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On the eve of the first phaseof Uttar Pradesh (UP)

Assembly elections, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onWednesday slammed "familydynasties" and lashed out at theSamajwadi Party (SP) for "per-petuating family rule" in theState and asserted that the BJPwill again triumph in UP.

In a televised interview toANI, Prime Minister Modisaid the BJP has changed "theold theory of ek baar aao ekbaar jao" and through its workcreated "pro-incumbency" inwhichever State it ruled. Heclaimed that the BJP will winin all five poll-bound States.

Hitting-out at dynasties inthe country be it in "Punjab,Haryana, UP, Jharkhand, TamilNadu", the Prime Minister said"It did not allow new talent toflow into politics and posed thebiggest danger to democracyand is its biggest enemy."

Taking on the SP-RLDalliance led by Akhilesh Yadavand Jayant Chaudhary, the PMsaid the BJP had trounced the"two boys" in the last Assemblypolls too.

"Do Ladkon wala khel palebhi dekha tha.. ", he announcedsaying "itna ahankar tha,Gujarat ke do gadhe kahatha...", Modi said and went onto say that "janta ne sabaksikhaya jab bua bhi thi.. ", a ref-erence to BSP leader Mayawati.

Modi went hammer andtong at the SP saying, "SP kaSamajwadi Puri Tarah pari-varvad hain" and sought toknow whether socialists RamManohar Lohia, GeorgeFernandes or Nitish Kumarhad a "parivar."

He said 45 members of thefamily (Mulayam and AkhileshYadav) are in prominence inthe SP and said he was told thatall in the age group of 25 arecontesting elections.

"Such parivarvad is dan-gerous to democracy ..there isno dynamics only dynasty",Modi said. "Beta kaisa bhi ho,adhyaksh ladka hi banega.. ", hesaid. He also pointed outdynasty rule in Jammu andKashmir.

Asked about BJP too hav-ing family members in politics,

Modi said in the BJP just a fewpeople (from family) go topolitics but elsewhere "dynastyrains."

Modi said for a larger partof the period sinceIndependence the Congressruled the country and set it onthe destructive path that hisparty will not allow for a longtime to come.

Asked since he is givencredit for the poll victory, doeshe also take responsibility fordefeats, Modi replied saying,"The BJP has seen manydefeats...we learn from everyelection.. each election is anew university...it is our edu-cational field."

Modi heaped praise on UPCM Yogi Adityanath saying theSP is also wanting to takecredit for his work in the State.

He refuted that Centralagencies are acting in a vin-dictive manner saying "countryis getting money by attackingcorruption...".

Taking a jibe at Congressleader Rahul Gandhi over hiscriticism of the Government in

Parliament, Modi onWednesday said he cannotreply to a "person who does notlisten and does not sit in theHouse".

On Rahul Gandhi's ques-tions on unemployment andthe India-China issue, Modisaid, "I have given facts onevery subject and spoken onevery subject on the basis offacts. On some subjects, ourexternal affairs ministry anddefence ministry have givendetailed answers and wherev-er it was necessary, I had alsospoken. How do I reply to aperson who does not listen, anddoes not sit in the House?"

Modi said his Governmentbelieves in dialogue and doesnot attack anyone.

"We don't attack anyone,instead we believe in holdingdialogue. At times, there aredebates (vaad-vivaad), inter-ruptions (toka-taki) (inParliament), I welcome this andthat is why I don't have any rea-son to be miffed (on these sub-jects)," Modi said.

In his first comment onLakhimpur Kheri violence,Modi said the UP Governmentwas working in a transparentmanner and gave its consentfor whatever committeeSupreme Court wanted toform.

On Rahul Gandhi'sremarks that he didn't need acertificate for his great grand-father from anyone and thePM is scared of the Congress,Modi said, "I did not speakagainst anyone's father/grand-

father. I said what a former PMhad said, it's the right of thenation (to know). They say wedon't mention Nehru Ji. If wedo, then also there's a problem.I don't understand this fear."

The PM said he believedin the mantra of Unity inDiversity and refuted the alle-gation that the BJP didn'trespect regional aspirations.

"We believe that for acountry's progress, we have toaddress regional aspirations. Iwas a CM too and understoodthe States' aspirations. Earlier,leaders coming to India usedto visit only Delhi, I tookthem to different States," thePM said.

Explaining further, the PMsaid, "We believe in unity indiversity. But some leadersfollowed the divide and rulepolicy. We identified over 100aspirational districts in thecountry. Today, some of thesedistricts have even crossed thenational average in many para-meters. This is a way to addressregional aspirations."

"We start classification oncaste basis during ticket distrib-ution and discuss what votepercent would be given by whichcommunity. We should changeit. We want to go ahead with the'sabka saath, sabka vikas' mantra.Unity is important to take thenation forward," PM said onpolarisation in polls.

Talking about the repealedfarms laws, Modi said that he hasalways worked for the benefit ofthe farmers and always got theirsupport.

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�� 78�/8"9�

As External Affairs MinisterS Jaishankar leaves for

Australia on Thursday toattend the Quad ForeignMinisters' meet there, China onWednesday said such “exclusiveblocs” create confrontation andit should not drive a wedge inrelations between regionalcountries.

Quad has a “cold war men-tality, it added.

Quad is an alliance ofIndia, the USA, Japan, andAustralia to secure the interestsof these countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

The heads of States of thesecountries held the first-ever “inperson” meeting inWashington last year, whichwas also attended by Prime

Minister Narendra Modi.The four countries also

held two Malabar series ofnaval exercises in the Indo-Pacific region last year. Chinahad claimed the Quad will leadto the militarisation of thestrategically crucial region.

Incidentally, Jaishankar isvisiting Australia for the firsttime after assuming charge ofthe External Affairs Ministry.Giving details of Jaishankar'sforthcoming visit to Australiaand the Philippines, the ExternalAffairs Ministry said onWednesday that the Ministerwill participate in the fourthQuad Foreign Ministers' meet-ing on February 11 inMelbourne along with his coun-terparts from Australia, Japan,and the US.

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Uttar Pradesh (UP) will seethe first phase of polling for

568 seats in the Jat-dominatedbelt of Western UP onThursday. The BJP has sweptthese seats in 2017, but this timearound the Samajwadi Party(SP) hopes to stage a comebackdue to its alliance with theRashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

As many as 623 candi-dates, including 73 women,are in the fray in the firstphase of polling which will alsodecide the fate of nineMinisters in the YogiAdityanath Government.

The Election Commission(EC) has made elaboratearrangements for the free, fair,and peaceful conduct of thefirst phase of the UP Assemblyelections on Thursday.

The poll panel has alsomade arrangements for ensur-ing compliance with Covidprotocols. Thermal scanners,hand sanitisers, face masks, faceshields, PPE kits have beenmade available at each pollingstation. Central paramilitaryforces will be deployed at eachpolling station and centralforces will also guard the strongroom where the EVMs will be

stored after polling.UP Chief Electoral Officer

(CEO) Ajay Shukla said here onWednesday that in the firstphase of elections, 2.28 crorepeople are eligible to vote,which includes 1.24 crore men,1.04 crore women and 1,448voters from the third gender.For the first phase of polling26,027 polling stations and10,853 polling booths havebeen set up. Due to Covid thenumber of voters at eachpolling booth has been restrict-ed to 1,250. The EC has alsodirected the district returningofficers to provide the facilityof drinking water, toilets andramp at each polling station.

Polling for the 58 seatsspread in 11 districts will beheld between 7 am and 6 pmon Thursday. Of the 58 seatsnine are reserved. The districtswhere the polling will be held

are Shamli, Hapur, GautamBuddh Nagar, Muzaffarnagar,Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad,Bulandshahr, Aligarh,Mathura and Agra.

The CEO said besides theElection Photo Identity Card(EPIC) issued by the EC manyother identity papers havebeen approved by the com-mission. These include theAadhaar card, the MNREGAjob card, passbook with photoissued by the banks and postoffice, health insurance smartcard issued by the UnionMinistry of Labour, drivinglicence, PAN card, Indian pass-port, pension papers withphoto and identity card issuedto the employees by theCentral and State Governmentsand PSUs and public limitedcompanies and the identitycards issued to MLAs, MLCsand MPs.

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In a shocking revelation, theGovernment on Wednesday

disclosed that 25,000 peoplecommitted suicide due tobankruptcy, indebtedness andunemployment between 2018and 2020 in the country. TheHome Ministry informed theRajya Sabha that over 16,000people committed suicidedue to bankruptcy or indebt-edness while 9,140 peopleended their lives due tounemployment between 2018

and 2020.The Minister of State for

Home Nityanand Rai said5,213 people committed sui-cide due to bankruptcy orindebtedness in 2020, while5,908 died by their own handin 2019 and 4,970 in 2018.

A total of 3,548 peoplecommitted suicide due tojoblessness in 2020, while2,851 killed themselves due tounemployment in 2019 and2,741 ended their lives in2018, he said replying to awritten question.

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The single judge of theKarnataka High Court

hearing the case related to theHijab ban in school-collegecampuses referred the matter toChief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthion Wednesday with a view thathe may decide on constitutinga larger Bench to look into it.

Justice Krishna S Dixitwho was hearing since Tuesdaya batch of petitions againstHijab ban in classrooms filedby Muslim students fromUdupi district, maintained thatthese matters give rise to cer-tain constitutional questions of

seminal importance in view ofcertain aspects of personal law.

“In view of the enormity ofquestions of importance whichwere debated, the court is of theconsidered opinion that theChief Justice should decide if alarger bench can be constitutedin the subject matter,” JusticeDixit said.

New Delhi: Omicron wavemay be subsiding world over,but the World HealthOrganization (WHO) haswarned the nations not to lettheir guard down as the nextCovid-19 variant will be moretransmissible, and perhaps,more deadly than its prede-cessors.

The WHO warning comesin the backdrop of declininginfections in India, below onelakh for the last over a week,where various states have start-ed opening up the economicand social activities.

India reported 71,365 newCovid-19 cases in the last 24hours ending at 8 am onWednesday, taking the coun-try's active caseload to8,92,828.

WHO epidemiologist andtechnical lead on Covid-19Dr Maria Van Kerkhovestressed that the pandemic isfar from over and future vari-ants will be in some way morevirulent than Omicron is now.

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Twenty-two more per-

sons succumbed to Covid-19

in the State, mounting the

total death toll to 8,797.

Khordha district reported 14

causalities, Angul two and

Balangir, Dhenkanal,

Kandhamal, Sundargarh,

Jagatsinghpur and

Mayurbhanj one each. How-

ever, the Health Department

said the fatality list did not re-

flect deaths occurring on a

particular day. It gave details

of past deaths, for which the

death audit process has been

duly completed and the cause

of death has been identified

as Covid-19. Meanwhile, the

State reported 1,712 new in-

fections in the 30 districts

and the State pool, surging

the total tally to 12,71,523.

Among the newly-infected

were 323 children in the age

group of 0 to 18 years. In the

last 24 hours, 66,021 samples

were tested and the test posi-

tivity rate (TPR) was 2.5 per

cent. The active Covid cases

stood at 17,647. Notably, the

State had recorded 1,503

positive cases on Tuesday.

Out of the new cases, 997

cases were detected from

quarantine and 715 local

contacts. Khordha district

reported the highest 257 cases

followed by Sundargarh with

147, Koraput 118, Cuttack

104, Angul 79, Sambalpur 56,

Baleswar 54, Subarnapur 54,

Jajpur 53, Mayurbhanj 53,

Keonjhar 52, Dhenkanal 49,

Kalahandi 49, Jagatsinghpur

48, Deogarh 46, Kendrapada

46, Nayagarh 45, Gajapati

43, Puri 40, Nuapada 39,

Rayagada 34, Balangir 31,

Kandhamal 31, Boudh 29,

Jharsuguda 29, Nabarangpur

26, Bhadrak 22, Bargarh 17,

Ganjam 10 and Malkangiri

three. Besides, 48 positive

cases were reported from the

State pool. So far, 12,45,026

patients have recovered in

the State.

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In a matter of concern, increasingly non-combatants or civil-

ians are becoming victims of landmines planted by Maoists to

target the security forces in the State. In such an incident, a

youth was killed when a landmine, suspected to have been

planted by the ultras, exploded near Sadingia-Kiamunda under

the Phiringia police station in Kandhamal district on Wednes-

day morning. The deceased was identified as Priyaranjan

Kanhar, a resident of Kiamunda in the district. The rebels had

on Tuesday put up a poster and torched two JCB machines

engaged in construction works near the blast site.

Apart from opposing developmental works in the region, the

Red rebels also warned people to boycott the panchayat elections.

Earlier on February 5, a journalist was killed in an explosion near

the Karlakhunta Bridge in Mohangiri of Kalahandi district. Rohit

Kumar Biswal, a resident of Madanpur-Rampur and working as a

reporter for a vernacular newspaper, was covering news about the

Maoists' warning to locals to boycott the panchayat elections

when he unknowingly stepped on a landmine and was killed.

Later, the State Government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 13

lakh for the family of the journalist.

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The Orissa High Court on Wednesday ordered that Union

Minister of State for Tribal Affairs and Jal Shakti Bishweswar

Tudu shall not be arrested till March 8 in connection with an

alleged assault case pending against him at the Baripada police

station.

However, the court asked the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha mem-

ber to appear before the investigating officer (IO) on March 4

for interrogation in connection with the case. Justice SK Sahoo

set at least three conditions and stated that violation of any

condition by the Minister shall entail cancellation of the in-

terim bail. Tudu was asked not to give any Press interviews and

not to make any public comment in connection with the case.

Adjourning the matter to March 8 for further hearing, the court

also asked Tudu to fully cooperate in the interrogation and

appear before the IO as and when required.

Tudu has been booked by police for allegedly assaulting two

State Government officials while the latter had gone to hold a

meeting with him at his Baripada local office on January 21. He,

however, has refuted the allegations saying the case against him

is a conspiracy on the part of the ruling BJD.

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Ahead of the panchayat

elections, police have seized

a total of 1,13,686.19 litre

of liquor and 27 illegal arms

since the enforcement of

Model Code Conduct from

January 19 to February 6.

The maximum 70,536.965

litre of liquor was seized in

Baleswar district. In the

Bhubaneswar UPD,

2,470.87 litre of liquor and

in the Cuttack UPD,

1,950.715 litre of liquor

were seized during the pe-

riod. Out of the 27 illegal

arms seized, maximum eight

were in the Rourkela police

district. Also, 471.86 gram

of drugs was seized under the

NDPS Act in the State. A

total of 1,492 warrants were

executed from January 19 to

February 6. In Baleswar dis-

trict alone, 201 warrants

were executed.

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Old forest issues in the hous-

ing areas of the Bhubaneswar De-

velopment Authority (BDA) and

the Odisha State Housing Board

(OSHB) where people lived nearly

four decades ago were resolved in

a meeting held in virtual mode un-

der the chairmanship of Chief Sec-

retary Suresh Mahapatra wherein

Additional Chief Secretary Forest

and Environment Dr Mona

Sharma outlined the issues for dis-

cussion.

Considering the problems of

people who lived in Barmunda,

Paikanagar, Kanan Vihar and

Jayadev Vihar from the 1970s,

Mahapatra directed the BDA to

complete the forest diversion pro-

posals in a month. He directed to

undertake compensatory affores-

tation (CA) against the forestland

to be diverted. The ADM Cuttack

and DFO Athagarh were asked to

demarcate the land for CA out of

the land already identified by the

Department of Revenue and Di-

saster Management. Around 2,000

households would be benefited by

the intervention. No forestland

should be allotted for CA. Addi-

tional Chief Secretary R&DM

Satyabrata Sahu appraised that the

land bank for compensatory affor-

estation was already created.

Around 26,500 acres of degraded

revenue forest land were identi-

fied in 18 districts during the

month of January.

A target was fixed to increase

size of the land bank to 50,000

acers by March. He also fixed the

ambitious target of bringing in

about one lakh hectares of land to

the fold of land bank for CA

within a year. It was decided that

the R&DM ACS would be the

Nodal Officer for allotment of land

for CA.

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Puri Gajapati Maharaja

Dibyasingha Deb’s daughter Debesi

Devi tied the nuptial knot with

noted businessman Aditya Kehr of

Gurugram of Haryana on Wednes-

day. Debesi is the youngest of the

four daughters of the Puri King.

The groom is the son of

Gurugram’s Rajiv Kehr and Nisha

Mahtab Kehr, a descendant of the

Burdwan royal family. The wedding

was solemnised at a luxurious hotel

in Bhubaneswar as per the Hindu

rituals. To adhere to the

Government’s Covid-19 guide-

lines, the ceremony was held in the

presence of a limited number of

guests. Besides, Mahaprasad was

arranged for the guests in Puri in

the evening.

Sources said around 80 guests

from the groom’s side had arrived

at Bhubaneswar on Tuesday night.

HITTING THE BULL’S EYE

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BISWARAJ PATNAIK

After the advent of digital tech-

nology, much has changed to make

life easier, particularly in facilitat-

ing contactless transactions of all

kinds, including meeting people

without physical contact. Mean-

while, the corona pandemic sur-

faced, forcing mankind to hide

away from others of the species to

remain safe by avoiding infection

due to contact or proximity. How

the unusually-virulent ‘corona’pathogen caused unprecedented

damage is commonest knowledge

now. The once-deadly virus, all thesame, did teach the otherwise arrogant,

unruly human species several lessons

that will keep humans sane and well-

behaved for quite some time.

Quite during the corona times,

several political elections were due;

and to uphold the principles of de-

mocracy, Governments never put

their foot down saying ‘no elections

until the virus vanishes’. They all

decided to go ahead with elections.

Consequently, the predatory virus

had a gala time claiming lives in a

series of waves. Lately, after a hefty

price though, the virus got exposed

better over time and medical sci-

entists recognised its tricks well

enough to know what contained it

perfectly. Not surprisingly, effec-

tive treatment protocols could be

devised and lastly seemingly effi-

cacious vaccines were made in

record time. Some Governments

vaccinated their people and de-

clared the war was over with a mas-

sive victory. They let people go free

without being strict about the mask

wearing and social distance and

more. Naturally therefore, the en-

couraged people let the guard

down. The third wave struck

heavily around this time. But the

report that the virus has lost steam

and killing skills turned everyone

careless and casual except perhaps

the medical community. What had

pleased people most in India is the

clamping of a set of restrictions on

electioneers and election cam-

paigns. In Odisha, the local self-

governance elections are due, to

begin with the panchayat polls. The

State Election Commission had

made strict corona prevention

behaviour codes for all political

candidates, both from big parties

and the ordinary nonpartisan

next-door aspirants. The rules did

not permit pollsters to engage in

noisy, vulgar street campaigns of

any kind. Only the candidate could

do door-to-door begging by pre-

senting self as a masqueraded mes-

siah to dupe hapless voters. By and

large, the common folk today hate

to see big party-backed candidates

because most of them are rogues

flaunting wealth and flexing

muscles to impress cheatingly and

intimidate people to vote for them.

It is commonly known that rascals

have taken over the political stage

in India. So, election times are

peace-less and sleepless times for

voters. Noise, confusion, quarrels,

street brawls and public commo-

tion everywhere make life so mis-

erable as to force the sensible people

not to visit polling booths to cast

votes for any. Corrupt, character-

less crooks manage to snatch big

party tickets to contest elections.

Parties too extend support to these

least-respected creatures only to

maintain the victory numbers to

remain in power. So, winnability is

a new expression in vogue among

party decision makers. And that

ensures intolerable headaches for

voters. Most significantly, the hor-

rific public disorder they commit is

due to initiating the hungry, hope-

less, disillusioned unemployed

youths into all wicked, despicable

human qualities to grab votes

through them. First, they pretend

to splurge money on the gullible

young people to make them believe

money will keep coming for always.

Then come the bait of alcohol and

mouthwatering unhealthy food

stuffs that most male young people

would love to consume. The hun-

gry impoverished guys are then

taught intimidation tricks and foul-

mouthing to appear macho charac-

ters, which again the malleable

young ones love to pick and use.

Thus, the wicked satanic trainings

having been over these little devils

are let loose to intimidate and con-

quer voting constituencies. All

that’s being harped out here is that

God created a situation where the

election commission had a great

opportunity of keeping the politi-

cal rascals under control under the

plea of Covid-appropriate

behaviour, especially when the vi-

rus is still around and not leaving

mankind so soon. Most impor-

tantly, local self-governance polls

are expected to be nonpartisan so

as to bring in the neighbourhood do-

gooder who will never spend money

beyond capacity nor play foul to re-

cover expenses first and thereafter

remain engaged in daylight robbery

to become wealthier than he could

ever have become. Except Zilla

Parishad, no other panchayat tier

in Odisha can permit party candi-

dates or party-supported creatures

for grabbing seats of power.

Now, instead of five, twenty

can accompany a candidate for

door-to-door torture. This number

can be 50 too because it’s literally

impossible to monitor and control.

Now, 300 can gang up at a public

gathering to cause public distress

with noise and commotion. This

number can jolly well hit 500 or

more without being resisted. The

Election Commissioner of the State

has not been responsible. He should

have taken the WHO chief ’s words

seriously about waiting for some

more time before going loose and

berserk. He should have forced con-

testants to campaign on the digital

mode which is and cool and per-

fectly reassuring. Instead of wast-

ing people’s time at their doors, all

good and bad candidates could per-

suade voters on the smart phones

with their promises and manifes-

tos. Now, one will get to see more

drunken youths dancing to vulgar

songs and music to persuade voters

to support their candidates. The

neighbourhood do-gooder will fail

anyway because he would not be

able to match the wicked biggies

on flowing alcohol and splurging

dirty money to be scooped later by

bloodsucking techniques. The

Gandhian dream of ‘Gram Swaraj’

will never come in place. Even

‘Sarpanch’ candidates can only win

if they have the bribe money in

hand. Good souls contesting with

little burrowed money will become

more impoverished for sure and lose

dignity at the hands of the creditor

after defeat is declared.

