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India’s second mission to theMoon — Chandrayaan-2 —

was called off due to a “tech-nical snag” in its most power-ful rocket a little less than anhour before launch from aspaceport here in the earlyhours of Monday. Scientists ofthe Indian Space ResearchOrganisation (ISRO) wereassessing the seriousness ofthe problem with the heavyliftrocket GSLV Mk-III rocketcarrying the satellite that put ahalt to the ambitious �976crore lunar mission amiduncertainty over a futurelaunch date.

The ISRO was tightlippedas to what may have caused theglitch that occurred when liq-uid propellant was beingloaded into the rocket’s indige-nous cryogenic upper stageengine. But several space sci-entists said the space agencymust be appreciated for callingoff the launch of rather thanhurrying into a major disaster.

Despite the odd hour,enthusiasts of all ages reachedthe island, some of them trav-elling long distances on twowheelers, to witness the proudmoment. The men, womenand children waiting at a spe-

cial gallery, set up recently byISRO, left the venue disap-pointed as the mission did notgo as expected. ISRO had set upthe gallery — inaugurated byChairman K Sivan a fewmonths ago — on the sprawl-ing Sriharikota premises as thenumber of spectators turningup to witness launches hasbeen increasing over time. “Wedo not know what happenedbut we are disappointed. I

hope they rectify whatever theissue is. We will come backagain to witness the launch,”said a young boy, holding aloftthe tricolour, who had comewith his family.

A man standing nearbysaid it was good scientists hadcalled off the launch when therocket was still on the ground.“If it had gone into space andsomething had happened there,the huge amount of money

spent on the mission wouldhave gone to waste,” he said.

Watched by President RamNath Kovind, the countdownto the launch of Chandrayaan-2 on board GeosynchronousLaunch Vehicle GSLV-Mk-III,dubbed as “Baahubali”, wasscheduled for 2.51 am onMonday. The mission wasstopped 56 minutes and 24 sec-onds before lift-off at 1.55 amfollowing an announcement

from the Mission ControlCentre. Confusion prevailed forseveral minutes before theISRO came out with an officialconfirmation about the launchbeing cancelled.

“A technical snag wasobserved in the launch vehiclesystem at t-minus 56 minutes.As a measure of abundant pre-caution Chandrayaan 2 launchhas been called off for today,”ISRO Associate Director(Public Relations) BRGuruprasad said. He did notspecify the nature of the snag.A revised launch date will beannounced later, he added.

“Launch is called off due totechnical snag. It is not possi-ble to make the launch withinthe (launch) window. (A new)launch schedule will beannounced later,” another ISROofficial said,

India’s space agency hadearlier scheduled the launch inthe first week of January butshifted it to July 15. The lift-offof the three-component space-craft weighing 3,850 kg andcomprising an orbiter, the lan-der and the rover was scheduledfrom the Satish Dhawan SpaceCentre (SDSC) in Sriharikota,off the coast of Andhra Pradesh.

The satellite was supposedto explore the uncharted lunarsouth pole, 11 years after ISRO’ssuccessful first lunar mission —Chandrayaan-1, which mademore than 3,400 orbits aroundthe moon and was operationalfor 312 days till August 29,2009. It would have taken 54days to accomplish the task oflanding on the Moon throughmeticulously planned orbitalphases.

Continued on Page 4

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Battling for survival afterthe resignation of 16 MLAs,

the Congress-Janata Dal(Secular) coalitionGovernment in Karnataka willface the floor test in theAssembly on Thursday. ChiefMinister HD Kumaraswamyhad announced he would seeka trust vote to end the “confu-sion” caused by the resignationsof rebel MLAs, while assertinghe was "ready for everything".

The fate of all the 16 rebellegislators who have approachedthe Supreme Court is expectedto be decided on Tuesday.Leaders of the ruling coalitionled by Congress expressed con-fidence to win the trust vote,while Opposition BJP main-tained the Government hasbeen reduced to "a minority"after 16 MLAs resigned fromthe Assembly.

As the political turmoillingered on with the rulingcoalition making frantic effortsto win back rebels who havepushed the Government to thebrink of collapse, AssemblySpeaker KR Ramesh Kumar onMonday announced that theconfidence motion sought to bemoved by Kumaraswamywould be taken up at 11 am onJuly 18.

With the support of the

two independents, the BJP has107 MLAs in the 224-memberHouse, where the half-waymark is 113. If the resignationsof the 16 MLAs are accepted,the coalition's tally will bereduced to 100.

The date has been fixedafter consulting both theOpposition and ruling coalitionleaders at the BusinessAdvisory Committee (BAC)meeting. The disgruntledMLAs are in Mumbai and havenot turned up for the Assemblyproceedings, which began onFriday last.

Rebel MLAs have alsowritten to the Mumbai Policechief saying they don't want tomeet senior Congress leadersMallikarjun Kharge, GhulamNabi Azad or any otherCongress leaders. Their move

came amid speculation thatKharge, some other seniorCongress leaders andKumaraswamy may visit HotelRenaissance in Powai where therebel MLAs are sequestered, towin them back.

The Supreme Court onMonday agreed to hear a pleaof five more rebel CongressMLAs, along with the pendingpetition of 10 legislators, seek-ing a direction to the KarnatakaAssembly Speaker to accepttheir resignation. A Benchheaded by Chief Justice RanjanGogoi took note of the sub-mission of senior advocateMukul Rohtagi, appearing forthe rebel MLAs, that they alsobe made parties to the pendingpetition, which is to be heardon Tuesday.

Continued on Page 4

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After cricketers, current andformer, shared New

Zealand's pain on losing theWorld Cup title on boundarycountback with tournamenttop-scorer Rohit Sharma ask-ing for a "serious look" into therule, which was slammed as"absurd" by several formerplayers, England skipper EoinMorgan said players "do nothave control over the rules" setby the ICC.

Earlier, when New Zealandskipper Kane Williamson wasasked if the rule was a fair wayto decide a World Cup finalwinner, he admitted it washard to swallow. "I suppose younever thought you would haveto ask that question and I

never thought I would have toanswer it (smiling)," wasWilliamson's reaction.

Meanwhile, former inter-national umpires Simon Taufeland K Hariharan on Mondaysaid officials standing in theWorld Cup final erred inawarding six runs, instead offive, to England for an over-throw, an observation that theICC refused to comment on."It's a clear mistake.. It's an errorof judgment. They (England)

should have been awarded fiveruns, not six," Taufel, a five-time ICC Umpire of the Year,told foxsports.Com.Au.

In a pulsating encounter inthe final, England wereadjudged the winners of theworld Cup on the basis oftheir superior boundary count— 22 fours and two sixes — toNew Zealand's 16 after theepic final, and also the ensuingSuper Over, ended in a tie.

Continued on Page 4

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After a heated debate, theLok Sabha on Monday

passed the NationalInvestigation Agency(Amendment) Bill, 2019, whichallows the NIA to probe terrorattacks on Indians and Indianinterests abroad.

Refuting Opposition’sclaims of “misuse” of the NIAlaw, Home Minister Amit Shahasserted that the ModiGovernment will never abuseit to target anyone but willensure that terrorism is fin-ished off irrespective of the reli-gion of the accused.

Replying to the queries of

Opposition MPs on Pakistan’sreluctance to sign the SAARCagreement to co-operate incases on terrorism and rele-vance of amendment to theNIA law, Shah told the LokSabha that India has severalmeans, including surgical andairstrikes, to deal with Pakistan.

“I am sure that Pakistanwould also have to sign thatagreement under internation-al pressure,” he said.

Defending the Bill, theGovernment refutedOpposition’s allegations of“misuse” of the NIA law to tar-get members of a community,and stressed that people havegiven the mandate to theGovernment to protect thecountry from terrorism.Opposition MPs accused theanti-terror law is misused attimes to target members of aparticular community.

Continued on Page 4

�� 3.:�/.* '

Senior BJPleader Kalraj

Mishra was onMonday appoint-ed the Governor of HimachalPradesh, replacing AcharyaDevvrat, who has been trans-ferred and appointed theGovernor of Gujarat.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan presscommunique said the appoint-ment of Mishra and Devvratwill come into effect from thedates they assume charge oftheir respective offices.

Mishra, 78, had resignedfrom the Narendra Modi-ledGovernment as Minister forMicro, Small and MediumEnterprises in 2017 after hecrossed the age of 75, the BJP’sunofficial age limit for holdingan elected post.

The Uttar Pradesh leaderdid not contest the last LokSabha election.

Devvrat, 60, was appoint-ed the Governor of HimachalPradesh in 2015.

He will replace Governorof Gujarat OP Kohli, whoretires on Monday.

�� 3.:�/.* '

Due to change in wind direc-tion, Delhi and its adjoin-

ing States witnessed a fresh spellof monsoon rain on Monday. The IndiaMeteorological Department(IMD) said as warm and drywesterly winds have beenreplaced by humid easterlywinds and with the formationof cloud, rain has occurredover Delhi and National CapitalRegion (NCR).

Since the onset of mon-soon on July 5, the nationalCapital has recorded 54.2 mmrainfall — only 1.4 mm pre-cipitation occurred in first fivedays of the month.

The intensity of rain inDelhi-NCR will increase onJuly 18, said IMD.

MeT scientist for DelhiAirport Dr Rajendra Jenamanisaid the overall rain at Palamwas recorded 26 mm.

Safadarjung observatoryrecorded 29 mm rain,Ayanagar 20mm, Delhi Ridge13 mm, and Lodi Road23.2mm. The humidity level inDelhi shot up to 78 per cent.

In a weekly weather fore-cast, light rain and thunder-storm activities are expected onJuly 16, however, MeT has also

predicted heavy rain from July18 to July 21.

The maximum tempera-ture in Delhi was recorded 35degrees Celsius, three degreesCelsius departure from normal,and minimum at 27 degrees

Celsius.Private forecaster Skymet

said, “This change in theweather conditions can beattributed to the trough that hasalready started to travel in thesouth direction from the

foothills of the Himalayas.” Other parts of the northern

plains — southwest UP, Punjab,Haryana, and North Rajasthan— will also get to see rain andthundershower activities in thecoming days.

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Excavated by theArcheological Survey of

India (ASI) way back in 1950s,Jagatgram village, the 2,000-year-old site in Dehradun asso-ciated with the ancient practiceof horse sacrifice or the ritualof Ashvamedha, has been final-ly declared a monument ofnational importance.

Ashvamedha rituals findmention in epics like theRamayana and Mahabharata aswell as many other ancienttexts. Ashvamedha was con-ducted by kings to prove theirimperial sovereignty.

An official in the ASI saidthe site known as Jagatgram hasremains of three fire altarswhere the horse sacrifices werepresumably conducted. “As itwill be now under the ASI fold,efforts will now be on its con-servation and protection,” saidthe official.

The excavated remains of

the three fire altars here revealthat they were built in theeagle-shaped Syena Chiti form,where the bird is depicted withits wings spread. According to

experts, such altars areextremely rare.

In the period between thefirst and fifth century AD,Jagatgram and adjoining places

like Haripur and Lakhamandalwere under the rule of theVerman clan. An inscription onthe first altar says KingSilavaraman, alias Pona of

Yugasaila, who belonged tothe Vrishgan gotra, and isbelieved to have ruled duringthe 3rd century AD, performedfour sacrifices here. (Duringthat period, the western part ofthe Himalayas was known asYugasaila).

The excavated remainsclearly indicate that after defeatof the Kushnas, the Kunindasmight have strong ruling powerin the region, extending theirrule over adjoining region andenjoyed supremacy till the 3rdto the 4th AD.

The excavations at the sec-ond site have revealed a num-ber of inscribed bricks — in astandard two by two feet size —with inscriptions written inthe Brahmi script. In the thirdsite, known as Garud Kund, theformation of bricks is in theform of an eagle. All the siteshave now been covered withcement and the bricks jut outof the cemented ground.

Continued on Page 4

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In order to curb air pollution,congestion and to reduce

time taken to get commercialvehicles enter Delhi, SouthDelhi Municipal Corporation(SDMC) on Monday inaugu-rated 'radio frequency identifi-cation device' (RFID) system atDND toll plaza.

With the inauguration ofthe project, 13 main toll plazassituated at different entry pointsto Delhi became functional,leaving behind the days of longwaiting at the entry points andrelated traffic jams, a seniorSDMC official said.

This is the second criticalproject after commissioning ofthe Eastern and Westernperipheral roads which helpedin avoiding the entry of thosetrucks and commercial vehiclesnot destined to enter Delhi, theofficial said.

"The RFID based toll sys-tem comprises of 58 RFIDlanes and 33 free lanes; 40,000commercial vehicles haveobtained RFID tags after theirpre-registration. A web portalhas also been setup to enable

the users to recharge their indi-vidual RFID tag accounts andkeeping track of their transac-tions, the official said, addingthat the sensor of RFID systemcan read the tag on the com-mercial vehicle and allow entryof vehicles in Delhi withouthuman intervention.

The RFID tag will allow fora database to be prepared of thevehicle and the owner; thiswill improve compliance in thefuture as defaulting vehicles canbe penalized, he added.

The 13 entry points cater tothe entry of around 85 per centof traffic entering Delhi. Withthe introduction of RFID sys-tem, all vehicles will requirepre-registration, when the ageof the vehicle will be checkedand entered into the system.

As per the directions of theSupreme Court, vehicles, whichare over 10 years of age, will notbe allowed entry into the city.

To provide fast and reliablenew age system to integrate col-lection of MCD toll tax andECC (Environment Com-pensation Charge) at one click

Lieutenant GovernmentAnil Baijal said that RFID is a

smart and brilliant project andits proper implementation isessential to curb air pollution."The project is worth apprecia-ble as it is going to minimize thenumber of commercial vehiclesentering Delhi. The vehicularpollution is creating unhealthyatmosphere for the local resi-dents," he said.

Expressing his concernover rising number of vehiclesin Delhi, Baijal said that reliablepublic transport system canbring positive results. "The pro-ject which has been made func-tional today was endorsed bySupreme Court on the recom-mendations of the EPCA.

He further stated that thecollection of huge congestiontax must be utilized for creat-ing green areas. L-G statedthat the other measures whichcould be considered to makeenvironment healthy shouldbe considered and implement-ed in true sense. The measureshe talked about are one waytraffic in congested places andno vehicle zones, he added.

Speaking on this occasionEPCA Chairperson, Bhure Lalsaid that 23 per cent of land area

of Delhi has been utilized forconstructing roads. "This isenough to draw a conclusionabout the fast increasing num-ber of vehicles including per-sonal vehicles. The number ofvehicles has been creatinglonger traffic jams," he said.

SDMC and northCommissioner, Varsha Joshistated that henceforth, the entryof over ten year old commercial

vehicles will not be allowed.Referring to the bad air pollu-tion, she stated that the 13 entrypoints cater to the entry ofaround 85 per cent of trafficentering Delhi. "The systemfacilitates secure and fastertransfer of revenue from theconcessionaire account to thegovernment. The cameras willalso capture the number platesafter vehicles thus any default-

er vehicle can be identifiedand prosecuted," she added.

The RFID based toll systemhas become functional atKundli, Rajokari, Tikri, AyaNagar, Kalindi Kunj, Kapasehra,Shahdara (Main), Shahdara(Flyover), Ghazipur (Main),Ghazipur (Old), DND Flyway,Badarpur-Faridabad (Main)and Badarpur-Faridabad(Flyover) toll plazas.

��::�� 3.:�/.* '

A65-year-old woman waskilled while three others

were injured after a speedingcluster bus allegedly rammedinto an e-rickshaw and then hitan auto in central Delhi's DeshBandhu Gupta road area onMonday morning.

The deceased has beenidentified as Bhago Devi (65)while the injured have identifiedas Anil (22), Siddarth (22) andone another.

According to a seniorpolice official, a police controlroom (PCR) call regardingthe incident was received ataround 9 AM on Monday fol-lowing which an EmergencyResponse Vehicle (ERV) wasrushed to the spot.

"A woman, who wasreturning from a nearby shop,was among the four injured.They were rushed to a near-by hospital where the woman

succumbed to injuries whileothers are still undergoing thetreatment in the hospital," saidthe senior police official.

"The bus driver identified asJoginder Singh (48) is arrestedafter registration of a case underappropriate sections at KarolBagh Police Station. Initialinvestigation suggests that the accident occurred after the brakes of the bus failed and the driver lost control overthe bus.”said the senior policeofficial.

��::�� 3.:�/.* '

Alleging poor sanitationcondition in Malka Ganj

ward, Congress councillorGuddi Devi on Mondayprotested by dumping trash infront of the offices of NorthCorporation's Mayor andcommissioner, saying she hasbeen fed up with false assur-ances being given by them forone years.

Soon after the corpora-tion's House meeting wasadjourned for the day, theMalka Ganj ward councillorfirst deposited dry waste infront of North Delhi MayorAvtar Singh's office and thenshe put garbage right outsidethe door of the office ofCommissioner Varsha Joshi.

There was no immediate

reaction from the mayor or thecommissioner. Guddi toldreporters at the Civic Center, "Idid this protest to draw atten-tion to the pathetic sanitationsituation in my ward". "I hadgone to a child's funeral and thebereaved family was sittingnext to a mound of filth," shealleged. "If in my ward, peoplecan live alongside garbage,these big officials should alsoknow what it means to live thatlife," Devi said.

��::�� 3.:�/.* '

Asix-year-old girl was alleged-ly raped by a rickshaw-

puller in west Delhi's Janakpurion Monday. The incidentoccured in the early hours ofMonday and police has arrestedthe accused. The accused ide-ntified as Arun Kumar Das (26),hailing from Bihar's Begusaraidistrict, was nabbed by the policepatrolling staff. Police said thatthe condition of the girl is stat-ed to be out of danger.

"A case under relevant sec-tions of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) and the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences(POCSO) Act has been regis-tered," said a senior police offi-cial adding that further investi-gation is going on.

��::�� 3.:�/.* '

Now, travel will be easier forthe passengers, especially

those coming from rural areasof South-West part as the DelhiMetro Rail Corporation(DMRC) began trial run on theupcoming 4.28 kilometre (KM)long 'Grey Corridors' -Dwarkato Najafgarh section. Also, afterRajouri Garden and JanakpuriWest, Dwarka station willbecome the third major inter-change facility in the westernpart of city. The section isexpected to be ready for thepublic by September this year.

With opening of this sec-tion, the Dwarka Metro stationwill become an interchange sta-tion between Blue Line andGrey Line by connecting theupcoming stations of the newcorridor — Nangli andNajafgarh. However, theupcoming Grey Line will havesix stations connecting till

Dhansa which will serve theentire Najafgarh area.

"The first two stationsDwarka and Nangli will be ele-vated while the Nazafgarh willbe an underground station.This section is being furtherextended by another 1.18 kilo-metres till Dhansa Stand, whichis slated for completion byDecember, 2020," said a DMRCofficial.

"This will be third majorinterchange facility in the west-ern part of Delhi. Once the sta-tion will operate, travel will beeasy for the entire Dwarka Sub-city as well as the people of theNazafgarh and the nearby ruralareas. Currently, the transportfacility is very less in this placeand the people completely relyon public transport such asbus, Grahmin Seva to reachDwarka mode Metro Stationand the area is very congestedand has no parking facility.Moreover, if a passenger comes

from his vehicle, have to travelfar till Dwarka to park thevehicle and board the train," saida Senior DMRC official.

With major interchangefacility, Dwarka station will befirst station with 'Five platform

facility among all the 198 MetroStations. "This will be the firststation with five platforms andthe station is like very differentfrom the other stations as it willconnect the Grey Line in T-Shape with Dwarka station and

straight concourse and thenthe five platforms. Further,DMRC has also decided to cre-ate the Najafgarh station as atrain depot with both the facil-ity of 'Standard-gauge andBroadband-Guage.

��::�� 3.:�/.* '

With an aim to promoteMaithili — Bhojpuri lan-

guage, Deputy Chief MinisterMansih Sisodia has written tothe Union Government toinclude Bhojpuri in eighthschedule of the Constitution.Promoting another regionallanguage "Maithili", the AamAadmi Party (AAP)Government announced that itwill soon start the languagecourse in its schools for the stu-dents of Class eighth to 12th.

According to an officialstatement issued by the DelhiGovernment, "Maithili will bean optional subject in schoolsand the government willarrange free coaching for thestudents taking Maithili asoptional subject in UnionPublic Service Commission(UPSC)".

Sisodia who is also theEducation minister said"Maithili will be taught as anoptional language in Delhischools from class 8th to class

12th. Students of Delhi wouldnow be able to learn Maithili asan optional subject like Urduand Punjabi." "Delhi govern-ment will also felicitate talentfor outstanding contribution toMaithili-Bhojpuri with felici-tation amount Rs. 1 lakh to Rs.2.5 lakh," he said.

Government is also orga-nizing a five 'Maithili-Bhojpurifestival' to be held inConnaught place in November.

