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Threats don’t deter me, Mamata says after BJP youth leader’s statement
No one denied beneits for not having Aadhaar: Ravi Shankar Prasad
Ties with U.S. have deteriorated under Trump, says Putin
It is advantage Juventus after humbling Barcelona 3-0 in Champions League
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Petrol, diesel prices to be ixed daily
NEARBY
Pilot scheme likely to be launched in ive cities from May 1, to be gradually extended all over country Press Trust of India New Delhi
Patnaik visits violence hit Bhadrak town BHUBANESWAR
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who visited communal violence-hit Bhadrak town on Wednesday, announced that his government will take strong steps to counter the evil designs of the divisive forces. EAST
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Sedition charge against students dropped CHANDIGARH
The Chandigarh Police on Wednesday dropped the sedition charge against 66 students of Panjab University (PU) even as an uneasy calm was maintained at the institute's campus amid heavy police presence. NATION
Come May 1, petrol and diesel prices will change every day in sync with international rates, much like what happens in most advanced markets. State-owned fuel retailers — Indian Oil Corp. (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (HPCL), — which own over 95% of the nearly 58,000 fuel outlets in the country, are likely to launch a pilot scheme for daily price revision in five select cities from May 1 and gradually extend it all over the country.
Market-aligned “Ultimately, we will be driving towards market-linked rates on a daily basis at all pumps across the country,” IOC Chairman B. Ashok told
PTI. The pilot scheme will be first implemented in Puducherry, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Udaipur in Rajasthan, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand and Chandigarh, Mr. Ashok said. State fuel retailers currently revise rates on the 1st
and 16th of every month, based on average international price in the preceding fortnight and the currency exchange rate. Instead of using fortnightly average, pump rates will reflect daily movement in international oil prices
and rupee-U.S. dollar fluctuations. “It is technically possible to change rates daily, but we have to first do a pilot. Once the pilot is done and its implications are studied, we will extend it to other parts of the country,” Mr. Ashok said.
While Mr. Ashok said the pilot is to be “launched within one month” and did not give a specific date, industry sources said the pilot is planned to be launched on May 1. Daily price change will remove the big leaps in rates that need to be effected at the end of the fortnight, and consumers will be more aligned to market dynamics. While petrol price was freed from government control in June 2010, diesel rates were deregulated only in October 2014. Technically, oil companies have the freedom to revise rates but often they have been guided by political considerations. Rates differ by only a few paise between pumps of the three state fuel retailers. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10
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Yuva Vahini members assault Muslim couple Man booked for obscenity: Meerut SP Staff reporter Meerut
‘If EVMs were ixed then I wouldn’t be in power’ NEW DELHI
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Wednesday that if the EVMs were tampered with he would not have been in power, contradicting the stand of his Congress party that the machines were not infallible. NEWS
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DELHI METRO 쑺 6 PAGES
Activists of the Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV), a youth group founded by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, allegedly barged into the house of a Muslim man in Meerut’s Shastri Nagar on Tuesday and thrashed him and his woman friend. The couple was handed over to the police by members of the HYV. Superintendent of Police, Meerut city, Alok Priyadarshi told the media that they were released on Tuesday but the
man, Wasim, has been booked for obscenity.
interview that the State did not share its border with China, but with Tibet.
BEIJING
China on Wednesday reiterated that the visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh will have a negative impact on Sino-Indian ties, and accused New Delhi of breaching its commitment on the Tibet issue. In response to a question, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing would take “further action” to safeguard its territorial sovereignty. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang took exception to statements by the Dalai Lama and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who had said in an
‘Principle violated’ Analysts saw the statement as a violation of the ‘One China’ principle that defines the country’s statehood. Mr. Lu said the “provocative” statements of the Tibetan leader “exceeded the scope of religious activities.” “What India has done is violated the solemn commitment on the Tibet-related issues, and it also has a negative impact on proper settlement of territorial disputes between the two sides through negotiations,” the spokesperson said.
Nine seamen were kidnapped this month Reuters MOGADISHU
Video on social media A video of the incident that is circulating on social media shows HYV members barging into the house and bombarding the couple with questions such as “What is your name? What are you doing here? Have you converted?” According to the HYV members, the couple were found in a “compromising” position when they, along with local residents, forced their way into the house.
India has breached its Tibet commitment, says Beijing Atul Aneja
Somali forces free Indian ship crew from pirates Somali security forces clashed with pirates early on Wednesday and freed nine seamen kidnapped from an Indian cargo ship this month, officials said. The pirates seized the dhow Al Kausar off Somalia’s coast. The kidnappers took the crew onshore in central Galmudug state on Monday and clashed with troops two days later, the Territory Minister for Ports and Sea Transport, Burhan Warsame, said. “We rescued the nine crew,
and they are healthy and safe,” he said. Hirsi Yusuf Barre, Mayor of Galkayo town, said the security forces attacked the gang after it tried to move the hostages into an area controlled by the militant group al Shabaab overnight. “We sent forces to every corner and blocked all roads,” he said. Isha Thaim, a member of the family in India that owns the cargo dhow, confirmed the reports of the crew being freed, adding that they had not had any food for about
three days. “The crew will be taken to the port and after all formalities they will be taken to the vessel,” he told Reuters on the phone from Gujarat.
India thanks Somalia India expressed its appreciation of Somalia for rescuing the crew. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted: “We thank Federal Government of Somalia, Galmudug state authorities and people of Somalia for their help and cooperation.” (With PTI inputs)
Protest cut short: A policeman tries to take away the banner from a veteran outside the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, demanding the release of Kulbhushan Jadhav. PTI *
Pak. not to yield to pressure on Jadhav Sharif, Gen. Bajwa confer on issue Press Trust of India Islamabad
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and powerful Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday agreed not to yield to any pressure on the issue of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, sentenced to death on charges of spying, according to a media report. General Bajwa met Mr. Sharif and took the Prime Minister into confidence on the issue, Samaa TV reported. “They agreed not to come under any pressure” on the issue of Mr. Jadhav, the channel said. The meeting comes two days after the Army chief approved the execution of Mr. Jadhav in the wake of a military court sentencing him to death for “espionage and sabotage activities.” During the meeting, they discussed matters pertaining to the professional preparedness of the Army and the current security and border situations, Radio Pakistan reported.
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The Foreign Ministry said: “The boundary question [and] the Tibet-related questions bear on the political foundation of China-India relationship.”
Growing apples in the tropics sea level. “Dhanora is surrounded by hills, while cold winds from the North are not blocked owing to deforestation,” Dr. A Veerabhadra Rao, senior principal scientist at CCMB, said.
DHANORA
Apple cultivation isn’t something one expects to see in the tropics. But in the hills of north Telangana, an experiment to change that is, literally, bearing fruit. In a small orchard in Dhanora village, Kerameri Mandal, Kumram Bheem Asifabad district (one of the four districts carved out of what was Adilabad), apple trees planted a year ago are fruiting.
‘Low-chilling’ varieties The achievement is a result of a few years of experimentation in apple genomics by scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, which produced ‘low-chilling’ varieties of the plant, that is, they are able to withstand hot weather. CM YK
Farmer Kendre Balaji with the nascent apple fruits in his orchard. S. HARPAL SINGH *
Last year, an experiment in apple cultivation at the Regional Agriculture Research Station at Chintapally, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, demonstrated that the fruit can be grown in the hot and arid uplands of Kerameri. The scientists say that the area is conducive for growth of the modified apples, as it is at about 2,300 feet above
2,000 grafts supplied CCMB supplied 120 tribal farmers with about 2,000 grafts of three low-chilling varieties. Kendre Balaji, a local farmer, is growing 150 plants, a mixture of all varieties, using organic cultivation methods which improve the nutritional value of his soil. His plants have shown excellent growth, including flowering and fruiting. “The apples are expected to taste good,” said Professor Ramesh Agarwal, CCMB’s chief scientist.
MANY OPTIONS TO SAVE JADHAV 쑺 PAGE 11
Akhilesh loyalists shunted out LUCKNOW
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S. Harpal Singh
Islamabad warned India has warned Islamabad of the consequences to bilateral relations if Mr. Jadhav is hanged. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday made a statement in both the Houses of Parliament, asserting that India would go “out of the way” to ensure justice to Mr. Jadhav, who is an “innocent kidnapped Indian.” She said Mr. Jadhav’s execution would be taken by India as a “pre-meditated murder.” Ms. Swaraj said Mr. Jadhav was doing business in Iran, and the charges against him were “concocted.”
Omar Rashid
Important consensus “We have already reached important consensus on resolving the boundary dispute through negotiations and consultations.” He said: “We also hope that the Indian side bears in mind the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples and safeguard the political foundation of the bilateral relationship and not take any provocative action.”
Telangana’s experiments have yielded hot weather varieties
Gen. Bajwa also apprised the Prime Minister of the progress in the ongoing Radd-ul-Fasaad, an anti-terror operation launched by the Pakistan Army. It was the first direct interaction between the Army chief and the Prime Minister.
All ears: President Pranab Mukherjee meets leaders of opposition parties, including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Left Front, in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI (REPORT ON PAGE 10) *
Uneasy calm ahead of Srinagar repoll Seven candidates decide to boycott election process; security tightened Peerzada Ashiq Srinagar
As the security forces brace for repolling in Srinagar on Thursday in the backdrop of widespread violence, seven candidates have decided to boycott the exercise. “It’s not election but selection. People are being fooled with such exercises. We appeal to people to not to cast their votes. We won’t let our brothers to die intentionally. The April 9 incidents were unfortunate,” said Mirza Sajad of the Rashtriya Jankranti Party (RJP). Mr. Sajad along with six other candidates contesting on the Srinagar Lok Sabha
seat called for a poll boycott during a joint press conference on Wednesday. The candidates include Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha leader Chetan Sharma, Rashtriya Samajwadi Party (Secular) leader Engineer Sajad Reshi, Liberal Democratic Party leader Bikram Singh, Independent candidates Farooq Ahmad Dar, Ghulam Hassan Dar and Mehraj Rashid Malik. “Lives of Kashmiris are being put in danger through re-polling. Fingers are being raised at the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI) for postponing the polls on the request of
Peoples Democratic Party's candidate (from Anantnag seat Mufti Tassaduq),” said Mr. Sajad. He claimed that the poll panel “did not take them into confidence on repolling and rescheduling” of byelections for the Srinagar and Anantnag seats. A total of nine candidates are contesting on the Srinagar seat. While seven of them have called for boycott, the remaining two candidates -- National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party’s Nazir Khan – have refrained from joining them. The NC has written to the
EC expressing its “apprehensions” ahead of the repolling. The poll panel is holding re-polls at 38 violence-hit booths in Srinagar. Multi-layer security arrangements are in place at the polling booths. Reinforcements have been sent to Budgam, where seven civilians were killed on April 9. “Adequate arrangements of security and videography have been made for repolling at 38 booths in Budgam district of Srinagar constituency,” said Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu. SEE ALSO 쑺 PAGE 7
In the first major bureaucratic reshuffle in Uttar Pradesh under the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government, 20 senior IAS officers were transferred on Wednesday. Nine among them were discharged of their responsibilities and waitlisted. These included several officers who were considered favourites in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government. Some of them have been shifted to less significant posts. Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, Excise Commissioner, Allahabad, has been appointed as the new secretary to the CM. Navneet Sehgal, an IAS officer who enjoyed a prominent position under the previous government, was also transferred. While he is yet to be handed over new responsibility, Avanish Kumar Awasthi, an officer who was on wait after being relieved from the Centre, has got charge of the departments that were under Mr. Sehgal. Amod Kumar has been shifted from the post of Secretary, Science and Technology, while another Akhilesh favourite, Pandhari Yadav, has been removed from the post of Secretary, Housing and Urban Planning. Mr. Yadav and Mr. Kumar have been appointed as members in the Judicial Revenue Board, Allahabad. Anita Singh, Principal Secretary, Civil Aviation and Estate Departments, has been waitlisted. She is considered a Mulayam Singh loyalist. SEE ALSO DELHI METRO 쑺 PAGE 4 A ND-ND
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DELHI
Timings
Thursday, April 13
RISE 05:58 SET 18:46 RISE 20:40 SET 07:21 Friday, April 14
RISE 05:57 SET 18:46 RISE 21:32 SET 07:58 Saturday, April 15
RISE 05:56 SET 18:47 RISE 22:23 SET 08:38
Tripura oicers visit Bangladesh
CM visits Bhadrak, vows stern action Patnaik transfers SP and ADM and promises to announce package soon; ive taken into custody
To discuss border-related issues BHUBANESWAR
District Magistrate on promotion.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who visited communal violence-hit Bhadrak town on Wednesday, announced that his government will take strong steps to counter the evil designs of the divisive forces for creating discord and violence in the name of religion. Mr. Patnaik, who interacted with the affected people to assuage their concerns and fear, appealed to maintain peace and communal harmony. While chairing a high-level meeting with district administration and top government officers of the State, he directed for strong action against mischief mongers. The Chief Minister also directed the officials to assess the detailed damage suffered by the people and report within three days for provision of financial assistance for livelihood restoration. He said he would announce a package for the people who have lost their livelihood. Normalcy was fast returning to the district headquar-
Curfew eased As situation in the town was improving fast, the authorities relaxed the curfew from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to enable people to buy essential items thereby facilitating normal activities. The administration is considering relaxation of curfew for a longer period from Thursday. Meanwhile, five persons were taken into custody and interrogated by the cyber cell of the Crime Branch in connection with circulation of rumours and objectionable messages on social media. The ban imposed on social media sites in Bhadrak and nearby areas on April 9 was lifted on Tuesday night. About 100 people have so far been arrested in connection with the violence and arson in the town. Though prohibitory orders were clamped on April 6, curfew was imposed in the town on April 7 after fresh violence was reported after failure of talks at the peace committee meeting.
Prafulla Das
city of Chittagong. Officers from border districts of Bangladesh would join their Indian counterparts at the meeting. A BSF commandant is also accompanying the delegation. “The officers would return through the Akhaura check post in Agartala on Friday”, an official told The Hindu. He said the officers of south Tripura and Gomati districts are attending the one-day meeting. The two districts share boundary with three Bangladeshi districts.
Syed Sajjad Ali Agartala
A delegation of senior officials left for Bangladesh on Wednesday to attend a meeting on border issues. District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of two districts in south Tripura, who were accompanied by junior officers, entered Bangladesh through the Belonia border. Border management, crimes, disputes, border fencing and other related issues will be part of the meeting slated for Thursday at the port
EDUCATIONAL
EDUCATIONAL
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik interacting with violence-afected people in Bhadrak on Wednesday.
ters town of Bhadrak where communal violence erupted on April 6 following alleged abusive remarks against Hindu deities on social media. Mr. Patnaik, who toured the town amid a nine-hour relaxation period of curfew during the day, also ordered immedi-
ate transfer of the Bhadrak Superintendent of Police after his return to Bhubaneswar. SP Dilip Das was asked to report at the police headquarters in Cuttack and Jajpur district Superintendent of Police Anup Sahu was transferred as posted as Bhadrak SP.
Hindu Yuva Vahini to enrol youths in Bihar CM urged to set up ‘anti-Romeo’ squads Amarnath Tewary Patna
With their founder Yogi Adityanath becoming the chief minister of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, the Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) is planning to recruit youths in all the districts of Bihar. Earlier, the StateBJP leaders had said units of HYV would be opened first in the border districts of Bihar over the next twothree months. “We have decided to strengthen HYV in Bihar, too, by enrolling thousands of youths in all 38 districts of the State. We will also select and appoint office-bearers of the organisation at the district level,” Pankaj Rai, State president of the youth organisation told newsmen, on Wednesday. “Ever since our founder Yogi Adityanath has become the Chief Minister people have high expectations from him and for a Ram Rajya,” Mr. Rai said. Mr. Rai also demanded that
Bihar Chief Minister and his government should set up antiRomeo squads in the State and take stern action against slaughter houses, like in Uttar Pradesh.
Main objective “Cow protection is one of the main objectives of the Vahini,” Mr. Rai added. Recently, en route to Deoghar in Jharkhand, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, too, visited Patna, where he was shown black flags by members of the newly formed Dharmnirpeksha Sewak Sangh (DSS) at the Patna airport. State Health Minister and older son of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has reportedly founded DSS to counter the RSS in the State. “I know RSS chief Bhagwat’s agenda…they are out to spread venom in society for the 2019 Lok Sabha poll but in Bihar they will fall flat,” said Lalu Prasad on the RSS chief’s visit.
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PTI
Similarly, Bhadrak Additional District Magistrate Pravat Bhoi was also transferred and asked to report at the General Administration Department in Bhubaneswar. Talcher Sub-Collector Shyambhakta Mishra was appointed as Bhadrak Additional
Marriage of Class X girl foiled after phone call from friend She was opposed to proposal; fourth incident in Berhampur Staff Reporter BERHAMPUR
The marriage of a girl studying in Class X that was allegedly set to be held on Wednesday at Palur village of Ganjam district in Odisha was averted after her friend called the Berhampur Childline. The victim’s friend had called the 1098 Childline on April 10. According to the Childline officials, the girl was to be married to her maternal uncle. The officials said she hails from a community in which such marriages were accepted. After receiving information about the child marriage attempt, a team from the Childline reached the village to investigate. The officials said they ascertained the authenticity of the allegation and also found that the victim
was opposed to the marriage. Following this, Childline activists held discussions with the parents of the girl as well as their neighbours to stop the marriage, although the family had by then made all preparations for the marriage. The district administration and the police were also informed. On April 11, a team comprising Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) of the Rangeilunda block, inspector in charge of the Golanthara police station, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) along with the Childline activists reached Palur to stop the marriage.
Written undertaking After their counselling, the village committee of Palur and the girl’s parents gave
a written undertaking that they would not get her married till she turns 18. However, the family was kept under observation and no marriage ceremony was held on Wednesday. According to the director of Berhampur Childline, this was the fourth such incident in the district in the past few months, where the victims or their friends have called and notified the Childline or other authorities to stop child marriages. All the victims in the recent months were students of Class X, who appeared for their final board examination in March this year, he added. The young girls who have shown exemplary courage to stop child marriages would be honoured, said DCPO, Subodh Kumar Sadangi.
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IN BRIEF
Nitish lags of rath to spread Bapu’s messages
HC blow to Tata housing project near Sukhna Lake Court sets aside environmental clearance, says complex in Lake’s catchment area Akanksha Jain
PATNA
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar flagged off “Gandhi rath” to spread Bapu’s message to the people. The rath would reach every panchayat of Bihar for a year to make people aware of Gandhian philosophy through audio and video presentation. PTI
Three held with fake dollars in Punjab BARNALA
The Punjab Police claimed to have seized fake US dollars from the possession of three persons at a village here. The fake currency notes were in the denomination of $100 with face value of USD 20,000, the police said. A police team stopped a bike near Beelha village and seized fake notes from its riders, Barnala SP Swaran Singh said. PTI
Two nabbed with 35 grams heroin CHANDIGARH
The Chandigarh Police arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 35 gms of heroin from them. The accused were identified as Vikas of Chandigarh and Sonu Goyal of Mohali, the police said. They were arrested from the road dividing Sector-44 and 45 here. PTI
NEW DELHI
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dealt a big blow to the Tata Camelot Housing Colony (CAMELOT), touted as a “high performance residential cum retail complex,” as it held that it was within the catchment area of the Sukhna Lake and set aside all environmental clearance and permissions granted to the project. A Bench headed by Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw set aside the environmental clearance granted for the project proposed to be set up by Tata Housing Development Company Ltd. (Tata HDCL) in Kansal village of Mohali district in Punjab.
Nineteen towers The Tata HDCL had proposed to construct 19 towers of 7 to 28 storeys in an area admeasuring 52 acres which is located about 1500 m from the Sukhna Lake and 123 m from the Wild Life Sanctuary. “The area over which the project in question is proposed to be constructed forms part of the catchment area of Sukhna Lake as demarcated in the Survey of India map dated 21.09.2004,” the Bench held.
“The permission granted by Nagar Panchayat Naya Gaon to Tata HDCL is invalid and is hereby set aside,” said the Bench while directing the Punjab government to reconsider the matter in the light of its judgement.
Category ‘A’ project “The environmental clearance granted by SEIAA Punjab for development of the project is not in conformity with the notification of the Ministry of Environment & Forests,” said the Bench in its 169-page judgement.
It also made it clear that if on reconsideration, the matter is decided in favour of Tata HDCL, it may apply to the Central Government for environmental clearance treating the project as a category ‘A’ project. All category ‘A’ projects require mandatory clearance from the Centre. The HC noted that “the contention of Tata HDCL that the project site does not form part of catchment area of Sukhna Lake is liable to be rejected”. The verdict comes on two
Don’t hire on contract: HC Rajasthan High Court says hire government staf on merit Mohammed Iqbal JAIPUR
In what comes as a far-reaching judgment, the Rajasthan High Court has restrained the State government from employing people on contract for posts that are permanent. The Court has also imposed a ban on hiring employees through placement agencies. The court was hearing a petition against the State government’s practice of not giving permanent employment and hiring people on contract to fill up regular vacancies. Surendra Kumar Gujjar
and others had raised a petition against orders to cancel the contract of a placement agency at 10 primary health centres. They had contended that employees were being hired through placement agencies at all other health centres in the State.
‘Merit-based’ Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma ruled that hiring for posts created under Central and State government schemes should be “meritbased”. Selection of candidates, even on contract, is to be done through the proper
channel, including advertisements and written examinations, said the court. The court, which has not imposed a blanket ban on hiring employees on contract, has given the State government liberty to constitute a nodal agency and lay down a procedure for the purpose. Appointments should not be made only on the basis of interviews and the merit list of candidates should show the marks obtained by them, it said. “Selection [only] through interviews can lead to randomness,” the court observed.
petitions filed by advocate Aalok Jagga and by Sarin Memorial Legal Aid Foundation, challenging the permissibility of construction of the housing project on various grounds, including that the project is not authorised under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The matter was transferred by the Supreme Court to the Delhi High Court after the Punjab & Haryana High Court allowed the construction of the project.
IAS oicer gets notice for picking holes in ODF drive Deepali Rastogi had written an article on the issue in an English daily earlier this month Press Trust of India Bhopal
The Madhya Pradesh government has served a notice to a woman IAS officer for raising some serious questions about the Centre’s Open Defecation Free (ODF) campaign. Deepali Rastogi, a 1994-
CM YK
batch IAS officer presently serving as the Commissioner of the Madhya Pradesh Tribal Welfare Department, expressed her views on the ODF campaign in an article in an English daily earlier this month. “A show cause notice has been issued yesterday to Deepali Rastogi for alleged
violation of All India Services (Conduct) Rules,” a senior officer at the State Secretariat said on Wednesday. The notice sought an explanation about her article raising serious questions over the Centre’s flagship scheme. In her article, Ms Rastogi said the ODF campaign was an attempt to change a cen-
turies-old mindset in just a few months because the white people say it is wrong to defecate in the open. She also raised doubts about the availability of water to keep clean the toilets constructed under the campaign. After picking holes in the way the scheme was touted by the government, she concluded
saying, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for toilets. After all, I am a city-dweller. I’m just uncomfortable with the way we are pushing it.” The Congress criticised the government for slapping the notice saying the questions raised by her should be addressed instead of suppressing the voice.
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No ban on late night parties in Goa: CM
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For a cause
Vishwajit Rane, one other, inducted into Parrikar cabinet
BJP has gone politically bankrupt, says Congress
Prakash Kamat Panaji
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday ruled out banning late-night music parties in Goa, because existing laws he said restrict playing loud music beyond 10 p.m. Speaking to reporters at the Raj Bhavan near here after the swearing-in of two new Ministers — Mauvin Godinho and Vishwajit Rane — into the BJP-led coalition government, Mr. Parrikar also said that police have clear instructions to crack down on drugs, prostitution and illegal gambling. “As per law, after 10 p.m. you cannot play loud music. If there is no permission, there is no question of banning it. Law says you can play loud music till 10 p.m., after taking permission. What disturbs people, any activity like this, will not be allowed by law,” Mr. Parrikar said. A few days back Water Resources Minister Vinod Palienkar of Goa Forward Party had said that police were not cracking down enough on late-night rave parties, which are popular in the coastal belt of north Goa. “Wherever there is suspi-
Special Correspondent Panaji
Dabolim MLA Mauvin Gudinho (left) and former Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane greeting each other at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday, after both were sworn in to the BJP-led coalition government in Goa. ATISH POMBURFEKER *
cion, police have clear instructions to crack down on drugs, prostitution and illegal gambling,” Mr. Parrikar said.
Portfolios soon Mr. Rane, who was sworn in today, will have to get elected in six months as he had resigned as Congress MLA immediately after election, and later joined the BJP. Mr. Godinho had resigned as Congress MLA ahead of the February 4 Assembly elec-
tions and has been elected on a BJP ticket from Dabolim constituency. They were administered oath of office and secrecy by Goa Governor Mridula Sinha. None of the Congress MLAs including sitting MLA and former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane who is father of Vishwajit Rane were present for the swearing in ceremony. The Parrikar-led coalition government now includes five Ministers from the BJP (including CM), three
from Goa Forward, two from the MGP and two Independents. Mr. Parrikar is expected to soon allot portfolios to both the Ministers. The BJP, which won 13 seats in the February 4 Assembly elections, cobbled together a coalition with its allies last month to form the government. The Congress, which won 17 seats in the 40member Assembly , is in the Opposition with 16 MLAs following the exit of Mr. Rane.
The Congress on Wednesday lashed out at Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar saying the induction of former Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane into the cabinet is a clear cut admission that BJP has conceded defeat in the State once again. “Theinduction has proved total political bankruptcy of BJP,” said AICC secretary Girish Chodankar in a press release issued today. He attacked Mr. Parrikar for poaching upon Congress leaders. He said Mr. Rane will be Minister only for five months as after his defeat he will have to vacate the position. Mr. Parrikar’s desperation was visible even before elections when he approached the then Congress leaders to contest on a BJP ticket, he addeed.
Gujarat reels under second spell of heat wave Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation activates heat action plan Special Correspondent AHMEDABAD
In a span of two weeks, Gujarat has come under a second intense heat wave with the mercury rising to as high as 44.5 in Idar while most of the towns and cities recorded above 42 degree temperature for the second consecutive day. On Tuesday, Bhuj recor-
ded 44.2, and Gandhinagar 44 while Ahmedabad saw 42.8 degree Celsius temperature.
Orange alert “The severe heat wave conditions in major parts of will continue in the state on Thursday as well,” the met department said. Meanwhile, Ahmedabad
Municipal Corporation (AMC) has activated its Heat Action Plan (HAP) in the city and issued orange alert in the city. The 2017 heat action plan adds an innovative “cool roofs” strategy. Simple steps such as painting roofs with lime-based white wash, adding tarp-like coverings or white ceramic tiles — low
EDUCATIONAL
cost, high-impact measures — can help bring roof surface temperatures down by as much as 30 degrees centigrade and reduce indoor temperatures by 3 to 7 degrees. The civic body aims to convert at least 500 roofs, including government and business buildings across the city to tackle intense heat
wave conditions. The 2017 Heat Action Plan has been released jointly by AMC, public health and international climate experts at the IMD, Indian Institute of Public Health-Gandhinagar (IIPH-G), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which works in India on climate and health issues.
EDUCATIONAL
In right earnest: Congress workers, led by State unit chief Ashok Chavan, begin a signature campaign at Veracity Square in Nagpur on Wednesday, seeking revocation of death sentence given by Pakistani military court to former Indian Navy oicer Kulbhushan Jadhav. S. SUDARSHAN *
Ban on Pramod Muthalik extended by two months
Collector allays concerns over highway
Sri Ram Sene chief’s entry to Goa was irst banned in September 2015
Press Trust of India
Special Correspondent Panaji
The District Magistrate of North Goa on Tuesday extended by more 60 days the ban on the entry of Pramod Muthalik, leader of “Sri Ram Sene” and any of his associates or members within the jurisdiction of North Goa District, with effect from April 7, under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973. The step has been taken to prevent disturbance to law and order and danger to public safety due to aggressive statements or speeches that could hurt the sentiments of certain groups of the public and instigate violence, thus adversely affecting public peace and tranquility. When he was Chief Minister of Goa in 2012, Manohar
Parrikar had stated that he is against entry of Sri Ram Sene chief as his government was committed towards keeping “communalism” at bay to preserve communal harmony in the tourist State. Civil society groups and tourism industry too had petitioned him to not allow Mr. Muthalik to set up his branches in Goa, as he claimed then, fearing he may unleash “moral policing” in the State. On September 1, 2015 the Supreme Court had dismissed an appeal by Sri Ram Sene chief against the Goa government’s decision to ban his entry into the State. The State government has since been extending his ban every six months. Mr. Muthalik was linked with a 2009 attack on women at a pub in Mangalore.
EDUCATIONAL
Nashik
Nashik district Collector Radhakrishna Bon Wednesday tried to dispel farmers’ apprehensions about acquisition of their land for the proposed NagpurMumbai Samruddhi Corridor passing through the district. The farmers in Sinnar and Igatpuri tehsils are up in arms against the project, fearing forceful acquisition of their land by the government and the loss of livelihood. They have been protesting since last week by staging rasta rokos, taking out rallies, and throwing burning tyres on roads to oppose the project. The ₹46,000-crore Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Corridor is a proposed 702km express highway that will pass through ten districts.
EDUCATIONAL
EDUCATIONAL
SITUATIONS VACANT GENERAL
PUBLIC NOTICES
TENDERS
CM YK
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IN BRIEF
Rigorous life Post-Jaya, AIADMK MPs register lower attendance imprisonment for IM activists Analysis shows it fell sharply since the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s hospitalisation and death in 2016
reasons for the shortfall in attendance. “During Amma’s hospitalisation, we were with her. After her demise, we were in shock and did not attend the last days of the winter session,” said Vijila Sathyananth, the AIADMK’s Rajya Sabha Whip. “Attendance dropped this session due to the campaign for the R.K. Nagar elections. We — even those from the other faction — are all back in Delhi and have attended the session in the past two days. The attendance today was 75%,” said LS member P. Venugopal, AIADMK’s parliamentary party leader.
Deepu Sebastian Edmond CHENNAI
HC orders CBI probe into Kalabhavan Mani’s death
Sentenced for abetting 2008 serial blasts
KOCHI
The Kerala High Court on Thursday ordered a CBI probe into the death of film actor Kalabhavan Mani. The court directed the CBI to take over the investigation in a month. The directives were issued by Justice Sunil Thomas while allowing a writ petition for a CBI probe filed by Mani’s wife Nimmy and his brother K.R. Ramakrishnan.
Mangalam TV CEO denied bail KOCHI
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail pleas of R. Ajith Kumar, CEO, Mangalam TV, and chief of the ‘investigation team’ K. Jayachandran in a case relating to the broadcast of an audio sex tape targeting former Minister A.K. Saseendran. The court, however, granted anticipatory bail to all other accused.
Over 70% polling in Malappuram MALAPPURAM
Peaceful and incident-free polling took place in the byelection to the Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency on Wednesday. Marking a slight dip from the general election of 2014, the constituency registered 70.41% voter turnout when polling closed at 6 p.m.
Telangana’s plea on Krishna posted for April 19 NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court on Wednesday posted the Telangana government’s plea for a fresh consideration of allocation of Krishna river water among all four riparian States — Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka — for April 19.
CM YK
Case over: Indian Mujahideen activists being brought to the court in Mangaluru on Wednesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *
Staff Reporter MANGALURU
The 3rd additional district and sessions judge S.H. Pushpanjali Devi on Wednesday sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment three Indian Mujahideen (IM) members for abetting the outfit’s founder Riyaz Bhatkal in committing the serial blasts in 2008. The sentenced were Sayeed Mohammed Noushad, prime accused in the serial blasts in Surat and Ahmedabad; Ahamed Bava Aboobakkar; and Fakeer Ahamad alias Fakeer. The court awarded life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10,000 each on all the three for offences under Section 16 (1) (b) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act; Section 5 (b) of the Explosive Substances Act; Section 120 (b) of the India Penal Code; and Section 25 (1)(A)(A) of the Arms Act. Additionally, Fakeer Ahamed was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life for offences under Section 6 of the Explosive Substances Act.
The judge sentenced all the three to five years RI and imposed a fine of ₹5,000 for offences under Sections 17 and 18 of the UAP Act; and two years RI and fine of ₹3,000 for offence under Section 9 (b) of the Explosive Substances Act.
