· 2019-03-04 · like rlsp and lok jan shakti party (ljp) of ram vilas paswan need to adjust with...

��

Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit 18 Assembly seats wit-

nessed heavy polling onMonday as voters defiedMaoists’ boycott call.

It has set the tone for theAssembly elections in fiveStates that have been viewed asa “semi-final” before the coun-try goes for the Lok Sabha bat-tle in 2019.

The phase-1 turnout wasestimated to be 70 per cent andsignificantly the Maoist bas-tions in Chhattisgarh recordedthe highest-ever voting per-centage amid peaceful pollingfor which about 1.25 lakh secu-rity personnel were deployedacross eight districts.

Polling officials confirmedthat restive areas — Bhejji,Chintagufa and Injeram inKonta seat; Pamed andBhopalpattanam in Bijapur seat— which had track record ofalmost zero polling recordedheavy turnout right from earlyhours of voting.

Government officials,political parties and intellectu-als described the higherturnout as an indication of“Maoists losing influence in

jungle areas where Naxals hada monopoly for over a quartercentury”.

The voting in 18 seatssealed the fate of 190 candi-dates, including Chief MinisterRaman Singh fromRajnandgaon and his twoMinisterial colleagues KedarKashyap from Narayanpur andMahesh Gagda from Bijapur.

Rajnandgaon seat whereChief Minister Raman Singh islocked in a direct fight withCongress candidate KarunaShukla, niece of late PrimeMinister Atal Bihari Vajpayee,recorded 70 per cent polling.

Women voters mainly intribal-dominated forested inte-riors were seen queued up inlarge numbers even after vot-ing timing ended.

Chhattisgarh’s ChiefElectoral Officer Subrat Sahoosaid that Khujji Assembly seg-ment registered the highestturnout of 72 per cent and thepoll percentage figure could goup after final compilation ofvoting data.

��

Sharing a hostile politicalrelationship with Bihar

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,BJP ally Rashtriya Lok SamataParty’s (RLSP) presidentUpendra Kushwaha onMonday met Opposition leaderSharad Yadav, a friend-turned-foe of Nitish Kumar, with a sug-gestion that he is not altogeth-er averse to switching camps.

Kushwaha met Sharad atthe latter’s residence and boththe leaders were believed tohave discussed the currentpolitical situation, especially inBihar, RLSP sources said. In atweet, Kushwaha described themeeting as a courtesy call.

Seat-sharing within theNational Democratic Alliance(NDA) constituents is not a set-tled matter even as BJP presi-dent Amit Shah last monthannounced here with Nitish byhis side that his party and theJD(U) would contest equalnumber of Lok Sabha seatswith other NDA constituentslike RLSP and Lok Jan ShaktiParty (LJP) of Ram VilasPaswan need to adjust withlower number of seats than

they contested in 2014. TheRLSP, which had fought threeseats in 2014 and won all, isunlikely to be spared not morethan two seats by the BJP.

Kushwaha has maintainedhe is ready to “sacrifice” for theNDA and would like PrimeMinister Narendra Modi toreturn to power at the Centre,but wondered as to why he wasbeing kept out of the NitishKumar-led JD(U)-BJP coalitionin Bihar. The OBC leader, whois also a Union Minister, hasonce famously said “Nitish iscapable of sinking any boat herides on.’’ He accused Nitish ofconspiring to break the RLSP.

Kushwaha had alsoattacked Nitish for allegedlyinsulting him and had target-ed him again on Sunday overreports that two MLAs of hisparty may join the JD(U).

The RLSP leader has keptthe seat-sharing pot boiling bymeeting rival Lalu Prasad’s sonTejashwi with reports that hehad sought six Lok Sabha seatsbut was “assured” only four. ButKushwaha described his meet-ing with Lalu’s son at aGovernment guest house as a“chance meeting”.

��

The Central VigilanceCommission (CVC) on

Monday filed its preliminaryenquiry report in a sealedcover before the SupremeCourt against benched CBIdirector Alok Kumar Verma inview of the allegations of

corruption levelled againsthim by his deputy RakeshAsthana.

Following allegations ofcorruption, Verma andAsthana were divested of theirsupervisory authority in theCBI and sent on leave.

Acting CBI director MNageswara Rao too filed in asealed cover the decisions takenby him from October 23-26

with regard to the transfer ofinvestigations and change ofinvestigators of the agency.

A Bench of Chief JusticeRanjan Gogoi and JusticeSanjay Kishan Kaul took boththe reports on record and fixedNovember 16 as the next datefor hearing in the matter.

Sources privy to the CVC

enquiry said the report hasflagged certain questions withregard to the probe againstVerma for which a separate andfurther enquiry is required.

It implies there is no cleanchit to Verma and the CVC pre-liminary report has left it for theapex court to decide furthercourse of action, the sources

added. The CVC and Rao placed

three copies of their reports incompliance with the October26 order of the SC.

“Report of the CentralVigilance Commission withregard to the preliminaryenquiry held in respect of thepetitioner — Alok KumarVerma — in sealed cover hasbeen submitted in court byTushar Mehta, SolicitorGeneral,” the Bench said.Likewise, the apex court notedin its order that the report of theorders passed by the actingdirector was filed in sealedcover, in terms of the earlierorder of the court dated October26, 2018, by Additional SolicitorGeneral PS Narasimha.

��

Senior BJP leader and UnionParliamentary Affairs

Minister Ananth Kumar, 59,died at a private hospital herein the early hours of Monday,party spokesman said.

He was suffering from lungcancer and had come backfrom the US in October aftertreatment at the MemorialSloan Kettering Cancer Centre,New York. He is survived bywife and two daughters.

The KarnatakaGovernment has declared athree-day State mourning tillNovember 14 as a mark ofrespect to Ananth Kumar. Hislast rites will be performed onTuesday with all Governmenthonour, an official release said.

Ananth had built the BJPin Karnataka and was the soleMember of Parliament fromfrom the State.

His political journey beganfrom Vidhyarthi Parishat andgraduated through RSS to thenational politics. Known for hisintegrity, Kumar had friends inthe Congress and other parties.

As a Union ParliamentaryAffairs Minister, his perfor-mance was appreciated by all.Even though he was identifiedas Advani’s man, he succeededin getting close to NarendraModi later.

Mourning the death ofAnanth, Karnataka ChiefMinister HD Kumaraswamysaid, “Kumar’s pro-people atti-tude and activities made himapple of the eyes of people.”

“He always valued and hadgiven priority to friendship. Ihave lost a great friend in his

death,” he said.Ananth, was widely regard-

ed as an able political organiser who helped the BJPexpand its reach in country’ssouth.

His organisational skillsand proficiency in Kannada,Hindi, Marathi and Englishcaught the attention of theparty’s top leaders like AtalBihari Vajpayee and LKAdvani, who made him a BJPnational General Secretary at ayoung age.

An urban face of the BJP,Ananth was a six-time parlia-mentarian from the high-pro-file Bengaluru South Lok Sabhaconstituency since 1996.

He became a UnionMinister at a young age (37) inthe Vajpayee’s Governments of1998-99 and 1999-2004.

In the 1996 Lok Sabhaelections, the BJP denied tick-et to sitting MP renownedeconomist Professor KVenkatagiri Gowda fromBangalore South and fielded anew face, Ananth Kumar. Themove raised eyebrows.

��

��

��

��

�� !��"��#

!�! "�� #��

�� !��"�� #$�� %� �&��'�!�$�� ()

��

��

��*�� &��&�� +��,��-��'�"��.�� -�� ()

��

Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik on Monday asked

industrialists to plan a long-term strategy for investing inthe State over the next 10years.

“Dedicated teams will beappointed by my Governmentto handhold the implementa-tion of your long-term plans. Iassure you of unmatched facil-itation support,” the ChiefMinister said while speaking atthe second edition of the Makein Odisha Conclave here.

He urged them to deliber-ate upon the vast opportunitiesthat Odisha offers and to work

together towards developingthe State as a manufacturinghub of South Asia.

Patnaik also highlightedOdisha’s enormous opportunities and investmentpotential.

“Odisha is a leading Statein terms of mineral productionand processing. Odisha is,today, the aluminium capital ofSouth Asia, accounting for wellover half of the country’s pro-duction, and is also the steelhub of India, contributing toabout a quarter of the nation’ssteel production,” the ChiefMinister said.

The State Government haslaunched the Odisha Industrial

Development Plan: Vision 2025with a target of attractinginvestment of �2.50 lakh croreand creation of 30 lakh jobopportunities in six identifiedfocus sectors by 2025.

A progressive Aerospaceand Defence Manufacturing

Policy has also been launchedto capitalise on the competitiveadvantages of Odisha’s existingecosystem to attract invest-ment in this high-potentialsector.

Targeting port-led devel-opment, Patnaik said the

Government has been planninga chain of ports along the EastCoast Economic Corridor.

“Apart from Paradip andDhamra, we are developingdeep-water ports atSubarnarekha and Gopalpur, ariverine port on Mahanadiriver and a chain of 12 othernon-major ports,” said theChief Minister.

He also announced that aworld-class infrastructure – an18-storeyed World Skill Centre– has been built inBhubaneswar.

The Odisha SkillDevelopment Authority willmanage the World Skill Centrewith technical support fromITEES, Singapore.

The Centre will function asthe centralised hub with all 71Government ITIs as spokesfor implementation of the

Odisha Skill DevelopmentProject – an ambitious �1,400crore project.

More than 1 lakh peoplewill be trained in the next 4years under the project, accord-ing to Patnaik.

Since 2014-15, more than2 lakh MSMEs have gone intoproduction providing employ-ment opportunities to over 6lakh people, he said.

“We are setting up a green-field ElectronicsManufacturing Cluster and arealso developing other facilitiesto provide an enabling envi-ronment to support electronicsmanufacturing and ICT indus-tries,” Patnaik told. “Odisha isthe first State to rope in TiE,Silicon Valley, US, for investingin the ESDM and IT sector,” theChief Minister said.

Related stories on Pg 2

$��%��&��#��

��

The Archaeological Surveyof India (ASI) on Monday

refuted the allegation of replac-ing Konark Sun temples artis-tic stone carvings with plainstones.

In a meeting at the StateSecretariat under the chair-manship of Culture SecretaryManoranjan Panigrahi, ASIDeputy Engineer (Archeology)Tapan Bhattacharya and ASIRegional head (Odisha Circle)Arun Mallick discussed thematter with the StateGovernment officials.

ASI SuperintendingArchaeologist Arun Mallicksaid some plain stones wereinstalled in the temple in theBritish era. “Not even a singlestone carving of the Sun Templehas been replaced in the last 15years. The plain stones haveonly been placed at blank por-

tions of the temple, he said.The officials further added

that the plain stones wereplaced for the conservation ofthe monument as per theguidelines of the ASI and the

UNESCO.“The ASI is committed

towards the preservation ofthe World Heritage Monument,the Sun Temple at Konark,”Mallick further said.

CUTTACK: In a major setbackto the State Government, par-ticularly to the police depart-ment, the Orissa High Court onMonday restored the suspensionof the three policemen, whosesuspension had been revoked bythe Government last week.

The policemen were placedunder suspension for “miscon-duct” after they had allegedlythrashed an advocate in fullpublic glare at a busy market-place here on August 28. Butwhile the standoff betweenpolice and lawyers was stillunresolved and the matter waspending before the High Court,the Government on November3 reinstated the suspended cops.

“In our considered opinion,during pendency of this case,the State Government ought not

to have done that without per-mission of the court,” said anorder passed by a DivisionBench headed by Chief JusticeKS Jhaveri. The order of revok-ing the suspension of the police-men is put in abeyance, theHigh Court said, adding, “Theorder of suspension of thoseemployees of Odisha police isrestored.” In a related develop-ment, Justice CR Dash of theHigh Court, who is now mon-itoring the police investigationsof all the criminal cases arisingout of the police-lawyer stand-off, on Monday proposed acompromise formula to endthe two-and-a-half-month rowand that seems to be acceptableto the lawyers, who are onstrike since August 29.

Although details of JusticeDash’s formula was not knownyet, sources said Justice Dashhas suggested to summon theconcerned policemen and the‘victim’ advocate to the court,wherein the policemen wouldexpress regret for the August 28assault on the advocate andsimultaneously, the advocateswould also express regret for theOctober 29 assault on somepolicemen who were on dutiesinside the court.

Meanwhile, the strikinglawyers at a general body meet-ing of the High Court BarAssociation on the day decidedto continue their stir tillWednesday, the day JusticeDash’s formula is going to beworked out. PNS

'��(��#�#��

��

The BJP on Monday allegedthe Make in Odisha

Conclave, which is being held,bears no meaning as the State’sBJD Government has failed inproviding employment toyouths during its 19 years of itsrule.

“The State Governmenthas betrayed youths by not giveemployments to them. Whilemany Government posts arelying vacant and MoU-signedcompanies have failed to giveemployments to local youths,holding Make in OdishaConclave bears no meaning. Itis meant to collect funds forthe ruling party to meet elec-tion expenditure,” alleged BJPYuva Morcha presidentTankadhar Tripathy on theconcluding event of the two-day “Yuva Adhikar Sangharsha

Yatra here.Stating that over 35 lakh

job seekers have registerednames with differentEmployment Exchanges,Tripathy demanded that ChiefMinister Naveen Patnaikshould make a statement in thepublic as to how many of reg-istered youths have got jobs. APadayatra taken out from theUtkal Gourav Madhu SudanDas’ birthplace Satyabhamapurreached Pratapnagari onSunday.

The rally concluded at theBaxi Jagabandhu statue hereon Monday.BJP State presidentBasant Panda, vice-presidentSameer Mohanty, secretarieskalandi Samal and DillipMallick, spokesperson DilipMohanty, executive membersJagannath Pradhan and AmiyaDas, Bhubaneswar presidentAmiya Das were present.

��v��

��

�� !��

!��"�� #�$�%""�&$"'(��)�"��$��%��&

�'()*��+��*��!��!�+,��-./��

��

��

��

+�0� ��12 �� ! 3/45��$��60��#�))��$�%��

��"#$�%�&!'��()

!"��#$��% !&��

��,()-.��/

�!��!��78��8��+��!!�+8

('"�"(��0��! ��9�:��,��+�

��

��0��'&$"'(��)�"��(

*�*��+��,��*��-,��.��/��(�-

��"#��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1

�� !��"�� #�� $��%��&�� '�� "��(��

�� !��"�� #�$!%��&�'��(� !)$&% �&!&�*+(� !)$&% �,%%��$-��(��./-��-��0/�� 1��))2%)��$0�3��$4��#�5��6��"�� #�$!%��6��(��7��6��(��7�57�/��8756�9:&��!:&&)!%�057�;7�<0796��7��6��(��7��(��=��(��- �20�-�� ("�/��2��(��>��4��8��(�� "��9�� "�#�� "��3��/��#4��$��&��(��$)��)%%��--��8��(*$,�� 8540�9��-"��/�$&��,��;��(��&�$)?!@?��2)?!@@��A��#8��()��*��/��*�B �7��A��#&& �� '��(�%&&$&,) )),�&,) )))�&,) ))%�

He is not confined to the four walls of a class-room being contented with the dull dispen-

sation of a pedantic scholar, nay a professor. Heis a poet speaking to others in the language of acommon man and reigns supreme in the heartsand minds of his avid readers in today’s literaryfirmament of Odisha. Picking up the voice andvocabulary of his poetry from paddy fields or fromthe golden plums of mango birds, he explores him-self occupying a broad swath of contemporaryOdia literary spectrum. His poetry that fathomsthe range of his empathy for the poor and themeek, and the outcast enjoys a wide fan base. Poetand professor, critic and editor rolled into onemakes Dr Hrushikesh Mallick ,who owns agrand ensemble of poetic compositions likeDhan Saunta Jhia (The Girl Picking up Corn Earsof Paddy), Ujuda Khetara Geeta (The Song ofRavaged Field), Dharmapatni (Wife), SakhiChandra Surya (The Moon and The SunWitnessing), Jeje Dekhinathiba Bharat(Grandfather Has Never Seen That India), chil-dren’s literature like Ka AakareKaa, Mo Kundhei Kain, short-story collections like AndhajugarKahani and NishabdeJibanshrota, essays and criticalwritings like Odia Jatra andLokanatya Parikrama andBiswayana O Purba BharatiyaKabitare Tara Prabhab, antholo-gies and journals edited by himsuch as Uttarakhand, Viswabasu(fiction), Galpajhar, Istahar andSishulekha and translation ofGeetanjali from original Bengali.Hailing from a nondescript village of Banitia inBhadrak district, he has won many awards. Inan interview to The Pioneer, Mallick spokes toSugyan Choudhury about creativity, immortalityof poetry, lack of critical literary opinion andabout the literary colossus Dr Ramesh PrasadPanigrahi being deprived of Sarala Puraskar.

How do you describe the creative urge thatever dawned on you today?

Taken soul as immortal, creativity as itsshadow keeps haunting the man over severalbirths. I started sensing the same eerie stirringinside me! Since I started understanding theways of the world, I suddenly found myself veryfond of loneliness, more leaning to keeping awayfrom crowds and friends. The mango bird,chilled to the bone in the storm, sitting hurdledin the branches of a faraway tree began fasci-nating me. I would sit listening to the recita-tion of scriptures by a Purohit for hours. Thefragrance of paddy flowers thrilled me while onmy way to school.

All these wonders moulded into a fertile soilwhere the seed of creativity was sprouting in methen. Journeying along long risky and rockyroad with heartache of being rejected and hap-piness of being felicitated I have at last stoodhere. While listening light songs on radio,watching swarms of fishes swimming in pond,lying on a mat in the street amazed me how starsweaving filigree artworks in the sky. Yes, poet-ry is as much an art of endeavour as empathyfor me.

What’s your take on the premise that poetryas a literary genre no more appeals to massand has become subculture?

A genuine poetry is a perennial source ofjoy for the aesthetes and wise men sitting onthe high pedestals or the illiterate and sorrow-ful folks living in a far-flung village. The clas-sics like Bhagabat, Ramayana, Laxmi Puran havebeen enlightening and entertaining the mass-es for generations. Radhanath Ray and SatchiRoutray are timeless models. These days, themarket abounding in bad poetry or nonstan-dard poetry does make it appear so. Those hav-ing power or money fashion themselves aspoets. Advertisement sponsors are posing asmuses.

There is little space for works of excellencein magazines. You can publish anthologies if youcan afford. You can also get it released by celebri-ty poets and critics with high recommendations.That is ruining the grandeur of the perceptionof good verses. The fog shrouds the trees andbushes, but when it fades the trees dazzle as

usual. Ultimately, works of excellence comes outand lasts.

Does contemporary Odia literature lackrobust critical opinions?

I agree. There are few honest astute liter-ary critics in the realm of Odia literature. Bias,prejudice, and eye on gain guides them. Wherecritics are on sale, you can hardly tell good poet-ry apart from bad ones. Almost all critics activenow are sycophants or cynics or illiterate aboutcanons of critical attitude. The lure of gift fromauthors lets loose this chaos. We no more havejudicious constructive critics like PanditNilakantha Das and Mayadhar Mansingh.What is your view on the controversy con-cerning selection of recipients of SaralaPuraskar, in which eminent litterateurRamesh Prasad Panigrahi has unceremoni-ously been ignored for last two consecutiveyears? Is not it making a mockery ofPanigrahi, probably a second Sarala in Odialiterary and cultural tradition? Are the liter-ary awards being fixed today?

Where there is smoke, there is fire! Thereare fundamental errors ensnaring the procedureof short-listing the awardees. So, it is no won-der that unqualified authors sometimes sneakinto the scenario and snatch away the trophy!Dr Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi is nationallyacknowledged as the forerunner of an age in theOdia dramatic tradition.

Last year, truly, he was deprived of SaralaPuraskar despite obtaining the same marks asthe one that bagged it. This is a slur on Sarala

Purskar. It could have been conferredon both. At times, the agencies insti-tuting the award choose to beparochial; and sometimes, the authorsadorned with authority and powermake it befall on them.

The grave error in case of SaralaAward is that there is a chink in itsarmour through which the compet-ing authors, if they endeavoured, cansteal the names of other competitorsin advance. That prompts them to dolobbying. In the panel of juries aremembers who loath reading books.

The proposers are rarely men of letters. In sucha sorry system, the good books and entitledauthors are easily nudged to a side. If ever anworthy and accomplished author is shortlistedfor it, it is just accidental. We confront this dis-mal state everywhere, be it State SahityaAkademi or Kendra Sahitya Akademi. TheKendra Sahitya Akademi so stipulates it that theconvenor of a provincial advisory committeecan confer the award on author of his choicewithout consulting anybody. Nobody lends youear if you yell ever.

Hasn’t discontinuation of publication of“Shisulekha” deprived our children of agood journal?

I joined as the editor of “Shisulekha” wayback in 1991 and continued for four long years.We were able to raise its circulation from 2,000to 15,000 per month. Later on, editors failedmiserably in their tasks and could not contin-ue its publication. Odia Bhhasha Pratisthan,OPEPA and Sahitya Academy took up theresponsibility but ended in stupendous failure.As per my own experience, if you are moreenthusiastic in your endeavour, that too in agovernment organisation, the more you goahead, the more you are hit back. You are sure-ly left to languish under the cult of red-tapism.The discontinuations of “Shisulekha” for overthe last three decades is a total lack of concernfor generations of children.

It is alleged that celebrity Odia authors keepmum when Odia language, literature, and cul-ture confronts crisis. What’s your comment?

I never dispute it. It is because most of thefrontline litterateurs of Odisha have leashes ontheir neck, the government jobs. They will neverrisk that at any cost. And on their superannu-ation, they secretly keep busy grabbing an awardor honour for themselves.

A senior Odia writer now faces allegation ofsexual harassment to women writers. In theOdia chapter of “Me Too”, several women arecoming out with distasteful stories of beingsexually exploited by the same author. Howdo you react to it?

No matter how mighty and influential hemay be, if all the aggrieved women unite andfight in solidarity for their honour, they will ripapart the mask from this pervert.

The predator should be kept away from allliterary meets until he is given a clean chit. Butwe witness opposite symptoms in our Odisha.Those who are sex-perverts are being recom-mended for Jnanapeeth and Saraswati Samman.

interview of the weekpioneer

�� !"��!#��$��%"��

Sir,An eco-friendly attitude

was established amongst theresidents of Bhubaneswarwhen they decided to imple-ment the ban on use of plasticbags. In the beginning, gro-ceries were delivered in paperbags.

I felt a sense of pride whenwe locals were really imple-menting the ban of plastic bag.

But I am disappointedwhen I notice the presence ofplastic bags every now andthen. Right from grocery stores

to fashion stores, everyonepacks the purchased items inplastic bags.

I wonder where the plasticbag comes from if the countryis planning for stoppage of itsusage.

Why can’t plastic manu-facturing be completely shutdown? Are the citizens of Indiawaiting for the order of ban tobe announced from the CentralGovernment? Despite all

efforts, people are continuing touse plastic bags for their con-venience.

I really wish people takethis matter seriously and stopusage of plastic bags. Every sin-gle person’s contribution wouldsave our planet.

Let’s say no to plastic bagsand, instead, carry paper bagsfrom home and deny the gro-cery store person’s plastic carrybag.

K Ravi, E-237, GGPColony, Bhubaneswar-751025,Mob-943716497

�$%%$&

%$��&��'� ��$��(��))��*

��0 ��0�#��'��$��0��)�""0��!�0��$��0"'�0��!��,�$��;�!,<��$�')��=�0�0��$��!��)��0��!"=�)"��$��0�0�"��0��0��$0"��0&�$$"��0"�"��$��>��0��'"��"$��)"00��0��00��'�$��%��'��0��&?��"'��"��0��0��0��&�0��)�$0��0��0��"�)"#'��$��0�>=�"��$"'��#"��=��>�)�""0��0��'�$��&!��$��00""�)��$��0��"��1�'>@��A��&?9�B��>0��=��$�"��%��$�"#�3��&��)�$00��'��$��0��A��""0��"��-��$��>@��#"�'��!,"##�$��"#!�0��$��C��,"��0�&,��=��>)"��$��0��0��A��0��0�"��0"0��$��0&��

�!,�)�""0��D�-��""0��8�"��

��

The Odisha JanchetnaManch would hold a State-

level convention on the topic,“Save Constitution, SaveCountry” here on December 6.This was decided in a meetingof the Manch presided over byProf SwadhinanandaPattanayak.

Speakers said that thecountry’s Constitution, democ-racy and democratic rights areunder tremendous attack.Attacks on dalits, women,Adivasis, Constitutional insti-tutions, personal independenceand minorities by fascist forcesare on the rise.

In this critical juncture,secular and patriotic forcesshould unite and face the chal-lenge to save the Constitution

and the country, said the speak-ers. December 6 is the deathanniversary of father of theConstitution BR Ambedkar.On this day, all should coop-erate and make the conventionon saving the Constitution asuccess, they said.

Dr Radhakanata Nayak,Prof Bijay Kumar Bahidar, for-mer Finance MinisterPanchanan Kanungo, ProfSumitra Patel and Dr UrmilaDas were among others present.

��)"��!�"��*��+��,

��

The Jindal Steel & Power Ltd(JSPL) would increase its

investment in Odisha from�45,000 crore to �1 lakh croreby 2030. This was announcedby JSPL chairman NaveenJindal at the plenary session ofthe Make in Odisha Conclave2018 here on Monday.

With the increased invest-ment, the capacity of the com-pany’s Angul steel plant wouldjump from the existing 6MTPA to 20 MTPA andemployment generation wouldbe enhanced from 50,000 to 1lakh, he said.

Jindal said, “JSPL’s story inOdisha started 30 years ago. Myfather OP Jindal, who sharedhis vision with legendary BijuPatnaikji had planned for set-ting up a 1-MTPA steel plant.Subsequently in 2003, we start-ed setting up a 6-MTPA plantin Odisha based on Swadeshi

or indigenous raw materials.And for the first time in theworld, we set up a steel plantbased on coal gasification. Butafter de-allocation of the coalblock, it was very challengingfor us.

But with the encourage-ment from the Government ofOdisha, JSPL started to put upIndia’s largest and most mod-ern blast furnace largest sinterplant, coke oven and steel mak-ing shop.”

Along with the 6-MTPAsteel plant at Angul, which is at

present Odisha’s largest steelplant, the JSPL is also operat-ing a 9-MTPA pellet plant atBarbil, which has been export-ing the highest amount of pel-lets from the country, heinformed, adding that the JSPLis also setting up an industrialpark at Angul to help MSMEs.

Jindal said, “Along withmaking steel, we also take pas-sionate interest in our socialresponsibility like buildingschools, hospitals, communityhealthcare and drinking waterfacility”.

��

Attending the Make inOdisha Conclave here on

Monday, Reliance Industrieshead Mukesh Ambani recalledhis father Dhirubhai Ambani’sassociation with Biju Patnaikand said both shared a deepfriendship. He said, “Odisha hasbeen growing at eight per centannually which is faster thanother States. Under the exem-plary leadership of CM NaveenPatnaik, Odisha is becomingone of the best investment des-tinations in the nation.”

He said the Reliance hasalready invested �6,000 crore inOdisha and would invest an

additional �3,000 crore in var-ious businesses in the State inthe next three years. Thiswould create 30,000 job oppor-tunities. Speaking about thecompany’s telecom arm,Ambani said Reliance Jio hasconnected all cities, towns and43,000 villages in Odisha andthe per capita data consump-tion in the State is among thehighest in the country.

Ambani further assertedthat Reliance is partneringwith the State Government toset up a Reliance Foundation-Odisha High PerformanceAthletics Centre that wouldgroom local talents forOlympics.

1�'-��2��-��(�� !9�� +��!��!+��+�!�!9-/,!��

� ��+�,��/��!��0�1 E��+�!9��*��!�3>///+�,9��F

��

The State Bank of India (SBI)launched its wealth busi-

ness services in the State byopening a ‘Wealth Hub’ at itsLocal Head Office here onMonday.

The bank recently rebrand-ed its wealth business as ‘SBIWealth’ offering best-in-classpersonalised banking andinvestment services to its eliteHNI (high net worth individ-

ual) clients through a dedicat-ed team of relationship man-agers.

SBI Chairman RajnishKumar stated this at a Pressmeet after inaugurating the

service.SBI is the first PSU bank

in the country to introducecomprehensive wealth busi-ness services. The SBI Wealthhas presence in 25 major cen-

tres with a network of 95Wealth Hubs in the country, hesaid adding that the SBI has tar-geted to open 50 SBI Healthcentes in the State by 2020.