Announcing it, Sisodia fur-ther said that the Maithili -Bhojpuri academy will arrangefor the free coaching for the

students. "There is no font forMaithili presently. Delhi gov-ernment has taken a major stepto have a font for Maithili. Thegovernment is in touch withPune based C-DAC for thesame. We will get C-DAC tomake Maithili font and thenwill give it to the users," Sisodiasaid.

"There was no scheme tillnow to felicitate those who have

contributed richly to the lan-guages - Maithili and Bhojpuri.Delhi Government has decid-ed to felicitate such peoplefrom the field of Maithili andBhojpuri also on the lines oflanguages like Urdu, Hindi,Punjabi etc. Now, there wouldbe awards for those who workfor Maithili - Bhojpuri arts, cul-ture, journalism, theatre etc," headded further.

��::�� 3.:�/.* '�

In line with the electoralpromise of the Aam Aami

Party (AAP) to install CCTVcameras across the city, ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal onMonday directed Public WorksDepartment (PWD) to procure1.5 lakh more CCTV cameras.These cameras will be installedin residential areas acrossnational Capital. Kejriwal alsodirected the PWD officials tosubmit a daily progress reporton installation project.

The Chief MinisterKejriwal issued directions tothe PWD officiald during areview meeting on the ongoinginstallation of CCTV cameras

in residential areas. The meet-ing was attended by the PWDMinister Satyender Jain andChief Secretary Vijay Dev andall senior officers of the PWD.

"Women safety is the toppriority of our Governmentand we will leave no stoneunturned in doing whatever wecan to ensure that our sistersand mothers feel secure whenthey step out of their doors.CCTVs installation is animportant step in this directionand let us speed it up," Kejriwalsaid.

He also directed thedepartment to speed up theongoing work and increase thecapacity so that by next weekit is able to increase its instal-

lation capacity to atleast 1,000cameras being installed daily.

"Since the CCTVs instal-lation work has begun acrossthe city, the residents are com-ing forward with their sugges-tions on where to install cam-eras in their respective areasand how further improvementscan be done," CM Keriwalsaid.

Meanwhile in a meetingwith Health Minister SatyenderJain and all senior officials ofthe Health Department,reviewed the progress of theflagship Mohalla Clinics ongo-ing construction work.

Kejriwal told the depart-ment that the Mohalla Clinicshave provided the much need-ed health relief to the residentsof Delhi in their neighbour-hood and the people rightlywant more Mohalla Clinics inDelhi.

He also reviewed theongoing the construction workof Mohalla Clinics.

The Chief Ministerreviewed the ongoing con-struction work of MohallaClinics and set specific dead-lines when the new Clinicswould be fully functional.

��::�� 3.:�/.* '

With 35 fresh cases, thetotal number of cases of

malaria in Delhi has reachedto158 till July 13 this year. Thenational Capital has also wit-nessed spurt in patients suffer-ing from dengue with at least118 persons afflicted from thedisease till now in which 35cases traced last week.

Also, seven new cases ofChikungunya reported in thecity in a week, taking the totalnumber to 41. However, out oftotal cases of malaria, 29 casesdiagnosed belong to the neigh-bouring states while 13 patientssuffering from dengue traced inDelhi belong to other states.

Following the increasingnumber of cases, the East Delhi

Municipal Corporation(EDMC) held a meeting chairedby Mayor Anju to sensitize itscouncillors about vector bornediseases.

Mayor said that a publicawareness campaign on thesediseases will be launched from17th to19th July in all wards ofEast Delhi. She said that thepeople of the area will be madeaware of these serious diseasesthrough these rallies.

The Chairman of theStanding Committee in EDMCSandeep Kapoor said thatdengue has emerged as a majorchallenge in the last few yearsand the corporation is takingevery effort to reduce the num-bers. "Expressing concern overthe rising outbreak of dengueand malaria, Leader of the

House Nirmal Jain insisted thatpublic cooperation is neces-sary to control these diseases asit starts from home.

All the three corporationshave found mosquito-breedingin at least 38,512 householdsand 38,294 legal notices havebeen issued this year. Last year,2,798 dengue cases and fourdeaths were recorded by theSDMC, which tabulates thedata on vector-borne diseases inthe city.

Doctors have advisedpeople to use mosquito repel-lents, wear clothes whichcover your full body andavoid places that are moreprone to the diseases.According to the SDMC, 10people had died due todengue in Delhi in 2017, ofwhich five were not residentsof the national capital.Overall, the vector-borne dis-ease had affected 9,271 peo-ple in the city last year.

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Days after Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee declared

her plans to include economi-cally weak section in the jobreservation regime, the BengalGovernment on Mondayissued a circular notifying theorder for the economicallybackward section.

A circular issued by theState Chief Secretary said all

those with income below Rs8,00,000 per annum would beeligible for reservation inGovernment jobs. “This meansthat a person with a maximummonthly income of Rs 66,666will fit into the criterion,” asenior official said.

The Chief Minister in thefirst week of this month told ina public meeting that “ourGovernment has decided toinclude the economically

backward section in reserva-tion scheme for governmentjobs. This will help lakhs ofpeople who come from uppercastes, have merit but do nothave any reservation.”

The BJP however had dis-missed Banerjee’s statement asa bid “to wean away voters whohave already decided to leaveher as was seen in the LokSabha elections.” State BJPpresident said “these are all

electoral gimmicks and will notwork because the people willnot believe her anymore. Shehas been branded as the ChiefMinister of syndicate wallas.”

The declaration comes closeon the heels of the StateGovernment announcing itsdecision to soon start therecruitment process for fillingup of 34,000 Government posts.The notification for the samehas not been issued as yet.

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Mumbai’s open drains havebecome death traps. Or

so it appears. A seven-year-oldboy drowned in an open drainon Monday, taking the totalnumber of minors killed insimilar mishaps in less than aweek to three.

With still no trace of an 18month-old boy who hadslipped and fallen into an openstorm water drain and wasswept away on the night of July10, a seven-year-old boy –identified as one Sumit MunnaJaiswar fell into an open drainat Rajiv Gandhi colony inPiwala Bangla locality ofDharavi in north-centralMumbai in the afternoon.

Later in the day, local resi-dents brought the victim boyout of the open drain andrushed him to a nearby hospi-tal, where he was declared deadupon admission. He was the sonof Munna Jaiwar (38), a driver,and Seema (32), a housewife.

On Saturday last, a 12-yearboy Bablu Paswan was killedafter he fell accidentally in a

deep pit at a construction siteof the coastal road project inWorli. The pit was floodedwith rain water during theheavy downpour witnessedduring the weekend.

The boy, identified as oneDivyashu Dhansi, was sweptaway in the swollen watersafter he fell accidentally into aside gutter at Ambedkar chowkat Goregaon in north Mumbaiat 10.24 pm on Wednesday last,while he was playing outsidehis house. With the BrihanMunicipal Corporation (BMC)officials having called off thesearch operations on Fridaylast, Divyanshu is feared dead.

The gravity of the situationarising out of open drains andmanholes during the mon-soon months can be gaugedfrom the fact that the BMC ina an RTI reply to activistShakeel Ahmed Sheikhrevealed that as many as 328Mumbaikars comprising men,women and children, werekilled after drowned in swollendrains, open manholes or in theArabian Sea during the fiveyears.

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Visibly peeved over thedevelopment, Chief

Minister Capt AmarinderSingh on Monday made it clear that he cannot do any-thing if the Power MinisterNavjot Singh “Sidhu doesn’twant to do his job”.

Underlining the signifi-cance of Power Department inthe ongoing summer seasonand the paddy transplanta-tion, Capt Amarinder main-tained that the “power situationof Punjab is very precarious”.

“This is our most criticaltime — June to October —since it is the paddy season.Seventy percent Punjab hasreceived rains while 30 percent

hasn’t received even one show-er. The power situation in thestate is very bad and I dailyreceive reports on the powersituation. This is the job of thePower Minister. But if he does-n’t want to do it, I cannot helpit,” said Capt Amarinder.

He said that the Ministershould have accepted his newportfolio instead of shunningthe work in the middle of thecrucial paddy season. “Sidhuwas given a job, which heshould have accepted anddone,” he added.

Asked if Sidhu had madeany attempt at reconciliation,the Chief Minister said thatthere was no need for it. “I donot have any issues with him.If Sidhu has any issues with me,you’ll have to ask him about

them,” he said.At the same time, the Chief

Minister said that he did notsee any harm in the Ministersending his papers to theCongress national president.

“The Cabinet was decidedin consultation with theCongress high command so itwas ok for Sidhu to send hisresignation to the party presi-dent,” he said. Pointing out thathe had reshuffled the portfoliosof 13 of the 17 Ministers in hisCabinet after the Lok Sabhaelections, Capt Amarinder saidthat Sidhu was the only mem-ber who had problems. T

he reshuffle was decided onthe basis of the performance ofthe ministers, and Sidhu shouldhave accepted his new depart-ment, he added.

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BJP MLA Rajesh Mishra’sdaughter Sakshi and her

husband Ajitesh Kumar, whoallege that they fear for theirlives for marrying outside theircastes, were attacked insidethe High Court complex onMonday minutes after theywere given protection.

The couple were roughedup by some lawyers as soon asthey stepped out of the court-room after the hearing, eye-witnesses said. JusticeSiddharth Verma granted pro-tection to Sakshi and Ajiteshwho had asked for securitycontending that there is a threatto their life from Mishra whois unhappy with the marriageas Shakshi is a Brahmin andAjitesh a Dalit by caste.

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Fourteen people died and 28others were injured after a

multi-storey building collapsedin Himachal Pradesh’s Solandistrict, officials said onMonday. The bodies of 13Army personnel of 4 AssamRegiment from nearby DagshaiCantonment and a civilianwere extricated from the debris,they said.

Twenty-eight people,including 17 Army personneland 11 civilians, were injuredafter the four-storey building,which housed a restaurant,collapsed on the Nahan-Kumarhatti Road on Sundayevening following heavy rain.

The rescue operation endedabout 4 pm on Monday, SolanAdditional Superintendent ofPolice Shiv Kumar told PTI.“None of the 28 injured are crit-

ical. They are being treated attwo local hospitals,” he said.

Earlier, Chief Minister JaiRam Thakur visited the spot totake stock of the rescue work.He also paid a visit to the hos-pitals to enquire about thehealth of the injured. He saidinitial investigation has foundthat the structure was not builtup to specifications. “A magis-terial inquiry has been ordered.Strict action will be takenagainst erring persons after get-ting the report,” Thakur said.

The CM said an FIR hasbeen registered against theowner of the building. “Thereare more such buildings in thestate. Owners have construct-ed them without followingbuilding by-laws. Whatever isrequired to be done, will bedone to check it,” he said inresponse to queries by themedia.

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The National Green Tribunal(NGT) has directed the

Indian Army to shift its ammu-nition dump from Raiwala,Uttarakhand, to ensure restora-tion of the Chila-MotichurElephant corridor.

A Bench headed by NGTChairperson Justice AdarshKumar Goel passed the orderafter Uttarakhand chief secre-tary filed a report stating thata suitable site is being exploredand is to be finalised by theArmy authorities.

“Let the concerned Armyauthorities finalise the pendingissue expeditiously so as toensure restoration of the ele-phant corridor in question

after shifting of the ammuni-tion dump to a suitable loca-tion, after compliance of provisions of Forest(Conservation) Act, 1980,” saidthe bench, also comprisingJustices SP Wangdi and KRamakrishnan.

The tribunal was recentlyhearing a petition by NGO,Centre for Wildlife andEnvironmental Litigation, con-tending that ammunitiondump was a threat to the ecol-ogy, biodiversity and wildlife ofthe Chilla-Motichur corridor ofthe reserve.

The plea said that theammunition dump blocks themovement of wild animalsbetween the eastern and west-ern parts of the reserve.

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After a full dress rehearsal last week, the countdown for themission commenced at 6.51 am on Sunday and scientists hadundertaken various stages of propellant filling to power the rock-et ahead of the launch. Billed as the most complex and presti-gious mission ever undertaken by the ISRO since its inception,Chandrayaan-2 would have made India the fourth country tosoft land a rover on the lunar surface after Russia, the UnitedStates and China. “ISRO has an exceptional success rate whenit comes to launching systems. Checking and diagnosing com-plex systems in a rocket till the last minute is an art by itself, whichthey seem to have mastered,” said Rajesh Kumble Nayak, headof the Centre for Excellence in Space Sciences India in Kolkata’sIndian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER).

“I am glad that people at ISRO decided to hold back ratherthan hurrying into a major disaster. I guess the mission will beheld back for a few weeks, which is much better than a failure,”Nayak told PTI.

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The court last weekrestrained Karnataka Speakerfrom taking any decision tillJuly 16 on resignation and dis-qualification of 10 rebel MLAsof the ruling Congress-JD(S)coalition.

Apart from the question ofmaintainability of the writ peti-tion filed under Article 32 ofthe Constitution by the MLAs,the Supreme Court had said itneeds to address as to whetherthe Speaker is obligated todecide on disqualification pro-ceedings before accepting theresignation of legislators.

The counsel for the rebelsMLAs had contended that theSpeaker has not decided on theresignation of the lawmakers tobind them with the party whipand disqualify them from themembership if they violate thewhip on the floor of the House.

Kumaraswamy continuedto remain confident hisGovernment would get overthe crisis. “I have full confi-dence...Why do you worry,” hesaid reporters in response to aquestion as the coalition strug-gled to shore up its numbersbrought down by the MLAs’ res-ignations. Senior Congress leg-islators said they have got moretime to continue their efforts tomollify the rebel MLAs.

Keeping up pressure on theSpeaker and the Government,BJP also sought to move a no-confidence motion against theover 13-month oldKumaraswamy Governmentwith its members JC MadhuSwamy, KG Bopaiah and CMUdasi submitting a notice, butlater agreed to the trust voteschedule.

“As already he (CM) hassubmitted the motion and hasexpressed the intention (toseek trust vote), so we will take

it up first. Opposition leaderssaid they have no objection andthings can go as suggested,Speaker Kumar said.

Reacting to the develop-ments, senior BJP leader and for-mer State CM BS Yeddyurappasaid the BAC meeting went onin a cordial atmosphere. He saidafter the BJP sought to move ano confidence motion, govern-ment decided fix a date for thetrust vote.

“We had requested thatno business should be trans-acted until the trust vote issought, and as per our requestthe house has been adjournedtill the Thursday to meet fortrust vote. We welcome it,” hesaid. Congress Legislature Partyleader and coordination com-mittee chief Siddarmaiah saidafter discussion with both sides,the Speaker has fixed Thursdayas the date for trust vote, and“we have agreed to move voteof confidence.”

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Minister of State for HomeAffairs G Kishan Reddy said theGovernment is committed toprotect the country from ter-rorism. Shah also targeted theCongress-led UPA Governmentfor repealing the anti-terror actPOTA, saying it was not donebecause of its alleged misuse butto “save its vote bank”. He saidterror attacks witnessed anupsurge after the Prevention ofTerrorism Act was repealedresulting in same UPAGovernment being forced toconstitute NIA after 2008Mumbai attacks.

The House witnessed a spatbetween the Home Ministerand AIMIM leader AsaduddinOwaisi, with the BJP chief assert-ing that he is not frightening any-one but cannot help when some-one has fear in their minds. Theverbal duel between the twoleaders started during a discus-sion on the NationalInvestigation Agency(Amendment) Bill, whenOpposition members includingOwaisi started interrupting BJP’sSatyapal Singh. Singh alleged thatthe then Hyderabad PoliceCommissioner was asked by apolitical leader of State to changecourse of investigation in a par-ticular case else he could betransferred out.

He said he is aware of devel-opment as at that time he wasMumbai Police Commissioner.Objecting to his claim, Owaisi,MP from Hyderabad, demand-ed Singh should place on table ofHouse all records related to hisclaim.

On this, Shah got up from

his seat and said treasury mem-bers did not disturb Oppositionmembers during their speechesso they should also do the same.Pointing out at Owaisi, Shah saidOpposition members shouldhave the patience to listen to oth-ers point of view. Owaisi got agi-tated and asked Shah to not pointa finger at him and said he can-not be frightened. In response,Shah said he is not trying tofrighten him and just saying thatOpposition members shouldhave patience to listen to thecounter view. “When you havefear in your mind then what canI do,” he hit back.

Later Owaisi sought divisionof votes when the Bill came upfor passage. Shah shot back thatdivision should be taken up toshow “who all are for or againstterrorism”. While 278 memberssupported its consideration, onlysix opposed it. The Bill was laterpassed by a voice vote. Duringthe debate, Manish Tewari(Congress) accused theGovernment of trying to turnIndia into a “police state”.However, Minister Reddy toldthe House, “We want to fight ter-rorism with zero tolerance andhave brought this Bill in nation-al interest. I pray to all of you forits passage.” Danish Ali (BSP) tooalleged that through this Bill theGovernment is in a hurry to con-vert this state into “police state”.

Supriya Sule (NCP) said theGovernment should not makethe issue of dealing with terror-ist into a political one and soughtto know what concrete plan it hasto bring wanted terrorists backto India. Ravneet Singh(Congress) said courts shoulddecide on the cases investigatedby NIA within three months.

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“Some rules in cricket def-initely needs (sic) a serious lookin,” tweeted Rohit on Monday.Rohit amassed 648 runs in thetournament, including fivehundreds, before India wereknocked out in the semifinalstage. Former India opener

Gautam Gambhir, who is nowa parliamentarian, lambastedthe ICC for the “ridiculous”rule. “Don’t understand howthe game of such proportions,the #CWC19Final, is finallydecided on who scored themost boundaries. A ridiculousrule @ICC. Should have beena tie. I want to congratulateboth @BLACKCAPS & @eng-

landcricket on playing out anail biting Final,” Gambhirwrote on his twitter handle.

Gambhir’s former team-mate Yuvraj Singh also dis-agreed with the rule. “I don’tagree with that rule ! But rulesare rules congratulations toEngland on finally winningthe World Cup, my heart goesout for the kiwis they fought till

the end. Great game an epicfinal !!!! #CWC19Final,” hewrote. Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris called theICC a joke. “Nice work @ICC... You are a joke!!!,” he wrote.Former Australian pacer BrettLee called for a change in therule. “I’ve got to say that it’s ahorrible way to decide the win-ner. This rule has to change,” he

tweeted. Kyle Mills, who waspart of the 2015 team which lostits first-ever World Cup final toAustralia, felt that the decisioncould have been on the basis ofwickets lost. “I guess the gameof cricket is about runs andwickets and when the runs aretied, it’d be ideal then to take itback to how many wicketswere lost,” he said.

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Aspecial judge holding trial inBabri Masjid demolition

case, involving BJP veterans L KAdvani, M M Joshi and others,Monday moved the SupremeCourt seeking six more monthsto conclude the trial in the case.

The special judge, in a let-ter written in May, has informedthe top court that he is due tosuperannuate on September 30,2019. The matter came up forhearing on Monday before a

bench headed by Justice R FNariman, which asked the UPGovernment to apprise it by July19 about mechanism by whichtenure of special judge could beextended till he delivers theverdict in the high profile case.On April 19, 2017, the top courthad ordered day-to-day trial tobe concluded in two years in thepolitically sensitive 1992 BabriMasjid demolition case.

While dubbing the demoli-tion of the medieval era monu-ment as a “crime” which shook

the “secular fabric of theConstitution”, it had allowed theCBI’s plea on restoration ofcriminal conspiracy chargeagainst the VVIP accused.

However, the top court hadsaid Kalyan Singh, who is cur-rently the Governor of Rajasthanand during whose tenure asChief Minister of Uttar Pradeshthe disputed structure was razed, is entitled to immu-nity under Constitution as longas he remained in gubernatori-al position.

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Indian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR) on

Monday launched a vaccinetrial to prevent occurrence oftuberculosis (TB) among closecontacts of a TB patient.

This is the first-ever gov-ernment conducted vaccinetrial after the BCG vaccine trial that was undertakendecades ago.

This vaccine trial is animportant step in preventionand decreasing the burden ofthis disease, said a statementfrom the ICMR, a researchbody of the Union HealthMinistry.

“After a detailed landscapeanalysis of the available leadvaccine candidates, two poten-tial vaccine candidates - VPM1002 produced by SerumInstitute of India in Pune andMycobacterium Indicus Pranii(MIP) were shortlisted for tak-ing forward through the phaseIII vaccine trial in healthyhouse hold contacts of sputumsmear positive TB patient,”said the statement.

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New Delhi: In a move thatwould bring smiles on the facesof the medical aspirants, theNational Eligibility cumEntrance Test (NEET) couldsoon be scrapped for postgrad-uate students. According to therevised draft of the NationalMedical Commission (NMC)Bill, the Union Health Ministryhas proposed to do away withNEET-PG and for admission toMD and MS programmes. It hasproposed to use the final MBBSexam. The revised draft of theNational Medical Commission(NMC) Bill, will soon be sent tothe Cabinet. The Bill, intro-duced in December 2017, lapsedwhen the tenure of the 16th LokSabha ended.

