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I ndia on Thursday crossed the historic 100-crore Covid-19 vaccination mark, achieving rare distinction in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in expressing his gratitude to doctors, nurses, and all others who worked for crossing the milestone. Leaders from across the world and various agencies too congratulated the Government for the watershed moment. As per Union Health Ministry data, India took 85 days to touch the 10-crore vaccination mark, 45 more days to cross the 20-crore mark and 29 more days to reach the 30-crore mark. The country took 24 days to reach the 40-crore mark from 30- crore doses and then 20 more days to surpass the 50-crore vaccination mark on August 6. It then took 76 days to go past the 100-crore mark. The top five States which have administered the highest number of doses are Uttar Pradesh followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, said the Ministry. Modi said in a tweet, “India scripts history. We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccina- tions. Gratitude to our doc- tors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat.” Modi called the achieve- ment “the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and col- lective spirit of 130 crore Indians”. “The vaccine has brought pride and protection in the lives of our citizens,” he noted. The Prime Minister visit- ed the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi, where he interacted with healthcare workers and people receiving the vaccine. In a tweet, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya too congratulated the country on achieving the feat, and said it was the result of the able leadership of Prime Minister Modi. To mark the occasion, the Union Health Ministry held a series of events. It released a two-minute and four-second video with rap and visual representation of the country’s fight against Covid-19. World leaders too lauded India’s achievement. “We congratulate India for the extraordinary accom- plishment of administering one billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. I applaud India’s successes in fighting Covid-19 at home and for its efforts to help end the pan- demic in the Indo-Pacific region and well beyond,” said Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State. Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took to Twitter to thank India for supporting the Maldives in its fight against Covid-19. “Congratulations to PM @narendramodi and the Government of India for administering 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines, dis- playing the innovation and solidarity of the Indian peo- ple. Thank you also, India, for supporting Maldives’ Covid- 19 recovery and vaccination efforts,” Solih said in a tweet. Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett too congrat- ulated his Indian counter- part on the historic feat. I ndia and China are likely to hold diplomatic-level talks towards this month end in an effort to find ways to hasten up disengagement from the fric- tion points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. The proposed parleys come after the 13th round of military-level talks on October 10 did not make much head- way. India had said it made “constructive” suggestions, but China could not come up with “forward looking” proposals to resolve tension. China said India persisted with “unreasonable and unre- alistic demands.” The diplomatic-level talks will be held under the aegis of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) between the repre- sentatives of Foreign Ministries of India and China. The two sides have held several rounds of talks through this mechanism in the past one and half years since trouble erupted on the LAC in Ladakh. The forthcoming talks are likely to focus on the friction points in the Hot Springs and Depsang Valley from where the Chinese side did not agree for withdrawal during the Corps Commander level talks on October 10. India has all along main- tained that complete disen- gagement from all the stand- off sites is a prerequisite for normalisation of ties with China. India and China share nearly 1,500 km long LAC in the Ladakh region. At present, more than 50,000 troops each from both the sides are deployed at the LAC there since May last year. The troops from both the armies remained stationed even during the win- ter months last year and will remain there in the fast approaching harsh cold months. Army Chief General MM Naravane recently visited the forward areas in Ladakh to review the operational readi- ness and logistical back up for the winter months. Given the persisting log- jam after the October 10 talks, India and China agreed to go in for diplomatic option and dates for the WMCC parleys are likely to be announced soon, sources said here on Thursday. T he Bombay High Court on Thursday scheduled the bail application of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the mid-sea drug bust case for hearing for October 26, even as a team of a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) paid a formal “visit” to SRK’s residence “Mannat” hours after the actor met his son at the Arthur Road Jail. Sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau visited the res- idence of Shah Rukh Khan for seeking certain material relat- ed to their investigation into a cruise drugs party case, a senior NCB official said. It was not a raid, he said. The NCB summoned actress Ananya Panday for questioning and raided a loca- tion in Andheri, in connection with the ongoing investiga- tions. Ananya’s name has allgedly figured in some of Aryan’s WhatsApp chats. In a day of multiple devel- opment, Maharashtra Minister and NCP’s chief spokesperson Nawab Malik launched a fresh attack on NCB’s western zone chief Sameer Wankhede, by demanding to know as to what the latter doing in Maldives and Dubai with his family during the Covid 19-triggered lock- down and accusing him of fil- ing “fake” cases against Bollywood personalities. I n a Diwali gift, the Union Cabinet on Thursday hiked Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief by 3 per cent to 31 per cent, which will benefit about 47.14 lakh Central Government employees and 68.62 lakh pensioners. The Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the approval to release an addi- tional installment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from July 1 to compensate for price rise. U nprecedented instances of landslides in Kerala are being seen as the fallout of the encroachment of rivers by individuals and institutions, according to environmental- ists. Landslides caused by downpour and winds claimed more than 30 lives in Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta, all known as the State’s Mala Nadu (hilly regions). Manimalayaar, Pambayaar, Achankoilaar, Kalladayaar and Meenachilaar, rivers known for their beautiful landscapes which have inspired poets to compose songs eulogising the beauty, have taken the brunt of greedy encroachers. These rivers were the venues of snake boat races till the early 2000s and had attract- ed thousands of travelers from India and abroad. The tributaries that fed these rivers have become things of the past, said Sivakumar Amrithakala, an environmentalist who is the organiser of Pamba Paithruka Mela, an annual cultural event to sustain and save these rivers for future generations. “Lands along the banks of these rivers were encroached upon by hundreds of people. The passion to have houses along the river bank is the main reason for this wanton encroachment. The local self- governments which were entrusted with the preservation of these rivers themselves have usurped the river banks under the pretext of infrastructure development,” said Sivakumar, a well known sopana sangeetham musician and activist of Tapasya Sahityavedi, the State’s oldest socio-cultur- al organisation. CR Neelakantan, an engi- neer-turned-environmental activist has some startling rev- elations to make. “Most of the rivers in Kerala, once flooded for 365 days every year, have become mere streams because of encroachment and con- struction of dams.” Neelakantan worked with Atomic Energy Commission as a scientist. “A river dies below the dam,” he said when asked to elaborate. John Peruvanthanam, another naturalist who has dedicated his life to the cause of the environment, said the entire buildings and roads built along the river banks in Kerala lie inside the river. T he Covid-19 pandemic will continue till 2022 if poor countries don’t get vaccines quickly, the WHO has said adding that only 5 per cent of people in African countries have been vaccinated so far. Dr Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to the WHO director- general, pointed out that only 5 per cent of Africa’s population have been vaccinated so far. The continent accounts for 2.6 per cent doses administered globally. He urged other coun- tries to limit their procurement of coronavirus vaccines so that pharmaceutical companies could prioritise low-income nations. “I can tell you we’re not on track,” Aylward said. “We real- ly need to speed it up or you know what? This pandemic is going to go on for a year longer than it needs to.” According to a global news agency the People’s Vaccine — an alliance of charities across the world — only one in seven doses of the pharmaceutical companies and wealthy coun- tries are reaching their desti- nations in poorer nations. The charities said that the majori- ty of doses were going to high- income or upper middle- income countries. The group of charities also criticised the United Kingdom and Canada for availing vaccines through Covax. Covax, which is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the WHO, aims to speed up the devel- opment and manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccines. It also works to guarantee fair and equitable access to the shots for every country in the world. C hhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday instructed the District Collectors not to let anyone disrupt communal har- mony in the State. Baghel was addressing a Collectors' Conference at the New Circuit House here. He laid emphasis on curbing pro- paganda that can affect peace in the State. Baghel called upon the District Magistrates to use social media to crush rumours. Also, they must use data on law and order from the previous week to plan a strategy for the next week along the Superintendents of Police. He advised the Collectors to focus on the basic adminis- tration at the grassroot level. A district administration is responsible for implementing the ministry-level decisions on the ground. The performance will not be reviewed based on data but on the benefits reaped by citizens under various schemes, CM remarked. He added the work of the revenue administration was directly related to farmers and common people, and so it should get top priority. Patting the district officials, he said they did well during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chhattisgarh's model of devel- opment and governance is being discussed across the country and its innovative pro- jects are being appreciated. RNI Regn. No. CHHENG/2012/42718, Postal Reg. No. - RYP DN/34/2013-2015
12

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Jan 28, 2023

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Page 1: 9Zde`cZT ^Z]Vde`_V Z_ hRc `_ 4`gZU - Daily Pioneer

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India on Thursday crossed thehistoric 100-crore Covid-19

vaccination mark, achievingrare distinction in the world.Prime Minister Narendra Modiled the nation in expressing hisgratitude to doctors, nurses,and all others who worked forcrossing the milestone.

Leaders from across theworld and various agenciestoo congratulated theGovernment for the watershedmoment.

As per Union HealthMinistry data, India took 85days to touch the 10-crorevaccination mark, 45 moredays to cross the 20-croremark and 29 more days toreach the 30-crore mark. Thecountry took 24 days to reachthe 40-crore mark from 30-

crore doses and then 20 moredays to surpass the 50-crorevaccination mark on August6. It then took 76 days to gopast the 100-crore mark.

The top five States whichhave administered the highestnumber of doses are UttarPradesh fol lowed byMaharashtra, West Bengal,Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh,said the Ministry.

Modi said in a tweet,“India scripts history. We arewitnessing the triumph ofIndian science, enterprise andcollective spirit of 130 croreIndians. Congrats India on

crossing 100 crore vaccina-tions. Gratitude to our doc-tors, nurses and all those whoworked to achieve this feat.”

Modi called the achieve-ment “the triumph of Indianscience, enterprise and col-lective spirit of 130 croreIndians”.

“The vaccine has broughtpride and protection in thelives of our citizens,” he noted.

The Prime Minister visit-

ed the Ram Manohar LohiaHospital in Delhi, where heinteracted with healthcareworkers and people receivingthe vaccine.

In a tweet, Union HealthMinister Mansukh Mandaviyatoo congratulated the countryon achieving the feat, and saidit was the result of the ableleadership of Prime MinisterModi.

To mark the occasion,the Union Health Ministryheld a series of events. Itreleased a two-minute andfour-second video with rapand visual representation ofthe country’s fight againstCovid-19.

World leaders too laudedIndia’s achievement.

“We congratulate Indiafor the extraordinary accom-plishment of administeringone billion doses of theCovid-19 vaccine. I applaud

India’s successes in fightingCovid-19 at home and for itsefforts to help end the pan-demic in the Indo-Pacificregion and well beyond,” saidAntony Blinken, US Secretaryof State.

Maldives PresidentIbrahim Mohamed Solih tookto Twitter to thank India forsupporting the Maldives in itsfight against Covid-19.

“Congratulations to PM@narendramodi and theGovernment of India foradministering 1 billion dosesof Covid-19 vaccines, dis-playing the innovation andsolidarity of the Indian peo-ple. Thank you also, India, forsupporting Maldives’ Covid-19 recovery and vaccinationefforts,” Solih said in a tweet.

Israel Prime MinisterNaftali Bennett too congrat-ulated his Indian counter-part on the historic feat.

! ��� 89:��940�

India and China are likely tohold diplomatic-level talks

towards this month end in aneffort to find ways to hasten updisengagement from the fric-tion points on the Line ofActual Control (LAC) inEastern Ladakh.

The proposed parleyscome after the 13th round ofmilitary-level talks on October10 did not make much head-way. India had said it made“constructive” suggestions, butChina could not come up with“forward looking” proposals toresolve tension.

China said India persistedwith “unreasonable and unre-alistic demands.”

The diplomatic-level talkswill be held under the aegis of

the Working Mechanism forConsultation and Coordination(WMCC) between the repre-sentatives of Foreign Ministriesof India and China.

The two sides have heldseveral rounds of talks throughthis mechanism in the past oneand half years since troubleerupted on the LAC in Ladakh.

The forthcoming talks arelikely to focus on the frictionpoints in the Hot Springs andDepsang Valley from where theChinese side did not agree forwithdrawal during the CorpsCommander level talks on

October 10. India has all along main-

tained that complete disen-gagement from all the stand-off sites is a prerequisite fornormalisation of ties withChina.

India and China sharenearly 1,500 km long LAC inthe Ladakh region. At present,more than 50,000 troops eachfrom both the sides aredeployed at the LAC theresince May last year. The troopsfrom both the armies remainedstationed even during the win-ter months last year and will

remain there in the fastapproaching harsh coldmonths.

Army Chief General MMNaravane recently visited theforward areas in Ladakh toreview the operational readi-ness and logistical back up forthe winter months.

Given the persisting log-jam after the October 10 talks,India and China agreed to goin for diplomatic option anddates for the WMCC parleysare likely to be announcedsoon, sources said here onThursday.

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The Bombay High Court onThursday scheduled the

bail application of Bollywoodsuperstar Shah Rukh Khan’sson Aryan Khan in the mid-seadrug bust case for hearing forOctober 26, even as a team ofa Narcotics Control Bureau(NCB) paid a formal “visit” toSRK’s residence “Mannat”hours after the actor met hisson at the Arthur Road Jail.

Sleuths of the NarcoticsControl Bureau visited the res-idence of Shah Rukh Khan forseeking certain material relat-ed to their investigation into acruise drugs party case, a seniorNCB official said. It was not araid, he said.

The NCB summonedactress Ananya Panday forquestioning and raided a loca-tion in Andheri, in connectionwith the ongoing investiga-tions. Ananya’s name hasallgedly figured in some ofAryan’s WhatsApp chats.

In a day of multiple devel-

opment, Maharashtra Ministerand NCP’s chief spokespersonNawab Malik launched a freshattack on NCB’s western zonechief Sameer Wankhede, bydemanding to know as to whatthe latter doing in Maldives andDubai with his family duringthe Covid 19-triggered lock-down and accusing him of fil-ing “fake” cases againstBollywood personalities.

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In a Diwali gift, the UnionCabinet on Thursday hiked

Dearness Allowance andDearness Relief by 3 per cent to31 per cent, which will benefitabout 47.14 lakh CentralGovernment employees and68.62 lakh pensioners.

The Cabinet meetingchaired by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi gave theapproval to release an addi-tional installment of DearnessAllowance (DA) to CentralGovernment employees andDearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from July1 to compensate for price rise.

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Unprecedented instances oflandslides in Kerala are

being seen as the fallout of theencroachment of rivers byindividuals and institutions,according to environmental-ists.

Landslides caused bydownpour and winds claimedmore than 30 lives in Idukki,Kottayam and Pathanamthitta,all known as the State’s MalaNadu (hilly regions).

Manimalayaar, Pambayaar,Achankoilaar, Kalladayaar andMeenachilaar, rivers knownfor their beautiful landscapeswhich have inspired poets tocompose songs eulogising thebeauty, have taken the brunt ofgreedy encroachers.

These rivers were thevenues of snake boat races tillthe early 2000s and had attract-ed thousands of travelers fromIndia and abroad.

The tributaries that fedthese rivers have becomethings of the past, saidSivakumar Amrithakala, anenvironmentalist who is the

organiser of Pamba PaithrukaMela, an annual cultural eventto sustain and save these riversfor future generations.

“Lands along the banks of

these rivers were encroachedupon by hundreds of people.The passion to have housesalong the river bank is themain reason for this wanton

encroachment. The local self-governments which wereentrusted with the preservationof these rivers themselves haveusurped the river banks under

the pretext of infrastructuredevelopment,” said Sivakumar,a well known sopanasangeetham musician andactivist of Tapasya Sahityavedi,the State’s oldest socio-cultur-al organisation.

CR Neelakantan, an engi-neer-turned-environmentalactivist has some startling rev-elations to make. “Most of therivers in Kerala, once floodedfor 365 days every year, havebecome mere streams becauseof encroachment and con-struction of dams.”Neelakantan worked withAtomic Energy Commission asa scientist. “A river dies belowthe dam,” he said when askedto elaborate.

John Peruvanthanam,another naturalist who hasdedicated his life to the causeof the environment, said theentire buildings and roadsbuilt along the river banks inKerala lie inside the river.

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The Covid-19 pandemic willcontinue till 2022 if poor

countries don’t get vaccinesquickly, the WHO has saidadding that only 5 per cent ofpeople in African countrieshave been vaccinated so far.

Dr Bruce Aylward, senioradviser to the WHO director-general, pointed out that only5 per cent of Africa’s populationhave been vaccinated so far.The continent accounts for 2.6per cent doses administeredglobally. He urged other coun-tries to limit their procurementof coronavirus vaccines so thatpharmaceutical companiescould prioritise low-incomenations.

“I can tell you we’re not ontrack,” Aylward said. “We real-ly need to speed it up or youknow what? This pandemic isgoing to go on for a year longerthan it needs to.”

According to a global newsagency the People’s Vaccine —an alliance of charities across

the world — only one in sevendoses of the pharmaceuticalcompanies and wealthy coun-tries are reaching their desti-nations in poorer nations. Thecharities said that the majori-ty of doses were going to high-income or upper middle-income countries.

The group of charitiesalso criticised the UnitedKingdom and Canada foravailing vaccines throughCovax.

Covax, which is co-ledby Gavi, the Coalition forEpidemic PreparednessInnovations and the WHO,aims to speed up the devel-opment and manufacturing ofCovid-19 vaccines. It alsoworks to guarantee fair andequitable access to the shotsfor every country in the world.

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Chhattisgarh Chief MinisterBhupesh Baghel on

Thursday instructed theDistrict Collectors not to letanyone disrupt communal har-mony in the State.

Baghel was addressing aCollectors' Conference at theNew Circuit House here. Helaid emphasis on curbing pro-paganda that can affect peacein the State.

Baghel called upon theDistrict Magistrates to usesocial media to crush rumours.Also, they must use data on lawand order from the previousweek to plan a strategy for thenext week along theSuperintendents of Police.

He advised the Collectors

to focus on the basic adminis-tration at the grassroot level.

A district administration isresponsible for implementingthe ministry-level decisions onthe ground. The performancewill not be reviewed based ondata but on the benefits reapedby citizens under variousschemes, CM remarked.

He added the work of therevenue administration wasdirectly related to farmers andcommon people, and so itshould get top priority.

Patting the district officials,he said they did well during theCovid-19 pandemic.Chhattisgarh's model of devel-opment and governance isbeing discussed across thecountry and its innovative pro-jects are being appreciated.

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�')*+��'��,�&-�.RNI Regn. No. CHHENG/2012/42718, Postal Reg. No. - RYP DN/34/2013-2015

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Page 2: 9Zde`cZT ^Z]Vde`_V Z_ hRc `_ 4`gZU - Daily Pioneer

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Prime Minister NarendraModi on Thursday heaped

praise on Haryana ChiefMinister Manohar Lal Khattar,saying the state has afterdecades got a governmentunder his leadership whichworks with absolute honesty.

