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At Inter-State Council meet, role of Governors comes in for criticism
U.S. Navy sends strike group to Korean peninsula
CII survey shows business conidence at a six-year peak
Sunrisers Hyderabad registers a convincing win over Gujarat Lions
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EC cancels R.K. Nagar bypoll
NEARBY
Decision follows evidence that voters were being bribed with large sums Devesh K. Pandey New Delhi
Armed rally ends peacefully HOOGHLY/ KOLKATA
In a huge armed rally in Chandannagar, a former French colony on the west bank of Hooghly river, many were seen brandishing swords, falchions and a plethora of weapons on Sunday evening. The rally, organised by a Vishva Hindu Parishad ailiate, Hindu Jagran Manch, was a followup of last week’s Ram Navami. NATION
The Election Commission, late on Sunday night, cancelled the R.K. Nagar by-poll in Chennai based on evidence establishing that huge sums of cash had been distributed by the political leaders to win over voters. Holding the entire process of the election as ‘rescinded forthwith’, the EC said the by-poll would be held by the Commission in due course
when “the vitiating effect created by the distribution of money and gift items to allure the electors... gets removed with the passage of time and the atmosphere in the constituency becomes conducive to the holding of free and fair election.” As earlier notified by the Commission, the R.K. Nagar constituency — that fell vacant after the demise of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa — was to go to polls
on April 12.
Money seized However, the searches earlier this week threw up evidence suggesting that funds to the tune of ₹100 crore had been routed for bribing the voters. The premises of State Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar was also searched. The I-T report indicated distribution of ₹89 crore to a number of politicians meant for the voters,
besides ₹5 crore was seized from the associates of Dr. Vijayabaskar. Stating that the EC received a large number of complaints alleging use of money power to woo voters, the order said the electoral body received a report from the Income-Tax Department following searches on April 8 on large-scale distribution of funds in the constituency. The searches were conducted at 21 places in T.N.
RSS seeks national ban on cow killing
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46.23% turnout in Rajouri Garden by-poll NEW DELHI
West Delhi’s Rajouri Garden fared badly in terms of voter turnout during the Assembly by-poll on Sunday. As per the State Election Commission, the overall voting percentage stood at 46.23% compared to 72% in the previous election. DELHI METRO
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Mohan Bhagwat says violence in the name of protection defames the cause carried out while obeying laws and the Constitution,” he said.
Special Correspondent NEW DELHI
Violence in the name of cow protection defamed the cause, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said here on Sunday, and called for a law banning cow slaughter across the country. “We desire that cow slaughter be banned across India. Now law-making is the work of the government. Many State governments — where there are RSS volunteers in government — have brought this law. We desire such a law across India,” Mr. Bhagwat said here on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti.
‘Remove the vice’ Calling cow slaughter a “vice” that must be removed, he called for cow protection efforts by bring-
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat taking part in a Mahavir Jayanti function in New Delhi on Sunday. PTI *
ing more people into the campaign while “completely obeying the law and the Constitution.” “Nothing should be done while protecting cows that
hurts the beliefs of some people. Nothing should be done that is violent. It only defames the efforts of cow protectors... The work of cow conservation should be
Alwar lynching Mr. Bhagwat’s remarks come in the wake of the killing of a Muslim, Pehlu Khan, by cow vigilantes at Alwar in BJPruled Rajasthan. If there is a law, it will be for promoting non-violence rather than violence, Mr. Bhagwat said. “There cannot be a law that says you do violence. It is impossible,” the RSS chief said. Cow protection should be promoted in such a way that it wins over more and more people to the cause and brings praise for those doing it, Mr. Bhagwat said. (With inputs from PTI) CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10
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8 die as violence hits Srinagar byelection LS constituency records lowest ever 7.14% turnout Peerzada Ashiq Srinagar
Eight civilians were killed and more than 170 injured on Sunday as widespread violence marred the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election, which recorded the lowest ever turnout of 7.14%. Rampaging mobs took to the streets across the Lok Sabha constituency, perpetrating wanton violence and arson, even setting ablaze a polling station and attempting to set on fire two others, amid a boycott called by the separatists. The Srinagar seat, comprising 15 Assembly segments spread over three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, saw only around 80,000 votes being polled out of 12.5 lakh voters, the lowest ever in the past three decades. In 2014, the poll percentage was 26%. “We saw further decline in poll percentage by 20% this time,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shantmanu said.
‘Not a good day’ Speaking to the press, Mr. Shantmanu said, “It was not a good day, particularly in Budgam district. We had many incidents of violence in which six civilians lost their lives.” Shortly after the CEO’s press conference, two persons were reported killed in
Chadoora area of Budgam district and Barsoo in Ganderbal district in firing by security forces, taking the death toll to eight. The CEO said a decision on repoll in the violence-hit areas would be taken after examining the diaries of the presiding officers. “I cannot tell you exactly how many polling stations will go to repolls...it can be anywhere between 50 and 100. It is a wild guess,” he said. Except Ganderbal district, both Srinagar and Budgam saw widespread and unprecedented violence for the first time since the 1990s. According to the Election Commission (EC), there were 200 incidents of stonepelting. Over 100 security personnel and 70 civilians sustained injuries in the clashes in Srinagar and Budgam, said EC officials.
“A polling station was set afire. There were petrol bombs attacks. We had to temporarily close polling in many booths,” said Mr. Shantmanu. However, independent sources suggested that over 100 civilians were injured in Srinagar and Budgam as clashes continued till late in the evening. In other incidents, security personnel were held hostage inside a polling booth in Bemina after stone-throwing protesters surrounded it. The volatile downtown area of Srinagar saw very few people at polling booths though there was no violence. Scores of polling staff were chased away in parts of Srinagar and Budgam, disrupting polls completely. (With inputs from PTI) CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10 DESERTED BOOTHS 쑺 PAGE 10
44 killed as IS targets two Egyptian churches Reuters TANTA/CAIRO
At least 44 people were killed in bomb attacks on the symbolic cathedral seat of the Coptic Pope and another church on Palm Sunday, prompting anger and fear among Christians and troop deployments across Egypt. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks,
which also injured more than 100 people and occurred a week before Coptic Easter, with Pope Francis scheduled to visit Egypt later this month.
A challenge to President The assault is the latest on a religious minority increasingly targeted by Islamist militants, and a challenge to
President Abdel Fattah alSisi, who has pledged to protect them as part of his campaign against extremism. The first bombing, in Tanta, a Nile Delta city about 100 km north of Cairo, tore through the inside of St. George Church during its Palm Sunday service, killing at least 27 people and injuring at least 78, the Ministry
of Health said. The second, carried out a few hours later by a suicide bomber in Alexandria, hit Saint Mark’s Cathedral, the historic seat of the Coptic Pope, killing 17 people, including three police officers, and injuring 48, the Ministry added. CONTINUED ON 쑺 PAGE 10
India, China navies rescue cargo ship Special Correspondent NEW DELHI
In a heart-warming show of cooperation on the high seas, the Navies of India and China jointly swung into action in response to a distress call from a hijacked bulk cargo carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday. The 178 m long bulk carrier, OS 35, bearing the flag of Tuvalu, was attacked by pirates who boarded it late on Saturday night as it was heading from Port Kelang to Aden Port. Indian Navy ships Mumbai, Tarkash, Trishul and Aditya, proceeding on deployment to the Mediterranean and passing through the Gulf of Aden, responded to the call and rapidly closed in on the merchant vessel by the early hours of Sunday, a Navy officer said. The crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board, according to standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter carried out an aerial reconnaissance to spot the pirates. But it turned out that the pirates had fled the ship at night. Following this, a Peoples Liberation Army team on the Chinese Navy ship Yulin boarded the vessel. “We provided air cover while PLA sent a team of 18 to sanitise the merchant ship. Communication link was provided by the Indian Navy. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe,” the officer said. CM YK
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Will protect cows: Maurya Press Trust of india Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday said that previous governments had
not shown will power to act against those involved in illegal cow slaughter but the present regime would do everything to protect the bovine population.
Minister promises action in Alwar case
IN BRIEF
Pehlu Khan did not have valid papers to transport the cattle out of Rajasthan, says Kataria Special Correspondent JAIPUR
Under pressure to act in the case of lynching of a man for transporting cows in Alwar district, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria on Sunday said anyone found breaking the law will be punished. He reiterated that the State government would take action against “both the sides”. Speaking on the sidelines of the 11th Standing Committee Meeting of the Inter-State Council in New Delhi, Mr. Kataria said though deceased Pehlu Khan, a resid-
ent of Nuh in Haryana, did not have valid papers to transport the cattle out of Rajasthan, the people who allegedly thrashed him and his companions had taken the matter in their own hands. Mr. Kataria pointed out that only the Sub-Divisional Officer had the power to issue permit for carrying bovine animals out of the State.
FIR registered “In this case, Pehlu Khan did not have valid documents,” he said. An FIR was registered
However, it was the police who admitted him and others to the hospital in Behror and registered a case under Section 308 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code after the April 1 incident, he said. “When he died, the case was converted to Section 302 (murder) and several persons have since been arrested.”
Gulab Chand Kataria
against him for illegally transporting cows, the Minister added
Law and order situation The Minister denied that the law and order situation in the State had deteriorated after the incident. Pehlu Khan's family mem-
bers have stated that he had purchased the cows with proper receipts at a cattle fair organised by the Jaipur Municipal Corporation and was falsely accused of smuggling the bovine animals.
Two more held The police have arrested two more persons – Dayanand, 40, and Neeraj, 19 – in connection with Pehlu Khan's murder, on the basis of video footage of the April 1 incident. With the latest arrests, a total of five persons have been apprehended in the case.
More inancial powers to PRIs, says Khattar SIRSA
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) will be strengthened and given more financial powers to accelerate the pace of development in the State’s villages. For the first time, the government has appointed independent chief executive officers in Zila Parishads, he said. PTI
Man shot dead in broad daylight in Chandigarh CHANDIGARH
A 40-year-old man was allegedly shot dead by armed assailants in broad daylight near a gurdwara here, the police said on Sunday. The victim, Satnam Singh, a resident of Hoshiarpur, had come to the city to attend a religious programme. PTI
DELHI
Timings
Monday, April 10
RISE 06:01 SET 18:44 RISE 18:01 SET 05:34 Tuesday, April 11
RISE 06:00 SET 18:45 RISE 18:55 SET 06:09 Wednesday, April 12
RISE 05:59 SET 18:45 RISE 19:48 SET 06:44
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. 85 ●
CM YK
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IN BRIEF
871 km of Brahmaputra to be dredged
Signs of normality returning 82% polling in Kanthi to violence-hit Bhadrak town Dakshin Assembly by-poll No untoward incident reported in past 2 days; curfew extended till Monday 7 am
Staff Reporter Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI
A total of 871 km of the mighty Brahmaputra in Assam will be dredged with the Centre bearing its expenditure, said a senior official of the Inland Water Transport department. Survey of 300 km of the Brahmaputra has been completed so far by the State PWD department for dredging of the river, said Inland Water Transport director B. B. Dev Choudhury while participating in an All India Radio news talk show last night. Mr Choudhury said help of experts will be taken for the dredging. PTI
Heroin seized, one person arrested AIZAWL
Mizoram Excise and Narcotics department’s Anti-Narcotics Squad on Sunday seized 60 grams of heroin in Aizawl and arrested one person in this connection, a spokesman of the department said. The spokesman said that Malsawmzuala (35) of Aizawl was arrested for allegedly possessing the contraband worth around ₹2 lakh in the local market. PTI
Ten houses gutted in Bijhot village
BHUBANESWAR
Life in communal violencehit Bhadrak town in Odisha is slowly limping back to normality with no incident of violence or arson reported during the past two days. Curfew was relaxed for four hours from 8 am to 12 noon on Sunday allowing people to arrange essential commodities. The administration, however, took no chance and extended curfew till 7 am on Monday. It hinted that there could be phased relaxation in the curfew. From a security point of view, educational institutions and government offices will remain closed on Monday.
Security tightened Deployment of security personnel was strengthened at vulnerable pockets of the town and frequency in patrolling was increased to
Press Trust of India Howrah/Kharagpur
Train services were affected after the engine of a goods train derailed on Sunday between Madpur and Jakpur in Howrah-Kharagpur section of South Eastern Railway, officials said. No casualties or injuries were reported, a spokesper-
OBITUARY & REMEMBRANCE
Assam plans 2-kid norm for govt jobs
A policeman stands guard during curfew at Kachery Bazaar in Bhadrak on Saturday. PTI
“We want to forget the violence and mistrust between the communities. But what we want from the administration is prompt response from security establishments during time of emergency. Our repeated calls to police stations had gone unanswered on Friday,” said Haji Seikh Abdul Salam, president of Charampa Minority Forum.
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ensure peace. “There has been no fresh violence reported from the town. Curfew was relaxed in the morning and people came out in large numbers to get essential household items. We are taking several confidence building measures,” said A. B. Ota, Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central). “The administration is not in a hurry to convene peace committee meeting. We are waiting for return of com-
plete peace. We will soon take a call on the issue,” Mr. Ota said. Soon after announcement of relaxation in curfew was made, people rushed out to purchase milk, bread and vegetables which were available at a few places. Traders in Kacheri Bazar came out to check if their property was safe. Tension was palpable in Chandan Bazar, where both communities have a sizeable population.
Social networking sites Meanwhile, cyber cell of the Crime Branch of the State Police has begun investigation into circulation of rumour through social media. As a precautionary measure, three social networking sites -- Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp -- have been blocked at Bhadrak and surrounding areas for 48 hours from Sunday evening. Besides, toll free number 1077 and helpline number 06784-251881 have been issued for distress calls.
Kolkata
More than 80% votes were polled in the Kanthi Dakshin Assembly by-election in Purba Medinipur district on Sunday. According to the Election Commission (EC) officials, the polling was peaceful. “Till 6 pm 82% votes have been polled. However, the number is likely increase once the final figure arrives tomorrow (Monday). We have not received any reports of violence during polling,” a senior EC official told The Hindu. The Assembly seat, which
has about 2.08 lakh voters, fell vacant after local Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Dibyendu Adhikari was elected to the Lok Sabha in the Tamluk Parliamentary seat by-polls last year.
Five candidates in fray In the current by-poll, five candidates are in the fray. While TMC has fielded former Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, the CPI-M candidate is Uttam Pradhan. Sourindra Mohan Jana is the BJP candidate and Nabakumar Nandi is contesting on a Congress ticket. The polling took place at
258 stations. Interestingly, in the Tamluk Lok Sabha by-elections last year, the BJP came second after the TMC in the Nandigram Assembly segment. The party has also managed to increase its vote share in the Assembly segment in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. While in the 2011 Assembly polls, the BJP got only about 5,004 votes, it went up to 22,062 in the Lok Sabha polls. However, in the 2016 Assembly polls its vote share in the Assembly seat came down to 15,223 votes. (See also Page 10)
Goods train derails in Bengal, rail traic hit
MALDA (WB)
A fire broke out at Bijhot village in Malda district on Sunday but there was no report of any casualty, a top district official said. Ten houses were burnt to ashes in the fire which broke out around 4 pm at Bijhot village under Kushida gram panchayat of HCP-I Block, District Magistrate Tanmay Chakraborty said. PTI
Seat fell vacant after TMC MLA got elected to Lok Sabha
son said. “The engine derailed which affected railway traffic in up and down line,” he said. “South India and Odishabound long distance trains from Howrah were delayed and stranded,” he said. “Movement of 11 pairs of locals trains was hit and Railways are trying to run eight pairs as soon as possible.”
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DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
Press Trust of India Guwahati
The Assam government on Sunday announced a draft population policy which suggested denial of government jobs to people with more than two children and making education up to university level free for all girls in the State. “This is a draft population policy. We have suggested that people having more than two children will not be eligible for any government jobs,” Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at a press conference here. Any person getting a job after meeting this condition will have to maintain it till end of his service, he added.
Free education for girls “For employment generation schemes like giving tractors, offering homes and others government benefits, this two-children norm will be applicable. Besides, all elections such as panchayats, municipal bodies and autonomous councils held under the State Election Commission will also have this norm for candidates,” Mr Sarma said. Mr Sarma, who is also the Education Minister, said the policy also aims to give free education to all girls up to university level. “We want to make all facilities free, including fees, transportation, books and mess dues in hostels. This step is also likely to arrest the school drop-out rate,” he added. Legal marriage age Mr Sarma further said the proposed population policy will seek to debate on increasing the legal age of marriage from 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. If anybody has child marriage then he will be ineligible for government job, the Minister said. The policy will also seek stringent laws to prevent violence and sexual abuse of women, he added. The policy proposes to set up a State Population Council and a State Population Research Centre, he added. CM YK
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No Constitutional impropriety in Goa govt. formation: Shah
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Beach joy for everyone
Criticises Digvijay Singh for failing to swiftly elect party leader in the State Prakash Kamat Panaji
Accusing the Congress of misusing the Article 365 of the Constitution time and again to topple State governments during its rule, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah on Saturday said the BJP did not commit Constitutional impropriety while forming a coalition government in Goa. Mr. Shah was speaking at a rally organised by the State BJP, where he and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar were felicitated for their roles in government formation after the Assembly elections, in which the party came second to the Congress with 13 MLAs in the 40-member Goa Assembly. The Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the polls with 17 MLAs. Seven Ministers had lost their seats from the erstwhile coalition government, including the then Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar. The BJP national president also criticised the All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary incharge of Goa, Digvijay Singh, for failing to swiftly elect a legislative party leader, a key step in government formation post-results. “I want to ask Digvijayji, when BJP leaders with [Union Minister] Nitin Gadkari went to meet the [Goa] Governor, were you even able to elect CLP leader by then? [Congress] were not even able to choose their legislative leader,” he said. The Union Minister for Roads Transport and Highways and Shipping, Mr. Gadkari, credited Mr. Shah as being the architect of the government formation. He also denied any illegality in the process. He revealed
CM YK
All hands on deck: Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Suresh Prabhu, BJP chief Amit Shah, Goa BJP chief Vinay Tendulkar, and CM Manohar Parrikar in Panaji on Sunday. ATISH POMBURFEKER
Making a splash: A specially-designed chair helps a person with disability enjoy the waves on the last day of the Beach Fest at Candolim Beach in Goa on Sunday. ATISH POMBURFEKER *
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is like an < > Congress extinct species. Next year, it will disappear from Karnataka too Manohar Parrikar Goa Chief Minister
some of the behind-thescenes aggressive manoeuvring done by Mr. Shah, who worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and key members of the BJP’s parliamentary board, to effect the party’s victory in the State. The BJP had received the support of three MLAs from Goa Forward Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, and three Independent MLAs, which cleared the way for formation of a coalition government. The Congress had alleged that Constitutional provisions were violated by the BJP in the process. Mr. Gadkari said, “We did not do anything wrong. In the history of India, in the
Lok Sabha and the legislative Assembly elections, those who have a majority are invited to form the government.” He added, “The real architect of Goa victory is Amit Shah. My mood was that we may not form a government, so we should give up. But he called me to his home and told me to go to Goa and that a government should be formed in any condition.”
Congress a ‘rare species’ Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said the Congress would soon become a “rare species” on the canvas of Indian politics. He also said the BJP could come to power in Goa only because of the party’s Central leadership and the Congress leadership’s inability to act swiftly to form a government. “We have to think as to why we dropped from 21 to 13 [MLAs]. We were lucky
that the party’s Central leadership was behind us. They gave us full support and to our luck, the person who the Congress had sent here [referring to Digvijaya Singh] was more interested in being a tourist,” Mr. Parrikar said. Mr. Parrikar also said the Congress would also lose the Karnataka Assembly polls scheduled next year. “Congress is like an extinct species. Like the wildlife species which a forest department tracks down when it is on its way to becoming extinct. It is there in Karnataka, but next year it will disappear from there too,” Mr. Parrikar said. Speaking about his government’s plans, Mr. Parrikar said, “One thing I learned in Delhi is to speak less and work more. This time [as a Chief Minister] I have decided to speak less. Whatever work we do, people will see for themselves.”
Zuari bridge by January 26, 2019
Litter-free Goa: art installation’s aim The work has lowers made out of 1,50,000 plastic bottles Prakash Kamat PANAJI
Special Correspondent Panaji
Union Minister for Roads Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the third bridge across river Zuari in South Goa would be completed by January 26, 2019. Speaking to reporters after inspecting the work on the bridge with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in South Goa on Sunday evening, Mr. Gadkari said land acquisition problems faced in the matter would be resolved. The ₹2,700 crore cablestayed parallel bridge on the Zuari river is being built after the old bridge was considered unfit to carry heavy vehicles.
The North Goa-based Museum of Goa (MOG) will inaugurate Carpet of Joy, an installation by Goan sculptor Dr. Subodh Kerkar that has flowers made out of 1,50,000 discarded plastic bottles, on Monday at Saligao Circle. The installation aims to raise awareness against littering, and promote the idea of a litter-free Goa. Speaking to The Hindu on Sunday, Mr. Kekar said his work was inspired by Israeli artist Uri De Beer’s Plastiflora. “There is plastic litter everywhere. Even the educated and the rich litter shamelessly. This situation can only change with the education of our children;
The installation will be on display from April to May at Saligao Circle in north Goa. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *
the anti-litter idea has to be inculcated from an early age,” he said. The sculptor said a view-
ing platform will be created at the venue, in addition to a podium for taking an ‘antilitter’ oath.
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IN BRIEF
Jishnu’s family calls of fast Kerala police arrest Nehru College vice-principal Sakthivel in Coimbatore Special Correspondent
rested along with four others on April 5 from near the police headquarters, began an indefinite fast at her home in the capital on Sunday morning.
Thiruvananthapuram Palakkad
Digvijay Singh slams Jagan and Naidu AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh on Sunday said YSR Congress president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was not in a position to fight against the BJP and the TDP governments at the Centre and in the State as he was mired in corruption. “A.P. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is not clean either, ” he said.
U.S. devotee offers 2 kg gold ornament at Tirupati TIRUPATI
An NRI woman devotee has made an offering of golden foot covers (‘Paaduka’) weighing two kg and worth about ₹61 lakh, for Lord Venkateswara at the Tirumala temple here on Sunday. A. Lakshmi hailing from A.P. sent the offering through her parents as a fulfilment of a vow, temple sources said. PTI
Mahija and Avishna and other family members of Jishnu Prannoy, the computer science student who committed suicide, called off their five-day old definite fast on Sunday. The move followed the arrest of Sakthivel, viceprincipal of Nehru College of Engineering and Research Centre at Pambadi in Thrissur, and assurances of positive action on their demands from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
10-point agreement Jishnu’s family announced their decision to call off their fast after signing a 10point agreement with the special prosecutor in the Jishnu death case and State Attorney K.V. Sohan, at the end of a three-hour long discussion with the government representatives at the government medical college
Stand-of ends: Jishnu’s mother Mahija called of her fast after assurances from CM Pinarayi Vijayan. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *
here. Ms. Avishna announced her decision to call off her fast on being told to do so by her mother and uncle. The breakthrough in the stand-off between the government and the family came after CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran held talks with the family at the government medical college hospital here, followed by mediation by the special prosecutor and the State At-
torney and, finally, a telephone call from the Chief Minister assuring the family that all the accused in the case would be arrested. He also promised Ms. Mahija that action would be taken if the police had committed any excesses while taking them into custody before the police headquarters on April 5. Meanwhile, L. Thankamma, mother of K.M. Shajahan, who was ar-
Phone calls traced Mr. Sakthivel, accused of abetting Jishnu’s suicide, was arrested from a relative’s farmhouse at Annur, near Coimbatore, on Sunday afternoon by a special investigation team of the Kerala police. Mr. Sakthivel, the third accused in the case, was traced by the investigation team which tracked his phone calls with the help of the Coimbatore city police. He was taken to the police club at Thrissur around 4 p.m. for interrogation. Inspector-General S. Sreejith said the police had tracked telephone calls received by Mr. Sakthivel’s father and wife with the help of Tamil Nadu police.
Telangana, A.P. face problem of plenty in power sector They have to explore options for managing their surplus M. Rajeev HYDERABAD
In three years down the line, will it be a problem of plenty for the two Telugu-speaking States with regard to the power sector? From acute shortage of power experienced post-bifurcation, both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have turned power-surplus within two years of their inception, thanks to the proactive policies of the State governments. But given their ambitious plans for capacity addition through conventional means as well as renewable sources, the two States will soon be compelled to explore options for effectively managing their surplus power failing which it could impact the finances and operations of the distribution companies as well as consumer tariffs, Prayas (En-
ergy) Group said in its report. The report elaborating on the experiences of power surplus States, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, said A.P. and Telangana only have marginal surplus capacity which can be managed in the current context. But with the large scale capacity addition planned and anticipated drop in the future demand, the surplus could become as significant as in the case of Gujarat or Maharashtra. Explaining about the energy availability of A.P. and Telangana, the report said A.P. Discoms relied on short term power procurement in spite of being surplus with purchase of 7,041 million units at ₹ 5.16/kWh for 201516 and the quantum was pegged at 1,193 MU for 201617.
Telangana Discoms, on their part, estimated only a marginal loss of 2.41 per cent of the total availability of thermal stations due to backing down in 2016-17, of which, 62 per cent could be attributed to backing down of high cost AP power plants. The expected short term power procurement by Telangana utilities during the previous financial year was 7,361 MU at Rs. 5.31/ kWh which was higher than the rate approved by the State regulator to meet about 15 per cent of its requirement. The power utilities of A.P. planned to add another 7,623 MW non-renewable energy by 2021-22 while their Telangana counterparts expect an additional 11,240 MW both the States have firmed up plans to add another during the same period.
Four of family found murdered in Kerala
Two arrested for setting ire to forest
Hoysalas take on a new colour
Police issue country-wide lookout notice for son
Staff Reporter
Imran Gowhar
Shivamogga
Bengaluru
Forest Department officials arrested two persons in Haridravathi State forest limits in Hosanagar taluk in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district recently on the charge of setting fire to the forest with the intention of land grabbing. The accused, Kolluraiah, a resident of Hiremaiti village, and Tirthesha, a resident of Tammadikoppa village, are the arrested. They were nabbed while trying to flee after torching the natural vegetation in the forest adjacent to Hiremaiti village. More than 20 acres of forest was ravaged in the incident.
