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RNI No. APENG/2018/764698

*Late City Vol. 3 Issue 62*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864Published From

VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN HYDERABAD

{

Country staring at food

crisis because of BJP:

Mamata

5

Jagan’s failure tostop attacks on

temples ungodly

2

Global shares fall aspandemic fears over-shadow aid hopes

8

VIJAYAWADAWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated January 12 , 2021 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Margashirsha & Krishna Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Chaturdashi: 12:22 pm

Nakshatram: Mula: 07:37 am, Purva

Ashadha: 06:21 am (Next Day)

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 03:10 pm – 04:33 pm

Yamagandam: 09:38 am – 11:01 am

Varjyam: 04:43 pm – 06:14 pm

Gulika: 12:24 pm - 01:47 pm

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 01:48 am – 03:19 am

Abhijit Muhurtham: 12:02 pm – 12:46 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: SunnyTemp: 33/21Humidity: 62%Sunrise: 06:49 amSunset: 05:59 pm

HC says vax programme would behit, suspends SEC’s poll schedule SNV SUDHIRn VIJAYAWADA

In a major relief to the YSJaganmohan Reddy govern-ment that has been at logger-heads with State ElectionCommissioner NimmagaddaRamesh Kumar, a vacationbench of the AP High Courton Monday suspended theschedule issued by the SEC toconduct Gram Panchayatpolls in the first week ofFebruary.

The single judge bench ofthe High Court of Justice MGanga Rao observed thatSEC did not undertake anobjective decision in the sub-ject matter and the pollingwould hamper the Covidvaccination programme.

Sources close to the SECsaid he had approached theHigh Court’s division benchseeking relief from the singlejudge bench order. The SEC’spetition is expected to comeup for hearing on Tuesdaymorning.

Notably, a few govern-ment employees organisa-tions too impleaded in thepetition filed by the state gov-ernment against the scheduleissued by the SEC.

The Court was of the viewthat the elections wouldhamper the vaccination pro-gramme and in the interestsof public health, theimpugned orders were sus-pended.

“The SEC has not objec-tively considered the view ofthe government and hasapproached the subject mat-ter in its own domain. Itsdecision-making process isin violation of Article 14 and21 of the Constitution. HighCourt suspends the electionnotification issued byElection Commission. Thereis no objective consultationor decision by the SEC as per

the orders of the SupremeCourt. Hence election noti-fication suspended. The SECfailed to consider the inputsof the state government. TheSEC took its own inputs intoconsideration. This courthas come to the conclusionthat the election process will

certainly hamper the vacci-nation process,” said thecourt.

The government arguedbefore the court that theaction of the SEC was influ-enced by a premeditated,swayed by material extrane-ous to record and

malafide.The SEC treatedthe concerns of the govern-ment as adversarial in litiga-tion but not as a participantin the process of fixing theelection schedule, said theAdvocate-General SriramSubrahmanyam.

Vijayawada: State ElectionCommissioner Nimmaga-dda Ramesh Kumar onMonday ordered theremoval of an official of therank of joint director in hisoffice for allegedly trying toparalyse the functioning ofthe Commission byencouraging the staff to goon leave en masse for 30days. The poll panel chiefalleged that joint directorGV Sai Prasad indulged ingrave act of indisciplineand was in breach of codeof conduct.

The SEC issued the pro-ceedings discharging SaiPrasad, the senior-mostfunctionary after theCommission's secretary,from his duties as per thepenal powers vested withthe SEC under various pro-visions of the Constitution.

In his proceedings,Ramesh Kumar said thatsince it was not a hon-ourable discharge but dis-missal with disgrace, SaiPrasad was not entitled tohave any termination ben-efits and was also barredfrom entering any othergovernment service direct-ly or indirectly.

"Elections to GramaPanchayats were notified

on January 1, 2021 and allsenior employees, includingthe secretary, were direct-ed to be available in theheadquarters and not to beabsent without prior inti-mation to the Commission.Such being so, GV SaiPrasad, joint director,placed a leave letter for 30days and deserted his sta-tion without intimationdespite being the senior-most functionary after thesecretary, and being vestedwith administration dutiesof the commission,"Ramesh Kumar said.

He said that it was con-clusively brought to thenotice that he actively triedto influence other employ-ees misusing his authorityto apply for 30 days leave toderail the elections.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Stating that mothers of chil-dren studying from Classes 9to 12 will have the option oftaking a laptop in place ofAmma Vodi incentive fromnext year onwards, ChiefMinister Y S JaganmohanReddy on Monday launchedthe scheme for the comingacademic year in Nellore.

Speaking on the occasion,Jagan said that in order to

enhance the computer skills ofstudents studying in govern-ment schools and provide fea-sibility for online classes, theState government has intro-duced this option.

All the laptops will beoffered with a warranty ofthree years. "These laptopswill have 4 GB RAM, a 500 GBhard disk with Windows 10OS features costing around Rs25,000 to Rs 27,000.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister and YSRCPsupremo YS JaganmohanReddy on Monday handedover the party's B Form toChirala based former TDPleader Pothula Sunitha to con-test for a seat to the StateLegislative Council

Sunitha who was elected asMLC from TDP had resignedin October last year followinga complaint lodged by theTDP to the Legislative Council

Chairman seeking her dis-qualification after she defiedthe Whip issued by her partyand voted against the Rule 71motion when the 3-capitalsBill was placed in the House.

She met Jagan soon after herrebellion.

Since her resignation wasaccepted and the post fellvacant, the ElectionCommission last week issuedthe poll notification. By-pollfor the MLC seat is scheduledto be held on January 28.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Speculation that the StateGovernment will begin func-tioning from Executive CapitalVizag was on everybody's lipson Monday after glitches werenoticed in the booking for thebeach-facing picturesqueHaritha Resorts at Rushikonda.

Many, including tour oper-ators, expect that the APGovernment may take overthe resort to use as temporaryaccommodation for officials tilla permanent facility comes up.

What added fuel to specula-

tion is the recent indicationfrom key YSRCP leader andMinister Botsa Satyanarayana,that the Executive Capital maystart functioning from Vizagfrom this Telugu New Year(Ugadi).

"Vizag will be legally theexecutive capital of AndhraPradesh with effect from April13. We are gearing up to func-tion from Vizag from that date.We are hopeful of overcomingall legal hurdles by then," theMinister said.

Speaking to The Pioneer, APTourism Development

Corporation MD PravinKumar said the resort willremain open for public inFebruary. He confirmed thatrenovation works will be taken

up. The purpose for the reno-vation, however, not clear.

"Room is not available.Would you like to get notifica-tion when a room is available?"

was the message the portal wasshowing when one tried tobook rooms in the HarithaBeach Resorts at Rushikondafor February on Monday.However, by the evening, theportal showed rooms wereavailable.

It is learnt that the six hillsabutting the picturesque Bay ofBengal on the Rushikonda -Bhimili Road was on top of thechoices of the government fortemporary accommodation ofstaff and offices.

The speculation is that thegovernment has already iden-

tified suitable buildings inVisakhapatnam for the locationof offices, till new ones are con-structed.

The AP State Legislaturepassed two Bills - APDecentralisation and InclusiveDevelopment of All RegionsBill, 2020 - aimed at creatingthe three capital cities for thestate - and the AP CapitalRegion Development Authority(Repeal) Bill, 2020, seeking toabolish APCRDA formed inDecember 2014 to developAmaravati as the state capital.The AP Governor had also

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Veteran journalist and PadmaShri awardee TurlapatiKutumba Rao, 87, passedaway due to age-related ail-ments at his residence inVijayawada late on Sunday.

Turlapati was awarded thePadma Shri in 2002 in thefield of journalism, litera-ture and arts. Chief MinisterY S Jaganmohan Reddy,Leader of the Opposition NChandrababu Naidu and JanaSena chief Pawan Kalyanexpressed grief at the news..

Born on August 10, 1933,Turlapati entered journalismat the age of 14 in 1946 andworked as the Secretary of theAndhra Pradesh's first ChiefMinister TanguturiPrakasam.

PNS n HYDERABAD

In a shock to former tourismminister of Andhra Pradeshand Telugu Desam Partyleader Bhuma Akhila Priya, aSecunderabad court onMonday rejected her bail peti-tion and instead sent her topolice custody for two days inthe sensational Bowenpally

kidnap case.Akhila Priya, who was

arrested on January 6 from herKukatpally residence inHyderabad in connection withthe kidnap of three persons inthe multi-crore Hafeezpet landdispute, had been languishingin Chanchalguda women'sprison in judicial custody.

SC hints at staying farm laws

PNS n HYDERABAD

A designated ED court onMonday ruled that cases reg-istered against Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy inthe quid pro quo investmentcase under PMLA can betried independent of the CBIcases as the charges framed inthe two cases were different.

Single judgeerred, courtscan't interfere:Ramesh Kumar Vijayawada: In his writpetition filed before adivision bench of the HighCourt seeking setting asideof the order issued byJustice M Ganga Raobench, State ElectionCommissioner NimmagaddaRamesh Kumar said theorder of the single judge onMonday was contrary tosettled principles of law andfacts of the case. "TheLearned Single Judge erredin suspending the electionnotification dated January 8,2021 issued by theAppellant which is contraryto the settled principle oflaw that electionnotifications and processshall not be interfered by theHon'ble Court, once the saidprocess begins," he said.Ramesh Kumar said that thesingle judge ought to haveseen that once an electionprocess has been set inmotion, it would not bejustified in interfering withthe election process. "TheHon'ble Supreme Court inElection Commission ofIndia v. Ashok Kumar andOthers reported in (2000) 8SCC 216 at Para 32observed that if an electionis to be called in questionand which questioning mayhave the effect ofinterrupting, obstructing orprotracting the electionproceedings in any manner,the invoking of judicialremedy has to bepostponed till after thecompletion of proceedingsin elections," the SEC said inthe writ petition.

RRaammeesshh KKuummaarr ddiissmmiisssseess ‘‘ddeeffiiaanntt’’ jjooiinntt ddiirreeccttoorr

AP students get topick laptop or sopIncentive would boost computerliteracy in the State, says Jagan

Pothula Sunitha getsB-Form for Council

TurlapatiKutumba Raopasses away

Court to hearED cases onJagan first

PNS n NEW DELHI

We don't want anybody'sblood on our hands," said theSupreme Court on Mondaywhile expressing apprehen-sion that the ongoing farmers'protest against the new farmlaws might lead to violenceand loss of lives and propertyif it continues for long.

The apex court, whichobserved that the Centre hasmade these laws withoutenough consultation , said the

most serious concern is aboutany sort of violence and pos-sible loss of lives.

Responsibility is on all ofus. Any stray incident canspark violence, said a benchheaded by Chief Justice S ABobde.

Each one of us will beresponsible if something goeswrong. We don't want any-body's blood on our hands,"said the bench, also compris-ing Justices A S Bopanna andV Ramasubramanian.

The bench said it is notgoing to protect any lawbreakers and want to preventany loss of lives and proper-ty.

The top court, which washearing a batch of petitionschallenging the new farm lawsas well as the ones raisingissues related to the ongoingagitation at Delhi borders,expressed its displeasure thatthe Centre has not been ableto solve the problem.

No bail in kidnapcase for Akhila Priya

Glitches in Rushikonda resorts booking fuels capital talk

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OXFORD VACCINE COSTS RS 200 A VIAL,GOVT TO PLACE ORDER

DEMOCRATS INTRODUCE HOUSERESOLUTION TO IMPEACH DONALDTRUMP

UNION MINISTER SHRIPAD NAIK INJUREDIN ACCIDENT; WIFE, CLOSE AIDE DEAD

WHATSAPP PVT GROUPS ACCESSIBLEAGAIN TO ANYONE SEARCHING ON GOOGLE

The Oxford vaccine is likely to be priced atrs 200 a vial and the government mayplace an order today, sources from Adar

Poonawalla's Serum Institute of India (SII) saidtoday. "The purchase order for Covishieldvaccines is expected today with roll out eithertoday or tomorrow," sources said."A few milliondoses of Covishield will be supplied everyweek. 11 million doses may be supplied in theinitial lot," sources said.The vaccine rollout isexpected on January 16, the government saidon the weekend.The Oxford-AstraZenecavaccine against the coronavirus, "Covishield", was cleared for emergencyuse along with Bharat Biotech's indigenous "Covaxin" earlier this month.

Democrats began the process ofimpeaching President Donald Trump for asecond time on Monday if Vice President

Mike Pence and the cabinet do not remove himfrom office.Democrats introduced a resolutioncalling on Pence to invoke the 25thAmendment of the Constitution and removeTrump from the White House.Republicansblocked an immediate vote on the resolutionand Democrats followed up by introducing anarticle of impeachment of Trump for "incitementof insurrection" over his role in Wednesday'sstorming of the US Capitol.

Union Minister Shripad Naik was injured in a caraccident while his wife and close aide died after

a tragic accident in Karnataka today. His wife andhis personal secretary, Deepak, who were criticalafter the crash, died in the hospital, policeconfirmed. Naik, who is the Union Minister of statefor AYUSH and defence is out of danger and isbeing treated at a hospital. The accident occurredin Ankola in Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka.The minister was travelling from Yellapur toGokarna in the state when the accident occured.Dramatic visuals from the accident site shows thewhite Toyota car the minister was travelling in in a mangled state amongbushes and trees. The car was badly damaged, photos show.

WhatsApp groups are showing upon Google search yet again. Asa result, anyone could discover

and join a private WhatsApp group bysimply searching on Google. This wasfirst discovered in 2019, and was appar-ently fixed last year after becoming pub-lic. Another old issue, which alsoappeared to have been fixed but seems tobe cropping up again, is user profilesshowing up through search results.People's phone numbers and profile pic-tures could be surfaced through a simple a Google search,because of the issue.

Pothula Sunitha greets YSRCP supremo YS Jaganmohan Reddty after receivingthe B-Form to contest for the Legislative Council, on Monday.

Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, D.No. New 3-88, Old 3-22, Chandra Theatre, Gosala, Penamaluru Mandal, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh - 521 151, Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

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EGG RATES

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(IN HYDERABAD)

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 12, 2021vijayawada 02

As Leader of theOpposition three yearsago, YS Jaganmohan

Reddy had assailed theChandrababu Naidu govern-ment on the floor of theAssembly, stating that theGod will punish those whoalienate temple lands for theirselfish needs.

Now, under Jagan’s watch,encroachment of endow-ments lands and attacks onHindu temples haveincreased sharply.

Land sharks have eyedTTD lands and that ofSimhachalam temple whileJagan is accused of divertingthe endowments departmentfunds to his schemes.

Jagan is also accused ofrecruiting volunteers toencourage conversions toChristianity. Moreover, hekept the police departmentunder his thumb to create anatmosphere of fear in thestate by getting arrestedthose who question on social

media his anti-Hindu pos-ture.

After Jagan came topower, hundreds of inci-dents of vandalising temples,including torching of char-iot at Anatarvedi, theft oflion images from the Durgatemple in Vijayawada,beheading of LordKodandarama idol atRamatheertham, destroyinghands of LordSubrahmanyeshwara Swamyin Rajahmundry, damagingthe Lord Anjaneya Swamiidol in Kurnool, torching thechariot of Lord AnjaneyaSwamy in Bitragunta, dam-aging the hoods of LordAdiseshu in Mantralayam,took place.

Going by his recent state-ment, Jagan seems to havemore information aboutthese incidents . Hedescribed the incidents asattempts to malign his imagesoon after he implementedhis welfare programmes.As

expected, he said that Godwould not spare those whoattacked Hindu shrines andthat his government wouldnot take a lenient view.

The question is why Jaganhas been forgiving thosewho attacked Hindu tem-ples? Why has his govern-ment failed to bring to bookeven one culprit? Moreover,why anti-Hindu forces arelet loose after he came topower? What is the source oftheir confidence to launchattacks on Hindu temples?Why they are not afraid ofthe law enforcing agencies?

The fact that some per-

sons belonging to a particu-lar community, includingthe DGP, have been postedin crucial positions, havecreated doubts among thepeople.

The statements by the CB-CID and the law and orderpolice that an electric sawused to sever the head ofLord Kodandarama idol inRamatheertham was thesame one used to desecratethe temple in Rajahmundryare ridiculous.

While 43 persons werearrested for breaking thewindow panes of a church atAntarvedi, the police chose

not to arrest anyone for theattacks on Hindu templeseven after several months.

The police, who are in noposition to take actionagainst the culprits dese-crating a Hindu temple inPulivendula, showed enthu-siasm in arrest ing twoyouths for a post onFacebook that the BJP flagwould f ly high inPunganuru.

The two examples areenough to under-stand whoseinterests thestate govern-ment and thepolice are pro-tecting.

It is atrocious tonote that ever since Jaganwas voted to power, the stategovernment has been divert-ing endowments departmentfunds to schemes like AmmaVodi, Jagananna Asara,Vahana Mitra, YSR NetannaNestam and so on.

The endowments com-missioner has gone onrecord stating that the rev-enue of the department hascome down because ofCovid-19 and the depart-ment is in no position to paysalaries to its staff.

How can the endowmentsdepartment then arrangefunds for schemes meantfor other castes and otherprofessions?

It has been clearly estab-lished that the funds

released by theCentre are beingdiver ted to onescheme or the other

by the state govern-ment, a perfect example of

‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’.At least one lakh acres of

temple lands are underencroachment. What doesthe Jagan government planto do to retrieve these lands?Does it want to regularisethe encroachments? TheJagan Government whicheyed on Rs 10 lakh-crorelands of Simhachalam tem-ple cannot be expected toconduct itself transparentlyon temple land encroach-ments issue. It’s commonknowledge that the Jagan,soon after coming to power,wanted to auction TTDlands. Similar attempts weremade by Naidu.

The TDP chief dismissedIYR Krishna Rao as chair-

man of the BrahminCorporation for trying to setright the injustice done topriests.No other ruler hasthe record of casting devel-opment and financial recon-struction to the winds tofocus solely to keep votebank intact.

While many CMs havefixed their own labels toCentral schemes and divert-ed central funds, no otherleader has hoodwinked peo-ple with unviable schemesand dividing them intogroups and on religiouslines.

There is no other leaderwho encouraged factionismin the state by encouragingMLAs and party activists toperpetrate irregularities andthreaten their rivals.

Across the country, sever-al anarchic forces conduct-ed themselves that there isnone to question them tillthe advent of BJP on thepolitical scene.

The day is not far awaywhen the people will give afitting reply to the Jagangovernment for playinghavoc with the sentiments ofHindus.

Y SATYA KUMAR

BJP National Secretary

TRULY

SPEAKING

Jagan is also accused of recruitingvolunteers to encourage conversions toChristianity. Moreover, he kept the policedepartment under his thumb to create anatmosphere of fear in the state by gettingarrested those who question on social mediahis anti-Hindu posture.

Jagan’s failure to stop attacks on temples ungodly

Suprabatha sevas to resume atSrivari temple from January 15PNS n VIJAYAWADA

With the holy Dhanurmasaconcluding on January 14, thesacred daily Suprabatha Sevawill resume at Srivari Templefrom January 15 onwards.

The Sri Goda TiruppavaiPasura Parayanam replacedSuprabhata Seva in Tirumalatemple from December 17onwards with the advent ofDhanurmasam on December16 after 6 am.

On January 15, the TTD willalso be organising the GodaParinayotsavam at Srivari tem-ple in the morning and later inthe evening Paruveta Utsavamat Parveta Mandapam.

Meanwhile, as part of itspropagation of Sanatana HinduDharma after organisingLakshmi Deepotsavam inKurnool during last week, theTTD is all set to observeKamadhenu Puja in a big wayat Narasaraopet in Guntur dis-trict on the day of Kanuma onJanuary 15.

TTD Additional EO AVDharma Reddy held a reviewmeeting on the arrangementsfor the event along with JEOP Basanth Kumar at thePadmavati guest house onMonday.

Later, he told the mediathat the puja will be super-vised by Sri VenkateswaraVedic University V-CAchar ya Sannidhanam

Sudarshana Sharma. Alldepartments were directedto make arrangements forthe event and this will be aspart of propagation ofSanatana Hindu Dharma. TheGopuja programme will con-tinue in both the Telugu stateson January 15.

He also directed the SVBCto prepare a documentary onthe significance of Gopuja.

Focus on sale of Panchagavyaproducts, EO tells TTD officialsVijayawada: TTD executiveofficer KS Jawahar Reddy onMonday directed officials topay attention on producingand marketing the productsfrom the cow dung and cowurine collected from Cows atSVV Goshala.Speaking at a review meetingat the Padmavati guest housewith officials of Goshala andAyurvedic pharmacy, the TTDEO said the concerned shouldtake cue from GopalbhaiSutaria of Bansigiri Goshala,Gujarat on promoting cowpopulation and other cowproducts.He urged officials to organisestudies through agriculturaluniversity scientists on theuse of Gokrupamrutam (cowmanure- dung)The EO also instructed the

officials of SV Goshala andAyurveda pharmacy to studyfeasibility of manufacturingproducts like soaps, incensesticks, and cleaningdetergents from panchagavya- cow products.Jawahar Reddy said a team ofTTD officials would soon visitthe Bansigiri Goshala and thatrepresentatives of the sameinstitution will be invited totrain TTD officials inmanufacturing and marketingthose products here.Thereafter Gopalbhai Sutariagave a presentation onproduction, utilities andmarketing of the Panchagavyaproducts like capsules,syrups, powder, soaps, hairoil, massage oils, facialcreams and other medicinalproducts.

HC says vax programme would be hit...Continued from page 1

“The mischief of the SEC isreflected in the fact that whilepostponing the elections inMarch 2020 for MPTCS andZPTCs, it said that it wouldresume from where it isstopped. But now it has start-ed the process of GramPanchayats without resumingthe process relating to MPTCand ZPTCs,” the A-G pointedout.

He said that reference by theSEC to the political functionar-ies press disclosure about thepossible dates of local bodyelections shows that it wasswayed by extraneous consid-erations. “The fact that it refersto a political party’s view as aview of the Government by

default which shows the absur-dity in the decision-makingprocess of the SEC,” argued theA-G.

