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MONEY 8PRIVATE SECTOR WILLING TO SUPPORT

GOVT IN ADMINISTERING COVID VAX

ANALYSIS 7A DOUBTFUL

FUTURE

SPORTS 11WILL FINDS A WAY

FOR OZ

VIJAYAWADA, FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

}IT'S OFFICIAL: MARUTHI GETSGOPIPage 12

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RNI No. APENG/2018/764698

*Late City Vol. 3 Issue 58*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864Published From

VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN HYDERABAD

{

TN Governor Banwarilal

Purohit welcomes

Jaishankar's comments

5

SC warns againstquoting it as a‘source’ in reports

2

69% people wantreduction in exciseduty on petrol anddiesel

8

VIJAYAWADAWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated January 7 , 2021 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Margashirsha & Krishna Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Dashami: 09:39 pm

Nakshatram: Swati: 02:12 pmTime to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 11:00 am – 12:22 pm

Yamagandam: 3:08 pm – 04:31 pm

Varjyam: 07:25 pm – 08:54 pm

Gulika: 08:14 am - 09:37 am

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 04:21 am – 05:50 am

Abhijit Muhurtham: 12:00 pm – 12:44 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: SunnyTemp: 32/19Humidity: 66%Sunrise: 06:48 amSunset: 05:57 pm

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In a major initiative to woo theurban middle class, the StateGovernment is fine-tuning aproposal to develop layouts inurban areas that would makehousing plots affordable.

Chairing a review meeting ofMunicipal Administration andUrban DevelopmentDepartment here on Thursday,Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy said that the StateGovernment would providelitigation-free plots with theclear title deed to the middle-class sections and help theirdream of having a shelter oftheir own, a reality.

The plots would be given ona lottery basis at a low-cost,non-profit initiative, Jagan

hinted. He directed officials to

brainstorm and prepare thepolicy in this regard.

Jagan recalled the RajivSwagruha programme whichwas implemented during for-mer Chief Minister YS

Rajasekhar Reddy's term inurban areas. The programmewas aimed at providing afford-able flats to middle-class peo-ple.

Jagan said that at present, theidea was to provide undisput-ed plots at a lower price with

a clear title deed, instead offlats.

If the proposal is approved,the Government would devel-op the layouts, prepare theplots and allocate them to thebeneficiaries. The ChiefMinister said that there are sev-eral concerns for those buyingland from private individualsregarding proper title, per-missions and such worrieswon't exist if the Governmentitself develops layouts.

The house plots will beavailable to the middle-classsections at affordable prices asthe Government will developthe layouts as part of a non-profit initiative, Jagan said. Heasked officials to ensure thatthe layouts are innovative andbeautiful.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The State Government,which has come underintense political pressure fol-lowing a barrage of incidentsof vandalism of temples, onThursday announced com-munal harmony committeesthat would work to rein in allunsavoury incidents.

While the state-level com-mittee will be headed by theChief Secretary, the ones atthe district level will be head-ed by the Collectors. Ordersin this regard were issued onThursday.

The main objective of thesecommittees is to not only takeup confidence building mea-sures, but also send across astrong message that all com-munities in the state aretogether and that the com-munal harmony is central tothe development of the state.

The Government alsowants to send a strong mes-sage with the constitution ofthese committees that sternaction will be taken againstthe perpetrators who disturbthe communal harmony ofthe state.

While the Chief Secretarywill be the chairman, DGPwill act as the vice-chairmanwith one representative, eachfrom every religious commu-nity -- Hindus, Muslims,Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists,Jains and others, as membersof the state-level committee.

Secretaries for the Home,Minority Welfare and End-owments Departments willbe the members of the com-mittee and the GAD secretarythe member-convener.

Announcing the commit-tees, Chief Secretary Aditya-nath Das said, "There is adeeper design and larger con-spiracy behind the recentspate of unfortunate inci-dents of desecration of tem-ples across the state, as thegovernment has been imple-menting many welfareschemes."

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Additional DGP RaviShankar Ayyanar, whoaccompanied Chief SecretaryAdityanath Das whileannouncing the state-levelcommunal harmony com-mittees, revealed that therewas a conspiracy behind suchincidents of temple attacksand it had emerged duringtheir investigation that sameelectric saw was used to des-

ecrate idols in Krishna districtand Rajahmundry.

He added that they havebeen conducting the investi-gation with an open mind andthere is no pressure at all onthe police.

Ayyanar also said that suchtemple vandalism incidentshad occurred in the state in2016 and 2018 also. He alsosaid that the investigatingagencies are collecting tech-nical evidence.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

A team of the TDP leaders onThursday complained toGovernor BiswabhushanHarichandan that theJaganmohan ReddyGovernment was not takingeffective steps to check theattacks on temples across theState.

The TDP leaders told theGovernor that not a singleperson was arrested though145 temples had come underattack. They submitted amemorandum urging a probeby the CBI into the acts ofvandalism. "The CBI shouldprobe all the 145 attacks thathad taken place against tem-ples, priests and idols in thepast 19 months," the memo-randum said.

The TDP team that metthe Governor comprisedsenior leader Varla Ramaiah,former MLAs DhulipallaNarendra, Sravan Kumar andMLC Buddha Venkanna.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The AP Government hasembarked on the largestExternally Aided Projects(EAPs) in the roads sector bycollaborating with the NewDevelopment Bank (NDB) toimprove rural and mandalconnectivity at an estimatedcost of Rs 6400 crore.

Under AP Mandal andRural Connectivity Improvem-ent Project (APMCRCIP) andAP Roads and BridgesReconstruction Project (APRBRP) roads will be extendedfrom district centres to man-dal centres and from mandalcentres to neighbouring man-dals in two lanes, where a totalof 3,104 km of roads (high-ways) will be widened andconstructed and 479 bridgeswill be rebuilt.

During a review meeting on

these two mega projects heldhere on Thursday, ChiefMinister directed officials toensure that the construction ofroads is completed expedi-tiously without compromisingon the quality.

With regard to this, theChief Minister congratulatedR&B officials for executingthe tender process in a trans-

parent manner. These twomega projects would play a keyrole in the development of thestate by enhancing the connec-tivity between industrial hubsand rural areas, said the ChiefMinister adding that the pro-jects would also create employ-ment on a large scale.

PNS n AMARAVATI

Former IntelligenceDepartment Director-General AB VenkateswaraRao on Wednesday got areprieve from the AP HighCourt that asked the policenot to take any hasty stepwith regard to the IPC offi-cer.

The court passed theorders while hearing theanticipatory bail petition filedby ABV.

The IPS officer, in his peti-tion contended that the gov-ernment wants to arrest himduring the weekend in oneway or the other.

He further said that thegovernment wants to placehim under suspension againafter putting him in jail for 48hours.

PNS nNEW DELHI

IIT JEE-Advanced testwould be held on July 3. Thistime the test would be con-ducted by IIT-Kharagpur,according to UnionEducation Minister RameshPokhriyal.

Disclosing this at a virtu-al meeting held here onWednesday evening,Pokhriyal said that there isample time for the studentsto prepare for the examina-tion. He wished the stu-dents and their parents thebest.

It may be recalled that theCentre had alreadyannounced IIT-JEE Maintest dates and the CBSE 10thand 12th final examinationdates.

In view of the Covid-19pandemic in the countryand honouring demandsfrom parents and students,the government has relaxedthis year also the rule of stu-dents securing qualifyingmarks of 75 per cent.

PNS nNEW DELHI

The Supreme Court onThursday issued a statementrefuting media reports aboutany action likely to be taken byChief Justice of India SABobde regarding the allega-tions against a senior sittingjudge of the apex court.

Referring to certain newsreports quoting the apex courtas source about complaintsmaking insinuations againstjudges, the Supreme Court

said it never releases informa-tion about confidential and'in-house procedure'.

The official statement by theapex court follows recentreports quoting 'SupremeCourt sources', mentioningsome past and future probableactions taken by the CJI oncomplaint of AP ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy against some judges ofthe higher judiciary.

State commences work on twoRs 6,400 cr mega road projects

High Courttells cops notto arrest ABV

TDP team meetsGuv, seeks CBIprobe into attackson temples

SC warns againstquoting it as a‘source’ in reports

IIT-JEEAdvanced test to beheld on July 3

Government sets up committeesto promote communal harmony

SAME ELECTRIC SAW USED TO DESECRATEIDOLS IN DIFFERENT TEMPLES: AYYANAR

TTHHEE MMAANNDDAATTEE n The committee will meetfrom time to time to discussissues related to communalharmony spreading themessage that allcommunities in the State aretogether, striving for thedevelopment of the state.n To prepare detailedState-level StandardOperating Procedures fortackling situations whichcause communaldisharmony.n To prepare theguidelines related to thesecurity plan for religiousbuildings, structures, andmonuments of the State.n Time to time, formulate

a programme/action planfor increasing communalharmony in the State.n To take stock of actiontaken on the issuesdiscussed by the DistrictCommunal HarmonyCommittee.n To review all the casesbooked under differentSections of IPC againstthe culprits for disturbingcommunal harmony atdistrict level.n To take upprogrammes in schooland colleges that inculcatethe spirit of togethernessand communal harmonyin the children.

After landless, Govt woosmiddle classes with plots

BJP, Jana Sena up the ante

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Tension was palpable inVizianagaram and Vizag onThursday as BJP and JanaSena activists attempted tovisit the desecrated templeatop the hill at Ramatheerthamvillage.

Tension escalated when BJP,AP unit president SomuVeerraju and other leadersfainted during a scuffle withthe police, who were trying to

detain them atRamatheertham. WhenVeeraraju and his followerstried to breach the barricadesset at Nellimarla junction,heated arguments broke outbetween police and the BJPleaders. Some of them gotinjured in the melee and com-plained of feeling uneasy. Theywere administered treatmentin the nearby hospitals.