The BJD Government under

the leader Naveen Patnaik has been

creating history. He only can make

a difference by whipping hard the

party loudmouths and self-styled

strategists to keep the panchayat

polls party-free. Except for the Zilla

Parishad aspirants, no BJD hue or

scent should be seen or sniffed on

any other contestant. Let the au-

thorities be coerced publicly to have

all liquor shops shut around the

panchayat regions from now. Simi-

larly, all feasting events should be

monitored by honest police offi-

cials with the aid of courageous,

noble-minded local residents. Then

only good nonpartisan people can

win to establish at least a poor man’s

‘Gram Swaraj’.

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The three members of the

Jamtara cybercrime gang, whowere arrested by the Crime Branchfrom Rasulgarh in Bhubaneswaron January 29, had duped peoplemostly on the pretext of updat-ing their Known Your Customer(KYC) documents.

The Crime Branch on Wednes-

day released a video showing the

modus operandi adopted by the

fraudsters to defraud people and

urged citizens to report any cyber

fraud within one hour of the crime,

which is termed as the ‘Golden Hour’.

Crime Branch ADG Sanjeeb Panda

said, “In the video, you have seen

how the fraudsters talked to a cus-

tomer and tried to win her confi-

dence. First, the caller introduced

himself as an employee of a bank

and then passed the call to another

person who introduced him as man-

ager so that they could trick the un-

suspecting customer into sharing all

the credentials of the bank account.”

“Most of the frauds committed by

the arrested accused were on the pre-

text of KYC update. We have suffi-

cient data and are working out to

collect more,” he said. “A total of 55

FIRs have been registered against the

fraudsters across the country. We re-

ceived a warrant against them in

connection with a case in Bengaluru.

Besides, police from other States are

also approaching us to take their cus-

tody,” Panda said.

He said if the victim dials

cybercrime help desk number-

155260 within one hour of occur-

rence of the crime (Golden Hour),

the fraudulent transaction can be

blocked. The cybercrime desk

claimed to have recovered a Rs 55

lakh that was cleaned off from

people in the past six months and

managed to prevent transfer of

another Rs 26 lakh. “As we fre-

quently sensitise people not to share

one time password (OTP) to any-

one, the cyber fraudsters do not use

the word OTP and, instead, call

them code and ask customer to

share the same,” Panda added.

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All lawyers' groups in Odisha

collected signatures of Odias resid-

ing in seven States in support for

Bharat Ratna to Utkalgaurab

Madhusudan Das posthu- mously.

As part of the signature drive Mem-

bers, members, including Saroj

Kumar Sahoo and Sangeeta Pattnaik,

led by lawyer Lingaraj Sahoo col-

lected the signatures in Puri.

Notably, the drive, which

started in Kolkata in 2018, has cov-

ered Andaman, Chennai, Mumbai,

Mathura, Amritsar, Haridwar and

and intelligence, Madhubabu has

carved a niche for himself in the

hearts and minds of millions of

Odia people. Because of his tireless

support and effort through the

Utkal Sammilani, Odisha was

formed with amalgamation of dif-

ferent Odia tracts of the then

Andaman, Chennai, Mumbai,

Mathura, Amritsar, Haridwar and

Kolkatta. He was called as the real

"Garibasathi" of Odisha. As a first

Odia to be an MA, LLB, member of

Provincial Legislative Council and

Central Legislative Assembly and

Minister, he was the first Odia to

visit England for the sake of his

mother land, said the members.

Besides this, Madhubabu was a

pioneer of industrialisation, coop-

erative movement, social reforma-

tion like female education and abo-

lition of caste in Odisha and even

impressed Mahatma Gandhi during

his visit to the State, they added.

Kolkatta. "Many great leaders have

been honoured with the coveted

Bharata Ratna since 1954. But no

Odia legendary has been given the

award. Now it is right time to

amend the historic injustice done

to Odisha," said Sahoo. For his un-

bridled ambition, dedication and

action with indomitable courage

��3!��4��5��#��$�� %�"��&�'��(�)�(*��+��$��

The Congress on Wednesday

posed 10 questions to Prime

Minister Modi over his blab in

Rajya Sabha against the Con-

gress. Party State spokesperson

Manoj Mohapatra said Modi

chose to use the Parliament to

criticise the Congress rather than

listing out his own failures re-

garding unemployment, price

rise and inflation, Covid-19 mis-

management and bringing anti-

farmer and anti-labour laws. In-

terestingly, he said, while the BJP

keeps criticising the BJD Govern-

ment, Modi in Rajya Sabha on

Tuesday praised Chief Minister

Naveen Patnaik on good gover-

nance exposing an unwritten al-

liance between the two ruling

parties. Mohapatra questioned

why the Centre wants to hand

over the State’s only interna-

tional airport at Bhubaneswar to

the Adanis and the NINL to the

Tatas and privatise Rourkela

Steel Pant and Nalco.

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The State Election Commission(SEC) has issued notification onFebruary 2 for municipal electionswhich is a complete violation of theState Municipal Corporation Rules2003, said the BJP on Wednesday.What is the reason for such hastyissue of the notification? This hasraised many questions amongpeople about free and fair elections.The SEC’s silence over the matter

has led to suspicion, the party said.The BJP had demanded before thecommission that due to this notifi-cation, many people would be de-prived of voting, particularly in thecities of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack andBrahmapur. So, a new notificationshould be issued. But as no actionwas taken, the party was forced tohold a demonstration before theSEC office. The party alleged thatthe SEC is functioning on the in-structions of the ruling BJD.

��

Chief Secretary Suresh

Mahapatra in the presence of Prin-

cipal Secretary School and Mass

Education and Information and

Public Relations Bishnupada Sethi

unveiled a book, “Voluntary

Organisations and Rural Develop-

ment in South Asia: Assumptions

and Realities”, authored by Dr

Umakanta Mohapatra, PRO to the

Chief Secretary. The book, pub-

lished by the Global Publisher

Springer Nature, is an independent

and multi-pronged assessment of

the role of voluntary organisations

in rural development.

Dr Mohapatra said, “The inde-

pendent global experts of Springer

ranked the book 'A First Rate Work.'

The work has also received high-

note endorsements from Prof TN

Pandey, Professor Emeritus, Uni-

versity of California, USA; Dr Irina

L Pervova, Saint-Petersburg State

University, Russia; Prof BN Nayak,

Director MBA, University of Cre-

ative Arts, UK; Prof DR Sahu,

Lucknow University and former

Secretary Indian Sociological Soci-

ety; Prof BB Mohanty, Pondichery

University; Prof N Rath, Utkal Uni-

versity, Asit Tripathy, former Chief

Secretary; Prof Achyuta Samanta,

founder KIIT and KISS; and other

eminent personalities.”

��

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The National Aluminium Com-

pany Limited (Nalco) has run into

controversy over alleged lack of

transparency and gross irregulari-

ties in grant of construction work

worth over Rs 225 crore to a pri-

vate company. The Central public

sector undertaking has given work

for ‘construction of red mud pond-

2 at Damanjodi’ to the Mythri In-

frastructure and Mining India Pri-

vate Limited with a quoted price of

Rs 225.79 crore, raising doubts over

not just the ‘inflated amount’ but

also the process of selection.

Sources said that over a year

ago, eight parties submitted bids for

evaluation of technical and finan-

cial pre-qualification criteria speci-

fied for the work. However, six of

them were disqualified. “These

organisations, including Odisha

Construction Corporation Limited

(a government of Odisha enter-

prise); NCC Limited; UBV Infra-

structures Limited; HES Infra Pri-

vate Limited; Raghava Construc-

tions (India) Private Limited; and,

Sri Raja Rajeswari Constructions

(India) Private Limited, have

proven credentials and executed big

projects. But they were disqualified

on the basis of purported technical

grounds, which were never com-

municated to any of them. They

were also not given an opportunity

to clarify,” a source told Odisha

Bytes. Of the two, the Mythri In-

frastructure and Mining India Pri-

vate Limited and the BSR Infratech

India Ltd that were allowed to par-

ticipate in e-auction, the former was

awarded the work on the basis of

being L1. Mythri Infrastructure

and Mining India Private Limited

had previously bagged other

projects of Nalco as well. In a peti-

tion to the Nalco authorities, one

of the aggrieved parties has alleged

that the price of the tender was com-

promised and rigged through an

understanding between L1 and L2

bidders in active connivance with

some Nalco officers. “One of the

contractors quoted a price which

was 50% less than the price quoted

by L1 bidder in the price bid sub-

mitted by him prior to e-auction.

But unfortunately other bidders

were disqualified from participating

in e-auction. Obviously this tender

has resulted in a loss of about Rs 50

crore to Nalco,” the petition said.

“Even though there was no ver-

bal or written appeal to Nalco from

any of the contractors, Nalco has

filed a caveat application against all

disqualified contractors. It is an

implausible and unprecedented act

on the part of a PSU to indulge in

such irregular activity as tenders for

many works are regularly processed

at any given time and Nalco has

approached court in this matter

only without provocation from

any contractor,” it further said.

“The undue interest being shown

by officers of Nalco themselves

in order to protect the interest of

L1 contractor just with a pre-

sumption any interested party

may object to the manner in

which gross irregularities were

committed by them to help one

contractor with vested interests

which are detrimental to the in-

terests of Nalco. This very action

of Nalco, undue extraordinary

interest shown by Nalco officers

at the outcome of this work shall

be a very valid reason for suspi-

cion of foul play and malafide in

the entire matter,” it pointed out

while appealing for an investiga-

tion into the matter.

Odisha Bytes contacted senior

functionaries of Nalco for com-

ments, but they refused to say

anything on the matter. “I am

not authorised to speak on this

subject on behalf of the company,”

said Chief Vigilance Officer

Somnath Hansdah. Director

(Project and Technical) Manasa

Prasad Mishra said, “I am not as-

sociated with it. As such, it is an

internal matter of Nalco and we

cannot discuss about it with the

media.” Chairman-cum-Manag-

ing Director Sridhar Patra and

Director (Production) Bijay Dash

did not respond to phone calls or

messages.

�� #��

5��2!�� 2�!��$2�,��+�-�� $��Villagers complainno compensation forland��

Though by an order of the Orissa

High Court, the construction of a

flyover bridge by the Railways in

Talcher has been stopped since

2014, yet there are allegations that

the local administration is trying

to expedite the construction works

by disobeying the order of the court.

The flyover bridge is made by

the Railways with the help of the

Odisha State Government between

the Talcher Railway Station and

Budhapank terminal and by the

side of Talcher Thermal Power Sta-

tion (NTPC) from Jagannathpur to

Anand Bazar. However, the project

hit a roadblock after the due com-

pensation to the land losers of

Dighi village under Talcher Block

was neglected. The aggrieved vil-

lagers moved the Orissa High Court

seeking justice. The court passing

an order directed the authorities for

assessment of the losses incurred by

the affected villagers within a pe-

riod of four weeks. But the authori-

ties including DM, Angul and land

aquisition officer (LAO) of Talcher

Tehsil have not followed the dirction

of the court as yet. Meanwhile, the

time given by the court to carry

out the order has already expired

and no notice was being issued to

the affected parties. "The Sub Col-

lector of Talcher is not listening to

the affected villagers of Dighi and

is hell-bent on carrying out the

bridge work by engaging police

forces," alleged the villagers. Ac-

cording to 2013 Rehabilation Policy

, the affected villagers should be

compensated fairly and given

money atleast four times of mar-

ket value of the land, besides em-

ployment and resettlement. The

villagers of Dighi met Talcher MLA

Brajakishore Pradhan regarding the

issue and the latter assured them all

support.

He said that a meeting would

be scheduled with Angul district

administration to sort out the is-

sue. It is learned that the people of

Dighi lost their land and houses for

Talcher Thermal Power Plant in

1960, but were not proper compen-

sated then.

�,� ��-� ��.�'��/�0��1� "��2��3��.+*"�-*��#--/0/"*��

The IndiaSkills Competition,

country’s biggest month long

event, culminated in January where

among the 185 participants who

were felicitated, 76 were from

Odisha. The State got 10 Gold med-

als,18 Silver, nine Bronze and 14

medallions of excellence. Ministry

of Skill Development and Entre-

preneurship (MSDE) Secretary

Rajesh Agarwal felicitated all of

them. The first runners-up were

awarded Rs 75,000, while the sec-

ond runners-up received Rs 50,000.

This year’s IndiaSkills Compe-

tition has raised the bar of skill

development by witnessing over

2.5 lakh registrations in August-

September 2021. The competition

witnessed more than 500 candi-

dates from 26 States and Union Ter-

ritories participating in 54 trades.

With economies and technology

rapidly evolving, seven new-age

skills, including robot systems in-

tegration, additive manufacturing,

digital construction, among others,

were introduced this year. The

IndiaSkills Competition has been

providing the youth of Odisha with

a unique platform to showcase their

talent at national and international

levels, strengthening India’s global

representation.

Known for playing a key role

in instilling confidence and mak-

ing young people proficient in rel-

evant skills, the IndiaSkills compe-

tition has been successful in incul-

cating a strong sense of pride in

the youth and creating capacity,

including infrastructure. The win-

ners of the biennial IndiaSkills Na-

tional Competition will undergo

training to represent India at

WorldSkills Shanghai in October

2022. This year, WorldSkills is ex-

pected to feature over 1,400 com-

petitors from more than 60 coun-

tries and regions, competing in

over 60 skills. In the previous edi-

tion of WorldSkills held in Kazan,

Russia in 2019, India had ranked

13 of 63 countries that participated

in the global event. More than

1,350 candidates participated in 56

skills, and team India gave its best-

ever performance by winning four

medals (one gold, one silver, two

bronze medals) along with 15 me-

dallions of excellence.

��

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An uncle-nephew fight for Zilla

Parishad seat in Hemgiri block of

Sundargarh district is now a talk of

the town. Similarly, mother-in-law

fighting against her daughter-in-

law for Sarpanch seat in Kutra block

has added much fun to the rural

election here.

Laxman Seth, a candidate of

BJP is the uncle(father’s younger

brother) of Udit Seth, fighting for

Zilla Parishad seat in Hemgiri block

(A). Udit, a candidate of BJD, is

contesting for this seat and cam-

paigning against his uncle. They are

residents of Gadmumalia of MCL

mines area. Udit, after completing

his BTech, was working in a com-

pany and after lockdown he had

returned to his hometown in

Sundargarh. He showed interest in

politics and is BJD candidate for

Zilla Parisad seat. His uncle (father’s

younger brother) Laxman was play-

ing football in his days and was play-

ing the role of refree. He decided to

contest the Zilla Parisad seat in BJP

ticket and is fighting against his

nephew Udit. A candidate of CPI

Naresh Meher is also fighting for

Zilla Parisad from this area, who is

now reportedly the frontrunner in

the seat.Similarly, Mother-in-law

Gurubari Minz is the candidate for

Sarpanch seat whereas her daugh-ter-in-law Rashmita Minz is also

candidate for Sarpanch from the

seat in Kutra block and they arefighting against each other.

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Repair and renovation of a

stretch of only one- km road and

drains along it in a prime location

of the district headquarters town

here are yet to take off as encroach-

ments have become bottlenecks

and authorities are sitting undone.

The foundation stone for the

road project stretching from

Sahadevkhunta police outpost to

Chandmaripadia had been laid

on October 4 last year by the

Sadar MLA. Despite the lapse of

several months the works

couldn’t proceed at all as the au-

thorities are required to remove

20 shanties on either side of the

roads. In protest of the delay of

works a local civil society body

also lodged a protest and mem-

bers sat on dharna on January 8.

The agitators were assured that

after eviction the works would

be undertaken. However, when a

month passed with no progress

in the work, a strong resentment

is snowballing among the local resi-

dents. Rueing that due to apathy of

the authorities the renovation

work had been stalled, they threat-

ened to step up their agitation.

They alleged that due to dilapidated

roads and inadequate drainage they

continue to suffer mainly in the

rainy seasons. They demanded evic-

tion without any further delay and

beginning the renovation works.

Meanwhile, it is learnt from

sources that the authorities

couldn’t proceed with the evic-

tions as some of the owners who

made houses on the encroached

lands have obtained pattas from

the district administration.

��1"�,2

*��0�#/��,#0/"��*�*��*"",�0,+�1��3�4Bhubaneswar : The Vigilance po-lice on Wednesday arrestedRourkela Assistant CollectorManoranjan Nayak for allegedlypossessing assets disproportionateto his known sources of income.On Tuesday, Vigilance officialshad raided multiple places in thisconnection and unearthed assets worth Rs 2 crore belonging to Nayak.

/�1#��"��5�� #�"2Bhubaneswar : The Odisha State Beverages Corporation Ltd (OSBCL)on Wednesday donated Rs 5 crore to the Chief Minister’s ReliefFund (CMRF). Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra received the chequefrom OBSCL Chairman Sushil Lohani. Lohani said the corporationhad contributed Rs 5 crore to the CMRF in June during the finan-cial year 2021-22. With the present contribution, the corporationhas contributed Rs 10 crore in the current FY. Lohani also pre-sented a cheque of Rs 6.26 crore to the Chief Secretary towards thedividend to Government for the year 2020-21.

*��*��/��#,��*1�6�"/11,"�Brahmapur : The Aska police on Tuesday arrested four members of arobber gang during night patrolling. The patrolling team traced the gangat the Aska Chari Mile Square rest shed and nabbed them. Most of thegang members were carrying arms. A few of them managed to escape.Police seized four pistols, 16 rounds of bullets, eight hand bombs and twobikes. Police said they were planning a robbery in a jewellery shop.

0*0*��0*"1.#��0/",��11�"Bhubaneswar : A Tata Starbucks’store in Bhubaneswar, the first inOdisha, has been launched. Com-pany CEO Sushant Dash said thestore would pay tribute to the city’sheritage through a series of artpieces inspired by the local pat-tern Jhoti Chita.

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Most of the candidates of ma-

jor political parties in Kendrapada

district are giving direct induce-

ments to voters to woo them. The

leaders have started greasing the

palms of the voters are giving them

liquor, fish, chicken, sports instru-

ments and cash.

According to the supporters

of major political parties, these

gifts or sops are to remind voters

on polling day of their commit-

ment to cast their votes in favour

of the candidates from whom

they are taking the gifts. The tra-

ditional way of luring the voters

by giving sari and dhoti is no

longer in vogue as the saries and

dhotis get diverted midway. Now

-a -days, cash, l iquor, f ish,

chicken instead are the most pre-

ferred inducements for the vot-

ers. Kaliprasad Mishra, a local

leader, said with the passage of

time, new ways to induce the vot-

ers are in practice. In last

Panchayat election the trend of

distr ibuting money, l iquor ,

chicken, delicious food items,

sports items (specially cricket in-

struments ) to the voters by the

candidates had been started, said

local political observer,Ganesh

Chandra Samal. Many Zil la

Parishad candidates along with

sarapanch and MPS candidates

from various political parties this

time also have started distribut-

ing money to the village clubs

and temples in order to bring the

voters to their side. According to

the proteges of the candidates,

they are negotiating with the vil-

lage heads or club presidents for

giving cash and feast as a few

days are left for the five-phase

poll, beginning from February

16. If sources are to be believed ,

nearly 12 mobile phones were

gifted to the village representa-

tives and youths of several vil-

lages of a zilla parishad zone un-

der Derabish block recently.

"There is nothing wrong in

giving money, delicious food, li-

quor and sports instruments to

the voters. Instead of spending

huge amount of money on mod-

ern advertisement campaigns

and meetings, we found it better

to give benefits to the voters

directly in cash and kind," said a

party worker.

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Seeing a helpless old

man lying on road at

Courtpeta Square here

in the town for quite

some time and finding

nobody coming to his

rescue, finally a journal-

ist on Sunday informed

the municipal adminis-

tration and helped res-

cue the old man in criti-

cal condition.

On being informed,

Berhampur Municipal Corporation

(BeMC) Commissioner Siddheswar

Baliram Bonder and Sub- Collec-

tor V Keerthi Vasan deputed Assis-

tant Collector Binod Behera to res-

cue the persons and accordingly a

rescue team took the ailing old man

to the MKCG Medical College

Hospital. After the medical

checkup, the old man disclosed his

identity. He said he belongs to G

Udayagiri area in Kandhmal dis-

trict. Later the administration took

steps to send him back to his home.

A passerby said that even

though prominent Government es-

tablishments inuding the Vigilance

Office, Sub Collector Office, Dis-

trict Court, DFO Office, Tehsildar

Office and the BN Pur police sta-

tion are nearby and hundreds of

people saw the old man lying on

road, nobody cared to help him.

��

Continuing to solidify its lead-

ership in the health and immunity

space through constant product

innovation, the Amway India has,

for the first time, introduced a range

of nutrition supplements in trendy,

tasty, convenient and simplified

formats like flavourful gummies

and mouth-dissolving jelly strips

under its flagship brand Nutrilite.

The range is power-packed with

essential nutrients for overall health,

immunity, bone health and eye health.

It comprises three products, Seize the

Day, strawberry-flavoured gummies

containing vitamins and minerals; D-

fence, jelly strips containing Vita-

min D3; and I Candy gummies

containing Lutein and Zeaxanthin

to support eye health. Amway India

CEO Anshu Budhraja said, “We aim

to amplify the use of supplements

in maintaining a healthy life with

these fun and convenient nutrition

formats which are designed to meet

your nutritional requirements.”

��

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An Alliance Air ATR aircraft landed safe-ly at Bhuj from Mumbai after a part of

the engine cowling fell down during take-offon Wednesday morning. The DirectorateGeneral of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initi-ated an inquiry to fix responsibilities for laps-es. The cowling was recovered alongside therunway after the flight took off. The four-year-old aircraft had around 70 passengers onboard.

The incident happened on Wednesdaymorning and was brought to the notice of air-port authorities by a Mumbai Air TrafficController (ATC). Subsequently, theDirectorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) started an investigation into the inci-dent. Meanwhile, officials said that MumbaiATC informed the airport that Alliance AirATR aircraft, operating flight 91-625(Mumbai-Bhuj) took off without the leftengine cowling (cover.

Visuals of the aircraft, which were sharedon social media, showed an exposed engineof the flight as the cowling, the removableouter part of the engine fell off on the run-

way.The aircraft, VT-RKJ took off fromMumbai airport at about 6.30 am. Later, theairline's engineering team reached the site andretrieved the engine cover from the runway.Flying without engine cowling may have anaerodynamic effect leading to marginal dete-rioration in the aircraft's performance, theofficial said.

