PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court will beginin-chamber review on peti-tions challenging the November9 verdict in the Ayodhya titledispute on Thursday.

The apex court had allocat-ed the disputed site for the con-struction of Ram temple, andgranted five-acre land toMuslim parties for the con-struction of mosque elsewherein Ayodhya. The new five-judge bench is headed by ChiefJustice S.A. Bobde and compris-es Justices Ashok Bhushan,S.A. Nazeer, D.Y. Chandrachudand Sanjiv Khanna. JusticeKhanna is the new judge on the

bench who has replaced retiredChief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

The in-chamber review willbegin at 1:40 p.m. A total of 18review petitions have been filedin the apex court in connectionwith its November 9 judgement.The bulk comprises reviewpleas from Muslim partiesexpressing discontent with thejudgement.

@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:

MONEY 8ARAMCO STARTS TRADING,

GAINING 10% AND REACHING $ 1.8T

NATION 5CAB NOT COMMUNICATEDPROPERLY TO NE: RIJIJU

SPORT 12TRIPLETREAT

VIJAYAWADA, THURSDAY DECEMBER 12, 2019; PAGES 12 `3

}I'M IN BETTER HANDS:

NAGA CHAITANYA

Page 11www.dailypioneer.com

{

RNI No. APENG/2018/764698

*Late City Vol. 2 Issue 41*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864Published From

VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPALRAIPUR CHANDIGARH BHUBANESWAR

RANCHI DEHRADUNHYDERABAD

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated December 11, 2019 5:00 PM

ALMANACTODAY

Month & Paksham:Margashirsha & Shukla PakshaPanchangamTithi : Purnima: 10:42 amNakshatram: Mrigashirsha: 06:19 am (Next Day)Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 01:32 pm- 02:54 pmYamagandam: 06:40 am – 08:02 am

Varjyam: 11:58 am- 01:33 pm

Gulika: 09:24 am - 10:47 pmGood Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 09:32 pm - 11:08 pmAbhijit Muhurtham: 11:46 am - 12:31 pm

VIJAYAWADAWEATHERForecast: Clear with periodic cloudsTemp: 31/19Humidity: 74%Sunrise: 06.36Sunset: 05.42

CAB WILL NOT PASS JUDICIALSCRUTINY: CHIDAMBARAM

BOUGAINVILLE TO BECOMEWORLD'S NEWEST NATION

RS 10K-CR BANKRUPTCY CHARGESAGAINST MALLYA FROM 12 BANKS

Claiming that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is "blatantlyunconstitutional", Congress leader P. Chidambaram said in the Rajya

Sabha on Wednesday that the government is introducing a newcategory called citizenship by arbitrary executive feat and thislaw will be struck down in the court. "I dare thegovernment to lay the opinion of the law department. Idare the government to invite the Attorney General toanswer the questions. A small part of theConstitution is being racked and being demolishedby these insidious people," Chidambaram said.

Twelve state-owned Indian banks are petitioning for ex-billionaire VijayMallya to be declared bankrupt over 1.15 billion pounds (Over Rs

10,000 crore) in unpaid debts. The banks and an assetrestructuring company, led by the State Bank of India, havetaken the tycoon to a London court in what lawyers havedescribed as "the end of the road" in their long-runningbattle. Mallya hasn't paid anything toward the debt, thebanks' lawyers told the court Tuesday. It comes as Mallya,who founded the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.,faces extradition to India to face fraud charges.

The South Pacific archipelago of Bougainville on Wednesday

overwhelmingly voted to become independentof Papua New Guinea, becoming the world'slatest territory to seek secession.Buka townon Buka island is the capital of the region, and

houses the government headquarters.Around300,000 people live in the territory, mostly in villages outside Buka andthe two other main towns of Arawa and Buin, both on Bougainvilleisland. A 2011 census recorded the population as 249,358.

DELHI'S AIR TURNS HAZARDOUS,GOVT ISSUES HEALTH WARNINGS

Air quality in India's capital New Delhiplummeted to "severe" on Wednesday

due to a drop in temperature and windspeed that trapped pollutants in theatmosphere, prompting health warningsfrom the government for the 12th time intwo months. On Tuesday, the air quality

index crossed 400, indicating a level of pollution that affects healthypeople and seriously impacts those with existing diseases, according togovernment guidance.

ISRO gets Jaganpat for successof RISAT-2BR AMARAVATI: ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy on Wednesday con-gratulated ISRO scientists forthe successful launch ofRISAT-2BR1 and nine com-mercial satellites by PSLV - C48. He wished the ISRO teamsuccess in all its futureendeavours.

NEW DELHI: As petrolprices continued to hover atRs 75 per litre and above inthe four metro cities,Twitterati on Wednesdaytweeted their displeasure,apart from posting memesand funny comments.

#PetrolPrice trended with1,169 tweets. One userremarked: "Everybody isnoticing onion prices butprice of one commodity isincreasing silently. Petrolprice today is Rs 77.83 inChennai. This governmentwill ask us to go for bullockcarts now. The FM will say Ihave never travelled in a carso I don't bother about petrolprice".

