nearby virushit wuhan locked down in full nery...address of governor kalraj mishra. the resolution...
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![Page 1: NEARBY Virushit Wuhan locked down In full nery...address of Governor Kalraj Mishra. The resolution is like ly to be tabled and passed in the House on the second day of the session,](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060403/5f0eb90d7e708231d4409f39/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
CMYK
friday, january 24, 2020 Delhi
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Pawan Varma is free
to leave JD(U) if he so
wishes, says Nitish
page 12
Top UN court orders
Myanmar to prevent
Rohingya genocide
page 14
India begins T20I series
against New Zealand
at Auckland today
page 18
Thiem and Wawrinka
survive scares; Nadal
cruises into third round
page 20
FRIDAY REVIEW A 4 PAGES
Chief Justice of India (CJI)Sharad A. Bobde on Thursday said a condemned person cannot fi��ght the deathpenalty endlessly and it wasimportant for the capitalpunishment to reach itsfi��nality.
The death penalty, he noted, cannot be questioned atevery turn by the convict.“One cannot go on fi��ghtingendlessly for everything.”
Cardinal duty The CJI said it was not for ajudge to forgive a crime. Thecardinal duty of a judge wasto see if the punishment wasproportionate to the crime.The law applied whether thecriminal was a fi��rsttimer ora hardened one.
“Courts punish crime. Ifyou go by the innocence of ahuman being, the worst criminal would have an innocent heart. There is nobodywho is a criminal at thedepth of their heart… It isnot the judge but the lawthat deals with a criminal. A
judge, being a human being,cannot forgive a murderer.The law and the judge act forsociety. Imagine a situationwhen a judge tells a murderer ‘Yes, I forgive you!’. Imagine the impact!” the CJIobserved.
He asked SolicitorGeneral Tushar Mehta whether acondemned person, who reforms after the award of thedeath sentence, should bespared the noose. Mr. Mehtareplied, “If that is accepted,there will be no death penalty. You can’t kill your parents and then claim mercysaying you are an orphan.”
The oral remarks came aday after the Centre fi��led anapplication, in the background of the Nirbhaya case,to modify a 2014 judgment
of the court in the Shatrughan Chauhan case.
2014 guidelinesThe 2014 verdict had issuedguidelines, which primarilyheld that an unexplained delay in carrying out an execution would lead to commutation of the death penalty tolife imprisonment.
In its application, the government asked the court toset short deadlines for deathrow convicts to seek legal remedies. It wanted the courtto limit the time for fi��ling curative petitions. A mercyplea should be fi��led within aweek of issuance of thedeath warrant.
The condemned can’tfi��ght endlessly, says CJI ‘A judge can only ensure punishment is proportionate’
Krishnadas Rajagopal
NEW DELHI
NEEDLESS IMPATIENCE
A EDITORIAL
CONTINUED ON A PAGE 12
China on Thursday lockeddown some 20 million people at the epicentre of thenew coronavirus outbreak,banning planes and trainsfrom leaving in an unprecedented move aimed at containing the disease, whichhas spread to other countries.
The respiratory virus,2019nCoV, has claimed 17lives since emerging from aseafood and animal marketin the central city of Wuhan,infected hundreds of otherpeople and been detected asfar away as the U.S.
Streets and shoppingcentres in Wuhan, with apopulation of 11 million,were eerily quiet after authorities told residents not toleave the city, where most of
the cases have been identifi��ed. Trains and planes out ofWuhan were indefi��nitely suspended and tollways onroads out of the city wereclosed, leading to fear andpanic among those trapped.“We are feeling as though itis the end of the world,” saida resident on China’s Twit
terlike Weibo platform,voicing concerns about shortages of food.
Hours later, authorities inthe neighbouring city ofHuanggang, with a population of 7.5 million, announced that public transport and train serviceswould be suspended at mid
night, while people weretold not to leave the city. Allof Huanggang’s cinemas, Internet cafes, and the centralmarket were closed. At athird city, Ezhou, the trainstation had been closed.
Virushit Wuhan locked downTrains and planes indefi��nitely suspended; travel curbs in neighbouring cities too
On alert: A soldier uses a digital thermometer to check adriver’s temperature in Wuhan on Thursday. * AP
Agence France-Presse
Beijing
CALL FOR HELP A PAGE 14
CONTINUED ON A PAGE 12
Ruling out any role for a“third party” in the Kashmirissue, India rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments off��ering to mediatebetween India and Pakistan.
The President’s latest off��er was made at a joint pressappearance with PakistanPrime Minister Imran Khanat the World Economic Fo
rum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, repeating a previous off��ermade in June 2019.
“We have seen PresidentTrump’s remarks. Let meonce again reiterate thatthere is no role for any thirdparty in the matter. If at allthere are any issues betweenIndia and Pakistan to be discussed, it should be done bilaterally,” MEA spokesper
son Raveesh Kumar said,adding that “the onus is onPakistan to create a conducive atmosphere free fromterror and violence”.
The Ministry of ExternalAff��airs has not yet confi��rmeda possible visit by Mr. Trumpto India on February 24. However, asked in Davos aboutthe planned visit, reportedby The Hindu last week, Mr.Trump did not deny it, only
replying that as he had justmet Mr. Khan, he would notrequire to visit Pakistanwhen he comes to India.
“What’s going on betweenPakistan and India — if wecan help, we certainly will bewilling to. We have beenwatching it very closely,” Mr.Trump said.
(With PTI inputs)
India again rejects Trump off��er on KashmirU.S. President’s comments came after a meeting with Pakistan PM Khan at Davos
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
FATF GOALS A PAGE 14
Getting it right: The BSF camel contingent at the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Dayparade at Rajpath in New Delhi on Thursday. Several roads were closed for the rehearsal,leading to traffi��c snarls in the city. * SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR (REPORT ON PAGE 9)
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In full fi��nery
An Indian nurse working ata hospital in Saudi Arabiatested positive for the novelCoronavirus when she andnearly 100 of her Indiancolleagues, mostly fromKerala, were screened, thegovernment said. She isbeing treated at AseerNational Hospital. A PAGE 9
Indian nursetests positive
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Slamming the Centre overthe enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Thursdaysaid the State governmentwould introduce a resolutionagainst the implementationof CAA in the Assembly session beginning on Friday. Theruling Congress has issued awhip asking its MLAs to attend the session on the fi��rsttwo days.
The session will com
mence with the customaryaddress of Governor KalrajMishra. The resolution is likely to be tabled and passed inthe House on the second dayof the session, which will beextended after a gap for presentation of the State budgetnext month.
The Kerala and Punjab Assemblies have passed similarresolutions to build pressureon the Union government over the contentious citizenshiplaw while the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is planning to introduce a
resolution on January 27.Mr. Pilot, who is also the
Pradesh Congress Committeepresident, said the State Assembly would request theUnion government to reconsider the statute and withdraw it at the earliest. ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot hadearlier asserted that the CAAwill not be implemented inRajasthan.
Rahul rallyThe Deputy CM reviewed thepreparations for Congressleader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Yuva
Aakrosh Rally’ in Jaipur on January 28 at a meeting held atthe PCC headquarters here.He said Mr. Gandhi wouldraise the “real issues” concerning the people and focuson the fear and unrest amongthe youths, who were facingunemployment as well aschallenges of economicrecession.
“The BJP government atthe Centre should listen tothe people protesting againstthe CAA across the country.There is no dialogue withthem... They are being at
tacked and called antinationals,” Mr. Pilot said, addingthat the peaceful protest wasa constitutional right ofcitizens.
Mr. Gandhi’s rally, to beheld at the iconic Albert Hallwhere antiCAA demonstrations are being staged everyday, will be attended by Congress workers, youths andstudents.
This will be the fi��rst in a series of rallies of the Congressleader to be organised in different cities across the country.
Rajasthan govt. to introduce resolution against CAAIt is likely to be tabled and passed in the Assembly on Saturday; Congress issues whip
Mohammed Iqbal
JAIPUR
‘Peaceful protests willdeepen democratic roots’NEW DELHI
Referring to the ongoing
agitation against the
amended citizenship law and a
proposed nationwide National
Register of Citizens exercise,
former President Pranab
Mukherjee on Thursday said
that the “peaceful protests”
would lead to a deepening of
India’s democratic roots. He
was speaking at the fi��rst
annual Sukumar Sen Memorial
lecture .
CITY A PAGE 4 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
NEARBY
644 extremistssurrender in AssamGUWAHATI
A total of 644 extremists from
eight banned outfi��ts
surrendered at an offi��cial
function here on Thursday.
The event, attended by Assam
Chief Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal, was part of a series
of “mainstreaming”
programmes for extremist
groups held since 1992.
NEWS A PAGE 13 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
India’s ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index(CPI2019) has slipped from78 to 80 compared to theprevious year, Transparency International said onThursday, questioning the“unfair and opaque politicalfi��nancing” in the country.Its score of 41 out of 100 remains the same.
In democracies such asIndia and Australia, unfairand opaque political fi��nancing, undue infl��uence in decisionmaking and lobbyingby powerful corporate inter
est groups have resulted instagnation or a decline inthe control of corruption.
The report has revealedthat a majority of countriesare showing little to no improvement in tackling corruption. “Our analysis alsoshows corruption is morepervasive in countrieswhere big money can fl��owfreely into electoral campaigns and where governments listen only to the voices of wealthy orwellconnected individuals,” Transparency International said.
India slips two places on corruption indexOpaque political fi��nancing blamed
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
CONTINUED ON A PAGE 12
Security beefed up in cityahead of Republic DayNEW DELHI
With intelligence inputs
warning of a terror strike and
to prevent any disruption by
antiCAA protesters,
adequate security measures
have been put in place in the
city for the Republic Day
celebrations here.CITY A PAGE 4 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
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CMYK
A ND-NDE
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DELHI THE HINDU
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CITY
Union Home Minister AmitShah on Thursday accusedthe Congress, AAP and ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal of vitiating the atmosphere of theCapital by “inciting the youthand minorities” to run riot.
“The campaign for Delhielections begins today, it begins now. It is for you to decide whether you want a government which works forfi��ve years or one which onlydoes dharna pradarshan[sitin protests]...there are asmany as 112 Central government schemes which the Kejriwal government is stoppingyou from getting the benefi��tsof,” Mr. Shah said at his fi��rstpublic meeting in Matiala Assembly constituency, adding:“We will make Delhi the bestcapital in the world... For 15years, you gave the Congressa chance and fi��ve years ago,the people reposed faith inKejriwal’s party, but they[AAP] forgot their promises.”
At public meetings in westDelhi’s Matiala and NangloiJat Assembly constituencies,with a roadshow through theUttam Nagar constituency inbetween, Mr. Shah also alleged that former Congress
president Rahul Gandhi, Mr.Kejriwal and Pakistan PrimeMinister Imran Khan “spokethe same language” and questioned their association behind the scenes, in additionto raking up the issues relatedtothe amended citizenshipAct, the Ram Mandir, Article370 and Jawaharlal Nehru University.
“Just today, [Deputy CM]Manish Sisodia said he is withthe people of Shaheen Bagh.If they come to power, willDelhi be safe? Do those whowant a riot to occur have theright to be in power? I havebeen observing that RahulGandhi and Kejriwal says thesame thing that Imran Khansays... I want to ask them
what their relationship actually is behind the scenes,”Mr. Shah added.
‘Unfulfi��lled promises’He said AAP had promised toopen 500 schools, 20 newcolleges but not a single onewas opened. It had promisedto install 15 lakh CCTV cameras, procure 5,000 new DTCbuses, give employment to 8lakh youth but did none ofthese. Mr. Shah alleged thatthe Delhi governmentcouldnot even regularise the services of the employees workingon contract. Similarly, hesaid, neither the promise offree WiFi was fulfi��lled northe promise of enacting a JanLokpal. “You became CMon
the back of the Anna [Hazare]movement but after comingto power, did nothing in thisconnection. Prime MinisterNarendra Modi got the Bill onLokpal passed in Parliament,”he alleged.
“Kejriwal had said Modijidoes not allow him to workand now he is saying that‘paanch saal khoob kiyakaam, lage raho Kejriwal’. Isay Dilli ka peecha chhod doKejriwal,” he added.
Mr. Keriwal has not wonany election in the last fi��veyears, including the corporation and Lok Sabha elections,he said.
The Chief Minister and theCongress “never wanted aRam Mandir” but the BJP andModiji have “made it possible” and would ensure that,over the next four months, a“towering Ram Mandir” isbuilt.
“Should people who raiseslogans asking for the disintegration of India be allowed toroam free? Should refugeesfrom Pakistan, Afghanistan,Bangladesh not be given Indian citizenship? When wespoke about doing so, peoplelike Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi tried to put stumblingblock in our way,” he alleged.
‘Decide if you want a govt. whichworks or one which only protests’Amit Shah addresses rallies, promises to make Delhi ‘the best capital in the world’
Jatin Anand
New Delhi
Home Minister Amit Shah addressing a public rally in NewDelhi on Thursday. * SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Amid drumbeats and speakers playing “Lage Raho Kej-riwal”, Aam Aadmi Partychief Arvind Kejriwal andthe party’s Kalkaji candidate Atishi took out a roadshow in the constituency onThursday.
Thousands of supporterswelcomed the leaders byshowering rose petals onthem. The roadshow, whichstarted from Gurdwara Baba Banda Singh Bahadur inKalkaji at 5.45 p.m., endedan hour later at C. LalChowk. Mr. Kejriwal andMs. Atishi waved at theirsupporters from their openjeep but none of them gavespeeches.
Before the roadshow,when asked about what arethe issues she is focusingon, Ms. Atishi told The Hin-du, “I will focus on traffi��c,providing basic facilities inslums and building moreschools.”
‘Solutions for all’After the roadshow, whenshe addressed the media,she said: “Kalkaji is a miniDelhi. There are rich peoplehere and also people wholive in kachhi colony andjhuggis. Our party’s speciality is that it works for people from all sections — forinstance, we take care of
traffi��c issues near posh colonies or solve problems ofwater and sewer in kachhicolonies and jhuggis,” shesaid, adding that responsefrom the people has been“extremely positive”.
Many people said theywill vote for Mr. Kejriwaleven though they did notknow the local candidate.Talking about the roadshow, they said it was thefi��rst major election rally inthe area.
Mukesh Yadav (45), chipsand cigarette seller in C. LalChowk, is originally from
UP and has been a Delhi resident for past 20 years. Heclaimed that while schoolsin the city have become better, the work done by thesitting MLA from the constituency – Avtar Singh – hasnot been enough
Delhiites on schools“My daughter studies inClass XI in a governmentschool in Nehru place. Theteachers are better now,” hesaid, adding that the schoolhas improved in many waysmore than one.
However, Mr. Yadav, whohad voted for AAP in the2015 Assembly election,said the party had promisedto make their shops permanent but it is yet to happen.
Two women — Asha (43)
and Suman Joshi (51) — whowere out to buy vegetablesat that time said things arealmost the same but theirelectricity and water billsare less.
“The government hospitals have improved by50%...they are cleaner andalso have more medicines.But more work is needed,”said Ms. Asha fromGovindpuri.
Mr. Kejriwal, who theparty said will cover 60 constituencies through roadshows, held a rally in Tughlakabad in the evening andin Matia Mahal, Uttam Nagar and Vikas Puri in themorning. He will also holdeight town hall sessions.
Delhi Assembly polls isscheduled for February 8and the counting of voteswill take place on February11.
Will focus on building more schools: AtishiKejriwal takes out roadshows in Kalkaji, Tughlakabad, Matia Mahal, Uttam Nagar, Vikas Puri
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and party leader Atishi at aroadshow in Kalkaji. * BIBEK CHETTRI
Staff Reporter
New Delhi <> Our party’s
speciality is that it
works for people
from all sections —
for instance, we
take care of traffi��c
issues near posh
colonies or solve
problems of water
and sewer in
kachhi colonies
and jhuggis
Atishi
AAP senior leader
Safai Sena, an associationof waste pickers, smallscrap dealers and reprocessors, will be holding“town halls” in slums, inviting representatives ofpolitical parties to presenttheir views and listen to issues, for a week startingFriday.
Discuss problemsThe meetings will discussthe problems of air pollution aff��ecting the residentsof the city and especiallythe poor, said the head ofNGO Chintan, whichworks with waste pickers,Chitra Mukherjee.
More than 200 slumdwellers from diff��erentparts of Delhi will put theirproblems in front of therepresentatives, sheadded.
The meetings have beenplanned in the constituencies of Badli, Jangpura,Matiala Mahal, Kondli,Delhi Cantonment, Brijwasan, R. K. Puram and NewDelhi.
Safai Sena tohold meetingsin slums, inviteparty leaders
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
Temporary tea stall outside AAP headquarters in New Delhi.* V.V. KRISHNAN
The Aam Aadmi Party onThursday launched “Kaam kiChai” campaign underwhich varieties of tea namedafter achievements of theparty like “vikas wali chai”,“swasthya wali chai” andmore will be sold from stallsset up in all Assemblyconstituencies.
Praful Billor from Ahmedabad, who runs a temporary tea stall outside AAPheadquarters here, is knownas “MBA Chaiwala”, the party said. AAP Rajya Sabha MPSanjay Singh launched “MBAChaiwala Stall” on Thursdayafternoon.
“Praful has named the teavarieties after the development projects undertaken byAAP...the fi��rst one goes bythe name ‘Education Tea’ orShiksha Wali Chai thatshowcases educational facilities like the sports universityand Mega PTMs. He named achai 'Health Tea' or Swas-
thya Wali Chai that showcases improved health facilitiesin government hospitals likefree tests, surgeries andmedicines, mohalla clinicsand polyclinics,” a statementissued by the party said.
“The third kind of tea —Special Tea — represents thebasic facilities provided bythe government like cheapelectricity, water and freebus travel for women. Following this, comes the Development Tea or Vikas WaliChai that showcases doorstep deliveries, installationof CCTV cameras and freewifi�� among others,” it said.
In the runup to the 2014Lok Sabha polls, the BJP hadlaunched “Chai Pe Charcha”and election strategist Prasant Kishor, who had workedwith them the BJP duringthat election, is now withAAP.
Senior Congress leadersand spokesperson HarnamSingh on Thursday joinedAAP, the party said.
AAP members launch‘Kaam ki Chai’ campaign Tea stalls to be set up in all constituencies
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
A comparison of 2015 and2020 affi��davits of three BJPMLAs and two exAAP MLAs— who are now contesting onCongress tickets in the DelhiAssembly polls — shows thatall of them saw increase inmovable assets.
