VENKAT RAM REDDY LAKKADIn HYDERABAD

Come May period this year,clearing board exams (specif-ically SSC and Intermediate)in Telangana State is going tobe a cinch, what with nearly

30% cut in syllabus, ‘easy’question papers, and workingdays in the academic year lim-ited to just 80 days betweenFebruary 1 and April 30.

This is because the stategovernment wants to levelthe playing field for students

in government and privateinstitutions. As things stand,the playing field has beenskewed by the over 10-month-long corona-inducedlockdown, digital divide, andother factors.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Many residents of the citystarted their home-bound jour-ney for the Sankranti festivalnot only to enjoy the festivalbut also relieve themselves ofthe stress of the busy city lifeand the stress caused to themfor about 10 months by thepandemic.

Lakhs of people have set outfor their native places in Telugustates to celebrate the festival.In fact, people are on the movefor the last one week. However,

on Monday the festival rushreached peak stage as the fes-tival is just two days away.

In view of the COVID-19rules, only those who have con-firmed reservation are beingallowed on trains. The waitinglist for reservations runs longfor all trains.

The TSRTC has pressed intoservice over 4900 special buses.This is in addition to the 3500regular bus services to Telugustates from Hyderabad.

Many persons travelled totheir native places on private

buses, own vehicles, maxi cabsbelonging to private organisa-tions and so on.

According to a conservativeestimate by transport depart-ment, over 12 lakh have movedout of Hyderabad to visit theirnative places for the festival.

The south central railwayhas pressed into service at least50 special trains to Vijayawada,Visakhapatnam, Kakinada,Tirupati, Machilipatnam,Bangaluru, Chennai,Bhubaneshwar and other places.

HYDERABAD, WEDNESDAY JANUARY 13, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

www.dailypioneer.com

RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

Established 1864Published From

HYDERABAD DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN VIJAYAWADA

*LATE CITY VOL. 3 ISSUE 85*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:

MONEY 8SPECTRUM AUCTION: TELCOS ATTEND

PRE-BID CONFERENCE

ANALYSIS 7EMBRACE THE

CHANGE

SPORTS 12BUMRAH OUT OFBRISBANE TEST

}I'VE BEEN QUITELUCKY: NABHAPage 11

{

HYDERABADWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated January 12, 2021 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Margashirsha & Krishna Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Amavasya: 10:29 am

Nakshatram: Uttara Ashadha: 05:28 am (Next Day)

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 12:24 pm – 01:47 pm

Yamagandam: 08:16 am – 09:38 am

Varjyam: 02:03 pm – 03:36 pm

Gulika: 11:01 am - 12:24 pm

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 11:18 pm – 12:50 am

Abhijit Muhurtham: NIL

FFoorreeccaasstt:: SunnyTemp: 29/17Humidity: 54%Sunrise: 06:49 amSunset: 06:00 pm

‘Dynastic politics bur-

dens country with

incompetence’

5

SEC, Govt face-offinexplicable, harmful

to democracy

2

Sensex jumps 248pts to end

at new peak; Niftytops 14,500

8

CO-OWNER OF MUMBAI'S "MUCHHADPAANWALA" CHAIN HELD IN DRUGS CASE

"KHALISTANIS INFILTRATED FARMERS'PROTEST," GOVERNMENT TELLS SC

TADA COURT FRAMES CHARGES AGAINSTYASIN, 9 OTHERS IN RUBAIYA KIDNAP CASE

INDONESIA LOCATES BLACK BOX OFCRASHED SRIWIJAYA AIR PLANE

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) hasarrested Ramkumar Tiwari, one of theowners of "Muchhad Paanwala",

Mumbai's famous chain of shops sellingbetel leaf, or paan. Tiwari was arrested lateon Monday evening after he failed to"satisfactorily" answer NCB's questions onthe half-a-kilogram of marijuana recoveredfrom his shop. The shop, located in southMumbai's Kemps Corner area, is famous forbeing frequented by some celebrities. Tiwarisold paan laced with drugs to some clients,NCB suspects. The confiscated marijuana has been identified as OGKush.

The Supreme Court today put on holdthree farm laws that are the cause ofprotests near Delhi by thousands of

farmers. In the hearing, the governmentargued that ''Khalistanis'' had infiltrated theprotests. As Attorney General KKVenugopal made the statement, theSupreme Court asked him to file anaffidavit. The top government lawyer saidhe would do so by tomorrow along withinputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB).The Khalistan reference emerged when afarmer group in favour of the central lawsalleged that banned organisations had entered the protests.

Aspecial TADA court has framed chargesagainst Jammu and Kashmir LiberationFront (JKLF) chief Mohammd Yasin Malik

and nine others in a 31-year-old kidnappingcase involving Rubaiya Sayeed, the daughterof then union home minister MuftiMohammad Sayeed. Malik is presently lodgedin Tihar jail, Delhi, after he was arrested by theNational Investigation Agency (NIA) in April2019 in connection with a terror funding case,a month after his group was banned by thecentral government.In March last year, thespecial TADA court had framed charges against the JKLF chief and sixothers in January 1990.

Ablack box from the crashedIndonesian passenger jet has beenrecovered, the transport minister said

on Tuesday, days after the plane with 62people aboard slammed into the sea. "TheFDR (flight data recorder) has been found,"minister Budi Karya Sumadi told a livetelevision briefing. The recorder is one oftwo black boxes -- the other being acockpit voice recorder -- that could provecrucial to explaining why the aircraftplunged about 10,000 feet (3,000 metres)in less than a minute before crashing intowaters off the capital Jakarta.

2

PNS n NEW DELHI

The SC Tuesday stayed the imple-mentation of controversial newfarm laws till further orders anddecided to set up a 4-membercommittee to resolve the impasseover them between the Centreand farmers' unions protesting atDelhi borders. A bench headedby Chief Justice S A Bobde andJustice AS Bopanna andRamasubram anian said that itwill pass an order to this effect.

The top court stayed the imple-mentation of the three laws -- theFarmers' Agreement on PriceAssurance and Farm ServicesAct, the Farmers' Produce Tradeand Commerce Act, and theEssential Commodities Act--against which several petitionshave been filed challenging theirconstitutional validity.

Ahoy! ‘Easy’ SSC, Interexams this year!

PNS n HYDERABAD

The first consignment ofCovid-19 vaccine Covishieldarrived in Telangana andAndhra Pradesh on Tuesday,amid tight security, hours afterthey were dispatched from thePune-based Serum Institute ofIndia (SII) in Maharashtra.

A two-tier security systemhas been set up for the smoothtransportation of the vaccineand for providing security atthe cold storage facilities.

A total of 3.72 lakh doses ofthe Covishield reached theHyderabad international air-port on Tuesday morning. Thevials were immediately trans-ported to the cold storage unitat Government DistrictHospital, Koti.

Another 4.75 lakh doses ofCovishield, which reachedVijayawada airport, were trans-ported to the cold storage unitin Government Hospital,Gannavaram.

The Telangana State gov-

ernment has set up 866 coldstorage units across the stateto preserve the coronavirusvaccine. The vaccine will beadministered across 1,213centres in the state fromJanuary 16.

The SII sent vaccine doses toDelhi, Kolkata, Chennai,Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Shil-long, Hyderabad, Vijayawada,Patna, Bhubaneswar, Bengal-uru, Lucknow and Chandigarhon Tuesday. Coronavirus vac-cine will be administered to thefrontline warriors and health-care staff in the first phase.

Ajay Singh, Chairman andManaging Director, SpiceJetsaid on Tuesday, "I am happyto share that SpiceJet has car-ried India's first consignmentof Covid-19 vaccines today[Tuesday]. We will be carryingmultiple vaccine consignmentsto different Indian cities,including Guwahati, Kolkata,Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar,Bengaluru, Patna andVijayawada through the day

today." He further added that,"Today marks the beginning ofa long and decisive phase inIndia's fight against the pan-demic and SpiceJet is proud toassist in the biggest vaccinationdrive in the history ofmankind."

TS, AP get first load of Covid vax

Bundles of Covid vax vials beingunloaded in Hyderabad on Tuesday

Spl Tribunals toresolve land disputes

PNS n NEW DELHI

Bharat Biotech on Tuesdaysaid it has signed an agreementwith Precisa Medic-amentosfor the supply of its Covid vac-cine 'Covaxin' to Brazil.Covaxin has been developedby Bharat Biotech in collabo-ration with the Indian Councilof Medical Research andNational Institute of Virology,the company said.

PNS n BENGALURU

On Tuesday, the NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA)has filed a charge sheetagainst a BengaluruOphthalmologist withalleged links to ISIS, statingthat he was working on amedical application for treat-ment of operatives belonging

to the terror outfit.The NIA arrested 28-year-

old Abdur Rahman, aliasDr Brave, in August lastyear, as part of investigationinto a case registered inMarch 2020 against theIslamic State KhorasanProvince (ISKP) module.

PNS n HYDERABAD

American electric carmakerTesla has been keen on makingheadway into the Indian mar-ket and it now seems theautomaker is in touch with fivestate governments to set-upoperations in the country.According to a recent report,the company is exploring thepossibility of setting up head-quarters, manufacturing aswell as R&D centres in India.The report comes on the heelsof Tesla co-founder, ElonMusk's confirmation that the brand will arrive in the coun- try in 2021. More recently,

MoRTH minister NitinGadkari also confirmed Tesla'sIndia entry this year.

According to the report,Tesla is consulting Centre andState governments and is car-rying out a location search forsetting up operations in India.The Model 3 maker has alsohired a global consulting firmin the same regard. It's notexactly a secret that severalstate governments have beenwooing the American carmak-er to set-up operations in theirrespective territory.

I-T raids on TS contractorfind Rs 160 cr dubious entries

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana State govern-ment on Tuesday issued ordersconstituting district-levelSpecial Tribunals to resolveland-related disputes as persections 16 and 17 of theTelangana Rights in Land andPattadar Pass Books Act, 2020.