Presently, SBI Wealth is

serving nearly 36,000 clientsand is looking to significantlyincrease its clients base to 1, 25,000 with an AUM of �100,000crore in the next two years.

The SBI has a total of 883branches operating in Odishaout of which 706 branches areprovided service rural andsemi urban areas. It has 2,854branches operating in the State.

Responding to questions,Kumar said the SBI wouldopen six more branches andATMs in coming days keepingrequirement of people in view.

He made it clear that SBIcustomers need to maintain aminimum balance of �500 inrural areas and �1,000 in urbanareas.

�%�� '" ��#"#"

�(�� )��%*��)��+��

"-.�� /��"��

��

Speaking at the plenary ses-sion of the Make in Odisha

Conclave, Vedanta chief AnilAgarwal highlighted howOdisha is offering an amplescope in setting up down-stream industries which wouldcreate better job opportunitiesin coming years.

With an investment of �5crore to �50 crore, one could bea good entrepreneur given theecosystem here, he told.

"This is the place ofemployment. We don't seek jobbut we will provide you job asthe State is slowly emerging asa favorite investment destina-tion," said Agarwal, adding,“We still have committed to setup a world class university inPuri for 1 lakh students.” Healso urged the Government to

set up a world class ConventionCentre in Puri.

There is no better placethan Odisha in the world. HowVedanta has changed land-scape of Kalahandi is the placeto be seen, Agarwal told.

Joining the bandwagon,Aditya Birla Group ofCompanies chief KumarMangalam Birla said, “Odishais the top priority State for us.”

After Maharashtra andTamil Nadu, Odisha is all set tobe the third State with 10 bil-lion economy, revealed ourstudy, said JSW Group chair-man Sajan Jindal. "Odisha hasa lot of potential. We are short-ly commissioning a new berthin the Paradip Port for exports.And are going to set up a mostmodernised greenfield steelplant in the world in Odisha,”Jindal said.

��

ITC Ltd Managing DirectorSanjiv Puri said at the Make

in Odisha Conclave that theITC would set up state-of-the-art investment projects in theState including a world-classintegrated foods manufacturingfacility at Khordha.

The ITC’s luxury hotel inBhubaneswar under theWelcom Hotel brand wouldcommence operations by theend of next year, he alsoannounced, adding that thesetwo flagship projects, alongwith the ITC’s integrated socialinvestment initiatives in Odishaspanning crucial areas such associal forestry, watershed devel-opment, sustainable agricul-ture, livestock developmentand health and sanitationwould make a meaningful con-tribution to the socioeconom-ic development of the State.

�� !�� &�� 2�� ,��-��.��/�� -�0�/

)(�� " ��

��

A national philatelic seminarwas held on November10

at the Chief Postmaster Generaloffice here, organised by theOdisha Postal Circle.

Chief Postmaster General,Odisha Circle, Dr SantoshKumar Kamila inaugurated itin the presence of PostmasterGeneral, Brahmapur, ColJaleswar Kanhar, formerbureaucrats Sahadev Sahu andDN Padhi, Sikshya “O”Anusandhan VC AmitBanarjee, president and secre-tary general, Philately Congressof India (PCI) DamayantiPattie and Rajesh Kumar Bagri,respectively, besides eminentphilatelists of national andinternational repute.

They submitted their views

for improvement of philately. The quarterly mag-azine issued by PCI “Signet”

was released.It was decided to establish

more philatelic clubs in schools

and colleges and promote philately in younger generation.

Rajesh Kumar Bagri, AnilDhir, Pragyan Jain, Ajit Dash,Madhukar Deogawonka,Markand Dave presented thetopic like ‘ThematicPresentation’, ‘Last Post’,‘Traditional Philately’, ‘ForensicPhilately’, ‘Postal History’ and‘Dasish Settlement in India’respectively.

All the participants dis-cussed promotional aspects ofphilately in Odisha. The mem-bers of PCI, Eastern IndiaPhilatelic Association, OdishaPhilatelic Association and otherphilatelic associations ofOdisha extended their help.Assistant Director (Philately)PN Pattanaik extended a voteof thanks.

%��$��$��!#��)"��+!��,��$�+��

�� )��

��

�� +�� )��

��

��"1��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1

�� 1*��*�� *� '&0 ��.0��)��"��"��0��%.C��"#�"��0��$0��)�$�"��$��$�'�0��$��"��0& �=��0�#��")��=��;2G<"#��"��0��& ��%��0��%�0��"��)"��$�"��G#�"'��0��"�0��$��"#��C�)��&��)��)"��$��"��$��>��$"')��"#$��0)��>#"��"=��=��$��=��0��0"�"�)�0��>=��&

*��2� � ��/��/�� #34 5��#'0 ��$0�A��0�"#8"��"��0��*��0��"##�$��C)��0��$0"�,"��)�"0��0��0A��"��$"��)0�"��0��&��0��0��$0)��0��0�'��>#"�'��,��$��0�,"��0�>��=�C�0��>��A�,"�$��0��$0)��0��6��>��"">��0��,"��0�>��'��>��'��0�"�0>��>��0)��A��>8�'��'��>,��0�!��>,��>��'��%+��>��,��$�>��C��>��0�=��)��0>�'"��"0��&

��/�*��+��/�� 6��,�� *7�+��*#�!�8#50 ��6$��0��'��H��-/1��'"#%�"=��="�0��%"�0��-/��0��)��=��$"��$0��0��%��0��=��=��0��$0"�,"��&!��0��=��0�#��"'�0��;-I<&!��0��'$"')��)�$0"��C��0��+��'��%.��)�$0"��'�"��&

�� ,�� *7�+��*#�!�8#50 �%��=��)��"��0��$��0�$��C��0��#��"=��""��%��$�"#0��A��$��0��&!��$��=��0�#��0��C��00��&!��C��>��0��>��%��'�00��0"��"�)�0��&

*��/�/��*��7� /��2�� *#�#9:#0!��"A��'��0�"��F ��$�""��'��$"''�00��$��0��)��)��0"��'��0��#"��0��"��C�%��#��$0�"�&+"''�00��)��0��)8�'��00��)��"A��0��'��0��=��$�'"��0��-//'�'%��)��0�$�)�0��)��"=0""%��A�0��"��C�%��#��$0�"��$$��#��&+"''�00��$��0��0"��8�'��0�)��0��0��%��0&

��2�� %;#4#5#0 �0��0��$�)�"��''��%�0��%��$��#��9��0�"��"��&�%"�0G//�0��0�#�"'+��

�0"��!��)��0�$�)�0��0��A��0&9��0�"��C��"��%�0��0��0��)�"��''�=��!>��F��A��!��)�0��>��9��$�)��%��>��'��"$��,"��0��%

�=��=��)��0&��"��''��"��$�>�"��>��%�0�>��0=��&!��=��="��%��=��"��)$"'��+��F��"��"A�'%��12&

��2�� 1��*��%;#4#5#0 !��G0��'�$��'��0��,�'"��B""0%��!"��'��0=��0��"��%��"$��,��'�)��0��0�$��"$��0�"�)��0��'��C��&��0��#��0'�0$�>0��")��+��%="�%��0��0��%��=��$��'�%�3.1&�'"��"0��>��"$��0�"�="��)��0 �'��,"��0�>��$��0��%��,"��)�0��>*��"��"A��0��>��$0��0)��%�0��#"�'��)"�0�)��"��'��,��&�0"0��A��'�0$��="��%�)��'"��00��'�&

�2.&�$3

��

Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik’s letter to the Union

Culture Minister on November11 for a probe into the neglectof the Konark Sun Temple bythe Archaeological Survey ofIndia is a kneejerk reaction andjust a formality. The State offi-cials are aggrieved that thereplacements of the damagedstone blocks are being donewith plain stones. Little dothey know that these areUnesco guidelines, which theASI is compelled to adhere. Ifthey dither, then we may losethe World Heritage Site status

that has been accorded by theUnesco.

The problems are not justthe manner in which the con-servation is being done. Thecriminal neglect of the ASItowards the preservation ofthe Sun temple and the otherheritage structures of the Stateis a tragic matter. The State’sown Archaeology wing is adefunct department which toois responsible for the dismalstate of the State’s heritage.

The ASI insists that Konarkhas one of the longest conser-vation histories in India. Thehistory of conservation of theSun Temple spans more thanone century. There were morethan 11 reports prepared bydifferent authorities in differ-ent times. Except for threereports, all the other reportswere just ignored. Absolutelyno action has been taken on thelast seven reports.

The first report was pre-pared by Bishan Swarup, anengineer who worked at the sitefrom 1901-04. It was he who

realised that the edifice faced animminent collapse and had itfilled up with sand. The initialmasonry work done under hissupervision saved the templefrom being completelydestroyed. Swarup had givendetailed suggestions for thefurther upkeep of the temple,but these were just forgotten.

The next committee wasformed in 1950, chaired byBiswanath Dash and had on itspanel CM Master, an eminentarchitect from Bombay. Noneof the recommendations wasput in place.

The third committee wasformed in 1953, this too underthe Chairmanship of BiswanathDas and the recommendationfor erection of scaffolding wasimplemented.

In 1978, the ASI constitut-ed the Konark ExpertCommittee which held its firstmeeting on November 7 atKonark. For the first time, aserious view of the problemwas taken and the committeewas chaired by MN

Deshpande, the then DG of theASI. The horticultural devel-opment of the precincts wasmooted and implemented.

After the collapse of fivestone blocks from the maintemple, structural conserva-tion was undertaken between1985 and 1990. Based on this,scaffolding to some vulnerablesections was done. Anotherreport of the Scientific Branchof the ASI made recommen-

dation on chemical preserva-tion, but nothing was done.

In 1979, the Unescoexperts recommendation onconservation of Konark wasgiven to the Government ofIndia. After declaring it aWorld Heritage Site, theUnesco once again appointed acommittee headed by twoexperts of international repute,Sir BM Fielden and P Beckmanin 1987. They described the

state of the temple as alarmingand advised immediate pre-ventive measures. After thehue and cry died down, thereport too was confined to thedark rooms of the ASI.

Italian expert Prof IngGiorgio Croci made a struc-tural analysis of the Jagamohanin 1997. In 2010, the ASI calledworld experts and erected tem-porary scaffolding so that theycould inspect the top of the

temple. The committee madeseveral recommendations,including that of removing thesand. One of the suggestionswas to drill a hole and sendendoscopic video graphic cam-eras to assess the state of theinterior of the temple.

According to AB Tripathy,convener, INTACH Odisha,the temple is in a precariouscondition due to the sheerneglect by the ASI. He alongwith other INTACH memberswas a part of the team whichexamined the structure in 2010.The recommendations forimmediate removal of the sandby the experts were ignored.Experts from the IITs too hadgiven their opinions forremoval of the sand. TheCentral Building ResearchInstitute at Roorkee hadanalysed the stone blocks andgiven their reports. The ASI hasdone nothing.

The ASI is apathetic to theSun Temple. This year too, likeprevious years, the structurewas flooded nearly half a dozen

times, causing alarm and panicamong the locals. Repeatedagitations by local stakeholders,whose livelihood is intricatelylinked with the temple, havefallen on deaf ears.

A nexus of the ASI andlocal mafia have made theplace into a crime den. Thereis rampant corruption in thegranting of contracts by the ASIto political henchmen of theruling party. The High Court ofOrissa had appointed an ami-cus curiae for looking into theneglect.

Even though he submittedhis report three years back, nosteps have been taken.

At one early stage ofrestoration in 1910, a BritishCommissioner is said to haveremarked that not one rupeeshould be spent on the monu-ment—the sooner it falls, thebetter. The way the ASI isworking, this may well hap-pen—and very soon.

(The writer is an INTACHmember and secretary ofKonark Suraksha Samiti)

��%��

�� ,��

The Abhimanyu PattnaikSmruti Samiti observed the

first death anniversary of pop-ular teacher and social workerof Ganjam AbhimanyuPattnaik at Bharati VidyaPeetha in Ganjam town onMonday.

A meeting was organisedbeing presided over by socialworker Binod Mahapatra. StatePlanning Board Member RamaChandra Panda attended asguest and recalled his four-decade-long association withlate Pattnaik.

Besides, a number of ini-tiatives were taken up the

Samiti in memory of latePattnaik to mark the eventand a souvenir “AbhimanyuSmaranika” was also unveiled.A number dignitaries, electedrepresentatives, governmentofficials, scribes, advocates,

disciples and a band of his closeassociates attended and paidfloral tribute to late Pattnaik.

Among others, local MLADr Priyanshu Pradhan, ChittaMaharana, Surendra Mahantyand Sabita Das were present.

"��$��0#�� #�

��

Nehru Yuva Kendra Puriorganised a Neighborhood

Youth Parliament at Puri Sadarblock in coordination withNSS, Maa Sharada Devi MahilaMandal, Model Youth Cluband Mahaveer Youth Club

More than 100 youths fromvarious clubs of Puri Sadar par-ticipated. Writer BadrinathMishra graced the occasion aschief guest and former ZPchairman Dibakar Patra wasthe chief speaker. Prof SukantaMohanty, scribes Ranjankumar Ganguly and BejoyKumar Pattnaik were guests.

District Youth CoordinatorJay Shankar Joshi presided.

Joshi told the objective ofthe programme is to developleadership qualities among theyouths to enable them to real-

ize their full potential innation-building.

Guest Badrinath Mishrasaid about character buildingamong the youths and need ofvolunteerism.

Prof Mohanty told thatyouths should come to theforefront of the developmentprocess and the need of goodgovernance and civic educa-tion. Ganguly told there is aneed to harness the immenseyouth energy for nation-build-

ing.Resource persons gave lec-

tures on various social issuesincluding various flagshipschemes of the Government forthe betterment of the youths.

An action group wasformed to take up the issuethrough various authoritiesand also, to sensitize the dis-cussion matter in their respec-tive villages. At last, certificateswere distributed among theparticipants.

%� �� 3�� ,�1��

��

Aday after Maoist posterswarning police informers

surfaced Kandhamal district,fresh posters of the CPI(Maoist)extending support to the ongo-ing farmers’ agitation spear-headed by the NavanirmanKrushak Sangathan (NKSS)have appeared at two places inthe district.

The posters released in thename of the Odisha StateCommittee of the outlawedoutfit were found at Kukurumavillage under the Phiringiapolice station and Khadir vil-lage under the Guchhapada

police station.The Red rebels also

demanded release of the farm-ers and farmer leaders whowere recently arrested by policeduring the agitation in differ-ent places of the State.

Meanwhile, police seizedthe posters and started inves-tigation. Earlier on Sunday,Maoist posters had been recov-ered near Durgapanga villageunder the Kotagarh police sta-tion in Balliguda of the district.Through the posters the Redrebels warned villagers to stayaway from police and appealedto people not to become policeinformers.

��

Aday after an under-trialprisoner (UTP) was

allegedly killed by a murderconvict in the Balasore DistrictJail, two warders of the jail weresuspended on Monday for neg-ligence in duty.

Reports said Chief Warderof the jail Sanjeev Panda andWarder Dilip Mohapatra wereput under suspension. Besides,DIG (Prisons) GopabandhuMallick reached the jail toinvestigate the incident.

On Sunday, under-trial

prisoner Ramachandra Dashad been attacked by SharatGiri, a prisoner serving life sen-tence in the jail. Following theattack, Das sustained deepinjuries in head and was imme-diately rushed to the DistrictHeadquarters Hospital wherehe succumbed to the injuries.

Even as the exact reasonbehind the attack was yet to beascertained, Superintendent ofDistrict Jail Subhakanta Mishrasaid that the convict had founda stone somewhere in the jailand hit the under-trial prison-er in the head.

-*��12$�#��&2��3��#��#�#�

��

The National Human RightsCommission (NHRC) has sought a

report from the SP, Angul to submit areport on counselling, compensation andmedical treatment to the victims ofrapes/sexual abuse in the district withinfour weeks.

Acting on a petition filed by rights

campaigner Radhakanta Tripathy, theNHRC took the step.

Tripathy highlighted three differentincidents of sexual abuse, including howin one case, a girl had jumped out of amoving ambulance as the ambulance staffhad attempted to rape her.

In another incident, a minor girl aged5 years was raped by a 25- year- old manwhile she was on her way to school.

Lastly, in the third incident, the vic-tim was talking to her friend when bothof them were taken to a secluded place bythe accused persons and the victim wasgang-raped by them in front of her friend.The victim’s friend was also brutally beat-en up.

The complainant sought the inter-vention of the NHRC and for a thoroughinvestigation in the incidents.

The victims have not been provided

medical care, psycho-social counsellingand they have not been compensated.

Tripathy requested the NHRC toinvestigate the case and sought imple-mentation status of Nirbhaya Scheme inthe State and pay compensation of �10 lakhto each victim and rehabilitate themproperly after due counselling.

"$��0�#�� 0�

�� /��

��

While a controversy hasengulfed the ‘Raghunath

Besha’ of Lord Jagannath andHis siblings showcased inBhubaneswar, with manyJagannath devotees and servi-tors resenting the ritual outsidethe Puri temple, Shree JaganathTemple Administration (SJTA)Chief Administrator PradiptaMohapatra has added fuel tofire by sharing dais in theevent.

Joining as chief guest in‘Raghunath Besha’ exhibition inNalco Nagar CommunityCenter at Bhubaneswar onSaturday Mohapatra hadannounced that the same

‘Besha’ would be observed inthe Shreemandir in 2020.

In the event Nalco CMDDr TK Chand, besides someDaitapatis of Shreemandiraand officials of the LawDepartment, were present.Rajya Sabha memberRaghunath Mohapatra was alsoa guest in the event.

As per sources, a LawDepartment official withpriestly attire was carryingflowers to the dais in a proces-sion amid ringing of bells.

The Chief Administrator,some servitors and a number ofhigh profile people were pre-sent there. Like Shreemandir,dry bhogs and Mahaparasadwere distributed among thedevotees.

There is a sharp contrastwithin the temple administra-tion following presence ofMohapatra in the event. Nitiadministrator Pradip Dash in

response on Saturday said thatthe temple had no involvementin the event as it was a privateone.

However, the outsourcingof a rare of the rarest attire ofthe deities to Bhubaneswarfrom Shreemandir has notgone down well within the people with many criticizing the temple admin-istration, besides the host andguests.

Here servitors’ communi-

ty is not prepared to openmouth on camera though mostof them have condemned suchan attempt.

Aged servitors were foundcompletely opposed to suchBesha outside MeghanadaPacheri (Temple boundary).“Age has changed.

Now Jagannath is a bigbusiness at hand of some peo-ple. We have gone old now.Jagannath is last one to protectself,” told an octogenarian

Sighari servitor requestinganonymity.

As per records over past500 years, ‘Raghunath Besha’has never been observed out-side Shreemandir any time.This is first such case to show-case the event out of the shrineprecincts with involvement oftemple officials.

While the attire was lastobserved in 1905 in the temple,in 1969 and 1983, the shrineadministration had failed toconduct on security ground.

Though nobody is alivetoday as eyewitness to explainthe Besha, however, it is learntfrom old servitors that theJagannath Temple had dazzledwith tones of gold and jew-elleries.

A sea of crowd had flockedthe pilgrim city with peoplejampacking the lanes and bylanes of Puri, when it wasorganised.

��/��*��

�1*3�� 4��%�"=��%��A"0��>��A�0"��

��

The Endocrine Society ofIndia would hold its 48 th

annual conference here fromNovember 15 to 18, informedorganising secretary Abhaya

Sahoo on Monday.Endocrine is a super spe-

cialized subject covering mostcommonly known diseasessuch as diabetes, thyroid dis-orders, growth and hormonerelated problems and sexual

disorders.A broad discussion would

be held on the advance andnew research practices in thecause of endocrinology treat-ment across the country.

As many as 21 interna-tional-level experts from theUSA, UK, Canada, SouthAfrica and SARC countrieswill participate and deliverdiverse experiences, informedSahoo.

The medical conference, tobe organised by the EndocrineSociety of Odisha, would beheld at the Hotel MayfairLagoon where as many as 125delegates from abroad and1850 doctors from across thecountry will attend.

Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik and Health MinisterPratap Jena would grace aschief guest and guest of honourrespectively.

4� ��00��'�&�56�!�4��#��3�5��

��+�� 2�'7��!��A�$0�'��A��"0%��)�"A��

'��$��$��>)��$�".�"$��$"��0��A��"0%��$"')��0��

! �� +9�!��!�! ��! �!�,��

��,��!��!�9�B9��9��+�9B,9 ��!��! ��*��!

��"4��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1

��

The Thalassemia CareSociety Odisha (TCSO)

organised a seminar on “WeConquer Thalassemia” hereon Sunday in which discussionson the changing scenario andglobal practices in treatmentprotocol of thalassemia wereheld.

The speakers also dis-cussed about various futuretreatment options ofThalassemics as it is a dreadeddisease and only can be curedthrough bone marrow trans-plant, which is highly expensive

and less probable due tounavailability of matched HLAdonors.

They said that at present,patients are struggling due tounavailability of proper andsafe blood, i.e., LeucodepetedPacked Red Blood Cells andproper chelating medicinesand demanded that the gov-ernment take initiatives toensure their availability.

Among others, bone mar-row transplant specialist DrSunil Bhatta, Dr Jayadip Ghosh,Dr Debasish Mishra, DrHaraprasad Pattnaik, SanyashiBehera, DSSO, SSEPD andTCSO president Bijaya KumarRout and secretary NirakarPanda were present.

�� ,��

The Vivekananda Land and Buildingorganised a doctors’ conference here

on Monday wherein BerhampurDevelopment Authority Chairman SubashMoharana and reputed doctors fromacross country attended as guests.

Organisation managing directorBichitra Patnaik said that a plan has beenmade to construct a multi- speciality hos-pital in Brahmapur in association with theDesign World.

Design World MD Nilesh Gupta saidthe aim of the hospital would to help peo-ple and give them medical facilities at lowcosts.

Among others, Oncologist Dr AnilThakwani, Neurosurgeon Dr SanjivKumar, heart specialist Dr Nirav Bansal,Dr Kamala Kant Panigrahi and OmechHospital AGM PK Patnaik were present.

��

The National AluminiumCompany Limited (Nalco)

has once again repeated itsstrong performance by postinga turnover of �5,952 crore inthe first half of FY 2018-19, andthe growth is 42 per cent overH1 of FY 2017-18.

Similarly, the net profit ofthe company has gone up fromRs 364 crore in H1 of the pre-vious fiscal (2017-18) to �1,197crore during the first half of2018-19, registering a growth of229 per cent.

While the net profit ofNALCO in the H1 of currentfiscal has increased aroundthree-fold, operating profit ofthe company has increasedmore than four-fold, register-ing �1,624 crore in 2018-19compared to �334 crore in H1of FY 2017-18. EBITDA mar-gin of the company during theperiod has doubled from 17 percent to 34 per cent.

According to the reviewedfinancial results for the 2ndquarter and first half of thefinancial year 2018-19 taken onrecord by the Board ofDirectors in the meeting heldat Bhubaneswar on Monday,the Nalco achieved a net prof-it of �510 crore, as against �235crore in the correspondingquarter of previous fiscal, reg-istering around two-foldgrowth.

The operating profit of2nd quarter of FY18-19 hasincreased by 229 at �735 croreas against �223 crore in the 2ndquarter of FY17-18.

��

Reliance Group ChairmanMukesh Ambani during

his visit to the Shreemandir onMonday offered invitation cardto the deities to attend hisdaughter Isha’s marriage cere-mony.

Spending almost 20 min-utes inside the shrine, hereturned to Bhubaneswar byair. As he was a State guest, thePuri police had made elaboratesecurity arrangement forAmbani, India’s richest businesstycoon, in the pilgrim town.

At about 3pm, Ambanilanded in Puri Talabania heli-pad from a helicopter andamid tight security went to theJagannath Temple.

He was received at theLions Gate by Puri CollectorJyoti Prakash Dash. Puri SPSarthank Sarangi and somehigher officials of the templewere present.

His ancestral Panda (priest)led him to the Bhitrakatha(inner cordon) of the sanctum

sanctorum for darshan of thedeities. Ambani handed overthe invitation card with flow-ers to the servitors on duty andoffered prayer there.

Before departure from theshrine, he interacted with someservitors about the history ofthe temple.

At the Lions Gate, he saidto reporters that he felt blessedand fortunate to view the Lordson the podium.

According to sources,Ambani is said to have donat-ed a big money to the templeHundi although the amount isunknown.

*��(��5,��6��*� � �� 7��

Less than a week left as theXavier Institute of

Management, Bhubaneswar(XIMB) gears up to host one ofthe biggest management cul-tural fest, ‘Xpressions 2018’,the students as part of thepromotion activity organised aflash mob at the EsplanadeMall here recently.

Shoppers were taken bysurprise as students suddenlystarted dancing to the tunes ofhit Bollywood numbers andwthin minutes the mall came toa standstill and the audiencegrew many-folds, all trying tocatch a glimpse of the perfor-mance making the mob a suc-cess.

During the Xpressions alive performance by SunidhiChauhan on Celeblitz, theCelebrity Night, a performanceby the rising stars of Electronicpop music, Zephyrtone, and acomedy night with GauravKapoor would be held duringthe three-day event.

The mob gave a smallglimpse of the extravaganzathat awaits the capital city of Bhubaneswar. The registration for the fest can be done on the website: https://www.ximbx- pressions.com/registrations.

8)�0�� ,��98��/

��#��$��#��

!��)��"��$��%"�0A��"��#�0��0��0'��0")0�"��#"�!��'�$�

� ��.�� 0/� �5�� /��*5

2��

+�,��&�� /�!� ��

��1�)��6��%��

�� 0� ��

%��

6��#��%��#,��

�� + ��

Suvichar, a Chandigarh-based Think Tank, on

Monday announced a series ofmeasures to bring about changein traffic mechanism of Indiancities.

Taking a 360 degree view ofproblems ailing our cities,prominent members of thethink tank came together to release its annual report,which makes a mention ofseveral remedial measureswhich needs to be taken for abetter city. Expressing concern

over increasing number of roadaccident in Chandigarh, the members suggested challans for traffic violations on the spot on the basis ofCCTV cameras, besides alsosuggesting raising the amountof fine for violations.

It was also suggested to cre-ate awareness among public tosend information about violators through Facebook,WhatsApp, Twitter, besidesmaking seat belts mandatory for those sittingon rear seat as well.

"��0��0��

��"'��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1

��

Buffalo meat exports fell by 5per cent to 6.18 lakh tonnes

during the first half of this fiscal,but increased by 8 per cent invalue terms to �12,980 crore, anofficial data showed. Accordingto agri-export promotion bodyAPEDA, the country exported6,18,559 tonnes of buffalo meatfor �12,980 crore during the firstsix months of 2018-19 fiscal.

Buffalo meat exports stoodat 6,21,541 tonnes worth �12,035crore in the corresponding peri-od of last fiscal. Vietnam,Malaysia and Egypt are the three

major destinations for the coun-try’s buffalo meat shipments.

Total exports of agricultureand processed food productsrose to �61,789 crore from�56,741 crore during the periodunder review. Of the totalexports, cereals contributed max-imum at �27,174 crore duringthe first six months of this fiscalas against �25,813 crore in theyear-ago period.

India exported 20,82,583tonnes of basmati rice for�15,331 crore as against21,34,757 tonnes for �13,706crore. Non-basmati rice exportsfell in both the volume and value

terms at 37,23,828 tonnes worth�10,426 crore from 42,86,605tonnes worth �11,236 crore dur-ing the period under review.

The exports of livestockproducts rose to �15,272 croreduring April-September 2018from �13,707 crore in the year-ago period. Fruits and vegetablesexports rose from �4,230 croreto �4,298 crore, while shipmentsof processed fruits and vegetablesincreased from �3,547 crore to�4,141 crore.

The exports of otherprocessed food includingSorghum went up to �10,080crore from �8,808 crore.

��

With demand for air con-ditioning units set to

cross one billion by 2050 inIndia, the climate change-con-scious Government is nowlooking for an energy-efficienttechnology that will have atleast five times less climateimpact than the standard roomACs sold at present.

To encourage innovation inthis regard, the Government onMonday announced the launchof the first-of-its kind $3 mil-lion Global Cooling Prize, aninternational competition ask-ing the researchers and inno-vators from across the world todevelop such a cooling tech-nology to combat the climatechange threat.