Expressing regret at the unfortunateincident, the airline in a statement said thatduring the operation of Alliance Air flight 9I-625 from Mumbai to Bhuj on February 9, thepanel of the engine cowl was found on therunway post take off. "We have taken strictnote of the incident and a thorough investi-gation has been initiated. The findings of thesame shall be shared with the regulatoryauthorities and we shall ensure that allrequired corrective actions are put in place,"the airline said.

It also said that "we are grateful that allpassengers and crew onboard the flightsafely landed and there was no damage to theaircraft due to this unfortunate incident.”Alliance Air said, it follows laid down poli-cies/ procedures as per the regulatory author-ities.

�� ?��

The Commissioner ofCustoms, Chennai, has

confirmed the “full” seizure of�288 crore done by theEnforcement Directorate (ED)under FEMA against Chinese-owned PC Financial ServicesPrivate Limited, a non-bankingfinancial company (NBFC) bypassing a speaking order.

The Commissioner ofCustoms, Chennai, is the des-ignated Competent Authorityunder Foreign ExchangeManagement Act (FEMA) forconfirming seizures made bythe ED in that zone.

The ED had seizedBank/Payment Gateway fundsworth � 288 crore belonging toPC Financial Services (PCFS)vide three separate seizureorders issued under the provi-sions of Foreign ExchangeManagement Act (FEMA). Theorders were issued on August26, September 30 andDecember 15 last year foramounts of�106.93 crore, �

131.11 crore and �51.22 crorerespectively.

The ED is investigating anumber of NBFCs and Fintechcompanies under PMLA forproviding online instant micro-loans using mobile applica-tions (Apps) and then extort-ing high rate of interest by mis-using the personal data of thecustomers and threatening andabusing them through call cen-ters.

During the course ofmoney laundering investiga-tion, the ED also initiatedinvestigation under FEMAagainst PCFS that providesinstant personal micro loansthrough its mobile application‘Cashbean’ for suspicious for-eign outward remittances.

“PCFS is ultimately bene-ficially owned by ChineseNational Zhou Yahui.Investigation further revealedthat the foreign parent compa-nies of PCFS brought in FDIworth �173 crore for lendingbusiness and within a shortspan of time, made foreign out-

ward remittances worth�429.29 crore to Chinese-con-trolled foreign-related compa-nies, in the name of paymentsfor non-existent software ser-vices,” the ED said in a state-ment.

PCFS also showed highdomestic expenditure of �941crore. The ED has found thatexorbitant payments wereblindly allowed by the dummyIndian Directors of PCFS with-out any due diligence and onthe instructions of the Country

Head Zhang Hong, who direct-ly reported to Zhou Yahuiresiding in China, it said.

“PCFS had contravenedFEMA provisions and equiva-lent assets were liable forseizure. Hence, seizure orderswere issued. Further based onthe ED investigation, ReserveBank of India (RBI) andIncome Tax Department havealso initiated enquiry againstthe said NBFC. Further inves-tigation is in progress,” it added.

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to consider list-ing for early hearing the PIL which has sought expeditious trial of crim-inal cases against lawmakers and speedy investigation by CBI and otheragencies.

A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana took note of the sub-missions of senior advocate and amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria that theplea needed to be listed for urgent hearing.

Hansaria said a fresh report, giving details of the pending casesagainst serving and former MPs, MLAs and MLCs, has been filed withthe court and urgent, stringent steps are needed for expeditious dis-posal of the pending criminal cases. "We will see," said the bench whichalso comprised justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli.

As per the recent report, a total of 4,984 cases are pending againstMembers of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly/Councilout of which 1,899 cases are more than five years old. The report stat-ed that the total number of cases pending as of December 2018 was4,110; and as of October 2020 it was 4,859.

"Even after disposal of 2775 cases after December 4, 2018, the casesagainst MPs/MLAs have increased from 4,122 to 4,984. This showsthat more and more persons with criminal antecedents are occupy-ing the seats in the Parliament and the State Legislative Assemblies.It is of utmost necessity that urgent and stringent steps are taken forexpeditious disposal of pending criminal cases," said the report filedthrough advocate Sneha Kalita. PTI

�� ?��

Opposition parties on Wednesdayaccused the Government of leaving out

the majority of the poor in its Budget 2022-23 and not doing enough for the farm sec-tor that employs a large number of peoplein the country.

During the second day of the discussionin Ràjya Sabha on the Union Budget,Congress leader Kapil Sibal slammed thegovernment for increasing excise duty onpetrol and diesel, alleging its tax regime isworse than that of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.

Taking part in the discussion BJPmember Sushil Modi said jobs are not cre-ated by doling out freebies, cash transfer orthrough income support.

Lauding the Narendra Modi govern-ment for providing income support andhelping people during COVID-19 pan-demic, the BJP leader said employment canonly be created through capital expenditureand giving impetus to the manufacturingsector.

In four years, including 2023, India willbe spending Rs 20 lakh crore in capitalexpenditure, he said, claiming it to be thebiggest in the history of independent India.

Sibal said that in 2014, the price ofpetrol was Rs 71, and in January 2022, it

was Rs 95. “Central excise which we imple-mented in 2014 was 9.2 percent per litre.You made it 27 percent. How much increasedoes it lead to? 203 percent. Diesel price wasRs 55. The excise on it was Rs 3.46. Todaythe price is Rs 86 and excise is Rs 21 ondiesel and the increase is 530 percent,” Sibalsaid

During the discussion, Sibal made ref-erence to 'Jizya'tax which was introducedby Ahmad Shah and later abolished byAkhbar. “Then Aurangzeb came. He againimplemented it in 1617 and said that it willnot be applicable to people who aredeprived, unemployed. It will not be applic-able to poor people. It will not be applica-ble to those who protect us, army person-nel.

This is what Aurangzeb said. This isworse than Aurangzeb. You have imple-mented it on everyone that too 530 percentand 203 percent,” Sibal said.

The Congress MP said he was surprisedto hear the prime minister talking about"tukde tukde" in Parliament. “One who does'tukde tukde'' (dismembering) of culture,history, Constitution, brotherhood is the"leader of the tukde tukde gang," Sibal hitback.

CPI leader Binoy Viswam alleged thatthe Budget was a "failure" and only intend-

ed to benefit "big corporate houses such asTata, Birla, Ambani and Adani".

TRS leader K R Suresh Reddy lament-ed the "cut" in food subsidies and the "mea-gre" sum allocated for research in agricul-ture.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra'sModi's allegation that the Congress gov-ernments in states were the reason formigrants walking back home during thepandemic, Viswam said, "Was it Congressparty which did the lockdown?" He saidthough his party CPI has lots of criticismagainst the Congress party as it started thedisastrous policies of the economy, it is BJPthat is doing much more damage.

Nominated member Narendra Jadavtermed the Union budget as "visionary" andsaid it is aimed at sustainable growth and

development of the Indian economy.Birendra Prasad Baishya of AGP sup-

ported the budget terming it as a growth o-oriented.

BJD leader Amar Patnaik said, "In agri-culture investment fund where spendingwas planned to be Rs one lakh crore in sixyears, the spending is Rs 6,627 crore in twoyears." He stressed that the focus on the ruraleconomy is required.

DMK leader M Mohamed Abdullaclaimed the budget did not have any men-tion of the problem of inequality that thecountry is facing now.

SP leader Sukhram Singh Yadav soughtsupport for families of farmers who lost theirlives in the protests against the three agrilaws. RJD leader A D Singh alleged that theGovernment was only doing lip servicewhen it came to making the country self-sufficient Atmanirbhar).

M Thambidurai, whose AIADMK is anally of the BJP, favoured some kind ofincome tax relief to the people. He alsoasked the government to make sure that 60lakh jobs are created through variousProduction Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes.

V Vijayasai Reddy of the YSRCP saidit is a "stylish budget with no substance". Heaccused the Centre of giving "step-motherly"treatment to Andhra Pradesh.

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA)Special Court, Patna has convicted a

Bangladeshi terrorist of Jamat-ul-Mujahideen(JMB) in case of recovery and explosion of IEDat Bodh Gaya, Bihar by the Bangladesh-basedterror group.

The NIA Special Court, Patna pronouncedthe judgment against JMB terrorist Jahidul Islamalias Kausar, a Bangladeshi national, under sec-tions of Indian PenaL Code Sections relating towaging war against the nation, collecting armswith an intention to wage war against theGovernment of India, concealing with intent towage war against India, using forged documentsas genuine and provisions of Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act, Explosive Substance Act andthe Foreigners Act, the NIA said in a statement.

The NIA had registered the case on February3, 2018 pertaining to planting of three IEDs inand around the premises of Bodh Gaya templecomplex. After investigation, chargesheet wasfiled against three accused on September 27, 2018and a supplementary chargesheet was filed onJanuary 28, 2019 against remaining six accusedpersons.

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The Government has sought suggestionsand inputs from various Central

Ministries and institutions like NAFED andcooperative lender-NCDC as it drafts the newNational Cooperative Policy and schemesaimed to develop a cooperative based econ-omy model focusing on achieving ‘Make inIndia’ mission.

“The new policy will address all devel-opmental issues of cooperatives. Inputs / sug-gestions of the stakeholders including CentralGovernment Ministries have been sought,”Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shahsaid in a written reply in Rajya Sabha onWednesday.

The consultation with the stakeholdersis being done to make cooperatives moretransparent and efficient. Discussions are onrelevant interventions viz. creation of aNational database of Cooperatives, digitali-sation of about 63,000 active PrimaryAgriculture Credit Societies (PACS), headded.

The Minister explained that there weretwo types of co-operative structures in thecountry i.e. State Cooperative Societies andMulti- State Cooperative Societies. (MSCS).The Cooperative Societies functioning in oneState only are governed by the laws of therespective State Government while the coop-erative societies functioning in more than onestate are governed by the Central law, ‘theMulti-State Co- operative Societies

Act(MSCSA), 2002’.“Any issues related to their administra-

tion are dealt with at respective levels.However, to give new dimensions and to fur-ther strengthen the cooperative sector in thecountry through policy and other interven-tions, the new Ministry of Cooperation hasbeen created…,” said the Minister.

The Government has been pinninghopes on the cooperatives to achieve its dreamof ‘atmanirbhar bharat.’ The Government alsoplans to amend the MSCSA 2002 to estab-lish a regulatory mechanism for MSCS andremove the loopholes in the existing act.

As per the National Cooperative Unionof India (NCUI) data, as on 2018, there are8.54 lakh cooperatives in the country. Someof the issues affecting accelerated and equi-table growth of cooperatives, inter alia, are lackof effective governance, leadership and pro-fessional management in cooperative units,low level of technology adoption.

In fact, according to an official from theMinistry, complaints for non-repayment/misappropriation of deposits of investorsagainst some of the MSCS in various stateshave been received. In case of delinquent soci-eties against whom complaints are received,action for winding up process is underwayin case of 77 societies under Section 86 of theMulti-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS)Act, 2002. Most of the erring cooperatives arefrom Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat,Maharashtra, Delhi and Odisha, as per thegovernment data.

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Chhattisgarh NSUI president NeerajPandey has written to former

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi raisingdoubts on the death of one of his work-ers, Deepak Gupta, who succumbed tothe injuries he received in an attack onhim and his friends on January 4, 2022.

In his letter, the NSUI state chiefhas alleged that "influential Congressleaders" could have planned the attackon party’s student activist.

Pandey has termed the death mys-terious and urged Rahul Gandhi toensure justice for Deepak.

NSUI leaders have alleged thatthere have been differences betweenthe district unit of party and theNSUI ever since Pandey was appoint-ed the chief of NSUI state unit.

According to letter, a NSUI pro-gram which was supposed to beaddressed by Pandey in Surguja onNovember 14 last year was intercept-ed by district leaders and banners andposters put up to welcome the NSUIpresident was taken off. The programhad to be conducted after adequate

police presence, the letter read.Pandey also mentioned how sev-

eral of his workers were targeted,their homes attacked following that.

On January 4, Gupta along with hisfriends Viraj Dubey, Yudhvir Singh andVikas Singh were attacked in which hesuffered serious injuries which helater succumbed to in the hospital, theletter reads, adding an FIR was regis-tered in the Ambikapur police stationwhich led to arrest of a "minor".

It's the arrest of a minor in the casethat has raised questions on the inten-tion and working of police in the dis-trict, with Pandey writing to RahulGandhi that the cops want to let thereal culprits get away by arresting aminor in the case.

Over the past few months, the dif-ferences within Chhattisgarh unit ofthe Congress had come out open dueto rift between two top leaders of theparty. The fight for supremacy evenreached the national capital with bothChief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and hiscabinet colleague TS Singh Deo campMLAs flexing muscle in front of theparty high command.

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Almost all the social media companieshave set up an institutional structure

and are publishing monthly compliancereports as required under the statute, ITMinister Ashwini Vaishnaw said onWednesday. Replying to a question in theLok Sabha, Vaishnaw said to ensure thatsocial media is safe and people can trustwhat is written on that, a very self-regu-lating regime, which was laid down in ITsocial media intermediary guidelines, wasbrought in last year.

In a supplementary question, BJPmember Nishikant Dubey asked that sincethe Supreme Court has removed Section66A of the Information Technology Act,whether the government is planning tobring any amendment in the IT Act againstthe SC verdict. Vaishnaw said the matterneeds a "detailed debate" to arrive at a solu-tion. With regard to social media inter-mediaries, Vaishnaw said, "Institutionalstructure has been set by almost all the sig-nificant social media intermediaries. All ofthem are also following the guidelines andpublishing their monthly reports. Thecompliance has been good and whateverfurther steps are needed to make socialmedia accountable, the government isopen to those suggestions.”

To a question by TMC member Kalyan

Banerjee on whether the government isthinking to bring any law restricting or pro-hibiting or regulating and penalising theconcept of meme which embarrasses a per-son or criticise people's posts. "As and whengovernments try to increase accountabil-ity, increase regulations (of social mediaplatforms) the question from civil societycomes is whether we are taking away thefreedom of expression.

"If we don't increase regulation, if wedon't make the social media accountablethen the safety and trust that citizens haveon these media platforms that comesunder a question mark. So it's a fine bal-ance that we have to strike, we have toevolve and mold according to the changes,"Vaishnaw said. The new rules require largesocial media platforms to follow additionaldue diligence, including the appointmentof chief compliance officer,

nodal contact person and residentgrievance officer. They are also required topublish on their website their status oncompliance with the new digital rules everymonth. Non-compliance with rules wouldresult in these social media companies los-ing their intermediary status that providesthem exemptions and certain immunityfrom liabilities for any third-party infor-mation and data hosted by them. In otherwords, they could be liable for criminalaction in case of complaints.

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The EnforcementDirectorate (ED) has pro-

visionally attached propertiesworth �1,621.93 crore underPrevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA) in thecase of coal block investigationagainst Jharkhand-basedCorporate Ispat Alloys Ltd.(CIAL).

The provisionally attachedproperties consist of one bio-mass power plant, two captivethermal power plants, one ferroalloys plant and DirectReduced Iron Plant and parcelsof land situated at Durgapur,West Bengal and Saraikela,Jharkhand of the Nagpur-head-quartered company, the EDsaid in a statement.

The ED had initiatedmoney laundering investiga-

tion on the basis of an FIRdated January 6, 2016 regis-tered by the EconomicOffences Wing of CBI, NewDelhi, for alleged commissionof offences under the IndianPenal Code (IPC) and relevantprovisions of the Prevention ofCorruption Act against CIAL,promoters of the company andothers for alleged criminalconspiracy, cheating and crim-inal misconduct by the accused

persons for obtaining coalblock, it said.

“Investigation carried outunder the provisions of PMLArevealed that the companyfraudulently obtained theChitarpur coal block throughmisrepresentation of facts.

Huge capital was laterinfused in CIAL in the form ofequity shares so as to deriveand obtain benefits/gains from

the allocated coal block,” it said.It said the shares were

allotted at a huge premium.This entire infusion of capital�1,896 crore was done with anintention and in anticipation ofundue benefits to be derivedand obtained by CIAL infuture.

“The proceeds derivedfrom the issue of share capitalwere further invested in fixedassets and projected as untaint-ed property and given colour ofa genuine business investment,whereas, the entire processstarting with the application forgetting a coal block, to beingawarded the Chitarpur coalblock, to raising of funds on thestrength of tainted property(allocation letter) was a conse-quence of criminal activitiesrelated to the scheduledoffences,” it added.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesdaysaid it would consider listing for urgent hear-ing the pending contempt petition against theJharkhand Government and Director Generalof Police (DGP) Neeraj Sinha alleging he hasbeen occupying the post even after superan-nuation on January 31.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N VRamana was told that the contempt plea, whichwas ordered to be listed in September last year,has not come up for hearing so far and, in themeanwhile, Sinha is continuing as JharkhandDGP after his retirement.

The bench, also comprising Justices A SBopanna and Hima Kohli, said the courts havebeen hearing “restricted matters” due to Covidand would consider the plea for early hearing.

“This matter was last listed on September3 last year and it was ordered to be listed aftertwo weeks then. It never got listed. It concernsthe top post of the Director General of Police(DGP) of Jharkhand,” lawyer Apoorv Khatorsaid.

“This is not the priority item. We know thatwe are hearing the restricted matters. We willsee,” the bench said. PTI

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As the first phase of Uttar Pradeshassembly is ready for poll on

Thursday, the Election Commission hasput on notice over 31.51 lakh peopleunder the Code of Criminal Procedure1973 and 1097 FIRs registered for viola-tion of model code of conduct in the state.

The EC-appointed surveillance andexpenditure monitoring teams has seized�71.86 in cash; 13,40,368 litre liquorworth � 37.40 crore and drugs and nar-cotics over 12235 kg worth � 34.22 croreand 261 kg precious metals including jew-ellery and stones worth �30.67 crore so far.With over 12235 kg drugs and narcotics,Uttar Pradesh is top in the list, followedby Punjab with 3857.73 kg.

As per the data provided by the EC,over 31.51 lakh people have been put onnotice either under section 107 (Securityfor keeping the peace in other cases) andunder section 150 (Information of designto commit cognizable offences) of theCode of Criminal Procedure 1973. Theauthorities has also recovered 8640 arms,9030 cartoos, 214 kg explosives and 267bombs from various parts of the state. Thepoll body has also seized 168 factoriesinvolving making of illegal arms andammunitions.

The poll body data showed that

authorities has seized �12.57 crore in cashand � 3.87 lakh litre from 58 assembly pollswhere the first phase elections will be heldon Thursday. The first phase will cover theJat-dominated belt of western UP. As manyas 623 candidates are in the fray in the firstphase. The first phase of polling will alsodecide the fate of nine ministers in the YogiAdityanath government.

As per the data of EC till February 4,cash, freebies, liquor, precious metals,drugs and narcotics worth �535.26 crorehas been seized in the five states so far. Thisincludes � 75.15 crore cash; 41.94 lakh litreliquor worth � 50.68 crore; 13707 kg psy-chotropic substance worth � 395.51 crore;240 kg precious metals worth � 12 croreand freebies worth � 1.92 crore so far. Asper official data compiled since theannouncement of polls till January 28,2017, UP has witnessed the maximumseizure of cash at � 87.67 crore followedby Rs 6.60 crore from Punjab, � 1.27 crorein Goa, � 47.06 lakh in Uttarakhand and� 8.13 lakh in Manipur. In U.P. theseseizures were recorded at 8.01 lakh litreworth � 20.62 crore followed by over 5lakh litre spirits worth � 2.69 crore seizedin Punjab, over 36,000 litre liquor worth� 93.91 lakh in Uttarakhand, 71,000 litreworth � 81.80 lakh in Goa and beer andother hard spirits worth � 15.14 lakh inGoa.

�� ?��

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionallyattached assets worth �2.22 crore belonging to Rajdev Singh

Yadav, 2-I/C ( Second-in-Command),Training Battalion,Assam Rifles Training Centre, Dimapur, Nagaland, under theprovisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The attached assets are in the form of Fixed Deposits (FDs)of � 2.22 crore.

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It is a historic transformationof the sleepy tiger-infested

Bali island in the dense man-grove thickets of Sunderbans.The island, which was totallydisconnected from the main-stream of development sinceIndependence, is now bustlingwith Khadi activities.

Over a hundred tiger wid-ows (Bag Bidhoba in local par-lance) in the Bali island whowere engaged with spinningactivity by Khadi and VillageIndustries Commission(KVIC) in 2018, can now boastof modern amenities, advancedequipment like charkhas andlooms and marketing supportto provide these women arti-sans with sustainable liveli-hood. To begin Khadi activitieson the island, KVIC had set upa temporary structure threeyears ago, which has been con-verted into a permanent workshed now.

On Wednesday, ChairmanKVIC Vinai Kumar Saxenainaugurated the newly built3000 sq feet work shed and a

500 sq feet common facilitycentre for Khadi artisans at theBali island. The “Tiger VictimKhadi Katai Kendra” is nowequipped with 125 new modelcharkhas, 15 modern loomsand provides employment tonearly 150 women artisans ofthe Bali island. KVIC has alsoprovided these artisans withyarn dyeing machines andreadymade garment manufac-turing machines. The centrehas been modernized at thecost of Rs 95 lakh which hasbeen funded by KVIC under itsKhadi Reforms andDevelopment Program(KRDP) and WorkshedScheme for Khadi Artisans.The centre is being run by alocal Khadi Institution of WestBengal.

Saxena said the Khadiactivities on Bali island areinspired by Hon’ble PrimeMinister’s vision of empower-ing the marginalized sectionsand reconnecting them withthe mainstream of develop-ment. “Khadi activities on Baliisland will ensure financialsustainability of the tiger wid-

ows who were staring at adark future after having lost thebreadwinners for their familiesin tiger attacks. While the self-employment activities will helprehabilitate these haplesswomen artisans; it will alsoencourage other families totake up spinning and weavingactivities to earn a respectablelivelihood. By taking up Khadiactivities, these artisans will beable to earn up to Rs 200 perday. The idea is also to desistthese families from venturinginto deep water or thick man-groves for fishing and thus mit-igate the threat of tiger attacks,”Saxena said.

