectivelyaddressing the challenges relat-

ed to timely diagnosis and fol-low up.”

“Before concluding theirvisit, the team will meet UTSecretary Health for a briefingand submit a report of theirobservations and suggestionswith a copy to the UnionHealth Ministry and bring tothe notice to UTAdministration and theMinistry any issue of urgentimportance,” the order added.

During a meeting heldwith senior UT officers, theUnion Home Secretary andHealth Secretary had on Fridayexpressed concern over theworsening situation inChandigarh and mismanage-ment of UT Administration indealing with the COVID-19pandemic.

The Centre had alsoadvised the UT Administrationto proactively undertake com-

prehensive measures to breakthe chain of transmission of theinfectious disease and lowermortality, such that it eventu-ally dips below 1 percent.

POSITIVITY ANDGROWTH RATE REMAINHIGH

Since the beginning of themonth of September, morethan 200 COVID-19 cases arebeing reported in the city everyday.

Chandigarh on Sundayreported 261 fresh infections.234 COVID-19 cases had sur-faced on September 5, 203cases on Sept 4, 276 cases onSept 3, 239 cases on Sept 2 and204 cases on Sept 1.

Due to the sudden surge inpositive cases, the city contin-ued to record a high positivityrate and growth rate ofCOVID-19 infections. OnSunday, the city recorded adaily test positivity rate (TPR)of 28.4 percent. As far as thecumulative TPR is concerned,the union territory recorded apositivity rate of 16.3 percent.

In the past 24 hours, 919samples were tested out ofwhich 261 were tested positive.A total of 35288 samples havebeen so far tested in the city.

Apart from this,Chandigarh recorded 5.4 per-cent average growth rate ofinfections. The fatality ratestood at 1.23 percent while therecovery rate was 59.6 percent.

The active ratio of casesstood at 39 percent whichmeans for every 100 confirmedcases, 39 are currently infectedin the union territory

The first case of COVID-19 in the city was reported onMarch 19.

Notably, Chandigarh,which is a joint capital ofPunjab and Haryana has anestimated population of 12lakh.

����� �*-;�� )

Atotal of 668 persons werefound positive for Covid-

19 while 11 deaths of Covidpositive persons were reportedin the state on Sunday. On thesame day, 591 Covid positivepersons were cured. With this,the total number of cases in thestate has risen to 24,629 out ofwhich 7,640 are active casesand 16,573 have recovered.The total number of Covid-19positive persons who have diedin the state so far is 341. Thedoubling rate for Uttarakhandin the last seven days is 20.38days even as the result of14,167 samples is awaited. Therecovery percentage of patientsin the state is 67.29 per centwhile 5.73 per cent of the totalsamples tested have turned out

to be positive.According to the informa-

tion provided by the healthdepartment, of the positivecases reported on Sunday, 235were reported in Dehradun dis-trict, 103 in Haridwar and 69in Udham Singh Nagar. Amongthe other districts, six werereported in Bageshwar, 18 inChamoli, 39 in Nainital, 38 inPauri, 21 in Pithoragarh, 31 inRudraprayag, 54 each in Tehriand Uttarkashi. Meanwhile,zero cases were reported fromAlmora and Champawat dis-tricts on Sunday. When itcomes to active cases,Dehradun district has 1,809,Haridwar has 1,362, UdhamSingh Nagar has 1,327 andNainital has 995. Among theremaining districts, there are278 active cases in Almora, 110

in Bageshwar, 114 in Chamoli,175 in Champawat, 354 inPauri, 217 in Pithoragarh, 162in Rudraprayag, 433 in Tehriand 304 in Uttarkashi. Out ofthe 341 deaths of Covid-19positive persons reported so far,170 have taken place inDehradun district, 63 inNainital, 54 in Haridwar, 33 inUdham Singh Nagar, two eachin Almora, Pithoragarh andTehri, seven in Pauri, one eachin Bageshwar and Rudraprayagand three each in Champawatand Uttarkashi. Among the446 containment zones in var-ious districts, 20 have been setup in Dehradun, 34 in UdhamSingh Nagar, one each inUttarkashi and Bageshwar, ninein Tehri, 352 in Haridwar, 26 inNainital and four inRudraprayag.

--.���" �����"���������++� ��������/0����

����� �*-;�� )

The State’s UrbanDevelopment and Housing

minister Madan Kaushik, whois also the state governmentspokesman has tested positivefor Covid-19 in the antigentest. Kaushik was already inisolation after coming in con-tact with a Covid positive per-son. The minister’s rapid testresults came out negativethough the result of the anti-gen test came out positive onSunday. The RT-PCR testreport of the minister isexpected to be received onMonday. On the advice of the

health department and districtadministration, Kaushik hasdecided to get admitted in theAll India Institute of MedicalSciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh.

Meanwhile, the State’sAgriculture and Horticultureminister Subodh Uniyal andhis staff have gone into homeisolation after his son andniece tested positive for Covid.The step has been taken as aprecaution after two familymembers tested positive forthe virus. The minister saidthat the results of home isola-tion are positive, adding thateveryone should observe fullalertness in these times.

����$� �&"�#��'� � #������������1"���/��������������

����������� )*+��*,-'

With an aim to creategreater awareness on pre-

vention of vector-borne dis-eases in Delhi, Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal kickstartedanti-dengue campaign onSunday.

Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia, cabinet minis-ters Rajendra Pal Gautam andKailash Gahlot shared picturesand videos on Twitter afterinspecting their homes forsigns of stagnant clean water

Kejriwal started the cam-paign by checking his house forstagnant water in which mos-quito breeds. He also took tosocial media to urge people toparticipate in the campaign.

"Last year, two crore peo-ple of Delhi had defeateddengue. Let''s start the next 10-week battle against denguefrom today At 10 am, I willcheck my house whether thereis any stagnant water. You must

also. We have to defeat dengueagain this time," he said in atweet in Hindi.

Sisodia tweeted in Hindi,"Often we feel that there is nota single place in our housewhere there is stagnant waterbut if you take 10 minutes tocheck properly, you will findstagnant water somewhere.That''s why it is important tojoin the#10Hafte10Baje10Minute cam-paign -- to protect your fami-ly from dengue@ArvindKejriwal."

The campaign last yearhad garnered the support ofmany celebrities as well as offi-cials of the government andother autonomous bodies. Dueto the success of the drive lastyear, there were only 2036dengue cases in Delhi andonly two deaths as compared to15867 dengue cases and 60deaths in 2015.

Kejriwal said, "The rainyseason is here again, and it is

the first week of September. Weall know that at this point, thebreeding of mosquitoes thatspread dengue is at a peak. Wehave to save ourselves and ourfamily from dengue. Last year,we participated in a massivecampaign and this year wewill do that again this year”.

The campaign, whichbegan on September 6, willcontinue every Sunday.

Kejriwal has appealed tothe ministers, MLAs, and thecitizens to begin the mega-campaign from their ownhomes and spend 10 minutesevery Sunday to make surethere is no stagnant water intheir homes and surround-ings.

After the first week of thelaunch of the flagship cam-paign, a doctor will shareadvice on the do's and don'ts to

prevent dengue in the secondweek. The campaign also seeksto engage the residents to pickup the phone and call 10 oftheir friends/relatives andadvise them on the good prac-tices of preventing dengue.

“The Resident WelfareAssociation will be asked tocome together and help in thefight against dengue and pro-mote the campaign. Manycelebrities and social mediainfluencers will also take partin the campaign by recordingthemselves following the goodpractices advised during thecampaign and subsequentlyshare through their varioussocial media channels,” thegovernment said in a statement.

At various stages, childrenwill be encouraged to takepart in the campaign by assign-ing them homework on behalfof the schools and asking themto call their friends to encour-age them to take part in thecampaign as well, it said.

#�2���������������+3*��������* ������������

�&�� 1��!�� � 1"��$�)� "�#� ����,��%%���#2� "�� �� �+�!����� �(� $

+�� "����� �("$�� ����$(�3���##�$

� �� ������ "�)��#� � 1#� & �� ��

�" $�1�"� $!�#! 1�!�

�%��,�$!� �# � �� �� $��� 1�)� "� "�

��-������ $�!�

����������� )*+��*,-'

The Delhi Metro RailCorporation (DMRC) is

all set to resume its services onMonday, almost six monthsafter it was suspended due to acoronavirus pandemic.

On Monday and Tuesday,only the yellow line, covering49 kilometre with 37 stationsconsisting of 20 undergroundand 17 elevated stations, willremain operational for a peri-od of four hours each in themorning from 7 am to 11 amand evening from 4 pm to 8pm.

The same will be furtherextended in a graded mannerfrom 9th to 12th Septemberalong with other Lines.

People have been advisedto avoid unnecessary travel asfar as possible and advised tostagger travel timings for office,home, other works to the extentpossible so that the carryingcapacity offered with newnorms can be reasonably uti-lized by creating a travel patternin which people are not rush-ing to the station in morning orpeak hours only.

"DMRC appeals to com-muters to 'Talk Less' duringtravel in the Metro to preventthe possibility of short-rangeaerosol transmission," DMRCsaid in a statement.

�� ������������������������������

!-'(�+',,�%*�!-*@';(!�(*(('8)�8@

!-*�(!�!*�((*�%,A��@!*;

!-*�8;8)�B'; (�!;'99*;*�

,8�7�8+)=� ;@*+�+�(�'�38(*�8)���;�-�02

���������!�������2���������������������������(�������30&'�!�������

Page 4: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

�� ��4������ �������� ������������ !�"#"#

���� )*+��*,-'

Researchers at the IndianInstitute of Technology

(IIT), Guwahati have devel-oped methods to detect andprevent the novel coronavirususing bio-interface interac-tions between the virus and thesurface spike protein.

According to the team ofresearchers, the novel coron-avirus (SARS CoV-2) is com-posed of inner nucleic acidwhich is covered with surfacespike glycoprotein and theengineered surfaces can bepotentially applied for thedetection as well as preventionof COVID-19 — the diseasecaused by the virus.

“So far we are using anti-body-based assays and RT-PCR based methods for testingduring pandemic. However,longer assay time, cost, com-plex procedures and false pos-itive or negative results are afew bottlenecks of these meth-ods,” Lalit M Pandey, associateprofessor, Department ofBiosciences and

Bioengineering, told PTI.“The bio-interface inter-

actions between virus surfacespike protein and the surfacecan be explored for the rapiddetection of coronavirus,” hesaid.

“The interaction betweenthe spike protein and contact-ing surfaces constitutes thekey step of transmission ofcoronavirus. Thus, surfaceengineering, on one hand, shallfacilitate a quick detectionmethod and on the other hand,it would be a very securemethod of protection

against the virus, for exam-ple when applied on PPEs,” headded.

The team’s research onsurface modifications andanalysis of the bio-interfacial(protein-surface) interactionshave been published in reput-ed journals like MaterialsScience and Engineering C,Applied Surface Science,Langmuir, J. Phys. Chem. Cand ACS Biomaterials Scienceand Engineering.

“We have developed an

interesting method of surfacemodifications by forming var-ious self-assembled monolay-ers (SAMs) on different sur-faces, which result in a widerange of surface hydrophobic-ity depending on the terminalfunctional groups with nano-scale smooth surfaces. Theformation of SAMs involves afast attachment followed by aslow reorientation step,”Pandey said.

“Mixed SAMs have beenprepared to design the surfacewith intermediate wettability.The thumb rule of increase inthe adsorbed amount of pro-tein with an increase in surfacehydrophobicity does not holdtrue for all systems. This isbecause protein adsorption isa complex process and dependson the hydrophobicity of bothsurfaces and proteins,” he said.

Hydrophobicity is the

physical property of a moleculethat is seemingly repelled froma mass of water.

The research has revealedthat a protein adapts to differ-ent conformations dependingon surface properties.”Thus,the characteristics of proteincan be tuned by engineeredsurfaces for various applica-tions including biosensors,implants, and drug delivery. Arecent special report suggest-

ed that the engineered sensorsurface can be applied inQuartz Crystal Microbalance-based techniques, which areknown for label-free, rapidand real-time detection withsensitivity,” Pandey said.

“The surfaces based strate-gies not only offer an advan-tage of rapid virus detectionfrom swab samples but alsoallow the reuse of the samesurface over multiple cycles(samples),” he said.

“The role of newly devel-oped engineered surfaces is,however, to destabilise theviral envelope protein throughsurface-protein interactions,disintegrate, and finally, inac-tivate the viruses,” Pandeysaid.

“Thus, the surface treat-ments of personal protectiveequipment (PPE), which pos-sess antiviral properties andprevent the contagious infec-tions of coronavirus. The sur-faces of PPEs can be engi-neered to achieve strong sur-face-protein interactions,” hesaid.

&&%�4����������������������������������������������������"�!��(�������(����

���� )*+��*,-'

Around 60 per cent ofrespondents favoured

availing ‘Digital Health ID’ tobe created under the Centre’sNational Digital HealthMission, but do not want toshare sensitive personal databeyond health and medicalrecords, a recent survey said.

The survey was conductedby LocalCircles, a communitysocial media platform.

According to the survey, 59per cent of respondents saidthey want to avail’Digital

Health ID’ under the DigitalHealth Mission programme,but do not want to share sen-sitive personal data beyondhealth and medical records.

It said 23 per cent respon-dents supported creating thehealth ID, saying it could helpin faster access to healthcare.While 18 per cent said it shouldnot be created as it could leadto personal sensitive data get-ting compromised.

Around 9,000 peopleresponded to the question onwhether Digital Health IDshould be created under theNational Digital HealthMission (NDHM), it said.

The social media platformreceived around 34,000responses on four questionsrelated to the draft National

Health Data ManagementPolicy, which proposes to cre-ate Digital Health IDs for allIndians.

“Around 8,600 responseswere received on a question onhow and where their digitalhealth ID data should be storedto which 57 per cent said thedata storage should only bedone for health informationand the same be done at cen-tral level. They also said thatauthorisation should berequired for its use by anyhealth facility,” the survey said.

When asked about makingaggregate or anonymised dataof people available for the pur-pose of research or promotionof diagnostic solutions, toexternal agencies, 48 per centrespondents said they do not

approve of it, while 45 per centsaid they were ‘okay’ with itand 6 per cent were unsure.

Akshay Gupta, GeneralManager, LocalCircles said thesurvey results will be submit-ted to key stakeholders asso-ciated with the Digital HealthID initiative, so that citizeninputs can be kept at the fore-front as the government laysout the blueprint of the initia-tive.

To safeguard confidentialhealth data collected frompeople under NDHM, theGovernment has proposed aframework and a set of mini-mum standards for data pri-vacy protection to be followedacross the board in compliancewith applicable laws and reg-ulations.

�& �$� 5 �) � �#"��� ���#� �$

567����!���������(����(�� ���������� ���� ���&'.����(��

���� ( ;�!

Two persons were arrestedhere in Gujarat after

mephedrone, a banned drug,worth �5lakh was seized fromthem, a police official said onSunday.

Acting on a tip-off, policecaught the two persons, iden-tified as Imtiaz Malek andMustafa Vana, near Sardarmarket in Surat’s Puna locality on Saturday and recov-ered 100 gm of the drug fromthem, he said.

A two-wheeler and threemobile phones were alsoseized from their possession.

Searchwas on forfour morepersons inthis con-nection, hesaid.

Mephedrone, also knownas ‘meow meow’ or MD, is asynthetic stimulant.

The two accused werebooked under provisions ofthe Narcotic Drugs andPsychotropic Substances(NDPS) Act, the official said,adding that Malek was arrested last year also forpossession of the same drug.

$�!�������������8*���9�����������:������ �

���=�%�� ����� )*+�*,-'=, �7)8+

Even as the controversyaround the letter to

Congress president SoniaGandhi is yet to die down,another dispatch from formerpartymen, hailing from UttarPradesh, has come to shake thegrand old organisation. In fact,the ex-Congressmen haveminced no words in urgingSonia to “rise above family pol-itics” and making a veiledattack on Priyanka GandhiVadra, who is the party gener-al secretary in charge of UP.

Stating that the Congress ispassing through its ‘worst ever’phase in Uttar Pradesh, the-four-page letter, signed byexpelled party leaders fromthe State, calls upon Sonia torise above family (parivaar kemoh se upar uthe) and restorethe democratic traditions of theparty.

The letter, signed by formerMP Santosh Singh, formerminister Satyadev Tripathi, for-

mer MLAs Vinod Chaudhary,Bhoodar Narain Mishra,Nekchand Pandey, SwayamPrakash Goswami and SanjeevSingh,

“There is an apprehensionthat you are not being apprisedof the prevailing situation bythose in charge of state affairs.We have been seeking anappointment with you foralmost a year but have beendenied the same. We hadappealed against our expulsionwhich was illegal but even thecentral disciplinary committeehas not found time to consid-er our appeal,” the letter says.

The signatories to the let-ter have alleged that there is atotal lack of communicationbetween the leaders and theparty cadres. They furtherpointed out that frontal organ-isations like NSUI and YouthCongress have become defunctin UP.

The former party membersfurther claimed that the partyposts are being occupied bythose who are working on asalary basis and are not evenprimary members of the party.

“These ‘leaders’ are notfamiliar with the party’s ideol-ogy but are tasked to givedirection to the party in UP,”the letter states.

“These people are the onewho are assessing the perfor-mances of those leaders whostood like a rock in theCongress during the 1977-80crisis. Democratic norms arebeing thrown to the windsand senior leaders are beingtargeted, insulted and expelled.In fact, we were informed of

our expulsion from the mediawhich speaks of the new workculture in the state unit,” saidthe letter.

The leaders urged theCongress high command toopen channels of communica-tion with senior leaders. Theyhave warned that if it contin-ues to turn a blind eye to theprevailing state of affairs, theCongress would hit rock bot-tom in UP which was once theparty’s stronghold.

The letter comes at a timewhen the party is already fac-ing its worst factional divide inUttar Pradesh. While the seniorleaders have withdrawn fromparty activities, the youngerleaders have accused the UPCCleadership of promoting casteinterests.

The leaders also accusedPriyanka of believing all that is“fed to her” by the state lead-ership and that she does notbother to meet leaders outsideher coterie.

Last month, Sonia hadconvened a Congress WorkingCommittee meeting after 23senior leaders of the partyincluding Ghulam Nabi Azad,Kapil Sibal including five for-mer Chief Ministers, CWCmembers, sitting MPs, andseveral former Union Ministershad written to Sonia Gandhicalling for sweeping changes,from top to bottom.

Sonia had offered to quit aschief of the party and after theresolution that a new chiefwill be elected at an AICC ses-sion at earliest she decided tocontinue as interim chief of thegrand old party.

����� )*+��*,-'

Resonating withthe thoughts

shared by PrimeMinister NarendraModi in the backdrop ofNational Education Policy (NEP)2020 that “When a Teacherlearns, a nation leads”, Teacher’sDay Celebrations were organisedacross Amity University andAmity Schools.

%��������'��� ����������������

����� )*+��*,-'

The Centre has half-a-dozenStates and UTs reporting

high Covid-19 caseload andfatality rate to strengthen con-tainment measures and scaleup testing to bring down pos-itivity rate below five per cent.This even as it has dispatchedtwo-member special teams toPunjab and Chandigarh toprovide extended guidance inmanaging the Covid-19 pan-demic.