This was the second attemptby the BJP leaders to storm

Ramatheertham where an idolof Lord Rama was 'beheaded'and was found near a pond thenext day.

On Thursday, Veerraju keptasking “When YSRCP andTDP leaders were allowed tovisit the temple, why stop BJPleaders and supporters?”

BJP national leader SunilDeodhar was also issued anotice by the police not to visitRamatheertham.

“Ram Vs Rome” hashtag made viral by BJP leaders

22

2 2

2

Chief Secretary Adityanath Das addresses the media on Thursday.

2

2

‘BEAUTIFUL SIGHT’: CHINA GOESONLINE TO MOCK US CAPITOL CHAOS

IVANKA CALLS RIOTERS ‘AMERICANPATRIOTS’, THEN DELETES TWEET

MUMBAI HOMES MAY BECOMECHEAPER AS LEVIES ARE SLASHED

ELON MUSK IS CLOSE TO TOPPLINGJEFF BEZOS AS WORLD'S RICHEST

China's internet erupted in mirth at America'stroubled democracy after supporters of

President Donald Trump broke into the USCapitol, with Beijing criticising the "sharpcontrast" between Washington's response tothe chaos and the 2019 Hong Kong anti-government protests. On Thursday morning,state media tabloid Global Times tweeted side-by-side photo comparisons of Hong Kongprotesters occupying the city's LegislativeCouncil Complex in July 2019 withWednesday's Washington riots. The latter sawhardcore Trump fans invade the US Capitol to protest the election defeat,taking selfies, scuffling with security and ransacking parts of the building.

Ivanka Trump deleted a tweet calling themob that stormed the US Capitol on

Wednesday "American Patriots", the USmedia reported, even as screenshotscirculating online provoked a hugebacklash. Four people died in clashesafter a large group of supporters ofPresident Donald Trump entered theCapitol in extraordinary events inWashington on Wednesday evening, whenthe Congress was meeting to certifyPresident-elect Joe Biden's election win.Ivanka Trump posted the controversial tweet as she retweetedher father's post urging his supporters to "stay peaceful".

Homes prices may fall in Mumbai, India'scostliest housing market, after the local

administration slashed levies by as much as 50%until December 2021. Maharashtra state cutvarious levies on construction projects on therecommendation of a government-appointedcommittee headed by Deepak Parekh, chairman ofHousing Development Finance Corp. The move willlikely bring down development costs for mostbuilders and result in lower home prices for buyersin addition to boosting stocks of realty developers.This will "help development at lesser input costand, over a period of time, there is a possibility of lower price for newinventories that shall come into the market," Niranjan Hiranandani said.

Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind Tesla Inc.and SpaceX, kicked off the new year by

homing in on a characteristically audacious title:the richest person on the planet. A 2.8% rally inthe electric carmaker's share price Wednesdayboosted Musk to within $3 billion of Amazon.comInc. founder Jeff Bezos, who occupies the topspot on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, aranking of the world's 500 wealthiest people. TheSouth Africa-born engineer's net worth was$181.1 billion on Wednesday, just shy of Bezos,who has held the top spot since October 2017. AsCEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, Musk is also a rivalto Bezos, owner of Blue Origin LLC, in the private space race.

Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, D.No. New 3-88, Old 3-22, Chandra Theatre, Gosala, Penamaluru Mandal, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh - 521 151, Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

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EGG RATES

` 51, 850 (10 gm)

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GOLD

` 75, 100 (1kg)` 600

VIJAYAWADA 526

HYDERABAD 516

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RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `̀55.. 2266

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VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021vijayawada 02

SNV SUDHIRn VIJAYAWADA

Industries minister MekapatiGowtham Reddy has urgedAustralian investors - superfunds and banks - focused oninfrastructure to explore invest-ment opportunities in low riskGreenfield and Brownfieldinfrastructure projects inAndhra Pradesh.

During a virtual session enti-tled 'Western Australia Turningto India: Investing in its Future'held on Thursday, GowthamReddy reminded WesternAustralian diplomats thatAustralia's largest superannua-tion and pension fund -AustralianSuper - had signed anagreement with the NationalInvestment and InfrastructureFund (NIIF) in India, to investUSD 1 billion in NIIF's MasterFund.

He urged representatives ofthe Western Australian govern-ment to invest its Super Fundsin Krishnapatnam industrialnode that is being developed aspart of Union government's

proposal to develop Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor(CBIC) between Chennai andBengaluru considering an over-all length of about 560 km.

"As part of this corridor, it isproposed to develop three indus-trial nodes - Krishna-patnam inAndhra Pradesh, Ponneri inTamil Nadu and Tumkur inKarnataka. The Krishnapatnamnode under CBIC node is beingdeveloped through a node-levelSPV formed in partnership withNICDIT and AP Government'sequity contribution in SPV willbe maximum 50 percent up toRs 3,000 crore," the Minister said.

He explained that a start-uparea of 2,139.93 acres that acts ascatalyst for further investmentsis being developed inKrishnapatnam industrial node.

"Development of trunk infra-structure for the start-up area iscritical to providing an enablingenvironment to industries andwill enhance the marketability ofthe next phase of node develop-ment. Computer, electronics,optical products, automobiles,engineering machinery, electri-

cal machinery, pharmaceuticals,food processing, textile andapparels are the priority sectorsin Krishnapatnam node,"Gowtham Reddy said.

He also asked Western Australiato invest in the state in the MiningEquipment Technology Sector(METS).

The Minister said that themining sector is identified as oneof the growth engines forAndhra Pradesh.

He listed that around 380mining leases for major miner-als, 1,735 quarry leases for cutand dressed blocks of granitesand 1,083 quarry leases forindustrial minerals and 4,177quarry leases for other MinorMinerals- ConstructionMinerals were issued in thestate.

"Collaborating in technicalinnovation, METS will improvevalue addition in India so as toimprove the export competencyof granite. Collaboration to man-ufacture mining equipment inIndia to supply to domestic min-ing markets of India can also beexplored," Gowtham Reddy said.

AP woos investors from Australiafor Krishnapatnam industrial node

Oz Li-ion battery making in AndhraVijayawada: During the virtualsession, State IndustriesMinister Gowtham Reddy alsoasked the Western Australianrepresentatives to considersetting up Li-ion batterymanufacturing in AndhraPradesh."Australia is rich with lithiumresources and AP aspires to gofossil-free. This creates a hugedemand for companiesmanufacturing batteries in thestate. This is an idealpartnership between AP andAustralia. We urge Australianrepresentatives to considersetting up li-ion batterymanufacturing units in AndhraPradesh," he said.Gowtham Reddy added that theAndhra Pradesh government isfocused to make the state asone of the major hubs forelectric mobility in the countryand aims to support everyaspect of electric mobility andaccelerate the adoption of

electric vehicles that eventually,would lead to a sustainable andhealthier climate.He added that Vijayawada,Visakhapatnam, Amaravati andTirupati have been declared asModel Electric Mobility (EM)cities. "We plan to set uphundreds of Public ChargingStations in each Model EM city.We have designated special"Green Zones" with entry onlyfor non-fossil fuel-basedvehicles and aspire to migrate100 percent of the State'spublic bus transport network(APSRTC) into electric busesby 2029 and all forms ofGovernment vehicles to beconverted to EVs by 2024,"Gowtham Reddy said.Prima facie, Andhra Pradeshand Western Australia have keyeconomic areas like mining andmining services, electricvehicles and batterytechnology, infrastructure andfinancing, textiles and apparel.

APPSC exams go digital, tests on tabletsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Government job aspirants inAndhra Pradesh will take upthe APPSC recruitment testsusing tablets, thanks to the newdigital initiative to do awaywith answer sheets.

The Andhra Pradesh PublicService Commission (APPSC)has virtually revolutionised theexamination process for vari-ous state government cadreposts by going fully digital.

Tablets have replaced theconventional question papersfor recruitment tests related toGroup-1, Group-2, Group-3and other cadres in the stategovernment and the writtenanswer sheets of Group-1mains are scanned and digital-ly evaluated.

The Commission has also

made it simpler and easier forthe candidates by introducinga one-time registration processfor applying to all notifiedposts based on their qualifica-tion.

Impressed by its neighbour'sinitiative, the Tamil Nadu gov-ernment decided to emulatethe APPSC in conducting itsown recruitment tests.

"This is the first time in thecountry that we have revolu-tionised the whole process bygoing paperless and introduc-ing online examinations. Thenew system ensures completetransparency, leaving no scopefor any malpractice, while alsoeliminating a lot of logisticsburden connected with therecruitment exams," APPSCSecretary PSR Anjaneyulu, IPS,told PTI.

"On Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy's direc-tions, we studied the patternfollowed by institutions like IITand IIM in conducting theexaminations. We then stream-lined our recruitment processto remove the problemsencountered previously," hesaid.

"We have thus come up withthe path-breaking digital initia-tives like carbonless OMR bar-coded answer sheets for objec-tive type exams," Anjaneyulu,who devised the new system,explained.

Importantly, it also cutsdown vastly on the time takento complete the recruitmentexaminations and leaves littleroom for possible litigation.

The APPSC has outsourcedprime tasks like question paper

setting to an internationallyreputed professional agency,with anonymity being the key.

The agency is also responsi-ble for fixing the examinationcentres, mapping of the candi-dates and supplying them withTabs under the direct supervi-sion of the Commissionauthorities.

On an average, about 60,000candidates appear for theGroup-1 preliminary examand about 10,000 for the mains.

For Group-2 and others, thenumber will be over two lakh.

Hitherto, upon issuing anotification for any recruit-ment, the Commission used toappoint professors from differ-ent universities in the countryfor setting up the questionpapers.

The question paper manu-

scripts were then moderatedand translated into Telugu andother necessary languagesbefore they are printed.

