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Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav arrested after clashes with police

Babul Supriyo backs protest against bad food on Rajdhani

Jayant Panda writes article in Odia paper; calls for introspection

Ahmed Kathrada, anti-apartheid icon and Mandela’s ally, is no more

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Mumbai

States get warning to brace for heat waves

NEARBY

Talks with meat sellers fail, stir continues

Keep action plans ready, say Met department and NDMA

LUCKNOW

Jacob Koshy

Agitating meat sellers and exporters held talks with Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Siddhartha Nath Singh on the second day of their strike on Tuesday but no rapprochement appeared in sight. “We have noted all the issues raised by them with an open mind. The Uttar Pradesh government will not allow anything illegal to happen,” Mr. Singh said. NATION

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3 civilians, militant killed in J&K encounter The deceased youth were among those trying to help the lone militant escape Press Trust of India OPPORTUNITIES 쑺 PAGE 4 DELHI METRO 쑺 6 PAGES

Srinagar

Three civilians were killed in an operation by security forces against protesters near an encounter site in Budgam district of Kashmir during an anti-militancy operation, which ended with the killing of the lone militant. “One militant has been killed and a weapon recovered from the scene of the encounter,” an Army official said. The encounter has ended, a police official said, adding that one paramilitary man sustained injuries. Three civilians — all young

Continuing violence: Smoke rises from a house where militants took refuge in Budgam district. NISSAR AHMAD *

men in their twenties — were killed while 18 others were injured in the security forces’ action as a large num-

ber of protesters threw stones in an attempt to help the militant escape. The security forces had

launched a cordon-andsearch operation in the Durbugh area of Chadoora in the early hours of Tuesday following information about the presence of militants in the area, the police official said. He said the search operation turned into a gunbattle after the militant opened fire on the security forces. The slain civilians have been identified as Zahid Dar, Saqib Ahmad and Ishfaq Ahmad Wani. All of them had firearm injuries, the official said. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10

Even as the country braces for a scorching summer and temperatures in several States have been going up over the past week, the India Meteorological Department, along with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), is exhorting the States to implement Heat Wave Action Plans. These describe step-bystep procedures the States ought to implement — from communication and ensuring first-aid to imposing early summer vacations in schools and ensuring that labourers employed in MGNREGA schemes aren’t assigned work during certain times of the day — in case of heatwave-like conditions. So far Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Odisha and Maharashtra have committed themselves to action plans, which are implemented in varying degrees by their districts.

Advice to U.P., Rajasthan “This year we’re talking to Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to have such a plan,” Madhavan Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, told The Hindu. Several IMD officials from various States as well as representatives from municipal corporations are attending

here a two-day workshop, meant to encourage more State-specific plans.

Casualties reduced At a presentation, NDMA’s Anup Srivastava said heat waves killed 22,562 between 1992 and 2015. “In 2016, the number of casualties came down drastically to 1,111 from 2,040 in 2015,” he said in a paper. It was from 2016 that the IMD began giving heat wave forecasts and the States began considering action plans. In 2015 Andhra Pradesh had 1,422 heat-related

deaths. This came down to 723 the next year. While there are nuances and region-specific differences, the IMD broadly defines a heat wave as when a place’s temperature is 5-6 degrees above normal. It already forecasts heat waves on its website but a proper action plan would mean that the States and district administrations would get warnings on the likelihood of temperatures rising to heat wave limits. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10 SEE ALSO 쑺 PAGE 6

Five arrested for attack on Nigerians 200 cops deployed outside places where African students live in Greater Noida Kallol Bhattacherjee NEW DELHI

The police on Tuesday arrested five members of a mob that targeted a group of Africans in Greater Noida even as officials assured the African community of safety. The External Affairs Ministry deplored the attack which drew a strong response from the Association of African Students in India. A group of Nigerian nationals was attacked on Monday by a mob in Ansal Plaza of Greater Noida. The attack followed a protest march against Nigerians in the area after a local

teenager died allegedly on consuming drugs procured from Nigerian sources. Since the death of the teenager on Saturday, a series of attacks had targeted Africans in the neighbourhood.

Meeting with Africans The Gautam Budh Nagar administration and police officials held meetings with the African students’ association and Nigeria Embassy officials on Tuesday. Greater Noida’s Superintendent of Police Sujata Singh said the police had helped the injured Africans. “The police rescued them

and moved them to a safe place,” she told the media. The Greater Noida police said over 200 cops have been deployed outside places where African students live in large numbers. The police on Tuesday evening also conducted a flag march in Alpha commercial belt, Jagat Farms and Pari Chowk. However, African students said they feel vulnerable. “Africans are not safe in this country. They are considered cannibals. This is a matter of public perception here,” Samuel Abiye Jack, president of the African Stu-

dents Association in India, said at a press interaction on Tuesday afternoon. The Association issued a press statement stating that it would write to all the African heads of state on the “barbaric racism” that Africans face in India and calling for a reduction in bilateral trade between the African Union and India. “We are tired of the appeasement and promises made by the Indian government and therefore, we will be taking stringent actions,” the Association said. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10 SEE ALSO 쑺 DELHI METRO PAGE 1, 2

AI cancels Sena MP’s ticket again Special Correspondent New Delhi

Air India continued its ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad on Tuesday, cancelling two tickets the parliamentarian booked on Delhi-bound flights. The MP first booked a seat on Air India flight AI 806 from Mumbai to Delhi for Wednesday. When the airline cancelled the ticket, Mr. Gaikwad tried to book another seat, this time on flight AI 551 from Hyderabad to Delhi. But this ticket, too, was cancelled by the national carrier. Both these bookings were made on open tickets (without any specific date) issued to Mr. Gaikwad. The airline is now ascertaining how many open tickets and frequent flyer tickets have been issued to the MP from Osmanabad in Maharashtra so that they can be cancelled. “Our stand remains the same. We will continue to impose a ban on him,” an Air India official said. Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant said the party has not take any decision yet to move a privilege motion in the Lok Sabha. (With PTI) CM YK

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DELHI

Timings

Wednesday, March 29

RISE 06:15 SET 18:37 RISE 07:10 SET 20:02 Thursday, March 30

RISE 06:14 SET 18:38 RISE 07:54 SET 21:08 Friday, March 31

RISE 06:12 SET 18:38 RISE 08:40 SET 22:13

Pappu Yadav held for clash with cops Bihar govt defends police action; wife raises issue in LS Special Correspondent Patna

IN BRIEF

Nitish given ‘Anuvrata Puraskar 2016’ PATNA

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Tuesday bestowed with the ‘Anuvrata Puraskar 2016’ for implementing total prohibition in the State. Soon after receiving the award, Mr. Kumar made a fervent appeal for anti-liquor movement across the country. PTI

Madhepura Member of Parliament and leader of Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav was arrested late on Monday night in Patna in connection with an old case related to creating chaos and brick-batting with policemen near the State capital’s Kargil Chowk on January 24. On Monday too, the MP and his supporters clashed with the police during a protest march towards the State Assembly. They were protesting against the recent hike of 55% in power tariff and also to demand a CBI probe into the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) question paper leak case. (PTI adds:The Bihar government on Tuesday defended the police action to disperse the protesters of JAP led by Mr.Yadav on Monday who was subsequently arrested in connection with another case.“ The protesters led by Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav were proceeding towards the State legislature in violation of prohibitory orders and those in breach of terms of permission granted for protest event ... they pelted stones on the cops who tried to prevent them from proceeding towards the legislature premises prompting the Police to take coercive action,”

Madhepura Member of Parliament Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav in police custody. PTI *

Sstate Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shrawan Kumar said in a statement in the legislative Assembly.

‘Rights violation’ (The issue of arrest of the MP was on Tuesday raised by his wife Ranjit Ranjan in the Lok Sabha who accused the Bihar police of violating the lawmaker’s rights.) The police said Mr. Yadav allegedly provoked his workers to attack the policemen who were trying to stop them from proceeding towards the Assembly which is a prohibited zone. At around 11:30 p.m., the Gandhi Maidan police reached Mr. Yadav’s residence in Mandiri locality and took him under custody while hundreds of his supporters kept raising slogans

in his favour. The police produced him before a judicial magistrate who sent him to jail. He was later lodged in the Beur central jail, Patna. Mr Yadav’s wife, Ranjit Ranjan, is the Congress MP from Supaul. Of late, Mr Yadav has been making provocative statements against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his ruling alliance partner RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, alleging that State government had planned to kill him. Sources told The Hindu that before Mr. Yadav was taken into police custody, he also spoke to the Lok Sabha Speaker and apprised her about the development. The MP is likely to move court on Tuesday against his arrest.

Houses demolished for Kishangarh airport Villagers hold protest, demand ‘complete rehabilitation’ package Special Correspondent JAIPUR

Amid protest by villagers, the Ajmer district administration demolished three houses at Dhani Rathoran to make way for runway of the Kishangarh airport. Residents termed the action a betrayal as they were earlier told that only the land would be cleared and no house would be touched. Though the administration had earlier paid compensation to the affected

families, the villagers have been demanding a higher amount along with their “complete rehabilitation”. A specific demand has been raised for housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and dovetailing with other schemes to facilitate construction of houses and toilets at the new settlement.

Compensation issue The issue of compensation has been taken to the court, where litigation has been

continuing for the last three years. The airport at Kishangarh, situated 26 km away from Ajmer, will provide air connectivity to the pilgrim city famous for its dargah and Pushkar temple. However, the airport and district authorities accompanied by a large contingent of policemen razed the houses on Monday evening. The owners – Usman Khan, Bhanwaru Khan and Phuli – alleged that they were not

even allowed to take out their household goods. Ms. Phuli was away to Ajmer when the action was taken.

Leader held, released Police detained the protesters' leader, Pratap Singh, and released him late in the night. A delegation of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) immediately met Ajmer Collector Gaurav Goyal, but the action continued despite his assurance.

5,000 villages scarcity-hit Press Trust of India Jaipur

The Rajasthan government has declared 5,656 villages in 13 districts as scarcityhit. The government has postponed the recovery of the Abiyana Tax from the affected villages.

Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Mukund Padmanabhan (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 RNI No. TNENG/2012/49940 ISSN 0971 - 751X Vol. 7 No. 75 ●

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IN BRIEF

Tension in Bengal village over railway track project

Father arrested for burying newborn girl This is his ifth child: police

Accused in Facebook case arrested Press Trust of India Bhubaneswar

Manipur to give ex-gratia to accident victims

TMC cadre, locals clash; people allege they are being terrorised

IMPHAL

Staff Reporter

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh to the next of kin of the 22 victims who died in three road accidents on Monday. Mr Singh also announced ₹50,000 and ₹30,000 for those with injuries. PTI

Kolkata

One killed, two injured in road accident HOWRAH (WB)

One person was killed and two others were injured when the motorbike on which they were travelling crashed into a divider near Uluberia on Tuesday, a police officer said. The three youths, aged between 20 and 22 years, were returning from Tulsiberia to Uluberia town on a motorbike without helmets, the officer said. The three had gone to Tulsiberai to attend a puja ceremony. One of them died on the spot. PTI

Illegal gun factory unearthed, one held PHULBANI (ODISHA)

With the arrest of a man and seizure of eight crude pistols and 19 live cartridges from him, the police on Tuesday unearthed an illegal gun factory in Odisha’s Kandhamal district. The accused is the owner of the factory and the maker too, said Inspector in-charge of Balliguda police station, Josobanta Hial. PTI

770 foreign tourists visited Mizoram AIZAWL

Mizoram Tourism Minister John Rotluangliana informed the State Assembly on Tuesday that 770 tourists from abroad visited Mizoram in nine months from April 2016 to January 2017. He added that efforts were being made to concentrate on eco tourism, adventure tourism and rural tourism to attract more tourists, both domestic and foreign. PTI

Case on legality of PS pending in SC AIZAWL

The case on legality of appointment of parliamentary secretaries is pending in the Supreme Court, Mizoram Parliamentary Affairs Minister R Romawia told the Assembly on Tuesday. PTI

The Crime Branch of Odisha Police on Tuesday arrested the prime accused in the cyber crime against students of Rama Devi Women’s University.

A land agitation involving ‘willing and unwilling owners’, like the one in Singur which played a key role in bringing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to power in 2011, has put the party in a spot. About 60 km away from Singur in Hooghly district, residents of Bhabadighi village are agitating against construction of a proposed railway track which will fill up a large section of the village pond.

Bhabadighi village residents near the pond which they want to protect from the Railways.

Allegations denied Tension has been brewing in the area for the past two weeks with the villagers and TMC cadres clashing twice over the issue. Locals alleged that as per the initial plan, the proposed railway track was to be constructed about 200 metres away from the pond. But the plan was changed at the behest of TMC leaders and now the rail track will pass through the pond, they alleged. Railway officials and TMC leaders denied the allegation. A senior Railway official involved with the project told The Hindu that the “pond covers an area of about 17.40 acres out of which three acres have been acquired by the State govern-

ment on behalf of the Railways and handed over to it in 2012.” He said a section of villagers who refused to accept the compensation cheques were “fuelling the agitation”. “Of the 283 villagers who were eligible for compensation, about 83 refused to accept cheques and are now opposing the project,” he said. The related rail route between Tarakeswar in Hooghly district and Bishnupur in Bakura district covers a distance of 82.50 km and was conceived between 1999 and 2000 during Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s tenure as the Railway Minister. During the Singur land agitation, “unwilling” farm-

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ers led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded that their 400 acres (out of the 1,000 acres acquired for the Tata Motors factory) be returned to them.

Economic boycott Villagers alleged that for the past two weeks they have been subjected to economic boycott by local TMC leaders. “They [TMC leaders] have threatened nearby shopkeepers not to sell anything to us. It is at the behest of TMC goons that local potato merchants have stopped buying potatoes from us. One of the leaders of the agitation, Sukumar Roy, has been slapped with a false case and is in jail for a month,” a local said. The locals further alleged

that the TMC had created an “ambiance of terror” to such an extent that students fear for their safety while going to school. “Fish farming in the pond is one of the key sources of earning for the villagers. It is also the main source of irrigation for us,” said a village resident. He said they were expecting a “large-scale attack by TMC but will not back down”. However, Superintendent of Police, Hooghly, Sukesh Jain said the situation was now under control. Local TMC MLA Manash Majumdar (Goghat Assembly constituency), whom the villagers have accused of “terrorising the area”, dubbed the allegation “baseless.” “It is a project of the Railways. I cannot understand why the villagers are dragging our party into it,” he said.

Houses attacked by TMC Meanwhile, residences of three CPI-M leaders of Goghat area were allegedly attacked by TMC cadres on Monday evening for according “moral support” to the agitation. “Not only did they attack our houses, but one of our party leaders, Tarak Biswas, has been arrested in a false case of possessing illegal arms,” a local CPI-M leader Bhaskar Roy said.

Tribal girl gangraped over poll rivalry Abducted, assaulted allegedly by her cousins; lodges complaint with Ganjam SP Staff Reporter BERHAMPUR

In a shameful fallout of panchayat poll rivalry, a 13-yearold tribal girl was allegedly abducted and gangraped for nine days by her four cousins in Ganjam district of Odisha. The victim along with her father and brother reached Berhampur on Tuesday and lodged a complaint with Ganjam Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashis Singh. The SP said he had directed the Chikiti Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) to investigate the matter. He promised that strict action

would be taken against the accused as per law. Chikiti SDPO Prakash Chandra Jena said as an initial measure the victim would be made to undergo a medical check-up and her statement would be recorded in the presence of a magistrate. According to Mr. Jena, a police team would visit the victim’s village and the place where she was allegedly sexually exploited for enquiry.

Abducted on March 9 The victim’s family lives in a remote village of Ankuli pachayat. She said she was

gangraped from March 9 till March 18. As per her statement to the SP, she was abducted from her home on March 9 midnight. The four accused named by the victim were her cousins from distant family relations, the SP said. All the accused were from the victim’s village. She claimed the accused were supporters of a political party which was opposed to the political affinity of her father. In her complaint, she mentioned that the accused persons told her that she was being punished because her father had opposed their sarpanch

candidate. After the abduction on March 9, the accused took the victim to a nearby jungle and gangraped her every day till March 18. On March 18, they escaped leaving her alone inside the jungle and she had managed to return home.

An ASHA worker holds the baby girl in Jajpur. The district administration has named her Dharitri (or Sita). PTI *

Correspondent CUTTACK

The Jajpur district police on Tuesday arrested a tractor driver for allegedly trying to kill his newborn baby girl by burying her alive in a pit. Father of four children, Ramesh Basantia (34) of a remote village under Jenapur police station, had abandoned his fifth child on Saturday morning, just hours after her birth.

‘Reason not clear’ “We are yet to ascertain the exact cause... though, a quarrel had ensued between him and his wife immediately after the birth of their fifth child,” said Jenapur police inspector Jyotiranjan Panda. Ramesh has been booked under section 307 (attempt to murder) and 317 (aban-

donment of child below 17 years) of IPC. The incident happened in Shyamsundarpur village near here when villagers rescued the new-born dug in a pit at an abandoned place. The baby girl, only a few hours old with the umbilical cord intact, was wrapped in a piece of cloth.

Rescued by villagers Unable to decide what to do as many suggested informing the police first, a youth removed the soil from the pit and pulled out the baby. The baby started crying once she came out of the pit. The baby was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital and the district child welfare committee was entrusted to take care of her.

CM’s tweet “Prime accused Sujit Sahu in the cyber crime case was arrested last night. Hope this serves as a strong deterrent and such acts are not repeated,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik tweeted. Special DG (Crime) B. K. Sharma said Sahu was arrested from Mahanga area in Cuttack district last night. The Crime Branch had formed an eight-member team to net Sahu, the owner of a marketing agency who allegedly posted pictures of the university’s students on Facebook with objectionable slugs, he said. Mr Patnaik had yesterday ordered a Crime Branch probe into the incident after a students’ delegation met him at his chamber in the State Assembly. The students had on Saturday filed a complaint with the police against Sahu and his marketing agency. The police said the accused had held a photo competition a few days ago and misused them.

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Threatened by accused According to her, the accused had threatened of dire consequences if she informed anyone about the incident. After she returned home, the family could not gather courage immediately to complain to the police because of the threat.

‘Request Myanmar to drop border fencing project’ Nagaland Assembly plea to Centre Press Trust of India Kohima

Nagaland Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution appealing to the Centre to urge the Myanmar government to permanently drop the IndoMyanmar border fencing project. The resolution was introduced in the House by Health and Family Welfare Minister P Longon on March 24 last.

Voice vote The resolution, which was taken up for discussion and consideration on Tuesday, was passed by voice vote without any amendment. While introducing the resolution, the Minister had requested the Central government to urge the Myan-

mar government to permanently drop the project on the Indo-Myanmar border in Nagaland for continuing with the cordial and fraternal relations among the Nagas living on both sides of the border. During the ongoing session, MLAs had expressed concern over the intention of the Myanmar government to fence the international border at Pangsha in Noklak sub-division of Tuensang district.

Bills passed Two other Bills, The Nagaland Cooperative Societies Bill 2017 and The Nagaland Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill, 2017, introduced by the Chief Minister on March 23 last were also passed by voice vote today.

Mamata expresses concern over child traicking racket ‘Each child shelter to be brought under scanner’ Press Trust of India Jalpaiguri (WB)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed concern over alleged child trafficking rackets running in Jalpaiguri district and elsewhere. Ms Banerjee said that each and every shelter for children in the State must be brought under the scanner.

Mamata Banerjee

Strict vigil A district child protection officer and a child welfare committee member were arrested earlier this month for alleged involvement in the Jalpaiguri racket in which a BJP leader was also arrested along with three others. The case is being investigated by the State’s CID. During today’s administrative meeting in Jalpaiguri district, the Chief Minister directed senior ad-

ministrative officials to keep a strict vigil on homes from where babies are sold to customers through questionable adoption deals. In the meeting, she announced construction of four new overbridges to improve connectivity to a under-construction tourist facility at Gajoldoba. The CM said that the four overbridges would be located at Udlabari, Lataguri, Mainaguri and Jalpaiguri.

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Cab aggregators to go local

IN BRIEF

JD(S) to help drivers start a regional variant of Ola and Uber in Karnataka erative on a no-profit no-loss basis to ensure maximum earnings for the drivers. Thousands of drivers approached Mr. Kumaraswamy late last year seeking his support for their demand for government intervention, and protection for their earnings. Many of them are from Ramanagaram and Mandya districts, which are JD(S) strongholds.

Muralidhara Khajane Bengaluru

Sabarimala temple to open tomorrow PATHANAMTHITTA

The Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala will open on Thursday afternoon for 10-day rituals during the annual festival period. The head priest will open the sanctum sanctorum at 5 p.m. The rituals will begin with the chief priest performing the Ashtadravya Ganapathi homam on Friday morning.

Lorry strike hits service between A.P. & Odisha SRIKAKULAM

Lorries will not ply between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha from the early hours of March 30 following the strike called by the South Zone Motor Transport Welfare Association and the A.P. Lorry Owners’ Association. Many vehicles have already stopped plying. The lorry owners are opposing an increase in the third-party premium from April 1, 2017.

Students thank govt. for smooth conduct of exam

With the Assembly elections a year away, Karnataka’s regional party of farmers seems keen on wooing cab drivers. Backed with seed money of ₹2.5 crore from Janata Dal (Secular) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy, cab drivers, who had gone on a protest recently against Ola and Uber, hope to launch their own aggregator platform soon. With an unlikely ally in the former Chief Minister, the drivers hope to take on the big taxi aggregator companies with their regional variant that will work on the co-operative model. The new service is expected to be launched within a few weeks with a firm ‘regional’ stamp in its name — like Kadamba or Hoysala.

After an exam season of brickbats last year, the Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE) of Karnataka seems to be getting bouquets this year for doing what it is meant to do. Officials received postcards thanking them for the smooth conduct of II PU exams.

Thiruvananthapuram

Nationalist Congress Party’s Kerala unit has decided to recommend the name of businessman-turnedpolitician Thomas Chandy, as Minister in the LDF Cabinet in place of former Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran who resigned over allegations of sexual misconduct. PTI

Mr. Kumaraswamy told The Hindu that he is not in favour of the service being named after him. “We will give seed money of ₹2.5 crore and may eventually look at investing additional funds in the future as

the drivers will have to compete against multi-national companies,” said Mr. Kumaraswamy.

Drivers’ cooperative The app is most likely to be managed by a drivers’ co-op-

Congress leader in Kerala says he stated only the social situation Press Trust of India

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

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‘Menstruation makes women impure’

BENGALURU

NCP moots Thomas Chandy as Minister

Way forward: Drivers at a meeting with JD(S) State President H.D. Kumaraswamy last week SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Interim Congress president in Kerala M.M. Hassan has courted controversy with the remarks that menstruation makes women impure and they should not enter temples at that time. “Women become impure during menstruation. They cannot enter temples during this period,” he told a seminar on ‘Media and Politics’ on Monday. Mr. Hassan on Tuesday sought to clarify that it was not his personal opinion and that he had only stated the prevailing “social situation.” A group of women participants at the seminar had protested the remark, terming it “anti-women”. “My remark about impur-

M.M. Hassan

ity is not my opinion... I only said (about) the prevailing social condition,” Mr. Hassan told reporters.

‘Remark distorted’ “Muslim and Hindu women during their menstruation period, on their own, used to keep away from places of worship. This is the social

EDUCATIONAL

situation that exists. I had only explained this when a participant asked a question in this regard at the seminar,” he added. Mr. Hassan also claimed that his statement had been distorted by a section of the media. “Whether I am supporting it or not is not the point. It is the social situation,” he said, adding “political parties cannot change the customs and traditions of religions.” Asked about his opinion on the ban on entry of girls and women in the age group of 10-50 into the famous Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, he said political parties were not religious reformers. “We (political parties) respect the customs and traditions of religions,” he said.

Result of price war Ola and Uber have been engaged in a price war. They offered basic fares as low as ₹6 per kilometre in the city. Coupled with this, they hiked commissions that the drivers had to pay to the companies. These led to widespread resentment among cab drivers who complained of a drop in their earnings, and went on a protest.

Paper leak issue rocks A.P. Assembly

Govt. should rein in land maia: VS

Oppn. demands resignation of Ministers

Special Correspondent THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Staff Reporter Vijayawada

The alleged leak of the SSC Science examination paper rocked the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday as members of Opposition YSR Congress Party repeatedly stormed the well of the House. They demanded the resignation of Human Resource Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana. The YSRC sought a discussion through an adjournment motion. Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao disallowed it as it was Question Hour. With the YSRCP insisting that it should be taken up immediately, the House could not transact any business till 2 p.m. Many Bills, including the all-important

CPI(M) leader V.S. Achuthanandan has demanded that the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala clamp down on encroachers in Munnar and other parts of the State. Replying to questions from the media here on Tuesday, he came down heavily on Devikulam MLA S. Rajendran who, he said, was part of the ‘land mafia’ in Munnar. Encroachments were not confined to Munnar. Private individuals were encroaching on riverbanks, constructing buildings and exploiting natural resources. The government should expeditiously conduct cases against them and rein in the land mafia, he said.

Appropriation Bill, were passed with hardly any discussion. Nothing was heard as the Opposition members kept shouting.

A malpractice: CM Leader of the Opposition Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and fellow members walked out when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was about to make a statement on the issue. Asserting that the question paper was not leaked but there was a malpractice, Mr. Naidu said: “Narayana institutions’ students were not writing examination at the centre where this happened.” At the media point outside the Assembly, Mr. Narayana denied that the paper had been leaked.

Oicials cry foul over chickens in SUV In poll-bound Nanjangud, 50 birds seized over fears of malpractice said, explaining the decision. A case has been booked, said Superintendent of Police, Mysuru district, Ravi Channanavar who was part of the inspection team.

Laiqh A. Khan Mysuru

It’s not just silver gift articles and cash that have failed to get past check posts put up by the election officials on the outskirts of poll-bound Nanjangud. Even live country fowl have failed to make the crossing. A sports utility vehicle (SUV) transporting 50 country chickens (known locally as ‘nati koli’) was detained by senior officials at a check post at Kavalande in Nanjangud on Monday night. The birds were being transported in an unconventional manner, without cages, raising the suspicion of electoral malpractice. When the transporter

was unable to give a convincing explanation, the officials seized the poultry. But, unlike seizing cash and other poll bonanza, taking custody of the “squawking and pooping birds which need to be fed and sheltered” was no easy task, said an official. So the

EDUCATIONAL

SITUATIONS VACANT

seized birds would remain with the transporter during the inquiry and pending a decision, he said. With Thursday (the day after Ugadi) being ‘Varshadodaku’, when meat is consumed as part of festivities, this could possibly be an “election gift,” the official

Pamphlets seized The team also flagged down a youth on a two-wheeler at Katwadi and found 68 silver gift items. The officials seized ₹1 lakh cash from another SUV at Kavalande. During the vehicle check, officials found pamphlets in which the Prime Minister had thanked people for giving up LPG subsidy. “This is also a violation of the model code and a case has been booked,” an official said.

EDUCATIONAL

GENERAL

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PERSONAL CHANGE OF NAME I Vidya.S w/o Sumit Johry r/o of 1/ 14, Sarvapriya Vihar, New Delhi, shall henceforth be known as Vidya Johry vide affidavit no IN− DL63006108837764P sworn before notary dated 27/03/2017.

SITUATIONS VACANT

PUBLIC NOTICES

GENERAL

SITUATIONS VACANT GENERAL

PERSONAL CHANGE OF NAME I, Madhusudan Pandey R/o H−247 Ramakrishna vihar Patparganj Delhi− 92 have changed my minor Daughter’s name from Gudiya Pandey to Deepali Pandey

CM YK

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IN BRIEF

Rajasthan emerging as a medical hub: Raje

Maharashtra reels under onslaught of March heat Arid winds and heat wave lead to temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius Shoumojit Banerjee

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday said the desert State was emerging as a “medical hub“. Speaking at a programme held at SRG Hospital and Medical College in Jhalawar, she said: “The government is focusing on improving the medical facilities in the state. Advance machines are being installed and new medical colleges have also been set up on priority,” Raje said. BJP MP Dushyant Singh was also present on the occasion. PTI

Pune

JAIPUR

A video of a customer being slapped by a lady worker at an outlet of a leading coffee chain went viral prompting the company to say that it would probe the matter thoroughlr and take action. According to social media posts, the customer who is a law student, tried to film a video showing a cockroach inside a refrigerator when he was slapped. The lady has told the company that she was objecting to her video being taken. PTI

SURAT

The Police on Tuesday seized demonetised currency notes having face value of ₹42 lakh and detained two persons travelling in a Maharashtra state transport bus which was on its way from Nasik to Ahmedabad. “The police had received a tip-off that liquor was being illegally transported in a bus and as such were checking buses on the Udhna main road,” the police said, adding that the bags with the money were found during checking. PTI

CM YK

when asked about the Canadian national. Mr. P. Sundar Raj, the Deputy Inspector General of Police of the Bastar range, said he had received information about a foreign national being spotted at a village in Sukma.

Pavan Dahat

A 25-year-old Canadian tourist has been missing since Sunday from the Maoist insurgency-hit Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh police, however, have ruled out the possibility of his abduction by the Maoists. John Schlazak reportedly left Mumbai on March 14 and reached Bastar two days ago. He is said to be travelling on a bike.

Maharashtra is facing an early heat wave as arid winds from Gujarat and adjoining parts are leading to many parts recording temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius.

Rise likely Since Sunday, 18 meteorology department stations, including Pune, have recorded high temperatures, causing the Pune-based India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a forecast for heat wave conditions in the next two days developing over northern and central parts of Maharashtra including districts like Ahmednagar, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nashik and Pune, and the Vidarbha region. IMD officials said that going by the current wind pattern, a further rise in temperature was likely in parts of north and central Maharashtra and Vidarbha by a degree or two in the next

Running dry: A girl on her way to collect drinking water in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Temperatures in the city soared to as high as 42 degrees Celsius. VIJAY SONEJI *

two days. In Pune, the temperature touched 40 degrees on Tuesday. The Pune and Mumbai municipal corporations have issued heat-wave advisories warning citizens of extreme climactic conditions in the

coming days.

Stay indoors Citizens have been advised to stay indoors between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the next 72 hours as the mercury is likely to hover round the 45

degrees mark. According to IMD data, on Tuesday Malegaon in Nashik district recorded 42.2 degrees, while Akola, in the Vidarbha region, recorderd 43 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal.

Gujarat govt reworks school timings Special Correspondent

Old notes of ₹42 lakh face value seized

Chhattisgarh police claim he is in Sukma district Nagpur

JAIPUR

Video shows CCD worker slapping customer

Canadian tourist on bike goes missing in Bastar

Ahmedabad

Gujarat continues to reel under “non-seasonal” heatwave with the mercury level breaching 40 degrees in most towns. The weather department has predicted continued heatwave conditions on Wednesday also. The intense heat affected normal life in the state, forcing school authorities to change their timings in Mehsana, Banaskantha, Surendranagar and Ahmedabad. Classes were held only in the morning so that children don’t have to venture out in

the afternoon. “We have asked schools to change timings during the heat wave,” said Education Minister Bhupendra Singh Chudasama.

Unseasonal heatwave “It’s a totally unseasonal heatwave this year. Normally, Gujarat witnesses above 40°C only by midApril,” said a senior official at the State disaster management authority. In 13 of the 23 cities and towns that were monitored by the India Meteorological Department, temperatures crossed 40 on Monday.