Movable assets of formerAAP MLA Alka Lamba, whois contesting on a Congressticket from the ChandniChowk constituency, has increased from ₹��18 lakh reported in 2015 to ₹��41 lakh in2020. She has reported anincrease in immovable assetsfrom ₹��1.2 crore to ₹��2.8 crorein her latest affi��davit.
Former AAP MLA AdarshSharma contesting on Congress ticket from Dwarka reported a small hike in movable assets — from ₹��1.13 croreto ₹��1.59 crore. However, hisimmovable assets have decreased from ₹��1.12 crore to₹��75 lakh.
Gift from spouseLeader of Opposition Vijender Gupta reported a hike inmovable assets from ₹��82.5lakh to ₹��1.5 crore. His wifeShobha Gupta also reportedan increase in movable assets from ₹��1.4 crore to ₹��2.3crore. In terms of immovableassets, he reported a dropfrom ₹��2.79 crore to ₹��1.58crore. Ms. Gupta, however,reported an increase of ₹��1.85crore in immovable assets in2020, out of which ₹��1.75crore has been recorded as“gift from spouse”.
BJP candidate from Vishwas Nagar Om Prakash Sharma’s reported a jump of ₹��3.1crore in his movable assets —from ₹��3.7 crore to ₹��6.8 crore.
Mr. Sharma reported anincrease in immovable assets
from ₹��6.7 crore to ₹��7.2 crore.His present affi��davit showstwo cars.
His wife Geeta Sharma’smoveable assets increasedfrom ₹��1.6 crore to ₹��2.7 crore.However, Ms. Sharma re
ported a drop in immovableassets from ₹��7.36 crore to₹��4.75 crore.
BJP MP from MustafabadJagdish Pradhan reported ahike in moveable assets from₹��31 lakh to ₹��65.99 lakh. His
wife also reported an increase in movable assetsfrom ₹��4.85 lakh to ₹��6.6 lakh.Mr. Pradhan, however, reported a decrease in immovable assets from ₹��13.3 croreto ₹��10.95 crore.
3 BJP MLAs, 2 Cong. candidates report hike in movable assets Adarsh Sharma, Vijender Gupta and Jagdish Pradhan declare decrease in immovable assets
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
Security personnel stand beside a two-seater aircraft used by the NCC, which made an emergency landing on the EasternPeripheral Expressway following engine failure, in Ghaziabad on Thursday. * PTI
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The road less travelled
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed theHaryana State PollutionControl Board (HSPCB) tofurnish a report on a pleawhich alleged that wastewater being discharged haddamaged crops and contaminated groundwater.
Taking note of a November 2019 report furnishedby the pollution controlboard, a Bench headed byNGT chief Justice AdarshKumar Goel said, “Letfurther action be taken interms of the recommendations and compliance report fi��led by the Boardwithin one month.”
In its report, the HSPCBhad said, “Sewage treatment plant [STP] at Barwa
la, Haryana, is not complying with the prescribednorms of the HSPCB. Theagricultural fi��eld of complainant is fl��ooded with discharge of STP water. TheSTP is installed in a lowlying area and there is nodrainage arrangement forthe disposal of treatedwater.”
The Tribunal was hear
ing a plea moved by Sukhwanti who alleged that thedischarged waste waterhad damaged crops, contaminated groundwater,led to the death of livestockand aff��ected soil fertility.
‘Drainage network’In a slew of recommendations, the report had suggested “Public Health Engineering Department[PHED] to improve operation and maintenance ofSTP and make arrangements for laying suitabledrainage network for disposal of treated effl�uents”and “environmental compensation to be levied byHSPCB on PHED for periodof noncompliance of Barwala STP as per approvedguidelines”.
Haryana pollution board told to fi��le report within a month
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI
Green Bench seeks report on petitionalleging groundwater contamination
Talk: Nobel Laureate and Presidentof The Royal Society Dr Venki Ramakrishnan will deliver a lecture on“My Adventures in the Ribosome” atJawaharlal Auditorium, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)Campus, 4:30 p.m.
Dance: India International RuralCultural Centre (IRCEN) presents aHindustani vocal recital by AmritaDutta at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya,Rajouri Garden Extn., 9 a.m. andSarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, No.1,Subhash Nagar, 11 a.m.
Exhibition: A solo photographyshow by Sandeep Gupta at Delhi ‘o’Delhi Foyer, India Habitat Centre(IHC), 11 a.m. 7 p.m.
Exhibition: “Confl��uence: Celebrating India Bangladesh Printmaking”,a group show by various artists fromIndia & Bangladesh at Open PalmCourt Gallery, India Habitat Centre(IHC), 11 a.m. 7 p.m.
Exhibition: “Mitti Da Bawa”, raredrawings and paintings of the lateartist Manjit Bawa, organised byBobby and Varsha Bedi at Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam,205, Tansen Marg, 11 a.m. 8 p.m.
(Mail your listings for this column [email protected])
DELHI TODAY
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THE HINDU DELHI
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CITY
A school bus collided with acluster bus in west Delhi’sNaraina, leaving seven students and a woman attendant injured, said a police offi��cer on Thursday morning.
They suff��ered minor injuries on their hands, legs andface and all of them were discharged after treatment, theoffi��cer added.
According to the Fire Department, they received acall at 7.10 a.m. regarding anaccident near Sagar Ratnasignal.
“On reaching the spot, itwas found that a cluster bushad hit a school bus of Salwan Public School, RajinderNagar. Twenty seven children on board were rushedto two nearby hospitals andthey were discharged aftertreatment, he said.
Based on statement by thewitness, a case was registered under Sections 279(rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangeringlife or personal safety of others) of the Indian PenalCode, he added.
The driver of the clusterbus, Parbhat Malik, has been
arrested and further investigation is under way, the police said.
The mother of a Class VIstudent, who did not wishedto be named, said: “My sonwas sitting near the windowseat when he saw the clusterbus speeding and all of a sudden it hit the bus. The bustoppled and crashed nearthe footpath. Children wereafraid and started crying.Police personnel and fi��remen pulled them out. Myson got stitches on head, buthe is doing fi��ne now.”
She added that there wasonly a bus conductor and awoman attendant in theschool bus besides the
driver.Reeta Singh, (29), who has
been employed as a marshalin the cluster bus for lastthree months said their vehicle started from Shivaji Stadium for Madhu Vihar and theaccident occurred at around7 a.m.
“Usually, I sit in the lastrow of the bus. But on theday of accident, I sat in thefront seat meant for the staff��.There were hardly fourfi��vepassengers in the bus. Theaccident occurred near thesignal when the bus wascoming down the fl��yover. Itall happened suddenly. Theimpact was such that theschool bus turned sideways.I fell down from my seat. Oneof the woman passengers inthe bus started shouting. Icalmed her down and wentto check the school children.They were injured and wereaccompanied by a woman. Icalled up the ambulance andinformed the police,” saidMs. Singh.
Four students were treated at Kapoor hospital whileothers were rushed to MehtaHospital from where theywere discharged after administering fi��rst aid.
Eight injured as school buscollides with cluster busStudents, attendant sustain injuries; driver of cluster bus held
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI
The school bus that met withan accident in the city onThursday. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The abolition of three yearsof mandatory experience asa practicing lawyer beforeone could apply and become a District Court judgehas led to selection of candidates who are “unlikely tohave signifi��cant life experiences”, a report by VidhiCentre for Legal Policy said.
This, the report said, hasbrought down the averageage of new judges in India toabout 2627, except in Keralawhere the average age is 33.
“Not only are such candidates likely to have little tono experience at the bar,they are also unlikely tohave signifi��cant life experiences having lived a sheltered experience with theirparents or on a universitycampus,” the report said.
The issue becomes significant as these judges not only deal with the largest num
ber of cases in the country,but also are the fi��rst point ofcontact for the millions ofIndians seeking justice before the courts.
The Supreme Court hadin 2002 done away with theminimum experience requirement for becoming ajudge on the pretext that itcould be compensatedthrough rigorous training atthe judicial academies. TheLaw Commission too hadnoted in favour of abolishing the requirement.
However, it appear thatthe Law Commission andthe Supreme Court overesti
mated the ability of the Indian State to impart suchskills to young inexperienced advocates through astructured training system,the Vidhi report said.
The report, titled ‘Schooling the Judges — The Selection and Training of CivilJudges and Judicial Magistrates’, has attempted to address this issue by studyingtwo critical aspects — theprocess of recruiting judgesto the district judiciary andtheir training at the Statejudicial academies.
‘Worrying problem’“The most worrying problem with the judicial service examinations conducted in India, according toacademics working in thisarea, is that most judicialservice examinations aredesigned to test candidateson their ability to memorisethe law instead of testing
their ability to reason andapply the law,” the reportstated.
Every High Court nowhas at least one State judicial academy under its jurisdiction for the purpose ofproviding induction training to entrylevel judges aswell as refresher training tositting judges.
However, providing meaningful induction training tonew trainees has proved tobe a challenge, the reportsaid, adding that many ofthe State judicial academieslack the faculty required todeliver a structured induction training programme fornew judges.
“In our opinion, if theState judicial academies areto mature into respectableinstitutions of learning, it isnecessary for them to develop independent of the HighCourts,” the reportsuggested.
Report questions process of recruiting judges
‘Candidates being selected to the post unlikely to have signifi��cant life experiences’
Soibam Rocky Singh
New Delhi<> The average age of
new judges in India
has been brought
down to about
26-27, except in
Kerala where the
average age is 33
Report by Vidhi Centre
for Legal Policy
A Delhi court has allowed apublic sector bank to recover₹��7.57 lakh from two houseloan defaulters and the Amrapali Leisure Valley Pvt. Ltd.from whom the two hadbought an under construction fl��at in Greater Noida in2013.
According to the loanagreement between thebank, the buyers and the seller, the builder had agreed toreturn with interest all theloan amount received by himfrom the purchaser to thebank in the event of the borrower and/or builder/landowner failing to complete thesublease/sale transactionand registration thereof.
The fl��at buyers had takena loan of ₹��25.45 lakh from the
bank. After repaying aboutthreefourth of the loanamount, they defaulted onthe remaining amount of₹��7.57 lakh. Despite issuanceof demand notices and reminders thereafter, the threedefendants failed to honourthe loan agreement. Thereafter, the bank approached thecourt with a recovery suit.
The court decided thematter exparte as the defendants failed to appear beforeit despite the publication ofthe summons to them in anewspaper. “It is held thatthe defendants are individually and severely liable topay to the plaintiff�� bank asum of ₹��7,57,913, along withaccrued interest for the period ending April 4, 2018,”District Judge Sanjay Sharma1 said.
Court allows bank torecover house loan dues Nirnimesh Kumar
New Delhi
The Delhi High Court onThursday asked the CBI notto compel a businessmanand a senior Directorate ofRevenue Intelligence (DRI)offi��cial, arrested by theagency in connection with abribery case, to unlock thephones allegedly seizedfrom them at the time ofarrest.
The High Court’s direction came on the pleas bythe duo challenging legalityof a trial court order askingthem to provide passwordsof the seized phones or unlock them.
Petitioners ChanderShekhar, a senior DRI offi��cial, and businessman Ra
jesh Dhanda, through theircounsel told the High Courtthat the direction to unlockthe phones or provide thepasswords was a violation oftheir right againstselfincrimination.
The lawyer for the CBIsaid the phones were seizedfrom the accused at the timeof their arrest.
The trial court’s January22 order had come on CBI’sapplication seeking directions to the accused to unlock their phones seized atthe time of arrest.
Dhanda was arrested onJanuary 1 by the CBI alongwith Shekhar, then DRI Additional Director General(ADG) of Ludhiana in connection with the case.
Don’t compel accused tounlock phone, says courtBribery case against offi��cial, businessman
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
Taking suo motu cognisance of a newspaper reporton the plight of patients andtheir attendants in government hospitals in severaldistricts in the State, the Haryana Human Rights Commission has sought a reportfrom the Direction General,Health Services and Director, ESI, within four weeks.
In its twopage order, thecommission said the poorpatients were being deprived of basic health facilities due to the apathy ofdoctors towards the patients as said in the newspaper report and it was a“violation of human rights”.Referring to the newspaperreport, the commission saidthe attendants of the patients were also suff��eringbecause there was no spacefor them for temporary stayand in the chilling winternight they were compelledto stay in open “which isagain a violation of humanrights”.
A team of correspondents of a Hindi daily had visited several hospitals onDecember 25 last year following complaints.
Haryana rightsbody seeksreport on govt. hospitals
Special Correspondent
GURUGRAM
Delhi Police has solved theShalimar Bagh kidnapcummurder case and arrestedthree persons allegedly involved in the murder, saidthe police on Thursday.
DCP (North West) Vijayanta Arya said that on January 4, a man fi��led a complaint that his brotherSatyanarayan (35), a resident of Pitampura village,was missing. Eff��orts to fi��ndthe missing person went futile. After the family raisedsuspicion, police registereda kidnapping case at Shalimar Bagh police station onJanuary 12.
“Teams were formed tocollect the data of unidentifi��ed bodies. During the exercise, a body recoveredfrom Sahabad Dairy on January 4 was identifi��ed bythe complainant to be of hisbrother’s. He also raisedsuspicion that the deceased’s wife and her malefriend were responsible forhis death, said Ms. Arya.
Call details help policeDuring the investigation,the call details of the suspected persons and Satyanarayan were analysed. Itwas found that Satyana
rayan’s wife was in a relationship with his friendAjay, the offi��cer said.
The wife of the deceasedwas thoroughly questionedand she broke down andconfessed that she was inan extramarital relationship with Ajay. Her husband restricted her to meetAjay due to which she provoked Ajay to kill him sothat they could live together freely, said the police.
3 held from M.P.“It was found that Sonu andSuresh — friends of Ajay —helped him in the murder.Police conducted raids, butall of them were absconding. After getting a tipoff��about their location, a police team was sent to Satnadistrict in Madhya Pradesh.All of them were held withthe help of local police andbrought to Delhi,” said Ms.Arya.
Ajay conspired to kill Satyanarayan, the offi��cer said.On January 4, Ajay consumed liquor with him andthen killed him with thehelp of his friends, the DCPsaid.
“We have arrested all theaccused, including the victim’s wife, under charges ofmurder,” added the DCP.
Wife of victim among accused
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI
Kidnapmurder casecracked with arrest of 3
The National Green Tribunal (NGT), following a pleaseeking a ban on the use ofkites made of nonbiodegradable material, has directed the CPCB to furnishan updated report on thecompliance of previous orders of the Tribunal afterobtaining facts from allStates and UTs.
An NGT Bench said, “Inview of the allegations, weconsider it necessary to require CPCB to ascertain thestatus of compliance of the[previous] directions fromall States and Union Territories and furnish a consolidated report to this Tribunal within three months.”
The directions camewhen the green panel washearing a plea moved byKhalid Ashraf who soughtenforcement of a previousorder passed by the Tribunal. In 2017, NGT had prohibited the use of threadmade of nylon and synthetic material for kitefl��ying.
Report soughton plea seekingban on nylon kitesStaff Reporter
NEW DELHI
Four persons were arrested by the Haryana Police inHisar for allegedly being inpossession of illegal weapons. The police claimedto have recovered six pistols, 12 magazines andthree cartridges. A compact SUV has also beenimpounded.
Giving this informationon Thursday, a spokesperson of Haryana Police saidthat the accused were identifi��ed as Sandeep, a resident of Matloda; Nishan ofKharia; Amardass of Daulatpur and Ajay alias Bagriof Bhaini Badshahpur.
He said that a team ofAntiVehicle Theft staff��,who was on routine patrolling near bus stop, Matlauda, had got a tipoff�� thatsome armed miscreantswere roaming outsideBhanbhori village. Working on the input, the policeteam conducted a raid andarrested all the four accused. When searched, fi��ve.32 bore pistols, one .30bore pistol, 12 magazinesand three live cartridgeswere recovered from theirpossession.
Cases under the provisions of Arms Act had beenfi��led against them. Furtherinvestigation is under way.
Four arrested with illegalweapons
Special Correspondent
GURUGRAM
The Delhi High Court onThursday directed the Enforcement Directorate(ED) to submit a status report of its investigation ina money laundering caselodged against some offi��cials of AirAsia Indiawhose fl��ying licence hasbeen challenged by BJPleader SubramanianSwamy.
Mr. Swamy, in his petition, has challenged theairline’s fl��ying licence andForeign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to AirAsia.
The High Court directed the agency to submitthe status report in asealed cover before thenext date of hearing onMay 14.
‘Submit statusreport inAirAsia case’
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
![Page 4: NEARBY Virushit Wuhan locked down In full nery...address of Governor Kalraj Mishra. The resolution is like ly to be tabled and passed in the House on the second day of the session,](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060403/5f0eb90d7e708231d4409f39/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
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DELHI THE HINDU
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 20204EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
CITY
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday,while talking to a TV newschannel referring to protests in Shaheen Bagh, saidthat everyone has the rightto protest, but if it is creating any inconvenience,then it is not right.
“Everyone has the rightto protest peacefully onany issue, under Article 19of the Constitution, but itshould not create any problem to others,” he said.
Speaking about the protests in Shaheen Bagh, Mr.Kejriwal said, “I have notgone there, so I do notknow the details... My going there will not end theNRC and the CAA. Only theCentre can put an end toit,” the Chief Minister said.
‘Irrelevant’
He added that the CAA andthe NRC were not going to“take the country forward”and termed it as “irrelevant”. Mr. Kejriwal saidthat instead of the NRC andthe CAA, the central government should focus onthe economy of thecountry.
He further said that theBJP did not have the courage to talk about unemployment in India. “Thedecision regarding theamended Citizenship Actand the NRC has been taken only to divide the people of the country. But thecitizens of India will not letthis happen.”
Everyone has a right toprotest: ChiefMinister
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
Referring to the ongoing agitation against the Citizenship(Amendment) Act (CAA) anda proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens(NRC) exercise, former President Pranab Mukherjee onThursday said that the“peaceful protests” wouldlead to a deepening of India’sdemocratic roots.
Mr. Mukherjee was speaking at the fi��rst annual Sukumar Sen Memorial lecture organised by the ElectionCommission of India (ECI) inmemory of the fi��rst ChiefElection Commissioner of In
dia. “Indian democracy has
been tested time and again.The last few months havewitnessed people come outon the streets in large numbers, particularly the youngto voice out their views on is
sues which, in their opinion,are important. Their assertion and belief in the Constitution of India is particularlyheartening to see. Consensusis the lifeblood of democracy. Democracy thrives on listening, deliberating, discussing, arguing and evendissent,” he said.
He added: “I believe thepresent wave of largelypeaceful protests that havegripped the country shallonce again enable the further deepening of our democratic roots.”