“According to the amend-ments in the fresh NMC Bill,

entry into the PG programmeswill be on the basis of the resultsof the National Exit Test, whichwould be held as a commonexam across the country. So thecandidates would not have toappear in a separate exam afterclearing the MBBS final exam foradmission to PG courses,”sources said. However, the examsfor AIIMS, NEET super specialtyand other entrance tests remain.

While introducing theIndian Medical Council(Amendment) Bill, 2019, Healthand Family Welfare MinisterHarsh Vardhan said, “TheNational Medical CommissionBill could be introduced in thenear future, though for havinglegal continuity, every ordinancehas to be converted into a law,”he said. PNS

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Pakistan continues toencourage terrorists to infil-

trate into India under the coverof massive cross-Line ofControl (LOC) and cross-bor-der firing in Jammu andKashmir and the Pulwama ter-ror attack in February thisyear confirmed yet again thatIndia remains a persistent tar-get of Pakistan’s state sponsoredcross-border terrorism policy.

Making this observation inits annual report for 2018-19,the Defence Ministry said onMonday India’s position is thatPakistan takes credible andirreversible steps to stop sup-porting terrorists and terrorgroups operating from territo-ries under its control and dis-mantle the infrastructure oper-ated by terrorists outfits tolaunch attacks against India.

Assuring that India willcontinue to take robust anddecisive steps to ensure itsnational security, the docu-ment said India’s responseamongst other measures,

included a successful pre-emp-tive non-military anti-terroraerial strike on the largesttraining of Jaish-e-Mohammad(JeM) in Balakotin Pakistan. The aerial strikecame on February 26 in retal-iation to the Pulwama attack onFebruary 14 by JeM in which40 Central Reserve PoliceForce(CRPF) were killed.

Touching upon internalsecurity situation in the coun-try, the report said state spon-sored terrorism by Pakistan inJammu and Kashmir remainsthe foremost challenge. Duringthe period from January 1,2018 to March 31, 2019, secu-rity forces were able to neu-tralize 305 militants, the doc-ument informed.

On China, the report men-tioned that relations with theeastern neighbor moved towardsgreater stability in the overallcontext of closer developmentalpartnership. Following theinformal summit between PrimeMinister Narendra Modi andPresident Xi Jinping in Wuhanin China in April last year, there

was improved and sustainedstability in the India-China bor-der areas.

This comes in the back-drop of India and China hav-ing a disputed border of morethan 4,000 km and two coun-tries fighting a war in 1962.The report said both sides rec-ognized that peace and tran-quility in the India-China bor-der is an important pre-requi-site to development of bilater-al relations.

As regards political situationin Pakistan, the report said itcontinues to remain challengingwith a severe deficit of inclusiveand balance economic develop-ment. The Pakistan Army con-solidated its position as theinstitution driving Pakistan’sforeign policy and defence poli-cies after the elections there.

Pakistan also continues torelentlessly expand its mili-tary forces, especially nuclearand missile capabilities despitea financial crisis. The countryhas been torn by ethno-region-al conflicts, with the zone ofconflict expanding from trib-

al areas on Pakistan-Afghanistan border to hinter-land. Religious extremism isalso on the rise. The militaryhas avoided taking actionagainst jihadi and internation-ally proscribed terror outfitsthat target Pakistan’s neighbor.Support to such group persists,the 272-page report observed.

On global scenario, thereport said terrorism and rad-icalization are the biggestthreats to peace and securityfacing the world. India has reit-erated at a number of bilateraland multilateral platforms itsresolve in all its forms andmanifestations.

The global concernsregarding proliferation ofweapons of mass destruc-tion(WMD) and their deliverysystems, continue to pose seri-ous threats to internationalsecurity. The WMD terrorismwill remain a potent threat aslong as there are terroristsseeking to gain access to rele-vant material and technologiesfor malicious purposes, thereport said.

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The Government onMonday introduced two

important Bills in the LokSabha — one to amend MotorVehicles Act that provides forhigher penalties for violationsand protection of good samar-itans, among other provisionsand the Surrogacy (Regulation)Bill that provides for banningof commercial surrogacy witha provision that only close rel-atives will be permitted to actas surrogates to infertile cou-ples for “ethical altruistic” rea-sons.

The Motor Vehicle bill waspassed in the previous LokSabha but could not beapproved by the Rajya Sabha.Several members of the oppo-sition raised concern over cer-tain provisions in the bill andalso sought to say that it couldthat it may encroach the pow-ers of the states to legislate onthe road transport.

Surrogacy bill was alsopassed in the Lok Sabha in2018 but could not get passagein the upper house.

Speaking on the MotorVehicle bill, Road TransportMinister Nitin Gadkari said thecentral government is not look-ing to take away the rights of

states and urged the House topass the legislation whichwould help in saving morelives. The Minister said around30 per cent of driving licencesin the country are bogus. About1.5 lakh people die and 5 lakhpeople get injured in road acci-dents every year, he said .

The bill seeks to increasepenalties for violations, facili-tate grant of online learninglicence, simplified provisionsfor insurance to provide expe-ditious help to accident victimsand their families, and protec-tion of good samaritans.

As per the Statement ofObjects and Reasons of the bill,the period for renewal of trans-port licence would be increasedto five years from three yearsand enable licensing authorityto grant licence to differently-abled persons.

Another provision is toraise the time limit for renew-al of driving licence from one

month to one year before andafter the expiry date.

“My department has failedto pass the bill in the last fiveyears but the number of acci-dents has reduced by around 3-4 per cent in the last five yearswhile the incidence came downby around 15 per cent in TamilNadu during the same period,”he noted.

Trinamool Congress mem-ber Saugata Roy opposed thebill, saying certain provisionswould take away powers ofstate governments and wouldalso infringe on their rights.Congress leader in the LokSabha Adhir RanjanChowdhury said he was oppos-ing a few provisions of the billand not in entirety.

Another important billthat seeks to ban Commercialsurrogacy was introduced inthe house. The bill was passedby Lok Sabha in December,2018 but lapsed as it could not

get nod from Parliament.According to the bill, only

close relatives will be permit-ted to act as surrogates toinfertile couples for “ethicalaltruistic” reasons.

The Surrogacy(Regulation) Bill, 2019 in theLok Sabha that also providesfor constitution of surrogacyboards at national and state lev-els, as well as that the intend-ing couples should not aban-don such a child under anycondition.

Only Indian couples whohave been legally married for atleast five years would beallowed to opt for surrogacy, asper the Statement of Objectsand Reasons of the bill, whichwas introduced by Health andFamily Welfare minister HarshVardhan.

The bill seeks to “allow eth-ical altruistic surrogacy to theintending infertile Indian mar-ried couple between the age of23-50 years and 26-55 years forfemale and male, respectively”.

A woman should beallowed to act as a surrogatemother only once and shouldbe a close relative of the intend-ing couple and “should be anever married woman having achild of her own and betweenthe age of 25-35 years”.

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Rajya Sabha Chairman MVenkaiah Naidu on

Monday said the House needsto discuss the powers and lim-itations of the three-pillars ofdemocracy — judiciary, legis-lature and executive — as anElder made a strong case for anall-India examination for selec-tion of judges in high courtsand the Supreme Court.Cutting across party lines, themembers backed AshokBajpai(BJP) who made thisassertion.

Raising the issue during theZero Hour, he said theConstitution does not mentionthe word ‘collegium’, though itis currently being used for

appointments and transfers ofjudges in the higher judiciary.

He also referred to anAllahabad High Court judgerecently writing to the PrimeMinister that appointments arenot being made on the basis ofmerit and nepotism prevailedin such appointments anddeserving candidates missedthe chance.

Bajpai suggested that thereshould be an all-India exami-nation conducted to ensurethat meritorious candidates getinto higher judiciary. Memberscutting across party linesendorsed his suggestion.

Observing that over-whelming members are of thesame opinion, the Chairmansaid “we need to discuss” during

one of the discussions, particu-larly the issue of the judiciary,legislature and executive andtheir powers and limitations.

Amongst other issues tofigure in the Upper House, theAIADMK and DMK onMonday urged the central gov-ernment to cancel the postaldepartment examination forpostmen and other posts andhold it afresh with questions inTamil language also.

Raising the issue, ANavaneethakrishnan(AIADMK) said questions in the postaldepartment’s examination forappointments of postmen andassistants in rural areas held onSunday were only in Hindi andEnglish, and not Tamil. Heasked the central government

to cancel the examination.Tiruchi Siva (DMK) said

the recent circular issued by thecentral government to thepostal department has broughta sense of agitation in theminds of the youth in TamilNadu. He said earlier thepractice was to conduct theexamination in Hindi, Englishand regional languages.Asserting that not holdingexamination in regional lan-guage was “totally unwarrant-ed” and demanded the revo-cation of the circular and main-taining status quo.

Naidu said the matterraised by members was veryimportant and asked theLeader of the HouseThawarchand Gehlot to look

into the issue. “I have alreadytalked to the minister (con-cerned), you please talk to theminister,” Naidu said.

In the backdrop of a mishapon Yamuna Expressway somedays back where more than 20people died, T SubbaramiReddy(Congress) called for sci-entific investigations like someadvanced countries into suchfatal accidents. He also morethan 11,000 people die in roadaccidents every year. Backinghis contention Surendra SinghNagar(Samajwadi Party) calledfor making it mandatory for allcar manufacturers to imparttraining to drivers in safetymeasures.

Demands to raise royaltyon coal, roll back of steep hike

in airfares between Kerala andGulf region and

government interventionto help release fishermen cap-tured by Pakistan were amongother issues raised in the RajyaSabha.

Shanta Chhetri (TMC)raised the issue of death of aperson after his hand got stuckbetween two sliding doors ofthe Kolkata Metro on Saturdaylast. She alleged passenger safe-ty was being compromisedwith by the Railway Ministryand demanded immediate allo-cation of funds for propermaintenance and upgrade ofthe metro rail. SatyanarayanJatiya (BJP) raised the issue ofinter- linking of rivers to solveproblem of drought.

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Samajwadi Party leaderNeeraj Shekhar on Monday

resigned as member of theRajya Sabha and his resignationwas accepted by Chairman MVenkaiah Naidu. Shekhar, theson of former prime ministerChandra Shekhar, met Naiduand told him he is resigningvoluntarily and not under anycompulsion, the sources said.

Shekhar was a prominentleader of the Samajwadi Partyand there is speculation that hemight join the BJP. Upset overhaving been allegedly side-lined, Neeraj quit amidst spec-ulations over his next course of

political move. He first became a member

of the Lok Sabha in 2008 in theby-elections for Ballia con-stituency. The following year,he won again from the sameconstituency. He had been amember of the Rajya Sabhafrom Uttar Pradesh sinceNovember 26, 2014, and wasdue to retire on November 25,2020.

He lost the 2014 polls andthe party sent him to RajyaSabha. But his demand to con-test the 2019 Lok Sabha pollsfrom Ballia had been rejectedby SP chief Akhilesh Yadavwho fielded Sanatan Pandeyinstead from there.

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Amid heightened alert alongthe International border

across Jammu frontier, alertjawans of Border Security Force(BSF) late sunday night shotdead a Pakistani intruder afterhe ignored advance warningsand tried to breach the barbedwire fencing in Ramgarh sec-tor of Samba.

The intruder, in his earlyfifties, was not carrying anyarms and ammunition on hisperson at the time of sneakinginside the Indian borders.

Since July 1, BSF is con-ducting special exercises tofortify its defences in the wakeof ongoing Amarnath yatra.

BSF troops on ground zeroare also maintaining tight vigilalong the vulnerable stretchesof the International border totimely detect presence of anycross border tunnel or anysurprise intrusion bid.

Official sources said, afterthe recovery of the dead bodyof the intruder the BSF author-ities handed it over to the localpolice for completing necessarylegal formalities.

BSF spokesman in a state-ment said, “during the inter-vening night of 14/15 July 2019,BSF troops deployed at forwardpost in Ramgarh area noticeda suspicious movement betweenborder fence and IB”. BSFspokesman said, “BSF troops

challenged him to stop, but hecontinued moving stealthilytowards border fencing. Sensinghis ill-intentions of crossing thefence BSF Jawans first fired awarning shot which did notdeter the intruder. Finally, whenintruder tried to enter throughthe fence , BSF Jawans neu-tralised him”. Meanwhile, secu-rity forces, deployed onAmarnath yatra duty, continueto guard all the border roadsleading to the Jammu-PathankotNational Highway to preventany terrorist strike on theAmarnath yatra.

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The National InvestigationAgency (NIA) Monday told

the Bombay High Court that itwould not examine for a weekevidence of those prosecutionwitnesses whose names andstatements have been truncat-ed from its chargesheet filed inthe 2008 Malegaon blast case.

The NIA made the state-ment before a division bench ofJustices IA Mahanty and AMBadar which was hearing anapplication filed by Lt ColPrasad Purohit, one of theaccused in the case, seekingnon-truncated copies of thewitnesses’ statements that arepart of the chargesheet.

Purohit’s lawyer ShrikantShivade said the special NIAcourt is presently recording theevidence of prosecution wit-nesses and the cross-examina-tion of those witnesses whosestatements or names have beenmasked would not be possible.

NIA counsel Sandesh Patilsaid that on July 22 it wouldgive names of the prosecutionwitnesses whom they proposeto examine out of those whose

statements have been truncat-ed. The agency said till then itwould not call any of these wit-nesses to the stand before thetrial court for recording ofevidence.

In his plea, Purohit claimedthat when the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), theagency which probed the caseinitially, filed its chargesheet,several documents and wit-nesses’ statements were trun-

cated or masked.He further claimed that the

agency never sought the court’spermission to truncate or maskthe documents and did so at itsown discretion.

The case pertains to thekilling of six people and injuryto 100 when an explosivedevice strapped to a motorcy-cle went off near a mosque innorth Maharashtra town ofMalegaon, about 200 km fromhere, on September 29, 2008.

In October last year, a spe-cial court framed charges underthe Unlawful ActivitiesPrevention Act (UAPA) againstPurohit, Pragya Singh Thakur,now a BJP MP, and some otheraccused persons in the case.

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Two Amarnath pilgrims diedin the past 24 hours en

route to the holy 3,880 metre-high cave shrine in southKashmir Himalayas, taking thedeath toll in this year’s pil-grimage to 16, official sourcessaid on Monday.

A woman pilgrim fromRajasthan died at the Baltalbase camp due to a cardiacarrest, while a male pilgrimfrom Madhya Pradesh col-lapsed while moving towardsthe base camp, they said.

The death toll in this year’sAmarnath Yatra has gone up to16 which includes 12 pilgrims,two ‘sevadars’ (volunteers) andtwo security force personnelposted on duty.

The sources said 30 people

sustained injuries due to shoot-ing stones and other causessince the pilgrimage began onJune 30.

Deaths due to cardiacarrest triggered by lack of oxy-gen in areas around the caveshrine have been common overthe years, prompting the ShriAmarnath Shrine Board toissue regular health advisoriesto the pilgrims.

All pilgrims are required toget fitness certificates beforeundertaking the pilgrimage.

More than 1.7 lakh pil-grims have paid obeisance tothe naturally formed ice-lingamin the cave shrine in the last 15days. Multi-tier securityarrangements have been madefor the smooth and successfulconduct of the Yatra, which willconclude on August 15.

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Kerala, which recently wit-nessed an alarming spurt

in the number of black magiccases, is gearing up to bring ina legislation to curb “inhuman”practices and exploitation inthe name of superstition.

The Kerala Preventionand Eradication of InhumanEvil Practices, Sorcery andBlack Magic Bill, 2019 hasbeen submitted to the CPI(M)-led LDF Government for itsconsideration to pass as legis-lation. On the lines of theAnti-Superstition and BlackMagic Bill, passed byMaharashtra and Karnataka,the State-run Kerala LawReforms Commission hasdrafted the bill to fight super-stition and eradicate “inhumanevil” practices propagated inthe name of black magic.

The draft bill, accessed byPTI, proposes stringent pun-ishment for any kind of evilpractice and cheating in thename of black magic, rangingfrom “expelling ghost” to iso-lating women for menstruationand postpartum.

It also aims at raising socialawareness in the society with aview to protect people againstfraudulent and exploitativepractices thriving on ignorance.The legislative assemblies ofKarnataka and Maharashtrahad passed the Anti-Superstition Black Magic Bill in2017 and 2013, respectively.

“The draft bill is complet-ed and we have submitted it tothe State Government,” KSasidharan Nair, ViceChairman, Kerala Law Reforms

Commission, told PTI.“Unlike the bills passed by

Maharashtra and Karnataka,we have given special thrust toa series of intense awarenessprogrammes in our bill for theGovernment to implement.Because, superstition seems tobe so deep-rooted in the minds of Keralite people nowa-days,” he said.

“While going throughmany instances of supersti-tion, I feel whether we deserveto be called a civilised society?Only a few cases are reportedin the media,” Nair, also a for-mer law secretary, said. He saida legislation and stringent pun-ishment alone cannot make anychanges in the mindset of thepeople. “As it is a very sensitivetopic, we have drafted the billvery carefully. I personally feelthat public opinion should begarnered before it is enacted aslaw by the Government,” thevice-chairperson added.

Mathura: Over 65 lakh pilgrims have under-taken circumambulation of the Goverdhanhillock here since July 10, with an increase indevotees since the Mudiya Poono Melabegan on Friday, an official said.

The fair, which is dubbed as Mathura’sMini Kumbh, began on July 12 and will endon Tuesday. “Though 65 lakh pilgrims haveperformed the parikrama of the Goverdhanhillock by this afternoon, the unprecedent-ed rush is continues,” District MagistrateSarvagya Ram Mishra said on Monday.

Schools in Mathura district’s Goverdhanblock have been closed till Tuesday as a pre-cautionary measure as there has been a surgein traffic due to the Mudiya Poono Mela, hesaid. No untoward incident has been report-ed, the district magistrate said.

Mishra attributed the sudden spurt in thenumber of pilgrims performing the circum-ambulation to the lunar eclipse that falls onTuesday night. PTI

Jammu: Jammu & Kashmir Police’s crimebranch on Monday moved a plea before ajuvenile justice board hearing the case of anaccused in the gangrape and murder of ayoung girl in Kathua, seeking deferment ofthe trial as the state high court is yet to decidewhether he is a minor or not.

Appearing before the board, the specialpublic prosecutor of the crime branch sub-mitted that the high court is yet to pronounceits decision on an application moved againstthe decision of a Kathua court which accept-ed the accused’s claim that he is a minor, offi-cials said.

The board, after framing charges againstthe accused who played a key role in kid-napping, rape and murder of the eight-year-old nomadic girl, had fixed Monday for exam-ining prosecution witnesses and commenc-ing of trial. PTI

Bengaluru: Former Karnatakaminister and Congress MLA RRoshan Baig on Monday didnot turn up before the specialinvestigation team probing thealleged IMA Jewels ponzischeme saying he had someurgent work.

The MLA wanted toappear on July 25 but the SITdirected him to depose on July19 instead, SIT said. “Regardingthe appearance of MLA MrRoshan Baig, before the SIT, hehas consented to appear beforeSIT on July 25. But due to thenecessity of speeding up theinvestigation on the part of theSIT, a second notice is servedto him to appear on July 19,”

the SIT said in a statement.A former Minister in the

previous SiddaramaiahGovernment, Baig landed inthe IMA controversy after thecompany owner MohammedMansoor Khan alleged thatBaig took Rs 400 crore fromhim but did not return it.

The MLA had refuted thecharges calling them baselessand frivolous. Baig has beensulking for quite sometimeand had flayed party leadersSiddaramaiah and state presi-dent Dinesh Gundu Rao for theparty’s poor show in the LokSabha election. The party latersuspended him for his “anti-party” activities. PTI

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Come July 17, all Hinduhomes in Kerala would

reverberate with the recitingof Ramayana and this wouldlast till August 16. The next30 days would see the agedand young alike reciting “SreeRama Rama Rama, SreeRama Chandra Jaya,” to takea break from mundane issueslike political murders, pricerise and natural disasters.

Kerala has been observ-ing the Ramayana Month for ages. Why July17? It marks the beginning of the Malayalammonth of Karkkadaka (the equivalent ofSravana as per the Sanskrit almanac) and con-cludes on August 16, the last day of Sravana.

It is a subdued age old practice handeddown from generations to generations whichis continuing with fervour by young and oldalike. The entire Karkkadaka month isknown as Ramayana Month among Hindusin the State. The epic is recited either earlymorning or in the dusk hours. It is the pre-rogative of the oldest female member of thefamily to read the epic from Balakanda toYudhakanda spread over the month.

A scheme has been prepared since timeimmemorial to read Ramayana. As thegrandmother or the senior most woman inthe family reads the epic, children and allother members of the family sit around themwith rapt attention. In Kerala the most pre-ferred Ramayana is the Adhyatma Ramayanaauthored by Thunchath Ezuthachan, thefather figure of Malayalam. There are hous-es which follow the Valmiki Ramayana too.