Notably, KVIC had inau-gurated the spinning centre atBali island in 2018 and dis-tributed 75 Charkhas to rope inlocal women artisans with spin-ning activity. KVIC had alsodistributed 500 Bee-Boxes withlive bee colonies to empowerthe economically backwardpeople of the island by provid-ing them with self-employ-ment. These artisans were alsoprovided with comprehensivetraining by KVIC.

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Jammu: The people in Jammuand Kashmir are not happy withthe draft delimitation commis-sion report, All India WomenCongress General SecretaryNagma Morarji said onWednesday, as she lashed out atBJP over its alleged anti-peoplepolicies and "dividing the coun-try on communal lines."

The actress turned politi-cian also condemned the heck-ling of a hijab-clad girl by agroup of men sporting saffronscarves at a college inKarnataka and said “such diver-sionary tactics are employed tohoodwink the public from thereal issues”.

She also paid tributes toseven army personnel who losttheir lives in an avalanche inArunachal Pradesh.

“People (in Jammu andKashmir) are not happy withthe proposed draft delimitationcommission report. You haveseen hundreds of BJP workersprotesting and submitting theirresignation (to protest the pro-posed merger of Suchetgarhassembly constituency onMonday)… when the report isout, you will see more protests,”the Congress leader toldreporters at the conclusion ofher three-day visit to Jammu.

Nagma said she visitedSuchetgarh sector near theInternational Border in the

outskirts of Jammu on the firstday of her three-day party pro-gramme and interacted withthe people there. “They are feel-ing neglected and considersnatching of the assembly con-stituency as grave injustice.”

On a question about theheckling of a hijab-clad girl ina college in Karnataka, she saidsuch incidents will affect theeducation of the girls but thepeople need to stand up togeth-er against this “hooliganism”.

“When the governmenthas no developmental agendato show to the public, they usesuch diversionary tactics tohoodwink the people. Whathappened to the 'beti bachao,beti padhao' slogan? Educationof the girls is bound to getaffected by such incidents andtherefore we should not payheed to diversionary tactics andstand up together against thishooliganism,” she said.

She said it was Congressgovernments in the past whichhad always tried to empowerthe women, while the NarendraModi led government is onlymaking promises.

Congress gave 50 per centreservation to women inPanchayats and a bill to provide33 per cent reservation forwomen in Lok Sabha is pend-ing in the Parliament as the BJPdespite enjoying majority is not

willing to pass it. They do notfavour empowerment ofwomen,” Nagma said, addingthe women are half of country'spopulation and should getmaximum representation inthe legislature.

Criticising the policies of theBJP-led government, she said“we regret snatching the state-hood of Jammu and Kashmirand transforming it into a UnionTerritory. They talked aboutNaya (new) Kashmir, normalcyand development. We do not seethe development on the ground,while frequent militant attacksexpose their claims of normalcy.”

Nagma, who also attendedthe Women Congress executivebody meeting during her tour,condemned the recent acidattack on a woman in Srinagarand said the women are notfeeling safe and are facing a lotof issues due to inflation andalleged callous attitude of thegovernment.

“The inflation is all timehigh and it is very difficult torun a household. Asha workersand Anganwari workers are onthe streets for enhancement oftheir monthly numerations andtimely payments,” she said anddemanded sanctioning of win-dow pension to women below40 years who have lost theirhusbands.

Claiming the growing

unemployment in the country,the Congress leader said J&K isone of the regions which topsthe list with 22 percent unem-ployment as a result of whichyou can see the protestingyouth on the roads every nowand then.

“BJP is only making hollowpromises as every section of thesociety has been affected by thepolicies of the Modi-led gov-ernment over the past sevenyears. They failed to transferpromised money and createtwo crore jobs annually. Thestatistics show that 23 crorepeople lost their jobs and 700farmers died during anti-agrilaw agitation, while only Rs 50lakh compensation was givento people hit by COVID-19,”she said.She said they onlyknow how to blame Congressfor its failures.

The Congress leader alsoblamed the ruling party fordividing the people of the coun-try and said “Hindu never felttheir lives are in danger over thepast 70 years but now they aremade to think on these lines.”

"The communal forces arespreading disturbance by pitch-ing Hindus against Muslims forwinning elections. The peopleneed to think before voting andshow the door to such com-munal forces for a betterfuture,” she said. PTI

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Rifleman Arun Katal, marriedbarely three months ago in

November 2021, was one amongthe seven Army personnel whomade supreme sacrifice in thehigh altitude area of the KamengSector in Arunachal Pradesh onSunday. The soldiers were onpatrol duty when they were hitby an avalanche.

In his native village Jandorein Lakhanpur area of Kathuadistrict his newly wedded wifespent the whole day tightlyclinging on to their wedding pix.On the other hand inconsolablefamily members and close rel-atives assembled at their resi-dence spent the long day eager-ly waiting for the arrival of hismortal remains. Arun hadjoined his duty shortly afterattending his marriage cere-mony. He was commissioned inthe Indian Army in 2015.

"Initially we were informedthat the mortal remains wouldarrive on Wednesday but therewas some delay due to techni-cal reasons, now we are told the

dead bodies would reach hereon Thursday", a close relativeinformed local media inKathua. Along with Arun Kataltwo more soldiers from Jammuregion sacrificed their lives.

They have been identifiedas Havaldar Jugal Kishore, sonof Ram Pal, resident of Dagervillage in Kharha Wali block ofKhour and Sepoy VishalSharma son of Babu Ram (Ex-serviceman), resident of villageChak Malal in Khour SubDivision of Jammu district.

Rifleman Arun's father,Praladh Singh himself anArmy veteran was hopeful hisson would survive. But onWednesday he was informedabout the recovery of deadbodies of all seven soldiers whowere struck by an avalancheduring a routine patrol duty atan high altitude area.

Ex Serviceman OmPrakash, father-in-law ofHavaldar Jugal Kishore said, "Ifail to understand why the sol-diers were deputy on patrolduty when the high altitudearea was witnessing heavy

snowfall". He appealed to thehigher authorities in the Indianarmy to avoid risking lives ofsoldiers during inclementweather conditions. HavaldarJugal Kishore leaves behind hisageing parents, a four yeardaughter and wife. His elderbrother, Gautam Sharma, aformer sarpanch in the areasaid, "his parents were offeringprayers seeking well being ofhis younger brother but now ithas been confirmed he has notsurvived. "How can I tell themtheir son is no longer alive. Icannot face his wife and fouryear old daughter". Accordingto family members Jugal con-tacted his wife on Feb 5 for thelast time. The family couldn'tstay in touch with him afterwards as he proceeded onpatrol duty and was later hit byan avalanche.

Sepoy Vishal also leavesbehind his mother and ayounger sister. His close fam-ily friends remembered him asa brave soldier who recentlyorganised marriage of hisyounger sister.

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The Bengal State ElectionCommission has made

massive bondobast ahead ofFebruary 12 elections for fourcorporations in the State.

According to SEC sourcesthe poll panel has decided todeploy 9,000 police men toman 8,500 polling stations ofSiliguri,Bidhannagar,Chandannagar and Asansol municipalcorporations. Elections to theremaining 108 civic boardswill take place on February 27.

Out of 9,000 personnel5,500 armed police men wouldbe deployed in all the policestation, sources said addingspecial arrangements have beenmade for the Bidhannagar cor-poration which is nearer toKolkata.

The reports of massivedeployment by the SEC comesin the wake of opposition BJPdemanding central armedforces to man the municipal-elections slated to take place onFebruary 12 and 27. The BJPon Tuesday wrote to the SECthat without the CentralArmed Police Force “the elec-torate cannot vote freely.”

The BJP has written to theSEC that “there are regular

instances of our candidatesbeing intimidated, being threat-ened with life, over the phoneand in person. In all cases, thelocal police are just silent spec-tators and in most cases refuseto register a complaint.”

It further said, “our candi-dates are not being allowed tocampaign, put up banners,flags, wall writing. Here again,the local police are not willing

to help and in many cases takea blatant partisan line insup-port of the ruling party.”

State Opposition LeaderSuvendu Adhikari said, “WestBengal government is misusingits power and is assemblinggoons of a particular commu-nity but we are ready to fightthe polls.

State Election Commissionis a branch organization of

TMC.”Meanwhile, the ruling

Trinamool Congress wonunopposed two municipalitiesof Budge Budge and Sainthiathat are scheduled to go to pollson February 27. Out of 20 seatsthe TMC won 13 unopposed inBudge Budge and out of 16seats the party won 13 seatsunopposed in Sainthia.Wednesday was the last date offiling of nominations for theFebruary 27 elections.

While the Trinamool lead-ers said that the opposition par-ties had no base in Bengalwhich was why they wereunable to find candidates BJP’sSamik Bhattacharya said thathis party nominees were eithernot being allowed to file nom-inations were being threatenedinto withdrawing candidature.

“There is no environmentto hold elections in Bengal …TMC has finished it … this iswhy we had written to theCommission to deploy centralforces,” he said.

However the TMC leader-ship said that “MamataBanerjee’s developmental pro-jects have so much impressedthe people that the BJP and anyother party failed to find can-didates.

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In a major development theCentral Bureau of

Investigation has issued sum-mons to Bengali cine super starand Trinamool Congress MPDeb in the cow-smuggling case.

Deb, one of the busiestBangla actors has been asked toreport at the Nizam Palaceoffice of the CBI which has alsosummoned Bengal ministerMaloy Ghatak in the case.According to sources in thecentral investigating agencyDeb’s name “came up during

the investigation process.”However TMC leader and

MLA Tapas Roy called it a“pressure tactic” of the BJP.

“It is strange that whenev-er there is an election the cen-tral agencies become activeand withdraw into their shellsafterthe polls … this time it isnot different … Deb has beensummoned just ahead of thecivic elections … the people arewatching it … in any case hewill take legal help and will def-initely explain his stanceandcooperate with the agencies.”

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Aday after a single bench ofthe Kerala High Court

upheld the ban imposed on itsoperations, Media One, aMalayalam TV channel ownedby various Islamic outfits movedan appeal before a DivisionBench on Wednesday chal-lenging the single bench order.

Justice M Nagaresh, after aperusal of the details furnishedby the Ministry of Informationand Broadcasting to the courtin a sealed envelop that neces-sitated the ban on the channel,had expressed his shock overthe functioning of the channeldespite adverse reports by var-ious agencies under theMinistry of Home Affairs.Media One is challenging thisorder of Justice Nagaresh.

The channel in a petitionchalleging Justie Nagresh'sorder said that right from itsinception till today, no pro-ceedings were initiated againstthe channel for contraventionof any law.

“It is the anguish of theappellant that the 1st respon-dent (Union of India) wasrather in haste to cancel thelicense as if there was some pre-scripted agenda motivated bysome ill-will. It is added thatbeing a news channel, it maynot be possible to appease thestate every time and it is strongfeeling of the appellant that itis victimised for its fair andgenuine reporting,” said thechannel authorities.

It further alleged that thegovernments in the past usedto be tolerant to fair criticismbut it has now choked freespeech and free press. Thechannel also said that the threatto national security has beenraised as a ruse to cancel thelicense of the appellant, whichdoes not have any basis at all.

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Srinagar: Police in Anantnagdistrict of Jammu and Kashmirbusted two terror modules ofproscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad by arresting 11persons, including three"hybrid" terrorists, an officialspokesman said here onTuesday.

Incriminating material,including arms and ammuni-tion, have been recovered fromtheir possession, thespokesman said.

"Based on credible inputs

that proscribed terror outfitJeM is planning to carry outattacks on police/SF inSrigufwara/Bijbehara areas ofAnantnag, multiplenakas/checkpoints were estab-lished at various locations,"the spokesman said.

He said during a checkingat one of such checkpoints atSakhras crossing, Srigufwara,three people riding a bike wereintercepted.

They tried to flee butwere apprehended.

They disclosed that theyare associates of proscribedterror outfit JeM and are indirect contact with Pakistan-

based handlers and at theirbehest, they were going toattack police/SF in theSrigufwara area.

"Upon their further dis-closure two more terror asso-ciates were arrested," thespokesman said.

He said police bustedanother terror module in theBijbehara area by arresting sixterror associates, including ajuvenile, and recovered incrim-inating material from theirpossession. PTI

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Phulbani: An 18-year-old youthwas killed after an IED, suspectedto have been planted by Maoistsnear their posters calling for boy-cotting the upcoming panchay-at elections, exploded in Odisha'sKandhamal district onWednesday, police said.

The incident took place inSadingia village in Phiringiapolice station area when PriyaRanjan Kanhar, a resident ofKiamunda village, was going tothe forest, officer-in-charge PShyam Sundar Rao said.

The body will be recoveredfrom the spot after clearancefrom the bomb squad and foren-sic team, he said.

Locals, who fear there mightbe more explosives in the area,said that police had defusedtwo Improvised ExplosiveDevices (IEDs) from near theposters on Tuesday, but theundetected IED, around 50metres from the spot, claimedthe life of Kanhar. The explosiontook place barely four days aftera local journalist was killed in thedistrict in a similar mannerwhen he was approachingMaoist posters. PTI

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Alleging that theEnforcement Directorate

(ED) and other agencies were“continuously harassing” thevendors who provided service tohis daughter’s wedding held inNovember last year, Shiv SenaMP and spokesperson SanjayRaut has charged the harass-ment suffered by the decoratorsand other vendors concerned asa “direct attack” on his right tospeak freely in Rajya Sabhaand outside the Upper House.

In a letter shot off to chair-man of Rajya Sabha and vicepresident of India VenkaiahNaidu on Tuesday, Raut said:“my daughter gor married on29th November 2021. The EDand other agency personnel aresummoning, intimidating andthreatening the decorators andother vendors of the weddingevent so as to extract state-ments from them that theyreceived Rs 50 lakh from me in

cash. On refusal by these peo-ple to partake in such anendeavour, the ED and otheragencies are continuouslyharassing them”.

Raut, who is the Shiv SenaParliamentary Party leader,said that the ED and otheragencies had so far “wronglyconfined” 28 persons as part ofthe alleged witch-hunt beingcarried out against him. He saidthat the ED and other agencieshad not only “confined” the 28persons for hours together in itsoffice, but had also gone to theextent of “threatening” thesepeople that if they do not givea statement to the ED and otheragencies, they would be arrest-ed. “The ED and other agencypersonnel who are tasked withthe duty to protect revenue andsecure proceeds of the crimeare now reduced to puppets oftheir political masters. In fact,the personnel from the ED andother agencies even confessedto the very people they are

summoning that they havebeen asked by their bosses tofix me,” Raut wrote in his let-ter to Naidu.

Maintaining that he wasnot scared nor was he going tobow down (to theGovernment). “I will continueto speak the truth, both in theHouse and outside the House.However, the Governmentusing agencies like the ED andother agencies to harass myfamily members, friends, rela-tives and even those peoplewho are not concerned with mespeaks volumes of the “decay inour system”.

Raut said that as a RajyaSabha member, he had the rightas well the duty guaranteed bythe Constitution to speak in theHouse. “As a citizen, I have theright to speak outside theHouse. I have the right to ques-tion the Government, its poli-cies, decisions and right to dis-sent. I have the right to makealliances which will democrat-

ically fight what we all perceiveto be against the state/nationalinterest,” he said.

Raut, whose Shiv Sena sev-ered its links with the BJP andaligned with the Congress andNCP to form the MahaVikasAghadi (MVA) government inMaharashtra in November2019, said: “We have a right tohave our own ideology whichmay necessarily in tandemwith the political power inpower at the Centre. However,that does not mean that ourlegislators, MPs, their familymembers, friends and acquain-tances are threatened andharassed under the garb of con-ducting investigations and evenarrested in cases of allegedmoney laundering”.

“However, transactionswhich are decades old and havenothing to with the moneylaundering are taken to investi-gations with the oblique andulterior motive of harassing andterrorising political opponents in

the name of conducting inves-tigation by ED and other centralagencies,” he said. Raut urged thevice President “not just take noteof the abuse of power to per-petuate intimidation and harass-ment on members of the RajyaSabha but also to speak up andtake action”.

Raut signed off his letterwith the famed poem pennedby the anti-Nazi German pas-tor Martin Niemoller who didnot speak out against the Nazirule at the right time and wroteconfessional people as a tokenof poem that read thus: “Firstthey came for the Communists,and I did not speak out—Because I was not a commu-nist; Then they came for thetrade unionists, and I did notspeak out—Because I was nota trade unionist; Then theycame for the Jews, and I did notspeak out—Because I was nota Jew; Then they came forme—and there was no one leftto speak for me”.

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Basu Bhattacharya and ShaktiSamanta, among the promi-nent ones.

It is true that Tollywoodhas produced some Hindi andUrdu films such as Devdas, butthe net cast by Bengali direc-tors has been narrow and con-fined mainly to Bengali movies.By the same token, not manynon-Bengalis got much spaceon the Tollywood screen. Thereason is that unless one is ason of the soil, it is difficult topick up spoken Bangla, whichis first a melody and then a lan-guage. For example, one is pro-nounced ‘Ayk’ while 21 is ‘ek’;51 is ‘ek anno’ and 61 becomes‘ek sutti’. Not many who are notborn in Bengal can cope withthis variation of melody firstand language later. Many ofeven those born on its soil arenot conscious of this variation.

As a result, onceBollywood got going,Tollywood could not com-pete. Also, Tollywood selectssubjects without any marketingstrategy, and lacks a proper dis-tribution network. The WestBengal Government is silentabout promoting good cinemawhile other States pursue itseriously. Another reason maybe that Tollywood did not tra-verse from the zamindari psy-che to that of businesspeopleand eventually to therespectable middle class. The

Bengali zamindar, once zamin-dari was over, continued tolook down upon business as anOBC occupation; he descend-ed straight into the middleclass. The contempt for busi-ness persisted as before.Occupationally, the zamindartook refuge in either intellec-tualism or trade unionism.

When it came to films,Tollywood’s scriptwriters anddirectors produced ‘pure’ andintellectual films, without anymasala being allowed totouch the kadhai, a la SatyajitRay, Ritwick Ghatak andMrinal Sen. Anyone whocould deal in masala stuff andwanted to make money hadto take a train from the erst-while Bengal Nagpur Railway(BNR) to Bombay.

It is not too late forTollywood to catch up. Forthis, the Kolkata film worldneeds to think anew, devisenew strategies and join therace. The normal or run-of-the-mill explanation of finan-cial paucity would not come inthe way. As American busi-nessmen say, “Money followsa bright new idea with the con-fidence to manage it. Ideas andmanagement do not followmoney.” To take an example ofa film that was a simple idea,which was followed by plentyof finance, it was Gandhi by SirRichard Attenborough. From

the most elderly and learnedintellectuals to the youngest ofschoolchildren, everyonecould identify with the classicmovie and enjoy it. Why didwe have to wait for an Englishknight to produce a classic onan Indian giant?

Between the 19th and 20thcenturies, India produced anynumber of giants. The saga ofNetaji Subhas remains an epic,for instance. GurudevRabindranath Tagore waspoetry and music personi-fied, besides being India’s firstNobel laureate for Literature,for Gitanjali. Bankim Chandrawas an inspiration for heroes,for Tollywood or any other‘Wood’ to produce movies on.Ramakrishna Paramahansaand Vivekananda are spiritu-ality epitomised.

Coming to themes, isthere any shortage in WestBengal or any other part ofIndia? Sandakphu, theSunderbans with its RoyalBengal Tigers, the collieriesand tea gardens are land-marks of the State. Kapurushdeals with tea gardens, butnot with tea-growing; theyuse these gardens as a stagefor dubious romance.

(The writer is a well-known columnist, an authorand a former member of theRajya Sabha. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

�� Sir — It is the need of the hour that thereshould be engagement with reason,fairness and common sense as Pakistanhas already entered this unhealthy con-troversy which could have been avoid-ed if an amicable solution were soughtat an early stage. The episode revolvesaround just scarves, which is a pity andcould have been resolved at the locallevel. Can religious symbolism in a per-son’s appearance — a turban, a tilak, acrucifix around the neck be a threat tolaw and order? This is just one exampleof the confusion and conflict underlyingthe theme of “coexistence” in India.

Saffron scarves are symbols ofHindutva, but not quite on the sameplane as hijab which, apart from custom-ary use by the faithful, passed theSupreme Court’s earlier “essence of reli-gion” test. Yet, all courts approach suchissues by the same route. Does secular-ism mean stopping girls from studyingif they wear hijab? The High Court hasreferred the matter to a larger Bench andnot given any interim relief. The StateGovernment should ensure peace andharmony. Till the verdict, both sidesshould practice restraint in nationalinterest. Utmost care is required to pre-vent the spread of such developments.

Yash Pal Ralhan | Jalandhar

�� Sir — The Congress might have givenfree tickets to labourers at railway stationsto go and “spread Coronavirus”, but didthe party workers operate the trains too?Besides, wageless starving bankruptmigrants were inhumanely charged highfares for their return home after gettingstranded in alien places due to the instantlockdown for months. Therefore, the freetickets offered by the Congress actuallyworked as a balm on the wounds of thevulnerable working class. By offering topay railway fares from the Congress fund,that “Italian” proved to feel the pain ofthe poorest of the poor migrants in India.

Perhaps the Government needs tourgently amend the meaning of “respon-sibility” in the dictionary. Thanks to the

sudden announcement of lockdown,the stranded poor not only found them-selves without livelihood and food,lakhs of them were thrown out of theiraccommodation for their failure to payrent. When sanity and humanity demandrepeated apologies from the Centre forthe unfathomable pain ‘gifted’ to poormigrants, we are made to believe that theCongress was a “super-spreader” ofCoronavirus. It’s time the Indian elec-torate learned to evaluate its leadersthrough their compassion, qualities andattitude, not race or birth which is noth-ing but mere destiny.