The A-G further said thatthe duty to be fair, reasonableand non arbitrary equallyapplies to the SEC. “Can it besaid that he advanced theschedule because it is sup-ported by other political par-ties who want the elections tobe conducted in his tenure.Contrary to his repeated affir-mations, the commission hasdisplayed clear malice towardsthe State machinery in makingintimidator remarks and intaunting and heckling the gov-ernment stand which is other-wise bonafide and legitimate,”he added.

The SEC chose to write a

judgement as if it was dealingwith litigation and not as a co-participant in the entireprocess.

“The SEC did not apply itsmind to the enormity of theground situation arising fromvaccination and the involve-ment of so many governmentdepartments and the deploy-ment of men and resources andits importance in publichealth,” the A-G added.

The Assistant SolicitorGeneral also represented onbehalf of Union of India andsaid that the Centre is also con-cerned about the health of thepeople.

Vaccination is a humongoustask for both the State and UoIand cannot be hampered, theASG said.

RAMESH KUMAR...

Continued from page 1

He said that this waspart of a larger design toadvers e ly af fec t thefunctioning of the com-mission in the back-drop of some develop-ments already takingplace."

The SEC consideredthat these acts by SaiPrasad as acts of grossindiscipline as well asattempts to subvert theongoi ng e l e c t i onprocess which is a mosts e r i ous of fe nc e ofunheard proportionsand discharged himfrom his services.

AP students get to pick laptop or sopContinued from page 1

In addition to this, studentsin government schools willhave a computer literacy pro-gramme from Class 8 onwards,which is part of their curricu-lum," the Chief Minister said.

He said that Internet will beprovided in every village in thenext three years, throughunderground cables being laidat an estimated cost of Rs5,900 crore.

Also, from February 1, allthe 55,607 anganwadis will bechanged as YSR Pre-Primary-1, YSR Pre-Primary-2 and YSRPre-First class in which Englishwill be the medium of instruc-tion. For this initiative, the gov-ernment will be spending Rs4,000 crore.

Besides these, the ChiefMinister said that the parents

will be sent a text alert if theirchild doesn't attend school fora single day, and if the child isstill absent on the third day, vil-lage volunteers will be senthome to enquire about his orher health and the reason forthe absence.

Jagan said that it was theresponsibility of the parents tosend their children to schoolsand the responsibility of secre-tariat staff, volunteers, parentcommittees, and teachers toensure that children attendclasses regularly.

He asserted that the govern-ment aims to make the State100 percent literate in the nextthree years.

On education alone, thegovernment spent Rs 24,000crore in a span of 19 months,Jagan said, adding that the pre-vious TDP government hadclosed several schools, allowedstate-run schools to decay tothe point of dilapidation, andleft midday meal bills of overeight months pending.

Turlapati KutumbaRao passes awayContinued from page 1

His service to the fields ofjournalism, literature, art andculture have been hailed byfamous men such as Rajaji, DrS Radhakrishnan, VV Giri, PVNarasimha Rao and PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

Turlapati wrote over 6,000biographies of important men,patriots and freedom fighters.He has the distinction of beingthe only biographer in mod-ern Telugu Literature.

He was known as an oratorwho addressed more than20,000 public meetings.

Expressing his grief over thepassing away of Turlapati,

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy conveyedhis condolences to thebereaved family members.

"A prolific writer and orator,the multi-faceted KurumbaRao was the recipient ofnumerous awards and his con-tribution to Telugu literatureand journalism is rich," theChief Minister said.

TDP supremo NChandrababu Naidu tooexpressed deep shock andconveyed his heartfelt condo-lences to the bereaved familymembers. He lauded the ser-vices rendered by Turlapati asa senior media person, oratorand author.

SC hints at staying farm lawsContinued from page 1

“We are extremely disappoint-ed with the negotiationprocess, the bench said,adding, You have made a lawwithout enough consultationresulting in a strike. So youhave to resolve the strike.” During the hearing conduct-ed through video-conferenc-ing, the court questioned theCentre over the consultativeprocess adopted for these laws.

“We don't know what con-sultative process you have fol-lowed before these laws. Manystates are up in rebellion, thebench said.

Observing that there is nota single petition before theapex court which says thatthese farm laws are beneficial,the bench told the Centre, It

will not help you to say thatthis was started by last govern-ment. We are discussing con-stitutionality.

The SC while pulling up theCentre for its handling offarmers protest against thefarm laws, said it will consti-tute a panel headed by a for-mer CJI to resolve the impasse.

It said that former CJI R MLodha could be asked aboutwhether he is willing to headthe committee.

The bench told SolicitorGeneral Tushar Mehta that hecan also suggest two-threenames of former CJIs who canhead the court-appointedcommittee.

We have talked to formerCJI P Sathasivam but herefused saying he has problemin understanding Hindi, the

bench said.Mehta told the bench that

representatives of some farmerunions, who were coming fordiscussion with the govern-ment, used to turn their chairsback or cover their eyes andears when the ministers sat formeeting.

The top court would pro-nounce its order on Tuesdayon various issues related to thenew farm laws and the farm-ers' protest at Delhi borders.

Indicating amply that itmay go to the extent of stay-ing the implementation of thecontentious farm laws, theapex court refused to grantextra time to the Centre toexplore the possibility of ami-cable solution saying it hasalready granted the govern-ment a long rope .

Court to hear ED...Continued from page 1

The CBI and ED courtoverruled the argument putfor t h by c ou ns e l forJaganmohan Reddy whocontended that the EDcases should be tried onlyafter the CBI cases againstJagan are dealt with.

The court observed thatthe charges framed againstJagan in the ED and CBIcases are different, con-curring with the argumentput forth by counsel for theED.

The court decided to tryfirst the ED cases and post-ed the matter to January 21to enable the ED framecharges.

It may be recalled thatthe CBI specia l cour t ,which is also trying the ED

cases, ser ved notice toJa g an a s k i ng h i m an dHetero Pharma Ltd direc-t or S r i n i v a s R e d dy,Aurobindo Pharma repre-sentatives PV RamprasadReddy and NityanandaR e d dy, YSRC P M P VVijayasai Reddy and othersto appear before it in per-son on Monday.

Earlier, the ED filed thec h arge - s h e e t s i n t h eNampally court in the quidpro quo investment caseagainst Jagan and others tofavour pharma companiesHetero and Aurobindo.Later, the ED filed fivecharge-sheets in CBI court.

T h e Te l ang an a Hi g hC ou r t re c e nt ly i s s u e dorders transferring the casein Nampally court to theCBI court.

AP logs 121fresh CovidcasesPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh logged 121fresh Coronavirus cases inthe 24 hours ending 9 am onMonday, pushing the infec-tion count to 8,85,037.

The latest bulletin saidduring the period, 213Covid-19 patients had recov-ered and two succumbed inthe state.

Active cases fell to 2,450after 8,75,456 recoveries and7,131 deaths, it said, addingclose to 31,000 sample testswere conducted.

East Godavari districtreported 24 new cases,Chittoor 23, Visakhapatnam13 and Guntur 12, while theremaining nine districtsadded less than 10 each.Krishna and Visakhapatnamdistricts reported one freshCovid-19 fatality each.

No bail in kidnapcase for Akhila PriyaContinued from page 1

Her lawyers informed thecourt that she is pregnant andalso suffers from epilepsy;and that her health conditionis not good. Hence, shedeserved bail, they pleaded.

The court, which exam-ined the medical report sub-mitted by the Gandhi Hospitalauthorities, rejected the plea asthe report suggested that shewas quite healthy.

The court also agreed withthe arguments of the policethat Akhila Priya had a strongpolitical background and shecould influence the witnessesif she was granted bail.

However, the court grantedonly two days police custodyof the accused, instead ofseven days as sought by thepolice.

The police initially namedAkhila Priya as the AccusedNo. 2 (A-2) in the abductioncase, later changed the FIR andnamed her as the primeaccused (A-1).

Her political rival andanother TDP leader AV Subba

Reddy, who was made A-1 ini-tially, was let off by the policeafter questioning.

He is now made A-2.The police, who had regis-

tered cases against AkhilaPriya under Sections 419(cheating by impersonation),341 and 342 (wrongfulrestraint and confinement),452 (trespassing), 506 (crim-inal intimidation) and 365(abduction) of Indian PenalCode, filed two more casesunder Section 147 (rioting)and 385 (extortion) againsther.

Akhila Priya's husbandBhargav Ram, who is A-3, isstill absconding.

From Feb 1, all the55,607 anganwadiswill be changed asYSR Pre-Primary-1,YSR Pre-Primary-2and YSR Pre-Firstclass

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 12, 2021

IJU, APUWJ condole death of senior journalist TurlapatiVIJAYAWADA: Indian Journalists Union (IJU) and Andhra PradeshUnion of Working Journalists (APUWJ) on Monday condoled thedeath of senior journalist and Padma Shri recipient TurlapatiKutumba Rao who died at a private hospital here on Sundaymidnight. IJU national vice-president Ambati Anjaneyulu, APUWJUrban president Chava Ravi, secretary Konda Rajeswara Rao, PressClub president Nimmaraju Chalapathi Rao and Secretary R Vasantexpressed grief and shock over the death of Kutumba Rao.They recalled the services of Kutumba Rao in journalism andliterature and conveyed their condolences to the bereaved familymembers.

Rain forecast over SouthCoastal AP, Rayalaseema HYDERABAD: Light to moderate rain or thundershowers is likely tooccur at one or two places in South Coastal Andhra Pradesh andRayalaseema during the next 24 hours, the Indian Meteorologicaldepartment said on Monday. Mist or shallow fog is likely to occurduring morning hours at isolated places in Telangana during thenext 48 hours. Dry weather is likely to prevail in Telangana, NorthCoastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam during the next five days and inSouth Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema from January 12 to15. Dry weather prevailed in Telangana, Coastal Andhra Pradesh &Yanam and Rayalaseema during the last 24 hours. The lowestminimum temperature of 15 degree Celsius was recorded inAdilabad and 16.4 degree Celsius in Hyderabad of Telangana.Nandigama recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 16.8degree Celsius on the intervening night Sunday and Monday, thebulletin added.

YSRC, TDP, BJP collectivelylooting AP: Dr Chinta MohanTIRUPATI: Former union minister Dr Chinta Mohan on Monday saidthat the YSRCP, TDP and the BJP were collectively looting the stateof Andhra Pradesh. Commenting on the BJP holding public meet-ings in the name of OBC morcha, SC and women's morcha in aneffort to lure voters ahead of the Tirupati Parliamentary bypolls, hesaid that BJP should seek votes by demanding special status forAndhra Pradesh and complete the development works launched bythe Congress regime. He demanded that the Tirupati Loksabha by-polls should be held along with Tamil Nadu and Kerala assemblypolls. In a press release, he defended the State Election Commissionerin the conduct of local body polls and said YSRCP government wasscared of the public protest against its misrule and defeat. He alleged thatthe Jagan government was diverting Central scheme funds meant forSarva Siksha Abhiyaan and fees reimbursement for his pet projects likeof Amma Vodi and others. He said the bureaucracy in the state wasunhappy under the Jaganmohan Reddy rule as the CM kept in touchwith only a handful of a total of 350 officers.

APERC public hearing from Jan 18VISAKHAPATNAM: The AP Electricity Regulatory Commission, onMonday, issued a fresh schedule for each day of the public hearingto be held through video-conference from January 18 to 20. Thecommission also released the name of the stakeholders registeredfor the hearing on Aggregate Revenue Requirement FPT filings ofthe power Discoms. APERC Commission Secretary (in-charge) CRamakrishna reviewed the arrangements for the conduct of thepublic hearings. After the review, the Commission has informed thepublic through the attached notice about the detailed proceduresthat would be followed on the days of hearing along with theschedule for each day. Further, the lists of the persons/stakeholderswho are scheduled to make their oral representations on each ofthese three days of hearings are also linked in the notice forreference of all stakeholders.

SHORT TAKES

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy onMonday credited Rs 6,673crore into the accounts of44.48 lakh mothers benefitingover 84 lakh children acrossthe State under JaganannaAmma Vodi scheme.Speaking soon after, Jagansaid that with the constantefforts by the State govern-ment, through Amma Vodi,Goru Muddha and VidyaKanuka schemes, an addi-tional four lakh students wereenrolled in governmentschools this year, as theseinstitutions have facilities onpar with corporate schools.

The Chief Minister said thatno mother should be deprivedof sending her child to schooldue to poverty and no childshould end up doing labourinstead of getting educated. Hesaid that within eight monthsof forming the government, Rs15,000 was credited into theaccount of each mother whowas sending her children toschool. The Chief Ministerdescribed Amma Vodi as SriRama Raksha for every childwho wants to study andpromised to take their respon-sibility as a maternal uncle.

This year, the State govern-ment is crediting Rs 14,000 tothe account of each beneficia-ry. The remaining Rs 1,000 willbe credited to the DTMF(District Toilet ManagementFund), which will be used forthe maintenance of toilets ingovernment schools. The ChiefMinister said that the govern-ment has taken this decision as

around 12 to 23 percent of girlstudents are dropping out everyyear due to the lack of, or poor

condition of toilets, in schoolsas per UNICEF and WHOreports.

Jagan credits Rs 6,673 cr inaccounts of 44.48L mothers

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy onMonday alerted people ofthe state on the desecrationof temples while hitting outat the opposition parties.He stated that a few peoplewith vested interests havebeen damaging idols whenthere is no movement ofpeople and during the nighttime. Jagan asked the peo-ple to be careful with suchelements and said thatthese people may attack theschools too. He wonderedwhat made the oppositionleaders visit the templesafter the damage was done.The Chief Minister said thatcohorts of TDP Chief NChandrababu Naidu weretrying to put the lives ofpeople at risk and conductelections.

PNS n CHITTOOR

Amma Vodi scheme beingimplemented by the YSRCPgovernment will help inimproving literacy rate in thestate and parents should makeuse of this scheme for theirwards school education, saidAndhra Pradesh Deputy CMand Minister for ExciseNarayanaswamy at a meetingheld in Nagaiah Kala Kshetramin Chittoor on Monday. Themeeting was held in connectionwith state wide launching ofsecond phase ‘Amma Vodi'scheme by Chief MinisterJaganmohan Reddy in Nelloretoday, by which Rs 6, 673crore has been transferred to44, 48, 865 mothers' bankaccounts who is being madestudying their wards in Govtand private schools in the state.Speaking after releasing acheque of Rs 527 crore for

transferring Rs 15, 000 to eachof 3,51, 330 mothers' accountsin the district in second phaseof the scheme, Dy CM said thisamount Rs 15, 000 to each stu-dent's mother will help themmeet their wards necessaryneeds in return the childrenwould go to school to completetheir education without theirfamily finance hassles and hewished the school students toreach peaks in education torealize their goals. Citing theschemes being implemented inthe state `Naadu-Nedu' - aimedto provide basic facilities atGovernment schools, introduc-ing English medium, providingnutritional food to students, hesaid CM Jaganmohan Reddyhas been giving top priority tothe development of the educa-tion in the state and added thatthe prime motto of the schemewas to reduce the school dropouts considerably in the state.

Amma Vodi will give fillip to literacy rate: Dy CM

Attacks on temples: CM hits out at TDP

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Telugu Desam Party nationalspokesman KommareddyPattabhi on Monday accusedthe Jaganmohan Reddy gov-ernment of betraying the poorwomen in Andhra Pradesh inthe name of the multi-crore'Amma Vodi' programmewithout creating the properfacilities for the education andthe golden future of their chil-dren.

Pattabhi deplored that theYSRCP was depositing themoney in bank accounts ofwomen on one hand butsnatching the money on theother in the form of 'NannaBuddi' by increasing the liquorprices and sales.

"Eventually, all this AmmaVodi money is going back tothe Chief Minister's own dis-tilleries supplying cheap liquorat the cost of the health of theinnocent public," he alleged.

Addressing a press confer-

ence here, the TDP leaderasked whether it was not a factthat the Chief Minister issuedGO 63 to take back Rs. 1,000from each of the beneficiariesof Amma Vodi scheme formaintenance of bathroomsand toilets in the schools.

Jaganmohan Reddy speakssweetly about his love for thepoor children and students buthad no heart to spend someextra government money formaintaining bathrooms in theschools.

He alleged that the propos-

al to distribute laptops wasanother attempt to swindlepublic money.

Pattabhi said that during2019-20, the AP governmentearned an income of Rs 15,354crore as per the official figuresof the AP State BeveragesCorporation.

This is Rs. 1,500 crore morewhen compared to the previousyear, he said and demandedthat the Chief Minister shouldclarify whether he was discour-aging or promoting liquor con-sumption in the State.

At every meeting, Jaganwould not miss the chance tosay that he would strivetowards total prohibition to filllight and joy in the lives of thepoor women, but the fieldlevel figures were giving a dif-ferent picture. Cheap liquorbrands like Boom Boom,President's Medal, etc werebeing sold to poor personswithout any concern for theirhealth, he said.

Amma Vodi funds going backto Jagan’s pockets: Pattabhi

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The second edition of the two-day biennial pan-India coastaldefence exercise 'Sea Vigil-21'will be conducted on January12 and 13.

The exercise, whose inau-gural edition was conducted inJanuary 2019, will be undertak-en along the entire 7,516 kmcoastline and ExclusiveEconomic Zone of Indiainvolving all the 13 coastalStates and Union Territoriesalong with other maritimestakeholders, including thefishing and coastal communi-ties.

The exercise is being coor-

dinated by the Indian Navy.The entire coastal security setup was reorganised after the26/11 Terror attack at Mumbaiwhich was launched via thesea route.

The scale and conceptualexpanse of the exercise isunprecedented in terms of thegeographical extent, the num-ber of stakeholders involved,number of units participatingand the number the objectivesto be met.

The exercise is a build uptowards the major theatre levelexercise, TROPEX [Theatre-level Readiness OperationalExercise], which Indian Navyconducts for every two years.

SEA VIGIL and TROPEXtogether will cover the entirespectrum of maritime securi-ty challenges, including transi-tion from peace to conflict.

Assets of the Indian Navy,Coast Guard, Customs andother maritime agencies willparticipate in SEA VIGIL, theconduct of which is also being

facilitated by the Ministries ofDefence, Home Affairs,Shipping, Petroleum andNatural Gas, Fisheries,Customs, State Governments

and other agencies of Centre/State.

Smaller scale exercises areconducted in coastal statesregularly, including combinedexercises amongst adjoiningstates, but the conduct of asecurity exercise at national-level aims at serving a largerpurpose.

It provides opportunity, atthe apex level, to assess our pre-paredness in the domain ofmaritime security and coastaldefence. Exercise 'SEA VIGIL21' will provide a realisticassessment of our strengths andweaknesses and thus will helpin further strengthening mar-itime and national security.

Navy’s Coastal Defence Exercise ‘Sea Vigil’ from today

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Telugu Desam Party nation-al general secretary NaraLokesh on Monday urgedChief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy to paypending dues worth Rs 2,788crore to lakhs of farmers tohelp them celebrate Sankrantifestival happily with theirfamilies and friends.

Lokesh, in a letteraddressed to the ChiefMinister, said that Sankrantiusually would bring joy in thelives of farmers as they gettheir harvest at their homesduring this season. However,farmers this time were happybecause of the successivecrop losses on account of nat-ural calamities and floods, headded.

He demanded immediatepayment of Rs 2,788 croredues towards the food grainsalready purchased by theGovernment from over twolakh farmers.

"During the 2020 kharifseason, the farmers suffereda crop loss worth Rs 10,000crore. Crop damages werereported in over 50 lakhacres due to heavy rains,floods and natural calami-ties," he said.

Crops were damaged inover 17.33 lakh acres due tothe devastation caused byNivar cyclone, but state gov-ernment had not extendedany support. There were noadequate purchases of dis-coloured, moist and sprout-ed crops at the purchase cen-tres, he lamented.

Lokesh wantsgovt to disburseRs 2,788 croredues to farmers

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

As the Sankranti festival nears,the cops in Godavari districtshave tightened the noose oncockfights and gamblingorganisers.

Eluru Range DIG KVMohan Rao has directed thepolice officials of the EastGodavari district to keep aclose tab on cockfights so as toenforce the High Court orders.

During a video-conferencewith the police officials, theDIG issued strict instructionsto check the cockfights andgambling, very popular in twoGodavari districts and Krishnadistrict as well. "Playing, andorganising cockfights andgambling are crime and sternaction would be taken againstthe people involving in suchoffences," he said.

With coordination of police,revenue, animal husbandrydepartments and NGOs, theinspections will be carried out.Police can register cases againstthe organisers under the APGaming Act and Prevention ofCruelty to Animals Act of 1960.

He said the village-levelteams comprising village rev-enue officers, panchayat secre-taries, village volunteers andvillage protection committeesmust work collectively tocheck cockfights.

He also warned that head-masters or principals of theeducation institutes would beliable for punishment, if thecockfights are organised onpremises of the schools, col-leges and other educationalinstitutions. He further said ifthe cockfights are organised ina private land, the owners ofthe concerned land will beliable for playing or organisingthe cockfights would drawpunishment.

The top cop also asked thepolice to keep vigil on the peo-ple, who make knives for thecockfights and persons tyingknives to the legs of the roost-ers and bind them over, if nec-essary.

Police tighten noose on cockfights,gambling organisers

Village-level

teams comprising

VROs, panchayat

secretaries,

village volunteers

and village

protection

committees to

work collectively

to check

cockfights.

Naidu’s ‘derogatory remarks’leave AP Christians seething PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

With the resignation of formerAnglo-Indian MLA of AndhraPradesh, Phillip C. Tocher, fromthe TDP, many Christian lead-ers from the state have gangedup against TDP supremo N.Chandrababu Naidu for target-ing Christian religion with dis-tasteful remarks.

On Monday, the Christianleaders demanded an uncondi-tional apology from Naidu andsaid that mixing religion withpolitics was unacceptable andtotally unethical on the part ofa senior politician and formerChief Minister ChandrababuNaidu. Christians expressedstrong displeasure againstunwarranted and derogatoryremarks of Naidu.

Christians, under the aus-pices of Vizag Chapter ofAndhra Pradesh ChristianLeaders Forum (APCLF), gath-ered in large numbers at DharnaChowk near RTC complex inVizag and raised slogans againstNaidu. The community leadersexpressed their resentment andthe manner in which they arebeing targeted.

