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As controversy erupted forallowing its airspace,

Pakistan on Wednesdaydeclined use of its airspace forflights from Jammu &Kashmir’s Srinagar to UnitedArab Emirates’s Sharjah. Themove will affect the people ofJammu & Kashmir the most.According to officials, GoAir’sSrinagar-Sharjah flight wasgoing through Pakistan air-space till October 31.

Surprisingly, the denial ofthe permission comes at a timewhen the PakistanGovernment is allowing PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s spe-cial VVIP flight to use its air-space. In Modi’s recent visit toItaly for the G20 summit, thePM’s flight flew over thePakistani airspace and cameback using the same route. InSeptember, when Modi flew toWashington, his f light was allowed to use Pakistan’s airspace.

Top sources said Pakistan

has refused its airspace use toGo First’s Srinagar-Sharjahflight. “It has raised concernsover the use of their airspace.Matter reported to the con-cerned Ministries; MoCA(Ministry of Civil Aviation),MEA (Ministry of ExternalAffairs) and MHA (Ministry ofHome Affairs) looking intoit,” sources said. Tour operatorsare apprehensive about futureof only international air-routefrom Srinagar after Pakistandenied airspace for planes trav-elling to Sharjah.

This is first a violation ofinternational norms — theInternational Civil AviationOrganisation’s (ICAO) FirstFreedom of the Air — as wellas a burden on Kashmiris,

who are using the flight the most.

Flight tracking websitesshow this flight has been tak-ing a longer route that avoidsthe Pakistan airspace. The flightover Pakistan used to takeabout 3 hours and 40 minutes.

The journey now takesnearly 40-50 minutes extra dueto a longer route to stay clearof the neighbouring country’sairspace as planes will have tofly via Udaipur, Ahmedabadand Oman due to the decision.The passengers will also haveto spend more money as thejourney is going to be moreexpensive.

Go First’s W-1595/4095flights are operating onTuesday/Thursday/Saturday/Su

nday. This flight was to go fromSrinagar to Sharjah on October23, 24, 26, 28, 30 usingPakistani airspace and returnfrom there.

On October 23, UnionHome Minister Amit Shahflagged off the inauguralSrinagar-Sharjah flight fromthe Sheikh Ul-Alam interna-tional airport in Srinagar, reviv-ing the direct airlink betweenthe valley and the UAE after 11 years.

Calling the move “veryunfortunate”, NationalConference leader and formerJ&K Chief Minister OmarAbdullah tweeted, “Pakistandid the same this with the AirIndia Express flight fromSrinagar to Dubai in 2009-2010. I had hoped that GoFirstairways being permitted tooverfly Pak airspace was indica-tive of a thaw in relations butalas that wasn’t to be.”

PDP president MehboobaMufi slammed theGovernment and said flaggingthe flight off was only a “PRextravaganza without anygroundwork”. “Puzzling thatGOI didn’t even bother secur-ing permission from Pakistanto use its airspace for interna-tional flights from Srinagar.Only PR extravaganza withoutany groundwork,” she tweeted.

Continued on Page11

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In what could be seen as amajor victory for India’s jour-

ney in vaccination againstCovid-19, Bharat Biotech’sCovaxin is now an interna-tionally-approved vaccineagainst Covid-19. It can beadministered to people abovethe age of 18 years. WorldHealth Organization (WHO)has, however, not yet approvedit for pregnant women.

The WHO’s technical advi-sory panel gave nod for emer-gency use listing for 18 yearsand above. Covaxin is a vaccinecompletely “made in India”, byHyderabad-based BharatBiotech and the Indian Councilof Medical Research. Theemergency listing got delayedlast month as the technicaladvisory group sought someadditional clarifications fromBharat Biotech for its final riskassessment. The technical advi-sory group met on Wednesdayto take the final call andapproved Covaxin for emer-gency use listing.

The technical advisorygroup is an independent advi-sory body that provides rec-ommendations to WHO forapproval of vaccines. The teammet last October 26 and soughtadditional clarifications from

Bharat Biotech which the com-pany submitted. The team wentthrough those data onWednesday and gave its nodthat Covaxin can be listed foremergency use under the EULprocedure.

The go-ahead from thetechnical team can be consid-ered as getting approval from

WHO and the world body hasalso announced it on its socialmedia platform.

“WHO has granted emer-gency use listing (EUL) to#COVAXINÂ® (developed byBharat Biotech), adding to agrowing portfolio of vaccinesvalidated by WHO for the pre-vention of #COVID19. TheTechnical Advisory Group,convened by WHO and madeup of regulatory experts fromaround the world, has deter-mined that the #Covaxin vac-cine meets WHO standards forprotection against #COVID19,that the benefit of the vaccinefar outweighs risks & the vac-

cine can be used. #Covaxinvaccine was also reviewed byWHO’s Strategic AdvisoryGroup of Experts onImmunization (SAGE), andrecommended use of this vac-cine in two doses, with a doseinterval of four weeks, in all agegroups 18 and above. Availabledata on vaccination of pregnantwomen with the #Covaxin vac-cine are insufficient to assessvaccine safety or efficacy inpregnancy; studies in preg-nant women are planned,including a pregnancy sub-study and a pregnancy registry,”WHO tweeted.

Continued on Page 11

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Maintaining the tradition ofcelebrating Diwali with

the frontline troops at the bor-der, Prime Minister NarendraModi is likely to visit Jammuand Kashmir or Ladakh onThursday. Since becoming thePrime Minister in 2014, he hascelebrated Diwali every yearwith the troops.

In the previous years, Modishared the festivities with thetroops in Uttrakhand andJammu region. The PrimeMinister, who lit diyas withArmy soldiers at the Longewalaborder in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmerlast year, will visit Jammu andKashmir this time and is like-ly to head to Nowshera, Rajouri

border post on the Line ofControl (LoC) on Thursday,sources said here onWednesday.

He had celebrated the fes-tival with soldiers at the LoC inRajouri district in 2019 too.

Like previous years, thePrime Minister will light earth-ern lamps with the troops andthen distribute sweets amongstthem besides addressing them.

Meanwhile, Army ChiefGeneral MM Naravane arrivedin Jammu on Wednesday toreview the operation readi-ness to defend the LOC.


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The BJP will review theparty’s performance in the

bypolls in the States like WestBengal, Himachal Pradesh andRajasthan where it did notperform to the expectationsand is likely to affect majorchanges in these State units.

The bypoll defeats in WestBengal and Karnataka will alsocome for a detailed review inthe National Executive meetingslated November 7 in thenational Capital.

The party would also lookinto “factional fights” whichmay have resulted in the loss ofthe BJP candidates in somestates, sources said in anoblique reference to Rajasthan.The BJP lost the two bypolls inRajasthan, running third andfourth in the Dhariawad andVallabhnagar seats.

The differences betweenformer Chief MinisterVasundhara Raje and Stateunit president Satish Puniaseems to have played a negativerole in the bypoll debacle that

went on to strengthen hands ofChief Minister Ashok Gehlot“dissidence” from within hisown party.

The stunning comebackof the Congress in HimachalPradesh, a home State of BJPpresident JP Nadda, has putquestion mark on the leader-ship of Chief Minister JairamThakur who has blamed “pricerise” for the defeat instead of“owning-up” the bypoll revers-es in the State.

The sweep of the Congressthat won three Assembly andthe Lok Sabha Mandi seat inthe bypolls in HimachalPradesh has also given a newlife to the Congress.

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Twenty-five people, includ-ing six Indian Air Force

personnel, on Wednesday test-ed positive for Zika virus here,pushing the number of infect-ed persons to 36 in the district.

District Magistrate VishakG said among the fresh cases,14 are women. Six IAF per-sonnel have also contracted theinfection, he said. The DM saidthe health department had col-lected blood samples of 586people on Sunday and thesewere sent to the Lucknow’sKGMU for testing. Twenty-fivesamples tested positive for Zikavirus, he said.

To check the spread of thedisease and track its source,health teams have been pressedto undertake sanitisation pro-grammes, including anti-larvaespraying, identification of feverpatients, screening of serious-ly ill people and pregnantwomen. Health officials havebeen asked to strengthen theirsurveillance and ensure door-to-door sampling and testing.

“We advise the local peo-ple not to panic regarding thesudden spurt in Zika viruscases,” he said.

A high alert has beensounded in the periphery ofhangars of the IAF station,said another official.

Zika is a mosquito-bornevirus that spreads through thebite of infected mosquitoes.

An IAF personnel fromKanpur in Uttar Pradesh test-ed positive for Zika virus onOctober 23, following whichthe Union Health Ministryhad sent a high-level multidis-ciplinary team to UttarPradesh.

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Samajwadi presidentAkhilesh Yadav on

Wednesday said he will beworking to join hands with hisuncle Shivpal Singh Yadav onthe birthday of party founderMulayam Singh Yadav laterthis month.

Leaving for Saifai, hisnative village, to celebrateDiwali, he told media that “onNetaji’s birthday” the party“will work to bring uncleShivpal Singh along.”

Former Uttar PradeshChief Minister Mulayam SinghYadav’s birthday comes onNovember 22. Speaking tomedia, Akhilesh said, “We havefull respect for him (ShivpalSingh) and we will have analliance.”

“To defeat the BJP in theupcoming Assembly electionsin the State, we will have analliance with the regional par-ties of the state and will workto bring small political partiestogether.


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Prime Minister NarendraModi on Wednesday

stressed on the need for Covid-19 vaccination drive to betaken door-to-door now andstressed the importance ofcompleting the inoculation bytaking the second dose.

Cautioning against any lax-ity after surpassing the mile-stone of 1 billion vaccine doses,Modi said “a new crisis cancome” and quoted a saying toassert that one should notunderestimate “diseases andenemies as they should befought till the very end”. He

called for equal attention totaking the second dose of theCovid vaccine, noting thatwhenever the cases of infectionstart decreasing the feeling ofurgency among peopledecreases.

Modi made the remarks ashe interacted with the ChiefMinisters of Maharashtra andChhattisgarh UddhavThackeray and Bhupesh Bagheland district magistrates of over40 districts spread acrossJharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland,Arunachal Pradesh,Maharashtra, Meghalaya, andother States with districts hav-ing low vaccination coverage.Talking about the issue ofrumours about Covid vaccina-tion, he said awareness is theonly solution and asked theState officials to take help fromreligious leaders in this regard.


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Buckling under pressure, the Government on

Wednesday cut excise duty onpetrol and diesel by a record �5and �10 per litre to help bringdown rates from their highest-ever levels.

The excise duty reductionis effective from November 4when petrol price will comedown from �110.04 a litre inDelhi to �105.04. Diesel ratewill be reduced from �98.42 perlitre to �88.42.

“Government of India hastaken a significant decision ofreducing Central Excise Dutyon petrol and diesel by �5 and�10 (pre litre) respectively fromtomorrow. Prices of petrol anddiesel will thus come downaccordingly,” the FinanceMinistry said in a statement.

This is the highest-everreduction in excise duty androlls back a part of the �13 and�16 per litre increase in taxeson petrol and diesel betweenMarch and May 2020.


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With the aim to lurevoters before theassembly elections,

Chief Minister YogiAdityanath announced thathis government would con-tinue the distribution of freefood grains, including edibleoil, to ration card holders tillHoli.

The UP assembly elec-t ions are scheduled inJanuary-February next yearand Holi is in March, nextyear, by the time elections inthe state will be over andmost likely the governmentwill be formed.

Addressing the publicafter the Deepotsav functionat the banks of river Saryu inAyodhya, Yogi Adityanathsaid: “Today is a sacred occa-sion, and to fulfill the dream

of Ram Rajya, we are extend-ing the free ration scheme tillHoli. Under this, we will notonly provide rice and wheatbut we will also give pulses,salt, and edible oil.”

Attacking the SamajwadiParty, Yogi said 31 years ago,bullets were fired at Rambhakts and kar sevaks inAyodhya. He said at that timechanting Jai Shri Ram andvoicing support for Ramtemple was considered acrime. “But it is the power ofthe people and democracythat those who ordered firingon Ram bhakts today bow toyour power,” he said.

“When ‘kar seva’ wouldhappen next time, not bulletsbut flowers will be showeredon devotees of Lord Ramand Lord Krishna,” the chiefminister said.

He further said, “Today it

appeared that if you contin-ue like this, they (oppositionparties) and their entire fam-ilies will line up for the nextkar seva. This is the power ofdemocracy.”

Yogi Adityanath said ear-lier state governments used tospend money on the bound-aries of ‘kabristan’ (grave-yards) but now money wasspent on the re-developmentand beautification of temples.

He also announced thatRam temple constructionwould be completed by 2023.

Meanwhi le, UnionCulture and TourismMinister G Kishan Reddy,who was the chief guest at theDeepotsav function, said theefforts put in by the UP gov-ernment were marvelous andby 2030, Ayodhya would bethe biggest tourism city in theworld.

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Over nine lakh diyas were litand were kept burning for

45 minutes as Ayodhyaretained its Guinness WorldRecord for lighting oil lamps aspart of the Diwali celebration.

“We had set a target to lightnine lakh oil lamps at oneplace to break the GuinnessWorld Record and we haveachieved that target,” UttarPradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath said.

Last year, the city had set arecord by lighting 6,06,569diyas.

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NOTICE

I have changed my name fromAbinav Kurele to AbhinavKurele Abhinav Kurele S/oPrabhat Chandra Kurele R/o15/M/20, Dabouli, Kanpur.

NOTICE

I have changed my name fromParveen Khanuja to ParveenArora Khanuja Parveen AroraKhanuja W/o Manmeet SinghKhanuja R/o 111A/123, AshokNagar, Kanpur.

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Over nine lakh diyas were lit and were kept burn-ing for 45 minutes as Ayodhya retained its

Guinness World Record for lighting oil lamps as partof the Diwali celebration.

“We had set a target to light nine lakh oil lampsat one place to break the Guinness World Recordand we have achieved that target,” Uttar PradeshChief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.

Last year, the city had set a record by lighting6,06,569 diyas.

Yogi said that over 9,00,000 diyas were lit at Ramki Pauri, at the banks of river Saryu.

“Over 1.2 million lamps were lit across Ayodhyawhere people lit oil lamps at temples and at theirshops as a mark of Diwali celebration,” he said andadded that this was possible only because of thou-sands of volunteers who toiled hard to ensure thesuccess of this mission.

Government spokesman Shishir Kumar affirmedthat the lamps set a record.

Representatives from the Guinness WorldRecords handed over the certificate to YogiAdityanath after monitoring the record with dronecameras.

Commissioner of Ayodhya MP Singh told thisreporter that over 12,000 volunteers, majority ofthem college students, worked tirelessly to ensurethat the lamps burnt for the prescribed time so thatthe Guinness record could be broken.

The administration had purchased over 10 lakhdiyas, and over three lakh of them were made of cowdung by the local artisans.

The diyas were placed at the steps of the riverbank. Throwing the precaution of social distancingbecause of COVID-19 pandemic to the wind, thelamps were lit at 38 ghats. The lamps were also litat the major temples, markets and other historicplaces of the city.

“It was a tough job. First, we drew the patternwith chalk and then placed the diyas and filled themwith oil. It was a back-breaking exercise but I lovedit,” said Shruti Sinha, an undergraduate student.

Another student, Anita Chauhan, said: “We havebeen working for the last three days and havearranged the diyas (earthen lamps) in a systematicmanner. Training was given to us on how to lightthe diyas without disturbing the symmetry.”

She said the big challenge was to ensure thatthese lamps glowed for at least 45 minutes as thiswas mandatory for breaking the Guinness record.“We ensured that oil was put continuously in theselamps so that they did not extinguish,” Anita said.

Earlier, the scene of ‘tretayuga’ came back to lifeagain on Wednesday when ‘Lord Ram’, along with‘Sita’ and ‘Laxman’, touched the grounds on the`Pushpak Vimana’ after completing 14 years of exile.People waited with bated breath to welcome ‘LordRam’ with the same zeal, devotion, and enthusiasmthat the city would have witnessed when Lord Ramreturned after defeating Ravana.

Chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' kept on reverberatingin the atmosphere with the Deepotsava starting atits scheduled time.

The reception of these symbolic forms of godswas attended by UP Governor Anandiben Patel,Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other dignitariesincluding ambassadors from Vietnam, Trinidad andTobago.

The chief minister also offered prayers on behalfof the devotees after which the scenic reunion of‘Lord Ram’ and his brother ‘Bharat’ took place, bring-ing alive the memories of Lord Ram’s coronation agesago amidst Vedic chants.

The chief minister also bowed before 'Ram' andsought blessings for the people's welfare.

The chief minister, who arrived in Ayodhya forthe Deepotsav, first went to Shri Ram Janmabhoomitemple and offered prayers for the welfare of the peo-ple.

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The construction of the grandRam temple has opened the

doors of many possibilities forAyodhya, says Uttar Pradesh ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath.

“This work is being taken for-ward in right earnest to presentAyodhya at the global stage,” YogiAdityanath said while speaking tomedia persons on the occasion ofDeepotsav on Wednesday.

Describing it as the power offaith, he said that it was a proudmoment for the people of India towitness such an event.

Yogi said it was unimaginablefive years ago but not onlyDeepotsav was started by his gov-ernment but the celebrationstouched new heights year after year.

"Today, UP has become thefocal point of faith as a spiritual citywhile the Central and state govern-ments are working continuously forthe development of Ayodhya," hesaid. The chief minister was of theopinion that his government had

lived up to the trust of lakhs of peo-ple, not only fulfilling the sacredresolution of Ram Janmabhoomibut opening new vistas of develop-ment to build a new Ayodhya.

Working on the slogan of 'JoKaha, Woh Kiya' in the last fourand half years, Chief Minister YogiAdityanath has given many bigprojects to Ayodhya. As of today,Ayodhya, which is shining on themap of the country, is also moving

fast with technology.The chief minister said that the

new Maryada Purushottam ShriRam airport, Raja DashrathMedical College, modern bus sta-tion, flyover, renovation of old tem-ples as well as construction of agrand and divine Ram temple wasthe story of the New Ayodhya.

“Along with the people ofAyodhya, crores of Ram devoteesfrom all over the world virtually

�#��#��)� "��&�� 1��joined us and became a witnessto this historic moment, " hesaid.

Mahant Brijmohan Das ofAyodhya's Dashrath Gaddiexpressed his gratitude to the

chief minister for revivingAyodhya and restoring its pris-tine glory, which was put in ashambles by the previousregimes.

"The entire Sant Samaj is

thankful to Chief Minister YogiAdityanath for making Diwalivery special by reviving ancienttemples and ghats along withthe gift of a medical college andan airport," the Mahant said.

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Lucknow (PNS): The NewEducation Policy will take 4-5years to set properly althoughLucknow University may adaptto it in 2-3 years. It is a majorchange from the conventionaleducation system and it is notonly the university which hasto adapt to the new changes butalso the students.

This was stated by Vice-Chancellor Prof Alok KumarRai at a press conference heldat Lucknow University onWednesday. The VC said thatthe educational model of10+2+3 is changing.

“Being a professional body,the university may take 2-3years to adjust to the NEP, butas far as parents, students,employers are concerned, itwill take more time,” he said.

“I can say with confidencethat LU is leading in all para-meters in comparison to otheruniversities of the state interms of admissions andresults. We are also makingefforts for the convocation to beorganised this month and anofficially announcement maybe on the cards,” he said.

He said the university’ssymbolic medals would begiven from the official stagewhile the distribution ofdegrees and other medalswould take place at the depart-mental level. “This is a new cul-ture we are developing in whichthe authority percolates downto the departmental level. In the

recently-held PG examinationstoo, it was the departmentwhich carried out the activitiesof holding the exams and get-ting the copies checked,” hesaid. He added that the examswould be held in Decemberand January and of the firstyear students by February nextyear. “Our efforts are that thecourses should be completed intime and examinations held asper schedule. The departmentswill give their proposal as pertheir flexibility and no strictregimen will be followed look-ing into the situation as it pre-vails,” he said. The VC said thatLU is also going to start a DLittcourse after a gap of 11 years.“We have got quite a fewrequests from seniors andbureaucrats,” he added.

Meanwhile, incharge ofBEd exams Dr Amita Bajpaisaid two rounds of counsellinghave been completed. She saidthey are starting counselling ofthe minority institutions.

“In case of the minorityinstitutions affiliated to LU,50% of the admissions aredone through BEd entranceexams and for the remaining 50percent seats, the institutes donot take students directly butensure that entrance examsare held for the same,” she said.

She said that normally theminority institutions selectcandidates from the tests con-ducted by the LU and thensend a list for verification.

0+��&�Lucknow (PNS): To cater to therush of passengers this Diwaliand Chhath Puja, the NorthernRailway is running 577 trips of81 festival special trains. CPRODeepak Kumar said the NRwould also be augmenting 46trains with 126 coaches.

“In this ongoing festive sea-son, railways is sharing the joyof festivities with the passengersby ensuring special arrange-ments for the passengers trav-elling to their native places tocelebrate with their families,” hesaid. Delhi Junction-Azamgarh-Delhi Junction reserved festivalspecial train will be available at11.15 pm on November 3 andfor return journey onNovember 4 from Azamgarh at4 pm. It will stop (up and downjourney) at Kanpur Central,Lucknow, etc.

Train number 09425/09426(Ahmedabad-Barauni Superfastfestival special train) will beavailable on November 7 andNovember 14 at 3.25 pm atAhmedabad and for returnjourney (train number 09426Barauni-Ahmedabad superfastfestival special train) onNovember 9 and November 16at Barauni at 5.45 pm.

Lokmanya Tilak Terminus(LTT)-Gorakhpur-LTT super-fast festival special (01263) willbe available on November 6 at10 pm at LTT and for returnjourney Gorakhpur-LTT (trainnumber 01264) superfast festi-val special on November 8 at08.15 am at Gorakhpur.

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On the eve of Diwali, Covidexperts stressed on the

need for people to adhere toCovid-appropriate behaviourwhile celebrating the festival oflight on Thursday. The statecapital was all decked-up on theeve of Diwali.

There were makeshiftshops across the city sellingdiyas, electric lights, clay toys,candles, puja items etc. Sweetshops did brisk business as peo-ple bought gifts for friends, rel-atives and bosses while almost

all the markets experiencedtraffic snarls.

The rush in the market wasa pointer to the fact that Covidprotocols went for a toss withvery few people wearing maskswhile others choosing to wearit in such a manner that itwould hardly help.

Dr Surya Kant Tripathisaid it was important for peo-ple to followed Covid guide-lines while celebrating Diwaliwith family and friends. Hesaid that looking into prevail-ing situation, the third Covidwave was not insight and if it

struck, it was likely to be mild.With other countries reg-

istering a spike in fresh Covidcases, he said UP was headingtowards herd immunity. “Wehave a good pace of vaccinationwhile the rough and tough lifeled by Indians provides a verygood base for immunity,” hesaid.

Meanwhile, OrganisedMedicine Academic Guild(OMAG), an umbrella organ-isation of professional medicalassociations of post-graduatedoctors, thanked the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO)

for its decision to approveBharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

“OMAG is glad that final-ly the wiser counsel prevailedwith the WHO. Covaxin hasmet just 10% of its goal ofreaching out to poorer nationsglobally. Time is of primeessence because all eligiblepeople should be fully vaccinat-ed worldwide within a limitedtime period and WHO is aim-ing for all countries to fully vac-cinate 70% of their respectivepopulations by June 2022,”OMAG secretary Dr IshwarGilada said.

%�� #�� Lucknow (PNS): A man washeld hostage and thrashedallegedly by his old friends inThakurganj over an issue involv-ing a mobile phone on October28. The issue came to policeknowledge only on Wednesday.

Mohammed Fahim ofGaughat was friends withDeepak of Daultaganj. OnOctober 28 night, Deepak luredFahim into accompanying himto another person’s (Lucky)house. There he was tied withropes around a chair in a roomand was kicked and thrashedwith sticks. Shanu, Vinay andGautam also helped the accused.“They then made me sit in afour-wheeler and repeatedlyslapped me,” Fahim stated in theFIR. He alleged that the attack-ers also threatened to kill him.

Meanwhile, a social work-er, identified as MamtaTripathi of Madiaon, allegedthat a bank, in which her soci-ety has an account, uploadedthe statement of the bankaccount on social media. Shecomplained to the bank man-ager and also lodged a casewith police. In her complaint,she said her society’s accountis being run by her and soci-ety member Shivendra Mishra.She said she never subscribedto the statement of the society’sbank account. “For the last fewdays, the bank statement of thesociety’s bank account hasbeen on social media with anaim to defame the society,” she said.

