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Kashmiri youth stoning forces at Pakistan’s behest, says Rajnath

Yogi Adityanath’s choice was unanimous, says Ram Madhav

India among 12 nations in the crosshairs in Trump’s trade review

P.V. Sindhu beats Saina Nehwal in the quarterinals of India Open Super Series

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‘Exempting larger establishments will dilute objective’

NEW DELHI

Krishnadas Rajagopal New Delhi

PTI

UP guidelines for ‘anti-Romeo’ squads

Fluid display: State Disaster Response Force personnel present a drill in honour of President Pranab Mukherjee at the inauguration of the Namami Brahmaputra festival in Guwahati on Friday. The ive-day festival is being organised in 21 districts. RITU RAJ KONWAR *

LUCKNOW

The Uttar Pradesh police were on Friday directed by the State government to ensure its ‘anti-Romeo’ squads do not resort to blackening of the face or “murga” position type punishments in the name of protecting women. NORTH

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SC removes age cap of 25 years for NEET- 2017 NEW DELHI

The Supreme Courton Friday removed the age cap of 25 years for candidates appearing for the NEET-2017 examination for MBBS/BDS courses and allowed illing up of forms through online portal of the CBSE till April 5. NEWS 쑺 PAGE 9 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DELHI METRO 쑺 6 PAGES

Gujarat to tighten cow slaughter law New Bill makes it an ofence punishable with life imprisonment, bigger ine Mahesh Langa Gandhinagar

If the newly elected BJP government in Uttar Pradesh launched a crackdown on illegal slaughter houses immediately after the Assembly polls, another BJP-ruled State, Gujarat, which goes to the polls later this year, came up with an amendment to make cow slaughter a punishable offence with life term, a first in the country. The most stringent provision in the amendment Bill is awarding maximum imprisonment up to life, but not less than 10 years, to those

found involved in slaughter of cows, calves, bulls and bullocks. The Gujarat Animal Pre-

servation (Amendment) Bill, passed by the Assembly in the absence of Opposition members who were suspen-

1,900 Indians under scanner for Panama links They control or have inancial interests in 3,000 companies incorporated there Devesh K. Pandey NEW DELHI

The Income-Tax Department has launched a probe into the suspected undisclosed foreign assets held by more than 1,900 persons of Indian origin, who either control or have financial interests in close to 3,000 companies incorporated in Panama. A scrutiny of the data, provided by the Enforcement Directorate, revealed that several high net-worth individuals had interests in as many as 20 companies. Among the prominent

ternational Inc, set up in August 1992. Incidentally, the com-

names in the list is that of Vijay Mallya, said to be linked to Panama-based Vee Tee In-

pany’s name had earlier surfaced during the probe into offshore business interests and assets of Mr. Mallya. The list of 1,900 is in addition to over 400 individuals already being examined by the I-T Department after their names surfaced in papers leaked from a Panama law firm last year. In the Panama Papers case, almost 90% of the companies were incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and the rest were in Switzerland and the U.K. jurisdictions. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 8

CBI iles charge sheet against Virbhadra Agency acted hours after Delhi HC dismissed his plea to quash case against him Akanksha Jain Devesh K. Pandey New Delhi

Hours after the Delhi High Court declined to quash the alleged disproportionate assets case against Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife on Friday, the CBI filed a charge sheet against them and seven others in the case. The CBI has accused Mr. Singh of amassing assets worth ₹10.30 crore between May 2009 and June 2012 when he was the Union

Mumbai

SC: Liquor sales ban covers hotels too

Oil companies reduce petrol, diesel prices The price of petrol was cut by ₹3.77 per litre and that of diesel by ₹2.91 a litre, the irst change in rates in twoand-half months. Stateowned oil irms cut rates with efect from midnight on Friday night. The actual decrease will be higher after taking into account the local levies.

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Steel Minister. The amount is allegedly 192% of his income from known sources. Among the others chargesheeted are LIC agent Anand Chauhan, Tarini Infrastructure managing director Vakamulla Chandrashekhar, Universal Apples Associates (Himachal Pradesh) owner Chunni Lal Chauhan, Prem Raj, Lavan Roach and Ram Prakash Bhatia. A stamp vendor has also been named. The agency alleged that

the LIC agent helped Mr. Singh invest unaccounted for money in policies. In his annual returns, Mr. Singh later showed the additional amount as income from the sale of apples from his orchard. An MoU was later prepared showing the LIC agent as the orchard manager. Prem Raj and Lavan Roach were shown as witnesses. The agency alleged that invoices claiming sale of apples to Universal Apples Associates were created. However, the I-T Depart-

ment did not buy the explanation, after which an inquiry was launched and the CBI registered the case in September 2015. Mr. Chandrashekhar and Ram Prakash have also been accused of helping Mr. Singh prepare fake papers to “legitimise” disproportionate assets. Earlier on Friday, Justice Vipin Sanghi dismissed Mr. Singh’s plea seeking quashing of the case. WILL APPROACH HIGHER COURT, SAYS CM 쑺 PAGE 2

ded from the House on the last day of the budget session, has also made cow slaughter, transportation of cow or beef and beef products a cognisable and non-bailable offence. The Bill also bans transportation of animals from one place to another at night while providing for permanent forfeiture of vehicles. It has also proposed a fine which “may extend to five lakh rupees but shall not be less than one lakh rupees” for those found guilty of cow slaughter. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 8

UP meat impasse likely to end Omar Rashid Lucknow

After assurances by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, meat traders on Friday hinted they were ready to resume business provided their licences were renewed. The licences expired on March 31 and the meat traders have requested the CM to direct the administration to renew the licences within the next few days. “We had a positive meeting with the CM. He assured us he would direct officials to renew our licences. After his assurances, we appeal to our people to start opening their shops as and when their licences get renewed,” said Haji Shakeel Qureshi of the All India Meat Association and the All India Meat and Livestock Exporters’ Association. The meat traders across Uttar Pradesh have been on strike for the past few days against the police crackdown on “illegal abattoirs”. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister paid a visit to a cow shelter in Lucknow run by Mulayam Singh’s second son Prateek Yadav and wife Aparna Yadav.

Confirming its verdict on making National and State highways liquor-free zones, the Supreme Court clarified on Friday that its prohibition on the sale of liquor within a distance of 500 metres from the outer edge of these main thoroughfares is not restricted to liquor shops alone but also includes other larger establishments. The court said exempting establishments other than “shops involved in sale of liquor”, which includes barattached hotels, wine and beer parlours dotting highways, would amount to dilution of the objective of its December 15 judgment to prevent drunk driving, one of the major killers plaguing Indian roads.

Constitutional value “The pernicious nature of the sale of liquor along the National and State highways cannot be ignored. Drunken driving is a potent source of fatalities and injuries in road accidents. The Constitution preserves and protects the right to life as an over-arching constitutional value,” the 32-page clarification order observed. The court said its duty to protect public health and safety clearly overrides the interests of liquor traders.

No relief: A liquor shop near Puttuthakku on the ChennaiBengaluru National Highway on Friday. C.VENKATACHALAPATHY *

The order was authored by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud for a Bench led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar and comprising Justice L. Nageswara Rao. The Bench had heard 68 applications over two days. They all wanted the court to modify its December judgment. The December verdict had directed States and Union Territories to stop the grant of licences to establishments located within 500 metres of national and State highways. April 1, 2017 was fixed as the date for phasing out existing liquor licences.

Counters AG’s opinion The clarification runs completely counter to a legal

opinion given recently by Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi to the Kerala government that the December 15 judgment’s ambit was confined only to retail liquor outlets and not bigger establishments like bar-attached hotels and wine-beer parlours along highways in the State. A petition filed by former Kerala Assembly Speaker V.M. Sudheeran, represented by advocate Kaleeswaram Raj, had alleged that a Cabinet decision had already been taken to extend the liquor licences on the basis of the A-G's opinion. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 8

Abducted Indians freed in South Sudan Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

India has secured the release of two oilfield engineers, who were kidnapped in South Sudan last month. It was announced on Thursday night on social media by another Indian working in South Sudan.

“Thank you Mam, for your efforts to release two Indians Midhun and Edward in South Sudan. My friends are back,” said Ajay Raja, production operator of the Dar Petroleum Operating Company, lauding Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. Mr. Raja had alerted

India about the kidnapping through social media. The two Indians from Tamil Nadu were kidnapped by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition, a rebel outfit in the oil-rich country, on March 7. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 8

Arrest me, jail me, Karnan dares Supreme Court Accuses it of robbing him of his mental and physical balance and his dignity Legal correspondent

had on earlier occasions failed to appear despite repeated summons.

NEW DELHI

In an openly confrontational hearing, controversial Calcutta High Court judge, Justice C.S. Karnan on Friday challenged a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court to arrest and put him in jail for contempt. Reacting to an order of the Bench led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar to file an affidavit explaining his allegations of corruption against fellow High Court and Supreme Court judges, Justice Karnan accused the CM YK

C.S. Karnan interacts with the media outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Friday. V. SUDERSHAN *

Bench of robbing him of his mental and physical balance and his dignity by stripping him of his official work.

Justice Karnan was appearing for the first time before the Bench in the contempt action against him. He

Bailable warrant The court had to issue a bailable warrant served on the judge by a team of the West Bengal Police led by the Director-General of Police. Justice Karnan, appearing for himself in a packed courtroom, shouted at the Bench that he will not come again before it. “Had I not come today, you would have issued a non-bailable warrant against

me... What way am I an offender or an anti-social element or a terrorist for you... you should protect my dignity. My personal life has been destroyed, police entered my colony and people are watching me,” Justice Karnan submitted. “We issued bailable warrants against you, Mr. Karnan, not because you were an accused but because you did not enter procedure. You are not a terrorist,” Chief Justice Khehar responded. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 8 M ND-ND

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UP guidelines for ‘anti-Romeo’ squads Directive not to humiliate or blacken faces of youth comes after outrage over harassment, HC order Press Trust of India Lucknow

The Uttar Pradesh police were on Friday directed by the State government to ensure that its anti-Romeo squads do not resort to blackening of the face or “murga” position type punishments in the name of protecting women. The move by the government comes amid outrage over the way the squads have

punished loitering men on the streets and a day after the Allahabad High Court directed it to ensure that guidelines were followed by the police teams and action taken as per the law. There should be no shaving of heads, blackening of faces or “murga pose” (a stress position used as a corporal punishment where situps are done holding the ears), said a senior official

while listing out the dos and don’ts.

CM’s intervention The fresh guidelines were issued after the intervention of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath amid reports of alleged harassment by antiRomeo squads. The special squads of the UP Police were formed after the the BJP government assumed office this month, ful-

filling one of the pre-poll promises of the party. The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow Bench of justices Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Sanjay Harkauli had given its order on a PIL that alleged that the police were not following the guidelines during the drive. The Chief Minister has also directed administrative and police officials in districts to regularly review the

steps being taken for women security and inform senior officials on a regular basis, the official said. Stressing that his government was firm on upholding the security and dignity of women, the CM said a Statewide drive has been launched to free public places of anti-social elements and check incidents of eveteasing and indecent behaviour.

Will approach higher court, says Virbhadra Clear case of political vendetta: CM Kanwar Yogendra Shimla

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, whose plea for quashing of an FIR against him by the CBI was dismissed by the Delhi High Court on Friday, said he would approach the division bench of the High Court or the Supreme Court for relief in the disproportionate assets case. The octogenarian Chief Minister, who had earlier blamed the CBI for working with malafide intent, again called it a clear case of political vendetta by his political opponents. The CM, who had obtained an order from the Himachal High Court on October 1, 2015, restraining the CBI from arresting, interrogating or filing a charge sheet against him without the

court’s permission, got another jolt when Justice Vipin Sanghi vacated the order on Friday. Mr. Singh finds himself in a legal and political predicament with the CBI filing the charge sheet on Friday against him and his wife in a CBI court at the Patiala House Courts. After the abrupt adjournment of the House by the Speaker, Mr. Singh immediately left for Delhi to consult his lawyers.

Assembly adjourned Meanwhile, Speaker B.B.L. Butail adjourned the House sine die on Friday. Although the budget session was to go on till April 7, the Bhoranj by-election and the latest crisis facing the CM forced the government to take the decision, the Opposition alleged.

DELHI

Timings

Saturday, April 01

RISE 06:11 SET 18:39 RISE 09:30 SET 23:18 Sunday, April 02

RISE 06:10 SET 18:40 RISE 10:23 SET 00:00 Monday, April 03

RISE 06:09 SET 18:40 RISE 11:20 SET 00:19

0 DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested to verify and make appropriate enquiries to satisfy themselves about the veracity of an advertisement before responding to any published in this newspaper. Kasturi & Sons Limited, the Publisher & Owner of this newspaper, does not vouch for the authenticity of any advertisement or advertiser or for any of the advertiser’s products and/or services. In no event can the Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Director/s, Employees of this newspaper/ company be held responsible/liable in any manner whatsoever for any claims and/or damages for advertisements in this newspaper.

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. 78 ●

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THE HINDU

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Odisha Assembly adjourned thrice over tribal’s gang-rape

IN BRIEF

Manipur panel to deal with loods

37 drowned in Puri in three years: govt

IBOYAIMA LAITHANGBAM

‘All deaths along a one-km stretch’

IMPHAL

Soumitra’s grandson injured in road mishap

Naveen Patnaik orders crime branch probe; main accused arrested

KOLKATA

Staff Reporter

Bengali actor and grandson of thespian Soumitra Chatterjee, Ranodeep Bose, was seriously injured in a road mishap in the city early on Friday. Ranodeep was pillion riding on a friend’s twowheeler. He suffered serious head injuries when the bike rammed a concrete wall in New Alipore around 2 am, the police said. PTI

BERHAMPUR

Carcass of adult elephant found JALPAIGURI (WB)

The putrefied carcass of a full-grown female elephant was found at Moraghat range of Dooars on Friday. It was found lying near the Kalapani river by forest workers during a routine visit, wildlife warden Seema Chowdhury said. It is yet to be ascertained when the elephant died, she said. Meanwhile, NGOs here have alleged laxity by the forest department as the carcass was not sighted during the three-day elephant census that ended on March 29. PTI

New regional party launched in Meghalaya SHILLONG

The People’s Democratic Front (PDF), a regional political party in Meghalaya, aiming at developing the State and translating the aspirations of the people into reality was on Friday formally launched. The PDF is the fifth regional political party to be launched here after the United Democratic Party (UDP), the Hill State People Democratic Party (HSPDP), the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) and the Garo National Council (GNC). PTI

The Odisha government on Friday ordered a crime branch probe into the alleged gang-rape of a minor tribal girl in Ganjam district even as the main accused was arrested by the police and the issue rocked the State Assembly. The House witnessed regular adjournments following a ruckus created by the Opposition Congress and the BJP over the incident. Making a statement in the House, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a crime branch probe and informed members that the main accused in the case had been arrested earlier in the day. “My government will ensure that stringent and

Naveen Patnaik

the House. Mr.Mishra found support from BJP legislature party leader K. V. Singhdeo. Subsequently, the Opposition parties’ members rushed to the well of the House and shouted slogans. Mr.Pujari adjourned the House, thrice in a row till 3 pm.

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prompt action is taken in accordance with the law,” he said. Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Narasingha Mishra had demanded a crime branch probe into the incident. Mr.Mishra said that the girl was raped because her father had worked for the Congress in the panchayat polls. He urged Speaker Niranjan Pujari to direct Mr.Patnaik to make a statement in

CAG raps Meghalaya for failure to implement RTE

Secret marriage The main accused arrested by the police has been identified as Khambal Pradhan. Meanwhile, police investigations have revealed that the tribal girl had eloped with Khambal earlier this month and the two had secretly got married at a Shiva temple in Ankuli. Khambal, who was a neighbour of the girl, was brought to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in

OBITUARY & REMEMBRANCE

Berhampur for a medical check-up. Speaking to newsmen at the hospital, Khambal admitted his secret marriage to the tribal girl. According to him, after their marriage they eloped from the village as their families were opposed to their relationship. He claimed he did not know why the girl had alleged abduction and gang-rape. Ganjam Additional SP Trinath Patel said the police were still continuing with the investigation. A search is on to nab the other accused in the case. The CM had stated in the Assembly that cases have been registered against five persons based on the complaint of the victim. (With inputs from PTI)

The Manipur cabinet on Friday constituted a committee headed by Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Leppao Haokip to deal with the floods caused by torrential rain in the past two days. Two persons have died in rain-related incidents. Officials said landslides on national highways had affected transportation of goods. “The committee shall take up flood control measures on a war footing. We have kept men and material ready. An emergency section has been set up,” Mr Haokip said. One person was killed when lightning struck him on Thursday in Jiribam while another person died when the truck in which he was travelling fell into a gorge.

Staff Reporter BHUBANESWAR

Puri beach, one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country, has become a watery grave for many. As many as 37 tourists have drowned during the past three years, the State Assembly was informed on Friday. All deaths have occurred along a one-km stretch close to the tourist town. Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Panda, in response to a query, said all the 37 deaths were reported between 2014 and 2016.

“Deaths have been reported despite the State government taking several steps. For the safety of beach revellers, who bathe in the Bay of Bengal along the beach, 266 traditional fishermen have been deployed and they have been insured,” said Mr. Panda.

Police patrolling Besides, police patrolling has been intensified for the security of tourists at Puri, Satapada and Chandrabhaga beaches, he said. Last year, 18 tourists drowned while 11 deaths were reported in 2015.

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES

Over ₹900 crore funds underutilised Press Trust of India Shillong

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has rapped the Meghalaya government for its failure to implement the Right To Education Act, 2009, resulting in underutilisation of funds of over ₹900 crore, shortage of nearly 1,700 teachers and appointment of over 70% untrained staff. In its report tabled in the just-concluded Assembly session for the year ending March 31, 2016, the CAG said there was a shortage of 1,748 teachers in primary schools with 224 primary schools having only one teacher for

7,769 children enrolled in them. It also reported that over 77% of primary school teachers and 85% of upper primary school teachers appointed were untrained and about 68 schools did not even have science and maths teacher. “Considering that the State already had a high enrolment of 96% in 2011-12, failure to universalise the elementary education indicated lacklustre performance of the department,” the CAG report said. The CAG report identified the lack of basic infrastructure as one of the hindering factors.

EDUCATIONAL

BIRTHDAY REMEMBRANCE

LEGAL NOTICE

EDUCATIONAL

EDUCATIONAL

SITUATIONS VACANT GENERAL

SITUATIONS VACANT GENERAL

PUBLIC NOTICES

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6 scribes of Kerala TV channel face probe

IN BRIEF

Mangalam TV, which aired a conversation between a woman and former Minister, accused of cheating Special Correspondent Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala vigilance chief goes on ‘endless’ leave THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Jacob Thomas, Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, has gone on extended leave. Mr. Thomas described his “unanticipated exit” as the “start of an endless leave”. He said he would not dwell on the reasons for his departure “at this stage.” Police chief Loknath Behera will hold charge in his place.

Aseemanand out on bail, taken to Uttar Pradesh HYDERABAD

RSS activist Aseemanand, acquitted recently in the Ajmer Dargah blast case and granted bail in the Mecca Masjid terror attack, was released from the Chanchalguda Central Prison on Friday. A special police team has taken him to U.P. in connection with the case registered there.

Convict hurls slipper at Kerala judge

At least six journalists of the recently launched private television channel, Mangalam TV, were on Friday placed under formal police investigation in connection with the alleged attempt to “defame, vilify and cause the resignation of a Minister” over a sex tape. The contents of the First Information Report, filed against the suspects at a magistrate court here, largely remained secret.

Three complaints The sex tape, apparently recorded on a mobile phone, featured a sordid conversation between an unknown woman and former Kerala Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran. The State Police Crime

Snowballing issue: Women journalists holding a demonstration near the headquarters of Mangalam TV channel in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *

Branch has confirmed that they had filed separate cases on the basis of at least three complaints forwarded by the State Police Chief Loknath Behera. The agency was unwilling to name the suspects at this stage or elaborate on the Sections under which they

have been booked. Investigators said the complainants had accused the channel of conspiracy, cheating, violation of the IT Act and broadcast rules that entailed a punishment of minimum six years of imprisonment and fine. The channel had grabbed

Tension in Karnataka as farmers from Maharashtra damage barrage 14 sluice gates built across Bhima were broken 3 days ago

public attention on its inaugural day on March 26 by airing an edited version of the seamy conversation as an example of sleaze in high office. It initially claimed that the woman was a petitioner and implied that the “housewife” was forced to put up with the Minister’s “unsavoury advances” to have her grievances heard. The government ordered a judicial inquiry after Mr. Saseendran quit office to “facilitate an independent” examination of the affair.

‘Unethical entrapment’ Soon, the channel came under criticism from civil society for peddling the private sexual peccadilloes of a Minister as news. Media leaders commented that they saw a pre-meditated and unethical

entrapment of the politician using a woman staffer of the channel to further the commercial interests of the broadcasting house. They said the “expose” served no public purpose other than the channel’s commercial interests. The government succumbed and ordered a Crime Branch inquiry on Thursday, forcing the channel to backtrack on its earlier statements. It said the broadcast was the result of a sting operation and admitted that more caution and editorial judgment would have been in order. Women journalists, meanwhile, held a demonstration before the headquarters of the Mangalam TV channel to protest against the alleged use of a woman journalist to set a phone trap on the former Minister.

Threat of social boycott over inter-caste marriage Police warn community leaders Sathish G.T. Hassan

A Sudugadu Sidda family of Shivapura village in Channarayapatna taluk is allegedly being boycotted socially by its own community because a family member married out of caste.

Inter-caste marriage Thirtha (22) and Panchami (19) of the Vokkaliga community got married on March 15 despite opposition from both families. Thirtha, who was studying in a government college in Channarayapatna when he fell in love with Panchami, is now a daily wage worker. As the news of the marriage reached the village, leaders of the Sudugadu Sidda community convened a meeting on Friday. They

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No great escape for Chiko and Chikita Zoo chimpanzees back in kraal after an abortive bid for freedom in Visakhapatnam amused when they were informed. “For a moment, I thought Appa Rao was joking. It is practically impossible for a chimp to scale a 20-foot-high enclosure,” said Ramana Bhusala, forest section officer.