APCLF Vizag Chapter pres-

ident Rev A Ravi Babu reasonedthat Naidu in his desperateattempt to stay relevant and hoglimelight was maligning

Christians. "Attributing the rise of

Christianity to the present gov-ernment by the former CM isunacceptable," he added. Theunresolved issues of Christiansare an example of the attitude ofthe present government towardsChristians," he remarked.

The members said that therewas never an incident of force-ful conversion or partiality ofthe government towardsChristians.

Oliver Rayi, State Chairmanof APCLF, said: "In an apparentsense of insecurity and strugglefor power, some political partiesare trying to create social unrestand religious hatred in an oth-erwise peace loving and calmstate."

For decades, various gov-ernments formed by variousparties ruled with equality andthere was never any incident offavouritism towards Christiansas alleged, he added.

Stating that Christians havebeen taxpayers too, he ques-tioned the rationale behind for-mer CM finding fault with thepresent government for extend-ing one-time assistance to pas-tors during the lockdown.

As the Christian leaders inTDP feel the heat of theircommunity after their partysupremo's distastefulcomment on Christians, TDPChristian cell has decided toconduct a meeting with allthe presidents, secretariesand other cell leaders onJanuary 12. The cell leaderswill probably hold a meetingin a hotel in Vijayawada todiscuss the future plan forChristian community.Christian leaders in TDP arebeing questioned by theircommunity after theaggressive comments madeby TDP national presidentNara Chandrababu Naiduagainst the Christiancommunity.

TDP Christiancell to holdmeeting today

Christian leaders, led by Vizag Chapter of Andhra Pradesh Christian Leaders Forum (APCLF), participate in a protest atDharna Chowk near RTC complex in Vizag on Monday.

Advisor to the Government (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji share a lightermoment while attending Sankranti celebrations at Siddarth college in Vijayawada on Monday. Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddyextended Sankranti wishes to people of Andhra Pradesh.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The Vizag city police onMonday arrested a recoveryagent of instant loan appswhose harassment had led tosuicides of some people duringthe Covid-induced lockdown.

One Gautham Mule, work-ing as loan recovery agentwith instant loan financing(online loan) app, Hyper Tailsat Koregaon Park, CosmosBank in Pune of Maharashtrawas arrested in connectionwith the suicide of a 25-year-old-woman, MandavaAhalada, a resident ofGajuwaka in Vizag city.

Three others ParasuramLahu, Liang Tiantian andHR Hakib Sheik are also saidto be responsible for abettingsuicide of the woman.

DCP (Crimes) V SureshBabu said that MandavaAhalada ended her life byhanging on November 3,2020, unable to bear theharassment, mental agony,and humiliation meted out toher by the agents of instantloan app over non-paymentof loans availed.

Gajuwaka police hadlaunched an investigation onthe basis of a complaintlodged by Ahalada's motherUsha Rani after registering acase under Section 306 of IPC(abetment of suicide). Theyhanded over the case to cen-tral crime station for furtherinvestigation. The familymembers told police that shewas depressed due to theharassment meted out to herfor failing to give in to thedemands of loan app compa-nies. The loan recoveryagents repeatedly sent voicemessages and humiliatingmessages to her.

Loan app agentaccused ofabettingsuicide, held

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 12, 2021 nation 04

SHORT TAKES

Repeal acts now: Mamata onShastri's death anniversary

Congress leader RahulGandhi on Monday con-

gratulated an all-women pilotteam of Air India for com-pleting the national carrier'slongest flight from SanFrancisco to Bengaluru afterflying over the North Pole.Air India's longest directflight from San Francisco to

Bengaluru with the all-women cockpit crew successfully landed inthe southern city on Monday. "Congratulations to the all-womencockpit crew for completing Air India's longest flight from SanFrancisco to Bengaluru over the North Pole. "You have made thecountry proud," Gandhi said on Twitter. The national carrier hadsaid this flight would be the longest commercial flight in the worldto be operated by any Indian airline and the total flight time on thisroute would be more than 17 hours depending on the wind speedon that day. The direct distance between the two cities at oppositeends of the world is 13,993 km with a time zone change of around13.5 hours.

People gather to dig MP riverbedin hope of finding old coins

Scores of people areflocking to the

Parvati river in MadhyaPradesh's Rajgarhdistrict after rumoursstarted that ancientgold and silver coinscould be had bydigging the river bed,police said on Monday.

Kurawar police station in charge Ramnaresh Rathore said peoplehave been turning up at a dry the stretch of the river nearShivpura village, though none of them have found a single coin sofar. "I spent two hours at the spot and spoke to several villagersbut none of them have found any coin so far. It is unclear whospread this rumour but people have been assembling to dig theriverbed for the past four days," Rathore told PTI. People havebeen told not to dig the riverbed, he added.

Rahul lauds women crew forcompleting AI's longest flight

West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee on Monday

targeted the Centre over the newfarm laws, demanding their with-drawal as she paid tribute to formerprime minister Lal Bahadur Shastrion his 55th death anniversary.Remembering Shastri's slogan of 'JaiJawan, Jai Kisan', Banerjee saidfarmers are the heroes of the nation.

"Tribute to Lal Bahadur Shastri, former prime minister, on his deathanniversary. He gave us the inspirational slogan 'Jai Jawan, JaiKisan'. We are proud of our farmer brothers and sisters. Farmersare the heroes of our nation. The Centre MUST repeal the anti-farmer Acts NOW!," she tweeted. Banerjee has been vocal about heropposition to the new farm laws, against which farmers are protest-ing outside Delhi for weeks. Her party, the Trinamool Congress, hasalso extended support to the protest.

IMA asks its 3.5 lakh members to get vaccinated voluntarily PNS n NEW DELHI

The Indian Medical Associa-tion on Monday requested its3.5 lakh members to volun-tarily get the Covid vaccine toshow to the world that theseshots are safe and effica-cious. In a statement, the doc-tors' body said after an exten-sive review of scientific data,indexed articles, expert panelreports and discussion withICMR and WHO experts, ithas decided to actively takepart in the Covid-19 vaccina-tion programme rolled out bythe government.

"The IMA has requested allits 3.5 lakh members in 1,800local branches to voluntarilycome out to get vaccinatedfirst to show the world thatthese vaccines are safe andefficacious," it said.

The IMA appreciates andcongratulates the hard workof Indian scientists, modernmedicine doctors and theGovernment of India forbringing out two vaccinesagainst SARS-CoV 2. Thesevaccines are easy to store anduse in Indian condition,according to the statement.

"India is heading towardsbecoming a superpower withresearch and development inthe field of modern medicine.IMA rightfully stands firm asthe natural and professionalstakeholder in this achieve-ment, not only in the devel-opment of the vaccine butalso in delivering the vaccine.

"All infrastructure facilitiesof IMA branches across thecountry will be available vol-untarily for this vaccinationprogramme and all our mem-bers of IMA will voluntarilyserve with technical and sup-portive manpower," the state-ment said.

The doctors' body said itbelieves that getting vaccinat-ed is not only to protect anindividual but also to bringherd immunity, thereby rais-ing the hope of bringing thepandemic under control.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Researchers at the Indian Instituteof Technology (IIT) Madras havefound that holding breath mayincrease the risk of getting COVID-19 infection. The researchers mod-elled breathing frequency in a labo-ratory to better understand how therate of flow of droplet laden withvirus determines its deposition inthe lungs. The findings of the studyhave also been published in theinternational reputed peer-reviewedjournal Physics of Fluids. Accordingto the team, they modelled thebreathing frequency in a laboratoryand found that low breathing fre-quency rises the time of residenceof the virus and therefore it increas-es chances of deposition and con-sequently the infection. Also, themultiscale lung structure has a sig-nificant effect on a person's suscep-tibility to COVID-19. "COVID-19 hasopened a gap in our understandingof deep pulmonological systemicdiseases. Our study unravels the

mystery behind how particles aretransported and deposited in thedeep lung. "The study demon-strates the physical process bywhich aerosol particles are trans-ported into the deep generations ofthe lung," said Mahesh Panchagnula,Professor at Department of AppliedMechanics, IIT Madras. He saidthat they have found that holdingbreath and having low breathingrate can increase chances of thevirus deposition in the lungs. Thestudy was conducted to pave theway for developing better therapiesand drugs for respiratory infections.The other members of the teamincluded research scholars Arnab

Kumar Mallik and SoumalyaMukherjee, IIT Madras. "Airborneinfections such as coronavirusspread immensely through sneezingand coughing as it instantly releasesa lot of tiny droplets. The team imi-tated the droplet dynamics in thelung by studying the movement ofdroplets in the small capillarieswhich were of a diameter similar tobronchioles. They took water mixedwith fluorescent particles and gen-erated aerosols from this liquidusing a nebulizer. "These fluores-cent aerosols were used to track themovement and deposition of parti-cles in the capillaries. They foundthat the deposition is inversely pro-portional to the aspect ratio of capil-laries, which suggests that thedroplets are likely to deposit inlonger bronchioles," Panchagnulasaid. The researchers also studiedhow the 'Reynolds Number' a para-meter that quantifies the nature offlow - steady or turbulent - anddetermines the deposition in thecapillaries.

Holding breath may increase risk of gettingCovid infection: IIT Madras research

PNS n NEW DELHI

A declining number of freshCOVID-19 cases and a high rate ofrecovery have resulted in a contin-uous fall in the country's activecaseload, which accounts for only2.13 per cent of the total infec-tions, the health ministry said onMonday. The number of daily newfatalities has also declined substan-tially in the country. On Monday,less than 170 such deaths wererecorded after 229 days, the min-istry said. "Declining new casesand high rate of recovery have intandem resulted in continuous fallin the country's active caseload ona sustained basis," the ministrysaid. India's total active caseloadhas fallen to 2.25 lakh, whichaccounts for just 2.13 per cent of

the total number of coronaviruscases in the country. A total of16,959 COVID-19 patients haverecovered in a span of 24 hours.This has led to a net decline of 809from the active caseload, the min-istry said. The total number ofrecovered cases in the countrystands at 1,00,92,909. "The gapbetween recoveries and activecases, that is steadily increasing, isnearing 99 lakh and presently

stands at 98,70,383," the ministrysaid. "The national COVID-19recovery rate has also improved to96.43 per cent as on date. This isamongst the highest the worldover," it highlighted. Ten states andUnion territories have accountedfor 78.56 per cent of the newrecoveries. Kerala has reported themaximum number of 4,659 single-day recoveries, followed byMaharashtra (2,302) andChhattisgarh (962). The ministrysaid 80.25 per cent of the newcases are concentrated in ninestates and Union territories.Kerala has also reported the high-est number of 4,545 fresh cases,followed by Maharashtra (3,558). Atotal of 161 case fatalities werereported in the country in a span of24 hours.

Fresh Covid cases drop below 170 after 229 days

PNS n NEW DELHI

The number of peoplewho have tested positivefor the new UK variant ofSARS-CoV-2 in India hasclimbed to 96, the healthministry said on Monday.

Till Saturday, the num-ber of such people was 90.

"The total number ofpersons found infectedwith the mutant UK strainof COVID-19 is 96," theministry said.

All these people werekept in single-room isola-tion at designated health-care facilities by therespective state govern-ments, it had earlier said.

Their close contactshave also been put underquarantine and a compre-hensive contact-tracingexercise has been initiatedfor the co-travellers, fam-ily members and others,the ministry said, addingthat the genome sequenc-ing of other specimens isgoing on.

The situation is beingmonitored and regularadvice is being given to thestates for enhanced sur-veillance, containment,testing and dispatch ofsamples to INSACOG lab-oratories.

The presence of the newUK variant of the coron-avirus has been reportedby several countries,including Denmark, theNetherlands, Australia,Italy, Sweden, France,Spain, Switzerland,Germany, Canada, Japan,Lebanon and Singapore.

Cases of UKstrain climbsto 96 in India,says govt

PNS n NEW DELHI

The National Green Tribunalhas directed state pollutioncontrol boards to ensure therelease of minimum waterdownstream by hydroelectricprojects, saying business orcommercial interests cannotoverride the requirement ofmaintaining riverine ecology.

A bench headed by NGTChairperson Justice AdarshKumar Goel said every hydro-electric project (HEP) irre-spective of the date of its com-mission is under an obligationto release minimum waterdownstream

“This is a mandate of‘Sustainable Development'which is part of the right to life.Accordingly, the tribunaldirected compliance by all theHydro-Electric Projects(HEPs), including in States ofUttarakhand, Sikkim,Arunachal Pradesh, WestBengal (North Region), Assamand Jammu & Kashmir,” thebench said.

Environmental f low

describes the quantity, timing,and quality of water flowsrequired to sustain freshwaterand estuarine ecosystems andthe human livelihoods andwellbeing that depend on theseecosystems.

The tribunal junked thesubmission of the NationalHydroelectric PowerCorporation seeking exemp-tion from releasing water tomaintain 15 per cent e-flow(the quantity and timing ofwater that is essential for theriver to perform its ecologicalfunctions) during the lean

period.“We do not find any sub-

stance in this submission. Themandate of ‘SustainableDevelopment' has to be com-plied. We do not see any hur-dle in doing so. Whateverchanges are required for thepurpose can certainly be done.

“Technical and/or commer-cial limitations cannot be aground to ignore the mandateof law. No business or com-mercial interest can overridethe requirement of maintain-ing riverine ecology,” the benchsaid.

‘All hydro projects must releaseminimum water, rules NGT’

PNS n NEW DELHI

Scientists have demonstratedthat a single-dose COVID-19vaccine candidate, which couldpotentially be stored at roomtemperature, can produceimmunity against the novelcoronavirus in mice.

The vaccine, described in theACS Central Science journal,contains ultrasmall nanoparti-cles studded with the spike pro-teins of the coronavirus whichenables it to enter host cells.

"Our goal is to make a sin-gle-shot vaccine that does notrequire a cold-chain for storageor transport. If we're success-

ful at doing it well, it should becheap too," said study co-author Peter Kim fromStanford University in the US.

"The target population forour vaccine is low- and middle-income countries," Kim added.

According to the researchers,viral-based vaccines which useviruses to deliver immunisingproteins are often more effec-tive than those which containonly isolated protein parts of avirus.

They said nanoparticle vac-cines balance the effectivenessof viral-based vaccines with thesafety and ease-of-productionof protein vaccines.

To develop the vaccine, thescientists first removed a sec-tion near the bottom of thespike protein of the coron-avirus, and combined it withnanoparticles of ferritin -- aniron-containing protein --which has been previously test-ed in humans.

In the following tests inmice, the researchers com-pared their shortened spikenanoparticles to four otherpotential variations -- nanopar-ticles with full spikes, fullspikes or partial spikes withoutnanoparticles, and a vaccinecontaining just the section ofthe spike that binds to cells dur-

ing infection. The scientists then tested the

effectiveness of these vaccinesagainst a safer pseudo-coron-avirus that was modified tocarry the spike proteins.

They determined the poten-

tial effectiveness of each vac-cine by monitoring levels ofvirus neutralising antibodiesgenerated in the mice immunesystem.

After a single dose, the studyfound that two nanoparticlevaccine candidates both result-ed in neutralising antibodylevels at least twice as high asthose seen in people who havehad COVID-19.

According to the scientists,the shortened spike nanopar-ticle vaccine produced a signif-icantly higher neutralisingresponse than the binding spikeor the full spike vaccines.

After a second dose, they

said mice that had received theshortened spike nanoparticlevaccine had the highest levelsof neutralising antibodies.

Based on the results, theStanford scientists said theirnanoparticle vaccine couldproduce COVID-19 immuni-ty after just one dose.

The scientists believe thevaccine could also be stored atroom temperature and areassessing whether it could beshipped and stored in a freeze-dried, powder form.

"This is really early stage andthere is still lots of work to bedone," said Abigail Powell, leadauthor of the study.

Single dose vaccine candidate generates immunity in mice: Study

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Indian Army on Mondayhanded back to China a soldierof the Chinese People'sLiberation Army (PLA), threedays after apprehending him atthe southern bank of PangongTso in eastern Ladakh, officialsources said.

The soldier was returned toChina at the Chushul-Moldoborder point in eastern Ladakhat 10.10 am, they added.

The Chinese soldier wascaptured at the southern bankof Pangong lake in the earlyhours of Friday after he trans-gressed across the Indian sideof the Line of Actual Control(LAC).

"The PLA soldier, who was

apprehended on January 8,was handed back to China atChushul-Moldo at 10.10 am onMonday," a source said.

Indian and Chinese troopsare locked in a tense borderstandoff in eastern Ladakh forover eight months. The faceoffbegan in May last year, follow-ing a clash between the two

sides in the Pangong lake area."The PLA soldier had trans-

gressed across the LAC andwas taken into custody byIndian troops deployed in thisarea. Troops from either sideare deployed along the LACsince friction erupted last yeardue to unprecedented mobili-sation and forward concentra-

tion by Chinese troops," theArmy said in a statement onSaturday.

Following the capture of thesoldier by the Indian Army,China had sought his immedi-ate return on Saturday.

It was the second such inci-dent of India capturing andsubsequently returning aChinese soldier in the lastthree months.

Indian troops had capturedCorporal Wang Ya Long of thePLA on October 19 last yearafter he "strayed" across theLAC in Ladakh's Demchoksector. The corporal was hand-ed back to China at theChushul-Moldo border pointfollowing the laid-down proto-cols.

India returns captured PLA soldier to ChinaKerala Assemblyadjourns for theday after payingtributes to PranabPNS n THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The Kerala Assembly onMonday adjourned for theday after paying tributes toformer President PranabMukherjee and former stateminister C F Thomas.

Mukherjee died on August31, 2020, while senior KeralaCongress leader Thomaspassed away on September27. Speaker PSreeramakrishnan saidMukherjee was a leader whostood strong in the face ofadversities.

Man burnt todeath as carcatches fire aftercollision with pole

Puducherry Minister continuesdharna against Lt GovernorPNS n PUDUCHERRY

Puducherry Welfare MinisterM Kandasamy on Mondaycontinued his dharna for a sec-ond day, protesting the allegeddelay on the part of LtGovernor Kiran Bedi inapproving scheme-related filespertaining to his department.

He embarked upon theprotest all of a sudden on thepremises of the territorialAssembly and spent the nightsleeping on the corridor.

He told reporters onMonday that he had sent asmany as 15 proposals to the Lt

Governor for a discussionwith him and to dispose offfiles relating to his representa-tions. He said, Bedi had how-ever, informed him that shewould first acquaint herselfwith the status of the mattersraised by him with officialsconcerned and would com-municate the date of a meet-ing. Apparently irked by the LtGovernor's stand, the Ministerbegan the dharna on Sunday.

He had sought among otherthings steps to reopen theclosed textile mills-AFT,Swadeshi and Sri BharathiMills.

PNS n CHANDIGARH

INLD legislator Abhay SinghChautala wrote to the HaryanaAssembly speaker on Monday,saying if the Centre does notwithdraw the three recent farmlaws by January 26, then his let-ter may be considered as hisresignation as an MLA fromthe House.

In a letter to Speaker GianChand Gupta, Chautala, theIndian National Lok Dal(INLD) MLA from Haryana's

Ellenabad, slammed the Centrefor imposing the "black laws" onfarmers in an "undemocraticway" and said the farming com-munity in the entire country isopposing these legislations.

A farmers' agitation againstthe laws has been going on forover a month and the protest-ing farmers have been camp-ing at Delhi's borders in thecold weather conditions, hepointed out.

More than 60 farmers have"attained martyrdom" because

of the intense cold weather butthe Centre has paid no heed totheir demands, Chautala wrotein the letter.

Despite holding eightrounds of talks with the farmerleaders, the government hasnot shown any sign of agree-ment on the withdrawal offarm laws, he said.

The INLD leader said itdoes not seem that being aresponsible member of theHouse, he can play any role toprotect the rights of farmers

under the kind of conditionscreated by the government.

"Considering all these situ-ations, if the government ofIndia does not withdraw thesethree 'black laws' by January 26,then this letter should be con-sidered as my resignation," hewrote to the speaker.

A couple of days ago,Chautala had said he wouldresign from the Assembly if thedemands of the farmers werenot accepted by the Centre byJanuary 26.

‘Consider letter as resignation if Centrefails to withdraw farm laws by Jan 26’

PNS n JAIPUR

A man was burnt to deathwhen his car caught fire afteran accident in Karni area inJaipur, police said.

The incident occurred ataround 1 am on Mondaywhen the car collided with apole at Gandhi Path, over-turned and caught fire. MohitPanwar, a resident of Bikaner,got trapped in the car andwas charred to death, policesaid. His friend VishalSaxena, who was also in thevehicle at the time of the acci-dent, was rescued, they said.

PNS n SRINAGAR

There was some respite for res-idents of Srinagar from intensecold as minimum tempera-tures rose at most places inKashmir on Monday, officialssaid.

Srinagar city -- the summercapital of Jammu and Kashmir-- recorded a low of minus 0.2degrees Celsius – up from minus2.6 degrees Celsius the previousnight, the officials said.

The minimum temperaturein Gulmarg tourist resort set-tled at minus 9.6 degreesCelsius – down from minus 7.2degrees Celsius the night ear-lier. Gulmarg was the coldestrecorded place in the valley.

Pahalgam tourist resort,which also serves as a basecamp for the annual

Amarnath yatra in southKashmir, recorded a low ofminus 4.6 degrees Celsius, upfrom minus 5.9 degreesCelsius a night earlier.

Qazigund recorded a min-imum of 0.2 degrees Celsius,Kupwara, in the north, minus1.0 degrees Celsius andKokernag minus 2.0 degreesCelsius. The weatherman haspredicted generally dry weath-er over the next few days.

Kashmir is currently underthe grip of 'Chillai-Kalan' --the 40-day harshest winterperiod when a cold wave gripsthe region and the temperaturedrops considerably leading tothe freezing of water bodies,including the famous Dal Lakehere as well as the water sup-ply lines in several parts of thevalley.

Rise in temperature bringsrespite to Srinagar residents

Govt shouldleave its stubbornattitude: BKU PNS n MUZAFFARNAGAR

Bharatiya Kisan Union presi-dent Naresh Tikait has said thecentral government shouldabandon its "stubborn" attitudeand resolve the issues of farm-ers through dialogue.