As many as 35 districts infive states and one UT report-ing high Covid-19 caseloadand fatality rate. The list com-prises all 11 districts in Delhi,Kolkata, Howrah, North 24Parganas and 24 SouthParganas in West Bengal; Pune,Nagpur, Thane, Mumbai,Mumbai Suburban, Kolhapur,Sangli, Nashik, Ahmednagar,Raigad, Jalgaon, Solapur,Satara, Palghar, Aurangabad,Dhule and Nanded inMaharashtra; Surat in Gujarat;Pondicherry in Puducherryand East Singhbhum inJharkhand.

In a review meeting heldon Saturday, they were asked toensure strict perimeter control,strengthen the active casesearch focusing on comorbidsand elderly population, earlyidentification by ramping uptesting and optional utilizationof RT-PCR testing capacity tobreak the chain of transmissionof the disease, the Health min-istry said on Sunday.

Union Health SecretaryRajesh Bhushan held thereview meeting through videoconference with health secre-taries of five States and one UTon the containment and man-agement of Covid-19 in 35 dis-tricts under their jurisdiction.

The district collectors andother functionaries wereadvised to prepare and update

district specific plans to con-tinue their efforts to managethe pandemic.

The States were alsoadvised to effectively monitorhome isolation cases and earlyhospitalisation in case of dis-

ease progression, seamless hos-pitalisation and early admis-sion for patients requiringmedical support, especially incases of comorbid and elderlypopulation, besides followingeffective infection control mea-

sures in hospitals to safeguardhealthcare workers from con-tracting the infection.

In Punjab andChandigarh, the two-memberteams which will comprise acommunity medicine expertfrom PGIMER, Chandigarhand an epidemiologist fromNCDC will be stationed for tendays to provide extended guid-ance in managing Covid.

In Punjab, as on Saturday,out of the total of 61,527Covid-19 cases, 15,870 areactive cases. 1808 deaths havebeen registered. Chandigarh

has reported 2140 active cases,whereas its cumulative casesstand at 5502.

Testing per million andcumulative positivity stands at38054 and 11.99 per cent,respectively.

India’s Covid-19 tally ofcases mounted to 41,13,811with a record 90,632 peoplebeing infected in a day, whilethe death toll climbed to 70,626with the novel coronavirusvirus claiming 1,065 lives in aspan of 24 hours in the coun-try, as per the Governmentdata.

�>����& ���� )*+��*,-'

Amid job losses and salarycuts due to the coron-

avirus pandemic and nation-wide lockdown, there is a sharpspike in commonly consumedvegetables across India. Theretail prices of vegetables haverisen sharply across the coun-try, with major wholesale mar-kets running low on suppliesdue to disruptions caused byheavy rains and short supply ofsome items.

From potato and tomato tobrinjal, bitter gourd and cab-bage, all vegetables have seenwholesale prices go up by 40percent to 90 percent comparedwith the last month.

Vegetable sellers say onionprices are likely to be increasedin the retail market in thecoming days as prices havestarted increasing in the whole-sale market of Maharashtra.Potato, for instance, is sellingfor Rs 15 to Rs 25-30 per kg inwholesale markets in northand central India. In WestBengal, the state governmentwarned of action if retailtraders are found selling thetuber above �27 a kg.

Potato traders in WestBengal have blamed the recentamendment to the EssentialCommodities Act by theCentre for a rise in prices of thetuber in retail markets as itallows barrier-free trade of theagricultural product.

Potato prices in WestBengal are currently rulinghigh at �32-33 a kg as 15-20percent of daily supply of thecommodity is being exportedto neighbouring states.

Traders at Mandis attrib-uted to disruption in supplychain due to heavy rainfalland damage of horticulturecrops due to floods in sever-al states during monsoon forincreasing vegetable prices.The retail prices are expected

to remain high till Septemberend or first week of October,depending on the arrival ofnew crops.

Some wholesale traderssaid that the farmers in manystates dumped perishablesduring the lockdown, unableto find buyers. So, tomatoesare in short supply. Besides,transportation costs have risen5-10% because of fuel pricehikes by the governmentwhich led to sharp increase inthe retail prices.

The retail prices of toma-to ranged from �60-80 per kgin most parts of the countrywhile most of green vegetableswere sold at �50-70 per kgdepending on the quality andlocations at various markets.According to traders, toma-toes were sold at �30-40 perkg last month.

The retail prices of pota-to ranged from �30-40 per kgwhile the same was sold at �20a kg till last month. Onion isbeing sold at Rs 25-30 a kg buttraders warned that pricesare expected to increase in thecoming days as wholesaleprices are increasing inMaharashtra’s wholesale onionmarkets.

The retail prices of brin-jal, sponge gourd (nenua) andbottle gourd (lauki) rangedfrom �40 to 60 per kg whilethe same vegetables werebeing sold at �20-30 per kg tillthe third week of August.

Cucumber’s retail price isat � 40 a kg. Lady finger’s retailprice ranged from �40 to 60 akg. The retail prices ofCauliflower (Gobi) and point-ed gourd (parwal) rangedfrom �90 to �100 a kg.Coriander’s retail price hastouched �250 a kg.

�(�����!��.��������(��������������

���������" �����������������/4�����

����� )*+��*,-'

The Centre has asked allStates and Union

Territories to ensure necessaryfollow up of its updated advi-sory on Covid-19 testing strat-egy, allowing ‘testing on-demand’, to achieve a highernumber of examinations withgreater flexibility and sim-plicity.

The revised advisory liststhe scope for testing in con-tainment zones, non-contain-ment areas, in hospitals, andalso for the first time providesfor testing on-demand withsimplified modalities to bedecided by the States andUnion Territories.

It also indicates the choiceof testing in order of priorityfor each of the settings.

A letter jointly written byUnion Health Secretary RajeshBhushan and ICMR DirectorGeneral Dr Balram Bhargavato chief secretaries and admin-istrators highlighted that hav-ing adequate testing capacitiesand simplified testing protocolare important components inthe management of Covid-19pandemic in the country.

The country has so farconducted more than 4.66crore tests in more than 1,600laboratories in the country,they said in the letter, addingthere has been tremendousprogress in upscaling testinginfrastructure both in terms ofthe number of laboratoriesand daily testing capacity.

“It is a matter of great pridethat for the last two days(Wednesday and Thursday),the country has been testing inexcess of 11.5 lakh samplesevery day which is the highest

daily testing average anywherein the world,” the letter stated.

With this significantincrease in the testing facilitiesand infrastructure, the need forfurther refinement in the exist-ing Covid-19 testing strategy tomake it more comprehensivehas been felt.

After due deliberations bynational experts, the NationalTask Force on Covid-19 hasformulated a reviewed andsimplified advisory ‘Strategyfor Covid-19 testing in India’.

“We are sure that with theincreased levels of testing andenhanced testing infrastruc-ture, this advisory would fur-ther encourage the states tohave even higher levels of test-ing, covering a wide range ofpersons with greater flexibili-ty and simplification.

“It is requested that thisadvisory may kindly be dis-seminated to all concernedfor necessary follow up at theearliest,” the letter stated.

The updated advisory onCovid-19 testing strategy hasalso allowed testing on demandfor “all individuals undertakingtravel to countries or Indianstates mandating a negativeCovid-19 test at the point ofentry”.

It also suggested that all thepeople living in containmentzones should be tested by rapidantigen tests, particularly incities where there has been awidespread transmission ofthe infection.

The ICMR also stressedthat no emergency procedure(including deliveries) should bedelayed for lack of tests, andpregnant women should not bereferred to another hospital forlack of testing facility.

������������������"�)%�������������������� ���!����!�������(�����������������������

����� )*+��*,-'

Hyderabad-based BharatBiotech has received the

top drug regulator’s clearanceto move its vaccine candidateagainst Covid-19, Covaxin, tothe second phase of humantesting. The trials for theindigenous vaccine are expect-ed to begin from Monday, fol-lowing ethics committeeapprovals, said sources in theDrug Controller General ofIndia (DCGI)

A subject expert commit-tee (SEC) studying its requestto begin the phase II trial rec-ommended that the trial beconducted on 380 participants,stated Joint Drugs ControllerDr S Eswara Reddy in a letterto the Hyderabad-based firmdated September 3. All partic-ipants will now have to bescreened for four days afterthey are administered the vac-cine shots.

The letter further men-tions that the Central DrugsStandard ControlOrganisation (CDSCO) underthe Directorate General ofHealth Services, Union HealthMinistry, “has no objection forconducting the trial titled ‘Anadaptive, seamless Phase I,followed by Phase II random-ized, double-blind, multicen-ter study to evaluate the safe-

ty, reactogenicity, tolerabilityand immunogenicity of thewhole-virion inactivatedSARS-CoV-2 vaccine(BBV152) in healthy volun-teers’.”

The Directorate General ofHealth Service said in a state-ment: “This is to inform youthat the subject proposal wasexamined in consultation withSEC (COVID-19) experts heldthrough virtual meeting onSeptember 3, wherein thecommittee recommended forthe conduct of Phase II part ofclinical trials with 380 partic-ipants subject to the conditionthat time for screening the par-ticipants should be revised in4 days.”

Each stage of a vaccine’sclinical trial tests its safety andability to develop an effectiveimmune response. While thefirst phase focuses on safety inhealthy participants, the sec-ond phase looks at the effec-tiveness. The third phase looksinto these aspects in a muchlarger population that wouldrepresent a wider demo-graphic, said a senior officialfrom the DCGI.

In the first phase of theCovaxin trial, around 375 par-ticipants were studied across12 sites. Covaxin is one of thefrontrunners in the race for aCovid-19 vaccine in India.

������������������'�4& ����������!�����&&����� �

���� %*)9�, ;

Karnataka Labour MinisterA Shivaram Hebbar on

Sunday said he and his wifehave tested positive for thecoronavirus and would beunder treatment in their homeitself being asymptomatic.

Chief Minister B SYediyurappa wished the 63-year old leader a speedy recov-ery and prayed that he contin-ued with his good works.

"Me and my wife under-went COVID-19 test and havebeen found positive for thevirus. Since there are no symp-

toms of coronavirus, we decid-ed to remain in home quaran-tine on doctors' advice and aregetting treatment at home,"Hebbar tweeted.

He expressed confidencethat he and his wife would soonrecover.

Prior to him, Yediyurappa,forest minister Anand Singh,Tourism Minister C T Ravi,Health Minister Sriramulu,Leader of Opposition and for-mer Chief MinisterSiddaramaiah and Congressstate chief D K Shivakumar hadtested positive for COVID-19and completely recovered.

;������*�����$�����������(����������!����(������(��2<=

34.�� ���� �����������������������

Page 5: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

�� ��6������ �������� ������������ !�"#"#

& ��� ��������� � �-*))�'

Tamil Nadu has encouragingand inspiring reports from

the Covid -19 front on Sundayas the State is getting ready toUnlock 4 on Monday. The Statediagnosed 5,783 new patientswhile 88 persons succumbed tothe pandemic on Sunday.

While Chennai accountedfor 955 new patients, its neigh-bouring districts of Chengalpet(361), Kancheepuram (196) andThiruvallur (246) showed areduction in the number ofdaily cases.

The districts of Coimbatore(538) and Cuddalore (388)remained problematic whilethere is an overall reduction inthe number of new patientsdiagnosed in otherdistricts. “Lets wait for three tofour days before reaching aconclusion,” said veteran med-ical professional Dr CVKrishnaswami who is monitor-ing the Covid situation in theState on a daily basis.

62780� �)#�#�� �,�

& ��� ��������� � 78�-'

Aday after Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan claimed

that Kerala was in the forefrontin controlling Covid-19 pan-demic and was ahead of otherSouth Indian States like TamilNadu, Karnataka, AndhraPradesh and Telangana, a dou-ble mishap struck the God’sOwn Country.

Kerala woke up on Sundaymorning to the news that aCovid-19 patient in Aranmulain Pathanamthitta district wasraped by the ambulance driver.The predator Nowfal was anaccused in a murder case butmanaged to get the job becauseof his political god fathers inthe ruling CPI(M).

While political Kerala wenton a turmoil with activists of

BJYM and Youth Congressundertaking marches toGovernment offices, HealthMinister KK Shylaja expressedshock over the incident andordered the sacking of theambulance driver.

The day ended with theHealth Minister’s release thatthe State diagnosed 3,082 newpersons with Covid-19, thehighest figure to be registeredin Kerala till date. Out of this,2,844 cases were through localtransmission, a clear signalthat Kerala is not a safe desti-nation for any kind of journeys.With 11 patients succumbingto the pandemic, the totalnumber of deaths till date in theState stood at 347.

B Gopalakrishnan, a seniorBJP leader said Kerala hasbecome the most unsafe placein the country for women. “Afortnight back, a 75 year oldwoman was brutally raped atErnakulam which brought backthe memories of Norbhayaincident in New Delhi. I amfrightened what is in store formy mothers, sisters and daugh-ters,” said a visibly upsetGopalakrishnan.

BJP president K Surendrandemanded the immediate res-ignation of health ministerShylaja owning up moralresponsibility for the incident.“How come a murderer wasemployed as ambulance driver?How come a woman patientwas sent to hospital withoutany lady helpers,” askedSurendran.

���������?����� �,'9�;-

The dream of pit-free roadsis broken. Poor roads do

not only cause traffic barriersbut also making people sick.Potholes on the highway andother normal roads not onlyleads to bike and car accidentsbut also giving birth to manymedical problems in people like slip disk, lumbardisk, neck and back pain, spinal pain, cervical spondyli-tis.

According to experts, 60percent of the patients are suf-fering from these problems. 20to 25 percent suffering fromslip disk (back pain), and thesame number of patients fromcervical.

It is a matter of great con-cern that in case of injury orproblem due to the accident,the patients never even get legalhelp or a claim or penaltyfrom the responsible workingdepartment.

This is the reason of theincreased carelessness of work-

ing departments and the prob-lems of people.

According to Dr. DeepakShah, senior orthopedic sur-geon, Shah Hospital, theGovernment is not botheredabout the bad roads.

From past years, the num-ber of waist and neck patientshave increased manifolds dueto bad roads. Potholes haveshaken the whole-body resultsin jerking the neck and waist.

Sometimes because of seri-ous slip disk problems patientsundergo an operation.

The disk is a liquid in themiddle of the spinal cord whichleaks out during travel on abumpy road and crushes thespinal cord. Paralysis can alsooccur in the legs if fractureddue to a pothole.

According to R.K Misra,Superintending Engineer,PWD, rainwater is the mainsource of potholes on the roadswhich cannot be filled imme-diately because the wet roaddoes not hold tar-coal.

���������?����� �,'9�;-

Today 17-year-old girl reg-isterd an FIR against her

stepmother for molesting andunnatural relationship infemale police station Aligarh(U P).

After the death of the firstwife, a 46-years-old man fell inlove through Facebook andre-married, but the secondwife turned out to be lesbian.She started molesting thedaughters of the first wife (oneadult and two minors) by giv-ing them stimulant drugs.

On the complaint of theadult daughter, a case was reg-istered against the stepmotherin the women's police station.The woman has been arrestedand sent to jail. This is the firstcase in the history of a womanpolice station against a womanfor molesting another woman.

According to a case filed bya 17-year-old B.Sc. studentfrom the Sasni Gate police sta-tion area, she has two minorsisters and a brother. Her fatherworks in a private company.After the mother's death on13th February 2019, the fatherbefriended a 45-year-old

woman from the Gandhi Parkpolice station area on Facebookon 1st February 2020 and bothgot married on 14th February2020. She started giving sleep-ing pills on the name of healthpills to the family membersafter dinner. She also gaveshots to the minor sisters afterfather and grandparents fellasleep.

Taking advantage of this,the woman molested them byobscene acts. She would alsoshow pornographic movies andpictures, on opposing andinforming this to her familymembers, she started threat-ening them and make ademand for money. When thefather refused, she startedintimidating to implicate himin a false case.

On this, the girl first madea complaint to the Sasni Gatepolice station and last week tothe SSP office. The investiga-

tion was handed over to theWomen's Police Station.According to Women’s PoliceInspector Vipin Chaudhary,the accused have been arrest-ed under section 354 and sec-tions 7 & 8 of the POCSO Actand sent to jail.

Had four marriages, jailedfor killing first husband Shehad first married to a man fromDelhi. In 2005, he died in theQwarsi police station area ofAligarh. A murder case wasregistered against two people,including this woman undersection 302 and this womanwas sent to jail. After gettingbail from the High Court, thewoman got married to a per-son, a resident of Chherat.Later get separated. After this,he married a third person fromJalalpur. Left him as well andfinally married a fourth time tothis man from Sasni Gate. Thewoman is so vicious that shetrapped this person and gotmarried within 14 days.Despite having four marriages,she has no child. She claimedthat the house in DwarikaPuri, Gandhi Park, from whichshe was arrested, belongs to herbrother.

���������?����� �,'9�;-

Today, Ashok Kumar Jindal (73),a garments trader, died from

Corona. With 160 new cases, thetotal cases in the district mounted to5180 including 1560 active caseswhile 3591 were cured. 100 patientsrecuperated and discharged. Today,2606 suspects were screened addingto a total of 107494 tests so far.

Ashok Kumar Jindal (73), a res-ident of company Bagh, GT Road,owner of the garment showroom,was admitted to the private hospi-tal for corona treatment. OnSaturday, his condition starts dete-riorating at which doctors referredhim to Delhi but sadly, he died onthe way to Delhi near khurja takingthe death toll in the district to 30

According to the list released bythe district administration, 6 morepeople from the Basic EducationDepartment office, 5 employees ofthe SBI branch, Baswan and 131people including 9 in Gandhi Parkarea & 9 in Bannadevi area werefound positive. DM ChandraBhushan Singh said that infectedpeople are either admitted to covid-19 hospitals or recommended homeisolation based on their symptoms.

�� %�����% ���� 78,7�!�

In what triggered a sponta-neous criticism from political

circles, Bengal BJP presidentDilip Ghosh on Sunday pre-scribed the “shoeing medicine”for the Trinamool Congresssaying that the “sin they aredoing only deserved a whole-sale shoeing of its people.”

The State ruling outfitreacted immediately blamingthe BJP for bringing down theState’s political culture to anunprecedented level and daringGhosh to go ahead with hisplans and face the consequence.

Ghosh who was addressinga small crowd was the first tofire the salvo saying the TMChad unleashed a goonda-syn-dicate-police raj in the Statewhere nothing was possiblewithout cut money and nocrime was impossible when itcame to the ability of theTrinamool workers.

“The TMC is ruling Bengalby goons, guns and police …

wherever you go you find peo-ple victimized by the TMCgoons in some way or the other… time has come when theyshould be shooed up. Now thepeople will shoe them up fortheir misdeeds … otherwisethey cannot be handled,” Ghoshsaid reminding the policeadministration of an inevitablepolitical change next year.

“While we are keeping anote of the TMC goons who areperpetrating crime and tortureon the people and the BJPworkers we are also keeping arecord of the police brass thatis acting as an agent and stoogeof the Trinamool,” he saidadding “while the TMC menwill be dealt with adequatelyafter we come to power nextyear we warn the police officersto mind their actions becauseafter we come to power we willnot allow them to rest peace-fully.”

He said in the past fewyears the BJP had “lost morethan a hundred workers to the

TMC’s goonda raaj.” Still the“BJP is fighting and making thesacrifice because the partywants to bring about a changein Bengal so that the State canbe save from the TMC’s mis-rule.”