Announcing the award, DrHarsh Vardhan, UnionMinister of Science,Technology and Earth Sciencessaid rising temperature willaffect the health and produc-tivity of billions of citizens. Wesupport this innovation chal-lenge, which aims to developsustainable and efficient tech-nology to provide thermalcomfort to all, he said whilespeaking at the inaugural of thetwo-day Global CoolingInnovation Summit here.

Presently, there around 1.2

billion room air conditioningunits in service around theworld. The number is set toincrease to at least 4.5 billion by2050, according to an esti-mate. India alone will see over1 billion air conditioningdeployed in the market by2050. The energy consumptionassociated with comfort cool-ing represents one of the largestend-use risks to the climate,putting the most vulnerablepopulations at risk.

The prize is supported byGovernment’s MissionInnovation through theDepartment of Science andTechnology and its partner orga-nizations Ministry of Power,Bureau of Energy Efficiency, andEnvironment Ministry while acoalition of research institutes-Rocky Mountain Institute(RMI), Conservation X Labs, theAlliance for an Energy EfficientEconomy (AEEE), and CEPTUniversity will oversee it.

John Loughhead Vice-Chair, Mission InnovationSteering Committee said, “Thisis exactly what MissionInnovation was set-up to deliv-er - new collaborations betweengovernments, innovators andthe private sector to unleashinnovation in climate criticaltechnologies.”

Iain Campbell from RMI

said, “A technology developedthrough the Global CoolingPrize has the opportunity tocapture a $20 billion marketand transform the global ACmarket for the better.”

Over $3 million will beawarded in prize money overthe course of the two-yearcompetition. Up to 10 short-listed competing technologieswill be awarded up to $200,000each in intermediate prizes tosupport the design and proto-type development of theirinnovative residential coolingtechnology designs. The win-ning technology will be award-ed at least $1 million to supportits incubation and early-stagecommercialisation, said an offi-cial from the S&T Ministry.

On the occasion, “Solvingthe Global Cooling Challenge”report prepared by the RMIwas released. It said adoptionof a 5X solution by year 2040,about 75 per cent less electric-ity will be needed globally tooperate the room air condi-tioners in 2050. “The 5X solu-tion can achieve cumulativeemissions reductions of up to100 gigatons by 2050 — equiv-alent to taking 50% of today’sglobal stock of passenger vehi-cles off the road — and helpmitigate up to 0.5º C in globalwarming impact,” it added.

��

Associated Journals Limited(AJL), the publisher of

National Herald newspaper, onMonday approached the DelhiHigh Court challenging theMinistry of Urban Developmentorder ending its 56-year-oldlease and asking it to vacate thepremises in the press enclavearea at ITO. Meanwhile, theCongress has accused the BJP-led Central Government ofembarking on a “witch-hunt”and claimed that it was puttingpressure on the machinery torevoke the lease of the HeraldHouse at any cost, but its designwould be defeated.

The plea, challenging theOctober 30 order of the UrbanDevelopment Ministry endingthe lease and asking it to vacatethe premises by November 15,is scheduled to come up forhearing Tuesday before JusticeSunil Gaur.

The plea alleged that theLand and Development Office’sorder was “illegal, unconstitu-tional, arbitrary, tainted withmalafide and without authorityand jurisdiction”. The petition,filed through advocates SunilFernandes and Priyansha IndraSharma, said that the Centre haswarned them of action underthe Public Premises (Eviction ofUnauthorized Occupants) Act,1971, if they failed to vacate thepremises.

One of the grounds men-

tioned in the L&DO order isthat no press has been func-tioning in the premises for lastat least 10 years and that it isbeing used only for commercialpurposes in violation of the leasedeed. This allegation has beenrefuted by AJL in the petition.Bjp leader Subramanian Swamyhad approached the UrbanDevelopment Ministry to takeover the Herald House citingthat no newspaper activity pub-lishing activity is going there.

Accusing BJP, seniorCongress leader and party trea-surer Ahmed Patel said NationalHerald, Qaumi Awaz andNavjivan — all the newspapersrun by the National Heraldnewspapers from the HeraldHouse had the spine to speakthe truth, which made those inpower uneasy.

“The BJP Government hasembarked on a witch hunt andis pressurising the machinery torevoke lease of Herald House atany cost. National Herald,Qaumi Awaz and the Navjivan

have the spine to speak the truthwhich makes those in poweruneasy. “The Government’sdesign will be defeated,” he saidon Twitter.

In December 2017, theIncome Tax Department hadimposed a fine of �250 crore onSonia Gandhi and RahulGandhi-controlled firm YoungIndia, which took over AJlthrough a “covert and fraudu-lent” way. The Delhi High Courtordered Young Indian to deposit�10 crore for entertaining itsappeal against the Income Taxfine order.

In the trial court, theNational Herald case is now inthe process of submission of evi-dences by the petitionerSubramanian Swamy, who start-ed his deposition on July 15. Thenext hearing of the date isscheduled for August 25. Theaccused Congress leaders inthe case have filed a petition inthe court for restraining Swamyfrom tweeting about the casedetails and defaming them.

��

The Election Commission (EC) has asked theMizoram Government to suggest two more

names for the post of State Chief Election Officer(CEO). Earlier, the chief secretary of Mizoram has sentthe three names — Lalhmingthanga, H Lalengmawia,and K Lalthawmmawia for the chief electoral officer’spost. There has been no decision regarding the removalof CEO SB Shashank, who had courted controversyin the poll-bound State.

Sources in the EC said the poll panel has soughttwo more panel names for the CEO’s post from theMizoram Government.

The EC will only appoint someone as CEO if he or she is capable of conducting free, fair and peaceful election. Meanwhile, the EC will again be meeting Shashank to know what exactly the level is of preparedness and what should be done in Mizoram because the new incumbent will havevery little time to deliver polls in the State, said offi-cials.

Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain,who led the second EC team to Mizoram on Friday,had told officials that it would take two-three days toselect and appoint a new CEO. Jain had also assuredthe NGO Coordination Committee leaders — whowere spearheading the movement against Shashank— that the CEO would be replaced and the Bru vot-ers housed in Tripura relief camps would exercise theirfranchise from Mizoram, which were the primarydemands of the organisation.

The EC had initiated the process of finding analternative to the Mizoram CEO on Saturday.

Thousands of people took to the streets and pick-eted in front of Shashank’s office for two days last week.The protesters, under the aegis of the NGOCoordination Committee, had also set an ultimatumfor Shashank to leave urgently.

��

With diabetes becoming a “family dis-ease” that can potentially affect

every household-emotionally as well asfinancially, this year’s World Diabetes Dayon Wednesday will highlight the role ofcaregivers in supporting the people livingwith the chronic disease.

Aptly themed ‘Diabetes concernsevery family,” by the International DiabetesFederation and WHO, the two-year-longawareness programmes will focus onraising awareness on the impact that dia-betes has on the family, besides promot-ing the role of the family in diabetes man-agement, care, prevention and education.

“Families have a key role to play inaddressing the modifiable risk factors fortype 2 diabetes, which can be preventedby adopting healthy lifestyle includingregular physical activity, a healthy and bal-anced diet, and the promotion of healthyliving environments,” said an officialfrom the Health Ministry.

Hence it is important that families areprovided with the education, resources,and environments to help the patient livea healthy lifestyle, he said.

The official added that currently, atleast 425 million people are living withdiabetes. Most of these cases are type 2diabetes, a chronic condition that occurseither when the pancreas does not produceenough insulin or when the body cannoteffectively use the insulin it produces.

While the Union Health Ministry hasplanned a string of programmes focusingon diabetes awareness programmes for the

families so that they can help ease the lifeof the patient, the Ayush Ministry willhave a special focus on educational pro-grammes about the role the traditionalmedicines in ayurveda, Unani and home-opathy can play in controlling the condi-tion.

“There are many scientifically devel-oped anti-diabetic ayurvedic medicinessuch as BGR-34 developed by CSIR using

anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlycemic agentsfound in commonly used herbs likedaruharidra, giloy, gudmar and bittergourds. Similarly, the Central Council forResearch in Ayurvedic Science (CCRAS)and Central Council for Research inSiddha (CCRS) have developed medicineslike AYUSH-D and D5 respectively forDiabetes Mellitus,” said an official from theAyush Ministry.

��

As the BJP released its firstlist of candidates for

Rajasthan with 25 new faces andalmost over with most of its 230seats of Madhya Pradesh, theparty is simultaneously engag-ing in the task of managing rebelcandidates in the tough elec-toral battles with the Congressin the two States. The Rajasthanlist of the BJP has 12 womencandidates, 17 scheduled castesand 19 Scheduled tribes. TheBJP has 25 new candidateswhile there are 85 sitting MLAs.Rajasthan is to go to polls onDecember 7.

Chief Minister VasundharaRaje will contest from her tra-ditional Jhalrapatan Assemblyseat. It has fielded HomeMinister Gulab Chand Katariafrom Udaipur, UrbanDevelopment Minister SrichandKripalani from NImbaheda andAgriculture Minster PrabhulalSaini from Anta.

In both the States BJP isfighting long anti-incumbencyand hence dozens of newwinnable candidates have foundplace in place of some “veterans”.

The party has retained 85sitting MLAs and dropped 26MLAs, including two Ministersand one of two Muslim MLAs,while there is no change in theconstituencies of 85 MLAs whohave been retained.

Ministers Rajendra Rathore,

Gulab Chand Kataria, VasudevDevnani, Srichand Kriplani,Kiran Maheshwari AnitaBhadel, Ajay Singh,Krishnendra Kaur, GajendraSingh and Prabhu Lal Saini havemade it to the list.

The saffron party has alsogiven tickets to family membersof a few sitting MLAs and otherleaders. These include PoonamKanwar, daughter-in-law of for-mer BJP MLA Devi Singh Bhati(Kolayat seat); Atul Bhansali,relative of Jodhpur MLA KailashBhansali (Jodhpur seat);Hemant Meena, son of TribalAffairs Minister Nandlal Meena(Pratapgarh seat); RamswaroopJat, son of former MP SanwarLal Jat who died last year(Nasirabad seat); Sailesh Singh,son of former BJP MinisterDigambar Singh who died lastyear, among others. Some of the

candidates like Shambhu SinghKhetasar(Sardarpura), SumitGodara (Lunkaransar), SatishPoonia (Amber), Jaswant Gurjar(Bari), Babu Lal Kharadi(Jhadol) and Khemraj Garasia(Bagidora) had lost the 2013Assembly elections.

The BJP has two sittingMuslim MLAs — HabiburRahman (Nagaur) andTransport Minister YoonusKhan (Deedwana). The partyhas dropped Rahman and thecandidate for the Deedwana seathas not been announced yet.

Water Resources MinisterSurendra Goyal and TribalAffairs Minister Nandlal Meenacould not make it to the list.However, the party has fieldedMeena’s son from his con-stituency. The Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) has also retainedDeputy Speaker Rao Rajendra

Singh and chief whip Kalu LalGurjar in the first list.

Jaisalmer-Barmer MP SonaRam was also given ticket fromBarmer. BJP is almost overwith its list of candidates forMadhya Pradesh as on Mondayit released the third list of 32candidates for the ensuingMadhya Pradesh Assembly elec-tions. The party released the sec-ond list of 177 candidates onNovember 5 and first list of 17candidates on November 2.The State is slated to go to pollson November 28 for 230 con-stituencies.

BJP has fielded nationalgeneral secretary KailashVijayvargiya’s son AkashVijayvargiya from the Indore-3constituency and formerMadhya Pradesh Chief MinisterBabulal Gaur’s daughter-in-lawKrishna Gour from Govindpuraconstituency. Chief MinisterShivraj Singh Chouhan is will becontesting from his home con-stituency, Budhni.

BJP has denied tickets toover 35 sitting MLAs in MadhyaPradesh. Apprehensive of rebel-lion in the ranks, the party hasdeployed central state-chargeand other senior leaders to pla-cate party leaders who have notfound their names in the lists.

A group of central leadershave been asked to monitor“rebel activities” and resolveissues before nominations arecompleted.

�1'��/+��%� ��&�0��%7�2��$*.�8�6,�� +#��&��7��/��

�� '��7�� , ��

��

India and Morocco onMonday signed an agree-

ment to help each other incriminal matters and providelegal assistance whereverrequired, the Home Ministrysaid. The agreement on mutu-al legal assistance in criminalmatters was signed by Union Minister of State forHome Kiren Rijiju on behalf ofIndia and Mohamed Aujjar, the Minister of justice on behalf of Kingdom ofMorocco, here.

The pact will strengthenbilateral cooperation withMorocco and enhance effec-tiveness and provide a broadlegal framework for prevention,investigation and prosecutionof crimes, as well as in tracing,restraint and confiscation offunds meant to finance terror-ist acts, a Home Ministry state-ment said. Both the Ministersreiterated their resolve to joint-ly counter the threats posed byorganised crime and terrorism,it said.

��'�� 0#�� +�� /��4��+��,��1�� : ��'�!�$�� ()

"�� 8��# ��#��

��

The Government has can-celled Enforcement

Directorate Joint DirectorRajeshwar Singh’s leave withoutciting any reasons. The leavewas granted to him last monthby the then ED Director KarnalSingh.

Singh is facing investiga-tion for writing a letter againstFinance Secretary HasmukhAdhia earlier this year.

In his letter, Singh hadasked Adhia, who was thenRevenue Secretary, if he haddeveloped animosity againsthim by “siding with scamstersand their affiliates”.

The Department ofRevenue (DoR), under theUnion Finance Ministry, dis-allowed Rajeshwar Singh’sstudy leave. However, the thenED Director Karnal Singhsanctioned his leave onOctober 27, days before hisretirement on October 31.Rajeshwar Singh had soughtleave for pursuing an LLMcourse.

IRS officer Sanjay KumarMishra was subsequentlyappointed the new ED chief fol-lowing his predecessor’s retirte-ment.

The Department of

Revenue has overturned KarnalSingh’s order sanctioning leaveto Rajeshwar Singh without cit-ing any reasons, officials said.The ED functions under theDepartment of Revenue.

According to the leavesanction order approved bythe former ED chief KarnalSingh, Rajeshwar Singh will beavailable whenever he isrequired for “assistance ininvestigations or trial in court”with regard to cases probed byhim, including the 2G spec-trum allocation and the Aircel-Maxis money laundering cases.

Rajeshwar Singh had lastmonth also handed over hischarge of joint director(Lucknow zone) of the EDafter the leave was sanctioned.

The Union Finance min-istry had submitted a secretreport to the Supreme Court inJune, apparently carryingdetails of a phone call receivedby Rajeshwar Singh fromDubai.

The report was prepared bycountry’s external Intelligenceagency Research and AnalysisWing (RAW) and handed overto the DoR.

The Government subse-quently launched an investiga-tion against Rajeshwar Singhfor the letter against Adhia.

;�&��4$��1��!��/��&�

$�&��,��<�!��=>��-�� ;�&�

0 ��"�� !��6?��@A5B��

$��#� ��!��

� ��%�0�$)�0��0��"=%�00��$�0"0��0'��0��'��#$"�#��$0��A��"=��$"��"��A��)��A��0��#�'��&

��B�'��)�"A��'"0�"��J�$"�"'�$��))"�0>��#�#""�D0��$��0��0��0"��0��0��0'��0��'��%��0��$0��#"��"=��>��#"�$�0��#��0��0��)��"�

��A��0��#""��$""��%��#�'��'�'%��)�0"$"�0�"�%�""��$"��=��'��)��)�"#��&

��0�"��#�'��0��$��)�"A��'%��$�=��0��)�0��0�$��$��A�0��'��'��0=�0��0'"�0��0��#�$0�"��))��&

7��#��

�"**��-!� !�� #!��)!��'��!�.�/!�� !0�

New Delhi: The Supreme Court onMonday refused to entertain a pleachallenging the Constitutional valid-ity of Section 375 of Indian PenalCode (IPC) which deals with rape onthe ground that the provision is notgender-neutral.

A bench headed by Chief JusticeRanjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaulsaid the issue raised in the petitionis a subject matter of the legislature’sdomain.

“We are not inclined to interfereat this stage as the issues raised per-tain to legislations to be made by theParliament, for which adequate rec-ommendations have already beenmade by the Law Commission,” itsaid.

It said that NGO ‘CriminalJustice Society of India’ “may seeksuch other remedy, as may be avail-able in law” and disposed of the PIL.

“The issue falls in the realm ofthe Parliament. We don’t want to sayanything on it right now”, the benchsaid, while granting liberty to thepetitioners to make a representationto the legislature.

While Section 375 of the IPCdeals with rape committed on awoman by a man, Section 376 listsout the punishment for the offence.

The top court was hearing a peti-tion filed by NGO Criminal JusticeSociety of India, through advocateAshima Mandla, contending that

Section 375 violates Articles 14, 15and 21 of the Constitution as it doesnot account for rape of men andTransgender persons.

The plea sought that the defin-ition of rape under Section 375 beheld “ultra vires” for being “dis-criminatory and violative of Articles14 (right to equality), 15 (prohibitionof discrimination on grounds of reli-gion, race, caste, sex...) and 21 (rightto life and personal liberty) of theConstitution”. The petitioner hassubmitted that the section appliesonly to women as victims and menas perpetrators. It does not take intoaccount non-consensual sexualassault inflicted on a woman by awoman, on a man by another man,on transgender by another trans-gender or a man or woman, on aman by a woman.

The plea referred to the August2017 order passed by a nine-judgebench of the top court that declaredprivacy as a fundamental right andalso cited the NALSA judgmentthat recognised transgenders as thethird gender.

“It is imperative to note thattransgenders including but not lim-ited to homosexuals & bisexuals, andmen are sequestered from the pointof view of victims of rape under theexisting penal laws of the country,despite an impending need for thesame”, the plea said. PTI

"��#��$.8��0��#��%��

�� '��&�� !�� '��$��+ ��0��&��'�!�$�� ()

��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1 ��"(

�� /�� *��

Making a scathing attack onprevious Governments

for wasting thousands of croresin the name of making Gangariver clean and pollution-freeand neglecting rivers across thecountry, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has said thatduring the last four years theway development works havebeeen carried out shows thatthe BJP has done politics onlyfor development and not forvote bank.

“It is also a historic daywhen for the first time sinceIndependence, waterwaystransportation began in thecountry,” he said, adding that itis also the ‘new vision of newIndia’.

Addressing an impressivegathering at Wajidpur nearHarahuwa where he inaugu-rated projects worth over�2,400 crore on Mondayevening, the Prime Ministersaid: “Contrary to previousgovernments, we are spendingmoney in making the Gangariver clean and, in this direc-tion, projects worth �23,000crore were sanctioned and outof the same projects worth Rs5000 crore are being allocat-ed for Namami Gange pro-ject.”

He said that in the last fouryears several sewage treat-ment plants were launchedand out of them some wereinaugurated, includingDeenapur Sewage TreatmentPlant (STP), to ensure that nota single drop of sewer watergoes into the rivers of Gangaand Varuna. “And all thesecould become possible onlywith the cooperation of thepeople,” he said.

Modi said that the gov-ernment was aiming at theoverall development of thewaterways transportationwhich began from Haldia toVaranasi and would help theancient city to become agateway to development ofthe entire eastern India.“When four years ago, we haddecided to start inland water-ways between Haldia andVaranasi, the Oppositionparty leaders had made sev-eral comments that it couldnot be possible but today ithas become a reality whencontainer vessel (cargo) camehere carrying 16 containers,”he said, adding that it was notonly cheaper transportationbut also eco-friendly and hec-tic works were going on forthe development of more than100 such inland waterways inthe country.

Earlier, Modi had inau-gurated the country’s firstmulti-model terminal atRalhupur in trans-GangaRamnagar development worth�208 crore where he also wel-comed the first cargo from

Haldia. “This will write a newchapter in the development ofthis city which would becomea confluence of nature, cultureand adventure,” he said,adding that this would notonly help vegetable growers ofthe region to send their prod-ucts to other markets in east-ern India easily but would alsohelp the city to become aglobal hub for carpet exportsfrom the region.

Modi began his addressusing local Bhojpuri dialectsgreeting people for recentfestivals and also ended thesame wishing good luck forthe ongoing famous festival ofChhath. “We’re working onthe development of goodconnectivity and, in thisdirection, hectic work hasbeen done during the last fouryears to improve road, rail,water and air transportation,”he said, adding that prior toindependent there was goodwaterways transportation inthe country but shockinglyafter independence the gov-ernment had totally neglect-ed the same.

Earlier, the function wasalso addressed by the Unionminister Nitin Gadkari, ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath andstate Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) president MahendraNath Pandey. The functionwas also attended by deputyChief Minister Keshav PrasadMaurya, Union minister SatyaPal, UP minister SureshKhanna, MP Ram CharitNishad and many others.

*,5��2�9�&�2��

�,��A��0��"#)�"C�$0�#"�*��

�� 89�8�!�

West Bengal BJP presidentDilip Ghosh on

Monday threatened to movecourt if the State Governmentdoes not grant permissionfor the proposed rath yatras ofparty president Amit Shah inthe State next month.

Ghosh said if TMC triesto disrupt the proposed rathyatras then the people of theState will come out in protestas it is meant for restoringdemocracy in Bengal.

"The police and the StateGovernment are yet to grantpermission. Time and againwe have tried to meet thepolice officials and the HomeSecretary, but in vain. Untiland unless we have the per-mission how will we organizethe entire route?" Ghosh said.

BJP national presidentAmit Shah is set to kick offthree rath yatras which willcover all 42 Lok Sabha con-stituencies in Bengal onDecember 5, 7 and 9.

"If the Government is try-

ing to delay the permission sothat our rath yatra pro-gramme can be cancelledthen it is living in a fool's par-adise. If they don't grant us

permission we will movecourt and fight it out,” he said.

At the conclusion of the'yatra', the party plans to holda massive rally in Kolkatawhich is likely to be addressedby Prime Minister NarendraModi.

Locket Chatterjee, the saf-fron party's West BengalMahila Morcha president, hadsaid on Saturday that thosetrying to stop the Rath Yatra"will get crushed under thewheels of the chariot".

��#��"��9��&�-:$

.06��

��4#��

.�� 5� ��')�:��;

+�� !�� ,��&��+��,� �� A��7�� "�� &��-��#�� "�A� +�

�� K��

Mizoram Chief Minister LalThanhawla has moveable

properties worth over �1 croreand agricultural land valued atmore than �2 crore, according tothe affidavit submitted by himwhile filing his nominationpapers for the November 28State Assembly polls.

According to the affidavit,Lal Thanhawla has �5 lakh incash, �1,28,06,007 worthmoveable properties, �2.8 croreworth agricultural land and�20 lakh worth non-agricul-tural land.

He also has a land onwhich he has constructed abuilding at New Town, Kolkataworth around �3.1 crore and aresidential house at Zarkawt inAizawl, the value of which hehas not declared.

Lal Thanhawla's wife, LalRiliani, has �3 lakh in cash,movable properties worth�92,13,740.47 and agriculturalland worth �25 lakh.

She also has non-agricul-tural land worth �15 lakh.

People's Representation forIdentity and Status of Mizoram(PRISM) president and theparty's chief ministerial candi-date Vanlalruata has only�30,000 cash in hand and hiswife has �5,000 in cash, accord-ing to the affidavit filed by him.

Vanlalruata has two bankaccounts and the total amountof money in both the accountsis �2,175, while his spouse has�539 in her account with theMizoram Rural Bank, KhatlaBranch in Aizawl.

He has an agricultural landworth around �7.50 lakh.

Former two-time chiefminister and Mizo NationalFront (MNF) presidentZoramthanga has �10 lakh incash and immoveable prop-erties, including cars andbank accounts, worth � 57.22lakh, according to the affi-davit filed by him.

Zoramthanga has agricul-tural land worth Rs 20 lakh anda land and a building at theChaltlang locality in Aizawlworth �1.25 crore.

His wife Roneihsangi hasonly �7 in cash, �43,756 in herbank accounts and moveableproperties and a land and abuilding worth �1.5 crore at theRamhlun Venglai locality inAizawl.

Zoramthanga's son anddaughter have �28,398 each intheir bank accounts.

State Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) president John VHluna did not mention theamount of cash in hand.

He has movable assets,including bank accounts,worth �20,05,147, accordingto the affidavit filed by him.

All the landed properties,both agricultural and non-agricultural lands were worth�1.30 crore.

Zoram People'sMovement's (ZPM) chief min-isterial candidate Lalduhomahas �70,000 cash in hand andmoveable properties, includingbank accounts, worth �18.34lakh.

Lalduhoma's total landedproperties are worth �1.9 crore.

��C�� &��,��!��&��5��

��2��+ ��

Hectic activities are on in theDMK camp to finalise the

sharing of the 39 Lok Sabhaseats from the State for theupcoming general election. TheDMK has already agreed to givethe lone seat from Puducherryto the Congress, according toparty insiders. Sources in theDMK told this newspaper thatthe party would allocate sevenLok Sabha seats from the Stateto the Congress. “The CPI-M,the CPI and the VCK would getone seat each while the DMKwould contest the remaining 29seats,” said the source.

If the alliance to be floatedby Pattali Makkal Katchi, whichmay include some of the castegroups, joins the DMK camp,the party would release fourseats to that group. “The DMKwould like to contest at least 25seats while accommodating asmany alliance partners as pos-sible,” said the source privy tothe discussions.

Meanwhile, MK Stalin,DMK president, had some spe-cial visitors at AnnaArivalayam, the party head-quarters in Chennai onMonday morning.

A delegation of RSS lead-ers, a bête noire of Stalin,called on the DMK chief andheld discussions with him fornearly 25 minutes.

The RSS delegation con-sisted of Prof Kumaraswamy,Tamil Nadu president, PMRavikumar, State organiser andSambamurthy, State executivemember.

In a gesture of goodwill,the RSS leaders handed over toStalin a copy of the messageadopted by the RSS all Indiameet held at Mumbai condol-ing the passing away of theDMK patriarch and formerChief Minister M Karunanidhi.

“We discussed with Stalinthe good rapport the Sangh hadwith Shri Karunanidhiji. Whilehe was the chief minister of theState, Shri Karunanidhiji hadhelped as in organising thepathsanchalan (route march) ofthe Sangh and Shri Stalin heardit with rapt attention,” ProfKumaraswamy told ThePioneer after the meeting. Hesaid it was a cordial meeting ..

The Sangh leaders also

presented Stalin with copies ofthe speech delivered by RSSchief Dr Mohan Bhagawat dur-ing the three-day seminar heldat New Delhi, a coffee tablebook on the Sangh and alsosome of the Sangh publocationsfor his reading.

Senior leaders of the DMK,K Ponmudi and T R Balu werepresent during the meeting.Stalin has been severely attack-ing the BJP and RSS since he wasanointed as the party presidenton August 29 following thepassing away of Karunanidhi .The meeting between the DMKleadership and RSS delegation iskeenly watched by political com-mentators.

“You cannot rule out any-thing in Tamil Nadu politics. TheBJP has not given up the idea offorging an alliance with theDMK and may employ all tricksfor the same,” said Sam Rajappa,veteran commentator.

�� $��-��, ��

�� $��

�� !��

Tripura Chief MinisterBiplab Kumar Deb has jus-

tified the reason behind drop-ping May Day from the list ofholidays in the State and saidthe decision was taken becauseGovernment employees didnot need one on InternationalLabour Rights Day.

Deb said that May Day ismeant for workers and labour-ers and none else.

He claimed his Governmenthas done justice by granting hol-iday on May Day only for work-ers in industrial sector.

Why do Governmentemployees need holiday onMay Day ? ... I have noticed thatit is a holiday on that day invery few States.

"What are the provisionsfor a holiday? They (previousLeft Govt) used to grant holi-day to the entire State on thisday here," Deb told a confer-ence of the Tripura GazettedOfficers Sangh here on Sunday.

The Tripura Governmentin a notification on November3 had said that Governmentemployees would be allowed toavail any four holidays chosenby them out of a list of restrict-ed holidays during 2019.

The list of restricted holi-days had 12 festivals or occa-

sions in it.These are New Years Day,

Pous Parban - a Bengali harvestfestival, Basanti Puja, MahavirJayanti, May Day, Ratha Yatra,Jhulanjatra Samapan,Biswakarma Puja, Akheri-Chahar-Sumba, Bhratridwitiya,Guru Nanaks birthday and theWorld Disabled Day.

There is holiday on MayDay in the industrial sector. Thatholiday is still valid. But are youworkers and labourers in thesecretariat? the CM asked.

You (gazetted officers) arenot labourers. No. Am I labour-er? No. I am Chief Minister. Sowhat for do you need holiday(on May Day)? What will youmourn for (Kya matam man-ayenge aap)? he asked.