Sushma’s tweet Two tweets by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj earlier in the day made the authorities in Odisha and Chhattisgarh swing into action. “I have spoken to Mr. Naveen Patnaik, chief minister (Odisha) regarding the reported abduction of a Canadian national in Koraput district of Odisha. We are seized of the matter and I have asked for a report from

John Schlazak

the government of Odisha,” Ms Swaraj said in her tweets. However, within hours of her tweets it was learnt that Mr. Schlazak was last seen in a village in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, prompting the Chhattisgarh police to send teams of local villagers in his search. But despite having no specific details about the whereabouts of Mr. Schlazak, the Chhattisgarh police rushed to deny the reports of his abduction. “Not abducted,” the Special Director General of Police in charge of Chhattisgarh’s Anti-Naxal Operations unit, D.M.Awasthi, said

Unknown area “We are trying to verify it with the help of our sources,” he said. Sukma district Superintendent of Police Abhishekh Meena confirmed that the Canadian national was present in the interiors of Sukma. “Yes, he is here (in Sukma). It has been confirmed that he is in the interior area of our district. Since this is an unknown area for him and he also has language problems, some villagers reportedly stopped him and inquired about his identity. He is safe and sound and the villagers will let him go after asking some questions,” Mr Meena said.

Oppn walkout in Himachal BJP says dissatisied by Minister’s reply on health budget Staff Correspondent SHIMLA

Dissatisfied by the reply of the State Health Minister on the budgetary provisions for the Health and Family Welfare Department during the cut motion debate, the Opposition BJP members staged a walkout and also did not join the discussions for the remainder of the day. Talking to the reporters outside the House, leader of the Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal said that the Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur failed to answer any of the queries raised by the BJP members. When the Minis-

ter resorted to casting personal aspersions on the senior Opposition members and the Speaker refused to take notice, the Opposition was forced to stage the walk out, said Mr. Dhumal.

Speaker criticised The Leader of the Opposition also criticised the Speaker’s move in facilitating the ruling Benches to pass the budgetary demands in haste and to take up the rest of the cut motions without any discussions and in the absence of the entire Opposition in the House during lunch hours. He blamed

the incumbent government, which he said has failed on every front, for “running away from discussions on the important issues and adopting an undemocratic approach”. Having nothing to show the State Health Minister tried to take the credit for all centrally sponsored schemes, he said. The three new medical colleges and various other super-specialty facilities have been provided using the central assistance and without the State spending even a single penny, he alleged.

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Arriving in style

Mining banned for four months in Uttarakhand

Warrants against govt oicials Staff Correspondent

HC restrains government from granting fresh licence, lease Appointment of Coal India CMD not illegal: HC

Kavita Upadhyay

NEW DELHI

DEHRADUN

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday declined to declare the appointment of S. Bhattacharya as CMD of Coal India Ltd as illegal. A Bench headed by Chief Justice G. Rohini dismissed the petition filed by Ramendra Kishore Prasad, which said Mr. Bhattacharya did not satisfy the eligibility criteria.

The Uttarakhand High Court, on Tuesday, ordered ‘complete’ ban on mining activities in the State for four months. The move comes four days after a forest worker was allegedly killed in Ramnagar while he was chasing the mining mafia.

UJJAIN (M.P.)

Scribe who shot sting video on jawan booked NASHIK

The Nashik police have booked journalist Poonam Agrawal for allegedly conducting a sting on the abuse of the “buddy” system in the Army, by videographing a jawan from Kerala, who was found dead here earlier this month. PTI

Deadline extended for Redink Awards MUMBAI

Responding to requests of editors and individual journalists, the last date to submit entries for the Mumbai Press Club-Redink Awards 2017 has been extended to March 31, a press release said. Those who could not make it on time, or editors who could not put together their nominations so far, are requested to use this window to send in entries. For details please visit: www.mumbaipressclub.com.

Fun ride: Women taking part in a bike rally on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the Marathi New Year, at Girgaon in Mumbai on Tuesday ARUNANGSU ROY CHOWDHURY *

Stayzilla Vasupal’s bail plea rejected again Entrepreneur held in cheating case Sureshkumar Chennai

The Principal Sessions Court, Chennai has dismissed the bail application moved by Yogendra Vasupal, co-founder of online home stay aggregator Stayzilla. This was the second application moved by the entrepreneur after a Special Court refused him bail on March 23. Judge M. Nazir Ahamed dismissed the application after City Public Prosecutor (CPP) M.L. Jegan strongly opposed it. A separate anticipatory bail application moved by Mr. Vasupal’s partner and

Minister backs angry passengers Six fell ill after dinner aboard Rajdhani

second accused in the case Sarjit Singhi was also dismissed by the court. On March 14, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police arrested Mr. Vasupal based on a complaint from C.S. Aditya of Jigsaw Advertising and Solutions Private Limited for offences under sections 406 (Punishment for criminal breach of trust), 420 (Cheating), 506 (i) (Criminal Intimidation) of the IPC. According to the complainant, Stayzilla failed to make payments for advertising services rendered by him since February 2016 and had defrauded him of ₹1.69 crore.

High-power committee The Division Bench comprising Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, while hearing the proceedings on a public interest litigation plea filed by Navin Chandra Pant in 2016, ordered that a high-power committee be constituted to assess the expanse of river bed mining in the State and

submit a report. The committee has been directed to submit a report within four months. “Till then, there shall be a complete ban on mining activities including in forest areas, rivers, rivulets and streams in Uttarakhand,” the order said. The court directed the State government to refrain

New Bill on mental illness termed progressive

from granting any “fresh licence, mining lease, reconnaissance or prospecting licence” till the committee submitted its report. The State government has also been directed to “take every possible measure… including the registration of FIR against persons involved in illegal mining”.

Land acquired A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan passed these orders on a writ petition filed by Ram Dei, a resident of district Mandi. The land of the petitioner was acquired for widening and four-laning of National Highway-2.

SC Bench to hear pleas on highway liquor ban Petitions seek modiications in judgement

It talks about patients’ right to live in the community Krishnadas Rajagopal Jyoti Shelar Mumbai

The Mental Health Bill passed on Monday in the Lok Sabha is expected to revive the way mental illnesses are dealt with in the country. While the Bill has been termed progressive by the fraternity, a particular clause that emphasises advanced directive from the patient has been debated widely. Pune-based psychiatrist Dr. Saumitra Pathare, who had drafted the Bill along with Professor Jaya Sagade, said the Bill would turn good lot of aspects in the mental health care. “For the first

time, there is an emphasis on rehabilitation within the community. The Bill talks about the patients’ right to live within the community and not in seclusion. This changes the perspective with which we look at mentally ill patients,” said Dr. Pathare, adding that the Bill had a clause that mandated the government to increase the number of mental health workers.

Ire over ECT The Bill prohibits Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) for minors. In adults, ECT can be given only after the

use of anaesthesia or muscle relaxant. The Bill also restricts medical institutions from chaining patients or keeping them in seclusion. The Bill states that a mentally-ill person shall have the right to make an advance directive that states how he wants to be treated and who his nominated representative shall be. “However, this is an dicey clause. How will a person who has illusions, or feels that everyone is conspiring against him or her, be in the state to give such a consent,” asks psychiatrist Dr. Rajendra Barve.

NEW DELHI

A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar is scheduled on March 29 to hear a batch of petitions seeking modifications in the court’s December 15, 2016 judgement banning the sale of liquor at outlets located within 500 metres of national and State highways. The Bench led by Chief Justice Khehar will comprise Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao. Chief Justice Khehar apologised to lawyers for the court's inability to hear the liquor peti-

tions on March 27 as per schedule. The Bench of Justices Chandrachud and Rao could not convene on March 27 because Justice Chandrachud was sitting in a Bench led by Chief Justice Khehar. Lawyers and litigants had waited in vain in the courtroom, but were informed after court hours that the Bench of Justices Chandrachud and Rao would not convene. Mr. Rohatgi and other lawyers had sought an urgent hearing as the deadline for ban is on April 1, 2017. Among those who have sought a modification is the Tamil Nadu government.

Top seven IITs to get ₹100 cr. each Vikas Pathak New Delhi

The Centre will offer ₹100 crore each to the top seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in the coming financial year to improve their quality further with a view to enhancing their global rankings. The IITs chosen are IIT Madras, IIT Mumbai, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati

Special Correspondent Kolkata

Union Minister Babul Supriyo on Tuesday welcomed the protests by passengers of the Rajdhani Express against the “poor quality” of food and services on the train. Six passengers said they fell ill after eating the food served on the New DelhiSealdah Rajdhani Express on Monday, an incident that sparked protests at different stations. Mr. Supriyo, who represents Asansol in the Lok Sabha, said he would raise the issue with Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. “Today [on Tuesday], I will attend a meeting of the Council of Ministers at the Prime Minister’s house and I would discuss the matter with Mr. Prabhu,” Mr. Supriyo said. “It is true that the quality of food on the Rajdhani Express is very bad sometimes. I thank the passengers for their protest. Their agitation has made my case

The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Tuesday issued bailable warrants against Secretary, Road Transport and Highways, Union of India, and an official of the National Highways Authority of India, Bilaspur, for non-compliance of the orders of the court in a matter pertaining to the release of statutory benefits under the Land Acquisition Act.

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RSS man who put bounty on Kerala CM’s head held RSS activist Kundan Chandrawat, who had announced a bounty of ₹1 crore for beheading Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has been arrested, the Madhya Pradesh police said on Tuesday.

Saving rivers: Panel tasked with assessing the extent of river bed mining to submit a report in four months. PRASHANT NAKWE

SHIMLA

Babul Supriyo

stronger,” the BJP MP added. The Union Minister said that he will come to Asansol Railway Station any day to inspect the situation myself. Mr. Supriyo said that a few days ago he travelled by the same train and went through an ordeal similar to what the passengers complained about. The passengers said that when they wanted to file a complaint, they were not given the register. Eastern Railway officials said action would be taken after a probe.

Improving rankings “The IITs will be given ₹100 crore so that they can take measures to improve their global rankings. These could be global collaborations or roping in global faculty. Or anything else, as per the requirements of the institutes,” said a senior official who did not wish to be named. This offer would be seen as an initiative under a project called Vishwajeet (literally, conqueror of the world), which aims at enhancing the global stature of the IITs and catapulting them to the big league.

Verdict reserved on sale of BS-III vehicles Legal Correspondent New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved for judgment the fate of stockpiled BS-III fuel emission compliant vehicles even as the next level BS-IV norms are scheduled to kick in from April 1. The vehicle manufacturers had approached the court seeking clarity on whether the sale and registration of BS-III vehicles would be banned once the new emission norms come into force. Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, appearing for the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), told the Bench that his clients need around a year’s time to dispose of the inventory of BS-III vehicles and the bulk of the stock can be sold in seven-eight months. He said that phasing out of the vehicles should be done gradually as 41 automobile firms have manufactured 13 crore BS-III vehicles and their stock at present is 8.24 lakh. “We are companies of reputation. Don’t portray us as villains,” Mr. Singhvi submitted. He said that the move to stop the registration of vehicles after April 1, 2017 will be ambush on the auto sector. CM YK

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Whither human rights in Sri Lanka? The singular focus on international rights intervention is killing a once-vibrant local rights movement cataclysmic end to the war and the intransigent authoritarianism of the Mahinda Rajapaksa-led regime, human rights engagement backed by powerful western interests deviated the broad set of rights and justice concerns onto war crimes investigation in Geneva. In efect, the international human rights community, national NGOs and the Tamil nationalist lobby, all placed their bets on internationalisation, without considering the political space that was opening after the war.

Unique distinction rom the time Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in 2009, international actors have infused narratives of the war with stories of human rights abuses. Eight years since, it has only become clear how irrelevant current human rights campaigns are to the war-torn people and their struggles. This is not for the lack of inhuman wrongs done by the state and others — there are plenty of them in Sri Lanka as in the rest of the world. Rather, it is the singular focus on international human rights intervention that is killing a once-vibrant local human rights movement in the country.

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Notes from Geneva Sri Lanka was again in the limelight at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva this month. The September 2015 resolution, adopted months after regime change in Sri Lanka, signalled a departure from the Council’s earlier antagonistic stand, with Sri Lanka itself co-sponsoring the resolution to address war-time accountability. The new resolution, on March 23, co-sponsored by the United States, Sri Lanka and other countries, accedes to Sri Lanka’s request for an extension of two more years to fulil its commitments on accountability. The Tamil nationalist campaign, including that by many Tamil politicians, was predictably about opposing such an extension. In the island’s Sinhala-majority south on the other hand, the debate centred on whether any future justice mechanism for accountability should include foreign judges or not. That Sri Lanka will get its extension, that foreign judges will never be allowed to enter the country and that the U.S. will shield Sri Lanka at the UN, are political realities that escape those irmly pursuing this prolonged engagement in Geneva.

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haramshala’s Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, a picturesque sporting venue, witnessed a remarkable slice of history as India defeated Australia by eight wickets to win the fourth and inal Test and secure the series 2-1. “It is our best series win,” said skipper Virat Kohli, who had missed the game owing to a shoulder injury. But as has been the tale through the last seven months when his teammates coped well with constant changes in the playing eleven, the captain’s absence was never felt. Ajinkya Rahane stepped up with quiet aggression, led astutely, his rapid unbeaten 38 ensuring that there were no needless alarms as India chased a meagre 106 in its second innings. It was a ine inish to a long home season of 13 Tests in which New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia were all defeated. India won 10 Tests, drew two and lost just the one, the 333-run loss to Australia in the irst Test at Pune. Last September, the campaign commenced on a rousing note as India, incidentally in its 500th Test, defeated New Zealand by 197 runs at Kanpur. Kohli and team then travelled across the country before inding their acme in the rareied heights of the Himalayas as an ever-competitive Australia, secondbest in Tests according to International Cricket Council rankings, fought hard before ebbing away. The series against Australia, always a tough scrutiny of skill and temperament, never left the Indians bogged down. The Pune loss was seen, in hindsight at least, as a reality-check before parity was restored at Bengaluru. Australia drew at Ranchi, and for the climax Dharamshala ofered the best pitch of the series. True to the nature of jousts between India and Australia, sledging and the mud-slinging through sections of the media added a bitter side-show. But the cricket was riveting. By his own exalted standards, Kohli failed — 46 runs from ive innings — against Australia, while his counterpart Steve Smith lourished with 499 and three tons. Yet, India prevailed, and that is a tribute to the squad’s resilience and the ability to ind diverse heroes at diferent times. Be it Jayant Yadav, Karun Nair or Kuldeep Yadav, the hosts have found key players on crucial occasions since September. The fulcrum may have initially rested upon Kohli (1252 runs this season) and R. Ashwin (82 wickets), but there were others who came good too. The Saurashtra duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja was consistent. The former amassed 1316 runs, the latter bagged wickets and scored crucial runs. K.L. Rahul sparkled atop the batting pole and Umesh Yadav showed that speedsters can prosper even on pitches with an inherent bias towards spin. The No. 1 Test side has proved its mettle, albeit at home. There will be tougher battles overseas, but before that the players will split and dive into the glitzy Indian Premier League. CM YK

for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality, a membership organisation with a signiicant presence in Jafna, mobilised people against state repression of Tamil youth during the early years of the armed conlict. Some of the trade unionists who organised the general strike of 1980, which was crushed by the J.R. Jayewardene-led regime, went on to form the Movement for the Defence of Democratic Rights to resist the authoritarian attacks on democracy. With the war in the late 1980s, the University Teachers for Human Rights ( Jafna) tried creating space for the university community to monitor the various armed actors, including the Sri Lankan military, the Tamil armed movements and the Indian Peace Keeping Force. Their work also addressed the disastrous political developments enguling the Tamil community. These organisations placed political critique and the mobilisation of people at the heart of their work. However, the targeting of activists and increased political repression by the state and the LTTE, curtailed the democratic space for such work, particularly in the north and the east. The growing international attention on the protracted conlict and increasing donor funding for non-governmental organisations (NGO) in Colombo, brought about the shift of appealing to international forums. Over the last decade, with the

Shift in the movement This was not always the case. The human rights movement had a different character during its early decades. The Civil Rights Movement emerged after the brutal state repression of the 1971 JVP insurrection, an uprising by rural Sinhala youth, and took up the legal cases of those in custody. Some years later in the context of the Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1979 and a state of Emergency, the Movement

War-time accountability In this context, the deteriorating rural economy and the political marginalisation of the war-torn people continues even as year after year they are asked to await the verdict of human rights gods. Indeed, Geneva has become a convenient cover for the state’s failings, the Tamil nationalists’ hollow politics and the international donors’ questionable agendas. Together, these actors have made a real mess of post-war reconstruction. The media in Sri Lanka dramatises the proceedings in Geneva, as if Sri Lanka is at the centre of the world. The geopolitical changes with the crisis in Syria, the populist racism of the Trump Presidency and anti-immigrant xenophobia in Europe are rarely considered. The Tamil nationalist fringe continues to forge fantastic demands, such as Sri Lanka’s referral to the International Criminal Court, which even the Northern Provincial Council plays up. For the current Sri Lankan government, defending the country and its military in Geneva has become a selling point to its Sinhala constituencies. While the government rightly claims that the constitutional political solution is the priority over war-time accountability, it has done little to take forward that constitutional process over the past year. The government has not even communicated to the public its vision nor steps towards a constitutional solution. The months before and during the Geneva sessions, result in a bluster of statements, reports and documentaries. Indeed, human rights work has increasingly become about the perverse parading of victims and their families in front

Engaging the state The earlier human rights movement with a left perspective valued international solidarity, for example with Palestine, which necessarily entailed a critique of imperialism. Today’s campaigns have become dependent on western donors. This apolitical variant of human rights activism has no qualms accommodating, or even endorsing, rabid Tamil nationalists who are at the forefront of the campaign for accountability, while remaining silent on the LTTE’s grave crimes. The convergence of the human rights and Tamil nationalist campaigns, both beholden to the West and determined by the geopolitics of forums such as the UNHRC, provides further fuel to the chauvinist ire of the Sinhala Buddhist nationalists. The state is at the core of the historical problems, whether it is repressive militarisation, the reinforcement of majoritarian interests or the centralisation of state power in Colombo. But reforming the state requires direct challenges by its citizenry, rather than light to international forums. However, that depends on a broad political movement and a domestic process consisting of all the communities, such as the one that threw out the Rajapaksa regime. If the unravelling international order may inally end the internationalisation of Sri Lanka, the tremendous loss of credibility within the country with such internationalisation may make it impossible to revitalise the human rights movement. However, recognising the hollowness of narrow, donordriven human rights engagement that happily coexists with dangerous nationalist politics, is a necessary starting point for envisioning a broader social justice movement. Such political rethinking and the forging of progressive movements is a priority to address the tremendous challenges facing postwar Sri Lanka.

Ahilan Kadirgamar is a political economist based in Jafna, Sri Lanka

Mapping out the police overhaul in U.P. The government’s steps in transforming a force faced with issues over integrity and rights, will be watched

Passing the Tests Another home win, but a series victory against Australia never comes cheap

This reality check begs the question: What has eight years of international human rights engagement really achieved? The record is one of reports and counter-reports by the human rights community, the Sri Lankan state and the Tamil nationalist lobby, as well as multiple resolutions in the UNHRC. If only the spotlight on Geneva could be turned towards the ground situation, it will make evident the emptiness of these campaigns. While the state has been rather slow to address the issue of disappearances and military land grabs, these campaigns hardly address the economic deprivation of the missing people’s families and the predicament of the landless. Furthermore, the rights of women, isherfolk, workers, oppressed castes and the northern Muslims seldom igure in popular human rights narratives.

r.k. raghavan

T

he Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, has his tasks cut out. His taking charge of the Home portfolio, a subject that is crucial to any State, especially in one such as U.P., which is riven by caste and religious intrigue, is noteworthy. How he is going to reshape the U.P. police force, which has serious issues with integrity and human rights, will be watched keenly.

Steps to eiciency The State has the largest police force in the country, with an authorised strength of 3,63,000 personnel. Nearly 50% of posts are vacant. There are only 91 serving police personnel per 100,000 population, the national average being 143. I suppose nearly 90% of the vacancies are of the rank of constable, the level that makes or mars a force’s image. If the State government is

serious about toning up police administration, it will irst have to launch a recruitment drive with a deadline. This has to be a clinical process, free from corruption, political and bureaucratic. Unfortunately, many States have earned notoriety for politicising the system of selection, often an exercise of “iniltrating” the police with ruling party cadres. It is known that in many States, lists of those selected have to go to the Chief Minister’s oice for approval. Further, there is a practice of releasing the list after collecting an illegal levy at a central point. One hopes that Mr. Adityanath puts an end to this practice. One way would be to revive the system of having a written examination — which was dispensed with by the previous government. In Uttar Pradesh, for instance, the damage caused to policing in the State through blatant political interference makes one pause. It is alleged that the choice of oicers to head the district police for instance was often shamelessly biased in favour of a particular caste, which one can imagine to be acutely demoralising for the rest. This was said to have created issures in the

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Mental Healthcare Bill Headlines often hide more than they reveal (“Suicide no more a crime, patients to get cover”, March 28). The mental health care law approved by Parliament has created a brouhaha over the decriminalisation of suicide attempts by people who are declared mentally ill. While this step is long overdue, the government has retained Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises suicide. What has changed is the illadvised proposal to make a distinction between those are sufering from mental health issues and those who are ‘presumed’ to be normal. The inability of the lawmakers to throw out Section 309 lock, stock, and barrel strikes at the root of progressivism. The diidence of lawmakers and their reluctance to jettison a

This is not a new development, and is one that has been with us even before Independence. While the degree of police “misconduct” varies from State to State, U.P. is somewhere near the top. Without transforming the atmosphere at the grassroots, the public will continue to think twice about approaching a police station to lodge a complaint or seek redress of one’s grievance.

In right earnest

PTI

T

he Supreme Court’s oral observations on Monday regarding the use of Aadhaar numbers by the government are signiicant, for they alter the narrative and potential scope of the ambitious unique identiication programme. While reiterating its position that no beneiciary of a welfare scheme shall be denied beneits due to her for want of an Aadhaar number, a Bench led by Chief Justice J.S. Khehar said the government is free to “press” for Aadhaar for ‘non-welfare’ transactions or activities. These include iling income tax returns, opening bank accounts or getting a mobile phone connection. This assumes signiicance as the government announced two such changes over the past week itself. First, it included amendments to the Finance Bill of 2017, now approved by the Lok Sabha, making Aadhaar mandatory for all applications for PAN (Permanent Account Number) cards and iling of income tax returns. Earlier, following the surge in bank deposits after the demonetisation of high-value currency notes, the Income Tax Department had already asked banks to ensure that all savings bank accounts are seeded with PAN details by the end of February. The only exemptions to this norm are the no-frills savings accounts such as those opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. Efectively, this means that all other new savings bank accounts will require an Aadhaar number. And last week the Department of Telecommunications directed all telecom service providers to reverify the credentials of their nearly 100 crore subscribers through an Aadhaar-based, electronically authenticated Know Your Customer process within a year. While the Supreme Court’s observations do not amount to a judicial order, they dispel some of the ambiguity relating to the scope, even future, of Aadhaar. In its interim order in October 2015 the court made it clear that the Aadhaar scheme cannot be made mandatory till the matter is inally decided “one way or the other”. But it has set the stage for the 12-digit Unique Identiication (UID) numbers being used as the basic identity proof for all residents. As Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has pointed out, biometrics captured under the Aadhaar enrolment process will ensure no individual can hold more than one PAN card to evade tax dues. Those concerned about privacy may be right about the need for an efective law to ensure that private data aren’t misused. But tagging this concern solely to the UID programme is short-sighted. In an age where data are stored in electronic form, it is possible to collate vast amounts of information from various databases ranging from applications for passports, driving licences, ration cards, and more. The apex court is yet to decide on whether Aadhaar violates the right to privacy. Meanwhile, savings from weeding out ghost beneiciaries have begun to pay of the investment on building the now 111-crore strong Aadhaar database. But the Centre must not stretch the leeway granted by the court.

ahilan kadirgamar

GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

The SC’s clariication on the use of Aadhaar gives the government space for key reforms

of powerful international actors, and dispatching statements signed by NGOs and individuals to the UN.

force, with its resultant and adverse impact on the quality of policing. In general, policing in the 10,000 and odd police stations across the country is lamentable because of insensitivity towards the victim. Instead of being centres where one can be assured of being given a patient hearing and given some assurance of there being justice, they have become venues for organised extortion and even ill-treatment. The lower down you are in the social ladder in terms of economic stature, the harsher is the reception accorded to you at a police station.

The fact that Mr. Adityanath paid a visit to the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow recently, taking policemen and oicials by surprise, is a welcome development. His statement, that he has “come here to inspect as to how the rule of law is enforced in the State and gauge the morale of the police, and see what efective action can be taken in this regard,” is one that holds promise. One also needs to note that he laid emphasis on “the rule of law being established in the State”, and that it would not be his last inspection but only a beginning. Though symbolic, such unexpected acts should make police at the bottom of the hierarchy think about the road ahead. A candid account by Mr. Adityanath on what he has in mind would be

useful. Uttar Pradesh has had a history of communal riots and inquiry commissions have always reserved harsh words for the police. A common theme in their indings is one of delayed response and a distinct bias in favour of the majority community. The fundamental point is the need for clear directions from the government — read Chief Minister — that there cannot be any politics here, that the higher echelons will be held accountable for any tardiness, and that there should be an urge to act swiftly and fairly, without looking up to the political machinery. The Indian Police Service cadre has bright, honest and talented oficers and it is not as if the U.P. police is found wanting in this area. Unfortunately, they have their hands tied as they seldom enjoy operational autonomy, a sine qua non for eicient and fair policing. This is a golden opportunity to reverse this sad situation especially as the new Chief Minister has the goodwill of the State, and also when the Centre too is keen to transform the State. R.K. Raghavan is a former CBI Director

Letters emailed to [email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

colonial law deserve condemnation.

who have been pushed to a corner.

V.N. Mukundarajan,

C.V. Aravind,

Thiruvananthapuram

Bengaluru

■ The passing of the Bill is a welcome step as penalising those who have been unsuccessful in their attempt to end their lives only ends up making them more miserable by creating even more stress and strain, both factors that could have contributed largely to their attempting such a step. Rather than coming down heavily on them, a honest efort at counselling would go miles in helping them come out of their depression and in trying to guide them towards leading a normal life. However, one wonders how justiiable it would be to club all those who attempt suicide but survive in the ‘mentally sick category’ as some of them might be normal persons

The Aadhaar push The ambitious scheme of Aadhaar which includes capturing biometric data of an individual is imperative to plug leakages in various welfare schemes and to target their intended beneiciaries, but to make it mandatory for access to schemes is unwarranted (”SC counters push for Aadhaar”, March 28). The government’s provisions to include it for the mid-day meal scheme and PDS system could have severe ramiications since authentication by Aadhaar require various complex systems to work simultaneously. In remote and rural areas, where Internet and electricity access is inadequate, this

could leave children hungry and families with no food grains if authentication fails due to any technical glitches. In PDS, identity fraud is of less concern now since ‘quantity fraud’ is a bigger malaise which remains unaddressed by Aadhaar. The government says there will be privacy and protection of Aadhaar details, but no transparent mechanism has been provided. Aadhaar may be the way forward to ensure that targets are met but it cannot be forced on people. Gagan Pratap Singh, Noida, Uttar Pradesh

The trophy is back Congratulations to Team India for its stupendous success in the Test series against Australia (‘Sport’ – “Indian pace-spin combo delates Australia”, March 28). Though the series was marred in parts by

skirmishes and sledging, it still shows that this format of the game is still relevant and interesting in today’s era of T20 cricket. The victory also showed that unlike in the past, wherein the XI was always dependent on a few classy players, it was the teamwork of every player which made India emerge the superior team. Jayaprasad N., Kollengode, Palakkad

■ The authoritative victory, which has taken Team India to the pinnacle of glory, marks the memorable

culmination of a series of spectacular performances witnessed in recent times. The emphatic win can be attributed to team spirit along with an indomitable will to succeed under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. The young man is proving himself to be the apt successor to M.S. Dhoni. Notwithstanding the controversies that dogged the series, India stamped its supremacy in all departments of the game. B. Suresh Kumar, Coimbatore

more letters online: www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/

corrections & clarifications: Editing error: The story headlined “Floating wheelchair opens Goa’s beaches to all” (March 28, 2017) erroneously said the wheelchair designed to loat was imported by UMOJA. 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

A ND-ND

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THE HINDU

OPED 9

NOIDA/DELHI

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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THE WEDNESDAY INTERVIEW | MANOHAR PARRIKAR

‘Compromises happen when a mandate is fractured’ The former Defence Minister on his stint in South Block, and his return to Goa to helm the new BJP-led coalition government

I know you for years as a politician who could predict elections seat-byseat. This time, you told me on counting day that the BJP will get 25 seats; it ended up getting 13. How do you explain that?

The reason was there was a people’s response to the government ahead of elections. Our vote share went up to 32.5%, which means we have not gone down in terms of voting. At the individual level, it’s sad that so many persons lost.

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You had told me that this would be a watershed election; that a couple of your own party bigwigs will also bite the dust… but so many Ministers losing, including the Chief Minister!

People went after individuals, and they perhaps did not realise that the overall impact of the manifestation of that anger could result in overall instability.

■

Were you shocked or hurt by the result? Going down from 21 to 13 seats…

Our seats have fallen, but we got our votes even in those constituencies. Yes, but definitely I am disturbed by the trend that our people do not think on the lines of a State, [think] much on the lines of a village panchayat or a municipality. The overall thinking should be in terms of a mandate for a party. This

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may be partly happening because of Goa being a small and compact State where everyone knows everyone, and partly because people are raising their bar of expectations. Do you think people were expecting a high performance from your successor government based on what you achieved?

Definitely. But expectations cannot be one way. On one side you expect your elected representative to give goodies, personal favours, and on the other you expect her/him to be totally clean and deliver as a people’s representative most effectively.

Are BJP MLAs, workers and sympathisers disappointed that there isn’t sufficient powersharing for them in their government?

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giving a clear < > By mandate, you develop political parties and a culture of stability, and continued fractured mandate leads manipulative politics to develop. The government that you have formed is of disparate parties and individuals. Ideologically, and also on the party manifesto front, how can it deliver? ■ Ideologically, MGP [Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, one of the oldest regional outfits] is not very far from BJP ideology. Independents

■ It is for the people of Goa to think and ponder over the future. They will have to ensure that a single political party gets the mandate in future. If not me, let them give the mandate to Congress, I have no issue. A single political party [being elected to power] is a solution, not a fractured mandate. I have come, for instance, I may handle this fractured mandate for five years, I am going to do something, fine. Can I be there for 50 years? By giving a clear mandate, you develop political parties and a culture of stability, and continued fractured mandate leads manipulative politics to develop. What we [Goans] today are suffering is the consequence of repeated fractured mandates. There are too many manipulations, too many compromises have taken place, a lot of adjustments are made when a mandate is fractured. Even from our party, people should understand — and they have understood — that we have not got a major-

What are your government’s priorities?