Narrow escape for Lokeshas drone falls from skyPNS n AMARAVATI

Former minister and TDPMLC Nara Lokesh had a nar-row escape as a drone fell justin front of him after beomgentangled with overheadpower cables. The incidenttook place when Lokesh was

walking towards the CouncilHall on the AP Assemblypremises on Wednesday.

Lokesh and his party lead-ers, who were with him at thetime, were shocked to see thedrone fall on the ground rightin front of them.

Continued on Page 3

PNS n AMARAVATI

Acrimonious scenes were wit-nessed on the third of theAssembly session onWednesday with YSRCPmembers demanding thatOpposition leader N.Chandrababu Naidu be sus-pended from the House.

The House plunged intopandemonium when YSRCPand Opposition TDP had awordy duel over English medi-um education mooted in gov-ernment schools in the State.

At one stage, Naidu lost hiscool and made some harshcomments against SpeakerTammineni Sitaram, invitingthe latter's wrath.

Sitaram said, "I have respectfor you but I demand that youtake back your words andtender an apology."

He said that being a seniorpolitician, it was unbecomingon the part of the Leader of the

Opposition to undermine theimportance of the post ofSpeaker. Sitaram felt that lev-eling baseless charges againsthim was nothing but belittlingthe post of Speaker.

As soon as ChandrababuNaidu made the comments,YSRCP members came to therescue of the Speaker andmaintained that any com-ments against him wouldamount to insulting BCs.

Continued on Page 3

Naidu loses cool,targets Tammineni

Twitterati voicedispleasureover fuel prices

HYDERABAD ENCOUNTER PROBE

SC proposes to appoint former apex court judgePNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court onWednesday said it proposes toappoint a retired Supreme Courtjudge to conduct an inquiry intothe Hyderabad 'encounter'involving four persons alleged-ly accused in the rape and mur-der of a veterinarian.

Chief Justice S.A. Bobde saidthe court had initially asked for-mer Supreme Court judge P.V.Reddi but he had declined to beinvolved in this inquiry. Theapex court emphasised on anindependent inquiry into thematter. The Telangana govern-ment said it has complied withan earlier apex court judgement

which laid down guidelines inencounter cases.

The apex court also asked the

state to propose the name of aformer judge and said it willconduct further hearing in the

matter on Thursday. TheSupreme Court earlier agreed tohear a petition againstHyderabad Encounter onWednesday. A bench headed byChief Justice S.A. Bobde said itwill also examine what is beingmonitored by the TelanganaHigh Court.

The petition filed by twolawyers on Saturday seeks reg-istration of FIR against cops andan independent probe into thematter, where four accused, inthe rape and murder of theVeterinarian doctor inHyderabad, were allegedly killedin an encounter.

Petitioners G.S. Mani andPradeep Kumar Yadav seek

directions for the registration ofan FIR against the cops and thenan investigation by CBI, SIT,CID or team of police officialsfrom other state to conduct theprobe into the encounter.

The petition urged the apexcourt that an independent inves-tigation agency must be direct-ed in accordance with the guide-lines laid down in connectionwith investigation (the PUCL VsState of Maharashtra) in fakeencounter killing.

The petition alleged that itwas stage-managed encounter toshield the alleged lapses com-mitted by police, which led tothe commission of the gruesomeoffence of rape and murder.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Rajya Sabha on Wednesdayapproved the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill, completingthe legislative procedure for giv-ing Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants fromPakistan, Afghanistan andBangladesh. Replying to a six-and-a-half-hour debate on thebill, Home Minister Amit Shahsaid the legislation seeks to pro-vide citizenship to persecutedminorities in the three coun-tries and not take away citizen-ship of anyone.

He rejected the Oppositioncharge that the bill was againstMuslims and said they havenothing to fear. The Bill waspassed with 125 votes in favourand 105 against it. Besides BJP,its allies such as JD-U and SAD,the legislation was supported byAIADMK, BJD, TDP and YSR-Congress. Earlier the Houserejected motions to send the billto a select committee of theHouse with 124 members vot-ing against it as compared to 99in its favour.

The House also rejected sev-eral amendments moved byopposition members to thebill, most by voice vote.

The Bill was passed by LokSabha on Monday. It will nowgo to the President for hisassent. On why persecutedminorities from countries suchas Sri Lanka were not part of thelegislation, Shah said Tamilsfrom the island country had

been given Indian citizenship inpast and the present law is totackle a specific problem

To repeated questions fromopposition of Muslims beingleft out, he said Muslims fromother countries have the rightto apply for Indian citizenshipas per existing rules. As manyas 566 Muslims have beengiven citizenship, he said.

He attacked opposition theCongress saying statements bythe party's leaders match thoseof Pakistani leaders on not justthe citizenship bill but also onscrapping of Article 370.Asserting that neither the citi-zenship bill, nor the previous-ly passed legislation makingpractice of triple talaq punish-able and the scrapping Article370 are anti-Muslim, he said thepresent legislation is to give cit-izenship and does not to take

away citizenship of anyone.Indian Muslims are citizens ofthe country and will remain so,he said. "Citizenship of IndianMuslims is not being takenaway." "Citizenship bill is not tosnatch anyone's Indian citi-zenship. Muslims have no needto fear or worry," he said.