These Special Tribunals willreplace the earlier RevenueCourts, which were abolishedby the state government aspart of the new revenuereforms and enactment of thenew Revenue Act passed inSeptember 2020.

The state government’sorders read:"There shallbe one Special Tribunal forevery district, consisting oftwo members." TheSpecial Tribunal shall consistof the District Collector andthe Additional Collector

(Revenue). In case the post ofAdditional Collector(Revenue) is vacant in theDistrict, Additional Collector(Local Bodies) shall be themember of the SpecialTribunal. In case both theposts of Additional Collector(Revenue) and AdditionalCollector (Local Bodies) arevacant in the District, thenthe District Revenue Officershall be the member of theSpecial Tribunal.

n Pass is a cinch with 30%syllabus cut, just 80working days

n Bid to create levelplaying field for govtand private educationalinstitutions

n Conscious move tobridge digital divide

Scene at Secunderabad Railway Station on Tuesday

SC stays 3 new farmlaws, sets up panel

PNS n NEW DELHI

Protesting farmer unions onTuesday asserted they will notappear before the SupremeCourt appointed panel, alleg-ing it was "pro-government",and said they won't settle foranything less than the repeal ofthe three contentious laws.

The four members of thecommittee are BKU presidentBhupinder Singh Mann,Shetkeri Sangathana presidentAnil Ghanwat, South AsiaDirector for International FoodPolicy Research InstitutePramod Kumar and agricultureeconomist Ashok Gulati.

Bharat Biotechto supplyCovaxin to Brazil

Tesla in touch with 5 states including AP

PNS n HYDERABAD

Last Nizam NawabMir Osman AliKhan's grandsonNawab Mir NajafAli Khan onMonday requestedthe Centre to settle theNizam family'sincome and wealthtax issues that havebeen pending with the Income

Tax Department since 1995. Ina letter addressed to Union

Finance MinisterNirmala Sitaramanearlier, Najaf had saidthat most of the ben-eficiaries were seniorcitizens, having health

and financial issues,while some of themhave even expired.

Last Nizam's grandson urges

Centre to settle IT issue

Nawab Mir Najaf Ali Khan

In their response to what theapex court called an“extraordinary” order ofstay, the farmer unionsmade it clear they will notcall off the protests until thethree laws enacted inSeptember are repealed.Thousands of farmers,mostly from Haryana andPunjab, are protesting atDelhi borders sinceNovember 28 last.

Farmers tocontinue stir

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Income Tax departmenthas detected blackmoney ofover Rs 160 crore throughalleged bogus claim of inputtax credit and other instancesafter it raided a "prominent"civil contractor based inTelangana, the CBDT said onTuesday.

The searches were carriedout on January 7 at 19 premis-es in state capital Hyderabadagainst the unidentified enti-ty that was "generating cashthrough the use of bogus sub-contracts and billers".

The search has also covereda network of individuals run-ning the racket of entry oper-ation and generation of hugecash through fake billing, itsaid.

"Several shell or dummyentities or firms were used bythe searched entry operatorsfor layering of unaccounted

money and cash withdrawalsagainst fake bills issued where-in bogus input tax credit(under the GST) was passedon. "Statements of such entryoperators, their dummy part-ners and employees and cashhandlers of the beneficiarieshave also been recorded, clear-ly validating the entire moneytrail," the CBDT said in a state-ment here.

The Central Board of DirectTaxes (CBDT) frames policyfor the income tax department.Evidences of bogus sub-con-tracts being given throughintermediaries operating shellentities were also seized, it said.

Bengaluru doc wasdesigning app for ISIS

NIA CHARGE SHEET

PNS n HYDERABAD

There is no bird f lu inTelangana and the state gov-ernment has also initiated var-ious preventive measures, stateAnimal Husbandry Minister TSrinivas Yadav said on Tuesday.

There is no harm in con-suming chicken and eggs, hesaid. Yadav held a meetinghere with the representativesof poultry industry, scientistsand animal husbandry offi-cials along with state HealthMinister Eatala Rajender asper the directives of ChiefMinister, a release said.

The state government hasformed 1,300 rapid responseteams soon after the occur-rence of bird flu in the coun-try, he said.

No bird fluin Telangana,says minister

All members of SC’s panel hadsupported govt on farm laws

22

2 2 2

222

2

2

12 lakh leave city for Sankranti at hometown

2

Exquisite craftmanshipat Yadadri

4

Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Phone: 040-23322341, Hyderabad Office: F-502, Diamond Block, Lumbini Rockdale, Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082. Telangana. Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, Plot No.19, IDA Balanagar , Hyderbad-500037, Medchal -Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Chief Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for any

damage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement before

responding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

EGG

RATES

` 50, 400 (10 gm)

` 300

GOLD

` 68,100 (1kg)` 1700

HYDERABAD 360

VIJAYAWADA 516

VISAKHAPATNAM 505

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `̀33.. 6600

SILVER

HYDERABAD

BULLION RATES

`̀//110000

CHICKEN

RATES

Dressed/With Skin `131

Without Skin `149

Broiler at Farm `90

`̀//KKGG

(IN HYDERABAD)

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 13, 2021 hyderabad 02

Undoubtedly, themost crucial cogin the wheel of a

healthy democracywould be elections.

Elections are also atool for gauging publicopinion on governance.The general perception isthat local body polls reflectthe mood of the people onthe functioning of the rulingparty though they are held onthe basis of local issues.

A ruling party candidatewho seeks public support tohead the village level govern-ing body or local governmentwill only lose if the voters arenot sat isf ied with theGovernment.

For a moment, if we setaside the question of who willblink first in the ongoing tus-sle between the State ElectionCommissioner and theGovernment, the factremains that ultimately, theissue will have a negative

impact on democ-racy itself, since it’salready been given apolitical colour.

Detractors of SECN i m m a g a d d a

Ramesh Kumar have goneto great lengths to portray

him as a stooge of the TDP,and as someone implement-ing a grand conspiracy tomalign the JaganmohanReddy Government.

To support this allegation,they point to the fact that theSEC was appointed duringthe rule of ChandrababuNaidu.

Some of the more excitableones ‘advise’ the SEC to putin his papers, join the TDPand contest the next generalelections. It’s unfortunatethat no one, includingMembers of the StateCabinet, have condemnedsuch a serious allegation.

As of the moment, theSEC has approached a divi-

sion bench of the High Courtagainst the single benchorder setting aside the elec-tion schedule released byhim.

In his plea, the SEC haspointed out that there hasbeen no instance of the elec-tion schedule being disturbedby any court across the coun-try. Interestingly, both the APGovernment and the SECare contradicting their earli-er stand.

A year ago, the State

Government had been excep-tionally enthusiastic on con-ducting the local body polls,pointing out that the Statestood to lose Rs 4,000 crorefrom the FinanceCommission if the electionswere to be delayed.

Refusing to go ahead withthe elections on account ofCovid-19, the SEC assertedthat the Finance Commissioncould be convinced by'explaining' the situation aris-ing from the pandemic.

The SEC’s decision upsetthe Government, and itsplans. Clearly, theGovernment did not taketoo kindly to the decision,since it was enjoying what isknown as the ‘honeymoonperiod’ and its chances of asweep at the hustings wouldhave been extremely bright.

The Chief Minister let his

anger show, going to theextent of even criticisingRamesh Kumar on caste linesand accusing him of trying tobenefit the TDP. The rankand file of the YSRCP fol-lowed Jagan in lambastingthe SEC.

The criticism reached acrescendo, and theGovernment appeared to bewishing for a ‘favourable’SEC to help it fulfil the elec-tion process made to localbodies.

The Government tried toreplace Ramesh Kumar bybringing septuagenarianKanagaraj, a retired judgefrom Tamil Nadu after cur-tailing the tenure of RameshKumar from five years tothree. How Justice Kanagarajmanaged to Vijayawada fromTamil Nadu when the entirecountry was under strictlockdown is a mystery thatconfounds still.

It’s a different matter alto-

gether that Ramesh Kumarovercame all the hurdles hefaced and was able to returnto his job. His latest salvo atthe Jagan Government, in theform of the election schedule,was deflected by the HighCourt. Expectedly, the courtverdict was hailed by theYSRCP, understandably sosince the Jagan Governmenthas a record of receivingnegative verdicts. This maynot be the end to the story;the case may wind up in theSupreme Court.

By trying to get the elec-t ions put of f , theGovernment may have led tothe perception that it isscared to face the electorate,probably due to a ratherpoor record on basic ameni-ties.

There have been instanceswhere the ruling dispensa-tion suffered reversals in thelocal body polls after sweep-ing the general elections. In

1987, the Congress wonmore seats than its ownexpectations, leaving thethen ruling TDP in disarray.

The fact that theGovernment has been citingCovid as the reason to get thelocal body polls put off holdsl itt le water. TheGovernment’s commitmentto arrest the spread of Covidhas come under a cloud afterthe 'Amma Vodi' programmeconducted at Nellore resem-bled a public meeting. Noneof those on the dais, exceptthe security personnel, wereseen wearing face masks.

After such scenes, itappears strange that evengovernment employees asso-ciations are citing Covid toget the SEC put off the elec-tions. Strangely, these sameassociations kept silent whencarrying out their duties atliquor shops that witnessedheavy crowds soon after theywere reopened.

M D RATNA KUMAR

Senior Journalist

The SEC’s decision upset the

Government, and its plans. Clearly,

the Government did not take too

kindly to the decision, since it

was enjoying what is known as the

‘honeymoon period’ and its chances

of a sweep at the hustings would

have been extremely bright

PIN

POINT

SEC, Govt face-off inexplicable, harmful to democracy

PNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for Municipal Admi-nistration and Urban Develo-pment KT Rama Rao onTuesday formally launched inHyderabad the 'free drinkingwater scheme', which will ben-efit over 9 lakh households.

The free drinking waterscheme was among the slew ofpromises that the TRS govern-ment had made during theparty’s campaign for the recentGreater Hyderabad MunicipalCorporation elections.