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Purvanchal VidyutVitaran NigamLimited VidyutNagar, P.O. -DLW

Varanasi-221 004 E- TenderNotice E- tender are invited forthe following work. The tenderswill be accepted up to at 15.00hrs. Please visit our websitewww.etender.up.nic.in fordetails/ download and for anyother corrections/amendments/modifications/extensions till thedate of submission of bids.Sl.No. 1. Tender SpecificationNo. EAV-31/2021-22 Name ofWork Appointment of Agency forthe Advertisement on ST/PCCPoles & Designated Space at33/11 KV Sub Station inPuVVNL Tender Fee (Rs.)10,000.00+GST@18% Lastdate & Time for online sub-mission of tender document07.12.2021 15:00 Hrs. Date &Time for opening of tenderpart-I 08.12.2021 15:00 Hrs.Note : - Pre-Bid Meeting shallbe conducted through VideoConferencing on 20.11.2021 at15:00 Hrs. SUPERINTENDINGENGINEER (MM-I) No. 2767Date 3.11.2021 "Save Electricityin the interest of Nation"

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COURT NOTICECITATION (BY ADVERTISEMENT)

(Chapter XXX, Rule-21)IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE

AT ALLAHABADORIGINAL JURISDICTION

TESTAMENTARY AND INTESTATEJURISDICTION

TESTAMENTARY CASE NO. 39 OF 2021IN THE MATTER OF

THE GOODS OFLate Ramjeet Maurya son of Late

Paltan Maurya Resident of VillageMahuwar Pargana & Tehsil NizamabadPost Tikapur District Azamgarh...Deceased.Harilal ..................................... Petitioner.

WHEREAS an application has beenmade by Harilal a/a 57 years son of LateRamraj R/o Village Mahuwar, Pargana andTehsil Nizamabad, District Azamgarh, forthe probate of the will (or Letters ofAdministration to the estate) of LateRamjeet Maurya deceased, who died atBanaras Hindu University Sir SunderlalHospital Varanasi U.P., on 23.03.2013AND WHEREAS, the 30th day ofNovember, 2021 has been fixed for hear-ing of the said application. THIS CITATIONis issued calling upon all persons claimingto have any interest to come and see theproceedings if they think fit before the grantof probate (or Letters of Administration).

Given under my hand and the sealof the Court this 7th day of October, 2021.DEPUTY REGISTRARHIGH COURT, ALLAHABAD

Shri Avadhesh SinghAdvocate Counsel for the Petitioner.

2��+Integral University celebrated its 29th Foundation Day on

Wednesday. The faculty, staff, students, and alumni gatheredto commemorate the historic day. The chief guest was MaulanaSaeed-ur- Rahman Azmi, president of ICPE, and principal ofDarul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama. The event started with the wel-come speech by Vice-Chancellor Javed Musarrat. Founder andChancellor Prof SW Akhtar expressed gratitude to the currentand former colleagues and reaffirmed the commitment to con-tinue expanding the university as a potential excellence and aca-demic centre for future generations.

0��Bhavya Saxena, a class X student of CMS, Kanpur Road

Campus, has achieved a remarkable feat by winning a gold medalat the National Science Olympiad, organised by ScienceOlympiad Foundation, New Delhi. Students from several pres-tigious schools of India participated in this contest whereinBhavya excelled by dint of her brilliance and knowledge.

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Chief Minister YogiAdityanath, on Wednesday,

said the rare idol of MaaAnnapurna that went missingfrom Kashi 100 years ago dur-ing the British era, was finallybeing returned from Canada toVaranasi and would be installedthere.

Highlighting the effortsmade by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi to retrieve andbring home the idol of theGoddess, Yogi said that 100years ago an idol of MaaAnnapurna was taken awayfrom Kashi and it landed at auniversity in Canada. He saidthe Government of India hadreceived that idol from theuniversity and it was now beinggiven to the Uttar Pradeshgovernment.

“It will be installed in KashiVishwanath temple onNovember 15 amid chanting ofVedic hymns,” the chief minis-ter said.

Speaking at a press con-ference, the chief minister said:“It is an occasion for joy andspiritual satisfaction. Thisstatue will be transferred tothe state government in aceremony to be held inDelhi on November 11, fol-lowed by its journey in a grandprocession from Delhi toVaranasi on November 14 withstopovers of one day each atSoron, Kanpur Nagar, andAyodhya.”

Finally, on the auspiciousoccasion of DevotthanEkadashi on November 15, agrand ceremony would beheld at Shri Kashi VishwanathDham and the statue wouldbe placed after the appropriaterituals, he said and addedthat because of theaashirwad (blessing) of

Lucklnow (PNS):Wishing the people of the

state on the occasion of Diwali,Uttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath appealed tothe public representatives, gov-ernment employees and evenpolice to adopt one houseeach and contribute towardslighting diyas and distributingsweets to them.

“We have 16.5 lakh gov-ernment employees and fourlakh police personnel in thestate. It is an appeal to all ofthem to adopt a family on thisoccasion and celebrate theirDiwali with them,” the chiefminister said in a statementissued here on Wednesday.

He further said: "I appealto all public representatives in

the state who are more thaneight lakh in number to adoptone house each and contributetowards lighting diyas anddistributing sweets to them. Iappeal to them to give Diwaligifts to the children in thesefamilies.”

While talking about thisyear's Deepotsav in Ayodhya,the chief minister saidDeepotsava in Ayodhya hadbecome an important event ofthe nation. He said this yearover nine lakh diyas were litthere. “This nine lakh repre-sents the houses where peoplestarted residing under PMAwas Yojana (Urban). We haveprovided houses to 43 lakhpeople so far in rural andurban schemes in UP," he said.

Lucknow (PNS):Concentrating on half of thepopulation for the comingassembly polls, Congress generalsecretary Priyanka GandhiVadra sent Diwali gifts for thewomen whom she met inNanmau and Tamarsepur ham-lets of Harakh block ofBarabanki district a few days

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Suheldev Bhartiya SamajParty chief Om Prakash

Rajbhar met don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari atthe Banda jail on Wednesdayand offered him to contest the2022 UP assembly polls on hisparty ticket.

Mukhtat Ansari was elect-ed to UP assembly on BahujanSamaj Party ticket in 2017and his elder brother AfzalAnsari is the BSP MP fromGhazipur. The Bharatiya JanataParty responded by accusingthe Samajwadi Party ofenrolling criminals throughthe backdoor.

“Samajwadi Party is true toits character and it has startedenrolling criminals throughbackdoors. Brother of MukhtarAnsari, former BSP MLA, hasalready joined the SamajwadiParty,” said BJP spokesmanRakesh Tripathi here onWednesday.

BSP supremo Mayawatihas already announced that nomafia including Ansari will befielded in the 2022 UttarPradesh election by her party.She had said this decisionwould ensure that a crackdownon such criminals could be ini-tiated once a BSP governmentwas formed in the state. BSPhas already announced BhimRajbhar, the BSP state presi-dent, as party candidate fromMau in place of MukhtarAnsari.

Mukhtar Ansari, a 5-timeMLA from Mau, faces morethan 50 criminal cases not justin UP but other states as well.

Rajbhar, an ally ofSamajwadi Party said that hediscussed political issues withMukhtar Ansari and offeredhim a ticket to contest the UPelection due early next year.

Refuting Mukhtar Ansari'sassociation with the mafia,Rajbhar claimed, "The stategovernment should release alist of mafia so that peopleknow who is a mafia and whois honest. I met him. I haveknown him for a long time. Iwas informed that his health isnot good. So, I went there toenquire about his well-being.He has been an MLA for thelast five years. If a politiciangoes to meet an MLA, they willtalk about politics."

"We will give him a ticketfrom whichever of the 403seats he wants to contest. He isready to join my party. Myassociation with him datesback to 20 years," he added.

Rajbhar had earlier high-lighted Mukhtar Ansari's polit-ical stature in the Purvanchalregion. He had said, “Whetherit is a Bharatiya Janata Party, SP,BSP or Congress leader inPurvanchal, whoever wants towin the election goes andseeks the blessing of MukhtarAnsari and wins the electiononly after that. The poor,underprivileged and the lead-ers there consider him as a

messiah.”Meanwhile, cabinet min-

ister in Yogi Adityanath gov-ernment, Anil Rajbhar, said thecharges levelled by the BJP overthe Mau rally by Om PrakashRajbhar had been vindicated.He said that the rally onOctober 27 was also attendedby SP president AkhileshYadav and it was financed byMukhtar Ansari and his goonsmobalised the crowds for therally. He said the BJP wouldsoon organise a `Pardafash’(expose) rally in Mau to exposethe evil designs of Om PrakashRajbhar. He said the YogiAdityanath government hadconstructed a grand memori-al of Raja Suheldev at Bahraichand Prime Minister NarendraModi would inaugurate thememorial through virtualmode on February 16. He saidthe government had spentover Rs 80 crore on the memo-rial and other developmentschemes.

He charged that Rajbhar,who was pursuing his politicsunder the cover of RajaSuheldev, stood exposed andhad been rejected by the peo-ple during the 2019 Lok Sabhaelections.

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After much dilly-dallyingon an alliance with his uncleShivpal Singh Yadav in thecoming assembly polls,Samajwadi Party president

Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesdaysaid his party respectedPragatisheel Samajwadi Party(Lohia) as one of the smallerparties with whom the SPwould have alliance.

“Samajwadi Party hasalways spoken about bringingin smaller parties together.Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Partychief Om Prakash Rajbhar isalready in alliance with us anduncle Shivpal Singh Yadav’sparty is also a small party andas a policy we will try to bringhim in alliance with allrespect,” Akhilesh Yadav saidin Saifai, his native village,where he went on Wednesdaywith his family to celebrateDiwali festival.

“I have all respect for myuncle and his party and willgive full honour,” he added.

However the SP presidentruled out any merger of PSPLwith SP. On the occasion, hesaid that people were fed upwith the anti-people attitude ofthe BJP governments at theCentre as well as in UP.

“Everyone is frustrated,youths are unemployed, farm-ers are not getting fertilisers.Instead of providing any relief,BJP leaders are only interestedin inaugurating projects," healleged. Yadav said SP wouldbe holding Smriti Diwas toremember those who werekilled in Lakhimpur Kheriviolence. Every SP worker willlight a diya in memory of thedeceased, he said.

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Bahujan Samaj Party chiefMayawati, on Wednesday,

expressed her party’s concerntowards rising prices of essentialcommodities and blamed boththe Central as well as stategovernments for failing to checkit.

“Central as well as stategovernment failed to controlprices of even essential dailyneeded food grain items of acommon man which is badlyaffecting people particularlywhen they were celebratingDiwali festival’, tweetedMayawati on Wednesday claim-ing that her party was verymuch concerned towards theinflation and demanded imme-diate intervention to controlprices.

Earlier also, the formerchief minister of Uttar Pradeshhad f layed the NationalDemocratic Alliance(NDA) government for risingprices of petroleum products,including diesel, petrol andLPG.

She claimed that risingpetroleum prices had largelyaffected the increase in rates ofall essential commodities so thefuel prices should be immedi-ately brought down to controlrising inflation.

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Goddess Annapurna, noone remained hungry inVaranasi.

Union Minister for Cultureand Tourism G Kishan Reddysaid that since 2014, 42 rareidols and antiquities hadreturned to the country duringthe tenure of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, whereas from

1976 to 2013, only 13 rare stat-ues-paintings could be broughtback.

Reddy said that after PrimeMinister Modi's recent visit toAmerica, the path had beencleared for the return of 157such rare antiquities whichwould be brought to Indiasoon.

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back. Priyanka interacted withthem when the women wereharvesting crops in the field.Congress leader Tanuj Punia,who presented the gifts sent byPriyanka, confirmed that ful-filling her promise to the localwomen, the Congress generalsecretary sent gifts for them onthe occasion of Diwali. TanujPunia said that Congress alwaysdid what it said. “The Congresswill fulfill its pledges at any costwhen it forms government.When United ProgressiveAlliance government was at thecentre, Congress waived theloans of farmers of the countryto the tune of Rs 72,000 crore,”he claimed.

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UP Minister for BackwardClass Welfare and

Empowerment of Persons withDisabilities Anil Rajbhar onWednesday accused the chief ofSuheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party(SBSP) Omprakash Rajbhar ofplaying the role like of middle-man between the SamajwadiParty and jailed MLA MukhtarAnsari to mislead the Rajbharcommunity. The BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) will hold agrand rally of the Rajbharcommunity early next monthin Mau which is also to beattended by the Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath to expose thereal face of the SBSP supremo.The BJP will come to powerbagging the seats in 2022assembly elections more thanthe figure of what it hadachieved in 2017, he claimed

while talking to the press per-sons at Circuit House here.

Former UP MinisterOmprakash Rajbhar met thejailed MLA Mukhtar Ansari inBanda jail on Tuesday last andit is enough to prove that therally of the SBSP in Mau wasorganised with the resources ofthe latter, charged the UPMinister adding, as the ex-CMAkhilesh Yadav had shared theManch which proved that therally was sponsored by the SP.The Mau rally was organised toensure the victory of the jailedMLA and the SBSP supremo isplaying the role of a middle-man between the former andthe SP, the minister charged.

The SBSP chief will notsucceed in misleading theRajbhar community throughsuch rally as the people of thecommunity have become awareof the real face of the former

state minister, said Anil Rajbharadding, the Rajbhar communi-ty will never tolerate a pollalliance with the party likeSamajwadi Party. Respondingto a query, the minister saidthat the SBSP leader had goneto jail to meet the jailed MLAto give an account of the Maurally and added that theRajbhar community will teacha lesson to the former ministerin 2022 assembly elections as itis feeling insult by OmprakashRajbar who had termed thepeople of the community asdrunkard in the Mau rally.

To expose the real face ofthe SBSP and its national pres-ident, the BJP will hold a grandrally early in December inMau in which the CM YogiAdityanath will also addressapart from the senior leaders ofthe party ; Anil Rajbharinformed adding that only

those who belong to Rajbharcommunity will attend therally. The BJP will go to thepeople in 2022 assembly elec-tions with the development asa poll plank, said the ministerSHAH TO ATTENDRAJBHASHA SAMMELAN :Union Home Minister AmitShah will be in Varanasi on histwo-day visit to attend theAkhil Bhartiya RajbhashaSammelan to be convened onNovember 13 and 14 in thetrade facilitation centre. TheDistrict Magistrate KaushalRaj Sharma informed during ameeting at his camp office, herethat the Home Minister Shahwill chair the two-day AkhilBhartiya Rajbhasha Sammelanwhich is to be attended by theministers in central govern-ment, members of Rajbhashaand concerned officers andemployees.

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In a major road mishap, fourwere reportedly killed and

more than one dozen sus-tained injuries on Wednesday.The injured were admitted tothe trauma centre in BHUwhere their condition was stat-ed to be out of danger.

According to the informa-tion, a commercial vehiclePick-Up, carrying about twodozen persons includingwomen and children, was goingto Aurangabad in Bihar fromBareilly. It was said that when

the commercial vehicle was onthe way, the driver lost his con-trol over its steering and itdashed against the divider neara hotel in Dafi on nationalhighway under the Lankapolice station on Wednesdaymorning. It was said that thedriver lost his control becausehe took a nap while driving thevehicle.

The persons on board thevehicle started crying after thevehicle dashed against thedivider as they found no way toget down from it. The localsrushed to the spot and

informed the local police aboutthis. On getting information,the police reached the spot andrushed the injured, said to bemore than one dozen in num-ber, to the trauma centre inBHU where the doctors pro-nounced four women broughtdead. The killed were identifiedas Leelawati (20), Rupa (17),Anju (22) and Kaushlya (23),while the injured were identi-fied as Sudama, Kiran Devi,Mamata, Puja, Dulari Devi,Rahul, Satyam, Saloni,Saniksha, Anita, Deepa, Savitri,Ravi, Vinod, Nilu, Choti,

Santosh, Kallu Prasad and oth-ers.

It was said that theselabourers had boarded on thePick-Up in the evening onTuesday last and were going totheir native village inAurangabad, Bihar to celebratethe festivals of the Deepawaliand Chatth.

The road accident led to atraffic jam with long queues ofvehicles and traffic f lowbecame smooth only after thepolice removed the ill-fatedvehicle from there with the helpof a crane.

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Amidst tight securityarrangements, heavy rush

was seen in almost all themarkets on the eve of Diwali.Even on the occasion of ChotiDiwali, most of the markets inthis holy city were glittered withattractive lighting arrange-ments. Unlike most of theDiwali festivals in the past, theuse of less quantity of fireworkswas seen. However, no impactof COVID-19 restrictions wasseen as the majority of cus-tomers were not wearingmasks. In many areas, trafficjams were witnessed during theevening hours. Tight securityarrangements were made at allsensitive localities apart fromairport, railway stations, busdepots, Ganga ghats and otherplaces.

Meanwhile, DistrictMagistrate (DM) Kaushal RajSharma has imposed prohibito-ry orders under Section 144 ofCrPC in the district in connec-tion with the coming festivalslike Diwali, Govardhan Puja,Bhaiya Dooj, Dala Chhath,Kartik Purnima, Christmas etcapart from competitive exam-inations to be conducted byUnion Public ServiceCommission (New Delhi),Uttar Pradesh Public ServiceCommission (Prayagraj),Examination RegulatoryCommission (Prayagraj) andSubordinate Services Selection

Commission (Lucknow). Theprohibitory orders will remaineffective till December 26.

In view of the use of hugequantities of fireworks on theoccasion of Diwali, ChiefMedical Officer (CMO) DrRahul Singh appealed to thepeople to celebrate Diwali bykeeping hands, eyes and facesafe. He also advised the peo-ple to keep sanitiser away whileusing fireworks. ‘If anyone getsburnt during fireworks, first ofall clean the burnt part withrunning water and then imme-diately consult the nearest gov-

ernment or private hospital.Take care not to wash theburnt area with cold water orice and also do not apply tooth-paste or turmeric,’ he said,adding that the pollution offireworks affects the eyes, noseand throat as well as the lungsand it also causes respiratoryand allergic problems. TheCMO further appealed to thepeople to keep children awayfrom firecrackers and buycrackers only from legitimateshops.

According to him, in thecorona pandemic period, we

have made a habit of sanitisingeverything, but before usingfireworks and crackers, oneshould avoid sanitising one’shands. He also appealed to thepeople to follow the COVID-19 guidelines during the festi-val. ‘Go to the market with amask on and shop only at a lesscrowded shop. Take off shoesand slippers after returningfrom the market. Sanitise thegoods brought from the mar-ket and touch any householditems only after washing handsthoroughly with soap andwater,’ he advised.

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Famous Ganga Mahotsav willbe held at Rajghat from

November 17 to 19 and on thelast day, a grand event of DevDeepawali will be organised atall 84 ghats of the river Ganga.Giving this information whileholding a meeting with the offi-cials on Tuesday to reviewpreparations for GangaMahotsav and Dev Deepawali,Divisional Commissioner (DC)Deepak Agrawal said that onDev Deepawali, all the ghatsalong with the sands side of theriver Ganga will be lit withmore than seven lakh diyas(earthen lamps).

He directed the officers tokeep the traffic system of thecity well-ordered, especiallyduring Dev Deepawali. On theoccasion of bathing of KartikPurnima in the morning on theday of Dev Deepawali, hedirected MunicipalCorporation officers to ensurethat there should be no viola-tion of excess boarding of peo-

ple on the boats during DevDeepawali and hold talks withthe boatmen's associations inthis direction. Besides, heinstructed that the personneland officers of Water Police andNDRF continued to patrol theGanga river regularly withboats during Dev Deepawaliand give necessary directions tothe people through loud-speak-ers. He asked the police officersto ensure proper securityarrangements at the ghats dur-ing Ganga Mahotsav and Dev

Deepawali.According to him, on the

occasion of Dev Deepawali,along with ensuring propercleanliness arrangements inthe entire city as well as espe-cially on the Ganga ghats, heasked the MunicipalCorporation that there shouldbe arrangements of attractivetricolor lighting at the ghats. Healso directed that the faultylights should be immediatelyreplaced and repaired. Thisgrand Dev Deepawali to be

held in Kashi will also bebroadcast live on LED screensat various places in the city, theDC added. The DC also askedthe police officers to ensurenecessary security arrange-ments regarding the hot air bal-looning programme to be heldin Varanasi on November 17,18 and 19. He informed thatthere would be a total of 11 bal-loons including four from Indiaand others from countries likethe UK, Poland and Europeancountries. ‘There will be aflight of 500 people per day. A15 km circle has been markedfor hot air balloon flight, inwhich 7 km will be flying at amaximum of 1000 feet. OnNovember 19, hot air balloonswill fly in the evening across theriver Ganga. For three days,tourists as well as local peoplewill be able to enjoy air balloonadventures,’ he said. ChiefDevelopment Officer AbhishekGoyal, Regional TourismOfficer Kirtiman Srivastavaand other senior officers werealso present.

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Choti Diwali, also celebrat-ed as Janmotsav of Lord

Hanuman, was celebrated inthe city with religious fervourand enthusiasm on Wednesday.The temples of Lord Hanumanwere tastefully decorated withflower petals and festoons. Atsome places, prabhat pherisand processions were takenout. Chanting `Har HarMahadev' and ̀ Lord Hanumanki Jai', the devotees headed forSangam for a dip. After takinga dip, the devotees reached theHanuman temples and offeredpuja and aarti.

The maximum crowd waswitnessed at Bandh, Civil Lines,Rambagh, Loknath,Bahadurganj, Batasha Mandi,Mumfordganj, Mutthiganj,Gaughat, Kydganj, Rajrooppur,Dhoomanganj and Teliarganjtemples.

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Learning a lesson from thesudden spurt in the number

of Covid positive cases in thedistrict after Holi and home-coming of migrant workers, thedistrict health officials are leav-ing no stone unturned duringthe festive season this time.

The department has deput-ed 22 teams at all prominentbus stations, railway stationsand also at Civil Enclave (theairport at Bamrauli) of thedistrict for carrying out a rapidantigen test of all migrantsand passengers returning homefor the festival of Diwali.

The department has also

decided to carry out RT-PCRtests of all samples collectedfrom these home-boundmigrant workers in the run upto Diwali even if the rapid anti-gen tests come negative.

District Covid-19 nodalofficer Dr AK Tiwari said thatspecial precautions are beingtaken in for the forthcomingfestival of Diwali when thou-sands of migrant workers of UPreturn home for the festivalfrom various states, includingMaharastra, Delhi, Haryanaand Madhya Pradesh, amongothers.

“A total of 22 teams havebeen deployed at bus standsand railway stations. Every

migrant is being screened.Even if the report of the anti-gen test is coming negative, thesamples are being sent for RT-PCR tests with an aim to notmiss any positive Covid-19positive individual who couldspread the virus in the district.Any person who is found pos-itive will be isolated immediate-ly,” he said. The nodal officersaid that likewise, even if thereport of antigen test from aprivate hospital for patientscomes negative, the sampleswould also be sent for RT-PCRtests as a sure check.

These efforts are to ensurethat the pandemic doesn'tbegin spreading again during

the festive season. Presently,Prayagraj has three activeCovid-19 cases with one newcase being found in TagoreTown locality on Monday. Thelatest case was the first to befound after a gap of nine days.“Presently, 6,000 RT-PCR testsare being done daily in theMLN Medical College. Apartfrom Prayagraj, samples ofPratapgarh, Mirzapur andKaushambi are also being test-ed here,” he explained.

Even at the Civil Enclave ofthe city at Bamrauli, the pas-sengers coming from variouscities were randomly pickedand checked for rapid antigenand RT-PCR.

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With the landing of anIndiGo flight from

Indore in the city, Prayagraj hasdirect air connectivity with 12major cities of the country. Thedirect flight between Indoreand Prayagraj will not onlybenefit businessmen, but alsoboost religious tourismbetween the two cities.

On the maiden flight, 81passengers arrived at the CivilEnclave of Prayagraj. The pas-sengers coming from Indorewere given a warm welcome atthe airport by UP Minister forCivil Aviation Nand GopalGupta ‘Nandi’ and BJP MP

from Phulpur Keshari DeviPatel.

Gupta, who welcomed thepassengers, said that the CivilEnclave of Prayagraj is settingnew records for the past threeyears. “In a very short span oftime, 12 important cities havegot direct air connectivity withthe Sangam city. In the comingdays, direct air services wouldstart from Prayagraj for somemore cities. Before the forma-tion of the Yogi government,there was only one flight fromPrayagraj to Delhi, but nowthere are flights to 12 cities,” headded.

After the construction ofthe new terminal here, a record

was also made last month forthe movement of more than 10lakh passengers in one year.Earlier, Gupta and Patel also cuta cake to celebrate the occasion.

On its journey to Indore,the ATR class flight fromPrayagraj took off at 12.09 pmand reached Indore at 2.08 pm.From there, the plane depart-ed for Prayagraj at 2.45 pm andlanded at the Civil enclave,Bamrauli, at 4.32 pm.