Complimenting the ECI onits achievements, Mr. Mukherjee said challenges re
mained before the electoralsystem.
He said the ECI embargoessanctioning and implementation of development projects during elections, whichimpacts administration.
He also suggested that theModel Code of Conductcould be amended to easethe restrictions.
On the number of Parliamentary seats, he said that ifthe freeze on the numberwas lifted, it could go up to1,000 Lok Sabha seats. Onthe issue of women’s representation, he called for the“immediate passage of theWomen’s Reservation Bill”.
Peaceful protests will deependemocratic roots, says PranabFormer President says people’s faith in the Constitution is heartening to see
Pranab Mukherjee
Damini Nath
NEW DELHI
With intelligence inputswarning of a terror strike andto prevent any disruption byantiCAA protesters, adequate security measures havebeen put in place in the national capital for the Republic Day celebrations here.
A police offi��cer said thatthey have given clear instructions to security personnel tobe vigilant, adding that noperson with placards will beallowed in New Delhi on January 26. “Visitors enteringthe enclosures to watch theRepublic Day parade willhave to undergo strict security check. As per instructions,visitors will have to opentheir jackets for the securityoffi��cers to check if they arewearing any black outfi��t and
ensure that they are notwearing anything with antiCAA slogans on them,” saidthe offi��cer. Policemen inplain clothes will be deployed to stop protestersform entering the enclosures, he said.
The intelligence wing is al
so keeping a watch on protests going on in the city.Around 40,000 security personnel have been deployedacross the Capital.
Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik had held ameeting with all districtDCPs and other senior offi��cers after the Republic Day rehearsal parade here. He hadasked all police offi��cers to increase foot patrolling in theirrespective districts.
The multilayer security arrangements include deployment of traffi��c offi��cials, mobile hit teams, antiaircraftguns, sharpshooters andsnipers atop highrise buildings to keep a watch on the 8kmlong parade route fromRajpath to Red Fort.
Police personnel havebeen directed to stay utmost
alert with the Delhi AssemblyElections scheduled for February 8. Antiterror measures like tenant and servantverifi��cation, border checking, security of vital installations, malls and markets, patrolling in areas with heavyfootfall are being carried out.
“We have intensifi��ed patrolling in public places.Group patrolling, night patrolling and vehicle checkingis being carried out with thehelp of Central Armed PoliceForces. Frisking at metro stations, railway stations, airport and bus terminals havealso been tightened,” a senior police offi��cial said. Atleast 150 CCTV cameras havebeen installed in the areascovering Red Fort, ChandniChowk and Yamuna Khadar,the offi��cer added.
Police, security offi��cers on their toes ahead of RDay
Security stepped up in the Capital as intelligence inputs warn of terror strike
Security offi��cers at Rajpath in New Delhi.
* FILE PHOTO
SAURABH TRIVEDI
NEW DELHI
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THE HINDU DELHI
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NORTH & EAST
HG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Suresh Nambath (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).
0DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested toverify and make appropriate enquiries tosatisfy themselves about the veracity ofan advertisement before responding toany published in this newspaper. THGPUBLISHING PVT LTD., the Publisher &Owner of this newspaper, does not vouchfor the authenticity of any advertisementor advertiser or for any of the advertiser’sproducts and/or services. In no event canthe Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Dir-ector/s, Employees of this newspaper/company be held responsible/liable inany manner whatsoever for any claimsand/or damages for advertisements inthis newspaper.
Timings
DELHI
FRIDAY, JAN. 24
RISE 07:14 SET 17:54
RISE 06:47 SET 17:24
SATURDAY, JAN. 25
RISE 07:13 SET 17:55
RISE 07:34 SET 18:20
SUNDAY, JAN. 26
RISE 07:13 SET 17:55
RISE 08:15 SET 19:16
Amid the ongoing controversy between the Chief Minister’s Offi��ce and StateHome Minister Anil Vij overwho controls the CriminalInvestigation Department,the State government hashanded over its charge toChief Minister Manohar LalKhattar.
Latenight moveIn a late night developmenton Wednesday, the Haryanagovernment issued ordersallocating the CID, amongother departments, to theChief Minister. Home Minister Anil Vij will now cease tohold the portfolio.
Reacting to the decisionon Thursday, Mr. Vij said hehad always maintained thatthe Chief Minister was supreme and he (Chief Minister) can take away or divideany department.
An offi��cial statement onWednesday said that theGovernor of Haryana, onthe advice of the Chief Minister, has allocated somenew portfolios to the ChiefMinister and to twoMinisters.
“As per a notifi��cation issued by the Chief Secretary,the portfolios of the Criminal Investigation Department, and the departments
of Personnel and Trainingand of Raj Bhavan Aff��airshave been allocated to ChiefMinister Manohar Lal in addition to his existing portfolios, with immediate eff��ect,”the statement said.
Other portfoliosApart from this, the portfolio of elections has been allocated to Transport Minister Mool Chand Sharma
while the portfolio of Artand Cultural Aff��airs, hitherto allocated to the Transport Minister, has nowbeen allocated to EducationMinister Kanwar Pal, in addition to their existingportfolios.
“Thus, Home MinisterAnil Vij will cease to holdthe portfolio of Criminal Investigation Department andTransport Minister MoolChand Sharma will cease tohold the portfolio of Art andCultural Aff��airs,” said thestatement.
Unhappy with CIDNotably, Mr. Vij had pointedfi��ngers over the functioningof the CID and had soughtan explanation from a senior offi��cer for not responding to his queries.
He had also sought replacement of State CIDchief Anil Rao, who is anADGPrank offi��cer.
After tussle with Home Minister,Khattar fi��nally gets CID portfolioCM is supreme and he can take away or divide any department, says Vij
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHANDIGARH
CM Manohar Lal Khattar Home Minister Anil Vij
Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan believes a 10% reservation to the students of western Uttar Pradesh could be aneff��ective way to deal with student protests in Jamia MilliaIslamia and Jawaharlal NehruUniversity.
Addressing a rally in support of the Citizenship(Amendment) Act 2019 inMeerut on Wednesday withDefence Minister RajnathSingh, the Union Minister forAnimal Husbandry, Dairy,and Fisheries said he would
“urge Rajnathji to make provision for a reservation to students of western Uttar Pradesh in these Delhiuniversities to treat thoseraising antinational slogans”.“Sabka ilaj kar denge, kisi kizaroorat nahin padne ki”(they will treat everybody, nobody else would be required),” he said.
‘Antinational slogans’He pointed out thousands ofstudents were supporting theCAA in Meerut and Muzaff��arnagar but only the protests ofstudents of the Jamia and the
JNU which have around eightto ten thousands were making news for raising antinational slogans.
Earlier, Mr Singh tried toallay fears of Muslims aboutthe CAA. “Let me assure myMuslim brothers that thosewho are citizens of Indiawould not be touched,” hesaid, adding even MahatmaGandhi wanted citizenshipfor persecuted minorities.
Claiming BJP didn’t do politics of religion, Mr Singhsaid, “In 2003, former PMManmohan Singh put forththe same view in the Rajya
Sabha. We are only taking itforward.”
On Thursday, addressing arally in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act inAgra, his fi��rst after becomingthe BJP president, J.P Naddasaid 70% of people to be benefi��tted by the Act belong tothe Dalit community. “Thesocalled protectors of Dalitsare silent on this,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath reiterated histough stand against protesters. He said those who raiseantinational slogans wouldbe charged with sedition.
Balyan fl��oats ‘solution’ for Jamia, JNU protestsGive 10% reservation to the students of western Uttar Pradesh: Union Minister
Special Correspondent
Ghaziabad
Former BJD MLA Anam Naikwas arrested after the anticorruption wing of the Statepolice allegedly unearthedproperties disproportionateto his known sources ofincome.
Mr. Naik had representedthe Bhawanipatna Assemblyconstituency in Kalahandidistrict from 2014 to 2019.
During the recent raidsconducted by the vigilancedepartment at multiple locations, the former BJD MLAand his family memberswere found to have assetsworth ₹��3.42 crore.
Mr. Naik had entered intogovernment service as a junior clerk in the Kalahandi
District Collectorate in theyear 1990. Subsequently, heheld clerical duties in the offi��ce of Tahasildar and BlockDevelopment Offi��cer atBhawanipatna.
He had resigned from service about 15 years ago andentered into active politics.
‘Building and plots’According to the vigilancedepartment, during thecourse of their search, Mr.Naik and his family members were found to be in possession of assets amountingto ₹��3.42 crore, which included buildings, market complexes, plots of land, vehicles and deposits in diff��erentbanks amounting to over ₹��49lakh.
Former BJD MLA heldon corruption chargeAssets worth ₹��3.42 cr. unearthed
Staff Reporter
BHUBANESWAR
The ongoing protest at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh against Citizenship (Amendment) Act,National Register of Citizensand National Population Register has spread to at least 11districts of Bihar.
Protesters, mostly womenand girls, can be seen wavingnational fl��ag, singing patriotic songs and reciting poemsat dharnas in parks and openareas. In Patna alone, suchprotests are being held atthree places for the past several days.
‘No party fl��ags’Politicians and social activistslike Brinda Karat, KanhaiyaKumar, Yogendra Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and ShivanandTiwari have addressed theprotesters, explaining the implications of the CAA. “We
don’t allow them to makepolitical speeches here. Theycome to lend us support,nothing more,” said OmairKhan, who has been leadingone such protest at Gaya’sShanti Bagh.
“Leaders are welcome tolend us support, but no partyfl��ags are allowed,” said Mohd.
Sarfaraj, who has been sittingon protest at Patna’sSubzibagh.
Phulwarisharif and MangalTalab are the other two areasin Patna which have beenseeing continuous antiCAANRCNPR protests. Hundredsof women of all ages and evensmall children can be seensitting roundtheclock andraising slogans against PrimeMinister Narendra Modi andhis government’s “antipeople” policies. Mothers holding babies in their arms discuss how CAANPRNRCwould impact their lives,while the men are mostly engaged in managing thecrowd.
“We will not move fromhere till this law is withdrawnby the Modi governmenteven if it takes months oryears,” says a veiled AkbariKhatun, who has been com
ing to the protest site everyday for the last 17 days.
Students at forefrontSimilar protests are beingheld in Kishanganj, Katihar,Bettiah in West Champaran,Begusarai, Nalanda, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Gaya,Darbhanga and Madhubanidistricts. At some places likeBettiah, girl students fromAligarh Muslim Universityand Jamia Milia Islamia havebeen leading the protests.“The CAA, NRC and NPRhave put a question mark onour identity in our own country. Who are these people toask us for our identity,” askeda young girl from Darbhanga.
“The day is not far whensuch protests will spread toall corners of the country andforce the government to withdraw this law,” said Nafi��saParveen at Gaya.
AntiCAA protests spread to 11 Bihar districtsWomen and girls mostly leading agitations while men manage the crowd
CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar ata protest in Patna. * FILE PHOTO
Amarnath Tewary
Patna
A 45yearold woman andher two children were founddead at their home in the city’s Manimajra area, the police said on Thursday, addingthat a case against unknownperson has been registered.
The police said the deceased have been identifi��edas Sarita Arora, her daughterSanchi, 22, and son Arjun,15. Sarita's husband SanjayArora, who was hit by a trainwas also seriously injuredand admitted at Postgraduate Institute of MedicalEducation and Research.
According to a statementissued by the police, Mr. Karamvir, who is an associateof Sanjay Arora (running a
sweet shop), received a callfrom the PGI about the critical condition of Sanjay Arora, who had sustained injuries after being hit by a train.
Gate lockedMr. Karamvir then rushed tothe hospital and tried to contact the family members.When he was unable to contact the family on telephone,he went to the house of Mr.Arora, where he found thegate locked from outside.Sensing suspicion he calledthe police, the statementsaid.
Inside the house the bodies of Sarita, Sanchi and Arjun were found. The policehave registered a case and aprobe is on.
3 of Chandigarh familyfound dead at homeHusband hit by train, in hospital
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHANDIGARH
The Aligarh police on Thursday detained a young videojournalist who was coveringthe protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Actin the Shahjamal area of thecity. Shaheen Abdullah is astudent of mass communication at Jamia Millia Islamiaand works with MaktoobMedia. He was released afterabout four hours.
“When I was covering theprotest, some policemenasked me to come withthem to the police station. Ishowed them my Press cardbut they didn’t listen and repeatedly called me an an-tankavadi (terrorist).”
‘Laptop taken away’At the police station, Mr. Abdullah told The Hindu, theytook away his diary, laptop,and phone. “When I toldthem I was from Jamia, theydescribed it as atankavadi-yon ki university (universityof terrorists) and asked why
I was humiliating policethrough my work.”
Later, he said, some senior offi��cers came and triedto play “good cop”. “Theysaid they were just verifyingmy credentials. When I saidit could have been done atthe protest site, they digressed and kept delayingmy release.” He said his SDcard which has some crucialrecording was still with thepolice. “They have promised to return it later inthe night.”
Mr. Abdullah is the samejournalist who was beatenby the Delhi police near Jamia Millia Islamia and wassaved by some girls.
Journalist detained,released in AligarhHe was covering antiCAA protests Anuj Kumar
Ghaziabad
Shaheen Abdullah
Government schoolstudents in Congressled Madhya Pradeshwill now have to readout the Preamble ofthe Constitutionduring morningassemblies and BalSabhas.
“Orders have beenissued to all districteducation offi��cers tothis eff��ect,” said K. K.Dwivedi, DeputySecretary, StateDepartment ofSchool Education.
Each Saturdayafter morning prayer,the senior mostteacher ofgovernment schoolswould have to readout the Preamble,with studentsrepeating after himor her, according to anote issued by thedepartment.
M.P. studentsto read outPreamble
Staff Reporter
Bhopal
Setting an example of religious harmony and humanity, a Hindu family in Kolkatadonated the liver of a member who passed away onTuesday to a Muslim womansuff��ering from endstage liver cirrhosis.
Doctors at the School ofDigestive and Liver Diseases( SDLD) of SSKM Hospital inKolkata successfully conducted a liver transplant onSahana Khatun (29).
Though it was seventh liver transplant performed bySDLD doctors since January2019, what made the procedure unique was that thedonor, Kalyan Kumar Roy
chowdhury (67), was a Hindu and the recipient, Ms.Khatun, a Muslim.
Speaking to The Hinduabout the transplant, Dr.Abhijit Chowdhury, whoheads the SDLD, said that itwas only a coincidence thatthe donor and the recipientwere from diff��erent religions.
“What matters for a transplant is that the bloodgroup and other parametersshould match. The patienton whom the transplant isto be carried out is selectedon the basis of a priority list.Till a few hours ago, wewere not aware that the donor and the recipient werefrom diff��erent religions,” Dr.
Chowdhury said.The doctor added that it
was only after interest wasshown by media that theyrealised that the transplantpresented a “classic case ofreligious harmony”.
“In the present times,this is possibly one of the examples of communal harmony and it proves that allhuman beings are thesame,” Dr. Chowdhury said.
‘Won’t hesitate’S.K. Shabbir Ali, the brotherof Ms. Khatun, said they hadbeen waiting for a donor forquite some time. “In my lifeif I get an opportunity I willnot hesitate to donate myorgans to a person from a
diff��erent religion,” said Mr.Ali said.
The family members ofRoychowdhury, a residentof Bally in Howrah districtwho met with an accidenton Monday and was declared brain dead on Tuesday, said they are very happy that his organs has savedlives.
“My mother said that ifmy father had faced such asituation, he would have taken the same decision of donating the organs,” saidAdrita Roychowdhury, thedaughter of deceased.
His kidneys have beentransplanted to another patient at a private hospital inthe city.
Hindu man’s liver gives life to Muslim woman Transplant presents a classic case of religious harmony, says doctor at SSKM Hospital
Shiv Sahay Singh
Kolkata
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CMYK
A ND-NDE
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THE HINDU DELHI
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WEST
Several Maratha outfi��ts, including the Sambhaji Brigade, have objected to theMaharashtra Navnirman Sena’s newly minted fl��ag incorporating Chhatrapati Shivaji’s royal seal or ‘Rajmudra’,with the Brigade approaching the Pune police onThursday demanding that anFIR be lodged against MNSchief Raj Thackeray and hisparty for using the MarathaKing’s seal for ‘crass’ political purposes.
The Brigade leaders submitted a written applicationto the police urging a probeand an FIR against the ‘misuse’ of the seal.
Lashing out at Mr. Thackeray, the Brigade said it wouldalso approach the Maharashtra Election Commission tolodge a complaint againstthe MNS.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji’s Rajmudra [royal seal] was created by the king for the welfareof the people. Its purposewas to ensure a fair and justadministration, and it lent agreat weight to Shivaji’s decisions owing to his ideals ofSwarajya. It is a symbol ofgreat import and signifi��cance to the admirers andfollowers of the Chhatrapati.But it is highly inappropriatefor any party to use the sealfor petty political purposes,”said Santosh Shinde, districtpresident, SambhajiBrigade.
He said the Brigade wouldalso approach the Chhatrapati’s direct descendants including exNationalist Congress Party (NCP)turned BJP
leader Udayanraje Bhosaleand urge them to pursue thecase vigorously.
The famous fi��rst lines ofthe seal say, “Ever growing insplendour like the moon onthe fi��rst day of the bright halfof the month, and adored bythe world, this seal of Shivaji, the son of Shahaji, shines
for the welfare of all.”Saying the Brigade strong
ly condemned the intentionsof the MNS, Mr. Shinde saidMr. Thackeray’s party, whichhad thus based its politics onregional chauvinism and social divisiveness, had no moral authority to use the seal.
“The MNS keeps changing
its colours like a chameleon.When it failed to secure anyvotes on its earlier fl��ag, it hasnow taken recourse to a newstratagem by incorporatingShivaji’s seal for seeking votes…we strongly condemnMr. Thackeray and his partyand we will keep opposingthem.”
While his party did notcontest, Mr. Thackeray’s spirited campaigning for theCongress and the NCP in thegeneral election last yearhad come a cropper, withthe BJPSena candidates winning with huge margins inthe very constituencies theMNS chief had held rallies.
In the Assembly polls heldin October, Mr. Thackerayentered the poll arena andcontested in 100 seats, winning only one (Kalyan Rural).
Maratha outfi��ts object to newMNS fl��ag with Shivaji’s sealInappropriate for any party to use seal for petty political purposes: Sambhaji Brigade
MNS supporters wave new saff��ron fl��ag bearing Shivmudra on it at State conclave venue at NSEground, Goregaon on Thursday. * THE HINDU
Shoumojit Banerjee
Pune
MNS president Raj Thackeray addressing party workers inGoregaon on Wednesday. * VIJAY BATE
The National Green Tribunalon Thursday said the Malegaon administration hasfailed to take eff��ective stepsfor closure of polluting industries and sought a statusreport on the issue.