After launching the scheme,KTR remarked:"Sankranthi isbeing celebrated in the city twodays in advance as the schemewill benefit lakhs of house-holds". Despite financial con-straints in the wake of theCovid-19 pandemic, ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Raowas continuing all develop-mental and welfare pro-grammes, reflecting the gov-ernment’s commitmenttowards the welfare of the

poor and the needy.Distribution of assistance

under Rythu Bandu, Rs. 1 a kgrice to the poor and double-bedroom dignity houses for theeligible beneficiaries werebeing delivered, thoughdelayed, by the TRS govern-ment as promised by KCR, saidthe Minister said.

The Minister was speakingafter formally launching thegovernment’s free drinking

water scheme at RahmathNagar here on Tuesday. Hepersonally issued zero bills aspart of the scheme to a fewbeneficiaries at their doorstepand interacted with them aboutthe provision of different wel-fare programmes. He said thatover 9 lakh families would bebenefited as per the provi-sions of the scheme. For thoseliving in slums, no bills wouldbe issued, he added.

During the GHMC elec-tions, KCR had announcedthat from December freedrinking water would be sup-plied to all the beneficiariesand on January 12, the promisewas fulfilled, he said, suggest-ing the speed at which the gov-ernment worked.

“The Rs.500 crore burdenarising due to the implemen-tation of the scheme will beborne by the State govern-ment,” KTR said. At a timewhen other metro cities likeChennai were suffering fromscarcity of drinking water andthe same was being transport-ed through trains from far-offplaces, it is due to the farsight-edness of CM KCR thatHyderabad was not facing suchproblems, the Minister point-ed out. Hyderabad was beingsupplied safe drinking waterfrom River Godavari and RiverKrishna. And projects werebeing taken up to ensure thatthere was no shortage of drink-ing water till 2048, he said.

KTR launches free drinkingwater scheme in Hyderabad

SC stays 3 new...Continued from Page 1

The bench which read outfour names of members of thecommittee said that it will lookinto the farmers' grievanceson the issue.

The four names of membersinclude Bhupinder SinghMann, President of BhartiyaKisan Union; Anil Ghanwat,President of ShetkeriSangthana, Maharashtra;Pramod Kumar Joshi, directorfor South Asia, InternationalFood Policy Research Institute,and agriculture economistAshok Gulati.

During the hearing, the topcourt sought the cooperation ofthe protesting farmers andmade it clear that no power canprevent it from setting up acommittee to resolve theimpasse over the controversialfarm laws. The observation ofthe bench asking protestingfarmers' unions to cooperateassumes significance in view ofreports that they would not goto any apex court-appointedpanel for resolution of the dis-pute and wanted the laws to berepealed. Before pronouncingthe order, the bench com-

menced the hearing and askedthe farmers' unions to cooper-ate and go before the commit-tee to be appointed by it toresolve the dispute.

Continued from Page 1

Coordination is beingmaintained among animalhusbandry, forest and healthdepartments at the state,district and field levels, hesaid.

The minister said 276samples tested in Nalgonda,Peddapalli and Warangaldistricts following reportsof deaths of chickens turnedout to be negative.

Another 1,000 samplestested during the last threedays have also been foundnegative.

According to him, thenumber of migratory birdsvisiting the state is very lim-ited, and the forest and irri-gation departments are mon-itoring the issue.

Continued from Page 1

"Evidence of the use of thismodus to generate hugeunaccounted cash was foundalong with details of theentire network of the entryoperators, intermediaries,cash handlers, beneficiariesand the firms and companiesinvolved.

"Forensic analysis of digi-tal data, including pen drive,retrieved mails, has givenclinching evidences in thisregard," it said.

So far, the statement added,documents that provide evi-dence of accommodationentries of more than Rs 160crore have already beenfound and seized, and theassessee company has also"admitted" the same in itsstatement recorded beforethe tax authorities.

Continued from Page 1

Civil Aviation MinisterHardeep Singh Puri tweeted,"Air India, Spice Jet, Go Airand Indigo will operate 9flights from Pune with 56.5lakh doses to Delhi, Chennai,Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong,Ahmedabad, Hyderabad,Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar,Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow& Chandigarh."

A 40 cubic metre capacitywalk-in-freezer has been setup in Koti Hospital to pre-serve the vaccine.

On Day-1, the vaccine willbe administered to 13,900frontline workers in 139 cen-tres in the city on January 16.

Continued from Page 1

All cases pending before theRevenue Authorities withinthe District under the provi-sions of the Telangana Rightsin Land and Pattadar PassBooks Act, 1971 shall standtransferred to the SpecialTribunals.

The Special Tribunal shallhold sittings at the Districtheadquarters and if deemednecessary, in Divisional head-quarters or Mandal headquar-ters.

The District Collectors maypost such support staff, as maybe necessary, to assist theTribunal. No additional postswill be sanctioned for this pur-pose and the requisite staffmay be drawn from within theDistrict. A computerizedrecord shall be maintained ofthe proceedings of each case.The meta data shall be cap-

tured in respect of each caseand in order to track dispos-al, order numbers shall be gen-erated through the system.

The Special Tribunal, whileholding enquiry in respect ofcases transferred, shall havepowers as conferred vide sec-tion 13 of the Telangana Landsin Rights and Pattadar PassBooks Act, 2020. The SpecialTribunal shall ensure that allcases which stand transferredto the Tribunal are disposedexpeditiously and as far as pos-sible, within a period of onemonth. The orders passed bythe Tribunal shall be finaland shall be implementedunder the provisions of theTelangana Rights in Land andPattadar Pass Books Act, 2020.

On disposal of the cases, thecase records in entirety shall bepreserved in the DistrictCollectorate as per the OfficeManual.

Continued from Page 1

"The COVID-19 pandemichas affected humanity at large.As a company determined toprotect global public health, ithas always been important forus to develop vaccines for aglobal cause," Bharat BiotechChairman and MD KrishnaElla said. Covaxin is an inno-vation and a perfect example ofnovel product developmentfrom India, he added.

"Covaxin has generatedexcellent safety data with robustimmune responses to multipleviral proteins that persist. Weare happy to note that vaccinesinnovated in India are able toaddress the public health needsof Brazil," Ella said.

On the development, Precisa

Medicamentos pharmaceuti-cal Director EmanuelaMedrades said: "We identifiedhighly technological, scientif-ic and sanitary control levels.There were also excellent out-comes in clinical trials, whichwill be published soon. BharatBiotech has exceeded ourexpectations, demonstratingquality and safety at the level ofthe largest vaccine suppliers inthe world.

Covaxin is developed andmanufactured in BharatBiotech's BSL-3 bio-contain-ment facility, the statementsaid.

The government on Tuesdaysaid it is procuring 55 lakhdoses of Covaxin, which areexpected to be received byJanuary 14.

Continued from Page 1

According to the centralprobe agency, Rahman trav-elled to Syria in December2013 to participate in variousterror activities of ISIS.

The NIA charge sheet says,“After his (Rahman’s) return toIndia, he continued to remainassociated with the ideology ofISIS. Utilising his knowledgeof Ophthalmic Lasers andMedical Science, he madeefforts to develop applica-tions for medical and militaryrequirements of ISIS. To thisend, he was in regular com-munication with ISIS terror-ists located abroad as well asin India, including JahanzaibSami, on Threema, a securemessaging platform. Con-sequently, he had achieved sig-nificant progress towardsdeveloping a medical applica-tion for treatment of ISIS ter-rorists and a Laser GuidedAnti-Tank Missile applica-tion for controlling the trajec-tory of missiles for enhancingtheir effectiveness for fur-thering the cause of ISIS.”

Continued from Page 1

Festival travellers wishingto travel by trains have to waitfor long for want of confirma-tion ticket as the number oftrains is very less because ofCOVID-19 rules. People arenot able to travel by generalcompartments as the author-ities are allowing only thosewho have the tickets. In viewof the reduced demand thisfestival season, compared tothe last festival season, thenumber of trains operatedfrom Secunderabad, Namp-alli and Kachiguda railwaystations with normaldemand. In general compart-ments, 75 people can travelsitting and an equal numbertravel by standing. Because ofthe Covid rules, travel bystanding is not being allowed.

As the number of train ser-vices is very limited, there ishuge demand for bus ser-vices. Therefore, people setout for their places by RTCand private bus services. OnMonday alone, the RTC oper-ated 500 special buses.

Continued from Page 1

Despite the family extendingfull cooperation towards the ITdepartment in furnishing gen-uine requisite informationfrom time to time, no resulthad come till date, he said.

As a way to conclude theissue, Najaf requested theUnion Minister to direct theofficers concerned to look fora one-time solution and settle-ment. Najaf said, "The mainreason for the family sufferingfor so many years is noneother than Prince MuffakhamJah, along with the trustees ofthe Nizam Jewellery Trust."

Had they, along with theIncome Tax Department, actedresponsibly, he said, "This mat-ter would have been resolvedand the family wouldn't have

had to face distress for somany years." Today, markingthe 26th year of the unre-solved Nizam Jewellery TrustIncome Tax issue, he said in the1950's, Nawab Mir Osman AliBahadur Nizam VII had creat-ed various trusts for the bene-fit of his family members.

One of them, the NizamJewellery Trust, was adminis-tered by its trustees, who wereempowered to sell the jewellery.The trustees included, amongothers, Prince Muffakham Jahand a government-nominatedtrustee from the FinanceMinistry, at the level of a JointSecretary. The Nizam JewelleryTrust deed clearly stated theresponsibilities of trustees thatthey were answerable for theirreceipts, neglects, defaults andown acts.

Over 12 lakhleave city tocelebrate... All members

of SC’s...Continued from Page 1

Gulati, who was also a mem-ber of Prime Minister'sEconomic Advisory Councilfrom 1999 to 2001, has writ-ten opinion pieces in nation-al dailies, and also spoken tothe media in support of thefarm laws.