Pink Hoysalas, colour-coded police vehicles aimed particularly at the safety of women and children, will be introduced by the Bengaluru police on Monday. To start with, 51 of these with women personnel will be stationed at sensitive locations where women visit frequently. The vehicles will receive information and complaints through the ‘SurakshaBengaluru City Police’ app and police control room number 100. “Stationing of Pink Hoysalas at locations frequented by women and children will provide moral support to them,” said B.
could have been committed least three days ago, the police said.
Staff Reporter THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Four members of a family were found dead in a house near Cliff House at Nanthancode here early on Sunday. The police identified the deceased as Rajthankam, a retired professor, 60, who hailed from Marthandam, his wife C. Jean Padma, a retired doctor, 58, their daughter Carolyn, 25 and relative Lalitha Jain, 70.
Bodies decomposed While the bodies of the first three were found mutilated and charred in a bathroom, the fourth corpse was found covered in a blanket in an-
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The house where the murders took place in Thiruvananthapuram *
S. MAHINSHA
other bathroom. The remains were in their initial stage of decomposition, suggesting that the murders
Dummy recovered The couple’s son Cadell Jeansen Raja, believed to be aged around 30, has been absconding since the murders came to light. He is currently the prime suspect and a look-out circular has been issued and circulated across the country. The investigators recovered a dummy, presumed to have been planted by the suspect, allegedly to create the impression that he was among those killed in the fire, official sources said.
Bengaluru police to launch 51 pink patrol cars serving women, children centre, which in turn will direct the nearest Pink Hoysala to rush to the spot,” he said.
Safety on wheels: A Pink Hoysala which will be inducted into service on Monday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT *
Nagendra Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (command centre). The Suraksha app can be downloaded on phones and the user’s name and the contacts of two persons who can be reached in case of any eventuality included in it. So
far, there have been 5,630 downloads. Those who do not have the app can continue to seek help by dialling 100. “Once the person uses the app to signal that she is in distress, information reaches the command
Live tracking The location of the person in distress can be found through a live vehicle tracking system. GPS-based movement information and distress signal sharing are at the core of the Hoysala system, and the mobile teams confirm to the control personnel that action is being taken. “The staff at the command centre would also communicate the message to the nearest police station to extend help to the Pink Hoysala staff, if needed,” Mr. Kumar added.
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Museum traces personal, ideological journey of JP
IN BRIEF
Sand artist selected for Moscow championship
Omar Rashid LUCKNOW
A 19-year-old woman student of a private university allegedly committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling in her hostel room here, the police said on Sunday. The woman was identified as Navneet Kaur, a second year student of B.Sc Computer Science at Lovely Professional University, Chaheru. “Depression drove the student to this extreme step,” the police said. The body was handed over to her family after post-mortem. PTI
Two killed in road accident in Bihar NAWADA
Two persons were killed and three injured when a petrol tanker rammed an autorickshaw on National Highway 31 near Pharsa village in Bihar’s Nawada district on Sunday, the police said. The accident took place when the speeding petrol tanker hit an overloaded auto-rickshaw killing two persons on the spot. Three minor girls, all sisters were injured and have been hospitalised, the police said, adding that their father was killed in the accident. PTI
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Noted sand artist from Odisha Sudarsan Pattnaik has been selected to represent India in the 10th Moscow Sand Art Championship 2017. With a theme “The World Around us”, the championship is scheduled to be held from April 22 to 28 at Kolomenskoye, Moscow, Mr. Pattnaik said. Top sand sculptors from different parts of the world are slated to be part of the championship, he said. In the 9th edition of the championship last year, Mr. Pattnaik had won the gold medal. PTI
PHAGWARA
Fails breathalyser test before light to Abhu Dhabi
Part of an under-construction project inaugurated last year by Akhilesh Yadav
BHUBANESWAR
Student commits suicide in hostel room
AI pilot turns up drunk for light, grounded for 3 months
The terracotta triangle rising above a splash of greenery and concrete is not designed without a purpose. Its corten steel exterior, presenting a rust-like facade, is said to offer resistance to atmospheric corrosion but is also part of an attempt to showcase resilience and portray the rustic, the qualities its curators associate with Indian socialism. While a visitor may not instantly be able to grasp the thought behind the design, things get clearer as one walks into the multi-storey structure. Called the Museum of Socialism, it is a rich, interactive guide through the nascent years of the Indian democracy, from the focused lens of the life of socialist ideologue Jayaprakash Narayan. Dedicated to him, the museum is part of an 18-acre project, the Jayaprakash Naryan Interpretation Centre, envisaged along the lines of the India Habitat Centre in the national Capital. While most of it is still under construction, the centre once complete would boast a number of facilities ranging from a world-class convention block, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, multi-sports facility, luxury hotel, a business centre, a helipad and a museum.
Cost of ₹615 crore Only the museum is operative as of now. Then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated it last October on the 114th birth anniversary of JP. The detailed project cost of the JPIC sanctioned by the government in December 2014 was ₹615 crore. The museum, constructed by the Lucknow Development Authority, is spread over an area of 3,269 sq m.
An Air India pilot has been grounded for three months after he tested positive in the mandatory pre-flight alcohol test, minutes before operating a flight to Abu Dhabi from here. The pilot was rostered to fly the Air India Express IX 115 Delhi to Abu Dhabi flight, which was scheduled for departure from the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 8:50 p.m. on Saturday.
Looking back: The museum is currently the only completed part of the project that will boast a multi-sports facility and a luxury hotel among other things. RAJEEV BHATT *
Through four broad themes — reflection, congregation, absorption and internalisation — the museum traces the personal, political and ideological journey of JP, with a special focus on the independence movement, the events leading up to the Emergency and his role in shaping India and the socialist movement. The ground floor comprises four octagons that enable a chronological walk though the key phases of his life, starting from his revolutionary days, exposure to Marxist thought, escape from jail and the independence movement. On the other side, “drawers of time” provide capsules, documents and quotes from key moments in his political life, while photos, videos, interviews of prominent personalities and friends of JP, symbols, audio clips, 3-D holographic screens, kinetic ball techniques and newspaper clippings provide strong documentation of that era and transformations in his life. The complex also boasts
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a gallery, open-air theatre, amphitheatre for showing documentaries, a library, a children’s section, a gift shop and a reading room. There is also a section exhibiting JP’s personal belongings and recreates the appearance and ambience of his Bihar residence. It also stores his clothes, cot, trunk, pen, stool, letters, sandals and the various religious books he read.
Simple presentation Besides being rich in information, presenting vast history and complex political events in a simple and digestible manner, the museum is also user friendly. It is enabled with an audio-tour guide of the complex with a voiceover of the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri and Kabir Bedi. “Aaj bhi keval JP hi desh ko hila sakte hai,” reads one of the wall inscriptions on the outdoor section of the museum. A climb up the steps of the open-air amphitheatre guides you through JP’s life, from childhood to the matur-
ity of his political journey. It culminates with a display of a hologram of the man at the top, with a fascinating view of the scenery below. Another highlight is the real-life rendition of his famous escape from the Hazaribagh jail, with symbols like the boat he used in the escape, the ₹1 and four annas in hand and the bounty on the head of the fugitives. Selfie and photo points are also designed to keep the youth engaged. One such selfie point is based on Karl Marx. Despite its richness and free entry, the museum has not yet caught the fancy of those in Luckow, a sign of the general unawareness about his life. According to Amit Gupta, assistant museum curator, the museum has 60 visitors on an average daily. “The crowd is higher on weekends and soars on special days such as New Year or Valentine ’s Day. These days the weather is hot so the inflow is less. But those who come here are impressed by the overall design and information,” said Mr. Gupta.
First instance “The pilot who was on deputation with AI Express tested positive in the pre-flight breath analyser (BA) test. Since this was the first time he has failed his test he has been grounded for three months,” an Air India source said. Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew mem-
bers from partaking any alcoholic drink, 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him or her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.
‘Common occurrence’ Any crew member who tests positive in the pre-flight medical check or refuses to take a breathlyser test is required to be taken off flying duty and his or her licence is suspended for three months. In case of a repeat offence, the licence of the crew member is suspended for 3 years. However, despite strict provisions, DGCA sources say pilots failing the breathlyser test is a common occurrence. “We suspend anywhere between 1-4 pilots every month for this offence,” a DGCA official said. As per
data shared by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha in Parliament last month, this is the secondmost common air safety breach committed by crew members, with violations related to breathalyser testing increasing from 49 cases in 2015 to 61 in 2016 — a jump of 24 per cent.
AI pilots top violators In fact, Air India pilots were the top violators in 2016 with the national carrier registering 24 cases, followed by Indigo with 9 cases and SpiceJet with 7 cases. Recently, a senior official of Air India, Captain A.K Kathpalia, was suspended for three months by the DGCA for allegedly skipping the breathalyser test before a flight. He was subsequently removed from the post of Executive Director, Operations.
Farmer kills self over ‘crop loss’ Consumed poison over alleged mounting debt Staff Reporter BERHAMPUR
A farmer allegedly committed suicide due to crop loss and mounting debt at Ganjam district in Odisha on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Mangalu Naik (60) of Madhurchua village under Ganjam block of the district. He allegedly consumed poison early morning and was first admitted to the Rambha Community Health Centre and later moved to the MKCG medical college and hospital in Berhampur.
Loan for crops However, he died during treatment. His relatives alleged that he had taken loan for vegetable cultivation but
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had suffered crop loss. They alleged the pressure of repaying had led to a lot of tension, forcing him to take this drastic decision.
Odisha Krushak Sabha (OKS), P.Harikrushna Reddy also claimed that suicide of Mr. Naik was due to crop loss and debt burden.
Inquiry report When contacted, Ganjam District Collector P.C.Choudhary said only after a detail inquiry it can be ascertained whether this suicide was due to crop loss and loan burden. “A team comprising concerned tehsildar, police inspector and officials of agriculture department will make a joint inquiry,” said the Collector. This team is expected to file its report to the administration within the next 24 hours, he added. Ganjam district secretary of peasants’ organisation,
Compensation demand He alleged the administration and the government will try to suppress the real cause. The OKS alleged that during the last three months six farmers have committed suicide in Ganjam, the home district of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik but the government is yet to accept any of them as crop loss related deaths. OKS is demanding ₹10 lakh compensation for families of each farmer who committed suicide over similar reasons.
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IN BRIEF
Srinagar-Jammu highway opens after four days SRINAGAR
The Srinagar-Jammu national highway, which remained closed for four days owing to landslides triggered by heavy rain and snowfall, reopened on Sunday for one-way traffic. The national highway is a crucial link that connects the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country. PTI
Two policemen killed in Jharkhand encounter SIMDEGA (JHARKHAND)
Two policemen were killed and another was injured in an encounter with People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) militants at Girijatoli here, the police said on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Vidyapati Singh and Tarun Biruli of the Bano police station. PTI
3 boys die trying to retrieve ball from well AMBASSA (TRIPURA)
Three boys died while trying to retrieve a football from a deep well at Makracherra, about 20 km from the Dhalai district headquarters. “They went down the well to get the ball but died after inhaling toxic gas,” Superintendent of Police Jal Singh Meena said. PTI
Shopping mall charges a ploy to defame my family: Lalu
Armed rally ends peacefully
Sushil Modi urges Nitish Kumar to order probe
Suvojit Bagchi Soumya Das
Amarnath Tewary
was purchased by Delight Marketing Company Pvt. Ltd. owned by his party MP and the then Union Minister Prem Gupta in 2005 but in 2008, the Gupta family transferred all the company shares to his family. “Rabri Devi purchased the shares... and later gifted them to her sons,” said Mr. Prasad.
PATNA
Breaking his silence over charges of involvement in a land-and-shopping mall scam levelled against his two Minister-sons and wife, Rabri Devi, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on Sunday hit back at BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, calling him a “scamster.” Terming all allegations a ploy to defame his family, Mr. Prasad said every deal was done as per rules. Hours later, Mr. Sushil Modi said Mr. Prasad did not deny the allegations, and urged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to order a thorough probe. Addressing journalists, Mr. Prasad said, “Ghotalaghotala woh log karte hain jo khud ghotalebaaz hain (those who cry scam-scam are themselves scamsters.”
In possession of shares He, however, admitted that the two-acre land on which Bihar’s biggest mall was being constructed belonged to the company “LaRa Projects LLP” in which Rabri Devi, his two sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejaswi Yadav have shares. “The company has 50%
Matricide to ‘appease’ Kali
Lalu Prasad ownership in the under-construction shopping mall being built by Meridian Constructions,” said Mr. Prasad. RJD MLA Sayed Abu Dojana is the owner of the Meridian Construction Company which is building the mall at Saguna Mor, near Danapur in Patna. “When my family has a piece of land why can’t it make commercial use of it?,” asked Mr. Prasad.
Brushes aside charges He brushed aside charges of Mr. Modi that he took the two-acre land from a hotelier, Harsh Kochar, in lieu of the lease of two hotels of Railway in Puri and Ranchi given to Mr. Kochar in 2005 when he was Railway Minister. Mr. Prasad said the land
Similar allegations “Similar allegations were levelled against me in 2008 also but nothing happened…Sushil Modi is raising the issue again after nine years to strengthen his position in the eyes of top party leaders… ,” added Mr. Prasad. Will he file a defamation case against Mr. Modi for making false allegations? “I am not mukadmebaaz [those who love to file cases],” said Mr. Prasad. Later, Mr. Modi addressed journalists and said “all my allegations proved right. It’s all a rags-to-riches story for Lalu Prasad and I will urge a film-maker to make a movie on his life.” The BJP leader dared Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to order a thorough probe into the land-shopping mall scam and to sack sons of Lalu from the Cabinet.
Hindu Jagran Manch supporters brandish swords; police on tenterhooks Hooghly/Kolkata
In a huge armed rally in Chandannagar, a former French colony on the west bank of Hooghly river, many were seen brandishing swords, falchions and a plethora of other weapons on Sunday evening. The rally, organised by a Vishwa Hindu Parishad affiliate, Hindu Jagran Manch, was a follow-up of last week’s Ram Navami. The organisers told the participants to carry a weapon each and thus the local blacksmiths did brisk business. “I got this made last year, but more among us made their weapons this year,” said a local businessman, Niraj Prajapati, showing his sword. The swords — about four to five kg heavy with irregular edges — injured half a dozen men as they were engaged in mock-fights. Teenagers were seen swirling the weapons above their heads and slicing the air at kneeheight, while many women danced their way to the Hooghly. Foreigners, predominantly Krishna devotees, could also be seen rendering devotional songs in the rally. Organisers said they had as-
No child’s play: Children and adults carry swords at a rally in Chandannagar, near the Hooghly on Sunday. SUVOJIT BAGCHI *
sembled men from various parts of the districts for Sunday’s programme. Realising that the postRam Navami march, even if it was organised by their rivals, was a public relations opportunity as thousands took part, Trinamool Congress made its presence felt. TMC’s Hooghly MP Ratna De Nag and Mayor of the city corporation, Ram Chakravarty were seen greeting the participants, many of whom were carrying swords and saffron flags. A local leader said that the
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MP and the Mayor were “monitoring the situation as it was volatile.”
Pat for police The day, however, passed off peacefully. From last Wednesday, when the rallies took off, there have been reports of incidents of communal tension in some urban pockets. But in none of the incidents, the situation spiralled out of control. A former Chief Secretary told The Hindu that the police did “a commendable job” in defusing tension.
Saying talaq thrice not divorce: Salma Ansari ‘Women should read the Quran’
Youth held after brother’s complaint
Press Trust of India INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata
A youth allegedly beheaded his mother with a sword in an attempt to please Kali in Purulia district of West Bengal, the police said on Sunday. Narayan Mahato (28), a resident of Bamu village in Murshidabad district’s Barabazar area, allegedly killed his mother Phuli Mahato with a sword on Friday evening, Susanta Kumar Chatterjee, officer in-charge of Barabazar police station said.
‘Accused confessed’ The police arrested the accused following a complaint lodged by his elder brother. According to police, the accused, who was deeply involved in worship and other
religious practices, confessed to having committed the crime but spoke incoherently during interrogation.
‘Incoherent statements’ “His statements were incoherent during interrogation. It is not clear why he committed the crime. He had some grudge against his mother for not getting him married and also said he was forced to choose between two mothers; one his own and the other goddess Kali,” according to the officer. The accused is charged with murder and has been remanded in 14 days’ judicial custody. “We are trying to find out the real motive behind his crime,” the officer added.
Aligarh
Sucked in: A Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus and a private car which fell into a big crater that suddenly formed on the arterial Anna Salai near the tunnelling site of Chennai Metro Rail on Sunday. No one was injured. M. VEDHAN
Police complaint lodged against the BJP MLA alleging that he made hate speech HYDERABAD
BJP MLA of Goshamahal Raja Singh raised the issue of constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya and allegedly threatened to behead those who opposed the temple’s development during a public speech last week. A police complaint has been lodged
against the legislator alleging that he had made a hate speech.
Uploaded video Mr. Singh had uploaded a video of his public speech made at Jumerat Bazar where he referred to a video clip that, according to him, shows a few AIMIM leaders
Vice-President Hamid Ansari’s wife Salma Ansari has said that uttering ‘talaq’ thrice does not amount to divorce and asked Muslim women to read the Quran thoroughly instead of relying on clerics. Ms. Ansari’s views on triple talaq come at a time when there is a nationwide debate on the practice and the validity of triple talaq, ‘nikah halala’ and polygamy practices among Muslims challenged in the Supreme Court. “Triple talaq is not an issue. There can be no ‘talaq’ (divorce) just because someone utters talaq, talaq, talaq,” she told reporters on the sidelines of a function here on Saturday.
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‘Will behead those against Ram temple’ Staff Reporter
“I’m aware how explosive the situation was two days back. Many rumours were spreading but the police worked silently and skilfullyto defuse tension across the State,” the senior bureaucrat said. Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma told The Hindu that the situation remained largely peaceful. “ Action has been taken against troublemakers. Some persons have been arrested. The situation is peaceful,” Mr. Sharma said.
in Uttar Pradesh saying they would create disturbance across the country if the temple was built. “We have been waiting for this day that those who oppose the temple will raise their heads and we will behead them,” Mr. Singh said, to much applause from the crowd.
The video has since gone viral on social media. Mr. Raja had also urged the crowd to ensure that the temple was built in the next one year. On Sunday in another video he uploaded, Mr. Singh said lives could be “given and taken” for the temple’s cause.
IndiGo light sufers bird hit, grounded Press Trust of India New Delhi
A Kolkata-bound IndiGo flight from Raipur with 150 passengers onboard suffered a bird hit soon after takeoff, forcing the pilot to return. IndiGo’s 6E-252 took off from Raipur at 7:03 p.m. and suffered a bird hit 23
nautical miles from Raipur. The nose of the aircraft suffered damage, a senior airport official said. The plane has been grounded. IndiGo’s engineers were assessing the extent of the damage. The passengers were accommodated in a different flight to Kolkata.
‘Answers in Quran’ Ms. Ansari said women can find an answer to their questions in the Quran itself. “If you’ve read the Quran then you can find the solution there itself. There is no such rule in Quran. They have just made it up. There is no such thing. You read
the Quran in Arabic and don’t read the translation. You accept whatever the Maulana (clerics) or the Mulla says. You must read the Quran, read Hadis. Just see what Rasool had said,” she said in reply to a question on the practice of triple talaq. Women must have the courage to read the Quran by themselves and introspect what’s written in it and gain knowledge about it, she said, emphasising that women should not blindly follow anyone. Women can be easily misguided if they don’t read the Quran, she said. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had recently told the Supreme Court that the pleas challenging such practices among Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary. The Board had also said that the validity of Mohammedan Law, founded essentially on the Holy Quran and sources based on it, cannot be tested on the particular provisions of the Constitution.
Olive Ridley eggs hatch in thousands in Ganjam Three crore hatchlings expected to come out of nests Sib Kumar Das BERHAMPUR
Thousands of hatchlings are coming out of the nests buried under sand on this coast to venture into the sea. The Rushikulya rookery coast in Ganjam district of Odisha is a major nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles in India. This year, over 3,85,000 turtles reached the coast to lay eggs. Each nest contains around 100 eggs. This means over three crore hatchlings are expected to come out of the nests. On an average, 80 hatchlings come out of each nest. “As the rate of mortality among the hatchlings is high, the Olive Ridley remains an endangered species,” Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ashis Behera said. Forest range officer Dilip Kumar Martha said the eggs in a small number of nests CM YK
Homeward bound: An Olive Ridley turtle inds its way to the sea at Rushikulya in Odisha on Sunday. BISWARANJAN ROUT *
had started hatching on April 2. The process picked up on the night of April 7 and is expected to last for the next five days. This year, hatching was delayed by a few days because of the rains on the night of April 2. Bivash Pandav, a scientist of the Wildlife Institute of In-
dia, pointed to an interesting fact. The young ones come out of the sand 48 hours after they hatch. During this period, they remain under the sand, getting oxygen through the porous sand, their shells turning hard for them to cope with the condition outside. A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
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Clarity and facts on the ground Why it’s essential that the Supreme Court speedily hears the Aadhaar petitions
None for the road
T
he liquor trade, as the Supreme Court has emphasised, is indeed res extra commercium, something outside the idea of commerce. It exists solely at the discretion of policymakers without any concomitant fundamental right that other businesses enjoy. The point was cited by the court while ordering that liquor sales be prohibited within 500 metres from national and State highways. In a diferent sense, it only underscores how much the executive is, and ought to be, involved in policy-making on the subject. Imposing restrictions on the location of liquor outlets, applying them in a diferential manner to vends, hotels and standalone bars is undoubtedly an executive decision. It is possible to argue that the executive will be lax in enforcement, corrupt in licensing or too revenue-centric to worry about the social costs of its decisions. However, is that reason enough for the judiciary to impose norms without regard to the problems that they may give rise to? Frankly, the answer is no. The court’s illconsidered order is wholly concerned with the availability of liquor — to the point that it bans sale of liquor on highway stretches even within city and town limits, where police checks are quite common — and does not touch upon strengthening the enforcement of the law against drunk driving. With the same moral outrage against high fatalities on our roads, and with much less economic cost, the court could have ordered stricter patrolling on highways and regular check-points. The order has come down like a sledgehammer not only on the liquor vends and the hospitality sector but also on the revenues of State governments, on the business of hotels and bars, and the tourism potential of many parts of the country. The inventive responses of State governments and the industry give an idea of how much they are afected by it — and indeed how absurd the court’s order is. States are downgrading highways into ‘urban roads’ or ‘major district roads’, moves fraught with consequences as safety and quality norms may be compromised; local bodies, which now have to maintain them, may not ind the required resources. Some luxury hotels situated on highways are creating alternative entrances to claim that their bars are located beyond 500 metres. An enterprising owner has built a maze of sorts to create a longer walking distance from a highway to his bar. It is not clear how the 500-metre distance is to be measured — as a straight line from the highway in any direction or along the paths leading to an outlet. One may denounce or laugh away these moves to circumvent the order; but they can be also seen as desperate responses from those fearing loss of income, jobs and business. The court should have the wisdom and the humility to examine the consequences of its order and do the necessary thing — amend it.
suhrith parthasarathy here are several conlicting accounts of precisely what transpired when senior advocate Shyam Divan made a request late in March for an early hearing of a batch of petitions that question the validity of the unique identiication scheme, implemented through the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Beneits and Services) Act, 2016 — or the Aadhaar Act. The next morning’s newspapers each produced their own versions: in the narration of some, the court made it clear that Aadhaar ought not to be made mandatory for welfare schemes; others reported that the court had also expressly clariied that Aadhaar could, in fact, be imposed in relation to certain state directives. “Let us take Income Tax returns. Is this a beneit? No, we don’t think so,” the Chief Justice of India, J.S. Khehar, sitting along with Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and S.K. Kaul, said, according to The Indian Express. “You can ask someone to have a bank account on the basis of Aadhaar. That is not a beneit. But if you want to make it mandatory for a poor person in a village to get his meagre pension, that could mean extending a beneit… For beneits, it (Aadhaar) cannot be pressed… for non-beneits, it can be done.” These statements, regardless of their exact import, understandably raise legitimate concerns. After all, they were made by the CJI, barely a day after the Lok Sabha had passed amendments to the Finance Bill making Aadhaar mandatory for securing a permanent account number (PAN), and consequently for iling income tax returns. But in attempting to comprehend the signiicance of these remarks, we must be careful not to ascribe any excessive value to them; indeed, there’s practically
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he U.S. missile attack on a Syrian airbase, which President Donald Trump ordered after civilians in the rebel-held Idlib province were hit with chemical weapons causing the deaths of at least 80 people, marks a departure in American policy towards the war-ravaged country. Though President Barack Obama had repeatedly said Syrian President Bashar alAssad should go, he resisted calls for military action in this regard, primarily for two reasons: he wanted the U.S. to stay focussed on the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and was wary of dragging the U.S. into a direct confrontation with Russia, which is backing the regime. Even Mr. Trump’s Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, had said that Mr. Assad’s future was up to the Syrians. But then came the chemical attack on Khan Shaykhun, leading Mr. Trump to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles on the al-Shayrat airbase in Homs. On the face of it, it appears to be a bold move intended to take Mr. Assad to task for his actions. But in truth, the Trump administration has risked escalating the Syrian crisis to far more dangerous levels. Once the brouhaha over the attack settles, Mr. Trump will face the question of what he really achieved from the missile strike. Did it establish any deterrence in Syria? Will it help in the long run to mitigate the sufering of the Syrians or bring the civil war to an end? The strike also raises questions about its legality. The UN Charter clearly states that any attack on another country needs Security Council approval unless it is an act in self-defence. On the ground, the U.S. action seems to have cemented the alliance between Moscow and Damascus further, with the former sending a warship to the Mediterranean and threatening to halt a “deconliction” channel, a hot line between the Russian and U.S. defence ministries to avoid direct confrontation in Syria. Mr. Trump could have waited for the UN to complete its probe into the chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun before initiating military action, while simultaneously working to build a consensus on Syria at the UN Security Council. The U.S. and other countries could also have put more pressure on Moscow to rein in Mr. Assad, and ofered support to the peace process backed by Russia and Turkey. If the last six years of the deadly civil war in Syria ofer a concrete lesson, it is that there are no quick ixes to this crisis that has political, sectarian and geopolitical dimensions. Removing Mr. Assad forcibly may sound purposeful, but it risks a direct confrontation between the U.S. and Russia and could result in the deaths and displacement of many more Syrians, triggering another wave of refugees. The primary focus of the international community should be on ending this war, not on lighting new ires. CM YK
Unique Identiication Authority of India, submitting their biometric data, with a view to staying clear of the long arm of the country’s punitive laws. Given that there is still no authoritative ruling from the Supreme Court on whether the state’s present acts in extending the use of Aadhaar constitutes a contempt of the court’s previously granted interim orders, it is also quite plausible that the government is far from inished. As a result, when the court inally gets around to listing the petitions before a freshly minted seven-judge Constitution Bench — let’s say sometime in the year 2021 — the damage wrought by Aadhaar will be incapable of being undone. By then, India would have taken an irredeemable step towards becoming a surveillance state, and the question of whether we actually have a constitutionally protected right to privacy would be all but moot. This failure of the Supreme Court, needless to say, wouldn’t be unique to the Aadhaar challenge. There were a number of false dawns before the court had, on December 16, referred the challenge to the demonetisation policy to a Constitution Bench. Now, several weeks later, given that the court had explicitly refused to grant a stay of the policy, even if a bench is indeed constituted to hear the petitions, it’s unlikely to matter much: for the state has already thrust the policy on us, and its impact is now permanent. Today, were the court to hear
the petitions challenging Aadhaar, it’s no doubt conceivable that, on an examination of the merits, it might conclude that India’s citizens possess no fundamental right to privacy, or that Aadhaar does not infringe on this right in a constitutionally unsustainable manner. Whatever our respective predilections might tell us about such a view, at least we might be able to take heart from the fact that the court would have performed its basic function under India’s democratic structure: of testing legislative and executive acts against the guarantees of the Constitution. What it’s presently doing, though, is indefensible. It is not only rendering academic these signiicant constitutional questions but, as the lawyer Gautam Bhatia has pointed out, it’s virtually deciding in favour of the government without actually delivering a judgment.
