Top Banner
A mid allegations of “sabo- tage” and “meek surren- der” levelled by the Congress and the Left Front, TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after the PM landed in Kolkata and requested him to withdraw the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA. While protests, black flags and angry chants of “Modi, go back” greeted Modi as he arrived on a 2-day visit here on Saturday, nicety was not aban- doned as Mamata shared dais with him while remaining insistent on annulment of the new citizenship law. Emerging from the meet- ing, Mamata defined her con- fabulation with the Prime Minister as a “courtesy call” during which she squeezed in a couple of pecuniary demands in favour of her State and a request to withdraw the CAA. The meeting came amid a bitter showdown between the BJP and the TMC — over a host of issues including CAA. Moments later, Mamata was present at an anti-CAA protest nearby, where she said the PM had asked her to come to New Delhi to discuss the vexatious issues. In both the cases, the Prime Minister assured her of a future discussion in Delhi, the Chief Minister claimed. “I met the Prime Minister … it is a part of constitutional courtesy… I meet the President too when he comes to Kolkata. In fact, I sent our Minister Firhad Hakim to receive him at the airport. This is protocol. You have to send a Minister-in-waiting.” While CPI(M) Politburo member Md Salim alleged at a massive protest rally that Didi had gone to show her allegiance to Modi, Mamata vouched for the genuineness of the meeting iterating the courtesy call apart, she has placed a demand of 38,000 crore which is long overdue from the Centre. “He has assured me that he will go through the relevant papers in Delhi,” she said. The Chief Minister also said, “I told him that though he being the guest of the State it was inappropriate to raise the issue at this point of time …I requested him to withdraw the CAA which is hurting the unity and integrity of India.” From the dharna podium, Mamata dared the Centre to implement the CAA saying “this will remain in the form of notification as no State will comply with it… and Bengal will be the last State to be a party to this anti-people divi- sive law.” She would continue to agi- tate endlessly “till I am alive” taking along with us the region- al parties “until the Act is not taken back… that is my pledge,” Mamata said attacking the Left and the Congress for taking the movement to a vio- lent path. A lleging that the falsehood spread by the Opposition par- ties against the CAA has resulted in anarchy in the coun- try, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Communists to show him any provision in the legislation that would take away the citizenship of Muslims in the country. “The Opposition does not have any other issue, so they are spreading misinformation and falsehood on CAA. This has resulted in anarchy in the entire country,” he said. His statements come in the wake of violent protests in parts of India over the CAA, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). “Persecuted minorities have to come to India to save themselves. However, the previous Governments did not give any facilities to these migrants thinking that it would make others unhappy,” he said at the inaugu- ration of various projects of the Gujarat Police here. T he Congress too on Saturday demanded the withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act besides an inquiry by a high-pow- ered commission into the incidents connected with the anti-CAA protests, and the stoppage of the ongo- ing process of National Population Register (NPR). Addressing the CWC meeting, Congress president Sonia Gandhi termed the CAA a “discriminatory and divisive” law whose “sinister” purpose was to divide people on religious lines. She also said that the NPR in form and content was “disguised NRC”. Detailed report on P5 I n line with the Government’s renewed emphasis on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), newly-appointed Army chief General Manoj Narvane on Saturday recalled a Parliament resolution in this regard to assert that the Army was ready to carry out the man- date even as he outlined the need for a ‘rebalancing’ act with equal focus on China too, not confining to just Pakistan. Stressing the need for rebalancing, the Chief men- tioned about the threat of two- front war with Pakistan and China and said Siachen is the closet point for “collusion” between those two countries. It is, therefore, important to keep Siachen in India’s possession, he said adding the Army is rebalancing its weaponry to the northern borders facing China. India dominates all the heights at Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield, which is the wedge between China on the one side and Pakistan on the other. With his predecessor General Bipin Rawat being criticised for giving “political statements”, the new Army chief also sought to put the records straights saying the armed forces owe allegiance to the Constitution and its pre- amble. He said the conduct of the 1.3- million-strong Army is guided by its “allegiance” to the Constitution and its core values of justice, liberty, equal- ity and fraternity. Asked about senior Ministers in the present regime talking about taking back POK, Naravane referred to a parliamentary resolution passed in 1994. He said the entire erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir belongs to India. A day after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) identified nine suspects respon- sible for the JNU violence, the sources in the Delhi Police on Saturday said that the SIT has identified 37 more suspects from a “WhatsApp” group that was created during the violence on the campus. Meanwhile, the JNU administration on Saturday conducted security audit of hostels to assess how many out- siders and unauthorised per- sons are staying on the camp- sus. Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar met students on the campus and rued that some activist students backed by a group of teachers have defiled the peaceful atmos- phere, forcing some students to vacate hostels. He also said that the JNU administration has taken ade- quate steps to ensure the safe- ty and security of the students residing on the campus. However, the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) accused the police of inaction. According to a police source, the 37 suspects identified do not belong to any political group active in JNU. “Those identified are stu- dents of JNU who were in favour of the semester regis- tration process and wanted to enroll themselves. The group had 60 members and 37 of them have been identified,” said a source. “These identified persons will be called for questioning and after that it will be cleared if they are associated with any of the student outfits,” said the source. ABVP’s secretary, JNU unit, Manish Jangid, who had earlier alleged that he was attacked by Left-wing students, was part of “Unity Against Left” WhatsApp group and some other ABVP members were also in this group,” said another source. However, Jangid claimed that on January 5, after he was attacked by some people, his phone broke and he had no knowledge about being added to that group. “When my phone got repaired, then only I came to know I have been added to that group,” Jangid said. In a letter sent to hostel wardens, Umesh Kadam, dean of students, asked them to notify all hostel residents to “follow the rules regarding having guests in the hostel room as per the procedures and rules of IHA and provide the necessary details in the forms accordingly.” In case, any outsider/un- authorised student/guest is found staying in the rooms, necessary action will be initi- ated against the resident stu- dent as per Inter-Hall Administration (IHA) rules and the details of such guests shall be forwarded to the Station House Officer, Police Station, Vasant Kunj North, New Delhi, the notice stated. S tate Capital witnessed cold- est night of the season at 4.6 degree Celsius on Thursday while day tempera- ture was recorded at 22.9 degree Celsius on Friday pro- viding relief from shivering cold conditions. Night temperatures have dipped significantly making weather conditions freezing cold at several places in the State. The lowest night tem- peratures dipped to 1.7 degree Celsius and was recorded in Betul district. The highest dip in the night temperature was record- ed in Rewa and Shahdol divi- sions. Cold wave conditions and cold day conditions pre- vailed across the state. In the next 24 hours Rewa, Sagar, Shahdol and Jabalpur divisions and Betul, Rajgarh, Raisen, Khandwa, Ujjain, Ratlam, Datia and Sheopur are likely to witness cold day conditions according to the warning issued by Met department. Warning of cold waves have been issued for Rewa, Sagar, Shahdol, Jabalpur divi- sions and Betul, Raisen, Bhopal, Sehore, Gwalior, Datia and Ratlam. The Met officials said that the northerly winds have maintained the temperatures at low level and a WD would change the weather condi- tions after wind direction would change preventing dip in temperatures providing relief from harsh cold condi- tions. Several regions have wit- nessed night temperature around and below 4 degree Celsius. Raisen recorded 2.2 degree Celsius, Umaria recorded 2.2 degree Celsius, Nowgong recorded 3.3 degree Celsius, Datia recorded 3.4 degree Celsius, Rewa record- ed 3.5 degree Celsius, Chhindwara recorded 3.6 degree Celsius, Gwalior recorded 3.9 degree Celsius, Shajapur, Sidhi and Tikamgarh recorded 4 degree Celsius each, Damoh and Satna recorded 4.4 degree Celsius. The State Capital is likely to recorded day temperature and night temperature at 21 degree Celsius and 6 degree C e l s i u s respectively. RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008
12

DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

May 01, 2023

Download

Documents

Khang Minh
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

��������������������������

����������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������� ������������ ��������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������� ��������������������!���������

"����#���������������������� �����������������������������������������������������$�����������������%������������������#������������������������������� ����������������������������� ���������$�������������������������������� �������� �����������������&����#�������������������������#����$����������������������������������������'��������������������������������� ��(���������)��������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������*���������������+�

,��������-���������������������� ����������-������������������������������������������� ����$����������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������.�����������#�$����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����� ������������������������ �������'���������$��������������� ��$/�����&��� �����������.����#����!���#������������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������&�������� ��������� �������������#��������������������������(����������������������������������� ���� �������������������������������������������0�������������������������������!���� �������������������������������1�-��������2���*������������0���� �����������.������������'��������������������������������������������������������������������� ���

�������������������� ���������������������

������� �����������������1������������������������������������������������������������$�����������������������������������������(����������������������������������&����������3����������������������-������������������������������������������������ ����!������������������������������3�������� ��������� ������ ��������� ��$������������������������������������������������������� ����� ����������������������������������&�������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������2����$��������������������#����������������������������������

�������#���������������������������������������������$������������������������������������ ����������4�����*���������������������������.�������������������������������������������������$���3��'#�����!���#����������������%���3����������������������������-�.����������

����������������������������������� �������������������������������� �������� �������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������0����������������������������������������������������������������#�����#��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������� �������� ����������������� ������������������������������/���������������������������������#����������������������������������������������������������� �����-�����������������������

$������������#�����������������������������������������������������������������������#��������������$����������������������� ���#������ ������������������������� ������������������ ��� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

"�����#���������������������������������������#��������'�������������������������� ����������$���������������������������������� ������ ����������������������$������������������������� �-�����������������������#���������������/���������������&����#�/��������������������������������������������� �����������

"����������#��������������������������� �������������������������������� ���������#������������������������� ��������������� ������������������� ���������������������������������������������������&����#������������������-#�������(����������������������������������-���������� ������� ���������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������*��$��������������������������-�������������������������������� �����������������������������(���-��������5(��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������2������/��������1������!������

�� ��� ��� �������������� �� � ��������� ���� ������������ �������� ������ ��������� ������ � � ����� ���� �! ���"����# ������ $����"����������������� �%�� ��� ����� ���# ���������� �����!��"�����&���� ����� ����%� � �"�� ������� �'���������������������"������ �������� ������ ������(����)�*�����������������'���% �������#��%���(���������� � ���������%��� ����� �� ����� ��������� �!

��������������� ���� ����� ����������������

��������������� +,-+���

Amid allegations of “sabo-tage” and “meek surren-

der” levelled by the Congressand the Left Front, TMC chiefand West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee onSaturday met Prime MinisterNarendra Modi soon after thePM landed in Kolkata andrequested him to withdraw theCitizenship (Amendment) Actor CAA.

While protests, black flagsand angry chants of “Modi, goback” greeted Modi as hearrived on a 2-day visit here onSaturday, nicety was not aban-doned as Mamata shared daiswith him while remaininginsistent on annulment of thenew citizenship law.

Emerging from the meet-ing, Mamata defined her con-fabulation with the PrimeMinister as a “courtesy call”during which she squeezed ina couple of pecuniary demandsin favour of her State and arequest to withdraw the CAA.

The meeting came amid abitter showdown between theBJP and the TMC — over ahost of issues including CAA.

Moments later, Mamatawas present at an anti-CAA

protest nearby, where she saidthe PM had asked her to cometo New Delhi to discuss thevexatious issues.

In both the cases, the PrimeMinister assured her of a futurediscussion in Delhi, the ChiefMinister claimed. “I met thePrime Minister … it is a part ofconstitutional courtesy… I meetthe President too when hecomes to Kolkata. In fact, I sentour Minister Firhad Hakim toreceive him at the airport. Thisis protocol. You have to send aMinister-in-waiting.”

While CPI(M) Politburo

member Md Salim alleged at amassive protest rally that Didihad gone to show her allegianceto Modi, Mamata vouched forthe genuineness of the meetingiterating the courtesy call apart,she has placed a demand of�38,000 crore which is longoverdue from the Centre. “Hehas assured me that he will gothrough the relevant papers inDelhi,” she said.

The Chief Minister alsosaid, “I told him that though hebeing the guest of the State itwas inappropriate to raise theissue at this point of time …I

requested him to withdrawthe CAA which is hurting theunity and integrity of India.”

From the dharna podium,Mamata dared the Centre toimplement the CAA saying“this will remain in the form ofnotification as no State willcomply with it… and Bengalwill be the last State to be aparty to this anti-people divi-sive law.”

She would continue to agi-tate endlessly “till I am alive”taking along with us the region-al parties “until the Act is nottaken back… that is mypledge,” Mamata said attackingthe Left and the Congress fortaking the movement to a vio-lent path.

���������� ������� �

��� �.���.-�(/����(���0

Alleging that the falsehood spread by the Opposition par-ties against the CAA has resulted in anarchy in the coun-

try, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday challengedCongress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal andthe Communists to show him any provision in the legislation that would take away the citizenship ofMuslims in the country.

“The Opposition does not have any other issue, so theyare spreading misinformation and falsehood on CAA. Thishas resulted in anarchy in the entire country,” he said.

His statements come in the wake of violent protests inparts of India over the CAA, the National Register of Citizens(NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR).

“Persecuted minorities have to come to India to savethemselves. However, the previous Governments did not giveany faci l it ies to these migrants thinking that it would make others unhappy,” he said at the inaugu-ration of various projects of the Gujarat Police here.

��� �.���.-�(

The Congress too onSaturday demanded the

withdrawal of theC i t i z e n s h i p(Amendment) Actbesides an inquiryby a high-pow-ered commissioninto the incidents connectedwith the anti-CAA protests,and the stoppage of the ongo-ing process of NationalPopulation Register (NPR).

Addressing the CWCmeeting, Congress presidentSonia Gandhi termed theCAA a “discriminatory anddivisive” law whose “sinister”purpose was to divide peopleon religious lines. She alsosaid that the NPR in form andcontent was “disguised NRC”.

Detailed report on P5

��� �.���.-�(

In line with the Government’srenewed emphasis on

Pakistan Occupied Kashmir(POK), newly-appointed Armychief General Manoj Narvaneon Saturday recalled aParliament resolution in thisregard to assert that the Armywas ready to carry out the man-date even as he outlined theneed for a ‘rebalancing’ act withequal focus on China too, notconfining to just Pakistan.

Stressing the need forrebalancing, the Chief men-tioned about the threat of two-front war with Pakistan andChina and said Siachen is thecloset point for “collusion”between those two countries. Itis, therefore, important to keepSiachen in India’s possession,he said adding the Army isrebalancing its weaponry to thenorthern borders facing China.India dominates all the heightsat Siachen, the world’s highestbattlefield, which is the wedgebetween China on the oneside and Pakistan on the other.

With his predecessorGeneral Bipin Rawat beingcriticised for giving “politicalstatements”, the new Army

chief also sought to put therecords straights saying thearmed forces owe allegiance tothe Constitution and its pre-amble. He said the conduct ofthe 1.3- million-strong Armyis guided by its “allegiance” tothe Constitution and its corevalues of justice, liberty, equal-ity and fraternity.

Asked about seniorMinisters in the presentregime talking about takingback POK, Naravane referredto a parliamentary resolutionpassed in 1994. He said theentire erstwhile State ofJammu & Kashmir belongs toIndia.����������

��������������� �������������������������������������������������������������

������������� �������������������������������

�������� ������ �.���.-�(

Aday after the SpecialInvestigation Team (SIT)

identified nine suspects respon-sible for the JNU violence, thesources in the Delhi Police onSaturday said that the SIT hasidentified 37 more suspectsfrom a “WhatsApp” group thatwas created during the violenceon the campus.

Meanwhile, the JNUadministration on Saturdayconducted security audit ofhostels to assess how many out-siders and unauthorised per-sons are staying on the camp-sus. Vice-Chancellor MJagadesh Kumar met studentson the campus and rued thatsome activist students backedby a group of teachers havedefiled the peaceful atmos-phere, forcing some students tovacate hostels.

He also said that the JNUadministration has taken ade-quate steps to ensure the safe-ty and security of the studentsresiding on the campus.

However, the JNUStudents’ Union (JNUSU)accused the police of inaction.

According to a policesource, the 37 suspects identified do not belong to any political group active inJNU. “Those identified are stu-dents of JNU who were infavour of the semester regis-tration process and wanted to

enroll themselves. The grouphad 60 members and 37 ofthem have been identified,”said a source.

“These identified personswill be called for questioningand after that it will be clearedif they are associated with anyof the student outfits,” said thesource.

ABVP’s secretary, JNUunit, Manish Jangid, who hadearlier alleged that he wasattacked by Left-wing students,was part of “Unity AgainstLeft” WhatsApp group andsome other ABVP memberswere also in this group,” saidanother source. However,Jangid claimed that on January5, after he was attacked by somepeople, his phone broke and hehad no knowledge about beingadded to that group.

“When my phone got

repaired, then only I came toknow I have been added to thatgroup,” Jangid said.

In a letter sent to hostelwardens, Umesh Kadam, deanof students, asked them tonotify all hostel residents to“follow the rules regardinghaving guests in the hostelroom as per the procedures andrules of IHA and provide thenecessary details in the formsaccordingly.”

In case, any outsider/un-authorised student/guest is found staying in the rooms,necessary action will be initi-ated against the resident stu-dent as per Inter-HallAdministration (IHA) rulesand the details of such guestsshall be forwarded to theStation House Officer, PoliceStation, Vasant Kunj North,New Delhi, the notice stated.

�� ��������������������� !"#���������$%���##�&��"#

�������

������������������������� ����������������������������� ���� ���� �%��� ������� � �#��� ���������% 1�������������!� ��!�����!���"���2���������*����������)����%����������!������������" � ���% �������! �����!���������2����������� ��344�#������*������

������!������� � ��"� ���������� �#��$%&'��&��� ����� 56��% �� �!������ ����� � �'����������� �����7�����"�38�!������ �� ������������������� ������� ���5���!����!�������� �������"��!�� �

($)*��������*��� �����������������+

��,�� .� �"�" �� ��������3�9��#��� ��� ��� �#��� �������� ���#��!!�� �����������# ����! ��!������ �!�����" ������*����� ���������#�������� ����� 1�� �� �� ���� ����������*������"�!��������� ��! ��� � ����� ��� ���� ���#��%�� � ����� ���� ��

�������������-�����-�������� ����,&� ������)���� ��� �������(�%5� ��� !��� ������������ ��!���"�����������")�� � !���������� ���� ��� � �����������%� ��# ����2 �6��%)��!�����%���������� ��� �� ��5��� ���������������� ������������� ��� �� �� ���� !����� ���

������%���������� �''� �������"���&��%�����"� �#���������������� ���(� %��������"���� �)*

������'������� �������'������%�$���+��&� ��%����'�������'������+����,���"���&���������&����-� ����� �)*

)%��� �&� � "�"����#��������.� ��/���%�.01�2���&���3������%��&��"��2���%�������� ����# ��������-��%��������"���� ��

�����������������������������������������

/� ��#%���

� ������������������������������������!

�������� ������ 2�,��-

State Capital witnessed cold-est night of the season at

4.6 degree Celsius onThursday while day tempera-ture was recorded at 22.9degree Celsius on Friday pro-viding relief from shiveringcold conditions.

Night temperatures havedipped significantly makingweather conditions freezingcold at several places in theState. The lowest night tem-peratures dipped to 1.7 degreeCelsius and was recorded inBetul district.

The highest dip in thenight temperature was record-ed in Rewa and Shahdol divi-sions. Cold wave conditionsand cold day conditions pre-vailed across the state.

In the next 24 hoursRewa, Sagar, Shahdol andJabalpur divisions and Betul,Rajgarh, Raisen, Khandwa,Ujjain, Ratlam, Datia andSheopur are likely to witnesscold day conditions accordingto the warning issued by Metdepartment.

Warning of cold waveshave been issued for Rewa,Sagar, Shahdol, Jabalpur divi-sions and Betul, Raisen,

Bhopal, Sehore, Gwalior, Datiaand Ratlam.

The Met officials said thatthe northerly winds havemaintained the temperaturesat low level and a WD wouldchange the weather condi-tions after wind directionwould change preventing dipin temperatures providingrelief from harsh cold condi-tions.

Several regions have wit-nessed night temperaturearound and below 4 degreeCelsius.

Raisen recorded 2.2degree Celsius, Umariarecorded 2.2 degree Celsius,Nowgong recorded 3.3 degreeCelsius, Datia recorded 3.4degree Celsius, Rewa record-ed 3.5 degree Celsius,Chhindwara recorded 3.6degree Celsius, Gwaliorrecorded 3.9 degree Celsius,Shajapur, Sidhi andTikamgarh recorded 4 degreeCelsius each, Damoh andSatna recorded 4.4 degreeCelsius.

The State Capital is likelyto recorded day temperatureand night temperature at 21degree Celsius and 6 degreeC e l s i u srespectively.

��������#��� ��������� �����&%������������456��&������ �"�

��������� ����������������� ����������������� ���������������������������������� �������!�"� ����

:-�� �'��" !.�) 3;��//�& 33:�������!���% �.1������������!���

�/0����/�&1�$23% RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008

###$%��&'��( $)��

"�#$��%��+,0.����<���(--�0.�*.�

����-+��(=��.*�����=--<�*.�

���#&�'���(����+.�,���.02(��(�����'���**(��'-���

��()*�+>.��.�,=��,(�

2�(�.���'0'(�-)

�� ��4������� #������$"4�"5"56������$"7%��?

@�� ����"���� � ��! ���#�!��/����"���� � ����������� �����%����!��/����"���� �/

Page 2: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

������ *������ *�"����� +,-�,.,. �� ���������,�"�&-�)

�,,�./�������������� �����0�1�������������#��� �'23456

Powerful, sensitive and grounded, that’sMeghna Gulzar’s highly emotive andsimple true story on acid violence victims,

Chhapaak. To do a full length feature on asubject from which you intrinsically turn youreyes and mind away, to go 70mm with seareddisfigured skin and to put on screen theglamour girl to portray the life and times ofLaxmi, an acid victim who spent a lifetimefighting for a face not just over her neck butalso in courtrooms and campaigns for the 152recorded victims so far, means that the directorand producer had both courage and convictionin equal measure.

