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SREENIVASJANYALAHYDERABAD, JANUARY19

IN WHAT raises questions ofconflictof interestandpropriety,acementcompanypart-ownedby Andhra Pradesh ChiefMinister Y S Jagan MohanReddy’s family, has received abulk of the purchase orders forstate governmentworks in thefirst10monthsof thecurrentfi-nancial year.BharathiCementCorporation

Private Ltd— inwhich Reddy’sfamily holds 49 per cent stake,and his wife is a Director — re-ceived14percentor2,28,370.14metrictonnesofallpurchaseor-ders for cement made by thestatefromApril2020till January18,2021.

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DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

THEWORLD

BIDEN, HARRIS TOBESWORN IN TODAY,WASHINGTONUNDERSECURITYBLANKETPAGE14

TANDAVMAKERSAGREETOCHANGESPAGE12

SC panel says will tryto convince farmers,member backs reformHARIKISHANSHARMA&RAAKHIJAGGANEWDELHI, LUDHIANA,JANUARY19

ADAY ahead of the next roundof talksbetweentheCentreandfarmer unions opposed to thenew agriculture laws, theSupremeCourt-appointedcom-mittee of experts held its firstmeeting in NewDelhi Tuesday,and its members said theywould “try to convince” the

protesting farmerswhile seek-ingviewsofotherfarmerorgan-isationsandthegovernment.Shetkari Sanghatana presi-

dent Anil Ghanwat, addressingthe press along with the twoothermembers of the commit-tee, agricultural economistsParmodKumar Joshi andAshok

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RAVISHTIWARI&DEEPTIMANTIWARYNEWDELHI, JANUARY19

CALLINGFOR“sensitivity”whiledealingwith the farmers’ agita-tionoverthenewfarmlaws,RSSSarkaryawah(generalsecretary)Suresh(Bhaiyyaji) Joshihassaidthat a “middle groundmust befoundandbothsidesmustworkto findasolution”.

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Govt asksWhatsApp toscrap update:‘Invasive... forIndian users’AASHISHARYANNEWDELHI, JANUARY19

THEMINISTRYofElectronicsandInformationTechnology(MeitY)on Tuesday wrote to WillCathcart, the global ChiefExecutive Officer ofWhatsApp,askinghim towithdraw the lat-estprivacyandpolicyupdateonthe instantmessagingplatform,which,itsaid,enabledWhatsAppand other Facebook companies“tomakeinvasiveandprecisein-ferencesaboutusers".Collection and sharing of

sensitive data such as the time,frequencyanddurationof inter-actions, group names or pay-mentsandtransactiondatawith

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EXPRESSNETWORK

ANURADHAMASCARENHAS&ARUNJANARDHANANPUNE,CHENNAI, JANUARY19

SOME DAYS ago, Dr V Shantawasupsetwithaformerstudentwhenthelatterbroketoherthatshewassteppingdownfromac-tive practice after a long and il-

lustriouscareerasanoncologist.“She was really annoyed withme. She askedme how could Iquit when at her age, she wasstillexaminingpatients,”saidDrP P Bapsy, former HoD ofMedical Oncology at KidwaiMemorial InstituteofOncology,Bengaluru.“It was only after I told her

that I would continue to be en-gaged insupportivework foranNGOthatworksforwomenwithcancerthatshewasnolongersoannoyed,”addedDrBapsy,who

completed her doctorate inmedical oncology underShanta’sguidance.Early Tuesday, Dr Shanta,

chairperson of The CancerInstitute at Adyar in Chennai,anddoyenof oncology,who fo-cused her expertise over half acentury in trying tomake can-cer care affordable in the coun-try, died of a heart attack. Shewas93.Born in 1927 in a family of

achievers — both hermaternalCONTINUEDONPAGE2

A pioneer in medical sciences, sheblazed a trail in fight against cancerPAGE1ANCHOR

DR V SHANTA1 9 2 7 - 2 0 2 1

KAUNAINSHERIFFMNEWDELHI, JANUARY19

INDIA’SCOVIDvaccinationpro-gramme crossed the 5-lakhmarkonthefourthdaywiththeCentre urging states to address“vaccine hesitancy” amongsome in the priority group, andindicating that the drive willsoon be extended to the largerpopulation.“Thevaccinationdrivewillbe

further accelerated...Whateverdosesofvaccinearemadeavail-able, we will ensure that theyreachmaximum beneficiaries.This will be done soon,” saidDrVKPaul,whoheadsthehigh-level national expert group onvaccinationadministration.While the Health Ministry

citedaprovisionalreportat6pm

to state that 6,31,417healthcareworkershavebeenvaccinatedsofar across 11,660 sessions, Paulsaid that “vaccinehesitancyhasto extinguish before the pan-demicextinguishes”.“InIndia,thevaccineisbeing

prioritised for health care andfrontlineworkers.However,de-spite that, if some of them arehesitant to take it, particularlythedoctorsandnurses,thenit isdisappointing.We don’t knowwhat turn the pandemic will

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APORTAL forallocationof cementpurchaseor-ders reveals thatacom-panyowned49%byAndhraCM’s familyhasbagged14%of ordersbythestate. If theordersofIndiaCementsandPennaCements,namedbytheCBI inaquidproquocase, areadded, itmakesupa thirdof purchases.

GainsforJagankinincementE●EX

PLAINED

Indiaafterchasing328towintheTest seriesagainstAustralia2-1,atBrisbane,Tuesday. Itwasthefirst loss forAustraliaat ‘FortressGabba’ in32years.@BCCI FULLCOVERAGEPAGES19,20

SANDEEPDWIVEDINEWDELHI, JANUARY19

KAPILDEVontheLord’sbalconyin 1983, Rahul Dravid andVV SLaxmanbattinganentiredayatEdenGardensin2001,MSDhonisealingitwithasixatWankhedein 2011 will remain Indiancricket’s iconicmoments— butthey can still be re-enacted.India’simpossible-to-forgetTest

wininBrisbaneandthecoming-of-age series triumph inAustralia are unlikely to be

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SRIRAMVEERAMUMBAI, JANUARY19

RISHABHPANT’Smatchwinning89undertheharshBrisbanesunwasdraining.Butattheendof itall, he didn’t look like a super-hero on the verge of collapse. Itwasmoreof anunfazedmillen-nial hoping that when the his-tory-making photographs aretaken,hishairpartingwouldstillbe inplace.“The only thing I keep on

thinkingeverydayisthat Iwanttowinmatches for India,” Pantsaid at the end of his unbeaten

knock. Head coach Ravi Shastrilooked ahead: “By keeping hiscomposure like today, if he cankeepwinningmatches, itwillbehuge forus.”On Tuesday, Pant hit ar-

guablythemost important fourin Indian cricket history whenhesmashed JoshHazlewoodtolong-off for thewinningrunstocompleteadramatic finaldayoftheseriesthatwent India’sway.Incidentally, that shot from theRoorkee-born came nearly 10years after another small-towner M S Dhoni had wal-lopedasixtotriggerhysteriaon

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Power Pant vs spinnerLyon: Duel capturesIndia story for the ages

Nowords for a headline

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

A billion get booster dose fromBrisbane: World wakes up towatch Indian cricket’s big rising

Biobubble,11 injured—fightbackbyateamthat’s livedtheartof fightingback

AMARAVATI: TDPGETSHCCLEANCHITPAGE6

PERSONAL VIEWSNOBAR FORPANEL: CJIPAGE8

Firm owned partly byCM Jagan family getsbulk of govt orders

THE EXPRESSINTERVIEW

P8

Farm stir has to end,both sides must findway out: RSS gen secy

SURESH ‘BHAIYYAJI’ JOSHIRSSGENERALSECRETARY

48%TURNUPFORSHOTS,16ADVERSEEVENTSREPORTEDPAGE4

CITY

RishabhPant,89notout,onscoringthewinningruns.PTI

6.31 lakh get vaccine:Centre flags hesitancy,asks states to engage

“Theirremarkableenergyandpassionwasvisible throughout.”NARENDRAMODIPRIMEMINISTER

New Delhi

THESECONDPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

Panel meetsGulati,said:“Committeememberswillkeepasidetheirpersonalideology.Wehavetolis-ten to the agitating and other farmers onwhattheywant.Ourdutyistolistentothemandplace itbefore theSupremeCourt.”YetGhanwat,whilerespondingtoques-

tions fromreporters, said:“Iwanttotell theagitatingfarmersthatthelawsinplaceinthecountry for the last70yearswerenot in theinterest of the farmers... 4.5 lakh farmershave committed suicide due to this. If thefarmerisbecomingpoor,andburdenedwithdebt, thensomechangesareneeded.Whenthe changeswere taking place, thismove-ment(againstthelaws)started.Wetoowerenot entirely in favour of the laws.We alsowanted some changes, some corrections. Ifthese (new laws) are repealed, then anypartythatcomestopowerinthenext50-60years will not have the patience to touchtheselaws,andthefarmerwillkeepdying.”Urging theunions to sit across the table,

Ghanwat said: “Cooperatewith us to bringthosereforms, cooperatewith thecommit-

tee,youandweareone...Allcansittogetherand omit thewrong…what is rightwill beplacedbefore theSupremeCourt.”Within hours of the meeting —

Bhupinder SinghMann, president of BKU(Mann) and chairman of All India KisanCoordination Committee, recused himselffrom the panel on January 14—unions op-posedto the laws, andcampingat thegatesof Delhi sinceNovember26, reiterated thattheywouldnotappearbefore thepanel.Jamhuri Kisan Sabha general secretary

KulwantSinghSandhusaid:“ThelawshavebeenpassedbyParliament. ThecommitteeisnotaboveParliament.”The committee, tasked by the Supreme

Courttogettheviewsofallstakeholders,hasto submita reportwithin twomonths.“Today, we discussed how the commit-

teewill function...Notonlyfarmerorganisa-tions, but we also have to speak to otherstakeholders like farm produce exporters,farmproducetraders,millers,ginners,dairyindustryandpoultryindustry...Ourjobisjusttolistento(theviewsof) farmersandstake-holders...We don’t have to do anything be-

yondthat,wedon’twanttosayany-thingbeyondthat,”Ghanwatsaid.“Thefirstmeetingwithfarmers

willtakeplaceat11amon(January)21st,” he said, without naming or-ganisations tobecalled for the firsthearing.Responding to thestatementof

unions that theywouldnot appearbefore the committee since itsmemberswereinfavourofthelaws,Ghanwat said: “We want to tellthem that we are neither from apartynorfromthegovernment,wehave been appointed by theSupremeCourt.”Gulati said: “At the end of the

round,whateverthebestviewsandthe collectivewisdomof the com-mittee on the farm laws, and theviews of the farmers and otherstakeholders that need to be col-lated,willbeputinaproperframe-work and communicated to theSupremeCourt.”Respondingtoanotherquestion,

Ghanwat said: “Wewill go to thestatesandtaketheviewsofAPMCsthere.”Meanwhile,ButaSinghBurjgill,

president of BKU (Dakaunda) said:“We don't recognise the commit-tee...”SatnamSinghPannu,president

of Kisan Sangharsh MazdoorCommittee, said: “The SamyuktaKisan Morcha had rejected thiscommittee the very first day. It is asarkari committee… let themholdasmanymeetingsas theywant."RajinderSinghDeepSinghwala,

general secretary of Kirti KisanUnion,said:“Itisadefunctcommit-teeasonememberhasalreadyleft.”SukhdevSinghKokrikalan,gen-

eral secretary of BKU (Ugrahan),said: “Committees have neveryieldedresults.”Theunionsarescheduled to re-

sume discussionswith the CentreWednesday. Last Friday, theCentresuggested that the unions consti-tute their own informal groupwhich couldmake a proposal thatcouldbediscussed.

RSS gen secyIn an interview to The Indian

Express, Joshiemphasisedthat“it isnotgoodforthehealthofsocietyforany agitation to run for too long”.“Wejustwanttheagitation(to)endquicklynow,”hesaid.“Democracyprovidesanoppor-

tunitytobothsides. Iconsiderbothsidesright(in)theirplace.Agitatorsmust consider that whatever theycangetthroughdialogue,theymustaccept.Thegovernmentmustthinkabout whatmore it can give,” theRSSNo.2said.“So it is important to find that

pointwherethetwosidescanagreeand the agitation canend.Anyagi-tationrunningfor long isnotbene-ficial... A middle groundmust befound.Anagitationdoesnotjustaf-fect people associatedwith it, butalso impacts society, directly or in-directly,”hesaid.“The government is repeatedly

sayingwe are ready to discuss, but(the protesters) are saying anydis-cussionwilltakeplaceonlyafterthelaws are repealed. Howwill a dis-cussion take place like that?” hesaid.“Ifagitatorsalsotakeapositiveapproach itwill begood,”hesaid.Askedwhatmore the govern-

ment could do to resolve the issue, he said:“Itisforthegovernmenttothink.Butif thereareanymoresuchissueswhichneedresolu-tion, it must do it... But I don’t think in anycountrya lawlike this is repealed.”When it was pointed out thatmany as-

sociatedoralignedwiththegovernmenthadcalled the protesters “Khalistanis” and“Maoists”, Joshi said: “Somepeoplemaybesayingthisbutthegovernmenthasnotsaidthis. All I will say is that a rigidity has creptintothewholeissue.Whoarethepeoplebe-hind this,mustbe investigated.”Asked about the misuse of the recent

anti-conversion laws in Uttar Pradesh andMadhyaPradesh,Joshisaid:“Wheneversuchlaws are brought, some problems arise...Whathappens in (SC/ST)AtrocityAct? I amnot saying it is beingmisused. But the casedrags on and later it is proven that it is nottrue...Whenever any law is brought, its im-plementationwill cause difficulties, whichsomeinnocentpeoplewillalsohavetobear.”He,however,saidsuchlawswereneces-

saryaspeoplewerebeingconvertedthrough“allurement”or “falsehood”.On the recent incidents of violence in

MadhyaPradeshduring thedonation cam-paign for the construction of Ram Temple,Joshi said: “The VHP is not doing this (vio-lence).Whenacrowdgathers,someviolentelements also creep in... Theorganisation isworking on keeping the movement safe

fromsuchelements.”

Jagan familyVicat, a Frenchcompany,hadacquireda

majority 51 per cent stake in BharathiCement in2010.The IndiaCements Ltd received the sec-

ondhighest purchase orders of 1,59,753.70MT. The India Cements had investments ofRs95.32crore inBharathi Cement, andhadsold it the same year Vicat acquired 51 percent inBharathi.N Srinivasan, Managing Director, The

IndiaCements, isoneof thepersonsnamedin the CBI’s quid pro quo case against YSJaganMohanReddyandothers.TheCBIhadaccusedthatthethenYSRajashekaraReddygovernment had favoured certain compa-nies in lieu of which they invested in firmsownedby JaganReddy.Of the 11 chargesheets filed by the CBI,

thesixth,seventhandeighthpertaintoquidproquobyDalmiaCements, IndiaCements,Raghuram Cements (earlier name ofBharathi Cement), and Penna Cements.Penna Cements had received purchase or-dersof 1,50,325.02MT.Taken together, these three companies

account for a third of the total purchase or-dersduringApril 2020and January2021.Andhra Pradesh IndustriesMinisterM

GouthamReddy said Bharathi Cement andIndiaCements receivedabulkof theorders

because theywereable to supplyasper thegovernmentschedules.“Somemanufactur-ers have supply chain issues and it is chal-lenging for the government to ensure con-stant supplyof cement,”hesaid.In Andhra Pradesh, purchase orders are

madethroughYSRNirman,aportalusedbyall statedepartmentstoprocurecement forgovernment works. The Y S JaganMohanReddy government has fixed the price of a50-kgcementbagatRs225forpurchasesbyitsdepartments.M Ravinder Reddy, Director, Bharathi

Cement,whoisalsoVice-President,APCMA,dismissed allegations of favouritism. “ThegovernmentordershavenothingtodowithYSBharathi(wifeofYSJaganMohanReddy)beingadirector.Shehasbeentheresincethebeginningandwehavesuppliedtothegov-ernment during the previous regime too atRs230perbag,”he toldThe IndianExpress.AnofficialofAPCMAsaidthetradebody

does not favour any company. “The reasonBharathiCementsor IndiaCementshasgotbiggerordersisothercompaniesareunabletosupplytherequiredquantity.Somecom-panies do not want to take big orders be-causethegovernmentpriceisverylow,”theofficial,whodidnotwishtobenamed,said.TheTDPhas alleged that companies led

by Bharathi Cement have formed a syndi-cate and increased prices fromRs 220-250per50kgbag toRs350-400perbag.

Ravinder Reddy, Director, BharathiCement,dismissedtheseallegations.“Priceshave risen due tomany factors.We have aplantwithacapacityof 5million tonnes, sowe receivemanygovernmentorders. But itisaburdenbecausethepriceisverylow.Wedo it aspartof CSRespeciallyashousing forweaker sections isalso involved,”hesaid.IndustriesMinisterGouthamReddysaid

the government cannot enforce price con-trol. “Wecannotdictateprices,”hesaid.

WhatsAppFacebook companieswill create an ecosys-tem where any distinction betweenWhatsApp and other companies of theFacebook groupwill cease to exist, the ITministrysaid.“Thisapproachhasthepoten-tialtoinfringeoncorevaluesofdataprivacy,user choice and autonomy of Indian users.Given thehugeuserbaseofWhatsAppandFacebook in India, the consolidation... alsoexposesavery large segmentof Indianciti-zenstogreaterinformationsecurityriskandvulnerabilities,” the ITministry said in theletter toCathcart.The letter toCathcartalsotookumbrage

atWhatsApp's accept-the-terms-or-leave-the-platformstanceforusers in IndiawhenthesamewasnotapplicabletoitsEuropeanusers.Suchtreatment,theministrysaid,“be-traysalackofrespectfortherightsandinter-ests”of Indianuserswhoformedasubstan-tial portionof its global user base and takesaway“anymeaningful choice” fromthem.

Vaccinetake; we have to start our non-Covid serv-ices... Inafewdays,Indiahasplannedtovac-cinate all its health care workers...it is notrighttohaveanyconfusion...thevaccinehes-itancy among the health care workersshouldend,”hesaid.Paul was speaking at the first official

briefing by the group after the vaccinationdrivewas launchedon January16.Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said

states have been directed to engage withbeneficiaries. “Vaccine hesitancy is some-thing that has been there in all countries. Ithas nothing to do with only Covid-19.Probably, the degree would be more inCovid-19becauseitisanewdiseaseandnewvaccine.Wehaveseenthisinpolio,measles,mumps...Theonlywayof addressing it isbyengaging repeatedly with the beneficiarygroups, and trying to address their doubtsandconfusions.Thatisouradvicetoallstategovernments,”hesaid.According to the HealthMinistry, only

nine adverse events following immunisa-tion(AEFI)thatrequiredhospitalisationhavebeen recorded so far. “In Delhi, three caseshave been dischargedwhereas one case isunderobservationatRajivGandhiHospital,Shahdara. One more AEFI case fromUttarakhand has been discharged. InKarnataka,onepersonisdischargedandan-otherpersonisstableandunderobservationat District Hospital, Chitradurga. InChhattisgarhalso,onepersonisdischarged.InRajasthan,onecaseofsuspectedanaphy-laxisisfineandunderobservationatDistrictHospital, Bangar,” theMinistry said.HealthSecretaryBhushansaidthat“only

in 0.18 per cent, minor adverse events fol-lowingimmunizationhavebeenreportedinIndia”.“And0.002percentof themrequiredhospitalisation following immunization.This is in fact the lowest, so far asweknow,intheworld.Letusseehowitevolvesgoingforward,”hesaid.

Dr V ShantauncleSChandrasekharandmaternalgrand-father C V Raman are Nobel laureates —Shantagraduatedinmedicine in1949fromMadrasMedicalCollege, laterspecialisinginGynaecologyandObstetrics.ShejoinedAdyarCancerInstitutein1955,

a year after it was founded by DrMuthulakshmi Reddy, one of the firstwomen graduates of medicine in India.There,Shanta,alongwithDrReddy'ssonDrSKrishnamurthi,developedthehospitalandresearch centre froma four-bedunit to onewith over 400 beds and patients from allover the country. It is said that in the earlyyears of the institute, Shanta andKrishnamurthiweretheonlydoctorsoncall.The institutealsoservedtotrainseveralon-cologistsatatimewhencancercareandre-searchwereatan infancy in thecountry.As news of Dr Shanta's death came in,

tributes poured in from all over the coun-try, including by PrimeMinister NarendaModi.DrCSPramesh,Director, TataMemorial

Hospital,Mumbai,said,“Whatsheachievedis remarkable.Notonlyhas shecreatedoneof the best cancer centres but also instilledthe need to always keep the patient as pri-ority foreverydoctor.”

FULLREPORTSONwww.indianexpress.com

FROMPAGEONE

Booster dose for billion from Brisbane

Power Pant takes India past finish line

overwritten in the pages ofIndiancrickethistory.For the sheer improbability

ofeventsthatunfoldedatGabbaTuesdayandtheimpossibilityofseeing something so storiedever again, this is easily India'sgreatestTestwinever.Whatarethechancesofan-

other series in a bio-bubbleamidaglobalpandemicwhichcoincideswiththeteam’sinflu-entialcaptaingoingonpaternityleave,anewlowof36alloutandabout 11 regularsmaking it totheinjurylist.India ‘C’beatingAustraliaat

avenuewhichhastraumatisedtouristsovertheyearsandisre-ferred to as theGabbatoir is amiracle. To use sport as ametaphorforanation’sidentityis a little absurd but “fightingback”will now be seen as anIndianthing.It’saserieswinthatwill force theworld to look atIndia with fresh eyes. ThisAustralian tour showed Indiancricket isn’t just about deeppockets;it’salsoaboutadeepertalentpool.Whenthegoodolddomestic circuit that’s spreadacross the countryweds IPL’snew-age innovations, it givesbirth to a team that redefinesTestmatches.OnTuesday,whileoldhand

Pujarawasmaking sure thatIndiawouldn’tlose,attheotherend21-year-old ShubmanGilland 23-year-old Rishabh Pantwereensuringthatvictory, too,remained a possibility. Pujara

tooktheshort-ballblowsonthehead, shoulder, ribs, abdomenand finger butwould abstainfrom the high-risk pulls andhooks.Gill andPantweren’t both-

eredbythemenonthefenceorthe balls rising to their chins,theywent for their shots. Theyhave faced these bowlers be-fore;PatCumminsaddresseshisIPLteammateGillas“Shubhy”.Itwas symbolic thatwhen

Pujaragotout,Indianeededlessthan100runsinabout20overs.Any self-respecting T20 starwould see this as a below-partarget. As hewalked away, itseemedPujara,the32-year-oldwho doesn’t have an IPL con-tract, was saying, “Boys, I amleaving. I know you guys cantakeitfromhere.”Theboysdidn’t disappoint.

Pant andWashingtonSundar -- the big-ticket T20 players—knewhowthiswastobedone.Therewasarefreshingcasu-

alnessinthewayPantheadlinedIndian cricket’s cultural shift.OnceitwasAustraliawhichhadshown the world that sportwithout an all-out pursuit forvictorywasmeaningless,nowabunchof20-somethingIndianswere teaching the same lessonto11tiredanddispiritedmeninBaggyGreens.Theyoungheroesofthisse-

ries have fascinatingly diverseback stories but share a com-mon trait thatmakes themhitthisgroundrunning.

Pant,alongwithhismother,would start his six-hour-longbustripfromRoorkeeat2.30amto play cricket in Delhi. Hismother would pack a coffeethermosandpaneerparathasina lunch box. A gurdwara atMotibaghwould be their rest-ingplaceduringtheday.Gill’s father, a landlord,was

very sure that hewouldmakehis son an international crick-eter. His farmhands at villageChakKherewala,nearJalalabadinPunjab,wouldoftenturnnetbowlers.Thistour’sCinderellastoryis

of T Natarajan, who came toAustraliaasanetbowlerbutasthe injury list grew,made hisT20,ODI,and,finally,Testdebut.BorninChinnappampatti,a

village36kmwest of Salem inTamilNadu,hewasastarintheregion’s annual tennis-ballcricket tournaments. If not forcricket, hewould have been aweaverlikehisfather.Same was true for

MohammedSiraj,thefindofthetour,whosefive-wickethaulonDay4sawIndiaputafootinvic-tory’sdoor. Ifnotforagenerouscoachwhogavehimthemoneyto travel to Charminar CricketClub on the outskirts ofHyderabad, the sonof anauto-rickshawdriver fromthe innercitywouldhavebeenhappy tocheerTeamIndiaontelevision.Of late, the BCCI set-up,

alongwiththeIPLnetwork,hasensuredthathalf-cookedcrick-

etersgetweededout.Franchiseswith a sharp eye for cricketingtalent,andfinancialreturns,aregoingtheextramiletoreachthemost underprivileged but tal-entedcricketers.India’s Mr Cricket, Rahul

Dravid,themaninchargeattheNational CricketAcademy, hasputinplaceastrictqualitycon-trolprogramme.India’s new brand of the

game is turning heads. InEngland,apopularpodcastpre-dicts that this is going tobe thedecade of Indian cricket.Pakistan cricketers ShoaibAkhtar, Rashid Latif andInzamam-ul-Haq, on theirYouTube channels these days,sound like depressed parentswhokeepcomparingtheiraca-demicallyaveragekidtothetop-pernextdoor.Australia, intheirtruetradi-

tionof applaudinghard-nosedcricketers,haveanew-foundre-spect for India. In Brisbane,when Pujara was getting hitfrom head to toe, they evencomparedhimtoSteveWaugh.Pant’s daredevilry made

Google CEO Sundar Pichaitweet:“Oneof thegreatestTestserieswinsever.CongratsIndiaandwellplayedAustralia,whataseries.” IntheUK,ChancelloroftheExchequerRishiSunakwassleep-deprived.“Whatamatch!Congratulations India onahis-toricwin. Canwe sleepnow?”OnTuesday,theworldwokeuptoseeIndiancricket’sbigrising.

aMumbainight.Before this tour, Pant was

knownforimpetuousnessandbrawn. Brisbane had himadding self-control. It wasn’ttheusualPantPowerthatdiditfor India. His battle with off-spinnerNathonLyoncapturedhowhehad crafted a knock tosavour forages.LyonknewPantdoesn’tloft

inside-out over covers on theoffside. And so, he kept luringhim on that line around offstump,attimeseventurningitaway from outside. No onemannedthedeepcoverregion.The Australian palms wereready and itching at long-offand long-on. Once, Pantchargeddownthetrackbuttheball leaped past the blade —evenifwicketkeeperTimPainehadgathered thehigh-bounc-ing ball he couldn’t swoop intimeasPant swung thebatupand over his shoulder, and got

it back in the crease. Be that asitmay, theoff-side trapwasn’tasecretanymore.WhatwouldPantdo?Hedasheddownagain,this

time the ball on the off andmiddle was thrown back byfans beyond long-on. Lyon al-teredthelinetooutsideoff.Andhe largely stayed there. Pantwould let them turn past himor bunt them for the odd sin-gles.Intheaftermath,hewouldshadow-practice the lofteddriveovercovers.World No.1 ranked bats-

manKaneWilliamson’s coachDavid JohnstonWhatsAppedfromNew Zealand: “Will heplay that inside-out shot, youreckonnowinsearchforquickruns?”But Pant continued toshadow-play.The required run-rate kept

inching over and a thoughtbubbledup:iftheseamerscon-trolledtherunsfromtheother

end,wouldPantgofortheshotthathedoesn’t likeplaying?Forapowerhitter,oncethe

handsstarttogo, theattackingurge cues up exponentially;theyliketokeepgoingon.LikePant did in the previous Test.LikeLyonprobably thoughthewoulddoagain.Itwastheclos-est Pantwill probably ever getto Sachin Tendulkar’s absti-nenceof2004Sydneywhenhecutoutthecoverdrivefromhisdoublehundred.Tendulkardidit becausehecould. Pantdid itbecausehehadto.It’s easy to be one-dimen-

sional -- either toattackorde-fend. But it's not easy to dowhatPantdid,underpressure,with a series on line, with theclockticking,withthethreatofrain looming, with run-ratepressureratcheting.Hewassimilarlycontrolled

against the seamers. Onlywhensixrunsremaineddidhe

swinghisarmsandplay to thegallery--andalmostholedout.Until then, he didn’t extendhimself.Bynow, crackswereopen-

ingupona length -- the kindswhere the late Tony Greigwouldfamouslytrypushinghiscarkeysthroughinhispitchre-ports -- but it was theAustralianresolvethatdisinte-grated intheend.“Dukhnahi baantahai bhai,

sirf kushi (I have never sharedsorrow, only joy),” Pant hadoncetoldthisnewspaperabouthowhehidhis emotions fromhismotherandsisterfollowingthe death of his father shortlyafter his first IPL auction. “If Ihad broken down then, whowould take careofmymotherandsister?Someonehadtobestronganddoit.”Justlikehowhedraggedhis

teambeyondthe linetoday.

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ThestrangecaseofcomedianMunawarFaruquiandhisarrestNEWEPISODEEVERYDAY

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TO TRACK passengers, managecrowds and ensure social dis-tancing, sensors have been in-stalled on the ceiling of Delhi'sIndira Gandhi InternationalAirport."Wehaveputupanumberof

signages andmarkers to ensuresocial distancing. The latestmeasure is the Xovis passengertracking system.We installedthis around 1-1.5 years ago, butthat was to manage queues.Recently, we installed sensorswhichcountpeopleasdotsonascreen. It is an IOT device thatusesartificialintelligence,"VidehKumar Jaipuriar, CEO, DelhiInternational Airport Limited(DIAL), said.Thesystemreceivesthisdata

and provides airport operatorswithkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs),visualisedonadashboard."Greenanddarkbluelinesonthedashboard represent crowds.While the green colour on themaprepresentsacollisionoccur-rence, the darker blue points atthemost crowded point in thearea," saidaDIALofficial.The560sensorsareplacedin

nineareasofTerminal3, includ-ing check-in rows, securitycheckpointsandemigrationandimmigration areas. The systemisthefirstof itskindinthecoun-try, said theCEO.He added thatTerminal 1,which is under con-struction, might have a similarsystemtoo.Earlier, terminal managers

andstaffwouldkeepaneyeoutfor crowds and bottlenecks buttherewasscopeofhumanerror.Airport officials said it was par-ticularlydifficulttomaintainso-cial distancing asmany groupswho would travel togetherwouldnotmaintaindistance.The installation has made

theirworkquickerandmoreef-

ficient, theysaid.The CEO said, "We have to

work with a number of stake-holders to ensure passengerwaiting time keeps comingdown." He added that they hadstarted interactingwithXovis, aSwiss company, when the pan-demicbegan."The systemwill ensure our

fight against Covid continues…It aids us in two ways — helpmaintain social distance andmanagewaitingtimeforpassen-gers,” he said. Screenshave alsobeeninstalledatcrowdedpointstogivepeopleanideaoftheires-timatedwaiting time.

Court discharges three AAP leaders accused in 2017 assault case

Riot accused tell court notbeing provided chargesheet

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,JANUARY19

TAKINGNOTE of lacunae in thematerialproducedby theprose-cution, a Delhi court has dis-charged AAP leaders SomnathBharti, Jarnail Singh and

Amanatullah Khan, who hadbeenaccusedofbeatingandcon-fining awoman inside theDelhiVidhanSabhain2017.AdditionalChiefMetropolitan

Magistrate Dharmender Singhdischarged the three leaders onTuesday,notingthatthewoman'sstatementtopoliceandthemag-

istratehadcontradictions.Thewomanhadalleged that

onJune28,2017,whenshewentto the Delhi Vidhan Sabha towatch its proceedings, a crowdapprehended and beat her onSingh's instigation. She allegedthatKhan,whowasalsopresent,beatherandforcedherinsidethe

building, and later Bharti tooabusedher. The court observed,"Inviewoftheseveral lacunaeinthe material produced by theprosecution,gravesuspiciondoesnotarise inthepresentcase."The court noted that in her

typed complaint, the womannamed only Khan,while in her

statement to themagistrate shealso named Singh. She allegedshewasconfinedforonehourinher complaint, but in the state-ment to the magistrate sheclaimedshewasconfinedfortwohours. The court alsonoted thatasper thecomplainant’sversionshewent toDelhi Vidhan Sabha

towatch itsproceedings, but "asperthevisitors'registeratthere-ception, said reason/purpose isnotmentioned". "... Despite theversion of the complainant thatcrowdwas present there, nonefromsaidcrowdhasbeencitedasprosecutionwitness," the courtsaid.

THECITY3 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

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ADMISSION TO PH.D PROGRAMMES (JANUARY-2021 INTAKE)

(For JRF, NET, GATE, GPAT, DBT-BET & JEST (Physics) Qualified Candidates only)Online applications are invited from “JRF, NET, GATE, GPAT, DBT-BET &

JEST (Physics) Qualfied Candidates only for admission to Ph.DProgrammes in various Departments for Session 2020-21 starting fromJan/Feb-2021.

Opening of the Application Form/Portal: 20th January, 2021.Last Date to apply: 31st January, 2021.Detailed prospectus and online Application Form, available at University

website www.cup.edu.inCONTROLLER OR EXAMINATIONS

CUPB-40 Advt. No. CUPB/20-21/012 Dated: 19.01.2021d½fÄff´f³f IYf dWaXQe øY´ffa°fSX d½fV½fd½fôf»f¹f IYe ½fZ¶fÀffBMX ´fSX CX´f»f¶²f W`XÜ

ARYABHATTA KNOWLEDGE UNIVERSITYGyan Parishar, Mithapur, Patna-800001(State University, Estd. By Bihar Act 24, 2008)

Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Patna offers theapplication for Ph.D. Admission Test (PAT)-2021 from theinterested candidates as per approved Regulations in the followingPh.D. Programmes: a) Ph.D. in Medical Science b) Ph.D. inDentistry c) Ph.D. in Engineering and d) Ph.D. in Education.

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By order of the Vice-ChancellorController of Examinations, AKU, Patna

THE SYSTEM calculatesthe PeopleDensity Index(PDI), which is the num-ber of breaches or colli-sions, divided by thenumber of people in thearea. So in case there isone breach among fourpeople, thePDIwouldbe0.25. It is calculated on ascaleof0-5.WhenthePDIcrosses two, emails aresent to staff and terminalmanagersinthearea.Staffthenvisitthespotandaskpeople to maintain dis-tance by standing on amarking or joining anemptierqueue.

Howitworks?

Sensors atairport ceilingto fix crowding

560sensorswillbeplacedatnineareasofTerminal3

NewDelhi:Multipleaccusedper-sons,facingtrialunderthestrin-gent Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act in a NortheastDelhi riots case, told a courtTuesdaythattheyhavenotbeengiven access to the chargesheetin jail despite itsorders.Additional Sessions Judge

AmitabhRawatputupthemat-ter for further hearing onFebruary 2, and expressed his

displeasurewhenitcametolightthat theaccusedwerenotbeinggiven a uniform time slot forreading thechargesheet.Thecourthadearlierdirected

police toupload thesoft copyofthechargesheettothecomputerin jail after the accused con-tendeditwasdifficult todiscussthe bulky document during thehalf-hour legal interviewwiththeir lawyers.ENS

New Delhi

ANANYATIWARI&ASTHASAXENANEWDELHI, JANUARY19

DESPITETOPdoctors leadingbyexample, healthcareworkers atAIIMS, Safdarjung and RMLHospital havebeen slow to turnup to get the Covid shot, datafrom the first three days of thevaccine drive shows. A total of127,158and122staffatRML,AI-IMS and Safdarjung have re-ceivedthevaccinesofar.Across Delhi’s 81 sites on

Tuesday,4,936healthcarework-erswerevaccinated—48.75%oftheexpectedtargetof10,125ben-eficiaries. Government sourcessaidthereisaslightimprovementin numbers as compared toMondaywhen44%ofbeneficiar-ies turned up. Sixteen cases ofAEFI(adverseeventfollowingim-munisation)werereported.At RML, AIIMS and

Safdarjung, 27, 55 and 30 staffrespectively got vaccinatedTuesday,thougheachhospitalseta targetof inoculating100aday.Thethreehospitalsareamongsixin the capital which have beengiven themandate to vaccinateemployeeswithBharatBiotech'sCovaxin,currentlyunderphase3clinicaltrials.At75othercentres,Covishieldisbeinggiven.AseniorofficialfromtheNew

Delhi’s district administrationsaid,“Wenoticedthelowturnoutof staff andHCWsat these threehospitals andrealised that somepeopleareapprehensiveandarewaitingtoseethevaccine’seffectson the first batch of participantsfor 14 days before taking a deci-sion. The consent formhas alsoprovokedsecondthoughts.”OnDay1ofthevaccinedrive,

AIIMSdirectorRandeepGuleria,RMLmedicalsuperintendentAKRana, NITI Aayogmember V KPaulandMedicalDirectorofLadyHardingeMedicalCollegeDrNNMathurhadgottheCovaxinshot.Dr Rana told The Indian

Express:“Thereareseveralfactorsbehindfluctuatingnumbers.Wefaced issues in running CoWINappwhich has names of regis-tered beneficiaries. OnMonday,we tookmanyhealthcarework-ers on awalk-in basis,which in-creasedtheoverallnumber.Ihavebeensharingmyexperiencewithall staff members to motivatethemtotakethevaccine.”DrDKSharma,AIIMSmedical

superintendent, reiterated this:“Itisdifficulttosaywhythenum-berwas lowonMonday.Butasaregular exercise, we have beenmotivatingandencouragingourhealthcareworkers to come for-ward...Theinstitute’sdirectorhassetanexample...”HealthMinister Satyendar

Jain Tuesday said the exercise isvoluntarybutadded:“Itistheini-tial days of the drive and itwilltake time, but people’s confi-dencewillpickup.”

AtRML, the residentdoctors’associationhadearlierraisedap-prehensionsaboutthevaccine.Said a 23-year-old employee

atthehospitalwhowasonthelistbut did not turn up on SaturdayorMonday: “Iwill takeacall inafewdays.” Another staffer at thesamehospitalsaidhe“willtakeitin8-10days”.Dr Sagar Borker, an associate

professor at the communitymedicinedepartmentatRMLandpartofthevaccinationteam,toldTheIndianExpress,“Therearedef-initely thosewhoare apprehen-sive.However,thisisnatural,con-sidering that Covaxin is beinggiven in trialmode. I have beenvaccinated, andmanyothersarealsovoluntarilycomingfor it.”At Safdarjung hospital, a 27-

year-old resident doctor said: “Iam not against getting vacci-nated;Ijustwanttowaitandsee.”Some, though, were more

keen.A34-year-oldsupportstaffat AIIMS, who handles trans-portationofCovidsamples, said,“We have beenworking in theCovidward, and it is extremelydangerous. When my namecomes, Ishallgetthevaccine.”

4THEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

FARMLEADERSWANTTOTAKEOUTRALLYONOUTERRINGROAD

JIGNASASINHA,RAAKHIJAGGA&AMILBHATNAGARNEWDELHI, LUDHIANA,JANUARY19

AHEADOF theproposed tractorrally on Republic Day, seniorDelhi Police officers met farmleaders at Singhu border onTuesdaytodiscusstherouteandsecurityarrangements.As part of their protest, on

January 26, thousands of farm-ers from Singhu, Tikri andGhazipurbordersaresettotakeout a tractor march on Delhi’sOuterRingRoad. Police sourcessaidtheytriedtoconvincefarm-erstoholdtheirprotestonKMPExpressway and notmarch to-wards Kisan Ghat or take otherroutes, but couldn’t reach anagreement. “We told them toholdaprotestatthebordersbutthey want to march towardsKisan Ghat. Some farmers willtake tractors towards theOuterRingRoadandprotestthere.Wethink the Western PeripheryRoad will be blocked due tothis,” saida seniorofficer.Amember of the Bharatiya

KisanUnion said, “Police are in-sisting we take the KMP routebut farmers said theywon’t.”Rajinder Singh Deep Singh

Wala, general secretary of theKirtiKisanUnionwhowasatthemeeting with police, said: “Ateam of officialsmet 7-8 unionmembers onMonday eveningand another on Tuesdaymorn-

ing.Theyaskedustoholdthepa-radeontheoutskirtsofDelhi,butwetoldthemwewanttodoitonOuter Ring Road. We will bechalkingout adetailedplananditwill be peaceful. They (police)will have yet anothermeetingwith us at 11 amWednesdayat Vigyan Bhawan, an hour be-fore the meeting with UnionMinisters.Wewill issue an ap-peal to Delhi residents to keepRingRoadfreeforusforaday;I’msure theywill listen to our de-mand.We are not going to dis-rupt theparadeat Rajpath.”JagmohanSinghPatiala,gen-

eral secretaryof BKUDakaundawho was also at the meeting,

said:“OurplanforRepublicDayis on the Outer Ring Road; wewon’tcauseahassletoanyone.”Buta SinghBurjgill, president ofBKU Dakaunda, said they willgive awritten plan to the unionministerson January20.“Weunderstandthesecurity

issuesanddon’twant todisturbthe public.We are in talkswiththe Supreme Court and police.Wetoldthemthemarchcan’tbepostponed or cancelled,” saidHarjinder Dhaliwal, a farmer atTikri border, whowas also partof the talks.

Security beefed upAt Tikri border, Delhi and

HaryanaPolicehavecordonedoffnearbyareaswithtwo-threelay-ersofnon-permanentbarricadesand road blocks. A senior policeofficer from the Outer districtsaid, “We are allowing them tomarch fromTikri to Singhu. Butnearbyborders likeDelhi-Jaipurroadwillbeblocked.Wecan’tal-lowthis...Wearediscussing fur-ther termswiththe leaders.”Atpresent,morethan17,000

farmers are camping at Tikri.Policehavedeployed15compa-nies of local police and RapidActionForcepersonnel, and5-6teams around the border to pa-trol thestreets.As part of securitymeasures

forRepublicDay,combingdrivesanddoor-to-doorverificationareunderway at residential areas,marketsandhotelsnearthebor-ders.Personnelwillalsoconductvehiclechecksbeforethemarch.AtSinghuborder,more than

30,000farmersfromPunjabandHaryanahavejoinedtheprotest.A senior officer from theWestern Range said: “We have17outsidecompaniesatthebor-deralongwith localpolice fromRohini andNorthwest districts.We are planning to call 2,000-3,000more personnel to helpwithsecurityarrangements.”AtGhazipurborder,over8,000

farmers from UP, Punjab andHaryanaareprotesting.DCP(East)Deepak Yadav said, “We havenearly 12-15outside companiesatthebordernow,alongwith160personnel fromthe local district.Checkinghasbeenintensified.”