Irked over “unsatisfactorystate of aff��airs”, a benchheaded by NGT chairpersonJustice Adarsh Kumar Goeldirected the commissionerof Malegaon Municipal Corporation, District Magistrate,Superintendent of Police,the member secretary ofState pollution controlboard, and the managing director of Maharashtra StateElectricity Distribution Company Ltd to appear in personon February 24.
“Though action has beentaken, there was no eff��ectiveclosure of operations and thepolluting activities were stillcontinuing. There was needfor coordination among departments,” the Bench said.
The tribunal’s observationcame after perusing a reportfi��led by a committee which
stated that though action hasbeen taken, there was no effective closure and the polluting activities were stillcontinuing.
According to the committee, 185 of 190 units havingfacilities for plasticrelatedactivities and 70 out of 125sizing units are located in residential area.
No action has been takento check/prevent entry ofvehicles carrying plasticwaste into Malegaon cityarea and unloading of thesame, the committee said.
“Remedial measures foridentifi��ed traffi��c congestionhotspots are implementedimmediately, and solid wastemanagement and sewagemanagement plan are implemented expeditiously as early as possible but not laterthan the target period of Fe
bruary 2021 and December2021,” the committee said.
Noting this, the tribunalsaid that time limit for solidwaste and sewage management recommended by thecommittee is too long andneeds to be advanced, inconsistent with environmentnorms
“Compensation needs tobe speedily assessed and recovered from the polluters,on ‘Polluter Pays’ principle,as already directed. Thecompensation should beadequate to meet the cost ofrestoration so that pollutingactivity is not profi��table. Weare of the view that it is necessary to interact with thekey offi��cers, after they fullyacquaint themselves withthe task to be performed,”the Bench said.
The tribunal was hearinga plea by Mohammad YusufAbdullah Shaikh and othersseeking action against airpollution due to melting ofplastic in the process of manufacturing “gitti” (recycledplastic granules) for use ofplastic pipes at Malegaon.
No eff��ective steps taken to checkindustrial pollution in Malegaon: NGT ‘There is no closure of operations... polluting activities are continuing’
Press Trust of India
New Delhi <> Compensation
needs to be
speedily assessed
and recovered
from the polluters
Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel
Chairperson, NGT
“I have neither changed mycolour, nor my soul. Our ally(the Bharatiya Janata Party)tried to prove me wrong;how could I face my people?That is why I joined handswith those who were in theopposition for decades toform a government,” saidChief Minister and Shiv Senachief Uddhav Thackeray onThursday.
Mr. Thackeray was takingpotshots at former ally BJPand also the MaharashtraNavnirman Sena, which gota new fl��ag on Thursday. TheCM was felicitated by hisparty for keeping his promise to late Sena founderBal Thackeray on his birthanniversary.
The Shiv Sena founderwas born on January 23,1926, making Thursday his94th birth anniversary. Politicians of all hue, Sainiks,and citizens thronged BalThackeray’s memorial atShivaji Park to pay their respects.
The BJP’s Vinod Tawdewas among those who visited the memorial. “I alwayscome here to pay tribute tohim; he was like a familyleader for us. Devendraji also comes every year on thedeath anniversary. There isno political angle here.”
Senior Sena leader SanjayRaut called Balasaheb ‘Hinduhridaysamrat’ after VeerSavarkar. Asked about theMNS grabbing the Hindutvaplank, he said, “Hindutva isnot a subject of competition, nobody will challengethe Sena’s Hindutva, wewant Hindutva to spread.”
The Shiv Sena had organised a grand event at BandraKurla Complex for the felicitation. It emphasised the colour saff��ron, with chairsdraped in the colours, andthe party’s saff��ron fl��agsspread across the ground.The CM also sported a saffron kurta and tilak. Theevent was marked with Maharashtrian folk dances andcultural performances. TheCM was felicitated by 11 senior citizen Shiv Sainiks andgiven the ceremonial swordon stage.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Thackeray said, referring to his audience, “Today I have been felicitated. Ididn’t accept any honoursbut today’s honour is yours.This is not my fulfi��lled promise but the fi��rst step towards it.” He took a dig atthe BJP and MNS and said, “Itook up this post becausethe then ally (BJP) broke itspromise, the one they hadgiven in Balasaheb’s room.
They tried to prove mewrong, how would I faceyou? I can never lie to people, that’s why I took a diff��erent route and allied withthose who were our opposition for decades. I did itopenly, but that doesn’tmean our ideology haschanged, that I have left Hindutva. Our colour and oursoul are still the same,which is saff��ron.”
In 2014, the CM said, “theBJP had broken alliance withus and formed a government with an invisible hand.Now, the BJP is talking aboutthe Sena’s real face but actually, they have been exposed. I never told Balasaheb that I will become CMbut took it up for you... Idedicate this success to allShiv Sainiks who worked forthe party. Sainiks are my armour. We will never betraythe trust you have shown,”he said, without naming hiscousin Raj Thackeray of theMNS or the BJP directly.
Sena has not abandoned Hindutva, says CM Tanvi Deshpande
Mumbai
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray with his wifeRashmi, and son Aaditya being felicitated by Shiv Senaworkers at an event to mark Balasaheb Thackeray’s birthanniversary in Bandra on Thursday. * AADESH CHOUDHARI
Uddhav tears into BJP, MNS,says he will stick by saff��ron
Residents of Pathri in Parbhani district on Thursdaydecided to approach courtto get legal sanctity to theirclaim that 19th Centurysaint Saibaba was born intheir village.
Members of the Sai Janmabhoomi Pathri Sansthan said they would fi��le apetition in the Aurangabadbench of the Bombay HighCourt with evidence toprove that Sai Baba wasborn in Pathri.
A controversy haserupted over the purported birthplace of the revered saint, 102 years afterhe took ‘samadhi’ inShirdi.
Some residents claimedthat Chief Minister UddhavThackeray had retractedhis statement on Pathri being Sai Baba’s birthplaceunder pressure from theShirdi temple trust.
MLC and president ofthe action committee, Babajani Durrani, said Pathriresidents will move courton the issue.
“Shiv Sena MP SanjayJadhav had met Mr. Thackeray to seek his appointment for meeting Pathriresidents but it was deniedand we were told to nottake the controversy anyfurther,” said Mr. Durrani.
“We have decided to gofor legal procedure to resolve this issue and won’tbe meeting Mr. Thackeray.A team of advocates will visit Pathri and we will fi��le apetition in the court nextweek,” he said.
“We won’t mind if thegovernment grant for Pathri doesn’t come but we willnever give up our claimthat Pathri is the birthplace of Sai Baba,” he said.
The Sena on Tuesdaysaid Mr. Thackeray shouldnot be blamed for the “uncalled for” controversy over the birthplace of Sai Baba as nobody can tellwhether the 19th Centurysaint was actually born inShirdi.
Sai Bababirthplacerow: Pathriresidents tomove court
Press Trust of India
Aurangabad
Early birds: Children of a Zila Parishad school sell vegetables in the school premises in Sindhudurg district on Thursday as partof a unique training programme to hone their maths and marketing skills. * RAJENDRA GAWANKAR
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Practical maths
With citizens, lawyers andeven politicians joining theclamour for the closure ofKhedSivapur toll plaza onthe longpending PuneSatara national highway, aThanebased lawyeractivistPraveen Wategaonkar, alongwith Sanjay Shirodkar, aPunebased activist, havefi��led a complaint with theCBI against P.S. Toll RoadPrivate Ltd — a special purpose vehicle promoted byReliance Infrastructure.
The complainants have alleged that while the PuneSatara highway, work onwhich commenced in 2010,is nowhere near completion,P.S. Toll Road has illegallycollected toll revenue ofnearly ₹��1780 crore in the past
nine years.In their complaint fi��led on
Wednesday, Mr. Wategaonkar and Mr. Shirodkar havealso named the NationalHighways Authority of India(NHAI) along with otherentities.
“We have lodged a complaint under Sections 405,409 (criminal breach of trustby public servant or banker),420 (cheating) to be readwith sections 34, 120(B) ofthe Indian Penal Code (IPC)and the Prevention of Corruption Act,” said Mr. Wategaonkar, and added thattheir 100page complaintwas based on a careful studyof bid documents, CAG reports and other documentsobtained under Right To Information (RTI) Act.
He said as per their con
tract, P.S. Toll Road was tocomplete the sixlane development of the 140 km PuneSatara highway within 30months beginning October2010.
“The sixlaning of thehighway was to have fi��nished
by March 31, 2013. Yet, it hasdragged on for nine years,”said Mr. Wategaonkar.
The complaint says thaton December 16, 2013, theMinistry of Road Transportand Highways issued amended rules pertaining to the le
vy of toll on national highways which prohibitedcollection of toll where sixlaning process had been delayed beyond scheduledcompletion dates.
“P.S. Toll Road had noauthority to collect toll since2014 without completing thesixlaning process. So, the extensions granted by the NHAIto the construction scheduleare in violation of biddingterms,” Mr. Wategaonkarsaid.
The abysmal condition ofthe PuneSatara road with itsincomplete bridges, potholes and congestion pointshave left users harried, oftendoubling their commutetime.
An online petition whichbegan late last year has hadlittle, if any, eff��ect on the
NHAI.Political parties like the
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), with its agitationagainst illicit toll collection,too have stepped into thefray while Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP SupriyaSule has demanded action.Earlier this month, the PuneDistrict Collector had writtento the National HighwaysAuthority of India (NHAI),urging the stoppage of tollcollection at the KhedSivapur toll plaza.
RTI activist Vijay Kumbharsaid that this particular tollplaza was a classic case ofholding passengers ‘captive’by deliberately delayingcompletion of the project.
“This [PuneSatara toll]case is a peculiarity in Maharashtra where toll is being
collected despite the noncompletion of a service road.Given the amount of moneyinvolved, any immediatecrackdown on this staggeringcorruption appears unlikely,” Mr. Kumbhar said.
Activist Vivek Velankar ofthe Sajag Nagrik Manch alleged that the NHAI had nocontrol whatsoever overroad contractors, resulting incommuters being the ultimate suff��erers.
“It appears that the incomplete PuneSatara highway stretch is being fundedby the illicit funds garneredby levying toll from haplesstravellers. Why else has thesixlaning been delayed bynearly seven years when itought to have been completed by 2013?” Mr. Velankarasked.
Collecting toll on PuneSatara highway illegal, say activistsFile complaint with CBI say sixlaning of the road, which was to have fi��nished by March 2013, has been delayed by more than nine years
Shoumojit Banerjee
Pune
Incomplete: The toll naka at KhedSivapur on the PuneSatara national highway. * DHANANJAY HELAWADE
Shiv Sena leader SanjayRaut on Thursday saidtheir allies Congress andNCP are welcome to joinChief Minister UddhavThackeray when he visitsAyodhya in March to markthe completion of his 100days in power.
He said off��ering prayersto Lord Ram has got nothing to do with the commonminimum programme, onthe basis of which the threeideologically diff��erent parties came together to forma government inMaharashtra.
It will be Mr. Thackeray’s fi��rst visit to Ayodhyasince his party severed tieswith the BJP over sharingof power after elections inOctober last year.
“We will invite everybody, including our allies tojoin. Everyone worshipsLord Ram at home. So,they can join us in off��eringprayers at Ayodhya,” saidMr. Raut.
Mr. Thackeray had earlier put off�� a visit to Ayodhya in November 24, 2019after the NCP’s core committee resolved to form analternative government.
Mr. Thackeray wassworn in as Chief Ministeron November 28, 2019 andrecently completed 50days in offi��ce.
Mr. Thackeray last visited Ayodhya in June lastyear and off��ered prayers atthe makeshift Ram Lallatemple along with 18 newlyelected Lok Sabha MPsof his party.
Will also inviteCongress, NCPto join CM onAyodhya visit,says Raut
Press Trust of India
Mumbai
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CMYK
A ND-NDE
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DELHI THE HINDU
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 20208EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SOUTH
The Centre will not allot anyadditional assistance to Kerala from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)as it has failed to produceutilisation certifi��cates for50% of over ₹��3,000 crorefund allotted to it after the2018 fl��oods, a senior HomeMinistry offi��cial said onThursday.
The Kerala governmenthad demanded an additional₹��2,000 crore from the fundafter the 2019 fl��oods. Keralawas hit by successive fl��oodsin 2018 and 2019.
“The Kerala governmenthas not been able to spendthe amount released underthe NDRF for the 2018fl��oods, nor they have beenable to provide proof of thenumber of victims who werehelped. Till April last year,they had spent only ₹��900crore out of ₹��3,000 croresanctioned funds,” said theoffi��cial.
More than 400 peoplewere killed and thousandsdisplaced in 2018 when the
State was hit by one of theworst fl��oods in over 90years. A year later, morethan 100 were killed and over a thousand houses weredamaged when Kerala wasagain aff��ected by fl��oods.
“Till the time the State government spends the assistance allotted to it for the fi��nancial year 201819, we
cannot release any additional amount for 201920,” theoffi��cial said.
Centre’s shareAs per the National DisasterManagement Authority’swebsite, as of December 31,2019, the Centre’s share allocated to Kerala under theSDRF is ₹��168.75 crore of
which ₹��52.27 crore has beenreleased. In the current fi��nancial year, the Centre hasreleased ₹��8,068.33 crore to27 States as Central sharefrom the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). The offi��cial said Kerala had around₹��300 crore in the SDRF kitty.Assistance under NDRF is released “in case of a disasterof severe nature, providedadequate funds are not available in SDRF”.
Kerala’s response“The State’s contention isthat its memorandum for2019 has not been considered and approved for theamount permissible. TheCentre has to sanction anamount to Kerala in view ofthe 2019 fl��oods,” said VenuV., Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, Kerala.
“Whether we have cashwith us or not is the secondary question. The primaryquestion is whether theyhave examined our memorandum and taken a decisionon it,” Mr. Venu said.
Centre refuses to give morefunds to Kerala for fl��ood relief‘Utilisation certifi��cates not given for 50% of money sanctioned after 2018 deluge’
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
Former Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh and senior TDP leaders P. PullaRao and P. Narayana havebeen booked by the AndhraPradesh Crime InvestigationDepartment (CID) under various charges, includingcheating, criminal breach oftrust and insider trading inmassive purchase of lands inAmaravati region before thethen TDP government issued a GO on December 30,2014 notifying the 29 villages as Capital region.
The CID has already written to the Income Tax department and the Enforcement Directorate to probeallegations of huge purchaseof lands by white ration cardholders, suspected to be“benamis” of the seniorleaders and also into allegations of huge money laundering in buying the lands.
Cases under Sections 418IPC, 420, 406, and 409 IPChave been registered againstthe leaders.
Mr. Nara Lokesh, hasbeen charged with purchaseof land in the name of hisbenamis, Vemuri Ravi Kumar Prasad, former chair
man of APNRT; KanumuriKoteswara Rao and Cherukuri Ramakrishna. Mr. RaviKumar and Koteswara Raowere said to have boughtlands to the extent of 25.91acres during April 2014 toApril 2019. All these transactions were carried out justbefore the GO 252, dated December 30, 2014, was issuedby the government. Mr. Ramakrishna had also purchased 13.15 acres at Kanteru in April 2018.
The CID accused all thebuyers of concealing the decision of the then TDP government to declare Amaravati as the Capital, buyinglands at throw away pricesand then making a windfallby selling the lands at exorbitant prices after the decision on the Capital wasmade.
P. Samuel Jonathan
GUNTUR
Nara Lokesh
TDP leaders bookedfor ‘insider trading’
N. Ram, chairman of theThe Hindu Group of Publications, has been selectedas the outstanding mediaperson by the Kerala MediaAcademy.
The award, carrying acash prize of ₹��1 lakh, a citation and sculpture, was announced as part of the Media Academy’s 40 th
anniversary celebrations.
‘Fearless work’The award was institutedby the Media Academy forfearless and brilliant journalistic work at national level, said Academy chairman R.S. Babu.
The award would bepresented by Kerala ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayanin March.
Mr. Ram was selected after reviewing 40 years ofhis contributions to thefi��eld, according to jurymembers.
Jury membersFormer Education and Culture Minister M.A. Baby,senior journalist ThomasJacob, Public Education secretary A. Shajahan, mediacritic Sebastian Paul, Asianet Editor M.G. Radhakrishnan and PlanningBoard member MridulEappen comprised thejury.
Mr. Ram’s contributionsin bringing out corruptionin various governmentdeals involving Boforsguns, Rafale aircraft andhis commitment for the independence of media arehighly noteworthy, the jurystated.
The award was announced at a press meet bythe Media Academy.
Secretary of the Academy Chandrahasan Vaduthala was present.
Kerala MediaAcademyaward forN. Ram
Special Correspondent
Kochi
In yet another instance ofcorporal punishment ofschool students, a Class IIstudent of a lower primaryschool near Kuruppantharain Kottayam was brutallycaned allegedly by his classteacher for not being able toread a textbook.
Acting on a complaintlodged by the boy’s mother,the police booked a case
against the teacher, identifi��ed as Minimol Jose. The accused has been placed under suspension, pendinginquiry.
Police said the accused, ateacher at the St. Xavier’sLower Primary School inMannarappara, assaultedthe boy on Wednesday in thestaff�� room. The boy complained to his grandmother,who confronted the schoolauthorities. A complaint was
lodged with the local policeand Childline.
Though the school authorities tendered an unconditional apology and asked theteacher to go on leave, theincident snowballed into acontroversy after Democratic Youth Federation of Indiaworkers staged a protest infront of the school on Thursday. The Child Rights Commission, too, has launched aprobe.
Teacher accused of brutallycaning Class II boy in KeralaSTAFF REPORTER
KOTTAYAM
The Andhra Pradesh government seems to be contemplating abolishing the Legislative Council going by ChiefMinister Y.S. Jagan MohanReddy’s assertion that the“Upper House” did not deserve to exist if it rejects important Bills by violatingrules.
In fact, Mr. Reddy urgedAssembly Speaker Thammineni Seetharam to facilitate adiscussion on the subject onJanuary 27 so that the mem
bers could take a collectiveview on the alleged fl��outingof norms by Council Chairman Shariff�� Mohammed
Ahmed in referring the A.P.Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions and CRDA Repeal Billsto a select committee and itsrepercussions.
‘Under pressure’Making a statement on thereference of the Bills to a select committee in the Assembly on Thursday, theChief Minister alleged thatMr. Ahmed could not apparently go by the rule book ashe was under tremendouspressure from former CM N.