Speaking to reporters at theBKU headquarters at Sisolinear here on Sunday, he saidfarmers are aware that thethree new agri laws have beenbrought by the Centre "tobenefit big corporates" and are"against peasants". He accusedthe government of maintain-ing a stubborn attitude.Thousands of farmers, fromPunjab, Haryana and UP,have been camping at variousborder points of Delhi forover a month now, bravingthe cold weather and rains.

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 12, 2021 nation 05

Former Rajasthan deputychief minister Sachin Piloton Monday reiterated the

demand for withdrawal of newfarm laws enacted by theCentre, claiming that the lawswere a "threat" to the future offarmers. The Congress leadermade the remarks whileinteracting with farmers in hisconstituency Tonk. "This is a matter related to the future of farmers.All farmer unions and opposition parties are united and demandingwithdrawal of the laws. It is not clear what the government'scompulsions to bring these laws were. The laws should bewithdrawn," he told reporters. "We are making the farmers aware ofthe disadvantages of the laws. The farmers are agitating peacefullyand the government should accept their demands," Pilot said.

INDIA CORNER

Pilot reiterates demand for repeal of farm laws

Security forces on Mondayarrested two overgroundworkers of Jaish-e-

Mohammad (JeM) fromPulwama district of Jammuand Kashmir, police said."Police along with Army andCRPF arrested two terroristassociates of proscribed outfitJaish-e-Mohammad fromAwantipora area who are involved in providing shelter, support andlogistics," a police official said. He said the arrested persons werealso transporting arms and ammunition of the militants inAwantipora and Tral areas of the district and passing sensitiveinformation to the JeM terrorists.

Two Jaish overground workersheld in J-K's Pulwama: Police

Markets and other commercialestablishments in most parts ofBhandara remained closed on

Monday in response to a bandh calledthe BJP to express anguish over thedeath of 10 infants in a fire at thedistrict hospital. BJP workers took outa bike rally in the Maharashtra district,appealing to people to keep their establishments closed and supportthe bandh. BJP MP from Bhandara, Sunil Mendhe, on Sunday saidhis party wanted either a judicial inquiry or a probe by a retiredjudge into the Saturday's incident in which 10 infants were killed ina blaze at the district hospital. Referring to Maharashtra ChiefMinister Uddhav Thackeray's visit to the hospital earlier on Sunday,the MP had said they expected that he would immediately suspendthe civil surgeon, doctors and other staff and order a detailedinquiry, but nothing happened.

Hospital fire: Markets, shops shutin Bhandara over bandh call

Prime Minister NarendraModi has approved an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh each

from the PM's National ReliefFund for the next of kin ofthose who died in the tragichospital fire at Bhandara inMaharashtra and Rs 50,000each for those seriously injured. In a tweet, the PMO said, "PM hasapproved an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PM's National ReliefFund for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to thetragic hospital fire in Bhandara, Maharashtra. Rs. 50,000 would begiven to those seriously injured."

PM announces Rs 2L ex-gratiaeach for kin of hosp fire victims

PNS n AHMEDABAD

Bird flu cases have been con-firmed in Gujarat's Surat andVadodara districts as somesamples of dead crows fromthere have tested positive forthe avian influenza, officialssaid on Monday.

Samples of four crows colected from two places atBardoli taluka in Surat onJanuary 6 were sent to aBhopal- based laboratory,Nilam Dave, deputy directorof animal husbandry depart-ment, Surat, said.

"They have tested positivefor the bird flu," the officialsaid. Besides, three out of fivecrow samples collected fromVasantpura village in Savlitaluka of Vadodara, where 25crows died on January 6,have also tested positive,Vadodara animal husbandrydepartment's deputy directorPrakash Darji said.

On Sunday, 57 pigeonswere found dead in Kia vil-lage of Vadodara's Karjantaluka and their samples havebeen sent for confirmation tothe Bhopal-based lab, headded. As a precautionarymeasure, surveys were under-taken in these two districts,especially within a 10-kmradius of the spot where thebirds were found dead, offi-cials said.

Gujarat reported its firstcase of avian influenza onJanuary 8 when two lapwingsamples from Junagadh dis-trict tested positive for thebird flu virus.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Samples of ducks fromSanjay Lake area are theonly ones in Delhi that havetested positive for bird flu sofar, Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia said onMonday, asking people notto panic as there is no causefor concern. Delhi onMonday confirmed bird flucases after eight samplessent to a Bhopal-basedlaboratory tested positive foravian influenza. All eightsamples -- four from a parkin Mayur Vihar Phase 3,three from Sanjay Lake andone from Dwarka -- havebeen found positive for avianinfluenza, Dr Rakesh Singhfrom the animal husbandryunit of the DevelopmentDepartment said. "Onlysamples of duck from SanjayLake have tested positive forbird flu. There is no causefor concern. Reports of othersamples are awaited,"Sisodia said at a pressbriefing. The Delhi gover-nment has also decided toban sale of processed and packaged chickenbrought from outside thecity as a precautionarymeasure, he said.

PNS n MUMBAI

Avian influenza has beenconfirmed as the cause of deathof different birds in Parbhani,Mumbai, Thane, Beed andDapoli in Maharashtra, as pertest reports of a Bhopal-basedlab, a senior state governmentofficial said on Monday.

However, it is "absolutelysafe" to consume eggs orchicken as the virus cannotwithstand cooking temperatures,and people need not worry asinfection to humans due to birdflu is "rarest of rare", state

animal husbandry departmentsecretary Anoop Kumar said.The official also said they wouldbe increasing bio-safety measu-res in poultry farms so thatthere is no interface with wildbirds. In the morning, ParbhaniCollector Deepak Muglikar toldPTI that bird flu has beenconfirmed as the cause of deathof around 900 hens at a poultryfarm in Murumba village and thedistrict administration hasdecided to cull nearly 8,000birds in the village.

Kumar said the animalhusbandry department has

already started implementing itsaction plan and the culling ofbirds will begin from Tuesday.

He said 8,000 to 10,000 birdswithin one-km radius of theinfected zone in Parbhani maybe culled.

According to the Bhopal-based ICAR-National Institute ofHigh Security Animal Diseases(NIHSAD), two crows fromMumbai died due to bird flu.

Three pond egrets and aparrot from Thane were infectedby the H5N1 avian influenzavirus, the institute's test reportsaid.

Only samplesof ducks fromSanjay Laketested positive

Bird flu cases confirmed in Parbhani, Mumbai

Bird flu detected in crowsamples in Surat, Vadodara

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court onMonday sought response ofthe AAP government on a pleato declare all child marriagesperformed in the nationalcapital as void ab initio (to betreated as invalid from the out-set).

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singhissued notice to the Delhigovernment and sought itsstand on the petition by awoman who has also sought tonullify her marriage which wasallegedly performed when shewas a minor.

The court also issued noticeto her father, brother and theman she was married to seek-ing their response to the pleabefore February 12, the nextdate of hearing.

The woman, representedby advocate Tanveer AhmedMir, has challenged a provi-sion of the Prohibition ofChild Marriage Act whichmakes a wedding of minorsvoidable only at the option of

either of the parties who wasa child at the time of the event.

The petitioner has sought adeclaration from the courtthat every child marriage per-formed in the state should bevoid ab-initio.

Mir, during the hearing,told the bench that his clientwas staying at an undisclosedlocation as she apprehendedthat her family would force herto agree to the child marriagewhich was performed in April2010 when she was a minor.

The petitioner, also repre-sented by advocates GurpreetSingh, Mohit D Ram, BakulJain and Jatin Sethi, furtherclaims that the person towhom she was married whenshe was a minor was the sonof her maternal aunt. Thewoman, who claims to beborn on December 10, 1993,has contended that when hermarriage was performed inApril 2010 she had no optionbut to give her consent as atthat time she was awaiting herclass 10 results and could notgo against her parents wish.

Plea to declare allchild marriages inDelhi as void

PNS n JAMMU

Alleging that some gov-ernment departments weredenying promotion to dis-placed Kashmiri migrantemployees in the valley, theAll Party MigrantCoordination Committee(APMCC) on Mondaythreatened launch an agita-tion if the UT administra-tion failed to end the“harassment”.

APMCC ChairmanVinod Pandita said sometop bureaucrats in theunion territory were “mis-leading” LieutenantGovernor Manoj Sinha onthe matters of Kashmirimigrant employees,appointed under the primeminister's special employ-ment package, in order todeprive them of their rights.

APMCC strongly con-demns the harassing tacticsof the Jammu and Kashmiradministration against themigrant employees inKashmir valley with regardto their regular promotionsas well as time bound pro-motions, Pandita said.

"Some departments aredenying promotion benefitsto migrant employees onfrivolous pleas that theywere not permanentemployees of the depart-ments and their postswould remain supernumer-ary," Pandita told reportershere.

"They should stopharassing these employeesor face an agitation," hesaid.

Govt departments deny promotion to displacedKashmir migrants

PNS n SUDHI

A 45-year-old woman hasbeen grievously injured afterfour men allegedly raped herand inserted an iron rod intoher private parts in MadhyaPradesh's Sidhi district, policesaid on Monday.

The incident took place onSaturday night following

which the woman has beenundergoing treatment in ahospital in neighbouring Rewadistrict, Amiliya police sta-tion in-charge Deepak Baghelsaid.

The four accused have beendetained, he said.

State Home MinisterNarottam Mishra toldreporters in Bhopal onMonday that no culprit will bespared.

A speedy trial will be con-ducted into the case and theaccused will be punished, hesaid.

According to the police offi-cial, the woman's husbanddied about four years back andshe was living with her twochildren and 40-year-old sister

in a shanty on a hillock nearHardi village, about 60 km

from the district headquarters.She ran a shop from her

shanty to earn her livelihood,the official said.

Around 10 pm on Saturday,four men approached her andasked for water.

When the woman told themthat she did not have water, theaccused broke into the home.They then allegedly raped herand inserted an iron rod intoher private parts, the officialsaid quoting the victim's com-plaint.

The woman subsequentlyfainted due to excessive bleed-ing, he said, adding that hertwo sons, aged 16 and 18,were not at home at the timeof the incident.

Her sister could not callanyone for help at that time astheir house is located in a des-olate place, the police officialsaid. Later, the woman's sistercalled an auto-rickshaw fromHardi village and took her toAmiliya police station, fromwhere she was taken to Sidhidistrict hospital, he said.

PNS n AHMEDABAD

The percentage of women con-suming alcohol has doubled inthe last four years in Gujarat,a 'dry state' since its inceptionin 1960, according to therecently released NationalFamily Health Survey (NFHS-5) report for 2019-20.

A total of 33,343 women and5,351 men from Gujarat werecovered under the NFHS-5.

Of the women surveyed,nearly 200, which is 0.6 per-cent, claimed they consumedliquor, a rise from the 68women who had said so in theNFHS-4 survey for the year2015-16.

For NHFS-4, the samplesize in Gujarat was 22,932women and 5,574 men.

However, the comparison

of the two surveys also showsthat liquor consumptionamong men has halved duringthe same period.

In the 2015-16 survey, 618men (11.1 per cent of 5,574)

had claimed they consumedliquor, and this has come downto 310 men, or 5.8 per cent ofthe 5,351 surveyed, in the lat-est report.

Sociologist Gaurang Jani on

Monday attributed the rise inthe percentage of womendrinkers to "party culture" andgreater acceptability of liquorconsumption in society.

"The middle class and uppermiddle class have embracedthe party culture in recenttimes. As a result, women infamilies have also started con-suming liquor. Earlier, menused to go out to drink. Now,a new culture of consumingliquor in family parties hasemerged," said Jani. "People arethrowing family parties to cel-ebrate even small events.Moreover, kitty parties havealso contributed to higherliquor consumption amongwomen, NRIs are also bringingliquor with them and enjoyingit during house parties herewith relatives," he claimed.

Women alcohol drinkers in ‘dry' Guj on the rise

PNS n RANAGHAT (WB)

The country is staring at afood crisis because of the"adamant" approach of theBJP to the continued agitationby farmers for withdrawal ofthe three new farm laws, WestBengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee said on Monday.

She also called the BJP a"junk" party for inducting"rotten" leaders from otherpolitical outfits.

"The country is staring at afood crisis. If the BJP contin-ues to remain adamant on thefarm laws, there will be afood shortage in our country.

The farmers are assets ofour country and we should not

do anything that goes againsttheir interest," she said.

The TMC supremo alsodemanded immediate repealof the three farm laws, asbeing demanded by farmersagitating at Delhi's borders.

She also unleashed a sting-ing attack on the BJP over theparty inducting a raft of lead-ers from other political parties.

Country staring at food crisisbecause of BJP: Mamata

PNS n MUMBAI

The Bombay High Court onMonday extended tillJanuary 13 a civil court ordergranting interim protectionto actor Sonu Sood fromcoercive action by the BMCagainst the alleged illegalstructural changes made byhim in a residential buildingin suburban Juhu withoutpermission.

Sood last week approachedthe HC, challenging a notice

issued against him by theBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation in October lastyear and an order passed by acivil court in December dis-missing his suit against theBMC's action. The civil court,while dismissing the suit, had

granted three weeks time toSood to file an appeal andstayed its order, thus grantingrelief to the actor.

On Monday, BMC's counselAnik Sakhare sought time to

respond to the actor's peti-tion. Sood's advocate AmoghSingh then sought interimprotection and a direction tothe civic body to not take anycoercive action.

Justice Prithviraj Chavan,while adjourning the petition

till January 13, said, "The orderpassed by the lower court shallcontinue till then."

Sood's advocate Singh toldthe HC that the actor has notcarried out any illegal or unau-thorised construction in thesix-storey Shakti Sagar build-ing. "The petitioner (Sood)has not made any changes inthe building that warrant per-mission from the BMC. Onlythose changes that are allowedunder the MaharashtraRegional and Town Planning(MRTP) Act have been done,"Singh said.

BMC's counsel Sakhare,however, argued that the peti-tioner was illegally convertingthe residential building into ahotel without procuringlicense.

PNS n JASHPUR

Three persons have been killedin separate incidents of attackby elephants in Chhattisgarh'sJashpur district, a forest offi-cial said on Monday.

The incidents took place lateSunday evening in Pathalgaonforest range of the district,located around 450 km fromthe state capital Raipur, hesaid. As per the official, a 50-year-old native of Saraitola

village, identified as oneDilsai Ram Chauhan, wasreturning on foot after workfrom nearby Dumarbahar vil-lage when he was attacked byan elephant.

Despite being advised byforest personnel not to takethat route because of the pres-

ence of jumbos, Chauhan tookthe route, he said.

The official said two morepersons, identified as JagatRam (62) and Karu (65), weretrampled to death by wildelephants at separate places inthe district's Jhimki village.

Family members of each ofthe deceased were given animmediate aid of Rs 25,000.The remaining compensationof Rs 5.75 lakh each will begiven after the completion offormalities, he said.

Several incidents of human-elephant conflict have beenreported in the past from thethick forested northernChhattisgarh, consisting ofSurguja, Surajpur, Korba,Raigarh, Jashpur, Balrampurand Korea districts.

3 killed in elephant attacks in Jashpur

HC extends relief to Sonu Soodin ‘illegal' construction case

PNS n SILCHAR

BJP national president J PNadda on Monday assertedthat his party will return topower in Assam in the upcom-ing elections, bagging over100 of 126 assembly seats, asthe Sarbananda Sonowal-ledgovernment has worked forthe all-round development ofthe state.

Nadda, during his address at'Vijay Sankalp' rally here, saidthat the saffron party, since itsvictory in 2016 Assam assem-bly polls, has gone on to winall elections in the state -- beit zilla parishad, panchayat,

territorial or autonomouscouncil.

The party has given duerecognition to Assam's culture,language and identity, the topBJP leader said.

"The BJP has been workingpeacefully for the develop-ment of Assam, taking intoconsideration the interests ofall communities.

It has fulfilled theirdemands without harmingothers. "PM and Union HomeMinister Amit Shah resolvedthe 50-year old Bodo issue bysigning a peace accord andbringing the militants to themainstream.

‘BJP will return topower in Assam’

PNS n ALIPURDUAR (WB)

A tea garden worker waskilled in West Bengal'sAlipurduar district onMonday in an attack by a wildelephant, officials said.

The incident happened inthe early morning at theHantapara tea garden inMadarihat, they said. Thedeceased was identified asKande Munda, they said. Hewas attacked by the wild ele-phant from behind in thethick fog. Munde was takento the Madarihat PrimaryHealth Centre in a criticalcondition and he died therewhile undergoing treatment.

Tea gardenworker killed inelephant attackin Alipurduar

Woman gang-raped, rod inserted into private parts

In 2003, the trio of JK Bajaj,Professor MD Srinivas andAP Joshi came out with apath-breaking work,

‘Religious Demography of India’. Itrevealed the changing share of dif-ferent religious communities inIndia, based on the Census figuresbetween 1881 and 1991. ThePartition was a watershed momentin India’s inter-communal rela-tions. The study, however, suggeststhat it was far from the culmina-tion. Muslims are still the fastestgrowing community in India,particularly in certain pocketsclose to the frontiers or coastline.Numerous districts of India, oftencontiguous, betrayed a significant-ly higher growth rate of theMuslim population. A belt ofMuslim concentration districtsspans Jammu & Kashmir (J&K),western Uttar Pradesh (UP),north-eastern Bihar, West Bengaland Assam, running almost intoBangladesh.

Way back in 1912, ColonelUN Mukherji (based on his studyof Censuses 1881 to 1911) hadstated that the Hindus were a“dying” race. Bajaj’s team —through a more exhaustive analy-sis of the Census figures — con-cluded that the changes on theground were far too serious inindependent India than those inthe colonial era. These develop-ments could not be without severeconsequences for India.

It was a book about India’sfuture, or rather challenges to it,which those in power shouldhave taken note of. However, theAtal Bihari Vajpayee Governmentsoon lost power in May 2004. TheUPA-1 Government attuned itspolicies to the growing Muslimclout. It set up the SacharCommittee to study Muslimunderdevelopment, created anindependent Ministry of MinorityAffairs permanently headed by aMuslim Minister and announcedlakhs of scholarships for theminorities, where the lion’s sharewent to Muslims. It was in a senseBajaj’s predictions coming true;Muslim demographic heft wasmoulding State policies.

However, those with whomhe shared his ideological affinityalso did not seem to realise theimportance of his work. Theywould hardly read or quote fromhis laborious work. Though Bajaj’sCentre for Policy Studies contin-ued to function and even securedits own building in Central Delhi(which apparently meant that itwas able to monetise its projects,or obtain funding), his path-

breaking work was not suffi-ciently appreciated by those onwhom he had pinned his hopesthe most.

Since 2014, India seems tohave come under a divinely-ordained Prime Minister. TheHindu nationalists have rea-sons to be upbeat. However, thepro-minority (read Muslim)policies of the Governmenthave only got bigger and bet-ter. New schemes like NaiManzil, USTTAD and GharibNawaz have been started by theModi Government. Almost`2,082 crore were disbursedtowards pre-matric, post-matric and merit-cum-means-based scholarships duringfinancial year (FY) 2019-20,marking a definite improve-ment over the `1,739 croreworth of scholarships duringFY 2013-14. The ambit ofPradhan Mantri Jan VikasKaryakram (previously calledmulti-sectoral developmentprogramme for the minorities)has been expanded to 308 dis-tricts from mere 90 under theUPA Government. What waspreviously alleged as “appease-ment” is now being re-inter-preted as “empowerment”. Allthe Congress-era institutionscatering to religious minoritiesare functioning well. However,this Government neverappointed a Commissioner forLinguistic Minorities, though itis a constitutional post.

Bajaj and Prof Srinivasrecently sprang a surprise witha 1,000-page tome on Gandhi.

The book, titled ‘Making of aHindu Patriot: Background ofGandhi’s Hind Swaraj’, is basedmostly on Gandhi’s own corre-spondences and conversations.As evident, it deals with theperiod prior to 1908, when theHind Swaraj was published.Gandhi spent 24 years in SouthAfrica before returning to Indiain January 1915. This colum-nist, though he is yet to see thebook, is in no doubt that theauthors would have done athorough job. However, was thesubject really worth the massivelabour the two authors put up?Further, does this really con-tribute something to India’sfuture as their previous workon religious demography did?

The crux of the authors’argument is that Gandhi’s political outlook was shaped by profound Hindu convictions.Those having read the speechesand correspondences of Gandhiwould know that this is correct.Expressions like “I speak as aHindu” and “our Hindu scrip-tures say that…” frequentlyappear in his literature. He main-streamed the concepts like satya-graha, ashram, brahmacharya,Ram rajya, upvaas (fast), maun(silence), Daridra Narayan,Harijan and suchlike in a bid tode-colonise the Indian mind.However, why would such a per-son, with deep formative influ-ence of Hinduism, zealouslytake up the Khilafat Movementto restore the deposed Sultan ofTurkey on his throne? Gandhimade Hindu-Muslim unity a

precondition for any politicalaction. He went to the extent of distorting the bhajan“Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” toinclude words like Allah, Rahimand Karim. Gandhi describedthe marauding Moplahs inMalabar as “God-fearing people”and (at the Guwahati Congress,1926) refused to censure AbdulRashid, the assassin of SwamiShraddhanand, but rather called him a “brother” who haddone no wrong.

BR Ambedkar — in hislandmark book Pakistan, or thePartition of India — wonderedwhether any sane man could goto the extent that Gandhi wentfor the sake of Hindu-Muslimunity. However, while Gandhiharmed the Hindu interests, hefailed to impress the Muslimseither. They dissociated them-selves from the leadership ofGandhi soon as the KhilafatNon-Cooperation Movementended in a fiasco. Rather, theMuslims turned upon theHindus as though they wereresponsible for Mustafa KemalPasha’s abolition of the Caliphate.Gandhi had to acknowledgethat every Muslim was a bully,and every Hindu a coward.

Gandhi fraternised withHusyen Shaheed Suhrawardy(1884-1963), the evil genius ofGreat Calcutta Killings (August1946) to the extent that the lat-ter could attend Gandhi’sprayers at Birla House in NewDelhi (September 1947) asSubimal Dutt (later India’sForeign Secretary) found him

(With Nehru in Foreign Office,P18). Is this how a “Hindupatriot” should act?