On this occasion, everypassenger coming from Indorewas welcomed by Gupta andPatel with flowers. Regionaldirector of Airport Authority ofIndia (AAI), Anchal Prakashand IndiGo staff were present

on the occasion. UnionAviation Minister JyotiradityaScindia virtually flagged off thisaircraft from Indore.

In another importantdevelopment, the flight fromPune also resumed its servicefor the Sangam city. Flightoperations resumed fromPrayagraj airport after a gap of16 days, which wassuspended because of repair ofthe runway at Pune airport, lastmonth.

Meanwhile, the winterschedule for flight operationshere at Prayagraj has beenimplemented. Because of this,the timing of flights has beenchanged.

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With the arrest of AsifNaseem, MD of Shine

City project, and MohammadJaseem Khan, vice-president,the investors now hope to gettheir money back. CMD of thecompany Rashid Naseem is stillat large and is reportedly inDubai at present.

In the name of makingplots available at prime loca-tions at cheaper rate, and dou-bling the money of theinvestors in a short duration,Rashid Naseem, AsifNaseem of Kareli, Prayagrajhad collected hundreds ofcrores of rupees through abogus company, and disap-peared with top officials of thecompany.

Some employees andinvestors lodged complaint

with the Civil Lines police, butto no avail. The Civil LinesInspector, and the SI of the outpost adopted the policy of goslow and provided all possibleprotection to the fraudsters.Later the STF entered into thescene and found that the roleof the Civil Lines police wasdubious in this case. The thenInspector of Civil Lines and theout post incharge of ThornhillRoad were placed under sus-pension.

The Lucknow STF came toknow about the whereabouts ofAsif Naseem, MD and brotherof the prime acused RashidNaseem of Kareli, Prayagraj.Asif was nabbed from Kareli,and just a day after one morebig shot Mohammad JaseemKhan, vice-president of thecompany, a resident of Naini,was arrested. There was a

reward of Rs 5 lakh on the headof Asif, and Rs 1 lakh onJaseem.

The prime accused RashidNaseem if Kareli was oncearrested in Nepal, but wasgranted bail, and immediatelyafter that he flew to Dubai.

By alluring people ofcheaper plots at prime locationsin big cities of UP, and also ofdoubling money of investors ina short duration, the companycollected hundreds of crores ofrupees. The officials of thecompany had adopted a trick tobefool the investors.

They just paid a rentalpayment to farmers for display-ing bill boards in their fields.The investors thought that theplot was acquired by the com-pany and they invested withoutany hesitation.

Scores of investors are from

Prayagraj who had given croresof rupees to the Shine City pro-ject, which did not exist on theearth.

Mohammad Jaseem Khanof Naini who had been arrest-ed on Tuesday, rose to the postof vice-president of this boguscompany within 18 monthsafter joining as an associate. Hecollected much more moneyfrom the market than the giventarget, so was given out of turnpromotion, and ultimatelybecame the vice-president. Hehad also gone under groundwith Asif and Rashid. Effortsare being made to bring backRashid from Dubai.

The investors, who hadlost all hopes, are now hopefulof getting their hard earnedmoney back with the arrest ofAsif and Jaseem, but the wait isstill too long.

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Results of the entrance exam-ination for admission to the

constituent colleges, includingAllahabad Central University,for the new academic session2021-22 will be released beforeNovember 8. First, the processof admission in graduationwill be started. After this theresults of masters and profes-sional courses will be sent tothe issuing departments. Thecoordinators will be appointedsoon by the admission cell.

Prof IR Siddiqui, directorof the admission cell on theuniversity, said that theentrance examination of allthe courses has been complet-

ed. Now preparations fordeclaring the results are goingon.

The evaluation work hasalmost been completed. ProfSiddiqui said that theresults of graduation will bereleased first. With this theadmission window will beopened.

‘In view of the conditionsof corona, this time prepara-tions are going on to conductcounseling for admission inoffline mode.

This wil l enable theadmission process to be com-pleted quickly.

However, a final decisionon the issue will be taken onlyafter the approval of the vice-

chancellor. With the commencement

of the process of admission toundergraduate, the results ofvarious courses of mastersand professional will bereleased and sent to thedepartments.

Because, these admissionsare completed from thedepartment level itself.

The books (Ancient,Medieval and Ritual Poetryand Modern Poetry) preparedby the Hindi Department ofthe State University was joint-ly released by the chief guestProf Mushtaq Ali and specialguest Dr Kumar Virendra.The book has been publishedby Lokbharti Prakashan. Prof

Mushtaq said that these bookswill prove to be important bymaking the studentsaware of the poetry and tradi-tion.

Vice-Chancellor DrAkhilesh Kumar Singh saidthat the success of books liesin the fact that how muchinterest they are able to awak-en in the students towards thesubject.

Chief editor of the bookand head of the Hindi depart-ment, Dr Ashutosh KumarSingh welcomed the guests. Itwas conducted by Dr Alkaand the vote of thanks wasproposed by AmodMaheshwari of LokbhartiPrakashan Group.

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Under the joint operation of SOG, SWAT andCity Kotwali police two persons were

arrested along with two stolen motorcycles onTuesday. Addressing the media ASP (City)Sanjay Kumar said the police during routinepatrolling intercepted two suspects at Chheetpurunder Dehat Kotwali police station. Duringinterrogation they confessed that their motor-cycle was a stolen one and on their identifica-tion one more motorcycle was recovered. He saidfor theft of motorcycles cases had been lodgedat Dehat Kotwali and City Kotwali police sta-tions. After completing the legal formalities thepolice sent the accused identified as DheerajGoswami of Lohandi Kala and Ayodhya Bindof Jignaudi, both under Dehat Kotwali police sta-tion, to jail.

PROGRAMME: Under Mission Shakti the‘Hak Ki Baat Jiladhikari ke Saath’ programmewas organised at the Collectorate under the aegisof Probation department on Tuesday. As manyas 30 women, including the school girls, par-ticipated in it. District Magistrate PraveenKumar Laxkar directed the ADM (F&R) toensure the cleaning of school gate area after agirl complained about stench. On the problemof a girl student that her parents were not readyto send her out of the city for higher educationthe DM advised her to earn their trust first thencontact him for further help. Responding to agirl about the problem of toilets for women theDM said under Swachchh Bharat scheme toi-lets were available at every prominent place ofthe city as well as in the villages too. He said even

in all 809 gram panchayats of the district pub-lic toilets had been constructed. When a girl saidthat due to paucity of fund appearing in com-petitions was a problem probation officerGirish Dubey said Abhyuday centres wereequipped with proper facilities. The DM con-cluded his address with an appeal to avail the

assistance provided by government and call onthe helpline numbers 112, 1098 and 181 as perthe need and directed the police to make anti-Romeo squad more active.

SEMINAR: To mark Dhanvantari Jayanti aseminar was organised by National IntegratedMedical Association (NIMA) at Zila Panchayaton Tuesday. Additional CommissionerVindhyachal division Ramesh Kumar said a doc-tor had earned the status of second god on earthso it was his duty to work with dedication as wellas service spirit. CMO Dr PD Gupta appreciat-ed the dedication of NIMA. Speakers and vet-eran doctors were honoured for their outstand-ing services. The programme was conducted byDr Arvind Srivastava and vote of thanks was pro-posed by NIMA president Dr AK Singh. On theoccasion Dr OP Yadav, Dr DL Srivastava, Dr AditiJain, Dr JK Jaiswal and others were present.

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Under the campaign of Central VigilanceCommission (CVC), the NTPC Northern

Zone headquarters organised a national semi-nar on ‘Self-reliance withintegrity: Challenges andsolutions’ at Rath Yatra-situated Nandan Bhawanon Monday. AssistantManager HumanResources MithileshKumar Srivastava, onbehalf of NTPCNorthern Region HQ,welcomed various speak-ers and guests, who cameto this national seminarorganised in religious,cultural and literary capital, Kashi. The pro-gramme was presided over by Director General,Indian Institute of Mass Communication, NewDelhi, Sanjay Dwivedi during which AssistantDirector, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi,Swaroop Trivedi, was the chief guest. Dr RamMohan Pathak, who was the special guest, saiddedication and transparency are important

dimensions of integrity. Professor Shraddhanandsaid integrity and self-reliance are synonymouswith each other and we should assimilateGandhij’s ideas. Principal of Arya MahilaPostgraduate College, Rachna Dubey, said spe-

cial emphasis was givenon morality and truth-fulness in the ancienteducation system.Assistant Professor DrKinshuk Pathak, whocame from CentralUniversity of SouthBihar, Gaya, saidintegrity is necessaryfor a capable and self-reliant India. Principalof GGIC Cholapur, DrNisha Yadav said we

should give moral education to children fromhome itself. The seminar was conducted by DrAnand Srivastava. Dev Swaroop Trivedi, AshutoshDhar Dubey, Rupesh Nagvanshi, Bharat Gupta,Dr Archana Singh, Mahi Singh Rajput, DilipSrivastava, Dinesh Kumar, Atul Jaiswal etc werepresent in the seminar which ended with the voteof thanks being proposed by MK Srivastava.

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In view of the upcoming fes-tivals the railway adminis-

tration for the convenience ofthe public will will run the01626/01625 Jammu Tawi(JAT)-Katihar (KIR)-JammuTawi puja special from JammuTawi on November 7 and fromKatihar on November 8, the04520/04519 JAT-Katihar-Jammu Tawi puja special trainfrom Jammu Tawi onNovember 6 and from Katiharon November 7 and the 04550/04549 Jammu Tawi-Katihar-Jammu Tawi puja special fromJammu Tawi on November 5and from Katihar onNovember 6. Besides, it willalso run the 09195/09196Udhna-Chhapra-Udhna super-fast weekly puja special fromUdhna on November 5 and 12(Friday) and from ChhapraNovember 6 and 13 (Saturday)for two trips. All coaches inthem will be of reserved classand passengers traveling inthem will have to follow thenorms of Covid-19 guidelines,CPRO PK Singh said.

JAT-KIR SPL: The 01626Jammu Tawi – Katihar pujaspecial train will on November7 depart from Jammu Tawi at12.00 hrs and after stopping onthe way at Pathankot Cantt,Jalandhar Cantt, Ludhiana,Sirhind, Ambala Cantt,Yamunanagar Jagadhri,Saharanpur, Moradabad,Bareilly, Sitapur, GorakhpurJn, Chhapra, Hajipur, Barauni,Begusarai and Khagaria willreach Katihar at 21.45 hrs. In

the return journey the 01625Katihar – Jammu puja specialtrain will on November 8depart from Katihar at 23.45hrs and will reach Jammu Tawiat 10.10 hrs. A total of 20coaches will be attached in thetrain.

The 04520 Jammu Tawi-Katihar puja special train willon November 6 depart fromJammu Tawi at 12.00 hrs andwill reach Katihar at 21.45 hrs.In return journey 04519Katihar – Jammu puja specialtrain will on November 7depart from Katihar at 23.45hrs will reach Jammu Tawi at10.10 hrs. In this special train,a total of 20 coaches will beattached.

The 04550 Jammu Tawi-Katihar puja special train willon November 5 depart fromJammu Tawi at 12.00 hrs andreach Katihar at 21.45 hrs. In thereturn journey, the 04549Katihar-Jammu Tawi puja specialtrain will on November 6 departfrom Katihar at 23.45 hrs and willreach Jammu Tawi at 10.10 hrs.In this special train a total of 20coaches will be attached.

U D H NA- C H HA P R ASPL: The 09195 Udhna–Chhapra superfast weekly pujaspecial on November 5 and 12(Saturdays) will depart fromUdhna at 08.35 hrs, fromNandurbar at 10.50 hrs, fromBhusaval at 13.35 hrs, fromItarsi at 18.25 hrs, fromJabalpur at 22.10 from hrs,Katni at 23.35 hrs, the secondday from Satna at 00.55 hrs,from Prayagraj at 05.10 hrs,from Gyanpur Road at 06.20

hrs, from Banaras at 07.25 hrs,from Varanasi at 07.50 hrs,from Ghazipur City at 09.05hrs, from Ballia at 10.35 hrs andwill reach Chhapra at 13.10 hrs.In the return journey 09196Chhapra-Udhna superfastweekly puja special train will onNovember 6 and 13 (Saturdays)leave Chhapra at 15.20 hrsand will reach Udhna at 21.05hrs. In this special train a totalof 21 coaches will be attached.

ANVT-BARAUNI SPL:The railway administrationwill run the 04742/04741Anand Vihar Terminus(ANVT)-Barauni-Anand ViharTerminus puja special trainfrom Anand Vihar Terminus onNovember 7 and from Baraunion November 8 for one trip.

GKP-VALSAD SPL: Inview of the festivals the railwayadministration, will run the05301/05302 Gorakhpur-Valsad-Gorakhpur special trainfrom Gorakhpur on November5 and 12 (Friday) and fromValsad on November 6 and 13(Saturday) for two trips. Alongwith the scheduled stoppage,this train has been providedadditional stoppage atGangapur City station. The05301 Gorakhpur – Valsadspecial train will arrive atGangapur City at 22.55 hrs andwill leave at 23.00 hrs, while the05302 Valsad-Gorakhpur spe-cial will arrive at Gangapur Citystation at 03.20 hrs and willdepart at 03.25 hrs. All itscoaches will be of reserved classand passengers will have to fol-low Covid-19 guidelines, theCPRO said.

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In NTPC VindhyachalProject a total of four

employees after rendering theirlong service retired recently.The retiring employees wereDeputy Manager (MMOS)Bhai Lal, engineer SLPS(Chemical) Bharat Pandey, subengineer (Operation) Salik Ram, and operator(MGR) Bal Kumar Sharma. The NTPCVindhyachal management honoured them at theadministrative building of the project,Ramanujan auditorium. Executive Director(Vindhyachal), V Sudarshan Babu and heads ofdepartments welcomed all the retiring employ-ees. HoD (HR) Prabir Kumar Biswas welcomedthe retiring employees. ED (Vindhyachal) VSudarshan Babu while appreciating all theretiring employees said their contribution in tak-ing NTPC Vindhyachal to the present heightswill always be remembered. General Manager(Operation & Maintenance) Somesh

Bandyopadhyay also spokeon the occasion. GM(Operations) KGangopadhyay, AdditionalGeneral Manager (Chemical)Dr Hriday Nand Pandey,Additional General Manager(FT) Kishore Kumar Hotaand Additional GeneralManager (MM-Offsite) KK

Ram extended best wishes to all the retiringemployees and wished everyone good health.Executive Director (Vindhyachal) honoured allthe retiring employees by presenting themmementoes and shawls. For the long service ren-dered by them in NTPC all the retiring employ-ees were presented long service certificates, ‘shreephal’ etc. During the felicitation ceremony,heads of departments, union and association rep-resentatives, as well as employees and their fam-ilies were also present. The felicitation ceremo-ny was conducted by Deputy General Manager(HR) LM Pandey while vote of thanks was pro-posed byAGM (HR) Snehasish Bhattacharya.

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Kashi Jewellers were onceagain at the forefront in

Dhanteras sales among all thejewellers of the city. This wasmainly because of the trust ofthe clientele which preferred tomake gold and platinum jew-ellery purchases only fromKashi Jewellers, the trustedname not only in Kanpur butacross Uttar Pradesh and eventhe country.

The massive rush wit-nessed at Kashi Jewellers onDhanteras for gold jewellerypurchase speaks volumes aboutthe quality of the products at itsshowroom. Chief GeneralManager of Kashi Jewellers,Mahmood Akhtar, said eachyear despite all odds they man-aged to draw a massive crowdto their showroom just becauseof the trust of the customers.He said this year there was amassive rush at the showroomof men also who were seenmaking purchases of platinummen's jewellery.

He said today the modernmen were equally concernedabout their looks and plat-inum jewellery made themcomplete and this metal trulycaptured the essence of theirbeing. He said Kashi Jewellershad the best designers from

across the world who haddesigned platinum jewelleryfor men with exclusive designs.He said platinum was as rare asthe values that defined men ofcharacter and thus the modernmen were called Men ofPlatinum.

He said it was not only thepurchase for Dhanteras and

Diwali but with wedding sea-son around, men throngedconsidering buying an engage-ment ring, and platinum was aprecious metal that combinedthe luxurious, eye-catchingnature of gold with the dura-bility and sophistication of sil-ver. He said Kashi Jewellersfocused equally on men who

wanted to dazzle in style andpresented a fabulous collectionof men’s platinum jewellerydesigns.

He said although theimpact of inflation was slight-ly evident, Kashi Jewellers on itscredentials managed to drawthe huge crowd and the bestsales this year.

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Deputy General Manager(Business & Operations) of

the State Bank of India, NeeleshDwivedi, while addressing theprize distribution function ofRajbhasha Fortnight, saidprogress could be given com-mercial momentum if therewas an amalgam of service andproduct.

He said India was thebiggest example of unity indiversity and language, espe-cially Hindi, played a major roleand Hindi always remained inthe forefront. He said there wasno doubt that Hindi was themost attractive language. Hesaid the SBI was certainly theleading bank of India and itsdigital products, that too inHindi, were focused on itsclientele. He said thisapproach would certainly givea push to its financial devel-opments.

He said between October14 and 30, 2021, the SBI organ-ised various contests to pro-mote Hindi -- Hindi quiz,translations, banking wordknowledge, Rajbhasha, bank-

ing, general knowledge, picto-rial evaluation and many more.He said such events motivatedthe staff to take up Hindi inone’s professional life.

He said as the SBI familycomprised people from all overthe country it was the bound-en duty of each one to promoteHindi to not only unite the

country but ensure that thebank served the people at thegrassroots level who found itdifficult to understand Englishand other languages.

He said every year with theinitiative taken by the SBI, theprofessional front of the bankhad always been in the fore-front with its best service and

customer satisfaction.Prominent among those

present were Rakesh Tripathi,Rakesh Kumar, AshishTripathi, RS Anuragi, GyanPrakash, Kulbhushan Dhawan,Pramod Kumar and ManojTripathi. The vote of thankswas proposed by DiwakarMani.

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On the occasion of its 62ndFoundation Day, the

Indian Institute of Technology,Kanpur recognised its illustri-ous alumni and fellows fortheir outstanding achievementsand contributions in variousfields.

Held in a hybrid mode inview of the pandemic restric-tions on Tuesday, theFoundation Day function waspresided over by formerChairman of ISRO and presentChairman of IIT-Kanpur’sBoard of Governors, Dr KRadhakrishnan. The occasionsaw 20 awards being presented,16 to esteemed alumni and fourto fellows of IIT-Kanpur. Theawardees included eminentscientists, industry experts,politicians, administrators andtechnocrats, most of them pio-neers in their respective fields.

Among others, theDistinguished Alumnus Awardwas conferred on Railways,Communications, Electronics& Information TechnologyMinister Ashwini Vaishnaw;Hemant Jalan, MD of IndiGoPaints, Vartika Shukla,Chairperson and ManagingDirector of Engineers IndiaLtd., the first woman executivein the Indian oil and gas indus-try to be bestowed withPETROFED Woman ExecutiveAward; Mukesh Bansal, CEOand co-founder of CureFit.

This year’s prestigiousSatyendra K Dubey Memorial

Award was awarded to KarnalSingh, former Chief ofEnforcement Directorate, forhis stellar contributions andexemplary service to the nationwith integrity in upholdinghuman values while in theIPS.

Other DistinguishedAlumnus Awardees includedRakesh Bhargava, formerChairman; Fresenius KabiOncology Ltd.; SaurabhChandra, Director andChairman, Multi CommodityExchange of India Ltd.; RahulGarg, founder and CEO,Moglix; Rajesh Kumar Gupta,department of computer sci-ence and engineering,University of California, SanDiego, USA; Prof Vijay Vittal,regents professor, Arizona StateUniversity, USA; Prof AbhayLalit Deshpande, departmentof physics and astronomy,Stony Brook University, USA;Dr Dev Joneja, Chief RiskOfficer, Exodus Point CapitalManagement, USA.

IIT-Kanpur Director ProfAbhay Karandikar said, “Thepandemic saw the IIT-K fra-ternity coming together to sup-port India and the world in thebattle against the novel coron-avirus. The IIT-K family rose tothe occasion, providing solu-tions and services to overcomethe challenges. As the worldenters a ‘new normal’, we felt itappropriate to celebrate theFoundation Day of our almamater through the hybridmode. Our alumni have con-tributed immensely at the

national and global level. Weare proud of their achieve-ments, and this is a moment tocelebrate their accomplish-ments. This occasion is anopportunity for each of us torededicate ourselves to theethos of IIT-Kanpur.”

The Distinguished Servicesawards were presented toPradeep Bhargava, COO &Co-founder, Glad Minds, forhis stellar contribution in facil-itating alumni connect andmajor fundraising efforts ofIIT-Kanpur. Along with him,the award was also conferredon Kushal Sacheti, founder &CEO, Galaxy USA Inc., for hiscontribution to IIT-Kanpur asa goodwill ambassador.

The Young AlumnusAward was given to DrPrateek Jain, seniorresearch staff, Google AI,Bengaluru; and Varun Khaitan,COO and co-founder, UrbanCompany.

Jagjeet Singh Bindra,Member of the Board ofDirectors, Lyondell BasellIndustries N.V. & HPCL-MittalEnergy Ltd.; Prof GautamBiswas, emeritus fellow, depart-ment of mechanical engineer-ing, IIT-Kanpur; Prof SantoshK Gupta, distinguished pro-fessor, department of chemicalengineering, University ofPetroleum and EngineeringStudies (UPES), Dehradun;and Prof Alak KumarMajumdar, former professor,department of physics, IIT-Kanpur were the InstituteFellows awardees for this year.

On this special occasion,IIT-Kanpur also formallylaunched two major centres ofresearch and learning —Shivani Centre for the Nurtureand Re-Integration of Hindiand other Indian Languages atIIT-Kanpur and ChandrakantaKesavan Centre for EnergyPolicy and Climate Solutions.The Shivani Centre is an ambi-tious initiative set up withdonation from IIT-Kanpuralumnus Muktesh ‘Mickey’Pant, founder, Micky andVinita Charitable Foundation,to gradually integrate studentsfrom Hindi and other IndianLanguage backgrounds withthe socio-academic milieu ofthe institute.

The centre will also facili-tate the creation of academicresources (STEM content, text-books, references, digital tools)in languages other than Englishand will enable disseminationof technological tools toincrease the ease-of-use forHindi and other Indian lan-guages (OILs) on digital plat-forms.

The ChandrakantaKesavan Centre for EnergyPolicy and Climate Solutionsset up with the contributionfrom IIT-Kanpur alumnusSudhakar Kesavan, formerChairman and CEO of ICFInternational Inc., will helpIndia in developing,adapting and implementingtechnologies to reduce emis-sions and grow sustainably, inline with the Paris ClimateAgreement.

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The Federation of IndianExports Organisation

Chairman, Dr A Sakthivel, onWednesday, said the openingup of economies coupled withbuoyant order booking posi-tion further added to positivesentiment for exports.

He said that the monthlyexports performance of US$35.47 billion with an impres-sive double-digit growth ofmore than 42 per cent signifiedthe importance of opening upand further recovery ofeconomies across the globecoupled with buoyant orderbooking position across sec-tors.

He said this had not onlyadded positive sentiment forexports but had also furtherenthused the exporters to per-form with much more vigourand zeal thereby achieving theUS$ 400 billion merchandiseexports target in the current fis-cal.

The FIEO chief alsopraised efforts of the exportingcommunity who had continuedto perform remarkably wellduring these challenging times.He also welcomed the stepstaken by the government underthe leadership of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi andUnion finance minister andUnion commerce and industryand textiles minister for show-ing confidence and trust on theexporters.

Dr Sakthivel said that thetop sectors, which performedimpressively during the month,were engineering goods, petro-leum products, gem and jew-ellery, organic and inorganicchemicals, drugs and pharma-ceuticals, electronic goods, cot-ton yarn/fabrics/made-ups,handloom products etc., RMGof all textiles, marine productsand plastic and linoleum. Heemphasised that many labour-intensive sectors were majorcontributors, which itself was agood sign, further helping jobcreation in the country.

He said imports yet againclocking over US$ 55 billionwith a growth of over 62 percent during the month shouldbe analysed. He was of the viewthat though the governmenthad announced a slew of mea-sures to support exports, theneed of the hour was to soonannounce extension of theinterest equalisation scheme,augmenting the flow of emptycontainers and establishing aregulatory authority to seek jus-tification of freight hike andimposition of various chargesby the shipping lines whichneeded urgent intervention ofthe government.

He said the FIEO had alsourged the government to pro-vide freight support to allexports till March 31, 2022 asfreight rates had skyrocketedand were likely to ease byMarch.

&�� )�� +�(� �� KANPUR (PNS): UttarPradesh Civil Aviation MinisterNand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’,while inaugurating the flightsof IndiGo from Chakeri air-port, had a dig at SamajwadiParty chief Akhilesh Yadavand said the SP believed innepotism and Akhilesh’s fatherhad offered him the chief min-istership on a platter.

