· 3/8/2021  · meet the top bjp leadership amid speculation that the party is mulling a change...

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T he first day of the second part of the Budget Session of Parliament was virtually washed out due to the uproar created by the Opposition over fuel price rise. In the Rajya Sabha, while the Congress wanted a discus- sion right away on the issue, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not allow and said the mat- ter could be raised during debate on the appropriation Bill in the coming days. In the Lok Sabha, members of the Congress, the Shiv Sena, the Indian Union Muslim League gave adjournment motion notices over the con- tinuous rise in petrol, diesel and LPG prices. After Speaker Om Birla rejected notices of adjournment motion moved by Opposition members over the issue, they started raising slogans. Birla appealed to protesting members several times to let the House function so that women members can raise their issues on International Women’s Day, but as the din continued around 5.15 pm, he adjourned the Lok Sabha till 7 pm. The Congress made its intentions clear on disrupting the proceedings as soon as the Rajya Sabha met for the first day of the second half of the Budget Session. The newly- elected Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue and sought a discussion on the “burning issue.” “This is very important issue and it is a burning subject. Throughout the country, peo- ple are agitated,” Kharge said. Petrol prices touched nearly 100 a litre while diesel rates were more than 80 per litre and LPG prices also increased, he said adding the Government had collected 21 lakh crore by putting excise duty and cess on petroleum products. He said farmers and peo- ple were suffering because of rise in prices but the Chairman did not allow his notice under Rule 267 to suspend business for the day and discuss the issue. Naidu reiterated that the members will get ample oppor- tunity to put the Government on the mat on the issue during the forthcoming debates. A Delhi court on Monday convicted Ariz Khan for the murder of Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and other offences in connection with the 2008 Batla House encounter. Khan is allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen. The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on March 15. Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav said the evi- dence produced by the prose- cution duly proved the case beyond reasonable doubt. The judge said it is “duly proved that Ariz Khan and his associates caused murder of police official and fired gunshot on the police official.” The judge further said Khan managed to flee and did not appear before court despite being declared a proclaimed offender. “The evidence adduced on record, including ocular, documentary and sci- entific, prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that Khan along with accomplices with common intention obstructed inspector Sharma in discharge of public function,” the court said. “Khan, along with his accomplices, also fired gun- shots at head constables Balwant and Balvir Singh,” the court further said. The court also asked the Investigating Officer (IO) to ascertain the financial position of the convict to decide on the amount of compensation to be given to the victim’s family. Inspector Sharma of the Special Cell of Delhi was mar- tyred during the 2008 Batla House encounter in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi. In 2013, Shahzad Ahmed and Khan had escaped the Batla House shootout while two of their accomplices, Atif Amin and Mohammed Sajid, were killed during the shootout. A third, Mohammed Saif, was arrested. Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma lost his life while two other officers were injured. Later, Shahzad Ahmed was also arrested and a trial court in July 2013 had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the case. His appeal against the trial court’s verdict has been pending in the High Court. Khan, a native of Azamgarh, was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell in February 2018. A day after Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain talked about nearing the end of the (Covid-19) pandemic, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has cautioned politi- cians and the Government not to invoke a “false sense of security”. “It is painful to note the discussion on endemic Vs pan- demic status of diseases is echoing in the political corri- dors, however it ought to be substantiated by scientific evi- dence by the World Health Organisation (WHO) or ICMR only,” the IMA said. The apex body of the doc- tors pointed out that “invasion of muted virus UK variant, South Africa variant and Brazil variant continue to haunt.” “While corona pandemic with its disastrous tentacles and widespread infectivity were under control amid spike here and there by the dedicated and coordinated services ren- dered timely by Governments and private modern medical healthcare providers, the stage is not ripe to call it the end of pandemic or endemic,” the IMA said in a statement here. “The introduction of much efficacious and safe corona vaccine in our country is a tool for us to face this challenging war with confidence. But for India and Argentina, whole world had faced the second wave and its much vitreous consequences. “The last one week has shown 35 to 40 per cent increase in the number of cases from different parts of the State and even in Capital of India the daily average has risen up from 100 to 140 patients. I n an unprecedented decision, the Election Commission of India has declared all the booths for the first phase of elections in five districts of Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and East and West Midnapore in West Bengal as sensitive. This implies that all the 10,228 booths will have at least 4-8 Central forces jawans deployed, sources said, adding the EC has already banned “civic volunteers” or “green police” appointed by the State Government on a temporary basis from manning the polls. The first phase — of the 8- phase elections — for 10 seats will take place on March 27. Reacting to the EC’s deci- sion to deploy Central forces in all the booths, Bengal Minister Tapas Roy said, “We respect the EC’s decision… they have the power to do so and they are doing accordingly … but the point is decisions should not be one-sided and favouring any one party.” Meanwhile, more Trinamool Congress leaders quit the ruling party either “feeling insulted” at not being given a ticket or getting “inspired” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership ahead of the Assembly polls. Sonali Guha, former Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker and a trusted lieu- tenant of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for many decades, on Monday left the ruling outfit along with other outgoing Legislators Dependu Biswas of Basirhat and Jatu Lahiri of Howrah. T he Budget Session of Parliament is likely to be cut short and may conclude before the first phase of elec- tions on March 27, while the two Houses will resume their normal timing of 11 am onwards from Tuesday, sources said. Several parties had request- ed that the session, which was originally scheduled to con- tinue till April 8, be curtailed due to the Assembly elections in four States and one Union Territory being held between March 27 and April 29. While Rajya Sabha Chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu announced the new tim- ings for the Upper House this morning on the first day of the second part of the Budget Session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla made a similar announcement in the Lower House. Birla said Lok Sabha members would also sit in gal- leries, apparently to maintain distancing norms. Keeping in mind the social distancing norms due to the Covid-19 pandemic, both Houses were meeting in two shifts since the Monson Session, with Rajya Sabha meeting in the first half of the day and Lok Sabha in the sec- ond half. There was no Winter Session of Parliament due to the pandemic. Some Rajya Sabha members were sitting in Lok Sabha chambers to adhere to distancing norms. T alks of leadership change in Uttarakhand continued on Monday as Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat reached Delhi changing his earlier schedule to attend an event in Gairsain. While party leaders con- tinued to state that the CM’s visit to Delhi was a routine visit, unconfirmed reports about political turmoil continued throughout the day. Rawat reached Delhi to meet the top BJP leadership amid speculation that the party is mulling a change of leadership in the mountain state. Varying reports came out as the day progressed. However, MLA and BJP State chief spokesman Munna Singh Chauhan, who accompanied Rawat to Delhi, said that the speculations are baseless. He said, “The CM has come to Delhi to meet the party lead- ership as is usually done to dis- cuss various important issues. There may be speculations in Dehradun but in Delhi, the CM’s visit is nothing out of the normal. The CM visited Delhi to meet top party leaders fol- lowing the passage of the bud- get. There are rumours being floated about leadership change but there is little substance in these. No official meeting of the BJP legislature party has been called. The BJP state president Banshidhar Bhagat has already stated clearly that no leadership change is about to happen, which should be considered a conclusive statement.” Meanwhile, according to sources, BJP national vice pres- ident Raman Singh and gener- al secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam are learned to have submitted their report to party national president JP Nadda on their return from the state where they had gone to speak to senior state BJP lead- ers. The party leadership has not made any official commu- nication regarding the devel- opment in Uttarakhand except Gautam saying that Singh and he had gone there to plan events to mark the state gov- ernment's fourth anniversary. While there were unconfirmed reports of the CM calling MLAs and mayors close to him to Delhi, the BJP state president was not available for com- ments despite repeated attempts. It is pertinent to mention that a section of state leaders is reportedly miffed with Rawat's leadership and are of the view that the party's electoral prospects under him may not be very bright. However, offi- cially the BJP has denied this. 5

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Page 1:  · 3/8/2021  · meet the top BJP leadership amid speculation that the party is mulling a change of leadership in the mountain state. Varying reports came ... ident Raman Singh and

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The first day of the secondpart of the Budget Session

of Parliament was virtuallywashed out due to the uproarcreated by the Opposition overfuel price rise.

In the Rajya Sabha, whilethe Congress wanted a discus-sion right away on the issue,Chairman M Venkaiah Naidudid not allow and said the mat-ter could be raised duringdebate on the appropriation Billin the coming days.

In the Lok Sabha, membersof the Congress, the Shiv Sena,the Indian Union MuslimLeague gave adjournmentmotion notices over the con-tinuous rise in petrol, dieseland LPG prices. After SpeakerOm Birla rejected notices ofadjournment motion moved byOpposition members over theissue, they started raising slogans.

Birla appealed to protestingmembers several times to letthe House function so thatwomen members can raisetheir issues on InternationalWomen’s Day, but as the dincontinued around 5.15 pm, headjourned the Lok Sabha till 7pm.

The Congress made itsintentions clear on disruptingthe proceedings as soon as theRajya Sabha met for the firstday of the second half of theBudget Session. The newly-elected Leader of Opposition

and senior Congress leaderMallikarjun Kharge raised theissue and sought a discussionon the “burning issue.”

“This is very importantissue and it is a burning subject.Throughout the country, peo-ple are agitated,” Kharge said.Petrol prices touched nearly�100 a litre while diesel rateswere more than �80 per litreand LPG prices also increased,he said adding the Governmenthad collected �21 lakh crore byputting excise duty and cess onpetroleum products.

He said farmers and peo-ple were suffering because ofrise in prices but the Chairmandid not allow his notice underRule 267 to suspend businessfor the day and discuss theissue.

Naidu reiterated that themembers will get ample oppor-tunity to put the Governmenton the mat on the issue duringthe forthcoming debates.

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ADelhi court on Mondayconvicted Ariz Khan for

the murder of Delhi PoliceInspector Mohan ChandSharma and other offences inconnection with the 2008 BatlaHouse encounter. Khan isallegedly associated with theterror outfit IndianMujahideen. The court willpronounce the quantum ofsentence on March 15.

Additional Sessions JudgeSandeep Yadav said the evi-dence produced by the prose-cution duly proved the casebeyond reasonable doubt.

The judge said it is “dulyproved that Ariz Khan and hisassociates caused murder ofpolice official and fired gunshoton the police official.”

The judge further saidKhan managed to flee and didnot appear before court despitebeing declared a proclaimedoffender. “The evidenceadduced on record, includingocular, documentary and sci-entific, prosecution has provedbeyond reasonable doubt thatKhan along with accompliceswith common intention

obstructed inspector Sharma indischarge of public function,”the court said.

“Khan, along with hisaccomplices, also fired gun-shots at head constablesBalwant and Balvir Singh,” thecourt further said. The courtalso asked the InvestigatingOfficer (IO) to ascertain thefinancial position of the convictto decide on the amount ofcompensation to be given tothe victim’s family.

Inspector Sharma of theSpecial Cell of Delhi was mar-tyred during the 2008 Batla

House encounter in JamiaNagar in south Delhi.

In 2013, Shahzad Ahmedand Khan had escaped theBatla House shootout whiletwo of their accomplices, AtifAmin and Mohammed Sajid,were killed during theshootout. A third, MohammedSaif, was arrested.

Delhi Police InspectorMohan Chand Sharma lost hislife while two other officerswere injured.

Later, Shahzad Ahmed wasalso arrested and a trial courtin July 2013 had sentencedIndian Mujahideen terroristAhmed to life imprisonment inconnection with the case. Hisappeal against the trial court’sverdict has been pending in theHigh Court.

Khan, a native ofAzamgarh, was arrested by theDelhi Police’s Special Cell inFebruary 2018.

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Aday after Union HealthMinister Dr Harsh

Vardhan and Delhi HealthMinister Satyendar Jain talkedabout nearing the end of the(Covid-19) pandemic, theIndian Medical Association(IMA) has cautioned politi-cians and the Government notto invoke a “false sense ofsecurity”.

“It is painful to note thediscussion on endemic Vs pan-demic status of diseases isechoing in the political corri-dors, however it ought to besubstantiated by scientific evi-dence by the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) or ICMRonly,” the IMA said.

The apex body of the doc-tors pointed out that “invasionof muted virus UK variant,South Africa variant and Brazilvariant continue to haunt.”

“While corona pandemicwith its disastrous tentaclesand widespread infectivity wereunder control amid spike hereand there by the dedicatedand coordinated services ren-dered timely by Governments

and private modern medicalhealthcare providers, the stageis not ripe to call it the end ofpandemic or endemic,” theIMA said in a statement here.

“The introduction of muchefficacious and safe coronavaccine in our country is a toolfor us to face this challengingwar with confidence. But forIndia and Argentina, wholeworld had faced the secondwave and its much vitreousconsequences.

“The last one week hasshown 35 to 40 per centincrease in the number of casesfrom different parts of theState and even in Capital ofIndia the daily average hasrisen up from 100 to 140patients.

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In an unprecedented decision,the Election Commission of

India has declared all thebooths for the first phase ofelections in five districts ofBankura, Purulia, Jhargramand East and West Midnaporein West Bengal as sensitive.

This implies that all the10,228 booths will have at least4-8 Central forces jawansdeployed, sources said, addingthe EC has already banned“civic volunteers” or “greenpolice” appointed by the StateGovernment on a temporarybasis from manning the polls.

The first phase — of the 8-phase elections — for 10 seatswill take place on March 27.

Reacting to the EC’s deci-sion to deploy Central forces inall the booths, Bengal MinisterTapas Roy said, “We respect theEC’s decision… they have thepower to do so and they aredoing accordingly … but thepoint is decisions should not be

one-sided and favouring anyone party.”

Meanwhile, moreTrinamool Congress leadersquit the ruling party either“feeling insulted” at not beinggiven a ticket or getting“inspired” by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s leadershipahead of the Assembly polls.

Sonali Guha, formerBengal Assembly DeputySpeaker and a trusted lieu-tenant of Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee for manydecades, on Monday left theruling outfit along with otheroutgoing Legislators DependuBiswas of Basirhat and JatuLahiri of Howrah.

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The Budget Session ofParliament is likely to be

cut short and may concludebefore the first phase of elec-tions on March 27, while thetwo Houses will resume theirnormal timing of 11 amonwards from Tuesday, sourcessaid.

Several parties had request-ed that the session, which wasoriginally scheduled to con-tinue till April 8, be curtaileddue to the Assembly electionsin four States and one UnionTerritory being held betweenMarch 27 and April 29.

While Rajya Sabha

Chairperson M VenkaiahNaidu announced the new tim-ings for the Upper House thismorning on the first day of thesecond part of the BudgetSession, Lok Sabha SpeakerOm Birla made a similar

announcement in the LowerHouse. Birla said Lok Sabhamembers would also sit in gal-leries, apparently to maintaindistancing norms.

Keeping in mind the socialdistancing norms due to theCovid-19 pandemic, bothHouses were meeting in twoshifts since the MonsonSession, with Rajya Sabhameeting in the first half of theday and Lok Sabha in the sec-ond half.

There was no WinterSession of Parliament due tothe pandemic. Some RajyaSabha members were sitting inLok Sabha chambers to adhereto distancing norms.

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Talks of leadership change inUttarakhand continued on

Monday as Chief MinisterTrivendra Singh Rawat reachedDelhi changing his earlierschedule to attend an event inGairsain.

While party leaders con-tinued to state that the CM’svisit to Delhi was a routine visit,unconfirmed reports aboutpolitical turmoil continuedthroughout the day.

Rawat reached Delhi tomeet the top BJP leadershipamid speculation that theparty is mulling a change ofleadership in the mountainstate. Varying reports came

out as the day progressed.However, MLA and BJP Statechief spokesman Munna SinghChauhan, who accompaniedRawat to Delhi, said that thespeculations are baseless. Hesaid, “The CM has come toDelhi to meet the party lead-ership as is usually done to dis-cuss various important issues.There may be speculations inDehradun but in Delhi, theCM’s visit is nothing out of thenormal. The CM visited Delhito meet top party leaders fol-lowing the passage of the bud-get. There are rumours beingfloated about leadership changebut there is little substance inthese. No official meeting of theBJP legislature party has beencalled. The BJP state presidentBanshidhar Bhagat has alreadystated clearly that no leadershipchange is about to happen,which should be considered aconclusive statement.”

Meanwhile, according tosources, BJP national vice pres-ident Raman Singh and gener-

al secretary Dushyant KumarGautam are learned to havesubmitted their report to partynational president JP Nadda ontheir return from the state

where they had gone tospeak to senior state BJP lead-ers. The party leadership hasnot made any official commu-nication regarding the devel-opment in Uttarakhand exceptGautam saying that Singh andhe had gone there to planevents to mark the state gov-ernment's fourth anniversary.While there were unconfirmedreports of the CM callingMLAs and mayors close to himto Delhi, the BJP state presidentwas not available for com-ments despite repeatedattempts.

It is pertinent to mentionthat a section of state leaders isreportedly miffed with Rawat'sleadership and are of the viewthat the party's electoralprospects under him may notbe very bright. However, offi-cially the BJP has denied this.

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Page 2:  · 3/8/2021  · meet the top BJP leadership amid speculation that the party is mulling a change of leadership in the mountain state. Varying reports came ... ident Raman Singh and

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Terming the LieutenantGovernor Anil Baijal’s

speech in the house as“Bundle of lies and tale of bro-ken promises’’, Leader ofOpposition (LoP) RamvirSingh Bidhuri said no amountof showcasing can hide the fail-ure of the KejriwalGovernment. Speaking on thecommencement of the BudgetSession of Delhi Assembly,Bidhuri said the L-G Baijal wasobliged under theConstitutional norms to readout whatever the Governmentputs in the address, but theKejriwal Government has beenan abject failure.

“Delhi Government hadfailed to tackle the Corona out-break in the Capital and it wasonly after the intervention ofCentral government under theleadership of Prime Minister,Narendra Modi, and UnionHome Minister, Amit Shah thatmeasures were taken to bringthe situation under control.

“It is the PM and the HomeMinister who deserve all thepraise and appreciation forsaving the people of Delhifrom a major outbreak ofCorona. But the L-G’ addressfailed to make any mention ofthis thing which was unfortu-nate,’’ Bidhuri said.

“Kejriwal Governent rulefor the past six years, the L-G’saddress had become a routineaffair and promises made on

paper just to be broken. Thepromises made in the lastyear’s address of the Lt-Governor had remainedunfulfilled. ``The KejriwalGovernor has in the last sixyears not been able to pur-chase even a single DTC bus,open any new school or col-lege, new hospitals, constructnew flyovers. Instead, Delhihas earned the dubious dis-tinction of being the mostpolluted city in the world.This indeed has been the``biggest achievement’’ of theDelhi Government,’’ he added.

Reminding the KejriwalGovernment of the massivehelp and assistance provided bythe Central Government, hesaid massive supply of PPE kits,ventilators, air lifting of med-ical staff for Delhi, 20,000 bedhospital creation including ICUunits and constant monitoringof the situation was done by theModi Government.