Chhapaak does not wrench your guts but itmakes you feel deeply for these unsung victimsof the most cruel violence that can beunleashed on young girls and with not evenhalf the focus of the media on them unlike rapecases which have churned both anger, protestsand national movements from time to time.

Deepika Padukone, who helms the film,comes out as a powerful actor despite being a

big star and she shows simple gumption andun-fussed determination to step into the skinof Laxmi, howsoever disfigured it may havebecome.

Meghna takes you through the struggles ofthe acid victim with equal absence of fuss andthat’s what makes this film powerful andsensitive, not to mention a trigger for deepintrospection on our outdated and dogged lawswho, as the lawyer says on screen, “can ban thesale of eggs in UP but not the sale of acid”which is the cheapest, most easily available toolto ruin the lives of so many young girls.

It’s films like Chhapaak that forgiveBollywood for all the song and dance itgenerally serenades in. It is films like these thatmay be rare but show the acumen of a filmindustry which has scant time for anythingmeaningful, least of all meaningful cinema.

Padukone as the producer has treaded infront of the camera without even once playingto the gallery, with either needless songs ormelodrama that a subject like this is oftenclothed in.

The Chhapaak title song is wonderfullyworded and sung and signifies the goodness ofsuch cinema.

&����������������������� �7�������

���������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� ��������������� �� ���������������������������������������������������������� ������������ ����� ��������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������� �!����������������"���������� ���������������������������� �������������������� ���� ��������������������������������� �����������������������������#��������������������������� ���� ����$����%����&�������������������������� ��������������� �����������������������'����������������������������������� ���������������"��������������������(�����������������������������

����������� ������ �������������� ������������������������������������� !"#���$"�!"�%&!��������'()*+(),+()-������"������"�����������.��������#����/01232)+4�'�'5���� �������(62���������7/2��8����+�'�'�9�+:���(+#����/0123((4�'�5+%��������;3*66/2663-**+�� ';3-,-)()3)10'&�����;���������+!�"!�9�'��'��&�.<2330<()*3)+!�9�'��'�/2<#��=�<0(<2331/233,+�"!�>!� �!.&��!�'('33&��;������+!����+#�� ���?�+��������@���;��� �A����� ������;#�9����A������'������;��B����+C����=�����;��'1+#�����.�� #�?�+#�������:����9+��?C����/((3332+�����;3((/03((3066+������������=�����;8/)(+������1+�="C�+.���#����9�/23()3(+>'�'�����;3(23/0,*-,33A0,*--33+��� �=�����;C����������D���� �����';3-,1*6*6-))+3-,-2,2-26-+���D��?=�����;0��8����+����������9������+8�E �!��+���D��?2213(1'%���������;3622/2)0100)+2)01000+2)01006'

8�88���������������

������ # �������������������� ��������� ����� �! � �����������2���"����)����������� �����% ������������� ��������� ����������� !�� ����#��<�%��#������������"��������� �%��!��%��� �� �������� ���������������� ������ ����!#� ��� �� ����������"�������� ��+�##����� ��� ������ ����%�� �����#��%������������"�)����� ���*��#��%���6�"����� ��" ���! � ��������� � ���� �� ���� �!�� ���� ������ �� ��� ��"����������%��

��������"��� �� !����"�� ����� �������� ����� ����������%��� ���������! ������������%������ �� � �AB������ �!��� ��������� � 1�� � �"���� �� ��C�� ������ �� ����� ��������� � ���������� ��� ��������!����� ����!�� ������ ����% ����������� ����# �������#��%� ����������%�� �����������������"���������"����������"�)������ ��� �������"��������!�� ������ �� �����!�����! �� ������� !�� ��� ����� �������"�����������

.� ��� ��)����� ����!�� ������ �� ����(���������������" ��� "������%� ������� �����������"�)�������% ����!����� �����"��� �"�����"��������!��� ��� ����%�"�� ��� ��������������������� ������ ��%� ���� ���"������ �� �����

(����� ������� ���� ��+�!���������������%��*��#�����������"���#����

7��������������������������������������� ������� �� ���� �������������������!���%��#���������� ���������� ��#��������������D��E���" ���"�+���#��*���F�����! �����������D��E���" ���"�����6� ��+���F�� 5 ���"����!��%����� ����� �! D����� ����� ��������� ��!���D����� �����"���������������� ���� ����#������ �����G�2 ���������� 5���� ��� $� �! �����������!����� ��������� � �"�� ��������� !��� ���������D����!�����"��$� �2������������� �� !� ��� ������������� �����#H

����������������� �� ��������������� ���� %�� �������� �������� ���������� ���������! ������ � ������ �������%��� �%"���� ������� � ���������� ��� ��D������������ ������ ������� ����������������� �6������# ���������������#�0����������������������"��� �� !� ������������������� ��!������"�A�B(������������������� �������� ��� ����(���� ���� ����"��(���������" �(�������6��#�������%���

��� � � �(���������������(����!��! ��������� ������ ����� ���������%��2���!���" �(����D�� �������3I������������ ���� � ��������1 �� �%��5������ ������� ��(� ���������#�0����� �����(���� �� ����������%������ � ���" ��� ���������������� ���� ������� �����"�������#������������ ���G�� ������ ������������������ ���#��%�������������� �C

��������������������� !����!� �������# �!�� ��������� ���"�� �������� �����A�B(���� ���� ��������5��� �!� ������!!������ ��� ������%���� ���"��� ���# ��!�� ���

�"����������� �� ������������� ������� ���%���� ������"�� ����C�2�������D��������G������������������� ������� ��� ��!�����������# ����� �� �� � ������ �����������#��%���� ��%������������%��� ������� �����������#��B.� �"��" ���� ��������������� ��������� �(���!#��� �(�%������"�%"����� �%"��!�� �� ��� ���� ������ C���%���������������

(��������� �����-������������+(�������� ������A������ �� �!� ��"�����������

������ �J�"����� ������"����������������� ��������� ������ �� �� ������#������*��%�������"���� �������!��� ���"�������"��%��� ���� ���������� �������"���2)�������"� �� ����� ��������������

������� � ���"��������6 ��E������0�� F������������+�������EK������-����F ��"����������������������� ���������+�������� �� � ���"��������������� ������� ��"�����������!# ������� �� %�����% �� � � ������"��������% ����%�����!� ������� �#��� ��%�������� ������ ����� ����# �����������!������������"��%��� ���� ���������� �������"���%��% �#����������A�B���"��%������� ������!� ������ ���"� ���������"�!���� �%��%������ �C

B'����� ���%��"����)������� ��� �����%��� ���"�����!� �����+������������#����� ������������!��������� �������"��������2������(���� � ����� ���� ������"����� �� �(�� ��� �������"���� C�#��������"� �������%������ ��������� �� 1� �� �! ������"��%������5�!� ������ ���B(�� � �� ���� �! � ��� � �+������������ ���%�����"���� �������%� ���%�� �������������� ��� ���#���"�����>������������������H��"��������������� �������"�>" �)������ �"�� ��"� �������������� ���� ���� !��������� ��������! � ����� �������# ��� ����6������%�� ��� �#��������� ��� ��� ���� ������%� �(��������"�%��� �������������!�� ����� ��(������� � � !������� �(����� ������������������ ��������" " ����� �(�� ��(���� ���������� ��������������

����(�� �� � � � �"�%��������������� � C�� ���������#��%�������� ���� ��������������������� ��#�����

���� �A�B���������� � �� �� ������������� ���!�� ���������������� �������� � ��� ��������������� �����%������� ���� ����# ����� �!�� ���� ���� ������%�� ��������# ��� �% ������ ���"������# ������������� ���� � �� ����"����� � ��� � � ���������!�� ���������������>���� �) ���!�����%���� ���� !���� ���% ���������� ���%��� �(����#�������������������"��������� ����� ����%������ ���# ��!�� ����� ������"�������%������(���� �(��� ���� �6����! ������ ���� ���������� ������������� ����� ���� ���� ��������������������������C

� �����������+���������� � ���������������! ����#�!# ������������������5

� ������������� ���� ����� ���������L45" ��5� ���� ! ���"��� �� ��!����!� �����������E���" ���"�+�����0�6���F ����"��E���" ���"�K����������##��F�����*������E���" ��"�0 "����������F���� ���� ��"�!��%��� � �"�� D���� ������������ �!��� ����������!����!#�� �� ��������������"������%����� �����������# ���0 "��� ��������!���� �����������"����� !��� ������� ���!���%��#��������� �����$� �����������"� ����5�!� ��

�� ����������� ��0 "����������D��%�������������#�����!� �H�� �� ��� �"���%������������������� ��������#��%�������+���������� ��(����%��������#��%������� ����"� ��!��� ��� ����� �B������+����������������"�� ���������������� �� �����(���� � � ��� ���(�����"���������%� ������ ����!���� ����-��� �(���� ������ ��� �� �����������"� ��� �� ��������� ��� �����(����� ����0��������������������% �������������!���C�������!���!��� ���������0 "���D���������� �����������"��H�0 "����� � �� �A�B(��� � ������ �!��������� ��������� � ��"����� �� ����%�����!���"���"����%���� � �"����%������%��! �����!����� �! ����!��(�� �� � ����� �# "����!���"���"��������M�(���������� �� ���C

� �#���������������������� ����"�� ��$���#"��������$���� ������ ��

�����/���

� What is your role in Beyhadh 2?I play Rudra Roy, a bussinessman.

He is family oriented. The character isintense and full of different emotions.He is a man of his words. He is hurt andholds a lot of grudges against his father.� Do you share any similarities withyour character?

Yes. One thing in common is thatwe both are family oriented. Just like mycharacter, I too value all myrelationships.� How did acting happen to you?

I was always fond of Bollywoodmovies but never thought of trying myhands on acting.

After some years, I decided to giveit a chance. I got a portfolio done andposted my pictures on Facebook. Amodeling agency saw those pictures andcalled me for some assignments. Afterthat, I got an audition call for my firstshow — Suvreen Guggal — Topper of theyear. Initially I thought it was a fake call,but then I thought to give it a try andshifted to Mumbai. Fortunately, starswere in my favour, I cleared the auditionand was signed for the show. � Did your family support you inyour decision?

Yes, they did. In fact when I brokethe news to my mother, she broke intotear. It was surreal for her. � What all preparations did you dofor acting?I started working on my craft, learnt

new skills and worked hard. Initiallywhen you get into acting, you crave forfame, but after that the actual processbegins you start working upon yourselfto deliver your best.

I would give the credit to myparents for convincing me to do the hitshow — Veer ki Ardaas: Veera on Starplus. I was initially reluctant to do thatshow as it was a family drama and Iwanted to do more youth orientedshows.

It made me believe that listening toyour parents not only helps you inpersonal life but also helps you tosucceed professionally.

� If not an actor, what else would youhave been?

I was always into sports. I am aNational level shooter. If not an actor, Iwould be definitely doing somethingrelated to sports.� What do you miss about Delhi?

I miss Delhi’s food, especially cholebhature. Mumbai has its own flavour, but

Delhi food holds a special place in myheart. � Apart from acting what else keepsyou busy?

When I am not working, I watchmovies. Recently, I tried my hands inGymnastics. I try to learn skills whichhelp me in upgrading myself and mycraft.

� How has your journey been so far inthe TV industry?

It is going to be eight years now. It wasinteresting. Full of highs and lows. I haveevolved as an actor and as a human being.I am fortunate enough to have met somegreat souls. My journey gives me afeeling of contentment and I thrive towork upon myself and improve every day.� What all challenges did you face?

Challenges are there in everythingthat we do. But God has been kind to me.I was fortunate to work with some greatpeople.

I had to take a year sabbatical whenwhy father was not keeping well back in2017. I was with him for his medicaltreatment and did no work. It was a toughtime for me, but I came out strong. Noweverything is back on track and I am doingwell both in professional and personal life.� What kept you going?

I can’t explain that feeling in words,but when you are passionate aboutsomething and have your emotionsattached to it, it gives you the power tokeep going.� What are your upcoming projects?

I have recently finished shooting forKhatron ke Khiladi 10 (KKK 10) inBulgaria. The show will air in February.I shot a movie for a digital platform. It willrelease soon. The plot is set on thebackdrop of 1983, the story isunconventional and I will be seen in adifferent avatar.� What made you say yes to KKK 10?

I have turned down the offer manytimes. But the team kept approaching meevery year. This year round, when I gotthe offer, I thought of giving it a try. That’show I landed in the show.

Also I like to challenge myself andcome out of my comfort zone and this wasthe best opportunity. Initially I was scaredbut then I convinced myself to face myfears.� A lesson that you took back homefrom the show?

I have become more confident. I havelearnt to face my fears and prepared myselfto take up new projects.

7*��������"#&������� �������������� �������������������������������� �����!��� ���"����#$�%���%��&���'�& (�)#$���������#�*��#��������������+��$�,����������)����������*��#���

Page 3: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

����������������� *������ *�"����� +,-�,.,.

�������� ������ 2�,��-

A19-year-old girl was sexu-ally exploited for the past

four years on the promise ofmarriage at Old Subhash Nagararea. A complaint was lodgedby the victim on Friday withthe Ashoka Garden police.

According to the police, thevictim was sexually assaulted bythe accused Neeraj Chouhanfor the past four years and dur-ing the period assured her ofmarriage and continued to sex-ually exploit her.

Based on the complaint, thepolice have registered a caseunder sections 376 and 506 ofthe IPC.

The victim came into con-tact with the accused aroundfour years ago when she used tolive in same locality where theaccused lives and was lured bythe accused of marriage. Thetwo developed relationship and

in the month of July 2015, thevictim was accompanied bythe accused to his house in OldSubhash Nagar where she wassexually assaulted and theordeal continued for the nextfour years.

Later, when the victimpressurised her of marriage, theaccused threatened her of lifeand escaped from his house.The victim approached AshokaGarden police and lodged acomplaint on Friday.

The accused is stillabsconding and search hasbeen intensified, said police.The victim is a student of B.Aand pursuing her studies froma private college.

Victim is a resident ofKhajuri area and earlier sheused to live in locality wherethe accused used to live. Aftera case was registered against theaccused he went abscondingand is still at large.

-./���/����������0)�����0����#���������������������

�������� ������ 2�,��-

Chhola Mandir police hasnabbed two miscreants near

Prem Nagar and recovered ille-gally transported 1,400 bottles ofcountry-made liquor worth�1,16,000 and a motorbike onFriday.

According to the police,acting of a tip off, two youthswere detained near Prem Nagarin the night and when they weresearched, 28 cartons and amotorbike were recovered fromtheir possession. The twoaccused were identified as

Pramod Shakya and Harsh aliasGolu Lodhi of Qazi ChholaMandir area.

The source from which thetwo have obtained the liquor andwhere it was scheduled to bedelivered would be investigated.

Initially, the miscreants triedto escape from the spot but thepolicemen overpowered them.A case under section 34(2) of theExcise Act was registered.

During the investigation,police found that 1,400 bottleswere in 28 cartons on the spotand the two were trying to sellliquor but were nabbed.

L����!� �����!���"��%���$�������� �

��������9�� 2�,��-

“When I play on stage, I do aconversation with my audi-

ence,” says the renownedsitarist Ustad Hidayat HusainKhan.

Son of a legendary sitaristUstad Vilayat Khan, UstadHidayat Husain Khan grew upwith music and hence holds adifferent level of passion forIndian Classical music. He wasin Bhopal on Saturday to per-form in the 4th edition ofHriday Drishyam. During hiscandid and exclusive ren-dezvous with The Pioneer,Hidayat talked about howmusic became his first love.

“I think the music is in mygenes. Since childhood musichas been around me.”Elaborating further, he said, “Ibelieve that I am in a conver-sation with my audience when-ever I play on stage. Honestly,it's more like a soulful interac-tion with people who are lis-tening to my music.”

On asking about why heonly chose ‘sitar’ as an instru-ment to play, Hidayat said

contentedly, “My mother usedto play sitar, my elder brotheris also into Indian classicalmusic. Hence, my father want-ed me to sing and I got myvocal training. As I grew older,I got into serious lessons of sitarand hence I hold a differentkind of love for it.” Hidayat notonly play sitar, but he sings toowhen performs.

His first solo concert washeld when he was 9 years oldin Lucknow. Hidayat is a ded-icated, charismatic and funloving musician. Hidayatbelieves in versatility of musicwith amazing and mesmerisingvocal style.

About improvisation inmusic today, Hidayat spoke,“Obviously, the soul is IndianClassical. But, Abba alwaysencouraged us to have versa-tile interests in music and soyou appreciate things andlife, after which you are ableto connect with the people.So, as musicians workinginternational ly, we playIndian classical, fusion andmore and event we are enjoy-ing our work.”

“I like variety and differ-ent disciplines and differentsources of inspiration and Ienjoy all of it,” he added.

On asking about his bestcomposition so far, he said, “Icannot be so precise about it,as I will do my best thenthere’ll be no room for me todo something better. So withtime I keep on improving andcreate something soulful formy listeners.”

While signing off, theloved musician globally, saysIndian classical is all aboutolder people is a myth. Todayyoungsters too are into Indianclassical and they talk aboutit. “I cannot actually adviseany newcomer or an aspirantof music. But, all I would sayis to stay honest always.

�"����-��������������0�-� ������8������������������� �����!

�%����'�������-��� � ��%�������%�����"&"�� ����������������8����"��������� �7.�����(��%���9������������������������+%�#� �������"��� ��������#%���

�������� ������ 2�,��-

A12-year-old boy drownedon Friday after he fell

from culvert along with bicy-cle in Ratibad area. The boywas on his way to home afterpractising at Sai SportsAcademy. Ratibad police hasstarted investigation.

Police said that thedeceased was identified asVarun Gaur.

The deceased was movingon his bicycle and failed tomaintain control on a roaddivider and fell in nullah andwas rushed to a nearby hos-pital where he died duringtreatment.

The deceased was a stu-dent of class 8. The police wasinformed and on the receiptof information, a police teamreached the spot and startedinvestigation. The body wassent for the post mortem.

After the preliminaryinvestigation, police have reg-istered a case under section174 of the CrPC.

The deceased had gone topractise cycling at the SaiSports Complex along withhis friends.

Meanwhile, a 45-year-oldwoman died under suspi-cious circumstances atAcharpura under Eitkhedipolice station area on Friday.

Police said that thedeceased identified as MaltiBai was rushed to nearbyhospital after she reporteduneasiness and where shedied during treatment.

Family members havetold the police that thedeceased was not sufferingany illness. Body was sent forthe post mortem and a caseunder section 174 of theCrPC was registered in theinvestigation.

The reason behind thedeath could not be ascer-tained and would be investi-gated in the further investi-gation said police.

67�������� �����������������������������

� �� �� ������������� ���� ���������� �!"

#���"�� ���$�%���&� �#��� �� � ���� '

���� ������� $������(�$ ���&

� �#���)����� ����� ����#���$ ��������*�(��� �� ��� �(������ �#���

�������� ������ 2�,��-

Chief Minister Kamal Nathinaugurated mobile bank-

ing facility like commercialand nationalised banks for thefirst time in Madhya PradeshState Cooperative Bank (ApexBank) at the Mantralaya. Healso released the Apex Bankdiary and calendar for the year2020 on the occasion. TheChief Minister lauded theintroduction of mobile bankingfacility for the customers ofcooperative banks.

The Chief Minister saidthat there is need to enablecooperative banks like com-

mercial banks. TheCooperative bank is associatedwith a large number of farmersin addition to ordinary cus-tomers. Therefore, it should beour goal to provide them allstate-of -the-art banking facil-ities.

The mobile banking ser-vice launched by Apex Bankfor the first time will benefitone lakh customers.

The app has been pre-pared for this. With the intro-duction of this facility, cus-tomers of the bank will haveservices through mobile at allbranches of Apex Bank.Customers have to download

the MP Apex m-banking appfrom Google Play Store orApple Store.

In banking transactions,there is a two-tier securitysystem, in which transactionscan be made using OTP andT-PIN.

The Apex Bank diary andcalendar released by the ChiefMinister focuses on the 150thanniversary of the Father ofthe Nation Mahatma Gandhi.Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughtsare outlined in the calendar.Besides the photographs offreedom movement are alsodisplayed in the calendar.

Among those present on

the occasion CooperativeMinister Govind Singh, Foodand Civil Supplies MinisterPradyumna Singh Tomar,Farmer Welfare andAgriculture DevelopmentMinister Sachin Yadav,Administrator of MadhyaPradesh State CooperativeBank Ashok Singh, MLASuresh Dhakad and BaijnathKushwaha, PrincipalSecretar y Cooperatives,Farmer Welfare andAgriculture Development AjitKesari , CommissionerCooperatives NK Agarwaland Managing Director ofApex Bank Pradeep Neekhra.

�'� �"��%����2� ��2�����&����� ����

/������/����&����������������%��'����������:������ �����������������*������%��%������'����������7*�����%��'����&����*���9�/����&���� ���9�"���&�+%�#� ;������"���<�����/����� 80=0=����+%�����+%��������+%�#� �������"��� ��������#%���

Farming for basic suste-nance is all right, but farm

entrepreneurship will reallymake a big change in theagrarian economy of MadhyaPradesh, says Santosh Yadava progressive farmer fromKhargone distr ict , whoreceived Krishi KarmanAward from the PrimeMinister at Tumkur,Karnataka recent ly. Hereceived the Award for wheatproduction during 2016–17.

The wheat output fromhis field was assessed 44 quin-tal per acre.

He owns 10 acres dividedbetween four family membersincluding himself inDhaamnod, Kasrawad block-Khargone. His elder sonYogesh studies in class 10thwhile daughter Tanushree isin 8th standard. "I have onetube well and one conven-tional well. Enough for thesize of my field. Besides, threebuffalos, two bulls and a coware a great help.