He said Akhilesh did nothave any political experienceand with the guidance of hisfather he was able to stick topower. He said duringAkhilesh’s regime, corruptionwas at its peak and all thecream was being sacrificed forappeasement of Muslims andYadavwad.

He said the BharatiyaJanata Party did not believe innepotism and always providedopportunity to those who hadcome from the grassroots level.He said the previous govern-ments of Samajwadi Party,Bahujan Samaj Party andCongress were never focusedon development but theirintention was to make moneywith the help of corrupt prac-tices.

He said during the previ-ous regimes of other parties,the practice was to award roadsconstruction tenders for Rs100 crore which gave a profit ofRs 50 crore.

He said the BJP believed intransparency and thus it hadnot allowed corruption to creepin.

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New Delhi: Preparations atthe Kedarnath temple inUttarakhand are underway asPrime Minister Narendra Modiwill be visiting the holy site onNovember 5, Friday. Prior tothat, PM Modi will be spend-ing the Diwali day (November4) with the armed forces inJ&K's Rajouri. In 2020 as well,the Prime Minister celebratedDiwali with jawans, inRajasthan's Jaisalmer.

PM Modi's visit toKedarnath comes days afterUnion Home Minister AmitShah paid a visit toUttarakhand. The PM will offerprayers at the temple. He willunveil the samadhi of Sri AdiShankaracharya and his statue.

As per the ground report ofRepublic TV, the temple is

heavily decked up ahead of thePrime Minister's visit andpreparations are underway forwelcoming him. Apart fromthat, thousands of devoteeswere seen visiting the holysite. Apart from this, securityarrangements have also beentightened up ahead of the PM'svisit.

Meanwhile, visuals show acolourful sight from Kedarnathwhich will shut its door fromNovember 6 after which no onewill be allowed to enter thetemple. His visit holds majorprominence as Uttarakhandwill soon witness Assemblyelections.

Prime Minister NarendraModi to inaugurate infrastruc-ture projects in Uttarakhand

Prime Minister Narendra

Modi, who will be on a one-dayvisit to Uttarakhand has a lineof activities for the day. He willbegin the day by unveiling thestatue of Sri Adi Guru

Shankaracharya in Kedarnath.The samadhi ofShankaracharya was damagedin 2013.

PM Modi will also lay the

foundation stones for multipleprojects in the hill state. Apartfrom that, his visit will alsomark the completion of thereconstruction works inKedarpuri and the beginning ofthe second phase.

Meanwhile, UttarakhandChief Minister Pushkar SinghDhami along with cabinet min-isters Harak Singh Rawat,Subodh Uniyal, and otherstook stock of the preparation atthe temple. Reportedly, he alsotried pacifying the protestingpriests at Kedarnath, who havebeen demanding the dissolu-tion of the Char DhamDevasthanam Board and earli-er stopped former ChiefMinister Trivendra SinghRawat from enteringKedarnath. PTI

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The Ministry of ConsumerAffairs related

Parliamentary StandingCommittee has identified 20subjects for examination,including payment of sugar-cane arrears to sugarcane farm-ers, functioning of warehous-ing development and regula-tory Authority, Quality ControlCells, food subsidy and its uti-lization and edible oils.

Prices of edible oil havewitnessed gradual rise in thelast few months and theGovernment had to face flakfrom various quarters onaccount of this. Governmenthas also taken multiple initia-tives to stem the spike in prices.

Moreover, there will bemany other issues from thedepartment of ConsumerAffairs including programmesfor consumer protection, reg-

ulation of packaged com-modities, problem of supplyand distribution of adulteratedmilk and measures taken tocheck it, mechanism of pricemonitoring system and manyothers.

Similarly, theParliamentary standing com-mittee on Energy has selectedsubjects like energy security inIndia, energy conservation,efficiency and audit, electrifi-cation of Rural India – role ofPFC Limited and REC Limitedin ensuring sustainability andreliability and future prospectsof thermal power plants in thelight of renewable energyTarget of 450 GW for exami-nation.

Besides, the panel will alsoexamine performance review ofmajor Hydro projects, promo-tion of electric vehicles inIndia, review of Power Tariffpolicy and other issues.

The parliamentary panelwill also take up issues from theministry of New andRenewable Energy includingroadmap for achievement of450 GW renewable energy tar-get, national solar mission,wind energy, bio-energy andwaste to energy, enhancingdomestic manufacturing capac-ity in renewable energy sector,integration of renewable ener-gy into the national grid andmany others.

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Former Congress presidentRahul Gandhi on

Wednesday hit out at theCentre over price rise amidDiwali celebrations and said hewished that the Modi govern-ment had a sensitive heart forthe people. He said be it thebusiness people or farmers, allare now victims of Modi gov-ernments bad policies. “Repaireconomy, save lives,” said theCongress leader.

Rahul also slammed theCentre over price rise amidDiwali celebrations and said hewished that the Modi govern-ment had a sensitive heart forthe people. "It is Diwali. Pricesare at their peak. It's not a mat-ter of sarcasm. I wish the Modigovernment had a sensitiveheart for the public," RahulGandhi said in a statement.

Rahul hit out at the Union

government over reports thatclaimed more businesspersonsdied by suicide than farmers in2020, saying both were victimsof the dispensation's "bad poli-cies". Taking to Twitter, hetagged a report which citedNational Crime RecordsBureau data to claim that atleast 11,716 Indian business-people died by suicide in 2020,more than the farm suicidecases which numbered 10,677.

"Business people or farm-ers- all victims of GOI's

(Government of India's) badpolicies. Repair economy. Savelives," Rahul tweeted.

Rahul and Congress havebeen criticising the Union gov-ernment's handling of theeconomy and has been hittingout at it over the condition ofMSMEs and other businesses.The opposition party hasaccused the government ofextortion in the name of taxeson petrol and diesel. It has alsocharged the government with"profiteering" from fuel taxand "fleecing" the commonpeople.

The Congress hasannounced to organise a mas-sive agitation against the rise inpetrol and diesel prices fromNovember 14 till November 29."We are going to have contin-uous agitation against rise inpetrol and diesel prices, mas-sive campaigns fromNovember 14 till November

29," Congress general secretaryKC Venugopal said in a state-ment.

The protest will witnessevents like 'Padayatra' beingtaken out by the Congressleaders in their respectiveareas.During these 15 days- oneweek entire Cong committeeswill also do 'Padayatra'throughout the country in theirrespective areas.

Former Finance Minister PChidambaram also attackedthe central government overthe increase in fuel prices andsaid that the taxes should bereduced as suggested by theReserve Bank of India. "It's onlythe greed of the governmentwhich has given rise to petroland diesel prices. That is whyRBI says pump prices deservelower taxation. RBI is repeat-edly telling the governmentthat pump prices must bereduced,” Chidambaram said.

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An Additional Special Court,Chennai, on Wednesday

convicted K Liakath Ali in amoney laundering case andsentenced him to undergoseven years rigorous impris-

onment and a fine of Rs 1 crore,the ED said on Wednesday.

The court also orderedhim to undergo imprisonmentfor one more year in case ofdefault.

The court further orderedthe confiscation of Rs

1,75,49,253 available with EDin the form of Fixed deposit,which was provisionallyattached by ED and confirmedby the Adjudicating Authority.

The EnforcementDirectorate initiated moneylaundering investigation onthe basis of FIR No. 63/2017dated March 6, 2017 registeredby the Central Crime Branch-I (CCB-1), Chennai.

“The convicted person is apart of the gang of people

operating with completeanonymity in the matter ofsending the Proceeds of Crimeunder the guise of permissiblemerchandise imports, withoutmaking corresponding importsinto the Domestic Tariff Area(DTA), by using the ForgedImport Documents like Bills ofEntry and projecting the sameas genuine,” the EnforcementDirectorate said in a state-ment.

Ali was arrested on April 3,

2017 for making ForeignOutward Remittance of USD2,786,300.00 equivalent Rs18,66,54,241 through IndianBank, Thousand Light Branch, Chennai for his role ofopening current account inthe name and style of GalaxyImpex by submitting forgedidentity documents in theassumed name of “Waseem Liakath Ali”; withoutdisclosing the beneficial ownereither within the country or

outside the country and end-use in the recipient nation, itsaid.

The ProsecutionComplaint was filed on June 9,2017 and the court framed thecharges in December, 2019.The Digital Evidence collectedduring the investigation isadduced as admissible evi-dence. He was granted bail onlyin the month of January, 2020,about to meet the default bail,it added.

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The CBI has registered a caseagainst then Commander

Working Engineer (CWE),Military Engineering Services(MES), Jhansi, two formerDCWE, MES, Jhansi, thenGarrison Engineer, MES,Gwalior and other unknownpublic servants and otherunknown persons on the alle-gations of illegalities commit-ted in the recruitment ofaround 54 Mates, a group Cservice, in MES, Jhansi during2012.

The agency on Wednesdayconducted searches at Pune(Maharashtra), Porbandar(Gujarat) and New Delhi at thepremises of the accused which

led to recovery of incriminatingdocuments and other docu-ments pertaining to invest-ment made in movable/immov-able properties.

Those accused in the caseare Col. Arvind Parashar, thenCWE, MES (Jhansi), Lt. Col.RR Negi, then DCWE,MES(Jhansi), Lt. Col. AKSingh, then DCWE, MES(Jhansi), Lt. Col. DS Rawat andthen Garrison Engineer, MES(Gwalior) besides unknownpublic servants and unknownpersons.

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Riding on the bumper sale ofgold jewellery on

Dhanteras, Diwali will have abusiness of over Rs one lakhcrore, traders have estimated.

The Confederation of AllIndia Traders (CAIT) also esti-mated that by the end of thisyear, there will be an infusionof about three lakh crore byway of spending by consumers.

According to PraveenKhandelwal, Secretary General

of CAIT, all businesses duringDiwali are expected to crossover Rs one lakh crore this year.By December end, it may crossover Rs three lakh crore afterthe recovery of economy andpeople started spending aftertwo years of COVID fatigue.“Bazaars are crowded andpacked, Petrol and diesel saleshave crossed pre covid level,”he added.

According to an estimate,the packaging business thisDiwali has been worth about

15000-20,000 crores. There has been a lot of

demand for packaging paperand many types of ribbonsand other decorative items tomake it attractive.

Other estimates showedpotters must have made aboutRs 500-800 crore through saleof earthen lamps across thecountry this year. Overall, thebusiness estimate of tradition-al goods is about 30000-40,000crores. Small artisans fromsmall towns to big cities have

received robust growth.According to the India

Bullion and JewellersAssociation (IBJA) the sale of

gold on Dhanteras across thecountry this year was about 50

tonnes, valued at over Rs20,000 crore. As per IBJA, inDhanteras 2021, gold sales areexpected to be around Rs20,000 crore, while it was Rs12,000 crore in 2019.

In another trade data bythe CAIT, around 20-25 tonnesof gold jewellery were soldacross the country onDhanteras which includes anestimated sale of Rs.1000 crorein Delhi, about 1500 crore inMaharashtra, about 600 croresin UP and in South India

about 2000 crores beside otherstates of the country. Gold wasalmost 6% almost cheaper thanit was during Dhanteras lastyear, encouraging people to buythe precious metal.

Besides, traditional spend-ing during Diwali, travel plat-forms, homestay brands, hotelsand resorts have all witnesseda dramatic spike in demandthis week, indicating a shift inconsumer behaviour with thepandemic bringing about'strong' reality checks.

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The National InvestigationAgency (NIA) has con-

ducted a search operation atPanchghara in West Bengal'sSouth 24 Parganas district andarrested a Bangladeshi nation-al for his alleged involvementin radicalising vulnerableMuslim youths online and theirrecruitment by Jamat-ulMujahideen BangladeshJMB/Al Qaeda in IndianSubcontinent (AQIS).

On Tuesday, the NIA con-ducted a search and arrestedBangladeshi national Md.Abdul Mannan Bachu alias ofBangila Chadshi, Gournadi,Barisal, Bangladesh, presentresident of Chhoto Masjid,Panchghara, South 24

Parganas, West Bengal, theNIA said.

The case relates to con-spiracy of online radicalisationand recruitment of vulnerableMuslim youth by JMB/AQIS inIndia and Bangladesh. NIAhad registered the case onAugust 6 this year. Till now fiveaccused have been arrested inthis case, it said.

“The search led to recoveryof electronic devices, fakeIndian Voter ID cards ,Aadhaar Cards and otherincriminating documents forillegal acquisition of Indianidentity by Bangladeshi nation-als,” the agency said in a state-ment.

The arrested accused wasinvolved in arranging fakeIndian identity documents forthe terrorists of JMB who hadillegally entered into India.Further investigation in thecase continues, officials said.

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The high voltage and com-plex airborne insertion

exercise at the Line of ActualControl(LAC)in EasternLadakh ended on Wednesdayafter validating joint drills forcapture of designated targets.More than 3,000 troops tookpart in the exercise to famil-iarise themselves with therugged terrain and harshweather conditions.

The exercise, which com-menced on Monday, saw theAgra based elite paratroopersunit Shatrujeet Brigade, also

achieved multi-domain con-vergence when the airbornetroops utilized attack heli-copters for precision engage-ment and destruction of enemyforces, sources said here.

“Pre-acclimatised troops,after insertion to a Drop Zonelocated in super high altitude,validated joint drills for captureof designated objectives. MultiDomain convergence wasachieved during the exercisewhen Airborne troops utilisedAttack Helicopters for precisionengagement and destruction ofenemy forces,” they said.

The exercise also saw theparticipation of Special Forces

commandosThe drill came at a time

when the stand-offs persist atsome friction points along theLAC. The ShatrujeetBrigade(nearly 3,000 troops)conducted an Airborne inser-tion along the NorthernBorders in Eastern Ladakh,sources said here on Monday.

Giving details of the exer-cise, they had said on Monday,airborne troops were insertedto a drop zone at an altitude ofmore than 14,000 feet. Pre-acclamatised troops along withspecialist vehicles and missiledetachments were transportedvia C-130 and AN-32 aircraftsfrom five different mountingbases to validate inter-theatremove, precision stand-offdrops, rapid grouping, cap-ture of designated objectiveswith speed and surprise.

Highlighting the degree ofdifficulty, sources said the dropwas particularly challengingdue to the low temperatures ofup to minus 20 degrees and rar-efied atmosphere in super highaltitude terrain.

The exercise also involvedconduct of oxygen combat freefall jumps and integrated bat-tle drills by airborne forcescomprising highly skilled para-troopers and special forcescommandos, mechanisedcolumns and attack helicopters,validating capabilities andseamless integration.

The exercise comes at atime when more than 50,000troops each of India and Chinaare deployed in front at theLAC in Ladakh since the face-offs started in May last year.

Not willing to take anychances, the two sidesremained deployed throughoutthe harsh winters there last yearand will do so this winter too,sources said.

Army Chief General M MNaravane had visited the frontposts at the LAC in October toreview the operational pre-paredness during the wintermonths. IAF chief V RChaudhari also visited the zonesome weeks back for the samepurpose.

China recently carried out

a military drill in the Tibetanplateau on its side of the LACin Ladakh to test the readinessof its forces. In addition, it hasactivated many helipads closeto the LAC in that area forquick deployment in case ofany threat.

The two countries haveheld 13 rounds of CorpsCommander-level talks sincelast year when the LAC flaredup. India has all along reiter-ated that complete disengage-ment from all the frictionpoints is the prerequisite fornormalizing ties between thetwo countries.

The 13th round held inearly October did not yield anypositive results and the twocountries will shortly haveanother round of diplomaticlevel talks to find ways for earlywithdrawal of troops. Thesetalks will be held between theofficials of the two foreignministries under the aegis ofWorking Mechanism forConsultation and Coordinationon India-China borderaffairs(WMCC).

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Indian scientists onWednesday successfully

flight tested the indigenouslydesigned and developed smartanti-airfield weapon. The testwas conducted jointly by theDefence Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO) and the IAF.

Giving details here, offi-cials said the two different con-figurations based on satellitenavigation and electro opticalsensors were successfully test-ed. Moreover, electro opticalseeker based flight test of thisclass of bomb was conductedfor the first time in the coun-try, they said adding the opticsensor was developed indige-nously.

The weapon was launchedby an IAF aircraft from

Chandan ranges at Jaisalmer,Rajasthan on Wednesday andearlier on October 28.

Electro optical configura-tion of the system is equippedwith Imaging Infra-Red (IIR)Seeker technology enhancingthe precision strike capabilityof the weapon. In both thetests, the intended target washit with high accuracy.

The system is designedfor a maximum range 100kilometres. The newly adapt-ed launcher ensured smoothrelease and ejection of theweapon. Advanced guidanceand navigation algorithms,software performed as per themission requirements. Thetelemetry and tracking systemscaptured all mission eventsthroughout the flight. All themission objectives wereachieved.

Smart anti airfield weaponhas been designed and devel-oped by Research CentreImarat (RCI) in coordinationwith other DRDOLaboratories and extensivesupport from IAF. Quality anddesign certification agencieshave contributed significantlyin its development andHindustan AeronauticsLimited (HAL), Bengaluru hascarried out weapon integrationwith the aircraft.

Defence Minister RajnathSingh complimented the syn-ergistic efforts of DRDO, IAFand the teams associated withthe mission. Congratulatingthe teams, Chairman ofDRDO G Satheesh Reddy saidthe performance and reliabil-ity of the weapon has beenproved.

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Wing CommanderA b h i n a n d a n

Varthaman, who became ahousehold name in 2019 forhis role in defending Indianairspace in Jammu region,was promoted to the nextrank of Group Captain recent-ly. He was also awarded theShaurya Chakra, the thirdhighest peacetime gallantrymedal some time back.

A day after the IAF carriedair strikes to destroy terroristtraining camps in Balakot,Pakistan OccupiedKashmir(POK) in February2019, the Pakistan Air Forceon February 27 launched

counter strike. It tried toattack some military bases inRajouri region and WingCommander Abhinandan inhis MIG-21 engaged thePakistani F-16 jet and chasedthem away after a dog fight.

During the chase,Abhinandan’s jet was shotdown by Pakistanis and he wascaptured after he ejected fromhis fighter jet. He returned toIndia after two days.

His unit 51 Squadronreceived a unit citation for itsrole in thwarting the PakistanAir Force’s aerial attack onFebruary 27, 2019. India hadcarried out the strikes inresponse to a JeM attack on aCRPF convoy.

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(The Qur’an; Surah IV 3).Mohammedan law fixes noparticular age when discretionshould be presumed(Dictionary of Islam byThomas Patrick Hughes; pub-lished by Rupa & Co. Delhi).

Although the Quranicprinciple that there is “nocompulsion in religion”(Qur’an Surah-II, Verse 256) isoften quoted by those of thefaith or those sympathetic toit to prove that the religiondoes not practice forced con-version, there can be no deny-ing the historical fact thatepisodes of forced conver-sions have occurred in the his-tory of Islam over the cen-turies. Pakistan, which wasfounded as a separate Muslimhomeland and is a declaredIslamic State, is particularlynotorious for the abductionand forced conversion ofHindu, Sikh and Christiangirls. This continues eventoday, in the supposedly mod-ern 21st century.

The fountain of inspirationfor the common Muslim, whoindulges in such mischief asmentioned above, or “lovejihad” for that matter, is hisscriptures. This is the argumentMahatma Gandhi had used.When asked to comment onthe Moplah riots of Kerala in

1921, he had said, “TheMoplahs were following theirreligion. To that extent, theywere not committing a crime.”In 1927, Abdul Rashid mur-dered Swami Shradhanand inthe latter’s sickbed. Gandhicalled the murderer “my broth-er”. I suppose he was implyingthat both he and Abdul Rashidwere religious individuals.

An Urdu teacher was asso-ciated with me for eight years.One afternoon, in a pensivemood, he said to me that he wasa “failed man”. My surprisedreaction was that he was a goodand honest man. Why shouldhe say so? He clarified that hewas not a badshah (emperor)nor could become a rich manso that he could give employ-ment to people. He was also nomilitary commander who uponwinning any battle, could con-vert people to the faith ofAllah. He had not been able tomarry owing to business fail-ures, which could have enabledhim to bring forth followers forhis faith.

All these examples provethe innocence of people whomarry wrongly because ofdeception. Even those who doso openly by declaring theirreligion are not necessarilyimmoral, but slaves of theirfaith. The reason why they

want their wives who comefrom non-Muslim communi-ties to be converted to theirfaith by the recital of the kalima (Muslim prayer of dec-laration of faith, enjoined asmandatory for every believer),is to make sure their childrengrow up as Muslims and nothalf-caste. The fact that agreater number of such unfor-tunate girls are Hindu isbecause there are more Hindus.Hindus go to schools and col-leges in greater numbers thanMuslims. Due to this easiercontact, love jihad is easy.

Propaganda, rather thanpolicing, is the suggested firststep. The clergy should becontacted and told about thedamaging communal conse-quences of the happenings,with also a request to pass onthis message to as many youngmen as possible. Publicitythrough television and news-papers by the leaders of thecommunity would be desir-able. It is already becominglate and it would be traumat-ic for good young men andwomen to suffer damage orharm in any way.

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

�� Sir — Nearly 90 countries have signedup for the Global Methane Pledge, aninitiative by the US and the EuropeanUnion to cut global methane emissionsby 30 per cent by 2030. This wasannounced at the COP26 summit inGlasgow. Another significant commit-ment announced at the climate meetwas the 100 world leaders pledging tohalt and reverse deforestation and landdegradation, also by 2030. Methane isa greenhouse gas which is 80 times morepotent than carbon dioxide in causingglobal warming. Emanating from dis-used oil pumps, landfills and agricul-ture, it is said to be the cause of 30 percent of global warming since pre-industrial times.

With 90 countries on board, theGlobal Methane Pledge now covers two-thirds of the world’s economy. However,India and China, two of the top fiveemitters in the world, have not signedup for it. The pledge to halt deforesta-tion has wider participation, and has a$19-billion pledge from Governmentsand private companies backing it.Hence, the methane pledge and thedeforestation pledge, though they arelegally non-binding, are so far thebiggest outcomes of COP26.

Gundu K Mani | Ghaziabad

�� Sir — Consumers are flocking to shop-ping areas in India's major cities andtowns for Diwali shopping, India's fes-tival of light. The season is also boost-ing the spirits of business owners, as itencourages consumers to shop local. Thetendency to boycott Chinese-madegoods could give a well-needed boost toIndia's businesses and their 400 millionemployees.The Government's initiatives‘local for vocal’ and ‘local for Diwali’ area bid to boost the economy and encour-age people to buy indigenous products.According to the Confederation of AllIndia Traders (CAIT), Chinese exportershave suffered an estimated loss of�50,000 crore this year due to Indiansboycotting products from China in the

domestic markets. This sounds like agood first step.

Buying local products this Diwali willencourage local artisans and this will goa long way in setting an example of self-reliance before the country. Not only willlocal identity be strengthened, the peo-ple who make these products will alsohave a brighter Diwali. This Diwali, letus spread love and light, happiness andprosperity. Be Local for Diwali.

Shashank Patil | Ujjain

�� Sir — As per reports, 69 per cent studentswho emerged successful in the NEET-UG exam, are from boards other than theCBSE. Thus, the myth that successeludes students of other boards standsbusted. The report further reveals thatof the 1.08 lakh students who appearedfor the NEET in Tamil Nadu, 58,922 stu-dents have qualified in the test, record-ing a pass Percentage of 54.4. Amidst thewar-cry of the political leaders from

Tamil Nadu against the NEET, the bril-liant performance exemplifies that theNEET is more of a headache to the lead-ers than the students. Further, consider-ing that the voice against the NEET isheard only in Tamil nadu, one cannot butadduce motives to such opposition.

The success proves that with a littlebit of motivation, the students can per-form much better. Therefore, the TamilNadu Government, instead of lobbyingfor the cancellation of the NEET withother States, and thus, discouraging thestudents who are willing to face theNEET with grit and determination,would do well by setting up coachingcentres all over the State, especially inrural areas and thus provide an ambientatmosphere for students to excel. Thestudents of Tamil nadu have the neces-sary will to overpower the NEET.

VS Jayaraman | Chennai

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There were two reportslast weekend in nation-al dailies relating to themuch-debated issue of

religious conversion. The firstone is a statement by RSS gen-eral secretary DattatreyaHosabale. He said that peoplechanging their faith must dis-close their conversion. The sec-ond report is about a woman,Nisha, who married a man whohad not disclosed that he was aMuslim and married Nishaclaiming to be a Hindu. She dis-covered his real identity well aftertheir marriage. For some years,the husband has reportedly beenpressuring her to convert and shewas resisting. When the husbandcouldn’t succeed, he along withhis friends killed her.