Nivedita Ganguly

KERALA

A man, convicted on Friday for sexually assaulting a minor, hurled a slipper at the judge after he was sentenced to 21 years in prison. As soon as Judge Panjabakesan of a local court in Wayanad pronounced the sentence, the convict hit him. PTI

Slain techie’s husband may attend funeral NEW YORK

Hanumantha Rao Narra, husband of the 38-year-old Indian woman who was found murdered with her six-yearold son in the U.S., is expected to attend their funeral in India, media reports said. Mr. Narra has not been charged with a crime and is free to attend the funeral, Joel Bewley, spokesman for the prosecutor, said. PTI

Firoz Rozindar

VISAKHAPATNAM

Vijayapura

Two chimpanzees, a male and a female, made a dash for freedom at the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park here after scaling the 20-foot-high wall of their day kraal enclosure. But their bid to get a taste of the world outside proved short-lived. On Friday morning, zoo staff panicked after the chimps made an exit. After two hours of dramatic rescue efforts by an emergency team, Chiko (male) and Chikita (female) were recaptured and returned to their enclosure. The zoo went into a lockdown during the operation but no visitors were in the vicinity. Three chimpanzees were brought

Farmers of the Indi taluk of Karnataka are furious over the damage caused to the Umrani barrage across the Bhima river three days ago. A group of farmers from Maharashtra allegedly broke 14 gates of the barrage. This is the second attack after 31 gates of the Hingani barrage were broken in November. Officials say the barrages are broken to draw water illegally into the fields on the Maharashtra side of the border. In the first incident, about 0.144 tmcft of water from the Bhima flowed into Maharashtra. The quantum of water in the second case is yet to be ascertained. Water supply to the adjoining villages has been hit.

Security lapse: A view of the Hingani barrage after it was previously broken in November last year. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *

The police arrested about six persons in connection with the first case. New gates were installed later.

30 farmers held Though the police have arrested 30 farmers in the second case, the bigger question of security remains unanswered.

“For years, we have been demanding that the government provide police security to our barrages like Maharashtra has done for its barrages. But the government has not taken any action,” said Panchappa Kalburgi, president of the Bhima Nadi Neeru Horata Samiti.

EDUCATIONAL

decided to boycott the family and impose a penalty. Manjunath, Thirtha’s father, told The Hindu: “The leaders demanded ₹1.5 lakh. We were denied the right to fetch water from the public tap and others were told not to talk to us. They were warned that any violation would attract a fine of ₹5,000.” The Channarayapatna police reached the village on hearing the news. They told the villagers that they would take action as per the law if the boycott was implemented. This prompted the leaders to backtrack on their decision. “The leaders, in the presence of the police, told us that there would be no boycott. I hope they stick to their assurance,” Mr. Manjunath said later in the day.

EDUCATIONAL

Ape’s life: Chiko (left) climbed a fence in his enclosure at the Indira Gandhi Zoo in Vizag on Friday. K.R. DEEPAK *

to the zoo from Israel last June. Curator B. Vijaykumar said a malfunction in the solar fencing was exploited by the chimps to climb the 16-foot-high wall plus a four-foot-high solar fencing. The drama began when animal keeper Appa Rao

spotted Chikita hanging out of the solar fencing, offering a hand to Chiko, who followed her out. “I was shocked. They are usually very friendly, but despite my best efforts to get them back, the two kept leaping around,” said Mr. Appa Rao. Zoo officials were not

EDUCATIONAL

Felled with a dart The 16-member zoo emergency team rushed in with two tranquilliser guns and a blow pipe. The two 90 kilo apes swung from branch to branch, walked around the jaguar enclosure and evaded the team. “We tried to lure them with fruits. When that failed, we had to tranquillise the female with a blow pipe. With his companion down, Chiko also returned,” said veterinarian Dr.V. Srinivas.

TENDERS

EDUCATIONAL

PERSONAL LOST & FOUND It is notified for the information that my Original Qualifying Examination Certificate of Main Senior Secondary (Class XII) Examination of year 2012 and Roll No. 9165441 issued by CBSE has been actually lost. Name of the candidate Jay Desai; Full Address: 1019 Narmada Complex, JNU Campus, New Delhi 110067; Tel:011−26704338

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THE HINDU

NATION 5

NOIDA/DELHI

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Blasts in Odisha rail station Maoists triggered them at Doikalu to protest against PM’s visit to State

Small savings interest rates cut by 0.1% Press Trust of India

Staff Reporter

two walkie talkie sets. Another group of Maoists reached a goods train stationed there. It snatched a walkie talkie from the engine driver and forced him to shut down the engine. The ultras tried to take out diesel from the engine to burn it, but they failed. They triggered a blast near the engine. According to railway officials, the blasts did not cause much damage. As Doikalu is a small station, where very few trains stop, security was low, which made it a soft target for the Maoists, sources said.

BERHAMPUR

Yasin Bhatkal brought to Ahmedabad for blasts case AHMEDABAD

The police on Friday brought Yasin Bhatkal, one of the founders of the terror organisation Indian Mujahideen, to the city in connection with the 2008 serial blasts case. Co-accused Assadulla Akhtar alias Haddi was also brought to the city along with Bhatkal. Both were flown here by a special flight from Delhi, a police officer said. Eighteen blasts ripped through the city on July 26, 2008, killing 56 and injuring over 150. PTI

BJP flays Nitish for power tariff hike PATNA

Making light of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s announcement of providing relief to consumers by way of direct subsidy on power, BJP leader Sushil Modi on Friday said there had been a rise of 36 per cent to 80 per cent in electricity rates announced as compared to the last fiscal. The announcement is like “khoda pahad nikali chunhiya (infinitesimal result after much effort),” Mr. Modi said here. “This is the highest increase in one go in the last 15 years, which the BJP would protest after consulting its NDA allies,” he said. PTI

U.P. Ministers to get tips on PDS from Chhattisgarh RAIPUR

Two Ministers of the newly installed Uttar Pradesh government are visiting Chhattisgarh to study the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the State. UP Food Minister Atul Garg and Agriculture Minister Choudhary Lakshminarayan arrived here on Thursday evening and called on the Chief Minister Raman Singh on Friday. They held a meeting with Food and Civil Supplies Minister Punnulal Mohile, who gave them information about the PDS, an official release said. PTI

Protesting against the proposed visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Odisha, Maoists triggered blasts at the Doikalu railway station in Rayagada district of the State on Thursday. Naxalites set off an explosion in the office of the station master and tried to damage the engine of a goods train through another blast. But they did not harm the railway staff. Many trains were detained at various stations due to the blasts. Doikalu is situated between Rayagada and Titilagarh.

Handwritten posters Maoists left behind handwritten banners and posters in Odia at the station, attacking the policies of the Modi government at the Centre and the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha. They also opposed the BJP’s national executive meeting in Bhubaneswar on April 15 and 16 and Mr. Modi’s visit to Odisha to attend the same. In some posters, the ul-

Soft target: A Maoist banner at the Doikalu station with the targeted goods train in the background. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *

tras opposed the posting of non-Odia administrative officials and the deployment of non-Odia BSF and CRPF personnel, who, they alleged, were exploiting the locals. According to Doikalu station master S.K. Parida, about 15 to 20 armed Maoists, including women

cadres, in two groups entered the station around 12.15 a.m. The group that entered his office forced him and a porter out of the station premises. It then triggered an explosion in the station master’s office. The ultras also took away

11 trains detained According to East Coast Railway authorities, at least 11 trains had to be detained at various stations. The Junagarh-Sambalpur Express was cancelled. Traffic was resumed on this route after security clearance. Odisha Director General of Police K.B. Singh said a new Maoist group in Rayagada district might be behind the violence.

Can’t ban MPs from other professions: SC Says conlict of interest argument makes sense but court cannot frame policy Krishnadas Rajagopal New Delhi

“There are doctors who became IAS officials and engineers who are diplomats,” Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar said, finding no merit in a petition to ban legislators from practising other professions, especially law. A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, dismissed a petition filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay despite strong arguments raised by the latter that beedi or liquor barons eventually become MPs and sit on committees to influence the destiny of their businesses. “This is a serious conflict of interest... There are politicians who sign at Parliament

and come here to appear for private clients... is that not conflict of interest? They get salaries as parliamentarians, why should they come as lawyers,” Mr. Upadhyay argued. The Chief Justice said he had a valid point, but the court could not frame policies. “Principally your arguments make sense, but how can we frame policy? If there is a law, we will support it,” Chief Justice Khehar said. Mr. Upadhyay said in his petition that the restriction imposed on public servants and judges against engaging in other professions should apply to lawmakers. Many legislators who doubled up as advocates

were even retainers of big corporate bodies’ entities, thus giving rise to a situation of conflict of interest between their constitutional duties as legislator and lawyer meant to vouchsafe the private interests of their client.

Call for uniform policy “We cannot curb corruption without having a uniform policy relating to conflict of interest and restricting our legislators from practising other professions as similar to the restriction imposed on public servants and members of the judiciary ... many lawmakers hold corporate retainership and defend their lawbreaker clients in courts. It is not only im-

moral, unethical, but also a violation of Rule 49 of the Bar Council of India Rules,” Mr. Upadhyay contended.

Primary role “With 543 Lok Sabha MPs representing more than 1.3 billion people, a Member of Parliament on an average represents more than 2.25 million people. Similarly, a Rajya Sabha MP is the voice of his State in Parliament and, as such, has a very important role in our federal political system. The primary role of an MP is as a legislator. “Thus, MPs must attend Parliament every day and dedicate themselves fulltime for the welfare of people,” the petition said.

New Delhi

The government has lowered interest rates on small saving schemes such as Public Provident Fund (PPF), Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) and Sukanya Samriddhi scheme by 0.1 per cent for the April-June quarter, a move that would prompt banks to cut their deposit rates. For April-June, these have been lowered by 0.1 % across the board compared to January-March. However, interest on savings deposits has been retained at 4% annually. Since April last year, interest rates of all small saving schemes have been recalibrated on a quarterly basis. A Finance Ministry notification said investments in the PPF scheme will fetch lower annual rate of 7.9%, the same as 5-year National Savings Certificate. The existing rate for these two schemes is 8%. KVP investments will yield 7.6% and mature in 112 months.

Senior citizens scheme The one for girl child savings, Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, will offer 8.4% annually, from 8.5% at present, while it will be the same at 8.4 % for the five-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme. The interest rate on the senior citizens scheme is paid quarterly. Term deposits of 1-5 years will fetch a lower 6.97.7% that will be paid quarterly while the fiveyear recurring deposit has been pegged lower at 7.2%.

Probe ordered into school stripping incident Staff reporter Meerut

The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday ordered a probe into the forced stripping of 70 girls at a Muzaffarnagar school, allegedly by Principal Surekha Tomar, to “check for menstrual

blood”. Ms. Tomar, wardencum-principal of the residential school, has denied the charges. According to the District Primary Education Officer Chandar Kesh Yadav, the incident took place on Thursday at the Kasturba

Gandhi Residential School in Digri village of Muzaffrnafar. Ms. Tomar allegedly forced the students to parade themselves in a line and forced them to strip to find out the “source of a blood stain in the hostel washroom”.

Victims’ kin seek demolition of collapsed lyover State govt yet to decide its fate and has approached IIT-Kharagpur in this regard Staff Reporter Kolkata

Family members of those who died when a section of an under-construction flyover collapsed in north Kolkata last year, have demanded that the rest of the structure be demolished. Locals on Friday organised a protest demonstration

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near the congested market area of Burrabazar under the banner of the ‘Flyover Hatao Abhiyan Samity’ (Remove the Flyover Committee). However, the State government is yet to decide on the fate of the remaining structure and has approached IITKharagpur in this regard. “Even after so many

deaths, the State government is dilly-dallying. It has been a year since the incident happened, but no action has been taken so far,” said Bapi Das, a public works contractor, who also heads the committee. Family members of the victims demanded demolition of the remaining struc-

ture and accused the govt of being indifferent to the issue. “The State government reportedly wants to use the flyover for two wheelers. How can they even think of constructing it in the first place in such a narrow congested road,” said Lokesh Meherotra, whose brother died in the accident.

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6 EDITORIAL

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

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Transcending democracy beyond elections The argument that people are gullible or that they always make the right electoral choices is simplistic mosphere for the lourishing of a real democracy. Is it surprising then that a Hindu nationalist and authoritarian populist solution has become appealing in the present, or that the ruling party could appoint Yogi Adityanath, the Hindutva leader who has openly issued inlammatory communal statements in the past, as U.P. Chief Minister?

Connected by air Udan has started the process of tapping India’s civil aviation opportunities fully

There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies… And this seems to be the inal revolution. — Aldous Huxley, 1961. he Left, the liberals, and those in political opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi are in shock about the mandate given to his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh. The question that especially arises in their mind is how could people, especially, the poor, support a party that has wrought the hurtful efects of demonetisation. The balement has produced responses among the commentariat and politicians which term the people as dumb, and brainwashed. Former U.P. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s reaction to the results was: “people may not have liked my Expressway and voted for Bullet train.” Here one is reminded of Bertolt Brecht’s sardonic suggestion to the Soviet-backed Communist government of East Germany which was trying to delegitimise the massive worker’s rebellion of 1953: Would it not be easier/In that case for the government/To dissolve the people/And elect another?

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Misreading reality On the other side, are responses which celebrate the victory of the BJP as a celebration of the wisdom of the people. And once the “wise” people have delivered a verdict such as this, then policies such as demonetisation, and “surgical strikes,” are necessarily correct and cannot be questioned. The argument that people are gullible and easily brainwashed, or that they are intelligent and always make the right choices are both

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Authoritarian populism To this majoritarian nationalism, we can add the new tendency of what the theorist, Stuart Hall, has called as authoritarian populism. Authoritarian populism is the ability to fuse together disparate disenchantments arising from the crisis of economic development and politics into an authoritarian nationalist solution. It is not that socialism, secularism, and anti-caste ideologies have failed as concepts. Rather, these ideologies have not built, in practice, an educational system which goes beyond the privileging of technical education, an everyday culture which goes beyond caste, gender, and religion, and an economic framework based on real equality. They have advanced largely only as electoral forces. In between elections, these ideologies have not struck roots, allowing other forces to take their place. In castigating the people for not making progressive choices, what is missed is their lack of schooling in a culture of critical thinking. People process information on the basis of the pedagogies they are exposed to. A commercial, media-controlled popular culture and an educational system suffused with the dominant cultural values is not the most conducive at-

Propaganda thrives Here, the factual accuracy of the actual achievements of an authoritarian populist regime seems immaterial. People just believe them to be true. Nevertheless, arguments based on “post-truth” to explain this are misleading. The problem is not that truth or “objective facts” are irrelevant (except for those who willingly propagate untruths). Rather, there are few avenues to access truth with the increasing domination of the media by corporate monopolies, and that the competence to distinguish between truth and falsehood is impaired in a pedagogical system where rationality is reduced to instrumental goals, and in an economic system where all ethical considerations are sacriiced at the altar of proit. It is in these conditions that propaganda thrives and the 10,344 WhatsApp groups of the BJP in U.P. operate sending (mis)information such as how the Muslim population in India, which is 14% now, will be a majority by 2050! This is believed even by the well-to-do, and educated classes. How do we then blame the oppressed classes with little access to even a technical education, and when their own historical traditions of critical thinking have been appropriated or diffused by the dominant society? At the other end of the spectrum, the superlatives used even by progressive critics to describe the U.P. victory as a Modi “wave” or “magic” also participate in the reduction of democracy to elections, and elections to one individual. Here, there is no discussion of the systematic attempts at communal polarisation through localised riots under way since many years. The spectacular amount of material resources at the command of the national ruling party and that

Building a counter move Any move to build an oppositional movement to authoritarian populism and majoritarian nationalism will have to, of course, contend with the popularity of Mr. Modi. But to talk of a seamless Modi wave ignores that it is not a monolith and it still has breaks and contradictions even in a social context largely pitted against rational thinking. Even electorally, the Modi wave does not seem to have touched the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Telangana, Odisha and West Bengal, where in 1,111 Assembly seats, the BJP has 23, which is 2%. For those who revel in the wave, these States — which have nearly 25% of the Indian population — do not count. The argument that one should accept a verdict without question because it is the people’s mandate ignores the fact that large numbers of people arrive at decisions under conditions which are not always rational or democratic. Democracy is not a popularity contest. And the dominant majority is not the ethical majority. If in a village of 1,000 people, 600 people are in favour of stoning a woman to death for the alleged crime of adultery, is that democratic because there is a majority decision? If the bane of Indian democracy — its reduction to electoral majorities and manoeuvring —must be overcome, then people cannot be castigated for being brainwashed, or for delivering unpalatable verdicts. And rather than elect a new people, it is necessary to build a new people by building new social conditions, which is immensely more challenging than winning elections.

Nissim Mannathukkaren is Chair, International Development Studies, Dalhousie University, Canada

Sharpening a pro-choice debate The Treatment of Terminally Ill Patients Bill is a good point to take the euthanasia-related debate forward

An attack on Africans in Noida is a chilling reminder of the racial prejudices we harbour he attack on a small group of Africans in Greater Noida, a suburb of the national capital located in Uttar Pradesh, has once again thrown a spotlight on a disturbing trend in the country: mob violence, and speciically the targeting of persons of African origin in many of these instances. What is particularly disturbing and shameful is that the attack took place in a busy shopping mall without a single bystander, shopkeeper or security guard intervening. This has, understandably, touched an anxious chord about their personal safety among the thousands of African nationals who live, work and study in and around Delhi. While the police have made some initial arrests and opened cases against several hundred unnamed persons on charges of rioting in the wake of video footage of the attack going viral, such incidents of racial violence need a stronger response from the administration and civil society. That the attack was ostensibly triggered by accusations that some African students were linked to drugdealing and were somehow responsible for the death of a local student is no justiication for taking the law into one’s hands, leave alone indulge in such violence. That the law enforcement machinery and the courts are the only places for seeking redress for any breaches of law cannot be overemphasised. That a mere rumour can trigger such violence is truly alarming. It is diicult to see this incident in isolation from other instances of discrimination against African nationals who have taken up residence in cities around the country. Last year, the murder of a Congolese student in Delhi compelled African Heads of Mission to threaten a boycott of Africa Day. The message was not lost on anyone that the envoys had been moved to consider such an extreme step just months after New Delhi hosted the Third India-Africa Forum Summit, in October 2015, where they had announced their resolve to “enhance Africa-India relations... based on the principles of mutuality, complementarity and true sense of solidarity as well as the promotion of people to people interactions.” In the end, Africa Day went as planned, but the point had been made, that even as India makes abundant efort to deepen ties with the 54 countries of the African Union, this cannot be achieved without understanding and acting upon the aspirations of nationals of these countries. In modern diplomacy, the quality of people-to-people contact is a factor in determining the overall strength of a bilateral relationship. But even as Indian diplomats move to assure African students in Greater Noida about their safety, with External Afairs Minister Sushma Swaraj discussing the matter with U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, this issue is not about foreign afairs. It is a reminder of the latent racism in India, of the terrible prejudices too many of us harbour, and of the need for a political and social efort to overcome it.

a triumph of secularism in society. The last two and a half decades have seen the distinctive emergence of Hindu majoritarian nationalism as an electoral force. But that outcome is the result of a decades-long social transformation.

simplistic. For it abstracts people from their social contexts with vast discriminations of caste, class, religion and gender, and a culture that is meant to justify these hierarchies. It is a culture that is heavily weighed against rational and critical thinking. Not understanding these concrete realities and the constraints they impose lead to supericial analysis. Thus, the general election of 2014 and the present U.P. elections are seen as a communal vote whereas the general elections of 2004 and 2009, and the recent Delhi and Bihar Assembly elections are secular votes. There are, of course, elements of truth in this. But the pertinent question here is how do people alternate between being communal and secular? A problem with these readings is that it produces a particular reality: that of reducing democracy to elections, or I what I call the electoralisation of democracy. This fails to understand the larger structural changes, especially in the economy, that are taking place in society. This is the reason why election results produce such balement and, also, the helplessness among the progressives in countering a verdict such as that of U.P. In seeking to bring about social transformation only through elections, the progressive forces fail to understand the shifting ground underneath the surface of electoral contests. Therefore, the electoral defeat of BJP will not mean that its communal world view does not enjoy social currency anymore, or the victory of the Congress party is

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he introduction of a Bill in Parliament to govern end-of-life medical care appears to have been missed in all the din of political developments. Tabled by MP Baijayant Panda, the Treatment of Terminally Ill Patients Bill, 2016 contains several prominent features: it recognises the validity of advance medical directives by terminally-ill patients, which physicians will be bound to respect while treating them, and it also emphasises the need to account for palliative care when making end-of-lifecare decisions. However, the provisions most likely to attract popular attention are those permitting physician-assisted suicide for terminallyill patients. In its judgments in the Aruna Shanbaug and Gian Kaur cases, the Supreme Court has stated that the law currently only permits passive euthanasia, i.e. withdrawal of lifesaving treatment. The administration of a lethal drug dose by a physician (active euthanasia) or by the

patient herself (assisted suicide) would constitute attempts to commit or abet suicide under the Indian Penal Code, 1860. However, in both these judgments, the court stated explicitly that assisted suicide was only illegal in the absence of a law permitting it. Therefore, assisted suicide could be legalised if legislation was passed by Parliament to that efect.