The bulls are still useful,he adds.

Sharing his views aboutvarious dimensions of farm-ing, Santosh Yadav informsthat the labour skilled infarming is thinning out. Ihave to perform many labour-intensive farm activities, hesays. "My soil health wasdeteriorated but timely testingwas a great help. Deficienciesof potash and zinc have beenremoved. I have made it apractice not to use pesticides.Though not easy, but gradu-ally zero level can be achieved,he says.

Appreciating, the JaiKisan Crop Loan WaiverScheme, he observes that alldebt–ridden farmers inKasravad now feel relieved.Their crop loans upto Rs twolakh have been waived off, hesays. Last year I cultivated bit-ter gourd on less than oneacre and earned Rs 1.10 lakhat the rate of Rs 20 to 30 perkg.

Shivlata Mehto owns 4.5acre out of total 10 acre in her

family. The rest is owned byher husband and two sons.The elder son RishabhMehato is pursuing MSc inAgriculture at RKDF collegeBhopal while the youngerson Arjun Mehto is doingcomputer science from SardarVallabhbhai PatelGovernment PolytechnicBhopal.

She informs that Rishabhis deeply interested in farmmachinery and can repairtractor engines. Though theyare free to pursue career oftheir interest but we don'tmind if they join us.

"I got the award for pro-duction of gram during 2017-18. The yield was assessedround 18 quintal per acre.The market rate of �4,000 perquintal was a big relief.

The biggest advantage isthat my field is is in Pathrotavillage just 5 kilometre fromItarsi tehsil headquarters. It isa Gram Panchayat having apopulation about 3,000. "Myhusband Sahab Lal helps mehelp me a lot in management

of farm activities, she says.Similarly, Kanchan Verma

owns a sizeable land measur-ing 70 acre but divided intotwo families in Somalwadavillage in Itarsi, Hoshangabad.She received the Award forproduction of wheat in 2016-17. The wheat output wasassessed as 44 quintals peracre.

She has a piece of advicefor other farmers regardingexamination of soil. Soil test-ing is fruitful before everyseason and always avoidmonoculture practice. "I gotmy soil tested and zinc defi-ciency was reported. So I gotit treated accordingly beforethe start of sowing.

The last year, we harvest-ed beans on a larger areabrought them to market atleast one month before theseason. Thus, we got hand-some price of �70 to 80 perkg, she informs.

(The writer is DeputyDirector - PR at CM Press Cell)

7/���������#����"�%�#��� ���� ���������2�&��%��&������� �����%$���

�������� ������ 2�,��-

Chief Minister Kamal Nathhas said that a Millet

Mission Corporation should beformed to increase the pro-duction and use of small grains.The Chief Minister has giveninstructions to ensure pro-curement of paddy from all thefarmers by January 20 andpayment is also made on time.

While issuing instructionsto make prior preparations forprocurement and storage ofupcoming rabi crops inadvance, the Chief Ministerhas asked the officials to signan MoU with the Governmentof India soon for decentralizedprocurement. Nath wasreviewing preparation for pro-curement of Rabi crops andprogress of paddy procure-ment at the Mantralaya.Cooperative Minister GovindSingh, Food and Civil SuppliesMinister Pradyumna SinghTomar, Farmer Welfare andAgriculture DevelopmentMinister Sachin Yadav werepresent in the meeting.

Chief Minister KamalNath said that all collectorsshould be directed to keep astrict vigil to ensure that paddyand rice should not comefrom other states during theprocurement. The ChiefMinister instructed to makearrangements by assessing theprocurement centres inadvance for the productionand procurement of upcomingRabi crops.

He also asked to deter-mine the accountability of theprocurement agencies.

The Chief Minister saidthat there should be lessexpenditure on transporta-tion of procured wheat.Keeping the convenience offarmers in view, maximumprocurement centres should beestablished in consultationwith the district administra-tion.

Essential facilities of can-teen etc should be made avail-able to the farmers at the pro-

curement centres, a proposalfor the amount to be spentshould be prepared. The ChiefMinister told to chalk out aplan to widely publicize theschemes being run by thegovernment for the welfare offarmers in the procurementcentres.

On storage and packingsystem of procured foodgrains, Chief Minister KamalNath said that informationabout the godowns construct-ed by private sector and coop-erative societies should beobtained from the collectors.

On completion of thecapacity of the godowns,instructions should be given tothe collectors to select andreserve land for constructionof cape and silo. The ChiefMinister said that a planshould be made to developgodown and other facilities forfair price shops and procure-ment centres in future.

The Chief Minister told tomake full preparations regard-ing availability of gunny bagsand other options. He direct-ed that the district collectorswill be responsible for moni-toring the procurement.

Stringent action shouldbe taken against the irregu-larities in procurement andthey should be removedimmediately from the pro-curement work.

The Chief Minister direct-ed to distribute jowar andbajra acquired at the supportprice from the fair price shopsof the public distribution sys-tem.

'" ���#��������"���&��������&��%��&���������3��%�#������������� ������ �>�&������������3��%�#����*?2� �'��������+%�#� �������"���

��������#%���

��������+� ���� ��$��� ������%������(����� �)#� � �(����,���$������

������ ���� ������������,�� $������ �,���$��������$,����(�-�)

���,

7'� ���'��������#��������%�" 2��������������������%�#��"���������"������� �&�����

Page 4: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

�������.������ *������ *�"����� +,-�,.,.

!�����" ���������� �(������>��3������)��2� �'"�"�����+%�#� �������"��� ��������#%���

�������� ������ 2�,��-

Poison Information Centreunder the department of

Forensic Medicine andToxicology at AII IndiaInstitute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS), Bhopal, was inaugu-rated here on Saturday in theAIIMS campus by President,AIIMS, Bhopal. It will provideinformation related to poison-ing treatment/management tothe treating clinician.

The clinician can contactthrough call or message ormail on following- Toll-freenumber – 180023331122,Mobile number –9407304738/9407214738,Whatsapp/ text message -9407304738/9407214738 andEmail id – [email protected]

.Duty doctor in centre will

ask questions about poisonand will provide informationafter its confirmation in thesoftware used in the poisoninformation centre.

The software holds infor-mation about 3,50,000 poi-sons/ chemical substances. Thisservice would be available 24X7for all emergency/non emer-gency queries from AIIMS,Bhopal or outside.

There are 9 poison infor-

mation centres in the countryand after its inauguration onJanuary 10, 2020 it will be the10 th poison information cen-tre.

During this occasionDirector, AIIMS Bhopal, ProfSarman Singh, MedicalSuperintend, Dr ManishaShrivastava, Dean (Academic),Prof Arneet Arora, DeputyDirector (Admin.), ShramdeepSinha, I/c Financial Advisor,Superintending Engineer,Jeetendra Kumar Saxena,Registrar, Benny Abrahm,Senior Administrative Officer,Gaurav Dwivedi, PPS toDirector, Soumya AnieTripathi, Administrative officer,Vishal Kumar Gupta, Facultymembers of FMT Departmentand other Officers were pre-sent.

���� ��������� ����������)�$���'/�'���

,� �� �0������� $) �����

������*��������������������"&"���������**'�

�������� ������ 2�,��-

Madhya Pradesh STF havesent two nabbed accused

to two days of police custodywho were involved in contact-ing Madhya Pradesh Governorposing as Union HomeMinister Amit Shah and his PA.More crimes could be revealedin the further investigation.

The two nabbed accuseddentist Chandresh Shukla andWing Commander KuldeepWaghela were sent under policecustody for two days. The twowere nabbed after they con-tacted Madhya PradeshGovernor for helping in selec-tion of Chandresh for the postof VC at Madhya PradeshMedical Science UniversityJabalpur.

The facebook ofChandresh is filled with pho-tographs with leaders of polit-ical parties and he is current-ly working as professor withPeople Dental College.

In the investigation othercrimes of facilitating workfraudulently has not beenrevealed but nothing could beruled out at the moment andmore could only be revealedafter the two are quizzed inthe police custody said SPSTF Rajesh Bhadoria.

SP Bhadoria said that theChandresh became friendwith Kuldeep Waghela duringhis visits at the governorhouse when he was ADC toformer governor RamnareshYadav and later Waghela wasposted as Wing Commanderat Air Force Headquarters.After Chandresh applied forthe post of VC he contactedKuldeep as he worked at gov-ernor house and during dis-cussion they decided to con-tact present Madhya Pradeshgovernor for helpingChandresh in selection.

The two contacted gover-nor posing as PA of HomeMinister Amit Shah and AmitShah and shared Chandresh’sapplication and asked to helpin the selection but governorgrew suspicious and enquiredregarding the call which wasfound fake and later com-plaint was lodged and twowere arrested.

Chandresh is close to aminister with Congress gov-ernment but SP Bhadoriadenied any such finding of inthe investigation.

Notably on January 3accused contacted MadhyaPradesh Governor Lalj iTandon and the call lastaround 2.14 minutes andwhen governor house con-tacted Home Minister officethe call was found to be madeby fraudsters.

For arresting Waghelapermission was sought fromAir Force headquarters.

��� �.�0���

The Chie f Minis terTrivendra Singh Rawat

has exhorted the intellectu-als and good citizens tocome forward and activelyparticipate in the socialissues and politics. He wasspeaking as chief guest dur-ing the opening ceremony of“Utt ara k hand YoungLeaders” conclave here onSaturday. The CM said thatwhen good people take backseat, wrong elements enterpolitics. “In politics, headsare counted, it doesn’t mat-ter what is inside the heads.So it is essential that goodpeople come forward. Whenpolitics gets associated withideas and knowledge, deci-sions in the interest ofnat ion and s o c ie ty aretaken,’’ he said.

Calling upon the youthto take inspiration from thelife of Swami Vivekanand, hesaid that everyone should

become a scholar and intro-spect to find oneself. Headded t hat Vivekanandintroduced the world to therich Indian phi losophy.

Terming India as a youngcountry, the CM said whileother countries are becom-ing old, India remains youngas 30 percent of population

of youth reside in India. “Incoming years, India wouldlead the world and indica-tions have started. In con-flict with America, Iran has

said that India should medi-ate for the peace process,’’ hesaid. Asking students totake lessons of managementfrom lord Hanuman, theCM said that he used towork diligently and dedicat-edly in service of Lord Ramand adde d t hat Swami

Vivekanand also gave themantra of “Arise, awake andstop not till the goal isreached”.

Expressing regret overthe fact that education todayis lacking good virtues, hesaid that a recent reportsuggested that 90 percent of

rapes are carried by personswho knew the victim.

Rawat said that everyoneshould take part in the callgiven by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi to abandonuse of single-use plastic.

He c la ime d t hatDehradun Munic ipa lCorporation (DMC) tookup the call on a big scale anda human chain event wasorganised. The CM said thatuse of single-use plastic hasgot reduced by 75 percent inDehradun.

In his address, the StateMinister for higher educa-tion, Dhan Singh Rawat,said that many social issueswould be discussed by theyoungsters during the twoday conclave. He said thatyouth are needed to be givenright direction for progressof State and nation. TermingUttarakhand Chief Ministeras most honest and hardworking CM of the country,he said that even PM Modi

has praised UttarakhandCM.

The pro vice chancellor(VC) of the Dev SanskratiUnivers i ty, Hardiwar,Chinmaya Pandya said thata society and country canexcel only when its resi-dents learn to respect eachother.

He said that is unfortu-nate that virtues are erodingat a rapid pace in the soci-ety. He said that Indian cul-ture and good virtues areneeded to be inculcated inthe society.

The Mayor of Dehradun,Sunil Uniyal Gama, RajpurML A, K hajan D as ,Additional Chief SecretaryRadha Raturi, principal sec-re t ar y Anand Vardhan,Direc tor G enera l (D G)Police, Anil Raturi, deputychairman of migration com-mission, S S Negi and VC ofmany universities were pre-s ent on t he occasion.

�-������������������ �����8���������������������������!1$��%2��"����)#$�#��#"��������#��������#$�������������� ���"���

��� �.�0���

The Chief MinisterTrivendra Singh Rawat

has said that a conspiracy todisturb peace in the country inthe name of protests ofCitizenship Amendment Act(CAA) is going on. He toldmedia persons that PrimeMinister and Home Minister

have repeatedly said that theCAA seeks to grant citizenshipand not associated with takingback anyones citizenship. Hesaid that India has a rich tra-dition of welcoming people ofother countries and the coun-try has given refuge to peopleof many religions in past.Rawat said that the oppositionof CAA is mischievous andpolitically motivated.

������������������ ����������������)��$�1��

��� 0��'�(

Soon after swearing in as theChief Minister, Hemant

Soren won hearts by his well-meaning gesture of asking forbooks instead of bouquets.And hardly a fortnight into histenure at the helm, he is giv-ing his due attention to eventhe smallest of concerns raisedby commoners — all it takesis a Tweet, and the CM willcome to one’s rescue.

Right from anomalies inpublic distribution system tonegligence towards patients inGovernment hospitals andbribery by officials to powerfailures, the CM has addressedthe pettiest of issues plaguingpeople of the State only with atweet from his official Twitterhandle.

The process is simple.People facing problems relat-ed to anomalies inGovernment machinery aretweeting to Soren and he is

being prompt in directing theconcerned DeputyCommissioner to look into thematter. This practice ofaddressing issues on Twitterhas shown some quick resultstoo. The licence of a PublicDistribution System (PDS)shop owner in Hazaribag, whodid not supply ration to poorbeneficiaries in a particularvillage, was cancelled soonafter the CM’s intervention.Soren was informed about theanomaly by a commoner onmicro blogging website Twitterand he was quick to direct aprobe into the matter.

“Twitter has become aplatform for fast-track solutionof problems. The ChiefMinister is active on the plat-form and is very prompt inaddressing such issues,” saidNavin Singh, one of theTwitterati, who had sought theCM’s help online.

On Friday, Soren retweet-ed a complaint highlighting

involvement of police in coalsmuggling in Dhanbad. OneDhananjay Mandal had shareda video of the bodyguard of apoliceman demanding bribefrom coal smugglers in thedistrict. “DC Dhanbad andDhanbad Police, corruption,illegal mining won’t be tolerat-ed at any cost. Please ensurethat adequate action is taken to

curb these practices,” Sorentweeted.

Responding to a tweet onTuesday, Soren asked DeputyCommissioner of Latehar toinquire into a case of powerfailure in 200 households of avillage. The DC has initiatedan inquiry into the matter.

The CM’s activity onTwitter is not only limited to

highlighting concerns of com-moners, but also to seek followups on media reports.

He has tweeted severalmedia reports lately asking theconcerned authorities forexplanations and directingprobes if necessary.

�$�8������������� ������������������ �����1��##��#������"������������#������#$�������#��

�������%�������%����'�������.������������)�������%�� � ��������#%���

��.�=�'.2,,+�,='����0.���(�=(--.���(��

��,�,0�����(���-.��.0��,=

�,-(�('�-��0�(.��

'���)/���������22�����"��������������#� ����"����

��� 0��'�(

State BJP SpokespersonPratul Shahdeo has con-

demned Congress ministersRameshwar Oraon andAlamgir Alam and otherCongressmen for making‘Chhapak’ movie a media event.Pratul said that the Congressdid nothing for these acid-affected young women duringtheir 50-year rule at the Centre.

On the other hand theNDA Government at theCentre not only worked tobring it under the category ofheinous crime but also made aprovision for reservation inGovernment job to the victimsof acid attack.

He said that the NDAGovernment made a provi-sion for punishment up to lifeimprisonment for the perpe-trators of this crime.

The NDA Governmentalso enacted stringent laws tocontrol the sale of acid. Pratulsaid that the Congress leadershave acted as publicity agentsof Deepika Padukone by mak-ing it a media event.

He added the Congressleaders, who made this whole issue just a publicitystunt, should also look into thestruggle within the acid attackvictims.

If the Congressmen weretruly heartbroken for theyouths suffering from acidattacks, then they would havemade awareness against this bymaking some big announce-ments. But, when the reality ofthe JNU protest comes to thefore and the public is angry atthe public outrage by opposingthe Citizenship AmendmentAct, the Congress is trying todivert attention through ‘movietourism’, he added.

3%���������������#�)���#������#��##��#�����������)��,

��� '����(�0�

Fifteen acid attack survivorsfrom Punjab attended a

special screening of the movieChhapaak, organised by theSocial Security, Women andChild DevelopmentDepartment of the state atZirakur near here.

Talking to reporters,Women and ChildDevelopment Minister, ArunaChaudhary said that she salutesthe bravery and courage exhib-ited by the acid attack surviv-ing women in the face of heavyodds and added that PunjabGovernment is undertakingevery step necessary to ensuresafe and secure public places forwomen.

The minister said that asper the report of the bureau ofinvestigation, there are 40 cases

registered in connection withthe acid attacks. Out of these,in 11 cases the conviction hasbeen pronounced.

The minister added thatthe Social Security, Women andChild DevelopmentDepartment provides a pensionof Rs. 750 to all persons whohave been disabled due to theacid attacks. Under the schemeof financial assistance towomen acid attack victims, apension of Rs. 8000 per month

is being provided. Chaudhary said that in

accordance with the presentpolicy of the HomeDepartment, there is a provi-sion of compensation of Rs. 3lakh per victim and so far, theHome Department has dis-bursed compensation to thetune of Rs. 8300000 to 40 vic-tims. Furthermore, the HealthDepartment has notified thePunjab Possession and SaleRule, 2014 to regulate the pos-session and the sale of acid.

Principal Secretary of theDepartment Raji P. Shrivastava,Director Gurpreet Kaur Sapra,Inspector General of Police,Vibhu Raj, amongst othersattended the show.

The Deepika Padukonemovie was organised in col-laboration with Dhillon plazaZirakpur at INOX plaza.

53���� �����������8�8��������� ������������9�������������+� ���� �

������ �,���������,���������)$���$��

��� �(����'����������.���� � ��( ���� ��

������������������� ������%

Page 5: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

��� ���%��/

� �����-�����!������.���.-�(

With former Army ChiefGeneral Bipin Rawat

being criticised for giving polit-ical statements, his successorGeneral Manoj Naravanesought to put the recordsstraight on Saturday sayingthe armed forces owe alle-giance to the Constitution andits preamble. His commentscame on the backdrop of grow-ing perception of politicisationof the armed forces over the lastfew years.

Addressing his maidennews conference after assum-ing charge earlier this month,Naravane said the conduct ofthe 1.3 million-strong Army isguided by its "allegiance" to theConstitution and its core val-ues of justice, liberty, equalityand fraternity.

Elaborating upon his focusas the chief, Naravane said itwill be 'ABC' - "allegiance,belief and consolidation," not-ing that protecting the core val-ues of the Constitution willremain the driving force of hispersonnel.

"We swear allegiance tothe Constitution of India. Be itofficers or jawans, we havetaken oath to protect theConstitution and that is whatshould guide us in all time and

all our actions," the ArmyChief said.

"What it translates into isalso the core values which areenshrined in the Preamble tothe Constitution which arejustice, liberty, equality andfraternity. That is what we arefighting for," he said.

The Army is deployed onthe border safeguarding thesovereignty and territorialintegrity, "it is to secure for ourpeople these core values. And,I think, that is what we and Iwould like to say that we needto keep in mind," he added.

The present Army Chief 'sobservations come at a timewhen former chief Rawat was

criticised for wading into polit-ical issues and not remainingneutral.

Last month, he triggered arow publicly criticising peopleleading protests over the newcitizenship law, saying leader-ship is not about guiding mass-es to carry out arson and vio-lence across the country.

He was slammed by oppo-sition parties as well as veter-ans who stressed that thearmed forces must follow thedecades-old principle of serv-ing the country and not anypolitical force.

Meanwhile, Naravane alsosaid his other focus areas wouldbe 'ITPQ'which he explained as

Integration, Training Personneland Quality. He said integra-tion of purposes within theArmy and with the two otherforces would be a key area forhim.

In this regard, Naravane

said the creation of Chief ofDefence Staff(CDS) to achieveintegration to fight a modernwar is 'game changer" addingthe Army will make sure thatthis is a success.

IAF chief RKS Bhadauria

also backed the CDS and saidin Chennai on Saturday theforces have started taking stepsto build a new joint infra-structure & bring jointness. Healso said the idea is to synergiseand bring the cost down, and

deliver bigger punch with theresources we have.

Meanwhile, the ArmyChief said the focus of trainingwill be on preparing the Armyfor future wars which he saidwill be network-centric and

complex. He said the personnel

were the "greatest strength" inthe Army, adding "quality andnot quantity will be the mantra,be it the selection of personnelor equipment."

�������������� ����� ������������������ ��������������

��� �.���.-�(

In a major breakthrough, thenaval variant of the indige-

nous Light Combat Aircraft(LCA)-Mk1 Tejas under devel-opment successfully landedfor the first time onboard air-craft carrier INS Vikramadityaon Saturday.

"After completing exten-sive trials on the Shore BasedTest Facility (SBTF), Navalversion of Light CombatAircraft (LCA) did a success-ful arrested landing onboardINS Vikramaditya at 10:02hrs today," the DefenceResearch and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO) said ina statement. CommodoreJaideep Maolankar did themaiden landing, it added.

Defence Minister RajnathSingh, in a tweet, said the suc-cessful landing of the aircrafton INS Vikramaditya is a

"great event" in the history ofIndian fighter aircraft devel-opment programme.

With this feat, the indige-nously developed niche tech-nologies specific to deck basedfighter operations have been

proven, which will now pavethe way to develop and man-ufacture the twin engine deckbased fighter for the IndianNavy, the Navy said.

The Naval LCA recentlysuccessfully completed take

off and landing trials on theSBTF in Goa.

The contributions ofHindustan AeronauticsLimited (HAL) include thelanding gear, arrestor hook andsupport staff controlling atSBTF Goa along with IndianNavy, said R Madhavan,Chairman and ManagingDirector of HAL.