Chandrababu Naidu, whowas sitting in the Council.
Not only YSR CongressMLCs but also those belonging to the Left parties, theBJP, the Congress and independents found fault withthe conduct of theChairman.
If the Chairman was allowed to be swayed by a particular party, the consequences would be terrible infuture, he warned, insistingthat serious thought neededto be given to the relevanceof the Council.
A.P. government to scrap Legislative Council?
Shariff�� Mohammed Ahmed
Staff Reporter
VIJAYAWADA
Tourists escape unhurtas houseboat catches fi��re ALAPPUZHA
Sixteen people, including 13
tourists and three crew
members, had a miraculous
escape on Thursday after
their houseboat caught fire
near Pathiramanal Island in
Vembanad Lake, Kerala. The
police said the passengers
and the crew escaped unhurt.
A blaze that started in the
kitchen soon spread to other
parts of the boat. The boat
caught fire in an area with
sandbars. The passengers and
the crew jumped onto a
sandbar where water level
was 5 ft, officials said.
IN BRIEF
Karnataka for directrecruitment of doctorsMYSURU
Karnataka Minister for Health
B. Sriramulu on Thursday said
the government had resolved
to go in for direct
appointment of doctors to
government hospitals instead
of recruiting them through
the Karnataka State Public
Commission. There was a
shortage of about 3,500
doctors in the State and the
posts would be filled in the
next three months, he added.
Short and sweet: Colourful pots with Japanese dolls sporting traditional kimonos seen at the All India Horticulture and Agriculture exhibition in Hyderabad on Thursday. * G. RAMAKRISHNA
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Unique utility
Wednesday was a day of celebration for three familiesin Haridaspur village in Kondapur mandal of Telangana.
To promote gender equality, the village panchayat hasdecided to encourage parents who give birth to a girlchild. Between December2019 and January 2020,three girls were born in thevillage.
Birthday giftsIn a transformation mode,the village panchayat has decided to celebrate the arrivalof the newborns. They decorated the panchayat building
by illuminating it with colourful lights.
Parents of the newbornbabies were invited for afunction. As birthday gifts,
they were handed overcheques issued on theirnames. The programme wastaken up in view of the lowchild sex ratio in the village
with 880 females against1,000 males, according tothe 2011 census.
“To empower and provideselfrespect to our girls, ourvillage celebrates the birth ofa girl as a good omen. Also,to fi��nancially help the familyof the girl child in her education and marriage, the panchayat provides ₹��1,000 infi��ve instalments to motivateparents to enrol the girl inSukanya Samruddi Yojana,a Central governmentscheme off��ering a high interest rate,” said Rohit Kulkarni,panchayat secretary.
The families have been given fi��ve postdated chequesof ₹��200 each, he added.
Telangana village celebrates birth of girls Haridaspur panchayat promotes gender equality, presents cheques to parents
Welcome move: The panchayat building in Haridaspur isilluminated to celebrate the birth of girl children. * MOHD. ARIF
R. Avadhani
HARIDASPUR
The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday not only directed the State government to stop, until furtherorders, all construction activities related to the development of the commercialKarwar port at Baithkol village in Uttara Kannada district, but also asked it torestore the beach, whichwas levelled to reach theproposed area for constructing a breakwater, toits original condition.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice AbhayShreeniwas Oka and JusticeHemant Chandangoudar,passed the interim orderon a PIL petition by theBaithkol Bandharu Nirashrithara Yantrikrut DhoniMeenugarara SahakaraSangha Niyamitha, an association of fi��shermen.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and ClimateChange in July, 2019, forwarded a plea for withdrawing the environmentclearance granted to theproject.
‘Stop work oncommercialKarwar port’
Special Correspondent
Bengaluru
What does it take to be an astronaut and what do theyreally do once in space?
Six veteran astronautsfrom as many countries onThursday demystifi��ed theirjob at an ongoing international symposium on humanspace fl��ight here.
The responses variedfrom likening the journey toa camping trip or bungeejumping to a risky adventure, a fl��oating ordeal on body and mind and a lot ofhard work.
Extreme conditionsGen. JeanFrancois Clevroyof France called an astronaut’s job a risky adventurewith the bonus of 16 roundsof earth, 45 minutes of sunrises and sunsets. They do alot of work on complex machines in extreme conditions away from earth. Everymove in weightlessnesscounts as fatal accidents arenot due to bad luck but hu
man error. The days theyspend in a space capsuleevoke a range of emotions.Starting with the liftoff��, theyget to watch the sky turnblack and then light, or feelnostalgic when they catch anexhilarating glimpse of theircountry.
‘Helps science’Virtually every system in theastronauts’ bodies is twistedand tormented during thejourney but “it only helpsscience,” he said.
A space stint teaches oneto be extremely organisedand diligent. On the lighterside, Gen. Clevroy revealed,“A few hundred objects arethere in the spacecraft andwe lose many of them.” Atthe end of the Mir spacefl��ight, astronauts lost an estimated 20% of objects. “Theyare there but we don’t knowwhere.”
Expensive phaseNASA liaison to the U.S. Department of Defence Alvin
Dres described spacecrafttakeoff��s and landings as themost dangerous and expensive phase of a human trip.
Extra-vehicular activitiesRussian offi��cial and cosmonaut Oleg Kotov is a medicalprofessional who commanded missions and performedmany space walks. He saidspace travel is all work andlittle play. They must controlthe vehicle, do repairs andmaintenance of the station,monitor the living parameters or handle life sciencesystems. Extravehicular activities such as repairs andspace walks are expected, asalso experiments. Amidst itcome the challenges of hygiene, sleep — and eatingwhich means taking food tothe mouth carefully withoutspilling.
Training on the Russianmodules means learningtheir language too, as European Space Agency’s Thomas Reiter and others foundout.
A space trip is just work, littlefun and huge risk: astronauts ‘The stint teaches one to be extremely organised, diligent’
Special Correspondent
BENGALURU
The police have so far notprocured any evidence toprove the involvement ofany other person apart fromAditya Rao, 37, who is in custody after surrendering, forplacing an explosive at theMangaluru International Airport on January 20.
The city police producedthe accused in court onThursday and secured hiscustody for 10 days. Rao hasbeen booked under the Unlawful Activities PreventionAct and the Explosive Substances Act. Another caseunder Section 506 and otherprovisions of the IPC has
been registered against himfor making a hoax call to theMangaluru International Airport terminal manager onthe same day.
Mangaluru Police Commissioner P.S. Harsha told
presspersons on Thursdaythat it appeared like the handiwork of Rao alone. The accused told the police that heplanted the device becausehe “wanted to achieve something bigger than merely
making hoax calls”, theCommissioner said, and added that he had learnt the“art of making an improvised explosive device” fromthe Internet.
He had also acted on hisown while making hoax callsto the Kempegowda International Airport and the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station in Bengaluru in2018, for which he has beenconvicted and sentenced.
“Soon after his release in2019, he thought of doing something bigger and movedto Mangaluru, where he engaged himself in making animprovised explosive device,” the Commissioner said.
Mangaluru bomb accused acted aloneNo one else was involved in placing explosive and making hoax call, say police
In the net: Aditya Rao being produced at a court in Mangaluruon Thursday. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Special Correspondent
MANGALURU
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THE HINDU DELHI
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NATION
Weather WatchRainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday
Temperature Data: IMD, Pollution Data: CPCB, Map: INSAT/IMD (Taken at 18.00 Hrs)
Forecast for Friday: Dense fog very likely in isolated parts overOdisha.
city rain max min city rain max min
Agartala................—....25.5......8.5 Kozhikode....................—....35.8....24.4
Ahmedabad...........—....26.1....14.0 Kurnool .......................—....30.4....19.7
Aizawl...................—........ —......7.6 Lucknow......................—....00.0....00.0
Allahabad..............—....22.6......9.4 Madurai .......................—....21.4......8.6
Bengaluru .............—....30.4....17.9 Mangaluru ...................—....38.7....21.8
Bhopal ..................—........ —........ — Mumbai .......................—........ —....21.4
Bhubaneswar.........—....31.4....18.5 Mysuru ........................—....30.3....19.8
Chandigarh ...........—....17.8......6.7 New Delhi ...................—....20.2......9.0
Chennai ................—....31.1....22.2 Patna ..........................—....23.0......8.6
Coimbatore ...........—....31.4....20.3 Port Blair.....................—....30.8....25.3
Dehradun ..............—....21.3......6.0 Puducherry ..................—....31.2....20.8
Gangtok............. 0.5........ —........ — Pune............................—....30.9....15.7
Goa.......................—....35.0....22.1 Raipur .........................—....27.8....19.1
Guwahati ..............—....24.0......8.9 Ranchi .........................—....26.4....13.5
Hubballi ................—....31.0....19.0 Shillong.......................—....15.6......5.0
Hyderabad ............—....29.9....17.0 Shimla.........................—....10.6......1.2
Imphal ..................—....22.5......3.5 Srinagar.......................—........ —........ —
Jaipur ...................—....21.2......7.4 Thiruvananthapuram.........—....33.7....25.7
Kochi ....................—....35.2....25.0 Tiruchi.........................—....32.2....22.8
Kohima .................—....16.9......6.0 Vijayawada ..................—....31.2....21.2
Kolkata .................—....24.7....16.0 Visakhapatnam .............—....29.3....21.6
(Rainfall data in mm; temperature in Celsius)
Pollutants in the air you are breathing Yesterday
CITIES SO2 NO2 CO PM2.5 PM10 CODE
In observation made at 6.00p.m., Talcher, Odisharecorded an overall airquality index (AQI) score of368 indicating a dangerouslevel of pollution. Incontrast, Amritsar, Punjabrecorded a healthy AQI scoreof 46
Ahmedabad..... ..— ...— 25 ..... — .....— .......
Bengaluru ....... ..— .47 72 ....57 ...92 ....*
Chennai .......... 47 .32 68 ..163 .....— ....*
Delhi .............. 05 .36 24 ..263 .191 ....*
Hyderabad ...... 21 .61 24 ..136 .....— ....*
Kolkata........... 12 107 46 ..311 .212 ....*
Lucknow ......... 08 .50 32 ..289 .....— ....*
Mumbai .......... 19 .50 35 ..231 .151 ....*
Pune............... 79 .19 96 ..169 .122 ....*
Visakhapatnam 08 .47 54 ..152 .146 ....*
Air Quality Code: * Poor * Moderate * Good (Readings indicate average AQI)
SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Short-term exposure can harm the respiratory system,
making breathing difficult. It can affect visibility by reacting with other air
particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects such as statues
and monuments.
NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by
reacting with other air particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters.
CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to
critical organs like the heart and brain. At very high levels, it can cause
dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death.
PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes,
nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced
lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature
death in people with heart or lung disease
In a fi��rst, homage will bepaid to the fallen soldiersduring the Republic Day parade this year at the NationalWar Memorial. The ceremony had so far been conducted at India Gate.
A major attraction at theparade will be the antisatellite missile tested under Mission Shakti by the DefenceResearch and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO).
The Army will showcasethe recently inducted 155mm Dhanush towed howitzer. Before the parade starts,Prime Minister NarendraModi will lead the nation inpaying homage to the fallensoldiers, laying a wreath atthe National War Memorial,the fl��ame of the immortalwarrior, at India Gate, a release from the Army said on
Thursday.The National War Memo
rial is located at the ‘C’ Hexagon near India Gate. It wasbuilt in memory of 22,500Indian soldiers who had laiddown their lives for thecountry after Independence.A new Amar Jawan Jyoti wasalso established there.
Since its inauguration inFebruary last year, the Na
tional War Memorial hasbeen the venue for the guardof honour at all nationalevents. The Amar Jawan Jyotiwill be used for regimentalevents.
There are 16 marchingcontingents this year, including six from the Army and 22tableaux from various Statesand departments, Maj. Gen.Alok Kacker, Chief of Staff��,
Delhi Area, said. The Armywould be represented by amounted column of 61 cavalry, eight mechanised columns, six marching contingents and a fl��ypast by theRudra and Dhruv AdvancedLight Helicopters of ArmyAviation. The Army’s SignalCorps contingent would beled by Captain TanyaShergill.
Homage to fallen soldiers on Republic Day Ceremony to beheld at NationalWar Memorial
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Best foot forward: An Army contingent marching at Rajpath during a dress rehearsal for theupcoming Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on Thursday. * PTI
The risk of extreme fl��oodsor storms could double every 13 years at the rate carbondioxide concentrationsare building up in the atmosphere. This could spella “catastrophe” for India,scientists have warned in astudy.
The number of intense“hydrometeorological” disasters could increase by5.4% annually for an “average” country facing annually nearly one “extreme disaster” (defi��ned as one thatcauses 100 or more fatalitiesand/or aff��ects 1,000 or morepeople).
India faces 510 times asmany extreme events as theaverage country, the authors say. “One more extremeevent in India [such as theKerala fl��oods of 2018 thatkilled at least 400] wouldstrain the ability of thecountry to cope; a doublingof the numbers in 13 years,using the above estimation,would be catastrophic,”authors Ramon E. Lopez,
Vinod Thomas and Pablo A.Troncoso write in a note accompanying the study. Thereport, Impacts of CarbonDioxide Emissions on Global Intense Hydrometeorological Disasters, appears inthe January issue of Cli-mate, Disaster and Develop-ment Journal.
The authors relied oneconometric modellingwhich, they say, complements the traditional approach of climate modellingto explore the factors thathave contributed to the increase in the frequency offl��ood and storm events.
Could be catastrophic for India: experts
Jacob Koshy
NEW DELHI
Submerged houses inKerala, during the rains in2019. * THULASI KAKKAT
‘Rising CO2 levels maydouble fl��oods, storms’
A former woman employeeof the Supreme Court wholodged a sexual harassmentcomplaint against then sitting Chief Justice of IndiaRanjan Gogoi has beenreinstated.
The woman was earlierterminated from service ongrounds including taking unauthorised leave. She hadcontested her dismissal.
Senior lawyer VrindaGrover, who had legally aid
ed the complainant, reactedto the development in a written statement that the Supreme Court staff��er standsvindicated. “Her reinstatement with full back wages isan acknowledgement of thetruth of her affi��davit complaining of sexual harassment and the systematic victimisation suff��ered by herand her family,” she stated.
The lawyer added that“the unfi��nished business ofjustice and accountability,however, remains. At an in
stitutional level, this incident has once again highlighted the absence of anindependent and eff��ectivemechanism to address acomplaint of sexual harassment against a judge of theSupreme Court.”
In May 2019, an inhousecommittee led by the present Chief Justice of India,Justice Sharad A. Bobde, hadfound “no substance” in thesexual harassment allegations levelled by the womanagainst Justice Gogoi.
Ex-SC employee who complainedagainst former CJI reinstated The Supreme Court staff��er stands vindicated: Vrinda Grover
Legal Correspondent
NEW DELHI
After release, HardikPatel held in 2017 case AHMEDABAD
Congress leader Hardik Patel,
who walked out of the
Sabarmati Central Jail here
on Thursday a day after he
was granted bail in a sedition
case, was immediately
arrested by Gandhinagar
district police in a 2017 case
for addressing a rally without
police permission, an official
said. PTI
IN BRIEF
One injured as powerfulbomb explodes in Imphal IMPHAL
Notwithstanding the security
measures taken up by the
State and Central forces
ahead of the Republic Day
function, a powerful bomb
was detonated in Imphal at
4.45 a.m. on Thursday. A
10-year-old girl was injured
by the flying glass shards.
Hospital sources said that she
was out of danger.
CBI books man for killing Indian in UAENEW DELHI
The Central Bureau of
Investigation, on a reference
from the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) authorities,
has booked a person for
allegedly killing an Indian
national in Abu Dhabi in
August 2008. In 2009,
Inderjeet Singh was convicted
by an Abu Dhabi court and
sentenced “in absentia” to
death for killing Rama
Lengaw Natesan.
Ex-IOB official appointedCVC panel member NEW DELHI
The Central Vigilance
Commission has appointed
A.D.M. Chavali, retired
executive director of Indian
Overseas Bank, as a member
in the Advisory Board for
Banking & Financial Frauds.
The board is headed by T.M.
Bhasin, ex-Vigilance
Commissioner and former
chairman-cum-managing
director of Indian Bank.
The traditional Christianhymn Abide with me, believed to have been a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi, isback on the list of tunes forthis year’s Beating Retreatceremony.
“Yes, the tune will beplayed this year,” a Defenceoffi��cial said on Thursday.Additionally, the nationalsong Vande Mataram willbe played for the fi��rst timeat the Beating Retreat thisyear. Two weeks back, theDefence Ministry haddropped it from the tunesto be played this year,which offi��cials said waspart of an “annual reviewto introduce new tunes.”The move drew criticismfrom various quarters.
‘Abide with me’ back onBeating Retreat
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
The Disaster Mitigation andManagement Centre in Uttarakhand and former IPS offi��cer K.M. Singh have beenselected for the SubhashChandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar for theircontribution in the fi��eld ofdisaster management, theHome Ministry announcedon Thursday.
While the Disaster Mitigation and ManagementCentre in Uttarakhand, anorganisation working in thefi��eld of natural calamity re
lief, has been selected in theinstitution category and willbe given a certifi��cate and acash prize of ₹��51 lakh, Mr.Singh, who has been working in the same area, hasbeen selected for the individual category and will be given ₹��5 lakh along with acertifi��cate.
The award is announcedevery year on January 23,the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.As many as 330 nominations were received this yearand the fi��nal decision wastaken by the Prime Minister.
Former IPS offi��cer bagsdisaster mitigation award 330 nominations received this year
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
A new snake eel species residing in the Bay of Bengalhas been discovered anddocumented this month ( January) by the EstuarineBiology Regional Centre(EBRC) of the ZoologicalSurvey of India (ZSI) at Gopalpuronsea in Odisha.This new marine species hasbeen named Ophichthuskailashchandrai to honourthe vast contributions of Dr.Kailash Chandra, Director ofZSI, to Indian animal taxonomy.
Ophichthus kailashchan-drai is the eighth species ofthe Ophichthus genus foundon the Indian coast. It is the
fi��fth new species discoveredby the Gopalpur ZSI in thelast two years.
New speciesIn 2019, two new species ofmarine eel, Gymnothoraxandamanensesis and Gym-nothorax smithi were beendiscovered by this ZSIcentre.
New snake eel speciesdiscovered in OdishaIt’s named Ophichthus kailashchandrai
Sib Kumar Das
BERHAMPUR
The newly found snake eel.
An Indian nurse working inSaudi Arabia has tested positive for coronavirus, butwith a diff��erent strain fromthe one that has claimed 18lives in China, the IndianConsulate in Jeddah said onThursday.