The agitation for Ram Temple in Keralais yet to catch up in the State dominated byMarxist ideology. That has not prevented thedevotees from engaging themselves in thegreat epic. “People in Kerala follow AdhyatmaRamayana, which encompasses Bhaki andVedantha (devotion and philosophy) while

the Valmiki Ramayana hasgiven focus to DharmaSasthra,” SwamyChidanandapuri, the spiritualguru of Hindus told ThePioneer.

Swamy Chidanandapuri isof the view that the Ramayanamonth has its origin in the ageold Vedik traditions. “Themonth Karkkadaka marks thebeginning of Dakshinayanaand Chathurmasa Yagna. Thisis the period when people turnto God Almighty for spiritualcleaning ,” he explained.

According to this spiritual leader,Adhyatma Ramayana was authored by Vyasa.Lord Rama is in the form of God inAdhyatma Ramayana whereas in ValmikiRamayana he represents the Dharmic sci-ence. Valmiki Ramayana is in Sanskrit andis a detailed account of the life and times ofKing Dasaratha and Lord Rama. WhileValmiki has elaborated the story of the sageVibhandaka, his son Rishyasringa , KingLomapada and his daughter Santha inValmiki Ramayana, they make just guestappearances in Adhyatma Ramayana!

It may be an abridged version of ValmikiRamayana but it does not lack in soul andspirit. Even as the grandmother reads eachsloga of the epic, the readers feel that theyare hearing their own life stories from thisepic. Rathnakaran, who leads a loose life byrobbing, looting and murdering the poorwas asked by the sages why he was engagedin such heinous deeds and whether heknew that he alone has to bear the price forhis crimes, the devil in him underwent a bugchange and over a period of time he wastransformed into Sage Valmiki.

Ramayana is the story of the victory ofgood over the evil. It is also a roadmap forthe wayward to return to the path of therighteousness. Even campuses in the Statemay see Che Guevara posters giving way toLord Rama, though only for a month.

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Trinamool Congress MPSudip Bandopadhyay on

Monday attacked the BJPGovernment for targeting theMamata-Banerjee Governmentby raising law and order issueswhich were purely a State sub-ject. Bandopadhyaya’s com-ments came against the back-drop of the Union HomeMinistry issuing ten advisoriesto the Bengal Governmentallegedly on its disturbed lawand order situations. The advi-sories came in a span of ten

days, sources said.“Why the Centre is targeting

Bengal Government again andagain?” he asked mentioning theissuance of repeated advisories.Though he would not give detailsabout the central communiquéssources in the BengalGovernment said “it all containlaw and order issues which is outand out a State subject.”

Reacting to the situation asenior minister in the StateGovernment alleged how theBJP and CPI(M) were trying tomalign Mamata Banerjee per-sonally and administratively.

“First they try to attack her per-sonally and if they fail in thatthey attack her Government,”the Minister said.

Violent clashes between adefensive Trinamool Congressand an aggressively assertiveBJP have left more than adozen people dead post gener-al elections which saw the saf-fron outfit winning 18 out of 42seats leaving 22 for the Stateruling outfit. The Congresswon two seats.

There was more violenceeven on Monday with bands ofhooligans attacking the Bhatpara

Municipality with bombs andbricks smashing its interiorsand vandalising the hospitalpremises within the munici-pality campus forcing thepatients undergoing treatment toliterally flee for their lives.

Clashes also took place atPatrasayar in Bankura districtand Diamond Harbour inSouth 24 Parganas where abouta dozen people from both thesides were injured. Clashesand bloodshed were reportedbetween the supporters ofTrinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad and Akhil Vidyarthi

Parishad at Garbeta, Keshpurand parts of East Mindaporesources said.

Meanwhile, in an unrelat-ed development that couldcause further embarrassment tothe Trinamool Congress theEnforcement Directorate hasissued summons to TMC MPfrom Birbhum Shatabdi Royfor her alleged role in theSharada chit fund scam.Notices have also been issuedto former MP Kunal Ghosh,businessman Sandhir Agarwal,and two top Bengali cine stars,sources said.

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Thane: In a novel protest, angry citizens of Thane onMonday dashed off over a 1,000 postcards to ThaneMunicipal Commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal demanding hisurgent intervention to resolve the hawkers’ menace in theirlocality. The affected residents of over a dozen big hous-ing complexes said that hundreds of hawkers have laid siegeto the roads and pavements since two months, posing hugenuisance to the pedestrians, vehicles and emergencyvehicular movements.

“Despite repeated representations, a procession, meet-ings with local corporators, over 100 tweets to Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis and the Mayor, the Thane MunicipalCommissioner has ignored our pleas. Today, we havedespatched 1,052 postcards seeking an audience and per-manent solution to the hawkers’ problems,” Eden WoodsComplex Secretary T. N. Raghunatha told IANS. LokpuramSociety’s Secretary Arvind Nadkarni said that the post-cardcampaign at Jaiswal was yet another step in the residents’peaceful agitation till their demand of making the entirelocality into a hawker-free zone was achieved. IANS

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With the flood waters sub-merging 90 per cent of the

Kaziranga National Park, theAssam government hasimposed speed restrictions on astretch of National Highway 37and prohibitory orders to safe-guard the animals in the area.

Authorities have startedissuing time cards at variouscheck points for regulatingvehicular speed to 40 km perhour on NH 37.

The time card system wasstarted after two hog deer werekilled by speeding vehicles at

NH 37 in last 24 hours, a seniorpark official said, adding that different agencies, includ-ing the police, transport andcivil administration have joinedhands to control speed of vehicles on NH 37, thattouches the southern boundaryof the park.

According to the official,the speed restrictions are need-ed as some of the animals strayoutside the park, particularly tohead towards higher land inadjoining areas of KarbiAnglong, and are either injuredor killed by speeding vehicleswhile trying to cross the NH 37.

Aizawl: At least 1,000 familieshave been evacuated as ragingwaters of the Khawthlangtuipuiriver flooded 32 villages inLunglei district of Mizoram,while rain-related incidentsled to the death of five peoplein the State, officials saidMonday. Heavy rain have beenlashing Mizoram for the lastseven days, as a result of whichmost rivers of the state haveswollen and inundated manyvillages, they said.

At least 32 villages inTlabung area in southMizoram’s Lunglei district wereflooded by the riverKhawthlangtuipui. PTI

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The death toll in the Biharfloods mounted to 24 on

Monday, with 25.66 lakh peo-ple reeling from the deluge in12 districts of the state follow-ing incessant rains in neigh-bouring country Nepal, offi-cials said.

Five more childrendrowned in two separate inci-dents in East Champaran dis-trict, but a senior official of thestate disaster managementdepartment said they were notcounted among the flood casu-alties. With five rivers in spate,Chief Minister Nitish Kumarundertook his second aerialsurvey of the flood-hit areasduring the day.

Of the 24 deaths reportedtill 6 pm on Monday, Sitamarhiaccounted for 10 deaths, whilenine were reported fromAraria, four from Kishanganjand one from Sheohar, aDisaster ManagementDepartment report said.

Four deaths were reportedtill Sunday evening from Araria(2), Sheohar (1) andKishanganj (1). According tothe Water ResourcesDepartment daily bulletin, five

rivers — Baghmati, KamlaBalan, Lalbakeya, Adhwaraand Mahananda — are flowingabove danger level at variousplaces in the State.

Baghmati river is flowingabove danger mark at fiveplaces, including Dheng,Sonakhan, Dubbadhar inSitamarhi while at one place atBenibad in Muzaffarpur dis-trict, it said.

A Patna Meteorological

Centre official said it has issueda warning of heavy rainfall inSupaul, Araria, Kishangaj,Purnea and Katihar in next 24hours. As many as 25,66,100people have been affected byflood waters in 77 blocks of 12districts — Sheohar, Sitamarhi,East Champaran, Madhubani,Araria, Kishanganj, Supaul,Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur,Saharsa, Katihar and Purnea —the report said.

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In a bid to ensure the security ofmotorcyclists, no two-wheeler rider

will be allowed entry on the Lucknow-Agra expressway without helmets, theUttar Pradesh Expressway IndustrialDevelopment Authority (UPEIDA)decoded on Monday.

“In the interest of people, it hasbeen decided not to allow two-wheeler riders on the expresswaywithout helmets. It will be strictlyenforced,” UPEIDA CEO AwanishAwasthi said. Arrangements for secu-rity of commuters are being made inthe expressway and in this direction,no two-wheeler will be allowed on theexpressway if its rider is found with-out helmet, he added.

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The flood situation inTripura on Monday

showed signs of improvementas Khowai and Haora riversstarted receding, officials said.Personnel of the NationalDisaster Response Force(NDRF) and security forcesrescued a number of people inthe flood affected Khowai andWest Tripura districts, theysaid.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi on Monday tele-

phoned Chief MinisterSarbananda Sonowal and tookstock of the flood situation inAssam, assuring all supportfrom the Centre to the State indealing with the situation.

Sonowal apprised Modi ofthe large-scale devastation thefloods have caused on the livesof the people besides the state’seconomy, and informed himabout the details of relief, res-cue and rehabilitation opera-tions undertaken by the AssamGovernment, said aGovernment release here.

The Chief Minister alsotold the Prime Minister that theState Government has sensi-tised the administration —both in Barak and BrahmaputraValleys — and asked theDeputy Commissioners toreach out to the flood affectedpeople with their men andmaterials. Sonowal briefedthe PM on the entire gamut ofrelief and rescue operationsthat have been pressed into ser-vice to help the marooned peo-ple, the release said.

He also informed him thathe has asked the State Ministersand all public representatives,including MLAs, to extend ahelping hand to the victims offloods and personally involvethemselves in the rescue oper-ations. To a query of the PrimeMinister, Sonowal informedthat flood control mechanisms,including 24X7 control rooms,have been pressed into service

with State Government officialsput on duty, manning themround the clock, the release said.

Health department andPublic Health Engineeringdepartment have been direct-ed to respond to medicarerelated issues and provide med-icines and clean drinking water,Sonowal informed.

Veterinary and AnimalHusbandry department hasbeen asked to take care of themarooned animals and keepadequate fodder stock ready forthe stray animals of KazirangaNational Park, other nationalparks and wildlife sanctuaries,he added. He also told thePrime Minister about his direc-tion to the authorities ofnational parks to supply fodderto the animals taking shelter onthe high lands.

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As many as 119 teams of theNational Disaster

Response Force (NDRF) havebeen deployed in flood-hitareas of the country, includingAssam and Bihar, and a 24X7control room has been set upin Delhi to closely monitor thesituation in these regions.

As part of proactive mea-sures, 119 teams of the NDRFhave been deployed in variousparts of the country keeping inview the disaster vulnerabilityand to keep extra vigil at loca-tions where heavy rainfalls causeflood, an official statement said.

All NDRF teams, eachcomprising around 45 person-nel, are equipped with boats,divers and other flood rescue-related equipment, and will bemaking the best use of theirprofessionalism and technolo-gy in the discharge of theirmandate, it said.

In Assam, 14 NDRF teamshave been deployed in flood-affected districts of Barpeta,Bongaigaon, BiswanathChariali, Cachar, Dhemaji,Golaghat, Guwahati, Jorhat,

Lakhimpur, Morigaon,Sivasagar and Tinsukia, wheretorrential rains and overflow-ing rivers and water bodieshave worsened the flood situ-ation, the statement said.

The NDRF teams are con-tinuously engaged in assistingthe local administration in res-cue and relief work, it added.The personnel were opera-tional in the low-lying areas ofdistricts Bishwanath, Golaghat,Morigaon and Tinsukia. TheNDRF evacuated 460 peopleand shifted them to saferplaces. So far, NDRF teamshave evacuated more than3,000 people in Assam, therelease said.

In Bihar, heavy rainfall inthe past few days has causedflood-like situation in low-lyingareas and increased the waterlevel of various rivers in sever-al parts of the State. To deal withthe severity of the situation, 19NDRF teams have beendeployed in Araria, Bettiah,Darbhanga, Didarganj,Gopalganj, Katihar, Madhubani,Motihari, Muzaffarpur,Sitamarhi and Supaul districts,the statement said.

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The report to UNESCO of theInternational Commission onEducation for the 21st Century wasreleased at the session of theInternational Bureau of Education

(IBE) in Geneva on October 2, 1996. Thechairperson of the commission, JacquesDelors, very clearly summarised the essenceof global consultations and the future visionof global education in the 21st century. Forindividual national contexts, he unequivocal-ly stated: “Education in every nation must berooted to culture and committed to progress.”The report begins with Delors’s Preamble enti-tled, ‘Education: The Necessary Utopia’ andsays it all in the first sentence: “In confrontingthe many challenges that the future holds instore, humankind sees in education an indis-pensible asset in its attempt to attain the idealsof peace, freedom and social justice.”

The report has been deliberated uponglobally for over two decades; it has receivedglobal appreciation and has impacted policiesand implementation strategies international-ly. Its articulation of four pillars of education— learning to know, learning to do, learningto be and learning to live together — hasreceived admiration from common folks toseasoned academics alike. In the first quar-ter of the 21st century, who would not appre-ciate the fact that education “is not a miraclecure or magic formula” but one of the “prin-cipal means available to foster a deeper andmore harmonious form of human develop-ment and, thereby, to reduce poverty, exclu-sion, ignorance, oppression and war.” India,known for its economic, social, cultural, eth-nic, linguistic and religious diversity, is com-mitted to transform its education system toachieve social cohesion and religious harmo-ny and strengthen unity in diversity. But itseducation system has to encompass a verysensitive canvas. Its three-language formula,accepted in the mid-1960s, is yet to be imple-mented fully in letter and spirit.

Its national policy on education was lastrevisited in 1992. After more than a quarterof the century, in 2019, the KasturiranganCommittee submitted the draft NationalEducation Policy (NEP) to the Governmentfor finalisation of a new education policy. Thepreparation of this report was preceded by anational consultation process spread over fouryears. The draft NEP is open for inputs andsuggestions from every quarter before final-isation. It is interesting that widespread freshconsultations have generated demands for fur-ther extension of the time limit for submis-sion of suggestions beyond July 31, 2019.

Yes, people are concerned about educa-tion, its quality, utility and capacity toachieve total personality development. Whilethere is no limit to improvements in the pre-sentation of such reports, one has to beginimplementation at some point. The NEP,2019 mostly consists of formulations thatdeserve support of all and active involvementof academics as well as scholars, who areunconstrained by ideological bonds and nar-

row political considerations. The draft report attempts at

giving a comprehensive view ofnational expectations and aspira-tions fully synchronised withinternational trends and require-ments: “The vision of India’s neweducation system has according-ly been crafted to ensure that ittouches the life of each andevery citizen, consistent withtheir ability to contribute tomany growing developmentalimperatives of this country on theone hand and towards creating ajust and equitable society on theother.” To achieve such an objec-tive, the issue of ‘language’ and‘medium of instruction’ willbecome relevant.

For obvious reasons, theBritish were not interested in edu-cating Indians in their mothertongue. They needed obedientand loyal educated people whowould despise everything thatwas Indian — be it culture, his-tory or heritage. This could bestbe achieved by “delinking Indiansfrom India.” The best and easilyavailable tool was to develop fas-cination for English language andall that was Western and, hence,admirable. Under severe burdenof learning an alien language,where was the time for childrenas also parents’ inclination torealise the importance of learn-ing the mother tongue? It wasrather interesting that withinhours of the presentation of thereport to the Human ResourceDevelopment Minister and itssimultaneous uploading on theMinistry’s website, certain vest-ed interests attempted to create an

unsavoury conflict in the mindsof people, raising the issue of theso-called imposition of Hindi onnon-Hindi speaking States. Itmust go to the credit of theMinistry of Human ResourceDevelopment that within hoursof the issue emerging on thenational scene, it issued a clari-fication that the Government hasno intention to impose any lan-guage on any set of peopleunwilling to learn it. In fact, eversince the three languages formu-la was accepted by theGovernment and a commitmentmade to the nation, none of theUnion Governments ever tried toimpose any language hegemony.

The issue of mother tonguemedium has once again beencomprehensively addressed in thedraft NEP, 2019. It is a universal-ly accepted fact that initial edu-cation must be provided in themother tongue of the child. It isalso a known that children in theage group of 2-8 years areextremely flexible in learningmultiple languages.

The NEP report acknowl-edges: “Language has a directbearing as the mediator in all cog-nitive and social capacities,including in knowledge acquisi-tion and production. The scienceof child development and lan-guage acquisition suggests thatyoung children become literate in(as a language) and learn bestthrough (as medium of instruc-tion) their ‘local language’ ie, thelanguage spoken at home. It isinteresting to note that the com-mittee uses two terms — moth-er tongue and also the language

spoken at the home.” One can citean example that will indicate thefarcical levels of fascination forEnglish medium schools in India,particularly among those whocan afford paying exorbitant feesin privately managed “publicschools.”

A young professor, workingin a national academic institutionin Delhi, sought transfer to hishome-town in Bengaluru tolook after his octogenarian in-laws, who had no other support.The request was accepted andthe family shifted to their homeplace “happily.” Their two kids —10 and 12-year-old — got admis-sion in a public school withoutany difficulty. However, theirgrandparents could communi-cate in Kannada only and thechildren were made monolin-gual, meaning they could speakEnglish only. One had the occa-sion to ask the young parentshow it was beyond comprehen-sion that children were totallyalien to Kannada. The responsewas very truthful and also reveal-ing: “We decided to speak onlyEnglish in our home and fami-ly conversation, even guests wererequested accordingly. All this toensure children acquire greaterfluency in English — it was all fortheir bright future and to maketheir life easier to get a greencard.” If highly educated peopleare so charmed by English medi-um and English language, nonewill be surprised to find themushroom growth of Englishmedium schools in villages andtowns.

The growing fascination for

English as the medium ofinstruction from day oneonwards in schools is not new. Ithas a historic legacy. The lan-guage policy adopted by theBritish in India included everytrick of the trade to wean Indiansaway from their culture and her-itage and language was the firsttool. One cannot ignore howMahatma Gandhi analysed thisfascination very early in his life.

On February 4, 1916,Gandhiji raised the issue of lan-guage and referred to the insighthe had gathered from somePoona (now Pune) professors,who assured him “that everyIndian youth, because hereached his knowledge throughthe English Language, lost atleast six precious years of life.”On July 5, 1928, he made a verytouching statement on the medi-um of instruction, whichdeserves to be re-read and exam-ined in the context of languagelearning and policy formulation.In fact, more than the policy-makers, it is the parents whoshould be aware of the harmbeing inflicted on the childrenby forcing children to learnEnglish at the cost of mothertongue language: “The foreignmedium has caused brain fag;put an undue strain upon thenerves of our children; madethem crammers and imitators;unfitted them for original workand thought; and disabled themfor filtrating their learning to thefamily or the masses. The foreignmedium has made our childrenpractically foreigners in theirown land.”

In his opinion, among themany evils that the British impe-rialists imposed on India and itspeople, the imposition of a for-eign medium was the greatest.He fervently wanted India toshake itself free from the hypnot-ic spell of foreign medium; soon-er the better. Sadly enough thatwas not to be. Practically everycommission and committeeappointed in the post-indepen-dence period accepted andemphasised the importance andnecessity of the mother tonguemedium but things have gonefrom bad to worse. We havereached a stage whenGovernments, having failed tolook after schools properly, haveallowed their credibility to touchthe nadir. The failure to maintainthe mother tongue medium,Government schools are nowbeing covered under the plancalled school merger. Peopleunderstand the real position. Itwill be interesting to see whatemerges on the language frontand the issue of medium ofinstruction in the final nationaleducation policy.

(The writer is the IndianRepresentative on the ExecutiveBoard of UNESCO)

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Sir — The 2019 Cricket WorldCup final was, perhaps, thewildest in cricket history and willbe remembered for all time tocome. This because thereemerged no decisive winner. Inthe first stage, both England andNew Zealand scored an equal of241 run each by the end of 50overs. In the super over, too, bothteams ended up with 15 runs insix balls.

However, it was England,which was crowned as championsby virtue of its overall direct hitto the fence. The country had 26fours to its credit while theBlackcaps had only 17. While itis a memorable maiden victoryfor England, it is not a tellingdefeat for the Kiwis, too. Bothteams played well.

Sravana RamachandranChennai

��Sir — Perhaps the most imagina-tive writer, too, would not dare tocome up with a script as unbeliev-able as the 2019 World Cupcricket final. What a fairy taleending it had?

However, the decision on thewinning team, on account of thenumber of boundaries it hit — 26by England and 17 by NewZealand — acted not only as acruel dampener but also renderedgreat injustice to the valiant dis-play of the unsung Kiwis.

Barring Kane Williamson,Ross Taylor and Trent Boult, there

was hardly any other star in theirline-up. Yet, by virtue of an impec-cable team spirit and fighting atti-tude with cool minds, the Kiwishad succeeded in equalling thestar-studded English in all depart-ments, including the super over inthe latter’s own den, Lords, in thethrilling final. Justice would havebeen adequately served had both

England and New Zealand beendeclared joint winners.