Kajal Chatterjee | Kolkata

�� Sir — There is no denying that theCongress is a drowning ship because itspolicies have been challenged head-onby the BJP which emerged as a nation-al party only in the 1980s. Since 2014,the BJP has left no political space foranyone else and is ruling with an ironhand. It has become so emboldened

that the Prime Minister does not thinktwice before criticising everybody else,particularly the Congress. Thoughthere is no creditworthy achievementon any front by the BJP in more thanseven years, there is nobody else tochallenge it.

The Congress is struggling to winthree-digit seats, and the way BJP ismoving in northern States, its job is noteasy. Mamata and Stalin do not like theBJP’s rule at the Centre. In such a sce-nario, a united front is the only way tocounter the BJP at the Centre. Since BJPis getting roughly 40 per cent of the voteshare, there must be 60 per cent who arenot supporting it. Unless it has a differ-ent plan, the Congress should not wastetime in stitching an alliance with theregional parties and merge its identity.Not doing so would be a big loss for theCongress.

RK Arya | Faridabad

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Mati-ul-Islam, a right-hand man of SheikhMujibur Rahmanand later the Finance

Secretary of Bangladesh, firstmet Satyajit Ray to import somefilms for the benefit ofBangladeshis. The prices paidwould astound today’s generation.The maximum was for ApurSansar — a handsome price of�25,000. In all, he purchased 12films. This incident apart, theBengal film industry, popularlycalled Tollywood, has not market-ed its products as profitable as itmight have. Or conversely per-haps, it has produced what is intel-lectually attractive but commer-cially not much viable.

Uncannily, Bengali men andwomen, in most segments ofBollywood, have played a role asbig as any other community,including setting up studios.Bombay Talkies was founded byDevika Rani and her husband.Her role cannot be underesti-mated when one realises thatDilip Kumar aka Yusuf Khanwas her exclusive find.

Bengalis sent nightingales,men and women of distinction,to the song and music world ofBombay, most notably HemantKumar, Manna Dey and theinimitable Kishore Kumar, not toforget Geeta Roy (later GeetaDutt) and the veteran JuthicaRoy, whose rendition ofGhoonghat ke pat khol re, tohepiyaa milenge resonates eventoday. We cannot also forget thatthe immortal KL Saigal was aproduct of New Theatres, found-ed by BN Sircar. So were Saigal’srenditions Babul mora and Jabdil hi toot gaya, which still ringin our ears. Incidentally, Saigalhad been singing Rabindrasangeet in Kolkata. The goldenvoice of ghazals in the Bombayfilm world, Talat Mehmood,also began his career in AllIndia Radio, Calcutta, underthe pen name of Tapan Kumar.

One could conclude, andnot without justification, thatTollywood has had talent but lit-tle success. The directors andfilmmakers that come to mindare many, but let us mention thelegendary Bimal Roy (who gaveus Do Bigha Zameen,Kabuliwala and many otherclassics), Hrishikesh Mukherji,

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Pakistan recently released a publicversion of its National SecurityPolicy (NSP) document. The doc-ument was authored by Moeed W

Yusuf, previously Special Assistant to PrimeMinister Imran Khan on National Securityand Strategic Policy Planning, later re-des-ignated as the National Security Adviser(NSA). Drawing from his experience as for-mer associate vice-president at the AsiaCenter at the United States Institute of Peace,Khan managed to provide a scholarlyappeal to the document, with clever use ofbombastic language that could impressamateur international audiences.

From Pakistan’s strategic perspective,the document feeds into the ongoingefforts of the ‘miltablishment’ (militaryestablishment) to reinvent itself as a ‘change-agent’ of a new narrative, based on the pri-oritisation of geo-economics as the key dri-ver on national priorities, rather than theearlier paradigm based in pure geo-politics.Essentially, given the precarious econom-ic situation facing Pakistan, and its falleninternational standing after the Taliban vic-tory in Afghanistan, the reality has dawnedupon the miltablishment that it cannot bebusiness as usual, of running with the haresand hunting with the hounds. Therefore, theNSP has to be seen as a part of the focusedeffort to change the international percep-tion of Pakistan as a ‘national security state’,obsessed with chasing an elusive parity withIndia, and maintaining the dominance ofits military in every sphere, at any cost.

The document has incorporated all theright terms that would appeal to Westernaudiences. Sample some; “safety, security, dig-nity and prosperity of the people”, “sustain-able and inclusive economic growth”, “preser-vation of diverse cultural heritage”, “goodGovernance to strengthen the State-citizencontract”, “ensure transparency and account-ability”, “strengthening the human securitypillar of comprehensive national security”,“seeking a peaceful neighbourhood based onmutual co-existence, and so on. The repeat-ed emphasis on enhancing trade, investmentand connectivity is also given to make a markin international business circles.

A finer reading of the documentreveals that from India’s point of view, thepublication is nothing but a sophisticatedexercise in insincerity. Almost all direct andindirect references to India have a negativeconnotation. Perhaps, the only savinggrace in the entire document is the line“Pakistan, under its policy of peace at homeand abroad, wishes to improve its relation-ship with India” (page 36, under “India”),and the restoration of Article 370 of theIndian Constitution by India is not men-tioned as a pre-condition in the context ofany bilateral proposition.

The document has other references todomestic security issues, which are noth-ing but clever attempts to paper over theserious problems that have not beenacknowledged, let alone acted upon withdue sincerity by Pakistan, despite over-whelming evidence to the contrary. The

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most blatant onesoncern terrorismand narcotics trafficking. In the dis-cussion under “Terrorism”, one findsthe absurd claim that “Pakistanpursues a policy of zero tolerance forany groups involved in terroristactivities on its soil” and “…withnational resolve and dedication,Pakistan has fought one of the mostsuccessful wars against terrorism inthe past two decades”. Subsequently,under “Narcotics and Organisedcrime”, it is claimed that “Pakistanhas been declared a poppy-freecountry since 2001”. The vacuity ofthis statement is belied by the factthat a majority of Afghanistan-ori-gin opium, heroin and methamphet-amine is trafficked through Pakistan,with the tacit support of state agen-cies, primarily the Inter-ServicesIntelligence.

There is a major lacuna of thedocument in the absence of any seri-ous proposition concerning address-ing the serious human rights situa-tion in Afghanistan. There is also asubtle endeavour to underemphasizethe burgeoning dependence uponChina on vital matters of nationalinterest. The publication has alreadycome under sharp criticism bydomestic critics within Pakistan,who have called it high on platitudeand low on substance. Despite itsclaim of bringing in the factor of“geo-economics”, alongside “geo-strategy”, the publication does notmake any commitment to reduce orrationalize the unsustainable DefenceBudget of Pakistan, which remainslargely out of public scrutiny.

The document adopts a slickpresentation style, summarising thediscussion of its six thematic sectionsin Policy Objectives, at the end ofeach relevant chapter. There is,however, no discussion on the“hows” of the vaunted objectives list-ed in enigmatic language. It is a

major weakness of the document -in absence of even broad allusion tothe main components of the PolicyObjectives described, the infirmitiesof the discussion will only becomemagnified in time.

The document has been givena time frame of four years by theauthors. As a sincere exercise in self-delusion, and a ploy for diverting theattention of the world from the realproblems, which strike at the root ofPakistan’s anachronistic existence,the document may become redun-dant in less than half its intendedtime frame, on an optimistic note.For India, it is another proof in evi-dence that the insincere miltablish-ment of Pakistan will use every trickin the book to buy time and attemptto encash on tactical peace toachieve its unflagging grand strate-gic objective of remaining the ulti-mate arbitrators of Pakistan’s destiny.

The existing national securityparadigm could provide neitherstate security nor human security toPakistan. One wonders how a newconcept of national security canemerge without critically drawingthe right conclusions from pastdevastating military adventures.While keeping the failures of amoribund security paradigm underthe carpet, the question must beasked, what is so new in the “first”national security policy document,on which so much self-praise isbeing showered?

It is being belatedly admittedthat without ensuring economicsecurity, “traditional security”, i.e.,defence, is not possible. The fact ofthe matter is that under the burdenof traditional security, an impover-ished economy has collapsed. And,consequently, traditional militarysecurity has also come undermounting pressure. The publishedNSP document provides only an

abstract analytical and disjointedframework, although it is reluctantto unambiguously draw a linebetween traditional security andhuman security.

What ought to be the contoursof a meaningful paradigm shift? Insimple and clear words, humansecurity, as opposed to the securityof the state, demands the security ofpeople based on their fundamentalrights. But, this basic feature of anyqualitative change is mentionedcasually and superficially, and thattoo in the last chapter of the docu-ment. Five chapters deal only withtraditional security and other mat-ters related to it, another chapter cov-ers foreign policy and one chapterdeals with economic security.

The emphasis is undoubtedly ondefence. The document is over-loaded with concerns over increas-ing asymmetry in conventionalweapons with India. Redressal issought in the growth of the econo-my as a necessary prerequisite. If thecontradictions and demands of adependent and fragile economy arefundamental, they have to be setright first. Then, logically, all aspectsof traditional security must be sub-jected to economic imperatives,which warrant peaceful coexistence,mutually beneficial economic coop-eration, and recalibration and reso-lution of the “core issues” throughprotracted and patient negotiations.Rather than taking a maximalistapproach towards the mostintractable “core” issues, it wouldrequire taking a path towards apeaceful settlement of disputes withall neighbours, promotion of mutu-ally beneficial trade and invest-ment across borders, and buildingeconomic synergies to strengtheneconomic interdependence.

Conclusively, Pakistan’s NSP isa flawed exercise in futility.

(The writer is formerSenior Professor,

International Trade andMember, Vivekananda

InternationalFoundation. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

Information about the work-ing and the finances of theIndian Railways has

become scarce in recent years.Discontinuance of a separateRailway Budget since 2017hastaken the limelight away fromthe Railways. Now it featuresas a single paragraph in theUnion Budget.

As a result, little is nowpublicly discussed about newprojects, new trains, ordemands for new lines or pro-jects by different states orpoliticians. High-profile orcontroversial subjects like theHigh-Speed Corridors, theTrain-18 project, or the Privatetrain Operations schemedofind occasional mention in thepress, but a holistic view of theactual health, direction orgrowth of the Indian Railways-the biggest employer in the

country, and arguably one ofthe biggest enterprises in theworld -is no longer available tothe country at large. Since2017, the Ministry does noteven have a full-time RailwayMinister. Both Piyush Goyal(on taking over from SureshPrabhu in September 2017)and the present incumbentAshwini Vaishnav have beengiven charge of other importantministries along with Railways,further exacerbating matters.

Consequently, the specificimpact of Covid on IR, has notbeen sufficiently evaluated inthe public domain. In theabsence of an objective assess-ment about the rebound - if any- by the Railway sector, and inthe run-up to the upcomingBudget presentation, anattempt was made to compileand compare available,provi-

sional data on IR’s website forthe 9-month period April-December 2021 with April-December 2019, two yearsback. This is considered thefairest possible comparison,considering the return of Covidin January 22, which is againlikely to vitiate comparisons.

Surprisingly, the numbersreveal a robust buoyancyin itsfreight business.Freight car-ried increased from 891 millionMT to 1030 million MT in this

period, an increase of 15.6percent, and Freight revenues avery healthy 20.9

Per cent, from �86.706cr. to�104,789 cr.over 2 years - a 10per cent annual rise.

The passenger segment,however,is a very differentsto-ry. While total passengerscar-ried have reduced from 6278million to 2300 million (- 63per cent), revenue from passen-gers fell from �39,528cr. to �27.092cr.(-31.5%), for the 9-month comparison period.The biggest reduction is in thesuburban passenger numbers,which explains why the loss inrevenue is disproportionatelyless in relation to the drop innumbers. The PRS segment -within which the sleeper class,AC-3 tier, AC chair car andAC-2 tier constitute almost 90per cent of the total numbers

and almost 75 per cent of thesegment revenue - has almostrecovered fully in December 21to the December 19 levels,while the non-PRS/Suburbancontinues to operate at less than50 per cent of the December2019 levels.

Freight, passenger andsundry earnings taken togeth-er show that IR’s earning havefully recovered: earnings thisyear till December are �1,37,393 cr. against �1,32,931cr. in 2019-20, a modest 3.4 percent increase over the two-yearpandemic period.

The improved freight per-formance may partially owe itto the reduced passenger oper-ations, with more paths, morelocomotives/crew available, andeasier mobility possible. Thepandemic’s adverse effect onthe trucking business, and ele-

vated fuel prices, may alsohave favoured rail freight.These are advantages IR woulddo well to capitalise on, andbuild on further. The gradual,partial opening-up of the twoDedicated Freight Corridorsare also adding capacity (theymoved about 6 billion NTKMstill recently - a significant,although still a miniscule partof IR’s traffic). A sustainedincrease in freight, at a levelhigher than the GDP growth,as achieved in the last twoyears, will help win back muchneeded modal share of themajor, non-coal commoditiesto rail.

The pandemic, and thephased recovery of the econo-my has presenteda unique busi-ness opportunity to IndianRailways in that they are ableto concentrate on their two

most profitable business seg-ments - Freight and long-dis-tance, reserved passengers -keeping the grossly subsidisedand capacity guzzling suburbanand short/medium distanceor-dinary passenger services to thebare minimum. The temporarysuspension of many conces-sions on the passenger serviceswould also have helped inadding to revenue, and inimproving availability to full-fare paying passengers. All thisoffers clear clues to the RailMinistry in long-term mea-sures aimed at improving itsrevenues, profitability, and re-winning its importance and rel-evance. It is hoped thatthiswindfall - which may bepartially circumstantial, andnot a positive act of the IRmanagement - will not beallowed to wither away.

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(The writer retired as ChiefAdministrative Officer of

one of IR’s Production Units. The views expressed

are personal.)

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Iran unveiled a new missile onWednesday with a reported

range that would allow it toreach both U.S. bases in theregion as well as targets insideits archfoe Israel.

State TV reported that themissile uses solid fuel and hasa range of 1,450 kilometers (900miles). It is called the Khaibar-buster, a reference to a Jewishcastle overrun by Muslim war-riors in the early days of Islam.

The report said the missilehas high accuracy, is manufac-tured completely domestically,and can defeat missile shieldsystems. The information hasnot been independently veri-fied. Israel’s closest point to Iranis some 1,000 kilometers (620

miles) away. Iran has missilesthat can travel up to 2,000 kilo-meters (1,250 miles). Thereport comes as negotiationscontinue in Vienna to reviveTehran’s tattered nuclear dealwith world powers.

Iran, which has long said itdoes not seek nuclear weapons,insists its missile program isonly a deterrent.

Earlier in January Iran test-ed an engine for a solid-fuelrocket designed to launch satel-lites. Satellite carriers usuallyuse liquid fuel but solid-fuelrockets can be adapted formobile launchers that can bedriven anywhere on a majorroad or rail system.

Pure solid-fuel rockets aremostly associated with ballisticmissiles systems.

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The Pakistan Air Force(PAF) is all set to induct a

first batch of next generationJF-17 Thunder block III fight-er jets built jointly with Chinato upgrade its fleet by the endof next month, a PAFspokesperson has said, ArabNews reported.

JF-17 Thunder, anadvanced, light-weight, allweather, multi-role fighter air-craft with air-to-air and air-to-surface combat capabilities,was developed as a joint ven-ture between the PakistanAeronautical Complex (PAC)and the Chengdu AircraftIndustry Corporation (CAC) inChina.

The aircraft will replacePakistan's current aging fleet,the report said.The first JF-17prototype aircraft (called FC-1)was rolled out in May 2003.Basic flight testing was com-

pleted in 2007, which markedthe arrival of the JF-17Thunder aircraft in Pakistan,formally presented to thenation as a Pakistan Day gift onMarch 23, 2007. PAC has deliv-ered nearly 120 JF-17 Block Iand II fighter jets to PAF since2009.

"JF-17 Thunder block III isthe latest aircraft of this seriesand all taxi tests and flight testshave been completed," a PAFspokesperson told Arab Newson Tuesday.

"It's first batch will becomepart of the PAF fleet by the endof March," he added, sayingthere would be a proper induc-tion ceremony on the occasion,the report said.

The rollout ceremony ofblock III was held in Decemberlast year, the spokespersonsaid. The new JF-17 jets willalso fly-past at the Pakistan Daymilitary parade on March 23,he added.

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Lagos: As many as two peoplewere killed when a group ofgunmen attacked the convoy ofa businessman in southNigeria's Edo state, police saidon Wednesday.

Kontongs Bello, the policespokesperson in Edo, said thatthe victims were driversattached to the chairman of apetroleum marketers associa-tion in the state, Abdul-HamidEgele, who was abducted by thegunmen after the attack,Xinhua news agency reported.

The gunmen interceptedEgele's motorcade near thetown of Jattu of the state onMonday evening, killing the

driver of the car Egele wasusing on the spot, and wound-ing a security guard and anoth-er driver of the motorcade, saidBello.

He said the second driver,who was driving Egele's back-up car, died later because of theserious bullet injuries he suf-fered during the attack.

The police spokespersonsaid the police had begun a res-cue operation in the area.Armed attacks have been a pri-mary security threat in themost populous African coun-try, leading to deaths and kid-nappings in recent months.

IANS

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Terror groups enjoy greaterfreedom in Afghanistan

than at any time in recent his-tory and there are no signs thatthe Taliban leadership hastaken steps to limit the activi-ties of foreign terrorists in thewar-torn country, a report ofthe UN Secretary-General hassaid.

The report says the dread-ed Islamic State terrorist groupaims to position itself as the“chief rejectionist force” inAfghanistan, expands intoneighbouring Central andSouth Asian countries and isviewed by the Taliban as its pri-mary armed threat.

The '14th report of theSecretary-General on the threatposed by ISIS to internationalpeace and security and therange of United Nations effortsin support of Member States incountering the threat' notesthat the security landscape inAfghanistan changed dramat-ically on August 15, followinga Taliban military campaignthat took control in the coun-try, including Kabul.

“There are no recent signsthat the Taliban has taken stepsto limit the activities of foreignterrorist fighters in the coun-try. On the contrary, MemberStates are concerned that ter-rorist groups enjoy greaterfreedom in Afghanistan than atany time in recent history,” thereport said.

It, however, said that onlya small number of foreign ter-rorist fighters are moving toAfghanistan.

The report said ISIS affili-ate in Afghanistan, IslamicState in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan, continues to be ledby Sanaullah Ghafari, anAfghan national, who was des-ignated by the ISIS and al-

Qaida Sanctions Committeeof the UN Security Council inDecember last year. The USon Monday announced areward of up to USD 10 millionfor information on Ghafariand those responsible for lastyear's militant attack on theKabul international airportthat killed at least 185 people.The US Department ofRewards for Justice (RFJ)issued notifications to thiseffect on Monday. "Rewardsfor Justice is offering a rewardof up to USD 10 million forinformation on ISIS-K leaderShahab al-Muhajir, also knownas Sanaullah Ghafari," it said.According to the UN report,ISIS-K is taking advantage ofthe turmoil in the country,including by recruiting fightersfrom the Eastern TurkistanIslamic Movement and theTurkistan Islamic Party, amongother foreign terrorist groups.“It aims to position itself as thechief rejectionist force inAfghanistan and to expandinto neighbouring Central andSouth Asian countries and isviewed by the Taliban as its pri-mary armed threat,” the reportsaid.

The UN Member States areconcerned that if Afghanistandescends into further chaos,some Afghan and foreign vio-lent extremists may shift alle-giances to ISIS, it said.

The UN Member Stateshave assessed that the strengthof ISIS-K has increased fromearlier estimates of 2,200 fight-ers to now approaching 4,000following the release by theTaliban of several thousandindividuals from prison.

One Member Stateassessed that up to half theindividuals are foreign terror-ist fighters, it added.

“While Da'esh controlslimited territory in eastern

Afghanistan, it is capable ofconducting high-profile, com-plex attack such as the 27August bombing at Kabul air-port, which killed over 180people, and several subsequentattacks, in particular against theTaliban and members of theShia community,” the reportsaid.

The report said that dur-ing the second half of 2021,ISIS (Da'esh) continued to suf-fer leadership losses, while itsaffiliates maintained a highlevel of activity and attacks inAfrica and gained in strengthand visibility in Afghanistanfollowing the Taliban takeover.

The interrelated issues offoreign terrorist fighters, otherISIS fighters and their familymembers continued to concernMember States acutely.

The Member States in theSouth-East Asia region are alsoconcerned about the “potentialresurgence of a safe haven” inAfghanistan for internationalterrorist activity, as well asabout social media messagingthat “celebrates the Talibanvictory”, which could be usedas a recruitment tool for violentextremism locally, the reportnoted.

National authorities in theSouth-East Asia region are notreporting any immediateuptick in attempted travel toAfghanistan, but are alert tothis possibility. Thereport said that both Indonesiaand the Philippines reportedsignificant counter-terrorismgains, leading to an overalldecline in terrorist activity andcautious optimism that theoperational capability of severalgroups in the region may besignificantly degraded. At thesame time, the threat of attacksby lone actors or inspired byradicalised individuals remainsa concern, it said.

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Pakistan's maritime author-ities have arrested 36

Indian fishermen and seizedtheir six vessels for allegedlyfishing in country's territorialwaters, officials said onWednesday. The PakistanMaritime Security Agency(PMSA) said that it appre-hended intruding vessels onTuesday during patrolling inPakistan Exclusive EconomicZone (EEZ).Baghel The PMSAship "apprehended 06 Indianfishing boats along with 36crew, which were engaged inpoaching inside PakistaniEEZ," it said in a statement.The boats were being towed toKarachi for further legal pro-ceedings as per Pakistani Lawsand UN Convention on Law ofSea, it said.

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Ateam of researchers fromthe University of New

South Wales (UNSW) havecome up with a newapproach to making high-speed rail (HSR) cost-effec-tive in Australia that involvesfactoring in the rise in landvalue among other "valueuplifts".

The report released byUNSW's City FuturesResearch Centre onWednesday showed thatHSR stations alongAustralia's east coast, con-necting the nation's threemost populous cities Sydney,Melbourne and Brisbane,would generate a potential140 billion Australian dollars(about US$100 billion) inland value, Xinhua newsagency reported.

"There are a lot of oppor-tunities around HSR forAustralia to build strongerconnectivity between citiesand inject significant wealthand job opportunities intothe regions," said Director ofUNSW City FuturesResearch Centre and leadauthor on reportChristopher Pettit.