Earlier in the day, UnionMinister of State for Foreign
Aff��airs V. Muraleedharansaid an Indian nurse working at the AlHayat hospitalin Saudi Arabia was testedpositive for coronavirus.
“Update from @CGIJeddah: About 100 Indian nurses, mostly from Kerala.working at AlHayat hospitalhave been tested and noneexcept one nurse was foundinfected by coronavirus. Af
fected nurse is being treatedat Aseer National Hospitaland is recovering well,” theMinister said in a tweet.
Responding to Mr. Muraleedharan’s tweet, the Indian Consulate in Jeddahclarifi��ed that the nursefound positive for coronavirus was suff��ering for MERSCoV and not 2019NCoV(Wuhan).
Indian nurse tests positive for coronavirus; not Wuhan strainPress Trust of India
New Delhi
A total of 12,828 passengersfrom 60 fl��ights have beenscreened for Novel Coronavirus and no one with its
symptoms had been detected so far. However, the preparedness status were beingregularly reviewed, HealthSecretary Preeti Sudan saidon Thursday.
12,828 from 60 fl��ightsscreened, no case found special correspondent
New Delhi
Three arrested in Kolkata with tiger skinKOLKATA
Three persons were arrested
in Kolkata on Thursday for
possessing the skin of a tiger.
A raid carried out jointly by
the Eastern Region office of
the Wildlife Crime Control
Bureau and the Wildlife Crime
Control Unit of the West
Bengal Forest Directorate
resulted in the seizure.
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CMYK
A ND-NDE
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DELHI THE HINDU
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 202010EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EDITORIAL
Azadi from CAAThis refers to the article“Raising azadi slogansamounts to sedition, saysAdityanath ( Jan. 23). Itlooked like the UttarPradesh Chief Minister wasthreatening the antiCAAprotesters, rather thanaddressing a rally of CAAsupporters. The term azadihas been defi��ned by theprotesters several times.They want freedom fromthe fl��awed CAA and theNational Register of Citizens(NRC); freedom fromdiscrimination; freedomfrom unemployment andother issues aff��ecting thesociety. The Chief Ministerseems to have ignoredthese comments. Further, itis unfortunate thatBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)leaders are adamant in
their statements that it isthe Opposition that isspearheading theseprotests. Do they reallythink that citizens don’thave our own mind andreasoning?Ranjit Nimbalkar,
Pune, Maharashtra
Neutrality in SpeakersSince 2014, the BJP hascrafted a majority in manyStates through horsetrading, giving a short shriftto antidefection law; thiswas made possible due tomanoeuvring by Speakers(Editorial, “Endinginaction,” Jan. 23). In thecase of a hung verdict, theneutrality of the Speaker iscompromised. Thesituation defi��nitelywarrants an alternativesystem. It is time the Tenth
Schedule of theConstitution is amended tomake all kinds of defectionsillegal, including ‘twothirds mergers’.S.S. Paul,
Chakdaha, Nadia, West Bengal
Supreme Court on CAAThe Supreme Court’srefusal to stay theConstitution (Amendment)Act came as a surprise. Itwas even more baffl��ing thatthe apex court gave theCentral government fourweeks to give its reply. Oneis at a loss to understandwhy the court took this longa time to hear the petitionsif it only had to considerreferring the issue to alarger Bench. With thepeople of the country,particularly the Muslims,still reeling from the shock
of the court’s Ayodhyaverdict, its refusal to staythe CAA even temporarilyhas added insult to injury. Itis alleged that some BJPruled States like UttarPradesh have alreadystarted acting on the CAA.Giving a verdict after all thedamage has been done willnot be of much use.Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
Ties with MyanmarThe ‘Go East’ policy has notbrought the expected gainsfor India. On the otherhand, the ‘Go South’ policyof China is paying richdividends and Beijing isconsolidating through its‘String of pearls’ approachfrom Myanmar to Maldives.China is active inBangladesh, Sri Lanka,
concern in India. India’srelationship with Myanmargoes back in time due to thespread of Buddhism.Myanmar is a resourcerichneighbour and India cansignifi��cantly benefi��t bypartnering with it moreclosely.H.N. Ramakrishna,
Bengaluru
Myanmar, and Maldives,besides being a keyparticipant in Pakistan.Beijing has always beeninterested in a crossHimalayan trade andconnectivity network andNepal is now a another keylink. Its participation inmultiple infrastructureprojects in Myanmar or, forthat matter, Pakistan, hascaused considerable
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to [email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.
To read more lettersonline, scan the QR code
Krishnan Srinivasan
Prime Minister Narendra Modioften does the unexpected,the surprise sometimes be
ing agreeable, at other times thereverse. His invitation to leaders ofthe South Asian Association forRegional Cooperation (SAARC) athis inauguration in 2014 and hosting all the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) leaders atthe Republic Day in 2019 were inthe fi��rst category; the demonetisation in the second. He has nowproduced another surprise by inviting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to be his guest of honourfor Republic Day 2020.
Mr. Bolsonaro, a progun lobby,homophobic, farright religiousformer Army Captain, came topower in 2018. The defi��ning aspects of his administration havebeen a strong inclination towardsthe U.S. and damaging policies affecting the Amazon rainforest. Inforeign policy, his affi��liation withthe U.S. is driven by admiration forPresident Donald Trump. Brazilhas been designated a ‘major nonNATO ally’, a status held by closeU.S. allies like Japan, Israel andSouth Korea. Mr. Bolsonaro has al
so followed Washington by relocating its Israel Embassy in Jerusalem, a city contested byPalestinians. On the Amazon delta, his policy has been to withdrawregulation and enforcement, facilitating the utilisation of the indigenous people’s land for the purposes of agribusiness, mining andcattleranching. He has belittledclimate activists like Leonardo DiCaprio and Greta Thunberg andcompared indigenous communities living in previously protectedareas to animals in zoos. Under hispresidency, the number of blackand indigenous people murderedhas increased. His domestic approval rating stands at only 30%.
Imbalance within the blocApart from Mr. Bolsonaro’s woefulrecord as President, a larger question pertains to the future ofBRICS, the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.This was set up as a move towardsgreater multipolarity; hence thespread across three continentsand both hemispheres. The BRICScombination accounts for aboutonethird of global output, but aglance at the GDP table andgrowth rates will show the infi��rmities of the group: in terms of GDP,China occupies the second position; India the fi��fth; Brazil theninth; Russia the 11th; and SouthAfrica the 35th. In terms of growthrates, China grew at 6%; India at
4.5%, Russia 1.7%, Brazil 1.2% andSouth Africa 0.1%. Both politicallyand economically, Brazil andSouth Africa have been the laggards in recent years.
But, the leaders of the fi��ve nations still see purchase in keepingthis group together. Each countryhas diff��erent economic and political leverage, and its own burden ofdomestic and external issues. Butthey all share the benefi��ts of autonomous decision making and nonaffi��liation with any binding alliances and the group’s informal structure is an advantage forcoordination among the most infl��uential nonWestern countries.
The BRICS summit in Brasilialast November was an exercise indiplomatic tightrope walking. Despite having made disparaging remarks about China in the past, Mr.Bolsonaro was aware that sharinga platform with the heads of Chi
na, Russia and India magnifi��ed hisown signifi��cance both within andoutside his country.
The BRICS group can surviveonly if its members maximise theircongruences to the extent possible, despite the growing intensityof SinoRussian ties; the proAmerican leanings in Brazil; the socioeconomic diffi��culties of South Africa after nine years under the controversial Jacob Zuma; and India’smany diffi��culties with China, including its abstention from the Regional Comprehensive EconomicPartnership.
Achievements of the groupingThe main achievement of BRICS isthe New Development Bank, witheach country contributing equallyto its equity. The bank has so far fi��nanced over 40 projects at a costof $12 billion. The BRICS countriesare also developing a joint payments mechanism to reduce foreign trade settlements in U.S. dollars. An off��shoot of the group,dealing with climate change, isBASIC (BRICS without Russia),which met at the Spain conferencelast month and reiterated its support to the Paris Agreement.
The closing statement of the lastBRICS summit deftly steered clearof the pitfalls of clashing ideologies and interests, while containing many formulations of selfcongratulation that offi��cials in theIndian Ministry of External Aff��airs
can produce in their sleep. It enumerated 30 statements and communiques as a result of two summit meetings, 16 ministersmeetings, and others at various levels totaling 116 gatherings. Underthe forthcoming Russian chairmanship, this number could exceed 150. India is taking the leadrole in digital health, digital forensics, fi��lm technology, traditionalmedicine, sustainable water management, internships andfellowships.
Mr. Modi is evidently not concerned about Mr. Bolsonaro’s status as Washington’s most loyal follower in Latin America, and couldjustify his invitation to Mr. Bolsonaro with references to the enduring quality of BRICS, Brazil’s agreement to waive visa requirementsfor Indian citizens, and the potential for Brazilian investments in thesectors of space and defence, agricultural equipment, animal husbandry, postharvest technologies, and biofuels. But the totaltwoway trade is at a paltry $8 billion, and the prospect of closereconomic ties, however desirable,would require considerable optimism. Mr. Trump will be pleasedby the Indian honour for his Brazilian alter ego; perhaps this waswhat mainly motivated Mr. Modi’sinvitation.
Krishnan Srinivasan is a former Foreign
Secretary
As India prepares to honour BolsonaroModi can justify his invitation to the controversial Brazilian President by focussing on intraBRICS partnership and trade
GE
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The forthcoming Union Budget will determine whetherIndia’s economic engine gets
the steam needed for a rebound,or the current economic situationbecomes even worse. Not just thefuture of the economy, the futureof the country’s youth depends onthe Budget.
The unemployment rate at 6.1%(Financial Year 20172018) is thehighest in 45 years. The rate for urban youth in the 1529 years category is alarmingly high at 22.5%.These fi��gures, however, are justone of the many problems, aspointed out by the Periodic Labour Force Survey. The LabourForce Participation Rate has comedown to 46.5% for the ‘15 yearsand above’ age category. It is downto 37.7% for the urban youth. Evenamong those employed, a largefraction get low wages and arestuck with ‘employment poverty’.
Structural factorsThe prolonged, and ongoing, slowdown, is the main reason behindthe depressing employment scenario, though several structuralfactors have also contributed tothe situation. The GDP growth forthe second quarter of FinancialYear 20192020 is 4.5%, the lowestin the last six years, for which a decline in private consumption andinvestment are the factors primarily responsible. The aggregate investment stands at less than 30%of the GDP, a rate much lower thanthe 15year average of 35%. The capacity utilisation in the privatesector is down to 70%75%.
While the structural factorsneed addressing, in the interim,
the Budget should also focus on reviving demand to promote growthand employment. Schemes likePMKISAN and Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are goodinstruments to boost rural demand. It is really unfortunate thatin the current fi��scal year, a signifi��cant proportion of the budgetaryallocation for PMKISAN will gounutilised. Farmers and landlesslabourers spend most of their income. This means that incometransfers to such groups will immediately increase demand.Further, rural India consumes awide range of goods and services;so, if allocation and disbursementis raised signifi��cantly, most sectorsof the economy will benefi��t. And,the payoff�� will be immediate.
Besides, rural unemploymentcan be reduced by raising budgetary allocation for irrigation projects and rural infrastructure likeroads, cold storage and logisticalchains. These facilities, along witha comprehensive crop insurancescheme, can drastically increaseagricultural productivity andfarmers’ income. Moreover, by integrating farms with mandis, suchinvestments will reduce wastage offruits and vegetables, therebyleading to a decrease in the frequency of infl��ationary shocks andtheir impact.
Boosting urban employmentIn urban areas, construction andrelated activities are a source ofemployment for more than fi��vecrore people; across the country,the sector’s employment fi��guresare second only to those of theagriculture sector. These projects,along with infrastructure, support200odd sectors, including coresectors like cement and steel.
However, due to the crisis in therealestate and infrastructure sectors, construction activities havecome to a grinding halt. At pre
sent, many realestate projects arecaught up in legal disputes — between homebuyers and developers; between lenders and developers; and between developers andlaw enforcement agencies like theEnforcement Directorate. The sector has an unsold inventory ofhomes, worth several lakh crores.
Even worse, multiple authorities — the Real Estate RegulatoryAuthority (RERA); the NationalCompany Law Tribunal (NCLT);and the many consumer courts —have jurisdiction over disputes.Consequently, restructuring andliquidation of bad projects is verydiffi��cult, and in turn, is a mainsource of the problem of NonPerforming Assets faced by the NonBanking Financial Companies.
To revive demand for housing,the Budget can raise the limit foravailing tax exemption on homeloans. The ₹�25,000crore fund setup by the centre to bailout 1,600housing projects should be put touse immediately. The fundsshould be used to salvage all projects that are 80% complete andnot under liquidation process under the NCLT. Several additionalmeasures can also help. For example, there should be a single adjudication authority.
The multiplier eff��ects of spending on infrastructure and housing
in terms of higher growth and employment are large and extensive.Therefore, the ₹�102lakhcrore National Infrastructure Pipeline(NIP) programme is a welcomestep. If implemented successfully,it will boost the infrastructure investment over the next fi��ve yearsby 2%2.5% of the GDP annually.
Private sector’s risk appetiteHere, the problem is that morethan 60% of the planned investment is expected from the privatesector and the States. The government does not seem to realise thatfor private investment, regulatorycertainty is as important as thecost of capital. Many infrastructure projects are languishing dueto regulatory hurdles and contractual disputes between construction companies and governmentdepartments. As a result, infrastructure investment has come tobe perceived as very risky. This isthe major reason behind nonavailability of private capital for infrastructure.
In this scenario, where the private sector has very little appetitefor risky investments and State fi��nances are shaky due to low GSTcollection, the onus is on theCentre to ensure that the programme does not come a cropper.The budgetary support to infrastructure will have to be muchmore than the NIP projection at1.11% of the GDP.
Bidding and contracting fornew roads, highways, railwaytracks and urban developmentprojects is a lengthy process. Thisis also the reason why several infrastructurelinked Ministries likethose for civil aviation and roadshave not been able to spend money allocated to them in the current fi��scal year. Therefore, ratherthan earmarking budgetary support for new projects, the focusshould be on projects that are currently under implementation so as
to complete them as soon as possible. That is, funding should befrontloaded. In addition to creating employment, a timely completion of infrastructure projects willhelp increase competitiveness ofthe economy.
The distress among Small andMedium Enterprises (SMEs) isanother area of concern. For manyproducts produced by these enterprises, the GST rates are higher forinputs than the fi��nal goods. Due tothis anomaly, around ₹�20,000crore gets stuck with the government annually in the form of inputtax credits. This has increased costof doing business for SMEs, whichemploy over 11 crore people.
Next, according to some estimates, there are more than 22 lakhvacancies in various governmentdepartments. Such dereliction isbaffl��ing when the unemploymentamong youth is very high.
Job openings that arise in theprivate sector put a premium onpractical skills and work experience. Here, popular perceptionis that a good job requires a collegeor university degree. This misperception is the result of failure ofthe governments to provide aff��ordable and good quality vocationaltraining programmes.
To stop the demographic dividend from becoming a nationalburden, there is a need to investheavily in skilling of the youth. Besides, the Budget should give taxincentives to companies and industrial units to encourage themto provide internships and onsitevocational training opportunities.This work experience can be supplemented with teaching of relevant theories. at educationalcentres set up at district levels.Distance education mode can alsoused for the purpose.
Ram Singh is a Professor at the Delhi
School of Economics and can be reached
Budgeting for jobs, skilling and economic revivalThe Budget needs to provide direction to India’s tottering economy and a boost to aggregate demand and investment
Ram Singh
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In a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus
that emerged in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province
in early December last year, China took a drastic and
unprecedented step this week to shut down the city,
thus preventing its 11 million inhabitants from leaving.
All modes of transport have been suspended to prevent
residents from exiting the city. Authorities also planned
to suspend public transport services in Huanggang, a
city of seven million; shut rail stations in Ezhou; and im
pose travel restrictions in Chibi. These moves come in
the wake of an increasing number of people getting in
fected and even dying. As on January 23, the number of
infected people in China stood at 571 and deaths at 17.
Wuhan, the hotspot of the disease outbreak, has report
ed nearly 80% of all cases and all the 17 deaths. Further,
the virus has spread to 24 provinces within the country
and outside as well — cases have been reported in Thai
land and Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, U.S., Hong Kong,
Macau, Vietnam, and Singapore. That the virus has al
ready acquired the ability to spread from one person to
another has been confi��rmed by the World Health Or
ganization. Apart from people in close contact with af
fected individuals, 16 healthcare workers have been in
fected. The WHO now sees possible evidence of
sustained transmission — the ability of the virus to
spread beyond just clusters of patients.
The decision to enforce shutdowns came on a day
when WHO’s Emergency Committee was deliberating
on whether the coronavirus outbreak should be de
clared a “public health emergency of international con
cern”. With a split verdict and not enough information
available to make a decision on Wednesday, the emer
gency committee reconvened on Thursday. The WHO
DirectorGeneral took note of China’s decision and said
that the travel ban is a refl��ection of the signifi��cant mea
sures taken by China to minimise the spread of the vi
rus. Even the chair of the committee said the travel ban
is an “important information and will certainly be use
ful for the refl��ection of the members of the committee”.
These observations run counter to the stand the WHO
has always taken even when it announces public health
emergency. While declaring the Ebola virus disease
outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a
public health emergency last year, the WHO had stated
unequivocally that it is “essential to avoid the punitive
economic consequences of travel and trade restrictions
on aff��ected communities”. That said, even if it limits the
spread outside these cities, shutdowns cannot prevent
humantohuman transmission within the cities. Shut
ting down entire cities go beyond the normal practice of
quarantining infected people and might backfi��re.
Unprecedented step Shutdowns can limit the spread of the
coronavirus outside aff��ected cities, not within
The Centre’s application in the Supreme Court for
additional guidelines regarding the execution of
condemned prisoners betrays a needless impa
tience to hang the four convicts facing the gallows for
the rape and murder of ‘Nirbhaya’ in 2012. The Ministry
of Home Aff��airs essentially seeks the incorporation of
measures aimed at reducing the scope for death row
convicts to adopt dilatory tactics. Even though there
may be some evidence to believe that convicts tend to
fi��le review petitions, mercy petitions and curative peti
tions in such a way that their execution is indefi��nitely
delayed, it is diffi��cult to attribute their conduct to the
supposedly “accusedcentric” nature of the guidelines
laid down by the Supreme Court in Shatrughan Chau-
han (2014). These guidelines were undoubtedly aimed
at protecting the constitutional rights of prisoners in
the context of a sound body of jurisprudence that main
tains that such rights extend right up to the moment of
their execution. The court was anxious about enforcing
their right to be informed about the scope for fi��ling peti
tions for clemency, for being given legal assistance in
drafting them, and for exploring judicial remedies even
after their appeals for mercy are rejected. Further, the
14day time lag between the closure of the clemency
route and their hanging is aimed at preventing secret
executions. The court was concerned about the right of
the convicts’ family members to be informed, as well as
the time needed by the prisoners for settling their af
fairs and preparing themselves mentally.