Shah said the bill seeks tocorrect the wrong done by thepartition of the country on reli-gious lines. He went on toattack the Congress for allegeddouble speak on the issue, say-ing the party had during its rulegiven Indian citizenship to13,000 Hindus and Sikhs fromPakistan without raising a wordabout the same for other com-munities. He also said the billdoes not violate Article 14 of theConstitution as it does notprohibit laws based on reason-able classification.

2002 RIOTS Clean chit toPM Modi fromNanavati PanelPNS n NEW DELHI

The Nanavati Commissionreport onthe 2002Gujaratr i o t sgives ac l e a nchit tothe stategovernmentthen led by Narendra Modi,who has been PrimeMinister of India since 2014.

Action should be takenagainst the police who wereineffective in controllingmobs and did not show the"competence necessary" todo so, says the report tabledin the Gujarat assembly onWednesday, five years afterit was submitted to the stategovernment.

"There is no evidence toshow that these attacks wereeither inspired or instigatedor abated by any minister ofthe state," the commissionsaid in its report, whichruns into over 1,500 pages innine volumes. It said thepolice at some places wereineffective in controlling themob because of their inad-equate numbers or becausethey were not properlyarmed.

AP approves Bill on faster trial ofrape cases, harsher punishmentsl Special courts to try atrocities against women, give judgment in 21 days l Derogatory socialmedia posts against women to invite jail terms l Longer jail term for POCSO convicts proposedSEELAM AROZIn VIJAYAWADA

The state Cabinet onWednesday approved theAndhra Pradesh Criminal Law(Amendment) Bill 2019 accord-ing to which the Special Courtfor Specified Offences againstwomen and children will be setup. The move assumes signifi-cance in the wake of nationwideprotests after the rape and mur-der of veterinarian Disha inHyderabad. As per to the pro-posed law, persons guilty ofcommitting rape of womenwould be liable for capital pun-ishment. When there is evidence

for the crime, investigationshould be completed withinone week and prosecution in 14days. Judgment would be deliv-

ered within 21 days. Earlier, themaximum period for pro-nouncement of the judgmentwas four months.

Cases pertaining to offenceslike rape, gang-rape, acid attackand sexual harassment againstwomen and girls will be tried inspecial courts to be set up with-in the premises of the district

courts. Action would be takenunder Section 354 (E) of IPCagainst any person that postsmaterial on social media that isdisrespectful to women.

Continued on Page 3

APSRTC mergerIn another major decision, the draft bill envisaging the mergerof APSRTC with the State government was also approved bythe Cabinet. As part of this, the Public Transport Departmenthas been formed. All the 51,488 employees of the RTC wouldnow be accommodated in new department. The Cabinet alsoapproved the continuation of the services of outsourcingemployees in APSRTC

Sucharita: Relief forKesava Reddy victims PNS n AMARAVATI

Home Minister MekathotiSucharita on Wednesday saidthat of the Rs 1,150 croreallotted to Agri Gold victimsin the Budget, the state gov-ernment has already dis-bursed Rs 263 crore to3,69,655 depositors.

Relief will be provided toanother 3.4 lakh victims, shesaid, disclosing that the SROvalue of auctioned assets ofAgri Gold was Rs 3,785 crore."Justice would be done toKesava Reddy victims aswell," Sucharita assured.

Continued on Page 3

AP DISHA ACT

Rajya Sabha clears CAB

GretaThunberg isTIME's personof the year-19NEW DELHI: Climate activistGreta Thunberg was namedTime Magazine's person of theyear 2019 on Wednesday. Overthe past year, the teen activisthas come a long way. Whatstarted as her solo protest onFridays against global warm-ing outside the Swedish parlia-ment last year, has unraveledinto a global youth movementdemanding policymakersaround the world to takegreater action on climatechange.

SC to begin in-chamberreview on Ayodhya

Assam in flames withviolent anti-CABprotestsPNS n GUWAHATI

Assam turned into a battle-ground on Wednesday withmassive and violent protestsacross the state against theCitizenship (Amendment)Bill, but the governmentpushed the contentious legis-lation through Parliamentoverruling a vociferousOpposition that alleged itwas against the idea of Indiaas a secular nation.

As thousands of peopleincluding students hit thestreets in Assam, police firedrubber bullets and tear gasshells and baton-charged theprotesters leaving many ofthem injured, while curfewwas imposed in Guwahatiand a clampdown on internetservices was announcedacross several districts of thestate. Similar protests rockedseveral other North-Easternstates, but the bill was passedby majority later in theevening in Rajya Sabha aftera hours-long debate, two daysafter it was cleared in LokSabha. The bill now requiresPresident's signature tobecome a law.

Army deployment wasannounced in Tripura andAssam, where the influx ofBangladeshi immigrants hasalways been an emotive issuefor natives of the state.

Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Phone: 040-23322341, Hyderabad Office: F-502, Diamond Block, Lumbini Rockdale, Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082. Telangana. Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, Plot No.19, IDA Balanagar , Hyderbad-500037, Medchal -Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Chief Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for anydamage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement beforeresponding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2019 vijayawada 02

EGGRATES

` 37,780 (10 gm)

` 30

GOLD

` 43,000(1kg)

`

HYDERABAD 425VIJAYAWADA 454VISAKHAPATNAM 470RETAIL PPRICE `4.54

SILVER

VIJAYAWADABULLION RATES

`/100

CHICKENRATES

Dressed/With Skin `162

Without Skin `185

Broiler at Farm `112

`/KG

(IN VIJAYAWADA)

Greenland ice melt puts 400mn people at riskPNS n LONDON

About 400 million are like-ly to be affected by coastalflooding by the end of thecentury if Greenland ice meltcontinues at its current rate,scientists have warned.Greenland is losing ice seventimes faster than in the1990s, according to a studypublished in the journalNature. "As a rule of thumb,for every centimetre rise inglobal sea level another sixmillion people are exposed tocoastal flooding around theplanet," said one of the studyauthors Andrew Shepherd,Professor at University ofLeeds in Britain.

"On current trends,Greenland ice melting willcause 100 million people to beflooded each year by the end ofthe century, so 400 million intotal due to all sea level rise,"Shepherd said. For the study, ateam of 96 polar scientistsfrom 50 international organi-sations combined 26 separatesurveys to compute changes inthe mass of Greenland's icesheet between 1992 and 2018.

Altogether, data from 11different satellite missions wereused, including measurementsof the ice sheet's changing vol-ume, flow and gravity. Thefindings showed thatGreenland has lost 3.8 trilliontonnes of ice since 1992 --enough to push global sea lev-els up by 10.6 millimetres.

In 2013, the

Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) pre-dicted that global sea levels willrise by 60 centimetres by 2100,putting 360 million people atrisk of annual coastal flooding.But this new study shows thatGreenland's ice losses are ris-ing faster than expected andare instead tracking the IPCC'shigh-end climate warming sce-

nario, which predicts sevencentimetres more.

So 40 million more peopleare likely to be exposed tocoastal flooding by 2100 thanearlier projected. "These arenot unlikely events or smallimpacts; they are happeningand will be devastating forcoastal communities,"Shepherd said. The team also

used regional climate modelsto show that half of the ice loss-es were due to surface meltingas air temperatures have risen.

The other half has been dueto increased glacier flow, trig-gered by rising ocean temper-atures. Ice losses peaked at 335billion tonnes per year in 2011- ten times the rate of the 1990s- during a period of intensesurface melting.

In 2013, theIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change(IPCC) predictedthat global sealevels will riseby 60centimetres by2100, putting360 millionpeople at risk ofannual coastalflooding

Many political parties,particularly theCongress and the

Left, are always ready to lendreligious colour to whateverthe Bharatiya Janata Partydoes. It is everybody's knowl-edge that the Congress sepa-rated people on religious andcaste lines, and ruled the coun-try for decades. The Congresswas responsible for lynching ofthousands, raping many, andperpetrating many atrocities.Therefore, Union HomeMinister Amit Shah, whilepiloting the Citizenship Act(Amendment) Bill, breathedfire at the Congress.

The introduction of theCitizenship (Amendment) Bill(CAB) would not have beennecessary had the Congressnot divided the country on thelines of religion, Amit Shahsaid. He made it clear that theBill was not against the prin-ciples of equality and secular-ism enshrined in theConstitution.

Successive governments thatruled at the Center had lentsupport to the illegal entry ofMuslim immigrants across theborder and gave them identi-ty, which is not justified, andregarded them as vote banksand remained mute spectatorsas the illegal Muslim immi-grants encroached upon theresources of local people.

The same governmentsregarded the Hindu, Sikh andBuddhist immigrants shel-tered here because of therepression unleashed on themin Pakistan, Afghanistan andBangladesh as 'illegal' immi-grants. To rectify the defectand to grant them citizenship,the Modi-led government hasdecided to amend theCitizenship Act of 1955.

The Hindus, Sikhs,Buddhists, Jains, Parsis andChristians of Indian originsuffered repression in Pakistan,Bangladesh and Afghanistan,leading to their migration toIndia. What is wrong in grant-ing them Indian citizenship?

However, the Congressargues that immigrantMuslims should also be givencitizenship to uphold equalityand secularism. Is there anyinstance of Muslims beingrepressed in Pakistan,Bangladesh and Afghanistan?The Congress has been paint-ing the BJP with religiouscolour, as the BJP has decidedto give citizenship to peoplebelonging to various religiousgroups except Muslims. It isridiculous on the part of theCongress to describe itself as

'secular' since it always sideswith the Muslims.

The Bharatiya Janata Partyintroduced CAB to rectify theblunders that occurred in thecountry's history and to ren-der justice to all sections ofsociety. The Bill is not intend-ed against any particular reli-gion. The interests of anyMuslim are not going to beharmed because of the Bill.