Kajal ChatterjeeKolkata

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Sir — Cricket teams these daysdepend on a handful of batsmen

and bowlers. They are calledupon in all tricky situations andthe selectors, the coach and thecaptain tend to rely a bit too muchon this group. Other players inthe team play as fielders. Lower-order batsmen seldom experiencecrunch situations and are happyto let the top order do all the hardwork and take all the glory.Hence, if the top order collapsesin a given match, then all hope isgenerally lost. India’s loss in thesemi-finals is a pity after winningalmost every game in the leaguestage. The fault lies in the dodgymiddle and lower orders.Expecting predictably good per-formances in Word Cup is foolish.

R NarayananNavi Mumbai

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Sir — With the monsoon playingtruant and cities facing rising pop-ulation, the Government mustlook for a long-term remedy forthe water crisis, failing which theproblem may go out of hand.

AvantikaVia email

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In 1919, Charles (Carlo) Ponzi, a dishwasher fromParma, Italy, who immigrated to the United States(US) in 1903 and worked as a clerk in Boston,

duped the Americans with a scheme that now bearshis name. Ponzi was a financial con artist who didnot invent this eponymous scheme but he lent starpower to one of the oldest scams known to us andpioneered its subtle variation on a huge scale.

India has always been a fertile ground for swin-dles that have bilked mostly low-income householdsof millions of rupees. The financially illiterate areusually the easy picks. Financial illiteracy leads peo-ple to make systematic and costly mistakes.Investors have been periodically gulled by nefari-ous characters into dubious schemes. The poor havenow become wary of investing money even in cred-ible organisations. These mercenary agents use entic-ing traps to net gullible investors like sharks prey-ing on small gold fish in the big bad financial ocean.

Ponzi sponsors are authors of the dreamers’landscape: Get-rich-quick schemes and rags-to -rich-es stories; they have an unerring gift of charmingand beguiling investors, fuelling their avarice. Theruse actually juggles investors’ money and works inthis manner: Perpetrators typically promise gullibleclients moon-stratospheric returns on investments.The scheme relies on a constant stream of newinvestors to fund guaranteed payouts to existingsavers. These schemes can snowball but eventual-ly collapse when the potential pool of new saversruns dry. This happens when the scheme hits thenatural limits of its strategy for recruiting investors.

Ponzi and pyramid schemes: A Ponzi schemeis a classic swindle, similar to a pyramid scheme inthe sense that both are based on using new investors’funds to pay earlier investors. The promoters toutphenomenal returns for investors. One differencebetween the two schemes is that the Ponzi origina-tor gathers funds from new investors and then dis-tributes them. Pyramid schemes, on the other hand,allow each investor to directly benefit in proportionto the number of new investors recruited. Oldermembers are allowed to withdraw money after a cer-tain period of time and receive bonuses for encour-aging new entrants to sign up. In this case, the per-son on the top of the pyramid does not, at any point,have access to all the money in the system. Insteadof investing funds or doing legitimate business, theuncouth Ponzi operator just recycles money, usesthe commitments to pay off earlier investors andtakes a cut for himself. Gullible investors are nor-mally illiterate and do not understand the nuancesof finance. They don’t realise that existing investorsare paid money not from genuine business profit.They believe that their funds are a sound and legit-imate business.

The scam establishes a façade of credibility bypaying the promised returns to early-stage backers,as long as new savers keep adding to the fold. Theliabilities actually exceed assets and the firm is per-manently insolvent. The scheme moves seamless-ly, delivering steady returns and without raising afaintest hint of suspicion, until a point when it is nolonger able to attract new investors. The promot-ers even pay the fanciful returns, perhaps even high-er than the promised dividend, out of their person-al funds, thus confirming the promoter’s credibil-ity. They plough ahead until the whole structure col-lapses like a house of cards when the flow of freshmoney dwindles and the perpetrator can’t honourthe redemptions because the outflow of cash

exceeds the inflow. Savings disappear, debts mount and

the scammer goes slowly under. He triesto siphon off as much of the money as hecan before the scheme fails and those atthe bottom end up losing all the money.The crucial piece in the puzzle is theincompetence of regulators and watch-dogs, who either know about these scamsand do nothing, or completely overlookit on account of powerful promoters, whohave political links. Such schemes thrivein an opaque policy environment.

We live in a difficult financial worldwhere millions of financially illiterate, andsome surprisingly literate, are beingconned by dangerous money games thathave generated increasingly massive bub-bles of fake growth and Ponzi prosperitywhile endangering precious hard-earnedsavings, jobs and futures of virtually every-one outside the financial industry.“Voodoo banking” continues to generatemassive phony profits. These episodescontinue to cause a significant loss of con-sumer trust and confidence. Our marketstructure puts the onus of reliability on the“buyer”, who is expected to be fully awareof the implications of his/her decision. Itis presumed that information available inthe market will empower them, who willsort through various options that compet-ing businesses offer and make a decisionthat maximises the economic utility.

This model, where the responsibili-ty sits on the consumers for choosing theright product, is based on the twin pillarsof full disclosure by firms and of literateconsumers, who are considered capableof decoding these disclosures.

Financial literacy is an antidote toscams: While we should make a case forstrong regulations to protect consumersagainst unscrupulous firms, we mustremember that good financial literacy

among citizens is the most effective anti-dote against these moral abuses. To bluntthe potential for risk, it’s more importantthan ever to arm customers with skills theyneed to responsibly borrow to get a busi-ness idea off the ground or to acquire anasset like a house, save and insure to stayresilient through the life’s worst momentswithout being pushed deeper into debt.They can then keep distance fromunscrupulous and dubious investmentschemes that have lacerated the financiallives of multitudes. Stories commonlyabound of people having been stripped ofevery rupee they earned by the time theyrealised that they’d been conned. Financialadvisors and counsellors must be able tospot early, and sometimes subtle, signals.

Since low-income communities facemultiple risks, small businesses need to beinsured to prevent their slide back intopoverty. Micro-insurance softens theimpact of economic shocks, which fre-quent within this segment. Offeringmicro-credit without micro-insurance isself-defeating; it must be an integralcomponent of financial inclusion whenoffered in conjunction with micro savings.Micro-insurance can keep this segmentaway from the poverty trap. Offeringmicrocredit without micro-insurance isfraught with risk. Therefore the need isto emphasise the linking of microcreditwith micro-insurance. It will also enhancethe sustainability of micro-insurance as itis not viable as a standalone product.

Many micro-entrepreneurs still pre-fer other informal sources of finance, likethe moneylenders because of their flexi-ble methods of repayment. If they are pre-pared to pawn their jewels, local informallenders will advance at high interest. The(interest) rate may be sky-high, but onecan pay back whenever he/she has themoney. It’s less stressful and one can invest

all the loans without keeping anything forinitial instalments. Many of these borrow-ers are moving to other sources for theirfinancial needs after experiencing toomany close calls when they find them-selves short of money to make their micro-finance repayment. Robust consumer pro-tection rules are critical to safeguard peo-ple from fraud and abuse and the perva-sive menace of illegal money pooling bycompanies. This is especially importantfor women and low-income people, whoare most likely to be financially inexpe-rienced. This also underscores the impor-tance of targetted financial literacy andcapability training and embracing oppor-tunities to use new technologies toexpand access to formal financial services.

We need an overhaul of the customerprotection regime. The new regime mustbe one that can hold all entities to a com-mon standard of institutional conduct inhow they deal with the individual cus-tomer, including how they sell products.A misalignment of incentives between theprovider and the customer leaves the cus-tomer worse-off. Therefore, we need toenforce a system that keeps the customer’sinterests above everything else. The goodnews is that there are now several chan-nels of information and resources to helpthe public build financial stability. To safe-guard the hard-earned money of investorsand curb the pervasive menace of illegalmoney pooling by companies, the ReserveBank of India has set up a portal —sachet.rbi.org.in — to enable the public toobtain information about registered enti-ties, who accept deposits, get informationregarding illegal acceptance of depositsand lodge complaints. The portal alsofacilitates filing and tracking of complaints.

(The writer is Member, NITI Aayog’sNational Committee on Financial Literacyand Inclusion for Women)

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With India emerging as aleading digital economy,driven by information

technology, infrastructure and ser-vices, a range of new opportunitiesis being created for entrepreneurshipdevelopment across various sectors.Rural and semi-urban communitiesare being connected with servicesand opportunities through digitaland financial inclusion.

This is being made tangiblethrough the Digital India movement.“Digital India” is the flagship pro-gramme of the Government to trans-form the country into a digitallyempowered society and a leadingknowledge economy. The aim is tobride the digital divide and ensure

that the advantages of informationand communication technology areharnessed so as to empower the cit-izens. The true potential of these rev-olutionary steps is being harnessedby promoting rural entrepreneurshipbased on digital infrastructure andservices to provide relevant andsustainable options of livelihood inrural areas.

In the present context, it is rel-evant to provide opportunity topeople in rural areas for gainfulemployment. It is here that digitalIndia has opened new avenues forthem. The Common ServicesCentres (CSC), under the Ministryof Electronics and InformationTechnology, are playing an importantrole as they have emerged as the har-binger of rural entrepreneurship,which is an integral part of theGovernment’s Digital India pro-gramme.

CSCs are internet-enabled accesspoints that deliver various electron-ic services through a pan-India net-work, catering to regional, geo-graphic, linguistic and cultural diver-sity, thus fulfilling the Government’s

mandate of a socially, financially anddigitally inclusive society. The abil-ity of CSCs, which avoids directinteraction of the citizens with theGovernment offices, ensures trans-parency, accountability and efficien-cy in the delivery of services througha reduced turnaround time.

In 2015, under the Digital Indiaprogramme, the Governmentapproved the CSC 2.0 scheme withan aim to create “one CSC, one grampanchayat” in order to cover all the2.50 lakh gram panchayats, thus aim-ing at establishing a self-sustainingnetwork at the gram panchayat levelunder digital India and deliver var-ious citizen centric services. It placesgreat stress on sustainability of thescheme as well as providing access tothe rural population.

Today, CSCs are playing therole of a catalyst in extending accessto technology and services for citi-zens, especially in rural areas and inthe process, paving grassroot pene-tration of digital services and, hence,fostering participation in gover-nance. The objective of the CSCscheme is to provide non-discrimi-

natory access to e-services to ruralcitizens by making it a complete ser-vice delivery centre, by creating thephysical service delivery infrastruc-ture and utilising the back-end infra-structure already created in terms ofother MMPs. The CSC 2.0 is envis-aged as transaction-based and servicedelivery-based model, delivering alarge bouquet of e-services througha single delivery technological plat-form, which would increase the sus-tainability of the CSCs across thecountry.

The role of CSC e-GovernanceServices India Limited (CSC SPV),a special purpose vehicle set up bythe Ministry of Electronics andInformation Technology to overseethe implementation of the CSCscheme, is engaged by theGovernment as the overall imple-menting agency for the success ofthe CSC 2.0 scheme. The body con-stantly engages with variousGovernment departments, businessestablishments, banks, insurancecompanies and educational institu-tions to augment the range of ser-vices that can be provided through

CSCs and thereby ensure their sus-tainability. As on today, there arearound 3,65,918 functional CSCs inIndia, of which 2,65,398 cover thegram panchayats.

These bodies are run by individ-uals called the Village LevelEntrepreneurs (VLEs), who are co-opted into the ecosystem from thecommunity they serve. Currently,around 28 Central Governmentservices are offered to the citizensthrough the CSC network that usesthe centralised Digital Seva Portal.State G2C services, ranging from 10to 400 in various States, are alsodelivered through CSCs in collab-oration with various StateGovernments and other depart-ments.

In a rough estimate today,around 12 lakh people have beenprovided direct or indirect employ-ment through their engagementwith CSC across the country. Despiterapid urbanisation, more than 66 percent of our population still resides inrural areas. Hence, providing liveli-hood opportunities is crucial for thisvast segment of the population. The

launching of developing entrepre-neurship capabilities in rural areas byenabling the CSCs to implement var-ious important programmes is a par-adigm shift in the approach of bridg-ing the digital divide.

This initiative is expected toignite rural development and reducemigration of the young generation tocities. As India continues to grow asa digital economy, the rural commu-nities need avenues and employmentopportunities that are based on thedigital infrastructure. Gradually, theCSCs are being positioned as changeagents, promoting rural entrepre-neurship and building rural capac-ities and livelihoods.

The CSCs provide a successmodel for creating rural entrepre-neurship that leverages new-ageopportunities through a sound busi-ness and social development serviceframework. This approach has a nat-ural call for continuation in the yearsto come to meet citizens’ expecta-tions and the Government’s vision ofdelivery of services at their doorstep.

(The writer is CEO, CommonServices Centre)

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Crisis-hit IL&FS Monday said it has entered intoan agreement with secured lenders of three

group entities, that have a debt burden of �5,071crore, as part of resolution process.

Binding term sheet has been signed withsecured lenders of three entities — MoradabadBareilly Expressway Ltd, Jharkhand Road Projectsand West Gujarat Expressway Ltd.

This move is in line with the current manage-ment’s efforts to monetise assets and would also helpin repaying debt to mutual funds.

“Total debt across these three entities is approx-imately �5,071 crore — �3,242 crore from securedlenders and �1,829 crore from unsecured lenders,”a release said.

The revised proposal involves certain conces-sions and modification of terms of financial debtavailed by these entities from lenders.

The release of cash flow from existing accountswill be used for servicing financial and operationalcreditors, reduction in debt service coverage ratiorequirement; utilisation of surplus cash and prefer-ence to secured lenders over unsecured lenders incase of a shortfall, it added.

The major secured lenders of MoradabadBareilly Expressway Ltd include India Infra Debt Ltd,L&T Infrastructure Finance Company, L&T Finance,L&T Infra Debt Fund, Bank of Baroda and Bank ofIndia. The overall debt is around �1,567 crore.

Jharkhand Road Project is undertaking devel-opments of five projects. India Infra Debt Ltd, L&TInfra Debt Fund, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund,Aditya Birla Health Insurance and Capital AssetFund are among the major secured lenders. Theaggregate debt is around �1,545 crore.

According to the release, West GujaratExpressway has been awarded road project in Gujaratand its major secured lenders include L&TInfrastructure Finance Company and L&T InfraDebt Fund with debt of about �129 crore.

With the term sheet, the three entities have beenmoved from amber to green category.

As part of the resolution efforts, the group com-panies have been classified into three categories,mainly based on their financial positions — green,amber and red.

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The counsel for the family of ex-IL&FS Financial Services head

Ramesh Chandra Bawa’s wife Asha Kiranand daughter Akansha Monday movedNCLT seeking to defreeze their bankaccounts as neither the SFIO report northe charge-sheet name them in the case.

However, the counsel for the corpo-rate affairs ministry, which want toextend the freeze on their accounts,argued that the petitioners are the bene-ficiaries of �12 crore of funds fromBawa’s frozen banks accounts, as per thefindings of the SFIO probe, which has alsofound that the duo had accessed theblocked-lockers of Bawa three-four timesafter the NCLT ordered their freezing lastDecember and thus are in contempt of thetribunal.

“There is no mention of Asha Kiranand Akansha in the charge-sheet and thuskeeping their accounts frozen cannot bejustified,” their counsel argued.

He further said the Serious FraudInvestigation Office (SFIO) has notcharged Asha Kiran and Akansha yet andthus have no allegations against them.

“Except for transfer of money, thereis no other allegations or charges againstthem,” he said, adding, “Asha has beenoperating the lockers even after theNCLT freeze as there the tribunal did notdirect the Indian Banks Association onfreezing the lockers.”

He also said his clients are ready toreturn the �4.81 crore transferred to theiraccounts.

Hearing both the sides, NCLTreserved its order without mentioning thedate for next hearing.

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China’s growth has slumpedto 6.2 per cent in the sec-

ond quarter of this year, its low-est level in nearly three decades,the Government said Monday,as the world’s second largesteconomy feels the pinch of abruising trade war with the USand weak global demand.

The Gross DomesticProduct (GDP) growth slidfrom 6.4 per cent in the firstquarter of 2019, according togovernment data released onMonday.

While the slowdown to 6.2per cent is a 27-year low, it raisedconcerns as the once resilientChinese economy did not dipbelow 6.4 per cent even duringthe 2009 world economic crisisduring which the largely exportdependent country came underheavy pressure due to the steadyfall in its foreign trade.

China’s GDP expanded 6.3per cent year-on-year in thefirst half of 2019 to about45.09 trillion yuan (about $6.56trillion), according to datareleased by China’s NationalBureau of Statistics (NBS).

The growth, however, wasin line with the Government’sannual target range of 6.0-6.5per cent for the whole year,down from the 6.6 per centgrowth China put up in 2018.

A breakdown of the datashowed output of the servicesector, which accounted for 54.9per cent of the total GDP, roseseven per cent in the first half of

the year, outpacing a three percent increase in the primaryindustry and a 5.8-per cent risein the secondary industry.

Consumption appeared toplay a bigger role in drivingeconomic growth as it con-tributed 60.1 per cent to theeconomic expansion in theJanuary-June period, whichofficials consider encouraging.But the concerns remain asChina’s imports declined by 7.3per cent in June. Since 2009,China has been trying hard torejig its export dependent econ-omy to the one more depen-dent on domestic consumptionto halt the slowdown.

“The economic data is stillfacing downturn pressure (inthe second half of the year).While there are also manypositive factors, the marketvitality is gradually being stim-ulated,” NBS spokesman MaoShengyong told the mediawhile releasing the data.

The economic perfor-mance was generally stableand remained within a rea-sonable range, with progressbeing made in certain areas, hesaid. In the first half of the year,7.73 million new jobs were cre-ated in urban areas, completing67 per cent of the annual tar-get, the data said.

At the end of the secondquarter, the total number ofrural migrant workers stood at182.48 million, an increase of2.26 million over the sameperiod last year, up 1.3 per centyear-on-year.

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The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) on Monday said it

has imposed a penalty of Rs10 lakh on Union Bank ofIndia for non-compliancewith the directions on cybersecurity framework.

The penalty was imposedon July 9, 2019, according toan RBI release.

“This action (impositionof penalty) is based on defi-ciencies in regulatory com-pliance and is not intended topronounce upon the validityof any transaction or agree-ment entered into by thebank with its customers,” itadded.

Giving background of thecase, the RBI said that basedon reports of generation ofseven fraudulent messages ofa total value of $171 millionthrough SWIFT system ofthe bank in 2016, an exami-nation of its cyber securityframework was carried outwhich revealed several defi-ciencies.

Based on the findings, anotice was issued to the state-owned bank advising it toshow cause as to why penal-ty should not be imposed onit for non-compliance withthe extant directions.

After considering thereplies received from thebank, and submissions madeduring the personal hearing,the RBI decided to imposethe penalty, the central banksaid.

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New Delhi: Aimed at leveraging Bharat HeavyElectricals Limited (BHEL)’s strategic locationand Container Corporation of India Limited(CONCOR)’s expertise in logistics, the two com-panies have signed an agreement to form a JointWorking Group (JWG) named BHELCON, forjointly setting up a Rail-based Logistics Terminalat Haridwar. Significantly, with this, BHEL ismaking a strategic entry into a new growth area.This terminal will further be developed into amulti-modal-logistics-facility.

In addition to meeting BHEL’s own require-ments, the terminal will also cater to the largenumber of industries located in the neighbour-ing SIIDCUL as well as other industrial clustersin the vicinity of the terminal. These industriesstand to benefit immensely as the cost of railtransportation is significantly cheaper thantransportation by road. Moreover, BHEL’sHaridwar plant is in close proximity to both theupcoming Eastern and Western DedicatedFreight Corridors and advantageously placed totake benefit of these corridors in future. PNS

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New Delhi: Wholesale price-based inflationdeclined for the second consecutive month toits 23-month low of 2.02 per cent in June, helpedby decline in prices of vegetables as well as fueland power items, according to official datareleased Monday.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-basedinflation was at 2.45 per cent in May. It was 5.68per cent in June 2018.

Inflation in food articles basket easedmarginally to 6.98 per cent in June, from 6.99per cent in May.

Vegetable inflation softened to 24.76 percent in June, down from 33.15 per cent in theprevious month. Inflation in potato was (-)24.27 per cent, against (-) 23.36 per cent in May.

However, onion prices continued the ris-ing trend with inflation at 16.63 per cent dur-ing the month, as against 15.89 per cent in May.

WPI inflation in June is the lowest in 23months, since July 2017, when it was at 1.88 percent.

Inflation in ‘fuel and power’ categorycooled substantially to (-)2.20 per cent, from0.98 per cent last month. Manufactured itemstoo saw decline in prices with inflation at 0.94per cent in June, against 1.28 per cent in May.

WPI inflation data for April has beenrevised upwards to 3.24 per cent from provi-sional 3.07 per cent.

Data released earlier this week showed thatretail inflation spiked to a six-month high of3.18 pc in June, on costlier food items. PTI

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We are obsessed with reaching any place in the fastest waypossible. It doesn’t matter if we’re carrying jam-packed

bags, standing or sitting in uncomfortable positions for longhours or utilising roads which are uneven. A combination ofthese aspects can cause serious impact — muscle spasm, slippeddisc, back and neck pain among other problems.