It is strange that the government wants the Supreme
Court to frame a rule imposing a sevenday limit on the
time that convicts have to fi��le a mercy petition after a
death warrant is issued. And that courts, governments
and prison authorities should all be mandated to issue
death warrants within seven days of the rejection of
mercy petitions and to carry out the sentence within se
ven days thereafter. To believe that these are matters
that contribute to substantive delay in carrying out
death sentences is misconceived. Nothing prevents the
government from introducing rules to address such sit
uations. On the need for a time limit for fi��ling curative
petitions, the government is right in believing that the
absence of such a stipulation gives scope for convicts in
the same case to take turns to fi��le such petitions. Ho
wever, there is no sign that the apex court delays dispo
sal of curative petitions. If and when one is fi��led, it re
sults in no more than a few days’ delay. In a country that
unfortunately retains the death penalty, there is no ex
cuse for delaying the disposal of any petition, either in
court, or before constitutional functionaries. Nor is
there any need to expedite executions by revisiting
sound guidelines. As the death penalty is limited to the
“rarest of rare” cases, nothing is lost if those facing exe
cution are allowed to exhaust all possible remedies.
Needless impatienceNothing will be lost if death row convicts are
allowed to exhaust all remedies
corrections & clarifications: >>In the Editorial titled “Ending inaction” ( Jan. 23, 2020), the timelimit given by the court tothe Manipur Assembly Speaker to decide an MLA’s disqualifi��cationissue should have been “four weeks” and not “three months” aspublished. The “threemonth” timeframe is a general norm givenby the court as the outer limit for Speakers or Upper House Chairmen to dispose of defection complaints.
>>In the story titled “HC informed of decision to delete objectionable sentence from textbooks” (some editions, Jan. 23, 2020),all references to the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation (TNTESC) have to be changed to to State Councilfor Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
The Readers’ Editor’s office can be contacted by Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300;
E-mail:[email protected]
![Page 10: NEARBY Virushit Wuhan locked down In full nery...address of Governor Kalraj Mishra. The resolution is like ly to be tabled and passed in the House on the second day of the session,](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060403/5f0eb90d7e708231d4409f39/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
CMYK
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THE HINDU DELHI
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020 11EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
OPED
Karachi, January 23. Punctually at 2 o’clocktoday two aeroplanes carrying the fi��rst postal mail from Karachi to Bombay startedfrom Mugger Pir aerodrome, a mild southwestern wind blowing. But the planes aftermanoeuvring appeared to enter a calm zoneat about 10,000 feet. Great interest was taken in the event in the locality and the citizens representing all races and classes droveout in vehicles. The fl��ight according to theplanned air route covers 700 miles. Beforethe start the Hon’ble Mr. P.R. Cadell, H.M.Commissioner in Sind, who accompanied byhis Private Secretary wished the airmen bonvoyage, and among the passengers was Mr.Lupton, C.B.E., Editor of the “Daily Gazette”Karachi who on the invitation of His Excellency the Governor of Bombay was makingthe fl��ight. The mail was carried in twelvecases and took the place of bombs carriedon war service. The machines as they movedacross the ground were “farewelled’’ by visitors from Karachi and by the detachment ofthe 97th R.A.F. Squadron.
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO JAN. 24, 1920.
Aeroplane Service.
made the frontispiece.It was a regular assign
ment. I had to do an interview with a businesswoman from the U.S.reportedly at the helm ofhalfadozen enterprises.She was married to PaulKangas, an accomplishedpresenter of business newswho was known for hislong association with Public Broadcasting Service’s‘Nightly Business Report’.She also happened to be aformer princess of Bulgaria, having been decrowned when Communism was on theascendancy in the Balkanstate.
Peni Kangas (nee Angeloff�� ), the businesswomanprincess, was launching aline of food products at astore in Chennai. The briefhanded to me by my editorwas that I write a short profi��le, keeping the focus onKangas the person, as itwas meant for a lifestylesupplement of The Hindu.
The event organiser had
There are princes who giveup their royal titles — that isPrince Harry for you. Thereare also “princes” who fi��ndthemselves divested of acrown they never wore —that is Prince Frederick foryou.
This bizarre event happened in 2004. It illustrateshow the reporting fi��eld canunexpectedly turn thehumble reporter into themain character of his ownstory, and this may sometimes mean being trussedup in illfi��tting royal robes.This was not immersionjournalism, where the reporter consciously integrates himself into a situation from the beginning topresent it eff��ectively to thereader. In such stories,there is usually meticulousplanning before the reporter throws himself into thedeep end to experience theunknown. This was a caseof the reporter simply being swept into the story and
barely introduced me tothe former princess when Ifound myself at the listening end of some very kindlyadvice.
With an air of commiseration, she proceededstraightaway to comfort mefor the loss of my royal title.The crux of her messagewas that titles meant little,and if we focussed on developing our indestructibleinner essence, we would bewell on the way to havingthe best the world has tooff��er.
Cottoning on to whatwas happening, the organiser placed the facts on thetable. He told her that therehad never been anything
“princely” about me. Tomy credit, I said the samething as quickly as I could.
But she persisted withoff��ering me sincere life lessons, even after realisingthat I was a commonerfrom the cradle. The interaction proved that titles after all did not mean anything to her.
I made this exchange thecentral point of the profi��le.After that interaction, ourpaths never crossed again.However, many years later,I was glad I presented thehuman side of this businesswoman, because hercommiserating natureseemed to have largely defi��ned her for the peoplewho had known her well.
In 2010, her obituarythat I found online made aclear and pointed reference to it. Obituaries areusually kind. But I have reason to believe this one presented the facts as theywere, thanks to that interaction at the store in2004.
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NOTEBOOK
A former Princess talks to a Prince
How a reporter was swept into the story and made the frontispiece
Prince Frederick
S.R
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The world marvels at how well the Indian Constitution has kept a diversecountry together for more than 70years. It’s robustness and durabilityrest on its many builtin safeguardssecuring citizens’ rights to freedomand justice and fair play which no government, however powerful, canhope to eff��ectively recast within thespace of a single or even multiple tenures in offi��ce.
A long historyMistakenly, however, this lengthyfounding document of the Indian Republic is believed to have been completed solely by the Constituent Assembly, working fl��at out in just twoyears, eleven months and 17 days. Infact, the Constitution’s long historystretches to over 40 years before itsenactment, going all the way back tothe Indian Councils Act of 1909. Thislaw, for the fi��rst time, brought Indians into governance at central andprovincial levels, albeit in a very limited way, through a highly restricted and unrepresentative electoratesplit on communal lines.
The Government of India Act, 1919was a vast improvement on the Indian Councils Act but remained unrepresentative. It also persisted withcommunal representation, whichhad earlier been endorsed by theCongress and the Muslim Leaguethrough the Lucknow Pact of 1916.
In its report submitted in 1930, theSimon Commission, constituted toevaluate the Government of India Actof 1919, recommended much greaterIndian involvement in the governance of the country. What followedits report were three extraordinaryroundtable conferences — in 1930,1931 and 1932 — all held in London tosee how best Indians could administer their country.
Deliberations in these conferencesbrought out the concerns of diff��erentcommunities, especially the Depressed Classes of which Ambedkarwas the de facto leader, and the Muslims led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.Except the second conference, whichGandhi attended, the other two wereboycotted by the Congress.
These conferences gave voice toother interest groups too — those re
presenting women and AngloIndians, for instance — and led to thepassage of the Government of IndiaAct of 1935, much of which found itsway into the Constitution.
As even a cursory perusal of theirproceedings will bring out, theroundtable conferences were nosham. They were remarkable for discussing, debating and comprehensively documenting a range of issues— federalism, civil services, regionalrepresentation, fundamental rightsand universal adult franchise. Eventhe idea of linguistic states and reservation emerged from the discussionsat the three roundtable conferences.
It is stunning to see how closelyand logically the Constituent Assembly deliberations were an extension of the discussions in the threeroundtable conferences. Ambedkar’sbrilliant interventions in the Constituent Assembly discussions, for example, were the outcome of the understanding he had developed ofmany issues discussed in the SimonCommission proceedings and thethree roundtable conferences whichhe attended.
A distinct departureThe roundtable conferences represent a distinct departure in Britishapproaches to India. There was aclear recognition that the subcontinent was becoming increasingly diffi��cult to manage and unless some sortof autonomy was given while leaderslike M.K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who believed in peaceful protest,were infl��uential, an armed strugglewould follow, possibly under a leaderlike Subas Chandra Bose.
Seventy years on, we can be morehonest about the Constitution’s veryreal underpinnings. Sadly, this facthas been excised from our collectivememory. It is almost as if we are ashamed to disclose the colonial originsof our Constitution. On the otherhand, we must be proud that theConstituent Assembly were willing toincorporate the best from anywhere– whether they were ideas from ourformer colonialists or, as in the caseof the Directive Principles of StatePolicy, borrowed from the IrishConstitution.
Uday Balakrishnan teaches at IISc Bengaluru
The origin of the Constitution The history of the Constitution stretches to over 40 years before its enactment
Uday Balakrishnan
The All Ceylon Tamil Congress while repledging itself “unequivocally” to “a unitedCeylon with a unitary form of Government”has demanded equal offi��cial status to the Tamil language and equality of opportunity tothe minority Tamils throughout the island. Aresolution, adopted at the 25th annual session of the Congress at Chavakachcheri nearTamildominated Jaff��na in the north lastnight [ Jan. 22], called for an early solution tothe language problem “on the democraticbasis that what Sinhala is to the Sinhalese Tamil shall be to the Tamilspeaking peoplewherever they may reside in this country. Allracial, linguistic and religious communitiescan and must live together with selfrespectand dignity as equals and cooperate in thecommon heritage with equality of status andof opportunity through the length andbreadth of Ceylon,” the resolution declared.The Tamil Congress, which had a politicalsetback after bulk of its members brokeaway in the late fi��fties to form the FederalParty with its cry for federal set up and a militant line to back it up expressed its disenchantment with the working of the presentSoulbury Constitution by the successive Governments since independence and calledfor incorporation in the Constitution of achapter on fundamental rights.
FIFTY YEARS AGO JANUARY 24, 1970
Equal status for Tamil in Ceylon
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With revenue receipts lagging behind budget estimates and economic growth slowing sharply, there is areal risk of the Centre missing its fi��scal defi��cit target this year. In a discussion moderated by SureshSeshadri, N.R. Bhanumurthy andAjit Ranade look at how the UnionBudget may approach the fi��scal balancing act in the face of a need fora stimulus and the government’sstated commitment to adhere to theFiscal Responsibility and BudgetManagement Act (FRBM). Editedexcerpts:
How realistic does the FRBM’sgoal of reducing the fi��scaldefi��cit to 3% of GDP by March2021 appear now?
N.R. Bhanumurthy: First of all, Iwould like to say that the FRBMamendments that were part of theFinance Bill 2018 are very diff��erentfrom the original FRBM Act of 2003.The original FRBM Act had said thatyou have to bring down the fi��scaldefi��cit to 3% and the revenue defi��citto 0%. The 2018 Finance Bill actually did away with the revenue defi��cittarget. So, there is no revenue defi��cit target any more. Rather, we havethe target of bringing down the fi��scal defi��cit to 3% and at the sametime, we expect that that will bringdown the public debt to 40% at theCentral level.
In my view this is a very fl��awedkind of FRBM roadmap that theCentral government has adopted.To that extent I am not really concerned about bringing down the fi��scal defi��cit to 3% because if you lookat the last two years, the fi��scal defi��cit has been brought down to 3.3%and the revenue defi��cit is actuallyincreasing; that itself violates theoriginal FRBM Act.
In principle, the FRBM is basically an expenditure switching mechanism, where you try to switchthe expenditure from consumptionto capital. That would lead to higherGDP growth and then lead to reduction in the public debttoGDP ratio.What we are seeing is not expenditure switching from consumption tocapital, but we are actually seeing aswitch from capital to consumption.And that would be growth retarding, in my view.
What is likely to be the impactfrom a markets, ratings andinvestment perspective if theBudget does end up signallingat least a temporary suspensionof the fi��scal defi��cit goals?
Ajit Ranade: Since the last quarterof calendar 2018 and the subsequent three quarters, we have seendeclining GDP growth to the extentthat nominal GDP growth [estimated at 7.5% for the full fi��scal year] willbe the lowest in the last 42 years.This is an alarming number. Evenreal GDP growth is very low, below5%. So, clearly this is evidence oflack of demand — whether it is forconsumption, investment or exports — and it requires a growth impetus. In the short run, the biggestimpetus comes from fi��scal stimulus.Now the thing about the fi��scal responsibility act, the fi��scal disciplineAct, is that it tends to be what iscalled ‘procyclical’. If you are goingto focus on just a number, discrete3% of GDP, so when the GDP itself issmall now, the growth is slower, the3% is going to be more. And whenthe GDP is rising fast the 3% is not sobad. You want a higher defi��citspending to boost growth if you believe that the government spendingis going to help. So, for fi��scal policyto be eff��ective, it has to be countercyclical. But the way the fi��scal responsibility act has been framed, ifyou are only focussing on a numberfrom year to year, it ends up beingprocyclical. So, actually the spiritof the fi��scal responsibility actshould have been over a businesscycle. So over a multiyear horizon itshould be declining. That is the signof fi��scal discipline. But there shouldbe room for governments to spendextra when needed. That is an important point to note. Also, there isnothing in theory which says 3% isideal and 2.8% is not and 3.5% is notideal, there is no basis for saying it.
I believe that in the Indian context, because of our young demography, our dependency ratio is low.This means there are more taxpayers than retired people. And thisis going to remain like this for thenext couple of decades, whichmeans that if we have higher defi��citspending today to induce growth —what Professor Bhanumurthy said
about capital spending — tomorrow’s generation will have to pay itback in the form of taxes. But percapita tax burden on future generations is going to be relatively low ormodest because we have the youngdemography advantage. So I thinkthe bottom line is that there is an expectation that the Budget will do something about providing a fi��scal stimulus but there will also be achallenge of remaining within thelegislative remit. Also, the legislation itself gives the governmentsome leeway of overshooting by0.5% in times of rapid fall in GDPgrowth rate, which is what we areseeing.
Is there a downside to all this?
AR: The downside is that fi��rst of allwe need to worry about sustainability... when you go into defi��cit spending, whether the debt that you takeon additionally is sustainable. Theyoung demography and mediumterm growth prospects make it reasonably sustainable. And you alsoneed to worry about whether international ratings agencies wouldreact negatively to an extraordinaryfi��scal stimulus. That’s the balancingyou would need to do. On that countI believe India’s ratings have improved, at least the outlook, and Idon’t think it’s going to become negative simply because of a higher fi��s
cal defi��cit this year. In any case youknow the world today is awash withso much funds and negative interestrates in most of the developedworld, so I don’t think the adverseimpact of a rating action, which Ithink is very unlikely, and higher interest rates for India, including corporates, is a big risk.
Is it time to trigger the FRBM’s‘escape clause’? And if so, whatis the roadmap when theescape clause gets triggered?
NRB: I think in terms of the escapeclause, my guess is that we are actually ‘escaping’ every year. Theway we are amending the FRBM Actregularly shows that we seem tohave the escape clause within themandate. The initial FRBM said youneed to achieve 3% by 2018; now weare in 2020. That itself shows thatthe Act has some kind of fl��exibility.Now we don’t know what the 15thFinance Commission is going to recommend; they’re also supposed to
come out with their own FRBMroadmap. I think when the ActionTaken Report is placed in Parliament, we will know what the 15th Finance Commission is recommending. But in terms of this analyticalissue, the 3% fi��scal defi��cit target,what we are looking at is a generalgovernment fi��scal defi��cit of 5.66%and that actually came from someof the studies done by Dr. Rangarajan as part of the 12th Finance Commission. And later for the 13th and14th Finance Commission, we havedone some work, where it is clearlyevident that if you can bring downthe revenue defi��cit to zero, thatmeans if you are not borrowing forconsumption purposes, that itselfwill bring down the general fi��scaldefi��cit to close to 6%. That is howthis whole 3 plus 3 has been workedout.
Would a targeted TARPlikeprogramme, which tries to givefi��scal support to just thefi��nancial services sector,because it is such a key sector interms of its multiplier impact,work?
AR: I absolutely feel that is so. It istrue in general that capital spendingis seen as more productive and better quality spending than consumerspending. But this year is so unusualthat we also need to give a consumption stimulus, including in theform of PMKisan, enhanced spending for the MGNREGA, and so on.Growth today is constrained due toa collapse in credit. Bank creditgrowth has fallen steeply and ironically there is so much excess liquidity... in fact, on a daily basis the Reserve Bank of India fi��nds that thereis more than 3 lakh crore of excessliquidity. The reasons for the creditcollapse is because of the NPA [nonperforming assets] situation. NPAsare actually incrementally rising.Plus the lingering eff��ects of theNBFC [NonBanking Financial Company] crisis and the still relativelyhigh real interest rates. So, I believeit is going to help if some kind of acredit enhancer, or anything thatcan release the credit fl��ow which isrequired for growth, is done. Thereis some discussion about gatheringall the NPAs... the toxic ones and into a bad bank. I am not sure a badbank is appropriate but somethinglike that needs to be done.
We need to give high priority for
recapitalisation wherever necessary, identifying or isolating bad assets and let credit grow. For GDP togrow at 78%, we need credit to growat 1520% and that includes bankcredit, NBFCs, ECBs [external commercial borrowings], everything.
Where would you suggest thewhole thrust of the Budget’semphasis on the FRBM and thefi��scal defi��cit should be?
NRB: Revisit the FRBM Act, revertto the original FRBM, try to focusmore on the revenue defi��cit and atthe same time try to increase capitalexpenditure. That alone will bringyou more growth and fi��scal discipline. I’ve been arguing that whenyou’re going to revise the FRBM Act,please come out with some kind ofrange target. Not just point targetsof 3% you know you’re going to violate.