One wonders what purposewill be served by identifying a“Hindu patriot” in Gandhi inSouth Africa. In South Africa,the Hindu-Muslim questionwas either non-existent or sub-servient to the question ofcolonial policy. The immigrantIndians were a small minorityamong the huge native blackpopulation and tiny Whiterulers. Gandhi’s test ofHinduism was in the Indiabetween the years of KhilafatMovement to the MuslimLeague’s campaign for Pakistan.He failed the test miserably.

Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS) chief Mohan RaoBhagwat launching the book isperhaps an indication of“Gandhi-tisation of the RSS”even though the Hindus mightcontinue to put its faith in theorganisation as their saviour. IfGandhi were really a “Hindupatriot”, KB Hedgewar need nothave founded the RSS in 1925.Moreover, the Gandhi that onecomes across in the HindSwaraj or Indian Home Rule(1908) is a person who wantsto disengage with all forms ofmodernism and industrialism,viz; railways, machinery, lawcourts, Parliament and so on.Is it the way forward for themuch-touted “New India”?

(The writer is an authorand independent researcherbased in New Delhi. The opinions expressed are personal.)

Cricket, they say, is a gentleman’s game. But thedisgrace which occurred on the fourth day of theongoing third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground

(SCG) doesn’t bear witness to this adage at all. TeamIndia pacer Mohammed Siraj was subjected to abuseby a section of racist Australian supporters who calledhim “Brown dog” and “Big monkey” before being evict-ed from the stands by security officials when the bowlercomplained to his captain Ajinkya Rahane, who wasquick to take up the matter with the on-field umpires.What is worse is that such shameful indiscretion, non-chalance and mindset of the Aussie spectators is a recur-ring theme, given that even the previous day Siraj andJasprit Bumrah were on the receiving end of racial abuse.

According to a media report, the Australian fans had been drunk. “Bumrah and Siraj werecalled monkeys, w**ker and mo**er by the people almost throughout the time they werefielding at the boundary,” it claimed. What lends more currency to the two Indian bowlers’allegation is the fact that a number of cricketers — including Sachin Tendulkar, HarbhajanSingh, Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli — have come out to counter the New SouthWales Police’s claim that the six fans were only “welcoming Siraj to Sydney” by unequiv-ocally stating that they had had also undergone many incidents where “really patheticthings were said” near the boundary rope.

But it has been an issue in Australian sport stretching back decades, on and off thefield. Aficionados would vividly remember the Monkeygate scandal involving HarbhajanSingh and Andrew Symonds during the second India-Australia Test in Sydney in 2008-2009, and Kohli’s flipping response — yes, to the Sydney crowd, again — in the 2011-12 series. Then, Cricket Australia was forced to lodge an investigation when England crick-eter Moeen Ali accused an Australian player of name-calling him during the 2015 Ashesseries. In his autobiography, Ali had revealed that he was called “Osama” by an Australianplayer. As per an extract, an Australian player had turned to him on the field and said:“Take that, Osama.” The Englishman had asserted that he “could not believe” what hehad heard at the time. Similarly, former Australian Test star Usman Khawaja has previ-ously said he was abused so much growing up that he refused to support the nationalside, and claimed racism once even played a role in selections for the team. Even offthe field, several attacks on Indian students across different Australian cities have beenascribed to “racism” and “racial overtones” and, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asians were targeted by linking them to the likely origin of the disease inChina. The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) “anti-racism code” clearly banishes “engag-ing in any conduct (whether through the use of language, gestures or otherwise) whichis likely to offend, insult, humiliate, intimidate, threaten, disparage or vilify any reason-able person in the position of a player, player support personnel, umpire, match referee,umpire support personnel or any other person (including a spectator) on the basis oftheir race, religion, culture, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin”. It is high time, there-fore, that Cricket Australia, in tandem with the police authorities, take expeditious andstrict action against the racist bigots and make an example of them so that their, and thatof others like them, perfidiousness comes to a permanent halt. The ongoing series iscurrently locked 1-1 and the finale is scheduled in Brisbane from January 15.

SC reprimands Govt

It has happened again; the Supreme Court remind-ing the Executive to carry out its functions rather thanrelying on legal intervention on matters that it is per-

fectly equipped to handle. Except, this time, it was anadmonishment of sorts, exasperation even, with theGovernment for not heeding past counsel and passingthe buck to escape its share of the blame. So the topcourt reminded the Government, which washed its handsof the impasse with farmers over new agricultural laws,that it could not ignore its role in what was essentiallya matter of policy. In a stinging rap, the judges re-empha-sised the need for a consultative process to resolve thevexed issue, asking the Government whether it wouldpause the implementation of the farm laws, or else the

court would. It further drew attention to dialogue as the only way out, asking “What’s theego here?” and if the Government was “part of the problem or solution?” Consideringthat it had earlier highlighted the importance of setting up a mediatory committee, thecourt rightly took umbrage at the Government’s ignorance of such recommendation andits rigidity. By calling out the Government on its stubbornness, the court clearly laid outthe virtues of democratic discourse. Besides, it kept the Centre accountable to farmers,a task that the latter was hoping to tie up in legalities. The court, hearing a clutch of peti-tions challenging the farm laws and farmer agitations at the Delhi border, was also deeplyconcerned about the human dimension, raising questions about suicides and even oldmen and women holding out in the harsh weather. Clearly, it didn’t want a civil move-ment to get out of hand because of the Government’s intransigence and, at the sametime, warned against a crackdown, with Chief Justice of India SA Bobde saying: “We donot want blood on our hands.” By suggesting that the protests could continue even afterthe laws’ implementation was stayed, the court made it clear that dissent needed its space.Nor could the Centre “blame the previous Governments” for it, it added, an indictment ofits tendency to attribute anything antithetical as the Opposition’s conspiracy.

It would be easy to describe the court’s stern stand as a win for the farmers’ unionsbut the fact of the matter is that it is a denunciation of the Government’s political failure.Had the Government preferred the Standing Committee’s scrutiny over pushing the lawunceremoniously with a voice vote in the Upper House, things would not have come tosuch a pass. A GST-like consensus involving the Centre and States would have helped,since agriculture-related issues come under the State List in Schedule VII of the Constitution.The laws may sound well-intended, reformist and help farmers in the long run but should-n’t the Government then have hand-held them through the transition? What stopped itfrom considering amendments or a “clause by clause” analysis while the laws were onthe drawing board? In that sense, the Government is solely responsible for fomenting protestsin the first place. The farmers are not against market economics but simply want a levelplaying field. Experts may argue that the protest is being led by cultivators from Punjaband Haryana, who have benefited because of the Government’s guaranteed pickup of vol-umes and fixed rates, namely the Minimum Support Price (MSP). But with the MSP itselfbecoming unremunerative given the rising input costs, with the farmers forced to sell atlower rates, they are but naturally wary of competitive prices in the open market. The smalland marginal farmers, the lot of whom the Acts intend to improve, would not gain thatmuch either, given their limited resources to transport their goods to the local mandis,leave alone to bigger markets . Besides, without proper warehousing and processing, theywould anyway be dependent on the food majors. With most of them not literate enoughto exercise their rights, dispute resolution could also end up being loaded against them.The farmers need to be legally protected in what is still an unequal deal.

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

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op nionVIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 12, 2021

06

The Sydney stain

Court wants farm laws paused till the deadlock with farmerscan be resolved through dialogue, not judicial intervention

Cricket Australia must take expeditious and strict actionagainst the racial bigots and make an example of them

A ‘Hindu patriot’?Gandhi's idea of Swaraj was admittedly shaped by his Hindu ethos. Butcan it be overlooked that he sacrificed Hindu interests for Pan-Islamism?

PRIYADARSHI DUTTA

Alternative to WhatsAppSir — The recent change in theprivacy policy of WhatsApp islike holding people to ransom.Even though the service providerhas clarified that the change isonly to facilitate business, thereis no assurance that personalchats will not be tracked.

The credibility of WhatsAppis now lost and people shouldavoid using it for messagesrelated to business transactions.The banks should withdraw allthe services provided throughWhatsApp and courts may alsoreview the earlier decision ofallowing WhatsApp for officialcommunication.

In the age of technology, pri-vacy is of utmost importance andthe Government should framerules to ensure that no companyis allowed to compromise on theprivacy and safety of end users.

It is also an opportunity forthe Government to promote‘Make In India’ by encouragingyoung entrepreneurs to developindigenous social media plat-forms similar to WhatsApp. Thatwill not only safeguard the priva-cy of common people but also ofbusinesses and the Government.

M RaghuramanMumbai

Neglected elderlySir — We as a society have failedto take care of our elderly. Theproblems faced by the older peo-ple are mainly due to the disin-tegration of the traditional jointfamily system. In the nucleatedfamilies, the elderly are mostly leftto take care of themselves or at themercy of a caretaker who often

ill-treats them. Moreover, geri-atrics is still a neglected area inmodern medicine. The privateold-age homes are very expensiveand mostly out of reach for a largesection of society.

The expenditure of elderlycare is ballooning in the absenceof concrete models of supportfrom the Government. We arestill ill-prepared to deal with the

problems confronting the elder-ly population like chronic illness,mental health problems, ill-treatment by caregivers and soon. Our economic growth willnot be sustainable in the truesense if we fail to empower ourolder people and create a safeenvironment for them.

Bhagwan Thadani Mumbai

Stop caste biasSir — It is very saddening thata few days ago, a Muslim shop-keeper was detained by policefor selling shoes embossed withthe word ‘Thakur’ on the solesin Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr.

The incident raises uncom-fortable questions about oursociety and politics. It also showswhere we are headed as a nationand society. Why a caste nameon the shoe becomes incendiarywhen a Muslim sells it and notwhen others do? Shopkeepershave sold ‘Thakur’ footwear inUP and elsewhere for decadeswithout it kicking up any dust.Are we reaching a situationwhere to use a certain title is toinvite trouble and legal action?

Such incidents show that weare sitting on top of a volcanowhich can erupt anytime lead-ing to caste and class conflicts inthe society. It is the responsibil-ity of the State Government toensure that no injustice is doneto the poor shopkeeper and hislivelihood is not affected.

Shovanlal Chakraborty Kolkata

Sad state of fire safety system in Govt hospitals

The recent fire tragedy at a Government hospital inMaharashtra's Bhandara district is yet another inci-dent that shows the pathetic state of fire safety sys-

tem at State-run hospitals. It reminds us of similar tragedies in the past that

were apparently not horrible enough to wake up theauthorities from slumber. Ten infants have been killedin the fire that gutted the newborn care unit at the GeneralHospital. The gory incident shows how safety norms arethrown out of the window when it comes to saving lives.Safety measures, even in the best of Government hos-pitals, are not up to the mark and lack standard features.The casual approach towards standardising the protec-tive system in State-run hospitals is scary. It is doubt-ful whether a clearance from the relevant safetyauthorities is procured by such district-level hospitals.The question that jumps to one's mind is whether fireaudits are carried out regularly? Are the firefighting equip-ment monitored periodically?

The need for maintenance of electrical wiring on aregular basis cannot be stressed enough. It is also theresponsibility of hospital staff and relatives of patients

who regularly smoke, ignoring the rules and putting thelives of others in grave danger. There are many inflam-mable materials and waste in hospitals that can catchfire easily. In a fire emergency, extinguishment and evac-uation have to be accorded top priority. It is high timethe authorities take preventive steps on war-footing andmake the fire safety system more robust.

Ganapathi BhatAkola

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Cricket never discriminates.The bat and ball recognise thetalent of the person holdingthem and not the race, colour,religion or nationality.

Cricketer

Sachin Tendulkar

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

If there is constructive criti-cism, I will surely introspectbecause that is the way to growas an individual. As an actor, Iam constantly working on thenuances in my performance.

ActorPankaj Tripathi

The BJP high command haspermitted us to induct sevenlegislators in the Cabinet. Theywill be sworn in on Jan 13afternoon as there is ‘habba'(Sankranti festival) on Jan 14.

Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

In protecting ourConstitution and democracy,we will act with urgencybecause this President represents an imminentthreat to both.

US Lower House SpeakerNancy Pelosi

S O U N D B I T E

Stop chasing a mirage

WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THE ATMOSPHERE

CONDUCIVE BY KEEPING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

(THREE FARM) LAWS IN ABEYANCE.

—CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA

ARVIND BOBDE

A LAW CANNOT BE STAYED UNLESS IT IS

BEYOND LEGISLATIVE COMPETENCE OR

VIOLATIVE OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS.

—ATTORNEY-GENERAL

KK VENUGOPAL

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The Department of Investment and PublicAsset Management (DIPAM) is in a war ofwords with the Ministry of Finance (MoF)

over the proceeds of disinvestment of theGovernment’s shareholding in Central PublicSector Undertakings (CPSUs) during 2020-21.The point raised by the DIPAM is that out of the`2,10,000 crore target fixed in the Union Budget,a big slice of `90,000 crore, was thrust upon itby the MoF as being the projected proceeds fromthe sale of 10 per cent shares in the LifeInsurance Corporation (LIC) and its residualstake in IDBI bank (during 2018-19, LICacquired 51 per cent stake in IDBI Bank even asthe balance 49 per cent remained with theCentre).

Leave aside `90,000 crore, even the balance`1,20,000 crore is nowhere within reach as theproceeds so far are a meagre `14,000 crore. TheNarendra Modi Government’s strategy of disin-vestment pursued during the last seven years hasnot worked. This is because barring two years i.e.2017-18 and 2018-19 — when the actual proceedsfrom divestment exceeded the goal — in theremaining five years the target fell short. Evenduring those two exceptional years, the good per-formance was made possible primarily due to twobig ticket sales of the Union Government’s sharesin one CPSU to another. This was the sale of its51.11 per cent shareholding in HindustanPetroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to theOil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) dur-ing 2017-18 yielding `37,000 crore and the saleof its 52.63 per cent stake in the RuralElectrification Corporation (REC) to the PowerFinance Corporation (PFC) 2018-19 that broughtin `13,000 crore. But, for these, even during 2017-18 and 2018-19, actual proceeds would have fall-en short.

These trends point towards bad handling ofthe disinvestment process. At the root of this isthe faulty approach of the Union Government totreat CPSUs as an appendage to the administra-tive Ministry under which the PSU concernedfalls and by extension, treating proceeds fromdivestment of its shareholding in them as a sourceof revenue (albeit non-tax) while preparing itsBudget.

Unlike tax revenue which can be projectedwith a degree of certainty (the crucial determi-nants being the prevailing tax rate as per the lawof the land and the value of economic activity),the same can’t be said about the proceeds fromdisinvestment. In this case, a lot depends on themarket scenario and, in particular, the percep-tion of investors about the PSU in which sharesale is contemplated. It is even more relevant incases where strategic disinvestment is mooted.Under such a sale, the shareholding of the UnionGovernment is brought down to below 50 percent or even zero. For instance, the sale of itsentire shareholding of 51.11 per cent in HPCLor sale of its entire 53.29 per cent shareholdingin Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited(BPCL) that was initiated in 2019-20 and has notyet happened. In such cases, if you don’t get abuyer, the sale won’t materialise. The proof of thepudding is in the eating.

As per the original plan, the 51.11 per centshares of the Union Government in HPCL wereto be sold to a private investor. But things did notpan out as planned and towards the fag end ofthat year i.e. January 2018, the Government had

to ask ONGC to pick up the entirestake, as it desperately needed moneyto meet the fiscal deficit target (in theprocess, ONGC suffered a collateraldamage as it had to borrow `35,000crore to fund the purchase). The sec-ond flaw has to do with theGovernment’s reluctance to transferrights proportionate to shares sold toprivate parties.

Even in cases where strategic dis-investment is proposed, it wants toremain in the driver’s seat. To get anidea, look at what Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman said in her Budgetspeech for 2019-20. She had stated thatthe intent was to change the extant pol-icy of the Government "directly" hold-ing 51 per cent or above in a CPSU toone whereby its total holding, "direct"plus "indirect", is maintained at 51 percent.

Such a stingy approach and theunwillingness of the political establish-ment to relinquish control even afterdivestment of majority ownership is farfrom conducive to eliciting interestfrom potential investors.

Third, the Government spendstoo much time on policy formulation— a process that goes on ad infinitum.In early 2016, the NITI Aayog had rec-ommended a strategic sale of over twodozen CPSUs. But, the powers that bedidn’t act on those recommendations.

Meanwhile, early this year,Sitharaman announced broad con-tours of the Government’s plans on pri-vatisation, delineating differentapproaches to “strategic” (16 such sec-tors have been identified) and “non-strategic” sectors. Reportedly, a meet-ing of the Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs (CCEA) will be heldshortly to approve the policy.

Allowing for about a year for theNITI Aayog to come up with its recom-mendations, it has been more than fiveyears and the policy on strategic disin-vestment has not been finalised yet. Tillthat happens, the Ministries concerned

won’t gain the necessary momentum topush the sale process. Even after adivestment plan for a PSU is finalised,the Government remains in a flip-flopmode. For instance, in the case of AirIndia (AI), in its initial sale plan (2018-19), it had insisted on retaining 26 percent stake, three years’ lock-in periodon disposition of shares by the acquir-er, leaving a big slice of debt on the bal-ance sheet, retention of employees andso on. Since then several changes havebeen made. The offer plan currentlyunder execution includes divestment ofall of the Government’s shareholding,requiring the suitor to bid for the “enter-prise value” (put simply, it means, hewill be free from any debt burden),relaxation in other riders such as lock-in period, retention of employees andso on.

These flip-flops result in avoidabledelays and erosion in the sale proceeds.If, only the Government had gone forsale of its 100 per cent stake in its 2018-19 offer and not insisted on the suitorto pick up a big slice of the debt on theAI’s books, further erosion in the real-isable value from sales could have beenavoided. Fourth, notwithstanding muchtrumpeting about governance reforms,bureaucratic red tape rules the roost.Almost all processes starting fromconception, getting approvals, appoint-ment of transaction advisor, inviting anExpression of Interest, financial bids,selection of bidder and so on, crucialto successful completion of disinvest-ment are hamstrung by it. Add to this,the reluctance of bureaucrats to taketimely decisions fearing they might bequestioned after retirement.

This leads to delay in processes andby the time, all approvals are in place,the market scenario has undergone adrastic change. For instance, the sale ofBPCL was planned during 2019-20.Then, the projected realisation fromsale was over `60,000 crore. But, theofficials were not ready. Even as theyexuded confidence that the sale would

go through during the current year, thepandemic has spoilt the party. Thechances of the sale getting completedby March 31 this year are dim.Meanwhile, there has been significantvalue erosion, even as the proceeds oncurrent valuation may not exceed`45,000 crore.

To conclude, the present approachof the Government to link divestmentof its shareholding in CPSUs to usingreceipts (non-tax) therefrom to meetthe fiscal deficit target is flawed. Itshould be abandoned. Instead, theGovernment should pursue share saleincluding strategic disinvestment (orprivatisation) as an objective by itself.

In this regard, formulation of anappropriate strategy and preparation ofa PSU-specific plan should come fromthe management (it is best equipped todo the job) instead of being thrust onit by the concerned administrativeMinistry under a typical top-downapproach.

However, the Government mayconstitute a panel of eminent profes-sionals (sans bureaucrats) for provid-ing guidance on macro-economic issuesthat have a bearing on the disinvest-ment process and can be helpful inmaximising realisation from the sale.

In the current scenario, wherein theGovernment is encouraging privatecompanies to invest even in sensitiveareas such as defence, space and so on,there is no point in getting boggeddown in drawing a line between strate-gic and non-strategic sectors. Anydecision to privatise a PSU should betaken on the merit of each case.

This will give the much-neededflexibility to the management to decidethe contours and timing of the divest-ment, taking into account market con-ditions. This will help in maximisingproceeds from sales and improve theCentre’s budgetary position, too.

(The writer is a New Delhi-based policy analyst. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

The Govt needs to pursue disinvestment, including privatisation, as an objectiveby itself instead of linking it to revenue receipts and meeting the fiscal target

07F I R S T C O L U M N

Drama in the USis not over yet

KALYANI SHANKAR

US President Donald Trump might make somemore attempts to subvert democracy till January20, when President-elect Joe Biden takes over

UTTAM GUPTA

IN THE CURRENTSCENARIO,

WHEREIN THEGOVERNMENT IS

ENCOURAGINGPRIVATE

COMPANIES TOINVEST EVEN IN

SENSITIVE AREASSUCH AS DEFENCE,SPACE AND SO ON,THERE IS NO POINT

IN GETTING BOGGEDDOWN IN DRAWING

A LINE BETWEENSTRATEGIC ANDNON-STRATEGIC

SECTORS. ANYDECISION TO

PRIVATISE A PSUSHOULD BE TAKENON THE MERIT OFEACH CASE. THIS

WILL GIVE THEMUCH-NEEDED

FLEXIBILITY TO THEMANAGEMENT TO

DECIDE THECONTOURS ANDTIMING OF THE

DIVESTMENT,TAKING INTO

ACCOUNT MARKETCONDITIONS

There is a WhatsApp message doing the rounds: “Americansrecently found out that it’s much easier for them to changepresidents in other countries than in their own nation.” So,

how does the largest democracy, India, compare with the oldestone, the US, on practising democracy?

All through the presidential campaign, outgoing US PresidentDonald Trump had declared that he would not move out of theWhite House even if he were defeated. His rival, President-electJoe Biden, retorted that he (Trump) would be escorted out by themilitary. But no one expected an attack on the Capitol Hill, whichis regarded as the temple of democracy in the US. Trump hasspent the last two months refusing to concede defeat and claim-ing mass voter fraud. But the worst was his instigation of the CapitolHill riots. According to the US media, Trump began his most infa-mous Wednesday morning making a last-ditch effort to hold onto power with a tweet, asking his Vice-President Mike Pence tointervene and overturn Joe Biden’s election. Pence publicly issueda letter in the afternoon declaring that he would not illegally inter-vene in the Congress, minutes before convening the joint sessionof the US Congress to certify the Electoral College. Trump addressedhis supporters about 1 PM and declared: “We will never give up,we will never concede,” and announced “We’re going to theCapitol.” Trump drove his supporters into a frenzy. However, hedid not join them in the riots that followed in the Capitol Hill andwent back to the White House and watched the destruction ontelevision. At the end of Wednesday, after the US Congress con-firmed Biden’s victory, Trump declared: “Even though I disagreewith the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nev-ertheless, there will be an orderly transition on January 20.”