Different sets of questionpapers were required to beprinted and the actual oneused to be selected by draw oflots on the day of the examina-tion.

"Dispatching these questionpapers in sealed cartons inlarge numbers to the districtswith police security and thenkeeping them in safe custodyand finally delivering them tothe exam centres all this was anonerous task. All these risks areeliminated in the digital modeand complete security andtransparency is ensured asthere is no scope for any leak-age at any stage," Anjaneyulusaid.

Continued from page 1

The Chief Minister also direct-ed Collectors of various dis-tricts to focus on undergrounddrainage systems along withother issues and develop infra-structure in YSR Jaganannacolonies. The Collectors weretold to come up with innova-tive ideas to beautify the layoutsand construct bus bays andstops creatively. He said thatthere are 17,000 revenue vil-lages in the state and another17,000 are being built.

Parks, village and ward sec-retariats, village clinics shouldalso be built in these colonies.

Officials informed the ChiefMinister that proposals werebeing prepared for a six-lane

beach road from Bheemili toBhogapuram along the coastand a beautiful bridge will bebuilt across River Gostani aspart of the project.

The Chief Minister said thebridge should be an iconicsymbol for Visakhapatnam.He directed the officials toprepare a comprehensiveaction plan for the project. Hesaid new methods should bestudied for solid waste manage-ment and housing in urbanareas should be expedited.

Mangalagiri - ThadepalliMunicipal Corporation is beingset up and steps should betaken to expedite the approvalof DPR with Rs 1,000 crore inthis regard, the Chief Ministersaid.

After landless,Govt to woo ...

Government sets up committees...Continued from page 1

The Chief Secretary saidthat such crimes are beingcommitted with an intentionto deflect the focus of thegovernment from imple-ment ing such wel fareschemes. "There is a need toprevent such crimes. It's notthat a theft has been com-mitted. But there is a deep-er design and larger conspir-acy behind such incidentsand these committees areaimed at preventing suchincidents and also to send astrong message that sternaction will be taken againstthe perpetrators," he said.

Answering a query aboutTD supremo NChandrababu Naiduattributing religious motivesto DGP and CID chief andothers, Das said governmentofficials will not have caste,

community or religious affil-iations.

"People of AndhraPradesh has always demon-strated an immense ability tomaintain equanimity.

People of all castes andreligions have been in peace-ful coexistence since agesand have adopted a progres-sive attitude in the state.However, the recent surge inattacks on the temples hasraised many serious ques-tions and has brought tolight attempts of the vestedinterests to destabilise thecommunal harmony in thestate," Das said.

He said that the attemptsby some vested interestgroups to provoke commu-nal sentiments could severe-ly hamper the prospects ofeconomic revival of the statewhich has faced a policyparalysis between 2014 and

2019 and also Covid inducedsituation.

The motive of these vest-ed interest groups is todirectly or indirectly causethe attacks on temples, sub-sequently make baselessinsinuations and instigatecommunal violence with thehope that the government'scredibility would be dam-aged, Das said.

"It's imperative that sternaction be initiated to preventsuch occurrences in future.Bearing in mind the far-reaching economic andsocial implications of thesedevelopments and the urgentneed to safeguard the reli-gious sentiments of the peo-ple and promote religiousharmony in the state, theGovernment formed theState Level C ommunalHarmony Committee," hesaid.

State commenceswork on two...Continued from page 1

The Chief Minister instructedthe officials to take furthersteps for developing the Statewith the help of the NewDevelopment Bank for theEAP. The two mega projectswill be undertaken at a cost ofRs 6,400 crore, at an expendi-ture of Rs 3,200 crore foreach project.

The main objective of thisproject is to extend the dou-ble lane connectivity fromthe district centres to thezonal centres and the dou-ble lane connectivity fromthe zonal centres to otheradjoining zonal centres.

So far, in the first phase ofthis project, administrativeclearances for 1,243 km ofroad works have been sanc-tioned at a cost of Rs 2,978crore, and a letter of agree-ment has been completedfor 13 packages where theworks shall take off fromnext month.

The officials mentionedthat through reverse tender-

ing, Rs 85.43 crore has beensaved and DPRs for the sec-ond phase of works areunder process.

For the execution of thesetwo projects, a tripartiteagreement was signed onJanuary 6 between the StateGovernment, Union gov-ernment , and the NewDevelopment Bank. NewDevelopment Bank has a70 per cent stake while thestate government holds a 30per cent stake.

On b ehal f of UnionGovernment , B a ldeoPur ushar tha , JointSecretary, Department ofEconomic Af fairs , MTKrishnababu, Pr incipa lSecretary of Roads, andBuildings, representing Stategovernment and Xian Zhu,Vice President and ChiefOperations Officer of theNew Development Bankhave signed the agreement.This is the largest of all theexternally aided projectstaken up in the road sectoracross the state.

BJP, Jana Sena up the anteContinued from page 1

While they were on their wayto Ramatheertham from Vizag,BJP official state spokespersonSuhasini and Member ofLegislative Council Madhavwere detained by the Vizagpolice. Former MLA P VishnuKumar Raju was placed underhouse arrest in Vizag.

The police imposed Section30 in the Vizianagaram divi-sion after the violent incidentsoccurred during the visit ofTDP president N. Chandra-babu Naidu and YSRCP MP VVijayasai Reddy to Bodikondaat Ramatheertham where theidol of Sri Kodanda Rama wasvandalised on December 29.

BJP leaders NagothuRamesh and BhanuprakashReddy were also detained bythe police. Ramesh said that

the persons who vandalisedthe idol will be beheaded.

"Jagan is playing vote bankpolitics, he is fielding people ofanother religion. This will notcontinue for a long time. Wewill definitely teach him a les-son. As followers of LordHanuman, we will take respon-sibility if the government doesnot respond to the desecrationof Lord Ram idol, we will tryto behead the person whobeheaded Lord Ram's idol.Only Jagan will be responsibleand answerable for any situa-tion that will take place in thestate," he said.

The BJP meanwhile madethe ‘Chalo Ramatheertham’incident go viral on socialnetworking platforms with thehashtag ‘RamVsRome’.

"I am stopped from visitingRamatheertham. AP CM is

instigating 'Ram versus Rome'in AP," said BJP national leaderSunil Deodhar.

He also accused the Police ofmanhandling Veerraju.

In a video clip shared onTwitter, Deodhar posted:“Ahiravan Vijaysai Reddy andMahiravan Nara ChandrababuNaidu were allowed darshan(visit) of Ram. Kauravas can,but Pandavas can't have dar-shan.”

BJP’s IT cell head AmitMalviya also trended the hash-tag. “Another civilisational warbrewing! This time in AndhraPradesh. BJP state presidentfainted due to police’s manhan-dling in AP. All because he isseeking to protect Hindu tem-ples, which are being van-dalised with impunity, understate’s protection,” AmitMalviya tweeted.

TDP team meetsGuv, seeks CBI ...Continued from page 1

Later, Varla Ramaiah saidthat Articles 25 and 26 of theConstitution relating to theright to religious beliefs werenot being implemented in theState. When former ChiefMinister Chandrababu Naiduspoke about repairs of a par-tially demolished church,attempts were being made tofile a case against him, hesaid.

The actual culprits in theattacks on temples were beingallowed to go scot-free whilefalse cases were being filedagainst the leaders.

Ramaiah warned of seriousconsequences if any casewould be filed against Naiduand asserted that the govern-ment would have to bearresponsibility for those con-sequences.

"The Central Governmentshould also keep a closewatch on the untoward hap-penings in AP. Statements byMinisters were provocative innature. YSRCP leaders shouldrealise that theRamatheertham temple has ahistoric legacy," he said.

High Court tellscops not...Continued from page 1

He prayed to the HighCourt to pass orders to pre-vent the state governmentfrom affecting his arrest. ABVurged the court to issue inter-im orders to the DGP and tothe State Government.

Counsel appearing for thestate government wonderedhow the IPS officer couldseek anticipatory bail in theabsence of a case being regis-tered against him.

Senior advocate Adinara-yana appeared for the peti-tioner in the court. After tak-ing into consideration thearguments of both sides, thecourt issued interim ordersand posted the matter forJanuary 18 for further hearing.

SC warnsagainst...Continued from page 1

The media has recently beenreporting about complaintsmaking insinuations againstmembers of the higherjudiciary, and the actionlikely to be taken by theChief Justice of India, saidthe apex court in its firstpublic statement of the year.

The s tatement thenreferred to the use of theapex court as the source tolend credibility to suchnews reports and said the'in-house procedures' todea l with complaintsagainst judges of higherjudiciary was wholly con-fidential in nature and itnever releases such infor-mation.

Broadly speaking, publicadministration consistsof a set of policymakers

assisted by a team to imple-ment their policies.

In some countries, bureau-cracy is selected by policymak-ers from academia, trade andindustries or any other field.This system is popularlyknown as the 'spoils system'.Such a hire-and-fire policykeeps incumbents on theirtoes. This type of bureaucra-cy remains by and large, ide-ologically committed to theadministration of the day.

Contrary to this, India hasa system of permanentbureaucracy to assist policy-makers as per the Constitutionand within the overarchingframework of Acts, Rules, andNotifications etc. In our sys-tem, policymakers have limit-ed choices in terms of avail-ability of AIS and other offi-cers in their states.

More or less, a similar situ-ation prevails at the Centre.

Policymakers can only reshuf-fle the team and are often con-strained. Job security alsoadds to complacency in thepermanent bureaucracy,including AIS officers. Toenhance the talent pool, theGovernment of India recent-ly introduced a system of lat-eral entry at the level of jointsecretaries.

The conduct of bureaucra-cy is governed by a set ofStandard OperatingProcedures. Conflict betweenpolicymakers and imple-menters starts when any sideeither flouts, expects the otherside not to follow, or intendsto transgress SOPs. So, thereare safeguards at various lev-els.