Warning the “partisanpolice officers” he said, “we willmake this police men run somuch that they will not be ableto see the face of their family …today they are acting as theagents of the TMC leadersearning cut money and send-ing their children to studyengineering in Bengaluru …but when we come to power wewill make the situation such forthem that their children willnot be able to complete theircourses … hence the policeofficers better mind theiractions and act in a non-parti-san manner.”

Reacting rather sharply toGhosh’s “uncultured remarks”party MP and senior advocateKalyan Banerjee said “what totalk about this uncultured man

who is running the State unit ofa party… he doesn’t have thesense of language. Still if hewants to shoe the TMC men uphe has to start from me. I darehim to hit me first if he is real-ly a man.”

Another leader andMinister Jyotipriya Mullick said“he is an illiterate person whohas no sense of language. It isbetter not to talk about him…He is day-dreaming of winningin the next year’s Assembly elec-tions. I can assure you he willnot even get 30 seats. Let hisparty first get thirty seats andthen we will see.”

Meanwhile, a booth-levelBJP leader was on Sunday shotdead by alleged TMC goons atKalna in East Burdwan districtsources said adding a localTMC leader was arrested forthe incident. Another BJPworkers was shot at nearIchapore town in North 24Parganas some 45 km north ofKolkata. He was admitted to alocal hospital.

������ 3�!)�

Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey on Sunday allegedthat Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the

Congress are experts in telling lies and creating confusionand stressed that countering their lies was very importantin the coming Assembly elections.

The RJD hit back by saying that Chief Minister NitishKumar was on record for dubbing the BJP as 'Badaka JhutheParty' in the past.

“The RJD and Congress leaders are used to lying to cre-ate confusion in society. They will frequently use this pol-icy in the next two months in the run-up to the Assemblyelections. They are past masters in this game.

Hence, we have to counter their lies by telling votersabout genuine work we have done over the years,” Pandeysaid while addressing members of the state BJP's SC/ST com-mittee.

Pandey has been appointed election managementcommittee chief by the BJP central leadership.

“We have executed so many public welfare works dur-ing the last 13 years in Bihar and if we put all these poli-cies and works in the right manner before the voters, it wouldanswer the lies and confusion of the opposition,” Pandeysaid.

“We will succeed only if the BJP increases its supportamong all sections of society, including the Scheduled Castesand Tribes,” the minister said.

Reacting to Pandey's remarks, RJD state spokespersonMritunjay Tiwari said: “Whether we are liars or the BJP canbe established from the statement of Chief Minister NitishKumar who has in the past dubbed BJP as 'Badaka JhutheParty' on record.”

(���5�.�����6������6��������������

�5)���������"�����4'��� �������

%�����������8����?�������� �� ����;C���������"

> ������������<56��������"�<������

)������� ���� ���������������� ������

��������������������������

�����&�������� C���

The total number of activepositive cases of coron-

avirus on Sunday crossed10,000 in the Union Territoryof Jammu & Kashmir as itrecorded more than 1,000 casesfor the fourth day in succession.

On Sunday, a total numberof 1316 cases were detectedwhile 14 deaths were reported,seven each in Jammu &Kashmir division.

According to the mediabulletin, “a total number of4693 cases have been recordedin the last four days while 52patients of Covid 19 died inJ&k”.

The district administra-

tion in Jammu is currentlyconducting Rapid antigen test-ing across different workplaces. So far 34214 sampleswere tested out of which 1996i.e 5.8 percent tested positive.

The tests were conductedacross urban and rural pocketsof the Jammu district and sev-eral service providers includingbank employees, car show-rooms, malls, common marketplaces, and local clusters werecovered during the sampling toassess the spread of the virus inthe region.

According to the mediabulletin, “ a total number of 668cases were detected fromJammu division and 648 fromKashmir division thus taking

the total number of positivecases in Jammu and Kashmir to43557.

Moreover, 403 moreCOVID-19 patients haverecovered and discharged fromvarious hospitals, 87 fromJammu Division and 316 fromKashmir Division.

According to the mediabulletin, out of 43557 positivecases, 10446 are Active Positive,32327 have recovered and 784have died; 98 in Jammu divi-sion and 686 in Kashmir divi-sion.

The Bulletin further saidthat out of 1074998 test resultsavailable, 1031441 sampleshave been tested as negative tillSeptember 06, 2020.

���!�������� ������ ���������������2�5���@4"3�$�25�48�5���$9!�5

9$!A�5�0)�$�@$6���$6�0�A�65�0�9$A$�265�5���65�3"45��0��2�5���4"�2B6�34��@��65$5�42:����4"$2��$6�#��2�$00�65�9�$29

6�25�54�1$��

!� �"#��#$����#%�������������

������ �9;�

With 87 fresh Covid-19 cases in the past 24hours, the total number has now gone up to

3,291 in the Taj city. While 2,584 have recovered andthere have been 109 deaths so far. The number ofactive cases in the district is 598.

District Magistrate P.N. Singh said the total num-ber of samples collected for testing is now 1,30,530.The recovery rate is 78.52 per cent, while the sam-ple positivity rate is 2.52 per cent.

Health department officials said 320 samplesfrom 10 spots were collected on Saturday as part ofthe three-day Sero-survey in the district.

Meanwhile, there are no plans to reopen schoolsand the historical monuments immediately.

Only the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort arepresently closed.

The DRM office has indicated that scores oftrains would resume operations from September 12,particularly south-bound.

Health activists in the city, however, expressedconcern over the increasing complacency dis-played by the locals who have been flocking the mar-kets without masks and violating social distancingnorms.

Bareilly (UP): A 32-year-old man wastied to a tree and allegedly lynched bya mob on suspicion of theft in UttarPradesh's Aonla town.

According to reports, some of theattackers joined the crowd for thesheer 'fun' of it and posed for mobilecameras while the victim, Basid Khan,was being thrashed in the backgroundon Friday. Basid, it later turned out, wasan alcoholic but not a thief. Basid washanded over to police who set him freeas no one came forward to file a com-plaint against him. His family, on see-ing his condition, took him to hospitalwhere he died of internal bleeding thenext day. A heavy police force wasdeployed in the area.

Senior superintendent of police(SSP) Shailesh Pandey told reporters, “Ihave received a video in which Basid isseen tied to a tree and locals werethrashing him. We are trying to iden-tify the accused using the videos of theincident. There were no visible injurieson the body. The post-mortem will beconducted by a panel of doctors toascertain the reason of death.” IANS

Baghpat (UP): A Biology class WhatsAppgroup for class 10 students of a private schoolin Baghpat has been found filled withpornographic material.

The police said that the person who cre-ated the chat group used an internationalnumber to evade detection. “But it appearsto be the work of some insider as he had thephotograph of the school's Biology teacher,which he used in its DP, as well as all thephone numbers,” a police officer said Theprobe has been handed over to UP Police'scyber cell, he said.

Alok Singh, circle officer of Badaut area,said, “Some vulgar pictures and videoswere posted on WhatsApp group named'Biology group Class 10'. The group had thedisplay picture of the Biology teacher, whodid not know about it. A probe has beenordered and it is being handled by the cyber-crime team.”

The principal of the school said, “We hadreceived a complaint. The WhatsApp accountwas fake, and was created with a foreign num-ber. We have informed the police.” The chatscreenshots shared by a few parents purport-edly showed that the person using the num-ber even asked for some pictures from the chil-dren. However, it was not clear what kind ofpictures he was asking for. IANS

AmaravatiL: Andhra Pradesh'scoronavirus cases neared the 5-lakhmark as it reported 10,794 morepatients on Sunday even as 70 morefatalities pushed the state's death tollto 4,417.

The State's mortality rate standsat 0.89 per cent as against thenational average of 1.72 per cent,officials said.

For the 12th consecutive day,the state recorded over 10,000 newcases, taking the tally to 4,98,125,the second highest in the countryafter Maharashtra.

During the last 24 hours end-ing 9 am on Sunday, nine deathswere reported from Chittoor dis-trict, eight each from Anantapur,Guntur and Prakasam. Seven peo-ple died in Kadapa, five each in EastGodavari, Visakhapatnam, and

West Godavari districts, four eachin Krishna, Kurnool, and Nellore,two in Srikakulam, and one inVizianagaram.

Chittoor continues to top thedistricts with 473 deaths, followedby East Godavari (427), and Guntur(419).

The media bulletin released bythe State Command Control Roomshows COVID spread continuedacross the state.

Nellore saw the biggest jump of1,299 cases. East Godavari saw1,244 new infections. This pushedthe total cases in the district to 66,948, highest in the state.

Officials said 1,101 new caseswere recorded in West Godavaridistrict, and 1,042 in Prakasam.

More patients recovered thanthe new cases during the 24-hour

period. Officials said 11,915patients recovered, taking cumula-tive recoveries to 3,94,019 andimproving the recovery rate to79.10 per cent.

The average recovery rate forthe country is 77.32 per cent

The active cases came down to99,689 in Andhra Pradesh, withEast Godavari having the maxi-mum 14,454 cases, followed by14,109 in Prakasam, 8,979 inChittoor, 8,876 in Vizianagaram,and 7,597 in Guntur.

During the last 24 hours, theauthorities conducted a record72,573 tests -- 35,358VRDL/Truenat/NACO tests and37,215 rapid antigen tests. Thestate has so far tested 41,07,890samples, fourth highest in thecountry. IANS

Lucknow: Lucknow witnessed itshighest one-day surge of Covid-19cases with 1,006 cases reportedfrom the Uttar Pradesh capital.

Lucknow also saw 18 deaths onSaturday.

Uttar Pradesh also recorded thehighest single-day surge in thenumber of fresh cases with 6,692people testing positive for Covid-19.

The previous single-day highestspike in Covid cases was registeredon August 30 with 6,233 personstesting positive.

Seven deaths were reportedfrom Kanpur while Gorakhpur andHardoi reported 5 deaths each.Varanasi reported 4 deaths andGhaziabad three.

Deaths in single figures werereported from each of the 75 dis-tricts of the state, barring a few.

Allahabad ranked second andreported 413 fresh Covid cases, fol-lowed by 362 from Kanpur.

Cases were also reported fromGautam Buddha Nagar (213),Gorakhpur (206), Saharanpur (198),Varanasi (190), Shahjahanpur (184),Ghaziabad (167), Meerut (156), Pratapgarh (148), Bareilly(133), Rampur (132), Moradabad(128), Ayodhya (124), Barabanki(120), Aligarh (116) and Jhansi(104).

According to the state medical

health bulletin, so far, as many as1,95,959 Covid patients have recov-ered from the viral disease.

The count of active Covid casesin the state stands at 59,963, the bul-letin said, adding that the count oftotal Covid-19 cases in the state is2,59,765.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathhas directed to step up testing andstrictly enforce the curbs on Sunday.He has also urged people to take fullsafety precautions and not to ven-ture out of their houses without avalid reason. IANS

Bengaluru: Health officials inKarnataka strongly feel thatopening up of the economywhile simultaneously increasingthe number of tests in recentweeks has resulted in a sub-stantial rise in COVID-19 casesin the State.

Speaking to IANS, BruhatBengaluru Mahanagara Palike(BBMP) CommissionerManjunath Prasad concurredthat the opening up of lockdownin June-July onwards has result-ed in cases increasing inBengaluru.

“We did planning for lock-down, but it is also true thatmany people who came fromoutside towns, states, and coun-tries did not follow the quaran-tine procedures, thus it spread toa large extent. Besides this, post-lockdown, many did not showup for tests at the early stage,which is now resulting in rise inCOVID-related deaths as well.”

He asserted that the infra-structure in government-ownedhospitals is adequate enough atthe present rate of cases. He alsoregretted that people inBengaluru were not followingprecautionary measures suchas wearing masks.

“Though many wear masks,they do not wear it properly likecovering their nose as well asmouth. Although the BBMP iskeeping strict vigil on those whoflout mask rules, it is equally truethat the authorities cannot keepan eye on each and every indi-

vidual in a city like Bengaluru,”the Commissioner added.

Apart from this, he claimedthat the number of tests has alsogone up substantially in recentweeks which has also resulted ina steady rise in the number ofcases. IANS

%� ��������� ��+3�6,7��������������������������������8�����

.6�������� ���%���

&'���������(��)(��*������������

/)�������9����%������������ ������������������ ���

:���������������������+�33-�"������������+� ��

,���� ��"��&������������� �������"���7�����"������������

Page 6: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

By denying the payment ofGST compensation to Statesand instead asking them toborrow, the Centre may

have been legally correct but it mustnot be forgotten that the States hadmade a huge sacrifice in surrender-ing their taxing powers while agree-ing to implement the GST regime.They had bought into the idea of aunified market based on what waspromised to be a “Good and SimpleTax.” That promise remains to be ful-filled yet. Multiple rates, technicalglitches in the GSTN and difficul-ties faced by the taxpayers in gettingtimely refunds, that have bedevilledit since launch, still remain unad-dressed. The latest decision of theGST Council may have driven awedge between the Centre and theStates, which have so far wonderful-ly cooperated in the panel that has,barring a single occasion, votedunanimously on all contentiousissues.

This is not to undermine thepositive benefits the GST has alreadybrought. It was supposed to be atransformational tax, and in manyways it has been so. It not only elim-inated multiplicity of taxes andcesses but also brought down therate of effective tax and its incidenceon most items. The ominousInspector Raj and long queues oftrucks at the state entry barriers arethings of the past. Even in a coun-try with a highly fractious politicalculture, the GST Council has set ashining example of cooperative fed-eralism. However, the future maynot be as smooth.

Even before the pandemic hadstruck, GST revenues were falling.Now the pandemic has wroughthavoc and collections are nowherenear last year’s levels. As per the GSTCompensation Act, the Centre issupposed to compensate the Statesat bimonthly intervals for five yearstill FY-22, in case the revenue loss-es of the States exceeded 14 per centgrowth calculated on the base-year2015-16 collections. It was supposedto draw from the GSTCompensation Fund financed by theCompensation Cess levied on lux-ury and sin goods like cars, tobac-co products and soft drinks. GSTpayments to States for the currentfiscal have been pending since April2020. For 2019-20, the total com-pensation paid was �1.65 lakh croreagainst the compensation fund col-lections of just �95,444 crore, and theCentre had to tap the balance of cessfrom the previous years as well as

�33,412 crore from theConsolidated Fund of India onaccount of IGST to meet theStates’ dues. Thus the inability topay States’ GST dues was not justdue to the economic morass trig-gered by the pandemic. Theactual collections under the fundnow cover only half the month-ly requirement of �14,000 crore.

The reduction in GST ratesfor many items had resulted in aninverted duty structure where theduty on the final product was lessthan the duty on the inputs,requiring higher refunds. Theoptions before the GST Councilwere either to (1) rework the slabsor increase rates to correct theinverted duty structure; (2)increase the rates of compensa-tion cess and expand the itembase, or (3) allow the States toborrow more and repay the bor-rowing using future collections,that is, by extending the compen-sation cess beyond 2021-22.Given the mayhem caused by thepandemic and the severe contrac-tion of the GDP driving the econ-omy into a comatose state, theCentre was rightly wary of rais-ing or expanding the scope of thecess that might cause further joblosses. The Centre thus had onlytwo options: either allow theStates to borrow or meet theshortfall from its own resources,which must come from its ownborrowings, with correspondingfiscal and monetary implica-tions. Yields of government secu-rities (G-Secs) will harden,putting pressure on interest ratesacross the economy; credit ratingagencies also may view this neg-atively. Besides, with the fiscaldeficit already having exceededthe full year target of �7.96 lakhcrore, it was really a Hobson’s

choice for the Centre.The Act does not deal with

this unprecedented shortfall ofcompensation cess, the reason forwhich is partly the inefficiency ofthe GSTN to fix the technicalglitches, especially its inability tomatch the buyers’ and suppliers’invoices. The Centre had earlierapproached the Solicitor-General,who argued that it was not legal-ly obliged to pay full compensa-tion to the States. Armed withthis, in the GST Council meetingof August 27, the Centre offeredthe States two options, the logicof which is questionable. It hascited the unprecedented eco-nomic contraction and conse-quent revenue shortfall due to thepandemic as an “Act of God”,which is not covered by the GSTstatute that has no force majeureclause, to renege on its promise topay the States compensation outof its own funds. There is also nodenying that the Chinese actionon the LAC has necessitatedhigher security expenditure.

The estimated compensa-tion shortfall of �2.35 lakh crorein the current fiscal was dividedinto two segments though someaccounting jugglery: �97,000crore on account of GST imple-mentation and the rest due to rev-enue loss attributable to COVID-19. Accordingly, the Centreoffered two options to the states:Option-I for additional borrow-ing of �97,000 crore under a spe-cial borrowing window of the RBIat G-Sec-linked interest rates, tobe repaid in full, including inter-est from the compensation cessfund, without being counted asStates’ debt. The rest �1.38 lakhcrore will be reckoned as States’debt. Option-II was allowingthem to borrow the entire

amount of �2.35 lakh crore fromthe market, of which only theprincipal will be paid from thecompensation cess while theinterest burden will lie on theStates’ shoulders. However, itappears that the Centre mightallow the interest also to be paidfrom the cess without creating anyburden on the exchequer. Thecompensation cess will continueto be levied beyond FY22 till theStates’ debts get liquidated.

Earlier, under the Centre’sstimulus package, States weregiven additional borrowing spaceby raising their borrowing lim-its from 3 to 5 per cent of GSDP,but save 0.5 per cent, the rest wasavailable only on their implemen-tation of various reform mea-sures, like the One Nation, OneRation Card, Ease of DoingBusiness, power distribution andaugmentation of municipalityrevenues. Even the 0.5 per centwas conditional upon achieve-ment of the milestones pre-scribed in respect of the reforms.Now Option-I allowed the Statesto carry forward any unutilisedborrowing space up to 1 per centof GSDP unconditionally to thenext fiscal. The Centre wouldcoordinate the borrowing andalso bear the extra interest costabove the G-Sec yield through asubsidy. However, no such extraborrowing space would be avail-able for Option-II; the entire bor-rowing exceeding ��97,000 crorewill count as the States’ liability.The interest would be decided bythe market and not linked to G-Sec yields.

States are understandablyfurious at what they see as“betrayal” of the Centre, espe-cially the non-BJP ruled oneslike Punjab, Delhi, Puducherry,

Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.They feel the distinction in theshortfall on account of GSTimplementation and the pan-demic is “unconstitutional.” Inany case, they want the entireborrowing to be accommodat-ed by increasing the borrowinglimit. They are apprehensivethat the borrowing would trans-late into “mortgaging of thefuture.” States have a legitimategrouse not only because thedelay in compensation pay-ment has pushed their alreadyprecarious finances to the brink,but also because they get noshare from the various cessesand surcharges levied by theCentre on items like petrol,diesel, education, health orsocial welfare.

Understandably it was notan easy decision for the Centre,and it militates against the spir-it of cooperative federalism sofar demonstrated convincinglyby the GST Council. As regardsborrowing by the States, theremay not be much difficulty. Themarket is awash with liquiditywith little demand for credit asevidenced by the FCI being ableto raise loans of �75,000 croreat only 4.6 percent. Banks areflush with funds from the stim-ulus package, which are beingparked at the RBI at the reverserepo rate. But the Centre stillcan regain the States’ trust byincreasing their borrowing lim-its further to accommodate theentire �2.35 lakh crore. In fed-eral relations, trust is as impor-tant as legality.

(The author is a formerDirector General, Office of theComptroller & Auditor Generalof India and an academic.)