The Delhi High Court hadmade some very adverseremarks against the DelhiGovernment on the function-ing of the hospitals and thefatalities due to negligence ofthe authorities in the Coronasituation.

“The much-applaudedhealthcare facilities of the DelhiGovernment stood exposedduring the Corona virus out-break and had it not been thecentral government, thingswould have been terrible,’’ headded.

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Delhi Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia on

Monday presented the eco-nomic survey report in theDelhi Assembly for the year2020-21 on Monday.

Sisodia, who also holdsthe portfolio of FinanceMinister in the Aam AadmiParty (AAP) Cabinet said theadvance estimate of Gross StateDomestic Product (GSDP) ofDelhi recorded contraction of3.92 percent over previousyear. The GSDP at currentprices increased by about 45percent in the last six years thatis from 5,50,804 crore in 2015-16 to 7,98,310 crore during2020-21.

“The contraction in GSDPin Delhi is 5.68 per cent dur-ing 2020-21 compared to con-

traction of 8.0 percent atnational level during 2020-21.“The GSVA at current pricesfor the year 2020-21 showedcontribution of tertiary sectorto GSVA at 84.59 percent fol-lowed by secondary sector at13.56 percent and primary sec-tor at 1.85 percent,” Sisodia

read.As per the report the per

capita income of Delhi at cur-rent prices during 2020-21estimated at 3,54,004 againstper capita income of 1,27,768at national level, hence Delhi’sper capita income recordedalmost three times of the

national average.Reacting on the Outcome

Budget report, Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal said thatDelhi government has beenpresenting the OutcomeBudget for the last 4 years. Weare the only government thatkeeps checks and balances ofprevious budgets.

“Delhi is the only stategovernment that makes suo-moto disclosure across 2500+indicators of its performance topromote transparency in pub-lic spending, Manish Sisodiaadded.

As COVID-19 necessitatedonline classes for all students,“Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal launched the series‘Parenting in the time ofCorona’ where DelhiGovernment was able to sendworksheets through SMS and

IVR. 98 percent of our studentsreceived worksheets while 89-90% of students in 11th and12th grade attended onlineclasses. Overall, we extendededucational activities to 229days whereas a normal sessionlasts for 220 days. We alsoensured the provision of booksto students from 1st to 8th stan-dard and distributed sanitarynapkins to girl students.”

To mitigate basic inequal-ities caused due to the pan-demic, Sisodia said “TheRevenue Department set up'1914 Hunger Relief Centres',many of them at Governmentrun schools that remainedoperational for three months.Cooked meals were providedtwice a day to over 10 lakh peo-ple. Delhi Government also set-up 260 night shelters, booked252 trains for migrant workers

and provided an ex-gratia reliefamount of Rs. 1 crore to eachof the families of 9 frontlineworkers who died due toCOVID-19”, Sisodia said.

Responding quickly to theCOVID-19 crisis, the Delhigovernment implemented acomprehensive COVIDresponse strategy. Reading theoutcome budget report Sisodiasaid, “Delhi Governmentensured testing of 87.8 lakh cit-izens and provided 27873COVID beds, twice the num-ber available compared to actu-al occupancy at all times.Moreover, 60,042 oximeters &3,000 oxygen concentratorswere provided to residents tosupport patients recoveringfrom home isolation. In animpressive feat to tackle thevirus, Delhi also became thefirst state in the country to

experiment with PlasmaTherapy, which proved verybeneficial in saving the lives ofcritical patients.

In addition to providingcooked meals during lock-down, Deputy Chief Ministerand Finance Minister said,“Delhi Government distrib-uted free ration to 71 lakhration card holders. 65 percentof Delhi’s population were pro-vided with a free dry ration tohelp them tide over the eco-nomic crises induced byCOVID-19 pandemic.”

Construction workers wholost their livelihoods were alsoprovided with special assis-tance by the DelhiGovernment. Sisodia said,“Cash assistance of Rs. 10,000has been provided to 44,683construction workers regis-tered under the Construction

Workers Welfare Board. This isthe highest such cash assistanceprovided by any state in India,followed by Punjab and Keralaat Rs 3,000 each.”

Delhi Government hasallocated financial aid of Rs.5000 each to 1,56,350 Permitand Public Service vehiclebadge holders. To curb pollu-tion and make Delhi a cleanand green city, DelhiGovernment also launched theElectric Vehicle Policy.

“The Outcome Budget hasbecome an integral part of thegovernance system and helpsthe Government to rank alldepartments on the basis oftheir performance. The depart-ments are now more proactiveand work in a more target ori-ented approach, which givesbetter results,” Sisodia con-cluded.

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The national Capital record-ed 239 new coronavirus

cases and three deaths onMonday. According to the healthbulletin issued by the HealthDepartment, the new cases camefrom 47,689 tests, including35,968 RT-PCR tests and 11,721

rapid antigen tests, conductedthe previous day.

The positivity rate rose to0.50%. The number of activecases stood at 1,803 on Sunday,report said. Three new deathstook the toll to 10,924, accord-ing to the data. The positivityrate rose to 0.50 per cent from0.31 per cent a day before.

On Sunday, 286 new casesand two deaths were recorded.The city had registered 321 newcoronavirus cases, the highestdaily count in nearly one-and-a-half months, and a death onSaturday, and 312 cases and afatality on Friday.

The number of peopleunder home isolation on

Monday rose to 947 from 937 onSaturday, the bulletin said,adding that over 6.28 lakh peo-ple had recovered till date. As perthe bulletin, 11 beds in COVIDcare centres are occupied by per-sons under quarantine, includ-ing travellers who have returnedby the Vande Bharat Missionand bubble flights.

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The Delhi Commission forProtection of Child Rights

(DCPCR) and Department ofWomen and Child Development(WCD) of the Delhi Govern-ment jointly organised a two-dayrefresher course and trainingprogramme with focus on‘Protection of Children fromSexual Offences’ (POCSO) Act2012 and of dozens of judgmentspronounced by the SupremeCourt and HC on the issues clar-ifying the gaps in the law

The training programmewas organised for the newlyappointed members of ChildWelfare Committees (CWC),Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB)and District Child ProtectionOfficers (DCPO).

Justice Rajiv Shakdher, a sit-ting Judge and Chairperson, JJCwas chief guest of the event. Inhis address during the closingceremony emphasised on theimportance of the strength ofcharacter of every individual totruly deliver the mandate oftheir role and ensure that the bestinterest of children is upheld.

Narrating several instances

of violation of the rights of chil-dren, especially in cases of sub-stance abuse, he suggested thateffective solutions to curb theproblem of school-drops due tochildren taking falling prey tosubstance abuse can be devisedthrough community-interaction.

Retired High Court JudgeJustice RK Gauba, in his keynoteaddress, articulated the etymol-ogy and history of the laws andjurisprudence associated withthe children’s laws, their evolu-tion and highlighted severalaspects governing and beingdebated in the discourse.

The importance of conver-gence across stakeholders andlinkages with different govern-ment schemes and, as high-lighted during the inauguralceremony of the training inFebruary was reiterated through-out the training session.

Anurag Kundu, Chairpersonof DCPCR articulated the need,design and background of thetraining programme. Dr RashmiSingh, Director of DWCDemphasised the role of theCWCs/JJBs/DCPOs and assuredunconditional support of thedepartment.

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To avert the severe watercrisis in Delhi, the Delhi

Jal Board (DJB) has moved tothe Supreme Court againstthe Haryana Government,appealing an immediate ces-sation of discharge of untreat-ed pollutants into riverYamuna and releasing suffi-cient water to Delhi.

The normal level ofYamuna River nearWazirabad pond should be674.50 feet but it has droppedto 670.90, a drop that isalarming with an Ammonialevel reaching to approx 3.6PPM.Delhi is facing a poten-tial severe water crisis due tothe twin factors of highammonia levels in RiverYamuna and the continuous-ly depleting water level atWazirabad barrage, whichsupplies drinking water tothe Wazirabad, Okhla andChandrawal ‘Water TreatmentPlants’ (WTPs), the DJB saidin a statement.

A senior DJB official saidthat the water levels thatshould stand at 674.50 feet arenow down to an alarming lowof 670.4 feet. “Raw water issourced from river Yamunaand is drawn at WazirabadBarrage in Delhi. The avail-ability of quantity and quali-ty of raw water at WazirabadBarrage is dependent onrelease of water by theHaryana government,” he said.

Raghav Chadha, ViceChairman of the DJB

expressed his deep anguishand disappointment overHaryana government’s “lack-adaisical” attitude leading tounchecked dumping of sew-erage into the Yamuna andthe reduction in the supply ofraw water to Delhi due towhich the capital is facing anacute water shortage.

Haryana supplies water toDelhi in three ways, Carrier-Lined Channel (CLC), DelhiSub-Branch (DSB) and theYamuna. CLC and DSB are sup-plied water from Hathni Kundvia Munak canal and BBMB(Bhakra Beas ManagementBoard). At present, Delhireceives 479 MGD of wateragainst 609 MGD fromHaryana. Apart from this, Delhihas 90 MGD groundwater andreceives 250 MGD from theUpper Ganga Canal.

Explaining how Delhi is alandlocked city dependent onthe supply of water fromexternal sources and thestrenuous efforts of DJB inmeeting the increasingdemand of Delhiites, Chadhasaid, “DJB has undertakenevery possible effort to liaisewith central and state author-ities for a workable resolutionon this issue.”

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The Delhi Metro RailCorporation (DMRC)

on Monday closed entryand exit gates of stations onthe Tikri Kalan-BrigadierHoshiar Singh section ofthe Delhi Metro's GreenLine for security reasons.

Tikri border is one ofthe epicentres of the farm-ers' protest against the newagriculture laws.

"Security updateEntry/exit gates of stationsfrom Tikri Kalan toBrigadier Hoshiar Singhon green line are closed,"the Delhi Metro RailC o r p o r a t i o ntweeted.

The stations that fallbetween these two stations are -- Tikri Border,Pandit Shree Ram Sharma(Modern Industrial Estate) and BahadurgarhCity. Further details areawaited.

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In order to overcome theinconvenience due to mul-

tiple helpline numbers forgrievances and enquiry dur-ing railway travel, IndianRailways has integrated allrailway helpline numbers intoa single one for redressal of allthe grievances.

Indian Railways said thatthe 139 (Rail Madad Helpline)for quick grievance redressaland enquiry during the jour-ney. As the new helpline num-ber 139 will take over all theexisting helpline numbers. “Itwill be easy for the passengersto remember this numberand connect with Railways forall their needs during thetravel,” it said.

Various Railway griev-ances help-lines were discon-tinued last year. Now, helplinenumber 182 would also bediscontinued from April 1and merged into 139.

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�������� � ����������� �� ����� ��������� � ������ 4307(48%The Punjab National Bank celebrated International Women’sDay in the government middle school at Rajpur Road. Thebank honoured the school teachers while school bags, shoes,ration and other items were distributed among the children.The bank’s zonal manager RD Sevak said, “Actual empower-ment of women will happen only when women are financiallyself-reliant. The bank also plays an important role for makingthem self-reliant by offering them various financial schemeslike Stand-up India and PNB Mahila Udhyam Nidhi Schemeamong others.” Deputy zonal manager DS Bhandari circlehead Rajinder Bhatia also expressed their views.

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���� 4307(48%International Women's Day was celebrated at the IT Park sit-

uated regional office of Canara Bank on Monday. The division-al manager Rajesh Singh Kataria and assistant divisional man-ager Praveen Kumar conducted the event in two sessions in whichthe female staff members also presented cultural programmes.Moreover, several women entrepreneurs and the female staffs werefelicitated by Canara Bank who also shared their insights in theevent.

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The SJVN Limited marked International Women’s Day withdirector (personnel) Geeta Kapur inaugurating the event in

presence of CGM (HR) DP Kaushal and others. Mountaineer andmotivational speaker Arunima Sinha delivered a talk on the occa-sion. She shared her experiences and life story of being pushedfrom a running train by robbers while she was resisting themand losing her leg after doctors amputated it, to save her life. Kapurstated that lessons must be learnt from the incredible strugglewomen like Sinha who have paved the way for others to follow.

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The Uttarakhand State AIDSControl Society (USACS)

and National Health Mission,PCPNDT Cell jointly organiseda voluntary blood donationcamp to mark InternationalWomen’s Day on Monday. TheNHM director Dr SarojNaithani inaugurated the eventin which women personnelfrom various organisations andgirl students from differentinstitutions participated. Ofthe total 59 persons who hadregistered, 14 donated blood onthe occasion. The women who

had not completed 28 daysafter receiving the Covid-19 vaccine and those whosehaemoglobin level was lessthan 12.5 did not donateblood in the camp. Thehealth director general DrTripti Bahuguna, NHMmission director SavinBansal and other officialswere also present on the occa-sion. The medical team fromthe government Doon medicalcollege hospital collected unitsof the donated blood in thecamp. According to officials, atpresent only about three percent women are blood donors.

Considering this, the voluntaryblood donation camp wasorganised on internationalwomen’s day to raise awarenesson voluntary blood donationamong women and increasetheir participation in suchactivities.

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���� 4307(48%

Enthused by the leadershipcrisis in the state BJP and

strong rumours of the changeof chief minister TrivendraSingh Rawat in the state, theUttarakhand Congress hasthrown all its weight to makeits proposed “Jan Akorsh’ ral-lies a success.

The first in the series ofthese rallies would be held inSrinagar Garhwal on March 14.Addressing a meeting held inthe state headquarters of theparty to discuss the preparationof the Srinagar rally here onMonday, the Pradesh CongressCommittee (PCC) presidentPritam Singh said that thenational leadership of BJP has

sensed the mood of the peopleof Uttarakhand which hasforced the BJP to change itsleadership in the state.

He said that the BJP gov-ernment which has an over-whelming majority in assemblyhas failed on every front andthe people of the state are fedup with it.

He said that the people arenow looking at the Congressparty with hope. The PCCpresident appealed to theCongress leaders to ensuresuccess of the Srinagar rally.

The Vice President ofUttarakhand Congress SuryaKant Dhasmana presented thereport of his Garhwal tour. Heclaimed that there is enthusi-asm in the people for the rally

in Srinagar. He claimed thatsupporters of the party from sixassembly segments would takepart in the rally in large num-bers. Senior Congress leaderManish Khanduri said that thelocal unit of the party hasmade all the preparation for therally in Srinagar.

The meeting was attendedby the former minister SurveerSingh Sajwan, state generalsecretary Pradip Tiwari, VijaySaraswat, district presidents ofRudraprayag, Pauri, Tehri andDevprayag attended the meet-ing.

���� 4307(48%

The Uttarakhand governorBaby Rani Maurya inau-

gurated a Sari Bank initiativeon the occasion of InternationalWomen's Day to make theSaris available to needy womenacross the State. An event wasorganised on Monday in RajBhawan to felicitate femaleCovid warriors who con-tributed through their servicesduring the Covid-19 pandem-ic last year. The governor felic-itated 51 female Covid warriorsincluding sanitation workers,police constables and healthworkers besides variouswomen associated with SelfHelp Groups (SHGs). SomeCovid warriors also shared theexperiences they had duringthe lockdown last year. One ofthe sanitation workers, Rani,shared her experience statingthat they used to sweep roadsand drains in the hot summerwhile all the people stayedinside their homes during thelockdown.

"Even when we stood underthe shade of somebody's homefor two minutes, they used toscold us. Many even refused togive us water in those days due

to Covid-19," stated Rani whobroke into tears while sharingher experience. Moreover, oneof the female constables alsostated how people wereapproaching day and night forvarious matters includingunavailability of ration, cookedfood, travelling issues and dur-ing medical emergencies whichthey provided during the lock-down. Geeta Maurya from aself-help group also stated howshe started making cottonmasks and distributed themamong labourers, street vendorsand beggars when the prices ofmasks doubled during the lock-down. She said that she also pro-vided virtual training on mak-ing cotton masks to the womenof Tehri district during thelockdown. On hearing the expe-riences of Covid warriors, thegovernor said that these expe-riences tell us how these womenstood with the needy and helpedthem in such critical times. "I invited these women on thisoccasion because they work atthe ground level with commonpeople and form the foundationof their respective departmentsand organisations," saidMaurya. The governor alsolaunched a Sari Bank initiative

for the needy women. Initially,two to three banks would beopened in Dehradun districtwith the help of three groups

that belong to three differentstates. Preeti Singh who belongsto one of the groups stated thatpeople can use digital plat-

forms like Facebook, Twitterand their website to donateSaris.

"The banks will operate in

Dehradun only and then we willtake this initiative to other partsof the State too," added Singh.

���� 4307(48%

The WomenEmpowerment and Child

Development (WECD)department conducted astate-wide contest onInternational Women's Dayto promote and preserve tra-ditional attires and acces-sories of Uttarakhand.

The State minister forWECD, Rekha Arya whowas the chief guest of theevent also wore the tradi-tional attire of Kumaonbesides 79 women who par-ticipated in the contest fromvarious parts of the State.Besides this, folk singerBasanti Bisht also renderedJagar on the occasion.

Addressing the gatheringArya said that people havelimited the use of tradition-al apparels and accessories tocultural performances onstage and it is crucial for theyoung generation to be aware

of such traditions. "It is one of the reasons

we organised this event topromote this tradition andculture among today 'syouth, " s tated Arya.

The contest was dividedinto three categories thatincluded the categor iesCheli/Nauni Uttarakhandi(Uttarakhand's daughter) inwhich women from 18 yearsto 30 years old participatedand Buari Uttarakhandi(Uttarakhand's daughter-in-law) and Aama Uttarakhandi(Uttarakhand's grandmother)in which 31 years to 50 yearsold women and womenabove 51 years old belongingto various communities participated.

Seventy nine womenwere dressed in traditionalGarhwali , Kumaoni andJaunsari attires besides thetraditional attires of othercommunit ies of Uttarakhand.

���� 4307(48%

In the ongoing vaccinationdrive against the contagion of

Covid-19, a total of 22748 peo-ple were vaccinated on Mondayin Uttarakhand. In the state60636 people have been fullyvaccinated as they havereceived both the first and sec-ond dose of the vaccine. A totalof 36715 senior citizens (60Plus) have received the firstdose of the vaccine in thestate.

The Chief OperationsOfficer (COO) of state Covid-19 control room, Dr AbhishekTripathi said 243 vaccine ses-sions were organised in differ-

ent parts of the state onMonday.

In Dehradun 63 vaccinesessions were organised inwhich 4033 senior citizens, 87people with co-morbidity, 1777healthcare workers and 335frontline workers were vacci-nated on the day.