In a democracy, a politicalexecutive is the head of gov-ernment and is also the finalauthority to take decisions.The role of permanent bureau-cracy is to analyse the policyissue under consideration, listout pros and cons of the deci-

sion and possible options tofacilitate the political executivein taking an informed deci-sion. However, most of thetime, the bureaucracy lacks thecourage to express free andfrank opinions. Political exec-utives should be given free-dom to express themselvesand should have the moralconviction to take any deci-sion. However, this cannotaddress the situation whenpolitical executives and per-manent bureaucracy colludefor mutual benefits.

The bureaucracy consistsbroadly of two categoriesnamely; specialists and gener-alists; in the Indian context,the latter means IndianAdministrative Service (IAS).Instead of calling it a general-ist service, the more aptdescription of IAS would be aservice of multi-specialists.

Higher civil services inIndia consist of three All IndiaServices (AIS) -Administrative, Police andForests; and a host of centralservices (Foreign, Revenue,

Audit and Accounts,Economic, Statistics,Information and the like).Members of all major servicesare selected by the UnionPublic Service Commission.The difference between AISand Central Services inter aliais that while AIS are selectedby the Central Government;they work with the respectivestate cadres to which they are

allotted. Apart from servingtheir allotted states, AIS offi-cers also seconded to theCentral government on dep-utation.

Members of various CentralServices work for theGovernment of India. Only afew get the opportunity towork with the state govern-ments under special circum-stances. Most of the states alsorecruit their bureaucratsthrough the State PublicService Commissions andother agencies.

Two of the three All IndiaServices, namely police andforests; and all central services,are considered as specialistservices and throughout theircareer, they work in their par-ticular departments. The onlyother exposure they get iswhen they are on deputationto any other department. AllAIS officers work in variousstate governments and manimportant positions in Centralgovernment on deputation.

Constitutional safeguardshave been provided to AISofficers to insulate them fromany vendetta to the extent thatdisciplinary action against anAIS officer can be taken by theCentral government only inconsultation with the respec-tive state governments.Despite such protection, per-formance varies from oneextent of the spectrum to theother.

Among AIS, the unique fea-ture of IAS is that its membersare exposed to working as thelowest village level functionary,serving urban and rural localbodies, and finally navigate theirway through various state gov-ernment departments, centralMinistries and agencies. As asecond class judicial magistrateduring training, IAS Officerstrainees get a fair idea of func-tioning of judiciary and police.No other service perhaps, any-where in the world, is privilegedto have this multi-dimensionalexposure.

In fact, it would be an ideaworth trying to allow the officersof other services of certainseniority to be absorbed in IASas is done at the State level. Sucha step will enhance the availabletalent pool. Alongside, it wouldbe worthwhile to have regularreviews every 10 years of serviceto remove deadwood. Officerswith substance should workfearlessly and need to be heard.Sometimes, some parochialstate governments consider AISofficers as an agent of the cen-tral government and discrimi-nate against them. Many officersalso get entangled in politicalcross-fire. Still, it is tribute to AISthat they serve such a diversenation as ours in various capac-ities. Many of them are postedthousands of kilometres fromtheir native places.

To sum up, AIS officers arerelevant in the system. Byinducting officers from otherservices and pruning the non-performers, the efficiency of thesystem can be enhanced.

DR SHAILENDRA JOSHI,IAS (RETD)

The conduct of bureaucracy isgoverned by a set of StandardOperating Procedures. Conflict betweenpolicymakers and implementers startswhen any side either flouts, expectsthe other side not to follow, or intendsto transgress SOPs. So, there aresafeguards at various levels

Are All India Services relevant in modern India?

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The AP Police OfficersAssociation on Thursday con-demned comments made byformer chief minister NChandrababu Naidu againstthe DGP and the CID chiefattributing religious motives tothem.

“We condemn attempts bysome politicians to attributereligious colour to the policedepartment with the intentionof misleading and inciting thepublic. The day we enter Policeservice, we give up parochialidentities like caste, religion etcand take an oath to serve thepublic. Khaki is our religion,our caste. Public service andhumanity are the values weserve it,” said the Associationin a statement.

The Association questionedhow fair it is to make allega-tions attributing religiouscolour to the Police depart-ment to further one’s ownpolitical interests. “PoliceDepartment is an amalgama-tion of all religions — Hindus,Muslims, Christians, Sikhs,Jains, Buddhists. Is it notwrong to see such a multi-reli-gious organisation throughprejudiced and narrow lens ofreligion? We are appealing to

all that for your narrow polit-ical gains and mileage, pleasedo not sully the Police depart-ment with baseless allegations,”said the statement.

The Association also point-ed out that the police person-nel who participated in thesemi-Christmas celebrationwere Hindus. “During Ayudh

Puja in Dussehra, Christiansand Muslims also take partwith great enthusiasm in thePolice department. Iftar partiesduring Ramzan are alsoattended by Police personnel ofall religions. Is it not wrong tomake such false allegationsagainst this secular depart-ment?” the statement said.

Police officers condemnNaidu’s remarks on DGP

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

As incidents of house break-instend to increase duringSankranti, the Vizag policecommissioner has urgeddenizens to make a request fora Locked House MonitoringSystem (LHMS) to safeguardtheir houses.

Generally, thieves strikewhen people set out for theirnative places to celebrate thefestival.In fact, the number ofpeople leaving for their nativeplaces is such that the citywears a deserted look duringthe Sankranti. Most denizensprefer taking a break for thefestival or celebrating it intheir native places. Takingadvantage of this, burglars goon the prowl. LHMS not onlysafeguards the house, but helpcops to check the rising inci-dents.

LHMS services are availablefree of cost and one just needsto download the mobile appli-cation and put up a request.Denizens are gradually show-ing interest in the facility.

When anyone moves in thehouse under monitoring byLHMS, the police control cen-tre gets a buzz and picturesfrom the CCTV centre

installed at the house. Thecontrol centre immediatelyinforms the police station clos-est to the house. The virtual

house guarding service is justan app-download away. “Justafter giving basic details, peo-ple can register in the app. And,

a day or two before leaving,they can put a request in theapp giving the journey andreturn date” said a cop.

SANKRANTI OUTING

Locked house monitoring system isperfect option for holidayers, say cops

Simple steps to secure your housen People can

download theLHMS AP Policeapp from theGoogle PlayStore for theirandroidphones. Theyhave to give basic details of name andresidential address.

n An OTP is received whenthe registration is done.

n People just need to put arequest for a house watchmentioning their journeyand return date.

n If there is any movement infront of the house, thecamera will record picturesand videos and send it tothe police control roomand the owner’s phone.The light assigned to thehouse number beeps andan alarm is sounded.

The police would visit thehouse and instal the WiFimodem, CCTV camera andsensor equipment. Theunit is linked to the owner’s

phone and also to thePolice Control Room.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The 25-day long holy utsavaof Adhyayanotsavam con-ducted at Tirumala Srivaritemple from December 14onwards concluded onThursday with the chants ofDivya Prasadam atRanganayakula mandapamat the Asthanam ofMalayappa and his consortsSridevi and Bhudevi.

On all 25 days theTirumala pontiffs, VaishnavaJeeyar Swamis chanted the4,000 pasuras penned by 12Alwars in the form of GostiGanam.

On the last day ofA d h y a y a n o t s a v a m ,Thursday, they performedthe Tannirmudu utsavam.A grand Asthanam of SriMalayappa and his consortsis scheduled on January 8 atthe Sri Thirumala Nambitemple in south Mada street.

The Tirumala Nambi

Tannirmudu Utsava, of emi-nent disciple of LordVenkateshwara, was grand-ly celebrated on Thursday.After the evening SahasraDeepalankara seva andasthanam of Sri Malayappaswami at vahana Mandapam,the descendants of TirumalaNambi brought holy waterfrom Akasha Ganga in a pro-cession from TirumalaNambi temple to vahanaMandapam.

Thereafter the JeeyarSwamis, archakas and pra-bandam pundits enteredSrivari temple with holywaters and performedabhisekam to Srivari feetwith holy water followed byParayanam of TirumoliPasuras.

Pedda Jeeyar Swami andChinna Jeeyar Swami,descendants of TirumalaNambi Sri KrishnaswamyTatacharyulu and otherswere present.

Sacred gardens for SrivariSeva, says TTD chairmanPNS n VIJAYAWADA

TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy said on Thursday thathenceforth TTD will promote gardens in Tirumala exclusively forgrowing scented leaves, pavitra and flowers. Accompanied byTTD EO KS Jawahar Reddy and additional EO AV DharmaReddy, the TTD chairman planted some pavitra plants at SilaThoranam near Gogarbam dam. Speaking to reporters on theoccasion, the TTD chairman said as mentioned in Puraniclegends TTD is setting up a Sri Venkateshwara Pavitraudyanavanam over 10 acres at Sila Thoranam to grow seventypes of scented leaves and 25 other varieties of flower plants.He said Rs 1.5 crore will be spent on the gardens including thatof sandalwood and red sanders at the Sri VenkateshwaraSandalwood Pavitra gardens.

SNV SUDHIR n VIJAYAWADA

The state BJP leaders may nothave been able to breach thepolice cordon and enter theancient Sri KodandaramaSwamy temple inRamatheertham ofVizianagaram district, but theycertainly have grabbed theattention of the party's centralleadership, especially its 'patri-arch' Amit Shah.

The BJP central leadershipwhich is said to be not sohappy with the party's stateteam's performance in AndhraPradesh, is now of the opinionthat the momentum has beenset for the party to occupy theopposition space.