Police plea allowed Noushad was also sentenced to seven years of RI and slapped with a fine of ₹5,000 for offence under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC, and RI of three years and fine of ₹3,000 each for offences under Sections 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC. The judge said the life sentences would run concurrently. She said at this stage she could not entertain the plea of the convicted persons that justice had not been rendered to them. The judge allowed the plea of the police to place handcuffs on the convicted persons while taking them from court to the prison.
Parliament records show that AIADMK members’ attendance has fallen sharply since their leader Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation late last year. An analysis of the attendance data of the last three sessions of the Lok Sabha and four of the Rajya Sabha by The Hindu shows that the AIADMK’s Lok Sabha members have an average attendance of 80.05% across the 11 sessions of the 16th Lok Sabha. However, in the two sessions that correspond with and after Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation and death, they recorded 49.94% attendance. The party’s Lok Sabha members recorded 96.94% attendance in the session preceding the former Chief Minister’s September 22, 2016 hospitalisation. Jayalalithaa was declared dead on the night of December 5, 2016. The AIADMK’s Rajya Sabha members have an average attendance of 78.38%. Across the three sessions
that correspond with Jayalalithaa’s absence, their attendance dropped to 52.04%. In the session that preceded her absence, they recorded 95% attendance. All data was pulled from the websites of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on April 7. The Lok Sabha data does not include that of M. Thambi Durai who, as Deputy Speaker, does not have to sign the attendance
register. The Rajya Sabha analysis includes N. Gokulakrishnan, AIADMK MP from Puducherry: even his attendance dropped from 95% in the session preceding Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation to 45.17% across the three sessions after. In the ongoing session of the Rajya Sabha, the AIADMK’s 13 members (both factions) have only 38.76% attendance. The six Rajya
Sabha members from Tamil Nadu, excluding those of the AIADMK, have 78.7% attendance; they recorded 93.75% in the previous session. All three AIADMK MPs The Hindu spoke to had attended the House on Wednesday, after which Parliament adjourned sine die. They cited the vigil during Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation and the campaign for the now-rescinded R.K. Nagar by-election as
‘Amma was watching’ Ms. Sathyananth said Jayalalithaa was the reason for their excellent attendance record: “All MPs used to be in the House because we knew Amma would be watching. She used to watch the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha channels on her way to the Secretariat and amid work. Even now, Amma is watching, so we will continue to attend.”
TTD kitchen must get licence: FSSAI
Kerala Minister upset after police oicer mistakes him for another
Vivek Narayanan
‘Intelligence chief shouldn’t have committed such an error’
Bengaluru
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has written to the Central Licensing Authority in Chennai to inspect the ‘pottu’ (kitchen) in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in Andhra Pradesh where the laddu is prepared, and directed it to obtain a central licence to run the kitchen.
RTI plea Last October, following an RTI application by Bengaluru-based activist T.
Press Trust of India Thiruvananthapuram
Direction issued by regulator to inspect the kitchen.
Narasimhamurthy, the director of food safety management system had insisted that the TTD obtain a food safety licence like any other Food Business Operator for the famed Tirupati laddu.
An agitated Kerala Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan on Wednesday said the State Intelligence chief knocked at his door and asked him if he was the Agriculture Minister. “... It is unfortunate that the Intelligence chief did not recognise a Minister,” Mr. Chandrasekharan told reporters, adding, “I did not call him. He came to meet another Minister.” Mr. Chandrasekharan said
Intelligence ADGP B.S. Mohammed Yasin came to his house at 8 a.m. and asked him if he was Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar. He said after replying in the negative, he directed him to the house of the Agriculture Minister. Such a mistake should not have occurred, especially on part of a senior intelligence officer, he said.
Charge denied Denying the charge, Mr. Yasin said he knew all the Ministers and that it was his
car driver who made the mistake of taking him to Mr. Chandrasekharan’s house. He had fixed up a meeting with Mr. Sunil Kumar to discuss about a building which was on the verge of collapse in Thrissur, he said. “I have no other comment. I know all Ministers,” he said. Mr. Yasin also said he had known Mr. Sunil Kumar for two years, when he was Inspector General of Police in Thrissur district. (With inputs from IANS)
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IN BRIEF
Sedition charge against 66 students dropped Uneasy calm at Panjab University campus amid tight security; students say administration should have talked to them before hiking fee SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT CHANDIGARH
Sikh pilgrims leave for Pakistan ATTARI
Around 1,425 Sikh pilgrims, including women and children, on Wednesday crossed over to Pakistan in three special trains from the international Attari railway station here. Pilgrims on reaching Pakistan would pay obeisance at Gurudwara Nankana Sahib. - PTI
NEET aspirant ends life in Kota KOTA
A 28-year-old NEET aspirant on Wednesday allegedly committed suicide by hanging from ceiling fan in his rented accommodation in Dadabari area here, police said. Rajendra Singh, hailing from Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his rented room in Sector-2 here, ASI Bajrang Lal said. - PTI
The Chandigarh Police on Wednesday dropped the sedition charge against 66 students of Panjab University (PU) even as an uneasy calm was maintained at the institute’s campus amid heavy police presence. The students had been booked under Sections 124-A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), among other charges, after a protest on the PU campus over a fee hike had turned violent and students clashed with police personnel on Tuesday. Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Eish Singhal, told The Hindu that they had dropped the
sedition charge against the students after PU withdrew its complaint stating that its remarks had been "misinterpreted".
‘Misunderstanding’ “PU’s chief security officer Ashwani Kaul approached us saying that there was some 'misunderstanding' as students were shouting slogans against the university administration, the University Grants Commission and the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, and not against the State, hence sedition charges should be withdrawn,” Mr. Singhal said. Meanwhile, police detained six more PU students on Wednesday, in addition to
JAMMU
Nestled in the Trikuta Hills in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, the cave shrine of Vaishno Devi will now get its first master plan for protection, preservation and development of the area. The Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine is the second busiest shrine in the country after the Tirupati Temple in Andhra Pradesh. - PTI
Girl commits suicide after rape in UP BADAUN
A girl apparently hanged herself in a village in Kuwargaon area here, two days after she was allegedly raped by a man, police said on Wednesday. She was allegedly raped on April 9 and was apparently depressed over the incident. She ended her life on Tuesday night, Superintendent of Police, Anil Kumar Yadav, said. - PTI
CM YK
Clashes: The fee hike issue had resulted in violence at the Panjab University campus. FILE PHOTO *
the 52 students arrested on Tuesday, on charges of rioting and damage to public property. Sixty-six students are named in the FIR.
Slamming the “over reaction” of the university administration, the students said that they will continue to “peacefully protest” until
‘Nothing concrete’ Mr. Kaushal said students' council representatives met the university administration on Wednesday to discuss the fee hike, but nothing concrete came out of it. “We will continue to protest till the fee hike is completely rolled
back. We have urged students to boycott classes till the cases filed against the students in the police clash episode are withdrawn,” he added.“Channels of communication should remain open to find a solution,” said Mr. Kaushal. “It seems slapping sedition charges is the easiest way under the current regime to tackle every issue. The administration seems to want to convey a message of fear so that people withdraw from raising issues,” said Brighu Sharda, a final-year student of law (LLB) at PU. Harpreet Singh, a student at the Department of Physics, said: “PU administration should have shown some re-
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Chishti new Rajasthan A ‘Book Café’ run exclusively by inmates Mahila Cong chief Party’s bid to strengthen minority base
Master plan for Vaishnodevi shrine area
the university accepts their demand to rollback the fee hike for the 2017-18 session. “It was unfortunate that sedition charge was slapped against students. It was a drastic step by the administration, but now the charge has been dropped… we welcome it,” Nishant Kaushal, president of Panjab University Campus Students Council, told The Hindu.
Free wi-i access, fast food items for visitors just above Shimla’s iconic Ridge
Special Correspondent
SHIMLA
Jaipur
Life for Darshan Singh, Jai Chand and Yograj, who are serving life sentences for murder and other charges at a Shimla jail, just got more interesting. Thanks to the local municipal corporation and jail authorities, the three prisoners from Model Central Jail Kanda will now run the ‘Book Café’ during the day. Besides providing books and magazines, their duties will include giving free wi-fi access to visitors and running a fast food joint. The café will be run exclusively by the inmates. “The café will also act like a mini library, and have books of national and international importance,” said Shimla Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar. The café, inaugurated in the hill town on Tuesday, is located at a spot called Taka
Rehana Reyaz Chishti
*
the minority communities ahead of the Assembly polls due next year. The demand for restructuring of the party on the basis of “social engineering” has been raised in the State Congress on several occasions.
Focus on grassroots She told The Hindu on Wednesday that she would promote women, who are active at the panchayat and municipal levels, in the politics at the State-level by selecting the Congress workers from the grassroots.
AAP blames authorities Aam Aadmi Party’s State convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich blamed the university administration and PU vice-chancellor Arun Kumar Grover for not taking the student bodies into confidence before taking the decision to hike the fee.
Investors’ meet in Uttarakhand Staff Reporter
tourist from Faridabad who stopped by the café on Wednesday, said, “I popped in for a quick peek at a book on the history of Shimla — Edward J. Buck’s Simla, Past and Present, that was written in 1904.” The inmates will also exhibit products made by prisoners at the cafe, said Director General of Police (Prisons) Somesh Goel.
Kanwar Yogendra
With an eye on the 2018 State Assembly election, the All India Congress Committee has appointed Rehana Reyaz Chishti as president of the Rajasthan Pradesh Mahila Congress, replacing Shakuntala Rawat who has been elevated as general secretary of All India Mahila Congress. Ms. Chishti, 56, has been active in the front organisations of Congress, such as Seva Dal and Youth Congress, for several years and has been serving as the Pradesh Congress Committee’s general secretary since 2014. Originally hailing from Kerala, she migrated to Rajasthan at the age of 19 years and she presently resides in Churu. Ms. Chishti's appointment is being seen here as an attempt of Congress to strengthen its base among
strain before filing complaint pertaining to sedition. The administration should speak to the students and listen to them." Ronki Ram, professor at the Department of Political Science and a senate member, said that the financial crisis being faced by the university is a common problem for both teachers and students.
Unique joint: Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh at the inauguration of cafe at Takka Bench in Shimla. PTI *
Bench. Situated right above the Ridge and on the way to the famous Jakhu temple, it will have books on tourism and history, including those about days of the British Raj, besides piping hot coffee and snacks. Darshan, who is the bakery manager at the café,
said: “I’d like to thank the jail authorities and the local civic body for giving me this opportunity.” “We’re not sure about [the length of ] our prison term, but we’re free during the day,” said visibly-elated Jai and Yograj. Surendra Sharma, a
Bakery products, shawls Besides bakery products, the prisoners have been making woollen shawls that Himachal Pradesh is famous for and other apparel items since the past few years. “Our endeavour is to help convicts get some recognition and supplement their income,” Mr. Goel said. The book café, which received a lot of publicity before it was opened, will receive logistical aid from the municipal corporation and the State Tourism Department.
Dehradun
In a step towards setting up viable industries in the State that could help in job creation and mitigate the issue of migration, the Uttarakhand government, on Wednesday, acting on a proposal by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, agreed to hold an investors’ summit here in June, this year. “Uttarakhand needs to attract investments in sectors where the State could perform well... Tourism, organic farming are among the sectors that still remain unexplored but could prove to be of great value to the State as far as increasing employment opportunities in the Hill State is concerned... In the Invest Uttarakhand event we shall focus on attracting investments in such sectors,” Assocham chief Sandeep Jajodia said.
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Big bazaar
Poll panel throws open challenge to hack EVMs Experts, politicians invited to demonstration in May
Haryana launches ‘anti-Romeo’ drive
Special Correspondent
CHANDIGARH
NEW DELHI
On the lines of the ‘antiRomeo’ squad in Uttar Pardesh, the Haryana government on Wednesday launched ‘Operation Durga’, under which police teams nabbed 72 people on the very first day from across the State. - PTI
To all those alleging that the EVMs used by the Election Commission were tampered with in the recent Assembly elections or that they could be hacked, the electoral body has thrown an open challenge asking them to prove the allegations. The exercise may be carried out in the first week of May. Computer experts and political leaders would be invited to the demonstration site and they could use their skills to show whether the machines could be tampered with.
Three killed, 48 hurt as tractor-trailer overturns HOSHIARPUR
Three pilgrims, two of them women, were killed and 48 injured when the tractortrailer they were travelling in to Sri Anandpur Sahib overturned near Shekhowal, about 50 Kms from here on Wednesday. The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals of Garhshankar and Ropar but two of the critically injured were later referred to PGI, Chandigarh. - PTI
No conidence: Opposition parties have alleged that people had lost faith in the voting machines.
trust” in the efficacy of the machines. Following similar allegations, the EC had earlier given an open invitation to experts. However, the Commission said, no one could prove that it could be hacked. After the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab elections, the Opposition parties have on several occasions alleged that the EVMs were
‘Use paper ballots’ The move comes days after the Opposition parties met the Election Commission (EC) and requested to replace EVMs with paper ballots, as people had “lost
Uneasy calm: Normalcy returned to the Kashmir Valley in Srinagar on Wednesday after three days of separatist-sponsored strike over the death of civilians in poll-related violence. NISSAR AHMAD *
Bihar sets up court for prohibition cases
Worker dies after crane falls on him
Global interest in PSLV soars
In one year, over 45,000 arrested
Press trust of india
Madhumathi D.S.
Raipur
BENGALURU
A labourer was crushed to death and another was injured after a heavy magnetic crane fell on them at a steel plant located here on Wednesday, police said. The incident occurred at around 3 pm at Steel Melting Shop section of Godavari Ispat Ltd, located in Siltara industrial area under Dharsinwa police station limits. “One labourer, identified as Mahendra Kashyap (30), a native of JanjgirChampa district, was killed in the incident while another Ishwar Sahu of Raigarh district sustained injuries,” Raipur Superintendent of Police (Urla area) Uttam Chandrvanshi said.
The PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) space vehicle has received more than double the volume of inquiries from prospective customers ever since it launched a record 104 satellites on a single flight in February. A world best, 101 small foreign commercial spacecraft were taken up at once in the feat, catapulting the PSLV’s overall commercial tally to 180. “There has been a spurt in inquiries, almost double what we were getting. Globally, 500 satellites are expected to come up for launch every year from 2018 onwards. We are seeing how we can equip ourselves towards using this big opportunity,” said Rakesh Sashib-
Amarnath Tewary Patna
A year after enforcing stringent prohibition laws, the Bihar government on Wednesday set up a special court for speedy trial in cases registered against violation of the law, which the Opposition BJP dubbed “draconian.” The State government had earlier requested the Patna High Court to open special courts to hear prohibition-related cases in all districts.
High Court order Following the High Court directive, the first special court has been set up in Patna, said an official of the Excise and Prohibition department. Gradually, such
courts would be opened in all districts, he added. Justice Trilokinath Tiwari has been appointed judge of the special court which would hear prohibition cases of Patna district. Bihar became a dry State on April 5, 2016. In last one year, over 45,000 people have been arrested for violating the liquor laws and 44,996 were sent to jail. Police and Excise department officials conducted 2,18,722 raids and seized over 3.5 lakh liters of liquor. Every day, trucks and vans loaded with liquor are being seized in different parts of the State. The border districts had become more vulnerable for smuggling of liquor bottles, said an official.
Inquiries from prospective customers double after its record launch of satellites the 5 kg to 100 kg small satellites,” he told The Hindu.
A ile photo of PSLV C36.
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PTI
hushan, chairman and managing director of Antrix Corporation, ISRO’s (Indian Space Research Organisation) business arm that markets its rocket and satellite services. “ISRO is also ramping up availability of the PSLVs. Antrix has asked for two dedicated PSLVs a year for doing fully commercial launches. They can cater to
National Lok Adalat settles over 6 lakh cases in one day They include matrimonial disputes, partition suits, cheque bounce cases and motor accident claims Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI
As pendency hampers the justice delivery system, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), led by Supreme Court judge Justice Dipak Misra, has been quietly chipping away at the backlog and has accomplished its latest feat of settling over six lakh cases in just 24 hours. The Second National Lok Adalat for 2017, conducted
on April 8, through out the country from taluk level courts to High Courts, has settled nearly 6.6 lakh cases. Out of this, 3.68 lakh cases have been reduced from court pendency and about 2.92 lakh cases were settled even before they could be filed in courts. The cases ranged from matrimonial disputes, partition suits, civil matters, cheque bounce cases, mo-
tor accident claims, revenue disputes pending in courts, criminal compoundable cases and service matters pertaining to pension, retrial benefits, etc.
Award is final The award of a Lok Adalat is final and cannot be challenged by way of appeals and revision, etc. Moreover, settlement of a pending court case in a Lok Adalat comes with an added
incentive of refund of court fee to the party involved in the litigation. The NALSA, under Justice Misra, has decided to organise bi-monthly National Lok Adalats for both pending and pre-litigative cases.
‘Culture of settlement’ Pendency in subordinate courts is a whopping over 2.7 crore cases. A statement issued by
NALSA emphasised the point made by Justice Misra that it is developing a “culture of settlement”.
Guidelines issued “A set of guidelines has been issued to State Legal Services Authorities to concentrate on the days of Lok Adalats to make efforts to see that parties in contest arrive at an amicable settlement,” NALSA said in an official release.
‘Clear leader’ The PSLV, with a near impeccable 37 successes in 39 flights, he said, is a clear leader in the category of rockets that lift small satellites to low earth orbits or LEOs. These satellites weigh up to 500 kg and must be placed in polar orbits 500 km from the earth. “Antrix has launch orders worth around ₹600 crore,” Mr. Sasibhushan said. Roughly 15% of its nearly ₹2,000-crore turnover comes from PSLV launch orders of foreign satellite operators. Similar 100-plus satellite contracts on a single flight would be uncommon; Mr. Sasibhushan said the next
PSLV, C-38, due in May, would have 30 small satellites (smallsats) riding piggyback with the primary Cartosat-2 series satellite. But they are not a result of the February launch, he clarified. Carolyn Belle, senior analyst at Northern Sky Research, a space industry consultancy based in Massachusetts, said in a response, “The PSLV is in an interesting position in the market. It has a strong technical track record and is an attractive vehicle for smallsat operators - especially if the launch [frequency] increases.” However, a limiting factor, in her view, is the waiver process that is needed to launch a U.S. satellite, the U.S. being the largest market.
“Punjab govt resorting to vendetta politics” Press Trust of India Chandigarh
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday accused the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in Punjab of resorting to “vendetta politics” against its opponents. “Akali workers are being targeted and even eliminated by Congress activists and even the police have become an instrument for un-
leashing vendetta against the Shiromani Akali Dal activists,” the former Deputy Chief Minister alleged. “I have already requested Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to restrain his workers from resorting to vendetta politics but it seems my pleas have not had any effect. The SAD will now go to the people and build a movement against these repressive tactics,” Mr Badal said.
tampered with, and each time the EC had maintained that the machines were secure, given the technology and the administrative processes adopted. The Commission has termed such charges baseless, stating that none of the complainants have come up with any proof to support their allegations.
Ban cow slaughter, says AMUSU Staff Reporter MEERUT
The Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union on Wednesday said that it supported a complete ban on cow slaughter. AMUSU president Faizul Hasan made this remark while addressing a gathering of students during AMUSU’s protest against “unconstitutional cow vigilantes”. “We would support if there is any proposal by the Central government to put a stop to cow slaughter across the country in view of the religious sentiments of the Hindu community,” he said. Students of the AMU and office-bearers of the AMUSU demanded death penalty to the killers of Pehlu Khan, allegedly a victim of cow vigilantism in Alwar, Rajasthan. They demanded that the government take action against the extra constitutional “gau rakshaks who were spreading terror in the name of saving cows”. The protesters submitted a memorandum to the President Pranab Mukherjee through the local district administration, demanding the quashing of the FIR against Pehlu Khan and his associates for transporting cattle. The memorandum noted that the ‘gau rakshaks’ were responsible for the murder of many innocent individuals in the recent past.
UP govt orders closure of judicial probe into Mathura violence CBI has taken over investigation into Jawahar Bagh incident Press Trust of India Lucknow
With CBI taking up the probe into Jawahar Bagh park violence in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik on Wednesday ordered closure of the judicial inquiry into the incident which had claimed 29 lives, including two police officials, last year during an
CM YK
anti-encroachment drive. “The Governor is of the opinion that continuance of the judicial inquiry is of no use,” Principal Secretary (Home) Devashis Panda said in a notification here.
Judicial panel He said the judicial panel headed by Justice (Retd) Mirza Imtiaz Murtaza of the
Allahabad High Court will submit in a sealed envelope its findings till April 1 to the government and return all facilities extended to it by April 20. The Allahabad High Court had last month directed the CBI to probe the incident, following which the investigating agency registered a case.
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8 EDITORIAL
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017
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Ending nuclear lawlessness The attempt at the UN to ban atomic weapons is based on the premise that all countries deserve equal security
In a safer lane
Another crisis Some give and take is the only way out of Nepal’s constitutional impasse
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ith Madhesi parties deciding to boycott local polls scheduled for May 14, Nepal is heading for another political crisis. The boycott decision came after the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre)-led government tabled fresh amendments to the Constitution in Parliament. Ever since the country adopted the new post-monarchy Constitution in September 2015, Madhesi parties have been demanding a redrawing of federal boundaries to relect the fact that the community, residents of the Terai area, and other minority groups are in a majority in some new provinces. The government led by CPN(M-C) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, with the Nepali Congress part of the coalition, came to power in 2016 on the promise of accommodating these demands to the extent possible and forging a reasonable consensus across the political spectrum. The government had also initiated amendments that went some way in addressing Madhesi concerns, such as the formation of a federal commission to look into a redrawing of federal boundaries, and the recognition of local languages as national ones. These amendments were, however, rejected by Madhesi parties, which stuck to a maximalist position. The opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Uniied-MarxistLeninist) also rejected them, though for being too giving. Unable to forge any consensus, the government came up with the fresh amendments as a signal that it is willing to concede some of the Madhesi demands in return for their participation in the long-pending local polls. But the absence of substantive eforts to address the federal question has resulted in a Madhesi boycott. Nine years have passed since elections to the irst Constituent Assembly were held. Beyond Nepal’s transition from a constitutional monarchy to a republic, the lack of consensus on other issues pushed the inalisation of the Constitution far beyond the original remit of the Constituent Assembly, which was to have concluded the process in two years. The new Constituent Assembly elected in 2013 was less amenable to changes, especially to the state structure, and the Madhesi parties refused to accept the inalised Constitution in 2015. The impasse on the state restructuring issue has given rise to disturbing trends — jingoism, that sees Madhesi concerns as relecting the interests of external actors such as India, and voices of secessionism among Madhesi forces who suggest that the Nepali polity is incapable of addressing the plain-dwellers’ concerns. This political battle of wits has taken away muchneeded focus from the dire state of the economy, which is yet to recover from the shock of the devastating earthquake of 2015. Local elections are seen as a way to allow for a much-needed administrative presence everywhere, but this cannot happen without the participation of all political forces, especially Madhesis. The government has its task cut out to manage a compromise. CM YK
zia mian & m.v. ramana n the last week of March, at the United Nations in New York, history was made as diplomats from about 130 countries started formal talks on an international treaty to ban nuclear weapons. The goal is simple: declare it illegal for any country to produce, possess, stockpile, deploy, threaten to use, or use nuclear weapons. The inal treaty could be approved and ready for signature before the end of this year. Not surprisingly, none of the nine nuclear weapon countries showed up, India and Pakistan included. Numbers are not on the side of the nuclear weapons states, however. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, staged a public boycott outside the negotiating hall but managed to rally only a ragtag band of about 20 diplomats, mostly from Eastern Europe. Ms. Haley claimed that, as a mother, “there is nothing that I want more for my family than a world with no nuclear weapons” but she insisted that as an American “to ban nuclear weapons now would make us and our allies more vulnerable.” Clearly, however, she was not willing to accord the same protection to all countries. Ironically, it took an Indian Ambassador to inadvertently puncture this claim to nuclear privilege: “The language of privilege and entitlement has no place in today’s world.” The nuclear weapons ban talks are the fulilment of a long-standing demand that all countries deserve equal security. For decades,
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the world has pressed the handful of countries with nuclear weapons to free humanity from the nuclear danger. The very irst resolution at the UN, passed in 1946, called for a plan “for the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons.”
regardless. It was an insane and murderous logic: since neither side could allow the other to prevail, the only acceptable outcome to both was mutual assured destruction. A handful of states followed them down into this moral pit: answer mass destruction with mass destruction. Tragically, this included India, which was warned by none other than Mahatma Gandhi that “the moral to be legitimately drawn from the supreme tragedy of the bomb is that it will not be destroyed by counter-bombs”.
The Cold War race The driving force for the demand for a nuclear weapon-free world is a simple humanitarian impulse, the love and compassion for other human beings — as even Ms. Haley realised. Nuclear weapons are the ultimate means of mass destruction and history has shown their use brings immeasurable death and sufering. It was this realisation that led to the November 1961 UN General Assembly resolution that declared: “Any state using nuclear and thermonuclear weapons is to be considered as violating the Charter of the United Nations, as acting contrary to the laws of humanity, and as committing a crime against mankind and civilisation.” During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union argued that the world was in a life or death struggle and nuclear weapons were a tragic necessity. Both sides knew no one would win in a nuclear war but they prepared to ight
Resistance of the nuclear club The end of the Cold War ofered the hope of a new start for the world. The UN General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice to rule on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons. In July 1996, the court issued an advisory opinion, with two key conclusions. First, “the threat or use of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to the rules of international law applicable in armed conlict, and in particular the principles and rules of humanitarian law.” And, second, “there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict
Time to force the issue Most of the other nuclear weapons
states, led by the U.S., did not try to hide behind diplomatic procedure. They simply insisted that the world wait for them to decide when they are ready to give up their nuclear weapons. After 70 years, the vast majority of countries around the world suspect that day may never come. After all, the world would never have banned slavery if we had to wait for all the slave owners to agree in advance that slavery was a bad thing and that they were ready to end it. Rather than waiting for that day, the nuclear weapon-free countries have decided to take matters into their own hands. Their irst step is the ban treaty. It lays down a clear marker for what weapons the world thinks no state can seek, possess and use in wartime. This is how other weapons have been banned, be they chemical weapons, biological weapons, landmines, or cluster munitions. Of course, as has happened in Syria with chemical weapons, there are occasional violations of the international laws banning weapons of mass destruction, but the world now condemns such actions and decent people everywhere would support eforts to ind the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The possibility of violations has never stopped countries from passing laws and agreeing on what should be prohibited. India, Pakistan, and all of the nuclear weapons states should prepare to give up their arsenals or be treated as outlaws. Zia Mian is co-director of the Program on Science and Global Security at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Afairs, Princeton University. M.V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security with the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia. Views are personal
Powering India-Nepal ties This is an opportune moment to push for electricity trade with a long-term perspective
kirit parikh
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n important step in promoting electricity trade between India and Nepal took place on February 14 when Energy Secretary-level talks — known as the joint steering committee ( JSC) meeting — concluded in Kathmandu. Here, it was decided to endorse the detailed project report of the 400 kV ButwalGorakhpur cross-border transmission line. It follows the guidelines issued by India’s Ministry of Power for cross-border electricity trade on December 5, 2016. This is an opportune moment to push for electricity trade with a long-term perspective. Nepal is short of power and will need to import power for some years to accelerate its economic growth. India has surplus capacity at present. In the years to come, it can fruitfully import lexible hydropower from Nepal to balance its fast growing renewable generation and also provide a market for Nepal’s electricity. With this market, Nepal’s hydro potential can be developed faster. India and Nepal have been talking about electricity trade and joint projects for many years now, but somehow these talks did not succeed. It was only in 2014 when India
and Nepal signed a Power Trade Agreement that the doors opened for Nepal developers/traders to access the Indian power market. At irst, Nepal was apprehensive that it would not get a fair deal trading with a large neighbour, but power is now traded in India on exchanges transparently and the price is known to all, thus assuaging some of Nepal’s apprehensions.
What the data show Due to political uncertainty, the development of Nepal’s hydro potential has been delayed. Out of an economically viable and technically feasible potential of 43.5 GW, only 0.8 GW had been developed by March 2016. Thus, a great opportunity has been missed. By selling power to India, Nepal could have developed its economy at a faster rate. Bhutan has reaped the beneit of power export to India and its per capita income in purchasing power parity adjusted for international dollars increased from $475 in 1980 to $7,860 in 2015. India’s was $5,730 in 2015. Electricity is required for economic growth and well-being. In 2015, Nepal faced load-shedding of up to 16 hours a day during the dry season, when the available capacity of Nepal’s hydropower decreases to a third of installed capacity. Peak load outstripped domestic power generation capacity, causing serious power shortage, which was partly met with by import from India. Nepal’s electricity supply in 2015-16 was around 5,100 GWh, of
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Bilateral tensions It is a well-established fact that the civilian government of Pakistan has neither the power nor the authority to take on the Pakistan Army and the establishment at Rawalpindi, which is the real power centre in that country. Unfortunately, India has always been at the receiving end of Pakistan’s unsavoury games, and we end up being made to look weak. Most of our carefully crafted agreements are just pieces of paper as nothing moves without the generals’ approval. The Indian government must now rise from this state of political sluggishness and take strong and irm steps against Pakistan. We must have the faith and the conidence in ourselves to declare Pakistan a terrorist state and snap all ties and agreements; this includes the Indus Waters Treaty.
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he Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill passed by the Lok Sabha this week will take a little more time to come into force, since it has not cleared the Rajya Sabha in the Budget session. But the changes that it proposes to the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act of 1988 are signiicant. The Centre assumes a direct role in the reforms, since it will introduce guidelines that bind State governments in several areas, notably in creating a framework for taxicab aggregators, inancing insurance to treat the injured and to compensate families of the dead in hit-and-run cases, prescribing standards for electronically monitoring highways and urban roads for enforcement and modernising driver licensing. There is a dire need to have clear rules and transparent processes in all these areas, since transport bureaucracies have remained unresponsive to the needs of a growing economy that is witnessing a steady rise in motorisation. The bottleneck created by their lack of capacity has stiled regulatory reform in the transport sector and only encouraged corruption. There is some concern that the move to amend the MV Act overly emphasises the concurrent jurisdiction of the Centre at the cost of State powers, but the proposed changes come after a long consultation exercise. A group of State Transport Ministers went into the reform question last year, while the comprehensive recommendations of the Sundar Committee on road safety have been left on the back burner for nearly a decade. It may appear counter-intuitive, but research shows that imposing stricter penalties tends to reduce the level of enforcement of road rules. As the IIT Delhi’s Road Safety in India report of 2015 points out, the deterrent efect of law depends on the severity and swiftness of penalties, but also the perception that the possibility of being caught for violations is high. The amendments to the MV Act set enhanced penalties for several ofences, notably drunken driving, speeding, jumping red lights and so on, but periodic and inefective enforcement, which is the norm, makes it less likely that these will be uniformly applied. Without an accountable and professional police force, the ghastly record of traic fatalities, which stood at 1,46,133 in 2015, is unlikely to change. On another front, State governments must prepare for an early roll-out of administrative reforms prescribed in the amended law, such as issuing learner’s licences online, recording address changes through an online application, and electronic service delivery with set deadlines. Indeed, to eliminate corruption, all applications should be accepted by transport departments online, rather than merely computerising them. Protection from harassment for good samaritans who help accident victims is something the amended law provides, and this needs to be in place.
DEEPAK HARICHANDAN
States should start preparing to implement the changes in the Motor Vehicles Act
and efective international control.” The door opened to a nuclear weapons ban. In the 20 years since the court issued its judgment, countries with nuclear weapons have simply refused to comply. Rather than starting “negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament”, they have sought to block them, choosing to launch long-term costly programmes to maintain, modernise, and in some cases augment their nuclear arsenals. Non-nuclear states and peace movement activists went back to basics. They launched an international efort to highlight nuclear weapons capacity to cause widespread sufering and indiscriminate harm. This won support from the majority of the world’s countries. At the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in 2014, oicials from 158 countries showed up. This process led to the adoption of a historic resolution at the UN last October “to negotiate a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”. India and Pakistan abstained from the UN vote. India’s main argument was that nuclear disarmament talks should only happen at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. The reason was simple: the Conference on Disarmament works by consensus, which means any state can block progress. India used this feature to try to block the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996, and Pakistan now uses this power to stop talks on a treaty to ban the production of issile materials for nuclear weapons. Their prescription would mean continued inactivity on nuclear disarmament.
which 3,300 GWh was domestic generation and remaining 1,758 GWh was import from India. Import has increased steadily from 746 GWh in 2011-12 to 1,758 GWh in 201516, an almost threefold increase. Nepal also exports electricity to India in some periods, although in very small quantity. Per capita electricity consumption in Nepal is one of the world’s lowest, at 119 kWh in 2012. It has an ambitious target of reaching 16,500 MW of hydro capacity by 2030, which includes the joint project with India at Pancheshwar.