The state government tookthe right decision by droppingMay day from the list of theholidays, he said adding holi-day was granted to labourers onthat day but not forGovernment employees.

+� &��+��0��!�� !��(��

�� ,,�

Sharpshooters of Pakistanarmy on Monday evening

targeted one of the forwardIndian posts in Mendhar sec-tor of Poonch, killing a jawanand grievously injuring anoth-er in a sniping incident.

Fresh sniping attack fromthe Pakistani side followed inresponse to a strong 'retaliato-ry' strike carried out by theIndian army inside Pak terri-tory to avenge the killing ofIndian soldiers earlier.

According to unconfirmedreports, "at least two Pakistanitroopers were killed and fiveothers received critical injuriesin heavy firing from the Indianside on Sunday".

According to Ministry ofDefence spokesman in Jammu,Lt Col Devender Anand, "atabout 5.15 p.m on MondayPakistan army resorted to an'unprovoked' ceasefire viola-tion in Krishna Ghati sector ofMendhar tehsil in Poonch inwhich one soldier attainedmartyrdom while anotherreceived critical injuries."

The deceased soldier wasidentified as Lance Naik

Antony Sebastian KM whileinjured soldier was identifiedas Havildar Mari Muthu D.According to Defence PRO,Lance Naik Antony SebastianKM, aged 34, hailed fromErnakullam district of Keralaand is survived by his wife.

This is the fourth incident ina row in which Indian army haslost its third soldier while onecivilian porter attached withthe Indian army had earliersuccumbed to his fatal injurieson Friday in Akhnoor sector.

Meanwhile, situation con-tinues to remain grim along theline of control as there has beenno let up from the Pakistani

side in 'provoking' the situation.According to Defence PRO,"Indian army too retaliatedstrongly and effectively tar-geting Pakistani posts onMonday evening".

Earlier, commenting onthe repeated incidents of snip-ing along the line of control,Indian army Chief GeneralBipin Rawat had told reportersin Pathankot, "sniping has beena regular affair. We have got tomake sure our drills are goodand we don't give them theopportunity.We also have asnipers ready to snipe at him(adversary) and why justsnipers, we should be able tohit him harder".General Rawat also claimed,"Indian army is continuouslyengaging the 'adversary' andhitting back in equal measure". He said there is lot happeningfrom our side also but wedon't want to blow a trumpetunnecessarily.Whenever he (Pakistan) isdoing something it is a reactionto something. He doesn't takethe initiative. He also knowsthat we are strong and we cantake very strong action, headded.

�� ' 2��#�� 2� ��

5�1'�� #��8�� 27

��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1 ��":

��2��+ ��

In what is seen as a major set-back to the Travancore

Devaswam Board, seniorSupreme Court advocateAryama Sundaram recusedhimself from appearing for theformer in the revision petitionagainst the September 28 verdictby the apex court quashing thecustomary bar on entry ofwomen in the child-bearing agein the Lord Ayyappa temple atSabarimala. Sources close tothe eminent advocate told ThePioneer that he may even appearfor the petitioners challengingthe court verdict.

The Pioneer had reportedon Monday that AryamaSundaram, grandson of thelate Sir CP Ramaswamy Aiyarwould represent the TDB in theapex court which is hearing therevision petition challengingthe September 28 verdict deliv-ered by the Constitution Benchon Tuesday.

The report had stated thatTravancore Devaswom Boardis a government departmentadministering the temples inKerala. Though no reason hasbeen given by Sundaram for hisdecision to recuse from thecase, sources close to the seniorlawyer told The Pioneer that itcould be due to two factors.

“He was under the impres-sion that Travancore DevaswomBoard was an autonomous enti-

ty like Thirumala TiruppatiDevasthanam at LordVenkateswara Temple. Butwhen he understood that theBoard was a CPI-M controlledbody he was shocked and hencethe decision. Moreover, he wasinitially told by the Board to jus-tify the ban on the entry ofwomen to the temple but lateron it made a vault face askinghim to fight against the revisionpleas,” said the source on con-dition of anonymity.

The source also said thatSundaram had argued for anoth-er organisation justifying the banon the entry of women in theholy shrine on an earlier occa-sion. “If he had appeared for theTDB, it would have been againstethics,” pointed out the source.

A Padmakumar, president,Travancore Devaswom Boardwho is also a prominent CPI-Mleader told reporters atThiruvananthapuram that thedecision of Aryama Sundaram to

call off from the case was a polit-ical one and smacks of politics.

Kerala saw massive protestsall over the State against theSupreme Court verdict allowingthe entry of women of childbearing age into the sanctum ofthe temple on Sunday andMonday. T V Mathew, a formerjudge and a devote Christianinaugurated the protest rallyheld at Perumbavoor on Sundaywhich saw massive crowd par-ticipation. Mathew wanted allwomen representatives of thethree-tier local bodies in Keralashould intimate their views to theSupreme Court while the revi-sion petition is heard. “I see bigopposition and resistance fromthe women to the verdict deliv-ered by the Supreme Court andnow it is time for the womenmembers of Panchayath, dis-trict panchayaths, municipaland corporation councils tocome together and take a call onthis issue,” said Mathew.

&$9��,2�6$%�%�,2��2�%��+�9$&5�+%

�� ,�&�� &�� !��!��D��,��

Thiruvananthapuram: TheKerala Government is likely toconvene an all-party meetingto discuss various mattersrelating to the Sabarimalatemple, which has beenrocked by the issue of entry ofwomen in the menstrual age,ahead of the annual pilgrimseason commencing thisweek.

"We are thinking of hav-ing an all-party meeting. Wehave not taken a final decisionyet. There are plans. . . , "Devaswom MinisterKadakkampally Surendrantold reporters here.

The hill shrine of LordAyyappa at Sabarimala openson November 17 for the two-month long season in thebackdrop of continuingprotests against the SupremeCourt order allowing womenof all ages to offer prayers atthe temple.

A batch of review petitionsagainst the September 28 ver-dict that ended the ban onentry of women in the 10-50age group into the shrine, willbe heard Tuesday.

Surendran said a decisionon the all-party meeting wouldbe taken based on the outcomeof the court hearing.

The temple and nearbyareas had witnessed massiveprotests from devotees againstthe entry of young womeninto the shrine, when it wasopened for monthly pujas onNovember 5 and 6 and for fivedays from October 17.

Over a dozen womenunder 50 had been preventedfrom reaching the temple.

PTI

��;�&�� .��,��

��/��/�� 89�8�!�

Not only that the BengalState unit of the BJP has

been fiercely demanding tofield party president Amit Shahas a parliamentary candidatefrom North Kolkata in anapparent bid to hammer homethe party’s sincerity vis-a-visBengal, but a large section of theState saffron unit is also want-ing the leadership to field farmore Muslim candidates inthe next year’s Lok Sabha elec-tions, sources say.

“Yes we want Amit Shah jito contest from North Kolkata.His candidature will spice up theworkers not only in the city butthroughout the State,” BengalBJP president Dilip Ghosh saidexpressing his wish to introducemore number of Muslim facesin the party’s candidate list.

This considering the factthat the State has an effective 30percent minority voters.“Already we had showed ourintention fielding considerablenumber of Muslims in the pan-chayat elections to highlightPrime Minister Narendra Modi’sphilosophy of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas,” a State secretary of theparty said adding how “we hadfielded nearly 900 Muslim can-didates in the rural polls.”

Though Bengal has 27 percent Muslim population thetrend of polling brings thenumber to about 30 per cent asthey vote in hordes and almostto the full strength of their com-munity if compared to theHindus and other communitieswho do not vote in such large

numbers, experts say.Last time the BJP had field-

ed two Muslim candidates in thegeneral elections “but that wasa different story then as we werein number four position. Buttoday we are the main opposi-tion party and the people havestarted to visualize as the nextrulers of Bengal. So we have toinclude a good number ofMuslim candidates so as toreach out to the entire popula-tion. And in fact our partywants to reach out to the minori-ties, take them along in Bengal’sdevelopment. We will show thatthe Muslims are not the jagirs ofMamata Banerjee who has donenothing for them save giving lipservice,” said Hussain Ali anoth-er State leader adding the “deci-sion however will be taken bythe centralleadership.

When asked as to why theRSS was proposing to renameIslampur in North Dinajpurbordering Bihar andBangladesh as Ishwarpur if atall the BJP wants to project atruly secular face in the State,the leaders said he had noinformation about that.

According to Dilip Ghoshthe BJP does not field candi-dates accordingto their reli-gions but “we have receivedapplications from the peoplefrom minority communityexpressing their willingness tocontest from our party. Thisalso shows how even Muslimshave become fed up with theMamata Banerjee regime.”

Ghosh said how despite BJPbeing in power in a number ofStates there was no major riotthere and the Muslims were liv-ing in perfect peace. “If they canlive peacefully in Jharkhand,Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan andMP, then why can’t they livepeacefully in Bengal. They willdefinitely vote for us.”

A section of the BJP lead-ers also feels that the CentralGovernment’s “good works”towards eradicating the “vice ofTriple Talaq” had influencedthe Muslim women who wouldsilently vote for the BJP.

However, TMC leaderSadhan Pandey said “no secu-lar person worth one’s salt willjoin the BJP. The Muslims knowwhat Mamata Banerjee hasdone for them and how she issingle-handedly resisting RSS’dangerously radical policy inIndia. They will never side withthe BJP.” Shah had fixed a tar-get of 22 out of 41 Lok Sabhaseats for the BJP which theTMC calls “more than absurdand a joke.” Their leader andMinister Firhad Hakim says“let them first save their two sit-ting MPs and then look for 22seats. This time the BJP will bebrought to zero in Bengal.”

-��-:$��#��8"��

%�� .�� #:�� *�� 1"��

��

��7��

�� )��<��

Lucknow: Taking a jibe atVishwa Hindu Parishad’s pro-posed ‘dharma sabha’, ShivSena leader Sanjay Raut saidthat Hindu saints and leadersshould stage protest outsideParliament House or theSupreme Court instead of hold-ing meeting in Ayodhya if theyreally wanted a Ram temple.

“What is the use of this‘dharma sabha’ in Ayodhya? Itis clear now that the construc-tion of temple can start only ifthe Narendra Modi govern-ment gets a legislation passedin Parliament regarding it. Thesadhus should pressurise thegovernment to bring a legisla-tion (for Ram temple con-struction) at the earliest,” Raut,who is spokesman of his party,said in Ayodhya on Monday.

The VHP has proposed a‘dharma sabha’ in Ayodhya onNovember 25. The same day,similar meetings will be held inBengaluru and Nagpur. OnDecember 9, the VHP will organ-ise a ‘dharma sansad’ in Delhi.

Raut said the Shiv Senawould support the Modi gov-ernment if it brought a legisla-tion to pave way for construc-tion of Ram temple inAyodhya. PNS

Lucknow: Ahead of the 2019Lok Sabha elections, the UttarPradesh Government facesthe difficult task of satisfyingthe sugarcane farmers whoare pitching for over 25 percent hike in the StateAdvisory Price (SAP) of canefor the current 2018-19crushing season.

If their demands are acced-ed to by the Government, thesugarcane price will be �400 perquintal for the 2018-19 season.

The sugar industry, whichis predominantly in the privatesector, on the other hand, hasreiterated its inability to payeven the existing cane price of�315 per quintal (commonvariety) fixed last year for the2017-18 season.

The farmers and theirorganisations raised thedemand for hike in the SAPduring the meeting of the caneprice fixation committee head-

ed by the Chief Secretary. Thefarmers’ leaders made a strongdemand for hiking cane SAP to�400 per quintal on the groundof rise in prices of agriculturalinputs like diesel, fertilisers,seeds, etc.

“Both the Central and theState Governments haverepeatedly affirmed theiragenda of doubling farmers’income and yet there has beeninsignificant increase in thecane price in recent years,”said representative of UP CaneCooperative Societies, ArvindKumar Singh, who partici-pated in the high-level meeting.

The Centre has fixed thefair and remunerative price(FRP) of cane at �275 perquintal. UP traditionallyannounces a much higher SAPof cane to be paid by the sugarmills.

The millers have cited

glut in sugar market due torecord sugar production inlast season (2017-18) whichhas resulted in high sugarcanearrears of the last season.Currently, the state cane out-standing stands at about�7,800 crore for the last sea-son (2017-18). Around 75private sugar mills haveapplied for collectively avail-ing a �4,000-crore soft loansponsored by the YogiAdityanath Government toease the cane arrears pay-ment situation.

The mills maintain that thefact that the State announcedthe soft loan package is proofenough that the sugar sector isfacing difficulties in makingpayments and any further hikein price will only compoundthe problem.

There are about 40 lakhrural households in UP direct-ly associated with sugarcanefarming with the sugar and by-products sector infusing asmuch as �50,000 crore in ruraleconomy annually.

In run-up to the 2019 LokSabha poll, the ruling BharatiyaJanata Party can ill afford toantagonise the state farmers,especially in western UP thathas higher concentration ofsugar mills. So far, about adozen sugar mills have startedtheir crushing operations in UP,out of the total 119 units in theprivate and Cooperative sectors.

Minister of State forSugarcane Development, SugarMills ((Independent Charge),Suresh Rana on Monday direct-ed sugar mills to commence canecrushing by November 25 andclear the cane arrears byNovember 30. PNS

'0��%��1$�(��

�� 2�� 4�� 9'

Lucknow: Amidst the cacoph-ony over Ram temple con-struction, efforts are beingmade to settle the issue out ofcourt with the Muslim plaintiff,in this case, Haji Mehboob,writing a letter to spiritualguru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar inthis regard.

An emissary of Sri Sri,Gautam Vig, met HajiMehboob in Ayodhya onMonday and conveyed to himthe feelings of the Art of Livingleader about solving the Ramtemple issue out of court. In theevening, Haji Mehboob wrotea letter to Sri Sri, showing hiswillingness to resolve the issue,but with some riders.

What exactly HajiMehboob has written in the let-ter is not known but it isbelieved that he has shown hiswillingness to solve this vexedissue out of court.

Another plaintiff in the case,Iqbal Hashim, too, has shown hiswillingness to solve the issue outof court. He is on record sayingthat if outsiders leave Ayodhya,the residents of this city will solvethe issue themselves.

The Art of Living founderis voluntarily mediating to helpthe warring parties settle thedispute amicably. Last year, inthe mid of November, he wentto Ayodhya and held a meetingwith the sadhus. He also metChief Minister Yogi Adityanathbefore visiting Ayodhya. Afterthe meeting, Sri Sri was of theview that majority of Muslimswere not opposed to the idea ofbuilding a Ram temple at thedisputed site. PNS

3�� &:��;�;��

�� +8�9

The Vishwa Hindu Parishadperformed ‘bhoomi pujan’

of the ground in Ayodhya wherethe ‘dharma sabha’ is to be heldon November 25, saying a verypositive message will emanatefrom here regarding construc-tion of Ram temple at the des-ignated place and spread acrossthe country within no time.

VHP national vice-presi-dent Champat Rai said thatHindus were hurt by the atti-tude of Supreme Court in solv-ing this issue.

“We were quite hopefulabout an early settlement of thecase but by deferring the hear-ing to January, the apex courthas played with the sentimentsof the majority community,”Rai said in a statement after the‘bhoomi pujan’ on Monday.

He said that those in powershould realise that society wasnot indifferent to the Ramtemple issue. He said over onelakh Ram ‘bhakts’ would cometo Ayodhya on November 25while over five lakh peoplewould assemble in Delhi onDecember 9 for the ‘dharmasansad’ of saints and seers.

“We will organise such‘dharma sabhas’ at 500 placesacross the country so that the

court and the people settle theissue at the earliest. Our demandis simple, if the court is delayingthe whole process, the govern-ment should step in and bringa legislation for construction ofRam temple. The BJP is inpower not only at Centre butalso in Uttar Pradesh,” he said,adding that the common refrainwas ‘ab nahi banega mandir tokab banega’ (if the temple is notconstructed now, when will it beconstructed).

The VHP vice-presidentsaid that since 1950, the issuewas pending in the court, some-times in the lower court andsometimes in the higher court.He said the Allahabad HighCourt gave a verdict but it wasnot acceptable to the masses.

“The verdict says the areaunder the dome is templewhereas we believe the wholeland belongs to Lord Ram.One cannot change the birth-place. Will the court say LordRam was not born in Ayodhya,”Rai said.

“The issue should have beensolved by September but it wasdragged, keeping Lok Sabhaelections in mind. We want thetemple to be constructed at theearliest. The sooner it is done,the better for the country,” theVHP leader said.

�7��9,�� 1��/��9 ��,��/�&��

��

Pakistan Prime Minister ImranKhan’s failure to renegotiate partsof the China-Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEC) during his visitto Beijing in the first week of

November affirms President Xi Jinping’sinflexible commitment to making China aleading world power by 2049, the centenaryof communist rule in that country. TheBorder and Road Initiative (B&RI) and mil-itary power are keys to this goal.

While President Xi is extending theB&RI’s reach, he cannot be generous withcountries that cannot push back likeMalaysia, because China has been facing seri-ous problems even prior to the spat with USPresident Donald Trump. As early asSeptember 2016, the Bank for InternationalSettlements warned that excessive creditgrowth in China could trigger a banking cri-sis within three years.

In May 2017, Moody’s InvestorsService downgraded China’s credit ratingsfor the first time since 1989, sayinggrowth would slow and debt would rise to40 per cent of GDP by 2018, and 45 percent by 2020. In October 2017, Standard& Poor’s cut China’s sovereign credit rat-ing from A+ to AA- for the first time since1999, because of risks from soaring debt.It lowered the rating on HSBC China,Hang Seng China and DBS Bank ChinaLtd. and warned that these banks wouldbe “unlikely to avoid default should thenation default on its sovereign debt”.Bloomberg noted growing concerns overChina’s ability to balance economic growthwith cleaning up its financial sector. TheInternational Monetary Fund (IMF)warned (December 2017) that China’sgrowing debt-dependency could trigger anew global financial crisis. Credit growthhas surpassed GDP growth; corporate debtis 165 per cent of GDP; household debt hasrisen 15 percentage points of GDP in thepast five years and is linked to asset-pricespeculation. A serious problem is ‘shad-ow banking’ that Moody’s in November2017 put at $9.8 trillion (86.5 per cent ofGDP).

While Beijing has cracked down ondebt and the shadow banking sector, thecredit squeeze on some sectors has drivencompanies to the offshore dollar bond mar-ket; borrowings touched $322 billion at thebeginning of 2017, a 154 per cent increasefrom 2016, according to China InternationalCapital Corp. By July 2018, the NationalInstitute of Finance and Development, aregime-affiliated think tank, warned of“financial panic”, saying the economy maybe on the edge of disaster due to increas-ing bond defaults, currency depreciation,tightening lending and liquidity, and tradetensions with the United States.

Amidst these pressures, Beijing gaveIslamabad a one billion dollar loan tobuffer its foreign currency reserves, thus

lending Pakistan over five billiondollar in this fiscal year. ImranKhan fared better with Riyadhpost-Jamal Khashoggi murder,but even six billion dollar ininvestments cannot keepPakistan’s precarious economyafloat. Khan’s attempt to raisetwo billion dollar for two damsin ecologically fragile terrain willremain a pipe dream; an IMFbailout seems the only hope.

Beijing, meanwhile, willresist Washington’s economicaggression with its Yuan-denominated oil futures con-tracts which, since March 2018,have broken the US Dollar’smonopoly over the energy trade.Should the oil futures be con-vertible into gold, it wouldattract oil-producing nationslike Russia, Venezuela, and Iran.Moscow and Beijing are alsostriving for a gold-backed post-Bretton Woods exchange systemto curtail Dollar hegemony andevade US sanctions. Both havebeen accumulating gold reserveswhich, if greater thanWashington’s, can seriouslyundermine the US Dollar.

Given the scale of China’sambitions, it is not surprisingthat the joint communiquéappreciated the progress onearly harvest projects, especial-ly in the energy sector, andextolled the all-weather partner-ship in flowery language. WithinPakistan, the visit was perceivedas a grand failure; Dawn colum-nist Adnan Rasool observed thatthe Pakistani State “is com-pletely clueless regarding thelarger objectives of the Belt andRoad Initiative”, of which CPECis only one portion.

The B&RI covers around

60 countries and broadly com-prises three overland and threemaritime routes. Most projectshave not been contractedbetween governments butbetween Chinese companiesand state-owned enterprises(SOEs). Hence, any attempt torenegotiate contracts (thepromise on which Imran Khancame to power) would have tobe firm by firm, which is vir-tually impossible. Moreover,any arbitration involved duringrenegotiations will go to theB&RI court in Xi’an, underChinese law, so Islamabadwould need a law firm to rep-resent it on each contract to berenegotiated or contest thecases itself.

The B&RI, Rasool asserts, isa system which countries join toshare the Chinese Dream of sus-tained growth for Chinathrough trade. Partner countriestie their economic destiny to thatof China — as China flourish-es, so do others. Since Beijingdoes the “heavy lifting”, it is thesenior partner, but others mustdo their share. The CPEC is aseries of projects that serve thelarger B&RI scheme, and is nota credit line or bailout package.That is the crux of the matter.

Pakistan has to fix its owneconomy and use the B&RI togain market access to otherpartner-countries, and boostits earnings. Perhaps such a clearunderstanding could have savedSri Lanka, Myanmar, TheMaldives, Tajikistan, Djibouti,and others from the indebted-ness that forced them to makecostly debt-for-equity deals withBeijing. With the AsianDevelopment Bank estimating

B&RI to cost over $26 trillion by2030, and China’s foreign cur-rency reserves hovering around$3 trillion, Beijing is in no posi-tion to cancel or mitigate debt.

Interestingly, the jointcommuniqué included a com-mitment by Islamabad to sup-port China in safeguarding itssovereignty and security, andcombating separatism, terror-ism and extremism includingthe East Turkistan IslamicMovement (ETIM). Concernsfor the CPEC’s security madeBeijing build a counter-terror-ism base in Afghanistan’sWakhan Corridor inBadakhshan province, whereUyghur militants (ETIM) con-stitute a serious threat toMuslim-majority Xinjiangprovince. Kabul has refused tojoin the B&RI-CPEC becauseIslamabad continues to hostthe Taliban and Haqqani ter-rorist network which attackAfghanistan.

Pakistani doublespeakforced Beijing to take a toughline at the Financial ActionTask Force in February 2018,where Pakistan was put on thewatch list for financing terror.Imran Khan has received areality bite: No sops, austeri-ties, and repayment of Chineseloans from 2019, all amidst adisintegrating society as wit-nessed by the turmoil overAsia Bibi’s exoneration by theSupreme Court. Pakistan iscaught in a pincer: Faith anda bleak economic landscapemake uneasy bedfellows.

(The writer is SeniorFellow, Nehru MemorialMuseum and Library; the viewsexpressed are personal)

#��

�� )��*��+�� ,�� (��(� �� #��

��-��&��#��.�� /)$��

#��"�� !��(��0�� )�� )�� 1�� 1��($�� 2�� 3�� )�� #��$�� 455(��

#�� 0��6��

-�7��6��(��8��&��+9$��453:%�� ;�� )� �� (��(�� "�� 8��0��<��&��

)�-�7�� &��(�� (�� (��)00�� =��7��,��>�� 6��%��>��<��&��0��(��%�� (��6�� 453?�� +9$��-�7� ��,�� (��)�&��6��0�� (��,��#��-�7��0��(�� 6��0��(�� 0��+9$>��+9$�� +��6��&�� -�� $�� <��2��&��,�� !��%��@�� 9 �� 6�� 2��(�� ,�� <��2��&��+9$�!66�� A��B��0��(��%�� !66�� (��6��(��6�� 0�� (��@�� +��6��$�� 6��$�� <��(�� &��0�� #��0�� 6��+9$��0�� (��(��)�� -�� $��0�� 3C �� 6��

!�� 6��0�� 0��(� ��(��!��6��0��-��9��(-� ��0��+9$��0��9��>��2�@�� @��>��+9$�� #!6��#��0��

)��$��-�� -��0��!��-�7��-�� $��1��6�� 8��!��%�� 0��

�� 2��*��

�� 0��0��

� �� +��0�#��#��#�;��#� ��5� ��#��#��!�.#��#��

��

Sir — This refers to the article,“Science in classrooms”(November 12) by JS Rajput.India’s ranking in the list of ‘easeof doing business’ is laudable. TheGovernment and entrepreneurs,in compliance with each other,have proved their calibre of beinga development-savvy nation.

Finagled business units havebeen broken down by theNarendra Modi Government viasteps like demonetisation andthe implementation of GST, whichin turn also raised the nation’sGDP to an all-time high of 8.2 percent. The scope for developmenthas its doors wide open for Indiaand its youth power. The need ofthe hour is to grab the opportu-nity and take it forward.

Animesh GuptaUjjain

��

Sir — This refers to the report,“No respite for Delhiites”(November 12). The poor airquality of Delhi was anticipatedprior to the onset of winter sea-son. One may not hold only the

burning of firecrackers account-able for AQI of 423 in Delhi.Immense burning of stubble inthe agrarian States of Haryana andPunjab has always been a majorfactor for poor air quality especial-ly in the Delhi/NCR region.According to Aditya Handa, ChiefExecutive Officer Of AbellonCleanEnergy, the quantity of cropresidues burnt each year rangesfrom 200 to 240 million tonnes,

which is a matter of cogitation.Although the Government hadannounced a National Policy onBiofuels, which led to the conver-sion of stubbles into ethanol, it isstill incongruous to the amount ofthe stubbles produced each year.It is going to be a strenuous taskfor the Government to curb thesurging pollution.

Tushar AnandBihar

��

Sir — May be the proposals bythe Uttar Pradesh Governmentto change the name of Allahabadto Prayagraj was unreasonable.But why was it necessary forAkbar to rename Prayag 444years ago? If he ever needed acity named Ilahabad to chime

with his Din-e-Ilahi, why was it justifiable to axe a holy placeof the Hindus? If the name of anancient Hindu tirth is restored,that should not be construed asan attack on Muslims. If the actof Akbar was right, as the crit-ics make us believe, ipso factothe act of Yogi Government, too,is right, because different yard-sticks cannot be used for thesame act.

JS AcharyaHyderabad

��

Sir — I appreciate the Indianwomen’s cricket team, whochased down the target of 134with six balls to spare, speciallyMithali Raj who smashed anaggressive half-century to guideIndia to an easy 7-wicket winover Pakistan in the ICCWomen’s World Cup T20. Onehopes that the team will contin-ue to perform well and outclassopposition in the forthcomingmatches too.

Mohd Tariq QasmiSecunderabad

' 3 ' : ) � , " * 9 � ' 3 � � " ( �

�� ,��2�!""!5�"�4%�9!!5<:;#%��=�;

---1(��$,)�!��1�! #�$�%""�&$"'(��)�"��L !��"��L ��0��'&$"'(��)�"��(

��'�(��) ��*�+��,-.�/0,1

"=

.��+��*��

��2�� 0��2

�'��8��$��A��0�%�0�M�"�")�>��0��0��)��'��0"#+��"��#�"'-/1N>��'��0��0��0��"$��0�

�A��0�"��0��%��0��A��$�'��0"#$�A��0�"�>0��0��0"#=��=��'��)"��$��&

�%=!�5!�%'!9"O*��

��0,��0��)��F��$��"�0"��"�A�0��0�"�F��'��0=��"��)��0��$��&

�=&%!>O��0"��"��0��

��"��=""�>��#��'��%��"��0��>��"$�.0�"��>�"$��%C�$0��'��A��&

5#9%#9>%�;;#?!5O,�C��,�C��

+"')�0�0�"��"�'��&+"�0��0'��0�"00��0"$"�#��$0&��##��$��%�0=��+��"��"0%�$"'��)�0��&

�!>!9=!�%9%�"!5O��'��0��'��

� , > 2 5 . � % $

� $ % % $ & � % , � %% 7 $ � $ 5 � % , &

��

!��.��0��0��"=��)��=��"�0��%�"$�O8��'��&!��)��>=�"��)��0��C��0��0��C�!�")��>

��A�0��0��"��"#0��"=�'��$��)�$�� 0�� #�� 0=" 9��& �""� )�$� ��A��=��$"'%">'"��"�#�"��#0��'%"=��>��8��%"0��%��$�&!��"�"�0��)�0$�>0��6��0�0�"�"��$��).��=�$��0��%��A��A��0��%�0�'��#"��""��00��%�0��"#��"��#��0%"=��&

�� $�)0�� *��0 8"�� )�� 8��'��%��$��%��'��"��"#0��#��"#0��9��0 0��0 ��&8��))��.��0��="��"�%"0��%"=��"�.%"=�.��'0"%�00��'�&!="#"�'��0��A�)��#�$��0�"��"��0��)��:��O��A��K��8��&��>=��

0��-/1N"��+�)=��%��>0��$"��0�"��=��%�P��0�#�A"��%��0"�=��%"=��&8��"��)�� ="��")� 0"$�� "�&!�� $��0�� 0��)$"'��"��A��=�� 0��0�#"�)��"�0��&

/#9#4#"&%*&#"��

��!��+9��!��!��

! ��+9�9,�+��!��!9

! �!9B+ ��&��+ ��

B�9�� >�9�99! ��&

��+��9��! � ��*��B!��>�!��! ��9�

��!��>��!9! ��,��!