Navy Chief AdmiralKarambir Singh had stated inDecember that the DRDO hasoffered to develop a new twinengine deck based fighter forthe Navy based on the experi-ence of the Naval LCA and itshould be ready by 2026. TheNavy is in the process of final-ising the Quality Requirementfor the new twin engine deckfighter.

The Naval LCA-Mk1made its maiden flight in April2012 and two prototypes havebeen flying as part of the

development.The SBTF, which repli-

cates the flight deck of an air-craft carrier, was built to trainnaval pilots in the complexmanoeuvres of landing on theshort flight deck of an aircraftcarrier after before they moveon to the actual carrier.

Naval LCA is designedwith stronger landing gears toabsorb forces exerted by the skijump ramp during take-off, tobe airborne within 200m andland within 100m as against1000m required for normalrunways.

The Navy currently oper-ates Russian Mig-29K fightersfrom INS Vikramaditya whichwill also fly from the firstIndigenous Aircraft Carrier(IAC) Vikrant once it entersservice. The Navy is also eval-uating global tenders for 57carrier based twin enginefighter aircraft.

&��$#�%�(#�������#������������� �"���#�

���� �.���.-�(

In 2018, over 3,800 foreignerswere arrested in the country

with West Bengal alone report-ing 35 per cent of the totalcrimes committed by them,according to the latest NationalCrime Records Bureau(NCRB) data.

Altogether, 3,822 foreign-ers - 2,859 males and 963females - were arrested in 2018across India, the data stated.

The NCRB recorded 2,128crimes committed by foreign-ers in 2018 across the country,while the numbers stood at2,242 in 2017 and 1,226 in2016.

During the same year, 517crimes were committed againstforeigners in India, up from492 in 2017 and 382 in 2016.

Delhi alone reported over 36per cent of such cases in 2018,the NCRB said.

Among all States and Union Territories, WestBengal reported 744 crimescommitted by foreigners, con-stituting 35 per cent of the totalnumber of such crimes acrossIndia.

Delhi reported 203 crimes(9.5 per cent) committed byforeigners, followed by 175 inKarnataka (8.2 per cent), 147 inHimachal Pradesh (6.9 percent), 138 in Goa (6.5 percent) and 134 in Maharashtra(6.3 per cent), the data showed.

The maximum number ofreported cases, 999 in number,were registered under theForeigners Act, 1946, andRegistration of Foreigners Act,1939, followed by 273 casesunder the Narcotic Drug andPsychotropic Substances(NDPS) Act, 148 under thePassport Act and 113 of cheat-ing, the data showed.

There were also 16 cases ofmurder, seven of rape, six ofkidnapping and abduction andfive of human trafficking.In terms of crimes committed

against foreigners, Delhireported 189 cases (36.6 percent), followed by 63 inMaharashtra (12.2 per cent), 62in Uttar Pradesh (12 per cent),51 in Tamil Nadu (9.9 percent), 34 in Goa (6.6 per cent)and 28 in Karnataka (5.4 percent), the data showed.

The total crimes against foreigners included 259cases of theft, 52 cases ofassault on women with intentto outrage modesty, 27 cases ofrape, 12 cases of human traf-ficking and 11 of murder, thedata stated.

The NCRB, under theUnion Ministry of HomeAffairs, is responsible for col-lecting and analysing data oncrime, as defined by the IndianPenal Code and special andlocal laws in the country.

��� ������������ ���������������

��������������������� ���������������

��� �.���.-�(

The Congress too onSaturday demanded the

withdrawal of the Citizenship(Amendment) Act besides aninquiry by a high-poweredcommission into the incidentsconnected with the anti-CAAprotests, and the stoppage ofthe ongoing process of NationalPopulation Register (NPR).

Addressing the CongressWorking Committee (CWC)meeting, Congress presidentSonia Gandhi termed the CAAa "discriminatory and divisive"law whose "sinister" purposewas to divide people on reli-gious lines. She also said thatthe NPR in form and contentwas "disguised NRC".

Sonia said thousands ofyoung men and women, espe-cially students have realized the"grave harm" that implemen-tation of the new Citizenshiplaw will cause. They havetaken to the streets braving thecold as well as police brutalities,Sonia Gandhi said.

The grand old party alsopassed a resolution stating theBJP-led NDA Government has

used brute State power to sup-press voice of students andyouth and the Prime Ministerand ruling party have betrayedthe trust of the youth.

The CWC resolutiondemanded that CAA should bewithdrawn and process of NPRbe stopped forthwith as situa-tion in some states is alarmingand turning them into policestates, notably Uttar Pradeshand the Delhi.

Apart from Sonia, formerPrime Minister ManmohanSingh, top party leaders P

Chidambaram, Anand Sharma,AK Antony, KC Venugopal,Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,Jyotiraditya Scindia wereamong those present at themeeting but Rahul Gandhi wasconspicuous by his absencebeing his third miss to a cru-cial party meeting after herelinquished the party chiefpost taken over by her motherSonia.

As the students' protestgains momentum, Sonia said itis clear that the Government isdigging in its heels. "Not a day

passes without the HomeMinister and on some days thePrime Minister himself makingprovocative statements," theCongress president said.

"The situation in somestates is alarming, turning the states into police states,notably in Uttar Pradesh andthe Union Territory of Delhi,"she said.

Coming down hard on theNational Population Register(NPR), Sonia told Congress topbrass not to be under any illu-sion that it was a "benign exer-

cise". "In form and content,NPR 2020 is a disguised NRC,"she said.

She also hit out at the gov-ernment over the state of theeconomy and the situation inJ&K.

"It is a matter of anguishand concern that the people inJ&K continue to be deniedtheir fundamental rights whilethe Government makes farcicalclaims of normalcy andarranges guided tours of diplo-mats," she said.

The CWC also deliberatedupon the social, economic andinternational challenges con-fronting the country. Almostevery institution in the coun-try - Delhi University, JNU,Jamia Millia University ,Banaras Hindu University,Allahabad University, AMU,and many others have seenmassive protests, it noted.

It also expressed deep con-cerns over the recent developments in the Gulfregion where tensions havespiralled between the US andIran over the killing of topIranian commander QasemSoleimani.

��8����8������� �.���.-�(

Amid tight security footprintalong the Line of Control

(LoC) and in the hinterland inJ&K and improving situationon the ground, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) hasshifted terror tactic and revivedthe Afzal Guru Squad in theirbid to execute attacks againstthe Forces.

As part of the new strate-gy, ISI's key terror affiliateJaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) hasconstituted assault teams of theAfzal Guru Squad whichincluded both Pakistani (for-eign) terrorists and localKashmiri militants in order toachieve an improved "success"against the forces.

The Squad had last hitforces at the Indian army campat Sunjuwan where the terror-ists had killed six soldiers evenas three terrorists and a civil-ian lost their lives and 20 oth-ers (14 soldiers) were injuredon February 10, 2018.

After the Sunjuwan attack,the security forces eliminatedall the members of the Squadincluding mastermind of the

Sunjuwan attack Mufti Waqas.The attack coincided with thedeath anniversary of AfzalGuru's hanging for the 2001Parliament terror attack.

The reorganisation of theterrorist ranks comes as thesecurity situation on theground has begun improvingmonths after the erstwhile Stateof J&K was reconstituted intotwo Union Territories-J&K andLadakh and Article 370 of theConstitution that granted spe-cial status to the State was nul-lified, officials said.

They said Shia Muslims inKargil and Budgam protestedagainst the killing of IranianGeneral Qasem Soleimani in adrone strike by the US inBaghdad last week.

The Kashmir Valley is cur-rently dominated by Wahabismand Salafism and the Shiasholding protest march espe-cially in Budgam indicatesother sects are now raising theirvoice.

The protests by Shias couldalso signal a desire amongst asection of the community toreturn to their roots that wasessentially Sufi Islam, a senior

security official said. The official said markets in

Srinagar are now open evenafter 6.30 PM which is alsoindicative of the people's real-ization of the changed securi-ty environment in the Valley.

"Besides the eliminationof the terrorist leadership, animproved security situation onthe ground can wean away thelocal youth from joining theranks of the jehadis. The for-eign terrorists also mistrustedthe local militants. To offsetthis, the ISI is seeking to put inplace a matrix hit groups underthe Afzal Guru Squad to stayrelevant. The Forces, however,will have to continuouslyremain vigilant to further bol-ster the improvement in thesecurity situation," anotherofficial said.

The JeM has also releaseda hit-list which includes an SSP,a doctor with a paramilitary,one professor and a journalist.

The JeM has confirmedthat the three terrorists killedby the security forces thismonth during their infiltrationbid belonged to the revivedAfzal Guru Squad.

(�(�� ��� ����&��������$�����������!#����(���������! � ����� ������ �� ������!�������� ���

��� �.���.-�(

The CRPF has transferredDIG DK Tripathi, accused

of throwing hot water on ajawan who served it to him ata training centre, to theManipur and Nagaland sectorwith immediate effect, accord-ing to an official order issuedby the paramilitary.

The transfer has beendone pending a detailed probeinto the incident,Tripathi hasbeen transferred to theManipur and Nagaland sectorfrom his current posting inMokamaghat, Bihar.

The purported incidenttook place early this month at

the Central Reserve PoliceForce (CRPF) Recruit TrainingCentre in Bihar's Rajgir dis-trict. The jawan, constableAmol Kharat, is reported tohave suffered scalding injuriesto his face and chest.

The DIG has been trans-ferred after a preliminary

inquiry report into the incidentwas submitted by an InspectorGeneral-rank officer. A fullinvestigation into the incidentwas underway, officials said.

The contents of the pre-liminary inquiry report werenot immediately known butofficials said a recommenda-tion for a detailed and fullprobe was made.

Earlier, an official com-munication by the force hadsaid that the DIG, who wasstaying at the officers' mess ofthe Rajgir-based institute foran official work, had orderedhot water to drink. ConstableKharat, who was on duty at thefacility, served him the water

in a thermos flask.The officer is said to have

burnt his mouth on drinkingthe water without applyinghis mind to mix cold waterbefore drinking. After this,Tripathi summoned Kharatand the DIG "threw" hot wateron the jawan's face and on hiswinter jersey.

As per the previous trendin the Force, officers are hard-ly made accountable even incases involving serious lapsesin operational roles. All theofficers probed for the 2010Dantewada Naxal attack, inwhich 76 paramiliatry jawanswere killed, have been exon-erated, sources said.

7.����������(*���������������'���#"��� �&� ��������

���� �.���.-�(

Afive-judge bench of theSupreme Court will hear

on January 14 curative petitionsof two of the four death-rowconvicts in the Nirbhaya case.

A bench of Justices NVRamana, Arun Mishra, RFNariman, R Banumathi andAshok Bhushan will hear thecurative petitions filed by VinaySharma (26) and MukeshKumar (32) at 1.45 pm onTuesday.

Curative petitions aredecided in-chambers by thejudges. It is the last and finallegal remedy available to aperson.

Mukesh Kumar and VinaySharma had filed curative peti-tions in the apex court onThursday.

Two other death-row con-victs, Akshay Kumar Singh(31) and Pawan Gupta (25),against whom death warrantshave been issued by a Delhicourt, have not filed curativepetitions.

A 23-year-old paramedicstudent, referred to asNirbhaya, was gang-raped andbrutally assaulted on the inter-vening night of December 16-17, 2012, in a moving bus insouth Delhi by six peoplebefore being thrown out on theroad.

She died on December 29at Mount Elizabeth Hospital inSingapore. A Delhi court hadon Tuesday issued death war-rants against the four convictsand said they would be hangedon January 22 at 7 am in Tiharjail.

���� 7�(�0

Rajasthan Government haswithdrawn its decision

taken last week to give tempo-rary bar licences to hotels andrestaurants on 30-foot-wideroads in view of "public senti-ment", Chief Minister AshokGehlot said on Saturday, afteractivists slammed the move asencouraging liquor consump-tion.

The Government hadissued a notification on changesmade to bar license rules lastweek, which paved way forhotels and restaurants on 30-foot-wide roads getting tem-porary bar licences.

The decision was immedi-ately criticised by several social

activists and organisations,who said it will encourageliquor consumption.

Following the protest,Gehlot asked officials to with-draw the notification on Friday.The chief minister also askedthem to prepare a plan foreffective reforms and trans-parency in excise system,according to an official state-ment.

On Saturday, he toldreporters the decision to with-draw the notification was taken"in view of public sentiment."

Gehlot said he was awarethat some liquor shops remainopen even after 8 pm, the clo-sure time, and the govern-ment was trying to curb thepractice.

0�6��������������������� !���������%�� �� ������"������! �� �������� ��

������%�����"�������#����������0����%8������������

��� K(7�<�����

Tension gripped the Capitalregion as the police foiled

a self-immolation attempt by aman who was taking part in ademonstration at Tullur onthe 25th day of the agitation onSaturday.

The protester, who wasidentified as Johnny, pouredkerosene on his person andtried to set himself ablaze.However, the alert policeresponded quickly and foiledthe suicide attempt.

Meanwhile, the policedeployed more forces and thefarmers continued theirprotests in the rest of theCapital villages. The agitators

raised ‘Jai Amaravati’ slogans.However, the police foiled theirattempt to take out rallies say-ing that protest programmeswere banned as Sections 144and 30 were in force in the area.

A man taking photographsby mingling with protestorscreated a furore. When farm-ers asked him who he was, hegave incoherent replies butfinally told them that he was aSpecial Branch constable andthat he was under instructionsfrom the police to take snaps ofthe protest programmes.

A woman suffered a frac-ture in one of her hands in thelathi-charge on the protestorsat Mandadam on Saturdaymorning. Later in the day, a

woman named YarremaneniSree Lakshmi was injured in asimilar incident in the Capiutalregion. She was rushed to theAyush Hospital in Vijayawadaby ‘108’ ambulance service.The other people, who weretaking part in the agitation, saidthe police had clubbed herwith batons in the stomach.

Meanwhile, tensiongripped Velagapudi whenwomen opposed the policefrom entering a house to arresta man accused in attack onMacheral MLA atChinnakakani recently. Thewomen had a heated argumentwith the police who went therewithout a warrant. When thesituation went out of control,

the police beat a hasty retreat.Meanwhile, the YSRCP

government has decided totable the High-PowerCommittee report in theAssembly during a special ses-sion to be held on January 20.Prior to that, the Cabinet meet-ing to b e held on January 18will discuss the three-Capitalconcept.

Though the farmers’ agita-tion has entered the 25th dayon Saturday, the governmentcontinues its silence over theCapital issue.

Against this backdrop,TDP, led by its president NChandrababu Naidu, has inten-sified its agitation against theshifting of the Capital.

�����������! �������� ��5�������������� ����

/� ���%���

����1����'��� ��)�������

2�����'� ��,���� �������� $��� � ��� �(�1$�� ����� ������ ���� �

���:����� �����

���&����������������������������%��� �����2��@;8>A��*��������� �����������-��B��"&�#� ���������������'������'����%������&%��������#�����#����� ������-����%�������'� ����,"��-%��&��"���&����&���$�����&�����������@�$�A������&���� ���(� %��������"���� �)*

������ *������ *�"����� +,-�,.,.

Page 6: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

����#��3������ *������ *�"����� +,-�,.,.

Mumbai: The Indo AmericanChamber of Commerce (IACC)held a roundtable with Khaitan& Co-hosting 30 of the topCEOs and Chairmen on thesubject The IACC plays a pivotalrole of promoting and assistingcompanies with interest in doingbusiness in both countries. Rightfrom creating the need, provid-ing research, assisting in settingup and thereafter also being theirvoice in conveying the painpoints to both Governments.

The deliberation was one ofthe first in a series of listeningto the pain points of companiesoperating in Maharashtra(which contributes 20% ofIndia’s GDP) noting the sug-gestions for improvement andquantifying the impact of thesame. Maharashtra has an ambi-tion of becoming a trillion dol-lar economy by itself and willplay a crucial role in Indiareaching its target of becominga $5 trillion economy.

Naushad Panjwani,President (West), IACC, openedthe roundtable with the fol-lowing statement; “The presentGovt has done well to introducestructural reforms be it in thesegment of labour laws, bank-ing, bankruptcy, digitisationand GST amongst others. Thesereforms were long overdue andthe intent of introducing themwas right, but these could havebeen executed better.”

Saurabh Shah, VP (West) —IACC, said, “It is heartening tosee the Prime Minister person-ally meeting the industry lead-ers, taking a cue from that weare meeting leaders of the nextrung of companies and going to10 cities (Mumbai, NaviMumbai, Pune, Aurangabad,Nashik, Nagpur, Ahmedabad,Surat, Vadodara and Goa) to geta very wide perspective of theirchallenges. A detailed whitepaper on the same will be pre-sented to the state chiefMinisters, relevant union min-

isters and respective AmericanConsulates along with engagingwith them on the subject.”

Ease of Doing Business inIndia Roundtable — KeyTakeaways Digitisation is a key — Be it incompliances, stamp duty, courtrecords or land records. Whilewe are on track, the processneeds to be accelerated, inte-grated and simplified.Key to have clear rules — Thisis necessary to avoid any issuesin interpretation or delay inimplementation. Further, thepunishment/ penalty should beclear, severe and uniform. Facilitation — Focus should beon facilitation rather than onregulation. Pendency of courts — Thisarea needs a lot of work. Somethoughts include increased useof digitization, artificial intel-ligence, etc. Another suggestionis to have ‘mediation’ or ‘con-ciliation’ as pre-requisite beforeapproaching any judicialauthorities — this will reducenumber of cases being filed. Capacity building — Morefocus on capacity building byall Governmental/judicialauthorities. Forums like AICCcan play a big role in this area. Easy access — Automatedprocess to access governmentfacilities. Say, access to ESIhospitals, PF withdrawals, etc. Ease of doing business —Time taken to setup and closebusiness needs improvement.We need to provide incentivesand handholding to set-upbusinesses and documents/compliances required — whilesome states are performingwell in this area, as a countrywe are far behind our devel-oped counterparts. Performance review — Toincentivise better performance,accountability, a clear perfor-mance evaluation system needsto be implemented at Govern-mental authority level. PTI

��� � 2.��-0

South India contributes tomore than 50 per cent India

sales to Lamborghini and hasemerged as one of the strongestmarkets, said an official onSaturday.

“Today, Bengaluru or theSouthern region is contributingmore than 50 per cent of ourbusiness in India. In this partof the country, the customersare more evolved and they arelooking at collecting thesesuper cars,” Lamborghini Indiahead Sharad Agarwal said.

Agarwal said the Southernmarket is growing much fasterthan rest of India, owing to theinvestments coming to theSouth Indian states and by

virtue of IT hubs being locat-ed in Bengaluru, Hyderabadand Chennai.

“All these regions areattracting more foreign directinvestment (FDI) vis-a-vis restof the country, this is reflectingalso in the business. Bengaluruis definitely important andstrategic for us,” said Agarwal.

The importance ofBengaluru for the Italian carmaker can be understood fromthe fact that a city-based buyerwas the only Indian to buy oneof the 63 limited editionAventador SVJ 63 cars.

Another Bengaluru buyerwas the first Indian to buy lim-ited edition SVJ 900 car.

“We have seen an increasein the number of super car afi-

cionados in India, reflected inthe strong demand across theLamborghini product lineincluding the limited editionsuper sports cars,” saidAgarwal.

Lamborghini has threeshowrooms in India, Delhiand Mumbai and Bengaluruwhich serves the entire SouthIndian market includingHyderabad and Chennai.

However, Agarwal couldnot share Lamborghini sales for2019 as the company’s head-quarters in Italy is yet to declarethe numbers.

“Though the super luxurycar industry sales declined by20 per cent in 2019 and theoverall auto industry sales alsodeclined, Lamborghini had a

healthy double digit salesgrowth last year in India,” saidAgarwal without sharing thenumbers.

Giving a hint atLamborghini India’s clientele,Agarwal said most of the Italiansupercar buyers are entrepre-neurs who always had an aspi-ration or dream to buy theItalian machine.

Lamborghini retails threemodels worldwide, sports util-ity vehicle Urus, Huracan andAventador, under multiple vari-ants, all of which are availablein India.

All Lamborghini cars aremade at one single factory inItaly, to be exported as com-pletely built units (CBU) acrossthe world.

"# ��������� ����������� �$'�%���%�������# �����"��� ��� �����*��������%��&������&������2������&�CD����������������*���

&(���$���������$��$��#����������

���� �.���.-�(

Tata Motors on Saturdayreported a 3 per cent

decline in global sales, including that of Jaguar LandRover, at 97,348 units inDecember.

Global wholesale units of all Tata Motors’ commercial vehicles and TataDaewoo range last monthstood at 34,526 units, down 15per cent, from December 2018, the company said in astatement.

The company’s global sales of all passenger vehicleswere at 62,822 units, up 5 percent from December 2018, it added.

Global sales of JLR stood at50,001 units. Jaguar wholesale units for the month were 12,742 vehicles,while Land Rover wholesalestood at 37,259 units.

)����'����& �2� �� ���#�E��#����F���4G"�������(����2��

New Delhi: Aviation regulatorDGCA has suspended thepilot-in-command of anAirAsia India flight for threemonths as he caused a runwayincursion incident at Mumbaiairport on November 5, asenior official said on Saturday.

“The Air Traffic Control(ATC) gave clear instructionsto the pilots of flight IAD374 -which was heading to Indore -to just stand at the holdingpoint RWY32 at Mumbai air-port. Even though, the co-pilot read back ATC instruc-

tions correctly to the PIC, thelatter breached the holdingpoint,” the official ofDirectorate General of CivilAviation said.

The DGCA, therefore,issued show cause notices toboth the pilots. PTI

45��� $ ,�� �,��������� ��6� ���(������$���#���$� ������+$�)����,���

���� �.���.-�(

Union Steel MinisterDharmendra Pradhan on

Saturday launched ‘MissionPurvodaya’ which aims ataccelerated development ofeastern India through inte-grated steel hub.