One is education, the other is development. We are not compromising. My development idea also has emphasis on cleanliness. Garbage-free Goa. I will be very strict with sellers and users of plastic bags below 40 microns, for instance. Let me put solid waste management in place by June. A notification will come effective from July 1, which will prescribe fines of ₹5,000-₹10,000 for littering of the highways also. After June you will see things happening. After September you will be surprised to see the routes and public places [without litter]. I bet on it. So basically, cleanliness, mobility plan [comprehensive public road transport network], and employment. These are the three areas. I want to increase the quality of education. I will do that by drawing on my pan-India exposure and experience of two and a half years as Defence Minister.

< >

I have no issues with Army or BSF personnel expressing their grievances, but considering their discipline, I feel their using social media to vent their grievances may spell costly for the country vis-à-vis discipline.

ity, so adjustments and some compromises are inevitable. It is the name of the game. The way the BJP formed governments here and in Manipur, what happens to the convention that the single-largest party gets the first call from the Governor in case of a fractured mandate? ■ There is no convention. I can give you hundreds of examples… Try and understand, where there is no prepoll alliance, the convention is that the Governor or the President normally calls — correct words — the ‘biggest single unit’ for formation of government. But this is subject to the condition that you bring a majority of people with you. Not subject to the condition that I will call you and then you form your majority! You have to go with 21 [MLAs] to the Governor. You get priority. However, after

the election, by next evening, we took an appointment with the Governor at about 4.30 or 5.00 p.m., we were ready with everything. See, this is isolation of the Congress for their corrupt practices, nepotism and selfcentredness. This was isolation of the Congress which resulted in their remaining with 17 seats. Where is a legal or constitutional aspect involved? The Supreme Court clearly told us to prove it [majority] next day in the House, we said we will prove it and we did prove it. If the allies had not approached you demanding that you should form the government, as you said, would you have continued in Delhi? ■ Why? Then there would have been no reason for me to come back. Why would I come back?

There is a perception that you will drag this coalition till 2019 and then go for a mid-term election along with the Lok Sabha polls.

I will tell you honestly, I do not see myself as Chief Minister after five years. So I see no reason for me to terminate this arrangement before five years. You asked me earlier if I would have remained in Delhi if [we had] not formed this government. Yes, I would have remained only for this term [even in Delhi]. I declared long back, I will continue in active politics [till the age of ] 60-65. I also believe that people should think of retirement at 65-70 years, based on their health. You should not simply go on and on.

■

Where will you contest the by-election from? Panaji again?

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How would you describe your overall experience in South Block?

■ All these have been brought closer. It will go through. I almost got it to the last stage. Maybe some minor changes could be there, but I hope it will go through. For instance, the Rafale deal, it was moving in circles, it would have never come out of it. I convinced everyone that it is in the interest of the Forces, reduced the price by ₹14,000 crore at least, and everyone got convinced. The problem is they are worried about the problems like CBI, other agencies who come.

■ It was a very important portfolio, neglected for 10 years, eight years at least to be precise. I feel that I contributed a lot, but instead of bragging that I did this, I did that, you can take inputs from outside. What is important is to understand that the Army is a different organisation from civilian institutions. When one chooses a career [in the Army], you have to realise that life is rigorous and tough. Take the issue of grievances raised by the BSF on social media. People and the media have to understand that they do not come directly under the Army, but the Ministry of Home Affairs. Still we took cognisance and acted. I have no issues with Army or BSF personnel expressing their grievances, but considering their discipline, I feel their using social media to vent their grievances may spell costly for the country vis-àvis discipline. I am in favour of addressing their grievances, but there should be a different mechanism worked out. Social media cannot be part of grievance redressal.

conidence < > Infusing in the soldiers is my biggest achievement. What were the major challenges you faced as Minister of Defence? ■ The biggest challenge was that there was no decisionmaking. No decisions were taken. I made them positive and they were encouraged and started taking decisions.

You left the Ministry when major changes were being brought in such as the strategic partnership

Do you think it was right in the national interest to have left all this abruptly? ■ I do not find it appropriate to discuss this. Whatever circumstances evolved, I took the best decision.

Do you expect the policy changes and reforms you had initiated and spent considerable time and effort on to be continued? ■ Absolutely no doubt about it. Most of them are in the pipeline. What goes in the pipeline normally comes out.

What do you consider as your biggest achievement in the Defence Ministry? ■ Infusing confidence in the soldiers is my biggest achievement, I feel.

What does one say about a leader who leaves behind a budget of over ₹1.8 lakh crore and comes here and tables a budget of ₹16,000 crore (Goa State budget)? ■ More than ₹3.42 lakh crore budget! If you want me to compare them (smiles), please turn off the recorder…

For full interview, please see www.thehindu.com

ARCHIVES

FIFTY YEARS AGO MARCH 29, 1967

DMK government to resist Hindi

Happiness could be booking a Tatkal ticket, a bribe you didn’t have to pay, or even an Aadhaar number

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam would continue its resistance to Hindi, declared Mr. C.N. Annadurai, Chief Minister, in the Madras Legislative Council to-day [March 28]. Speaking in English, the Chief Minister said: “We propose to continue our resistance to the domination of Hindi, and we expect all to join us, help us, enthuse us, and lead us on to victory.” Earlier, while speaking on the Madras Appropriation Bill, Mr. M.A. Muthiah Chettiar had referred to his opposition to the introduction of Hindi even as early as 1937, and said that the previous Congress Ministry had not fought against Hindi adequately.

P.J. GEORGE

RAJEEV BHATT

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO MARCH 29, 1917

Calcutta Corporation address

*

CM YK

model for private player participation in defence projects, among others.

FROM

How to be a happy Indian

Tradition of being happy in India The patriots, of course, do not need any UN resolution to be happy when there is a great cultural tradition of happiness on tap. The UN is anyway a great liberal conspiracy that values things like the Human Development Index and Gross National Happiness while it should be appreciating our GDP growth rate. We don’t mind the occasional UNESCO Awards for Best National Anthem and Best Prime Minister, though. The United States Declaration of Independence famously enshrines the founding principles of that nation as “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The framers of our Constitution had such a tough time ensuring life and liberty for all in 448 Articles that there was not much space or time left to legalise happiness or its pursuit. So in India we are left to pursue happiness as a private enterprise, with no government subsidy. But India is a land of opportunities. Happiness is yours for the taking. Happiness could be the Tatkal ticket that you managed to book. It could be the bribe you didn’t have to pay. It could be standing for the national anthem before a Shahrukh Khan movie. It could be the digital wallet on your 2G phone. It could be that feeling of being able to withdraw your own cash from the bank. It could be the right to religion. It could be the right surname. Happiness could even be your Aadhaar number.

It hasn’t been discussed in the party. I have multiple options. It is no issue at all.

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SINGLE FILE

Trying to stay happy for a day is like being a liberal after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results — the universe keeps telling you it is pointless. This I learned the hard way on March 20, the International Day of Happiness. If it is not the news, it is the views that drain the joy. A whiny left, a boring centre, and a scary right is enough to leave anyone politically depressed. Even Yoga, the fount of inner peace, is problematic now with no clarity on politically correct asanas. One wouldn’t want to take the risk with an improper Surya Namaskar. Nowadays, even our Yogis do not come across as paradigms of happiness. There is a heart-warming story behind the International Day of Happiness, of an orphan adopted from the streets of Kolkata who grew up to launch a campaign lobbying all the member states of the United Nations for recognition of happiness as a fundamental human right and goal. A UN resolution authored by that orphan, Jayme Illien, established the International Day of Happiness. It promotes “a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all peoples.” In short, it is the kind of resolution that a ‘JNU type’ might quote in love letters. Throw in climate change and secularism and we have “anti-national” erotica.

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■

PTI

Reluctant politician in the Delhi durbar, Manohar Parrikar is back where he always wanted to be. In the saddle again as Goa Chief Minister and having won the trust vote in the House, the 61-year-old has got down to business. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government has sought a vote-on-account for three months and tabled the annual State budget for 2017-18 which will be discussed in the monsoon session. The hectic threeday Assembly session over, the Chief Minister dwells at length, among other things, on the post-poll drama around government formation, his days as Defence Minister, and why he may actually retire from politics after this stint. Excerpts from an interview in his office at the State Secretariat in Panaji:

do not come with any ideology except a plea for development. That leaves Goa Forward Party [GFP]. As far as the GFP is concerned, we are together on the plank of ‘Goenkarponn’ or Goanness and development. Like Vijay [Sardesai, GFP leader] says, I also firmly believe in and pursue this Goanness. That Goenkarponn has to be maintained and protected, no doubt about that. The development agenda, that nobody disputes. Now there will be small issues like protecting coconut palm [the State government last year had formally derecognised it as a tree], etc. These are small issues, it is not very difficult to address these.

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Prakash Kamat

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CONCEPTUAL

NOTEBOOK

The difference principle/ Political Science

Not all those who disagree are trolls

This refers to the second part of the second principle of John Rawls’s theory of justice. It says that inequalities are legitimate so long as they are designed to yield the maximum benefit to the least advantaged members of a society. People at the bottom end of the ladder should feel persuaded that the institutions within which they function do withstand this moral scrutiny. But this stipulation is subordinate to Rawls’s first principle of justice, wherein each person is equally entitled to basic liberties and rights. This first principle enjoys priority over the second.

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MORE ON THE WEB

3

The racist spin of the ‘Chinaman’ by Kartikeya Date http://bit.ly/Chinamanracist

At a time of abuse, a civil debate with a reader Vidya Ram

Earlier this month, the day after I had written a report on the European Court of Justice’s ruling to allow companies to ban employees from wearing visible religious signs — a move that has been widely condemned by religious organisations and rights groups — I received an email from a reader who took issue with these criticisms. Why couldn’t firms do as they wanted and choose to hire and fire as they liked? Or, as he put it: “If I start an organisation, should I not have the rights to run the show?” While his position was different from mine, the email was very courteous. I replied in a similar vein, stating my views (namely that companies shouldn’t be seen in isolation from society, and as they took as much as they contributed to society, they had responsibilities). A debate ensued. He elaborated on how liberalism had gone

too far across the world — from the treatment of Dalits in India to minorities in the U.S. — and spoke of the need for whites to be “given some leeway”. Unity in diversity would not work everywhere, he concluded. What struck me was the tone of our debate. I’m fortunate among journalists to have received very few troll-esque responses, but I am very aware that many of my colleagues, as well as others on social media, have been less so, receiving abuse on a daily basis for standing up for their views. Reporting on the aftermath of Brexit over the past year, I’ve become acutely aware of how many of us live to a large extent within bubbles of reinforcement: we live and discuss issues with like-minded people, and judge others who have different points of view. Largely gone are the days for civilised debate where ideas are thrown around rather than abus-

ive words. And people across the political spectrum are equally guilty. In the U.K., while those who have questioned the ability to succeed outside the EU are dubbed remoaners (people who voted Remain) and branded unpatriotic (in much the same way as people have been dubbed “anti-national”), I’ve seen pro-European groups treating all those who voted to leave the EU as ignorant racists. The debate with the reader ended fairly abruptly. He thanked me for my lengthy response and left it at that. I can’t say that he’s changed my view in any way, and I assume that my views have had little impact on his, but I hope like me he enjoyed having his world view challenged in such a civil way. And to other readers: if you think we’re wrong in our views, do write to us! We relish debate and need your voices to keep us on our toes.

Lord Ronaldshay received this morning (Calcutta, March 29) an address of welcome from the Calcutta Corporation. Replying His Excellency said that great changes had taken place in recent years not all of which had been to the advantage of Calcutta. He was not sure, however, that the very natural regret which they felt at their great and historic city ceasing to be the seat of the Government of India might not have caused some of them at the first shock of change to write “Ichabod” in unduly large letters over their portals.

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DATA POINT

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10 NEWS

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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Rajya Sabha faces deadlock

FROM PAGE ONE

Opposition parties disrupt House over vacancies in key commissions

Talks with meat sellers fail, strike continues They want to meet Adityanath

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

To safety: Soldiers carry an injured colleague at the Budgam encounter site in Kashmir on Tuesday. NISSAR AHMAD *

3 civilians, militant killed in J&K gunbattle Even after the death of the militant, clashes between protesters and security forces were still continuing when reports last came in, the police official added. The trend of civilians assembling near encounter sites and engaging security forces in clashes emerged last year. It has continued even after Army Chief Bipin Rawat warned the youth against interfering in antimilitancy operations and the State administration imposing Section 144 within three kilometre radius of encounter sites. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday expressed anguish over the death of three youth in Budgam and urged restraint from all sides, saying issues confronting the State cannot be resolved if violence becomes the norm. “It is highly painful to see the young boys losing their lives,” the Chief Minister said in a statement. She termed the killings as highly

unfortunate and said the people in Kashmir continue to suffer massive collateral damage due to violence of past three decades or so. National Conference president Farooq Abdullah blamed the Centre and State governments for the “alarming situation” and advocated talks with all stakeholders. The State units of the Congress and CPI(M) also condemned the killings of civilians by security forces’ and asked the latter to exercise restraint while dealing with demonstrators.

Unfortunate incident “We condemn this unfortunate incident and urge the forces to exercise restrain while dealing with protestors,” Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee ( JKPCC) spokesperson Farooq Andrabi said in a statement here. The killing of civilians “will certainly vitiate atmosphere of peace in the Valley.

Press Trust of India

Rajya Sabha proceedings were washed out on Tuesday as the Opposition parties protested over the vacancies in the commissions for the welfare of minorities, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the Backward Classes. In the first half, the proceedings were disrupted constantly as Opposition members repeatedly rushed into the Well, shouting slogans. In the second half, despite appeals by Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien that the remaining debate on the Finance Bill be completed, the Opposition continued the protest. The House was adjourned for the day at 3.10 p.m.

Process under way The government sought to assure the House that the process to fill the vacancies was under way. But the members of the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Janata Dal (United) and the Bahujan Samaj Party wanted a commitment that the vacancies would be filled

Lucknow

Caught in din: Opposition members stage a protest in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. in a week. Speaking amid the din, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot attributed the delay to the model code of conduct that had been in force for the Assembly elections in the five States. He pointed out that there had been delays in the appointments even when the

“For instance, a State like Gujarat would like to know when temperatures would hit 41-42 and we give them a forecast,” said S.C. Bhan, an IMD meteorologist associated with the programme.

‘Above normal’ On Feb. 28, the IMD forecast “above normal” temperatures this summer in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana. The summer forecast is in line with a generally warm trend over previous months; 2016 was the warmest year in a century, according to the IMD, with the country

0.91 C warmer than the 19611990 average. The summer months of March-May last year were 1.36 C higher than the historical average, making it the second warmest since 1901. The higher temperatures coincide with three, consecutive years of weak monsoons.

Delhi hotter by 7 C On Tuesday, the IMD said that “prevailing winds & clear sky conditions over northwest & adjoining central India” has led to heat wave conditions in West Rajasthan & Gujarat and at isolated places over West Madhya Pradesh. Delhi was already 7 C hotter than what’s normal for the last week of March.

Five arrested for attack on Nigerians Following the attack in Ansal Plaza, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took to social media to assure the African community. “I have spoken to Yogi Adityanathji, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh about the attack on African students in Greater Noida. He has assured that there will be a fair and impartial investigation into this unfortunate incident,” Ms Swaraj said on her official Twitter handle.

Akbar meets official Later, Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar met the Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria and briefed him about the security measures for the protection of African nationals. The MEA also condemned the incident. “Yes-

Correction

terday’s incident in Greater Noida, in which several people of African origin were injured, is deplorable. The government is committed to ensuring safety and security of all foreigners in India. People from Africa, including students and youth, remain our valued partners,” MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a statement.

Earlier attacks The attack in Greater Noida is a reminder of the summer 2016 attacks on the Africans which included the murder of a Congolese national in Delhi. The incident prompted African diplomats posted in India to skip official celebrations which cast a shadow on India’s ties with Africa. (With inputs from PTI)

Fire in hills Jaipur

In the report headlined 'Samjhauta blast case: NIA not to go after Lashkar' of the edition dated March 28, 2017, the sentence in the second paragraph inadvertently got jumbled. The error is regretted. CM YK

A fire broke out in the hills near Sisarma village in Udaipur on Tuesday, fire officials said. Four fire tenders have been sent to control the blaze which has spread on a large span of the hilly area. PTI

Demands debate Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad sought a discussion because members had given notice. “The SC/STs and the OBCs and the minorities ac-

PTI

count for 80-85% of the population and various commissions implement schemes meant for their welfare and uplift,” he said. The leadership of the ruling party ... is not interested in the uplift of the SC/STs and the OBCs and minorities. This shows how much the BJP government cares for these classes.”

Siddhartha Nath Singh to take action against any shop selling chicken, fish or eggs,” he said. Mr. Singh said that if officials were insisting on checking the licence of meat shops, there was “nothing wrong”. “We are acting as per law and not on the basis of any pre-conceived notions,” he said. “The strike will continue at least till the end of Navaratra [April 5]. It may be extended further depending upon the outcome of talks,” Mubeen Qureshi, an officebearer of the Lucknow Bakra Gosht Vyapar Mandal said. The sale of fish, eggs and chicken was normal in Lucknow but for mutton lovers the disappointment continued.

BJD MP asks party to introspect ‘Jay’ Panda’s article fans speculation over BJP ‘designs’ on regional party Nistula Hebbar NEW DELHI

Lethal weapon: Policemen use pellet guns during a protest in Srinagar. FILE PHOTO *

States get warning to brace for heat waves

UPA had been in power. In 2007, the delay was of three months and in 2010, of five months.

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Agitating meat sellers and exporters held talks with Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Siddhartha Nath Singh on the second day of their strike on Tuesday but no rapprochement appeared in sight. “We have noted all the issues raised by them with an open mind. The Uttar Pradesh government will not allow anything illegal to happen,” Mr. Singh said, after the meeting, as he directed officials not to overstep their jurisdiction. The office-bearers of the associations have submitted a memorandum to the State government and now want to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. “We look forward to working with them within the system. If needed, we will meet again,” Mr. Singh said. “We are acting only against illegal abattoirs. Licensed slaughter houses are requested to stick to norms. They should comply with the norms mentioned in the licence and need not fear. No orders have been issued

Pellet guns still an option: govt. To be used if other options fail Special Correspondent New Delhi

The government informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that pellet guns “may be” used by security forces in the Kashmir Valley to disperse “rioters” if other alternatives failed. In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said the government constituted a committee of experts on July 26, 2016 to consider non-lethal alternatives to pellet guns. “The committee has submitted its report, and the recommendations have been taken into account ... for appropriate implementation,” he said. “...the government has decided that the security forces will resort to various

measures such as PAVAchilli [shells and grenades], Stun Lac [shells and grenades] and tear-smoke shells to disperse rioters. However, if these measures prove to be ineffective ... the use of pellet guns may be resorted to,” he said. Mr. Ahir was answering a question whether the government was planning to take a re-look at the nonlethal weapons used by the security forces as scores of people lost their vision to pellet gun shots in the Valley. The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to come up with alternatives to pellet guns used by security forces against agitators and stone-throwing mobs on the streets of Jammu and Kashmir.

Biju Janata Dal MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda fanned the flames of political speculation higher on Tuesday with a strong article in an Odia paper, asking that his party “introspect” about its below-par performance in the recent local body elections in Odisha. This comes a day after Tathagata Satpathy, BJD chief whip in the Lok Sabha, revealed, through a series of tweets, his apprehensions that the BJP, through an MP in his own party, might engineer a split in the BJD. Mr. Panda put out an English translation of the article that appeared in Tuesday’s edition of the Odia language

Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda daily Samaja. In it, he recalled the early struggles to establish the BJD as a strong regional party, the issues on which it fought the J.B. Patnaik-led Congress government in the late 1990s and what he termed the “trans-

formative leadership of Naveen Patnaik”. He also recalled fondly the contributions of the late BJD leader Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, who had a very public falling out with Mr. Patnaik in later years. “Through these two decades, until now, the BJD’s vote share and electoral performance only kept on improving. That is why, to the casual observer, the panchayat election results came as a shock. To those who have been analysing the party’s evolution in the past three to four years it should have been no surprise. Many key positions are no longer held by people who struggled for the party, who might have given honest

feedback, but rather by opportunists from various fields, including some who had worked against the party,” he said. “The allegations in this period that not just the government but the party too has been run by bureaucrats have been growing louder,” he added, saying that it had not been so during Mr. Mohanty’s period of ascendancy. “If we honestly introspect, we must acknowledge that all the allegations about the political environment in 1997, including widespread corruption and sheltering of powerful people who commit criminal acts are again being alleged in Odisha in the last three years,” he said.

Jaitley seeks consensus on clearing pending GST laws

Congress to walk a tightrope

Finance Minister briefs BJP MPs about the four Bills

Special Correspondent

Special Correspondent New Delhi

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told BJP MPs on Tuesday that he wanted to get the four enabling pieces of legislation dealing with the Goods and Services Tax regime, introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday, cleared through a consensus. He was briefing the BJP’s parliamentary party in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A newly inducted member of the BJP,

the former External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, was present for a while at the meeting, sources said. “The Finance Minister gave a detailed briefing to party MPs about all the four Goods and Service (GST) Bills, and said these laws were based on the principle of shared sovereignty,” Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar said after the meeting. “The Bills have been drafted after detailed discussions in the GST

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No bribes needed here, says this clerk Panchayat employee in Kerala wears his campaign against corruption on his sleeve

Council, which comprises all States,” he said. The meeting was also told that the new laws would usher in a “one nation, one tax” regime. The government proposes to launch GST on July 1. During the meet, Congress leader and former Union Minister M.V. Rajasekharan’s letter showering praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also mentioned by Mr. Kumar during his address.

Akhilesh chosen leader of SP Legislature Party Press Trust of India Lucknow

certificates and documents on buildings. “His approach makes people aware of their rights,” says his superintendent, I.P. Peethambaran.

Abdul Latheef Naha MALAPPURAM

A smiling panchayat clerk who welcomes visitors and even wants their rating at the end of a visit to the local body would seem cinematic, but not in Kerala’s largest village panchayat in Malappuram district. Abdul Saleem Palliyalthody is the face visitors look for at the Angadipuram panchayat office when they go for service. At 42, he has been employed at the local body for three years now.

Above board: Abdul Saleem at his desk, with the prominent notice against bribery. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Happy to serve public Mr. Saleem makes no secret of his public service enthusiasm. On his table is a prominent notice that declares his opposition to bribery. The notice in Malayalam reads: “The government pays me ₹811 a day (₹24,340 a month) to serve you. If you are not

happy with my service, please tell me about it.” He has updated his pay whenever it changed since he put up the notice in 2014. The ‘anti-corruption’ notice went viral when a curious visitor posted it on social media recently. “Service is the essence of any government job. People

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coming to us for different things should not return empty-handed. They should return satisfied,” says Mr. Saleem, whose panchayat has a staff strength of 17. No one entering the office can miss the central figure. He offers to help even if it is not part of his job, which involves issue of various

Polio does not deter Mr. Saleem says panchayat secretary K. Sidheek, who is himself a State best secretary awardee for 201112, let him be outspoken. Panchayat president O. Kesavan welcomes the ‘motivating’ effect. Unlike other local body staff, Mr. Saleem is from the same village and worked elsewhere, including in West Asia, before returning to home base. He does not let his 40% polio disability affect field visits done on his scooter. The Vigilance Department had recently said local bodies and revenue offices were among the most corrupt government offices.

New Delhi

The Congress finds the GST Bills “unacceptable”, but does not want to be seen as opposed to the tax reform. At a strategy meeting here on Tuesday, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi told MPs to play the role of a constructive opposition and not be seen as being against the GST laws. Senior MPs at the meeting too stressed that the Congress should not be seen as the one opposing the tax reform legislation.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was on Tuesday unanimously elected as the leader of SP Legislature Party. At the meeting of SP MLAs and MLCs, the former chief minister was unanimously elected as the combined leader of the party in both the State Assembly and Council, SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said.

Besides, Mr. Akhilesh was also authorised to pick the leader of the party in the Legislative Council, he added. Mr. Akhilesh is a member of the Upper House, where senior SP leader Ahmed Hasan presently leads the party.

Veterans absent Party veterans Azam Khan and Shivpal Singh Yadav who failed to find favour with Mr. Akhilesh, skipped today’s meeting.

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THE HINDU

NEWS 11

NOIDA/DELHI

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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IN BRIEF

ED may move Interpol again on Lalit Modi Indian agencies failed to provide suicient data to procure Red Notice against former IPL chairman Devesh K. Pandey New Delhi

Two Aadhaar forms with same biometric data NEW DELHI

An FIR has been lodged on a complaint by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) about two Aadhaar applications with different names but same biometric information. Raj Kishore Roy and Debayan Roy have been named in the complaint. The police have begun an investigation and will serve notices on the two persons. The case has been registered under various sections of the Aadhaar Act and for cheating by impersonation. PTI

Police break up party at Igatpuri bungalow

Interpol earlier turned down India’s request for a red notice against former IPL chief Lalit Modi as the Chennai police could neither establish criminal offences nor file a charge sheet against him. Another reason was that proceedings to extradite him from the U.K. were not initiated. To get the decision reversed, the Enforcement Directorate plans to study the findings and then approach the Interpol through the nodal agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, and the External Affairs Ministry. Contrary to the government’s previous claims that a blue notice had been issued against Mr. Modi, the Inter-

pol in October 2013 clarified to him that no such action had been taken. He now holds an Interpol certificate, a copy of which he tweeted on Monday, saying he is not a subject of red notice.

Series of shortcomings A series of shortcomings on the part of Indian agencies ensured that Mr. Modi got relief from the Interpol, despite an arrest warrant issued by a Mumbai court in August 2015 in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate in December 2012. Given the nature of judicial data furnished by India, the Interpol concluded that it was premature to issue a red notice against him. Mr. Modi has made public

Lalit Modi the purported findings of the Commission for the Control of Interpol Files through his Twitter account. However, expressing surprise over the grounds cited by Interpol,

ED sources said a charge sheet was never a mandatory criterion and that in several cases in the past, red notices had been issued without it. Observing that publication of red notice requires sufficient judicial data and an assurance of extradition from the country where the subject resides, the Interpol Commission has held that the probe into the predicate offences registered against Mr. Modi had not yet progressed and no charge sheet was filed. Also, extradition proceedings with the U.K. had not yet been undertaken.

Chennai Police report In his defence, Mr. Modi had submitted a copy of the

Chennai police report purportedly stating that the police had concluded the complaint to be of civil nature and that it suffered from various legal defects, including that of jurisdiction, and that a closure report would be filed in the court. It is unclear how he got the document. The ED had registered the money laundering case based on an FIR lodged with the Chennai police, following a complaint from former BCCI chief N. Srinivasan, on October 13, 2010. The directorate pursued the matter with the police, which was unable to even get an arrest warrant against Mr. Modi. The money laundering case could be taken to a logical conclusion only when the

police proved its case. The same set of facts in the case had earlier been probed by the Directorate under the Foreign Exchange Management Act beginning 2010. The allegation was that as the IPL chairman, Mr. Modi terminated the media rights contract with MSM Satellite (Singapore) Pvt. Ltd on March 14, 2009, and assigned it to World Sports Group, Mauritius, (WSGM) without following tender processes or informing the Governing Council. He allegedly did not ensure payment of ₹112.5 crore to the BCCI and a bank guarantee of ₹355 crore by WSGM. It later made an agreement with MSM Satellite, under which it had to pay ₹425 crore as facilitation fee for the media rights.

No change in beacon light policy: CM Press Trust of India Chandigarh

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday denied any change in his government’s policy on the use of red-beacons on vehicles of the CM and Ministers. The clarification came after the Transport Department “erroneously” put out an extract from the Congress’s poll manifesto, exempting the CM and Council of Ministers from using beacons, as a notification. “The Transport Department had erroneously put out a part of the poll manifesto as notification and the social media picked it up,” an official spokesperson said quoting Capt Amarinder.

MUMBAI

Police on Tuesday arrested 13 persons after raiding a bungalow at the tourist town of Igatpuri in Nashik district where a party was under way early this morning. Some of those present were related to police officials and bureaucrats, said an officer of Igatpuri police station. Some of the girls at the party were bar dancers and the party had been organised through ‘online booking’. A vehicle with a yellow beacon, apparently an official car, was seized. PTI

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New team

Gen Rawat to visit military installations, meet oicials Josy Joseph New Delhi

Security audit of remote airports under way NEW DELHI

The Union government on Tuesday said it was aware of the possibility of terrorists using remote airports in the country to carry out antinational activities. In the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the Ministry was carrying out a security audit of those airports. The Home and Civil Aviation Ministries were in talks to see if the CISF can get a common command structure over security of all airports. PTI

Army Chief to be honoured in Nepal

Seat of power: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath acknowledges the greetings of legislators during their oath-taking ceremony at the Legislative Assembly in Lucknow on Tuesday. RAJEEV BHATT *

HC refuses to intervene in Aircel-Maxis case

The Chief of the Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, will be conferred the honorary title of General of the Nepalese Army during his ongoing visit to the Himalayan country. Gen. Rawat is on an official visit to Nepal and Bangladesh from March 28 to April 2, his first foreign visit after assuming office. He arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, the President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, will confer the title of “Honorary General of the Nepalese Army” to Gen. Rawat at an investiture ceremony. General Rajendra Chettri, the Chief of the Nepalese Army, was conferred the title of “Honorary General of the Indian Army”

Bipin Rawat

on February 3 during his first visit to India after assuming office.

Reciprocal tradition This tradition, a reciprocal arrangement to honour each other’s Army chiefs with the honorary titles, has been

Stateless then, landless now The erstwhile enclave dwellers living in camps want plots rather than lats

continuing uninterrupted since it began in 1969. During his visit to Nepal and Bangladesh, Gen. Rawat will be visiting several important military installations and meeting high-ranking dignitaries, including the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and the Chief of the Army Staff. A delegation led by Gen. Rawat will visit the Nepalese Army Mountain Warfare School at Jomsom and the Pension Paying office at Pokhra. Gen. Rawat will address a gathering of Indian Army exservicemen of Nepalese origin in Pokhra. From Nepal, Gen. Rawat will proceed to Bangladesh, where he will meet the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief of the Bangladesh Army.

Deccan Chronicle assets seized Devesh K. Pandey

Accused trying to sell assets and escape law, says petitioner Akanksha Jain New Delhi

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to direct the CBI to move the trial court for “attachment and forfeiture of shares and all the assets of Aircel Ltd”, as held by Maxis and its subsidiaries during the pendency of the proceedings in the Aircel-Maxis case involving former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran, as it held that the same would amount to interfering in the proceedings before the special court seized of the matter.

PIL plea rejected A Bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal dismissed the public interest litigation

(PIL) petition moved by the Society for Consumers & Investors Protection which prayed for these directions to the CBI. The petitioner claimed that the persons accused in the case were trying to liquidate all its assets and escape the clutches of law. “...even assuming that the allegations made in the present petition have any substance, appropriate steps need to be taken before the Special Court itself. The directions sought in this writ petition, if granted, would not only interfere with the proceedings pending before the Special Court but also would defeat the very purpose and object of orders passed by the Supreme Court for constitution of a

Special Court for dealing with 2G spectrum scam cases,” said the court. “Hence, we are not inclined to entertain this petition and the same is dismissed accordingly,” it ordered. Besides, the petition had sought directions to the Department of Telecommunications, SEBI, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and Foreign Investment Promotion Board to set aside the approvals granted to Reliance Communications Ltd for a merger of its wireless business with that of Aircel. It had also sought setting aside of the approvals granted to Bharti Airtel for acquisition of 4G spectrum of Aircel.