�9! ��

The common incidents thattake place in almost everywoman’s life, incidents that

were hushed behind closed doors,have finally found a platform tocome out in the open, in the formof the #MeToo movement. Thecampaign has caused a ripple effectin India, which looks promisingenough to bring about a change for good.

However, there is an underlyingfear because of which certainwomen haven’t come out with theirordeals — the fear of not beingbelieved, the fear of loss of reputeand more importantly, loss of theirjobs and the associated trauma.

Normally, the legal conse-quences of bringing out the mis-

deeds of someone can result in anullity if there is no strong evidenceto substantiate the claim. In fact,you can end up being the one on thewrong side of the law, as a defama-tion suit can be filed against you.The same had happened withwriter-producer, Vinta Nanda, as asuit for defamation had been filedby actor Alok Nath as a reply to herharrowing contribution to the#MeToo movement.

The whole scenario leads us toessentially question the legal frame-work within which the #MeToomovement stands. Does it provideenough protection to the victims?

The answer is a big “no”, as theaccused can only be convicted onthe production of substantial evi-dence against him, which is verydifficult to obtain, especially in asexual harassment case.

Now, if the accused cannot beconvicted for his actions then whatexactly can be changed so as to cre-ate the perfect balance wherein thevictims of such harassment, orworse, can be protected, and at the

same time, the framed people can enjoy their fair bit of protectionas well?

From the experience drawnfrom the US, where the #MeToomovement had seen its inception,many valuable lessons can belearned on how to reform the law.The first change that the law shouldprovide for is an opt out option innon-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

It was observed in the UnitedStates that a big impediment in thereporting of sexual misbehaviourwas the NDA. In many cases, theNDAs were so much customised tosuch effect that a victim was com-pensated with a financial settlementwhile gagging him/her from speak-ing about the abuse.

Another big problem with thelaw is that it provides a time framewithin which the complaint has tobe lodged. Section 9(1) of theSexual Harassment of Women atWorkplace Act, 2013 provides forthree months from the date of theincident or the date of the last inci-dent in case of a series of events, for

reporting of the complaint. This canbe increased to another threemonths by the internal or localcommittee adjudicating the claim.

Now, the narrative — that sucha limitation should be placed so asto balance the interest of justicebetween the complainant and theaccused — falls short on the countthat this is a protective legislation.Such legislations are createdbecause the subjects that they deemto protect are vulnerable and, there-fore, need an affirmative protectionof the State.

With limitations like that oftime period, the Sexual HarassmentAct tends to defeat the purpose forwhich it was enacted as it has toprotect each and every individualwho faces harassment without anyprejudice to the time when shefinally gathers the courage to speakup in the patriarchal system.

Further, in the court of law, ifsuch a matter comes for adjudica-tion, it should be reasonably expect-ed from the court that they do notexpect an exact testimony from the

victim, in excruciating detail. Thisis to say that the courts usuallyexpect the victim to recall theirexperience in a linear fashion byrequiring them to provide specificnames, dates and facts of the assault.In this manner, the legal systemwants the victims to remember andpen down the horrendous experi-ence which they usually try hard toforget. While the accuracy of theevents does not destroy their case,it provides an easy way for thedefence attorney to do the same bycreating a reasonable doubt of theinnocence of the accused.

Now comes the question whichhas created immense fear in theminds of many misogynists sincethe #MeToo movement has begun:How will the falsely accused men beprotected? Well, these people will behappy to know that if a maliciousor false complaint or a complaintmade with forged or misleadingdocument is made, then underSection 14 of the SexualHarassment Act, action can betaken against the complainant.

However, it also provides that themere inability to substantiate acomplaint or provide adequateproof need not attract action againstthe complainant, thus protectingthe victim as well.

Despite the changes that arerequired in the legal sphere, it can besafely said that the #MeToo move-ment should first ignite socialchange, which should then take theform of legal change.

Men should be educated aboutthe nuances of their acts (whichmight seem casual or commonplaceto them but is actually harassment)and the consequent impact that it hason the victim. #MeToo is beingtermed as a clarion call to somethingbigger, and with a Constitutionwhich is feminist, hopes are high thatIndia will finally wake up to a bet-ter future.

(Raghav Pandey is an AssistantProfessor of Law at MaharashtraNational Law University, Mumbaiand Neelabh Bist is a Fourth Yearstudent of Law at MaharashtraNational Law University, Mumbai)

"��#��#��

��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1

�� +��2��+�� 7� � ��*��1� ��2��

�� *��2�� +� ��@2��/��

��/��

� ��1�� 2��A�� B+��2�/��A��/�� /�� B��*� ��@��

%� ��+,>2%$&%� ��

From September 2019, India would startto receive the much-awaited DassaultRafale combat aircrafts and the deliveryand testing of the entire fleet of 36 fight-er jets is expected to be completed by

April 2022. India would also start receivingApache AH-64E multi-role combat helicoptersand CH-47 tactical transport helicopters, contractfor which was finalised in 2015, as well as M-777howitzers, which was signed under a contract in2016. The Indian Army will also receive most ofthe 1.86 lakh bulletproof jackets, which were con-tracted for in 2018. From 2020, India would startgetting delivery of S-400 air defence systemswhose deal was signed last October. It is alsoexpected that by next year, India would have inplace a clear roadmap and contract in place forarming the infantry soldiers of the Indian Armywith a battle-proven assault rifle to replace theobsolete INSAS.

What Modi inherited: Lack of modernisa-tion of the armed forces for nearly a decade andchallenges of grappling with obsolescence of exist-ing equipment in the rapidly changing geopolit-ical landscape, were two major predicaments thatthe Narendra Modi Government had to confrontin 2014. Rapid pace of military modernisation byboth China and Pakistan exacerbated the situa-tion further. There were only two choices in frontof Prime Minister Narendra Modi — either con-tinue to play politics of delay on big ticket defenceacquisitions or take a decisive approach to mod-ernise the forces while brushing aside all inhibi-tions and delaying tactics of the vested interests.The Prime Minister chose the latter. He preferredto go for fast-paced military modernisation.

First steps: In June 2014, the keel was laid forIndia’s first missile tracking ship at HindustanShipyard after it was ordered by ModiGovernment as part of developing a robust nuclearshield. In less than four years since then, the 15,000tonne ocean surveillance ship is almost ready andis undergoing trials before final commissioning.In 2015, the Modi dispensation gave approval forthe construction of seven stealth frigates underProject 17A and six nuclear powered attack sub-marines. While Mumbai-based Mazagon DockShipbuilders Limited would be making four of thefrigates, Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders& Engineers would make the remaining three. Thenuclear powered attack submarines would be builtat the Ship Building Centre in Vizag.

Big ticket acquisitions: In September 2015, theNarendra Modi Government signed deals withBoeing for acquisition of 22 Apache AH-64 attackhelicopters and 15 Chinook CH-47 tactical trans-port helicopters under a three billion dollar deal.Order for six more Apache AH-64 helicopters weregiven in 2018. The year 2015 also saw theGovernment giving nod to acquisition of 10 HeronTP armed drones from Israel for $400 million.

In September 2016, India and France inkeddeal for acquisition of 36 Dassault Rafale com-bat jets. The 59,000 crore deal, apart from a 50per cent clause for offsets and local sourcing ofcomponents, also included a wide array of cut-ting edge weapon systems, including Scalp cruisemissiles with 500-km range and Meteor radarguided beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air mis-sile with over 100 km of range. This apart, reports

also indicate that the Rafales made forIndia would probably be capable of car-rying nuclear warheads as well asBrahMos. With one squadron each forthe eastern and western battle theatres,the Rafale fleet is expected to signifi-cantly boost the combat capabilities ofIndian Air Forces. A follow-on order forfour additional P8I Poseidon mar-itime reconnaissance planes for IndianNavy was also signed in 2016.

The Rafale deal was followed byDefence Acquisition Council (DAC)clearing the Acceptance of Necessity(AON) in November 2016 for acquisi-tion of 83 Light Combat Aircraft orTejas in the MK1A configuration,which would be equipped with AESAradars, self-protection jammers and air-to-air refuelling capabilities. A year later,IAF issued the Request for Proposal toHAL and reports indicate thatHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)has submitted quotation for the same,which is under review by the Ministryof Defence. Incidentally, HAL is yet toget the final operational clearance(FOC) for LCA and conclude thedelivery of the first 40 Light CombatAircrafts (LCA), whose orders wereplaced in 2006 and 2010 respectively.

Modernising artillery: In therealm of artillery acquisition, the firstmajor step by the Modi Government inrestarting the modernisation of artilleryregiments of the Indian Army wasthrough selection of L&T-HanwhaTechwin combine in 2015 for making100 self propelled K9 Vajra howitzers.The contract worth around �5,000crore was signed in 2017. Further, a crit-ical deal with the US was signed in 2016for acquisition of 145 M777 ultra light-weight howitzers for �5,000 crore, a dealwhich was pending for years during theUnited Progressive Alliance (UPA)era. In 2016, approval was also given for

raising two more regiments of Pinakarockets for �3,300 crore and the fourthregiment of BrahMos for �4,300 crorewith more advanced versions of thecruise missile, proficient in trajectorymanoeuvrability and with deep divingcapabilities, to be deployed in northeast.

Bulletproof jackets for infantry:If there was one product whose defi-ciency tormented the infantry soldierof the Indian Army for decades now, ithas to be the availability of new gener-ation bulletproof jackets. Like manyother defence files, dust kept on pilingon this one too for years. During the11th five year plan (2007-12) IndianArmy was supposed to receive 1,86,168jackets but nothing much happened.Eventually, it was in 2016 that permis-sion for a one-time ‘interim emergencyacquisition’ by taking the ‘revenueroute’ was granted by the Modi-ledGovernment to the Indian Army forprocuring 50,000 bulleproof vests for�140 crore from Tata AdvancedMaterials.

Later in April 2018, another con-tract worth �639 crore was signed bythe Ministry of Defence with SMPP PvtLtd for procurement of an additional1,86,138 bulletproof jackets. In 2017, acontract worth �180 crore was alsogiven to Kanpur-based MKU for pro-curement of 1.6 lakh bulletproof hel-mets, an equipment as critical for thefoot soldier, in the battle front, as bul-letproof vest and assault rifle.

Modernising air defence: On theair defence front, in April 2017, Indiasigned a two billion dollar deal withIsrael Aerospace Industry and anoth-er Israeli company, Rafael, for supply-ing Medium Range Surface to AirMissiles (MR-SAM) to the IndianArmy. Additionally, a $630 millioncontract in 2017 and a $777 millioncontract in 2018 were signed with

Israel Aerospace Industries for Barak-8 Long Range Surface to Air Missile(LR-SAM) to arm India’s frontline war-ships. This was followed by the mam-moth $5.43 billion deal with Russia in2018 for S-400 Triumf air defence sys-tems, capable of shooting down almostall kinds of incoming missiles, fight-ers and drones.

The deal for 6,000 missiles andassociated equipments, including jamresistant phased array radars, wasinked in spite of threats of sanctions byUS. This was followed in quick succes-sion with a $950 million deal withRussia for two frigates of Project 11,356class for Indian Navy.

In between, exclusive deals worthalmost �20,000 crore were also signedby the IAF and the Indian Army forammunitions, spares and engines tohave enough reserve for 10 days ofintense fighting in case of any eventu-ality. Many additional deals are inpipeline including 200 Ka-226 and 48Mi-17V5 helicopters, acquisition of 464T-90 tanks and local production of AKseries rifles. Some are expected to besigned soon. Further, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s diplomatic effortsresulting in India being inducted intothe exclusive Missile TechnologyControl Regime (MTCR) club andbeing granted Strategic TradeAuthorisation (STA-1) status by the USalso helps the country to enhance therange and quantum of warheads inimported missiles and get access to crit-ical and cutting-edge defence technolo-gies hitherto restricted for India.

Efforts over the last four years bythe Modi Government to moderniseIndia’s armed forces in spite of finan-cial constraints and a huge backlogdeserve appreciation.

(The writer is a New Delhi-basedstrategic affairs analyst)

<��2��&��

=�� #�(��#��.#�9��#��#��#�� 0��#��

��

! ��9��!9+ 9�+��B�9�!9B

��,9��O��! ��

+9�!��!9��9��!�+�

9B��9��!�+8�!��B��+��+Q��!�9��

9�!�8��+��*�

��9�+ !9,9��! �B9�+��&! �

��,�,��!��+ 9��! �

��!!��

)��/��8��D��("��(��2�� 3:E:��+��>��%��6��8��

��(0��2�� 1��6��2�� ;�� ;�� ;��F��+��8��$��-��<��&2��%��(��;F�� )��&�� 6��9��;F&��2�� -�� &�� #��&��8��(��$��$��(�� (��<��&��(��;FA�� ;F��B�

#�� ;��;��07��!��6��!��#��(0��3:E:�� 1��G#�� A��2��<��&��B�#� ��

)�&�� 7��+��)��@��2��"��H��&��&�� I2��3:J5��3:E5��(��6��(1��(��,��$��+��(�� 0��3:E:�� A��B��

-� �� *��3::5��(��@�� H�� (�� I6�� "�� $��2��(��6��&�6��-��+��;��;��45�� &�� )��(�� 43�� >��@��H��I�

��3:E:�� ;��;�� 1��;��#� �� ;F�� "��)�$��;�� >��6��3:E:�4J��=��&��1��;��+��43��2�� K��1��;�� >�� #�� &��(�� (�� )��&��(�� 2�� &��)��

#��(�� ;��;��#�� (��&��#��&�� &�� 1��;�� (�� &��

��

�� ";3 � & � % + , � > * 2

3��-��-�!�*4

�3�� 58$&

��6�25$8��6�25$8

��5��.��%

!��0�.�''��0��0��'"�0��A��0��")��0=��%��'"��%��0�"��0��'��0")"=��%�#"��0��#��

%�� 6�82$

3,&$��2$8$

��6�0��$��0��0'"�)��"#)"��0�$��%�0��)�"#"��'��=��&B"�0��=��A��A�A��>��)��0��%��$��0$�"#0��0��>�0��0�'��0��"��#��0��)��A�"��"�0�"�"6��%��%��"�0."#.0"�$��'��>��%��="��A��=&

��

� �� /��/ � ��2��1��

---1(��$,)�!��1�!

��?"��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1

*��2�� +�� 2� �� 0�0��$"''��"��"#0��#"��0��#��3/,��"��0��0>��0 ��A��$0��$��'�0��;� ��<��$$��#��$"''��"��0��1-/,��$��0�� ".��$0��$��"C�$0; ��<��!��&!��"0��0��0�"#0��263/,��$��0�� >$"''��"��%�� >��A�%��")��0��$$��#��&�"$�0��)�0��0��$0"#!��>0��#��)�"C�$0��%��0�)#"�!��0�0��"=��0�"�+"�)"��0�"��'�0��;!��+9<"�0��A��8��&

/� �/�� /��+ ��'�0��>��%��"#��;��<��'�0��>��,�'"��'"#��0��;,"�<=�0��##�$��$��A�$��'�0��;��<#"�#��0.0��$��0��')��'��0�0�"�"#$".��0�"��0��.��0�"�)�"C�$0��"#��0��0��$"''��$��'��0�&!��,"�=��%��8��>+��#�6�$�0�A�9##�$��>��%�8�'��>,��$0"�>��0��)��$�"#��C��>��$0"�;,��0��<>��;��<��'�0��J��$0"�>��C��A,�0��>��$0"��0��-/1I$"�#��$�&

��+�� 2 ��2��2 �� 2��'��00��$�)�$�0�%��)�$0"#�0��0��"#0��"$��'"$��$��$�0�H��)��0�$�)�0�"��0��%��>��)�$��#"�="'��')"=��'��0>��0�"�"#"'��,��$�)��+"��$��"��#�"'8��0��A��0��=��,��$�)��+"��$��;��,+< ��Q��0��0��8��=��"�,"��&!��A��0��%��"��H��%��%��$�+��0��>��"��&

� / ��2��+��+��*�� +��/� �E*��$��=��F=��"%��A��"=��#�"'-N0�9$0"%��0"/-�"A�'%��-/1I&!��=��0��0��=�0��'��0��0�"�"#)��0"��0��')�"��)"�0��0� Q>��.�>J!��$"'C"��0��%��8��"��>��J%��8��"��>+��#�,>��.1��)�$0�A��&��0��')�"��)��0�$�)�0��0��0�$��A��"��)�"��'�>��>��>"��.P��H>��%�0�>��"��=��0��$"')�0�0�"��>��0��J��0�"�$"��$0��#"�?*��$�J��0�.$"��)0�"�@&�*��"��F,��0=��""��H��0� Q>��.�&

��22��*��))�� /�� +��'�0��>��F�)��'��")"=��$"')��$��%��0��0�220��"�1-0��"A�'%��-/1I�0�0�+"�)"��0�9##�$��0B��%��=�0��0��0��'��#��A"�&�8��>,��0��"#�0�0�;��)��0+��<>�"=��=J��=�%��>�"A��'��0"#��$��0��"$$��"��+��#��0&��>��60��=��'��0��0��0"�A��"��)��0"�0��"$$��"�"#� �+��&

.��+��

*� � ��+ �� -�; ��7� ��<�7��)��'��)�� -�$!��'�!�$��!�� ,��A�0��0��&�-��-�$7��<�$;-�)��-��-��$��-��4+�E-F7E�<�'��-�$��-�')��7��<*��F��A�7��1�� !��A

�� *�

The equity benchmarkSensex on Monday dived

about 346 points owing to anintense fag-end selling mainlyin auto and energy stocks asfresh worries about weakeningrupee and rising crude oilprices resurfaced.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty fellby 103 points to 10,482.20points.

The benchmark Brentcrude snapped its four-day los-ing streak and rose 2.09 percent to 71.62 per barrel afterSaudi Arabia, the world’s topcrude exporter, said Sunday itwill cut oil output from nextmonth, as major producersheld a key meeting to discussshoring up sliding prices.

Further impacting domes-tic market sentiments, theIndian rupee again breachedthe 73-mark, dropping 57 paise(intra-day) to 73.07 againstthe dollar.

Besides, a caution pre-vailed among investors aheadof key macro data — index ofindustrial production (IIP) forSeptember and CPI inflationfor October — to be releasedlater in the day.

Mixed leads from mostother Asian markets and alower opening of europeanshares too fuelled the down-trend.

“Markets failed to hold theearly gains and lost nearly a percent, pressurised by weak glob-al cues. Participants were inprofit-taking mood from thebeginning and mostly sectoralindices traded in tandem withthe benchmark index. Thedecline was wide spread andbroader market indices tooended with loss of nearly a per-cent each,” an analyst said.

The 30-share Sensexopened on a strong footing at35,287.49 and advanced toscale a high of 35,333.22 in linewith a firming trend at otherAsian markets and freshinflows of funds by foreigninvestors.

However, profit-bookingby investors at better priceswiped out initial gains and theSensex slipped to a low of34,756.80 before settling 345.56points, or 0.98 per cent, downat 34,812.99.

During the volatile ses-sion, it swung over 576 pointson alternate bouts of hecticbuying and selling. The gaugehad lost 79.13 points on Friday.

The broader NSE Niftyslipped below the 10,500-markby falling 103 points, or 0.97per cent, at 10,482.20. Ittouched a high of 10,645.50and a low of 10,464.05 duringthe day.

Meanwhile, on a net basis,foreign funds bought shares

worth a net �614.14 crore,while domestic institutionalinvestors (DIIs) sold shares tothe tune of �337.28 crore onFriday, provisional data showed.

Selling was more pro-nounced in auto, oil and gas,PSU and banking stocks whichdragged the indices into thenegative zone.

Among Sensex con-stituents, Tata Motors was theworst hit, plunging 4.84 percent, followed by HeroMotoCorp at 3.82 per cent.

Other laggards includePowerGrid 2.87 per cent,Maruti Suzuki 2.64 per cent,Adani Ports 2.61 per cent,Vedanta Ltd 2.59 per cent, YesBank 2.24 per cent, M&M 2.06per cent, SBI 1.86 per cent, BajajAuto 1.80 per cent, Asian Paint1.74 per cent, Coal India 1.55per cent, HDFC Bank 1.35 percent and RIL 1.34 per cent.

Also, ITC Ltd, HDFC Ltd,Sun Pharma, Axis Bank, BhartiAirtel, NTPC, HUL, ICICIBank, IndusInd Bank, Wiproand ONGC succumbed to sell-ing pressure and lost up to 1.23per cent.

In contrast, Tata Steel,Kotak Bank, Infosys, TCS andL&T emerged gainers, rising upto 1.67 per cent. However,consumer durables indexremained on the top by rising1.38 per cent and IT by 0.46 percent.

�� <= �#�� #��

��

Retail inflation fell to aone-year low of 3.31 per

cent in October on the back ofcheaper kitchen staples, fruitsand protein-rich items, officialdata released on Mondayshowed.

The inflation based on theConsumer Price Index (CPI)was 3.7 per cent in September2018 and 3.58 per cent inOctober 2017. The retail infla-tion number is the lowest sinceSeptember 2017 when ittouched 3.28 per cent.

The rate of price rise inthe food basket contracted by0.86 per cent in Octobercompared to 0.51 per centrise in September, accordingto the Central Statistics Officedata.

Vegetable prices declinedby 8.06 per cent in Octoberagainst a 4.15 per cent con-traction in September.

Inflation also slowed to0.35 per cent in the fruit bas-ket as against 1.12 per centrecorded a month ago.

The retail inflation alsocooled in protein-rich itemslike cereals, eggs, milk andrelated products.

However, inflation quick-ened to 8.55 per cent for the‘fuel and light’ category against8.47 per cent in the previousmonth.

��$��#$��!��!!$��!�,��6$!-�!#��1��)�� ,�,��

The rupee on Mondaydropped by 39 paise to settle

at 72.89 against the US curren-cy as oil prices rebounded afterSaudi Arabia announced plans tocut production and the dollarstrengthened in global markets.

Cutting short the 10-dayselling trend, crude oil pricesrose by around 1 per cent totouch $71 per barrel markafter the world’s largest oilexporter Saudi Arabiaannounced plans to cut pro-duction by 500,000 barrels perday from December and calledfor a global output cut of onemillion barrels per day to sup-port oil price.

The dollar also rose to an18-month high against its glob-al peers after the British poundtumbled nearly 1 per cent dueto growing worries about theBrexit deal with EU.

Weighed by heavy dollardemand amid firming crude oilprices, the rupee opened lowerat 72.74 and fell further by 57paise to the day’s low of 73.07.

“Oil reversing successivedays of fall, and dollar’s resur-gence dragged rupee lowertoday. This bucks the trend ofstrengthening rupee in the lastfew days, which was helped byFII buying in equities. Keyretail inflation and industrialproduction data due for releaselater in the day also kept therupee tentative,” Anand James,Chief Market Strategist at

Geojit Financial Services said.The rupee finally settled at

72.89 per dollar, showing a lossof 39 paise or 0.54 per cent overthe last close.

“OPEC talked of cuttingsupply next year to supportfalling crude oil prices. Tradersrushed to cover their shorts andcrude oil surged by 1 per centin today’s trade. Dollar strength-ened across the board as jittersover the BREXIT deal in the UKstroked uncertainty in globalmarkets. Rupee was also notspared,” said V K Sharma, HeadPCG & Capital Markets Group,HDFC Securities.

Domestic stock marketsalso tumbled on worries aboutresurging oil prices and cautionahead of the release of keymacroeconomic data.

BSE Sensex dropped by345.56 points or 0.98 per centto close at 34,812.99. Thebroader NSE Nifty slippedbelow the 10,500-mark byfalling 103 points, or 0.97 percent, at 10,482.20.

FIIs remained net buyers incapital markets with net pur-chases of �832.15 crore, provi-sional exchange data showed.Foreign investors had put inmore than �600 crore on a netbasis on Friday.

Meanwhile, FinancialBenchmarks India fixed the ref-erence rate for the US dollar at72.9078. It set the rate for theBritish pound at 93.9947 and at82.4315 for the euro. Japanese yenwas pegged at 63.91 for 100 yens.

�#��>?��#�� #�

�� ,�,��

Jet Airways on Mondayreported a whopping �1,261

crore in consolidated net loss-es for the three months toSeptember against a profit of�71 crore in the same periodyear ago, impacted by higherfuel cost and the ongoingplunge in the rupee.

Already its larger rival Indigohad reported a net loss of �652.13crore in the September quartercompared to a profit of �551.56crore a year ago, making it the

first loss since becoming a pub-licly traded company.

On a standalone basis, theNaresh Goyal promoted airline,which has been facing cashcrunch from some time leadingto delayed salaries and otherpayments, reported a net loss of�1,297.46 crore against a prof-it of �49.63 crore a year ago.

Total sales rose to �6,363crore during the reportingquarter, which is a growth of6.9 percent from �5,952 croreover the same quarter last fis-cal.

��

Niti Aayog will hold a meet-ing with all the stakehold-

ers in digital payments indus-try over customer authentica-tion issue after the SupremeCourt verdict that restricted theuse of Aadhaar details for KYCin availing host of services,including banking and telecom.

“I will have a round tablewith the stakeholders. There are

some issues which have comeup from the industry, we will sitdown and see what the issuesare and find out how to moveforward. The industry is sayingthat it may hamper the digitalpayments system,” said RatanWatal, Member Secretary —PMEAC and Principal Advisor,Niti Aayog on the sidelines of adigital payments programme.

Ficci and the Niti Aayog onMonday jointly organised a

workshop on the ‘OnlineDigital Payments Programme’aimed at capacity building andimparting training to the offi-cials working in this area.

In its ruling on September 26,the Supreme Court had declaredthe Government’s flagshipAadhaar scheme as constitution-ally valid but struck down some ofits provisions including its linkingwith bank accounts, mobilephones and school admissions.

'��+�� !�� %��

:��!@,��

��

DSP Investment ManagersPvt. Ltd. announced the

launch of DSP Healthcare Fund,an open ended scheme invest-ing in the healthcare and phar-ma sector. The fund would bepredominantly investing in equi-ty and equity related securitiesof healthcare and pharmaceuti-cal companies with some port-folio allocation to foreign secu-rities. The NFO is scheduled toopen on November 12 and closeon November 26, 2018.

��1��2��2��1��

��

Mahindra & Mahindraannounced on Monday

launch of a new variant of SUVScorpio priced at �13.99 lakh(ex-showroom Delhi). The ‘fea-ture-packed’ S9 will be availablepan India across Mahindra deal-erships with immediate effect,the company said in a statement.

The new variant will bepowered by the mHAWKengine with 140 bhp and is

equipped with features such asfully automatic temperaturecontrol, 15 cm touchscreeninfotainment with GPS naviga-tion in ten languages and panicbrake indication, among others.

M&M Chief of Sales andMarketing — AutomotiveDivision, Veejay Ram Nakrasaid, “The new Scorpio S9 offersa great feature package at anattractive price point making ita compelling buy for customerslooking for a true-blue SUV.”

,��$��=�$"�)�"A��0)��$��0�13&NN��

With so much sugar comingour way in beverages,

sweets and chocolates, yourteeth are going to bear the bruntof this excess and you shall beblamed you if they decay due tocarelessness. There is no doubtthat sugars form the perfectmedium for cavity-causing bac-teria to grow which are thenresponsible for tooth sensitivityor pain. Good oral hygienehabits like immediate rinsingafter sweets or brushing dailybefore going to bed can surelyensure prevention of cavities,”opines Lt Gen (Rtd) Dr VimalArora, chief clinical officer,Clove Dental.