The planAccording to farmers, the

RepublicDayplan includes apa-rade “similar to theofficial func-

tion at Rajpath”. At several prac-ticedrills inPunjabandHaryana,tractormarchesincludedtableausof farm laws and agriculture.Bannersandboardswillbeplacedon tractors to raise awarenessabout the laws and the protest,farmers said. “The idea is to in-cludeissuesof farmersinthecel-ebrations. Itwill be amarch, liketheoneatRajpath.Farmers fromdifferent stateswill display theirthoughtsonthebillandhighlighttheirplight,”saidamemberoftheorganisingcommittee.Farmers are expecting rep-

resentation of at least 20 statesintheirparade.Theyhadearliersaidthenational flagwillbeputatopvehiclesandnoflagsofanypolitical partywill be allowed.Manyprotestersareexpected

to join the rally fromDelhi andtake outmarches on foot. Thosetravelling fromPunjab are likelytobegintherallyfromSinghuandTikri,whilemanyotherswill jointhe processionmidway. Somegroupswillbetakingoutmarchesonhorsebackaswell,farmerssaid.

FarmertriestokillhimselfatTikriborderNew Delhi: A farmer at-tempted suicide at Tikriborder Tuesday by al-legedlyconsumingpoison.Theman, JaiBhagwan,al-legedlyconsumedsulphastabletsandwasrushedtoSanjay Gandhi Hospital,whereheisbeingtreated.“Iamasmallperson.Manyfarmershave taken to thestreets to protest againstthefarmlaws.Thegovern-ment says it is amatterofonly two-three states butthereare farmers fromallover the country. It hascometoadeadlockwherebothfarmersandgovern-ment are not in agree-ment,” hewrote in apur-portedsuicidenote.

CovidICUbedreservationatpvthospitalsnow25%New Delhi: The Delhigovernment Tuesday in-formedtheDelhiHCthatreservation of Covid ICUbedshasbeenreducedto25% from 40% at privatehospitalswitha capacityof over100beds.

‘NotdumpinguntreatedwasteinYamuna’New Delhi: In a hearingbefore an SC benchheaded by Chief JusticeS A Bobde on Tuesday,Haryana contested theDJB’s claim that it wasdumping untreated dis-charge in the Yamunaleading to a spike in am-monia levels.

NorthMCDsignsMoUNew Delhi: AnMoU hasbeen signed betweenNorthMCDandIndianOilCorporationLtdfordevel-opment of integratedwaste-to-energyfacilitiesunder the civic body,Mayor Jai Prakash saidTuesday.ENS

BRIEFLY DU wants to workclosely with remotecolleges and univs

South Delhi to hireprofessionals toteach yoga at parks

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY19

HOME MINISTER Amit ShahTuesday praised the DelhiPolice’s handling of last year’sNortheastDelhiriots,thecurrentfarmers’ agitation, and its per-formanceduringtheCovidpan-demic.Speaking at the Delhi Police

headquarters,Shahsaid,“Icamehere (PHQ) in February 2020;that time, I said that the policehavealwaysbeenwiththepub-lic... walking hand-in-hand inbadtimes.Today,it’sbeenayear.I look back and see the pan-demic... howthepolicewonthepublic’s trust. In 2020, thereweremultiple challenges Delhiand the country faced. The po-liceexcelled/passedall the testsinthisyear.ThesetestsincludedNortheastDelhi riots, lockdownandun-lockdownprocess,help-ing migrants reach home andpeacefullymanaging the farm-ers’ agitation.”Shah honoured some per-

sonnel for their performanceand paid tribute to those wholost their lives to Covid. He alsochaired ameeting with seniorpoliceofficerstoreviewsecurityarrangementsaheadofRepublicDaycelebrations.“Totacklechallenges,wewill

have to first understand themandbringchangesinthewaywefunction accordingly, only thenwe will be able to face chal-lenges,” Shahsaid.

Healsoaskedeachpolicesta-tion to set five targets for its im-provementandbetterperform-anceby2022,whenthecountrywill celebrate 75 years ofIndependence.“Wehave several challenges

in frontof us sinceDelhi is ana-tional capital and terrorism is achallenge, drug trafficking is achallenge, fake note business isa challenge and traffic is also achallenge,”hesaid.HesaidtheDelhiPolicehasa

large area of responsibilityasvariouskeyinstallationscomeunder its jurisdiction —Rashtrapati Bhavan, PrimeMinister'sresidence,embassies,headquarters of key organisa-tionsandsciencecentres.He also appreciated the city

police’sinitiativetoreunitemiss-ing childrenwith their parentsand said such moves were aservice tohumanity.He announced that 15,000

CCTVcameraswill be installedinDelhi for closemonitoringofcrime and criminals, and alsoformaintenanceof lawandor-der. These networks willbe connectedwith CCTV cam-eras installed in railway sta-tions, he said.The Union HomeMinister

alsosaidthataMemorandumofUnderstandinghasbeensignedby the police force with theNational Forensic ScienceUniversity to seek assistancefromforensicexpertsinenhanc-ing investigation capabilities ofDelhiPolice.

AttheSinghuborder,Tuesday. Photos:AbhinavSaha

4,936healthcareworkerswerevaccinatedTuesday.AmitMehra

ANANYATIWARINEWDELHI, JANUARY19

PLANNINGFORtheCentralVistaAvenue redevelopment is un-derwayandwillbeexecutedaf-ter this year’s Republic Day, it islearnt. “We are preparing a de-tailed plan, keeping public con-venienceinmind,”asourcetoldThe Indian Express. Work is ex-pected to be completed in timefornextyear’sRepublicDay.

The tender for redevelop-mentoftheAvenuewasawardedto Shapoorji Pallonji and Co PvtLtd on January 8; the firm is ex-pected to complete thework in300days.Asper thetenderdoc-ument,sanctionedcostsshallbeRs372.9croreforthe‘CivilWorkandHorticultureComponent’;Rs113.7croreforthe‘ElectricalandMechanicalcomponent’;andRs15.51 crore for ‘Operation andMaintenance’ for fiveyears.As per the plan for the rede-

velopment of the Avenue pre-sented byHCPDesign, PlanningandManagement Pvt Ltd— thearchitectural consultant of theCentralVistaproject—lawnsandcanals shall be refurbished,newtreeswould comeup and park-ing spaces and vending areasshall be created, all keeping inmindthat theAvenuealsohoststheannualRepublicDayevent.Edwin Lutyens had initially

conceptualisedtheAvenuebeingframedbyindigenoustreesofthe

region, which include Peepal,BanyanandWildFicus,andasperHCP,overdecades,manyspeciesof trees have emerged at theAvenue. “Amasterplan for treesisbeingworkedoutwhichwillbegradually realised over a coupleof decades. Itwill have a slightlywiderrangeandmoretreescom-pared to the original sparse treelandscape designed by Lutyens.Grown trees will be trans-planted,”saidanofficialfromHCP.Lawns shall also be refur-

bishedwitholdandnewspeciesof grass. “Canalswill not changeinsize;existingcanalswillbere-furbishedandwaterreplenishedto ensure availability of waterroundtheyear.Appropriatetech-nologyandserviceinfrastructurewillbeintegratedtoensureeasymaintenance,”saidtheofficial.“Thedesignalsoprovidesap-

propriate facilities and desig-nated,well-organisedspacesfora larger number of vendors,”addedtheofficial.

Workwill startafter thisRepublicDayevent.GajendraYadav

REDEVELOPMENT TO BE COMPLETED BY R-DAY 2022

Central Vista Avenue to have more trees, lawns to get makeover


DELHI UNIVERSITY has startedthe ‘VidyaVistar Scheme’ to in-crease academic cooperationwithcollegesanduniversities inremoteareasof the country.“The aim of Vidya Vistar

Scheme is tomaximise contri-butionofhighereducational in-stitutions to nation buildingthrough optimumutilisation ofexisting resources and poten-tials,” said Officiating Vice-ChancellorPC Joshi, Tuesday.“Through this scheme, the

University of Delhi proposes tothrow open its faculties, libraryand other academic facilitiesavailableinitsDepartmentsandColleges to partner institutionsfor academic cooperation andcollaboration,”hesaid.AtapressconferenceTuesday,

listing achievements of the pastsix months since he took overcharge fromV-CYogeshTyagi—whowasearlierunwellandthensuspendedbythePresidentafteran inquirywas initiated againsthimfor“misconduct”and“dere-lictionofduties”bytheEducationMinistry—Joshisaidhebelievedin the idea of “one DU” andwished for greater collaborationbetween departments and col-leges,andinterdisciplinarity“likeDineshSingh(formerDUV-C)”.The university will also add

morefocustoresearchactivitiesin thecomingmonths,hesaid.DUwill also hold its convo-

cationonFebruary27andsetupa committee for its centenarycelebrations in 2022, plans for

whichincludecompilingthehis-toryof theUniversity,andanen-cyclopaediaofDU.Outlininghisplans for the fu-

ture,Joshi—who’salsointherun-ning for VCship after Tyagi’stenure ends inMarch— said hehad two objectives in mind.“Mission500is thefirst,which isthatIwantDUtocomeinthe400-500RankinQSrankings.Thesec-ondaimisMission300wherebyIwant to collect Rs 300 crore forDU’s Corpus fund from alumniand friends of DU. Iwill start bydonatingRs1lakh,”hesaid.“Iamkeenthatwekeepcon-

tinuously keep improving ourrank.Wehaveastrongresearchbase... Inthelast4.5years,thingshad stopped but it was my at-tempt to expedite thoseprocesses. It was my attemptthatpeopledon’tseethelastfiveyearsasBlackyears,”headded.Joshi also said theuniversity

hadmade several strides in thelast sixmonths including expe-diting promotions and recruit-mentwhichwere pending. Theissueofrecruitmenthasplaguedthe central university for adecade now,with an estimated4,000 teachers still working inad-hoccapacity.

Vaccination drive slow totake off in 3 key hospitals

ABHINAVRAJPUTNEWDELHI, JANUARY19

PARKSINSouthDelhicouldsoonhaveprofessionalyogateachersdeputed by the South MCD tohelppeopleexercise.Adecision inthis regardwas

takenbyitsstandingcommitteewhile placing the budget pro-posalonTuesday.Standingcom-mitteeheadRajDuttGehlotsaidqualified teachers would behiredandanominalsumwouldbecharged frompeople.“Several people use MCD

properties to teachyogabutwedon’t know if the teachers arequalified or not. So, SouthMCDwill hire teachers who are,” hesaid, adding that details are be-ing finalised on how to imple-ment the scheme. South Delhihas around 6,400 parks— bothornamental andgeneral.The standing committee

Tuesdayalsorejectedproposalstoincrease taxes.Owing to a finan-cial crisis, SouthMCDhad pro-

posed increasing property tax.AnothersignificantdecisiontakenduringTuesday’smeetingwastoreserve25%ofrevenuegeneratedfromadvertisementstopublicisethecivicbody’sworks.SDMCalsoplanstospend50%

ofrevenuegeneratedfromunau-thorisedcoloniesinthesamear-eas. Gehlot said at themoment,very fewunauthorised coloniespaytaxes.“Sowehavedecidedtoincrease the tax ambit, andmoney collectedwould be in-vestedinthesameareas,”hesaid.

UnionHomeMinisterAmitShaharrivesat theDelhiPoliceheadquarters,Tuesday.PremNathPandey

Shah praises policehandling of Delhiriots, farmers’ stir

Police try to limit tractor rally to periphery,farmers firm:Won’t disrupt R-Day parade

Total VacantHOSPITAL BEDS 9,278 8,281VENTILATORS 1,189 873

Dailycases Recoveries Deaths TestsJan18 161 362 8 50,523Jan19 231 222 10 72,441Total 2,334* 6,19,723 10,764 99,96,032

CORONAVIRUSIN THECAPITAL *T

otalactivecases

TOTAL CASES

6,32,821VACCINATIONSON JAN 19

4,936

SouthDelhihasaround6,400parks.Archive

UndertheVidyaVistarScheme,DUproposesto ‘openits faculties,library in itsdeptsandcollegestopartnerinstitutionsforacademiccooperation’

New Delhi

GOVT&POLITICS 5WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

Vows for Eternity: Bringing thatspecial sparkle tomatters of theheart

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ADVERTORIAL

BASHAARATMASOODSRINAGAR, JANUARY19

INTHE first crack in thePeople'sAlliance forGupkarDeclaration(PAGD), the People's ConferenceledbySajadLonepulledoutofthealliance on Tuesday, citing thefieldingofproxycandidatesintheDistrict Development Council(DDC)pollsasareason.Lone, who was the PAGD

spokesperson, conveyed thede-cision in a letter to FarooqAbdullah,presidentofthealliance.“It is difficult for us to stayon

andpretendasifnothinghashap-pened.Therehasbeenabreachoftrustbetweenpartners,whichwebelieve is beyond remedy. Themajoritarianview inourparty isthatweshouldpull outof theal-liance in an amicable mannerrather thanwaiting for things togetmessier...Iamconfirmingthatwewillno longerbeapartof thePAGD,"Lonesaidinhisletter.He, however, said his party

wasnot"divorcing" fromtheob-jectivesofthePAGD."Wewillcon-tinue to adhere to theobjectivesthatwesetoutwhenthisalliancewasmade.AndthePAGDleader-

ship should be assured thatwewill extend support on all issueswhich fall within the ambit ofstated objectives," he said. "Wehave issued clear instructions toall party leaders not to issue anystatementsagainstthePAGDoritsleaders".Therewasdisquietwithinthe

People'sConferenceover itscon-tinuationinthePAGD,andseniorparty leader Imran Raza Ansarihadmade his concerns public.Party insiders saidAnsariwas intouchwithseveralpolitical lead-ersoutsideJ&Ktoo.TheysaidthatwhileAnsari playedakey role intheparty'sdecision topull outofthePAGD,itwasaunanimousde-cisiontakenbythetopleadershipincludingLone.

Inhis letter toAbdullah, Lonecited the fieldingof proxy candi-datesasareasonforpartingways."I amwriting toyou in referencetotherecentlyheldDDCelectionsanda spateof statements issuedbyleadersbelongingtoourparty.Therecurringthemeofthestate-mentswas the fielding of proxycandidatesbyconstituentpartiesagainst the officiallymandatedcandidatesof thePAGD,"hesaid."We convened ameeting of ourleaders...ThepredominantfeelinginthemeetingwasthatthePAGDsentimentatthetopwasnotem-ulatedontheground,”hesaid.He said the alliance partners

were"silentbystanders"andeven"compounded the problems byfieldingproxy candidates". Lone

said thatwhile the alliance de-manded sacrifice, no partywasreadytocedespace."TheDDCelectionspersemay

notmatter institutionally. Buttheseelectionsweredistinctivebyvirtue of the timing. Firstly, thecontext of these DDC electionswaspolitically very important. Itwasthefirstelectionpost-August5. And secondly, it was a com-bined showof strengthof ama-jority of the J&Kpoliticalmain-stream. Itwas less of an electionandmore of an opportunity tosendastrongunanimouspoliticalmessage,"hesaidintheletter."Thisallianceneededsacrifice.

Everypartyhadtosacrificeonthegroundintermsofgivingspacetofellowallies.Nopartyiswillingto

cede space, noparty iswilling tosacrifice.We fought against eachother in Kashmir province, notagainsttheperpetratorsofAugust5. And thosewho perpetratedAugust 5 and theirminions arenowvocallygleeful,”hesaid.LonesaidthatwhilethePAGD

partners had “unambiguouslywon” themaximumnumber ofseats,thestatisticsonthenumberofvotespolledagainstthealliancecouldnotbehidden."ApartfromthenumberofseatsthatthePAGDwon, other important statisticalvariable in the context of August5 is the number of votes polledagainstthePAGD.WebelievethatthevotespolledagainstthePAGDaremajorlythevotescastbyprox-ies of PAGD constituent partiesagainst official PAGDcandidates.Andthenetoutcomeofselectivelyvoting for and against PAGD is avery poor vote share," he said.“ThisiscertainlynotthevotesharethatpeopleofJ&Kdeservedpost-August 5”. ThePAGD, anallianceof severalmainstreampoliticalparties including rivalsNationalConference and PeoplesDemocraticParty,was formedinOctober last year to push forrestorationofJ&K'sspecialstatus.

E●EXPLAINED

MovetoaffectchancetocontrolDDCs

SINCEDAY1, thePAGDwasa fragilealliance.With thePeople'sConferencepullingout, thealliancewill lose itschance tocontrol theDistrictDevelopmentCouncils in thetwoNorthKashmirdistrictsof BaramullaandKupwara,whereSajadLone’spartyhasasubstantialpresence.

People’sConference leaderSajadLone

‘BREACHOFTRUSTBETWEENPARTNERS’

First crack in PAGD: Sajad Lone exitsLS, RS to have5-hour sessionswith QuestionHour, ZeroHour: Speaker

ARUNJANARDHANANCHENNAI, JANUARY19

FOLLOWING HIS meetings inNew Delhi with Union HomeMinister Amit ShahonMondayand PrimeMinister NarendraModionTuesday,ChiefMinisterEdappadi K Palaniswami onTuesday ruled out the possibil-ity of ousted party general sec-retary V K Sasikala returning totheAIADMKfold.Speaking to reporters, the

chiefminister said: “There is nochance…She(Sasikala) isnot inthe party now. I can say that…100%…Amma(latechiefminis-ter J Jayalalithaa) too had keptherawayfromtheparty.Onlyaf-ter Amma’s death, Sasikala en-tered the party. Shewas not inAIADMK when Amma wasalive,”Palaniswamiadded.

He added that most ofSasikala's were had joined theAIADMK again and that only“fewpeople”remaininhercampnow.CMPalaniswami,whoisalso

a joint coordinator in theAIADMK,saidhismeetingswithShah andModiwere not to dis-cusspoliticsbuttoseekfundsforseveraldevelopmentprojectsinTamil Nadu. He said he had in-vited PM Modi to inaugurate

several completed projects andlaythefoundationfornewones.“He has acceptedmy invitationandsaidhewouldbecoming toTamil Nadu,” said CMPalaniswami.On Tuesday, The Indian

Expresshadreported that therewere talks going on betweenSasikala’s nephew TTVDhinakaran and the BJP leader-ship about thepossibility of theSasikalafaction—rununderthebanner of Amma MakkalMunnetra Kazhagam (AMMK)andledbyDhinakaran—joiningAIADMK. Both Dhinakaran andthe BJP leadership had sup-ported the ideaas itwouldhelpstrengthen the AIADMK-BJP al-liance in the state. Sections inAIADMK aswell as BJP believethat Dhinakaran’s influence inthe southern districts and thedeltaregionswillbebeneficialto

the alliance. His party had gar-nereda4%vote share in the lastAssemblypolls.A senior AIADMKminister

said Palaniswami’s statementwas against reports of takingSasikalaandDhinakaranbacktotheparty.“ButchancesofAMMKjoining AIADMK-BJP alliancecan’tbe ruledout,”hesaid.HesaidCMPalaniswamihas

strong reservations about theideaofunitingwithSasikalafac-tionasmanySasikalaloyalistsinthe AIADMKmight start sup-portingherafterpolls.“He has no absolute control

overthepartybutrunstheshowfor having a government in hishand.Atthesametime,hemightagreewiththeideaofstrikinganalliancewithDhinakaranasBJP-RSS leaderships have beenfavouring the idea to defeatDMK,” theminister said.

EKPalaniswami;(right)VKSasikala

Sasikala won’t come back to AIADMK: EPS

CMMamataBanerjeeatarally inPuruliaonTuesday.Express

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEKOLKATA, JANUARY19

CHIEF MINISTER MamataBanerjee on Tuesday called BJP“more dangerous than theMaoists”andaccusedthepartyofmakingfalsepromisestothepeo-plebeforeelectionsandthenvan-ishingafterwinning.The Trinamool Congress

(TMC)chiefalsosaidthatshewasnotperturbedbydefectionsinherparty,saying“politics isasolemnideologyandphilosophyandonecannotchangethesethingsevery-daylikeclothes”.Addressing a rally in Purulia,

BanerjeehitoutattheBJP,whichwonalltheLokSabhaseatsinthedistrict during the 2019 generalelections.“YouallvotedfortheBJPinthe

LokSabhaelections,butdoesyourMPvisityou?Havetheygivenyouanything? Theywillmake falsepromisesbeforetheelectionsandonce it’s over, theywill flee,” shesaid,addingthattribalswerealsomisled by theBJP in the last LokSabhaelections.“InBengal,BJPismoreseenin

media than on the ground. Theparty is using IT (InformationTechnology) to scare and intimi-date theOpposition. They havecreated WhatsApp groups tospread fakenews.BJP is farmoredangerous than Maoists,”Banerjeehitout.BanerjeesaidtheMaoistshave

comeback to themainstream inthestateandthathergovernmenthas given them jobs as special

home guards. The TMC has in-ducted ChhatradharMahato, aformer leader ofMaoist-backedPeople’s Committee AgainstPolice Atrocities (PCAPA), whowas a pivotal figure during theLalgarhmovement in the tribal-dominated Junglemahal area attheendoftheerstwhileLeftFrontruleinthestate.Mahato was set free in

Februarylastyearbythestategov-ernmentfollowingareductioninhislifetermto10yearsbyCalcuttaHighCourtforhisgoodconduct.Allegingthat BJPleadershave

insulted Birsa Munda, theTrinamoolchiefmockedthepartyfornotabletocorrectlypronounce“Bangla”. “They say Bangal, butthey are kangal (destitute) forvotes,”sheadded.With Trinamool MLAs and

leaders joining the BJP ahead ofthepolls,Banerjeecall thedeser-tions“goodriddance”.“Thosewhowant to join BJP

cango,butwewillneverbowourheads to it... Politics is a solemnideology, philosophy; one canchange clothes daily but not theideologies,”shesaid.She said thosewhohave left

the partywould have disturbedthe organisation had they re-mained in it. “There are threetypesof people inpolitics– lobhi(greedy),bhogi (thosewhoenjoypower)andtyagi(abstainersfromindulgence),”shesaid.Dismissingprojectionsinpre-

poll surveys, she claimed that“lies”arebeingdishedoutonbe-hestof theBJP.

WITHPTIINPUTS

LIZMATHEWNEWDELHI, JANUARY19

WITH THE budget session ofParliamentsettostartonJanuary29, Lok Sabha SpeakerOmBirlasaid bothHouseswill have five-hoursessionseachwithQuestionHourandZeroHour.RajyaSabhawillsitfrom9amto2pm,andLokSabhafrom4pmto9pm.OnJanuary29,PresidentRam

NathKovindwill address a jointsession of Parliament in theCentralHall,forwhichMPswillbeseatedalso in the LokSabhaandRajyaSabhachambers.LokSabhawillsit30minutesafterthepres-identialaddress for thetablingofthe presidential address and

EconomicSurvey. RajyaSabha will sitlater for thesame.The Union

Budget will bepresented at 11amonFebruary1inLokSabha.Birla, who

announced details about thebudget session onTuesday, alsosaid the subsidyonParliament'scanteen food served toMPs andothershasbeenstopped.Fromthebudgetsession,theIndiaTourismDevelopmentCorporation(ITDC)will handle canteens inParliament in place of NorthernRailways.Thefoodinthecanteenwill be sold at actual cost,whileearlier itwassubsidisedupto80percent.Thebudgetsessionwillbreak

forarecessonFebruary15tomeetagainonMarch8.Thebudgetses-sion is scheduled to concludeonApril8.During themonsoon session

heldduringtheCovidpandemic,whichwas cut short, eachhousesat for four hours and had noquestionhour.PrivateMembers' business,

which usually takes place onFridayafternoons,wasnot takenupduring themonsoon sessionandhasmadeacomeback in thebudgetsession.

OmBirla

NewDelhi:UnionMinisterKirenRijijuwill be holding additionalchargeof theMinistryofAYUSH,a press communique from theRashtrapatiBhavansaidTuesday.“ThePresidentof India,asad-

vised by the PrimeMinister, hasdirectedthatduringthehospital-ization and treatment of ShriShripad YessoNaik,Minister ofState (Independent Charge) ofMinistry of Ayurveda, Yoga andNaturopathy,Unani, Siddha, andHomeopathy (AYUSH); andMinister of State inMinistry ofDefence, following a road acci-dent, his portfolio related toMinistryofAYUSH,betemporar-ily assigned to Shri Kiren Rijiju,Minister of State (IndependentCharge)inadditiontohisexistingportfolios,” the press commu-niquesaid. ENS

Rijiju to holdaddl charge ofAYUSH ministry

BJP more dangerousthan Maoists: Mamata‘Thosewhowant to joinBJPcango,butwewillneverbowourheads to it...’

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK6 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

CX0 ´fi0 ´ffUSX MÑfaÀfd¸fVf³f IYfSX´fûSXZVf³f dÕX.BÊ-d³fdUQf Af¸fa{¯f Àfc¨f³ff A³fb·fUe R ¸fûÊa/NZIZ QfS/I f¹fÊQf¹fe ÀfaÀ±ffAûa ÀfZ dUôb°f ´ffS Z¿f¯f¸f¯OÕ ¸fZSN IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f d³f¸³f I f¹fûË W Z°fb ¸fûWS¶f³Q BÊ-d³fdUQf¹fZa BÊ-´fûM ÊÕ(www.etender.up.nic.in) ´fS Qû ·ff¦fûa¸fZa Afa¸fd{°f I e þf°fe W`aÜ IÈ ´f¹ff dUÀ°fÈ°fþf³fI fSe, OfC³fÕûO, ²fSûWS SfdVf EUa d³fdUQf´fi´f{ Vfb»I þ¸ff I S³fZ °f±ff A³¹f ÀfaVfû²f³fûa EUaBÊ-d³fdUQf ´fiÀ°fb°f I S³fZ IZ dQ³ffaI °fI dUÀ°ffSAfdQ IZ Àf¸¶f³²f ¸fZawww.etender.up.nic.in ´fS Õfg¦f Af³fI SZaÜ d³fdUQf IYf dUUSX¯f d³f¸³f ´fiIYfSX WX`: BÊ-d³fdUQf Àfa£¹ff, I f¹fÊ I f dUUS¯f, d³fdUQf IZ´fi±f¸f ·ff¦f JbÕ³fZ I e dQ³ffaI , ²fSûWS SfdVf EUad³fdUQf I f ¸fc»¹f (I S ÀfdW°f) I û Ii ¸f ¸fZa ´fPÞfþf¹fZÜ 1. MXe-117/20-21:- dUôb°f ´ffS Z¿f¯fJ¯O-dõ°fe¹f ¸fZSN IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f C´fJ¯O-´fi±f¸f,ÀfS²f³ff A²fe³f dUd·f³³f 132 IZ 0Ue0 ÕfB³fûa IZUfd¿fÊI A³fbSÃf¯f ÀfZ Àf¸¶fd³²f°f I f¹fÊÜ dQ³ffaI20.02.2021, ø . 8,000.00/- ø . 1180.00/2. MXe-118/20-21:- dUôb°f ´ffS Z¿f¯f J¯O-dõ°fe¹f ¸fZSN IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f C´fJ¯O-°fÈ°fe¹f, ¨fSÕfIZ A²fe³f dUd·f³³f 132 IZ 0Ue0 ÕfB³fûa IZUfd¿fÊI A³fbSÃf¯f ÀfZ Àf¸¶fd³²f°f I f¹fÊÜ dQ³ffaI20.02.2021, ø . 7,000.00/- ø .1180.00/- 3. MXe-119/20-21:- dUôb°f´ffS Z¿f¯f J¯O ¶fOü°f IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f 220 IZ 0Ue0C´fIZ ³Qi WfBÊd¶fiO d³fS´fbOf IZ Ufd¿fÊI Af²ffS ´fS´fdS¨ffÕ³f ÀfZ Àf¸¶fd³²f°f I f¹fÊÜ dQ³ffaI19.01.2021, ø . 18,000.00/- ø .1770.00/ 4. MXe-120/20-21:- dUôb°f´ffS Z¿f¯f J¯O ¶fOü°f IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f 04 ³f¦f 220IZ 0Ue0 ÕfB³fûa IZ Ufd¿fÊI A³fbSÃf¯f ÀfZÀf¸¶fd³²f°f I f¹fÊÜ dQ³ffaI 20.02.2021, ø .14,000.00/- ø . 1770.00/- 5. MXe-121/20-21:- dUôb°f ´ffS Z¿f¯f J¯O ¶fOü°f IZA³°f¦fÊ°f 09 ³f¦f 132 IZ 0Ue0 ÕfB³fûa IZ Ufd¿fÊIA³fbSÃf¯f ÀfZ Àf¸¶fd³²f°f I f¹fÊÜ dQ³ffaI20.02.2021, ø . 16,000.00/-,ø .1770.00/- 6. MXe-122/20-21:- dUôb°f´ffS Z¿f¯f J¯O ¶fOü°f IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f 04 ³f¦f 132IZ 0Ue0 ÕfB³fûa IZ Ufd¿fÊI A³fbSÃf¯f ÀfZÀf¸¶fd³²f°f I f¹fÊ Ü dQ³ffaI 20.02.2021, ø .10,000.00/- ø . 1180.00/ A²feÃf¯fAd·f¹fa°ff, dUôb°f ´ffSXZ¿f¯f ¸f¯OXÕX, 130-Oe,kk´ffS Z¿f¯f ·fU³fll dU¢MXûdSX¹ff ´ffIYÊ, ¸fZSXNXÜkkSfáÑdW°f ¸fZa D þfÊ ¶f¨ff¹fZall ´f{faI 166d½f.´ff.¸f./¸fZSN dQ³ffaI 19/01/21

U.P. POWER TRANSMISSIONCORPORATION LTD. E-

Tender Notice Online e-Bids areinvited for “Supply of 02 Nos. 125MVAR Reactor and 02 Nos. 1.5MVAR NGR” against Tender Specn.No. ESD-8/157. E-tender uploadedon 16.01.2021 on websitehttps://etender.up.nic.in. EMDCost for the tender is Rs. 7.10 Lacsand tender fee of Rs. 11,800.00 willbe deposited through RTGS/NEFT.Last date for submission of tender is15.02.2021 at 16:00 Hrs andopening of part-1 is 17.02.2021 at16:00 Hrs. Total Quantity, tenderspecification and other terms andconditions is as per tenderdocument available on the e-tenderportal. Undersigned reserve theright to cancel the e-Bids withoutassigning any reason. Corrigendum,Addendum, Extension if any, shallbe uploaded only on the abovewebsite. Bidders are advised to visitthe website regularly for updatedinformation from time to time.Superintending Engineer, Electy.765/400kV Substation DesignCircle, 11th floor, Shakti BhawanExtn., 14-Ashok Marg, Lucknow.Àfa.-40/BÊ.EÀf.Oe.-8/157/III dQ³ffaI : 18, ªf³f½fSe 2021

DISTRICT HEATTH & FAMITYWELFARE SOCIETY, FARIDABAD

SHORT TERM NOTICE

Requirement of Specialist Doctors for

Specialist services in Urban Area

Application are invited for empanelment ofspecialist doctors (Gynecologist, Pediatrician,Physician, Psychiatrist, Skin specialist,Ophthalmologist, ENT, RKSK Counselor) forspecialist services in Urban areas for UPHCHari Vihar, UPHC Dabua, UPHC Partapgarh,UPHC Saran & UPHC Shiv Durga Vihar underNational Urban Health Mission for eveninghours (2.00 PM to 6.00 PM) once in a week byeach specialist in selected UPHC’s. The spe-cialist doctor will be paid only Rs. 4000 pervisit. Empanelment is upto 31.01.2021 whichmay be extended with permission of MD, NHMPanchkula. The last date for submission ofapplication in the O/o Civil Surgeon,Faridabad is 25.01.2021.

Sd/-Secretary cum Dy. Civil Surgeon, NHM

For chairman cum District Health & Familywelfare society,

Faridabad1472/4/HRY

CorrigendumOwing to administrative reasons,the date and time of submission ofbid and opening of bid in respect offollowing work is hereby extendedas below:Name of work: SITC of 2000 kgcapacity Goods Lift at Delhi RMS,Delhi. NIT No: 70/EE/PED/ND/NIT/ 2020-21 dated 28-12-2020.Last date and time ofsubmission of bid is extended to27-01-2021 up to 15:00 hours.Date and time of opening of bid:27.01.2021 at 15.30 hours.All other terms and conditions ofNIT shall remain same. Bid formsand other details can be obtainedfrom the website https//:dopcivil.euniwizarde. com

Sd/-Executive Engineer (E),

Postal Electrical Division,New Delhi

DEPARTMENT OF POSTSNOTICE INVITING

e-TENDER

Office of Director General, Medical Education and Training, Uttar Pradesh6th Floor, Jawahar Bhawan, Ashok Marg, Lucknow (UP)-226001.

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EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, JANUARY19

TASTING ELECTORAL success for the firsttime inMaharashtra, AamAadmi Party-backedcandidateswon96seatsinthestategrampanchayatpolls,theresultsforwhichwere announced on Tuesday. The AAP-backed candidates had contested in 300seats in13districtsofMaharashtra.Callingita“spectaculardebut”,theparty

said that 50per cent of itswinning candi-dateswerewomen.“Wewillworktowardsempoweringourelectedrepresentativestodemonstrate the transformative role thatgovernancecanplayinthesevillagesbymak-ing themexamples ofmodel villages,” saidDhananjayShinde,AAP’sstatesecretary.Thepartywon41grampanchayatseats

inNagpur, itshighestinadistrict, followedby14inBuldhanaandnineinChandrapur.It alsowon seats in Latur, Solapur,Nashik,Gondia, Palghar, Hingoli, Ahmednagar,Jalna,YavatmalandBhandaradistricts.“At Dabkyal village in Latur, we have

won a panel bywinning five of the sevenseats. Itwillbeourgrampanchayat in thatvillage. In another village inNagpur, of thenineseats,BJP,AAPandunopposedcandi-dateswonthreeseatseach.Weare intalks

withtheunopposedcandidates...adecisionis likely tomorrow,” said Ajinkya Shinde,presidentofAamAadmiYouthWing.TheArvindKejriwal-ledparty,perceived

widelyasanurbanalternativetotraditionalparties,saidinastatement:“Itvindicatesourposition andproves that people across thecountry are yearning for change and goodgovernance...Ourgovernment inDelhihassetthebarforwhatgoodgovernancemeansanditistimethattheDelhimodelofdevel-opmentisemulatedacrossMaharashtra.”“Henceforth, wewill participate in all

localelections.Therightway is togo local.Whereverwe havewon grampanchayatseats, wewill fight from those talukas inthe zilla parishad elections,” said PreetiSharmaMenon,national executivemem-berandAAPspokesperson.After its2014LokSabhapolldebacle in

Maharashtra,thepartyhadcontestedafewseats in theAssemblypolls held the sameyear.“Wehadn'treallycontestedanyelec-tionsince,” saidMenon.AAP, which is set to contest civic polls

inMumbai in 2022, is also preparing forupcoming municipal polls in Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur and Aurangabad, sheadded. “This is only the beginning.... Wehopetofurtherconsolidateourpositioninthe localbodypolls,”Menonsaid.

SREENIVASJANYALAHYDERABAD, JANUARY19

THE ANDHRA Pradesh HighCourt onWednesday quashedcasesfiledbytheCIDallegingin-sidertradinginlandtransactions— during the tenure of theTeluguDesamParty—beforetheregion between Krishna andGunturdistrictswasdeclaredastheAmaravatiCapitalRegion.TheCIDhadallegedthatsev-

eral TDPministers, leaders, andpartymembers had prior infor-mationthattheregionwouldbedeclared as the new capital andpurchased vast tracts of land atlow prices. It alleged that oncethe regionwasdeclaredas capi-tal,thelandpricesincreasedandthosewhohadpurchased landsbenefitedduetotheriseinprices.The CID had filed a case

againstTDPorganisingsecretaryKilaru Rajesh accusing him ofheading the insider trade ring. Itfiled at least 20 cases accusingTDPleadersandrealestatedevel-opers close to the TDP, accusingthemofhavingpriorinformationaboutthelocationofthenewcap-italandindulginginlanddeals.Rajesh had approached the

HighCourtalleging itwasa falsecase by YSRCP leaders. “The YS-RCPgovernment ismaking falseclaimsandtakingrevengeagainst

thosewhosoldland,”hesaid.“Information relating to the

location of capital is verymuchin thepublicdomain,” thecourtsaid while quashing the CIDcases. It said several others be-sides the petitioners boughtproperty in the area “probablyon account of the informationthat is available to them in thepublicdomain”.It said the new government

was formedonJune9,2014and“immediately after the swear-ing-in ceremony, the thenChiefMinister declared publicly thatthe capital city is going to comewithin the Krishna district andtheGunturdistrictbythesideoftheKrishnariver”.Thecourtdismissedthegov-

ernment counsel’s charge thatthethenTDPgovernmentleakedinformationtoaselect fewpeo-ple and that it amounted to in-sider trading. Dismissing thecases, the court asked how thegovernment could file cases“without any complaint fromthe landsellers”.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,JANUARY19

A LOCAL court in Lucknow sentformer Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) leader NaseemuddinSiddiqui and BSP leader RamAchalRajbhartojudicialcustodyonTuesday. Theyhad appearedbeforethecourtseekingbail inacase lodgedagainst themforal-legedly making indecent re-marks during a protest atHazratganjpolicestationareainLucknowin2016.The accusedwereprotesting

againstobjectionableremarksal-

legedlymade by then BJP statevice-president Daya ShankarSinghagainstBSPchiefMayawatiwhile speaking topartyworkersat a meeting in Mau. DayaShankarhad sparkedoutragebyallegedly accusingMayawati ofsellingparty election tickets.Hiswife Swati Singh is aminister intheAdityanathgovernment.Siddiqui has now joined the

Congressand isamemberof theUPCongressAdvisoryCommittee.OnMonday,thecourthaddi-

rectedattachmentofRajbharandSiddiqui’spropertiesaftertheac-cused, despite several sum-monses,didnotappearbeforeit.


THE DECLARATION of results of thegrampanchayatpollsinMaharashtraonTuesdaytriggeredclaimsofvictorybyrivalpoliticalparties,withboththeBJPandNCPclaimingtohavebaggedthemost number of wins in a hardfoughtandtightcontestbetweenfourcontenders, the other two being theShivSenaandCongress.However,thethreeconstituentsof

the rulingMaha Vikas Aghadi coali-tion— Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress—haveacombinedtotalofmorewinsthan theBJP.Results for13,769grampanchay-

ats were announced on Tuesday,which showedBJP aheadwith 3,263wins, followed by NCP (2,999), ShivSena (2,808)andCongress (2,151).TheMNSwon 38 and others, in-

cluding local groups, bagged 2,510.AAPmadeitsdebutwith96of itscan-didateswinning.But as gram panchayat elections

are not fought on party symbols, thefinal tally could change, with antici-pated deals over the next few dayswith Independent winning candi-dates and panels or village levelgroups fuelling rival claims.The big four have started the

processofwooingsuchgroupsaswellasIndependentstoincreasetheirtallyandgetanedge in thesarpanchelec-tions ahead, the dates for which areyet tobeannounced.State Minister for Rural

DevelopmentHassanMushriff saidadrawwouldbeheldwithineightto10days to choose villages where thesarpanchwill be fromreserved cate-gory.“Sarpanchelectionswillbeheldafter that,”headded.Withat leastaweek inhand,par-

ties are busy drawing uppossible al-liances.StateNCPpresidentJayantPatilas-

serted, “TheNCP is the single largestpartywith3,276grampanchayats.”Dismissing identical claims from

the BJP, he said, “They don’t accountforeven20percentof the totalgram

panchayats. Almost 80per centhavebeencapturedbyMahaVikasAghadiconstituents —NCP 3,276, Congress1,938 and Shiv Sena 2,406. The BJPwononly2,942grampanchayats.”Based on these figures, the NCP,

Congress and Sena add up to 9,070grampanchayats.However,toensurethat the coalitionworks perfectly atgrampanchayatsisataskforallthreeparties. Deputy Chief Minister AjitPawarmadeanappealforsinkingdif-ferencestoworkforthesakeofvillagedevelopment.Asserting its claim, theBJP issued

an official statement followed by abriefing at its headquarters by statepartymedia cell in charge VishwasPathak.Heclaimedthatthepartyhadwon5,721grampanchayats.“Theresultsareverysatisfying.We

have been able to retain our hold ingrampanchayatswhencompared tothe2015polls,"hesaid.TheShivSena,reconciledtonum-

ber three position, did notcontestagainsttheNCPorBJP-backedcandidates.The Congress, relegated to fourth

position, insistedithadfaredonaparwith the NCP. Party leader andMinisterNitinRautsaid,“WegaveBJPatoughfight inVidarbha...This is justthe beginning. Hereafter, CongresswillovertakeBJP insuccessivepolls.”