The Prime Minister wasaddressing a programmethrough video conferencingorganized on the occasion ofinauguration of the newlyconstructed InfosysFoundation Vishram Sadanat the National CancerInstitute located in the Badsaarea in Jhajjar district.

Noting that he has knownKhattar, a former RSSpracharak, for many years,the Prime Minister said his tal-ent has come to the fore as aChief Minister and added thathe works with dedication andinnovation, with even theCentral Government adoptingthe model of some of the

Haryana Government's pro-grammes.The Prime Minister’public praise of Haryana ChiefMinister has come at a timewhen the BJP leadership'sdecision to remove ChiefMinisters in three states inalmost six months hasprompted speculation aboutthe fate of CMs of other party-ruled states.

Addressing the pro-gramme, Modi said, "I havehad the opportunity to workfor a long time in Haryana andI have observed the work ofmany governments closely,but Haryana has got anextremely honest governmentunder the leadership ofKhattar in the past manydecades.

The present StateGovernment only thinks forthe betterment of the state.” "Ifwe evaluate the developmentof Haryana, then we can seethat the State has got the bestand most constructive gov-ernment of the last fivedecades," the Prime Minister

said. Modi further said that hehas known Khattar for a longtime, but after becoming theChief Minister he has out-shone himself.

The way the HaryanaGovernment is doing innova-tive work under his leadership,that style of work is also adopt-ed by the Central Governmentand today, Haryana hasbecome a source of inspirationfor other states, he said.

The Prime Minister alsocongratulated the ChiefMinister and his team for theway they are working andhoped that it will certainlyprove to be a milestone in thefoundation of a prosperousfuture for Haryana.

Thanking the PrimeMinister for the praise, theChief Minister said that theState Government will live upto the trust and expectationsshown by the CentralGovernment and the PrimeMinister and whatever respon-sibility would be given toHaryana will be fulfilled.

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Punjab Chief MinisterCharanjit Singh Channi on

Thursday asked the Police forceto ensure effective, efficient andtransparent policing across thestate to instil confidence of thegeneral public in the law andorder machinery.

Prioritising the challengesbeing faced by the state, Channiasked the entire police forceright from top brass to the bot-tom to work in unison to erad-icate corruption, break the drugsupply chain, illicit liquor tradeand curb the sand mafia withheavy hand.

Chairing the first meetingwith Police Department afterassuming the charge as ChiefMinister here at CMO, Channicategorically said that the policeshould develop a system toidentify the drug peddlers whoare supplying drugs to ouryouth so as to fell prey to thismenace.

He asked the officers to dis-charge their duties with utmostdedication, honesty and pro-fessional commitment so thatthe people should feel the dif-ference and a message to thiseffect must go down the line.

Showing grave concern over theadulteration of food productslike milk, cheese and otherdairy products, the ChiefMinister asked the PoliceDepartment to launch a vigor-ous campaign in tandem withthe Health Department to crackdown on such unscrupulouselements, who are playinghavoc with the health of thepeople.

He also asked the ACSHome to rope in the vigilanceteams to trap these adulteratorsindulging in such inhumanpractices.

The Chief Minister fur-ther said that all the officerswho have been recently postedon new assignments strictlyon their merit and track recordshould now perform theirduties diligently to effectivelydeliver the goods in terms of

reposing the trust of commonman in the policing. Channisaid that none of any personwithout any fault should beimplicated in false cases orharassed unnecessarily by keep-ing them under illegal custody.

He asked the SSPs to issuedetailed directions to all theDSPs and SHOs to ensure thatthe petty shopkeepers espe-cially the vendors should not befleeced by taking money fromthem in lieu of allowing themto put stalls for selling crackersand other items during thecoming Diwali.

He also directed the policeto firmly deal with those anti-social elements indulging in themalpractices of betting or gam-bling and be given the exem-plary punishment as deterrentsfor others without showing anylaxity. He said the patrolling

especially at night during thefestival season should be inten-sified to avoid any untowardincident.

Emphasising on bringingsweeping reforms in the trafficpolicing and management,Channi said he is getting sev-eral complaints almost regularlyabout rampant corruption andharassment to the commutersin the guise of checking of vehi-cle documents.

The Chief Minister alsoadvocated that the severest ofsevere punishment should begiven to those erring police offi-cials who are bringing badname to the entire police force.

Without mincing anywords, he asked the police offi-cers especially the SSPs to eitherperform or be ready to bereplaced for their inefficiency asthe efficient, clean and trans-parent administration, both incivil and police administrationwas the hallmark of his gov-ernment’s agenda.

Earlier, the DGP Iqbal PreetSingh Sahota apprised the ChiefMinister that the police depart-ment would soon set up specialsuwidha camps every fortnightto redress grievances of peopleon spot.

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Haryana Government willnow provide ex-gratia

amounts of up to Rs 35 lakh tosoldiers in cases of disability.

The Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar madethis announcement during aninteraction with the ex-ser-vicemen here on Thursday.

"We have to come forwardto support the families of ex-servicemen and the problemsof their families should beresolved at the earliest,” saidKhattar while calling upon theex-servicemen to work for thewelfare of the society.

He said that HaryanaGovernment is determined forthe welfare of soldiers and ex-servicemen. After listening to

the problems of ex-service-men, he announced that nowthe ex-gratia amount given tothe ex-servicemen will beincreased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs15 lakh in cases of 20 per centdisability, from Rs 10 lakh to Rs25 lakh in cases of 50 per centdisability and in case of 100 percent disability, the amount willbe increased from Rs 15 lakh toRs 35 lakh.

The Chief Minister alsodirected the officers of theconcerned department to makenotification of the announce-ment of an increase in ex-gra-tia amount within a week. Hesaid that no beneficiary soldiershould be deprived of the ben-efit of enhanced ex-gratia andit should be completed imme-diately.

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Lashing out at the BJP ledCentral Government,

Punjab Cabinet Minister VijayInder Singla on Thursday saidthat exclusion of Punjabi frommain subjects of CBSE inPunjab was an act of provoca-tion and needs to be reversedimmediately.

Singla, the state’s PublicWorks and AdministrativeReforms Minister, said thatPunjabi is the mother tongue ofcrores of residents of the coun-try’s northern region and thestep of putting their mothertongue in 'minor' subjects listwas a clear indication of attackon the constitutional rights ofthe students.“The interferenceinto the state matters will not

be tolerated at any cost and ourGovernment will oppose everysuch step of the BJP-led UnionGovernment which is intend-ed to suppress powers of states.Policies like giving extensivepowers to BSF and removal ofPunjabi indicate the political-ly-motivated vested interests of

the BJP government,” he said. The Minister said

thatModi Government shouldimmediately reconsider itsdecisions which are purelycontrary to spirit of IndianConstitution. “It is boundenduty of every citizen to followrules and guidelines laid by the

Constitution but the Modi gov-ernment has regularly beentaking its decisions for theirpolitical benefits without tak-ing proper notice of theConstitution,” he added.

SAD ASKS CBSE TOWITHDRAW DECISION TOMAKE PUNJABI A MINORSUBJECT

SAD on Thursday askedthe Central Board forSecondary Education (CBSE)to review its decision to includePunjabi in the list of minor sub-jects for class X and class XIIboard examinations.“The deci-sion is against spiritofConstitution which gave dueimportance to State languagesas well as federal principles

under which allState languageshave been givenprime impor-tance in theirrespective States.By reducingPunjabi to aminor language,the CBSE is notonly doing a dis-service to thelanguage butalso deprivingstudents of theState the oppor-tunity to take itup as a majorsubject,” saidSAD spokesmanand formerMinister DaljitSingh Cheema.

C h e e m asaid that theCBSE shouldtake note of theP u n j a bLanguage Actwhich had madePunjabi amandatory sub-ject. “CBSEshould not doanything whichdilutes the posi-tion of Punjabias a State lan-guage in Punjab.

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Chandigarh: Punjab ChiefMinister Charanjit SinghChanni on Thursday, reviewingthe preparedness for theProgressive Punjab InvestorsSummit to be held on October26 and 27, directed all thestakeholders, especially thePunjab Bureau of InvestmentPromotion, to leave no stoneunturned in ensuring effectiveshowcasing of State’s upwardindustrial growth. The ChiefMinister exhorted leadingchampions of industry fromacross country to avail pro-investor facilities and incentivesto set up their ventures inPunjab. Apprising ChiefMinister, Invest Punjab CEORajat Agarwal said that guidedby ‘business first’ philosophy, itis Punjab’s endeavour to pro-vide a truly non-intrusive envi-ronment to businesses, wherethey have full freedom to dobusiness and Government onlyacts as a facilitator. PNS

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Punjab Deputy ChiefMinister Sukhjinder Singh

Randhawa, on the occasion of62nd state-level PoliceCommemoration Day onThursday, said that the PunjabPolice is capable enough to pro-tect the State.

Randhawa, on the deci-

sion to extend BSF’s jurisdictionto 50 kms inside the interna-tional border of Punjab, saidthat Punjab, which had alwaysremained at the forefront dur-ing all the wars, doesn’t needany other force for its protec-tion.“Punjab Police is doingmuch more for safeguarding theState than the BSF. There isstrong and tight security of

Punjab Police in the entire bor-der belt and it was the stateforce that had eradicated ter-rorism from the State,” he said.Randhawa, while interactingwith the mediapersons later,said that he had already writtena letter to the Centre that thesecurity of the state is an inter-nal matter and a state subject.Border security on the fencing

line or first defence line is theCentral Government’s respon-sibility and after that PunjabPolice takes over, he added.

Deputy Chief Minister,along with the state DirectorGeneral of Police Iqbal PreetSingh Sahota, paid tributes tothe brave personnel of the statewho sacrificed their lives for theunity and integrity of the nationat the Punjab Armed Police(PAP) headquarters. “PunjabPolice is an exceptional forcewhich served the country bothin times of peace and distur-bance. The state police had sac-rificed its 1,604 officers andconstables while fighting ter-rorism,” he said.

A well-organized com-memoration parade was held atthe Police Martyr’s memorialconstructed inside the PAPcampus. After giving a generalsalute to the Deputy ChiefMinister, the names of all 377police martyrs of this year,including ASI Bhagwan Singhand ASI Dalwinderjit Singh ofPunjab Police, were read out byCommandment Rajpal SinghSandhu.

A two-minute silence wasobserved and later senior offi-cials laid wreaths at the martyr’smemorial. Addressing the mar-tyrs’ families, Randhawaassured them that their griev-ances would be redressed on apriority basis and new welfareschemes would be mooted toprovide more facilities to them.“It is only due to the never-end-ing support by their familiesthat the cops are able to do theirduty with full grit and honour,”he added.

Randhawa announced thatthe laboratories would be set upin the dispensaries of Policelines where the families ofpolice personnel would be pro-vided with the facility of testing.The labs would cost Rs 1.25crore to the state exchequer.

DEDICATED POLICEOFFICER IN EACH DIS-TRICT TO RESOLVE ISSUESOF MARTYRED POLICEPERSONNELS' FAMILIES INSTIPULATED TIME PERI-OD

To ensure that all worksrelated to the families of mar-tyred Police Personnel wereresolved in a stipulated timeperiod, Randhawa ordered thestate DGP to deploy a dedicat-ed police officer in each PoliceCommissionerate and PoliceDistrict.

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Haryana Deputy ChiefMinister Dushyant

Chautala on Thursday saidthat a special concession will begiven to government employ-ees on the purchase of 'first e-vehicle'. “Besides this, a finan-cial assistance of up to Rs 5crore will be given for researchand development in the field ofe-mobility to the state, nation-al or international level insti-tutes in Haryana,” the DeputyChief Minister said, after ameeting on ‘Haryana ElectricVehicle Policy-2021' withsenior officers of variousdepartments.

Dushyant said that theGovernment is consistentlyworking to ensure that thepolicy being formulated for e-vehicle in the State is the best'Electric Vehicle Policy-2021' inthe country. For the formationof the said policy, three roundsof discussions have been heldwith the officials and today, thefinal consultations were held.This policy will be released inthe next one month, he said.Sharing that the 'HaryanaElectric Vehicle Policy-2021' isbeing formulated by the StateGovernment.

while focusing on the e-vehicle manufacturers, userdrivers and people setting upcharging stations, in whichspecial exemptions will begiven to them. The StateGovernment is emphasizingon promoting two wheeler,three wheeler and four wheel-er e-vehicles, he said.

The Deputy CM furthersaid that while e-vehicles wouldbe given exemption at the timeof registration in the policy, thecommercial vehicles whichwould be converted frompetrol, diesel etc. to electricwould also be given concession.He informed that the StateGovernment has a plan to havemaximum e-vehicles in thestate in the year 2022.

Page 3: 9Zde`cZT ^Z]Vde`_V Z_ hRc `_ 4`gZU - Daily Pioneer

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N.H. 163A (Geedam toDantewada Road) in thestate of chhattisgarh on

Engineering, Procurment& Construction

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Rs.7.293Crore

26.11.2021

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⁄UÊÿ¬È⁄U (¿U.ª.)G- 64559/4 Ryp/Dtd 20.10.21

NO/02/GPK/STORE/2021/755 KANKER, DATE 20.10.21NOTICE INVITING TENDER

Sealed tenders are invited for procurement LaboratoryFurniture & Office Furniture/Equipments for GovernmentPolytechnic Kanker (C.G.). Eligible bidders (Manufacturer ortheir Authorized dealer or suppliers) can purchase the tenderform (complete set of bidding documents along with the detailsof items with quantity for purchase) available atinstitute @Rs 1000/- from 20/10/2021. The Eligible bidders can also download complete set ofbidding documents (Including terms & conditions) from theinstitute website www.polykanker.ac.in and the payment forwhich through DD of Rs 1000/- in favor of GovernmentPolytechnic, Kanker(C.G.) payable at Kanker has to besubmitted along with the bid at the time of bid submission.The sealed tender should reach on or before 17/11/2021 up to3:00 PM and will be opened on the same day at 4:00 PM. Tenderreceived after the prescribed date & time will not be accepted.The undersigned has all the rights pertaining to the tender.Important dates of notice inviting tender•Date of issue of tender document - 20/10/2021•Date and time for Pre-bid conference - 08/11/2021 at 3.00 PM•Last date and time of issue of tender - 17/11/2021 upto 1.00 PM

document• Last date and time of submission of - 17/11/2021 upto 3.00 PM

tender document-•Technical bid opening date and time - 17/11/2021 at 4.00 PM•Price (Financial) bid opening-To be informed to technically successful bidders by mail & phone.

• Place - Principal Orlice Government Polytechnic, Kanker(C.G.) 494336.

Details of Group :-

∑§Êÿʸ‹ÿ ¬˝ÊøÊÿ¸, ‡ÊÊ‚∑§Ëÿ ¬ÊÚ‹Ë≈UÁÄŸ∑§ ∑§Ê¥∑§⁄U (¿U.ª.)GOVT. POLYTECHNIC KANKER (C.G.) - 494336

[email protected]

S.No. Name TENDERAMOUNT(Rs.)

EMD (INR)(@3 %)

1. Furniture Items 1355000/- 40650/-

PrincipalGovt.Polytechnic KankerG- 64605/2 Ryp/Dtd 21.10.21

STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

Chhattisgarh has been giventhe ‘India Green Energy

Award’ under the category‘Outstanding RenewableEnergy Generation ProjectCategory’ by the IndianFederation of Green Energy ata function in New Delhi.

A certificate and mementowere received by ChhattisgarhBiofuel DevelopmentAuthority (CBDA) RaipurChief Executive Officer SumitSarkar from Union Ministerfor Road Transport andHighways Nitin Gadkari andUnion Minister of State forNew and Renewable EnergyBaghwant Khuba, an officialcommunication said.

The Chhattisgarh govern-ment has been promotingrenewable energy alternatives.As part of it, CBDA hasworked to set up industriesbased on conversion of excess

paddy into biofuel ethanol aswell as cooperation in devel-opment of bio-jet aviation fueland biofuel research sector.

Gadkari also laid empha-

sis on promotion and produc-tion of the bio-fuel sector asper future needs. The agro-products can also be convert-ed into bio-fuels.

C’garh bags ‘IndiaGreen Energy Award’

STAFF REPORTER nBIJAPUR

Two Naxalites involved inmurder, abduction and

other incidents were onThursday arrested inChhattisgarh’s Bijapur dis-trict.

Bijapur Superintendentof Police Kamlochan Kashyapidentified them as MilitiaSection Commander Oyam

Joga (40) and MilitiaCommander Punem Deva

alias Rama.They were caught from

the jungles of Rengamparavillage by a joint team ofDistrict Police, Special TaskForce and Central ReservePolice Force.

Punem carried a rewardof Rs 10,000 on his head. Hewas involved in severalNaxalite incidents between2016 and 2020.

Five arrest warrants werepending against Punem andfour against Joga.

Two Naxalites nabbed in BijapurSTAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

Chhattisgarh ExciseMinister Kawasi Lakhma

on Thursday said the govern-ment will not enforce prohi-bition in haste in the stateunlike the way the Modi gov-ernment announced demon-etization.

Lakhma was talking toreporters at the Congressheadquarters where he tookpart in the ‘Meet the Minister’programme.

A large part ofChhattisgarh is tribal domi-nated and consuming liquoris in their culture. Hence, theconsent of gram sabhas therewill be mandatory, he said.

Chhattisgarh shares bor-ders with states likeTelangana, Andhra Pradesh,Odisha and Madhya Pradeshand illegal trafficking ofliquor from there in case ofprohibition will have to bestudied, Lakhma said.

Besides, several commit-tees including that of publicrepresentatives and socialorganizations have beenformed and their recommen-dations are awaited, he added.

Prohibition notin haste: Lakhma STAFF REPORTER n

RAIPUR

Chhattisgarh ChiefMinister Bhupesh

Baghel on Thursday urgedCollectors to submit withina month plans to establishRural Industrial Parks inthe Gauthans (cowsheds) intheir districts.

Baghel sought thiswhile reviewing variousworks at a Collectors’Conference here.

On the Narva GarvaGhurva Badi scheme, theChief Minister called forspecial attention to ruralareas where the groundwater levels are deep.

He instructed theCollectors to select land for

projects in such a mannerthat private land belongingto farmers is not affected.

The Chief Ministerunderlined the need forlinking the Badi schememeant for vegetable gardenin Gauthans with move-ments like mid-day meals,‘Ashram’ for children andmovement for eliminatingmalnutrition through‘Suposhan Abhiyan’.

CM seeks work plan forRural Industrial Parks

STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

There was an 18.86 per-cent fall in malnutrition

cases among children inChhattisgarh while thiswent up in 21 other states inthe country.