In past, proposed HSRprojects have been ruled outgiven Australia's relativelysmall population -- com-pared to countries like Japan,China and Germany, whichhave established HSR net-works.

A report delivered to theAustralian government in2013 proposed HSR devel-opment on east coast wouldcost 130 billion Australiandollars (about $93 billion).

Pettit said their propos-al shows that this cost couldbe almost entirely offset byvalue added in areas such asdwelling value, populationgrowth, creating jobs inregional areas of Australiaand providing greater accessto cities.

"If you were to capture asubstantial proportion ofthis value uplift, it could payfor a huge amount of theHSR," he said. Past propos-als have attracted no short-age of criticism.

Experts have rebukedidea as having a benefit-costratio that would barely breakeven, and huge emissionscosts from construction ofthousands of kilometers ofrail lines. James Abbott,managing director at AbbottAdvisory and reviewer ofUNSW report, told Xinhua:"I think that you need to

consider population we willhave in 30 years versus pop-ulation we have today.

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Meta (formerly Facebook)on Wednesday

announced to expand its flag-ship counter-speech initiativeto Pakistan and the UK totackle violent extremism, ter-rorism and organised hatespeech on its platforms.

Meta's Redirect Initiative,already available in Australia,the US, Germany andIndonesia, is now enteringPakistan and the UK to "dis-rupt the connection betweenfollowers and the violent,extreme content they seek".

Now, when someone inPakistan or the UK searcheson Facebook using wordsassociated with organised hateor violent extremism, the topsearch result will be a link toresources and support forhow to leave violence andextremism behind."We'repartnering with ShaoorFoundation in Pakistan andExit UK in the UK," saidMeta.

Research shows that chal-lenging violent, extremistviews with positive counter-

speech is one of the mosteffective ways to combat hateand extremism.

"Counter-speech is onlyeffective if it comes fromcredible voices, so we've part-nered with various NGOs andcommunity groups on multi-ple counter-speech initiativesaround the world includingcommunity programs, toolk-its and research," said DrNawab Osman, Asia PacificHead of Counter-Terrorismand Dangerous Organizationsat Meta.

Counter-speech involvesresponding to hateful, extrem-ist narratives with empathyand alternative perspectives,rather than shutting theseconversations down.

Shaoor Foundation hasbeen working for many years,designing and implementingpeace development pro-grammes in Pakistan.

"Building a society that isinclusive, respectful andpeaceful and involves engag-ing the entire community,enabling people to speak upand providing a safe, accessi-ble space to get support.

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Heat advisories have beenissued for Southern

California, including LosAngeles and other counties,with possibility of record hightemperatures startingWednesday and lasting throughweekend.

"Heat Advisory now in effectfrom Wednesday morningthrough Sun afternoon. Highswill reach 85-90 degrees eachday: 15-20 degrees above nor-mal! This can lead to wintertimeheat stress, especially those whoare not used to this kind of heat.

Take extra precautions thisweek," the National WeatherService (NWS) Los AngelesOffice tweeted on Tuesday.

Ninety degree fahrenheit isover 32.2 degree Celsius. InSouthern California, February'snormal daily high temperaturesare around 68 degree fahrenheit(20 degree Celsius), Xinhuanews agency reported.

The NWS predicted thatnear record high temperaturesare possible during peak of heatwave in winter. "This is unsea-sonably hot, so many people willnot be acclimated to this heatleading to faster onset dehydra-tion and heat stress.

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UN chief Antonio Guterreshas condoled the demise

of the legendary Indian singer,Lata Mangeshkar, who "trulyhad been the voice of the sub-continent".

Mangeshkar, who will becounted as one of India'sgreats with an estimated25,000 songs in an almosteight-decade career, died inMumbai on Sunday. She was92.

The UN Secretar yGeneral's Deputy SpokesmanFarhan Haq told PTI onTuesday that Guterres“expressed his condolencesto her family and to the peo-ple of India, over the loss ofsomeone who had truly beenthe voice of the subconti-nent”.

India 's PermanentRepresentative to the UNAmbassador T S Tirumurti onSunday said the passing ofMangeshkar is an “irreplace-able loss to the nation. An

irreplaceable loss to the worldof music". "BharatRatna #LataMangeshkar willlive in our hearts forever,” hesaid.

Taking to Twitter,Assistant-Secretary-Generaland Deputy ExecutiveDirector of UN Women AnitaBhatia on Sunday saidMangeshkar, “the Nightingaleof India, is no more.

We mourn the passing ofthis remarkable woman, amusic legend whose beautifulvoice is indelibly etched in ourmemories and our hearts.”

Diaspora organisationFederation of IndianAssociations - New York, NewJersey and Connecticut (FIA-NY NJ CT) also condoled thedemise of Mangeskar, whowas known as the 'Nightingaleof India'.

“The melodious voice ofthe legend Bharat Ratna LataMangeshkar ji will live with usforever. Deepest condolencesto her family & fans all overthe world,” FIA said.

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Israel struck targets in Syriaon Wednesday in response

to an anti-aircraft missilelaunched from Syria, whichexploded in mid-air, the Israeliarmy said. Sirens were heardin the Arab city of Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel aswell as in the occupied WestBank, the army said in a state-ment. Residents reported largeexplosion sounds, Xinhuareported citing the Hebrew-language news outletYnetnews.There were noimmediate reports of Israelicasualties.The alerts in Israelcame as the Syrian state mediaSANA reported aerial defensesystems in Damascus area hadbeen activated and intercept-ed Israeli missiles.

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The World HealthOrganization says coron-

avirus case counts fell 17%worldwide over last week com-pared to previous week, includ-ing a 50% drop in UnitedStates, while deaths globallydeclined 7%. The weekly epi-demiological report from theU.N. health agency, releasedlate Tuesday, shows that omi-cron variant is increasinglydominant — making up near-ly 97% of all cases tallied byinternational virus-trackingplatform known as GISAID.Just over 3% were of deltavariant. “The prevalence ofomicron variant has increasedglobally and is now detected inalmost all countries,” WHOsaid. “However, many of coun-tries which reported an early

rise in number of cases due toomicron variant have nowreported a decline in totalnumber of new cases sincebeginning of January 2022.” Alltold, WHO reported more than19 million new cases ofCOVID-19 and under 68,000new deaths during week fromJan. 31 to Feb. 6. As with allsuch tallies,experts say suchfigures are believed to greatlyunderestimate real toll. Casecounts fell in each of WHO’s sixregions except its easternMediterranean zone, whichreported a 36% jump, notablywith increases in Afghanistan,Iran and Jordan. In Europe,case counts fell 7% — led bydeclines in places like Franceand Germany — even as coun-tries in eastern Europe likeAzerbaijan, Belarus and Russiaposted increases.

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India is in discussion with the10-nation bloc ASEAN for

initiating the review of thefree-trade agreement in goodsbetween the two regions to seekmore market access for domes-tic products, Parliament wasinformed on Wednesday.

Minister of State forCommerce and IndustryAnupriya Patel said the marketaccess issues and trade barriersbeing faced in ASEAN(Association of Southeast AsianNations) countries and Chinaare being regularly taken upwith individual countriesthrough bilateral engagements.

"The Government of Indiais in discussion with ASEANcountries for initiating thereview of ASEAN-India tradein goods agreement to seekmore market access for Indianproducts," she said in a writtenreply to the Lok Sabha.

In a separate reply, she saidthat to increase exports includ-ing apparel exports, India isactively negotiating regionaltrade agreements (RTAs)/ FTAswith a number of countriesincluding the UAE, Australia, Canada, Israel andthe UK.

"Ongoing FTA negotia-tions will also provide morefavourable market access toproducts exported from India,"she said.

The Minister said that tex-tile and apparel export growthhas been facing adverse impactof the COVID-19 pandemicand higher import tariffs in keymarkets such as the EuropeanUnion and the UnitedKingdom as compared to zeroduty access in these countriesto competing countries likeBangladesh and Cambodia.

Replying to a question onexport dues, she said the gov-ernment has released �56,027crore in order to clear pending

export incentive dues toexporters. This is for variousschemes — MerchandiseExports from India Scheme(�33,010 crore, Service Exportsfrom India Scheme ( � 10,002crore), Rebate of State andCentral Taxes and Levies (�5,286 crore), Rebate of StateLevies (�330 crore), andRemission of Duties and Taxeson Exported Products (�2,568crore) and other legacyschemes like Target PlusScheme, Focus ProductScheme.

"It is estimated that suchbenefits would be disbursed tomore than 45,000 exporters,out of which the majoritywould be in the micro, smalland medium enterprises(MSME) category," Patel said.Clearance of dues under theseschemes is dependent on meet-ing the eligibility criteria by theapplicant exporter, whoseapplications are scrutinised forany deficiency.

New Delhi: The Government is open to'some tinkering' in the varied rates and hold-ing period for computation of capital gainstax on shares, debt and immovable prop-erty, in a bid to make it simple, RevenueSecretary Tarun Bajaj said on Wednesday.

In the current fiscal, the revenues fromcapital gains tax is expected to jump 10-foldto about �80,000 crore.

Under the Income Tax Act, gains fromsale of capital assets, both movable andimmovable, are subject to 'capital gains tax'.The Act, however, excludes movable per-sonal assets such as cars, apparels, furniturefrom this tax.

Bajaj said the current capital gains taxstructure is "too complicated" in terms ofvaried rates and period of holding across theassets and hence needs a relook.

"We need to rework the capital gainsstructure for rates, holding periods. Wewould be open to some tinkering in it, thenext time we get an opportunity," Bajaj saidat a CII event.

Asking the industry chamber to alsoconduct a study on what are the prevailingrates of capital gains tax across the world,Bajaj said, the department has already stud-ied the rates in other nations like India andthe developed world.

"Number one is rate and number twois the period for which it is. I think it is toocomplicated... That we have created. For realestate, we have made it 24 months, for shares12 months, for debt it is 36 months. We needto work on that," Bajaj said. Observingthat when any such tinkering is brought

about, there would be a segment of tax-payers who would stand as gainers, whilethere would be a segment who would loseout compared to their present tax provision,the Secretary said, adding "that becomes themost difficult part".

Depending upon the period of hold-ing an asset, the long-term or short-termcapital gains tax is levied. The Act providesfor separate rates of taxes for both categoriesof gains. The method of computation alsodiffers for both the categories.

In general, when an asset is held formore than 36 months, it is termed as a long-term asset, otherwise short-term.However, equity shares or units of equityoriented mutual funds held for more than12 months are considered long-term,whereas house property has to be held for24 months to be considered a long-termcapital asset.

Short-term capital gains are chargeableto tax at normal slab rates applicable to thetaxpayer, except where such gain is arisingfrom sale of equity shares in a company orunits of equity oriented mutual fund or unitof a business trust (where STT has beenpaid), which is chargeable to tax at the rateof 15 per cent, while long-term capitalgains in excess of �1 lakh is taxed at 10 percent.

Bajaj said in the current fiscal, the gov-ernment is likely to collect good revenuefrom capital gains tax despite the fact thatcapital gains tax rates are much lower at 10per cent and 15 per cent respectively forlong-term and short-term. PTI

Detroit: Tesla is recalling nearly 27,000 vehi-cles in the US because the cabin heating systemsmay not defrost the windshield quickly enough,cutting visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

The latest in a series of recent recalls cov-ers certain 2021 and 2022 Models 3, S, and X,and some 2020 through 2022 Model Y vehicles.Tesla says it doesn't know of any crashes orinjuries tied to the problem. Documents post-ed Wednesday say the electric vehicle maker willsend out an online software update to fix theissue.

US safety regulators say in the documentsthat a software error can cause a valve in the vehi-cles' heat pumps to open unintentionally, trap-ping refrigerant inside the evaporator. That canreduce defrosting performance.

The problem can deplete the refrigerant insome parts of the heat pump, causing the com-pressor to stop working as a fail-safe measure.That can cause loss of cabin heating, largely whenit's minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degreesFahrenheit) or colder.

Tesla stores and service centers were to havebeen notified of the recall around Feb. 4. Therecall is the 14th done by Tesla since January2021, according to National Highway TrafficSafety Administration records. AP

New Delhi: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal onWednesday took a comprehensive review of initiatives takenby the various ports for facilitating ease of doing business(EoDB) and operational efficiency through technology(OETT) to boost growth under the PM Gati Shakti NationalMaster Plan, an official statement said.

Sonowal said integrated efforts which are being takenby ports and others will add speed to development worksaround the country.

PM Gati Shakti will help the people, farmers and fish-ing community and strengthen India's economy, the ports,shipping and waterways minister added.

According to the statement, Sonowal further urged theofficials to put emphasis on promotion of the AtmanirbharBharat mission and skill development so that the youth ofthe country can be benefited.

PM Gati Shakti is driven by seven engines of growth-- roads, railways, airports, ports, mass transport, water-ways and logistics. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping andWaterways is set to play a major role in the realisation ofthe PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the statement said.

All the senior officials assured the minister that theywill move forward on the directions given by him so thatthe economy can be boosted and more people can get itsbenefits, it added. PTI

New Delhi: Commerce and Industry MinisterPiyush Goyal on Wednesday said the Open Networkfor Digital Commerce (ONDC) will give an oppor-tunity to small retailers to compete with big firmsand its Beta version is likely to be launched in fewmonths. As UPI is to the digital payment domain,ONDC is to e-commerce in India. It will enable buy-ers and sellers to be digitally visible and transactthrough an open network, no matter what platform/application they use.

Goyal said that over the past few years, largecompanies have almost taken a complete strongholdon e-commerce business and small retailers do notget equal opportunity to be able to engage with e-commerce due to weak financials and strong finan-cial muscle of large firms.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, he saidthere are start-ups and small shops that are an impor-tant part of the ecosystem that provides retail shop-ping. "We are in the process of the governance struc-ture of ONDC. We have taken technocrats to help

us to create the technology and in another fewmonths, we will be able to do a beta launch and thissystem will give opportunity for small retailers tostand up in competition against big companies,"Goyal said.

He added that the platform will provide oppor-tunities for new start-ups to start creating a networkof sellers, provide service to local areas, and increasecompetition. Like "you can Google anyinformation and get a series of options, the same wayit (ONDC) will be easy for somebody who wants toprocure any product to get a lot of options", he added.

ONDC received its certificate of incorporationas a private sector non-profit company on December31, 2021. A number of established companies haveintegrated with the platform and the Governmenthas already set up a nine-member advisory council,including Nandan Nilekani from Infosys andNational Health Authority CEO R S Sharma, on stepsrequired to design and accelerate the adoption ofONDC. PTI

Mumbai: The rupee declined by 10paise to close at 74.84 against the USdollar on Wednesday amid persis-tent foreign fund outflows and ele-vated crude oil prices.

Investors are cautious ahead ofthe RBI monetary policy to beannounced on Thursday, analystssaid. At the interbank foreignexchange, the rupee opened at 74.70against the American dollar, andlater witnessed an intra-day high of74.68 and a low of 74.87 against thegreenback. The local unit finallyended the day at 74.84, down 10paise from the previous close of74.74.

"Rupee remained fairly subduedahead of the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) monetary policy but slowdepreciation has been seen in thelast two days on back of foreign fundoutflows from domestic equities andbonds," said Dilip Parmar, ResearchAnalyst, HDFC Securities.

On the overseas front, dollarbulls remained in control with thegreenback rallying from its 100-daysmoving average while equities man-aging to recover some lost ground.

"Spot USDINR is likely to con-solidate in the range of 74.60 to75.10 in the next couple of days,"Parmar said. The dollarindex, which gauges the green-back's strength against a basket of six

currencies, was trading 0.14 per centlower at 95.51. "The rupeedepreciated against the dollar for thesecond straight day on likely equi-ty-related outflows and importercovering," said Sriram Iyer, SeniorResearch Analyst at RelianceSecurities.

Additionally, persistent for-eign fund outflows from local equi-ties also weighed on the local unit.FPIs have pulled out a net USD 1 bil-lion (around �7,484 crore) fromIndian stocks in six sessions thismonth.

However, lack of any major fac-tor has kept the local unit in a smalltrading band from 74.50 to 75.05.Jateen Trivedi, Senior ResearchAnalyst at LKP Securities said thatthe rupee traded little weak await-ing cues from RBI policy due onThursday.

"With higher crude priceslooking likely to sustain above USD85 per barrel for this quarter, therupee can feel the heat till the timeit's weak below 74.00. Going aheadrupee can be seen in range of74.60-75.05," Trivedi said.

According to Emkay GlobalFinancial Services, the markets arewaiting for the RBI MPC's decisionon interest rates which comesagainst the backdrop of Budget2022-23, inflationary concerns andevolving geo-political situation.PTI

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Tata Power on Wednesdayposted a 74 per cent rise in

its consolidated net profit to�552 crore for the Decemberquarter on the back of higherrevenues.

This was the ninth con-secutive quarter of PAT growth,it added.

"Consolidated PAT (prof-it after tax) up by 74 per centYoY year at �552 crore vs �318Crore in Q3 FY21 (October-December 2020) on the back ofstrong all-round business per-formance by all verticals," acompany statement said.

Consolidated revenue alsowent up by 42 per cent to�11,015 crore, from �7,756crore in Q3 FY21 due toexpanded operation in Odishadiscoms, higher project execu-

tion by Tata Power SolarSystems Ltd (TPSSL), andstrong performance of all otherbusinesses, it said. The com-pany's CEO and ManagingDirector Praveer Sinhasaid,"Tata Power has deliveredstrong financial performancefor the 9th consecutive quarter.All our business clusters havecontributed significantlydespite facing pandemic-relat-ed challenges, demonstratingtremendous resilience, strengthand agility."

"We are committed tofocus on key growth areas vizrenewables, distribution, andnew businesses comprisingrooftop solar, solar pumps andEV charging. We'll focus onutilising technology to offersmart, green energy solutionsand provide world class expe-rience to our 12 million plus

customers," he added.Its arm Tata Power Solar

Systems Ltd (TPSSL) will set upa 4 GW solar cell and modulemanufacturing capacity with aninvestment of � 3,400 crore.

The solar engineering,procurement and constructionorder book has crossed the Rs10,000 crore-mark, it added.Renewable portfolio grew dueto addition of 289 MW capac-ity and strong execution of bothlarge scale and rooftop solarprojects by TPSSL.

It has developed a networkof 1,200+ EV (electric vehicle)charging points across India.

Tata Power is one of India'slargest integrated power com-panies. Together with its sub-sidiaries and jointly controlledentities, it has an installed/man-aged capacity of 13,171MW.

Mumbai: Market benchmarks marched higher for the sec-ond straight session on Wednesday, mirroring a sharprebound in global equities amid signs of easing geopolit-ical tensions. However, a depreciating rupee and con-tinued selling by foreign investors capped the gains, traderssaid. The 30-share BSE Sensex surged 657.39 pointsor 1.14 per cent to finish at 58,465.97. Likewise, the NSENifty jumped 197.05 points or 1.14 per cent to 17,463.80.

Maruti was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising4.14 per cent, followed by IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank,Bajaj Finserv, Titan, HCL Tech, Wipro, and Bharti Airtel.

Only three counters closed in the red -- SunPharma, ITC and PowerGrid, dipping up to 0.72 per cent.

"The domestic market joined the glob-al rally with all major sectors barring PSU Bankstrading with gains. US stocks rallied yesterdayshrugging off concerns over rising crude oil andrate hike ahead of the release of US inflation data.

"RBI's policy announcement will be thekey focus tomorrow as domestic

inflation and policy tightening by global cen-tral banks would pressurise the central bank toadopt a similar stance," said Vinod Nair, Head ofResearch at Geojit Financial Services.

Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research,HDFC Securities, said, "Advance decline ratiohas turned positive. Nifty has commenced itsjourney up ahead of the RBI MPC meet outcomeon Thursday." "Seeming cooling off of

Russia-Ukraine tussle and reversal in oil prices have helpedsentiments turn up across the globe. In case the RBI rais-es repo rate (and not reverse repo rate) the markets couldtake it negatively," he noted.

Barring oil & gas, all BSE sectoral indices fin-ished higher. Auto climbed 2.18 per cent, followed by con-sumer durables, metal, finance, bankex and industrials.The BSE midcap and smallcap indices spurted as muchas 1.23 per cent. World stocks darted up as investorstook heart from upbeat corporate results and signs of eas-ing tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seouland Shanghai ended in the positive territory. PTI

Mumbai: Private lender ICICI Bank on Wednesday saidit has made the MSME-focused digital banking appInstaBIZ interoperable to enable merchants to link theiraccounts with other banks to the platform.

Owners of grocery shops, supermarkets, restaurants,stationery stores and pharmacies and professionals likedoctors and lawyers can create their UPI ID and QR codeon the app to accept payments from customers.

The bank said merchants can also digitally apply fora Point of Sale (POS) device and a voice messaging devicethat confirms the receipt of the payments. ICICI Bankhad launched the InstaBIZ app in July 2019 to allowMSMEs to access banking products and servicesthrough the app or website. “A large part of this (MSME) segment consistsof retail merchants. It is our endeavour to support mer-chants—around two crores across the country– by offer-ing them solutions that make their business easy,” saidAnup Bagchi, Executive Director, ICICI Bank in a state-ment.

The interoperability is backed by the online Know

Your Customer (KYC) process as merchants do not needto visit a branch nor upload any document, the banksaid.

The initiative leverages ICIC Bank’s APIs that dig-itally validate permanent account number or Aadhaarnumber which is required for verification of KYC.

“We believe that this new and unique digital offer-ing resonates with merchants across the country, as itfrees up their bandwidth to a large extent, which theycan devote to grow their main business,” added Bagchi.InstaBIZ offers MSMEs overdraft facility of up to Rs 15lakh, bulk collection and payments of funds through dig-ital modes, automatic bank reconciliation and alsoundertake largely all of the export-import transactionslike inward and outward remittances among others.

ICICI Bank had reported growth of its SME loanportfolio by 34.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs36,353 crore and 9.7 per cent quarter-on-quarter(QoQ) in its Q3 results in January. The growth cameon the back of InstaBIZ and other digital efforts by thebank such as Merchant Stack, Trade Online and e-sign-ing of disbursement documents through EasySign.