AAP enters rural politics: In 96seats, party-backed nominees win

MAHARASHTRA INSIDERTRADINGCASES

Info in public domain,no complaint: AndhraHC quashes casesagainst TDP leaders

‘Indecent remarks’: Cong’sSiddiqui, BSP’s Rajbharsent to judicial custody

BJP, NCP both claim victoryin gram panchayat elections

BJP’sDiweshBhagatcelebratesafterhiswin,atPanvel inNaviMumbai.NarendraVaskar

CIDhadfiledacaseagainstTDPleaderKilaruRajeshaccusinghimofheadingtheinsidertradering

New Delhi

INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDY IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYAn Autonomous Institute under Department of Science and Technology,

Govt. of India,Paschim Boragaon, Garchuk, Guwahati-781035

Advt. No: 273 Date: 01.01.2021The Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati an autonomousR&D Institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India invites applicationsfor admission under IASST Regular Ph.D. programme for the year 2020-21. Application should besubmitted online at http://iasst.gov.in within 15 days of publication of this advertisement. Pleaserefer to the detailed advertisement published in the web site http://iasst.gov.in.

davp 36117/11/0007/2021 Registrar, IASST

EXPRESSNETWORK 7WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

Segmentation of NHover 100 km as strategyto avoid green clearancescannot be adopted: SC

ELECTRONICWASTE-MANAGEMENT

First arrest in MadhyaPradesh under newanti-conversion lawEXPRESSNEWSSERVICEBHOPAL, JANUARY19

INTHEfirstsuchcaseinthestateunder the newly enactedFreedomof ReligionOrdinance2020, police have arrested a 25-year-oldMuslimmaninMadhyaPradesh's Barwani district fol-lowingacomplaintbya22-year-oldwoman.Thecomplainantallegedthat

SohailMansuri, whoworked asa driver, identified himself asSunnytobefriendherandprom-ised hermarriage. As she beganavoiding him after coming toknow about his real identity,Mansuri followed her to herworkplace and abused andthreatenedher, thewomansaidin her complaint to the KotwalipolicestationonSunday.Accordingtopoliceinvestiga-

tion,MansurimetthewomaninPalsud block. Palsud police sta-tion in-charge Ranjana Thakursaid the two became friends in2016 butMansuri had allegedlynot revealed his identity. It was

only recently that thewoman–who had given consent tomar-riage – learnt that he was aMuslimandthathewasalreadymarriedwithtwochildren.Aftercoming to knowof this, she be-ganavoidinghim.The woman moved from

Palsudblock toBarwani about ayearagobutMansuri continuedto harass her by following herand allegedly blackmailing her.The woman then approachedKotwalipolicestationwhereherstatement was recorded byInspector-in-charge RajeshYadav.Yadav said, “We registered

theoffenceandarrestedMansuriand then transferred the case toPalsudpolicestation.”Anoffencewas registered under Sections376,294,323,506of theIPCandSections3and5of theFreedomto Religion Ordinance 2020,which came into effect fromJanuary9.Under the new law, forcing

religiousconversionattracts1-5years of imprisonment and aminimumfineofRs25,000.


HUGE GAPS in compliance ofelectronic waste-managementrules show authorities' lack ofconcernforhealthofthecitizens,the National Green Tribunal(NGT)hassaid inarecentorder.Stating therewasacleargov-

ernancedeficitonthesubject,theprincipalbenchoftheNGThead-edbychairperson JusticeAdarshKumarGoel ordered that scien-tificdisposalofe-wasteshouldbeensuredasperrules.Thedirectionwasissuedtocentralandallstatepollutioncontrolboards.“Environmentalcrimesareas

serious, if notmore, as cases ofassaultsbutthereisnoadequateaction...Unfortunately,itappearsthat violation of environmentallawisnot thepriority. Suchneg-lect can prove very costly,” thebenchnotedwhilehearingappli-cations on unscientific disposalof e-wasteonJanuary15.“For petty benefit of retriev-

ingmetals etc, the poor labourclass isengaged inburningelec-tronicwiresorotherwastetothedetriment of their own healthand also the health of otherswhichisnotbeingdulychecked...Constant vigilance is required.Liability ofmanufacturers is notbeingenforced,” thebenchsaid.In 2018, the environment

ministry had told the tribunalthat 95 per cent of e-waste inIndia is recycledby the informalsectorandscrapdealersunscien-tifically dispose it by burning ordissolving it inacids.

DatasharedbyCentralPolluti-onControlBoard(CPCB)withtheNGTshowsIndiageneratedmorethan10lakhtonnesofe-wastein2019-20, an increase from7 lakhtonnes in 2017-18. Against this,thee-wastedismantlingcapacityhasnotbeenincreasedfrom7.82lakhtonnessince2017-18.“Wedirect that further steps

be now taken for scientific en-forcement of E-WasteManage-mentRules,2016(EWMR)inthelight of the reports of the CPCBandtheOversightCommitteeforthe State of Uttar Pradesh,” thebench said. It also noted gaps incollectiontargets,astheamountof e-waste collected in 2017-18was over 25,000 tonnes againsta target of 35,000 tonnes. In thefollowing year, the target was1.54 lakh tonnes against which78,000tonneswascollected.In a report submitted to the

NGTinNovember,theOversightCommittee had said UttarPradeshmust ensure allocationof proper space to existing andupcoming industrial units for e-wastedismantlingandrecycling.“Illegalrecyclingandprocess-

ingof e-waste is concentrated inafewhotspotsinthestate.Seela-mpur inNewDelhi is a hub, andLoni, Baghpat andMoradabad inUPare thehotspots.Weneed tostepupenforcement of e-wastemanagement rules in thesehot-spots, combining local enforce-mentwithsupervisionfromtaskforcetoobviatelocalvestedinter-ests,” theOversight Committeehadsaid.

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com

Appears that violationof environmental law isnot priority, says NGT

OMKARGOKHALEMUMBAI,JANUARY19

THE BOMBAY High Court onTuesday directed the police toescort awoman,whoappearedbeforeit,tothedestinationofherchoice,observingthatshewasa“major”,“freetomoveasperherownwish”and thatherparentscouldnotcurtailher freedom.Thecourtsaidthiswhiledis-

posing a Habeas Corpus pleafiledbyanMBAstudentseekingthat a 23-year-old woman,whom hewished tomarry, beproducedbeforethecourt,asshehad been illegally detained byherparentsbecausethetwobe-longedtodifferent faiths.A division bench of Justice S

S Shinde and Justice ManishPitale passed the order afterhearing the plea filed throughadvocateANKazi,whoclaimedthat his client and the womanhad been in a relationship fornearly fiveyearsandwereplan-ningtogetmarriedafterhecom-pletedtheMBAcourse.Thepeti-tionerclaimedthatthewoman’sparentswere against their rela-

tionshipand that shewas in “il-legal custody and detention” ofher father.Kazi said that on December

16,2020,whenhisclienthadap-proached the Mumbai Policeseekinghelptoreunitehimwiththe woman, the parents hadforcibly takenher awayandnotallowedher tohaveanycontactwiththeman,promptinghimtomovecourt.In an earlier hearing, theHC

had directed the police to pro-duce thewoman before it. Shewasproducedbefore thebenchon Tuesday. The HC interactedwith the woman, who con-firmedthatshehasbeeninare-lationship with the petitionerandthatshewasagraduate.Sheadded that they intended to getmarried and as she is 23 yearsold, shewants to live her life asperherwish.

Theparents,whowerepres-ent in the court, did not disputetheir daughter's age and weresilentaboutherwishtolivewiththe petitioner, who was alsoquestionedby thecourt.The bench said, “Since the

woman has been produced be-forethiscourt,thepurposeof fil-ing this petition has been satis-fied.Thefactsofthecaseindicatethat the parents oppose her re-lationship with the petitionerand it is perhaps, in this back-ground,shewasallegedlytakenawaybythem,asallegedbyher.”Disposingtheplea,thebench

noted, “Be thatas itmay,wedis-poseofthispetitioninviewofthefact that (thewoman) has beenproducedbeforethiscourtbythepolice.Sincethewomanisadmit-tedlyamajoragedabout23yearsold,sheisfreetomoveasperherownwish.”“Nevertheless,asper there-

quest made by her, the policeofficer fromThane,whoispres-ent in the court, is directed toensure that the woman is es-corted fromthecourtpremisesto the destination that she de-sires,” it added.

HC relief for inter-faith couple:‘Woman free to move as per wish’

BombayHighCourtwasdisposingahabeascorpuspleafiledbyanMBAstudent


THE SUPREME COURT on Tuesday ruled againstsegmentation of national highway projects ex-tending over 100 km into smaller packages toavoid environment impact assessment.A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao,

however, said it is not an expert on the issue andasked the Ministry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change to set up an expert committee toexamine if such segmentation was permissible

and, if so, under whatcircumstance.Setting aside a

Madras High Court or-der, the bench alsocomprising JusticesHemant Gupta andAjay Rastogi said thereis no requirement forsecuring environmen-tal clearances for ex-panding NH 45-AVilluppuram-

NagapattinamHighway(extending179.555kminTamil Nadu and Puducherry) as land acquisitionisnotmore than40monexistingalignmentsand60mon realignments or by-passes.“Having held that... segmentation of a project

cannot be adopted as a strategy to avoid environ-mentalclearanceimpactassessment, thequestionthat arises iswhether segmentation of a nationalhighway beyond 100km is impermissible underany circumstance. Aswe lack the expertise of de-ciding upon this issue, we are of the consideredview that an expert committee should examinethe permissibility of segmentation,” the benchsaid.

BenchaskedMinistryofEnvironmenttosetupanexpertpanel toexamineif segmentationwaspermissible

New Delhi


GOVT&POLITICSWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

DELHICONFIDENTIAL

REMEMBERING NETAJITHECENTREhasdecidedtocelebratethe125thbirthanniver-saryyearofNetajiSubhasChandraBoseonJanuary23thisyearat a national and international level. A high-level committeeheadedbyPrimeMinisterNarendraModihasbeenconstitutedtodecidetheprogrammes,andtosupervisethecommemora-tion.AccordingtoagovernmentnotificationissuedonTuesday,the Centre has also decided to commemorate the January 23ofeveryyearas“ParakramDiwas”tomarkNetaji’sbirthdayandtoinstill intheyouthpatriotism.Thedecisionscomerun-uptotheassemblyelectionsinWestBengalthisyear.

LOCAL PUSHRAHULGANDHI,whohasbeentakingseveralmeasurestopro-motethescenicbeautyandtalentsofhisWayanadconstituency,hascomeupwithanovelidea.HisofficewelcomedtheNewYearwithacalendarwiththeconceptof 'OurWayanadu',thatbringsoutthepicturesqueandnot-so-knownspotsinhisconstituency.Butthecalendarhasbecomeatalkingpointasitalsopresents12selected local peoplewhohavemadeamark invarious fields.Theyincludea70-year-oldtribalwomanwhoisanorganicfarmerdespite being physically challenged; awinner at the specialschoolchildren's festival; an international volleyball player; ateacherwhomadelearningfunthroughsongs;aClass7studentwhodevelopedasanitiservendingmachineandacartoonist.HisofficeisnowpublishingthecalendarinEnglishandHinditoo.

A MESSAGEASTHEIndiancricketteamwontheTestmatchatGabba,liftingtheBorder-Gavaskar Trophy, CongressMPManickamTagoretweeted:“WithoutseniorleadershipYoungteamcanwin–les-sonstobelearnt.”Tagore,anMPfromTamilNadu,isconsideredamemberofRahulGandhi'steam.HeisalsotheAICCin-chargeofTelangana.Hiscommentperhapshadpoliticalovertonesand,if ithad,manywerewonderingwhetheritwasinthecontextofCongressatthenationallevel,giventheyoungversusoldtusslethatthepartyoftenwitnessed,oraboutTamilNadu.


LAUNCHINGAscathingattackonthegovernment,seniorCongressleaderRahulGandhionTuesdaysaidthethreefarmlawswhichithadenactedwasnotan isolateddevelopmentbutpartofalargerdesign by the government tohandoverkeyareastoahandfulofbigcorporatesandcreatemas-sive monopolies which he ar-guedwillimpactthemiddleclassandtheyouth.Addressing a physical press

conference, his first at theCongressheadquarters since thelockdown,Gandhi also attackedthegovernmentovertheChineseaggression, saying it has no“strategicvision”.Gandhi said a tragedy is un-

folding in the country. “I amnotjusttalkingaboutthefarmers...wehaveseenitwhenitcomestoair-ports, infrastructure,power, tele-com,retail.,”hesaid.“Three, fourorfivepeopleare

now owning this country. Thiscountry is nowownedby a lim-itedsmallgroupofpeople,whoItermascronycapitalistswhohavea close relationship with thePrimeMinisterandwhoprovidethe PrimeMinisterwithmediasupport...”hesaid.Agriculture,thelastbastionwhichwasprotectedfrom monopoly, is now being

overrun,hesaid.Gandhi said itwas a tragedy

that the country itself is not abletounderstandthedepthofwhatishappening.“Threeorfourwillbeabletostoremillionsandmillionsoftonnesofwheat,riceandotheressential commodities and themiddleclasswillbepayingpricesthat you have never imagined...Thisisnotanassaultonthefarm-ers,thisisanassaultonthemiddleclass, this is an assault on everysingle youngster in the countrywhoisnotgoingtogetajob.”Askedaboutquestionsposed

byBJPpresidentJPNadda,target-inghimandhisparty,Gandhisaid,“IsJPNaddamyprofessor?...IsheIndia’sprofessororteacher?...Ian-swertothecountry.”Askedabout the controversy

over the purportedWhatsAppconversations between ArnabGoswami and former CEO ofBroadcast Audience ResearchCouncil ParthoDasgupta,hesaidtheRepublic TVeditorhadbeengivensensitiveandtopsecretde-fencerelatedinformationbyeitherthePrimeMinisterorthetopfourpeople – theDefenceMinister,HomeMinister,NSAand theAirForcechief –andargued itwasacriminalact.Hedemandedanin-vestigationsaying “givingofficialsecretinformationtoajournalistisacriminalact, bothonthepartofthepersonwhoaccepteditandonthepartofthepersonwhogaveit”.The Congress is planning to

build heat on the governmentovertheissue. FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com


UNIONMINISTERandseniorBJPleader Prakash Javadekar onTuesday targetedRahul Gandhiandsaidthatthe“Congressdoes-n’twant talks between farmersand the government to be suc-cessful”.“TodayCongress leaderRahul

Gandhiinauguratedabookcalled'KhetikaKhoon'.Congresshasalotof loveforthewordblood.'KhoonkiDalali',theyhaveusedwordslikethismanytimes.Iwanttoremindthatyouaresayingkhetikakhoonbutyouhaveplayedabloodsport.DuringPartition, lakhsof peopledied... In 1984, three thousandSikhswereburnt alive inDelhi...ThousandsofpeoplewerekilledinBhagalpur...Lakhsoffarmerscom-mittedsuicide.Wastherenobloodintheirbodies?Theydidthisdur-ingCongress rule,” Javadekarsaidatapressconference.HesaidtheCongressdoesnot

want the talks between theprotesting farmers and govern-ment to succeed. “What is theCongressgamehere?Tomorrowisthe10throundoftalksbetweenthefarmersandthegovernment.Howtomakethatunsuccessfulat

allcosts.BecauseCongressdoesn’twantthatproblemsoffarmersbesolved, or that talksbetween thefarmers and the governmentshouldbesuccessful,”hesaid.Earlier in the day, BJP presi-

dentJPNadda,takingtoTwitter,accusedGandhiofdemotivatingthe country in the fight againstCovid. Posing a series of ques-tionstoGandhiaheadofhispressconference, he also accused theCongressofmisleadingthefarm-ers. “Whenwill Congress stopprovokingandmisleadingfarm-ers of India?Why did UPA stallthe Swaminathan Commissionreport for years and did not in-crease theMSP?Whydid farm-ers remainpoor fordecadesun-der Congress Governments?Doeshefeel sympathy for farm-ersonly inopposition?”


INCOMMENTS thatmaybe rel-evanttotheSupremeCourt-ap-pointed committee to look intoissues related to the farm laws,Chief Justice of India S A BobdeTuesdayobserved thatapersonwillnotbedisqualifiedfrombe-ingamemberofanycommitteemerelybecauseheorsheprevi-ously held an opinion on thesubjectbeingconsideredby it.“There issomeconfusionre-

gardingthelaw.Somebodymayhave an opinion before beingpart of the committee but hisopinion can change. There is noway that such a person cannotbepartofthecommittee,”theCJIobserved during the hearing of

acasethatraisedthequestionofinadequacies and inefficienciesincriminal trial.The comments come at a

time protesting farmers groupshave said that theywill not co-operatewith the four-membercommittee constituted by thetopcourtonJanuary12inanat-

tempt to find a solution to thefarmlawsissue,sayingitsmem-bershad takenastand in favourof the farmlaws in thepast.OnWednesday,theSCbench

headedbytheCJIissettohearanapplication by the BharatiyaKisan Union (Lok Shakti) seek-ing reconstitutionof thepanel.

LIZMATHEWNEWDELHI, JANUARY19

ALLPROVISIONSinthefarmlawsareintheinterestsof thefarmersandcriticshavenotstudiedthemproperly, Prime MinisterNarendraModitoldachurchdel-egationthatmethimonTuesday.Ifsomeonecanconvincehimoth-erwise, he could considerwith-drawingthem,thePrimeMinisterislearnttohavetoldthem.A delegation of Cardinals—

MarGeorgeCardinalAlencherry(Major Archbishop of the Syro-MalabarChurch),CardinalOswaldGracias, (Archbishopof Bombayand President of CBCI), andHisBeatitude Baselios CardinalCleemis (Major Archbishop-CatholicosoftheSyro-Malankara

CatholicChurch)—metModiandappealed to him to resolve thefarmers issue taking theprotest-ersconcernsintoaccount.“Hisconcernwasthatevery-

oneisreadingabouttheprotests,butpeopledonotgothroughtheBills,” Cardinal Cleemis told TheIndianExpressafterthemeeting.Modi also handed over a

bookletonthelawstothecardi-nalsduring theirmeeting.

The Catholic church leadersalso took up the issue of FatherStanSwamy,oneof the16rightsactivists, lawyers,writersandac-ademics arrested in the BhimaKoregaoncaseandchargedwithMaoistlinks.However,PMModisaid itwaspart of a probeby aninvestigativeagencyandhisgov-ernmenthas“limitations” in in-terfering in the issue.The Cardinals wanted the

PrimeMinister to invite PopeFrancis to India to whichModiapparently said “it is a matterwhich is inmindalso”.Themeetingassumessignif-

icanceasitcomesatatimewhenthe BJP is trying to woo theChristian community in Kerala,astatethatgoestopoll later thisyear. FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com


HOURS AFTER Congress leaderRahulGandhihitoutat thegov-ernmentoverthereportedcon-struction of a Chinese village inArunachal Pradesh, Unionmin-ister Kiren Rijiju responded bysaying the area in questionwasunderChineseoccupationsincetheCongress’s regime.Rijiju,theLokSabhaMember

fromArunachalWest, tweeted,“Those locations you are refer-ringtohavebeenunderChineseoccupationsincevery-verylongCongress regime in India. Howcananational leader is ignorantandunawareofsensitivefacts?”The Ministry of External

AffairshadsaidinastatementonMonday, “We have seen recentreports on China undertakingconstructionworkalongthebor-der areaswith India. China hasundertaken such infrastructureconstructionactivity in thepastseveral years. In response, ourGovernmenttoohassteppedupborder infrastructure includingthe construction of roads,bridgesetc,whichhasprovidedmuchneededconnectivitytothelocal population along the bor-der.”

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com

ASTHEgovernmentpreparesforanother round of talks withprotesting farmersWednesday,RSSNo. 2 andGeneral Secretaryof the organisation, SURESH(BHAIYYAJI) JOSHI speaks toRAVISH TIWARI andDEEPTIMANTIWARY

Howdoyouseetheongoingfarmers'protestsagainstthenewfarmlaws?In a democracy, there are al-

waysmanysidesandeveryorgan-isationhas its ownexpectations.Generally,itisdifficulttofindcom-monground. That’s howvariousdemands are raised. Thosewhohavetofulfilthesedemandshavetheirownlimitations.Itisnotpos-sibletofulfilalldemands.Idonotwanttocommentonwhetherde-mandsarejustifiedorpracticable.Democracy provides an op-

portunitytobothsides.Iconsiderboth sides right (in) their place.Agitators must consider thatwhatevertheycangetthroughdi-alogue,theymustaccept.Thegov-ernmentmust think aboutwhatmore it can give. Agitations runand theyendaswell. Soamove-mentmust consider the space ithas, and thegovernment shouldbemindful of its own. Because agovernmenthas tomakeseveralprovisions, it has limited space,while those demanding havemore.So it is important to find that

pointwhere the two sides canagree and the agitation can end.Anyagitation running for long isnotbeneficial.Nooneshouldhaveaproblemwith anagitation tak-ing place. But amiddle groundmustbefound.Anagitationdoesnot just affect people associatedwith it, but also impacts society,

directlyorindirectly.Itisnotgoodforthehealthofsocietyforanyag-itation to run for too long. So amiddlegroundmustbefoundandbothsidesmustworktofindaso-lution.

Butitappearsthegovernmentisnotsympathetictothedemands.Wheneveradiscussionisheld,

there can’t be an argument thatmy position is non-negotiable…The government isrepeatedlysayingwearereadytodiscuss, but (the protesters) aresaying any discussionwill takeplace only after the laws are re-pealed.Howwilladiscussiontakeplacelikethat?

Sowhatisthewayout?I believe farmersmusthavea

discussionwith thegovernmentover issues they havewith thelaws. Until now, it appears thegovernment is ready to discuss.There shouldbeapositive initia-tive fromboth sides. If agitatorsalsotakeapositiveapproachitwillbegood.

ButhowwilltherebeapositiveapproachifthoseassociatedwiththegovernmentcallagitatingfarmersKhalistanisandMaoists?Somepeoplemay be saying

this but the governmenthasnotsaidthis.AllIwillsayisthatarigid-ityhascreptintothewholeissue.Whoare thepeople behind this,must be investigated. Are theresuchelementswhodonotwantaresolutiontocomethrough?Thisshouldbeprobed.

Itappearsyoucouldnotgauge

anxietyoverthelawswithinasectionofthefarmers.It isthegovernment's job,not

ours.Butwecanseethat theagi-tationsarenotgettinganysupportfrom the rest of the country. Atmanyplaces,suchasGujaratandMadhyaPradesh,farmersarealsospeaking in favour of the laws.Even fromamong the agitatingfarmers, therearepeople in sup-port. So there are two viewswithinthemovement.There is, perhaps, an effort to

givetheagitationsapanthic(sec-tarian) colour. I believe pushingthe agitation towards a panthic(sectarian)movementisnotgood.

Whatmorecanthegovernmentdotoresolveit?I don’t know. It is for thegov-

ernmenttothink.But if thereareanymoresuchissueswhichneedresolution,thegovernmentmustdoit.ButIdon’tthinkinanycoun-try a law like this is repealed…Ifthereareanypositivesuggestions,the governmentmust consider.We justwant the agitation (to)endquicklynow.

AsimilaragitationwasheldayearagoagainsttheCitizenshipAmendmentAct

(CAA)butthegovernmentdidnotengagewiththeprotesters.TheHomeMinister repeat-

edlygaveassurances.Butifyoudonotwanttobelieveevenaseniorminister from the government,howwill thingsmove forward?He saidnominority communitywill suffer and no one is beingoustedfromthecountry…Ifpeo-plestartsayingwedonothavepa-

persorevidence,thenarewego-ingtoallowjustanyonetoresidein the country? Go to the USA,onceyourvisaexpires,youwillbekicked out. India has not donethat.Doesthegovernmenthavethe

righttopointoutforeignerslivingin the country? That’swhat thegovernment was trying to do.What’s the point of opposingthat?Yes,itmustbeensuredthatalawmustnotcauseanyinjusticetoanyone.

TheRSSwasaccusedofpushinganagendatoreduceminoritiestosecond-classcitizens.Is there anything in that law

that says Muslims have to betreatedinanyparticularway?Yes,it is our long-standing demandthatHindushavenoothercountrytogotoexcept India.So Indiahasto think about giving citizenshiptoHindus coming fromoutside.SomanypeoplefromPakistan,af-tersufferingatrocitiesthere,havecometoIndiaandarelivingonthe

footpathsinDelhi.Andwearegiv-ing citizenship toMuslims fromPakistan aswell. If the govern-mentwas againstminorities, itwouldnot have given themciti-zenship.

Howdoyouseetherecentlypassedtheso-called‘LoveJihadlaws’?Is it OK to lure someone and

then convert them? Today it ishappening inmany states. Firstdeclare yourself as aHindu, starta relationship and then revealyourtrueidentitywhilemarrying.There is no objection to peoplefalling in love andmarrying. Butthereisadifferencebetweenlovemarriage and love jihad.Ononeside, there is loveandconsensus,onothersidethereisallurement.So if something is being donethrough falsehood, there shouldbealawtodealwithit.Nowhowtoughthelawshouldbeandwhoshouldbeprotected,onlyexpertscantell.

Thechancesofitsabuseandmisusearehigh.Whenever such laws are

brought, someproblems arise. Iwon’tcallitmisuse,butonehastostruggletoproveone’sinnocence.Whathappensin(SC/ST)AtrocityAct? I amnot saying it is beingmisused.But thenthecasedragsonand later it is proven that it isnot true. Till thenboth sides suf-fer.Wheneveranylawisbrought,its implementationwill causesomedifficulties,whichsomein-nocent peoplewill also have tobear.

BeitSuitableBoyorTaandav,culturalnationalistsarebacktogettingoffended.

Whenpeople come into thisfield(ofshowbiz),theyshouldbepreparedforcriticalexamination.Fine,youhavecreatedsomethingandithascausedacontroversy.Sogive a solution. If you do some-thingthatisagainstprinciplesandancient traditions, therewill becontroversy…Creative freedomdoesnotmeanyouwill hurt thesentiments of any society on thebasisofunprovenfacts.Eventruththatcancausesocialunrestmustnot be told. There should be nocompulsion to tell the truth. Butshow such things that do notcausemisunderstanding in thesociety.Nooneshouldfeelhumil-iatedbyyourshow.

ButshoulditbedonethroughFIRsandcausingfear?Thereareelements insociety

which try to cause fear. They arenotpartofanyorganisation.Thereare individuals and they arewrong.There isnoneedtocausefear. As longas youhave the law,takerecoursetoit.Buttheideaofnotcausingfearmustapplytoall.Itcan’tbeselective.Ifonesidedoesit, theothersidewillalsodoit.

TherehasbeenviolenceandtensionduringthedonationcampaignforRamTemplespearheadedbytheVHP.VHP is not doing this (vio-

lence).When a crowd gathers,someviolentelementsalsocreepin.Iunderstandthisgivesusabadname. So the organisation isworking on keeping themove-ment safe from such elements.Whatever happened was notright.

Inthepastsixyearstherehasbeenanatmospherewhere

dissentisbrandedanti-national.I don’t agree. Maybe it has

happenedsometimes, but this isnotthenorm.Thereisalwaysop-positioninademocracy.Everyoneis not called anti-national. EvenOppositionisnotaccusedofthat.If someone has accused theOppositionofbeinganti-nationalforaskingquestionsofthegovern-ment, it is not right. But there isalso a backgroundof thepersonwho is asking thequestion. Thatalsohastobeseen.

HowdoyouseeIndiaandChinaco-existinginthelongtermincontextofthecurrenttension?Only timecananswer that. If

relations have to improve, thatwill dependonboth sides. Indiahas never shownaggression to-wardsChinaorPakistan.Wehaveonly answered their aggression.Sowehavealwaysremainedpos-itive. Now they have to thinkaboutwhat kind of relationshiptheywantwith us.Wewill notmortgage our self-respect andsovereignty for it though. Thereshould be cultural relations. AsAtalji saidwecanchoose friendsandenemies,butnotneighbours.

WITH

SURESH (BHAIYYAJI)JOSHI

RSSGENERALSECRETARY

Wheneveradiscussion isheld, therecan’tbeanargumentthatmypositionisnon-negotiable…Thegovernment isrepeatedlysayingwearereadytodiscuss,but(theprotesters)aresayinganydiscussionwill takeplaceonlyafterthe lawsarerepealed.Howwilladiscussiontakeplace likethat?

Eventruththatcancausesocialunrestmustnotbetold.Thereshouldbenocompulsiontotellthetruth.Butshowsuchthingsthatdonotcausemisunderstanding inthesociety.Nooneshouldfeelhumiliatedbyyourshow.

‘Not good for the health of society for an agitation torun too long…both sides must work to find a solution’

Rahul: Assault onmiddleclass, not onlyon farmers

Cong doesn’t wantfarmer-govt talks tosucceed: Javadekar

Farm laws in farmers’ interest,PM tells church delegation

CJI says can’t disqualify a panelmember over previous views

NAVEEDIQBALSRINAGAR, JANUARY19

THEPARLIAMENTARYStandingCommittee on Transport,Tourism and Culture is set tovisitKashmironJanuary21.The31-membercommittee,headedbyRajyaSabhaMPfromAndhraPradeshTGVenkatesh,willun-dertake a “study visit” of

Srinagar and Gulmarg fromJanuary21 to23.The members of the com-

mitteewill holdmeetingswithofficials of the department ofculture and tourism andArchaeological Survey of India,alongwithrepresentativesoftheUTof JammuandKashmir,withfocuson“promotionandpreser-vationofarchaeologicalsitesandartefacts in J&K”.

THE EXPRESSINTERVIEW

House panel to visit Kashmir

Naddaposesquestions toRahul,saysCongressmisleading farmers

RahulGandhiduringthereleaseofabookletonthefarmlawsattheCongressoffice inDelhi.PremNathPandey

PMModimeetsdelegationinDelhi. Twitter/narendramodi

Membersof theSC-appointedfarmpanel—PKJoshi,AnilGhanwatandAshokGulati—after their firstmeeting inDelhionTuesday.ANI

PrakashJavadekaraddressesthemedia inDelhi.PTI

Area whereChina builtvillage occupiedsince Congregime: Rijiju

Anil Sharma

New Delhi

GOVT&POLITICS 9WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

POSSESSION NOTICE [Rule 8(1) and Rule 4(1)]Whereas the undersigned being the Authorised Officer of Edelweiss AssetReconstruction Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as “EARC”) under theSecuritisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of SecurityInterest Act, 2002 (hereinafter referred to as “SARFAESI Act”) and in exercise of powersconferred under section 13(12) of the SARFAESI Act read with rule 3 of Security Interest(Enforcement) Rules, 2002 (hereinafter referred to as “SARFAESI Rules”) issuedDemand Notice dated October 20, 2020 under Section 13(2) of the SARFAESI Act,calling upon the Borrower i.e. Arshiya Rail Infrastructure Limited and Guarantorsviz. Arshiya Limited, Mr. Ajay Mittal and Ms. Archana Mittal (hereinafter collective-ly referred to as “Guarantors”) to repay the amount mentioned in the DemandNotice being Rs. 857,62,64,033/- (Rupees Eight Hundred Fifty Seven Crore SixtyTwo Lakh Sixty Four Thousand and Thirty Three Only), within 60 days from the dateof receipt of the said Demand Notice.The Borrower/ Guarantors having failed to repay the amount as per the demand noticewithin 60 days, Notice is hereby given to the Borrower, Guarantors and the public in gen-eral that the undersigned, being the Authorized Officer of EARC has taken possessionof the properties described herein below in exercise of powers conferred on him undersub-section (4) of section 13 of the SARFAESI Act read with rule 8 of the SARFAESIRules on this the 15th day of January of the year 2021.The Borrower’s and the Guarantors’ attention is invited to provisions of sub-section (8)of section 13 of the SARFAESI Act, in respect of time available, to redeem the securedassets.The Borrower and the Guarantors in particular and the public in general are hereby cau-tioned not to deal with the property and any dealings with property will be subject to interalia the charge of EARC for the said amount of Rs. 857,62,64,033/- (Rupees EightHundred Fifty Seven Crore Sixty Two Lakh Sixty Four Thousand and Thirty ThreeOnly) to EARC as on 30.09.2020 together with future interest, charges & costs thereon.

Description of Secured AssetsDetails of Immovable Properties :All the rights, title, interest and benefit (in all and singular) as well as the beneficial inter-est of the Borrower in respect of the property situated and lying at Tehsil Khurja, DistrictBulandshahar - 203 131, Uttar Pradesh, together with all buildings, erections and con-structions of every description which are standing, erected or attached or shall at anytime hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erected andstanding or attached to the aforesaid lands and premises or any part thereof and allrights to use common areas and facilities and incidentals attached thereto, together withall trees, fences, hedges, ditches, ways, sewers, drains, waters, watercourses, liberties,privileges, easements and appurtenances whatsoever to the said lands, hereditamentsor premises or any part thereof whether presently in existence or in the future belongingto or in any way appurtenant thereto. The details of the Specified Immovable Asset areset out below :Part A : A. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 27100 sq. mtrs.(6.696 acres) situated at Village Ibrahimpur - Junendpur also known as Mozpur, TehsilKhurja, District Bulandshahar – 203 131, situated within the Sub-Registration District ofBulandshahar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh.

Sr. No. Khasra/Khata No.

Dated : 15th January 2021 Sd/- Authorised OfficerPlace : Khurja, Uttar Pradesh Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Limited

(Trustee of EARC Trust SC 120, SC 128, SC 129,SC 122, SC 134, SC 176, SC 230 and SC 237)

1.2.3.4.5.

together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attachedor shall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erect-ed, standing and permanently attached thereto.B. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 21931 sq. mtrs. (5.419 Acres) sit-uate at village Sultanpur, Tehsil Khurja, District Bulandshahar, situated within the Sub-RegistrationDistrict of Bulandshahar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh.

together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attachedor shall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted beerected, standing and permanently attached thereto.C. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 32930 sq. mtrs. (8.137 Acres)situate at village Ibrahimpur Junendpur also known as Mozpur, Tehsil Khurja, District Bulandshahar,situate within the Sub-Registration District of Bulandshahar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh,

together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attachedor shall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erect-ed, standing and permanently attached thereto.Part B : A. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 3480 sq. mtrs. (0.86 acres)situated at village Ibrahimpur Junendpur also known as Mozpur, Tehsil Khurja, DistrictBulandshahar, situate within the Sub-Registration District of Bulandshahar, in the State of UttarPradesh.Sr. No.

1 Chak No. 162, proposed Gata no. 98 m/0.020, 99/1m/0.011 and 107m/0.287

3180

2 Chak No. 764 - Gata No. 253m/0.030,TOTAL

3003480

913597867858522

21503300440052503870

Sq. mtrs.

Sr. No. Khasra/Khata No.1.2.3.4.5.6.

21912857

2604558

568022502700180075402050

Sq. mtrs. Sr. No. Khasra/Khata No.7.8.9.

10.11.

344016201660810

3380

56802250270018007540

Sq. mtrs.

together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attachedor shall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erect-ed, standing and permanently attached thereto.B. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 12364 sq. mtrs. i.e. 3.06 acres sit-uated at village Sultanpur, Tehsil Khurha, District Bulandshahar, situated within the Sub-Registration District of Bulandshahar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh,

Sr. No. Gata No.1.2.3.4.5.6.

278, 279276349347

176, 182397

28002590179090

1140523

Sq. mtrs. Sr. No. Gata No.7.8.9.10.11.

TOTAL 12364 SQ. MTRS. I.E. 3.06 ACRES

TOTAL 14827 SQ. MTRS. I.E. 3.66 ACRES

181355180179391

1547702171131880

Sq. mtrs.

together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attached orshall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erected,standing and permanently attached thereto.C. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 14827 sq. mtrs. i.e. 3.66 acres sit-uated at village Nijampur, Tehsil Khurha, District Bulandshahar, situated within the Sub-Registration District of Bulandshahar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh,

together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attached orshall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erected,standing and permanently attached thereto.Details of Hypothecated Assets1. A charge by way of hypothecation of all moveable assets of borrower, including rakes Wagons, con-tainers, rail related equipments, movable plant and machinery, machinery spares, mechanical and elec-trical equipments, tools and accessories, furniture, fixtures, vehicles, and all other movable assets per-taining to the Phase –I Project, (both present and future), whether installed or not and whether now lyinglose or in cases or which are now lying or be stored at any place whatsoever or be held by any party tothe or disposition of the borrower or in the course of transit or in highseas or on order or delivery.2. A charge by way of hypothecation of the borrowers on all current assets including but not limit-ed to documents of title to goods and other assets, book debts, outstanding moneys, receivables,including insurance claims and revenues of whatsoever nature and wherever arising including butnot limited to out of the Phase-I Project and borrowers overall cash, cash equivalents and otherfunds including deposits in all bank accounts of the borrower, by whatever name called.3. A charge on assignments of all rights, title, interest, benefit, claims and demands whatsoever ofthe borrower in,i. all the borrowers TRA Accounts including Debt Service Reserve Amount (DSRA) and all rightsand interest present and future,ii. the right, title, benefits, claims, demand and interest of the borrower into and under all (a) of theProject Documents including the Concession Agreement executed with the Railway Administration,and (b) the guarantees, letter of credit by any off taker/ user company, other performance bonds,warranties, indemnities and securities that may be furnished by any party in favour of the borrow-er under the Project Documents (c) all the rights, title interest, benefits, claims, demands, whatso-ever of the borrower in or under the authorizations,4. The right, title, benefits, claims, demand and interest of the borrower into and under all theProjects bank accounts including but not limited to the Trust and Retention Account (TRA) (includ-ing DSRA) opened in account bank, where all cash inflows from the Project shall be deposited andall proceeds shall be utilized in a manner and priority to be decided by the Lenders, on all intangi-ble assets of the borrower including but not limited to goodwill etc.5. Charge/assignment and/or creation of security interest in favour of the lenders of (i) all the right, title,interest, benefits, claims and demands whatsoever of the borrower in the Project Documents, conces-sion agreement executed with Indian Railways, letter of credit by any off taker/user company, guaran-tee or performance bond that may be provided by any party to any Project Documents in favor of theborrower, all as amended, varied or supplemented from time to time; (ii) all the rights, title,interest, benefits, claims and demands whatsoever of the Borrower in or under the Authorizations.

Sr. No. Chak No.1.2.3.4.5.6.

374365375349371373

696052010611872647641

Sq. mtrs. Sr. No. Gata No.7.8.9.10.11.12.

377352364247363

361 A, 361B

708152303585942438

Sq. mtrs.

Sr. No. Khasra/Khata No.1.2.3.4.

12378

130318

384011253506690

Sq. mtrs. Sr. No. Khasra/Khata No.5.6.7.

11622488

69054906590

Sq. mtrs.

Sr. No. Khasra/Khata No.6.7.8.9.

716A129-1484223

106076025303780

Sq. mtrs.

TOTAL 27100

TOTAL 21931

TOTAL 32930

Khata/ Chak No. Mortgaged Land Sq. mtrs.

together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attachedor shall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erect-ed, standing and permanently attached thereto.B. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 4450 sq. mtrs. (1.099 acres) situ-ated at village Sultanpur, Tehsil Khurja, District Bulandshahar, situated within the Sub-RegistrationDistrict of Bulandshahar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh.Sr. No.

1 Khata No. 25, Gata No. 177Kh/0.094 and 178/0.291 38502 Khata No.241- Gata No. 185/0.060

TOTAL600

4450.00


together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attachedor shall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erect-ed, standing and permanently attached thereto.C. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 2780 sq. mtrs. (0.687 acres) situ-ated at village Nijampur,Tehsil Khurja, District Bulandshahar, situated within the Sub-RegistrationDistrict of Bulandshahar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh,Sr. No.

1 Khata No.77 -Gata No. 310/0.021 2102 Khata No. 270 - Gata No. 384/0.257

TOTAL25702780


together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attachedor shall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erect-ed, standing and permanently attached thereto.B. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 1670 sq. mtrs. (0.413 Acres) situ-ated at village Sultanpur, Tehsil Khurja, District Bulandshahar, situated within the Sub-RegistrationDistrict of Bulandshahar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh,

together with all building and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attached orshall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erected,standing and permanently attached thereto.Part D : A. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 121911 sq. mtrs. i.e. 30.12acres situated at village Ibrahimpur Junendpur also known as Mozpur, Tehsil Khurja, DistrictBulandshahar, situated within the Sub-Registration District of Bulandshahar, in the State of UttarPradesh,

Sr. No.123456789

101112131415161718192021222324252627

873 min west 407, 58267035

185 min west536

624, 6295924558795436136

76882

78956583051

129 II507743636639939682432

296, 667

333010715050861032806310565752

2540680

16701750450

1090387053402560408051009480232015203305840

194023101660

Sr. No.1 Chak No.227, Khata No. 48, Gata No. 326/0.628 1670

TOTAL 1670

TOTAL 121911 sq. mtrs. i.e. 30.12 Acres

Khata/ Chak No. Sq. mtrs.

together with all buildings and structures which are standing, erected and permanently attachedor shall at any time hereafter during the continuance of the security hereby constituted be erect-ed, standing and permanently attached thereto.Part C : A. All that pieces and parcels of lands or ground admeasuring 4284 sq. mtrs. (1.103 acres)situated at village Ibrahimpur Junendpur also known as Mozpur, Tehsil Khurja, District Bulandshahar,situated within the Sub-Registration District of Bulandshahar, in the State of Uttar Pradesh,Sr. No.

1 Chak No.121 II proposed Gata no. 256/0.035, 257/0.005, 260/3/0.010,265/3/0.010, 266/1/0.025, 266/2/0.005, 267/1/0.005, 267/2/0/040,267/3/0.010, 265/4/0.030, 265/5/0.005 and 276/0.050

650

2 Chak No. 681A, proposed Gata no. 257/0.010, 258/0.008, 267/4/0.066,and Chak No. 950 proposed Gata No. 264/1/0.015, 265/2/0.015,265/3/0.187, and Chak No. 311 proposed Gata No. 267/4/0.077

TOTAL

2118

3 Chak No. 542, proposed Gata no. 255m/0.020, 256m/0.025,260/3m/0.020, 265/3m/0.119, 265/4m/0.060, 265/5m/0.030, and276m/0.030 and Chak No. 542 Gata No. 265/3 mt.

1516

4284

Khata/ Chak No. Sq. mtrs.

Chak No. Sq. mtrs. Sr. No.28293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152

640205284513948974137626752374948563563435

492 min north45

83 min west153 min west209 min west227 min west338 min west866 min west120 min south

502 min south (I)433-II Min South

330663033401760176017002450192011702470910490

142022803600854330559

2380660

1640369411473532

Chak No. Sq. mtrs.