Can’t appoint Lokpal for now, Centre tells SC Points to amendments in law pending in Parliament Krishnadas Rajagopal NEW DELHI

The Centre on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that appointment of the anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal, is not possible now. Appearing before a Bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi said the amendments to the Lokpal law, concerning the substitution of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) with the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha on the highpower Lokpal selection committee, is still pending with Parliament. The committee comprises the Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, LoP and the Chief Justice of India or a SC judge as per the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act of 2013. But CM YK

the 16th Lok Sabha has no recognised LoP. Mr. Rohatgi said the implementation of the Lokpal law would remain in limbo till Parliament allowed the single largest opposition party leader to take the place of the LoP in the latter’s absence. “Unless the proposed amendment making leader of the largest opposition party as LoP is passed by Parliament, the Lokpal cannot be appointed,” he submitted.

Judgment reserved The court reserved the case for pronouncement of judgment. During the hearing, Mr. Rohatgi said Parliament may discuss the amendment in the monsoon session along with other ones in the Lokpal Bill. Senior advocate Shanti

Bhushan, for petitioner NGO Common Cause, alleged that the Lokpal Act which came into force in 2014 was deliberately not implemented for ulterior motives. Mr. Bhushan submitted that the court should not leave it to the political parties to pass the Lokpal law, and give directions to Parliament to amend it. He pointed out how the LoP has been substituted with the single largest opposition party leader in other laws concerned with the appointments of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner, the CBI chief and the Chief Information Commissioner. The SC had earlier criticised the government for “dragging its feet” on the appointment of Lokpal to usher in probity in public life.

Shiv Sahay Singh KOLKATA

After living in camps for nearly 16 months, 201 families of erstwhile enclave dwellers who chose to come to India after the historic enclave swap in 2015 are demanding that they be given small pieces of land to construct houses rather than apartments. Apart from approaching local district officials, the people who received citizenship rights after decades of living in a “stateless condition” have approached the Prime Minister. “I have written to the Prime Minister on March 23, urging him that these families be given small pieces of land. We are raising the demand because essentially we are people from a rural background, and rearing cattle and poultry is an essential part of our existence,” said Osman Goni, who resides in the Dinhata camp where 58 families live.

Work to start soon The district administration, however, has plans to rehabilitate the families in apartments. A Cooch Behar district of-

Livelihood concerns: Most enclave dwellers are agriculturists and cattle rearers. ASHOKE CHAKRABARTY *

ficial said tenders had been published for constructing two-storey buildings in the three police station areas where the camps were located. “We have the requisite land and construction work will start soon,” the official said. People from the Haldibari camp in the district, which houses 96 such families, met the sub-divisional officer (SDO) of Mekhliganj on Monday to request that they be given small pieces of land

instead of apartments. “We have come to know from certain reports that ₹22 crore will be spent on the rehabilitation of the 201 families. This would come to about ₹10 lakh per family and with the same money, we can be given a few cottahs of land with a small rural house on it,” Joy Prakash Roy of the Haldibari camp said. Forty-seven families in the Mekhliganj camp raise similar demands, and met district officials, giving them

a memorandum on the issue. Cooch Behar MP Partha Pratim Ray said that he had raised the issue with West Bengal Chief Secretary Basudeb Banerjee on Tuesday. “I also feel that these families should be given small patches of land. I raised the matter with Chief Secretary during the day,” Mr. Ray told The Hindu. The Trinamool Congress MP said that if those residing in these camps were willing to relocate to the interior parts of the district, where land was available, they could be provided small patches of land. As per the Land Boundary Agreement between the two countries and the subsequently established protocol, 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India and 151 Indian ones in Bangladesh were transferred on July 31, 2015. While no enclave dweller from the Bangladeshi enclaves in India left for Bangladesh, 920 people of 201 families from the erstwhile Indian enclaves in Bangladesh came to India in November 2015.

New Delhi

The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached assets worth ₹263 crore of the Hyderabadbased Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL), in the form of land, residential properties, shares, bank balance, luxurious cars and foreign currency, in connection with the alleged ₹1,162-crore bank credit fraud case. The company is alleged to have caused the loss to six public sector banks: Canara Bank, Andhra Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India, Corporation Bank and IDBI Bank. The DCHL had allegedly taken 111 loans amounting to ₹10,000 crore from 16 different banks during 2004-2012 and ₹2,800 crore was outstanding towards various banks as on September 30, 2012. A significant part of the loans was used for purposes other than the specified ones, such as investing in 20 group companies and payments to the Board of Control for Cricket in India for the Indian Premier League franchisee of “Deccan Chargers”.

A ND-ND

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12 WORLD

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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ELSEWHERE

Trump to gut Obama climate policy More federal land will be open to mining and power plants will be allowed to continue on coal to sign the new executive order at the Environmental Protection Agency with Administrator Scott Pruitt, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Pruitt, as Oklahoma Attorney-General, had opposed several of the measures that he is now overturning.

Varghese K. George Washington

Open to death penalty review, says Widodo JAKARTA

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said he would restore a moratorium on the death penalty if he won the backing of the people, after a spate of executions in the country that drew international condemnation. AFP

Veteran charged with terror over hate crime NEW YORK

A U.S. Army veteran faced terror and racism charges on Monday as he was indicted for fatally stabbing a 66year-old black man. James Jackson (28) was charged with one count each of murder in the irst and second degrees as an act of terrorism, murder in the second degree as a hate crime, as well as three counts of criminal possession of a weapon. AFP

Clashes in Paris after Chinese man’s killing PARIS

Violent clashes in Paris between baton-wielding police and protesters outraged at the police killing of a Chinese man in his home have seen three police oicers injured and 35 protesters arrested, authorities said. AP .

Court seeks explanation on Saeed’s detention LAHORE

Lahore High Court on Monday asked the Punjab government to explain under what authority it has detained Hafiz Saeed “without a trial”. A two-judge bench headed by Justice Syed Kazim Raza Shamsi was hearing a petition of Saeed and his aides who had challenged their detention under the antiterrorism law. PTI

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to issue a sweeping executive order to reverse a multitude of federal measures taken by his predecessor Barack Obama in order to meet American commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement. Collectively, these measures could have moved the U.S. closer to its commitment of reducing its carbon emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, though they were not sufficient. With Mr. Trump undoing the regulations on fossil fuel, America is making a turnabout in its climate policy. “We’re going to go in a different direction,” a senior White House official told reporters on Monday. “The previous administration devalued workers with their policies. We can protect the environment while providing people with work.” Mr. Trump would dismantle the Clean Power Plan that sought to nudge the U.S. power industry from coal to renewable energy and cancel six executive orders and memorandums, all from the

Deal under threat: Eifel tower illuminated, with the words ‘Paris Agreement is Done’, to celebrate the deal in 2015. REUTERS *

Obama era. More federal land will be open to mining and power plants will be allowed to continue on coal without facing curbs once regulations are lifted.

Legal wrangle Mr. Obama’s Clean Power Plan has been caught in a judicial wrangle, with 24 American States and the fossil fuel industry opposing it and 18 States and environmental groups defending it. Mr. Trump’s executive order

cannot instantly withdraw the regulations, as it involves a rule-making process of notification and hearings. While the impasse continues, the power industry can go on as business as usual. The new administration would also undo the requirement of social impact of assessment of projects, while also rejecting a presidential memorandum that linked climate change to national security. Mr. Trump was scheduled

Maldives ruling party sacks leader after revolt Move comes after Maumoon Abdul Gayoom aligned with former President Mohamed Nasheed Agence France-Presse Male

The Maldives’ ruling party has sacked the country’s former strongman President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as its leader after he led an unsuccessful rebellion against his half-brother, who is now in power. The decision came late on Monday after Mr. Gayoom entered a pact over the weekend with exiled opposition leader Mohamed

Nasheed and then tried to persuade his supporters to vote against the government in Parliament. National President Abdulla Yameen had recently taken executive control of the party, but his halfbrother was its nominal president. “Gayoom has been accused of sympathising with the opposition,” said a Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) official who asked not to be named. “His ideology no longer aligns

with that of the PPM,” the official said. Mr. Gayoom had urged PPM legislators to vote with the opposition on Monday to impeach the Speaker of the house, a move aimed at undermining Mr. Yameen’s hold on power before 2018 elections.

Chaotic scenes Mr. Nasheed had hoped that the surprise alliance with Mr. Gayoom would provide enough parliament-

Anti-apartheid icon Ahmed Kathrada dead

Package causes scare at White House

He was among Nelson Mandela’s closest colleagues

Press Trust of India

Agence France-Presse Johannesburg

Celebrated South African anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada, a Robben Island prisoner and one of Nelson Mandela’s closest colleagues in the struggle against white rule, died on Tuesday aged 87. Mr. Kathrada was among those tried and jailed alongside Mandela in the Rivonia trial in 1964, which drew worldwide attention to the brutalities of the apartheid regime. He died in hospital in Johannesburg after a short illness following brain surgery, his charity foundation said. Mr. Kathrada spent 26 years and three months in prison, 18 of which were on Robben Island, the notorious jail off the coast of Cape Town. After the end of apartheid, he served from 1994 to 1999 as parliamentary counsellor to President Mandela in the first African National Congress (ANC) government. Mr. Kathrada’s activism

Energy independence The Clean Power Plan was the cornerstone of Mr. Obama’s climate policy in the run-up to meeting Paris commitment. Mr. Pruitt defended its dismantling as essential for energy independence and job generation in the country. More than government regulations, market forces — particularly cheap natural gas — are making coal mining increasingly unviable in the U.S. Renewable energy sources are also getting cheaper. Coal mining itself has become more mechanised in recent years, employing lesser miners for the same quantity of mining. All this makes Mr. Trump’s emphasis on reviving mining in the U.S. an uphill task. “Cancelling” the Paris

Agreement and putting coal miners back to work were promises made by the President during the 2016 campaign. These are issues that resonate well with the conservative constituency. Only 15% of them believe human actions can impact climate, according to a Pew study. In contrast, 79% of liberal Democrats believe human actions impact climate. Environmental groups have announced a protest rally outside the White House on Tuesday evening. “On the heels of the three hottest years on record, President Trump is reversing the biggest steps our country has taken to fighting climate change,” said League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski. Regardless of what America does to combat climate change, India would remain firm on its Paris Agreement commitments, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in Washington recently. “Prime Minister is clear that India’s emphasis on renewable energy sources will continue,” he said after a meeting with the U.S. Energy Secretary.

LIfe-long comrades: Nelson Mandela, then the South African President, with Ahmed Kathrada in 1999. REUTERS *

against white-minority apartheid rule started at the age of 17, when he was one of 2,000 “passive resisters” arrested in 1946 for defying laws that discriminated against Indian South Africans. In July 1963, the police swooped on Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, outside Johannesburg, where Mr. Kathrada and other senior activists were meeting in secret.

At the famous Rivonia trial, eight of the accused were sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour on Robben Island. His fellow prisoners included Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Denis Goldberg. In jail, he was a teacher for fellow prisoners and a strategic thinker who formed part of the ANC delegation in the negotiations that finally ended apartheid.

ary support to oust the Speaker. Instead there were chaotic scenes in Parliament as opposition legislators staged a rowdy protest before losing the vote. Media were not allowed access, but images posted on social media showed several opposition-aligned MPs being physically removed from the house. “What we saw in Majlis today was a total disgrace,” Mr. Gayoom tweeted after the vote, referring to

the country’s Parliament. “The extent of govt’s fear of a free vote. All the reason why we must overhaul the system!” There was no immediate comment from Mr. Gayoom, currently on holiday in neighbouring India, on his sacking from the party. He ruled the Maldives for three decades before founding the party when the country embraced multi-party democracy in 2008.

‘Sexist’ report in U.K. tabloid triggers fury Daily Mail published photo on front page focussing on leaders’ legs Reuters Agence France-Presse London/Edinburgh

British politicians lambasted a popular tabloid for “moronic” sexism on Tuesday after it splashed a photo of Prime Minister Theresa May and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s legs across the front page with the headline “Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!” The public also took to social media to denounce The Daily Mail for focussing on the two leaders’ legs when they met to discuss Britain’s departure from the European Union (EU) and a potential referendum on Scottish independence. “The 1950s called and asked for their headline back.#everydaysexism,” tweeted Labour parliamentarian Ed Miliband using a hashtag for highlighting women’s experiences of sexism. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Opposition Labour Party, tweeted: “It’s 2017. This sexism must be consigned to history. Shame on The Daily Mail”, while veteran Labour lawmaker Harriet Harman branded the coverage “moronic”. The paper featured more photos of the two leaders inside above another headline: “Finest weapons at their command? Those pins!” In a statement to the BBC, The Daily Mail said the piece was “a sidebar alongside a serious political story” and had been flagged as “lighthearted”. It said the paper often commented on the appearance of male politicians too. But the coverage of the meeting generated a torrent of criticism on Twitter with members of the public branding it as “utterly pu-

A copy of Tuesday’s Daily Mail in London.

*

AFP

erile” and “sexist, derogatory trash journalism”. “Has anyone told the #DailyMail that we put the clocks forward by an hour, not back 3 decades?” one woman tweeted, referring to the country’s switch to British Summer Time at the weekend. The Daily Mail, which has a circulation of 1.45 million and reaches millions more online, backed Brexit in last year’s referendum on Britain’s EU membership.

‘Yes’ to referendum Also, Scotland’s Parliament voted on Tuesday to back Ms. Sturgeon’s call for a second independence referendum, just a day before U.K. triggers Brexit. The vote by lawmakers in Edinburgh was 69 in favour and 59 against despite Ms. May’s last-minute appeals. “I hope the U.K. government will respect the will of this Parliament, and if it does so I will enter discussion in good faith and with a willingness to compromise,” Ms. Sturgeon said. Ms. Sturgeon will now make a formal request for a referendum but she needs approval from the British government and Parliament in London to do so and Ms. May has already said that “now is not the time”.

Washington

The White House was briefly locked down on Tuesday morning after a male suspect approached U.S. Secret Service agents, at around 10.15 a.m., with a “suspicious package” and made suspicious comments, officials said. “A male suspect approached uniform division officers in the area of 15th and Pennsylvania [Avenue]. He made some suspicious comments. He also had package. We separated the individual and the package. He is now in Secret Service custody,” a spokesperson told reporters. The lockdown was lifted at around 11.45 a.m. “You keep us safe,” U.S. President Donald Trump said in a listening session with the Fraternal Order of Police. “I made a crucial pledge: we will always support the incredible and women of law enforcement. I will always have your back 100%,” Mr. Trump said, adding that sadly the police are often prevented from doing their jobs.

Consultation on caste discrimination begins Asks whether caste should be included under ‘race’ while framing law Vidya Ram London

The British government on Tuesday published details of a long-awaited 16-week public consultation on whether caste should be introduced as an aspect of race in antidiscrimination legislation. The government said that while there was “no place” for any form of prejudice and discrimination based on a person’s origins, it wanted to be careful “not to create or entrench any notion of caste consciousness or castebased practices into British society, which may prove counterproductive or divisive”. “This consultation is about how to ensure that there are appropriate and CM YK

proportionate legal protection against unlawful discrimination because of a person’s origins with due consideration given to how such protections would be implemented in practice,” the consultation says.

Extent of discrimination It has also published a feasibility study on the ability to measure caste discrimination, which concluded that there was no “significant ethical or methodological barriers that could not be overcome to allow a survey measuring the extent of caste discrimination to be carried out”. The issue of incorporating caste discrimination into British legislation has been a

matter of public debate for a number of years now. Section 9 of the Equality Act 2010, amended by Parliament in 2013, requires the government to introduce secondary legislation to make caste an aspect of race, and caste discrimination a form of race discrimination, but allowing for further consultations. The issue has divided opinion, both within the diaspora and wider British society, with a number of public debates occurring over the past few months ahead of the consultation.

Differing opinions “There is no need for this kind of legislation. There are already adequate protec-

tions under U.K. equality law,” says Trupti Patel, president of the Hindu Forum of Britain. Others argue that the consultation is unnecessary given the existence of a previous survey suggesting the existence of discrimination. In 2010, an extensive report by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research identified evidence of caste discrimination and harassment. “It was expected but concerning that the consultation asks whether there should be legislation, given Parliament has demanded it and the UN strongly recommended it,” says Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society. A ND-ND

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THE HINDU

BUSINESS 13

NOIDA/DELHI

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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market watch 28-03-2017

% CHANGE

Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 29,410 ddddddddddddddd0.59 Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 29,350 ddddddddddddd -0.27 Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 51.72 ddddddddddddddd2.17

NIFTY 50 PRICE CHANGE

ACC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1417.20. . . . . . . 20.40 Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320.85. . . . . . . . . 1.55 Ambuja Cements. . . .. . . . . . 228.35. . . . . . . . . 0.75 Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1057.85. . . . . . . 14.95 Aurobindo Pharma . . . . . . 679.00. . . . . . . . . 8.90 Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502.80. . . . . . . 15.65 Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2824.85. . . . . . . 16.45 Bank of Baroda . . . . . .. . . . . . 173.90. . . . . . . . . 1.60 Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 340.75. . . . . . . . . 2.05 BHEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168.55. . . . . . . . . 0.55 Bosch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22986.30. . . . . 171.65 BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645.95. . . . . . . . . 2.80 Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594.15. . . . . . . . . 2.05 Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290.35. . . . . . . . -1.15 Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 2637.75. . . . . . . . . 5.80 Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. 24897.75. . . . . 734.10 GAIL (India). . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 374.80. . . . . . . . -0.90 Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1065.70. . . . . . . . . 3.30 HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859.90. . . . . . . . . 7.75 HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1504.10. . . . . . . 29.40 HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1420.20. . . . . . . 10.35 Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 3326.90. . . . . . -16.30 Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189.60. . . . . . . . . 0.90 Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 903.10. . . . . . . . . 4.30 ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277.00. . . . . . . . . 3.85 Idea Cellular . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 88.50. . . . . . . . . 0.90 IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1404.25. . . . . . . . . 2.15 Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 318.65. . . . . . . . . 6.10 Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1035.15. . . . . . . . . 6.30 ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280.50. . . . . . . . -1.10 Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859.45. . . . . . -11.70 L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1544.25. . . . . . . . . 0.35 Lupin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1455.70. . . . . . . . -2.05 M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1277.00. . . . . . . 11.25 Maurti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 5974.25. . . . . . -11.55 NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164.90. . . . . . . . . 1.55 ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.90. . . . . . . . -2.00 PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 196.70. . . . . . . . . 1.85 Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1245.75. . . . . . . . -5.35 State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282.10. . . . . . . . . 2.65 Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 698.60. . . . . . . . . 7.40 Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 472.40. . . . . . . . . 7.65 Tata Motors DVR. . . .. . . . . . 285.65. . . . . . . . . 6.90 Tata Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88.80. . . . . . . . . 1.50 Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480.20. . . . . . . . . 3.70 TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2429.95. . . . . . . 17.90 Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . . . 455.70. . . . . . -13.10 UltraTech Cement . .. . . . 3987.30. . . . . . . 36.05 Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507.55. . . . . . . . . 3.55 YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1534.85. . . . . . . . . 6.90 Zee Entertainment . . . . . . 530.35. . . . . . . 13.85

BULLION RATES

CHENNAI

March 28 rates in rupees with previous rates in parentheses Retail Silver (1g) . . . . . . . . . . . 45.20. . . . . (44.90) 22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . . 2,781. . . . . (2,786)

IN BRIEF Land leasing, renting to attract GST from July 1 NEW DELHI

Come July 1, leasing of land, renting of buildings as well as EMIs paid for purchase of under-construction houses will start attracting Goods and Services Tax (GST). Sale of land and buildings will, however, be out of the purview of GST, the new indirect tax regime. PTI

CM YK

Centre may expand social security net

Bharti sells 10.3% stake in Infratel Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

A lower contributory rate of 10% toward EPF mooted Somesh Jha NEW DELHI

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation’s central board of trustees will meet on Thursday to consider extending social security benefits to volunteers under anganwadi, mid-day meal and Accredited Social Health Activists (Asha) schemes. The EPFO has proposed to the Labour Ministry that a lower contributory rate of 10% of income towards the Employees’ Provident Fund be allowed for scheme workers as against 12% contribution stipulated for the organised workers. According to estimates, there are 14 lakh anganwadi workers, 12 lakh anganwadi helpers, 25.50 lakh mid-day meal workers in the country, as per the agenda of the EPFO’s central board of trustees meeting reviewed by The Hindu. The meeting will be chaired by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.

No cover There is no mandatory social security cover for such scheme workers at present. However, the Centre can issue a notification to cover any class of establishments with a lower contributory rate under the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. This will only be applicable to scheme workers in organisations employing at least 20 workers. “The Central Board (EPF) may kindly consider for recommendation to the Central Government to issue notification for the Social Security Benefits to the volunteers of various schemes workers i.e, anganwadi, ASHA, Mid-day Meal Workers under the ambit of EPFO,” according to the agenda of the meeting.

Ray of hope: EPFO will consider a proposal to increase wage ceiling for social security coverage to ₹25,000 a month. AFP *

Providing social security coverage to the unorganised workers has been one of the key demands of the central trade unions.

Wage increase The EPFO will also consider a proposal to increase wage ceiling for its social security coverage to ₹25,000 a month from ₹15,000 a month at present in a bid to bring more workers under the provident fund net. At present, EPF is optional for employees earning more than ₹15,000 a month. The EPFO had sent a formal proposal to the Union Labour Ministry last year to increase the wage ceiling for EPF coverage to ₹25,000 a month. “The purpose of revision of wage ceiling is to ensure that on increase in wages due to inflation etc., minimum social security benefits are continuously made available to intended beneficiaries. Timely revision of wage ceiling is of utmost importance to ensure that new employees who are joining establishments covered un-

Quality checks now for Coal India’s non-regulated buyers

der the EPF & MP Act, 1952 are assured of PF benefits,” according to the agenda. The EPFO said that “there is an immediate requirement to enhance wage ceiling under EPP & MP Act, 1952” to ensure workers remain eligible for provident fund benefits.

Financial burden However, the move may lead to additional financial burden on the Union government as it contributes 1.16% of the employee’s salary as subsidy towards the Employees’ Pension Scheme. The wage ceiling hike will lead to additional burden of ₹2,708 crore per annum on the central government, the EPFO said. The previous wage ceiling was revised in September 2014 when the limit was increased from ₹6,500 to ₹15,000 per month. At present, out of around 3.7 crore active members are subscribed to EPFO, close to three crore workers are those in the earning category of ₹15,000 and below.

Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said it sold a 10.3% stake in Bharti Infratel to a consortium of funds advised by U.S. private equity firm KKR and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for more than ₹6,193.9 crore (about $951.6 million). The parent company sold 190 million shares at a price of ₹325 per share. Bharti Infratel rose 6.2% to ₹318.75 on the BSE. Bharti Airtel will primarily use the proceeds from this sale to reduce its debt. Following the transaction, Bharti Airtel’s equity holding will be 61.7%, and that of KKR and CPPIB at 10.3%. This deal marks the second time KKR is investing in Bharti Infratel. Post the transaction, the combined stake held by KKR and CPPIB would be the single largest public shareholder block, according to the statement. “As long-term partners of Bharti Infratel, we have intimately seen the company strengthen its position as a world-class telecom infrastructure provider,” Sanjay Nayar, member & CEO of KKR India, said in a statement.

Third-party checks for cement, steel clients to start in April Special Correspondent KOLKATA

As part of the ongoing thrust on quality, Coal India Ltd. will start validation of coal supplies by a third party for non-regulated sectors (cement, steel and others) by April, Coal India Ltd. Director (Marketing) S.N. Prasad said. Participating in a seminar on ‘Coal: Emerging Perspectives and Challenges’, he said that there was ‘slackness’ on the issue of coal quality. “While [the] Coal Controller’s Office is assessing the grades of coal of all mines, seams and sidings, the practice of third-party validation of coal grades will be extended to the non-regulated sector by April,” he said at the meeting organised by Bharat Chamber of Commerce. In August 2016, a tripartite agreement was executed among coal companies, the

Contrary to perceptions, coal will remain an important energy source. AP *

regulated sector (power, fertiliser and defence) and the Central Institute for Mining and Fuel Research for thirdparty sampling. The IIT (Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad) and the Quality Council of India will validate the quality for the non-regulated sectors which account for about 20% of coal consumption. The National Coal Distribution Policy, formulated in 2006, needed revision as it had become outdated, said

R.P. Ritolia, Director, India Power Corporation. He also felt that supply should now be “freed up” as there was an abundance of coal. Rana Som, Chairman of Bengal Birbhum Coalfields Ltd & former CMD National Mineral Development Corporation said that contrary to perceptions, coal would remain an important energy source. Mr. Som, whose company is now trying to implement a project involving 2.1 billion tonnes of coal reserve here, said that new technologies like underground coal gasification (against physical coal mining in deep seams) needed to be exploited to access deep-seated coal. “It involves certain risks , but there is merit in addressing the risk issues to utilise the coal while replacing physical mining. India has some 160 billion tonnes locked up in deep seams,” he said.

Kotak’s brieing plan spurs gains in Axis, NBFC stocks Speculation of a possible deal comes ahead of board meet SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Mumbai

Bharti Airtel will use the sale proceeds to reduce its debt.

Shares of Axis Bank and financial sector companies rose on Tuesday amid speculation Kotak Mahindra Bank might announce a possible merger or acquisition. Kotak Mahindra Bank, which has a scheduled board meeting on March 30, said after market hours on Monday that vice chairman and managing director Uday Kotak would hold a media briefing on March 29. Stocks of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs)

advanced on the BSE with M&M Financial Services gaining 2.8%, Shriram Transport Finance climbing 5.3% and Edelweiss Financial Services surging 6.3%. Axis Bank — which has been the subject of speculation about a possible merger with Kotak Mahindra Bank — added 3.2%, while Kotak Mahindra Bank slid 1.3%. On Monday, the fourthlargest private sector lender informed stock exchanges that its board would consider all options for raising equity capital including

private placement, QIP, GDR/ADR and rights issues. As mandated by the RBI, Mr. Kotak needs to gradually pare his promoter’s stake in the bank to 15% by March 31, 2020, from about 32% now. “We believe the deadline can be met by further sales,” JPMorgan wrote in a research note, adding that the bank would consider raising further capital “only if it were accretive.” “We do not comment on rumours and speculation,” a Kotak Mahindra Bank spokesperson said.

A ND-ND

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14 BUSINESS

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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IN BRIEF

‘Global investors keener now to invest in Indian real estate’

Tekplay to add 2 digital tech centres

JLL CEO Christian Ulbrich cites enhanced liquidity, transparency as reasons

CHENNAI

Lalatendu Mishra

‘Bitcoin not authorised by Reserve Bank of India’ NEW DELHI

The Centre on Tuesday said use of Bitcoins has not been authorised by RBI and could breach anti-money laundering provisions. The RBI has warned users of Bitcoin, about the inancial, legal and security risks. “No regulatory approval, registration or authorisation is stated to have been obtained by the entities concerned for carrying on such activities,” Minister of State for Finance, A.R. Meghwal said. PTI

‘Natural gas exports to India may get U.S. nod’ WASHINGTON

The Trump administration is expected to give its consent for major export of natural gas to energyhungry India, a senior U.S. oicial said, underlining that energy sector may be a major area of bilateral co-operation. “Watch for it,” he said. His comments came as U.S. President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order to wipe out his predecessor Barack Obama’s climate change legacy. PTI

Amazon to buy West Asian e-tailer Souq.com DUBAI

Souq.com will expand its workforce and operations after Amazon clinched a deal to buy 100% of the Middle East online retailer, executives from both irms said. Amazon and Souq.com said earlier on Tuesday they had agreed on the takeover, despite an eleventh-hour bid by Dubai billionaire Mohamed Alabbar’s Emaar Malls to cut in with an ofer of $800 million. Reuters

MUMBAI

International investors are keen to invest in Indian real estate now more than ever before due to the enhanced liquidity and transparency it offers, a top global real estate expert said. “The outside view is more positive than the inside view on what I hear from Indian entrepreneurs, who are much more critical about the situation here,” Christian Ulbrich, Global CEO & President, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., the global real estate consulting firm, said in an interview. “But the outside view is incredibly positive for India,” he said. Global investors want India to be successful so that it can develop into a matured country providing greater investment opportunities and options for investment, he said. “There is strong hope that India will be successful because people are now positive with the current government. People believe that he is starting to have real success in what he is doing and India is now catching up [with] China because there was a long period when India was disappointing for international investors.” He said India is now catching up in transparency which is a good indicator. In the JLL transparency index, India had moved up from 48 four years earlier to 36 in the latest survey among 110 countries. Liquidity is becoming much bigger due to the presence of institutional money mainly of sovereign wealth funds and Pension Funds, he said.

Demonetisation positive He added that demonetisation was a big, positive devel-

Visitor’s perspective: The outside view is more positive than the inside view on what I hear from Indian entrepreneurs, says the JLL chief. ARUNANGSU ROY CHOWDHURY *

opment for India. “I can’t judge how it was executed. But the concept behind it is well received internationally. Because corruption is clearly the biggest evil for any country... and institutional investors have received it well.” Mr. Ulbrich said globally there was strong and increased allocation into real estate so there was much more capital chasing limited products. “Clearly, institutional investors like to buy top quality buildings. So, there is more money coming into the sector. Institutional investors would like to buy those buildings in markets which are very transparent, which are very liquid and which have a strong rule of law. At

Truecaller announces partnerships in India Allies with Bharti, Google, ICICI Bank to extend app usage Special Correspondent New Delhi

Stockholm-based Truecaller on Tuesday announced partnerships in India with Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and Google, besides rolling out the latest verison of its application with new features. The partnership with Bharti will allow the operator’s subscribers to access the Truecaller app even on feature phones without data, while the collaboration with ICICI Bank will enable Truecaller users to transfer money from within the app. Google’s video calling service Duo has also been integrated into the Truecaller app, allowing users to make video calls directly through it. India is the biggest market for the app with 150 million users. “Indian economy is moving to cashless,” Truecaller co-founder Nami Zarringhalam said. “The country is leapfrogging a lot of other markets to move directly to

Leveraging identity: Nami Zarringhalam, Co-Founder, Truecaller, in New Delhi. KAMAL NARANG *

mobile. Truecaller users will be able to create their unique Virtual Payment Address in the app, and instantly send or receive money using any Unified Payments Interface-supported bank.” The feature will be available to ICICI as well as nonICICI users. Abonty Banerjee, Senior General Manager & Head – Digital Channels, ICICI Bank said, “There is a segment of users, mostly young users,

that prefer using such platforms rather than leaving what they are doing and going to a separate application for small payments.” According to the pact with Bharti, the caller ID feature of Truecaller will be extended to Bharti’s non-data users using feature phones. Truecaller also rolled out the latest version of the app – Truecaller 8, which extends the caller ID to SMSes while also enabling users to filter out all spam messages.

the end of the day, they are talking about relatively small number of countries which are taking the bulk of the investment in real estate. This is very important for India,” he said. He said when there is comparison between China and India, people still look at India in a positive way because it is a democracy where there is rule of law. Ramesh Nair, CEO & country head, India, JLL Property Consultants (India) said though the December quarter was the worst ever in 30 quarters, still, real estate price on an average rose by 1.2% in 2016 as compared with 3.2% in 2015. “Contrary to the general perception that the real estate market is crashing and

prices dropped 30% after demonetisation, prices across the board in fact went up 1.2%.” However, he said the sector was heading for consolidation as profit margins were declining rapidly and most developers lacked depth. “Consolidation is going to happen. Out of the 11,000 developers, very few have depth. We conducted a survey and out of all developers, 240 were found to have depth in the residential segment followed by 40 in the office segment and only 5 in the retail segment. When consolidation happens, a lot of these will be out of business. So, there will be less developers, less buyers and lot more institutional participation,” he said.