Energy study We at the Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) have carried out a detailed modelling study which explored electricity trade potential on an hourly basis till 2045. (This study was carried out as a part of US AID-supported South Asia Regional Initiative
for Energy Integration project.) The trade takes place at a price that is acceptable to both buyer and seller. Its macroeconomic impact has also been estimated. For example, Nepal’s revenue from export of electricity to India increases its ability to import more goods and also to invest more in the economy. This increases its gross domestic product, consumption and use of electricity, which improves quality of life. The prospect of electricity trade with India makes it possible for Nepal to develop its hydropower potential and has important consequences. Even though signiicant exports to India will begin only from 2025 because domestic capacity development takes time, Nepal could already beneit through larger import of electricity from India. Increased availability of electricity accelerates its economic development. The construction of transmission lines to import electricity become lines to export electricity by 2025. Nepal imports 0.7 billion kWh (bkWh) in 2020 but by 2025 exports 18 bkWh, which increases to 65 bkWh by 2030 and to 113 bkWh by 2040. Its annual export revenue from the electricity trade becomes NPR 310 billion in 2030, NPR 840 billion in 2040 and NPR 1,069 billion in 2045, at 2011-12 prices. By 2045, Nepal’s GDP becomes 39% larger, its per capita consumption 23% higher and per capita electricity consumption 50% higher than if trade were to continue at its modest current level. Trade also beneits India. Meet-
ing the evening peak in India when its large solar PV capacity would not be available becomes easier and cheaper. The gains in monetary terms are comparable for both Nepal and India. Therefore, the sooner Nepal develops its hydropower potential, the earlier the beneits. For electricity trade to materialise, policy, institutional and technical infrastructure are necessary. Building hydropower projects and transmission infrastructure is highly investment-intensive. Without a stable, long-term conducive policy and an institutional environment in place, which ensures payment security, it is unlikely that investors will put their money in this risky business. Recently, the Indian government issued guidelines and draft notiication on cross-border electricity trade (CBET) policy to enable Indian/Nepal producers/traders to seamlessly exchange power with neighbouring nations. A climate of conidence and trust in the long-term trading relationship between India and Nepal can greatly help Nepal meet its ambitious target and provide an opportunity for Indian investors to invest in Nepal. This could help us smoothen our recently strained relations with Nepal as well as strengthen our historically friendly ties. Dr. Kirit Parikh, a former member of the Planning Commission, is Chairman, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe)
Letters emailed to
[email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.
■ Iran’s stand in this matter is quite signiicant as no country would risk siding with either party in such a complex situation unless it has substantial knowledge of what the truth is. It’s time the world community stands for justice and stops this dirty game, which India had rightly called an act of pre-meditated murder — if it is carried out.
Ground situation
■ The Kashmir Valley holds tremendous tourism potential, but is being made a tinderbox in order to satisfy selish political agendas of vested interests. Youth who should be contributing their mite to the region’s development are instead being used as pawns to destroy their own home. And political leaders, instead of making positive interventions, are busy in a blame game. It would have been nicer had a veteran politician like Mr. Abdullah shared his vision on the future of politics in the country. There has to be a low of constructive ideas in the matters of utmost importance — be it a region’s development, the ight against corruption and terrorism, and even saving Kulbhushan Jadhav.
It is really unfortunate that the case has taken a dark turn. It is shocking that military courts have so much power that even the Supreme Court of that country cannot intervene. India has never pronounced the death penalty on a Pakistani spy. Good sense must prevail and the Pakistan civilian leadership must draw the line on its Army’s overreach.
It is amusing that National Conference president and three-time Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah feels that India is heading towards disaster under the leadership of Narendra Modi (‘The Wednesday Interview’ – “‘I see India heading towards disaster’,” April 12). Has he forgotten that unprecedented mega scams took place during the rule of his coalition partner, the Congress-led UPA government? As regards the recent violence in Kashmir, it is well known that it has been burning since the last so many decades not due to local issues but as a result of issues deliberately fostered by Pakistan. Since the NC government ruled the State for long, it should accept responsibility for the deterioration of law and order in the State.
S.P. Sharma,
J.S. Acharya,
Kshirasagara Balaji Rao
Killing research
Mumbai
Shell Cove, NSW, Australia
Hyderabad
In the present era of ICT
Kiran Babasaheb Ransing, New Delhi
Pankaj Sharma, Chandigarh
applications for research such as online reviewing facilities through e-books and e-journals, video conferencing, webinars, communication apps, other social media that are used in all stages of research— right from problem selection, tool construction, collection of data, analysis of data, up to preparing the report — time is not a factor. This means the academic supervisors can guide a greater number of scholars. Reduction in the number of wards/students afects both the quality and quantity of research output at the doctoral level.
Great attention should be paid to how to maintain quality in research without restricting the number of wards. Periodic training for research supervisors, better quality checks and benchmarks, stringent evaluation processes of theses, encouraging original research and a dissemination of research indings will enhance present standards of research (“No place for scholarship”, April 12). P. Prema, Thanjavur
more letters online: www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/
corrections & clarifications: The opening paragraph of the report headlined “Nepal link to Jadhav verdict?” (April 12, 2017) incorrectly referred to Lt. Col. (retd.) Muhammad Habib Zahir as a Pakistani army oicer. Actually, he is a retired oicer. It is the policy of The Hindu to correct signiicant errors as soon as possible. Please specify the edition (place of publication), date and page. The Readers’ Editor’s office can be contacted by Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300 (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday); Fax: +91-44-28552963; E-mail:
[email protected]; Mail: Readers’ Editor, The Hindu, Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860 Anna Salai, Chennai 600 002, India. All communication must carry the full postal address and telephone number. No personal visits. The Terms of Reference for the Readers’ Editor are on www.thehindu.com
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THE HINDU
OPED 9
NOIDA/DELHI
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017
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India’s epic dilemma
Passage without scrutiny
Our stories are richest when they are read as ethical texts, not ideological guides
We must move to a system where every Bill goes through the committee stage in each House of Parliament
peter ronald desouza
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m.r. madhavan Some days ago, during a discussion on the many ways to interpret episodes in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the issue came up of whether these are ethical texts or merely ideological ones. Should one regard them as repositories of moral conundrums, on the human condition, that needed to be decoded and debated by every age for itself, or whether their messages, about the nature of the dharmic order to which all must conform, were clear and without ambiguity. What gave rise to this debate were two stories that were being discussed: the case of Eklavya who willingly offered his thumb to Drona on the Guru’s request, thereby assuring an anxious Arjun of his supremacy as an archer, and that of Ram beheading Shambuka for falling out of dharmic line. I wondered if one were a feminist, a Dalit scholar, a passionate nationalist of the current variety found among Ministers of State, or even a European Marxist, would one find morally grey areas in such episodes or would one see them as containing clear messages of how power and social relationships in a ‘just’ society should be ordered? At this point let me step back a bit and carefully probe the distinction between an ethical and an ideological text. An ethical text is one which presents episodes as forks in the road where each path offered is attractive because it contains desirable goals. Choosing one path presents one with a quandary because the benefits offered by the other path would now have to be willingly foregone. Each path at the fork leads to the same destination. One only needs to decide what gains and losses one wished to forego. For example, path A would offer to cut a journey short by four hours. But it would mean travelling on a bad road full of potholes and perhaps risking a bad back and a breakdown. Path B, in contrast, is longer and would get the traveller home past midnight. But it would be a smooth ride on a freshly metalled road that went through a forest. Travelling at night would risk a dacoit hold-up. An ethical text does not give a clear
moral message. It compels one to weigh options before making a choice. The ideological text, in contrast, is like a road within the National Highway system. Clearly numbered exits are given to one’s destination. You know where and when to leave the highway. Here there are no moral conundrums. There are just clear signposts prepared by a highways authority which tell you where to stop, at what speed to travel, which lane to follow, and where to exit. The highways authority offers a distinct route map for the whole society. It does so with the certainty of one who knows.
Civilisational abundance So are the epics ethical texts or ideological ones? I believe they are the former. I believe each episode is a site for debate, an opportunity for each moral position in society to be heard and to solicit adherents. An Irawati Karve can see in Bhishma an egoistical, old man who, never having fought a war, still accepts the generalship of an army at a ripe age extending into the eighties, a measure of his narcissism. The Jain Ramayana has Laxman, instead of Ram, killing Ravan because that was the only way for them to reconcile the central Jain doctrine of Ahimsa and still valorise the Maryada Purusha. It is only an ethical text which allows for an A.K. Ramanujan’s 300 Ramayanas, suggesting that the story is alive in the country as people and places interpolate into the text their own aspirations and values. Individuals and social groups, of all ages, have drawn from the epics to fight their moral
and political battles. This is what makes the epics so relevant to contemporary India. Today we need new interpretations to fight our political battles. The epics today need to be contemporanised. An ethical text is the organic fertiliser of a society. Being fully openended, it delights, beckons, and recaptures the deracinated Indian from the lure of the ideological camp. While it generates passion, it also respects diversity of interpretation. It represents life but, in contrast to life’s chaos, also offers options. An ethical text is a living text. India is fortunate to be the land of several epics such as Silappatikaram in Tamil or Palnati Virula katha in Telugu and so on. I am not saying something very new here but only presenting, in a binary way, the contrast between an ethical and an ideological text so that we can fight our current politics. Because the Indian tradition has always seen the epics as ethical texts, in contrast to the political trend today, we have great commentaries such as that of V.S. Sukthankar. The sophisticated elaboration by Mehendale on the rules of war and the consequences in terms of punishment of their violation, in his wonderfully slim book Reflections on the Mahabharata war, is another illustration of the Indian tradition of diverse interpretations. Critical commentaries, dissent, alternative readings are merely different forks in the road as we explore our national cultural heritage. Unfortunately today, with the rise of cultural vigilantes, these great epics are being converted into ideo-
logical texts. Because they receive tacit support from the powers that control the state, they attempt to push everyone onto the highway and away from the byways of Indian society. It bears repeating here that the National Highway is good for the movement of goods and traffic, for practical and efficiency purposes, but not for cultural journeys for which it is the byways that matter. They nurture the richness of our cultural life. It is through the byways that we will discover the cultural ecosystems that local communities have created through complex negotiations with each other.
Isn’t this anti-national? The smell of the mahua tree, for example, means a great deal in central India but has little significance in coastal India where the smell of fish is more exciting. Unless of course the rishi Parashar aroused by Satyavati replaced her fish smell of matsyagandha with the heavenly smell of making coastal yojanagandha, people like me to think this to be a parochial tale. Such playful stories can only be told when the epic is an ethical text. The cultural vigilantes have created a climate of anxiety which the people in control of the state have done little to diminish, for it pays them political dividends. Do they not realise that while they may gain the country, they will lose a civilisation? Do they not realise how anti-national this is? Peter Ronald deSouza is Professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Studies. Views are personal
The Budget session of Parliament that concluded on Wednesday was an eventful one. Lok Sabha clocked in 108% of the originally scheduled hours, while Rajya Sabha did 86%. The Budget dates were advanced to enable the discussion and passing before the beginning of the financial year. Several important Bills were passed. However, there were several instances when Parliament failed to perform its role in scrutinising Bills before passing them. This Session, 20 Bills were introduced, and to date none of these have been referred to standing committees of Parliament; one Bill — the constitutional amendment to create a national commission for backward classes — was passed by Lok Sabha and then referred by Rajya Sabha to a select committee. In the last three years, just 29% of Bills have been referred to parliamentary committees. This is in contrast to the 60% and 71% of bills examined by committees in the 14th and 15th Lok Sabhas, respectively. The important contribution of committees is evident in the progress of the Bills referred to them. The Mental Healthcare Bill passed this session and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill passed by Lok Sabha this week incorporated most of the changes recommended by the committees.
Some problematic Bills Three Bills passed by Parliament may face constitutional challenges. The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Bill follows up on the demonetisation exercise. It provides a limited time period for citizens who were abroad between November 9 and December 30 to exchange their notes. Indian residents could do that until the end of March 2017, and NRIs till June. The Bill also made it an offence to hold more than 10 pieces of the old notes (25 for research or numismatic purposes). This Bill raises two significant constitutional issues. First, the notification of November 8 that denotified the notes allowed time till December 30 for depositing these, and said that any person unable to do so would be given further time to deposit them at specified RBI branches. On December 30, an ordinance was issued (the Bill is identical to the ordinance) that provided further time only to citizens who were abroad till that date. This is akin to expropriation of property without any compensation and may violate Article 300A of the Constitution. Also, if holding the notes is made a criminal offence on December 30,
and a person having them that day cannot deposit or exchange them, then this is effectively making an action an offence with retrospective effect and may be seen as a violation of a fundamental right. The second Bill is the Finance Bill. Other than amending tax rates, it allowed the process of appointment, removal and service conditions of members of appellate tribunals to be determined by rules. That is, the terms of engagement of quasi-judicial bodies will be determined by the Central government by notification instead of being specified in the Act. This provision may contravene several judgments that lay out the independence of the judiciary as a basic feature of the Constitution. Another provision of the Finance Bill permits income tax officers to refuse to disclose to any court or tribunal the information that formed the basis for a raid; this may contravene the principle of judicial review of executive action. The third Bill is the Enemy Property Bill which vests the rights over enemy property with the Central government. This amendment has been made with retrospective effect (going back four decades), and will affect all property that may have been sold (and resold) since then. The Bill also bars any court from hearing cases related to enemy property. These provisions may not adhere to principles of due process and judicial review.
Taxation Laws Bill The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, that was introduced in Lok Sabha and passed within a week, too raises some concern. It makes several amendments related to the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax. In addition, it adds a section to the Customs Act, which requires various authorities to disclose to the customs officer any information required. The question is whether Lok Sabha examined the appropriateness of giving such powers to the customs officer. Except the Enemy Property Bill, the other three were not referred to committees and were passed as Money Bills. The Enemy Property Bill was examined by a select committee of Rajya Sabha, and a note of dissent signed by six of its 23 members pointed out constitutional issues, but the suggested changes were not incorporated by Parliament while passing it. The key lesson is the importance of detailed scrutiny by Parliament. Perhaps, it may be advisable to move to a system like that of the British Parliament where every Bill goes through the committee stage in each House. That may take more time to pass a Bill but will ensure that there is adequate deliberation by parliamentarians before they pass a Bill. M.R. Madhavan is the President and co-founder of PRS Legislative Research
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Remember them at their best
FIFTY YEARS AGO APRIL 13, 1967
First Nehru award to Thant President Radhakrishnan to-day [April 12] presented the first Jawaharlal Nehru Award to the U.N. Secretary-General, U Thant, for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of international understanding and friendship among peoples of the world before a distinguished gathering at an impressive ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan here [New Delhi]. The President said the U.N. Secretary-General had made ceaseless efforts to end the senseless slaughter of innocent men, women and children in Viet Nam. U Thant’s plan for peace in Viet Nam conformed to world opinion and “we hope that it may be possible to implement the scheme of U Thant with any small modifications if necessary.” Dr. Radhakrishnan said U Thant being a true Buddhist aimed at peace without victory or defeat for either side but with reconciliation. Dr. Radhakrishnan said U Thant was a great servant of peace and understanding and paid a special tribute to Buddhist humanism, to which U Thant subscribed, as expressive of “the universality of all mankind”.
The melancholia of watching our idols past their prime Abdus Salam
R. SHIVAJI RAO
Months before he passed away in July 2012, Rajesh Khanna managed a rare self-deprecatory turn in a lifetime of ego trips. In what was apparently the irst time he was appearing in a commercial (he’d done print ads in his heyday), and what was also claimed to be the irst time he was turning out in a tuxedo on camera, he decided to laugh at himself, insisting no one could take away his legion of fans from him, as the camera panned to a stadium-full of rotating blades. Perhaps it was his last sally at overturning years of oblivion for ‘Kaka’, as his legion of real fans called him, and the ad sure made a splash, especially after it proved to be his last celluloid ofering. The abiding memory of it, however, is one of pathos, of being forced to see the shrivelled caricature of a man slipping away on account of terminal liver cancer. The gaunt face, the sunken eyes and the broken voice were a far cry from the splendid jawline, the impish eyes and the rich baritone of the romantic hero who became India’s irst superstar and introduced a whole generation of girls to the art of writing letters in blood and kissing car bonnets.
Keeping the personal personal While the jury is still out on whether the makers of the ad ilm ‘used’ a dying Kaka and if the ad itself was disparaging to his legacy, fact is that the actor willingly partook in the project. Such informed consent doesn’t seem to have been the case with his peer and ailing yesteryear star Vinod Khanna as social media went hysterical with an image of him in hospital clothes last week. Flanked by his wife and son, Khanna looked virtually unrecognisable in his frail arms, scraggly grey stubble and barely open eyes. It led to feverish speculation about him suffering from bladder cancer, even as the hospital’s oicial version had it that he was admitted for extreme dehydration. Khanna is much better now, his family has subsequently reported, but this image of him as a pale shadow of the man who was too good-looking to keep playing villain will remain etched in the mind, much like that of an Amitabh Bachchan outside a Delhi hospital a few years ago inside an SUV, slouching from abdominal pain. That the personal is anything but personal for celebrities and those in the public sphere is a truism, but intrusions into one’s private life vis-à-vis relationships is one thing, peering into one’s litany of ailments and outing pictures of the ravages of time quite another. Khanna is a sitting Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur, and his health is of consequence to his constituents, but he should have had the agency to inform them at a time of his choosing. Unless non-disclosure is outright detrimental to public interest, it’s best to let people be during their convalescence or slow march into the sunset. That is the reason why we haven’t seen and heard much of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and George Fernandes these past few years. We remember them at their best. CM YK
ARCHIVES
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO APRIL 13, 1917
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CONCEPTUAL
FAQ
Freudian slip
All about bitcoins
Psychology In The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, Sigmund Freud postulated that the slips or mistakes people make in spoken or written language could be on account of repressed impulses and intentions, often sexual in nature. Thus, failure of memory, mismatch of words, and bungled action are not accidental; they reveal a lot about a person’s unconscious thoughts. Although extremely popular as a concept, the Freudian slip has been criticised on several counts. Sebastiano Timpanaro, for instance, argued that many of the slips referred to by Freud could be a result of ‘banalisation’: a ‘wrong’ more familiar word is spoken, read, or transcribed instead of a ‘correct’ less familiar one. CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
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Playback singer Iman Chakraborty after winning a National Award http://bit.ly/2o6awqr
How to buy, send and invest in the digital currency K. Bharat Kumar How do people use bitcoins? It is an electronic
or digital currency that works on a peer-to-peer basis. This means that it is decentralised and has no central authority controlling it. Like currency notes, it can be sent from one person to another, but without a central bank or the government attempting to track it. The system depends on cryptography to control the creation of the currency. While no one authority controls the generation of the coins or tracks them, the system itself is designed in such a way that the network maintains a foolproof system of the record of every transaction as well as tracking issuance of the currency. Who can you send bitcoins to? You can send bitcoins
digitally to anyone who has a bitcoin address anywhere in the globe. One person could have multiple addresses for different purposes – personal,
business and the like. Receivers can get to spend them within minutes of receiving the coins. Once given away, like currency, there is no getting them back, unless the receiver decides to give them to you. A bitcoin is not printed currency but is a non-repudiable record of every transaction that it has been through. All this is part of a huge ledger called the blockchain. Where do you get bitcoins?
Bitcoins are available in bitcoin exchanges. You could also purchase bitcoins from other users. A bitcoin exchange traded fund could be another source in the near future. You can become a bitcoin miner by investing in software and hardware. More the power of the hardware that helps with encryption technology, higher the probability of your earning bitcoins. Unocoin is a Bengalurubased company that allows users to buy, sell, store or use bitcoins. While bitcoin
usage is certainly not mainstream, there are said to be more than 500 merchants who accept bitcoins for payment in India. What is the value of one bitcoin today? One bitcoin
is worth roughly about $1,200 now. An early investor in Snapchat has been quoted on the Web as saying that by 2030, the value could be as high as $500,000. One of the reasons that could prompt you to buy a bitcoin today is not so much to use it for payment online but as an investment. Urban legend has it that someone who was doing a thesis on cryptocurrency bought 5000 bitcoins for $27 in 2009. Do the math for the value today! And unlike traditional currency that is inflationary in nature, the bitcoin is a deflationary currency. In other words, if there are only so many bitcoins in use, and the demand for those rises, the value of a bitcoin would, logically, rise.
The Freedom of Edinburgh was conferred upon Sir R. Borden, General Smuts and the Maharajah of Bikanir to-day, the Lord Provost presiding at the great assembly of citizens in the Usher Hall. In his speech, Sir R. Borden said he and his fellow delegates had come to sit at the great council board of the nation to discuss vital questions of common concern. One of the delegates was an Indian Prince invested with splendid traditions of race and ancestry and united to the British Crown by ties of fealty and devotion which were never more strikingly manifested than during the past three years. Another was the distinguished soldier-statesman who had served the Empire splendidly for many years in both capacities although he had previously fought against us to the best of his great ability. To-day he and General Botha were the great assets to the Empire and to the world. The fact that his and General Smut’s conceptions regarding future constitutional relations were substantially the same in spite of widely differing conditions of upbringing was evidence of the broad foundation of liberty, justice, autonomy and unity on which the British Empire stood secure. CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
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NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017
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FROM PAGE ONE
Petrol, diesel prices to be ixed daily Rates differ by only a few paise between pumps of the three state fuel retailers.
Unbranded petrol Unbranded petrol at IOC pumps in Delhi costs ₹66.29 per litre, while the same at BPCL pumps in the city is priced at ₹66.37 a litre. HPCL pumps sell for ₹66.48 per litre. Unbranded diesel at IOC pumps in Delhi costs ₹55.61, ₹55.66 at BPCL outlets and ₹55.69 a litre at HPCL pumps. With daily changes, which are unlikely to be more than a few paise per litre, the political pressures for not revising rates particularly when they are to be hiked will go, sources said. Last revision Petrol price was last revised downward by ₹3.77 a litre on April 1, and diesel rates were cut by ₹2.91. This was
Petrol, diesel prices in a particular market will be the same.
the first revision in two-andhalf-months as oil firms did not change prices during the Assembly elections in five States, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Mr. Ashok said prices of petrol and diesel in a particular market (city or town) will be the same. “By and large, in a particular market it should be the same, though, there might be marginal difference from pump to pump,” he said.
‘Bounty’ for Mamata’s head raises a storm BJYM leader Yogesh Varshney’s call receives lak from Opposition parties
Group disowns youth leader
Special Correspondent New Delhi
Opposition members in Parliament expressed serious concern over a BJP youth wing leader announcing a ₹11-lakh bounty for anyone who “beheads” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with the Centre saying the State government was “free to take legal action” against him. Yogesh Varshney of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha made the controversial remark after the West Bengal police used batons to disperse a rally raising slogans in praise of Lord Rama on Hanuman Jayanti. Trinamool member Sukhendu Sekhar raised the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: “I strongly condemn such statements. The State government is free to take appropriate legal action on this issue.”
More slander better for me: Bengal CM
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Special Correspondent KOLKATA
Taking it head-on: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a programme in Murshidabad on Wednesday. Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien said the State government can register an FIR and take action. He added there was no need for further discussion on it as the Minister had condemned the statement.
Mayawati tells BJP to act BSP chief Mayawati demanded that the BJP take action against the individual rather
The BJYM has disowned its leader Yogesh Varshney, who announced a ₹11 lakh bounty on Mamata Banerjee’s head. “The BJYM urges the administration to take action against him as per law,” it said, adding he was expelled from the party two years ago. *
PTI
than just condemning the statement. Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan said, “You can protect cows, and women are facing atrocities. How dare somebody talk like this, especially against a woman?... Is this the way they are going to protect the women of this country?” In the Lok Sabha, members condemned the state-
ment, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar expressing his displeasure. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said everyone must condemn such statements. Trinamool member Saugata Roy said: “Mamata Banerjee is not only a Chief Minister but a former member of this House too. It is a serious and alarming behaviour.” (With PTI inputs)
The more they try to slander me, the better it turns out for me, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday. The remarks by the Chief Minister came on a day an activist associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) youth wing from Aligarh created a political furore by offering a bounty on the Trinamool Congress chairperson’s head. While the Trinamool leadership demanded immediate arrest of the BJP youth leader, Ms. Banerjee did not make any direct reference to the controversy. “For all the abuses they
shower, I will not retaliate in their language,” Ms. Banerjee said while addressing a rally at Murshidabad district. Cautioning people against getting swayed by rumours being floated on social media to incite communal violence, the Chief Minister said her government would not allow riots to break out. Referring to to the armed Ram Navami rallies in various districts, she said, “Our mothers and sisters take part in sindur khela (a custom where married Hindu women smear one another with vermillion). This is the culture of Bengal, not the sword fights which some gentlemen have imported from Delhi.”
When India came to the aid of Pak. Country living in fear: Opposition Indian Coast Guard releases details of mid-sea rescue operation of Gujarat coast Special Correspondent AHMEDABAD
Two days after it rescued two naval commandos of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) following a mid-sea collision off the Gujarat coast, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) released details of the operation it undertook. In the collision, three commandos died while one went missing and two were rescued by Gujarat fishermen and the Coast Guard, which also provided primary treatment to the naval commandos in ICG ships.
Message from PMSA According to details shared by the ICG, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai received a message from the PMSA headquarters seeking assistance for one speed boat along with six
TV channel chief booked for communal remark
Helping hands: Coast Guard personnel treating Pakistani naval commandos early on Monday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *
crew, which went missing while on a routine patrol off the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The reported position of the boat that went missing
was four nautical miles inside Pakistan waters. Immediately after receiving the message, ICG ships ICGS Ankit, ICGS Samrat and ICGS Arinjay were pressed
into service along with one ICG Dornier and an advanced light helicopter. “In addition, Pakistan deployed two Naval ships, one PMSA ship, one fixed wing aircraft and one ship-borne helicopter for the search operation within Pakistan waters,” the ICG release stated. On April 10, a fishing trawler informed the ICG of the rescue of two survivors suspected to be Pakistani nationals. Marine commandos of the Coast Guard took custody of the two Pakistani nationals and provided them treatment before handing them over to the PMSA. “Subsequent search yielded the bodies of four crew members. The two survivors and four bodies have been handed over to the Pakistan Naval ship, which was operating across the IMBL,” the release stated.
Special Correspondent New Delhi
A delegation of various Opposition parties led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi met President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday to express concern over a number of issues ranging from the rise of vigilante groups, the undermining of institutions and the passage of key and farreaching legislation in the form of money Bills. “(A) matter of grave concern is the prevailing environment of fear and insecurity in the country. Triggering false debates, manufacturing post-truths, orchestrating an inflammatory narrative on nationalism and exploiting religious sentiments, muzzling dissent and threats of violence to the citizens, are vitiating the environment
U.P. freezes ‘Samajwadi’ pension scheme
‘Sita’s place of birth a matter of faith’
Probe ordered to check eligibility of beneiciaries
Press Trust of India
Special Correspondent LUCKNOW
Special Correspondent
The Editor-in-Chief of Hindi channel Sudarshan News, Suresh Chavhanke, has been booked on charges of allegedly hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity between religious groups. The Uttar Pradesh police registered a case against Mr. Chavhanke, also the managing director of the company, after his channel telecast a programme in which he allegedly made several comments that could disturb communal harmony. Through the website of the channel, Mr. Chavhanke has been appealing to Hindus to reach Sambhal, a communallysensitive district in western U.P., to stake claim over a mosque that he says was once a Hindu temple, the Hari Mandir. Mr. Chavhanke has been booked under Sections 153 A(1) (promoting disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different groups), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 505 (1)B (intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the state or against public tranquillity) of the Indian Penal Code. Section 16 of the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act, 1955, was also invoked in the FIR, a statement by the U.P. police said. The case was registered at the Kotwali police station in Sambhal. The police took the action after the matter was raised by citizens of different communities.
LUCKNOW
CM YK
Alleges exploitation of religious sentiments and muzzling of dissent
Days after ordering a judicial probe into the Gomti River Front, the Yogi Adityanathled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is now going after another flagship scheme launched by the previous Akhilesh Yadav government, the Samajwadi Pension Scheme. The Chief Minister has not only ordered a probe to find out if those receiving benefits under the pension scheme are eligible but also scrapped the word Samajwadi from its name. The scheme has been put on hold till the identity of the beneficiaries is verified.
The scheme has over 50 lakh beneficiaries. The CM has ordered that the scheme be renamed as the Mukhyamantri Pension Yojana or the Chief Minister Pension Scheme. The probe into the scheme is to be completed within a month, a government spokesperson said. Mr. Adityanath took the decisions during a review meeting of the Social Welfare Department late on Tuesday. “It must be found out if the people who were availing the benefits of the scheme were its legal beneficiaries. Only those eligible should avail the benefit of this scheme,” a spokesper-
Opposition denying OBCs their rights: PM Accuses it of playing negative politics Special Correspondent NEW DELHI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Opposition parties on Wednesday of denying backward castes their rights by blocking the passage of a bill, which accords constitutional status to the backward classes commission, in the Rajya Sabha. At an interaction with Other Backward Class (OBC) MPs from his party who had gathered to felicitate him for bringing the bill and getting it through the Lok Sabha, Mr. Modi expressed surprise at the stand of the Opposition as members of all parties had been urging him to bring the legislation. “The bill was passed unanimously in the Lok Sabha but blocked in the Rajya Sabha. Denying the back-
ward sections their rights with such negative politics is regrettable,” the Prime Minister said. He also asked the BJP’s OBC MPs to reach out to their counterparts in other parties and convince them to support the legislation. The Rajya Sabha had on Tuesday referred the Constitution (123rd) Amendment Bill, 2017, [which was passed as the Constitution 102nd Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday] to a Select Committee. This was done under pressure from the Opposition which felt that the bill encroached upon the rights of the States to include names of communities in the Central OBC, as it now handed that power to Parliament. The NDA does not have a majority in the Upper House.
son quoted Mr. Adityanath as saying. He has also directed officials to link the State’s welfare schemes to the those of the Centre, saying it would ensure that funds are never short and work is undertaken in an effective and smooth manner. The scheme, started by Akhilesh Yadav in 2014, provides a pension of ₹500 to families falling under the BPL. During the meeting, Mr. Adityanath also directed officials to review the doubling of the ₹500 amount each in the divyang, widow and oldage pension schemes and present it before the Cabinet.
United front: Leaders of Opposition parties coming out of Rashtrapati Bhavan after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday. V. SUDERSHAN *
and jeopardising peace,” said the memorandum the parties submitted.
‘Threat to rule of law’ The parties complained of a ‘threat’ to the rule of law. “In a democracy, where rule of law must always prevail, lumpen elements masquer-
ading as vigilantes, moral police, gau rakshaks and antiromeo squads to further a narrow agenda, have created an environment of harassment, violence and mob lynching of citizens, unacceptable in a democracy...” It also expressed concern over the alleged tampering
Budget session ends with passage of key Bills Parliament had 29 sittings altogether
New Delhi
Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma on Wednesday came under Opposition fire in the Rajya Sabha for a written reply to a question, in which he said the birthplace of Sita was “a matter of faith.” Congress leader Digvijay Singh said the Minister, in his reply, meant to say that there was no proof about Sita’s birthplace even though he had reached the present position by using the name of Ram temple and Ram Setu. Mr. Singh asked the Minister to apologise. Mr. Sharma, however, defended his written reply, claiming there was no question mark over the birthplace of Sita.
NEW DELHI
The Budget session of Parliament came to an end on Wednesday after the approval of four GST bills and other legislations, besides the Budget and the demands for grants of various Ministries. The two-part session, advanced this time, began on January 31 with the President’s address to a joint sitting of both Houses. Also, for the first time, the Railway Budget was merged with the General Budget. The session also saw government statements on the death sentence awarded to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav by a Pakistani milit-
ary court on the charges of spying. Altogether, there were 29 sittings, with the Lok Sabha working for 176 hours and 39 minutes and the Rajya Sabha for a little over 136 hours. The Lok Sabha lost eight hours and 12 minutes to disruptions. The Upper House lost 13 hours. The Lok Sabha passed The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, the Enemy Property Bill, the Mental healthcare Bill, Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2016 and the 123rd Constitution Amendment Bill (to grant constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes), among others.