ABHISHEKSAHAGUWAHATI, JANUARY19

THE CONGRESS and five otherpartiesonTuesdayofficiallyan-nouncedtheir‘grandalliance’fortheAssemblyelectionsinAssamlikelytobeheldinMarch-April,bringing an end to speculationonwhetherthepartywill finallygowith the AIUDF. The alliancehowever, did not name a chiefministerial candidate.Announcing the alliance —

CPI,CPI(M),CPI(ML),AIUDFandAnchalik GanaMorcha (AGM)are the five partners withCongress—atapressconferenceinGuwahationTuesday,AssamCongress president Ripun Borasaid:“We,theCongressdecidedto invite all like-mindedpartiestooust thecommunal forces forthebestinterestof thecountry.”.ChhattisgarhChiefMinisterandsenior party leader BhupeshBaghel was also present at theevent.Bora said leaders of all five

parties held discussions onTuesdaywith Baghel and partygeneral secretaries MukulWasnikand JitendraSingh.“We have come to the con-

clusion that in the comingAssamAssembly elections, weallwill fight together tooust the

BJP. At the same time, we willkeepourdoorsopentoinvitetheother regional parties of Assamandotheranti-BJPpartiestojoinouralliance,”Borasaid.The alliance members are,

however, silent onwhowill theprobablechiefministerialcandi-date for the alliance. On a ques-tionontheissue,Wasnikreplied,“Let’s not have all questions an-sweredononesingleday.”“We, six parties, appeal to

otherparties that if youwant tosaveAssam,youwanttohelptheyouth of Assam realise theirdreams and aspirations, youwant Assam’s development,thenwe should come together

and fight the elections,” saidCongress general secretarySingh.On the other hand, two im-

portant regional parties —AssamJatiyaParishad (AJP) andRaijorDal—whichwereformedafter the massive anti-CAAmovement that had swept thestate in 2019-20 are in talks foranalliance,accordingto leadersfromthe twooutfits.AJP has the backing of influ-

ential student bodies — AllAssam Students’ Union (AASU)and Asom Jatiyatabadi YubaChatra Parishad (AJYCP) whileRaijor Dal is the political plat-formof KrishakMukti SangramSamiti (KMSS), led by jailed ac-tivistAkhilGogoi.WhenBorawasaskedabout

the effect of this alliance onCongress’s grand alliance, hereplied, “That alliancewill havenoeffectonourprospects.”The alliance announcement

comes at a time when theCongress in Assam is undergo-ing a series of setbacks. InDecember last year, two sittingMLAs of the party officiallyjoined the BJP. These defectionscame on the heels of theCongress losing in two recentlyheld local Council polls — BTCand Tiwa Autonomous Council(TAC)—inAssam.

SOFIAHSANNEWDELHI, JANUARY19

DESCRIBINGQUESTIONSraisedbyanRTIapplicantregardingthegovernment’sAarogyaSetuappas those of “considerable na-tional importance”, the DelhiHigh Court on Tuesday issued anotice to the government on apetition challenging a 2020Central InformationCommission (CIC) order inwhich the statutory body hadobserved that sufficient infor-mationregardingtheappwasal-ready inpublicdomain“You cannot simply say it is

in public domain...thatmay notbe fair,” observed JusticePrathiba M Singh, adding that“there are various issueswhichhave been raised in the presentpetition in respect of AarogyaSetuappwhichareof consider-ablepublic importance”.Whileadjourningthematter

for hearing to February 24, thecourtsaidtheCIChaspassedtheorderwithout affording a hear-

ing to the petitioner. The courtalso ordered the petitioner andtheCentretoplaceonrecordtheinformationsoughtandreceivedandthatyet tobe furnished.In August 2020, RTI activist

SauravDashadfiledanRTIappli-cationseekingtoknowdetailsre-lated to the project such as theorigin of the proposal, approvaldetails; companies, people, gov-ernmentdepartments involved;filenotingsrelatedtotheapplica-tion, copies of communicationsinvolvedinmakingordevelopingtheapplication,amongothers.Das had raised concerns the

app’suseofdataanditseffectonthepeople’s right toprivacy.OnTuesday,thepetitionerinformedthatcourtthateachauthorityhehad approached continued toevadequestions, afterwhichheapproachedtheCIC.Advocate Rahul Sharma,

whorepresentedtheCPIOs,toldthe court that substantial infor-mation exists in public domainand information running intomore than80pageshasalreadybeengiven to theapplicant.


THE NOMINATION papers ofIndependentcandidateMaheshChandra Sharmawere rejectedafterscrutinyonTuesday,clear-ing theway for the unopposedselection of 12 candidates – 10from BJP and two fromSamajwadi Party – to the UttarPradeshLegislativeCouncil.Sources said Sharma’s nom-

inationpaperswereincompleteand did not have the requirednumberof proposers.With just 12 candidates left

for 12 seats, an electionwasnotnecessary. However, the officialdeclaration will bemade afterJanuary 21, the last day ofwith-drawalof nomination.The 10 BJP candidates who

will now go to the LegislativeCouncilareformerbureaucratAKSharma,who joined thepartylastweek,DeputyChiefMinisterDinesh Sharma, BJP state presi-dent Swatantra Dev Singh, sen-ior party functionaries LaxmanPrasad Acharya, KunwarManvendra Singh, GovindNarayan Shukla, Salil Bishnoi,Ashwani Tyagi, DharamveerPrajapati and SurendraChaudhary.ThetwoSamajwadiParty candidates are veteranleaderAhmedHassanandpartyspokesperson RajendraChaudhary.TheUttarPradeshLegislative

CouncilwillgetanewChairman.The incumbent Chairman,RameshYadav, is set to retireonJanuary30.This time,as theSPwill send

only two candidates to theUpper House, the party did notre-nominateYadav, and insteadchose AhmedHassanwhowasalso an existingmember alongwithRajendraChaudhary.ThenumberofBJPmembers

in the legislativecouncilwill in-crease but SPwill still have themajority in the Upper Housewith 51 members. The SP islikely to have an upper hand intheselectionofanewChairmanunless other parties andIndependentmembersbackan-othercandidate.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEBENGALURU, JANUARY19

KARNATAKACHIEFMinisterBSYediyurappahascarriedoutase-ries of visits to temples in thecoastal Karnataka region overthe last two days amid dis-gruntlement within the BJP’sstateunitovertherecentcabinetexpansionandrevivalof a setofold corruption cases againstYediyurappaby theHighCourt.The allotment of portfolios

for the seven newministers in-ducted on January 13 has beenonhold foraweek.Yediyurappa has visited the

SriKrishnaTemple inUdupi, SriVenkataramana Temple atKarambali in Udupi, SriMahalakshmi Temple at Kapuand the Sri Vinayaka Temple inKundapur inwhathedescribedas a partial break frompoliticalactivities following the cabinetexpansion. He has also hostedDefenceMinisterRajnathSinghand HomeMinister Amit Shahsince theexpansion.“I will seek God’s darshan

and come back. Once I return, I

will discusswith seniorminis-ters (the issue of portfolio allo-cations).Inoneortwodaysitwillbe done,'' Yediyurappa said be-fore setting out on his visit tocoastalKarnatakaonMonday.Sinceavisit toNewDelhi on

January 10 to obtain clearancefor the cabinet expansion, theChief Minister has appeared tobe a forlorn figurewith severalBJP legislators, who have notbeenaccommodatedinthecab-inet, targetinghimandsomeal-legingblackmailandbriberybe-hind the choice of candidates.TheKarnatakaCMisexpectedtoencounter more dissidence

whenportfoliosareallocatedforthecabinetlaterthismonthwithseveral old and newministersvying forplumportfolios.Vijayapura MLA Basavaraj

Patil Yatnal and MLC HVishwanathhavealluded to theexistenceof aCD-- recordedbyacloseaideof thechiefminister-- which is being used againsthimbyrivals.“Only aweak chief minister

will be blackmailed. It is theirown party members who aremakingtheallegations... itshowsthere is some truth in it,” saidSiddaramaiah,formerKarnatakaCMandleaderof theoppositionCongresspartyinthestatelegis-lature, lastweek.Yediyurappa is also up

againstthreecasesofcorruptiondatingbacktohisearliertenuresas Deputy CM and CMwhichhave been revived sinceDecember 22 following ordersof theKarnatakaHighCourt.Siddaramaiah has claimed

that Yediyurappawill not con-tinue as Chief Minister beyondApril, alleging that hewas pro-videdthisinformationbyanRSSinsider.

AISHWARYAMOHANTYBHUBANESWAR,JANUARY19

THE RULING BJD in Odisha hassaidthatiftheCentredoesnotac-cept the demand to lift surplusparboiledricewithinsevendays,“farmers will descend on thestreets”andthe“BJDwillsupportandstandbythefarmers”.BJD leaders have alleged that

by not lifting surplus rice, theCentrehasheldback the releaseofaboutRs6,040croreinsubsidy,placing the stateunder severe fi-nancialburden.Ranendra Swain, Odisha

Minister for Food Supplies andConsumerWelfare,TuesdaywrotetoUnionminister PiyushGoyal,saying that limitingprocurementof parboiled rice will have “far

reachingadverseconsequencesforthestate”. “Askingthestatetode-liversurplusriceintheformofrawrice inRabi and to limitprocure-mentofparboiledriceinthekharifseasontotheextentof50percentof the last year FCI deliverywillhave far reachingadverseconse-quencesforthestate.”TheFoodCorporationofIndia

recently informed the state gov-ernmentthatitwillnotbeabletoacceptsurplusparboiledricedur-ing the rabi season as “there is apossibility of a glut of 185 lakhtonneparboiled rice stockacrossthe country”, “choking itsmove-mentordisposal”.“Duetoestimatedbumperpro-

curement, there isapossibilityofglutof185lakhtonneparboiledricestockacross thecountry, thereby,chokingitsmovement/disposalfor

years...Inviewoftheabove,itisre-quiredtogivemaximumdeliveryof rawrice to theextentof50percentof theoriginalestimates. It isalso intimatedthatFCIwillnotbeinapositiontoacceptanysurplusparboiledriceduringrabi season2020-21,” Satyaprakash Panda,AGM (Procurement) of the FCI,wrote to Vir Vikram Yadav,Secretary in the Odisha FoodSupplies andConsumerWelfaredepartment.BJDleadershavethreateneda

statewideagitation.“Farmerswilldescendon the streets, if thede-mand for lifting 31 lakh tonnepaddyofmostlyparboiledricefor2020-21 is not accepted by theCentre/FCIwithinaweek.TheBJDwill support and stand by thefarmers.We hope better senseprevails in theBJP and insteadof

sheddingcrocodiletearshere,theparty raises its voice against thisinjustice meted out to Odishafarmers,”saidRohitPujari,deputychiefwhipof theparty.However,theBJPhitoutatthe

stategovernmentsayingthattheprocurement of parboiled rice,unlikewhite rice, is capped andthatthestategovernmentshouldprocureitmoreasthereishigherconsumptionwithinthestate.“Afarmer usually sells paddy, butnotrice.Theparboiledricegives7per centmore production thanwhite rice. Parboiled rice is con-sumedonly inOdishaand somepartsofnorthernIndia...sincetheparboiledriceisconsumedmorewithinthestate,theprocurementbythestateshouldbemore,”BJPstate general secretaryLekhashreeSamantsingharsaid.

BJD threatens Odisha stir if Centre doesn’taccept demand to lift parboiled rice in 7 days

Amid disgruntlement in stateBJP, BSY on temple-visit spree

Cong announces ‘grandalliance’ in Assamaheadof polls; silent on CM face

HC notice to Centre onRTI applicant’s plea forinfo on Aarogya Setu

10 BJP, 2 SPcandidates setto get electedunopposed toUP Council

SANTOSHSINGHPATNA, JANUARY19

BIHAR DGP S K Singhal onTuesday said the police wereclosetosolvingIndigoexecutiveRupesh Kumar Singh’s murdercase and had zeroed in on twopossible motives behindthekilling.Rupeshwasshotdeadinfront

ofhisPatnaresidencelastweek.At press conference on

Tuesday, DGP Singh said, “Wehave narrowed it down to twopossible reasons—contracts al-lottedtohisfamilymembersandrelativesorarowoverallotmentof the airport parking lot con-tract. The latter looks to be themost possible reason. We areclose tosolving thecase.”Singh did not reveal the

numberof suspects in thecase.According to police sources,

all electronic and forensic evi-dence has been gathered. “Weare looking into the entireprocess of parking lot contractallotment at the airport andwhat roleRupeshhad toplay init,” saidapoliceofficer.AccordingtoPTI,Singhalwas

onTuesdaysummonedbyChiefMinisterNitishKumarwhotookstockof theprobeintothehigh-profile murder case which hasbrought the government underheavyopposition fire.

PROTEST AGAINST UDDHAVPro-KannadaactivistsprotestagainstMaharashtraCMUddhavThackerayoverhisstatementonKarnataka-Maharashtraborder issue, inBengaluru,Tuesday.Leadersacrossparty lines inKarnataka, includingtheChiefMinisterandtheLeaderofOpposition,hadearliervoicedobjections toastatementbyThackeray, inwhichhesaidhisgovernmentwascommittedto incorporatingMarathi-speakingareasofKarnataka intothestate. PTI

Congress leadersRipunBora,MukulWasnikandBhupeshBaghelwithotherparty leaders inDispur.PTI

BSYediyurappaata templeinUdupi. Twitter/BSYBJP

Airport contractsprobable motivebehind IndiGostaffer’s murder,says Bihar DGP

New Delhi

10WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

CRICKET, MADE IN INDIABrisbane2021isnoflukeorcoincidence:Itistheresultofyearsofmeticulousplanning,nurturingofcricketatthegrassroots

I NHOURS,DAYS,weeks,monthsandyearstocome,themagnificenceof India’striumph inBrisbanewill only growgrander in time. Itwould come todefine ageneration, perhaps an era, perhaps Indian cricket itself. It’s epochal andmerits its perch at the helmof India’s finest hours in cricket and arguably one

of thefinestTestmatchesinthehistoryof thegame.Avictoriouschaseof328onacrack-laden, fourth-innings pitch,whereAustralia hadbeen invincible since 1988, in itself isanincredible feat,butthat’sonlypartof atrulyunbelievable, if not fictitious,comebackstory. Bowled out for 36 in Adelaide, written off after the departure of their talismanViratKohli, thenlosingonematch-winningplayeraftertheotherastheseriesunrolled,bruised and bullied by their full-strength Australian contemporaries, taunted raciallyby spectators inSydney, India scripteda timeless epic inBrisbane.Theemotionaloutpouringshouldnotdeflect therealityof India’s leapinggrowthin

thegame.Thiswasnofairytale,Brisbane2021wasnotacoincidence. Itwasintheworksforawhile. This is theoutcomeof sustainedplanning, systematicdevelopmentandanambition to be the global leader in the game. That a largely secondor third-rung teamcouldproducethisvictoryisanattestationof theeffortsputbehindthescenestoensuretheprogressionofcricketandcricketers inthecountry.Adomesticcircuit thatpayswellor the ample opportunities and quick riches that IPL provides has taughtmillions ofIndiancricketerstodream,aspireandinspire. Ithaswidenedthetalentpoolof thecoun-try, revvedup the competitionaswell as opportunities,madeworld-class facilities ac-cessible even toaspiring cricketers.The Board of Control for Cricket in India is notwithout flaws and is not hesitant to

wielditsclout,of course.Buttheyknowtheircricket, theysupporttheircricketers, theyensuretheygetthebestofexposure.Forexample,nootherteamhasfeaturedinasmany‘A’gamesthanIndia.There isnocountry inthecricketingworldtheyhavenottravelledin the last five years, they are constantly interactingwithworld-class coaches, RahulDravid, for instance, and getting acquainted with alien conditions at a young age.Similarly, theUnder-19 cricketers are carefully groomedandmonitored. Selectors andscouts are travellingwider and farther to guarantee that no talent slips out of the sys-tem. For all these reasons, Brisbane 2021, should not be considered a coincidence orfluke. It’s just adot in thearc, the triumphof a robust, inscrutable system. It’s anexam-pleother Indian sports canemulate.

BATTLEGROUND BENGALMamataBanerjee’smovetocontestassemblypolls from

Nandigramis rich inpoliticalundertones

N ANDIGRAMISWHEREherascentbegan,anditiswhereMamataBanerjeewill battle theBJP inherpursuitof a thirdconsecutive terminoffice.OnMonday, days after her once-trusted lieutenant andmobiliser of theNandigramlandstruggle,SuvenduAdhikari, joinedtheBJP,Banerjeean-

nounced that she will contest the assembly election, due in threemonths, from theNandigramseat. It’sadarethatcouldelectrifyhercadresandframetheagendaofanelec-tion that ismost likely tobea tight andpolarising contest.The2007landagitationinNandigramwasthebreakthroughthatMamataBanerjee

andherparty, theTrinamoolCongress,was lookingfortodelivera finalblowtotheLeftFrontinWestBengal,whichhadexhausteditselfaftermorethanthreedecadesinpower.Landwas the issuearoundwhich theLeft, particularly theCPM,mobilised rural votersandwon seven consecutive elections. The Left Front government’s attempt to acquireland for industrywas resistedbypeasants inNandigramandSingurand itprovidedanissue for the Trinamool tomobilise voters against the Left Front. It is this legacy thatBanerjeehassought to invoke inabid tostemtheexodusof leaders fromherpartyandconsolidate the Trinamool base in thewake of the BJP’s no-holds-barredmobilisationtowin Bengal. The BJP,whichwon just three seats in the 2016 assembly elections, hasemerged as themain opposition to Banerjee in a short span bywinning over leadersfrom the Trinamool, CPM and Congress and through concerted campaigns by its na-tional leadership.Nandigram 2007 gave the Trinamool its current identity, and its winning slogan,

“Ma,Mati,Manush(mother,motherland,people)”.Thesloganturnedthelandstruggleintoapolitical ideaandhelpedBanerjeebuildastoriednarrativefortheTrinamool. Iten-abled her to brand the Trinamool, an offshoot of the Congress and once an ally of theBJP,asaregionalpartythathaditseartothegrassrootsanddrewitsenergyfromthelead-ershipof amother figure.Nandigramis theoriginmythof theTrinamool. Byannounc-ing that shewill contest fromNandigram, Banerjee has sought to invoke a powerfulmemoryandlegacyandpit itagainstthosewhohaveleft theTrinamoolfold. It’sasmartmoveonherpart todenythelikesofAdhikariasliceof thehistorythey, too,wereapartof.However, unlike theLeft, theBJP isnotburdenedby thememoryofNandigram.Butitwill have toengagewithBanerjee’s pitch.

SECOND GENTLEMANAfter fouryearsof toxicmasculinityat theWhiteHouse,DouglasEmhoff’spositionhasgreat symbolicvalue

W HENYOU’REINarelationship,”sayscomedianChrisRockinhis2018special Tamborine, “you’re in a band... sometimes you’re the leadsinger,andsometimes,youplaythetambourine”.And,whenit’sthelatter, it's important to play that tambourinewell for your partner.

DouglasEmhoff, thesoon-to-be firstSecondGentlemanof theUnitedStates, isabout tobecomeoneof themost famous tambourineplayers in theworld.SpousesofpoliticiansintheUShavetraditionallyhadtoplayasupportingroleasamat-

ter of course.Whatmakes Kamala Harris’s spouse a littlemore news-worthy than hispredecessors is the fact that he is aman, and in some sense, is set to subvert the tradi-tionalrolesofhusbandandwifeinpublic life.Heis, infact, settotakeateachingpositionat GeorgetownUniversity to be able to devotemore time to his duties as the SecondGentleman. The question, though, is why Emhoff anymore important than any of hispredecessors?Twitter, forexample,hasmadequiteabigdealaboutgivinghimaccesstothe “first SecondHusband official handle”. The cynical — perhaps rightly so— answermightbethatmentendtobeapplaudedforcharacteristicsthatsocietytakesforgrantedinwomen: Second Ladies are rarely feted, or even aswidely known, as the first SecondHusband isboundtobe.Thetrueimportof thesymbolismsurroundingEmhoff’snewpositionis formen.For

the last fouryears, theversionofmasculinity thathasemanated fromtheWhiteHouse—and fromothermuscular leaders— is adiminished,misogynist, homophobic and in-secureone.Tobedecent,articulateandsupportive—toplaythetambourinewithpleas-ureanddignity—isanexamplemanyAmericanmen,meningeneralreally,woulddowelltoemulate.

President Biden

ArunKSingh

DRaja

Hefacesapolarisedsociety,pandemic,economiccrisis.ConsensusonIndia-USties,though,islikelytocontinue

SAVING THE REPUBLICThesecular, inclusivecharacterof thecountryisunderthreat

JOEBIDENWILL take over later today as the46th President of the US, amidst unprece-dented security arrangements, a deeply po-larised societybelievingnot only indifferentvaluesbutalsoconflicting“facts”,acontinuedand raging pandemic, a severely impactedeconomy, and an enhanced challenge fromChinato itsglobalprimacyandtechnologicalleadership. In his initial victory speech onNovember8morning (IST),hehad identifieddealingwiththepandemic,economy,systemicracisminUSsociety,andclimatechangeashisinitialpriorities.This presidential transition (from the

November3electiontotheinauguration)hasbeen the most fraught among the three Iwatched closely— in 2008-09, 2016-17 and2020-21.In2008-09,PresidentGeorgeWBushhadinstructedtheadministrationtocooperateandbrief fullytheincomingteam,ashadalsobeenmandatedby the9/11Commission, toavoidsurprisesliketheSeptember11,2001,alQaeda attack. President BarackObama andMichelleObamahadhostedtheTrumpsattheWhiteHousesoonaftertheelectionoutcomewasknowninNovember2016.Thistime,how-ever,DonaldTrumpdidnotconcede,orinvitetheBidenstotheWhiteHouse,soughttochal-lengeresultsthroughcourts,coercionofelec-tionofficials, andencouraginghis supporterstostormtheUSCongressonJanuary6todis-rupt the final certification of the results. Hewouldalsonotbeattendingtheofficialswear-ing-in ceremony. According to latest polls, alargemajority of Republican supporters, en-couragedbyTrumpandpoliticianshopingtotap intohis base, continue tobelieve, despiteunanimous rejection by courts and over-whelmingly by both Democratic andRepublicanelectionofficials,thattheelectionswereriggedandthattherewaswidespreadil-legalvoting.Governance for Biden has been made

somewhat easier by the US Senate havingflipped,thoughbyabare51-50majority.Thiswillenableearlyconfirmationofmanynom-ineestocriticalpositions,butitwillgiveextrapower to themore conservativeDemocraticsenators. TheHouse retaining itsDemocraticmajority, but by a reducedmargin, has rein-forcedthesenseofdivision inUSsociety.ThechallengefortheBidenadministrationwillbetomeet the aspirations of the progressiveDemocratic base that has propelled him topower,whilealsocommandingameasureofbipartisansupport togeneratewidersocietalacceptanceofhispolicies.Most incoming administrations adopt a

host ofmeasures in the initial days to signalpolicy andadministrative energy, and todis-tinguishthemselvespoliticallyfromtheirpred-

ecessors. TheBiden teamhas indicated thattherewouldbeannouncementsonrejoiningthe 2015Paris climate accord, immigration,dealingwith thepandemic, etc. Someatten-tion,however,willbetakenawaybytheantic-ipatedSenatetrialofTrump,followinghissec-ond impeachment by the House ofRepresentativeslastweek.Bidenhascalledfortheprocessnottodisrupttheadministration’spositiveagenda.The extent towhichBiden candealwith

internalfissuresandchallenges,andprojectastabilising influenceglobally,will alsohaveabearingonIndia’s interests.The Trump administration has contin-

ued with the troop drawdown inAfghanistan, bringing thenumberdown to2,500,despiteadeadlockinAfghangovern-ment-TalibannegotiationsinDoha,andcon-tinued Taliban-sponsored terrorist activityand attacks. As Vice President, Biden hadalso supported a reduction in the USmili-taryfootprint inAfghanistan,assessingitasendless,andseeingthefatigueinUSsocietyfromtheprolongedinvolvementandlosses.Whether the incoming administration en-ables the existing governance frameworkand constitution to endure or caves intoTaliban encroachments, will be among thefirst tests of itswill and international pres-tige. It will also affect its relationshipwithPakistan,dependingonthedegreetowhichthe latter is responsive to terrorism-relatedconcerns,orsurrendersagainto itsprocliv-ity to seek “strategic depth” and dominateAfghanistan through the Taliban. Pakistanwill try tomarket itself initially as useful intheAfghanistan context, and seek leveragein theUS-India relationship.Themostkeenlywatchedpolicyorienta-

tionwouldbeonChina.TheTrumpadminis-tration, after some flip-flops in the first year,adopted an increasingly strident tone sinceDecember2017.Therewasbroadlya“whole-of-government” approach with the VicePresident, Secretary of State, Secretary ofDefense,National SecurityAdviser, AttorneyGeneral, FBI Director, and a host of subordi-nate officials comingoutwith a series of co-ordinatedpolicypronouncements.Exceptionsto this were Treasury Secretary StevenMnuchin and Adviser to President JaredKushner,whowereseenascontinuingto fo-cus on advantages from cooperation. Therewasalsoa“whole-of-society”approachwiththeadministration’smessagesdirectedatUSbusiness,universities,governors,think-tanks,entertainmentindustry,torecognisethedan-gersemanatingfromChinaandnotgiveintoblandishments, or short-term financial orprofitneeds.China’sauthoritariansystemun-

derPresidentXiwasdescribedasachallengetoUS-espouseddemocraticvalues;itspreda-tory economic and forced technology trans-ferpracticesasa challenge toUS technologi-calleadership;itsunilateralmilitaryassertionsintheEastandSouthChinaSeaandelsewherewereassessedasachallengetoarules-basedinternationalorder.Aseriesofmeasureswereadoptedtodenytechnologyandfinancingac-cess,targetingChinesetechnologycompanies,those linked to itsmilitary, those involved ininternationally-illegalconstructionactivityintheSouthChinaSea.Constraintswereplacedon the operation of Chinese media andConfucianInstitutesintheUS,itsconsulateinHoustonwas closed, sanctions placed onChinese officials involved in the crackdownandhumanrightsviolationsinHongKongandXinjiang, andhigher-level government con-tactsauthorisedwithTaiwan.TheBidenteamwouldwanttoprojectthat

itisdifferentfromandmoreeffectivethantheTrumpadministration.Itsrhetoricmaybelesssharp.ItmaybelessprovocativeonTaiwan.Itwillwant to coordinatemorewith allies, in-cluding in Europe. But the substance of theTrumpadministration’sapproachisnotlikelytochange.Chinaisseentobemoreauthoritar-ianunderXi,drivinganailinthecoffinofhopeandconvenience-drivenUSanalysisthatmoreengagementwould lead topolitical andeco-nomic liberalisation in China. CompetitionwithChinawill alsoprovide thepeg for gen-eratingbipartisansupportinforeconomic,in-frastructureandcompetitionpolicies.Relationswith India would remain on

track.Bidenhasconsistentlybeensupportive,callingatvarioustimesfortheremovalofsanc-tions against India, piloting the 2008 CivilNuclearCooperationAgreementintheSenate,anddescribing the relationship as adefiningpartnership of the20th century. Speaking attheHudsonInstituteonJuly9,2020,SecretaryofState-designateBlinkensaidthat“strength-ening anddeepening the relationshipwithIndiaisgoingtobeaveryhighpriority”.TheUS’schoicesonRussia(CAATSAsanc-

tions) and Iran (JCPOA)will alsohaveabear-ingonIndia’sinterests.ThesewillbedrivenbyAmerica'sperceptionofitsinterestsandpolit-icalcompulsions.Butitcanbeconfidentlyex-pectedthataBiden-HarrisadministrationwillsustainthebipartisansupportfortheIndiare-lationship initiated by Bill Clinton in 2000.Therewillbesomedifferencesonissuesper-taining tohuman rights and climate change,buttheycanbeeffectivelyhandledifthestrate-gicframeiskeptinviewatbothends.

Thewriter isa former Indianambassador to theUS

INA fewdays, thenationwill commemoratethe birth of the republic. This year, RepublicDayfallsintheshadowofthewreckagecausedby the COVID-19pandemic andprotests bythousandsoffarmersonthebordersofthena-tionalcapitalagainstlawsthatseektofurthercorporateinterests.Itisalsoatimetoreflectonthehealth of thenation and ask ourselves ifall’swellwiththerepublic.Somedaysago,whilelaunchingabookon

Mahatma Gandhi, RSS supremo MohanBhagwatsaid:“IfyouareaHinduthenyouwillbeanautomaticpatriot.Youmaybeanuncon-sciousHindu,youmayneedawakening,butaHinduwill never be anti-India.” Thedivisiveintent behind this statement is self-evident.FortheRSSandBJP,religionistheaxisaroundwhichthenationconstitutesitself.TheenvironmentofhatetheRSShadcre-

ated around the Partition of the countryclaimed the life of the Father of theNation,MahatmaGandhi. NathuramGodse, whomurderedGandhi,continuestobehailedasagreatpatriotbymanyRSS-BJPsupporters.AsperBhagwat’sdefinitionofpatriotism,aGodsewill qualify as a patriot but not a BabasahebAmbedkar,whochoseBuddhismafterreject-

ingadiscriminatoryHinduism.TheRSSchief’sremark is also intended at downplaying thecontributionsof people fromother religions,secularistsandatheistsinthefreedommove-ment and the development of the republic.AccordingtoBhagwat,aMaulanaAzadwouldnotbeapatriotbecausehewasanon-Hindu.DadabhaiNaorojiandHomiJehangirBhabhatoowouldnotqualify.Arevolutionarypatriotlike Bhagat Singh, because of himbeing anatheist,wouldhavehispatriotismquestioned,ironically,bythosewhostayedawayfromthefreedommovement.Our freedommovementwas the conflu-

enceofmanystreamsofthoughtsandactions.Thecommunistsraisedtheissueof liberationnot only from foreign rule but also fromallformsofexploitation.Gandhi,afterhisreturnfromSouth Africa, during the same periodemergedas the leaderof theanti-imperialistfreedommovement. He raised the issue ofHindu-Muslim unity. Ambedkar, who re-turnedfromLondonin1920,calledforthean-nihilationofcaste.The communists, Gandhi andAmbedkar

haddifferences but theyworked together tounitethepeopleandtoendcolonialrule.After

India gained Independence in 1947 and theConstituent Assemblywas convened, thesethreestreamsengagedwitheachothertocon-solidate the idealsof equality, libertyand fra-ternityintheConstitution.At the same time, theHindu right-wing,

namelytheRSSandHinduMahasabhaunderVDSavarkar,was trying to sabotage thena-tionalmovement.When thewhole countrywas getting united for a decisive struggleagainst colonialism, theRSS andMahasabhaweretryingtodividethecountryinthenameofreligion.ItisironicthattheRSS,whichnevertookpartinthefreedomstruggle,anditsaffil-iate,theBJP,aredistributingcertificatesofpa-triotismtoday.Longago,Ambedkarhadwarnedthat“itis

perfectlypossibletoperverttheConstitution,withoutchangingtheformbymerelychang-ingtheformofadministrationandtomakeitinconsistent and opposed to the spirit ofConstitution”.The communists, Ambedkarites and

Gandhians need to take up the challenge tosavetherepublicandtheConstitution.

Thewriterisgeneralsecretary,CPI

Relations with India wouldremain on track. Biden hasconsistently beensupportive, calling at varioustimes for the removal ofsanctions against India,piloting the 2008 CivilNuclear CooperationAgreement in the Senate,and describing therelationship as a definingpartnership of the 20thcentury. Speaking at theHudson Institute on July 9,2020, Secretary of State-designate Blinken said that‘strengthening anddeepening the relationshipwith India is going to be avery high priority’.

The communists, Gandhiand Ambedkar haddifferences but they workedtogether to unite the peopleand to end colonial rule.Atthe same time, the Hinduright-wing, namely the RSSand Hindu Mahasabhaunder V D Savarkar, wastrying to sabotage thenational movement.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021 WORDLYWISECricket isanart.Likeallarts ithas

atechnicalfoundation.— CLRJamesTHEEDITORIALPAGE

IRAN-US DEALTHE US REACHED an agreement with Iranforthereleaseof the52Americanhostages,but Iran’schiefhostagenegotiatorsaidtheirflight to freedomawaitedofficialwordthatbillions of dollars have been transferred tothe Bank of England. At a news conferencein Teheran, Iranian negotiator BehzadNabavi said the hostages would be putaboard a plane “immediately after” Iranhearsofficially fromAlgeria that theUShastransferredmoney to an Algerian accountintheBankofEnglandundertheagreementtoexchangethehostages for frozen Iranianfunds. Diplomatic sources in Teheran saida technicalhitchwith thebanking transac-

tions had delayed the departure of thehostages.

PM ON ASIAPRIMEMINISTERINDIRAGandhisaid, “thatdeliberate attempts were being made toconvert Asia into a zone of conflict”.Addressing members of the PunjabCongress (I) Legislature Party at her resi-dencetoday,shesaidthatthetensionwhichused to be in Europe was being shifted toAsia.Sheheldthesuperpowersresponsiblefor this.MrsGandhisaidthat Indiawas fac-ing great difficulties as a result of interna-tional tension around the country and theIndianocean.

JAGUAR DEALTHE FINAL DECISION on the Indo-BritishJaguar deal is likely to be taken beforeBritish PrimeMinister Margaret Thatchervisits India inmid-April.Contrarytotheim-pression given by the British Aerospacechief that the Jaguar deal had not run intoany problems, information suggests thatthe Indiangovernment isgoingaheadwiththeexaminationof thedeal. Asmanyas18Jaguar aircraft loaned by the British are al-ready in squadron service in the IndianAirForce.Thequestionbeingdiscussed ishowmanymore— suitablymodified for Indianconditions—shouldbebought fromBritishAerospace in fly-off conditions.

JANUARY 20, 1981, FORTYYEARSAGO

New Delhi


WHATTHEOTHERSSAY“The continuous violence in Afghanistan has raised serious questions aboutthe sustainability of the peace process, as well as the Kabul government’s abilityto defend the country once all foreign forces leave.” —DAWN,PAKISTANTHE IDEASPAGE

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Chinoy’s criticism ofKissinger rests on thin icebecause it relies on aquestionable and largelyplagiarised work ofsecondary scholarship. Hadhe consulted other studieson Wang Xuance, Chinoywould have realised that theTang emissary’s militaryaction in India, which tookplace in 648, was not‘apocryphal in terms of itsscale and significance’. Quiteto the contrary, it was asignificant event thatresulted in the abdication,punishment andincarceration of the Indianofficial/ruler whosupposedly initiated themilitary confrontation.

Cooperate forthe consumer

RERAhasplacedinterestsofhomebuyersattheheartof therealestatesector.Oppositiontoit in

somestatesisanti-constitutional

CONSUMER PROTECTION IS an article offaith for the NarendraModi government.Consumersarethefulcrumofanyindustry,theprotectionofwhose interests is centraltoitsgrowthanddevelopment.Withinone-and-half-yearsofassumingoffice,theModigovernment enacted the Real Estate(RegulationandDevelopment)Act(RERA),whichhadbeenintheworksformorethanadecade.RERAhas infused governance in ahith-

ertounregulatedsector.Alongwithdemon-etisation andGST, it has, to a large extent,cleansed the real estate sector of blackmoney. It has transformational provisions,conscientiously addressing issueswhichhavebeenaconstantbaneforthesector.TheAct stipulates that no project can be soldwithoutprojectplansbeingapprovedbythecompetent authority and theproject beingregisteredwiththeregulatoryauthority,put-ting to an end thepractice of selling on thebasisofdeceitfuladvertisements.Promoters are required to maintain

“project based separate bank accounts” topreventfunddiversion.Themandatorydis-closure of unit sizes basedon “carpet area”strikes at the root of unfair trade practices.Theprovision forpaymentof “equal rateofinterest”bythepromoterorthebuyerincaseofdefaultreinforcesequity.Theseandmanyother provisions have empowered con-sumers, rectifying the power asymmetryprevalent inthesector.Thenegotiatinghistoryofthislegislation

demandsthatatsomeappropriatetime,allthe attemptsmade toderail this legislationbe catalogued. After years of deliberations,the billwas introduced in the Rajya Sabhaduring theUPA's tenure in2013. It is essen-tialtohighlightthestarkdifferencesbetweenthe 2013 bill and the 2016Act. Thiswouldhelp understand the commitment of theModigovernmentinprotectingtheinterestsof homebuyers. The 2013bill coverednei-ther“ongoingprojects”nor“commercialrealestate”. The thresholds for registration ofprojects were so high thatmost projectswouldhaveescapedcoverageunderthelaw.Theseexclusionsmadethe2013billmean-ingless and detrimental to the interests ofhomebuyers.Aftertheformationof theModigovern-

ment in 2014, a holistic reviewwas carriedoutalongwithmultiplestakeholderconsul-tations and thereafter both “ongoing proj-ects” and “commercial projects”were in-cluded in the bill. The thresholds forregistration of projectswas also reduced.Withoutthesteadfastnessandresolutenessof thePM,RERAwouldneverhaveseenthelightofday.While the 2013 billwas pending in the

Parliament, the Congress government inMaharashtra,whichhadquietlyenacteditsown law in the Assembly in 2012, tookPresidential assentunderArticle254of the

Constitution in February 2014, just twomonthsbeforethe2014generalelections.InMaharashtra, RERA, therefore, would nothaveapplied.Theironyof theactionsof theCongress at theCentre and inMaharashtrawas not lost on anyone and constitutes astingingindictmentofthethenUPAgovern-ment at the Centre. The suspicionwas fur-therheightenedwhenoneseesthatthestatelawwasnotconsumer-friendly.Forpoliticalgains, theUPAdangled an incomplete andincoherent law, while approving underArticle 254 of the Constitution, its ownparty’s state bill,whichwouldhave causedpermanent damage to the homebuyers ofMaharashtra. TheModi government cor-rected this anomaly by repealing the stateActvidesection92ofRERA.ThiswasdonebyinvokingtheprovisounderthesameArticle254,whichprovidesforpowersof repeal.OurcommitmenttowardsRERAdidnot

endwithitsenactment.Wefacedabarrageof writ petitions, challenging its constitu-tional validity. In December 2017, theBombayHighCourtupheldthelawinitsen-tirety, putting to rest any doubts about thevalidity,needandimportanceofRERA.RERA is a seminal effort in cooperative

federalism.ThoughtheActhasbeenpilotedbytheCentralgovernment,therulesaretobenotifiedbystategovernments, andthereg-ulatory authorities and the appellate tri-bunalsarealsotobeappointedbythem.Theregulatoryauthoritiesare requiredtoman-age the day-to-day operations, resolve dis-putes, and run an active and informativewebsiteforproject information.Attheotherend,inaglaringexampleof

constitutional impropriety and poor gov-ernance,West Bengal trampled upon thesupremacy of the Parliament by ignoringRERAandenacting itsownstate law—theWest Bengal Housing Industry RegulationAct (WBHIRA)— in2017.Despitemultipleefforts by theCentre,West Bengal refusedto implement RERA, causing irreparablelosstohomebuyers.Knowingfullwellthattherewasalreadyacentral lawonthesub-ject,thestategovernmentenactedWBHIRAin2017, anddidnot even care to approachthePresidentof IndiaseekingassentforthestatebillunderArticle254.Thisdefianceofconstitutional principles has been chal-lenged in the Supreme Court. I am confi-dent that soon,WBHIRAwill be renderedunconstitutionalandwewouldhave“OneNationOneRERA”.SinceRERAcameintofullforce,34states

andUnionterritorieshavenotifiedtherules,30 states andUnion territories have set uprealestateregulatoryauthoritiesand26havesetupappellatetribunals.Theoperationali-sation of aweb-portal for project informa-tion,which is at the heart of ensuring fullproject transparency, has been opera-tionalised by 26 regulatory authorities.Around60,000projectsand45,723reales-tateagentshavebeenregisteredwithregu-latoryauthorities.Twenty-twoindependentjudicial officers have been appointed to re-dress consumerdisputes, and59,649com-plaintshavebeendisposed-off.RERAistotherealestatesectorwhatSEBI

is to the securitiesmarket. As I havealwayssaid,thehistoryofurbanIndiaandoftherealestatesectorwillalwaysberememberedintwophases—“PreRERA”and“PostRERA”.