Right to assisted suicide The irst eforts have been made in this direction through this Bill, which recognises the right of terminally-ill patients to withhold and refuse medical treatment, and to express their desire to a medical practitioner to assist them in committing suicide. It does not permit active euthanasia. Once the practitioner is satisied that the patient is competent and has taken an informed decision, the decision will be conirmed by a panel of three independent medical practitioners. This Bill is a bold and welcome step in many respects, and is a signiicant improvement over the draft Ministry Bill that it is based on. It moves away from decision-making based on the ‘best interests’ of the patient and recognises the right to die with dignity. However, there is need to clearly think through some of the provisions in this Bill and the

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Working this summer The decision by judges of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice J.S. Khehar, to forego two months’ summer vacation and to hear important cases is laudable (“Judges choose work over vacation”, March 31). The colonial tradition of having a prolonged summer vacation has to be looked at objectively as work seems to be sufering. When essential services are maintained 24 hours with a shift system in force, courts too should follow this model given that cases are piling up. J.P. Reddy, Nalgonda, Telangana

The Aadhaar debate In a perfect world and in a perfect India, the Aadhaar number is a benign and

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The mob’s bias

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ix months from now, 43 cities will be mainstreamed on India’s light connectivity grid, an outcome of the Udan scheme launched to spur regional lights covering distances up to 800 km. These include a dozen airports where limited but irregular lights operate, and as many as 31 destinations that are not connected at all despite the existence of airport facilities. The scale of India’s untapped civil aviation opportunities can be gauged by the fact that these constitute less than 10% of India’s inactive airports/airstrips — 394 out of 450 are dormant currently. The Udan scheme is a critical component of the national civil aviation policy unveiled last June. It ofers viability gap funding to operators to ly smaller aircraft to such airports with a commitment to price tickets for at least half of the seats at ₹2,500 for an hour-long light. In the irst round of bids, 11 new or existing airline operators pitched for more than 200 routes. The Centre has approved 27 proposals from ive players, adding 128 routes to India’s aviation map. The estimate is that this will add 6.5 lakh new seats with a subsidy of ₹200 crore. The most heartening aspect is that these include six proposals for 11 routes that don’t seek any subsidy under the scheme, proving there is an untapped economic potential. The beneits for tourist hotspots such as Agra, Shimla, Diu, Pathankot, Mysuru and Jaisalmer — that would now be just a short light away, replacing cumbersome road or rail journeys — are obvious. But the signiicant multiplier efects of aviation activity, including new investments and employment creation for the local economies of other destinations could be equally profound. Provided this model is sustainable and more regional lights come up under the scheme, the availability of slots at larger airports that would emerge as hubs could become an issue — particularly at capacity-constrained airports such as Mumbai. The second airport at Navi Mumbai may help ease congestion, but that is still years away. In cities where new airports have been developed, such as Bengaluru, abandoned old facilities could be revived as dedicated terminals for low-cost and regional lights. Separately, new no-frills airports must be encouraged where traic is expected to hit saturation point in coming years. Recently, four new foreign investors and a few domestic players have expressed interest in managing operations at state-run airports such as Jaipur and Ahmedabad. This marks a revival in investor interest after a long lull. It is time to revisit provisions that ofer existing private operators of large airports (burdened by debt) the right of irst refusal on any new airport proposed within 150 km. Most interested bidders for the Navi Mumbai airport stayed away over this clause. Last but not the least, this development must start a rethink within the Indian Railways, as it could now lose traic on some routes.

were spent in the elections are not scrutinised. And in a nation in which caste is the single most important marker of one’s life chances, there are shocking proclamations like the “Modi wave” signifies “the end of caste”. This ignores the adroit micromanagement of caste complexities in U.P. by the BJP.

procedures it sets out. This Bill adopts a modiied deinition of “terminal illness” from a draft Medical Treatment of Terminally Ill Patients Bill, which was released by the Ministry of Health in May last year. However, like the draft Bill it is based on, it deines the term as a persistent and irreversible vegetative condition under which it is not possible for the patient to lead a “meaningful life”. The use of this subjective phrase would require second parties to decide whether a person in a permanent vegetative state is living a life that is meaning-

ful. Persons with disabilities, in particular, are likely to be disadvantaged by such an understanding of “terminal illness”. It also gives rise to the practical question of how a person in a permanent vegetative state will be able to self-administer the lethal dosage of drugs to commit suicide. In the case of incompetent patients, or competent patients who have not taken an informed decision about their medical treatment, the Bill lays down a lengthy and cumbersome process before any action can be taken for the cessation of life. Once the medical practitioner and independent panel are satisied that euthanasia is medically advisable, permission would have to be sought from the High Court. The practitioner would then have to receive clearance from the Medical Council of India (MCI). Such a procedure is advisable for an act like assisted suicide which might be prone to abuse. However, it would be a violation of patient autonomy if it were applied to instances of merely withholding or withdrawing medical treatment. Decisions on such withdrawal are made often and on a regular basis, and the procedure prescribed must not tie up the medical practitioner and family of the patient in litigation. Further, given that the MCI has

been afected by corruption and institutional incompetence, and likely to be overhauled completely, it is not advisable to place complete reliance on it. Ideally, its role should ideally be limited to framing guidelines and providing guidance when requested.

The way ahead Eforts to allow assisted suicide have gained traction around the world in the recent past, with Albania, Colombia and Germany and Switzerland having legalised it in various forms. Even in India, the debate over euthanasia, patient autonomy and the interests of the state in preserving the life of persons is currently playing out in various fora, including the courts and the executive. While the ethical implications of these acts have been debated endlessly, there is a need to debate how such a law would be operationalised. This will help to ensure the constitutionally guaranteed right to bodily integrity and autonomy, and to minimise misuse of the law. This Bill acts as a great starting point, and must take these debates into account to be implemented efectively. Nivedita Saksena is a lawyer working on public health at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy

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

exemplary tool to deliver governance (“Is Aadhaar a breach of privacy?” March 31). But we live in an imperfect world. With just an Aadhaar number, the government can freeze a bank account(s), deny boarding at an airport, withdraw a driving licence.... Of course one can prove one’s innocence, but in India this can take several years after horrors and harassment. Linking Aadhaar is in many ways a hasty step that we will repent at leisure. Until the Centre and Parliament come up with robust privacy laws and harsh punishment for its breach along with an iron-clad, hack-proof cyber security of Aadhaar servers, the contemplated linkages with

almost all aspects of daily life are a dangerous development. R. Subramaniyam, Chennai

■ I ind it strange that people today are ready to give away their ingerprints to MNCs in order to ‘secure’ their smartphone, but refuse to do the same thing to their own democratically elected government for a range of beneits. Why such double standards?

Tej Kankaria, Chennai

unwilling to explore alternative sources of energy available in the country. There is opposition to nuclear energy because of a lack of transparency. Land acquisition, relief and rehabilitation issues remain while a coastal survey (in some instances), weather conditions in pre- and post-monsoon phases and seismic study reports have not been made public. Problems of environmental safety and the livelihood of ishermen have not been addressed. Bobbili Sridhara Rao,

Nuclear energy push The UPA and now the NDA government may have given utmost importance to nuclear energy but it seems to be at the cost of our safety. Governments are

Hyderabad

A blemish The spectacular cricketing win of India over Australia on Tuesday has left the Indian team as well as

countless fans in this great nation in a jubilant mood. But as a 13-year-old schoolchild, I ind the chain of rudeness set of by both teams to be unacceptable. This certainly cannot be called cricket! This fascinating game’s charm lies in players congratulating each other for their spellbinding performance in every match, no matter who wins.

I was relieved to read about players on both sides feeling guilty and showing some sense of remorse. Given their stature, cricketers need to be aware of the way they conduct themselves (‘Sport’ – “Aussie friends comment overblown, says Kohli”, March 31). Afraaz Sidhu, Jalandhar, Punjab

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

corrections & clarifications: The opening sentence of “Consistent Rahul shoots up in ICC Test rankings” (Sport, March 31, 2017, some editions) read: “K.L. Rahul, who smashed six centuries in the series against Australia, has climbed to a career-high rank ... “ It should have been six half centuries. It is the policy of The Hindu to correct signiicant errors as soon as possible. Please specify the edition (place of publication), date and page. The Readers’ Editor’s office can be contacted by Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300 (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday); Fax: +91-44-28552963; E-mail:[email protected]; Mail: Readers’ Editor, The Hindu, Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860 Anna Salai, Chennai 600 002, India. All communication must carry the full postal address and telephone number. No personal visits. The Terms of Reference for the Readers’ Editor are on www.thehindu.com

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THE HINDU

GROUND ZERO 7

NOIDA/DELHI

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

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Step by step: “Today, only small pockets of old forest cover survive on what was once a majestic hill harbouring over a hundred species of trees and as many shrubs and climbers. But hope grows.” Workers of The Forest Way go up the hill with tree saplings to plant. (Below) In this year of drought, a watering hole for animals in the ‘forest park’ at the foothill. BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT; SHAJU JOHN *

Holy hill gets its groves back An aforestation initiative led by naturalists and locals, with support from forest and revenue department oicials, has resulted in the Arunachala hill in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, shedding its barren, brown visage. Lalitha Sridhar reports on the decade-plus-long turnaround story Her earliest memories of the holy hill called Arunachala are brown and barren, or swathes of black after a fire burned night and day, dying as mysteriously as it seemed to have started, even as devotees thronged the temple of the agni lingam, where Shiva is worshipped as fire, at its foothill. G. Jaya, now 35 years old, can be found these days even before the sun rises at the nursery behind the children’s park, the hill looming behind her, right at the heart of the temple town of Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu. Here, she readies rows upon rows of lush green saplings of indigenous tree species, born of seeds collected from the forest to which they will go back, readied in pouches of sieved and proportioned leaf litter compost mixed with cow dung. Jaya, who holds a Master’s in Social Work, tends to them lovingly. Water, a scarce commodity, is used judiciously as fear of a harsh, rainless summer looms. By the time her classmate from school, R. Vijaya, an erstwhile auxiliary nurse midwife at a private hospital, drives up in her moped to her tidy makeshift site office, its stone steps have been washed clean. Vijaya is a multi-tasking supervisor with The Forest Way (TFW), a unique afforestation initiative in reserve forest and government revenue land. Led by a team of naturalists and local workers with the support of forest and revenue department officials, the project began informally in 2003 before it was registered as a non-profit trust in 2008. The collaboration has resulted in the greening of a hill denuded for so long that even locals like Jaya found it hard to believe anything could grow here. A sign of how astonishingly successful this ground-up effort has been came when Vijaya, who has studied up to Class XII in the Tamil medium, pointed to one of her favourite trees, a hardy young kumbadiri planted by TFW, the tulir (tender leaves) of which are a beautiful red, she said, before leaning over to spell its botanical name for this writer’s benefit: S-c-h-l-e-i-c-h-e-r-a o-l-e-o-s-a.

Shoots of recovery In Tiruvannamalai, a major Hindu pilgrim centre in Tamil Nadu that is home to the 10-hectare Annamalaiyar temple complex, one of the largest in India, the greening story goes back to the mid-90s, with the founding of the Annamalai Reforestation Society, a civil society initiative, followed by the Tiruvannamalai Greening Society (TGS), founded in 2004 by the then district forest officer (DFO) Pasupathy Raj along with several local functionaries, including fellow DFO Mani Iyer, the then collector Dheeraj Kumar and the then district revenue officer and now MD of Tamil Nadu Minerals Ltd. M. Vallalar. Says Raj: “Forest officials can and should take the bold step of encouraging afforestation in land controlled by the government, after correctly assessing the organisation and its plans.”

as reforestation < > Even continues apace, other dangers are posed by the development of residential plots on agricultural land, expansion of roads, and increased pollution. CM YK

Lending remarkable momentum to these nascent efforts, TFW countered the damage wrought on a fragile, semiarid ecosystem by pilgrims who arrive by the thousands, a forest wilfully set afire by goat herders so fresh shoots would grow, illegal logging of the little timber that survived, and the occasional bout of lightning in the scorching summers (Arunachala is an inselberg, a relatively isolated hill that rises abruptly from the plains). While the initiative has assumed a life force of its own now, at TFW’s heart (and that of the Marudam Farm School on the outskirts of the town) lies the passion of a trio: V. Arun, an engineer by qualification who left a corporate job to focus on alternative education and the environment, dedicated conservationist Akila Balu, and British educator-environmentalist Govinda Bowley, who serves as their consultant. Since 2008, TFW has deployed a group of 30 permanent and 80-odd casual workers during the planting season, aided by fluctuating numbers of active volunteers. Relying only on individual donors, TFW annually reforests 15,00018,000 trees, though of the 1.5 lakh trees they have planted so far, only about 50% take root in wet years (the average falls to less than 25% when it does not rain, as in 2016). “If the dice is rolled too early, trees may not catch,” says Bowley, 42. “Neither water nor soil can be carried up the hill. Ideally, if the southwest monsoon is expected to be good, we plant ahead of it. If a young plant dies, it dies, and yet, the success rate has surprised us.” TFW’s reliance on deep local knowledge has had a lot to do with its success. There’s C. Parasuraman, 35, the ‘chief seed collector’, who has worked on land since he left school after Class X, and now mans the shaded mother bed where seeds germinate — in some species only 5% sprout, others can take months. “I learnt germination tech-

niques for different seeds through trial and error. A dip in boiling water or acid, for example, can mimic what a bird’s alimentary canal would do for seed distribution in nature,” he says. The TFW team also leans heavily on 51-year-old K. Maasilamani, who has been working on the project since it started. During planting season, he leads a team of up to 50 workers from the village of Adaiyur close by. The Class III dropout knows every fold, gully, valley, ravine and slope of the hill intimately. “We always say he has a built-in GPS and Google Earth map inside him,” laughs TFW trustee Arun, 47. Maasilamani’s native wisdom is key to balancing the needs of different groups — villagers, forest officials and project coordinators. “I explain to them [other workers] that plants are like our children,” says the weather-beaten grandfather for whom greening is a way of a life and not an ideological response to environmental crises.

Flora, fauna and fires Over time, increased sightings, some more common than others, have been reported of several animal species, in-

cluding small Indian and common palm civets, grey and (the rarer) ruddy mongooses, hares, jungle cats, rusty spotted cats and the elusive pangolin. Spotted deer and porcupine populations have grown so dramatically that TFW is now trying to protect young trees from them with wire mesh. Twenty species of snakes, ten of lizards and freshwater turtles, and seven amphibians, with a profusion of butterflies, countless numbers of beetles, spiders, mantids, dragonflies and other insects (especially when it rains) point to the rapid and thriving regeneration of the hill’s ecosystem. R. Sivakumar, 39, also a local boy, a gifted signboard artist and avid birder with TFW, is currently working on a book to document the 170 bird species he has photographed thus far around Arunachala, an exercise that shows no signs of completion after four years because he keeps spotting something new. Resolving the issue of commonly occurring forest fires, linked inextricably to the sacred lore of the site especially for ailments of the stomach, has been the key to the process of reforestation. Vijaya remembers, “When I was a child, when we saw the hill burning, nothing would be done about it because our elders would say someone with stomach pain must have lit camphor as a prayer.” Today, Vijaya coordinates a crew of four ‘fire watchers’ who constantly scan the hill for signs of trouble and counsel pilgrims making their way up, receives alerts from villagers for whom she remains on call any time of night or day, and leads over 50 volunteers who can make the climb to the location of the fire in less than an hour, sometimes half that time. “We carry only water and sickles because it’s a hard climb, and we cut branches from whatever green foliage is handy nearby to put the fire out,” says Sivakumar, who has evocatively painted stone information panels on fauna as part of TFW’s guided walks

for school groups. “The more locals participate, the more the perception of a black hill shifts,” explains Arun. Over the years since, the number of fires has come down drastically, and those which break out are put out quickly. “The danger from fires will truly pass only when the trees are taller and sturdier, rising above the grass,” says Bowley, who first planted trees on Arunachala in July 2003 to celebrate the birth of his daughter. Manjampul, an indigenous grass species, grows up to 6-7 feet high on the slopes, swaying taller than small trees. When a mixed deciduous forest regenerates, in the shade of larger trees with thicker (fire-resistant) bark, grass grows only 2-3 feet high, allowing the fire to pass through. Given the rocky terrain and average daytime temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius, the TFW team also lays 10metre-wide fire lines every year, disturbing soil minimally while removing grass and other incendiary material. Each km of fire line costs approximately ₹25,000 to complete; over 20 km of fire

danger from ires will < > “The truly pass only when the trees are taller and sturdier, rising above the grass. Govinda Bowley Consultant to The Forest Way

lines criss-cross the hill now. Other problems persist. The periya kovil (big temple), which lies to the east of the nursery, is one of the five major shrines to Shiva, revered here as fire. The annual festival of Karthigai Deepam, when an enormous flame is lit atop the hill, attracted over two million devotees this past December to a town with a population of 145,278 (2011 Census). It is a particularly difficult time for TFW’s workers and volunteers, who painstakingly haul down about 125 cement sacks full of litter they collect, chiefly plastic bottles, after the event. The hugely popular 4-acre children’s park, entry to which is free, is set upon the main road, a short hop from the famous ashram founded by Ramana Maharishi’s followers. This was once an open garbage dump infested with rodents and flies. Behind it is the cooling sprawl of a 20-acre ‘forest park’, which merges into the scrubby jungle surrounding it.

The past and the future The Tiruvannamalai region is written about in Tamil Sangam literature (circa 100 B.C. to A.D. 200), and the ruler Chevvarainatan (Chevvarai, the ‘red mountain’ or ‘coral hill’, is believed to be a reference to the Javadi hills not far from here) finds mention in the Perumpanatruppatai, a Sangam classic. In geological terms, the basement rocks of Tiruvannamalai (and nearby Gingee and Tirukovilur) are estimated to be around 2.25 billion years old, making them significantly older than the Himalayas. Different endemic forest types grow on the 2,669-ft.-high Arunachala — scrubby species of southern deciduous thorn forests that are better adapted to the dry interior of the region blend with tropical dry evergreen vegetation of the

explain to them [other < > Iworkers] that plants are like our children Maasilamani A senior worker with The Forest Way

eastern coastal belt. As the slope of the hill is ascended, the flora turns dominantly mixed deciduous forest of the Eastern Ghats. The upper reaches are cooler and wetter, as are the valleys, which are not as exposed to the sun and wind. The top third of the hill creates its own cloud, often seen shrouding it in the non-rainy season, and plant life draws on this moisture. This is habitat for evergreen species. Moreover, a range of deciduous trees, adapted to cope with the hot summers and firehardy when mature, grow even on the exposed slopes. Today, only small pockets of old forest cover survive on what was once a majestic hill harbouring over a hundred species of trees and as many shrubs and climbers. But hope grows. The increased tree cover has cut down rainwater run-off drastically as the soil absorbs more water now. Seasonal streams flow more slowly and steadily, lasting longer after the monsoon has ended, making it easier for more trees to survive. Apart from siltation of water-collecting ponds at the bottom of the hill, soil erosion also increases fears of landslides — in 1966, casualties could be avoided because boulders fell to the uninhabited southwest of the hill. Meanwhile, even as reforestation continues apace, other dangers are posed by the development of residential plots on agricultural land, expansion of roads, and increased vehicular, noise and light pollution, all of which isolate the vulnerable young ecosystem on the lone hill, preventing the movement of animals to and from nearby forest areas. As Tiruvannamalai braces for a severe drought this summer — some perennial ponds at the foot of the hill have already gone bone dry — TFW soldiers on with efforts that are finally paying off after over a decade of dogged work. They don’t lack inspiration. Sacred groves of eastern coastal tropical dry evergreen forests have been found as far inland as 60 km — here, short trees grow densely in a dark and atmospheric jungle. At Tiruvannamalai, such an extant sacred grove may be found in the hill’s now-inaccessible circumnavigational route, part of the reserve woodland. In this ancient forest, scrawny, gnarled liana climbers (like Pterolobium hexapetalum and Capparis zeylanica) grow up to two storeys high, and very old iluppai (Madhuca indica), wild lime, neer kadamba (Mitragyna parvifolia), tamarind and satinwood trees tower solemnly. Here, too, a magisterial mottled wood owl takes off with a whoosh, wild hare dart, brown eagles swoop and spotted deer skitter past when intruding feet scrunch alarmingly loud on the dry undergrowth, the silence so profound that breathing is audible, and yet a noisy thoroughfare, full of traffic and humans, lies less than 300 metres away. It is such a forest that TFW is trying to return to Arunachala. M ND-ND

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8 NEWS

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

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FROM PAGE ONE

Liquor sales ban covers hotels too: SC The court however, reduced the liquor-free zone along highways from 500m to 220m in areas with a population of 20,000 or less. The court reiterated that liquor vends should neither be accessible nor visible from the highways. So in areas in Himachal Pradesh, liquor can be sold beyond 220m from the highways. In a further partial relief, the court took note of the fact that excise licence period varies in different States and extends beyond April 1, 2017. In such States, the court extended the deadline for phasing out the licences to September 30. So, in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where the excise licences are valid till

October 1 and June 30, respectively, there will be no ban on highway liquor sales till September 30, 2017. However, the court denied Tamil Nadu any relief. It dismissed the State's request to reduce the no-liquor zone from 500 m to 100 m and held that the ban will start from April 1 itself. Yet north-eastern States of Sikkim and Meghalaya got a full exemption from the 500-m no-liquor zone ban after the court took into consideration their hilly terrain and also the fact that 82% of its area was forest land and over 90% of their liquor shops would be closed if the ban was imposed strictly in its original form.

Arrest me, jail me, Karnan dares court The Bench also comprised Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Dipak Misra, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B. Lokur, P.C. Ghose and Kurian Joseph. “My fight is against corruption,” Justice Karnan submitted, handing over a letter dated March 25, concerning allegations against 20 judges to the Bench. “You think about what you want to say. If you want legal help, I suggest you take legal advice. You should be properly prepared,” Justice Chelameswar suggested to Justice Karnan. “If you unconditionally apologise, this matter will take a different course. If you choose to accuse ‘A’ or ‘Y’, the matter

will be adjudicated,” Justice Dipak Misra observed. When the court gave Justice Karnan the choice between rendering an unconditional apology for his scurrilous letters and accusations against the judiciary, Justice Karnan said they should first restore his powers as a judge in order for him to be in a position to prove his allegations. Finally, Chief Justice Khehar recorded that Justice Karnan was replying neither coherently nor affirmatively to questions and gave him four weeks to file the affidavit. The next hearing is on May 1.

2 Indians released in South Sudan Mr. Raja had alerted India about the kidnapping through his messages in social media and sought the support of Ms. Swaraj. “I am happy to inform about the release of two Indian nationals Midhun and Edward who were abducted in South Sudan,” Ms. Swaraj said on Twitter. The two petroleum engineers were abducted in South Sudan but the release on Thursday took place in Sudan, a source in the Indian embassy said over telephone. The nationals have been taken to the Indian embassy in Khartoum. They were abducted along with a Pakistani, Ayaz Hussein Jamali, by rebels from their place of operation in energy-rich province

Confirmation received The Directorate has already received confirmation from the Panama’s Financial Intelligence Unit on the existence of at least 60% of the companies. However, the legally admissible documents will have to be collected by the I-T Department CM YK

Krishnadas Rajagopal NEW DELHI

Chief Justice of India Justice J.S. Khehar told BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Friday that they did not have the time to hear the pending Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suits appeals. “At the moment we do not have the time. We can’t have you,” Justice Khehar, who was sitting in combination with Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, told Dr. Swamy. On March 21, the Chief Justice, in a similar mentioning made by Dr. Swamy for the court to fix an early date to hear the appeals, had orally suggested an out-ofcourt rapprochement among rival parties in the 68-yearold dispute. The Chief Justice

had advised peace negotiations instead of a pitched court battle. “We thought you were a party in the case. It was from the Press we learnt that you are not,” Justice Khehar explained his oral comments made during the March 21 mentioning hour. Dr. Swamy said he was here on the larger question of law. “My faith has been affected by not being able to pray at the site. I am not interested in the property... I am interested that the temple should be there,” the MP submitted. On March 22 last year, a Bench led by then Chief Justice T.S. Thakur had said that Dr. Swamy’s plea to “rebuild” the Ram temple would be sent to the appro-

A ile photo of pillars and slabs for the proposed Ram temple kept at a workshop in Ayodhya. RAJEEV BHATT *

priate Bench dealing with the Ramjanmabhoomi title dispute appeals. At that time, the Supreme Court had said that the case would be tagged with the appeals and heard in due course.

“We don’t have the time right now,” CJI Khehar repeated to Dr. Swamy.

Counsel’s complaint One of the lawyers for the original appellants in the title

suits complained that Dr. Swamy had not given them prior notice before mentioning the matter to the court last time on March 21. On that day, Chief Justice Khehar had asked Dr. Swamy to consult the litigating parties about appointing a negotiator for an out-of-court settlement and report back on March 31. “You [Dr. Swamy] must make fresh attempts to arrive at a consensual decision. If required, you must choose a mediator to end the dispute. If the parties want me [CJI] to sit with mediators chosen by both the sides for negotiations, I am ready,” the CJI had offered. The dispute, which has seen much tension and violence over the past decades,

Pakistan inciting youth in J&K: Rajnath Home Minister says social media apps are being used to gather local people at encounter sites but also entire India, Mr. Singh said. K.C. Venugopal (Congress) also raised the issue of deaths of civilians. Mr. Roy noted that he was a member of the all-party delegation which had visited Kashmir earlier and the situation there had again become very grave.