A press communiqué onThursday said that over 1.5lakh children were freedfrom malnutrition in thepast two-and-a-half years asper the ‘Weigh Festival’ heldin the state in July 2021.

All this happened due tothe MukhyamantriSuposhan Abhiyan launchedon October 2, 2019, thestatement said.

The coordinated effortof various schemes helpedin eliminating malnutrition

among children. As per theNational Family HealthSurvey-4 (NFHS-4),

Chhattisgarh recorded an18.86 percent fall in cases.

In July, 22 lakh children

were weighed in the statefrom which the rea -timedata was taken. Services of

external agencies were takento certify the data, the com-muniqué added.

As per the survey donein May 2021, a total of140,556 children inChhattisgarh came out ofthe grip of malnutrition.

Drastic fall in malnutritioncases in Chhattisgarh

Over 1.5 lakhchildren were

freed frommalnutrition in thepast two-and-a-half years as per

the ‘WeighFestival’ held inthe state in July

2021

STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

Chhattisgarh GovernorAnusuiya Uike on

Thursday praised the policefor serving the country andsaid "we are safe in ourhomes today only becausepolice personnel aredeployed day and night" andwork with dedication.

She was addressing aPolice Commemoration Dayprogramme conducted bythe Chhattisgarh ArmedForce’s fourth battalion atMana here.

The Governor said theDay reminds one about thevalour of policemen whosacrifice everything for themotherland.

Some police personnelgot infected with Covid-19and some even died while onduty, she added.

The Governor alsopraised the policemen for

fighting the Naxalites withcourage. She hoped the statewill be free from the Naxalitemenace soon.

It must be the responsi-bility of the state govern-

ment to respect the sacrificesof the police personnel whodied on duty by taking careof their families, ChiefMinister Bhupesh Bagheladded.

‘Police CommemorationDay’ denotes valour: Uike

STAFF REPORTER nGARIABAND

Chhattisgarh Police onThursday seized 632 kg

of cannabis valued at Rs 50lakhs in Gariaband district.

An unidentified driverof a van ferrying the contra-band fled from the spot,

Gariaband Superintendentof Police Parul Mathur toldThe Pioneer.

The contraband wasbeing transported to Raipurcity.

The police interceptedthe vehicle in Toiyamudavillage, she said. Thecannabis was in 158 packets.

632 kg cannabisworth Rs 50L seized

Page 4: 9Zde`cZT ^Z]Vde`_V Z_ hRc `_ 4`gZU - Daily Pioneer

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Tension at the Line of ActualControl (LAC) in Ladakh

has “seriously disturbed thepeace and tranquility” in bor-der areas and an impact onbroader relationship too,Foreign Secretary HarshShringla said on Thursday.

Underlining this issue, healso mentioned that ExternalAffairs Minister S Jaishankarhas said the ability of India andChina to work together willdetermine the Asian century.For this to materialise, peaceand tranquility in the borderareas is a sine qua non.

He articulated that devel-opment of “our ties can only bebased on mutuality—mutualrespect, mutual sensitivity andmutual interests should guidethis process”.

“We hope that the Chineseside will work with us to bringa satisfactory resolution to thecurrent issues so as to makeprogress on our bilateral rela-tions keeping in view eachother’s sensitivities, aspirationsand interests,” he added.

These developments alsoimpacted the growing tradedeficit between the two coun-tries, Shringla said adding Indiahas regularly raised its concernsat various platforms withChina.

Making these observationswhile inaugurating a seminaron the topic of “LeveragingChina’s Economy,” organised bythe Gateway House, theForeign Secretary, however,noted the total trade volumebetween the two countries wasaround US$ 88 billion.

In the first nine months ofthis year, bilateral trade touchedUS$ 90 billion, an increase of49% over last year. “At this rate,we are likely to attain the high-est ever bilateral trade betweentwo countries. The trade, how-ever, remains unbalanced witha large trade balance in favourof China,” he said.

Observing that with itsGDP reaching USD 14.7 tril-lion in 2020, China’s economyis the second largest in theworld. Under the shadow ofongoing Covid-19 pandemic,China is the only major econ-omy to have registered positivegrowth in 2020.

He said relations betweenthe two countries generallyfollowed a positive trajectorysince 1988 when we reestab-lished contacts at the highestlevel.

The two countries wereengaged in developing a broad-based bilateral relationship.The advancement of ties in thisperiod was clearly predicatedon ensuring that peace andtranquility were not disturbed.

The areas of cooperationwere not limited to bilateralbut also had regional andglobal dimensions. It was alsorecognised that relationsbetween India and China werein the interest of not only ourtwo countries but also in theinterest of peace, stability andsecurity in the region andworld at large.

It was against this back-

drop that bilateral tradebetween India and China hasgrown exponentially since theturn of the century. However,India’s trade deficit concernsare twofold—the first, is theactual size of the deficit, hesaid.

Trade deficit for the ninemonths period stood at US$47 billion. This is the largesttrade deficit India has with anycountry. Second, is the factthat the imbalance has con-tinuously been widening,Shringla said.

“We have highlighted thatwidening deficit and increasein trade barriers are issues ofconcern. These have been reg-ularly flagged at the highestlevel, most recently at the 2ndInformal Summit between ourPrime Minister and theChinese President in Chennaiin 2019. We also remain firmin our commitment of placingthis trade relationship on amore sustainable footing andraising these issues at allappropriate occasions withthe Chinese side,” he said.

Developments since then,including Covid-19 pandemic,have not been helpful in effortsto address these concerns.“Furthermore, the develop-ments along the LAC in EasternLadakh have seriously dis-turbed the peace and tranquil-ity in border areas. This hasobviously had an impact on thebroader relationship too,”Shringla said.

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With most of its front linefighter jets deployed

close to the Line of ActualControl (LAC) from west toeast for the past one and a halfyears after trouble erupted inLadakh, the IAF personnel arenow much better preparedand acclimatised to withstandharsh climate, IAF chief V RChaudhari said here onThursday.

He said after stand-offsbegan in May last year ineastern Ladakh, situationrequired acclimatisation of alarge number of IAF person-nel and stretching of equip-ment to limits. However, theforce is “much better pre-pared” now in case there is a“long haul”, the IAF chiefassured.

In an interaction at adefence conclave here, he alsosaid in the last one year, due tothe challenges faced in theharsh atmosphere of theregion, “we have realised,where we fell short” whetherit was in terms of adequateclothing, shelters for people tolive there.

“The situation that devel-oped in eastern Ladakh lastyear was something that wewere not very familiar with,particularly in the kind ofenvironment that we neededto operate. It required accli-matisation of a large numberof personnel at short notice,required stretching ourequipment to limits, which

some of it were not cleared for,”he said.

The IAF chief said theforce has moved equipment toaltitude, well above the alti-tudes they were tried and test-ed for, “when we acquiredthose systems.”

Following the escalation intension in eastern Ladakh inmid-June last year, the IAFdeployed almost all its front-line fighter jets like Sukhoi 30MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000aircraft as well as its attackhelicopters in the key air basesin eastern Ladakh and else-where along the LAC.

At the conclave,Chaudhari also shared otherchallenges faced by the airforce in the region. There wasalso the challenge of continu-ously rotating the manpower,to take care of their health, hesaid.

“As a result, over the lastone year, we have realised,where we fell short, whether itwas in terms of adequateclothing, shelters for people tolive there. So, we have over-come all those shortages now,and I think, we are better pre-pared, in case there is a longhaul, we are prepared thiswinter, much better than whatwe were last year,” he said.

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The Election Commission(EC) on Thursday asked

parties not to hold any politi-cal activity directly related tothe by-polls in areas adjoiningthe poll-going districts or con-stituencies against the backdropof “certain political parties”doing so.

In an advisory, the EC saidits existing instructions, regard-ing enforcement of the ModelCode of Conduct during by-elections to parliamentary andAssembly seats, provide thatthe applicability of the poll codewill be to the district con-cerned, comprising the poll-going constituency.

“It has been brought to thenotice of the commission thatcertain political parties/candi-dates are organising election-eering activities in the areasadjoining the district/con-stituency where the by-electionis being conducted,” the ECsaid. “In this regard all politi-cal parties/candidates areadvised not to organise anypolitical activities directly relat-ed to the by-elections even inthe areas adjoining the dis-trict/constituency where theby-elections are being held,” the

EC warned.District election officers

concerned will ensure that themodel code instructions andCovid-19 guidelines relating tothe norms of social distancingare followed in districts adjoin-ing the poll-going district andconstituency, it noted.

In a separate statement, theEC said that in case, the con-stituency is comprised in a statecapital or metropolitan city ormunicipal corporation, thenmodel code instructions wouldbe applicable in the area of theconstituency concerned only.

In all other cases, instruc-tions will be enforced in theentire district covering theconstituency going for by-elec-tion. “The spirit of theseinstructions has been thatdevelopmental and adminis-trative works should continuewithout the implications ofthe model code and the cam-paigning for the by-electionshould be restricted in theconstituency concerned only,”the EC said.

There exists a situation thatpolitical activities akin to ongo-ing by-elections may be heldoutside the parliamentary orassembly seat but within thedistrict, it observed.

“Such activities will be incontravention to the spirit of theaforesaid instructions. Thus, itis further clarified that if anyelectioneering activities con-nected to ongoing by-electionare organised anywhere withinthe district, then all instructionsrelated to enforcement of themodel code, Covid guidelinesand expenditure monitoringshall apply as done in case ofpolitical activities. The districtelection officer concerned shallexercise all necessary action insuch cases and ensure strictcompliance,” the EC said.

Bypolls to three Lok Sabhaseats and 30 assembly con-stituencies spread across vari-ous states will be held onOctober 30. The counting ofvotes will take place onNovember 2.

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Vistara airline has decided toresume hot vegetarian

meals— masala uttapam, meduvada, idli with sambar, biryaniwith dal, jeera pulao, masalapao bhaji and noodles—ineconomy class of domesticflights replacing the pre-pack-aged snacks that were beingserved since May last year due

to the Covid-related guide-lines.

“For instance, in EconomyClass, breakfast optionsinclude Masala Uttappam,Medu Vada, Idli with sambaretc.; lunch and dinner optionsinclude Vegetable Biryani withDal Makhani, Jeera Pulaowith Chana Masala, and more;Masala Pao with Bhaji, HotGarlic Vegetables with

Noodles, etc. will be served assnacks on relevant flights,”the statement said. In addi-tion, the airline in a statementsaid the in-flight menu for allclasses will be refreshed everythree days and will includeseveral options for breakfast,lunch, dinner, and snacks thatare customer favourites.

In August last year, theDirectorate General of CivilAviation (DGCA) had per-mitted airlines to serve orsell pre-packed snacks, bev-

erages, and meals on alldomestic flights. The DGCAhad asked airline companiesto use disposable plates, cut-lery and set-up plates, whichwill not be used again. Tea,coffee and other beverages willbe served in disposable glass-es, bottles, cans and contain-ers. Along with this, the crewwill have to wear a new set ofgloves to serve any meal anddrink

In April during the secondCovid-19 wave this year, itasked airlines to serve mealsonly on domestic flights withover two hours’ journey.

The DGCA has recentlyreleased air traff ic dataaccording to which domesticaviation registered an annualgrowth of 20.54 percent dur-ing the January to September2021 period. Passengers car-ried by domestic airlines dur-ing the period were 531.11lakh as against 440.60 lakhduring the correspondingperiod last year.

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The maiden seven-dayIndia-United Kingdom Tri-

Service exercise “KonkanShakti” commenced onThursday to derive mutualbenefits and showcase the con-tinuing co-operation betweenthe two countries.

The maritime componentof the exercise, to be conduct-ed off the west coast of India,is scheduled to be held in twophases. The harbour phase isplanned at Mumbai fromOctober 21 to 23, while at sea,the exercises will be conduct-ed from October24 - 27 , navyofficials said here on Thursday.

The naval linkages betweenIndia and the United Kingdomare one of antiquity and, overa period, it has grown sub-stantially in terms of interop-erability and synergy.

Over decades now, bothnavies have undertaken bilat-eral exercises, exchanges andenhanced their technical coop-eration. Rightly so, this hasformed the basis for the maid-en tri-service bilateral exercise,‘Konkan Shakti -21’.

Royal Navy (RN) will berepresented by its aircraft car-rier, HMS Queen Elizabeth,with her integral F-35 fighter

aircraft and helicopters, theType 45 Daring Class air-defence destroyer HMSDefender, the Type 23 frigateHMS Richmond, a Royal FleetAuxiliary (RFA) Fort Victoria,and a Royal Netherland NavyFrigate HNLMS Evertsen.

The Indian Navy (IN) willbe represented by three of itsindigenously built stealth guid-ed missile destroyers INSKolkata, INS Kochi and INSChennai, two stealth frigates,INS Talwar and INS Teg, andthe tanker INS Aditya.

The IN will also be partic-ipating with integral Sea King42-B, Kamov-31 and Chetakhelicopters, MIG 29-K fighteraircraft, Dornier and P-8 I

(maritime patrol aircraft) anda submarine. The exercise willalso see participation by IAFaircraft that include Jaguars,SU-30 MKI fighters, AWACS,AEW&C and flight refuelingaircraft, they said.

The exercise at sea will fea-ture advanced warfare tactics,Anti-Submarine Warfare exer-cises, over-the-horizon target-ing drills, Air Defence Exercise,Cross Deck landings and othercomplex manoeuvers at sea.

The joint phase of the exer-cise would also include air-tac-tical operations involving F-35s, MiG 29-Ks and Indian AirForce elements. To facilitatesmooth execution of the exer-cise, the harbour phase will see

active interaction betweenplanners of both navies,exchange of information byrespective subject matterexperts, and interaction of per-sonnel participating in theexercise.

The land phase of the exer-cise is being conductedbetween the Indian Army andUK Army at Chaubatia,Uttrakhand from October 21-27 under the aegis of GoldenKey Division of SuryaCommand.

The UK Army is being rep-resented by officers and troopsof the 1st Battalion of theFusilier Regiment and theIndian Army is represented bythe troops of 1/11 GorkhaRifles. The Joint CompanyLevel Exercise between thetwo nations is aimed at train-ing troops in conduct ofhumanitarian aid and disasterrelief operations by coalitionforces in an opposed environ-ment.

The tri-service exerciseaims to derive mutual benefitsfrom each other’s experiencesand also showcase the contin-uing cooperation between thetwo countries. Maritime coop-eration is a distinguishablesymbol of the commitment ofboth nations in ensuring apositive climate at sea forenhancing strategic stabilityand promoting global eco-nomic prosperity. The inter-operability achieved over theyears, as a result of such exer-cises, has proved to be opera-tionally beneficial to armedforces of both countries, theysaid.

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The EnforcementDirectorate (ED) has pro-

visionally attached assetsworth �7.48 crore belongingto retired Chief Engineer,Bangalore Water Supply andSewerage Board (BWSSB),Bangalore, SM Basavarajuunder the provisions ofPrevention of MoneyLaundering Act.

The attachedmovable/immovable proper-ties include balance amountslying in bank accounts, 3.41kg gold and diamond jew-ellery along with immovableproperties situated in variouslocations in Bangalore andMysore which includes tworesidential sites, one com-mercial complex and six res-idential flats, the agency said.

The ED had initiatedmoney laundering investiga-

tion on the basis of an FIRregistered by KarnatakaLokayukta, Bangalore City Division, Bangaloreunder Section 13 of thePrevention of Corruption Act.

“As per the chargesheetfiled by Karnataka Lokayuktain 2018, Basavaraju hadamassed wealth beyond his known sources ofincome and was in possessionof disproportionate assetsworth �4.45 crore in excess to

his known sources of income,”the ED said in a statement.

Money laundering inves-tigation conducted by EDrevealed that Basavaraju hadamassed wealth beyond hislegit imate sources of income and purchased vari-ous movable/immovableproperties in his name or asbenami properties, in thename of his family membersincluding his mother-in-law,it added.

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With almost all of its 3.25lakh personnel fully vac-

cinated against Covid-19, theCRPF has done away with themandatory quarantine, as perthe Covid protocols in voguetill now, for inbound personnelresuming duties after leaveand reporting to various for-mations.

Henceforth, the personnelwill be allowed to join dutysoon after returning fromleave. On reporting for duty,such personnel wil l berequired to undergo RT-PCR(Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction)test only if they exhibit clini-cal symptoms and undertakeisolation measures after thetest reports are positive or asper medical advice.

The move comes after thestatus of Covid-19 in theCentral Reserve Police Force(CRPF) was reviewed and itwas observed that the numberof patients hit by the deadlyviral disease and positivity ratehas significantly reduced.

The decision has also

come into effect from thedate of issue of the orderissued on Wednesday asalmost all the personnel havebeen fully vaccinated, officialssaid.

“All the personnel report-ing from leave/duties wouldbe allowed to join normalduties at respectiveunits/office. On reportingfrom leave/duty, if any oneshows clinical symptoms, thenRT-PCR test be conducted asper Medical Officer’s adviceand action for isolation, ifneeded, be taken accordingly,”reads the order circulated tovarious formations of theparamilitary.

All Sectors/CompositeHospitals have been asked totake action accordingly.

“Further, as desired byCompetent Authority, hence-forth vaccination reports maybe forwarded to the head-quarters on every Thursdayand Saturday instead of send-ing it on a daily basis,” addedthe order.

As on Thursday, as manyas 25,847 CRPF personnelhave contracted Covid-19 and

25,646 patients have recoveredfrom the disease. A total of 131personnel have died due toCovid-19. Only 70 paramili-tary personnel are currentlyactive cases of Covid-19,including six personnel whocontracted the coronaviruscontagion in the last 24 hours.

A total of 87,684 person-nel of the paramilitary forcesincluding the CRPF, BorderSecurity Force (BSF), CentralIndustrial Security Force(CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal(SSB), Indo-Tibetan BorderPolice (ITBP), NationalDisaster Response Force(NDRF) and National SecurityGuard (NSG) were hit byCovid-19 since the outbreak ofthe disease early last year.

Out of the 87,684 person-nel from the various paramil-itary forces who were hit byCovid-19, as many as 87,098patients have recovered and344 succumbed to the disease.A total of 242 personnel ofthese Forces continue to beactive with the infection,including 20 men who con-tracted the disease during thelast 24 hours.

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Supreme Court judges onThursday said they are

happy to see lawyers appearingbefore the court for physicalhearing.

Justice DY Chandrachudtold lawyers in the courtroom:“We are happy to see you all.”

He said that it was not apleasant experience to lookinto the screen every day in thebackdrop of an empty court-room.