The eastern belt has thepotential to add more than 75per cent of the country’s incre-mental steel capacity envi-sioned by the National SteelPolicy, he said adding it isexpected that out of the 300million tonne capacity by 2030-31, over 200 million tonne cancome from this region alone.

The mission will driveIndia’s march towards USD 5trillion economy set by the gov-ernment, the minister said at alaunch event in Kolkata,according to an official state-ment. Stating that eastern Indiais a land of infinite opportuni-ties, Pradhan said, “Despitebeing endowed with naturalresources, this region haslagged behind in socio-eco-nomic development as com-pared to some other parts ofthe country.”

&'��&��� �(-N=�������� #��� !������������� ��'-������� ������������ ��=����! '���������������� ������ �������� !� ������ ��� ������ ������� ������������ ����� ����(������,!��� ��39,�� � ��� ��'-���������� !� � B��#��%������!����� ��������� ����� ������ �!�� �� ��� ������ �� ���������� ����% ���!� �������������� ���������� �� ���������"0 ����� ��������� � ���� ���C��=�� ���% ���!� ����������(-N=������� � ����� �� ������ ����� ������� �������� ��� ���!�����% ��2( 2�( �2�2 �(����(���2��#�-���� �������� ��=����! �'����������-���� �� ����

%&��� ������ � ���������� ���������������'()&*

7��68�����9-8�-���������!�������������������������"5"5

&'��&��� ��������+ 6����� ���)�� �'�� ��*����� ����� ��� ������ ���� ����''0 �����!���"������ �'��� � ������� ����'�������� ����� ! �� ���"�-�� ��0�6 �'����� ��K�* ���� !��� � ��� ����������'�� �'������L 399�!�� ��

��!�����%�;34�%����!�� �� ������������LO����� ������P������ ������� ���� ������!������%���������'��� ������!������� ����������� *����� �)��0���"����LO�7���L4L4����!�����% ������������"����� ������''�!�� �� ������������������ ���� ����%��������" ����"��������=��! ��� � �� ����>��������������) ������ ����)�� �'�� ��*����� � � �������������������

��������������������������8����� +���������&'��&��� �+�����#�2�������'��� ����� �-���� ��E+0(2�',F!����!� ������ !���� � ���2��"�* ���%����7�����"�P L4L4 �����'(����������� �� �� ��� ����� � !����������� ��� !�������� �� !�������� �2�����!����������� �%��

����������"� � !� ����� !���� ���!�����%����'��������������%����������!������� �!� ������%���������������+��������%� ����2�6 �������%� �0�0�6 ���� ���� ���2������� � �2����������%���� #���������K������#���'������"���� � ����� � !������ �� ��K�%�6�����0�%���������2��������*�%����������6������K�����"��������6�����*�%����������6������K�����"������� !��� �� � !� ���

+���� ���������������������������������� ������'���

Page 7: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

���� ��:������ *������ *�"����� +,-�,.,.

Tehran: Iran's foreign ministerSaturday offered his country's"profound regrets, apologiesand condolences" after thearmed forces admitted shoot-ing down a Ukrainian airlinerdue to "human error".

"A sad day," MohammadJavad Zarif wrote on Twitter."Human error at time of crisiscaused by US adventurism ledto disaster," he said.

"Our profound regrets,apologies and condolences toour people, to the families of allvictims, and to other affectednations." AFP

Tehran: Iranian PresidentHassan Rouhani Saturday saidhis country "deeply regrets" theshooting down of a Ukrainianairliner, which he described as"a great tragedy & unforgivablemistake".

"Armed Forces' internalinvestigation has concludedthat regrettably missiles fireddue to human error caused thehorrific crash of the Ukrainianplane & death of 176 innocentpeople," he added on Twitter.

AFP

Ottawa: Canada's PrimeMinister Justin Trudeau saidSaturday closure and account-ability were needed after Iransaid it had unintentionally shotdown a Ukranian plane, killing176 people.

He also demanded "trans-parency, and justice for thefamilies and loved ones of thevictims," of whom many wereCanadian dual nationals.

"This is a national tragedy,and all Canadians are mourn-ing together," Trudeau's officesaid in a statement. AFP

Tokyo: Prime Minister ShinzoAbe on Saturday left Tokyo fora five-day trip to the MiddleEast, aiming to help ease ten-sions in a key region for Japan.

During his visit, Abe willhold talks with leaders in SaudiArabia, the United ArabEmirates (UAE) and Oman,according to Japanese officials,Xinhua reported.

These countries are seen byJapan as important players instabilising the situation in theregion.

"Based on the friendly rela-tions Japan has built with SaudiArabia, the UAE and Oman, Iwill call on the leaders to seekstability in the region throughtalks and rational measures,"said Abe.

The visit precedes Tokyo'sdispatch of Maritime Self-Defence Forces (MSDF) per-

sonnel and hardware to theregion to conduct "informa-tion-gathering" operations.

The MSDF's operationalareas include the Gulf of Omanand part of the Arabian Sea.

Abe said he wants toexplain and garner supportfrom the three countries for thedispatch to the region since itis vital to ensure the safety ofJapanese commercial shipsoperating there.

The Prime Minister isscheduled to return to Japan onWednesday.

Kiev: Ukraine on Saturdaydemanded that Iran punishthose guilty for the downing ofa Ukrainian airliner and com-pensate victims while praisingTehran for cooperating withthe "objective" investigation.

Ukrainian presidentVolodomyr Zelensky was dueto discuss the incident with hisIranian counterpart PresidentHassan Rouhani at 5:00 pmlocal time, his press office said.

"We expect Iran... To bringthe guilty to the courts," theUkrainian leader wrote onFacebook, calling also for the"payment of compensation"and the return of remains.

Tehran admitted Saturdaythat it accidentally downed theUkraine International Airlines(UIA) plane, killing all 176 peo-ple on board on Wednesday,shortly after launching missilesat bases hosting US forces in Iraq.

Rouhani said Tehran"deeply regrets this disastrousmistake". Tehran has invitedthe United States, Ukraine,Canada and others to join thecrash investigation.

Kiev said that Iran hadcooperated with its expertsand it expects an objectiveprobe.

Tehran has handedUkrainian experts enough dataincluding "all the photos,videos and other materials" toshow the investigation "will be

carried out objectively andpromptly," Zelensky's officesaid.

"The political part of thework is finished," it added.

It published photos ofexperts examining the sceneand close-ups of holes in thefuselage and shrapnel damage.

Ukraine said Friday its

experts dispatched to Iran hadbeen granted access to theflight's black boxes, debris fromthe plane, the crash site and torecordings of conversationsbetween the pilot and the air-port control tower.

Oleksiy Danilov, the sec-retary of Ukraine's nationalsecurity and defence council,which is coordinating theprobe, told AFP Kiev did notyet have evidence on where themissile was produced, onlythat it was "launched fromIranian soil."

Zelensky said earlier thatUkraine hoped the inquirywould be pursued "withoutdeliberate delay and withoutobstruction." He urged "totalaccess" to the full inquiry forthe 45 Ukrainian experts, andin a tweet also sought an "offi-cial apology".

UIA chief YevheniiDykhne said at a press confer-ence in Kiev on Saturday thatTehran should have closed theairport due to the escalation oftensions in the region follow-ing the US assassination of atop Iranian general.

"It's absolutely irresponsi-ble... If you're playing at war,they were obliged to close the

airport," Dykhne said.He wrote on Facebook that

the Ukrainian crew and the air-craft "were the best." Iran'sofficial IRNA news agencypublished a statement fromthe military saying the Boeing737 was mistaken for a "hostileplane" at a time when threatswere at the highest level.

The majority of passengerson UIA Flight PS752 fromTehran to Kiev were Iranian-Canadian dual nationals butalso included Ukrainians,Afghans, Britons and SwedesMany in Kiev have comparedthe crash to the 2014 downingof Malaysian Airlines MH17killing 298 people over easternUkraine where pro-Russianseparatists are fighting gov-ernment forces.

Moscow has denied thefindings of international inves-tigators that a Russian BUKmisile hit the Malaysian flight.

"Iran has shown itself to bemore civilised than Russia,"pro-western Ukraine MPVolodymyr Ariev wrote onFacebook.

"Tehran has admitted itsguilt in three days while Russiacontinues to try to get out of it."

AFP

Tehran: Iran's supreme leaderAyatollah Ali Khameneiordered the country's armedforces to address "shortcom-ings" after a Ukrainian pas-senger jet was mistakenly shotdown, his office said.

"I emphatically advise thegeneral headquarters (of thearmed forces) to follow up onshortcomings" to ensure thiskind of error does not happenagain, said a statement on hisofficial website, adding heexpressed his "sincere condo-lences" to the families of thedeceased. AFP

��� ����(��,�

Democrats know they don'thave the votes to convict

President Donald Trump whenthe Senate convenes as theCourt of Impeachment. Butthey are pursuing the case inthe court of public opinion.

It became a definingmoment — one that stunnedWashington — after the Houseimpeached Trump whenSpeaker Nancy Pelosi declinedto immediately transmit thecharges to the Senate.

The abrupt move vexed theRepublican president and hisparty, annoying some, angeringothers, and caused a politicalfirestorm as the days turned toweeks. It was approaching amonth.

It was also a strategy. OnFriday, it neared an end withPelosi announcing the Housewould take steps next week tosend the articles of impeach-ment to the Senate for the pres-ident's trial.

While the delay producedan avalanche of theories andstrategies about the suddenimpasse, it hasn't muchchanged the widely expectedfinal verdict: Trump's acquittalof charges he abused power andobstructed Congress in pres-suring Ukraine to investigateJoe Biden.

Yet in the lull, something

else happened. New evidenceand documents emerged,including emails showing moreof the administration's internaldeliberations over Trump'sactions. Former White Housenational security adviser JohnBolton announced he would bewilling to appear, if a subpoe-na was sent.

Attention shifted from theairy Constitutional argumentsfor and against impeachment tothe earthy details of how toconduct the rare Senate trial,only the third in the nation'shistory.

There's nowhere near the67 votes needed for convictionin the Senate, whereRepublicans with MajorityLeader Mitch McConnell holda slim 53-47 majority.

But a handful ofRepublican senators who willdecide how things go are sud-denly infused with new power,and clouded with political risk.Just 51 votes will set the rules.As McConnell works to holdthem in line, Democrats willtry to sway four GOP senators,particularly those up for re-election this year, to join in call-ing for a more witnesses anddocuments that McConnell isreluctant to allow.

Republican Sen. SusanCollins said Friday she is dis-cussing with her colleagues apossible process for hearing

new testimony. Alaska GOPSen. Lisa Murkowski hasexpressed discomfort with theleader's close coordination withthe White House. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said he'd likeBolton to appear.

Rather than the swiftSenate trial that was expectedto have started by now, Trump'simpeachment has become aserial disruption to the presi-dency that is grinding into2020.

“Many things have beenaccomplished,” Pelosi said thisweek.

The stated goal ofDemocrats was a public airingof the trial rules before Pelosinames House managers topresent the case to the Senate.How much time will they begiven? For how many days?Will there be more witnessesand testimony allowed? Thoseare all answers Pelosi's delaydid not fully resolve.McConnell will only providewhen he is ready.

The ever tight-lippedRepublican leader sees no rea-son to deviate much from thelast time the Senate convenedas an impeachment court forthe historic undertaking, forBill Clinton's trial in 1999. Hisplan is to start the trial and havethe senators decide later ifthey want to hear more testi-mony.

Houston: Greg Abbott, theRepublican Governor of Texas,has said that the State wouldnot accept new refugees underPresident Donald Trump'sresettlement programme. amedia report said on Saturday.

In a letter to the StateDepartment on Friday, Abbottsaid that Texas had done "morethan its share in assisting therefugee resettlement process",and argued that the state shouldbe focused on "those who arealready here, includingrefugees, migrants, and thehomeless", the BBC report said.

On that basis, Abbott said

he "cannot consent to initialrefugee resettlement" in 2020,but added that the decision"does not deny any refugeeaccess" to the US.

Refugees who are alreadysettled in other states, Abbottsaid, would be allowed to move

to Texas if they choose.Texas has large refugee

populations in several of itsmajor cities. In the 2018 fiscalyear, Texas took in 1,697refugees - more than any otherstate, but a large drop from4,768 in the previous fiscal year.

Abbott's decision meansTexas will become the first USstate known to do so, the BBCreport added.

In September 2019,President Trump announcedthat states must actively con-sent to any resettlement ofrefugees after June 2020.

So far, the Governors of

more than 40 other states havesaid they would opt in to thegovernment programme.

Trump has made reducingimmigration a key aim of hisadministration. He has slashedthe number of refugees allowedinto the country for the 2020fiscal year to 18,000 - a recordlow.

About 30,000 refugees wereresettled in the US during theprevious fiscal year.

The previous lowest admis-sions figure was in 2002, afterthe 9/11 attacks, when about27,000 refugees were allowedinto the US. IANS

Sydney: A grim summer of fire andsmoke has sullied Australia's out-doorsy and healthy image, and leftmany fearful for the future.

For the unfortunate few, threelong months of bushfires havebrought almost unfathomable pain—homes lost, lives destroyed, fam-ilies ripped apart.

But for many millions more thecrisis has also shattered the longsunny days typically filled withbeaches, barbecues and backyardcricket.

Sporting events were cancelled,windows shuttered against weeks ofmenacing toxic haze and barbecuesbanned to prevent even more fires.

Famed beaches like Bondi werepartially blackened, as the tidewashed the ash of incinerated euca-lypts back to shore.

Holidays were cancelled as entiretowns were shut off, highways were

bumper-to-bumper with fleeingtourists and petrol stations mobbedas fuel ran out during the largestpeacetime evacuations the countryhas ever seen.

"We've seen the whole Australianway of life over summer across thecontinent upended," socialresearcher Rebecca Huntley, who hassurveyed Australia's attitudes to thechanging climate, told AFP.

"Instead of looking at the end of

the year as a time to relax,(Australians) are getting quite anx-ious." Images of military evacuationsand frightened families huddled onbeaches under red skies have chal-lenged many people's previouslyidyllic idea of the continent.

Huntley said the severity of thefires was challenging the perceptionthat living in Australia meant hav-ing a high quality of life, withSydney and Melbourne long-rankedas among the most liveable cities inthe world.

Now residents have becomeexpert at reading wind forecasts andfire maps to predict whether theirkids will be able to play outsidetomorrow.

The Christmas dinner table fea-tured debates about specific anti-pol-lution masks and air purifiers, top-ics often associated with daily life inNew Delhi or Bangkok. AFP

���� �.,-

North Korea said onSaturday it had received

Donald Trump's letter wishinga happy birthday to leader KimJong Un, but warned it willreturn to nuclear talks onlywhen Washington fullyaccepts its demands.

The US president and Kimhave held three meetings sinceJune 2018 but negotiationshave been largely deadlockedsince the breakup of theirHanoi summit last February.

Kim Kye Gwan, NorthKorea's foreign ministry advis-er, said Trump's congratulato-ry letter had arrived in the iso-lated, nuclear-armed statedirectly from the US.

"As acknowledged by theworld, it is true that the per-sonal relations between (KimJong Un) and President Trumpare not bad," he said in a state-ment carried by the officialKCNA news agency.

However, it would be"absent-minded" to expectPyongyang to resume dia-logue because of that warmpersonal relationship, thestatement continued.

"We have been deceived bythe US, being caught in thedialogue with it for over oneyear and a half, and that wasthe lost time for us," the advis-er said.

On the gridlocked nucleartalks, he said that reopeningdialogue would only be possi-ble in the case of Washington's"absolute agreement" on theissues raised by North Korea.

But the senior official wassceptical that the US wouldaccept these demands, saying: "we know well that theUS is neither ready nor able todo so. We know... The way weshould go and will go on ourway."

At a meeting of his rulingparty in December, Kim JongUn declared an end to NorthKorea's moratoriums onnuclear and intercontinentalballistic missile tests.

The leader also threat-ened a demonstration of a"new strategic weapon" soon.

Saturday's statement onKCNA came a day after SouthKorea's presidential securityadviser said Trump had askedSeoul to deliver his birthdaymessage for Kim.

Muscat: Oman's Sultan Qaboos,who died on Friday aged 79,transformed the former ArabianPeninsula backwater into amodern state and sought-aftermediator while shielding the sul-tanate from a region in turmoil.

The intensely private sultan-- the longest-reigning ruler inthe modern Arab world -- leftno apparent heir and the royalfamily was charged with select-ing a successor.

Instead however they optedfor the sultan's own choice, hiscousin Haitham bin Tariq, whowas named in a sealed letter thatQaboos had prepared in case ofa deadlock.

Qaboos was born onNovember 18, 1940, into thecenturies-old Al-Said dynasty inthe southern provincial capitalof Salalah, in an isolated coun-try on the margins of the mod-ern world.

Older Omanis recall thecapital Muscat had no electric-ity or running water and thegates of the medieval city werelocked at dusk.

The young Qaboos was sentabroad for his education toBritain, attending the eliteSandhurst Royal MilitaryAcademy from where he grad-uated in 1962.

He went on to join a Britishinfantry battalion in Germany,returning home to bide his timeunder the close watch of hisfather, Sultan Said bin Taymur.

On July 23, 1970, Qaboosdeposed his father in a palacecoup, pledging "a new era" forthe nation.

Oman is strategically locat-

ed on the Strait of Hormuz -- thenarrow seaway through whichmuch of the world's oil supplypasses -- and between regionalrivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Qaboos maintained goodties with both nations, a bal-ancing act that made his capital a must-stop for Westernand Arab diplomats as well asmilitary chiefs alike.

The sultan's first foreigntrip was to Iran, whose shah --along with the British -- helpedhim quell the Marxist insur-gency he inherited from hisfather in the restive Dhofarregion.

Those ties endured throughIran's 1979 Islamic revolutionthat ushered in a Shiite theoc-racy.

Muscat would serve as theback channel for talks betweenthe United States and Iran in thelead-up to a landmark 2015nuclear deal.

Qaboos also worked to pre-serve ties with Saudi Arabia andthe rest of the wealthy six-nation Gulf CooperationCouncil to which Omanbelongs, but stuck to his princi-ple of non-interference. AFP

���# ���������� ����������� ������# ����������������#������������%��� �&%����������2�������%��!������������8G==�# ����%������%������%���"���������)�%����������������� ������+���#� ������������� ����#�����"����-�����!�������������"���� ��

,-� ������� ������������������'� ���� ����������������� ���� ������������������������������������

���� ���� �����>�!!����������"D��� ��(�������� ���������

������%����6 �>�����%����� �����# D ���"�(���D��0������

'� �� ��&.���������� ��"��� ����/������",*� ����������

+��� � ����� ���������"�������� ��>�����!����%�D�� ������ ������

���������������4�������#��#��)(�������������������$��#

�-9��685�-9��6855�97��

8���� ������ �����:�������������8���.�� �+ �"�������! �������� "���%��������������!#��"����� !� ����5�������� 1�� ���������������! ��������+ �"�D��*��� ���!����"�

$2����������������8�����������������8���� ���%�������! � ������%���!� ������ ������ ���� �#��� ��3O����������������������� �!�����"D����#���������! �����!��������������������"�

�������������� !���**5:������� ������&'��.�; ��!� ���������� ����!�� � ���� ��5#������������& ����% ���� ����!�M�994��������5" ��5����M������ � ������ � �������� ��������!������ ��# "������������ ��������%��� � ���"������"���������������.�����

���������8������ -�������8�������� � ��-�/��<�0.< ���� ������2 ��� ���� �������������"�� ����%������ � ��!����!��� ��� ������������"��� �����(��� ���������� D������"�!��!�� �#�!#��%������� �L4L4��� ��� ��������������%�!�� ������ 1������� �!!�����%������� �������

(������������ �# ���������������� +�.<1.< ��� �+D������! �����"�����6����������� �* %����*��#������'�������� ���"����� 1��� # �� %����%���� ���� ����������� "���"�� � ��� ����������� ����� �+���������%��� ��� 1������ ���� � ���������� "�� � ��� ����%��!#����� �������"�����������������#��������� !����%������!����"��� � �� �� ���� ����������

���������������������������� ������� �����

0 ����������� ��������������� ����������/��������

7$ ��� �)��(���� ���;���������<�������4������ ��

)���������,�����������"&���"����)�"�#�����

Page 8: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

������ *������ *�"����� +,-�,.,. ,�����=

INJURED DEL POTRO OUT OF AUS OPENMelbourne: =��� �� �� ,� �� !�������� 7���*������� ������������ ����������� ������������,� ����� �!������ ���������%%� ����������� !�� �"�����#� � ���% �"�� �� � ?35" ��5���� ��% ������� � ������ ��� ������ �%������* ������ ����#����L44P����L43L ������������" �����! ��������%�����������%����#� � ��� �� � %����� ��� �� � ����� ���� ��� 5��� ��Q� �D�� ��� 7�� �� B,��� ���5��� � $���� �5��������7���� *������ � �� ������ ���� ���������� �������,� ��L4L4����� �!������ ������ !�� ��������#� � ��6��" C� �� � ����������� ,� �� �� � ��B������%�"������� �� �� ��������"����� !�� �"��� ��� ����� �"�����!#�������������������C�

MARSEILLE WITHIN FOUR POINTS OF PSGMarseille: + ���������������!�� ������� ����� ����*��� ��� � �% ��������%�5��"��%�0 �� ��354���=����"������� �����������������������-�%� �3�� �� ���������� �K�����52���D�� ��!���!� ����!���"�������%��� �!���� ���� �����!������� �� ��������������� " �� ����� ��� ���"� � �� ��� �� �������� ��" �D�O8��5����� � �� 5#�!#� ���� �� � ������ �� � ����������� �!�� ��� �� �� ���� ��� ��� � %�� �� ���� ��� � �%����������!� �������� �2� ������������ �����

XAVI ON TOP OF BARCA WISHLISTBarcelona: 2��! �������� ���# ������ ��!������R���������# ��� ��������� ���� �5�� ���� �.�� ���K��� �� ����� ���!��!� ���������� ����� ���� ���� � !���D�� �������%� ��� !���� .��!� ������� ���� ���� ��"� ���# �� ��� �� � ����� ��� Q������ ��� � ��������������������%���������5" ��5� �� �������������������'�� ���� ��!������%��� ����� ������� �� �!������ ����� ������ ����� ���K��� �� � �����!# ���������D��% � ��������% �����#����5����� ��� �������� ��������� ���!#����2��!������R�����

WAWRINKA LOSES IN DOHA SEMISDoha: ����� ������#�D�� ���� ���� �� ������ ���� ���� ���! �*�"�L43;����� �� ���"������ 5� ������������ � ���'�� �����*��� ������� �Q�����,� ��� ��5������������������ ��O3�*��� ������� ��! ����� "0��� �� ��� �� � ������ ��� �� ������%� ���� � �������#��?5I �;59 �I5?��B(��% � �������������%���������� �� � (� ������ ��" � ���� ���"� � ����� C������#��������"�"����#����B(�����#����% � ����(D����"��%� � ��� ���� �����%� � ���� ���� (D�� %���%� ��� �� ������������� ��� �� #��� � ����% ��� ��" ������� ����"������� ���%�����%���� � �C

CUTRONE JOINS FIORENTINA ON LOANFlorence: (���"� ��� ���������� ����# �� �����!#'����� � ���� !���� � �� ���� ����� ��� � �������� ��������� ���� � ��� ��� =��� ������� �� � �� ���!����������� �LL5" ��5��������6��� ������������������5" ��������������������%�����������# ��� ��� �� ���� ������ �� ������� ���� ������ ��������� �� � � %���� ��� L4� �������� ����� ESLL� �������F�'����� � ��� �� ��� �� � �� �� �� - �%� � !���� ����7��"� ����� �'� *����� ��� �� ����5" ��� !�����!�� �������%%� �������# ��������!���������%������"������ � �!�������6������� �����������L8���� ����! ��

KOHLI MOVES UP IN T20 RANKINGSDubai: (������� � ��+�-�0������ ���� ��������1��������������� �!�������K�����+�������� ����������! �������������� �������%�!���������� �(''��L4(����" �����#��%���0���� ��� ���%� ��5���# ��(������������ ���� %��� �� LI� ������� ���� ��� ���� ��� ;I4� �����%������ �6������1�� ������ ���*�1� ������ ���!�� ���� 89� ���� 98�� +���� ��� ��� ������ ��������� ���� ���#���� ������ � ��� � ���� !���� �� �� ���%� ��� � ���! ��39�������" ������� �� �� ������ �������������!# � ��38I����! �����PO������� ������������#������� 5 �� � �����PL������������� �������

�-(:$)�

���� �'+-���

Serena Williams delivered a mas-terclass in her semi-final at the

WTA Auckland Classic on Saturday,needing only 43 minutes to down ris-ing star Amanda Anisimova and setup a showdown against JessicaPegula.