There are several things one should keep in mind when trav-elling by different modes of transport:

�When using a two-wheeler: A two-wheeler does not haveany back support. This makes the passenger’s back an easy tar-get for losing the correct posture. Additionally, carrying heavyloads when using a two-wheeler, can be dangerous. Especiallyfor those who live a sedentary lifestyle, their back and spine mus-cles are not strong enough to carry the load for long hours. Thiscauses aches and pains.

Tip: One should choose a two-wheeler which distributes theweight between their wrists and their back. Avoid carrying anyheavy load so as to evade leaning forward which leads to imbal-ance.

�When using a car: Traveling in a car for more than 30 min-utes can stress your back. This is because when we are driving,we tend to lean forward. At this point we do not make use ofthe backand the head rest.

Tip: A lumbar support is necessary when travelling by car.Adjust your seat in such a way that your spine is aligned against

the back rest and the middle ofyour head is supported by theheadrest.

�When traveling by trainor flight: Our normal posture isS shaped. When sitting in thesame position for long durationin the train or the plane makespeople lean forward and bendtheir back to form a C shape cur-vature. This also restricts bloodflow, as well as restrains andcauses pain in the tissues.

Tip: Get up and move every20 to 30 minutes. This willstimulate the blood flow andsupplies- sending essential nutri-ents and oxygen to the lowerback. Moving for ten seconds inyour seat is still better than nomovement at all.

Additional measures whilecommuting to avoid strain onyour back:

�Travel light: Overloading your bag will put a lot of pres-sure on you neck, shoulders and back. It will aggravate the strainin your muscles and joints. It is advisable to carry only those thingsthat you absolutely require. In unavoidable scenarios, instead ofstuffing one big bag, utilise several smaller bags so that the weightgets distributed.

�Avoid bad roads: No matter how consciously you havealigned your back to the back rest or the middle of your headto the headrest in a car, if the road consists of potholes and bumps-it will strain and intensify your back problems.

�Caution when travelling by public transport: A sudden,even a half second, push to someone or by someone can havelong-lasting effects. The sudden jerk will come as a surprise toyour back muscles. Be mindful of other travelers when using thebus, train or metro.

�Support your feet: The position of our feet determines theposture of our lower back. This means that if your feet are in anuncomfortable position while sitting- hanging off, it will affectour lower back posture. The correct way to sit is with your kneesat right angle and your feet firmly on the ground. In such a sce-nario use a foot rest to support your feet for long drives.

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�� A plum is a round reddish fruit which is sweet andsour in taste. It is a great source of potassium and is also

rich in antioxidants, protecting the body against cell-damaging free radicals. Plumsare also low in calories andhence will notincrease yourblood sugar levels.The antioxidantsfights the freeradicals,preventing heartdiseases and strokescares.

Plums contain isatinand sorbitol, which helprelieve constipation and improve digestion. It also keeps the bowelhealthy. Consuming plum firms your skin and clears your skintexture. The fruit reduces wrinkles and rejuvenates your skin.Drink plum juice for younger looking skin.

Eating plums will keep cold and flu at bay by improving yourimmunity. The fruit boosts your immunity and promotes devel-opment of healthy tissues. The fruit is good for summers as wellbecause of its hydrating nature.

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Doctors at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitalssaved the life of a three weeks old baby

girl Inaya from a rare heart conditionknown as Anomalous left coronary arteryfrom the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA).Inaya presented with complaints of respi-ratory distress with excessive sweatingand fast breathing with difficulty. When shewas brought to the emergency, she suffereda heart attack.

Dr Muthu Jothi, Sr Consultant,

Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon,Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said: “Themiracle happened when the team of doc-tors treating Inaya managed to resuscitatethe baby by massaging her heart. Intensivecare doctors were called and together theygot the heart beating again within 40 min-utes. Despite being without any cardiacfunction for 30-40 minutes, the child didnot suffer from any perceptible braindamage.”

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Depression andother mentalhealth problems

can spread through socialnetworks, up to “threedegrees of separation” of a friend or afriend of a friend, warn recent studies.

Addiction to social media technolo-gy can have a negative effect on social con-nections. The accompanying loneliness ispartly a consequence of replacing face-to-face interaction with a form of communi-cation where body language and other sig-nals cannot be interpreted.

Having access to so many differentstreams of information through gadgetshas been found to decrease the brain’s greymatter density, which is responsible forcognition and emotional control. In thisdigital era, the key to good health shouldbe moderation i.e. moderate use of tech-nology. Most of us have become slaves todevices that were really meant to free usand give us more time to experience lifeand be with people. And we are leadingour children in the same path as well.

Tips from Heart Care Foundation ofIndia

�Don’t use any electronic gadgets 30minutes before sleep.

�Take a Facebook holiday for 7 daysevery three months. Avoid use of socialmedia once in a week for the entire day.

�Use your mobile phone only whenmobile. Do not use computer for morethan three hours in a day.

�Limit your mobile talk time to notmore than two hours in a day.

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We all look forward tothe rainy days.Sipping tea and eating

pakoras on a lazy Sunday is theperfect way to enjoy the down-pour. Unfortunately, mostof us have to step outfor work and thatmeans skins prob-lems; fungalinfection, itchyand red skin arecommon prob-lems. Here are afew things thatone can do to treatit at home.

We all know theimportance of neem. Boil ahandful of neem leaves forabout 10 minutes. Add this toa bucket of water and take abath with it to cure skin prob-lems. The antimicrobial prop-erties of the leaves will removeimpurities. Do this till theinfection is cured.

One can use aloe vera aswell since it has medicinalproperties and can cure manyskin problems. Apply somefresh aloe vera gel on the affect-

ed area and leave it forhalf an hour. Wash it

with cold water.Apple cider

vinegar is anageold cure toall your skinallergies. Diluteit with water.

Then apply gen-tly with cotton

ball on the affectedpart.

A painful fungal infection— Athlete’s foot — is caused byill-fitting and wet shoes. Oneshould not wear plastic, leatheror canvas shoes. Try wearingfootwear where your feet canbreathe. Wear washed cottonsocks and keep feet clean anddry.

While rains bring much neededrelief from the scorching heat, the

season comes with its woes.Fungal infection, red and itchy

skin are a few of them.ROSHANI DEVI shares home

remedies to treat these

The AIIMS Centre for DentalEducation and Research will under-

take the largest nationwide oral healthsurvey this year in collaboration with theMinistry of Health to collect data thatwould act as a baseline for plan-ning preventive and treatmentstrategies.

An expert committeecomprising dentists repre-senting various oral healthspecialities and health ministryofficials met at the AIIMS to dis-cuss sampling strategies, planningand timelines of the survey.

“The burden of oral diseases in Indiais enormous. The impact of oral diseasesis irreversible when neglected. Pain dueto decay leads to loss of school hoursamong children and severely impacts thequality of life. Lack of proper oral hygieneleads to severe gum diseases which is thebiggest cause of tooth loss in India,” Dr

OP Kharbanda, the Chief of Centre forDental Education and Research (CDER),AIIMS said.

The survey aims to record specific,representative data on the most preva-

lent dental diseases in the countrylike dental decay, gum diseases,dentofacial deformities, can-cerous lesions, dental fluorosisand dental trauma among oth-ers.

The plan is to ensure trainedand calibrated oral health work-

force examine the teeth followingprotocols in coherence with global guide-lines to bring out an authentic data bankthat acts as a baseline to plan preventiveand treatment strategies, Dr Kharbandasaid.

Scientifically validated guidelineshave been formulated for sampling,examination and recording of data byexperts. PTI

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As a parent, it can be unnerving to learn thatyour child has asthma. You need to know

that the condition is very common and that it’smanageable. Your child can surely be able tosleep well at night and play any sports they want,but it needs work.

To make asthma easier on you and to be ableto create a normal lifestyle for your child, youcan:�Schedule regular doctor’s appointments

Your child’s healthcare provider can help youwith a treatment plan and can reevaluate it ateach visit. You can proactively ask for tips aroundusing an inhaler, figuring out whether a certaindiet is working or any questions around expo-sure to pollution and dust.

Ensure that you schedule a new appointmentoutside of the regular check-up schedule if youhave any concerns around the treatment notworking, but be patient and don’t get paranoidas that may stress the children out as well.�Create an action plan

Work with the doctor to create a plan formanaging the regular symptoms and for han-dling all kinds of possible emergencies. If thereare other members in the family, train them totake responsibility and proactive action if theyare with the child. Keep a copy of the emergencyplan with you, and give one each to your fam-ily members, also to your child’s school dispen-sary or nurse. Check whether the school allowsfor keeping medicine in backpacks.�Make your child learn how to take medica-tion when necessary

Your child’s treatment may involve consum-ing a pill or using a device such as an inhaleror nebuliser. To maximise their effectiveness,your child will need to learn how to use any ofthese, as per the condition or situation at hand.Talk with your doctor and teach your child.�Beat the flu

Be prepared for the changing season and forbacteria in the air. If your child has asthma andcomes down with a virus, it could lead to moredifficulty in breathing. An influenza vaccine canreduce your child’s risk of getting sick, and youcan get one vaccination ideally every autumn,after consulting your healthcare provider.�Avoid exposure to allergens

Allergens like certain foods, pollen or graincan give your child breathing trouble. Observeif any of these cause any difficulty in breathingfor your child, and consult your doctor for best-possible medication.

Precaution is the best form of care. If youare prepared with medication and know whenand how to use it, you will be fine. Stay alert andcognizant, but learn not to panic.

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M A N A G EYOUR BREATHING

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Hypertension, also known ashigh blood pressure is theresult of force exerted by the

blood against the artery walls.When there is too much force ofblood on the walls of the blood ves-sels, it leads to hypertension. Severehealth complications and anincrease in risk of heart diseases,stroke may arise in people withhypertension. Stress is one of theacute causes of an elevated bloodpressure level, however there canalso be several underlying causes

including kidney diseases and med-ication. Consumption of excesssalt in food plays a vital role in anincreased number of cases of hyper-tension worldwide.

According to the MedicalGuidelines, normal blood pres-sure is 120 over 80 mm of Hg.When it exceeds and reaches130/80 mm Hg, it is considered tobe high blood pressure or hyperten-sion.

Symptoms of hypertensionoften go unnoticed. For this reason,

it is also known as a silent killer.Pain in the back of head and neckis one of the initial symptoms ofhypertension. If left untreated,these symptoms may end up caus-ing coronary heart diseases anddamage to internal organs. Oneneeds to stay aware of the symp-toms to notice them right at thebeginning.

�Stress�Headache�Difficulty in breathing�Chest pain

�Blurred vision�Blood in urine�Dizziness�Tiredness and lethargy�Nose bleeding�Insomnia�Increasing heart beatIf you experience any of the list-

ed symptoms, it is best to seek med-ical assistance.

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�Myth 1: Hypertension isnot a big deal �Fact: This is a misconcep-tion. If you have hypertensionyou may face health relatedproblems. High blood pressurecan damage your vessels, heart,kidney and other parts of thebody. The most shocking thingis that you will not even knowthat you have hypertension.This is why hypertension iscalled silent killer because atthe beginning you cannot seeany symptoms but suddenlyyou can have a heart attack orstroke. One should alwaysremember that uncontrolledhypertension can be a bighealth concern. �Myth 2: No prevention forhypertension �Fact: Most of the time thereis no cure for hypertension butit can be prevented or con-trolled by following a healthyand active lifestyle. There arefew steps which can help toprevent hypertension and leadto healthy life. �Maintaining weight and con-trolling it at a healthy level�Regular exercise at least 30minutes five days a week �Eat good foods which shouldbe high in nutrients and low infat and reduce intake of salt�Say no to smoking anddrinking. �Myth 3: Impossible to man-age inherited hypertension �Fact: If you inherit hyperten-sion you cannot change your

genes you get from your par-ents, but there is lots you cando about it. Hypertension canbe managed by bringing inmoderate changes in yourlifestyle and good habits.Doing regular exercise for atleast 5 days in a week, eatinghealthy foods like low saltdiet, vegetables, maintaining ahealthy weight, avoid drinkingalcohol and smoking. �Myth 4: Stop medication ifyour blood pressure bringsdown. �Fact: Medicine of hyper-tension leaves a prolongedprofound impact at cell level,if someone abruptly stops tak-ing pills the blood pressure canremain controlled for fewweeks. Gradually over weeks tomonths this blood pressure

again raises its head and sinceits symptoms are silent it candamage vital organs like heart,brain and kidney withoutmaking any noise. So skippingor stopping the medicine leadsto irreversible damage toorgans (kidney, heart andbrain). �Myth 5: Hypertension isconcern for only 40 abovepeople�Fact: This is a major miscon-ception among the people thathigh blood pressure onlyimpacts those above 40 andhypertension does not devel-op in young age. But the truefact is that happen to anyoneat any time. In fact, nearly onein five young adults havehypertension. More impor-tantly people getting moreblood pressure at extremes ofages.�Myth 6: Wine is good forheart and can take high quan-tity of wine�Fact: This is again a myth,earlier small doses of red winewas shown to have some car-diac preventive effects. Newresearch forbids alcohol inany form. Even small amountsof wine can lead to heavierdamage and complicationslike heart failure, strokes andmany others.

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�Garlic: For high BP,garlic proves to be verybeneficial. The sulphurcontaining compoundsin garlic such as allicin,diallyl disulphide anddiallyl trisulfide areproved to be beneficial forlowering blood pressure.�Beetroot: Beetroot isone of the vegetables which are loaded with antiox-idants and phytochemical that gives your body ahealth boost that works towards an enhancedimmunity. It is an absolute power veggie. It con-tains a lot of health benefits. One of them is it helpsmanaging blood pressure levels. The presence ofphytochemical and antioxidants can even help inmanaging conditions like hypertension and certainother diseases. A glass of beetroot juice regularlygoes a long way to significantly reduce blood pres-sure in people with hypertension.�Pomegranate: Pomegranates have long beenassociated to managing blood pressure. It has anumber of beneficial properties such as powerfulantioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.Drinking pomegranate juice works wonder inreduction in BP and lowers the level of unsaturat-ed fats.�Foods with magnesium: According to somerecent researches, magnesium may help people withhigh BP. Magnesium is found in abundance in ourbody. It is naturally available in foods containingdietary fibre, dietary supplements. Foods like greenleafy vegetables, such as spinach, legumes, nuts,seeds, and whole grains are sources of magnesium. �Foods with potassium: It is important for mus-cle function, including relaxing the walls of theblood vessels. It protects against muscle crampingand lowers BP. Foods like prunes, apricots, sweetpotatoes, and lima beans are natural source.��-�4��%�'��!��(� +��$� �� @

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Iran’s atomic energy agencysaid on Monday it could

reverse its nuclear programmeto its status before curbs wereimposed under a landmark2015 agreement with worldpowers.

“If the Europeans and theAmericans don’t want to carryout their duties... We willdecrease our commitmentsand... Reverse the conditions tofour years ago,” agencyspokesman BehrouzKamalvandi said, quoted byIRNA state news agency.

“These actions are not outof obstinacy. It is to give diplo-

macy a chance so that theother side come to their sens-es and carry out their duties,”he added.

The deal promised eco-nomic benefits and sanctionsrelief to Iran, but US PresidentDonald Trump withdrew fromthe accord in May 2018 andreimposed tough punitive mea-sures against the Islamic repub-lic.

Angered that its belea-guered economy is not receiv-ing sanctions relief it believesit was promised under thedeal, Iran has intensified sen-sitive uranium enrichmentwork.

European foreign ministers

were meeting in Brussels onMonday for crisis talks on thedeal.

On Sunday, the Europeanparties to the deal — Britain,France and Germany — calledfor dialogue as tensions furtherintensified between Iran andthe United States.

In a statement, the so-called E3 expressed concernthe deal was at risk of furtherunravelling but said it was upto Iran to ensure its survival.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to leave the dealunless the remaining parties tothe agreement bypass US sanc-tions and deliver the promisedbenefits.

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European foreign ministersmet on Monday for crisis

talks on the Iran nuclear deal,as Britain warned the “smallwindow” to save the accord wasclosing, with Tehran breachingthe agreement.

Tensions in the Gulf havesoared since the United Stateslast year pulled out of the 2015deal and reimposed sanctionson Iran, hammering its econ-omy and prompting Tehran tobreak limits on uraniumenrichment and stockpiling.

The European Union isdesperately trying to preventthe deal unravelling complete-ly, seeing it as the best way tostop Tehran acquiring atomicweapons, and the issue was top

of the agenda as ministersfrom the bloc met in Brussels.

British Foreign SecretaryJeremy Hunt -- who heldphone talks with his US andIranian counterparts over theweekend -- insisted “the dealisn’t dead yet”.

“Iran is still a good yearaway from developing a nuclearweapon. We think there is stillsome closing but small windowto keep the deal alive,” Hunttold reporters.

Britain, France andGermany — the threeEuropean parties to the deal —on Sunday issued a joint state-ment saying they were“extremely concerned” by Iran’srecent breaches as well as by USsanctions They called for dia-logue to resolve the crisis.

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At least 11 civilians werekilled and dozens more

wounded Monday after theirvehicle hit a bomb in southernAfghanistan that officials toldAFP had been planted by theTaliban.

The deaths come just oneweek after Taliban and Afghanofficials unveiled a “roadmap forpeace” in which they pledged toeliminate civilian casualties.

Monday’s incident occurredaround 2:00 pm (0930 GMT)when a vehicle carrying manypassengers hit a roadside bombplanted by the Taliban, provin-cial police chief Tadin Khansaid. It was not immediatelyclear if the victims had beentravelling in a bus or in the back

of a large truck. “In the blast, 11people were martyred and 34others were wounded. Womenand children are among the vic-tims,” Khan said.

Afghan military spokesmanAhmad Sadiq Esa confirmedthe toll, while Kandahar gover-nor Hayatullah Hayat said 13were killed. No group claimedimmediate responsibility. TheTaliban did not immediatelycomment.

Kandahar is considered thebirthplace of the Taliban, whostill control some parts of theprovince.

Insurgents often use roadside bombs and landminesto target Afghan security forces — but the lethal weaponsalso inflict heavy casualties oncivilians.

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Outgoing British Prime MinisterTheresa May on Monday con-

demned US President Donald Trump’stweets telling progressive Democratcongresswomen to “go back” where theycame from as “completely unacceptable”.

“Her view is that the languagewhich was used to refer to the womenwas completely unacceptable,” May’sspokesman told reporters.

Trump and May have endured arocky relationship, which took a turn forthe worse last week following the leakof diplomatic British cables highly crit-ical of his presidency.

Angered by May’s support for herambassador, Trump assailed the primeminister over her handling of fraughtBrexit negotiations, and welcomed herimpending departure from office.

“What a mess she and her repre-sentatives have created,” Trump fumedin a series of tweets.

“I told her how it should be done,but she decided to go another way.”

“The good news for the wonderfulUnited Kingdom is that they will soonhave a new Prime Minister,” he wrote.

Boris Johnson is the heavy favouriteto replace May as prime minister, andhas spoken out in support of the USpresident, with both men enthusiastic

backers of Brexit.Johnson wants to visit Trump

immediately he becomes prime minis-ter to try to negotiate a post-Brexit tradedeal, according to the Times on Monday.

But May’s comments will now raisethe pressure on him to condemn thepresident’s comments.

Trump accused congresswomenwho “originally came from countrieswhose governments are a completeand total catastrophe” of “viciouslytelling the people of the United States,the greatest and most powerful Nationon earth, how our government is to berun.”

“Why don’t they go back and helpfix the totally broken and crime infest-ed places from which they came. Thencome back and show us how it is done,”Trump wrote.

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India has not been excludedfrom the efforts to bring

peace in Afghanistan, Chinasaid on Monday, days after ithosted a key meeting with theUS, Russia and Pakistan onfacilitating peace process in thewar-torn country.

Representatives of China,Russia, and the US held their3rd consultation on the Afghanpeace process in Beijing on July10-11 following which theyalso requested Pakistan to joinfor a surprise quadrilateralmeeting.

“China, Russia, and theUnited States welcomedPakistan joining the consulta-tion and believe that Pakistancan play an important role infacilitating peace inAfghanistan”, a joint statementissued at the end of the meet-ing said.

US special envoy forAfghanistan reconciliationZalmay Khalilzad, who is cur-rently holding talks with theTaliban to work out an agree-ment for withdrawal of the UStroops and participation of therebel group in the AfghanGovernment, attended themeeting.

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Mumbai terror attack mas-termind and JuD chief

Hafiz Saeed and his three aideswere granted pre-arrest bail onMonday by an anti-terrorismcourt in Pakistan in a case per-taining to the banned outfit’sillegal use of land for its sem-inary.

The Anti-Terrorism Court(ATC) in Lahore granted inter-im bail to Saeed and his aides- Hafiz Masood, AmeerHamza, and Malik Zafar -until August 31 against suretybonds of Rs 50,000 each, Dawnnewspaper reported.