Meanwhile the state healthdepartment reported 58 newcases of the disease on Mondaywhich increased the tally of thedisease to 97480. Death of nopatient was reported by thedepartment on the day. Theauthorities discharged 26patients from different hospi-tals of the state following theirrecovery on Monday. A total of93400 patients have recoveredfrom the disease in the state sofar and the recovery percentageis now at 96.14.

The state health depart-ment reported 27 new cases ofthe disease from Nainital, 13from Dehradun, 10 fromHaridwar, seven from UdhamSingh Nagar and one fromChamoli. No new case wasreported from Almora,Bageshwar, Champawat, Pauri,Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag,Tehri and Uttarkashi districtson the day. The state now hasonly 662 active patients of thedisease. Nainital district is atthe top of the table of activecases of the disease with 194patients, Haridwar 186,Dehradun 134, Udham SinghNagar 49, Tehri 18, Champawat15, Almora 12, Uttarkashi 10,Chamoli seven, Pithoragarhfour, Rudraprayag three andBageshwar two active patientsof the disease.

���� 4307(48%

The ten year contract of thestate health department

with the Fortis hospital forsuper speciality treatment incardiac disease ended onMonday. In a letter directed tothe Manager of the Fortis hos-pital, the chief medical super-intendent (CMS) of theDehradun district hospital DrManoj Upreti formally endedthe contract with the hospital.In the letter Dr Upreti said that

the contract with the hospitalis ending on March 8 and thehospital should now hand overall the assets to the department.Upreti told The Pioneer thatthe Fortis would hand over theassets within four to five day.The management of the Fortishospital also confirmed that thehospital has stopped treatingthe patients of governmenthospital as its contract hasended. It is pertinent to men-tion here that the state healthdepartment entered into aMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) withthe Fortis Hospital in March2011. Under the contract anentire floor of the PanditDeendayal Upadhyaya(Coronation) hospital washanded over to the hospital.The government also providedother assets to the hospital. The

data of the hospital suggeststhat in the last ten years morethan 30000 patients wereadmitted in the hospital. About100 cardiac surgeries and 150non invasive (stent) operationsare done in the hospital in amonth. The hospital has a staff

of more than 125 and it catersto the superspeciality treat-ment in cardiac care to manydistricts of Garhwal division.The director general of statehealth services, Dr Tripti saidthat the experts of cardiologyare now available in the

Government Doon MedicalCollege (GDMC) hospital andmany private hospitals are inthe panel of Atal AyushmanUttarakhand Yojana (AAUY)so it was felt that there is noneed to renew the contract withthe Fortis hospital.

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An interest-free loan scheme forwomen self help groups under the

Pandit Deendayal Kisan Kalyan Yojanawas inaugurated at Gairsain on theoccasion of international women’s dayon Monday. Loans amounting to Rs5.27 crore was distributed to 156women SHGs of the district on theoccasion.Addressing the event virtual-ly, chief minister Trivendra SinghRawat announced that each Anganwadiand Asha worker who had worked dur-ing the Covid period would be given Rs10,000. Further, Rs 15,000 would begiven to each Mahila Mangal Dal andwomen SHG. Stressing on the impor-tance of the empowering women for theintegrated development of society andstate, Rawat said that the state willprogress as swiftly as the participationof women increases. Referring to thecompletion of the state government’sfour years in office on March 18, he saidthat various steps for welfare andempowerment of women had beentaken during this period.

State minister for Higher Educationand Cooperatives, Dhan Singh Rawatpresented cheques to 11 women SHGsof Chamoli district on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, he said thata major initiative had been undertak-en by starting the distribution of inter-est-free loan of upto Rs five lakh eachto women self help groups in the state.Various public welfare schemes arebeing undertaken under Prime Minister

Narendra Modi at the centre andTrivendra Singh Rawat in the state.Various public representatives and gov-ernment officials were also present onthe occasion.

In another development, the Stateminister also inaugurated a centre of

excellence in employment at the gov-ernment polytechnic in Gairsain. Thiscentre of excellence is aimed at encour-age entrepreneurship and facilitatingvalue addition to local products to pro-vide a better market to them.

���� 4307(48%

Uttarakhand governmentwould soon initiate a dia-

logue with protesting out-sourced employees ofUttarakhand Purva SainikNigam Limited (UPNL). OnMonday, protesting UPNLemployees marched towardsthe secretariat in support of

their demands but they werestopped by police at theNalapani Chowk. Former chiefminister Harish Rawat and thePradesh Congress Committee(PCC) chief Pritam Singh alsoparticipated in the march ofprotesting workers.

"When we reached nearNalapani Chowk, the policehad barricaded the road. We all

started protesting there alongwith Congress leaders HarishRawat and Pritam Singh," saidUPNL employees union headKushagra Joshi. According tohim, chief secretary OmPrakash called five representa-tives of the UPNL employeesunion for a meeting and stat-ed that only chief ministerTrivendra Singh Rawat can

take the decision on this mat-ter and when he returns to theState, the government will dis-cuss the demands of thep r o t e s t i n gemployees.

However, Joshi said thatthey will continue their protestunless the State governmentgives a clear message regardingtheir demands.

���� 4307(48%

Poet and film song lyricistSahir Ludhianvi’s classics

remain immortal in the Hindifilm industry. His timelesswritings and Nazms reflectempathy, love, and patriotismwhile capturing emotions withsimplicity and grace.

On Ludhianvi’s birth cen-tenary marked on Monday,Doon Library and ResearchCentre research associateManoj Panjani recalled theUttarakhand connection ofsome of his songs. He said

“Some of Ludhianvi’s songswere shot in Uttarakhand.Songs like ‘In hawaon mai infidayon mai’ from Gumrahmovie and ‘parvaton ke pedopar shaam ka basera hai’ fromShagoon movie were shot inNainital lake while ‘Zindagi kerang kai re’ from Aadmi AurInsaan was shot in Dakpatharand Nainital. In most of thesesongs, he describes the natur-al beauty of the locations”.’

According to Panjani,movie makers used to come toNainital due to its natural

beauty and later they startedgoing to Kashmir and thenSwitzerland and other foreignplaces as accessibility improved.‘Ganga tera pani amrit’ wasshot in different locations ofHaridwar, Rishikesh, andDehradun and was a big hit.‘Bina sifarish mile Naukri’ fromAadmi aur Insaan was also shotin Uttarakhand and even afterso many years those words ofhis are still alive and relevantand depict the same scenariowe are facing now. ‘Jagegainsaan zamana dekhega’ songfrom Aadmi Aur Insaan movie

which was shot nearDakpatthar was also penned byLudhianvi. The song basicallydepicts the awakening of andcreating awareness among themasses for their own funda-mental rights.”

Talking about Ludhiyanvi’spersonal life Panjani said, "Atthe age of 22, he had writtenTalkhiyan, his collection ofpoetry. He was fond of hismother and believed her to bea great inspiration but hisfather disowned his motherwhich terribly impacted thepoet’s life.”

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With the objective to givemore representation to

women, the Indian Navy, in amajor step, has deployed fourwomen officers on board itswarships for the first time aftermany years. So far, officers wereserving only on shore-basedassignments.

The demand for deployingwomen officers on warshipswas pending for the past manyyears. However, the Navy wasreluctant to do so due to vari-ous practical issues includingseparate washrooms and livingquarters on the ships.

So far, women officers inthe Navy were deployed inland-based assignments. Someof them were also flying heli-copters. However, a stint on thewarship came about recently.They were deployed on shipsabout 23 years back and thenit was discontinued due tologistical and related issues.

Giving details of the path-breaking step on theInternational Women’s Day,Navy officials said here onMonday four women officerswere recently posted on war-ships. Two of them were nowserving on the aircraft carrierINS Vikramaditya while twoothers are deployed on thetanker ship INS Shakti.

It was for the first timesince 1998 that women officerswill be posted on warships.Back then, women officersstarted getting deployedonboard warships but the deci-sion was changed soon afterdue to certain logistical andother issues.

In the latest development,women officers deployed

onboard the tanker vessel INSShakti include a doctor andlogistics officer. The twowomen officers postedonboard India’s lone aircraft

carrier INS Vikramadityainclude air traffic controller anda logistics officer.

A present, the Navy has704 women officers who form

6.5% of the overall officercadre. To mark Women’s Day,the Navy on Monday releaseda video shot aboard INS Shaktiwith messages from the two

women officers posted on thetanker.

“They say women can’thave it all. But I would say dareto be different. The IndianNavy gave me the opportuni-ty to be different and to dare,”said one of two women officers.

Over the years, the Navyinducted women officers in dif-ferent assignments. LastSeptember, two women officerswere selected for the helicopterstream. They were first womenin the navy’s history to operatefrom flight decks of warshipsand stay on board the vessels.

The two women officers,Sub-Lieutenants Kumudini

Tyagi and Riti Singh, wereamong the 17 officers whowere awarded wings on grad-uating as observers at a cere-mony held in Kochi.

As observers, the twowomen have been trained fora variety of roles includingnavigation, flying procedures,tactics employed in air warfare,anti-submarine warfare andairborne avionic systems. Theyare likely to be posted on war-ships by the year-end, officialssaid.

These women officers willbe posted onboard maritimereconnaissance and anti-sub-marine warfare helicopters of

the navy.In order to overcome the

issue of separate washroomsand living quarters on board,the Navy some years backstarted building separate cab-ins and toilets for women offi-cers on its warships.

The force also recentlydeployed a lady officer as thefirst women defence attacheposted abroad. The lady officeris Lieutenant Commander

Karabi Gogoi who is posted atMoscow as naval attache.

The IAF had opened thecoveted fighter flying streamfor women in 2015 by selectingfour officers to fly MIG-21s.The Army is yet to inductwomen officers in combat armsincluding the infantry, artilleryand armoured corps. As ofnow, there are nearly 9,120women currently serving thearmy, navy and air force.

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Several Rajya Sabha mem-bers on International

Women’s Day on Mondaypushed for at least one-thirdreservation for women inParliament and StateAssemblies, saying this willensure they get adequate rep-resentation. The demandcomes in the backdrop of a Billwhich sought to give 33 percent reservation to women inLok Sabha and StateAssemblies lapsing a few yearsago.

Rajya Sabha Chairman MVenkaiah Naidu on the occa-sion appreciated the servicesrendered by women membersof the House for the country’sdevelopment and prosperity.“We need to ensure an envi-ronment that allows women toexpress themselves to theirfull potential in the form ofboth words and deeds,” Naidusaid and wished them morestrength and power. Thechairman also acknowledgedthe contribution of womencitizens to the development ofthe nation.

Congress member ChhayaVerma recalled that theGovernment of former Prime

Minister Rajiv Gandhi hadgiven reservation to women inlocal bodies. Similar provi-sions should be made forwomen in State Assemblies,Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,she said. Nominated memberSonal Mansingh made a case ofcelebrating ‘international men’sday’ on the line of women’s day.

Shiv Sena memberPriyanka Chaturvedi was of theopinion that as women formaround 50 per cent of thecountry’s population, their rep-resentation in Parliament andstate assemblies too should bein the same proportion, and

not merely 33 per cent.Naidu earlier appreciated

that women across the worldand in our country have beenat the forefront of tackling thecovid pandemic, be it as doc-tors, healthcare workers,bureaucrats, scientists, inno-vators, community organisersor caregivers at home.

Referring to the history ofIndia freedom struggle andactive participation of womenin all walks of life, Naidu saidthat the women of our coun-try have been active partici-pants in shaping the historyand contemporary times.

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To mark InternationalWomen’s Day, the first

commercial passenger flight toBareilly in Uttar Pradesh oper-ated by an all-woman crew wasflagged off from the Delhi air-port by Civil Aviation MinisterHardeep Singh Puri onMonday.

In a tweet, Puri said Indiancarriers employ close to 12.4%women pilots. “India tops inthe proportion of women pilotsthan any other nation. Indiancarriers employ close to 12.4%women pilots, which is muchhigher than the world averageof 5.4%,” Puri tweeted. Inanother tweet, the aviationminister said: “Women powersoars high! 210 women pilotsincluding 103 captains are apart of the Air India family.

AAI is efficiently women-ed by507 women Air TrafficControllers.”

The percentage of femalepilots in India is twice as highas in most Western countries,including the United Statesand Australia. Globally, lessthan 5 per cent of pilots arewomen, according to theInternational Society ofWomen Airline Pilots.

Meanwhile, in a statement,the civil aviation ministry saidthat the Bareilly airport hasbeen upgraded for commercialflight operations under theregional connectivity scheme –Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik(RCS-UDAN) of theGovernment of India.

The all-woman crew oper-ated Alliance Air’s Delhi-Bareilly inaugural flight onInternational Women’s Day, itsaid.

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On the occasion ofInternational Women’s

Day, the Union Home Ministryon Monday listed out initia-tives through the NirbhayaFund to enhance the safety andsecurity of women in the coun-try. For his part, Union HomeMinister Amit Shah also saidthat women empowermenthas always been the focal pointof the policies of the NarendraModi Government.

The MHA said �200 crorehas been sanctioned to Statesand Union Territories (UTs) toset up women help desks inpolice stations and to strength-en anti-human traffickingunits in all districts of thecountry.

A separate women safetydivision has also been set up in

the home ministry to sensitisestates and UTs on womensafety related issues includingtimely completion of investi-gation of sexual assault cases,it said.

“The Government hassanctioned �200 crore to Statesand UTs to set up WomenHelp Desks in police stations,and to set up or strengthenAnti Human Trafficking Unitsin all districts of the country asalso on vulnerable borders,” thestatement said.

The home ministry saidthe Bureau of Police Researchand Development has distrib-uted 14,950 Sexual AssaultEvidence Collection kits tostates and UTs and these SAECkits will facilitate the efficientcollection, handling and stor-age of forensic evidence incases of sexual assault.

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Covid-19 is profoundlyaffecting the lives of girls

as they face pandemic-relat-ed travel restrictions andphysical distancing restrictingtheir access to the healthcare, social services and com-munity support that protectthem from child marriage,unwanted pregnancy andgender-based violence,UNICEF has pointed out.

On the occasion ofInternational Women’s Day, inits analysis, ‘Covid-19: Athreat to progress againstchild marriage’, the worldchild body has warned that 10

million additional child mar-riages may occur before theend of the decade, threaten-ing years of progress in reduc-ing the practice.

More so as schoolsremain closed, girls are morelikely to drop out of educationand not return while job loss-es and increased economicinsecurity may also force fam-ilies to marry their daughtersto ease financial burdens.

As per the report, India isamong five countries in theworld which account for abouthalf of the total child brideswhile worldwide, an estimated650 million girls and womenalive today were married in

childhood, with about half ofthose occurring in Bangladesh,Brazil, Ethiopia, India and Nigeria, according to theanalysis.

To off-set the impacts ofCOVID-19 and end the prac-tice by 2030 – the target set outin the SustainableDevelopment Goals – progressmust be significantly acceler-ated, it said.

“One year into the pan-demic, immediate action isneeded to mitigate the toll ongirls and their families. Byreopening schools, imple-menting effective laws andpolicies, ensuring access tohealth and social services –including sexual and repro-ductive health services – andproviding comprehensivesocial protection measures forfamilies, we can significantlyreduce a girl’s risk of having herchildhood stolen through childmarriage,” said UNICEFExecutive Director HenriettaFore.

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The Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) has

started the process of conduct-ing Covid-19 vaccination of itsofficers and staff pursuant tocommunication received fromthe Ministry of Health andFamily Welfare. Praveen Sinha,In-charge Director, CBI alongwith senior officers & other offi-cials of CBI (HQ) took the jabon the first day of the process.The Co-VID 19 vaccinationwill be conducted on differentdays.

CBI offices in various States& UTs have also been advisedto get the CoVID-19 vaccina-tion of officers & staffs done inco-ordination with localauthorities. It may be noted thatCBI continued to discharge itsduties efficiently despite theCoVID-19 pandemic.

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The production of twomain kitchen staples —

potato and onion — is esti-mated to be higher than lastyear, as per the Ministry ofAgriculture. However, in caseof tomatoes, the production ispegged slightly lower to 20.14million tonne this year from21.17 million tonne last yearand this may hit the commonman budget in the comingdays.

With 326.58 MT horti-culture crops production in2020-21, the first advanceestimate of horticulture cropsfor the year 2020-21, theMinistry has estimated thatonion production is likely tobe 26.29 Million Tons (MT) ascompared to 26.09 MT in2019-20 and potato produc-tion is estimated to be 50.19MT against production of48.56 MT last year. The toma-to production is expected tobe less from 21.17 MT lastyear to 20.14 MT in 2020-21.

Nevertheless, retail onionand tomato prices are runningbetween �35-60 a kg for thepast two months due to lowersupply in the mandis across

the country. Onion pricesacross the country, particu-larly in primary agriculturalmarkets near the growingregions, have crashed between30 per cent and 40 per centover the last 10 days as the latekharif crop has begun toflood the markets. Tradersand exporters fear furtherfall in the bulb’s prices as therabi crop is all set to hit themarkets any time after March15. “Onion prices had topped�4,000 a quintal in Nashik inthe third week of February,but they have now dropped tolevels of � 2,500 as late Kharifcrop arrivals have increasedsince the last 4-5 days,” said atrader.

Potato prices havecrashed by about 80 per centin various primary agricul-tural markets in major pro-ducer-States from a peak of Rs2,750-2,900 a quintal seen inNovember last year as arrivalshave begun to flood the mar-

kets. Potato is ruling to Rs 10-12 a kg.

As per the first advanceestimate, the fruits produc-tion too is estimated to be103.23 MT compared to102.03 MT in 2019-20 andvegetables production is esti-mated to be 193.61 MT com-pared to 188.91 MT last year.Total horticulture productionin 2020-21 is estimated to be326.58 MT, an increase ofabout 5.81 MT from 320.76million tonne last year,

Mango production in thecountr y is est imated toincrease 4.24 per cent to 21.12million tonnes in the cropyear 2020-21 ending June.The output of mango, the‘king of fruits’, stood at 20.26million tonne during the2019-20 crop year (July-June).

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The Congress on Mondaysaid it would continue to

protest against rising inflationand high prices of petroleumproducts, and would demanda discussion on the issue inParliament. The first day ofthe second part of the BudgetSession of Parliament in RajyaSabha was virtually washedout due to the uproar createdby the Congress.

Congress has alleged theModi Government has earnedat least �21 lakh crore in thelast over six years by raisingprices of petrol, diesel andLPG.

Talking to media outsidethe Parliament, Leader ofOpposition in Rajya Sabha

Mallikarjun Kharge said hehad given a notice to thechairman under rule 267 fora discussion on rising pricesof petrol, diesel and LPG, dueto which farmers, women andcommon people are upset, butit was disallowed. “We want-ed to raise the anger amongpeople against the rise inprices and wanted to raise itin Parl iament. But theGovernment did not agree toit as it was not ready. We willcontinue to raise our demand,and our agitation for raisingthe voice of the common manwil l a lso continue inParliament,” Kharge said.