Special Correspondent New Delhi

Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Friday that Pakistan was using the social media to incite youths in Kashmir to storm encounter sites to help militants when security forces engage the latter in encounters. Mr. Singh was responding to members in the Lok Sabha when they raised the issue of death of three civilians in Budgam in firing by the security forces earlier this week. Responding to Saugata Roy (Trinamool Congress) expressing concern saying the situation in the Kashmir Valley was very grave and seeking his intervention, Mr. Singh said the security forces were dealing with terrorism in a way they should and they would surely be successful. He said the strife-torn region had seen a “new trend” of late in which youths from nearby villages gather at the sites of encounter between

Peerzada Ashiq

Midhun Ganesh and Edward Ambrose after their release.

of Upper Nile state. Mr. Jamali has also been released, according to reports. Ms. Swaraj took to Twitter to congratulate the officials involved in the operation. “I appreciate the efforts of Indian Ambassador in South Sudan Srikumar Menon for the release of Indian nationals.”

jail term for cow slaughter was seven years, but not less than three years. However, seeking more stringent provisions, the government noted that curbing the menace of illegal slaughter required a tougher law. “The Gujarat Assembly passed a cow protection Bill, among the most stringent in the country, making cow slaughter a life-time punishable offence,” Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said.

1,900 Indians under I-T scanner However, these companies were set up in Panama itself. The I-T Department is now expected to send requests to the Panama tax authorities under the information exchange agreement for further details on the data provided by the ED.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had sought early hearing of pleas on Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suits

New trend: Protesters throw stones at CRPF personnel while blocking the tracks at Wanibal near Srinagar on Friday to protest the killing of three youths in the Budgam encounter. PTI *

the security forces and terrorists and pelt stones to help the ultras holed up there to flee. “I will appeal to youths not to be misled by Pakistan. Some social media applica-

tions like WhatsApp and Facebook are used to gather youths at places of encounters. These groups are based in Pakistan. Security forces are dealing with terrorists exactly the way they should

and will continue to do so. I want to say that we will definitely be successful,” he said. Pakistan-sponsored terrorists were trying to destabilise not only Kashmir

Widespread clashes Meanwhile, the Kashmir Valley saw widespread clashes yet again after the Friday prayers over the latest killings in Budgam. Protesters were seen hurling stones and rocks at security forces at over a dozen places in Srinagar, Pulwama, Anantnag and Baramulla districts. All senior separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik were detained and prevented from attending any congregational prayers. (With inputs from Peerzada Ashiq)

Candidates unable to campaign for byelections

Gujarat to tighten cow slaughter law In the statement of objects of the Bill, the government noted that “it is considered necessary to provide for more deterrent punishment for offences committed by contravening the provisions of the Act and also to make the offences cognisable and non-bailable.” Under the existing Gujarat Animal Preservation Act 1954, which was amended in 2011 by the then government headed by Narendra Modi, the maximum

No time to hear Ayodhya appeals now: SC

from the Panama authorities for further probe. Thedepartment will first seek copies of incorporation documents of these companies and their financial transactions. It is suspected that a significant part of the funds generated through unlawful acts like tax evasion and money laundering was parked abroad. Before formal investigations against the individuals, the authorities will confirm their residential status at the time of alleged commission of offence, as NRIs are not legally required to report their offshore interests.

Srinagar

With just eight days left for the byelections in the Kashmir Valley, star candidates — including National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah, Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Tassaduq Hussain and Congress’ G.A. Mir — find mass campaigning difficult in the

wake of growing unrest. The security situation can be gauged from the fact that all 1,600 polling stations in Anantnag will be categorised as “hyper sensitive”, where multi-layer security will guard the booths on April 12. The bypolls will see a face-off between Congress stalwart G.A. Mir against

PDP debutante Mufti Tassaduq, son of former Chief Minister and PDP patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. Once considered a bastion of the ruling PDP, Mr. Tassaduq has limited his poll rallies to party workers only in south Kashmir. He is yet to visit poll-bound districts of Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian to cam-

paign for his party. Several leaders of the NC, PDP and the Congress admitted that rallies and door-to-door campaigning “may not be practical in this year’s byelections”. Sources in the security agencies described the heightened anger as “the spillover of the five-monthlong street agitation of

2016”, which left over 90 civilians dead. Police sources said Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam were emerging as highly-volatile areas and hence poll rallies could not be conducted peacefully. Dr. Abdullah admitted that “Kashmir was passing through most difficult times”.

debated in courts since the 1950s. On September 2010, a three-judge Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court held that Hindus have the right to the makeshift temple under the central dome of the Babri Masjid. The High Court ruled in favour of a three-part division of the disputed 2.77 acre area among Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the Ram Lalla at the disputed site. The Bench had relied on Hindu faith, belief and folklore.

Pending for six years The Sunni Waqf Board and other parties filed their appeals in the Supreme Court against the 2010 judgment. The appeals have remained pending in the court for the past six years.

New visa regime kicks of today Special Correspondent New Delhi

India’s new liberalised visa structure will kick off from Saturday, months after it was cleared by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 30 last year. “The liberalised visa structure is ready for implementation from tomorrow [April 1]. These include liberalisation of the e-visa scheme, tourist, business, medical and employment visas. New categories of visas such as intern visa and film visa have been introduced,” a Home Ministry statement said.

More categories E-visas have further been divided into e-tourist visa, e-business visa and e-medical visa. The e-visa facility has been extended to the nationals of 161 countries for entry through 24 airports — earlier being done through 16 airports and three sea ports, Kochi, Goa and Mangaluru — to tap the potential of cruise tourism from different countries. This service will also be provided from Mumbai and Chennai seaports shortly. The window for application under the e-visa scheme has been increased from 30 to 120 days and duration of stay on e-visa has been increased from 30 to 60 days with dual entry on e-tourist and ebusiness visa and triple entry on e-medical visa.

Notify HIV-hit children as disadvantaged group: SC

Use mobiles to reach out to youth, Modi tells MPs

This will enable them access to free education

‘2019 poll will see maximum use of mobile technology’

Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI

In a significant step, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered State governments to consider issuing a notification under the Right to Education law, declaring children living with/affected by HIV as a ‘disadvantaged group’ deserving additional rights to help them gain free and compulsory education, a fundamental right under the Constitution. A Bench of Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar and D.Y. Chandrachud gave States four weeks to issue the notification under Section 2 (d) of The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Edu-

cation Act of 2009, which mandates the State governments concerned to issue a notification that a child belongs to a disadvantaged group based on reasons ranging from caste, social, cultural, linguistic, geographical, gender, etc. The Act makes education compulsory for children between six and 14 years of age. The Bench ordered that those States which are “unwilling” to issue a notification under Section 2 (d) should file an affidavit “explaining why they consider it unnecessary” to inform that children living with HIV do not belong to a disadvantaged group. The court

however noted that at least 11 States have already issued the notification. The order was based on a petition filed by NGO Naz Foundation (India) Trust, represented by senior advocate Anand Grover, which pointed out that HIV-hit children face denial of admission, outright expulsion, segregation, breach of confidentiality to being given chores like cleaning toilets. According to NACO estimates in 2012-2013, around 20.9 lakh people were living with HIV in 2011. Children less than 15 years of age account for seven percent (1.45 lakh) of all infections.

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked BJP MPs to do their utmost to use mobile technology to get in touch with the youth. He told them to be prepared in these medium, and added that the 2019 polls would see the maximum use of mobile technology for accessing information, according to sources. Mr. Modi held his concluding breakfast meet with batches of BJP MPs, by meeting members from Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka at his residence.

Narendra Modi

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar was present. According to a statement released by the BJP after the

meeting, Mr. Modi asked the MPs to also take forward efforts to link the Prime Minister Krishi Seenchai Yojana (irrigation scheme) to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. “This will strengthen the growth of irrigation in an institutional way,” the statement quoted the Prime Minister as saying. “Prime Minister Modi also said that this would lead to a growth in this sector by 2022 and beyond in 2025,” the statement said. This is considered the last of the breakfast meetings with party MPs, which started with MPs from Uttar Pradesh last week.

My motion on Governors wasn’t taken up, says Digvijaya In Rajya Sabha, the Congress leader claims the Leader of the House has not even given him time to meet till now Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Senior Congress leader Digivijaya Singh said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday that he had become a “laughing stock” as his substantive motion regarding the role of the Governors of Goa and Manipur had not come up for discussion despite it having been admitted by the chair-

man. Mr. Singh, who has raised this matter each day in the Zero Hour, claimed that the Leader of the House had not even given him time to meet till now. “I have become laughing stock. Journalists ask me when I go out and when I return what happened to my substantive motion. The Leader of the House has

taken no decision on my substantive motion. How many days are left from Wednesday onwards? Please assure me it will be taken up before this session ends,” he said. “I suggest that the chairman call the Leader of the House and me and fix a time. It is not acceptable if the Leader of the House violates the decision of the chairman.”

Mr. Singh found support from CPI(M) MP Tapan Kumar Sen, who said, “It appears that a vetoing operation is under process so that during the left-out period of the session, the matter could be dodged out.”

Parrikar’s dig Later, as he bid farewell to the Rajya Sabha, Goa Chief

Minister Manohar Parrikar “thanked” Mr. Singh, who was the Congress’s pointsman to Goa, for doing nothing in Goa after the results, which gave him a chance to become CM. “I express my thanks to the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and members of this House for their support during my tenure as the Raksha

Mantri [Defence Minister] and invite them to Goa whenever they want to come,” he said.

A special thanks “My special thanks to honourable member Digvijaya Singh, who happened to be in Goa but did nothing so that I could form the government.” M ND-ND

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THE HINDU

NEWS 9

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IN BRIEF

‘Yogi’s choice as CM was unanimous’ To brand him as hardline face or anti-secular is very unfair, says BJP general secretary Ram Madhav Nistula Hebbar New Delhi

Ajay Chautala granted parole for son’s wedding NEW DELHI

INLD leader Ajay Chautala has been granted 21-day parole to attend his son Dushyant Chautala’s wedding next month. Delhi LtGovernor Anil Baijal had granted parole to Ajay Chautala, who is serving a 10-year term in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam in Haryana. - PTI

I-T department notifies new ‘Sahaj’ form NEW DELHI

Taxpayers who deposited ₹2 lakh or more postdemonetisation, will have to make this disclosure in the new Income Tax Returns (ITRs) forms notified on Friday. The information is also to be furnished in the new one-page, simplified ITR-1 ‘Sahaj’ form for taxpayers who have income from salary, a house property or earn interest totalling up to ₹50 lakh. The ITRs forms for assessment year 2017-18 were notified by the Central Board of Direct Taxes. PTI

Senior IAS officer shunted out of MHA NEW DELHI

A senior IAS officer posted as Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry was abruptly repatriated to his cadre State, Madhya Pradesh on Friday. M. Gopal Reddy, a 1985-batch officer, was prematurely repatriated to his cadre following a decision of the Appointment Committee of Cabinet, an official said. He had six months more to serve the Centre. No reason was given in the order relieving Mr. Reddy with immediate effect.

The choice of Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is still creating waves in political circles, not least because it appeared to be a surprise. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, however, told The Hindu, that there was no question that the choice was a unanimous one within the party, and the legislative group. In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, he denied that the RSS had a hand in the choice and said that in his party (BJP) “these decisions are taken by the parliamentary board, the chief of which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. We strictly follow this parliamentary board system led by the Prime Minister and party chief. The Legislative Assembly then elec-

ted him. So where is the question of Yogi Adityanath’s choice as Chief Minister being anything other than a choice made by everyone in agreement?” He also felt that the new Chief Minister was being judged for controversial utterances that had been “taken out of context” and that his own popularity and public works in Gorakhpur involving all sections of society were being ignored. “Yogi Aditynathji has been in politics for the last 25 years, has been a five-time MP from Gorakhpur and as the head of the Gorakhnath Peeth also he is a very popular leader. He is someone who was partly instrumental in the landslide victory that the party got in Uttar Pradesh. He is one of the best available leaders for us in

Ram Madhav U.P. To brand him as hardline face or anti-secular is all very unfair,” he said.

Committed to all sections “On the question of his controversial statements, I would only say this much that most of the times those who are in the thick of politics, their statements, if you

take them out of context, from a one-hour speech if you pull out one sentence, it can appear to be so. But those who know Yogi Adityanathji well they vouch for the fact that he is a hardcore politician, committed to the well-being of all sections of society. His own Math [Gorakhnath peeth in Gorakhpur], besides the temple runs many institutions and social activities, and in all those activities there is no discrimination on the basis of caste, religion or community. Many nonHindus work in his projects and he has followers from across social categories. This branding of him as a communal or sectarian leader needs to be revisited and is unfair,” he said. While Mr. Madhav spoke at length on all the reasons

SC removes 25 years age cap for NEET Relief to many students who desire to become doctors but thwarted by age limit Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI

In a relief to many students whose desire to become a doctor was thwarted by age limit, the Supreme Court on Friday removed the age cap of 25 years for aspirants who wish to appear in NEET-2017 for admission to MBBS and BDS courses. A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and A.M. Khanwilkar allowed them to fill their NEET forms through the online portal of the CBSE till April 5, 2017. The portal will open from Friday evening. The NEET examination is fixed for May 7. The last date for filling up forms was March 1.

Supreme Court

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The Bench passed the order on the basis of several petitions from students who sought the quashing of an admission notice dated January 31, 2017, that stipulates the maximum age of 25

Dalai Lama’s Arunachal visit will spoil ties: China

years for eligible candidates to undergo the NEET examination. The notice was issued by the CBSE on the instructions issued by the Medical Council of India and approved by the Central government. “As we, prima facie, find such an age limit could not have been determined by way of a notice on the basis of the instructions issued by the Medical Council of India, it is appropriate to direct that all the desirous candidates will be allowed to fill up the forms on the online portal of the CBSE on or before April 5, 2017,” the Bench observed in an interim order.

The court, however, made it clear that forms submitted after April 5 would not be accepted as the CBSE, the authority which conducts the exam, would face problems. The court directed local authorities and agencies to provide CBSE with logistical support, for example, like additional centres in lieu of larger number of candidates. The court further restrained the High Courts from interfering in matters like choice and allocation of centres and said that if any contrary order has already been passed by any of the courts, then the CBSE shall be bound by the order of the Supreme Court.

why Mr. Adityanath could hold the position of Chief Minister, he refused to comment on whether, in that Constitutional position, he could remain the head of the Gorakhnath Peeth. “I’m not familiar with the customs and traditions of that Math. That question can only be answered by Yogiji,” he said.

Oppn. attacked He also accused the Opposition of reductionism when it came to assessing the U.P. mandate. “This one election has shown that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the capacity to raise any election above caste, community and other such parochial identities. The U.P. elections were about electing a corruptionfree, development-focussed government,” he said.

Exporters’ body may move court ARUN S.

Contractors to pay for bad roads Motor Vehicles Bill gets Cabinet nod Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Road contractors may have to pay out up to ₹1 lakh per accidental death caused due to faulty road design and poor maintenance of the roads, according to the proposed Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill approved by the Union Cabinet on Friday. “We have proposed a penalty of up to ₹1 lakh per accident caused due to faulty road design to be paid by contractors,” Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said at a press conference. Every year, more than 10,000 people die in road accidents due to potholes, a senior Ministry official said. In 2015, 1.46 lakh people were killed in road accidents in India which translates into 400 road deaths per day — an increase by 4.6% from 2014, according to official estimates. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced in the Lok Sabha

in August last year. The Bill was referred to the Departmental Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture and the Ministry made some changes based on the Parliamentary panel recommendations which have now been approved by the Union Cabinet.

Insurance claims Mr. Gadkari said the Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha again “in the next few days”. The Bill also proposes settlement of insurance claims to family of a road accident victim within four months of the accident. It now takes at least four to five years for the claim settlement, an official statement said. However, the insurance claim amount has been reduced to ₹5 lakh from ₹10 lakh from the earlier proposal. The new proposed Bill also “proposes Aadhaarbased verification for grant of online services, including learner’s licence”.

New Delhi

The country’s apex body for meat exporters is mulling to challenge the Uttar Pradesh government over the shutdown of several licensed slaughterhouses. The State houses 42 of the 75 government-approved abattoirs-cum-meat processing plants/standalone abattoirs in the country, and these account for 60% of India’s total buffalo meat exports worth $4.8 billion, according to the All India Meat & Livestock Exporters Association. India exports buffalo meat to around 74 nations.

Two Indian students assaulted in Poland Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Two Indian students were assaulted in Poland, a European news agency reported on Friday. The students were visiting a popular market square in the educational town of Poznan, when they both were attacked by unknown people. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she had

spoken to the Indian Ambassador in Poland and asked for a report about the incident. According to Polish media reports, the victims lived in Poznan and were strolling in the afternoon. The police case was however delayed as the officials who reached the spot first did not speak English. This is not the first time that such an attack has targeted Indians in Poland.

Beijing to seek land for agro project Suvojit Bagchi

Beijing says India has to make a ‘choice’ in its dealings Atul Aneja

based China Tibetology Research Centre, told the media that the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh is a “sensitive issue,” and referred to its linkage with the boundary issue.

Beijing

China on Friday once again warned India that the proposed visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh would cause “deep damage” to Sino-Indian ties, and stressed that New Delhi would have to make “a choice” in its dealings with the Tibetan spiritual leader. “China and India are two major developing countries and we are close neighbours. It is very important for the two people to maintain sound and steady China-India relations. But such relationship has to be built on (a) certain foundation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in his daily briefing. Mr. Lu highlighted that “such visits” will cause “deep damage” to China-India relations. “We have asked India to stick to its political pledges and not to hurt China-India relations. It will come down to India to make a choice,” he said.

Lu Kang The spokesperson’s remarks are part of a sustained effort by the Chinese officialdom and academia to discourage India from greenlighting the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh in early April. China has been particularly emphatic about its claims over Tawang, which houses the famous Tawang Monastery — India’s largest monastery. It is also the second largest monastery in the world after the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Last week, Lian Xiangmin, director of contemporary research of the Beijing-

Claims on Tawang “This (the visit) will undoubtedly negatively affect friendly relations. We do hope history and facts are respected by both the parties.” Mr. Lian had stressed. He added, “Tawang is a part of Tibet and Tibet is a part of China. So Tawang is a part of China. There is not much problem here.” During his Friday briefing Mr. Lu said that China was “seriously concerned about the news” about the Dalai Lama’s visit. “On the eastern section of the China-India border, China’s position is clear and constant. The Dalai clique has long been engaging in separatist activities with (an) inglorious record.”

KOLKATA

When a trade delegation from Chinese province of Shandong visits Kolkata next week, it will explore possibilities to acquire land, a contentious issue in Bengal, to set up “an agricultural demonstration centre” in the State, the Chinese envoy said here. While the size of the land has not been specified, the centre will house a model farm to showcase best agricultural practices with modern machinery, Consul General of China Ma Zhanwu said. The idea came from Mr. Ma’s colleagues in the Chinese Embassy in Delhi. “India and Israel have one such demonstration project, set up a few years ago in Noida, and it has helped farmers in the area greatly. It is a profit-making centre now. Some of my colleagues visited the place and suggested that we may try it here,” Mr. Ma said. Chinese firms would expect Bengal to provide “land and manpower,” he said.

Industries grossly pollute Ganga 30% of such units are not complying with norms, CPCB survey inds NEW DELHI

Mission for Clean Ganga, a Water Ministry body.

Nearly 30% of the so-called Grossly Polluting Industries (GPI), along the Ganga, were not complying with norms according to a year-long survey by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). “Between December 2015 to January 2017, 302 GPIs were inspected by the CPCB of which … 141 units were found to be complying with stipulated norms, whereas 96 were found non-complying and 65 were found closed. Closure directions were issued to 45 non-complying units, show cause notices to 37 and letters to 14 non-complying units,” Minister of State for Water Resources Vijay Goel informed the Lok Sabha on Friday. GPIs are defined as industries that discharge more

72 projects sanctioned Under the Namami Gange Programme till March 20, 2017, 145 projects are sanctioned at an estimated cost of ₹10,730.71 crore. Out of these, 72 projects are sanctioned for creation of 932.84 million litres per day (MLD) new Sewage Treatment Plants (STP), rehabilitating of 1091.00 MLD of STP and laying/rehabilitation of 4031.41 km sewer network for treating pollution in the Ganga and Yamuna. Till date, 13 projects have been completed and have created 198.13 MLD STP capacity (153.1 MLD for river Ganga and 45 MLD for Yamuna River) and laid 1147.75 km of sewerage network, Mr. Goel added.

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CM YK

Toxic water: Major polluting industries have been identiied in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Bihar.

than 1,00,000 litres of waste water and/or hazardous chemicals. The CPCB has identified a total of 764 major polluting industries along Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West

Bengal and Bihar. Tanneries comprise the bulk of polluting industries and 80% of the polluting industries are located in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, according to the National

M ND-ND

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ELSEWHERE

India may be hit by U.S. trade review Country-speciic report to identify violations; Trump administration mulls measures to reduce deicit Varghese K. George Washington

Flynn ofers testimony for immunity: report WASHINGTON

Michael Flynn has “a story to tell”, his lawyer said on Thursday, amid reports that the ousted U.S. national security advisor has ofered to testify in exchange for immunity about potential ties between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia. AFP

Venezuela A-G criticises Maduro over power grab CARACAS

Venezuela’s Attorney General Luisa Ortega surprisingly broke ranks with President Nicolas Maduro on Friday, condemning recent rulings that consolidated the socialist president's power as a “rupture of constitutional order”. Ms. Ortega was long seen as a loyalist of the Maduro camp. AFP

Hamas mulls revenge after commander killed

India is among the 16 target countries in a review of trade ties that President Donald Trump was scheduled to order late on Friday. The President would also sign a second order to strictly enforce anti-dumping and countervailing duties, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday. A “country-by-country, product-by-product” report will be prepared in 90 days that would form the basis of further measures that the Trump administration would take to reduce the country’s trade deficit. The report will identify “every form of trade abuse and every non-reciprocal practice that now contributes to the U.S. trade de-

Trade abuses Mr. Navarro has been a long time critic of China, but on Thursday, he insisted the presidential executive orders were not exclusive to China and was not linked to the

two-year period. “The reaction from Europe is very clear. This is what you may be saying but this is where we stand... Article 50 was the end of the beginning and the journey from now will be so complex and difficult and ridden with uncertainty,” said crossbench member of the House of Lords Karan Bilimoria, and chair of Cobra Beer. “From the business point of view, this is shocking.”

Vidya Ram

After openly accusing Israel of assassinating Mazen Faqha, its key military commander near his Gaza home, experts say that Hamas would seek to avenge the killing, but from a distance. Mr. Faqha was shot four times near his home on March 24 in what appears to have been a meticulously planned assassination. AFP

Hopes that Britain might be able to simultaneously negotiate the terms of its exit and a new trade deal with the EU were dashed on Friday, as European Council President Donald Tusk set out the initial terms of talks. He signalled that Britain would only be able to commence talks on the future relationship once there was “sufficient progress on the withdrawal”. He also ruled out a sectorby-sector approach, which the British government had previously indicated it would pursue, to ensure that the impact of Brexit on certain sectors such as the financial services and automobile would be minimised. “Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for mid-March bomb attacks on a courthouse and restaurant in Damascus that killed 32 people and were denounced by rebel groups. The March 15 attacks were a rare assault in the heart of the Syrian capital, which remains under government control. AFP

White House National Trade Council.