Such confrontations of inter-faith marriages are being fre-quently reported. The phenom-enon needs to be examined.One may refer to the Hadithwhere it is recorded that ProphetMuhammad exhorted his fol-lowers to shun celibacy andmarry in order to produce asmuch progeny as possible.Marriage is enjoined upon everyMuslim and celibacy has beenfrequently condemned by theProphet. It is related to the stip-ulations in the Sunnah or Islamictraditions that Muhammad said,“When the servant of God mar-ries, he perfects half his religion.”On one occasion, the Prophetasked a man if he was marriedand being answered in the neg-ative, asked him whether hewas sound and healthy. Upon theman replying that he was,Muhammad replied, “Then thouart one of the brothers of theDevil” (Mishkat-ul-Masabih,Book XII). One of the Prophet’scompanions, Usman Ibn Magun,wished to lead a life of celibacybut the Prophet forbade him.

Islam lays great stress on thenumbers of its people. The sameMishkat-ul-Masabih quotes theprophet: “Marry women who willlove their husband and be veryprolific, for I wish you to be morenumerous than any other peo-ple.” Muslims are permitted tomarry four free women and tohave as many slaves for concu-bines, as they may have acquired

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The Indian VoluntaryV e h i c l e - F l e e tM o d e r n i s a t i o n

Programme is estimated toboost 30 per cent sales for theautomotive industry, attractRs10,000 crore investmentand 35,000 jobs just with set-ting-up of car fitness centres.It will simultaneously reduce58 per cent C02 emissions byreplacing virgin steel withscrap steel to manufacturevehicles.

Large-scale vehicle scrap-ping schemes were launchedpost the economic slowdownto support the automobileindustry. The Indian VoluntaryVehicle-Fleet ModernisationProgramme, launched inAugust 2021, is two-fold: (i) tostrengthen the automobileindustry as it transitions todrive sustainable manufactur-

ing and (ii) to ensure environ-mental benefits. Also, the pol-icy will aid India to accelerateits post COVID-19 greenrecovery by expediting sales,meet air quality ambitions byreducing vehicular pollution,increasing fuel efficiency andimproving road safety.

The government has inte-grated climate action withinthe policy by prioritising fuelefficiency and vehicle condi-tion. The policy suggests anupper limit of 15 years forcommercial cars and 20 yearsfor private cars. The govern-ment has mandated testingand inspection and providesincentives for end-of-life recy-cling to new car purchasers. Bydefining the condition of avehicle's registration renewal,the government clarifies thatthe fitness of the car is priori-

tised throughout its life spanon the road.

With the vehicle scrappingpolicy India has a plethora ofopportunities to build on.Regulating the once informalauto ancillary and scrappagesector would now lead to safedisposal of vehicles at their endof life, reduced metal landfills,regulated prices, and stan-dardized practices.

The policy fosters thedevelopment of new indus-tries, such as vehicle testingfacilities, vehicle fitness centres,

scrap segregation and shred-ding centres, creating anopportunity to advance anequitable green workforce.

Vehicle scrap not onlyreduces the cost of a vehicle byproviding copper, aluminium,steel, plastic and rubber to theautomotive industry but alsogives access to raw materialsfor electronics, steel and waste-to energy sector. With system-atic implementation of thegovernment's plans, the nationwill recover rare metals andwitness reduced pressure forimporting scrapped steel.Currently, India imports sixmillion tonnes of scrap steeldue to a gap in domesticdemand and supply. The prac-tice of using recycled scrapmetal would have a muchlesser carbon footprint.

With neighbouring coun-

tries currently lacking a scrap-ping ecosystem, India has thepotential to become the scrap-recycling hub of South-EastAsia. With access to a massivecoastline and well-establishedscrapping ecosystems inGujarat, India can leveragethe economies of scale byimporting vehicles from othercountries for scrapping.

Meanwhile, India can pre-pare to strengthen the ecosys-tem. The Ministry of RoadTransport and Highways esti-mates that approximately 51lakh light motor vehicles aremore than 20 years old and, 34lakhs are over 15 years old.Around 17 lakh medium andheavy commercial vehicles areolder than 15 years withoutvalid fitness certificates. For asystematic execution andimplementation of the scrap-

page policy, the first step tosensitise India's industry aboutthe scope and profitability ofthe scrappage industry.

The scrapping industrywould be a new businessavenue for many and this canbe seen as an opportunity togenerate gender-neutral greenjobs in auto ancillaries, auto-motive, and recycling sectors.

As India targets to increaseelectric vehicle sales,Authorized Vehicle ScrappingFacilities (AVSF) wouldrequire to be future-ready tohandle the new energy vehicleslike EVs or Li-Ion batteries.Recycling batteries under thescrappage policy will helpbring down the cost of the elec-tric vehicle and help Indiadevelop Lithium-Ion batterieslocally. Both industries willreap benefits and future design

and material of the vehiclesand their parts can be recycledat their ELV stage with mini-mum wastage. Also, creatinghigher incentive models forscrappage and replacementrather than only scrappagewill encourage EVs or BS6compliant vehicles.

The top-down approach ofthe policy announcement anddistrict level targets set for test-ing and scrapping centres hasunlocked many opportunitiesfor the nation. However, afruitful implementation is onlypossible if states are encour-aged to be early adopters byfacilitating the development ofindustrial infrastructure andbuild readiness towards theecosystem by building capac-ity, encouraging investmentand creating synergy withinbusinesses.

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The National Forest Policy, 1988,mandates that one third of the geo-graphical area must be underforests whereas in reality it is

about one-fourth. This yawning gap canonly be addressed through active cooper-ation and involvement of local communi-ties. The community partnership isrequired more so for planning and imple-menting afforestation-related interven-tions in view of ever-increasing pressure ofburgeoning human and cattle populationson this common but renewable resource.

Accordingly, a Joint ForestManagement (JFM) order detailing aframework of the community's roles andresponsibilities was issued in 1990 seekingactive involvement of locals in the manage-ment of forests throughout the country.

Out of 6.4 lakh villages in India, about27 per cent (1.7 lakh) are situated on theforest fringes. About 23 million hectares (28per cent) of forest area is managed by com-munities. Thus, the forest areas managedby the community were almost in propor-tion to the number of villages located in thevicinity of forests. Surprisingly, the forestarea under community management hasreduced drastically although new areas havebeen planted under the provisions of var-ious schemes and programmes.

The community had been playing avital role in the management of foreststhrough Cooperative Forest Societies since1937 in Himachal Pradesh, which was oneof the pioneer initiatives in the field of com-munity involvement for protection ofcommon resources. These efforts gainedrenewed momentum with the enactmentof National Forest Policy, 1988 and subse-quent big push by the JFM order. The ForestDepartment of the State was sensitised todevise a feasible framework of communi-ty partnership in ecological managementwhere a lot of similar interventions con-verged at the local level.

The State launched an ambitiousscheme called Sanjhi Van Yojana in 1998which was implemented in selected villages.Mixed response and varied results interms of achievement of intended goals wasobserved. Subsequently, the HimachalPradesh government developed ForestSector Policy and Strategy, 2005 which wasaimed to harmonise the relations betweenpeople and environment. This policy triedto address the aspirations of people by mak-ing forestry a socio-economically vibrantsector contributing towards livelihoodenhancement of forest dependent localcommunities through the involvement ofother line departments working on natur-al resource management.

In the case of a contractor-drivenecosystem, the contractors execute worksmechanically by following prescribedschedule of rates and have no attachmentto the works done in the forests. The localcommunities are not associated with theseactivities except for the seasonal engage-ments of local labourers for completing thecontracts so assigned. In the alternative sys-tem of community managed execution of

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forest activities, efforts are made toensure quality of work for generat-ing economic assets and to meetimplementation challenges and dis-tribution of benefits to the society.

However, in the absence ofclarity in the interpretation ofimplementation procedures andexisting stringent work manualprovisions, adequate emphasis onthe community involvement in for-est management for local livelihoodbenefits is missing.

The present case deliberateshow a small group of womenthrough their determination anddedication could successfully resolvelocal issues and implement inter-ventions for actualising benefits.

The traditional challenges ofease and comfort for the establishedsystem of forest management withlimited community involvementwere considered, examined andaddressed effectively to ensureactive community participation.

Frequent visits to the localcommunity, prolonged persuasion,continuous dialogue with opinionmakers and community leadersand sensitisation of the frontline for-est department staff cleared the ini-tial inertia and hiccups in imple-menting forestry activities throughwomen-led local workers' collective.Initially, a group of about 20 womencame forward and got registeredwith the local registrar of coopera-tive societies.

By registering under the SocietiesRegistration Act 1860, the group ful-filled a legal requirement to receivegovernment benefits. A savingsaccount was opened in the name ofthe group. The group unanimouslyselected a president and a treasurerto manage all related affairs.

To ensure active participation ofwomen in group works, a concept

of flexi-hours (8 working hours/day)was devised and implemented at theground so that the women workerscan give justice to household choresand perform productively at work-sites at the same time. The frontlinestaff responsible for maintenance ofrecords and execution of activitiesat field levels were sensitized to del-egate the duty of marking atten-dance to the group itself and thehead of the group was asked tomaintain a register of member-wisehours spent on execution of activ-ities in the adopted forest area.Whenever 8 hours are completed,it is treated as one day for the pur-pose of paying remuneration.

This delegation of powers to thegroup itself proved to be the biggestconfidence-building measurebetween the forest department andthe women. To address the issue ofkeeping the group engaged through-out a year to maintain their moti-vation level and ensure steady flowof money, a comprehensive chartoutlining the schedule of forestryactivities was chalked out in consul-tation with the group members.

After initial preparatory discus-sions and economic and ecologicalneed assessments, a local forest wasselected. A detailed time-boundactivity-wise action plan withresponsibility matrix was drawn forsmooth work execution. As per theplan, during the peak winter monthsof December and February, thegroup members visited the allottedarea and prepared the land for plan-tation activities.

This preparatory process notonly set a platform for rightful inter-vention later, but ensured collectionof firewood by the group membersto meet their daily firewood needs.

During March to May, groupmembers were advised to dig plant

pits. The frontline forest staff got thework done as per the technicalguidelines on the subject.

During July and August,seedlings were taken from the for-est department nurseries and plant-ed into the dug-up pits. The plantspecies preferred were those thatwould meet the community'srequirements for fodder, firewood,timber and herbs. The transporta-tion of plants from nurseries to theplantation area generated supple-mentary employment to local men.

Once scheduled activities werecompleted, the work measurementwas done by the Forest Beat Officerand the Block Forest Officer andaccordingly, recorded. This wasagain cross verified by the RangeForest Officer so as to avoid anyanomalies. The payment was thenreleased by the Divisional ForestOfficer. The group's president andsecretary, who were authorised sig-natories, were able to draw moneyfrom the bank for appropriate dis-bursement amongst the members.Savings bank accounts were openedfor each of the members to bring inmore transparency within the groupand inculcate saving habits.

The forest department, with theactive participation of the commu-nity, could take up forest restorationactivities throughout the year guar-anteeing environment, employmentand income benefits.

Involving the community, ingeneral, and women-led localgroups, in particular, was a win-winsituation for both the stakeholders- State Forest Department and localcommunity itself. Improved finan-cial status of the communityreduced pressure on the naturalresources as felling of trees and otherunauthorised activities got drastical-ly reduced.

(Sushil Singla is an IndianForest Service officer.

Aditya Singla is a JNUscholar. The views

expressed are personal.)

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RELAXO 1347.9 1421.3 1338.8 1412.5JUBLFOOD 3784 3798 3714.75 3725.2HINDUNILVR 2438 2438 2386.15 2411.1SBILIFE 1178.2 1198.05 1167.1 1178.4INDUSTOWER 287.9 292.8 283.45 287.55KANSAINER 569 575 565.15 572.5MPHASIS 3400 3447.1 3287.35 3300.45SUNTV 593.1 603.9 584.4 593.35RADICO 1059.9 1066.45 1002 1021.75TATAMTRDVR 261.6 264.75 256.45 259.8AMBUJACEM 406.75 414.4 404.4 412.6GNFC 487.3 491 463.85 467.2MGL 1024.1 1029 1005 1008.5GRSE 227 250.15 226.8 247.45HDFCAMC 2665.15 2670 2620.75 2627.1NOCIL 257 264.9 253.25 260.35PVR 1724 1756.95 1721.95 1740.45DELTACORP 273 275.95 268.15 273.15NMDC 142.15 143.35 141 142.05TATACONSUM 837.35 839 820.05 826.8L&TFH 85.5 86.45 84.15 84.65M&M 861.2 869.85 843.3 848.6BPCL 417 421.5 414.1 415.05CADILAHC 493.75 498.55 486.1 490.2AARTIIND 960 971.5 937 947CAMS 2999.95 2999.95 2940.85 2961.1IRB 237.3 241.9 229.15 229.85INDHOTEL 204.3 206.65 201.65 203.85BANKINDIA 63.45 63.8 62.2 62.65HDFCLIFE 695 698.6 685.85 691.45GRASIM 1754.9 1792.15 1736.7 1786.15KPRMILL 469.95 497 464.85 493.85CONCOR 671.05 690.7 671.05 681.15BAJAJ-AUTO 3740.9 3764.1 3688.4 3697ADANIGREEN 1161 1219.5 1161 1206.4ACC 2391 2427.6 2391 2420.5AUBANK 1246.65 1260 1198.1 1211.15ECLERX 2350 2474.75 2307.7 2343.2SUZLON 7.09 7.12 6.95 6.98INDIACEM 209 213.45 205.55 211.5VRLLOG 398 433 390.35 428.05SBICARD 1084 1113 1075.1 1105.45EICHERMOT 2545 2560 2506 2521.75BALAMINES 3357.1 3496.4 3357.1 3394.35EDELWEISS 79.9 83 78.85 81.3HFCL 75.9 75.9 73.1 74.25RECLTD 152.9 155.55 151.1 152.85ADANIPOWER 105 105 101.25 103.25PRESTIGE 466 476.55 462.05 466.3TIINDIA 1628.1 1676.3 1578 1605.45POWERGRID 185.5 187.1 183 183.85PIIND 2800 2823.8 2701.85 2732.95HSCL 52.6 52.8 50.9 51.05AUROPHARMA 691.7 697 681.2 686.7CHOLAFIN 606.95 617.2 605.25 612.45COFORGE 5090.4 5091.1 5008.25 5065.7AMARAJABAT 701.85 709.75 692.65 694.25PIDILITIND 2344 2368.3 2317.5 2358.65BERGEPAINT 759 764 751.35 761.25BATAINDIA 2064 2064 2017.6 2036.05HATHWAY 21.1 21.7 19.65 19.85VIPIND 565.4 589.7 563.65 574.95NCC 73.85 75.3 73 73.6LICHSGFIN 426.5 430.35 422.2 425.65TCIEXP 2005.9 2075 1904.1 1933SRF 2116.95 2128.9 2056.35 2079UBL 1674.1 1717.75 1662.3 1671.5

VTL 2005 2120 2005 2091.6BRIGADE 503.5 513.5 481 499.05INDIGO 2179 2196.95 2134.05 2163.9NAVINFLUOR 3390 3509.3 3365.15 3417.95ORIENTELEC 380 382 366 376.2IDFC 58.7 58.7 55 55.5VBL 928 942 915 937.65INDIAMART 7248 7456.6 7211.3 7324.6BRITANNIA 3705 3705.05 3619 3630.9UFLEX 582.05 592.2 557.55 572.25PHILIPCARB 222 222.5 218 219.3IGL 479 482.7 473.15 476.75GLENMARK 516.05 524.1 511 514.8INFIBEAM 45.35 46.9 44.9 45.2BHARATFORG 783.45 786.7 767.6 775TORNTPOWER 527.9 527.9 510.5 512.15VAKRANGEE 38.8 38.85 37.15 37.6PAGEIND 38766 39602.15 38352.15 38914.1ABB 2073.95 2142 2044.5 2064.6GRAPHITE 517 526.05 510.2 517CENTURYPLY 609.9 614.8 596.6 607.55APOLLOTYRE 224.9 224.9 219.05 220.65NESTLEIND 18890 18890 18569 18727.25FSL 201.75 203 198.4 199.55

SKFINDIA 3295 3565 3292.8 3530.5MRF 78874.1 78981.75 77815 78070.15BALKRISIND 2523.2 2526.8 2424.95 2441.85ABCAPITAL 107 107.45 104.25 105.15HINDCOPPER 130.9 132.4 126.6 127.85COCHINSHIP 358 374.6 356.9 358.35SEQUENT 176 180.9 174.75 175.6MINDACORP 175.5 178.05 167 173.95BOSCHLTD 17850 17875 17560 17697.75TANLA 1225.6 1242 1187.85 1206.65SWSOLAR 447 448.25 432.85 437.95CANFINHOME 653.4 662.05 641.15 645.9ZENSARTECH 466.55 471.5 454.6 456.95TATACOMM 1305.5 1305.5 1245.1 1277.15PERSISTENT 4112.1 4112.1 3987.35 4001.8BIOCON 347.95 350.95 344 348.3SPANDANA 540 562.8 518.4 545.25RAJESHEXPO 642 644.2 636.95 639.9RVNL 36.05 36.35 35.35 35.5HAVELLS 1310 1310 1271.7 1290.3CYIENT 1110 1121.95 1085 1104.9BURGERKING 162 164.05 159.45 160.35COLPAL 1526.1 1536 1503 1509.55LUXIND 3869.9 3985 3800 3836.9SPICEJET 70.95 71.3 69.35 69.75LAOPALA 345.1 355 331.5 341.3SOUTHBANK 9.41 9.55 9.33 9.39ASTRAL 2241 2263 2209.75 2251.2GSPL 318 329.05 315.8 324.9KEI 969 979.65 940 973.05LUPIN 931 939.45 923.5 934.75AMBER 3375 3552.4 3352.85 3528.3ICICIGI 1525.4 1531 1508.9 1527.5PFC 135.7 138.5 135.05 135.75SUNTECK 480 491.35 474.65 478.45GRINDWELL 1689.95 1695.1 1571.15 1586.8SOLARINDS 2400 2465.15 2252.95 2270.85ICICIPRULI 634.9 637.35 619.8 623.2CIPLA 911 914.2 904.5 912.65HAPPSTMNDS 1268.5 1268.5 1225 1235.05CROMPTON 478 480.05 465 467.65SCHAEFFLER 7530 7850 7527.35 7698.45SHREECEM 28900 29134.4 28684.25 28966.95AARTIDRUGS 575.05 578.4 560.25 563.1TRITURBINE 213.45 213.45 198.2 201.75NBCC 46.45 47.3 45.9 46.2SCI 134.15 134.45 131.75 132.5CUMMINSIND 914 914 888.5 895.55RAMCOCEM 1078.95 1082.95 1064 1078.7POLYCAB 2404 2404 2319 2337.7NHPC 31.95 31.95 30.25 30.4INDOCO 458 465 445.85 448.75MOTHERSUMI 231 233.7 226.85 229.6HEG 2018 2059 1989.9 2031.15BLUEDART 6723.6 6872.2 6665.15 6804.65APLAPOLLO 850 850.6 834.45 844.5BAYERCROP 4680 4735 4663.3 4727.95JSL 198 198.65 192.15 193.6RCF 80.75 80.75 77.6 78.1VAIBHAVGBL 581 582.9 560.6 563.3SUMICHEM 381.95 393 376.2 385.5COROMANDEL 786.2 786.85 767.9 775.05DBL 621.35 626.65 596.05 603.4GUJGAS 643.5 644.8 630 632.05IFCI 12.75 12.75 11.51 11.93ALOKTEXT 23 23.2 22.75 22.85RAIN 221 224.85 214.25 215.05MOIL 167.75 171.9 167 168.2WOCKPHARMA 435.75 448.7 434.1 437.5CUB 170 173.7 168 168.8UTIAMC 1089.4 1111.1 1089.4 1103.65JKPAPER 225.55 229.3 224.1 225.45ATUL 9021.7 9030.7 8791 8814.75PETRONET 231.2 232.35 229.75 230.15ISEC 762 765.15 735 744.05EXIDEIND 180 181.35 177.4 178.5FRETAIL 48.7 50.2 48.55 49.75BDL 419.5 439 414.7 424.35CESC 89.8 89.8 88.15 88.65JSWENERGY 346 346 325 331.5BSOFT 414 414 402.1 404.15JAMNAAUTO 103.25 103.6 98.8 99.45DEEPAKFERT 407.7 410.1 400.6 402KTKBANK 70.8 72.05 69.4 69.6GODREJIND 610 618.15 597.35 604.8IOB 21.4 21.7 21.1 21.153MINDIA 26631.55 26980 26315.05 26714.85PHOENIXLTD 1030.1 1057.1 1007.3 1020.2FLUOROCHEM 1973 1973 1851.6 1880.35FORTIS 249.05 255.5 248.85 251.8VOLTAS 1229.75 1229.75 1197.9 1209.45POWERINDIA 2229.7 2379.15 2217.65 2284.4SYNGENE 537.55 547.95 537.55 545.45GODREJCP 958 967.8 948.05 960.15GEPIL 302 318.3 290 293.75MAHABANK 21.5 21.5 20.75 20.85PNBHOUSING 511 512.05 485.75 486.5ENGINERSIN 72.25 72.5 71.1 71.4CAPPL 835.35 848 826.45 839.9GRANULES 319.7 322.3 316.8 319.2IRCON 47.5 47.6 46.6 46.95MRPL 49.45 50.6 49 49.3WHIRLPOOL 2120.2 2120.2 2057.9 2063.1BAJAJCON 221.25 227.55 221.25 223.25GSFC 137.8 138.8 132.5 133.45EMAMILTD 558 570.8 547.05 568.9TATACOFFEE 214.15 214.4 211.5 212.65DCBBANK 99.2 100.75 97.6 99.5AEGISLOG 213.3 216.1 209 210.3

NETWORK18 87.95 87.95 84.25 85.75CASTROLIND 141 141.85 139.05 140.25CHAMBLFERT 366.5 369.05 352.25 353.7SOLARA 1257.3 1257.3 1214.15 1238.3IOLCP 551.2 561.7 545.4 547.25LAXMIMACH 9044.45 9175 8898.55 9138.5WELCORP 130 130 127.1 128.6TORNTPHARM 2835.25 2843.9 2790.75 2804.9PFIZER 5113.4 5120 4961.4 5028.35UCOBANK 14.45 14.45 14.17 14.23MINDAIND 802.2 809.6 785.8 789.8ADVENZYMES 362.35 371.9 362.35 366NH 546.9 552.4 536.5 548.25JKCEMENT 3449.85 3525.45 3400.2 3509.8REDINGTON 144.9 144.9 141.55 143.3JKLAKSHMI 612.45 621.3 608.95 620MFSL 986.45 989.25 966 980.25FINOLEXIND 229.9 230.9 226.95 227.8

MIDHANI 195.85 202.5 194.85 197.95TTKPRESTIG 11070 11300 11011 11230.6TV18BRDCST 43.3 43.5 42.1 42.6UJJIVAN 180 182.2 170 171.45INOXLEISUR 431.15 434.95 429.5 432.75JMFINANCIL 84.1 84.65 83.3 83.9SONATSOFTW 861.05 869 859.35 864.4BLUESTARCO 1037 1049.35 994.15 1009.25ROSSARI 1347.55 1388.1 1341.45 1351.55KNRCON 291.25 294.05 287.5 291.9TATAINVEST 1529.85 1557.55 1522.05 1535.2ENDURANCE 1838 1865 1837.95 1858.25AFFLE 1072 1096.1 1051.7 1058.1DALBHARAT 2019.5 2037 1995.3 2012.75LALPATHLAB 3640 3658.2 3581.6 3617.05OIL 221 221.25 216.2 218.15NAM-INDIA 420.55 425.6 420.35 422.4CHALET 243.3 247.95 239.3 241.3HINDZINC 315 317.5 313.45 315.45INTELLECT 714.25 715 691.95 697.3BAJAJHLDNG 5036.3 5036.3 4821.85 4921.1GLAXO 1615.85 1645 1607 1639.25SCHNEIDER 114.4 116.4 110.65 115.1OFSS 4397 4430.1 4382.75 4408.75JKTYRE 148.9 148.9 144.45 145.9ASHOKA 107.7 108.85 104.5 105.65JAICORPLTD 126.5 128.7 124.25 125.3STAR 538.5 546.05 531.55 536.25HUDCO 43.45 43.65 42.6 42.7KEC 450.1 461.7 450.1 454.35BALMLAWRIE 129.5 129.5 126.1 126.45UJJIVANSFB 21.65 21.9 21.4 21.5FINCABLES 482.6 490.45 469.6 487.55MAXHEALTH 343.6 345.5 339.95 342.05CENTURYTEX 869 869 840.8 845.15RALLIS 270.95 270.95 265 267.5ADANITRANS 1755.45 1843 1734.7 1831.7BAJAJELEC 1100.35 1112.7 1093.6 1097.65GLAND 3699.75 3716.4 3671.95 3698.15JUSTDIAL 777 784 770.25 775.9SANOFI 8212.05 8212.05 7940 8028.95GILLETTE 5740 5850.55 5593.35 5703.1EQUITAS 132.95 132.95 126.4 127.2NIACL 153.4 159.7 152 157.1CENTRALBK 22.1 22.2 21.65 21.75GREAVESCOT 136.4 136.4 133.25 133.65EIDPARRY 466.15 478.55 466.15 473.5VINATIORGA 2009 2017.95 1943.95 1991.35FCONSUMER 7.09 7.26 7.05 7.14TATAMETALI 972.45 980.5 965 972PNCINFRA 331.65 337.15 324.9 334.8ROUTE 2000 2000 1955 1977.55FORCEMOT 1448 1485 1441.05 1445.55LINDEINDIA 2524 2524 2423 2486.45DCAL 217.9 217.95 208.95 209.95SUPREMEIND 2338.55 2365.65 2320.5 2353.35PTC 126.95 127.9 124.4 125.95BIRLACORPN 1526.9 1545.5 1505 1535.65BEML 1622.95 1627.45 1589.1 1595.55EIHOTEL 141.65 142.45 139 139.9WELSPUNIND 144 144.2 142.55 143.65VARROC 290 294.55 282 284.35GMM 4702.1 4778.4 4685 4698.3MAHLIFE 284.7 289.9 281.85 283GHCL 434 435.9 420 422.75HAWKINCOOK 6364.55 6364.55 6236.3 6295.95