The unsung and unseededPegula stunned Caroline Wozniacki

in a three-set semi-final 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Top-seed Williams, at her impe-rious best, rapidly eliminated third-seed Anisimova 6-1, 6-1.

It highlighted the gulf betweenthe 38-year-old, the women’s tennisfigurehead for the past two decades,and the next generation of players ledby the 18-year-old Anisimova.

“I was definitely in the zonetoday. I knew I was playing a reallygreat player and an even better per-son and I knew I had to come outserious,” Williams said.

“It feels really good. I’ve beenworking hard for a couple of years,I tend to be really hard on myself but

considering everything, I'mdoing pretty good.”

Former World numberone Wozniacki, who hasannounced she will retire afterthe Australian Open, arrived at

her penultimate tournament deter-mined to win in Auckland at her sev-enth attempt to add to her 30 WTAtitles.

Instead, it was the 25-year-oldPegula, the world 82nd-ranked play-er who won her only WTA title at theWashington Open last year, whocame out on top.

Wozniacki has one chance left towin a title in Auckland when shepartners Serena Williams in thedoubles final today.

���9�� Ekaterina Alexandrovawon her first WTA singles title afterthe in-form Russian defeated ElenaRybakina in straight sets in thefinal of the Shenzhen Open.

The fifth seed won 6-2, 6-4in 73 minutes to begin her sea-son and her Australian Openpreparations with a bang. The 25-year-old Alexandrova, ranked acareer-high 34th in the world, col-lapsed to her knees after dismissingseventh-seed Rybakina.

“I didn’t expect the first set to beso easy so I knew the second setwould be so much tougher,” saidAlexandrova, who is poised for thetop 30 in the world.

“In the second set I think she

played well but after I got the breakto make it 4-4, she got a bit nervous.

“It feels amazing to win my firsttitle, I don’t know what to say. Thefirst title is always special.” AFP

���� �<��.<

Rafael Nadal and NovakDjokovic will face each other inthe final of the inaugural ATP

Cup after winning epic three-setmatches on Saturday to steer Spainand Serbia into the decider.

World number oneNadal ground downpumped-up Australian Alexde Minaur to guide theDavis Cup championsthrough their semi-final whileDjokovic battled past Russia’sDaniil Medvedev.

Under the format of the innov-ative team event in Sydney, the top-ranked singles players from eachcountry play each other, ensuring thetwo legends clash for a 55th timesince their first showdown in 2006.

World number two Djokovicleads the head-to-heads 28-26,including beating his arch-rival in theAustralian Open final last year.

Nadal outlasted De Minaur 4-6,7-5, 6-1 after unflappable teammateRoberto Bautista Agut tamed NickKyrgios 6-1, 6-4.

Djokovic had an equally tough

����**2�(

With all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s anticipat-ed return getting delayed after he failed the

fitness test, India’s limited overs squads are unlike-ly to be tinkered with much for the upcoming six-week tour of New Zealand.

Starting January 24, India will be playing fiveT20 Internationals, three ODIs and two Testmatches, and squads for the tour will be pickedtoday.

Pandya was expected to make the Indiansquad after remaining out of action for fourmonths due to a back injury but the all-roundercould not clear the mandatory fitness test, indi-cating that it will take him more to recover fromthe surgery he recently had.

India will be playing eight white ball gamesin New Zealand, and it will be interesting to seeif the selectors pick a 16 or 17-member squad,instead of 15.

With the India A team’s shadow tour coin-ciding with the seniors’ visit, it gives the selectorsan option to draft players on SOS basis if the needarises.

The selectors will primarily focus on zeroingin on the core for white ball cricket consideringthat this is a T20 World Cup year.

While the T20 squad that played against SriLanka in the just-concluded series all but picksitself, Pandya was expected to be included oncehe proved his fitness in the warm-up games.However his failure to clear the fitness test is anindication that he is far from ready for interests.

It will be interesting to note if the ODI teamis an extension of the T20 squad.

In case the Indian team looks for technicalsolidity, Ajinkya Rahane could make a comeback,but if the team management is thinking in termsof treating 50 over games as an extension of T20series, Mumbai player Suryakumar Yadav’sexplosive power hitting at No 5 or 6 could be anoption. Both Surya and Sanju Samson are in theA squad.

The Test squad wears a very settled look withthe only contention being the third opener’s slot.

Picked as a reserve for the home series, theyoung Shubman Gill deserves to be the thirdopener, but K L Rahul’s current form and expe-rience in Test cricket could also be considered.

����**2�(

Wicket-keeper batsmanAlex Carey wants to

perfect the art of taking thegames deep and finishingthem off for Australia just likethe legendary MahendraSingh Dhoni has done it forIndia.

“I still have lots of areas inmy game I want to improveon and get better at. I know Iwill probably bat middle tolower order so it’s trying tofinish games off for Australia.When you look at the best inthe world like MS Dhoni, youwant to learn as much as youcan from him,” said Carey.

“I was lucky enough toplay against him (Dhoni) lastyear, just the way he took thegame deep and won thegames for India. I aspire to dothat one-day,” Carey toldreporters after visitors firstpractice session at the

Wankhede Stadium.The 28-year-old Carey

admits that the series againstIndia will be a tough one,especially facing the likes ofJasprit Bumrah andMohammed Shami.

“Coming back to India,you know it is going to be atough contest through themiddle. We will probablyhave lots of spin through the

middle and then at the endwith world-class bowlers like(Jasprit) Bumrah and(Mohammed) Shami.

“It’s just about keeping itsimple and playing my role.It’s about wicket-keeping andplaying middle to lower order.Three very tough games ofcricket coming up for us andwhat a way to start inMumbai,” added Carey.

����� Shams Mulani (87) andAditya Tare (69, batting) raised a155-run partnership with fightinghalf-centuries to help Mumbai fin-ish the opening day of their RanjiTrophy Group B match againstTamil Nadu at 284 for six.

Electing to bat after winningthe toss, the visitors were in a spotof bother as lanky left-arm spinnerR Sai Kishore (3/77) and Ashwin(3/58) struck at regular intervals toleave them five down.

Kishore got into the act firstand picked up the first three wick-ets in the opening session. Ashwinwas wicket-less till the lunch breakbut made his presence felt after thebreak, dismissing debutant HardikTamore (21) & Sarfaraz Khan (36).

Tare, who joined Mulani in themiddle started slowly and looked toplay himself in. After defyingAshwin, Kishore and the rest of theTamil Nadu attack for the rest of themiddle session, they came into theirown in the final session.

Mulani displayed his full rangeof strokes and played a few attrac-

tive hooks and pulls as the hostbowlers ran out of ideas.

However, Ashwin struckagainst the run of play, dismissingMulani, caught by Aparajith in theslips off the penultimate ball of theday. PTI

���� ��.�

“Iam also back in the picture,”India opener Shikhar

Dhawan said after his fluent fiftyin the third T20I against SriLanka and insisted that zeroingin on the second opener is theteam management’s “headache”.

With Dhawan back in formin the shortest format, the Indianteam management and captainVirat Kohli will have theheadache of picking from threein-form openers — K L Rahuland Rohit Sharma being theother two.

Asked about the race for theopener’s slot, Dhawan said, “Allthe three players (Rohit, KL andme) are doing well. Rohit had anexcellent 2019. Rahul has beendoing well since 1-2 months andhe is a good player and ‘mei bhipicture mei aagya hu, maine bhiaaj acha kar diya hai’ (And Ihave also entered the fray andhave done well today).

“Toh picture achihi ban rahihai abhi (the picture is lookinggood), khair yeh sardaredi merinahi hai (but this is not myheadache). So I don’t thinkabout it, because that thing is notin my hands. What is in myhands is to perform and playwell.

“I am happy and satisfiedthat I got two opportunities and

was able to express myself. Bakicoaches aur captain ke upar hai,toh unki sardadi mei kyun lu?(Rest is on the coaches and thecaptain, then why should I taketheir headache),” Dhawan toldreporters in the post matchconference.

The swash-buckling Delhi

batsman, however, feels being aleft-hander augurs well for him.

“Absolutely, that (left-han-der) is advantage because itdisturbs bowlers’ line and lengthand it has its own impact,” hesaid.

Shikhar also says that Indiaare seeking complete mastery

over defending totals, the ambi-tion prompting them to make a“conscious” decision to bat firston winning the toss in a T20World Cup year.

He said that as a unit, theteam wanted to bat first.

“Today we wanted to batfirst because we want to refineourselves more while battingfirst and winning more games,so that brings more confidence,”the opener said.

“So that is why, conscious-ly, we are doing it and the result

is in front of you that we are win-ning even while batting first.

“We are making (setting)big targets and that brings a lotof confidence to us as a team.”

He also lavished praise onfast bowler Shardul Thakur forhis batting skills.

“Yes, he (Shardul) is bowl-ing well and the way be batted(on Friday) was amazing. Theshots he played was tremendousand I feel he is becoming moreinto an all-rounder, especially inshorter formats.

���+� ��56116!�����)��������� ���6�# �)��� ������������'�������������"

time against impressive fifth-ranked Medvedev, comingthrough a top-draw contest 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 on the back ofDusan Lajovic beating KarenKhachanov 7-5, 7-6 (7/1).

“Alex was playing at avery high level and for

me my energy was alittle bit lower thanusual. But it hasbeen a very emo-tional evening and a

pleasure playinghere,” said Nadal.“We know it’s going to

be a super tough final (againstSerbia),” he added. “Novaklikes a lot to play here, he’s hada lot of great results. So let’s see.We have a good team too.”

EXCEPTIONALSixteen-time Grand Slam

winner Djokovic, who is target-ing an eighth Australian Opentitle this month, had looked ontrack for a comfortable winagainst Medvedev after sailingthrough the opening set andbreaking in the first game of the

second.But the dogged

Russian, who won theirlast two encounters, roaredback.

He broke in the nextgame and then again for 3-1, with Djokovic smashinghis racquet as Medvedevtook the set to level thematch.

A third set of long,high-quality rallies wentwith serve until Djokovicgot the crucial edge in thefifth game, converting a vol-ley to go 3-2 in front andMedvedev had no answer.

“It was an exceptionalmatch. Lots of rallies andvery exhausting. DaniilMedvedev is one of the bestplayers in the world and heshowed today why,” saidDjokovic.

“He’s difficult to breakfrom the baseline, he’s talland has a good serve. Thiswas the most difficult chal-lenge I have had so far thisyear.”>���� � �� ��� �2������������&�� �����'���"�� ��

�����(,�������������2����� �����%��&��"��������������&��%������%�#������&�����(���� �'���������>"���"���&��%�����)���"#�����%����������������"��� ��

�����1�������&���" ����-��� ����� ����� ��

���� 20(�2��.

World numbertwo Karolina Pliskova will

defend her Brisbane Internationaltitle after edging Naomi Osaka inan epic three-set semi-final at PatRafter Arena on Saturday.

Pliskova triumphed 6-7(10/12), 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 win in a twohour, 48 minute marathon andwill play eighth seed AmericanMadison Keys in the decider.

“That was one of the bestmatches that I’ve played on thiscourt,” Pliskova said.

“It was a great standard, andshe’s always tough to play against.

“I think I did a good job to stayin there after a tough first set, andin the second I just kept fightingand it paid off.”

In the first semi-final, Keys heldfirm when it counted to defeat twotie Wimbledon champion Kvitova3-6, 6-2, 6-3 and make her firstBrisbane final.

8������������� �������

�������$� ����#��#����������� ��

� �������������������$)����� �

:���������� ������������������������ $)�

-���������7��������������0������������

�%��%���(%����������%��2������������# ����&�%��%� �8����"�� �)*

9��-��(�������:����*������� �-�-������ �Sunil Gavaskar onSaturday questioned M SDhoni’s sabbatical from thegame since the World Cupsemifinal loss in July, asking“does anybody keep himselfaway from playing for India forthat long?”

The 38-year-old has notplayed since India’s heartbreak-ing defeat in 2019 World Cupsemis but is likely to make acomeback with the IPL.

Asked if Dhoni can makeIndia’s T20 World Cup squad,

Gavaskar said, “Fitness is some-thing that I can’t tell you any-thing at all. The question thatneeds to be asked is of MSDhimself. He has not made him-self available to play for Indiasince 10th of July (9th actual-ly).

“That is the importantquestion. Does anybody keephimself away from playing forIndia for that long? That is thequestion and therein lies theanswer,” said the former Indiacaptain. .�����������������*�����"��

.�����������2�� �"���&���������� .����H)������

2)�����1�������)��2)(��

������)���������%��2��������������� �)*

����������������" ����'�( ����������������������;6;<�"������ Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finchhas set his sights on contin-uing playing till the 2023World Cup, saying he wouldlook to realise that “goal” ifform and fitness permit.

By the time the 2023World Cup comes, Finch willbe 37.

“I’d love to be, no doubt.At 33 now, I think my game

is in as good a place as it’s everbeen. That’s (playing 2023World Cup) a definite goal ofmine. That will come downto form and fitness; the desirewon’t be any less than it is,”Finch was quoted as saying bySydney Morning Herald.

“I know it’s a cliche, tak-ing it one tour at a time, butthat’s 100 per cent a goal ofmine down the track.” PTI

� �������������1���

Page 9: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

���������� ��

��1�� ������'��� ����� ���

Calcutta. Second city of the Britishempire, India’s most importanturban centre, Paris of the East,melting pot of all races, pride ofBengalis, cradle of the renaissance,

city of palaces! Day and night, multitudes pass through the

streets-flowing like a stream. Alongside ancientpalanquins from mythical king Mandhata’stimes, bullock-carts and pedestrians, run ultra-modern electric trams, buses and motorcarswhile aircrafts fly above, casting shadows onher expanse. Spectacles dangling on theirnoses, shod in fancy shoes and with fashionablehairstyles, the cane-wielding kapure-babus —the upper class gentlemen with social capitaland recognition only on the outside; impecca-bly attired in western clothes over their swarthyforms; the great specimens of ingo-bongos orthe anglophile Bengalis; donning curious hatsand a variety of dresses the Parsis, Gujeratis,Marathis, Sikhs, Pathans, Kabulis, Nepalis,Bhutanese, Punjabis, Mongols, Japanese,Chinese and Marwaris among a variety ofhuman specimens from the entire East;English, Scotch, Irish, French and Americansamong aggressive specimens of western races,and alongside these, half-naked Oriyas, andcompletely naked groups of Naga mendicants… such a curious kedgeree of humanity is notto be found anywhere in the world. At one sidecolourful mansions reach out to the sky, and intheir shadows lean mud walls of cottages plas-tered with dung cakes — a rare sight anywhereelse. On one flank of the street, like wealth per-sonified, are welldressed, nonchalant, vehicle-riders, blessed sons of Lakshmi — the Goddessof Wealth — ignorant to the sorrows andscarcities of the world, and on the other side,right there in the dust of the street, lying onblankets riddled with holes, worshippers ofpermanent destitution, hooded-eyed, skin-and-bones bands of poor beggars, gasping their lastand waiting for death. And right in front oftheir drooping eyelids, beating huge drums —the dhaaks and dhols — and blowing trumpets,wafting flowery perfumes, their kilted scarvesand drapes billowing, pass bands of the groom’sparty of a marriage ceremony. Where else canone see such a crooked smile on the lips of des-tiny? Life and death live here together, likethorn and blossom on the same branch.

It was about Calcutta that acclaimed poetSatyendranath Dutta said:

Ei Kolikata-Kalikakhsetra, kahini ihar sobarsruto,

Bishnu chakra ghurechhe hethae, Mahesherpadodhule e puto

Hindur kali achhen hethae, MusalmanerMoula Ali,

Chari koney sadhu pir charijon muskil asancherag jali

Sakal dharma milechhe hethae samanyaermantra-surey

Swagata sadhak-bhakta-brinda maraterBaikunthapurey

Roughly translated it reads: ‘This Kolkata

— Kalika’s ground, everyone has heard its story,Bishnu’s discus spun here — Mahesh’s feetmade it holy. Here’s the abode of the Hindus’Kali, and Maula Ali of the Musalman, Four pirsand sadhus at four corners, light the lamp ofredemption, All religions have merged here, ina tune of hymn and harmony This earthly par-adise welcomes, every worshipper and devotee.’

And truly Calcutta on first acquaintancelooks like a city which is a pilgrimage for sad-hus, a place for religious practice of devotees,and an abode of the sacred. Hindu temples ofKali, Tara, Mahadev, Sani, Jagaddhatri, Sitala,Buddhist viharas, Jain shrines of Pareshnath,Christian churches, mosques of Muslims arescattered all over — holding their heads upagainst the smoke swathed sky — a diversity ofstyles of different ideologies. At every step, atemple or the other with their crowds of devo-tees draws the attention of pedestrians. Scenesof religious rituals and routine prayers beingoffered morning and evening abound, amidstthe blowing of conches, the clamour of visitors.By observing the polished floors, the brightgold ornaments of the deities, and the softnessand signs of indulgence in the bearings of tem-ple attendants, it does not take time to realisethat most of the Hindu gods and goddesses arewell-off.

But without a sharp eye, no one would beable to decipher the extent of wrongs, theextent of vileness and brutality concealedbeneath this outward shield of religiosity.Despite Chitteswari of Chitpur at one end andKalikadebi of Kalighat at the other keepingwatch on the domain of Calcutta, every daySatan and his sinful followers enter the city inhordes, pulling wool over their divine eyes.

Poet Satyendranath says: Ei Kolikata byagrhobahini chhilo he ekoda

bagher basa Bagher moton manush jahara tahaderi chhi-

lo jawa o asha! (‘This Kolkata on a tiger rides, ‘twas once a

tiger’s den Those men who were tiger-like,would come and go often!’)

Just as in those times there were peoplewho were like tigers, this day too there is nodearth of tigers in human garb in Calcutta.Rather the legions of these tiger-people havegrown. But they are more tiger-like in theircruelty and beastliness rather than in vigourand energy. These tigers and tigresses are scat-tered all across the city — through the day theymove about in groups amongst us. Always alertand waiting for prey, like an invisible pesti-lence. We don’t know them, but they have everybit of information about us at their fingertips.When at night the curtain of deepest darknessdescends on the heart of Calcutta, these tigersand tigresses employing trickery, attack usunawares. Tigers of the wild crave human flesh,but these human tigers want the substance ofour souls. And once someone’s soul comes intotheir clutches, he cannot be saved. Easy-goingparents from villages, you send your naive chil-dren to Calcutta to become worthy humans.But often, under the influence of these tigersand tigresses, their humanity is drained and

they return home transformed into a beast or aghost.