Any person can become a cit-izen of the country. TheBharatiya Janata Party is firm onweeding out illegal immigrantsby undoing the injustice done ingranting citizenship. The objec-tive of BJP is to give identity toall citizens of the country andentitle them to access the coun-try's resources and wealth.

Over the past three decades,BJP has been cautioning thegovernment against the dan-gers of allowing illegal immi-grants into the country. Wayback in 1990, the BJP took partin the movement against thepresence of foreigners inAssam. It gives equal impor-tance to identify true Indians.In its 1996 election manifesto,BJP expressed concern overthe country's demographicprofile undergoing sea-change

because of illegal immigrantsfrom Bangladesh.

In its 2019 election mani-festo too, BJP men-tioned how peopleof the countryhave been los-ing their cul-tural andl inguist icidentity andlivelihoodoptions inc e r t a i nregions. In theprocess, BJP hasbeen trying toamend the CitizenshipAct ever since it came topower for the first time with ahuge majority.

On July 15, 2016, the draft

Citizenship Act (Amendment)Bill was referred to the Joint-Parliamentary Committee

once the Lok Sabhapassed the Bill. The

JPC, comprising30 MPs drawn

from LokSabha andRajya Sabha,toured manyp l a c e s ,i n c l u d i n g

J o d h p u r ,A h m e d a b a d ,

Rajkot, Guwahati,Silchar and Shillong

and interacted with immi-grants, civil society organiza-tions, and elected people'srepresentatives.

Article 14 of the

Constitution says that thereshould be no discriminationtowards anyone on the groundsof religion. Some skepticsbelonging to the Oppositionargued that the Supreme Courtwould quash the Bill on thebasis of Article 14. However,JPC gave its green light to thebill as the Law Departmentmade it clear that the proposedBill does not harm equality ofany section of society and is notviolative of religious rights ofany community.

On January 8, 2018 the LokSabha passed the Bill. But, theOpposition was successful ingetting the Bill stalled in theRajya Sabha. Later, the Billbecame time-barred.Therefore, BJP, upon comingto power for a second term,introduced the Bill. This is tes-timony to BJP's sincerity toreach its target of protectingthe interests of Indians.

During electioneering thisyear, BJP gave wide publicityto the proposed Bill. This hassent shivers down the spine ofthe Opposition, especiallyTrinamool Congress and Leftparties in West Bengal. Theseoutfits regarded the illegalimmigrants as vote banks,

while paying scant respect tolakhs of Hindu illegal immi-grants from Bangladesh.

For example, thousands ofpeople belonging to Matua, asect of Hindu religion, migrat-ed to India from East Pakistanafter 1970. There were peopleof other faiths too. They spreadacross North-Eastern States,West Bengal and in the north-ern parts of India. It is not dif-ficult to understand the appre-hensions of the Opposition ifthese people get identity as cit-izens of the country.

The opposition parties areputting forward strange argu-ments by comparing therepressed non-Muslimminorities with the illegalimmigrants. They are refusingto set right the historical injus-tice done to them. The oppo-sition has been putting for-ward the argument that theproposed Bill is antagonistic tothe interests of people of theNorth-East. In fact, the Billseeks to protect the interests ofpeople of the North-East. Itexempts people visitingNagaland, Mizoram andArunachal Pradesh fromsecuring the Inter Line Permit.

With the successful piloting

of the Citizenship Act(Amendment) Bill, Amit Shahhas notched up three majorvictories during the past sixmonths. With the abrogation ofthe Article 370, beyond doubtJammu and Kashmir becamethe integral part of the coun-try. The credit for paving theway for construction of Ramtemple at the disputed site inAyodhya goes to this govern-ment, after the SC verdict.The government has succeed-ed in averting any law andorder problem following theverdict. The introduction of theCitizenship Act (Amendment)Bill will lead to ending thedecades-old discrimination.

As a continuation of the Bill,the government seeks to weedout illegal immigrants andimplement the NationalPopulation Register to ensurepeople of the country haveright to access socio-econom-ic benefits. It will also facili-tate the government to main-tain law and order sternly.

The anarchists and thosewho derive benefits by divid-ing the people on the lines ofcaste and religion find the Billhard to digest. Evolution ofmodern India under the lead-ership of Narendra Modi is cer-tain as the people are going toignore such anarchist forces.

(The writer is BJP national secretary)

Any person can become a citizen of thecountry. The Bharatiya Janata Party is firmon weeding out illegal immigrants byundoing the injustice done in grantingcitizenship. The objective of BJP is to giveidentity to all citizens of the country andentitle them to access the country'sresources and wealth

CAB gives identity to minority immigrants

Y Satya Kumar

AP PRIEST DUPES PEOPLE IN THE NAME OF GODPNS n SRIKALAHASTI

A priest is considered to be animportant link between Godand devotees. Devotees, aftertaking the blessing of the deity inthe temples, also take blessings ofthe priest as a mark of respect.However, there are some templesacross the country wherein thepriests continue to cheat thedevotees.

One such incident was report-ed from Srikalahasti in AP.

A priest named KSuryanarayana Murthy of thefamous Rahu-Ketu temple wascaught duping the devotees witha fake temple website and usingits official number illegally to col-lect money from them.