Tusk rules out simultaneous talks on the terms of U.K.’s exit and a new trade deal London

BEIRUT

Donald Trump

scheduled visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping next week. Mr. Trump has named China, Mexico and Japan repeatedly for allegedly unfair trade practices. He has never named India, but the 100% duty that India imposes on high-power motorcycles was mentioned in his first speech the U.S. Congress recently. The trade review will touch upon a litany of American concerns about trade with India — inadequate protection of intellectual property, state subsidies and tariff and non-tariff barriers. “India and the U.S. must trade more in energy, generic pharma and defence if the intention is to bring down trade deficit. Also, the U.S. must be open to move-

Europe sets out tough Brexit terms

GAZA CITY

Islamic State claims deadly court bombings

ficit,” Mr. Ross said. India is the ninth biggest trading partner of the U.S. and had a trade surplus of around $26 billion with the U.S in goods trade alone last year. Of its top 20 trading partners, the U.S. has a surplus with only five. With China, the U.S. had a deficit of $347 billion in 2016. The review will be to assess whether deficit is being caused by cheating, specific trade agreements, lax enforcement or World Trade Organization rules. China, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Ireland, Vietnam, Italy, South Korea, India, Malaysia, Thailand, France, Switzerland, Taiwan, Indonesia and Canada were countries named in the briefing by Mr. Ross and Peter Navarro, the director of the

Donald Tusk

U.K., will not happen,” he said on Friday. Several national leaders of EU countries had previously signalled that trade talks might not be able to commence until the exit terms were finalised, but that was initially seen as a tough talk. Mr. Tusk’s remarks, however, highlight the challenge facing the U.K. as it attempts to secure both processes in a

Brexit presents challenges and opportunities for India: envoy

Period of uncertainty “Following today’s comments by Donald Tusk, it is indicative that the existing period of uncertainty will continue to hover over businesses on the future of the U.K.’s trading relationship with the EU,” said Sarosh Zailwalla, founder of Zaiwalla & Co solicitors in London. “Under this contin-

ued period of uncertainty, Indian businesses and organisations operating out of the U.K. will also have to stall their plans unless and until more clarity emerges.”

No special arrangement Liberal Democrat Tim Farron pointed to the clear exclusion of a sector-by-sector approach by Europe. “This leaves no doubt that [Brexit Secretary David] Davis’ comments about special arrangements for the car industry or the financial sector are worthless.” Mr. Tusk said that while the EU shared Britain’s desire to establish a close partnership, the talks would be “difficult, complex, and sometimes even confrontational.” However, Europe would not adopt a punitive approach as “Brexit in itself is already punitive enough.”

ment of service professionals to the U.S.,” said Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI. Ahead of the President signing the executive orders, the U.S Trade Representative on Friday morning released its annual National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers that highlights foreign barriers to U.S. exports. The 20-page long chapter on India lists a range of trade restrictions by India such as an existing ban on animaltested cosmetics and restrictions on dairy products and alcohol. It also accuses India of being opaque in its nontariff regulations, and lists export subsidy programmes in several sectors as a matter of concern.

U.S., NATO to talk Ukraine: Tillerson Agence France-Presse Brussels

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday he would hold talks with NATO allies about “Russia’s aggression in Ukraine”, signalling a tougher stance toward Moscow from the Trump administration. “We want to have a discussion around NATO's posture in Europe, most particularly in eastern Europe in response to Russia's aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere,” he said upon arriving in Brussels for his first NATO talks. Mr. Tillerson joined the talks listing the Trump administration’s top priority as pushing NATO allies to meet their pledges to boost defence spending as Washington says it has borne a “disproportionate” share of the costs for too long.

Danse macabre: Residents gather near a damaged shop in a market after a blast in Parachinar, Pakistan, on Friday. REUTERS *

22 killed in blast near Shia mosque in Pak. Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility Reuters PARACHINAR

A bomb apparently targeting a mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Parachinar killed at least 22 people on Friday and wounded dozens in an attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. The explosion in a remote area bordering Afghanistan came as people gathered for Friday prayers near the women’s entrance of a Shia mosque in the central bazaar, the latest in a series of attacks across Sunni-majority Pakistan this year. The local political agent, Ikramullah Khan, said the death toll had reached 22, with 70 wounded. Sajid Hussain, a parliamentarian from Parachinar, said gunfire preceded the blast, which he described as a suicide attack. The city is located in an area with a large Shia population. “The attack took place in a busy area and a women’s mosque appears to be the target,” he said.

Sectarian violence The banned Islamist militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, said the blast was

part of its operation Ghazi, named after a radical Islamist leader killed by Pakistani security forces in 2007. Following a string of earlier incidents this year, the latest attack adds to fears of an increase in sectarian violence in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state of some 200 million people. Last month, more than 80 people were killed in an attack on a crowded Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that was claimed by Islamic State.In January, at least 21 people were killed when an explosion hit a vegetable market in Parachinar, capital of the Kurram tribal region, where Pakistani security forces have battled militant groups for years.

Rescue work Authorities said a military rescue helicopter had been sent to the scene to help evacuate the injured. Mumtaz Hussain, a doctor at the Agency Headquarters Hospital in the region, said five bodies, including a woman and two children, and more than three dozen wounded had been brought to the hospital and an appeal for blood donors had been made.

Zuma sacks Minister, ANC in crisis

Says there is ‘political will’ on both sides to reach trade pact

Reuters JOHANNESBURG

Vidya Ram London

Brexit will present opportunities as well as challenges for India, and its bilateral relationship with Britain, Indian High Commissioner to the U.K. Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha said this week, as the U.K. gave the European Council the formal notification that it plans to leave the union. While Britain is unable to negotiate free trade deals with other nations in the EU until its exit is concluded in March 2019, the country has made clear its eagerness to forge international trade accords, and is hopeful that it would be able to establish a free trade agreement with India.

“We will constantly be monitoring developments especially those that impact on our bilateral relationship,” said Mr. Sinha. He added there was the “political will” on both sides to reach an agreement on trade. Announcing the triggering of Brexit earlier this week, Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain was not protectionist and wanted to be a truly global trading nation. However, hopes of a deal with India have encountered a mixed reaction: while India was the first non-EU country that Ms. May visited as Prime Minister, there are also concerns that immigration policy could stand in

the way, among other things. Among the specific issues highlighted by Mr. Sinha and others in the past is the position of those in the services sector, as well as students, whose numbers from India have been declining dramatically in recent years. “Both sides have their own wish list,” said Mr. Sinha, regarding a potential future trade agreement. He added that in its negotiations on trade with any country, “freer movement of people is a priority, particularly with developed nations.” He said that it would be India’s expectation in post-Brexit Britain for IT professionals to be able to work freely and return home.

President Jacob Zuma’s midnight sacking of his Finance Minister shook South African markets on Friday, undermining his authority and threatening to split the African National Congress (ANC) that has governed since the end of apartheid. Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is one of the leading candidates to replace Mr. Zuma as ANC president, described Mr. Zuma’s decision as “totally, totally unacceptable”. The comments were a sign of deepening division in the ANC that are likely to worsen until the party elects a new leader in December.

China upbeat about Xi-Trump meet Beijing hopes the summit will set a new direction in bilateral relationship as a hurdle, but attributed it to the unique economic structures of the two countries. “China does not deliberately seek a trade surplus. We also have no intention of carrying out competitive currency devaluation to stimulate exports. This is not our policy,” he said.

Atul Aneja Beijing

China and the U.S. are setting the tone for the first face-to-face meeting next week in Florida between President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. Ahead of the announcement of the President Xi’s visit, Mr. Trump tweeted to suggest that the talks could be fractious. “The meeting next week with China will be a very difficult one in that we can no longer have massive trade deficits and job losses. American companies must be prepared to look at other alternatives.” But in Beijing, the tone was different. At a briefing on Friday, Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang said China hoped that the April 6-7 meeting at Mar-a-Lago will set the direction for the development of the bilateral relationship. “As the international situation continues undergoing profound and complicated changes, the meeting will be of great significance to chart CM YK

Crucial time: A man stands near an advertisement featuring U.S. President Donald Trump at a news stand in Shanghai. AP *

China-U.S. relationship in a new era, advance the development of bilateral ties in a healthy and stable way from a new starting point, and promote peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the Pacific and the world at large,” said the Chinese official.

Four-point template Mr. Zheng said the Chinese and U.S. presidents have reached important consensus through phone conversations and letters over

the past months. “They both believe China and the United States can absolutely be very good partners.” He pointed to “no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation” as the four-point template to advance ties. Mr. Zheng said the Chinese and U.S. sides are making final preparations for the presidents’ meeting to make it a complete success. The Chinese official acknowledged trade imbalance

Raising demand The Chinese official highlighted that Beijing’s ongoing reforms will increase domestic consumption, which would help raise demand for foreign goods and services, including those originating from the U.S. Mr. Zheng also pointed out that Chinese investments in the U.S. were also rising, yielding more American jobs. Besides, Washington’s restriction on the exports of advanced civilian technology to China was another factor spiralling the trade imbalance. “China can expand imports from the United States. The United States should take steps to promote exports to China,” he said. M ND-ND

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market watch 31-03-2017

% CHANGE

Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 29,621 ddddddddddddd -0.09 US Dollar dddddddddddddddddddd 64.85 ddddddddddddddd0.11 Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 29,060 ddddddddddddd -0.65 Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 52.61 ddddddddddddd -0.34

‘Infra deicit to take two decades to bridge’

NIFTY 50 PRICE CHANGE

ACC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1446.05. . . . . . . 27.10 Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339.60. . . . . . . . . 0.30 Ambuja Cements. . . .. . . . . . 236.65. . . . . . . . . 2.65 Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1073.50. . . . . . . . . 3.40 Aurobindo Pharma . . . . . . 675.20. . . . . . . . . 3.50 Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490.80. . . . . . . . -8.45 Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2805.45. . . . . . -17.40 Bank of Baroda . . . . . .. . . . . . 172.95. . . . . . . . -0.70 Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 350.05. . . . . . . . -1.15 Bosch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22751.25. . . . . 151.30 BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649.85. . . . . . . . . 9.20 Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592.95. . . . . . . . -5.40 Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292.65. . . . . . . . . 3.15 Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 2632.35. . . . . . . 19.10 Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. 25587.50. . . . . . -71.05 GAIL (India). . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 376.95. . . . . . . . -2.05 Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1049.00. . . . . . -19.25 HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 874.75. . . . . . . . -1.10 HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1502.10. . . . . . -17.85 HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1442.55. . . . . . -23.65 Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 3221.95. . . . . . . . -9.70 Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195.05. . . . . . . . . 4.75 Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 911.75. . . . . . . . -7.45 Indiabulls HFL . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 997.75. . . . . . . . . 7.15 ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276.85. . . . . . . . -4.50 IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1425.15. . . . . . . . . 2.85 Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 325.90. . . . . . -10.80 Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1022.25. . . . . . . . -3.25 Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 387.05. . . . . . . 10.25 ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280.30. . . . . . . . -2.45 Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 872.20. . . . . . . . . 7.05 L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1574.90. . . . . . . 17.45 Lupin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1445.20. . . . . . . . -1.75 M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1286.90. . . . . . . . . 7.05 Maurti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 6015.70. . . . . . . 59.10 NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166.00. . . . . . . . . 2.90 ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185.00. . . . . . . . . 1.10 PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 197.30. . . . . . . . . 1.85 Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1320.90. . . . . . . 50.25 State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293.40. . . . . . . . . 2.35 Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 688.15. . . . . . . . . 1.10 Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 465.85. . . . . . . . -2.55 Tata Motors DVR. . . .. . . . . . 282.15. . . . . . . . . 0.55 Tata Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90.35. . . . . . . . . 0.45 Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482.70. . . . . . . . . 5.20 TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2431.80. . . . . . . . -9.20 Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . . . 459.15. . . . . . . . -2.05 UltraTech Cement . .. . . . 3984.75. . . . . . . . -3.70 Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515.70. . . . . . . . -0.25 YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1546.75. . . . . . . . -5.40 Zee Entertainment . . . . . . 535.55. . . . . . . . . 3.15

EXCHANGE RATES Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit except yen at 4 p.m. on March 31 CURRENCY

TT BUY

TT SELL

US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 64.65. . . . . . . 64.97 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 69.09. . . . . . . 69.44 British Pound . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 80.69. . . . . . . 81.09 Japanese Yen (100) . .. . 57.82. . . . . . . 58.11 Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 9.39. . . . . . . . . 9.44 Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 64.63. . . . . . . 64.95 Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 46.26. . . . . . . 46.51 Canadian Dollar . . . . . . . . .. . 48.45. . . . . . . 48.69 Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 14.60. . . . . . . 14.68 Source:Indian Bank

BULLION RATES

CHENNAI

March 31 rates in rupees with previous rates in parentheses Retail Silver (1g) . . . . . . . . . . . 45.10. . . . . (45.40) 22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . . 2,751. . . . . (2,768)

Funds needed for transport, water management, says Jaitley Special Correspondent New Delhi

India has an infrastructure deficit that could take almost two decades to bridge, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday at the inauguration of the regional office of European Investment Bank (EIB) in Delhi. “One of the largest infrastructure creation programme which is going on in India and I think at least in the next two decades, I see India’s hands full in trying to expand its infrastructure and get rid of the deficit that existed in India,” Mr. Jaitley said.

‘No protectionist noises’ He added that there are no noises of protectionism in India as witnessed in other parts of the world. “Contrary to all the global noises we see in various parts of the world, there are no noises of protectionism in India and therefore, we are amongst the most open economies in the world,” the Finance Minister said. The European Investment Bank (EIB) announced commitment of €450 million for supporting sustainable transport and renewable energy projects. Out of €450 million funding, EIB has committed a loan of €200 million to State Bank of India for funding solar projects across India. SBI Managing Director B Sriram said the interest on the loan will be at a concessional rate. Besides, the EIB has also committed to release the second tranche of €250 million for construction of Lucknow Metro. Investment to pick up Stressing that investment will be required in sectors such as public transport, water management, rural infrastructure among others, he

Lagging behind: India’s hands are full in trying to expand its infrastructure, says Jaitley. said investment will pick up momentum in the years to come. “I do see this programme of infrastructure investment picking up pace over next two decades because that’s the extent of deficit that we have in India,” he said. “As the world’s largest multilateral public bank and a global leader in financing climate action, the EU Bank recognises that the time is right to increase our engagement across South Asia,” EIB President Dr. Werner Hoyer said, adding that the bank has supported long-term investment in India for more than two decades.

GST Council ‘tentatively’ okays rules

Exim Bank considers co-inancing with AfDB

Special Correspondent

Focus on power, agriculture, irrigation

NEW DELHI

Mr. Jaitley said the opening up of EIB’s regional office in India will help it understand the value of investments in the country and also assist the government in attracting them to invest more in India. Dr. Hoyer later called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with senior officials of the Bank, according to an official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. “In course of the conversation today the Prime Minister explained India’s policies in the areas of climate change and environmental sustainability,” according to the statement.

Fiscal deicit exceeds FY target in Feb.

Core sector growth slows to more than 1-year low

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW DELHI

India’s fiscal deficit at the end of February worked out to ₹6.05 lakh crore, 113.4% of the full year target for the 2016—17 fiscal, mainly because of lower realisation on non-tax revenues, according to government data released on Friday. The fiscal deficit, reflection of government borrowing to meet revenue— expenditure gap was at 113.4% in the 11-month period as compared to 107.4% in the similar period previous fiscal. Government had budgeted a fiscal deficit of ₹5.34 lakh crore for current fiscal ending today (March 31). As per data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), the revenue deficit during AprilFebruary at ₹4.44 lakh crore works out to be 142.8% of budget estimate. It was 114.4% in the corresponding period last financial year. The total revenue receipt till February was ₹10.94 lakh crore or 76.9% of the budget estimate, lower than 78.5% recorded in the year-ago period. The major decline was witnessed in non-tax revenue as government got only 62.4% at ₹2.09 lakh crore of the budget estimate. During April-February 2015-16, the non-tax revenue collection stood at 81.7% of that year’s budget estimate. Tax revenue during April-February 2016-17, however, was higher at ₹8.85 lakh crore or 81.3% of the budget estimate, up from 77.7% last year. The government data showed Centre’s Plan Expenditure during the period was ₹4.81 lakh crore and non-plan expenditure stood at ₹12.71 lakh crore.

Previous low of 0.9% was recorded in December 2015 PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW DELHI

The growth of eight core sectors slipped to a more than one-year low of 1% in February mainly due to decline in output of crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers and cement. The growth rate of eight infrastructure sectors of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity was 9.4% in February 2016. The previous low of 0.9% was recorded in December 2015. In January 2017, these sectors grew by 3.4%. The core sectors, which contribute 38% to the total industrial production, expanded 4.4% in April-February this fiscal compared to 3.5% growth in the same period previous financial year, ac-

Subdued growth: Core sector contributes 38% to the total industrial production.

cording to the data released by the commerce and industry ministry on Friday. Commenting on the data, rating agency ICRA said: “We expect the IIP to post a subdued volume growth in February 2017.” However, coal and steel recorded positive growth during the month.

Policy change to push stalled power projects Move frees up ₹1.5 lakh cr. investments

The output of crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers and cement contracted by 3.4%, 1.7%, 2.3%, 5.3% and 15.8%, respectively during the month under review. Coal output widened by 7.1 %, while steel output increased by 8.7 % and electricity by 1.5 %.

Snapdeal may go public in ’19 PRESS TRUST OF INDIA MUMBAI

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW DELHI

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Friday approved amendments in the Mega Power Policy to push 31 GW stranded projects entailing an investment of ₹1.5 lakh crore. The initiative is mainly aimed at bringing down power tariff for making electricity more affordable and achieving the ambitious goal of 24X7 power for all. “The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the time period for the provisional mega pro-

jects (25 projects), for furnishing the final mega certificates to the tax authorities be extended to 120 months instead of 60 months from the date of import,” an official statement said. Developers would be required to keep their fixed deposit receipt (FDR) or bank guarantee (in lieu of duty exemption claimed) alive. The CCEA approved 25 Provisional Mega certified projects for Mega Policy benefits in proportion to the long-term power purchase agreement tied up as permitted under the Mega Power Policy.

Struggling ecommerce major Snapdeal has sounded out five merchant bankers, including SBI Caps and Kotak Mahindra Capital, to work on a public offer that is likely to hit the market in the second half of 2019. The third-largest marketplace, majority owned by Japanese giant SoftBank, has also reportedly appointed Swiss investment banking major Credit Suisse as special advisor for the sale. “The IPO process is on in earnest and may open in the second half of calender 2019, depending on the market sentiment,” said a source.

RBI need not remonetise fully: report k.t. jagannathan CHENNAI

The GST Council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, on Friday approved the remaining set of rules for the Goods and Services Tax regime. This was the first meeting of the Council after Parliament cleared four GST legislations earlier this week. “The agenda for today’s meeting was four new set of rules — input tax credit, valuation, composition levy and transitional rules. Today, officials had a meeting and some changes were suggested to these rules. Those rules along with the changes have been tentatively approved by the GST council,” the minister said. “As the position stands, out of the nine set of rules... the original five, which we had approved, have been corrected. Those now become final. The four new rules will be put in public domain and in the next meeting will be taken up...,” he said.

Special Correspondent New Delhi

Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) is exploring opportunities to co-finance projects with African Development Bank (AfDB) in Africa in areas of interest to India, according to Exim Bank MD David Rasquinha. He said the co-financing of projects is likely to be in sectors such as power, agriculture and irrigation. Referring to the Kukuza Project Development Company (KPDC) in Nairobi (Kenya), which Exim Bank has set up along with IL&FS Group, African Development Bank and State Bank of India, for greater Indian participation in infrastructure projects in Africa, Mr. Rasquinha said Exim Bank was keen to work closely with AfDB to help KPDC take off in a big way. He added that AfDB had evinced interest in India’s Public Private Partnership financing model and was looking

David Rasquinha to encourage a similar model for African nations. Meanwhile, Exim Bank said that AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina, on his first official visit to India, had sought stakeholder buy-ins under the AfDB Bank’s ambitious ‘High 5s’ development agenda — or five priorities crucial for accelerating Africa’s transformation; including Light up and power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) need not print the entire amount of high-value currency notes extinguished by the Centre’s demonetisation move last year as firstly there was excess cash floating in the system prior to November 8 and secondly because a sizeable population has pared their usage of cash following the push for digital payments, the State Bank of India’s Group Chief Economic Adviser Soumya Kanti Ghosh wrote in a report. “RBI should only print ₹1.15 trillion [lakh crore] more from March 24 levels,” Mr. Ghosh wrote. “And, going by the average pace of printing, the process could be completed by the first fortnight of April.” Hence, about ₹1.17 lakh crore worth of notes need not be printed, reducing the cost of printing by about ₹500 crore to ₹1,000 crore.

Iran oil imports to be cut over gas ield row Indian reiners plan to cut purchases by a ifth to 1,90,000 barrels a day Reuters NEW DELHI

Indian state refiners will cut oil imports from Iran in 2017/ 18 by a fifth, as New Delhi takes a more assertive stance over an impasse on a giant gas field that it wants awarded to an Indian consortium, sources familiar with the matter said. India, Iran’s biggest oil buyer after China, was among a handful of countries that continued to deal with the Persian Gulf nation despite Western sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear programme. However, previously close ties have been strained since the lifting of some sanctions last year as Iran adopts a bolder approach in trying to get the best deal for its oil and gas. Unhappy with CM YK

Finger-wagging: In turn, NIOC has threatened to cut the discount it ofers on freight from 80% to 60%.

Tehran, India’s oil ministry has asked state refiners to cut imports of Iranian oil. “We are cutting gradually, and we will cut more if there is no progress in the matter of the award of Farzad B gas field to our company,” one of the Indian sources said. Indian refiners told a Na-

tional Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC) representative about their plans to cut oil imports by a fifth to 190,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 240,000 bpd, officials present at the meeting said. Indian Oil Corp. and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Corp will reduce

imports by 20,000 bpd each to about 80,000 bpd. Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. will together cut imports by about 10,000 bpd to roughly 30,000 bpd, they said. In turn, NIOC threatened to cut the discount it offers to Indian buyers on freight from 80% to about 60%, the officials added. No comment was available from the Indian companies or NIOC. Cutting imports from Iran amid an OPEC-led supply cut exposes India’s refiners to the risk of struggling to find reasonably priced alternatives. “We expect that the market is currently undersupplied and that the draws in inventory are coming,” U.S. investment bank Jefferies said in a note to clients. M ND-ND

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12 BUSINESS

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

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IN BRIEF

India to support ‘resistance’ to protectionism at G20 meet

Indian coders to get support for iOS apps Apple opens accelerator in Bengaluru

Rosneft-led Essar deal faces delay Reuters NEW DELHI/MOSCOW

Country’s interests include ensuring ease of mobility for skilled professionals Special Correspondent NEW DELHI

Reliance Jio extends Prime ofer till April 15 NEW DELHI

Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Jio announced it had notched an unprecedented 72 million paid subscribers, and extended by 15 days its rock-bottom priced data ofer under Prime membership. The telecom irm, whose free extended promotional ofer ended on March 31, also announced a complimentary ofer for three months for customers who paid ₹303 prior to April 15. PTI

BBB names ive for top posts in PSU banks MUMBAI

The Bank Board Bureau has recommended names of ive candidates to the government for appointment as CEOs and MDs in public sector banks. These include Sunil Mehta, ED, Corporation Bank, Dina Bandhu Mohapatra, ED, Canara Bank, Rajkiran Rai G, ED, Oriental Bank of Commerce, R.A. Sankara Narayanan, ED, Bank of India and R. Subramaniakumar, ED, Indian Overseas Bank.