Over the past one week,ever since the desecration ofLord Rama's idol in theRamatheertham temple, andthe consequent protests, ledseparately by the TDP and BJP,Amit Shah has spoken to partystate leaders at least twice tounderstand the 'ground situa-tion'.

Though the south hadalways been on the BJP's radarand it has spared no efforts tostrengthen its base, the saffron

party could not make anyheadway down below theVindhyas other than inKarnataka. Concerted efforts ofthe BJP national leadership togain a foothold in AndhraPradesh had most often metwith failure, and the few suc-cesses it had achieved had justbeen enough to keep the partyinterested.

In a major embarrassmentfor the ruling national party, itcould garner only 0.83 percentof the votes. This was lessthan the 1.29 percent votes thatthe NOTA option got in the2019 General Elections. In thelast polls, BJP in AndhraPradesh fought alone while itwas in alliance with TDP in2014 polls.

After the drubbing in 2019,the BJP national leadershiphad started focussing onAndhra Pradesh and as part ofpicking his new team, the newBJP national president of theparty JP Nadda had replacedthe then-existing party stateunit president KannaLakshminarayana with SomuVeerraju, another senior leaderof the party who is termed afirebrand.

Veerraju was appointed asstate party chief at the end ofJuly and since then, the stateteam has been trying to gainsome foothold but theirattempts remained futile. Thiswas said to have led to dissat-isfaction among party centralleadership.

To give a fillip to the partyfunctioning recently, the cen-tral leadership had alsoreplaced V Satish who wascoordinating AP affairs withShiv Prakash. Both Satish andPrakash are loaned from RSS,the ideological parent of BJP.Apparently, Satish was replacedas the leadership was unhappywith his work in the state.

Now, the Ramatheerthamepisode is being seen as an

opportunity for the BJP togain traction in the state andAmit Shah is personally mon-itoring the happenings inAndhra Pradesh.

Two days ago, he had a con-versation with Veerraju and onThursday, party MP GVLNarasimha Rao briefed theUnion Home Minister aboutthe latest happenings.

"I spoke to Amit Shah thismorning on phone andbriefed him about the contin-uous attacks on temples inAndhra Pradesh includingthat of Ramatheertham. Iexplained to him about theillegal and heinous detentionof our party leaders by APPolice. We will soon meetAmit Shah and personallyexplain and submit detailsabout the ongoing happeningsin Andhra Pradesh," said GVLNarasimha Rao.

The BJP central leadership isof the opinion that the TDP, themain opposition party in AP, ison a weak wicket due to vari-ous factors and it is the righttime for the national party tooccupy the opposition spaceinitially and then slowly cap-ture power in the State.

BJP leadership seizes thechance to grow AP unit

PNS n MUMBAI

Jailed Telugu poet and activistVaravara Rao will continue tostay at a private hospital heretill January 13, the BombayHigh Court said on Thursday.

Rao, 80, an accused in theElgar Parishad-Maoist linkscase, was admitted to NanavatiHospital in the city owing tohis health issues in Novemberfollowing the court's orders.

A division bench of Justice SSShinde and MS Karnik onThursday extended Rao's stayat the private hospital afteradjourning the hearing on hisbail plea to January 13.

The Maharashtra govern-ment submitted a fresh medical

report which said his health was"much better" and he "hasrecovered and is able to walk".

On December 21, the stategovernment and the NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA),the prosecuting agency, hadrequested the HC to transferRao from Nanavati Hospital tothe Taloja prison hospital orstate-run JJ Hospital inMumbai. The bench, however,had said it would need to see hislatest medical reports.

Rao has been in and out ofhospital since he was arrestedin June 2018 and lodged inTaloja prison in neighbouringNavi Mumbai.

On July 16, 2020, he testedpositive for coronavirus, after

which he was shifted to NanavatiHospital and discharged on July30 after recovery.

In December he was admit-ted to Nanavati Hospital againwhen his lawyers moved thecourt citing his deterioratinghealth. Besides his bail plea onmedical grounds, the bench isalso hearing a writ petition filedby Rao's wife Hemlatha, alleg-ing violation of his fundamen-tal rights due to continuedincarceration without adequatemedical care.

Rao and several other Left-leaning activists and writerswere arrested for alleged linkswith Maoists following theDecember 2017 Elgar Parishadconclave in Pune.

Youth fails toclear Navyentrance test,ends lifePNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

An 18-year-old died by sui-cide, jumping off the fourthfloor of his residence atSriharpuram area of Vizagcity late on Wednesdayevening. Failure to clear the entranceexamination for IndianNavy is believed to be thereason behind his extremestep.

The Vizag city policereceived information aboutthe incident at around 2.30am on Thursday.

The victim was identi-fied as Vaibhav Singh fromDelhi. He had appeared forthe selection of TechnicalEntry Service (TES) andwas staying at his uncle's flatin Sriharipuram.

Malkapuram inspectorKuna Durga Prasada Raosaid that the youth hadcleared first four rounds ofthe selection process butfailed in the final round.

The victim's relatives saidthat Vaibhav Singh was abrilliant student and hadgraduated from the IndianInstitute of Technology,Rourkela.

The police shifted thebody to King GeorgeHospital for post-mortemand started investigation.A case has been registered,the police said.

The Association questioned how fair it is to make allegationsattributing religious colour to thePolice department to furtherone’s own political interests.

Fisherfolksdemand completeban on ‘ring net’PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Fishermen on Thursdaystaged a protest at the Vizagfishing harbour, seeking atotal ban on use of purse seinering nets, irrespective of thedistance off the shore.

Mechanised and fishingboats using a ring net within8 km from theshore werealso banned toprotect the interestof the traditionalfishermen.

However, the tra-ditional fishermencomplained that thering net was used bythe trawlers leavingthem no catch forsmall-level local fishermen.They demanded completeban on use of the ring netirrespective of the distancefrom the shore.

They also resented a com-ment made by MinisterMuttamsetti Srinivasa Raoon use of the ring net.

"Of the 14 fishing villageshere, only one or two use ringnets for fishing. All use thetraditional net," said a fisher-

man representing the group.A purse seine is a large wall

of netting deployed around anentire area or school of fish.Sea turtles can be captured bya purse seine as it is set andthen become entangled inthe net mesh as it is hauled in.Entangled turtles may sustaininjuries to their flippers andshells due to the force of thenet as it is hauled.

Joint director of fish-eries D K PhaniPrakash hadinformed a surveythat 83 mechanised

boats were using purseseine ring nets in the dis-

trict. Use of ring nets andfishing in close range has

been creating tension amongthe fishermen leading tobreakdown of law and order.Issuing guidelines, the jointdirector said boats using lessthan half inch nets would notbe allowed for fishing as perAP Marine FisheriesRegulation Act of 1995, boatsshould not venture into thesea without registration andlicense and announced a banon use of mechanised boats in8 km area as per the Act.

Varavara Rao to stay in privatehospital till next week, rules HC

IntermediateadmissionsbeginPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The Board for IntermediateEducation (BIE) has allowedthe junior colleges to takeadmission for 2020-21 acad-emic year from Thursdayand commence classes fromJanuary 18.

As per the orders of theHigh Court, BIE is going foroffline admissions for thisacademic year and all princi-pals were requested to takespecial care in enrolment ofstudents.

Category-wise, 15 percentseats must be allotted forScheduled Caste students, 6per cent for Scheduled Tribestudents, 29 per cent for thebackward classes, 3 per centeach for physically challengedand ex-servicemen back-ground students and 5 percent for NCC, sports andextracurricular activities.

Corporate colleges whichare found to be not followingthe reservation rules wereasked to abide by it, failingwhich stringent action will betaken.The principals weredirected to follow the normsof reservation in admissionsas per the rules in force. Anydeviation will be viewed seri-ously.

Jeeyar Swamis, Archakas and prabandam pundits performed abhisekamfollowed by Parayanam of Tirumoli Pasuras at Srivari temple.

25-day Adhyayanotsavamconcludes at Srivari temple

Subba Reddy more‘pakka’ Hindu thanModi: SubramanianPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Taking a contradictory stanceof his party and pouring wateron the claims of his fellowparty men, BJP leader andRajya Sabha MemberSubramanian Swamy onThursday said that YSRCPMP YV Subba Reddy was amore ‘pakka’ (staunch) Hinduthan Prime Minister NarendraModi.

Speaking about the allega-tions that chairman of TTD isa relative of Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy and aChristian, SubramanianSwamy said, “He offers prayersat Tirumala temple at 2 in themorning. Subba Reddy and hiswife are more pakka Hinduthan Narendra Modi.”

“Temple desecration is con-spiracy of TDP chiefChandrababu Naidu to stayrelevant in politics and useHindutva,” he alleged.

He also rejected the claimsthat Christians were beingemployed in the TTD. “TDPis making false propagandathat the YSRCP government isemploying people from otherreligions. There were onlyseven people from other reli-gions who were appointedduring the previous TDP gov-ernment,” the BJP MP said.

Praising the AP govern-ment’s decision to get theaccounts of the Tirumala

Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)accounts audited byComptroller and AuditorGeneral (CAG), SubramanianSwamy said, “This is the firsttime in the history of India atemple is being audited byCAG. I had filed a PIL wheretemples are being taken overby the state governments. Wefound the donations given bydevotees are being squan-dered. So, the state govern-ment cannot audit them aftertaking over the administrationof the temples.”

He urged the people toquestion the police about thedestruction of idols. “Peopleare emotional, they are manip-ulated. On Twitter, people aregoing mad on various bogusmatters,” he said.

n BJP MP says desecrationof idols is a conspiracy by Naidu

AP signs MoU with Cambridge to train teachersPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh has signed aMoU with the University ofCambridge which will allowthe university to provide train-ing to teachers and studentsunder the MunicipalDepartment to improve theirproficiency in English lan-guage.