The temple authorities, afterreceiving complaints, began aprobe after which it was foundthat he was indeed running a fakewebsite and using the number tocheat the devotees.

The police said that Murthy,when any devotee from outside(across India or abroad), used to

visit his fake website or dial on theparticular telephone number,

used to tell them to call on hispersonal mobile number. And,when the devotees used to callhim further, he used to tell themto deposit Rs 2,500 or in somecases an extra Rs 500 with apromise that he will send 'teertha'(holy water) and prasadam totheir respective postal address.

"To catch him red-handed,we called on the official land-line number from where hedirected the devotees to hispersonal mobile number. He

then gave us his bank accountnumber. When we verifiedfrom the bank's branch, wefound there are a number ofdeposits of either Rs 2,500 orRs 3,000 since last one year,which now amounts to Rs56,000,'' Chandrashekar Reddy,Executive Officer, Srikalahastitemple, said. Murthy has beensuspended from his duties anda police case has also beenlodged against him.

"We are appointing an

inquiry officer to probe the mat-ter and also to check whetherthere are any more such illegalpractices by any of the templeemployees or officials. We havealso given a notice to Murthy torespond with his version with-in 15 days,' ' addsChandrasekhar Reddy. TheAndhra Pradesh Endowmentsdepartment, meanwhile, cau-tioned devotees not to fall preyto any temple-related fake web-sites or telephone numbers.

Job mela for personswith disabilitiesPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Youth4Jobs, an NGO working foryouth with disabilities, in collab-oration with Andhra LoyolaCollege and AP State SkillDevelopment Corporation, willbe organizing a job mela for per-sons with disabilities, at the ALCpremises in Vijayawada onSunday, December 15 from 9.30am to 2 pm.

Persons with orthopaedic,visual or hearing disabilities arewelcome to make use of this theopportunity.

There are about 15 organisa-tions that look forward to recruit-

ing persons with disabilities withan average package of Rs 1.4 lakhper annum.

The sectors from which com-panies are participating are hos-pitality, retail, banking andfinance, BPO, IT/ITes, travel andtourism, e-commerce and man-ufacturing.

Registration can be done onthe spot and there is no registra-tion fee. The qualifications rangesfrom Class X, ITI, diploma,degree and PG.

Aspirants are advised to bringwith them their resume, copy oftheir Aadhaar card, ration cardand disability certificates.

Jagan pat, Rs 1 lakh each for 2 girlsPNS n AMARAVATI

Two girl students of APsocial welfare gurukul schools,whose prototype on cattle alertsystem and a multi-purposeagriculture robot were select-ed by Russia from the country,were felicitated by ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy at the Secretariat here

on Wednesday.Ch. Maheswari, a Class X

student of Pedapavani Schoolin Prakasam district and KLPVarshini, a Class IX studentfrom Visakhapatnam, wereselected by the Russian govern-ment and given an intensivetraining for 10 days in innov-ative technology. Both the stu-dents had also met Russian

President Vladimir Putin andbriefed him about their proto-types. In appreciation,Jaganmohan Reddy presentedcheques of Rs 1 lakh each asincentive. Education ministerAdimulapu Suresh and secre-tary, AP Social WelfareResidential Schools, Col. VRamulu were present on theoccasion.

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

With the water bottling plantat Amaravati nearing comple-tion, IRCTC is gearing up tomeet the bott led waterdemands of passengers ofTelangana and AndhraPradesh.

The bottled water from thisplant will be distributed to sta-tions within a range of 400km. Rail Neer is the bottledwater brand of Indian RailwayCatering and TourismCorporation (IRTC), a sub-sidiary of the national trans-porter.

Vijayawada, Tenali, Guntur,Rajahmundry, Samalkot,Ongole, Nellore stations inAndhra Pradesh and inTelangana, Khammam,

Miriyalguda, Ongole,Warangal, Kazipet, Kacheguda,Hyderabad, Secunderabad,Nellore and other stations willbe providing Rail Neer to the

passengers. As per official sources, the

Rail Neer Plant at Mallavalli,Vijayawada is likely to getcommissioned shortly. Once

operational, the plant is expect-ed to manufacture about 6,000cartons (72, 000 bottles) of RailNeer PDW per day.

In its stations across thecountry, IRCTC supplies about11 lakh litres per day of bottledRail Neer from its existing 10plants which fall short of theestimated daily demand of 19lakh litres of bottled water. Thedeficit is met by bottled waterfrom other brands. Presently,vivo water is being sold to pas-sengers in the two Teluguspeaking states due to lack ofRail Neer plants. The bottleswere reportedly being pro-cured from Tamil Nadu tocater to drinking water needs.

The plant is spread acrossthe area of 4254sqmt at ModelIndustrial Park, Mallavalli.IRCTC purchased the plot for

Rs 17.35 lakh. The estimatedtotal cost of the project isaround Rs 10 crore and islikely to generate direct/indi-rect employment for 75 per-sons. Even though the budgetfor this project was allocated in2012-13, the plant remained anon-starter for very long time.