There are precautions thatwill take care of your teeth.“Ideally, we should avoidhaving sweets before going

to bed as the bacteria affect ourteeth throughout the night andfasten the process of decay,”says Dr Priyanka Mathur, CloveDental. Hence, rinse your mouthimmediately after snacking andmeals to ensure that sweets donot get stuck in between yourteeth. In case you feel, they do,chew a sugar-free gum.

Another solution is to brush

the teeth after grabbing that lad-doo. Eating and drinking foodwith sugar weaken the enamelon your teeth. You should firstrinse your mouth with luke-warm water after you have hada heavy dose of sugary intake.Wait for an hour and then brushyour teeth. Allow your teeth tosettle, otherwise you could domore damage than good.

Dentists also advise to eatmilk products and chocolatesinstead of sticky sweets. “You cankeep the stickiness in your teethaway by having your dessertsbefore the meals,” adds DrMathur. This will reduce the riskof sweets staying stuck to yourteeth which causes cavities. Havecheese after meal as this reducesthe chances of developing toothdecay.

5,+)��

�� *�� *�� *�� ,��*�

��!#,!"��&!��

Women are more vulnerable to certain injuries likeAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears and stress frac-tures. Here’s why, what you can do to prevent these injuries,

and why women athletes should consider seeking care to main-tain their health.

�2�The most common injuries are ACL injuries and pain in the

front of the knee joint. Inappropriate mechanics during a squat.As the athlete squats down the knee behind is in line with thesecond toe which is the proper form of squat. Women often movetheir knees inward and over the second toe when attempting tosquat. This shows weakness of the muscles on the outsides ofthe hips. Women are also unable to control their knee positionwhen landing from any jumping activity. This causes their kneesto move forward and inward while landing, which puts them moreat risk for an ACL injury. Such injuries are five times more com-mon in women than men. Knee stability comes from the hip.Weakness at the hip will present as instability of the knee.

PreventionWith any injury, no prevention method is 100% guaranteed;

but some approaches can help to reduce your risk:�Braces. Support braces may help to support ligaments and

keep the knee from twisting over overextending.�Technique. Women athletes can learn proper techniques

to land in stable positions that protect the knee.

��1��This is characterised by soreness in the front of the knee and

around the patella (kneecap).Symptoms include pain andstiffness which makes difficult toclimb stairs or kneel.

��Ankle sprain: This is the

most common sports injury inboth men and women, but it'sparticularly common amongwomen.

Shoulder troubles:Examples include rotator cuffproblems (including tendoninflammation, or tendinitis) andinstability.

Knee injuries: Theseinclude irritation under the kneecap (called patellofemoral syn-drome) and ligament damage (including tears to the ACL), whichis especially common among soccer and basketball players.

Stress fractures: These are especially common in the footor lower leg (tibia) among women with the "female athlete triad,"a combination of inadequate calorie and nutrient intake, irreg-ular menstrual periods, and bone loss. Eating disorders, includ-ing anorexia nervosa, contribute to this triad.

Plantar fasciitis: Abnormal alignment of the foot and flatfeet may contribute to these small tears in the supporting tis-sues along the arch and heel.

To avoid injuryFortunately, women can take steps to reduce the chances

they'll suffer these injuries. The rate of ACL injuries may go downif muscles are strengthened, especially the hamstrings and thevastusmedialis. Training to change direction from both feet (ratherthan one), training to land from jumps in a safer position, andweight-lifting programmes that target specific muscles may alsoprove effective. Bracing can help limit ankle sprains. Shoe insertsmay provide support and re-alignment for those prone to plan-tar fasciitis or other foot injuries.

/��

�+��

�� )��

��

��

�� (��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1??

�"2�%3�4��5��"��%.�2 ��2�"%��" 6�%��&"%��3%�4�&"%2�#� �&�"�2��"�#�$2��%�&�� %.�"��2�#��#��2 "��"%� �" &� ��"7�4��%!

(�� 2�� %��%� �2��"�3 � �%3��#��4�7�%&�2�"2�$��%2�2��"

�"�2�#��2��%3�"�$�2%2�"�2� "$#�4� �� %&��"��%4�"��"2��%

3��$��

�� 0 Rich in vitamin A, C, calcium, zinc and iron, tulsihelps the body fight all cold borne diseases like cough, cold,

sinusitis, pneumonia and all respiratory disorders. It is also apowerful antiseptic and anti-malarial agent. Taken raw withpepper and honey in empty stomach, it is an excellent remedyfor cough and cold.

It acts as a detoxifying, cleansing and purifying agent — bothfrom within and without. Therefore, it is good for skin — bothwhen consumed and applied topically. It is also effective in treat-ing skin disorders, itching and issues like ringworms.

It can be made into teas or can be had raw, powdered, pasteor in form herbal supplements. It has antibiotic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-carcinogenic properties.

Helps relieve stress, strengthen immunity, and facilitate prop-er digestion. Regular tulsi consumption can also aid in balanc-ing various bodily processes. It counters elevated blood sugarlevels and is therefore beneficial for diabetics.

It helps in regulating uricacid levels in body,thereby, elimina-tion risks ofdeveloping kid-ney stones. It isalso beneficial forthose who have kid-ney stones. It is greatfor healthy gums.

� � � � � � � �

��$"�0��$"')"��0��0'��0�'"��$��"=��)��"��0��0"�)"0��#��'"A�

%��$��$��&!��$�=��$��"�0=�0�)�0��0�=�"��)�$0��"'�>0��'"�0$"''"�#"�'"#%��$��$��&!��0'��0��A"�A��0"��'"A��'�$�"#0��$��$��)"��%��>%�0�0$��%�$��#"��"��0"��0�#��"#0��$��$��$��=��A"��0��%��0��&

!��$��$"')"��$��G.�'��"��A��$�$��"�G.��>=��$��"=�)��=��0��"��"��0&��#"��>��$�)�0��0=��A��$"�0��G.��&��"��0��")��0��'�$�"�$")��0"��)0��'�""�#"�#��"��$��00��=��'"A��0�'"��#�"'0��)�0��0�:%��&!��0��0��'"A��=��00"0��)�0�"�"��%=��$��0��0�$"��$"�#��'0��$$��$�"#0��"��:="��&

��

The cerebellum ofour brain that wasonce believed only

limited to movementcontrol has now been asso-ciated with playing a key rolein higher functions like attention, think-ing, planning and decision-making,researchers have found.

The cerebellum is like the person atthe end of an assembly line, theresearchers said, adding "it's where all yourthoughts and actions get refined and qual-ity controlled."

The findings led by researchers atWashington University in St. Louisshowed that the sensory networks —vision, hearing and touch — are missingfrom cerebellum’s functions.

Only 20 per cent of it is devoted tomovement, roughly the same amount asin the cerebral cortex — the crumpledouter layer of the brain, the remaining 80per cent is occupied by networks involvedin higher-order cognition.

These include the attention network;the default network, which has to do withdaydreaming, recalling memories and justidly thinking; and two networks that over-see executive functions such as decision-making and planning.

For the study, published in the jour-nal Neuron, the team had access to morethan 10 hours of scans on each of 10 peo-ple and used the cortex's networks as atemplate to identify the networks in thecerebellum.

— IANS

%�6�� (��

People wait for this Festivalof Lights; there is an air ofhappiness and celebra-

tion. But there is a flip to it aswell when it comes to breath-ing clean air. During this timeseveral things combine togeth-er to make the air poisonous.But a few simple home reme-dies can help reduce the ill-effects. Here’s how:

We all know the benefits ofneem when it comes to treatingskin problems, but did youknow that the leaf can also beused to reduce the effects. Boilneem leaves in water. Take abath with this. It will help towash off the pollutants thatstick to your skin and hair.

Though the leaf is bitterto taste, try eating four-

five leaves daily afterwashing them

properly.Tulsi is another leaf that

can come to your rescue. If

you don’t have a plant, buy ittoday. It absorbs pollution.Also, drink 10 ml of tulsi juice.

Eat garlic and onions. Youcan cook your veggies with it tohelp you boost immunity.

Include ginger in your diet.Add grated ginger to your cupof tea or chew a fresh piece witha pinch of salt.

Eat plenty of citrus fruitslike oranges. The Vitamin C notonly helps boost immunity, itlessens the effects of air pollu-tion as well.

Those living in Delhi are con-stantly inhaling impure air due to

vehicular pollution. But the airquality worsens from October

end. A few simple home remediescan minimise the

ill-effects, says ROSHANI DEVI

After Jaipur and Ahmedabad, ateam of experts has now reachedthe state of Madhya Pradesh to

conform Zika cases. The team from theNational Centre for Disease Controland the Emergency MedicalResponse has gone to the statefollowing information aboutthree persons being detectedwith the virus.

The virus is transmittedthrough the Aedes aegyptimosquito. It causes fever, skinrashes, conjunctivitis, muscle andjoint pain. The virus is harmful topregnant women, as it can lead tomicrocephaly, a condition in which ababy’s head is significantly smaller thanexpected, in newborn children. Thesymptoms are akin to that of dengueand it is a public health emergency.

Dr KK Aggarwal, president, HCFI,said: “Last year in May, the WHO con-

firmed the first three cases of laborato-ry-confirmed Zika virus infection inIndia from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.With other such similar cases, it seemsZika is now here to stay in India. A

pregnant woman can pass Zikavirus to her fetus. Infection

during pregnancy can causeserious birth defects such asmicrocephaly and other con-genital malformations, knownas congenital Zika syndrome.

Other complications includepre-term birth and miscarriage.

Pregnancy loss due to asymptomaticvirus infection may be a common butunder-recognised adverse outcomerelated to maternal virus infection.”

The virus infection is also a triggerof Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropa-thy and myelitis, particularly in adultsand older children. The incubationperiod is three to 14 days.

��

�� !"#$�!%�&"$"� #��!��#��0�A��"�>�"�F0��0��0�$"'��"��=��"#$��%��0�"��&B"��"=0��0�)�

��0��0"��)��0"��)�"%��'�>%��$��>��9�� !

With Air Quality Index at itsworst, it is time that we tookmeasures to breathe easy.

Here are a few health tips to followto protect yourself from the harmfuleffects of pollution.

�Visit the doctor: Before the pollu-tion affects your health, patientswith asthma and other respiratorydisorders should visit their doctorsfor a check-up and adjust the med-ication dose as per his advice if nec-essary. �Healthy lifestyle: It is importantthat the patient maintains a healthylifestyle throughout the year. Itincludes good quality sleep, well-bal-anced nutritious diet, regular intakeof water, regular exercise, breathingexercises, pranayam and yoga, stressreduction, avoiding smoking andalcohol intake. Medication doseshould never be missed. A patientwho follows a disciplined lifestyle willbe able to cope up better with postDiwali pollution. Control sweetintake and stay well hydrated by reg-

ularly drinking water during thismonth. �Stay away from crackers: Peoplesuffering from asthma and other res-piratory disorders should complete-ly avoid areas and functions wherethere is too much pollution. Harmfulpollutants such as toxic metals, car-bon dioxide, carbon monoxide, andsulphur dioxide, which, along withthe smoke in the air, can trigger anasthma attack in both children and

adults.�Avoid polluted areas: It is alsoadvisable to avoid places with highlevels of pollution, as well as the useof strong incense sticks and scentedcandles. If you absolutely must go outduring this season, ensure that you'recarrying a handkerchief or a cloth,when stepping out of the house. Thepatients must carry their inhaler allthe time.�Keep away from dust: During

this time, try to avoid being a part ofthe cleaning, as the dust that is sweptup can trigger asthma attacks andbreathing problems. Keep yourinhaler handy at all times as a quick-relief solution for breathlessness,before visiting your doctor.�Take a small holiday: If you findyourself unable to avoid the presentsituation in Delhi, get away from thecity. Take a short vacation to a hill sta-tion or the seaside where the air iscleaner and dust free.�Keep emergency numbers handy:Respiratory symptoms are aggra-vated post Diwali. Hence, it isextremely essential to keep emer-gency ambulance numbers like1298/108 and other local numberswithin reach. Calling for help at theright time without losing valuableminutes can decrease the level ofdamage and raise the chances ofrecovery and survival.

To ensure a safe celebration forall, as responsible individuals, oneshould ensure to celebrate it eco-friendly way. This will help make ita truly happy festival, for yourself, aswell as the environment.G�$��$��-�� -�H�:��C�

7��

Exposure to pollutants present in the smogsuch as carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogendioxide and sulphur dioxide can cause itch-

ing, watering, unclear vision, redness, dry eyesand burning sensation. You are exposed to theseharmful pollutants every time you step out ofyour home. Here are a few tips that can help youenjoy this festive season:�Splash of cold water: Always wash your eyeswith cold water every time you are back froman outdoor site.�Minimalise outdoor exposure: The protec-tion you can give your eyes is from trying toreduce exposure to smog. TheGovernment has issued adviso-ry — avoid early morning out-door walks as that is whensmog exposure tends topeak. Protection from theeyewear like large sizesunglasses is also not bestsuited, as the pollutingfumes will find a way to getin your eyes.�Cool down the inflamma-tion: Using traditional methodslike placing cold cucumbers on your eyes, youcan cool down the inflammation and relax. Youcan also use eye drops for lubrication as per rec-ommendations from your doctor.�Strict no to eye rubbing: Don’t rub your eyesif any tiny pollutants enter. Immediately washit off with clean water.�Have a healthy diet: Eat healthy and includelots of carrots, almonds, green leafy vegetables,fish and berries in your diet. These are very ben-eficial for keeping the eyes healthy. Keepingyourself hydrated is of utmost significance. Doensure that you keep yourself hydrated fromwater and non-caffeinated drinks.�Blink blink: While doing office work, regu-larly blink your eyes. This will help in lubricat-ing them. Take regular breaks from your screenevery 30-40 minutes. You can also close the win-dows of your vehicles when stuck in traffic toavoid direct exposure to the smog.

(��!��$�� 0 ��-�;��,��(�� G4��7��+��-��&��

Research suggests that women and children aremore prone to burn injuries. Women usual-

ly wear loose fitting clothes such as sarees anddupatta which catch fire easily and make themsusceptible to burn injuries. Children sustain burninjuries while bursting crackers-unsupervised.Even though Diwali is over they continue to burstleft-overs. Careless handling of firecrackers leadsto an increased incidence of injuries in their case.India registers about 7 lakh to 8 lakh burn admis-sions annually. When it comes to burns, preven-tion is certainly better than cure. There are fewthings that one can do to manage burn injuries:�Minor burns sustained during cooking or fromfireworks can be treated at home. In such cases,the burnt part should be immediately placedunder the tap water for 15 to 20 minutes.�Once it cools and the pain starts to subside, thepatient should consult a burn specialist who ismostly a plastic surgeon in India. �For major burns of larger proportions, the burntclothing is usually removed first and the patientis covered with a clean sheet and taken to the hos-pital. It is advised that no ointment or cream or

anything like toothpaste or ink be applied to theburnt area as it makes it difficult for the special-ist to identify the depth of burns. �The process of cleaning the wound can furtherdamage the wound, so it's important to seek treat-ment from a burn specialist, and if he/she is notavailable, then a general surgeon can provide theinitial treatment.

G�$��1��&�+� 1�� -��<�� -��;��7��-�$��

"'�"'��2��=+.� ��#��

MYTHS ABOUT CONTACT LENS

��

Contact lenses are great alternativesto regular eye glasses for correct-ing your vision problems. They are

also ideal for patients with active lifestylesas they will not slip, fog or fall. But manyavoid wearing them because they of themany myths associated with wearingthem. Here is the truth:

�Myth: The lenses will get lost behindyour eye. Truth: This will never happen as a thinmembrane called conjunctiva coversyour eyes, making it impossible for yourcontact lenses to get lost behind them.

�Myth: They can pop out of your eyes.Truth: Modern contacts fit closer to youreyes, preventing them from falling outeven during physical activities.

�Myth: They require too much main-tenance. Truth: One has to follow the easyinstructions provided by the eye special-ists to make sure they stay clean beforeone wears them.

�Myth: Contact lenses are uncomfort-able to wear. Truth: One might have to adjust to themat first, but they will get more comfort-able over the time.

�Myth: They can get stuck inside youreyes. Truth: The solution that comes with yourcontact lenses keeps them moist, prevent-ing them from sticking onto your eyes.Following the simple instructions fromthe lens company can make your taskssmooth.

�Myth: Lenses can melt on your eyes. Truth: Only high temperatures canmelt the contact lenses, so they will noteasily melt while you are wearing them.If you feel like your lenses are stickingto your eyes, all you need to do is to addmore moisture.

�Myth: One should put in contactsafter putting your makeup on. Truth: It is always advised wearing con-tacts before you apply any makeup, oil,or primers. Your hands should also beclean before you use your contacts. Whenremoving makeup, make sure youremove the lenses first.

(��!��*� � ��.�4E-��

��2�� 2��

*��

% � � � � � � � � � � � � �

��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1 ��?#

%&,%%�2�%&,%%�2��,.$�

��2��*�� 2�� #;#$#'0!��0$��'%��0��"�,"��C�$0��0��)"�0�"#�0�$�"��"A��$��0�$"�$��#0��0��0��A��0��0"0��=��"#+��0��="'��%�=�"=��$��0��$P��00��"#%��)��'�$��&

��2��1 ��1��/�6��+�� /#C#2%"D0��'%��"#�"$��0�=��$��#�"'0��H��0��)0"=��"�,"��>=��F��'��%��=��0%�#��#�"'0��0��$��A�&

�E��*�� /�� 2��*��#:��0 ��)�$0��$�"��$��A�C�')��"�0��0��=��"�" ��'A�"��$��#"�$��0��"#0�"��"#)�")��0"��#��$�"=��$�')�>0��"�=��#��+"��$��"�,"��&

�� ,��/� �� +#�&%9:"�90 �6)"��0"$��0��)"��0��0�'��$��'��$��)��0'��0;��<A��0�#"��)��0"��$��"A��$��>��0��#"��&

*7��*�2��2-��&#?#0 ��)"��0�"��0�"�,"��#��0��0�#"��60'"�0�F��$0�"��%��=��0"��$�'%��3/>��#0��0��$"��0��F�'��9))"��0�"��$��'��0��)"��%��'"�0�0"��"=0��'0")��)��#"�0��)"��&

� � ��0 ��1�� /��F1��7�#&�5!0!��0��"A��'��0"�,"��C�$0��0��)"�0�$��'��%��#��%�"��>��0��'��"�0��"$��'��"=��0��$��0��.�$P��00��+��0��="'��%��0��"A��?#��@&

�� 1�� 2� ��+#�&%9:"�90!��%%��>0��#��0 ��='��#�"' �=��0��+"��>��$"��0"��#"��'��$��)��$��-/-/>�$$"��0"�"��$��$�"��0"��&

��G��+� �� #"&;#9' 0!��)��"A��'��0"�,"��"'��0��#"�'��='��0��"�)"��0�$��'%��$��'%��"�0"��&

Islamabad: Around 69 percent Pakistanis between theages of 15 and 65 do not knowwhat the internet is, an infor-mation communication tech-nology (ICT)-based survey hasrevealed. The survey was con-ducted by LirneAsia, a think-tank based in Sri Lanka thatcarries out ICT research, Dawnnews reported on Monday.

The report is based on asurvey of 2,000 households inPakistan. LimeAsia claims thatthe sampling methodology wasdesigned to ensure representa-tion of 98 per cent target pop-ulation aged 15 to 65 at anational level.

Conducted betweenOctober-December 2017, thisdemand side survey helpsunderstand how users use or

do not use ICT services. “The 152 million active cel-

lular subscribers mentioned onPakistan TelecommunicationAuthority (PTA) website,despite a good SIM registrationsystem, tell nothing about thesubscribers — whether theyare men and women, rich orpoor and does not really helpunderstand access and usagegaps,” LinreAsia CEO HelaniGalpaya said in the report.

The study points out thatlack of internet awareness is aconsiderable problem acrossAsian countries, includingPakistan, where just 30 per centof the population in the agegroup of 15-65 is aware of theinternet (they were asked ifthey use the ‘internet’ withoutexplaining what it is). IANS

Kabul: Six people were killedwhen a suicide bomber blewhimself up in Kabul onMonday, close to where scoresof Afghans had been protestingagainst Taliban attacks on theminority Hazara ethnic group.

The attack is the latest in awave of violence across war-torn Afghanistan as the Talibanintensify pressure on belea-guered Government securityforces, which are sufferingrecord high casualties.

Interior Ministryspokesman Najib Danish said20 were wounded in the blast,which struck in front of a highschool in the downtown area ofthe Afghan capital.

Initial reports indicatedmost of the victims were mem-bers of the security forces, butDanish said civilians, includingseveral women, had borne the

brunt of the carnage.A photo shared on

WhatsApp showed severalbodies lying on the ground.

“The suicide attacker onfoot wanted to target protest-ers, but he was stopped at asecurity checkpoint some 200metres (660 feet) from thesite,” interior ministry deputyspokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

A police officer at the scenesaid he saw 10 to 15 casualtieson the ground, as well as bodyparts.

The centre of Kabul wasblanketed with heavier-than-usual security for the protest,which began on Sunday nightand continued into Monday.

“It was a huge blast nearIstiqlal high school, very closeto where the demonstratorswere gathering,” witness QaisNawabi said. AFP

��

As wildfires raged at bothends of California, officials

released another grim statistic:six more dead in a swath ofNorthern California wiped outby fire, raising the death tollthere to 29. It matchedCalifornia’s record for deaths ina single fire and brought thestatewide total to 31.

Another 228 remain unac-counted for as crews steppedup the search for bodies andmissing people. Two peoplewere killed in a wildfire inSouthern California.

Ten search teams wereworking in Paradise — a townof 27,000 that was largely incin-erated last week — and in sur-rounding communities in theSierra Nevada foothills.Authorities called in a DNA laband teams of anthropologists tohelp identify victims.

Statewide, 1,50,000remained displaced as morethan 8,000 fire crews battledwildfires that have scorched400 square miles with out-of-state crews continuing to arrive.Whipping winds and tinder-dry conditions threaten moreareas through the rest of theweek, fire officials warned.

“This is truly a tragedy thatall Californians can understandand respond to,” Gov. JerryBrown said at a press briefing.“It’s a time to pull together andwork through these tragedies.”Brown, who has declared astate emergency, said Californiais requesting aid from theTrump administration.

Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khaledal-Falih on Monday said the Organization of thePetroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and itsallies have agreed to reduce oil supply by 2019to some 1 million barrels per day.

Al-Falih, who made his remarks at the AbuDhabi International Petroleum Exhibition andConference held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), pointed out that the technicalanalysis reviewed on Sunday showed the reduc-tion was required to rebalance the market, Efenews reported.

The Saudi Energy Ministry said on Sundaythat Al-Falih appreciated the cooperation of all

producers to ensure the “stability of the markets”and that there were “sufficient supplies”.

For his part, Suhail bin Mohammed FarajFaris Al Mazrouei, the UAE Energy Minister andPresident of the OPEC Conference in 2018 —said the member countries of OPEC, mainly theUAE and Saudi Arabia, were prepared to meetthe needs of the world crude market in case ofa fall in supply for political reasons.

The OPEC previously pointed to rising oilprices, while the experts of the organizationpointed to geopolitical tensions, in reference tosanctions imposed by the US on Iranian crudesince November 5. IANS

��

For President Donald Trumpin Paris, America First

meant largely America alone.At a weekend commemo-

ration of the 100th anniversaryof the end of World War I, thepresident who proudly declareshimself a “nationalist” stoodapart, even on a continentwhere his brand of populism ison the rise.

He began his visit with atweet slamming the Frenchpresident’s call for a Europeandefense force, arrived at eventsalone and spent much of histrip out of sight in theAmerican ambassadors’ resi-dence in central Paris. OnSunday, he listened as he waslectured on the dangers ofnationalist isolation, and thenhe headed home just as theinaugural Paris Peace Summitwas getting underway.

Back at the White House

on Monday, Trump tweetedthat “much was accomplished”in his meetings, but voiced afamiliar complaint aboutAmerica’s allies. He said the USpays billions “protecting othercountries, and we get nothingbut Trade Deficits and Losses.”He added: “It is time that thesevery rich countries either paythe United States for its greatmilitary protection, or protectthemselves.”

His France trip made clearthat, nearly two years aftertaking office, Trump has dra-matically upended decades ofAmerican foreign policy pos-ture, shaking allies. Thatincludes French PresidentEmmanuel Macron, who onSunday warned that the“ancient demons” that causedWorld War I and millions ofdeaths were once again makingheadway.

Macron, who has beenurging a re-embrace of multi-

national organizations andcooperation that have beenshunned by Trump, delivereda barely veiled rebuke ofTrumpism at the weekend’scenterpiece event: A gatheringof dozens of leaders at theTomb of the Unknown Soldierat the base of the Arc deTriomphe to mark the passageof a century since the guns fellsilent in a global war thatkilled millions. Bells tolledacross Europe’s Western Frontand fighter jets passed over-head to mark the exactmoment the devastating warcame to a close.

With Trump and otherleaders looking on, Macrontook on the rising tide of pop-ulism in the United States andEurope and urged leaders notto turn their backs by turninginward. “Patriotism is the exactopposite of nationalism:Nationalism is a betrayal ofpatriotism,” Macron said.

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s majorpolitical parties and an electioncommission member onMonday dragged PresidentMaithripala Sirisena to theSupreme Court, challenging hiscontroversial move of dissolvingParliament, almost 20 monthsbefore its term was to end.

Sirisena dissolvedParliament on November 9 andannounced snap polls to be heldon January 5 next year after itbecame evident that he did nothave enough support in theHouse to prove the premiershipof 72-year-old MahindaRajapaksa, whom he hasappointed PM after abruptlysacking Ranil Wickremesingheon October 26.

Rajapaksa needed the sup-port of minimum 113 parlia-mentarians in the 225-memberHouse to prove his majority.

Wickremesinghe’s UnitedNational Party (UNP), themain opposition TamilNational Alliance (TNA) andthe leftist JVP or the People’sLiberation Front (PLF) wereamong the 10 groups that filedthe fundamental rights peti-tions in the apex court, seekingdeclaration of the president’saction as illegal, officials said.

The petitioners alsoinclude Election Commissionmember Prof RatnajeevanHoole. The Supreme Courtadjourned till Tuesday morn-ing the hearing of the petitions.The petitions were taken up forhearing before a three-judgebench comprising Chief JusticeNalin Perera, Justices PrasannaJayawardane and PriyanthaJayawardane. PTI

Shanghai: China has shownthe missiles in its advanced J-20 stealth fighter jet to the pub-lic for the first time at itslargest airshow, the GlobalTimes newspaper reported.

The newspaper said two J-20 fighter jets opened theirmissile bay doors during a fly-past on Monday, revealing thateach jet had four missiles in itsfuselage and one on either sideof the aircraft. Citing Chineseexperts, the newspaper said thedemonstration, which came

on the 69th anniversary of thefounding of the People’sLiberation Army’s (PLA) AirForce, displayed the J-20’s supe-riority to the top US fighter jets,the F-22 and F-35, as well as thePLA’s growing confidence.

It also quoted militaryexpert Song Zhongping as say-ing the four missiles in the J-20’s fuselage were long-rangeair-to-air missiles, while thetwo on the sides were short-range combat missiles meantfor aerial combat. Agencies

Adong: A $300 bottle of winesold in the US and Europe ismade in the unlikeliest of places:at the foot of the Himalayas inChina, where farmers sing tra-ditional songs while pickinggrapes. A stone’s throw awayfrom Tibet, Ao Yun’s vineyardsare located beneath the sacredMeili mountain at altitudesranging up from 2,200 metres inthe southwestern province ofYunnan. Wine consumption issoaring in China, it is not known

as major producer, but Frenchluxury giant Moet Hennessy hasbet on this remote location toshow Asian country can pro-duce first-class bottle of red.