The MoU was signed in thepresence of Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy, betweenthe University of Cambridge,and the State UrbanDevelopment Department byVijay Kumar, Commissioner ofMunicipal Administration on

behalf of the State Governmentand TK Arunachalam,Regional Director ofCambridge University, SouthAsia.

As part of the programme,12,378 teachers working inmunicipal schools along withstudents across the state will betrained to develop proficiencyin English language.

In all 14 language labs will beset up in 13 districts across thestate. Training will also begiven in Science andMathematics.

Municipal Department, incollaboration with theUniversity of Cambridge, will

provide the required infra-structure. The University ofCambridge will provide thetraining programmes free ofcost under Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR).

Nearly, two lakh studentsstudying in municipal schools

will be trained in Englishalong with Mathematics andScience.

Already 8,000 teachers havecompleted 30- day training toteach various subjects inEnglish and have passed theCambridge Assessment

English test. The remaining 4,000 are

under training. Three studioswill be set up atVisakhapatnam, Kurnool andVijayawada.

The teaching material will beprepared by the teachers in allthe municipal schools and willbe provided to the childrenthrough these studios.

Municipal AdministrationMinister Botsa Satyanarayana,Chief Secretary AdityanathDas, Municipal AdministrationPrincipal Secretary Y SriLakshmi, and representativesof Cambridge University werepresent.

Already 8,000 teachers havecompleted 30- day training to teachvarious subjects in English andhave passed the CambridgeAssessment English test.

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021nation 04

SHORT TAKES

The Gauhati High Court onThursday rejected the bail

petition of Krishak Mukti SangramParishad (KMSS) and Raijor Dalleader Akhil Gogoi in the caserelated to his alleged role in violentprotests against Citizenship(Amendemnt) Act lodged by the

NIA. A division bench of the High Court comprising Justices KalyanRai Surana and Ajit Bathakur rejected the bail petition of Akhil Gogoi.Gogoi is lodged in Guwahati Central jail since his arrest in December2019 for his alleged role in violent anti-Citizenship Amendment Actprotests. He was arrested on December 12, 2019 as a preventivemeasure while protests against the CAA in the state raged andresulted in violence at several places. Gogoi's case was later handedover to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhanwas sworn in here on Thursday as the

Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand HighCourt. The oath of office wasadministered to Justice Chauhan byUttarakhand Governor Baby RaniMaurya at a simple ceremony held at theRaj Bhawan auditorium here. JusticeChauhan, 61, was the Chief Justice ofthe Telangana High Court before beingtransferred to the Uttarakhand High

Court, Nainital on December 31. Chief Minister Trivendra SinghRawat, Assembly Speaker Premchand Aggarwal, Cabinet MinistersMadan Kaushik and Subodh Uniyal and a host of senior officials,including Chief Secretary Om Prakash and DGP Ashok Kumar,attended the ceremony.

The Odisha government hasallowed bars, beer parlours and

clubs to resume their services afternine months with strict adherence tothe COVID-19 guidelines followingimprovement in the pandemic

situation, official sources said. Though the state government hadearlier allowed opening of liquor outlets and home delivery of alcoholacross the state, it had prohibited the opening of bars and clubs. Thegovernment after careful consideration in exercise of powersconferred under section-93 of the Odisha Excise Act-2008 allowsconsumption of liquor in the Restaurant 'ON' / Hotel 'ON'/ BeerParlour 'ON' and Club 'ON' outside the containment zone withimmediate effect, a notification issued by the Excise Department saidon Wednesday, said.

Odisha allows opening of bars, “ON” shops

High Court rejects bail petition of Akhil Gogoi

The Jammu and Kashmiradministration on Thursday

announced a new industrialdevelopmental scheme (IDS) with atotal outlay of Rs 28,400 crore toencourage new investment and to takeindustrial development to the blocklevel and far-flung areas of the Union

territory. "In a major decision of far-reaching consequence,Government of India has approved a new Industrial DevelopmentalScheme for Jammu and Kashmir," Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinhaannounced at a press conference here. "The scheme will go a longway in ushering an era of socio-economic development of the regionand for catering to the aspirations of people," he said. Sinha saidthat this scheme is from the period of date of notification up to theyear 2037 with a total outlay of Rs 28,400 crore.

Justice Chauhan sworn in asChief Justice of U'khand HC

LG announces new industrialscheme worth Rs 28,400 crore

Former Minister and veteranCongress leader K K

Ramachandran died of a heartattack early on Thursday, partysources said. He was 78. Popularlyknown as Ramachandran Master,the Congress leader hadrepresented the party as an MLAsix times - three times fromKalpetta and thrice from Sultan

Bathery Assembly constituency. Native of Koothuparamba in Kannurdistrict, Ramachandran Master entered active politics after quittinghis job as a teacher in 1980. He was secretary of Kozhikode DistrictCongress Committee. He was Minister for Food & Civil Supplies inthe A K Antony Ministry from 1995 and Health Minister in theOommen Chandy Ministry from 2004. He resigned in 2006. Later,following differences of opinion with the party, he was ousted fromCongress in 2011. Though he was reinstated in the party after acouple of years, he was denied any position. Leader of Opposition,Ramesh Chennithala was among the several persons who condoledthe death of the veteran leader.

Congress leader K K Ramachandran Master dies

PNS n MUMBAI

Irrfan Khan's son Babil and ahost of Bollywood celebritieson Thursday remembered thelate star on his 55th birthanniversary, almost a yearafter the actor lost his battlewith a rare form of cancer.

Khan, one of India's finestand most versatile actors withacclaimed performances infilms such as "Maqbool", "TheNamesake", "Paan SinghTomar" and "Hindi Medium",died at a Mumbai hospital inApril 2020, leaving his fans,peers and family in mourn-ing.

The actor was diagnosedwith neuroendocrine tumour

in 2018, a rare form of cancerthat attacks various parts ofthe body,

He was buried at theVersova graveyard and is sur-vived by his wife Sutapa andhis sons Babil and Ayaan.

Taking to Instagram, Babilshared a heart-warming videoof Khan trying to video callhim, in the presence of Sikdarand Ayaan.

He said though his fathernever encouraged him toremember the date, it ' simpossible for him to forgetit this time.

"Perhaps, that is why Idon't remember anyone'sbirthdays because you neverremembered mine and never

encouraged me to rememberyours.

It was just normal to uswhat seemed absurd fromthe outside, we celebratedeveryday (bringing personalexperiential authenticity to

the cliche)."On the occasion, Mamma

would have to remind usboth; but this time I could notforget yours if I tried. It's yourbirthday Baba. Shoutout to allthe technologically inept par-

ents, notice that they did notfinish saying that they missme," Babil wrote in the cap-tion.

Since Khan's death, Babil'sInstagram handle has becomea peek into the personal lifeof the famously private actor,serving as a memory bank foradmirers who are yet come toterms with his death.

From the film fraternity,actors l ike AyushmannKhurrana, Anushka Sharmaand filmmaker Ritesh Batraposted their tributes forKhan.

Khurrana posted a pictureof Khan on social media andwrote that the versatile actorwill "always be remembered".

Sharma also shared a pic-ture of Khan, writing, "A leg-endary figure of the industry!You will always be missed andyour legacy will live on forev-er." Batra, who collaboratedwith Khan for critically-acclaimed 2013 movie "TheLunchbox", said he still miss-es the actor.

"Happy birthday @irrfank,always miss you and alwaysremember to listen for themusic, not the noise."

Manpreet Bacchhar, for-mer manager of Khan andcurrently Creative Producerat Sikhya Entertainment,posted a throwback picture ofthe actor.

Irrfan Khan's son, industry colleagues remember the actor

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Thursdaysought responses fromRajasthan Assembly Speakerand others on two separatepleas against the merger of allsix BSP MLAs into the rulingCongress legislature party inthe state.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)and BJP MLA Madan Dilawarhave filed separate appealsagainst an order of theRajasthan High Court whichasked the Speaker to decidewithin three months a disqual-ification petition against all thesix BSP MLAs 'merging' with

the ruling Congress party.A bench of Justices S Abdul

Nazeer and K M Joseph, in theproceedings conducted

through video conferencing,also issued notices to theAssembly secretary and all thesix MlAs who defected andmerged with the Congress.

The merger was a boost toAshok Gehlot-led state gov-ernment as the tally of theCongress increased to over100 in the House of 200MLAs.

On August 24, the highcourt had asked the Speaker todecide within three months thedisqualification petition filedby Dilawar.

Allowing the plea partially,the high court had set aside theJuly 22 order of the Speaker

rejecting the disqualificationpetition filed by him in Marchlast year.

It had dismissed a writ peti-tion filed by the BSP in thematter, while giving the partyliberty to file a disqualificationpetition with the Speaker.

Dilawar had filed the peti-tion in the high court challeng-ing the merger of six BSPMLAs - Sandeep Yadav, WajibAli, Deepchand Kheria,Lakhan Meena, JogendraAwana and Rajendra Gudha -with the Congress anddemanded a stay on the execu-tion of the order passed by theSpeaker.

SC issues notice to RajasthanAssembly Speaker on pleas

PNS n NEW DELHI

India's COVID-19 caseloadrose to 1,03,95,278 with 20,346new infections being report-ed in a day, while the numberof recoveries surpassed onecrore, according to data updat-ed by the Union health min-istry on Thursday.

The death toll increased to1,50,336 as 222 people suc-cumbed to the disease in aspan of 24 hours, the dataupdated at 8 am showed.

The number of people whohave recuperated from thedisease surged to 1,00,16,859,pushing the national recoveryrate to 96.36 per cent, while theCOVID-19 case fatality ratestood at 1.45 per cent.

The number of activeCOVID-19 cases remained

below three lakh for the 17thconsecutive day.

There are 2,28,083 activecoronavirus cases in the coun-try, which account for 2.19 percent of the total caseload, thedata stated.