The plant is being set up andwill be operated by M/s BiltechEngineers Pvt.Ltd./Chhattisgarh asDeveloper cum Operator(DCO) of 'Rail Neer' Packageddrinking water Plant atMallavalli. IRCTC handedover the physical possession ofthe plot to M/s Ganraaj AquaPvt Ltd SPC (Special PurposeCompany) of DCO (Developercum Operator) - M/s BiltechEngineers Pvt Ltd for furtherprocess.

Rail Neer plant almost ready,IRCTC ready to meet demand

VIT-AP holdssession on USAvisa processPNS n AMARAVATI

David Josar, Fraud preventionmanager and Sunita Thannerufraud investigations assistantvisited VIT AP University cam-pus on Wednesday and interact-ed with Registrar Dr CLVSivakumar Dr. PS RamaSreekanth and internationalrelations coordinator on scopeand possibilities of various stu-dent exchange programmes.Josar explained US visa applica-tion process and step by stepprocess of applications. He alsospoke on fraud prevention activ-ities by US consulate. Josar toldthe students to approach USIndia Education Foundation forany clarification regarding theirVisa process and said there wasno need to go to consultancies.

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2019 vijayawada 03

State plans to fill irrigationprojects in RayalseemaPNS n AMARAVATI

Plans are afoot to fill all irriga-tion projects in Rayalseemawithin 50 days after floods,Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy has said alleging that theprevious Chandrababu Naidugovernment had failed to com-plete the project works which iswhy even after abundant rain-fall the projects in the region arenot full.

Speaking during the QuestionHour in the Assembly onWednesday, the Chief Ministersaid an action plan would beready within a month. It wouldbe designed in such a way thatthe projects in Rayalaseemawould be filled within 50 daysof floods. The governmentwould invite tenders next monthfor the project works andincrease the canal-capacity of afew projects.

He said if Chandrababu hadincreased the capacity of canalsand completed the Relief andRehabilitation packages in time,all the projects could have beenfilled with water today.

The Chief Minister said thatthe Gorakallu reservoir fullcapacity was 12.44 tmc ft, butonly 8 tmc ft of water was filled.While the Gollapalli reservoircapacity was 1.9 tmc ft, only 1tmc ft of water was filled. InAnantapur, only 3.5 tmc ft ofwater was filled in Mid Pennarreservoir while its capacity is 5tmc ft.

Speaking about theChitravathi reservoir inPulivendula Assembly con-stituency, he said only 6.8 tmcft of water was filled as againstits 10 tmc ft capacity.Jaganmohan Reddy said thatonly 12 tmc ft of water was filledin the Gandikota reservoir asagainst its 26.5 tmc ft capacity.

In the Penna-AhobilamBalancing Reservoir, only 3.38tmc ft of water was filled asagainst its 11 tmc ft capacity andBrahmasagar Reservoir was ableto store only 6.28 tmc ft of wateras against its 17.28 tmc ft capac-ity.

The Chief Minister said thatthe Sarvaraya Reservoir wasfilled with 1 tmc ft of water as

against its 3 tmc ft capacity. ThePaidipalem reservoir was filledwith 5.44 tmc ft water as againstits 6 tmc ft capacity.

He said that if ChandrababuNaidu had given Rs 980 crore forthe R&R package of theGandikota project, the reservoir

could have been filled withwater today. From 2004 to 2014,Rs 5,036 crore had been spenton the GNSS, he said. The gov-

ernment had spent Rs 6,593crore on Handri-Neeva. DuringNaidu's rule, only Rs 198 crorewas spent on the Rayalaseemaprojects, including Gandikota.

The Chief Minister said thatabout Rs 400 crore was releasedbefore elections under the R&Rpackage. Had Naidu in histenure could have released Rs420 crores and an additional Rs980 crores Gandikota projectcould have been filled.

He said that Rs 1,000 crore areyet to be paid under R&R to theVeligonda project and it will befilled by the upcoming June afterthe money is released.

The CM said that they areplanning to release Rs 980 croreand Rs 1,000 crore under R & Rfor the Gandikota reservoir andVeligonda project respectively.

The Chief Minister said thatthe government was planning toincrease the capacity of thePothireddipadu head regulatorfrom 44,000 cusecs to 80,000cusecs and Telugu Ganga canalfrom 11,500 cusecs to 18,000cusecs. While the SRBC canalcapacity would be increased to30,000 cusecs from 21,000cusecs, KC Canal-Nippulavaduwould be increased from 12,500cusecs to 35,000 cusecs.

The Owk tunnel capacity is20,000 cusecs, even after fiveyears the capacity has beenrestricted to 10,000 cusecs andnow the government wouldincrease it to 30,000 cusecs.

He said that Gandikota canalcapacity would be increased to30,000 cusecs from 20,000cusecs, HNSS canal capacity to6,000 cusecs from 2100 cusecs,and Telugu Ganga main canalcapacity would be increased to8,000 cusecs from the existing3500 cusecs. Moreover, the 2,000cusecs of water from Gandikotato CBR lift would be increasedto 4,000 cusecs. And, 4,000cusecs of water flowing fromGandikota to GNS main canalwould be increased to 6,000cusecs. He said that Naidu hadnever bothered about all theseprojects. It had been only sixmonths since YSRCP came topower and the government hadstarted implementation of theR&R package.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Former chief minister N.Chandrababu Naidu onWednesday spewed fire onChief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy, allegingthat there were major discrep-ancies between the his succes-sor's words and deeds.