AR: I agree with Professor Bhanumurthy that we should not ignorethe quality of spending and cost savings or cost effi��ciency wherever possible before we embark on fi��scal stimulus in terms of increasedspending. Secondly, remember fi��scal defi��cit is equal to expenditureminus revenue. It’s got two aspects:expenditure and revenue. So let’snot forget the revenue sources forspending as well. For example, Iwould not let go of the capital gainstax. And the fact that the stock markets are at an alltime high I thinknegates the argument that LTCG[longterm capital gains] would bedetrimental to the stock market. So,don’t let go of revenue sources youhave.
The government has to acknowledge that this is a year when aggregate demand has really fallen andwhile we wait for consumption, investment spending from the privatesector to come up, to revive, it fallson the government to stimulate.And I would say not just capitalspending but you might have to lookat providing a consumption stimulus especially to the lower incomes.Also, look at avenues to revive fi��nancial savings. This is a year wherethey have very little choice but toprovide fi��scal impetus and thatmeans we will have to exceed thetarget and perhaps take refuge insome of the escape clauses. And also wait for the growth revival nextyear.
Will the Budget suspend the FRBM’s fi��scal defi��cit goals? Any fi��scal review needs to ideally redirectspending priorities to capital from consumption
Ajit Ranade is a Mumbaibased
economist
N.R. Bhanumurthyis Professor at the
National Institute
of Public Finance
and Policy,
New Delhi
Scan the QR code tolisten to the fullinterview online
R.V
. M
OO
RT
HY
PARLEY
<> Revisit the FRBM Act,
revert to the original
FRBM, try to focus more on
the revenue defi��cit and at
the same time try to
increase capital
expenditure.
N.R. Bhanumurthy
![Page 11: NEARBY Virushit Wuhan locked down In full nery...address of Governor Kalraj Mishra. The resolution is like ly to be tabled and passed in the House on the second day of the session,](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060403/5f0eb90d7e708231d4409f39/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
CMYK
A ND-NDE
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DELHI THE HINDU
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 202012EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
NEWS
FROM PAGE ONE
The remarks and discussion on Thursday were partof a hearing of the reviewpetitions fi��led by Shabnamand her partner, Salim, bothof whom have been condemned to death for themurder of seven membersof her family, including aninfant.
Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, for the couple, said they were bothfi��rsttime criminals. She argued that crimes, howeverheinous, should be seenseparately from the criminals who committed them.There were many facets to acriminal. Ms. Arora arguedthat the couple have reformed in their years spentin prison after the deathsentence. The court reserved the review petitionsfor judgment.
If a mercy plea had been rejected, the death warrantshould be issued within thenext seven days and the execution carried out a weekthereafter. The pendency ofreview or curative petitionsof coconvicts would be ofno consequence for a manwhose mercy plea had beenrejected.
This application was fi��ledafter the four Nirbhaya caseconvicts separately and repeatedly approached courtsfor one relief or the other.Their execution dates havealready been extended fromJanuary 22 to February 1.
Mr. Mehta blamed theChauhan judgment for being “convictcentric”. The2014 guidelines should betweaked to make them victim and societycentric, heargued.
Deathrow convicts can’tfi��ght endlessly, says CJI
celled massive gatheringsthat usually attract throng attemples during the NewYear holiday, while the historic Forbidden City willclose from Saturday.
More than 570 peoplehave been infected with thevirus across China.
Highways were closed inneighbouring Xiantao, whilepublic transport will be suspended from midnight innearby Chibi. The two citieshave a combined populationof two million people.
As eff��orts to contain thevirus spread, Beijing can
China locks down Wuhanto curb virus outbreak
According to Transparency International, while oftenseen as an engine of the global economy, in terms ofpolitical integrity and governance, the region performsonly marginally better thanthe global average. “Manycountries see economicopenness as a way forward,however, governmentsacross the region, from China to Cambodia to Vietnam,continue to restrict participation in public aff��airs, silence dissenting voices andkeep decisionmaking out ofpublic scrutiny,” it said.
Given these issues, itcomes as no surprise that vibrant economic powers likeChina (41), Indonesia (40),Vietnam (37), the Philippines (34) and others continue to struggle to tackle corruption, according to thereport. The top rankedcountries are New Zealandand Denmark, with scoresof 87 each, followed by Finland (86), Singapore (85),Sweden (85) and Switzerland (85).
The 2019 CPI draws on 13surveys and expert assessments to measure publicsector corruption in 180countries and territories,giving each a score from zero (highly corrupt) to 100(very clean).
In the Asia Pacifi��c region,the average score is 45, aftermany consecutive years ofan average score of 44,which “illustrates generalstagnation” in the region.
China has improved itsposition from 87 to 80 witha score of 41 out of 100, atwopoint jump.
“Despite the presence ofhigh performers like NewZealand (87), Singapore(85), Australia (77), HongKong (76) and Japan (73),the Asia Pacifi��c regionhasn’t witnessed substantialprogress in anticorruptioneff��orts or results. In addition, low performers like Afghanistan (16), North Korea(17) and Cambodia (20) continue to highlight seriouschallenges in the region,”the report said.
India slips two placeson corruption index
Union Minority Aff��airs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who this week becamethe fi��rst Minister in the Modigovernment to visit theKashmir Valley since the August 5 decision to revoke Article 370 and undertake animpromptu walkabout atLal Chowk in Srinagar, willsoon release his Hindi novelBalwa (Diamond Books), afi��ctional capture of loveacross the religious divide inthe communally contestedpolitics of the 1990s.
Speaking to The Hindu,Mr. Naqvi, who has screenwriter credits for MadhurBhandarkar’s fi��lms Corporate and Traffi��c Signal, saidthe novel was drawn fromhis own experiences of howvested interests createdcommunal strife and howcommon people werereeled in.
“This book has been withme for some time; I took thetime to complete it lately.The main characters in thisbook include religious leaders Maulana Mushtaq andSankata Prasad and how aset of youngsters fi��rst getembroiled in their politicalgames and then see throughit all to strike a blow forlove,” he said.
The plot includes descriptions of the administration and police and howthey handle communallysensitive situations. Comingfrom the Minority Aff��airsMinister, the novel is interesting in the way that itframes communal confl��ictand the reasons for it.
Kashmir interaction Mr. Naqvi, just back fromKashmir valley, said that hehad broken with protocoland his fi��xed itinerary to doa walkabout at Lal Chowk tothe consternation of offi��cials, but was heartened bythe response he got fromthe people.
“I decided to stop my carand just walk around the
market, and it took a whilefor people to realise that Iwas a Minister in the Government of India. The interaction was warm, and I sawa diff��erent atmosphere thanwhat people think in Delhi,”he said.
Prime Minister NarendraModi’s brief to all touringMinisters was to hold dialogue with as many delegations and people aspossible.
“He told us to listen carefully to the people, especially if they are talking aboutlongstanding demands forschools, hospitals, roads,etc. Railway connectivitywas one of the big asks fromthe delegations that I met,and also boosting of tourism,” Mr. Naqvi said.
Asked if anyone spoke ofthe lack of Internet connectivity in the Valley, Mr. Naqvisaid the Internet was available for essential services,but added that the local administration had to take itsown call keeping the security situation in mind.
The novel Balwa is onlythe fi��rst of a threenovel series that Mr. Naqvi is lookingto release this year; the other two are Raj Leela andCyber Supari.
The fi��rst in the series willbe an interesting read fornovel buff��s and those looking for a peek into the mindof the Minority Aff��airs Minister in the time of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Naqvi pens tale of love across barriersMinister’s debut novel set for release
Nistula Hebbar
NEW DELHI
The cover of Balwa byAbbas Naqvi. * SPECIAL
ARRANGEMENT
In once separatist and militancy hubs, Union MinistersRavi Shankar Prasad andShripad Naik presided over‘darbars’ (open interactions)in Srinagar and Baramullaon Thursday and distributedcash and baby kits and announced medical tourismschemes.
Wearing a pheran, a longtraditional robe worn in winter, and a karakul, traditional cap, Mr. Prasad said he felthappy after meeting peoplein Baramulla, where threemilitants were killed in twoseparate encounters sinceAugust 5. He toured the partof the town considered sensitive by the security agencies, and sipped tea at Lovely Restaurant and met 18delegations of local people.
“I was happy to see asmile on the faces of children. Students in Baramullahave talent enough to compete at the national level,”Mr. Prasad said, inaugurating an indoor stadium builtat a cost of ₹��7 crore. To con
nect with local students andwomen, the Minister distributed six laptops amongthose girl students who recently topped Class 10 and 12examinations from the district. Cheques for ₹��40,000each were presented to benefi��ciaries under the Marriage Assistance Scheme andbaby kits to mothers underthe Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme.
During meetings with delegations, the people demanded the establishmentof a software technologypark, introduction of lawstudies, establishment ofmobile mini towers in border areas, construction ofadditional bunkers, andcreation of WiFi zones at tourist and educational centres.
Promising to make Baramulla a model district, Mr.
Prasad unveiled the districtlogo, inaugurated a districtweb portal and einaugurated the Bharatnet facility for38 panchayat halqas.
In Srinagar, Mr. ShripadNaik met hundreds of peopleat the SheriKashmir International Convention Centreon the Dal lake. He announced the setting up of a50bed hospital at a cost of₹��12 crore in every district.
Ministers hold ‘darbars’ in J&KRavi Shankar Prasad and Shripad Naik interact with people in Srinagar, BaramullaPeerzada Ashiq
Srinagar
Technology boost: Ravi Shankar Prasad launching facilities atthe National Institute of Electronics and IT, Srinagar. * PTI
The government urged theSupreme Court on Thursdaynot to entertain any “separatist” arguments in the Constitution Bench hearing challenges against the validity ofthe President’s order abrogating the special rights ofKashmiri people under Article 370.
Senior advocate RajeevDhavan, however, counteredthat the court should indeedenquire into the “Hand ofGod” that took away the“custodianship” of Jammuand Kashmir on August 5,2019.
The fi��vejudge Bench ledby Justice N.V. Ramana reserved for passing orders on
the preliminary plea that theissue should be referred to alarger Bench.
In the daylong hearing,the government side strongly argued that the accessionof J&K was irrevocable. J&Kwas part of history of integration of States. Its sovereignty was only temporary.
“We are a Union of States,”AttorneyGeneral K.K. Venugopal submitted.
SolicitorGeneral TusharMehta said political arguments should not be made incourt by petitioners.
‘A State dismembered’Mr. Dhavan, however, contended that August 5 saw aState dismembered. A Statewas devoured by the powerof the Union. If the procedure for abrogation was notfollowed, the action of theUnion government was susceptible to judicial review.The State government’s concurrence was not taken forthe modifi��cation made in thefundamental nature and governance of J&K.
On Wednesday, senior advocate Sanjay Parikh arguedthat the Centre could nothave on August 5 unilaterallynotifi��ed a Presidential Orderunder Article 370 of the Constitution to alter the governance and identity of J&K.Mr. Parekh, for the PUCL, also argued that the Constitution of J&K was adopted onNovember 17, 1956. The J&KConstituent Assembly wasdissolved after that on January 26, 1957. The very purpose of a temporary provision of Article 370 had endedin 1957. The future governance of J&K was entrustedto the erstwhile State’s Constitution. Hence, a Presidential Order under Article 370had no relevance.
‘J&K’s sovereignty was only temporary’Government urges Supreme Court to not entertain any ‘separatist’ arguments
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi
The Congress on Thursdaytargeted the Prime MinisterNarendra Modiled government at the Centre for bringing India 10 places down inthe global Democracy Index, with the former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram stating that“democracy has eroded andthose in power are the realtukde tukde gang”.
‘Alarming development’In a series of tweets, theformer Union Minister saidthe world was alarmed atthe direction India was taking and every Indian neededto be alarmed too.
“India has slipped 10places in the Democracy Index. Anyone who has closely observed the events of thelast two years knows thatdemocracy has been erodedand democratic institutionshave been debilitated.Those who are in power arethe real tukde tukde gang,”Mr. Chidambaram said.
At a press conference atthe Congress headquarters,senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Abhishek ManuSinghvi said that India hadcome down to the 51st rank(from 41) for the fi��rst timesince the Democracy Index
was started by the researchwing of The Economist magazine in 2006.
He said whether it was action against students by theUnion government or imposition of Section 144 to prevent any assembly of peopleor insistence on uniformityof culture and language,everything had diminisheddemocracy.
Mr. Singhvi said an atmosphere of fear and distrust now prevailed and ithad been accentuated withthe new Citizenship(Amendment) Act (CAA),the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) andthe National Population Register (NPR).
“There is a cocktail of suspicion and distrust againstthe government. When theatmosphere is of fear, trustdefi��cit is humongous andwhen you have such rulesthen fear increases tentimes,” he said.
‘The real tukde tukde gang is in power’
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
P. Chidambaram
Cong. slams govt. for‘erosion of democracy’
The youth wing of the Congress on Thursday launcheda nationwide campaign toprepare a National Registerof Unemployed (NRU) tohighlight rising unemployment and demand answersfrom the government aboutthe steps it was taking to address the issue.
The campaign waslaunched at the Congressheadquarters in the nationalcapital by Youth Congresspresident Srinivas B.V. andthe party incharge for theyouth wing, KrishnaAllavaru.
“The YC will reach out toevery unemployed person.To prepare the database, aphone number (8151994411)has been circulated onwhich one can give a missedcall,” Mr. Allavaru said.
With a slogan that said ‘45saalon main pehli baar,desh main sabse zyada berozgaar’ (A fi��rst in past 45years, the largest numberunemployed youth), the YCalso prepared short videoclips that would be launchedon various social mediaplatforms.
Congress leaders said theNRU was also an attempt to
keep the focus on “real issues” and not allow the BJPto change the narrative intoa polarising one.
“We do not want to hearabout the CAA [CitizenshipAmendment Act] or the NRC[National Register of Citizens]. We want to hear fromyou [the government] whatyou are doing to increaseemployment in the country,” Mr. Allavaru said.
The Congress cited thelatest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reportthat 36 youth committed suicide every day because ofunemployment and the problem is at an alltime high.
He said the root cause ofrecession in India is “Modimade” due to wrong policies
such as demonetisation andpoor implementation of theGoods and Services Tax(GST).
“The Youth Congress isready to buy a pair of spectacles from anywhere in theworld for the Prime Ministerto see the problems of theyouth,” Mr. Srinivas said, referring to reports of a pairbeing allegedly bought for₹��2.5 lakh for Mr. Modi towatch the solar eclipse.
YC spokesperson AmrishRanjan said that as part ofthe campaign for an NRU,unemployed youth will haveto call on the tollfree number and the informationwould be collected, collatedand eventually sent to thegovernment.
Congress to create a ‘NationalRegister of the Unemployed’Youth wing launches toll-free number to collect data
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
Jobs in focus: Youth Congress members at the launch of adrive against unemployment in New Delhi on Thursday. * PTI
Two days after party leaderPawan Varma sent him astinging twopage letter asking for his “ideological clarity on the electoral tieupwith the BJP for the comingDelhi elections”, JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thurs
day broke his silence to say,“if he [Mr Varma] wants to goto some other party, he hasmy wishes”.
Mr. Varma later said hewould continue to speakwhat he “believes good ofthe country and for the party”.
On December 21, Mr. Varma, said in his letter that he
was “deeply perplexed” overthe development of ties withthe BJP beyond Bihar. He ‘reminded’ Mr. Kumar of hisconfession to him about his“grave apprehensions” ofthe BJPRSS combine.
“He [Mr. Varma] is alearned man for whom I’ve alot of respect, even if he maynot have the same for me.
But this is not the way toshare such things in public…it is surprising…he says I’vetold him certain things inprivate…what if I should tellyou what he had told me?”,Mr. Kumar told journalists.“If he wants to go to someother party which is his decision… he has my wishes,”Mr. Kumar said, while leav
the JD(U) as a party runs”. A JD(U) source told The
Hindu that Mr. Kumar maytake action against Mr. Varma and Prashant Kishor —who have of late been bombarding him with tweets andletters — on January 27, whenhe would meet party leadersat his offi��cial residence, 1Anne Marg.
ing a function organised atPatna’s Gandhi Maidan onthe occasion of Netaji SubhasChandra Bose’s birthanniversary.
Mr. Kumar said, “If he hasany confusion, he shouldhave put it before me or atthe party forum but thereshould not be any confusionin anyone’s mind about how
Pawan Varma is free to join any other party, says Nitish KumarSpecial Correspondent
Patna
Raj Thackeray unveilsnew fl��ag for MNSMUMBAI
Twelve years after the party
was formed, Raj Thackeray-
led Maharashtra Navnirman
Sena on Thursday changed its
flag from tricolour saffron,
blue and green to saffron
with Shivmudra printed on it.
Shivmudra is the royal seal of
Maharashtra’s warrior king
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The new flag was unveiled at
the party’s conference being
held at Goregaon in suburban
Mumbai. The conference will
also chalk out the party’s
future course of action.
IN BRIEF
Davinder Singh sent to 15day NIA custody NEW DELHI
J&K police officer Davinder
Singh who was arrested with
two wanted Hizbul
Mujahideen militants on
January 11 was sent to 15-day
custody of the National
Investigation Agency (NIA) on
Thursday. The accused was
produced with three others —
Syed Naveed Mushtaq alias
Babu, Rafi Rather and an
advocate Irfan Shafi in a
Jammu court on Thursday.
The accused will be in the
NIA’s custody till February 6,
an NIA spokesperson said.
Singh had been under
surveillance for two months.
The Income Tax AppellateTribunal (ITAT) will set upBench camps in Jammu andSrinagar for easyaccessibility and speedydisposal of cases from theUnion Territory.
Presently, litigants fromthe region have to approachits Amritsar Bench. In all,235 cases from the regionare pending disposal.
ITAT Benchcamps soonSpecial Correspondent
NEW DELHI
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The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and the Congress exchanged barbs on Thursdayover the death of a Dalityouth undergoing treatment for burns in New Delhi, after neighbours set himablaze in Sagar following adispute on January 14.
While the BJP alleged thegovernment’s negligencehad caused the death and itwas followed by the police’scomplacency, the Congresssaid the BJP was spreadinglies.
“We are awaiting thepostmortem report to ascertain the cause of death.After sustaining burns, hewas having breathing issues
here itself,” Amit Sanghi,Superintendent of Police,said.
Dhanprasad Ahirwar, 24,of the Motinagar area in Sagar, suff��ered 70% burns andunderwent treatment locally for three days until January 17, when he was shiftedto Bhopal, and later airliftedto New Delhi.
‘Petty dispute’“It was a petty dispute between neighbours,” said Mr.Sanghi. “There is no HinduMuslim or caste confl��ict angle to the case.”
Three accused were arrested on January 15, andthe remaining two accusedwere arrested a day later, headded.
Dalit youth’s death sparkspolitical row in M.P. Staff Reporter
Bhopal