For instance, in December,he had said that the threefarm laws would benefit thefarmers.

Ghanwat is the president ofthe Shetkari Sangathan,which is a group based out ofMaharashtra that had cele-brated the new farm laws.

Ghanwat had told mediathat farmers should get theright to market their produceand underscored the need to"reform" the new laws.

Bengaluru docwas designingapp for ISIS

Continued from Page 1

Students in private schoolsare at a distinct advantage nowas they have been attendingonline classes regularly sinceJuly 2020, while their counter-parts in government schoolswere forced to sit idle at homewith no online classes tillSeptember.

Although online classescommenced in governmentschools from September 2020,most of the students are still notable to access instructionalmaterial, mainly due to pover-ty and consequent lack ofdevices such as smart phones,laptops, computers and internetconnectivity issues in ruraland remote areas, where gov-ernment institutions are themainstay for a majority of stu-

dents.Amidst all this, if question

papers for board exams are setwith the 'difficulty lev-els' of the kind seen inrecent years, there is a risk ofstudents from governmentschools failing in the boardexams and losing an academ-ic year.

So, to avoid this anomaloussituation, the state governmentis planning to set ‘easy questionpapers’ besides whittling downthe syllabus by 30 per cent.

The state government hasdecided to reopen schools andcolleges from February 1 for thecurrent academic year (2020-21), against the convention ofcommencing the new academ-ic year in June every year. Thecurrent academic year 2020-21will create a record of sorts

since it will have the lowestnumber of ‘working days’ -- ofaround 80 days -- as classes willcommence on February 1 andare likely to conclude on April30.

The state government is yetto release the academic calen-dar officially.

However, sources in theEducation Departmentrevealed that the government isplanning to conduct SSC andIntermediate public examina-tions in May.

This would mean that theeducational institutions willfunction only for full threemonths --- February, Marchand April. Leaving asideSundays and a few festival hol-idays like Ugadi, Sri RamaNavami etc., educational insti-tutions would be functional for

less than 80 days.To make up for the loss of

working days and to reduceexam- related stress of students,the state government plans tocut syllabus for final exams byup to 30 per cent and to set‘easy’ question papers for theboard exams. Question paperswill be set in such a mannerthat students can easily clear theexams even if they study justhalf of the total syllabus. TheBoard of Secondary Education(SSC Board) and the Board ofIntermediate Education (BIE)have proposed to cut syllabusby 30 per cent this year. Theproposals, submitted toEducation Minister SabithaIndra Reddy, have beenreferred to Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao forapproval.

Ahoy! ‘Easy’ SSC, Inter exams this year!TS, AP getfirst load ofCovid vax

Spl Tribunals to...I-T raids on TScontractor find...

Bharat Biotech tosupply Covaxin...

No bird flu inTelangana,says minister

Last Nizam'sgrandson urges...

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 13, 2021hyderabad 03

Dr Bhawna Gomber,Assistant Professor at theCentre for Advanced

Studies in Electronics Scienceand Technology (CASEST),School of Physics, Universityof Hyderabad (UoH) has beenappointed by the prestigiousmega science project as amember of the WG-HEP for the MSV-2035. The office of thePrincipal Scientific Adviser to the Union government has undertakenthe responsibility of carrying out the next national vision exercise forthe mega science programme till the year 2035. This document willdetail the relevance of specific projects and programmes for greaternational scientific, technological and developmental goals, in raisingIndia's global presence and competitiveness in the field. Globalmega science projects involve collaboration across many bordersand the mega science initiative, which Dr Gomber will be part offormulating, will place India as a major player in fundamentalscience. In addition, these projects have the potential to create newavenues for science-industry collaborations and to popularisescience in the country. Dr. Gomber is involved in the existing megascience project- the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment (CMS) atthe LHC, CERN for last 10 years.

Dr Bhawna of UoH appointed as member of Mega Science Vision

Governor Dr TamilisaiSoundararajan on Tuesdaytermed the youth as the

soul of the country. She statedthat the youth are the realdriving force of the nation.Youth have the potential tomake India a global leader, asenvisioned by SwamiVivekananda, and self-reliant asenvisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Governor wasparticipating as the chief guest at the inaugural of the Yuvotsav-2021, organised as part of the 21st National Conference of theStudent Company Secretaries on the occasion of SwamiVivekananda Jayanti, celebrated as the National Youth Day. Exhortingthe youth to believe in the power within them, Dr TamilisaiSoundararajan told them not to give any room for despair in the faceof adversities. March ahead with unshakable determination to realiseyour goals and make country proud. "It pains me to know that someyoungsters committing suicide over trivial reasons. Had they readSwami Vivekananda's teachings, they would not have committedsuicide, such is the thundering strength of his teachings," she added.“I am now the Governor and whatever I am today, it is because that Iget strength from Swamiji's powerful teachings that inspire andmotivate me to strive for excellence in whatever I do," Dr. TamilisaiSoundararajan added.

CITY LIGHTS

FESTIVE FERVOUR

Sankranti fervour has gripped the city and different cultural andcolourful events and programmes are being organised at variousvenues. Shilparamam is organising ‘Sankranthi Sandadi – 2021’at its Madhapur and Mini Shilparamam at Uppal premises from

January 12 to 17. As part of the festivities, there will be‘Gangireddulu, Haridasulu, Budabukkalu, Jangamadevarulu,

Pagativeshalu’ and also other daily programmes at amphitheatretill January 17 both at Madhapur and Uppal Shilparamam

premises. The Shilparamam Arts, Crafts and Cultural society isalso organising ‘Bhogi Pallu’ on Wednesday for children both at

Madhapur and Uppal Shilparamam premises free of cost. — SSV CChary

DURGA PRASAD SUNKUn HYDERABAD

Makar Sankranti- the tradi-tional Indian harvest festival iscelebrated every year through-out the country to enjoy therebirth of nature. Kite-flyinghas always been a way ofexpressing one's happiness onthis occasion. Still, no onerealises that their skies of cel-ebration are turned into deathfields for the local and migra-tory bird populations.

Manja (kite string), which isused in kite-flying, is oftenglass-coated with adhesive andpowdered or finely crushedglass or metal to make it sharpand, in particular, it is the non-biodegradable Chinese manja.It is deadly for thousands ofpigeons, parrots crows, owls,endangered vultures and more,which often fail to notice thesedelicate strings when in flightand get entangled, leading tosevere wounds, nerve injuries,mutilation of wings or arekilled in many cases.

A similar situation is seenwhen the kites again soar in theskies on Independence Day.That is how the sky thenbecomes a death trap to all thebirds with the high density ofstrings and birds in it. Thus,the number of injuries hasrisen over the years as more nmore kites have started com-peting for space with birds.

With the kite festival aroundthe corner, people are excitedto fly kites and compete withthe rivals. However, bird loversand environmentalists arewary of the safety of birdsbeing entangled in the 'manja'

used to fly kites and get killed.A barn owl which has been

entangled in Chinese manjahas been rescued by GreaterHyderabad Society forPrevention of Cruelty toAnimals (GHSPCA) atVanasthalipuram. After thethread was removed andchecked by a veterinary doctorit was released back on Sunday.

Speaking to The Pioneer, asenior volunteer of GHSPCA,Soudharm Bhandari who hadrescued several birds said,"Ninety per cent of the rescuecalls we receive are wherebirds are entangled in threads.By the time we reach the spotit would be too late. So ratherthan wait for someone to res-cue it, the person at the spotcan remove it."

He further added that byavoiding the use of Chinesemanja we can avoid suchkillings. After flying kites,clearing the threads stuck totrees and terrace is also help-ful.

Recently Mangalhat policecracked down on shops sellingChinese manja and bookedcases against shop owners.The officials seized thirtybanned synthetic nylon coat-ed threads (Chinese manja).

Further, the police appealedto the general public to refrainfrom purchasing this harmfulChinese manja during thisSankranthi festival as it is like-ly to cause grievous injuryand inconvenience to animalsincluding birds as well ashuman beings.

When sky turns into a death trap for birds

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana's forest departmenthas decided to strictly imple-ment a ban on nylon or syn-thetic thread and glass-coated'manja' for kite-flying in thestate. The department has setup a 24x7 helpline to reportviolations of the ban. Such ca-ses may be reported on 1800-425-5364 or 040-2323-1440.

Principal Chief Conserv-ator of Forests R Sobha onMonday discussed with NGOsthe implementation of a banon glass coated nylon manja,which poses a serious threat tothe safety of animals, humansand environment alike. Overthe years, it has injured innu-merable birds, animals andhumans causing injuries andslow, painful deaths.

"Many humans, includingyoung children, have also suf-fered impairment or lost theirlives because of such manja.The synthetic manja remainsin the environment for a longtime as a toxic pollutant ontree tops, electric wires, rooftops long after the festival,causing injuries and evendeaths. Improperly discardedmanjha is known to cut fin-gers, hands, throats of kite fly-ers and motorcyclists withequal ease. The invasion ofnylon and glass-coated manjahas resulted in the loss oflivelihoods of innumerablelocal traditional cotton manjacraftsmen," the departmentsaid.

The National GreenTribunal (NGT) in 2017imposed a total ban on manja

or thread for kite flying, whichis made of nylon and any syn-thetic material and/or is coat-ed with synthetic substanceand is non-biodegradable.National Green Tribunal(NGT) prohibited manufac-ture, sale, store, purchase anduse of synthetic manja ornylon thread and all othersimilar synthetic thread usefor kite flying.

The government of Telan-gana in 2017 imposed a com-plete ban on the procure-ment, stocking, sale and use ofnylon- thread commonlycalled 'chinese dor' or othersynthetic thread coated withglass or other harmful sub-stances used for kite flying.

As per section 15 of theEnvironment (Protection) Act,1986 any person found to beviolating the orders or direc-tions under the Act is liable tobe punished with imprison-ment up to 5 years or with afine up to one lakh rupees orwith both.