There are many reasons for Trump’s atrocious behaviour. Firstof all, he is a bad loser and reluctant to admit defeat. Even in 2016,Trump had declared that he would accept the poll results only ifhe won or else he would resort to legal action. Second, now thathe has lost the presidency, he would lose all federal protectionagainst prosecution. Third, he needs his followers to be his sup-port base in case he makes a presidential bid in 2024. He is alsodepending on the 73 million who voted for him this time. It is spec-ulated that Trump has made up his mind to contest the next elec-tions and wants to play the role of a martyr. Fourth, he also hasto keep the section of Republicans who support him in the party,happy. This contemptible attack on the US democracy makes onecompare it to the largest democracy, India, that has gone throughmany trials and tribulations in the last 73 years. India has seen asmooth transfer of power 17 times. The electorate, too, has becomemature over the decades since Independence and has punishedauthoritarian rulers. Even late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi whoimposed an Emergency in 1975 worked within the system, whichbears little direct parallels to the current situation in the US.

After declaring an Emergency under Article 352 of the IndianConstitution, Indira blamed the “hidden hand” of the CentralIntelligence Agency for internal unrest. The late President PranabMukherjee, who had been a Congressman all his life, talked aboutthe Emergency period in his book ‘The Dramatic Decade: The IndiraGandhi Years.’ He described the period thus: “Suspension of fun-damental rights and political activity (including trade union activ-ity), large-scale arrests of political leaders and activists, Press cen-sorship and extending the life of legislatures by not conductingelections were some instances of Emergency adversely affect-ing the interests of the people. Congress and Indira Gandhi hadto pay a heavy price for this misadventure.” The Emergency offi-cially ended on March 23, 1977. The Congress came down from352 seats to just 189 seats in the Lok Sabha in the 1977 elec-tions. The Janata Party came to power. However, once the peo-ple’s anger subsided a subdued Indira came back to power in 1980when the Janata Government collapsed. Since then, her succes-sors have confined themselves to the boundaries of theConstitution. Even in States where cult leaders like Tamil Nadu ChiefMinister J Jayalalithaa or RJD leader Lalu Prasad ruled in an author-itarian manner, they did so within the confines of the Constitution.So, to that extent, India has been lucky that democracy survivesunhindered.

The US democracy got a major jolt on Wednesday and it isnot over yet as Trump might make some more attempts to sub-vert democracy till January 20, when Biden takes over. The framersof the US Constitution would never have expected such shame-ful behaviour by a sitting President. In the words of Bob Woodward:“When history is written, Trump’s failure to heed the warnings hewas given is going to be probably the story of the failure of theAmerican presidency and the American system to nominate andelect someone who responsibly would carry out the duties ofPresident.”

(The writer is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal.)

As the world battles theCoronavirus pandemic andother zoonotic diseases that are

plaguing humanity, it is vital to keephealthy and boost immunity. Apartfrom the use of various allopathicdrugs and ayurvedic tonics, people aretrying out alternative therapies toimprove their overall health andimmunity.

One such therapy is Sujok, whichwas invented by late Park Jae Woo, aKorean professor, a few decades ago.It is a drugless method of treatmentand is a mixture of acupuncture andother healing methods. Su meanshand while jok means palm. Sujok isthus a method of treatment based on

the principle that all parts of the bodyhave a positional link in our palms andfeet and it thus focuses only on treat-ing through points in the hands andfeet.

After successfully treating manychronic diseases in his country, ProfPark chose India to propagate thistherapy and established the SujokAssociation of India in Nagpur. Hegroomed and trained a few physio-therapists and other interested peopleand kept on visiting India to popu-larise this drugless treatment.

Sujok in recent years has becomevery popular in some parts of Indiaamong people suffering from chron-ic diseases liked axonal neuropathy,cerebral palsy and so on, especiallyamong the poor people who cannotafford costly treatment in big hospi-tals. It is becoming popular because itis a very safe and effective natural ther-apy that works without medicines.

Sujok treatment is carried out byusing various instruments, like tinyneedles and magnets specially definedand made with precision to carry out

specialised, specific treatment on thehands and feet. Sujok needles are madeof medical grade steel, have spring-likehandles on one side and are perfect-ly shaped for painless insertion byexperts. The therapy also uses theenergy of various seeds and colours fortreatment. One of the most effectiveways to massage the points of the bodypart where the treatment is needed isdone by a diagnostic and therapeuticstick after identifying the exact pointsand then treating those points by mas-saging.

Magnets are the most importanttools in the armoury of a Sujok heal-er. They are used to channelise the flowof energy in the identified body part.Yet another way is the application ofelastic ring massagers to provide con-tinuous pressure on the identifiedpoint.

As for the efficacy of the treat-ment, Sujok practitioners give a longlist of diseases which can be cured bythem like arthritis, bronchitis, asthma,cervical spondylosis, backache, pain inthe joint, migraine, hypertension,

sinusitis, partial deafness, paralysis,constipation, acidity, obesity, dia-betes, blood pressure, menstrual prob-lems and many more diseases relatedto different body organs. However,practitioners say they find it to be suc-cessful in all muscle and nerve-relat-ed diseases, too.

For instance, a senior retired vet-erinary surgeon who was admitted toa medical college hospital inDehradun, was later treated by the AllIndia Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS), Delhi, for almost eightmonths for axonal neuropathy. He wasput through 84 tests but to no avail.Ultimately, out of frustration he con-tacted a Sujok expert in Dehradun andwas cured in 90 days. Today he is fineand his nerve conduction value hasreached 56 per cent in medical termsfrom 14 per cent. Similarly two chil-dren suffering from cerebral palsy chil-dren have returned home after fullyrecovering, thanks to Sujok therapy.

In a huge, overpopulated and poorcountry like India, providing afford-able healthcare to all is still a very big

challenge for the Government and theprivate sector alike. Even though thehealthcare infrastructure has beenramped up to a very large extent dueto the COVID-19 pandemic, it is farfrom adequate. At a time like this,when a lot of emphasis is on preven-tion of the infection, ayurvedic andtraditional systems of medicine haveproved their efficacy in bolstering theimmune system. In the treatment ofchronic diseases, where Sujok thera-py has achieved excellent results, itneeds to be subsumed in the holisticand alternative healthcare system sothat it can be evolved to provide cheap-er and assured healthcare to our citi-zens. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan,who is a celebrated doctor himself,needs to evolve an integrated health-care policy for certain identified dis-eases where a combination of allforms of medical therapies can beapplied.

Sujok therapy offers the IndianGovernment an excellent way to treatsome untreatable diseases at an afford-able cost. However, it should not be

included without testing its efficacyand solid scientific proof. To judge itspotential and effectiveness, theGovernment must ask AIIMS, Delhi,and other prestigious medical institu-tions in the country to conduct stud-ies and standardise the protocols foridentified diseases before Sujok ther-apy is officially recognised.

Even as Sujok therapy continuesto grow in popularity globally and helpcountless people suffering from chron-ic diseases, Sujok leaders in Korea,particularly Minchul Park, son of pro-fessor Park who heads the SujokInternational Foundation, have theirtask cut out. Park, must rid the SujokIndia Association of vested interestswho are not allowing new practition-ers to flourish and are putting up road-blocks in the spread of the therapy fortheir own selfish interests.

One can only hope that in the end,Sujok will spread widely across thecountry and become a boon for thepoor and rich alike.

(The writer is a retired civil servant.The views expressed are personal)

The drugless way to good healthSujok has become popular among people suffering from chronic diseases, especially among the poor who can’t afford costly hospitals

VK BAHUGUNA

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 12, 2021

www.dailypioneer.com

F O R E I G N E Y E

Spending on health andsocial care in the UK is lowerthan in many comparablecountries. It is good that somany British people valuethe NHS; indeed, it is acornerstone of progressivepolitics. But a resilient healthsystem cannot be run ongoodwill. What it needs,particularly in a country withan ageing population, issustained and strategicinvestment.

(The Guardian editorial)

THE UK NEEDS TOINVEST IN HEALTH

analysis

PNS n NEW DELHI

Automobile dealers' bodyFADA on Monday said passen-ger vehicle (PV) retail sales inDecember witnessed a year-on-year increase of 23.99 percent to 2,71,249 units on theback of the pent up demandcontinuing from the festiveseason.

According to the Federationof Automobile DealersAssociations (FADA), whichcollected vehicle registrationdata from 1,270 out of the1,477 regional transport offices(RTOs), PV sales stood at2,18,775 units in December2019. Two-wheeler salesincreased 11.88 per cent to14,24,620 units last month, ascompared to 12,73,318 units inDecember 2019. Commercialvehicle sales, however, slipped13.52 per cent to 51,454 units

in December 2020, as against59,497 units a year ago.

Similarly, three-wheelersales fell 52.75 per cent to27,715 units last month, from58,651 units in December2019. Tractor sales, however,grew by 35.49 per cent to69,105 units last month,against 51,004 units in thesame month of 2019.

Total sales across categoriesincreased 11.01 per cent to18,44,143 units last monthcompared to 16,61,245 units inDecember 2019. Commentingon December retail sales,FADA President Vinkesh

Gulati said the automobileregistrations grew for the firsttime during the current finan-cial year in December.

"A good crop season, betteroffers in two wheeler segment,new launches both in passen-ger vehicle as well as in the twowheeler segment, and a fear ofprice increase in the month ofJanuary kept the demandgoing," he added.

Supply-side issues, however,continued to impact the pas-senger vehicle vertical for thesecond straight month thusstretching waiting period ashigh as eight months for someselect models, Gulati said.

The commercial vehicle seg-ment continues to see demandpressure as axle load norms,increased fuel and vehicle costand higher freight rates contin-ued to impact the vertical, henoted.

Passenger vehicle retail sales up24% on back of pent-up demand

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 12, 2021 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

Dr Reddy's Laboratories onMonday said it has launched

Febuxostat tablets, used to treatgout due to high uric acid levels, inthe US market. The company haslaunched the product, which is ageneric version of Teijin Ltd's Ulorictablets, after getting approval fromthe US Food and Drug

Administration (USFDA), the company said in a regulatory filing.According to IQVIA Health, Uloric brand and generic versions hadsale of around USD 108 million (about Rs 790 crore) in the US forthe most recent twelve months. The Hyderabad-based firm said itsproduct is available in 40 mg and 80 mg strengths in 30 tabletsbottle count sizes. Shares of Dr Reddy's were trading 1.49 per centhigher at Rs 5,417 apiece on the BSE on Monday.

Hero Electric on Monday said ithas partnered with Delhi-based

startup Earth Ride to lease e-bikesto individuals, searching for newbusiness opportunities in the last-mile delivery model. Thepartnership aims to provide anavenue of livelihood for the youthof this country. Earth Ride's modelof lease-earn-own allows

individuals - who might not have the capital to buy a new electricscooter - to start working immediately as a delivery partner with anyof the delivery companies or for their entrepreneurial enterprise, thecompany said in a statement. If the rider pays all the lease paymentsas per the established contract, they will be allowed the opportunityto own the vehicle at the end of the said lease period.

The National StockExchange (NSE) on

Monday launched derivativeson the Nifty FinancialServices Index, which willgive more flexibility toinstitutional as well as retailinvestors to manage theirhedge. This is the first timethat the exchange has madeavailable weekly futures for

stock index derivatives. The index consists of 20 stocks and isdesigned to reflect the behaviour and performance of the Indianfinancial market, which includes banks, financial institutions, housingfinance, insurance companies and other financial servicescompanies. The financial services space assumes significance, as thesector accounts for 33.5 per cent of the Nifty 500 Index. At 13.35pm on Monday, as many as 5,464 contracts got traded in futuresand 81,772 contracts were traded in options. The index witnessed aturnover of over Rs 378 crore, according to the exchange. Currently,the exchange offers index derivatives on only two equity indices --Nifty 50 Index and Nifty Bank Index.

NSE launches derivatives on Nifty Financial Services Index

Dr Reddy's launches genericdrug in the US market

Khadi and Village IndustriesCommission will launch an eco-

friendly and non-toxic paint withanti-bacterial properties onTuesday. The "Khadi Prakritik Paint"is a first-of-its-kind product basedon cow dung as its mainingredient. It is cost-effective aswell as odourless and has been

certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The paint will be launchedby Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Micro, Small andMedium Enterprises Nitin Gadkari. "Khadi Prakritik Paint is available intwo forms – distemper paint and plastic emulsion paint. Production ofKhadi Prakritik Paint is aligned with the Prime Minister's vision ofincreasing farmers' income," an official statement said on Monday.The paint, with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, is free fromheavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic, cadmium andothers. It is expected to boost local manufacturing and createsustainable local employment through technology transfer.

Hero Electric partners startupEarth Ride to lease e-bikes

KVIC to launch eco-friendly, non-toxic wall paint on Tuesday

PNS n MUMBAI

Equity benchmark Sensex ral-lied 487 points on Monday toclose at a fresh lifetime peak,tracking gains in Infosys,HDFC twins and HCL Techamid massive foreign fundinflows.

After touching a recordintra-day high of 49,303.79, the30-share BSE index ended486.81 points or 1 per centhigher at 49,269.32.

Similarly, the broader NSENifty surged 137.50 points or0.96 per cent to finish at14,484.75. It hit a fresh intra-day high of 14,498.20.

On the Sensex chart, HCLTech was the top gainer, soar-ing around 6 per cent, followedby Infosys, HDFC, Bajaj Auto,Maruti, Tech Mahindra andM&M.

On the other hand, BajajFinserv, Bajaj Finance, RelianceIndustries, L&T, Kotak Bankand SBI were among the lag-gards.

According to Binod Modi,Head-Strategy at RelianceSecurities, domestic equitiesremained in the grip of bullswith benchmark indices regis-tering fresh highs as robustearnings performance by TCSand D-Mart bolstered

investors' confidence."Continued improvement in

COVID-19 recovery rates andannouncement of vaccinationprocess from January 16offered comfort to markets.Further, expectations of sharprecovery in corporate earningsled by sustained rebound inkey economic data may propel

market to witness fresh highsin the near term," he stated.

FPI flow may continue toremain favourable given statusof global economy, stance ofglobal central bankers andweak dollar, he said, addingthat domestic equities can alsowitness pre-Budget rally inthe coming weeks considering

broad expectations of pro-growth measures.

Foreign portfolio investors(FPIs) were net buyers in thecapital market as they pur-chased shares worth Rs6,029.83 crore on Friday,according to exchange data.

Elsewhere in Asia, boursesin Hong Kong and Seoul endedwith gains, while Shanghaiwas in the red.

Stock exchanges in Europewere trading on a negative notein early deals.

Meanwhile, the global oilbenchmark Brent crude wastrading 1.52 per cent lower atUSD 55.14 per barrel.

Sensex rallies 487 pts to closeabove 49,000 for the first time

After touching a record intra-day high of 49,303.79,the 30-shareBSE indexended 486.81points or 1 per centhigher at49,269.32

PNS n TOKYO

Global shares and U.S. futureswere mostly lower Monday ashopes for more U.S. econom-ic aid were countered by fearsover spreading damage fromthe pandemic.

France's CAC 40 slipped0.5 per cent in early trading to5,677.99, while Germany'sDAX slipped 0.8 per cent to13,943.02.

Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.4per cent to 6,843.12. U.S. shareswere poised for a weak startwith Dow futures down near-ly 0.7 per cent at 30,793.00.S&P 500 futures fell 0.6per cent to 3,794.00.

Traders continued to becheered by prospects that theincoming administration ofPresident-elect Joe Biden willpump more aid into the U.S.economy, a move that willhelp Asia and other export-dri-ven nations.

But that optimism is tem-pered by worries over thepotential for further disrup-tions on the political frontbefore Biden takes office onJanuary 20, following lastweeks riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Biden may also struggle towin support for his pledges ofmuch more financial supportfor individuals and businesses,despite the Democrats' controlof both houses of the Congress

with senatorial wins last weekin runoff elections in Georgia.

At the same time, the eco-nomic outlook is darkening.The Labor Department saidFriday employers cut jobs forthe first time since April as theworsening pandemic led morebusinesses to shut down.

It was a much worse readingthan the modest growth thateconomists were expecting tosee. Such pressure is rising oneconomies around the world asthe pandemic accelerates.

South Korea's Kospi lost 0.1per cent to 3,148.45, sheddingearlier gains. Australia'sS&P/ASX 200 lost 0.9per cent to 6,697.20. HongKong's Hang Seng edged 0.1per cent higher to 27,908.22,while the Shanghai Compositedipped 1.1 per cent to 3,531.50.

Japanese markets wereclosed for a national holiday.

Adding to concerns over surg-ing numbers of coronavirusinfections, another new variantof the virus was reported overthe weekend among severalpeople who had arrived fromBrazil.

Japanese Prime MinisterYoshihide Suga has taken careto spare the worlds third largesteconomy as much as possiblefrom risks of sinking further,even as coronavirus cases havesurged recently.

Sugas declaration of a stateof emergency for the Tokyoarea, which kicked in Friday,focuses on asking restaurantsto close at 8 p.m.

Critics fear thats notenough, and Sugas support rat-ings are sinking. Cries for hisouster are likely to grow if theupward curb in infectionsdoesnt flatten in a month, as hehas promised.

Global shares fall as pandemicfears overshadow aid hopes

PNS n MUMBAI

A massive rally in the equitymarkets since May bringing inheavy inflows into equityETFs and open-ended debtfunds has helped mutual fundAUM grow 17 per cent to topthe Rs 31-lakh-crore-mark in2020, which is 1 percentagepoint lower than 2019,according to a report.

During the year, the 44-player industry has added Rs4.5 lakh crore to the AUM,while in 2019 it grew 18 percent from Rs 22.86 lakh crorein 2018, when it had grownonly 7.5 per cent, as per Crisildata.

In 2017, the industry rallied32 per cent and added over Rs5.4 lakh crore in AUM. In thedecade ending 2019, it had

grown from Rs 8.52 lakh croreto Rs 27.6 lakh crore in 2019,an over three-fold jump.

In December, the industryclipped at 3 per cent to takethe overall AUM to Rs 31.02lakh crore mark.

"A buoyant run-up in theunderlying equity market andfirm inflows into open-endeddebt funds and equityexchange-traded funds (ETFs)helped take the assets undermanagement (AUM) of themutual fund industry pastthe Rs 31-lakh-crore-markfor the first time," Crisil said.

The industry not onlyrecovered from the massivelosses in March due to a sharperosion in the equity marketand outflows from debt fundsbut also added Rs 4.5 lakhcrore in the year to close at Rs

31.02 lakh crore, it added.However, according to the

Association of Mutual Funds(Amfi), December saw thesixth straight month of out-flows with investors exitingopen-ended equity funds,with the large-cap, multi-capand value/contra schemesbleeding the most.

"Cumulative outflows forthese categories stood at Rs

9,058 crore in December," thereport said.

On the other hand, divi-dend yield funds saw firminflows to the tune of Rs1,490 crore in the month.Coincidentally, the monthalso saw the highest inflowsfor the category since Amfichanged its format in April2019.

Sectoral/thematic schemes

got Rs 3,412 crore inflows,which is the highest for thecategory since April 2019.

At the aggregate level,open-ended equity schemessaw net outflows of Rs 10,147crore in December, onlyslightly lower than the previ-ous month's net outflows of Rs12,917 crore.

Despite this, the open-ended equity fund asset baseadvanced around 6 per centon-month to settle at a freshrecord high of Rs 9.07 lakhcrore, riding on mark-to-mar-ket gains as the Sensex andNifty rallied 8 per cent each inDecember and 15.8 per centin the full year, after plunging35 per cent in March alone.

For the full year, the catego-ry saw net inflows of Rs 9,100crore, aided primarily by mar-

ket gains with the bench-marks rallying 15 per centeach during 2020.

Equity ETFs witnessedinflows of Rs 6,832 crore inDecember, sharply higherthan net inflows of Rs 641crore in November.

Gold ETFs, which trackthe price of the yellow metal,attracted net inflows of Rs 431crore in December, reversingthe net outflows of Rs 141crore in November, asinvestors took advantage ofthe rising gold prices.

For the full year, equityETFs attracted inflows of overRs 51,000 crore, while goldETFs saw net inflows of overRs 6,600 crore, taking theirasset tally to Rs 2.56 lakh croreand Rs 14,000 crore, respec-tively.

Mutual fund AUM rises 17 pc in 2020, scales `31-lakh-cr markGold ETFs attractednet inflows of Rs 431crore in December,reversing the netoutflows of Rs 141crore in November

PNS n NEW DELHI

Gold prices rose Rs 389 to Rs48,866 per 10 gram in thenational capital on Monday,in line with the rise in glob-al price of the precious metaland rupee depreciation,according to HDFCSecurities.

In the previous trade, theyellow metal had closed at Rs48,477 per 10 gram.

Silver prices also jumpedRs 1,137 to Rs 64,726 perkilogram from Rs 63,589 perkilogram in the previoustrade.

The rupee depreciated 24paise to 73.48 against the USdollar in the opening trade onMonday. In the internation-al market, gold was trading inthe green at USD 1,853 perounce, while silver was quot-ing flat at USD 25.14 perounce.

"Gold prices reboundedfrom the lows made onFriday despite of strongerdollar as worries over ris-ing coronavir us cas esboosted buying in yellowmetal," HDFC SecuritiesS e n i or Ana ly s t( C om m o d it i e s ) Tap anPatel said.

Gold gains Rs 389, silver jumpsRs 1,137

PNS n THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The Non-Resident KeralitesAffairs (NORKA) PravasiStartup Scheme has supported4,179 expatriate entrepreneursover the past five years and theLeft government sanctioned Rs220.37 crore for such start-upprojects by 'pravasis' who havereturned to Kerala,the stategovernment said.

In the last financial yea(2019-20), 1,043 peoplerealised their entrepreneurialdreams using the PravasiStartup Scheme and Rs 53.40crore was sanctioned for this,the government said in arelease.