MPs’ panel says there are frequent ceaseire violations Parliamentary panel on home affairs has said that after the 1971-Pakistan war, the country’s borders had never been as vulnerable as it is now. The persistent ceasefire violations along the Pakistan border are affecting the border population and today the “country seems to have internal refugees and internal migrants.” The panel headed by Congress leader P. Chidambaram said the government should revive the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), a project conceived by the UPA government in 2012 and vehemently opposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was the Gujarat Chief Minister then.
P. Chidambaram
“After the 1971 war, the present is the most vulnerable period for the borders of the country,” the report said.
Many casualties “There have been a large number of ceasefire violations and several jawans and civilians have been killed.
Press Trust of India
According to some reports, more than a hundred ceasefire violations took place within a span of two months in 2016 and the year 2016 can be considered one of the most vulnerable periods. The government should find a way to prevent the frequent and persistent violations of ceasefire, including use of diplomatic channels. Ultimately, the answer lies in diplomacy. During ceasefire violations, the worst sufferers are the people living in the border villages. The question is where will they go and where will they earn their living? The country today appears to have internal refugees and internal migrants,” the report said. The report said there was a significant spurt in ceasefire violations in 2016.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Wednesday that if the EVMs were tampered with, he would not have been in power, contradicting the stand of his Congress party that the machines were not infallible. “If EVMs were fixed, then I wouldn’t be sitting here. The Akalis would,” he said. Amarinder is the second senior Congress leader after former Law Minister Veerappa Moily too stood up in defence of the EVMs, amid the Congress allegation of tampering of the machines. The party has demanded that they be replaced with ballot paper system.
Haryana suspends 120 roadways employees Press Trust of India Chandigarh
New Delhi
Amarinder defends EVMs New Delhi
Special Correspondent
‘Borders have never been so vulnerable since 1971 war’ Vijaita Singh
of Electronic Voting Machines and top appointments in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and Nalanda University. Apart from Congress, the memorandum was signed by leaders from NCP, BSP, SP, CPI(M), CPI, JD(U) and DMK, among others.
The indefinite strike of Haryana Roadways employees entered its third day on Wednesday with public buses remaining off road causing inconvenience to a large number of people. Cracking the whip, the State government placed 120 staff of Haryana Roadways under suspension for al-
legedly “instigating other employees and misleading them”. “Services of 120 employees of the State Roadways have been placed under suspension as they were instigating other employees and misleading them,” Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) S. S. Dhillon said here this evening.
A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
NEWS 11
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IN BRIEF
INTERVIEW | RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD
‘Aadhaar robust; the poor have no complaints about it’ Minister says the Centre is enforcing UID under a proper mandate of law, with due regard to privacy and conidentiality Nistula Hebbar
Parrikar backs ban on late-night parties PANAJI
A couple of days after a Minister demanded a ban on late-night parties, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said here on Wednesday that any activity not permitted by the law would not be allowed. “There is a legal ban on holding parties after 10 p.m. The ban has been upheld by the State government. There is no controversy about it,” the Chief Minister told presspersons. PTI
69.4% voter turnout in Sikkim by-poll GANGTOK
The by-election to the Upper Burtuk Assembly constituency in Sikkim ended peacefully with 69.4% voter turnout, the Election Commission officials said. The by-poll was necessitated following the disqualification of sitting MLA Prem Singh Tamang (Goley), who was accused of misappropriation of funds during his tenure as the State Animal Husbandry Minister in 1996-97. PTI
Union Minister for Law and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad tells The Hindu that nobody is being denied any benefit for not having Aadhaar and fears on that count are misplaced. Why is Aadhaar being made compulsory for availing benefits when there is no legal compulsion for it? ■ Let me clarify. Under Section 7 of the Act, no poor person shall be denied the benefit of subsidy at all. The only thing is that the person either should have an Aadhaar or should have applied for one; also, alternative means of identification will be available and acceptable through which the person can access all benefits. So nobody is being denied any benefit that might accrue to them. The poor are not complaining as they are getting benefits by direct benefits transfer in their bank accounts. The government has saved ₹49,000 crore under various schemes by plugging leakages. There are 113 crore Aadhaar enrolments out of a population of 125 crore; 83.7 crore adults are enrolled,
43.5 crore bank accounts have been opened, 16.97 crore LPG connections and 71.51 crore ration cards have been done using the system. The use of Aadhaar is transformative for good governance and it is a robust system. The second part of the answer is: Can we deny that fake bank accounts are not being set up, that money laundering is not taking place earlier? What is important is that there is a digital identity kept under safe and secure conditions and this will verify identity, prevent leakages, and end duplication. What is the need for other services to link to Aadhaar? Like banks and for filing tax returns?
Do you have a voter identity card, a passport? You have no problem with these marks of identity, but you have a problem with ■
Aadhaar. What does Aadhaar contain? Under Section 2( j), one is core biometric, that is iris and fingerprint. Second is demographic information: name, date of birth, and address, but shall not include race, religion, caste, tribe, ethnicity, language, income or medical history. It is minimum information, optimal utilisation. Under Section 29 (2), no core biometric information under this Act shall be shared with anyone for any reason whatsoever; my information cannot be shared even with my consent. The identity related information collected under this Act can only be shared as specified by the Act and its regulations. The regulation clearly enjoins that you will only use for the purpose you are collecting it for. The Aadhaar system is completely insulated for the purpose for which the information is sought. For instance, we have 113 crore Aadhaar numbers, they just confirm the identity. The Aadhaar system does not know the purpose for which it is being sought. The requisitioning authority will only use it for this purpose, it is completely
information can’t < > My be shared even with my consent ... Till date, there has been no data leakage encrypted, and if anyone uses it for unauthorised purposes, they can be punished for three years, and if a company violates this law, ₹10 lakh in compensation is to be awarded to the aggrieved. Till date, there is no leakage of data from the system. We have blacklisted 34,000 agencies till now. Again, what is the need for linking Aadhaar with PAN cards or tax returns?
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in his budget speech that out of a population of 125 crore, only 1.72 lakh file returns above ₹50 lakh, and
■
shockingly only 25 lakh people show their income above ₹10 lakh. If the country has to grow, more people will have to come into the tax net. This linkage, therefore, will help in weeding out double-triple accounts, and combating money laundering. It is, therefore, good governance in an atmosphere of improving fiscals. There are fears that operators doing the enrolments can leak data. ■ Operators are selected by a strict process, with the registrar of the State governments, the Centre and municipalities being involved. Operators have to first put in their own biometric to operate the system every time and the whole process is robust in terms of safety features. If anyone tries to fiddle with it, the system can help trace any attempts to tamper.
There are also fears of a burgeoning of a surveillance state.
Disclosure of information cannot be done for any
■
reason other than national security. In that case, a joint secretary-level officer of the government of India specially designated for this purpose, shall record in writing the reasons for this. A highlevel committee consisting of the Cabinet Secretary, the Secretaries of the Ministry of Law and the Information Technology Secretary will go into any oversight. And it is also open to legal challenge before a district judge, and no order shall be issued without a hearing. This is tougher than the Supreme Court’s certified guidelines on tracking of phone calls given out in 1995. Core digital biometric information cannot be disclosed even by the person who owns it. General biometric information cannot be disclosed except for the purposes authorised, and those who do so are liable for prosecution. I know of cases where the police sought biometric information on certain people suspected to be involved in certain crimes and the UIDAI refused. Therefore, a very robust architecture for privacy is there in the system.
There is puzzlement over this government’s advocacy of Aadhaar after it opposed it when the previous government had gone ahead. ■ The previous government was enforcing Aadhaar by an executive order, which was one of the challenges before the Supreme Court, while we are doing this under a proper mandate of law with due regard to privacy and confidentiality. There is a United Nations report on Enabling Digital Identity that states that the Aadhaar system helped India save fuel subsidy of over $1 billion.
But the Comptroller and Auditor-General’s report says it was due to falling fuel prices and not Aadhaar. ■ I have responded to this in Parliament. A proper press statement was put out by the Petroleum Ministry that they surveyed 3 crore fake gas connections because of Aadhaar linkages. After DBT, the clamour for non-subsidised connections rose by 39%.
Many options to save Open-ended warrant issued against Mallya Jadhav from gallows
Case relates to a FERA violation of 1995; Enforcement Directorate said earlier warrant not executed
Nirnimesh Kumar NEW DELHI
Experts suggest that India should not rush into negotiations have suggested that Lt. Col. Muhammad Habib Zahir, a former ISI official, who reportedly conducted anti-India activities on the IndiaNepal border, was arrested by India some time ago.
Kallol Bhattacherjee NEW DELHI
India should not rush into negotiations with Pakistan to free the former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been awarded the death sentence by Pakistan, veteran diplomats said on Wednesday. They said India had several bilateral and multilateral options to free Mr. Jadhav, who was accused of sabotage and tried in a military court. “One option before India is to ask [U.S.] President Trump to prevail upon the Pakistan military to release Mr. Jadhav. It is highly unlikely that any request to shift Mr. Jadhav to a civil court would work,” said Chinmaya Gharekhan, who has worked in conflict situations and had been a special envoy of the government. Mr. Gharekhan said Mr.
Kulbhushan Jadhav Jadhav’s case was unique in the history of India-Pakistan hostility and was reminiscent of a Cold War spy drama. “The other option is to exchange Mr. Jadhav with a Pakistani intelligence official, who, according to some reports, was captured by the Indian agencies from IndiaNepal border. If the report of arrest of the Pakistani official is correct, then the government may consider exchanging him with Mr. Jadhav,” said Mr. Gharekhan. Reports
Peculiar case Some diplomats have recommended that India should not hurry in responding to this move by Pakistan as the case is peculiar. “What makes this case particularly peculiar is that a foreign national has been court-martialled and the grounds on which he was court-martialled is not at all clear,” said TCA Raghavan, former High Commissioner of India to Islamabad. Diplomats said that India woud have to deliberate upon what kind of response would be befitting if Pakistan executed Mr. Jadhav.
India, U.K. framework to guide technology transfer Pact can help sell high-tech products to third countries Dinakar Peri NEW DELHI
To expand the cooperation between India and the U.K. on sharing of advanced technology, the two countries are discussing ways to devise a government-to-government framework to facilitate transfer of such technology, said visiting U.K. Secretary of State for Defence Sir Michael Fallon on Wednesday. “We have our exports controls, licensing system and I know that 99% of the license applications are granted. We hope to facilitate the transfer through a
Michael Fallon
government-to-government framework…,” he said at the India-U.K. strategic dialogue organised by the Observer Research Foundation and the U.K. High Commission.
This is in line with the understanding reached between PM Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May during her visit to India in November last year. This will be discussed under the Defence and International Security Partnership (DISP) agreed between the two countries in 2015 and will be taken up by the Defence Consultative Group (DCG). He said the U.K. sees India as a launch pad for British firms where “we can develop high-tech capabilities and sell them to third countries…”
A Delhi court on Wednesday issued an open-ended nonbailable warrant against businessman Vijay Mallya in a FERA (Foreign Exchange Regulation Act) violation case of 1995. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass issued the warrant after the Enforce-
ment Directorate (ED) submitted that the non-bailable warrant issued earlier had not been executed and, therefore, it required more time for that. The court had in December 2000 exempted Mallya from personal appearance in the case. However, it had modified the order in July last year on an application
by the ED and asked Mallya to appear before it in person. The passport authority had revoked his passport in April last year. Mallya has been staying in London as a Permanent Resident for nearly three decades. The case is related to Mallya’s non-appearance before the ED despite issuance of four summons between 1999
and 2000 for investigation into the charges of allegedly entering into an agreement with London-based company Messrs Benetton Formula Limited in 1995 for advertisement of the Kingfisher brand on racing cars in the Formula-I World Championship in 1996, 1997 and 1998 without taking prior permission of the Reserve Bank of
India. As Mallya failed to appear in response to the summons, the ED had filed a complaint against him in the court of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in the Patiala House courts here in 2000. The court had later summoned him and framed the charges against him in 2001.
U.S. can play key role on Kashmir: Pak. Press Trust of India Islamabad
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that America can play a “very critical role” in resolving the Kashmir issueas he hoped to see proactive engagement by the Trump administration on the issue. “With regards to Kashmir, America can play a very critical role, which it has not done,” Mr. Sharif was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan. He said that the world, including the US, was well aware of the danger the dispute posed to world peace and to the stability in the region. “We wish to see progress towards the resolution of the Kashmir dispute, which is the biggest hurdle in the way of peace and development in the region,” he said. Referring to the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council on Kashmir, Mr. Sharif said that the UNSC must also ensure the implementation of its resolutions as failure to do so is already raising questions about its credibility. Earlier, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley had said the US would try to deescalate Indo-Pak tensions.
Centre iles curative plea on AFSPA SC order a fetter on security forces involved in anti-militancy operations: A-G Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI
The government on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to urgently reconsider its July 2016 verdict which ripped open the cloak of immunity and secrecy provided by the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 (AFSPA) to security forces for deaths caused during encounters in disturbed areas. The Supreme Court had held that “there is no concept of absolute immunity from trial by a criminal court” if an Army man CM YK
has committed an offence. The judgment by a Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur had held that every death caused by security forces in a disturbed area, even if the victim was a dreaded criminal or a militant or a terrorist or an insurgent, should be thoroughly inquired into to address any allegation of use of excessive or retaliatory force.
A-G’s stance Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi on Wednesday appeared before a Bench led by
Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar during the mentioning hour, and apprised the court that the judgment had become a fetter on security forces involved in anti-militancy operations.
“This court ought to have appreciated that the principles of right to self-defence cannot be strictly applied while dealing with militants and terrorist elements in a hostile and unstable terrain. This court ought to have taken into account the complexity and the reality of the conduct of military operations and tactics, especially while combating terrorists,” the curative petition said. The judgment came on a plea by hundreds of families in Manipur for a probe by Special Ivestigation Team. A ND-ND
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ELSEWHERE
Trust erodes under Trump: Putin Russian leader meets visiting American Secretary Rex Tillerson as Kremlin steps up attack on U.S.
Bangladesh hangs 3 Islamist extremists Sentenced for attack on U.K. envoy
Spicer sorry over Hitler remarks
Reuters Moscow
Hasina backs Islamists over statue controversy DHAKA
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has been accused of “kowtowing” to Islamists after expressing dislike for a controversial statue of “lady justice” that religious radicals want removed from the Supreme Court. They want the statue destroyed and replaced with a Koran. AFP
Five killed in Kabul suicide bombing KABUL
At least ive people were killed on Wednesday when a suicide bomber on foot struck near the Afghan defence ministry in Kabul, oicials said, in an attack that was claimed by the Islamic State group. Three other people were left wounded in the explosion, which occurred when Ministry staf were likely to go home. AFP
United Airlines regrets deplaning incident CHICAGO
United Airlines CEO unequivocally apologised on Tuesday for an incident in which a passenger was dragged of a plane, and promised a thorough review of the airline’s practices. The apology came after a torrent of criticism of the carrier’s action on a light and its initial explanation of it. AFP
Corruption probes hit Brazilian Ministers BRASŢLIA
Brazil’s corruption crisis struck the heart of President Michel Temer’s government on Tuesday with the opening of probes into up to nine ministers and scores of lawmakers. The Supreme Court authorised probes in the already giant “Car Wash” investigation. AFP
Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday trust had eroded between the U.S. and Russia under President Donald Trump, as Moscow delivered an unusually hostile reception to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a face-off over Syria. Any hope in Russia that the Trump administration would herald less confrontational relations has been dashed in the past week after the new U.S. leader fired missiles at Syria to punish Moscow’s ally for its suspected use of poison gas. “One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved but has rather deteriorated,” Mr. Putin said in an interview broadcast on Russian television moments. Mr. Putin doubled down on Russia’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, repeating denials that Mr. Assad’s government was to blame for the gas attack last week. Moments earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov greeted Mr. Tillerson with unusually icy remarks, denouncing the missile strike on Syria as illegal. “I wont hide the fact that we have a lot of questions, taking into account the extremely ambiguous and sometimes contradictory ideas which have been expressed in Washington across the whole spectrum of bilateral and multilateral affairs,” Mr. Lavrov said. Later in the day, Mr. Putin received Mr. Tillerson at the Kremlin along with Mr. Lavrov after the top diplomats held several hours of talks. There was speculation this would not happen due to the tension between the two nations. Russian spokesman did not elaborate on what the three discussed.
Associated Press WASHINGTON
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has apologised for making an “inappropriate and insensitive” comparison to the Holocaust in comments about Syrian President Bashar Assad’s use of chemical weapons remarks that drew rebuke from Jewish groups and critics. He said that he was trying to make a point about Assad’s use of chemical weapons and gas against his people, but “mistakenly made an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust, for which there is no comparison. It was a mistake to do that.”
‘No danger of conlict with Russia’ Mattis says U.S. maintains military and diplomatic communications with Moscow Varghese K. George Washington
Tensions between Russia and the U.S. would not spiral out of control, said U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis, even as both countries continue to exchange barbs on their involvement in the Syrian civil war. Responding to a question about the danger of their antagonistic positions related to Syria spiralling into “a conflict between the two nuclear-powered countries”, Mr. Mattis said during a briefing at the Pentagon: “It will not spiral out of control. As you know, Secretary of State Tillerson is in Moscow. We maintain communications with the Russian milit-
ary and with the diplomatic channels. It will not spiral out of control.” Mr. Mattis reiterated that the U.S. would strike against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria again if it used chemical weapons. Asked how he was so confident that these positions would not escalate into a conflict between the two countries, Mr. Mattis said: “Well, I’m confident the Russians will act in their own best interests, and there’s nothing in their best interests to say they want this situation to go out of control.” Meanwhile, President Donald Trump told a TV channel that the U.S. had no intention to involve more
deeply in the Syrian civil war, indicating that the missile strike was a specific response to the chemical weapons attack on April 4. “We’re not going into Syria,” Mr. Trump said in the interview. “But when I see people using horrible, horrible chemical weapons, which they agreed not to use under the Obama administration, but they violated it,” he said, explaining the strike.
No change in policy Mr. Mattis also emphasised that the strike against the regime does not signal a change in the U.S. policy of viewing the Islamic State as the primary enemy in Syria. “Our military policy in Syria
EU puts Hungary’s Viktor Orban on notice To do a thorough legal assessment of the new Higher Education Act that has sparked protests Sriram Lakshman London
The European Commission on Wednesday expressed concern about Hungary’s amendment to its Higher Education Act as well as its adherence to European Union values at a meeting of the College of Commissioners in Brussels. The College discussed last week’s amendments made to the 2011 National Higher Education Act by Hungary’s Parliament restricting the educational and funding activities of foreign universities in the country. The discussion also included Hungary’s draft law on the funding of NGOs and its treatment of migrants. “We need to quickly complete a thorough legal assessment of its [the law’s] compatibility with free movement of services and
the freedom of establishment,” EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans said of the Higher Education Act, adding that the Commission would consider next steps by April-end.
Targeting CEU The amendments, which were signed into law on Monday by Hungarian President Janos Ader, were championed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbàn and are seen as specifically targeting the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, founded by Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros. The CEU will likely have to shut down given the way the new laws are written. “The amendments are set up to look trivially procedural but in reality they demand actions from the CEU
Viktor Orban
that it cannot deliver and require it to adopt rules that would endanger its academic autonomy,” Abby Innes, a professor at the European Institute of the London School of Economics, told The Hindu. The new rules would require, among other things, the CEU to open a campus in the state of New York as well as reach an
inter-governmental agreement with the U.S. Federal government, even though higher education is a state subject in the U.S., Ms. Innes said. The university, founded in 1991, has some 1,400 students from 130 countries. The new laws have been met with widespread protests in Budapest with some 70,000 people marching on Sunday across the Danube to Parliament. Mr Orbàn, a known critic of the organisations run by Mr. Soros, has taken issue with the CEU issuing diplomas that are recognised both by the U.S. and Hungary. Ironically, Mr Orbàn himself attended Oxford University as a Soros Scholar in 1989. “The CEU has breached no law. It is being specifically targeted in a discriminatory
manner, apparently because it remains an independent and critical institution that goes against the grain of a government that has increasingly sought to establish a monologue of power,” Ms. Innes told The Hindu.
NGO funding The European Commission’s discussions on Wednesday also included concerns about a draft Hungarian law that would require NGOs to declare foreign funding, something that the Commission would be following closely, Mr. Timmermans said. “There can be legitimate public interest reasons for ensuring transparency of funding, but any measures need to be proportionate and must not create undue discrimination within the EU,” he said.
has not changed. Our priority remains the defeat of ISIS. ISIS represents a clear and present danger, an immediate threat to Europe and ultimately, a threat to the United States homeland,” the Secretary of Defence said, adding that the Assad regime “should think long and hard before it again acts so recklessly in violation of international law against the use of chemical weapons.” The President and Mr. Mattis appeared eager to underscore that they had no desire to get more involved in Syria amid conflicting signals from within the administration on the future course of action.
Agence France-Presse Kashimpur
Bangladesh hanged three Islamist extremists, including the leader of a banned militant outfit on Wednesday, after they were sentenced to death over a 2004 grenade attack on the British Ambassador. The authorities hanged Mufti Abdul Hannan, the leader of Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (HuJI), and one of his associates at Kashimpur prison just outside Dhaka and another associate in a jail in the northeastern city of Sylhet, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said. “They were hanged at 10 p.m. (1600 GMT),” he said. The three were sentenced to death in 2008 for the grenade attack four years earlier at a 14th century Sufi shrine in Sylhet, which killed three persons and injured the British High Com-
missioner at the time. Bangladesh’s highest court upheld the death sentence last month, rejecting the final appeals by Hannan and the two associates, Delwar Hossain and Sharif Shahedul Islam.
Pleas rejected They had sought clemency from the Bangladesh President in a last-ditch attempt to commute the execution orders to life sentences, but he rejected their pleas. A madrassa teacher who studied in India and Pakistan, Hannan, 60, fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan before returning to join HuJI, founded for jihadists who fought in that war. Prosecutors said Hannan had headed HuJI since the late 1990s, masterminding attacks on a church and mosques used by Islam’s minority sects.
Ahmadinejad in Iran presidential race Ignores Khamenei’s advice to stay out Associated Press TEHRAN
Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday stunned the country by unexpectedly filing to run in the May presidential election, contradicting a recommendation from the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to stay out of the race.
Firebrand style Ahmadinejad’s firebrand style could prove appealing for hardliners seeking a tough-talking candidate who can stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump. Mr. Ahmadinejad’s de-
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cision could upend an election many believed would be won by moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who negotiated the nuclear deal with world powers. Mr. Ahmadinejad previously served two four-year terms from 2005 to 2013.
Xi calls for ‘peaceful’ North Korea solution
Islamist held in Dortmund blasts case
‘Committed to stability on peninsula’
Agence France-Presse Dortmund
Press Trust of India Beijing
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged Donald Trump to peacefully resolve raging tensions over North Korea’s nuclear programme after the U.S. President warned that Washington would “solve the problem” on its own if Beijing did not rein in its close ally. Mr. Xi spoke over phone to Mr. Trump as a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson churned towards the Korean peninsula, raising regional tensions. He said that China sticks to the target of the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and that China is committed to peace and sta-
bility of the peninsula. China holds that the issue should be solved through peaceful means, said Mr. Xi.
Reining in close ally Mr. Trump has repeatedly called on China to do more to rein in its reclusive neighbour and close ally, which has stepped up its missile development and nuclear programme since 2016. Mr. Xi’s phone call came after Mr. Trump turned to Twitter to vent his frustrations over North Korea’s provocative behaviour. “I explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the United States will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem,” he had tweeted yesterday.
German investigators on Wednesday detained an Islamist suspect over three explosions that rocked Borussia Dortmund’s team bus, prosecutors said, confirming that the probe was examining a possible “terrorist link”. The roadside blasts left Dortmund’s Spanish international Marc Bartra and a policeman injured, with the bombs “containing metal pieces” detonating minutes after the team bus set off to a planned Champions League game against Monaco on Tuesday night. The match was put back to Wednesday as security was ratcheted up around Dortmund and in Munich where Bayern Munich will take on Real Madrid.
Colombo’s seafront makes way for China-backed inancial city Project developer hopes investments to the tune of $13 billion will start coming in from 2018; targets major investors from south Asia, particularly India Meera Srinivasan Colombo
It is hard to miss the bluelettered boards lining the northern end of Galle Face, Colombo’s iconic seafront. “A new Central Park in Colombo”, “A new world class city in South Asia” — they declare in bold font. In the background, a few cranes spray sand into the sea in big arches, filling up narrow strips of land — inroads that emerged after work on the port-city project commenced. About 500 acres of land is to be reclaimed for the new facility. Inaugurated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2014, the project has persisted over the last three years, surviving controversies and drastic changes. Campaigning hard for the January 2015 elections that his coalition won, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe made a poll promise to scrap the Chinese-funded port city, seen as a brainchild of former President Mahinda CM YK
Rajapaksa, only to renew it a month after he took office. Amid mounting concerns over its possible environmental impact, Sri Lanka and China in April 2016 decided to redefine the port city project, calling it an international financial city. The largest foreign direct investment in Sri Lanka, the $1.4billion project will house a financial centre and a host of other facilities, including a marina, a central park, and possibly an international school and hospital over the next 30 years, its developer said.
Targeting investment “We want to create a city where it would be interesting for South Asians to come and live, invest, do business and maybe manage their wealth,” said Liang Thow Ming, chief sales and marketing officer of Sri Lanka’s CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd, which is handling the project. A subsidiary of China Communication Construc-
tion Company, in which the Chinese government is a major stakeholder, CHEC projects that investments to the tune of $13 billion will begin coming in from 2018. For this, the company has begun reaching out to investors in south Asia, particularly in India. Given Colombo’s strategic geographic location in the Indian Ocean, investors see the potential for a major financial hub in the city, filling the void of financial cities between Dubai and Singapore. “Arabs are not going to come here instead of Dubai; Malaysians and Indonesians will not come to Colombo instead of going to Singapore. For the same reason, South Asians would like to come to Colombo,” Mr. Liang told The Hindu. On likely investors in India, Mr. Liang said: “The spirit is willing, flesh is weak,” referring to the turbulence in the real estate sector. However, he was confident that once a few began
Redeining dreams: Inaugurated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014, the project has persisted over the last three years, surviving controversies and drastic changes. investing here, others would “join the bandwagon”. CHEC sees a potential Indian investor as someone with money to park, making frequent trips to Colombo to meet bankers and do business. Investors might consider admitting their children to the international school at
the financial city, and perhaps even buy a plush apartment there, Mr. Liang said.
Falling growth Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s economy has been facing major challenges in the last few years, with its growth dropping to a three-year low of 4.4% in 2016, from 4.8% the
previous year, Reuters reported. Asked if that would impact the project, Mr. Liang said the financial city did not depend on that. Giving an example of an investor who makes a weekend trip to Colombo to meet his bankers, see his children studying here and perhaps spend time and money at a
hotel and at restaurants, he said these were independent of how the Sri Lankan economy was doing. However, project director and a top official from the Sri Lankan side, Nihal Fernando, said that while it might be a different structure, the city would be fed by Colombo. “The Sri Lankan economy is very much linked to it and if it fails, it will affect the financial city.” On the other hand, Mr. Liang said the project would create 83,000 jobs, 90% of which was likely to be taken up by Sri Lankans. Mr. Fernando too sees a huge demand for workers, and with their high literacy and English proficiency, Sri Lankans will have an edge, he said. On measures to prevent money laundering at such a financial hub, Mr. Liang said a separate set of laws, modelled on U.K. laws, would be applicable to the city. “A separate court, separate arbitration centres, a city that is run under a different set of rules
— the whole port city playing a different game from the rest of Colombo.” It is this exclusive operation that makes some uneasy, though the city will come under Sri Lanka’s penal code. India’s concerns over the China-backed initiative are well-known. When Mr. Rajapaksa was in power, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval reportedly urged the Sri Lankan government to cancel the project. Locally, there has been considerable resistance to the project, particularly from fisher folk and environmental groups. A co-convenor of the People’s Movement Against the Port City, Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda, said illegal sand mining had become rampant in Gampaha district, north of Colombo. “That is where they get the sand to reclaim the sea,” he said, adding that 20,000 families were facing acute drinking water scarcity as a result. A ND-ND
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market watch 12-04-2017
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Industrial output shrinks in Feb.
Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 29,643 ddddddddddddd -0.49 US Dollar dddddddddddddddddddd 64.67 ddddddddddddd -0.26 Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 29,760 ddddddddddddddd1.39 Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 55.99 ddddddddddddddd0.77
Decline in manufacturing, persistent impact of demonetisation spur contraction
NIFTY 50
New Delhi
and the NPA (bad loans) issue of banks is addressed, this segment will not show sustained growth.” S. K. Sinha, Principal Economist, India Ratings & Research, said: “This (fall in IIP and particularly in the manufacturing segment) clearly shows the fragile nature of industrial/ manufacturing growth which has been languishing consecutively for several years now.”
Special Correspondent PRICE CHANGE
ACC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1494.55. . . . . . . . . 4.65 Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327.60. . . . . . . . -6.20 Ambuja Cements. . . .. . . . . . 249.10. . . . . . . . . 0.20 Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1070.45. . . . . . . . -2.05 Aurobindo Pharma . . . . . . 656.50. . . . . . . . . 1.35 Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506.00. . . . . . . . -9.05 Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2839.50. . . . . . . 17.05 Bank of Baroda . . . . . .. . . . . . 172.35. . . . . . . . -2.35 Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 350.80. . . . . . . . . 0.60 Bosch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23362.35. . . . . 614.60 BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717.30. . . . . . . . . 6.90 Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579.40. . . . . . . . -0.65 Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290.00. . . . . . . . . 1.10 Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 2644.85. . . . . . . 16.75 Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. 26422.50. . . . . 542.05 GAIL (India). . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 378.25. . . . . . . . -6.50 Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072.35. . . . . . -16.00 HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 831.65. . . . . . . . -2.15 HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1466.65. . . . . . -10.20 HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1443.70. . . . . . . . . 4.20 Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 3227.05. . . . . . . 24.85 Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193.00. . . . . . . . -3.45 Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 923.75. . . . . . . . . 0.05 Indiabulls HFL . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 936.70. . . . . . . . -0.45 ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280.80. . . . . . . . -2.85 IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1437.75. . . . . . . 13.25 Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 367.05. . . . . . . 11.50 Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 968.85. . . . . . . . . 1.70 Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 409.25. . . . . . . . -0.25 ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281.90. . . . . . . . -0.15 Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879.40. . . . . . . . -1.65 L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1702.80. . . . . . . . -2.10 Lupin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1439.45. . . . . . . 10.00 M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1279.95. . . . . . . . -1.60 Maurti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 6154.50. . . . . . -93.30 NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164.95. . . . . . . . -2.05 ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.70. . . . . . . . -1.15 PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 197.60. . . . . . . . -1.55 Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1354.00. . . . . . -18.35 State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290.15. . . . . . . . -4.35 Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 683.25. . . . . . . 12.85 Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 464.55. . . . . . . . -7.70 Tata Motors DVR. . . .. . . . . . 284.85. . . . . . . . -3.45 Tata Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85.55. . . . . . . . . 0.10 Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477.40. . . . . . -10.70 TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2393.25. . . . . . -26.05 Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . . . 437.65. . . . . . . . -7.55 UltraTech Cement . .. . . . 4033.10. . . . . . . . -0.20 Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500.75. . . . . . . . -9.40 YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1631.45. . . . . . . 16.70 Zee Entertainment . . . . . . 530.45. . . . . . . . -9.70
Industrial production in February 2017 shrank 1.2% year-on-year, the lowest in four months, mainly due to a decline in manufacturing output and the persistent impact of demonetisation, data released by the Central Statistics Office on Wednesday show. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had recorded 1.99% growth in February 2016. The previous low was a contraction of 1.87% in October 2016. Manufacturing sector, accounting for more than 75% of the index, shrank 2% in February 2017. The sector had marginal growth of 0.6% in February, 2016. “The negative IIP number in February has come as a surprise as the market players were expecting a positive growth number following an improvement seen in January (of 2.7% growth),” Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, CARE Ratings, said. “With the consumer goods segment registering a negative growth in February (-5.6%) and near zero growth
Stuttering growth: The key factor retarding growth was a fall in consumer goods output. AP *
for the financial year, so far, it does appear that the effect of demonetisation continues to persist,” Mr. Sabnavis said. “The investment environment continues to be subdued as seen through negative growth in the capital goods. We expect industrial output growth for FY17 to be 1-2%, down from 3-4% forecast earlier.”