#����)������*������+���������������������� ����������,��� ��-./0�#�1�������(���������� ���������

���"��������������������������������(����� ������� ��� ������ /.. ������������������������������ � �������� ���2�������������������3��)��������4����&���������������������(���������� ������������������������������� ���������(��� �������������������2����������� ��������������3������� ���������������������2���������������� �������������������������

�� ����������������������(������������������� ��������������(����������������������������� ����������(����������������������������������������������������������������������������������

����&����"������������������ ���� �������������������� ����������� �����������4���������������� ���������������������5����������������������4��������������������������������6����������������������������)����������#����������������������������������������������� (������������������������ ����������4�����#�%�����������������������(���������,��� ,������� *�����7�����8,,*79�����������������������������������(��������������������������(��������������������������������������&���������#������� ��������(� �������������������������/..:�������������������:�������(��������3 ����������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������� �������������������������������2������������������� ���������������;2������������������������������������������������������ (�������������������������)����(1�<,=5����� ���8��������������������������������������������������������������9�������������������������(����������� �����������������%�������&�����������������������(��������������������5��������������������������������������(���������������������������4�������<��(������������������� ���������4����&�������������������������� �����������������������(������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������ �����������������������������������������������������������������

#�������� ������������������������������������������2�������������� ��������������� ������ �������

���������������������������������(���������������������������������������(�������������1����������������������������&���������� ���������� ��������������� ����������������������������������������������������������� ���������� �������������������������������������������� �������������������� �����������������������������(���(������ ���� 4� �� ����(������ ������� ��

3�� ���&�)���������� ����������������������� ������������/.�...��(�������� ���&����������������������� ���������������������� ������������������� ��� ������1��<�����������>*�����������������������������������������������������������>������>*���1��<���4����&����������������������������������������������5������������������������+����� 0.� ������������������������������������ (�������������������������������������������� ���������������%����������������������������������������4���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������#������������������������������������������ �������������#���������������������������(���������������������������������������������������1��<����������������������������#������������ �������������� �������� �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������4������������������������������ ��������������������������������������������������2��������������������������������������������������������������� ����������4��������4�����5��������)�����!�����845)!9���������������(��� �������������� ���������?�������������@���������������������������(��������������&�������������4�����������?�������������@���?�����������(������������������������������4�����*��������������������56A4�(/B����������������� �@2��� ���� ������������������������������������������������� ��������������� ������������������� �����������(������������4���������� ���������������������������2������������ ��������������������������������������������������������������� �����������������������������������������������������������1��!#($5!������������� �����������������������������"�������������������������������������������;

4���������������������������������������������������4�������������� ����������������������������������,������������������ ��� ������ �� ��� �� ������ �� ������ ���������� �� �������� ����������5��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� "���������������������������C(!� ����������#��������������������(�������������������������������(�����������������������������&�������������������������������� ��(������(���������������� ���������������6���������������������������������� �����������������������������������������������(�������������������� �������������������������4����������������������������������)�����&�������������������������(�������������(����<������������������������������������������� �������������������������� ���������(��������������������������������������������4����������������� �������������������������������������������������� �����������������������������������#� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������A����������������&��� ����������������������� ������BD����������������"�����(���������7��������������������������������"���������������������(�������������������������� (����4��������� ����������(��������������������������������� ����������������#������������������������������4�����������������������(�����������������������������������(�������(*����������������������������������������������������2��������������������������D.����������������������4�������������������������������������

6����������

�������������

Sir — The collapse of the GrossDomestic Product (GDP) tominus 23.9 per cent has pushedthe country’s growth behind by50 years. Now, in order toachieve the goal of a $5 trillioneconomy and nine per centGDP growth, it will take aminimum of 10 to 12 years,which in the current situationlooks impossible. With nomoney or purchasing poweramong the people due to theCoronavirus-induced lock-down, closure of industries andjoblessness, there will be chaosin the days to come. There willbe bankruptcy, price rise andpoor performance in every sec-tor as far as production is con-cerned. We are looking atstagflation.

The whole country is suf-fering due to the economicinefficiency and incompetenceof the present regime whichwants to blame the pandemicfor its missteps. Does theGovernment want us to forgetthat the economy was in ashambles even before the out-break of the Coronavirus?

While its votaries have beenfocussing on mandir-masjid

politics and people have beenlynched by cow vigilantes, theeconomy of the nation hasdipped to a level never seenbefore. Yet, the BJP continues to

blame the Congress for all itswoes. At least it didn’t drive usdown to this extent.

Bhagwan ThadaniMumbai

��� ��������Sir — Bollywood actor KanganaRanaut’s controversial tweet, inwhich she compared Mumbai toPakistan-occupied Kashmir,

should not be tolerated byMumbaikars. It is good that theleaders of the ruling alliance inMaharashtra lashed out at her forinsulting the people of the State.Maharashtra Home Minister AnilDeshmukh made a statementthat “those who feel unsafe in thecity have no right to live here.”

Why should anyone insult aState that has welcomed peoplefrom all over the country withopen arms? Other people, whohave made Mumbai their home,don’t agree with Ranaut’s state-ment and she should not givelessons to Mumbaikars on how tobehave as she herself is very abu-sive and offensive.

She, too, is playing by thesame book that she accuses hercontemporaries of. She is going toany length for publicity and hastaken a Right-wing political posi-tion to be heard, knowing full wellthat she will find support onlineand on news media. Ranaut ishand in glove with some power -hungry politicians to malign theSena-NCP-Congress Governmentand the Mumbai Police. Shameon her!

Ashmit AaronNoida

� % � 2 � 7 � � ' � � % � � � ) !

+++,��� ��������,����������"����=�� ��������G <!���� �3������G �����������=�� ������=

���� �� ������ �������� ������������ !�"#"#

�9

;� �������� ��������!�������������� ��������������������������(�����#������&�� ����������������������0�65� �"���������(����������������������������������������

'���& ���������������������������������������� �����9������������������������������� ����������������� ��� �������������������

��8�2@����2�65�0H;�:����(��

)��������������������������������������������� �� �������'������ ��������� ��������������������������&������������������� ��������������&�����

�@50�66H%����3���"��

+������������������ ��&��������������������'����'�&���������������&��& �������������� ��������� �����&�������� "����������������������������

���0�6�9�25H��� ��!����

� � � � � � � , �

� � , , � . � , � � ,, + � � � � � , � .

������������������� ��� ��� ���������

'������F���������������� �������,���������� ����� �I,��J����� ����������������������!������ ������������������ ������������������������������&��

����'��������������������������������'�������������)�&��� �����%�:��������"�� �� ������&��������� "�������� �������� �������� ��������������������������� �������������� ���������� ������������������������������������� �� �����!���K�������������������L����&��������&�������������������������������,������������������������������� ������ ����'��������� ����������������������� ������������������"������������������������� ���� ����������������"�������� ����&����� �����������F�������!�����������&����������������;�:����(�������������������������+��@��������������� �����������������&���������� ����������(���������������8��������������&�����&� ����������������������������������� �������������� ����(����������������������&������������������&����������������������������&�������� ����������������������K���� ������&������������"�������������������� "��L�%����������� �������������������������

��������� ����� ��������������������������������������������'�����������*?���� ��������������(C����"����� ���������� ������������� ��&��������������������������������������������'���������&����������������� �������"������������'�������

�������������������������������������F���� ����� ��@��������� ��������&��������&����������������&�����3��� �M��,������������I3,�J����������������������������������������&������������������������������������������������ ���������� ��& �� ������ ���������������������� ��������������

'������� �������"������������ ��������������������������%����'������������������������������������ ����������������������������� ������������������������������ ��"�������� ������� ��'�����?��������������������������������������������'������ ������������ ������)�&��� �����%�:�������"�������������������&������������&����!&������������"���������������������������� ������������ ����� ����

%��$7�9����542����������

���������������������.��55�06543�42��0CA"$��:@4"�

"��� ������!���� ��� � ��"��&� ������ ������������&��������������������)�����������& ��������� ����������������� �������� ����� ���%������ ��"��&��#�������� ����

�@50�66H�����N�

9�������������������������� ��������������� ������� �2�����������������������"���������<�9����"�������������

���������*���� �%�����=�����������"���������� ��������������������� *�����������������������������

-./�01 �+�,,��+�.:��

Page 7: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

��� �������� ����������

��������� � �������� %����� ���� ��������������� ���� ��������'��;�����?�������

����� %��������% ���������:����D� �

&��%�������

���������������������-���� ���������������� ���������� %����� ���>������� ������������������%��%����� �������&������� �:�D� ����� ���������

'.�0�����,�.'.�0�

With the dragon becoming increasinglyaggressive and the two-front threat becom-ing a certainty, India needs to shed its his-

toric “continentalist” mindset and transform froma military force to a military power. In order to dothat, India, apart from strengthening its maritimepower, has also to develop non-kinetic warfare capa-bilities in the space, cyber and electronic warfare(EW) domains. India has the technology but is keenon using it for civilian rather than military purpos-es. A minor policy change will enable us to devel-op systems purely for military use. There is an urgentneed to develop threat-specific responses to wardoff any danger to our national security from belliger-ent China and Pakistan.

Our strategy so far relies on the offensive capa-bilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to counter themenace posed by our adversaries. But China hasdeployed an array of Surface to Air Missiles(SAMs) in both Xinjiang and Tibet regions and isalso providing military assistance, including prolif-eration of banned technology to Pakistan, toupgrade its Integrated Air Defence System (IADS).At the same time China and Pakistan have collud-ed to ensure that we remain fixated towards our landborders and have to spend so heavily to keep themsecure that the much-wanted expansion of the IndianNavy gets scuttled.

This will be a big drawback in our attempts toward off any maritime threat and counter China’sgrowing interest in the Indian Ocean. The two-frontintimidation is certainly a measure taken by theChinese to keep India focussed to the threat fromits land borders and remain distracted from its mar-itime ambitions, which were exhibited in therecently-enhanced budget of the Navy and itsimpressive acquisition list, including aircraft carri-ers, destroyers, frigates, amphibious transport ships,submarines and surveillance aircraft.

China is very sensitive to the vulnerabilities ofits Sea Lanes of Communications (SLOCs) whichcater to 80 per cent of its trade and movement ofoil and goods from the Middle East to the Chineseports. To keep the Chinese supply chain going, safeSLOCs are critical. Nevertheless, it is taking stepsto mitigate its “Malacca dilemma” by building upits surface naval forces and undersea fleet, financ-ing deep-water commercial ports in littoral andisland nations and making diplomatic inroads withkey actors across the Indian Ocean basin.

As part of its string of pearls policy to encircleIndia, it is negotiating with our neighbours, name-ly Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. In the future,these efforts could give China the ability to sustainforward-deployed forces in greater numbers andmight tilt in its favour the maritime military balancein the region. The development of Gwadar port, theKarakoram highway and the use of Iranian portsafter signing the strategic treaty with Iran will, to agreat extent, mitigate Chinese problems at sea. Yet,in the quest for becoming a global power, the People’sLiberation Army Navy (PLAN) will still continueto struggle for dominance of the Indian Ocean andpose a threat to India’s claim of the most powerfulresident power in the region.

While Russia pioneered the Anti-Access AreaDenial (A2/AD) capability to check the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces and pri-marily the US during the Cold War, China in themodern days has made considerable progress inmastering the technology and development of sys-tems to keep the US Navy away from the SouthChina Sea (SCS) and the disputed maritime claimsof the nine-dash line. It did not hesitate to fire itsdeadly hypersonic “Fleet Killer” missile in the dis-puted Spratly Islands when the US was busy con-ducting the ten-nation RIMPAC naval exercise offthe Hawaiian Coast in the Pacific Ocean. Incidentally,

an Indian naval ship was also deployed inthe SCS at that time. The DF 21 KillerMissile has the capability of destroying amoving carrier at sea. With this China dis-played its A2/AD capabilities and sent astern warning to both the US and India.

India, too, needs to develop A2/ADcapabilities to prevent any future build-upof Chinese forces in the Tibet region andneutralise any threat from Islamabad bygrounding the Pakistan Air Force beforeit becomes airborne as far as our land fron-tiers are concerned. Along the maritimeborders, the A2/AD capability will enableus to prevent access to the PLAN andrestrict the freedom of movement of thePakistan Navy. Inherent in it would be thedevelopment of countermeasures neededto ensure freedom of movement and oper-ation of our air and naval forces across theland and maritime frontiers.

To develop the A2/AD capability, itis necessary to understand its philosophy.Action intended to slow deployment offriendly forces into a theatre or cause suchforces to operate from distances fartherfrom the locus of conflict than they wouldotherwise prefer is called as Anti-Access(A2). It affects the movement of adversaryforces into a theatre. Action intended toimpede friendly operations within areaswhere it is difficult to prevent access ofinimical forces is termed Area Denial(AD). AD affects manoeuvre within a the-atre. The two are not mutually exclusive.A2/AD capabilities are overlapping andspread across multi-domains to includeboth kinetic and non-kinetic systems withthe sole purpose of degrading the adver-saries’ war-fighting capabilities at land, sea,air, cyber, space and EW. Emerging tech-nologies representing military revolutionin Artificial Intelligence (AI), QuantumTechnology, Swarm Technology andhypersonic weapons form the backboneof these capabilities.

A potent A2/AD capability will posea serious threat to the ability of both ouradversaries to deploy and employ forcesacross our land and maritime boundaries.India needs to develop A2/AD capabili-ties not only as countermeasures to the

combined threat posed by both China andPakistan but also to pose a similar threatto them, both at land and sea.

A2/AD capabilities have to be an inte-gration of terrestrial, air and space-basedsensors which can defeat stealth technol-ogy, an array of long range deep penetrat-ing cruise, surface-to-air and air-to-sur-face missiles, space weapons, satellites,hypersonic weapons and aerial platforms,both manned and unmanned. India hasan arsenal of formidable missile systemsand aerial platforms; it has invested in theRussian S-400 Air Defence System,Phalcon AWACS, armed drones andother air defence systems.

But it still needs more to develop a for-midable A2/AD capability, particularly todominate the Indian Ocean and keepPLAN at bay. For the purposes of com-mand and control, the existing StrategicForces Command (SFC) should be nom-inated. India needs to invest more inboosting aerospace capabilities and cyberwarfare capabilities. The need for an aero-space and a cyber command has becomemore pressing now.

As countermeasures to the adver-saries’ A2/AD capability in Tibet regionand against our western neighbour, weneed to invest heavily in the developmentof stealth, stand-off precision strike,Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUT),Swarming technologies and developmentof a robust Command, Control,Communications, Computers,Intelligence, Surveillance andReconnaissance (C4ISR ) and EW poten-tial. Meanwhile, the IAF will have to beboosted with the next-generation stand-off strike capability in the form of missilesand unmanned platforms.

As far as the Indian Ocean is con-cerned, India will always be constrainedby resources to invest heavily in powerprojection naval platforms. Due to thenature of the threat to India’s security, theIndian Army and the IAF will remain themain focus centres as far as defence expen-diture is concerned. But at the same timein order to score over China, India willneed to cash upon the Chinese “Malacca

dilemma.” The best option for India insuch an eventuality is to spend on A2/ADcapability rather than investing in mar-itime power-projecting forces with moreconcentration on anti-access capabilitiesbecause India enjoys the advantage ofhome turf viz a viz PLAN.

For this, India’s island territories,namely the Lakshadweep Islands and theAndaman and Nicobar Islands, will playa crucial role. These territories, whichoverlook critical Indian Ocean lanes,give India a toehold in the Arabian Sea andthe Bay of Bengal. India has already takensteps to bolster its military presence onthese strategically-positioned islands dur-ing the ongoing stand-off with China.These could be developed as epicentres ofour A2/AD capabilities to guard our mar-itime frontiers.

India’s joint warfare doctrine will needto focus on countering the adversaries’A2/AD capabilities to ensure operationalfreedom of friendly forces with minimumdowngradation of our fighting capabilityand also to include the potential of ourA2/AD capabilities to cause maximumattrition to the adversaries’ war fightingpotential and their exploitation.

With the Himalayan defences becom-ing impregnable, only a foolhardy enemywill attempt a major/decisive battle there.While mind games and provocations willcontinue along the LAC, a decisive blow to the Chinese can only be deliveredat sea.

In order to counter China’s growingexpansionism and belligerence, Indiashould seriously explore the option of con-verting the QUAD from a mere securitydialogue to a security alliance followed byQUAD +. The combined GDP of QUADis double that of China thus neutralisingthe growing economic muscle of the drag-on. The move will benefit India as far asthe Aatmanirbhar Bharat Mission is con-cerned. The availability of high-end tech-nology will become easier, giving a boostto domestic production and also ensuresafety of supply chain lines.

(The author is a veteran political com-mentator, security and strategic analyst)

:����������� ������ �"�����%��*%������%����>���������������������"����������������� *����������������������4������ ��������������������������)������

�(#�# �7� � . � , � � � � * �

� ������(����������������

�.�2 �.�.�:

�������9������������������������������������������������������������

�������� ��������& ���"�������"�����

20�3���,�

+'!-�!-*-'��,�A�)�*@*)�*(%*�8�')9

'�3;*9)�%,*�8),A���@88,-�;�A

*)*�A�+',,�!!*�3!��

��C8;=�*�'('B*%�!!,*�!-*;*�+-',*��')�9��*(��)�

3;8B8��!'8)(+',,��8)!') *

�,8)9�!-*�,������*�'('B*�%,8+�!8!-*��-')*(*���)

8),A�%*�*,'B*;*���!�(*��

')�8;�*;�!8�8 )!*;��-')�#(

9;8+')9*O3�)('8)'(�

�)�%*,,'9*;*)�*�')�'��(-8 ,�

(*;'8 (,A*O3,8;*�!-*83!'8)�8@

�8)B*;!')9�!-*P ���@;8���

�*;*�(*� ;'!A�'�,89 *�!8��

(*� ;'!A�,,'�)�*

@8,,8+*��%AP ���Q

E����������������������������� ����������(� ���������� ��������������������4���������(������������������������������/BF.���������"���(

��� %�����������$������8%�$9����������������������������������������� ���������������������������#� �������*����������6����8 *69�������������4����&�%�$���������� -0�B��������������(+��"����������(����������������������� ���#���������������������������������������������%�������*�����#��8%*#9������������ �������������� ����������� ������������������������������������������������������*����������������������������������#�������������������������������������D.������������������������� ������������������������������������0B������#����������� �������������������������������GH�����������#�������������������� ������������� ��������������������� ��������(���������������������������������������"����� �����(����#������%�$��������������������������������������������������������������������������������(� ���� ��������������������������������������������

2����������������4�������������������������������������������3������������4���83�49�������� ������� ���� ������� ������ ��������� �� �� >���� ������ 8> 9-./B3�4 ������ 4���� �����/-B�������/FB��������#������������ �������������������������������(��������������������� ���������������������(���������$�����������������������������������(�������4���������������� �������������������������������������������������������������� ���������� �������������������������������������(����������������������������������������(�������#����������� �����������������������������(������������ ������1������������������������������#������������������������������ ���������������������������������������������������

#���� ������������ ������������������������� ��������������������������������������(�� ��������������������� ����������������������(����������1��������������(��������������������(������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(����������������������������������� ����� �������������������������4������������������������������������������������������������������������������4��������������������������������������%���������������������� ��� ��������������������� �����������������������������������������������(����������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(� 85*!9�����������4����4���#���������������������� �������������(���������������������������������������� ����������������������������5*!�����������#������������ ���� � ����� ����� ��� �� ��������� ��%�������(��������������������������������5*!�������������������� �������������������������� �#�������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���(����������������������������#����������������������(���������������������������������������

%���������������������������������������������������������������������������������%�������������������������������������������������(����4��������������������������������������������������������������%�����������������������������������������������������������������#�������������������������������������������������(����������������������������������������������(����������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������#�����������������������������I#�������������������� (�������������������������������

*������� ���������������������������������������������� ���� ��� ��� �������� �� �� 56A4�(/B� ��%���������������������������� ������������(���������������������������������������������������������� �����������������������������������������(� ��������� ��������������������(��������,�� ����������������������������������������������(��������������������������������� ���������������(��������������������������4�������������������(���������������������� ������� ����� ���

8����� ���������������� ������������ 9

The combined vote share of reli-gio-political parties in the 2018elections in Pakistan was 9.58

per cent, slightly lower than what it wasin the 2013 polls and much lower thanthe 11 per cent they bagged in 2002.The 2002 tally was the highest theIslamist parties have ever received inpolls. In 2018, the performance of reli-gio-political parties was weak becausethere were a lot more Islamist partiescompeting. Apart from the establishedones, two new religio-political outfitsemerged: The Milli Muslim League

(MML) and Tehreek-i-LabbaikPakistan (TLP). Their entry into elec-toral politics was encouraged by theestablishment to usurp the “religiousvote” of the Centre-Right PML-N sothat Imran Khan’s Centre-Right PTIcould benefit. None of the new religio-political parties could win many seats,but that was never the “plan.”