Perils of delays Delays in constitutional judgment, as K.M. Munshi, a member of the Constituent Assembly, had pointed out in a draft note in 1947, can have deep and perilous consequences on fundamental rights. “It is of the highest importance that the question whether a law is valid or not must be decided at the earliest moment,” he wrote. “Any uncertainty about its validity will lead to great hardships. The object of the fundamental law will be frustrated if people have to serve sentences, pay ines or deny themselves the privileges given by the Constitution for a long time under an invalid law.” Most constitutional courts around the world are acutely aware of these dangers. Even recently, there are notable examples from other jurisdictions where courts have fast-tracked certain cases with a view to ensuring that the questions they raise aren’t consigned to theory. The U.K. Supreme Court heard in December 2016 and ruled in January this year that British Prime Minister Theresa May must get Parliament’s approval before formally triggering Britain’s exit from the European Union. Also, last month, a South African High Court ruled that the
decision by President Jacob Zuma to withdraw from the International Criminal Court was not only premature but was also procedurally lawed. In both these cases, a failure to decide expeditiously would have had irreversible consequences. It was to negate such an impact that the courts made suitable arrangements for a quick hearing. Comparing India’s Supreme Court to other constitutional courts around the world can be a diicult and even tedious exercise. There’s no question that our judiciary is fraught with an overlowing docket. But can there really be any excuse for a failure to rule punctually on live conlicts between the state and the citizenry?
The summer proceedings In response, it may well be pointed out that the Chief Justice has established three Constitution Benches that are scheduled to function during the court’s summer vacation. But this programming is a red herring, unless cases are prioritised for hearing in a transparent and logical manner. Thus far, the issues that appear to be accorded precedence over Aadhaar include the validity of triple talaq and polygamy as practised among Muslims, a cause taken up by the court virtually on its own motion, and the legality of WhatsApp’s privacy policy, which the court will begin hearing on April 18. This isn’t to suggest that these cases aren’t important. But given that they don’t encompass disputes that pit the individual directly against the state, the consequences that they are likely to have, from a standpoint of public and constitutional law, aren’t as instantly signiicant as the issues that the Aadhaar challenge presents. That these cases are being prioritised over Aadhaar is therefore curious, at its best, and is, at its worst, seriously damaging to any remaining notions that we might have of the Supreme Court representing a bulwark of freedom and democracy.
Suhrith Parthasarathy is an advocate practising at the Madras High Court
Stepping up to a shared potential As liberal democracies, India and Australia can encourage free trade and help safeguard the Indo-Paciic
A reckless intervention The American air strikes on Syria raise questions of legality and purpose
Point of no return What was more telling, however — and ultimately more damaging — about this entire episode was the result: the denial of Mr. Divan’s plea for a speedy inquiry into the validity of Aadhaar. It is now entirely likely that by the time the court gets around to hearing the challenge, the government will render Aadhaar a fait accompli, with its destiny, in this case, having been sealed by successive CJIs who have failed to so much as constitute a bench to hear the petitions. This lapse also highlights a deeper malaise in our judicial structure: where one person, the CJI, as the sole master of the Supreme Court’s roster, decides the composition of benches, and, as a result, wields enormous administrative power over which cases get heard and which cases get placed on a seemingly never-ending back burner. For close to 19 months, the petitions challenging Aadhaar have been stuck in an administrative logjam. In August 2015, at the bidding of the Union of India, a threejudge bench headed by Justice J. Chelameswar ruled that there was substantial confusion on whether the Constitution guaranteed citizens a right to privacy, and therefore that the case had to be placed before a larger bench, of an appropriate strength to be determined by the CJI. The bench also added (something which the court reiterated again in October that year) that it would be desirable to have the case inally heard at the earliest, having regard to its importance. But, all these months later, with Aadhaar becoming more and more entrenched in the Government’s grand plan, we are no closer to having a bench constituted to decide the legal challenge to the scheme. Consider the consequences. In a few months’ time, millions more would have enrolled with the
malcolm turnbull
I
ndia is the world’s most populous democracy and will, by 2030, be the most populous country, overtaking China. And it is young — there are more Indian 10-year-olds than there are Australians. With more than a dozen distinct languages, scripts and religions, India is multiculturalism on the grandest scale; unlike China, its only rival for scale, it had never existed as a single nation prior to its independence in 1947. And to sustain a vibrant modern democracy, surely India is one of the greatest political achievements of our times. Once you appreciate its size, you see its potential. Think of all those 10-year-olds who will one day be voting in India’s elections and who will also, one day, belong to India’s middle class, the engine of its booming economy. Put all that together and it’s easy to understand why India will play a central role in our region and the
world and, I hope for Australians, it is easier to see why the relationship between our two countries has never been more important. That formal relationship began for many Australians in 1950, when Robert Menzies became the irst Australian leader to visit independent India. Since then, both countries have been transformed. Now we must turn our attention to transforming the relationship to one that matches India’s huge needs and its enormous potential with our people, Australia’s best assets, as well as our resources and our shared democratic traditions. I am delighted to be taking up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to make my irst oicial visit to India as Prime Minister, from April 9-12.
Three focus areas During the visit we will focus on three areas of our relationship that show great potential: our economic, knowledge and strategic partnerships. India is inspiring the world with its explosive economic growth. Its economic take-of is lifting millions out of poverty, transforming the country into the world’s fastestgrowing major economy, with forecasted growth of 7.5% in 2017. This is
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A good beginning Even if Bangladesh’s longstanding demand of arriving at an agreement on Teesta water sharing has been acknowledged with only a promise of inding an early solution, it still brings cheer that ties between Bangladesh and India are progressing at a deeper level (“Delhi, Dhaka agree on 22 deals”, April 9). If the icing on the cake of bilateral cooperation has been the lagging of of the KhulnaKolkata trans-border train service, the fact that New Delhi’s line of credit is lexible and liberal is another move in the right direction, considering that a cash-rich China is making moves in the neighbourhood with its ruthless cheque book diplomacy. It is imperative that the Narendra Modi Government lends maximum support to the
sharpest minds to collaborate in areas such as food security and health, and advance the boundaries of human knowledge in quantum computing, nanotechnology and astronomy. By combining our talents, we can add to the technological achievements already made in both our countries.
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The SC should examine the consequence of its order on the liquor trade — and amend it
DEEPAK HARICHANDAN
no utility to be gained in trying to put diferent news reports together to try to ascertain what the CJI may have really meant. For these statements were just oral ripostes, which don’t bear the force of a judicial order.
As an education destination
a stunning result for India, and a rare opportunity for Australia. From Mumbai to Melbourne, from Bengaluru to Brisbane, India will be in the market to buy some of the best things Australia has to ofer. Two-way trade is growing, and approaching $20 billion, but that’s far too low and there’s so much more we can do. This will be a key focus of my visit. I’ll meet with executives from some of India’s biggest companies, and speak with Australian entrepreneurs in India who are expanding their market reach into this extraordinary country. The Government will announce the results of the tenth round of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund. Worth more than $100 million, this initiative has enabled our
For decades our citizens have been criss-crossing the Indian Ocean in search of knowledge. Last year, Australia was the second-most popular study destination for Indian students — 60,000 came to Australia to learn. Through the Government’s New Colombo Plan, I want to see more and more young Australians choosing India as a place to study and boost their own qualiications and experience. India’s demand for our minerals and resources remains high. But education is a new pathway to shared prosperity. Consider the numbers — the Indian Government is aiming to train 400 million people by 2022. We can help them achieve this goal. A great strength of our education relationship is found in the higher education and research sector. Collaboration between our institutes on high-end research, innovation, science and technology are central
to developing our knowledge partnership. Having met twice already, Mr. Modi and I know that our close economic cooperation is also matched by shared strategic priorities. The security and stability of the Indo-Paciic is fundamental to both of us and my visit provides an opportunity to discuss key regional and geostrategic issues and strengthen our engagement. As liberal democracies, we can work together to encourage free trade and prosperity and to help safeguard security and the rule of law in our region.
The Indian link At home, we are lucky that India — its culture, its art, its food, its people — has become such a large and important part of Australian life. Half a million Australians are of Indian descent. That number increases each year. Whether it’s Little India in Melbourne, Diwali celebrations in Brisbane, or the long-established Sikh community on the North Coast of New South Wales, modern Australia, the most successful multicultural society in the world, could not be imagined without the contribution of Indian-Australians. Malcolm Turnbull is the Prime Minister of Australia
Letters emailed to
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more-India friendly Awami League Government.
April 12. Heavens will not fall if this election is not held.
Nalini Vijayaraghavan,
Suryanaryanan S.,
Thiruvananthapuram
Chennai
R.K. Nagar by-poll
Insensitive remark
The R.K. Nagar by-poll, in Chennai, is turning out to be one of the most expensive in India. Given the rampant irregularities, complaints and counter-complaints, the Election Commission of India is being stretched to its limit (“Seized papers reveal hand of Ministers”, April 9). Scores of oicials including high-ranking police oicers have been shifted and new incumbents posted. For the irst time too, microobserver teams in addition to lying squads have been appointed to prevent irregularities. Perhaps this is the most appropriate time for the authorities concerned to take a call on the necessity of conducting this by-poll, scheduled for
In early 2011, a U.S. diplomat, Maureen Chao, while attempting to recount “positive memories from her own study experiences in India 23 years ago”, made an “inappropriate comment” about Tamilians. After the storm of protests, the U.S. consulate in Chennai was forced to apologise. While one may understand where that comment came from, given her background, one is unable to come to terms with what BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay has said about south Indians (“Tarun causes stir with racist comment”, April 9). What men like him should realise is that we as individuals have
control only over our attitudes and not over our complexion and features which are god-given. Maturity is all about overcoming the prejudices engraved in our minds since childhood. V. Jayaraman, Chennai
Handling depression The Government of Kerala has initiated the Aswasam scheme with the goal of treating depression and related mental disorders at over 170 family health-care centres. This is a muchneeded move for a State where nearly 10% of the population is sufering from a mental illness. However, instead of ensuring psychological services using qualiied psychologists, the State has chosen to use ASHA workers and healthcare providers, who have been trained for six weeks. I
feel that such a move will make matters worse. Extensive research points to the positive role that psychological treatment and psycho-therapy play in the treatment of mental illnesses. By providing essential services such as counselling though unqualiied, underpaid and overworked health workers, the State is undermining the quality of mental health. Kerala does lack qualiied psychologists. Anupama S., Thiruvananthapuram
Connect, with airwaves This refers to the report, “India’s irst community radio still makes the right connect”, April 9). There have been several instances of narrow casting with tapes and cables during the last decade of the 20th century, but none was a community radio licensed as such by the
Government of India. Records will show that when the government initially allowed only educational institutions to start community radios, it was Anna University in Chennai which commenced broadcasting on its community radio in 2004. It was the irst licensed community radio in India, followed by a service run by Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College in Puducherry and the Kongu Engineering College at Perundurai, Tamil Nadu. All three broadcast programmes were mostly in Tamil. In 2008, Kongu Community Radio won the ‘best campus/community radio in India’ award, the irst ever national award for community radio in India. K. Thangaraj, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu
more letters online: www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/
A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
OPED 9
NOIDA/DELHI
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
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The nuclear genie may take a new form in view of changing threat perceptions and global uncertainties even before it commenced. In the midst of this ferment, a debate has begun in India about a review of its no-first use doctrine. Experts seem to think that India’s doctrine is flexible enough to deal with any eventuality, but others feel that we should enter more caveats to safeguard our interests. Perhaps, it is best to let the sleeping dogs lie.
T.P. Sreenivasan A picture of the globe under the hood of a cobra was a familiar symbol of the precarious state of international security till recently. Accidental or deliberate pressing of the nuclear button was the nightmare that haunted humanity. At the same time, using the nuclear genie and harnessing it for prosperity was the best dream. Today, both the nightmare and the dream have become jaded. Nuclear weapons have ceased to be viable as instruments of war because of the unpredictability of the consequences of a nuclear war. No one can trust even the use of tactical nuclear weapons without collateral damage for the user. Today, nations can be destroyed with mobile phones and laptops without killing a single human being, making the “humaneness” of cyberwarfare the biggest danger. The theories of deterrence of nuclear stockpiles have also been discredited after 9/11 brought the most formidable nuclear power to its knees. Non-proliferation today, if any, is not on account of the NonProliferation Treaty (NPT), but on account of the futility of building nuclear arsenals. The threat of terrorism looms larger than the threat of nuclear weapons. After Fukushima, nuclear power too is receding as a sensible component of the energy mix. One clean-up operation after an accident can demolish many years of technological advancement and hopes of having cheap power. The sun shines as a source of energy, not the glittering nuclear reactors which seem to emit mushroom clouds.
Still a flourishing industry Old habits die hard, however, and there is constant activity on the weapons and the power fronts. The nuclear and disarmament industry still flourish. Former U.S. President Barack Obama’s Prague speech had ignited cautious optimism that nuclear weapons would cease to be the anchor of security, though not during his presidency, not even in his lifetime. Rajiv Gandhi’s United Nations Plan of Action for total elimination of nuclear weapons came out of
“The nuclear liability law, the Westinghouse bankruptcy and the protests by local people have combined to delay the expansion of nuclear power in India.” File picture of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tirunelveli. PTI *
the dusty archives. The ‘Global Zero’ movement gained momentum, even as nuclear weapon powers continued investment in developing delivery systems and weapons. U.S. President Donald Trump had once said that proliferation was good for American allies, but more recently, he said: “It would be wonderful, a dream would be that no country would have nukes, but if countries are going to have nukes, we’re going to be at the top of the pack.” He even hinted at the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances. The hope raised by four old cold warriors, George P. Shultz, William J. Perry, Henry A. Kissinger and Sam Nunn, by setting the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons and working on the actions required to achieve that goal finally receded, and in desperation, the world turned to the good old UN machinery to create illusions of progress.
Emphasising non-proliferation NPT enthusiasts have been disappointed of late that out of the three pillars of the treaty — non-proliferation, disarmament and nuclear energy for peaceful purposes — the first, non-proliferation, has got watered down and disarmament has become the priority. They also worry that dangerous technologies like enrichment are within the reach of the non-weapon states. In the context of Japan and South Korea debating acquisition of nuclear weapons, they feel that non-proliferation should be brought back to be the first priority
of the NPT. The promotional function of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is also a concern for them. The IAEA has already shifted its focus from nuclear power to nuclear security, as a result. In 1995, the NPT was made a perpetual treaty with no possibility of amendment, but its votaries now advocate that non-proliferation should be emphasised to the exclusion of disarmament and nuclear energy promotion. The UN General Assembly, with its unlimited agenda, readily jumped into the first UN conference in more than 20 years on a global nuclear weapons ban, though the nuclear weapon powers did not join. More than 120 nations in October 2016 voted on a UN General Assembly resolution to convene the conference to negotiate a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading to their total elimination. Britain, France, Russia and the U.S. voted no, while China, India and Pakistan abstained. Though India had recommended the convening of such a conference, it abstained on the resolution as it was not convinced that the conference could accomplish much at this time. India said that it supported the commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament on a comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention, which in addition to prohibition and elimination also includes verification. The U.S. and others wanted to accept the reality that such conferences would serve no purpose. The conference has failed
On nuclear power production On the nuclear power front, the efforts to increase nuclear power production suffered a setback as a result of Fukushima. Many countries that had lined up before the IAEA for nuclear technology for peaceful purposes quietly switched to other sources of energy. The much-expected nuclear renaissance withered away. Except for China, India and Russia, most nations have shied away from building nuclear reactors or importing them. India’s liability law deterred U.S. companies from exporting reactors to India. The financial problems of Westinghouse, which had agreed to build six reactors in Andhra Pradesh, postponed, if not cancelled, the venture. But India has not fundamentally changed its threestage nuclear power development, though the thorium stage eludes it. The need for reduction of greenhouse gases was an incentive to increase nuclear power production, but President Trump’s challenge of the whole concept of climate change as a hoax and the consequent reduction of allocation of funds to protect the environment will further reduce the accent on nuclear power. The Kudankulam project is set to move along with Russian collaboration, but its progress has been slow. The nuclear liability law, the Westinghouse bankruptcy and the protests by local people have combined to delay the expansion of nuclear power in India. Like everything else in international affairs, the nuclear pot is also being stirred on account of the uncertainties of the U.S. government and changing threat perceptions. Nobody thinks any more that peace and amity will break out between the U.S. and Russia, making nuclear weapons redundant. But no one is certain that the nuclear genie will not take new incarnations as a result of the ferment. T.P. Sreenivasan, a former Ambassador, was the Governor for India of the IAEA and Executive Director of the IAEA 2020 Programme
The text, the texture and the grain On the three categories of journalistic practice
A.S. PANNEERSELVAN Curious readers are never short of questions. These questions often force one to look at one’s own craft much more closely. For instance, there are two binding codes that determine my work: Living our Values, which is the code of editorial values of this newspaper, and the Terms of Reference for the Readers’ Editor, which spell out my role. On many social occasions, readers ask me to explain how I examine specific issues using these broad guidelines. They are interested in the process and want to know how I, as the custodian of their interests in the newspaper, respond to their queries. Constant interaction with readers leads to new areas of interrogation. One of the readers said that my column “A journalist’s dilemma” (March 27, 2017) dealt with a journalist’s predicament and wanted to know what were a news ombudsman’s predicaments.
Errors in text The entire oeuvre of journalistic practice can be divided into three categories: the text, the texture, and the grain. There are two avenues in this newspaper to effect a proper redressal: a daily correction and clarification column and a signed weekly column. At a functional level, addressing the problems relating to the text is relatively easy. It is about facts and figures, inadvertent typographical errors, proper attribution, and accuracy. Ian Mayes, in his farewell column as Readers’ Editor of The Guardian, recollected William Hazlitt’s essay “On Cant and Hypocrisy” that spoke about the inevitability in the nature of things to fall short of the standards to which we aspire and that it is only hypocrisy if those standards are false and not believed in the first place. The mistakes relating to the text happen not because the team of journalists working for this newspaper does not aspire for higher standards but due to oversight and a momentary suspension of judgment. These mistakes are irritating, avoidable and yet recur, and are constantly corrected. The Readers’ Editor gets comfort from the myth of Sisyphus. Principles defining journalism The five core principles that define journalism and distinguish it from other forms of writing is the grain. These five principles are truth and accuracy, independence, fairness and impartiality, humanity, and accountabil-
ity. They define the obligation of journalism to its reading public. The multiple elements that constitute this grain are: public interest, transparency, and ethical practice. The signed weekly column is about the grain of journalism. It flags these concerns, admonishes when there is a breach, and essentially tries to keep journalism on the straight and narrow path. The grain of good journalism ensures that means matter not only for readers and journalists about also for future generations. Some of the principles I follow are borrowed from codes adopted by various professional journalists bodies. The key codes I follow are: “Remember that neither speed nor format excuses inaccuracy. Provide context. Take special care not to misrepresent or oversimplify in promoting, previewing or summarising a story. Gather, update and correct information throughout the life of a news story... Scarce resources, deadline pressure and cut-throat competition do not excuse cutting corners factually or oversimplifying complex issues. ‘Trending,’ ‘going viral’ or ‘exploding on social media’ may increase urgency, but these phenomena only heighten the need for strict standards of accuracy.”
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Stirring up the nuclear pot
The question of texture Long-form journalism is finally getting its due place in daily journalism. One of the elements that makes or breaks long-form reporting is its fine texture. Some writings dance and some limp. However, I am on the horns of a dilemma when it comes to the question of texture. I have not written a single column on this topic for four reasons. First, I am not sure whether it is overreach or it is within my remit to comment on form and style. Second, I am inhibited by the inherent subjectivity that governs the aesthetics of prose and the multiple layers that forms a texture of writing. Third, the texture in most cases does not lead to ethical transgression and hence does it warrant a Readers’ Editor’s response? Fourth, in a plural environment, do I have a language to talk about the texture of the written word in journalism without sounding censorious? I hope my textural dilemma would soon end in a text that is faithful to its grain.
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Real meaning of Brexit
FIFTY YEARS AGO APRIL 10, 1967
CMs agree on ‘status quo’ in food policy
It might be possible to maintain some sort of status quo beyond 2019 in Britain’s EU membership
The Chief Ministers’ conference which concluded its deliberations on the food situation to-day [April 9, New Delhi] decided to continue the single State food zonal system in the country. The Union Food Minister, Mr. Jagjivan Ram, told Pressmen that the three-State food zone of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana would be divided into three single State zones and there would be no change in the zonal system in respect of other States. Neither a decision was taken on a national food budget nor any national food policy as such was evolved at the meeting.
Garimella Subramaniam
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GETTY IMAGES
Britain’s apparent tone of accommodation over its current complex exit negotiations with the European Union (EU) would have seemed inconceivable only a couple of months ago. Prime Minister Theresa May’s candid remarks in January that a “no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal” did not amuse European diplomats. Again, her veiled threat of a possible low-tax and tarif regime for third countries in the event of failure to secure a trade agreement with the EU seemed intended to appease hard-liners in her own party. But recent developments suggest that there might be prospects to maintain continuity with the status quo beyond 2019 in Britain’s EU membership. The ‘remain’ camp in last year’s referendum may sense a small window of opportunity in this evolving scenario. The Conservative government, long held hostage by eurosceptic backbenchers, was a hapless witness to the leave camp’s rallying cry ahead of the June 2016 plebiscite to “take back control” from Brussels. But so much for sloganeering. A demand for legislative approval of the historic verdict was resisted by the government in charge of delivering Brexit. Eventually, ‘remain’ supporters won the argument in a lower court. On appeal, the judges ruled that Britain’s withdrawal from a four-decade EU membership, with profound implications for citizens, required Parliament’s assent. Closure of the country’s borders to immigrants from the continent, quitting the bloc’s single market, and calling time on the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice constitute the core of the eurosceptic stance. They were equally the central pillars of the ‘leave’ campaign. But ever since London triggered the Article 50 exit clause of the Lisbon Treaty on March 29, the hard realities of a two-year deadline have begun to bite.
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Some strings attached In response to Article 50, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to insist on compliance with the bloc’s budgetary obligations, the common trade policy, and the court’s jurisdiction. The implication is that Britain will continue to be governed by EU policy on these and possibly on immigration, even after Britain’s formal withdrawal. The European Parliament’s resolution also ofers the possibility of an association agreement, paving the path for closer cooperation between the U.K. and the remaining 27 states. But none of this detracts from the bloc’s core concerns that London’s exit does not set a precedent for countries with eurosceptic and populist forces eager to replicate the U.K. referendum. A related aim is that while the inal deal may not be punitive, it should be inferior to full membership. Ms. May’s recent statements echoing this emerging scenario have so far not elicited adverse criticism from her Conservative colleagues. But Britain’s hefty inancial bill, still a bone of contention in Brussels and London, will determine whether the bloc is headed for a hard Brexit. The real meaning of “Brexit means Brexit” will soon become apparent. CM YK
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO APRIL 10, 1917
Bengal Moslem League
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CONCEPTUAL
SHELF HELP
Free riding Economics Free riding refers to market failure resulting from people using a collective good or service without paying for it. Typically public goods with a positive externality are associated with free riders, because they are non-excludable and nonrival in consumption. Classic examples of these are national security, highway network development, disaster response systems, and public libraries and broadcasting services. Free riding can sometimes be overcome by imposing a tax on the entire population. Besides public goods theory, free riding has applications in the context of collective bargaining, antitrust law, and psychology.
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Bus, car trapped in Anna Salai cave-in: A video story http://bit.ly/2nQPs6h
History divided
The third annual session of the Bengal Provincial Moslem League, was held to-day at Barisal, the Hon’ble Mr. Abdul Kaseem presiding. In the course of his address, Mr. Kaseem referring to the war said that it was a source of gratification that Indians responded so cheerfully and manfully to the call of duty. He impressed upon his countrymen the necessity for subscribing liberally to the War Loan and urged his co-religionists to respond to the call for enlistment in the Defence of India Force.
Coming to terms with 1971 in Bangladesh Kallol Bhattacherjee
For years, the news bulletin of the national TV channel of Bangladesh started by recounting the “ocean of blood” that underwent a churning for the birth of the nation in 1971. Every evening, the Bangla and English bulletins would start not with a newsy number but with a mournful tribute to the people who perished in creating this nation. The reason for this bloodbath has been the contest between Islamic identity and secular Bengali nationalism. With due respect to other seculars in South Asia, the leaders of Bangladesh have laid down their lives repeatedly for secular Bengali nationalism while preserving and strengthening pluralism in society. This sacrifice is obviously because of the constant challenge to their search for identity from the opposing group.