Special Correspondent

Tekplay Systems Ltd., an IT services company which helped The India Cements and other firms to go digital, is planning to raise $5 million and set up two development centres. “Currently, we are in talks with private equity investors in the U.S. to raise $5 million,” said Prabhuram Ramanathan, executive director, Tekplay Systems. “We are in the process of setting up development centres in San Jose and Bengaluru,” he said. Tekplay is also in the process of acquiring a company in Singapore and the details would be announced soon, he said. The Chennai-based digital business transformation company works with Fortune 500 companies to unlock the full potential of digital technology. The services offered by the firm include digital technology consulting, enterprise solutions, business analytics and digital workforce solutions. Over the next two years, Tekplay expects its revenue to grow five-fold from $20 million to $100 million and employee strength from 400 to 1,000-2,000. “Digital transformation is the next big thing in the IT industry, with the market expected to double in the near future,” Mr. Ramanathan said. “We plan to grab a higher market share both through organic and inorganic expansion. “We have nearly 40 clients including India Cements, CSK, Google, Union Bank of India, Cisco, Indian Railways and Ministry of Finance,” according to Mr. Ramanathan. N. Srinivasan, VC and MD, India Cements unveiled the Tekplay brand.

Northeast may get subsidised capital DIPP aiming to reduce cost of funds

Nudge for industry: The Centre is eyeing an industrial policy for backward areas of the northeast and Himalayan States. Special Correspondent New Delhi

The Centre is working on an industrial policy for backward areas of the northeast as well as the Himalayan States to subsidise the cost of capital, a senior official said. “It is a challenge to access funds in India,” said Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Secretary Ramesh Abhishek. “Cost of funds is high, and the government is working to bring this down and make funds easily accessible. We have interest subsidy schemes specifically for more difficult areas like the northeast. We are trying to come out with an industrial policy for backward areas of northeast and the Himalayan States and we are going to see how we can subsidise the cost of capital in these areas,” he said at an interactive session on Make In India initiative online.

Online regulations Mr. Abhishek said norms were yet to be announced by the regulators concerned, including the RBI and the SEBI, regarding regulations for online lending platforms. “Those platforms are doing a good job. So we are

hoping that regulators will come out soon with good and positive regulations so online platforms are able to do their business,” the DIPP Secretary said. On state-wise start-up policy, he said as of now there are 16 states that have their respective start-up policies and the Centre has asked the remaining states to soon join the initiative. Noting that start-up policy is important, he said start-ups are the biggest job creators. “We have to turn our youth into job givers not job seekers. Creating a startup ecosystem [is] also important,” he said. The development of agriculture sector is a key priority area for the Centre, he said. The government is encouraging organic farming across the country and he has sought suggestions in this regard from the public. Mr. Abhishek said Invest India — the national investment promotion agency — in the last one and a half years had promoted foreign investments to the tune of $70 billion, of which already $3.1 billion worth of investments had come into the country. “This kind of hand holding was never done by the Centre earlier,” Mr. Abhishek added.

BeWo to expand presence N. Anand Chennai

BeWo Technologies, a provider of grocery store automation technologies, has drawn up plans to increase its reach by almost sixfold by entering more cities. “Currently, we are present in four cities — Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi through 1,000 grocers, who are linked with 30 clients [FMCG majors] and sell more than 50 brands,” said R. Sampath, CEO and MD, BeWo. “In 2017-18, we would like to... be present in 10 cities. We will add another 16 cities the following year, covering 25,000 grocers,” he said. The start-up is incubated by California-based chipmaker Qualcomm and backed by TTK Group chairman T.T. Jagannathan, in his personal capacity. “We bring grocers and FMCG majors on a single platform, help them to efficiently manage their business and achieve higher sales,” Mr. Sampath said.

Nobel Hygiene to boost diaper capacity Adult diaper maker plans facilities in North India as well as outside the country Lalatendu Mishra MUMBAI

Nobel Hygiene Pvt Ltd., among the first players in adult diapers in India and the market leader in this segment (with 65% market share according to Euromonitor Singapore) is planning to expand its capacity by setting up a new manufacturing facility in North India to cater to the growing demand for adult and baby diapers in the country, a top company official said. “We have seen the demand for adult diapers growing from zero in 2000 to approximately 10 crore pieces in 2016,” said Kamal Kumar Johari, managing director, Nobel Hygiene. “Besides, the baby diapers market is growing at 25-30% a year. So, we are planning to set up a new CM YK

Kamal Kumar Johari

factory in North India, either in NCR Delhi or in Uttar Pradesh this year,” he said. He said the company would invest ₹25 crore in the new manufacturing unit. Nobel Hygiene already operates a factory in Nashik in Maharashtra where it has put up six manufacturing lines with fully-automated machines.

The unit manufactures adult and baby diapers, underpads and baby diaper pants. Mr. Johari said that the company was also planning to set up a manufacturing base outside India. However, he did not disclose the location. “We may start very soon,” Mr. Johari said. Globally, the disposable hygiene market is estimated at $50 billion and this includes diapers and sanitary napkins according to industry officials. In India, this market is estimated at ₹6,000 crore. The Indian market is dominated by three MNCs: Procter & Gamble, KimberlyClark and Unicharm of Japan, that manufacture and sell their brands Pampers, Huggies and MamyPoko respectively. Nobel Hygiene

has two brands: Friends for adult diapers and Teddyy for baby diapers. Mr. Johari said his company had been growing at 30-40% for the last seven years as compared with the average industry growth of 20-25%. “We are the only company in India which manufactures all types of diapers and underpads. Besides, we have designed diapers as per the Indian body structure and thus our diapers do not leak,” he said. The adult diapers market is estimated at ₹350 crore at MRP level while the baby segment is worth more than ₹5,500 crore. “The penetration level of diapers in India is 6% as against 35% in China. This leaves vast scope for growth,” Mr. Johari said. A ND-ND

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THE HINDU

SPORT 15

NOIDA/DELHI

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Team India wraps it up in style

Smith apologises

Rahul and Rahane guide the host to a comprehensive eight-wicket win

But disappointed that BCCI made the Wade-Jadeja exchange public

Vijay Lokapally

Cash bonanza

DHARAMSHALA

Jadeja’s cup of joy overflows DHARAMSHALA

Ravindra Jadeja has thrice bagged the Man-of-theMatch awards for this season, the joint-most for India, with Virat Kohli being the other. No one else got more than one. In fact, Jadeja is the only one to achieve the feat in each of the three major series — against New Zealand, England and Australia. This was Jadeja’s fifth Man-ofthe-Match and maiden Man-of-the-Series award.

Smith offers Rahane and Indian team a drink DHARAMSHALA

Australian captain Steve Smith on Tuesday reached out to IPL teammate Ajinkya Rahane and the Indian team, offering a round of beer after the end of the bitterlyfought Test series. Smith, who apologised for letting emotions get the better of him throughout the series, also had a brief chat with Rahane after the game. “I said (to Rahane) see you next week, he’s in my team for the IPL,” Smith told ABC Grandstand. “I asked if he wanted us to come in for a drink being at the end of the series. He said he’d get back to me. With Ajinkya, we get on well. He’s in my IPL team so I’ll be with him for the next few weeks,” he said of the Rising Pune Supergiants teammate. It’s part of Australian culture to have beer with rival players once the contest is over. PTI

India signed off the long season with a finely-scripted victory over Australia that gave the team a 2-1 series win and cemented the No. 1 Test ranking. The eight–wicket victory at the HPCA Stadium on Tuesday came through K.L. Rahul’s winning stroke with Ajinkya Rahane fittingly monitoring the decisive moments in the middle, not to forget the two key members off the field — Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble — marshalling the team to give its best and regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The win also brought India a $1 million bonus and the ‘Test Mace’ for finishing as the premier team on the cut off date of April 1.

Early jitters Resuming at 19 for no loss, India went through some contrived excitement when M. Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara lost their wickets. Vijay nicked Pat Cummins and Pujara ran himself out. Did Australia sniff a chance? If it did, the idea was smashed by Rahul and Rahane applying themselves to ensure there was no end-ofthe-season embarrassment. The 60-run third-wicket association between Rahul and Rahane was a culmination of a concentrated effort from India. Rahul did not lose his composure and played some exquisite shots while accomplishing his sixth half century of the series. Rahane, keen to make a mark, came up with a few robust strokes as India cantered to the target, needing a mere 17.5 overs to knock off the 87 runs needed for the win on

Special Correspondent DHARAMSHALA

MUMBAI

tion in the ICC Test team rankings.

The BCCI on Tuesday rewarded Team India with cash emoluments for its excellent display in the long home season and also for retaining its top posi-

The cash awards: 1. Test team members: ₹50 lakh each. 2. Head Coach: ₹25 lakh. 3. Support staff: ₹15 lakh each

Special Correspondent

ing for a miracle. Skipper Steve Smith lacked the firepower in his attack and only watched the disintegration from first slip, his dreams of beating India in India going up in smoke with every boundary that Rahul and Rahane cracked.

Aggressive Rahane What stood out was a refreshing charge by Rahane as he played some astounding strokes off Cummins. He pulled him over square leg and then made room to smack him over cover, the two sixes driving home India’s dominance over an opposition that had begun the series on a sterling note by

winning with a whopping 333-run margin at Pune. The 32-run first innings lead was the impetus on which the victory march was built and some incisive bowling on the third day saw India flatten any hopes that Australia may have nurtured. The scorching spell from Umesh Yadav and crafty stuff from R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja paved the way for India to win its 10th Test of the home season — beating New Zealand 3-0, England 4-0, Australia 2-1 apart from the one-off Test victory over Bangladesh. The two draws came against England and Australia.

fourth TEST, DAY 4, HPCA STADIUM, DHARAMSHALA

Take that! Ajinkya Rahane dispatches a Pat Cummins delivery into the stands during his speedy knock that took India home on Tuesday. V.V. KRISHNAN *

the fourth day. Australia’s chances best lay in making quick dents. It did but not to the extent

to make the home team falter. The poor second innings show on the third day had left Australia stunned and pray-

AUSTRALIA — 1ST INNINGS

300

INDIA — 1st INNINGS

332

AUSTRALIA — 2nd INNINGS

137

INDIA — 2ND INNINGS RUNS BALLS K.L. Rahul (not out) ddddddddddddddddddddd ddd 51 dddddd 76 M. Vijay c Wade b Cummins dddddddddddddd ddddd8 dddddd 35 Cheteshwar Pujara run out dddddddddddddd ddddd0 dddddddd 5 Ajinkya Rahane (not out) dddddddddddddddd ddd 38 dddddd 27 Extras (b-4, lb-5) ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd9 dddddddddd Total (for two wkts. in 23.5 overs) ddddddd dd 106 Fall of wickets: 1-46 (Vijay, 13.1 overs), 2-46 (Pujara, 13.6).

4s dddddddd 9 dddddddddd dddddddddd dddddddd 4 ddddddddd

6s ddddddddd dddddddddd dddddddddd dddddddd 2 ddddddddd

AUSTRALIA BOWLING: Cummins 8-2-42-1, Hazlewood 6-2-14-0, O’Keefe 4.5-1-22-0, Lyon 5-0-19-0. Result: India won by 8 wickets to take the series 2-1 Man-of-the-match & series: Ravindra Jadeja

As the top-scorer and perhaps the best batsman of the series by quite a distance, Steve Smith was justified in being disappointed at losing the four-Test series. What would have hurt more was that the loss came, within four days, at a venue and in conditions that were the best and closest to home. But even as the Australian captain rued his team’s missed chances, what made news was the skipper apologising for the bad blood between the sides and his own behaviour. “I am sort of proud of my performances in this series. I set myself high standards and I wanted to lead from the front. “ I have sort of been very intense in my own little bubble and at times I have let my emotions and actions just falter a little bit throughout this series and I apologise for that. “That’s a big stride for me moving forward and something I can really learn from and continue to grow as an individual and as a leader,” Smith said at the end of the final Test here on Tuesday.

Learning curve There were more lessons for the 27-year old and his team that gave the toughest fight for India in recent times but was unable to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “This team has grown so quickly. We are still a very young side, it wasn’t too long ago we were at Hobart and it was the end of the world. “It’s been a great learning curve for each and every one of the boys in the room.

Steve Smith congratulates Virat Kohli after the inal Test. V.V. KRISHNAN *

“They are hurting right now, it’s always tough when you lose a series at the final hurdle but the guys are going to take so much out of this series,” he added. There was a note of bitterness in the end, though, but the blame this time was targeted not towards the Indian team but the BCCI. “I was a little disappointed that the BCCI sieved through the archive to find a conversation on the field that was happening between Matty (Wade) and Jadeja. “Usually what’s said on the field should stay on the field. “It’s been a hard-fought series and guys are going to say things here and there, their emotions are going to be high. “So I was a little bit disappointed by the fact the BCCI did bring that out,” he commented.

Ashwin receives Sobers Trophy Aussies no longer friends, says Kohli Voted ICC Cricketer and Test Cricketer of the Year 2016 have a great unit < > We that has done well

Special Correspondent DHARAMSHALA

Off-spinner R. Ashwin collected the Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016 and the Test Cricketer of the Year trophy from Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar here on Tuesday. A ICC press release quoted Ashwin, “It has been a great honour to be named by the ICC for two top awards and it is dreamlike to actually receive them here. What has been greatly satisfying for me is that I have helped the team do well during this period.

Feeling proud “We have a great unit that has done well across formats. Being on top of the Test table, in particular, is an accomplishment we are all proud of.” Ashwin added, “I’d like to

across formats. Ashwin

Proud moment: R. Ashwin receives ICC awards for his outstanding performance in 2016 from Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar. V. V. KRISHNAN *

thank all my team members, team management and support staff for helping me perform. I hope to continue doing well and help my team win many matches in the coming years. “I thank my family and also would like to remember my uncle who passed away suddenly during this game.

“My uncle’s family has also been a pillar of support all these years. I thank the ICC for recognising and encouraging players with these awards because such moments always remain in one’s memory.” “Ashwin is a big asset for the team as he is useful with the bat and a thinking all-

CoA, BCCI in a battle of wills G. Viswanath Mumbai

The tussle for authority between the CoA and the BCCI office-bearers has begun. C.K. Khanna (acting president), Amitabh Chaudhary ( jt. secretary, discharging the duties of the secretary) and Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) told CEO Rahul Johri on Tuesday that “their duties are stipulated in the Rules and Regulations of the BCCI” and they will carry out such duties as elected office-bearers and as per the order of the Supreme Court order dated January 2, 2017. The BCCI officials’ riposte came less than 48 hours after they were informed (on Sunday evening) that the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has been given the mandate to manage the dayto-day affairs of the BCCI through its CEO. Further, they were told they cannot represent the BCCI in any manner, without prior permission from the CoA. The CoA reiterated its point of view at a meeting with BCCI officials on Monday. Clearly, the CoA was miffed that the BCCI — within a day of the Supreme Court giving its opinion for a CM YK

Indian skipper magnanimous in his praise for the opposition’s display on ield

separate nine-year upperlimit term at the BCCI and State level — served notices to its 31 members (not as per the Lodha authored Constitution because it has not been adopted it) for a Special General Meeting at New Delhi on April 9. It also convened a meeting of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) Board at Bengaluru on Tuesday without informing the CoA.

The CoA told BCCI officials that the meetings have to be deferred; also, it would control the SGM agenda. The BCCI officials’ response was: “With regard to the request for change in date ... the same can hardly be effected by us in view of the nature of the requisition by a majority of the General Body and its notice having already been issued to over three dozen members.”

The 70-plus issue Special Correspondent Mumbai

On January 24, a Supreme Court bench had said it would not consider those above the age of 70 for nomination in the Committee of Administrators (CoA). A week later, the Court nominated Vinod Rai, Vikram Limaye, Ramchandra Guha and Diana Edulji to the CoA. All are under 70. According to the CoA’s understanding, individuals above 70 cannot be part of any BCCI committee. The CoA told BCCI officials here on Monday that former Board secretary Niranjan Shah is 72 and cannot be the

chairman of the NCA Board. The CoA also believes that Punjab Cricket Association’s Mohinder Pandove, 71, cannot be part of the IPL Governing Council. But BCCI officials (C.K. Khanna, Amitabh Chaudhary and Anirudh Chaudhry) have told the CoA that “there is no order of the Supreme Court that disqualifies any person from being a member of any BCCI committee or representing the BCCI or its members on account of being over 70. The disqualifications as per the orders are only for becoming BCCI or State association office-bearers.”

rounder. I’m sure he will have a lot more success in the coming years and help India win more matches, both at home and abroad, ” said Kapil. Gavaskar observed, “India has always produced some of the finest spin bowlers seen in the game. Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja are the latest who are upholding that wonderful tradition. “Besides he is a batsman who prizes his wicket dearly and makes useful contributions with the bat. The number of man of the match awards and man of the series awards he has won show why he is the biggest matchwinner for India in recent times.”

Uthra Ganesan DHARAMSHALA

If anyone thought that the acrimonious war of words over the past two months between India and Australia would finally see closure at the end of the series, he/she was wrong. And Virat Kohli made sure the message went out loud and clear — they were no longer friends, anywhere. “No, it has changed. I thought that was the case, but it has changed, for sure. As I said, in the heat of the battle you want to be competitive but I’ve been proven wrong. “The thing I said before the first Test, that has certainly changed and you won’t hear me say that (we are friends) ever again,” Kohli brushed it off. “Criticism is not in my control. I was targeted indi-

Candid captain: Virat Kohli, seen with the ICC Test mace and bonus cheque presented by Sunil Gavaskar, was vocal in his criticism of the Australian media. V.V. KRISHNAN *

vidually, and I haven’t done well in this series so opportunities galore for everyone to come out and speak about me, which is fine...very easy to sit at home and write a blog or speak behind a mike. “ I think that’s easier than

coming out and competing in the field,” he remarked, making it clear that there was a difference between criticism and accusations. The Indian captain, though, was magnanimous in his praise for the opposi-

tion, at least on field, in the way it fought back till the very end of the four-match series. “They challenged us really hard… the resistance from the opposition was a lot more compared to the last few series that we have played. I think they had the belief of making things happen in these conditions. “They believed they could win sessions and situations and that was the most challenging thing. Whereas teams lose their morale once they lose a Test in India, they kept bouncing back and they had the desire to compete throughout. “You expect that from Australia, once they get a sniff they put you under pressure,” said Kohli. “These kinds of series and matches, they build character,” he said.

The rare and diicult art of wrist spin It will be fascinating watching Kuldeep Yadav evolve in front of TV cameras as he develops his craft

BETWEEN WICKETS suresh menon

Of all the arts of bowling, the most difficult — and therefore the rarest and by extension, the most exciting — has to be left-arm wrist spin, also known as the ‘chinaman’. That India, a country renowned for spin bowlers had to wait over eight decades and more than 500 Tests before their first ‘chinaman’ bowler made his debut tells its own story. Watching Kuldeep Yadav bamboozle the batsmen in Dharamshala has been one of the highlights of the season. In domestic cricket, India have had chinaman bowlers. Karnataka had C.M. Varadaraj and B. Vijayakrishna, there was Mumtaz Hussain from Hyderabad and Vithal Joshi from Maharashtra.

Safety above adventure But either coaches or captains convinced them to place safety above adventure and except for Joshi on occasion, the others rarely bowled in the unorthodox style. Recent experience in international cricket, has shown, however, that like buses, sometimes you wait for

long without one turning up, and then suddenly left-arm wrist spinners come in threes (Why Do Buses Come in Threes? is a book on the hidden mathematics of everyday life). South Africa blooded Tabraiz Shamsi for the day-night Test in Adelaide recently while Sri Lanka’s Lakshan Sandakan, a year younger at 25, made his mark against Australia. Wrist spinners are like the girl in the nursery rhyme, who, “when she is good, is very, very good, but when she is bad she is horrid.” They are unplayable one day and profligate the next. It is the nature of the craft.

Character called ‘Chuck’ They are capable of turning a match in a single session either by running through a side or conceding a bagful of runs. ‘Chuck’ Fleetwood-Smith, who won a Test for Australia with a ten-wicket haul, holds the record for the most runs conceded in an innings, 298. “Given the ability to land the ball always on a length,” wrote David Frith of Fleetwood-Smith, “he would have been the greatest bowler who ever lived. Instead he looked to be so only once in a while.” FleetwoodSmith was a maverick who refused to bow to authority. Bill O’Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett were his country’s leading spinners — a combination of facts that meant he played just ten Tests. Most left-arm spinners who begin

by experimenting with wrist spin — at a very young age, Bishan Bedi did so too — soon settle down to orthodox spin. Coaches advise youngsters to give up the more difficult version, the one that is tough to control and might even lead to some shoulder injury. The left-arm wrist spinner, who brings the ball into the right hander also tends to run on to the wicket in his follow through. The stakes — physical, psychological, emotional — are high. It needs a captain with rare understanding of the craft to nurture such a bowler. Two exceptions to general practice were Vijayakrishna and Mumtaz Hussain, who both began as wrist spinners. “When I first saw Vijayakrishna bowl in a local league match, I thought he was already as good as anybody I had ever seen bowling left arm wrist spin,” said Erapally Prasanna. And Prasanna had seen Sobers!

Versatile Sobers But Vijayakrishna turned to orthodox spin, only rarely using wrist spin. Sobers had moved in the opposite direction. He made his first class and Test debut as an orthodox spinner and it wasn’t until he began playing league cricket in England following the 1957 tour that he experimented with the chinaman. Soon he was a three-in-one bowler (he was a genuine quick too). Sobers

has a lovely story about playing for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield. He would open the bowling and then his captain Les Favell would say, “New bowler, Sobey, from the other end, bowling left arm spin.” After a while he would say, “New bowler, Sobey, from the other end, bowling chinaman and googlies.” “My chinaman wasn’t always accurate, but I took most wickets in that style,” wrote Sobers, “I enjoyed bowling that more than the orthodox stuff.” According to Bedi, Sobers began with a deep midwicket and a deep square leg when he was bowling wrist spin. Sobers tended to overdo the googly and as a result threw his shoulder. “When I reached a certain position in my bowling action, my shoulder would come out and throw me to one side. It was very disconcerting,” he wrote. It will be fascinating watching Kuldeep Yadav grow. He is only 22 and will evolve in front of television cameras as he develops his craft. Expectations will grow too. It will become harder to take wickets for a while as international teams study his approach, delivery stride and the small hints that tell them which way the ball is going to spin. It will be difficult to keep him from playing all three formats. But he has chosen adventure. Such bowlers come with a warning: “Handle with care.” A ND-ND

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16 SPORT

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Bopanna and Leander kept in the reserves

Harsha Bhogle set to return to the box

Team chosen after consulting captain Mahesh Bhupathi

KOLKATA

Kamesh Srinivasan

Federer beats del Potro Kerber to meet Venus in quarterinals 6-4; Alexander Zverev bt John Isner 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 7-6(5); Nick Kyrgios bt Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(2); David Goffin bt Diego Schwartzman 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Roger Federer bt Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-4; Roberto Bautista Agut bt Sam Querrey 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Tomas Berdych bt Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-4; Adrian Mannarino bt Borna Coric 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(3). Women: Fourth round: Angelique Kerber bt Risa Ozaki 6-2, 6-2; Venus Williams bt Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 7-6 (4); Simona Halep bt Samantha Stosur 4-6, 7-5, 6-2; Johanna Konta bt Lara Arruabarrena 7-5, 6-1; Caroline Wozniacki bt Garbine Muguruza 7-6(1), retd.; Lucie Safarova bt Dominika Cibulkova 7-6(5), 6-1; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands 7-5, 6-4; Karolina Pliskova bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-1, 6-4.

Agencies

Harsha Bhogle is set to end his exile from cricket commentary after the official broadcasters of the IPL on Tuesday hinted that the renowned commentator could be seen in action in the 10th edition of the T20 tournament. PTI

NEW DELHI

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has kept Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes in the reserves for the Asia Oceania Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan to be played in Bengaluru from April 7 to 9. The team will be Ramkumar Ramanathan, Yuki Bhambri, Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Sriram Balaji. Prajnesh and Balaji have had a good run in a series of ITF Futures events across the country, with both winning two singles titles each, and Balaji winning four doubles titles with Vishnu Vardhan. In the process, Vishnu who had flown into Pune on the day of the draw, after Saketh Myneni had injured

Uzbekistan Davis Cup team to face India NEW DELHI

Denis Istomin will spearhead the Uzbekistan team in the Asia Oceania Davis Cup tie against India in Bengaluru. India and Uzbekistan share a 2-2 record, having won their home matches since the first meeting in Delhi in 2005. The team: Denis Istomin, Sanjar Fayziev, Temur Ismailov, Farrukh Dustov. Captain: Petr Lebed.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran. *

S. GOPAKUMAR

his foot, and played doubles with Paes against New Zealand, has also been called for the training stint in preparation for the tie. Bopanna and Paes have not had good results in recent weeks. The chairman of the selection committee chose the team in consultation with

Sriram Balaji. *

SUDHAKARA JAIN

the newly appointed captain Mahesh Bhupathi. Even though the selection may be logical, it should not be a surprise if the four announced prior to the draw is different. It has been stressed that all the six players need to be present in Bengaluru for se-

lection and must have done their fitness tests as prescribed. In fact, a special exemption has been given to Paes to have his tests done in the US, while the rest are scheduled to have it done in Mumbai. Yuki Bhambri has been in fine form in the Challenger circuit in China, after having won the first of the six Futures events in Chandigarh. Bopanna has already done the fitness test, while the other players are scheduled to have it done soon, before they catch the flight to Benglauru. The team: Ramkumar Ramanathan, Yuki Bhambri, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Sriram Balaji. Reserves: Rohan Bopanna, Leander Paes.

MIAMI

Roger Federer produced another dazzling performance on Monday, easing past Juan Martin del Potro in the third round at the Miami Open. Federer won wowed a boisterous, capacity crowd at Crandon Park, winning 6-3 6-4 in just over 80 minutes of nearly flawless tennis. In women’s section, World No.1 Angelique Kerber despatched Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki 6-2, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal clash with Venus Williams, who beat Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 7-6(4). Fourth seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia crashed out to Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova. The results: Men: Third round: Stan Wawrinka bt Malek Jaziri 6-3,

One of most memorable contests ever: Katich Dismisses talk of it being remembered more for acrimony than for the cricket Amitabha Das Sharma KOLKATA

The remarkable fightback by India after a spectacular start put by Australia made the just concluded Test series one of the most memorable contests ever, according to former Australian batsman and current Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Simon Katich. “India deserves a lot of credit for fighting back after they were handsomely

No Nadal for quarterinals MADRID

Rafael Nadal will not feature in the Spain team for the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Serbia from April 7 to 9, captain Conchita Martinez confirmed on Tuesday. Spain will be represented by Pablo Carreno Busta, Albert Ramos, Marcel Granollers, and Marc Lopez. AFP

beaten (in the first Test) in Pune. They dug deep and showed why they are the number one team in the world,” Katich said after attending KKR’s practice session at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday. “Regardless of what happened at different times, I thought it was a fantastic series. Sometimes that happens in Test cricket as emotions get the better of players. It was a fantastic series

Kiwis in command

Indian girls lose to Philippines BANGKOK

Philippines recorded a 2-1 win over India in a league match in group-A of the Asia Oceania World junior under-14 girls’ tennis tournament here on Tuesday. The results (league): Philippines bt India 2-1 (Ma. Carmencita Carlos bt Gargi Pawar 6-2, 6-2; Alexandra Eala bt Sarah Dev 6-2, 6-3; Ma. Carmencita Carlos & Amanda Gabrielle Zoleta lost to Gargi Pawar & Sandeepti Singh Rao 1-6, 3-6).

REUTERS HAMILTON

New Zealand moved within reach of a series-levelling win in the third and final Test here on Tuesday after South Africa’s batsmen crashed to 80 for five in the second innings at the close of day four. Captain Faf du Plessis and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock were each 15 not out and tasked with the rescue job, their side still 95 runs

SCOREBOARD

NEW ZEALAND VS SOUTH AFRICA, 3RD TEST

South Africa — 1st innings: 314. New Zealand — 1st innings: T. Latham c de Kock b Morkel 50, J. Raval c de Kock b Morkel 88, K. Williamson c Philander b Morkel 176, N. Broom lbw b Rabada 12, H. Nicholls c de Kock b Rabada 0, M. Santner c Duminy b Rabada 41, B-J. Watling b Maharaj 24, C. de Grandhomme c de Kock b Morkel 57, M. Henry c Elgar b Maharaj 12, J. Patel c de Kock b Rabada 5, N. Wagner (not out) 0; Extras: (lb-12, w-5, nb-7) 24; Total (in 162.1overs): 489. Fall of wickets: 1-83, 2-273, 3293, 4-293, 5-381, 6-397, 7443, 8-477, 9-489. South Africa bowling: Philander 33-7-79-0, Morkel 36.1-

Tomic left out of Aussie team SYDNEY

Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt left out Bernard Tomic on Tuesday as he named an unchanged team for the Davis Cup World Group quarterfinal clash with the USA. Nick Kyrgios spearheads the squad with Sam Groth, Jordan Thompson and John Peers on board for the for the April 7 to 9 clash in Brisbane. AFP

behind New Zealand’s first innings of 489 at Seddon Park. The South African middle and lower order have proved difficult to dislodge throughout the series but their top order again failed to provide a foundation. The host was dismissed for 489 before tea, giving it a 175-run lead. de Grandhomme was the last man out for 57 — his maiden Test half-century.

7-100-4, Rabada 34-3-122-4, Maharaj 50-8-118-2, Duminy 60-38-0, Elgar 1-0-13-0, Bavuma 2-0-7-0. South Africa — 2nd innings: D. Elgar c Watling b de Grandhomme 5, T. de Bruyn run out 12, H. Amla c de Grandhomme b Patel 19, J-P. Duminy b Patel 13, F. du Plessis (batting) 15, T. Bavuma c Watling b Henry 1, Q. de Kock (batting) 15; Total: (for five wkts. in 39 overs): 80. Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-25, 349, 4-50, 5-59. New Zealand bowling: Henry 11-4-20-1, de Grandhomme 85-15-1, Wagner 5-0-16-0, Patel 12-2-22-2, Santner 3-0-7-0.

dug deep and < > India showed why they are the number one team in the world and will be remembered for that,” Katich said. He also complimented the fine spirit showed by his compatriots. “Australia played some fantastic cricket. It was nice for a young team to put up a tough fight. It was unfortunate that they fell in the final

hurdle but they deserve a lot of credit for putting up the fight in this series,” Katich said. Talking about his upcoming assignment in IPL 10, Katich said the team is shaping up well and he would be able to form a better idea about the players after the “team plays some practice matches in the next few days.” Katich was upbeat about the new inclusions in the

Viewership boom healthy: Sony

strength, Katich said Indian pacer Umesh Yadav and young left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav will “both have big roles to play.” Katich hoped that the KKR captain Gautam Gambhir will be able to “adapt” to the conditions. “One has to adapt formats these days when T20 rolls around. It is about slight adjustments, not much to do with techniques but is more about mindsets,” Katich said.