Whereas the MML could notperform in the manner in whichsome expected it to, the radical BarelviTLP not only succeeded in usurpingPML-N’s Barelvi vote, but also gobbledup the secular MQM’s lower-middle-class Barelvi votes in Karachi. This cer-tainly aided PTI in challenging thePML-N in Punjab and the MQM inKarachi. Historically, Islamist outfits inSouth Asia are not built as electoralparties. They emerge as evangelicalgroups or residues of movements. Andeven when they do convert into elec-toral outfits, they struggle to do well

in polls because the non-religion-basedmainstream parties pragmatically co-opt their causes and rhetoric.

Plus, the religio-political partiesare closely associated with one Islamicsect/sub-sect or the other. This limitstheir appeal to voters from otherdenominations. Some are even under-stood to have developed a sect of theirown, as the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) wasonce accused of doing. Islamist groupsin South Asia developing politicalinterests is a 20th century phenome-non rooted in the Khilafat Movementof 1919-1924. When the European the-ory of the State began to attractCentrist and Leftist groups in SouthAsia in the early 20th century, Islamistgroups, too, began to be attracted byit and started to theorise the possibil-ity of creating an “Islamic state.” Butmost of them could not find the meansor the need to devise any electoral toolsto achieve such a State. They often saw

electoral politics as contrary to theirIslamist dispositions. That’s why thedemand for a Muslim-majority StatePakistan arose from a Centrist andquasi-secular All India Muslim League(AIML). What’s more, almost allmajor Islamist parties opposed thisdemand on one pretext or the other.But they could not neutralise AIML’splans because, by the 1940s, it had notonly become an experienced electoralentity, but it was able to juxtapose its“modernist” Muslim nationalism withrhetoric from their Islamist opponents.These opponents had no plan to stallthe League through electoral means.

The Islamist parties remained inan electoral limbo during the first 20years of Pakistan but they did retaintheir evangelical and agitational dispo-sition, in an attempt to influence theideological character of the new coun-try. But even during the years of indi-rect elections (1957-58) and hybrid

democracy (1962-69), they could notdevise any effective electoral tools andsend members to the first two con-stituent Assemblies, and the twoAssemblies that came into being dur-ing the Ayub Khan dictatorship.

Yet, just before the country’s firstdirect elections in 1970, parties suchas JI were claiming that they wouldsweep the polls. But the opposite hap-pened. From 1947 till 1972, Islamistparties operated from outside theAssemblies and had no significantinfluence on policymaking, otherthan through the threat of agitations.Though 18 members from three reli-gio-political parties managed to enterthe 1972 Parliament, they were nomatch for the mainstream electoralparties. That’s why, in 1974 and thenagain in 1977, Islamist parties onceagain banked on their penchant foragitational politics to undermine aregime. With the sidelining of some

major parties during 1977, the religio-political parties were given space todevelop their electoral skills andexpand constituencies. Separate elec-torates were introduced to favourthem. But the idea, on the part of themilitary regime, was to manoeuvrethem in a manner that would help theZia dictatorship ward off challengesposed by the Opposition parties.

Most of them became tools of theestablishment, without whose backingthey believed they could not becomeeffective electoral entities. In the1990s, the PML-N continued to co-optreligious rhetoric of the Islamist par-ties. However, the self-proclaimed“enlightened moderate” Musharrafdecided to aggressively sideline thePML-N and the PPP during the 2002polls, by creating the conditionsrequired for the religio-political par-ties to win in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.This was when these parties bagged 11

per cent of the vote but this could nothalt the return of the PPP and thePML-N after the 2008 elections.

In the eyes of the establishment,the mutable utility of the old religio-political parties has been exhausted.With growing mistrust between thePML-N/PPP and the establishment,the latter “allowed” the growth of newreligion-based groups like the TLP andthe MML. In an environment wherethe State was at war with religious mil-itancy and with the sword of theFinancial Action Task Force (FATF)still hanging over the country’s head,the idea was to quietly nurture newreligious groups, not to help them win,but to aid the pro-establishment PTIby way of scattering PML-N’s religiousvotebank. The fate of the religio-political parties in politics is thus like-ly to continue being dependent ontheir utility to the establishment.

(Courtesy: Dawn)

4����?������������@�������0���������������������� ����� ������� � ������� � ����� ����� �� �� �������� �������� ��� ��� �� ��� ��� �� ��������� ���� �� �� �������� ������

021445 ��.��+�

������ �������� ������������ !�"#"#

+++,��� ��������,���

Page 8: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

)���$��8������ �������� ������������ !�"#"#

,.�,,���,.�,,���������� ������������)���%����������>����4EF4��!�����������&���� ����������� ���C�������&��"� �������������&������������������� ������(������ �&������������������ ����������&��������&�����������������&��������������� ���� ������ ����������� �����+������������ �&������������������ �����&������� �������������������&�� ������������+�����&����������������������������� �������������������"����� ����������"��������������&�����

��&���������� �������;;��%����� &�42942�� 7��� ���������������F������������ ��������(�����������������&���" �������������� ��:������� �� �����������������������������%���������������������������+����� ����3� ����� �������������&������"���������������������� ������������&������������������� �����

��'�������;�� %����� ������� ����� ����;�0��2� 9������������������������;����������������������;�������������� ����� �?��)��� ���&���������� ��"�������������������&����������������� ��K�����L�9�������������"��������������9�����;����������� �����:�����

����� 38;!,�)�

Police arrested dozens of peo-ple and used tear gas against

hundreds of demonstrators inPortland late Saturday as thewestern US city marked 100days since Black Lives Matterprotests erupted against racismand police brutality.

Police quickly declared therally a “riot” after protestershurled Molotov cocktails atthem, and they responded witha barrage of tear gas to dispersethe crowd. At least one personwas injured by the fire bombs,police said.

Officers arrested dozensof protesters in an ensuinggame of cat-and-mousethrough a residential district ofeast Portland.

“It was Day 100 for BlackLives Matter protests inPortland since George Floyd’smurder and they wanted toprevent us from marching,”said 20-year-old protestor Jay,her eyes red from the tear gas.

“It’s our constitutional rightto be here and to express our-selves.” Police said people were“engaging in tumultuous andviolent conduct thereby inten-tionally or recklessly

creating a grave risk of causingpublic alarm.”

“This is a riot. Police aregiving announcements to dis-perse. People are throwingMolotov cocktails,” PortlandPolice said on Twitter.

The nightly protests weresparked by the death of GeorgeFloyd while in police custodyin Minneapolis in May.

Floyd’s death triggeredsimilar protests nationwide,but it is in Portland — a city of6,50,000 that is more than 70percent white — that activistshave remained on the streetspractically every night,demanding racial justice andpolice accountability.

President Donald Trumphas cast the city as being undersiege by “thugs” engaged in“domestic terrorism,” thoughthe demonstrations have beenpeaceful for the most part.

Tensions escalated againlast weekend after a man iden-tified as a supporter of a right-wing group was shot and killed.

Earlier on Saturday, hun-dreds of people gathered in apark near Portland in a memo-rial for Aaron “Jay” Danielson,a supporter of the far-rightgroup Patriot Prayer.

The 39-year-old was fatal-ly shot after he joined pro-Trump supporters whodescended on Portland, spark-ing confrontations with BlackLives Matter counter-protesters.

The suspect in the shoot-ing, Michael Reinoehl, 48, waskilled in neighboringWashington state as policetried to arrest him.

The circumstances ofDanielson’s death are still underinvestigation but Reinoehlappeared to acknowledgeshooting him in an interview

with Vice News.“We are in the midst of a

civil war between good andevil, the good, the good is allthe folks you see here,” saidDann, 50, who knew Danielsonthrough Patriot Prayer, point-ing to the families lined up nearan imposing barbecue amongcamping chairs and numerousAmerican flags displayed forthe occasion.

“The evil is the liberals whoare letting these cities bedestroyed by Antifa, BLM,whoever you want to call

them,” he said.Apart from the homage to

the victim and the groups ofmen with assault rifles or pistols,the atmosphere at the park inVancouver, just north ofPortland, was almost partylike.

But Dann was gloomyabout the run-up to the presi-dential election.

“The next two months aregoing to be terrible. There’sgoing to be more violence.There’s going to be more atroc-ities. There’s going to be morename calling,” he predicted.

Tehran: Iranian PresidentHassan Rouhani castigatedIran’s friends on Saturday for notstanding up to the United Statesand ignoring US sanctions dur-ing the coronavirus pandemic.Iran with over 3,80,000 regis-tered Covid cases is one of thecountries worst hit by the pan-demic in the Middle East.

“Over the past months sincethe coronavirus arrived in ourcountry... no one came to ourhelp,” President Rouhani said inremarks broadcast live on statetelevision. If the US “had a bitof humanity and brain”, he said,it would have offered to “lift thesanctions for a year because ofthe coronavirus”.

But the US “is far moreheartless and evil than thosethings,” he added. Instead, it“imposed new sanctions andpressures on us over these past7 months of coronavirus”. At thesame time, “Not a single friend-ly country told us that in thistime of coronavirus and hardshipand for the sake of humanity ‘wewill stand up to America’” and dobusiness with Iran despite threatsof US retaliation, PresidentRouhani said. Agencies

���� ;8�*�

Three migrants strandedaboard a tanker for over a

month awaiting a port to dis-embark jumped into theMediterranean Sea on Sundayin a sign of increasing despairon deck, the ship reported.

Maersk Tankers A/S saidthe captain and crew of itschemical tanker Etienne quick-ly rescued the three migrantsand brought them back aboard.But the company repeated itsdemand for a port and urgenthumanitarian assistance toensure that the passengers “areimmediately given the attentionand care that they need.”

The Etienne rescued agroup of 27 would-be refugeeson Aug. 4 at the request ofMaltese authorities as themigrants’ fishing boat sank.Malta, however, has refused tolet the migrants disembarkand the Etienne has been stuckin international waters 17 milesoff the small European Unionisland nation as food and water

supplies are running low.The Maersk has reported

that tensions aboard the shipwere growing, culminating inSunday’s desperate jumps.

Malta, like Italy, often balksat taking in rescued migrants,insisting that other EU nationsshould share the burden of car-ing for people rescued in thecentral Mediterranean. Whilesuch standoffs have becomeincreasingly common, theEtienne’s plight is the longest inrecent times and suggests thatother mercantile ships might beless willing to respond to distresscalls from migrants in the future.

Not helping those in needon the sea, however, goes againstmaritime standards, placing shipcaptains in an untenable posi-tion. On Saturday, the GNVRhapsody ferry moored offLampedusa to take migrants offthe small Italian island. Italianofficials have been hastily char-tering ferries and putting othermeasures into place to fightsevere overcrowding at migrantcenters on Lampedusa.

Washington: Democratic vicepresidential nominee KamalaHarris said in commentsreleased Saturday that if a coro-navirus vaccine is availablebefore November’s election,she would not take PresidentDonald Trump’s word on itssafety and efficacy.

Trump faces intense pres-sure to curb the contagionthat has clouded his re-electionprospects, sparking worries hisadministration could rush vac-cine research to fit a politicaltimetable.

“I would not trust DonaldTrump and it would have to bea credible source of informa-tion that talks about the effi-cacy and the reliability of (avaccine),” Harris told CNN. “Iwill not take his word for it.”

A shot against the virusthat has killed over 188,000 inthe US and hobbled the world’slargest economy has becomeanother flashpoint ahead of theNovember 3 vote.

This week news broke thatthe US Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention askedstates to sweep away red tapethat could prevent a network ofvaccine distribution centersbeing “fully operational byNovember 1, 2020.”

Agencies

���� � %�'

Iran has broadcast the tele-vised confession of a wrestler

facing the death penalty after atweet from President DonaldTrump criticising the case, asegment that resembled hun-dreds of other suspectedcoerced confessions aired over the last decade in theIslamic Republic.

The case of 27-year-oldNavid Afkari has drawn theattention of a social mediacampaign that portrays himand his brothers as victims tar-geted over participating inprotests against Iran’s Shiitetheocracy in 2018.

The television segment andauthorities accuse Afkari of stabbing a water sup-ply company employee in thesouthern city of Shiraz amidthe unrest.

Afkari’s case has drawninternational attention andrevived a demand inside thecountry that Iran, one of theworld’s top executioners, stopcarrying out the death penal-ty. Even imprisoned Iranianhuman rights lawyer NasrinSotoudeh, herself nearly amonth into a hunger strike overconditions at Tehran’s Evinprison amid the coronaviruspandemic, has passed wordthat she supports Afkari.

���� ,8)�8)�

WikiLeaks founder JulianAssange is set to fight for

his freedom in a British courtafter a decade of legal drama,as he challenges Americanauthorities’ attempt to extraditehim on spying charges over thesite’s publication of secret USmilitary documents.

Lawyers for Assange andthe US Government are sched-uled to face off in LondonMonday at an extradition hear-ing that was delayed by thecoronavirus pandemic.

American prosecutors haveindicted the 49-year-oldAustralian on 18 espionageand computer misuse chargesadding up to a maximum sen-tence of 175 years.

���� '(,���%��

Awoman journalist andsocial worker has been

shot dead allegedly by her hus-band in Pakistan’s restiveBalochistan province, a mediareport said on Sunday.

The incident took place inTurbat, the headquarters ofKech district, on Saturday.

According to a police state-ment, husband Mehrab Gichkitook Shaheena ShaheenBaloch’s body to a hospital ina car, but fled soon afterwards.By that time, the woman haddied from bullet wounds.

Police visited a house in thePTCL Colony, Turbat, wherethe shooting allegedly tookplace. Police found blood, anempty bullet shell and a bulletat the scene, the Dawn news-paper reported.

Police quoted some sourcesas saying that Baloch was thewife of Gichki.

However, a relative of thedeceased disputed this.

A case has been registeredand investigation is underway,a senior police official said,adding that Gichki is stillabsconding.

He said the incidentseemed to be a case of domes-tic violence.

���� -8)9�78)9�

About 290 people were arrest-ed Sunday at protests

against the government’s deci-sion to postpone elections forHong Kong’s legislature, policesaid. The elections were to havetaken place Sunday but ChiefExecutive Carrie Lam on July 31postponed them for one year.Lam blamed an upsurge incoronavirus cases, but critics saidher government worried theopposition would gain seats ifvoting went ahead on schedule.

Police said that 289 peoplehad been arrested, mostly forunlawful assembly. Onewoman was arrested in theKowloon district of Yau Ma Teion charges of assault andspreading pro-independenceslogans, the police department

said on its Facebook page. Itsaid such slogans are illegalunder a newly enacted nation-al security law.

Anti-government protestserupted last year over a pro-posed extradition law andspread to include demands forgreater democracy and criti-cism of Beijing’s efforts totighten control over the formerBritish colony. The coronavirusand the tough new security lawhave diminished the demon-strations this year, but smallergroups still take to the streetsfrom time to time.

The ruling CommunistParty’s decision to impose thelaw in May prompted com-plaints it was violating theautonomy promised to the ter-ritory when it was returned toChina in 1997.

��! �"��������������������"�����������������! �������������������������������-���;����������� >�

������

���� �',+� 7**�

Jacob Blake has spoken pub-licly for the first time since a

Kenosha, Wisconsin, policeofficer shot him seven times inthe back, saying he’s in constantpain from the shooting, whichdoctors fear will leave himparalyzed from the waist down.

In a video posted Saturdaynight on Twitter by his family’slawyer, Ben Crump, Blake saidfrom his hospital bed that,“Twenty-four hours, every 24hours it’s pain, nothing butpain. It hurts to breathe, it hurtsto sleep, it hurts to move fromside-to-side, it hurts to eat.”

Blake, a 29-year-old fatherof six, also said he has staplesin his back and stomach.

“Your life, and not only justyour life, your legs, somethingyou need to move around andforward in life, can be takenfrom you like this,” Blake said,snapping his fingers.

He added: “Stick together,make some money, makeeverything easier for our peo-ple out there, man, becausethere’s so much time that’sbeen wasted.”

Blake, who is Black, wasshot in the back by a whitepolice officer on Aug. 23 afterwalking away from the officerand two others who were try-ing to arrest him. The officer,Rusten Sheskey, opened fire

after Blake opened his ownSUV’s driver-side door andleaned into the vehicle. Theshooting was captured onvideo and posted online,sparking several nights ofprotests and unrest inKenosha, a city of about1,00,000 between Milwaukeeand Chicago.

Sheskey and the otherofficers who were at the scenewere placed on administrativeleave pending the outcome ofan investigation by theWisconsin Department ofJustice. None of them havebeen charged.

Blake, who had an out-standing arrest warrant whenhe was shot, pleaded not guiltyFriday to charges accusinghim of sexually assaulting a

woman in May and waived hisright to a preliminary hearing.Blake appeared remotely viavideo conference from hisMilwaukee hospital bed, wear-ing a dress shirt and tie. Hespoke only to respond to thejudge’s questions.

The state JusticeDepartment has said a knife wasrecovered from Blake’s vehicle,but it has not said whether hewas holding it when officers triedto arrest him. The man whomade the widely seen cell-phone video of the shooting,22-year-old Raysean White,said he saw Blake scuffling withthree officers and heard themyell, “Drop the knife! Drop theknife!” before gunfire erupted.He said he didn’t see a knife inBlake’s hands.