The violence of Bangladesh therefore is something that refuses to go away and every historical landmark of Dhaka reminds us of that past. These violent moments have been celebrated in books, plays, news and every other aspects of public life. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has herself written about the mix of dictatorship and the Islamic path. In her 2015 book Bangladeshe Shoirotontrer Jonmo, she wrote about the deep network that exists within Bangladesh enabling the apocalyptic violence that has a tendency to erupt from time to time. Following the assassination of almost her entire family in the early morning of August 15, 1975, Sheikh Hasina has been among the few leaders who connect the present era with its blood-stained past. Though she is known for her strong opposition to the pro-Pakistan senti-
ments, she revealed that there were several important figures of Bangladesh who continued to serve in the Pakistan government even after Bangladesh emerged from the ruins of East Pakistan. During her latest visit to India, Prime Minister Hasina, who is heading to the next general election of Bangladesh, showed that she remains aware of the narrative of Bangladesh and its importance to keep her country united. In course of the visit, she launched the English translation of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s unfinished autobiography (Unfinished Memoirs) that she had edited in the Bangla original version. Other books that help us understand Bangladesh today are Srinath Raghavan’s 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh and Gary J. Bass’s The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide.
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10 NEWS
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
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FROM PAGE ONE
Bhagwat for national ban on cow killing He asserted that non-violent efforts alone would help change the law. “I am confident that wherever RSS workers are in power, they will deal with local complexities and work in that direction,” he said. He added that whether there was a law or not, cow
slaughter would stop if society’s behaviour changed. Mr. Bhagwat said that as a veterinary doctor he was aware of a ‘desi’ cow’s utility, including the usefulness of its urine and dung. Even scientific bodies were now accepting this, he claimed.
IS targets two Egyptian churches
Forensic experts collecting evidence at the site of a bomb blast which struck worshippers celebrating Palm Sunday at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in Tanta near Cairo. AFP
States pan ‘politicisation’ of Governor’s role At Inter-State Council meet, a general consensus among them is that the post is being misused in an ‘unhealthy’ manner Special Correspondent New Delhi
The Inter-State Council (ISC), led by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on Sunday discussed the discretionary powers of the Governor during government formation. Some States wanted a fixed cooling-off period for retired bureaucrats and judges before they are appointed Governors. The meeting comes against the backdrop of renewed discussions on the role of Governors after the BJP formed governments in Goa and Manipur despite not having a majority. The meeting of the Standing Committee of the ISC, held after a gap of 12 years, also discussed the tenure of governors and guidelines on the use of discretionary powers in appointment of chief ministers, besides a host of other issues. “We discussed threadbare the role of Governors. Many
Setting guidelines: Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at the Inter-State Council meeting in New Delhi on Sunday. R.V. MOORTHY *
States felt that a Governor should be qualified, non-partisan and above politics,” said Finance Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y. Ramakrishnudu, who represented Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at the council.
No role in politics Mr. Ramakrishnudu said the States wanted Governors not
to have a say in politics. According to the M.M. Punchhi Commission’s recommendations on CentreState relations, which were considered at the meeting, the Governor should follow clear guidelines in the appointment of a chief minister by sticking to a “clear order of preference”. The commission has recommended that a Chief
Minister should be asked to prove his majority within a clear time limit before he is dismissed. In such a scenario, the Chief Minister should prove his majority within five days to a maximum of 30 days, it has said. Mr. Singh chaired the meeting, while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Odisha, Tripura and Chhattisgarh counterparts, Naveen Patnaik, Manik Sarkar and Raman Singh, attended it. The Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, who are also members of the committee, did not attend the meeting but sent representatives. According to an internal note of the Inter-State Council, Bihar has called the role of a Governor “redundant”, while a few other States felt that Governors should have no role in governance or
politics of the State under their charge. As many as 19 States have given their suggestions on the eligibility criteria for the post of Governor. Bihar has said the post of Governor should be abolished, while Gujarat and Haryana feel the present parameters with regard to qualification of the Governor suffice. Punjab has said that while appointing the Governor, State government should be consulted.
Advised by Cabinet There was a general consensus among the States that politicisation of the post of Governor was taking place which was “unhealthy” for Centre-State relations. On another controversial issue of granting prosecution sanction against a member of the Council of Ministers under Section 197 CrPC, seven States, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, con-
tested the Punchhi Commission's recommendation that the Governor should follow Supreme Court interpretation that a Governor is not bound by the advice of the Council Home Minister Singh is believed to have told the meeting that the powers of Governor, criteria for selection and his impeachment should largely be left untouched. Finance Minister Jaitley is learnt to have supported Mr. Singh's position. According to an internal note of the Inter-State Council on deployment of security forces in States, 18 of them agreed to the suggestion of the Punchhi Commission that the Centre must protect States from internal and external disturbances. The recommendations of the Standing Committee, finalised at this meeting, will be placed before the InterState Council headed by the Prime Minister.
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Coptic Pope Tawadros had been leading the mass at Saint Mark’s Cathedral at the time of the explosion but was not injured, the Interior Ministry said. “These
acts will not harm the unity and cohesion of the people,” he was later quoted as saying by state media. Mr. Sisi declared a threemonth state of emergency.
8 dead; lowest ever turnout in Srinagar
Volatile situation: Protesters and police clash during the Lok Sabha byelection in Srinagar on Sunday. NISSAR AHMAD *
“Several electronic voting machines (EVMs) were damaged. However, several EVMs were received back. The EC will take a call on repolling,” the CEO said. Budgam, comprising five Assembly segments, was the epicentre of violence on Sunday, with scores of polling staff members injured and vehicles damaged. Most polling booths wore a deserted look. “The government failed to provide a conducive atmosphere for polls,” said National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, who is contesting as the candidate of an alliance of the party and the Congress in Srinagar. On the other hand, Ganderbal saw largely peaceful polling. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was distressed to know that many of those killed were young boys. “The time has come for all to come together and stop the cycle of senseless bloodshed, which has plagued J&K for three decades now,” Ms. Mufti said. “We have to understand the intricacy of the issue. Only peaceful means and not violence is the only way ahead for getting the state out of the difficulties.”
“I am voting for development. I believe that voting is the only method even to achieve a resolution of the Kashmir problem too,” said Arshid Khatana, a voter in Kangan.
Blame game The lowest-ever voter turnout of 7.14% has shocked mainstream political parties in the Valley, triggering a blame game. Former Chief Minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah held Ms. Mufti responsible for the unprecedented violence. “The kind of violence we witnessed today is unheard of. I have contested polls six times but never saw such bad environment. Despite the agitation of 2008 and 2010, several polls were held,” he said. Dr. Abdullah alleged that the State and the Centre governments failed to understand the mood and the sentiment in the State. “I had forewarned that it’s not right time to hold polls. I believe Ms. Mufti is directly responsible for the situation in Kashmir,” he said. The BJP, a coalition partner in the State government, however, blamed the NC for “vitiating the atmosphere”.
Teesta waters can’t be shared: Mamata ‘Other rivers in the area can be tapped’
Hasina ofers chadar at Ajmer Bangladesh Prime Minister accompanied by ive Ministers of delegation Press Trust of India
Asian News International
Ajmer
Kolkata
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday paid obeisance at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti here and offered a chadar (shawl) at the grave of the 12th century Sufi saint. Ms. Hasina was accompanied by five Bangladesh Ministers in the 26-member delegation. She was received by the officials of the dargah’s Anjuman Committee (management committee). She offered prayers for 15 minutes at the shrine and stayed there for about an hour. Ms. Hasina offered namaz near Jannati Gate and also recited a fatiha (prayer) for the Sufi saint.
Expressing her displeasure at the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, on the Teesta, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said the river is the lifeline of north Bengal which can’t be taken away. “There is very little water in Teesta river, it is our lifeline, the lifeline of north Bengal,” Ms. Banerjee said. She said other trans-national rivers could be diverted to attend to Bangladesh’s water needs. “Your problem is water, not Teesta. I am willing to look at any alternative proposal. There are many other rivers in the area, we can use water from them,” she said.
No pact signed On Saturday, Ms. Hasina said India’s support would help resolve all issues, including Teesta water sharing, expeditiously. Meanwhile, no pact on Teesta was signed between the two
Mamata Banerjee nations. Mr. Modi said: “I am very happy that the Chief Minister of West Bengal is my guest today. Her feeling for Bangladesh is as warm as my own. I assure you and the people of Bangladesh of our continuing efforts on Teesta. It’s only my government and your government that can and will find an early solution to Teesta water sharing issue.” The Teesta runs through West Bengal and Bangladesh and if a treaty is signed it would allow for equal share of water. Bangladesh welcomed Mr. Modi’s commitment to an early solution on the Teesta.
Welcome address Khadim Kalimuddeen Chisti gave “tabarrukh” and a scarf to the Bangladesh PM. The Anjuman committee gave a welcome address in her honour. She made a brief halt at the Circuit House, had tea
Assembly byelections mostly peaceful Firing in Ater in Madhya Pradesh; intense contests in H.P. Staff Reporter NEW DELHI
Byelections were held in Rajouri Garden in Delhi and eight other Assembly constituencies in six States on Sunday. Barring Ater in Madhya Pradesh, where firing was reported from two places, polling was by and large peaceful. Polling took place in two constituencies each in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh and one each in West Bengal, Assam, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. Eighty-two per cent polling was reported in Kanthi Dakshin in Purba
Medinipur district of West Bengal. “The number is likely to increase once the final figure arrives tomorrow (Monday),” a senior Election Commission official told The Hindu. A moderate polling of around 63% was reported from the Bhoranj constituency of Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh. Polling was around 4% lower than what was recorded in the 2012 polls. Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said his party would win the seat with a record margin. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the people would vote
for his good work. The byelection in Rajouri Garden in west Delhi witnessed a low voter turnout. The Election Commission recorded 46.23 per cent polling when voting closed at 6 pm. In 2014, the turnout was 72%. Delhi Congress leader Ajay Maken said: “This by-election will be a referendum on [Chief Minister Arvind] Kejriwal’s two years’ work.” In the Dholpur constituency in Rajasthan, 74% polling was recorded till 5 p.m. (With Soumya Das and Kanwar Yogendra and PTI inputs)
Of ghost streets and deserted booths Trickle of voters was followed by massive street protests in major J&K towns resulting in eight deaths
Call of the sui: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the shrine of Sui saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, in Ajmer on Sunday. PTI *
and flew out of the city by noon. Among those who accompanied Ms. Hasina were Minister for Liberation War
Budgam
Ghost highways and young men armed with stones and stationed in alleys were the dominating feature of the Lok Sabha byelection in Budgam district of central Kashmir on Sunday. It’s 11 a.m. at the Bagura High School polling station. Just 40 out of the 1,800 voters arrived early in the morning to cast their vote and left swiftly to avoid being held up by protesters in the vicinity. “The killing of three civilians at Chadoora in March acted as a spark in the CM YK
Leading the way: NC candidate Farooq Abdullah and son, Omar Abdullah, on their way to a booth in Srinagar on Sunday. NISSAR AHMAD *
powder keg. All five Assembly constituencies in Budgam saw protests all day,” Reyaz Ahmad, a lecturer who decided not to
vote, said. At the Parinooo polling station, at around 11.30 a.m., no voter turned up. However, there was brisk polling in the Gujjar-domin-
Polling staff face ordeal A presiding officer said many employees failed to reach the polling stations because of stone-throwing. Nissar Azim, a polling staff member, was injured when youth hurled rocks and a petrol bomb on his booth in Budgam.
“Since morning, we have faced stone-throwing. Around 1 p.m., we decided to stop polling,” Mr. Azim said. Several vehicles carrying polling officials were damaged. The police fired in the air and lobbed teargas shells to safeguard booths and the polling staff all day. In several areas, the protesters denied the polling staff exit. Around 14 EVMs were damaged. “It’s the first time, since the 1990s, that I saw Budgam erupting this way. The district has become a new source of violence,” Khazir Ahmad, a village elder said.
Law Anisul Haq. She had earlier visited the shrine on January 13, 2010 with her family.
Centre’s help sought to ly in boy’s body
Khaleda alleges a ‘sellout’ to India
Press Trust of India
Bangladesh’s security at stake: BNP
Patiala
The family of a 19-year-old youth, who died in a road accident in Australia two days ago, has sought the help of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in bringing his body. Vishal Mahant had died after being hit by a truck in Melbourne on Friday. Pardeep Singh, a family friend of the deceased, has, through tweets, sought the Minister’s help in bringing Vishal’s body. Vishal had gone to Australia on a student visa, and was working at a relative’s store. Meanwhile, former Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur promised all help.
Press Trust of India Dhaka
Bangladesh’s Opposition leader Khaleda Zia has accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of “selling out” the country to India to translate into reality her “dream of staying in power for life”, hours after New Delhi and Dhaka signed 22 pacts in key sectors including defence. “Hasina dreams of remaining in power for life. She has done many things for this. She kept nothing for the country, sold everything,” Ms. Zia, former Prime Minister and the chief of main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said in a party
Pakistan detains 42 ishermen of Gujarat Press Trust of India
ated Khan Sahib area. The morning trickle of voters was followed by massive street protests in the major towns of Chadoora, Beerwah, Charar-e-Sharief and Khan Sahib. Eight persons died here and more than 170 were injured.
Peerzada Ashiq
Affairs A.K.M. Mozammel Haque, Minister of Water Resources Anisul Islam Mahmud and Minister of
Ahmedabad
The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has apprehended 42 Indian fishermen and seized seven boats off the Gujarat coast, an official of a fishermen’s body said here on Sunday. “The fishermen along with seven boats were captured by the PMSA in two separate incidents from near the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) off Gujarat coast,” National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) secretary Manish Lodhari said. “While 18 fishermen sailing on three boats were cap-
tured late on Saturday night, 24 more fishermen were captured along with four boats on Sunday. In all, seven boats with 42 fishermen have been captured so far,” he said. The seized boats belong to Okha and Mangrol, he added. This is the first such incident in April, Mr. Lodhari said, adding that in March, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Pakistani authorities and 40 boats seized. On March 26, the PMSA had apprehended over 100 Indian fishermen and seized 19 boats near IMBL.
programme on Saturday night. “It seems that she (Hasina) will sell the rest of the country... (but) the world history says no one could get away after selling a country,” she said. Earlier in the day, the BNP termed signing of the defence deal an “extreme betrayal to people and the country” with the party’s spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi claiming that the development will expose Bangladesh’s security system to India. “Our security and existence is now at stake following signing of the MoUs,” the Opposition BNP spokesman said.
Theft in New Delhi-Patna Rajdhani Press Trust of India Patna
Thieves fled with luggage of passengers in four coaches of the New DelhiPatna Rajdhani Express in early hours, prompting the railway authorities to suspend seven RPF personnel, an official said. The thieves got into the Patna-bound Rajdhani Express (Train No 12310) and lifted luggage of several passengers in four coaches before deboarding with the stolen items at Gamhar outer (in UP), the East Central Railway Chief PRO Arvind Kumar Rajak said. A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
NEWS 11
NOIDA/DELHI
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
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IN BRIEF
President pats FM for inishing budget on time
Indian team in U.S. for defence technology talks The Navies of the two countries signed terms of reference on March 1 Dinakar Peri
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday received a pat from President Pranab Mukherjee for completing the budget exercise by March 31 and not seeking a Vote on Account, which happened for the first time in many years. “I congratulate the Finance Minister for completing the budgetary exercise and seeking the approval of both Houses of Parliament on all matters relating to the Finance Bill within March 31,” the President said. PTI
NEW DELHI
NEW DELHI
Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad has booked a ticket on an Air India flight from Pune to the national capital for Monday, two days after the ban on him was lifted by the State-owned carrier. According to airline sources, Mr. Gaikwad has booked a business class seat in AI 852, which takes off from Pune at 7.a.m. and lands at IGI airport at 9.50 a.m. AI852 is the same flight that Mr. Gaikwad boarded last month and later lost his cool in, and went on to assault an Air India staffer “25 times”. PTI
Local networks help them slip away at the slightest warning Iboyaima Laithangbam
NEW DELHI
Gaikwad set to travel on Pune-Delhi flight
Manipur drug-makers prove elusive for police
A Defence Ministry delegation is in the U.S. to discuss the entire range of cooperation under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). Nine working groups have been established under the initiative, which aims to promote co-development and co-production of military technologies for use by both countries. The latest group set up recently is on new naval systems, such as sonars and sonobuoys, which are of interest to India. A six-member team headed by a Vice-Admiral from the Tri-Services Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), along with Service and Ministry members, has embarked on the three-day visit, a senior defence official said. “This is a task force meet-
ence at the first meeting of the new Naval Systems Joint Working Group in Washington DC on March 1.
Patrolling the seas: A warship in calm waters. India is keen on acquiring sonobuoys and sonars. PRASHANT NAKWE *
ing and they will comprehensively discuss all issues under the DTTI,” he said. However, India is still waiting for some clarity on appointments in the Pentagon. While the Indian side of the DTTI is cochaired by A.K. Gupta, Secretary, Defence Production,
the U.S. side is co-chaired by Frank Kendall, Under-Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. However, with the change in the administration, there is no clarity on appointments as yet. The two Navies had signed the terms of refer-
Underwater surveillance Underwater surveillance systems such as sonars and sonobuoys are of particular interest to India as it is augmenting its capabilities to keep track of the increasing Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean. A senior official observed that some niche technologies with the U.S. can be accessed through the mechanism and various possibilities are being explored. The naval cooperation is also in U.S. interests and the Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), Admiral Harry Harris, said early this year that “there is sharing of information regarding Chinese maritime movement in the Indian Ocean”.
Azam Khan returns cow gifted by Sankaracharya
BJP MP’s son booked over IPL betting
SP leader fears an attack on animal to defame him
Press Trust of India
‘People sending old notes abroad by courier’
Press Trust of India
NEW DELHI
Rampur (UP)
The customs department has unearthed a new modus operandi of sending demonetised ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes abroad by courier in a bid to get them converted here later. After these notes were taken out of circulation by the government in November last, NRIs were given a longer window till June 30 to exchange them, whereas citizens who were in the country were allowed to deposit the old notes till December 30, 2016. PTI
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Sunday returned a cow which had been gifted to him by the Sankaracharya of the Govardhan Peeth, Swami Adhokshjanand Maharaj, fearing that a vigilante could kill the animal to “defame” him. The former Uttar Pradesh Minister in a letter to the seer said: “Muslims are living in an atmosphere of insecurity... Any cow vigilante might harm or even kill the beautiful and beneficial animal to
Azam Khan
defame me and the Muslim community.” The Sankaracharya had in October 2015 gifted a black cow to Mr. Khan after the latter had expressed his desire
₹1-crore bounty for a ₹1,590 digital payment
to have one in his dairy. In his letter, Mr. Khan alleged that a “vicious propaganda has been launched against Muslims in the country and their condition was even worse than that of slaves.” He accused the State government of practising double standards, saying: “The VVIPs are allowed to consume meat but common people are being troubled unnecessarily and even eliminated.” The Samajwadi Party leader’s letter said he had accorded “best treatment” to the cow.
Godhra
Son of the BJP’s Panchmahal MP Prabhatsinh Chauhan was booked on Sunday after police raided his premises in Mehlol village in Godhra tehsil last night and arrested three persons for allegedly betting on IPL matches. Police found some mobile phones, an LCD TV set, and a laptop, collectively worth ₹1.13 lakh, during the raid. Pravinsinh Chauhan, the son of the MP, had unsuccessfully contested the 2012 Assembly polls from Godhra seat on the BJP ticket.
IMPHAL
In the second week of March, M. Pradip, Superintendent of Police of Thoubal district, Manipur, got an SMS on his mobile phone, tipping him off about a drug trafficker at Moijing village in the district. The man was allegedly manufacturing opium and heroin in an improvised mobile unit. The informer had switched off his phone when Mr. Pradip rang back, but the information appeared authentic. A raid was immediately ordered. But the intelligence network of the drug traffickers, it turned out, was efficient too. They had time to flee, taking the drugs with them. The only things they could not cart away were sackfuls of opium, manufacturing equipment, utensils and chemicals such as ammonium chloride and lime. “The lone person around was an aged and sick woman, who appeared disoriented,” Mr. Pradip told The Hindu. It was the same story in subsequent raids as well. The villagers do not welcome police and security personnel in their areas. There have been instances when they destroyed Army jeeps or viciously attacked police personnel who went in search of drug pushers and other criminals.
Golden triangle Manipur, which is contiguous with Myanmar and falls in the golden triangle, is a fertile ground for poppy cultivation. Farmers grow them in vast areas of the valley and the hills. The occasional destruction of the verdant poppy plants has not impacted the thriving business. “The poppy-growing season does not clash with paddy crop.
Thriving menace: Poppy is grown in Manipur after the harvest of paddy. REUTERS *
And the income from poppy is huge,” an anti-narcotics official say. “Anti-narcotics officials can do little, because the department is understaffed and officials have to work by the book. They cannot destroy the vast cultivations.” Women bring in the stuff in sacks of vegetables, charcoal and other items. They sell the poppy fruits in the villages in Thoubal district.
EC warning Ahead of the March elections in Manipur, the Election Commission of India had informed the government about the presence of mobile drug laboratories producing opium, brown sugar and heroin. But the kingpins, who allegedly get huge funding from drug barons across the country, are still at large. Most of the villagers resent raids and see them as an anti-Muslim move. But officials suspect that some protesters backing stonethrowing and firings may actually be beneficiaries of the drug cartel. The possibility of moles in the force is not ruled out since drug traffickers always seem to be many steps ahead of the police. Opium, brown sugar and heroin are smuggled out to
many States. As thousands of vehicles ply daily along the highways passing through Manipur, it is easy to transport drug packets without being noticed. Informed circles say the local drug production in Manipur has not affected drug smuggling from across the border. Huge quantities of prescription drugs are smuggled out for drug production. Some years ago, the police nabbed members of a gang engaged in such drug smuggling. The last catch was worth over ₹30 crore in the local market. One ranking Army officer and the son of a prominent politician were among those arrested. Huge consignments of prescription drugs were sent through post offices, air cargoes and private couriers. Despite many seizures, no significant arrests were made. The police are now trying to create awareness among the villagers. Mr. Pradip says that the grim reality has sunk in. Anti-narcotics officials feel that drug smugglers have found their movement restricted after the Assam Rifles manning the 358 km long Manipur-Myanmar border stepped up vigilance against militants.
UID-PAN link made easier Press Trust of India
Pranab picks winner of scheme to promote cashless economy Press Trust of India New Delhi
A transaction of ₹1,590 has bagged a Central Bank of India customer lucky bounty of ₹1 crore under the government’s promotional scheme to popularise digital payments. President Pranab Mukherjee picked up the lucky winners from the 100th draw of lots under the digital payments promotion schemes at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. He congratulated the six winners — three consumers and three merchants — of Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana.
Strike it rich: Winners to be felicitated by the PM on April 14 in Nagpur. AFP *
In the consumer section, the first mega prize of ₹1 crore went to a customer of Central Bank of India, while the second prize of ₹50 lakh went to a Bank of Baroda
customer. A customer of Punjab National Bank is the winner of third prize of ₹25 lakh. All the three customers had done transactions using their RuPay debit cards. The names of three winners were not yet known as the draw only displayed their transaction numbers. These will be matched with card details to identify the winners. Three merchants also won prizes of ₹50 lakh, ₹25 lakh and ₹12 lakh, respectively. The winners will be felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 in Nagpur on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti.
AICTE all set to release model exam format To test students’ understanding of concepts and skill Vikas Pathak NEW DELHI
The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has set the ball rolling for the provision of a model examination format to technical education institutions to test the students’ understanding of concepts and skills, as part of a slew of reforms finalised recently by the technical education regulator. “The final exams being conducted by the institutions shall test the understanding of the concepts and the skill — rather than the subject knowledge,” says a recent resolution of the AICTE. “A model exam format would be prepared and shared with the institutions and the technical universities for suitable adoption. This aspect would be reviewed at the time of approval.” Curricula will also be revised annually, the AICTE CM YK
has resolved. “Every affiliating technical university shall constitute subject-wise industry consultation committee (ICC) with the mandate of examining the existing curriculum and for making suitable changes in the curriculum every year. This process shall be completed in the month of December each year for the courses to be offered in the coming academic year. Each institution, while applying for approval, shall certify completion of this process, which will be mandatory,” the resolution says.
Refresher course Teachers in technical institutions will also be required to mandatorily undergo an annual online refresher course to ensure better quality in teaching. Heads of institutions will also have to undergo leadership training. “Every teacher in each of
the technical education disciplines shall mandatorily undergo an annual refresher course delivered through SWAYAM portal, encapsulating all the major advances in the field of their study. Online courses would also be prepared and delivered through the SWAYAM platform for improving the pedagogical techniques of the teachers. The participation in the courses by at least 50% of the faculty would be a mandatory condition for approval of the institution,” the resolution says. “Similarly, there should be leadership training to the heads of the institutions once in 2 years. These trainings would also be hosted through the SWAYAM platform.” This apart, there will be compulsory student induction training to ensure the brushing up of fundamental concepts and required linguistic skills.
New Delhi
Individuals struggling to link their Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar because of differently spelt names can now simply upload a scanned copy of PAN to get the work done. Besides, the tax department is planning to introduce an option on the e-filing portal through which taxpayers can choose to link the Aadhaar without changing the name by opting for a One-Time Password (OTP), provided that the year of birth of the person matches in both documents. With the linking of PAN with Aadhaar being made mandatory, individuals can log on to e-filing website of the Income Tax department or NSDL but the seeding cannot happen if the name is differently spelt in the two cards — like use of full name in PAN and initials in Aadhaar.