During the hearing, Saeed’scounsel insisted that Jamat-udDawah (JuD) was not using anypiece of land illegally and urgedthe court to accept bail pleas.

According to officials, JuD’snetwork includes 300 semi-naries and schools, hospitals, apublishing house and ambu-lance service.

In March, Punjab policesaid that government seizedcontrol of 160 seminaries, 32schools, two colleges, four hos-

pitals, 178 ambulances and153 dispensaries associatedwith the JuD and its charity wing the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) inprovince.

At least 56 seminaries andfacilities being run by the JuDand FIF in southern Sindhprovince were also taken overby authorities in the samemonth.

Saeed-led JuD is believedto be the front organisation forthe Lashkar-e-Taiba which isresponsible for carrying out the2008 Mumbai attacks.

The US Department of theTreasury has designated Saeedas a Specially DesignatedGlobal Terrorist, and the US,since 2012, has offered a USD10 million reward for infor-mation that brings Saeed to jus-tice.

Under pressure from theinternational community,Pakistani authorities havelaunched investigations intomatters of the JuD, LeT and theFIF regarding their holdingand use of trusts to raise fundsfor terrorism financing.

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Police in Baltimore say twopeople are dead and a police

officer and another person areinjured following a shooting ata methadone clinic.

Baltimore PoliceCommissioner MichaelHarrison said at a news con-ference Monday that the policesergeant is in stable conditionand has gone into surgery.

Harrison said the suspectwho fired at the sergeant isdead as well as another personwho was found inside the clin-ic. A woman who was injuredby gunfire inside the clinic isexpected to survive.

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Crime novelist AgathaChrist ie once said,

“Instinct is a marvellous thingthat can neither be explainednor ignored.” And it was actorJimmy Sheirgill’s instinct tosay yes to Family ofThakurganj. He says, “I justcouldn’t ignore it and now Icannot explain the feeling.Dilip Shukla, who has alsowritten Dabangg series, wrotethis film as well. He narratedthe story long before he hadactually written it. Since thattime I knew I had to do thisfilm. You have a certain kindof instinct about everything.I had the same about thisstory line. I was sure that thisscript couldn’t possibly gowrong. Ye concept level pe hiitna acha hai. (This is sogood at the concept levelitself.)” Even though hereprises shades of his earlierheartland characters, it istheir raw reality that he wantsto chew into as an actor.

The film has a politicalbackdrop and unfolds thestory of how some people livewithout following any rules.“It is a rooted story with a lotof dialogue baazi. Dilip has asense of style and flavourwhen he pens down any-thing. He writes with a lot ofemotion, drama and action.”

The actor narrates, “Afamily lives in Thakurganjand some of the membershave set rules and regulations.And then comes my charac-ter, who does everything with-out following any law butthat doesn’t make him a badperson. Even if his way ofdoing things is unlawful, hisintentions are right.”

We have seen Jimmy play-ing similar roles before. ThinkTanu Weds Manu, Saheb, Biwior Gangster, Haasil and more.So why does he have an incli-nation towards these? He

answers prompt-ly, “I don’t seeany harm in play-ing small townroles. I myself havecome from one.Chote shehar seaakar hi bade-bade shehron kobasaya jata hai.(These small townpeople have madebig cities.) In fact,I feel, these char-acters havemore colour.They make aperson feelalive at heartand I think that iswhy I have an inclina-tion towards suchroles.”

Jimmy says he doesnot regret the lack oflead roles. “Peopleremember me for thecharacters I played, so Ihave no regrets about notplaying a lead,” he adds.

While many actors getbothered when the releasedate of their film clashwith those of other actors,it is interesting toobserve how Jimmyis enjoying theexcitement thatanother of his films, Jhootha

Kahin Ka, hits the screens onthe same day. He feels that he

was fortunate to star along-side actors like Saurabh

Shukla inThakurganj... and

Rishi Kapoor inJhootha...

“It was soexciting to be

part of anout-and-outc o m e d ywith Rishiuncle. We

all knowwhat a fan-

tastic actor MrShukla is and his

contribution tocinema and the-

atre. At times, it is asurreal feeling. In

fact, working withthese veteran actorshelped me better mycraft,” he says.

Jimmy is oneactor who believesthat a story makesa film good or bad.The characters aresecondary. “The

screenplay of afilm matters themost,” adds theactor, who hasbeen a part of

f i lms l ike

Maachis, A Wednesday,Special 26, Mere Yaar KiShaadi Hai, Yahaan andMunna Bhai MBBS.

He tells us that you haveto keep yourself motivated inlife and give your 100 per centto everything. “There are var-ious phases in life. You workin a specific zone. You have tofollow that rhythm. There isno hard and fast rule in life.Life is what you make of it.Just like my character in thefilm, there are no specificrules and regulations to live.It’s a very natural process andit all depends on the situationsthat are thrown at you.”

Censorship or the controlor suppression of what can beaccessed, published or viewedis increasingly being discussedwith the coming of digitalplatforms and Jimmy feelsthat a lot rests on the individ-uals who should engage inself-censorship. He says, “It’ isa platform for each one us.When this medium wasmade, it was obvious thatyou have to act as the moralpolice. One cannot createanything in the name of free-dom and creativity. Just byadding abuses in a story is nota way to attract the audience.While some people are creat-ing out of the box content,there are others who are justseeking attention. Here peo-ple need to engage in self-cen-sorship. They are capable ofjudging what is right or wrongfor them. It’s people whomake everything good or bad,never a platform. It’s a greatone for actors, directors andcreative teams.”

Jimmy tells us that evenhe is reading a lot of scriptsfor the web platform. “Let’ssee what happens,” he says.

(The film releases on July19.)

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Falguni and Shane Peacock combinedisparate elements — feathers andsequins, bling and applique, con-

temporary Western silhouettes andIndian tradition — which are in syncwith the sensibilities of the modern bridewho looks ahead yet is rooted in the past.The designer duo will be exhibiting at a

wedding show in the capital. Theplace is ideal for those looking for acomplete solution to their weddingday as it brings together fashiondesigners, top jewellers, wedding

planners, hair and makeup artists,decor experts and gifting specialistsunder one roof.

�What is the wedding colour thisyear?

Brides are willing to ditch theconventional reds and pinks for pastels,

champagne, silver, gold and other coloursfrom the Parisian palette.

�What has been your approachtowards your ensembles for this year?

For our ensembles this year, ourapproach has been a juxtapositionbetween modern, glamorous and tradi-tional silhouettes. Think lehengas withexaggerated gown trails, blouses withstructured shoulders and extravagantsleeves. With this collection, we are try-ing to give the best of both worlds. It willhave the perfect balance between ethnicand contemporary silhouettes.

�You have stayed true to your signa-ture style of feathers and glitteryensembles all these years while blend-ing and experimenting with it. How hasthis style evolved?

Feathers and sequins are a big partof our identity and over the years we haveexperimented with it by using these ele-ments in unconventional ways. Fromincorporating opulence through feathers,sequins and crystals in dresses andgowns, we have now made them a bigpart of traditional collections as well.Lehengas bearing feathers, crystalencrusted corset blouses are some of theways in which we have reinvented oursignature style.

�Fashion consciousness is beingincreasingly acknowledged by theIndian population; how do you thinkthis change has come about?

About time, both consumers and

designers need to be fashion consciousand sustainable in their approach. I thinkthe change was put in motion a coupleof years ago and people are now becom-ing increasingly aware of it. The con-sumers now are more educated on thesubject.�From designing bridal couture toresort wear, designers have to constant-ly update their designs as fashiontrends keep changing with every sea-son. How do you keep yourself updat-ed and handle the pressure? Whatkeeps you going?

For us, it is not about following thenorm or doing what others are doing tokeep up with the trend. We have alwaysremained authentic in our approach sowhat we create comes from what we areinspired by during that time. For exam-ple, if we’re travelling to palaces acrossIndia, we translate that into our bridalcouture, but if we’re vacationing on abeach abroad and are inspired by thetropical nature, we create a line that fitsthe aesthetic there.

�Since most of your designs are dedi-cated to bridal couture, how do youthink the fashion sensibility on ceremo-nial lines and wedding couture has

evolved in India? The Indian bridal market has evolved

enormously over the last few years. TheIndian bride of today is well-travelled andaware of international trends whichmakes her taste and aesthetic global.They like to experiment more withtheir silhouettes, the cuts, and the colour

palettes instead of going for the conven-tional designs and in the vermillionshade.

�Do you think your creative freedomgets restricted in India?

Not really, the Indian audience hasevolved when it comes to fashion, theyare now at par with global trends, so it’sno longer creatively restrictive. they arefar more open and welcoming of newerstyles, whether it’s couture or pret, theaudiences are constantly looking forsomething unusual and unique.�Your designs are majorly fantasy-themed, dreamy with embroidery.What made you inclined towards thisparticular style?

Our brand’s aesthetic has always beeninclined towards grandeur and opulence,maximalism has always been the way forus. We like to intertwine fashion with art,therefore, we are always inspired by larg-er-than-life fantasies that we bring to lifethrough the clothes we design.

�You had said, ‘Statement jewellery isa non-negotiable aspect of a bride’schecklist.’ Can you give an insightinto this?

It’s all about putting the pieces

together when it comes to creating thatperfect bridal look. Nothing comple-ments a couture lehenga better than state-ment jewellery that will instantly elevateyour look.

�What is new about India CoutureWeek this year? Apart from this, whatare the forthcoming projects that youare working on?

Our India Couture Week collectionthis year is a celebration of the royalIndian heritage, seeking inspiration fromthe Fort Amer in the pink city of Jaipur.It is designed for the modern bride whowants to look contemporary yet ethere-al.

�Fabrics have evolved to be acceptedand recognised as an art form. What isyour take on this?

Fabrics are one of the most essentialcomponents of your garment, It is veryimportant that your choice of fabrictranslates the vision you have for your sil-houette. It should identify with yourbrand’s aesthetic and enable you to cre-ate art with fashion.

(The seventh edition of the three-dayfest will be held from August 2 to August4 at Taj Palace.)

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Marriages are made in heaven,goes the old saying but in the

digital era, it is internet that people areclearly bonding over. The number ofmatrimonial websites that improvesthe chances of finding an ideal matchis on the upswing.

A recent survey by a leading mat-rimonial site has revealed 56 per centof women and 52 per cent of menwere looking for a partner living out-side India, of which USA, UAE andCanada were the top three preferredcountries. EliteMatrimony, a match-making website fromBharatMatrimony, based its studyon 1.5 lakh of its users.

Based on registrations, the topfive cities sampled were Mumbai,Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai andHyderabad. The customer base com-prised 38 per cent female registrantsand 62 per cent males.

The survey revealed that 64 percent of female users, who are seekinga life partner, were between the agesof 18 and 27, while 70 per cent of menwere of the age group of 28 to 37.

Six per cent of the members werefrom top educational institutes,including Harvard School of Business,Stanford, Princeton, Yale, MIT,Cornell, Chicago Booth, Kellogg,Wharton, Dartmouth, NUS, LondonSchool of Economics, Oxford,London School of Business, INSEADand HEC Paris. While within India itwas ITS, IIT, IIM, ISB, XLRI, SP Jain,AIIMS, National Law School andInstitute of Chartered Accountants of

India. Almost 60 per cent of the pro-files were self-created, whereas 40 percent of them were managed by sib-lings or parents.

It was evident from the reportthat 33 per cent of women and 50 percent of men were looking for a part-ner with high education qualification.Among those, looking for a partneroutside their caste, eight per cent werewomen and nine per cent men.When it comes to the preferred lan-guage of the registrants, the top fivewere Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Teluguand Tamil. The most common pro-fession among majority of registra-tions was business, investmentbanker, entrepreneur or a doctor.

With respect to the partner’scareer, 29 per cent were looking forthose doing business, 23 per cent asoftware professional, 12 per cent civilservices/Army/Navy while 14 percent preferred chartered accoun-tants.

The report also disclosed aninteresting aspect that Commentingon the trends, MurugavelJanakiraman, founder and CEO of thesite said, “India is home to the fourthlargest population of millionaires inthe Asia Pacific region with nearly 3.5lakh millionaires as per a report lastyear. That’s a huge and a special mar-ket to cater to. For this niche segment,the needs and preferences for findinga life partner are unique. We see ahuge potential and have been witness-ing rapid growth each year and see-ing plenty of success stories.”

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It was a series of graffiti andstreet art images of Paris thatmade me understand the nature

and dynamics of public art. RupinThomas, an economist and photog-rapher, had captured French artistMarko Weng’s portrait of FridaKahlo along rue de l’Ourcq in the19th district. Marko93, the namethat he goes by on Instagram, hasnicknamed himself “The FrenchLighter,” because of the constantexploration of light in his work. Inthis giant fresco, Marko payshomage for the second time toFrida Kahlo, an artist known forher role in the emancipation ofwoman.

“Paris is an open-air museum,”

says Thomas. “The graffiti isemblematic of hip-hop culture,there is humour and irony in themischievous stencils, there are alsodeeply stirring poetic collages aswell as monumental murals withmagnificent interior messages cov-ering many facades. BetweenMontmartre and the Butte-aux-Cailles, even the smallest space isan invitation to create art but it isa process of continuation and it alsoechoes the voice of rebellion. Hereis a voice that we respect becauseit carries within itself the conver-sations of the past,” he adds.

GANDHI IN STREET ARTWalk through the Lodhi Road’s

district and you would find amosaic of Indian and internation-al artists. There are elephants,birds and many other images. Butwhat doesn’t translate is the truththat street art cannot be a mereportrait as it has to be hinged onan experience. While bringing ininternational artists is a great tes-timony to urban art, the underly-ing signature of personal intuitiveexperience born out of one’s owndimensions of experience cannever be substituted by tellingsomeone to merely paint a portrait.This, then is my problem with somany images painted across citiesin India.

The Lodhi Colony Police

Station displays a screaming muralof Mahatma Gandhi on its façadewith colours that identify with thedepartment. There is nothingwrong with the portrait. It is bril-liantly executed but just by mere-ly writing Peer parayi jaae re in theDevnagiri script, it does not speakof the insignia of urban metaphors.

MARKO’S FRIDA KAHLOComing back to the portrait ofFrida Kahlo by Marko93. Inspiredby the fact that Frida was often sur-rounded by animals, he includeda rather large feline with piercingeyes, further showing the contrastbetween light and dark. But morethan the stunning mural features,

it was Marko’s brilliance at han-dling the mosaic details and cou-pling art and aesthetics that arecompelling.

In a self portrait, she is flankedby a black monkey, on the left anda black cat on the right. Markoalso borrowed elements of relativ-ity from the self-portrait where theparrot is bigger than the monkeyand the cat for example. His analy-sis of the fresco is brilliant as itilluminates the asymmetrical com-position. Scholars state that Markopainted this twice.

At first, a large parenthesis“contained” the white monkey,Frida and the parrot. The space tothe right of the parenthesis was“reserved” and only a backgroundwas painted without a subject. Thecat, which breaks the symmetryand is located out of the parenthe-sis, was added second time. Whatinterested Marko in the cat was itseyes. The body of the cat, with ablue background and black out-line, in “calligraffisme” (abstractstyle which mixes calligraphy,urbanity and spontaneity) is“sketched”. On the other hand, theface of the cat is reduced and issummarised with its eyes painteda fluorescent yellow. To enhancethe effect, the contours of the eyesare intentionally unclear to trans-

late glare. He called his fresco onthe rue de l’Ourcq. Marko paint-ed cat and cat eyes with phospho-rescent paintings. Marko contin-ues his research on the light: theeyes of the black cat mark a stagealready out-of-date. But hisprocess is uncanny as well asfilled with countless meanings.

USING INTERNATIONALARTISTS AS MENTORSIf India has to build on street art,we need an original language bornof both personal as well asmetaphoric meanderings andmoorings. While bringing interna-tional artists is a great venture, howabout having training workshopsfor Indian artists to understand thedeeper intensities of street art allover the world and helping themunderstand how the greatest streetart murals were created?

Just bringing in foreign artiststo paint has momentary meaning.Let us make use of the visit to cre-ate lessons in learning for Indianartists. Art colleges across Indiaand the Ministry of Culture playa huge role in this pedagogy. Artteachers, too, need to step in andactivate that internal understand-ing and create islands of original-ity that must become a catalyst forthe future.

Often an entire repertory isunable to hold an audience

spellbound for a theatre perfor-mance. So what are the chancesof one with two actors and twoprops achieving the result?Minimum, one would say butHo Sakta Hai Do Aadmi DoKursiyaan, written and directedby Vinay Sharma, promises tokeep one hooked right till theend.

Using an ironic juxtaposi-tion of humour with the tragicand the serious, Rikh andPadatik Theatre Group’s presen-tation uses two chairs and twoactors to tell a number of storiesthrough intense and inwardperformances. Zooming in onfragments from different indi-vidual lives, these apparentlyunconnected stories are linkedby the emotions born of love,loss and absence. The chairsbecome a mercurial, ever-changing metaphor as the playintersects urban relationshipsand makes the implicit state-ment that we are given life toexperience compassion and notto inflict violence. The underly-ing message is that those who donot recognise the fragility of lifemay succumb to either an innerdecay or to a moment of ragewhich endangers society. Theperformance is an exploration of

stillness and silence, word andimage, inscapes and instressesand also an exposition of emo-tion in various shades.

So how did Vinay concep-tualise the play? He says, “Thisplay was performed first in2005 at Padatik Little Theatre,Kolkata. It probably arose froma perception of an increasingfragmentation of a rapidlychanging world. Speed and timewere challenging relationships,values and ideals, hence the ideaof two chairs as a metaphor oftwo men whose emotions reactto this change. The genesis of theplay also came from an innerneed to go back to the basics, tothe word as image, to the pres-ence of the actor and a discard-

ing of any other kind of sup-port.”

The director goes on to addthat performing a play withfewer actors and props is alwaysharder as there is nothing tohide behind and no camouflage.He highlights, “As with anyplay, this one too required a rig-orous process of understanding,analysing and seeking ways bestsuited to convey the overt andsubmerged feelings in words.”

So what does it take totransform a written play into astage performance? He answers,“Blood, sweat and tears. Ofcourse, experience and versatil-ity can make it a little easier. Andvision can make it exceptional.”

How does cinema and theadvent of streaming platformsimpact the theatre space? Vinaytells us that it does it in both agood and bad way. “On onehand it is reducing the attentionspan of the audience, on theother it is opening the audienceup to more experimental work.Again, as always, theatre hasalways appropriated any newtechnology, any change, so thefuture is probably in a fluid andhybrid space where the digitaland the live experience intersectin various forms.”

(The play is on July 19 and20 at Akshara Theatre.)

It’s been said that if you’re notan artist when you first visit

San Miguel de Allende, you’llcertainly be one by the timeyou leave. Similarly, if you stepinto Mayer Shacter’s GaleriaAtotonilco as a novice, you’llwalk out an appreciator of fineMexican folk art.

Shacter, a former ceramicsartist from Berkeley,California, who has lived inMexico since 2003, is muchmore than a curator. He trav-els to remote areas of Mexicoto meet the artists and learnabout their craft, and then hebrings their work back to hisgallery, where he imparts hisknowledge to his customers.

His is now regarded as oneof the finest collections ofMexican folk art anywhere.On TripAdvisor, the gallery,which opened in 2006 in a600-square-foot section of hishome and now consumes6,000 square feet, is currentlythe top-rated “thing to do” inSan Miguel de Allende, whichis a short 15-minute driveaway.

Shacter’s passion for hisgallery is immediately obvious.His collection, which rangesfrom textiles and woven bas-kets to antique ironwork andpapier mache masks, is broad,and “a reflection of my manyinterests.”

“I have a personal rela-tionship with these people. Ilove helping them preservethese cultural traditions,” hesaid.

For example, about 15years ago, he met some arti-sans from Nayarit, who makeHuichol yarn and bead art,after they rear-ended his car.Shacter said the police threat-ened to confiscate the family’spickup truck because it wasuninsured.

“We got their informationand agreed to pay for our own

repairs. They agreed to give ussome yarn paintings,” he said,adding that they’ve been doingbusiness ever since.

The Huichol are anindigenous people who most-ly live in the mountainousareas of northwestern Mexico.They press brightly colouredyarn onto boards coated witha thin layer of special beeswaxfrom Campeche and tree resin.The “paintings” began as cer-emonial religious art and ofteninclude representations ofdeer, corn, peyote and othersymbols from Huicholmythology.

Shacter says the artists’quality of life and sustainabil-ity are paramount to him. Herarely buys work on consign-ment.

“With one or two excep-tions, everything in the gallery,we purchase outright,” he said.“When we leave a person’shouse, they have money inhand or money in their bank

account.”Another highlight of his

collection is the lacqueredgourds from Temalacatzingo,Guerrero. Lacquering is one ofMexico’s oldest crafts.