A� ���������������2������������������� � �'� �������

;���� $#�#"�&�$"���$�%��$���# �� #�$&�� 1����$�� $�!�5

(#��������������!.,�������������"����������� ����

0�����3��������2��'&���&������������������������������.4�'����5�����

'����������2��������������)������

�������������"�� ���������������������������4���������

,���*������>��������������)���?���������������);����

������.���&�����6���%�������,����������7���� !����7"���8������������

>�!��������������������������� �����������! �� >�

5���������������������������������������������������

Page 9: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

!� �(��������� �������� ������������ !�"#"#

New Delhi: The Bureau OfPharma PSUs Of India report-ed a 94.21 per cent increase inits sales turnover at �146.59crore for the quarter endedJune 30, 2020, the Ministry ofChemicals and Fertilisers saidon Sunday. It had posted a salesturnover of �75.48 crore in thecorresponding first quarter ofprevious fiscal year, a statementby the Ministry said. BPPI isthe implementing agency forPradhan Mantri BhartiyaJanaushadhi Pariyojana. TheJanaushadhi Kendras remainedfunctional during the lockdownas part of their commitment toensure uninterrupted availabil-ity of essential medicines to thepeople, the statement said.“Present basket of medicinessold by these Kendras consistsof 1,250 medicines and 204 sur-gical instruments. The target isset to enhance it to up to 2,000medicines and 300 surgicalproducts by the end of March31, 2024...,” it added. PTI

���� )*+��*,-'

Banks may restructure loansof more than �10 lakh crore

largely attributed to 5-6 criticalsectors, including aviation,commercial real estate andhospitality, that have beenseverely hit by the Covid-19outbreak, according to bankers.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman last week askedbanks and NBFCs to roll outone-time loan restructuringscheme for Covid-19 relatedstress by September 15.

According to a top officialof a public sector bank, it iswin-win for both lenders andborrowers.

Explaining the rationale,the banker said, corporates

will try to save their businessfrom turning non-performingasset (NPA) and buy crucialtime for getting cash flow backfor servicing the debt.

Secondly, banks have tomake only 10 per cent provi-sion against restructuredaccount as compared to 15 percent if the same account turnsinto NPA, the official said,adding that the lure of 5 percent conservation of capital willalso push banks for recast.

Given the benefit, theofficial said, it is estimatedthat 12-15 per cent of total loanbook would avail one-timerestructuring.

Micro, small and mediumenterprises (MSMEs) arealready covered under the

ongoing restructuring schemewhich was tweaked recently tocover those impacted byCOVID-19 crisis.

It is to be noted that a totalRs 100 lakh crore worth of loanis outstanding in the bankingsystem.

Another banking officialsaid that nearly half of the 30per cent of the total loan bookwhich sought moratorium, thatended on August 31, may availrestructuring.

Companies in about half-a-dozen vulnerable sectors --hospitality, aviation, entertain-ment, commercial real estateand travel & tourism -- whosebusinesses have been impact-ed severely due to the COVID-19 crisis will make a beeline for

the scheme.KV Kamath committee

report is expected to givefinancial parameters like haircut, debt service coverageratio, debt-equity ratio post-resolution and interest cover-age ratio for recasting corpo-rate loans for over half a dozenvulnerable sectors, the officialadded.

Last month, PunjabNational Bank managing direc-tor S S Mallikarjuna Rao saidabout 5-6 per cent of loan bookwould go for restructuring asper RBI-approved guidelines.

“This 5-6 per cent comesto about � 40,000 crore. Majorcomposition of this, of about 50per cent, would be corporatebooks,” he had said.

Mumbai: The much-awaitedfestive season is unlikely tobring any cheers to the travelindustry, including the airlinesector, as less than 20 per centof people polled plan to travelduring October-Novemberamid the pandemic, a surveysaid. The festive season inIndia falls between Octoberand November every year dur-ing which festivals such asDussehra, Durga Puja andDiwali are celebrated.Moreover, the majority of thosehaving travel plans said thatthey do not want to maketheir booking till they get clos-er to their travel date, accord-ing to the survey conducted byonline platform LocalCircles.

The survey was conduct-ed to get citizen pulse on howpeople in India are planning totravel in the upcoming festiveseason, given the current situ-ation with Covid-19. The sur-vey received over 25,000responses from people locatedin 239 districts of India, accord-ing to the online platform.According to the HealthMinistry data, the total coro-navirus cases mounted to41,13,811, while the death tollclimbed to 70,626. PTI

���� )*+��*,-'

In a bid to optimise its costs,the State Bank of India (SBI)

has planned a voluntary retire-ment scheme (VRS) underwhich about 30,190 employeesare eligible. The total employ-ee strength of country’s largestlender stood at 2.49 lakh at theend of March 2020 as com-pared to 2.57 lakh a year ago.

According to sources, adraft scheme for VRS has beenprepared and board approval isawaited.The proposed scheme-’Second Innings Tap VRS-2020’ - is aimed at optimisinghuman resources and costs ofthe bank.

Besides, the draft scheme,seen by PTI, said it will providean option and a respectable exitroute to employees who havereached a level of saturation intheir career, may not be at thepeak of their performance,have some personal issue orwant to pursue their profes-sional or personal life outsidethe bank. The scheme will beopened to all permanent offi-cers and staff who have put in25 years of service or complet-ed 55 years of age on the cut-off date.

The scheme will open onDecember 1 and will remainopen till the end of February,it said, adding that applicationsfor VRS will be accepted dur-ing this period only.

As per the proposed eligi-bility criteria, a total of 11,565officers and 18,625 staff mem-bers will be eligible for thescheme. The total net savingsfor the bank would be�1,662.86 crore if 30 per centof eligible employees opt forretirement under the scheme,as per estimates based on July2020 salary, it said.

“The staff member whoserequest for retirement underVRS is accepted will be paid anex-gratia amounting 50 percent of salary for the residualperiod of service (up to the dateof superannuation), subject toa maximum of 18 months’ lastdrawn salary,” it said.

Other benefits like gratu-ity, pension, provident andmedical benefits will be givento employees seeking VRS.

A staff member retiredunder the scheme will be eligi-ble for engagement or re-employment in the bank after acooling-off period of two yearsfrom the date of retirement.

���� )*+��*,-'

The Government will pro-vide guidance on employ-

ee protection, asset strippingand business continuity inBharat Petroleum Corp Ltd(BPCL) to potential acquirersof the company only at a laterstage of bidding, according toprivatisation rules issued by thedisinvestment department.

The Government is sellingits entire 52.98 per cent stakein India’s second-largest fuelretailer and third-biggest oilrefiner.

Preliminary expressions ofinterest or EoIs are due onSeptember 30, which will befollowed by qualified biddersbeing asked to submit financialor price bids.

The Department ofInvestment and Public AssetManagement (DIPAM), erst-while known as Department ofDisinvestment, has issued clar-ifications on queries raised bypotential bidders for the gov-ernment stake in BPCL.

On a query on restrictions

relating to employee protection,asset stripping, business conti-nuity and lock-in of shares,DIPAM said, “This informa-tion shall be provided to theQualified Interested Parties(QIPs) in the RFP/ SPA(Request for Proposal/ SharePurchase Agreement).”Rules pertaining to labour lawsare said to be one of the manyconsiderations that will guidebids, particularly those fromforeign firms. A potentialacquirer of BPCL may want toshed excess workforce, which isa typical legacy issue with allpublic sector units, as well asstrip some of the non-essentialassets such as land and build-ings.

BPCL will give the acquir-er ready access to 15.33 per centof India’s oil refining limit and22 per cent market share of theworld’s fastest-growing fuelmarket.

While the acquirer of gov-ernment stake will have tomake the mandatory openoffer to buy 26 per cent stakefrom minority shareholders of

BPCL on the same terms, thegovernment advised the bid-ders to consult their legal coun-sels on the issue of such offersbecoming mandatory for list-ed entities where BPCL mayhold a stake.

The department clarifiedthis in response to the questionthat “whether a mandatorytender offer will be triggered bythe transaction in relation toIndraprastha Gas Ltd andPetronet LNG Ltd”.

BPCL is a promoter ofIndia’s largest gas import,Petronet with a 12.5 per centstake. It is also co-founder and

promoter of IGL, which retailsCNG the national capitalregion. BPCL holds 22.5 percent stake in IGL.

The government stakesale in BPCL would happenafter the company’sNumaligarh refinery in Assamis hived off from the companyand sold to a public sector unit.

“The divestment of BPCL’sinterest in NumaligarhRefineries Ltd (NRL) shall becompleted before the closing ofthe BPCL disinvestmentprocess,” DIPAM said.

“The decision with regardto the utilization of proceeds

from the NRL sale shall becommunicated to QIPs prior tosubmission of financial bid.”

It also asked the bidders toseek the opinion of legal coun-sel’s on application of anti-monooly regulations.

“The successfulbidder may need to file with theCompetition Commission ofIndia (CCI) for its approval tothe acquisition,” it said. Also,bondholders/ lenders consent,if required, will be taken at anappropriate stage, it said.It was asked if holds of USD1.65 billion bonds cannot blockor pre-empt the sale of gov-ernment stake. The govern-ment ruled out changing therequirement of bidder or theconsortium of bidder togetherhaving a net wrth of USD 10billion.

“Request for reduction ofnet worth criteria cannot beaccepted,” it said. It also did notaccept a proposal of shifting thevenue of the arbitration, arisingin case of dispute in the pri-vatisation process, to a neutralforum such as Singapore.

New Delhi: GCMMF, whichmarkets dairy products underthe Amul brand, will investaround � 1,000 crore over thenext two years to set up milkprocessing plants, and anoth-er �500 crore on facilities fornew products like edible oil, itsMD R S Sodhi said. In an inter-view with PTI, Sodhi said theGujarat Cooperative MilkMarketing Federation Ltd(GCMMF) expects 12-15 percent growth in revenue in cur-rent fiscal year from �38,550crore during the last fiscal yeardespite COVID-19 pandemic,as demand for branded foodproducts has increased.

“We will invest around�1,000 crore in the next twoyears on setting up dairy plantsacross various states,” Sodhitold PTI.He said the processingcapacity would increase to 420lakh litres per day from the cur-rent 380 lakh litres per day.

On new businesses, Sodhisaid the cooperative has start-ed manufacturing sweets as

well as bakery items usingdairy fats.

Besides, he said, GCMMFhas forayed into edible oil andpotato processing segments aspart of its objective to boostincome of farmers fromGujarat and other states.

The edible oils will be mar-keted under the new brand‘Janmay’. It will producegroundnut oil, cottonseed oil,sunflower oil, mustard oil andsoybean oil.”We already havefew plants for edible oil, bakeryand potato processing. We willinvest �400-500 crore on set-ting up more plants in thesenew business areas over thenext two years,” Sodhi said.

Asked about sales duringthe pandemic, he said sales ofits dairy products like milk,butter milk, paneer and gheewere 15 per cent higher duringApril-August as compared withthe year-ago period, driven byrising household consumptionof branded food products.

PTI

���� )*+��*,-'

The Government has comeout with a comprehensive

set of draft guidelines on adver-tising under which ‘disclaimers’that are not easily noticeable byor legible or easily under-standable to an ordinary con-sumer will be treated as mis-leading advertisements underthe Consumer Protection Act.

The violation of theseguidelines would face action bythe recently established CentralConsumer Protection Authority.

The draft guidelines, onwhich the Consumer AffairsMinistry has sought publiccomments by September 18, areapplicable to companies whoseproducts or services are adver-tised as well as to advertisementagencies and endorsers.According to the draft guide-lines, a disclaimer should beclear, prominent enough andlegible.

“It should be clearly visi-ble to a normally-sighted per-son reading the marketingcommunication once, from areasonable distance and at areasonable speed.”

The disclaimers used inadvertisements should be in“same language” as the claim ofthe advertisement, the fontshould be in the “same font” asthe claim and place disclaimerson packaging in a “prominentand visible space”.

If the claim is presented asvoice over (VO), then the dis-claimer should be displayed insync with the VO, it said.That apart, a disclaimer shouldnot attempt to hide materialinformation with respect tothe claim, the omission/absence of which is likely tomake the advertisementdeceptive or conceal its com-mercial intent.

A disclaimer should notattempt to correct a misleadingclaim made in an advertise-ment, it added.

The draft guidelines alsospecify that an advertisementshould not describe a productor service as “free”, “withoutcharge” or other similar terms,

if the consumer has to pay any-thing other than the cost whilepurchasing a product or servicefor delivery of the same.

On those who endorseadvertisements, the guidelinespropose that they should takedue care to ensure that alldescriptions, claims and com-parisons that they endorse orthat are made in advertise-ments they appear in are capa-ble of being objectively ascer-tained and are capable of sub-stantiation.Endorsers should also take duecare to ensure that an advert“does not convey ... Express orimplied representations thatwould be false, misleading ordeceptive if made by the trad-er or manufacturer or adver-tiser of the relevant product orservice.”

If an endorsement of aproduct or service is madethrough a testimonial, theguidelines propose that suchendorsement should reflect thegenuine, reasonably currentopinion of the endorser, andshould be based on either ade-quate information about orexperience with the product orservice being endorsed.

������ )*+��*,-'

As the coronavirus pan-demic and the eventual

lockdowns have brought themultiplex industry to a grind-ing halt, PVR has deferred asignificant portion of its capi-tal expenditure (capex) plansand it will reassess them oncethe shutdown is over and itsoperations resume.

Nitin Sood, Chief FinancialOfficer (CFO) of PVR has saidthat owing to the company’scost control measures, its fixedcosts for the future will belower than it had before. Evenafter reopening, the companydoes not expect these to returnto their previous levels soon.

His message to the share-holders in PVR’s AnnualReport said that the companyis already in discussions with itsdevelopers for renegotiatingthe rental arrangements. Soodadded that PVR’s other coststoo will undergo reductionsuntil some normalcy isrestored.

“We have also temporarilydeferred a substantial portionof our planned capital expen-ditures that we were under-taking, prior to the shutdown.All major capital expenditures

will now be re-assessed oncethe shutdown is over,” the CFOsaid.

Throughout this crisis,according to him, the compa-ny has focused on businesscontinuity and has undertakenmeasures to mitigate the risk.

“Our strategy has been twopronged. First, we have broughtdown our fixed costs drasticallyduring this period of lock-down, and second, we haveraised debt to preserve liquid-ity on the balance sheet,” hesaid.

Among the fixed costs,PVR has invoked the forcemajeure clause for rental pay-ment and Common AreaMaintenance (CAM) charges,

under its contractual arrange-ments and has suspendedrental payments, while it con-tinues to be in discussionswith mall developers.

“In order to manage ourliquidity during the period thecinemas are shut, the manage-ment has voluntarily taken acut of 50 per cent in their com-pensation, while the rest of ouremployees have forsaken 20-50per cent of their salaries. Owingto these actions, we have beensuccessful in bringing a signif-icant reduction in our month-ly fixed costs,” Sood said.

He was of the view in thepost-covid era but the compa-ny will be in a stronger posi-tion.

������ %*)9�, ;

Bengaluru Metro rail hasmade it compulsory for

passengers to use theirrecharged smart cards loadedwith money at least one in theinitial seven days or the amountwill relapse, an official said onSunday.

“At least once it has to beused in seven days, otherwisethe money will lapse. That isbecause of the technicalrequirement,” a BangaloreMetro Rail CorporationLimited (BMRCL) official toldIANS.However, after meetingthe requirement of using atleast once in the first sevendays, the recharged money willbe saved for a period of 10 yearsto be used anytime.”We arecoming with a new mobileapp and this is the technicalrule which has come out. Afterusing, you can leave the moneyin the card and it stays there for10 years,” he said.

In the old system, passen-gers were allowed to use theirsmart cards within a span of 60days after topping it up online.

“Consequent to introduc-tion of mobile app, this is nowrevised to seven days,” he saidin the standard operating pro-cedures on restarting themetro.Bengaluru Metro isgeared up to resume its servicein phases from Monday underthe new guidelines to containthe pandemic.

New Delhi:With digital trans-formation gaining momentumacross industries, HCLTechnologies’ CEO CVijayakumar has said that thecompany is well positioned tocapture the upcoming oppor-tunities.

In his message to theshareholders in the company’sAnnual Report, he said thatfuture prospects for thebroad-based technology com-panies like HCL are stable andbright.

Noting that a number ofopportunities are playing out inthe market, Vijayakumar saidthat digital transformation isbeing significantly acceleratedacross industries and digital

programmes planned for com-pletion in two to three years arenow expected to close in a mat-ter of months.

“While momentum sec-tors such as Life Sciences andHealthcare, Online GroceryDistribution, Telecom and Techcontinue to create strongdemand, we are also seeingimpacted sectors like Retail,Auto, Travel, Hospitality etcstarting work on redefiningcustomer engagement to ‘zero-touch’ interactions by leverag-ing conversational AI, analyt-ics, and digital innovations. Webelieve we are well-positionedto capture these opportunities,”Vijayakumar said.

IANS

�����������%�;����� ������������������%����

)B�� �������2�������?������� ���" ���� ��

;� ����'�������

4(����!�(������ �������! ����!������"�����������!!���� ����

(%'�������B;(�����������������������������6.�...���� ������� �� �

>�� �����(�����<"866�������@������������!������"����� ��� "������"�!����!��������! ����

�� ����$���������������������������A��������(��� �!��

'����������+3���������������������"����������������������C��������

� ��#�)� �)� �%��'� "��� $��# $�'����)��#

+���)������#� �� �$ ��� &���$�1� ������ & � ��#<����

�))��D+�����������"�����,7E����+7-<8,���

:���������!3E������� ���������������"��� ���������"�������C����"��

�&���(�������$������62���

��#�� #�#�%��!������

(��������������������������������������

Page 10: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

������ �������� ������������ !�"#"#

%� �&���������%����������&���������������������������������� ��������&�'����������������������������� "�������&������"��������

'�!���#���&���������������������� ���&��������� �������"�������������������������������������&�� ��� ���������������������������� ��������(�����7�������������%!(�

K������ ���� ����&�����#��&��� �RL�!���������������������� ���&�����������������S�������

!���������&��� ����������������������������������������7���

�������������'��)�&���������"�&���������� �����C������������������������������ ��������������-� �&�������:���� ��"���������

'��������&��������������������������������������������������������������������+�������

������������&������� ��"�����������-� �&����

K�������-� �&���� ��"����������'�#����������������� �����+���� ���������������'�#����� �����'�����

�������������������������������'�#�������������������:����&����������������L������������������������������� ��������� ��"�����������

;,"��� $!�=>&$1�!� �� �� �� �077�"#'�� ���� ���� 1%�������%�&#� $��$� �

#�1 �%� �" 1�#�� $���� 1��&���� �?@"����� �"#�'�� )���!� 1�#��%�2� "���1���#����' ����#(� � ��'��)� � $� " )����� �(�"��� ��%�)�2#���!!& � (�# ���� �1� "���%������#� ����!� ?�*,-��� #5����������#��1��$�%%�� �� � " �$��� �� ?5�A�&#" ����1�=�

+���()��$����>� #�=�$����#� (<�, �

���� (���

������ �� �#��)2���� $���'�����&#5������;� ��������&��� ����������������������������"����������� ����������������� �������������������������� ����� ������������������������������������� "������

%�����&��� ���������� ����7���������� �������K!��������'��������� ���������������������������������� "������'������������������� �������������������-��� ��������������#��&�����������������'������&����� ������ ������������L

!���� ����� ��������������� �� �������(����������4�

Your skinny best friend seems to eattwice as much as you. But you’restil l overweight. Why? For

decades, experts thought they had theanswer — too many calories and notenough exercise. But the latest scientif-ic research is turning those assumptionsdown. Differences in our individual biol-ogy — our genetics, hormones or psy-chology — all play a crucial role.