India's COVID-19 tally hadcrossed the 20-lakh mark onAugust 7, 30 lakh on August23, 40 lakh on September 5and 50 lakh on September16.

It went past 60 lakh onSeptember 28, 70 lakh onOctober 11, 80 lakh onOctober 29, 90 lakh onNovember 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the IndianCouncil of Medical Research(ICMR), 17,84,00,995 sam-ples have been tested forCOVID-19 till January 6,

including 9,37,590 onWednesday.

The 222 new fatalitiesinclude 66 from Maharashtra,25 from Kerala, 22 from West

Bengal and 16 from Delhi.Of the total 1,50,336

COVID-19 deaths reportedin the country so far,Maharashtra has accountedfor the highest of 49,825, fol-lowed by Tamil Nadu(12,188), Karnataka (12,124),Delhi (10,625), West Bengal(9,863), Uttar Pradesh (8,441),Andhra Pradesh (7,125) andPunjab (5,412).

The health ministry stressedthat more than 70 per cent ofthe deaths occurred due to co-morbidities.

"Our figures are being rec-onciled with the IndianCouncil of Medical Research,"the ministry said on its web-site, adding that state-wisedistribution of the figures issubject to further verificationand reconciliation.

COVID-19: India reports 20,346 new cases,222 deaths; recoveries cross 1 crore-mark

PNS n NEW DELHI

The jumbo committeesformed in the Congress' TamilNadu unit ahead of the assem-bly polls are not going toadversely impact the party asthe move brings various fac-tions together, senior leaderMani Shankar Aiyar said onThursday and predicted a"strong walkover" for theDMK-Congress alliance overthe AIADMK in the upcom-ing elections.

The comments by Aiyar,who has been named in sev-eral key poll-related panels ofthe Congress' Tamil Naduunit, come days after CongressMP Karti Chidambaramraised questions over the stateunit rejig, saying such "jumbocommittees" serve no pur-pose as no one will have anyauthority which would mean"no accountability".

In an interview with PTI,Aiyar said the Dravida

Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Congress alliance was facinga "very divided" All IndiaAnna Dravida MunnetraKazhagam (AIADMK)between Edappadi KPalaniswami (EPS) and OPanneerselvam (OPS).

Aiyar also said that ifeither of the "factions" in theAIADMK or the party as awhole joins hands with theBJP then that will be to its fur-ther disadvantage "because inTamil Nadu there has neverbeen and there isn't now anykind of Hindu-Muslimdivide".

"The Congress will not befighting in Tamil Nadu on itsown, it is going to be part ofthe alliance being put togeth-er by the DMK. Now we arefaced with a very dividedAIADMK between EPS andOPS, where there has been noreconciliation of hearts," hesaid.

"Although they

(AIADMK) have succeededagainst many people's expec-tations, including mine, inbeing able to run a coalitiongovernment. I call it a coali-tion government because EPSand OPS are really runningirreconcilable factions andthese factional rivalries arebound to affect the groundprospects of the AIADMK,"the former Union ministerand an ex-MP from TamilNadu said.

Asked about KartiChidambaram's "jumbo com-mittee" remarks and his owntake on the Congress appoint-ing 32 vice presidents, 57general secretaries and 104secretaries in its state unit lastweek, Aiyar said this is the"jumbo way" of running thePradesh Congress.

"It is a way of cross stitch-ing differences in the very topprovincial leadership of theparty. I don't see this beingreversed," he said.

‘Jumbo committees will notadversely impact Cong in TN’

Sourav Ganguly “absolutelyfine”, discharged from hospitalPNS n KOLKATA

BCCI president and formerIndia captain Sourav Gangulyreturned home on Thursdayafter spending five days in hos-pital, where he underwent anangioplasty to clear a blockedcoronary artery.

The 48-year-old cricket iconhas been declared stable andclinically fit by doctors, but hewill have to undergo anotherangioplasty, likely after twoweeks.

"I am absolutely fine... hope-fully I will be able to fly soon,"Ganguly said before boardinghis private vehicle.

"We say we come to hospi-tal to get life back. It really hasbeen so. I thank all the doctors,the nurses and everybody formy treatment," he added.

Accompanied by wife Dona,the celebrated former cricketerwas escorted by police as hun-dreds of fans waited patientlyoutside the hospital as well ashis residence.

The BCCI chief, who wasdiagnosed with three blockedcoronary arteries after whicha stent was inserted in one toremove the blockage, needs toundergo "another angioplastyfor which he has to return tothe hospital after two weeks ora time when he feels comfort-able", a senior doctor ofWoodlands Hospital said.

"Doctors will monitor hishealth condition at home andtake appropriate measuresfrom time to time," he said.

Noted cardiologist Dr DeviShetty, who had joined theteam of doctors attending tothe former skipper, had said.

Stones peltedin protest overroad crash

PNS n NAGPUR

The Nagpur bench of BombayHigh has quashed an FIR againsta finance company employee,charged with abetment to sui-cide for demanding loan repay-ment from a borrower, saying itwas a part of the employee's dutyand cannot be said to have insti-gated the borrower to end life.

A bench of Justices VinayDeshpande and Anil Kilor heldthat the petitioner, RohitNalawade, who was bookedunder

IPC Section 306 (abetment ofsuicide), had merely been dis-charging his official duty intrying to recover the dues fromthe borrower, Pramod Chouhan.

Chouhan later ended his life

and alleged in his suicide notethat he was being harassed bythe petitioner for loan repay-ment.

The bench in a recent ordersaid, "The allegations are only tothe effect that the applicant(Nalawade) demanded out-standing loan amount from thedeceased which was the part ofhis duty being employee of thefinance company.""In view ofthat, the demand of outstandingloan amount from the personwho was in default of paymentof loan amount, during thecourse of employment as a duty,at any stretch of imaginationcannot be said to be any inten-tion to aid or to instigate or toabet the deceased to commit sui-cide," it said.

As per the order, a policecomplaint was lodged inMaharashtra's Washim districtagainst a man from Pune underIPC Section 306 for demandingthe loan amount from Chouhan.

The prosecution told the HCthat Chouhan had taken a loanfrom Mahindra and MahindraFinancial Service Limited forpurchasing a new vehicle name-ly through loan agreement.

As per the First InformationReport (FIR), dated August 8,2018 and lodged at Shripur inWashim, the finance companysanctioned a loan of Rs6,21,000 to Chouhan, and itwas agreed that he would re-pay the amount in four yearsthrough monthly installmentsof Rs 17,800 each.

Loan repay demand by official is not abetment to suicide: HC

PNS n COIMBATORE

Ace fashion designer SatyaPaul, known for giving theIndian saree a contemporarytouch, has passed away at theage of 79, his son Puneet Nandasaid.

Paul, who had suffered astroke in December, breathedhis last at Sadhguru's Isha YogaCenter on Wednesday.

"He had a stroke onDecember 2 and as he wasslowly recovering in the hospi-tal, his only wish was to get allthe things he was being moni-tored and poked with -removed so he could fly away.

"We finally got clearancefrom doctors to take him backto Isha Yoga Center, his homesince 2015. As per his wish, hegently passed on with blessingsof the Master," Nanda wrote onFacebook.

Nanda said though there'sgrief for his father's loss, thefamily is also celebrating thewholesome life the designer led."He couldn't have had a sweet-er life or passage, at the feet ofthe Master. We are sad a bit,mostly rejoicing him, his lifeand now his passing with sucha blessing," Nanda wrote.

Sadhguru, Founder-IshaFoundation, tweeted a pictureof Paul to condole the demiseof the "visionary" fashiondesigner.

"Satya Paul, a shining exam-ple of what it means to live withimmeasurable passion and

unrelenting involvement. Thedistinct vision you brought tothe Indian fashion industry isa beautiful tribute to this. Aprivilege to have had youamongst us. Condolences andblessings," Sadhguru tweeted.

Paul started his journey inthe field of retail in the late 60'sand expanded to exports ofIndian handloom products tohigh-end retail stores in Europeand America.

In 1980, he launched the first'saree boutique' in India,L'Affaire, and founded theeponymous fashion clothingbrand with his son in 1986.

The brand soon became syn-onymous for its sleek sarees.Nanda wrote that his father,more than a designer or entre-preneur, was a "seeker."

"In the 70's his inner journeystarted with going to listen totalks with J Krishnamurty, laterhe took 'sannyas' (renunciation)from Osho. After Osho left in1990, though he wasn't seekinganother Master, he discoveredSadhguru in 2007.

PM dedicates Rewari-Madar section

PNS n NEW DELHI

A PIL has been filed in theDelhi High Court seekingdirection to the Centre toremove megastar AmitabhBachchan's voice from thecaller tune on precautionsagainst coronavirus on thegrounds that he himself,along with some familymembers, had been infectedby the virus.

The plea, which saidthere were some famouscorona warriors who werewilling to give their servicesfor free, came up for hear-ing on Thursday before abench of Chief Justice D NPatel and Justice JyotiSingh.

The bench listed it forJanuary 18 as the petitioner'scounsel expressed inability toappear for physical hearing.

PIL in HC toremove Big B’s voice fromcaller tune

From the film fraternity, actors likeAyushmann Khurrana,Anushka Sharma andfilmmaker Ritesh Batra posted theirtributes for Khan.

Fashion designerSatya Paul dead

DISQUALIFICATION OF SIX MLAs

PNS n BALLIA (UP)

Five policemen were injured aspeople protesting over a 25-year-old man's death in a road acci-dent pelted stones at them in avillage here after the stir took aviolent turn, officials said onThursday. On Wednesday night,Vishkarma Paswan died afterbeing hit by an unidentifiedvehicle on National Highway 31,and locals staged a protest withthe dead body on the road, AddlSuperintendent of Police SanjayYadav said. A police team alongwith tehsildar, Sadar, GulabChandra rushed to the spot topacify the protesters but endedup in a heated argument withthem after the tehsildar slappeda villager, the ASP said.