SFL 2548 2675 2527.75 2657.7ABBOTINDIA 20293.8 20441.1 20149.2 20272.3IPCALAB 2126.4 2140.75 2111 2127.15KAJARIACER 1227.2 1228.85 1191.65 1203.25MOTILALOFS 924.6 936.4 916 919.85MMTC 43.05 43.85 42.7 42.85RITES 282.8 285.85 280.6 281.55BALRAMCHIN 333.9 338.3 332.4 336.6APLLTD 780.25 783.05 770.85 772.9BASF 3180 3239.95 3149.95 3195.15SHILPAMED 602.3 604 582.1 586.05ASTRAZEN 3054.2 3054.2 2995 3004.8SPARC 276 276 266.25 268.75SHOPERSTOP 383.5 385.15 355 356.6GICRE 137.7 137.7 135.05 135.85SUVENPHAR 498 498 483.05 485.05ALKEM 3700 3730.35 3640.85 3651.3GODREJAGRO 591.4 609.35 591.2 594.55GMDCLTD 73.5 73.6 72 72.15JBCHEPHARM 1643.05 1668.6 1636.75 1649VENKYS 2713.35 2720.5 2680 2683.2SUNDRMFAST 876 876 823.5 836.45JSLHISAR 346.5 347.75 336.5 340.05SJVN 28.65 28.9 28.55 28.65STLTECH 280 280.5 271.5 272.35CCL 387 389.65 376 382.25AJANTPHARM 2203.9 2205 2166.2 2190.15SIS 433.8 440 427.6 435.45GPPL 113.85 116.8 113.85 114.65VGUARD 255.95 263.95 255.7 260.55CEATLTD 1246.1 1255.9 1233.5 1251SUDARSCHEM 600 607.2 593.6 600.6ERIS 805 808.3 791.45 803.3TCNSBRANDS 781.85 800 769.9 781.45SHK 148 150 145.3 148.45KALPATPOWR 408 412.95 406.7 411.15JINDALSAW 115.4 115.4 112.05 112.25THYROCARE 1147.45 1160 1135 1143.85ASTERDM 189.55 190.35 185.25 186.3IIFLWAM 1564 1620.8 1545.8 1609.4PGHL 5370.5 5451.95 5370.5 5438.55ATGL 1424.05 1465 1424.05 1446.35GODFRYPHLP 1265 1274 1238 1251.25BBTC 1114.05 1132.9 1090 1098.05VMART 4086.35 4134 3981 4067.5EQUITASBNK 63.4 64 62.75 63.2ITDC 377.6 380.75 367.95 369.6HONAUT 43135.95 43200 42370.2 43036.6VSTIND 3293.1 3307.15 3201 3257.2PGHH 14319.2 14661 14100 14453.6FINEORG 3381.35 3475.6 3336.05 3426.9SYMPHONY 1047.3 1047.3 1017.85 1037.9INDOSTAR 269.2 278.35 266.55 269.3MAHSEAMLES 497.95 510.9 497.95 499.3DHANUKA 742 754.95 721.5 744.15GALAXYSURF 3056 3097.2 3000.65 3019.4CARBORUNIV 867 867 831.45 835.95CREDITACC 612.65 635 610.9 620.45MHRIL 228 234.75 228 230.9GESHIP 342 346 337 343.6KRBL 282.05 287.75 279.5 281.7CHOLAHLDNG 698 703.3 681.5 686.1GULFOILLUB 599 601.8 591.05 593.2AVANTI 557.15 559 550 552.45STARCEMENT 100.9 101.4 100 100.25GDL 304 304 293 296.2QUESS 910 910 883 887.75CSBBANK 303.2 303.2 295.3 297FDC 324.75 330.2 319.1 321.7CERA 5520.2 5523.95 5416.05 5505.05ZYDUSWELL 2006.45 2028.5 1980.05 2019.95BLISSGVS 107.4 108.35 104.8 105WESTLIFE 592.8 595.2 573.15 575.5ITI 120.75 121.15 118.5 118.8MAHINDCIE 282 282 272.65 273.7NESCO 618.4 631.55 617 620.5JYOTHYLAB 156.9 157.7 154.25 155.3KSCL 532.45 532.45 516.95 518.15AAVAS 2818.4 2818.4 2784.05 2796.85TEAMLEASE 4636 4748.1 4595.05 4706.7DISHTV 17 17.8 16.8 17.05HEIDELBERG 245.7 245.7 242.65 244.15TASTYBIT 16770.25 16800.1 16239.7 16305.55MAHLOG 669.95 671.4 650.35 658.3POLYMED 918 920.25 905 917.35THERMAX 1361.05 1373.3 1340 1353.65MAHSCOOTER 4363.9 4431.95 4340 4353.4NATCOPHARM 869.95 869.95 851.95 859.55IFBIND 1245.5 1264.15 1236 1242.45DCMSHRIRAM 993.75 1019.1 990.15 995.75CRISIL 2855 2873.8 2795.5 2820.6NILKAMAL 2419.55 2433.85 2375.55 2384.95GARFIBRES 3467.6 3516 3441.1 3492.35PRSMJOHNSN 123 123 121 121.65AKZOINDIA 2104.55 2119.4 2082.8 2093.1TIMKEN 1800.55 1808.35 1778.3 1790.35RHIM 345.8 353.55 344.8 345.55EPL 212.2 215.45 212 212.35RESPONIND 119 121 118.65 120.4JTEKTINDIA 101.2 101.95 98.45 99.15ESABINDIA 2550 2550 2467 2475.65NAVNETEDUL* 108.25 108.9 106.6 106.85KSB 1318.5 1347.85 1302 1310.6MASFIN 753.5 763.25 727.05 733.6SHRIRAMCIT 2102.3 2198 2102.3 2182.05JCHAC 2064.95 2093.85 2056.9 2062.85RATNAMANI 2146.75 2175.2 2146.75 2168.6CGCL 534 536.55 511.6 517.2SWANENERGY 127.9 129.45 126.45 127.1

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY 50 17,947.95 17,988.75 17,757.95 17,829.20 -59.75LT 1,818.00 1,915.00 1,818.00 1,892.75 77.1ASIANPAINT 3,102.10 3,182.90 3,095.00 3,178.90 75.55HINDALCO 471 480.45 469.85 479.25 10.85GRASIM 1,745.00 1,793.20 1,735.20 1,782.25 38.2UPL 720.3 756.5 720.3 735.2 14.9ULTRACEMCO 7,759.90 7,902.25 7,730.05 7,871.00 157.65SBIN 524 542.3 515.2 530.9 9.2IOC 130.8 135 130.4 132.7 1.9ADANIPORTS 702 719.8 702 711.7 9.35SBILIFE 1,170.00 1,198.40 1,167.00 1,179.20 13.15JSWSTEEL 677.45 683.55 673.55 680 7.15BAJFINANCE 7,486.00 7,538.80 7,451.00 7,530.00 74.65CIPLA 909.55 914.7 903.7 912.1 8.7TATASTEEL 1,324.80 1,332.00 1,312.00 1,326.00 12.35HCLTECH 1,175.00 1,187.70 1,171.70 1,177.00 6.35DRREDDY 4,759.00 4,798.25 4,753.55 4,768.15 22.05TECHM 1,498.00 1,537.70 1,493.60 1,496.75 6.15NTPC 137.95 138.95 135.55 137.15 0.5INFY 1,709.00 1,717.45 1,699.00 1,703.60 5.7COALINDIA 168.2 171.1 167.35 169.45 0.25NESTLEIND 18,860.00 18,887.95 18,561.00 18,800.00 26.05SHREECEM 28,922.00 29,131.00 28,700.00 28,900.00 31.85TCS 3,504.20 3,519.90 3,466.05 3,488.00 3.8HDFCLIFE 695.05 698.5 685.8 692.5 -0.15HINDUNILVR 2,434.00 2,434.00 2,386.20 2,415.80 -3.1WIPRO 659.4 661.85 650.2 652.25 -1.55BAJAJFINSV 17,579.70 17,754.75 17,449.10 17,500.20 -42.4BPCL 418 421.55 414.2 414.5 -1.65HDFC 2,908.00 2,932.90 2,872.00 2,888.20 -11.85TATAMOTORS 483.8 495 481.6 485.2 -2.65ONGC 151.2 154.2 149.8 152 -0.95RELIANCE 2,506.05 2,520.00 2,461.00 2,483.00 -17.8MARUTI 7,791.75 7,842.25 7,711.60 7,727.00 -64.75POWERGRID 185.5 187.3 183 183.9 -1.6AXISBANK 759.45 762.65 748.5 749.25 -6.6TATACONSUM 833 839 820.05 825 -8.8EICHERMOT 2,540.30 2,560.00 2,505.20 2,515.60 -26.85M&M 864 869.9 843 852.25 -9.25BAJAJ-AUTO 3,726.20 3,763.95 3,689.05 3,701.50 -40.35DIVISLAB 5,184.00 5,211.35 5,094.05 5,142.75 -62.65ITC 226 226.85 221.7 222.75 -2.85TITAN 2,462.00 2,471.65 2,406.05 2,421.00 -32.95HEROMOTOCO 2,697.00 2,697.00 2,640.00 2,647.00 -37.3BRITANNIA 3,695.00 3,699.80 3,618.05 3,628.25 -54.65HDFCBANK 1,605.10 1,609.90 1,575.55 1,582.00 -24.75KOTAKBANK 2,080.00 2,111.60 2,028.00 2,036.95 -39.7ICICIBANK 806 806 780.45 784.5 -16.45BHARTIARTL 725.75 732.5 696 697.5 -16.45INDUSINDBK 1,215.00 1,220.00 1,174.25 1,180.00 -32.55SUNPHARMA 820 822 781.35 789 -26.4

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY NEXT 50 42,781.00 42,950.35 42,473.70 42,872.50 242.85ADANITRANS 1,740.00 1,846.20 1,740.00 1,846.20 87.9SBICARD 1,079.00 1,113.95 1,075.20 1,112.00 40.55DMART 4,644.00 4,790.00 4,600.00 4,766.00 168.95HINDPETRO 304.6 317 303.2 314.4 10.95ADANIGREEN 1,175.00 1,220.00 1,162.40 1,215.15 40.9APOLLOHOSP 4,317.00 4,449.95 4,300.05 4,431.40 141.5SIEMENS 2,255.85 2,323.45 2,251.50 2,321.15 70.5DABUR 608 612.3 600.75 611.5 13.45MUTHOOTFIN 1,493.20 1,556.70 1,491.10 1,524.80 33.5BAJAJHLDNG 4,889.00 4,980.00 4,817.80 4,955.00 88.05ICICIGI 1,514.80 1,531.95 1,509.00 1,530.20 21.8AMBUJACEM 408.75 414.7 403.5 412.5 5.25PGHH 14,350.00 14,650.95 14,080.10 14,510.00 172.7PEL 2,714.80 2,740.00 2,677.00 2,730.80 30.8VEDL 309.2 317.25 308.5 311 3BIOCON 345.55 350.95 343.85 348.8 3.25ACC 2,404.15 2,428.75 2,394.15 2,414.45 22.45ADANIENT 1,474.00 1,501.00 1,464.45 1,485.90 13.1BERGEPAINT 759.4 764.8 751.4 762 6.35PIDILITIND 2,355.00 2,369.00 2,317.25 2,361.00 17.25JINDALSTEL 423.7 429.2 417.2 421.95 3.05INDUSTOWER 287.95 292 283.35 286.9 1.55LTI 6,730.00 6,800.00 6,644.40 6,774.00 21.1CHOLAFIN 605 617 605 611.3 1.5LUPIN 935.8 939.6 922.6 932.5 1.75GODREJCP 961.05 968.3 948.05 961 0.65HAVELLS 1,301.85 1,301.85 1,271.00 1,291.00 0.25NMDC 142.45 143.35 141 141.7 -0.15IGL 480 482.55 473.15 477 -0.6SAIL 123 123.8 121.1 122.15 -0.2BOSCHLTD 17,829.00 17,888.95 17,550.65 17,715.00 -30.75GLAND 3,700.00 3,718.40 3,669.05 3,690.15 -8.3DLF 431.85 434.8 422.3 429 -1.05GAIL 151.85 154.5 150 150.3 -0.65AUROPHARMA 694.2 697.05 681 686.15 -5.05YESBANK 13.1 13.15 12.95 12.95 -0.1JUBLFOOD 3,770.00 3,799.10 3,714.50 3,723.00 -32ICICIPRULI 632 638 619.2 626 -5.5BANKBARODA 102.7 104.35 100.2 101.4 -0.9INDIGO 2,176.00 2,197.10 2,134.10 2,155.00 -23.75CADILAHC 497.25 498.45 486.05 490 -5.5MCDOWELL-N 980 994.2 958.85 964.15 -11NAUKRI 6,190.00 6,239.45 6,011.00 6,064.00 -71.95COLPAL 1,526.00 1,536.90 1,502.15 1,509.00 -18TORNTPHARM 2,831.00 2,844.50 2,788.45 2,803.00 -36.05HDFCAMC 2,652.10 2,669.95 2,621.00 2,628.00 -37MARICO 570 570.2 550.6 555.5 -10.3PIIND 2,805.00 2,823.60 2,703.00 2,730.00 -51.9PNB 42.2 42.65 41.15 41.25 -0.85BANDHANBNK 306 309.7 297.65 300.1 -10.9

New Delhi: UK-based CairnEnergy PLC on Wednesdaysaid it has agreed to drop liti-gations to seize Indian proper-ties in countries ranging fromFrance to the UK as it hasaccepted the IndianGovernment's offer to settle taxdispute relating to the levy oftaxes retrospectively.

Meeting the requirementsof new legislation that scrapslevy of retrospective taxation,the company has givenrequired undertakings indem-nifying the Indian Governmentagainst future claims as well asagreeing to drop any legal pro-ceedings anywhere in theworld.

The Government now hasto accept this and issue Cairna so-called Form-II, that willcommit it to refund the tax col-lected to enforce the retro-

spective tax demand. Followingthe issue of Form-II, Cairn willwithdraw legal proceedingsand will get a refund of Rs7,900 crore.

Cairn said its undertakingshall be treated as having neverbeen furnished if the PrincipalCommissioner for Income Taxeither rejects the undertakinggiven by it in Form No.1 underrule 11UE(1) or the intimationof withdrawal given under rule11UF(3), or declines to grantthe refund.

Only after the refund isissued will the new legislationwill be seen as working in theeyes of foreign investors.

In a statement, Cairn saidit has "entered into undertak-ings with the Government ofIndia in order to participate inthe scheme introduced byrecent Indian legislation, the

Taxation Laws (Amendment)Bill 2021, allowing the refundof taxes previously collectedfrom Cairn in India."

"Subject to certain condi-tions, the TaxationAmendment Act nullifies thetax assessment originally leviedagainst Cairn in January 2016and orders the refund of Rs7,900 crore which was collect-ed from Cairn in respect of thatassessment," it said.

Seeking to repair India'sdamaged reputation as aninvestment destination, thegovernment in August enactednew legislation to drop Rs 1.1lakh crore in outstandingclaims against multinationalssuch as telecom groupVodafone, pharmaceuticalscompany Sanofi and brewerSABMiller, now owned by ABInBev, and Cairn. PTI

New Delhi: The Centre onWednesday released �17,000crore as GST compensation tostates to meet the shortfall intheir revenue.

With this, the total amountof compensation released to thestates/UTs during 2021-22 sofar is �60,000 crore, the FinanceMinistry said in a statement.

As per the decision of GSTCouncil, back to back loan of�1.59 lakh crore has alreadybeen released in lieu of short-fall in the release of GST com-pensation during the currentfinancial year.

The Centre has estimatedthe shortfall in GST compen-sation payable to the states inthe current fiscal at �2.59 lakhcrore, of which about �1.59lakh crore would have to beborrowed this year.

The Centre expects to col-lect over �1 lakh crore throughcess on luxury, demerit and singoods, which will be given to

the states to compensate themfor the shortfall in revenuearising out of the Goods andServices Tax (GST) implemen-tation.

Tax collection is expectedto exceed the target set in theBudget as collections haveimproved with the revival of theeconomy, according to experts.

GST collection surged to�1.30 lakh crore in October, thesecond highest since its imple-mentation in July 2017. Thehighest GST collection of �1.41lakh crore was recorded inApril 2021.

This is the fourth time ina row when the GST collectionwas upwards of Rs 1 lakhcrore. The mop-up from GSTwas �1.17 lakh crore inSeptember 2021. Tax collec-tions last month on goods soldand services rendered was 24per cent higher than in October2020, and up 36 per cent over2019-20. PTI

New Delhi: Union MinisterPiyush Goyal on Wednesdaycautioned officials to stay alertagainst cartelisation and collu-sion in Government e-Marketplace and called forsimplifying the system whilemaking it more affordable toattract traders.

Reviewing the function-ing of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, theminister pitched for bringingmore transparency in the sys-tem.

He said operations shouldbe audited regularly to ensurethat all technical and financialaspects of GeM stay strong allthe time.

Goyal, the Minister forCommerce and Industry,Textiles, Consumer Affairs,Food & Public Distribution,also called for reducing andcapping the transaction chargesso that more traders are attract-ed to the GeM portal forincreasing the volume of busi-ness.

"Stay alert against carteli-sation and collusion in GEM,"warned the minister.

Goyal asked the officials tomake GeM more user andcommerce friendly so that easeof doing business can be fur-ther promoted.

"He also directed officialsto significantly reduce and capthe transaction charges so thatmore traders are attracted tothe GeM portal," an officialstatement said.

The minister asked theGeM team to use ArtificialIntelligence and further sim-plify the system.

He said as the volume ofoperations grow, AI would beneeded to bring most appro-priate buyers and sellers togeth-er for transactions.

"Use of AI would also actas a watchdog against businessmalpractices like collusion andcartelisation which often sneakin online business platforms,"Goyal said.

He cautioned GeM officials

to keep a watch on such things.

"Goyal said that the trans-parency of the system shouldbe strengthened and no oneshould ever get a chance toraise doubts on the integrity ofGeM platform," the statementadded.

The minister was informedthat the pilot project to inte-grate GeM with the IndianRailways E-ProcurementSystem (IREPS) will belaunched by next month whilethe process of integrating GeMwith India Post and Ministry ofPanchayati Raj is in progress. Goyal asked GeM authorities towrap up the pending audit bythe Directorate ofStandardisation Testing andQuality Certification.

GeM is a 100 per cent gov-ernment owned company setup under the aegis ofDepartment of Commerce forprocurement of goods and ser-vices by Central and State gov-ernment organisations. PTI

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6��(��;��A��6�"�� ?<<��0<B��Mumbai:Domestic equityindices nursed losses for thesecond straight session onWednesday as investorsstayed on the s idel ines ahead of a crucial Fed policy

meeting outcome whereit is expected to announcetapering of its pandemic-erastimulus measures.

The 30-share BSE Sensexended 257.14 points or 0.43

per cent lower at 59,771.92.Similar ly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 59.75points or 0.33 per cent to17,829.20.

Sun Pharma was the top

laggard in the Sensex pack,falling 3.06 per cent, fol-lowed by IndusInd Bank,Kotak Bank, Bharti Airtel,ICICI Bank, M&M andHDFC Bank.

On the other hand, L&T,UltraTech Cement, AsianPaints, SBI, Tata Steel andBajaj Finance were among thegainers, spurting as much as3.99 per cent.

SBI jumped 1.14 per centafter the country's largestlender reported a 69 per centjump in consolidated netprofit at Rs 8.889.84 crore forthe September quarter on

account of a decline in badloans.

"After a sideways move-ment post its positive open-ing, the indices took a down-turn as major global indices

traded weak ahead of theFed policy announcement,"said Vinod Nair, Head ofResearch at Geojit FinancialServices.

PTI

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Aroadside bomb struck aTaliban patrol in a strong-

hold of Islamic State terroristsin eastern Afghanistan onWednesday, killing two peopleand wounding three, witness-es said.

There was no immediateclaim of responsibility, but theattack bore the hallmarks ofprevious ISIS strikes against theTaliban. The two groups arebitter rivals, and ISIS hasstepped up attacks since theTaliban takeover ofAfghanistan in August.

Wednesday’s bomb wentoff in the city of Jalalabad, thecapital of Nangarhar province.

A Taliban district com-mander in the city confirmedthe blast and said four Talibanfighters were wounded. Thecommander, who identifiedhimself as Mubariz — and likemany Afghans goes by onename — did not provide detailsabout those killed in the attack,saying the investigation con-tinues.

In recent weeks, Talibanofficials have been reluctant orslow to release details aboutTaliban fatalities, in an appar-ent attempt to play down theextent of the damage beinginflicted by ISIS.

The Jalalabad attack camea day after ISIS attackers set offan explosion at the gate of a400-bed military hospital in thecapital of Kabul, killing threewomen, a child and threeTaliban guards said. Five

assailants were also killed in theattack.

Taliban officials said guardsprevented the attackers fromentering the hospital.

ISIS claimed that one ofthose killed in the hospitalattack was a senior Talibancommander who had played aleading role in the group’sAugust 15 takeover of Kabul.Taliban officials said they couldnot immediately confirm thecommander had been killed.

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This week’s global climatetalks in Scotland and the

recent G-20 summit in Romearen’t the only internationalmeetings that China’s leaderhas not attended in person. XiJinping hasn’t left China innearly 22 months, sinceJanuary 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic first exploded.

His absence drew criti-cism from U.S. President JoeBiden and questions aboutChina’s commitment to reduc-ing greenhouse gas emissions.China, the world’s biggest emit-ter, has pledged to begin reduc-ing its output by 2030 andreach carbon neutrality by2060. The US and others haveurged China to advance thosegoals, but it has balked so far.

“We made our promisesand we honor our promiseswith actions,” China climateenvoy Xie Zhenhua said inGlasgow, blaming America’snow-reversed withdrawal fromthe Paris climate accord underformer President DonaldTrump for a “wasted five years”in tackling climate change.

China may not be ready tooffer any new initiatives on cli-mate, but Xi’s non-appearancealso reflects the ruling

Communist Party’s zero toler-ance approach to controllingthe coronavirus. After being thefirst country overwhelmed withthe disease in early 2019, it hasstamped out its reappearanceswith strict lockdowns, quaran-tines and travel restrictions.

The government has goneto great lengths to protect Xiand other leaders from Covid-19. He has met other worldleaders and attended globalmeetings, but only by videolink from China. Xi doesn’tnormally give news confer-ences, but other leaders such asPremier Li Keqiang have metwith the media only by video,and even then, journalists havehad to test negative for Covid-19 to participate remotely.

Xi last left China in January2020 for a trip to neighboringMyanmar. That was shortlybefore the outbreak, firstdetected in the Chinese city ofWuhan, started to spread wide-ly worldwide. China has comeunder pressure from the USand others to reveal moreinformation about the origin ofthe pandemic and has beenaccused of mismanaging theinitial outbreak and then seek-ing to cover up its mistakes.

The pandemic has given Xia convenient excuse not totravel at a time when Chinafaces heavy criticism of itspolicies toward Muslims in itsXinjiang region and its crack-down on individual rights inHong Kong. Chinese leaders

are extremely image consciousand Xi’s public appearances arecarefully choreographed toavoid potentially embarrassingconfrontations.

His current stay-at-homeapproach contrasts with a for-merly heavy travel schedulethat took him across continentsas he tried to boost China’sinternational profile. First ladyPeng Liyuan, an accomplishedmusician, was often on hand toadd a bit of glamor and ahuman touch.