Making name changes Linking PAN with Aadhaar should not be cumbersome for people whose registered mobile number with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is active, an official said. “In case the taxpayer is unable to link PAN with Aadhaar because of discrepancy in name, they can log in to the Aadhaar website, request for a name change and upload a scanned copy of PAN card. However, the registered mobile number with UIDAI has to be functional,” the official added. This option will hold good for people who have given short forms of their name or in some cases there are some spelling errors in the name provided in Aadhaar card. The tax department will also be educatating taxpayers through media outreach on ways to link the PAN with Aadhaar, the official said. A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
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ELSEWHERE
U.S. lexes muscle at N. Korea Sends carrier USS Carl Vinson to peninsula in a show of force against Pyongyang
Syria strike cements Moscow’s embrace of Damascus It has put paid to Putin’s designs to end conlict on his terms
Agence France-Presse Washington
Billionaire questioned in Netanyahu probe JERUSALEM
Israeli media on Sunday said the police have questioned a British billionaire as part of a graft probe involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The interrogation was to probe gifts Poju Zabludowicz allegedly gave to Netanyahu and his wife. AP
France rules to shut its oldest nuclear plant PARIS
France on Sunday published a decree for closing its oldest nuclear plant at Fessenheim, near the border with Germany. . Fessenheim will cease operations when a new reactor being built on the Normandy coast, “enters service”, the decree said. AFP
Saudi Arabia executes three from Pakistan RIYADH
Saudi Arabia on Sunday executed three Pakistani nationals convicted of smuggling heroin, bringing the number of executions to 26 this year. Amnesty reported 158 death penalties in the country in 2015, the highest in 20 years. AFP
The U.S. Navy said on Saturday it had sent a carrierled strike group to the Korean peninsula in a show of force against North Korea’s “reckless” nuclear weapons program. The move will raise tensions in the region and comes hard on the heels of a U.S. missile strike on Syria that was widely interpreted as putting Pyongyang on warning over its refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions. North Korea denounced Thursday’s strike as an act of “intolerable aggression” and one that justified “a million times over” the North’s push toward a credible nuclear deterrent. “U.S. Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific,” said Commander Dave Benham, spokesman at US Pacific Command. “The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability,” he told AFP, in an unusually forceful statement.
NEIL MacFARQUHAR Moscow
A strong statement: A ile photo of a U.S. F18 ighter jet landing on the deck of U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which was originally scheduled to make port calls in Australia. REUTERS *
Originally scheduled to make port calls in Australia, the strike group — which includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson — is now headed from Singapore to the Western Pacific Ocean.
Sixth test? Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.
Expert satellite imagery analysis suggests it could well be preparing for a sixth, with US intelligence officials warning that Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the continental United States. North Korea on Wednesday fired a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan ahead of a U.S.China summit. In February, the North simultaneously fired four
ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell provocatively close to Japan, in what it said was a drill for an attack on U.S. bases in the neighbouring Asian country. On Thursday and Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for talks during which he pressed Pyongyang's key ally to help curb the North's nuclear weapons program. Mr. Trump has also threatened unilateral action against the hermit state.
Stockholm attacker sympathised with IS: police Reuters STOCKHOLM
An Uzbek man suspected of ramming a truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing four people, had expressed sympathy for Islamic State (IS) and was wanted for failing to comply with a deportation order, the Swedish police said on Sunday. Thousands gathered in the spring sunshine near the site of Friday’s attack to show support for those killed or injured when a hijacked beer delivery truck hurtled
down a busy shopping street before crashing into a store and catching fire. The Uzbek man was arrested several hours later. “The suspect had expressed sympathy for extremist organisations, among them IS,” Jonas Hysing, chief of national police operations, said. Two of those killed were Swedes, one was a British citizen and the other from Belgium, Mr. Hysing said of the attack, which echoes the earlier use of vehicles as
deadly weapons in Nice, Berlin and London. Those attacks were claimed by Islamic State, but there has been no such claim yet for the Stockholm assault. The Stockholm suspect, aged 39 and from the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan, applied for permanent residence in Sweden in 2014. However, his bid was rejected and he was wanted for disregarding a deportation order, Mr. Hysing said. The police had been looking for him since Sweden’s
Migration Agency in December gave him four weeks to leave, but security services had not viewed him as a militant threat.
Second person arrested Sweden’s prosecution authority said a second person had been arrested on suspicion of having committed a terrorist offence through murder, but the police said they were more convinced than ever that the Uzbek man was the driver of the truck. Another five people
were being held for questioning after raids and police said they had conducted about 500 interviews. Police across the Nordic region went on heightened alert after the attack and in neighbouring Norway police set off a controlled explosion of a “bomb-like device” in central Oslo on Sunday and took a suspect into custody. Stockholm began to return normal on Sunday with the removal of barricades along the street where the attack took place.
If Russia once maintained at least a semblance of distance from President Bashar Assad of Syria, it rushed to his defence after the U.S. missile strikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday. The attack cemented Moscow more closely than ever to the notorious Syrian autocrat. Even as the United States condemned Assad for gassing his own citizens and held Russia partly responsible, given its 2013 promise to rid Syria of chemical weapons, the Kremlin kept denying that Syria had any such capability. By championing Mr. Assad and condemning U.S. “aggression”, President Vladimir Putin of Russia seemed to be burying the idea that he could somehow cooperate with the Trump administration to end the conflict on his terms.
Course set The solidarity with Damascus is likely to cause problems for Russia in the long run, analysts said, although Mr. Putin probably cannot be persuaded to loosen his embrace any time soon. The Russian government often takes its time to react to major world events, but the Kremlin issued a prompt statement early on Friday castigating the United States for the missile strikes on alShayrat airfield. The Russian Defence Ministry vowed to strengthen Syria’s air defence systems, sent a frigate on a port call and froze an agreement with the United States to coordinate activity in Syrian air space. “Putin made a choice — to underline that Assad is his ally,” said Alexander Morozov, an independent political analyst. “This will lead to Russia’s further isolation, but Putin
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From admiration to dismay in Myanmar
Train wreck
Assad has to go: Haley Agence France-Presse Washington
Coming closer to embracing regime change in Syria, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said that with President Bashar al-Assad in power, Syria will not know peace, CNN reported on Sunday. “There’s not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime,” Nikki Haley told ‘State of the Union’ program. “It just — if you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it’s going to be hard to see a government that’s peaceful and stable with Assad.” Ms. Haley did not say the United States had changed its policy. Her words, however, came a day after she said Washington was ready to take additional action
will stand his ground.” Morozov and other analysts consider the policy problematic for various reasons. First, Trump and his Secretary of State, Rex W. Tillerson, have painted Russia as at least partly responsible for the carnage among civilians that was fomented by the Assad government.
Winning at any cost? Second, in continuing deadly attacks on civilians, Mr. Assad seems to want to pursue a military victory at any cost, putting a lie to Russia’s statements that a negotiated settlement is the sole solution. That risks dragging out a war that Mr. Putin has depicted at home as quick, cheap and easy at a time when many Russians have been
Nikki Haley
after a solo U.S. strike on a Syrian air base.
Startling about-turn U.S. President Donald Trump has signalled a startling about-turn toward Mr. Assad, who many in the international community hold responsible for Tuesday’s horrific events. If confirmed to be a chemical attack, this would be among the worst such incidents in Syria's civil war, which has killed more than 3,20,000 people since it began in March 2011.
struggling economically. Trying to keep the length and cost of the war down is a crucial reason the Russians will avoid escalating any conflict with the United States, analysts said. Third, the Assad alliance could undermine one of Putin’s main goals for entering the war: to try to make Russia a player on the world stage again as the indispensable broker in the Middle East. Finally, of course, Syria presented Russia with an opportunity to break out of the isolation that resulted from sanctions imposed by the West. The Kremlin thought that forging an alliance with the West on Syria would render illogical the idea of maintaining the sanctions. NYT
Hard-line cleric emerges as Hassan Rouhani’s rival Ebrahim Raisi is an ally of Khamenei
People waiting for Suu Kyi to deliver
Reuters LONDON
RICHARD C. PADDOCK MAWLAMYINE
No one expected governing to be easy for Aung San Suu Kyi, who became Myanmar’s de facto leader a year ago after her party won a landslide election that ended more than a half-century of military rule. Even so, her first year has been a disappointment to many. She made it a top priority to end the long-running ethnic insurgencies that have torn the country apart, but her anemic peace effort has proved fruitless so far, and fighting between government forces and ethnic groups has increased. The world has been shocked by reports that the military has carried out atrocities, including rape and murder, against the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in western Myanmar, but Ms. Suu Kyi has said little on the matter and done even less. Her government’s growing suppression of speech on the internet seems perverse for a onetime democracy icon who spent 15 years under house arrest. Among the public, patience is wearing thin. “She doesn’t have support like before,” said Zar Zar Oo, 31, a vendor at the Yangon train station. “We loved her so much before, but it seems like she doesn’t do enough for us. For now, we are in trouble.”
Defensive note In a televised speech to the nation commemorating her first year in office, Ms. Suu Kyi struck a defensive note, saying people could choose another leader if they were unhappy with her. “If you think I am not good enough for our counCM YK
Aung San Suu Kyi
try and our people, if someone or some organisation can do better than us, we are ready to step down,” she said.
Nine of 19 Some voters apparently listened. In parliamentary byelections last weekend, her National League for Democracy won only nine of 19 seats. Ms. Suu Kyi, 71, cites building roads as one of her biggest accomplishments. The party spokesman Win Htein said her government had doubled spending on healthcare and education, though he provided no details. But Richard Horsey, a political analyst and former United Nations official, said that the growth had slowed and that foreign investment had dipped significantly. “Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration has not offered any compelling economic vision,” he said. In Yangon, people are waiting for Ms. Suu Kyi to deliver results, said Myat Suu Mon, 28, a department store clerk. “Support is less than before because people’s expectations were too high,” she said. “But in reality we don’t see things changing here.” NYT
Losing control: An aerial view of emergency workers at the site in western Moscow where a commuter train collided with a longdistance train on Sunday. Twelve people were hospitalised, of whom six were serious, authorities said. AFP *
Hard-line Iranian cleric Ebrahim Raisi, seen as pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani’s main challenger in a May 19 election, is a close ally of Iran’s Supreme Leader and despises the West. The hard-line faction in Tehran appears to have reached consensus on the candidacy of the 57-year-old cleric, hoping to avoid splitting the vote of those avid for what they see as a revival of the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Mr. Raisi is a mid-ranking figure in the hierarchy of Iran’s Shia Muslim clergy but has been a senior official for decades in the judiciary which enforces clerical control of the country. The former prosecutorgeneral may struggle for recognition among voters, though analysts say Mr.
Ebarahim Raisi
Raisi, thanks to the support he enjoys from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, could pose a real challenge to Mr. Rouhani’s bid for a second term. “His candidacy comes as a surprise and he definitely poses a challenge, a big one, to Rouhani,” said Hossein Rassam, a former Iran adviser to Britain’s Foreign Office. “Chances are even greater now that we will be having a two-round election, with a very polarised second round.”
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Cockighting in Kabul: once-banned bloodsport takes wing The gory sport, a symbol of virility, was banned by the Taliban but has made a swift comeback as a popular winter pastime Agence-France Presse Kabul
A boisterous roar sweeps through the crowd as a pair of roosters spar in a sandy pit, their spurs kicking, wings flapping and beaks pecking. “Bizan! [Hit it],” one spectator barks in Dari. “Bokoshesh! [Kill it],” hisses another. Cockfighting, known in Afghanistan as ‘Murgh Jangi’, has the trappings of a gladiatorial contest. Wings outstretched, the avian fighters tear into each other as bets furiously exchange hands. Feathers are shredded and blood is drawn. In a few seconds, it is over. One bird collapses and half
of the baying crowd lets out a roar of triumph. Cockfighting, like all animal fighting and gambling, was banned under the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule. But the gory bloodsport, a symbol of masculinity and virility, has since made a swift comeback as a popular winter pastime in Afghanistan. Kabul’s biggest amphitheatre for cockfighting is tucked away behind the bombed out ruins of the historic Darul Aman Palace, an enduring symbol of the destruction wreaked by decades of conflict. Outside, opium addicts swaddled in wrinkled shawls crouch along the walls. Inside, there is tiered seat-
hands, a small fortune in a country wracked by poverty. “People may not have food to eat, but they come here to bet,” said spectator Muhammad Humayoon, a private telecom company operator. “I have seen very poor people walking out rich.”
Like family: An Afghan referee blows water onto a ighting rooster during a cockight on the outskirts of Kabul. AFP *
ing for two groups of rooster owners, bloodsport enthusiasts and imperious Godfather-like figures recording gambling bets in crumpled
notebooks. Shouts of “I bet double!” compete with “I bet triple!”. Up to 200,000 Afghani ($3,000) can exchange
Beguiling escapism But it is not just about money. As rampant joblessness and a roiling conflict spur pessimism about the future of the country, ancient bloodsports — however brutal — offer a sense of beguiling escapism. From cockfighting to quail fighting to buzkashi — polo with a headless animal carcass — Afghanistan’s violent
pastimes are redolent in some ways of the tumult that the country has experienced in four decades of war. But unlike war, cockfighting is a contest of equals. Only birds of the same size and weight are paired against each other in a fight while the taped-on spurs attached to their claws to inflict damage on opponents have to be equally sharp. In a country where women’s groups voice a shockingly common refrain to be granted the same basic dignity given to animals, the birds are sometimes treated even better than family members. “We feed them everything we cannot afford to eat ourselves,” said a rooster owner. A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
BUSINESS 13
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Yuthika Bhargava NEW DELHI
Paytm’s e-marketplace, Paytm Mall, is rolling out a new feature that will allow consumers to place online orders at physical stores using QR Code. The move, the company said, is aimed at smartphone users, mainly beyond the metros, who still do not shop online. “Over 95% of the population in the country still shops offline,” said Amit Bagaria, Vice President – Paytm Mall. “There is a trust that exists between an offline retailer and a customer… We want to create an offline network as a platform for brands to reach out to millions of consumers, thereby, optimizing the supply chain and marketing expenses on their behalf.” He said that the platform will also be beneficial for the partner merchants/retailers as they will be able to garner additional revenue in the form of commission while eliminating the need for keeping the inventory. To begin with, the feature is being rolled out to sell Samsung’s handsets. The company plans to bring on board all FMCG and consumer product firms. Consumers can visit the Paytm partner stores in their neighbourhood and scan the QR code using their Paytm or Paytm Mall app to browse and order products. “This will enable shopkeepers to sell products online without having to tackle with inventory management and deliveries,” the company explained. The seller would earn a percentage margin on each purchase made after scanning the Paytm QR code. This margin is likely to be between 3% and 20% based on the product. “Paytm is the first company to invest in QR codebased payment solution and has created an offline merchant network where consumers can scan and pay. This is fast becoming ubiquitous for digital payments in the country. Paytm Mall will now leverage this technology and the network to create a platform for brands to reach out to a larger set of consumers,” Mr. Bagaria said.
‘India Inc.’s conidence at 6-year peak’ Firms bullish on their sectors, says CII Special Correspondent NEW DELHI
India Inc.’s perceptions about the state of the economy slid in the last quarter of 2016-17, yet industry’s confidence levels about the future have peaked to their highest level in more than six years, as per the CII Business Confidence Index released on Sunday. The Business Confidence Index that has been compiled for the last 25 quarters, based on responses from more than 100 firms, has surged to an all-time high of 64.1 in the JanuaryMarch 2017 quarter, as against 56.5 recorded in the previous 3-month period. The sharp improvement in business sentiment was primarily driven by an uptrend in the ‘Expectations’ component of the index, while perceptions about the current situation only improved marginally. The Expectations Index rose due to a strong improvement in sentiment across categories, while the Current Situations Index rose despite a drop in sentiment about the overall economy, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) noted. The latter index, it pointed out, reflects the sentiment of industry in the October 2016 to December 2016 quarter when ‘the demonetisation announcement had engendered uncertainty’ and responses could have been influenced by its transitory disruption. “The turnaround in business expectations, as indicated in the survey, gives cre-
dence to the belief that a new growth narrative is being scripted for the country based on improved business sentiment and investor confidence,” said CII director general Chandrajit Banerjee. “A sharp uptick in business outlook at the onset of 2017, underpins the hope that the government’s reform initiatives would unravel a host of investment opportunities for firms going forward,” he added. Incidentally, more than 40% of the 100-odd industries surveyed for the index expect the official GDP growth estimate of 7.1% for 2016-17 to be revised downward, while 37% expect growth to see an upward revision.
Own firms Within the current situation index which rose from 57.2 in the previous quarter to 58.5 in the January 2017 to March 2017 quarter, the improvements were driven by assessment of one’s own sector or firm. The index for confidence about the overall economy fell from 56.7 to 54.4. By contrast, the Expectation Index which rose from 56.1 in the third quarter of 2016-17 to 66.9 in the last quarter, firms had turned more bullish about the prospect of the entire economy and the sectors they operate in. It would take a year for the economy to register the positive impact of the Goods and Services Tax regime the Centre expects to rollout from July 1, according to 52% of the respondents.
Brimming optimism: CII’s survey shows reforms may bring investment opportunities. GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO *
UPI transactions rise 20% in March Special Correspondent New Delhi
Digital transactions worth more than ₹2,000 crore were conducted in March using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform developed by the National Payments Corporation of India, according to an official statement. “Over 18 million people have downloaded Bharat Interface for Money or the BHIM App, creating a new world record. The UPI-based transactions crossed ₹2,000 crore-mark in the month of March showing an increase
of 20% since January this year,” according to the statement. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Karnataka have emerged as the five states with the maximum number of winners under the Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digidhan Vyapar Yojana rolled out post-demonetisation to promote a less-cash economy. President Pranab Mukherjee picked six winners for the mega prizes under the two schemes on Sunday. Mr. Mukherjee said it was
necessary to reduce the cash in circulation and impart greater urgency to promoting secure digital payment methods to ensure greater transparency. “India has a long way to go to become a cashless society. Presently, we remain primarily a cashbased economy with about 95% of the personal consumption and 86% of all transactions being in cash.” On Aadhaar, he said even countries which are technologically advanced than India with comparatively much smaller populations do not have such a system in place.
INTERVIEW | R. GANDHI
Every 5-7 years we must bring in new notes Technology is a double-edged weapon, it is available not only to bankers but also to counterfeiters exercise, we came to that conclusion. We thought sharing the information could lead to more confusion.
Manojit Saha MUMBAI
R. Gandhi, who recently retired as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), oversaw the currency management department in the central bank which played a critical role during the demonetisation exercise. The veteran central banker shared insights on how the central bank handled the issue and the way forward to tackle counterfeit notes. Edited excerpts: After spending 37 years in Reserve Bank of India, what will you consider as the two most difficult phases? ■ Of course, 1991 was first major troublesome period we had after the Harshad Mehta scam broke out. RBI got into a quite a bit of criticism though we believe people have misunderstood our role. Thereafter we had to shift our focus, our internal processes, and we brought a lot of changes. It also was the same period when economic reforms started. This was one of the turning points when I look back. The other one is, of course, is the recent demonetization exercise, which also had quite an impact. So, these two events stand out.
During demonetisation RBI had to face criticism...
No central bank in the world can ever avoid criticism. The reason is that the central bank also looks beyond the normal horizon. Keeping that long-term perspective, we have to take certain decisions, which are not well appreciated or well understood in the short run. We will not be perturbed by such criticism. ■
What are the lessons from demonetisation for a regulator? ■ One lesson we learned is that people will be able to sustain a certain amount of pain provided it is for a larger purpose. So, if your objective is right, you need not hesitate to take such decisions. Normally, while taking such a decision [of note withdrawal], we tend to hesitate because it will create large scale inconvenience to the public. Earlier, we used to withdraw notes quietly. The public would not have known that we are withdrawing old series notes. In 2014, we took a call let us make a conscious announcement to withdraw pre-2005 series notes. That
time we also debated a lot whether we should announce it as we thought this may create panic or people losing confidence in currency. So we were very hesitant. But post-demonetisation, we have learned that if the purpose is right, people will agree to suffer for a brief period. What is the strategy to curb counterfeiting of notes?
Technology is available not only to central bankers but also the counterfeiters. Technology is a double-edged weapon. So, we need to issue new series of notes much, much faster. Every five to seven years we should necessarily bring in new series of notes to be ahead of the counterfeiters. And in the process, we should be able to withdraw the old series notes.
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Currency management is also a logistical issue. How can this be made more efficient?
Current management is nothing but supply chain management – with good planning, we can deliver the things. Earlier, the supply chain management used to be from presses to RBI, then to currency chest and then to banks. That was the sequence. This process used to take several weeks. During the demonetisation process, we could deliver the notes in terms of days and not weeks. We followed a different model this time – the hub and spoke model. We directly send notes from the presses to the chests in identified locations. We had chosen chests in key locations, which we call hub, from where it was distributed to other chests and bank branches. That way large scale movement of currency was ensured in the shortest possible time. One of the ideas that we are propounding is that of mega currency chests, which
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What are the glitches involved in the transition to a digital world?
ARUNANGSU ROY CHOWDHURY
Paytm Mall rolls out QR code feature
of the ideas that we are propounding is that of < > One mega currency chests, which will act as hubs will act as hubs. Roughly in each district, one big currency chests should be there. That chest should be able to cater to all the other chests in the district in the shortest possible time. A pilot was commissioned during the demonetisation period. Did demonetisation exercise come as a surprise to you?
The whole discussion started long back, sometime in 2016 only. So, that did not come as a surprise.
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Okay. But, was the date a surprise…
Of course, date was finalised by the government. We never knew what will be the date. As a concept, it was debated, preparations had been going on.
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Was the discussion started during Raghuram Rajan’s time? ■ Yes, it started during his time.
Do we need ₹200 notes in the system?
Any country will have various type of notes. Standards are 1 series, 2 series and 5 series. Earlier, we saw ₹1, ₹2 and ₹5 notes. Now, we have ₹10, ₹20 and ₹50. We also have ₹100 and ₹500, but ₹200 note is the missing one. It is a natural phenomenon that the gap will be filled. For conducting day to day transactions, the idea is that one should be able to complete a transaction with the least
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number of currency notes. So, the 2 series plays an important role. Is there a plan to bring back ₹1,000 denomination notes?
The government has said that they don’t intend to bring it immediately.
■ As I said, technology is a double-edged weapon. If it is in the wrong hands, it can be misused. So, it is necessary to build as many defences as possible and make it more secure and safe — that is the primary duty of the regulator. Since cybersecurity is going to become a big challenge going forward, RBI has decided to create a new institution for research work in cybersecurity. Their major remit is to conduct research and development work in cybersecurity. It will also undertake high-end cybersecurity assessment of the banks. It will be fully functional in the next few months.
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The ₹2,000 note and the new ₹500 are smaller in size ... What is the reason behind the decision?
These new series notes are of an international standard, that is why we have changed it. With a smaller size, we could print more pieces of currency note out of one sheet. Production has increased roughly by 20%.
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So, will the size for the existing notes, like ₹100 and ₹50, change?
Yes, for all the other denomination, the new series will come in due course. This new series note are easy to handle, easy to keep in wallets.
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What was the reason for stopping the dissemination of data like deposits during the demonetisation period?
Central banks always access whether the information will be understood in the right way and make the right impact. If we assess that the circumstances were not conducive for correct understanding then we do not share. During the demonetisation
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How safe are mobile wallets? ■ There are various types of payment systems available targeting different levels of simplicity, complexity and usage. The features of a lowend system will be very simple but obviously security level will be less. Obviously, a high-end system has complex safety and security-related arrangement and they will be able to provide sophisticated service. Both are needed. For the low-end systems, sophisticated structures are not needed because that will mean building too many secured features which will make it high-cost which is not warranted for a small value transaction. That is why, the mobile wallet, is at the lower end.
So, can payments systems be interoperable? ■ A mobile wallet is a different product from a bank’s net banking product. Ideally, there should be interoperability between payments systems. But we have to be careful before saying a full yes to it. The reason is cost. You cannot cherry pick the positive features of one system and ask others to take it. It comes along with the package.
Govt. to seek time for PSB public loat PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW DELHI
The Finance Ministry may request capital market regulator SEBI to extend the August deadline for public sector banks to meet 25% public float norm as it mulls various options to pare government stake in state-run banks. There are seven PSBs where the government holding is above 75%. Options include a public offer and selling stake to LIC.
Hyatt eyes growth from secondary cities Plans to open hotels in Kochi, Lucknow and places of pilgrimage Lalatendu Mishra MUMBAI
With more Indians travelling to explore the country, American chain Hyatt Hotels Corporation is aiming to grow its footprint in India in secondary cities and places of tourist attraction. Having established itself as a leading hotel chain in top Indian cities, Hyatt Hotels is gearing up to open hotels in Kochi, Lucknow and in several pilgrimage towns. The objective is to increase its portfolio from 26 currently to more than 35 by 2020, a top executive said. “We are continuing to grow,” said Peter Fulton, Group President, EAME, Southwest Asia, Hyatt Hotels Corporation in an interview. “We will be upwards 35 hotels by 2020. We want to be where our customers want to be.” A week ago, the company CM YK
opened a Hyatt Place hotel in Rameswaram, the fifth Hyatt Place in India and more hotels are planned in such destinations. “We would like to set up resorts which will be a big thrust for us. We will have resorts in places like Goa and hill stations in north and south India. Those markets are performing well and we recognize that we need to be there. We also want to be at religious places,” he said.
Secondary markets The secondary markets will have “comfortable hotels” where limited services will be available. He said the Indian market in general offers a vast growth opportunity. “In the last couple of years there is tremendous growth in tourism in India and it is not driven by foreigners. Earlier, we used to have 60% expatriates in our
managing hotels in India, Hyatt Hotels also owns three properties in joint venture with Asian Hotels of the Sarafs.