Kharge said when theCongress raises such issues, itis not given time to raisethem in Parliament.

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Peeved over some Elders notattending the parliamen-

tary proceedings during theSession even when they are inthe national Capital, RajyaSabha Chairman M VenkaiahNaidu on Monday urged theMPs to come to the House toenrich their knowledge and bepresent during their allottedstanding committee meetings.

Making this point whenthe Upper House met for thefirst day of the second half ofthe budget session, he appealedto the members to be presentto enhance understanding ofparliamentary procedures andalso use the library facility.

Naidu said he was toldthat some members do notattend the proceedings evenwhen they are in the nationalcapital. He, however, made itclear that he was not referringto any particular member orany party. “I appeal to all themembers, please make it apoint to be in the House andthen observe debates, enrichyour knowledge,” he said.

“The Parliament Library iscompleting 100 years this year.It has a huge collection ofabout 14 lakh books includinghundreds of journals in alllanguages. I am told that thefootfall of Members ofParliament in this source ofinformation and knowledge is

not very encouraging,” Naidusaid, stressing that sufficienthomework is required on thepart of members to make qual-ity contribution to debates andinterventions.

Naidu also gave an accountof the examination of theDemands for Grants for 2021-22 of various ministries under-taken by the eight DepartmentRelated Parliamentary StandingCommittees of the Rajya Sabhaduring the three-week-recessafter the first part of the ongo-ing Budget session ofParliament. He referred to sev-eral positives that emergedduring the Budget scrutiny bythe Committees of Rajya Sabhaand some concerns as well.

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Uttarakhand Chief MinisterTrivendra Singh Rawat on

Monday met the BJP Centralleadership amid reports that hemay be replaced following dis-sidence against him over hisstyle of functioning .

Rawat met BJP PresidentJP Nadda, who in turn dis-cussed the political situation inthe hill State with Union HomeMinister Amit Shah.

Talk of a leadership is rife inUttarakhand ahead of electionsnext year as Rawat, 60, com-pletes his four years at thehelm.

On Saturday, the central

leadership rushed two centralparty observers, Raman Singhand Dushyant Gautam, toDehradun to oversee the situ-ation.

The BJP leaders met withMLAs, ministers and also withthe Chief Minister and the RSSfunctionaries and submitted areport to Nadda.

Uttarakhand BJP headBanshidhar Bhagat has, how-ever, denied any move toreplace the incumbent ChiefMinister. According to dissidentMLAs, continuation of Rawatmay cost the party in the 2022assembly polls with anti-incum-bency against him being “on therise”, they said.

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Page 5:  · 3/8/2021  · meet the top BJP leadership amid speculation that the party is mulling a change of leadership in the mountain state. Varying reports came ... ident Raman Singh and

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The National InvestigationAgency (NIA) has taken

over the case of a vehicle ladenwith explosives being foundnear top industrialist MukeshAmbani's residence in Mumbai,an official spokesperson said onMonday.

“NIA has received ordersfrom MHA (Ministry of HomeAffairs, GoI (Government ofIndia) for investigation of caseFIR No 35/2020 registered atPolice Station Gamdevi on25.02.2021. This case relates torecovery of explosives from aMahindra Scorpio parked atCarmichael Road, Mumbai,”the NIA said in a statement.

NIA is in the process of re-registering the case, it furthersaid. The Scorpio, with 20gelatin sticks inside, was foundnear Ambani's high-rise southMumbai home on February25. According to the police, thevehicle was stolen from Airoli-Mulund Bridge on February 18.

In yet another twist, HirenMansukh, the purported ownerof the vehicle, was found dead

in a creek in Thane on Friday.Meanwhile, Maharashtra

Chief Minister UddhavThackeray on Monday said theNIA taking over the case sug-gests something was “fishy”.

Talking to reporters inMumbai, Thackeray said gov-ernments come and go, but theofficial administrative machin-ery remains the same and oneneeds to trust it.

On Sunday, theMaharashtra Anti-terrorismSquad (ATS) registered the FIRagainst unidentified personson the orders of the State HomeDepartment under IPCSections 302 (murder), 201(causing disappearance of evi-dence of offence) and 120-B(criminal conspiracy).

Thackeray said, “We hadhanded over the case of thevehicle laden with explosivesand the mysterious death ofMansukh Hiren to the ATS.The NIA taking over the caseshows something was fishy.”

The ATS will continue toconduct its probe into Hiren'sdeath, the CM said.

He said the opposition does

not have faith in the statemachinery and wanted to showit doesn't function.

“If that is so, why is itdemanding that the state gov-ernment reduce taxes on fuel?”the chief minister asked.

Thackeray also said thestate police will conduct probeinto the alleged suicide of LokSabha member Mohan Delkarand punish the guilty.

Delkar (58), a seven-termMP from the Dadra and NagarHaveli Union Territory, wasfound dead at a hotel on MarineDrive in south Mumbai onFebruary 22.

“A Union Territory is gov-erned by the Centre. We willtake the case to its logical end.I wonder how the Oppositionhere is quiet on the issue of theseven-term MP ending his life,”Thackeray said. On Monday,Maharashtra Home MinisterAnil Deshmukh said in theAssembly that the state policewas capable of solving the caseof auto parts dealer MansukhHiren's death and the recoveryof the explosives-laden car nearAmbani's residence.

23������ ������ ���������"%�����- ������� �������� Kolkata: With Bengal coming in

BJP’s priority list in the upcom-ing elections Prime MinisterNarendra Modi will addresstwo back-to-back rallies --- onMarch 18 and 20 --- ahead of thefirst phase of elections on March27. His first meeting will be atPurulia and the second at Contaithe home-town of BJP’sNandigram campaignerSuvendu Adhikari, party sourcessaid.

Modi attended a huge rallyat Kolkata’s historic BrigadeParade Ground on Sundayattacking the TMC regime.

BJP star candidate Adhikariwho joined the saffron outfit latelast year after quitting theTrinamool Congress will file hisnomination against Chief

Minister Mamata Banerjee fromhigh-profile Nandigram seat onMarch 12, his party sourcessaid adding two central minis-ters Dharmendra Pradhan andSmriti Irani would accompanyhim during his filing of nomi-nation at Haldia.

Adhikari has openly chal-lenged the Chief Minister todefeat her by half-a-lakh votesfrom Nandigram. Banerjee willfile her nomination for the sameseat on March 10.

Apart from Mukul Roy whotoo left the TMC to join the BJPthree years ago, Adhikari a for-mer MP and a powerful StateMinister had been the principalcampaigner for MamataBanerjee during her Nandigramland movement. PNS

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Lucknow: UP Chief Minister YogiAdityanath, on Monday, said that there wasnow an awareness about crime againstwomen.

He said that when he formed the gov-ernment, there was a lack of awareness onthis issue.”We began by expanding WomenPower Line to 75 districts from four dis-tricts. Helpline number 181 for domesticviolence was also integrated with otherhelpline numbers to make it effective,” hesaid.

Launching the second phase of theongoing Safe City project to provide anenvironment free of fear to women, thechief minister honoured women for theircontribution in various fields and inau-gurated various schemes as part of 'MissionShakti' in the state capital.

“Today, 20 per cent of women areinducted in 3 PAC Battalion in Gorakhpur,Lucknow and Badaun. For girl education,we launched 'Kanya Sumangla Yojana' withRs 15,000 benefit for a maximum of five

times,” he added.The Uttar Pradesh government had

launched the 'Mission Shakti' program onOctober 17 last year for the security ofwomen in the state and to further strength-en the safety mechanism for the girls andwomen.

In the first phase, under the Safe Cityproject in Lucknow, 100 pink booths arebeing constructed for women safety in dif-ferent areas of the city.

Out of this, 70 pink booths have beencompleted.

At the same time, 100 two-wheelerpink petrol and 10 four-wheeler pinkpetrol have been given to women police-men for the safety of women and girls.

These pink patrols are constantlypatrolling around the girls' schools, collegesand markets.For the facilities of women,Pink Toilets with special facilities are alsobeing constructed at 74 places in the city,out of which 18 Pink Toilets are ready.Under the Safe City project, lights are

installed after identifying the dark spots inthe city.

So far, 3625 dark spots have been iden-tified and lights have been provided at 660places while 2965 other spots will be takenup by the end of March. This will curbcrimes against women at night.

The Women Power Line 1090 operatedunder the Safe City project is also provingto be a boon for women. After getting bet-ter results, the work on increasing thecapacity of the women power line is alsobeing done.

Apart from this, the integration ofwomen power line with 112 cyber foren-sics facility, data analytics centres have alsobeen established through enhancement inthe technology. The hot spots are beingmonitored through CCTV cameras,drones and control rooms. The installationof panic buttons, CCTV cameras and GPL in city buses will also be completedby December 2021. IANS

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KOCHI: The diatribe by the CPI(M)leaders against the Customs officialsin Kochi has taken a new turn as thePinarayi Vijayan-led Left DemocraticFront Government is consideringoptions to silence the Central agen-cies. This follows the announce-ment by Chief ElectionCommissioner Sunil Arora that thedemand by Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan to put on hold all probes bythe Central agencies into cases likegold smuggling scam, reverse hawalaoperations from India to West Asiaand the CBI investigation into theLIFE Mission, the flagship pro-gramme of the State administration.

According to sources inSecretariat, the State administrationwas taken aback by the affidavit filedin Kerala High Court by SumithKumar , the Customs PreventiveCommissioner stating that the dol-lar hawala and other illegal operationshad the patronage of top leaders ofthe CPI(M).

The eight questions posed to theChief Minister by Union HomeMinister Amit Shah on Sunday dur-ing his speech at the valedictory func-tion of the BJP’s Vijaya Yatra atThiruvananthapuram had sent theGovernment topsy-turvy. The homeminister mentioned that the death ofa person associated with the GoldScam and who was being probedsmacked of mystery.

It may be noted that there was anattempt on the life of Sumit Kumar,the Customs PreventiveCommissioner probing the GoldSmuggling scam in which formerprincipal secretary to Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan figures as anaccused. On February 12, there wasan unsuccessful attempt to waylaidSumit Kumar who was on his wayback to Kochi from Kalpetta inWayanad district. Though Kumarfiled a report about the incident, theKerala Police is yet to take anyaction. PNS

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Salma Ansari, wife of formerVice President Hamid

Ansari, named the two-and-a-half-year-old girl after hermother Zehra Kazmi. Recently,four needy children werebrought to Madrasa Chacha Nehru from Bihar,whose education and responsi-blity has been taken by SalmaAnsari.

Relatives of the childrenhave given the responsibility oftheir upbringing to the AlnoorCharitable Society in writing.She is a two-and-a-half-year-oldgirl from Bihar, whose motheris deranged. The child's mater-nal grandfather handed her overto the madarsa. She is namedafter the mother of Salma Ansari.

Aligarh: In West UP number ofcases of female foeticide arenoted. Also people are moreworried about the male childinstead of female child special-ly in the rural areas.

In Aligarh rural areas andMuslim populated areas, slumsgirls are not getting nutritiousfood as compared to male child.Here 62% girls are sufferingfrom under nutrition problem.That is why there is higher deathrate of female child with in twoyears of delivery. Though U.P.government has launched sev-eral projects/schemes but par-ents do not pay proper attentionto improve girls health. Girlsremaining alive being aban-doned after birth are livingunder nutrition life. PNS

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Chennai: Covid-19 infectedvoters would be given personalprotective equipment (PPE)kits while others hand glovesfor casting their votes in theelections to Tamil Nadu assem-bly next month as part of pre-ventive measures in view of thepandemic, state Chief ElectoralOfficer Satyabrata Sahoo saidhere on Monday.

On the day of polling,every voter would be givenhand gloves before voting toensure there was no chance oftransmission of infectionthrough the Electronic Voting

Machine, he said.All other norms to help

prevent COVID-19, includingscreening people with thermalscanners, would be followedduring the polling on April 6,the official told a press confer-ence at the Secretariat.

“People must go to pollingstations wearing mask,” he saidadding public should followsocial distancing as well.

If people had fever or incase of suspicion about coron-avirus, they would be given amedical certificate and allowedto vote during the last one hour.

In case of people infectedwith COVID-19 or suspectedof being infected with thevirus, they would be permittedto cast their votes wearing aPPE kit that would be provid-ed by authorities, he said.Arrangements are in place toensure availability of PPEs, henoted.

Both polling stations andpersonnel have been increasedin view of the pandemic and asa result the total booths nowstood at 88,937 as against68,324 and would be mannedby 4,79,892 personnel, the

CEO said.There are 76 counting

centres in the state. While pre-viously only the vulnerableand sensitive polling stationswere monitored through webcamera, for the first time now,a minimum of 50 per cent ofpolling booths shall be con-nected to the devices.

As many as 150 gener-al observers and 40 policeobservers have been deployedand they would all report in their respectiveassigned constituencies beforeMarch 19. PTI

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Kota (Raj): A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped at sep-arate places by at least nine people over eight days inRajasthan's Jhalawar, police said on Monday. Two of theaccused are minors.

The girl somehow managed to reach her home onFriday after which a complaint was lodged. Four of theaccused, including the two minors, have been held, policesaid.

Suket DSP Manjeet Singh said the girl alleged that herfriend Bulbul and another youth, Chothmal, on February25 took her to Jhalawar City on the pretext of buying aschoolbag for her.

He, however, said the girl is a school dropout.She alleged that two to three other people joined them

at a park where she was drugged and raped by them. She alleged that at least nine people at different times

and separate places in Jhalawar raped her over eight days. The DSP said a medical examination of the girl was

conducted immediately and four of the accused were held.Two of them are minor and attempts are under way toarrest the rest, he said. PTI

Deoria (UP): A 13-year-old girl,who was allegedly raped in UttarPradesh's Deoria district, hasgiven birth to a child, police saidon Monday. A man has beenarrested on charge of raping thegirl, they said.

Circle Officer (CO) AmbikaRam said her mother alleged inthe complaint that the minor wasraped at her house in a village inRudrapur area by a neighboureight months ago when she wasalone.

The accused also threatenedher of dire consequences due towhich she did not narrate herordeal to the family members, theCO said.

The accused has been arrest-ed and sent to jail, police said,adding a detailed probe is on intothe matter. PTI

Jaipur: A police sub-inspector wassuspended on Monday on thecharge of raping a 26-year-oldwoman in Rajasthan's Alwar dis-trict, an official said.

A case of rape under IndianPenal Code (IPC) section 376 wasregistered against police sub-inspec-tor Bharat Lal (52) on a complaintlodged by the woman, Alwar SPTejaswini Gautam said.

The SP said the accused wasarrested and suspended on Monday.

The woman had gone to policestation to lodge a case against herhusband as he wanted a divorce. Thewoman wanted police to stop himfrom getting a divorce.

According to the woman'scomplaint, the accused SI raped herfor three days at a quarter insidepolice station, the SP said. PTI

Muzaffarnagar: A 30-year-old preg-nant woman was found hanging at herhome here, police said on Monday.

They said a case has been lodgedagainst her in-laws for allegedlydemanding dowry from her.

Tabasum Begum was found hang-ing at her marital home at Jolla villagein Budhana town on Sunday, policesaid. She was married to Afsar for overan year and was allegedly beingharassed by her in-laws for not bring-ing enough dowry with her, they said.

The woman's brother, Lukman, hasfiled a complain with the police alleg-ing his sister's in-laws were demandingdowry from her. He further alleged thatthey first killed her and then hanged herto make it look like a case of suicide,police said.

An FIR was registered againstAfsar, victim's brother-in-law Arshad,father-in-law Tasawer and mother-in-law Hasroon, Station House Officer MS Gill said, adding they all are abscond-ing. PTI

Muzaffarnagar (UP): A 35-year-old womandied after she was allegedly beaten up by her hus-band here, police said on Monday.

Kusum got seriously injured after her hus-band attacked her with an iron rod when shetried to prevent him from drinking. She wasadmitted to a hospital and succumbed toinjuries on Sunday, police said.

The incident took place at Athai village inJansath tehsil on March 1, they added.

The woman's husband, Sanjiv, was earlierbooked for attempt to murder, which has beennow changed to murder, Station House OfficerDeepak Chaturvedi said.

The accused is absconding, he said. PTI

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New Delhi: The EnforcementDirectorate (ED) has arrestedDeepak Agarwal and AyushGoyal for their involvement ina trade-based money launder-ing scam in which funds to thetune of Rs 1500 crore were sentoutside India in the guise ofimport of fake “customisedsoftware”. Both the accusedwere remanded to judicial cus-tody. However, theMetropolitan Sessions Judge,Visakhapatnam, has grantedcustody of Deepak Agarwal toED for three days beginningMarch 6.

The ED has also soughtcustodial interrogation ofAyush Goyal.

The ED had initiated inves-tigation on the basis of FIR reg-istered by Andhra PradeshPolice against Vaddi Maheshand others, on the complaint ofIncome Tax Department. PNS

New Delhi: The Akhil BharatiyaPratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), thehighest decision-making body ofthe Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS), will hold its two-day annual meet from March 19to March 20 in Bengaluruwhich is expected to affect keychanges in the organization.

The meeting was earlierplanned for Nagpur, but had tobe relocated due to the activeCOVID-19 cases inMaharashtra.

According to sources , themeeting –– which will have inattendance about 500 to 550RSS brass will be held on March19 and 20. Election to the high-est executive post of the organ-isation, Sar Karyavah (generalsecretary), is expected to takeplace during the meeting.

Last year, the meeting wasscheduled to be held inBengaluru from March 15 to 17but was cancelled due to theCovid-19 pandemic.

“About 500-550 delegatesare likely to participate in theevent. Sarsanghchalak of RSS DrMohan Bhagwat, Sar KaryavahBhayyaji Joshi and other leadersof the outfit will be in atten-dance.Several outfits of the RSSwill not be attending the meet onaccount of COvid19 protocol.

The meeting will reviewthe work done by the RSS in lastthree-years and set the road mapfor coming years. Sources saidCovid19 offered RSS workersopportunity to work with peo-ple extensively and the meetingwould also appraise that expe-rience. PNS

New Delhi: The northwestern parts of India are all setto experience widespread rain over the next four daysafter a brief dry spell. The latest forecasts said that twowestern disturbances will impact the WesternHimalayan Region and adjoining northwest India thisweek. The India Meteorological Department (IMD)on Monday said a Western Disturbance (WD) prevailsover north Pakistan on Monday and an inducedcyclonic circulation lies over Punjab and the neigh-bourhood region. Owing to the rough weather con-ditions, the IMD has issued an orange alert over Jammu& Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand forWednesday and Thursday. Uttarakhand will contin-ue to remain under the same advisory for Friday aswell. The advisory instructs residents to ‘be prepared’for the rough weather conditions.