Coal ministry terminates services of a CIL director

Despite a formal statement by the world’s largest economies being silent on concerns over protectionist measures, India — which was a part of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting on March 17-18 — said Friday that it strongly supported ‘resistance’ to all forms of protectionism. “India strongly supports resistance to all forms of protectionism, and is fully with Germany (which is holding the G20 Presidency) on measures to open up trade in goods and services,” said Jayant Narlikar, Deputy Secretary, Finance Ministry and a member of the G20 India Secretariat, at an event organised by the German Embassy. Meanwhile, Andreas Lux, Head of G20 Presidency team (global economy / framework for growth), German Federal Ministry of Finance, said the failure to incorporate the sentence — “we will resist all forms of protectionism” — in the March 17-18 meeting communique was a “major setback

The services of Coal India Ltd.’s personnel and industrial relations director R. Mohan Das have been terminated with efect from March 30. He was due to retire on May 31, 2017. In a regulatory iling, CIL said the termination was as per the direction from the coal ministry. Mr. Das told The Hindu that he was not aware of the reasons behind this development.

CM YK

*

for us (Germany) and India.” A communique issued at an earlier meeting in 2016 had included that phrase. Reports had said the phrase was dropped from the March communique as it did not receive U.S. support. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was quoted as having said the new administration considered that “the historical language was not relevant.” Referring to the March 1718 meeting communique, which had only stated “We

are working to strengthen the contribution of trade to our economies”, Mr. Lux said, “We hope for a much more positive language against protectionism at the Hamburg meeting (G20 leaders summit in July).”

‘Ability to survive’ Mr. Lux said G20 had the ability to cope with setbacks and survive them, adding that: “Lots of people in the new U.S. administration may not be used to (working on ) international cooperation...

Tata Motors sets up JV with Jayem Auto Special Correspondent COIMBATORE

KOLKATA

Alone on protectionism: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin didn’t endorse opposition to protectionism. AFP

Tata Motors on Friday announced a joint venture with Jayem Automotives for the manufacture of special performance vehicles of Tata cars that incorporate customised design and technical features by the Coimbatore-based firm. The 50:50 joint venture — JT Special Vehicles — will develop a range of special performance vehicles for its passenger car customers in a

phased manner at a dedicated line, currently being planned in Coimbatore. Guenter Butschek, CEO and MD, Tata Motors, said in a statement the partnership was a step towards creating long-term relationships as a part of the “transformation journey of Tata Motors to bring exciting performance variants to its product range.” J. Anand, MD, Jayem Automotives, told The Hindu that semi-finished vehicles from

a select new range of Tata cars will undergo “aesthetic and performance enhancement” at Jayem’s facility. “Our partnership with Tata started more than 12 years ago and we are working on this project for several years now. “This is not like after sales improvements to the vehicle. Till now we did design, development and prototyping. Now, we are getting into production,” Mr. Anand added.

we will learn from them and they will learn from us... we are still quite optimistic (on ensuring resistance to protectionism),” he added. On expansion of the G20, he said there were no such plans currently, adding, however, that the G20 had been conducting a lot of outreach activities in countries, especially in Africa. Mr. Narlikar said issues of interest to India included ensuring ease of mobility of skilled professionals across the world. “There is a lot of talk about ‘free movement of capital’. We (India) are keen on free movement of labour, especially high-skilled labour, and we are ready to work with other G20 members on that.” India is also keen on ensuring energy access. “Every household needs to be given some kind of energy access. We know that eliminating (fossil fuel) subsidies which are inefficient and promoting wasteful consumption is important, and we even have direct benefit transfer scheme. However, we cannot agree to any timeline to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies,” Mr. Narlikar said.

Petrol, diesel levies garner ₹2.02 lakh cr. Press Trust of India New Delhi

The government on Friday said total collection through excise duty on petrol and diesel had been ₹2.02 lakh crore for the first 11 months of FY17. The excise levy on petrol earned ₹64,509 crore while that on diesel garnered ₹1.37 crore.

A leg-up: The facility will provide support on Swift, Apple’s programming language. Above, an Apple store. REUTERS *

Special Correspondent BENGALURU

Apple Inc, the maker of the iPhone, announced the opening of its App Accelerator in Bengaluru. The company said that the accelerator would provide specialised support for developers making apps on its mobile operating system iOS, which is the foundation for its products like iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The firm said that it would also provide tools and best practices to help them hone their skills and transform the design, quality and performance of their apps on iOS.

‘Entrepreneurial spirit’ Apple said that India had one of the most vibrant iOS developer communities in the world and that already tens of thousands of developers in India make apps for iOS. It said the app accelerator in Bengaluru will help to further enrich the iOS app ecosystem. “We are impressed by the great entrepreneurial spirit in India, and are excited to provide a platform for these developers to share their innovations with customers

around the world,” said Philip Schiller, senior vice president, Worldwide Marketing at Apple, in a statement. He said that in just the first few weeks, the company had already seen developers at the ‘App Accelerator Bengaluru,’ including Practo and Reliance Games, create innovative apps “that can meet the needs of customers in India and around the world.” “We are thrilled to be one of the first developers to collaborate with the team at the App Accelerator,” said Shashank ND, co-founder of healthcare tech startup Practo, that provides an app and web service for scheduling appointments with doctors. Each week, Apple experts will lead briefings and provide one-on-one app reviews for developers. The first-of-its-kind facility will also provide support and guidance on Swift, Apple’s powerful and intuitive programming language created to build apps for iOS, Apple TV and Apple Watch. Swift enables developers to write safer, more reliable code and create richer app experiences.

The purchase of Indian refiner Essar Oil by a consortium led by Russian oil company Rosneft has been delayed by a few weeks, the two sides said on Friday, because some Indian lenders to Essar have yet to sign off on the deal. The $12.9 billion deal, in which Rosneft is set to take a 49% stake in Essar to pursue its global expansion, was expected to close by the end of this month. Russia's second-biggest bank VTB, which is involved in financing the deal, has said that 19 more days would be needed to settle all the payments. “The closure of the deal is delayed by a few weeks due to the pending approvals from the Indian banks. Both parties are still committed to close this deal as soon as the few remaining approvals from the banks are obtained,” the bank said in emailed comments to Reuters. The deal, the largest foreign acquisition of an Indian company, would give Rosneft a foothold in the growing Indian market. It already operates in a number of regions, including Europe and Latin America. A 49% share will be split between commodities trader Trafigura and Russian investor United Capital Partners (UCP). The billionaire Ruia brothers would retain a 2% stake. “The closing was postponed into April because the buyers were dealing with 28 Indian banks that had credit lines with Essar Oil,” a source close to the transaction said. The source added that separate debt of holding company Essar Global was also affecting negotiations indirectly as some banks were lenders to both Essar Global and Essar Oil.

M ND-ND

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THE HINDU

SPORT 13

NOIDA/DELHI

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IN BRIEF

Gruelling home season takes its toll Top stars including Ashwin, Vijay and Jadeja are set to miss a major part of IPL-10

Shoulder injury lays Rahul low

S. Dinakar Chennai

de Villiers injury scare for RCB BENGALURU

Royal Challengers Bangalore has suffered yet another injury scare ahead of the IPL, with A.B. de Villiers pulling out of a domestic game in South Africa on Friday with a back injury. The 33-year-old was supposed to travel to India, alongside Tabraiz Shamsi, after the conclusion of the final of the Momentum One Day Cup in Centurion. However, de Villiers was left out of the Titans side that faced Warriors. “AB de Villiers misses out with a back injury,” Cricket South Africa reported on Twitter. The extent of the injury was not immediately known.

‘Experience on Indian pitches will help in IPL’ RAJKOT

Gujarat Lions medium-pacer Munaf Patel said the experience of bowling on Indian pitches will play a key role during the IPL as most of the wickets in the country were batsman-friendly. “The experience of playing on Indian wickets, which are batting-friendly, is very important. Luckily, Lions has medium-pacers who have enough experience on Indian wickets,” said Munaf. “Praveen [Kumar], Manpreet [Grewal], Dhawal [Kulkarni] and I know each other well and also know what our skipper wants from us. That will give us an advantage,” he added. PTI

The long, gruelling home season is taking its toll. R. Ashwin is almost certain to miss the entire 10th edition of the IPL, starting April 5. Ashwin, who is grappling with sports hernia, has been advised rest and rehabilitation by the BCCI. Sports hernia is a soft tissue injury — usually a strain or a tear — that occurs in the lower abdomen or the groin area. The indications are that Ashwin will be fit for the ICC Champions Trophy in England, beginning June 1, where India will seek to defend its title. M. Vijay is also a doubtful starter for this edition, with shoulder and wrist injuries. Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the first two weeks due to a right shoulder issue. The injured K.L. Rahul is already out of the tournament. Given that India figured in as many as 13 homes Tests — against New Zealand, Bangladesh, England and Australia — the schedule put the cricketers under a lot of stress. The 30-year-old Ashwin, who represents Rising Pune Supergiant, had in fact skipped Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy quarterfinal and semifinal matches — that followed the Test series against England — because of the same injury. Even as he took part in the Test series against Australia, Ashwin received treatment to prevent the issue from flaring up again. During the seemingly never-ending season, Ashwin sent down a stupendous 738.2 overs. There were times when he bowled in pain. All the cricketers taking part in the IPL are insured

Principal Correspondent

Right step: After the marathon home season, the BCCI has advised top Indian players to take rest and be ready for the Champions Trophy. Of-spinner R. Ashwin may not play in this edition, while M. Vijay is a doubtful starter. K. PICHUMANI *

against injuries and players who have suffered injuries while representing India will be further compensated by the BCCI. Vijay injured his shoulder while fielding in the final Test against England in Chennai. Like Ashwin, he too missed Tamil Nadu’s knock-out games in the Ranji Trophy. Then, Vijay was forced to pull out of the second Test against Australia in Bengaluru. He returned for the final two Tests. The resolute Test opener, who has had a fair share of success in the hectic world of Twenty20 cricket, turns out for Kings XI Punjab.

RCB calls up Jagadeesan Meanwhile, given that Kohli will be missing in action, at least for the first five or six games, Royal Challengers Bangalore has called up

young Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper batsman N. Jagadeesan for trials on Sunday in Bengaluru. The 21-year-old Jagadeesan, an attractive stroke-maker who can play as a specialist batsman as well, notched up a century for Tamil Nadu against Madhya Pradesh on his Ranji

Trophy debut. Then, he ran up three successive half-centuries in the Deodhar Trophy as Tamil Nadu triumphed. In the TNPL, Jagadeesan had made headlines. With several marquee names pulling out, this could be the youngsters’ opportunity to shine in the IPL.

Mumbai

Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have been advised to skip the first two weeks of the Indian Premier League’s tenth edition. The BCCI medical team — led by physiotherapist Patrick Farhart — assessed all the

players, and it has asked Umesh and Jadeja to skip a fortnight of the IPL. While Umesh is the pace spearhead for Kolkata Knight Riders, Jadeja is the vital cog for Gujarat Lions. Though the BCCI directive is a severe jolt for the respective teams, it is a welcome move to

‘Daredevils all about youngsters’ Uthra Ganesan

Bengaluru

New Delhi

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) player K.L. Rahul will miss the 2017 IPL season due to a shoulder injury. The 24year-old confirmed the same to The Hindu, and added that he would undergo a surgery soon. Rahul had injured his shoulder in the first Test between India and Australia over a month ago. With skipper and star player Virat Kohli out for the first few matches, Rahul’s exit comes as a double blow for RCB. Last year, Rahul had finished as the franchise’s thirdhighest run-scorer, and established himself as a reliable presence at the top of the batting order. He also kept wickets for the team. In a practice match held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Friday — where members of the RCB squad were split into two opposing teams — Kedar Jadhav donned the wicketkeeping gloves.

With the list of injuries ahead of the IPL getting longer by the day, Delhi Daredevils’ first interaction with the media was, not surprisingly, dominated by absentees and possible replacements. But even as captain Zaheer Khan insisted that there was little to worry about, team CEO Hemant Dua admitted that the team management was still deliberating on the names they would like to bring on board as replacements, if and when it was required. “We are all about youngsters; we have Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, so we are sitting pretty despite J-P (Duminy) and Quinton (de Kock) not being available. Even at the auctions we take all these factors into consideration — injuries, players availability throughout the season — so we are pretty much prepared,” Zaheer said here on Friday. At the same time, the former India pace spearhead was impressed with the way the Indian fast bowlers had performed through the season. While Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar played several games, it has been Umesh Yadav who has been a revelation, playing all through the 13 Test matches. “You don’t have any control over injuries. I prefer to play more when I am in rhythm. You can actually maintain the work load in practice etc. I always en-

Skip a fortnight of IPL: BCCI Amol Karhadkar

Prepared for all uncertainties, says Zaheer Khan

avoid player burnouts for international assignments. India will be defending the Champions Trophy, which is starting in less than two weeks after the IPL final, and the team management wants all the top players fully fit for the assignment.

Zaheer Khan.

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PTI

dorse that match practice is the best practice. The more you bowl, the better you are going to get and the more you learn. Umesh has had a great season and (Mohammed) Shami is also ready to play. Someone like Umesh is not going to realise when the 20 overs are over, that’s the beauty of bowling fitness,” Zaheer said. With the likes of Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and Corey Anderson in its ranks, Daredevils have one of the biggest pace batteries in the IPL. “I have some super fast bowlers who are going to take the pressure off me, so I am not playing a lead role any more but a supporting role,” Zaheer laughed. Cummins, coming in after an intense Test series against India, insisted it was easy to switch modes. “I think it’s easy coming back from Test to T20 because you only have to bowl four overs. I will take five-six days pretty light and then hit the stride a couple of days before the game starts,” he said.

Let us not destroy the marketing of the Indian team Unless the CoA and BCCI oice-bearers meet and chalk out the line of action, there will be conlict at every stage

FRANKLY SPEAKING Makarand Waingankar

The judiciary in India might have often wondered if an out of court settlement is an amicable solution for some disputes. However, such procedures require mature heads from both sides to come together and find a worthwhile solution. But Indians are emotional people and their inflated egos continue to show their ugly heads when two such sides meet. This is exactly what is happening with the BCCI and the Committee of Administrators (CoA) which was appointed by the Supreme Court. In fact they have agreed to disagree on practically all issues.

The fact is that even after it has been three months since the CoA was appointed, the BCCI and its associations keep running to SC for seeking clarifications. This either indicates that the CoA is pushing for things which don’t come under its purview, or that the associations are hell-bent on not leaving their positions in their respective associations. The brief given to CoA was to oversee the compliance of the Lodha committee reforms accepted by the Supreme Court. The CoA has to accept the blame for failing to comply with it. It is pointless to upload minutes on the website if they have failed to implement it. A majority of the association officials who were disqualified continue to attend managing and sub-committee meetings. If the CoA has not found solutions to the problem while trying to ensure compliance to the reforms, they should have

quit. Here, one must appreciate the action taken by Justice Sen in DDCA. On his first day, he asked for all the cabins and rooms of the office-bearers of the associations to be locked and warned the staff of dire consequences if they were found working privately with the association office-bearers. He then walked across to the Delhi team and greeted them. This was a confidence-building measure. Now, everything seems to be going smoothly in the DDCA but not in other State associations. Ideally, when CoA was appointed it should have organised a zonal conclave consisting of the president, secretary and treasurer of each association in that zone so that contentious issues could have been discussed threadbare. Instead it kept issuing circulars, some of which created doubts in the minds of association officials.

Though the findings of Deloitte audit reports need to be taken seriously, it is cricket at the domestic level that is suffering, especially the match fees due to First Class players. For more than a decade First Class players have had to beg to get their match fees. Never have they received their match fees at the end of a season. In fact, they have been receiving it after two years. It must be noted that we are talking about around 2500 players, most of whom who solely rely on match fees. When associations used to disburse money to the players based on the number of matches played, its officials would harass them for not giving their fees on time. The BCCI then decided to give payments directly. But the problem is still not sorted and players still do not get match fees on time. The central contract system is a joke. Only international players get contracts.

What about those like Priyank Panchal, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jalaj Saxena and many other consistent performers who aren’t picked because of the lack of place in the Indian team. Shouldn’t there be a group D for them so that domestic performers get motivated?

Central contracts Another point is about how the central contract can be the same for Test and other formats? A player who doesn’t play First Class cricket for his State but makes himself available for limited overs matches finds himself in higher grade whereas those who play all formats and perform are in Grade C. What is the rationale behind this? By now all the appointments of coaches, physios, trainers at the NCA should have been finalised. But nothing has been done yet. The major issue is not that the emin-

ent members of the CoA do not have any experience of cricket management. But that the expertise they possess leads them to perceive certain things, and that is leading to problems. Unless the CoA and BCCI office-bearers meet once a fortnight and chalk out the line of action, there will be conflict at every stage. If the CoA acts like it is the boss when it has no clue about how game is run and how it has been marketed over the years, Indian cricket will be back to the days of the 80s when Doordarshan would charge heavily to telecast matches. The fact that despite its bad image the BCCI was able to make ₹1079 crore for five years bears testimony to the marketing of the product. Let us not destroy that valuable product. After all, cricket officials from Jagmohan Dalmiya, Inderjit Singh Bindra to the present lot have worked overtime to build it.

‘I have to temper my expectations’ T20s are all ups and downs: Mills Ashwin Achal Bengaluru

When Tymal Mills was first diagnosed with a careerthreatening back injury two years ago, he was devastated. At 22, the England fast bowler was told that he had a narrow spinal cord and that bowling extended spells could cause serious long-term damage. “I had all my tests done, and sat down with the doctors and the chief executives of the Sussex team. Retirement was one of the options I had to consider,” Mills said, in a media interaction here on Friday. “Another option was to play only T20 cricket, as the injury occurred only when I bowled 14-15 overs in a day.” Mills explained that his condition does not affect his off-the-field routine. “I don’t wake up in pain. I take medication every day, and I’ve adjusted my gym schedule,” he said. “It flares up only when I have to take on long spells. So even at nets, I don’t usually bowl more than 24 balls.” With RCB acquiring him for ₹12 crore, Mills is sure CM YK

Tymal Mills.

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SUDHAKARA JAIN

to face heightened scrutiny. “If I put pressure on myself on account of the auction price, I’m setting myself up to fail. The T20 format is full of ups and downs. You can take four for 10 in one match and none for 50 in the next. Also, I will be playing half the games at the Chinnaswamy Stadium where the average team score is around 200. I have to temper my expectations,” he said. Given how close he came to giving up the sport altogether, Mills understands that it is important to stop and smell the roses. “As a professional, I’ve gotten to meet so many cool people from all over the world. Not many people get to do that. We fly business class... We sometimes forget how lucky we are,” he said. M ND-ND

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THE HINDU

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Tendulkar hails India’s lower middle-order

KKR now a viable franchise, says Mysore Special Correspondent

The long season has been tremendous for the team, says the Master Blaster Federer’s success secret

Special Correspondent

MIAMI

Mumbai

Roger Federer described himself as “incredibly lucky” to have beaten Tomas Berdych in the Miami Open quarterfinals, but credited his victory Thursday to thinking young. The Swiss star was asked whether he thought experience helped him said, “sometimes when you have that young mind you just go for it, and that’s when actually great things do happen. You’ve just got to play committed tennis. So for me, it’s always a balance between playing the percentages yet play free and sort of young in the mind.” AFP

Sachin Tendulkar believes that one of the reasons for India’s success in the 2016-17 season was its lower middle order’s (7-9) performance with the bat. “The long season has been tremendous for our team. There have been challenging moments, and those moments were when I felt our No. 7, 8 and 9 contributed big time, ” said Tendulkar at the launch of his app “100MB’ here on Thursday. Excerpts: Wriddhiman Saha: He is incredible. These guys have played well at home in crunch moments that can decide the match and sometimes the series. That, I felt, was the difference. You could see, both teams going neck-and-neck, and one team starts pulling away from it. You can see that happen, and that’s what happened. On the quality of the Indian team now: When we have a full strength side, it is a good problem to have…whom to leave out. That means your bench strength is really strong. That is how champion teams are made of. To maintain and stay at this level is something I am sure everyone is wanting to do. On Umesh Yadav: I think the way our guys showed discipline and commitment in 13 Tests at home (is heartening). I don’t remember anything like that happened during my days. And someone like Umesh (Yadav) has played in 12 of them. For a fast bowler, it is really tax-

Omar shocks Saurav Ghosal MONTREAL

Third seed Omar Abdel Mequid of Egypt shocked top seed Saurav Ghosal of India 10-12, 12-10, 11-7, 17-15 in the semifinals of the $25,000 Montreal Open, a PSA event on Thursday.

Uddayvir and Princy triumph CHANDIGARH

Uddayvir Singh and Princy Panchal won the boys’ and girls’ under-16 titles in the AITA Talent series junior tennis tournament at the Chandigarh Club courts on Friday. The results (finals): Boys: Under-16: Uddayvir Singh bt Shrut Mohan 7-5, 6-1. Doubles: Abhay Mohan & Uddayvir Singh bt Sarabjot Singh & Manveer Singh 1-6, 6-2, 10-0. Under-14: Ajay Singh bt Sukhpreet Singh Jhoje 7-6(7), 6-2. Girls: Under-16: Princy Panchal bt Priyanka Jakhar 6-2, 7-5. Under-14: Nimrat Kaur Atwal bt Suryanshi Tanwar 6-4, 6-2.

Kolkata

The Kolkata Knight Riders as an IPL franchise is an independently viable entity and is now looking to expand its frontiers on its own, said Venky Mysore, the CEO and managing director of KKR during an interaction here on Friday. “KKR has become an independently viable franchise. This means we do not have any debts and have covered all our losses and have reasonably grown,” Mr. Mysore said ahead of the start of the 10th season as KKR prepared for its first outing, which will be against the Gujarat Lions at Rajkot on April 7. “Now the challenge is to keep building. So we are looking across different brands and as a strategy acquired a franchise in CaribEntertainers: Singer Sonu Nigam and Sachin Tendulkar during the launch of ‘100MB’.

ing. That shows, you have got to work on your body. And if you are able to do that (it’s great)… Umesh is the type of bowler who gets better with the more he bowls. Ajinkya Rahane, a Mumbaikar winning a Test match: The last Mumbaikar who led India to win in his first Test was myself in Delhi (India vs Australia, 1996). Was the India-Australia series exciting?: You take from 1998 to 2000, 2004, it has always been exciting. On Cheteshwar Pujara: Has been a silent warrior. He has terrific temperament; he is someone who is dedicated, disciplined and focused. I have seen him from close quarters and I was impressed with what I saw. I knew this guy would be there for a long time.