Peter Fulton
hotels and the rest Indian customers. That has reversed completely. Demographics are changing tremendously and people are spending more to explore destinations and this is incredible India,” Mr. Fulton said. In India the company has six brands which include Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Place and Andaz. Apart from
‘Disrupters’ “We are learning from the disrupters,” Mr. Fulton said on how the company is tackling competition from Airbnb, Oyo Rooms and online travel agents. “They have taken on the traditional industry and we are learning how to adopt this into a larger platform. The idea is great and it gives the customers the ability to look at our product who subsequently book through our website,” said Mr. Fulton, who was General Manager at Hyatt Regency Delhi for five years starting 1997. On the steps taken by the Centre to boost tourism, he said it would be beneficial in the medium- to long-term. A ND-ND
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14 BUSINESS REVIEW
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
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Russia — a forgotten trade partner? India’s 2015 goods exports to the country were just $1.6 billion, compared with $40.3 billion to the U.S. ARUN S New Delhi
This year, the world’s largest democracy, India, and the biggest country by area, Russia, are celebrating the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between them. Russia continues to be among India’s major politico-diplomatic and defence partner nations. While India has inked separate strategic partnership pacts with more than two dozen countries, the Indian and Russian governments in December 2010 elevated their bilateral ‘Strategic Partnership’ to what they termed a “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.” The New Delhi-based think tank ‘Foundation for National Security Research’, which did a comparative assessment of India’s strategic partnerships — meaning, ‘political-diplomatic, defence and economic cooperation’ (during the 10-year period prior to November 2011), had said, “Russia emerges as the most important strategic partner of India (followed by the U.S., France, the U.K., Germany and Japan in that order).” The November 2011 report had found that Russia had provided strong political and diplomatic support to India and helped enormously in building India’s defence capability. However, it warned that the “economic content of the (India-Russia) partnership is extremely weak,” and recommended that “urgent and vigorous steps need to be taken to improve economic relations if this (IndiaRussia) partnership is to be sustained and made durable.” New Delhi and Moscow are renewing efforts to bolster their seven-decade-old relationship regardless of the perception of India’s increasing closeness to the U.S., Russia’s growing friendship with China and even with Pakistan especially in the context of defence and strategic partnership, as well as criticism that India and Russia are neglecting the glory of their past ties due to their preoccupation with other parts of the world. In June this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to take part as the Chief Guest in the St. Petersburg International Economic
Change of view: instead of focusing on the geopolitical aspects of OBOR and CPEC, India should gauge if it can gain from such mega infrastructure projects, say academics. GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK *
Forum — also known as the ‘Russian Davos’ after the World Economic Forum, which is an international organisation whose flagship annual meeting is held in Davos, Switzerland.
Watershed events Until 1990-91, India and Russia — the main constituent of (the erstwhile) Soviet Union — had enjoyed robust trade ties. In 1990, the Soviet Union was India’s top goods exports destination with shipments to the tune of $2.9 billion, according to data from the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) software. In the list of nations from where India imported goods, Soviet Union figured seventh in value terms with $922 million. Then in 1991, two watershed moments happened — economic liberalisation was introduced in India, and the Soviet Union was dissolved. In the following two-and-a-half decades, Russia remained India’s strong politico-diplomatic and defence partner like the erstwhile Soviet Union used to be. However, since 199091, India’s trade underwent further diversification and Russia is now not anywhere near the top in the list of India’s trade partners. WITS data showed that in 2015, India exported goods worth $1.6 billion to Russia, but had shipped more items in value terms to 37 other countries. In 2015, India’s imports from Russia were valued at $4.5 billion, but had imported goods worth more than that from 23 other nations. This slippage in trade is a
huge demotion for Russia, considering that the erstwhile Soviet Union was among India’s leading trade partners. Worse still, India’s goods exports in 2015 to Russia were worth just $1.6 billion as against $40.3 billion during that year to the U.S. —
accounts < > India for only 1.2% of Russia’s overall trade RIS, trade think tank
which was India’s leading export destination. Also, in 2015, India’s goods imports from Russia were worth only $4.5 billion as against $61.6 billion from China — which was India’s leading source of imports that year. If one takes into account India’s GDP of about $2 trillion and Russia’s GDP of $1.3 trillion, it becomes clear that their bilateral trade and investment ties are far below potential. Pointing out that India-Russia trade in 2015-16 amounted to about $6.7 billion, a concept note by the New Delhi-based think-tank Research and Information System for developing countries (RIS) said while Russia comprised just 1% of India’s total trade, India accounts for a minuscule 1.2% of Russia’s overall trade.
‘Expedite negotiations’ Stating that both the countries have set a target to raise bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2025 and increase bilateral investment from $10 billion to $15 billion, the RIS suggested that expediting the
conclusion of negotiations of the proposed India-Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) Free Trade Agreement would provide opportunities to India and Russia for regional cooperation and development as well as concessional trade and investment in the region. Members of the EEU include Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The September 2016 meeting of the IndiaRussia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation had identified expeditious implementation of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project as well as the launch of the ‘Green Corridor’ project for Customs facilitation (by easing Customs norms) as what would be major steps towards better connectivity and trade facilitation. According to the RIS, the INSTC — a multi-modal transportation route connecting the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian sea through Iran and onward to Northern Europe through St. Petersburg in Russia — will enhance trade and investment linkages between these regions. Referring to reports of Russia and China proposing to bring the EEU closer to China’s One-Belt-One-Road (OBOR) initiative (a massive project to develop infrastructure in more than 60 countries, primarily in Asia and Europe), Ashok Sajjanhar, former ambassador of India to Kazakhstan, while addressing a recent RIS event,
said India should study the impact of this development in the context of the proposed India-EEU FTA. Citing reports of the EEU being supportive of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (or CPEC — the so-called ‘flagship’ project of OBOR), Mr. Sajjanhar said India should look into its impact as well. Incidentally, India has strategic concerns regarding the OBOR as the CPEC is expected to cover areas including Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Mr. Sajjanhar said India should also carry out an assessment of U.S.-Iran ties and its impact on INSTC as part of a study on the strategic relevance of INSTC. Gulshan Sachdeva, professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said instead of focusing only on the geo-political dimension of OBOR and CPEC, India should consider if it could gain from such mega infrastructure projects from a developmental perspective. India-Russia trade ties have been below-potential and lopsided (in favour of Russia) as it is primarily a buyer-seller relationship and not one based on collaborations through investments, according to Pranav Kumar, Head (trade and international policy), Confederation of Indian Industry. Besides, if the emphasis continues to be on sectors such as defence, hydrocarbons and nuclear power, it would result in Russia gaining more, he added. Therefore, he said, to ensure a balance, sectors such as IT/ ITeS, pharmaceuticals and healthcare — where India has considerable strength — should also be encouraged, apart from seeking Russian investments in India in areas including defence manufacturing to push the ‘Make In India’ programme and in infrastructure and space technology to take forward the Smart City and Digital India initiatives respectively. What would also help in boosting bilateral ties is trading in local currencies, setting up pipelines for direct gas delivery from Russia to India as well as operationalisation of the proposed $1-billion fund through India's National Investment & Infrastructure Fund and the Russian Direct Investment Fund for investment in infrastructure and technology projects.
GUEST COLUMN
Winds of change: Moving in the right direction The economic outlook continues to appear promising Rana Kapoor
The Indian economy has withstood the litmus test. The growth recuperation visible in high frequency indicators confirms that currency exchange-induced disruption was at best short lived; with a swift pace of remonetisation restoring economic normalcy faster than earlier anticipated. The latest GDP release reinforces this, with growth clocking a robust 7% in the third quarter. Armed with long-term benefits of improved tax compliance, greater transparency, superior governance, deregulation and digitisation, India can be expected to maintain its position as the fastest growing economy; amid a global economic backdrop that still remains weak and fraught with uncertainty. This resilience of the economy has taken shape over the last 2-3 years, owing to the five winds of change, which will continue to play a potent role in the coming years: One, there is a perceptible feeling of action and outcome orientation in policies. As such, economic reforms are now better targeted such as the MSME for Make in India, affordable housing for job creation and MNREGS for rural infrastructure. Two, policy delivery has been chiselled with usage of smarter technologies such as the JAM trinity ( Jan Dhan – Aadhar – Mobile) to improve allocation of resources while minimising exclusion errors and leakages. Three, there is a very proactive policy for international collaboration, moving beyond diplomacy for enhancing trade and commercial linkages with other countries. Four, the Centre has been focusing on building consensus on critical policies with key political parties. The passage of GST with full majority by the Rajya Sabha is an excellent example. Five, there is a growing implementation of competitive federalism, which, via Ease of Doing Business, is bringing out the best practices and policies by most States.
These winds of change, along with structural strengths of a young demography, high technical and engineering skills, large consumer base, among others, have now placed India on a preordained growth trajectory. The sustainability of this growth has been further supported by several factors: India’s improved macroeconomic stability reflected in low inflation, low CAD and fiscal prudence as reinforced in Budget FY18; a gov-
changes have < > These now placed India on a preordained growth trajectory ernance regime that has leaned away from unaffordable populism and cronyism; variegated reform mix with focus on micro enablers, macro stability, institution building, and behavioural shifts; and long-term focus on growth via programmes of Smart Cities, Make in India, Start-up India, Digital India. At the cusp of a new fiscal year, the economic outlook for FY18 continues to appear promising, owing to a combination of structural and cyclical factors. The latter are in fact anticipated to drive an ever more substantive recovery in both the consumption and investment cycles over the next 12-18 months via the following short-term enablers.
Public sector pay The Centre had partially implemented the 7th CPC from Aug 2016 (with implementation of 16% hike in pay, 63.5% increase in allowances, and 24% increase in pensions). This will benefit 4.7 million central government employees (including defence and railways) and 5.3 million pensioners. Total outgo for the Centre (including Railways) has been estimated at about ₹85,000 crore. These payouts will now be followed by an increase in allowances in FY18 at the Centre, accompanied by State-level pay commissions over the next 1-2 years. Both are expected to sup-
port private consumption, especially discretionary demand, further. Also, interest rate support is expected to trickle down. Between Jan ’15-Oct ’16, the RBI reduced the repo rate by a cumulative 175 bps on the back of increasing comfort on inflation. Since then, banks have passed on 60 bps through cuts in base rate and another 95-105 bps via cuts in MCLR. This will boost leveraged consumption and help in reducing corporate leverage. Meanwhile, public investments are also expected to drive ‘crowding-in’ impact. Over FY17 and FY18, budgetary allocation for capital expenditure is slated to grow by 11%. Total allocation for infrastructure development is budgeted at ₹3.96 lakh crore for FY18. An expenditure of ₹2.41 lakh crore in the transportation sector in FY18 is likely to spur economic activity across the country and create job opportunities. In the spirit of competitive federalism, States have also seen healthy spending towards asset creation. As of Nov ’16, growth in capital expenditure by States was 22%, compared with 10% in Nov ’15. FY17 also saw deleveraging in some sectors driven by asset sales. This is expected to gain further traction. The year also saw a significant increase in M&A activity involving domestic assets of non-financial companies with deals amounting to ₹1.4 lakh crore in 2016 as compared with ₹0.5 lakh crore in 2015. The push to buy, versus build, saw substantial asset sales undertaken by the power sector followed by steel, with acquisitions done by both domestic and foreign entities. The weakest links have started to taper with the share of debt of weak companies (% of total debt) declining to 14.5% as of Sep ’16 from 25% in Sep ’15. The proportion of weak companies (% of total companies) has declined to 13.5% from 15.3%. Weak companies are those with interest coverage ratio of less than 1. (The writer is MD & CEO, YES Bank)
Is India losing its gold fetish?
How to spot the next big start-up
Structural changes in the economy are undermining the reasons to buy bullion
GrowthEnabler’s algorithmic scoring system helps vet start-ups globally
demand spikes by 2.6%. The years from 2008 to 2013 saw elevated inflation in India with CPI inflation averaging 10%. From 2014 onwards, inflation has sobered down to 5% levels. There is thus less temptation to buy gold as an inflation hedge. With RBI donning the mantle of inflation warrior and signing a binding agreement with the government to contain price rise at 4-6%, the ‘inflation hedge’ argument to buy gold is much weaker.
Aarati Krishnan CHENNAI
As jewellers try to drum up excitement over the festival of Akshaya Tritiya, there’s a tinge of anxiety to their efforts this year. Instead of urging buyers to pre-book their gold to avoid the rush, they’re doling out discounts to woo them. There’s good reason for this diffidence. India’s gold demand plummeted to a seven-year low of 676 tonnes in 2016, data from the World Gold Council (WGC) shows. WGC, a producer’s body, cites the jewellers’ strike, the income disclosure scheme and the withdrawal of highvalue currency notes as reasons for this unusual slump. It expects a revival this year. But long-term data shows that Indian gold buying has been heading down a slippery slope for at least four years now. Remember the time when the government was trying out every trick in the book to get us to buy less gold? India’s gold demand topped 1,000 tonnes in 2010, setting a multi-year record. It remained at more than 900 tonnes between 2011 and 2013. But it has headed downhill thereafter, with demand for 2016 a good 33% below that record. Three structural shifts in the economy suggest that gold demand may not get back to the 900-1,000 tonne levels anytime soon.
Dwindling returns First, gold’s allure as an investment is fading. Whether they’re buying jewellery or stocking up on bars and coins, Indians view gold as an investment first. In the afCM YK
termath of the global financial crisis in 2008, global gold prices shot through the roof and the rupee plummeted against the dollar. This lifted domestic gold prices (24 karat) all the way from ₹1,060 per gram in December 2007, to ₹3,000 per gram by December 2012. In these five years, Indian gold investors made a double-digit return every single year. While bullion was on a song, the stock market was going through a rough spell with the BSE Sensex losing 4% in these five years. Investors chased high returns by stockpiling gold. In 2014, the tables turned with the NDA’s ascent to power. Between 2013 and 2017, the Sensex has climbed 54% while gold has declined by 5% in rupee terms. Investors have thus shifted their loyalties. Vanishing ‘investment’ demand for gold is evident
from the halving of bar and coin sales between 2013 and 2016, even as jewellery sales fell only 17%. While casual jewellery purchases have shrunk, wedding demand has been resilient. With global equity markets upbeat and the rupee displaying strength, gold looks unlikely to repeat its dream run for now. The government’s crackdown on unaccounted money and the PAN card requirement for big jewellery purchases are also likely to permanently push some affluent buyers out of this market.
Tamed inflation Savers in Bharat have traditionally flocked to gold as an inflation hedge to shield their savings from runaway price rise. An econometric study by WGC notes that for every 1% rise in inflation, Indian gold
Losing weight The demographic shift in India, which is triggering booming demand for everything from smartphones to sedans, is having a strange impact on gold purchases. Companies such as Titan note that jewellery-buying behaviour of the GenNext is changing. For one, jewellery is viewed as just another consumer item vying with the latest smartphone, designer dress or holiday abroad, for a share of the young consumer’s wallet. Two, as jewellery is expected to make fashion statement, lightweight and low-karat pieces are preferred over clunky jewellery. Over the long run, this means less tonnage of gold sold. But if the jewellers aren’t exactly thrilled with all these trends, the government surely is. In FY17, India spent roughly $27 billion on gold imports. That’s less than half of the $56 billion it splurged in FY12 when the gold fetish was at its peak. That’s a cool $29 billion saved in foreign exchange!
Echo location: Malhotra’s venture gives start-ups a platform to amplify, who they are and what they do, to the right audience.
abled direct communication with them. So, for example, an executive looking for start-ups working on augmented and virtual reality projects at a late stage (5-7 years) for the automobile sector, could identify the strongest players in that sector globally, enabling him or her to spot potential partners and acquisitions and keep track of the trends too. “We thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great to take a manual process and optimise it with robotic process automation and algorithms…and bring in efficiencies that are potentially exponential,’” he said.
companies in the future; when that has already happened and they are mainstream, it’s too late: the senior executives are saying we don’t care when it’s 8 years on...” He added that for startups , the problem was visibility and a lack of an even playing field. “It just isn’t democratised…there are many barriers from elitism, to who you know, do you have the cash to speak to the right media? We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to democratise the process and give everyone a fair platform to amplify who they are and what they do to the right audience?’” The largely automated nature of the analysis, which uses artificial intelligence, will, they believe, make it attractive for corporates, as will the platform, which enables companies to search through start-ups based on criteria (stage of development from 0 to 7 years, location, sector and so on). The tool will, in the long run, en-
Crowdsourcing answers They also hope to provide a platform for companies to be able to tender out for ideas: “If they can’t find what they are looking for, they can write in their challenge and we’ll fan it out to our community, who can apply; we apply our algorithm and say these are the companies that would like to handle your challenge and could potentially create a customised solution,” said Mr. Banduni. The fragmented and changing nature of the start-up world makes a coordinated platform all the more essential, said Mr. Banduni pointing to the new places emerging as specialised centres of innovation; from China in the field of medical innovation to India on artificial intelligence. The founders of GrowthEnabler were cautious about revealing names of customers but said a number of FTSE 100 companies in the U.K. had already signed up.
Vidya Ram London
A platform set up by a British-Indian venture that intends to help large corporations across the world identify start-ups involved in cutting edge technology is set to go live on Tuesday. GrowthEnabler, with offices in London and Bengaluru, believes that its model — which used an algorithmic process to analyse and rate more than half a million start-ups across the world — will help corporations avoid the pitfall that many across the world have fallen into, which is failing to recognise the disruption due to take place in their industry, and avoid “creative destruction.” “The need to stay ahead of the competitive curve remains more important than ever,” said Aftab Malhotra, at a recent meeting in London, pointing to the research of Yale professor Richard Foster, that found the lifespan of an S&P 500 firm had fallen from 61 years in 1958 to 18 years in 2012, and was set to fall further going forward, making the need for companies to be able to identify disruptive technology early on even more pressing. “Companies will live and die much faster…and our clients have asked us to help them develop the fastest way to filter the ‘hidden gems’ within the startup sector, and identify whether they are at a stage that they are ready to engage with them or not.” The venture, set up by Mr. Malhotra and Rajeev Banduni, both former senior Gartner executives. uses an algorithmic scoring system to vet start ups across the
world — across different languages — in different technology spaces, and categorises them based on their financial soundness, the financial backing, leadership team, and stage of development, which will help senior executives at corporates keep track of the companies carrying out cutting edge research in the field they work in — whether it’s financial technology, health technology, artificial intelligence, or augmented/ virtual reality, among others. “There are around 1.78 million tech start ups on the planet and this is only going to double with the likes of India and China, but there is a problem with volatility and uncertainty: how do you identify the next Tesla?,” asked Mr. Malhotra.
Early-stage focus Focussing on the early stages — companies in their first seven years — is critical, according to the feedback from industry, said Malhotra. “What we care about is what is going to affect the biggest
A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
SPORT 15
NOIDA/DELHI
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
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Magical Rashid spins it Sunrisers Hyderabad’s way David Warner and Moises Henriques polish of the meagre target in double-quick time against an inexperienced Gujarat Lions attack V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
IPL-10
HYDERABAD
Afghan Rashid Khan produced a magical spell of legspin bowling to pick three wickets and set the stage for his captain David Warner to rediscover his batting form in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s thumping, nine-wicket wicket win over Gujarat Lions in the Vivo IPL-10 at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here in Sunday’s early game. Once Gujarat Lions was restricted to a modest 135 for seven in 20 overs, the writing was on the wall for a second straight win for the home team on another perfect wicket.
knew he was a < > We threat. He had us on the back foot, bowling pretty well — Brad Hodge, Gujarat Lions coach
the situation, Sunrisers romped home thanks to another brilliant all-round performance. Warner finished off in style with another massive six over long-on off Baroka. Earlier, the 18-year-old Rashid bowled a terrific spell — the googlies in his first two overs leaving both the bighitters — Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch — clueless and trapped in front.
five fours during his brief stay, to be caught at midwicket by a diving Dhawan. Lions failed to get the start they would have hoped for. Then, Rashid struck another telling blow — this time with a classic leg-break to trap Suresh Raina lbw and leave the opposition in dire
SCOREBOARD
Red hot streak: Rashid Khan peels of in a celebratory run after snapping up Suresh Raina’s wicket.
Depleted RCB can still push KXIP
Pant displays the MI scampers home Star turn by Rana and Hardik resolve of a champion
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V. GANESAN
Lions’ hopes of a comeback with an unbeaten, 108-run second-wicket partnership. Warner hit Lions captain Suresh Raina straight into
the sight-screen and then hit two beautiful fours off debutant leg-spinner Tejas Baroka early on to make his intentions very clear. He
even treated the highly-rated pacer Basil Thampi with scant respect. With the inexperienced Lions attack not adequate to
Ever-reliable In between Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the ever-reliable pacer, induced a pull from the freestroking Jason Roy, who hit
Amol Karhadkar MUMBAI
S. Dinakar Indore
Given his heroics here on Saturday, Glenn Maxwell is likely to come out swinging. The host — Indore is among the adopted homes of Kings XI Punjab — will be up against a side that poses a considerable threat to it despite the absence of some of its biggest names. Will this be the season of triumph for the enigmatic Royal Challengers Bangalore? RCB, however, still possesses several gamechangers, none more than the explosive Chris Gayle. His opening partner and stand-in skipper Shane Watson is an old hand in this format. And Kedar Jadhav, the little shot-maker in the middle-order, can gather runs at a hectic pace. The surface here has some grass on it, the bounce is good and there was some movement off the seam for the Kings XI pacemen when they bowled first here on Saturday. Kings XI has some serious fire-power in skipper Maxwell and the lefthanded David Miller. Against Supergiant, Maxwell wisely held himself and Miller back for the final onslaught. And Marcus Stoinis, a handy pace bowling allrounder, is a serious striker of the ball. Up the order, the smooth-stroking Hashim Amla could be due for a weighty innings. The team chasing will have an advantage on this small ground. Match starts at 8 p.m.
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Shreedutta Chidananda BENGALURU
Rishabh Pant may have finished on the losing side on Saturday, but he demonstrated the resolve of a champion. Two days after the demise of his father, 19year-old Pant returned to IPL duty with Delhi Daredevils, smashing a rapid fifty that ultimately went in vain. The left-hander’s exit for 57 (36b, 3x4, 4x6) in the final over of the run chase signalled the end of Delhi’s resistance, as Royal Challengers Bangalore claimed a 15-run victory. Pant took an age to walk back to the dugout after he was bowled by Pawan Negi, the anguish on his young face evident. “Geez, I was telling the boys, if my dad passed away I would be on the first plane out of here,” the Delhi allrounder Chris Morris said later. “Have to be very honest. It’s about what my dad means to me. It takes a big person to come a couple of days after your father’s passed away and play. He said his dad would have wanted him playing. It shows his character. He’s go-
SCOREBOARD
Manish Pandey’s heroics, especially in the death overs, guided Kolkata Knight Riders to a competitive total of 178 for seven. But Nitish Rana and Hardik Pandya’s onslaught forced the Knight Riders to wilt under the pressure and helped MI retain its supremacy over the visitors in a tense finish. Thanks to Rana’s maiden IPL fifty and Pandya’s finishing touches, Mumbai Indians opened its tally in the 10th edition of the tournament by overhauling the target off the penultimate ball of the final over at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday. When Pandya joined Rana in the middle after Kieron Pollard holed out in the deep, the game was all but sealed in the Knight Riders favour with Mumbai Indians requiring 60 off 23 balls. But the left-handed Rana, hitting the ball cleanly even when the Mumbai Indians middle-order didn’t click with two umpiring decisions going against the team, and Pandya turned the tables in no time. Despite Pollard’s wicket, the duo fetched 11 runs off Chris Woakes’ remaining five balls to keep MI in the game. Then came the big over, with Rana tonking Trent Boult at will. Pandya made it a perfect over by pulling the last ball into the stands. Ankit Rajpoot then erred in line and length. Even though he got the prized wicket of Rana, the 10 runs he had conceded off the first two balls meant Pandya was left to chase down 19 off nine. And the pace-bowling allrounder then gladly despatched a full-toss over midwicket fence to leave him with a target of 11 in the last over. With five runs required off three balls, he top-edged
ing to be a big player for India in the future.” Pant demonstrated his intentions very early, sending his first ball sailing over the leg side boundary. “The smallest guys hit it the longest — Warner, de Kock, Smith,” said Morris. “They’re all not big but strong, they know their areas. He’s a special talent. I said to the boys on the bench that it would nice to see him hit it big tonight, much before he faced his first ball. Every couple of years, a special guy comes along. He’s one of them.” It was a day for the littlebuilt men. Before Pant’s efforts, Kedar Jadhav had topscored for RCB, making a 37ball-69. It was an innings laced with powerful swats over long-on and fierce inside-out drives, belying the Maharashtra batsman’s small frame. Unorthodox and strong, Morris called him. The 32-year-old played only four games last season, before losing his spot to K.L. Rahul. He had used the time off, Jadhav revealed, to work on his fitness with RCB’s strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS VS DAREDEVILS
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 157 for eight in 20 overs Delhi Daredevils: Aditya Tare b Mills 18 (17b, 3x4), Sam Billings c Stanlake b Abdulla 25 (19b, 1x4, 1x6), Karun Nair b Stanlake 4 (3b, 1x4), Sanju Samson c Binny b Stanlake 13 (12b, 1x4), Rishabh Pant b Negi 57 (36b, 3x4, 4x6), Chris Morris lbw b Abdulla 4 (5b), Carlos Brathwaite b Chahal 1 (5b), Pat Cummins b Watson 6 (6b, 1x4), Amit Mishra (not out) 8 (14b), Shahbaz Nadeem c & b Negi 0 (2b), Zaheer Khan (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (b-1, w-4): 5; Total: (for nine wkts. in 20 overs): 142.
Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Tare, 4.4), 2-38 (Karun, 5.3), 3-55 (Billings, 7.3), 4-84 (Samson, 10.5), 5-107 (Morris, 12.6), 6113 (Brathwaite, 14.5), 7-125 (Cummins, 16.2), 8-139 (Pant, 19.1), 9-139 (Nadeem, 19.3). Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Billy Stanlake 4-029-2, Yuzvendra Chahal 4-019-1, Iqbal Abdulla 3-0-36-2, Tymal Mills 4-0-33-1, Shane Watson 4-0-21-1, Pawan Negi 1-0-3-2. Man-of-the-match: Jadhav.
Kedar
RCB won by 15 runs
(Finch, 6.2), 4-57 (Raina, 8.6), 5-113 (Smith, 16.4), 6-114 (Karthik, 17.2), 7-115 (Kulkarni, 17.4). Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling: Bipul Sharma 4-0-24-0, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-0-21-2, Ashish Nehra 4-0-27-1, Rashid Khan 4-0-19-3, Ben Cutting 30-29-0, Moises Henriques 1-0-12-0. Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (not out) 76 (45b, 6x4, 4x6), Shikhar Dhawan c McCullum b Bhuvneshwar 9 (9b, 1x6), Moises Henriques (not out) 52 (39b, 6x4); Extras (w-3): 3;
Game-changer: Nitish Rana smashed 50 of 29 balls to star in Mumbai Indians’ win. VIVEK BENDRE *
SCOREBOARD
from deep backward. That gave Pandya an opportunity to complete two runs. The next ball was on his pads and he nudged it to fine-leg for a boundary and burst into wild celebrations.