It took four years to findideal spot in vast country andresult was Ao Yun, Chinese for“flying above the clouds”, whichdebuted in 2013. “The place ismagical, it has this wild side,”Maxence Dulou, Ao Yun’s estate manager, said as he care-fully inspected grapes at one of

vineyards.Dulou said he had

“dreamed” of discovering agreat “terroir” — the uniqueFrench term for the ground andclimatic conditions in whichgrapes are grown —in Chinasince his university days. Thecompany wanted to show thata great wine could be made inChina, where even local con-sumers trust French wines morethan homegrown products, hesaid. AFP

3�� 2��! �� 2

2��#��#��0��

�# '% 5:!�"�= "�%�45�' ="%�9"��;9$#55!��H'#D

- �2 ��# �� ' ��

>�� ?<��

��+��7��)��

�� #� ��1;/@�4��7�� %&�)�#��

@I?��,��!��56��@6� ��/��!�!��)��2�� &��

��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1 �� ?1

�$0��C"��=�0��$"A��$��0")�"'"0��"%��=��'"A�'��00"��A�0��#�"'�60��$0�"�&��=��""�%�)�"'"0��>��'��0��=��.��"�0��%�0�0�&��>?!��>0��"��"��=��$�0�>��"#��00��60��$0��0��"��)&��)��0"�>0��'%��)�$��)��$��0�$��"��0��00��$�0��$"�"��$��%��$��0��=��'��.0��&!��$��0��0��0�"��#��$0�"�"#��'��%��&@

�$0"��1�� 2��>=�"��0��$�)�0��0"��""0#"�0��60#��'�� %�00��0��$�0�:�)"��0�"��A��=�0�'��&B��)�"��)�$0��"��0��'��=��$�%"0�0��$0"��=��0�.)"��.0�"�'��&?,��"��'".0�"��0��&��+�")��>�"��)"��C��0>@��$�).0�"��&��$"''��0��M?��&&&=��0��))��0"�"�R@��)�"0"��)�"#��#%��&?!��&&��=��"&@

"��=""�$��%��0�� 2��/��*��A�$"')��0��"�00��"'��

��0��+��#"��=��#��>=��$��#0#��''��'"��!"�":��"'�)��0��'.��&+��>?+"')��0��A.��0�0��%�0��#��##�$0��'�$"''��0�&��'"��"#0��$��"��&,��'��"A�"#'��#�'��0"�0��#��0��0:��0��0'�00��0�"=&,��"��"�"��0��%�00��'�'"��=�0�#�'��#��0��0�"��&��'��0�.#��#"��A��#0&@

��

�� @�/��

��A�93B@�/��

��C�� @�/��< ��A��@�D!�� &��

*��)�.��

There has been immense buzzever since director SS

Rajamouli has announced hisnext project. What makes thefilm more exciting is its massivestar power with names like YoungTiger NTR and mega powerstarRam Charan.

Creating euphoria amidstfans of Rajamouli, NTR andRam Charan, the film waslaunched recently in the presenceof industry bigwigs.

A special event was held onNovember 11 where Chiranjeevi,Prabhas, Rana and top directorsfrom the industry were present.

Having the working title asRRR, the multilingual film isbeing touted as NationalCinema’s most ambitious project.The film makers are leaving nostone unturned to present a cin-ematic experience surpassing thegrandeur of SS Rajamouli’s last

outing Baahubali: TheConclusion.

Speaking about the same,producer DVV Danayya said, “Itis a matter of honour to be pro-ducing probably the most await-ed film of Indian cinema. Thiswhole project is like a dream ormaybe I can call it a dreamcome true. Working on a filmwith the combination of stars likeNTR, Ram Charan andRajamouli is something that isreally exciting for me. There arealready great expectations onthe f i lm with both theNandamuri Harikrishna fans and

all movie goers expecting some-thing out of the ordinary. Ipromise, I will make sure nostone is left unturned from myside in that regard. We will makeno compromise on anything theteam requires. This film willsurely remain as the pride ofIndian cinema. The shooting ofthe film will commence onNovember 19. The first schedulewill contain NTR and RamCharan shooting for a highoctane action episode. We willsoon make an announcementabout the rest of the cast.”

The dialogues of the untitled

project are written by Sai MadhavBurra and Madan Karky andediting will be done by NationalAward-winning film editorSreekar Prasad.

Rajamouli’s next will alsoreunite the dream team thatworked on Baahubali series withcelebrated names like VijayendraPrasad, who has penned thestory, costume designer RamaRajamouli, VFX Supervisor VSrinivasa Mohan, music compos-er MM Keeravani, productiondesigner Sabu Cyril and cine-matographer KK Senthil Kumar.

Presented by D Parvathy, thefilm will be made under DVVEntertainment banner. Rajamoulihas worked on the film’s screen-play as well.

Baahubali: The Beginningand Baahubali: The Conclusionhad broken records to collective-ly earn more than �1,000 crores.

Adinosaur out of auto-mobile parts or a spat-

ula for painting with a play-ing card, materials can beused in multiple ways onlyif we let our imaginationsoar.

Harun Robert or Rob,who used to host thefamous do-it-yourself TVshow M.A.D on POGO, isbringing a live art showImaginarium – It’s aWonderful World that aimsto teach children about theimportance of going greenand recycling everydaymaterials like bottles, pack-ets and more for decorativeor functional purposes.

A performer and arteducator, he’s worked withchildren for years andunderstands what makesthem tick.

“Children are interest-ed in spending time out-doors and working withmaterials. So we wanted tocreate a space for them towatch and be part of it. Thisis a dream project of mine.I realised there are no liveart shows where they cancome and experience andbe part of something asspectacular as we are plan-ning,” he said.

He also sees himself asa non-preachy green war-rior. “You have to treat kidslike adults and every timeyou tell them that you haveto recycle and pollution isa problem, they won’t listento you because they arethere to have fun. So, I onlyencourage them to recycleand use the materials lyingaround. If a child under-stands the value in recy-cling, they will get joy increating something and willvalue materials and thatthey are contributing to abigger change. My goal andmission is to focus on recy-cling materials,” he added.

But how does he makechildren listen to him?“There is no formula. Kidsare the most challengingaudience to please and alsothe most honest. They’llappreciate an idea if you dosomething great and if it’snot well done, they don’tcare how long you spent onit, they will let you know. Ikeep in mind that I don’ttalk down to them. I try toteach in a fun way. I showthem that I am a friend notan art teacher and am hav-ing fun creating things withtrash, so you can have funtoo. I don’t direct them todo stuff,” he said.

Robert is a trainedartist who studied art, ani-mation and filmmaking atNational Institute ofDesign. But even beforethat, with his curious mind,he started picking up things

to figure out what and howthey are made. He spenthours wondering and con-verting discarded everydaymaterials to bring them tolife. His most loved creationis a 20 feet dinosaur madewith autorickshaw andscooter parts that wasinstal led at NID,Ahmedabad. He is alsoproud of a mural withimages of Mary Kom andMilkha Singh that he madeon a flyover in Mumbai’sAndheri to promote themotto he teaches children,to recycle and reuse. Themost popular one though isa painting of AmitabhBachchan that he made onhis show for POGO.

Sometimes, before hestarts teaching, he wouldstart with a magic trick toget their attention. “Whenwe are kids, our imagina-tion is more vivid and wide.The growth process accord-ing to laid down normsonly restricts us. Childrenabsorb and observe. If youbreak it down, it’s easier forthem to follow through.Once, for the show, I brokedown a really complicatedmethod I learned in artschool. And the childrencould easily follow it,” hesaid.

Many of his creationsneed as much science as art,both different points on aspectrum of creativity.

“Science and art gohand in hand. When wewere learning the basics inart school, we would usescience. You need art too tomake science workshopmodels or drawings. If youare doing something in afun way, you can do any-thing. We do a lot of pro-jects around science, histo-ry and geography. I try andadd visual elements to mostof my stuff and work withbasic material lying aroundthe house, so it’s not a chal-lenge for the child,” he said.

Veteran actor-filmmaker SanjayKhan, popular for producing

and acting in the television seriesThe Sword of Tipu Sultan, says heis planning to make movies, but healso has some extraordinary storiesthat can be told on the smallscreen.

It was back in 1989 that a majorfire accident took place on the setof The Sword of Tipu Sultan,based on the 18th century Mysoreruler. After surviving near fatalburns, years later Sanjay producedshows like The Great Maratha andJai Hanuman.

“The last time I faced the cam-era was for...Tipu Sultan. I havebeen busy doing other things likebuilding a five-star hotel inBengaluru. We are planning sever-al motion pictures now. Three orfour pictures in the comingmonths,” Sanjay said.

When asked him about the TVshows, he said, “TV is makingmuch more money than filmsthese days. TV has a greater reach.I have some extraordinary storiesfor that. There is one on the BritishRaj. It’s called the Beginning of anEmpire. I would like to make it aseries of three or four seasons cap-turing the long duration of theBritish Raj in India.”

He has historical stories onmind for the big screen as well.“There is one on a Brigadier, whodied fighting for his country and Ihave another one on the 1965 war.I have always made stories that havea national appeal and are meaning-ful.”

Siting an example, he said,“When I made Jai Hanuman, I gotgreat satisfaction. Hindu ladiessaid ‘We are grateful to you sir forshowing us the childhood ofHanuman.’”

But what about going beyondmythology and historical genres?“In the larger packaging of mywork, there would be stories ofromance, etc.,” he said.

He doesn’t want to focus just ona love story.

“The value of love between aman and a woman is eroding. Allkinds of things are happening.The mood of the world is differentso, the best bet is catching histor-ical and social-economic prob-lems, which are perennial. Thoseare the problems that we canaddress,” said Sanjay.

Talking about the content offilms made by young Indian film-makers, he shared: “I like some ofthem. Indian cinema is coming-of-age though the music is suffering.The lustre of music is gone. Thetechnical quality has come up.Some very good films like Dangalhave come out.”

He is also interested in the dig-ital medium.

“If there is an offer, subject orbig companies come to me then Ican talk to them,” he said.

At the moment, he is focussingon promoting his new autobiogra-phy, The Best Mistakes of My Life,which takes the readers to hisworld of films, family, his near-death accident and more.

“I am happy that it has comeout the way it has. I worked reallyhard on it. I had gone into my pastand relived all those glorious times,”said the actor in his 70s.

G)+'�

Wedding gifting in Indiahas mostly been aboutceremonial grandeur or

scale. If it’s not a piece of jewellery,then it has to be a fat ribbon-crust-ed gift cheque or an exotic vaca-tion. Seldom do we realise that thecouple intends to settle back intoa normal life after the big day andcould do much more with practi-cal aids than having to think of aheirloom closet. A gift for a cou-ple can be equally thoughtful,beautiful and no holds barred.Make sure that the gifts get out ofthe box and are used, touched andfelt everyday.

If you do choose to gift jew-ellery, leave the traditional goldbehind. Trust us it would only betransported to bank lockers and betaken out for other weddingsoirees. Opt for a combination ofcoloured gems and diamonds thathas a more cocktail feel. Gift astatement piece like a diamondearring with a square emeraldstone or a floral design earringwith a pearl and coloured stonethat can be worn at any party.

If you must buy gold, opt forlighter designs that can be worndaily. Ear jackets, ear sliders, pen-dants, stackable bracelets, chokersand rings with coloured gems setin 18K gold make for beautifulgifts for the bride who will be thetalk of the town much after thewedding day.

A young couple has to set uphome after their marriage anddecorative or special kitchenwareare a priority for them. Presentthem with a silver plated andmalachite stone tea set or a silvergoblet that is equal parts ceremo-nial and attractive. These piecescan be passed down generationsand become heritage pieces as well.Or opt for a Persian plate andsaucer holder along with decora-tive plates and saucers or a caber-net wooden beer tray with beer

mugs, if you want to gift some-thing casual.

An antique coffee bean churn-er or leather boxes can be greatpieces for the den of the house.Imagine how thankful a coffee lov-ing couple will be with a churnerthat can get them a freshly groundbrew every morning. The boxesbring character with their texturedfeel.

If you want to focus on thegroom, ceremonial buttons, cuf-flinks, bows, shoes or even an attirelike a bandhgala will be a great per-sonalised gift. Present him with anemerald green bow, in Italiancotton velvet, embellished with a

crown figurative embroidery froma famed designer. The small piececan amp up the groom’s outfit.

Step away from the vases andminiatures if you want to gift homedecor. The latest trend in walldecor comprises decorative platesand dimensional wall art like wall

sculptures, 3D wall art andwall panels. Use of dimen-sional art gives the decorspace a layered look thatfeels more complete. Woodcarvings or even raw piecesof metal can solve the pur-pose of expressing yourdesign vision. For a piece to

decorate a table surface, optfor beautifully painted plates.

%�%��7��8�3�5��9

��0��0�9� ��A��0��$��0�#�"'��'��'&��,�!� ��8��

��-�((��*��!�:��$)��,!"�*��!")$��")��&��"��#"$��! ��(1��#�-��(��&,��. � ��

�=��=��="��

-��A!��=��0��!��$0"��,9�� $��0��)�"��'"��0#��%��"��$��'��0�.�0��60

F��,��*�, ��&

��&��,��,��+��E�

0�!��,��7� ��

�� ,��(0H

�B�9�F��B9+��9�! ��99,>+��,9��!!9��>+�BB��8�>

�9�>� 9��9��!!��8��"�#$%��&��!��9��

��B!

�8��

��

��)�� @��)��

:A*)3()."�3)B�*3!:*�0��$0"��8 �� 0"0��0��="��%"�0��$��A��#�

�%9�� @�� @��< ��@%��.��&��@��

��

��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1

B��$�0�!��0��)��0�'��'")��)��>'��(�� =��00��$0��%��0��&�0��)��0��0��"��0��A��=)"��0"#��"��8��0�0��$��0��0��0"0��0��$0�A�=��&+��0�"A�'%��1S� ��02)'��S)'+��0��B"�0��0"��'&

�� 8" 29�?4

��))��'*��+��%��

��"#��0��0="��%�,��'��A��0�%��0"��0��'��0�"#0��'"��="��%��=�0��"$��)��"��0"��'�'"��& �$��A��)"��0�"��'��#��0"0��$��A��)�"0"��)��=�0��"00��"'�0��$��&+��0!��"A�'%��-1+��011�'0"I)'+��0��0��0��&

��$0��%��"��.�=��>0��"�.A��%��$"'�$'��$��)��>��#��$"'�$��)"�0��)��"��0$��"#��0��0=��8"��0��0�"��0�'=�0�$"�0�')"��'��$&� ��0-)'��S)'+��0�"A�'%��13+��0��B"�0��0"��'&

��0��*��)��0��0�+��F��,�� "�"$��$��$�)��#"�'��$�0")��0��%�0�0"��>��0��=��=�0��>��"=$��0��'��0�"#0��A��0��"#!��C�A""��0��0��'0��0��0��$��)��$0��&+��0

�"A�'%��1N� ��0S)'+��08�'��0"��'>+")��$��,��&

*��0��)��0��'��&��

-��-�� 0��$0�A��6��%�0�"�"#)��0��=��%��'�$��&�0��"=$��0��0��0F�A��>�6)�"��"��%��0�"#�"0��0��&+��0�"A�'%��130"��$�'%��--� ��011�'0"I)'+��0*��0��>!��A��8��'&

/�%+7�,>%

The Manipuri Raas Lila at the IICFestival became the ultimate closurefor a festival that celebrated the beau-

ty and dynamic indigenous tapestry of theNortheastern states.The pristine sound ofthe instruments and the voice of the soloistbecame the invocation and the intonationfor an evening of exquisite grace and divin-ity.

Lord Krishna dwells in those whobelieve in his presence. He embodies thesupreme reality — the Brahma Tatwa,which is dense concentrated bliss, whichis of the nature of the pure consciousness,which is without parallel or comparisonand is totally free of time and space lim-itations.

�#& "'�#�'��(�$�)"The recital opened with the Basanta

Varnam, which describes the beauty of thevan in Sringara Raas. Fluid movementsand delicate flourishes echoed the trancethat you could be drawn into. Hauntinglyrics and pealing notes added to the evo-cation that stepped into the night.

The Natya Shastra states that Sringarahas two varieties: union and separation. Asthe evening wore on, you sensed the artic-ulation of an arduous theme that was deft-ly translated into dance. You also realisedthat an indigenous dance is able to edu-cate both the connoisseurs and the unini-tiated, making it a matter of edutainment.One wishes there was a commentary of thenarrative to make the understanding ofesoteric easier. The romantic verses of thenarrative moved from physical yearningto spiritual elevation (masculine and fem-inine energies inherent in nature), the cruxof the bhakti philosophy of those timesand therein lay the power and the passion.

�*#�+$�,"�- #&"From the word go, the Basanta

Varnam unravelled the epoch of thesthayi bhava in which its soul depicts abright attire; for whatever in this world iswhite, pure and beautiful is appreciated interms of sthayi bhava.

The second performance was theSamode Damodar (Hari Riha), based onthe first canto of Jaydeva’s Geeta Govindam.This gave way to the incantation of theManipuri folk song — Thoibi na LoiKarakpa — a rendition that was a repos-

itory of both resonance and heartfeltlyricism.The evening belonged to thefinale, the heady Basanta Raas that cele-brated the yearning as well as the unionof Lord Krishna with Radha.

You could watch the swan-like graceof the dancers, watch their floating move-ments as if on a cloud and imagine the set-ting — the glances where the eyelids are

not fully opened, the look of sweet sur-render and serenity, perhaps tears of joy,in the alchemy of the moment which in thesacred texts is called snigdha (loving). Itgrows out of divine love.

)(��&��!"�-�'�Lessons from the Puranas came

through the exquisite evening. Watching

them sail through the sacred notes, youimagine that every human being is atonce milkmaid and Krishna. We yearnfor the music of the Gods and are alsocapable of creating the music. LordKrishna is like a universal goalpostembodying infinity that inspires. Can wein this millennial world full of material-ism attempt to walk in that direction?

Scholars state that in the Raas Lila,Lord Krishna makes music not for hispleasure but for the uplift of the milk-maids. The flute is both the melody andthe instrument of divinity and delight inthe coalescing of deep love. If the melodyinvites, it also encourages us to partakeof the divine play in full spirit but withpurity in our souls.

,��-��!#-%#�&!#�' #The evening bore testimony to King

Bhagya Chandra who composed three ofthese dances and created history. RajarshiBhagya Chandra, also known as JaiSingh Maharaj and Ningthou Ching-Thang Khomba, the 18th centurymonarch of the Meitei people whoadopted Gaudiya Vaishnavism, record-ed and systematised Manipuri dance,elaborating the basics of dance in the textGovinda Sangeet Lila Vilasa. He is cred-ited with composing three forms of theRaas Lila — Kunja Raas, Basanta Raasand Maha Raas, which were staged dur-ing his reign at Imphal’s Sri Sri Govindajitemple.

��$"��"#(�%The leitmotif of the evening lay in the

distinctive abhinay, the expression thatis exhibited through the movements ofthe body and the feet and the face iscloaked and clothed in serenity with adiaphanous veil. All feelings emanatefrom the movement of the limbs, at oncesmooth as satin and flowing like a river.Shringar or love then consists of viyog(separation) and sambogh (union).Graceful restraint and unparalleled flu-idity strung an evening worth remember-ing. The nodes of India’s heritage lie inits indigenous arts and it needs to be sup-ported, nurtured and cherished for theages. For the North Eastern Council andthe IIC, this was an epic statement.

(The writer is an art critic.)

Learning isn’t just confined toschools and classrooms anymore.

And at a time of digital detoxification,engagement with culture and arts is asureshot way of nurturing the creativepotential of the next generation. Jashn-e-Bachpan, a nine-day theatre festivalfor children, brings in plays from var-ious regions and languages under oneroof, featuring some of the most emi-nent and emerging theatre directorsand groups working with and for thechildren.

As the festival features more than500 participants this time, director ofNational School of Drama, SureshSharma, felt, “It is one of the greatestachievements and accomplishmentsthis year as the entries escalated tomore than 200 groups. With a total of221 entries, 24 groups have beenselected.”

The entries have come from vari-ous states like Maharashtra, Assam,Rajasthan, Gujarat, New Delhi, WestBengal, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Manipurand Tripura. The plays will be per-formed in a range of languages likeAssamese, Marathi, Bengali, andMalayalam besides English and Hindi.Sharma lauded Ram Gopal Bajaj, whois responsible for all such festivalsincluding this one, Bal Sangam andBharat Rang Mahotsav.

As the festival is a part of RangSanskar Toli, an initiative by theTheatre-In-Education (TIE) Company,its chief Abdul Latif Khatana said thatinitially, it only aimed to attract moreand more children to theatre. But “ithas become an institution” that aimsto teach children outside the conven-tional school classrooms. The toli,through theatre, highlights varioussocial issues that are crucial for chil-dren to know at a tender age, believesKhatana. He added, “Theatre is anexercise — physical, mental , emotion-al and social — that makes peoplecapable of handling emotions as wellas look at the world through a com-pletely different perspective as itexposes them to a society that teach-es through experiences.”

He reveals that many childrenfrom NGOs from around the countryhave also been considered to partici-pate as they are “the unrecognised sec-tions of the society who aren’t muchprivileged of many such opportunities.”

However, the question arises, whatkind of an audience does it cater to?“It is a festival that not only acts orshows but also educates both theviewer and the actor. It is a dramaticrepresentation of childhood, which iftalking about a certain issue in the soci-ety or a background, addresses all

kinds of families and their back-grounds — upper, middle and back-ward class. Because that is how theywill relate to and understand whatev-er they are displaying.”

The plays, hence, are divided intofour categories — performance by chil-dren, by adults and children, by adultsfor children, and puppet performances.

While various Indian states will bea part of the festival, participantsfrom three countries — Indonesia, SriLanka and Switzerland — will also beperforming.

Sharma shared his vision, “Theidea behind the initiative is to celebratechildhood and hence children fromeven the underprivileged section of thesociety from Delhi-NCR have beeninvited to attend. It also aims to bringtheatre into prominence as it has lostits sheen in the modern era due totechnology and digital media. None ofthe schools has theatre as a mandato-ry subject, hence they are not muchaware of theatre these days. Theywatch films on cinema and mobilephones, but hardly take interest indrama.”

(The festival begins from November17 to 25 at the Sammukh, Abhimanch,Abhikalp, and the Little Theatre Group(LTG) Auditoria at National School ofDrama.)

From emotions likejoy to sorrow, aspira-

tion to celebration, artistDimpy Menon has triedto convey all aspects ofhumanscape in herworks. With her elongat-ed, elegant human formsthat are sculpted in anacrobatic motion, shesaid that she conceivedthem as lyrical. “I havegiven the title as BreakingBounds because it is basi-cally about breakingboundaries and pushinglimits. The forms in myworks are very acrobat-ic and there’s a lot ofmovement in them.Although there has beena certain evolution overthe years, the humanform has remained cen-tral in all of my works,”said the sculptor.

She added, “I haveused the 5,000-year-oldlost wax process which has pre-vailed from the time ofMohenjodaro and Harappancivilisation. With progress andchange, there has been a slightchange in the treatment of thematerial. But otherwise themethod is exactly same. It’s along and gruelling process. Onehas to work at high tempera-tures. The metal will melt atabout 900 degree centigrade. It’sa very arduous kind of job. Ittook me six months to createthese sculptures.”

Lost-wax process is amethod of metal casting inwhich a molten metal is pouredinto a mould that has been cre-ated by means of a wax model.After the removal of the mould,the resultant wax shell is filledwith a heat-resistant mixture.Wax tubes, which provide ductsfor pouring bronze during cast-ing is fitted to the outside of thewax shell, which is then mod-elled by the artist. Next, the pre-pared wax shell is completelycovered in layers of heat-resis-

tant plaster, and the whole isinverted and placed in an oven.During heating, the plaster driesand the wax runs out throughthe ducts created by the waxtubes. The plaster mould isthen packed in sand, and moltenbronze is poured through theducts, filling the space left by thewax. When it cools down, the

outer plaster and core areremoved and the bronze isgiven the final touches.

Irony is evident in herworks as she has used atough medium of bronzeto create the sculpturesthat appear weightless andin flight. It kind of defiesthe gravity of law. Theartist said, “It is difficultusing something that is soheavy to symbolise andcapture the essence of light-ness. It’s not an easy accep-tance of the way I haveused the material.”

Dimpy seeks inspira-tion from life. She believesthat the resilience of thehuman form, both in termsof spirit and body, is inspir-ing. She said, “If we set ourminds on something it caneasily be achieved. We arethe epitome of creation.And as I’m a figurativeartist, I really like how the

audience can effortlessly andimmediately relate to a humanform. That is the reason mysculptures are loaded withexpressions and with great val-ues of humans. With each workthere is a different emotionand different content. I haveused it, as one uses language toexpress oneself. It’s the form thatI have very lovingly nurturedand broken my back over. I havealso used a lot of other elementstoo but the crust of my work hasalways been the human form. Itmajorly revolves around thehuman form, the rest is allembellishments.”

The curator and founder ofArt Pilgrim, Gayatri Singh, said,“Dimpy has created the workthat truly integrates with thespace it is built for and hence itis for both homes and publicspaces. Her sculptures depictemotions through action andbody language. It is absolutelyamazing how she manages tomake a 100 kg bronze figureappear so light.”

!��$��)��#"�'��=�0��=��.��$��0��#�"�0��'"A�'��0��A"��$��0��'��&��,� ��

��!)"�9�37�

��.��&-&� �! �B��!��9! ! �,��9��! ��!��,��!9B��*��!�� !��! �+9��+��9B��9*�&�B! �,��9��*�!��>�!��9��+9��!9��!�8�9B! ��*��B��!��!�

��0��0��,��,��9��"=$��%�"�H��$��)0��$�"%�0�$'"0�"�&B��0"##��$�)��)�R�� ,�

�)�0"'�"#�'"0�"��

��

��

��$��0�120��0�"�"#

/��!!(��)��-��0��1�� $��#��!�B8 �!��$0"�� ,�0��%"�0

��$��A�0�&��!��, *�*�

)2�� *

�%��

��

5��C2+&��@��

��

��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1 ��?'

2�� 1��1� ��New Delhi: ��:��0��0��+��0��=��'��0��)$"'��0��0�"��#��0�"��0"��C��0��0��'"�0#"��0��00="=��&+��0��##��0��C��:� ��"��'�0$��08��0��"��"A�'%��G&T!��B+,��$��!��'��A��0��,��)"�0�� '��$�� '��0� �� =� ��A� �$��0��0��' 0�"�"��& �� 0 "# ��"�� 0="=��)�")��%��0�0�"��#0��=��$��$��0%�$� 0" 0��>T �� 0��':� )��"0��)��0��"��&!��'�0$��0�"��0��0"%�)��00��8��%��0��'��''��"��"A�'%��1S&!��=��)��0#"�0��'�"��"A�'%��1G&

��1�2�� 2I�� 1 ��Yangon: ��=��A�0��0��$�0"�0=��0��#�$��"�0�,��'�� 0�� 0��#��'�0$�"#0�� -/-/ �B+"'��:� 9��')�$ Q��#�� "�!��& +"�$� ,��'"� �"$��:� $�� =�� A�'"'��0�'"�0��0��"��0"0��'�0$�"�0�� %�$� "# � �0�� S.1=�� 0 ��&�#0�� )�� "�0 � 1.1 ��= �� 0�� ")�� 0��)��>0��="'��)"��=�0��"��A�$0"��0��$"��'�>=�0��A��00��"�0�� $"��0 #"�� 0�'�� 8�'�� A� �$"��0=�$�& ��A� #"��)"��0� #�"' 0="'�0$��> 0��'��,��'��=�"="�0��#��0'�0$�%��G./'��0��#"��"=��0�)=�0��)��1.1��=��0��)��"��&

�� *�+��1+��2J�� Khanty Mansiysk: �� $�� 0 0��"��"'��+��+��')�"��)=�0��'��0�� %"=��"�0#"��"=��#��0��0#"�'��$��')�"� ��6�� 8"�0�� "# �� 0��$"��0"#0��.%��'��& ��$��0��")��$��0��0��0��.%��"#0��0��"��& "=�A��>��"0�C"�0��0��#��0��'�"#0��)��0��.%��=��%"0�)��-G'��0��"�0�� $�"$�& !�� ""�� "=� �� "�0 %�0 �'�C"� $"'�%�$� =�� "� 0�� $�� ="� 0��0��'�=�0�=��0�)��$��0"��A��$"��&��0��0��1/.'��0��'��> ��"�00��#��0��'�=�0�%��$�"��&

�� /��G 2�Playa del Carmen: ��%�� $�� #��0!").1/ #�� $� 0�� #��0 =�� "# ��0 �#0��$�� 0��.�� 4I "� 0�� #�� "# 0��,��"%��"�#+��$��"�,"��&��>=�""�$��=��"##0"�%��0�0��0"�0��#�"�0��=�0�#"��%��0�"%"��.��#�A�"�0��#�"�0 �0��0$� "� 0�� 0�� > ��0�� 14.��-4I0"#��!.1/0�&��:��0!").1/#��=��00��+.��0"��=��"##�0!��.40�)��$�&��0��6�0��0��%�0=��0�"��0="!").1/�>��#"��'��$�0��%��0#��"#!.43�0+�,�+��$&T�0=��"'��#>0�"��0$"��A�%��'�$�%�00��>T��>=�"��"=��0")��#"��00��"��+�)��,��%"��"��0��''�0��C��0��&

��*��/��2�� /�Kolkata: 9��#0��0="��$$��A��=��=��>��0��=��""�0"%��0��"'�$�')��"��"��"0�=��0��#�$�+��+�0��0")."#.0��.0�%�� .�� $��"�!��& �� A� �.�� 0�0��> ��0 �� %�� 0��$�')��=�0�=��0��"$�B+��"��C"��0��>%�#"��)��0��#��0�"'��'�"#0��"��00��0��0��'&+��+�0�>=�"��A�)��"��'�0$��60��>��A�0="=��0��"=��"��'8��=��%�+��$��"0��&!��0'��0��%�0=��0�� 0=" 0��'� �0 0�� "��> �� '"�0�� ">��0��0��#"�+��+�0�=�0��0��)�')��A��"��& ��

��2��$�

�1��,��

Cristiano Ronaldo scored as Juventusbounced back from their midweekChampions League defeat by Manchester

United with a 2-0 win over 10-man AC Milan inSerie A, as Gonzalo Higuain missed a penaltybefore being sent off for the hosts.