Causing injury to animalsand birds or death with syn-thetic manja amounts to hunt-ing, which is punishable underWildlife (Protection) Act, 1972with imprisonment of 3 to 7years and fine not less than Rs10,000. Causing injury or deathto domestic animals alsoattracts provision of Preventionof Cruelty to Animals Act.

Telangana starts helpline toreport use of banned manja

ANUSHA PUPPALAn HYDERABAD

Several parents are worriedafter Telangana governmentordered reopening of educa-tional institutions fromFebruary 1, 2021. As much as93 per cent of among 4,500parents from Hyderabad arenot willing to send their childto school based on a online pollconducted by HyderabadSchool Parents Association(HSPA).

Parents says it's a disastrousdecision by the state govern-ment and they are not ready torisk their kids life and not at allare ready to send their kids toschools where as on the otherside Chief Minister KChandrashekar Rao has askedofficials to make necessaryarrangements for reopeningof schools for students fromClass IX. Telangana EducationDepartment should have con-

sidered parents opinion beforereopening of schools, saidHSPA.

A member of HSPA KadapaVenkat Sainath said, "The gov-ernment should have consult-ed with parents and manage-ments before taking such deci-sions. The countries which

have started schools have againclosed back due to secondwave, this decision seems to bedue to pressure from corporateschool lobby."

Another Ashish Naredi fromHSPA said, "We are not yetready to send our children toschool in any case. My son is

in Class XII, entire syllabus isover online. Exams are sched-uled to be conducted in April,Now, it makes no sense send-ing him to school and riskinginfection. If however he's inoc-ulated with the vaccine, I mightstill consider."

Commenting on TelanganaCM's decision of reopening ofschools one of parent fromHyderabad said, "Not surewhat TRS is thinking of sucha disastrous decision. Thiswould be on students, relatedparents and teachers as well."

Even though city parentsare against reopening ofschools and other educationalinstitutions but TelanganaParents Association have wel-comed the decision of reopen-ing of educational institutionsbecause they believe elite par-ents can provide facilities likegadgets for online classes whereas parents whose kids arestudying in budget schools

and government schools areunable to provide all the facil-ities for online classes.

N Narayana, President ofTelangana Parents Associationsaid, "We welcome this deci-sion of reopening of educa-tional institutions because eliteparents whose kids are study-ing in International Schools areable to provide all facilities likegadgets, internet for onlineclasses where as parents whosekids are studying in budgetschools are unable to provideall these facilities for onlineclasses due to which studentsfrom budget schools are miss-ing syllabus. Hence, weapproached the governmentand requested them to reopeneducational institutions afterSankranti. Its good they haveagreed to it and hope that all ofthem will follow Covid proto-cols to avoid further spread ofinfection to the students, teach-ers and their families."

Parents worried over reopening of schools

PNS n HYDERABAD

A pregnant woman onMonday delivered a baby onthe roadside in KeesaraMarket. The woman sudden-ly started suffering pain in themiddle of the market. Beforethe 108 Ambulance wouldhave arrived, a GandhiHospital doctor Arjun waspresent there in the markethelped the woman deliver thebaby. After the delivery, themother and the baby were notin danger. "The doctor savedboth the lives. He did justiceto his profession by saving thelife of a pregnant woman," saidRajesh, father of the newbornbaby.

"Somebody alerted us thatthere was a woman who wasexperiencing labour in theKeesara weekly market.Immediately, I rushed to thespot in the market and tookthe help of other customerswho were present in the mar-

ket to help the woman deliv-er a baby girl. By the time Ireached the spot, the womanwas well into her labour," DrArjun recalls.

Later after the arrival of theambulance, Dr Arjun alongwith the mother and babyrushed to the Keesara Hospitalfor further treatment.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana recorded a furtherdrop in daily coronavirus casesto 301 on Tuesday even as thestate registered 293 morerecoveries. Two more fatalitiestook the state’s Covid death tollto 1,568.

The new cases came to thefore after a test on 34,431 sa-mples. Active cases in TS nowtotal 4,524, including 2,459 inhome or institutional isolation.

According to the PublicHealth and Family Welfare

Director, the fatality rateremained 0.54 per cent asagainst the national average of1.4 per cent. While 44.96 per

cent of the deaths were due toCOVID-19, 55.04 per cent hadcomorbidities.

The state's recoveries now

total 2,84,217, with a recoveryrate of 97.90 per cent as againstthe national average of 96.5 percent.

Hyderabad logged 58 newcases during the last 24 hours.Medchal Malkajgiri districtrecorded the second 27 cases,followed by Rangareddy (16),Warangal Urban (12), andNalgonda (12).

Of the total tests conductedduring the last 24 hours, gov-ernment laboratories con-ducted 32,217 and private onesthe remaining 2,214.

PNS n HYDERABAD

From exotic birds to breeds ofdogs and now, Bonsai trees,the taste of thieves appear tobe undergoing a renaissance,with the house of a retiredpolice officer in Jubilee Hillsbeing targeted the second timein three years.

This time, on Sunday, it wasa 15-year-old CasuarinaBonsai that went missing fromthe house of former Director-General of Police Appa Rao.

Three years ago, another cost-ly variety of bonsai was stolenfrom the same house.

According to police, Rao’swife Sridevi lodged a com-plaint stating that the costlytree, which was kept in theirgarden outside the house, wasnoticed missing by their gar-dener while he was wateringthe plants on Monday. Heremembered the bonsai beingin its place three days ago.

The police have registered acase and are investigating.

Woman delivers babyon roadside at market

Youth are soul of the country,says Governor Dr Tamilisai

Cops rescue 17 kids from bangle factoryPNS n HYDERABAD

Operation smile team ofCyberabad Police conductedraids against a bangle-makingunit which employed 17minor children and rescuedthem on Tuesday.

All the rescued childrenaged between 8 to 14 yearshailing from Bihar. In a jointoperation with Child LineTeam officials, Cyberabadoperation smile teams con-ducted a raid at SamadBangles company at RoshanColony under MailardevpallyPolice Station limits.

The team found 17 childlabourers engaged in bangle-making. The employed chil-dren were living in unhygien-ic condition in small roomswithout ventilation. The chil-dren were suffering from mal-nutrition, stunted growth andother health issues.

On enquiry it was revealedthat the wages paid to themwere also meager and not reg-ular, also their working hourswere long without any breaks.

Further probe revealed thatthey were kept in locked roomand made to work on bangles.They were not provided suffi-

cient food and clothes due towhich their health was gettingaffected.

All the rescued childrenwere sent to shelter homeafter producing them beforethe Child Welfare Committee,Ranga Reddy.

A case was registered undersections 374 IPC, 79 JJ Act and14 Child Labour Act atMailardevpally police station.

Cyberabad police warnedthat stringent action will betaken against the offenders forindulging children below 14years in labour work. the pun-ishment may range upto threeyears RI. Further, police offi-cials appealed to public informthem about any child labourthey come accross throughsocial media or call.

Telangana reports 301 fresh virus cases

PNS n HYDERABAD

A court here on Wednesdaysentenced a man to undergoseven years rigorous impris-onment for killing his son.

The accused identified as PMohan Rao Naidu, 63, a res-ident of Krishna Nagar, Nere-dmet stabbed his son Mahe-nder Naidu, 28, to death.

Mahender, who was addi-cted to alcohol used to quar-rel with his parents. One dayin October, 2018, an argu-ment broke between thefather and son, which snow-balled into an altercation.The enraged father in a fit ofrage stabbed his son to death.

Police arrested the accusedand during the trail, judgesentenced Mohan to under-go 7 years RI and imposedfine of Rs 600 on Tuesday.

Man gets 7years’ RI forkilling son

The wages paidto them weremeager and notregular, alsotheir workinghours were verylong without anybreaks

Bonsai plant stolen from formerDG's house twice in three years

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 13, 2021 hyderabad 04

Exquisite craftmanship at YadadriPNS n HYDERABAD

The pilgrimage centre of LordLakshmi Narasimha Swamy atYadadri will display wonderfulcraftsmanship of many a sculp-tor from the foundation stoneto the temple’s Raja Gopuram.It is the only temple in the his-tory of temples to have builtwith black stone.

The temple’s main workshave been completed and gear-ing up to offer darshan todevotees. Stone-sculpted idolshave been fixed on all sides ofthe temple to attract the devo-tees. The temple rebuildingworks reached the final phase.The temple is being groomed toinculcate spiritual thinkingamong the devotees at everyturn of the temple. The templehas idols of vehicles of LordLakshmi Narasimha Swamy,the lion, and Garuda, Sanku,Chakra and Namams.

In the first compound of themain temple, the work relatedto installing idols of variousGods has been through. In all,93 idols have been installed. Theinstalled idols include

Dasavatarams of Lord Vishnu,Ashta Lakshmi idols, LakshmiNarasimha Swamy idol, idols ofAlwars, Narayanamurthy andso on. In all, 150 idols are beingsculpted in Allagadda for fixingthem in the upper part of var-ious mandaps in the temple.

In all directions of the tem-ple, Rajagopurams have beenbuilt. The front portion of theRajagopuram has been attrac-

tively decorated with idols ofanimals and lions. As the devo-tees enter eastern Rajagopuramand come out of the westernRajagopuram, idols of largeelephants can be seen. In frontof the north and southernRajagopuram, idols of lionswill attract the devotees. TheBrahmotsav mandapam,Vemchepu mandapam,Pushkarini mandapam have

been fitted with idols ofGaruda.

In Maha Mandapam of themain temple, idols of sixwomen holding lamps havebeen installed to welcome thedevotees. In the temple’s sanc-tum-sanctorum, large idols ofdoor-keepers were fixed in thefront portion of Brahmotsavmandapam and also that of eastand western side Rajagopurams.

PNS n KHAMMAM

Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao has direct-ed the ministers to strive for theall-round development ofKhammam and told to allocatecrores of rupees to transform itinto a model district in the State,said Minister for Youth Sportsand Tourism Srinivas Goud.