During the pre-Hispanicperiod, oil from chia seeds wasmixed with powdered miner-als or plant-based dyes to cre-ate protective coatings anddecorative designs. The gourdscan grow on trees or vines andare dried before using. Thosewith bottle-like shapes are cutso the top can be used as a lid.

The layers of lacquer mustbe applied separately, driedand then burnished. Severalsmall pieces can be done in asingle day, while a larger dec-orative piece may take two orthree months.

Because Shacter has devel-oped relationships with someof the best artists in Mexico, hisgallery is packed with trea-sures.

Among his current

favorites is the pottery fromTonalá in Jalisco. He’s partic-ularly proud of the work byGeronimo Ramos, one of thefew artists who still createspetatillo pottery, which is iden-tified by its light, yellow back-ground filled with crosshatch-ing that looks like a wovenpalm mat or petate. The tighterthe crosshatching, the finer thepiece. The style requires a cer-tain type of clay to produce a

smooth painting surface. Ontop of the crosshatching, theartist usually paints in black,green and cream, and one ofthe most common images por-trayed is the nagual, a mythi-cal half-human, half-animalcreature. Then, the piece mustgo through two separate firingsto get its high-gloss sheen.

Shacter and his wife, writerSusan Page, who started theSan Miguel Writers’Conference and LiteraryFestival in 2005, were drawn tothis part of central Mexico inpart because of the arts com-munity.

San Miguel de Allende wasinhabited by rich arts patronsfrom its start in the 1500s. Andin the 1600s, silver was discov-ered nearby, making the townan important trade thorough-fare. By the mid-1800s, it hit itsstride, and many of its man-sions, palaces and churcheswere built during this time. ButSan Miguel gained its contem-porary reputation as an artscenter after American artistand writer Stirling Dickinsonarrived in 1937. He and FelipeCossio del Pomar, a Peruvianpainter and political activist,established the town’s first artschool, which still exists today.In the years after World War II,veterans flocked to the schooland others when they realizedthey could stretch their G.I. Billmoney further south of theborder.

The city’s architecture, cob-blestone streets and rich, satu-rated colors make it an artist’s— and collector’s — dream.Some believe it’s built on abedrock of rose quartz, whichchannels positive energy andattracts creative types.Whatever the reason, they con-tinue to flock to San Miguel deAllende — and Shacter’sgallery.

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The BCCI will soon invitefresh applications for the

Indian cricket team’s supportstaff, including the head coach,and incumbent Ravi Shastriwill need to reapply once hiscontract expires after nextmonth’s tour of the West Indies.

The support staff compris-ing Shastri, bowling coachBharat Arun, batting coachSanjay Bangar and fielding coach R Sridhar were given a 45-day extension following the World Cup, covering the WestIndies tour from August 3 to September 3.

All of them can reapply but the team is set to have a newtrainer and physio after the departure of Shanker Basu andPatrick Farhart respectively following India’s semifinal exit inthe World Cup.

After the West Indies tour, India’s home season kicks offwith the series against South Africa beginning September 15.

Shastri was appointed India chief coach in 2017 after AnilKumble’s tenure ended prematurely in controversial circum-stances.

The 57-year-old was also India’s director of cricket fromAugust 2014 to June 2016.

However, India have not won a major ICC event underhis guidance though the team did make history by winninga maiden Test series in Australia earlier this year.

“The job openings will put be up on our website in a dayor two. Besides the support staff, fresh applications will alsobe invited for the post of team manager,” a BCCI official said.

It was the first time that the BCCI had followed a trans-parent procedure for hiring the team manger, in accordancewith the Lodha committee recommendations.

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The Indian team for next month’stour of West Indies will be

announced on July 19 but there is noclarity over the future of MahendraSingh Dhoni ahead of the limited-oversleg beginning August 3.

Dhoni’s future has been widelyspeculated ever since India lost to NewZealand in the World Cup semifinal onJuly 9. The 38-year-old is expected tomake an announcement on it in thecoming few days.

“The selectors will meet inMumbai on July 19. We have not heardfrom Dhoni but what is relevant is thecommunication between the playerand selectors. If you ask me, Dhoni didwell in the Word Cup but he is his ownman. Only he can decide whether hewants to carry on or not,” a BCCI offi-cial said after the Committee OfAdministrators’ meeting.

Skipper Virat Kohli and pacespearhead Jasprit Bumrah are expect-ed to be rested for the limited-overs legcomprising three T20s and as manyODIs before returning for the two-Testseries starting August 22. The five-daymatches will be part of the inauguralWorld Test Championship.

There is also no official word onthe availability of opener ShikharDhawan who is recovering from athumb injury that cut short his World

Cup campaign.It was COA’s first meeting since

India’s heartbreaking loss atManchester but the Vinod Rai-ledcommittee did not discuss the team’sperformance.

However, the three-member paneland CEO Rahul Johri, who joined invia video conferencing as he remainsin London for the ICC meetings, diddiscuss the issue of players picking andchoosing games.

Former greats like Sunil Gavaskarhad questioned the BCCI for allowingthe likes of Dhoni and ShikharDhawan to skip domestic cricket in therun-up to the World Cup.

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The thrilling final throes of the ICCMen’s Cricket World Cup 2019 wereall about emotions — each as raw as

you’ll find. We watched Jofra Archer visibly sag

under the weight of unimaginable pressure,Jos Buttler gleefully uproot the stumps andman of the moment Ben Stokes immedi-ately console a broken Martin Guptill.

These scenes will be seared into thememories of the nation and so Englandhave etched their names into the historybooks.

Eoin Morgan’s men have won heartsand broken records on the way: here areyour 2019 Cricket World Cup heroes innumbers.

FRAUGHT FINALThe climax to the Lord’s final was a

white-knuckle ride and not even Englandcould avoid the odd slip-up.

In the final over of their run-chase, AdilRashid and Mark Wood became the firstpair of team-mates to both be run out with-out facing a ball in the same World Cupinnings.

In the penultimate over of their bowl-ing effort, which also featured a wicket anda crucial boundary from Matt Henry, ChrisWoakes bowled a no-ball.

It seemed nothing earth-shattering atthe time, but it was the first no-ballEngland bowled in the entire tournament.

Only one team has played a World Cupwithout bowling a no-ball and that was theNetherlands in 1996.

ARCHER HITS THE TARGETArcher was a revelation for the hosts

— his tournament haul of 20 wickets wasthe highest-ever for an England player ata World Cup, surpassing Ian Botham’s 16when they last reached the final in 1992.

The 24-year-old formed a fearsomepace bowling partnership with MarkWood and no pair were faster across theseven weeks.

Wood’s 95.7mph delivery to HenryNicholls in the final matched Archer’s featsfrom earlier in the competition, andAustralia’s Mitchell Starc also reached thatspeed.

Consistency was one of the keys toArcher’s success and in taking at least threewickets against West Indies, Afghanistan,Sri Lanka and Australia he became just the

fifth bowler to do so in four successiveWorld Cup matches.

The other four bowlers to haveachieved the feat are Chaminda Vaas andBrett Lee in 2003, Glenn McGrath in 2007and Shahid Afridi across the 2007 and 2011editions.

FIELD FEATSWhen England fielded well at the 2019

Cricket World Cup, they played well as a

team and tended to win. They were found wanting as a collec-

tive in the defeat to Pakistan at Trent Bridge,runs leaked in the field seeing their battingline-up set an unwanted run-chase record.

Before that game, only two teams hadscored 300 batting second in a World Cupmatch and ended up losing — both in 2015,Zimbabwe in defeat to Ireland and SriLanka when they lost to Australia.

England scored 334-9 and still fell

short, the highest-ever losing score in a run-chase at the tournament.

But their fielding was largely excellent,and Joe Root set a new record for the mostcatches in the field in any World Cup with13 from 11 games played, passing RickyPonting’s 11 grabs back in 2003.

And James Vince set a new record forthe most catches by a substitute fielder ata World Cup with five. Ravindra Jadejatook four, surpassing Kenya’s Joe Angaraand Suresh Raina with three.

BATTIING BLITZEngland’s power with the bat was a dis-

tinctive feature of their triumph and theyset a record for sixes hit at a World Cup,clearing the rope 76 times and surpassingWest Indies’ 68 in 2015.

Joe Root’s aggregate 556 was England’sbest-ever in a single edition of the WorldCup and county colleague Jonny Bairstowended the competition with 532, a newrecord for a player at his first World Cup.

Indeed, Babar Azam’s 474 runs alsowent past the previous record of 461 set byRahul Dravid back in 1999.

Root opened the batting in the winover West Indies — his adaptability is takenfor granted, but it was the first time he’d per-formed the role in his 128 ODI appear-ances.

Only four other batsmen have battedmore times before opening in the format;

namely Mahela Jayawardene (269), MichaelBevan (178), Kapil Dev (166) and CarlHooper (131).

BEST OF BOTH WORLDSEngland’s title challenge was but-

tressed by the ability of several of theirnumber to contribute with bat, ball and inthe field, and they did so to history-mak-ing proportions.

With 3-71 and four catches againstPakistan, Chris Woakes became just thethird man in ODI history to take threewickets and pouch four catches in the samematch, after Hooper and New Zealand’sChris Harris.

In addition to opening against WestIndies and scoring a century, Root alsotook two wickets and two catches — justthe second such performance in ODI his-tory.

The first and only other was AravindaDe Silva’s inspired display to lead Sri Lankato victory in the 1996 final as he made 107not out, took 3-42 and two catches.

Moeen Ali missed out on the final andearlier in the tournament, narrowly missedout on a peculiar place in cricket history.

He scored 31 runs on his 32nd birth-day against Afghanistan, nearly matchingAndrew Strauss’ 34 on his 34th birthdayagainst Ireland in the 2011 World Cup.

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The New Zealandplayers will be devas-

tated on their way backhome but they should beforever proud of howthey performed in theWorld Cup final.

Both teams wereincredible, each hadtimes where they wereon top and in controlbefore it was wrestledback, so there were somany parts that youcould analyse anddeconstruct from thematch.

Two ties in a WorldCup final at Lord's, youcan't even imagine thatstuff. There was a lotgoing on, a lot packedinto 102 overs and itwas gripping from startto end.

It is heart-breakingfor New Zealand, you

could see the emotionfrom Kane Williamsonat the end of the gameand there would be somedevastating guys in thatdressing room.

The fans and thecountry will be devastat-ed, they saw the effort,they saw the fightbackand the opportunity towin the game.

The two ties arecrazy, but there will be alot of pride around theperformance not only inthis game but with theway New Zealand haveplayed throughout thewhole World Cup.

You can't take any-thing away fromEngland, a couple ofthings went their way atthe last but they wereunder an immenseamount of pressure for

the last few weeks of thetournament.

They stood up anddominated, they beat thethree other semi-finalistsin successive games toreach the final and youcan't underestimate thattype of performance.

New Zealand playedvery well in that final -they barely did anythingwrong and in that seemsunfair to be talkingabout them as a losingside.

So for them it's aboutcelebrating the brillianceof their game and therewas plenty of it. Thecatches in the outfieldwere superb, Matt Henrywith the new ball wasfantastic and Colin deGrandhomme, to puttogether a spell of 1/25 ina World Cup f inal

shouldn't be overlooked.Jimmy Neesham did a

great job, Lockie Fergusonwas in the wickets, TomLatham played really wellwith the bat - there are farmore positives than negativeto take from this game and theperformance.

It's a time to celebratewhat went right and not focustoo heavily on what wentwrong.

New Zealand have shownthemselves to have the fightbut there's plenty to notice inthe skill as well, their talent inpressure moments is incredi-ble and they've shown that inso many games through thetournament, not least againstIndia.

To see that and to see theway they play makes all NewZealanders very proud.

The Black Caps are a fan-tastic group of guys and that's

personified in their cricket, asit was for England, too.

Watching KaneWilliamson and Eoin Morganlead their teams made it sucha pleasure for people to watchthat final, these are two greatteams doing their all but withupmost respect for each other.

Looking ahead to whereNew Zealand go, we certain-ly won't be seeing too muchchange from them.

This is a settled team andthe majority of this squad willbe available for the next WorldCup, so they've got the build-ing blocks of something veryspecial.

They'll take a lot of expe-rience from this heading for-ward and there's no reasonwhy these 15 guys can't becompeting for a title in Indiain four years' time.

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Ben Stokes started England’smarch to World Cup glorywith a catch to remember

and ended their historic campaignweeping tears of joy as victoryagainst New Zealand completed apersonal tale of redemption.

The all-rounder was votedman-of-the-match after hittingan unbeaten 84 in a thrillingEngland run chase that ended withthe match tied after Eoin Morgan’steam finished on 241 all out inreply to New Zealand’s 241-8. The 28-year-old’s hero-ics set up a rare SuperOver that saw Stokes andJos Buttler score 15 runsfrom six extra balls offNew Zealand’s Trent Boult.

When England heldNew Zealand to 15 fromJofra Archer’s own SuperOver, it was the hosts whotook the trophy becausethey hit more boundariesin the match, includingseveral from Stokes.

The incredible climaxat Lord’s gave Englandtheir first World Cup andensured Stokes’ lastinglegacy will be his heroicsin the final instead of the2017 street brawl thatthreatened to ruin hiscareer.

Not surprisingly, Stokeswas overcome with emotionand he wept openly during

the jubilant on-field celebrations.“I’m pretty lost for words. All thathard work for four years and nowto be stood here as champions ofthe world, it's an amazing feeling,”Stokes said.

“There was no chance I was-n’t going to be there at the end. It’smoments like that you live for asa professional cricketer.

“It’s incredible, I hope wehave inspired people to want to dothis in the future.”

“Ben Stokes, he’s a great play-er. He stepped up when his team

needed him. That is the markof greatness,” former

England captain MichaelVaughan said on BBC

radio.Stokes missed

the 2017/18 Ashesseries in

Australia fol-lowing a well-documentedincident inBristol —an uglyscene out-

side a night-club which led

to a charge ofaffray, over which he

was found not guilty.But he was welcomed

back with warm, uncondition-al support from his team-matesand has repaid that faith in spadesduring this unforgettable WorldCup campaign.

“Without the lads in the ODI

(one-day international) team andthe Test team and the supportfrom my family — that’s all gonenow,” said Stokes, who made hisEngland ODI debut in 2011.

“This is what we aspire to be.I don’t think there will ever be abetter game in cricket than that.”

New Zealand-born Stokes andthe World Cup have been a per-fect match over the past six weeks.

From the moment he leaptbackwards and thrust a hand overhis head to take a stunning catchto dismiss Andile Phehlukwayo inEngland’s tournament-openingwin over South Africa, the tour-nament has provided Stokes witha chance to change his story.

He scored 82 not out and 89when all about him were losingtheir heads in group-stage defeatsagainst Sri Lanka and Australiathat threatened England's progressto the semi-finals.

In a must-win clash againstIndia, Stokes delivered again with79, helping to launch England ona three-match winning run that

took them to the final.With the situation growing

more tense by the minute inEngland’s run chase against NewZealand’s fired-up pace attack onSunday, it was Stokes who came tothe rescue.

Playing with poise andpanache, he ensured Englandmade it to the Super Over despiteneeding 14 off the final over to tiethe regulation match.

Smashing Boult for a six,Stokes enjoyed a moment ofdeserved good fortune when hedived full length to avoid beingrun out, with the ball deflecting offhis bat and going for four moreruns — giving him another sixruns.

It was surely at that momentthat Stokes realised it was going tobe his day.

The cathartic triumph wascompleted soon after amid fire-works and confetti as Morgan heldthe World Cup high in the Londonsky while Stokes tried in vain tostop the tears.

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Tournament top-scorer RohitSharma and pacer Jasprit

Bumrah were the only Indiansnamed in the ICC’s World CupXI, captained by New Zealand’sadmirable skipper KaneWilliamson and dominated bychampions England.

Player of the TournamentWilliamson leads a team thatincludes six players fromSunday’s dramatic final at theLord’s.

Newly-crowned worldchampions England are themost represented with fourplayers in the XI while runners-up New Zealand have two in theteam, named by a panel select-ed by the ICC to honour allthose who performed well in thetournament.

The other representativescome from the losing semi-finalists India and Australia,who have two each, while

Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasanrounds out the team.

Sharma top-scored in thetournament with 648 runs whileBumrah was India’s best bowlerwith 18 wickets.

Jason Roy got the nod atthe top of the order for histone-setting brilliance forEngland that saw himovercome injury duringthe tournament to helphis side to the title.

Alongside Roy, theother opening batsman isIndia’s Rohit Sharma. One ofthe easier selections in this XI,considering the Indian star wasthe tournament’s top run scor-er and cracked a record fivecenturies in all.

Williamson comes in at No3. The Black Caps star scoredmore runs than any captain hasever done before at a World Cupand led his side with aplombfrom start to finish.

Joe Root will come in at No

4 for this team after a WorldCup that saw him finish asEngland’s top run scorer, fifthoverall in the tournament, withtons against Pakistan and WestIndies and three half centuries.

Shakib Al Hasan scored hisruns this summer batting at No3 for Bangladesh, but for muchof his career he has come in atNo 5 and it is there that heappears in this team.

Shakib had a quite wonder-ful tournament, averaging87 with the bat with twocenturies and five half cen-turies, and still managed tochip in with 11 wickets aswell with his left-armspin.

Fellow all-rounderBen Stokes is also acast-iron selection —his heroics in the finalwere the stuff of fairytalebut he was also a pictureof consistency through-out the tournament forEngland.

Behind the stumps,Alex Carey effected 20dismissals this tourna-ment, only Kiwi TomLatham managed more,

while the

Australian also bludgeoned 375runs at an average north of 60.

Alongside Carey is his com-patriot, and the tournament'stop wicket-taker with 27,Mitchell Starc.

Jofra Archer — the hero ofthe Super Over in the final andappearing in his first World Cup— claimed 20 wickets at animpressive economy rate of 4.57to earn his spot.

New Zealand’s LockieFerguson finished second in thewicket charts with 21, includingthree in the final as well as anastonishing catch, while alsogoing at less than five runs anover.

Last but by no means leastis Bumrah, the world’s No1ODI bowler who lived up to thatbilling with 18 wickets while stillonly going for 4.41 runs an over— better than any other bowleron the top wicket takers list.

�� *93/93

Ashattered and devastated NewZealand captain Kane Williamson

rued the unfortunate overthrow in thelast over that eventually turned the epicfinal in England’s favour, saying hehoped the incident would never happenin such moments again.

In a high drama encounter onSunday night, the pendulum swungviciously in the final over with Englandneeding nine from three balls when BenStokes hit Trent Boult to the deep. Thereturn throw from Martin Guptill hitStokes’ bat as he dived to make hisground for the second run, with the ballrebounding to the rope for additionalfour runs.

It impacted the equation to theextent that the heart-stopping conteststretched to the Super Over and even-tually the hosts lifted their maidenWorld Cup trophy at the iconic Lord’shere.

“It was a shame that the ball hitStokes’ bat, but I just hope it doesn’thappen in moments like that. I don’twish to nitpick, just hope it never hap-pens in such moments ever again,”Williamson said.

“The New Zealand side showed agreat amount of heart to get us to thispoint, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Theguys are shattered at the moment — it

is devastating. It’s pretty tough to swal-low at this stage. But a fantastic effortfrom our guys,” said the skipper.

Stokes later apologised to NewZealand for that lucky unintentionaltouch.

“In the last over when the ball hitthe bat and went for four — I apologisedto Kane (Williamson) for that.”

Williamson, who was adjudged theplayer of the tournament for scoring 578runs and for his brilliant captaincy, saidthey were a few runs short.

“We thought runs on the board —we would have liked 10-20 more. But ina World Cup final this was a competi-tive total.

The bowlers really put the batsmenunder pressure. It had to go down to thelast ball, and then the last ball of thenext little match, but a great match allround,” he said.

“There were so many momentsthat could’ve gone either way, but con-gratulations to England— they’ve hadan incredible campaign and theydeserve it.”

Winning skipper Eoin Morganacknowledged the brave brand of crick-et New Zealand displayed throughoutthe tournament.

“I’d like to commiserate Kane(Williamson) and his team. The exam-ple that they lead is hugely commend-able to him and his team,” he said.

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Britain may be in the middleof a painful divorce from the

EU, but Brexit did not stopBrussels congratulating Englandon Monday on their dramaticcricket World Cup triumph.

Before moving to the usualround of questions about migra-tion, US trade relations and EUcompetition rules, EuropeanCommission chief spokesmanMargaritis Schinas used a dailybriefing with journalists to hailthe win.

"Congratulations to theEngland cricket team on win-ning the men's cricket World

Cup in a nail-biting final againstNew Zealand. Cricket is cominghome!" said the smiling Greekspokesman, whose enthusiasmfor the game had previouslypassed unnoticed.

England were captained intheir thrilling Super Over tri-umph on Sunday by IrishmanEoin Morgan, giving a Europeangloss to the side's maiden 50-over tournament triumph.

Schinas followed his warmwords for England with similar-ly enthusiastic congratulationsfor the Portuguese roller hock-ey team, who saw off Argentinain the final of their own worldcup on Sunday.

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