The top court had gonevirtual since the beginning ofthe lockdown, to control thespread of Covid-19, in March2020.

Similarly, many otherjudges expressed their happi-ness on resumption of physicalhearing in a limited manner.

Scores of lawyers throngedto the top court to argue in theirrespective matter, and formedlong queues to enter the courtpremises.

During court proceedings,Chief Justice of India NVRamana said the court mayramp up physical hearings afterthe Diwali break.

The chief justice made thisremark in response to senioradvocates Rakesh Dwivedi andRanjit Kumar, thanking him forresuming physical hearing ofcases.

Justice Ramana said: “AfterDiwali, we may start it on a larg-er scale.”

The top court has resumedphysical hearing of cases twicea week -- Wednesday andThursday -- during non-mis-cellaneous days. It will contin-ue to take matters virtually onMonday and Friday, and onTuesday, advocates can chooseeither physical hearing or vir-tual hearing.

Senior lawyers onWednesday had expressed adifference of opinion on the topcourt’s decision to resumephysical hearing two days aweek. Senior advocate KapilSibal, who was supported bySolicitor General TusharMehta, said lawyers shouldnot be forced to appear physi-cally, which was vehementlyopposed by Supreme CourtBar Association (SCBA) pres-ident Vikas Singh.

Sibal told chief justice NVRamana that physical presenceof advocates must be madeoptional in the backdrop of theongoing Covid pandemic.

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Post Diwali the TrinamoolCongress will step up its

campaign in Tripura and Goa,the two States from where theparty is trying to oust the BJP.

To begin with Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee willvisit Goa on October 28, partysources said on Thursday. TheChief Minister will first go toNorth Bengal --- which has suf-fered massive devastation dueto rain and flash floods --- oncoming Sunday.

“Completing her three-dayadministrative visit of NorthBengal she will fly off to Goaon the evening of October 28,”sources said adding in GoaBanerjee will take part in a hostof political programmes along-side former Goa Chief MinisterLuizinho Faleiro who joinedthe Trinamool Congress in Kolkata inSeptember.

In Goa a number of otherleaders are likely to join theTrinamool Congress in pres-ence of the Bengal ChiefMinister sources said addingBanerjee return to Kolkata onNovember 1.

“Already our senior leadersincluding MPs like DerekO’Brien are busy doing thespade work in Goa along withour campaign partner IndianPolitical Action Committee orI-PAC led by poll strategistPrashant Kishore.

The Trinamool Congresshas vowed to oust the BJP frompower in the western statewhich will go to polls early nextyear. “We will give all ourweight in Goa and we will fightalone. We will fight BJP headon,” earlier TMC national gen-eral secretary AbhishekBanerjee said.

O’Brien said “This is theright time for TMC in Goabecause people want a properalternative,” adding the peopleof Goa had seen the Congressin 2017, the BJP which was cur-rently in power.

Apart from Goa the TMCis planning to go full blast inTripura too where the party onThursday staged a core com-mittee meeting to discuss thefuture strategies.

“A meeting of the TMCsteering committee was held inTripura where the party dis-cussed all the aspects regarding

our political strategy,” a seniorTMC leader and MP saidadding Thursday’s meeting wasattended by party Rajya SabhaMP Sushmita Dev who recent-ly left the Congress to joinTrinamool and senior leaderSubal Bhowmick.

The TMC will contest thecoming municipal elections inTripura Dev said. “We willexpose the BJP in the munici-pal elections by telling thepeople where they have failedbesides telling the people ofTripura what Mamata Banerjeehas done for Bengal and hownew schemes have benefitedthe people of the State,” Devsaid adding the BJP had failedto keep its promise and thepeople wanted to throw themout of power.

“They have been attackingour senior leaders because theyknow that they are losingground … we will tell this storyof political attacks to the peo-ple of Tripura,” she said.

The TMC sources also saidthat Abhishek Banerjee willvisit Tripura after Diwali tochalk out a road map for futurepolitical campaigns in thenorth-eastern State.

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In the longest ever counter terrorist oper-ation going on in the Nar Khas forest area

of Mendhar tehsil in Poonch since October11 no fresh exchange of fire has been report-ed since Wednesday morning.

With the help of drone technology andother technological tools the Indian Armyis learnt to have established a tight cordonin the area from where they had recoveredthe dead bodies of the Indian soldiers afterthey sacrificed their lives in the firefight onOctober 14.

For the time being the Indian Army hasadopted a 'wait and watch' strategy to pre-vent further loss of lives. So far 9 soldiersincluding two JCO's have sacrificed theirlives during the search operations in thearea.

Ground reports suggested the jawansof the Indian army including elite paracommandos have been gradually closing ininside the thickly forested area beforelaunching a final assault to neutralise thegroup of terrorists hiding in the area.

Several locals, who may have provid-ed shelter and ration supplies to these ter-rorists, have been rounded up in the areato get a sense of the total number of ter-rorists present in the area.

According to official sources, "a totalnumber of nine locals including womenhave been picked up by the local police andother agencies to gather information aboutthe formation of the terrorist group camp-ing in the area for a long time".

Senior J&k police officers supervisingthe operations in the area claimed there arechances that these terrorists may havecarved out safe hideouts or used naturalcaves to dodge the security personnel.

Despite facing numerous challenges onground zero the Indian army has searchedthe thickly forested area inch by inch andhave not been able to track down the foot-prints of these terrorists.

Meanwhile, residents living in the areacontinue to face numerous hardships dueto suspension of civilian traffic on the routebetween Bhimber Gali and Surankote.Alternate roads have been thrown open tofacilitate the commuters but due to longroutes and long traffic jams they avoid usingthe same route.

On the other hand, Indian army jawansThursday recovered an IED in the forestarea of Sawalkot on Ratanpir ridge inPoonch. The IED was later destroyed

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The Congress once again made abig announcement on Thursday

to help the kin of safai worker, ArunValmiki, who died in police custodyafter it was suspected that he wasbehind the theft from the malkhanaof a police station in Agra.

Earlier, the Congress had sanc-tioned �1 crore compensation eachto the farmers and a journalist whowere killed in the violence inLakhimpur Kheri. Congress generalsecretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,who visited Agra on Wednesdaynight and met the family membersof the victim, assured legal help tothe family besides �30 lakh com-pensation to Arun's dependents.She met Arun’s wife and mother andother relatives

The UP Government hasalready announced a compensationof �10 lakh and a Government jobin Agra Nagar Nigam to one of thedependants of the victim.

"Arun Valmiki's relatives toldme that the entire family was tor-tured. They claimed that ArunValmiki was given electric shocksand his hands were crushed undera chair by the police. Besides,around 40 members of the Valmikicommunity were also arrested and

tortured," the Congress generalsecretary told reporters.

"I have been working for thepast two years in Uttar Pradesh andI have seen that there is no justicefor Dalits and women in this state,"she said and added, "Is the law inthis country only to save the sonsof ministers? A Minister's son cando anything but, on the other hand,a poor family is harassed with noone to hear them."

Meanwhile, Priyanka GandhiVadra on Thursday claimed that theYogi Adityanath government wasplanning to take action againstsome policewomen who had posedfor a photograph with her.

“News is coming that Yogi ji gotso upset with this picture that hewants to take action against thesepolicewomen,” Priyanka Gandhisaid in a tweet in Hindi along withthe picture which is said to havebeen clicked on Wednesday whileshe was on her way to Agra to meet the family of the Dalit san-itation worker who died in police custody.

“If it is a crime to take pictureswith me, then I should also be pun-ished as it does not suit the gov-ernment to spoil the career of thesehardworking and loyal police-women,” Priyanka added.

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Lucknow: Dismissing criti-cism over the rising fuel prices,Uttar Pradesh MinisterUpendra Tiwari on Thursdaysaid 95 per cent people have nouse for petrol.

Tiwari also argued thatfuel prices had not really risenin real terms when the per capi-ta income now is comparedwith that in 2014, referring tothe year when a BJP-led gov-ernment first came to power atthe Centre.

“Today, there are just ahandful of people who travel infour-wheel vehicles and usepetrol. At present, 95 per centpeople don't need petrol,”Tiwari told reporters in Jalaun.

Higher fuel costs, howev-er, impact virtually every citi-

zen. For example, they lead toan increase in the price of allcommodities -- including food-grain, fruit and vegetables --that are transported from onepart of the country to another.

The Minister's remarkcomes when petrol prices havecrossed �100 per litre in mostparts of the country, and dieselhovers close to that mark.

He claimed that the oppo-sition doesn't have any realissue to attack the govern-ment. “You see the data before2014. What is the per capitaincome after the formation ofthe Modi and the Yogi gov-ernments?” he said, referring tothe BJP-led Governments at theCentre and in Uttar Pradesh. PTI

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Continuing his attack against the JD(S),ahead of the bypolls to two assembly seats

in Karnataka, Congress leader Siddaramaiahon Thursday said the party led by formerPrime Minister H D Deve Gowda is "not sec-ular". Hitting back, JD(S) leader HDKumaraswamy said, his party doesn't requireany certificate from Siddaramaiah on beingsecular, as he reminded him about his roots.

"JD(S) had formed a Government withBJP in the past (in 2006), they have joinedhands with BJP in the Mysuru corporation,what strong ideology does the JD(S) have?How much ever they may try to appeaseminority or Muslim for votes, voters areclever," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters here, the leader ofopposition in the state assembly, accused theJD(S) of having "internal understanding" withthe BJP, and that's the reason they have field-ed minority community candidates in Hangaland Sindagi constituencies that are going forbypolls.

"Will JD(S) be secular despite havingformed a Government with the BJP?... I canonly say that JD(S) is not a secular party, theyare a regional party, but not secular. They have

Secular in their party name, but they are notsecular in their conduct or behavior, they arecommunal," he added.

Sharply reacting, Kumaraswamy said,"Should Siddaramaiah give certificates to myparty as to whether it is secular or not? Allcommunities are respected in our party. Wedon't want any sermons from him."

Pointing out that Siddaramaiah grew asa leader in JD(S) under Deve Gowda's lead-ership, he said, "9 senior Muslim leaders inthe state are JD(S) and Deve Gowda's con-tribution.."

Siddaramaiah had recently urged the vot-ers from the minority community not to casteven a single vote to the JD(S) during theHangal and Sindagi bypolls, as voting for theregional party, means voting for the BJP.

The former Chief Minister had evenaccused the JD(S) of deliberately fieldingminority community candidates in both theconstituencies to help the BJP.

Bypolls will be held on October 30, whilecounting of votes will take place on November2.

The by-elections have been necessitatedas the seats fell vacant following the death ofSindagi JD(S) legislator M C Managuli andBJP's C M Udasi from Hangal.

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A40-year-old farmer wasallegedly shot dead in a vil-

lage in Banda district of UttarPradesh, police said onThursday.

The police have detainedthe farmer's son for question-ing after he repeatedly changedhis statements during initialinquiry.

According to the police,Kamal Babu Chauhan wassleeping outside his house inNandadev village in Jaspuraarea on Wednesday eveningwhen he was shot dead.

Jaspura police station SHOSunil Kumar Singh saidChauhan had gunshot injuryon his left shoulder and chestand that a country-made pistolwas found near his body.

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Sikkim Chief Minister Prem SinghTamang on Thursday urged the

people not to travel in view of thelandslides as the state registered arecord tourist footfall during theDurga puja vacation.

Over 22,000 domestic touristsand 651 foreign travellers visited thestate over the last week, TourismDepartment officials said.

An average of 5,000 tourists areentering Sikkim daily at present, theysaid, adding that it would soon dou-ble.

The surge was recorded after theDtate Government withdrew allCovid-related restrictions andreopened its borders.

The Government took severalmeasures to encourage tourism thisfestive season to make up for thefinancial hit it took last year. Thetwo-month lockdown during the

peak season last year caused an esti-mated loss of �500-700 crore, offi-cials said.

Nearly a quarter of the State'spopulation is dependent on tourism,which generates annual revenue of�4,000-5,000 crore, they said.

However, as landslides hit thestate over the last three days, cuttingroad connectivity to several places,the chief minister urged people toavoid travelling.

"In the past couple of days,Sikkim has witnessed incessant rain-fall, leading to landslides in severalparts of the State, causing roadblocksat multiple spots. I am in constanttouch with the line departments andclosely monitoring the current situ-ation," Tamang said. " I norder to avoid any untoward inci-dent, I appeal to all our citizens torefrain from travelling in these cir-cumstances, and pray for their safe-ty," he added.

Lucknow: Taking strong excep-tion to the death of a sanitationworker in police custody in Agraafter a Kanpur businessman hadrecently died allegedly due topolice thrashing, BSP presidentMayawati on Thursday asked theUttar Pradesh Government tobring necessary reforms in itspolice system. The former ChiefMinister also said a BSP delega-tion will be visiting Agra later onThursday and meet the familymembers and administrative offi-cers in connection with the case.

“After the tragic murder of abusinessman in a hotel by policein Gorakhpur, now the presentBJP Government is again in thedock due to the death of a Dalitsweeper in police custody inAgra.

Therefore, the Governmentshould bring necessary reforms inits police system. This is the

demand of the BSP,” Mayawatisaid in a tweet in Hindi.

She also said, “In connectionwith the very sad incident of thedeath of a sweeper in police cus-tody in Agra, a delegation led byGayacharan Dinkar will go toAgra today to meet the victim'sfamily and the administrationfor ensuring punishment to theaccused and justice for the victim'sfamily.” Political parties onWednesday condemned the deathof a sanitation worker Arun, whowas accused of stealing Rs 25 lakhfrom Jagdishpura police station inAgra, in police custody after hishealth deteriorated during inter-rogation.

An inspector, a sub-inspectorand three constables, who were onduty at Jagdishpura police stationwhen the accused died, were sus-pended after an uproar in the cityover the incident. PTI

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Lucknow: The BJP is always engrossed in "festival-likecelebrations", even during a calamity like the coron-avirus pandemic that has claimed several lives,Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said onThursday, as events were organised to mark the admin-istering of 100-crore Covid doses in the country.

He also said the BJP only knows politics of liesand deceit, and alleged that it has done nothing for thepeople, who are facing problems due to inflation andcorruption. "The BJP is a strange party. Whatever maybe the calamity and even in deaths, the BJP is alwaysengrossed in festival-like celebrations. It's a habit thateven in a calamity, it finds the opportunity for cele-brations," Yadav said in a statement issued here.

"The BJP celebrated record vaccinations. Whenpeople were dying due to the coronavirus, the BJP wascelebrating with beating of 'thalis' (plates)," he said.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said theKushinagar international airport was his government'splan, "but the BJP itself has started celebrating it by tak-ing credit for it".

Similarly, the Purvanchal Expressway was given bythe Samajwadi Party government to the state, but theBJP has no problem in "celebrating" this too, he said.

The truth is that the BJP only knows the politicsof lies and deceit. In its entire tenure in Uttar Pradeshand at the Centre,it has not done anything in publicinterest. PTI

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The Bombay High Court onThursday scheduled the

bail application of Bollywoodsuperstar Shah Rukh Khan’sson Aryan Khan in the mid-seadrug bust case for hearing forOctober 26, even as a team ofa Narcotics Control Bureau(NCB) paid a formal “visit” toSRK’s residence “Mannat”hours after the actor met hisson at the Arthur Road Jail.

A day after a Special Courtrejected the bail pleas of SRK’sson and two others in themid-sea drug bust case, Aryan’slawyer Satish Maneshindementioned the bail applicationmade before the high court infront of Justice Nitin Sambre.The Judge posted Aryan’s bailplea for hearing on Tuesday.

In a day of multiple devel-opment, Maharashtra Ministerand NCP’s chief spokespersonNawab Malik launched a freshattack on NCB’s western zonechief Sameer Wankhede, bydemanding to know as to whatthe latter doing in Maldives andDubai with his family duringthe Covid 19-triggered lock-down and accusing him of fil-ing “fake” cases againstBollywood personalities. Malikalso shared photos ofWankhede’s family holidayingin Maldives when the entireBollywood was also there.

Talking to media personswithin hours after the Ministermade fresh allegations againsthim, Wankhede denied Malik’sallegations and threatened toproceed legally against theminister for his defamation.

Coming to Wankhede’sdefence, NCB’s DeputyDirector South-West RegionMutha Ashok Jain in a state-ment issued in the evening saidamong other things: “Shri.Wankhede, IRS joined NCB onloan basis on 31.08.2020 andafter this he has not submitted

any application for Ex-lndialeave to Dubai. ..As per theapproval of CompetentAuthority vide NCB Order No.A50/2/202l-Acctss/146 dated27.07.2021, the officer hasavailed Ex-lndia leave alongwith his family to Maldives”.

In a related development,Shah Rukh Khan visited ArthurRoad Central Jail to meet hisson Aryan. Aryan, who wasinitially in the NCB’s custody,has been lodged at the ArthurRoad Central jail for the pasttwo weeks.

Hours later, the NCB offi-cials visited SRK’s “Mannat”residence ostensibly to collectsome documents and materialin connection with the inves-tigations into the sensationalcase.

Meanwhile, the NCB sum-moned actress Ananya Pandayfor questioning and raided alocation in Andheri, in con-nection with the ongoing inves-tigations in the mid-sea drugbust case. Ananya’s name hasallgedly figured in some ofAryan’s WhatsApp chats.

Ananya Panday is thedaughter of Bollywood actorChunky Panday and grand-daughter of the renowned heartsurgeon, the late Dr. SharadPanday.

Denying speculation in asection of the media that hisdepartment officials had “raid-ed” actor’s residence, NCBZonal Director SameerWankhede said in a statement:

“The NCB Mumbai ZonalUnit officials visited ‘Mannat’the residence of Aryan Khan inconnection with the (Cr.94/21case) for seeking certain mate-rial related to the investigationof the case from Shah RukhKhan, by following due proce-dure of notice, etc,” NCB ZonalDirector Sameer Wankhedesaid in a statement.

Official sources said thatthe NCB officials had visited

SRK’s residence to serve anotice to the actor saying thatif Aryan Khan possessed anyother electronic device otherthan the mobile seized bythem, the family should handit over to them.

Meanwhile, MaharashtraMinister Nawab Malik who hasbeen seeking to “expose” theNCB and its zonal directorSameer Wankhede ever sinceAryan and others were arrest-ed on October 3 in connectionwith the mid-sea drug bustcase. Talking to media persons,Malik demanded to know whatWankhede was doing in Dubaiand Maldives with his familyduring the pandemic lock-down. He sad that he wouldnot keep quiet till Wankhedewas put behind the bars for“concocting” drug cases againstBollywood personalities.