Consumer goods The main factor retarding growth was a fall in consumer goods output — both durable and non-durables being in the negative zone,
according to an analysis by CARE Ratings. “Consumption demand has not surfaced this month. But we may expect a pickup in March especially for durable goods.” CARE Ratings said 15 of the 22 industries witnessed negative growth, which was not a good sign, adding that capital goods declined against an “increase in January which was expected as such growth rates have been volatile in the past. We believe that until consumer demand picks up leading to better capacity utilization
Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit except yen at 4 p.m. on April 12 CURRENCY
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US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 64.48. . . . . . . 64.80 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 68.38. . . . . . . 68.72 British Pound . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 80.60. . . . . . . 81.01 Japanese Yen(100) . . .. . 58.81. . . . . . . 59.10 Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 9.35. . . . . . . . . 9.40 Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 64.02. . . . . . . 64.35 Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 45.98. . . . . . . 46.21 Canadian Dollar . . . . . . . . .. . 48.43. . . . . . . 48.67 Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 14.55. . . . . . . 14.64 Source:Indian Bank
BULLION RATES
CHENNAI
April 12 rates in rupees with previous rates in parentheses Retail Silver (1g) . . . . . . . . . . . 45.50. . . . . (44.60) 22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . . 2,806. . . . . (2,770)
CM YK
Centre had set a target of 3.2% of GDP in 2017-18 Special Correspondent NEW DELHI
The Centre can take a pause on the fiscal consolidation front over the next three years by maintaining a fiscal deficit to GDP ratio of 3% till 2019-20, the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Review Committee chaired by former Revenue Secretary N.K. Singh has recommended. Set up to comprehensively review and give recommendations on the FRBM roadmap for future, the panel has advocated reaching a fiscal deficit to GDP ratio of 2.8% in 2020-21, 2.6% the subsequent year and 2.5% in 2022-23. To put that in context, the government has set a fiscal deficit target of 3.2% of GDP in 2017-18, marginally better than the 3.5% clocked last year. The FRBM law enacted in 2003 had originally envisaged attaining a fiscal deficit of 3% of GDP by 2008-09, but amendments over the years had revised the year
N.K. Singh
for achieving the same target to 2017-18.
Escape clause The panel has introduced an escape clause that allows the government to skip the fiscal deficit target for a particular year, in situations that include national security concerns, acts of war, national calamities, a collapse of the agriculture sector and farreaching structural reforms with unanticipated fiscal implications. It recommended that de-
viations from the stipulated fiscal targets should not be more than 0.5%. The Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel was not in favour of such a large deviation. Mr. Patel, who was also a member of the panel along with Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian, was inclined to only permit a 0.3% deviation. The escape clause can also be triggered if the economy’s real output growth slips by three percentage points from the average of the previous four quarters. A similar buoyancy clause has been proposed, so that fiscal deficit must fall at least 0.5% below the target if real output grows 3% faster than that average. The panel has recommended that the existing FRBM Act and rules be scrapped and a new Debt and Fiscal Responsibility Act be adopted and proposed the creation of a Fiscal Council that the government must consult before invoking escape clauses.
FinMin rejects Apple’s tax demands Panel to suggest norms for virtual currencies A call on tax sops will be taken by GST Council: Minister
EXCHANGE RATES
Retail inflation The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation inched up in March 2017 to 3.81% (provisional) as against 3.65% recorded in February 2017, according to government data. Still, retail inflation was slower than the 4.83% recorded in March 2016. According to CARE Ratings, the acceleration in inflation could be ascribed to higher fuel prices on account of rising global crude oil prices and increases in the costs of food articles like fruits and milk products. Slower gains in the prices of pulses helped cap headline retail inflation.
Hold iscal deicit at 3% till FY20, says N.K. Singh panel
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW DELHI
The Finance Ministry has rejected iPhone maker Apple’s demand for tax exemptions for setting up a manufacturing unit in India saying that the decision will have to be taken up by the GST Council. The U.S.-based firm has indicated plans to put up manufacturing lines in India this year. Apple had sought concessions such as duty exemption on manufacturing and repair units, components,
capital equipment for smartphones for 15 years, the Minister of State for Electronics and IT, P.P. Chaudhary, said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. These demands were “examined in the Department of Revenue and have not been accepted,” Mr. Chaudhary said. He said these incentives cannot be accepted as with the coming into force of the new indirect tax regime “all imports will be liable to IGST (integrated GST) and any exemptions from CGST
(centre)/SGST (state)/IGST can be granted based on the recommendations of the GST Council only.” Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha said that Apple has indicated its plans for putting manufacturing lines this year. “Apple in their communications, indicated their plan for selective introduction of manufacturing lines in Spring 2017,” Ms. Sitharaman said.
RBI cautions users, holders of cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, of potential risks users, holders and traders of virtual currencies (VCs), including Bitcoins, about the potential financial, operational, legal, customer protection and security related risks that they are exposing themselves to.
Special Correspondent NEW DELHI
The Centre has decided to close the regulatory gaps to keep a check on virtual currencies, including Bitcoin, and has set up an inter-disciplinary committee to recommend an action plan for dealing with such currencies within three months. “The circulation of Vi rtual Currencies which are also known as Digital/Crypto Currencies has been a cause of concern. This has been expressed in various fora from time to time,” according to a
Committee will recommend an action plan in 3 months. statement from the Finance Ministry. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had also cautioned
Panel members To examine the existing framework for virtual currencies, the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance has constituted an inter-disciplinary committee chaired by Special Secretary (Economic Af-
fairs) with representatives from the departments of revenue and financial services and the ministries of Home Affairs as well as Electronics and Information Technology. In its February advisory, the RBI had said it has not given any licence or authorisation to any entity or company to operate such schemes or deal with Bitcoin or any virtual currency. “As such, any user, holder, investor, trader, dealing with virtual currencies will be doing so at their own risk.”
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IN BRIEF
Jharkhand set to enact GST law State is prepared to implement the GST regime, says Chief Secretary Verma Vikas Dhoot
Firm had invested $280 mn. for the project at its Pune unit
NEW DELHI
Flat solar power tarif drops to all-time low NEW DELHI
The levellised solar power tarif has dropped to an all-time low of ₹3.15 per unit in an auction of a 250 MW project at Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh. Earlier in February, the lower capital expenditure and cheaper credit had pulled down solar tarif to a new low of ₹2.97 per unit for the irst year in an auction conducted for 750 MW capacity in Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh. PTI
CCEA nod for listing 11 PSUs on bourses NEW DELHI
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Afairs on Wednesday approved the listing of 11 central PSUs. They include IRCON International, Indian Railway Finance Corp., IRCTC, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd., RITES, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Bharat Dynamics, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers and Mishra Dhatu Nigam (Midhani),North Eastern Electric Power Corp. and MSTC.
Cabinet approves export promotion scheme NEW DELHI
The Cabinet has approved the implementation of the Supreme Court’s October 2015 judgment regarding the Target Plus Scheme (TPS) 2004-09 for export promotion. The apex court had held that the government’s notiications of February 2006 and another in June 2006 related to the TPS could not be applied retrospectively and would be efective only from the date of their issue.
Jharkhand may soon become one of the first states to clear the State Goods and Services Tax law following Parliament’s clearance of the four central laws necessary to implement GST from this July, Chief Secretary Raj Bala Verma told The Hindu. “We were the second state after Assam to agree to GST. We will call a special session to pass the state GST law,” Ms. Verma said adding that the Jharkhand administration was ready for the Goods and Services Tax regime. The legislative assemblies of all state governments need to pass the state GST law in order to switch over from the current system of levying multiple indirect taxes at the state and the Central level.
Arcelor Mittal The mineral-rich state expects to receive mining and mining-related investments of ₹2 lakh crore. “They are capital intensive projects such as a power plant with coal linkages, a steel plant with iron ore linked to it. The chief minister is very keen on labour-intensive sectors to check the high migration of our people,” Ms. Verma said. However, a marquee ₹50,000 crore investment for a 12 million tonne steel plant proposed by Arcelor Mittal in 2005 remains stuck. Ms. Verma said that the long-delayed project is still a work in progress and has not been abandoned despite the inability to execute leases for the iron ore mine earlier allotted to the firm. The firm which has acquired a part of the land for the project can still secure iron ore linkages by tying up with those who win mining rights under the new auction regime for mineral reserves, she pointed out. “We are still in active talks with the company. The pro-
FCA India to roll out Jeep Compass by June this year Special Correspondent MUMBAI
Of the block: Jharkhand will soon convene a special session of the Assembly to pass the State GST law. GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO *
posal is very much on. They have been allocated an iron ore mine, but the lease has not been executed as the forest clearance is not yet in. Now, there will be mineral auctions so iron ore will be in the market so whoever gets it can supply (to them). They can have a linkage,” Ms. Verma said. Though the proposed mine is located in Jharkhand’s Saranda forest, the thickest Sal forest in Asia with an elephant corridor, it doesn’t fall in the ‘No Go’ area, the top state government official said. “Only about 7% of the forest area has minerals and the ‘no go’ area is limited,” she said.
Tackling Maoists Ms. Verma said that the Maoist menace in the state will be history by the end of the year and investors are no longer concerned about the state’s law and order situation. “Our surrender policy is very good — we have an open
jail, where they can stay with their family. On the fringes, perhaps some possibility (of Left-Wing extremist activity) is there, but our forces are working very hard to curb that,” she said. “There are 13 areas such as Kunda and Pratappur and we have set up camps everywhere. I have been visiting all these areas and going to each door there. So if there is an able-bodied boy looking for a job, dropouts from school, we are getting them into school, looking into their economic issues, holding health camps,” said Ms. Verma.
State investment board Ranked high on the Centre’s ease of doing business index, the state scored the highest marks for labour reforms across all states and is ranked fifth in terms of attractiveness for foreign direct investment or FDI. It has also set up an Investment Promotion Board led by the Chief Minister that includes
representatives from all departments, including environment and pollution control authorities. “The CM wants ownership and equal stake of all the departments and he does not want any red-tapism in clearances. We are the most investment ready state and have included all stakeholders on the Board to ensure no issue comes up and it becomes a collective decision with ownership. Till there is no sense of ownership, you know how file movement becomes,” Ms. Verma said.
Weekly meetings Apart from a monthly meeting steered by the CM for investment projects, the chief secretary holds a meeting every week to resolve issues that come up. Several of the investors that signed pacts with the state in an investment summit in February have already seen the land parcels on which their projects can come up, she said.
FCA India, the wholly owned subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, announced plans to roll out the locally-made Jeep Compass from its Ranjangaon plant by June 2017. The company had invested $280 million on the project at its facility near Pune. The SUV, the first to be produced by FCA in India, is expected to enter the domestic auto market’s fastest-growing segment in the third quarter of calendar 2017. “The local production schedule of the Jeep Compass is firmly on track and we are all set to begin local production of the Jeep brand’s global SUV by June ,” said Kevin Flynn, President and MD, FCA India. “The Jeep Compass will come
Power play: The product will come with two power train options and will be priced in the region of ₹20 lakh. REUTERS *
with several industry-first features and will set benchmarks in the Indian SUV space.” The company also announced two power train options that will be offered with the Jeep Compass – the 160+ HP, 250 Nm multi-air
petrol and the 170+ HP, 350 Nm, diesel. Jeep Compass is expected to be priced at about ₹20 lakh and will compete with existing SUVs such as Mahindra and Mahindra’s XUV 500 and Hyundai Motor India’s Creta.
Pharma exports likely slid to $16.4 billion in 2016-17 Price erosion, absence of of-patent blockbuster drugs hurt Special Correspondent HYDERABAD
India’s pharmaceutical exports are projected to have declined marginally in the financial year ended March 31, 2017, after clocking more than 9% growth in 2015-16, amid an absence of blockbuster drugs going off patent. Director General of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) Ravi Uday Bhaskar forecast exports in 2016-17 to be about $16.4 billion, down from $16.89 billion in the previous fiscal. Price erosion, an absence of blockbuster drugs going off patents — generic drugs
constitute the bulk of India’s pharmaceutical exports — and currency issues in the African and Latin American markets contributed to the decline, he said at a press meet about the upcoming International Exhibition for Pharma and Healthcare (IPHEX) 2017 on Wednesday. The outlook for the current year was, however, positive, Mr. Bhaskar and IPHEX chairman P. Ramesh Babu said, citing the fact that India bagged more than 30% of Abbreviated New Drug Applications granted by the U.S. FDA in 2016. According to Pharmexcil, the Indian pharmaceuticals industry increased at a CAGR of about
17.5% between 2005-2016, growing from $6 billion in 2005 to about $34 billion in 2016. By 2020, it is expected to touch $55 billion. India accounted for about 30% (by volume) and about 10% (by value) of the $70-80 billion generics market in the U.S. On FDA inspections and Form 483 observations to units, both of them said with about a third of the exports going to the U.S. such inspections were bound to increase. While Mr. Bhaskar sought to downplay the Form 483 issue stating that it was akin to a show cause notice, Mr. Babu said 90% of observations were addressed by units in 3-4 days.
Overbooking of lights soars in India Between Aug.-Feb., 12,957 domestic ticketed passengers weren’t allowed to ly at the check-in counter and they are liable to compensation of up to ₹20,000.
Somesh Jha NEW DELHI
India’s domestic airlines routinely deny boarding to thousands of passengers who had bought tickets — and the incidence of overbooked flights is rising sharply. On Sunday, American carrier United Airlines had a passenger evicted from its plane after overbooking its Chicago to Louisville flight. Aviation experts said it was a legal practice followed by the transportation sector globally. A video of the passenger being dragged along the aircraft’s aisle went viral on the Internet drawing ire from across the world. In the seven months between August 2016 and February 2017, 12,957 passengers on domestic Indian flights were not allowed to board their flights – a 65.8% increase from the yearearlier period. That such incidents are going up alarmingly indicates that airlines haven’t been deterred by a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directive last August, steeply increasing the compensation carriers need to pay passengers holding a booking for denying them boarding.
In the lurch: Airlines haven’t been deterred by a DGCA directive to pay higher compensation for denying boarding.
Jet Airways accounted for the highest proportion of cases related to boarding denial at 84%, followed by Air India with 11.1% of such cases from August 2016-February 2017, after the higher compensation regulation kicked in.
Ticket refund Airlines in India have typically offered refunds for the ticket, hotel accommodation, alternative flights and monetary compensation to passengers who have been denied boarding. Many airlines in India and globally tend to issue confirmed bookings to more passengers than the number of seats available on a flight in anticipation of a few ticket can-
cellations and to cut the possibility of departing with empty seats. Airlines may deny boarding even in cases when passengers may be holding confirmed bookings for travel on a flight. “This is a global practice followed by the transportation sector,” said Mark D. Martin, Founder and CEO of Martin Consulting. “In India, even the Indian Railways follows this concept by issuing reservation against cancellation (RAC) and wait-listed tickets to passengers.” In India, the airlines first check with passengers who are interested in voluntarily taking the next flight in exchange for some incentives. If that doesn’t work, airlines deny boarding to passengers
Cisco’s Cyber Lab to boost security Indian facility is the ifth, with the other four in Australia Yuthika Bhargava GURUGRAM
U.S. networking major Cisco on Wednesday inaugurated its Cyber Range Lab in India that aims to provide cybersecurity training to professionals by simulating real-life threat scenarios. Inaugurated by National Cyber Security Coordinator Gulshan Rai, the lab is part of Cisco’s $100 million investment commitment to India and is the company’s fifth such lab in the world — the other four are based in Australia. “With the cybersecurity CM YK
framework in place now, the need is for active implementation to better handle the ever changing threat landscape,” said Mr. Rai, adding that an effective implementation of cybersecurity requires IT infrastructure and technical expertise for which the industry should play a responsible role. The lab will use 200-500 different types of malware, ransomware and 100 attack cases to deliver realistic cyberattack experiences. The facility can be accessed virtually from any part of the world.
“The demand for cybersecurity experts has grown three times faster than any other IT job role, and training a cybersecurity workforce is a priority for many organisations,” Cisco India President India and SAARC Dinesh Malkani said. “The cybersecurity lab aims to provide highly specialised technical training workshops to help security staff build the skills and experience to combat new age threats,” Mr. Malkani added. (The writer was at Gurugram at the invitation of Cisco)
Compensation However, airlines are not liable to pay compensation, as per DGCA rules, in case another flight is arranged within an hour of the original scheduled departure. An AirAsia India spokesperson said the airline decides the number of seats to be overbooked on a flight based on historical flight data, “without causing inconvenience to guests and is carried out in compliance with the regulatory body.” “We do not overbook as a practice; however, if we were to run into an overbooked situation due to unplanned schedule disruption, we would accommodate customers in order of check-in,” said a Vistara spokesperson. “We have the lowest denied boarding rate in India, which is predominantly zero.” “Airlines deny boarding at the check-in counter” and United-like situations haven’t happened here so far, said D. Sudhakara Reddy, founder Air Passengers Association of India. “Centre should formulate guidelines not to allow such incidents in India.”
GMR JV bids €480 mn. for Crete airport Reuters ATHENS
The only bid submitted to build an airport on the island of Crete was priced at €480 million ($509.4 million), well below the expected €850 million, sources close to the project said on Wednesday. The bid was submitted last year by a joint venture of India's GMR Infrastructure and Greek construction group GEK TERNA. “The financial offer was unsealed on Tuesday,” one of the sources told Reuters. A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
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Rana anchors the Mumbai chase
KKR meets KXIP in its irst home engagement
The host medium-pacers peg back Sunrisers’ hitters with niggardly bowling Amol Karhadkar
SCOREBOARD
MUMBAI
While the target was not as big as it was on Sunday, the dew made as much an impact at the Wankhede Stadium as it did three nights ago. No wonder then that it was Nitish Rana again who anchored Mumbai Indians’ chase to perfection as the home team overpowered defending champion Sunrisers Hyderabad in a lop-sided contest. After the bowling unit had done remarkably well to restrict Sunrisers to 158 for eight, the batsmen ensured that Mumbai Indians sailed home with four wickets and eight balls to spare. While Jos Buttler failed to fire, Parthiv Patel made a telling contribution going after veteran Ashish Nehra. However, once Parthiv lofted offie Deepak Hooda to Bhuvneshwar Kumar at longon at the midway mark — with captain Rohit Sharma having perished to leg-spinner Rashid Khan for his third single-digit score in succession — MI required Rana to put his head down. The left-hander avoided undue risk, and yet punished the long-hops. Krunal Pandya’s quickfire 20-ball 37 — including a six over longon and a four through backward square off Nehra, followed by a whack over cowcorner and twin boundaries off Ben Cutting in the following over — made the home side’s task easy.
Yorked: Ben Cutting, who had hit four boundaries in a 10-ball 20 and was looking dangerous, was stopped in his tracks by Jasprit Bumrah. VIVEK BENDRE *
Scuttled Things would not have been as facile had the Mumbai Indians bowlers not pulled the plug on the Sunrisers’ lower middle-order at the ‘death’. At 118 for three, with Yuvraj Singh at the crease and the impressive Harbhajan Singh through with his quota of overs, Sunrisers were set for a score of about 180. However, the pacers conceded just 40 — and sent
back five batsmen — to restrict the visitors to under 160. Hardik Pandya, who had slipped on the delivery stride of the first ball he bowled, got Yuvraj to play on. Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah then struck the block-hole at will to not let any of the SRH hitters go berserk. A rare instance of a bats-
Kohli trains at full throttle
man hitting the last ball of an over for a four and still facing the first ball of the following over occurred in the first innings. David Warner, the Sunrisers’ captain, nudged Bumrah’s last ball of the sixth over, through thirdman for a boundary. After the changeover Mitchell McClenaghan ran in to bowl to Warner, instead of Shikhar Dhawan.
No doubt that the on-field umpires — C.K. Nandan and Nitin Menon, coming on the back of a bad match at the same ground three nights ago — did not notice that the batsmen had also changed ends. However, the onus also lies with Warner, who switched over swiftly to the other end after his chat with Dhawan in the middle.
Question mark over Lynn’s availability
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan b McClenaghan 48 (43b, 5x4, 1x6), David Warner c Parthiv b Harbhajan 49 (34b, 7x4, 2x6), Deepak Hooda c Pollard b Harbhajan 9 (9b, 1x4), Yuvraj Singh b Hardik 5 (7b, 1x4), Ben Cutting b Bumrah 20 (10b, 4x4), Naman Ojha c Pollard b Bumrah 9 (9b), Vijay Shankar c Rana b Malinga 1 (2b), Rashid Khan c & b Bumrah 2 (4b), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (not out) 4 (3b), Ashish Nehra (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (lb-5, nb-1, w-5): 11; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 158. Fall of wickets: 1-81 (Warner, 10.2 overs), 2-105 (Hooda, 13.1), 3-114 (Dhawan, 14.5), 4123 (Yuvraj, 15.3), 5-146 (Cutting, 17.4), 6-147 (Vijay Shankar, 18.1), 7-153 (Ojha, 19.1), 8-155 (Rashid, 19.4). Mumbai Indians bowling: Harbhajan Singh 4-0-23-2, Lasith Malinga 4-0-30-1, Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-24-3, Mitchell McClenaghan 4-0-42-1, Hardik Pandya 3-0-22-1, Krunal Pandya 1-0-12-0. Mumbai Indians: Parthiv Patel c Bhuvneshwar b Hooda 39 (24b, 7x4), Jos Buttler b Nehra 14 (11b, 3x4), Rohit Sharma lbw b Rashid 4 (4b), Nitish Rana b Bhuvneshwar 45 (36b, 3x4, 2x6), Kieron Pollard c Dhawan b Bhuvneshwar 11 (11b, 1x6), Krunal Pandya c Cutting b Bhuvneshwar 37 (20b, 3x4, 3x6), Hardik Pandya (not out) 2 (3b), Harbhajan Singh (not out) 3 (3b); Extras (lb-3, w-1): 4; Total (for six wikts. in 18.4 overs): 159. Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Buttler, 3.1 overs), 2-41 (Rohit, 4.5), 379 (Parthiv, 9.4), 4-111 (Pollard, 13.4), 5-149 (Krunal, 17.1), 6-155 (Rana, 17.6). Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling: Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-0-21-3, Ashish Nehra 4-0-46-1, Rashid Khan 4-0-19-1, Mustafizur Rahman 2.4-0-34-0, Deepak Hooda 2-0-18-1, Ben Cutting 2-0-18-0. Toss: Mumbai Indians Man-of-the-match: Bumrah. Result: MI won by four wickets with eight balls to spare.
Y.B. Sarangi KOLKATA
With a question mark hanging over Chris Lynn’s availability for the rest of the tournament, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is back in business for its first home engagement against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the IPL at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday. KKR received a massive boost when it rode on the record unbeaten opening partnership of 184 between Lynn and captain Gautam Gambhir to cruise to a 10-wicket win over Gujarat Lions in its first match at Rajkot. The loss to Mumbai even after setting a target of 179, thanks to Manish Pandey’s blazing unbeaten 81, may be disappointing though. KKR lost the plot by giving away 50 runs in the last three overs. Ankit Rajpoot, who claimed three wickets, experienced the bitter side of bowling in the death, while New Zealander Trent Boult struggled to make his mark. Sloppy fielding in the final over made matters worse. KKR would be happy to
Special correspondent KOLKATA
Kolkata Knight Riders coach Jacques Kallis said he was surprised to see the fielding lapses which contributed to the side’s defeat to Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League on Sunday night. “It’s surprising. We pride ourselves on our fielding. It is an area we have been pretty good in
He had tried his hand at Australian Rules Football Ashwin Achal Bengaluru
Ready to rock: Virat Kohli, seen with physio Evan Speechly, had an extended batting session at nets. G.P. SAMPATH KUMAR *
Principal Correspondent Bengaluru
Virat Kohli, who is yet to play an IPL match this season due to a shoulder injury, went full tilt at an RCB training session here on Wednesday evening. At the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli hit the ground running with a gruelling fielding session. The 28-year-old regularly
dived and flung himself towards the ball, and even pulled off a couple of incredibly athletic catches. He then had an extended batting session at the nets. The star player showed no signs of discomfort as he tonked the bowlers to all parts of the ground. RCB next takes on Mumbai Indians here on Friday.
LONDON
Cricket umpires have been given the power to eject disobedient players while tethered bails will be permitted to protect wicket-keepers from eye injuries as part of a series of law changes coming into effect from Oct. 1. The new ‘Players conduct’ rule will allow on-field officials to remove a misbehaving competitor temporarily or permanently and award five penalty runs to the opposition, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has said. If a captain refuses to remove his offending player, the umpire can award the match to the opposition. If both captains refuse to comply, the contest can be abandoned.
Fun with fans: RCB’s Billy Stanlake obliges youngsters with a selie.
The away match, held at Indore, was marked by a blazing unbeaten 46-ball 89 by A.B. de Villiers, who made a terrific comeback from injury. “AB is irreplaceable — you cannot really fill his shoes. It’s great to have him back. It was just quite crazy that he can bat like that after a break,” he said. Before he took to the red cherry, the strapping lad
Merging rules The MCC, the custodians of the game’s laws, also merged “handled the ball” offence with “obstructing CM YK
substitutes to keep wicket. Among other changes, ‘lost ball’ law has been deleted and is now covered under ‘dead ball’, while bowling of deliberate front foot ‘no balls’ is to be treated in the same way as deliberate full-tosses.
A protest with no balls & wides! Reuters DHAKA
A Bangladeshi cricket team conceded 92 runs in just four legal deliveries to deliberately lose a match in what they called a protest over biased umpiring in its league. In the 50-over match of Dhaka Second Division League on Tuesday, Lalmatia Club was dismissed for just 88 off 14 overs before its opponent Axiom Cricketers reached 92 for no loss off just four balls. Lalmatia’s opening bowler
Sujon Mahmud sent down 13 wides and three no-balls in the first over and all of them raced to the boundary, costing his side a further 80 runs. Axiom opener Mustafizur Rahman struck three fours in four legitimate boundaries to take his side home in just 0.4 overs to complete a 10-wicket win in the capital’s City Club ground. Lalmatia Club secretary Adnan Rahman said his player bowled the wides and noballs deliberately as a mark of
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welcome pace ace Umesh Yadav back from fitness issues. It would love to see Englishman Chris Woakes rise to the expectation and the spinners, including Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav, carry on their good work. KXIP, on the other hand, is in buoyant mood after
the last couple of seasons,” said Kallis. “I think it’s more of a mindset. We know that’s an issue. Hopefully, we can improve on that,” said Kallis. Agreeing that the loss to Mumbai in dewy conditions was a setback, the South African said, “It has happened in the early part of the season. We would learn from it.”
we played in < > When Dubai, we played with a free mind . We are trying to do that this year as well. Wriddhiman Saha, KXIP ’keeper
nailing two emphatic wins in a row. With Virender Sehwag as the mentor and Glenn Maxwell as captain, freedom of expression is the right of every player. “Both have told us to play freely without thinking much… In our set-up we have been told that anyone can bat anywhere,” said local cricketer Wriddhiman Saha, donning KXIP colours. With the reliable Hashim Amla and in-form Manan Vohra at the top and the devastating Maxwell and David Miller in the middle, KXIP’s batting looks to be in terrific touch. The team’s pace department, consisting of Sandeep Sharma, Varun Aaron and Australian Marcus Stoinis, has the variety to trouble any side. The pitch, which staged some low-scoring Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, may offer a few surprises when KKR and KXIP test their strength under lights.
CoA unlikely to endorse Nanda’s appointment NEW DELHI
tried his hand at Australian Rules Football. His father, Warren Stanlake, played the sport. “My father played just the single professional game. I remind him that he has played just the one game, so he can’t actually be that good,” the speedster said. As for following in his father’s footsteps, it was not to be. “Football is a bit more brutal (laughs), and there’s
Hasan meets Manohar Special Correspondent
Boucher was hit in the eye by flying bails in a tour match in England, which forced him into an early retirement. The MCC also approved bat restrictions (like thickness of the edges and the overall depth) and allowed
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KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS V KINGS XI PUNJAB Sony Six, Sony ESPN, Sony Max (SD & HD), 8 p.m.
Vijay Lokapally
Tethered bails approved as per law changes proposed by MCC the field”, thus reducing the number of possible dismissals from 10 to nine. It also ratified the proposal of tethered bails to protect wicket-keepers from the type of injuries that ended South African Mark Boucher’s career in 2012.
PLAYING TODAY
Was given media manager post
Umpires can eject misbehaving players Agencies
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Hope to improve our ielding: Kallis
Stanlake found his calling in cricket Standing at 6’8”, it is natural to assume that Billy Stanlake is a fast bowler. “Being this tall, I can’t possibly be a batsman. Funnily enough, I did keep wickets when I was young. But that didn’t last long,” Stanlake said, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday. The Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketer has featured in two of the three matches played so far. In his maiden appearance, against Delhi Daredevils, Stanlake took two for 29 to help his side defend a 158-run target. His next outing, however, was not as memorable, as he conceded 41 runs in his four overs. RCB lost the encounter to Kings XI Punjab. “I didn’t expect to play so soon. To get an early game in was a surprise. Playing in front of the home fans (against Delhi) was a great experience,” he said.
Legends meet: KXIP mentor Virender Sehwag has a word with former India captain Sourav Ganguly. PHOTO: PTI
protest for poor umpiring. The secretary alleged the umpires did not even allow the team captain to see the coin after the toss. The match angered the Bangladesh Cricket Board, which organises club cricket in Dhaka. “This is very unusual ... so many wides and no-balls,” said BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus. “We have asked match officials to submit a report in this regard. Once we’ve received the report, we will launch a formal investigation.”
Mumbai
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan met the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Shashank Manohar at Nagpur on April 11. The two are part of the five-member ICC Special Working Group that has proposed changes to the ICC’s Constitution and Financial models that was accepted in principle by the ICC Board last February. The next round of ICC meetings are scheduled for from April 21, with the ICC Board set to meet on April 26. The entire process of the changes to the Constitution and Financial models will come to an end when it is placed before the 105 member (10 full, 39 associate and 56 affiliate) annual general meeting after the Champions Trophy in June.
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G.P. SAMPATH KUMAR
too much running involved. So I’ll stay away from that,” he said. The junior Stanlake did give it a go, but found his calling in cricket. “When I was 16, I was picked for the Australian under-19 cricket team. That’s when I started to take cricket seriously, and realised that I cannot be running around footy fields getting bashed up,” he said.
Acting BCCI president C.K. Khanna’s decision to appoint former Delhi leg-spinner Chetnya Nanda as media manager is unlikely to meet the approval of the Committee of Administrators (CoA). Khanna, who got the responsibility being BCCI’s senior most vice-president, had appointed Nanda to the job to take care of the assignments in the North. Salil Seth of Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) had been handling the affairs for more than a year and the appointment of Nanda was seen as Khanna’s attempt to take on the
CoA. Nanda was Delhi’s junior selector until recently and was looking forward to his new sphere of work. It is learnt that all BCCI appointments would now have to meet certain criteria like inviting applications for specific posts. In the past, such appointments were carried on without inviting applications. The BCCI has a fullfledged media department functioning from the Cricket Centre in Mumbai led by Gaurav Saxena. The list of BCCI employees is expected to be made public and it would be highly unlikely for Nanda’s name to figure in it.
Harbhajan among eight Champions Trophy ambassadors
MCC life membership for nine Ind. women
Press Trust of India
G. Viswanath MUMBAI
Dubai
Veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was on Wednesday named one of the eight ambassadors for the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled in England from June 1 to 18. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, Bangladesh’s Habibul Bashar, England’s Ian Bell, New Zealand’s Shane Bond, Australia’s Mike Hussey, Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and Graeme Smith of South Africa were unveiled as the other ambassadors for the tournament. The announcement comes exactly 50 days before the first ball is bowled in the tournament-opener between England and Bangladesh at The Oval. The Champion Ambassadors will be involved in the Trophy Tour and will
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has taken the consent from nine former Indian women cricketers for its honorary life membership. Last year it had bestowed the honour on Anjum Chopra. MCC has also taken verification from the BCCI. Harbhajan Singh
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PTI
also make appearances in the UK. In addition to this, the eight cricketers will be part of an ICC editorial team and will provide match previews and match analysis through exclusive columns which will be available on the ICC website.