According to the IMD, the WD are mainly aweather phenomenon whose arrival is associated withsnow and rain in the Himalayas and parts of north-west India. The ongoing system is expected to producescattered rainfall or snowfall with isolated thunder-storms, lightning or hail over the Western HimalayanRegion (WHR) on Tuesday.

Moreover, there are also possibilities of very lightrain or drizzle over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh andDelhi from March 8 to 10. PNS

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The Shiv Sena-led MVAGovernment on Monday

proposed hikes in the StateExcise Duty and Value AddedTax (VAT) on the sale of liquorthrough which it hoped tomobilise an additional revenueof Rs 1,800, while it announcedone per cent concession on thetransfer of house or registrationof sale deed in the name of awoman or women.

In his first budget present-ed after the break-out of Covid-19 in Maharashtra in March lastyear, Deputy Chief minister AjitPawar announced three farmer-friendly measures --- zero percent interest crop loans up to aborrowing limit of Rs 3 lakh, Rs2000 crore scheme for strength-ening Agricultural ProduceMarketing Committees(APMCs) and 33 per cent con-cession on farmers’ electricitybills.

Alluding to additional rev-enue generation by way of hikesin the State Excise Duty andVAT on liquor, Pawar – whoholds the Stare Finance portfo-lio -- announced the state gov-ernment’s decision to classifycountry liquor into two separatecategories as branded and non-branded country liquor. The twoseparate categorisation ofbranded and non-brandedcountry liquor involved anincrease of State Excise Duty toRs. 220 percent of manufactur-ing cost or Rs. 187 per proof litrewhichever is high on brandedcountry liquor only.

The deputy chief minister

said that owing to the StateExcise Duty and VAT on liquor,the state government wasexpected to net an additionalrevenue of Rs. 800 crore.

Pawar proposed to increasethe rate of Value Added Tax(VAT) on the sale of liquor asprescribed in Schedule-B ofValue Added Tax Act from theexisting 60 percent to 65 percent.He also proposed to increase therate of Value Added Tax (VAT)on the sale of liquor as pre-scribed in Section 41 (5) of ValueAdded Tax Act from the exist-ing 35 percent to 40 percent.

Pawar said that owing to theVAT, the state government wasexpected to get additional rev-enue of Rs 1000 crore.

In a tax concession measureannounced on the occasion ofInternational Women’s Day, theDeputy chief minister proposedconcession of one per cent in theStamp Duty on the prevailingrate exclusively to Women, “pro-vided the transfer of houseproperty or registration of saledeed is in the name of womanor women only”.

Pawar said that owing to theproposed tax concession, therewould be revenue shortfall ofaround Rs 1000 Crore to theState Exchequer.

In a couple of several healthinfrastructure measuresannounced in the wake of thecontinuing Covid-19 crisis in thestate, Pawar said that a Rs 7500crore project involving the con-struction and upgradation ofhealth institutions would becompleted in the next fouryears, while Rs. 5000 crore will

be provided by the governmentin the next 5 years for qualityhealthØ services in theMunicipal Councils and NagarPanchayats. Of the total alloca-tion, Rs 800 crore would bespent during the current year.

He also announced a cancerDiagnosis Facility in 150 hospi-tals and establishment of newGovernment Medical Collegesat Sindhudurg, Osmanabad,Nashik, Raigad and Satara. H esaid that medical colleges wouldalso be set up at Parbhani andAmravati.

Pawar said that 11 levengovernment nursing schoolsaffiliated to government medicalcolleges in the state will beØconverted into nursing colleges,while physiotherapy and occu-pational therapy colleges will beestablished in all 17 governmentmedical colleges, in a phasedmanner.

“Post Covid Counseling andTreatment Centers will be set upat every district hospital andØgovernment medical college inurban areas,” the deputy chiefminister said.

Dwelling upon the conces-sion in the pending electricitybills, the Finance Minister said:“33 percent concession has beengiven to farmers of pending elec-tricity bills and if the farmers pay50 per cent of the remainingarrears by March 2022, addi-tional 50 per cent of the remain-ing amount will be waived off.In all, Rs 30,411 crore will bewaived off by MVA governmentwhich amounts to 66 per cent ofthe original pending bills of44.37 lakh farmers”.

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with foreign breeds, mainlyJersey and Holstein, that it’shard to tell what is indigenousanymore. Many farmers fearthat the story of the Indianbull will be their story, too, ifthe three farm laws and a neo-company raj enter India. Onlywith minimal farmers andmaximum fossil fuel-basedmachines will the fields be cultivated.

The more immediatechallenge to the revolution is,of course, the increasing heat— political and physical.Temperature variations havealready started affecting peo-ple’s health. With hotter daysahead, the entire encamp-ments are modifying theirtents. Many farmers are nowconstructing high bamboo-and-canvas tents for better aircirculation. The supply ofdrinking water and perish-able items like milk is becom-ing slightly problematic.Food wastage may alsoincrease due to insufficientrefrigeration facility. Farmershave mobilised anotherround of fundraising forinstalling reverse osmosis(RO) plants within theencampments at Tikri borderbecause the groundwater ishighly contaminated withindustrial effluents.

The Ghazipur border isalso going for a summermakeover. Much of theencampment at this border ison the Asian Highway2(AH2). Surrounding it areGhazipur’s garbage moun-tain, posh apartments and anopen sewage canal that flowsunderneath it. The summerwill bring mosquitoes anddiseases. Both the sites willhave to be prepared to com-bat vector and water-bornediseases. As these fears grow,a farmer from Jind died bysuicide at the Tikri border. Anavoidable death!

The farmers’ revolutionhas transformed from anagrarian movement into aunited opposition to the total-itarian Government. The BJPhas suffered electorally inPunjab and Haryana and astrict boycott of the BJP and itsleaders is in place in theseStates. While all eyes are onBengal, the farmer leaders areexpanding their base to theStates of Rajasthan, MadhyaPradesh and Uttar Pradesh.The morale on the ground atthe revolution sites has neverbeen higher. Because theencampments have become abreeding ground for hope,camaraderie is the only curefor hate. Many of these farm-

ers have stepped out of theirregion for the first time, yetthey quickly learnt to work andendure suffering together. Themovement is more disciplinedthan earlier and the farmers areready to continue resisting.

Penance has been thepath to spiritual awakening— Jesus on the cross orBuddha starving under theBodhi tree — and the farm-ers are also suffering for thesins of our world. A bulletmay bring them death as aslaughter may begin any daybut they hope their deathswill not be in vain and shallwake up a sleeping world. Itwill bring together farmersand citizens all over the worldto rise against this evil.Despite the odds, the farm-ers are hopeful.

Our world and democra-cy is at a dangerous cross-roads — Earth and millionsof farmers on one side andBig Ag and corporate tyran-ny on the other. If Indianfarmers win, democracy ofthe world lives; otherwise,Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave NewWorld’ awaits us all.

(The author writes onagriculture and environment,and is the Director — GreenIndia. The views expressed arepersonal.)

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As an orange sun hungover the Tikri border;Rakesh Tikait alongwith other leaders was

addressing the gathering offarmers on the 99th evening ofthe farmers’ revolution. To markthe 100th day, plans were to bemade. Farmers were preparingto block the National Highwayinto Delhi for five hours; a taskthey did well and peacefully.Tikait gave a call again to farm-ers around the nation “to be pre-pared for the harvest” and tobolster the revolution simulta-neously. Speeches ended and aselfie frenzy began. The young,the old, the media and thepolice, all wanted to be in thismoment as it was special in thehistory of the world. Winter,spring and now summer, yet thefarmers’ revolution lives on.

But far from the maddeningcrowds, the revolution had gota new friend. Against publicadvice, he kept ramming intothe yellow police barricades, try-ing to enter Delhi. I caught himred-handed. Shyly, he duckedand began to look at the carrotshavings. His mind was yet tounderstand why humans usedbarricades. The suspect wasbig, blackish and middle aged.His curved big black hornsmade him stand out; he was anIndian humped bull.

The advances in farmmachinery and artificial insem-ination have made the indige-nous bull redundant. Most farm-ers sell off the male calves at birthand the remaining ones roam thestreets of cities and townshipsscavenging on garbage. Themore lucky ones are sold toslaughterhouses to meet deathquickly. There is also a specialclass of bulls that is part of theartificial insemination industry;they are bred and dishonouredby sophisticated instruments,robbing them of their spermato-zoa. Today the Indian bull, farfrom being Shiv’s ‘Nandi’, is apariah and first victim of indus-trial agriculture. With less thanone per cent bulls working thefarms, India flaunts a large dairyand cattle-rearing sector. TheIndian species are so intermixed

SOUNDBITE����������� �������������� ����� �Sir — Each year, March 8 is celebrated asInternational Women’s Day. It goes withoutsaying that women have proved their worthin all spheres and their progress is beyondany doubt. Indian women, too, have shownmen that they are second to none. But weneed to introspect that why we still have totalk about women empowerment and gen-der equality.

We have not achieved these things andthe reality is very disappointing. Daughtersare committing suicide daily in our coun-try as they are forced by their husbands andin-laws to meet their demand for dowry.Many people in villages still hesitate to sendtheir daughters to schools and marry themoff at an early age. Even in big metros,women are faced with discrimination of var-ious types at the workplaces and at theirhomes. They are sexually abused andharassed at the hands of their male col-leagues, while at home they are subjectedto domestic violence. The situation ofwomen in politics is also not much better.There are very few women in politics ascompared to men and they are not enoughto pressure the Government to make lawsmore favourable for the women.

The fair sex is rather treated unfairly inour country and working women in tradi-tional domains of men are looked downupon by their peers. When will this situa-tion change? What are the responsibilitiesof NGOs, States, the Centre and civil soci-ety with respect to improving the conditionof women? When will women rise againsttheir tormentors?

Bal Govind | Noida

�����������������������������������Sir —As COVID-19 cases are again on therise in India, it is time to accelerate our vac-cination drive. The Government mustinvolve more private hospitals and set upmobile clinics for vaccination. The States andCentre must deploy their ambulance ser-vices for getting people inoculated. Theelderly should have the facility of callingambulance home for taking them to thenearest centre for getting the jab. Further,

a door-to-door vaccination drive should beconducted not only in big cities but also intowns and villages.

Vaccination is a safe and effective wayto prevent disease and save lives — nowmore than ever. Today there are vaccinesavailable to protect against at least 20 dis-eases. Further, there should be no crowd-ing at the vaccination centres and arrange-ments for potable water and toilet facilitiesshould be made available to all, especiallythe elders.

We must also not forget that safety pre-cautions are the key to keep Coronavirus atbay and wearing of masks and sanitisinghands is essential.

Those who have taken the shot musttake the subsequent doses within the stip-ulated time, else it might prove futile anddefeat the very purpose.

CK Subramaniam | Mumbai

������������������������������������Sir — If the massive crowd at the Prime

Minister’s rally at the Brigade ParadeGround in Kolkata is anything to go by, theindication is clear that the TMC is going andBJP is coming to power in West Bengal.Further, the schemes of the Centre will giveBJP an edge; however, the recent rise in theprices of fuel and LPG cylinder will have abearing on the BJP’s vote bank.

The Centre should not have allowed theprices of petrol, diesel and LPG to touch thesky. The rise in LPG prices especially wor-ries women a lot and, despite the Centre’sUjjwala Yojana, might affect the BJP’s votebank.

What will happen cannot be exactly pre-dicted but it seems that the people of WestBengal are fed up with the rule of MamataBanerjee and will most likely vote her outof power.

Yash Pal Ralhan | Jalandhar

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Every year on International Women’s Day theworld celebrates the achievements of womenin social, economic, cultural and political

spheres. Not many are aware that this special dayfor women began as a labour movement in 1908,when 15,000 women marched through New YorkCity demanding shorter working hours, better payand the right to vote. March 8 was taken up as theofficial International Women’s Day in 1975 by theUnited Nations. This year’s theme was centredaround celebrating the tremendous efforts ofwomen/girls in shaping a more equal future and alsoin aiding recovery from the pandemic. However, itis imperative to highlight the gaps that remain andthe way forward to address them successfully.

Gender inequality in the labour market, partic-ularly in the context of developing nations, is onearea of concern that still poses a great challenge, par-ticularly in a country like India. Historically,women have been denied many opportunities dueto deep-rooted biases in the social system. Theseeventually lead to labour market inequality as suchdiscrimination is not limited to the domestic arenaonly but extends beyond the household. Theunderlying factors that cause such discriminationin India are the sex ratio at birth, life expectancy atbirth, the infant mortality rate, the under-five mor-tality rate, the maternal mortality rate, nutritionaldeprivation, inequality in literacy rates and the gen-der gap at the highest level of political decision-mak-ing. These inequalities have direct implications forlabour market outcomes in terms of women’s par-ticipation in economic activities. Even with similareducational attainments and skill sets as men, womenare denied opportunities, which leads to significantdifferences in status of work, income and occupa-tions. Despite the introduction of many affirmativepolicy actions, such exclusionary approaches remain.

Inequality in the labour market: While somestudies have noted an improvement in employmentconditions for women, with rising salaries and moreparticipation in quality or decent jobs, other stud-ies have highlighted jobless growth and decliningparticipation in the labour market in the pastdecades. The pandemic severely hit economicactivities of those who were at the lower rung of theoccupation hierarchy, particularly women workingin the informal economy. They were out of jobs fora significant period of the outbreak and those whomanaged to hold on to one had to face wage cuts.This has further precipitated the vulnerability ofwomen.

Employment and education/skill level:Globalisation has led to an increase in women’s par-ticipation in the labour market in India. But thereis still a huge gender gap, with only 18 per cent ofwomen employed as compared to 47 per cent men.It is often argued that women are engaged in most-ly low-skilled, low-paid work under precarious workconditions. Education and skill level play a key rolein access to the labour market and in the quality ofwork one gets.

Almost half of the working women (42 per cent)are illiterate compared to 19 per cent men, andaround 77 per cent are educated up to the upper pri-mary level as compared to 62 per cent men. Thereis a significant difference between the higher edu-cation level of working women and men, i.e. 23 percent of women as compared to 38 per cent of menare educated above the secondary level.

Job quality and occupations:More than half of working women(53 per cent) are engaged in self-employment, whereas one-fourthtake up some form of casual work (25per cent) and only 22 per cent are inregular salaried jobs. The share ofmen engaged in regular work (24 percent) is relatively higher, while theirshare in casual employment (24 percent) is slightly lower. Further, differ-ences are also observed in terms ofoccupational segregation in thelabour market i.e. the difference in theshare of men versus women withinan occupation. Such segmentation iswidespread within occupationalgroups.

The occupational distributionby gender shows that women (28 percent) are relatively more involved thanmen (22 per cent) in low-paid andunskilled jobs, such as elementaryoccupations (domestic helpers, clean-ers, street vendors and garbage col-lectors), services (personal care,housekeeping and salespersons) andas office and customer service clerks.Women (10 per cent) are also under-represented in high-skill and well paidjobs, such as those of professionals,technicians and associate profes-sionals, as compared to men (13 percent). Additionally, the percentage ofwomen (92 per cent) engaged ininformal employment in the countryis higher than men (88 per cent).

Unemployment, NEET andinactive people: The overall employ-ment level among women (five percent) is less than their male (six percent) counterparts. The unemploy-

ment rate among young (15-29 years)women is not only significantly high(18 per cent) but also greater thanmen (17 per cent). The trend alsoshows a sizable increase in youth whoare not in employment, education andtraining (NEET), among whom alarge proportion is that of women.More than half of young women (55per cent) are in the NEET categorywith only 13 per cent of young menfeaturing in it. Additionally, 84 percent of young women are inactive ascompared to 41 per cent of men. Theinactive youth include those who faceemployment difficulties and maydrop out of the labour force whenjobs are hard to find, whether forstudy, leisure, illicit activities or dueto inertia. Women face many socialand economic hurdles which limittheir participation in the labourmarket and this may lead to labourmarket inactivity.

Factors aiding inequality: Thereare many factors that contribute tolabour market inequality. Mehta andAwasthi (2019) analysed various fac-tors through an econometric decom-position exercise. Their study revealedfour important factors: Educationalqualification or skill level is one of themost important factors contributingto inequality, as individuals withhigh education or skill level can accessbetter jobs or have higher chances ofgetting a decent job; access to adecent quality job or a regular formalsalaried job, which provides betterand secure income, while casualwork is irregular and low paid; gen-der, as various socio-economic con-

ditions and other restrictions causewomen to have a lower labour forceparticipation rate and lastly workexperience, as people with experienceare more likely to get better access tothe labour market.There are other fac-tors such as social groups, incomelevel or poverty and rural and urbanlocation which play a key role in gen-der inequality in the labour market.

The way forward: Risinginequality in the labour market is areality, with the differences betweenthe male and female populationgrowing wider. Though, over theyears, female presence in regular orhigh-skilled and better-paid jobs hasimproved but still a large number ofthem are engaged in low-paid andunskilled jobs. In recent years, thegrowing enrollment of young womenin secondary and tertiary-level edu-cation has resulted in them being bet-ter-skilled employees and their pro-liferation in decent employment.This trend is seen particularly in theservices sector, especially in financialservices and information technology.Hence, apart from a gender-friend-ly environment, it is necessary tomake education up to the secondarylevel universal and free.

However, the growing number ofwomen in the NEET category and thehigher unemployment level amongeducated or skilled women is negat-ing the advances made through suchmeasures. Therefore, it is not onlyparticipation in higher educationthat will provide a comprehensivesolution but skills training relevant tothe market demand is also necessary.

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Urban development inIndia is largely obstruct-ed by the lack of avail-

ability of land at affordableprices, a key prerequisite forinfrastructure development andhousing. According to theNumbeo database for 2021,Mumbai is among the top 10cities with the highest price-to-income ratios. The reason forthe high price of land availablefor infrastructure developmentor residential stock in India isdirectly linked to the complex-ities of the land acquisitionprocess.

With a number of loop-holes in its current design, it hasbeen largely debated by variousresearchers and policymakers.Making matters worse, the lackof clear land titles and the needfor obtaining approvals andclearances from civic authori-ties impedes the progress of aproject.

As it has been a long-

standing problem, it is imper-ative to seek solutions andadopt appropriate policy mod-els to address it. Taking cuefrom China’s journey can provehelpful. The improved infra-structure quality has been a fun-damental source of China’seconomic growth, which cur-rently stands on a par with theadvanced economies.

As per the World Bank’sInfrastructure Index for 2018,Beijing appeared in the top 20ranks alongside other advancedeconomies with a score of 3.75.India, in contrast, was one of thelow-scoring countries on theindex at 2.91. This fast-paceddevelopment of the Chineseeconomy forces one to thinkabout its model of infrastruc-ture development.

Of the many steps taken bythe Chinese Government, asignificant effort relates to mon-etisation of public land to devel-op infrastructure. According to

an estimate by Chineseresearchers, the Governmentallocated 1,38,267 hectare ofland in 2010 for infrastruc-ture, which was around 20 percent of the total State-ownedland.