Thewriter isamemberoftheUnioncouncilofministers

IN A RECENT op-ed in this paper (‘A historyfact-check forChina’, IE, January13), SujanRChinoy took to task Henry Kissinger for ac-ceptingat facevalueMaoZedong’sassertionthat China and India fought “one-and-a-halfwars”severalcenturiesago.Chinoyobservedthatthisclaim,whichfigures intheprologuetoKissinger’s2011volumeOnChina,misrep-resentsthehistoricalrecordof thesemilitaryencounters.Atatimewhenwearesaturatedby social-media-drivenmisinformation anddisinformation,anyattempttofact-checkandset the record straight is indeed welcome.Especially so, if it is accompanied by thechancetofurtherexposethetaintedlegacyofthe ColdWar’s most celebrated strategist.Sadly, Chinoy’s charge that Kissinger reveals“insufficient scholarship on ancient India”lands a hollow blow. Hollow not becauseKissinger is indeed ill-informed, but hollowbecauseso isChinoy.Notwithstanding the op-ed’s pivot to de-

liveracontemporary(andlaudable)anti-warmessage, Chinoy dabbles in intricate histori-caldetailswithouthimselfbeingknowledge-able about them firsthand. In theprocess, hedisplaysapoorknowledgeofbothIndianandChinesehistoryandsuspectresearchskills,allofwhich are representative of the disastrousstateofChinaandChina-IndiastudiesinIndia.Chinoy’s criticism of Kissinger rests on

thinicebecauseitreliesonaquestionableandlargely plagiarisedworkof secondary schol-arship. Had he consulted other studies onWang Xuance (incorrectly transliterated intheop-edas“WangXuanze”),Chinoywouldhave realised that the Tang emissary’smili-tary action in India,which tookplace in648,wasnot “apocryphal in termsof its scaleandsignificance”. Quite to the contrary, it was asignificant event that resulted in the abdica-tion, punishment and incarceration of theIndianofficial/rulerwhosupposedlyinitiatedthemilitaryconfrontation.Weknowthisthroughacloseandcritical

readingofChineselanguagematerials,whichconstitute a key source for Indian history ofthis period. One need only look at DDevahuti’sHarsha:APoliticalHistorytorecog-nise how valuable suchmaterials can be inaddressingquestionsonwhichIndiansourcesare silent. After all, Indian recordsmake nomention ofWang Xuance, Xuanzang, or theotherChineseandIndianmonksreferencedintheop-ed.The ability to read and analyse these

records demands significant linguistic andmethodologicaltraining.Unfortunately,thereis a significant dearth of people with suchskills in India. Furthermore, the dismissal ofthesesourcesas“apocryphal” isemblematicof a key problem in China-India studies inIndia,whereIndianscholarsofChinaassumethat theyqualify asexperts in Indianhistory,society,politicsandeconomypurelybyvirtueof theirbirth.Once the fact-checkingbegins,thisconceitcomesunstuck.ThediscussionofthekingdomofKuche,WesternRegions/Xiyu,India/Tianzhu, theYuanandMingdynasties,andtheuseoftheterm“HanChina”intheop-

edsuffersfromasimilarignoranceofChinesehistoryandsources.This ignorance has significant implica-

tionsbeyondtheacademicstudyofChinaandChina-Indiarelations.Toooften,Indianschol-ars,officialsandpolitical leadersgleefullyac-ceptChinesenarrativesof2,000yearsofbilat-eralfriendship,especiallythoseconnectedtoBuddhism. Thus, the sectarian portrayal ofDharmaratna and KasyapaMatanga as thefirst IndianBuddhistmonksinChina, theha-giographical accountof Bodhidharmaas theIndian initiator ofmartial arts at the ShaolinTemple, and even the narrative of WangXuanceasapro-HarshaTangemissary—theChina-Indiastate-sponsoredfilmKungfuYogais based on this premise—are all celebratedandapplauded.Fact-checkingofChina-Indiahistory should start with questioning thesenarrativesandthehistorical recordstheyarepurportedlybasedupon.Op-eds in India and in Chinese print and

socialmedia have amplified the poor cover-ageof China.Add to themix themore recentCOVID-19-inducedrelentlessnessofwebinars,andwhatwehaveisanoversupplyofshoddyanalysis.ThestudyofChinesehistoryinIndia(ofwhichChina-Indiahistoryoughtmerelytobe a constituent part) is especially in crisis. Ifwe reallywant to use history and historicalsourcestodealwithChina(orfact-checkthosewhopromoteChina'sposition), thenthisop-ed is, unfortunately, a demonstration of ourinability to do so. The issue is especially dis-concertingbecauseChinoyheadsIndia'slead-ingstrategicaffairs think-tank.The inability todealwithChinesehistor-

ical sources is by nomeans endemic to thepolicy analysis world; it is commonplaceamong scholars and op-edwriters. There istodaynotasinglehistorianofmodernorpre-modern China teaching at amajor researchuniversityinIndia.Notonlyhaveexistingva-

canciesnotbeenfilled,thecurrentmisguidedpushtodisengagefromChinaislikelytocom-poundthedepressingstateof affairs.Asare-sult,wewillbecomeincreasinglyreliantuponscholarship produced elsewhere (primarilytheUnitedStatesandtheUnitedKingdom)toinformourunderstandingofChinesehistory,society, and politics. A real tragedy, for noother country offers to India a comparablecombinationofalongandfascinatinghistoryand a tumultuous and transformative pres-ent. And in the absence of meaningful re-search that speaks to Indian concerns andconditions, the discourse on Chinawill de-scend into a vortex of racism, ignorance andenvy. In the history of self-goals, this wouldcertainlymerit apodiumfinish.Building capacity by itself is of courseno

panaceaforeffectivepolicy formulation.TheUS,whichhasalargeanddiverseChina-stud-iescommunity, isacaseinpoint.Butcapacityis certainly a necessary condition. As a firststep, we cannot, therefore, disengage fromChina, as the present Indian governmentwould have us do. A similar disengagementpolicyafter theChina-IndiaWarof 1962 isatthe root of the current dismal state of ChinaandChina-India studies in India. Reinvokingthat ColdWarmentality will not serve ourgoal to understand, analyse and respond toChina. Instead, there should be more aca-demic exchanges between Indian andChinese scholars,more institutions teachingChina-related courses in India, and moreIndianscholarswhocancompetentlyscruti-niseChinesesources,policies, andsocialandcultural developments. The alternativemayappear self-congratulatory but will end upbeingself-defeating.

Ghosh(HarvardUniversity)andSen(NYUShanghai)arehistoriansofChinaandChina-

India interactions

WELCOME GESTURE

THIS REFERS TO the editorial, 'Shot cir-cuit' (IE, January 18). Healthcarework-ers received the anti-COVID-shot onJanuary 16. The priority given to themunderlinesthegratitudefortheirdeter-mination.Inacountrywherepoliticiansneverwait for their turn, it'shearteningto see a gesture like this. But the primeministerandotherlawmakersshouldbeincluded in the first phase as thiswillheighten public confidence in the vac-cines.

RishitaKhanna,Kota

THISREFERSTOtheeditorial, 'Shortcir-cuit' (IE, January 18). The vaccinationdrivehastakenoffwithfanfare,withthePMbackingthesafetyandefficacyofthevaccines. To instil confidence, the vac-cinemust be given “live” on TV to thePresident of India, the PM, theHealthMinister, and the Leader of theOpposition. Observing their post-vac-cinehealthconditionwillenablegreatersuccess.

SSPaul,Nadia

DEBT JUGGLINGTHISREFERSTOtheeditorial 'Lendingahand', (IE, January19).FICCI'seconomicoutlooksurveyhasprojectedthatIndia'sGDPgrowthisexpectedtoremaininthenegative territory in the coming finan-

cialyear.Theslumpineconomicactivi-ties would only worsen the balancesheetsof thecommercialbanksfurther.There aremarket-based asset restruc-turingandsecuritisationarrangementsalready in place and a publicly-fundedspecialisedbanktomanageall stressedassetswill only see the crisis changinghands. Banks should float independententitieswithintheirsystemsto dealwiththeir stressed assets. Thiswould insureagainst themoral hazard of recklesslendinginthefutureiskeptincheckandsuccessful resolutionswillhave lessonsthatwillbeembeddedwithintheinsti-tutionalmemoryof thebanks.

SudipKumarDey,Kolkata

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

THEPRIMEMINISTERusuallyhitsbull’seyewith the branding and messaging of hisideas. But he has had a miss with“AtmanirbharBharat”,steppingintothecul-turally loadedminefieldof “self-reliance”—a noble word turned ignoble after 1991.Instead, he should have given a clarion callfor “Atma Vishwasi Bharat”. His colleaguesandacolyteswouldnothavehadsuchahardtime, splitting hairs, reinterpretingAtmanirbhar to mean self-sufficiency notself-relianceandarguing that theoldxeno-phobic meaning of the word is consistentwith the ideaof globalisation.He shouldusehis considerablepivoting

skills and turn Atmanirbhar to AtmaVishwasi Bharat (AVB) or self-confidentBharat. Signalling “yes we can” will workwell with those sections of society eager toclaw their way up the social status and in-comeladder(euphemisticallycalled“aspir-ing India”) andwith businesses and youngIndianswho strive to be global citizens in aworld that, as all of us Indians know, is notinclusive,hasneverreallylikedusverymuchandgivesusourduewithgreat reluctance.Sofar,ourunder-confidentdiscoursehas

beenall about “Canwereally?” It has apar-allel track: “Look at us, see howwonderfulour heritage is”. But the latter is more of adefensive justification than a statement of

intrinsicbelief inourselves.Thepre-liberal-isationIndian,still therulingagecohort,hassome degree of diffidence with respect tothe rest of the world. Liberalisation’s chil-dren do better, many of them especially inthe upper class have had student or work-related contact overseas and have had achance tobenchmark themselves. Thegen-eration born after 2000 has a lot less bag-gage,butallof themwillgomuchfurther intheworldwiththetailwindofatmavishwas.In AVB, “Make in India”would translate

into not feeling paralysed that China domi-natesmanufacturingfortheworld,butinbe-lieving thatwecangetourownsmall shareof thepie,andworkingtowards itbysettingour own targets, devising our own strategyandmaking it happenourownway.Instead of atmavishwas about being the

pharma factory to theworld and building itevenbigger,wespookourselvesbysayingwearehollow,wesourceactiveingredientsfromChina.Thefact isthatweusedtomakethemourselvesuntilChineseundercutus.Wehavethe know-how and themanufacturing ca-pacitytodoitagain,sowehavethepowertomake or buy as needed.We enviously notethatwesterncountriesarealreadygivingthevaccineandstockpilingit,butwhenitcomestoourownvaccineavailability,wecommentonapprovalswithnotenoughdata,insteadof

giving it amightypush.Peoplewho interactwiththegovernmentforbusinessapprovalssay that atmavishwas has to start with theexecutive establishment, whose first com-mentis:“Dowetrustyourdata?Howdidyoumanage todo it?”Unlikemost countries, including China,

we have a totally interoperable digital pay-ments system that removes the power ofclosedloopgroupsandisapublicutilitywiththecapabilitytohandleenormousvolumeatavery lowprice.WehavecreatedanITserv-ices hub for theworld, but we still say “Ohwhy dowenot have products?” AVBwouldinvesttocreaterealglobalbrands,notbecon-tent with exporting products around theworldwithnamelabelssoldtofacelessdeal-ers,withoutvisibilityofactualuserdemand.InAVB,SMEswouldforcebankstofindmoreappropriatemethodstocreditappraisetheminsteadofsaying“youhavenothingtocollat-eralise” and offering high risk pricing. AVBwouldmakeaneffort tocapture itsowndo-mestic demand instead of trying to sell theidea of our demand to lure reluctant FDI orlet China dump in ourmarkets becausewesaywe can’t compete. AVBwould celebratethat we have Indianised Amazon and oursmall producers are gettingmarket access.AVBwould also rapMNCs for violation ofrules,whennecessary,andnotbeswayedby

cries of “If you do this, no onewill invest inus”.AVBwouldusetheworlds’businessestofurther its own cause, not complain aboutglobalisation making us vulnerable. As alayperson, I believe that AVB iswhatwe areseeing, at last, inour foreignpolicy.Large swathes of India’s elite, including

politicalparties,donotpreferanAVB. Itwilldecrease the power distance between themasses and the classes; it may jeopardisetheir hard-earned positions on the globalstage tobe spokespersons for India.AVBwill solve India’s problemswith (to

borrow from C K Prahalad) “next practice”(newandbetter, leadingtheworld)not“bestpractice” andwill not dismiss the consider-ableIndianinnovationinthisdirectionasju-gaad until foreigners bless it. AVB businessschoolswill focusoncreatinganewbodyofmanagementexperienceandresearchema-natingfromIndiathatmakestheworldtakenote(andwehaveplentytoshowthere),andnotfocusondoinglessrelevantresearchthatWesternpeer-reviewedjournalswillpublish.Yes, thelinebetweenself-confidenceand

smokingyourowndopeisthin,butwehavesomuchtoshowalready.ForgetAtmanirbharta.Let’s takeitupseveralnotches.

Thewriter is amarket strategyconsultant

WhyPMmustpushforaself-confidentBharat,notaself-reliantone

Yes, India canRamaBijapurkar

IDEASONLINE

ONLY IN THE EXPRESS

●● INDEFENCEOFTHEIRSTRUGGLE:SANDEEP

PANDEY,SIMRANKAURANDHARLEENSANDHU

●●CHOOSINGAVACCINE:GAJENDRASINGH

www.indianexpress.com

Hardeep S Puri

ArunabhGhosh andTansen Sen

CR Sasikumar

ThestudyofChinesehistory in India is incrisis.Absenceofmeaningful researchandcurrentmisguidedpushtodisengage fromChinawillnotserveourgoal tounderstand,analyseandrespondto itschallenge

Know thy neighbour

New Delhi


EXPRESSNETWORKBRIEFLY

NEWDELHI

RazdanfilesphishingscamcomplaintNewDelhi:SeniorTVjour-nalist Nidhi Razdan hasfiledacomplaintwiththeDelhiPolice, alleging thatshe was a victim of aphishing scam inwhichshewas given a fraudu-lent offer of a position ofAssociateProfessorattheHarvardUniversity.Asen-iorDelhiPoliceofficersaidtheyhavestartedtheirin-vestigationandareexam-iningaseriesofemailsex-changed with thosebehind the alleged scamas well as other docu-ments. ENS

MAHARASHTRA

Indrani’spleaagainstuniforminjail rejectedMumbai: A special courton Tuesday rejected aplea filed by formerme-dia executive IndraniMukerjea, against wear-ing a uniform in jail.Mukerjea,who isbehindbarssince2015fortheal-leged murder of herdaughter Sheena Bora,had said that since thepast fewweeks, Bycullawomen’s jail authoritieshaddirectedhertowearagreensaree,usuallywornby convicts. Mukerjeasaidthatsheisstillanun-dertrial whose allegedcrime is not proven andhence as per law shouldbepresumedinnocenttillproven guilty. She hadsaidthatitwascausinganimpact on her “mentalwell-being”. ENS

MADHYAPRADESH

ManrapesDalitgirl, triestoburyheralive;heldBetul: A man allegedlyrapeda13-year-oldDalitgirlandthentriedtoburyher alive in a pit inMadhya Pradesh’s Betuldistrict, police said onTuesday. The incidenttook place on Mondayevening followingwhichthe 35-year-old accusedwasarrested,andthegirl,who is serious, has beenreferred to a hospital inMaharashtra. PTI

MAHARASHTRA

‘TalojaJailnotequippedtotrackRaohealth’Mumbai: The counselrepresenting thewife ofoctogenerianTelugupoetand Elgaar Parishad caseaccused P Varavara Raobegan argumentsTuesday in the petitionseeking bail onmedicalgrounds for the accusedbefore the BombayHighCourt. The lawyer reiter-ated that even thoughNanavati Hospital inMumbai had given anopinion in its January 12medical report that Raowas fit to be discharged,Talojajailhospitaldidnothave the facilities andwherewithal to continuethe close monitoring ofRao’s health. The lawyersoughtthatRaoshouldgoback to his home inHyderabad, where hishealthcouldbetracked.Adivision bench of JusticeSS Shinde and JusticeManish Pitale was hear-ing a plea by Rao’s wife,Pendyala Hemalatha,seekinghisreleaseonbailfrom the Taloja Jail onhealthgrounds. ENS

PVaravaraRao

Tandav makers agree tochanges, thank I&B ‘guidance’

Panel suggestsnod to phase 1 trialof nasal vaccine

JEE (Main): ClassXII criteriondropped again

VACCINATIONDRIVE CONTINUES: Seconddayof theCovid-19vaccinationdrive inMumbai.AmitChakravarty


THEHEADMASTERandanassis-tant teacher of a governmentschool in Lalitpur district havebeensuspendedafter aquoteal-legedlydefamingBrahminswasfoundpaintedontheschoolwallanditsphotoswentviral.The district Basic Siksha

Adhikari (BSA) and the BlockEducationOfficer (BEO)went tothe school onSunday to inaugu-ratea smart class. Thequotewasseen in the photographs of theevent.TheBSAsuspendedheadmas-

terAnilKumarRahul,whoisfromaDalit community, andassistantteacherQadir KhanonMonday,

whileaninquiryreportbytheBEOispending.Someorganisations alsode-

manded action against the twoadministrativeofficials, accusingthemof ignoringthequote.District Magistrate Annavi

DineshkumaronTuesdaysaidthedistrict administration removedthequotewithinhoursofcomingtoknowaboutit.“OnSunday,therewasthein-

augurationofasmartclassattheschool,andtheBSA,alongwithlo-cal BEOBrijesh Singh,was there.There, this thingwaswritten onthewall. As thephotos of the in-auguration were given to thepress,fromthereitwentonsocialmedia.Somepeoplebelongingtoa local Brahmin organisationprotested andgave amemoran-

dum. Earlier, after it came toournotice, the quotewas removedfromthewall. Following theob-jection, the suspensionwas or-dered onMonday. Based on theinquiry report furtheractionwillbetaken,”headded.Askedaboutreportsofpeople

demandinganFIR in connectionwiththe incident, themagistratesaiditcanbeconsideredaftertheinquiryreportissubmitted.An or-ganisation called the SarvBrahminMahamandal haswrit-ten to Chief Minister YogiAdityanath, demanding legal ac-tion against the BSA andBrijeshSingh,accusingthemofexpress-inghappinessonseeingthequote.BSA Ram Pravesh told The

IndianExpress,“Thematterisviralon socialmedia and things like

this should never be done in aschoolbyanyoneas these thingsaffect students... This particularschoolhasbothprimaryandjun-iorhighschoolclasses.”Theofficialsaidthedistrictad-

ministrationdoesnotknowwhoallowed the quote to bewrittenontheschoolwall.“Itwillbeclearfollowinganin-

vestigation.Wehave suspendedheadmasterin-chargeAnilKumarRahulandassistantteacherQadirKhan. Before themerger, Khanwas the headmaster of the pri-mary school and Kumarwas ofthejuniorhighschool. IhavealsoaskedtheBlockEducationofficerofMehrauni area to hold an in-quiryin.Theintentionbehindthesteptakenbythesepeoplewillbeclearaftertheprobe,”headded.

Lalitpur: Brahmin outfit seeks action overquote on school wall, headmaster suspended

323DAYSSINCEPANDEMICBEGAN

CASES:10,581,837TESTS: 187,802,827 | RECOVERIES: 10,228,753

ACTIVE CASES:200,528DEATHS: 152,556

TODAYCASES DEATHS RECOVERIES TESTS10,064 137 17,411 709,791

STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMCASES(TODAY)CASESTODAY CASESTODAY

Kerala 3,346 851,195Maharashtra 1,924 1,992,683TamilNadu 551 831,323

STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMDEATHS(TODAY)DEATHSTODAY TOTAL

Maharashtra 43 51,680Kerala 17 3,528WestBengal 10 10,063

DataasonJanuary18,releasedbyUnionMinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare,IndianCouncilofMedicalResearchandstategovernments.Oftenthenumbersreleasedeverydaycontaindatafrompreviousdays

aswell.Assuch,trendsbasedondailynumbersareonlyindicativeandnotdefinitive

TRACKING INDIA’SCOVIDCURVE

NUMBER OFVACCINATIONSTODAY

1,77,368Yesterday:4,54,049

NUMBER OF ADVERSEEVENTS AFTERIMMUNIZATION

404Yesterday:580

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JANUARY19

INDIAWILLofficiallybeginitsvac-cinediplomacyonWednesdaybysupplyingMade-in-India Covid-19 vaccines to its neighbouringandkeypartnercountries.Bhutan andMaldiveswill be

the first to get the vaccines fromWednesday, followed byBangladesh,Nepal,MyanmarandSeychelles.SriLanka,AfghanistanandMauritiuswill alsogetdosesonce theygivenecessary regula-toryapprovals.A consignment containing 1

lakhdosesofCovishieldvaccineswill reachMale on January 20.With this,Maldives, alongwithBhutan,will become the first re-cipientoftheIndiangovernment’sgift,manufacturedby theSerumInstituteof India(SII).NewDelhiwants to portray

thisexerciseasyetanothertesta-ment to itsNeighbourhoodFirstpolicy--thegovernmentisgoingtobrandit“VaccineMaitri”.

Pakistanhasnotbeennamedasaneighbouringcountrywhichwill get the vaccine thoughIslamabadisexploringoptionstoget it throughaglobal allianceorbilateralarrangements.Announcingthemove,Prime

MinisterNarendraModitweeted,“India isdeeplyhonouredtobealong-trustedpartner inmeetingthehealthcareneedsoftheglobalcommunity. Supplies of Covidvaccines toseveral countrieswillcommencetomorrow,andmorewill followinthedaysahead.”External Affairs Minister S

Jaishankar tweeted, “India fulfilscommitment to give vaccines tohumanity.Suppliestoourneigh-bourswill start on20th January.ThePharmacyof theWorldwilldeliver to overcome the COVIDchallenge.”AccordingtoMEA,thegovernmenthasreceivedseveralrequests for the supplyof Indianmanufactured vaccines fromneighbouring and key partnercountries.“Inresponsetotheserequests,

andinkeepingwithIndia’sstated

commitment to use India’s vac-cineproduction anddelivery ca-pacitytohelpallofhumanityfighttheCovidpandemic,suppliesun-der grant assistance to Bhutan,Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal,MyanmarandSeychelleswillbe-gin from20 January 2021. In re-spect of Sri Lanka, AfghanistanandMauritius,we are awaitingtheir confirmation of necessaryregulatory clearances,” theMEAsaidinastatement.Theministrysaidthattheim-

munisationprogramme is beingimplementedinIndia,asinothercountries, inaphasedmanner tocover the healthcare providers,frontlineworkers and themostvulnerable. Keeping in view thedomestic requirements of thephasedrollout,Indiawillcontinueto supply vaccines to partnercountriesinaphasedmanner.“Itwill ensure that domestic

manufacturerswillhaveadequatestockstomeetdomesticrequire-mentswhilesupplyingabroad,”itsaid.Intheongoingeffort,Indiawill

continue to supply countries allover the world with vaccines.“Thiswillbecalibratedagainstdo-mesticrequirementsandinterna-tionaldemandandobligations,in-cluding under GAVI’s Covaxfacility todeveloping countries,”itsaid.Priortothedeliveryofvac-cines,atrainingprogramme,cov-ering administrative andopera-tionalaspects,isbeingconductedonWednesdayandThursday forimmunisationmanagers, coldchainofficers,communicationof-ficersanddatamanagersofthere-cipientcountries,bothatnationalandprovincial levels.India had earlier supplied

Hydroxychloroquine,RemdesivirandParacetamol tablets, aswellas diagnostic kits, ventilators,masks, gloves andothermedicalsupplies to a large number ofcountriesduringthepandemic.Indiahasalsoprovided train-

ingtoseveralneighbouringcoun-tries to enhance and strengthentheir clinical capabilities, underthePartnerships forAcceleratingClinicalTrials(PACT)programme.

India begins vaccine diplomacy,first doses in Bhutan,Maldives

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, LUCKNOW,JAN19

FOLLOWING a secondmeetingwith the Union Ministry ofInformationandBroadcastingonTuesday, themakers of Tandavsaidtheyhaddecidedtodropcer-tain scenes from the AmazonPrimewebseries. In a statementannouncing the same, themak-ers thanked theministry for its"guidance"ontheissue.Themakers of the political

drama,alongwithrepresentativesofAmazonPrime,hadbeencalledfor the secondvideo-conferencemeetingbytheI&BMinistryaftertheywere asked to explain theirstandonMonday,onthenumberofcomplaintstheministrysaidithadreceived.Theshow’sdirector,AliAbbas

Zafar,whowas present for bothmeetingsaspersources,tweetedonTuesdayeveningthattheywillmake changes to “address theconcerns raised”. He said, “Thecast&crewofTandavhavemadethe decision to implement thechanges to theweb series to ad-dresstheconcernsraisedtowardsthesame.WethanktheMinistryof InformationandBroadcastingfortheguidance&support inthematter.Weonceagain apologiseif the series has unintentionallyhurtanybody’ssentiments.”He added, “Wehave utmost

respect for the sentiments of thepeopleofourcountry.Wedidnotintendtohurtoroffendthesenti-ments of any individual, caste,community, race, religionorreli-giousbeliefs, or insult or outrageany institution, political party orperson, livingordead.”Thiswasthesecondstatement

inasmanydays fromhim.AlongwithproducerHimanshuMehra,

Zafar had said onMonday thatTandavwas“aworkoffiction”andthatthey“unconditionallyapolo-gise if it hasunintentionallyhurtanybody’ssentiments”.Theyhadadded, “... we have been closelymonitoring viewer reactions totheweb series Tandav and todayduringadiscussion, theMinistryof InformationandBroadcastinginformed us regarding a largenumber of grievances andpeti-tionsreceivedonvariousfacetsoftheweb serieswith serious con-cernsandapprehensionsregard-ing its contenthurting the senti-mentsofpeople”.A nine-episode political

thrillerthatstartedstreaminglastweek,TandavstarsBollywoodA-listers Saif Ali Khan, DimpleKapadia and Mohd ZeeshanAyyub.OnTuesday, therewere calls

fromseveralBJPleadersforactionagainstTandav,withPTIreportingthatHaryanaHomeMinisterAnilVij demanded that the showberemovedfromthedigitalplatformand urging the government tomake a provision for censoringweb series before they arescreened. As per a PTI report,MadhyaPradeshHomeMinister

NarottamMishrasaidtheywillfilea case against Tandavmakers,adding, “I condemn the wayZeeshanAyyub,SaifAliKhanandAliAbbasZafar reactedtoourre-ligionandhurtsentiments.”In Uttar Pradesh, a third FIR

wasfiledagainsttheseries,includ-ing charges under the SC/STActand the InformationTechnologyAct, against Zafar, producerMehra,SaifAliKhan,Kapadia,ac-tor Sunil Grover, writer GauravSolankiandAmazonPrime'sIndiaheadAparnaPurohit.Akhil Bhartiya Akhara

Parishad chiefMahantNarendraGiri claimed the apology of thecastandcrewcameonlyafterUPChief Minister Yogi Adityanathfrownedupontheincidentandapolice team fromthe statewenttoarrestZafarfollowinganFIR.Rejecting the apology, and

calling the “disrespect” toHindusentiments“intentional”,Giride-manded, “Only if all theMuslimdirectors andheroes give awrit-tenaffidavittotheofficialof theirconcerned area saying theywillnot repeat thismistake, and thattheywillnevershowanythingob-jectional about sanatan deities,onlythenthiscanbemaderight.”

BHANDARAHOSPITALFIRE

Probe panel says short-circuitcause of fire, blames officialsVIVEKDESHPANDENAGPUR, JANUARY19

THEPANELprobingtheBhandarafire incident, inwhich 10 new-bornsdiedatthedistricthospitalonJanuary9,submitteditsreportto the state government onTuesday, fixing responsibility fortheaccidentonsomesenioroffi-cials and giving certain recom-mendationstothegovernmenttopreventtherecurrenceofsuchin-cidentsinfuture.Citing a short-circuit as the

causeofthefire,thereportbythecommittee, led by NagpurDivisionalCommissionerSanjeevKumar,hasstatedthat theshort-circuitledtoababywarmercatch-ingfire,andtheblazelaterspreadto thewholeOutborn section of

theSickNewbornCareUnitoftheDistrict Hospital at Bhandara,sourcestoldTheIndianExpress.“The report has blamed cer-

tain officials, including DistrictCivil SurgeonPramodKhandate,fornotdoingcertainthingsintimethat could have prevented themishap,"saidsources.They,how-ever, refused to give details ofwhat exactlyhad tobedonebutwasn'tdoneintime.The committeehowever, did

not recommend any actionagainsttheofficialsresponsibleforthemishap. “It is for the govern-ment to decide what actionshouldbetaken,”sourcessaid.Amongtherecommendations

by the committee are a separatecadre forposts likeCivil Surgeon,DistrictHealthOfficer andTahsilHealthOfficer,insteadofthembe-

ing appointed to thepost as perseniority fromamongdoctors inthe general cadre. "Theymust,however,bechosenfromamongdoctorsonly,"thecommitteehassaid. This cadre should be givenspecial training for dealingwithsuchexigencies,thepanelhasrec-ommended.Theothermajor recommen-

dationwas to have a system ofCCTV cameras pulled in on oneplatformtofacilitate itsmonitor-ing at different levels, from localrightuptothestatelevel.However,MaharashtraHealth

SecretaryDrPradeepVyassaidhewas yet to receive the report. PRahangdale, director ofMaharashtraFireServices,saidhehas submitted an inquiry reporttodetailhowthe fire started, butrefusedtocommentfurther.

BJPMLARamKadamataprotestagainstTandav, inMumbaionTuesday. Deepak Joshi

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICERAJKOT, AHMEDABAD, JAN 19

POLICEDETAINEDnineVishwaHindu Parishad (VHP) and RSSleaders who staged a dharnaTuesdayoutside theoffice of thesuperintendentofKutch(east)po-lice inAdipur,demandingthere-lease of nine VHP workers al-legedly arrestedafter violenceatKidanavillageonSunday.Groups of two communities

hadclashedinKidanavillagenearGandhidham town on SundayeveningwhileVHP leaderswerecarryingoutarathyatratocollectdonations for theRamtemple inAyodhya.AgroupofVHPleaders,ledby

Ashok Raval, the organisation’sgeneral secretary forGujarat, at-temptedtostageasit-inattheof-ficeoftheSPonTuesdaymorning.“Wedetainedninepersonsat

11:40amandasper instructionsof the SP, we handed them toLakadiyapolicestation,”anofficerof Adipur police station told TheIndianExpress.The officer further said that

theyhadno information till lateevening as towhether the de-taineesbeingheldatLakadiyapo-lice stationwere releasedornot.“There are instructionsnot to al-lowsuchprotestsnear theSPof-

ficeandtheyweredetainedforsit-ting ondharnawithout permis-sion,”theofficerfurthersaid.Besides Raval, Krunal

Rupapara, NaranDangar, SatishBajaj,KhushalKhadkeandVrajeshPavagadhiwere among theninedetained. While Rupapara,Dangar and Bajaj are leaders ofRSS, Pavagadhi is a leader of theAkhil Bharatiya VidyarathiParishad (ABVP), the students’wingof theRSS.BVChudasama,policeinspec-

tor of Adipur, confirmed thede-tentions. However, VHP leaderssaidthattheywerereleasedfromLakadiya police station in theevening.Raval,however,claimedthat police haddetained10per-sonsonTuesday.“Today,tenofusVHPworkerswenttotheSPofficeinGandhidham to stage a sit-indemandingimmediatereleaseofour nineworkers arrested afterthe Kidana village violence.However, the SP told us thatwecannot stage a sit-in over thereandapoliceteamheldusandde-tainedustillevening,”Ravalsaid.Police said that the VHP did

not have permission to take outtherathyatraonSundayandthattheviolencebeganafter theout-fit’sleadersandsupportersstartedraisingreligioussloganswhentherath reachedMasjid Chowk atKidana.

Lakshadweep reportsfirst coronavirus caseNewDelhi: TheHealthMinistryTuesdaysaidthatLakshadweephas reported its first case ofCOVID-19andthatateamofex-perts has been rushed to theUnion territory to assist in con-tainmentactivities.“The index case is a traveller

whohadcometoLakshadweepfromKochi inKerala on January4 by a ship. The case had re-ported to the hospital withsymptoms suggestive of Covid-19 andwas tested positive,” theministry said.It said that 31 primary con-

tactsof theindexcasehavebeentraced and quarantined, ofwhich14havebeen found tobepositiveandare isolated.

“Fifty-sixcontactsofpositivecases detected so far have alsobeen traced and quarantined.TheUTAdministrationhasiniti-ateddisinfectionproceduresandintensive risk-communicationactivity has been opera-tionalised,” theministry said.“MinistryofHealth&Family

Welfare has rushed a centralmulti-disciplinary team toLakshadweep. The team com-prises experts drawn fromJawaharlal Institute ofPostgraduateMedicalEducationand Research, Puducherry;National Institute of Virology,Pune; and Regional Office ofMinistry of Health & FamilyWelfare,” it said. ENS


THECLASSXIIperformancecri-terion has been dropped in ad-missions to engineering insti-tutes based on JEE (Main) for asecondyear ina row.Last year, IITs and NITs had

waived the criterion as a one-time exemption because of theCovid-19 pandemic. However,giventhecontinuinguncertaintyover the schedule of exams fordifferentBoardsacrossthecoun-try, this exception has been ap-plied this year aswell. IITs havealreadywaivedthisrequirementfor admissions through JEE(Advanced).The JEE-Main examination

will beheld four times this year— February, March, April andMay.Studentscanappear forallfour exams, and only their bestscorewillbeusedtopreparetheAll-IndiaRanklist.Also,allcandi-dates appearing for JEE-Mainnextyearwillhavetoattempt75questionsoutof90–or25outofquestions 30 in each section ofChemistry, Physics andMathematics.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI, JANUARY19

ANEXPERTpanelof India'sdrugregulatorCDSCOonTuesdayrec-ommendedgrantingpermissionfor conducting phase-1 clinicaltrial of an intra-nasal vaccineCovid-19 vaccine developed byBharat Biotech, officialsources said.A top government official

said that if thisvaccineworks, itcan be a game changer in thefight against Covid-19.BharatBiotech applied to the DrugsController General of India(DCGI) seeking permission forconductingphase1andphase2clinical trials of the intra-nasalvaccine, following which, thesubjectexpertcommitteeof theCDSCO on Tuesday deliberatedon the application and recom-mendedgrantingpermissionforphase1 trial.“Basedonthesafetyandim-

munogenicitydataof thephase1 clinical trial, the companywould be given permission forconductingphase2clinicaltrial,”an official said on condition ofanonymity.

IRAMSIDDIQUEBHOPAL, JANUARY19

INDOREPOLICEhave arrested aretiredadditionalsuperintendentof police forallegedlyhurtingre-ligious sentiments andattackingRSSworkerswhowerecollectingfundsforconstructionoftheRamTempleinAyodhya.Shrikant Sharma, a retired

deputy commandant of theSpecialArmedForce,similartotherankofadditionalSP,wasarrestedonMonday following two com-plaintsagainsthimintwodays.Accordingtopolice,Sharma,a

resident of Kalindi Gold underBanganga police station, onSunday, not only opposed theRamTempledonationdrive, butalsobargedintotheRSSofficeandabusedtheworkers.RSSworker Jitendra Patidar,

wholivesnearSharma’shouse,al-leged that Sharma first attackedhim on Saturday night. “... onSaturday, Sharma not only at-tackeduswithoutanyreason,butalsoabusedourdeityLordRam,”saidPatidar.Patidaroverseesthedonation

drivein16mohallasandallwork-ers under him assemble at hishouse. It was during once suchgatheringthatSharmabargedin,hesaid.AfterPatidar’s complaint,the

latteragainonSundaygotintoanargumentwithRSSworkers.

Ex-cop held inMP for ‘attacking’RSS workers

GUJARAT

9 VHP, RSS leadersdetained for protestingoutside Kutch SP office

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK 13WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

‘AIRINGMOVIESWITHOUTPERMISSION’

TV channel CEO heldfor copyright violations

Drugs case: NCB to charge Deepika’smanager with financing illicit traffic

Gujarat court issues arrest warrantagainst journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta


THENARCOTICSControlBureau(NCB)onTuesdaysaidthatitwillapply the chargeof financing il-licit traffic against KarishmaPrakash, actor DeepikaPadukone’s manager. Theagencymadethesubmissionbe-forethespecialcourthearingtheanticipatorybailapplicationfiledbyPrakash lastyear.Pending a decision on the

plea, the NCB has agreed to not

take any coercive steps againstPrakash, whose house wasraidedlastOctoberbythecentralagency.TheNCBhasclaimedthatitrecovered1.7gmofcharasandat least two bottles of CBD oilfrom the house. Following this,Prakashhadappearedbeforetheagencyfor inquiry.On Tuesday, the NCB said

that it intends to invokeSection27A of the Narcotic Drugs andPsychotropicSubstances(NDPS)ActagainstPrakash.Section27A,whichcarriesamaximumpun-ishmentof20years,relatestoil-

licittraffickingofdrugsandhar-bouring of offenders. So far,Prakash'sthepre-arrestbailpleawaslimitedtochargesrelatedtotheallegedseizureofthebannedsubstances.Prakash’s lawyers told the

specialcourtthattheNCBshouldmake it clearwhat is the primafacie material based onwhichthesection is tobeapplied.Special Public Prosecutor

Atul Sarpande, appearing forNCB,saidthattheaccusedisnotentitled to ask for the evidenceat this stage.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESURAT, JANUARY19

VIKESHMAHIDA, 27, had cometo Surat from Kherda village inKushalgadhtalukaofBanswada,to work as a mason at a con-structionsitejustthreedaysagowith his wife Razina, 25, andtheir four-month-old daughterwhowasyet tobenamed.Their elder daughterwho is

threeyearsoldwas leftwithhisparents in their native village.Thechildrenarenoworphanedas theirparentswereamong15persons killedwhen a dumpertruck ran over them.DharulalMahida,sarpanchof

Kherda village, said, “Vikeshearned Rs 700 per day and hiswife earned Rs 500 asmasons.Vikesh’s brother–in-lawRakeshwhoalsodiedintheaccidenthasbeenworking at a constructionsite. Rakesh’s wife Sumanwhosurvivedtheaccidentreturnedtohernativeplacewiththeirchild.”Another migrant worker

ManishMevuliyawho came toSuratonDecember27,2020, losthiswifeAnita(40),intheaccident.Hesaid,“Mywifewasnexttomewhen theaccident tookplace.... Ialso got injuries onmyshoulderandhead...AtSMIMERhospital, Icame to know frompolicemenandotherinjuredpersonsaroundthatmywifehaddied...”

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESURAT, JANUARY19

FIFTEEN PEOPLE were killedearlyonTuesdaywhenadumpertruckranoveragroupofmigrantlabourers from Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh who weresleeping on a pavement on theKim-Mandviroad inSurat.Sixothers,includingthedriver

andcleanerof thetruck,werein-juredandhavebeenadmitted toSuratMunicipalCorporation-runSMIMERHospital.Suratruralpolicesaidtheac-

cident took place around 1.30amonTuesday,whenanemptydumper truck was on its wayfromKimCrossroadtoMandvi.Thedriver lost control of the

truckwhenatractorcamefromtheoppositeside,andhittherearofthetractorloadedwithsugarcane.Surat District Deputy

Superintendent of Police CMJadejasaid,“Thetruckdriverlostcontrol over the vehicle, hit thetractor loadedwith sugarcanesand ran over the labourerswhoweresleepingonpavement.Thedumper driver and cleaner areinjuredandtheyareundergoingtreatment in SMIMERHospital.We have lodged a case andstartedaprobe.”

Hearing the cries of the in-jured, local people from thenearby Palod village rushed otothe spot. Surat rural police anddoctors from a nearby privatehospital also reachedthespot.Policesaidthat12people,in-

cluding a one year-old girl, diedon the spot while nine otherswere taken to the SMIMERHospital in Surat city. Amongthem, three personswhowerecritically injuredwere declareddeadonarrival.Surat rural Kosamba police

has lodged a complaint underIPC sections 279, 304 and 308againstdumperdriverMunnalalKevatandstartedaprobe.

The deceased have beenidentified as Manisha KeshavMahida (19), Vanita KelabhaiMahida (17), Sangita DilipVasuniya(27),ChampaValubhaiVanda (16), Naresh Valu Vanda(25), Rajila VikeshMahida (25),Vikesh Ravji Mahida (27),Shakchand Rupchand Vasuniya(21),Mukesh KelaMahida (25),Leela Mukesh Mahida (22),DilipbhaiAkrabhaiMahida (20)and Shobhnaben RakeshbhaiVasaniya (23), all residents ofAbapurinBanswada,Rajasthan,and AnitabenManishMahida(40) and Rahul Bharji Mahida(19)fromBajnatalukainRatlamdistrictofMadhyaPradesh.

The injured are PinkabenKamlesh Mahida (19), NanduSanju Aad (21), KamleshbhaiBhurjibhaiMahida (21), all resi-dentsofBanswadainRajasthan,ManishbhaiKalabhaiMevuliya,23, native of Ratlam MadhyaPradesh, truck driver PunalalShrikevat (24) and cleanerSudama Yadav (24), both resi-dentsofMadhyaPradesh.Prime Minister Narendra

Modi has declared Rs 2 lakhcompensationeachtothekinofthedeceasedandRs50,000eachto those injured.Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay

Rupani announced Rs 2 lakh exgratiafromthestategovernmentto the kin of each of the de-ceased.Rajasthan CMAshokGehlot

also condoled the death oflabourersandannouncedacom-pensationofRs2lakhtothefam-ilyofthedeceasedandRs50,000tothe injured.“Deeplysaddenedto knowmany labourers from#Banswara, #Rajasthan havelost lives after a truck ran overthemastheyweresleepingnearthe road in#Surat.Myheartfeltcondolences to the bereavedfamilies and prayers for speedyrecovery of those injured,” hetweeted.

--WITHPTIINPUTS

Thedumpertruck involved intheaccident.HanifMalek

Surat: Truck runsovermigrantssleepingonpavement, 15killed

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAAHMEDABAD, JANUARY19

ACOURTatMundrainGujarat'sKutchdistrictonTuesdayissuedanarrestwarrantagainst seniorjournalist Paranjoy GuhaThakurta in a defamation suitfiledby theAdaniGroup.“...accused stands charged

withcomplaintundersection500of IPC.Youareherebydirectedtoarrestthesaidaccusedandtopro-duce him before me,” JudicialMagistratePradeepSonisaidina

direction to theNizamuddinpo-licestationinNewDelhi.The Adani Group had filed

thedefamationsuitfollowinghisJune 2017 article on a "Rs 500crore bonanza" the group gotfromthegovernment.Reached for comments,

Thakurta saidhe isnot awareofthe court order and directedqueries tohis lawyer.“Wehaven'treceivedanyin-

timation (from the court). Thisinformation (onarrestwarrant)hascometous frommedia,”hislawyer Anand Yagnik said. He

furthersaidtheAdaniGrouphadwithdrawn complaints againsteverybody, including the editorbutnotagainst theauthor.“Themagazine (which pub-

lished thearticle) isnot respon-sible (for criminal defamation),the case against co-author hasbeenwithdrawn but you don'twithdrawthecomplaintagainstthe author,” he said. “We havemovedadischargeapplication.”With pandemic affecting

courthearingslastyear,thecasefiled by Adani had come up be-fore thecourtonMonday.


DAYS BEFORE PrimeMinisterNarendra Modi celebrates the125thbirthanniversaryofNetajiSubhash Chandra Bose, theIndian Railways on Tuesday re-named one of its oldest trains,the Howrah-KalkaMail, as the‘Netaji Express’.Railway Minister Piyush

Goyaltweeted:“Netaji’sprakramhad put India on the expressroute of freedom and develop-

ment. I am thrilled to celebratehis anniversarywith the intro-ductionof ‘NetajiExpress’.”Started in the 19th Century

as one of the early commercialpassengertrainservicesinIndia,the Kalka mail has always en-joyed a steady patronage andpopularity connecting Howrahwith Kalka. It is said that Bosetook this train from Gomoh inBihar after he escaped fromhishouse inKolkata in1941.ModiissettovisitKolkataon

January 23 for Netaji's birthanniversary.

Rly renames Howrah-KalkaMail as Netaji Express

Toddler whoseparents werekilled amongsurvivors


THECRIMINALIntelligenceUnitof the Mumbai Police CrimeBranchonMondayarrested theCEO ofMaha Movie televisionchannel ina copyright violationcase.Thepolicesaidthat theac-cused, Sanjay Verma, was ar-rested for allegedly airing fivefilms produced and directed byPrakashMehra onMahaMoviechannel without obtaining therights fromthemakers.Maha Movie is among the

channels, includingRepublic TV,Box Cinema, FaktMarathi,NewsNation andWow TV, named inthe TRP scam formanipulatingtelevisionratingpoints.Vermaisnot named in the TRP case, saidpolice.Duringthecourseof theTRP

investigation, the police saidtheyfoundthatMahaMovieandBoxCinemahadairedfilmswith-out obtaining necessary rightsfromfilmmakers in2020.The police said that Box

Cinemawas the first to comeontheir radar.Mehra's son Puneethad lodged a complaint againstBoxCinema inMarchlastyearatJuhupolice station for allegedlyairing the movie Zanjeer onMarch12,2020,withoutpermis-sion.