"This scheme is a joint ven-ture between NORKA and theKerala Startup Mission to cre-ate self-employment oppor-tunities for Pravasis who returnfrom abroad and wish to

embark on a new journey hereas entrepreneurs," the releasesaid.

The objective of the schemeis to rehabilitate expatriateswho can contribute to theeconomic development of theState according to their profes-sional skills.

Kerala Bank, Canara Bankand the Travancore PravasiDevelopment Co-operativeSociety are few of the 16 banksthat provide loans to expatri-ates.

"Loans up to Rs 30 lakh witha capital subsidy of 15 per cent(subject to a maximum of Rs3 lakh) are available for start-ups by those expats who havereturned to Kerala after work-ing abroad for at least two yearsand now settled here.

The scheme also offers a 3per cent interest rebate for thefirst four years for those who

repay the interest on time,"government said.

NORKA has expanded itsfield camps to reach out tomore people, to make the loanprocedures easier and to makeloan processing in a single day.

Seven camps were conduct-ed during the 2019-20 finan-cial year and about 500 prava-sis have benefitted from this.

Interested Pravasis cancheck out"http://norkapsp.startupmis-sion.in"norkapsp.startupmis-sion. in for further details andapply for the scheme.

Information is also availablefrom Kerala Startup Missionon 08047180470, NORKA toll-free numbers 18004253939(from India) &00918802012345 (Missed CallService from abroad) andon"http://norkaroots.org"norkaroots.org website.

NORKA scheme supports4,179 start-ups in five years

PNS n NEW DELHI

US-based Triton ElectricVehicle on Monday said itaims to introduce N4 sedan inIndia with price starting at Rs35 lakh.

The electric sedan, whichwould be manufactured inthe US, is going to be availablein four different variants anda high-performance limitededition in the country, thecompany said in a statement.

The N4 model comes pow-ered by 75Kwh and 100 Kwhbattery options giving thevehicle a range of up to 523 kmand 696 km respectively, itadded. "The base model will bepriced at Rs 35 lakh thus,showing the amount of mar-ket research that has been putby the company to cater therequirements of the Indianmarket," Triton ElectricVehicle said.

The company added that ithas commenced the pre-launch bookings of the modelfor the Indian customers on itswebsite.

"As we are heading towardsa new era of commitmenttowards our environment, EVsare going to make a definitivecontribution in building afuture ready society. We aim tomake our sincere contributiontowards ensuring a futureready society with environ-mentally friendly clean ener-gy practices," Triton ElectricVehicle Founder and CEOHimanshu B Patel said.

The company is also inadvanced stage of delibera-tions with BEL and therewould be a potential jointventure between the two com-panies for the manufacturingof batteries and electronics sys-tems for energy storage systemand EVs, he added.

PNS n NEW DELHI

After a failed delisting and buy-ing shares in bulk deals, AnilAgarwal-led Vedanta ResourcesPlc has launched a voluntaryopen offer to acquire up to 10per cent stake in flagship Indianfirm Vedanta Ltd.

The parent has offered to buyup to 37.17 crore shares frompublic shareholders of Vedantaat Rs 160 apiece, according to anexchange filing.

If successful, that will cost Rs5,948 crore.

The price announced onSunday is a 12 per cent discountto Friday's closing of Rs 182.05.

Vedanta shares were nearly 3per cent down on Monday andwere trading around Rs 179 at15.00 Hrs.

In October last year, VedantaResources had failed to garner

the required number of sharesto delist its Indian arm at theoffer price of Rs 87.5 apiece.

Last month, promoters hadincreased their stake from 50.14per cent to 55.04 per centthrough block deals totalling Rs2,959 crore.

As per Sebi's takeover code,promoters holding more than

25 per cent but less than 75 percent shares can buy up to 5 percent through creeping acquisi-tion in one financial year.

Any acquisition of sharesbeyond 5 per cent may triggeran open offer.

The promoters can after aone-year cooling-off period,can take another shot at delist-ing that will simplify the group'scomplex shareholding struc-ture and allow it better access toconsolidated cash while avoid-ing leakage during dividend dis-tributions.

"The Acquirer (VedantaResources) together with PACsis making a voluntary open offerfor the acquisition of up to37,17,50,500 equity shares, rep-resenting 10 per cent of the fullydiluted voting share capital ofthe target company (VedantaLtd)," the filing said.

Vedanta launches open offer toacquire 10 pc stake in Ind unit

Last month,promoters hadincreased theirstake from 50.14per cent to 55.04per cent throughblock dealstotalling Rs 2,959 crore

Rupee tumbles16 paise toclose at 73.40against US $ PNS n MUMBAI

The rupee depreciated by 16paise to close at 73.40 (pro-visional) against the US dol-lar on Monday, tracking arebound in the Americancurrency overseas.

At the interbank forexmarket, the domestic unitopened at 73.47 against theUS dollar and witnessed anintra-day high of 73.37 and alow of 73.50.

The local unit finally set-tled at 73.40, registering a fallof 16 paise over its previousclose. On Friday, the rupeehad finished at 73.24 againstthe American currency.

Meanwhile, the dollarindex, which gauges thegreenback's strength againsta basket of six currencies, rose0.41 per cent to 90.46.

Triton set to enterIndian market

hree of the fourstars of the popularHBO series Sex andthe City will reunitefor a new show thatpicks up with the

same characters roughly twodecades later, the networksaid on Sunday.

The new ten episode, half-hour series, will air on HBOMax and star Sarah JessicaParker, Cynthia Nixon andKristin Davis in the rolesthey made famous during thelate 1990s and early 2000s,according to the network.

The show will be titledAnd Just Like That and beginproduction in late spring,HBO said. “I grew up withthese characters, and I can’twait to see how their story hasevolved in this new chapter,with the honesty, poignancy,humor and the beloved citythat has always defined them,”Sarah Aubrey, head of originalcontent at HBO Max, said in astatement announcing the newseries.

ctor Michael BJordan on Mondaytook to Instagramto confirm hisrelationship withLori Harvey. While

Michael shared two photos ofhimself and Lori on hisInstagram profile, Lori posteda photo with a heart emoji.

Michael and Lori were ear-lier photographed togetherduring the holiday season andaround Thanksgiving last year.

Lori Harvey is an actor anddaughter of comedian SteveHarvey. Michael B Jordanbecame a household name afterhe played the villainous role ofErik Killmonger in 2018’s BlackPanther. His performance andcharacter received universalacclaim, and many hailedKillmonger as one of MCU’sbest bad guys. In the Creedfranchise, an offshoot of theRocky film series, Jordan playsthe role of Adonis “Donnie”

Creed.Michael B Jordan was last

seen in legal drama Just Mercy,in which he played the role oflawyer and social justice activistBryan Stevenson.

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

FUN

9

Vijayawada Tuesday January 12, 2021what’s brewing?

Sonu Sood makes music debutwith Sunanda Sharma’s trackunanda Sharma,who has beltedout multiplechartbusters, is allset for the releaseof her upcoming

music single titled PagalNahi Hona. It marks themusic video debut of SonuSood. The actor-philan-thropist will be featuring inthe video along with thesinger. The song that wasunveiled today features himin the avatar of an armyofficer where he is seenhugging his lady love.

The track is a romanticballad sung by her andcomposed by Avvy Sra withlyrics penned by Jaani. Thesong produced under thelabel of Mad 4 Music marksher sixth collaboration withthe lyricist after Jaani TeraNa, Morni, Sandal, Duji

Vaar Pyar and Mummy NuPasand. Talking about thelatest track, Sharma says,“Pagal Nahi Hona is veryclose to my heart. It is sureto tug at everyone’s heart-strings. It is always greatjamming with creativeminds and I am happy to becollaborating with Jaani andAvvy on this track. Sonu sirwho has become thenation’s hero is the perfectfit for the song and we areelated to have himonboard.”

Sharing his excitement,Sood says, “This is my firstmusic video. When I heardthe concept, I was immedi-ately sold. Pagal Nahi Honais dedicated to all armymen and their lady love.The lyrics will touch yourhearts and Sunanda hassung it beautifully.”

ctress AnushkaSharma and crick-eter Virat Kohliwelcomed adaughter, their firstchild on Monday.

Virat made the announce-ment on Twitter — motherand baby are both doing well,he wrote and signed off witha request for privacy. Virattweeted: “We are thrilled toshare with you that we havebeen blessed with a baby girlthis afternoon. We thank youall for your love, prayers andgood wishes. Anushka andthe baby are both healthyand we are feeling beyondblessed to start this newchapter of our lives. We hopethat you can respect our pri-vacy at this time.”Anushka Sharma and ViratKohli, married since 2017,announced last August thatthey were expecting a baby.They wrote on their respec-tive social media accounts,“And then we were three!Arriving Jan 2021.”Congratulatory messagesflooded their posts instantly— many of these were from

the couple’s celeb friendssuch as Priyanka Chopra,

Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan,Sania Mirza, Kiara Advani,Samantha Ruth Prabhu,Taapsee Pannu, Dia Mirzaand Parineeti Chopra. Virat Kohli, the captain ofIndia’s cricket team, wasgranted paternity leave bythe Board of Cricket Controlin India or BCCI and flewhome from Australia towardsthe end of December afterplaying the first of a four-match Test series. In hisabsence, the team is beingcaptained by AjinkyaRahane.

Anushka Sharma, star offilms such as PK, Band BaajaBaaraat, Dil Dhadakne Do,Sultan and Ae Dil HaiMushkil, was last seen inZero with Shah Rukh Khanand Katrina Kaif. She also produced the criti-cally acclaimed web-seriesPaatal Lok and Netflix filmBulbbul. Anushka’s produc-tion house, Clean Slate Filmzwhich she runs with brotherKarnesh, has also made sev-eral films that she’s starred in— NH10 and Pari, amongthem.

Michael B Jordanconfirms relationshipwith Lori Harvey

Anushka-Virat welcome baby girl

Sex and the City stars toreunite for new show

S

A

A

t

emember all thosemenacing stunts thatNila did in Robot 2.0?Did that make youskip a heartbeat andleft you wondering

how is it possible? Or for thatmatter, other action sequences inBollywood films where you won-der how those petite womenmanage to do such life-threaten-ing stunts? Well, meet GeetaTandon, the Bollywood’s stuntwoman, who has been a part ofthe industry for about 14 yearsnow, for whom leaping from askyscraper, or driving a burningcar or even putting herself on fireis nothing but a piece of cake.

Ask Tandon, how she ended upin the field and she is quick toanswer the field chose her. It wasonly after walking off a bad andabusive marriage, that she decid-ed to take up each and everywork that shall come her way inorder to stand on her feet.

“I never got a chance to pickand choose things in life.Whatever came my way, I tookthat up. It all started when thingswent extremely bad in my mar-ried life. After many years ofgoing through the torture, oneday I decided to leave my in-lawsplace and start a new life. Being amother of two, it was indeed adifficult step to take, but it wasvery well needed,” Tandon tellsyou.Until 2007, Tandon did allkinds of work, from working as ahousehelp to giving people mas-sages and dancing at weddings,but she never lost hope.

“I wanted to make a name formyself. Anyone can earn and livea life, but I wanted to live a lifewhere I was being respected. Iwanted to spend a meaningfullife. Even when I started working,things didn’t go as planned. I hadto shift places multiple times. Myhusband would come and shout.He used to call me names andsaid everything he could. It was aroutine. Gradually, I becamethick-skinned and learnt to give itback to him, even at the cost ofhaving to shift places again,” shesays.

It was only after getting achance to work as a stunt womanin Bollywood that Tandon’s lifechanged once and for all.

“In 2007, I had started going toshooting to perform folk dance.But somehow, I was not satisfiedwith my work and was on a look-out for something better. Oneday, I met a person who asked meif I would be interested in per-forming stunts. That verymoment, I knew that it was thefield I was looking for. I immedi-ately nodded and started workingfrom the next day,” she tells you.

Tandon’s first day on the setswas difficult, with having zeroknowledge of performing stunts,she learnt on the job and so well,that now she is one of therenowned stunt women in theindustry.

However, things didn’t go assmooth in Tandon’s life. Justwhen her career was about totake off, she met with an accident

on sets which left her bedridden.“In 2009, I suffered a spineinjury during a stunt. Back then, Iwas a newcomer and didn’t knowmuch about how it works. Beforeany stunt, the action departmenthas to check for the safety of thestunt person. But I didn’t havemuch knowledge about it andhence the accident happened,”she says. It was a scene, whereTandon had to suffer a bullet andfall down from a one-floor build-ing. “During that fall, an ironfence came between the groundand my back. I suffered majorinjuries of spine from that blowand life went off track for sixmonths,” she recalls.

It was then, she says, when shestarted losing hope. She startedquestioning God about what nextand how many difficulties are stillwaiting for her on the way. “Thattime, I was living hand to mouthand no work meant no food.Somehow, I gathered courage and

started taking therapies. I beganto stand and walk without anysupport. Once I was back on myfeet, I started calling people forwork. In return, I had to hear thatthey won’t take a risk by signingme for the job. I had to convincepeople that I was doing fine andis ready to take the responsibility.Soon after, I started getting workagain, but on a slow pace,” shetells you.

On how she manages to dosuch difficult stunts, flawlessly,she says, that it is all about fight-ing your fears. “Even I feel afraidwhenever I am about to performa stunt. Anyone who says that heisn’t afraid is probably lying. It isall about fighting your fear andprove you can do it. If you havedecided to do something, nothingis too difficult,” she says.

Tandon recalls a time whereshe had to do the same stunt 100times in a day.

“It was for Robot 2.0 and the

action director wanted it to get assmooth as possible. Hence, Iended up performing the samestunt 100 times and in the exactsame way. But that helped, whenI was called on the sets for theshoot, I managed to do it in onego,” she narrates.

She tells you that there is noth-ing called a man’s job. “Therewere some people who doubtedmy capability of performingstunts. Some even gave me weirdstares. Many said: ‘Agar nahi hopayega to woh ladka hai na, useybula lenge’. But I never took theirwords seriously, I just shut themup with my actions. I showedthem how well I can do it. Notthat this happens only in thisindustry, it happens everywhere.One just has to learn to brave allthese stares and taunts,” Tandonsays. She adds that she prefers toperform stunts without retakesbecause that way there is lessdanger. “I always try to give thebest of the shot so that there isn’ta need of a retake. I recently gavea fire shot where I suffered minorburns on my face. But I still com-pleted that shot and then laiddown. If I would have hadstopped then and there, I wouldhave had to do it again all theway and it would have been aproblem for me. Hence, I try notto do retakes and stay calm andpatient in such situations,”Tandon, who till date have per-formed hundreds of stunts inserials, films and ads, mentions.

Her favourite stunt, however, ischasing cars. “I enjoy chasingcars, that is one of my favourites,”she says. For what Tandon does,apart from a strong-willed heart,one also needs just as strong bodyand to maintain that exercise isthe key. “I exercise for about two-three hours a day, dependingupon my schedule. As for thediet, I eat normal ghar ka khana.It does the trick for me,” she says.

There are many upcoming pro-jects in Tandon’s kitty. “I have gotmy hands full. There are someprojects that I am working onand will share details soon,” shesays.

Bollywood's

‘Ranning with thissquad was fun'

annvijaySingha’sSquadRann, agroup of skilledyoung athletesand social

media influencers pushingthe barriers of what’s pos-sible, recently collaboratedwith William Lawson’s andMumbai Indians in a#NoRulesCricket TrickShot Competition videothat has got everyone situp and take notice of thisunique gang. As he prepsfor the second season ofMismatched andSplitsvilla, that is to beshot soon, he will also beseen in another webseries, whose release dateand platform will be outsoon. Here’s what the manwith his plate full has tosay about his work, life,family and more.

What you did inSquadRann soundsfun and interesting.How did the ideacome up?

The idea was amazingand we got associatedbecause we had donesome work with OMLbefore. It is a brand that is

as crazy as we are. Whenyou have William Lawson,OML and SquadRanntogether — it becomes agreat partnership. To haveno rules and be yourself isawesome. For a skate-boarder to play cricketand actually take a runwhile skateboarding issomething that wouldcome organically to himor a BMX biker to hit theball with his bike is organ-ic to him though peoplewould think otherwise.

How many ways didyou try to play crick-et? How was thewhole experience?

We played cricket in asmany ways as possible. Infact, the game is played indifferent ways across thecountry — from indoorcricket to book cricket togully cricket to runs onlyon the legside or off side.This is a game that onecan alter according to thesituation or the ground orthe resources you have.For us it was crazy; wehad frisbee, basketball,bowling ball where theplayer hit the pins with ashot to archery. Then I

used several differentthings to bat with — abaseball bat, a tennis rac-quet, a GoPro and even atava. We even bowled witha football and the fieldkicked it the same into thewickets to get the playerout. These were some ofthe things, one would doif you didn’t have a bat ofa cricket ball. We had somuch blast. There was anadrenal rush doing allthese things.

Was your family dis-appointed when youdidn't join theforces?

If I had gone into theArmy, I would have beenthe sixth generation to doso. My family was worriedfor me because even afterI had cleared all theexams, I was not going tojoin because I felt I coulddo something with adven-ture and travel andexpress myself creativelyoutside of the Army. Thisway, my family has haddifferent experiences inlife and are proud of me.They would have beendisappointed if I had notcleared the exam. I told

them if things didn’t panout in a year, I would jointhe Army. They wereapprehensive but neverdisappointed.

You were last seen inMismatched. How didyou come on boardfor the series?

The makers called meand offered me a role ofProfessor who thinks out-of-the-box and has norules. This is my personal-ity. I saw the characterhad a way of doing thingsdifferently and thisattracted me to the role.To encourage the studentsbut also push them intothe right direction. Ithought the characterwould be fun to do and itwas. Akarsh (Khurana),the director told me I washis only choice and when Imet him, the vibe was sogood. His confidence inme made me say yes.

What was your role inForbidden Love?

The series was directedby Mahesh Majreka sir.Mahesh sir and I had beentrying to do something fora long time. I liked his

work and followed whathe was doing while grow-ing up. We becamefriends. When he told meabout this project, love isnot always straightforwardor simple. A lot of thingshappen — jealousy, differ-ent emotions, insecurityand passion. He wasdirecting and acting in it.Raima (Sen) was part of itand I thought it would begreat to be part of it. Myrole is special, for thosewho have not seen, itcomes alive since there isa twist.

What next?

In this present pandem-ic we must concentrate onbuilding mental strengthand spend quality timewith the family and keepyourself afloat work, withimagination and with cre-ativity. Roadies in on airand Splitsvilla is going tobe shot soon, trying towork on an online show.There are things that I amhere in London for. Thereare some brands for whomI have to work. Just tryingto live a wholesome andhealthy life in this presentsituation.

RANNVIJAYSINGHA —He is knownfor the MTVRoadiesshow andwas last seenplayingSiddharthSinha inMismatched.The VJturned actorspeaks withThe Pioneer

about hisupcomingprojects andwhatSquadRannis all about

R

R

ankind has alwayslooked to art for solaceand inspiration. Thepast year has beenhard on us, and whatother way to unwind

than listen to music, have mean-ingful conversations, laugh andread? Offering just that, wasCollective: an amalgamation ofexperiential extravaganza whichincluded conversations, music,book reading, book sale, and anopen mic, hosted at Cafika in col-laboration with Raygalla’s Mantraon Sunday.

Explaining the idea behind theevent, Kalyan Srinivas Raygalla,Founder-Director of Raygalla’sMantra, said, “We wanted to bringback the culture of appreciatingone other and celebrate together-ness among various obvious dif-ferences we all share. The idea wasto revive book reading and hostconversations on various topicsfrom all walks of life. During thepandemic, a lot of things wentdown in all our lives and most ofus are thankful for what we haveand we have all grown strongerand closer during the lockdown.”

The organisers wanted peopleto remember that notion of

togetherness and spread thewarmth of human touch, since wewere all glued to our screens thelast year. All precautions weretaken and social distancing main-tained at all possible levels. It wasa one-of-its-kind of a gatheringwhich paved a way for people tocome up and talk about their jour-neys, share their perspectives, anda lot more. “This collective alsohosted a first-ever in-person saleof the book titled, Story Betweenthe Truth and Lie authored by ourvery own Kalyan SrinivasRaygalla. For book readers, gettingan author-signed copy is whatmakes their reading journey spe-cial, and our collective was a wayfor people to reach out and get acopy for themselves”, said SharadBala, an entrepreneur, and theman behind Cafika at Sainikpuri.

Budding artists LakshyaAggarwal, Sharoon Paul, SriGanapathi, Shantanu Raghavan,Srikanth and Asahel Shamir akaThe Mutant, were some of thesingers, rapper and musicians whoentertained the audience.Conversations on sexuality, mas-culinity, toxicity, lockdown, andfood, were a hit at the jam-packedevent.

M

Art cheering us all amid the pandemic

The society's idea of awoman has always been"demure". Breaking that

stereotype for yearsnow is Geeta Tandon,the Bollywood's stunt

woman, who has been apart of the industry for

more than a decade.She talks to

The Pioneer

about her life, lifestyle,work and more.

TuesdayJanuary 12, 2021

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

PTI n NEW DELHI

India’s injury woes in the Testseries against Australia com-

pounded on Monday after thehero of their drawn game inSydney, Hanuma Vihari, wasruled out of the fourth andfinal match with a hamstringtear that could keep him out ofaction for a considerable time.

It has been learnt thatVihari was taken for scansafter the match got over andthe reports are expected by lateevening or Tuesday morning.

However, a BCCI sourceconfirmed that Vihari isunlikely to be fit in time for thenext Test match starting inanother three days’ time.

“The extent of Vihari’stear can only be ascertainedafter the scan reports come

through. But even if it’s agrade 1 tear, he is out for atleast four weeks and then willneed some rehabilitation time.So it’s not only Brisbane Testbut also, he won’t be a part ofEngland Tests at home,” asenior source revealed onMonday.

As far as Vihari’s replace-ment is concerned, the teamonly has two options — eitherto play Wriddhiman Saha as awicketkeeper and Rishabh Pantpurely as a batsman or bring inMayank Agarwal as a middle-order batsman who can takeon the second new ball.

In another importantdevelopment, Shardul Thakur,with way more first-class expe-rience and better batting abil-ities compared to rookieThangarsu Natarajan, is like-ly to replace an injuredRavindra Jadeja in Brisbane ona track that is supposed to bethe bounciest of the series.