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Bagan eyes winning return Y.B. Sarangi KOLKATA

Special Correspondent

Sachin Tendulkar’s first digital innings in the form of an app named ‘100MB’ has opened up opportunities for a legion of his fans and budding talents to interact with him on matters general and in particular about cricket. Created by himself and his team SRT Sports Management and developed by JetSynthesys, ‘100MB’ will feature a song that he has sung with playback singer Sonu Nigam. The name of the app ‘100MB’ is an obvious reference to his 100 International centuries for India and one of his nicknames, Master Blaster.

Eyeing the football Hero ILeague title, Mohun Bagan will be keen to get back to winning ways following its first loss and two consecutive draws when it faces defending champion Bengaluru FC in its home engagement at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium here on Saturday. Bagan — placed third on the table behind Aizawl FC (30 points off 14 matches) and East Bengal (27 off 14) — has 23 points from six victories and five draws, but has the advantage of having played just 12 matches. The Bagan-Bengaluru meeting is happening after a break when players from

Tendulkar also said that real time chat show was a possibility. He confirmed that he was ready to coach young cricketers through the app. “I have interacted with junior and senior teams and women’s teams. I have done this before. “I have used the social media world of Twitter and Facebook and recently there was tremendous response to my message on ‘Gudi Padwa’ day. “I want to engage with my fans. ‘100MB’ is an exclusive platform to connect with me. People will see a different side to me. There is surprise in store for them.”

Federer overcomes Berdych St. Andrews fancied Wozniacki stuns Pliskova to enter inal; Konta beats Venus Agence France-Presse Miami

Roger Federer dramatically fought his way into the Miami Open semifinals with a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(6) victory over Czech 10th seed Tomas Berdych on Thursday. The 35-year-old Swiss, who has already won the Australian Open and Indian Wells so far this year, extended his win streak over Berdych to seven matches. “I definitely got very lucky at the end, but I think I showed great heart today,” Federer said. “I fought and Tomas definitely started to step it up, but it was a great match at the end.”

Platini slams Blatter PARIS

Michel Platini laid bare his anger at his spectacular downfall on Thursday, breaking his silence to accuse FIFA bosses of wanting to destroy him and claiming Sepp Blatter “always said I’d be his last scalp”. Former UEFA boss Platini and erstwhile ally Blatter — once the most powerful man in football as FIFA president — were both banned from football in December 2015 over a payment of two million Swiss franc ($2 million) authorised by Blatter to his one-time heir apparent. “They were looking for something to destroy me with,” Platini, 61, told the French newspaper Le Monde, when asked if he felt that FIFA has trained its sights on him. AFP

Kyrgios in semifinals Federer will face Nick Kyrgios in the semifinals after the Australian came through an entertaining 6-4, 6-7(9), 6-3 victory over 19-year-old German Alexander Zverev. Meanwhile, Britain’s Johanna Konta beat Venus Williams 6-4, 7-5 in a gruelling

MUMBAI: Trainer Bezan Chenoy’s ward St. Andrews, who won well in his last start, may score an encore in the Mathradas Goculdas Trophy, the feature event of Saturday’s races. Rails will be placed 2 metres wide from 1400m upto the winning post. P.B. AVASIA PLATE (1,600m), Cl. II, rated 60 to 86, 5.00 p.m.: 1. Multiglory (2) Dashrath 59, 2. Jeannine (1) C.S.Jodha 58.5 and 3. Pugnacious (3) Neeraj 54.5. PUGNACIOUS MATHRADAS GOCULDAS TROPHY (1,400m), Cl. I, rated 80 and upward, 5.30: 1. Brynhill (2) Santosh 61, 2. Remember Me (3) S.Amit 53.5, 3. St. Andrews (4) C.S. Jodha 51.5 and 4. Super Sunshine (1) N. Rawal 50. ST. ANDREWS V.R. MENON PLATE (2,000m), Cl. V, rated 1 to 26, 6.00: 1. Forest Fire (5) Sandesh 60, 2. Sheer Belief (1) K.Kadam 57.5, 3. Windhoek (4) S. Amit 56, 4. Arc Of Passion (7) Merchant 55, 5. Star Scholar (3) Trevor 54, 6. Maqsad (2) Joseph 52 and 7. Gold Streak (6) Nadeem 50. 1. FOREST FIRE, 2. WINDHOEK, 3. STAR SCHOLAR CAPTAIN G. HALL TROPHY (1,600m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to 46, 6.30: 1. Eiger’s Tiger (2) Neeraj 60, 2. Democrat (6) C.S. Jodha 56.5, 3. Kiss From A Rose (3) A. Gaikwad 56.5, 4. Ventura (7) S. Kamble 56.5, 5. Respect (8) Dashrath 55.5, 6. Drogo (1) J. Chinoy 53.5, 7. Jeena (4) S. Amit 53, 8. Carnival (9) Trevor 52.5, 9. Sweep Aside (5) Merchant 52 and 10. Pretty Angel (10)

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Big win: Caroline Wozniacki rallied to beat Karolina Pliskova. *

AL BELLO / GETTY IMAGES

battle to reach the women’s final, where she will face Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. Konta said she expects a big challenge ahead in order to capture her second title of the year after a Sydney crown. Wozniacki rallyed to defeat Czech second seed Karolina Pliskova 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Pliskova, who won titles

this year at Doha and Brisbane, also fell in the semifinal stage at Indian Wells two weeks ago. The results: Men: Quarterfinals: Roger Federer bt Tomas Berdych 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(6); Nick Kyrgios bt Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-7(9), 6-3. Women: Semifinals: Caroline Wozniacki bt Karolina Pliskova 5-7, 6-1, 6-1; Johanna Konta bt Venus Williams 6-4, 7-5.

that all our bases are covered and we have enough back up for any eventuality. Umesh is a top player but let’s wait and see what comes out officially,” Mr. Mysore said. The KKR CEO informed that some visa related issues delayed the arrival of most of the international players in the side. “There have been some visa issues with the government putting a new process in place. This has increased the work on logistic part delaying their arrival. Now it has been sorted, I expect all the foreign players to assemble here within the next 72 hours,” he said. Trent Boult, Chris Woakes, Nathan Coulter-Nile are all on their way while players like Shakib (Al Hasan) and Sunil Narine are on national duty and are expected to join the team before the first match.

PTI

Ready to coach! Mumbai

bean Premier League. As a part of branding exercise this time the colour of the practice jersey will be the same as the colour of our team (Trinbago Knight Riders) in CPL. And when we play there in August we will do the reverse, which means our practice jersey CPL will be purple and gold like what he have in IPL. So we are in the process of integrating our franchises,” he added. When asked about the key pacer Umesh Yadav’s availability, the KKR CEO denied any knowledge of the player being asked to rest by BCCI. “We have not received any communication from BCCI on this. I have been hearing a lot about stress management in media. When so much has been written there cannot be smoke without fire,” he said. “On the team front I can say

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Sandesh 51.5. 1. DROGO, 2. EIGER’S TIGER, 3. PRETTY ANGEL NANOLI STUD JUVENILE STAKES (1,400m) 3-y-o only, 7.00: 1. Texas Gold (6) J.Chinoy 57, 2. Gnostic Eyes (2) N. Rawal 53, 3. Anniversary Girl (3) Bhawani 51.5, 4. Daffodil (1) Neeraj 51.5, 5. Daughterofthesun (5) Trevor 51.5 and 6. Forest Fairy (4) C.S. Jodha 51.5. 1. DAFFODIL, 2. FOREST FAIRY RAJCOOMAR GUJADHUR MEMORIAL TROPHY (1,400m), Cl. III, rated 40 to 66, 7.30: 1. Vision Of Romance (5) N. Rawal 60.5, 2. Batman (3) C.S. Jodha 58.5, 3. Country Music (6) Neeraj 58, 4. Classicus (1) Trevor 57, 5. Zambian (4) J. Chinoy 57, 6. Makino (7) Sandesh 55.5 and 7. Sensex (2) Santosh 51. 1. BATMAN, 2. MAKINO A GEDDIS PLATE (1,200m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to 46, 8.00: 1. Grey Flannel (3) Trevor 60.5, 2. Fabio (9) S.J. Sunil 59, 3. Gran Paradiso (6) Neeraj 58, 4. Pristina (1) S. Sunil 57.5, 5. Top Wizard (8) Kuldeep 57.5, 6. Pacific Dunes (12) Santosh 56.5, 7. Gregorian Chants (7) Merchant 55.5, 8. Logano (2) S. Amit 55.5, 9. Be Bold (4) C.S. Jodha 55, 10. Knight’s Quest (14) J.Chinoy 55, 11. Petronius (13) Sandesh 53.5, 12. Shape The Scape (11) Nadeem 53, 13. Ame (10) Vishal 52.5 and 14. Dusky Siren (5) Bhawani 52.5. 1. PETRONIUS, 2. FABIO, 3. GREY FLANNEL Day’s best: ST. ANDREWS Double: PUGNACIOUS – PETRONIUS Jackpot: 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7; Treble: 5, 6 & 7; Tanala: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7; Super Jackpot: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7.

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both sides donned the National colours in a friendly against Cambodia and an AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualifier against Myanmar. Seven of Bengaluru and three Mariners were part of the Indian side. That should provide the host more fresh legs. Even though Bagan attacker Sony Norde has rejoined the squad, it remains to be seen whether he will make the starting XI. The team will pin its hopes on finisher Daryl Duffy as Jeje Lalpekhlua does not seem to be in top form. Bagan may miss the services of midfielders Pranoy Halder and Kean Lewis, who are recovering from injuries. The re-scheduling of the match has turned out to be a

blessing in disguise for the Mariners. Had it been held in its original slot, Bengaluru’s priorities would have been much different. Bengaluru, which is fifth on 18 points from four wins, six draws and three defeats, is virtually out of the title race and will be more interested to do well in its away AFC Cup match against Maldives’ Maziya Sports & Recreation on Tuesday. The biggest challenge for the Blues, which beat Bagan 2-1 in a continental fixture three days after their goalless draw on March 11, will be to balance between giving a good account of themselves here and preserving players for the Maldives match.

Navjot and Alga declared best Sports Bureau NEW DELHI

Navjot Singh of Punjab Secretariat and Alga W. James of Regional Sports Board, Mumbai, won the men’s and women’s best athletes awards in the all-India Civil Services athletics championships which concluded at the Central Secretariat ground on Friday. Regional Sports Board, Chennai, won the team championship for men, 94 points to 37, ahead of RSB, Mumbai. The women’s team championship was won by Rajasthan 44 points to 37 against Kochi. The results: Men: 200m: 1. N.P. Sajid 22.88; 2. M. Ratheesh 23.05; 3. Mayur Kumar Malviya 23.19. 1500m: 1. RBC Sridhar 4:25.92; 2. Vinod Kumar 4:29.41; 3. Sanjay Soren 4:33.79. 10,000m: 1. P. Loganathan 38:01.24; 2. Ragavendra 38:44.99; 3. Rajpal 39:15.51. High jump: 1. Rajesh Pandey 1.86; 2. M. Krish Bithovan 1.86;

3. A. Mathavan 1.75. Triple jump: 1. Navjot Singh 15.10; 2. Pradeep Arya 13.09; 3. Rasik Rathya 12.94. Pole vault: 1. M. Vadivelu 2.60; 2. T. Thesingh 2.50; 3. S. Elango 2.50. Hammer: 1. N. Shankar 55.45; 2. Malay Ranjan Pati 46.68; 3. L.B. Yadav 42.62. 4x400m relay: 1. RSB Chennai 3:35.89; 2. RSB Kochi 3:36.95; 3. CS, Delhi 3:40.34. Women: 200m: 1. Meena 26.60; 2. Sabitri Ds 29.09; 3. Manisha C. More 31.34. 1500m: 1. Ritu Dinkar 4:53.24; 2. Jayanti Thapliyal 5:29.85; 3. Hansa Baria 5:42.84. High jump: 1. Libia Shaji 1.65; 2. Maryann C. Thariyan 1.55; 3. Leeda Mohanan 1.35. Javelin: 1. Salma Vora 38.45; 2. Arti Maurya 36.80; 3. Parvesh 33.20. 4x400m relay: 1. RSB, Rajasthan 4:45.51; 2. RSB, Kochi 5:07.09; 3. RSB, Kolkata 5:13.77. Veterans women: 200m: 1. Roshni Gulati 30.51; 2. Sneha Jain 31.58; 3. Bentla D’Couth 34.61.

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■ ACROSS 1 Outstanding old movies, for example, show Catholic girl with Indian Civil Service leaders (8) 5 Nasty UN mail for old boys (6) 10 Language used in Ealing outskirts (5) 11You may use this to scour and, I hear, purloin animal ibre (5,4)

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12 Farm implement 4 reassembled in front of that man (6) 13 Ordered, "Tie it, gal. For Sue" (8) 15 Override and reconstruct ulna around the end of the olecranon (5) 17 Leader turns tide, with love and money in the Gulf (9) 19 Ship, say, Melba toast

(set by Incognito)

prepared without using lard, for starters (9) 20 Chronologically coordinate on-air transgression by China (5) 21 An item of food contains bromine — makes brainy (8) 23 Note: Femur's fractured around this ligament (6) 27 Star-burst followed by a Mongol ruler to Xacitarxan (9) 28 Paper printed every day ... sick lady uses some ink (5) 29 Organise haphazardly without option for reducing difficulties (6) 30 Taverns store a tankard primarily for some titled persons (8) ■ DOWN 1 Throat, nose and lung problems military officer presented before surgeon (5) 2 Hammered can. Anyone displays irritation? (9) 3 Indolence of an animal found in Oslo thickets (5) 4 Sac contains yellow slimy tick, for starters (4) 6 Grilled chicken preparations made by Fathers carrying money for auditor (9) 7 Ready money can be obtained from Mongolia after selling gin cocktail (5)

FAITH

SUDOKU

Mantra to ward of death

8 Indisposition of bad li'l student hiding in grassland (3,6) 9 Domestic violence, for example, is an issue taken up by these people organising sit-ins after lady gives up drink (9) 14 Stone cap is destroyed around primarily historic monuments (9) 15 Mate donkey and hybrid coati with a bit of enthusiasm (9) 16 Excited, Chamberlain shoved out Chinese idiot (9) 18 Some sort of thruster made by genii having neon compound (3,6) 22 Sorrows of old hurt badly and start to sadden (5) 24 A wireless set found in Conrad, Iowa (5) 25 Great South Americans worked out astronomical year without erroneous correlation (5) 26 East Anglian king's twelve pies (4)

Solution to puzzle 11969 L A C O N I C E O O O G OWE R A A A M L C A R N A T I Y D T B I F F I C A O H E L L E N B T R I F L E H O A R E G A L L I V A U S N V E P E R G N E

B UM P K I A O N U T H O R E S O R L O N E X T R S N D O L E N T E A A I C WA N E I T AM S T R U N A H C N T O A K E E N E D I G I T A

Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku N A S S A U

A G O N A L

Arjuna observed penance to obtain the Pasupatastra from Lord Siva. Pleased with his penance, Lord Siva wanted to reward him with the weapon, said V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse. But Goddess Parvati laid down a condition. She said that Arjuna had never turned away from a battle. So She said that Siva should draw Arjuna into a fight, so that he would turn away and She would be witness to this. In the meanwhile, Duryodhana had sought the help of a demon to disturb Arjuna’s penance. This demon took the form of a porcupine and went to attack Arjuna. Siva and Parvati, in the guise of a hunter and his wife, arrived just as this attack began. Arjuna, although immersed in penance, had the intuitive sense of a born fighter and could sense that an attack against him was about to happen. So even while not giving up his penance, he pulled out an arrow to strike the porcupine. But Lord Siva also took aim and killed the porcupine. This angered Arjuna, who questioned the hunter (Siva). Siva replied that as he was a hunter, and so hunting down animals constituted his livelihood. A quarrel then broke out between Arjuna and Siva, which ended in a fight. As they fought, Parvati waited for Arjuna to turn back from the fight and run. But as time passed, She was worried that Siva, instead of staging a mock battle, might get serious and cause Arjuna some harm. So She recited a mantra, which said that Siva’s bow and arrow and their target were all auspicious. As Tripurantaka, Siva had wielded a bow and arrow and burnt down the forts of three demons. This mantra chanted by Parvati may also be interpreted as a reference to Lord Narayana’s manifestation as Rama, and His arrows. It may also be taken to be a reference to Agni. This mantra wards off death. M ND-ND

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IN BRIEF

Sindhu stops Saina in straight games

TENNIS

Paes-Shamasdin duo in semiinals Sports bureau Leon

Sameer Verma loses to Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the quarterinals

Bulls beat Cavaliers

RAKESH RAO

CHICAGO

NEW DELHI

The reigning NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers lost its third consecutive game, falling 99-93 on Thursday at Chicago. Bulls completed a 4-0 regular-season sweep of Cavaliers, boosting their chances of reaching the playoffs and dropping the Cavaliers (47-27) behind Boston (48-27) at the top of the Eastern Conference. Other results: Trail Blazers 117 bt Rockets 107; Clippers 124 bt Suns 118; Timberwolves 119 bt Lakers 104; Pistons 90 bt Nets 89.

The foundation of a bitter rivalry is firmly in place. P. V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal have never been the best of friends and what happened in the quarterfinals of the Yonex India Open badminton championship here on Friday only reinforced the belief that there was no love lost between the two leading ladies of Indian badminton. For the record, the muchawaited clash involving Sindhu and Saina, seeded third and sixth, produced a widely expected result. Sindhu prevailed 21-16, 22-20 in 47 minutes of tense action. In the men’s section, Sameer Verma’s campaign ended after he fell in straight games to Denmark’s Anders Antonsen. But the talking point of the evening was the SindhuSaina showdown. Before a vociferous crowd that supported Saina more than Sindhu, the Olympic silver medallist was obviously more desperate to win. Saina missed no chance to remind badminton lovers that she was far from fit following the knee-surgery after Rio Olympics. “I think she moved very well. At least, I didn’t see her struggling to move at any point,” said Sindhu of Saina’s on-court movements this evening. With Saina not turning up for the mandatory presser, it was a Sindhu show all the way. She said “Saina is not the only player I look to beat among the top 10. In all my games I am as intense as I was today.” The match, which did not see too many rallies, saw Saina trying to finish the points with her forceful strokes while Sindhu was

AFP

Harikrishna shares honours with Giri SHENZHEN

Grandmaster P. Harikrishna had to settle for a draw against top seed Anish Giri of the Netherlands in the Shenzhen Longgang Masters chess tournament here on Friday. World No. 14 Harikrishna was determined to make something out of this contest, but Giri proved a tough nut to crack. The draw saw Harikrishna remain in the fourth spot. PTI

India beats Sri Lanka BANGKOK

Sandeepti Singh Rao and Gargi Pawar helped India to a 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka in a play-off match for the lower places in the Asia Oceania World Junior under-14 tennis tournament in Bangkok on Friday. The results (play-off): India bt Sri Lanka 2-0 (Sandeepti Singh Rao bt T. Mariyam Kurera 6-2, 5-7, 6-3; Gargi Pawar bt lyana Weerawansa 6-2, 6-2).

TV PICKS Badminton: India Open, Star Sports 2 & HD 2, 2 p.m.

All regions get more slots in 2026 FIFA WC

The results: $75,000 Challenger, Leon, Mexico: Quarterfinals: Adil Shamasdin (Can) & Leander Paes bt Stefan Kozlov (USA) & Igor Sijsling (Ned) 6-4, 6-2. $15,000 Futures, Jakarta:

IANS

A FIFA council agreed on a proposed slot allocation among the six confederations for the World Cup 2026, which will witness 48 teams in the finals. According to the proposal on Thursday, the split of 46 direct berths will see Asia get eight direct slots up from the four and a half spots it has currently, reports Xinhua news agency.

Nine slots for Africa Africa will get nine slots while CONCACAF, which represents north and central America will get six. Oceania, which currently has half a slot wherein the top nation from the regional qualifiers faces a play-off against the fifth country from either South America or Asia, will get a full slot. CONMEBOL, which rep-

resents the South American zone, will get six slots, up from the current four and a half while Europe will get 16 — up from 13. The host country will also automatically qualify and its slot will be taken from the quota of its confederation. In the event of co-hosting, the number of host countries to qualify automatically will be decided by the FIFA council. The last two berths will be decided through a playoff tournament involving six teams, one from each confederation except UEFA, plus one more from the confederation of the host country. Two of the six teams will be seeded based on the FIFA World Ranking and they will play against the winners of the first two knockout games involving the four unseeded teams.

AIFF set to implement ‘home grown’ rule Special Correspondent Chennai

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is set to implement the ‘home grown player rule’ in the upcoming youth leagues for u-13, u-15 and u-18 age-groups. The rules indicate a home grown player as one whose state of domicile is the same as the location of the club/ academy who he’s set to represent in any of the leagues. As per the new rules, a

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club/academy is needed to register a minimum of 30 per cent of the players for the u-13 and u-15 teams and a minimum of 20 per cent for the u-18 team as home grown. Kushal Das, AIFF general secretary, said: “The home grown rule will evidently add a new dimension encouraging the clubs and academies to hone local talents. The onus is now on the clubs to scout local talents and nurture them.”

sha Palha 6-2, 6-4. Doubles: Semifinals: LauraIoana Andrei (Rou) & Melanie Klaffner (Aut) bt Lavinia Tananta (Ina) & Natasha Palha 6-4, 6-4. Quarterfinals: Lavinia Tananta & Natasha Palha bt Ola Abou Zekry (Egy) & Emily WebleySmith (GBR) 6-7(3), 6-4, [10-7]. $15,000 ITF women, Heraklion, Greece: Second round: Camila Giangreco Campiz (Par) bt Karman Kaur Thandi 6-2, 6-2.