Inthecomplaint,Puneethadsaid that Mehra was the solecopyrightholderof the film.A case was registered in

October last year after whichtwo persons, identified as RajuKhanandGhanshyamSurajGiri,werearrestedbytheJuhupoliceforallegedly supplyingprintsofZanjeer toBoxCinema.The CEO of Box Cinema,

NarayanSharma,hadappliedforandobtainedanticipatorybail inthecasefromthesessionscourt.The case got transferred to

theCIUonJanuary1.“OnJanuary12, we raided the office of BoxCinema and seized the serverownedbythecompanyandvar-ious other documents,” said anofficer.During investigations, the

police found thatMahaMoviehad aired movies Jadugar,Laawaris, Zanjeer,Mohabbat keDushman and Muqaddar kaSikandar between June 10 andNovember 10 last yearwithoutseekingappropriatepermissionsfromthe filmmakers.“They had aired these films

onAmitabhBachchan'sbirthdayin2020,” saidanofficer.LateonMonday,CIUofficials

arrested Verma from his resi-dence. Hewas produced beforea court on Tuesday and re-manded in police custody tillJanuary25.


A SESSIONS court is set to passordersonWednesdayonthebailapplication of ParthoDasgupta,theformerCEOof theBroadcastAudience Research Council(BARC),whowasarrestedintheallegedTelevisionRating Points(TRP) scamcase lastmonth.Theargumentsonhisbailplea

concludedonTuesdaywithpoliceobjectingtohisrelease.Referring to theWhatsApp

chats annexed to the supple-mentarychargesheetfiledbythepolice last week, Special PublicProsecutorShirishHiraytoldthecourtthattheconversationsbe-tweenDasguptaandRepublicTVeditor-in-chief Arnab Goswamirevealedtheir“proximity”,withthe latter offering to mediatewith the political leadership onDasgupta’sbehalf, includingthePrimeMinister’sOffice.Hirayaddedthatthisshowed

that Dasguptawas an “influen-tial person” and if released onbailwhiletheprobeisstillongo-ing, itcouldleadtotamperingofevidenceandwitnesses.Dasgupta’s lawyers submit-

tedthattheproberelatedtohimhasbeencompletedwithasup-plementary chargesheet filedagainsthim.

TRP scam: Courtto pass order onPartho Dasguptabail plea today

New Delhi


THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THAILAND

Womangets43yrs in jail forinsultingroyalsBangkok: AThai court onTuesday sentenced a 65-year-oldwoman tomorethan 43 years in jail forsharing online posts criti-cizingtheroyalfamily,herlawyer said, the country’sharshesteversentenceforinsulting themonarchy.Anchan Preelert pledguiltyto29separateviola-tions of sharing andpost-ing clips on YouTube andFacebook between 2014and 2015, her lawyer,Pawinee Chumsri, toldReuters. Anchanwas ini-tiallysentencedto87yearsbut because she had ac-knowledgedherviolationsthe court halved this, thelawyersaid. REUTERS

AnchanPreelert

TOPOFTHEWORLD

PAKISTAN

HindutemplegetspoliceprotectionPeshawar:Policemenweredeployed on Tuesday toprotectaHindutemple inPakistan’s KhyberPakhtunkhwa province,days after a leader of theminority community de-mandedprotectionfortheplaceofworshipfearinganattackby“mischievousel-ements”whowanted tooccupy its land.ThemovecomesafterofficialsoftheDistrict EvacueePropertyTrust Committee andDistrictRevenueinameet-ing with DeputyCommissioner,Abbotabad, on TuesdayheldthatHaveliantempleinAbbottabaddistrict is ahistoricreligiousstructureandneeds protection.Onthe recommendations ofthe officials, the DeputyCommissioner directeddeployment of police atthesiteforitsprotection.

PTI

TURKEY

AdbanonTwitterundernewsocialmedialawIstanbul:Ankara has im-posedadvertisingbansonTwitter, Periscope andPinterest after they failedtoappoint local represen-tatives in Turkey under anewsocialmedia law, ac-cording todecisionspub-lishedonTuesday.Underthe law,which critics saystiflesdissent,socialmediacompaniesthatdonotap-pointsuchrepresentativesare liable forpenalties, in-cludingthelatestmovebythe Information andCommunication Techn-ologiesAuthority(BTK).

REUTERS

ASSOCIATEDPRESSGENEVA, JANUARY19

A PANEL of experts commis-sioned by the World HealthOrganisationhascriticisedChinaandothercountriesfornotmov-ing to stem the initial outbreakof the coronavirus earlier andquestioned whether the UNhealth agency should have la-belled it apandemicsooner.InareportissuedonMonday,

thepanel ledbyformerLiberianPresident Ellen Johnson Sirleafand formerNewZealandPrimeMinister Helen Clark said therewere “lost opportunities to ap-plybasicpublichealthmeasuresat the earliest opportunity” andthat Chinese authorities couldhaveappliedtheirefforts“moreforcefully” in January 2020,shortlyafterthecoronavirusbe-gansickeningclustersofpeople.“Thereality isthatonlyami-

nority of countries took full ad-vantageoftheinformationavail-able to them to respond to theevidence of an emerging pan-demic,” thepanel said.The experts alsowondered

whyWHOdidnotdeclareaglobalpublichealthemergencysooner.TheUNhealth agency convenedits emergency committee onJanuary22,2020butdidnotchar-acterise the emergingpandemicasaninternationalemergencyun-tilaweeklater.Atthetime,WHOsaiditsexpertcommitteewasdi-videdonwhetheraglobalemer-gencyshouldbedeclared.“One more question is

whether itwouldhavehelped ifWHOused theword pandemicearlierthanitdid,”thepanelsaid.WHO did not describe the

Covid-19outbreakasapandemicuntil March 11, weeks after thevirus had begun causing explo-

siveoutbreaksinnumerouscon-tinents, meeting WHO's owndefinitionfora flupandemic.As the coronavirus began

spreading across the globe,WHO'stopexpertsdisputedhowinfectioustheviruswas,sayingitwasnot as contagiousas flu andpeoplewithout symptoms onlyrarelyspreadthevirus.ScientistshavesinceconcludedthatCovid-19 transmits even quicker thanthe flu and a significant propor-tionofspreadisfrompeoplewhodon'tappear tobesick.

Washington: The raceagainstthevirusthatcausesCovid-19 has taken a newturn:Mutations are rapidlypopping up, and the longerit takes tovaccinatepeople,the more likely it is that avariant that can elude cur-rent tests, treatments andvaccinescouldemerge.The coronavirus is be-

comingmoregeneticallydi-verse, and health officialssay the high rate of newcases is the main reason.Eachnewinfectiongivesthevirusachancetomutateasitmakes copies of itself,threatening to undo theprogressmadesofartocon-trol thepandemic.“We need to do every-

thingwe can now ... to gettransmission as low aswepossibly can,” saidHarvardUniversity’sDr.MichaelMina.“Thebestwaytopreventmu-tantstrainsfromemergingistoslowtransmission.” AP

NEWCHALLENGE:MUTATIONSRISEALONGWITHCASES

China, WHO shouldhave acted quickerto stop pandemic,says probe panel

CONSTANTMÉHEUTPARIS, JANUARY19

THE TESTIMONIES have sur-facedby thehundreds.“Iwas 8, Iwas abusedbymy

uncle,” readonepost onTwitter.“Itwassupposedtobeavacation,whichquicklyturnedintoanight-mare,”someoneelseposted.Ascandal involvingapromi-

nentFrenchintellectualaccusedof sexually abusing his teenagestepsonhaspromptedawaveoftestimonies on social mediafrom people in Francewho saytheywerealsovictimsof incest,shedding light on what cam-paignerssayisamajorproblem.Just as the #MeToo move-

mentgainedmomentumonso-cial networks three years ago,France’scurrentreckoningonin-cest has been driven by a hash-

tag, #Metooinceste, underwhich some20,000 tweets hadbeenpostedasofMondayafter-noon. Hundreds of the postswerewrenching accounts frompeoplewho said they had beensexually abused as children byadult familymembers.“Victims’ voices are getting

louder,”saidPatrickLoiseleur,thevicepresidentof Facing Incest, aFrenchorganizationthathasad-vocatedforbetterrecognitionofthe extent of the issue. Frenchlawdefines incestasasexualre-lationship between two peoplewhoare related to eachother toadegreewheremarriage ispro-hibited, including between sib-lingsorbetweenstepparentsandstepchildren. But French lawcriminalizes incest only in thecaseofsexualabuse,suchasrapeorasexualrelationshipbetweenanadultandaminor.

Thedelugeof testimonies onTwitterhavecomeinthewakeofthe scandal surroundingOlivierDuhamel, a prominent politicalscientistandTVcommentator,ac-cused by his stepdaughter,Camille Kouchner, of having

abusedhertwinbrother,startingwhen he was 14. Such abusewouldbeconsideredincestunderFrench law, even though theboywasMr.Duhamel’sstepson.Inabookreleased11daysago,

La FamiliaGrande,Ms. Kouchner

recounts how Mr. Duhamelabused her brother at night be-forehewenttobedforaperiodofabout two to three years. Shewritesthatherbrother,whotoldher about the abuse, had askedhertokeep“thissecret.”“Anger didn’t come right

away,” Ms. Kouchner writes.“Misunderstandingpersistedfora longtime, followedbysilence,foraneven longer time.”AstudyreleasedinNovember

by Facing Incest and the pollingfirmIpsosrevealedthatonein10Frenchpeoplesaytheyhavebeenthevictimof incest,aproportionthat has increased over time asmore people have felt embold-enedtocomeforward.BrigitteMacron, the French

first lady, told TF1, a French TVstation, on Sunday, “It is ab-solutelynecessarythattheseac-tions are known, and that these

actionsarenot silenced.”Francerecentlyextendedthe

statute of limitations for rapeagainstaminorto30years,from20 years, and two bills thatwould create an age of consentfor sexual relationships with aminor will soon be introducedforexamination inParliament.French lawsprohibit sex be-

tween anadult and aminor un-dertheageof15,butitisnotauto-maticallyconsideredrape.Furthercircumstances, suchastheuseofcoercion, threats, orviolence, arenecessary to characterize suchsexualrelationshipsasrape.Alexandra Louis, a French

lawmaker, said that she wasworkingonabill thatwould ef-fectively criminalize incest andstrengthen the criminalizationof sexualrelationshipsbetweenan adult and aminor under theageof 15. NYT

A#MeToorally inMarseille, France.Reuters/File

Incest scandal sets off a new #MeToo movement in France

ASSOCIATEDPRESSWASHINGTON, JANUARY19

PRESIDENT-ELECTJoeBiden,whowilltakechargeWednesdayalongwithVicePresident-electKamalaHarris,planstounveilasweepingimmigrationbillonDayOneofhisadministration,hopingtoprovideaneight-yearpath to citizenshipfor an estimated11millionpeo-ple living in theUSwithout legalstatus,amassivereversalfromtheTrumpadministration’sharshim-migrationpolicies.The legislationputsBidenon

track to deliver on amajor cam-paign promise important toLatinovotersandotherimmigrantcommunities after four years ofPresidentDonaldTrump’srestric-tive policies andmass deporta-tions.Itprovidesoneofthefastest

pathwaystocitizenshipforthoselivingwithout legal statusof anymeasureinrecentyears,butitfailstoincludethetraditionaltrade-offof enhanced border security fa-voredbymanyRepublicans,put-tingpassageinanarrowlydividedCongressindoubt.Thebillissettobeintroduced

after Biden takes the oath of of-ficeWednesday, according to apersonfamiliarwiththelegisla-tion and granted anonymity todiscuss it.Under the legislation, those

living in the US as of January 1,2021,withoutlegalstatuswouldhave a five-year path to tempo-rary legalstatus,oragreencard,if theypass background checks,pay taxes and fulfill other basicrequirements. From there, it’s athree-year path to naturaliza-tion, if they decide to pursue

citizenship.For some, theprocesswould

be quicker. So-calledDreamers,theyoungpeoplewhoarrived intheUSillegallyaschildren,aswellas agriculturalworkers andpeo-ple under temporary protectivestatuscouldqualifymore imme-diately forgreencards if theyareworking, are in school ormeetotherrequirements.Bidenisexpectedtotakeswift

executiveactionstoreverseotherTrump immigration actions, in-cludinganendtotheprohibitiononarrivalsfromseveralpredom-inantlyMuslimcountries.During the Democratic pri-

mary,Bidenconsistentlynamedimmigrationactionasoneofhis“day one” priorities, pointing totherangeofexecutivepowershecouldinvoketoreverseTrump’spolicies.

The ‘Fieldof Flags’at theNationalMall,Washingtonas theUSCapitolBuilding ispreparedfor the inaugurationofPresident-elect JoeBiden.Reuters

ASSOCIATEDPRESSWASHINGTON, JANUARY19

PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden’snationalsecurityCabinetmaybebare on Day One of his presi-dency, but an inauguration evespurt of Senate confirmationhearings suggests thatwon’t bethecase for long.While thenominees tohead

the State Department, thePentagon, Homeland Securityandtheintelligencecommunityare unlikely to be confirmed bythe timeBiden takes theoathofofficeatnoonWednesday,somecouldbe inplacewithindays.TheSenatetypicallyconfirms

somenominees, particularly thesecretaries of defense, onInauguration Day, though rawfeelings about PresidentDonaldTrump four years ago led toDemocratic-causeddelays,except

for JamesMattisat thePentagon.This year, the tension is height-ened by Trump’s impeachmentand an extraordinarymilitarypresenceinWashingtonbecauseof fearsofextremistviolence.Puttinghis national security

team in place quickly is a highpriority for Biden, not only be-cause of his hopes for reversingormodifyingTrumpadministra-tion policy shifts but also be-causeofdiplomatic,militaryandintelligence problems aroundtheworld thatmay create chal-lengesearly inhis tenure.Themostcontroversialof the

groupmay be Lloyd Austin, therecently retired Army generalwhomBidenselectedtoleadthePentagon. Austinwill need notonly a favorable confirmationvote in the Senate but also awaiver by both the House andthe Senatebecausehehasbeenoutof uniformonly fouryears.

REUTERSMOSCOW,JANUARY19

THEKREMLINsaidonTuesdayitwouldnottakeintoaccountcallsby someWestern countries toimpose additional sanctions onRussiaover thedetentionof op-position politician AlexeiNavalny, saying his case waspurelyadomesticmatter.Navalny, who has urged

Russians to take to thestreets inprotest,wasdetainedonSundayafter he flew back to Russia forthe first time since hewas poi-soned with a nerve agent lastsummerandtakenintopre-trialdetention for30days.Lithuania,LatviaandEstonia

have said they want EuropeanUnion foreignministers to dis-cuss sanctions against Russiaover itshandlingof thecase.Speaking to reporters on a

conference call, KremlinspokesmanDmitry Peskov saidNavalny’s calls for Russians totaketothestreetsoverhisdeten-tionwerealarming,butsaid theKremlin did not fear massprotests.PeskovalsosaidthatNavalny

hadgenuinequestionstoanswer

aboutviolatinghisparolecondi-tionsforasuspendedprisonsen-tenceanddismissedasnonsensethe notion that PresidentVladimirPutin fearshim.

VLADIMIRPUTIN,whohas ruled for21years,continues to retain tightcontrolof the televisionairwaves,domesticpoli-ticsandasprawlingse-curityapparatus.Buthispopularitywith theRussianpublichasebbedin recentyearsamidstagnant incomesandwidespreaddisgustwithofficial corruption.AlexeiNavalnyhas

takenadvantageof thediscontent, buildingupanationwidenetworkoflocalofficesandusingso-cialmedia tohighlighttheelite’shiddenwealthandthestrugglesof regu-larRussians.

ChallengertoPutin?E●EX

PLAINED

Kremlin says unfazedby calls for sanctionsover Navalny detention

Biden, Harris enter office today

National security Cabinetnominees face Senate tests

REUTERSROME, JANUARY19

THE GOVERNMENT of ItalianPrimeMinister Giuseppe Contelooked on course to survive anupperhouseconfidencevoteonTuesday as unaligned senatorsresponded tohis call not to sinkit in themidst of the Covid-19crisis.But it is likely to be absten-

tions rather than an absolutemajority of votes in favour thatwill keep the administrationafloat, meaning it would inessencecontinuetofunctionasaminoritygovernment.Thatwouldmakelawmaking

difficultandleaveContevulner-

abletofutureparliamentaryam-bushes,atatimewhenthecoun-try is battling to contain one ofthe world’s worst coronavirusepidemics.FormerpremierMatteoRenzi

triggeredthepoliticalcrisiswhenhe pulled his centrist Italia Vivaparty fromConte’s coalition lastweek over the primeminister’shandling of the pandemic andensuingrecession.Theresultof thevotewasex-

pected lateonTuesday.

ItalyPMGiuseppeConte

Italy’s government oncourse to survive crucialSenate confidence vote

8-year citizenship path forimmigrants in the works

THENEWYORKTIMESWASHINGTON, JANUARY19

THE PENTAGON is intensifyingefforts to identify and combatwhite supremacyandother far-right extremism in its ranks asfederal investigators seek tode-terminehowmanymilitaryper-sonnel and veterans joined theviolentassaulton theCapitol.Inthedayssinceapro-Trump

mob breached the Capitol onJanuary 6, senior leaders of the2.1million active-duty and re-serve troops have been grap-plingwith fears that former orcurrentservicememberswillbefoundamongthehorde.TheFBIinvestigationintothe

Capitolsiege,still initsveryearlystages,has identifiedat least sixsuspectswithmilitary links outof the more than 100 peoplewho have been taken into fed-eral custody or the larger num-

ber still under investigation.They include a retired Air ForcelieutenantcolonelfromTexas,anArmy officer from NorthCarolina and an Army reservistfromNew Jersey. Another per-son with military service wasshotandkilled in theassault.Themilitary’sexaminationof

its ranksmarks a new urgencyfor the Pentagon, which has ahistory of downplaying the riseof white nationalismand right-wingactivism.“Thesepeoplearenot repre-

sentative of our country’smili-tary,” Gen. Mark A. Milley, thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of

Staff,saidinaninterview.Hesaidmostactive-dutytroopsandvet-erans “continue to servehonor-ably and uphold their oath toprotect and defend the USConstitution.”Formore than aweek now,

GenMilley has listened to ana-lysts, read reports and viewedvideos of the riots. “Therewassomeindicationthatanunknownnumber of veterans associatedwiththeinsurrection,”hesaid.Federal officials are vetting

thousands of National Guardtroopsarrivingtohelpsecuretheinauguration.Ofthe21,500Guardpersonnel who had arrived inWashingtonbyMonday,anywhowill be near President-electJoseph R. Biden Jr. and VicePresident-electKamalaHarriswillreceive additional backgroundchecks, a standardprocedure tocounter insider threats thatwasalso taken before PresidentTrump’sinaugurationin2017.

Pompeo: China’spolicies onMuslims amountto genocideWashington:Onhiswayout thedoor, Secretary of State MikePompeohashitChinawithnewsanctions by declaring thatChina'spoliciesonMuslimsandethnic minorities in westernXinjiang Province constitute a“genocide”.Pompeomadethedetermina-

tionjust24hoursbeforeJoeBidentakesoffice.Therewasnoimme-diateresponsefromtheincomingBiden team, although severalmembershavebeensympatheticto suchadesignation in thepast.Pompeo'sdeterminationdoesnotcomewithanyimmediatereper-cussions.Tuesday’smove is the latest

inaseriesofstepstheTrumpad-ministration has taken againstChina. AP

Membersof theNationalGuardneartheWhiteHouse.Reuters

Pentagon wary of extremists in its ranks

New Delhi

CORONAVIRUSDASHBOARD

INDIAACTIVECASES 200,528

Note: The Jan18 figure in this graph isbasedon thegovernmentupdateon Jan19

250,000

225,000

200,000

INAUGURATIONSOF the US Presidenthaveevolvedoverthedecades,andmanybecameturningpointsintradition.OnWednesday, JosephBiden’s inau-

gurationwill seek to balance traditionagainst the challengesof thepresent era.For the first time, the procession to theWhiteHousewillbereplacedwitha“vir-tualparade”inanefforttoslowthespreadof thecoronavirus.Someof thefirstsovertheyears:■JimmyCarterbegananinformalcus-

tomwhenheunexpectedlyalightedfromhis limousine and walked downPennsylvaniaAvenue.

■HarrySTruman’ssecondinaugura-tionwasthefirsttobetelevised.

TheoathONAPLANE:LyndonBJohnsonwas

theonlypresident to take theoathof of-ficeonanplane,afterJohnFKennedywasassassinatedonNovember22,1963.Itwasalsothefirsttimethatawomanadminis-teredtheoath:JudgeSarahHughesoftheNorthernDistrictofTexassworehiminonboardAirForceOne,beforeit leftDallas.ADMINISTEREDTWICE: In 2009,

BarackObamawasadministeredtheoathtwicebyChiefJusticeJohnGRobertsJr.Thesecond timewason January21, after thetwo men stumbled over each other’swordsduringtheceremonyonJanuary20.

ThedateGeorgeWashingtontookoathonApril

30,1789.Inthe19thcentury,March4waswritten into the Constitution asInaugurationDay.Butin1933,theratifica-tionof the20thAmendmentestablishedthatthetermsofthePresidentandtheVicePresidentwould instead endat noononJanuary20.ThefirstPresidentinauguratedonJanuary20wasFDRoosevelt,whowasswornintoofficeforasecondtermin1937.

The transitionAPresidentwhosetermisendingisnot

required to attend the inauguration. In1801, John Adams became the firstPresident to shun the swearing-in cere-monyof his successor, Thomas Jefferson.PresidentDonald TrumpannouncedhewouldnotattendBiden’sinauguration.

ThepoetKennedywasthefirst toaddapoet to

his inaugural events. Robert Frost hadplannedtoread“ThePreface”,composedfor the occasion. But glare on the pagemade it difficult for him to see. Johnsontriedtoshadethemanuscriptwithhistophat.ButFrostinsteadrecitedhispoem“TheGiftOutright”,whichheknewbyheart.

TheparadeAbrahamLincoln’s second inaugura-

tion in 1865was the first timeAfrican-Americans took part in the parade.Womenparticipatedintheparadeforthefirsttimein1917,WoodrowWilson’ssec-ond term. In 1977, JimmyCarter becamethe first to setoutby foot formore thanamileontheroutetotheWhiteHouse.Thewalk became a tradition that has beenmatched—inceremonyifnotinlength—bythePresidentswhofollowed.

TheNewYorkTimes

WORLDTOTALCASES95,725,830

Source:JohnsHopkinsUniversity,updatedat11pmonJan19

INDIATOTALCASES10,581,837

Source:MinistryofHealth&FamilyWelfare,updatedat11pmonJan19

ANILSASINEWDELHI, JANUARY19

THEIRONYofasocialmediablackoutofasit-ting US President was not lost on GarryKasparov.“Whenthestateattacksacompanyfor offending an official iswhen you’re get-tingcloser(tocensorship),nottheotherwayaround”, the chess grandmaster and formerworldchampionwhorepresentedtheUSSR,andthusknowsathingortwoonthesubject,tweeted a couple of days after Twitter,Facebook, and others kickedDonald Trumpoff theirplatforms.The tightropewalk between regulating

fake news/hate content and fostering freespeechisadifficultone,andmoresubjectivethanwhat constitutes censorship. On onehand,thereisagrowingviewthatsocialme-dia companies were right to suspendTrump’s accounts; there is on the other acompelling realisation of the enormouspower that these platformswield over thepublicdiscourse,andtherebytheimpactthattheyhaveondemocracy.LeadersfromtheEuropeanUnion,which

hastakenaleadingroleinregulatingthetechgiantswith investigations, fines, and legis-lation,were the first to criticise thede-plat-forming of Trump. German ChancellorAngelaMerkel andRussiandissidentAlexeiNavalnyexpressedconcern,andabevyofEUofficialsraisedfreshquestionsontheregula-tionof BigTech.But on the question of coercive actions

against the techmajors, it’s adividedhouse.“Anotherway to look at this is that forcingpublishers to publish the government'sspeech is what happens in China,” JameelJaffer,directoroftheKnightFirstAmendmentInstitute at Columbia University said in atweet, underlining the complexity involvedin evaluating themedia ban issue onmerit,and thepitfalls of viewing this inblack-and-white terms.

How the banunfoldedAfter four years of largely accommodat-

ingTrump,FacebookchosethemorningaftertheattackontheUSCapitol tosuspendhim.Twitter,Snapchat,Shopify,Twitch,andothersfollowed.OnJanuary7,CEOMarkZuckerbergposted that both Facebook and Instagram(which is owned by Facebook) had blockedTrump“indefinitely and for at least thenexttwoweeks until the peaceful transition ofpower iscomplete”.It was an overnight reversal of the tech

companies’ policy on Trump, and other po-litical leaders,whichhas largelybeenoneofsymbioticassociation.Mostofthesecompa-niesthrivearoundtheamplificationofspec-

tacle, as Prof Ramesh Srinivasan of theDepartmentof InformationStudiesatUCLAputsit.Trumpprovidedthespectaclealmostdaily,allowingplatformssuchasTwitterthechancetoamplifyitforassuredtraffic.Inban-ning him, Twitter and Facebook clearly re-sponded togrowingcalls for coerciveactionagainstthemforhavingallowedthePresidenttopeddleliesandhateontheirplatformsoverthe last fouryears.Of greater concernwas theactionagainst

Parler,aright-wingsocialnetworkingalterna-tive to Twitter. Amazon booted it out of itscloudhosting serviceAmazonWebServices(AWS), andApple andGoogle pulled it fromtheirappstores,soParlereffectivelywentdark.Theincidentdemonstratedtheenormous

power that Amazonwields as aweb infra-structure service provider that companiesaround theworldhave to rely on just to staylive.AWScontrolled45per centof thecloudinfrastructurein2019,accordingtoestimatesfromtechnology researchcompanyGartner.GoogleandMicrosoftcontrolmuchoftherest.TheactionagainstParlershowedhowthebig-gertechplayerscandestroynewcompetitionsimplybyvirtueoftheirstrangleholdoverthecloud infrastructure, a throwback to theMicrosoft-Netscapefightagenerationago.

Big Tech’s defenceTheproblemwithsomeofthearguments

put forthby these companies are the incon-sistencies involved. Platforms includingFacebook and Twitter said theywould givehigh-profileusersmoreleewaywhenitcametoviolatinguserpolicies,butapplieditdiffer-entially. InSeptember2019,whenFacebookvicepresidentNickCleggannouncedabroad-ening of the company’s “newsworthiness”exemption for posts bypolitical leaders, themovewasseenasanefforttosimplybuttressan exemption it had coincidentally createdtheyearTrumptookoffice.

In March 2020, Facebook and Twitterdeleted posts by Brazil’s President JairBolsonaroandVenezuela’sPresidentNicolásMaduro for Covid-19misinformation. ButTrumpandhisWhiteHouse,equallyrespon-sible forpeddlingmisinformationabout thepandemic,escaped.IttookTwitteruntilMayto flag that a tweet by Trump “glorified vio-lence”— as the Black LivesMatter protestsraged,thePresidenthadtweeted,“Whenthelootingstarts, theshootingstarts”.ThatZuckerbergchosetosuspendTrump

themomenthe losthis lastmodicumofpo-liticalleverage,asopposedtothemomenthewas no longer President, is telling, technol-ogy writerWill Oremus said onMedium.“Thiswas never about respect for the officeof the presidency, itwas about deference topower,”hewrote.TheactiontoblackoutTrumpcameafter

theCapitolmayhemwasoverandCongresshadratifiedthevictoryofPresident-electJoeBiden. In his final hours on Twitter, Trumponce again blamed Section 230 of the 1996Communications Decency Act—which al-lowsInternetplatformstopublishandmod-eratecontent fromthirdpartieswithoutbe-ingheld legally liable forwhat they say, andwhich the President had earlier threatenedtorepeal—for“banning” freespeech.

Actions they could faceBiden,whowilltakeoathonWednesday,

hassaidhewouldliketorepealSection230toincreasemoderationandreducethespreadoffakenews.Butdoing itwillbetricky.Self-certification has been the chosen

routesofar. Facebookhasanoversightcom-mittee to look at debatable content. Twitterhas cited its own employees as a pressuregroup,sayingasectionofthemdemandedinaletter lastweekthatthecompany’s leaderspermanentlysuspendTrump’saccount.Inaninternal letter addressed to chief executive

JackDorsey and his top executives thatwasreviewed and quoted by TheWashingtonPost, around350Twitter employees report-edlyrequestedaninvestigationintothepastseveral yearsof corporateactions that led toTwitter’s role in the January 6 riot.Incidentally, Dorsey, in a series of tweets onJanuary14,defendedhiscompany’sdecisiontopermanently suspendTrump, but admit-tedthatitcouldseta”dangerousprecedent”.Many argue that removing Section 230

protectionwouldhave adeleterious impactonfreespeechasnetworksdoubledownonmoderatingfarmorethantheycurrentlydo.Expertsagreethatwhiletherulesandguide-lines of social networks have evolved overtime,which is agood thing, theyarenotbe-ing consistently applied throughout theworld.Thatcouldchangenow,giventhede-batethatTrump’sblackouthadtriggered.

Adouble-edged swordTheEUhasshownthatitispossibletoap-

ply regulations to technology companieswithoutstiflingthemcompletelyorsnuffingouttheirbusinessmodels.Butthis,asUCLA’sSrinivasan points out, is a double-edgedsword—finewhenusedinyourfavourbutaflagrantviolationwhenusedagainstyou.InMay2018,acourtrulingforcedTrump

tounblockseveraldozenfollowerswhomhehadshutoutof the@realDonaldTrumphan-dle after they posted critical replies to histweets. They sued, arguing theywere enti-tled to follow the handle because thePresidentused it tomakeofficialannounce-ments and comment on public affairs.Applyingthissamelogic,itcanbearguedthatwhatworksonewayshouldalsoworkinre-verse— and a tech company does not havethepowertoshutoutasittingPresident.There is also the larger question of

whetherthedigitalplatformshavebeenneu-tralarbiters.Evidentlynot.Allofthemarefor-profitcorporationswithclosetiestothestateapparatus, somethingthatwillneedredres-sal.Andthey'veconsistentlyusedtheirpow-ers arbitrarily. For instance, these platformshave repeatedly blocked the ability ofWikileakstoacceptdonationsonPayPalandotherpayment intermediaries.In 2010, the DNA sequencing company

Complete Genomics said that “an interrup-tionofservicesbyAmazonWebServices,onwhomwe rely to deliver finished genomicdata to our customers, would result in ourcustomersnot receiving theirdataon time.”Atthetimeofitsinitialpublicofferingin2011,gaming platformZynga had cautioned thattheterminationbyAWS—whichatthetimehostedhalf thetrafficforZynga’sgames—oftheiragreement,couldcauseittosimplyvan-ish.Parler isonly the latest.

15WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

SANTANUCHOWDHURYKOLKATA,JANUARY19

ONMONDAY,West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee announced that shewould contest fromNandigramAssemblyseat in EastMidnapore district. It is a seatwhere events over a decade ago hadbroughtherparty,theTrinamoolCongress,topower for the first time.And it is signifi-cantagainbecauseofeventstodayinWestBengal andDelhi.

WhyNandigrammattersNandigramwasoneof the twoepicen-

tres (the otherwas Singur) of the thenop-position’s Trinamool Congress’s anti land-

acquisition movements that helped theparty win the 2011 Assembly elections,ending the 34-year rule of the Left Frontgovernment.In 2007, 14 villagerswere killed in po-

lice firingwhile protesting against the LeftFront government’smove to acquire landinNandigramforaproposedchemicalhubtobesetupbyIndonesia’sSalimGroup.TheNandigram firing gave birth to theTrinamool Congress’s election slogan ofMaa,Mati, Manush (Mother, Motherland,People). This was the site that effectivelylaunchedBanerjeeasapro-farmerpoliticalalternative to theLeft.Banerjee currently represents

BhabanipurAssemblyseatofKolkataSouth.A seven-timeMPbefore shebecameChief

Minister, Banerjee did not contest in the2011Assemblypollsthatbroughtherpartyto power. It was after becoming the ChiefMinister that she contested a bypoll fromBhabanipur, where she lives, andwon byover 50,000 votes. In the 2016 Assemblyelections,sheretainedtheseatwithamar-ginof over25,000votes.

What led to themoveThedecisiontocontestfromNandigram

canbeattributed toanumberof reasons.First,atatimewhenfarmersareprotest-

ing against central farms laws in Delhi,Banerjee wants to revive her image as achampion of farmers' rights. Nandigramprovides her the perfect platform, for it isfromhere(alongwithSingur) thatshehad

established that image in the firstplace.Second,shehasgoneforadirectcontest

with the BJP, which is hoping that it hasdealt her a setbackby roping in TrinamoolheavyweightandNandigramMLASuvenduAdhikari. Rather than shy away, Banerjeehasoptedforadirectface-offwithAdhikarionhishometurf. Thiswill alsobea test forherparty’srelevanceinEastMidnaporedis-trict without the support of the Adhikarifamily. Suvendu with his father SisirAdhikari and brother Dibyendu Adhikari,both TrinamoolMPs, have great influenceovervoters inEastMidnapore andadjoin-ingdistricts.BycontestingfromNandigram,Banerjee, who has not lost an election inWestBengalsincethe1989LokSabhapolls,has thrownthechallengebackat theBJP.

Third, Banerjee has asserted herselfagainsttheBJP’selectoralstrategyofweak-ening the Trinamool Congress, and sent amessagetothepartyrankandfileaswellasfence-sitterswhomighthavebeenweigh-ingtheoptionof crossingover totheBJP.Additionally, Banerjee’smove to anew

seat iswidelybeingseenasaninsurance—if she wins — at a time when she faces achallengefromtheBJP inherhomeseat. Inthe Bhabanipur Assembly segment ofKolkataSouth,herpartyledbyamere3,000votesintheLokSabhapolls. InanAssemblysegment with a significant presence ofHindi-speaking voters, many in WestBengal see the slender TrinamoolmarginasafalloutofherbrandingcentralBJPlead-ersasoutsiders.

Big Tech’s power to fireSIMPLYPUT

TOTALRECALL

MEHRGILLNEWDELHI,JANUARY19

ONWEDNESDAY,newUSPresidentJoeBidenwilldeliverhisinauguraladdresslayingouttheagendaforhisadministration.Thespeechwrit-ingteamhelpinghimshapethedraftisledbyan Indian-American, VinayReddy,whowasspeechwriter for theBiden-Harris campaignandpreviously served as chief speechwriterwhen Bidenwas Vice President in BarackObama’ssecondterm.

What it’s aboutTheinauguraladdresshasbeenatradition

since GeorgeWashington became the firstPresidentonApril30,1789.Inhisfirstinaugu-raladdress,hereferredtothe“sacredfireoflib-erty”anda“newandfreegovernment”.Forhissecondtermin1793,Washington’sspeechof135wordsremainstheshortestever.WilliamHenry Harrison’s speech in 1841 was thelongestat8,455words;it lastedtwohours.TheWhiteHouseHistorical Association

notesthat inauguralspeechessetthetonefor

the incoming administration.While sometimes they are in-tended to persuade, at othertimesPresidentshave chosen tospeak “directly to the nation’sconcerns”. In 1961, John FKennedymade a call for publicserviceduringhis inaugural ad-dresswhenhe said, “My fellowAmericans: ask notwhat yourcountrycandoforyou—askwhatyoucandoforyourcountry.”Bidentakesoverduringwhat

is being described as one of thetensest moments in American history.Commentatorshave compared themomentto1933whenFDRoosevelt tookoathduringtheGreatDepression(“Theonlythingwehavetofearisfearitself,”hesaid),andto1861,dur-ing theCivilWar,whenAbrahamLincolnap-pealedtohis“dissatisfiedfellowcountrymen”tonotbeenemiesbutfriends.

Speechwriter’s roleTheOfficeofSpeechwritingisapresiden-

tial department in theWhiteHouse, respon-

sible for researchingandwritingthePresident’sspeeches.Inadiscussionsessionin2019

on“translatingpresidentialideasintowords”, Sarada Peri, one ofObama’s speechwriters, said the“audience is the world of anyspeech”,whileherspeechwritingcolleagueKyleO’Connor said itwas important to capture thePresident’s“styleandvoice”.Another speechwriter, re-

ferred to as Obama’s "mindreader", is Jon Favreau,whowas

just27whenhehelpedshapethe2009inau-gural address inwhichObama, in anechoofKennedyhalfacenturyearlier,calledfora“newera of responsibility” urging Americans torecognise “thatwehaveduties to ourselves,our nation and theworld; duties thatwedonotgrudginglyaccept,butratherseizegladly,firmintheknowledgethatthereisnothingsosatisfyingtothespirit,sodefiningofourchar-acterthangivingouralltoadifficulttask.AtemporaryexhibitorganisedbytheJohn

FKennedyLibraryandMuseumin2009notes

that someof his instructions to his speech-writerin1961,TedSorensen,includedto“avoidpessimismandpartisanship,”andto“readtheotherpresidential inaugurals”.

Biden’s speechwritersThecontentofBiden’sinauguraladdressis

beingoverseenbyMikeDonilon,whohasbeenhislong-timeadviser,alongwithpresidentialhistorian andbiographer JonMeachamwhoisalsohelpingshapethedraft.DuringhisfirstremarksasPresident-elect,Bidenspokeabouttheneedto“rebuildthesoulofAmerica,tore-buildthebackboneofthisnation…”.Anarticlein TheNewYork Timesnotes that Biden’s re-liance on a historian is in sharp contrast toDonaldTrump’s“lackof interest”inthepast.Reddy, an alumnus of the Ohio State

UniversityCollegeofLaw,isBiden’sdirectorofspeechwriting. Reddy earnedhis bachelor’sdegreefromMiamiUniversityanddouble-ma-jored in political science and philosophy.AccordingtoareportinTelanganaToday,ReddywasbornandbroughtupintheUS;hisfamilyhails from the village of Pothireddypeta inTelangana.

Trump’saccountsweresuspendedafter theCapitolmayhem.AP/PTI

@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to [email protected] EXPLAINED

THEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

223,335

200,528

BehindMamata’s Nandigrammove: image building, and amessage to BJP

MamataBanerjee inNandigramin2007,duringamovementthatwouldlaunchhertopower. ExpressArchive

LAST 10 DAYS

Jan9 Jan18

Ofall thehumiliationheapedonDonaldTrumpasheleavestheWhiteHousetoday, thede-platformingbyTwitterandFacebookmusthurthimthemost.Butevenasmanycelebratehiscomeuppance,concernshavebeenraisedabouttheenormouspowerfor-profitBigTechwields intherunningofdemocracies.

VinayReddy

NYT

WhiteHouse/APviaNYT

LyndonBJohnson(top)beingsworninonthepresidentialplanein1963; JimmyCarterduringtheinauguralparade in1977.

Oath-taking, parade and poetry:how US President inaugurationshave evolved over the centuries

Minds behind US President’s inaugural speech

New Delhi

CLASSIFIEDS&TENDERS16 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

MMyynamehasbeenwronglywrittenasChanderlekha inpassport ofmyminor son.Mycorrect name isChander LekhaChauhand/oKuldeepKumarr/o 228, UGF, block-B,MohanGarden, UttamNagar, Delhi-110059 0040560645-1

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0040560675-8

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0040560669-4

II,,SSuuddiippHaldar S/oHaripadHaldar R/oD-3/36A, ShivDurgaVihar, LakkarpurSurajkund(Haryana) havechangedmyname toSudeepHaldar for all futurepurposes.

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II,,SSoonnaammD/O-MaheshChandraR/O-A-525 –A- Block,J JColony,Chaukhandi TilakNagarDelhi-110018havechangedmyname toSonamPorwal 0040560675-1

II,,RRaajjeesshhVishwakarmaS/o-GamaPrasadR/o-A-5,MansaramPark,Uttam-Nagar,N.Delhi-59 havechangedmyname toRajeshKumar.

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II,,RRAASSAAMMVINAYAKSURYAKANTS/o- SuryakantDaji RasamR/o-C-301,LEOHousingComplex,Opp. CosmosSchool,Janta-Market,KokanNagar,Bhandup (West),Mumbai,Maharashtra-400078have changedmyname toVINAYAKSURYAKANTRASAM.

0040560672-6

II,,PPrreerrnnaaGupta,D/O-Shri AjayGupta,R/O-90,UcoApartment,Sector-9,Rohini,Delhi-110085,informthat PrernaGuptaandPrernaJain both thenamesareone&the sameperson.

0040560676-4

II,,PPaallwwiinnddeerr KaurW/O-AmrikSinghDhanjal R/O-E-53,SecondFloor,Moti Nagar,NewDelhi-110015,HaveChangedMyNameToPalvinderKaur ForAll,FuturePurposes.

0040560676-5

II,,MMaannssii D/o-Anjali Soni R/o 63-B,3rd Floor,Gali No-5,RashidMarket, KrishnaNagar,Delhi-110051,have changedmynametoMansi Soni permanently.

0040560672-7

II,,MMaannoojj Kumar Jindal S/O-HarmashPal R/O-WZH-65 1STFloor,StreetNO-4,SantNagarExtn. TilakNagar,New-Delhi-110018HaveChangedmyName to Manoj Kumar.

0040560672-1

II,,MMaannjjeeeett Singh s/o-Sh.GurbachanSinghR/o-E-2/136,3rd Floor,Gali No-3,Shastri-Nagar,Delhi-110052,have changedmyname toManjeet SinghSahnipermanently 0040560676-2

II,,MMaannjjeeeett KaurChopra,W/oSurjit Singh,H.No-1236/5,Gali.No-5, Krishna-Colony,Gurgaon,Haryana-122001,have changedmynameManjeet Kaur,for all,futurepurposes. 0040560669-2

II,, KunjanD/oYashPalAhujaR/o6/125, 6-Block, GeetaColonyNewDelhi-110031havechangedmyname toKunjanAhuja. 0040560643-3

II,,MMaannaass KumarChattopadhyayS/oNirmal ChattopadhyayR/o-B-98, Pocket-4, KendriyaVihar-2, Sector-82, Noida(U.P.) havechangedmyname toManasChattopadhyay for allpurposes. 0040560622-1

II,,GGooppiikkaaUnni D/O-JanardhanaUnni PKR/o-Sarang,GSSadan(PO), Palakkad (Distt.),Kerala-679302have changedmynametoGOPIKAUNNI P J.