The show Why Do I Put on Weightfollows five volunteers who go on dietstailored to their bodies and brains.They’re just like us, normal people whoexperience weight gains and losses.Combining science with engaging per-sonal stories, this experiment mightchange the way you think about diet. Ifyou thought long term weight loss wasimpossible, you need to rethink.

�Given the current situation, peopleare dealing with a lot of physical andmental health challenges. The showWhy Do I Put on Weight talks about thedifferent factors behind weight gain.What’s your take on that?

We always think weight gain is afood related problem but in realitythere are various other factors that playa role in fat gain and loss process, suchas genetics, biology, stress, psychologyand more. And given the situation, thehealth challenges have increased becausethe gyms were shut, there weren’t anyproper places to exercise, no proper rou-tine and no sleep schedule. So, these aresome of the reasons behind our weightgain.

�As a nutritionist, what one advicewould you give to someone who is ontheir weight loss journey?

My first advice would be to alwayskeep a check on the stress levels as it’svery important to be stress free. Even inthis show we have discussed factors thataffect your health. Your attitude, emo-tions, mental state, psychological well-being, everything matters in the weightloss journey. It is also important to havea proper routine and stop binge eating.During the lockdown most of us had alot of time in our hands, so we consumeda lot of junk food in free time, whichaffects your health. So it is very impor-tant to have a mindful approach towardsthe diet. In turn, we should add more offruits, raw veggies, salads, and nuts inour diet.

�It is believed that in the process ofweight loss, 30 per cent depends onexercise and the rest 70 per cent is diet.Is this a myth or a reality?

It is a reality; the fact is that activi-ty and some kind of exercise is veryimportant. But nowadays people havemade exercising a mere trend. And nowwe all have a sedentary lifestyle, most-ly working on gadgets. Hence there isless of body movement. Such a lifestyledemands frequent movement and reg-ular exercises. There are different kindsof exercises one can opt for — Yoga,pilates, HIIT, cardio and others.

�What is your take on packaged andprocessed food available in the marketthat claims to be heathy?

With the advent of advertising andmarketing, the food industry always triesto manipulate and tempt people to trytheir products which are claimed to behealthy by them. However, I thinkhomemade and natural foods are moresustainable, affordable and nourishingcomparatively. All these processed foodswith preservatives sold in the name ofhealth are the reasons why we gain morefat in our body. Hence, homemadefood is the best choice.

�How important is exercise for yourbody?

Our generation is not very active asour ancestors were. Earlier we didn’thave house helps, or lifts in building,people used to walk long distances, that’sthe reason our ancestors lived a veryactive life. However, our lifestyle iscompletely different, we get everythingat the tap of a button. This results in lessmovement which means higher need toexercise. If we don’t exercise, our mus-cles loosen up resulting in further com-plications. As we sit in one position, ourback and abdomen muscles tend toweaken. I personally believe in yoga, itsvery strengthening. But one can also tryvariation of workouts between cardio,HIIT and yoga as workout in any formis important.

�What are the five most importantthings one can keep in mind for ahealthy lifestyle?

The utmost important thing is toconsume right food and healthy drinks.Another important thing is get propersleep as it determines your attitude,mood and mental health. Next is tomaintain your stress levels and be awareof it. Lastly, its self-love. Don’t compareyourself, your lifestyle with others andnever give out negative statements foryour body. Your body is your house andpower store.

(Watch the show on September 7 at8 pm on Sony BBC Earth.)

Asparkling silver lining of theglobal Coronavirus pandem-

ic has been a significant improve-ment in air quality across multi-ple countries. However, that does-n’t present a long term solution tothe ‘Airpocalypse’ India is on theverge of, according to experts. Asthe country resumes economicactivity slowly but steadily in the

aftermath of COVID-19, the pos-sible overshooting of greenhousegas and emissions are a very realthreat.

UNEP GoodwillAmbassador and UN SDG advo-cate actor Dia Mirza sites thesevery pertinent concerns as sheengages in a clean air campaignfor India, furthering the globaldialogue of bluer skies and ahealthier environment at home.“We need to make every effort tobuild back sustainably becauseclean air is the right to life,” saidthe actor who has certainlybecome a climate changemakerand other causes related to theenvironment.

“The global lockdown haslead to cleaner air than we havehad in over a decade. Some of themost polluted cities in India haveexperienced AQI levels below 50through the lockdown. Naturecan and will recover leading tobetter health for all people. Butthe lockdown is not the solution.

We need to engage in fruitfulpartnerships and implementstrategies and policies for theglobal goal of clean air,” Diaadded.

The actor-producer is cur-rently working with the UnitedNations EnvironmentProgramme in their efforts todeclare September 7 as theInternational Day of Clean Air forBlue Skies in order to find sustain-able solutions to the air pollutionon our planet. Dia, who hasstressed the importance of learn-ing from the experience of thepandemic and building back bet-ter, will engage in conversationwith prominent ‘Clean AirChampions’ who are singularchange-makers championing acleaner earth. She feels thatobserving #WorldCleanAirDaywill bring much-needed aware-ness to people and policymakersalike, fueling a change in humanlifestyles to ensure a balancebetween man and nature.

�������In 1947, Mildred Ratched begins working as a nurse at a leading

psychiatric hospital. But beneath her stylish exterior lurks a growingdarkness. Starring Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock and Judy Davis,season 1 releases on September 18 on Netflix.

������ ������ ���������Two years after Cole survived a satanic blood cult,

he’s living another nightmare: high school. And thedemons from his past? Still making his life hell. StarringJudah Lewis, Jenna Ortega and Emily Alyn Lind, the filmreleases on September 10 on Netflix.

������ ������������������ ����A disillusioned Delhi wife and her new-in-town cousin nav-

igate damning secrets, dreams and their thorny dynamic on theirrespective roads to freedom. Starring Bhumi Pednekar, KonkonaSen Sharma and Vikrant Massey, the film releases on September18 on Netflix.

��� ������������8�����'������� �������� ����������% ���("�������������������'���';E� �����������������&���������� ������������� �������������&������

@ � � � � �

6�� ���������������������0462720-320������8������+�����8�� ����"���+��"�������+(������+,���425 /�/2

" ��2�$�)��%��/����)!��

Page 11: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

������ �������� ������������ !�"#"# ���� (�$����%���&���

%2�'2�����$2/"����2)8 ��' %2��$�� %� .)��)!�.)#$��%&�' #���2 8 !���!�#/ !9%# �� !��.2 !�/� ��)2�"))$�� !�%#�' %#�'

;��������������������F�������������������� ��������� ����

������������� �������������������&�������:�������������������M�������������������������������

!������������ ���������:���� ��� ���� ��! �" ���� ���&��������������������������0..�-�)��(&��@ ����������@������������������������������������������������������ �� ��������������������6�...�����������A� ��)�&�-����-����� ����� (�&��������������������������������

!����������������������������������������&��������������&������������������������ �������&��������������� �������&������

K+���&�� ��"�������������������������� ���������������&����� ����������������������������������L����������������������* ��@�?������������A� �� �������� (�@�?�������������������������������"�&�&������������� ������� ����������������������� �������& ��������� ���������������������������������?�����������������������������������8B'�����

'����&�������������������������� ���������'��������������������������������������������������������������������������������8B'�����������&������"���������� �������������������

������������������������ ����������:���� #��� ������������������� �� ������������ ���� "������������������������������ ���� ��������������������������&����

8������������������� �&�����������������������������������������������+���������&������������?�����������������&����������������� � ������������������������������������������������������ �&�������������������������������

K!����8B'�������������������������&�������������� �?��������������������&��������������������������������������������������&���������� ������������������������������������������������L������������������������(������������ ����������������� (�

����������������� �!!��"������!�#$����%� &'(

���������������������� �������������������������I;�J����� ��

�������������� ��������������������������������������&������

-���������������������I;�J���"�&������ ��������� ������������������� ������������� ���������I�B�J������������ "������������� ������I���� �������� �F������������������J���������� �����������"���

!������������� ����������:���� ���������$��� %� ���� ��� �� ��� "���������������;��&������������������� �����������H��������������B��

K8���������������&��������������������� ����������������������������������������������������� ��������������� ��&����������� �������� ��B����"���������������������������������� ������ �������"��L�����������������(���3 ����������� ����������,������ 7�

@���������������������������������?� ���������������&���������� �����������;�����������������B��

��)�*�)�)��� ������+,�%�)����%� &'(

;�������������������������� ��������������������������������������������&���������������� ����

���������������� ���������� �������������������������������� ����������:���� �&���

�'#����������� ����������� � ����������� ��������� ����������������� ��� ���!���� ���� ����� ������������������������������������������� �M����������&�������������������� �����I���������J������������������������ �M��������&��������I��������J������������������������ ��

!����������������������������� �&����������������������� ���� ������&� �����

%������������������������������� ���� ������������������������������������� ������������������������ ��������� ������� ����������������� �������������������� ����������� �&��������&��������������� ���� ���������������������

�3���� ���#� � � � �'& ��"'� ?A���# � ��

You just have to be better each day,” remem-ber when they told you that? It’s one of the

reasons why we see competition in all walks oflife. In most cases, the competition may not alsobe what is called a cut-throat or a tough one butit may be what is known as a healthy competi-tion. Nevertheless, one thing common to all ofthem — the underlying desire or motive to winor to defeat others.

From a psychological point of view, in a com-petitive situation, a person brings into play hisskill, ability and talent to show that he is supe-rior, stronger, better, more powerful, more skil-ful, more learned or “competent” than the oth-ers. They want to hear words of praise aboutthemselves. Or maybe get a medallion, a citation,an epithet or a high position. Amid this, one doesnot mind if, ontheir way tofinding success,someone elsefeels disappoint-ed, depressed,defeated or evenhumiliated. In asports match,too, we see howeven if the com-petitors shakehands at the endof the game orlater, hang outtogether, thedeep feeling ofhaving lost orhaving won isalways there, however minimal it may be.However, this feeling of victory or defeat is pro-portionately less if the contest is just a friendlygame or it’s a performance for fun and enjoymentand without any expectation of receiving anymedia attention. At that time, the players repre-sent no one but themselves as members of inter-changeable friendly groups and the whole thingis just for the sake of self-development or any-thing but a competition.

As a society, we need to understand that thecore objective behind competition is not just towin for the self or the team, but it is intertwinedwith the motive of laying the softer and noblersentiments of co-operation, kindness and gentle-ness. It is a distortion of intention or malignan-cy in the desire that may, sooner or later, add aniota of selfishness in behaviour and reduce thelevel of love, kindness, generosity and gentlenessand may put a limit on one’s spirit of giving, help-ing, co-operation and sacrificing. For anythingthat is small and insignificant in the beginninghas the potential of growing and becoming big.We must not forget that even a spark is enoughto burn down a huge apartment to ashes and growinto a massive fire. We should be careful and vig-ilant because selfishness is contagious and thishabit of rivalry can spoil the charm of life andthe atmosphere around us.

Some people link competition to motivationof performing better but they fail to understandthat this evil trait to defeat others, which may lookharmless initially, may eventually develop feel-ings of revenge, enmity, jealousy, hostility or anugly attitude.

The seed of evil, as it grows, takes the formof a huge tree with many branches of selfishnessand feelings of downgrading others to gain ascen-dancy for the self. It’s time that one must try tocurtail selfishness and, in this effort, give up theambition of winning by vengeance for theapplause and praise for the self. Remember, theonly competition that should matter for us is theone that takes place within our self. Hence, it isbetter to defeat one’s inner demons first andbecome victorious from within to be an exam-ple for others to follow.

9����������+������������

!�����������������������������������8B'���������������������������������� ������ ������������

����� ������������������������������������ ��"�(�;(���B�0������������������ ��

!������������� ���������:���� �'��� ������ ���������������������������������������� ��������������� ����������������8B'���K+������������������������������������� �������������8B'������������������������?��������������������������������������������������� �������L��������������9��� ����'������7��� �"��'��������(&����

!�������������������������������H�&������������������������������������������� ������� �����������������������������H�������@��������&����� �����I��� J�&���:������&��������&����������M��"���������&������������������������� ���������1.������� �������� ������������� ��������&�����������������������������������"��������

'�����������������������������������&�����������?��� ����������������� �&�������;�CA89'%;�-��7 ��; )'7 )C C'

Rampuriya, a small hamlet inRajasthan’s southern hilly districtPratapgarh, has been able to

largely escape the Coronavirusonslaught. Till last month, there werearound 182 reported cases, out ofwhich 160 had recovered while threelives were lost. Had there been cases likethe rest of the country, the total lack ofbasic health care services in this remoteregion would have made it challengingfor the administration to control the sit-uation.

The Primary Health Centre (PHC),which is supposed to be the basic func-tional unit of government-fundedhealthcare, is practically a misnomerhere, more so after the PHC startedbeing operated on Public-PartnerPartnership (PPP) mode from 2017,allege villagers. In 2015, the RajasthanGovernment decided to hand over 213of the total 2,088 PHCs to private agen-cies to run on PPP mode under the ‘Runa PHC’ scheme that aimed at improv-ing the services and develop the defunctand poorly functioning PHCs.

The ‘Run a PHC’ scheme agreementstated that the state government wouldprovide the private agency �22 to �35lakh depending on the bids received fora five-year period. The private partner,on its part, is expected to employ at least11 members in staff, including doctor,pharmacist, laboratory technicians andcleaners and an experienced AuxiliaryNurse Midwife (ANM). Apart from themoney, the government kept theresponsibility of infrastructure, build-ing, medicines, surgical supplies andlaboratory reagents in its own hands.

This PPP model, however, hasfaced criticism from health activists ofthe State who argue that by doing so, thegovernment side-stepped from its pri-mary duty of providing quality health-care to its citizens. Handing over thesePHCs to private agencies, they believe,has not been a good move as the healthfacilities have deteriorated rather thanimproving, with no accountability fixedon either of the partners.

The arguments put forth by healthactivists are confirmed by the villagers.“The PHC in our region caters to theneed of a population of about 10,000people covering 22 villages. Ever sincethe government started running thisPHC on PPP mode, we began facingproblems. The PHC was handed overto Chitransh Education Welfare Societyof Jaipur. There was no doctor. Only amale nurse and an ANM (AuxiliaryNurse Midwife) were running the cen-tre. In absence of a separate room, ante-natal check-ups and minor pregnancy-related problems could not be handled.We had to take the patients about 25 kmaway to Pratapgarh city or toPeepalkhunt — the block level town toavail decent health services,” sharedMotilal Meena, sarpanch of RampuriyaPanchayat.

According to him, the servicesprior to the partnership were not excel-lent but the doctor would visit the PHC

then. Earlier, there was power-backup,deliveries took place, toilets were not asdirty, and there was water available. Butafter the PHC was taken over, the ser-vices deteriorated, staff seemeduntrained, the bedsheets were dirty andunhygienic. The centre had a single-phase electricity connection, whichdid not support the inverter in case ofemergency operation. Most of the time,there was no power. One bed in themale ward was always occupied by theambulance drivers. There was no mon-itoring of the PHC by the governmentstaff even after several complaints.

Rampuriya is inhabited by a hugeper cent of tribal population with lowsocio-economic status. Due to lapse inservices at the PHC, they were forcedto opt for treatment in city that left themin debt. “Going to a government hos-pital or healthcare centre would cost usaround �6,000 to �7,000 but at a privatefacility, the expenses were no less than�25,000, leaving villagers in debts,” saidMotilal.

Disappointed with the PHCs and

their abysmal services and on getting noresponse after making representationsto the Department of Health andFamily Welfare, the members ofRampuriya Panchayat decided to file

Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in theRajasthan High Court in 2018. Thepetition requested for implementationof better healthcare services, appoint-ment of a medical officer, sufficient staff

and proper medical facilities at theRampuriya PHC as per the IndianPublic Health Standards. They putforth request for better monitoring,quality assurance and an audit by a thirdparty to ensure that the transformationis long-term. It also mentioned with-drawal of this particular PHC from thePPP mode as it was unable to deliverbetter services as promised.

In August 2019, the Jodhpur benchof Rajasthan High Court in a joint hear-ing on a number of PILs filed on ‘glar-ing inadequacies’ in PHCs operationalon PPP mode, had passed an extensiveorder asking the State Government tocarry out assessments of the PHCsaround necessary parameters for theirfunctioning.

In compliance of the order, the statecarried out assessments of 75 ruralPHCs and 37 urban PHCs functioningon PPP mode across the State in 2019and submitted its report to the court.The report revealed that out of the totalPHCs assessed, services of at least 30operating in the rural areas and five inurban areas were found to be unsatis-factory, including the Rampuriya PHC.The State Government had assured thecourt that these PHCs shall be discon-tinued with immediate effect.

The Rajasthan High Courtacknowledged the State Government’sassurance in its final judgement givenon January 10, 2020. The court alsodirected the state to continue monitor-ing the performances of the remainingPHCs every three months through themonitoring teams formed in compli-ance of the August 2019 order.

However, a reality check by aJaipur-based NGO Jan SwasthyaAbhiyan (JSA) found that the StateGovernment has still not compliedwith the High Court’s order and all thePHCs, found “unsatisfactory” in theassessment by the government monitor-ing team, continue to run on PPP mode.

Motilal, however, confirmed thatfollowing the initial court order andsurvey by the government monitoringteam, a doctor now visits theRampuriya PHC. As rest of thearrangement remains same, patientshave to travel to towns and cities forbetter health services or any delivery.

“This is not just a violation of theHigh Court’s order but dereliction ofits primary duty of providing basichealthcare services, especially in thetribal areas of the state. By not comply-ing with the court’s order, the govern-ment has left people’s health on themercy of the private bodies, who havenot been able to provide efficienthealthcare services. The pandemiccannot be an excuse as primary health-care assumes more significance insuch unprecedented times,” saysChayya Pachauli of JSA.

Principal health secretary, AkhilArora said, “A number of guidelineshave been issued after the High Courtorder, which would be enforced soon.”

B����������������

Neither evening stocks norjasmine tobacco are particu-

larly worthy plants by day. But asdarkness falls, the petals of eachof these flowers unfurl to releasea delicious, heavy scent. Jasminetobacco’s petals unfold colourfulor pure white trumpets, the lat-ter of which especially glow in themoonlight. The small white petalsof evening stocks shine like little,bright stars. These two unrelatedplants make congenial compan-ions for you and each other onsummer nights.

TWO PLANTS FOR NIGHT-TIME FRAGRANCE

Jasmine tobacco is one of afew species of nicotiana (pro-nounced nee-KO-shee-ay-na),botanically Nicotiana alata. (Yes,the word “nicotiana” does looklike “nicotine,” and smokingtobacco is another nicotianaspecies.)

All species of nicotiana are in

the nightshade family and, liketheir relatives, tomatoes, egg-plants and peppers, they demanda rich, warm soil in the sun. Forearliest flowers, sow the seedsindoors a few weeks before thelast spring frost.

Jasmine tobacco is an annu-al, each plant forming a rosette ofleaves at ground level and a flow-ering spike a couple of feet highor more. New varieties have beenbred which are more compact andwhich bloom in daylight, hope-fully with no loss of scent.

Stocks represent two species,one grown mostly for its showyflowers and the other for its noc-turnal aroma. The scented stock,known as evening or night-scent-ed stock, is botanically Matthiolabicornis.

Evening stock is an annualthat blooms from July throughSeptember. In contrast to jasminetobacco, evening stock is a low-growing, straggly plant, a ball of

wiry stems with small leaves andflowers. The wilted remains of theprevious night’s flowers and theunopened buds of flowers fornights to follow are not much tolook at by day.