No one should be fooled by the outwardsheen, the glamorous beauty, the light andlaughter, the mock-religiosity, the crowds attemples, churches and mosques of Calcutta.How much darkness has congealed at thelamp’s base — today we will reveal some ofthose secret scenes. We spend our lives cradledby this Calcutta; our lives, our deaths, our mar-riages are in sync with the rhythms of thisCalcutta, our hearts are full with pride and wefeel honoured being residents of Calcutta. Yethow many among us have seen the true face ofCalcutta? How many of us dare to roam aboutin the silence of the deepest night amongstCalcutta’s scary and impassable forest ofpalaces? How many are interested to knowabout the romances unfolding, the fascinating

incidents, the tragedies being played outaround us each day? What is the value of areport in the morning newspaper? Bravinggreat dangers, time and again avoiding theknives of hoodlums, in the spirit of adventure, Ialone, like a creature of darkness, just a shortand stout stick on my person, have regularlyroamed the streets of Calcutta from evening tillthe end of night. Without bothering aboutmoral corruption, I have entered evil and for-bidden places with no hesitation. My longexperience cannot fit into these pages. Here Iwill provide some glimpses, some hints. If read-ers enjoy, then in future I will try to describedifferent facets of Calcutta in greater detail.

Excerpted with permission from CalcuttaNights (Raater Kolkata), a 1923 book by

Hemendrakumar Roy, translated into Englishby Rajat Chaudhuri, Niyogi Books, �295

���..;�0��0�.==&�/���>.<0&�,.���?1�/>.��/&�.<�,��>0�>���?�&@&�?��/,&>0�.=

&1�>�0�.<��<1�&1�>�0�.<�/?/0&�

> - 9 + � � � 6 8 � 6 4 �

��%0������'� 0%(0���0�����1��(���0��(2���

�0 �(2�&�0�%0�&��3 (1 ���)�� %24��%��%��%&5

2���� �� ���� ���������0��/��&/0�0.�/0�?�,��>0�>�����0�&��0��<�.�.@&��.��1��<�/&��>��.=�,&�=&>0�.<�<1��&A&>0������@������&�.,0�.</

��������!"#�"$"$

5�57���5�!+6&&�����+����&�1�����1�

$�#�""������"� ��������� ���������������� ��" �����%������������������� �����2 �%�������%��"���&���"�E�"�� � ����#�����0�"F����3PL?��*�!�������������#����� ���������� ����!����� �!� ����!#� � ������� ������ ������������ !�� ������� ��� ��� ���! ����"��'��!����������������� �!����������2���������� ��(������� ��M���������%�� �������������������#���� �� ��" ��� � �����������% ������# ��� ������� �%��������������� ���� ��0�7���'����0( ����� ��������!���"�!���� ������������#����� ��� �� 1! ���A

�,�,�.���,-��2.=,,-.��2<���.

,���0����..� ���.-�*,0,��2.��<

��.�-(������-���.0 ���.�*,'+5

0.-((,�(�< ���.'0,��������.*�-.�

'�0'�.�����*,�Q.��,=

'�-'������,��*'���0+�.������

',�.�-.�������.-�*�)��2��. M��,��<�.��(--�0.K.�-��,*.

,=���,�.��.'0.��'.�.�

����"�������������� ������%�2���������F6�#%���&��#%�2��+�"����<��%�#%���@0��#����A������%�����<�.������������ ������� �"����@ ��&�� ��&�2�������������������-� ����A������ ���������%��%�&%����������%��+����%�>�,���� ����IF�%������� ��0=�%�����"��5�)%����%�2���������%� �2���%��B��������'������ �.� ����0=IG

����"�&�.�������-"����>������%�%�������>��"��J���"������)%��>������� �����%���

Page 10: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

���������� ��

�������(=�,�.�'���,��.�7,<�0.��(���2,,+�,K.0�����,K.0���(� ���.0.

(���,��.�(��0.��(��(������--M�,�'�0��(-�.

��������!"#�"$"$

'���% ����!����%������ ����$������������+��������&�� � ��� ��� ����������� �����+ �����!�����"��� �����!���< ���� ��� (��� !�����������! ���������� ������ ���� ���������� !�� ������� ��� ���� �� ��� ��������������� ����%������ �������� �������� ������ �%���5� ��� ��2��� ����� ������ !�� ����� 15(��� !�������!��)�������� ��� � �����6 !�������� ��� �� ������%������ ���������# �7��"��������� �����%����������������� �)��!���� ���������� �!������� 1����������"� � ����������� ������6 !�������������� ������������

�����9?8��������5��4

6%(����%00%0�� ���'�-��788

���� ����%� �����% � ������� ���"����������� �����������"��# ��� ��� �! ���� ����

�������� �� "����� ��" �����'�����!�� ���������� ����������� ���������������� �������������� �% ����� � �% �����!���������%���������M�� ����� ���� � ��� � � ����%��< ��� ���������������������M�� � ����!!�����% � � ���� �#��%��,� ������ ����������% ����� �!����!� �������� �*���������� �������������������������������!����� ����

4-����46@���������9>��8��+�-����%��#% ��'%��& ���'%-��,87

���������'������������� �� ������� ����#������!����� �����������%�!��� �����������������)�����! ��� ����������# �$��������� �� %�������������%���%��������� ���� ������ ������ �����"��������� �� ��� ��������������������% ������������"���������� ���� ���������������������������� ����#������� �� ��� ����������� �%�� ��� �����"������"����$� ��������������� ����������*���")����������� ���"� ��� � ��� ����#�!����� �������������������� ���� ������ ����� ������ �����#��������!����� �� � ���� ���������������%)��� ��� !��� �

����59�6�46�-6�����%�6� 0&

�% ' �����(�-��,88

India is awaiting a new nationaleducation policy (NEP); the lastone was prepared in 1992. TheMinistry of Human ResourceDevelopment (MHRD) appointed

a Committee under the Chairmanshipof former Cabinet secretary TSRSubramanian in October 2015 to pre-pare the draft of NEP. This Committeesubmitted its report in April 2016. Thisfive member Committee had fourretired bureaucrat and only one acade-mic member; the author of the presentbook under review, Professor JS Rajput.Subsequently, MHRD appointed amore-broad-based Committee underthe Chairmanship of eminent scientistDr K Kasturirangan. Its report, submit-ted in May 2019, was made available topublic domain on the same day, andMHRD invited public comments onthis draft as well. It has received numer-ous inputs from every section of thesociety. Hopefully, these would help thegovernment to take a comprehensiveview of the changes required in educa-tion policy.

The last four-five years have seeneducation issues being seriously dis-cussed and deliberated upon at everystage and level throughout the country.During this period, the writings ofProfessor JS Rajput in print media, inEnglish and Hindi as also his lecturesand books have contributed in enhanc-ing the relevance of such interactionsand their output. The Book ‘TheDynamics of Indian Education’, releasedon August 1, 2019 by the Vice Presidentof India, M. Venkaiah Naidu, is oneamongst these.

Every family wishes to know moreabout education, good education, andquality education. The demand now isno more only for ‘education and school’,but for “good quality education; imbuedwith skill acquisition; in a good School”.Just some sixty years ago, people werereluctant even to send their children toschools, and had to be particularly per-suaded to send girls to schools. The atti-tudinal transformation itself is a greatachievement. India needs to evolve avisionary, futuristic and pragmatic edu-cation policy that could respond to thenational requirements and aspirations ofthe young and aged in a fast-changingglobalised world. These are the criticaltimes for the country to have a freshlook on its education system andrevamp it on modern lines. Our educa-tion systems must remain deeply rooted

to culture, and simultaneously commit-ted to new knowledge.

A cursory perusal of the topics con-tained in the book clearly indicate thatthe author — a veteran educationist —has dexterously explored the vast canvasof critical concerns that form the basisof educational change and transforma-tion. These require regular dynamicinputs based upon experiences gainedand the future vision to remain relevant.Education systems just cannot affordstagnation at any stage over even a shortperiod. The content of this book clearlyappreciates our Post-Independenceachievements in education. We havenear total enrollment in schools, in spiteof over-threefold increase in the popula-tion!

The book also brings forth how theancient Indian tradition of knowledgeacquisition, and dissemination receivedwidespread acclaim across the seven-seas; we were the Vishwa-Guru! Wemust aim to rise to that pedestal again.

Ancient India contributed not only inphilosophy and spirituality, it con-tributed in sciences, mathematics,Astronomy and every other relevantarea. The objective was “welfare of oneand all — Sarva Bhut Hite Ratah”. Thedistinguishing features of Indian tradi-tion of knowledge generation, creation,dissemination and utilisation emergevery clearly in this book.

It pleads for restoration of respectfulbonds amongst the State and intellectu-als, and particularly to give schoolteachers their due. The author articu-lates his anguish and pain in the contextof deterioration in quality of education,loss of the credibility of teacher educa-tion institutions, and reports on theincrease of unethical instances inschools and universities. However, italso indicates how the system could beenthused with new inspiration anddynamism through a dynamic reformprocess.

The author firmly believes that

social cohesion and religious amity aretwo major responsibilities before theeducation system. He is known to haveinitiated a movement to let every childbe familiarised with the basics of all thereligions. Children should know thecommonalities and learn to respect dif-ferences wherever these exist. No ritualsand dogmas are to be taken up inschools. That shall remain familyresponsibility. India is globally respect-ed for its valued tradition of acceptanceof diversity and presents a rare exampleof various religions co-existing togetherfor ages!

It also emerges from this book thatteacher preparation must be basedupon the educational philosophies ofTagore, Sri Aurobindo, SwamiVivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, andseveral other Indian luminaries. It isnow globally recognised that everycountry should develop its own educa-tion system, that borrowed and trans-planted systems only bring disaster and

disconnect with culture, history andheritage. So finally education must be‘rooted to culture and committed toprogress’!

The neglect of right curricularapproach to India’s history, heritage andculture has resulted in an unprecedent-ed in an all round decline in values,morals and ethics. The moral crisesoften makes lakhs of children suffer forno fault of theirs. Leakage of boardexamination papers causes immeasur-able misery and pain to children andfamilies. If the system fails to preventsale of teacher training degrees, it wouldbe impossible to prevent quality deterio-ration through other means and mea-sures. The need for creating ‘educationalleadership’ at each stage hardly needsoveremphasis in a system that has torespond to innumerable diverse situa-tions. It clearly emerges that India mustpay more attention to its education sys-tem, particularly to public school educa-tion system, giving due priority to

teacher preparation. It would; ipso facto;enhance the quality of higher education,research and also innovations and entre-preneurship.

This book contains 97 chapter titles,spread over 314 well-printed pages. Onewonders why the contents of this bookwere not arranged in around a dozenchapters, dealing the major issues in oneplace. Even in the present format, someeight to ten sections could have beencreated at the editing stage. This book isa significant addition to the contempo-rary discourse on practically everyaspect of education and education sys-tem. It is full of practical experience,epistemological comprehension as alsoof the finer philosophical inputs wher-ever necessary. It could be a treasuredhandbook for every section; from pro-fessors of education to school teachersand concerned parents. Professor Rajputis known for his regular writings inHindi and English, and also for lecturesand talks. This book is one moreinstance of his commitment to educa-tional change and transformation.

The reviewer teaches political scienceat the Dyal Singh College of Delhi

University

(���������# �����'�����#���(��������)��#�"���*��� ������������ 1���� ���� ������!���������!����!��!��! ���������������� ���������� ��!��������!���% ������������������� ����� �����(0��(��

34#�156�.'�*��&'61'�6�#1,��3'�6%�������7*�8 9�����5 ���%� �������� �::;

#������� ���� ������ ����������

Tiny birds of differentcolours and sizes wouldflock in the nest, farabove the ground, atop

a tree, in the midst of woods,which could withstand rains andwinds; birds per force fleeingfrom the prying eyes of hunterswould reach the Nest. Theywould flip and chirp and flaptheir frail and weak wings,unsure of flying back. One hadto “vitalise these little birds bystrengthening their wings andavoid the hunters — men”.

The nest would have allkinds of birds — good and bad,heroes and villains, shapes andshades of different feathers.They would be nurtured withcompassion and spirit of co-existence. In time, they wouldfly away. This inspiring and loftyidealism was what made MadamAgatha, a nun who left themonastery, and hostel warden tostart and run The Cuckoo’s Nest,the first English novel, by Sethu(A Sethumadhavan), one of thebest among contemporaryMalayalam fiction writers. He isequally at ease and adept andevocative in English as evidentfrom this novel.

The novelist has always beena strong promoter of feminism,be it his stories or novels, andalways empathised to the extentof clearly taking sides. So is it inThe Cuckoo’s Nest, where theyoung and desolate inmates areempowered to live gloriously,“like a mother bidding goodbyeto her daughter, a mother birdwatching her tiny ones flyingaway , flapping and spreadingtheir wings…. Never to return”.Madam Agatha had trained herinmates to “dream the mountainand not the valley”.

The message of optimism iscommendable as narrated in anexcellent and convincing man-ner for emulation. The reader ismoved by the manner in whichtotal darkness and gloom in thelives of nearly a dozen inmatesof the Nest was overcome intobright sunshine by empoweringthe girls through a model chari-table institution, run entirely ondonations from well-wishers,

known and unknown. Madam Agatha stands out as

a colossal and influential charac-ter in the novel and she is able toweather the storm and rains andoccasional cyclones holdingonto her Nest firmly with prag-matic and high ideals musteringsupport from well-meaningquarters and close friends andshe is the profile of intent andstrong will, having walked out ofthe monastery (when even sur-vival itself is not easy).

There is another character,Kadambari, who has come fromDevagiri , a small town in TamilNadu, where she was an adopteddaughter, but had to leave homeafter a gruelling experience.Kadambari has another motherin Madam Agatha and she is

finally given to shoulder theresponsibilities of the Nest.Other characters in the novel areprofiled to represent the oppres-sive circumstances in whichyoung females are made to suf-fer agonies. In portraying them,the novelist has put his narrativeexcellence into perfection witharresting readability, as is hiswont.

The profiling also attainsuniversality and pan-Indianappeal transcending geographi-cal and psychological barriers.Each character, be it, Col. AnnieFernandez, the crippled armydoctor, Sarala, Secretary of Nest,Karuppayya, security guard,who are not inmates per se butclosely associated, is etchedindelibly and stands out.

Residents of Nest, Lisie, Gouri,Sabeena, Ranjini, Apoorva,Kamakshi-Kamalakshi (twins),Didi, Parveen Singh, Seetha etcare all from different back-grounds and faiths (But Nest isstrictly secular in every sense)and each one’s tale of woes istouching.

Except in the case ofParveen Singh, who meets witha tragic death due to her intenselove for Salim, all others areenabled in every sense to under-go life in better circumstances.Two instances where the lovers(Sabeena and Seetha) reunitewith their love through socialmedia are motivating andrevealing. Each character has ahistory of pathos and untoldmiseries and they reveal the cur-

rent social fabric, which is heavi-ly skewed against the downtrod-den women. The tale of woes ofeach inmate of the Nest has beendexterously condensed demon-strating the mastery of the nov-elist in his art of storytelling.The weaving around of the plotand characters almost in lyricalstyle in the novel marks Sethu’sdexterity at its best.

“Life is nothing but an open-ended story. Won’t it be better toleave some doubts as they areand make the reader ponder onthem later? After all, aren’t suchclueless riddles the very elementthat makes life interesting?” asksDidi, the wheel chair-boundoptimist Jewish inmate of theNest, with a Third Eye toApoorva, who is in the Nest due

to the quarrel of her Bengalifather and Tamilian mother. Thenovelist reflects: “the writer…..naturally expected his readers tobe reasonably intelligent so thatthey would be able to find out asolution of their own”.

At the end Madam Agathaasks: “Mirror, mirror on thewall, have I failed?” Riposte isthat the story is a brilliant liter-ary work bringing out the divineelements of conveying improve-ment over societal values. Goingby any literary values, TheCuckoo’s Nest is a profoundwork, placing the novelist in thepinnacle of his glorious career.

The reviewer is a noted writerand veteran broadcaster. He wasDDG, Doordarshan, and associ-

ated with several TV channels

1$�����#�����#�����������$���� �������.�%�������� ���"��� ���� ��*���"�������� ����� ����������� ���������"�#�������� ��� �������������#��"�������� ���!����������� � ���"��+��+��(+0(�����

34#��,�<��$*�6#*3�=�*����� �� � ��>*����?��

6�����2-�����@;

8�?�--6A���

Former Director, NCERT, Prof. JS Rajput presenting his book, The Dynamics of Indian Education, to the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, in New Delhi

Page 11: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

���������� ��

�������������!"#�"$"$

$%��#���� �&������3���������&%2�"���&���������"��� ��&���*�����"���"�It has been a strange practice that

for almost anything related toIndia, more specifically to Hindus, isconstrued as wrong by the Americanmainstream media. All kinds ofaccusations against India are freelyheaped. A large section of the Indianmedia and the mainstream worldmedia go by the same tradition.Muslims and Europeans are some-what perturbed due to loss of largeempire and freeload ownership. Butthey need to wake up.

British truncated India at thebehest of the Muslim leadership andthen Hindus were driven out fromtwo Islamic theocracies, carved outafter the partition and further bifur-cation of Pakistan. The Citizenship(Amendment) Act, at the least,assures the persecuted persons inthese two neighbouring nations ofsafe habitat in India. The New YorkTimes’ main story on December 10,2019 (India’s Parliament Takes StepToward Blocking Naturalization forMuslims) by Jefferey Gettleman andSuhasini Raj is another example ofpeddling of concocted narratives,laced with acrimony towards Indiaand Hindus.

The fact of the matter is that theCitizenship (Amendment) Act hasgot nothing to do with any existingcitizens of India: Hindus, Muslims,Christians or others. The Act hasgiven some relief in matter of grant-ing asylum in India to the mostrepressed brutalised section —minorities of three neighbouringIslamic nations. It has not touchedrights of any Muslims anywhere inIndia. Even after the implementationof the Citizenship (Amendment)Act, any Muslim can anytime apply

for citizenship in regular course, asbefore.

India is trying to deter illegal

infiltration. The superpower USAhas three times land mass of India,but only one-fourth population and

the number of illegal persons esti-mated at just 11 millions, yet the USenforces stringent regulation to cope

with illegal immigrants. While, India,which is fighting against the highunemployment rate and other myr-iad problems, has about 60 millionto 90 million illegal immigrants.Despite that India has kept its gatesopen for the refugees.

As a normal rule, there is anaversion to religious minorities inIslamic theocracies, and India’sneighbouring Islamic nations are noexception to it. However, dependingon regimes there, the persecutionintensity differs. Here this Act inIndia can stem the process of the eth-nic cleansing of minorities in theneighbourhood. The hellish brutal-isation gives testimony to the factthat 49 million Hindus vanishedfrom Bangladesh since 1947. Thecondition of Hindus and Sikhs ismore precarious in Pakistan. Themost recent proof of the persecutionof the minority communities inPakistan was the bid of a mob to laysiege to Nankana Sahib Gurudwarain protest against police actionagainst those accused of forcing aSikh girl to convert to Islam.

Hindus are the ancestral inhab-itants of the soil before Islam arrivedin the region. Therefore Hindusconnect to India and neighbouringcountries. This is why they don’twant to leave their homes in theIslamic states as long as possible.However, the spate in cases of abduc-tion of their women, forced conver-sion, and ethnic cleansing leavethem no option but to seek refuge inthe secular India. As they live asrefugees, they are unable to avail anyrelief available to the citizens of India.The Citizenship (Amendment) Actis a move to address that concern.

However, the mainstream Americanmedia consider these inhuman treat-ment to minorities “Not fit to print”.

In 1947, the population ofHindus and Sikhs in Pakistan was 20per cent of the total, and that ofHindus, Buddhists and Christians inBangladesh (formerly East Pakistan)was 29 per cent, which now standaat 2 per cent and 7 per cent respec-tively. The population of Muslimsand Hindus in India in 1947 wasabout 7 per cent and 88 per centrespectively, which now stands at 15per cent and 78 per cent. Therefore,there is whopping100 per cent per-centile growth of Muslims in India.Yet New York Times alleges thatMuslims are second-class citizens inIndia.

The Citizenship (Amendment)Act is giving citizenship to the per-secuted religious minority refugeesfrom three Islamic nations aroundIndia. Because Pakistan andBangladesh made mockery of theNehru-Liaqat pact of 1950 to protectthe minorities, I think the Act wasthe only way left to heal the woundof the disenfranchised people.

Muslims in Pakistan,Bangladesh, Afghanistan are thefavoured citizens there. They are notasylum seekers. They are not the vic-tims of Islamic expansionism. ThisAct is for the relief of persecuted vic-tims, Hindus and other minorities ofthose nations. Why Muslims inIndia have to object it?

(The New York-based writer is thehead of Indian-American IntellectualForum. The views expressed in thearticle are the personal opinion of thewriter.

)%�������3��%�#@��������A����������%%"��������##����%�22����%����������������**������##��������� ���������%��##����"��#�������������%����&%2�"���&�** ����������5�))%����� ����"�������22��������

��+*)>����.�!(.!>*

��!*� �� ���������������� �� � ��Somalia, a country in the

eastern most part of theAfrican continent in the Hornof Africa, is facing the rage ofthe Islamic jehad spearheadedby Al-Shabab. It lies along theGulf of Aden and the IndianOcean which makes it morevulnerable to external attackseven from the sea front.

The group has about 5,000-9,000 trained cadre, apart fromsympathisers and radical sup-porters all across Somalia. Itsmain target is to topple theinternationally recognisedGovernment of MohamedAbdullahi Mohamed, in powersince 2012, and establish aSharia-based state. The Al-Shabab has been successful intransforming itself primarilyfrom a terrorist unit to aninsurgent group and finallyraising itself to the status of aproto-state actor.

However, depending oncircumstances, it can take anyof these forms. That is how ithas grown and become apotential threat to the survivalof the fragile Government ofSomalia.