New Delhi: Capital markets regulator Sebi onWednesday came out with a framework for con-version of a private listed Infrastructure InvestmentTrust (InvIT) into a public InvIT.

In addition, the regulator has issued guide-lines for converting a private unlisted InvIT intoa private listed one. In a circular, Sebi said a pri-vate listed InvIT may convert into a public InvITon making a public issue of units through a freshissue and/or an offer for sale.

A listed private InvIT has to comply with var-ious requirements, including having at least 5investors other than the sponsor(s), its related par-ties and its associates. Post issuance and listing ofsuch units, the private listed InvIT will stand trans-formed and will be considered a public InvIT. Suchan entity will be required to comply with all pro-visions of the InvIT rules prescribed for publicInvITs. With regard to conditions for conversion,Sebi said a private listed InvIT will have to fulfillcertain conditions, including obtaining approvalfrom 75 per cent of the unit holders by value forsuch public issue of units. In addition, aprivate listed InvIT need to be compliant with allthe applicable listing obligations and disclosurerequirements since the date of its listing or pre-ceding three years, whichever is less.

However, the imposition of only monetaryfines by stock exchanges on it or its investmentmanager will not be a ground for ineligibility for

issuance. Among others, a private listed InvITshould not have defaulted in making any distri-bution since listing from the date of its listing orpreceding three years, whichever is less.

Also, Sebi said that minimum sponsor(s) con-tribution for the public issue of units will be eitherto the extent of 15 per cent of the units issuedthrough the public issue or 15 per cent of the post-issue capital. Further, units offered towards min-imum sponsor(s) contribution will be locked-infor 18 months from the date of listing of units allot-ted in such a public issue.

However, if any units are already locked-inand the remaining lock-in period is more than 18months, the units will continue to be locked-infor such remaining period. With regards torestrictions on transferability of units, Sebi saidunits held by the sponsor(s) in excess of minimumsponsor(s) contribution will be locked-in for aperiod of one year from the date of listing of unitsallotted in the public issue.

"Units held prior to the issue, by persons otherthan the sponsor(s), shall be locked in for a peri-od one year from the date of listing of units allot-ted in the public issue," Sebi said.

Maximum subscription from any investorother than sponsor(s), its related parties and itsassociates, in initial offer will not be than 25 percent of the total unit capital on post-issue basis,as per Sebi. PTI

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Ranveer Singh has hadseveral genre-definingperformances in films

like Band Baaja Baarat,Lootera, Bajirao Mastani,Padmaavat, Simmba, Gully Boy,83 among others. With 83, hehas just delivered the biggestoverseas grosser of 2021 whichis being considered as Singh’sbest acting performance of hiscareer.

A shape-shiftingchameleon of an actor,Ranveer’s mastery over hiscraft has shown that he can dis-solve himself on screen everysingle time to become thecharacter that he is essaying.Ranveer feels he can’t limithimself to do the same thingover and over again and wantsto present himself as breathtak-ingly refreshing every singletime audiences see him onscreen.

Ranveer says, “It’s a person-al challenge that I throw atmyself every single time I do anew character. That’s whatexcites me. I would feel a bitbored or jaded if I were to dothe same thing over and overagain. I want to make memo-rable films, that connect withpeople like they can feel nos-talgia, catharsis, they can laugh,can cry, can applaud. That’swhat I want to do. And I wantto do more of it. And I want tokeep doing it.”

Ranveer admits that neverin his wildest dreams did hethink that he could be a super-

star in this industry. His fil-mography proves that he is atop favourite of visionary film-maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali,India’s operatic auteur whohas cast him in his three back-to-back films, Goliyon KiRasleela Ram-Leela, BajiraoMastani and Padmaavat. Allthe directors who have workedwith the three Khans likeKaran Johar, Rohit Shetty,Aditya Chopra, Kabir Khan,have also collaborated withhim.

He says, “I often remindmyself that my chances werenext to nothing. There was notan iota of a chance of my get-ting my foot through the doorto this insulated industry. It’sbeyond my imagination that Iwork with some phenomenalpeople today. It’s been a goodrun. I’ve seen myself growfrom the actor I used to be, andthat growth and evolution areimportant.”

He adds, “It feels wonder-ful to have built this kind ofequity, but it’s always about thenext challenge for me. Theprocess is the prize and I try tostay in the moment and cele-brate that. I am fully ready andexcited and enthusiastic aboutthe journey that lies ahead.”

Ranveer has a lineup ofprojects that includes YRF’sJayeshbhai Jordaar, Shankar’sremake of his blockbusterAnniyan, Rohit Shetty’s Cirkusand Karan Johar’s Rocky AurRani Ki Prem Kahani.

Giving away the bride or brideleaving her father's house is an

old marriage custom in India. Thecenturies-old ritual, Kanyadaan,which in a way represents that thehusband's home is the bride's newhome is still prevalent. However, asthe mindset of urban Indians isshifting, the opinions of urban mil-lennials and the new generation arealso changing.

Considering the fate of Indianbrides, Betterhalf.ai - India's first AI-driven app based on only a "true-compatibility" partner search in itsweekly poll conducted an onlinesurvey to know the take of theyoung population on the currentIndian customs our society is fol-lowing. The estimates of the surveyreveal the customs that should per-sist in an Indian household.

According to the findings of thesurvey — 20 per cent believe thebride living in the groom's housestill makes sense in the current sce-

nario. This clearly shows that evenin the era of modernity, leaving theparent's house is the default mech-anism for women. This age-oldtradition is ingrained in the societythat the young population eventoday finds relevant in today's worldof women empowerment, freedomand equality.

The findings of the online sur-vey also revealed that 28 per centbelieve the lifestyle change after awedding still makes sense in the cur-rent scenario. In addition, 2 per centbelieve asset exchange is still relevantin the present times while 50 percent who have shifted their mind-

set with times believe none of theage-old traditions followed in Indianmarriages makes sense.

Commenting on the surveyfindings, Pawan Gupta CEO ofBetterhalf.ai said, “Indian wed-dings are soulful yet filled withancient traditions and customs.Keeping up with the times, a fewtraditions need to be drawn out inorder to keep women's dignity.One such custom is brides leavingtheir house to stay in their hus-band's home for life that representsthe bride's sacrifice to leave theirparents and place.”

Though Indian wedding cul-tures are popular across the world,they are ancient and irrelevant inthe present time. The survey repre-sents the viewpoint of the youngpopulation which is swiftly shiftingtowards abolishing old traditions.This is making the meaning of mar-riages more logical, far from dreamyfairytales.

While women alwayskeep up with the fash-

ions and trends and takeproper care of their looks,men tend to overlook thesefactors. It is okay if men donot take fashion or trendsseriously, but, they do need tounderstand the importance ofhygiene and the problemsthat come if they do not takecare of hygiene. Especially inthe pandemic's time, theworld is more aware of theimportance of hygiene andthat is how we can work bet-ter towards keeping ourhealth and hygiene in place.

Let us see some tips thatcan help you maintain betterhygiene in your daily life:

USE MOISTURISER ORSUNSCREEN

It is important to keep theskin moisturised and protect-ed from direct sun rays. Amoisturiser helps in keepingthe skin away from chilly drywinds and sunscreen helps inprotecting your skin fromharmful UV rays of the sun.Apply moisturiser as andwhen required so that yourskin does not look dry andflaky. A moisturised skin

always looks good and givesa good glow to your face.Also, make it a habit to applysunscreen when you go out-side in the sun so that you canavoid tanning and pigmenta-tion.

GO EASY ON SHAMPOOIt's completely fine to

wash your hair daily butshampooing your hair everyday is not ok. Shampoos haveharsh chemicals in themwhich make them dry faster.Ideally, you should wash yourhair just two-three times aweek. Even if you are sham-pooing your hair daily, reducethe amount of shampoo thatyou apply. Take a pea-sizeamount of shampoo. If youhave long hair then you canmassage shampoo just onyour scalp and apply hair con-ditioner on the ends.

KEEP YOUR BEARD SOFTThe phrase ‘you are what

you eat’ can be held for yourbeard as well. If you do notprovide proper nutrition toyour beard, it will turn out tobe a brittle skeleton and startscratching everything that ittouches. Apart from a good

protein diet to support hairgrowth and wellness, you canroutinely apply beard oils,

conditioning creams, andnourishing balms to yourbeard. Using these supple-

ments for your beard willkeep it hydrated and helpyou maintain the shine andhealth of your beard too. Itwould also keep them awayfrom looking frizzy. Not justthis, these products alsohydrate the skin beneath thebeard and prevent bearddandruff.

KEEP YOUR LIPS SOFTWith winters coming our

way, lips are going to be dryand rough. Let us see whatwe can do to keep our lipssoft. Always make sure thatyou remove the dead skin onyour lips by using a tooth-brush. This is a very quickexfoliator for those who lacktime to exfoliate lips with ascrub. Also, make sure thatyou carry lip balm to applyit as and when your lips getdry. Dabbing some coconutoil or ghee on your lips is alsoa good remedy.

SMELL GOODThe bad smell from men

is a huge turn-off and leavesa bad impression. Make sureto apply some perfumebefore you step out of thehouse, to keep yourself fresh.

You can also keep thepocket perfume with youand use it as and whenrequired so that you alwayssmile good and feel fresh.This is a very importantaspect of hygiene, so remem-ber to smell good on impor-tant occasions.

These were some simpletips to groom yourself andmake yourself look the best.These tips hold good for alltypes of occasions.

Whether you're goingon a date or to attend animportant office meeting,these tips will always makeyou leave a lasting impres-sion.

So go ahead and startusing these tips to 'feel' hand-some on all occasions.

(The author is CEO &founder of Lass Naturals,which manufactures & mar-kets natural products for hair,skin and body care.)

The panache and versatility oftraditional wear are unmatched

in every season. With a wide rangeof colour, fabric, and design pat-terns, ethnic wear has become thego-to fashion choice for manythrough the years. Fashion expertspredict the blend of comfortableethnic and western wear, vibrantflorals to gold foiled patterns, andan assorted mix of statement acces-sories to rule the trends during theyear. Here's an expert opinionhelping us break down what's instore for the ethnic collection forthe coming year, have a look; youwould want to save these.

��/��You can never go wrong with

a flared skirt. Whether it is a wed-ding function or a small family get-together, a flared skirt is a perfectamalgamation of traditional appar-el with a tinge of western wear. Pairit with a contrasting trendy crop topfor a subtle look, or an embroideredblouse makes it a lovely ensembleand will take the style quotient toultra-glam heights. Don't forget toadd a statement jewellery piece likea pair of chunky earrings or a bigring, and you are good to go.

��1��1��/��Never failing to slay the fash-

ion quotient, foil prints add thatmuch-needed royal factor to anyattire. Simplistic and elegant at thesame time, foil prints look good ona variety of fabrics, making it a go-to pattern/design option.Additionally, the gold and silverdetails make it perfect for anyoccasion. From suits to sarees tolehngas, foil prints will make youfeel like a queen. Don't forget to addcontrasting jewellery, and you willbe sore for your eyes.

��3�� Contrary to popular belief,

traditional wear is not only limit-ed to wedding functions or otheroccasions; the ethnic range canmake you look like a fashionistaeven for your everyday outfitneeds. While kurtis and suits havebeen in the market for a long time,the experimentation factor withpower-dressing makes them aninteresting pick in the comingyear.Let go of the usual suit set andflaunt a kurti dress with a contrast-ing or similar shade shrug for yourdaily needs. One can also chooseto mix-match a saree with a blaz-er and a belt, and you are all setwith a power dressing attire forprofessional any environment.Additionally, one can experimentwith fabrics like cotton, khadi, silk,linen and others, along-withdesigns like embroidery and floralprints to match your taste.

��1�3��-�Ditch the traditional style

sleeves and try puffed sleeves foryour blouses, kurtis, and suits. Theoptions are endless with mesh, bal-loon and flared sleeves optionsavailable in the market. To amp upthe style quotient, pair a tradition-al jutti/chappal, and you are set forthe day.

��3��7��3��1

Oxidised jewellery is the ulti-mate route to add chic to any tra-ditional look. Taking the attire upa notch, the artistic designs of sil-ver and/or golden oxidised piecesin chokers and long neckpieceswork perfectly with ethereal ethnicwear. Stunning jhumkas, bracelets,and rings add the boho touch to aneasy-breezy casual outfit. On theother hand, quirky prints and flo-ral outfits with oxidized jewellerypieces are match-made in heavenand will spruce up your ethnic weargame. A pro tip, match heavy jew-ellery pieces with solid-colouredoutfits and keep the jewellery to aminimum with prints and embroi-deries.

/��31�8�$�51��/��Flowy and easy-going kaftan

will be on everyone's list in theyear 2022. Whether it is a vibrant,embroidered or classy embell-ished one, kaftans are well-pairedwith almost every mood andoccasion. Add a potli bag and/ora jewelled clutch with hugejhumkas and mid-sized heels tothe complete look.

Apart from these, the ever-green shararas and ghararas,bags/totes set in traditionaldesigns, and colour contrastingfor an outfit will also be some ofthe trends to look forward to inthe coming year.Experimentation will be the key;patterns and fabrics will rule thefashion trends. So be bold withyour choices and slay the glam-our quotient every day.

(The author is the owner,Kreeva, an ethnic fashion store.)

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Batting let India down as they suf-fered an 18-run defeat to hosts NewZealand in the one-off women's

T20 International here on Wednesday.Senior opener and vice-captain

Smriti Mandhana did not play and herabsence was felt badly as India fell shortby 18 runs while chasing 156 for a win.

Rookie Yastika Bhatia, who openedin place of Mandhana along with youngShafali Verma, did reasonably well witha run-a-ball 26 (2x4; 1x6) but India neverlooked like they could chase down thetarget against an impressive New Zealandbowling attack.

The opening stand was worth 41runs in 6.3 overs and that was the high-est partnership for India.

Shafali was not at her best as she con-tributed just 13 runs from 14 balls withthe help of two boundaries. CaptainHarmanpreet Kaur, who made 12 from13 balls, also looked off colour.

The onus was then on the lowerorder to give a push for the target.Inexperienced Sabbhineni Meghana,who top-scored for India, did well witha 30-ball 37, which had six fours in it,stitching 34 runs with Richa Gosh (12)for the fourth wicket.

That stand was the last flicker of hopefor India and once Meghana was out,there was a batting collapse and the vis-iting side could only reach 137 for 8 in

their allotted 20 overs.When Meghana was out, India need-

ed 55 runs from 5.1 overs which proveda tough ask for the lower order.

"We were in the game when we were

bowling but unfortunately the last fewovers didn't go well for us. Even in bat-ting, we did not have partnerships but wehave learnt a lot from this match andhope we will improve ourselves in the

upcoming matches," Harmanpreet saidat the post-match presentation.

"When we are playing in one venue,we can learn a lot. Playing in the samevenue will definitely help us."

Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr and HayleyJensen took two wickets apiece for NewZealand, while Lea Tahuhu and SophieDevine got one each.

Earlier, experienced all-rounderDeepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakarscalped two wickets apiece to help Indiarestrict New Zealand to 155 for 5 afterHarmanpreet opted to field after winningthe toss.

Vastrakar was tidy with her mediumpace as she conceded just 16 runs fromher four overs, while Sharma gave away26 runs from her four overs of off-spin.

Senior left-arm spinner RajeshwariGayakwad leaked 39 runs for one wick-et in her four overs.

For New Zealand, captain SophieDevine (31 off 23 balls) and her open-ing partner Suzie Bates (36 off 34)scored the bulk of the runs.

The duo gave the home side a flyingstart, stitching 60 runs for the openingwicket. India named Simran Bahadur andMeghana -- who are in the reserves forthe 50-over World Cup -- in the playingXI while Mandhana did not start.

Simran dropped Devine off her ownbowling in her first ball of the innings -- second over of New Zealand innings -- and that proved costly for the visitingside. Devine was on 1 at the time.

The New Zealand captain celebrat-ed the reprieve by hitting Simran for twosixes in the fifth over as the home sidetook 20 runs from that over.

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Indian Super League (ISL) defendingchampions Mumbai City FC on

Wednesday extended captainMourtada Fall's contract by a year,which will keep him with the Islandersuntil the end of the 2022/23 season.

The 34-year-old Senegalese centre-half, who joined Mumbai City from FCGoa in 2020, played a key role in theIslanders' 'grand double' in the previ-ous season, winning the ISL LeagueWinners' Shield and the ISL Trophy.

Ahead of the 2021/22 season, Fallwas named the Mumbai City captainand has since made 13 appearances,scoring twice.

Fall featured for Moroccan clubMoghreb Tetouan for three seasons andwon the Botola Pro 1 campaign in2011/12. He then moved to Kuwait'sAl-Arabi SC and Morocco's WydadCasablanca, enjoying plenty of successwith the latter in 2016/17, winning theBotola Pro 1 and the CAF ChampionsLeague.

He made his ISL debut in 2018/19with FC Goa, emerging one of the bestdefenders in the tournament, winningthe 2019 Super Cup and the 2019/20ISL League Winners' Shield.

"I am delighted to have extendedmy stay with the Mumbai City family.It's been a wonderful journey with theclub so far. We enjoyed a successful sea-

son last year, and we are hopeful ofmaking this season a memorable oneas well. To lead a club like Mumbai Cityis a real honour for me. The coach, sup-port staff and players have shown greatfaith in me.

"I am grateful for their support andI want to continue to give my best tothis wonderful team. I look forward tomaking more great memories with theclub and hopefully, we will be able toshare them with our fans in the standssoon," said Fall after signing the con-tract.

Head coach, Des Buckingham saidthat Fall 's leadership qualities and experience were an asset to the side.

�� 5��

Playing for the first time since March 2019,the injury-hit Argentine Juan Martin del

Potro lost 6-1, 6-3 to countryman FedericoDelbonis in the first round of the ArgentinaOpen.

Following four right-knee surgeries, theformer world No. 3 admitted he might haveplayed his last match.

However his name is enlisted in the drawof this month's ATP 500 Rio Open. Lastweek, the former US Open champion (2009)hinted that his appearances in Buenos Airesand Rio Open may mark his final ATP Tourtournaments.

"I will speak to doctors again. I have totake care of my knee and then we will see. Iwill always leave the window open. (But) iftoday was the last time I will leave happy,"he said after the match.

"It's difficult to explain how I felt on thecourt. So many emotions. The atmospherewas crazy, the people were crazy, and I hadone of my best ever matches in my careerwith the crowd," he added.

After leaving the court, he had this mes-sage for fans hoping to see him play again,"I don't know if it's going to happen,because the pain in my knee is very high.But I will keep doing a big effort to fix theknee, and if I get that, maybe I will haveanother chance to play."

Bengaluru: Raiders Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gillhelped UP Yoddha beat Tamil Thalaivas 41-39 in the VivoPro Kabaddi League Season 8 match here on Wednesday.Both raiders secured Super 10s in a high-scoring game thatwas only decided in the final minute.

The result will help Yoddha increase their chances ofmaking it to the Playoffs. Tamil Thalaivas matched UP blowfor blow throughout the match but their lack of ALL OUTseventually affected the outcome of the game. Manjeetscored a Super 10 (13 points) for the Tamil team.

The high-intensity first half saw both teams exchangethe lead. Tamil Thalaivas, who did not have captain SurjeetSingh in the line-up, started on a positive note with theirraiding duo of Ajinkya Pawar and Manjeet finding flawsin the UP defence. But Surender Gill slowly initiated aYoddha fightback.

Pardeep Narwal soon joined him with a 3-point SuperRaid in the 9th minute to shift the balance. Three Thalaivasdefenders followed UP Yoddha's Shrikant Jadhav to thelobby without a touch which gave Yoddha another threepoints. A Super Tackle by Himanshu slowed Yoddha downtemporarily but they eventually got an ALL OUT in the15th minute.

That opened a 2-point lead for UP but Thalaivas imme-diately fought back with Himanshu clinching a 3-pointSuper Raid in the final minute of the first half. At the inter-val, Thalaivas had a 2-point lead with the scores 22-20.

Thalaivas started the second half on a positive note,but their usually reliable defence crumbled after the earlyminutes. Pardeep Narwal picked his Super 10 as Yoddhaclinched another ALL OUT. Despite the advantage in thenumber of ALL OUTs, Yoddha could not extend the leadbecause they kept conceding easy Bonus Points to Tamilraiders.

Himanshu's clever raids gave the Tamil team an extraweapon as they slowly staged another comeback. Therewas nothing to separate the sides with 5 minutes remain-ing as both sets of raiders slowed down the pace of theirraids.

Manjeet picked his Super 10 for Thalaivas but theirdefence, especially Abishek, made too many mistakes togive Yoddha a 3-point lead with a minute remaining.Surender Gill picked his Super 10 in the process. That gapproved too much for the Thalaivas to fight back as UPclinched a well-fought victory. IANS

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Two teams vying for aplace at the top of the

table will cross pathswhen Jamshedpur FC andKerala Blasters FC meetin the Hero Indian SuperLeague (ISL) at theAthletic Stadium inBambolim on Thursday.

Jamshedpur werestopped in their tracks inthe last outing asBengaluru FC got a winto end their three-gamewinning streak. They are

now out of the top four,placed fifth with 22 pointsfrom 13 games but headcoach Owen Coyle willknow all too well that awin will bring them rightback into the fray.

Like Jamshedpur,Kerala have also played 13games and are sitting sec-ond in the table having 23points from 13 matches.The yellow army beatbottom-placed NorthEastUnited in the last game toget back to winning ways.Alvaro Vazquez grabbed

all the headlines with astunning strike fromhalfway line and theSpaniard will once againbe expected to lead theline against a muchstronger Jamshedpur side.

One of the main talk-ing points for Kerala lastseason was their vulner-ability after taking a lead.The Blasters dropped 18points from winningpositions last time butthings have taken a turnfor the better, IvanVukomanovic's charges

dropping only two pointsfrom winning positionsthis term, the joint-bestrecord of any club.