Another plant called “stock”but more commonly called hoary

stock or ten weeks stock is, botan-ically, Matthiola incana. This oneyields colourful, showy spikes ofblossoms, also with fragrance.

AT THEIR BEST AT NIGHTBecause jasmine tobacco and

evening stock are not at their best

by day, consider hiding theseCinderellas among showier flow-ers. A nice companion for stocksis gazania, which provides justenough contrast to complementeach plant. Like stock, gazania islow-growing with thin petals, butits flowers are large, solitary,

sunny-yellow daisies. Keep gaza-nia and stocks near the front ofa sunny bed, where they will notbe shaded or hidden by tallerplants.

Tall, spiky jasmine tobacconeeds to be placed near the backof a bed for visual balance. Fill thespaces jasmine tobacco will leavebare by day by combining it withother tall flowers such as largedelphiniums or large zinnias andasters. In the evening, white jas-mine tobacco flowers will comeinto view as the day-bloomersrecede into the darkness.

Plant jasmine tobacco andevening stock where they can beenjoyed on summer nights.Outside my back door, I once hada small, semicircular flower bedthat was home to both thesenight-scented plants. Whenatmospheric conditions wereright, the fragrance could makeyou delirious. I am not surewhat exactly those optimalatmospheric conditions were,but the typical calm summernight seemed to fill the bill. Onsuch nights, the heavy aromawould gather beneath the win-dow just above the flower bed,waiting to be wafted indoors bythe slightest breeze.

That flower bed is gone, buta new one will be home to theseplants next year, with delirioussummer nights to follow. B>�

0.'7.5��4��������0������������������������������������������������������������� ������� �������������������������������������%#(== �$F4%:/#>%�

Gardener’s notebook(���������������������&����������������&� ��������� ����������� ���� ����������������*?��������������&����� ������������������

%����-��������!������(� ���"����!� ������� ����������!����������������� ������

3�����������!����������������-�

Page 12: ˘ˇˆ · 1 day ago  · friend Rhea Chakraborty used ... artists or identity thieves could ... sonnel are not supposed to use photographs with identity cards or clothing accessories

#��� ��������� �������� ������������ !�"#"#

���� )*+�A8;7

In danger of her earliest exit at the U.S. Opensince her debut 22 years ago, Serena Williamsturned things around and took over against

Sloane Stephens.Williams emerged from the third-round

matchup between two Americans whoare past champions at Flushing

Meadows - she’s won six of her 23Grand Slam singles titles at the

place - with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 vic-tory over 2017 titlist Stephenson Saturday.

Afterward, Williams’ 3-year-old daughter, Olympia,wore a mask and waved atMom while sitting on herfather's lap in a front-rowseat. On her way to the lock-er room, Williams wavedback.

“I hope,” Williams said,“that she saw her mamafighting.” Williams did it, asshe so often does, with herbest-in-the-game serve,hitting 12 aces at up to122 mph as it got reallydialed in midwaythrough the second set,and an ability to re-cali-brate her groundstrokesthat were so awry earlyand so superb down thestretch.

“She served a lot bet-ter,” said Stephens, now 1-6against Williams, although theyhadn't played each other since2015.

“Obviously she has oneof the greatest serves in the

game. It’s really difficult toread.”

Williams collected10 of the last 12 games

by lifting her level, to besure. But it helped that Stephens

went from playing nearly perfectlyto missing more and more.

Following mistakes, Stephenswould look over at her coach, Kamau

Murray, or smack her right thigh with

her palm so loudly that itechoed through a nearlyempty Arthur AsheStadium.

“In that first set, I don’tthink she made any errors,honestly. She was playing so clean.I said, ‘I don’t want to lose instraight sets,” said Williams, whoseonly career U.S. Open loss before thefourth round came in the thirdagainst Irina Spirlea in 1998 at age16.

Williams, who turns 39 in threeweeks, said she told herself Saturday:“OK, Serena, just get a game. Get agame.” There were, of course, nofans - banned because of the coro-navirus pandemic - and so thewhole thing was flush with the feelof a practice session, rather than ahigh-stakes contest on a GrandSlam stage.

There were some other playerson hand to watch, including 15th-seeded Maria Sakkari, who sipped

orange juice and ate lunchwhile on her player suite'sbalcony. Sakkari had a vest-ed interest: She facesWilliams for a berth in thequarterfinals. Other women

into the fourth round: No. 16 EliseMertens, No. 20 Karolina Muchovaand Tsvetana Pironkova, whodefeated No. 18 Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-1.

In men’s action, 2019 runner-upDaniil Medvedev and another semi-finalist from a year ago, No. 6Matteo Berrettini moved on, as didNo. 10 Andrey Rublev, No. 15 FelixAuger-Aliassime, No. 21 Alex deMinaur and Vasek Pospisil, who'sbeen in the news lately because heteamed up with Novak Djokovic toset up a new association to representplayers.

Pospisil eliminated No. 8Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 2-6, 4-6,6-3, 6-2, and next faced another five-set winner, de Minaur, who defeat-

ed No. 11 Karen Khachanov 6-4, 0-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Williams vs. Sakkariis a rematch of their meeting wonlast month by Sakkari at the Western & Southern Open, a hard-court tournament played at the U.S.Open site instead of its usual homein Ohio because of the pandemic.

"You know, Serena is Serena,"Sakkari said after advancing earlierSaturday by beating 19-year-oldAmerican Amanda Anisimova 6-3,6-1. "You have to come up with somegreat tennis. Otherwise there is nochance against her." Stephens didthat very thing in the early stagesSaturday.

She was playing patient, wait-for-the-right-moment tennis, creat-ing lengthy, complicated points thatmore often than not ended withWilliams blinking first.

The end of the first set was metby total silence - not even the awk-ward, manufactured soundtrackpiped in during other matches tosimulate ambient noise.

From 2-all in the second,Williams finally made inroads. Shesaved a break point, then broke forthe first time when Stephens misseda forehand, part of a stretch in whichWilliams grabbed 12 of 15 points.

She was on her way. And nowshe is four wins from adding to herGrand Slam trophy count, which hasbeen at 23 since she won the 2017Australian Open while pregnant.

Asked Saturday what the posi-tives are about still being active ontour as a parent, Williams said: “Oneday, your daughter can say she wasthere. Whether she remembers ornot, we can always have pictures. Butother than that, it’s just (a) minus,like: I'm not with her, I’m notaround her. It's hard.” Williams hasreached the finals at four of the pastseven major tournaments, losingeach time.

“We all hope she gets to it,”Stephens said. “If she is feeling pres-sure, I hope she releases it and getsto 24.”

���� )*+��*,-'

Basu Shanker, the manresponsible for the fitness

transformation of the nation-al team, feels India and RCBskipper Virat Kohli hasreturned from the long breakan even fitter athlete afterworking on “specific physicalpointers” that needed atten-tion.

Kohli was stuck inMumbai for five months dueto the coronavirus-enforcedlockdown and had his firstproper hit in the nets onlyafter his arrival in the UAEfor the Indian PremierLeague, beginning

September 19.However, he ensured

during the break that hissupreme fitness level wasnot impacted and, in fact, ithelped him skill-wise on hisreturn to action even thoughhe was “scared" to hit thenets.

“He (Kohli) has comeback in much bettershape. He is at his best

weight at the momentand his movement patternsare pretty much in sync withhis best self in the past,” for-mer India trainer Basu, whois now the strength and con-ditioning coach of RoyalChallengers Bangalore, toldPTI from Dubai.

“He has taken this breakas an opportunity to work onall the pointers which need-ed attention from a physicalpoint. I guess his motto to lifeis ‘Bear the cross and wearthe crown’,” said the man whoworked with the Indian team

between 2015 to 2019.He has worked exten-

sively with Kohli, both atRCB and during his timewith the Indian team.

Basu said Kohli was ableto work on things which aninternational cricketer findsit difficult to do in a packedcalendar.

“He had the time to bevery specific with his mealplans and running intervalsat home. He did not havemuch of a choice during thelockdown and he invested ona treadmill and worked onhis endurance which is oth-erwise not possible during apacked calendar.

������ (8 !-��3!8)

En g l a n d ’ sb o w l e r s

showed disciplineand skill to restrictAustralia to 157/7in 20 overs in thesecond T20I hereon Sunday.

P a c e m a nChris Jordan wasthe pick of thebowlers for thehosts, returningfigures of 2/40 butit was a team effortreally as JofraArcher (1/31) andMark Wood(1/25) bowledsuperbly to neverlet the Aussies getthe better of them.

For the visi-tors, skipper Aaron Finch top-scored with a33-ball 40, with his innings laced with fourfours and two sixes.

Marcus Stoinis also looked good for his35 and Glenn Maxwell made 25 but all threebatsmen were removed just when theylooked to get going.

David Warner was the first to go as he wascaught behind by Jos Buttler off Archer.

Alex Cary, promoted up the order, wasout in similar fashion to Wood as Steve Smithalso failed with the bat, managing just 10 ashe was run out by England captain EoinMorgan.

The Aussies were 89/5 at one stagebefore the likes of Stoinis, Maxwell andAshton Agar (23) steadied the ship with PatCummins (13 not out) also chipping in.

���� � %�'

Out of reckoning for Test cricket for thepast two years, opening batsman Shikhar

Dhawan on Sunday said he has not given upon making a comeback to the Indian teamand is looking at the upcoming opportuni-ties to plot his return.

The 34-year-old Dhawan last played aTest against England at The Oval inSeptember 2018.

“I am not a part of the Testteam but that does not mean Ihave given up all hopes of acomeback,” Dhawan told TVchannels during an inter-action.

“Whenever I gotan opportunity...Like in the RanjiTrophy last year Iscored a century, then Imade a comeback into the one-day team, if I get an opportuni-ty then why not, of course.”

Dhawan stroked his way tothe fastest Test century by adebutant, against Australiain 2013, but has often strug-gled for consistency in thefive-day game.

In Rohit Sharma, KLRahul, Mayank Agarwal andPrithvi Shaw, the Test teamhas a number of options at itsdisposal for opener's role, mak-ing Dhawan's case even more diffi-cult.

The left-handed batsman,though, remains optimistic.

“I will keep trying mybest. The T20 World Cup isthere next year, so I need tokeep performing, keep myselffit, make runs consistently.

“If I keep doing these, other things willautomatically fall into place.”

Dhawan has so far played 34 Tests andscored 2,315 runs with seven centuriesunder his belt at an average of 40.61.

He remains in the scheme of things inODIs and T20Is and is

gearing up for IPL 2020,to be held in UAE from

September 19.The experienced

Dhawan will turn out forDelhi Capitals and spokeabout the challenges beingfaced by the players whilestaying in a bio-bubbleamid the COVID-19

pandemic."There are challenges of

being in the bubble, you donot meet new people, can'tgo to restaurants, we can

only go to the designated areas.“But our franchise has

looked after us, we are living likea family, it depends on the person

how he sees the situation,” Dhawansaid in a press conference.

When asked about Delhi Capitals’chances this IPL, Dhawan soundedoptimistic.

“It’s important we bond togetherand create that energy. We have a verybalanced side and confident we will

take the cup.”He said Shreyas Iyer has been

leading the team very well. He also saidthe inclusion of experienced India play-

ers Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin willstrengthen the outfit.

“Shreyas led the team pretty well lastyear, this time Ajinkya has come in,

Ashwin has come in, they are quite expe-rienced players and I am sure theyare going to share their insights.”

���� '!�,A

AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gaslyclaimed an unlikely victory at the

Italian Grand Prix after a thrilling racewhich saw world champion LewisHamilton given a 10-second penaltyand both Ferraris fail to finish at theirhome circuit on Sunday.

It was Gasly's first-ever win inFormula One. The 24-year-oldFrenchman finished 0.415 secondsahead of McLaren driver Carlos Sainzand 3.358 ahead of Racing Point's LanceStroll on a surreal-looking podium. Allthree drivers had never won a race andeach had only one top-three finish totheir name.

Hamilton appeared on course for

a comfortable victory from pole posi-tion but he was given the stop-go penal-ty for entering the pit lane whenclosed.

The Mercedes driver finished sev-enth, 17.245 behind Gasly.

Ferrari's abysmal weekend contin-ued as Sebastian Vettel had a brake fail-ure on Lap 7 and he limped into the pitswith his right-rear brake disc in flames.It was the four-time champion's firstDNF at Monza in his 14th start.

His teammate Charles Leclerc hadmade it into fourth but lost the rear ofthe car under acceleration throughParabolica on Lap 25 and crashed intothe barriers, causing the race to be redflagged.

By that time Hamilton’s penalty hadbeen announced. Hamilton had pittedimmediately after the safety car hadbeen deployed after Kevin Magnussenbroke down but was unaware the pitlane was closed as the marshals recov-ered Magnussen’s Haas.

���� (!8�7-8,�

Kylian Mbappé scored the winning goal as Franceearned a scrappy 1-0 win at Sweden in the Nations

League on Saturday.The Paris Saint-Germain striker’s 14th internation-

al goal came in the 41st minute but it could have beenmore comfortable for France, only for AntoineGriezmann to fluff a penalty right at the end. It wasGriezmann’s third straight penalty miss for France.

Mbappé cut in from the left and, after initially beingtackled, he got the ball back off Kristoffer Olsson, feint-ed, and then curled the ball inside the post.

“It was a tough match and we fought hard. It was-n’t easy ... it could be better in the future,” Mbappé said.“The most important thing is the result.”

It was an accomplished finish from Mbappé, follow-ing his glaring missed chance in the 1-0 defeat to BayernMunich in the Champions League final on Aug. 23.

France coach Didier Deschamps handed a debut to21-year-old Leipzig center half Dayot Upamecano andrecalled Adrien Rabiot to midfield, after a long spell outof the side following his refusal to be on the reserve listfor the 2018 World Cup.

Chances were scarce in the first half but veteranSweden striker Marcus Berg almost broke through lateon, only for France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to deny himby rushing off his line. Moments later, Sweden 'keep-er Robin Olsen was picking the ball out of the net.

“It was difficult for us, but for them as well,”Deschamps said. “We could have done a bit better goingforward.”

Still, France was in control of the second half, withMbappé and Barcelona’s Griezmann wasting goodchances before Lloris punched away a late effort fromthe lively Emil Forsberg.

Griezmann then blazed a poor penalty over the barafter substitute Anthony Martial was fouled.

France hosts Croatia at Stade de France onTuesday in a repeat of the World Cup final two yearsago, which France won 4-2 with Mbappé among thescorers.

In the group’s other game, Croatia lost 4-1 at defend-ing Nations League champion Portugal.

���� �% ��-�%'

Kolkata Knight Riders,who have a new think

tank in place headed bycoach Brendon McCullum,are exploring the options ofpromoting their explosiveall-rounder Andre Russell atnumber three, team mentor

David Hussey said onSunday.

The star Jamaican, whowas adjudged the MostValuable Player last season,had blamed some “bad deci-sions” for the two-time for-

mer champions missing outon the playoffs.

Hussey said they arethinking of different combi-nations this season, whichincludes promoting Russellat three.

“If it benefits the teamand helps us win games ofcricket, why not? If thatmeans Andre Russell comesin at three and bats 60 balls,he might actually make adouble hundred. Anything

can happen with Dre Russ,”Hussey said in a news con-ference here.

Russell scored 510 runsfrom 13 innings, averaging56.66 and also picked up 11wickets.

Terming Russell as theheartbeat of the team, theformer Australia cricketer

said: “A fantastic player, heis probably almost theheartbeat of the team aswell.

“We’ve actually got real-ly a well-balanced team...Anyone can bat in any dif-ferent position. But if itbenefits the team, why not,why can’t he bat up the list.”

���� � %�'

Ending days of anxious wait, theBCCI on Sunday released the

schedule for the upcoming IPL, andin keeping with tradition, defend-ing champions Mumbai Indianswill take on runners-up ChennaiSuper Kings in the opener in AbuDhabi on September 19.

Moved out of India due to asurge in COVID-19 cases, theupcoming edition of the world’sbiggest T20 league will be held inthe three venues of Dubai, AbuDhabi and Sharjah in the UAE.

After the tournament-openerin the capital city, Dubai will hostits first game the next day whenDelhi Capitals take on Kings XIPunjab followed by the third match

on Monday between SunrisersHyderabad and Royal ChallengersBangalore.

The action will then shift toSharjah on September 22 whenRajasthan Royals will host ChennaiSuper Kings.

There will be 10 double head-ers, with the first match starting at3:30pm IST and the second7:30pm, according to a BCCIrelease.

In all, 24 matches will be heldin Dubai, 20 in Abu Dhabi and 12in Sharjah.

Venues for the playoffs and the

IPL 2020 final will be announcedlater. The final is slated forNovember 10.

The upcoming 53-day editionis by far the longest in the historyof the league.

The schedule was expected tobe out in the last week of Augustbut the announcement was delayedafter 13 personnel of the ChennaiSuper Kings (CSK) camp testedpositive for the dreaded virus.

Also, due to different quaran-tine rules in Dubai and Abu Dhabi,IPL’s operations team took time tofinalise the schedule.

As per IPL rules, the defendingchampions and the last year’s run-ner-up face off in the tournamentopener. The same is going to hap-pen this year after concerns overChennai Super Kings’ readinesswere erased with their first practicesession in Dubai on Friday.

CSK were the last franchise tohit the nets after clearing finalrounds of COVID-19 testing.

Captain Mahendra SinghDhoni and all other CSK players,except for the COVID-19 afflictedduo of Deepak Chahar and RuturajGaikwad, started training onFriday.

With Deepak and Ruturaj test-ing positive last week along with 11members of the CSK contingent,the team was forced to delay its

training plan after completing thesix-day quarantine, including threetests, upon arrival on August 21.

The virus free players had toundergo three additional testsbefore beginning their training onFriday. The infected players are in14-day quarantine.

This year’s IPL was originallyscheduled to be held from March29 to May 24 but was postponedbarely two weeks before the start ofthe tournament due to the coron-avirus outbreak.

Then, as the number of casesincreased, the league was indefi-nitely postponed but the post-ponement of the T20 World Cupcleared the decks for the league totake place in the September-November window.

'���������#����):�������

�����"������� �� ���������������

Dhawan still hopeful about Test comeback %��� ���&��!0.����������*)9

Break allowed Kohli to become even better athlete

-2�39:�0�5.0;272<4

����� ����;;�1�����������.�-�����

������+�� � =&�������� )*+�A8;7

India veteran Rohan Bopannaand his Canadian partner

Denis Shapovalov stunned sixthseeds Kevin Krawietz andAndreas Mies in a hard-foughtthree-setter to advance to thequarterfinals of the US Openmen’s doubles event here.

The unseeded Indo-Canadian pair on Saturday over-came a set deficit to beat theGerman duo 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in asecond round encounter thatlasted one hour and 47 minutes.

Bopanna and Shapovalov willtake on Dutch-Romanian combi-nation of Jeal-Julien Rojer andHoria Tecau in the quarterfinals.

Bopanna is the lone surviv-ing Indian in the tournamentafter the exit of Sumit Nagal and

Divij Sharan.While Sumit Nagal bowed

out in the second round after los-ing in straight sets to world no. 3and second seed Dominic Thiemof Austria, Sharan and his Serbianpartner Nikola Cacic wereknocked out in the openinground of the men’s doubles eventby eighth seeds Nikola Mekticand Wesley Koolhof.

1�6����4���6����������:����