PUCOVSKI INJUREDDebutant Australian bats-

man Will Pucovski onMonday injured his shoulderand has been taken for scansto a hospital here.

The 22-year-old hurt hisright shoulder after diving forthe ball at mid-wicket in the86th over of India’s innings onthe fifth day.

After the dive, Pucovskistayed down for a few secondsclutching his shoulder as histeammates came to help him.

The youngster then left thefield at the end of the over,leaving his participation in thefinal Test in doubt.

sport 11VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 12, 2021

PTI n SYDNEY

Ravichandran Ashwin andHanuma Vihari battled painand a hostile Australian bowl-

ing attack while resolutely displayingthe largely extinct art of Test-savingbatsmanship to snatch a remarkabledraw for India after Rishabh Pantraised visions of an improbable winhere on Monday.

Chasing a herculean target of 407,Pant (97 off 118 balls) and the ever-steady Cheteshwar Pujara (77 off 205balls) produced an amazing 148-runstand before India were forced todown the shutters finishing on 334 for5 in 131 overs when players shookhands.

The series stands at 1-1 going intothe fourth Test in Brisbane but anIndian team which has turned into a‘mini-hospital’ would be walkingaway with a lot of pride. They put upa proper fight in adverse circum-stances already soured by racistchants and abuses from the crowdhere during the course of the game.

Pant’s innings will be remem-bered for a long time but none canforget that Ashwin (39 no, 128 balls)and Vihari (23 off 161 balls), battlinga hamstring injury, put their bodieson line to save a game which couldhave been lost in a jiffy after their twobest batsmen were gone on the day.

“Our talk coming this morningwas to show character and fight tillthe end. Not to think about the result.Really happy with the way we foughtespecially today but also throughoutthe game,” skipper Ajinkya Rahanesaid at the post-match presentation.

Pat Cummins (26-6-72-1), JoshHazlewood (26-12-39-2), MitchellStarc (22-6-66-0) and Nathan Lyon(46-17-114-2) threw everything theyhad, peppering them with shortballs, hitting the patches with a fewjumping from the spot.

“...This one’s a tough one toswallow. Our bowlers were superb,Lyon bowled well. Just that we (espe-cially me) didn’t hold onto our catch-es,” said Australian skipper TimPaine after the match.

The duo, in 42.4 overs, scrapedtheir way for a 62-run stand, whichcertainly would have made RahulDravid proud on his 48th birthday.

Vihari hobbled with a torn ham-string but defended dourly, Ashwingot hit on the ribs but carried on man-fully while also engaging in somechatter with Tim Paine and close-infielders.

Catches landed in no man’s landand that was the slice of luck theyneeded. When Marnus Labuschagnewas brought in the 112th over, oneknew that they had done their job.

The great Neville Cardus hadonce said “Scoreboard is an ass” andmany years down the line, it proba-bly won’t highlight what Vihari andAshwin endured and what they didfor the team.

The dressing room will howev-er always know that and respect themfor the bruised ribs and torn ham-string.

Perhaps, it was the was the bestway to honour the brilliance of Pant

and the assuredness of Pujara. Somuch so that Ravindra Jadeja, withhis broken thumb, was all gloved upand ready to go in if need be.

There was method to madness inPant’s exhilarating innings duringwhich he hit 12 fours and three sixesoff 118 balls. His ‘cat and mouse’ gamewith the world’s best off-spinnerNathan Lyon was one for the ages.

But it was Lyon, who had the lastlaugh when Pant’s desperation to getto the three-figure mark before thesecond new ball saw him try to hit thespinner against the turn.

The result would have horrifiedhis partner Pujara, who looked far

more purposeful during his 205-ballknock.

He got a beauty from JoshHazlewood and was bowled in themanner he has often been — playinginside the line to a delivery that movesa shade after pitching.

Pant was promoted above Vihari

as playing the surviving game would-n’t have helped on this track at leastin the first session and also the left-right combination needed to be inplace.

Pant defended for the first 35 oddballs but then, suddenly in a couple

of overs from Lyon, hit him over longon for a six and three fours using hisfeet to perfection.

Tim Paine then decided tochange Lyon’s end from Randwick toPaddington but the result was twomore sixes — one over long-off andother over long-on.

This sudden attack did forcePaine to again change his end backto Randwick. Pujara also seemed togain in confidence and played thatwhip off mid-wicket to further tor-ment the off-spinner.

The left-hander, who hit eightfours and three sixes, was also severeon Mitchell Starc, creaming himthrough covers on a number ofoccasions and jabbing a short ballthrough point.

He was a bit lucky on two occa-sions with Paine dropping sharpchances off Lyon.

But what will stay on for a long

time was the assured footwork andstrategy against the off-spinner toreach the pitch of the deliveries.

On most occasions, he just camedown the track to smother the spinand disturb Lyon’s natural length.

There was a point in time justbefore lunch when Lyon had asmany as five fielders posted at vari-ous boundary points for a lofted shot,a departure from his usual attackingfield.

Knowing that the second newball will be due in the second session,Pant smashed four boundaries in notime which also gave Pujara confi-dence to play his strokes and he toobrought out the pull-shot out of hisrepertoire.

Once he was gone, Vihari, witha pulled hamstring and Ashwin, hadno option but to go for a draw andthey did it with a commendableeffort.

Sydney: The Indian cricketteam is all set to leave forBrisbane on Tuesday afterBCCI secretary Jay Shah’sassurance to Cricket Australiaended the uncertainty over thefourth and final Test at thevenue, which has reduced itscrowd capacity to 50 per centfor the game.

The BCCI had written toCA about relaxation of hardquarantine rules in Brisbaneas complying with themwould have confined theIndian players to their hotelrooms after the day’s play,something they had strong

reservations about. The matchstarts January 15.

“I want to thank theQueensland Government fortheir cooperation and willing-ness to working closely withCA and the BCCI so we candeliver the fourth Test asplanned,” Cricket Australiainterim CEO Nick Hockleysaid in a statement.

The players are nowexpected to be in an IPL likebio-bubble where they canmingle among themselves inthe hotel. Australia have notlost a Test at the Gabba since1988. PTI

PTI n SYDNEY

Ravichandran Ashwin onMonday equated Hanuma

Vihari’s unbeaten 23 off 161 ballsin a match-saving stand of 62runs with him in the third Testto scoring a hundred.

Vihari pulled his hamstringat the start of his innings and wasstruggling to run between thewickets but pulled off a remark-able draw for India on day fiveof the third Test.

“After Pujara and Pant’swicket and with Vihari injured,it was going to be difficult to gofor a win. Touring Australia isnever easy so Vihari can beproud of himself. It was a knockequal to scoring a hundred,”Ashwin told Channel 7.

Ashwin said the confidencegained from productive net ses-sions helped him finally comegood against Australia as he andVihari saved the third Test.

“I have been batting well in

the nets, so it was great tospend some time in the middle.Chasing 400 in Sydney wasnever going to be easy, as the ballwas going up and down. Thatknock by Pant set us up,” he said.

In a tweet after the game,Ashwin's wife Prithi revealedthat he was struggling withacute back pain last night.

“The man went to bed lastnight with a terrible back tweakand in unbelievable pain. Hecould not stand up straightwhen he woke up this morning.Could not bend down to tie hisshoe laces. I am amazed at what@ashwinravi99 pulled off today,”she wrote.

PTI n SYDNEY

A“bitterly disap-p o i n t e d ”

Australia captain TimPaine conceded he “has-n’t had too many worsedays” than Mondayafter his three droppedcatches “let the teamdown” and played theirpart in India pulling offa draw in the thirdTest here.

Paine said he wasbelow par behind thestumps after Indiaheld on for a drawin pursuit of 407.

P a i n edropped twocatches of RishabhPant, who made afluent 97 and raisedhopes of an Indianwin, and thendropped one ofHanuma Vihari,who remained unbeaten on 23and ensured that the game

ended in a draw along withRavichandran Ashwin (39 notout).

“Obviously the droppedcatches have played a part in

the result. Probably goingboth ways to be far. But I

am bitterly disappointed,I pride myself on mywicketkeeping. Haven’thad too many worse days

than that today,” Paine saidat the virtual post-match pressconference.

“It’s a horrible feelingknowing our fast bowlers andour spinner (Nathan Lyon)bowled their hearts out andgave everything to the team. Icertainly feel I let them down.

“I have to wear that, but I’llget another crack at it next

week so move on,” said thewicket-keeper referring tothe fourth and final Test in

Brisbane.According to the

Australia skipper, Indiadeserved the result as theyfought hard.

Hope all of us realise theimportance of pujara,pant and Ashwin incricket teams..batting at 3 in test cricketagainst quality bowling is not alwayshitting through the line ..almost 400 testwickets don't come just like that..wellfought india..time to win the series@bcci

—SOURAV GANGULY

Really proud of #TeamIndia! Specialmention to @RishabhPant17,@cheteshwar1, @ashwinravi99 and@Hanumavihari for the roles they'veplayed brilliantly. Any guesses in whichdressing room the morale will be high?#OneTeamOneCause #AUSvIND

—SACHIN TENDULKAR

Loved the fight and determination ofIndia all day today. Starting with Pantand Pujara, and then for Vihari andAshwin to withstand Australia and looklargely in control for most of the daywas very impressive. Can't wait forBrisbane now. #AUSvIND

—RICKY PONTING

Feel so so proud of the Team, Pantshowed why he needs to b treateddifferently & d grit showed by Vihari,Pujara & Ashwin was unbelievable

—VIRENDER SEHWAG

Even a half-strength, battled, bruised,injured, ridiculed, abused, bio-bubblefatigued India is difficult for a fullstrength Australia to beat at home. Nopraise high enough for this herculeaneffort. Told you this is a damn goodteam. Cherish it. #AUSvsIND

—WASIM JAFFER

‘Cometh the hour, cometh the man, andcometh the team'. Extremely proud of#TeamIndia for putting up a fight on Day5. Special mention to @RishabhPant17,@Hanumavihari, @cheteshwar1 &@ashwinravi99. Well done, guys! HelloBrisbane Flag of India #AUSvsIND.

—JAY SHAH

Never giving up. Never backing downfrom a challenge. Great character andresilience displayed by the team

—MAYANK AGARWAL

PTI n SYDNEY

The aches and pains they carriedto the field had numbed to

such an extent by the end of it allthat Ravichandran Ashwin andHanuma Vihari had no idea whatthey had pulled off by steeringIndia to an unforgettable drawagainst Australia with their three-hour vigil.

Ashwin came in with a soreback, Vihari had a hamstring tearthat severely restricted his abilityto run between the wickets. Whatthe two did not lack was theresolve to hang in there and fight.

“With his hamstring and my(sore) back, we did not want tolose concentration and play a(bad) shot. In the last four-fiveovers we knew we were close andwe started to slip a bit. So we want-ed to rotate the strike and playeach other’s end,” Ashwin said ina bcci.Tv interview which alsofeatured Vihari with him.

“We did not even celebratetowards the end because we didnot know what to make out of it.Because we were so channelised intaking on a certain particularbowler and keep blocking.”

Vihari added a touch of extraoptimism to the conversation,saying that he could have takenIndia to a win had he not beeninjured and Cheteshwar Pujara(77) stayed a bit longer.

“Getting a draw was a fabulousresult. I feel if I was not injured andPujara stayed some more time itcould have been a different result,maybe it would have been a fab-ulous win,” he said.

Ashwin made 39 not out off128 balls and Vihari 23 not out off161 balls on day five for a resolute62-run sixth-wicket partnership.

“If you talk about premoni-tions, from when I went to bed lastnight with a sore back I wastelling myself that if I keep deadbatting everything, how (Faf) duPlessis did at Adelaide, I can givemyself a good chance,” Ashwinsaid.

In the Adelaide Test in 2012,du Plessis batted for more than oneday for his 110 not out off 376 balls

to save the match against Australiawhile chasing 430 in the fourthinnings.

On communicating withVihari all through their partner-ship, Ashwin said, “Runs were notimportant in that situation. It wasmore about batting time.Whenever we are comfortablewith a particular bowler or ceratinspell we wanted to hang on.

Vihari said the enormity ofwhat he and Ashwin achieved issinking in very slowly for him.

“It was something you canonly dream of, batting on day fiveof a Test match. The satisfaction ofdoing that is slowly sinking in andrealise how big that was.”

He said like an elder brother,Ashwin was communicating withhim throughout in the middle.

“Whenever he felt I was a bitloose (while playing shots), he toldme let us focus and take as deepas possible.”

Fight To Remember: Vihari, Ashwin pull off memorable draw after Pant pyrotechnics

Bruised & abused yet standing tall

Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Hanuma Vihari and Cheteshwar Pujara pose for photo after end of fifth day play of 3rd Test @mayankcricket

PTI n SYDNEY

India captain Ajinkya Rahane onMonday said the heroic draw

that his side pulled off in the thirdTest against Australia was as goodas a victory and especially com-mended Hanuma Vihari, who bat-tled the excruciating pain of a ham-string injury to stay at the crease.

“...Today we all saw that specialknock. I think this knock was morespecial than his hundred (in 2019 inthe West Indies) especially the wayhe batted after getting injured,”Rahane said during the virtualpost-match press conference.

“To show that kind of motiva-tion, hunger and hang in there foryour team, that’s what shows thecharacter of an individual. It’s allabout what the team wants andcredit to him. There was pressureand the way he batted was special,”said Rahane, lauding the young manfrom Andhra Pradesh.

For Rahane, the credit of thedraw goes to all those, who per-formed in pressure situationsresponding to the team’s require-ments.

“This is as good as winning aTest match. When you come abroadand play a match like this, it was real-ly special as I said. It’s as good as vic-tory. “Credit to Vihari, Ashwin,(Rishabh) Pant, (Cheteshwar)Pujara, the way they batted. Rohit

(Sharma) at the start. Everyonechipped in but credit to those twoguys in the end.”

Pant, who has copped so muchflak in the past few months, camegood on Monday with his exhilarat-ing 97-run knock and the skippercouldn’t have been happier for him.

“The way he played the knockwas really good and unfortunatelyhe was out on 97. Yes, he can dropcatches but as long as he is learning,that is very important. I am reallyhappy for Rishabh for the way hebatted today. It was a really specialknock.”

Draw as big as win: Rahane

Pujara crosses 6K markSydney: Cheteshwar Pujara onMonday became only the 11thIndian to cross the 6000-run markin Test cricket.

Pujara, playing his 80th game,reached the milestone on day fiveof the third Test.

The other Indians who have6000 plus runs are SachinTendulkar (15921) runs, RahulDravid (13265), Sunil Gavaskar(10122), VVS Laxman (8781),Virender Sehwag (8503), ViratKohli (7318), Sourav Ganguly(7212), Dilip Vengsarkar (6868),Mohammad Azharuddin (6215),Gundappa Viswanath (6080). PTI

IINNDDIIAA''SS PPAARRTTNNEERRSSHHIIPPSS IINN 22NNDD IINNNNIINNGGSS OOFF SSYYDDNNEEYY TTEESSTTRuns (Balls) Players

71(133) Rohit Sharma 39(69) and Shubman Gill 31(64)

21(49) Cheteshwar Pujara 8(20) and Rohit Sharma 13(29)

10(33) Cheteshwar Pujara 5(15) and Ajinkya Rahane 4(18)

148(265) Cheteshwar Pujara 45(146) and Rishabh Pant 97(118)

22(55) Cheteshwar Pujara 19(24) and Hanuma Vihari 3(31)

62*(259) Ravichandran Ashwin 39(128) and Hanuma Vihari 20(130)

Vihari’s knock equal toscoring a hundred: Ashwin Unlikely for England

series; Shardul likelyin place of Jadeja

Injured Hanuma out of last Test

Hanuma Vihari receives treatment to a leg injury during play on the final day AP

Brisbane Test on, 50% crowd

India captain Virat Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma wereon Monday blessed with a baby girl. Kohli made theannouncement on his official Twitter handle. “We are thrilled toshare with you that we have been blessed with a baby girl thisafternoon. We thank you all for your love, prayers and goodwishes,” Kohli tweeted. “Anushka and the baby are both healthyand we are feeling beyond blessed to start this new chapter of ourlives. We hope that you can respect our privacy at this time,”added the star batsman who returned from Australia on paternityleave after leading India in the first Test.

We didn’t know what to make of it:Ashwin, Vihari talk about marathon vigil

Ravichandran Ashwin receives treatmentfrom a trainer during final day play AP

Ravichandran Ashwin is embraced by Indiancaptain Ajinkya Rahane, left, following playon the final day of third Test AP

I let the team down: Paine

12

Vijayawada Tuesday January 12, 2021 tollywoodNaveen

associateswith UV now

lready spearheadingBaahubali producers ArkaMedia’s digital debut, abig-budget political dramafor Disney+Hotstar, actorNaveen Chandra, sources

tell us, has now green-lit anotherleading banner, UV Creations, next.According to a source close to theproduction house, the actor is head-lining an untitled mystery dramawhich has already gone in front ofthe cameras.The source informs us exclusively,“The project marks the directorialdebut of Rakesh Varma who hasbeen with UV with the script forover one year. He has made shortfilms in the past, and is directing thefeature from his own script. The still-untitled film has been shot for over aweek until now in the outskirts ofHyderabad and in another 25 days,the entire shoot will be wrapped up.Rakesh has written a whacky edge-

of-the-seat thriller whichrevolves around five principalcharacters. Ravi Varma, AliReza and Bhargavi are playingsupporting roles. Reveredcinematographer MadhuAmbat’s son Darshan is lens-ing it.”

The source adds that UV isproducing the project undertheir new banner, UVConcepts. “The banner hasbeen floated to associate withsmall to medium budgetcontent-rich cinema, whileUV Creations will continueto produce big-budget cin-ema. The murdermystery is one ofthe many pro-jects UVConcepts haslined-up thisyear,” the sourceconcludes.

The actor is spearheading UV Creations newproject, a murder mystery which marks thedirectorial debut of short filmmakerRakesh Varma. It has been shot for overa week so far, reports NAGARAJ GOUD

Aha picks up Krack

avi Teja-starrerKrack, which hasopened to goodcollections anddecent reviews,has been picked

by Aha for its digital release.The film is the Telugustreamer’s second majoracquisition after NagaChaitanya and Sai Pallavi-starrer Love Story, whichthey bought last year itself.

A source close to thedevelopment tells us, “The

negotiations between TagoreMadhu’s Saraswati FilmsDivision and Aha think-tankhave gone on for almost amonth last year before thelatter managed to acquire therights for Rs. 7 crore. Thefact that producer Madhushares a great equation withAllu Aravind meant that hewas in favour of Aha overother streamers. The filmwill drop on the OTT plat-form on January 29. Aha will

promote it extensively in

the run up to the release.”Krack, which tells the story

of a powerful cop Shankar’stiff with three criminals ofOngole, has been particularlylapped up by the mass audi-ence. Its success is a majorboost to the actor-directorduo of Ravi Teja andGopichand Malineni as theirprevious films haven’t livedup to expectations. It hasminted a share of Rs. 6.5crore on day one from theTelugu states.

fter his maiden feature,Happy Wedding, a familydrama, failed to lightup the box-office,filmmakerLakshman Karya is

now directing an investigativethriller, which he is planningto stream directly on OTTplatforms. The untitled filmmarks the feature film pro-duction debut of G AshaJyothi who is a TV producer.

Featuring SrihariUdayagiri and Divya Sureshin the lead roles, theproject has gone tofloors recently inHyderabad. “Thestory commenceswith an incidentwhich snowballs intoa bigger thing.Udayagiri is tasked toinvestigate it, whileDivya plays the vic-tim. It is packed withtwists and turns andwill be told in anengaging affair. Themaking will be firstof a kind for aTelugu project,”the director tellsus, adding thatthe secondschedule willbegin afterSankranti andthey are plan-ning to wrapup the entireshoot in lessthan 28 work-ing days.

Fidaa com-poser ShakthiKanthKarthick hasbeen signedon as themusic direc-tor. — NG

Happy Wedding director's

next is an investigative thriller

roducer Bellamkonda Suresh, who wasinstrumental in setting up Alludu Adhurs,starring his son Sreenivas, has said that as afather he wanted to see his son in a filmlike Kandireega, which he produced. “Torealise it, I rang Santosh Srinivas one day

last year, enquiring for a good script. He met me amonth later with the script and I was sold. The film isa confluence of humour, action and horror,” the pro-ducer said. He was speaking at the pre-release event ofthe film in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Sreenivas said that Santosh treated him like his ownbrother on the sets and is grateful for the dedicationthe director has shown on the project. “He has invest-ed one and half years on the project. During the lock-down as well, he was consistently thinking about thefilm, wanting to take it to the next level. I extend mywholehearted thanks to him,” the actor said. He pre-dicted that Nabha Natesh will have a bright future inthe industry, while Anu Emmanuel will be the sur-prise package of the film.

Raving Devi Sri Prasad’s music, the actor said thecomposer took the film to the next level with hiswork. Describing the film, which opens this Thursday,as a wholesome family entertainer, he promised theaudience it will guarantee fun from the first frame tothe last.

DSP took AlluduAdhurs to the nextlevel: Sreenivas

amantha Akkineni,who is a follower ofSadhguru, recentlymet the spiritual guruat his Isha ashram inthe outskirts of

Coimbatore , Tamil Nadu.Sharing a picture with him onher Instagram space, the actress,who last year took to 48 days ofIsha Kriya journey, observedthat the purpose of spiritualquest is to “unshackle yourselffrom the limited identity youhave forged”. “The guru willappear when the disciple is ready@sadhguru @isha.foundation.The whole effort of the spiritualprocess is to break the bound-aries you have drawn for your-

self and experience the immensi-ty that you are. The aim is tounshackle yourself from the lim-ited identity you have forged, asa result of your own ignorance,and live the way the Creatormade you —utterly blissful andinfinitely responsible (sic),” shewrote.

She further noted that enlight-enment is not an attainment oran achievement but a homecom-ing. “Your senses give you theimpression that you are experi-encing the outside, but you havenever experienced the outside.When you realize that all thatyou experience is within, thatabsolute homecoming is enlight-enment,” she stated.

SAM’S SPIRITUAL SIDE TO THE FORE

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