Malik shared photos ofWankhede’s family holidayingin Maldives when the entireBollywood was also there.

“They (BJP) have a puppetin Wankhede. He is running amulti-thousand crore extor-tion racket on behalf of the BJP.He files bogus cases againstpeople..Wankhede will lose hisjob within a year. I won’t besilent till he is put behind thebars.We have evidence of boguscases filed by him,” Malik said.

“It’s very clear.."Vasuli’(extortion) took place inMaldives and Dubai… I amreleasing those photos… Whatwas he doing in Maldives andDubai?. He must answer,”Malik t

Malik went onto accuseWankhede of colluding with“some BJP people” of threat-ening the film industry people“I am repeating... He keeps fil-ing false cases and arrestingpeople based on WhatsAppchats and without any evi-dence… I am going to revealmore on this,” Malik said.

Among the photographsthat Malik released were that ofWankhede’s sister Jasmeen

Wankhede, ostensibly shot inMaldives with captions andtagging her friends, includingFletcher Patel who had calledher the ‘Lady Don’.

Upset by Malik’s allegation,the Opposition MNS’s filmwing chief Ameya Khopkarwarned the NCP leader “tokeep off and stop dragging” hisparty colleague JasmeenWankhede) into his politics.

Hitting back at Malik,Jasmeen Wankhede wonderedwhether “Malik is a judge”.She said she was accountable toher family or friends and thatthe NCP leader had no busi-ness to make public her privatetrip.

On his part, SameerWankhede, who had earlierarrested Malik’s son-in-lawSameer Khan in January 2021in an alleged drugs case, said:“I fail to understand why theattacks on me, my sister, myretired father, my deceasedmother, when I am merelydoing my duty… The cases aresub-judice. I will give a fittingreply later.”

Malik claimed thatWankhede had called him afterthe arrest of his son-in-law andquoted the latter having toldthat he was under pressure. “Ifhe (Wankhede) is under pres-sure, he should come clean andtell us who is putting pressureon him”.

Malik alleged that theCentre posted Wankhede afterthe mysterious death ofBollywood actor Sushant SinghRajput in June last, but the mys-tery continued if the actorcommitted suicide or it was amurder.

“But, thereafter, the NCBhas started playing its gameswith the film industry…Dozens of stars were sum-moned on WhatsApp conver-sations. Rhea Chakraborty wasarrested for making payment ofsome �4,000 to someone,”Malik said, as demanded aninquiry into the whatsApprecords of Wankhede.

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Page 6: 9Zde`cZT ^Z]Vde`_V Z_ hRc `_ 4`gZU - Daily Pioneer

came from Afghanistan inSeptember, 2021, and the reg-ular instances of insurgency inJammu and Kashmir are casesin point. The increasinginstances of drone-droppedweapons and drugs in Jammuand Kashmir and Punjab werecited for bringing out thisnotification.

The States ruled byOpposition — Punjab andWest Bengal — argue that lawand order is a State subject andenhancing the jurisdiction ofBSF infringes upon powers ofthe State Government.According to sources, the BSFis not authorised to take legalactions or file chargesheet ina case. Every arrested personor seized item by the BSF hasto be handed over to the Statepolice or Customs, as the casemay be. The local police cantake actions without the inter-ference of the BSF, even inareas that fall under the BSF’sjurisdiction. At times, when acrime is reported in areasaway from the local police sta-tions, the BSF has to takeaction till the police reach thespot. Hence, the role of thepolice and the BSF is to com-plement and supplement eachother.

Now, the question iswhether this notificationwould impact the jurisdictionof State police? The former

Director General of BSF,Prakash Singh, commentingon this move said “The juris-diction of the State police hasneither been curtailed nor itspower is reduced in any man-ner. It’s just that the BSF willalso be exercising the powersof search, seizure and arrest,in respect of only the PassportAct,1967, the Passport (Entryinto India) Act,1920 and thespecial sections of theCriminal Procedure Code. Itis merely an enabling provi-sion aimed at strengtheningand complementing theefforts of the State police.The BSF would, in any case, behanding over the accusedtogether with the seized con-traband to the local police.The power to register the FIRand investigate the caseremains with the police”, headded.

However, it is interestingto note that both the rulingparty and the Oppositionstand exposed as far as theirstand on this issue is con-cerned. The UPAGovernment — when inpower in 2011 — had intro-duced a Bill in the Parliamentto provide the BSF the powerto search, seize and arrest inany part of the country whereit was deployed. The bill wasdropped because the thenOpposition had opposed the

move. On the other hand, in2012, Narender Modi, as thethen Chief Minister ofGujarat, wrote to the thenPrime Minister of India,Manmohan Singh, accusingthe Centre of weakening thecountry’s federal structure,calling the move an attempt to“create a State within a State”.Now, the Narender Modi ledGovernment is doing the sameand the Opposition is in aprotest mode. Evidently, thestands of politicians and polit-ical parties change as pertheir interest.

Undoubtedly, India is afederal State where police andlaw and order are the respon-sibility of the States. But, asstated by Sir Ivor Jennings,“India has a federation with astrong centralising tenden-cy”. In extraordinary situa-tions, the will of the CentralGovernment prevails and itmay override the autonomy ofthe State when it comes toexternal threats. The best wayto do it in a democratic coun-try is to take the States in con-fidence and convince them ofthe need for taking therequired action in the interestof the country.

(The writer is a seniorjournalist and Chairman,Panwar Group of Institutions,Solan, Himachal Pradesh. Theviews expressed are personal.)

������������������ Sir — Like so many issues relating towomen’s health in India, breast cancer,too, has not been a subject of discussion,largely on account of social taboos.Hence, breast cancer’s mortality rates inIndia are higher especially in rural partsof the country. There is a significantshare of breast cancer in women amongall other cancers. Its cases have been ris-ing at an alarming rate across theglobe and is one of the most commoncancers among women. Doctors(Oncologists) treating the cancerpatients are of the view that 90 per centof the patients can survive when breastcancer is detected at an early stage;hence nothing works better than anearly detection.

We should spread awareness that itis important for women to do a selfexamination regularly and consult witha doctor if changes are noticed. Someof the common symptoms includepainless lump in the breast or armpit,change in breast shape, dimpling in thebreast skin, abnormal nipple dischargeand nipple retraction or ulceration. Asbreast cancer typically has no symptomswhen the tumor is small, it can mostlikely be treated. Therefore, if womenstart talking about it, they can be givenan early treatment and be saved.

Ramesh G Jethwani | Bengaluru

��������������������������Sir — Britain's Queen Elizabeth II isreported to have politely refused the‘Oldie of the Year’ title, an honour con-ferred upon people of advanced age bya British magazine, stating ‘one is as oldas one feels’. This means that she is stillyoung and does not feel old enough toaccept the award. While it is said thatage is a mere number, still it all dependsupon one’s mindset. Once the feeling ofold age sets in, then one succumbs tosuch a thought process which ultimate-ly takes a toll on him.

While one cannot defy the processof ageing, which is but natural, one canalways surmount the feeling of havingbecome old, by remaining active and

keeping themselves busy with dailychores like walking, going through thedailies, indulging in discussions on var-ious topics, spending time with theneighbours and, involving themselveswith social activities.

VS Jayaraman | Chennai

������������������������Sir — It has been more than two yearsnow since the country witnessed the sadexodus of migrant workers migratingfrom urban cities to their rural rootswhen the national lockdown and thepandemic was at its fury. The toughtimes continued till recently, before theyreturned to their respective works.This time, the nemesis is not anypathogen or lockdown, rather some ter-ror groups. Migrants in Kashmir's sev-eral cities working on developmentalprojects, tunnels, highways and bridges,were targeted by the terrorists and reli-

gious radicals ruthlessly. The news report highlighted that

such targeted attacks were to fix fearsin the minds of non-Kashmiris. Butsuch nefarious actions by a few anti-India people are taking the lives ofinnocent migrant workers. They areforced to put their life in danger,because they have to go to work to pro-vide for their family. The point of thematter is that nobody is serious aboutfixing responsibility on this crucial mat-ter. Migrant workers are still helpless,the Government is ensuring theirrights in talks, but ground realityreflects a whole another picture. TheGovernment must ensure a safety netfor them that covers their food, employ-ment, safety and welfare needs.

Kirti Wadhawan | Kanpur

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The gazette notification ofthe Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) datedOctober 11, 2021 —

amending the schedule of an ear-lier notification of July 3, 2014 interms of extending the BorderSecurity Force (BSF) jurisdictionup to 50 kms inside the interna-tional borders in Punjab, WestBengal and Assam — has beencriticised by the Opposition par-ties, especially by theGovernments of Punjab andWest Bengal, accusing the rulingparty for interfering in the fed-eral structure of the States by cur-tailing the rights of the State’spolice. The fresh notificationoutlines the BSF jurisdiction as“the whole of the area comprisedin the States of Manipur,Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland andMeghalaya and the UnionTerritories of Jammu andKashmir and Ladakh and somuch of the area comprisedwithin a belt of 50 kilometers inthe States of Gujarat, Rajasthan,Punjab, West Bengal and Assam,running along the borders ofIndia”. At the same time, in thecase of Gujarat, the Ministry hasreduced the area of operation ofBSF from 80 kms from the bor-der to 50 kms. Earlier, the pow-ers of BSF — which includesarrest, search and seizure —were limited to 15 Km in theStates mentioned above.

Brushing aside the criticism,the Government clarified that itwas acting within its jurisdictionby executing the powers availableunder the Border Security ForceAct of 1968. The Governmentsources claim that the objectiveof this move was to ensure oper-ational efficiency and bring inuniformity. The MHA sourcesdefend the move on the groundsthat in the past, the jurisdictionof BSF differed from State to Stateand the officials faced problemsin mounting action even whenthey had definite informationabout a crime in areas outside thejurisdiction of BSF. The vastareas of Assam, Punjab and WestBengal are situated on interna-tional borders and face threatsfrom hostile neighbours. The sit-uation has only worsened afterthe establishment of the Talibanrule in Afghanistan. The seizureof 3,000 kg of heroin which

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India completed the vaccination of100 crore doses on October 21,2021, just about nine months sincestarting the exercise. This has been

a tremendous journey in deal-ing withCOVID-19, especially when we recallhow things stood in early 2020.Humanity was dealing with such a pan-demic after 100 years and noone knewmuch about the virus. We rememberhow unpredictable the situationappeared then, as we were faced by anunknown and invisible enemy mutatingrapidly.

The journey from anxiety to assur-ance has happened and our nation hasemerged stronger, thanks to the world’slargest vaccination drive.

It has been a truly ‘bhagirath’ effortinvolving multiple sections of society. Toget a sense of the scale, assume that eachvaccination took just two minutes for ahealth-care worker. At this rate, it tookaround 41 lakh man-days or approxi-mately eleven thousand man-years ofeffort to reach this landmark.

For any effort to attain and sustainspeed and scale, the trust of all stakehold-ers is crucial. One of the reasons for thesuccess of the campaign was the trustthat people developed in the vaccine andthe process followed, despite variousefforts to create mistrust and panic.

There are some among us who onlytrust foreign brands, even for simpleeveryday necessities. However, when itcame to something as crucial as theCOVID-19 vaccine, the people of Indiaunanimously trusted ‘Made in India’ vac-cines. This is a significant paradigm shift.

India’s vaccine drive is an example ofwhat India can achieve if the citizens andthe Government come together with acommon goal in the spirit of ‘JanBhagidari’. When India started its vac-cination program, many people doubt-ed the capabilities of 130 crore Indians.Some said India would take three to fouryears. Some others said people will notcome forward to get vaccinated. Somesaid there will be gross mis-managementand chaos in the vaccination process.Some even said that India will not be ableto manage supply chains. However, justlike the Janta Curfew and sub-sequentlockdowns, the people of India showedhow spectacular the results can be if theyare made trusted partners.

When everyone takes ownership,nothing is impossible. Our healthcareworkers traversed hills and crossedrivers across difficult geographies to vac-cinate people. Our youth, social work-ers, healthcare workers, social and reli-gious leaders, all deserve credit for thefact that India faces minimal vaccine hes-itancy when compared to even devel-oped nations.

There was a lot of pressure from dif-ferent interest groups to give preferen-tial treatment to them in vaccination. Butthe Government ensured that, like our

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Medical experts arealways busy inventingnew medicines and

procedures for the rapidlyproliferating new diseasesacross the world. However, alarge number of diseases stillelude modern medical sci-ence. The COVID-19 pan-demic proved that to tacklethis serious menace, apartfrom vaccination, we also needto study and explore alterna-tive therapies like Ayurveda,Unani and Homeopathy withan open mind.

The allopathic standardprocedures and protocolsannounced by AIIMS andICMR have been changing.First, the anti-viral Remdesivirinjection was touted as aneffective option for treatingsevere COVID-19 cases butnow it is off the list. Patients

bought this drug for as high as�40,000 a dose.

Allopathic doctors at thesame time pooh-poohed otherclaims of treatment by alterna-tive therapies proposed byAyurveda, Siddha andHomeopathy. It is a fact thatCoronavirus was easily weath-ered by more than 85 per centof population due to strongimmunity; it is the balance 15per cent that is at risk of com-plication and mortality. So,common sense demands thatan immunity booster wouldhelp overcome the disease. Itwas successfully done by manyAyurvedic and homoeopath-ic formulations. The Yajurvidpharmacy, run by a youngentrepreneur couple withmodern methods of extractionof molecules for Ayurvedicmedicines have successfully

treated more than 200COVID-19 patients in Jaipur.

The objective of narratingthis is to exhort the govern-ment of India’s health expertsto open their mind to alterna-tive medicines. There are sev-eral diseases which have notreatment in modern medicalscience. The writer through hisorganisations, has been mon-itoring such examples of alter-

native therapies. One suchtherapy — which is doingwell in India, especially inNagpur belt of Maharashtraand in Uttarakhand — is the‘Sujok Therapy’, an advanceversion of acupressure withseveral additional methodslike use of colour, magnets andlentils. This drugless therapywas invented by a KoreanProfessor, the late Park JaeWoo, a few decades ago. It isa mixture of Acupuncture andother healing methods. Sujokis made of two words Su(Hand) and Jok (Feet). Sujoktreatment is based on theprinciple that all parts of thebody have a positional link inour palm and feet and it thusfocuses only on treating thehands and feet. After success-fully treating many chronicdiseases in his country Prof

Park chose India to propagatehis therapy and establishedSujok Association of India inNagpur. He groomed andtrained a few physiotherapistsand kept on visiting India topopularise this treatment. Thetherapy became popular insome parts of India amongpeople suffering from chron-ic diseases liked axonal neu-ropathy and cerebral palsy,epilepsy, migraine, autism,spectrum disorder, etc. It is apainless procedure and is anatural therapy, is safe and iswithout any need for oralmedicine. Besides beingaffordable, itgives quick relief.

The Sujok treatment iscarried out by using small nee-dles and magnets speciallydefined and made with expertprecision to carry out spe-cialised treatment in the hands

and feet. Sujok needles aremade of steel suitable for med-ical use. The needles havespring-like handles and areperfectly shaped for painlessinsertion. The therapy alsouses the energy in lentil seedsand colour therapy. One of themost effective ways to massagethe points of the body wherethe treatment is needed isdone by a diagnostic and ther-apeutic stick after identifyingthe points and then treatingthose points by massaging.

Magnets are the mostimportant tools in thearmoury of the Sujok healer.They are used to channelisethe flow of energy in the iden-tified body part. Yet anotherway of treatment is the appli-cation of elastic ring messen-ger as useful and hand way toprovide continuous pressure

on the identified point. In chronic diseases like

axonal neuropathy and cere-bral palsy, Sujok therapy hasachieved success. Then what isthe hitch in recognising theprocedure after verification ofthe protocol? After all, it is aprocedure without any medi-cine and is not injurious tohealth. It is the obduracy andsuperiority complex of man-darins of health infrastructurein India that prevent recogni-tion of such new procedures.The Sujok Association in Indiahas been trying for recognitionof its procedures for a fewincurable chronic diseases. Insome states like Uttarakhand,the health experts agreed torecognize it after they saw thecured patients’ details but insiston prior approval from thegovernment of India.

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other schemes, there is no VIPculture in the vaccination driveeither.

In early 2020, when COVID-19 was rampaging across theworld, it was clear to us that thispandemic will have to be eventu-ally fought with the help of vac-cines. We started preparing early.We constituted expert groupsand started preparing a roadmapright from April 2020.

Till today, only a handful ofcountries have developed theirown vaccines. More than 180countries are dependent on anextremely limited pool of produc-ers and dozens of nations are stillwaiting for the supply of vaccines,even as India has crossed 100crore doses! Imagine the situationif India did not have its own vac-cine. How would have Indiasecured enough vaccines for sucha large population and how manyyears would that have taken? It ishere that credit should be given toIndian scientists and entrepre-neurs for rising to the occasion.It is due to their talent and hard-work that India is trulyAatmanirbhar when it comes tovaccines. Our vaccine manufac-turers, by scaling up to meet thedemands of such a large popula-tion, have shown that they are sec-ond to none.

In a nation whereGovernments used to be known asa roadblock impeding forwardmovement, our Government hasinstead been an accelerator andenabler of progress. The

Government partnered with thevaccine makers right from day oneand gave them support in the formof institutional assistance, scien-tific research, funding, as well asaccelerated regulatory processes.All ministries of the Governmentcame together to facilitate the vac-cine makers and remove any bot-tlenecks as a result of our ‘wholeof Government’ approach.

In a country of the scale ofIndia, it is not enough to just pro-duce. The focus has to be on last-mile delivery and seamless logis-tics. To understand the chal-lenges involved, imagine the jour-ney taken by one vial of vaccines.From a plant in Pune orHyderabad, the vial is sent to ahub in any of the States, fromwhere it is transported to the dis-trict hub. From there, it reaches avaccination centre. This entailsthe deployment of thousands oftrips taken by flights and trains.During this entire journey, thetemperature has to be maintainedin a particular range that is cen-trally monitored. For this, overone lakh pieces of cold-chainequipment were utilised. Stateswere given advance notice of thedelivery schedule of the vaccinesso that they could plan their dri-ves better and vaccines reachedthem on the pre-decided days.This has been an unprecedentedeffort in the history of indepen-dent India.

All these efforts were comple-mented by a robust tech platformin CoWIN. It ensured that the

vaccine drive was equitable, scal-able, trackable, and transparent.This ensured that there was noscope for favouritism or jumpingthe queue. It also ensured that apoor worker could take the firstdose in his village and the seconddose of the same vaccine in thecity where he works, after therequired time interval. In additionto a real-time dashboard to boosttransparency, the QR-coded cer-tificates ensured verifiability.There are hardly any examples ofsuch efforts not only in India butalso the world.