Financial support in theform of this land allocationcan be gauged by the fact thathad State Governments pur-chased the same at marketrates, they would have endedup paying 1,292.8 billionyuan, amounting to 31.8 percent of their total revenue in2010. This model can bereplicated and adopted by Indiaby making unutilised land withGovernment departments andPublic Sector Undertakings(PSUs) available to private play-ers for infrastructure develop-ment or housing construction,thereby filling the existing gap.

The Union Budget 2021-22has proposed monetisation ofland belonging to the

Government-owned compa-nies and PSUs by way of directsale, concessions or other suit-able means. The plan is tolaunch a Special PurposeVehicle (SPV) in this pursuit.The decision is likely to free upa large extent of land for build-ing infrastructure and afford-able housing projects.According to various estimatesavailable in public domain, the

land held by variousGovernment agencies is over5,00,000 HA, of which, over1,60,000 HA is held acrossvarious airports, seaports andby the railways.Approximately 11.8 lakh acresis owned by the RailwayMinistry, out of which about1.26 lakh acres is not in anykind of use. For the pro-posed land monetisation, it ispertinent to ensure prepara-tion on various fronts. First,record of lands with plotownership and boundariesshould be available in an

updated form, without any dis-putes or any other encum-brances like lease terms of thePSUs. Though States are mak-ing substantial progress in digi-tising land records, there is stilla long road ahead for improv-ing its quality, as has beenexhibited by National Councilof Applied Economic Research(NCAER) Land Records and

Services Index (N-LRSI) in its2020 and 2021 editions. Theproposed SPV meant to carryout the monetisation processshould take the essential stepsfor making land assets of PSUsfree of any hindrances.

Canada’s experience canoffer some useful lessons indesigning an SPV — CanadaLands Company — identifiesand purchases surplus proper-ties (including Government-owned land) at market prices.It further manages the pur-chased properties and finallysells it to private entities.

Since 1995, it has developed2,000 affordable housing pro-jects. Second, land prices valu-ation, which has proved to bea major roadblock for loanacquisition procedures, shouldbe determined through adetailed analysis of market ratesand potential gains from theproposed project.

Lastly, Central and State

Governments should take thenecessary steps to limit therequirement of multipleapprovals required to kick off aninfrastructure or real estateproject. This comes across asthe biggest bottleneck asobserved from heaps of landparcels lying unutilised in theStates’ land banks as privatecompanies avoid the tediousapproval and clearance process-es that are necessary to secureaccess.

With increasing require-ments of infrastructureresources and housing stock inIndian cities, there is an urgentneed to optimise land resources.If adopted with adequate mea-sures, Government land mon-etisation can be an efficient pol-icy step that captures real estatevalue of unutilised public land,augments revenues of local,Central and State Governmentsand also mitigates problemsposed by escalating land prices.

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The writer is senior facultyat Institute for Human

Development, New Delhi.The views expressed

are personal.

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The writer is an Associate Fellow at the

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Research. The views expressed

are personal.

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Security forces shot dead twopeople in northern

Myanmar on Monday, localmedia reported, as the militaryGovernment continued itsattempt to stamp out opposi-tion to its February 1 coup.

The Irrawaddy newspapersaid the victims were shot inthe head during anti-coupprotests in Myitkyina in KachinState. Graphic video on socialmedia showed protesters inthe street backing away fromtear gas, responding with rocks,then fleeing after a fusillade ofwhat seemed to be automaticgunfire.

Demonstrators hurriedlycarried away a number of casu-alties, including one apparentfatality, a person who hadclearly sustained a severe headwound.

A second body was seen alittle later, on a stretcher, hishead covered with a cloth.

Security forces alsoclamped down on anti-coupprotesters elsewhere Monday,firing tear gas to break up a

crowd of around 1,000 peoplewho were demonstrating in thecapital, Naypyitaw.

The protesters deployedfire extinguishers to create asmoke screen as they fled fromauthorities.

Canberra: Australia has sus-pended its defence cooperationwith Myanmar and is redirect-ing humanitarian aid becauseof the military takeover of thegovernment and ongoingdetention of an Australian citizen.

Foreign Minister MarisePayne said on Monday thatAustralian diplomats only hadaccess to economic policyadviser Sean Turnell twicesince he was detained in earlyFebruary. AP

Bangkok: The escalation ofviolence in Myanmar as author-ities crack down on protestsagainst the February 1 coup israising pressure for more sanc-tions against the junta, even ascountries struggle over how tobest sway military leadersinured to global condemnation.

The challenge is made dou-bly difficult by fears of harm-ing ordinary citizens who werealready suffering from an eco-nomic slump worsened by thepandemic but are braving risksof arrest and injury to voice

outrage over the militarytakeover. Still, activists andexperts say there are ways toramp up pressure on theregime, especially by cutting offsources of funding and accessto the tools of repression.

The UN special envoy onFriday urged the SecurityCouncil to act to quell junta vio-lence that this week killed about50 demonstrators and injuredscores more. More shootingswere reported over the weekend,and a coalition of labor unionscalled a strike for Monday. AP

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Meghan Markle struggledas a new member of

Britain’s royal family after hermarriage to Prince Harry tosuch a degree that she evencontemplated suicide, theDuchess of Sussex revealed inan explosive tell-all interviewwith American chat show hostOprah Winfry.

The two-hour special, airedon the CBS network in the USon Sunday and set to be airedon ITV in the UK on Mondaynight, saw Prince Harry join-ing his wife half-way throughas the couple also spoke aboutconcerns of racism within theroyal ranks after being asked

about their son Archie’s expect-ed skin colour when mixed-race Meghan was pregnantwith their first child.

“I just didn’t want to bealive anymore,” Meghan said,adding that when she “went tothe institution for help” she wastold it would not be forthcom-ing as it “wouldn’t be good forthe institution”.

The 39-year-old formerAmerican actress, who is preg-nant with her second child,revealed that the couple areexpecting a baby girl andshared how the palace decidedthat their first-born, Archie,could not be a prince andwould therefore have no security.

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President Joe Biden is set tosign an executive order on

Monday directing theDepartment of Education toreview policies implemented byDonald Trump’s administra-tion, including changes to TitleIX regulations that prohibitsex discrimination in federal-ly funded institutions, accord-ing to administration officials.

Biden focused on genderequity during his campaign andpromised to strengthen Title IXif he won the White House. Healso will sign a second executiveorder formally establishing theWhite House Gender PolicyCouncil, according to twoadministration officials whobriefed reporters on the plan.Biden’s transition teamannounced his plans to createthe council before he took office.

The order directing the

review of Title IX could pave theway to a major shift in how col-leges handle allegations of sexu-al misconduct moving forward.

Trump’s education secre-tary, Betsy DeVos, in 2018rescinded an Obama-era admin-istration standard in cases ofreported sexual assault fromrequiring a “preponderance ofevidence” — meaning it is morelikely than not that sexual harass-ment or violence occurred — to“clear and convincing evidence.”

The DeVos changes

reduced the liability of collegesand universities for investigat-ing sexual misconduct claimsand bolstered the due processrights of the accused, includingthe right to cross-examine theiraccusers through a third-partyadvocate at campus hearings.

Biden, as Vice-President,along with then-EducationSecretary Arne Duncan in 2011laid out the legal guidance ofwhat was expected of collegecampuses in response to alle-gations of sexual violence onbehalf of President BarackObama’s administration.

With the EducationDepartment review, Biden’s intentis to set policies that help ensurestudents have an environmentthat’s free from sexual harassmentand without discrimination onthe basis of sexual orientation orgender identity, according toone White House official whobriefed reporters on the orders.

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Jill Biden sees a teachablemoment in the depths of the

coronavirus pandemic. The firstlady sat in a socially distanced cir-cle in the library at Fort LeBoeufMiddle School in Pennsylvania,listening and taking notes as par-ents expressed relief that theschool had reopened and their

kids were back in the classroom.One mother talked about

the “bumpy patches” of onlinelearning and said reopening“has been so to the T” that shedoesn’t worry about her sonand daughter. Another momsaid the district included par-ent input and she was com-fortable her children were in a“safe environment.”

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First lady Jill Biden says near-ly two dozen women the

State Department is honoringfor their courage made an“intentional decision” to persistand demand justice despitetheir fear.

The 21 women being rec-ognized Monday with thedepartment’s InternationalWomen of Courage Awardinclude seven fromAfghanistan who are receivingposthumous honors.

Hong Kong: Hong Kong leaderCarrie Lam said on Mondaythe city’s government “fullywelcomes” changes to the city’selectoral system that will sub-stantially increase central gov-ernment control over HongKong politics and excludeBeijing’s critics.

Chinese authorities havesaid the draft decision beforeChina’s National People’sCongress would mean thelargely pro-Beijing committeethat elects Hong Kong’s leaderwould also choose a large partof the legislature. AP

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India’s domestic air traffic fell37 per cent year-on-year to

78 lakh passengers in Februaryamid travel curbs and capaci-ty restrictions due to the pan-demic, according to Icra.

Even the sequential growthslowed down for the secondconsecutive month in Februarywith a nearly flat growth overJanuary 2021, rating firm Icrasaid in a release.

Domestic passenger trafficin January this year was record-ed at 77.34 lakh, according toDGCA data.

Similarly, 1.23 crore peopletravelled on local routes inFebruary 2020 as against 78lakh passenger in Februarythis year.”The number of flightsdeparting has also graduallyincreased from 416 on day

one (May 25, 2020, whendomestic operations wereresumed) to 2,885 on day 267(February 14, 2021).

“For February 2021, theaverage daily departures werearound 2,296, significantlylower than the average dailydepartures of 3,137 in February2020, though better thanaround 2,190 in January 2021,”said Kinjal Shah, VicePresident, Icra.

The average number ofpassengers per flight duringFebruary 2021 was 121, againstan average of 136 passengersper flight in February 2020, shesaid, therefore, it is expectedthat the domestic aviationindustry operated at a passen-ger load factor (PLF) of around78 per cent in February 2021,against 87.7 per cent a year ago,that too on a low capacity.

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The Government hasrealised Rs 53,346 crore

through direct tax dispute res-olution scheme Vivad SeVishwas till February 22,Parliament was informed onMonday.

To a query in the LokSabha on whether the govern-ment has been able to achievethe objective of settling incometax cases after launching theVivad se Vishwas scheme,Minister of State for FinanceAnurag Singh Thakur said,“Yes”. He said over 1.28 lakhdeclarations have been filedunder the scheme involving adisputed tax of Rs 98,328 crore.Of this, Rs 53,346 crore hasbeen received as paymentsagainst disputed tax.

This include Rs 27,720crore worth payments made bythe central public sector under-takings (PSUs), Rs 1,023 croreby state PSUs, and Rs 24,603crore by others.

The Vivad Se Vishwasscheme provides for settle-ment of disputed tax, disputedinterest, disputed penalty ordisputed fees in relation to anassessment or reassessmentorder. The dispute is settled onpayment of 100 per cent of thedisputed tax and 25 per cent ofthe disputed penalty or inter-est or fee.The taxpayer is grant-ed immunity from levy ofinterest, penalty and institutionof any proceeding for prose-cution for any offence underthe Income Tax Act in respectof matters covered in the dec-laration.

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Price of domestic cookinggas, LPG has doubled to Rs

819 per cylinder in the lastseven years while the increasein taxes on petrol and diesel hasswelled collections by over 459per cent, Oil MinisterDharmendra Pradhan said onMonday.

In written replies to a spateof questions on rising fuelprices in the Lok Sabha,Pradhan said the retail sellingprice of domestic gas was Rs410.5 per 14.2-kg cylinder onMarch 1, 2014. This month, thesame cylinder costs Rs 819.

Small price hikes over thepast couple of years have elim-inated subsidy on cooking gasas well as PDS kerosene.

Pradhan said the price ofdomestic subsidised LPG hasbeen raised during the lastfew months. It cost Rs 594 per

cylinder in December 2020 and now is priced at

Rs 819. Similarly, kerosenesold to the poor through thepublic distribution system(PDS) has risen from Rs 14.96per litre in March 2014 to Rs35.35 this month, he said.

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India’s benchmark equityindices ended Monday’s

trade session on a flat-to-pos-itive note even as high crude oilprices along with rising bondyields subdued sentiments.

Accordingly, the two keyindices had a gap-up opening,subsequently they rose to makerespective intra day highs butfears of inflationary pressuresdue to high oil prices spookedinvestors. Globally, Asianshares broadly reversed courseto trade lower on Monday ashigher crude oil prices raisedinflation worries.

On the other hand,European stocks rose withbond yields near one-yearhighs as the world’s largesteconomy was on the verge ofadding $1.9 trillion in stimulus.

Besides, volumes werebelow recent averages sig-nalling lower institutional par-ticipation.On Monday, FIIs

pulled out Rs 1,494.49 crorefrom the Indian markets.

Among sectors, PSU bank,media, metals gained the most,while realty, FMCG, Auto lost

the most. Consequently, theS&P BSE Sensex rose by just35.75 points, or 0.07 per cent,to 50,441.07 points from theprevious close of 50,405.32.

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After witnessing many sur-prising outcomes from the

all-women shop-floor at itsDahej plant, Yokohama Off-Highway Tires has decided tohave 50% staff as women at itsupcoming plant in Vizag. Theworld’s leading off-highwaytyremaker began hiring womenfor the shop-floor in September2018, thus becoming the firsttyre company to do so on itsheavy-duty tyre shop-floor atthe Dahej plant, with lots ofapprehensions given the natureof the work, said YokohamaIndia Group Head NitinMantri. They rolled down thefirst tyre in February 2019after the induction and train-ing programme and wereinducted into the truck and busradial unit first and thenextended to radial OTR (off-the-road) unit in Feb 2020.

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The Government is likely toamend the telecom licence

norms this month to incorpo-rate the guidelines of nationalsecurity directive on telecom-munication sector that willhelp in controlling installationof network equipment fromChina and other non-friendlycountries.

Under the provisions ofthis directive, the governmentwill declare a list of trustedsources and trusted productsfor installation in the country’stelecom network.

“DoT is almost ready toamend licence conditions toincorporate guidelines NSD(national security directive). Itshould be done in the coming

week,” an official source said.Notably, Chinese telecom

gear maker Huawei has had itsrun-ins in the past with thegovernments of Canada andthe US. The US has alleged thatit did not comply with itscybersecurity and privacy laws,leaving the country and the cit-izens vulnerable to espionage.

The list of the trustedsource and product for instal-lation in telecom networks willbe decided based on theapproval of a committee head-ed by the deputy national secu-rity advisor.

The committee will consistof members from relevantdepartments, ministries andwill also have two membersfrom the industry and inde-pendent experts.

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Benchmark indices Sensexand Nifty eke out gains on

Monday after two sessions ofdecline as investors snappedup energy, IT and pharmashares. After fighting multi-ple bouts of volatility duringthe session, the BSE gaugeSensex settled 35.75 points or0.07 per cent higher at50,441.07. Intraday, the indexrose as much as 667 points,but pared most of its gainstracking weakness in globalmarkets.

Mumbai:The rupee onMonday declined by 23 paiseto close at 73.25 against theUS dollar, extending its loss-es for the third session in arow due to rising crude oilprices and strengthening ofthe American currency inthe overseas market.The dol-lar rose to a three-and-a-halfmonth high against a basketof six currencies globallyhelped by passage of USD 1.9trillion. stimulus package bythe US Senate, positive jobsdata and rising bond yields.

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Page 10:  · 3/8/2021  · meet the top BJP leadership amid speculation that the party is mulling a change of leadership in the mountain state. Varying reports came ... ident Raman Singh and

In the last few years, women’shygiene has been the talk of

the town, given that there areso many diseases that stembecause of unhygienic prac-tices. Despite the awarenessbeing created, India has still along way to go before beingable to talk about it openly.

When one talks abouthygiene, intimate washes is thefirst thing that comes to mind.Loaded with natural ingredi-ents and Ayurvedic benefits,rooted in ancient traditions,these washes are fast catchingattention of the urban womenlooking for alternatives to thechemical-loaded products.

More so, whenCoronavirus threat is loominglarge and health and hygienehave become a top-most pri-ority. There are many whoprefer time-tested Ayurvedabased intimate hygiene thatoffers a level of security againstinfections.

Health experts supportthis choice saying that oneshould not lower one’s guard

when it comes to personalhygiene.

They opine that washesmade of natural solutionsretain the good bacteria,which protects the intimatearea and kills bad bacteria.

“Those intimate washeswhich enhances skin healthand serve as a helpful add-ontherapy for those with infec-tions should be used,” Dr RPPrashar from a Delhi-basedAyurveda Hospital tells you.

Sanchit Sharma,Executive Director of AIMILPharma, engaged in manufac-turing Ayurvedic drugs pointsout that keeping in mind thehygiene needs of women, theyhave, after intensive researchand development preparedAyouthveda Vagitone IntimateHygiene Wash that is rich ingreen tea, haridra and amlaamong others, replacingchemicals like silicon andartificial colours.

Apart from the use ofAyurvedic medicinal ingredi-ents in hygiene wash,

researchers have supplement-ed the Vagitone formulationwith natural fragrances andemployed refining techniquesendorsed by the Fragrance &Flavour Development Centre,Kannauj, an institution set upby the Union Micro, Smalland Medium EnterpriseMinistry.

However, there is a wide-spread ignorance amongwomen when it comes totheir intimate hygiene,laments Prashar revealing thataround 95 per cent of the inti-mate hygiene products in themarket are full of chemicals,and, globally, approximately75 per cent of the women suf-fer from a vaginal yeast infec-tion at least once in their life-time.

According to various sur-veys, in India at least eight outof 10 women are vulnerable tovaginal infection while at least80 per cent ignore the impor-tance of the internal hygienedue to which they face variousinfections.

Women leaders representing doctorsand corporates on March 8, 2021

underscored the need to change howwomen are perceived by the society andadvocated that women must look afterthemselves before noting what othersneed. Attending the summit titledWomen’s Health Matters by theIntegrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW)Council ahead of International Women’sDay, they hoped that a substantial partof the allocations for AtmanirbharSwasth Bharat Yojana, announced dur-ing the Union Budget last month, is allo-cated for women’s health issues.

Noting that gender discriminationis a critical component that impactswomen’s health Dr Nandita Palshetkar,Director, Bloom IVF Centres, said:“COVID has hit the women badly – 60per cent of them have been pushed topoverty and unemployment due to thepandemic and she is 20 per cent morelikely to become unemployed thanmen. We launched a campaign to makewomen safer from the violence andabuses, smarter in terms of her repro-ductive choices and stronger by focus-ing on wellness and mental wellbeing.We definitely need more women-cen-tric policies. We have been focusing alot on maternal mortality in the past,but the government is now looking atit more holistically, which is a welcomechange, and I hope they will prioritisewomen’s health under the allocationsfor Atmanirbhar Swasth BharatYojana.”