MUMBAI INDIANS VS KNIGHT RIDERS
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir c McClenaghan b Krunal 19 (13b, 3x4), Chris Lynn lbw b Bumrah 32 (24b, 3x4, 1x6), Robin Uthappa c Hardik b Krunal 4 (3b, 1x4), Manish Pandey (not out) 81 (47b, 5x4, 5x6), Yusuf Pathan c Hardik b Krunal 6 (11b), Suryakumar Yadav c Pollard b Malinga 17 (15b, 2x4), Chris Woakes c Pollard b Malinga 9 (8b), Sunil Narine lbw b McClenaghan 1 (2b); Extras (lb-1, nb-3, w-5): 9; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 178. Fall of wickets: 1-44 (Gambhir, 4.2 overs), 2-48 (Uthappa, 4.5), 3-67 (Lynn, 7.3), 4-87 (Yusuf, 11.4), 5-131 (Suryakumar, 16.1), 6-144 (Woakes, 18.1), 7-178 (Narine, 19.6). Mumbai Indians bowling: Lasith Malinga 4-0-36-2, Mitchell McClenaghan 4-0-51-1, Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-39-1, Krunal Pandya 4-0-24-3, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-27-0. Mumbai Indians: Parthiv Patel
lbw b Kuldeep 30 (27b, 3x4, 1x6), Jos Buttler lbw b Rajpoot 28 (22b, 1x4, 2x6), Nitish Rana c Narine b Rajpoot 50 (29b, 5x4, 3x6), Rohit Sharma lbw b Narine 2 (6b), Krunal Pandya c Uthappa b Rajpoot 11 (6b, 2x4), Kieron Pollard c sub (Rishi Dhawan) b Woakes 17 (17b, 1x4, 1x6), Hardik Pandya (not out) 29 (11b, 3x4, 2x6), Harbhajan Singh (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-5, w-7): 12; Total (for six wkts. in 19.5 overs): 180. Fall of wickets: 1-65 (Parthiv, 7.3 overs), 2-71 (Buttler, 8.3), 374 (Rohit, 9.5), 4-97 (Krunal, 12.1), 5-119 (Pollard, 16.1), 6160 (Rana, 18.3). Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Trent Boult 3.5-0-47-0, Chris Woakes 4-0-34-1, Sunil Narine 4-0-22-1, Kuldeep Yadav 4-0-35-1, Ankit Rajpoot 4-0-37-3. Toss: Mumbai Indians. Man-of-the-match: Rana. Mumbai Indians won by four wickets with a ball to spare.
S. Dinakar
There was a moment in Saturday’s game here when Kings XI’s Glenn Maxwell flicked young Supergiant leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. A single seemed on the cards, but Maxwell and David Miller stole a second run. And when the fielder, put under immense stress, attempted a direct hit, he only succeeded in conceding two overthrows. On the rather small Holkar ground, Maxwell and Miller actually succeeded in running four, right under the nose of the fielders. Yes, even when two enormous strikers of the ball such as Maxwell and Miller are at the crease, running between the wickets enables a team gain a winning advantage.
Making the difference Talking to The Hindu, Mumbai Indians assistant coach and former India cricketer Robin Singh observed, “Twenty20 cricket is not all about sixes and fours. If you steal 10 runs in the innings with smart running between the wickets, it will be the difference between your opponent chasing nine or 19 in the last over.” A fine athletic runner between the wickets during his playing days, Robin said, “You need to put the fielder under pressure. You can’t assume he would field. You got to believe he would not field and run. That will force him to make a mistake and you cash in.” Robin elaborated,
Not all in BCCI want Srinivasan at ICC
Rose and Garcia share the lead
A large group willing to back Sourav Ganguly for the job
Rickie Fowler one stroke behind in third
G. Viswanath Mumbai
Lack of unanimity among full members to nominate the BCCI’s representative to the International Cricket Council (ICC) may have forced its office bearers to adjourn Sunday’s Special General Meeting (SGM) at New Delhi to Wednesday. According to a number of full member representatives who were part of the SGM, N. Srinivasan — the former BCCI president and TNCA representative — was not able to get everyone on his side with a large group willing to back former India captain and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly for the post of BCCI’s ICC board director. The official reason told to the BCCI members though was that the Supreme Court would respond on Monday to the third Status Report submitted by the Committee CM YK
of Administrators (CoA). Since the Supreme Court removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as president and secretary, a majority of the full members gave indications that they were looking up to Srinivasan to take a leadership role in the fight against the implementation of Justice Lodha Committee’s reforms. After Thakur’s removal, CoA’s Vikram Limaye attended the ICC board meeting and Amitabh Chaudhary, the ICC Chief Executives Committee meeting in the first week of February. But the Supreme Court named them only for the ICC’s first quarterly meeting of 2017. Given permission by the CoA to go ahead with the SGM, the understanding was that the full members will, by a unanimous vote, choose Srinivasan as BCCI’s nominee to the ICC. But as things began to unfold at New Delhi
on Saturday, a determined effort was undertaken to find a candidate to oppose Srinivasan. The numbers gained strength by the hour and Ganguly emerged as a possible candidate. Members also heard the name of Abhay Apte, Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) president, doing the rounds. An official said that a former BCCI president even floated the name of Avishek Dalmiya, CAB honorary joint secretary, for the post; Dalmiya is considered to be close to Thakur. Sources revealed that this confusion was thrashed out in a meeting between Ganguly, Apte and Dalmiya. While some of Srinivasan’s friends believed that he alone was capable of turning things around at the ICC, especially getting India’s share of ICC revenues as per its resolution passed in 2014, the
group that is backing Ganguly strongly feels that Srinivasan stands disqualified by the Supreme Court order on three counts — nine years at the BCCI, more than nine years at TNCA and that he is over 70 years in age, all validated by the Supreme Court. The group backing Ganguly also believes that if Srinivasan is eligible, then why not Sharad Pawar, who was elected BCCI’s alternative director to the ICC Board and continues to be so. The Supreme Court hearing will clear a lot of issues that the CoA is seeking. The former BCCI officials believe that the age cap of 70 is applicable only for office bearers and that’s the reason Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah attended the SGM. The CoA has roped in former central minister P. Chidambaram to appear for it on Monday.
Agence France-Presse Augusta
Sergio Garcia, winless in 73 prior majors, shook off a Masters legacy of thirdround setbacks on Saturday to match Rio Olympic champion Justin Rose for the lead entering the final round. Garcia has gone a combined 38-over par to average 75 in 13 prior Masters third rounds. But this time he fired a two-under par 70 to match the best of those rounds from 2002 to join England’s Rose in the final pairing with a great chance at a longsought dream. Rose, the 2013 US Open winner, birdied five of the last seven holes to shoot 67 in ideal conditions to join the 37-year-old Spaniard, this week’s only player with three sub-par rounds, on sixunder 210 through 54 holes at Augusta National. Garcia could end his Ma-
Sizing it up: Justin Rose, who inished the third round as a joint leader, lines up a putt for birdie on the 18th hole. AFP *
US MASTERS jor drought on what would have been the 60th birthday of his idol, the late Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros. “Hopefully he will help me a little bit,” Garcia said. “His help is always welcome. Hopefully he helps a little bit tomorrow from up there and
Total (for one wicket in 15.3 overs): 140. Fall of wicket: 1-32 (Dhawan, 3.1). Gujarat Lions bowling: Suresh Raina 2-0-24-0, Praveen Kumar 2-0-16-1, Tejas Baroka 3.3-033-0, Dhawal Kulkarni 2-017-0, Shivil Kaushik 4-0-29-0, Basil Thampi 2-0-21-0. Toss: Sunrisers. Man-of-the-Match: Rashid Khan. Sunrisers Hyderabad won by nine wickets with 27 balls to spare.
The art of running between wickets is a crucial aspect Indore
Boult but substitute Rishi Dhawan — in the field for captain Gautam Gambhir who along with fellow opener Chris Lynn hurt himself in the field — made a mess of the skier running in
he forced a threatening Smith — he had hit a superb straight six off left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra — to swing to the substitute fielder in the deep. With Nehra removing Karthik in 18th over, there were no more fireworks to prop Lions’ total.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD VS GUJARAT LIONS
Gujarat Lions: Jason Roy c Dhawan b Bhuvneshwar 31 (21b, 5x4), Brendon McCullum lbw b Rashid 5 (10b), Suresh Raina lbw b Rashid 5 (8b), Aaron Finch lbw b Rashid 3 (5b), Dinesh Karthik c Ojha b Nehra 30 (32b, 2x4), Dwayne Smith c (sub) Shankar b Bhuvneshwar 37 (27b, 4x4, 1x6), Dhawal Kulkarni run out 1 (2b), Praveen Kumar (not out) 7 (7b), Basil Thampi (not out) 13 (8b, 1x6); Extras (b-1, lb-2): 3; Total (for seven wickets in 20 overs): 135. Fall of wickets: 1-35 (McCullum, 4.5), 2-37 (Roy, 5.2), 3-42
Early wicket Though Sunrisers lost opener Shikhar Dhawan cheaply in the fourth over, the Aussie duo of Warner, who hit his ninth 50 at this ground for Sunrisers, and Moises Henriques thwarted
straits at 57 for four in nine overs. His first spell read an impressive 3-0-12-3. A 56-run stand off 46 balls for the fifth wicket between Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Smith was the saving grace for Lions. Bhuvneshwar was back in business in the 17th over as
tomorrow we’ll have something good to celebrate.” Eighth-ranked American Rickie Fowler, one stroke back in third after a 71, hopes to win the first Green Jacket awarded since the death of his idol, Arnold Palmer, last September. Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion whose back-nine on Sunday melt-
have got to < > You be aggressive in your running, must challenge the ielder and his throw — Robin Singh, Mumbai Indians’ assistant coach
“You have got to be aggressive in your running, must challenge the fielder and his throw.” There is a fair amount of technique involved as well. “You got to stay low and ground your bat well in front. You gain two to three yards,” he said. Robin added, “And you must be quick on the turn, must not overrun. You must also know the dimensions of the ground, which side is smaller and which is bigger, the direction of the wind as it will impact the throw, and from which arm does a particular fielder throw.” The non-striker, the start he gives is vital, has a key role. “If the ball travels to long-on for instance and if the nonstriker runs the first run fast, he will ensure that the throw would be to the striker’s end and not the non-striker’s end, which is nearer, as he completes the second run. So the ball has to travel a longer distance.” There are subtle aspects to running between the wickets. “If the batsman strikes the ball off the back foot, then he has a harder time taking off. If he is down the track, it is much easier since he is already on the move,” said Robin. Simply put, running between the wickets hastens a defeat or quickens a victory.
down last year cost him a repeat crown, fired a 68 to share fourth on 212 with fellow Americans Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman, a coleader until finding the water at the par-3 16th and making double bogey. If Spieth wins after an opening 75 that had him trailing by 10 shots, it would be the best 54-hole victory fightback in Masters history. Australia’s Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters winner, was seventh on 213 with 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa another stroke adrift. Top scores: Third round: 210: Justin Rose (Eng) (71-72-67), Sergio Garcia (Esp) (71-69-70); 211: Rickie Fowler (USA) (73-67-71); 212: Jordan Spieth (USA) (75-6968), Ryan Moore (USA) (74-6969), Charley Hoffman (USA) (65-75-72); 213: Adam Scott (Aus) (75-69-69); 214: Charl Schwartzel (RSA) (74-72-68). A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
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Hamilton roars to win
IN BRIEF
Aditya-Gilbert duo claims second place CHENNAI
Aditya Patel and his Malaysian teammate Mitch Gilbert finished second in the second race of the inaugural Blancpain GT Series Asia championship at Sepang, Malaysia on Sunday. The double podium for the Team OD Racing team in the weekend meant it leads the standings after round one. The second round will be held held at Buriram in Thailand on May 21 and 22. PTI
Visa issues threaten World Relays trip KOCHI
The IAAF World Relays championship begins in the Bahamas in just about 12 days, but the Indian teams are still not sure whether they will get their visas on time. The Athletics Federation of India has finalised the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams for the two-day meet which starts in Nassau on April 22, but the visa interviews are yet to be taken. “They have to go through the US, and there are visa issues. We are not sure whether they will get the visas since the immigration policies have changed,” an AFI official told The Hindu on Sunday.
Warriors down Pelicans LOS ANGELES
Kevin Durant scored 16 points in his return from injury as Golden State Warriors beat New Orleans Pelicans 123-101 in the NBA on Saturday. Other results: Nets 107 bt Bulls 106; Bucks 90 bt 76ers 82; Celtics 121 bt Hornets 114; Trailblazers 101 bt Jazz 86; Heat 106 bt Wizards 103; Pacers 127 bt Magic 112; Clippers 98 bt Spurs 87. AFP
One For Arthur adds tartan touch
Finishes over six seconds ahead of Vettel; Verstappen third after starting 16th
Delhi cricketers form a players’ association
Agence France-Presse
Special Correspondent
Shanghai
NEW DELHI
Lewis Hamilton powered to victory in a chaotic Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday, taking swift revenge for his defeat by Sebastian Vettel in the Formula One season-opener. The Briton, who started on pole, steered his Mercedes to his fifth Chinese Grand Prix win, beating Vettel’s Ferrari by just over six seconds, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finishing third after early safety car drama. “Get in there, Lewis!” Hamilton’s engineer said over team radio after the three-time world champion took the chequered flag in China for the third time in the last four years. “That’s a great race, mate. An absolute master-class!” Hamilton replied: “We’ve worked really hard for this, we’ve got to keep pushing.” Vettel recovered from a poor start from row one and, after being stuck behind Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen early on, began to show the pace that had swept him to victory in Melbourne two weeks ago. First, Vettel blew past Raikkonen before going wheel-to-wheel with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo at turn seven, producing puffs of blue smoke as the cars touched tyres. Verstappen loomed ahead but the young Dutchman, who produced an astonishing first lap after starting from 16th on the grid, suffered a lock-up going into the hairpin, allowing Vettel — rather anti-climactically — into second place. Hamilton, meanwhile, never looked seriously threatened despite a sequence of fastest laps from his German title rival. “Grazie a tutti!” said
Led by former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi, a group of cricketers from Delhi on Sunday decided to form a players’ association. “In line with the Supreme Court judgement incorporating the Lodha Committee recommendations, cricketers from Delhi have decided to initiate steps to form a players’ association,” Bedi said in a statement. The players have decided to seek the “indulgence of the DDCA administrator, Justice Vikramajit Sen, to form a steering committee of neutral and respected people who will organise elections of the proposed cricketers’ association.” Close to 60 cricketers met at the Panchsheel Club and resolved to constitute the NCT of the Delhi Cricket Players’ Association for the UT/State of Delhi. Addressing the cricketers,
One For Arthur gave Scotland only its second win in the Grand National on Saturday under a brilliant first ride by Derek Fox in the world’s most famous steeplechase. The winner, trained by Lucinda Russell, took it up at the last and came home clear of Cause of Causes to emulate Rubstic’s win in 1979. AFP
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CHINESE GP Vettel over the radio. “I think we were a bit unlucky. It felt like we were the quickest, man. We couldn’t prove that today but next time we will.” Ricciardo took fourth behind Verstappen after a furious late scrap between the two Red Bulls, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen finishing fifth ahead of Valtteri Bottas’s Mercedes. Carlos Sainz finished seventh for Toro Rosso with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas eighth and the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon rounding out the top 10. Bottas apologised to his team for an embarrassing spin while weaving to warm his tyres behind the safety car, which dropped him
down to 12th. “Really sorry, guys, for the amateur mistake,” said Bottas, who had earlier been called “Nico” over team radio. “I’ll make up for it in the next race.” A wet track caused havoc
MUMBAI: B Fifty Two ridden by C.S. Jodha won the A.C. Ardeshir Trophy (Gr. 3), the feature event of Sunday’s (April 9) evening races. The winner is owned by M/s. Hemant S. Dharnidharka, Dinesh G.Virwani & Mr. Shapoor P. Mistry rep. Manjri Horse Breeders’ Farm Pvt. Ltd. Imtiaz Sait trains the winner.
(Trevor) 3 and London (Neeraj) 4. 3/4, Nose, 1-3/4. 1m 37.68s. ₹46 (w), 14 and 13 (p), SHP: 24, FP: 172, Q: 52, Tanala: 64 and 27. Favourite: Mrs Patmore. Owners: M/s. Hemant S. Dharnidharka, Dinesh G. Virwani & Mr. Shapoor P. Mistry rep. Manjri Horse Breeders’ Farm Pvt. Ltd. Trainer: Imtiaz Sait.
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M.D. PETIT PLATE (1,600m) Cl. V, rated 1 to 26: STAR SCHOLAR (Trevor) 1, Master Sergeant (S. Amit) 2, Windhoek (S.J. Sunil) 3 and Paradise (Kuldeep) 4. 1-3/4, 1-1/4, Nose. 1m 39.95s. ₹52 (w), 17, 19 and 58 (p), SHP: 44, FP: 309, Q: 120, Tanala: 2,656 and Rs. 3,415. Favourite: Oscillation. Owners: Mr. Dallas Todywalla & Mrs. Lynn Deas. Trainer: Dallas Todywalla. (Note: Originally Master Sergeant had won the race and Star Scholar ended second. An objection was raised by jockey P. Trevor rider of Star Scholar against S. Amit (Master Sergeant astride) for cutting acrosshis path in the last 100m which cost him the race. The Stewards after watching the replay and interviewing both the jockeys decided to uphold the objection and revised the order as above).
MASTER SHIFU PLATE (2,000m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to 46: JAGER BOMB (Trevor) 1, Care Free (Neeraj) 2, June (S. Amit) 3 and Smasher (Akshay) 4. 1-1/4, 13/4, Nose. 2m 4.89s. ₹23 (w), 13, 10 and 24 (p), SHP: 38, FP: 54, Q: 13, Tanala: 141 and 119. Favourite: Jager Bomb. Owners: M/s. Hemant S. Dharnidharka & Dinesh G. Virwani.Trainer: Imtiaz Sait. J.P. VAZIFDAR TROPHY (1,200m), rated 53 to 79: TURF DANCER (Dashrath) 1, Ladislaus (Trevor) 2, Carbonara (Sandesh) 3 and Arakawah (S. Kamble) 4. Nose, 1-3/4, sh. hd. 1m 11.12s. ₹53 (w), 14, 13 and 15 (p), SHP: 44, FP: 138, Q: 41, Tanala: 576 and 247. Favourite: Korol. Owners: Mr. Champaklal Zaveri & Mrs. Bindu C. Zaveri rep. Zaveri Stud Farm Pvt. Ltd. & Mr. Ashok Daba Shetty. Trainer: S.S. Shah.
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A.C. ARDESHIR TROPHY (1,600m), 4-y-o & over: B FIFTY TWO (C.S. Jodha) 1, Jack Frost (Sandesh) 2, Mrs Patmore
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A.F.S. TALYARKHAN TROPHY (1,000m), Maiden 3-y-o only: GOLD FIELD ( J. Chinoy) 1, Queens
early on with the virtual safety car deployed on lap one after Lance Stroll spun off in his Williams. The safety car was called again after Antonio Giovinazzi smashed his Sauber into a wall.
RESULTS AND STANDINGS 1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 37min 36.158 sec, 2. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) +6.250, 3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +45.192, 4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) +46.035, 5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) +48.076, 6. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) +48.808, 7. Carlos Sainz Jr (Toro Rosso) +72.893, 8. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) at 1 lap, 9. Sergio Perez (Force India) at 1 lap, 10. Esteban Ocon (Force India) at 1 lap, 11. Romain Grosjean (Haas) at 1 lap, 12. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) at 1 lap, 13. Jolyon Palmer (Renault) at 1 lap, 14. Felipe Massa (Williams)
B Fifty Two clinches A.C. Ardeshir Trophy
2
AINTREE
Mutual admiration: With Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, right, and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel each notching up wins in the irst two races, the battle-lines have been drawn for the rest of the season. CLIVE MASON/GETTY IMAGES
at 1 lap, 15. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) at 1 lap. DNF: Fernando Alonso (McLaren), Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso), Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren), Antonio Giovinazzi (Sauber), Lance Stroll (Williams). Drivers’ standings: 1. Vettel 43 points, 2. Hamilton 43, 3. Verstappen 25, 4. Bottas 23, 5. Raikkonen 22, 6. Ricciardo 12, 7. Sainz Jr 10, 8. Massa 8, 9. Perez 8, 10. Magnussen 4. Constructors’ standings: 1. Mercedes 66 points, 2. Ferrari 65, 3. Red Bull 37, 4. Toro Rosso 12, 5. Force India 10, 6. Williams 8.
Rayan Rozario
6
STYLECRACKER STAKES (1,000m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to 46: BENEFICIAL (Ajinkya) 1, Philadelphia (Trevor) 2, Fabio (Sandesh) 3 and Dolphin (C.S. Jodha) 4. 1/2, Snk, 1-1/4. 59.64s. ₹47 (w), 13, 15 and 12 (p), SHP: 37, FP: 179, Q: 162, Tanala: 262 and 109. Favourite: Fabio. Owner: Mr. Rajesh Mongia. Trainer: S.K. Sunderji.
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PRINCE JEHAN PLATE (1,000m), Cl. III, rated 40 to 66: MIZILLA GOLD (S. Amit) 1, Rosella (Nirmal Jodha) 2, Cezanne (N. Rawal) 3 and Victorio (Raghuveer) 4. 2, Nk, Hd. 59.21s. ₹26 (w), 11, 69 and 28 (p), SHP: 424, FP: 787, Q: 487, Tanala: 4,046 and 3,468. Favourite: Mizilla Gold. Owner & trainer: Mr. S. Waheed. Jackpot: (70 per cent): ₹29,682 (20 tkts.), (30 per cent): ₹4,312 (59 tkts.). Treble: ₹727 (36 tkts.). Super jackpot: (70 per cent): ₹70,649 (one tkt.), (30 per cent): ₹30,278 (one tkt.).
Jaisalmer
Joaquim Rodrigues finished on top in the Moto class of the India Baja 2017 here on Sunday. The Team Hero MotorSports rider, the leader overnight, had little trouble on the final leg that comprised a shorter run of about 286 km, of which 140 km made up the timed sections. On a fast yet difficult track at the Turkon ki Basti here, with undulating terrain featuring habitation and thick bushes all along, the Portuguese rider attacked prudently and played it safe when the conditions called for conservative riding. “India is really a nice place to ride. It has a good track and I enjoyed it all the way. I would love to come back and race here again,” said the Portuguese rider. “The country has the potential to conduct international
Kirti Azad for president Kirti Azad was backed for the position of president in the proposed players’ association. A code of conduct and resolution were discussed threadbare, with lawyer Nitin Mishra explaining the nuances of the players’ association and the Apex Council as will be formed in the BCCI. The players’ association, apart from other functions, will nominate the cricket members, including coach, to the Sports Working Committee of the DDCA in view of the reforms suggested by the High Court. “It is therefore crucial that the first step towards reforms is initiated at the earliest and the players’ associ-
ation is established and brought into effect by an Honorary Committee of four members, which shall be the steering committee,” Bedi added. “Our association will meet Justice Sen and request him to appoint a steering committee to take the initiative of organising elections to five posts (president, secretary, treasurer and two members) at the earliest,” said Bedi. A 16-member committee of volunteers has been formed to address and discuss issues relating to excricketers’ welfare and for achieving the goals of the DCPA. The committee of volunteers: Madan Lal, K.P. Bhaskar, Atul Wassan, Ajay Jadeja, Gautam Vadehra, Robin Singh, Ajay Sharma, Manoj Prabhakar, Gursharan Singh, Sunita Tomar, Anjum Chopra, Rajni Sharma, Khyati Gulani, Rajiv Vinayak, Bantu Singh and Mukesh Diwan.
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\ REGIONAL ROUND-UP \
Deepak powers TG Titans to victory Deepak Malhotra scored an unbeaten 82 as TG Titans beat Luv Kush by seven wickets in the fifth Roshanara Premier League. In another match, Abhishek Sakuja’s 68 & two for 22 helped Bringing Smile defeat Masu Hurricanes by 33 runs. The scores: Luv Kush 156 for six in 20 overs (Sahil Harneja 71 n.o., Siddarth Mittal two for 21, Kunal Vanjani two for 31) lost to TGT 158 for three in 18.3 overs (Deepak Malhotra 84 n.o., Zoravar Singh 32 n.o.). Bringing Smile 180 for six in 20 overs (Abhishek Sakuja 68,
Joaquim Rodrigues inishes on top
Best (Neeraj) 2, Ascension (C.S. Jodha) 3 and Angels Harmony (A. Gaikwad) 4. Lnk, 1-1/2, 4. 59.25s. ₹52 (w), 13, 15 and 12 (p), SHP: 36, FP: 371, Q: 390, Tanala: 328 and 132. Favourite: Fantasy Star. Owners: M/s. Kunal N. Sharma & Chirag Sharma.Trainer: Adhirajsingh Jodha.
Bedi said he expected them to rise to the occasion and discharge the responsibility of improving cricket and the lot of cricketers in Delhi.
rallies. It has got good manufacturers and tracks.” Abdul Wahid Tanveer of Team TVS Racing emerged winner of the Dakar Challenge category. The 26-yearold has thus booked himself a free ticket to next month’s Merzouga Rally in Morocco. “I tried my best to seal the overall standings, but I am thrilled to have ended up with a ticket to Morocco,” he said. “Winning there will be something even more special as it is the next step to the Dakar event,” he added. The results: Moto: 1. Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero MotoSports); 2. K.P. Aravind (TVS Racing); 3. Tanveer Abdul Wahid. Dakar Challenge winners: 1. Abdul Wahid Tanveer (TVS Racing); 2. N. Sanjay Kumar (Joe’s Garage); 3. R. Nataraj (TVS Racing). Xtreme: 1. Gaurav Chiripal & Karan Arya; 2. Raj Singh Rathore & J. Jeevarathinam; 3. Himanshu Arora & Chirag Thakur.