In my Independence DayAddress in 2015, I had said thatour country is moving aheadbecause of ‘Team India’ and this‘Team India’ is a big team of our130 crore people. People’s partic-ipation is the biggest strength ofdemocracy. If we run the coun-try through the participation of130 crore Indians, our countrywill be moving ahead 130 croresteps every moment. Our vacci-nation drive has yet again shownthe power of this ‘Team India’.India’s success in its vaccinationdrive has also demonstrated tothe whole world that ‘democracycan deliver’.

I am optimistic that the suc-cess achieved in the world’s largestvaccination drive will further spurour youth, our innovators and alllevels of the Government to setnew benchmarks of public servicedelivery which will be a model notonly for our country but also forthe world.

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BRUSSELS: NATO DefenseMinisters are weighingThursday what lessons to drawfrom the almost two-decade-long military mission inAfghanistan, including whetherthe world’s biggest securityorganization should evenundertake major operationsoutside Europe and NorthAmerica.

Ahead of the meeting atthe U.S.-led military alliance’sheadquarters in Brussels,NATO Secretary-General JensStoltenberg said the way theorganization’s biggest-everoperation ended shows that thechallenges of such endeavorsshould not be underestimated.

“It highlights the chal-lenges and the risks to engagein big missions and opera-tions outside NATO territory,“Stoltenberg told reporters. At

the same time, he said, “the les-son cannot be that we willnever engage.“

“We should not draw thewrong conclusion onAfghanistan and think thatNATO allies and NATO shouldnever again engage in militaryoperations to fight extremism,or terrorism,“ he said.

NATO took the lead oninternational security efforts inAfghanistan in 2003 but endedcombat operations in 2014 tofocus on training local securi-ty forces. It helped build up anAfghan army of some 300,000troops, but that force witheredin just days in August in theface of a Taliban offensive.

More than 100,000 peoplewere evacuated from theAfghan capital Kabul duringthe frenzied final days of a U.S.airlift after President Joe Biden

said American troops wouldleave. Thousands of Afghansremained, desperate to escapethe uncertainty of Taliban rule.

Stoltenberg suggested thatpart of the problem for NATOmight have been that its rolebecame more demanding asthe major international effort torebuild Afghanistan developed,shifting the organization awayfrom its original task ofdestroying the al-Qaida net-work.

“We started with a verylimited, narrow, military mis-sion, fighting terrorism,degrading al-Qaida,“Stoltenberg said. But NATOthen became “only one of manyplayers or actors,“ including theEU and United Nations, in abroader “nation buildingeffort,“ he said.

German Defense Minister

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauersaid it was important to learn“that purely military aims aloneare not sufficient“ when theultimate goal is to fosterdemocracy and stabilize acountry wracked by decades ofconflict.

“If you are pursuinglonger-term political aims withthis, possibly you need evenmore patience than 20 years,and above all … you have todescribe the aims in very con-crete and realistic terms,because otherwise you get whatwe saw in Afghanistan -- thatwe achieved our military aimsover 20 years but nation-build-ing ultimately failed in thelong term,“ she told reporters.

The actual job of identify-ing lessons is being handled byNATO’s 30 deputy nationalenvoys, under the lead ofAssistant Secretary General forOperations John Manza.Manza was to submit his initialfindings in a report to theministers. A final report is dueto be debated by NATO foreignministers in December. AP

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Islamabad: During the day-long visit, the Pakistani dele-gation will hold talks withAfghanistan’s Acting ForeignMinister Amir Khan Muttaqiand call on leadership of theinterim government in Kabuland other Afghan leaders,according to Foreign Office.

Muttaqi welcomed thePakistani delegation at theKabul International Airport.

‘’The talks between thetwo sides will cover the entirespectrum of bilateral relationsand focus on ways and meansto deepen cooperation indiverse areas,“ the ForeignOffice said.

The Foreign Minister willalso share Pakistan’s perspec-tive on issues of regional peaceand stability, it said.

As a close fraternal neigh-bour, Pakistan has alwaysstood by Afghanistan, keepingthe border crossing pointsopen for trade and pedestriancrossing under COVID pro-tocols, it said.

Facilitative visa regime forAfghan nationals and bordercrossing procedures for tradeand cargo have been institut-ed, while in recent monthsPakistan has also providedhumanitarian aid and assis-tance in the form of food stuffs

and medicines. The Foreign Minister’s

visit reflects Pakistan’s consis-tent policy of supporting thebrotherly Afghan people,deepening bilateral trade andeconomic relations, and facil-itating closer people-to-peoplecontacts, according to FO.

The visit is taking placeafter the recent meeting ofofficials from China, Pakistan,Afghanistan and Russia inMoscow and ahead of anupcoming meeting of foreignministers of neighbours ofAfghanistan plus Russia inTehran next week.

PTI

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Washington: China has beenan aggressor against Indiaalong the Himalayan border, atop American diplomat nom-inated by President Joe Bidenas his next envoy to Beijing hastold lawmakers, stating that theUS must hold the Chinesegovernment accountable forfailing to play by the rules.

Nicholas Burns told mem-bers of the Senate ForeignRelations Committee duringhis confirmation hearing onWednesday that the US willchallenge China where it must,including when Beijing takesactions that run counter toAmerica’s values and interests;threaten the security of theUnited States or its allies andpartners; or undermine therules-based international order.

“Beijing has been anaggressor against India alongtheir Himalayan border ;against Vietnam, thePhilippines, and others in theSouth China Sea; against Japanin the East China Sea; and haslaunched an intimidation cam-paign against Australia andLithuania,“ Burns said.

China claims sover-eignty over all of the South

China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia,the Philippines, Brunei andTaiwan have counter claims.

Beijing is engaged inhotly contested territorial dis-putes in both the South ChinaSea and the East China Sea. Ithas built up and militarisedmany of the islands and reefs itcontrols in the region. Bothareas are stated to be rich inminerals, oil and other natur-al resources and are also vitalto global trade.-

Burns, who served as theUnder Secretary of State forPolitical Affairs from 2005 to2008, said the “Chinese geno-cide in Xinjiang and abuses inTibet, its smothering of HongKong’s autonomy and free-doms, and its bullying ofTaiwan are unjust, and muststop“.

Beijing’s recent actionsagainst Taiwan are especiallyobjectionable and the US isright to continue to adhere toits one-China policy, he said.

“We are also right tosupport the peaceful resolutionof disputes, and to oppose uni-lateral actions that underminethe status quo and stability inthe Indo-Pacific,“ Burns, who

led negotiations on the land-mark US-India Civil NuclearAgreement, told Americanslawmakers.

Taiwan considers itselfa sovereign state - but Chinaviews the self-ruled island as abreakaway province. Beijinghas not ruled out the possibleuse of force to achieve unifica-tion. Burns told lawmakersthat the US will compete andcompete vigorously with Chinawhere it should, including onjobs and the economy, criticalinfrastructure and emergingtechnologies.

The US will cooperate withChina where it is in its interest,including on climate change,counter-narcotics, global healthand non-proliferation, he toldmembers of the Senate ForeignRelations Committee.

China, he said, seeks tobecome the most powerfulmilitary, economic, and polit-ical actor in the Indo-Pacific.

“We must stand with ourallies and partners to uphold afree and open Indo-Pacific,including by maintainingAmerica’s commercial and mil-itary superiority in 21st centu-ry technologies. PTI

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LONDON — A man has beencharged with murder andpreparing acts of terrorism inthe stabbing of a U.K. lawmakerwho was killed as he met withthe public at a church hall lastweek.

Authorities say a 25-year-old British man with Somaliheritage, Ali Harbi Ali, hasbeen charged in the death ofDavid Amess. The case shooka nation accustomed to havingface-to-face contact with itsleaders.

“We will submit to thecourt that this murder has aterrorist connection, namelythat it had both religious andideological motivations,“ saidNick Price of the Crown

Prosecution Service.“He has also been charged

with the preparation of terror-ist acts.“

The death of Amess, aConservative who had servedin Parliament for almost 40years and was knighted byQueen Elizabeth II in 2015, hasshocked Britain’s politicians,who pride themselves on beingaccessible to their constituents.

It has prompted conversa-tions at the highest levels abouthow the country protects itsleaders and grapples withextremism at home.

The slaying came five yearsafter Labour Party lawmaker JoCox was shot and stabbed todeath by a far-right extremist.

Cox was the first British law-maker to be killed since apeace accord ended large-scaleNorthern Ireland violencealmost 30 years earlier.

Amess, 69, was a socialconservative who opposedabortion, campaigned for ani-mal rights and strongly sup-ported Britain’s exit from theEuropean Union.

Matt Jukes, theMetropolitan Police AssistantCommissioner for SpecialistOperations, said the force “willcontinue to build our case.“ Hesaid detectives had analyzedcomputers, searched severalLondon addresses andreviewed CCTV footage aspart of the investigation. AP

Peshawar: Three militants ofthe banned terror outfit,Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) have been gunned downin a police raid in Pakistan’srestive Khyber Pakhtunkhwaprovince, officials said onThursday.

Based on intelligence, acounter-terrorism team of thepolice raided a compound inShahpur area of Peshawar dis-trict on Wednesday night, theysaid.

The three terrorists werekilled in an exchange of fire,while few others managed toescape, the police said.

The killed included want-ed militant Hizbullah, the othertwo are yet to be identified,police said.

Search is on for the gun-men who escaped during theraid, officials said.

In the last few months,there has been an uptick in ter-ror activities in KhyberPakhtunkhwa and Balochistanprovinces.

PTI

Kathmandu: Thirty peoplehave gone missing in the inci-dents so far, according to the lat-est data published by the min-istry’s Disaster ManagementDivision.

Panchthar, a district in east-ern Nepal, recorded the highestnumber of deaths at 27, followedby 13 each in Ilam and Doti dis-tricts. Fatalities were also report-ed from 15 other districts,including Kalikot, Baitadi,Dadeldhura, Bajhang, Humla,Solukhumbu, Pyuthan,Dhankuta, Morang, Sunsari andUdayapur. At least 88 peoplelost their lives in the recent inci-dents of flood, landslides andinundation that hit differentparts of the country, followingincessant rains over the past

three days, health ministry offi-cials said.

Eleven people were con-firmed dead on Thursdaymorning. As many as 63 peopledied on Wednesday, while thedeath toll was 14 on Tuesday,they said.

The natural disaster hit 20districts of Nepal. In Bajhangdistrict, 21 people have gonemissing. However, weather con-ditions have started improvingfrom Thursday, the officialssaid. Home Minister BalkrishnaKhand has directed the NepalPolice, Armed Police Force,National InvestigationDepartment and Nepal Army topromptly rescue the foreigntourists stranded at Humla dis-trict. PTI

����������<���!� ��<�<�-�������!����������-��Kuala Lumpur: Australia andBritain on Thursday defendedtheir nuclear submarine dealwith the US amid concerns itcould escalate tensions in theregion and spark an arms race.

UK Minister for ArmedForces James Heappey saidthere “has been a lot of over-hyping“ of the pact known asAUKUS. He said the UK andthe US have been sharing suchtechnologies for decades andthat Australia’s decision to joinwas merely to develop its ownsubmarine capability.

The pact will provideAustralia with nuclear reactorsto power its submarines but thesubs will not be nuclear-armed.It drew mixed reactions in theregion, with Malaysia andIndonesia expressing concernit could escalate tensions inhotspots such as the SouthChina Sea. China, which claimsmost of the disputed sea,slammed the pact and warnedit would threaten regional sta-bility. AP

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���� ���#�������-��$�-�������<����� ���� ��� ���� ��� �Washington: US President JoeBiden’s pick for ambassador toBeijing has told lawmakersconsidering his nominationthat Americans should “haveconfidence in our strengthwhen dealing with the rise ofChina, a nation he said the USand its allies could manage.

Nicholas Burns, a formersenior State Department offi-cial and diplomat with decadesof experience in Washingtonand overseas, on Wednesdaytestified before the SenateForeign Relations Committeeat a time when the Bidenadministration is trying toswing US focus overseas tomanaging competition withChina. The post of Chinaambassador stands to be one of

the most important for USforeign policy.

China’s assertiveness mili-tarily, diplomatically and eco-nomically in the region andbeyond under its ambitiouspresident, Xi Jinping, increas-ingly has given rise to warningsof a new Cold War. Thisincludes hawkish talk of anarms race with warnings ofChina threatening to overtakethe US in high tech, trade, mil-itary technology and other are-nas while challenging the USfor world influence.

In his testimonyWednesday, Burns had acalmer take, framing the USrelationship with China asmanageable.

AP

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Coronavirus infections anddeaths in Ukraine surged

to all-time highs Thursdayamid a laggard pace of vacci-nation, with overall inocula-

tions among the lowest inEurope. Ukrainian authoritiesreported 22,415 new confirmedinfections and 546 deaths in thepast 24 hours, the highestnumbers since the start of thepandemic.

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Indian economy is expectedto grow 10.5 per cent or more

in the current fiscal, Niti AayogVice Chairman Rajiv Kumarsaid on Thursday.

Speaking at a virtual con-ference of PAFI India, he alsosaid that modernisation of theretail sector is very much on thecards.

“India PurchasingManagers’ Index (PMI) forboth manufacturing and ser-vices have shown a very smartuptick last month. This (Indianeconomy) will strengthen evenfurther,” he said.

“I expect Indian economyto grow 10.5 per cent or high-er in FY 22,” he noted.

The country’s economygrew by a record 20.1 per centin the April-June quarter,helped by a very weak base oflast year and a sharp reboundin the manufacturing and ser-vices sectors in spite of thedevastating second Covidwave.

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has lowered the growthprojection for the currentfinancial year to 9.5 per centfrom 10.5 per cent estimated

earlier while the IMF has pro-jected a growth of 9.5 per centin 2021 and 8.5 per cent in thenext year.

Replying to a question,Kumar said reasons for theslump in two-wheeler salesmight be due to the transition

from internal combustionengine scooters and bikes toelectric bikes and scooters.

Noting that exports createjobs, he said, “we need to dou-ble our share of global trade...And for that we might needbetter market access”.

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The next tranche ofSovereign Gold Bonds

2021-22 will be open for sub-scription for five days fromOctober 25, the FinanceMinistry said in a statement onThursday.The bonds under the2021-22 series will be issued infour tranches during October2021-March 2022, taking thetotal to 10. Under the series,bonds were issued in sixtranches from May 2021 toSeptember 2021.The subscrip-tion period for 2021-22 Series-VII will be October 25-October29, and bonds will be issued onNovember 2, the FinanceMinistry said in a statement.

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Coal shortage at thermalpower plants is lingering

on, with 59 non-pit head pro-jects having the dry fuel stocksfor less than four days as onWednesday, according to offi-cial data.

The number of such pro-jects having less than four daysof coal (supercritical stock)stood at 61 on October 19, thelatest data from the CentralElectricity Authority (CEA)showed. The count of the plantshaving supercritical stocks wasat 64 on October 13.

The latest figures indicatethat the coal shortage situationis improving slowly.

CEA monitors the coalstock situation of 135 thermalpower plants with cumulativegeneration capacity of over165 GW.

As per the data, the num-ber of power plants with zerodays of coal has come down to15 as on Wednesday withcumulative installed generationcapacity of 16,280 MW com-pared to 17 projects with17,050 MW capacity a weekback.

The number of plantswith one day of coal stockscame down to 21 with 25,810MW capacity as on October 20as against 27 projects with36,140 MW capacity as onOctober 13.

Mumbai:The rupee settled just1 paisa higher at 74.87 againstthe US dollar on Thursdayamid a bearish trend in domes-tic equities and a strong green-back overseas.Forex traderssaid foreign fund outflows,strengthening of the dollar andfirm crude prices in the inter-national market restricted theappreciation bias in the localcurrency.At the interbank forexmarket, the local unit openedat 74.86 against the greenback,and moved in a range of 74.69to 74.89 during the session.

PTI

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Equity benchmarks buckledunder selling pressure for

the third session on the trot onThursday as lacklustre corpo-rate results, negative globalcues and concerns overstretched valuations triggeredan unwinding of risky bets.

The 30-share BSE Sensexslumped 336.46 points or 0.55per cent to finish at 60,923.50,after slipping below the 60,500-level intra-day. Similarly, theNSE Nifty declined 88.50points or 0.48 per cent to18,178.10.Asian Paints was thetop loser in the Sensex pack,tanking 5.21 per cent, after thecompany reported a 29 per centdecline in consolidated netprofit to �605.17 crore for theSeptember quarter on accountof higher expenses, especiallyinput costs.

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As smartphone vendorsstruggled with supply

issues for low-end mobilehandsets, the shipments inIndia fell 5 per cent (on-year)in the third quarter (Q3) thisyear, a new report showed onThursday.

In Q3 2021 (July-September period), 47.5 mil-lion units were shipped and themarket was one again led byXiaomi at 24 per cent share(down 2 per cent from the year-

ago quarter), followed bySamsung at 19 per cent (down1 per cent from the year-agoperiod) and Vivo at 17 per cent(also down 1 per cent), accord-ing to data by market researchfirm Canalys.

The third quarter makesfor a tough year-on-year com-pare, due to pent-up demandlast year. Shipments in Q32021 were 47 per cent higherthan in Q2 2021, as consumerdemand bounced back rapid-ly owing to the suppression ofCovid-19 wave.

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With half of the 15 high-frequency indicators

recovering to the pre-pan-demic levels in the secondquarter, the economy finallylooks nearly out of the pan-demic woods, helping the Q2GDP print at 7.7 per cent,according to a report.

However, the Septemberprint was not as good as thequarter, indicating that therecovery remains uneven, itadded. While continued basenormalisation, emergingsupply-side constraints andexcess rainfall have damp-

ened the year-on perfor-mance of most of the 15high-frequency indicators inSeptember, the economicrecovery has widened in Q2as the crisis wrought by thesecond wave has abated, witha larger number of sectorsbettering their pre-pandem-ic performance, relative toQ1, Icra Rating chief econo-mist Aditi Nayar said in anote on Thursday. The annu-alised performance of 14 ofthe 15 high-frequency indi-cators, except non-food bankcredit, have worsened inSeptember compared toAugust.

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Minister of State forElectronics and IT Rajeev

Chandrasekhar on Thursdaysaid he hopes that the person-al data protection law might bein place in the next few monthsand the Joint ParliamentaryCommittee may place the Billduring the upcoming session ofthe Parliament.

He said the SupremeCourt has held that privacy isa fundamental right and thegovernment is committed toprotecting the fundamentalrights of every citizen.