0040560672-4

II,,FFaarraassaatt Husain F/oAdibaKhanR/o.B-3/23, Aravali Apartment,Sector-34, Noida, Distt:-GautamBudhNagar, UttarPradesh-201301,have changedmyname fromFarasat toFarasatHusain for,all futurePurposes. 0040560629-2

II,,AAnnaannyyoo Sengupta S/o-Late Sh.AlokKumarR/o-FlatNo-2B,2ndFloor,280,JodhpurParkNear-AabarBaithakKolkata-700068have changedmydaughtername fromAashreeSenguptatoAadvika Sengupta for allpurposes. 0040560672-2

II,,AAbbiiddaaBagumW/o-NaeemAhmedR/0-M-4 3rd-floorB,Sailing club road,batlahouse,Jamia-nagar,New-Delhi,have changemynameAbidaAhmed,for all,futurepurposes. 0040560669-9

II,,RReekkhhaaDeviW/oRaghuvendraPathakR/o,Gali no-13,WZ-205,SadhNagar,Delhi-110045have changedmyname toRekhaPathak for all purposes

0040560676-3

II,,AAbbdduull RahemanS/O-AbdullahMohammadR/O-BuildingNo-5,GroundFloor, HazratNizamuddin(W),New-Delhi-110013HaveChangedMyNameToAbdul RahemanAbdullahSidyot . 0040560676-1

II,,AAMMBBIILLII KMW/O- JanardhanaUnni PKR/o-Sarang,GSSadan(PO),Palakkad(Distt.),Kerala-679302 have changedmyname toAMBILI KM.

0040560672-5

II,, herebydeclare that I’vechangedmyname fromSanjayAggarwal to SanjayKumarAggarwal S/oSPAggarwal R/o2040osimo towermahagunmoderne sec 78noida 201301.SanjayKumarAggarwal&SanjayAggarwal are the samepersonhenceforth I’ll beknownby thenameof SanjayKumarAggarwal for all futurepurposes.

0070727835-1

II,, TarunPalAroraS/oSh.DharamPal R/o-H.No 3C/234,NIT-Faridabad-121001,haveChangedmyminor daughterNameVanshikaArora toNaysaArora,for all purposes

0040560642-2

II,, SudiptaBhattacharyyaW/OPrateekDubeyR/OE-145AGreater KailashPart 2, NewDelhi 110048 state that SudiptaBhattacharyya ismy trueandcorrect name.Affidavit no IN-DL25142399628099T swornbeforenotary J.C.TrikhaRegdNo607dated 02/01/2021.

0050174289-1

II,, TarunPalAroraS/oSh.DharamPal R/o-H.No.3C/234,NIT-Faridabad-121001,haveChangedmyminor daughterNameVaniArora toNavyaArora, for all purposes

0040560642-1

II,, ShalooNikalje ChibR/o 1/63,GroundFloorOldRajinderNagar, NewDelhi-110060, havechangedmyname toShalooChib for all futurepurposes.

0040560632-1

II,, SantoshKumar S/ORamNarayanDubeyR/oHouseNo-234, Gali No-9, ChandanVihar,West SantNagar, Burari, Delhi-110084, have changedmynameandshall hereafter beKnownasSantoshDubey.

0070727850-1

II,, SURESHKUMARS/oKaliCharanSharmaR/oHouseNo-147,MotherDairy,Sector-55,Ballabgarh,FaridabadHaveChangedmyName toSURESHCHANDSHARMA for allpurposes. 0070727821-1

II,, RuchikaWadhwaD/oShriTilakRaj R/o F-230GroundFloor, Gali No-3, Rishi NagarSaraswati ViharDelhi-110034have changedmyname fromRuchika toRuchikaWadhwafor all futurepurposes.

0040560644-1

II,, RajinderKaur,W/oAvtarSingh,H.No-1236/5, Gali No-5,Krishna-Colony,Gurgaon,Haryana-122001,have changedmynameRamKaur,for allfuturepurposes.

0040560669-7

II,, RAMESHKUMARS/oSheetalPrasad JainR/oPlotNo-484, 1stFloor, ParkAvenue, NearKrishnaBhawan,Sector-4,Vaishali,Ghaziabad-201010HaveChangedmyName toRAMESHKUMAR JAIN for allpurposes. 0070727820-1

II,, KulwinderKaurW/oHariSingh,H.No-1236/5,Gali.No-5,KrishnaColony, Gurgaon,Haryana-122001,have changedmynameGyanKaur,for allfuture purposes.

0040560669-5

II,, Kuljeet SinghChopra,S/oSurjitSingh,H.No-1236/5,Gali.No-5,Krishna-Colony,Gurgaon,Haryana-122001,have changedmynameKuljeet Singh,forall,futurepurposes.

0040560669-3

II,, HEMANTKUMARS/oSureshChandSharmaR/oHouseNo-147,MotherDairy, Sector-55,Ballabgarh,FaridabadHaveChangedmyName toHEMANTKUMARGOUR for all purposes.

0070727817-1

II,, HardeepSingh,S/oMilkhaSingh,H.No-1236/5, Gali No-5,Krishna-Colony,Gurgaon,Haryana-122001,have changedmynameAvtar Singh,forall,future purposes.

0040560669-8

II,, GurubuxSingh,S/oAtarSingh,H.No-1236/5,Gali.No-5,Krishna-Colony, Gurgaon,Haryana-122001,have changedmynameHari Singh,forall,futurepurposes.

0040560669-6

II,,MohammedSaoodS/oAminuddinR/o-1745GaliMeerJumla Lal KuanDelhi-110006,have changedmynametoMohammadSaudAmin

0040560675-4

IIOmPrakashS/oAmar SinghYadavR/oHouseNo73/74Dabar Enclave, RawtaMore,Jaffar PurKalan, Delhi-110073have changedmyname toOmParkash 0040560654-1

IIMonikaSharmaD/o LateSh.Manoj SharmaR/o 15/32B,TilakNagar, First Floor, TilakNagar S.O.,WestDelhi, Delhi-110018 have changedmynametoMiraMihaSharma for allpurposes. 0040560617-7

II,, EbenezarHoro, S/oMarshalHoro, R/oH.No. E-326, NirmanVihar, Delhi-110092 havechangedmyname toEbenezerHoro. 0070727827-1

IIMani SharmaS/o Late Sh.AshokKumar SharmaR/oExpressGarden, 806/3, VaibhavKhand, Indirapuram,Ghaziabad-201014 , U.P.havechangedmyname toManiKumar Sharma for allpurposes. 0040560617-6

II,, DewanshMehra s/oSachinMehraR/oKC-19CPhase-1AshokViharDelhi-110052 havechangedmyname toDevanshMehra 0040560675-5

II JoginderKaurW/O, LakhbirSingh JanduR/oHouseNo-29,sector-16, Vasundhra,ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, havechangedmyname to JoginderKaur Jandu for all purposes.

0040560647-1

II,, BinduDeviW/oRamchandraGupta residence-697,Jhuggi-Jhopadi, nearKohliDharmkanta, Sector-8, NoidaGautambudhnagar, havechangedmynameVidyawatitoBinduDevi for allpurposes,in future.

0040560629-1

II CNBhavanaW/ORenjithKumarPR/OKlp-1/30AirforcestationHindonGhaziabadU.P-201004 have changedmynametoCNBhavana for allpurposes. 0050174271-1

II,, Bhargavi Ravipudi W/oAnilKumarRavipudi R/o 5-543, FNo202, Sai ResidencyRoadNo-14Deepti Sri nagar,Madinaguda,Hyderabad, AndhraPradesh-500045, have changed thenameofmyminor sonAjaySuryaanshagedabout 01Yearsandhe shall hereafter beknownasRavipudi Suryaansh.

0070727847-1

II BabanSakharamPaste S/oSakharamPashteR/oAbovePipeline, RoomNo-2, GulabShuklaChawl, TanajiWadiTembipadaRoad, BhandupWest,Mumbai,Maharashtra-400078, have changedmynametoBabanSakharamPashte

0070727798-1

II Braj Pal S/oAshaRamR/o 50,NearMasjid,WardNo-12,Naryana (74), Panipat,Haryana-132101, have changedmyname toBrij Pal

0070727801-1

II have changedmyname fromKanwaldeepSinghCharanjitSinghPahwa (OldName) toKanwaldeepSinghPahwa(NewName)AsPerAadharCardNo. 485427546800.

0070727813-1

II Amit Kumar S/oSatyawanSharmaR/o 77/2VillageDhirpur (408), P.OKhanpurKolian, KurukshetraHaryana-136131,have changedmynametoAmit KumarVats for allpurposes 0040560643-2

II have changedmyname fromChitwanKaur Pahwa (OldName) toChitwanKaur (NewName)AsPerAadharCardNo.523945639620. 0070727810-1

II YaminiMannW/O,AnkitShokeenR/oC-5a/219Janakpuri NearKadimiRestaurantNewDelhi-110058have changedmyname toYaminiMannShokeen for allpurposes. 0040560648-1

I,ShauryaAnand S/o-Shri SumitAnandR/o -HouseNo.-530,Sector-23,PalamVihar,Gurgaon -122017 , Haryanahavechangemyname toShauryaVeerAnand for allfuturePurposes

0040560672-3

II SunitaD/O, RamSarupR/o F-134, Third Floor, Gali No-6,PandavNagar,MayurVihar Ph-1, Delhi, 110091havechangedmyname toSunita Sharma forall purposes. 0040560651-1

II Shipramittalw/oVivekmittalr/o flat no 1602,tower-1, orangecounty, kalapathar road,indirapuramghaziabad-201014 have changedmynametoYogitaMittal for all purpose

0040560646-1

II Rita Bhatia/RituBhatia/RitaD/O, RamRattanBhatia R/oB-748, Green FieldColony, Sec. 43,Faridabad, have changedmyname toRituHanot for allpurposes 0040560657-1

II RenjithKumarPS/OM.P.KunhiramanR/OKlp-1/30Airforce stationHindonGhaziabadU.P-201004havechangedmyminor sonnamefromThejusCN toThejusCNfor all purposes.

0050174270-1

II Rajnish S/O,OmParkashR/o1630 Sector 45, Gurgaon,Haryanahave changedmyname toRajnishBhardwaj forall purposes. 0040560650-1

II Parul Gupta S/oArunKumarR/oHouseNo-30, ClubRoad,Civil Lines, Ludhiana, Punjab-141001, have changedmynametoBhupeshGupta

0070727809-1

II ParminderKaurW/oKamaljitSinghBawaR/o214-B, Pocket-C, Sidhartha Extension,Jungpura, Delhi-110014, havechangedmyname toParminderKaurBawa

0070727799-1

PPEERRSSOONNAALL

EEDDUUCCAATTIIOONNAALL

OOBBIITTUUAARRYY

ClassifiedsPUBLIC NOTICE

“Be known to all that my clients Sh.Narender Kumar Goel S/o Late Sh. BishanSaroop Goel & Smt. Seema Devi W/o Sh.Narender Kumar Goel both R/o H. No.557, V.P.O. Bakhtawarpur, Delhi-110036has severed all their relations with theirelder son Sh. Varun Kumar Goel, his wifeMs. Madhuri Goel, their children MasterYojit Goel & Baby Dristika as they out ofcontrol of my client. They have alsodisowned, disinherited them from all theirmovable & immovable properties. Anybodydealing with them shall be doing so at hisown cost, risk and consequences. Myaforesaid client shall not be liable orresponsible for the same in any mannerwhatsoever for their any acts or conducts.”

Sd/- Rajesh Kumar SinglaAdvocate

Enrl. No. D-143/1996

PUBLIC NOTICEI, Tina Chaudhary D/o Sh. Naresh LalChaudhary W/o Sh. Vikas Khannaearlier R/o H-84, Phase-I, Ashok Vihar,Delhi-110052 and presently R/o3A/602, Rang Rasayan Apartments,Sector-13, Rohini, Delhi-110085 havechanged my name after marriage fromTina Chaudhary to Tina Khanna. Thatbefore Marriage in the year 1992, Iappeared for class 10th exams,through NATIONAL OPEN SCHOOL,DELHI vide Enrolment No. 270812094.That in the certificates and marksheets,my father’s name has been wronglymentioned as Naresh Lal Choudhary,instead of Naresh Lal Chaudhary. Alsomy date of birth has been wronglymentioned as 07.02.1976 instead ofthe correct date which is 07.09.1976.

PUBLIC NOTICEPUBLIC NOTICE

Be it known to all the general publicthat my client SHRI SHYAM INFRAHEIGHTS having its registered office atC-39 Gulab Bagh, Om Vihar near MetroPillar No. 700, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi-110059, through its Partner Mr. VijayBansal, is the intending purchaser ofPlot No. 62 and 63, area measuring525 Sq. Yds., out of Khasra no. 829,Situated in the area of VillageNawada and the colony known asOm Vihar, Phase-II, Uttam Nagar,New Delhi-110059, Any claim oropposition to the said Property must belodged within 15 days from the date ofthis publication, falling which will bepresumed that there are no claims oropposition and my client shall completeany transactions. Claims or oppositionsreceived after the said 15 days shall notbe binding on my client. Please contactto Vijay Bansal, at 9212434001,Hari Om Jindal 9999937053 orHemant Madan 9811474085 within15 days.

HEMANT MADAN (Advocate)Office no. 207, II Floor, Transport

Authority, Janakpuri, New Delhi

PUBLIC NOTICEPUBLIC NOTICE

Be it known to all the general publicthat my client Mrs. Aditi Goyal W/o Sh.Rahul Goyal R/o A-7, Uttam Nagar, NewDelhi is the intending purchaser ofPortion of Plot no. I-38 admeasuring 75Sq.Yds. out of Khasra no. 87/22Situated in the area of Village Hastsaland the colony known as I-B;ock,Arya Samaj Road, Uttam Nagar, NewDelhi-110059, Any claim or oppositionto the said Property must be lodged within 15 days from the date of this publica-tion, falling which w ill be p resumed thatthere are no claims or opposition and myclient shall complete any transactions.Claims or oppositions received after thesaid 15 days shall not be binding on myclient. Please contact to Rahul Goyal,at 9999483621, or Hemant Madan9811474085 within 15 days.

HEMANT MADAN (Advocate)Office no. 207, II Floor, Transport

Authority, Janakpuri, New Delhi

Know all men that, I ManjitSingh Chhabra S/o S. JoginderSingh Chhabra R/o C-34, PamposhEnclave, New Delhi, do herebydeclare that I am the sole andexclusive owner in respect ofproperty i.e. C-47, DDA Complex,Defence Colony, New Delhi. Ifurther declare that I have lost/misplaced the originalRelinquishment Deed in respect ofmy said property i.e.Relinquishment Deed executed on17-08-2006 by Sh. Pradeep KapurS/o Lt. Sh. Prem Nath Kapur andMrs. Priya Sardana D/o Lt. Sh. PremNath Kapur, in favour of Mrs.Promila Kapur, which is registeredas Document No.11985, in BookNo.1, Volume No.6503, on pages 48to 53, registered on 17-08-2006, inthe office of Sub-Registrar-V, NewDelhi. If anyone finds the saiddocument please contact theundersigned. Finder Contact (M):9419003993, 9873178776

LOST

PUBLIC NOTICENotice is hereby given to allconcerned that my client Sh. SherSingh and Smt. Harli Devi R/oB-194, Jai Vihar, Najafgarh, Delhi-43, has disowned/ debarred/discarded his real son Mohan Singhand her daughter in law BhagwatiDevi due to their misbehavior,disobedience, illegal activities/assets, also ceased all his/herrelations with him, any personwhosoever deals with his/her shalldo at his/her their own risks/ costs/responsibility.

Sd/- Vimal Tripathi(Advocate)

D-3355-A/09373, Ground Floor, Pocket-4,

Sector-22, Rohini, Delhi-86

GOVERNMENT OF CHHATTISGARH, WATER RESOURCES DEPARTMENTOFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER

WATER RESOURCES & GROUND WATER SURVEY CIRCLESIHAVA BHAWAN CAMPUS, CIVIL LINES, RAIPUR (C.G.)

eProcurement Portal: https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in( 1st Call )

System Tender No. : 70805 /NIT No. : 16/SAC/2020-21, Raipur, Dated : 15.01.2021Online Tenders are Invited for The Following Works up to 05.02.2021 at 17:30 Hour (IST) :-Name of Work : RENOVATION OF HEAD WORK, WASTE WEIR & HEAD SLUICE AND REMODELING

& C.C. LINING FROM R.D. 0 TO 510 M. OF L.B.C. & FROM R.D. 0 TO 360 M. OF R.B.C., CONSTRUC-TION OF 04 NOS. STRUCTURE (03 NOS. V.R.B. & 01 NO. V.R.B. CUM SUPER PASSAGE), 02 NOS.INLET AND REPAIR OF OLD STRUCTURES OF BOTH CANAL OF PAUNTA TANK SCHEME INABHANPUR BLOCK OF RAIPUR DISTRICT.

Probable Amount of Contract : Rs. 126.70 LakhsThe details can be viewed and downloaded online directly from the Government of Chhattisgarh Integrated e-Procurement Portal (https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in) from Date 22.01.2021, at 17:31 Hours (IST) onwards.NOTE :- All eligible/interested contractors/bidders are mandated to get enrolled on the Integrated e-procurement por-tal (https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in) and get approval on specific vendor class from PWD under Centralized Contractor/Supplier Registration in order to download the tender documents and participate in the subsequent bidding process.

sd/-EXECUTIVE ENGINEER

Water Resources Division, Raipurfor, Superintending Engineer, Water Resources &

86383 Ground Water Survey Circle, Raipur (C.G.)

e-PROCUREMENT TENDER NOTICE

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Bendrachuwa, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh Ph-07762-220741 E-mail:[email protected]¸FFaIY/d¨FdIY./IiY¹F/2020-21/908 SXF¹F¦FPX dQ³FaIY 15.01.2021

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NNaattiioonnaall Central council ofVocational Training invitedapplication for start TrainingandStudyCentrewww.nccvt.inMob.7499647774/ 9823647194

0090280356-1

New Delhi

SENSEX: 49,398.29 ▲ 834.02 NIFTY: 14,521.15 ▲ 239.85 NIKKEI: 28,633.46 ▲ 391.25 HANG SENG: 29,642.28 ▲ 779.51 FTSE: 6,736.17 ▲ 15.52 DAX: 13,894.07▲ 45.72


ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

GOLD`48,480

RUPEE`73.17

OIL$55.48

SILVER`65,340

Note:Gold, silverratesatDelhi spotmarket;goldper10g, silverper1kg;Brentcrudeasof2030IST

Internationalmarketdatatill1900ISTInternationalmarketdatatill1900IST

RUPEERISES11PAISETO73.17AGAINSTUSDOLLAR

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,JANUARY19

AFTERTWOdaysof sell-off,mar-ketsreboundedTuesday,withtheSensexjumping834points,or1.72per cent, amid expectations of abiggerUSstimulusandstrongcuesfromother globalmarkets. TheSensex soared to 49,398.29 andtheNSENifty Index gained 240points,or1.68percent,to14,521.15onsustainedbuyingsupport.Analysts said themarket ig-

norednewsoffreshCovidcasesinChinaandworriesovertheglobaleconomicrecovery.VinodNair,headofresearchat

Geojit Financial Services, said,“Bulls tookcontrolafter twodaysofmassiveselloff,trackingpositivecues fromAsianmarkets andonexpectationsof abiggerUSstim-ulus to keep the liquidity alive.Buyingwas seen across sectors

withrealtyandPSUbanksleadingtherally.”Thecurrentmarketwillgetfurtherboostbyforeigninflowif additionalUSstimuluskicks in.However, recent volatility in themarkethasincreasedduetocon-cerns over high valuations andbondyields, investors shouldbewatchful,hesaid.Analystssaidtheresultseason

hasstartedwellgivingencourag-

ingsign. “Thevaccinationdrive isprogressingwell. Also, theglobalcueshavebeenpositivewithex-pectationof a large fiscal push intheUS. The overall sentiment isquitebullish.Weexpect that themarketwillnowtakeitsnextma-jorcuefromtheBudget.Themul-tipleexpansiondrivenreturnswilleaseoutandreturnswillbelinkedmoretogrowthfromhereon,”saidananalyst.Ajit Mishra, VP-research,

ReligareBroking,saidthemarketsplunged sharply lower and lostnearlyoneandahalfpercentamidweak global cues. Initially, thebenchmarkopenedmarginallyinthe red tracking unsupportiveglobalmarketswhichfurtherde-teriorated as the session pro-gressed.However,recoveryinse-lectindexmajorsrecoupedlossesinthemiddlebutnotforlong.Meanwhile, the rupeegained

11paise to settle at 73.17against

theUSdollar onTuesdayon thebackof rally indomestic equitiesandweakAmericancurrency.Asian shares ascended on

Tuesday as investors bet China’seconomic strengthwould helpsupport growth in the region.EuropeanstocksinchedhigheronTuesday, sustainedbyhopes thataneconomic recovery followingthepandemicisnotfaroff.WallStreet’smainindicesrose

onTuesday. At 9:32 a.m. ET, theDowJonesIndustrialAveragerose227.19points, or0.74per cent, to31,041.45, the S&P 500 gained29.87points, or 0.79per cent, to3,798.12 and the NasdaqCompositegained133.96points,or1.03percent,to13,132.46.Brentcrudeoilfuturesrose73

cents, or1.3per cent, to $55.48abarrelby1454GMTafterslipping35cents in theprevious session.USWTIcruderose17cents,or0.3percent,to$52.53.


THESUPREMECourtonTuesdayupheldtheConstitutionalvalidityof the amendments to theInsolvencyandBankruptcyCode,2016,which,amongothers,man-datedthattotriggeraninsolvencyproceeding against a defaultingbuilder in respect of a real estateproject, the applicationmust befiledbyaminimumof 100allot-teesor10percentof theallottees,whicheverwaslesser.A Bench of Justices R F

Nariman, Navin Sinha andKMJosephupheld theConstitutionalvalidityofSections3,4and10in-troducedby the Insolvency andBankruptcyCode (Amendment)Act, 2020.Writing for theBench,JusticeJosephnoted:“Insistingonathresholdinregardtothesecat-egoriesof creditorswouldleadtothehalttoindiscriminatelitigationwhichwould result inanuncon-trollabledocketexplosionasfarasauthoritieswhichwork theCode

are concerned ... The legislativepolicyreflectsanattemptatshield-ingcorporatedebtorfromwhatitconsiderswouldbeeitherforfriv-olousoravoidableapplications”.Thecourtaddedthat“whatwe

meanbyavoidableapplicationsisa decisionwhichwould not betakenbysimilarlyplacedcreditorskeepinginmindtheconsequencesthatwouldensuenotonly in re-gardtopersonsfallinginthesamecategorybutalsothegeneralityofcreditors andother stakeholders.Allthattheamendmentislikelytoensureisthatthefilingoftheappli-cationisprecededbyaconsensusatleastbyaminusculepercentage

of similarlyplacedcreditors thatthe timehas come forundertak-ingalegalodysseywhichisbesetwith perils for the applicantsthemselvesapart fromothers.Asfarasthepercentageofapplicantscontemplatedundertheprovisoitisclearthatitcannotbedubbedasanarbitraryorcapriciousfigure”.TheBenchalso turneddown

argumentsagainstthechangesre-quiringthat theallottees,makingsuch an application, must bedrawnfromthesameproject.Thecourtalsosaid“itdoesnot

matterwhetherapersonhasoneormoreallotmentsinhisnameorin thenameof his familymem-bers. As long as there are inde-pendentallotmentsmadetohimorhisfamilymembers,allofthemwouldqualifyasseparateallotteesandtheywouldcountbothinthecalculationofthetotalallotments,as also in reckoning the figureofhundredallotteesorone-tenthoftheallottees,whicheverisless”.Inthecaseofajointallotment,

itcanonlybetreatedasasingleal-lotment,theBenchadded.

Adani Groupinks concessiondeals with AAIfor developingthree airports

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,JANUARY19

THE CHANDIGARH Bench ofNational CompanyLawTribunal(NCLT)hasagreedtohearapleaofoppressionandmismanagementagainst themanagementofNewDelhi-based builder OmaxeLimitedfounderRohtasGoel.Thepetitionhasbeenfiledbyaformerjointmanaging director of thecompany,SunilGoelandhiswifeSeemaGoyalallegingthatthecon-structioncompanywasbeingrun

in a manner prejudicial to theshareholdersofthecompany.In his petition, Sunil Goel al-

legedthatOmaxe’founderRohtasGoelhadabusedhispositionofin-fluence and control in the com-panyfrom2017andthatfinancial

mismanagementand fraudulenttransactions being done by thecompanyhad increased thedebtofthecompany.AsperthepetitionfiledbySunilGoel,Omaxehad in2017availedaloanofRs250crorefromIndiabullsHousingFinanceLimited. Though hewas then apartoftheexecutivecommitteeofthecompany,hedidnotreceivedanyintimationaboutthemeetingwhere the resolution toapprovethe borrowing was taken.Subsequently,SunilGoelinhispe-tition alleged he was illegallyoustedas the jointmanagingdi-

rectorat the28thannual generalmeetingof thecompany, andhiswife SeemaGoelwas appointedasthedirector.SunilGoelalsosaidthatOmaxelimitedhad“illegallyrestrained” him fromattendingthe AGM “by using force andthreats”.Whileacceptingthepleatoexamineallegationsofoppres-sion and mismanagement atOmaxe, the NCLT Chandigarhmadeitclearthattheobservationsmadeby it in the casewouldnothaveanybearingonthefinalout-comeofthecaseoranyothercasesrelatedtothecompany.


ADANI GROUP Tuesday signedconcessionagreementswith theAirportsAuthorityof Indiaforthemanagement,operationsandde-velopment of Guwahati, Jaipurand Thiruvananthapuram air-ports.“Theconcessionairesarere-quired to takeup theGuwahati,Jaipur andThiruvananthapuramairports fulfilling certain condi-tionsprecedentswithin180daysfrom 19th January, 2021,” theAirportsAuthority of India (AAI)saidinapressrelease.The Centre had in February

2019privatisedsixmajorairportsof the country — Lucknow,Ahmedabad, Jaipur,Mangaluru,Thiruvananthapuram andGuwahati.Throughacompetitivebiddingprocess, theAdanigroupwon the rights to runall of themfor50years.TheAAIhadhandedover the

airportsinLucknow,AhmedabadandMangaluru inOctober andNovemberlastyear.On September 5, 2019, the

AAIhadrecommendedthecen-tralgovernmenttoprivatiseair-ports at Amritsar, Varanasi,Bhubaneswar, Indore, RaipurandTrichy.WITHPTI


THEGOVERNMENTonTuesdaynominated28non-officialmem-bers on the National StartupAdvisoryCouncil,includingByju’sChief Executive Officer ByjuRaveendran,OlaCabsco-founderBhavishAggarwal,KalaariCapitalManagingDirectorVaniKolaandSoftBank India country headManojKohli.The Department for

PromotionofIndustryandInternalTrade(DPIIT)hadconstitutedthecouncilonJanuary21,2020,toad-visethegovernmentonmeasuresrequiredtobuilda“strongecosys-temfornurturinginnovationandstartupsinthecountry,”statedtheCommerceMinistryinarelease.The termof the non-official

membersof this council, chairedby CommerceMinister PiyushGoyal,shallbefortwoyearsorun-tilfurtherorders,whicheverisear-lier. Other members includeZestMoneyCEOLizzieChapman,Urban Company co-founderAbhiraj Singh Bhal, KrisGopalakrishnan of AxilorVentures,RenukaRamnath fromthe Indian Private Equity andVentureCapitalAssociation,UdayKotakoftheCIIandUdayShankarofFederationofIndianChambersofCommerceandIndustry(FICCI).

Govt nominates28 non-officialmembers onstartup council

Minimumof100or10%allottees to initiate insolvency

BRIEFLYGovttoexititsholdinginVSNLNewDelhi:Thegovernmentwill sell its entire 26.12percent stake in TataCommunications Ltd (TCL),erstwhileVSNL,throughof-ferforsaleandstrategicsalerouteinthecurrentfiscal.

Petrolcrosses`85inDelhiNewDelhi: Petrol price onTuesdayhit Rs 85.20 a litrein the Capital and dieseltouchedRs75.38after a25paiseper litrehike.

PuriforcorporatesinbankingMumbai:Ex-HDFCBankchi-ef executiveAdityaPurihasbackedtheproposaltoallowdeep-pocketed corporatesintobanking.“Giving(bank-ing licences) to individualsdidn’twork, public owner-shipdidn’tworkeither.Thereisnoharmtryingit.”PTI

GovtplansFDIrulechangesNewDelhi:Thegovernmentis considering revising itsforeigninvestmentrulesfore-commerce, sourcesandagovernment spokesmansaid.REUTERS


EXPRESSINGHIS concernon thenewprivacypolicyofWhatsApponsharingcommercialuserdatawith parent Facebook,CommunicationsandITMinisterRavi Shankar PrasadonTuesdaycategoricallysaidthatsanctityandprivilegeofpersonalcommunica-tionsneedstobemaintained.Responding to a questionby

IndianExpressGroup’sexecutivedirectorAnantGoenkaatthe15thIndiaDigitalSummitorganisedbyIAMAI,Prasadsaidalldigitalcom-paniesarefreetooperate in Indiabutwithout impingingupon therightsof Indians. “This is an issuethatmydepartmentisworkingon,andbeingthefinalauthority,itwillnotbeproperformetomakecom-ments, except to flag one thingveryclearly,beitWhatsApp,beitFacebook, be it any digital plat-form,youarefreetodobusinessinIndiabutdo it inamannerwith-out impingingupon the rightsofIndianswhooperatethere,”Prasadsaid.Headded, “I’veonly spokenonprinciples, given thatmyde-partment is working. I have toawaitthat”.The new privacy policy of

WhatsApphasraisedahugeuserbacklash,somuchsothatthecom-

panywhichwas to implement itfromFebruary8hasputitonholdtillMay15.Whiledoingeverythingtopro-

tectdataprivacy,Prasadsaid thathe wants India to becomeabigcentre of data economy.He saidthatthecountryhadthepotentialtobecomeadata refinerywheredata cleaning, data processing,data innovation canhappen. “Somanynewdatacentresarecom-ingintheprivatesector.Dataecon-omymustprosperinIndiabyde-velopingacompleteecosysteminthisregard,”theministersaid.He,however, saidasdata is linked to

digitalsovereigntyofthecountry,itmustbeprocuredthroughcon-sent andonvoluntary basis andmustbeusedfortheobjectiveforwhichithasbeencollectedandthedata fiduciarywhoprocures thedatamust ensure proper safetyandsanctityofthedata.“Idoacknowledgetheimplicit

needofthedatamovementacrosstheglobetokeepthedigitalcom-merce intactbut thegroundruleisthatmovementmustbeclearlylaidout.Theremustbereciprocityofdatasharingandweshallnevercompromiseondatasovereignty,”Prasad said.Healso said that theDataProtectionBillisunderexam-inationbytheselectcommitteeofParliament and once the reportcomes, itwill be fast-tracked forParliament’sapproval.On 5G, the minister asked

Indianplayers tocreateanIndian5Gmodel. “As far as 5G is con-cerned, it is still evolving. Wemissed 2Gand3Gbutwedon’twanttomiss5G.Therefore,wede-velopedanIndiantestbed,andIITsareinvolved,sothatallinnovativeaspects of 5Gcanbeconsidered.5Gmustbedevelopedinordertoenable inclusive character of itsprocesses forhealthcare, educa-tion, farming. India’s appetite for5Gwillbeoverpoweringasagoodcommercialenterprise,”hesaid.Onproduction-linkedincen-

tive scheme for domestic hand-setmanufacturing,Prasadsaiditwas launchedduring theheightofCovidinApril2020anddespitethat all the top companies haveapplied with commitment tomakemobilephonesworthRs10lakh crore in the coming fiveyears,ofwhichRs7 lakhcrore isforexports.“India istodaythehubofmo-

bile manufacturing and thisprocessisirreversible...Indiamustbecomethebiggestmanufactur-ingcentreof laptops,ofmachine-2-machineequipment, of tabletsetc.Iwanttodevelopthatecosys-temfrommobilephones,tosmartphonestolaptopstotabletstoIoTdevices.Indiamustbecomeahugecentreoftheseequipmentmanu-facturing,”hesaid.On participation of Chinese

companiesinofferingtheirprod-ucts in India,Prasadsaid itwouldnotbeprudentordesirableforhimto take thenameof any countryexcepttohighlightthegeneralpol-icy initiativewhichthecountry isfollowing. “... in any exposure ofcompanies, national security an-glewillalsobetaken,beitprivateorgovernment.As faras therele-vant financial routes are con-cerned, somechangeshave alsotakenplacewith regard to coun-tries having physical adjacencywithIndia,”hesaid.FE

WHATSAPPPRIVACYPOLICY

THEGLOBALcueshavebeenpositivewithexpec-tationsof a large fiscalpushintheUS.Thehemarket is likely totakeitsnextmajorcuefromtheBudget.

EyeonBudgetE●EX

PLAINED

Sensexbreaks2-day losingstreak,soars834ptsonUSstimulushopes

TheSupremeCourt. File

15TH INDIADIGITAL SUMMIT

‘As far as5G isconcerned, it is stillevolving.Wemissed2Gand3Gbutwedon’twanttomiss5G’

RAVISHANKARPRASADCOMMUNICATIONSAND ITMINISTER

Sanctity of personal communicationneeds to be maintained, says Prasad

SC upholds threshold forhomebuyers to move NCLT

COVID-19 IMPACT

‘Economy, geopolitical stabilityunder stress; disparities rising’The Covid pandemic has increased disparities and socialfragmentation, while threatening the economy in the next3-5 years, said aWorld Economic Forum study

EXTREMEWEATHERtops the chart for risks interms of likelihood

GLOBALCOOPERATIONmaybe impede by thesedevelopments

MINORITIESATRISK:Billions of caregivers,workersand students—especiallyminoritieswhoweredisadvantaged before thepandemic—are nowat risk ofmissing pathways to the newand fairer societies that therecovery could unlock

“INCREASINGTENSIONSbetweenChinaand India”couldweakenregionalandglobaltradeandgrowthwithChinaexpanding its regionaleconomicintereststhroughtherecentlysignedRegionalComprehensiveEconomicPartnership

OUTLOOK:The report said theworldneedstowakeupto long-termrisks,afterwitnessing theeffectsofignoring long-termriskssuchaspandemics

INFECTIOUSDISEASESare the biggest risk in terms ofimpact for the next decade

Gapbetween the ‘haves’ andthe ‘have nots’ riskswideningin technology access anddigital skills, thus challengingsocial cohesion Source:WEF/PTI

Thepetitionhasbeenfiledbyaformer jointMDof thecompany,SunilGoelandhiswifeSeemaGoyal

NCLT Chandigarh agrees to hear pleaalleging mismanagement at Omaxe

Yellen: Focuson providingrelief, notraising taxesWashington:USPresident-electJoeBidenandhiseconomicteamarefocusednowonprovidingquickrelief forAmericanfamilieshitbythepandemic, not raising taxes,Biden’s nominee to head theTreasury,JanetYellen,said.The former Fed chair said a

‘mark tomarket’ approachwasoneway to ensure that capitalgainstaxeswerepaid,butsaidshewouldconsiderotherapproaches.YellensaidBidenwasnotpropos-ingtoraisingcorporatetaxestothepre-2017level.Sheurgedlawmak-ersto“actbig”onthenextcoron-avirusreliefpackage.REUTERS

‘Open RANwill presentopportunities’

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,JANUARY19

THERESERVEBankof India (RBI)has retainedStateBankof India,ICICIBankandHDFCBankasdo-mestic systemically importantbanks (D-SIBs) or banks that areconsideredas“toobigtofail”.TheD-SIBframeworkrequires

theReserveBank todisclose thenamesof banksdesignatedasD-SIBsstartingfrom2015andplacethesebanksinappropriatebucketsdependingupon their systemicimportance scores (SISs). “Basedon thebucket inwhichaD-SIB isplaced,anadditionalcommoneq-uityrequirementhastobeappliedtoit,”theRBIsaid.According toanalysts, toobig

tofail isaphraseusedtodescribeabankor company that’s so en-twinedintheeconomythatitsfail-urewouldbecatastrophic.In casea foreignbankhaving

branchpresenceinIndiaisaglobalsystemically importantbank (G-SIB), ithas tomaintainadditionalCET1capitalsurchargeinIndiaasapplicabletoitasaG-SIB,propor-tionate to its riskweightedassets(RWAs)inIndia—additionalCET1bufferprescribedbythehomereg-ulatormultipliedbyIndiaRWAasper consolidated global groupbooks divided by total consoli-datedglobalgroupRWA,itsaid.

Based on themethodologyprovidedintheD-SIBframeworkanddata collected frombanksasofMarch31, 2015andMarch31,2016, the Reserve Bankhad an-nouncedStateBankof India andICICIBankasD-SIBsonAugust31,2015andAugust25,2016,respec-tively,theRBIsaid.“Based on data collected

frombanksasonMarch31,2017andMarch31,2018, theReserveBankhadannouncedStateBankof India, ICICI Bank and HDFCBank as D-SIBs on September04,2017andMarch14,2019re-spectively. Current update isbasedonthedatacollectedfrombanksasonMarch31,2020,”thecentral bank said. The ReserveBankhadissuedtheframeworkfor dealing with domestic sys-temically important banks onJuly22, 2014.

KIRANRATHEENEWDELHI,JANUARY19

TELECOM REGULATORYAuthorityofIndia(Trai)ChairmanPDVaghelaonTuesday said thatuseofOpenRAN(radioaccessnet-work)andsoftwaredefined tele-comnetworkswillopennewop-portunities for Indian entities toenterintothenetworkequipmentmarket.Hesaidthegovernment’smove toencourage local compa-nies to rollout the4GnetworkofBSNLwill providean immediateopportunity to the Indianmanu-facturersintheequipmentspace.“Wecanleveragethecapabili-

tiesof the ITsector tobuild,oper-ateandmaintain softwareprod-uctswhichcanserveIndiaaswellasglobaltelecomindustryatarea-sonable price.We all know themaximumvalueadditionisinthetechnologydevelopment,”Vaghelasaid at the 15th India DigitalSummit,organisedbytheInternetandMobileAssociationofIndia(IA-MAI).Vaghelasaidtimingisappro-priate for ‘AtmanirbharBharat’ astheexistingsupplychainsareget-tingdisruptedandnewopportu-nities are emerging. “In teleco-mmunications, developmentsrelatedtoOpenRANandsoftwaredefinednetworksareopeningnewopportunitiesforIndianentitiestoenterintothenetworkequipmentmarket,”hesaid.FE

■ TheD-SIB frame-work requires theRBItodisclosenamesofbanksdesignatedasD-SIBs, starting from2015andplace thesebanks in appropriatebuckets dependingupon their systemicimportance scores.

D-SIB FRAMEWORK

‘Too big to fail’ list:SBI, ICICI Bank,HDFC Bank remain

New Delhi

No. _359_ / Date: 13.01.2021

The Engineer-in-Chief, RWSS,(Water Supply) Odisha, Bhubaneswar, on behalf of the Governor of Odisha is engaged in the execution, operation & maintenance of watersupply projects to the villages of different districts in the State of Odisha & as part of this endeavour, Government of Odisha has decided to undertake the work as mentionedbelow (the "Project") under EPC contract (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) basis, & has decided to carry out the bid process for selection of the eligibleContractors to whom the projects under the package may be awarded eventually for construction as well as operation and maintenance for a period of 5 years.

O-916

PackageNo.

Name of work BidIdentifiction

No

Indicativeproject cost(Rs. in crore)

Period forcompletion &O&M period

Availability of Bid documentfor online Bidding

From To

Pkg-I Execution of Mega PWS to all villages of Athagarh block & Tigiria Blockand 07 GPs of Banki Block of Cuttack district including 5 years O&M onEPC contract under the package

EIC, RWSS-18/20- 21

323.96 24 (Twenty fourmonths) & 60(Sixty Months)

17.00 hrs of20.01.2021

17.00 hrs of25.02.2021

Pkg-II Mega PWS to 72 villages under 11GPs of Nischintakoili block of Cuttackdistrict including 5 year O&M on EPC contract

EIC, RWSS-18/20-21

60.20 24 (Twenty fourmonths) & 60(Sixty Months)

17.00 hrs of20.01.2021

17.00 hrs of25.02.2021

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Name & address of officer inviting Bid: Engineer-in-Chief, RWSSJal “O” Parimal Bhawan,Unit-V, BhubaneswarPh: 0674-2395734/ 0674-2531533e-mail: [email protected]

Further details can be seen from the e-procurement portal http://tendersodisha.gov.in

Sd/Engineer-in-Chief, RWSSOIPR-25040/11/0008/2021

Te n d e r N o t i c e N o . R SCB /Purchase/5/2020-21Date:20-01-21e- tenders are invited from eligiblebidders for Supply & Installationof Oracle Data base SoftwareSecurity products and TechnicalSupport and maintenance ofOrac le Exadata Machine &Database Products and OEMResource . Documents ands c h e d u l e i s a v a i l a b l e a thttps://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in,h t t p s : / / r s c b . o r g . i n ,https://sppp.raj.nic.in

Managing Director

THE RAJASTHAN STATE COOPERATIVE BANK LTD.Jaipur

BLIC SU CP HY OM OR LA

TRUTH IS GODSHANKAR VIHAR

GOVERNMENT OF TAMILNADU

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTPRE QUALIFICATION & PRICE TENDER (TWO COVER SYSTEM)

SHORT TERM TENDER NOTICE NO.25/ 2020-2021/ BCM/ MW/ TRY/ Dated:18.01.2021FORM OF CONTRACT: LUMPSUM / ITEM WISE RATE TENDER

For and on behalf of the Governor of Tamilnadu, sealed Tenders are invited by the SuperintendingEngineer, PWD, Buildings (C & M) Circle, Medical works PWD Campus, Cantonment, Trichy from the PWDRegistered contractors in the field, for the following works will be received on 05.02.2021 upto 3.00 PM andwill be opened on the same day at 3.30 PM in the presence of those tenderers or their representatives whochoose to be present.