IPL: Kohli doubtful for early part Special Correspondent DHARAMSHALA

In spite of an injured shoulder keeping Virat Kohli out of action from the fourth Test, there have been snide comments from certain quarters, including former Australian spinner Brad

Special Correspondent Kolkata

Cricket may be experiencing a slump in attendance in the international bilateral series but the trend is reversed when it comes to television viewership, especially during the Indian Premier League (IPL). “The viewership has grown manifold from 100 million to 360 million in the past nine editions of the IPL and this is a healthy trend for cricket in India,” said Prasana Krishnan, EVP and business head, sports cluster, Sony Pictures Network (SPN), the broadcaster of IPL. “When it comes to cricket viewership, there is a definite resurgence in all formats of the games, be it the bilateral series or the international tournaments,” he added. With the tournament in its 10th year, SPN is looking to break the previous benchmarks in reach by expanding beyond the conventional Metro cities and foraying into the rural markets.

side this season with the English all-rounder Chris Woakes filling in for Andre Russell. “Woakes has shown some good form for England. He is a different kind of player compared to Russell but he is a wicket taker upfront,” he said. Katich said the home side will have to get into shape soon as it will be playing on a home wicket which has been re-laid. With his franchise focusing more on the bowling

Hodge, that he was preserving himself for the monetarily more profitable Indian Premier League beginning April 5. That may not happen, however. “It (the shoulder) will take a few more weeks to be completely match fit. It

is still not fine as of now. I don’t know but the physio only will be able to give an official assessment of the time span (for recovery),” Kohli said. A few weeks would most likely rule him out of the initial stages of the IPL.

Second ODI abandoned Agence France-Presse Dambulla

The second One-Day International between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was called off here on Tuesday after the end of the first innings due to heavy rain during the break. Earlier, Kusal Mendis struck his maiden century as Sri Lanka scored 311 in 49.5 overs. Bangladesh leads the series 1-0.

SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka: D. Gunathilaka c Mushfiqur b Mortaza 9, U. Tharanga run out 65, K. Mendis c & b Taskin 102, D. Chandimal lbw b Mustafizur 24, A. Gunaratne c Soumya b Taskin 39, M. Siriwardana b Mehedi 30, T. Perera run out 9, D. Perera run out 9, N. Kulasekara (not out) 2, S. Lakmal c Mustafizur b Taskin 0, N. Pradeep b Taskin 0, Extras (b-4, lb-10, w-7, nb-1): 22; Total (in 49.5 overs): 311. Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-129, 3212, 4-216, 5-271, 6-280, 7300, 8-311, 9-311. Bangladesh bowling: Mortaza 10-1-55-1, Mehedi 10-0-50-1, Mustafizur 8-060-1, Taskin 8.5-0-47-4, Shakib 10-0-59-0, Mosaddek 3-0-26-0. Toss: Sri Lanka.

Karman advances Sports Bureau Heraklion, Greece

In the $15,000 ITF women’s event in Greece, Karman Kaur Thandi recorded a 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 win over Julyette Maria Josephine Steur of Germany. The results: $15,000 ITF men, Jakarta, Indonesia: First round: Karunuday Singh bt Hugo Vojacques (Fra) 7-6(2), 6-1. $15,000 ITF women, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt: Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Lavinia Tananta (Ina) & Natasha Palha bt Saima Djoubri (Fra) & Adi Spiegelman (Isr) 6-2, 6-3. $15,000 ITF women, Heraklion, Greece: First round: Karman Kaur Thandi bt Julyette Maria Josephine Steur (Ger) 6-1, 3-6, 6-0. $15,000 ITF women, Hammamet, Tunisia: First round: Pia Konig (Aut) bt Snehadevi Reddy 7-6(5), 6-1.

Objections raised on I-League-ISL merger Kolkata heavyweights Mohun Bagan and East Bengal voice their reservations Amitabha Das Sharma KOLKATA

Two of the oldest and most decorated football clubs of the country, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, have sounded out their reservations on numerous points about the draft contract issued to them for the proposed merger of ILeague and Indian Super League. Top functionaries of the clubs met the president and secretary of the Indian Football Association, the governing body of the sport in the State, on Tuesday to vent their grievances. According to the club officials, proposals contained in

the draft contract seeks to obliterate a lot of things associated with the tradition of the two clubs.

Tradition threatened Should the two decide to participate in the merged tournament, they will have to give out the rights of their intellectual property to the promoter of the new tournament, including the name of the clubs, emblems, colours of their jersey among other things for the next 30 years. There are other points about sharing of profit and investments which the clubs find objectionable, said a Bagan official.

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC 앫 They will have to give out the rights of their intellectual property to the promoter of the new tournament CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC The meeting was attended by the president and secretary of IFA, Subrata Dutta and Utpal Ganguli, while Mohun Bagan and East Bengal had their top officials coming to voice their concerns. While discussing the provisions in the draft, the clubs informally asked the State body to take up their cause with the All India Football Federation and its marketing partner, IMG-Reliance which

is calling the shots in this merger. It was decided that Dutta, a senior vice-president of AIFF, will meet IMG-R officials to sort out the reservations of the two clubs and find a solution to the merger plans. “I have heard the two clubs and will represent their views to the IMG-R hierarchy soon. This not merely an issue of objection to some provisions in the draft but it is about the concerns of two clubs which have millions of supporters and have centuryold traditions which is appreciated the world over,” Dutta said after the meeting.

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THE HINDU CROSSWORD 11967 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

(set by Arden)

13 Dish for the little pet outside home (3-2)

4 Caught in temptation — could be ilthy (5)

14 Rush all over the place, shop till you drop (7)

5 Greeting the crew with the catch... (9)

16 Most extensive master plan — ran out in disguise (7)

6 ...boat collects, capsizes (5)

FAITH

SUDOKU

The ive ires

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

18

19

22

16

20

23

26

24

18 People in the Mediterranean see red after some whiskey (7)

17

21

25

20 Unusual things about ear piercing setter... (7) 22 ...drink I rejected, it's symbolic (5)

27

28

24 Dravid's outstanding, is on a roll (9)

7 Understanding why often ten teams get in... (7) 8 ...the teammates and I play simultaneously (2,3,4,4) 9 Beat eggs, add last of the lour, spread over ish — It's novel (13) 15 Maybe less I weed, more it blooms (9)

26 Temporary mask thief used (9)

■ ACROSS 1 Rachel gets bed rest, becomes well built (6-7) 10 Something to pick as subject (5)

CM YK

27 Stops half way to place it underground (5) 28 Bid to treat itchiness with exercise (13) ■ DOWN

17 Rise to support the proposal (9) 19 Arranging a talk — one on one in Syria (7) 21 Second time diction corrected, no point acting foolish (7)

11 Agents take over brand associates (9)

2 Reported address — a quiet locality in Mumbai (7)

23 Only slum bombed in Iraq (5)

12 Exploit and keep quiet — it's cruelty (9)

3 People on shore placed a bet on it (9)

25 50% reduction at the top, still secure (5)

Solution to puzzle 11966 A L L S P I C E

L P R O U S A S I L A

G T R E U I C S M I

A C A I S T T I G R A T R U E A F I N T O I E R N M G R A

A C I A P M E O F G S O O E D H O P T E

A C H N A R L O E T T M E R U S B S E D

A N T H U S O I E N U R S E E S R E T T U C E T D I S H E S O S L I L A C D E I N I F O RM E P I E R V A N T O R A S N I D E R

Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

Chandogya Upanishad tells how King Pravahana taught sage Gautama the Panchagni Vidya, knowledge of the five fires, said M.K. Srinivasan in a discourse. The first fire is svargaloka. The sun is the samit (sacrificial stick) of this fire. The rays of the sun are the smoke, while the day is the flame. The moon is the ember. The stars are the sparks of this fire. When Agnihotra is performed, the jivas become Soma raja and enter svargaloka. The second fire is Parjanya. For this fire, vayu or the air is the samit. The cloud is the smoke. Lightning is the flame. The thunderbolt is the charcoal. The roars of the fire are the sparks. Somaraja (jiva) is the oblation in this fire. The third fire is the earth. For this fire, the year is the samit. Akasa, that is the sky, is the smoke. The night is the flame. The directions are the live charcoals. The directions are the sparks. The oblation in this case is rain. When the rains reach the earth, food is grown. The fourth fire is man himself. His speech (vaak) is the samit. His prana is smoke. His tongue is the flame. The eyes are the live charcoals, and his ears are the sparks. Here the oblation is food. From that food the seed of man is born. The fifth fire is woman. The interaction between man and woman is the live charcoal here. The small pleasures are the sparks here. The oblation here is the seed of man, and from this does a newborn emanate. Thus the Chandogya Upanishad says that jivas go to svarga, but their stay there is temporary. From there they come down to the earth as rain and then become food, which then gets transformed into the seed of man, resulting in procreation. The important point to note is that while the jiva passes through all these various stages, its essential nature remains unchanged. A ND-ND

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THE HINDU

SPORT 17

NOIDA/DELHI

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Conident TN faces India Red

Time for a reality check

The focus will be on the left-arm spin duo — Sai Kishore and Rahil Shah

Six Indian men and 12 women in main draw of India Open Rakesh Rao

V.V. Subrahmanyam VISAKHAPATNAM

Messi banned for four Argentina games ZURICH

Lionel Messi was suspended for four Argentina matches by FIFA on Tuesday for swearing at an assistant referee. Messi was found guilty of “having directed insulting words at an assistant referee” in the World Cup qualifier against Chile last Thursday which Argentina won 1-0 thanks to a penalty from the Barcelona star. Messi will miss Argentina’s next South American qualifying game against Bolivia with the remainder of the suspension served over his country’s subsequent World Cup qualifiers. AFP

Spurs humble Cavaliers LOS ANGELES

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and left to a standing ovation on Monday as San Antonio Spurs humbled champion Cleveland Cavaliers 103-74. Other results: Kings 91 bt Grizzlies 90; Jazz 108 bt Pelicans 100; Thunder 92 bt Mavericks 91; Raptors 131 bt Magic 112; Knicks 109 bt Pistons 95. AGENCIES

The beautiful batting tracks in the Patym Prof. D.B. Deodhar Trophy have posed a serious challenge to the best of bowlers including former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. But, when a confident Tamil Nadu takes on Parthiv Patel-led India Red in the final on Wednesday, the focus will be once again on the leftarm spin duo — Sai Kishore and Rahil Shah. Their success on these tracks is a clear indication that to get wickets on these pitches one needs to beat the batsmen in the air and with subtle variations of line and length. It is a tribute to their efficacy that they could grab the attention despite all three games producing centurymakers. And, they hold the key to Tamil Nadu’s success. The team is keen to finish the season on a high, having won the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently. In batting, Tamil Nadu can rely on the in-form

Ready to ire: The Tamil Nadu team is keen to inish the season on a high with a win in the Deodhar Trophy inal. K.R. DEEPAK *

DEODHAR TROPHY Kaushik Gandhi, N. Jagadeesan, seasoned campaigner Dinesh Karthik, who by his own admission now is gunning for a batsman’s slot in the Indian team, and captain Vijay Shankar.

Flamboyant duo On the other hand, for India Red, the flamboyant duo of left-handers — captain Parthiv Patel and Shikhar Dhawan — at the top should set the tempo either in set-

ting up a big target or chasing one on batsman-friendly wickets here. The presence of the big-hitting Manish Pandey, Ishank Jaggi, Gurkeerat Mann and Axar Patel should be a big plus point. India Red bowling is in the experienced hands of pacers Dhawal Kulkarni and Ashoke Dinda. Spinners Axar Patel and Akshay Karnewar, with his unique ability to switch over to left-arm to righthanders and right-arm off-

spin to left-handers, should be a perfect complement if the pacers provide the early breakthroughs. For his part, Tamil Nadu captain Vijay Shankar says his team will hope to repeat all the good things it has done to win the Vijay Hazare Trophy. “This has been a young team with the exception of Dinesh (Karthik). I am really pleased with the way the boys have stepped up so well to the demands so far,” he said. The teams (from): Tamil Nadu: Vijay Shankar (capt.), Antony Dhas, M. Ashwin, Ganga Sridhar Raju, Kaushik Gandhi, B. Indrajith, N. Jagadeesan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), M. Mohammad, R. Rohit, R. Sai Kishore, Rahil Shah, Washington Sundar, L. Suryapprakash and J. Koushik.

NEW DELHI

The main draw action of the annual India Open Super Series begins at the Siri Fort Complex on Wednesday, with six Indian men and 12 women in the singles field and provides an opportunity for a reality check. It is often seen that barring P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, not many survive the third day of the competition. Sindhu and Saina, the only two Indians to be seeded, should find it easy on the opening day. Sindhu will be up against compat-

riot Arundhati Pantawane. Saina, gritty as ever, faces Chinese Taipei’s Chia Hsin Lee, ranked 31 places below at 39th. The 52nd-ranked Rituparna Das also faces a rival from Chinese Taipei, Chiang Mei Hui, placed 22 spots above in world rankings.

Fight for survival Among the rest, Tanvi Lad, Sri Krishna Priya, Reshma Karthik, comeback-girl P.C. Thulasi, Sai Uttejitha Rao, Shreyanshi Pardarshi and Anura Prabhudesai — all ranked in that order — will have to punch way above

their weight to survive the opening day. Since H.S. Prannoy faces National champion Sourabh Verma, one is sure to reach the second round. Ajay Jayaram runs into third seeded Viktor Alexsen, the Dane who is the highest seed left in the fray after the withdrawal of Lee Chong Wei and Jan O Jorgensen, ranked first and second in the world. K. Srikanth, once ranked third in the world, faces a tricky qualifier in China’s Zhao Junpeng. In their only previous encounter, Zhao got the better of Srikanth.

India Red: Parthiv Patel (capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey, Shreevats Goswami, Ishank Jaggi, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Gurkeerat Mann, Axar Patel, Akshay Karnewar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ashoke Dinda, Kulwant Khejroliya, Govind Poddar and Chama Milind.

Federer puts health above rankings MIAMI

Roger Federer says looking after his body is far more important than chasing rankings positions. “For me the priority is actually to win tournaments. The rankings is very secondary. That’s why my schedule is going to be based on what makes sense for my goals of the season, staying healthy, and then also so I can enjoy myself,” Federer said. AFP

TV PICKS NBA: Sony Six & Sony Six HD, 4.30 a.m. (Thursday)

CM YK

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THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Facebook adds Snapchat-like features Users will be able to share a picture privately with a friend, rather than to an entire list of friends Reuters San Francisco

Italian artisan crafts 24-carat gold shoes TURIN

Italian shoemaker Antonio Vietri hopes to attract shoppers from wealthy Gulf countries with his blue or black suede moccasins with stitched gold-plated uppers. “These are the first shoes in the world in 24-carat gold,” he said. Small strips of gold are woven by hand and sewn with leather. AFP

Facebook Inc is giving the camera a central place on its smartphone app for the first time, encouraging users to take more pictures and edit them with digital stickers that show the influence of camera-friendly rival Snapchat. With an update scheduled to take effect on Tuesday, Facebook will allow users to get to the app’s camera with one swipe of their finger and

Facebook as the companies battle for eyeballs and leisure time. Snap, which went public this month, has recently emphasised its ambitions to build gadgets and has called itself a camera company rather than a social media firm. Facebook, the world’s largest social network with some 1.86 billion users, denies it took its camera ideas from Snapchat and says it got them from Face-

then add visual details like a rainbow or a beard of glitter. Users will be able to share a picture privately with a friend, rather than to the user’s entire list of friends, and add a picture to a gallery known as a “story,” similar to a feature on the Snapchat app. Snapchat, owned by Snap Inc, popularised the sharing of digitally decorated photographs on social media, especially among teenagers, and exposed a weakness of

book users. “Our goal here is to give people more to do on Facebook and that’s really been the main inspiration,” Connor Hayes, a Facebook product manager, said in a briefing with reporters.

Morph into a Minion In a glimpse of how the features could tie in with other businesses, one of the first camera effects will be the ability to morph someone in a photograph into a yellow, cartoon “Min-

ion”. The latest Minion movie, Despicable Me 3, is due out in a few months from Comcast Corp’s NBC Universal. Facebook has deals to license content from six film studios, as well as from two artists, said Kristen Spilman, design director at Facebook. Another visual effect that can be added to pictures allows someone in a picture to “become a laser cat with super powers,” Ms. Spilman said.

How primates got big brains Refugee chef cooks up

a taste of Syria in London

Fruit eating may be key to evolution of more grey matter, says study Ivanka Trump pens motivational book WASHINGTON

Ivanka Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, is all set to share her rules for success in an upcoming business book. Titled Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success, the book will release in the U.S. on May 2. The book is being published by Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Random House. IANS

YouTube sensation Lilly Singh to visit India NEW DELHI

YouTube star Lilly Singh will be visiting India in April as part of her tour to promote her debut book, in which she covers topics ranging from relationships to career choices. She will be in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi on April 19, 20 and 21 respectively. IANS

food consumption across the studied species — folivores (leaves), frugivores (fruit), frugivores/folivores, and omnivores (addition of animal protein) — as well as several measures of sociality, such as group size, social system, and mating system.

Press Trust of India New York

Large brain sizes in primates may have been a result of their diverse diet, which included fruits and vegetables, rather than living complex social lives, scientists have found. These results call into question “the social brain hypothesis,” which has posited that humans and primates are big-brained due to factors pertaining to social living. The findings reinforce the notion that human and primate brain evolution may be driven by differences in feeding rather than in socialisation. “Are humans and other primates big-brained because of social pressures and the need to think about and track our social relationships, as some have argued?” asked James Higham, an assistant professor at New York University (NYU). “This has come to be the prevailing view, but our findings do not support it — in fact, our research points to other factors, namely diet,” he said.

Filmmaker turns taboos into dialogue

Urban adventurer: A monkey feasts on igs in a leafy neighbourhood of New Delhi. V.V. KRISHNAN *

“Complex foraging strategies, social structures, and cognitive abilities, are likely to have co-evolved throughout primate evolution,” said Alex DeCasien, an NYU doctoral candidate.

Diet may be key factor “However, if the question is: ‘Which factor, diet or sociality, is more important when it comes to determining the brain size of primate spe-

cies?’ then our new examination suggests that factor is diet,” he said. Researchers, including Scott Williams, assistant professor of anthropology at NYU, examined more than 140 primate species — or more than three times as many as previous studies — and incorporated more recent evolutionary trees, or phylogenies. They took into account

Tougher to find Results showed that brain size is predicted by diet rather than by the various measures of sociality — after controlling for body size and phylogeny. Frugivores and frugivore/folivores exhibit larger brains than folivores and, to a lesser extent, omnivores show significantly larger brains than folivores. “Fruit is patchier in space and time in the environment, and the consumption of it often involves extraction from difficult-to-reach-places or protective skins,” said Mr. DeCasien. “Together, these factors may lead to the need for relatively greater cognitive complexity and flexibility in frugivorous species,” he said. The research was published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

Imad Alarnab’s eatery has the intimacy of a family kitchen Reuters London

Chef Imad Alarnab furiously chops onions and stirs giant pots of bubbling stew as he prepares dinner. It is a far cry from Damascus, Syria, where Mr. Alarnab owned three restaurants and several juice bars before they were destroyed in the civil war, now in its seventh year. But for two weeks only, Mr. Alarnab is back in the business, serving Syrian food at a pop-up restaurant in an upstairs room in east London. “The pop-up idea is serving Syrian dishes for non-Syrian people,” he said with a grin on his face. Mr. Alarnab, a father of three, said he was thrilled to be cooking again after selling cars to make ends meet when he first arrived in Britain as a refugee in 2015. The restaurant has a sense of stepping into the intimacy of a family kitchen. It is a fitting backdrop for Mr. Alarnab as he recreates

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Standing her ground

Huang’s documentary has won awards

A bowl of Fattoush salad. *

K. ANANTHAN

his favourite Syrian recipes that he learnt from his mother. “It’s the same cooking we used to have in our parents’ house,” he said. “We want visitors to the restaurant to feel like they are sitting at their own dining table.”

Traditional dishes Guests sit at long tables for a family-style supper served on large platters. The menu includes traditional Syrian dishes from Kabsa, a spicy chicken with rice, to Fattoush, a salad with flatbread. “In Syria, the food, with the family of course, means a lot for us — like it’s traditional to meet every week,

Clock ticking on Dylan’s Nobel prize money He has to deliver a lecture by June 10

Agence France-Presse

Agence France-Presse

Taipei

Stockholm

Filmmaker Huang Hui-chen felt bound by labels while growing up in Taiwan: impoverished, a school dropout and daughter of a lesbian Taoist priestess whom she yearned to understand. Her award-winning directorial debut Small Talk is the culmination of two decades of filming their fraught relationship and was named best documentary last month at the Berlin International Film Festival, winning the LGBT-focused Teddy Award. Set to hit the big screen in Taiwan in April, it comes as the island’s parliament prepares to vote on a final bill to legalise same-sex marriage. A landmark case currently in the constitutional court could also lead to a change in the law, making Taiwan the first place in Asia to allow gay couples to legally tie the knot. But three decades ago, when Ms. Huang was a child, homosexuality was much less accepted. She recalls vividly how, as an 11-year-old, she overheard two elderly acquaintances calling her mother abnormal, a “tongzhi” — the Chinese term for someone who is gay. “My impression when I was little was that she was always surrounded by girlfriends. That she liked girls and was friendly with them,” she said. “That one sentence sowed a seed of doubt in me. Why is that called abnormal?” Ms. Huang, 39, says she also felt like an outsider due to her family’s unconventional lifestyle. From the age of six, she and her younger sister worked in the capital Taipei with her mother as part of her duties as a priestess for Taoism —Taiwan’s dominant religion. The family specialised in a ritual called “leading the dead,” a song and dance performance believed to guide the soul to salvation and staged at funeral par-

The Swedish Academy has warned that Nobel literature laureate Bob Dylan has until June 10 to deliver the traditional Nobel lecture, in order to receive the eight million kronor (₹5.9 crore) that comes with the prize. The lecture, which can take nearly any form including a short speech, a performance, a video broadcast or even a song, must be held within six months of December 10, the date of the Nobel prize ceremony and the anniversary of the death of the prize’s founder Alfred Nobel. “No phone conversation has taken place with Bob Dylan in recent months. Dylan is nevertheless aware that a Nobel lecture must be held on June 10 at the latest in order for a payment to be made,” Sara Danius, the per-

CM YK

Huang Hui-chen.

*

AFP

lours and gravesides. Ms. Huang says the occupation is considered a lowly bluecollar job and she felt her peers looked down upon her. By the time she was 10, she had stopped attending school. Her mother left Ms. Huang’s abusive father — to whom she had been married off to at a young age.

Never say die Ms. Huang’s film is an attempt to encourage younger generations who feel isolated or undervalued, she says. Ms. Huang’s mother — Hung Yue-nu, known as Anu — never tried to hide her sexuality after splitting from her husband and only had relationships with women after that. But equally she never discussed it with her daughter, who says her mother was always distant. While the pair did not fight, Ms. Huang felt ignored as her mother lavished attention on her girlfriends. She was also resentful about not attending school like other children. “Our relationship seemed peaceful on the surface, but violent undercurrents raged beneath,” Ms. Huang said. In her film, she tries to bridge the divide. The film was described as a “courageous portrayal” of her family’s story by Berlin’s Teddy Award jury. Ms. Huang narrates the movie and her mother, exgirlfriends and family members are all interviewed. Renowned Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien, who made award-winning film The Assassin, is executive producer.

everyone sharing,” he said. “We have huge dining tables where everyone sits around. Sometimes we would cook for hours and the food would be finished within minutes.” Mr. Alarnab fled to Europe by boat from Turkey and his family joined him later. The last time he cooked for a large group of people was in the sprawling “Jungle” camp in Calais. Like many refugees who have spent time there, he remembers exactly how many days he lived in the harsh conditions, hoping to make it to Britain. “I cooked in the street for 64 days,” he said. Proceeds from the restaurant will go to Syrian children who have been forced to flee their homes. The chef worked with Appear Here, an online spacerental service, Unicef ’s Next Generation initiative and caterers The Hampstead Kitchen to launch the pop-up. The project is a chance for Alarnab to work towards running his own restaurant again.

Symbol of the times: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio poses with the ‘Fearless Girl’ statue, before holding a news brieing on Monday. The Mayor announced that the popular statue will be allowed to remain staring down the sculpture of the ‘Charging Bull’ on Wall Street till March 8 (International Women’s Day) next year. AP *

Bob Dylan.

*

AP

manent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize, said in a blog post on Monday. “What he decides to do is his own business.” Mr. Dylan is scheduled to perform concerts in Stockholm on April 1 and 2 and in the southern city of Lund on April 9. Speculation has mounted that he may give his lecture during his visit to Sweden.

Footage of wild Thai tiger cubs sparks hope Conservationists hail discovery of a breeding population of Indochinese tigers, which were almost wiped out by poachers Agence France-Presse Bangkok

Conservationists on Tuesday hailed the discovery of a new breeding population of tigers in Thailand as a “miraculous” victory for a sub-species nearly wiped out by poaching. Images of some tigers including six cubs, captured by camera traps in an eastern Thai jungle throughout 2016, confirm the presence of what is only the world’s second known breeding population of the endangered Indochinese tiger. The only other growing population — the largest in the world with about three dozen tigers — is based in a western forest corridor in Thailand near the border with Myanmar. “The extraordinary rebound of eastern Thailand’s tigers is nothing short of miraculous,” said John

busting poachers and taking down the lucrative trafficking trade. The Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai forest complex, where the latest young cubs were caught on some of the 156 cameras, still hosts a only modest tiger density of 0.63 tigers per 100 square kilometres. It is a ratio on par with some of the world’s most threatened tiger habitats, according to Freeland, but still means there is a population of at least 23 of the big beasts roaming wild.

Goodrich, the tiger program director at Panthera, a wild cat preservation group that backed the survey. The camera trap footage, which shows female tigers and their cubs traipsing through the leafy jungle, was captured with help from the anti-trafficking group Freeland and Thai park authorities.

Only a few remain Indochinese tigers, which are generally smaller than their Bengal and Siberian counterparts, once roamed across much of Asia. But today only an estimated 221 remain, with the vast majority in Thailand and a handful in neighbouring Myanmar. Aggressive poaching, weak law enforcement and habitat loss has rendered the animals all but extinct in southern China, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, according

Burning bright: In this photo taken in 2016, two Indo-Chinese tigers roam the forest in Eastern Thailand. AFP/PANTHERA/DNP-FREELAND *

to scientists. Tiger farms around the region have also boosted the trafficking trade by propping up demand for tiger parts, which are treasured as talismans and used

in traditional medicines popular in China. Conservationists and park officials attributed Thailand’s success story to a rise in counter-poaching efforts

over the past few decades. But they warned that the breeding populations remained vulnerable and would not thrive without a sustained commitment to

‘Great progress made’ “It’s crucial to continue the great progress made by the Thai government to bolster protection for tigers at the frontlines,” said Kraisak Choonhavan, the group’s board chairman. “As long as the illegal trade in tigers continues, they will need protection.” A ND-ND

wednesday 앫 march 29, 2017

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BJP councillor joins Congress

TN farmers meet President

‘Motherhood is glorious’

Tough love

Chander Prakash, councillor from Govindpuri, could be ielded in the upcoming civic polls Page 2

Protest for drought relief enters 15th day as farmers submit memo to President Pranab Mukherjee Page 3

Actor Shilpa Shetty urges women to be it to be able to play their roles in life effectively Page 5

Car ‘extras’ may cost you a lot more than what you ever imagined Page 6

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IN BRIEF

Greater Noida oicials try to restore conidence Administration and police oicials hold talks with representatives of African students’ associations and oicials of the Nigerian High Commission

Victims recount brutal attack

Purusharth Aradhak Greater Noida

Sena activists ‘shut’ meat shops in Gurugram GURUGURAM

Shiv Sena activists claimed to have shut down more than 500 meat and chicken shops and hotels across the old city here on Tuesday on account of Navratri. Shiv Sena Gurugram media coordinator Ritu Raj said it was a matter of faith for Hindus. The police, however, claimed that they hadn’t received any complaints from shop owners regarding this. CITY 쑺 PAGE 3 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Fast-track parking policy, Baijal tells govt NEW DELHI

Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday directed the Transport Commissioner to fast-track the parking policy in the city and to ensure that buses did not ply without proper permits. Mr. Baijal also asked the agencies concerned to be responsible for the repair and maintenance of roads and to keep them encroachment-free. CITY

쑺 PAGE 4

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‘Govt must take action to protect us’ Staff Reporter NEW DELHI

The kind of atmosphere African students find around themselves here in India has led them to believe that they are not here to study but to fight a battle. The government has been all talk and the time has come that assurances translate to action. These were some of the comments made by representatives of the Association of African Students in India (AASI) at a press conference called after the recent incidents of violence against fellow Africans in neighbouring Greater Noida.

A tough choice They said that a large number of migrants from the continent find themselves in a situation where they had to make a tough choice between staying in the country or save their lives and property. They demanded that drastic steps be taken to ensure their safety — both by policing and sensitising the locals. “In seminars and conferences all kinds of promises and assurances are made but the time for implementation has come. What is the point of these assurances if we do not feel safe here,” said Samuel Jack, president of AASI. They threatened that if such attacks did not stop, they would be forced to stop coming to India and look for other education destinations. ‘10 incidents in 48 hours’ In the context of the Greater Noida incident where the death of a teenager was followed by violence against African students, the speakers said that the family of the boy had presumed that Africans were responsible even before the case was investigated. They also said that they themselves tried to file a complaint but the police did not even receive it. The situation, they said, was alarming as 10 incidents of violence against Africans in Greater Noida were reported in the past 48 hours. CM YK

Five people have been arrested in connection with attacks on African students in Greater Noida, sparking concern over their safety and prompting intervention by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who has promised immediate action. Four Nigerian students were attacked by a group of Greater Noida residents who took out a candle-light march on Monday after a 16year-old boy Manish Khari died last week in the NSG Black Cats Enclave due to suspected drug overdose. The protest march was taken out after the police released some Nigerians detained for questioning in connection with the death of Manish, a class XII student, due to “lack of evidence”. Following the incident, Nigerian High Commission officials went to meet the injured nationals. A senior High Commission official said the mission was in touch with the External Affairs Ministry.

Security tightened To restore confidence, the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration and police officials held meeting with representatives of African students’ associations, officials of the Nigerian High Commission, local RWAs, private universities where African and other foreigner students study and African students’ associations. At the meeting, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate N. P. Singh said: “India believes in Atithi Devo Bhava (The guest is equivalent to God). Indians and Africans have always had a cordial relationship”. After the meeting, Mr. Singh told The Hindu: “I have directed officials to regularly hold meeting with foreign

All four are out of danger, say doctors Purusharth Aradhak Greater Noida

“Monday started out like any normal day. We were shopping in Ansal Plaza Mall when suddenly we saw a mob coming towards us. They abused us and then started thrashing us. To protect ourselves, we rushed towards a showroom. The staff did not allow us to enter the shop,” said Precious Amalcima, who was one of four Africans attacked in Greater Noida on Monday. Amalcima is studying political science from Noida International University.

students to understand their issues. We have also directed colleges and universities to hold orientation programs for foreign students. I have also asked local RWAs and private universities to organise occasional cultural exchange events, which strengthen bonding.”

have stepped up < > We security near

Flag marches The police also conducted flag marches in Alpha commercial belt, Jagat Farms and Pari Chowk to restore confidence among foreign nationals living in Greater Noida. Over 200 cops have been deployed outside Nimbus residential society, Sharda University, Alistonia society, Eldeco society and Delhi Police society, where African

Sujata Singh Greater Noida’s Superintendent of Police

residences and colleges of Nigerian students. We have urged Africans not to step out of their homes, if possible, for two to three days

nationals live in large numbers. The police said that that are nearly 5,000 Africans living in Greater Noida.