The district has already pro-vided an IT hub for the city. "Weare constructing a green budgethotel near the newly construct-ed bus stand at a cost of Rs 10crore. The suspension bridgeover the Lakaram Tank Bundwould be constructed with Rs 8crore, a fountain with Rs 2 croreand a food court for nighttourists would be set up," hesaid. The government would

take steps to tap sports talentamong youth, he said. As a partof his visit to Khammam onTuesday, he laid the foundationstone, along with Minister forTransport Puvvada Ajay Kumar,for several development pro-jects. Speaking on the occasion,

he said that development wastaking at a brisk pace inKhammam. The Patel Stadiumat Yellandu crossroads would beconstructed with state-of-the-artfacilities and amenities for theplayers at Rs 1.30 crore wouldbe provided.

Spruce up schools, hostels: GangulaPNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for Backward ClassesWelfare and Civil SuppliesGangula Kamalakar has askedthe authorities of BC welfaredepartment to make availablesocial welfare hostels and res-idential schools by January 25for students as the ministersand MLAs will inspect them toassess the amenities availablethere.

He asked the authoritiesto ensure that these hostelsand supplied a fine varietyof rice, edible oil, pulses andother rations besides com-pleting the sanitation of thepremises. He hinted atreviewing the situation witht he Dis t r ic t C ol le c torthrough a video conferenceon January 18.

He was reviewing thearrangements for reopen-

ing of t he B C Wel fareHoste ls and res ident ia lschools as Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao hasdecided to reopen the edu-cational institutions forClass IX, X Intermediate,Degree and Be Tech fromFebruary 1.

He put the total numberof Class IX and X studentspursuing education in 700BC Hostels is 12,856. Thenumber of students pursu-ing education in 141 BCWel fare Res ident ia lInstitutions from Class IX toPG i s put at 70 ,983 .

Therefore, he asked the offi-cials to provide all amenitiesfor them.

He said that the residen-tial schools and their hostelsremained closed for the pastnine months, hence, heasked the officials to focuson sanitation. He told totake steps to observe thepre caut ions to pre ventCoronavirus spread andmake masks and sanitisersavailable for students.

He said that the CivilSupplies Corporation hasenough stocks to meet the8500 tonnes of fine ricerequired for these hostelsevery month. In all, 74,000tonnes of fine variety ofrice is available with thedepartment. By January 25,hos te l s and res ident ia lschools should receive theirsupplies of rations, he said.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana State PlanningBoard Vice-chairman BVinod Kumar has assuredthe associations of the Gulfworkers to strive his bit toresolve the problems of Gulfworkers and for their welfare.

In a meeting with repre-sentatives of unions of Gulfworkers here on Tuesday, hesaid that he was well aware ofthe problems being faced bythe Gulf workers on distantshores. He said that ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao has been paying specialattention to resolve the prob-lems of Gulf workers.

Earlier, he urged VinodKumar to set up GulfWorkers' Welfare Board inTelangana, take steps to bringthe bodies of the deceasedworkers from overseas totheir native place at theexpense of the government,take steps to render justice tothe Gulf workers languishingin jails in overseas and extendthe life insurance cover to theNRIs and provide employ-

ment opportunities to thosewho return to the State.

Vinod Kumar assuredthem to take their demandsto the notice of the ChiefMinister. Gulf WorkersAssociations leaders KotapatiNarasimham Naidu, MandaBhim Reddy, YemulaRamesh, Jangam Balkishan,Janagama Srinivas, KuntaDasha Goud, GangulaMuralidhar Reddy and otherswere prominent among thosewho called on Vinod Kumaron Tuesday.

PNS n HYDERABAD

On the directive of ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Rao,Chief Secretary Somesh Kumarheld a teleconference on Tuesdaywith all District Collectors toreview the preparations for thelaunch of COVID-19 vaccina-tion programme.

The Chief Secretary sensitisedthe Collectors about the impor-tance of the programme, whichin the first phase was going tocover all healthcare workersfrom the government as well asprivate facilities.He directed theCollectors to ensure that neces-sary arrangements were made atthe identified launch sites intheir districts as per operationalguidelines, including measures

for dealing with any cases ofadverse effect following immu-nisation. He asked Collectors toappoint Special Officers for eachlaunch site, who would beresponsible for overseeing thearrangements there. TheCollectors were advised to keepreserve vaccinators at each site.They were asked to facilitatepresence of pre-identified ben-eficiaries through network ofdistrict officials.

Considering the importanceof the programme, he advisedthe Collectors to seek participa-tion of public representatives atall levels. He told them to allowa few number of people on thefirst day and thereafter ramp uptaking into account the experi-ence.

PNS n MEDAK

Medak District In-chargeCollector Venkatrami Reddyand MLA Padma DevenderReddy directed the engineersand agencies to complete thework of Mission Bhagiratha ona war-footing in Ramayampetamunicipality.

On Tuesday, MLAPadmadevender Reddy,District Collector in-chargeVenkatrami Reddy andMunicipal Chairman JitenderReddy held a review meetingat the Ramayampet MunicipalOffice on Mission Bhagiratha.

Speaking on the occasion,the Collector said that byFebruary 25, every houseshould be fitted with a tap andwater should be provided.Officials and municipal coun-cillors in the newly formedRamayampet municipalityshould work collectively withperseverance and lay a founda-tion, which will be a guide forfuture generations, they said.

He said there are 5,168 hous-es in the town and by February25, they wanted to install apipeline and water taps inevery house, including new

ones. He said special officershave been appointed for 12 ofthe 12 wards in the municipal-ity and they have worked withthe councillors to draw up award-wise route map and mon-itor the progress of pipelinesand plumbing at the field level.

"It is recommended to usepipelines. It has been clarifiedthat 38 km of new pipelinehas been laid in the town sofar and water will be suppliedthrough these pipes only afterthe completion of Bhagiratha

works. Earlier, MLA handedover Kalyana Lakshmi andShadi Mubarak cheques to thebeneficiaries.

The MLA then supervisedthe construction of doublebedroom houses in the town,along with the off icers.Medak RDO Sai Ram,DRDO. Srinivas, MunicipalCommiss-ioner ShekarReddy, SE Raghuveer, EEKamalakar, DE Srinivas, AEBikshapati, councillors andothers were present.

PNS n SIDDIPET

Unemployment allowancewould be provided to the job-less youth in Dubbak con-stituency in six months, dis-closed Dubbak BJP MLA MRaghunandan Rao.

He was the chief guest at ameeting organised byTelangana Recognised SchoolManagements Association(TRSMA) at the local AryaVysya Bhavan in Dubbakatown to mark the birth anniver-sary of Swami Vivekanandaon Tuesday. Speaking on theoccasion, he said that everypromise he had made during

by-elections will be fulfilled.In the next three years, Dubaka

will be made an ideal for allconstituencies in the State.

He said some who had leftpublic issues for the past sixyears were wondering whatRaghunandan Rao would doafter winning.

What he will do as he hadwon will be known in the nextthree years. He urged the teach-ers to take the responsibility oftransforming the students intogood citizens.

Dubbak mandal TRS presi-dent K Ravinder, district vice-president Mahipal Reddy, MirDoddi mandal presidentKumar, Kunta Raju, Dubbakamandal TRS secretary Ramesh,TRS members and teacherswere present.

Govt will make Khammama model dist, says minister

Vinod offers to resolveGulf workers' problems

Minister for Youth Sports and Tourism Srinivas Goud laid the foundation stone onTuesday for a suspension bridge coming up in Khammam district on Tuesday

Minister for Backward Classes Welfare and Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakarspeaks at a review meeting in Hyderabad on Tuesday

Collectors told to beready for vaccination

Officials told to expedite MissionBhagiratha works in Ramayampeta

MLA Padma Devender Reddy, Medak District In-charge Collector VenkatramiReddy and others inspect Mission Bhagiratha works in Ramayampeta municipalityon Tuesday

Formulate guidelines forreopening of schools: SabitaPNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for Education PSabitha Indra Reddy directedthe officials concerned to for-mulate necessary guidelines inaccordance with Covid safetymeasures for reopening of gov-ernment and private education-al institutions from February 1.

During a special meetinghere on Tuesday, she instruct-ed officials to come up with anaction plan on how to conductclasses for IX, X, Intermediate,Degree and vocational coursesand submit the same to the gov-ernment by January 20.

She asked authorities con-cerned to issue an the academ-ic calendar for Classes IX, X,intermediate, degree and voca-tional courses for the presentacademic year. In view of theCovid pandemic, all educa-tional institutions have beenconducting online classes.

The minister instructedauthorities, teachers and privateeducational institutions man-agements to be fully prepared

by January 25 for reopening ofthe institutions.

The District Collectorsalready instructed to look intothe situation of educationalinstitutions, hostels and resi-dential schools besides takingnecessary measures, shereminded.

The minister also sought adetailed report of the educa-tional institutions in the dis-tricts via the District Collectors.Necessary rice, pulses and otherfood grains to set up diningfacilities in the educationalinstitutions would be providedby the District Collectors, shesaid. During the meeting, the

authorities were instructed toinspect all schools directly andtake necessary steps to reopenthe schools. Sabitha IndraReddy said a special meetingwas scheduled on January 18with respective ministers andofficials concerned to prepareresidential schools and col-leges under various societies forreopening. A meeting with pri-vate schools and colleges com-mittees would be held onJanuary 19 to prepare them forimplementation of the guide-lines formulated by the govern-ment, she added.

SpecialChief Secretary toGovernment, Education, ChitraRamachandran, Commissionerof Technical and CollegiateEducation Navin Mittal,Commissioner of IntermediateEducation and Board ofIntermediate EducationSecretary Syed Omer Jaleel,and Commissioner andDirector of School Education ASri Devasena among other offi-cials participated at the meet-ing.