Ashish Gupta 41 n.o., Kabir Chadha three for 31, Tapan Jain two for 48) bt Masu Hurricanes 147 in 16.3 overs (Dileep Dhunna 37, Daanveer Lamba 34, Abhishek Sakuja two for 22, Amit Nagpal two for 11, Abhishek Bajaj two for 11, Kabir Handa two for 30).
240 for eight in 40 overs (Lakshay Thareja 80 n.o., Lakshay Dalal 52, Karan Sharma 48, Lalit Yadav five for 25) bt TYCA 191 in 33.3 overs (Ritik Kanojia 44, Lalit Yadav 44, Sandeep Saini 40, Shivay Oberai three for 18, Karan Bidhuri two for 20).
Lakshays shine; Lalit’s all-round show in vain
Vikrant bowls Achievers to big win
Delhi under-19 player Lakshay Thareja’s unbeaten 80 and Lakshay Dalal’s 52 powered Modern Academy to a 49-run win over TYCA in the 10th Hargopal under-19 tournament. For the losing side, Lalit Yadav scored 44 and picked up five for 25. The scores: Modern Academy
Vikrant Sehwag picked up four wickets for just eight runs as Achievers Academy hammered Delhi Colts by 76 runs in the Swastik Cup. The scores: Achievers Academy 173 in 34.4 overs (Deepak Sharma 56, Abhishek Wadhwa 42, Vikas Das five for 46) bt Delhi Colts 97 in 24.1 overs (Vikrant Sehwag four for eight).
Ajay, Sandeepti head the ield SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI
Ajay Malik and Sandeepti Singh Rao will head the 16 players in the boys’ and girls’ sections of the HSBC Road to Wimbledon Masters under-14 tennis tournament to be played on the grass courts of the Gymkhana Club here from Monday. With the finalists of the boys’ and girls’ events slated to compete in the UK under-14 championship on the grass courts of Wimbledon in August, it will be a great opportunity for the youngsters to boost their confidence and career at a tender age. The best 16 from the four National series tournaments held in Pune, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Kolkata have been divided into four groups. The top two from each group will make the knockout stage. Quite surprisingly, two
players — Malikaa Marathe and Adithi Are — have opted out of the Masters event after making the cut in the girls’ category, and their places have been taken by others in the merit list. The groupings: Boys: Pool-A: Ajay Malik, Rudra Kapor, Nishant Dabas, and Dhruv Tangri. Pool-B: Krishan Hooda, Nikhil Niranjan Thirumale, Pranav Ikkurthy, and Udit Gogoi. Pool-C: V.M. Sandeep, Aman Dahiya, Shashidhar Kota, and Sushant Dabas. Pool-D: Divesh Gahlot, Denim Yadav, Kartik Saxena, and Sanjith Devineni. Girls: Pool-A: Sandeepti Singh Rao, Hrudaya Shah, Akanksha Nitture, and Gargi Pawar. Pool-B: Sudipta Senthil Kumar, Mushrath Anjum Shaik, Ayushi Singh, and Aditi Narayan. Pool-C: Sarah Dev, Avi Shah, Divya Bhardwaj, and Maisha Srivastav. Pool-D: Srujana Rayarala, Renne Singla, Yana Dhamija, and Priyanshi Bhandari.
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THE HINDU CROSSWORD 11977 1
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17 Works without single grievance (6)
12 13
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12 Brothel found in a bog (6) 14 Taut? Allow weight to drop off, lighten up, be relaxed (3,2,3,4,3)
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(set by xChequer)
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18 Son getting married has nervous sensation (5) 22 Appropriate to receive degree in black hat (3,3)
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23 Avoiding one extreme state by restrained lying (8)
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■ ACROSS 7 Question in Church left for follow-up (6) 8 Inclined to accept on being bid (8) 9 Incorrect mark is deducted (8) 10 Admit it keeping neutral, on relection, something to chew on (6) 11 Thought about kiss causing misfortune (5)
CM YK
5 Man and daughter entering together in haste (8) 6 So hard removing cap of fountain pen (5) 8 Lids in the West recycled? All that's gone, ending in pollution (3-6,4) 13 Lovely icons smashed inside? Means nothing (4,2,3) 15 Mislead fans about parking charges (8)
25 Wet children changing clothes (6)
16 Clear meaning: masala forms! (8)
1 Limits current isolated through measuring device (9)
Getting out of samsara
4 Colours running, painting is pointless (8)
24 Blames criminal making amends with tip-off (8)
■ DOWN
Solution to puzzle 11976 S
19 Signiicance of Earth getting dry: over-populating deicient planet (6)
E C R
2 Fine, let us be short-tempered (6) 3 Eccentric king saving skin? On the contrary (5)
FAITH
SUDOKU
20 No small chaos, very disruptive (5) 21 Nervous with high-speed motor racing (5)
M I D D L E W A Y
T H O D MA Y
O S N F U L F O F O R G E U P T O R E M A S E S T U H C I N G C E R N U W T OM T OM R P R N E S T D U P I G K I MO N O D N
C R O S S C U T
M E C A
A S C K O P U E
T S A L L Y N A D A T E O E O R A I N T Y T D D E R I N S O U P A A R I T Y M E
Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku
The Vedas are the source of esoteric knowledge that goes beyond the empirical. As they extol this expansive and infinite universe and creation, they draw attention to the creator who controls this in all aspects. Likewise, a jivatma’s identity in the context of creation is also explained and the ways and means to get out of the bondage of samsara are also shown. In the Gita, Krishna states that He is the subject matter of the Vedas and that He alone is to be sought. Krishna also reiterates the truth of the jivatma’s basic problem and shows the way out of it as well, pointed out Sri O.R. Devanathan in a discourse. Human birth is a rare gift and should not be squandered away, say all texts on faith, religion and philosophy. But many are the goals life offers a jivatma. Sastras classify these as the Purusharthas, comprising acquisition of wealth, fulfilment of desires, practising righteous living and upholding moral values in life and attaining salvation, the ultimate goal. A jivatma’s senses, mind and experiences are easily drawn to the variety and richness of life and these become a deterrent in his pursuit of the ultimate goal, salvation, a goal that is very hard to attain. Nammazhwar’s hymns capture the philosophy of the Upanishads in Tamil and hence are known as the Tamil Veda. He sees God as the essence of Transcendence, Truth, Knowledge and Bliss and as full of auspicious qualities and attributes. The relationship of the jivatma as a distinct entity existing eternally along with God as a part of His body, sarira, always controlled and subservient to Him, is clearly expounded. He clears the jivatma’s misconceptions arising from partial understanding of his situation in life. The means of redemption for the jivatma is by devotion and absolute surrender to the will of the Lord. A ND-ND
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THE HINDU
SPORT 17
NOIDA/DELHI
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
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TV PICKS NBA: Sony Six & Six HD, 5. 30 a.m.
La Liga: TEN 1 & 1 HD, 12.10 a.m. (Tuesday) Premier League: SS Select HD1, 12.20 a.m. (Tuesday).
Indian women in inal
Uzbeks manage to avert a whitewash Ramkumar wins but Ismailov beats Prajnesh
Paes was given the choice to not come, says Bhupathi The main criteria for selection was form and that was not followed: Paes N. Sudarshan BENGALURU
SPorts Bureau Vancouver
The Indian women’s hockey team advanced to the final of the Hockey World League Round-2 competition here, with a convincing 4-0 victory over Belarus and, with that, also booked itself a ticket to the HWL Round-3 to be held later this year. The HWL Round 3 is also a qualifying event for the 2018 World Cup. “It has been a good experience. Tomorrow is the final, there is one more step to go before we can relax. We have to win here to finish on a high even though the Round 3 qualification is sealed,” captain Rani Rampal told The Hindu after India beat Belarus. “We changed our plans a little and tried more in the attack while keeping possession. It worked. We’ll do the same in the finals,” she said. Rani also praised the new coach Marijne Sjoerd. “He has already taught us so many new and good things during the camp and here. We are all really excited to learn from him, he is a very good coach. He is very different form Neil (Hawgood, the former coach) but he is better as well,” Rani said about the Dutchman who took charge about a month ago. In the title clash, India takes on Chile, which beat Uruguay 2-1 in the other semifinal. The result: India 4 (Gurjit Kaur-2, Rani Rampal-2) bt Belarus 0.
No let up: Even with the tie sealed on Saturday, Ramkumar Ramanathan was ired up enough to beat the Uzbek No. 1 Sanjar Fayziev in straight sets in the irst of the dead-rubber reverse singles. V. SREENIVASA MURTHY *
N. Sudarshan BENGALURU
Ramkumar Ramanathan won the first of the reverse singles rubbers, beating Sanjar Fayziev 6-3, 6-2 but Temur Ismailov, like an ember in a dying fire, defeated Prajnesh Gunneswaran 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday as host India completed a 4-1 win over a depleted Uzbekistan side in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group-I match here. “I am thrilled,” said Mahesh Bhupathi after his first outing as Davis Cup captain. “Coming here with so many different variables and factors to deal with, to win the tie in two days... I am thrilled about getting an opportunity to get back into the World Group.” “Playing dead rubbers is a very difficult proposition, so I don’t think we are going to dwell too much into today’s results. I am really proud of
DAVIS CUP these guys. They kept their head down, kept their focus regardless of what transpired behind the scenes and got the win.” There is always the risk of reading too much into a single tie. India still does not possess a single top-100 player for it to consistently compete with the best; at least till such a time as Yuki Bhambri plays injury free. The emergence of Prajnesh and Sriram Balaji certainly gives the captain more options, but the jury is still out on whether it necessarily means more depth. Ramkumar is still a work in progress, and seems to have plateaued in the last year or two. “We had a team meeting today and they [players] know that they can’t take
their spot in the next tie it for granted,” Bhupathi said. “Hopefully, we will have a full force with Yuki, Saketh [Myneni] and Sumit [Nagal] all back. I’m sure they will do what they have to do to make the team again.” “When I was asked [to captain] a lot of people advised me not to take it because Somdev [Devvarman] retired, and we didn’t have enough fire-power,” he said. “There were too many away ties coming up. They told me to take it when things are easier. I think it’s always a challenge when you have to build something from ground zero. I’m enjoying it so far.”
Days after Leander Paes’ outburst for not being picked in the Davis Cup squad, the war of words between him and captain Mahesh Bhupathi escalated on Sunday. Bhupathi released transcripts of messenger-service conversations between the two to address Paes’ allegations, only for the latter to call the move of making public a private exchange “unbecoming of a Davis Cup Captain”. Speaking to the media after the final day’s play, Bhupathi repeated what had transpired between the two, and all but shut the door on Paes’ inclusion in the side for the World Group play-off to be held in September. “A day before the selection committee met, I told him (Paes) candidly that I was going to ask for six in the team,” said Bhupathi. “And that I would respect his decision if he decided not to come and if he wanted to
*
V. SREENIVASA MURTHY
wait till he was guaranteed a spot in the four.” “He deserves the respect after what he’s achieved for the country. We gave him the option, and he readily took it. So, after that, to sulk about not being in the four was a bit unprofessional.” Bhupathi denied Paes’ charge that the criteria for selection were not consistent. Paes was peeved that he was denied a spot even after having won a Challenger event the week before
“Rohan is the No. 1 doubles player in India by far. Unless something untoward happens from now till September, it’s going to be remain like that,” Bhupathi said. On his part, Paes stuck to his guns. “The main criteria for selection was form. That’s clearly mentioned in the exchange. This was not followed when it came to the final selection. I was never categorically told that I would not be playing. But it was apparent that the decision was made before I arrived in Bengaluru. This is what I found unnecessary and disrespectful.” Later, on Facebook, Bhupathi called into question Paes’ attitude all through his career, saying that he took the Davis Cup spot for granted and had scant respect for others. To this, Paes said, “Talk is cheap, history books, however, don’t lie.”
Kyrgios puts Australia in semiinals Belgium beats Italy to advance; Serbia sets up last-four clash with France Agencies BRISBANE
The result: India bt Uzbekistan 4-1 [Ramkumar Ramanathan bt Sanjar Fayziev 6-3, 6-2; Prajnesh Gunneswaran lost to Temur Ismailov 7-5, 6-3].
Mahesh Bhupathi
whereas Rohan Bopanna had had three successive first-round defeats. “There were five things in my criteria,” Bhupathi said. “Fitness was one, but Leander was the only one who did not take the fitness test at the place I asked him to. So I don’t think he should be the one [talking] about criteria.” “He’s extremely proud that he won that Challenger (at Leon). Rohan played Novak Djokovic (at Indian Wells) and Nick Kyrgios (at Miami). So it’s not a debate that I want to get into. None of them [criteria] were really met.” Bhupathi also did not take kindly to the fact that Paes left after the first day of the tie. In a Facebook post, Bhupathi called this “the final nail in the coffin”. Reiterating his belief in having just one doubles player in the final four, Bhupathi said his choice would be Bopanna going forward.
Nick Kyrgios
*
REUTERS
Nick Kyrgios downed Sam Querrey 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-4 in the first of the reverse singles here on Sunday and sent Australia into the Davis Cup semifinals. Kyrgios’s win gave Australia an unassailable 3-1 lead over USA before John Isner won the dead rubber 7-6(5), 6-3 over Sam Groth. Kyrgios roared in delight and was mobbed by his teammates after sealing the victory with an ace after just over two hours on Pat Rafter Arena to set up a last four
meeting with Belgium. David Goffin beat Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 at Charleroi to give host Belgium a 3-1 lead over Italy. “I couldn’t be prouder of my boys,” said Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt. “They’ve put so much effort into this campaign and they deserve this.” France and Serbia had already set up a semifinal meeting by winning the doubles on Saturday. Quarterfinal results: At Brisbane: Australia 3 bt USA 2 [Nick Kyrgios bt Sam Querrey 76(4), 6-3, 6-4; Sam Groth lost to John Isner 7-6(5), 6-3]
At Belgrade: Serbia 4 bt Spain 1 [Dusan Lajovic bt Jaume Munar 2-6, 6-1, 6-4; Nenad Zimonjic lost to Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-2, 6-1; Nenad Zimonjic & Viktor Troicki bt Marc Lopez & Pablo Carreno-Busta 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-0, 4-6, 6-2]. At Rouen: France 4 bt Britain 1 [Julien Benneteau lost to Daniel Evans 6-1, 6-2; Jeremy Chardy bt Kyle Edmund 6-4, 6-4]. At Charleroi: Belgium 3 leads Italy 1 [David Goffin bt Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-3, 6-2; Ruben Bemelmans & Joris De Loore lost to Andreas Seppi & Simone Bolelli 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6)].
Malaga upsets Barcelona Bayern outclasses Dortmund to protect 10-point lead Agencies MALAGA
Neymar was sent off as Barcelona suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at Malaga on Saturday that scuppered its hopes of going top of La Liga and handed control of the title race to Real Madrid. Former Barcelona striker Sandro Ramirez opened the scoring in the 32nd minute before Jony added a 90thminute second for the host. Bayern Munich outclassed Borussia Dortmund 4-1 on Saturday with top scorer
Robert Lewandowski netting twice to protect a 10-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga. The results: Premier League: Sunday: Sunderland 0 lost to Manchester United 3 (Ibrahimovic 30, Mkhitaryan 46, Rashford 89). Saturday: Bournemouth 1 (King 42) lost to Chelsea 3 (Smith 17-og, Hazard 20, Alonso 68); Manchester City 3 (Elmohamady 31-og, Aguero 48, Delph 64) bt Hull 1 (Ranocchia 85); Middlesbrough 0 drew with Burnley 0; Stoke 1 (Walters 44) lost to Liverpool 2
(Coutinho 70, Firmino 72); West Brom 0 lost to Southampton 1 (Clasie 25); West Ham 1 (Kouyate 44) bt Swansea 0. La Liga: Granada 1 (Ponce 65) lost to Valencia 3 (Zaza 19, 21, Mina 55). Saturday: Sevilla 4 (Jovetic 1, Sarabia 9, Correa 32, Ben Yedder 88) bt Deportivo la Coruna 2 (Kakuta 4, 25); Malaga 2 (Sandro 32, Jony 90) bt Barcelona 0. Serie A: Sampdoria 2 (Fernandes 5, Alvarez 71) drew with Fiorentina 2 (Rodriguez 60, Babacar 89); Bologna 0 lost to Roma 3 (Fazio 26, Salah 41, Dzeko 75); Cagliari 2 (Borriello
19-pen, Han 90+5) lost to Torino 3 (Ljajic 33, Belotti 39, Acquah 54); Crotone 2 (Falcinelli 19-pen, 22) bt Inter Milan 1 (D’Ambrosio 65); AC Milan 4 (Suso 6, Pasalic 19, Bacca 37, Deulofeu 70) bt Palermo 0; Udinese 3 (De Paul 20, Zapata 31, Rubinho 39) bt Genoa 0. Saturday: Atalanta 1 (Cristante 73) drew with Sassuolo 1 (Pellegrini 36); Juventus 2 (Higuain 23, 84) bt Chievo 0. Bundesliga: Bayern Munich 4 (Ribery 4, Lewandowski 10, 68pen, Robben 49) bt Borussia Dortmund 1 (Guerreiro 20).
Dramatic win
Bagan gets full points
Jugovic scores BFC’s last-gasp winner
East Bengal’s woes continue Amitabha Das Sharma SILIGURI
Unlikely hero: Marjan Jugovic met a free-kick from Sunil Chhetri with a neat header. K. MURALI KUMAR *
Ashwin Achal Bengaluru
Marjan Jugovic emerged an unlikely hero in Bengaluru FC’s dramatic 1-0 victory over Aizawl FC, in an ILeague encounter at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Sunday. With the match heading to a goalless draw, Jugovic found the net deep into injury-time to send the home fans into a tizzy. Jugovic, who had looked unimpressive until this point, met a free-kick from Sunil Chhetri with a neat header to defeat the Aizawl FC custodian. This win has breathed life into a stuttering BFC (21 points) campaign, even as CM YK
the side made no upward movement from a mid-table fifth-spot. Aizawl FC on the other hand sits on top of the table with 30 points. It was an improved show by the home side, which played as a cohesive unit. The midfield — manned by Cameron Watson, Lenny Rodrigues and Eugeneson Lyngdoh — controlled the pace well. A tense period of play marked the first-half, when Aizawl FC coach Khalid Jamil — no stranger to confrontation, as witnessed in previous encounters at this venue — got into a verbal duel with Chhetri. The result: BFC 1 (Marjan Jugovic 90+4) bt Aizawl FC 0.
Mohun Bagan scored twice in the opening half to beat East Bengal 2-1 in an ILeague encounter at the Kanchenjungha Stadium here on Sunday. Sony Norde and Azharuddin Mallick found the target for Bagan, while Rowling Borges pulled one back for East Bengal in the additional time of the second half. East Bengal played the last 24 minutes with 10 men after striker Willis Plaza was given the marching orders for pushing Bagan defender E. Anas’s face in sheer frustration. The win took Mohun Bagan to 29 points from 14 outings and in a position to overtake current league leader Aizawl FC (30 points from 15 matches). For East Bengal it was a third successive loss. The first quarter saw both teams opting to play it safe, focusing more in the middle of the park.
Norde on the move But Bagan took the initiative after the half-hour mark as Norde started finding the attack route more frequently in his zone — the left wing. In the 35th minute, the
I-LEAGUE Haitian play-maker was fouled around 10 yards outside the box by defender Gurwinder Singh. Norde found the far angle of the goal with a swerving shot that left the East Bengal goalkeeper T.P. Rehenesh rooted in his place. Having suffered successive defeats in the previous two rounds, East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan tried to arrest the cramps in the attack introducing Wedson Anselme. But the Haitian midfielder, returning after an injury lay-off of five weeks, failed to work up the creativity that was exhibited by his compatriot in the opposition. Just when East Bengal was trying to regroup, Rehenesh repeated an error that had seen his team suffer in the previous two rounds. Azharuddin Mondal found the net off a long ranger as he located Rehenesh stranded midway having relinquished his guard under the bar. The result: Mohun Bagan 2 (Sony Norde 35, Azharuddin Mondal 43) bt East Bengal 1 (Rowlin Borges 90+2). A ND-ND
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18 LIFE
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
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IN BRIEF
This 3-legged cat is college stress reliever
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A run in Pyongyang
Feline is now a favourite at Cambridge
Possible Venus ‘twin’ discovered Press Trust of India Washington
Hitler once had Jewish landlord, claims historian BERLIN
A German historian has claimed that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler lived for almost a decade in a house that belonged to a Jewish merchant. Paul Hoser says Hitler lived at Thierschstrasse 41 in Munich’s Lehel district from 1920 till 1929, interrupted by a year spent at Landsberg prison for staging a failed coup in Bavaria. Mr. Hoser has made the claims in the quarterly VfZ. AP
Press Trust of India London
A three-legged cat adopted by the prestigious Cambridge University in the U.K. has become the students’ favourite as the feline helps students relieve exam stress. Jasper, a fiveyear-old ginger cat who lost his left hind leg in a car accident and was abandoned by his owners, was adopted by university deputy librarian Simon Jasper. Frost from a res- UNIVERSITY cue centre.
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I was once mistaken for a drug dealer, says Caine LOS ANGELES
Veteran actor Michael Caine says he was once mistaken for a drug dealer at a party because his British accent left listeners thinking he said “my cocaine” when introducing himself. Caine, 84, made the revelations on an upcoming episode of The Graham Norton Show, reported People magazine. PTI
Dallas emergency sirens go berserk after hack DALLAS
Officials say Dallas’ emergency siren system was hacked, resulting in them sporadically sounding for about an hour and a half overnight. City spokeswoman Sana Syed said on Saturday investigators believed the hack came from the Dallas area itself. The system was eventually shut down. AP
CM YK
‘Official mascot’ It became popular among students after Mr. Frost took the cat to work one day, and a recent “tea with Jasper” event attracted 140 cat-lovers. Similar events are
Astronomers, using NASA’s Kepler space telescope, have discovered a Venuslike planet orbiting a dim star that is one-fifth the diameter of our Sun and is located 219 light years away from Earth. The newly found planet is only slightly larger than Earth, and it tightly embraces its low-temperature star called Kepler-1649, encircling it every nine days.
planned as Jasper is now the library’s “official mascot.” “He is bouncy like [fictional tiger character] Tigger, because he has three legs, and he is a bit unstable when he moves slowly — so he goes everywhere at speed,” Mr. Frost told the BBC.
Own hashtag Librarian Clare Trowell added, “Students coming to visit Jasper told us just how much he had CAMBRIDGE calmed them down, and helped relieve any stress. Many of them were missing their own cats or other pets.” Jasper now has his own hashtag — #economicscat — and frequently makes announcements about the library on social media.
Beyond politics: A participant of the Pyongyang marathon runs in the North Korean capital on Sunday. Hundreds of foreigners took to the city streets for the annual marathon, which has become one of Pyongyang’s most popular tourist events. AP *
Insight into planets The tight orbit causes the flux of sunlight reaching the planet to be 2.3 times as great as the solar flux on Earth. For comparison, the solar flux on Venus is 1.9 times the terrestrial value. The discovery will provide insight into the nature of planets around M dwarf stars, by far the most common type in the universe.
A searing tale of mud wrestlers, in black and white Prantik Deshmukh’s national award -winning Matitali Kushti is an ode to the 3,000-year-old sport on the verge of extinction Shoumojit Banerjee Pune
Be it fiction or documentary, Marathi cinema is on the ascendant. Its best was feted at the 64th National Film Awards, among them was 25year-old Prantik Deshmukh, hailing from Maharashtra’s suicide-racked Yavatmal district. He bagged an award for his 12-minute short film titled Matitali Kushti (Mud Wrestling). The raw film chronicling the twilight of the traditional sport of mud wrestling and its practitioners, was adjudged the ‘Best Exploration/ Adventure’ film. A former mass communications student from the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Mr. Deshmukh
shot the film in Pune’s legendary 230-year-old Chinchechi talim as part of his fourth semester project. The talim, which dates from the Peshwa era, was built in the 1780s,is sited in the city’s bustling Shukrawar Peth area. “Initially, when I met those pehelwans, my basic idea was a day in the life of a wrestler,” he says. But later, as he dug deeper into his subjects, Mr. Deshmukh made up his mind to make a film about the 3,000-yearold sport, on the verge of extinction. Filmed in black and white, Mr. Deshmukh’s film features and utilises voice-over of an octogenarian ustaad pehelwan, Bhagwan Tambekar.
Fighting spirit: Matitali Kushti received the national award for the ‘Best Exploration/Adventure’ ilm. The film skilfully juxtaposes the financial instability of a mud wrestler despite winning several titles. It is aided by a sober score composed by the director himself. The movie earlier won the
Filmfare Award for Best Nonfiction film.
Struggle for survival “Since I hail from a region known for agrarian distress, I found a common denomin-
ator with the farmer struggling in his rural heartland and the mud wrestler battling for sustenance in his urban milieu — soil. Both groups regard soil as sacred, and both are waging a Sisyphean struggle for survival,” says the film-maker. Mr. Deshmukh was determined to shoot his feature in black-and-white as a metaphor for the sport in its twilight. It took the young filmmaker three months to research his subject as he did the rounds of training centres, read copiously and met wrestlers and coaches. “Fifty per cent of the students in the varsity’s mass communications department come from a humble back-
ground, reared in a milieu racked by agrarian distress. We give our students flexibility and freedom to come up with offbeat ideas close to their heart,” says Madhavi Reddy, Head of Department, Communication Studies, SPPU, elated at Mr. Deshmukh’s win. His first short film, Autumn of Life, which won several plaudits, centred on an old-age home in Bengaluru and heartrendingly narrated the phenomenon of ageing.
Few sponsors Lauding the director’s searing portrayal of mud wrestlers, noted Pune-based wrestler Amol Buchade rues that only those coming from poor families practise mud
wrestling these days. “Mud wrestling has sadly never been marketed in the right way. The sport has been undercut by the ‘cosmetisation’ of mat-wrestling, and the importance given to freestyle wrestling in the Olympics. Rather than exhorting mud wrestlers to convert to mat wrestling, there is a need to promote the traditional art,” he says. Mr. Buchade asserts that the plight of the sport is all the more saddening as there is no shortage of spectators. “Even today, a mud wrestling match draws packed audiences in villages,” he says, recalling a match in Pimpri-Chinchwad in 2008 when the stadium was houseful.
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