Social media posts The police are also tracking social media posts as some people are justifying the act against Africans. Officials said that action will be taken

against people are are trying to instigate further violence.

FIR registered As per the FIR registered in connection with the case, a copy of which is with The Hindu, the police have booked 10 named and 1,200 unnamed persons under Sections 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 307 (Attempt to murder) and 364 (Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Talking to The Hindu Greater Noida’s Superintendent of Police Sujata Singh said: “We have stepped up security near residences and

colleges of Nigerian students. We have arrested five persons. We have urged Africans not to step out of their home, if possible, for the next two to three days”.

‘No evidence’ Ms. Singh said that the five Nigerians who were booked in connection with the death of Manish were later let off as there was no evidence against them. “Initial probe doesn’t support the allegations. We have come to know that the victim had old medical history. There is a possibility that the boy was depressed. We have recovered CCTV footage,” Ms. Singh said. ODD QUESTIONS 쑺 PAGE 2

Nightmarish experience Imran, Igbi Amalu and Endurance Amarawa were the other three students who were attacked. Recalling their nightmarish experience, the students said that they had been living in the city for years but never imagined such treatment. The students were admitted to the Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida. “All four are out of danger. Amalcima was discharged on Monday while

Imran was discharged on Tuesday,” Dr. Sanil Kapoor of Kailash Hospital told The Hindu. “Amarawa had complained of severe head injury but in the CT scan no major head injury appeared. All were admitted in wards,” Mr. Kapoor said, adding that Amalu and Amarawa are likely to be discharged by Wednesday. A video of Monday’s attack has gone viral which shows a man trying to protect himself as a mob repeatedly hits him with chairs and trash cans. An eyewitness, who attended the candle march, told The Hindu on condition of anonymity that the march was initally peaceful but later some people gave it a different colour. “Some persons joined and raised anti-Nigerian slogans. They tried to instigate others as well. A group of people noticed two Nigerians near Ansal Mall. One of them ran away but the other was brutally thrashed,” he said.

Unsure about future: The injured African students in Kailash Hospital on Tuesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *

Once a hub, few Africans left in Khirki Extension Facing discrimination, Africans have left south Delhi area Hemani Bhandari New Delhi

Resentment had been brewing for long: locals Tension was building up due to several incidents in the past few years the law into their own hand have increased. Monday’s incident is result of old resentment of locals against Africans. The government should not look at the incident from one side only. The resentment did not develop among the residents overnight,” Mr. Bhati said.

Purusharth Aradhak Greater Noida

Greater Noida residents said that Monday’s incident was not instigated overnight. The locals said that several incidents had occurred in the past few years, which led to tension between locals — especially the Gurjar community, which dominates Greater Noida area — and Africans. After Monday’s incident, locals are reluctant to speak openly about these incidents. In March last year, a 25year-old Congolese man had alleged that a mob of around 20 people, including some policemen, had assaulted him and passed racial slurs at him and two of his friends at a residential society in

On the boil: A recent protest by the locals demanding that Nigerians be ousted from the area. FILE PHOTO *

Greater Noida. A chemist in Greater Noida, on the condition of anonymity, said that an African had brutally thrashed him after he refused to give him a cough syrup. “He also tried to eat my ear,” he added.

Such incidents between Africans and locals in Greater Noida have deteriorated their relationships. Former UP Minister and MLC of Samajwadi Party, Narender Bhati, blamed the government for the situation. “Incidents of Africans taking

‘Violence is not a solution’ Officials of the administration said that there is a way to get justice and raise voice. “Nobody is allowed to take law in his or her hand. Law of the land must prevail. Violence is not a solution. We are doing our best to ensure cordial relationship among the citizens and foreigners,” said Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate N. P. Singh.

As tensions rise between Africans and local residents in Greater Noida over the death of a schoolboy, the site of a similar conflict in Delhi over three years ago presents a grim pointer to what may lie ahead. Khirki Extension in south Delhi was a hub for the African community for many decades, but in 2014 former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti led a midnight raid in a house in the locality, charging its residents with prostitution and drug peddling. Since then, the Africans have slowly moved out of the area due to rising tension and discrimination.

It started in 2014 “It was after the raid [by Mr. Bharti] that they [Africans] started moving out of here. Partly, because they felt threatened and partly because owners stopped giving them houses. Many owners don’t want to rent their houses to them because they’re not sure of their activities. Also, they are scared of them,” said B. M. Pandey, a real estate agent. “Around 95% of the Africans living in the area have moved out,” an employee of a real estate agent, not wishing to be named, told The Hindu. Most have moved base to Kishangarh, Vasant Kunj, Hauz Rani and Neb Sarai. But up until three years ago, Africans who came to the city to study or settle

Exodus: Most Africans have moved base to Kishangarh, Vasant Kunj, Hauz Rani and Neb Sarai. SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR *

don’t interact with < > Iany Indian. I only speak to them for work. For instance, I speak to my owner to pay rent and similarly with vendors An African wishing not to be named

down saw Khirki Extension as their home. They had even started small businesses such as saloons and cloth shops to support themselves. However, after the continuous discrimination faced by the people of the community in the area, things have changed. “Do they want to kill us all?” asked 37-year-old Divine, owner of one of the few saloons left in the area. He has been living in the area for the past nine years. Unaware of the incident that took place in Greater Noida

on Monday, Mr. Divine said he they have been subjected to such treatment for years.

‘I avoid contact’ “To avoid such incidents, I don’t interact with any Indian. I only speak to them for work. For instance, I speak to my owner to pay rent and similarly with vendors,” said Mr. Divine’s 26-year-old friend, a student in a south Delhi college who did not wish to be named. Explaining the treatment of the local residents, he said: “If I am walking with an Indian girl, they’ll think I’ll take her to a corner and rape her.” Right opposite Mr. Divine’s saloon, is a small eatery. Its owner Mohammed Rashid proved the assumption right: “These people are not into good business. These women roam in the night on the roads and we don’t know what they do.” B ND-ND

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THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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‘They ask if I am a cannibal’

JNU students protest outside UGC

African students in India face ‘ill-informed, stereotypical’ queries every day

Protesters, including JNUSU president, detained after they clash with police

Shubhomoy Sikdar

New Delhi

“Are you a cannibal?” Hurtful and shocking as the question might be for Delhi University student John (name changed) and many other African students living here since the Greater Noida rumours, they say this and many other “ill-informed and stereotypical” queries are something they face nearly every day. While rumours can still be dispelled, they said, can the same be done about deeprooted misconceptions that many, including the friendlier lot here, hold? “What happened in Greater Noida is already rubbing off in different parts of India. They see us in a certain kind of way. They look at me as if I am from another planet. It makes me uncomfortable,” said Kenyan national Presidoe Okuguni, the public relations coordinator at the Association of African Students in India.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union ( JNUSU) and the JNU Teachers’ Association ( JNUTA) on Tuesday organised a protest outside the University Grants Commission office while a UGC Full Commission meeting was taking place. The students were demanding a rollback of the UCG 2016 Gazette Notification that has led to a decrease in the number of research seats for the 2017-18 intake.

Rude shock For someone who was fascinated by Bollywood movies and the “peaceful and diverse” colleges shown in them, moving to India was a no-brainer for Mr. Okuguni, who has been staying here since 2013.

Prejudice: Police oicers and onlookers surrounding Africans at a shopping mall in Greater Noida following violent rampage against African students. FILE PHOTO: AFP *

However, it wasn’t long before he started feeling “different”. The only African student in his batch at a popular computer institute, his entry to the classroom would be followed by unwelcome comments and laughter. “It was a daily routine. There were all sorts of racial comments. I didn’t understand what they were saying but clearly it was about me. I grew thick-skinned since I made some Indian friends

Tuesday.

New Delhi

Use of extensive technology and empowering passengers are best solutions for safe, secure and accessible public transport especially for women passenger safety in the capital, experts said on

IN BRIEF

‘86% decrease in intake’ They said that the UGC notification has led to a 86% decrease in intake for 2017-18 in research programmes. They pointed out that the new rules were against existing reservation policies as the CEI Act in 2006 has fixed the minimum intake in all programmes at 54% above the existing intake and now JNU was in grave violation of the Act. The JNUTA also pointed out that the JNU administration has made an erroneous interpretation of the UCG regulations and there was a need for the UGC to adopt a procedure to avoid such unilateral interpretations of its regulations.

Up in arms: JNU students protesting against the UGC 2016 Gazette Notiication on Tuesday. SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY *

along the way,” he said. Rodrique Kazamba from Congo recalled a recent incident where two strangers walked up to him and after a brief introduction asked if he smoked weed.

Certain perceptions “These are stereotypical questions because there’s a certain perception about us,” he said. Another DU student, an 18-year-old from Malawi, shared how even well-edu-

cated friends asked him if all of Africa was just a jungle. “They ask me if people knew about video games there. Clearly, we have a long way to go in knowing more about each other’s lands and diversity,” he said. He said he was asked questions about his body by Indian classmates in front of female students. While the questions made him uncomfortable, he said there was little he could do about it.

Use technology for safer cab rides: experts Press Trust of India

hold the JNU Act and statutes by giving certain relaxations by amending the UGC Gazette Notification of 2016.

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Measures suggested Installing dash board camera’s in public transport vehicles, child locks in cabs, panic buttons, use of voiceenabled apps, mechanical training to drivers, well

maintained vehicles and provision of portable ramp for disabled were some of the recommendations made by experts at a conference on “Safer and Convenient Taxi Operations in India”. “The code of conduct is a must for minimum taxi in-

dustry protocol and standards of customer service...Taxi service industry in country like India is expected to maintain high standards,” said Trevor Wedge, former Chief, Driver Standards Agency, UK, while speaking at the conference.

Barricade broken Protesting students clashed with the police and tried to break the barricade set up outside the commission office after the police detained a few of the protesting students, including JNUSU president Mohit Pandey. The students were paci-

fied by their teachers and asked not to indulgence in violence after the UGC agreed to meet a delegation of students and teachers. In their letter to the UGC Chairperson, the JNUTA said notification was in “serious violation of the UGC Act of

1956, JNU Act of 1966 and the Central Educational Institutions Act, 2006 (CEI Act, 2006)” and has, therefore, led to a number of “unwelcome” consequences. The teachers requested the UGC to clarify the points made in the memorandum and up-

Stephen’s teachers for ‘white paper’ 42 staf members write to Principal John Varghese on autonomy proposal New Delhi

Responding to the “autonomy proposal” of St. Stephens College, 42 staff members wrote to Principal John Varghese on Tuesday posing certain “basic” questions about the proposal. The teachers have also demanded that the Governing Body bring out a “white paper or some such legally binding document” which clearly lists detailed preparations required for such a move. The teachers and other stakeholders feel the information available currently is “highly inadequate”

BJP councillor joins Congress Chander Prakash, the councillor for Govindpuri, could be ielded in civic polls

What will happen to the inclusive character on which St. Stephen’s now prides itself if the financial model included a range of expensive programmes that are beyond the reach of most college-going students, the teachers asked. They wrote that there were numerous other questions that would arise once consultations ensue around the white paper and pointed out that many other similarly placed and prestigious colleges in Delhi have after consultations decided not to apply for autonomous status.

within the new scheme in the absence of Delhi University’s supervisory role. They felt that with reduction of funding by the UGC, the college would be forced to start expensive programmes that would go against its ethos.

Staff Reporter

St. Stephen’s College

and cannot form the basis of an informed decision. The teachers asked if the college can preserve its tradition of being a leading liberal arts and sciences college

Questions posed The letter poses pertinent questions that the “white paper” needs to address, including academic, administrative and financial models, courses, fees, faculty, students, pay scales, security of tenure and service conditions.

Adityanath to campaign in Delhi 13 Union Ministers to canvass for BJP in the civic polls ferent States have been roped in to further the party’s appeal in different pockets of the city, where people from their respective States reside. A decision on inviting the Prime Minister and the national president will be taken later,” said a source.

Jatin Anand Damini Nath New Delhi

‘Getting threats for criticising BJP’ NEW DELHI

Writer—historian Ramachandra Guha on Tuesday tweeted that he had been getting “identical threat mails” warning him not to be critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. Mr. Guha claimed that the mails also warned him against criticising BJP president Amit Shah. “Many people/ids sending identical mails warning me to ’get ready for punishment (sic) by Divine Mahakal’ for being critical of the BJP,” he tweeted. “I am also warned not to criticise Narendra Modi and Amit Shah who ‘are blessed & divine...chosen one by Divine Mahakal to change the world’,” he said. PTI

56 nominations filed on Day 2 NEW DELHI

A total of 56 nominations were filed by candidates for elections to the municipal corporations on Day Two of nominations, the Delhi State Election Commission said on Tuesday. For the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, 23, 22 and 11 nominations respectively were filed. These included duplicate nominations by some candidates, that will get weeded out in the scrutiny process. On Monday, seven nominations were filed. STAFF REPORTER

DMRC told to focus on improving cleanliness NEW DELHI

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been asked by the Urban Development Ministry to focus on improving cleanliness at metro stations and evolve an institutional mechanism for regular engagement with growing number of metro users. Rajiv Gauba, the Urban Development Ministry Secretary, reviewed DMRC’s functioning with Metro chief Mangu Singh on Tuesday. STAFF REPORTER

CM YK

A BJP councillor from South Delhi joined the Congress on Tuesday, less than a month before elections to the municipal corporations are held on April 23. Chander Prakash, the councillor for Govindpuri ward in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, joined the Congress, saying he believed in the party’s policies, especially those concerning the welfare of the residents of slums and unauthorised colonies.

Focus on have-nots He said former Congress MLA from Kalkaji Subhash Chopra had started work on a 14-storey apartment complex for 3,000 families who had been living in slums. Though work began in 2013 and was supposed to be finished in 2016, the Aam Aadmi Party government

All smiles: BJP councillor Chandra Prakash (centre) being welcomed by Congress leaders in New Delhi on Tuesday. *

SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

hadn’t completed the project, he said. He added that he wanted to work for the disadvantaged sections of society, something which he said the Congress believed in. Mr. Prakash, who had won the 2012 municipal polls on a Janata Dal (United) ticket, had joined the BJP later. His move comes at a time that the BJP has decided not to

Campaigns gain steam as AAP woos voters

filed any of its sitting councillors for the April 23 polls. Senior Delhi Congress leader Chattar Singh said Mr. Prakash would be considered for a Congress party ticket like any of the other applicants. “His ideology was different from the BJP. He felt that being with the Congress, which had started the work of constructing flats for slum

dwellers, would be better,” said Mr. Singh. According to Congress sources, the party’s candidate for Govindpuri in 2012, Rakesh Chander Issar, had declined to contest the upcoming elections citing his health and age. Mr. Prakash had defeated the Congress’ candidate by 6,719 votes in 2012. As per sources, he may be given the Congress ticket this time.

Faith in party Praveen Shankar Kapoor, the Delhi BJP spokesperson, said that Mr. Prakash had joined the party almost four years ago and had “expressed his faith in the party”. “He was free to go and we wish him the best. But, denying a ticket to the sitting councillors is no reflection on their work. It was a organisational decision taken to give opportunity to fresh faces,” he said.

‘Oppn rattled by house tax announcement’

New Delhi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be among nine of his colleagues from Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled (BJP) States to campaign for the State unit during the upcoming civic polls in Delhi, the BJP announced on Tuesday. In addition, according to party sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah may also be invited to canvass for the State unit, apart from over 50 high-profile party faces if all goes in the party’s favour in the Rajouri Garden bypoll on April 13. Chief Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan), Manohar Lal

Glamour quotient The list of the party’s star campaigners also includes 13 Union Ministers including Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, M. Venkaiah Naidu, Smriti Irani and Ravi Shankar Prasad among others. Apart from Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari, the party will also seek to add a glam quotient in its campaign through actors Hema Malini and Ravi Kishan.

Yogi Adityanath

Khattar (Haryana) and Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh) Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam) and Trivendra Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand) will also campaign for the party in the Capital.

Boosting party appeal “The Chief Ministers of dif-

Polls no longer conined to civic issues, says BJP Slams AAP over inviting Prof A.G. Noorani to deliver lecture Staff Reporter New Delhi

Over 1,000 meetings to be organised

Medium to ill pockets will be shut: AAP

Soumya Pillai

Soumya Pillai

New Delhi

New Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is gearing up to strengthen its campaigns for the upcoming municipal elections. The party’s star campaigners will do more than 1,000 ward-centric meetings before the polls. AAP Delhi in-charge Ashish Talwar said the focus of the party’s campaigns would be cityand ward-centric. “We know that the people of Delhi want to hear about solutions to their dayto-day problems. Also, the civic elections are highly localised and we will be holding ward wise meetings,” Mr. Talwar said. He said the party’s campaign was already under way and that senior leaders including Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Dilip Pandey, Rakhi Bidlan, Rajendra Gautam and others were conducting meeting in various wards to discuss the problems of voters. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP na-

The AAP on Tuesday said that “corrupt” politicians of the BJP and Congress were scared by its promise to abolish house tax if voted to power in the civic polls, because a medium to fill their pockets would now be shut. AAP spokesperson Dilip Pandey said both the BJP and the Congress were making false statements to mislead Delhiites ever since the party’s promise to abolish house tax and waiver of arrears.

Arvind Kejriwal will start his campaigns from Burari constituency. FILE PHOTO *

tional convenor Arvind Kejriwal will also start his campaigns from Burari constituency on March 31.

Gauging voters’ mood The campaign teams are also assessing the mood of the voters though surveys, projector shows, and doorto-door campaigns. “In January 2015, some media organisations went agog with stories about 300 BJP MPs and Ministers campaigning for them in Delhi. The BJP is repeating the mistakes of 2015,” a party source said.

Change of status “People from the BJP and the Congress have become khaas aadmi from aam aadmi by extracting money in the name of house tax. They know that this earning will stop and that’s why they are rattled,” Mr. Pandey told the media. He said the AAP had made it clear that Delhi would be the first city with no house tax. Highlighting that it’s well

Dilip Pandey said BJP and Congress were making false statements. FILE PHOTO *

within their constitutional powers to scrap the tax, he said their political opponents were making statements without presenting facts and figures.

‘Permission not needed’ Reiterating Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s explanation, Mr. Pandey said for abolishing house tax in Delhi they didn’t need to go to Parliament. Elections to the 272 wards in three municipal corporations are scheduled for April 23 and the results will be out on April 26.

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Tuesday attacked the AAP-led Delhi government for inviting Professor A.G. Noorani to deliver a lecture. Arguing that the forthcoming municipal elections in Delhi were no longer confined to civic issues, the BJP legislator claimed that they were now “a fight between nationalist, patriotic and progressive forces on the one hand and anti-national, fascist and anarchist forces on the other”.

‘Anti-national forces’ “Whenever opportunity arises, both the AAP and the Congress unite to stand together to support anti-national and divisive forces. They were together in their support to separatist forces at JNU and Ramjas College. They both showed sympathy to student leaders demanding azadi and chanting slogans at JNU and Ramjas College,” Mr. Gupta said at a press conference here. Mr. Gupta questioned the AAP’s recent invitation to Supreme Court advocate

Voicing dissent: BJP leaders Vijender Gupta and Nupur at a press conference on Tuesday. SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA *

and Prof. Noorani, whom he accused of being “in favour of a plebiscite on Kashmir” to deliver a lecture organised on Martyrs’ Day on March 23. He then accused Mr. Kejriwal of standing with “separatist forces” during the recent Punjab Assembly elections. “He called demonetisation an anti-national meas-

ure. He demanded proof of the Army’s surgical strikes in Pakistan. He accused the Centre of not allowing him to work, blocking the Bills passed by the Delhi Assembly and creating an India-Pakistan situation. Since Delhi represents India in a mini form, it’s the high time that such disruptive forces are given a befitting reply,” Mr. Gupta further said. B ND-ND

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THE HINDU

CITY 3

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IN BRIEF

Shahdara district police headquarters opened NEW DELHI

TN farmers say relief only Shooting outside Rohtak court, 1 dead after govt accepts demands Staff Reporter NEW DELHI

Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik on Tuesday inaugurated the Shahdara district police headquarters in Farsh Bazaar. The office of DCP (Shardara) Nupur Prasad boasts a library for senior citizens and a children’s park. “There are religious, spiritual and entertainment books for both men and women,” said the library warden Lalit Goyal. STAFF REPORTER

Robber who looted cash vans arrested NEW DELHI

A man who was allegedly involved in 12 cases of highway robbery in various places, including Delhi, and targeted cash vans of banks, has been arrested, the police said on Tuesday. The accused, Venkat Rao alias Venky alias Raju and his gang mainly targeted vans carrying cash for filling up ATMs. A loaded pistol with 3 live cartridges was recovered from him, said the police. PTI

Afghan national found unconscious at IGIA NEW DELHI

A 19-year-old Afghan national, who had allegedly consumed seven capsules containing 68 grams of heroin, was found in an unconscious stage at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, the police said on Tuesday. On March 25, Mohammadi Hamid, who arrived here from Kabul, fell unconscious in the flight, they said. He is currently in the ICU at Safdarjung Hospital, the police said. PTI

DELHI TODAY Talk: “Rare Images of Durga Mahisamardini” Speaker: Dr. Sunanda Srivastava, former Superintending Archaeologist, ASI. Chair: Dr. D.N. Dimri at Conference Room – I, India International Centre (IIC), 6:30 p.m. Music: Sitar and vocal duet by Hans Utter and Utpola Borah from USA at C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium, India International Centre (IIC), 6:30 p.m. Dance: “Expressions” a three day festival of Contemporary Dance at Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts (SRCPA), 4, Safdar Hashmi Marg, Mandi House, 7 p.m. Paintings: Solo painting show by Vikash Kalra at Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Photography: “Amalgam: The Everyday of Delhi” - solo photography show by Pallavi at Delhi O Delhi Foyer, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Exhibition: “World of Watercolors” - solo art show by Paresh Maity at Art Alive Gallery, S-221, Panchsheel Park, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Exhibition: ‘On Line Dot’ art exhibition curated by Maki Nishida at Tenshin Okakura Gallery, The Japan Foundation, 5A Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar IV, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Screening: Documentary ilms screening: “India’s disappearing beaches - A wake up call” (English/14mins/2015) and “Shrinking shores” (English/35mins/2015) at Casuarina Hall, IHC, 7 pm. Screening: “Spaghetti Story” Italian ilm screening with English subtitles at Italian Embassy Cultural Institute, 50-E, Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri, 6:30 p.m. (Mail your listings for this column at [email protected])

Protest for drought relief enters 15th day; farmers submit memo to President

Five, including gangster, injured in shooting over gang rivalry Unidentified assailants opened fire outside a court in Rohtak leaving one dead and five injured on Tuesday morning. According to the police, they had come to target alleged gangster Ramesh Lohar, whose appearance was scheduled during the day. The deceased, identified as Sanjit, was one of the co-accused, along with Lohar, in an attempt to murder case.

Accomplices in car Of the assailants, at least one was dressed as a woman, the police said. Lohar himself is one of the injured while the others include a lawyer. The police said prima facie it was a case of gang rivalry and the prime suspect in the case is one Naresh alias Kala, who hails from the same village as Lohar and efforts are on to trace him, the police ad-

Soumya Pillai

< >

Of the assailants, at least one was dressed as a woman. The deceased was accused in attempt to murder case

Delhi Police officer

ded. The incident took place when Lohar was coming out of the court. Initially, the police said only two assailants on a bike were involved, but some eyewitnesses informed them that there was another car in which a group of their accomplices were present as well. It is, however, not clear if shot had been fired from the car as well.

15 rounds fired Meanwhile, the two men on the bike fired nearly 15 rounds outside the court complex apparently targeting Lohar, who had come

there in connection with an attempt to murder case. The attack injured six persons, including Lohar and a lawyer. The attackers drove away after the incident while the victims were taken to PGIMS, Rohtak where Sanjit died during treatment.

NEW DELHI

The protest by farmers from Tamil Nadu at the Jantar Mantar entered its 15th day on Tuesday, with leaders across the political spectrum offering their support to them. However, protesters said that they will breathe a sigh of relief only once their demands are accepted by the government.

Bid to save gangster Eyewitnesses told the police that Sanjit had taken the bullet in a bid to save Lohar but he also got shot in the foot. A large contingent of police personnel reached the spot and cordoned off the complex. The police recorded the statement of eyewitnesses. “A case under relevant provisions of the law has been registered and further investigation is on,” said a statement from Rohtak Police. The police are also looking for CCTV footage.

Displaying skulls The protesters have done everything, from displaying the skulls of fellow farmers who had committed suicide to dressing up as corpses and holding live mice in their mouths, to get a drought relief package of ₹40, 000 crore from the Centre and a farm loan waiver. On Tuesday, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, Mr. M. Thambidurai, visited the farmers for the second time

In solidarity: Puducherry CM V. Narayanaswamy with protesting farmers at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday. SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY *

and assured them that the issue would be placed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We have raised this issue in the Parliament. The plight of the farmers cannot be ignored. Farmers in many other parts of the country are also facing similar ordeals. We will be taking up

their concerns with the PM,” said Mr. Thambidurai.

AAP leader’s visit Several members of various political parties and the film fraternity have visited the farmers over the last fortnight, and extended their support to the farmers’ cause.

Sena activists ‘shut’ meat shops

Woman found dead in Kondli

Shop owners handed notices asking them not to open shops during Navarati

Strangled to death with dupatta, neighbour arrested

Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter New Delhi

Gurugram

Shiv Sena activists claimed to have shut down more than 500 meat and chicken shops and hotels across the old city here on Tuesday on account of Navratri. The police, however, claimed that they hadn’t received any complaints from shop owners regarding this. Shiv Sena Gurugam district secretary Rohtas Yadav told The Hindu that the party activists formed separate teams and shut down meat and chicken shops in old city areas including Palam Vihar, Rajendra Park, Feroze Gandhi Colony, Sector 9, Sector 12 and Sector 14.

Matter of faith “We handed over notices to shop owners selling meat asking them not to open their shops on Tuesdays and during Navratri. All of them readily agreed to pull down the shutters. Even KFC, a fastfood chain, in Sector 14 was shut down. We won’t allow these shops to stay open during Navratri. Now these can open only under police protection,” said Mr. Yadav, claiming that shops in Masjid Market were also shut. Shiv Sena Gurugram media co-ordinator Ritu Raj said it was a matter of faith for Hindus. “We’re seeking a shut down for just nine days and not indulging in any form of violence. We had submitted a memorandum to the DCP and the Commissioner of Police in this connection and also served notices to shop owners two days ago. Most of these shops in Gurugram are being run illegally and so shutting them down is not wrong,” contended Mr. Raj.

A 37-year-old woman was allegedly murdered on Sunday night by her neighbour in East Delhi’s New Kondli, where she was staying in a rented accommodation. The accused, who strangled the woman with her dupatta, fled the scene with her mobile phone. He was arrested on Monday.

Shutters down: The party activists formed separate teams and shut down meat and chicken shops in old city areas including Palam Vihar and Rajendra Park. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Traced using phone According to the police, accused Qayum alias Kalim, native of Bihar, was arrested from Noida after his loca-

tion was traced with the help of the last location of the woman’s phone. He told the police that he was a rickshaw puller.

asked her to move in with him. When she refused, he forced himself on her and later murdered her.

In a relationship Qayum allegedly told the police that he was in a relationship with the victim, a daily wage labourer, for the past few months and killed her as she started ignoring him and got involved with another man. “He had threatened her in the past and the two used to fight over the issue,” said a senior police officer. On Sunday, he entered her accommodation and

Employer finds body The police was informed about the murder on Monday morning when the woman’s employer, a contractor, called her on her mobile phone and found it switched off. He then went to her house and discovered her body. “The body has been sent for post-mortem and a case has been registered against the accused on charges of murder,” said the officer.

*

The notice said all chicken shop owners were informed not to open their shops on Tuesdays and during Navaratri. It also contained a warning that action would be initiated by the police and the organisation for not adhering to the notice.

Petition in NGT against West Delhi: ₹4.25 cr illegal slaughter houses in old notes seized Says they are causing pollution New Delhi

An environment activist moved the National Green Tribunal on Tuesday against “illegal” slaughter houses in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that these were discharging untreated effluents into open drains and causing pollution. He’s also seeking execution of the NGT 2015 order for closure of all illegal slaughter houses in the State.

Govt party in case The petition has made the Uttar Pradesh government, Central Pollution Control Board, U.P. Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), State Groundwater Department and others as parties in the

Writes to President seeking association of non-gazetted policemen in the city April 1967, my < > In colleagues and I

Shubhomoy Sikdar NEW DELHI

Plea moved Earlier this month, Mr. Rawat had approached the Supreme Court with a miscellaneous application seeking the reopening of a writ petition earlier filed in the same court and later transferred to and disposed of by the Delhi High Court. The petition was filed on behalf of a serving Delhi Police officer in 2003, soon CM YK

were dismissed from service for demanding a body of non-IPS oicers Chhida Singh Rawat Former Delhi Police head constable

Chhida Singh Rawat

after Mr. Rawat had retired from the force. Mr. Rawat’s struggle began in 1967, when many Delhi Police personnel including him were dismissed from service for demanding an association for non-gazetted policemen. “In April 1967, my colleagues and I gheraoed the President’s House and the Prime Minister’s residence over the issue. In 1971, a few of the dismissed personnel were reinstated. I was rein-

stated 20 years later, after I repeatedly approached the Supreme Court,” said Mr. Rawat. The veteran rued how he lost precious time that could have been utilised for boosting his career prospects. Many of his batchmates retired as inspectors, he said. In 2009, the Supreme Court disposed of the petition, observing that formation of the association was not a threat to the internal security of the country as other States have them as well, as documents provided by Mr. Rawat suggest. Further, it also directed the police administration to hear grievances highlighted by the petitioner. That, however, never happened, Mr.

Man accused of deiling national lag Purusharth Aradhak

Staff Reporter

‘Forced to shut down’ Mohammad Aslam Qureshi, who owns a meat shop in Feroze Gandhi Colony, said though a few meat shops remained closed during Navaratri, they were being forced to shut shops for the first time. He said the owners would discuss the future course of action and might even report the matter to the police. He said a police team had also come to the area on Monday evening and directed that illegally run shops stay closed.Commissioner of Police Sandeep Khirwar said said no one would be allowed to shut down shops forcefully and that appropriate action would be taken in case of a complaint.

Seized from chit fund company oice

case. The plea, which has been listed before a Bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim, has been filed through advocate Anuja Chauhan. It seeks action against four “illegal” slaughterhouses in Aligarh district of U.P. He has alleged that abattoirs were discharging untreated effluent contaminated with animal waste and blood of slaughtered animals into open drains which go into the tributaries of the Ganga and the Yamuna. The plea also highlights the issue of illegal extraction of groundwater by slaughter houses without requisite permission from competent authorities.

Staff Reporter New Delhi

Delhi Police Crime Branch purportedly seized demonetised currency notes with face value of ₹4.25 crore from the office of a chitfund company owner in west Delhi’s Janakpuri. The police are questioning one Anil Jain, the owner of the company.