‘Unemploymentallowance forDubbak youth soon'

Chandrapal takes part in Pre-Sankranthi fetePNS n MEDAK

Pre-Sankranti celebrationswere conducted on a grantnote under the supervision ofTelangana Jagriti Medak dis-trict president Patolla MallikaAshok here on Tuesday. Aspart of the celebrations, thetriathlon competitions wereconducted for women. Thosewho emerged victorious in thecontest were awarded first,second and third prizes as wellas incentive prizes for each

contestant. Later, SwamiVivekananda's birth anniver-sary was celebrated and floraltributes were paid by garland-ing his portrait.

Medak municipal chair-man Chandrapal, vice-chair-man Mallikarjun Goud, for-mer vice-chairman Ashok,councillor Jayaraj,Madhusudhan Rao, JeevanRao, Jagruthi district conven-er Rajeshwari, Bhuchamma,Naveen, Saibaba and otherspresent.

Medak municipal chairman Chandrapal admiring a rangoli at pre-Sankranthicelebrations in Medak on Tuesday

ICSI launchesnew certificatecoursesPNS n HYDERABAD

The Indian Institute ofCompany Secretaries of India(ICSI), the premier nationalprofessional body announcedcertificate course in theForeign ExchangeManagement Act (FEMA)and Goods and Services Tax.The FEMA deals with provi-sions relating to procedures,formalities and dealings offoreign exchange transac-tions in the country.

The course on GST gives acomprehensive insight aboutprinciples of GST as well asother nuances of the indirectregime, announced AshishGarg, National President ofICSI, interacting with themedia on the sidelines ofYuvotsav-2021, 21st nationalconference of StudentCompany Secretaries.

The Institute of CompanySecretaries of India (ICSI) isa premier institute in thecountry and acclaimed forpromoting excellence in thecorporate governancethrough its efforts and mea-sures taken for the advance-ment of governance in thecorporate world.

Women need to be in decisionmaking bodies: NCW chairpersonPNS n HYDERABAD

Stressing the need for the pres-ence of women in decision-making bodies, NationalCommission for Women(NCW) chairperson RekhaSharma on Tuesday said polit-ical parties offered them tick-ets for elections only if theyhave 'connections' with a malepolitician.

Women need to get intodecision-making bodies andParliament and legislatures,she said in her keynote addressvirtually in a webinar on'Awareness Campaign forEliminating Gender-basedViolence’ organised by theCentre for Women Studies ofMaulana Azad National Urdu

University (MANUU) here."Otherwise, we will just beplaying lip service... Yes, thereare women who are in thegood Ministries, but they arevery few," she added.

The NCW chief said partieswould not want to give ticketsto women as they fear womenwill lose in elections. "But theycan give (ticket to) a personwho doesn’t have a good stand-ing in society... a man who hasgot charges against him andthey can give tickets to thembut not a woman," she said.

Even if a woman managed toget a party ticket, she had to beconnected to a man in politicsso that her face would be therebut somebody else would bedoing the work on her behalf,

Sharma lamented. Referring tothe long-pending women'sreservation bill, which seeks toreserve 33 per cent of seats inParliament and State legislaturefor women, she said politicalparties speak about the quotabut it was yet to materialise.

"No party has given us 33per cent (reservation). We are50 per cent mind you and stillfor 33 per cent we are begging,"

she said. Sharma said genderequality can be achieved onlywhen women were made awareof their rights. "There are manylaws for safeguarding women,however, they are not going tochange society unless we bringchange in our own family,” shesaid.

MANUU in-charge Vice-Chancellor Prof SMRahmatullah said incidents ofgender-based violence werestill happening.

"We are compelled to con-duct awareness programmes,this is a shame for us. I amadvising women to assert theirrights and also emphasised oninclusion of values in the cur-riculum,” a release fromMANUU said.

Woman held forsending kids to seek almsPNS n HYDERABAD

A woman, who had sent oneteenager and two kids to beg-ging on the pretext of donationto an orphanage, has beenarrested by Abids police.However, the children wererescued by police. Abids policesaid they found three girls hold-ing boxes seeking alms for anorphanage while patrolling atMJ Market Circle.

"Three aged 17, 16 and 10years, hailing fromMahabubnagar district, whenquestioned they disclosed thatat the behest of oneRamanamma they were askingfor donations," said C Anjaiah,Abids Inspector. Abids policearrrested Ramanamma onTuesday and sent her to judicialcustody after registering a case.

The NCW chief saidparties would not wantto give tickets towomen as they fearwomen will lose inelections

n The temple’s mainworks have beencompleted andgearing up to offerdarshan to devotees.Stone-sculpted idolshave been fixed onall sides of thetemple to attract thedevotees

n The temple rebuildingworks reached thefinal phase. Thetemple is beinggroomed to inculcatespiritual thinkingamong the devoteesat every turn of the temple

n The temple has idols of vehicles of LordLakshmi NarasimhaSwamy, the lion, and Garuda, Sanku, Chakra and Namams

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 13, 2021 nation 05

Defence Minister RajnathSingh on Tuesday visitedUnion minister Shripad

Naik, who is admittedin the Goa Medical College andHospital near here after he metwith an accident inneighbouring Karnataka.Singharrived the INS Hansa base inGoa by a special flight in theafternoon and around 2.40 pm, he reached the GMCH, where Naik isundergoing treatment. Naik (68), the Union Minister of State forDefence and AYUSH, underwent surgeries at the government-runhospital during the night, a senior official from the hospital said inthe morning. His health condition is stable, the official said.Naik received injuries, while his wife Vijaya and anaide died on Monday when their car met with the accident nearAnkola in Uttar Kannada district, while he was returning tohome state Goa from Dharmasthala in neighbouringKarnataka.Naik, the BJP MP from North Goa, was shifted to theGMCH ear Panaji late Monday night.

INDIA CORNER

PNS n NEW DELHI

A massive pan-India inocula-tion drive against COVID-19was set in process with morethan 56 lakh doses of theCovishield vaccine leavingPune for 13 cities across Indiaon Tuesday, four days beforethe vaccinations are scheduledto begin on January 16.

The first consignment ofthe vaccines rolled out of theSerum Institute of India facil-ity in Pune early Tuesday andreached Delhi a few hourslater.

The vaccine movement hasstarted, Civil Aviation MinisterHardeep Singh Puri said onTwitter.

Four airlines will operatenine flights to transport 56.5lakh doses of the vaccine fromPune to 13 cities across thecountry on Tuesday, he said.

Covishield is developed byOxford University and British-Swedish company AstraZenecaand manufactured by the SII.

The first two flights operat-ed by "SpiceJet and GoAirfrom Pune to Delhi andChennai have taken off ", theminister said in the morning.

"I am happy to share thatSpiceJet has carried India'sfirst consignment of COVIDvaccine today. The first con-signment of Covishield consist-

ing of 34 boxes and weighing1,088 kg was carried fromPune to Delhi on SpiceJet flight8937," said Ajay Singh, chair-man and managing director,SpiceJet.

The Delhi flight was fol-lowed by multiple flights to dif-ferent cities with the airlinetransporting close to four mi-llion Covishield vaccine dosesweighing around 11 tonneson the very first day of ship-ment, the Gurugram-basedairline said in a statement.

The SpiceJet flight carryingthe vaccines landed at Delhiairport around 10 am. It left forthe national capital around 8am.

A 'puja' was performedbefore the three temperaturecontrolled trucks rolled out ofSerum Institute gates shortlybefore 5 am and movedtowards the Pune airport,about 15 km away, from wherethe vaccines were flown acrossIndia.

The "vaccine to kill the dis-

ease is being loaded onto theaircrafts for distribution allover the country now", Puneairport tweeted.

Other airlines that trans-ported the vaccines from Puneon Tuesday are GoAir, IndiGoand Air India.

Air India said it carried itsfirst consignment of 2,76,000vaccine doses, weighing 700 kgapproximately, from Pune toAhmedabad.

IndiGo said it moved 900 kgfrom Pune to Chandigarh and

Lucknow via flight 6E 6515 and6E 882, respectively.

"We will be carrying multi-ple vaccine consignments todifferent Indian cities includ-ing Guwahati, Kolkata,Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar,Bengaluru, Patna andVijayawada through the daytoday. SpiceJet is fully commit-ted and prepared to transportthe Covid vaccine both withinand outside India,” added theSpiceJet CMD.

Giving details, SpiceJet saidits consignments included276,000 doses to Guwahati,996,000 doses to Kolkata,3,72,000 doses to Hyderabad,480,000 doses to Bhubaneswar,648,000 doses to Bengaluru,552,000 doses to Patna and408,000 doses to Vijayawada.

GoAir, another budget car-rier, also kickstarted the vac-cine transportation with itsfirst flight from Pune toChennai carrying 70,800vials.

"We at GoAir are over-whelmed with the kind ofresponsibility bestowed uponus to transport the life-savingCOVID-19 vaccines. We aregrateful that we have got anopportunity to be able to con-tribute to the vaccine move-ment and support the noblecause," GoAir CEO KaushikKhona said in a statement.

Coronavirus vax drive set in motion

PNS n NEW DELHI

The first batch of Covishieldvaccine vials reached Delhi'scentral storage facility at RajivGandhi Super SpecialtyHospital (RGSSH) Tuesdayafternoon, sources said. A SpiceJet flight carrying thevaccine batch landed at theDelhi airport around 10 am onTuesday, four days ahead of thelaunch of a nationwide driveagainst the coronavirus.Thereafter, the Delhi Policeformed a "green corridor" tosafely transport the vials to thehospital, the Delhigovernment's largest COVID-19facility."The truck carrying thevaccines arrived at the hospitalaround 3:10 pm," a source said.A special cold storage facilityhas been created at RGSSH tostore the vaccine vials. DeputyCommissioner of Police (IGIAirport) Rajeev Ranjan saidadequate security arrangementshave been made at the storagesite, and Police Control Room(PCR) vans will also coverthem in their patrolling plans.