“That is the property of theJoint Parliamentary Committeeand I hope in the next fewmonths it becomes a law. Once

that law is in place and a dataprotection authority is in place,an important architecture – thegovernance architecture – willfall in place,” Chandrasekhartold reporters.

He was responding to aquery on the Personal DataProtection Bill on the sidelinesof India Internet GovernanceForum curtain raiser event.

He said the data protectionlaw establishes the rule of theinternet for data intermediaries.

When asked when the Billis expected to be tabled inParliament,

Chandrasekhar said, “It isnot in my power. It is with JPCand I hope they submit itbefore the winter session.”

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Times of crisis, of disruption orconstructive change, are not onlypredictable, but desirable. They

mean growth. Taking a new step, utter-ing a new word, is what people fear themost.”

Personally, this is my favouritetake on crisis and was articulated byFyodor Dostoevsky, the Russian nov-elist and philosopher behind classicssuch as Crime And Punishment, TheBrothers Karamazov among many oth-ers. A more recent opinion that I foundinteresting was expressed by JudySmith, an author, television producerand crisis management expert whosework inspired the famous series Scandalbut we are digressing. She said thatthere’s always an opportunity within acrisis. Just as it forces an individual tolook inside, it forces a company to re-examine its policies and practices. Iagree and also subscribe to Dostoevsky’sopinion that a crisis helps us confrontwhat we fear the most.

This pandemic, for instance, hasput us all in the throes of change thatwe never saw coming. Covid-19 hasdrastically ravaged economies acrossthe globe and underscored the urgentneed for corporate reinvention. Thereis an opportunity in this gloom to rein-vent the wheel, push ourselves out ofour comfort zone and reimagine thepost pandemic workplace. There is

however a lot more ahead of us that weneed to process. For instance, a HarvardBusiness Review report says that post-pandemic, the office will only becomea secondary place to carry out tasks orfor routine meetings. Much of the workwill be done from home and yet can wedo without tangible human connectionwhen we work? These are some of thequestions that I have grappled with,apart from the obvious ones abouthybrid offices, flexibility and, the down-side of increased digital intensity.

Here are some of thoughts on howwe can ensure that positive change andevolution unfold in the present and thenear future:

Adaptability is keyAccording to the McKinsey

Consumer Pulse surveys conductedaround the world, roughly three-quar-ters of people using digital channels forthe first time during the pandemic saythey will continue using them evenwhen things return to ‘normal’. Covid-19 has decisively pushed the worldtowards digital transformation and thenew normal requires us to upskill,adapt, innovate, automate and adoptcutting edge technologies to move for-ward.

In a McKinsey global survey of 800senior executives in July 2020, two-thirds of the respondents said they were

increasing investment in automationand AI. All over the world, we arebeginning to see an increase in digiti-sation and technology-driven busi-nesses. There is hence an enormousneed for professionals who can workwith Artificial Intelligence, machinelearning, cryptocurrencies and NLP’s(Natural Language Processing). E-commerce and digital transactions arebeing embraced extensively and so busi-nesses must adapt to digitisation or willbe left behind. As Jared Spataro, corpo-rate VP for Microsoft 365, said, “If wejust let the default reign, we’ll end upin a worse place than pre-pandemic.”

Flexible offices are here to stayIn the post pandemic world, rigid

work flows, regimented work spacesand office hierarchies are no longer rel-evant. Remote work, virtual meetingsand flexible workspaces are normativenow and will remain so for a while.

In 2020, in the first flush of the pan-demic, multiple surveys hinted that sub-stantial reduction in office space is esti-mated but this trend will keep growingif the need for physical infrastructurecontinues to diminish. Remote workmodules will also afford companies theopportunity to engage workers beyondborders and in demographics that,due to geographical constraints, wereinaccessible earlier.

However, whether too much flex-ibility make us less productive is anoth-er important question. Jan Rezab,founder and CEO of productivity ana-lytics firm, Time Is Ltd, said that if inter-ruptions keep us from focusing athome, we will just be as unproductiveas we were before.

Investing in human capitalThought leaders all over the world

are advocating that the human elementmust be made central to businesses.Radical tech-interventions alone willnot serve us in this ever-evolving dig-ital world. The world will need peoplewho can synergise and create solutions

for problems that all of us are facingcurrently.

To thrive in a holistic way, compa-nies must invest in the human capitalthat makes their success and survivalpossible, especially in the current sce-nario. More than ever before, it is essen-tial that employees feel safe, appreciat-ed and financially protected. Whetherit is a dedicated mental health helpline,a network of ambulances and doctorson call, telemedicine consults, medicalsafety nets like free vaccination andhealth benefits or leave with-pay tohigh-risk employees, nothing should beleft to chance to help a team throughthis unprecedented time.

Leveraging young talentThe pandemic may have disrupted

businesses and impacted millions ofjobs, however, we can gain lost ground.Take India’s example, for instance.Young people between 18 and 29 yearsconstitute 22 per cent of India’s popu-lation and if we leverage this talentthrough skilling initiatives especially innon-tier one cities, our growth as anation will be unstoppable.

The key is to not forget the vast tal-ent pool in cities with inadequate cor-porate infrastructure. Skilling is allabout making the most of India’suntapped youth potential.

Making the industry more equi-table

According to The GenslerWorkplace Survey 2020, while workersaround the world have developed newneeds and expectations because ofCovid-19, many of their pre-existentissues have just been exacerbated by thepandemic. Hence, the future belongs tothose who want to co-create solutionsand build a better world. To do that wemust acknowledge existing faults,including a yawning digital divide.When we speak of skilling the young,we also must focus on increasing dig-ital literacy.

Technology must be democratisedso that we do not leave anyone behindand the existent financial, social, andprofessional inequities do not contin-ue to expand among underserveddemographics. Businesses must becomemore equitable, learn to respect non-traditional work experiences, unusualprofessional backgrounds and ethnic-ities. Including more people with dis-abilities is also important in the post-pandemic office, now that mobility isnot a precondition for working in thetech industry.

(The author is the MD of VisionetSystems (India) and the global head of

BFSI Business.)

Vidyut Jammwal is undoubtedly one of the biggestaction-stars in Bollywood. His stunts, grit and the

constant pursuit for excellence in action sequences areunparalleled. His latest action-thriller, Sanak: HopeUnder Siege has garnered much love from the audience.

The novel action sequences, edge-of-the-seat nar-rative, amazing performances and the nerve - wrack-ing experience the movie offers seem to have clickedwith the audience. Naturally, Vidyut is thrilled with theamazing response that the film has been receiving acrossthe globe.

But, there’san interestingstory behind themaking of thefilm. Generally,a director caststhe actors totranslate thestory on paperinto a reel lifee x p e r i e n c e .However, withSanak , thingswere a little dif-ferent. Here, thelead actor got thedirector to puttogether the film.Not many peopleknow this, but itwas Vidyut whohad fixed ameeting betweenSanak’s director,Kanishk Varma,and the film’sproducer, VipulAmrutlal Shah.

Shedding light on the incident, the actor said hehas known the Kanishk for quite some time. “Kanishkhas been a friend since our Delhi University days. Heused to study with my brother. I have known him formore than a decade now,” shares Vidyut.

He adds that having known the director for sucha long time and having spent time with him, he hadcomplete faith in his capabilities and that’s what pushedhim to take the matter up with the producer.

Vidyut reveals, “We had been hanging aroundtogether and I have always believed that he is supreme-ly talented and when you have people who you can seehave talent, why not work with them. So I introducedhim to Vipul sir and he eventually came on board forSanak.”

Also starring Chandan Roy Sanyal, Neha Dhupiaand debutant Rukmini Maitra, Sanak: Hope Under Siegeis presented by Zee Studios, in association withSunshine Pictures Pvt Ltd, and is available to streamexclusively on Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex.

D���'

Hollywood has always been an aspi-rational place for Indian artists. The

gaps are finally closing and we will soonwitness a lot of our stars making wavesin Hollywood. It is a moment of pridefor Indian cinema as much as it is anoth-er reason to believe that the East andWest have a lot to offer oneanother.

Hrithik RoshanFirst of the many is

our very own desi GreekGod, Hrithik Roshan whois all set to make hisdebut in an Americanspy-thriller. All set to playthe parallel lead, the newshas brought a lot of curios-ity and excitement for hisfans. He has the Indianaudience grooving to hismoves already. It is onlya matter of time beforewe see the star make theworld swoon to his act.

Ali FazalAli Fazal will soon be

seen in the Hollywoodfilm, Death On The

Nile which is afollow-up to direc-tor KennethBranagh’s MurderOn The OrientExpress. It stars

Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, AnnetteBening, Russell Brand, Rose Leslie,Leticia Wright and Emma Mackeyamong others. Both films are adaptedfrom books penned by renownedauthor, Agatha Christie.

Sikandar KherS i k a n d a r

Kher is all set toplay his part inDev Patel’sd i r e c t o r i a ldebut, MonkeyMan. Extremelyexcited to landthe project ,Sikandar hasbeen known toplay unusualcharacters thatsuit his persona.It is only a mat-ter of t imebefore we seewhat he has tooffer us throughhis role in thisproject.

DhanushNext in line is the south-

Indian superstar, Dhanushwho will soon be seenin The Gray Man.Directed by Anthonyand Joe Russo (ofThe Avengers fame)the film is an actionthriller based onthe debut novel byMark Greaney.The film also starsRyan Gosling andChris Evans.

Dhanush might most probably beplaying the head of one of the teamsthat is after the freelance assassin andformer CIA operative, Court Gentryplayed by Ryan Gosling.

Kubbra SaitKubbra Sait is all set to

star in Apple TV’s inter-national mega originalseries Foundation basedon the series of Novels byIsaac Asimov. Theseries has beencreated by David SGoyer and JoshFriedman and hasKubbra playing therole of Phara Keaen,a Grand Huntressfrom PlanetAnacreon. Thefirst episodes ofthe series cameout on September24.

The lines areblurring, talents areexploring and theworld is gearing upto witness creativegeniuses share

screen spacefrom acrossseven oceans.Once upon atime the meetingof the East and West was a distantdream. Our stars are finally makingthis dream come true. We wish eachone of our much loved homegrownstars make as much noise inHollywood as they have been doingin Bollywood.

When it comes to datingtoday, there’s a high prob-

ability that it would either involvemeeting someone virtually orthrough an online dating app,more than any other way, espe-cially in the post-pandemicworld.

Of course, people still meet incafes, through mutual friends, oreven at work. But lately, datingapps have been witnessing a steeprise, perhaps, due to the dramat-ic shift over the years in people’smindsets. Simply put, eventhough the feeling of love andromance is something that hasremained constant forever, howpeople connect, including thebaby boomers, is ever changingbecause of the evolving times.

Let’s delve deeper to explorethe real difference between howbaby boomers and millennialsprefer dating in the current times.

Virtual vs physicalIt’s a no-brainer that social

media has had a significantimpact on not just the way welive, but also how our pathsmeet with others. Since themedium is overwhelmingly usedby millennials today, it hasbecome a new territory to tra-verse in dating with its own prin-ciples and characteristics, whichmost in the boomer age haven’texperienced.

According to a recent surveyby a leading dating app, around83 per cent of the people above50 years and 72 per cent betweenthe ages of 21-30 would wish tomeet their partners in person tomake real connections. Babyboomers seem to be uncomfort-able when it comes to virtual dat-ing. They wish to keep the expe-rience real.

However, on the contrary,only 46 per cent of youngsters

below the age of 20 would prefera virtual date. Adding to the sur-prise element, while 73 per centof people from both metro citiesand small towns favour meetingin person, 27 per cent of themwould still go for virtual datingdue to the fear of the pandemic.

GhostingUndoubtedly, breaking off

with someone can never be easy.But at least, baby boomers knowhow to call it off respectfully,unlike millennials. For them,the breakup paradigm hasswitched to something cloudier— ghosting, as it has come to beknown.

It’s basically ceasing commu-nication with the other personwithout giving proper reasons,and also ignoring any of theirfurther attempts to reach out.This form of emotionalstonewalling is arguably worsethan the actual breakup itself.Interestingly, there’s been no

solid evidence on the increasingfrequency of ghosting by millen-nials. It’s just looked at as a symp-tom of the increasing role socialmedia plays in our lives, partic-ularly in relationships.

As per the same survey,nearly 58 per cent of people inthe age group 18-20 would ghosttheir match if they found some-one better. Conversely, 73 percent baby boomers would ratherremain friends and end things ona good note.

Casual relationships,friendships or marriage?

It is arguably gen Z’s breezyapproach that gave rise to onlinedating apps and made phrasessuch as ‘hooking up’ and ‘friendswith benefits’ part of the lexicon.But when it comes to serious life-long relationships, they like totake it slow. As the survey states,approximately 45 per cent of peo-ple in the age group of 18-30 arelooking for friendships on dating

apps as they feel friendshipslead to lasting relationships in thefuture. Almost 44 per cent ofbaby boomers want to find apartner or companion as theywant to have real heartwarmingconversations.

The fear of rejectionA pervasive trope maintains

that baby boomers have thickerskin than millennials, and onecannot agree more. Earlier, whendating apps didn’t exist and peo-ple met physically, baby boomersused to take the risk of gettingrejected right then and there.Terrifying prospects like thesedidn’t stop them from expressingtheir feelings.

Today, millennials, on theother hand, are afraid to startanything serious, just in caseeverything turns out badly in theend. Hence, they’re more open toliving in a detached and passivestate than putting themselvesout there. This is exactly what hasled to the increasing demand foronline dating apps.

(The author is the founderand CEO of QuackQuack, an

online dating platform.)

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Maintaining a healthy diet is cru-cial during the wedding season.

Even the tiniest mistake might resultin unaccounted fat, which can con-tribute to cardiovascular health issuesand other problems. While exercisesmight assist you and help avoid gain-ing weight, eating a nutritious diet canhelp your body perform at its best.

Here are a few tips on maintain-ing a healthy diet during the weddingseason:

�Drink more waterDrinking two to three litres of

water will help your skin to glow andkeep you hydrated. It is always best tohave a sipper or a water bottle withyou. In order to stay hydrated, you candrink lemon water without sugar,coconut water, fruits with higherwater content, and vegetable juice. Thebenefit of staying hydrated is that itaids in the removal of toxins from thebody, resulting in perfect skin, attrac-tive nails, and lustrous hair, as well asweight loss.

�Keep the portion size in mindAnother effective strategy to keep

a healthy diet is to choose propermeals and eat small portions insteadof choosing one favourite dish. There

is no harm in trying a variety of meals,but it is best to do so in small portions.

�Don’t skip mealsLess intake of calories will make

you feel hungrier, and you will mostlikely end up over-eating. Ideally, youshould consume meals at regularintervals and pile your plate high withveggies, lean protein, and plenty ofwater. To save space, forgo the breadwith the salad, the fries with the sand-wich, and so on.

Bring a nutritious snack with you.Plain greek yoghurt with a tablespoonof ground flax, which adds satisfyingfibre, is a good option. A boiled eggor some fruit could also be used.

�Avoid fried foodWedding season can put you in an

all-or-nothing mindset. Simple delec-table meals aren't always fried.Steamed, grilled, and sautéed meats,and seafood are excellent choices.

Salads are another option, but keep inmind that fried finger snacks andheavy dips are high in calories.

�DetoxificationIt is the natural process through

which the body gets rid of dangerouscontaminants and when the body isfree of all dangerous and toxic sub-stances, it looks and feels younger. Noexterior beauty therapy can matchwhat detoxification does to yourbody and skin from the inside, aseverybody who has heard of it or doneit knows.

�Start exercisingIt's natural to skip a few exercis-

es or lose sight of your fitness goalsduring this season. Instead of hesitat-ing or getting disheartened once theweddings are over, you should resumeyour workout regimen, since it willfeel great to burn off the excess calo-ries you gained over the holidays. Startwith gentle exercises and work yourway up to more difficult ones. To getback in shape, you can do somethingsimple like jogging or cycling, orsomething more difficult like runningor pilates.

�Stay hydratedYour cells become clogged, your

skin can't cleanse, and your bladderand kidneys can't function correctlyif you don't drink enough water. You'llbe weary and eat more as a result. So,drinking water at regular intervalsmight help your body drain fluids andmeals more quickly. If you're bloatedfrom too much sodium, drinkingwater will help flush the salt out ofyour system faster.

�Eat green vegetablesCabbage, broccoli, kale, spinach,

other green leafy, and cruciferous veg-etables are high in antioxidants andcan assist the body combat inflamma-tion. These vegetable aid in bloatingreduction and gastrointestinal systemcleansing. Two cups of spinach,together with tulsi or curry leaves, canbe boiled or steamed. You can eat thismixture by seasoning it with salt andpepper, or you can drain it anddrink it.

All these tips will help you togrow healthy while maintaining astrong and fit body during this fes-tive season.

(The author is holistic nutrition-ist, and the founder of Diet

Podium.)

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While my experience atDhaba, Claridges, was

extremely pleasant, I didn’tthink Pickwick would matchmy already high expectationsbut I was wrong. Not only wasthe ambience of the posh placeelegant, with a Victorian set-ting, but also was the foodhighly commendable.

Its name, of course youguessed it right, comes fromCharles Dickens’ novel ThePickwick Papers. The Pickwickclub depicted the adventuresand the travel experiences ofthose who visted it.

The aforementioned clubwas fundamentally a society setfor the gathering of intellectu-als, sharing scientific facts andknowledge. Dickens’ popularcharacter Thomas Gradgrindand his obsession with facts iswhat comes to my mind here.

What caught my eye first inthe all-day luxurious diningarea was the huge world mapdrawn on the entire ceiling.Sukirti Singhal, the marcommanager, acquainted me withthe concept behind the same.The map was actually of howthe world looked around the18th century. Jazz music wasbeing played in the backgroundwhich only enhanced the envi-ronment.

Their themed menu of'cuisine without borders'entailed European, American,Indian and Japanese diningmixed with innovative cookingtechniques. An exclusive Sushibar was displayed withpanache, taken care of by aJapanese chef to maintain theauthenticity. They also servedcolourfully decorated Omakasesushi, prepared especially by thechef. The bar of classy winesand cocktails, too, dazzled thespectators. What was aberrantabout the restaurant was thatthey had a cosy little cornerespecially to prepare pizzas.The sushis at the sushi bar, asexplained by Ashish, one of theservers there, could be cus-tomised to the needs of thepeople.

Already amazed by theatmosphere, I couldn’t wait toeat out the food. We wereserved with a bread basket inthe beginning, that encom-

passed bellpepper, Fukashiyabread with Oregano Fukashiya.