Three-run victory for Pakistan The visitors take an unbeatable 2-0 lead Agence France-Presse Port of Spain

Forging ahead: P.V. Sindhu prevailed over her rival Saina Nehwal in 47 minutes of tense action in the India Open quarterinals AFP *

happy to return the shuttles, using Saina’s pace whenever possible. Sindhu’s smashes, lacking in power when compared to Saina’s finishing strokes, brought her points due to placement. With palpable tension between the players, the quality of stroke-making suffered. Too many errors of judgements, shuttle flying beyond the sidelines or unforced errors leading the shuttle to the net ended many points. The first game was controlled by Sindhu who broke away from 9-9 to win six straight points and went on to close the game in 17 minutes. In the second, it was Saina all the way till 19-

INDIA OPEN 16. But this was the scoreline from where Sindhu managed to pull off the opening game of the Rio Olympic final against eventual champion Carolina. Sindhu did it again. She made it 19-19 before Saina moved to game point. At this stage, nerves got the better of Saina. She netted her serve to leave her fans bewildered. Sindhu seized her chance and moved to match point when Saina misjudged a tossed-up return. Sindhu then closed out the match with a gentle push to Saina’s forehand corner. In the 2014 Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold final at Lucknow, Saina did not have to

work too hard for a straightgame victory. On this day, Sindhu avenged that defeat, that too, in their first clash in a Super Series. The results: Quarterfinal: Men: 7-Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) bt Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus (Den) 21-10, 21-14; Anders Antonsen (Den) bt Sameer Verma 24-22, 21-19; Victor Axelsen (Den) bt Tzu Wei Wang (Tpe) 19-21, 21-14, 21-16; 6-Ng Ka Long Angus (Hkg) bt Tommy Sugiarto (Ina) 10-21, 21-15, 2119. Women: 1-Carolina Marin (Esp) bt Minatsu Mitani (Jpn) 21-10, 20-22, 21-14; 4-Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt 7-Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 21-13, 11-21, 2118; 3-P. V. Sindhu bt 6-Saina Nehwal 21-16, 22-20; 2-Sung Ji Hyun (Kor) bt 5-Rachanok Intanon 21-16, 22-20.

Shadab Khan gave another match-winning bowling performance and Hasan Ali held his nerve for Pakistan to record a three-run victory over the West Indies in the second Twenty20 International on Thursday. Set a relatively modest target of 133 to level the series following a six-wicket defeat in the opening match in Barbados, the hosts were restricted to 129 for eight to suffer their fifth consecutive T20 loss to the visitors. Pakistan now holds an unbeatable 2-0 lead ahead of the final two matches at the weekend back at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trin-

Pointer to the future: Shadab Khan, left, celebrates with teammates after dismissing Kieron Pollard. AFP *

idad. In the wake of an impressive senior International debut at Kensington Oval, Shadab snared four

WEST INDIES VS PAKISTAN, Pakistan: Kamran Akmal b Badree 0, Ahmed Shehzad c Brathwaite b Narine 14, Babar Azam c Walton b Brathwaite 27, Shoaib Malik c Pollard b Brathwaite 28, Fakhar Zaman c Holder b Badree 5, Sarfraz Ahmed c Samuels b Narine 12, Imad Wasim c Brathwaite b Williams 4, Sohail Tanvir lbw b Narine 4, Shadab Khan run out 13, Wahab Riaz c Holder b Brathwaite 24, Hasan Ali (not out) 0; Extras (w-1): 1; Total (in 20 overs): 132. Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-41, 3-43,

for 14 with his mesmerising mixture of leg-breaks and googlies to stymie the West Indies quest.

SECOND T20 INTERNATIONAL

4-51, 5-87, 6-87, 7-91, 8-95, 9131. West Indies bowling: Badree 40-14-2, Holder 4-0-32-0, Williams 4-1-27-1, Narine 4-0-22-3, Brathwaite 4-0-37-3. West Indies: Evin Lewis run out 3, Chadwick Walton b Shadab 21, Marlon Samuels c Sarfraz b Shadab 44, Lendl Simmons lbw b Hasan Ali 1, Kieron Pollard st. Sarfraz b Shadab 3, Rovman Powell b Shadab 0, Carlos Brathwaite b Wahab 15, Jason Holder (not out) 26, Sunil Nar-

ine run out 9, Samuel Badree (not out) 0; Extras (w-7): 7; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 129. Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-60, 365, 4-76, 5-76, 6-81, 7-114, 8128. Pakistan bowling: Imad Wasim 4-0-28-0, Sohail Tanvir 4-029-0, Hasan Ali 4-0-35-1, Wahab Riaz 4-0-23-1, Shadab Khan 4-1-14-4. Toss: West Indies. Man-of-the-Match: Shadab. Pakistan won by three runs.

Kohli let his emotions afect his batting: Ganguly Press Trust of India Dubai

Geneva

Leander Paes and Adil Shamasdin sailed into the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Stefan Kozilov and Igor Sijsling in the $75,000 Challenger tennis tournament here on Thursday.

Quarterfinals: Yu Hsiang Chiu (Tpe) bt Karunuday Singh 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Doubles: Semifinals: Pirmin Haenle (Ger) & Karunuday Singh bt Jake Delaney & Max Purcell (Aus) 2-6, 6-3, [10-8]. $25,000 ITF women, Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy: Semifinals: Eva Wacanno (Ned) & Prarthana Thombare bt Irina Maria Bara (Rou) & Basak Eraydin (Tur) 6-3, 6-1. $15,000 ITF women, Sharm El Sheikh: Quarterfinals: Anastasia Vdovenco (Mda) bt Nata-

Virat Kohli’s batting was affected by his emotional outbursts in the acrimonious Test series against Australia, feels former captain Sourav Ganguly, who is hoping that the Indian skipper “cools down” to score big again. Ganguly observed that Kohli’s desire to win at any cost as a captain led to his outbursts. “Against Australia, probably he (Kohli) was so consumed by wanting to win as captain that he let his emotions affect his batting. This will also serve as a lesson for Virat. He’s such a precocious talent, I hope he cools down and gets back to scoring big again,” Ganguly wrote in an exclusive column for the ‘ICC’ website. India got the better of Australia 2-1 at home in one of the most intense and bitterly-

fought series in recent years. The contest was marred by one controversy after another with the two captains — Kohli and Steve Smith — continuously being in the eye of a storm. Kohli was in sublime form before this series, becoming the only man to slam double hundreds in four consecutive series. The 28-year-old amassed 1457 runs in 13 matches this season. But he had a horrendous outing with the bat in the Test series against Australia, totalling just 46 runs in five innings with scores of 0, 13, 12, 15 and 6 in three games. He had to sit out of the fourth and final Test because of a shoulder injury. Ganguly, regarded as one of India’s most successful captains, rated Kohli as among of the finest in the world while describing him as a passionate skipper.

“There are two Virats for me. The batsman and the captain. The batsman surely is one of the best in the world because he has set high standards for himself, both in terms of fitness and the hunger to score big. The captain is more passionate and more of a leader than anything else,” he wrote. “He wants to win and win every day and while it may not be possible always, I see Virat not settling for anything that isn’t No.1.” The former India skipper also shared his delight at watching K.L. Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav gain in confidence and match Kohli and R. Ashwin. He tipped Cheteshwar Pujara as the batsman who will be most critical to India’s successes abroad. “More than the results, I enjoyed the journey, watching how players like Rahul,

Sourav Ganguly.

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PTI

Jadeja and Umesh gained in confidence and matched the two champions, Virat and R. Ashwin,” Ganguly wrote. “But the one who stood out was Cheteshwar Pujara. I remember when he was dropped for a Test in the West Indies last year, I had said Pujara was a special batsman and shouldn’t have

been dropped. A small matter of 1,316 runs have come from his bat this season and Pujara will be the most critical for Virat when India start travelling outside the subcontinent.” Ganguly said the current Indian team has the potential to win anywhere in the world. “And having watched the last 13 home Tests, I hope Virat and his team really has the potential to win anywhere — in or outside India.” Talking about the Dharamshala Test, which according to him was the highlight of the season, Ganguly wrote: “I was sitting at home around lunchtime on Day Three when Australia began its second innings. “Over the next hour or so, I watched such a great piece of fast and hostile bowling by the two Indians, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The way they got the

Australians hopping and succumbing to the pace, I am so pleased for Virat.

Kumble’s role Ganguly also said chief coach Anil Kumble played a big role in India’s success in the home season. “When the BCCI appointed a three-member panel that had Tendulkar, Laxman and me to help in the process of selecting a coach, Anil’s vision was as decisive as his bowling used to be. He wanted India to win in India obviously, but outside of India too and while he knew it was easier said than done, his assessment of the situation was superb,” he wrote. “With him, I hope the spinners, who generally always do pick wickets by the bucket loads in India, contribute to the team’s success when they travel abroad, just like Anil and Bhajji.”

Srinivasan opens up on Brand CSK S. DipAk Ragav Chennai

On the eve of the tenth edition of IPL, former BCCI president and ICC Chairman N. Srinivasan revealed that the decision to buy Chennai Super Kings had the blessings of both the IPL chairman and board president at that time. Srinivasan’s decision to buy the team raised conflict of interest issues since he was an official office bearer of the BCCI at the time. In 2015, CSK was suspended for two years after one of the team official was involved in spot fixing-betting

allegations that occurred during the 2013 IPL. Delivering the keynote address at the Madras Advertising Club’s annual awards function here on Friday, Srinivasan said, “We received an invitation from the then chairman of IPL (Lalit Modi) asking whether India Cements would bid. So I took this letter and wrote to the then BCCI president Mr (Sharad) Pawar asking if we can bid since I was the BCCI treasurer and MD and promoter of India Cements. In the many controversies that people surround CSK later, although everyone knew this

story they chose to ignore it.” He added, “I get a reply back from Mr Pawar saying that ‘I have consulted all my colleague and there is no bar on India Cements to take the tender and bid for an IPL team’. This was in writing from him and following all due processes, the BCCI was asked and we went ahead.” Srinivasan who was speaking on the topic of brand building spoke about the process of getting CSK together and heaped praises on M.S. Dhoni. “Before the first auction, we told the group that was sitting there to get MS Dhoni

at any price. People criticise it and made all kinds of allegations, but still its followers have only grown. The proof is wherever I go, thanks to the power of CSK there is not a single place where people don’t want to come and take a selfie with me. How did we get there? The first truly game changing decision was to get MS Dhoni on board. He had won the World T20 in 2007, in his own style and was different from others.” Further elaborating on the growth of the CSK brand, the 72-year old industrialist added, “An aura developed around the team because of

N. Srinivasan

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BIJOY GHOSH

its performance and its captain who was growing in stature winning with the national team. He adopted the city and vice versa.” “The Tamil anthem, the colour yellow, the ‘whistle podu’ song along with Dhoni helped build the CSK brand.

We have not been part of the IPL for two years but it has not affected the brand one bit.” Srinivasan also lashed out saying the side was unfairly banned adding, “ You can accuse anybody of anything but you can’t accuse a single player. It was pure jealousy.” With CSK’s two-year suspension ending later this year, Srinivasan said one thing he is looking forward to was seeing “M.S. Dhoni, wearing yellow and leading the CSK team onto the ground. Come 2018 there is every possibility of it happening.”

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THE HINDU

NOIDA/DELHI

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

WEEKEND SPORT 17

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IN BRIEF

Bank of England to use palm oil for £20 note? Move considered after criticism from Hindus, Sikhs and vegetarians of use of animal fat in plastic £5 notes Press Trust of India London

ISS debris shield loats away during spacewalk CAPE CANAVERAL

A five-foot debris shield being installed on the International Space Station floated away on Thursday during a spacewalk by two veteran U.S. astronauts, a NASA TV broadcast showed. Astronaut Peggy Whitson, 57, told ground control teams that a bag containing the debris shield floated away at about 10 a.m. EDT. REUTERS

Game of Thrones season 7 teaser out LOS ANGELES

The much-awaited first teaser of the seventh season of Game of Thrones has been unveiled. The video titled Long Walk shows contenders for the Iron Throne appearing to gear up for battle. The teaser shows Cersei Lannister, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen moving towards their places of seating. PTI

Twitter makes room for more characters in tweet SAN FRANCISCO

Twitter on Thursday began rolling out changes to let users pack more into tweets. The software modification comes about a year after Twitter set out to relax a 140-character limit set due to mobile phone text messaging constraints in place when Twitter launched in 2006. AFP

The Bank of England is considering using palm oil or coconut oil in the production of the new £20 note, following criticism from Hindus, Sikhs and vegetarians of the use of animal fat in the plastic £5 notes. The new £20 note is due to be introduced by 2020, but the tender for production has been put on hold, the BBC reported on Friday. The Bank said it was now assessing whether palm oil or coconut oil should be used instead. Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, vegetarians and others in the U.K. have objected to the tallow used in plastic

notes. Tallow is a hard, fatty substance made from rendered animal fat. It is commonly used to make soap and candle. The Hindu Council U.K. members had met BoE representatives last month to explain that as Hindus see the cow as a symbol of grace and veneration, the use of tallow made from beef fat in the notes went against their beliefs. Meanwhile, the BoE’s new announcement has been opposed by conservation groups, who warned that palm oil production can wreck rainforests and displace people living in them, the report said. “It would de-

New way to ight drug resistant superbugs

However, in its statement, the BoE said it was committed to using sustainable levels of palm oil, should that eventually be chosen for the new notes.

A matter of change: The £20 note is due to be introduced by 2020 but the production tender has been put on hold. AFP *

pend on where the BoE source it,” said Rachel Agnew of the Rainforest Foundation. “Whether it is sustainable is the issue.” Palm oil production was

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Precision test

Press Trust of India London

Scientists have found that an unusual approach of removing antibodies from the blood stream could reduce chronic infections, an advance that may help humans in the fight against drug resistant superbugs. Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Newcastle University in the U.K. identified two patients with bronchiectasis who suffered with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections that were resistant to many antibiotics. Bronchiectasis is a disease that leads to permanent enlargement of the airways in the lung. Symptoms are debilitating for patients, and typically include a chronic cough, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, and chest pain. Bronchiectasis

often affects patients beyond the age at which lung transplantation is possible.

Like kidney dialysis Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections commonly occur in patients suffering from bronchiectasis. “We used a process known as plasmapheresis that is somewhat like kidney dialysis,” said Tony De Soyza, Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University. “The plasmapheresis involved the removal, treatment, and return of blood plasma from circulation, and was done five times in a week in order to remove antibody from the patients,” said De Soyza. “We then replaced antibodies with those from blood donations. This treatment restored the ability for the patients’ blood to kill their infecting Pseudomonas,” he said.

Fine touch: A man carves Budhha faces on ivory at a workshop in Beijing on Friday.

U.S. aerospace irm successfully launches and retrieves its irst recycled rocket still sporting its nine original engines. It nailed another vertical landing at sea on Thursday once it was finished boosting the satellite for the SES company of Luxembourg.

Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL

Mission accomplished: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts of from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Thursday. AP *

revolution in spaceflight.” Mr. Musk foresees dozens, if not hundreds of repeat flights, for a booster and rocket turnarounds of as little as 24 hours, perhaps by next year. Land, refuel and then back up again, with everything leading to

one day putting humanity “out there among the stars.” This particular first stage landed on an ocean platform almost exactly a year ago after a space station launch for NASA. SpaceX refurbished and tested the 15-story booster,

Armed with 1984, U.S. art houses to take on Trump

Loud cheers SpaceX employees outside jammed Mission Control at the Hawthorne, California, company headquarters cheered loudly every step of the way and again when the satellite reached its proper orbit. Longtime customer SES got a discount for agreeing to use a salvaged rocket, but wouldn’t say how much. It’s not just about the savings, said chief technology officer Martin Halliwell. He called it “a big step for everybody something that’s never, ever been done before.”

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REUTERS

already been partially seen in the recent box-office success of Jordan Peele’s horror hit Get Out and Raoul Peck’s James Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro, movies that offer straight talk on racial issues that might be lacking in Washington.

Associated Press New York

On Tuesday, it will be 1984 again in movie theatres across the United States. About 190 art-house theatres have banded together to show the 1984 bigscreen adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece as a pointed comment on the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump, whose “alternative facts” administration has already sent 1984 back up the bestseller lists. Cinemas around the country are increasingly programming with political protest in mind, playing movies that have newfound resonance for those who disagree with the policies of the Republican President. In May, some 60 theatres are planning to screen films from the predominantly Muslim nations targeted by Mr. Trump’s proposed travel CM YK

George Orwell

ban. That initiative has been dubbed the Seventh Art Stand and billed as “an act of cinematic solidarity against Islamophobia.”

Trump effect Cinemas are places to gather and connect, and they are finding under Mr. Trump a renewed sense of mission that goes beyond the usual arguments for the big-screen experience over streaming. A Trump effect has

Why April 4 1984, the second movie version starring John Hurt and Richard Burton, will play in 175 cities and 44 States, as well as a few internationally in Canada, England and Sweden. The event has been organised under the name United States of Cinema; its website lists the participating theatres. April 4th was selected because that’s when Orwell’s character Winston Smith begins his forbidden diary as a rebellion against his oppressive government.

London

Oxford University has unveiled a range of new portraits, including those of Indian-origin people, to be a source of inspiration for the students and to improve the diversity balance on the walls of the university. The portraits, mainly paintings and photographs, include a mix of men and women from a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Linguistics scholar Aditi Lahiri, human rights activist Kumi Naidoo and BBC journalist Reeta Chakrabarti join the likes of British film and television director Ken Loach and astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell among the latest batch of around two dozen portraits.

Teacher ‘buys’ bikes for all pupils

A Philippine isherman’s tale of staying adrift 58 days

Associated Press

He lived of tiny plants that grew on boat and rainwater

NORTH CHARLESTON

A South Carolina teacher has raised more than $80,000 to buy 650 bicycles, one for every student in her school. Katie Blomquist teaches at Pepperhill Elementary in North Charleston. It was reported that she began her online fund-raising campaign right after Labour Day last year with a goal of raising $65,000. Ms. Blomquist says she came up with the idea after a student told her that he wanted a bike, but his family could not afford one. The idea blossomed into a viral sensation, and donors in the effort include major corporations and talk show host Steve Harvey. Ms. Blomquist surprised the kids Thursday morning by unveiling bikes in the school parking lot.

Agence France-Presse General Santos

Adrift and alone in the Pacific Ocean, Rolando Omongos prayed to live long enough to bring home news of the death of his uncle, whose corpse he cast off at sea. The 21-year-old Filipino fisherman was stranded in January after a storm separated him and his uncle from their main fishing vessel, leaving the pair on a tiny boat without fuel, food or fishing tools. His prayer was answered when — having survived for 58 days by eating moss and drinking rainwater, but too weak to stand — he managed to hail a passing ship by waving his ragged shirt. Still in shock and tearful, his hands blistered by the

Rolando Omongos gets a hug from his mother Rosalie (left) and a sibling. AFP *

sun, Mr. Omongos told reporters of his ordeal at sea after returning to Manila on Wednesday.

Lost 40 kg Mr. Omongos said he lived off the tiny plants that grew on the boat and rainwater he collected using plastic containers.

He lost 40 kg in weight. When Mr. Omongos’ uncle died, he tied the body to the boat for a week, but had to loosen it into the sea when it began to decompose. “I just thought, Lord, I leave my uncle to you. I have to live and come home to give our family the news about what happened to him.” Mr. Omongos said, at one point, he thought he might suffer the same fate but did not lose hope of being rescued, finding strength thinking of his grandfather, a fisherman who had toiled hard for the family all his life. “Every time my body suffered from the heat, I would dip into the sea and then surface again. I would dip 10 times a day to keep cool,” he recounted.

London exhibition elevates selies to art form It explores creative potential of a mode of expression whose modern take is often derided as inane an animal (a monkey). “People transform social media into something that is very expressive of being Chinese, or English, or Trinidadian and that is also true of the selfie,” said University College London Professor Daniel Miller, who researched the phenomenon around the world.

Reuters

190 theatres to show 1984 big-screen adaptation on April 4

Press Trust of India

Exhibition later The new works are to be displayed in the university’s central public spaces and will be shown at an exhibition in Oxford later in the year. Rebecca Surender, advocate and pro-vice-chancellor for equality and diversity at the university, said: “It is hugely important for students and staff to feel at home at Oxford, and to feel inspired by people they can relate to.” This commissioning of portraits is one of the biggest projects by the university to create a more diverse range of people portrayed in its public places, including more women, people from ethnic minorities, gays and lesbians and people with disabilities. All the people depicted have links with the university — such as being former students or academic staff — with the criteria that they were examples of excellence.

It involves removing blood antibodies

SpaceX rocket makes history SpaceX successfully launched and then retrieved its first recycled rocket on Thursday, a historic feat and the biggest leap yet in its bid to drive down costs and speed up flights. It was the first time SpaceX founder Elon Musk tried to fly a booster that soared before an orbital mission. He was at a loss for words after the Falcon 9 core landed on the bull’seye of the ocean platform following lift-off with a broadcasting satellite. “This is a huge day. My mind’s blown, frankly,” Mr. Musk said. He called it an “incredible milestone in the history of space” and predicted, “this is going to be a huge

responsible for 8% of the world’s deforestation between 1990 and 2008. Palm oil has been blamed for deforestation in countries like Indonesia.

Small amounts It said the amounts of oil needed were so small that there would be no need for an increase in global production. The BoE has also published an independent report on the separate environmental impacts of palm oil, coconut oil and tallow. Nevertheless, the Rainforest Foundation takes issue on how sustainability is certified. Doug Maw, who started a

petition about the use of animal fat in the fiver, said he was disappointed by the Bank’s decision to consider palm oil. He met the Bank’s chief cashier, Victoria Cleland, in January to discuss the issue. “In my meeting, I highlighted palm oil as something they should avoid doing,” Mr. Maw said. “The destruction of habitat caused by over-production of palm oil is contributing to the near-extinction of the orangutan,” he added. The existing £5 plastic note, and the new £10 note due for release in September, will continue to use trace amounts of animal fat, the report said.

Oxford’s bid to ‘portray’ diversity

London

From Old Masters’ self-portraits to contemporary selfies taken on phones, a London exhibition explores the creative potential of a mode of expression whose modern form is often derided as inane. The British capital’s Saatchi Gallery on Friday launched ‘From Selfie to Self-Expression’, which it said would be the world’s first exhibition looking at the history of selfies. It kicks off with Rembrandt, the 17th century Dutch artist whose dozens of self-portraits created an intimate autobiography with confident brushstrokes. His paintings are represented on digital screens that one can “like”, resulting in a red heart appearing over the image — just as on social media. Modern-day selfies are different because they show “how we would like the world to see us, rather than

Selie amid selies: A gallery assistant poses for a photograph during a press day called to promote the exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London. REUTERS *

how we are and who we are,” said Saatchi Gallery Chief Executive Nigel Hurst. “It’s no coincidence... that most selfies are shot in pretty exotic locations, on holiday, when people are experiencing things that are

away from their humdrum, mundane lives,” he said. “It’s about sharing a version of our identity that we would like people to believe.” In the digital age, the selfie has become ubiquitous, and the word was ad-

ded to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013. Running to the end of May, the exhibition includes selfies by soccer player David Beckham and reality TV star Kim Kardashian, and even the first selfie shot by

Critical stance “In southern Italy, people feel they almost have a responsibility to represent Italian stylishness. In Trinidad, you want to be highly individualistic,” he said. The exhibition concludes with a critical stance on selfies, with an installation by Mexican artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Polish artist Krzysztof Wodiczko of 12 surveillance cameras. “Selfies are not an option, it’s something that is opening out our identity for good but mostly for bad, shaping up a controlling society,” Mr. Lozano-Hemmer said. M ND-ND