����� ������ Highlyaromatic and flavourfulherbs, fennel seeds are used totreat some common digestiveailments including heartburn,intestinal gas and bloating.

Some people eat fennelseeds as mouth fresheners.Chewing fennel seeds can alsohelp in getting rid of badbreath as they increase theproduction of saliva therebywashing out the bacte-ria. They alsohelp to

relieve morning sickness.The antioxidants and other

antimicrobial properties in fen-nel seeds help treat a host ofhair ailments. Some of theseinclude dandruff, scalp itchi-ness, hair breakage and hairfall.

They also contain nitrites,compounds known to lowerblood pressure levels. The fibercontent in them also help inlowering the cholestrol levels.

Millions of Indians areaffected by ChronicKidney Diseases(CKD). Various epi-

demiological studies suggest preva-lence of CKD to be around eight to10 per cent. Multiply this with ourpopulation and age is no bar!Though prevalent among the elder-ly, younger patients are also knownto have progressive loss of kidneyfunction. CKD is associated with anincreased risk of cardiovasculardisease and end-stage renal disease(ESRD).

The various causes of CKD canrange from strong medication,Diabetes, obesity, agricultural foodchain pollution, water treatmentpollution, to dehydration and kid-ney impact among others. DiabetesMellitusis the leading cause ofCKD. Of every 100 diabetics, near-ly 40 land up with CKD. Diabesityisa coinage to emphasise the havoccreated by marriage of diabetes withobesity. One plus one becomeseleven here. Of those with highuncontrolled blood pressure, one infive will have CKD.Glomerulonephritis, which isinflammatory condition of kid-neys as well as chronic shrinking ofkidneys called chronic interstitialnephritis are again factors that cancause CKD. Young people workingin farms have a special proclivity.Indiscriminate usage of agricultur-al pesticidesand fertilisers alongwith heat dehydration can causeirreversible CKD, robbing thenation of its young working force.

Obstruction to urine flow dueto kidney stones, enlarged prostateand gynaecological problems canalso be major causes. Congenital

causes like polycystic kidneys, refluxof urine and many other diseasestarget children right from the moth-er's womb or at birth causing youngpeople to get CKD.

Kidneys filter waste productsfrom the blood. All the nitrogenousend products, sulfuric acid, phos-phaturic acid and innumerableorganic wastes which are inimicalto good health are excreted by ourindefatigable friends. MilieuIntérieur, the internal environmentof the body, a perquisite to goodhealth is the prime responsibility ofkidneys as they regulate bloodpressure, enable new blood forma-tion in bone marrow by producingthe hormone erythropoietin, main-taining fluid and electrolyte balanceand by forming active vitamin D,kidneys keep our strong bones ingood humour!

Recognising early kidney dam-age is imperative and there aremany early symptoms that can bea giveaway to kidney health.Paradoxically passing more urinespecially at night is a classic symp-tom. Frothing in the urine, high BPespecially in young people, unex-plained anemia, muscle aches andbone pains, swelling over feet or face(how so ever slight and transient)and the inability to have a baby areall symptoms to watch out for.

Knowing how to prevent ormanage the wellness of our kidneysis equally important. One shouldkeep in mind the seven sins of thisdisease and keep the following incheck — sugar, salt, stress, smoking,sedentary lifestyle, spirits i.e., alco-hol and sleep (the lack of it). CKDis associated with an increased riskof cardiovascular diseases like heart

attacks and heart failure. Many atimes the “seed of disease is in kid-neys and the fruits of illness is borneby our heart”. Invest a small sum ofmoney and a little time in yourhealth to reap bumper dividends ofgood health. Regular BP and bloodsugar monitoring at home should bedone religiously.

Periodic health checks detectasymptomatic early kidney diseasewhich are amenable to correction.High risk patients above 50 years ofage, people with Diabetes or highBP and patients having a family his-tory of kidney diseases, stones andcystic diseases should all opt forperiodic health checks. Every per-son should have a health insurancefrom first day of their earnings,whether personal or employer sup-ported and people below povertyline should have coverage byschemes like Ayushman Bharat,ESI etc.

Are kidney diseases on therise? The answer is an unequivocalyes. Ironically early CKD (stage 1 to4) has no symptoms. Typically, it isnot until stages 4-5 where there issevere reduction in Glomerularfiltration and kidney functions thatwater, electrolyte and acids accumu-late and cause flooding of lungsleading to cardio respiratory failure.

Dialysis is a process by whicha person is hooked up to a dialysismachine which filters out all toxinsand acidic wastes from the bloodthus reestablishing milieu interior,albeit only for a few days. So, a per-son will need a four-hour session ofdialysis every two to three times aweek.

If prepared in advance, dialysisis a seamless and painless procedure

which can lend many years of use-ful life. Getting a small surgerycalled AV fistula done well in timecan enable a safe and a high-qual-ity dialysis. We have patients livingwell for more than 15 years on dial-ysis. In fact, dialysis is a lifesavingand life prolonging procedure.Bluntly put, it boils down to ‘eitherdialysis or death’.

Nearly every person has twohealthy kidneys. In the event ofsomeone landing in End-StageRenal Disease (ESRD), changingone kidney with a healthy kidneyfrom a relative will enable completerecuperation of the patient. Thetransplanted patient can lead anormal life with some regular med-ications and checks. The donor alsoleads a full and fulfilling life cappedwith the ultimate altruistic deed.

If suffering from CKD, do askyour healthcare specialist aboutthe other relevant advice for ESRDand how to manage medicationsand routine exercises to stay healthy.A quick visit to the dietician to gettips on managing good nutrition,food suited for the body, and to pre-vent thirst will go a long way in liv-ing well with kidney diseases. Giventhat kidney diseases are an epidem-ic,it is important to maintain a pos-itive attitude with self-help and fromthe family. The treatment of kidneydisease is not just medical, but it isabout comprehending your life ona daily basis and understanding thechoices you can make based onyour condition and available ther-apeutic modalities.

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Most people know that stress can cause various health prob-lems. We are living in a scenario where every person lives

under stress. Especially the pandemic has taken a toll on every-one’s health apart from that sedentary lifestyle such as lack ofexercise, smoking, drinking, junk food eating, lack of sleepingespecially where people work in the night shifts, desk jobs, ten-sion of target completion, the pressure of board meetings, clientpressure, etc. All these factors in totality lead to stress.

Many people don’t know that stress can also cause thyroid.Hypothyroidism or thyroid refers to any state in which thyroidhormone production is below normal. The symptoms are usu-ally milder at the beginning but develop gradually as the con-dition deteriorates.

The symptoms of hypothyroidism are often subtle but caninclude:

�Increased cholesterol lev-els

�State of depression�Losing or gaining weight�Swollen neck�Mood swings�Low energy�Hair loss�Constipation�Dry skin�Brittle nails�Problem with vision�Trembling of hands.In today’s generation thy-

roid is a very common problemespecially post 25 years of ageand women are 4 times moreprone to thyroid disorders thanmen. Undiagnosed anduntreated thyroid disease canbe a cause for infertility or fre-quent miscarriage.

An underactive thyroid(hypothyroidism) is a condition in which the thyroid gland does-n’t produce enough of certain important hormones. For women,there is a link between hypothyroidism and infertility. Low lev-els of thyroid hormone can interfere with ovulation, which impairsfertility.

Since standard thyroid blood tests are not sensitive enoughto detect low ovarian tissue levels the majority of the time. Womenmust find a knowledgeable physician who understands that stan-dard tests will often not be useful in detecting low ovarian thy-roid levels. If you feel the above-mentioned symptoms imme-diately go for TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) test, Chest X-ray, T4, or thyroxin test.

Treatment: Hyperthyroidism can be treated in many ways.However, a doctor chooses the line of treatment based on sev-eral variables like the underlying cause of hyperthyroidism, theage of the patient, the size of the thyroid gland, and the pres-ence of coexisting medical illnesses.

If you are found to have hypothyroidism, thyroid hormonereplacement is very effective in restoring fertility. It may take one-two months to normalise your thyroid hormone levels with med-ication; and once you start medication, you must check your TSHlevels to confirm they are in the normal range. You will usual-ly need to continue the medicines for the rest of your life andrecheck your thyroid function every six months or so.

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Taking care of eyes isimportant, especiallywhen work from

home has probably left youwith longer working hours.This definitely callsfor extra care forthe eyes. Hereare a few tipsthat can help.

O n e ,don’t forgetto takebreaks every20 minutes.Stop for awhile, look awayfrom the screen forat least five minutes orclose your eyes for twominutes.

Two, use cold water towash your eyes every timeyou take a break. Even in themorning, just after you getup splash water on the eyesfor a good two-three min-

utes. Three, if your eyes feel

tired or puffy, cut cucumberslices and put them over theeyes. Rest for 10 minutes.

One can also use cot-ton pads soaked in

rose water tosoothe tiredeyes. One canput thesoaked cot-ton pads inthe fridge for

half an hourbefore using

them.Four, if you

eyes are itchy or red, useice cubes over the eyelids.However, don’t use themdirectly, wrap them in atowel or a cotton cloth andthen use. Do this for at least20 minutes. However, if theitchiness continues do visitthe doctor.

Keeping your eyes healthyshould be your priority,

given that most of us are stillworking from home.

ROSHANI DEVI shares easyhome remedies that can help

relieve the discomfort

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Meditation is a thousand-year-oldpractice. The older the practice, thegreater are its effects and benefits.

In this modern time, our life is with stressand excess consumption of information.Meditation is a tool to fight these effects ofstressful life and find a peaceful living.

Meditation is to train the mind andactions, create self-awareness, and achievea stable, emotionally calm and mentallyclear state of mind. The good thing aboutmeditation is that it does not require anyequipment. It is, though, best practised ina quiet, peaceful surrounding. It is com-monly a means to find answers to burningquestions of the mind.

Mental health: Most mental healthissues can be resolved, with the help of med-itation. Researchers have believed thatmeditation could be a solution in manymental health cases to eliminate medication.In the recent pandemic, mental health issuesbecame of grave concern in many nationsaround the world. Those suffering fromdepression and anxiety due to the pandem-ic are advised to practise meditation to gainrelief. It has become an effective andimportant part of daily life.

Take control: It is often when the chaosof daily life takes control meditation comeshandy. It helps rid away negative thoughtsand allows the brain to find its zen andfocus. It permits zero in on positive think-ing and finding an equilibrium. It penetratesserenity into the mind that assists in fulfill-ing the answers for an individual.Answering desired questions is bestachieved in a quiet and peaceful environ-ment or surrounding.

Motivation: Meditation allows humansto gain power over their mind, body anddesires. The chaotic consistency of daily lifeprevents individuals to stay motivated andconfident in their endeavours. Meditationgives them dominating thinking to stay onthe course of positivity and healing. It givesthem the strength to ignore distractions andmanipulate the mind to do differently.

Stay calm: Meditation is useful forschool students, busy corporate employees,business people and professionals in differ-ent fields. It helps gain concentration,resilience and improves performance.People who meditate are known to be kindin their actions and thoughts. They are alsomore humble and gentle beings. A studyshows that meditation makes people soft-er, agile minded and thoughtful as they canstay calm and consider situations beforeimpulsively taking action.

Be disciplined: Meditation lets anindividual free from limitations and short-comings. It leads them to peace and calm-ness. It helps bring stillness to a racing mindand controls fast-paced thinking.Meditation allows individuals to take con-trol and be disciplined about life and dailyhabits.

The benefit of meditation is that it givesan individual the ability to find peace. It isa practice chosen by world leaders and high-ly successful people. Meditation is adopt-ed as part of the corporate world as well. Itis a significant part of daily life and isutilised, as a way to live a happy life.

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The theme parks are the hub forheady adventures, thrilling rides,and adrenaline rush. However, vis-

iting them was, perhaps, the last thing onpeople’s minds when the pandemic struckus in 2020 as it brought a lot of difficul-ties across businesses and brought ourlives to a halt. Despite 2021 being the yearof recovery for some, it is still a sluggishperiod for the Indian theme park indus-try. Earlier, it used to be a booming indus-try with a good employment rate of aminimum of 80,000 people, but now, theemployees are jobless or bearing salarycuts.

Dealing with this major hit to thetheme parks, the industry is trying tofocus on the path of recovery. While thefuture seems promising, it will requiresome time and effort in the right direc-tion to revive the customer base.Currently, all they are focussing on is thattheir operation adheres to the govern-ment guidelines.

����������Now, with the unlocking, most theme

parks in the country have reopenedafter being shut for approximately 10months as per the guidelines. The parksare taking every possible safety precau-tion for their visitors and making sure tofollow all the norms issued by the gov-ernment. Their utmost priority is ensur-ing the safety of the people.

They are trying to adapt to the newnormal and grasp the online workingmethods. Online pre-booked admis-sions, markings showing where to stand,maintaining social distancing, tempera-ture screening, and sanitising the visitorsand employees at the entry time and otherprominent zones inside the parks aresome of the steps taken to ensure safety.The park operators are also pushing forcontactless transitions with food orders,menus on applications, and for buyingthings from the stalls and shop inside thevenue.

The parks are being properly steril-ized — swings, surfaces, seat belts, andhandlebars — before and after every ride.They have allocated their funds on thesafety of the visitors and are spendingapproximately `10,000-15,000 or evenmore than this per day.

It has, indeed, been a roller coaster

ride for the industry with theme parkshaving to reopen and then shut downmultiple times due to the volatileCOVID-19 situation. In order to have ablooming future, strengthening theirpresent situation is essential. The recre-ational firms have realised this andhence, are working towards achieving thesame objective.

Increased expenses, the imposition ofsafety measures, social distancing, and theprovision of limited tickets are some ofthe ways in which they are looking atreviving their businesses. There are hard-ly 40 visitors per day and rides are run-ning at less than half the capacity as com-pared to the pre-pandemic times.

It is undeniable that theme parkauthorities are struggling with financialissues to protect their employees andmainly to apply the right strategies todraw visitors to the theme parks.

Basically, there are two major categories,one which includes rides with water, andthe other is without water. While thefirms haven’t made the water rides oper-ational as of now but if they decide toopen them soon, then, it will becomeincreasingly challenging to curb thetransmission of the virus. However, incase they re-launch their water rides, thenthey will have to adopt specific safetymeasures. They will have to use a certainchemical that can help in eliminating thevirus from the water and is also skin-friendly.

They can also make sanitising com-pulsory before stepping into the water.Changing or purifying the water at reg-ular intervals after a certain amount ofpeople have entered is another basic yetimportant step that can help in ensuringthe safety of the people while savoring thewater rides. The provision of COVID-19tests at the entrance of the parks that tooat nominal charges will further aid inkeeping everyone safe and sound.

��������%��������One of the common ways in which

theme parks are attracting customers isrunning creative advertisements andcampaigns as a part of their marketingstrategy to grab attention. Additionally,they are offering the ticket at nearly 30to 40 per cent discount on its full ticketprice. In the present times, the park’s pricepoint is 10-15 per cent lower than 2019prices but they are optimistic and hope-ful that if the demand sustains over thenext couple of months then the themeparks will function in full swing. Theywill be able to roll back to original tick-et prices.

��� �����The present might seem blurry but

the future of recreational parks is indeedpromising. As to the present risky situ-ation, all these hygiene solutions need tobe adopted for the next 12 to 18 monthsas the virus is here to stay and we needtime to minimise its risk.

Almost every company and businesswas affected terribly by the pandemic.Hence, it will take time to recover and weneed to imbibe relevant strategies to over-come the losses and get back on our feet.This is especially so in the case of themeparks as the challenge for them is hugeand the revival journey is troublesome.However, it isn’t impossible as everyonewants cheerful and enthusiastic momentsafter the lockdown, and theme parks willbe the perfect resort for the same.Hopefully, with all the relevant strategiesin place, that day won’t be far when thetheme parks will again be crowded!

(The writer is the founder of Delta105,Army theme park.)

Yatra Naryasthu is a title thatAdwaita Gadanayak, DG,

NGMA, took from the Sanskritshloka: Yatra naryastu pujyanteramante tatra devata, whichmeans where women are wor-shipped, there the gods rejoice. Ahistoric show gives us a glimpseinto the tapestry of the life of sev-eral women artists. It straddlesIndia’s greatest names like Zarina,Arpita Singh, Arpana Caur, JayasriBurman, Anupam Sud, SoghraKhurasani, Jyotsna Bhatt, DipaliDaroz, Jayashree Chakravortyand many more. Created as acorollary among printmakers,sculptors, ceramic artists andpainters, the show has somethingfor everyone. Special is therequiem for artists who havepassed away. A number of workshave been specially loaned to theNGMA by eminent collectorsfrom Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

ZARINA’S MY DELHIZarina passed away last year

on April 20 in London. Poet,printmaker and teacher Zarinawas born in Aligarh, India. Afterreceiving a degree in Mathematics,she went on to study woodblockprinting in Bangkok and Tokyo,and intaglio with SW Hayter atAtelier-17 in Paris.

Her experiences and person-al life define Zarina’s works. Anearly interest in architecture andMathematics is reflected in the useof geometry and her emphasis onstructural purity. While her workgravitates towards minimalism, itsstarkness is tempered by its tex-ture and materiality. Her artpoignantly chronicles her life andfeatures recurring themes ofhome, displacement, borders,journey and memory.

Zarina mined her memoryand experience to reflect on thenature of belonging. Delhi 1, II &

III, are three prints that addressthe theme of home within thecontext of individual and nation-al identity, displacement, isolationand community. Yet when youlook at them together, it’s like ameditation on belonging.

MANISHA BHATTACHARYYA’SSONG OF THE SEA

Ceramic artist and mentorManisha Bhattacharyya passedaway after a battle with cancer andher cluster of three raku pots

belong to her series of the sea.Laden with crackled glaze and thesandy tone of a murky white, itshows her prowess and passion forcreating pots that had a minimalaccent and a Zen echo of rarerhythms.

LEENA BATRA’S PORCELAINPLATTERS

In the history of ceramics inIndia, former Garhi artist and co-founder of Delhi Blue Pottery,Leena Batra is an important name.

Three porcelain platters are atreat for tired eyes. She was one ofthe first to experiment with porce-lain and these three platters speakof precision, perfection and thefinesse needed to create celadonglazed platters.

MADHURI JALAN’S LINGAMMadhuri Jalan was a ceram-

ic artist. She used to create sculp-tural pots and among her exper-iments was a copper lingam thatwas a part of her show at HabitatCentre in 2010. This copperlingam with a small trunk of anelephant is on loan from a collec-tor. As a work of art, it blends both

mythic and spiritual yearnings ina deeply materialistic world. Thelingam initiates an exchange ofideas/emotions around the the-matics of the creative process,inviting the viewer to weigh in ondeeper artistic sources and cogni-tive triggers that stir them to cre-ate.