The dastardly car bombattack by the Al-Shabaab lastSaturday once again raised theghost of Islamic terror in theSomalian capital of Mogadishu.It killed more than 79 people,and injured at least 125 people.Claiming responsibility for theattack, one of the group’sspokesperson Sheik AliMohamud said, “….theMujahideen carried out anattack…targeting a convoy ofTurkish mercenaries and apos-tate militia who were escortingthem.” This attack was thebiggest to hit Somalia since atruck exploded in 2017 near afuel tanker in Mogadishu, cre-ating a fireball which killednearly 500 people.

Al-Shabab in the Arabiclanguage refers to ‘The Youth’.The group is allied to Al-Qaeda. In a paper titled,“Breaking the Bonds betweenAl-Qaeda and its affiliate organ-isations”, Daniel L Byman wrotein 2012, “In February, 2012, theSomali-based Shabab formallydeclared its loyalty to Al-Qaeda,a move that capped the trans-formation of Al-Qaeda’s rela-tionship with Somali militantsinto a more substantial part-nership. In the early 1990s, Al-Qaeda tried to work in the col-lapsed Somali state, but oftenfound the violent civil warthere overwhelming, so muchso that its operatives wereunable to make significantinroads. It did, however, kept

Somalia as a part of a regionalbase for its attacks against theUS and UN peacekeepers andstrikes in Kenya against the USand Israeli targets.”

This indicates how Al-Shabab has grown from Al-Qaeda and gradually expand-ed its wings, becoming a multi-state actor. At its zenith, Al-Shabab controls nearly 81,000square miles or about onethird of Somalia. However, theIslamic State (ISIS) at its peak,used to occupy only over30,000 square miles, coveringareas in three countries ofIraq, Libya and Syria.

The Al-Shabab emergedas the radical youth wing ofSomalia’s now defunct IslamicCourts Union (ICU) in early2007. But its quick successand aggression provoked theEthiopian forces to invadeSomalia and scatter the group.But the ferocious campaignlaunched by the insurgentsfinally drove the Ethiopiansaway from Somalia. The ICU

which operated in Mogadishufrom 2000-2006 was a legal andpolitical organisation foundedby Muslim clerics from Abgalsub-clan of the influentialHawiye clan. These courtsadjudicated personal statusand criminal law as per Sharia.

Besides, as they werebacked by clan-based militias,they were truly effective inmaintaining strong law andorder in and aroundMogadishu.

It must be noted here thatISIS is not the first Islamic rad-ical group to establish a proto-state in modern times. But Al-Shabab controlled and admin-istered vast territories acrossSomalia. And it mobilisedresources and people aroundtheir territorial limits andbeyond, long before the ISISdid in 2014 and beyond.

In fact, the Al-Shababdeveloped a sophisticated andcomprehensive taxation systemthat brought them millions ofdollars each year. It collects

taxes in the guise of zakat andan excessive tax, in the name offighting a holy war, the way theISIS did.

Both the ISIS and the Al-Shabab have the same goal: Tocreate a religious state accord-ing to their radical interpreta-tion of Sunni Islam. Also theyemploy similar tactics anddraw their allegiance to Wahabisect of Islam. The Wahabimovement was founded byMuhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahab in the 18th century inNajd, Central Arabia. It wasadopted by the Saud family in1744. Today it is widely preva-lent in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.As it officially goes, the mem-bers of the Wahabi movementregard themselves as ‘alMuwahhidun’ i.e. Unitarians.And it is derived from theiremphasis on the ‘absolute one-ness of God’ (Tawhid).Therefore, its radical followersand advocates like the ISIS andthe Al-Shabab reject all actsthey see leading to polytheism.

Thus they strongly stress onreturning to the original teach-ings of Islam as mentioned inQuran and Hadith i.e. tradi-tions of Muhammad. FurtherWahabi followers condemn allinnovations i.e. bidah in Islamin any form.

Though both ISIS and theAl-Shabab draw their inspira-tion from radical interpretationof Islam, they differ on manyfronts. ISIS operated, till itsrecent fall, in much larger geo-graphical areas than that of theAl-Shabab. The formerengaged in extreme atrocitiessuch as mass beheadings, cru-cifixions and burning victimsalive, both for its worldwidepropaganda and to spread aregime of Islamic terror. But theAl-Shabab, being an Al-Qaedasponsor, rejects such brutaltactics as purely unproduc-tive. But recent attacks carriedout by the group exposes itsdouble standard both withinand outside Somalia.

Though it has been pushed

out of the major towns ofSomalia by the African Union(AU) troops, includingMogadishu and the vital portof Kismayo in 2011-12, it hasremained a potential force insome of the rural areas. It iscapable of conducting raids andattacks in nearby countries,such as Kenya.

In fact, it has carried outmore than 20 terror attacks inKenya, including the capitalcity of Nairobi in the last fiveyears. And it has taken the livesof about 300 people in Kenyaso far. Many say that AfricanUnion Missions in Somalia(AMISOM) and in Kenya atbest have stagnated so far. Onthe other hand, the opera-tional capacities, intimidationtechniques and ground fightingprowess of Al-Shabab havebeen growing. The worst partis that the Federal Governmentof Somalia is plagued by cor-ruption and infighting. It isseriously creeping as the ser-vice-delivery by both

Mogadishu and the newlyformed states are lacking intrue sense of the term.

Clearly, despite its internaland external contradictions,the influence and aggressivemood of the Al-Shabab is onthe upswing again. It has beensuccessful in spreading aregime of fear among the com-moners. And more important-ly, the insurgents have absolute-ly clogged the basic functionsof the civil administrationacross Somalia. This has, inreality, turned the tide towardsthe radicals, both in terms ofdisplaying its weight and equal-ly paralysing the mobilisationof the civil society, particular-ly at the grassroots level. Butwhat has been predicted isthat the potential long-lastingdamage posed by its continu-ous killing of Somali civiliansmay further erode its supportbase.

(The writer is an expert oninternational affairs)

���"����������������%�������2���%��������&�������%�� ������������%�� ��2��2���������������"������%���#����� ������������%��#�������� �#� �������'�&��%"������ ���������"����G� ��

*��������%�%�"�� �&���"���&���#�������&������%������ �����������&���� ���������%�2��"���������������������.����2��������"����D���

� 8��%�2�2�%%��22���"����" ��������������&����� �#������ �������������������""�������������"�&�����&&��"#�������� ��������&����� ������%�����"�������#����8�����������

'�-.� ����*-*�

Page 12: DTcRa 422+ 5ZUZ e` >`UZ - Daily Pioneer

� ����������� �%����������� # � � �"����%������!�� ��% �� ���<����� ������ ���%������! �����%��� ���%������%��<����� ���# �"�����!�� � ������"������ ����� �5������� �� #�������� ��� %�����%���������������" � �% ���������� ��!!������� ��!"!� ����������! �"��� � �%� � ���������!������������� ��� ���'�� ����"����� �����������!���"��<��������� ����!��������� ����"������#� ������� ����<����� �������"�� �������"����� ����������%�"����344�� ��! ��� ����������������6 !���<������ �������� ���"�� �!��"�������� ���� ����������"#���������� ��� ��������� ��� ����������� ��/���� ��"�(����� �"�����"�� ����� ���� ��<�����"���! �!�����!����������!�������� ����� � � ��������! ��������!���������#����"�����������

��>;?�<���&� 38��>;?�>.�.�� *��� ��>;?�1�? � �� ���"

�8'#* 6% )��,+9�' ���+8

<�������� �6�"�%����� �����������!�� ������� ������������������ #��� � ������� ��!!��������� ����� �% � ������������ ������"������% ����% �� ����� �"���%�� �����"� ! �� ���%��������������! ���������� ��" ���� "������������ �����! ��,���� �!�� ������� �"��������%������� �����!�����"������% � ��� �%����� �����������������%������ �����!�������!�� � �"�������% ��%������2 ��� ������� ������������ �������#��!#������ ����������"����� ���# �"���% �������� ������������� ���� ��������� �� ������������ ����������������"����!� ������"������ ����������"�������#��%���� ���� "��-�� �� ��������������������������"�����������������% ��<��������� ���� �� �����"��������� � �������# ������������ !������������ %������������"������������%����� #����������"�� ������

��>;?�<���&� LI��>;?�>.�.�� *�% �����>;?�1�? �������"

3�,8,*��' ���,.96%&�,.

������ #�"����� ����������� ������ �� 1��� � �������������� �"�����������"�������� ���% �! ��<��������� ��!��� ��������������������%� �� ��� �� �����������������������<������ ������� �������� ������� �!��� ��������������!��!�������������������"�"�����!������� �����,��� �!�� ������� �!� ���!������!���������������%!���% ������� ���������� �%�����������!!���������� �6�������# �"��<������������� ��� ���������"����� ��� ��#���� ��� 1���� ������ ��� � ������# ��"����<���������! ������������ �!����� ����"�����"�����"��������� ��������� ��"��,���� ��������!������ ������� #�������� ��������� ��,���� ���� �� ���% �������� ��� �"���� � �%"����������������%� ����"��������������� ������ ����������% �����������

��>;?�<���&� 3;��>;?�>.�.�� ���� ��2�� ��>;?�1�? �������"

+#.'6'�6%&�,+9"�(�,.

������ #�"��������������� ������������������"���� ������* ���������������"����������� �!��� ����!��! ���� ��������������"������!� �� ���� ���!� ��������� �������"���� ����%������!��������!��%���% �������������������"��� ���$�����* �������� �"�%�����������������!������������ ��� �� �����"����� ��� �"���� �� ��� ����'�� �����#����������%����� ����� 1!����%������������ �������� �#��!#��%������ �������<������� 1� �� �! ��� �!� ���� �����#��������"�������� �������� �����"��������� 1������� ���� �!���*�� "���"!�� ��������� �������� �����! ��,���� �� ��������������� ��� � �����!�� ������ ��5��� �������������# ���%�����!!��� ������"���� ���� ��� �� �������� �"������� ��������� � �����" �����"�����������"������� ���� ��

��>;?�<���&� O��>;?�>.�.�� � "��>;?�1�? �������"

��6�#8�"�(�,+9"��&�,,

<��������� �������� ������������ ��������"����� �������� #��<��������� �!� ���� ����� 1� �� �! �� � � ���� �%����<���� ������ ��������� ��������������� ���"�������! ��� � � �%"�� � ������������� ����"�������'�� �5��� ������������ ���������!�� �����% ����% �� ��������!��� �%� �������� �����������# �"�������"��<���� ����!� �� ���������� �� ���%�����%����� �����������"������ �"������ ����'�����!�� ���� ����#����!�������������������# ��"������"������� #��<����� ��# �"����� ! �� �����������������!#���� �% � ������"������������#���� � ���� ���(���� ����� ����� ������� "�������� 1� �� �! ������� �������%� � ������% ����������������� /�������% ����� ����"�����"����� ������!!���������� ����� ��"��������� ��

��>;?�<���&� 3I��>;?�>.�.�� 0 ���>;?�1�? *����"

A'8+����2�,:9�'�,,

��������%��� �"����� ���������� ����� �������#������<���� ���������� ����!�������� ���"��������% ��!���� �����"��"����� ��������!���� ��"� ��������������������������! �������#�� ��� ����"��������������"������������������%����� ������������ ��%������������������������#��%����������� !��������'�� �5��� �"����� ������ ���%������!#����� �6�� ������"���# ���������������������!�� ��������# �����%� !����� ����)��� �� �������������� #��%�����! ����� ����� ��� ���"�!�� ������� ����%���������"�������� �������%�������=����!����"�"��������� ��������<������������#�������� ��� ���"�������� ����"����!�� ���<������������ ���!! ������� ��������!��������.���������!��� ��� ��������# �"����%� �������� ���� ����� �������� ���*���� ��!���� ������ �6�"�� �� !��������"�����������������!�����

��>;?�<���&� 3?��>;?�>.�.�� � ���>;?�1�? �� ���"

('28���'�,:9�)0�,,

<����������� �����������! ���� � �%" ������������ ��������������������# ��"���%���% ����������%����� ���!#���������"�!�� �"������"�������� #�"����� ���� �� !��� ���������� !��"���������!"�����%�����"���� ���%������������ �% �������� ���������������6��" �!�� ������������� ��!� ����� ��� �"���� �����������%�!���% ���"����!�� ���� ���� ����# ���"�������� �"����'��� !�������������!���������%� ������! ����"����� �����������(�� ��$�����"���� ����"��������%���������!���������� �����%% �� � ���������"���� ����2 ����������!�������� #�"���� ����%��� �������"����������������#������ ��� ���"!��!���!#������� ��������"����������! �������� ����!��"�������� ���������������)���������� ���� �� ���������������������"������ ������"����� ���������

��>;?�<���&� L4��>;?�>.�.�� �#"�2�� ��>;?�1�? =����"

*��8%'���)0�,:9��1�,+

������ #�"�������������������� � � �%"������������"������ �� ��5� �� !��������� �����"���� ����<��������� 1����!�� ����������"������ � � 1 �!�� ��������#��%�!� ��� ��<��������� )��� ������������ �� � ��!����������������%�%����� ������,� ���� �"����� ����������� %�����,���� ����#������ ������������ ����"�!�� �"�����"��������� 1� !� ������ ���������%���������! ������ ��%����������!��"��������# ��������!�� ������� ������ 1� !� ��6���� "������� 1������"����*�#��%���� "�����%�����#��������� �������%�����������!����������� ������ �!�����-�� ���� ������� ���������<������ ��������� �� ��������"������!������ � �"�� ��������"���<��������� ����� �������������� � � �%"����������!��$� �"��������� �)��� ����

��>;?�<���&� L3��>;?�>.�.�� < ������>;?�1�? =����"�

�0,�8',* "%(�,.9���+;

��"���� ���������"����� ������<�������������!������������� ���������������� �!���������������� ����! �"���!����� �! ��<����� ��������"���"���# ���� �� ��� 6 �������2 �!�� ��� ����������� %��% �! ���"�!��� �����%��� ����"������!# ���'�� �5��� �"���� �����!�5������� "�������%�� ���!�� ����6 !��� �������"������� ���! ������� ����(����� �� �����# �������%%� �� � �� ������� �� � ���! ��������"���������������� ���������������!#"����!�� � � �� �����������# �����������0 � �� ��������!�������!! �����"�!��� �� %� ���<����� ����������������� !� ��"����� ����!������ �� ���1� �"��������� � �������� ����%��� �� �����%��������!!����������� ��������!�� ���� � ������� ��������� �� �!��� !���������"������� ������������ ���������� ���� ���� � ������������ � �%���

��>;?�<���&� 33��>;?�>.�.�� ��� ���>;?�1�? � �� ���"

%'*�#*����+896% )��,.

<�������� 1� �� �! ����� �%�� ���������!��� ��� �������� #���� � ���������� �� �������!�� J��� � ��� �������!��� ������� %������ ��!���!� !#5������ �� �"��������������"����"��������"�����!������*�������6��"�������% �"�������!�� ���,���� �!�� ������� �"����� �$��!#5���� �������� ������������#���� ����"������������������� ������� �"����!�� ����������������� ��������������"!��� �� �������<����������� ����� �"����"�������!��!��� ��������� �������%� �"����!�� ����������# 5���� �� ��� ����� ��� �!���� ��������������"����������������� ���"����!�� ���,���� � �������������� ���"���� ��������"������ �������������������-��#������� ������"������� ������ $��� �%� �� ����������� !� ����� ���"�� �� � �� ������������# �"���� ��� ���

��>;?�<���&� 3O��>;?�>.�.�� ���� ��>;?�1�? �����"

��%8'��86��)�,,9"%(�+8

�����������% �"��������� �!������2 �!����������������������� ������������ �"����� ��!� �!�� ����"�������� #"��������� ��!��� ������� ��������������%������� ������!������� ������ ��������# ��� �� ����� ����"����!��������� ����%������"��!�������� ������ ����������������"���!����� �! ��(��!�� � �"���� �����!��������� �����������<����� ��������#��%������ � ���� � �������� ���%������%���������"�������!��"����%�������(�!� �� �"��� ���!� �!"�������������!! ����(��� ���������� �"�����"� !�� ����� ���� ���������"���� ���� �� !��� $� �! ����"����� ��!�����!����%������ ������ �� ������ ����������)��� %� !���� � ���������� ������"�������� ����������������������� ����������������� ������������%�������"��������%�� ����

��>;?�<���&� 39��>;?�>.�.�� 2������>;?�1�? �������"

(#� "��&�,:9��2�,,������� #�"����� ����������� �%������� ������"������� � ������� �� �! ��������������������������������� ������� ��! ��!����! ������# �"��(�����������%�!� ���<��#������������� � ��!��������"��������������� !��"��� � �%� ���������� ������!��� ���"��(��!�� � �"�������� ������"�� ���� �!� ���� ������"����<������� 1� �� �! �� �������� ��������� ����� ����� �������� ����%���������"����� ������%��������������%�� ������ �<��������� ����"����� ����% �������������� �������"������� �,���� ���� ������ ��� � ���������! ������ ���� �����"����� ������ ��� ������� ������������ ��������� !�� �"����������"������������%���!� �� ���� �����"������ ������"�<���� ����������! �"������� ������� � ���������������!�� ��������!��

��>;?�<���&� L?��>;?�>.�.�� (���%���>;?�1�? � �� ���"

*�+'33�8',*���1�,,9�)�,+

�9�-?��2

����4*����+,�(<�

���������� ��

� ������0���(���0.�*� �=,0�(���.*�(���(��.����.���.

�,�.�.0�(�<M�+��-(-�(20�� ��������!"#�"$"$

There was self-created disorder atthe ‘Primal source’, earlier in aperfect equilibrated state, which

when gravitated, differentiated energiesgot excited. Immediately thereafterbegan harmonisation of those energies,which following a course of progressiveevolution, culminated in the manifesta-tion of plural world with all its enormi-ty and diversity. As the cause permeatesthe effect, the imprints of both orderand disorder find presence in our cog-nitive instrument. Given a trigger eitherof the two or both could come intoplay, which primarily depends on howindividual mind is inherently framed. Itis pertinent to note here that humanbeings are born unique, each manifest-ing varying mindset and desire trends,coming as they may as Karmic carry-over from the past. Evidently, it variesfrom person-to-person depending onwhat short of experiences one wouldhave undergone in the past. So, we areall born with a preconditioned mind,which serves as defining principle ofindividual mind. The way it is framed ishow one acts, reacts, or responds.

In many cases, it has been observedthat the ‘sense of order’ is overplayed.

Such characters are often found to havea perfectionist attitude. They wish to beperfect in all their endeavour, preciselyto a point, of course, on their self-defined terms, which may or may notbe in sync with ground realities. Moreoften than not, they remain stuck totheir self-delusional perceptions, andnot open to look beyond for a realitycheck. Until pushed to the wall, theywill keep pursuing their line of think-ing. By the time they realise, the dam-age is done. They wish to go about inlife on their own exclusive terms. Theycan’t digest anything happening to thecontrary. They evaluate others by hisown measures, not realising that every-body is born unique. That often makesit difficult to relate to others on eventerms. In search of perfection, they gooverboard, rejecting options availableone after other. In the process, they failto make timely initiative, and whenthey are left in the run of life, theyresign to fate. Else, they hunt out thosewho may promise extra-terrestrialintervention through some belief drivenpuja.

Here is the case of a person whowished his wife to be perfect. His con-

tinued sermons on what to do or whatnot pushed her off so much that shefinally broke off the marriage. Later,when he started looking for a prospec-tive partner, none would fit into hislong check list, so thirty years now butwith no result. Speculating salary hikein future as was the trend in a growingeconomy, he opted for housing proper-ty beyond his means, ignoring theadvice and counsel of elders. As theeconomy took a down slide, his careergrowth trajectory got adversely affected.He then realised that he could no moreservice debt. Even in terms of works, hemay not accept an offer till all his pre-conditions are met. As the economytook a downturn, he lost his job, andthereafter he has been without job forlong.

Let us now look at his astrologicalpointers. Gemini Lagna with mind-sig-nifying Moon there, brings in the ten-dency to live on one’s own exclusiveterms. He may go by his self-definedbeliefs and perceptions. So long as yousing his tune, you remain the bestfriend. The moment you offer a con-trarian view, he may immediately getput off. Also, he has a vacillating mind.

Jupiter in the 5th house brings in aperfectionist streak. Moon favourably

placed to Neptune brings in a very finetaste. Saturn beautifully aligned toUranus makes him serious and thor-ough in work, with an eye on even finerdetails. He can’t agree to anything untilit fully satisfies his taste.

But then Moon is opposite Venus. Ifthat would not be enough, the Sun toois locked in adverse formation toVenus. All put together makes him toomuch emotionally touchy and sensitive.He may get over exercised even on triv-ial issues not to his taste, which he mayoverstretch beyond due and keepmulling over them for long. In theprocess, often his priority preferencesget compromised. Added to that is 9thlord Saturn placed adverse to mischie-vous Neptune and Mars, which makeshim self-deluding and moody. Also, itmakes him habitually suspicious. Oncehe gets vexed, he may lose his sense ofreasons and order. On top of that is acluster of 5 planets, which makes him avery complex character. And the resultis there to see.

)%���������������������� �&��������"�����" ��������#����"� ����"�� ��5�$$���������%%������

�8II=0��++%����� �&���� ���//�������� ����� ���((� %�8III=�==0D

)� ��FFI8III844FG4G4�DHFGIG=��0���:��� ��22%����2%"%��#�����K&��� 5���

���-9���2��0���2���������*��.,

'�%"�-���������������������������#����"� �%�� �������/�"�����'�%�3����*����"������)��������(���������5������������� ����%"K���������5��������5���������5�����'��FG��0G���I

5�##���#��(�����#����#$��������#

���������� ���8�T���K�..� *.��(0���� �',��-�(��.�(�,0�U ★ ��� ����������� T ���(���'����0��7�+�*,-� ��.�(,0�.�(�,0�E'0.��(K.F

���������%%�������������������� ����������&����'%��