The Mulligatawny soupthat consisted of Madras currypowder, and tasted of lentils,carrots, apples and deliciouscoconut milk was next on thelist. The dish was served witha little rice and beaten pop-padom. The soup was of abright sunny yellow colourand was warm and soothing asit trickled through the throat,calming the insides. It,undoubtedly, made for anexcellent appetiser.

Chef Rajesh explicatedhow continental food was hispassion and how he observedthat customers would alwaysreturn for the sizzlers.

The Japanese Tuna pizzalooked aesthetic with minisculeslices of palatable tuna, freshjalapeno and avocado. It wascold and extremey flavourfuldue to the presence of truffleaioli, garnished with 24K gold.

Further, the Homemademeat tortillini comprised well-cooked lamb, ring shaped pastathat looked like dumplings,butter and pepper jus. It had aslight savoury taste which wasonly complemented by whatwas served next — theShepherd’s pie. With the base ofthoroughly cooked meat-pieand the surface of a crust ofmashed potatoes which madeit creamy, the pie was, in everyway, delectable. It was fillingand the taste lingered. It hadbecome my favourite on thevery first bite.

Another English dish wereceived was the Fish and chips.The beer batter river sole fishwas crunchy and juicy at thesame time, and served withmushy peas, and lemony tartarsauce. The taste was only aug-mented with the sides of friesand malt vinegar with it.

Towards the end, whilemy belly was completely fulland satisfied, the classic Britishdessert of 24K gold Englishbread butter pudding, garnishedwith a gold leaf, was presented.I was more impressed by itsappearance. This signature dishwas made of brios bread, lus-cious sugar syrup, it had thegoodness of vanilla and blue-berries.

It was some time in the secondhalf of the ‘90s that on theinsistence of a friend (a friend’s

boyfriend to be precise) that I gin-gerly sampled something whichdid not spell love at first sight.Several white blobs placed on aplate, which tasted somewhatbland and served with a fiery redchutney was certainly not my ideaof gourmet food and I refused todig into a second piece. While thecouple parted ways, I graduallydeveloped a great affinity to thissnack like the rest of Delhi somuch so that I craved for it ondays when the in-between mealshunger pangs strike. So, when TheArt of Dumpling (TAOD), a finedining restaurant dedicated to...you guessed it, dumplings, I wasraring to dig in.

As the name suggests, the 70cover restaurant has an extensivedumpling menu with a whopping149 different kinds. It claims to bethe second-largest menu dedicat-ed to this delicacy. For those whowant something more, there is anelaborate selection of Japanese,Thai, Chinese and Mughlai dish-es.

Located in the heart of the city,the wooden interiors, warm light-ing, unobtrusive yet attentive ser-vice makes the place quite popu-lar among families as well asgroups. On the night that I dinethere, at various times, the restau-

rant is almost 90 per cent occu-pied.

Before diving straight into thefood, we start with an unusualmocktail, Sparkling Cranberry.And did it sparkle? With everyswirl of the stirrer, it seems as if

gold dust shimmered within thedrink. But not only is it good tolook at, its taste too is unique. Thenon-alcoholic drink is fruity, sweetand refreshing while the underly-ing tartness of cranberries lingeredon your tongue has us smacking

our lips and anticipating the foodthat is in store.

First up is the Gondi soupwhere ball-shaped dumplings arestuffed with chicken that has beenseasoned with herbs. While thebroth is delicately flavoured, it isthe taste of the succulent balls thatseem to explode in the mouth andelevate a simple soup to the nextlevel.

The Oromo, where Tzatzikiking oyster mushrooms are rolledinto a beautifully tender, almosttransparent cover had a clean

flavour. The chicken dumplings,where the spices are a little morepronounced, have us asking formore.

Rangoon, a crispy, fr ieddumpling with all the crunchminus the sticky oil has a crab fill-ing and Burmese flavours. Thecreamy filling contrasts and com-plements the crispy exterior whileensuring that a mental note ismade of... to be ordered the nexttime we are here.

The platter that is put up forus next looked more like round

koftas or kebabs. Called Rissolpsdumpling, it is a soft, melt-in-the-mouth variety. And the flavours,a tad more intense than what wehad earlier.

While the restaurant specialis-es in an extensive dumpling menu,it also has an extensive Indianmenu on offer. We had the Chef ’sspecial chicken tikka, which is theonly dish that strikes a slightly dis-cordant note in the otherwiseperfect meal. Though cooked toperfection, the flavours are a lit-tle too strong.

All too soon, we are digginginto the main course. The Khaopad rice, a vegetarian offeringwith Asian flavours, can be eatenwithout a side dish. The rice,with a slight bite, has the saucesand vegetables in a perfect balance.

We team it with Fish in maha-lak sauce which is tender. Theumami flavours are heightened bythe spring onions and mushroomsthat add a slight bite to balance thesucculent fish.

What comes up next is a sur-prise. It looks like noodles orspaghetti but rather than palewhite, it is greyish black in colour.However, it is only when you dipyour spoon in do you realise thatit slips right through the Auricblack spaghetti which begins tomelt a little. It is ice cream! Theflavour is minty. It cleanses mypalate—instead of adding anoth-er heavy note of flavour—leavingme satiated, happy and content.

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BAYERN COACH TESTS POSITIVEMunich: Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmannhas tested positive for the coronavirus. Nagelsmannmissed Bayern's 4-0 win over Benfica in theChampions League on Wednesday after showingsigns of what the club said at the time was a “flu-like infection," but sent instructions to his assistantsremotely. “Julian Nagelsmann has tested positive forCoronavirus despite being fully vaccinated. He willfly back to Munich separately from the team in amedical plane and isolate back there,” Bayern saidin a statement on social media on Thursday.

HIMA DAS TESTS NEGATIVE FOR COVID-19New Delhi: Star Indian sprinter Hima Das onThursday announced that she has tested negative forCOVID-19, a week after contracting the virus. The21-year-old had tested positive for COVID-19 on herreturn to the national camp at Patiala last week. Oneof the most exciting talents in Indian athletics, Das,who is making a comeback from a hamstring injury,took to Twitter to announce the development. "I ampleased to tell everyone that I have tested negativefor Covid-19. Thank you all for the loving messages.Can't wait to get back on track. Hope everyone issafe and healthy.

COMMODORE PK GARG AS NEW TOPS CEONew Delhi: The Sports Authority of India (SAI) on

Thursday appointed Commodore PK Garg as thenew Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its TargetOlympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The appoint-ment was officially ratified at SAI's Mission

Olympic Cell meeting. Garg will be assuming officeon October 25, replacing Commander RajeshRajagopalan, who held the post from 2018 till theTokyo Olympics. Commodore Garg was a High-Performance Director with SAI till June 2021 and isan Arjuna Awardee recipient (1990) in sailing andMajor Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awardee in 1993-94. He joined Indian Navy in 1984 and handled var-ious important and prestigious assignments over 34years of service.

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LEADERSHIP IS THE KEY IN INDO PAK CLASH: HAYDENKarachi: Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden saysleadership will be key in the much anticipated India-PakistanT20 World Cup clash in "dogfight conditions" in Dubai onSunday. Terming the match a real dogfight, Hayden who isworking with the Pakistan team as batting consultant, mar-gin for error will be very little in the big match so leader-ship will be the key to the outcome of the match.

INDIA HAS SOME SERIOUS MATCH WINNERS : SMITHMelbourne: Seasoned Australia batter Steve Smith says a

"terrific" Indian team is packed with some serious match win-ners going into the T20 World Cup, alluding that ViratKohli's side will be one of the favourites to lift the title. Indiathumped Australia by eight wickets in a warm-up game withRohit Sharma (60), K L Rahul (39) and Suryakumar Yadav(38) all getting some runs under their belts. Kohli did notlead the side but came out to bowl as India were still figur-ing out their sixth-bowling option. "They're a terrific side,they have got all bases covered and some serious match win-ners in there," Smith was quoted as saying by 'SydneyMorning Herald'.

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Bayern Munich kept up its winning startto the Champions League as Leroy

Sané scored twice in a 4-0 win over Benfica,but coach Julian Nagelsmann wasn't thereto see it.

Bayern didn't open the scoring until the70th minute after two disallowed goals, butonce Sané had put Bayern in front, Benficacrumbled.

The win puts Bayern five points clear ofBenfica at the top of Group E with 12 goalsscored and none conceded, and helps third-place Barcelona, which is now just one pointoff a qualifying spot following its 1-0 victo-ry over Dynamo Kyiv earlier Wednesday.

Just over an hour before kickoff, Bayernsaid Nagelsmann had "a flu-like infection,"leaving assistants Dino Toppmöller andXaver Zembrod to oversee the game andimplement instructions sent by Nagelsmannfrom his hotel room.

Nagelsmann's absence didn't seem toaffect Bayern's creativity but at least to beginwith there wasn't the usual precise finishing,as shots went wide or were saved by goalkeep-er Odysseas Vlachodimos.

Bayern's players twice celebrated takingthe lead, only for video reviews to disallowboth goals. The f irst was RobertLewandowski's effort which on replay wentin off his upper arm, the second a well-worked move finished by Thomas Müller butonly after an offside in the buildup.

Just when the Bayern players started tothink it wasn't their night, Sané stepped upto take a direct free kick outside the penaltyarea and blazed the ball over the wall and intothe net with such power than Vlachodimoscouldn't get there in time to stop it.

“We had to play our game and to bepatient,” Sané said.

Bayern went 2-0 up in the 80th with anown-goal by Benfica as Serge Gnabry'scross bounced off winger Everton's headand in. Two minutes later, it was 3-0 whenSané turned defender Nicolas Otamendiand laid the ball off for Lewandowski toscore. Sané added the fourth in the 85th off

an assist from substitute Josip Stanisic.Benfica had chances to earn a first-ever

win over Bayern and extend its nine-gameunbeaten run at home in European games.Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer twiceproduced fine reaction saves to denyDarwin Nuñez and Diogo Gonçalves inwhat was Neuer's 100th Champions Leaguegame for the club.

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Cristiano Ronaldo fell to his knees at the final whistle andlooked to the sky as Manchester United's fans sang his

name. The Portugal star had saved his team again in theChampions League.

The greatest scorer in the competition's history soared tohead in an 81st-minute winner as United erased a two-goalhalftime deficit to beat Atalanta 3-2 in a wild match at OldTrafford on Wednesday.

"That's just what he does," United manager Ole GunnarSolskjaer said.

Ronaldo's record-extending 138th goal in the ChampionsLeague came three weeks after he scored in the fifth minuteof stoppage time to snatch a victory over Villarreal in the sec-ond round of games.

This time, the goal came earlier — andwas a trademark header with hang timeand unerring accuracy after meeting across from Luke Shaw that was whippedin from deep on the left.

“His leap, his timing — it was theperfect header,” United captainHarry Maguire said.

“He has come up with a mas-sive goal again in the ChampionsLeague.”

United keeps doing it thehard way in this season's com-petition. There was the surpris-ing loss to Young Boys in thefirst game, after Aaron Wan-Bissaka'sfirst-half red card. Then a come-from-behind 2-1 win against Villarreal afterbeing outplayed for large parts at OldTrafford. Now this comeback againstAtalanta, which moved United intofirst place in Group F — two points abovethe Italian side and Villarreal.

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The series was lost but star opener SmritiMandhana feels the

Indian women's cricket teamgained quite a lot from itsrecent tour of Australia, thebiggest positive being the vis-iting bowlers' lion-hearted per-formance in the multi-formatrubber.

India lost the series 5-11after going down in the white-ball leg and drawing the loneTest.

"We had a lot of positives.Everyone did well, especiallythe bowling. It was one depart-ment where we were way bet-ter than the Aussies which is ahuge thing for the Indianteam," Mandhana said duringa Clubhouse session on 10years of Red Bull CampusCricket during which its firstever women's edition wasannounced.

"To come to Australiaand outplay their bowlers andoutplay their pacers was soamazing to watch, the wayJhulan di (Goswami) bowled,

Pooja (Vastrakar) bowledand Renuka (Singh) and

Shikha di (Pandey) bowled inthe T20 format..."

"It was amazing to watchour bowlers dominating theAustralian batters, that was thebiggest positive." Mandhanaadded.

The stylish southpaw, whohad one of her best away serieswhere she scored 86 in an ODIfollowed by a majestic 127, herfirst ton in Tests, and then a 52in the final women's T20I,added that had rain not played

spoilsport, the series couldhave gone India's way.

"If results would have gonedifferently it would have beeneven more better for India."Rain played spoiltsport in theTest match and the first T20

which we were in a very goodposition to win.

"Not blaming the rain butthings would have maybe beendifferent had the rain not hap-pened but there were so manypositives from the series," saidMandhana, who is currentlyplaying for Sydney Thunderinthe Women's Big Bash here.

The 25-year-old said theIndian team is working onimproving its batting depth andthe recent performances by thelower middle order is testamentto the efforts being put in.

"That's a conscious effortto have good batting depthspecially in T20 and ODI for-mat because in white-ballcricket we might lose a fewwickets and it shouldn't alwaysbe top heavy. We should havea lot of contributors.

"Our lower middle order iscontributing a lot and havedone amazingly in the recentseries. Jhulan di finished thematch for us in the third ODI,it showed we are all workingvery hard on batting and get-ting our number 7,8 9 to bat,"she added. The limited oversvice-captain backed the idea ofmulti-format series.

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The lineups were set inadvance: Red Bull team-

mates Max Verstappen andSergio Perez vs. Stewart-HaasRacing teammates KevinHarvick and Aric Almirola ina pit stop competition at theExxonMobil headquarters.

When it came time toloosen and then tighten a setof lug nuts, Verstappen recon-firmed his calling was inside arace car.

“I think I realised I am nota good guy for the pit box,”Verstappen said.

“It is better if I drive the car.”

Verstappen and Perez, likemost of the F1 drivers in thepaddock, have been on awhirlwind tour of the countryahead of this weekend's U.S.Grand Prix at Circuit of theAmericas in Austin, Texas.

The globetrotting series isback in North America for thefirst time since 2019 because

the pandemic canceled stopslast year in Austin, MexicoCity and Montreal.

Now back in Texas for aninth time, F1 has a newchampionship leader inVerstappen who may be some-what unknown to theAmerican fanbase.

The 24-year-old son offormer F1 driver JosVerstappen is at last having abreakout season — he has acareer-high seven wins so far— and is pushing LewisHamilton more than theseven-time champion has beenchallenged in quite some time.

Verstappen has a six-pointlead over Hamilton with sixraces remaining in a tense titlefight that has tilted back andforth all season.

Hamilton, winner of fourconsecutive titles, last faced aproper challenge in 2016 whenNico Rosberg won the seasonfinale to win the champi-onship by five points over hisMercedes teammate.

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All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan deci-mated minnows Papua New

Guinea with a superb all-round perfor-mance as Bangladesh qualified for the‘Super 12s' of the T20 World Cup witha crushing 84-run victory on Thursday.

Bangladesh, with a net run rate of+1.733 and four points in thekitty, ensured a place among theelite teams after a shocking open-ing game defeat against Scotland.

The 'Tigers' first posted animposing 181/7, as they rode onskipper Mahmudullah's blazing 50off 28 balls and Shakib's aggres-sive 46 off 37 balls.

Shakib then showed why he isBangladesh's greatest ever cricketerwith a brilliant spell of 4/9 in his four-

over spell as Papua New Guinea wereall-out for 97 in 19.3 overs.

"Obviously, it was a setback, thefirst game (vs Scotland), but in the T20format the team that is better on theday wins. But now the pressure is offand we can play expressively," Shakib,who was adjudged 'Player of theMatch', said after the game.

"It's not an easy format to get backinto form, but luckily I'm getting

more chance to bat up the order.A little tired, I've been playingnon-stop cricket for the lastfive-six months, it's been a

long season for me. But hope-fully I can pull this tourna-ment off," he sounded con-

fident.Skipper Mahmudullah, who him-

self played a captain's knock washappy to see the intent of his playersin the last two games which they won

convincingly. "I think it was much-needed. The way that we wanted to

play, the intent was there from the bat-ters. Having said that I think the wick-et was better in comparison, so the bat-ters did well to get 180," Mahmudullahsaid at the post-match presentation cer-emony.

Mahmudullah however feels thatPowerplay batting is still a concern forBangladesh.

"I think the two things we've beenconcerned about are the first six overswith bat and ball. If we get a good start,we can capitalise, so I think we needto improve on that.

"I've said it before — we're muchmore skilled hitters than big hitters. Sowe need to find the bowlers we can takeon on that particular day and we needto figure that out and communicatewith the others as experienced batters,"the skipper said.

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India's double Olympic medallist superstar PVSindhu reached the quarter-finals of the

Denmark Open Super 1000 tournament here onThursday after three hard-fought games againsther opponent from Thailand.

Sindhu won after a struggle against BusananOngbamrungphan 21-16, 12-21, 21-15 in 67minutes in her last 16 match.

This is Sindhu's first tournament since win-

ning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympicsin August. One of India's greatest Olympians,Sindhu had taken a break to rejuvenate beforemaking a comeback in this tournament.

The big names from India included LondonOlympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and for-mer men's world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth.

Later in the day, Lakshya Sen will be pit-ted against world No. 2 Viktor Axelsen in theround of 16, while Sameer Verma will meetAnders Antonsen from the host country.

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Barcelona faces another test ofits post-Messi era when Real

Madrid visits Camp Nou on anaction-packed Sunday that alsofeatures a clash between theSpanish league leader and itsdefending champion.

The first clásico since LionelMessi left for Paris will inevitablyovershadow an equally enticing

visit by Real Sociedad to AtléticoMadrid. The Basque Country sidewith its sleek attacking style leadsthe league, while the titleholderboasts the deepest attack in thecompetition.

The visit by Madrid willclose a three-game home stretchfor Barcelona that coach RonaldKoeman called crucial to gettinghis team back on the winningpath after a poor start to the sea-

son left him under intense pres-sure. Koeman's side started theweek beating Valencia 3-1 in theleague. It followed that by beat-ing Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 onWednesday that boostedBarcelona's chances of avoidingelimination from the ChampionsLeague's group stage for the firsttime in 20 years.

But Koeman was critical ofhis players for not being moreconvincing against a timidDynamo. Defender Gerard Piquescored Barcelona's only goal inthree Champions League match-es this season while its attack con-tinues to sputter.

Messi and AntoineGriezmann, which the cash-strapped Barcelona loaned backto Atlético this summer to save hissalary, combined for 58 ofBarcelona's 122 goals last season.

Newcomer Memphis Depayleads Barcelona this season withfour goals, but no other player hasscored more than twice. Comparethat to Madrid, which has got 11goals from Karim Benzema andseven more from Vinícius Júnior.

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