The nine cricketers are Diana Edulji, Shanta Rangaswamy, Shubhangi Kulkarni, Sudha Shah, Sandhya Agarwal, Neetu David, Gargi Banerjee, Shashi Gupta, Amita Sharma. The women’s World Cup final will be played on July 23 at Lord’s, the home of the MCC. A ND-ND
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IN BRIEF
Six-wicket win for Pakistan
Three share lead after round-1
Shoaib Malik scores unbeaten century
Ajeetesh Sandhu, Shivendra Sisodia and Sudhir Sharma sizzle, each carding ive-under 67
Agence France-Presse Providence
Shoaib Malik scored an unbeaten century as Pakistan beat West Indies by six wickets to clinch victory in the ODI series in Guyana on Tuesday. Malik sealed the win — and his ton — in spectacular fashion, smashing a
Howard stars in Hawks’ win ATLANTA
Atlanta Hawks, behind centre Dwight Howard’s 53rd double-double, secured fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 103-76 victory over Charlotte Hornets in the NBA on Tuesday. Other results: Lakers 108 bt Pelicans 96; Kings 129 bt Suns 104; Nuggets 109 bt Mavericks 91; Thunder 100 bt Timberwolves 98. AGENCIES
Sumit Nagal loses on comeback HAMMAMET (TUNISIA)
Top seed Sumit Nagal was beaten 7-6(4), 6-4 by Ugo Humbert in the first round of the $15,000 ITF Futures tennis tournament here on Wednesday. The results: $60,000 ITF women, Istanbul: First round: Ayla Aksu & Pemra Ozgen (Tur) bt Emily Webley-Smith (GBR) & Ankita Raina 7-5, 7-5. $15,000 ITF women, Sharm El Sheikh: First round: Zeel Desai bt Dhruthi Venugopal 3-0 retd.; Linea Malmqvist (Swe) bt Sowjanya Bavisetti 6-3, 6-4; Sarah Rebecca Sekulic (Ger) bt Kyra Shroff 6-1, 6-4. $15,000 Futures, Hammamet, Tunisia: First round: Ugo Humbert (Fra) bt Sumit Nagal 7-6(4), 6-4.
Alonso to miss Monaco for Indy 500 LONDON
McLaren F1 has announced that Fernando Alonso will miss next month’s Monaco GP to race for the team in the Indianapolis 500, where the team will enter a single car. AFP
Indian girls’ golden hunt KOZHIKODE
Indian girls took four out of the six golds at stake in the Asian youth blitz chess at Tashkent. Akanksha Hagawane (under-18), D. Jishitha (u-14), Divya Deshmukh (u-12) and M. Sahithi Varshini (u-10) were the gold medallists. The lone boy to take the gold was A.R. Ilamparthi (u-8). C. Sai Vishwesh (u-18) won a silver and Dev Shah (u-10) bronze. Ananya Suresh (u-18) and L. Jyothsna (u-14) won a bronze each.
SCOREBOARD
six off Jason Holder to wrap up victory with nearly seven overs to spare. Malik’s 101, which included two sixes and ten fours, was matched by an assured 81 from Mohammad Hafeez as Pakistan finished on 236 for four in reply to the home side’s 233 for nine.
Stan Rayan KOCHI
Ajeetesh Sandhu shot an impressive five-under 67 in the PGTI Cochin Masters at the CIAL Golf Club, Nedumbassery, on Wednesday. Sharing the lead with Sandhu are Shivendra Singh Sisodia and Sudhir Sharma, ahead of their nearest challengers by two strokes.
WEST INDIES VS PAKISTAN, THIRD ODI
West Indies: E. Lewis c Hafeez b Junaid 16, C. Walton b Hasan 19, K. Powell st. Sarfraz b Imad 23, S. Hope c Shoaib b Shadab 71, J. Mohammed c Sarfraz b Junaid 59, J. Carter b Shadab 11, J. Holder c Shadab b Amir 12, A. Nurse (not out) 10, V. Permaul c Hafeez b Amir 8, D. Bishoo (run out) 0, Extras (lb-1, w-3): 4; Total (for nine wkts. in 50 overs) 233. Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-40, 368, 4-169, 5-192, 6-211, 7-219, 8-231, 9-233. Pakistan bowling: Md. Amir 90-41-2, Junaid Khan 10-060-2, Hasan Ali 6-1-29-1, Md. Hafeez 7-0-21-0, Imad Wasim 10-1-24-1, Shadab Khan 8-0-57-2.
Top scores:
Pakistan: K. Akmal c Powell b Gabriel 0, A. Shehzad c Hope b Holder 3, Babar Azam b Gabriel 16, Md. Hafeez c Permaul b Nurse 81, Shoaib Malik (not out) 101, Sarfraz Ahmed (not out) 24, Extras (b-3, lb-4, w-3, nb-1): 11; Total (for four wkts. in 43.1 overs) 236.
Accuracy rewarded Sisodia, who had a good first round last year too, started with three birdies on the first four holes and finished the day with three more on the back nine.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-16, 3-36, 4-149.
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Man-of-the-Match: Malik
Ajay in quarterinals
Shoaib
Result: Pakistan won by six wickets
Sealing it: Shoaib Malik inished it of with a six, which also helped him reach the three-igure mark. AFP *
Sjoerd feels the girls sometimes lose a match even before they step on the ield Uthra Ganesan NEW DELHI
Marijne Sjoerd.
ness, that was a good thing. The team’s technical skills are good,” he said, speaking to The Hindu from back home in Holland for a short break. The team also broke up and will reassemble on March 23.
Lack of faith As coach of the Dutch side that won 7-0 in the only match against India he has been involved in, Sjoerd had little idea about the bunch of
First round: 67: Sudhir Sharma, Shivendra Singh Sisodia and Ajeetesh Sandhu. 69: Deepinder Singh Kullar, Om Prakash Chouhan, Dipankar Kaushal, M. Dharma, Feroz Ali Mollah, and Amardip Singh Malik.
Ajeetesh Sandhu.
\ DELHI ROUND-UP \
West Indies bowling: Gabriel 10-0-60-2, Holder 8.1-1-37-1, Bishoo 10-1-42-0, Permaul 40-31-0, Nurse 10-0-49-1, J. Mohammed 1-0-10-0.
‘Being favourite was unfamiliar ’ It was the best possible start to his stint with the Indian women’s hockey team, but Marijne Sjoerd doesn’t really care. He knows his team was favourite to win, but is also aware that the victory means little in the larger scheme of things for the future. The Hockey World League Round 2 win in West Vancouver that helped the team advance to the next round — also a World Cup qualifier — was the Dutchman’s first outing in charge of the team and the 42-year-old knew better than to call it a big achievement. “It was a stretched tournament for us, we played only four matches in nine days, with lots of rest. That is not really very nice for keeping our rhythm through the tournament. But we concentrated on the next games and trained hard. We had no problems playing against those teams, in terms of fit-
“I was quite accurate with the irons today, having landed it within three feet of the pin on five occasions. That helped set up a lot of birdies for me,” said Sisodiya. Feroz Ali Mollah, the defending champion, was one of the six men behind the leaders with three-under-69
girls he was to take charge of till about a month ago. “I feel the players are worried that Argentina or South Africa is better than them. At times, they lose a match even before they step on the field. Also, I did not know then that this was the first time the team was favourite in a competition, and it was a strange place to be in for them,” Sjoerd said. “The mental problem was there in the beginning, as I said. We spoke of the Olympics, where they did not win a single match, and I felt that the girls look up to the other teams, which is really not necessary. Yes, they have to learn and I am not saying they will immediately start winning. But they have to begin believing in themselves somewhere,” he insisted. Captain Rani Rampal, all of 22 and already one of the senior-most players in the side, appreciated the attacking, aggressive hockey the
Junior World Cup-winning coach brought into the side. But Sjoerd wants the aggression to be mixed with a structured, patient style to be most effective. The coach is clear that there will be changes in the team between now and Johannesburg, specially with a six-game test series in New Zealand thrown in next month as part of the preparations. “Against a strong team like New Zealand is when I will really see their level and only then can I say something, I cant say which position the team will finish in, but the skills are there to give us a chance against every team,” he said. In Canada, India was the top-ranked side. At the Hockey World League Semifinals in Johannesburg in July, the level of competition will be completely different with Argentina (World No. 3), USA (6), England (2) and Germany (7) being some of the other teams.
Ajay Malik beat Dhruv Tangri 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to seal his quarterfinal berth in the Road to Wimbledon Masters under-14 tennis tournament at the Delhi Gymkhana Club here on Wednesday. On the girls’ side, Sandeepti Singh Rao topped her group beating Gargi Pawar 7-5, 6-1. The results: Boys: Pool-A: Ajay Malik bt Dhruv Tangri 5-7, 6-4, 6-3; Nishant Dabas bt Rudra Kapoor 6-4, 6-2. Pool-B: Krishan Hooda bt Udit Gogoi 7-5, 6-4; Nikhil Niranjan Thirumale bt Pranav Ikkurthy 6-3, 6-2. Pool-C: V.M. Sandeep bt Sushant Dabas 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; Aman Dahiya bt Shashidhar Kota 6-2, 2-6, 6-0. Pool-D: Divesh Gahlot bt Sanjith Devineni 6-3, 6-0; Denimm Yadav bt Kartik Saxena 6-2, 6-2. Girls: Pool-A: Sandeepti Singh Rao bt Gargi Pawar 7-5, 6-1; Akanksha Nitture bt Hrudaya Shah 6-0, 5-7, 6-4. Pool-B: Aditi Narayan bt Sudipta Senthil Kumar 6-2, 2-6, 6-1; Mushrath Anjum Shaik bt Ayushi Singh 7-5, 6-4. Pool-C: Sarah Dev bt Naisha Srivastav 6-3, 6-0; Avi Shah bt Divya Bhardwaj 6-3, 6-3. Pool-D: Priyanshi Bhandari bt Srujana Rayarala 6-2, 6-1; Yana Dhamija bt Renne Singla 7-5, 6-1.
Alam slams 182 n.o. Arish Alam made a matchwinning unbeaten 182 off just 108 balls to help Defence Accounts Sports Control Board defeat Madan Lal Cricket Academy (MLCA) by eight wickets and enter
the pre-quarterfinals of the 27th all-India Om Nath Sood memorial tournament. The scores: MLCA 286 for nine
19.2 overs (Anuj Chaudhary 32 n.o., Neelesh Manglani five for 18).
in 40 overs (Vaibhav Kandpal 127, Shaurya Thakur 69, Sanjay Pardesi three for 54, Murtaja Ali three for 54) lost to DASCB 289 for two in 36 overs (Arish Alam 182 n.o., Priyank Tehlan 71).
Rahul Chopra (61 and three for 23) and Harshit Sethi (58 and three for 41) helped Billabong Academy beat Gautam Gambhir Academy by 71 runs in the 10th Hargopal under-19 cricket tournament. Dhruv Jurel top-scored with an unbeaten 77 for the winner. The scores: Billabong
Arjun and Aadish set up Clever Fox’s win Arjun Gupta slammed a 57-ball unbeaten 84 and Aadish Jain picked up five for 18 as Clever Fox beat Playerz XI by four wickets in the fifth Roshanara Premier League. The scores: Playerz XI 168 for nine in 20 overs (Jaspreet Singh Dhingra 63, Mahir Sharma 36, Aadish Jain five for 18) lost to Clever Fox 171 for six in 19.5 overs (Arjun Gupta 84 n.o.); Zenith XI 172 for seven in 20 overs (Ekansh Gulati 78, Aditya Kaushik 52, Abhishek Gupta two for 10, Keshav Mishra two for 32, Akash Trehan two for 44) bt Nav Durga XI 160 for eight in 20 overs (Jagrit Anand 63, Kapil Manglani two for 23, Aditya Kaushik two for 28).
Six-wicket haul for Ayush Ayush Dutt had a six for 13 and Nitin Chaudhary picked up three for 17 as Aryan Club beat You Star Academy by four wickets in the Swastik Cup tournament. Neelesh Manglani picked up five wickets for the losing side. The scores: YSA 51 in 17.3 overs (Ayush Dutt six for 13, Nitin Chaudhary three for 17) lost to Aryan Club 52 for six in
Rahul, Harshit shine
Academy 280 for seven in 40 overs (Dhruv Jurel 77 n.o., Rahul Chopra 61, Harshit Sethi 58, Anish Ali three for 49) bt Gautam Gambhir Academy 209 in 30.5 overs (Abhishek Goswami 50, Abhijeet Sharma 44, Saurabh Nagpal 42, Rahul Chopra three for 23, Harshit Sethi three for 41).
Schools hockey Hoping to revive school hockey, four leading public schools from across the country will participate, with United for Hockey (UFH), for the inaugural UFH Invitational Cup on April 15 and 16. Doon School (Dehradun), Mayo College (Ajmer), the Scindia School (Gwalior) and Welham Boys’ School (Dehradun) will compete along with two other teams comprising various school alumni under the UFH banner, a club of hockey enthusiasts and former players. The matches will be played under lights in a leaguecum-knockout format.
Mahesh ensured that the of-court drama didn’t afect us: Prajnesh There was no pressure; we’d already known about the injuries, says Ramkumar
Velavan stuns top seed to enter last four
K. Keerthivasan
JOHANNESBURG
CHENNAI
Qualifier Velavan Senthilkumar stunned top seed Aqeel Rehman of Austria 11-3, 11-1, 11-5 in 31 to reach the semifinals of the Parkview Open 2017 squash here on Wednesday. In another match, second seed Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu cruised past South Africa’s Gareth Naidoo 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 to reach the last four. Guhan Senthilkumar had lost to Aqeel Rehman 11-9, 11-1, 11-4 in the first round. PTI
Fresh from featuring in India’s 4-1 win over Uzbekistan in the Davis Cup match at Bengaluru, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Prajnesh Gunneswaran are basking in the limelight. “It was an important tie for us to get into the World Group play-offs. Everyone wants to be there,” said Ramkumar, speaking to The Hindu on Wednesday. “More important, we played as a team,” he said.
Concurring with Ramkumar, Prajnesh said: “The team dynamics was excellent. Having (Sriram) Balaji and Ram(kumar) was great, and Bopanna helped us too.” Making his Davis Cup debut in the match against the Uzbeks, Prajesh said he handled the pressure better than he had thought he would. “I couldn’t have done better,” said the left-hander who, like Ramkumar, won his singles rubber on the opening day. A good run of form of late
was what had earned Prajnesh his Davis Cup spot. “This is the first time I’ve played a full season without any injuries,” he said. In the absence of Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni, the task of spearheading the Indian singles challenge fell upon Ramkumar. What was it like to cope with? “There was absolutely no pressure,” Ramkumar said. “We’d already known about about the injuries.” On whether the off-court turbulence around the team
had affected them, Prajnesh said, “Mahesh (Bhupathi) kept us away from all of that. Our focus was on our matches and the tactics we should employ. Seriously, it didn’t affect us at all.” Ramkumar is now ranked 232 in the World, and Prajnesh is not too far behind at 286, and both are eager to improve on it to secure their spots on the Indian team for the World Group play-off away against Canada from September 15 to 17. “Rankings will be one of
the main criteria to get into the team. Form will be another factor, and the playing surface will play another big part,” said Prajnesh. “(Milos) Raonic and (Vasek) Pospisil are big servers. It could be hard courts, you never know. Mahesh told us that, in Davis Cup, we always have a chance.” Prajnesh said his immediate focus would be on qualifying for the Grand Slams, and Ramkumar said he had belief in his team-mate. “He can do it,” said Ramkumar.
Coming into their own: Ramkumar and debutant Prajnesh handled with aplomb the task of playing singles for India in the recent Davis Cup match against Uzbekistan. M. KARUNAKARAN *
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THE HINDU CROSSWORD 11980 1
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3 Fund eel breeding — It's a necessary action (7)
14 Trick almost caused shock (4)
4 Assembled union to distribute cleaned pot in stage where maximum capacity has been reached (10,5)
16 Hits inspector with pole as symbol (5,4)
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12 Fancy violin had been free from scratches (9)
15 Gesture to call not working (4)
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(set by Aspartame)
6 Craft hour — it is a painful problem (9)
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21 Law written allows fellows to start exporting food (6)
7 Note about spy novelist being a member of British college (7)
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23 Festive igure admitted one with alcohol bottles inside leading hospital (10)
13 Inauguration of Nolan movie (9)
24 Bend reel backwards, not completely (4)
15 Attacks in hot Arab country (7)
18
Reaching Brahman
5 Central railway was halted in stormy conditions (6)
20 How butchers are asked to hurry up (4-4)
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FAITH
SUDOKU
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■ ACROSS 1 Predict reaction to GPS tracking (13)
25 Devious nun loves getting unctions interrupted (13)
8 Verbal test (4) 9 Notes at IIM sent for evaluation (10)
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■ DOWN
17 Anchor understood reports on some odd article (7) 18 Hanging frame (7)
10 Somewhat weak Indo-French exhibits (4,2)
1 Distribute luck (7)
19 Accommodating Asian guy owes principal to miser (6)
11 Stop smuggling in Mysore's trains (8)
2 Lubricated machine that is old (5)
22 One fool copies written work meant for submission (5)
Solution to puzzle 11979 C U S T OM O N U I M P O R T E M W E H AMM E R A E AM E N D E F P R A C T I C C A N WH I R L I N A O S E N O U G H T S E I S L E D I
E R S MO S H N T E P D R E D S E A I E I L N D S I C K L E G S A I S T E R L I N G D G E T I P S Y N N G D E R V I S H I X I C N O T A T I O N E R E L S C A R D E D
Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku
Uddalaka gives his son Svetaketu many examples to explain the nature of Brahman, said M.K. Srinivasan in a discourse. After explaining the subtle nature of Sath, Uddalaka goes on to explain what liberation means and also the need for an Acharya to give spiritual instruction. Uddalaka says, “Suppose there is a person from the Gandhara country. He is taken to a forest and left there blindfolded. The forest has no human habitation. The man will shout that he has been left alone and is also blindfolded. He would shout out in different directions. If a person happens to be present, he will remove the blindfold and then guide the lost man, telling him how he can reach Gandhara. From then on, the man slowly will make his way to Gandhara, by making enquiries on the way. Once he is told the right direction that he has to take to reach his destination, then he can make the journey alone. Likewise, a person who has a good Acharya will know the way to reach Brahman.” But when does a person reach Brahman? Only when he exits the body can he reach Brahman. Once he has served out the effects of his karma, his soul leaves his body. Uddalaka further explains that when a person is on his death bed, his relatives gather around him asking him if he recognises them . He is able to recognise them, until his speech merges into manas, and manas merges into prana, and prana merges into tejas and tejas unites with the Supreme One. At that stage, he no longer recognises anyone. In other words, once the soul unites with Sath, he does not recognise anyone. So the relationship with the body is impermanent. He who knows this will not be touched by the sorrows of samsara, for he knows that Sath is the atman of everything. He will meditate upon this Sath. A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
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IN BRIEF
Barca’s Paris deja vu
Dortmund fans’ spontaneous gesture
The ‘Jewel’ outshines Messi to give Juve the edge
Agence France-Presse DORTMUND
Stranded Monaco fans were offered free accommodation by fans in Dortmund after Tuesday’s Champions League match was called off following the attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus. Many Monaco supporters, who had planned to travel back to France directly after the game, found they had nowhere to sleep when the game was postponed, with their tickets still valid. However, a heartwarming spontaneous initiative from Dortmund
Injured Bartra has wrist surgery DORTMUND
Spain international Marc Bartra underwent wrist surgery on Tuesday after being injured when the Borussia Dortmund team bus was rocked by a series of explosions that forced the postponement of its Champions League match against Monaco. The 26-yearold Bartra needed an operation after he had broken the radius (bone) in his right wrist, said a spokesman. AFP
Head over heels: Juventus’ Paulo Dybala celebrates one of his two strikes against Barcelona with teammate Juan Cuadrado. REUTERS *
Agencies Turin
Anderlecht no pushover, says Mkhitaryan PARIS
Henrikh Mkhitaryan says Manchester United cannot afford to underestimate Belgian league leader Anderlecht as Jose Mourinho’s side attempt to join an elite group of European clubs. “Anderlecht are not easy opponents. I know this because I have watched some of their games in Europe; they are playing very well,” he said. AFP
TV PICKS Europa League: TEN 1, 2, 3 & TEN 1 HD, 11.30 p.m.
Paulo Dybala upstaged fellow Argentine Lionel Messi with two exquisite goals to set Juventus on the way to an emphatic 3-0 win over an underwhelming Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Spanish side, which overcame a 4-0 first-leg deficit in the previous round to beat Paris St. Germain, will have to pull a similar trick out of the hat again. Dybala, knwon as the ‘Jewel’ fired Juve ahead in the seventh minute and added the second goal before the half hour while defender Giorgio Chiellini headed in the third early in the second half. It could have been worse for Barca as Gonzalo Higuain, usually Juve’s most dangerous marksman, missed two chances that he would usually have snapped up.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Barca had 65% possession but was strangely ponderous in midfield and leaky at the back, where it could not cope with the pace and aggression of Mario Mandzukic or Juan Cuadrado on the flanks. The match pitted Chiellini against Barcelona forward Luis Suarez for the first time since the infamous incident at the 2014 World Cup when the Uruguayan bit the Italian defender. Juve, unbeaten at home in a European tie for four years, went ahead when Cuadrado found Dybala who cleverly turned and curled a left-foot shot past Marc Andre ter Stegen. Dybala struck again 15 minutes later, meeting Manduzkic’s low cross in his stride to beat ter Stegen inside the near post with another left-footer. Barcelona made a more promising start to the second
Solidarity: Fans show their support following the explosions near the Borussia Dortmund team bus. AP *
fans via Twitter meant many found a place to sleep for the night under the hashtag
BAI president passes away Press Trust of India
half, but Juventus was not finished. After Higuain squandered another chance by delaying too long over his shot, Chiellini out-jumped Javier Mascherano at the far post to head in from a corner for the third in the 55th minute. The result: Juventus 3 (Dybala 7, 22, Chiellini 55) bt Barcelona 0.
Mbappe stars for Monaco Agencies Dortmund
Kylian Mbappe’s brace and a goal by Sven Bender helped Monaco beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League encounter. Ousmane Dembele and Shinji Kagawa scored for the host.
#bedforawayfans. Borussia Dortmund’s official account promoted the initiative.
NEW DELHI
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) president Akhilesh Das Gupta passed away in Lucknow, after suffering a heart attack, in the wee hours of Wednesday. He was 56. He had become BAI president after the arrest of former chief V.K. Verma over corruption charges in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and was unanimously re-elected for another four-year term in 2014. Last year, he was also elected the vice-president of the Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) for a four-year term. Under his tenure, India bagged the rights to host marquee BWF events like the 2014 Thomas/Uber Cup and the Super Series, while the Syed Modi International was upgraded to a Grand Prix gold status. He was also instrumental
Akhilesh Das Gupta.
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PTI
in launching and organising the the Badminton League in August 2013, which was later rechristened Premier Badminton League in 2015. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes that poured in for Das Gupta. “Saddened by the demise of former MP & Union Minister, Shri Akhilesh Das. His active contribution to public life will be remembered. RIP,” the PM tweeted. Sports Minister Vijay Goel
also tweeted his condolences. “Shocked by the sudden demise of @BAI_Media President Akhilesh Das, was a great administrator. Prayers & condolences for his friends and family,” Goel tweeted. Top shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Jwala Gutta also expressed their deep sorrow. “Really shocking news ?? it’s just unbelievable..our beloved president sir @BAI_Media is no more .. may his soul Rest in peace,” tweeted Saina. “My heartfelt condolences to the family of our badminton president who passed away... #akhileshdasgupta #RIP,” Jwala said. Commonwealth Games champion P. Kashyap also took to Twitter, saying: “Shocked and saddened! My heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace. Our beloved president @Dr_akhilesh_das.”
“Dear supporters of @AS_Monaco_EN! If you need accommodation in Dortmund, please check #bedforawayfans. #bvbasm,” the German club tweeted and the Monaco account also highlighted the action. Several Dortmund fans posted pictures of themselves at home with relieved Monaco supporters and the solidarity drew plenty of praise on social media. “All together! Solidarity has developed between the fans of both teams,” wrote French sports newspaper L’Equipe.
Bagan held by Lajong, but goes to the top Press Trust of India SHILLONG
Former champion Mohun Bagan failed to log full points after Shillong Lajong held it to a 1-1 draw but managed to climb to the top of the I-League table here on Wednesday. Jeje Lalpekhlua struck in the 75th minute to give Bagan the lead before Dipanda Dicka equalised within three minutes. Bagan now has 30 points from 15 games, same as Aizawl FC, but a better goal difference and head-to-head record. With the league likely set to be decided in the 3536 point zone, Bagan will like to at least win a couple of matches in their last three games.
Sindhu enters second round Sai Praneeth also advances in Singapore Open Press Trust of India Singapore
P.V. Sindhu staved off a stiff challenge from 2016 All England champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan to make a positive start to her campaign at the Singapore Open here on Wednesday. Sindhu fought back from a game down to eke out a 1021, 21-15, 22-20 win in the opening round of the wo-
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men’s singles match. The fifth-seeded Indian will now face Indonesian Fitriani Fitriani. B. Sai Praneeth also dished out a gritty performance to prevail 17-21, 21-7, 2119 over Denmark’s Emil Holst. The Indian will clash with China’s Qiao Bin next. Other results: (first round): Women: Hsu Ya Ching bt Rituparna Das 21-18, 21-13.
Doubles: Ashwini Ponnappa & N. Sikki Reddy bt Yin Loo Lim & Yap Cheng 21-19, 21-19. Men: Anthony Sinisuka bt Sourabh Verma 21-15, 21-14; Hu Yun bt Sameer Verma 28-26, 23-21. Doubles: Takeshi Kamura & Keigo Sonoda bt Manu Attri & B. Sumeeth Reddy 21-8, 21-16. Mixed doubles: Lu Ching Yao & Chiang Kai Hsin bt Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & K. Maneesha 2113, 16-21, 21-11.
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AAP gets SEC notice
Noida realtor murders two
‘Govt trying to evade SC order’
Modernity and tradition
The AAP received a notice from the SEC over the use of Vijender Gupta’s pictures in posters Page 2
A businessman shot and killed his partner’s wife and younger son in Noida Sector 39 on Tuesday Page 3
ArriveSAFE president calls Haryana’s understanding of liquor ban along highways “unfortunate” Page 4
Celebrated dance exponent Ramli Ibrahim talks about his latest production dedicated to love Page 5
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IN BRIEF
₹42 cr needed to restore loodplains: report Rehabilitation of Yamuna riverbed, ‘destroyed’ by Art of Living event in 2016, will take 10 years: experts’ committee
‘Report leaked without serving us’
Press Trust of India New Delhi
AAP gets PWD eviction notice NEW DELHI
The Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government issued a notice to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal asking the party to vacate its Rouse Avenue oice at ITO here on grounds of allotment violations. The notice was sent to the party after L-G Anil Baijal ordered cancellation of oice allotment to the AAP. CITY
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20-year-old shot at after club brawl in Saket NEW DELHI
A 20-year-old was shot outside a packed club in south Delhi’s Saket on Sunday evening by a 21-yearold after the two got into a ight. The victim was rushed to a hospital where doctors managed to extract the bullet and save his life. The accused was arrested within 24 hours of the incident. CITY
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12 workers sacked at AIIMS over wage demand NEW DELHI
Twelve contractual workers at the AIIMS Trauma Centre here have been sacked by their employer, a private company which was outsourced the sanitation and housekeeping work, for allegedly taking up the issue of not being not paid minimum wages with the hospital authorities CITY 쑺 PAGE 4
A whopping ₹42.02 crore would be required to restore the Yamuna floodplains, which was ravaged due to a cultural extravaganza organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living last year, an expert committee has told the National Green Tribunal. The panel has said that the rehabilitation plan would comprise two components — physical and biological — and they would cost ₹28.73 crore and ₹l3.29 crore respectively, besides additional ancillary expenses.
Added expenses The NGT-appointed panel elaborated the timeline and the mechanism to be undertaken to ensure revival of the riverbed. It said the physical component should be taken up immediately and completed in two years’ time, while the biological aspect should be initiated simultaneously, which would take 10 years. Besides the two components, the rehabilitation of the floodplains would require funds to meet the expenses of a team of experts for the next 10 years, along with the cost of transportation of material outside the riverbed, the committee said. These estimates are approximate and need to be strengthened through commissioning of Detailed Project Report, it added. Seven-member panel Implementation of the action plan requires extensive monitoring for which the NGT may consider creating an appropriate body/team of
Art of living alleges bias, conspiracy Press Trust of India New Delhi
Flattened: The panel told the NGT the entire loodplain area used for the event had been “completely destroyed, not simply damaged”. FILE PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY experts, the panel said in its 31-page report. The NGT had constituted the seven-member committee last year to inspect the site of the World Culture Festival. It is headed by Shashi Shekhar, secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, and has senior scientists and experts from National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, IIT-Delhi and other agencies as its members. In it recommendations to the Tribunal, the expert panel has said that major restoration work has to be carried out to compensate for the damage to the Yamuna floodplains. Advocate Kush Sharma, who represented the Delhi Development Authority, refused to comment on the findings in the report and said they were going through its contents.
The green body had last year allowed the Art of Living Foundation to hold three-day World Culture Festival on the Yamuna floodplains, while expressing its helplessness in banning the event because of “fait accompli”. It had imposed ₹5 crore as interim environment compensation on the foundation for the event’s impact on the environment after Yamuna activist Manoj Mishra alleged that Art of Living was violating NGT orders.
‘Completely destroyed’ Initially, a four member-committee had recommended that Art of Living Foundation should pay ₹100-120 crore as restoration cost for “extensive and severe damage” to the Yamuna floodplains. Later, the seven-member expert committee told the
NGT that the entire floodplain area used for the Art of Living event, between DND flyover and the Barapulla drain (on the right bank of Yamuna), had been “completely destroyed, not simply damaged”. “The ground is now totally levelled, compacted and hardened and is totally devoid of water bodies or depressions and almost completely devoid of any vegetation. “The area where the grand stage was erected is heavily consolidated -- most likely with a different kind of external material used to level the ground and compress it. Huge amount of earth and debris have been dumped to construct the ramps for access from the DND flyover and from the two pontoon bridges across the Barapulla drain,” the panel had said.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living on Wednesday alleged that the expert committee report, regarding quantification of damage on Yamuna floodplains due to its cultural extravaganza, has been leaked to the media without serving a copy to the Foundation. “The report has been leaked to the media once again even as we were getting hold of our copy. This was expected of them as their mala fide intentions to malign us has been evident since the beginning. “The expert committee of the NGT who were supposed to be non-interested parties to the case and were to act as the eyes and ears of judges have given biased interviews in public while the case is sub-judice," the Art of Living said in a release.
Legal team will respond Claiming to be a victim of a conspiracy, the Foundation said it will fight for the truth to come out. “The Art of Living is a responsible and environment-sensitive NGO. We have never caused any damage to the environment, but have, in fact, worked for preserving and reviving it through various environment-related projects over the years. Our legal team will
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar study the report and decide on the appropriate course of action," Art of Living spokesperson Kedar Desai said. The Foundation said the NGT’s seven-member panel head, who was not even a technical person, noticed the earlier figure of ₹100-120 crore did not have any scientific basis and requested the chairperson of the Tribunal not to consider it. “How come Professor C.R. Babu, who is one of the senior-most members of the committee, gave a media interview maligning the Art of Living by concluding that World Culture Festival had caused damage even before any assessment was done. This shows bias beyond doubt. The closeness of the petitioner with the expert committee members was not disclosed to us when the panel was appointed. They are caught in their own web of misdeeds,” it said in a release.
Book says 36-24-36 best female shape, sparks row Press Trust of India New Delhi
Excerpts from a Class XII Physical Education textbook defining 36-24-36 as the “best body shape for females” have led to outrage on social media with critics demanding that the text be withdrawn. The book titled “Health and Physical Education” written by Dr. V.K Sharma and published by Delhibased New Saraswati House, is taught at various schools affiliated to CBSE. CBSE said that it “does not recommend any books by private publishers in its schools” . “36-24-36 shape of females is considered the best. That is why in Miss World or Miss Universe competitions, such type of shape is also taken into consideration,” read an excerpt from the chapter “Physiology and Sports”.
‘School’s responsibility’ Various Twitter users shared picture of the mentioned text and demanded that the publishers withdraw the content and schools replace the book in their curriculum. In a statement, the CBSE said, "Schools are expected to exercise extreme care while selecting books of private publishers and the content must be scrutinised to preclude any objectionable content that hurts the feeling of any class, community, gender, religious group. Schools have to take responsibility of the content of the books prescribed by them.”