Exchanging notes A senior police officer confirmed the seizure of demonetised banknotes from Jain’s office. According to the officer, Jain had collected the banned notes in denomination with ₹1,000 and ₹500 printed on them after promising them to get the notes

exchanged with valid banknotes charging a 50 per cent commission on the original value.of the notes

Cash van “Jain had planned to hire a cash van to transport the scrapped notes. We are questioning him to know the contact through which he had claimed to get the notes exchanged,” said the officer. Another officer said that they raided Jain’s office after their informers shared information that a chit fund company owner was collecting demonetised banknotes from businessmen after promising them to get them exchanged on commission basis.

Retired cop vows to continue ight Court summons Tomar Half-a-century of struggle against denial of “right to equality and freedom of speech” to his fraternity of non-commissioned police personnel has hit a dead end for a 75-year-old retired Delhi Police head constable. Chhida Singh Rawat, a founder member of the Delhi Police Ex-serviceman Association, has now written to President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking his help in forming an association of nongazetted policemen (from constable to inspector ranks).

Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti also visited the farmers and promised to do their best for the cause of the farmers. “Farmers are the lifeline of an agrarian economy like ours. If the government ignores their plight they are headed towards their own doom. With the droughts in States such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, it is high time the Centre woke up,” Mr. Bharti said. The farmers, in the evening, met with the President Pranav Mukherjee and submitted a memorandum detailing their demands. “We hope our demands would be considered by the honourable President. He is our only hope. We will have to kill ourselves if we do not get a solution for this. Many of us have sold off everything and have nothing left to survive,” said P. Ayyakannu, the leader of the farmers’ movement.

Rawat said. In 2011, the Delhi Police Ex-servicemen Association approached the Union Home Ministry seeking an intervention, but to no avail. According to Mr. Rawat, they again went to the Supreme Court in 2015 for the implementation of the previous order but it directed them to the Delhi High Court.

Petition disposed of Last August, the High Court disposed of the petition, citing that a serving member of the police cannot form an association. In his letter to the President, Mr. Rawat’s association pleaded that the disposal was not “fair as it denied them the rights that Indian Police Services officers enjoy”. Reminding the President that most of them are in the seventh decade of their lives and some have already passed away, the association members have requested a timely intervention.

Minister, 13 others to appear in the fake law degree case persons named in column No. 11 of the charge-sheet, by virtue of Sections 109/120-B IPC,” the ACMM said.

Nirnimesh Kumar New Delhi

Taking cognisance of the charge-sheet in the fake law degree case against former Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar, a Delhi court has summoned him and 13 other accused. “I take cognisance of offences punishable under Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 109/ 120B (abetment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC,” Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Sandeep Garg of the Saket district courts said.

No chargesheet The accused also includes employees of the Tilka Manjhi University at Bhagalpur in Bihar from where Mr. Tomar had allegedly procured the fake degree. The police had not charge-sheeted them. The ACMM asked all the accused persons to appear before the court on April 19.

Jitender Singh Tomar

“Though accused Anirudh Das, R.R. Poddar, Surendra Prasad Singh, Ram Avtar Sharma and Ramashish Purbhe have not been chargesheeted, but a perusal of the record shows that Tilka Manjhi University in Bhagalpur had issued instructions vide letter no. 2675 dated 23.09.1995 and letter no. PR 3621-95 dated 08.01.1998 which were not followed and complied with by accused Anirudh Das, R.R. Poddar, Surendra Prasad Singh, Ram Avtar Sharma and Ramashish Purbhe which prima facie indicates their complicity with the accused

‘False representation’ “Issue summons to accused Jitender Singh Tomar, notice to his surety... ,’’ the ACMM further said. Mr. Tomar is on bail in the case. The Delhi Police had arrested him on June 9, 2015, on the basis of a complaint by the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD). The council’s complaint filed with the DCP, South, through its secretary Puneet Mittal said that “it’s prima facie established that Mr. Tomar by means of false representation and on the basis of forged marksheets and degree claimed to be a graduate and on the basis of forged provisional certificate claimed to be a law graduate.” “And on the basis of such false representation and… forged documents obtained enrolment with the Bar Council of Delhi in 2011,” the complaint further said.

Noida

A large number of people, including members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Hindu Yuva Vahini, protested outside the office of a cellphone company here on Tuesday after one its employees allegedly tore an Indian flag and threw it in a dustbin. The accused, identified as a Chinese national, works as a production manager in the firm located in Sector 63. The protesters raised slogans against the accused and demanded his arrest. “We demand that the police analyse CCTV footage. The incident has hurt our sentiments, and we cannot afford to avoid it,” said Vineet Kumar, a protester. Heavy police force was deployed at the scene to prevent any untoward incidents. Later, senior police officers reached the area to pacify the protesters. “We will take action only after we scan the CCTV footage,” the police said.

Haryana cop suspended Press Trust of India New Delhi

A policeman posted in Faridabad was suspended for allegedly misbehaving with a girl from south Delhi while she was learning how to drive. The girl reported the matter to the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) which raised the matter with the police. “A 21-year-old girl from south Delhi was learning to drive a car with her friend near Surajkund at Faridabad. They were stopped by two policemen who misbehaved with her. The girl has alleged that the police personnel hit her friend and snatched his wallet,” a DCW official said. An inquiry has been launched against the officer. B ND-ND

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IN BRIEF

HC slams police over illegal construction in riverbed

Fast-track parking policy: L-G Directs agencies to keep roads encroachment-free under < > Areas lyovers and U-turns

Staff Reporter New Delhi

Police invoke JJ Act against DCW chief

Court receives plea on construction in the “ecologically fragile” Batla House area

NEW DELHI

Akanksha Jain

The police on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that they have invoked provisions of Juvenile Justice Act against DCW chief Swati Maliwal for allegedly disclosing the identity of a minor Dalit rape victim, who had succumbed to injuries. PTI

New Delhi

Woman alleges rape by colleague in Noida NOIDA

A woman has alleged that she was raped several times on different occasions by her colleague and that the accused made a video of the act to blackmail her, the police said on Tuesday. She lodged a complaint on Monday. PTI

Livid over the increasing number of complaints of illegal construction in the “ecologically fragile” Batla House area and the municipal corporation’s failure to demolish them due to lack of adequate police force with the demolition squad, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday remarked that “a little more dedication and intelligence” can get the problem resolved. Justice Manmohan was highly critical of the failure of the Delhi Police to provide adequate force to the civic officials, who apprehended violence while going for demolition in the area, and also wondered how construction

Judge recuses himself from Amity suicide case

are the police. < > You You have to show a little more intelligence, a little more dedication. If you show the will, it will get resolved Justice Manmohan Delhi High Court

material was being taken to the riverbed area, which is “the most fragile area in Delhi”. The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by a resident of Zakir Nagar in Batla House against illegal construction opposite his house. Despite court orders, no demolition was carried out, leading to filing of the contempt petition. The South Delhi Muni-

cipal Corporation told the court that it couldn’t carry out the demolition as the police force wasn’t available. “You are the police. You have to show a little more intelligence, a little more dedication. If you show the will, it will get resolved,” Justice Manmohan told senior police officer present in the court. “The police force is facilitating illegal construction. Without them, it cannot happen. I am getting a lot of complaints. From what has transpired in the court, civic officers are scared of entering this area. And this is the riverbed. It is the most fragile area in Delhi. How can construction material be going there. Should I declare

this area out of control of the Delhi Police,” remarked Justice Manmohan. He shared a case of an illegal building in the same area which was demolished but re-built soon thereafter. The court also pointed out that the civic agency was not carrying out demolition properly as it was simply demolishing a small part of the illegal buildings instead of razing it to the ground. When the civic agency said it cannot demolish the illegal structures completely as they were located in narrow lanes and there was risk of malba falling on the adjacent houses, the court said, “some technology has to be used to address the problem”.

Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday directed the Transport Commissioner to fast-track the parking policy in the city and to ensure that buses did not ply without proper permits. Chairing a meeting on traffic management at Raj Niwas here, Mr. Baijal also asked the agencies concerned to be responsible for the repair and maintenance of roads and to keep them encroachment-free.

77 congested corridors Six teams earlier constituted to deal with traffic issues told the L-G that they had identified 77 congested corridors in the Capital. “These corridors have been prioritised as categories ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ on the basis of volume of road users and visibility. As many

should be kept clean and green, and inter-State buses should be rerouted Anil Baijal Delhi Lieutenant-Governor

agencies concerned to submit an action plan within three weeks,” the official said. L-G Anil Baijal

28 corridors fall in the ‘A’ category,” said a senior official. The L-G also asked the Chief Secretary to identify four to five corridors on pilot basis for taking immediate action. These corridors include Mehrauli-Badarpur, Aurobindo Marg, Mathura Road and Chirag Dilli Road. “The Chief Secretary was asked to coordinate with the

Stress on cleanliness Mr. Baijal also directed that areas under flyovers and Uturns be kept clean and green and that inter-State buses be rerouted. The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Home), Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Secretary, Public Works Department, Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Transport) and other officials.

B. C. Roy honour for doctors City starts feeling the heat AIIMS, Ganga Ram, UCMS staf awarded for excellence

As his kin is studying at the varsity

Temperature was 6° above normal for this time of the year Staff Reporter New Delhi

Staff Reporter New Delhi

A judge on the Division Bench of the Delhi High Court on Tuesday recused himself from hearing a case of alleged suicide by Amity University law student Sushant Rohilla last year on the ground that someone from his family was studying at the varsity.

CM YK

Justice G. S. Sistani recused himself from the hearing and said the matter would be heard by another Bench. The third-year student allegedly hanged himself at his home in Delhi on August 10, 2016, after the university allegedly barred him from writing his semester exams over low attendance.

Delhiites started feeling the effect of the long summer months ahead on Tuesday after the maximum temperature in the city spiked by three degrees to settle at 38.0 degrees Celsius. Dr. Randeep Guleria

Dr. Arvind Kumar

Dr. Ashwani Kumar

Staff Reporter

thopaedic Department Rajesh Malhotra, Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology J. B. Sharma and Professor in Orthopaedic Department C. S. Yadav, Head of Urology Department P. N. Dogra, Professor in Urology Department Amlesh Seth, Professor in Cardiology A.K. Bisoi,” are among the recipients of the award noted a release issued by AIIMS.

Chairman of Department of Chest & Thoracic Surgery Arvind Kumar received the honour. Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Director Professor and Head of Microbiology at the University College of Medical Sciences, got the eminent Medical Teacher Award for 2014 for his involvement in academics.

New Delhi

All India Institute of Medical Sciences director Randeep Guleria, besides eight other faculty members from the institute, and two doctors from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital were on Tuesday awarded the prestigious Dr. B. C. Roy Award for excellence in the field of medicine. They received the honour from President Pranab Mukherjee at a function held the Rashtrapati Bhawan here. The awards were announced last October. “Dr. Guleria, Head of Or-

Feather in the cap From the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the Chairman (Board of Management) & Department of Nephrology D. S. Rana and

Freedom fighter The Bidhan Chandra Roy Award was instituted in 1976 in the memory of renowned physician and freedom fighter B. C. Roy.

Humidity levels The minimum settled at 22.6 degrees Celsius, also four degrees above normal. The recorded temperature was six degrees above normal for this time of the year. Humidity oscillated between 73% and 21% during the day.

Heat wave: People nap under the shade of trees on a hot Tuesday afternoon in New Delhi. SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA *

Monsoon forecast The maximum recorded the previous day was 35.2 degrees Celsius. The spike comes a day after private weather forecaster Skymet forecast a below-average monsoon this year. Weather stations at Palam

and Ayanagar recorded a maximum temperature of 39 degrees and were the hottest areas in the Capital. However, the weatherman has said the temperatures are likely to rise further. The extended forecast shows that the sky will be-

come partly cloudy on April 1. Indian Meteorological Department Director-General K. G. Ramesh said the weather department will release heatwave forecast every Thursday for April, May and June.

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THE HINDU

SHOWCASE 5

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017

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A hybrid of energies Expressions, the ongoing festival of contemporary dance, seeks to connect the critical mind to the luid body Anuradha Vellat

In the itness of things: Shilpa Shetty says she sticks to tried and tested methods

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R.V. MOORTHY

‘Motherhood is glorious’ Shilpa Shetty urges women to be it to be able to play their roles in life efectively S.Ravi

Films or no films, Shilpa Shetty continues to attract crowds. The reason is not far to seek. Women see her as an ambassador of fitness and her male fans feel time has stopped for Shilpa. Perhaps, Shilpa understands it as well. “These are the people who continue to shower affection on me despite not having appeared in a film for the last nine years,” says Shilpa on the sidelines of an event announcing her as brand ambassador for Yakult Danone, a probiotic drink. Having essayed some memorable roles in films like Dhadkan , Phir Milenge and Life In a...Metro , doesn’t Shilpa miss acting with so many women-centric movies being made? “To be honest, I do not have time. Being full time mother and part time professional, keeps you really busy,” she quips. Welcoming such films, she says she too was offered such roles. “I refused as I felt it will put too much onus on me for the film’s success. I am not willing to take that risk either for the filmmaker

or me.” Emphasising that product endorsements are more than a commercial commitment, Shilpa, who in the past was reported to have refused to endorse for a fast food brand states, “I am very conscious and conscientious about what I endorse. Whatever I put my name to I make sure I can bring them to home to use.” Quick to perceive a sense of disbelief, she clarifies, “I am 100% sure of the things I recommend as I feel people look up to me so the sense of responsibility is far greater. I strictly believe in practising what I preach.” Pleased at being repeatedly complimented for looks and fitness, a visibly pleased Shilpa, remarks with

am least bothered < > Iabout weight as long as one is it. The crux is whether one do push ups, surya namaskar and climb stairs without huing

a twinkle in her eyes, “They are drawn by the fact that I still look young and agile – a spin off of following a strict health regime.”

A part of life On a serious note, she explains that feeling good is vital and comes from being physically sound. “Exercise should not be a fad or seasonal. It should be understood and made a part of life. One must also take care of diet. I want people to become aware that a lifestyle modification is necessary and how one wants to age is directly proportional to the way you look and what you ingest.” To this end, Shilpa says, she sticks to tried and tested methods including yoga, strength training, pain management and eating nutritious food. Recommending everyone to start immediately, especially the women, she says waiting till the fag end of life is of no use. “With more women opting to work outside home, this is essential. With commitment to family, children and work, they usually

tend to be negligent about self. This is gradually changing but women must realise that playing a pivotal role at home they should never reach a stage when they need a doctor.” This awareness goes a long way in bringing up children too. “This knowledge helps to know the ill-effects of aerated drinks and ready made and junk food and avoid them. I wonder why can’t we serve traditional healthy snacks and drinks like nimbu pani, lassi and milk,” says Shilpa, who has authored “The Great Indian Diet”. Now she is all set to write another book on Indian recipes. Going back to change in lifestyle, she cites her case after becoming a mother. “Motherhood is glorious. The biggest change that I underwent is that I stopped eating after 8 p.m. Now I am strict about what to put into the body, when to put it and when to stop. The key is to start with a big breakfast as morning workload of getting food ready and ensuring children and husband leave in time is strenuous. Follow

this with a good portion of lunch and have a small bite during tea, it could be nuts but finish your meals with children by 8.”

Sign of insecurity? Agreeing that motherhood changes a person, Shilpa does not feel there is anything wrong with women trying to get back to shape after child birth. Revealing that she herself did not lose weight for seven months, she feels that this perhaps stems from an insecurity. “The physical change makes one less confident and makes one wonder if the husband will continue to love, the way he used to.” Having said that, Shilpa argues, “It is not about sheer looks but also understanding that gaining too much weight hampers your life. I am least bothered about weight as long as one is fit. The crux is whether one can do push ups, surya namaskar and climb stairs without huffing. Fitness is defined by what you can do with your weight.” As a parting shot, she adds, “this holds true for both women and men.”

Art essentially is expression of any kind. At a time when we, as a society, are trying to find our own mediums of expressions, and the meanings within them, it comes as a sigh of relief when we chance upon a gesture or a movement we can relate to. These gestures or movements are, sometimes, forces untranslatable into words. Contemporary dance has remained and continues to be one such enormous force that many of us reckon with, despite the worldly debates about its walk away from what purists called traditional. In one such attempt to blur the lines between tradition and innovation, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations has come up with a three-day festival of contemporary dance, aptly titled Expressions in New Delhi. The festival is curated by Suresh K Goel, former Director General of the ICCR and produced by Teamwork Arts. An amalgamation of creative highs set to intrinsic patterns, Expressions seeks to connect the critical mind to the fluid body, the result of which is a hybrid of energies engulfing the auditorium here at Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts. Speaking about the peculiarity of contemporary dance, Goel says that there prevails a misimpression about what India represents in the realm. “The groups are trying to find a medium of expression which is different from what India is known for but is still

Indian. Using the medium of classical dances or martial arts forms like Bharatanatyam, Odissi or Kalaripayittu, they are trying to create something new and abstract. The themes from our own societies have resonance with their expressions. And in order to develop a culture, we must evolve.” The festival features productions and choreographies by Indian as well as international groups like Attakalari (Bengaluru), Compagnie Jósef Trefeli (Switzerland), Ice Craft Dance Company (Ahmedabad), Dafi Dance Company (Israel), and Rhythmosaic (Kolkata).

Myriad shades The choreographies deal with a number of imageries, emotions, social issues, philosophies and experiences. MeiDhwani, Echoes of the Body (Mei - body; Dhwani - echo or suggestion), by Attakalari, is a spectacular display of the creative thought process. The choreography looks at the fragility of human life and its chaos by producing the five great elements on stage through props and visual imageries. The pot represented the earth and water, both female energies; the cylindrical lamp represented fire and wind, almost like a phallic symbol; the space itself became ether, thus, conjuring the encounters of a lifetime on stage. Men and women entered from either sides representing the encounters, making the props look like land-

scapes. Jinx 103, by Compagnie Jósef Trefeli, is another extremely energised performance charged by the complexities of the body. Desolate and Skin, by Rhythmosaic, celebrate the identities of transgenders and the idea of finding comfort in one's own skin, regardless of its origin. In a conversation Jayachandran Palazhy, Artistic Director, Attakalari, gives an insight into the the understanding of the symbols of contemporary dance. “There are two ways to respond to this. One remains at the gut level, which is empathetic. You feel what is being portrayed through neurons. The second one is through a history of viewing, when you understand the form itself. In both cases, the dance remains an ongoing process. When you watch contemporary dance with a mind preoccupied with classical or other dance forms, you might miss the point,” says Jayachandran. “For instance, if one is experimenting with music and confines oneself to the tala pattern, one will never be able to explore the many possibilities that come with, say, Jazz. One travels with the art and then finds language within it. Dance is the materialisation of one’s imagination. Even before it is created, it disappears. It is constantly in the process and is ephemeral. One has to be present in the moment which can be cherished later. It is the purest way to experience something,” Jayachandran adds.

Connecting mind and body: Attakalari performance in progress

Voicing concern for the Ganges Akriti Kakkar on what it means to lend her voice for a song that seeks to create awareness on the need to make the sacred river pollution-free Madhur Tankha

Catalyst for carpet To promote the country’s cultural heritage, the 33rd edition of India Carpet Expo showcasing weaving skills of Indian hand-made carpets and other floor coverings opened in great style at Pragati Maidan recently. Inaugurated by Minister of Textile Smriti Irani, the expo intends to give a boost to this village-based cottage sector and promote weaving skills of indigenous people who specialise in making exquisite hand-made carpets. It is billed as one of the largest handmade carpet fairs in Asia.

Making an impact: Akriti Kakkar at the event in New Delhi

Rivers, which are lifelines of our country and have been revered as part of Indian civilisation since time immemorial, are now being celebrated by contemporary musicians to create awareness about their cleanliness. After Papon composed an song for the Brahmaputra in which he roped in iconic Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan, it is now turn of Akriti Kakkar – known for crooning songs like Saturday Saturday from Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Iski Uski from 2 States – to lend her voice for a devotional song centred around the Ganges. “Jai Jai Gange” was released by Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju, at India Habitat

Centre earlier this week. It is a religious track, which showcases aarti being conducted at Kalakankar Ghat in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. A brainchild of Ratna Singh of erstwhile royal family of Kalakankar, it has been created to initiate cleanliness drive on a war footing. Articulating her thought on the need to be a part of the project, which seeks to arouse consciousness among all Indians about the need to save this river, Akriti says, “I strongly feel about the need to work for conservation of river Ganga. I have visited Rishikesh and Haridwar umpteen times. A couple of months ago, I went to Haridwar and saw Ganga in its cleanest form. So a beginning is being made but we need to do more at the national level

to bring about a bigger change. I feel that big industrialists also need to come to its rescue then only things wouldimprove.” On how she is playing a role in this project, which would be working on a scientific basis by recycling plastic waste which is regularly thrown into the river, Akriti says: “ This is the first devotional song which I have composed and it means a lot to me. This is how I am doing my bit to create awareness on the need to save this river. As the song will be heard by more and more music lovers and the conservation on the

is the irst < > This devotional song which I have composed and it means a lot to me

issue spreads across the nation then people will realise that Ganga is not meant to be read about in books or write about in journals but that they need to do something in their daily lives. This feeling for this pure, sacred river needs to come in every individual.” Following a recent ruling by the Uttarakhand High Court, Ganges has now become a living entity and would henceforth enjoy all rights which are given to an individual. “I was not aware of this but I endorse it as it is a wonderful idea. When we associate Ganga with Indian culture, what we mean is that we need to be more respectful and caring to this river as it is part of Indian civilisation. Similarly, India and Taj Mahal are inseparable but if you look

around the iconic monument, you would notice that there is so much of filth. All of us need to do more than merely offering lip sympathy.”

Rich past Akriti is hoping to involve film fraternity towards the cause. “The idea is that the word spreads. Video will be available on YouTube as well on devotional music channels. Choreography was done at the ghat where the recording of live arti was shot aesthetically. Chirag Arora, director and Akriti’s better half says: “ Two and a half hours away from Lucknow airport is the Kalakankar Ghat. Kalakankar also has this beautiful palace where Stalin’s daughter stayed. The place has a rich past and now this song will make it alive all over again.”

5 EVENTS WORTH-YOUR-WHILE

MUSIC

Concert For Harmony “Concert for Harmony” is an evening of Indian classical and Sufi fusion music. It will bring a duet of with Anupriya Deotale (violin) performing with maestro Saskia Rao- De Haas, well known cello artist. There will be a “Jivesh Collective”, a Sufi fusion. Venue: The Bahai House of Worship Kalkaji Time: 3 p.m.

CM YK

FILM

SUMMIT

MUSIC

EXHIBITION

Spaghetti Story

LSE India Summit

Mathias Durand

Solo show

The Italian Embassy Cultural Institute will screen “Spaghetti Story” an Italian film with English subtitles directed by Ciro De Caro which revolves around four Italian young adults who long to change their life. Venue: 50-E, Chandragupta Marg, New Delhi Time: 6.30 p.m.

The South Asia Centre at the London School of Economics is holding a 3-day summit to debate core issues central to India’s way forward as it aspires to be a global power through four panel discussions. Venue: Stein Auditorium, IHC, New Delhi Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Piano Man Jazz Club presents a performance by Mathias Durand. The singer songwriter born in France joined Tritha Electric in 2012 and since then toured Europe, India and Africa. He is now preparing a solo album. Venue: B6, Comm. Comp. Safdarjung Encl. Time: 9 p.m.

The artist Jitendra Kumar who has displayed his varied works in several places is holding a solo art exhibition displaying his art works. Venue: Gallery No. 6, Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, Copernicus Marg Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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MY FIRST WHEELS

Tough love

Twice bitten, forever shy

Car ‘extras’ may cost you a lot more than what you ever imagined

Naseeruddin Shah on his irst two cars In 1978, after having saved up enough money, I bought my first car, a second-hand Premier Padmini, for ₹18,000. In the excitement of the purchase, I took the vehicle on a road trip from Mumbai to Delhi, where I was scheduled to shoot for a film. After a long, tiring journey, the car broke down and had to be taken to a garage, where it was kept for almost a month. I probably spent more on repairing it than I spent on buying it. Once fixed, I drove the car back to Mumbai and quickly sold it off. As kids, we never had a car. My dad had one Ford Model T. When I was really small, he sold it, and after that he couldn’t afford to buy a car.

Any tinkering with the wiring: May have tragic consequences ranojoy mukerji

For those of us who have a ‘proper’ relationship with our cars comes the need to glamorise it with musical horns, lights, upgraded sound systems, broad tyres, and much more. However, before we rush ahead, here are a few things you should keep in mind, especially in the context of the recent tragic accident of racer Ashwin Sundar and his wife, which resulted in them being charred to death in a car that went up in flames. There has been a great deal of speculation on whether the BMW in question had been modified in any way, considering it was second-hand. It’s the cue we need to look at what modification actually constitutes, what it does to the car and its impact on our lives, as well as car warranty and insurance.

Know now Any electrical work that you do in addition to what comes from the factory, will nullify your warranty. Today, most cars do come with the basics fitted as standard: a music

system, electric windows and seat belts. Do remember that if you were to get anything done, like add electric windows to manual winders or add speakers/subwoofers/amplifiers or change the sound system totally, this will invalidate your warranty, even if you use standard ISO connectors and do not splice any part of the wiring. Factory wiring is designed to handle only a certain electrical load, and adding anything can lead to disastrous consequences – yes, fires. Ditto for lighting systems – adding extra fog lights, LED lights, projector lights, anything that can add load to the electrical system – so it is a good idea to not tamper with the lights. What can you do to the car that makes it more personalised? Well, stuff like seat covers does not affect your warranty, but from a safety perspective, it’s advisable not to cover your existing seat with them, as new cars have anti-submarine seats that prevent the person’s pelvis from slipping, in case of an accident. Something like affixing a gear lock may impact warranty. So check carefully with your dealer.

Most cars today have at least two airbags up front – one for the driver and the other for the passenger – so before you put any idols or other decorative items on the dashboard, do take cognisance of the fact that the airbag, especially for the passenger side, is mounted on the dashboard, so you should avoid putting any object there.

Down and dirty Let us now focus on another part of the car – wheels and tyres. Most cars today come fitted with alloys of some sort, though a lot still come on steel wheels. Robust ac-

Safety links Soon, cars in India will have a beep at the speed of 80 kilometres per hour and a louder alert if you travel at more than 100 kmph.

cessory programmes from most manufacturers mean that you’ll get these with the car, but anything you purchase from the open market may have a bearing on your warranty and insurance claims. Wider tyres, fancy alloys (mostly Chinese or Taiwanese) can severely affect both your warranty and insurance. You also run the risk of faster component wear and tear, especially on the suspension system, and your brakes may also be affected. Fuel consumption can become an Achilles’ heel, so think twice before you do anything! Modification of any part of an automobile is a complete no-no, but this is especially true of its mechanical components. ‘Chipping’ the engine for more power, or tampering with the Electronic Control Module (ECM) to increase performance, totally negates the warranty on the vehicle. So much is the paranoia of automobile manufacturers, that even if you get an accidental bodywork job done from the outside, you may not be entitled for any insurance claim. Further, it might damage the overall dynamics of the vehicle, as

modern cars with monocoque chassis set-ups have very different dynamics from old ladder frames.

Safety first So at the end of this long story, you might ask, what exactly you can actually do to your car, which will keep the people safe and not make warranty and insurance void. Well, there isn’t much at all. If you believe you can get a complete interior/exterior redo, without touching the mechanics, you will still instantly lose warranty, because every feature is fitted in with safety in mind. At best, you can go to your dealer from whom you bought your vehicle or another authorised dealer to get accessories fitted. Just as you look at safety features, look at any kind of car modification or tinkering as something you need to go back to the authorised service centre for. Oh and please do fasten your seatbelt, no matter where you are sitting ! The author is an automotive expert with over 20 years of experience. He has worked with SIAM and NATRiP on automotive safety and testing.

Passing on In fact, the ₹18,000 Premier Padmini was the first car our family had. I do not have any photograph of the car. I didn’t even have a camera then. But it was a hideous turquoise colour and in Delhi repainted turd colour. I flogged it as fast as I could; I think I got ₹10,000 for it. I bought another second-

hand Premier Padmini, this time for ₹30,000. The car met with a similar fate, albeit more tragic. I had it for a year, and one day the Delhi police turned up and took it away because they said it was stolen. I did protest, but was immediately shot down by the cops. To add to my woes, a news article appeared saying, ‘Actor in stolen car racket’. I really loved it and have preserved that cutting. I never got my second car back. I was later informed that the vehicle was stolen from Muzaffarnagar and brought to Mumbai under a fake registration number.

Fond memories Despite the bitter experiences, my first two cars left me with fond and lasting memories. My wife Ratna Pathak Shah was then studying at the National School of Drama, Delhi, when I drove the first Premier Padmini to the Capital. I have fond memories of sitting with her in the car in the freezing winter without a heater. I drive a Land Rover now. As told to Kennith Rosario

Awesome automobiles on screen With Fast & Furious 8 out in a couple of weeks, Mini Anthikad-Chhibber takes a look at iconic cars in the movies. A certain secret agent’s cars are not featured as they would need a separate article

Bitten by the Bug

What a sport

In the mood for a Mini

The Volkswagen Beetle featured in five movies from The Love Bug (1968) to Herbie Rides Again (1974), followed by Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977), Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) and Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), which starred Lindsay Lohan. The racing car, with a mind of its own, was the star of the Walt Disney franchise.

In Back to the Future, when Doc Brown modifies a DeLorean sports car into a time machine powered by plutonium stolen from Libyan terrorists, he sends Marty on a wild trip through time, where Marty has to ensure his parents meet and fall in love, as well as make sure the DeLorean is struck by lightning to get back to 1985. Robert Zemeckis’ tale of a time-travelling teen was fun, and the sequels did not disappoint either.

There are Jaguars and Aston Martins in The Italian Job (1969), but the Mini Coopers take centre stage. In the British caper film directed by Peter Collinson, Michael Caine plays the cockney thief, Charlie Croker, who plans to escape with gold in three Mini Coopers, after a paralysing traffic jam has been created by a hacker on the streets of Turin. Incidentally, Sir Michael Caine did not get a driving licence till he was 50.

A bat out of hell

Groovy baby!

Respect the car…

In Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, the Batmobile was described by the production designer as a cross between a Lamborghini and a tank. Tim Burton’s Batman movies featured a long, low, sleek Batmobile designed by Academy Award-winning production designer Anton Furst. Whether bulky or compact, Batman’s ride packs some serious fire power from machine guns and Bat missiles to cannons and more.

The International Man of Mystery has wheels befitting his love machine status. Austin Powers battles Dr Evil, saves the world and gets the girl, while driving his Shaguar. The Jaguar E-Type and 2001 XK8 convertible came with personalised number plates — Swinger and Swinger2. Austin also did his time-travelling in cars supplied by the Ministry of Defence – a rainbowcoloured Volkswagen and a purple Cadillac.

Frank Martin, the ex-SAS man from the Transporter series, becomes disenchanted with his bosses and decides to become a driver for hire. Martin operates on fixed rules for transporting as well as the car. He drives a BMW in The Transporter (2002) and Audis in the three sequels, including the tragic reboot, The Transporter: Refuelled (2015). Ed Skrein is no Jason Statham, even if he wears a black suit with a crisp white shirt.

CM YK

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