1st batch ofvaccine vialsreaches Delhi

PNS n NEW DELHI

India's active Covid caseloaddipped to 2,16,558 on Tuesdaywith its share in the totalcoronavirus cases reported sofar further shrinking to 2.07 percent, according to the Unionhealth ministry. While Indiarecorded 12,584 new cases ofcoronavirus in a day, the lowestin around seven months, a netdecline of 5,968 cases has beenregistered during the sameperiod. The number of peoplewho have recuperated from thedisease surged to 1,01,11,294,on Tuesday pushing the national

Covid recovery rate to 96.49 percent. The country recorded 167deaths recorded in a day. 25states and Union Territories haveless than 5,000 active cases, theministry highlighted. With asustained, pro-active and calib-rated strategy of the Centre bas-ed on 'whole of government' and'whole of society' approach, thedaily new cases have seen aconsistent decline. This hasensured a steady fall in dailyfatalities too, the ministryunderlined. As a result ofexpansion in testing infrastruc-ture, the Covid positivity rate toohas also dipped.

Active Covid cases dip to 2.16L,account for 2.07 pc of total cases PNS n BENGALURU

The first consignment of 6.47lakh doses of Covid vaccines hasarrived here on Tuesday, and theKarnataka government said it wascommitted to conducting thevaccination drive in a transparentway. According to official sources,the flight carrying the Covishieldvaccines landed at the Kempeg-owda international airport here.Karnataka Health Minister KSudhakar's office issuingcorrections to his statementearlier in the day, said 6,47,500doses of vaccine arrived inBengaluru and Belagavi in thenorthern part of the state willreceive next consignment

tomorrow. Earlier, addressingreporters Sudhakar said, 7.95 lakhvials of Covishield vaccines werearriving in the first consignment.The vaccine consignment wastransported to the state vaccinestore in the city in a refrigeratedtruck. "The state government willconduct the vaccination drive-whether it is storage, supply oradministering as per guidelines- ina transparent way, as directed byChief Minister B S Yediyurappa,"Sudhakar said. Covid vaccinationdrive will start on January 16, andthe state government has alreadysaid that about 16 lakh frontlineworkers in the state will beadministered a vaccine againstCOVID-19 in the first phase at 235

sites. Noting that the DCGI hasgiven approval to Covishield andthe Centre has purchased 1.1crore doses, Sudhakar claimedthat there was no other country inthe world that has fixed the priceof the vaccine at such low rates."It has been procured at Rs 210per dose including GST from theSerum institute, Pune. The totalcost is Rs 231 crore," he said.The central government will bevaccinating about 3 crorepeople in the country in the firstphase for free of cost. Observingthat each vial contains 5 ml and itwill be 0.5 ml per dose, Sudhakarsaid 10 people can beadministered in each vial ofvaccine.

K’taka receives first consignment of vaccines

PNS n KOLKATA

The first consignment of 6.89lakh doses of Covid vaccinesarrived here on Tuesday in aspecial flight from Pune, asenior official of the WestBengal health departmentsaid."The first consignment ofCovid vaccines from Punereached the city at around 1.40pm. There are 6.89 lakhdoses of the vaccines," he said.The consignment will betransported in two insulatedvans from the airport to a storeat Baghbazar, the official said.

6.89L vax dosesarrive in Bengal

PNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modion Tuesday blasted dynasticpolitics as the "biggest enemy"of democracy and said it givesrise to a new form of "dictator-ship" and burdens the countrywith "incompetence".

Addressing the valedictoryfunction of the second NationalYouth Parliament Festival,Modi launched an all out attackon dynastic parties, sayingthose who rise due to theirdynasties have no respect andfear of law as they believe iftheir previous generations werenot accounted for corruption,none can touch them as well.

"They see such examples intheir own families. So theyhave neither respect nor fear oflaw," he said, asking youngstersto join politics as this is "nec-essary" to save it.

Though he did not nameany party but he has in the pastoften hit out at oppositionparties, including the Congress,for being run by families.

He said, "It is true that (inpolitics) the fortunes of thosewho have been winning elec-tions on the basis of surnamesare dwindling. But in politics,this disease of dynastic politicsis not completely finished."

They, he said in a referenceto these dynasties, are also avery big reason behind politi-cal and social corruption in thecountry.

Though people have nowbeen supporting honesty andperformance, and the legacy of"corruption" of those in dynas-tic politics have become aburden for them, but the "dis-ease of dynastic politics" hasnot been fully eradicated, theprime minister said.

"There are still peoplewhose conduct, ideas and goalsare all aimed at saving their

family politics and their fam-ilies in politics. Dynastic pol-itics gives rise to a new formof dictatorship in democracyand burdens the country withincompetence. Dynastic poli-tics only strengthens the sen-timent of 'me and my family'instead of 'nation first'," hesaid.

Modi, however, added thatthings have changed from atime when people associatedpolitics with "violence, corrup-tion and loot" and thought itcannot change. A youngsterjoining politics was seen assomeone who has gone astray,he said.

People are now so aware that

they stand with honest peoplein politics and give them achance, he said, asserting thathonesty and performance havebecome "first essential require-ments of today's politics".

This has happened due topressure created by the aware-ness in the country, he said,before noting that somechanges are still required andhighlighting dynastic politicsas the "biggest enemy" ofdemocracy.

"The biggest enemy ofdemocracy still exists and thatis dynastic politics. Dynasticpolitics is such a challengebefore the country that has tobe rooted out," he said.

‘Dynastic politics burdens country with incompetence’

PNS n DEHRADUN

A high alert has been sound-ed across Uttarakhand with thesamples of two dead crows test-ing positive for bird flu in thestate

Samples of two dead crowssent to a lab in Bhopal testedpositive for avian influenza onMonday, forest officials hereconfirmed. With the confirma-tion of bird flu in Uttarakhanda high alert has been soundedacross the state, State AnimalHusbandry Minister RekhaArya said.

Officials have been asked toremain vigilant and keep a tabon import of chicken and eggsfrom neighbouring states likeHaryana, Punjab, HimachalPradesh and Uttar Pradesh, shesaid.

"However, so far bird flu hasbeen confirmed only in wildbirds in Uttarakhand. Thepoultry sector is by far freefrom the virus," Arya said.

"Still all precautions arebeing taken. People have beenasked not to touch a dead birdand report the death to theauthorities concerned," shesaid. Forest personnel engagedin collecting samples of dead

birds or burying their carcass-es have been asked not to doit without wearing PPE kits, theminister said.

Nearly 300 birds mostlycrows have been found dead indifferent parts of Uttarakhandincluding Dehradun, Rishikeshand Kotdwar over the past fewdays.

While a majority of the car-casses have been safely buried,some of them have been sentfor testing to the NationalInstitute of High SecurityAnimal Disease in Bhopal andIndian Veterinary ResearchInstitute Bareilly in UttarPradesh.

PNS n MUMBAI

Amid the poultry sector facingbird flu threat, MaharashtraAnimal Husbandry MinisterSunil Kedar on Tuesday saidthe government will soon takesteps to ensure that unorganised players engaged inpoultry farming get insurancecover. The minister said that amention will be made in thisregard in the forthcomingbudget of the government."What I have noticed as theminister of the department isthat insurance companiesentertain organised playersfrom the poultry business, butnot the unorganised ones."The government will take astep to take insuranceschemes to the last commonman," Kedar said. He said theissue had come up for discus-sion during a review meetingchaired by Chief Minister onthe bird flu situation onMonday.

‘Will ensurepoultry playersget insurance’

PNS n AURANGABAD

The administration inMaharashtra's Latur district hasordered culling of birds in thevillages of Kendrewadi andSukni after samples collectedfrom these areas were foundpositive for bird flu, an officialsaid on Tuesday. Latur districtcollector Pruthviraj B P hasordered culling of birds in 1 kmradius from where birdsinfected with avian influenzawere found in Kendrewadi andSukni, the official said. At least

225 birds have died inKendrewadi till Monday, while12 hens have died in Sukni andfour in Wanjarwadi of Udgirtaluka. Samples of dead birdsfrom Kendrawadi and Sukniwere sent for testing and theirresults came out positive forthe infection, he said, addingthat reports for Wanjarwadi areawaited. "Kendrewadi haswitnessed deaths of 225 birdstill January 11. We havecompleted fitness tests of ourwork force and will leave forKendrewadi for the culling

operation," an official from theanimal husbandry departmentsaid. There are nearly 15,000birds in the 1 km radius of theplace where the infected birdswere found in Kendrewadi, theofficial said. On January 10, theLatur district administrationhad ordered the creation of an"alert zone" in a 10-km radiusaround Kendrewadi inAhmedpur tehsil. According toofficials, after Parbhani andBeed, Latur is the third districtin Maharashtra to report casesof bird flu.

Officials order culling of birds in Kendrewadi, Sukni

PNS n MUZAFFARNAGAR (UP)

A college in Uttar Pradesh'sShamli district was shut for aday after the carcass of amigratory bird was found in itscompound, amid an outbreak ofbird flu in the state, officials saidon Tuesday.

The carcass was found onMonday, they said. Chief AnimalHusbandry Officer YashvantSingh said a team collected thecarcass and sent it for forensicexamination to check for avianinfluenza. The college wasclosed for a day for sanitisation,he said.

College shut for day after birdcarcass found on premises

Rajnath visits Union MinisterShripad Naik in Goa hospital

The Kerala governmentwas contemplatingformulating a law to rein in

loan apps and at least 63cases have been registered inthe state so far, IndustriesMinister E P Jayarajan said onTuesday. The irregularitiesbeing committed by the loanapps had come to the government's notice.Police have informedthat there are at least 400 such apps, which function from outsidethe state, Jayarajan said in the assembly on a callingattention motion by Congress MLA K Sabarinath on the matter.Jayarajan, speaking for Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan, said 63 cases have been registered and crime branchwas investigating two cases. The government was mullingbringing in a law as early as possible to rein in the loan apps, theminister said. Sabarinath wanted the state government to enact acomprehensive legislation takin