He met with the then-Japanese emperor in Tokyo,rode a gilded carriage withBritain’s Queen Elizabeth andpaid a visit to North Korea’s cap-ital that included a ride throughcity streets lined by tens of thou-sands of cheering citizens.

Such travels have under-scored a more assertive foreignpolicy under Xi, as the world’ssecond-largest economy seeksto extend its influence beyondEast Asia with his signature“Belt and Road” overseas infra-structure investment program.

Xi isn’t alone in skippingthe meetings in Rome andGlasgow. Russian PresidentVladimir Putin, whose countryhas aligned with China inopposing US influence in worldaffairs, also remained at home.

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ipation of the current fighting,including into India, aspokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

The UN team in Myanmar“remains deeply concernedover the recent escalation infighting in the northwestbetween the Myanmar Militaryand the local Popular DefenceForces in Chin State, as well asMagway and Sagaing regions,”Associate Spokesperson for theSecretary-General FlorenciaSoto Nino said at the daily pressbriefing on Monday.

She said this has led tomore people being displacedand the property beingdestroyed, nine months afterthe military seized control overthe Government of Myanmaron February 1. There havealso been worrying reports inrecent days of the shelling and

burning of more than 160houses of civilians in the townof Thantlang in western Chin.

“Our humanitarian col-leagues say that some 37,000people, including women andchildren, are now displaced inthe country’s northwest. Manyhave fled their homes in antic-ipation of the current fighting,including into India,” Ninosaid, adding that this is inaddition to more than 7,000people who remain displacedfrom the previous fightingsince December 2019.

The UN team repeats itscalls for parties to the conflictto meet their obligations underinternational humanitarian lawto protect civilians and human-itarians, and reiterates that aidworkers and their propertiesshould never be a target, shesaid. The Myanmar military

staged a coup on February 1this year, nullifying the resultsof the November 2020 electionsand imposed a state of emer-gency after detaining hundredsof activists, civil servants andpoliticians, including Nobellaureate Aung San Suu Kyiand other leaders of herNational League forDemocracy (NLD).

The military staged thecoup amid its rising frictionwith the ruling NLD govern-ment over the results of theNovember 8 general election.The NLD had registered athumping victory in the polls.However, the military hadalleged discrepancies in theelectoral process.

The democratic transitionin Myanmar had taken place in2011 after decades of military rule.

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About 37,000 people, includ-ing women and children,

are now displaced in Myanmar’srestive northwest and manyhave fled their homes in antic-

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The U.N. human rights chiefsaid Wednesday that

Ethiopia’s yearlong war hasbeen marked by “extreme bru-tality” as a joint investigationinto alleged atrocities faulted allsides for committing abuses,and “the big numbers of viola-tions” are linked to Ethiopian

forces and those from neigh-boring Eritrea.

The investigation was ham-pered by authorities’ intimida-tion and restrictions and did-n’t visit some of the war’sworst-affected locations. It saidall combatants have committedabuses which may amount tocrimes against humanity andwar crimes.

Taipei: Bumping their elbowsin greeting, European Unionparliamentarians met withTaiwan’s premier onWednesday in the first officialvisit of an EU delegation to theself-ruled island, which is alsoclaimed by China.

Thirteen members of theEU committee on foreign inter-ference in democratic process-es are visiting Taiwan, after theEuropean Parliament passed aresolution last month callingfor the body to “intensify EU-Taiwan political relations.”

“Although we are geo-graphically very far away,between our two sides, weshare the same values, such asfreedom, democracy, humanrights and rule of law. ... Inthose regards, we are actuallyvery close,” Taiwan’s Premier SuTseng-chang said. AP

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Led by CongresswomanCarolyn B Maloney from

New York, lawmakers onWednesday announced that aBill has been introduced in theHouse of Representatives todeclare Diwali, festival of lights,a federal holiday.

“I’m very, very happy andexcited to be introducing theDeepavali Day Act this weekalongside members of theCongressional Indian Caucus,which will enshrine Diwaliinto law as a federal holiday,”Maloney said at an event at theUS Capitol.

The historic legislation isco-sponsored by a number oflawmakers including Indian-American CongresswomanRaja Krishnamoorthi,

Krishnamoorthi has alsointroduced a resolution in theUS Congress recognising the

religious and historical signif-icance of Diwali.

Maloney said that Diwalithis year symbolises the nation’scontinuing journey out of thedarkness of Covid-19.

“I am very proud to cele-brate with you the victory oflight over darkness, the tri-umph of good over evil and thepursuit of knowledge overignorance as we do every day.It is truly appropriate thatDiwali this year symbolisesour nation’s continuing journeyout of the darkness of Covid-19 and the terrible effects thatDemocrat depended on thepeople of our nation,” she said.

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Days after direct flight operationsbetween Srinagar and Sharjah wereresumed, some media reported in Pakistanthat an Indian airline had violatedPakistani airspace multiple times. Pakistanmedia also claimed India did not seek per-mission from any Pakistani authoritybefore using airspace for flights betweenthe occupied territory and the emirate.

Later, the Pakistan Civil AviationAuthority claimed that they have grantedpermission to use its air space. After that,a controversy erupted that foreign officewas not kept in the loop while grantingpermission to Indian flights.

“In view of the situation in Jammu &Kashmir and India’s attitude, oppressionand barbarity...and the violation of rightsin the region, we have decided not to givepermission to the Indian Prime Ministerand we have conveyed this decision to theIndian High Commission,” Pakistan for-eign ministry had said in a statement in2019. The first international flight from theSrinagar airport to Dubai was started onFebruary 14, 2009 by Air India Express.However, the service was discontinued dueto low demand.

Besides, Pakistan continues to delay itsresponse to India’s request to allow the pas-sage of its trucks to Afghanistan, therebyrestricting the movement of aid, includingessential food grains such as wheat, to thewar-torn country, which is already facinga food shortage. India has recently reachedout to Pakistan requesting approval for thepassage of 5,000 trucks carrying 50,000metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan.India has also expressed its desire to sendmedical

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The Prime Minister noted that the reli-gious leaders are very enthusiastic aboutthe vaccination campaign.

Recalling his meeting with PopeFrancis at the Vatican a few days ago, hecalled for a special emphasis on taking themessage of religious leaders on vaccines tothe public. Speaking to the officials, he

urged them to change gears from makingarrangements earlier for taking people tothe vaccination centres and getting themsafely vaccinated to now administeringvaccines door-to-door. Modi urged thehealth workers to reach every house withthe passion of “har ghar tika, ghar-ghartika” (vaccine at every doorstep).

He also urged the officials to work withthe spirit of “har ghar dastak” (knockingon every door) to ensure full vaccinationof both doses.”Now we are preparing totake the vaccination campaign to eachhousehold. With the mantra of ‘har ghardastak’, every household lacking the secu-rity net of a double dose of vaccine will beapproached,” he said. The Prime Ministercautioned that while reaching out toevery house, equal attention needs to bepaid to the second dose along with the firstdose of the vaccine. “You will have to con-tact those people who have not taken thesecond dose despite the stipulated time ona priority basis...Ignoring this has createdproblems for many countries in the world,”he said.

He said Diwali is being celebrated afterthe important milestone of administering1 billion doses and people should moveforward with the resolve that they wouldcelebrate Christmas after achieving newgoals. Immediately after returning from hisvisit to Italy and Glasgow to attend the G20and COP 26 meetings, the Prime Ministerheld the review meeting with the officialsof districts with less than 50 per cent cov-erage of the first dose and low coverage ofthe second dose of Covid vaccine.

During the interaction, the PrimeMinister also discussed the issue of vac-cine hesitancy and the local factors behindit in detail. He discussed a wide array ofideas that can be implemented for ensur-ing 100 per cent vaccination coverage inthese districts. Modi spoke about max-imising community engagement throughreligious and community leaders, thestatement said.

Modi exhorted all officials to ensurethat the country widens its vaccinationcoverage by the end of the year and entersthe new year with renewed self belief andconfidence. At the meeting, the unionhealth secretary gave an overview of thevaccination coverage in the country andalso an account of balance vaccine doseavailability in the states. The official alsotalked about special vaccination campaignsbeing run in the states to further improvevaccination coverage. The Prime Ministerthanked the Chief Ministers present and

said that their attention will encourage thedistrict to work with more determination.

�:=$D�#�;*09��,:�#:��Covaxin has demonstrated 77.8 per

cent effectiveness against symptomaticCOVID-19 and 65.2 per cent protectionagainst the new Delta variant. BharatBiotech said that it concluded the finalanalysis of Covaxin efficacy from Phase 3trials. WHO has so far approved Covid-19 vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech,AstraZeneca-SK Bio/Serum Institute ofIndia, Johnson 7 Johnson - Janssen,Moderna, and Sinopharm for emergencyuse.

Apart from its significance to Indiansinoculated with this vaccine, the WHOrecognitions brings recognition for Indianscientists as Covaxin is the first India-madevaccine against Covid

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His visit also comes in the backdropof the ongoing operation against the ter-rorists in the jungles of Poonch in Jammuregion for the last 22 days.

Besides reviewing the situation,Naravane will also visit some forward postsat the LOC and interact with the field com-manders on ground, sources added. Thisis his second visit to the region in the lastfortnight.

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“Some parties have already come withus, one among them is Rajbhar ji’s party(SBSP led by Om Prakash Rajbhar). It isnatural that my uncle also has a party andhe will be given full respect and we willhave an alliance with his party also.”

This is the first indication of a rap-prochement in the first family of theSamajwadi Party since Shivpal’s leaving itin 2018. Akhilesh said there will be analliance with his uncle’s party and not amerger, when asked about the nature oftheir pact. There was a falling out betweenthe nephew and uncle in 2017.

Allegedly upset over his diminishingstature in the party, Shivpal had brokenaway and floated a new party altogetherin 2018 and called it Pragatisheel

Samajwadi Party-Lohia. The souring of their relation was exac-

erbated with Akhilesh’s taking over thereins of the party in 2017.

Shivpal Yadav is an MLA fromJaswantnagar seat in Etawah.

The SP supremo, Mulayam SinghYadav, is yet to talk about details of the pro-posed alliance and seat-sharing with hisyounger brother.

Shivpal has also on several occasionsexpressed keenness to join hands with hisnephew saying he has been waiting for hisresponse. Samajwadi Party suffered biglosses in the 2017 assembly polls, slippingto 47 from 224 seats in 2012.

The family feud that began to show in2016-17 has been attributed to be one ofthe causes of the party’s bad showing at thehustings. An old hand in politics, Shivpal,along with Mulayam, is considered to haveplayed an important role in strengtheningthe Samajwadi Party since its early days.

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The reduction follows unrelentinghike in international oil prices pushingpump rates across the country to theirhighest-ever levels.

While petrol is above Rs 100-a-litre-mark in all major cities, diesel has crossedthat level in more than one-and-a-halfdozen states. The total increase in petrolprice since the May 5, 2020 decision of thegovernment to raise excise duty to recordlevels now totals Rs 38.78 per litre.

Diesel rates have during this periodgone up by Rs 29.03 per litre.

The relentless increase in fuel priceshad been severely criticised by Oppositionparties, particularly Congress which haddemanded that the government reduce itsexcise duty.

Based on April to October consump-tion numbers, the loss of revenue to thegovernment due to the excise duty cut willbe Rs 8,700 crore per month. This totalsto an annual impact of over Rs 1 lakh crore,industry sources said. For the remainderof the current fiscal, the impact would beRs 43,500 crore. The cut in excise duty willbring relief to motorists. The relief will bebigger for trucks and agri sector -- thebiggest users of diesel.

"The reduction in excise duty on dieselwill be double that of petrol. The Indianfarmers have, through their hard work,kept the economic growth momentum

going even during the lockdown phase andthe massive reduction in excise on dieselwill come as a boost to the farmers dur-ing the upcoming Rabi season," the state-ment said. The ministry said in recentmonths, crude oil prices have witnessed aglobal upsurge. "Consequently, domesticprices of petrol and diesel had increasedin recent weeks exerting inflationary pres-sure." The world, it said, has also seenshortages and increased prices of allforms of energy.

"The Government of India has madeefforts to ensure that there is no energyshortage in the country and that com-modities such as petrol and diesel are avail-able adequately to meet our require-ments," it added. "To give a further fillipto the economy, the Government of Indiahas decided to significantly reduce theexcise duty on diesel and petrol."

The reduction in excise duty will alsoboost consumption and keep inflation low,thus helping the poor and middle classes.The decision is expected to further spurthe overall economic cycle.

Prior to the cut, the government's col-lection from levy of excise duty on petro-leum products had risen 33 per cent in thefirst six months of the current fiscalwhen compared to last year and was 79 percent more than pre-COVID levels.

Data available from the ControllerGeneral of Accounts (CGA) in the UnionMinistry of Finance showed excise dutycollections during April-September 2021surging to over Rs 1.71 lakh crore, fromRs 1.28 lakh crore mop-up in the sameperiod of the previous fiscal.

Thanks to the March-May 2020 hikein excise duty rates, the collection is 79 percent more than the Rs 95,930 crore mop-up in April-September 2019.

For the full 2020-21 fiscal, excise col-lections were Rs 3.89 lakh crore and Rs 2.39lakh crore in 2019-20, the CGA datashowed.

After the introduction of the Goodsand Services Tax (GST) regime, excise dutyis levied only on petrol, diesel, ATF andnatural gas. All other goods and servicesare under the GST regime.

Minister of State for Petroleum andNatural Gas Rameswar Teli had in Julytold Parliament that the union govern-ment's tax collections on petrol and dieseljumped by 88 per cent to Rs 3.35 lakh crorein the year to March 31, 2021 (2020-21 fis-cal) from Rs 1.78 lakh crore a year back.

Excise collection in pre-pandemic2018-19 was Rs 2.13 lakh crore.

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With each tide, Abdus Satter watch-es the sea erode a little more of his

life.His village of Bonnotola in south-

western Bangladesh, with its muddyroads and tin-roofed houses, was oncehome to over 2,000 people. Most werefarmers like the 58-year-old Satter. Thenthe rising seas poisoned the soil with saltwater. Two cyclones in the last two yearsdestroyed the mud embankments thatshielded the village from tidal waves.

Now, only 480 people remain, withthe rest rendered homeless by the sea.

The effects of global warming —particularly increased cyclones, andcoastal and tidal flooding that bring saltwater further inland — are devastatingBangladesh and destroying the liveli-hoods of millions, said MohammadShamsuddoha, chief executive of thenonprofit Center for ParticipatoryResearch Development.

“It’s a grave concern for a countrylike Bangladesh,” he said, adding thatprojections show some 30 million peo-ple may be displaced from the country’scoastal regions. With world leadersgathered in Glasgow, Scotland, for a U.N.climate conference this week, countrieslike Bangladesh are pressing for morefinancial support to cope with globalwarming. A decade-old deal for richcountries to give poor nations $100 bil-lion each year to switch to clean energyand adapt to climate change has not beenfulfilled. Even the money that is beingprovided — about $80 billion in 2019 —is spread too thin to make much of a dif-ference on the ground.

In Gabura, another village in theBengal River delta, Nazma Khatun, 43,has been struggling to feed her twodaughters. Half of her meager dailyincome — less than $3 from sewing andselling cloth — goes toward medicine forskin diseases she says everyone in the vil-lage suffers from due to rising sea lev-els, which have contaminated land andwater.

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Diwali is the festival of light — itcelebrates the triumph of good

over evil. It is an auspicious occasionfor Hindus all over the world, and inIndia, it is the festival of the year.Against the backdrop of the the festi-val, many couples tie the knot, so whynot combine them both?

Everyone wants a Karan Joharinspired wedding, and such dreamyBollywood weddings have a lot of tra-ditional elements that overlap with thefestival of Diwali. This beautiful cel-ebration has all the right componentsfor a stunning wedding, so why not hittwo birds with one stone?

Here are some handy tips andtricks to add a bright Diwali touch toyour wedding.

��Marigold flowersThe warm colours of yellow and

oranges are synonymous with Diwali.While almost every house is deckedwith lights and garlands, don’t under-estimate the importance and theimpact the humble marigold garlandcan have. These garlands are a main-stay in every Indian home during theDiwali season, and they can easily beincorporated into your wedding aswell. One can never go wrong usingsuch classic elements.

The warm colours of the simplemarigold pair stunningly well with thecolour scheme of a quintessentialIndian wedding. All the hues of yel-lows and oranges marry perfectlywith the bright reds, pinks, and evenblues. Long trails of marigolds can beused to decorate a wooden frame, andcoupled with fairy lights, they make forbeautiful photo ops as well. Anotherway to utilise the flower is by makinga canopy for low seating options likethe diwan. For functions like themehndi or haldi, they add a great popof colour by making flower floats ina brass patila or as simple jhalars.

��Eco-friendly firecrackersOne of the best parts of celebrat-

ing Diwali is by watching the livelyfirecrackers colour the night skywith sparkles and other fun shades.It is a beloved childhood memoryfor many of us. Nothing beats theanticipation you had for the night tofall so you could play with crackerswith your building friends or withyour family! Firecrackers are avail-able throughout the year, but thereis a greater variety of firecrackersavailable during Diwali. So why nottake advantage of this fact? Therehas been a lot of controversies sur-rounding the use of firecrackers, asthey are usually neither ethicallysourced nor sustainable in nature.Many companies have come forward

with sustainable and ethicallysourced firecrackers, like Phool.These crackers are a wonderfulaccessory to be used in any wed-ding, as they are equally as beau-tiful as “regular” crackers butwithout all the questions sur-rounding them. Buy extra fire-works so you can end your wed-ding ceremony with a literal bang.If you are aversive about choosingthe big cracker, worry not! A sim-ple phooljadi can also work won-ders. Ask your wedding photog-rapher to take some pre-weddingpictures in a low-exposure settingwhile you and your partner makehearts with them. This results ina great photo opportunity whilemaking a memory last a lifetime.

� Use those diyasDon’t throw away those diyas just

yet! This simple yet essential Diwaliaccessory can make for some greatdecor options for your wedding.Paint and decorate diyas with yourfamily and friends before your wed-ding, as a bonding activity. While youare busy painting those clay diyas,request your wedding photographersto click away! This activity makes forsome beautiful candid photos, with-out having to strain to pose discreet-ly.

The possibilities are endless whenit comes to using diyas as decor.Adorn the entrance to your weddingby lining the hallways with simple claydiyas by placing them in intricate cop-per holders. Another great way toutilise this Diwali staple is by placingthem in a flower float or in the mid-dle of an elaborate rangoli during thesangeet or mehndi. With such asmall decorative piece, it is easy to addit into various configurations, makingfor soft and subtle illumination.

The importance of light cannot beunderestimated — it signifies newbeginnings. By getting married, youare starting a new chapter of your lifewith your significant other. Whileblessings are very important, it is alsoequally crucial to embark on such agorgeous journey with a lot of bright-ness, happiness, and illumination byyour side.

(The author is the founder andCEO of Theme Weavers Designs, a

leading destination wedding planner.)

The festive season is thattime of the year when you

forget your troubles, enjoy timewith friends and family, cele-brate with lip smacking food butoften tend to leave behind yourfitness goals. What if we tell youthat you can indulge your sweettooth and still maintain yourdiet and keep your fitness incheck, thus relishing the essenceof the festivities.

This might sound unrealis-tic but is definitely possible.Celebrating festivals withfriends and family adds anextra layer of happiness and youshould not let the fear of losingyour fitness goals get in the wayof this enjoyment. All you haveto do is smartly keep a count onyour calories and follow the tipsprovided below:

�Focus on homemadefood

Who doesn’t love festivefood and sweets? Try cookinghomemade delicacies, as one ofthe best things about home-cooked food is that you can pre-pare it the way you want, keep-ing a track of the calories in it.

You can alter the ingredi-ents of the recipe, especiallysugar and other extra greasyitems in the list. This will notonly help you to monitor theingredients and the quantity ofthe food but will also keep youstay away from unhealthy deli-cacies.

�Don’t skip exerciseThis is the time of the year

when we should not forget toexercise. While you will be eat-ing the delicacies, exercise willhelp burn those extra calories.

Even if a rigorous workout

isn’t possible, go for a run, or ajog. Take out some time forexercise and try not ditchingyour workout session as it willhelp keep your fitness in check.

�Eat in moderationDuring social gatherings, it

is normal to lose control of yourdiet. Almost every person fallsinto the trap of scrumptiousmeals, further compromisingtheir fitness.

The key here is to keep acheck on the portions. Eatmindfully. This doesn’t meanstarving or depriving yourself offood but involves monitoringmeal size and time and avoidovereating. One of the smartesttricks to enjoy food during aholiday season is to pick and eatin small quantities. Compensatewhenever possible, if you havehad two pieces of jalebi inlunch, skip sweets for dinnerand maybe bite into a fruit.

�Curb cravings with fruitsWhenever you feel the urge

to have a snack or a dessert in

between your meals, crunchyour cravings with fruits.

They are extremely healthyand keeps you away fromadding unhealthy food items toyour plate. Also, they not onlysatisfy your sweet tooth, buttheir juiciness adds to the watercontent in your body, whichhelps you keep yourself hydrat-ed.

�Sleep wellIt can get hectic and

exhausting, with late nightgames, parties and all the asso-ciated fun. Make sure you get agood night’s sleep of seven-eight hours to give your bodythe energy to function and cel-ebrate.

Now that you are equippedwith some tips and tricks to stayon track of those fitness goals,we trust you to make the mostof this fitness season.

(The author is a nutritionand fitness coach at FITTR, acommunity-first online health

and fitness platform.)

After a fully engaging day packedwith appointments, and now weare bound to be overwhelmed

with family gathering during the weddingand festive season , imagine entering yourhome to an enticing smell that instant-ly boosts your energy. You can amp upyour holistic wellness by enumerating ele-ments of elegance and charm to yoursweet abode with intoxicating fragrances.The idea is to feel at home with enchant-ing and alluring aromas that can fill upany living space with joy and happiness.

A motivating environment torecharge the day, this is when our senseof smell comes to the rescue. Soothingand transformative, perfumes add joyand a sense of comfort by invoking emo-tions. Remember when someone quot-ed “nothing is memorable than a smell”,we still rely on this supremacy to keepus in high spirits.

Perfumes have had cultural signifi-cance in Indian history. Ancient textsdepict how perfumed oils were extract-ed from plants for various purposes. Itis said that in the distant past, homes wereinfused with herbs and fragrances toward off bacteria. As a part of the gen-erational practices, the use of scents is stillgoing strong while performing certain rit-uals.

During religious ceremonies or fes-tivities, incense or camphor is burnt toclear negative energy. Perfumes have beenforging links among humans with mem-ories. It was considered an exotic giftingitem in the earlier times among the roy-als. From the exquisite agarwood, to theluxurious musk rose, sandalwood, Indianaromatics are still highly traded itemsacross the globe that exuberate affluence,wealth and prestige.

We have curated an ideal blend ofsophistication and luxury below, for atranquil atmosphere where you can sitand recharge your spirits while sippingyour favorite cuppa.

�Sandalwood: This is one of thehighly valued fragrant woods widely usedin perfumery and other cosmetics for itshealing properties. It has a captivatingaroma and precious-woody scent impart-ing a long-lasting effect and its use canbe traced back to thousands of years dur-ing the ancient civilisations. In aro-

matherapy, its oil is used to calm tiredminds and enhance sleep quality. Manystudies suggest that its fragrance may helpin alleviating anxiety issues.

How to use it: Burn sandalwoodincense in your living space and instant-ly oomph up the atmosphere.

Note: A blend of sandalwood andfrankincense essential oil makes a greatpair in creating a fragrant avenue formeditation. It is highly recommendedthat you use this in a reed diffuser.

�Patchouli: Native to tropical cli-mates, the sweet, musky and spicypatchouli has been a fashion favorite formany. It has an addictive strong baseespoused with calming effects. Its oil issaid to relieve symptoms of depressionand anxiety apart from treating variousskin conditions.

How to use it: Rub a few drops ofPatchouli oil on a cloth and place it onyour pillow before going to bed. Enjoya relaxing sleep and wake up happy thenext day.

�Cedarwood: The pleasant andcamphoraceous odor of Cedarwood iswidely known for its grounding, protec-

tive energy. Its purifying fragrance helpsin addressing feelings of safety andcomfort that aids in emotional balance.

How to use it: You can sprinkle a fewdrops of cedarwood essential oil on a tis-sue paper and smell it all day or use a mistbottle and spray it on dried flowers.

�Eucalyptus: Known as an allrounder and a miracle worker, eucalyp-tus oil is not just celebrated for its med-

icinal properties but also works as an airpurifier. Its woody and citrusy notes canbe addictive and used for relaxation. It isa natural disinfectant loaded with antibac-terial, antiviral properties and can be usedas a mosquito repellent too.