PRABHA SHAHAt the Triveni studio creating

canvases for more than twodecades is abstractionist PrabhaShah, who creates work in silencebecause she can neither hear theworld nor speak her heart out insyllables.

Prabha’s canvas is a testimo-ny to the process of abstractionbeing an experience — not onlyis it the crux of creation but it isalso a residue that evolves withboth precision and fervour.Prabha’s visual language is the keyto her own odyssey. In her canvas,the addition, the summation andthe erasure all come into play.These postulations of personalchoice become a paradigm of aself-referential and self-editingintention that is in parts voluntaryand involuntary – as an act of cre-ating in a silent world that has nosound.

Ultimately for art lovers YatraNaryasthu details the passion anddevotion of a woman’s journey ofcreation.

(The show is on till March 29at NGMA.)

Actor Rani Mukerji says that thepower lies with women to change the

perception about how they are represent-ed in every aspect of filmmaking. On theoccasion of Women’s Day on Monday,Rani added that if women celebrated eachothers success, they would be heard all themore.

“In my journeyin the Hindi filmindustry, I haverealised that thepower is withthe women tochange the per-ception abouthow women arerepresented inevery aspect off i lmmaking.We have tos u p p o r teach other,root for eachother andempower eachother, so thatthe road issmoother forothers whowant to make aname for them-selves in the male-driven industry. We haveto celebrate each other andour successes collectively toensure that we are all heard allthe more,” Rani said.

She considersherself fortunateto have got theopportunity to bring fantas-

tic characters to life.“As an artiste, I have been fortunate

enough to play some really fantastic self-reliant women on screen and live theirinspiring stories closely. Like me, manyactresses over generations have tried tochange the conversation about howwomen are portrayed on screen,” she said.

Rani feels blessed that through herfilms she was given an opportunity tochange the conversation of female repre-sentation in India.

Rani’s last two films wereHichki and Mardaani 2. She saysshe wants to continue finding

unconventional scripts asthese while represent-

ing women on screen.“I have through-

out my careermade consciousdecisions toportray strong

women charac-ters on screen

who led by exam-ple for society. Ihave chosen toplay women char-acters who cancommand respect,

because of their unin-hibited life choices,” she

said.“I will be inclined to pick projects

that have a powerful story to tellthrough the eyes of a bold, upright

woman who doesn’tfear voicing heropinions and is

confident about beingherself,” she summed up.

Actor Arjun Kapoor feels it is cru-cial for women to stand up for

themselves and their dreams, andshatter stereotypes.

“It is crucial for women to standup for themselves and their dreamsand shatter stereotypes. I have alwaysbeen a staunch supporter of women’scauses and have always tried to con-tribute in my own way as much aspossible,” Arjun said.

On the occasion of InternationalWomen’s Day, Arjun interacted andcelebrated girls who have brokenstereotypes, challenged norms, andhave themselves become a rolemodel, inspiring a generation toshare their experiences and theirjourneys.

Arjun conversed with these girls,shared anecdotes from his life on howwomen can do anything they set theirmind to.

“It was an eye-opener for me toknow the amazing stories of thesegirls and their inspiring personaljourneys,” added the actor, whospearheads a digital IP called BendThe Gender that is aimed at salutinggirls who have been shattering theglass ceiling across India.

On the work front, Arjun cur-rently awaits the digital release of hisforthcoming cross-border love storyfeaturing Rakul Preet Singh.

He will also be seen in the hor-ror-comedy Bhoot Police.

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Page 12:  · 3/8/2021  · meet the top BJP leadership amid speculation that the party is mulling a change of leadership in the mountain state. Varying reports came ... ident Raman Singh and

���� 72.3

Olympic-bound Indian wrestlerBajrang Punia pulled off a

two-pointer in the last 30 secondsof the Gold medal bout to defendhis title at the Matteo PelliconeRanking Series event, a result thatpropelled him back to world num-ber one rank.

Up against Mongolia’s TulgaTumur Ochir, Bajrang was trailing0-2 till the final moments of the65kg final but managed to level thescores, 30 seconds from the finalwhistle.

Since the last scoring pointcame from the Indian, he wasdeclared the winner on criteria onSunday night.

Bajrang’s leg defence seemed tobe a particularly improved aspect of

his game in the one-year break,forced by the coronavirus pan-demic.

The 27-year-old thoughsaid he needs to work more onhis defence as he is eyeing amedal at the Tokyo Games.

“I found that my legdefence has improvedcompared to where itwas before the break.I have got better butit still needs morework. I also needto be better on myattacking moves,”Bajrang told PTI.

Asked about his strug-gle in the final against theMongolian, one of thethree men’s Indianwrestlers to have quali-

fied for the Tokyo Gamessaid it indeed was tough.

“Look, the 65kg catego-ry is extremely competitive.The Mongolian has quali-fied for the Tokyo Games.

He is not a weakopponent. All the

wrestlers in thiscategory havethe same aim ofdoing well inTokyo, so all aretough and weare all almost atsame level,” he

said.“It is such a sport,

that you go up anddown. I am just gladthat I am back to themat and competing,”

he said.Bajrang will now be back in the

national camp but wants to trainoutside before the Asian champi-onship, scheduled to be held inKazakhstan from April 9 to 11.

“I am looking for a training stintabroad. Let's see if it happensbecause restrictions are back inEurope because of rising viruscases. Travelling is not easy thesedays. You have to fill a lot of forms,download apps, fill too much infor-mation.”

Bajrang was placed second inthe rankings before the event andis now on top of the table in the65kg category with 14 points.

The fresh rankings are based onresults of only this tournamentwhich means that Gold-medallistsget the top spot.

���� %3"4350�

India will play their inauguralWorld Test Championship final

against New Zealand atSouthampton’s Ageas BowlStadium from June 18-22, BCCIpresident Sourav Ganguly con-firmed on Monday.

Initially, the final was supposedto be held at the Lord’s butSouthampton, with a five-starfacility inside the stadium, willmake it easier for both the ICC andthe England and Wales CricketBoard to create a bio-bubble for thetwo teams.

“Yes, the final will be held atAgeas Bowl,” Ganguly replied to aquery from PTI.

India qualified for the marqueeclash after beating England 3-1 ina just-concluded Test series.

Southampton, with its slowish

track, puts India on even keel withNew Zealand as spinners willcome into the game at the venue.

“I will go for the World TestChampionship and hopefully wecan get past New Zealand in thefinal. New Zealand will be therebefore us and they will play a cou-ple of Test matches (againstEngland),” Ganguly told ‘IndiaToday’ channel.

He lavished praise on theteam for its stupendous perfor-mance in both the away seriesagainst Australia and home gamesagainst England.

Massive achievement?“Oh yes, specially after what

players have gone through to be in

those bubbles and play cricket dayin and day out. It was remarkable.Right from IPL till now. What theyhave achieved is fantastic,” he toldthe channel.

“I think we must congratulateAjinkya Rahane, first in Australiaand Virat Kohli in England, thehead coach, support staff, every-body. (Rahul) Dravid who does a

lot of work behind the scenes withthese boys. To see that day inBrisbane was outstanding,” hesaid.

Ganguly believes that RishabhPant is a match winner in themould of Virender Sehwag, YuvrajSingh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

“I have seen him for past twoyears and I have belief in match-winners. A player, who on his daywill win you games. Pant is onesuch guy.

“Sydney Test, if he had beenthere for six more overs, he wouldhave won us that game too. He islike Dhoni, Sehwag and Yuvraj,who can win matches alone,” saidthe former India captain.

He was mighty impressedwith Pant’s game sense during hisunder pressure hundred at Motera.

“...And look at how he playedin Ahmedabad. His game sensewhile facing the second new ballagainst James Anderson, who hasbowled well in the series. Hecounter-attacked and changed it.”

He also lauded NationalCricket Academy head RahulDravid, whose behind the sceneswork has helped in creating a solidbench strength.

“That’s why I say Dravid hasdone a great job. MohammedSiraj and Shardul Thakur did sowell in Australia and we won thefinal Test without Jasprit Bumrah.”

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Young opener DevduttPadikkal sent a strong mes-

sage to the national selectorsbefore England ODIs as heslammed his fourth consecu-tive List A ton as Karnatakabeat Kerala by 80 runs in aquarter-final game of the VijayHazare Trophy here onMonday.

Karnataka rode on skipperRavikumar Samarth’s knock of192 off 158 balls and a stroke-filled 101 by 20-year-old left-handed Padikkal (off 119 balls)to post an imposing 338/3 andthen bundled out the opposi-tion for 258. Kerala’s decisionto put Karnataka into bat back-fired badly, as Samarth andPadikkal toyed with their attackwith a massive 249-run part-nership for the first wicket.

He completed his centuryin 112 balls and was aggressiveright from the start, whilePadikkal hammered 10 bound-aries and two maximums.

It was a Samarth-Padikkalshow as Karnataka were goingstrong at 196/0 after 35 overs

having laid the foundation fora mammoth total.

While Padikkal continuedhis fabulous show in thenational ODI tournament andin the process scored his 4thconsecutive List A century andbecame the first Indian to doso, Samarth surpassed veteranWasim Jaffer’s unbeaten 170 toregister the highest score in aVijay Hazare knock-out match.

For Kerala, right-armmedium pacer Basil NP (3/57)was the pick of the bowlers,while others had an off-day.

%�8�����������Skipper Priyank Panchal’s

stroke-filled 134 and an equal-ly impressive show from thebowlers set up Gujarat’s mas-sive 117-run win over Andhrain the second quarter-final ofthe Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Gujarat rode on Panchal’s134 to post a competitive 299for 7 and then bundled out theopposition for 182, to make itto the semi-final. India Test starand Andhra captain HanumaVihari was out for a five-ballduck.

���� 52%42%

Former captain MichaelVaughan has argued that

England Test skipper Joe Rootshould also get to pick his bestplayers irrespective of ECB’srotation policy, just like limitedovers leader Eoin Morgan “getswhat he wants”.

In a column for Telegraph,Vaughan wrote England fieldeda weakened team in the fourTests against India with the likesof Jos Buttler and Moeen Alireturning home in the middle ofthe series only to be back for thelimited overs leg of the tour.

“It is very clear where theleadership power lies in Englishcricket - it is with Eoin Morganand not Joe Root.

“I am pretty sure thatMorgan went to the selectors andAshley Giles and said he want-ed his best team at all times thisyear in Twenty20, so he couldbuild for the World Cup in

India in October. He has hiswish,” the Ashes winning skip-per wrote.

“I understand rotation.Nobody argues against the factplayers need breaks from Covidbubbles but the frustration forme as a lover of the game’slongest format is why has ourTest team been weakened thiswinter, yet the Twenty20 side isat full strength? “When you wina World Cup as captain you arebombproof. I experienced it

when I won the Ashes. Do youthink Ed Smith is going to say‘no’ to Morgan? No chance,”Vaughan said referring toEngland’s World Cup triumph in2019 under Morgan’s leader-ship.

Vaughan fears that Morganbeing too powerful could end upharming English cricket.

“But it is dangerous for somuch power to be invested inone person because it is rare theysee the bigger picture. As muchas he is a brilliant captain, it iswrong for Morgan to always getwhat he wants because under-standably he will prioritise whatis good for his team, andinevitably that will be at theexpense of something else.

“But at some point the man-agement around him - Giles andTom Harrison - have to take intoaccount what is right for allEngland sides, not just one for-mat, and level up the balance ofpower.

���� 58$6%2"

Arusty Indian women’scricket team will be seek-

ing some rhythm in the secondODI against South Africa hereon Tuesday after being out-played by the visitors in theseries-opener.

Though captain MithaliRaj and her deputyHarmanpreet Kaur had insist-ed that rustiness won’t be anissue in their first series in 12months, India clearly looked aside which had not played fora long time in the opener of thefive-match series on Sunday.

A better prepared SouthAfrica, on the other hand,were clinical and will be hardto beat in the coming games.

After the game, Kaurrealised the players neededsome time to gel as a unit.Barring Kaur, Raj and DeeptiSharma to a certain extent,none of the batters could applythemselves on a decent battingsurface.

A lot of them wereguilty of poor shotselection as pointed outby Kaur after the game.

The spinners, whoare traditionally con-sidered India'sstrength, hardlytroubled theSouth Africanduo of LizelleLee and 21-y e a r - o l dL a u r aWolvaardt,who put upthe highestever open-ing wickets t a n dagainst Indiato run away withthe contest.

There were

some positives, however, suchas Raj scoring a gritty half-cen-tury and pacer Jhulan Goswamishowing she is still among thebest in the business. Both theveterans were playing their firstgame since November 2019.

Kaur too looked good inher 100th ODI but would haveliked to convert the start into abig score.

Opener Smriti Mandhanastruck three delightful foursbefore falling to a loose shot andwould be backing herself to batlong on Tuesday.

"Few of them got starts butcouldn't convert. The bowlersneed to be more consistentwith lines and lengths, maybethey weren't consistent becausethey're coming back after a longbreak," Raj acknowledged afterthe match in which India couldpost only 177 that South Africachase down in just 40.1 overs.

Pacer Monica Patel washanded her debut on Sundayand more caps can be handedout in the second game with the

management keeping one eyeon preparations for the WorldCup next year.

Pulling off one backagainst South Africa seems

like a daunting task con-sidering the way they

played in the open-er. They looked ateam high onconfidence hav-ing blankedPakistan at homerecently.

Their paceattack led byS h a b n i mIsmail wasimpress iveand Indianswill have tofind a wayto negatethat threat.

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The Indian team managementfaces a problem of plenty goinginto the five T20 Internationals

against England, an assignment whichmarks the beginning of the side’sbuild-up to this year’s T20 World Cupat home.

There are 19 players available forselection and with two in contentionfor each slot, the XI for the five games,starting here on Friday, will be an indi-cation to how head coach Ravi Shastri,captain Virat Kohli and bowlingcoach Bharat Arun are looking at thenext six to seven months for the short-est format.

Will they look for a settled com-bination to first clinch the series andthen experiment or will they fieldabsolute rookies in the squad lookingat the bigger picture?

For a team that’s so closely fol-lowed, the result does matter and that’swhy one can expect a settled firsteleven for the first three games sinceall matches are at the same venue onsimilar kind of tracks.

The roaring comeback of RishabhPant will lead to a lot of interestingdevelopments at the top of the order.

Pant’s inclusion means that KLRahul, who till a few months back wasthe first choice keeper-opener, isunlikely to don the big gloves.

Shikhar Dhawan and RohitSharma were a settled white ballopening pair till recently but Rahul’semergence as a potent white ball spe-cialist has spiced up the competition.

Dhawan recently had a score of150 odd in the Vijay Hazare Trophyfor Delhi and when it comes to Rohit,there's nothing to be discussed.

So where does the team manage-ment fit in Rahul, who has been a suc-cessful IPL opener? Will he be slottedin the middle-order as Dhawan’sgame is not suited to batting lowerdown?

These are two pertinent questionsand in the answer, will be a follow-upquestion.

With skipper Kohli himself com-ing in at No 3 and two game-chang-ers like Pant and all-rounder HardikPandya expected to play the big shotsat Nos 5 and 6, where does it ideallyleave Rahul?

The only place he can be slottedis No 4 but Shreyas Iyer andSuryakumar Yadav are also jostling fora place.

If one closely follows the patternof picking the playing XI, Surya, a sen-timental favourite, will have to wait forhis turn as Shreyas has done nothingwrong.

But when it comes to a three-waybattle between Rahul, Shreyas andSurya, the Karnataka man beats the twoMumbai boys hollow with his reper-toire of strokes and ability to shift gears.

Similarly, in the pace depart-ment, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, onceupon a time India's best white ballexponent, is coming back after a longlay-off and will be engaged in a two-way fight with Deepak Chahar andShardul Thakur.

For Bhuvneshwar, his experienceand being a better bowler at the deathcompared to Chahar holds him ingood stead but he hasn’t played a lotof cricket save a few Mushtaq Aligames.

Ditto for Chahar, a potentoutswing bowler but more of a one-trick pony with lack of variations dur-ing the back-10.

Shardul is a crafty bowler who canswing it at brisk pace and among thethree can use the long handle to thebest effect.

Yuzvendra Chahal, WashingtonSundar and Axar Patel are the three

spinners expected to feature in theplaying XI on the sluggish Moteratracks.

In another three-way fight,Thangarasu Natarajan, with his vari-ation of yorkers, stands a betterchance to start off compared toNavdeep Saini.

Two players, who will only get alook-in if someone is injured orforcefully rested are Ishan Kishan andRahul Tewatia as the two simplycan't be fitted anywhere.

In all, there are too many goodplayers and very little space to fit allof them with three sure-shot picks —Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadejaand Jasprit Bumrah already resting orrecuperating from injury.

Once they comeback, it will be abigger selection headache for themanagement but one that they won'tmind.

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BCCI secretary Jay Shah onMonday announced that the

Indian women’s team will be pittedagainst England in a one-off Testmatch, which will be held later thisyear.

The last Test match that MithaliRaj and her team played was againstSouth Africa women at Mysuru inDecember, 2014 and it will be anoth-er traditional format game after sixlong years.

Currently, the ‘Women in Blue’are playing the five-match ODI seriesagainst South Africa in Lucknowafter almost 12 months of COVID-19enforced break. This series will be fol-

lowed by a T20 series.Shah took to Twitter to make the

announcement on the InternationalWomen’s Day.

“On the occasion of InternationalWomens Day, I'm pleased toannounce that TeamIndia,@BCCIWomen will play a one-offTest match against @ECB_cricketlater this year. The “women in blue”will be donning the whites again,”tweeted Shah.

However, Shah did not announcethe venue of the Test on the occasionbut it is expected to happen during thewomen’s team tour of UK and tenta-tively some time in June or July.

The women’s team is coached byformer India all-rounder WV Raman.

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Fabian Allen hit three mighty sixes in the19th over to help the West Indies to a

series-clinching, three-wicket win over SriLanka in the third Twenty20 international.

Chasing Sri Lanka’s modest 131-4, theWest Indies were again constrained by SriLanka’s spin attack and came to the 18th overat 105-7, needing 27 runs from 18 balls.

Captain Jason Holder, cool and with aplan in mind, blocked out the 18th over, thelast from dangerous spinner WaninduduHasaranga, save for a six from a free hit whichhelped break the mounting tension.

With 20 runs needed from the last twoovers, Allen hit sixes from the first, third andlast balls of the 19th over from AkilaDananjaya to get the West Indies home withan over to spare to clinch the series 2-1.

Allen hit 21 runs from six balls and alsotook 1-13 from four overs to earn player-of-the-match honors. He said there was no panicin the West Indies dressing room, even whenit's biggest hitters failed to fire. Sri Lanka choseto bat on winning the toss on Sunday.