For Jamshedpur,Daniel Chima Chukwufound the back of the netagain in the last game andmade it two goals in twogames, vindicatingCoyle's decision to gethim on board in theJanuary transfer window.Chima's goal againstBengaluru after 46 sec-onds is the second quick-est goal of 21-22 Hero

ISL. "Every game now isgoing to be a proverbialsix-pointer because youare playing against adirect rival. So of courseall big games. We need tomake sure we are readyfor it against a very goodside. They have a goodcoach and some wonder-ful players. We drew thegame the last time againstthem, we could havewon," Coyle said. Thelast time the two sidesmet, it was a 1-1 draw.

"We need to be clin-

ical against Kerala. Wecreated a lot of opportu-nities in the last game andwe need to be more clin-ical against a good Keralaside," Coyle added. Askedabout the way forward intheir bid to secure a top-four spot, the Englishmansaid: "The way forward isto gather more points. Weneed to do that by playingwell. But we will take onegame at a time and we arethinking about onlyKerala now and nothingelse."

�� 5�?5�

McLaren have locked down one of Formula1's most impressive young talents by

handing Lando Norris a huge contract exten-sion that keeps the Briton at the team until theend of 2025.

Norris will join team mate Ricciardo, whosethree-year deal expires at the end of 2023, onFriday at McLarens HQ in Woking to pull offthe covers and reveal the British team's 2022machine -- the MCL36.

The 22-year-old was linked as a potentialsuccessor to Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes beforethe F1 giants recruited George Russell fromWilliams. The 2021 F1 campaign was Norris'most successful to date thus far, managing threethird-place finishes and a second-place podiumat the Italian Grand Prix.

Norris, who has been part of the McLarenfamily since 2017, said, "Teams are about peo-ple, and I love the people and feel at home atMcLaren. I have grown up in this team and I ampart of this journey we're all on.

"Last season was another great step, both inmy career and the team's performance, and I seeand feel all the work, investment and commit-ment for the team to be in a position to chal-lenge for wins and titles in the future. This allgives me huge confidence looking forward, soit was a natural decision to extend our relation-ship for the next few years," he added.

"The opportunity to extend our relationshipwith Lando reflects not only our commitmentbut our belief and confidence in his talent," saidMcLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl. "It is alsoa strong sign of trust and commitment fromLando in us as a team and our journey to WorldChampionship contention."

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The Russian icehockey team has

started its defense ofthe Olympic men'sgold medal with a 1-0 win overSwitzerland in

Beijing. It wasn't theconvincing start tothe tournament theRussians may havehoped for as theywere outshot 33-30by a Swiss team notexpected to contendfor a medal.

The Russians,playing as the RussianOlympic Committee,had a slice of goodfortune for the onlygoal.

A shot from for-mer EdmontonOilers forward Anton

Slepyshev took a dou-ble bounce off Swissgoaltender RetoBerra's pad and EnzoCorvi's leg on its wayinto the goal with 2.7seconds left of thefirst period.

Fabrice Herzog

could have sent thegame to overtimewhen he hit the frameof the goal late in thethird period. Russiangoaltender IvanFedotov had 33 savesfor the shutout onhis Olympic debut.

Dhaka: Former South Africabatter Ashwell Prince hasresigned as the batting coach ofBangladesh men's team, said areport by ESPNCricinfo. Prince'sresignation means that he willnot be part of the Bangladeshsupport staff in their home seriesagainst Afghanistan followed bythe tour of South Africa inMarch.

"We have received his resig-nation letter on email a few min-utes ago. He has cited family rea-sons for his decision," said JalalYunus, cricket operations chair-man at the Bangladesh CricketBoard (BCB).

Prince was appointed to thepost initially for a short-termdeal since last year's tour ofZimbabwe before taking up apermanent role that was sup-posed to run until this year'sMen's T20 World Cup inAustralia in October-November.For taking the permanent rolewith Bangladesh, Prince hadresigned as head coach ofdomestic side Western Provincein South Africa.

The 44-year-old's resignation

comes a month after formerBangladesh head coach JamieSiddons was brought on board asa batting consultant in December2021. At that time, BCBPresident Nazmul Hassan hadsaid it was 'not yet finalised inwhich area he will work in,whether it is the HighPerformance, Under-19s or thesenior team'.

Under his tenure,Bangladesh had a difficult timewith the bat, especially duringthe Men's T20 World Cup in theUAE and Oman. But Bangladesh

managed to script a surpriseeight-wicket victory over NewZealand in the Bay Oval Test.

Prince is the second memberfrom Bangladesh's coaching staffto move on from the side in thepast few weeks after ex-bowlingcoach Ottis Gibson joinedEngland County side Yorkshireas their head coach.

The former left-handed mid-dle-order batter had representedSouth Africa in 66 Tests, 52 ODIsand one T20I from 2002 to2011.

IANS

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Bengaluru: It was a bad day for the fancied play-ers as all the four singles second round matchessaw the exit of favourites.

First it was young Chun-hsin Tseng of Taipeiwho felled fourth seed Hugo Grenier of France instraight sets 6-1, 6-4 on centre court and minuteslater qualifier Borna Gojo of Croatia sent third seedAustralian Aleksandar Vukic home with a 7-5, 6-3 victory to advance to the quarterfinals of theBengaluru Open ATP Challenger at the KSLTACourts here on Wednesday.

Belgian Kimmer Coppejans after a longfought battle in the first set which he won 14-12in a tie-breaker won the second set 6-3 to oust fifthseed Altug Celikbilek of Turkey to make it to thelast eight stage along with another qualifierGabriel Decamps of Brazil who labored hard to beatItalian Gian Marco Moroni 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3) in anepic 3 hour-5 min battle.

Borna Gojo, who single handedly had putCroatia's road to final in the Davis Cup and is yetto break into the top 200, lost his serve in the thirdgame and was down 1-3 by the next. However, hemade a brilliant recovery winning the next threegames including a break and grabbed the first setby achieving another break in the 12th game. Thesecond set went with the serves until the 23-year-old Borna broke his rival's serve to lead 4-2 andwrapped up the match at 6-3. "I didn't have muchpractice during the pandemic but of late my gameis falling out of shape, but now I am playing well,"said a visibly tired Borna .

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India's U-19 World Cup winingsquad was on Wednesday felicitat-

ed by the BCCI on the sidelines of thesecond ODI here on Wednesday.

The U-19 heroes, wearing blazers,first watched the second ODI at theNarendra Modi stadium from thes-tands, as they had a joyous time see-ing their stars in presence of headcoach Hrishikesh Kanitkar and othermembers of the support staff.

The victorious squad memberscould not get to meet the senior

India cricketers as they werepart of the bio-bubble cre-

ated for the three matchseries.

Former India bat-ter and National Cricket

Academy head VVS Laxman, who waswith the team in the Caribbean, wasalso present on occasion.

And so was BCCI secretary JayShah, treasurer Arun Dhumal and fewother senior officials of the statecricket bodies.

The Board has already announcedcash reward of Rs 40 lakh for the play-ers and Rs 25 lakh each for the sup-port staff. The India U-19 squad hadreturned home on Tuesday. The squadtook the long flight back from theCaribbean with connections inAmsterdam and Dubai before reach-ing Bengaluru on Tuesday morningand the team then reachedAhmedabad.

More functions await the boyswhen they reach their respectivehometowns by Thursday.

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The top-seeded Indian team of JeevanNedunchezhiyan and Purav Raja

moved to the doubles quarterfinals of theBengaluru Open after prevailing againstCroatia's Borna Gojo and Bulgaria'sDimitar Kuzmanov, here on Wednesday.

The Indian team had to be on its toesas it eked out a tough 6-4 6-7 (2) 10-8 winover the alternate entrants.

Also moving to the last-eight pairsstage were Ramnkumar Ramanathan andSaketh Myneni and the team of N SriramBalaji and Vishnu Vardhan.

Ramkumar and Myneni had an easyday, beating Markos Kalovelonis (GRE) andToshihide Matsui (JPN) 6-3 6-3 but Balajiand Vardhan had to work hard in gettingpast Mathias Bourgue (FRA) and KimmerCoppejans (BEL) 6-4 4-6 10-3.

In the singles, fourth seed HugoGrenier of France lost 1-6 4-6 to Chun-hsinTseng of Taipei and qualifier Borna Gojoof Croatia sent third seed Australian

Aleksandar Vukic home with a 7-5, 6-3 vic-tory to advance to the quarterfinals.

Another qualifier Gabriel Decamps ofBrazil ousted Italian Gian Marco Moroni6-2 5-7, 7-6 (3) in an epic three-hour fiveminute battle.

"I didn't have much practice during thepandemic but of late I my game is fallingshape and I am playing well," said a visi-bly tired Borna who has played fourmatches in a row.

Meanwhile, India's PrajneshGunneswaran will take on top seed JiriVesely of Czech Republic on Thursday.

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New Zealand's three-match Twenty20 inter-

national cricket series nextmonth against world cham-pion Australia has beencanceled because ofCOVID-19 border regula-tions.

Australia beat NewZealand by eight wickets inthe final of the Twenty20World Cup last Novemberand the rivals were expect-ed to play in Napier fromMarch 17-20, in anticipa-tion of a planned relaxationof border protocols.

But the arrival of theomicron variant in NewZealand has put back there-opening of the interna-tional border and the seriescannot take place becausethe Australian men's team

does not have placesreserved in managed isola-tion.

"At the time we sched-uled the visit there was a lotof hope that the trans-Tasman border would beopen for those who met theright criteria," New ZealandCricket chief executiveDavid White said in a state-ment Wednesday.

"However, the advent ofomicron has, unfortunate-ly, changed everything at

the border and has made itimpossible for us to contin-ue with the series.

"It's disappointing butwe know it's the same forbusinesses and individualsand other sports and we'regrateful for the interna-tional schedule we have."

Australia, coming off a4-0 win over England in thefive-test Ashes series, isdue to host Sri Lanka in afive-match T20 series start-ing Friday.

New Zealand is set tohost the Women's CricketWorld Cup starting March4. The seven teams visitingfor the World Cup - India,England, Australia, SouthAfrica, West Indies,Pakistan and Bangladesh -will have to quarantine inNew Zealand ahead of thetournament.

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Having already scaled six out ofthe 14 8000m summits suc-

cessfully, India mountaineer ArjunVajpai has now set his eyes onclimbing Mt. Annapurna and Mt.Dhaulagiri. The 28-year-old wasrecently awarded by GuinnessWorld Records for becoming theyoungest person to climb twohigher 8000ers (Mt. Everest in2010 and summit Lhotse in May2011). Vajpai now wants to becomethe first Indian to scale all the 148000m summits in the world andhis first target is to climb Mt.Annapurna and Mt. Dhaulagiri,which will make him the firstfrom the country to finish all the8000m mountains of Nepal.

There are less than 40 peoplein the entire world who have everclimbed these 14 summits but noIndian has achieved the feat yet.

Vajpai has already scaled Mt.Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Makalu,Mt. Kangchenjunga, Mt. Manaslu,and Cho-Oyu, making severalmountaineering world records.

"It is my dream to climb all 14mountains above the 8000 metersand put India's flag flying high andbecome the only Indian to haveachieved this feat. Right now myfocus is on #Project8k and I amgoing to give my best in order toachieve this daunting task," hesaid in a release. In order to com-plete #Project8k, Vajpai has start-ed a fundraiser on Ketto to crowdsource funds to complete his expe-ditions.

�� 5�?5��

James Anderson and Stuart Broad,England's two leading test wicket-

takers of all time, were the headlinenames in a ruthless post-Ashes cullfor next month's tour of the WestIndies.

The fast-bowling greats receivedno assurances that they still had testcareers, either.

England, on the heels of an off-field clear-out that accounted for thehead coach, assistant coach anddirector of cricket, also dropped eightplayers following the 4-0 loss in theseries in Australia.

As well as Anderson, Broad andvice-captain Jos Buttler, the follow-ing players were also omitted: Dawid

Malan, Sam Billings, Dom Bess,Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed.

"With the start of a new cycle, ithas allowed the selection panel torefresh the test squad with a partic-ular focus on competing away fromhome," former test captain AndrewStrauss, who is acting as the interimdirector of cricket following the fir-ing of Ashley Giles, said on Tuesday.

There were some telling wordsfor the 39-year-old Anderson and the35-year-old Broad, too.

"I want to emphasize this doesnot mean the end for them asEngland players," Strauss said.

"We feel that it is important tolook at some exciting new bowlingpotential and give some addedresponsibility to other players who

have featured previously."No one doubts the quality and

experience that James and Stuart

bring to the England set-up. It willbe up to the new managing directorand permanent head coach to decide

on whether they will be involved thissummer and beyond."

The use of the phrases "draw aline" and "the start of a process anda journey" in the squad announce-ment hinted there might be nogoing back on some of the big deci-sions, though, with Buttler havingalso had a tough time Down Under.

Anderson has taken 640 wicketsin 169 tests and Broad is second onEngland's all-time list of wicket-tak-ers, with 537 in 152 matches.

Paul Collingwood will lead theteam in the West Indies in place ofthe departed Chris Silverwood,whose assistant, Graham Thorpe, hasalso left his post.

As part of what is being labeleda "red-ball reset," seamer Matt Fisher

is a direct beneficiary of the reboot-ed bowling attack while opener AlexLees was also called up for the firsttime in the 16-man squad.

Wicketkeeper Ben Foakesreturns to the squad for the first timein nearly a year, when he played thefourth test against India inAhmedabad in March.

England's squad leaves on Feb.24 for the three-test series.

Squad:

Joe Root (captain), JonathanBairstow, Zak Crawley, MatthewFisher, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence,Jack Leach, Alex Lees, SaqibMahmood, Craig Overton, MatthewParkinson, Ollie Pope, OllieRobinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes,Mark Wood.

�� 75��(

Bangladesh are set to tourSouth Africa for three

ODIs and two Tests as CSA onWednesday confirmed the dateand venues of the fixtures,starting March 18.

The tour, set to be playedacross four venues from March18 to April 12, will be a part ofICC's ODI Super League andthe World TestChampionships.

"SuperSport Park will hosttwo of the ODI matches, withthe third taken by the ImperialWanderers, while the coastal

cities of Durban and Gqeberhawill take on the Test fixtures,"CSA said in statement.

The two teams will beginthe tour with the ODI series.

The first and third ODIswill be played on March 18 and23, respectively, at theSuperSport Park in Centurion,while the second 50-over gameis scheduled for March 20 atthe Wanderers inJohannesburg. The ODI serieswill be followed by the the firstTest in Durban on March 31,while the final red-ball fixtureis scheduled to begin on April8 in Gqeberha.

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Ishant Sharma is set to skip the Ranji Trophy,Wriddhiman Saha has already withdrawn and

the path does not seem too easy for CheteshwarPujara and Ajinkya Rahane -- has the long duetransition phase kicked in for India's Test team?

By the look of it, the wheels of change seemto have been set in motion keeping the upcom-ing home Test series against Sri Lanka in mindas Ishant's Ranji pullout also puts a huge ques-tion mark on his international future.

It is understood that even Pujara andRahane, who are playing Ranji Trophy, will haveto score more than just a stray century to be inreckoning as their bad patch has been a pro-longed one and one good innings might not undothe damage that has already been done.

The 33-year-old Ishant is the most experi-enced player in the current Indian Test set-upwith 105 Test matches and 311 wickets in his kittybut has gone off the boil since the tour ofEngland.

On Wednesday, Delhi and Districts CricketAssociation (DDCA) selection committee metto pick the Ranji squad and despite the selectorsas well as office bearers trying to get in touch withIshant, they were unable to get a confirmationon his availability till evening.

"As and when, if he tells he wants to play, hewill be included as he is a Delhi legend. But Idon't know what has happened to him since he

has been incommunicado for the lastweek. He hasn't come for Ranjiteam's practice sessions. We don'tknow what's on his mind," a seniorDDCA selector said. "We don'tknow if the Indian team manage-ment has told him somethingwhich may have led to a change inhis mind-set," he added, rather con-fused.

The writing was on thewall when Ishant wasn'teven considered amongthe top five pacers whoplayed the three Testsin South Africa.

"Just likeWriddhi, evenIshant has gotfeelers that hisIndia careermight just beover. JaspritB u m r a h ,M o h a m m e dShami andM o h a m m e dSiraj are nowIndia's No 1, 2and 3 in priority listwhen all are fit," a seniorBCCI source told PTI on

conditions of anonymity."Then comes Shardul Thakur, who is an

all-rounder and Umesh Yadav was choiceNo.5," he added.

Against Sri Lanka, India plays two Testsat Mohali and Bengaluru where the twopacers would be Shami and Bumrah (ifboth are fit) and the third will be Siraj.

It doesn't make sense to take a seniorbowler like Ishant and make him carry

drinks when an Avesh Khan, PrasidhKrishna or Ishan Porel can get

good exposure. India, in 2022,play three more Test match-

es -- two in Bangladeshand one in England

which is part of the2021 series.

Save the Testagainst England

where they mightthink of fielding fourpacers, Ishant isunlikely to fit intothe scheme ofthings.

He playedagainst New Zealand

in Kanpur but lookedpedestrian for the better

part. In Mumbai, an injurywas cited as reason for his

ouster even though he was seen bowling at lunchtime every day. It is understood that he didn'tbowl well enough in the nets in South Africa tobe considered for selection in top five.

TIME RUNNING OUT FOR RAHANE-PUJARA DUOThe only two people who have got a bit of

grace period are Rahane and Pujara, who havehad a dry run for two years.

If youngsters like Hanuma Vihari (a possi-ble No.3) and the talented Shubman Gill (No.5)need to be settled in their new roles, it shouldstart with the Sri Lanka series.

That initiation will ensure that they carry ondeep into the World Test Championship's sec-ond cycle. Somewhere, the new team manage-ment under Rahul Dravid's stewardship needsto take a few tough calls but it would also dependon what the new Test captain (in all likelihoodRohit Sharma) also feels about the future of thesetwo seniors. They are sure-shot selectionsagainst Sri Lanka but in their case, the team man-agement wants them to play Ranji Trophywhich means that if they can score heavily overa period of time, there is a chance of a comeback.

Unlike Ishant and Saha, who seem to haveplayed their last Tests respectively.

For Rahane and Pujara, the Ranji Trophybegins with the two squaring off against eachother and they would like to give their everythingto keep their places in the team.

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India defeated West Indies by 44runs in the second ODI to take anunassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here on

Wednesday.Invited to bat, India posted237 for nine and then returned to dismissthe West Indies for 193 in 46overs.Shamarh Brooks (44) was the top-scorer for WI as Prasidh Krishna (4/12)and Shardul Thakur (2/41) emerged as themost successful bowlers for the hosts.

Earlier, Suryakumar Yadav scored a64-run knock while vice captain KLRahul missed his half-century by one runafter being run out as India posted 237 for9.Deepak Hooda, who made his ODIdebut in the previous match, scored 29while all-rounder Washington Sundarcontributed 24. For the West Indies,Alzarri Joseph (2/29) and Odean Smith(2/36) took two wickets each.

India will look to continue theirdomination and win the second ODI andseal the three-match series at the NarendraModi Stadium on Wednesday. SinceIndia didn’t have much trouble in defeat-ing West Indies in the first match, hostsare unlikely to make any changes in theirplaying XI.

However, the focus will be on vice-captain KL Rahul who has joined the teamafter a family engagement and was seensweating it out in the nets ahead of thegame.Ishan Kishan, who opened withRohit in the first ODI did a decent job witha 36-ball 28 and both Deepak Hooda andSuryakumar Yadav also did well to finishthe game for India.

If Rahul plays, then either of the threeamong Kishan, Deepak Hooda, and

Suryakumar would have to sit out toaccommodate him as Virat Kohli, RishabhPant and Rohit Sharma are certain toplay.But the management might alsochoose to play the same XI and win theseries and give Rahul, Mayank Agarwal,and Shahrukh Khan a go in the last gameof the series.

Eyes will be there also on Virat Kohli,who will like to get among the runs andreach his 71st century, which has been inwaiting for over two years.In the bowlingdepartment, India had a clinical outing inthe previous game, so the team manage-ment is unlikely to make any changes.

The likes of Washington Sundar,Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal,Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur hadrestricted visitors to a below-par target inthe first ODI.

On the other hand, West Indies, who

failed to play even 50 overs in the firstODI, will look to improve their form andget going in the series.

The Windies bowlers also need to beon the mark with line and length as wellas the pace.

They were taken to task by the Indianbatters, especially Rohit.

SQUADSIndia: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul(vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, RuturajGaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli,Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, IshanKishan (wicket-keeper), Deepak Hooda,Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), DeepakChahar, Shardul Thakur, YuzvendraChahal, Kuldeep Yadav, WashingtonSundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, PrasidhKrishna, Avesh Khan, Shahrukh Khan.West Indies: Kieron Pollard (captain),

F a b i a nA l l e n ,NkrumahB o n n e r,D a r r e nB r a v o ,S h a m a r hBrooks, JasonHolder, ShaiHope, Akeal Hosein,Alzarri Joseph, BrandonKing, Nicolas Pooran,Kemar Roach, RomarioShepard, Odean Smith,Hayden Walsh JrBriefScores:India: 237 for 9 in 50overs. (S Yadav 64, KL Rahul49; A Joseph 2/29, O Smith2/36).

West Indies: 193 all out in46 overs (Shamarh Brooks44; Prasidh Krishna4 / 1 2 ,Shardu lThakur2/41).

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England all-rounder Ravi Bopara onWednesday was fined 75 per cent of his

match fees for ball tampering in aBangladesh Premier League (BPL) matchagainst Khulna Tigers on February 7, saidThe Daily Star citing a Bangladesh CricketBoard (BCB) release.

The report also said that three discipli-nary points have been added to the disci-plinary record of Bopara, who was captain-ing Sylhet Sunrisers in the match against theKhulna Tigers. In the incident which hap-pened during the ninth over of the match,TV cameras showed Bopara running hisfingernails over the ball before bowling adelivery.

"The match referee Debabrata Paul ini-tially handed a three-match suspension forBopara but the final decision rested with thetournament technical committee A.S.M.Roquibul Hassan. The technical commit-tee decided to sanction penalties and handa lighter sentence following an appeal byBopara on Wednesday (February 8)," saidthe report.

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