How to use it: Use it in your plug-inair freshener to make your living spacesmell luxurious all day.

�Orange: The fruity and deliciousorange is one of the most popularly usedfragrances across the globe. The citrusyaroma has a feel good factor, aiding in stressrelief and boosting mood. You can createa cheerful and relaxing aura with the mildfragrance whenever you feel anxious.

How to use it: Pour a few drops oforange oil and fill the reservoir of yourceramic diffuser with adequate water. Placea tea light candle underneath and Voila!

�Lemon: The juicy yellow fruit is ahousehold staple used both in culinary ornon-culinary purposes. It has a distinctivecreamy-citrusy aroma with soothingattributes that can make you feel energizedall day. The fragrance of lemon is healingand can aid in anxiety and symptoms ofdepression.

How to use it: Pillar candles havebeen a festive favorite to accentuatethemed parties. However, you can uselemon scented candles at any time of theday to enliven your space.

�Mandarin: The delicate and sweetmandarin has notes of both tangy andfruity aroma, widely known for creatinga happy aura. It has the sweetest aromaand is blissful that can aid in circulation,calm tired minds and also boost drainedenergy. Mandarin oil is widely used topurify the air.

How to use it: Pour a few drops ofmandarin oil in an electric diffuser andthe aromatic gas will slowly disperse inthe air creating a soothing environment.

�Jasmine: The sweet floral jasminehas a combination of rich woody notewith an exotic fragrance. Known as anaphrodisiac scent, the charismatic jas-mine is widely used to cure sorrowfulminds, facilitating rest and upliftingenergy.

How to use it: Use few drops on acloth and place it on your pillow beforesleep for a relaxing night.

�Geranium: The floral and fruitygeranium has a hint of both spicy and softnote. In perfumery, geranium has a veryclose association with the queen offlowers, rose, due to their similar chem-istry. The scent is known to create nos-talgia in bringing back fond memories.

How to use it: The geranium oil canbe used in several ways ranging from theaesthetics or theme of your home. For aninviting feel, place your diffuser in theentrance of the home and turn it on asrequired.

�Lavender: One of the most popu-lar ingredients used in aromatherapy islavender oil. Multiple studies haverevealed how lavender has helped pro-mote wellness. It is associated withrelieving stress and anxiety.

How to use it: Add fragrance to yoursweet abode with the spectacular smellinglavender. It can be used anywherebetween, diffusers, candles or even indried flowers as you like it.

(The author is an aromatherapy prac-titioner, perfumer, organic skincare formu-

lator and the founder of Wikka India.)

Yash Raj Films’ Bunty Aur Babli 2, which is set torelease worldwide on November 19, is an out-and-

out comedy that will pit two sets of con artists calledBunty and Babli, from different generations, against eachother!

Stalwarts Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji play theOG Bunty-Babli while Siddhant Chaturvedi andSharvari Wagh, play the new Bunty-Babli. The familyentertainer is releasing this festive season and the castmembers are thrilled that the industry is set to celebrateDiwali after two long years as big films start hitting thecinemas now.

“As an industry, we are thrilled to be celebratingDiwali after two years. Our industry was the worst hitbecause of the pandemic and it is bouncing back now.We are confident that the audience will support us andcome back to the cinemas to watch good films, now thattheatres have opened across India. Films have been apart of festivities forever, as families come out to watchmovies to celebrate the occasion. We are confident thatit will be no different starting this Diwali,” shares Saif.

Rani notes, “Diwali has always been about togeth-erness, and this year, it holds more meaning as we arecelebrating this festival after a long while due to the pan-demic. Movies are meant for a community viewing expe-rience and now we can finally do that again. Bunty AurBabli 2 is a family entertainer and we wish to deliveron that promise.”

“Cinema and celebrations have always gone handin hand. All of us have so many happy memoriesattached to watching films in cinema halls. It’s been twoyears since we have done that together. It’s been two yearssince we have celebrated as a community. We are see-ing a glimmer of hope now and I’m certain that peo-ple will love to watch great entertainers on the big screen.Let’s return to the theatres and enjoy movies the waythey are meant to be,” adds Chaturvedi

Sharvari expresses, “The place that entertainedeveryone at every season, transported everyone to awhole new world, is back this Diwali. It is time that wecelebrate movies on the big screen. We wish everyonea Happy Diwali and we promise that audiences will bethoroughly entertained by our film.”

Bunty Aur Babli 2, set to release worldwide onNovember 19, has been directed by Varun V Sharma,who has worked as an assistant director in YRF’s Sultanand Tiger Zinda Hai.

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Power FinanceCorporation Ltd,

a Maharatna CPSEcompany and India’sleading power sectorfocussed non-bank-ing financial firm,announced theappointment of RajivRanjan Jha as director(Projects).

Jha was earlierworking as executivedirector (Projects) inPFC before his eleva-tion to the covetedrole. In his new role,he will be responsiblefor developing andenforcing soundstrategies to ventureinto new businessavenues and also

oversee the ongoingprojects funded bythe company.

He was earlierresponsible for theentire loan portfolioof private sector pro-jects under consor-tium lending withPFC as the lead finan-cial institution. Hehad also handled therenewable energyloan portfolio and hasworked extensively in

the area of projectappraisal (especiallyfor independent pri-vate power projects).He was also associat-ed with developmentand award of UMPPsfor which PFC is thenodal agency. Jhahas been instrumen-tal in resolving someof the large scalestressed assets with aloan value of around�10,000 crores.

During celebration of VigilanceAwareness week, an online

workshop on CDA Rules and a lec-ture on preventive vigilance wasconducted. On October 27, in theaugust presence of A K Behra,CGM(AM), Manoj Kumar, Sr GM(Vigilance) of NR-I headquarters,POWERGRID, Faridabad, the celebrations took place.

All sites and employees of NR-1 were connectedthrough VC/link provided on NR-I website during onlinesession. The first session on CDA rules was taken by AmalKumar, assistant manager (Vigilance-CC), while the sec-ond session on preventive vigilance /best practises in NR-I and system improvement was taken by Manoj Kumar,Sr GM (Vigilance), NR-I.

The key objective of the online workshop on CDARules was to make all employees aware of the conduct,discipline and appeal rules of POWERGRID in a prac-tical manner with lot of examples and visuals. Similarly,Sr GM(Vigilance), NR-I, during his online session, dis-cussed about a lot of grey areas (particularly in civilworks) where specific attention is required to be paid andemphasised on, something that all employees should keepon improving upon in the system by suggesting innov-ative ideas.

The Indo-TibetanBorder Police (ITBP)

organised a commemora-tive day to pay homage toits brave-hearted soldierswho made supreme sacri-fices in the line of duty atthe NPM, New Delhi.

Sanjay Arora, DG ofITBP, and senior officers ofthe force, along with theirfamily members, paid atribute to martyrs in theevening. A band displayprogramme was alsoorganised on the occasion.

The day-long pro-gramme was organised in

forenoon and in theevening sessions. 11 fami-lies of martyrs were felici-tated at the NPM.

The families paid trib-utes to the martyrs at thememorial and at the wall ofvalour. Apart from the mar-tyr’s families, families ofserving ITBP personnelalso visited the memorialand the museum at theNPM. Films themedaround valour and sacrificeof brave policemen of thenation were shown to thefamilies and men of theforces.

The NTPC Tamil Nadu EnergyCompany Limited (NTECL), a JV

Company of NTPC Limited andTANGEDCO (50:50) paid interim divi-dend of � 84,67,55,507 for the year2021-22 towards NTPC’s 50 per centshare.

Ramesh Babu V, chairman of NTECLand director (Operations), NTPC had pre-sented the cheque to Gurdeep Singh, chair-man and managing director, of NTPC.

The interim dividend is also beingpaid to the other joint venture partnersviz. TANGEDCO on its shareholding of50 per cent in NTECL.

Raj Nivas Puducherry opens, forpublic reading, a library calledNBT-India’s Knowledge

Communication Centre.National Book Trust, India’s Gyan

Samvaad Kendra (KnowledgeCommunication Centre) — the first ofits kind public library in the city wasinaugurated at Raj Nivas, Puducherryby the Lt Governor.

Inaugurating the library on theoccasion of 68th Liberation day, DrTamilisai appreciated the initiative byNBT and expressed, “The library willprove immensely beneficial in provid-ing information and assistance that isnecessary for learning and progress ofnot just the children and youth but alsothe adult population of the UT.”

The inauguration also saw theaugust presence of the Chief Ministerof Puducherry, N Rangasamy, as theguest of honour, chief secretary,Ashwani Kumar, as well as YuvrajMalik, the director of NBT, AnurupaNaik, head of the library and publicdivision of French Institute ofPondicherry, Sharad Mathur, MD andCEO of Universal Sompo GeneralInsurance Co Ltd and other senior offi-cials.

Rangasamy also congratulatedNBT for its extensive work in promo-tion of book-reading culture in thecountry. Speaking on the occasion,Yuvraj Malik, the director of NBTmentioned, "In tune with the govern-ment’s vision to make India a reading

society, the National Book Trust, India— in setting up of public librariesacross the length and breadth of thecountry — aims to make books avail-able to all as the first step towardsaccessibility and availability of readingmaterial.”

Mathur said, “It is our privilege tobe associated with National BookTrust, India, as part of the CSR ini-tiative. Our objective is to bringimprovement in the standard of basiceducation and the whole learningprocess nationwide by strengtheninginfrastructure, while providing basicfacilities.”

The library is open for the gener-al public from 10 am to 5 pm everyday, including holidays.

Starting with the integrity pledge on October26, the Vigilance Awareness week conclud-

ed on November 1, with the presentation onvarious activities undertaken during the week.The theme for the Vigilance Awareness week,this year, was ‘Independent India@75: SelfReliance with Integrity’.

During the concluding ceremony,Mukhmeet S Bhatia, the director general ofESIC and CPFC, EPFO emphasised upon thetransparency and implementation of robust ITsystem in service delivery mechanism. He fur-ther stressed upon the need of adoption of thebest practises as custodian of funds. JitendraKhare, CVO, ESIC and EPFO, in the presen-tation, elaborated on the major achievementsand accomplishments during preceding year.

The Vigilance Awareness week wasobserved in all the field offices and hospitalsof ESI corporation throughout India. Duringthe week, public awareness and interactionalong with transparency in the service deliv-ery was stressed upon. Various debates, semi-nars, essay writing, poster-making, slogan-writ-ing competitions, and so on, were organised inall ESIC institutions, which has created tremen-dous awareness amongst the stakeholders andthe public. The winners of the competitions inESIC and EPFO were also given certificates andawards during the concluding ceremony.

The Union Home Minister, AmitShah, launched the scheme by hand-

ing over the Ayushmaan card to a NSGpersonnel. He also handed overAyushmaan CAPF (Central ArmedPolice Force) scheme health cards to theDG of NSG for distribution to NSG per-sonnel. The Prime Minister, NarendraModi, has always given paramountimportance to the interests of the secu-rity forces of the country, and has takenmany steps for their welfare.

On the auspicious occasion of

Dhanvantri Pooja, which is celebratedin the honour of ‘the God of medicine’,the process of distribution of healthcards across CAPFs has begun. Shahalso launched Ayushmaan CAPFscheme on pilot basis in Assam onJanuary 23 this year, to provide health-care services to all CAPFs personneland their dependents.

Health cards’ distribution will beundertaken in all CAPFs and the num-ber of cards distributed will be displayedon the website of MHA on a daily basis.

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After the long break follow-ing the pandemic, Union

Tourism, Culture and Donerminister, G Kishan Reddy,has brought focus back on theneed for renewed drive fortourism promotion.

Reddy organised regionalconferences, in the recentmonths, to bring to improviseneed-based development ofinfrastructure.

Key issuesThe Southern Regional

Conference brought focus onthe potential of cruise tourismin the Southern region. In theNorth-Eastern region, focuswas put on initiatives fordevelopment and enhance-ment of infrastructure andconnectivity.

These regional confer-ences had presentations andinteractions from Tourism,Shipping, Railways,Environment, Forest andClimate Change,Archaeological Survey ofIndia, NeGD, and Niti Aayogto appraise the participantsabout the various projects

and initiatives being takenby the Central Governmentfor development of the region.

The Ministry has alsoconstituted a committee ofofficials from the ministryand the stakeholders active inNER.

Revenge tourismIn the past few months,

there has been a surge indomestic tourism. Soon theborders will be opened forinternational tourists. In thisconnection, the Ministry hasnotified COVID-19 safety andhygiene protocols. TheMinistry has come up with aninnovative feature calledSystem for Assessment,Awareness and Training inHospitality Industr y(SAATHI) to ensure safety ofemployees and customers.

The Southern region hasshown good response in reg-istering their units on theportal to follow the necessaryprotocol; more than 10,000accommodation units haveregistered under SAATHI.

The Ministry of Tourismundertook development ofinfrastructure at tourist des-tinations across the countryunder its infrastructure devel-opment schemes viz SwadeshDarshan (SD) and PRASHAD(National Mission onPilgrimage Rejuvenation andSpiritual, HeritageAugmentation Drive).

SWADESH andPRASHAD schemes

Under the SwadeshDarshan scheme, 76 projectsare sanctioned across thecountry including differentthemes such as coastal circuit,Buddhist circuit, eco circuitand spiritual circuit.

15 projects in Southernstates worth �1,088 croreswere sanctioned. Under thescheme, tourism developmentis undertaken at tier II and tierIII destinations under differ-ent themes. There are 16 sanc-tioned projects in North Eastregion under SwadeshDarshan scheme for morethan � 1,300 crores. 37 pro-

jects are sanctioned in thecountry towards PRASHADscheme. Approximately ��200crores are sanctioned to theNorth east region for imple-mentation of Prasad scheme.

A total number of sixprojects have been sanctionedfor an amount of � 193.61crores that includes develop-ment of Kamakhya templeand pilgrimage destinations inGuwahati for an amount of�29.99 crores.

ConclusionLet’s vaccinate and take a

break from the routine, inorder to explore the rich her-itage of our country. There aremany destinations waiting tobe explored, in order tounderstand the civilisationalethos and show it to the nextgeneration. It's time to packup the bags and disappear inthe historical timeline.

(The writer is the ChiefCommunications officer at

the Office of Tourism,Culture and DoNER

Minister).

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CAPF personnel and theirfamilies will now be able to availcashless in-patient and out-patienthealthcare facilities at all hospitalsempanelled under AyushmaanBharat PM-JAY or CGHS.

To enable seamless services to

CAPF beneficiaries, NHA hascreated appropriate mechanismswith a dedicated toll-free helpline14588, an online grievance man-agement system, and a stringentfraud and abuse detection, preven-tion and control system.

Vigilance Awareness week wasobserved in Chittaranjan

Locomotive Works (CLW) fromOctober 27 to November 1, with thetheme of ‘Independent India @75: SelfReliance with Integrity’.

The vigilance webinar was inaugu-rated by Satish Kumar Kashyup, gener-al manager, on November 1, by light-ing the lamp. An educative compiledvideo was also presented in the semi-

nar. An opening song was presented byCLW Cultural association during theseminar.

Ramashish Yadav, Chief Vigilanceofficer and SDGM stressed upon theneed to encourage the staff and officersto combat corruption from the society.

A colourful souvenir ‘KIRAN 2021’was also released on this occasion fol-lowed by the welcome address by M KChatterjee, DyCVO.

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India's senior opener RohitSharma moved a place up to

23rd in the batting chart whilepace spearhead Jasprit

Bumrah jumped 10 placesto joint 24th in the ICC men'sT20 rankings issued onWednesday.

Pakistan captain BabarAzam's two successive half-centuries in the T20 WorldCup have helped him overtakeEngland's Dawid Malan andgrab the No. 1 position for bat-ters in the latest chart.

Babar, who scored 51against Afghanistan and 70against Namibia to lead the2009 champions into the semi-finals, is at the top for the sixthtime in his career. The 27-year-old had first attained top posi-tion in January 28, 2018. He ispresently also ranked No. 1 inODIs.

Babar's tally of 834 ratingpoints keeps him 36 points

ahead of Malan but Babar'scareer best remains 896 ratingpoints that he achieved after

scoring 65 against England atCardiff on May 5, 2019. Malanhad been at the top since

November 29 last year.Buttler has gained eight

slots to reach a career-bestninth position after smashinghis maiden T20I hundredagainst Sri Lanka while Roywas up five places to 14th.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasarangahas topped the bowling chartfor the first time in his careerafter two successive three-wicket hauls against SouthAfrica and England.

He replaced South Africa'sTabraiz Shamsi, who was at thetop since April 10 this year. Thetop four bowlers in the rank-ings are all wrist spinners,with England's Adil Rashidovertaking Afghanistan'sRashid Khan to take thirdplace with a career-best 730rating points.

A fast bowler who hasmade rapid rise is SouthAfrica's Anrich Nortje, whogained 18 slots to reach seventhposition.

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Rohit Sharma brought hiscarefree elegance to thetable while KL Rahul

was classy as ever in India'simposing win againstAfghanistan in their must-win Super 12 game of the ICCT20 World Cup here onWednesday.

India made 210 for 2 in 20overs and beat Afghanistan by66 runs as the later could makeonly 144 for 7 in 20 overs.

While they would stillhave to bear the criticism ofhaving flattered to deceiveagainst Pakistan and NewZealand, Rohit (74 off 47balls) and KL Rahul (69 off 48balls) made a mockery ofAfghanistan's inexperiencedattack, putting up a record 140runs for the opening stand.

This was also the highesttotal in this edition of T20World Cup but one can onlyhope that it hasn't come twomatches too late.

It couldn't be denied thatsave Rashid Khan, who wastaken to task by Rohit in histhird over, the other Afghanswere pedestrian at best, leav-ing Hardik Pandya (35 no off13 balls) and Rishabh Pant (27

no off 13 balls) to feast duringthe death overs.

The Pandya-Pant duoclobbered 63 runs in 3.3 oversto take the total which looked

beyond Afghanistan's reach.The mid-130s speed of

the pacers and lack of swingwith not much pace off thetrack was an ideal recipe for

disaster against the two Indianopeners, who were smartingafter back-to-back failures.

On a track where the ballwas gripping, Afghanistan

captain Mohammed Nabistarted with his off-breaksand introduced left-arm spin-ner Sharafuddin Ashraf fromthe other end.

For the two Indian open-ers, who needed a few bigshots to get into the groove,there couldn't have been amore mouth-watering optionas Rohit was the first one offthe block with an inside-outlofted boundary over extra-cover off Nabi and a lap-shotoff Sharafuddin.

When pacer Naveen ulHaq was introduced, Rohitopened his stance to slash thebowler past point and astraight six while Rahul alsogot his share of boundaries.

The 50 of the inningscame in five overs but it wasveteran pacer Hamid Hasan,who bowled the last over of thePowerplay to put a brief brakeon scoring during that phaseafter the fielding restrictionswere lifted.

However, the good startmeant that 85 came off thefirst 10 overs with both open-ers looking solid for accelera-tion towards the back-10.

One of the better bound-aries from Rohit was the onewhich he guided a Gulbadin

Naib delivery towards third-man fence, using the bounceto inch towards his half-cen-tury.

The 23rd T20International fifty came whenhe square-cut an off-colourNaveen to the boundary andRahul followed suit with a sixover square leg off the samebowler and then loftingGulbadin over extra cover toreach the milestone.

By the time Rashid (0/36in 4 overs) came for his finalspell, Rohit and Rahul werecompeting to out-score eachother.

Rohit saved his best forRashid when he lofted thespinner towards deep mid-wicket even when he hadn'treached to the pitch of thedelivery but the bat-swing didit for him. The next was pic-ture perfect as it was sent soar-ing into grass banks.

By the time Rohit was outtrying to smash Karim Janatover extra cover, he had goteight fours and three sixes.

Rahul was also dismissedwithin another seven runs,being cleaned up by Gulbadinas he tried to shuffle towardsoff-stump but by then a solidplatform was laid.

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Having learnt a harsh lessonwith Hardik Pandya's

mysterious injury saga, thenational selectors will be look-ing at potential seam bowlingall-rounders during the SyedMushtaq Ali T20 Trophy whichgets underway on Thursday.

Fast bowling all-rounderswill also be on the IPL teams'radar ahead of the mega auc-tion.

All-rounder HardikPandya is no longer the fearedall-rounder that he used to beand his back will perhaps neverallow him to be the brisk fast-medium bowler that he wasonce upon a time.

In the ongoing T20 WorldCup, there was a lot of debatesurrounding Hardik's bowl-ing.

The Baroda-based crick-eter was picked in the Indianteam as an all-rounder, but thecolourful player did not bowlagainst Pakistan and bowledonly a couple of overs againstNew Zealand, where he con-ceded 17 runs.

Thus, the selectors willnow have to look at the poten-tial alternatives and cannot

just bank on Hardik and theMushtaq Ali Trophy will pro-vide the perfect platform forthe likes.

�� +��)��2�@��2��+��,��ABU DHABI: Injury-pronemystery spinner VarunChakravarthy's fitness issuescropped up as he was ruled outof India's T20 World Cup gameagainst Afghanistan here onWednesday.

"Varun Chakravarthy has aleft calf issue. He was not avail-able for selection for this game,"a BCCI media statementsaid.

Chakravarthy failed to geta single wicket in the twogames that he played and hadthe injury not cropped up, hewas supposed to be benched asneither Pakistan nor NewZealand did have any problemin facing him.

Ravichandran Ashwin,who last played an internation-al game in June in the WorldTest Championship, finally gota game after nearly four andhalf months. In fact, Ashwin isplaying a white-ball game afterfour year

DUBAI: Former Pakistanwomen's team skipper SanaMir is impressed with the con-sistent manner in which BabarAzam and his men have per-formed in the T20 World Cup,a trait not often associatedwith the squad. Pakistan havebecome the team to beat in theongoing tournament. Armedwith a potent bowling attackand a solid batting unit, the

2009 champions are yet to losea fixture, registering wins overIndia, New Zealand,Afghanistan and Namibia.

They have already sealed asemifinal berth.

"What has impressed memost about Pakistan at theICC Men's T20 World Cup2021 has been their consisten-cy," Mir wrote in her columnfor ICC.

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ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021Match 34

Australia vs

BangladeshDubai International Stadium

Head-to-Head in T20s

In T20 World CupPlayed

Won

Lost

Highest Total

4

0

4

Played

Won

Lost

Highest Total

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4

5

9

5

4

158/3

AU

ST

RA

LIA

BA

NG

LA

DE

SH

Nov 4, 3:30 pm IST

156/5

ICCRank

6

ICCRank

9

156/5

7

2

5

177/5

ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021Match 35

West Indies

Sri Lankavs

Sheikh Zayed Stadium,

Abu Dhabi

Head-to-Head in T20s

In T20 World CupPlayed

Won

Lost

Highest Total

7

5

2

Played

Won

Lost

Highest Total

14

7

7

14

7

7

196/4

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IND

IES

SR

I L

AN

KA

Nov 4, 7:30 pm IST

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ICCRank

8

ICCRank

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Opener Martin Guptill's blistering 56-ball 93,which was built around monstrous sixes and

authoritative batting, set up a 16-run win for NewZealand over a spirited Scotland in the T20 WorldCup here on Wednesday.

In all, Guptill smashed seven sixes and six foursas New Zealand posted 172 for five in the Group 2Super 12 match. Scotland replied with 156 for fivein their allotted 20 overs at the Dubai InternationalCricket Stadium. Michael Leask blazed away to anunbeaten 42 off 20 balls, but his effort was not enoughfor the Scots. Most of his big hits were directedtowards the mid-wicket region and by the time he

was done with his knock, Guptill was overcome withexhaustion in the extreme heat.

One of New Zealand's prolific run-scorers overmany years, Guptill added 105 runs for the fourthwicket with Glenn Phillips (33) to put his team in acommanding position.

Asked to bat first, New Zealand were off to a briskstart with Guptill leading the way in the company ofDaryl Mitchell (13). As many as 13 runs came in thematch's very first over bowled by Bradley Wheal(2/40), but Safyaan Sharif (2/28) made an excellentstart in the next over, giving away just one run. Playingthis game in place of an injured Josh Davey, AlasdairEvans was smashed for two successive boundaries byGuptill through the point region, the batter cutting

with utter disdain on both occasions.Mitchell too got himself a boundary against

Wheal but the opener was trapped in front of thewicket by Sharif in the fifth over. The on-field umpire'sdecision was challenged, albeit unsuccessfully, by thebatter. In the middle of the fine first spell, seamerSharif got the big wicket of New Zealand captain KaneWilliamson (0) four balls later, as a diving MatthewCross completed a good catch behind the stumps afterthe batter failed to connect properly while playing itdown the leg side. Unperturbed by the double blows,Guptill smashed Evans for a maximum over back-ward square leg fence, as the Kiwis collected a pro-ductive 52 runs during power play, with 16 of themcoming in the sixth over.

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