WESTERN DEDICATED FREIGHT CORRIDOR

PNS n CHANDIGARH

Prime Minister Narendra Modion Thursday dedicated the 306-km New Rewari-New Madarsection of the Western DedicatedFreight Corridor (WDFC) to thenation.

Through video-conferencing,Modi also flagged off the world'sfirst double-stack long-haul 1.5-km-long container train hauledby electric traction from NewAteli-New Kishangarh.

On this occasion, the primeminister said, "The 'mahayagya'to modernise the country's infra-structure today gained a newmomentum."

This dedicated freight corri-dor project is being seen as agame changer for India in the21st century, said Modi.

"After the hard work of thelast five to six years, today a bigportion of it (project) hasbecome a reality," he said.

Modi also listed several pro-

jects which were dedicated to thenation in the last 10-12 days.

"A few days back, Indiaapproved two Made in Indiacorona vaccines. India's ownvaccine has given a new confi-dence to the countrymen," Modisaid. "Today the call of everyIndian is that neither do we stop,nor do we get tired. We will allmove faster," he said.

Haryana Governor SatyadevNarayan Arya, RajasthanGovernor Kalraj Mishra,

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal,Chief Minister Manohar LalKhattar, Rajasthan ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot andother dignitaries were also pre-sent on this occasion.

The New Rewari-New Madarsection of the WDFC is situat-ed in Haryana (approximately 79km in Mahendragarh andRewari districts) and Rajasthan(approximately 227 km in Jaipur,Ajmer, Sikar, Nagaur and Alwardistricts).

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021 nation 05

Acase has been registeredagainst a governmentschool teacher at Mangaon

in Raigad district ofMaharashtra for allegedlyraping a minor girl student,police said on Thursday. Theaccused, Madan Wankhede,was booked under relevantsections of the IPC and theProtection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they said."The accused raped the minor victim, who studied in his school, onmultiple occasions since 2016. He used to threaten the girl that ifshe told about it to anyone, he would fail her in the exam and thather mother, who works in the same school, would also lose her job,"an official of Mangaon police station said. However, the girl usteredcourage and finally told her ordeal to her mother recently, followingwhich a complaint was lodged. Investigation into the case is on.

INDIA CORNER

Maha: Govt school teacherbooked for raping minor student

Asuspended policeconstable lodged in prisonin connection with a

spurious liquor casedied of a heart attack inBherugarh Jail in MadhyaPradesh's Ujjain district, aprison official said onThursday. Sudesh Khode (42),who had been in prison sinceNovember 25, 2020, suffered a heart attack around 2.40 am onWednesday night, Bherugarh jail superintendent Alka Sonkar said. All efforts to revive him proved futile, the official said, adding that anautopsy was conducted in the presence of a judicial magistrate, whorecorded statements of co-accused in the case. At least 14 persons,mostly poor, died after consuming spurious liquor in Ujjain inOctober, last year, following which a number of officials includingthe then superintendent of police and an excise officer weretransferred after a high-level probe into the incident.

Cop suspended in spurious liquorcase dies of heart attack in jail

PDP president MehboobaMufti on Thursday saidwhile New Delhi was

"preaching" other countries totreat minorities in a dignifiedway, the plight of minorities inIndia was getting worse. Muftiwas referring to External AffairsMinister S Jaishankar'sstatement during his visit to SriLanka. It is in Sri Lanka's own interest that the expectations of theTamil people, for equality, justice, peace and dignity, within a unitedSri Lanka are fulfilled, Jaishankar said in Colombo. The former chiefminister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state said in a tweet,"Preaching to other countries about treating minorities in a dignifiedway even though the plight of minorities in India is getting worse."The Peoples Democratic Party president said social cohesion wasessential for progress of any country, including India. "The onlyMuslim majority state here has been dismembered & isempowered.Social cohesion is essential for progress of any country, includingIndia," she added.

Plight of minorities in Indiagetting worse: Mufti

BSF Inspector General N SJamwal on Thursday called onJammu and Kashmir Lieutenant

Governor Manoj Sinha and briefedhim about the security situation alongthe International Border, officials said.The officer also apprised the LtGovernor about the threats prevailingon the border with Pakistan, thecounter measures being taken by the Border Security Force (BSF) tomeet the challenges and the border protection grid, they said. Severalissues related to border areas, including development of Suchetgarhand Chamliyal as tourist destinations jointly by the BSF and the Jammuand Kashmir tourism department, were also discussed, the officialssaid. Jamwal also strongly batted for road connectivity to BSF postsand areas along the International Border (IB) for the benefit of people,they said. The Jammu and Kashmir government's assistance was alsosought to clear wild growth in areas along the fences of the border toencourage farming, the officials said.

J&K Lt Guv Manoj on securitysituation along briefed border

‘Govt wants to privatise farm sector’

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Thursdayexpressed concern over largegatherings of farmers protest-ing against the new farm lawsat Delhi borders and asked theCentre whether they were“protected” against the spreadof COVID-19.

The top court was hearing aplea seeking various reliefsincluding CBI probe into thematter related to assembly ofpeople at Anand Vihar BusTerminal and the TablighiJamaat congregation atNizammudin Markaz in thenational capital after thenationwide lockdown wasannounced last year to containthe pandemic.

“The same problem is goingto arise in farmers' agitation. Ido not know if farmers are pro-tected from COVID. So, thesame problem is going to arise.It is not that everything is over,”said Chief Justice S A Bobde,heading a bench, also compris-

ing Justices A S Bopanna andV Ramasubramanian.

The top court asked SolicitorGeneral Tushar Mehta, appear-ing for the Centre, whetherprotesting farmers are pro-tected from COVID-19.

Mehta replied, “Certainlynot”.

Mehta said that he will file areport within two weeks onwhat has been done and whatneeds to be done.

The plea, filed by lawyer

Supriya Pandita, alleged thatDelhi police had failed to con-trol the congregation of peopleand the Nizamuddin Markazchief Maulana Saad was stillevading arrest.

Advocate Om PrakashParihar, appearing for the peti-tioner, said that no statementhas been made by the Centreabout the whereabouts ofMaulana Saad.

The bench told Parihar,“Why are you interested in one

person? We are on the issue ofCOVID. Why do you wantcontroversy? We are interestedthat COVID guidelines shouldbe there”.

The top court issued formalnotice in the matter after whichMehta said that he will file areport in the matter.

The Centre had on June 5last year told the top court thatprobe into assembly of peopleat Anand Vihar Bus Terminalin east Delhi during nationwidelockdown and the TablighiJamaat event is being con-ducted on a day-to-day basis byDelhi Police and there was noneed for CBI investigation.

The Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) had given thedetails of the steps taken by theDelhi Police which is makingall efforts to complete theinvestigation within the timeframe to submit the chargesheet in the trial court.

It had told the top court thatdue to fake media reports andcirculation of certain misinfor-

mation in the areas of Delhi,thousands of migrants gatheredat Anand Vihar Bus terminaland Ghazipur border areashere on March 28, last year.

On the steps taken by Delhipolice, the MHA in its affidavithad said that probe in Markazmatter is being conducted ona day-to- day basis, in accor-dance with the mandate of lawand all efforts are being madeto finalize investigation andsubmit a report under section173 CrPC (charge sheet) beforethe trial court in a time boundmanner.

The MHA had said thatMaulana Saad and others hadallowed a huge gathering toassemble inside a closedpremise, over a protractedperiod of time, without anysemblance of social distancesor provision of masks and san-itizers and have caused a situ-ation where a highly infectiousdisease such as Covid-19 mayspread and threaten the lives ofinmates.

SC concerned over gathering of ryots amid Covid

PNS n AURANGABAD

Imtiaz Jaleel on Thursday saidthey have no problem if theairport here in Maharashtra isrenamed after ChhatrapatiSambhaji Maharaj, but thecity's name should not bechanged.

Jaleel's comments came aday after Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray urged theCentre to issue a notificationat the earliest for renaming theAurangabad Airport afterChhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

The Maharashtra cabinet inMarch 2020 decided to renamethe Aurangabad Airport, situ-ated in Chikhalthana area here,after Sambhaji Maharaj.

The Shiv Sena, which sharespower with the NCP and theCongress in Maharashtra, hasbeen demanding for the pastcouple of decades that

Aurangabad be renamed asSambhajinagar.

However, the Congress hassaid it is against any suchmove.

Asked about the All IndiaMajlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen's(AIMIM) stand over the issue,Jaleel told PTI that, "We haveno issue with renaming of theAurangabad airport after

Chhatrapati Sambhaji. But, wedefinitely have a problem withrenaming of the city."

"Considering the work ofChhatrapati Sambhaji, whynot we rename our new indus-trial city after him. We alsohave a world class SamruddhiExpressway (between Mumbaiand Nagpur) which can berenamed after him," the LokSabha member said.

Earlier, on Tuesday, BJPRajya Sabha member DrBhagwat Karad also urgedCivil Aviation MinisterHardeep Singh Puri to renamethe airport here afterChhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj,saying the latter is the symbolof Maharashtra's self-respect.

Karad also demanded finan-cial aid for development ofareas surrounding some ofthe heritage sites inAurangabad.

PNS n KOLKATA

A senior doctor of theEmployees' State InsuranceScheme under the stateLabour depart-ment died dueto COVID-19on Thursday,a Health dep-artment officialsaid.

Dr Rajib Gon Choudhury,Deputy Director (Planning)of the ESI was diagnosed withthe contagion recently andwas undergoing treatment ata private hospital here. Hesuccumbed to the infectionthis afternoon, the officialsaid. Gon Choudhury's deathtook the total number ofdoctors and health workersdying due to COVID-19 inthe state to over