Sl.No Name of work with Approximate value of work EMD

1

Sub work : Construction of Manifold room, Laundry, Bio Medical waste room, Payand use toilet, Internal, External water supply and sanitary arrangements, wardarrangements, Medical Gas line, Internal roads, Front Elevation, Fire Fightingarrangements and other amenities etc., to New Government Medical CollegeHospital Buildings at Namakkal in Namakkal District. - Approx. Value of work–Rs.2860.63Lakhs

Rs.14,40,400/-

2

Sub work : Providing Internal & External Water supply, Sanitary arrangements,Internal arrangements Gas line to Lab, Firefighting, Entrance Doors and otheramenities etc., to New Government Medical College Institution Building atTiruppur in TiruppurDistrict- Approx. Valueofwork –Rs.1522.35Lakhs

Rs.7,71,200/-

3

Sub work : Providing External sanitary & water supply arrangements, STP, Sumpwith pump room, Fire Fighting, Furniture arrangements, Front Elevation, Entrancedoor, Internal Road and Drainage arrangements, Filling low lying area with RCCretaining wall and other amenities etc., to Residential Buildings for NewGovernment Medical College and Hospital buildings at Nagapattinam inNagapattinamDistrict -Approx. Valueofwork –Rs.1936.27Lakhs

Rs.9,78,200/-

Note: 1. The evidences on the minimum qualification criteria mentioned in the Pre Qualification Applicationshould be furnished in Cover-I without any omissions at the time of submission of prequalificationtender itself. Any Omissions in this regard will be summarily rejected.

2.The tender notice & other details can be seen & downloaded from the websitewww.tntenders.gov.in (or)www.tenders.tn.gov.in

Superintending Engineer, P.W.D.,Buildings (C & M) Circle, Medical Works, Trichy.DIPR / 364 / TENDER / 2021

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Haryana state Seed Certification AgencyBays No. 11-12 Sector-14, Beej Parmanikaran Bhawan, PanchkulaApplications are invited for the following posts under Out Sourcing Policy Part-II of Haryana

Govt. dated 06.04.2015 from the eligible candidates fulfilling eligible criteria along with originalcertificate and testimonials in the office of the undersigned as per schedule given below:-

The application must be received by due date at following email address on or before 04.02.2021by 5.00 P.M. Sharp: [email protected], [email protected]

Terms and Conditions:

1. The application form for applying the post of Seed Certification Officer and TechnicalAssistant can be downloaded from this office website www.hssca.org.in. After filling the formwith photograph, send scanned application form to our email id [email protected],[email protected] on or before 04.02.2021 by 5.00 P.M. Sharp.

2. Please visit our website www.hssca.org.in for the list of selected candidates and other details.

Sd/-Accounts Officer

Haryana State Seed Certification Agency,Panchkula1461/7/HRY

Sr.No.

1

2.

Name ofthe post

SeedCertification

Officer

TechnicalAssistant

Total Nos.post

12Gen-6, S.C.-3,B.C. (A)-2, B.C.

(B)-1

Gen-1BC (A)-1

Place of posting

Zonal Office atKarnal, Hisar, Sirsaand Rohtak (officeand field work duty)

Rohtak andPanchkula

Qualification as prescribed in the HaryanaState Seed Certification Agency Service

Rules, 1979

M.Sc. (Agri.) in Plant Breeding/Agronomy/Horticulture (Veg)/ Seed Technology. Preferencewill be given to experienced persons.

B.Sc. (Agri.) (Hons) with specialized in PlantBreeding/ Agronomy/ Horticulture/ Vegetables/Seed Technology. Preference will be given toperson having experience in Seed Testing from arecognized Seed Testing Laboratory.

Sr.No.

1.

Name ofDepartment

Horticulture,Gurugram

Old Reference/NIT No.

Memo No. 789Dated: 29.12.2020

Website ofDepartment

https://etenders.hry.nic.in

Nodal Officer/Contact details/

E-mail

99967-88076ddhgurugram@

gmail.com

Nature of Corrigendum

REGARDING EXTENSION OF DATE FOR E-TEN-DER FROM 15.01.2021 TO 27.01.2021 UPTO 4.00P.M. AND OPENING FOR TENDER ON 28.01.2021

AT 12.00 NOON

1481/7/HRY

Notice inviting e-Bid (NIB)Bid I.D. No. 202I_DSCSC198921_1

e-bid under two bids system are invited online for theempanelment of agencies for transportation, processing,packaging and delivery of packaged rice for distribution under‘Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojna’ of GNCTD for a period ofThree (3) years. The NIT has been uploaded and availablealongwith the RFP document. It can be seen/downloaded free ofcost at/from the website https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in.Date and time for Pre Bid meeting 22.01.2021 at 15.00 HoursLast date and time of submission of bid 05.02.2021 upto 15.00 HoursDate and time of opening of technical bid 05.02.2021 at 15.30 HoursDate and time of opening of financial bid To be communicated to the

technically qualified biddersat later stage

All the bidders are requested to have digital certificate and then toget themselves registered with the application service provider ofNIC. The application service provider of NIC can be contacted forregistration, training (if required) on any working day between 9.30AM to 6.00 PM at:HELP DESKe-Tendering System6th Floor, C-Wing, Vikas Bhawan-II(Near Metcalfe House), Civil LinesDELHI - 110054(Monday-Friday 9.30 AM to 6.00 P.M.)Phone No. 011-23813523The Chairman-Cum-Managing Director of the Corporation mayreject or accept any/ all bids with or without assigning any reason.

Sdi-DIP-SHABDARTH/0562/20-21 (GENERAL MANAGER)

DELHI STATE CIVIL SUPPLIESCORPORATION LTD.

7-9, ARAM BAGH, PAHARGANJ, NEW DELHI-55

DELHI STATE CIVIL SUPPLIESCORPORATION LTD.

7-9, ARAM BAGH, PAHARGANJ, NEW DELHI-55

Notice inviting e-Bid (NIB)Bid I.D. No. 2021_DSCSC_198916_1

e-bid under two bids system are invited online for the empanelment ofqualified Flour/Chakki Atta Miller located in Delhi to dedicatedly work forDSCSC towards Transportation and Processing of NFSA Wheat intoWheat Flour (Atta) for distribution under Mukhya Mantri Ghar GharRation Yojna of GNCTD for a period of Three (3) years. The NIT hasbeen uploaded and available alongwith the RFP document. It can beseen/downloaded free of cost at/from the websitehttps://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in.

All the bidders are requested to have digital certificate and then to getthemselves registered with the application service provider of NIC. Theapplication service provider of NIC can be contacted for registration,training (if required) on any working day between 9.30 AM to 6.00 PMat:

HELP DESKe-Tendering System6th Floor, C-Wing, Vikas Bhawan-II(Near Metcalfe House), Civil Lines, DELHI-110054(Monday-Friday 9.30 AM to 6.00 P.M.)Phone No. 011-23813523

The Chairman-Cum-Managing Director of the Corporation may reject oraccept any/all bids with or without assigning any reason.

Sd/-DIP/SHABDARTH/0561/20-21 (GENERAL MANAGER)

Date and time for Prebid meeting 22.01.2021 at 15.00 HoursLast date and time of submission of bid 05.02.2021 upto 15.00

HoursDate and time of opening of technical bid 05.02.2021 at 15.30 HoursDate and time of opening of financial bid To be communicated to the

technically qualified biddersat later stage

18 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY20,2021

New Delhi


SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

MESSIPENALISEDFORHITTINGOPPONENTThe Spanish football federation suspended Lionel Messi for two matches onTuesday after he hit an opponent in an incident away from the ball in theSpanish Super Cup final. The Barcelona forward was facing a suspension of upto 12 matches for swinging his arm at an Athletic Bilbao player at the end of theteam's 3-2 loss on Sunday. AP

CROSSWORD4332

ACROSS1 Rowdysonsquiet?Suspectssomething(9)

8 It’s lightandportable(5)

9 Shortcut fromthebeach?(7)

10 Reformedgambler(6)

11 Bronteplayset inBrittany(6)

12 Suit foragirl’sbest friend(8)

15 Thenightair? (8)18 Setonaparticularcoursebututterlydefeated(6)

20 Generalmethodthatallowsmargin forerror(6)

21 Medal that ispresented forfruitdrink (7)

22 Perceive themeaning(5)

23 Howamillhandwill tell astory? (4,1,4)

DOWN2 He introducesus to thegirl(5)

3 Atensearrangement for thegoverningbody(6)

4 Native I speak illof (8)5 Massofpeoplemovingaboutin theroad in themorning(6)

6 Eloquentlyappealing forazeroassessment (7)

7 Newricheshe’d treasured(9)

11 Suffering fromfewerrestrictionsas farasonecansee?(9)

13 Onewayof sayingonedoesn’tlike it? (8)

14 Concealsorpubliclyexhibits(7)

16 InAmericawisepractices(6)

17 Tryandusenewbusinessguarantee (6)

19 Treeentitledtorespect(5)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)ItwillbearareArienwhoisnotdeeplyinfluencedbysentimental feelings

for thepast. Increasingly it isyourhomeandfamilybackgroundwhichtugatyourheartstrings.Give themaximumattentionto financialmatters, anddon'tacceptamazingpromisesat facevalue.

TAURUS(Apr.21-May21)Youmaynowhearfromlovedoneswhoareoverseasor faraway.

Communicationswill alsoarrivebefore long frompeoplefromyourpast. Strangeencounterswill revivepleasantcontactsandfondmemories.It's alldowntothatemotionalplanet,Venus,whichbringsagradualawakeningtoromanticpossibilities.

GEMINI (May22- June21)Consideryoursituationcarefully. Inbusinessmatters, asinotherareas, itmay

beyouwhoisowedanapology.So,whydon'tyou lookat thepast -andtry to figureout thebest solution?You'dalsobewise toavoidundertakinganydubiouscommitments forthe future.

CANCER(June22- July23)Planetaryactivityover thenext fewdayswill confirmwhatall sensitive

peopleknewanyway, that theCancerianvision isutterlyremarkable inall respects. Ifyouhavecreativegoalsonthego,put theemphasisonpracticalachievements, and letyour imagination fly.

LEO(July24-Aug.23)Whateveryoudo,whateveryousay,youwon'tbeable tohidethe fact that

you'researching forsomethingmoremeaningful inyourday-to-dayexistence.Youknowthatsomeone, somewhere, issendingyoufondthoughts. It'snice to thinkthat they'reonyoursideeven if they'rea longwayaway.

VIRGO(Aug.24-Sept.23)There is plentyofspace for yourVirgoanqualities ofefficiencyand

order. But if you start trying todominate the situationand insist that everything is inits properplace and thatothers liveup to theirpromises, youmaybe facinganuphill struggle.

LIBRA(Sept.24-Oct.23)Evenmorethan inthepast, it'svital torememberthatLibrais thesignofbalance.

Youoccupyapivotal role,standingat the fulcrumofeverythingthat'shappening.It'sallquitearesponsibilitybut,bynextweek,you'llbereadytotakeonanynumberofnewcommitments.

SCORPIO(Oct.24-Nov.22)You share superbtravel starswith aclose partner. Shortjourneys aremore

likely to be for business,longer trips for pleasure.Careful organisation, though,is absolutely vital. Andoneother thing - partnershave the best ideas, solisten carefully.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov.23-Dec.22)Yourbirth-sign isruledbytheoptimisticplanet,Jupiter,which

largelyaccounts forsomeofyourbetterqualities -yourwisdom, forexample.Yourability toseeahead iscentral toyourcurrentambitions,butthere'sasocial factoratwork,andthatmeansyou'rebestoffaspartof a team.

CAPRICORN(Dec.23- Jan.20)Deepdownyoushould realise thatyouhavemore togain than to lose

fromcurrent personaldisputes. Youmay even cometounderstand that criticismanddifferences of opinion areall for the best. AndwithMercury still so positivelyplaced, your intuitionswill be right, at least,most ofthe time.

AQUARIUS(Jan.21-Feb.19)Certaincolleaguesandassociatesnaturallyhopethatyouwill runoutof

steam,perhapsbecauseyou'vewornthemoutover the last sixmonths. If so, I'mafraid theirhope isavainone.Your ideas,especiallyatwork,are likely tobeevenmore lively thanusual.

PISCES(Feb.20-Mar20)Manypeoplearoundyou,bothathomeandatwork, seemtobecaught ina

fogofuncertaintyorconfusion.Youarewellusedtosuchconditionsandare thereforeideallysituatedtoextract themaximumadvantage. It looks tomeas ifyouwillbeyourusual,sensitiveself.

SUDOKU4358

DifficultyLevel5sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4357

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.Our____isthe__.Andthe___isour____.-Bodhidharma(6,.4,..,4,.,6)(twowordstwice)

SOLUTION:REALM,TYING,FLAUNT,MILDLYAnswer:Ournatureisthemind.Andthemindisournature.-Bodhidharma

LAMER AFLTNU

GYINT ILLYDM

SolutionsCrossword4331:Across:1Copious,4Endup,7Ward,8Dumbbell,10Deductions,12Dismal,13Afloat,15Pickpocket,18Seconded,19Lope,20Yodel,21Steamed.Down:1Cowed,2Paradise,3Studio,4Ebbandflow,5Deep,6Polecat,9Occasional,11Bookworm,12Debussy,14Skiers,16Tread,17Acid.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

Baggy-Green fadeSANDIPGNEWDELHI,JANUARY19

STRIKING A STOIC face, Tim Paine quotedfootielegendAlastairClarkson’sfamouslineinthepressconference,“It’sneverasbadasyouthink,andit'sneverasgoodasyouthink.”Youcould empathisewith Paine and his belea-guered troops, because they tried as hard aspossible,expendingthelastdropofsweatandenergyunderthemuggycloudsofGabba.Buttheylostnotbecausetheydidnotfight

or try, but chose thewrong paths. The roadnottakenwillspookPaine,orratherthefutil-ity of thewrong turns that he and his teamtook.Thepathshechosewerenotasbad,butitwasnotgoodeither, totweaktheClarksonquote.Therewereseveralinstanceswhenheletthegamedrift,whenhewaitedforfatetointervene and things to happen, despite theascendancy his teamwielded for themostpart of the game. Hewas not like the stern-faced Australian leaders of the yore, whowoulddisdainfully stubout the embers of aresistance.Worse, he didn’t learn from thefailingsof Sydney.For instance, when wickets were not

forthcoming in themiddle of the partner-shipbetweenShubmanGillandCheteshwarPujara,henotonlyresortedtodefensivefieldplacementsbutturnedtoshort-pitchbowl-ing.Of course, it’s harsh topinall theblameonPaine, notwhenhehasagroupof estab-lished bowlers at his disposal, but a lack ofleadership and planningwas blatantly evi-dent.Notpossessing ingenuity is one thing,not all captains could be as remarkable asMark Taylor, but resorting to counter-intu-itiveploys isanother.He entrusted the bouncing-out duties to

MitchellStarc.Itwashisfirstmistake.Theleft-armerhasadeceptivebouncernodoubt,buthe is not a NeilWagner-like enforcer whocould keep bowling short relentlessly. He’smore comfortable, and dangerouswhenhehitsthefulllength.Again,therewasnoshort-age of effort. Starcwould bendhis back andblast the balls short. He just kept doing thatandthebatsmenjustkeptswayingandduck-ing.Afterapoint,hestartedbowlingsoshortthatGill justhungbackandpickedhis spots.Theploynotonlymisfiredbutgave Indiatheimpetustomountthechase.HegaveGill thewidthandspacetounleashhispulls.Bizarrely, Starc barely mixed up his

lengths,whichhedoessoseamlesslyinwhite-ball cricket, or even changed his angle byswitching fromaround to over the stumps.

MoresoasStarccouldnotmaketheballholdthelineafterpitching.Itjustwentonwiththeangle.Maybe,Painewascarriedawaybythevariablebounceonofferbutitonlyservedthepurpose of landing bruises onPujara’s body.Having ruffled himwith blows on the body,thefollow-up,fullballatthestumpsneverar-rived.Andwhen it arrived itwas sobereft ofenergy.Theonlypurpose it servedwasshat-teringStarc’senergyandmorale.Thereon, he fumbled fromone strategic

fauxpastoanother.Atragedyoferrors,ifevertherewasone.Withoutmuchprovocation,hewouldslipintoaninfectiousdefensivemind-set.Defensivefieldswouldonlybegetdefen-sivebowling.Sowithhalfadozenboundary-prowlers, Nathan Lyon expectedly soughtdefensive lines against RishabhPant. He be-ganwith twoslipsandagully,buthedidnotpersistwith a silly point or short leg for too

longonatrackthatwasthrowingtantrums.Therewasnoonearoundhimtomakehim

feel that hewas batting on aminefield. Justchatter from stumpswould not suffice. Notanyway against someone as feisty as Pant.Evenwhen thepacerswereoperating, therewerenotenoughcatchers.Hadtherebeenathirdslip,Pant’sedgeoff

PatCumminswouldhavenestledinhishands.Apackedslip-cordonisessentialforsomeonelikePant,whoispronetodrivinganddefend-ingwithanopenbatface.ItwasasifPainewasshakenbyPant’spresence.Even later in the innings, when the re-

quired ratehadbeenreduced to less than10runs, he set an in-and-out field. Therewas atimewhentheAustraliancaptainsofthepastwould have stationed every man on thegroundrightunderPant’snoseor inhis eye-line.Sotherewasnofielderatbackwardpointtotakeamiscuedhoickthat loopedintheairforaneternity,justtwodeliveriesbeforePanthit thewinningruns.With the brittle lower-order, Australia

couldhavestillengineeredafamouswin.Howmany times in the past have you seen thembouncebackfromthebrink.ButPaine’sAustraliaseemstolacknotonly

ambitionbutalsoself-belief.Heconcededde-featalltooeasily.TherewasnorunningawayfromtherealitythathistacticsonFriday“wereasbadaseveryonethought”.

Paine’spoorcallsonDayFiveonlymademattersworse forAustralia

AskingMitchellStarc toresort tobouncerafterbouncerwasoneof themistakesthatAustraliaskipperTimPainecommitted. AP

SHOCKSANDSURPRISES“Oneof thegreatest testserieswins ever. CongratsIndia andwell playedAustralia,what a series.”

SUNDARPICHAI,CEO, GOOGLEANDALPHABET

“Wow ..Thathas togodownasoneof thegreatest if not thegreatestTest victoryofalltime !!Eggonmyfaceoverhere in theUK .. but I love toseecharacter&skill .. Indiahave it inabundance .. btwGill&Pantare futuresuperstars !”

MICHAELVAUGHAN,FORMERENGLANDCAPTAIN

“I'mquite shocked thatAustraliaweren't quite goodenough towin this series. Thecold hard facts of it are prettymuch thatwas the IndiaAteamthat played thisTestmatchand (India) stillwon.”

RICKYPONTINGFORMERAUSTRALIACAPTAIN

“Incredible Test& serieswinfor India have not seen a bold,brave&boisterousAsianteamon a tougher tour ofAustralia. No adversity couldstop them, frontline playersinjured, &won after aremarkable turnaround fromthe depths of 36 all out,inspiring for others.kudosIndia.”

WASIMAKRAMFORMERPAKISTANPACER

“Just a remarkable win...Togo to Australia and win a testseries in this way ..will beremembered in the history ofindian cricket forever ..Bcciannounces a 5 cr bonus forthe team .. The value of thiswin is beyond any number..well done to every memberof the touring party..”

SOURAVGANGULYBCCI PRESIDENT

Paine’sAustraliaseemsto lacknotonlyambitionbutalsoself-belief.Heconcededdefeatalltooeasily.Therewasnorunningawayfromtherealitythathis tacticsonFriday“wereasbadaseveryonethought”.

GILL CUTS LOOSE: Rohit Sharma departsfor7,butGillandadefiantCheteshwarPujara

takeIndiatolunchat83/1.Barely30minutesinto the post-lunch session, Mitchell Starcwould begin unleashing a barrage of short-pitched deliveries to Gill. The youngsterwouldrespondwithadelectableupper-cut,abraceof pulls shotsandanotheruppercut,beforedispatchinghimforasixwithanotherdisdainfulpull.Starcleaks20runsinanover.

PANT GETS A REPRIEVE: The wicket-keeper batsmanwalks in at No.5 ahead ofMayankAgarwalatthefallofcaptainAjinkyaRahane’s wicket. It ignites hopes amongstfans. Can he conjure another whirlwindknocklikethe97hescoredinSydneyonDay5?Pantmovesto16off 40deliveries,beforehegetsbeatenbyLyon.ButTimPainemisses

astumping. India still 135runsadrift.

PANT-PUJARA ALLIANCE BLOSSOMS:Pantskipsdownthetracktodepositoff-spin-nerNathanLyonoverthelong-onfenceforasix. In the subsequent over, he unleashes aferocious cut against Starc. Pujarabringsuphis fifty with a boundary against MarnusLabuschagne.Indiaontheascendancyinthefinal session.

WASHINGTON PLAYS HIS PART:WithIndia needing 49 runs from 42 balls,Washington Sundar (22 off 29) swivels andunfurls a wondrous hook shot againstCumminsthatsailsoverthesquare-legfencefora six. Pant, at theotherend, collects con-secutiveboundariesagainstLyon—ascoop,followed by a powerful sweep shot againstLyon. India racepast300.

THEWINNINGBLOW:Pantisunbeatenon80andislookingimperious.With10runsre-quired, the wicket-keeper batsman pullsHazlewoodpastfine-legforaboundary.Thewinningmoment arrives in the final ball ofthe97thover,whenPantdrivesHazlewoodtothelong-offboundary.Hestaysunbeatenon 89. India win the series 2-1. FortressGabba isbreached.

VISHALMENON

Going for the kill atthe GabbatoirWith fickleweatherpredicted forBrisbaneandacracked-upDay5pitchonoffer, con-ventionalwisdomsuggested thateitheradraworadefeatwere theonly twopossiblescenarios forTeamIndia.324runs from98overs in the finalday’splayat theGabbalooked likeamountain toclimb. Instead, theyseized themomentumatcrucial junc-tures topulloffan improbablewinonanemotionally-charged, roller-coasterday.

Herearethesnapshots:

WashingtonSundar’s29-ball 22provedcrucial in therunchase. AP

New Delhi

SANDIPGJANUARY18

INTHEend,aftertheend,atempestofemo-tionsswirledacrossGabba,glitteringinglo-rioussunshine.ItwasonlyafterRishabhPantranforthequickestrunsinhislife,uncertaintheballwould trickleonto the ropeat long-off, to script an unforgettable moment inIndian cricket, that all of the emotion, con-strained from themoment they arrived inAustralia, came rushing out inwaves. Pantleapt to his feet andpunched the air, beforeShardulThakurwrappedhiminaheavyem-brace. Indiahadclinched thegameby threewickets,chasingdown328,andtheseries2-1.In no time, the Indian players tore away

from the dressing room towards Pant, whohad his hands on his head, trying to take inwhat he has just achieved, still living in awonderland, still getting to grips with theglory of themoment. The rest pulsedwithadrenaline, dancing and running like chil-dren—armsstretchedwide,faceslitupwithglee—runningwithnowhere inmind.In themidst of this delirium stood the

knackered Australians, dejected and de-tached,wonderinghowtheserieshadslith-ered out of their grasp. That morning inAdelaide belonged to an indistinct bygoneage.Littlewouldtheyhavethoughtthenthata series that began so emphatically wouldendsodevastatinglyforthem.Itwouldbeoflittle consolation that they were part of atruly thrilling series. ‘The thrills that keptcoming’ could be a suitable title for the se-ries. ItwasTest cricketas itwasmeant tobe—afive-actdrama,withtheebbandflowofhumanfortunes, thetwistsandturns inhu-man life, evoking a range of emotions andfeelings, leading, in the end, to catharsis,while threatening to causemultiple heartfailures among those lucky enough towit-ness this contest.

Speculation about approachThe day began with suspense and in-

trigue.Whetheritcouldrain.WhetherIndiawould venture for an ambitious chase.Whethertheywouldknuckledownandbattime, liketheyaccomplishedinSydney.Willthe pitch deteriorate further? Do theAustralianbowlershavetheingenuitytodowhattheycouldnotinSydney?Itwasaboil-ingcauldronof speculationandhypothesis.All of these questions surfaced sponta-neously in differentmoments of the game.ThereweretimesinthematchIndiaseemedhell-bent on chasing down the lofty target,nearly100 runsmore than thehighest suc-cessful fourth-innings chase at the Gabba,achieved as far back as 1951. It was akin towinning a marathon but at the pace of asprint. Like towards the end of ShubmanGill’s melodious 91, that juncture in thegamewhenhedisdainedMitchellStarc’s ill-advised short-pitch plan. First, he unfurledthe upper cut, before he pulled him for acoupleof fours, thenanotheruppercut,andthenapulled six.Theonslaughtcamealmosthalf anhour

into the second session, telegraphing theirgame plan to push for the chase. It was stilltoo far away, nearly 200 runs adrift. But inIndianhearts, fainthopeshadbeguntoblos-som.ThenNathanLyonreplacedthescatter-gun Starc, and dislodged Gill on 91, lullinghimtodriveoneoutsidetheoff-stump,awayfrom his body. A thick outside edge to theslips-manwastheinevitableresult.MuchofIndia’s approach seemed to hinge onwhothey were to send next. Ajinkya Rahanewouldbeadefensiveoption,whileRishabhPant would be an attacking ploy. It wasRahanewho strode in, and he quickly dis-pelled notions that hewould embark on astonewalling endeavourwith CheteshwarPujara. Rahane straightaway got into hisstraps, driving and cutting with purpose,pummelling Lyonover long-on for a six. Hebreezed to 24 off 22 before an attemptedramp brought his dismissal. By this time,Pujara,wearingblowsandthudsonhisbody,

wasbattingwithmoreenterprise.Thechasewason,moresowithPant in themiddle.

Display of maturityButPantbeganwarily.Hebidedhistime,

shelvedthebigstrokesandrealignedhis fo-cus on smuggling singles and twos, whichthevastexpansesofGabbafacilitated.Onlytwoboundariesarrivedinthenext13overs,both unintended. The first was an edged

four by Pant off Pat Cummins, whichscreamed between second slip and gully.WhyathirdslipwasnotstationedonlyTimPaine could explain.Maybe, itwas the fearof Pant launching a carnage as he did inSydney.Hedidn’t.Thenextsetof fourruns,fourbyes,would

hurt and haunt Paine for a long time. Lyonhaddesignedabait forPant.Hebroughtthelong-off fielder up, throwing the challenge

to take the aerial route. Pant charged out,missed theball in the flight, butPainecouldnot gather the ball and affect the stumping.It was akin to the moment he droppedRavichandranAshwininSydney.Butthisonehad a deeper impact. Buoyed, Pant grewmoreassertiveandbegantofindthebound-aries, not in a bunch but with regular fre-quency. ItwasdejavuSydney.Then, as in Sydney, India lost a wicket.

This time Pujara, nailed in front by a devil-ishCumminsnip-backer.Onewouldfeel forCummins, whose energy, craft and heartwere worthy of high praise, only that onebowler alone cannotwin a Testmatch. ButPujara’sexit, twoballs into thesecondnewball, revived Aussie comeback hopes. Thebelief was strengthened by the departureofMayankAgarwal. Indiawerestill63runsfrom the target and14overs fromdrawing

thematch.WashingtonSundarmighthaveracked up a half-century, Shardul Thakurbehindhimhadstrokedonehimself in thefirst innings,but theseweredifficult times.The sheer pressure of the situation couldeat into them.The burdenwas on Pant. But he did not

feelburdened.NeitherdidWashington.Theybattednormallyandcasually,liketheywouldin a List A game. Itwas common sense bat-ting—punishing the badballs andquellingthe good ones — until the run rate crept inexcessof six. The scoreboard flashed:50off48runs.Inthestandsandacrosshouseholdsin both the cricketing countries, nervesdancedand jangled.

Closing actCummins thundered in. Pant scrambled

a single off the second ball, Washingtonplayedouttwodots.Australiamightnotwinthematch, but it seemed India would notwinthiseither.ButPantandWashingtonhadnot surrendered yet. The latter shuffledacross a bit and slapped the ball behindsquareforasix.Afluke?Perhapsnot,thenextball, he sliced it over the slip cordon.Intentional? Itmatterednot.The targetwaswhittleddowntoamore

achievable39off42balls.ButTestcrickethaswitnessed several unbelievable collapses.Lyonhasorchestratedafewhimself.Buttheoff-spinner stoodhelpless as Pant executeda spectacular scoop, falling over but in ab-solute control, over thewicketkeeper, fol-lowedbyaheftysweep.Fourbyesoff thelastoverandAustralia’sdreamsseemedtocomecrashing down. The target had now comedown to 24 off 36. Even at this moment,every result in thebookhadascope.Another twist seemed unlikely. But

Washington bestowed one last comebackchance when he under-edged a reverse-sweep onto his stumpswith India 10 runsaway from the target. More jitters, morenerves,thoughPantwasshowingnoneof it.He began the next over with the four butnearly spooned a catch to the unoccupiedbackward-point region. He ran a single,Thakursqueezed inabracebutgotoutnextball.ButPantwassmartenoughtocrossandthumpedthelastballof theJoshHazlewoodoverthroughlong-offtorunthequickest,andthemostimportantrunsinhislife.Andthen,at theveryend, theemotions camerushingout inwaves.

20THEINDIANEXPRESS,WEDNESDAY,JANUARY20,2021

SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

KOHLITORETURNFORENGSERIESSkipperViratKohliwillreturntoIndia’sTestsquadfortheseriesagainstEnglandnextmonth.Squad:ViratKohli(C),RohitSharma,ShubhmanGill,CheteshwarPujara,MayankAgarwal,AjinkyaRahane,RishabhPant,WriddhimanSaha,HardikPandya,KLRahul, JaspritBumrah,IshantSharma,MohammedSiraj,ShardulThakur,RAshwin,KuldeepYadav,WashingtonSundarandAxarPatel. PTI

VolLXXXIXNo.61Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) LimitedandPrintedatThe IndianExpress (P) LimitedPress,A-8, Sector-7,Noida-201301andPublishedatThe IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,

BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002.Editorial office: The IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice: The IndianExpress (P) Limited,B1/B, Sector -10,Noida -201301.Phone:0120-6651291.Chairmanof theBoard:ViveckGoenka,Chief Editor:RajKamal Jha, Editor:UnniRajenShanker, Editor (Delhi):RakeshSinha** **Responsible for selectionofNewsunder thePRBAct.Copyright: The IndianExpress (P) Limited.

All rights reserved.Reproduction inanymanner, electronicorotherwise, inwholeor inpart,withoutpriorwrittenpermission isprohibited.The IndianExpress®

SCORECARD

AUS1STINNS 369INDIA1STINNS 336AUSTRALIA2NDINNS 294INDIA2NDINNS 329/7 (O/N:4/0)

RSharmacPainebCummins 7(21b,1x4)SGillcSmithbLyon 91(146b,8x4,2x6)CPujara lbwCummins 56(211b,7x4)ARahanecPainebCummins24(22b,1x4,1x6)RPantnotout 89(138b,9x4,1x6)MAgarwalcWadebCummins 9(15b,1x4)WSundarbLyon 22(29b,2x4,1x6)SThakurcLyonbHazlewood 2(3b)NSaininotout 0(0b)

■Extras (b18, lb8,nb3) 29■FoW: 1-18(RohitSharma,8.2ov),2-132(ShubmanGill,47.6ov),3-167(AjinkyaRahane,56.5ov),4-228(CheteshwarPujara,80.2ov),5-265(MayankAgarwal,86.4ov),6-318(WashingtonSundar,95.5ov),7-325(ShardulThakur,96.4ov)

■Bowling:MMSSttaarrcc 16-0--7755--00JJHHaazzlleewwoooodd 22-5--7744--11PPCCuummmmiinnss 24-10--5555--44CCGGrreeeenn 3-1--1100--00NNLLyyoonn 31-7--8855--22MMLLaabbuusscchhaaggnnee 1-0--44--00

■Result: Indiawinthefour-Testseries2-1■ManoftheSeries: PatCummins

AUSTRALIA VS INDIATHEGABBA

Toss: Australia, chose to bat

SRIRAMVEERAMUMBAI, JANUARY19

ATSYDNEYasRishabhPantdraggedhimselftowards the dressing roomaftermiscuing aheave,hewalkedpasthis team-matessomeofwhomgaveastandingovationforallowingthemtodreamaboutanimplausiblewin.Onemansatapartatacorneronthecorridorout-side the dressing room. Grim, head angledawayfromPanttoseeminglyavoidhisgaze–RaviShastriwas inabubbleofhisown.Just before Pant combusted, he had re-

ceivedamessagefromShastri. ‘Lyonhaskeptfielders at the boundary; khelo unke saath,teasethem,takesinglesandtwosifyouwant.Youcanhit thenewball too, due ina coupleof overs. It won’t do much on this track.’Wordstothateffect.Panthadworkedhimselfinto a frenzy, crashing the old ball here andthereashereachedthe90’s. Lyon’s fieldhadfallenback.Australiahadfallenback.ButPantcouldn’tcontainhimself andhadholedout.“Itwas Shastri’sway to get themessage

across to Pant,” said a team member.Coachescancajole,rave,getangry,orsulk.Toseewhatworkswithaplayer. Shastri’swaythat daywas to see if showing disappoint-mentworks in getting Pant to realisewhathe haddone after showing theworldwhathewas capableof.Shastrihadbeengung-hoaboutPant for

awhile now. He likes left-handed batsmenin the line-up and has been trying to haveRavindra Jadeja and Pant in the Test teamsincetheTestseriesinEnglandin2018.“Youjust wait and see, Jadduwill become a su-perb Test allrounder overseas also,” he hadsaidafterJadeja’scharacter-revealing86dur-inga collapse at theOval Test against JamesAnderson and Stuart Broad. It was the dayJadejashowedeveryonehecanbeplayedasan allrounder anywhere in theworld. Pant,whowas given a chance in that series afterthe failuresofDineshKartik,wasstrugglingwith the bat and behind the stumps butShastriwasgung-ho,believing that the tidewould turnat somepoint.AstheSouthamptonTestfell fromIndia’s

grasp andwith it the series, Shastriwas leftwondering aboutwhat-ifs. “If we hadwonthisna,boss Ican’t tellyouwhat itwoulddoto this team.We had it but we slipped up.Lessonlearned,nodoubtbutmarkmywordsthis teamwill be champions soon.But ifwehadwonhere,ah…kyamazaaaaata. Icould

haveshutupall thesepeopleinthiscountryandbackhomewhodoubtedus. But it’s al-right, that daywill come. You don’t believeme?Youdon’tbelieveme?Waitandwatch.”

Shastri’s wayThere had been no signs of disbelief in

this correspondent, but that’s the Shastriway.Oftenhegives the feelinghe is fightingtheworld.Often,itseems,helikeshavingtheworldagainsthim.Shastrivstheworldofde-tractors is a box-office contest that Shastriwould love towatch on loop. Or so it feels.It’s this attitude that propelled him from

No.10 to a Test opener, who made runsaroundtheworld.Hesawsuccessearlyinhislife; hewas adoredwhen hewas young ashewasduringhis Champion of Championsdaysbutknewhehadtodisregardthetauntsin the lateryears.At times, in thesemonologues of ambi-

tion,dreams,challenges, itwouldseemas ifhewas talking to himself, trying to shape-shift the present to a rosy future by sheerforce of will. He knows the alcoholmemesabouthim, the tauntsabouthispersonality,the mocking of his manner of speech. Hedealswith it in the samewayhe dealtwiththe boos against his tuk-tuk defensive bat-ting from the crowd. “Haai Haaiwhat? Youscorea50ora100against thesameopposi-tion thentheyphirao topi. Theyclap.”“Satisfactionis lookedforwardtobefore

ithappens—wehavetheexperience inourminds before we have the experience. Itsanticipationprecedesitsrealisation,”writesAdamPhillips,aBritishpsychotherapistandanessayist.Forafewyearsnow,Shastrihasbeenliv-

ing in anticipation – and probably the rea-sonwhyhehadgoneoncocky-ravesabouthis team.He sawwhat someof us didn’t.At times, it seemed hewas in lovewith

an idea of how his team should be ratherthanhowthe teamwas.Healsoknowsthatmanywould still not give himmuch creditand thememesare likely tocontinue.Buthecaresaboutwhatthepeoplehere-

spectsthinkofhim.LikeVivRichardsonthetourofWestIndies.Hewaspleasedaspunchin relating that Richards had said that thisIndian teamhas it in them to go all thewayinTestcricket. “KingVivsaid it,boss.Weareontherightpath.”When he lost the coach job to Anil

Kumble in 2016, hewas inBangkok. “I havebeen in the field for a long enough,” he saidthen. “That was yesterday. There is brightsunshineinThailandtoday.So,getup,hitthebeach, and just chill.” Therewasbright sun-shine in Brisbane and Shastri had finallyreachedwherehewantedtobe:fromcham-pion of champions to the coach of a cham-pion team. It's timeto just chill.

Shastri's journey: From Champion of Champions to coach of a champion team

RaviShastrihashisownwaystodealwithplayersandmotivate them.AP

STORMING ABASTION

32NumberofyearssinceAustralialostattheGabba.Theywereunbeteanheresince1988

NOTDONE IN 70YEARS

1951Theprevioushighestsuccessfulchaseatthe

Gabbawasin1951whenAustraliamade236/7vsWI

INEXPERIENCEDATTACK

4Theexperienceof India'sfivebowlersbeforethis

Testasagainst246playedbyAustralia'sbowlingunit

CHANGE THEONLYCONSTANT

2OnlytwoIndianplayersplayedallfourTests,

RahaneandPujara.Restgotinjuredorweredropped.

WALKINGWOUNDED

6PlayerswhomissedatleastoneTestbecauseofan

injury-Shami,Yadav,Bumrah,Ashwin,Vihari, Jadeja

HeistoryIndiapulloff remarkablechasetoendAustralia’s32-yearGabbadominance;win2ndsuccessiveseries

RishabhPantandNavdeepSainicelebrateafter the formerscoredthewinningruns inthefourthTestagainstAustraliaonTuesday.Reuters

NITINSHARMACHANDIGARH, JANUARY19

DURING THE Kolkata Knight Riderspreparatory camp in the UAE before theIndian Premier League, Shubman Gill’slong-timementor and friend KhushpreetSinghwould ask for a 10-feet- by-seven-feetpieceofKotastonefortheyoungbats-man’spracticesessions.Singhwouldthrowdownwet tennis and plastic balls for al-mostanhourtoprepareGill forthebounceand variable pace of Australianwickets incasehewasselected for the tour.On Tuesday, as the Indian team

recorded a historic three-wicket win inBrisbane towin the Test series 2-1, SinghwatchedthehighlightsofGill’sknockof91on loop. It reminded him of how theyoungster had preparedmentally aswellas technically for the biggest challenge ofhis career.“Beforenetseveryday,Iwouldmakehim

face bouncers and short-of-length ballsaimed at theKota stone slab placed in themiddleof thewicket.Mostof thefocuswasonthepullandpunchshots. InIndia,YuvrajSinghpaaji toohadsharedhis inputsaboutAustralianwickets,”Khushpreet, oneof the

supportstaffforKKR,toldTheIndianExpress.

Father’s role keySingh was at the Mohali Cricket

Association Academy during Gill’s earlydaystherebeforeaninjurypromptedhimtoturnintothelatter’smentor.Heremem-bers howGill’s father, Lakhwinder Singhmadehissonpolishhisbackfootgameatayoung age, whichwas evident during theseriesDownUnder.On Tuesday, it was Gill’s treatment of

Mitchell Starc that set the tone for India’svictory.Gillwouldhitfourboundariesandtwosixes off the left-armpacer, includinganuppercutandpull for sixes.

Teammate recallsFormer India pacer and Gill’s Punjab

teammateManpreet Gonyhas bowled toGill inthenetssincehisU-14daysandbe-lieves that his no-fear approach againstfastbowlers fromayoungagemakeshimstand tall among his peers. “When Ibowled to him at the nets, I could see nofear in his eyes. He would bat with suchease against pace. I remember him play-inghalf-pull andbackfoot punch to back-of-length deliveries at the Mohali netswhenhewas15yearsold.Atthattimetoo,

hewouldsitwithusandlistentothecon-versations among the bowlers and ithelped himmature as a cricketer,” Gony,nowthePunjabbowlingcoach, looksback.

Next assignmentEnglandarecomingforafour-Testseries

nextmonth,andGillhasbeennamedintheIndianteamforthefirsttwoTests.Singhbe-lievesthatthemorechancesGillwouldget,themore settledhewill be andhis natural

flairwill come through. “Playing at homeagainst England spinners, who are doingwell inSri Lanka,will beachallengewhichhewillliketoface.Wehavenevermadehimplayspininthenets.Weusedaroughpieceof landnear his homeand that has helpedhim step out of the crease naturally. It hasalso helped him develop the pull shotagainst spinners. I remember once he gotout in the300sandhis father scoldedhim.Thenextmatch,he remainedunbeatenon410runsandaskedhisfathertorewardhim.Helovesbattinglong,”sharedSingh.

Proud familyAt the Gill household in village Chak

Kherewalanear the India-Pakistanborderin Punjab’s Ferozepur district, his grand-parents 85-year-old Didar Singh Gill andGurmailKaurarewaiting forhimtocomehome.“WhenShubmanisnothere, Ikeeplookingathisoldbats.Today,Iwatchedhimbat thewholemorning. To seehimbat ontelevisionwill bemy leisure-time activityin thecomingyears,” saysDidar.As for his grandmother Gurmail, she

willbebusypreparingGill’s favouritefoodonce he visits the village. “He likes churriwithgud(jaggery)andhewillhaveplentyof itwhenhecomeshome,” shesaid.

ShubhmanGill’smentorandfriendKhushpreetSinghwouldthrowdownwettennisandplasticballstohelphimprepareforAustralianwickets. File

Foundation stone for Gill’s success laid on IPL duty

JustbeforePantcombusted,hehadreceivedamessagefromShastri. ‘Lyonhaskept fieldersattheboundary;khelounkesaath,teasethem,takesinglesandtwos if youwant

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