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Co-founder of news portal booked Former employee accuses him of passing inappropriate, lewd comments Staff Reporter NEW DELHI
The co-founder of online news portal ScoopWhoop, Suparn Pandey, has been booked for sexual harassment, insulting the modesty of a woman and criminal intimidation after a former employee lodged a complaint in this regard at south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj (South) police station on March 28. Suparn Pandey
Not arrested “The accused has not been arrested. The matter is being investigated,” a senior police officer told The Hindu. According to police sources, the victim, who worked with the organisation from 2015 to 2017, has accused Mr. Pandey of passing inappropriate and lewd comments at her. She also alleged that she had approached Sriparna Tikekar and Sattvik Mishra —
also co-founders of the news portal — but they failed to take any action.
‘Action if guilty’ Mr. Pandey, meanwhile, refused to comment on the issue. “I am currently in discussion with my counsel. I will reach out when the time is right,” he replied over a text message. Responding to the victims’ claims, ScoopWhoop
released a statement saying the company strongly condemned harassment at the workplace. It also said it would cooperate in the investigation. “As an FIR has also been filed separately by the complainant, and the police investigation is ongoing, we are extending full cooperation to the police to conduct a full and fair investigation into the matter. We are fully prepared to accept the findings of the investigations and dutifully take necessary action if found guilty,” read the statement.
Anticipatory bail Police sources also said that the accused had sought anticipatory bail after an FIR under sections 354-A, 509 and 506 was registered. Mr. Pandey may be arrested if any evidence is found against him, they said.
A former employee of ScoopWhoop, who worked with the organisation till early 2016, said on condition of anonymity that she was shocked at hearing the news. “He’s very friendly and approachable, but not the kind to pass lewd comments,” she said.
TVF case Last month, an FIR had been registered against digital entertainment channel The Viral Fever’s CEO Arunabh Kumar on charges of sexual harassment in Mumbai after several women, including TVF’s former employees, took to social media alleging he had treated them inappropriately and took advantage of his position in the company. The company had also released a statement saying they’ll get to the bottom of the issue.
DU to start UG admissions early Entry process could start by April-end; no entrance test, cut-of system to stay Staff Reporter NEW DELHI
To avoid a repeat of the 201617 admission season, during which the entire admission process was delayed due to the introduction of the online system, Delhi University is likely to begin the process early this year. The process that traditionally starts after the Class XII board examination results are released in May and lasts till July could start by the end of April this year to avoid a rush in the final stages, informed a member of the admission committee.
No notification yet The university has not come out with any notification as yet but the online registration is likely to begin in the last week of April and students will be able to start the process immediately after
completing their board examination by uploading all the information that they already have with them. Last year, there were several glitches in the centralised online process that was introduced leading to much confusion and delay. Many seats had remained available even after colleges reopened
after the summer break.
Plans not finalised The plans of the university to introduce an entrance examination for undergraduate admission instead of the cutoff system has also remained on paper as the university could not finalise the plans for the change. The univer-
sity discussed the infrastructure that would be required as well as the format for the entrance examination but could not come up with the new system. The university had asked various stakeholders for feedback and recommendations to formulate a fool-proof plan as the university deals with lakhs of students that apply for admission. As done earlier admission to courses like BMS, BBE, BBA, BTech, BA Humanities and Social Sciences, Bachelor of Elementary Education, Bachelor in Multimedia and Mass Communication and Bachelor or Science in Physical Education will be conducted via an entrance examination. The highest cutoff for DU undergraduate programmes in 2016 was for B.Com (Honours) at Ramjas College with 99.25%.
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‘Bar entry of outsiders in JNU’ Phone snatchers forget to logout of FB, caught HC observes it’s necessary for ‘things to improve’ on campus Staff Reporter NEW DELHI
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday advocated the need to bar entry of outsiders on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus for things to improve. “We have to shut down the campus for the students of other universities. If JNU campus is closed to outsiders, things will improve,” Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva observed. “Every day we are reading in the newspaper about protests in the Jawaharlal Nehru University ( JNU) campus,” the court said. It asked the the varsity and the Jawaharlal University Students Union ( JNUSU) president, present in the court: “Is this the way an educational instiCM YK
tution functions”. “I want that a meaningful dialogue between students and the college administration should take place so that the things are settled within the boundaries,” said Justice Sachdeva.
‘Known for its culture’ “JNU for the last many decades was known for its own culture inside the campus. It never allowed others to interfere in their functioning, but today the outsiders are more active in this campus,” the court noted. Only the bonafide students of JNU should be allowed to decide how their university will function, it added. The court's observation
came during hearing of a plea by the JNU administration seeking direction to restrain its students from staging any demonstration within 100 metres of the administrative block. The court had on March 17 modified its order restraining students from protesting within 100 metres of the block and had directed that protest, if any, should be peaceful. JNU's counsel Monika Arora sought “immediate indulgence of the court” while highlighting that on March 23 the students had staged a dharna, burnt the effigy of the Vice Chancellor right outside the administrative block and blocked entry and exit of university officials.
Juvenile, brother traced after their mother posted a photo on the Facebook proile of the phone’s owner Hemani Bhandari NEW DELHI
A 14-year-old and his brother were allegedly apprehended by the Delhi police for stealing a smartphone after the phone’s owner noticed that her facebook account was being accessed by a third party following the theft. On March 27, around 8.15 p.m., the mobile phone of Priyanka Arora was snatched by two boys while she was waiting for a bus at east Delhi’s Krishna Nagar to go to her residence in Bhola Nath Nagar. According to the police, the apprehended minors revealed that they had given the stolen phone to their mother, who used the phone’s social networking
features, including Facebook and WhatsApp. The mother, who was allegedly fully aware that it was a stolen phone, was arrested by the police on Tuesday.
Unfamiliar picture Earlier this week, the complainant, Ms. Arora, saw an unfamiliar picture uploaded from her Facebook account. After checking the personal settings on her page, she found that her account was being used by another number. Suspecting that this number might belong to the snatchers, she immediately informed the police. “The complainant’s Facebook account was already logged in and the
accused did not log out before uploading the picture. The mobile number used in uploading the photographs was kept on surveillance and the location of the user was identified,” said Deputy
Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad.
Phone recovered She added that the family were residents of Bhikam Singh’s colony and the
mother was a household maid. The complainant purportedly told the police that she ran after the boys after they snatched her phone but couldn’t register her complaint on the same day and went on the next Sunday instead. “Upon investigation of the JCL ( Juvenile in Conflict with Law), it was revealed that the said phone was used by his mother. The snatched phone was recovered from the possession of their mother and she was arrested,” said the DCP. Ms. Prasad said, “In case someone’s phone is lost and they have their social media accounts open, they must change their account password and not just logout to avoid misuse.” B ND-ND
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IN BRIEF
Swaraj India launches radio campaign
Poster row: AAP asks Gupta to send a photo ‘he likes’
AAP gets PWD eviction notice
State Election Commission sends notice to party after BJP leader’s complaint
The Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government on Wednesday issued a notice to Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal asking the party to immediately vacate its Rouse Avenue office at ITO here on grounds of allotment violations. The notice was sent to the party less than a week after Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal ordered cancellation of office allotment to the AAP.
Soumya Pillai
NEW DELHI
New Delhi
Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj India on Wednesday started its radio campaign for the April 23 polls to the three municipal corporations. “We’ve been facing cash crunch. So the only option we had was to have radio campaigns and increase our presence on social media,” said party leader Anupam. PTI
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday received a notice from the State Election Commission (SEC) after the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta complained against it over using his “distorted pictures” in its municipal election campaign hoardings. Rubbishing the allegations by the senior BJP leader, AAP Delhi convener Dilip Pandey said Mr. Gupta is a public figure and the photograph used on the hoardings was readily available in public domain.
Clear stand on purvanchalis: JD(U) NEW DELHI
The Janata Dal (United) on Wednesday asked both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party to clear their respective stand on purvanchalis. Alleging that both parties were attempting to “lure voters” by promises, the JD(U) said the focus had shifted away from the issues faced by the purvanchalis and people from Bihar. STAFF REPORTER
Former Congress worker joins Swaraj India NEW DELHI
Former Congress councillor Anand Gautam on Wednesday joined the Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj India and will contest as its candidate from Hauz Khas ward of the South Delhi civic body. He had initially filed nomination as an Independent candidate from ward no 62S. Interestingly, a Swaraj India candidate had filed nomination from the same ward, but his papers got rejected. PTI
Pipelines damaged, DJB to up security Staff Reporter New Delhi
The Delhi Jal Board will deploy security guards at “strategic points” after receiving complaints that “anti-social elements” had damaged water pipelines, chairperson Kapil Mishra said on Wednesday.
‘Intentionally done’ Mr. Mishra said the issue came to light when area MLAs, the Chief Minister’s Office and he recently began receiving complaints of water shortage from different parts of the city. “We began investigating the complaints since there was no fall in production of water. There was no reason for water supply and levels at the underground reservoirs to fall,” said Mr. Mishra. He added that upon checking the water lines, the Jal Board found that some people had “intentionally damaged” pipelines at Burari, Matiala, Greater Kailash, Okhla, Rithala and Gandhi Nagar. “We will post about 40 to 50 security guards at about 15 strategic locations to ensure that the pipelines and valves are not damaged. If we find anyone damaging the infrastructure, we will file police complaints,” he said. With elections to the municipal corporations of Delhi scheduled on April 23, the DJB chairperson said the timing of these incidents was suspect. “There appears to be political reasons behind these acts. The timing creates doubts. I don’t want to name anyone, but we will take strict action if we find anyone damaging the city’s essential services.”
‘No distortion’ “No distortion of any kind was done to the image and neither was any comment or jibe directed towards his political or personal life. We’ve asked a simple question to the public of Delhi on whom they’ll choose for the upcoming polls, with opposing pictures of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Mr. Gupta, based on what each offered under their governance,” the party said in reply to the notice. The party also stated in the letter that if Mr. Gupta wasn’t happy with the picture used by the party, he can send a picture of his own liking which will then be put up on the hoardings so that he’s “not embarrassed”. Removal demanded Mr. Gupta on Monday had lodged the complaint with the SEC against AAP’s national convener Mr. Kejriwal over the use of his image and
Photo war: The AAP said Vijender Gupta is a public igure and the photograph used on hoardings for the civic poll campaign was readily available in public domain. FILE PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA *
demanded immediate removal of the hoardings.
‘Mala fide intention’ “I vehemently object to this. The party [the AAP] and its leaders have no right to use my picture and much less a distorted one. It’s done with a mala fide intention to let me and my supporters down,” Mr. Gupta stated in his letter to the SEC. He added that it was in breach of election norms.
The AAP also wrote to Mr. Gupta saying that if he had a problem with his photograph being used on the hoardings it will replace them with that of his colleague, BJP leader Vijay Goel.
Vijay Goel’s photo The AAP’s letter read, “…if you keep complaining against the use of your photograph to the election commission then we will be
forced to remove your photograph from the hoarding and use Mr. Goel’s photograph instead. Don’t complain then...” Terming it “vendetta” and a “personal indictment”, Mr. Gupta requested the SEC to withhold the recognition of the AAP for “reducing the seriousness” of the upcoming civic elections by “brazenly and blatantly violating the Model Code of Conduct.”
BJP releases booklet on AAP, Congress ‘Kejriwal has left Sheila’s 15-year rule behind in corruption and immorality’ panies and Hawala trade”. “The Congress looted ₹3,000 crore by showing regularisation of unauthorised colonies on paper while the AAP benefited by purchasing 400-acre near unauthorised colonies,” the booklet has alleged.
Staff Reporter New Delhi
Former Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president Satish Upadhyay on Wednesday released a booklet on alleged corruption during the two years of the Arvind Kejriwal government, which he claimed had “left Sheila Dikshit’s 15-year rule behind”.
‘Anti-Delhi policies’ At a press conference, Mr. Upadhyay issued a 14-point booklet attacking “corruption and immoral politics of the Aam Aadmi Party”, including “anti-Delhi policies, politics on unauthorised colonies, race for looting public funds, scams and disrespect towards women”. “Through this booklet, we’ve explained how Mr.
Fresh salvo: Former Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay in New Delhi on Wednesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *
Kejriwal has left the Congress behind where corruption and immorality are concerned,” he said. He alleged that the Congress had executed the trifurcation of the municipal corporation “without taking required steps” but the AAP “had withheld funds due to the corporations and para-
lysed them by not implementing the Fourth Delhi Finance Commission”. Questioning Ministers from both the governments, the booklet stated while “Raj Kumar Chauhan was an accused in the stamp paper scam”, AAP’s Satyendra Jain is “facing charges in connection with running fake com-
Contract system “The Congress has betrayed the people on many occasions and one of them was by starting the contract system in government appointments. Even in this case, Mr. Kejriwal has left the Congress behind. He has appointed volunteers from his party in the name of the contract system and pressurised the municipal corporations to retrench temporary staff. This government has written two letters in this regard,” he alleged.
The AAP has a new addition to its manifesto for the upcoming municipal polls. The party has promised to build public toilets across Delhi, claiming it will do what the BJP didn’t. Comparing the performance of the CM YK
New Delhi
Allotment violations A three-member Shunglu committee, formed by former L-G Najeeb Jung, had found that procedure wasn’t followed in allotting the ITO office to the AAP. “The PWD has issued a notice to the AAP to vacate its office at 206 Rouse Avenue on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg immediately. The Department hasn’t given any time frame to the party mainly because the allotment was illegal,” the PWD confirmed. Sources from the party said they were trying to convince the PWD officials to allow them time in return for market rent for the place. AAP Delhi convener Dilip Pandey confirmed that the notice has been received by Mr. Kejriwal. Mr. Pandey added that the party will now chalk out a plan to deal with
Shunglu report: The notice was sent less than a week after L-G Anil Baijal ordered cancellation of oice allotment to the AAP. *
FILE PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN
the contingency. “The PWD sent us an eviction notice and this was officially received by our national convener on Wednesday. We have been repeatedly stressing how our party is being singled out despite being in overwhelming majority. We will have a meeting to discuss the future course of action,” Mr. Pandey told The Hindu.
PWD report In its report to the L-G Office, the PWD had said the city administration doesn’t have the power to allot land to political parties as such powers in the Capital are with the Centre. In November 2015, the AAP government had approved a policy for land allotment to State parties. In 2016, the Delhi government had allotted the bungalow to
the party. This bungalow was earlier allotted to former Minister Asim Ahmed Khan, who was sacked over graft charges.
‘Multiple offices’ “There are other political parties, which have been operating from bungalows for decades now, but no action has been taken against them. The BJP and Congress have multiple offices in Delhi but no questions have been asked,” Mr. Pandey said. The party had made significant investments on refurbishing the office following allotment. In a public meeting, Mr. Kejriwal had alleged that the party was being targeted for promising abolition of residential house tax. He had said his party was ready to operate from the streets as well.w
‘Everyone but BJP treats Purvanchalis as vote bank’ Manoj Tiwari, Ramesh Bidhuri campaign in south Delhi Staff Reporter
Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari’s campaign for the civic polls reached south Delhi’s Mehrauli on Wednesday. Mr. Tiwari, MP Ramesh Bidhuri and other party office-bearers made public contact in 16 wards of Palam, Bijwasan, Mehrauli and Chhatarpur, besides addressing a public meeting in Mehrauli.
‘Be careful’: Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari (right) during a rally in the Capital on Wednesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
‘Purvanchali president’ “The BJP is the first political party to have appointed a president originally from Purvanchal in conformity with the metropolitan character of Delhi. Both the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have treated Purvanchalis as vote bank but never gave them due respect,” Mr. Tiwari said. Alleging that the Congress had “pressurised [Bihar Chief Minister] Nitish Kumar and his party to field candid-
ates in order to divide Purvanchali votes”, he asked members of the community to “be more careful”. Stating that the Congress and the AAP were “partners in corruption”, Mr. Bidhuri said: “Before the Assembly elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal talked about ending corruption. After coming to power, he hasn’t taken any action against the corrupt activities of the Sheila Dikshit govern-
*
ment. Even after the Delhi Jal Board tanker scam came to light he allowed the scamsters to continue even as people of unauthorised colonies and rural areas are craving for water.” He added, “The Congress and AAP have betrayed the people of rural areas in the matter of Lal Dora and the people of unauthorised colonies in the matter of the boundary wall survey. Mr. Kejriwal hasn’t even called a meeting in this connection.”
Tharoor walks the talk for Congress
Reaching out from a nondescript house
As part of party’s ‘Dilli Ki Baat, Dil Ke Saath’ programme
Congress making its presence felt on social media from a house in south Delhi
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
New Delhi
As part of the Congress’ campaign for the upcoming municipal polls, former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday interacted with south Delhi residents on their morning walks and discussed the party’s plan to improve municipal schools. Mr. Tharoor was accompanied by Delhi Congress spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee and Congress councillor and candidate for Chittaranjan Park Virender Kasana. He interacted with those walking at Jahanpanah Forest in Greater Kailash-II. Mr. Tharoor, who was the Union Minister for Human Resource Development in the UPA government, said he would work with the
Morning matters: Former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor interacting with south Delhi residents on Wednesday morning. *
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Delhi Congress to improve the standard of education if the party wins the elections. Wednesday’s event was a part of the Congress’ programme ‘Dilli Ki Baat, Dil Ke
Saath’. As part of the programme, senior party leaders will interact with Delhiites to discuss specific issues.
There are no party flags, posters of leaders or party workers waiting outside the house located in south Delhi. But this is the place from where the Congress has been making its presence felt on social media for the upcoming civic body polls. Over 30 people, mostly college students, work in two shifts from a basement office filled with computers to come up with ideas. If you’ve received a WhatsApp message or watched a video campaigning for a Congress candidate, the content was probably created and shot-
plexes, which will also get 24x7 water supply, bathing areas and separate stalls for infant care. “The target will be to build many of these toilet complexes in major marketplaces in the city,” sources said. Markets like Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh, Chandni
Chowk and Kamla Market are on the party’s priority spots. “As a result of the lacklustre performance by the BJP-led civic no household toilets were constructed in Delhi under the Swachh Bharat Mission. The target was 30,107 till March last year.”
off into the world by the team working away from the heat, dust and noise of the campaign. All workers however don’t belong to any agency. They are people belonging to the party brought together from across India. On a visit to the office to
Area-specific content Ranajit Mukherjee from West Bengal who leads the team said they’d received excellent response to their social media campaigns. “In Delhi, unlike other parts of the country, everyone has access to a smart phone. We generate area-
specific content. The party workers from that area then spread that message. Many people have been engaging with the content and we make it a point to reply to messages received on Facebook and Twitter,” he said. The team has started uploading two-three videos a day and popularising campaign events via Facebook Live. On dealing with trolls, Hasiba, who was earlier with the NSUI, said they were running a positive campaign. She said although there are many who used abusive language, they are forced to engage with those trying to spread fake news and statistics.
Consumers given a breather of 30 days till the issue is resolved: Kapil Mishra New Delhi
civic bodies with that of the Delhi government, the party said it had exceeded its target of building 1,982 community toilets by building 4, 656 toilets. If elected to power in the civic bodies, the party has promised to build state-ofthe-art public toilet com-
Delhi Congress spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee
ideate about the next lot of videos being made, Delhi Congress spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee said the team had been carved out of a talent pool from across the country and all the work was done in-house. This is the first time the Congress has built such a team for the civic polls.
Jal Board to investigate ‘inlated’ water bills Staff Reporter
Soumya Pillai
Soumya Pillai
New Delhi
AAP promises to build toilets if it wins civic polls New Delhi
Asked to vacate bungalow on Rouse Avenue immediately
Complaints of “inflated” water bills would be investigated and consumers given a breather of 30 days till the issue is resolved, Delhi Jal Board chairperson Kapil Mishra said on Wednesday. Mr. Mishra said the utility had recently received complaints from consumers that
their bills had shot up suddenly. He said he’d asked Jal Board CEO Keshav Chandra to conduct an investigation into the sudden spike in bills. “Consumers will be given 30 days to get their bills rectified. They got much higher bills in this cycle all of a sudden. We have worked hard to resolve the problem of inflated bills, so this needs to
be investigated,” he said.
Software to be checked He added that complaints from consumers would be investigated individually and the DJB would also look into its own system. “We will have the software checked to make sure that there isn’t any problem,” he said. The announcement by the
DJB comes as Delhi is getting ready for elections to the municipal corporations on April 23. The AAP, which will contest the civic polls for the first time, has been banking on its schemes of waiving water and power bills. For the municipal corporations, the AAP has promised to waive property tax for residential properties. B ND-ND
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IN BRIEF
Baijal tells DDA to develop Yamuna riverfront NEW DELHI
Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday asked the Delhi Development Authority to develop the Yamuna riverfront in Delhi and restore the river to its pristine state. In a series of tweets, Mr. Baijal said that besides environmental benefits, tourism and economy would also get a boost. PTI
Man kills self after death of wife GURUGRAM
Depressed over the death of his wife in a road accident, a 29-year-old man committed suicide by slashing both his wrists in Bhondsi here. Alok, a resident of Mahendergarh, had married Lalita a month ago, but the two met a road accident returning from Ateli on April 8. STAFF REPORTER
Perfume firm directors held for loan default NEW DELHI
The CBI has arrested four directors of a perfume company, Surya Vinayak Industries Ltd. for alleged wilful default of loans totalling ₹2,240 crore extended by a consortium of banks. They allegedly used over 100 shell firms for round-tripping and diversion of funds. The accused are Sanjay Jain, Rajiv Jain, Rohit Chaudhary and Sanjeev Agarwal. STAFF REPORTER
Noida real estate agent kills partner’s wife, son Financial dispute allegedly led to brutal attack; three others in hospital
20-year-old shot at after club brawl in Saket Victim allegedly got into a scule over lack of space in club Hemani Bhandari
Purusharth Aradhak
New Delhi
Noida
A 20-year-old was shot outside a packed club in south Delhi’s Saket on Sunday evening by a 21-year-old after the two got into a fight. The victim was rushed to a hospital where doctors managed to extract the bullet and save his life. The accused was arrested within 24 hours of the incident. Around 4p.m. on Sunday, victim Ankit Meena, a ClassXII student of Garhwali Government Boys School in Saket, had gone to attend a music gig at Club London with his friend Hemant when the accused Bhanu Singh got into an argument with Mr. Meena over standing space.
A businessman shot and killed his partner’s wife and younger son in Noida Sector 39 on Tuesday night, the police said. Superintendent of Police Dinesh Yadav told The Hindu that the accused, Rajesh Jolly, was the business partner of one Ajay Khurana (60). Jolly, who was also injured during the incident, has been arrested and the weapons used in the crime have been recovered. “A financial dispute between the two men, who are property dealers, had led to the brutal attack. Jolly and Khurana had given money on interest to a woman nearly a year ago. The woman had mortgaged property papers in exchange for the money. Khurana had kept the property papers with him,” Mr. Yadav said. The police said that post demonetisation, Jolly financial situation reportedly went critical and this led to a disturbed relationship with Mr. Khurana. Around 11p.m. on Tuesday, Jolly barged into the house of Mr. Khurana in Sector 39. Jolly first attacked the domestic help, Rajinder (28), with a sharp-edged weapon. He then opened fire at Mr. Khurana’s younger son
Family of the victims grieve on Wednesday; Ankush (right) younger son of realtor Ajay Khurana; accused Rajesh Jolly (far right). *
Beaten up “We had gone to attend a concert by A Bazz and the place was overcrowded. This man pushed me and we got into a fight. He abused me and I retorted,” Mr. Meena, a resident of Madangir, told The Hindu.
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Ankush (33), who was having dinner. Mr. Khurana’s wife Anju (56) came out of a room and raised alarm for help, but she too was attacked.
Two shot dead According to the police, Jolly then spotted Mr. Khurana and fired at him, who managed to escape. Mr. Khurana’s older son Amit (38) then caught Jolly. The father and son tried to overpower Jolly but he attacked them with a sharpedged weapon inflicting multiple stab injuries.
Fire in Bawana slum, eight hurt Residents attack iremen, allege they reached spot late
Police said Anju had been shot in the chest while Ankush was shot in the head. Both died on their way to the hospital.
Hospitalised Mr. Khurana, Amit and Rajinder are admitted at Kailash Hospital in Sector 28 with stab injuries. The accused was also hos-
pitalised with serious head injuries, though the police are not clear how he suffered the injuries. “We have recovered the weapons used in the crime. We have collected more evidences from the crime scene. We will produce the accused before the court once he is discharged from the hospital,” Mr. Yadav said.
Nirnimesh Kumar
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
New Delhi
the heroin to Delhi from Manipur by air on April 10. They wrapped the drugs in thick layers of carbon paper to avoid detection by airport scanners. Jafar had created a secret cavity in his bag to hoodwink the police,” said Mr. Yadav.
A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to Janata Dal (United) Rajya Sabha MP Anil Kumar Sahani and two others in a case of allegedly using fake bills to claim leave travel concession (LTC). Special CBI Judge Virender Kumar Goyal granted bail to Dr. Sahni, then Office Superintendent of Air India, N.S. Nair and Anup Singh Panwar, an employee of Air Cruise Travels Private Limited here, on furnishing a personal bond of ₹1 lakh with one surety of a like amount by each.
An eight-year-old girl employed as a domestic help in east Delhi’s Pandav Nagar area was allegedly assaulted by her employers following which she was rescued by the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW). The minor girl, approached neighbours for help, who called up the DCW helpline. “The girl was brought from Bihar and made to work as a domestic help. Last evening the girl was
Myanmar to Manipur The officer said the duo had come to Daryaganj to supply heroin to an African. The drugs are then further smuggled to various European and African countries through courier companies, added the officer. The officer said that Jafar has revealed that Manjum has links with drug suppliers in Myanmar. Although there is widespread illegal cultivation of opium in bordering areas of Manipur where heroin is prepared, its quality is inferior to heroin brought from Myanmar.
Case of cheating Earlier, the accused persons appeared before the court on summons and applied for bail. Taking cognisance of the chargesheet filed by CBI in the matter, the court had in March summoned them for Wednesday. While granting bail, the court asked them not to leave the country without its prior permission. The investigating agency has chargesheeted them for cheating, forgery under the IPC and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Two held with heroin worth ₹12 crore Press Trust of India New Delhi
Gutted: It took 3 hours to douse the blaze.
fore the others,” said the officer. The fire broke out around 2p.m. and twelve fire tenders were sent to the scene. The fire was doused by 4.50p.m. To provide relief to the victims, drinking water and
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biscuits were provided. “Tents were erected and dinner was prepared for the 2,000 victims,” said District Magistrate (North) Amit Satija, adding that emergency lights were being put up and the DUSIB was asked to provide mobile toilets.
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New approach
Two persons have been arrested with three kilograms of heroin worth ₹12 crore in Delhi, police said on Wednesday. The two accused, Mohd. Jafar and Parvej Saifi, both residents of Bareilly in U.P., were arrested on April 11 from near Ghata Masjid in Daryaganj said DCP (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav. Police are probing whether the accused have any links with drug suppliers in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
International cartel Jafar’s bag contained 2kg of heroin while Saifi’s bag contained 1kg of the drug. The accused claimed to be members of an international narcotic drug cartel being run by Manipur-based drug supplier Manjum, said Mr. Yadav. “The accused had brought
Security concern The victim also pointed out the lack of security measures at the club, which allowed the accused to carry the gun inside. “It’s shocking how they didn’t see he had a gun with him when he came inside the club. How could they allow him?” asked Meena. Responding to the charge, the club’s manager Ashish told The Hindu that the accused did not have a gun when he was on club premises. “We have metal detectors at the entry and each person is thoroughly checked. The incident happened outside the club and we’re sure he wasn’t in possession of a gun when he was inside,” he said. A case has been registered against Bhanu under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and Sections 25/27/ 54/59 of the Arms Act.
Minor girl assaulted by employers
New Delhi
Over 500 jhuggis were gutted in a fire that broke out at a JJ Colony in Bawana on Wednesday. Eight people were injured out of which four were firemen, said a Delhi Fire Services official. The firemen were hurt while trying to pacify people who had started pelting stones at them in anger as the fire services allegedly reached the spot late. Two vehicles were also damaged in the incident, said the official. “A few of the vehicles might have reached late since we have to pull out vehicles from other stations. People went into a panic and were forcing the firemen to save their shanty be-
Traced in 24 hours Mr. Meen was able to call the police before he was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he underwent treatment till early Monday and discharged thereafter. The police said the accused, a resident of southeast Delhi’s Badarpur, had fled the spot after shooting Mr. Meena. “We went to his house, but he was nowhere to be found. But eventually after looking at his possible hideouts, he was nabbed,” said a senior police official. While Mr. Meena alleged that the accused was drunk
at the time of the shooting incident, the police said Bhanu was not inebriated.
Court grants bail to JD(U) MP, 2 others in LTC case
Police probing Pak, Bangladesh link
Staff Reporter
The victim said that the two then got out of the club where the accused pulled out a gun and shot him three times. “He hit me and abused me and I did the same. Then he tried to shoot me with the intention of killing me. It missed me twice, but I got shot the third time on the left side of my stomach,” Mr. Meena said.
Eight-year-old worked as domestic help beaten mercilessly leading to swelling in her eye and several marks on her body. The girl was so traumatised that she ran to a neighbour’s house crying, who informed us,” a DCW official said.
Family told “The girl has been rescued and sent to a shelter home. Police is probing the issue and we have been told that the employers are absconding. The victim’s parents have been informed and they are coming from Bihar,” he added.
BJP worker dies after being attacked by bull Staff Reporter New Delhi
A 56-year-old BJP worker lost his life after he was attacked by a bull in north Delhi’s Burari on Wednesday morning. The victim, Harish Nainwal, owned a dairy near his residence where he was attacked. The incident happened when Mr. Nainwal was getting the milk crates unloaded from a truck around 5.30a.m. outside his house. He was standing when the bull charged him.
The truck driver and the assistant tried to stop the bull but in vain. Mr. Nainwal was immediately rushed to Sushrut Trauma Centre in Civil Lines, however, he succumbed to his injuries on the way. The post-mortem was conducted and his body was handed over to the family for cremation. Mr. Nainwal, a resident of Sant Nagar, was in the dairy business for the last 20 years and had served as the president of the BJP’s Jharoda Mandal.
Minority community alleges harassment Staff Reporter Gurugram
Better policing: Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal with Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik at the Parliament Street police station on Wednesday. Over 120 additional policemen will be posted at the station, which covers Jantar Mantar, as it handles an average of 12 to 13 dharnas daily. Maurice Nagar police station, which covers North Campus, also got more staf. SANDEEP SAXENA *
A few families of a minority community in Om Vihar Colony here have lodged a police complaint alleging harassment by neighbours of another community. The police, however, said that no legal action was warranted in the matter. In the complaint, the families said that three to four people in the locality had been harassing them and not allowing them to offer prayers inside their own premises and also cut water connections to their houses. The complainants said they had lodged a similar complaint on March 28 and the matter was resolved with the help of the police, but now the tormentors had again resorted to their old ways. “The members of both communities had been living together in harmony and never faced any problem. But it all started after Yogi Adityanath took over as Chief Minister of U.P.,” said one of the complainants. Deputy Commissioner (West) Sumit Kumar, however, said that the complaint did not warrant any legal action and a peace committee was formed to resolve the dispute and restore peace in the area.
DELHI TODAY April 13: Poetry Reading: Hum Gunahgaar Auratein: Readings from feminist Urdu poetry. Readings and recitations from the works of Zehra Nigah, Kishwar Naheed, Fahmida Riaz, Parveen Shakir, Sara Shagufta and Tarannum Riyaz by Indira Varma, Chinna Dua, Salima Raza, Rashmi Agarwal, Fouzia Dastango and Tarannum Riyaz. Presided by: Prof. Sadiq-ur-Rahman Kidwai. Introduced and curated by: Dr. Rakhshanda Jalil. Welcome and introductory remarks by: Dr. Syed Raza Haider at Ghalib Institute, Aiwan-e-Ghalib Marg, 6:30 p.m.