Mario Mandzukic headed in theopener in the eighth minute at the San Siroon Sunday with Ronaldo adding a secondon 81 minutes as Juventus maintained theirsix-point cushion ahead of the interna-tional break.

It got the defending seven-time SerieA champions back on track after suffer-ing their first defeat of the season by United fol-lowing two late goals despite Ronaldo's stunningvolley.

"Winning tonight was the only way to putaside what happened in the final five minutes ofthe Champions League game," said Juve coachMassimiliano Allegri.

"It was important to win without concedinga goal and to regain the six-point advantage overNapoli who are having an excellent championship."

A third loss of the campaign, however, sawAC Milan drop out of the Champions Leagueplaces behind Lazio who moved back into fourthdespite a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo.

Juventus have 34 points from 12 games -- sixahead of Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli with Inter a fur-ther three behind.

"I'm very happy, especially for the team,because playing away to Milan is always very dif-ficult," said Ronaldo.

"It was important to win, because Napoli beatGenoa last night and we had to keep our distance."

Allegri's side rarely looked threatened by ACMilan with Mandzukic rising highest to nod in

an Alex Sandro cross to dampenspirits among the 75,000-capacitycrowd at the San Siro.

The Croatian World Cup runner-up could have made it two shortly after,meeting a cross this time from Ronaldobut Milan skipper Alessio Romagnoli blocked.

Higuain returned from a back prob-lem to face his parent club but it was tobe a nightmare outing for the forwardwho had been loaned out to Milan lastsummer to make space for Ronaldo.

The Argentine missed a penaltyawarded after Medhi Benatia handled inthe area five minutes before the break withJuventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny

tipping the ball onto the post.Ronaldo tested Gianluigi Donnarumma in the

AC Milan goal early in the second half before final-ly blasting in nine minutes from time for his firstgoal at the San Siro.

Minutes later Higuain saw red after shoutingat the referee in frustration after a foul on Benatia,and was led off the pitch in tears.

"I told him not to exaggerate, to calm downand not to risk a major penalty," said Ronaldo ofwhat he told Higuain on the pitch.

"He was nervous, he was losing, but we mustnot blame him, he didn't say anything."

"I know that we are an example for all chil-dren, for those who play football, for the peo-ple watching, but we are not robots, and wecarry things within us," Higuain said after.

"We are human, we feel emotions, thegame was not going the right way and it wasone of those days.

"I think sometimes the referees shouldunderstand the situation," added Higuain, whowon two Serie A titles with Juventus after join-ing from Napoli in 2016.

�1��,9��+9

Thierry Henry's disastrous start ascoach of Monaco continued on

Sunday as Edinson Cavani's VAR-assist-ed hat-trick helped Paris Saint-Germainto an easy 4-0 win in the principality thatsaw them extend their perfect record inLigue 1 this season.

Neymar netted a penalty to completePSG's victory, as they made it 13 wins from13 league games under Thomas Tuchel,further stretching their start to the seasonthat is a record in France and in Europe'sso-called big five leagues.

They go 13 points clear of second-placed Lille at the Ligue 1 summit, the clubwho have been their main challengers inrecent seasons continued their deeply wor-rying slump, with Henry again left to lookon helplessly from the touchline.

Champions in 2017, Monaco are inthe relegation zone and five points awayfrom outright safety having failed to winin six matches in all competitions since theArsenal and France great took charge.

They have now gone 16 games with-

out a win altogether, with this result fol-lowing a 4-0 home reverse against ClubBrugge which knocked them out of theChampions League.

Monaco are on their worst run in

France's top flight in 32 years."We are playing for survival, nothing

else," said Henry, who has picked up asquad cursed by injuries.

Here he was missing a dozen players

due either to injury or suspension at kick-off, while both Belgian internationalNacer Chadli and his replacement JordiMboula had to come off hurt.

"We lost two more players tonight, soit is starting to become a lot," he said,adding: "I am staying positive because evenwith all that we managed to createchances against PSG."

PSG went ahead in the fourth minutewhen Neymar drove the ball across goal

for Cavani to convert.The goal was initially disallowed

before being given by the Video AssistantReferee, and the same thing happenedin the 11th minute when Cavani turnedthe ball in again after the flag was wrong-ly raised for an offside against MoussaDiaby.

In contrast to those two goals, a fineJulian Draxler finish in first-half stop-page time was initially given before beingdisallowed on review.

However, Diaby squared for Cavanito complete his hat-trick in the 54thminute, and Neymar then rolled in apenalty after Kylian Mbappe had beenfouled by France teammate Djibril Sidibe.

"I am very satisfied with the result,and with the fact we showed the hungerto win a 13th straight game. That is extra-ordinary," said Tuchel.

"Monaco and Henry are in a very dif-ficult situation with lots of players outinjured. This wasn't the night for Monacoto challenge us. They can do that if theyhave all their players back but nottoday."

�� 89�99�

PV Sindhu will look to continueher consistent run when she

spearheads the Indian challenge atthe Hong Kong World TourSuper 500 tournamentbeginning here on Tuesday.

Sindhu finished sec-ond best in the last editionafter her gallant fight endedin agony against world No 1Tai Tzu Ying and the Indian willhave to once again bring her best tothe fore to salvage any hopes of mak-ing the podium again in a toughfield.

Sindhu begins her campaignagainst Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapoland is likely to face China's HeBingjiao in the quarterfinals, anopponent who has defeated herthrice this year.

Saina Nehwal, who claimed asecond Commonwealth Games Goldand a Bronze at the Asian Gamesthis season, will have a tough task athand when she faces the formidableAkane Yamaguchi, the second seed-ed Japanese.

In the men's singles, KidambiSrikanth will face Hong Kong'sWong Wing Ki Vincent in the open-er and might face compatriot HSPrannoy in the second round if hecrosses the opening hurdle.

Prannoy opens his campaignagainst Denmark's AndersAntonsen, an opponent he haddefeated at the Japan Open last yearin their only meeting.

Also in action will be SameerVerma, who won the Swiss Openand Hyderabad Open this season.The 24-year-old will take onThailand's Suppanyu Avihingsanonin the first round.

B Sai Praneeth, who won theSingapore Open last year, will

also face a Thai player in KhositPhetpradab in the openinground.

The men's doubles pair ofSatwiksairaj Rankireddy, who

reached the semifinals at theFrench Open, will have to fight it outagainst former world No 1 andLondon Olympic Silver medallistcombination of Mathias Boe andCarsten Mogensen of Denmark.

Manu Attri and B SumeethReddy will take on Thailand pair ofBodin Isara and Maneepong Jongjitin the opener.

In women's doubles, AshwiniPonnappa and N Sikki Reddy willsquare off against the second seed-ed Japanese pair of MisakiMatsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi inthe opening round.

Ashwini will also pair up withSatwik to take on Wang Chi-Lin andLee Chia Hsin in mixed doubles.

�1�� 9��9�

Roger Federer suffered ashock straight-sets defeat to

Kei Nishikori at the ATP Finals,severely denting his bid for the100th title of his illustriouscareer.

The Swiss, who has won theseason-ending event a record sixtimes, produced an uncharac-teristically error-prone and frac-tious display in the round-robinmatch on Sunday as the Japaneseseventh seed prevailed 7-6 (7/4)6-3.

The result means Federer isnow in danger of failing toqualify for the semi-finals forjust the second time in 16appearances at the event.

"I felt we both struggled, youknow, throughout the first set,"he said.

"You could tell it was sort ofa first round. I had my chancesmaybe a bit more than he did.

"Then I started to feel bet-ter in the second set. I think weboth did. The level went up.Unfortunately I couldn't keepthe lead that I got early. That wasimportant, I think, at the end.That was the key of the match."

Federer, 37, has beatenNishikori in Shanghai and Paris

in recent weeks but despite hav-ing the backing of a full houseat the O2 Arena, he never real-ly settled into a groove.

The normally cool Swisswas warned by theumpire for ballabuse in the 12thgame afterNishikori produceda staggering back-hand winner downthe line.

The Swiss greatmade 20 unforced errors in thefirst set and Nishikori capi-talised, forcing a tie-break inwhich he raced to a 6/1 leadbefore sealing it 7/4.

Federer, showing realurgency, broke Nishikori imme-diately at the start of the secondset but it proved a false dawn ashe lost his own serve immedi-ately Nishikori broke again in thesixth game and kept his nerve,serving out for victory.

"I lost to him twice in thelast two months so I played moreaggressively and things startedworking, especially in the secondset. There were some luckypoints but I played well today,"said Nishikori.

Overall the statistics madegrim reading for Federer, whomade a total of 34 unforcederrors against 19 winners.

Federer denied that cuttingback on his schedule increasedthe pressure on him to do wellat the tournaments he did play.

"I don't think, per se, I'mplaying worse because of it," hesaid. "I think I've had that pres-sure, not going out early, mostof my career."

The ATP Finals is contest-ed by the eight players who haveaccumulated the most rankingpoints over the season separat-ed into two groups, with the bestfour players reaching the knock-out semi-finals stage.

�1�� 9��9

New five-time world championLewis Hamilton steered his

Mercedes to a nail-biting victory inSunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, atriumph that clinched the con-structors championship for a fifthconsecutive season for the team.

The 33-year-old Briton tookadvantage of a collision that costMax Verstappen the lead in theclosing stages to regain the initia-tive and then hang on with worn

tyres as the Red Bull came homesecond.

Kimi Raikkonen finished thirdon his 150th start for Ferrari aheadof Daniel Ricciardo in the secondRed Bull, Valtteri Bottas in the sec-ond Mercedes and Sebastian Vettelwho came home sixth for Ferrari.

The result ended Ferrari'shopes of stopping Mercedes' titletriumph, brought Hamilton histenth win of the year and 72nd ofhis career.

It was also the first time he had

won a late-season race after win-ning the drivers' title.

Charles Leclerc finished sev-enth for Sauber ahead of the twoHaas cars driven by RomainGrosjean and Kevin Magnussenwith Sergio Perez 10th for ForceIndia.

Hamilton said: "It was an hon-our to drive for them (Mercedes)today. I saw it happen. I wasn't sur-prised by it. I saw them racing andthey weren't racing for the sameposition."

�1��,��

Real Madrid director EmilioButragueno has said the

club are delighted withSantiago Solari's spell in chargeafter the team posted theirfourth consecutive win bybeating Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Madrid claimed a 4-2 vic-tory at Balaidos and the expec-tation is Solari will now begiven the job full-time, fol-lowing a transformation inresults.

Four victo-ries during histenure havebrought 15 goalsscored and justtwo concededwhile Real havecut the gap behind Barcelonato four points in La Liga.

The win over Celta wasthe club's last fixture beforeSolari's two weeks as an inter-im coach ends during theinternational break.

"He has done excellently,"Butragueno said on Sunday."He arrived in a very particu-lar moment and has achievedvery good results, above alltoday against Celta in a verydifficult game. We are veryhappy with how things havegone."

Butragueno would notconfirm whether Solari's posi-tion would be made perma-nent but it is likely theArgentinian will remain in thepost, at least until the end ofthe season.

"We will see," Solari said."I usually don't plan too farahead but in principle, it's myday off tomorrow.

"The important thing is todo everything for the good ofthe team and Real Madrid.Nothing else is important forme."

Madrid defender AlvaroOdriozola said the players arebehind Solari.

"These things are decidedby those at the top, we just haveto work to get out of the cri-sis," Odriozola said.

"We'll go to the death withhim, he's a great coach and ofcourse we want him to con-tinue."

Madrid dominated achaotic match against Celtathat featured three goals and ared card in the final 10 min-utes.

Karim Benzema scored abrilliant opener before insti-gating a second, his shot can-noning in off Gustavo Cabral.

Hugo Mallo pulled oneback for the hosts in the sec-ond half but Sergio Ramoschipped in a late penalty to putthe result beyond doubt andCabral was sent off for receiv-ing a second yellow card.Dani Ceballos' stunning effortmade it four, with BraisMendez adding a late Celtaconsolation.

"The team showed a lot ofpersonality to come throughall the circumstances of thegame," Solari said.

Madrid suffered a spate ofinjuries as Casemiro, SergioReguilon and Nacho were allforced off. Gareth Bale took aknock to his left ankle in thefirst half but was able to con-tinue.

"Gareth made a massiveeffort, his ankle was veryswollen," Solari said. "Celtaplayed very aggressively, on theedge of the rules."

8"0�

�� ,�� +��+��

��

��)�#$,��*��*�,��H��$��"��"�$"��0��"#��#.0�'�=�� =��0"##��,��F��"��

"��#��8��-��B��

�#'5%'0��,��A��%'�00��"$�'��0�0�"�0"'��0��"�"��0��#��00��'$"�$�"��)��'��0%��&!��#"�'��'��#��0""�"A��0��$��%�00��"#9$0"%��>��)��$��")�0��&,��A��$�="�#"��'��"=��"��A��"=��A��'�)��'��0$"�0��$0>=��$��%��00"0��)��B�;�B�B<&,��$��A�$"�#��'��0��=��#0��$"�0�$0��0��B�B"�,"��& ��

�(-3)"�*(��(3�9):3-��3.)".

� � ��7�� ;��2� ��9��%��

��,��-��-�,��,��!��0��1��7�� 5�� ))� ��

��'��!��

��

��,��!!��!�!9+9,��!�

��:�*�+!9��>��! ��,��!13��B�9,

13��,��

! 9,��!�+ ��

��(�"��,��!��!�*��!�*��$�

*� ��'��

9 ��%�� C��8�� 2��

��'�(��) '��*�+��,-.�/0,1 ��?(

�1�� + ��

Batsman Rohit Sharma said Indiawere brimming with confidenceafter their crushing home vic-

tories over the West Indies -- butwarned that winning their first Testseries in Australia was a challenge ofa different order.

India completed a 3-0 Twenty20series sweep over the West Indies onSunday, to add to their 2-0 Testwhitewash and 3-1 victory in theODIs, extending their dominatinghome form.

But Sharma said an away seriesagainst old rivals Australia, evenwithout their batsmen Steve Smith,David Warner and Cameron Bancroft,who are banned for ball-tampering,would be a much sterner test.

"Australia is always challengingwhen it comes to going out there andperforming. Every time you go there,you are tested as a player, as an indi-vidual and as a team as well," the vet-eran opener said after Sunday's win.

"I think we have got to be at ourbest and when you win a series likethis (West Indies) and when you playlike that in the tournament you arehigh on confidence. It's all about tak-ing that confidence to Australia anddoing what we did as a team."

India barely have time to catchtheir breath before heading on Fridayto Australia, where the first of threeT20 matches is in Brisbane onNovember 21. They will also play fourTests and three ODIs.

The world's number one Test sideare only too aware that away from

home, their form is fragile. They wentdown 2-1 in South Africa and then 4-1 in England this year.

Sharma said India must "startfresh" and forget about their recentwins if they are to take their homeconsistency to Australia.

"Australia will be a different ballgame I completely understand. But Ithink the things that we have beendoing as a team and as a player, wekeep repeating it," he said.

"The best teams in the world keeprepeating those performances. It willbe important for us that we start fresh.Not think about what we have donein the past."

Sharma, the only batsman to hitfour T20 centuries, is part of India'ssquad for the Tests which start inAdelaide on December 6 after beingoverlooked for the five-day games inEngland.

"I am someone who doesn't thinktoo far ahead. So I am focusing on theT20 series first," said Sharma.

"Of course the Test match issomething that I was looking forwardfor a long time and it will be nice togo out there and represent India inTests, but we want to win the T20sfirst." He added: "The last time (2015-16) we played a T20 format inAustralia we won 3-0."

�1�� 9��!

Australia's one-day batsmenare under mounting pressure

to keep their places after a lack-lustre series defeat to South Africa,captain Aaron Finch warned onMonday, with a potential shake-uplooming.

Finch admitted "we're allunder pressure when we lose, nodoubt about that" and hinted atchanges ahead of their next seriesagainst India, ranked two in theworld, in January.

"Between the batting line-upnot having got it right for a littlewhile now there's going to be ques-tions asked whether it's Maxi,Lynny, Heady, or myself or Stoin,"he said, referring to GlennMaxwell, Chris Lynn, Travis Headand Marcus Stoinis.

"It's important that we reallynut out the balance of the side andget that right over the next twomonths.

"We have to either adapt ourgame plan a little bit around theway the side structures up best orwe slightly change our personnelto fit a style that we think can win."

Big-hitting Lynn was elevatedto open the batting in Hobart in

a bid to get quick runs on theboard, but it failed spectacularlywhen he was out first ball.

Despite this, Finch said thepowerful right-hander, a prolificscorer in twenty20s, is likely toopen again as Australia look formore aggression early in theinnings.

"Yeah, it could be a long-termplan," he said.

"It was an attacking option toput Chris at the top, to change himand Travis (Head), to put a cou-ple of guys up there who can getus off to a flyer. It was an attack-ing move.

"If I had my time again I'd stilldo it."

��

Indian chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, who played a key rolein India's series win over West Indies, on Monday

leapfrogged 14 places to a career-high 23rd in the latest ICCT20 rankings.

Yadav picked up five wickets in two matches at an econ-omy-rate of 5.6 in India's home series 3-0 win over the cur-rent T20 champions.

Speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar jumped nine places tobreak into the Top-20. He is placed at the 19th spot whileJasprit Bumhrah gained five places to be world No 21.

Among the Indian batsmen, Rohit Sharma, who ledIndia to the sweep, and opener Shikhar Dhawan madenotable improvements.

Sharma (up be three places)is ranked seventh withDhawan (up by five places) securing the 16th spot.

Pakistan and India retained their firstand second place in the team rank-ings, collecting two and threepoints respectively. Pakistan movedto 138 points while India have 127points.

There is no change in the top-four of the all-rounders' list withAustralia's Glenn Maxwellleading the field.Mohammad Nabi is sec-ond, followed by ShakibAl Hasan and JPDuminy.

M e a n w h i l e ,Australia will beinvolved in all fourremaining T20Is laterthis month. They willplay South Africa in aone-off match in Carrara onNovember 17, before takingon India in a three-matchseries from November 21-25.

��+ �� 0 �0�� $"�� %�� SN "� ��%�0 %�#"�� '�$��#"��0%�$�0"��$��0"3/G#"��0�0�0�')� "� �� "��& ��A ��"�� ;II< 0""'�� #�$��0$"�0��%�0�"�%�0'��"�0"��"��=��"'�P��0�"��%�� ')�� $�� =�� '��& ��0�' ��'%��'�� 22 =�� 0�� ;4< $"�� "0 �" '�$� "� ��$�)0��$��%�0&��=��0��)�$�"#0��%"=��#"� �'�$��> 0��0��=�$��0�#"�GS�� -1"A��=��"##.�)��A��0""�0="#"�GS��-1"A��&

�� ,�,��

New Zealand's left-arm spin-ner Mitchell Santner believes

the upcoming limited overs seriesin his home country againstIndia could be a high-scoringaffair due to the nature ofgrounds and wickets and hopesto be a part of it.

India, who last toured NewZealand in 2014-15, will returnto Kiwiland for a five-matchODI rubber starting January 23in Napier, to be followed bybest-of-three T20 Internationals(T20Is).

"Both teams have changed alot since then (the 2014 tour).India have performed in Englandand against (Australia) in con-ditions similar to New Zealand.It's (depends on) how quickly

they (India) can adapt to thoseconditions.

"If they can hit the groundrunning on those home condi-tions for us, it's going to make fora very interesting series. It can bea high-scoring series with thenature of grounds and wickets(on offer)," Santner said here onMonday.

Santner, along with compa-triot Corey Anderson, spoke toreporters during a special inter-action organised by Star Sports.

"Virat (Kohli - the skipper)and other Indian batsmen arescoring a lot of runs at themoment and they haven't been toNew Zealand for four years. Butthey have played all round thecountry and scored runs every-where.

"So they will probably like

�1�� 8�

Mushfiqur Rahim became thefirst wicketkeeper-batsman

in history to score two double hun-dreds in Tests as Bangladesh builta strong total in the second Testagainst Zimbabwe in Dhaka onMonday.

Mushfiqur hit an unbeaten219 to help Bangladesh declare theirfirst innings at 522-7 an hour intothe final session, before the hostsreduced Zimbabwe to 25 for one atstumps on the second day.

Taijul Islam removed HamiltonMasakadza for 14 after an edge flewto Mehidy Hasan at first slip forBangladesh's first breakthrough.

Brian Chari, 10 not out, andnightwatchman Donald Tiripano(naught) prevented further damage.

Zimbabwe, ahead in the two-match tournament 1-0, needs atleast a draw to win their first Testseries in seven years. But it wasMushfiqur who shone, pulling leg-spinner Brendon Mavuta for asingle at square leg after the teabreak to become the first wicket-

keeper-batsman ever to score twodouble tonnes in Test cricket.

Mushfiqur, who played 421balls and hit 18 fours and a six, alsosurpassed Shakib al Hasan tobecome the highest individualscorer in an innings for Bangladeshin Test cricket.

Skipper Mahmudullah Riyadcalled the batsmen to the dressingroom soon after Mushfiqur nudgedSean Williams for a single to passShakib's 217 against New Zealandat Wellington in 2017.

Mushfiqur shared a record144-run in their unbroken eighthwicket stand with Mehidy Hasan,after Kyle Jarvis took two scalps inthe afternoon session to completehis third five-wicket haul in Tests.

Mushfiqur also had a hand inthe previous eighth wicket recordwhen he added 113 with NaeemIslam against England in 2010.

Jarvis, who claimed three wick-ets on the opening day, removedMahmudullah for 36 and ArifulHaque for four but Mushfiqur andMehidy denied the visitors furthersuccess.

��)#�� 9&�C�� &�� ,��&��&��!�� <�F��!��(��+ ��!��,��

�� (JK� ��

+��*��-��-�� &��

��0 ��)�$��,"��''��'�"�,"��)��)��#"�0��0��%�=�0$��A��"�"#0��"))"��0��"��0"��00��0��0&!��)�$��00�$��')��%�0�0:�0��%�0�'��=�"��00��'�"=�0"�"��0��1.2&T��#��0%"=��0>=��=��&��)��)��#"�0��0��=�0$��"0"#A��"�&!��)��0"#"$��"�0��'�$��)"��%��0��"))"��0��A��0�"��&�=��="��"��00��0��0��0>T��'�0"��)"�0��&��'�>=�"=��)��0"#0��!��0��9��P��0��C��0$"�$��0��0��>=��%�$��"'��A��0��0��"�0��

"#��:��C�!�")��'�0$��0,��&T�=��=��0��0"�""��%��0&��"��"��"��)��"��$�&�=��A�"��1//)��$��0>T��'��&�$$"��0"��)"�0�>��)��""#�0�A��'�0��A��'��%��$"��&T�#0�"��0="�"�:0)��>0��=��"%A�"��%�=��&��0��0��>�"��A�0"�0�$�0"�"��)��="��"��"��0��0��>T��'��&��#��:��""��0"0��"��+�)��60��>��)�$��'��MT�0��)��"�=�"��#�0��=�"��"0��0��00�'�&,�)��#"�'��$�=��%��A��0��=��6)�$00"��0�$��$��#��"=��& ��

%��%�� 7��3�� 2��'��.

*��!��,��. ��

!��#�� ;��*/@�� 2��

C�3�2��,��1 1� �� 1��

��0 8"��"��''��$"��#��0.$��$��0��$"'�%�$��'�>�0��0"-24(2��0,��&��$��0��60��%�0�'��>0��#0.��)��0��#��0��'=�0��1IN.%��1//;1262<&!��-4.��."��> ��"�� =�0� �%��'�� =�� ;I4<> �0�0$�� 134.��)��0��)& ��0 ,�� 0�� "� � )"��0�A��"0�>)�$��0="=�$��0�O ��$��"��:�O ��0=""A��%�#"��%��0�0"))��)��I-"A��&

/��2��*�2�

� �� 0 ��))��0�� #�"'0�� #�"�0=�0��)��%��%��0��1120"��) ��%��'��-2N#"�30"0��0��"�"��"�0��")��"#0��0��"�):�:'�0$��0!�'��& ��0� #"�� %�� )��0�� '��=��;-N<&!��0="=��A"�A��#.$��0��)��0��)0"�0��0�� %�� & �#0�� '��:� ��'�� 0�� %��)��0��) "# 0�� $�'� �� 0� �� ) ;S3%�00��<C"��#"�$��&

��J��

� ��0,��8�'��"�0��.�"��"=0"��' 0" 1-/ #"� G ��0 �� 0 �0�')�& ��' #��0%"=�� "�0 �� #"� 1SN �� G-&G "A�� =�0� ��=��+�"��;2(4G<>��)��'�;3(24<��,��;-(-1<0��=�$��0��'"��0��'&��)��>��'��C�00��0��0=�0�N #"� - �� 0�� #�#0� "A��& ��0 #"�'�� %�0�'�� ,��>$"�0�� #�� > %��0�� %��0�� SI #�"' 44 %��&��'��"��01-/(G>0��,�H"��'%�GN��&

� � ��1��

"��#��%��.#�%6D��

�� ,�,��

Former New Zealand coachMike Hesson on Monday

emphasised that the WorldTest Championship is "critical"for survival of the longest for-mat of the game.

As per the InternationalCricket Council (ICC), thenine top-ranked sides willcompete in the championshipwith each side playing sixseries on a home-and-awaybasis against mutually selectedopponents in a two-year cycle.

The cycle will begin soonafter the ICC Cricket WorldCup 2019, with the Ashes inEngland set to kick-start theevent. The top-two sides willthen contest in the ICC WorldTest Championship final in

June 2021."Test cricket will survive

as long as there is context. TheWorld Test Championship iscritical to its survival. If thereis no context to matches andthey just operate bilateraltours in isolation, then the rel-evancy will disappear overtime," Hesson said.

Hesson, who coachedNew Zealand for six yearsbefore taking over as headcoach of IPL team Kings XIPunjab, stressed Test cricketeven now generates a lot ofinterest.

"People are getting scaredthat Test cricket is disappear-ing, but I think that's not thecase. There is still a highlevel of interest," added the44-year-old Hesson.

9F�� D�� (��/� �&�&��/

�� ;��!�(��*�)"��;(��!��!)

our conditions, where it's quite flat,with not a lot of turn. And obviously ifthere's not a lot of swing, it (series) canbe high-scoring. So the batsmen will likeit and hopefully the ball swings for us,"added the 26-year-old spinner.

Santner also feels the two teams couldtake momentum from the series beforeheading into the 2019 World Cup, whichstarts in England at the end of May.

"The series will be a good test for

both the sides leading into the World Cupand I guess in similar conditions. Boththe teams will be looking forward to thecompetition and to take some momen-tum into the World Cup," he added.

According to Santner, India have a"strong batting line up" and the key forthe visitors, with wrist spinners KuldeepYadav and Yuzvendra Chahar in opera-tion, will be to get wickets in the middleovers.

"With the nature of flat wickets, thewrist spinners can spin the ball bothways. The key in ODI cricket is to getwickets in the middle (overs).

"The wrist spinners - they might leaka lot more runs but have the option(chance) of getting more wickets (too),"he said.

All-rounder Anderson, on his part,said he would like to be in New Zealand's2019 World Cup team.

· 2019-03-04 · like rlsp and lok jan shakti party (ljp) of ram vilas paswan need to adjust with...

Documents