CM YK
Talk: Discussion on “Building histories: The archival and affective lives of ive monuments in Modern Delhi” by Dr. Mrinalini Rajagopalan, Assistant Professor, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, University of Pittsburgh at Conference Room - I, India International Centre (IIC), 6:30 p.m. Talk: “Enhancing energy efficiency in urban India” by Dr.Ajay Mathur, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) Moderator: Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Chairperson, ICRIER, at Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 7 p.m. Music: Concert by the duo Attademo
Gramaglia – Luigi Attademo (guitar) and Simone Gramaglia (viola). The artist will present a concert of works by Franz Schubert and Niccolo Paganini at C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium, India International Centre (IIC), 6:30 p.m. Exhibition: ‘In the Presence of Others’ – group exhibition. Participating Artists: Okin Collective group (Seoul), Desire Machine (Guwahati), Chim Pom (Tokyo) and The Propeller Group (Ho Chi Minh) at Korean Cultural Centre, India 25A, Lajpat Nagar IV, Lajpat Nagar 4, 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Exhibition: Phulkari Mela IV 1469 - a group
exhibition of Punjab and Phulkari - art installations, ceramics, jute, metal at Open Palm Court Gallery, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Exhibition: Sculpture show by Sumita Chandani Rekhi at Gallery B, All India Fine Arts & Craft Society (AIFACS), 1 Rai Marg, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Screening: "Les Chansons D'amour" French ilm screening with English subtitles at M.L. Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Francaise De Delhi, 72, Lodhi Estate, 6:30 p.m. (Mail your listings for this column at
[email protected] ) B ND-ND
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12 workers sacked at AIIMS
‘SC did not say motorable distance’
Press Trust of India
Ashok Kumar
New Delhi
GURUGRAM
Twelve contractual workers at the AIIMS Trauma Centre here have been sacked by their employer, a private company which was outsourced the sanitation and housekeeping work, for demanding minimum wages.
ArriveSAFE president Harman Singh Sidhu, the man behind the Supreme Court order banning liquor vends, bars and pubs within 500 meters of a national or State highway, has said that the Haryana government’s interpretation of the court order as the “motorable” distance from the highways was “unfortunate”.
Wanted minimum wages According to the Delhi Hospitals Contractual Workers’ Union, Sudarshan Facilities Pvt. Ltd. had been given the contract for hiring housekeeping staff. When the employees demanded that they be paid minimum wages, the hospital administration called the police. The sacked employees, who worked as class IV staff, alleged that they were manhandled by the police. They then took up the matter with the Labour Commissioner. The union has written to the AIIMS Director, alleging that the Sanitary Inspector charged money for allotting duty, compelled them to perform the work of Class III staff, delayed wages, used abusive language, and sometimes beat them up. AIIMS, meanwhile, said that though the sanitation staff was not directly employed by it, they had held meetings with the company officials to sort out the issue. “We will appreciate uninterrupted sanitation and housekeeping services,” said Dr. Amit Gupta, additional medical superintendent, AIIMS Trauma Centre.
ArriveSAFE president calls Haryana’s understanding of liquor ban along highways “unfortunate”
‘Will have to move court’ According to Mr. Sidhu, he “would have to move the court” if this was the case. Speaking to The Hindu over the phone from Chandigarh, Mr. Sidhu said that he had come across media reports suggesting that the Excise and Taxation Department of the Haryana government had measured motorable distance to bars and vends
[SC] order < > The categorically says that no shop for sale of liquor shall be situated within a distance of 500 metres Harman Singh Sidhu ArriveSAFE president
Harman Singh Sidhu
from the national and State highways. He said it would be unfortunate if this was being done to circumvent the Supreme Court order. “First, I will procure a copy of the Haryana government order on this, and if this is really the case, I will have to move the Supreme Court against this,” said Mr. Sidhu. Fighting for road safety for almost two decades now, Mr. Sidhu said that the
Haryana government’s interpretation of the order would open the floodgates. Other States would follow suit and the “orders would fall flat”, he said.
‘Seek clarification’ He said that no where in the order had the Supreme Court used the word “motorable”. “Had this been the case, the court could have mentioned “motorable” in the order. But the order categorically says that no shop for sale of liquor shall be situated within a distance of 500
Justice Gita Mittal set to take over as acting Chief Justice of Delhi HC Chief Justice G. Rohini will retire on Thursday Akanksha Jain New Delhi
With Delhi High Court Chief Justice G. Rohini retiring on Thursday, Justice Gita Mittal will take over as acting Chief Justice from April 14. A notification has been issued in this regard. An alumna of Lady Irwin
Higher Secondary School and Lady Shri Ram College, Justice Mittal holds a LLB degree from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University.
Appointed to HC in 2004 She was appointed Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in 2004.
Her judicial pronouncements include judgments on compensation to riot victims, right to shelter for displaced persons, right to marriage of a woman member of the armed forces, among others. She has also been part of various court committees.
‘Will chalk out new industrial policy’ U.P. gets new Principal Secretary Purusharth Aradhak Noida
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday appointed senior IAS officer Alok Sinha as the Principal Secretary (Industries) and chairperson of the Noida Authority, replacing Rama Raman. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Sinha said that promoting industrial development in the State, especially in Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway area, would be his priority.
‘Will meet Minister’ “Tomorrow (on Thursday), I will meet U.P. Industrial Development Minister, Satish Mahana, to decide on a a course of action. I will also meet other concerned officers,” said Mr. Sinha. According to Mr. Sinha, Noida was developed for industrial growth but had become a residential hub in the last few years. He added that strict action would be
initiated against those found violating rules and running commercial activities in industrial sectors. He also said that he would chalk out a new industrial policy.
Focus on jobs A few days back, UP Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana had visited Noida and was upset with the condition of industrial growth. Mr. Mahana had then said that the new government in the State would focus on setting up industries in Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway area, unlike the previous government that allotted land to realtors. He had also said that the government would follow the Gujarat and Maharashtra models to boost industrialisation and create jobs. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Sinha served as Divisional Commissioner (Meerut).
metres of the outer edge of a national or State highway or of a service lane along the highway. The word “within” means that “the distance should be as the crow flies,” contended Mr. Sidhu, adding that if the Haryana government had doubts about the orders, the “only thing to do for them was to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court and seek clarification”. Saying that he had nothing against hotels and bars, Mr. Sidhu said that this attempt of the Haryana government to circumvent the SC order had presented all those running legitimate business of bars and hotels in a “poor light” and given the impression that they were hand-in-glove with the Excise and Taxation Department. Mr. Sidhu said that he had already moved court against the Chandigarh ad-
ministration for denotifying certain highways passing through the city. Asked about the job loss on account of the court order, Mr. Sidhu argued that “life came first”. A study has revealed that every year accidents in India cost $50 billion to the exchequer, he said. Mr. Sidhu added that the SC direction did not come out of the blue and the Centre had been issuing advisories to the State governments since 2004 to not allow liquor sale along roads. About financial losses to bars and hotel owners working with licences and requisite permission, Mr. Sidhu said the court had granted relief to the hill States of Sikkim, Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh and areas with a population up to 20,000, but the Haryana government did not file any review petition.
JNUSU plans ‘warm protest’ for Javadekar Staff Reporter New Delhi
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union ( JNUSU) has decided to welcome Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on campus on Friday with a “warm protest”. The Minister is scheduled to attend the renaming ceremony of the JNU Central Library. The university administration has decided to rename the library after B.R. Ambedkar and will unveil a bust of the leader as well. The road leading up to the library will also be renamed Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Road.
‘No welcome’ JNUSU general-secretary Satarupa Chakraborty said she wondered how Mr. Javadekar had the courage to enter a university he was desperately trying to shut down.
The Union Minister will attend the renaming ceremony of JNU’s Central Library on Friday. FILE PHOTO *
Ms. Chakraborty said the JNU administration and the Ministry were trying hard to “appropriate” Dr. Ambedkar while undertaking all measures to “murder social justice”. JNUSU president Mohit Pandey said the students would put posters all over campus stating “No welcome for murderer of research”.
Won’t interfere with DDA’s lift policy, says HC Notes lift is technological tool that lets people enjoy their residence to the fullest Staff Reporter New Delhi
The Delhi High Court has refused to interfere with the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) new lift policy that does not require people to approach the agency for a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to install a lift. The court observed that lifts were technological tools that allowed residents of multistoreyed buildings, including the aged and sick, to use their flats to the fullest.
agency for permission to install lifts. Instead, people can seek approval from local bodies.
New policy According to the new policy, which came into effect last year, allottees of DDA flats in denotified areas no longer need to approach the civic
‘DDA can’t frame policy’ The court was hearing a petition that challenged the new policy. The petitioners had contended that the DDA had no authority to frame such a
The new policy came into efect last year. FILE PHOTO
policy as lifts are not among the amenities mentioned in the DDA Act. “The lift is a technological tool which permits all residents of a multi-storey building, in particular, the aged and sick to enjoy and use their residences to the fullest extent. Since the impugned lift policy seeks to achieve this objective, this Court does not deem it appropriate to interfere with the said policy,” said Justice Manmohan. Further, delinking unauthorised constructions while processing NOCs [for lifts], the DDA’s policy grants in-principle approval to flat owners in denotified areas. Justice Manmohan said,
“This court is also of the view that the issue of unauthorised construction had to be delinked under the impugned lift policy, as at the moment, the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011, is in force, by virtue of which unauthorised construction prior to 1st June, 2014, is protected unless and until Section 4 of the said Act is applicable”. “The unauthorised construction has not been condoned, it has only been delinked for installation of a lift. Unauthorised construction by one flat owner cannot be a ground to deny the facility to other law abiding occupants,” said the court.
Haryana to revise motor vehicle tax soon State government takes note of resentment among cab drivers and transporters Ashok Kumar Gurugram
The Haryana Motor Vehicle Tax, which was recently imposed on commercial vehicles entering the State, is all set to be revised by the end of this month with the State government taking note of the resentment among cab drivers and transporters. “It was observed that the tax was high. We will come out with positive changes before the end of the month,” said Haryana Transport Commissioner Suprabha Dahiya. Ms. Dahiya added that Delhi and Uttar Pradesh charged the tax per trip, but the Haryana government charged only ₹100 from taxis and autos per day. She added that people could deposit the tax online. On April 1, the Haryana government had abolished the Passengers and Goods Tax collected by the Excise and Taxation Department. Instead, it directed the Transport Department to collect the same as
Feeling the pinch: Cab drivers queue up to deposit the tax at the Transport Department’s oice near the Dhanchiri Camp. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *
Haryana Motor Vehicle Tax. However, the new rates are 10 times higher.
A ten-fold increase Rajiv Kumar, who is attached with Ola cabs, said: “They have increased the tax from ₹950 to ₹9,000 per quarter. Since cab aggregators have not included the new tax in their software yet, drivers end up paying ₹100 from their pocket each time they go to Gurugram. Earlier, it cost us ₹10 per
day and we did not mind it.”
Commuters affected Pushpender, who is attached with Uber, said earlier drivers paid the tax for one quarter in one go, but now they pay it each day, causing discomfort to passengers. “I am standing in the queue. I had to leave my cab with the air-conditioner running, while the passenger has to wait,” he said. Amit Singh, co-founder of Shuttl, an app-based shuttle
service, said: “The hike has led to an increased tax of ₹90,000 per month for a 35-seater vehicle. This amounts to 60% of the total operating cost of the vehicle, which is more than the EMI. Also, semiskilled people will lose jobs.” Considering the vehicles that now block traffic on the highway, the Transport Department has shifted its office to Dhanchiri Camp. It was earlier located near Ambience Mall.
Public meet at DU condemns UGC notiication, autonomy Protesters extend support to Panjab University students Staff Reporter New Delhi
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) held a public meeting at Delhi University’s Faculty of Arts on Wednesday.
Copy of UGC notification burnt Titled ‘A University of Ambedkar’s Dream: Against the Policies of Exclusion from Higher Education’, the meeting saw students burning a copy of the UGC’s Gazette Notification of 2016 and a notification for the scheme of autonomous colleges at Delhi University. The protesters also extended support to the students of Panjab University, who have been charged with sedition for protesting against the massive fee hike. Speakers discuss govt policies The event, which attempted to review the state of university education in the country in the light of Ambedkar’s vision of education, also saw speakers explaining the policies that were resulting in seat cuts in research institutions and creation of autonomous colleges. Nandita Narain, president of the Delhi University Teachers’ AssociCM YK
Ambedkar saw the < > While university as an inclusive space, the government was coming up with policies which were exclusive in nature Kawalpreet Kaur President of AISA’s DU unit
ation, spoke about autonomy for colleges and explained that it was synonymous with fee hike.
‘Autonomy will kill Arts courses’ Autonomy would ultimately kill the Arts and Humanities courses, directing students towards skill-based courses, said Ms. Narain. Upset with seat cuts President of AISA’s DU unit Kawalpreet Kaur told students that “while Ambedkar saw the university as an inclusive space, the government was coming up with policies which were exclusive in nature and aimed at making the university a bastion of elites. Earlier, the AISA had campaigned in over 25 colleges against the issue of seat cuts in research institutions and the scheme of autonomous colleges. B ND-ND
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IN BRIEF
‘Modernity can exist within a tradition’ As “Amorous Delight” gets a mixed response, celebrated dance exponent Ramli Ibrahim talks about his latest production dedicated to love air. Finally, I guess, the objective of creating a dance work is the same for all – a celebration of creativity for the dance-makers and the satisfaction to see the beauty of the dancers and dance come alive. Like love itself, the objective is a kind of moksha!
ranee kumar
Fillip to culture To save culture of various nations, an international cultural governance workshop was conducted at Zorba the Buddha, a spiritual centre in Ghitorni. It was organised by Arch Academy of Design with support of Government of Rajasthan and the University of the Arts, London. Ian King from University of Arts, London said information from eight countries including Ethiopia, China and India is being collected to generate knowledge to improve the quality of cultural governance across the globe. Results of the study will be collected and reproduced in a book to be published by Peter Lang in late 2018.
Meaning in dance
A legend in his lifetime, Datuk Ramli Ibrahim needs no introduction to dance aficionados. Recently in the city to stage his much-acclaimed ballet, “Amorous Delight” under the aegis of Sutra Foundation in collaboration with Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, the veteran Malaysia-based dancer drew as much flak from the purists as acclaim from the contemporary dance community for his production which deals with the sensual side of love propped up by technical brilliance. Excerpts from a conversation:
Diplomatic bonhomie
What inspired you to learn Odissi ? ■ I experienced a kind of epiphany when I first heard Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi sang Odissi in an LP album of the ‘70s. I was transported to another world by the melody of Odissi especially by Ragunath’s mellifluous voice. Later, when I saw the lyrical sensuousness of Odissi, I knew that the temperament of Odissi and that of the music resonate with my own. I had to learn the dance!
To mark the 70th anniversary of Indo-Russian Diplomatic Relations, a galaxy of distinguished speakers participated in a seminar at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture recently. Seminar “Russia and India: 70 Years of Friendship and Cooperation” was preceded by inauguration of a photo exhibition “History of Russian-Indian Diplomatic Relations”. Krishnan Raghunath, former Indian Ambassador to Russia, said the 70th anniversary of Indo-Russian diplomatic relations is marked by continuity, stability and tremendous goodwill. “IndoRussian relations are guided and spearheaded by commonality on approach and convergence of ideas on global issues.”
When and why did you feel the need to shift from traditional Odissi dance to contemporary Odissi as you like to call it? ■ Actually the word ‘contemporary’ has caused a lot of confusion for artistes and dancers. For me ‘contemporary’ simply refers to the present or ‘now’. In Amorous Delight , we weren’t doing what is generally understood as ‘traditional’ Odissi i.e. mangalacharanam, batu/sthai, abhinaya, pallavi, etc. I did not want to cause confusion. Certainly, there is no mistaken that the Amorous Delight is Odissi. The content of
A kathak production Yeh Sheher Nahin Mehfil Hai: Delhi over centuries, through the eyes of the Yamuna will be held at India International Centre on April 16. Directed by Beenu Rajpoot, it is the story of Delhi through the eyes of the Yamuna. Staged by Shivani Varma, the production has derived inspiration from the text written by Pavan K. Varma. Narration is done by Begum Syeda Hameed.
Finishing touch: Datuk Ramli Ibrahim in New Delhi; a scene from the performance
the production is about interpreting the verses of the Amarushataka , the 9th century anthology on the subject of love and its many nuances and situations. The treatment of the production, not just from the point of view of the dance composition or choreography, but that of the lighting and projection, costume and presentation was very ‘contemporary’. In fact, there is even a strong underlying ‘modern’
sensitivity in how we approach the work. I always feel that modernity can exist within a tradition. In fact, they can feed positively on each other and can thrive in the same creative cauldron. But rest assured that I have not abandoned traditional format of presenting Odissi... Is there anything like contemporary in classical dance style like Odissi? How do you define it? ■ In the wake of dance discussions in the last decade, one sense that the word contemporary dance is used basically to refer to ‘contemporary modern’ dance. Undaunted by the word ‘contemporary’, many practitioners of classical dance styles such as Bharatanatyam have claimed that what they are doing are also ‘contemporary’, in the sense that they are engaging their followers in the ‘now’ as their works are being created in the
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present times. The confusion also happens when we define ‘modernity’ from a western perspective, which see ‘modern’ as antithesis to ‘tradition’. Modern dance movement in the west was a rebellion against classical ballet. This is not necessarily so in Asia. In Asia, traditional dances are being created all the time and are evolving into the present modern age. Look at Bharatanatyam and Odissi, which are mainly reconstructed within middle half of last century. Indian modern dance was pioneered by Uday Shankar. He was part of the Oriental dance wave, which was looking at the East for inspiration. Chandralekha was a modernist who took the baton even further. At the same time, Rukmini Arundale was also a modernist who functioned within a tradition. Rukmini innovated many traditional practices but made these innovations within the traditional Bharatanatyam tradition. Her innovations were eventually accepted by the tradition and her
A fabulous feast Madhur Tankha
a taste of old fashioned dishes at the preview of its Easter brunch. Cooked in traditional style, these dishes had an unmistakable stamp of the European cuisine. To ensure authenticity of dishes– to be presented before the public on April 16 – wines and beer were generously used in cooking up the
four course brunch. Gazing at the lavish buffet placed aesthetically on the wooden table made me curious to discover the aromatic dishes. I started off with ploughman’s platter with pickled vegetables. It comprised ham and mozzarella as well as gherkin and lettuce. Veggies were added to ensure that food connoisseur gets a balanced diet. I enjoyed the flavour of cold meat with the climbing plant of the gourd family. Shedding light on Easter’s significance vis a vis food, Prem Kumar Pogakula, executive chef, says: “This festival celebrates resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Since bread and lamb is the customary dish, I too decided to cook something on those lines.” As sheep meat is connected with the festival, I tried mince lamb pie which had
What is the criteria for labelling your recent production ‘Amorous Delight’? ■ I must mention that our major collaborator was the late Dinanath Pathy – an artist scholar who I consider as one of the great modern minds of Odisha. Pathy had given me a publication of ‘Amorous Delight’ based on the palm leaf illustrations of the Amarushataka (9th Century anthology on Love) in 2006, which he had cowrote with Swiss indologist, Dr Eberhard Fiscer. This palm leaf pothi was exquisitely etched by the Sharanakula master of Nayagarh District (Odisha). His name was never known. The pothi is now in the possession of the Rietberg Museum, Zurich. When I first saw the publication, I was inspired by it and told Dinanath that we should one day collaborate on a dance based on the ‘Amorous Delight’ publication. This publication became our
Even though chefs across the city are blending dishes from diverse countries and continents, Chef Pogakula believes in the cooking methodology of earlier times when lunches, dinners were prepared with limited ingredients. “If roghan gosh has multiple spices then it would not taste like lamb. Too many ingredients complicate the food and people are unable to relate to it. In olden days, there was only a couple of cooking techniques. Dishes were either stewed or roasted. So I have done both roasting and stewing. When it comes to classical food then preparation has to be done exactly like the traditional cooking rule book,” he explains.
Enjoy Easter brunch with traditional dishes cooked in an authentic way at The Imperial With its walls tastefully decorated with art work of the Raj days, typical British upholstery and classy interiors, The Imperial hotel has an old world charm to it. Sitting inside its cozy 1911 Bar, one can experience an iconic heritage wrapped in colonial elegance. To match its elegant architecture, the hotel gave us
Kalakshetra school contributed to furthering the evolution of Bharatanatyam to what it is today.
For love of ambrosia: pork belly; (left) mince lamb pie
the right texture and being non-spicy was quite wholesome. Cooked in Worcestershire sauce and chopped fresh rosemary, it was made to suit the palate of those who like their food to have a judicious blend of every in-
gredient but in a subdued manner. Stuffed leg of lamb looked tempting and was filled with mince meat, pistachio and prunes. The varied flavours and the mix of both kinds of meat gave it a unique flavour.
Right combination For me dish of the day was certainly pork belly. It was simply lip smacking, flavourful and the meat melted in the mouth. Dipped in fennel and orange, the meat had just the right amount of saccharin to it. Pig’s belly, which had substantial fat, was cooked with healthy amount of honey. Without fat, pork tastes insipid. So the fat was retained
major reference and it had taken more than 10 years to materialise. For your information, it was the last major dance-theatre production undertaken by Dr Dinanath Pathy as he passed away a month later after the Malaysian premiere in 2016. This season of Amorous Delight was a tribute to his memory. What is your objective behind producing “Amorous Delight”? ■ Amorous Delight is a lyrical work. Sutra is known more for its vigorous and spectacular repertoire and is often associated with ‘tandava’ works. I thought that, for a change, we should do a work which would explore more of the ‘abhinaya’ (facial expression). The more subtle eroticism of love was therefore the perfect change after Ganjam which was last shown also at the Kamani. Ganjam was a ‘highly charged’ and an energetic production. Many had found Amorous Delight was different from what we usually do and therefore came like a breath of fresh
and it certainly enhanced the taste. Here pork, the main item, was blended with sage, a herb sourced from Europe. This herb worked wonders as it gave a distinct flavour to the meat. Roasted pork loin was also tastefully done but the meat could have been softened and made more chewable. It was cooked to suit the palette of Europeans and the more adventurous among Indian food lovers. Beer chicken looked impressive. Soaked in bear overnight, the cockerel was oversized but the taste was missing as the flavour of beer overpowered the taste of chicken. All good things have to come to an end. A live demonstration saw Chef Pogakula adding long sticks of cinnamon, acting as secret spice, into Flambeed Baba au Rum. The presentation looked impressive and the sweet dish made with pretty strong rum was certainly a grand way of concluding a well prepared brunch. Time: 12.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. Meal for two: ₹7000 plus taxes.
The basis of your production are Odissi paintings which in Indian classical context have spiritual connotations. How could you interpret it in mundane terms? ■ The palm leaf illustrations are etchings, not paintings (patachitra). Though in the beginning in the Amarushataka , there is a homage to the Goddess Ambika who wields her flower arrows, releasing them on the nayikas and nayakas, the rest of the subject, which was love, was not spiritual or devotional at all. In fact, the illustrations depict relationship of heroheroine in very human manner. Much of the illustrations are very erotic and there are many references to ratibandha or sexual poses, exquisitely etched and of great artistic merit. Amarushataka is one of many anthologies after the Kamasutra of Vatsyayana. Many of such texts had been created as an ode to sensual erotic love. I guess the true value is the inherent and authentic beauty of expressing a very human preoccupation – love! If you only had to show the mundane as metaphor, the basis could be any park, any bedroom... ■ The subject matter of love is timeless. In fact, in patachitra there are also many illustrations of love in parks and bedroom of the time. This is also true of the illustrations of the Amarushataka . There are many park scenes (kunja) and bedroom scenes. In many ways, people of those times were less puritanical and celebrated love in a less hypocritical manner than we do now….
New kid on the block Billed as destination for unlimited happiness for children, Sony Yay!, the new channel by Sony Pictures Networks India, goes live on April 18. The channel, which seeks to reach out to kids aged between two and 14 years of age, has roped in Tiger Shroff as its brand ambassador. Tiger says: “ I am sure that they will enjoy watching it as much as they enjoy watching my movies.” Each show explores a different genre in comedy.
WHAT’S COOKING
WORLD CUISINE BUFFET
TASTING BANQUET
EASTER BRUNCH
EASTER GOODIES
EASTER CHEER
Hyatt Regency Gurgaon
Royal China
Fio Cookhouse
Park Plaza Noida
Vivanta by Taj, Gurgaon
Easter Sunday is a perfect opportunity to get together for a delicious lunch with family and friends. Enjoy Easter Sunday brunch at Kitchen District which offers traditional and signature dishes with an assortment of desserts and pastries to complete the experience. Venue: NH 8, Sector 83, Gurugram Time: 12 noon to 4 p.m.
Enjoy your Good Friday and Easter festival with delicious dishes at Royal China by exploring their tasting banquet which offers rose sangria, frosty blues, whole steamed fish with ginger and spring onion and deep fried ice cream. Venue: Eros Corporate Tower, Nehru Place Time: 12.30 p.m. to 3.45 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. to 11.45 p.m.
Enjoy your Easter brunch with live music at Fio Cookhouse. The eatery is offering delectable additions to the menu like beet root cracked soft egg salad, spit flamed chicken apart from lavish spread of small plates, mains and desserts. Venue: Epicuria, Nehru Place, New Delhi Time: 12 noon to 5 p.m.
Park Plaza Noida is featuring Easter goodies at Cakewalk which include chocolate bunnies, Easter eggs, cakes among others. At New Town Cafe there is a Easter special brunch with spread of soups, salads, snacks and main course. Venue: C Block, Sector - 55, Noida Time: 12.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m.
Embrace the Easter cheer at Vivanta by Taj Gurgaon which has arranged an extravagant spread of delicacies including salmon gravlax mousse in shooters-melba toast, spinach and barley pie, devilled quail egg, simple baked ham-maple glaze, strawberry pavlova and more. Venue: Sector 44, Gurugram Time: 12.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m.
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6 TRAVEL
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017
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Rural vignettes: (Left) Statues at the entrance to the temple; (below) the sacred grove *
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ROAD LESS TRAVELLED
The gods of small things A temple with a hoary history, village deities and a cluster of trees that shield the guardian spirits of Mangalam. Discover the secrets of a sacred grove preeti zachariah
The road connecting Puducherry’s Boulevard Town to Villianur is a sinuous corridor flanked by tall trees, scrub and the occasional vendor plying passers-by with coconut water, cucumber or raw mango. We take a sharp turn and pull up near a large yellow poster, suspended between an electricity pole and a long wooden stake, on the side of the road. Across the road is a crumbling wall, through which one can spot figurines of moustachioed men, horses and oddlyenough, a police constable in khaki shorts and a red cap. “That is the abode of Ayyanar,” says Patchiappan, a rural development extension officer here, pointing to what looks like a temple, barely visible under a thick tree cover.
Anathayee, priestess at the temple, performs a puja
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Saints and shrines The powerful village god and his retinue are almost always located at the peripheries of villages, as their presence is supposed to protect the residents of the village from evil. “He is the security guard of Mangalam, the village beyond,” smiles Patchiappan. There is little security in place for Ayyanar however: the walls around his temple are mostly rubble now, and while the pillars are intact, the gate itself is missing. In the centre of the temple courtyard is an ancient neem tree with a twisted trunk and several hollows, bedecked with jasmine and kumkum. Under this is a small shrine to the god. “This is where the original temple was,” explains Patchiappan, who says that the Milagu Muthu Ayyanarappan temple that once stood here was at least
How to get there 300 years old. Anathayee, the priestess of the temple, tells us the legend behind the name of the temple. The French, then a colonial presence in Puducherry, had established check posts along the highways to check illegal smuggling of pepper. “Once some farmers were caught by the French,” she tells me. So they prayed to Ayyanar. When the French officials opened the cart, there was no longer pepper in the hold; instead they found ground nuts. “So the farmers escaped,” she says triumphantly. ‘Milagu’ is Tamil for pepper, so the name just stuck, she adds. The original temple has been demolished, however, and a new larger one is being constructed. I peer through the scaffolding to take a look — the partlyconstructed temple bears finely-hewn sculptures representing various deities.
Thetempleisapproximately9 kilometresfromPuducherryatthe MangalamVillianurCommune. YoucanstayatPuducherryanddrive downfromthere:ittakesanywhere between20-40minutestogetthere, dependingontraic. Remembertocarryacap,orcoveryour headwithadupattaifyouarevisiting duringtheday.Itcangetveryhothere. Closedshoesarepreferable.Thereare snakesandinsects. Don’tgotoolate.Thegrovegetsdeserted byeveningandisunsafe.
Patchiappan rattles off their names: Madurai Veeran, Velayammal, Bommi. “We are working with the families of rural artisans to create this structure,” explains Patchiappan, saying that the temple has been funded by the local vil-
lagers. Mayavan, who is accompanied by his wife, Chitra, and daughter, Manisha, is one of them. “My daughter is taking her board exams; that is why we are here,” he tells me, explaining that both his sons have already passed their exams. “I always come here to solve my problems,” he says. The reverence held for the village god stretches into respecting his forests too, says Patchiappan, adding that the grove of trees around the temple is as powerful as the god who inhabits it. The plants here have healing properties, he says, leading us deep into the “kovil kaadugal” or sacred groves of Ayyanar. There are 123 such groves documented in the State, according to the website of the CPR Environmental Education Centre. These fragmented patches of forest are usually communally protected and nurtured; hunting and logging is strictly prohibited here. The oppressive heat palpably lessens as we enter the forest. Tall trees graze the sky, providing shade to a layer of straggling creepers and bushes, and strewing the narrow dirt path with yellow-flecked leaves, squishy neem fruit and shrivelled mangoes. A dog looks quizzically at us as we wander around the grove. Unimpressed, he swishes his tail, and heads back to the shrubbery, while we turn around and return. Anathayee insists on performing a puja, so we sit under the neem tree and watch her do so. She proffers the aarti thali. I cup my hands over the flame and allow her to put kumkum on my forehead. Then she smiles and waves me away, remarking conversationally, “You know that place where you were just sitting? The snake that lives in the tree slipped and fell there this morning.”
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TRAMPLE AROUND
The tremendous travels of trash How do we stop the willing desecration of Nature’s beauty by unwanted man-made waste?
prathap nair
Once while travelling in Ladakh, a few years ago, I unsurprisingly came face-toface with the biggest bane of our humanity — plastic trash. While enjoying its craggy cliffs, the seasonal guarantee of crispy-blue skies and taking in gulps of fresh mountain air, I looked down from a view point and what I saw horrified me. The deepest of Ladakh’s valleys are brimming with trash — plastic water bottles carelessly tossed out, empty bags of chips caught in dried-up twigs of high-altitude vegetation and fluttering, as if desperate to be released, and drained-out beer bottles. Over and above the insensitive tourists, I suspect even small businesses use these deep gorges for trash disposal. That experience was like biting into CM YK
stone grit while you were confidently chewing on your favourite lunch. This was just a couple of years after the film 3 Idiots was released, and its success elevated Ladakh suddenly on to the domestic tourist circuit. The pandemonium of mass tourism was slowly creeping in (now it’s at its peak, I hear). That image refused to die from my memory for the longest time. Why is it particularly hard for us to deposit trash in its designated bins, and why are we a nation that tosses everything out of the window? Take a walk along the tracks of long-distance trains (or just look out of your train window) for the telltale signs of our disposal mechanisms — you will be hard-pressed to find tracks free of polystyrene food containers and plastic leftovers. Travelling overnight on a train, I once saw a janitor pull the trash bin out, open the running train’s door and empty it into the darkness of the night. While we struggle with proper waste disposal systems, segregation is all but impossible to achieve. And then I learnt about the Zero Waste lifestyle. Bea Johnson, perhaps
the most popular patron of the lifestyle, has been living a waste-free lifestyle along with her family since 2008. “I propose a simple guideline, my 5 Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot (and only in that order),” she writes in .................................................................... ....................................................................
Zero waste lifestyle is perhaps a distant dream, but we certainly need to ind a balance between trash generation and disposal her website. Lauren Singer, another zero-waste lifestyle enthusiast, is an environmental studies major. She was inspired to go down that path after she saw her classmates producing endless amount of trash (chips / plastic cutlery / straws) on a daily basis. After cutting down drastically on plastics, the yearly trash that Johnson and Singer produce fits in one 16oz mason jar — it’s often impossible to recycle items such as straws, clothing tags, medicine strips.
People like Bea Johnson and Lauren Singer have achieved a Zero Waste lifestyle, even in cities like NYC and Mill Valley, California. Living in a city and watching my recyclable packaging trash fill up each week in my kitchen, I often ask myself in despair if there is no way to curtail generating so much wastage. In a world where food comes from inside shiny packaged polythene sachets, I used to think that the unfortunate answer is that there simply isn’t. Maybe there is an answer, I now think. Zero waste lifestyle is perhaps a distant dream, but we certainly need to find a balance between trash generation and disposal, if not start off with radical, startling changes. For now, proper disposal of trash is a good place to begin with. Then, perhaps, curb the urge to buy potato chips, laden with empty calories, when you travel. Mainly because you know where your empty chips packet is going to land up. The writer is an independent journalist who lives in Stuttgart, Germany, and often writes stories that intersect food and travel
Refuse rubbish: Learn to travel with a conscience
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