Objecting to the CM's state-ment that irrigation projectswere built during the rule ofDr YS Rajasekhar Reddy,Naidu alleged that no CM hadcaused so much harm to thestate as YSR.

He claimed credit for theTDP to bring irrigation facil-ity to Chittoor district. It wasformer chief minister NTRama Rao who first drewplans to provide irrigationfacility to the Rayalaseemaregion, Naidu said.

He added that it was NTRama Rao who laid the foun-

dation stones for Telugu-Ganga, Hundri-Neeva andGaleru-Nagari irrigation pro-jects, he said.

He accused theJaganmohan Reddy govern-ment of failing to fill reservoirsand dams in spite of floods torivers Krishna and Godavari.

The government shouldhave paid attention to fillingreservoirs and dams ratherthan flooding his house inVijayawada, Naidu said.

At one point water fromSrisailam project was releasedflooding the island villages, hesaid, observing that there wasno water in many projects inRayalaseema region.

"Why has the governmentfailed to fill the projects anddams when there were floodsin the state? Naidu asked.

During the past sevenmonths, the state governmentdid not execute works on atleast a single project, he saidclaiming credit for water find-ing its way into projects. It wasdue to digging canals duringhis rule, he claimed.

The TDP regime spent Rs70,000 crore for execution ofirrigation projects. UnderNeeru-Chettu programme, 10lakh farm ponds have beendug, Naidu said. KIA Motorsproject has been accomplishedbecause of adequate water inGollapalli project, he said.

AP lost out as TD neglectedirrigation projects: Buggana

EXCESS KRISHNA WATERS

PNS n AMARAVATI

Finance minister BugannaRajendranath on Wednesdayalleged that irrigation projects inRayalaseema were grosslyneglected by the previous TDPgovernment.

Speaking during the QuestionHour, the finance minister saidthe Krishna Water Tribunal(KWT-1), as per the BachawatAward, had stipulated that out ofthe capacity of 2,130 tmc ft inKrishna river, the quota for APis over 800 tmc ft, over 700 tmcft for Karnataka and 500 tmc ftfor Maharashtra was allocated.

The Bachawat Award hadclearly mentioned that of theexcess water, the States would notget any quota if they constructnew projects.

The Brijesh Kumar Tribunalwas then formed and TDP com-pletely neglected the issue. Later,the YS Rajasekhara Reddy gov-ernment gave utmost impor-

tance to irrigation sector and hadtaken up the projects in rightearnest. With this, Maharashtraand Karnataka governments hadapproached the tribunal andalso moved court.

The two states had ques-tioned how AP could constructprojects if it had no right on theexcess water of the river.

Then the YSR governmenthad moved an InterlocutoryApplication (IP) seeking theconstruction of five irrigationprojects by claiming that the

decision was as per the BachawatAward.

If the work done by the TDPgovernment in the constructionof irrigation projects inRayalaseema region was takeninto consideration, the cost esti-mate for Hundri-Neeva SrujalaSravanti project was Rs 5,000crore, the TDP government hadspent only Rs 13 crore in its nine-year rule. The YSR governmenthad spent over Rs 3,000 crore forthe same project.

With reference to the Galeru-Nagari Sujala Sravanti project, Rs5,036 crore was spent between2004 and 2014 and Rs 6,593crore on HNSS project. However,most of the amount was spent bythe Rajasekhara Reddy govern-ment between 2004 and 2009.Had the TDP government, thathad come to power after thedeath of YSR, spent anything onthe two projects, they would havebeen completed by now, hefinance minister said.Naidu credits TDP for development

of Andhra Pradesh irrigation sector

PNS n AMARAVATI

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy on Wednesday reiterat-ed that Andhra Pradesh was theonly State in the country to pro-vide reservations for SCs, STs,BCs, Minorities and women innominated posts and the samepolicy will be implemented inthe case of selection of chairper-sons for corporations.

Intervening during QuestionHour, the Chief Ministerbrushed aside the allegationsthat nominated posts like cor-poration chairpersons, advi-sors, CEOs and others werebeing filled with members of aparticular community and saidthat there were about 160 moreposts which would be filledafter the ensuing panchayatelections.

The composition after all thevacancies are filled, the ChiefMinister said, will be in tunewith the 50 per cent reserva-tions with SCs, STs, BCs,Minorities and Women gettingtheir due share.

"We are the only governmentto make a legislation to providereservations to the weaker sec-tions and after all the posts arefilled the composition willreflect our policy and letter andspirit of the law we have passed,'he said.

Ándhra Pradesh is the onlystate that is giving 50 per centreservation in nominated postsand in contract works in thecountry and the Cabinet itselfhas 60 per cent of ministers rep-resenting the weaker sections.Of the five Deputy ChiefMinisters, four are from theweaker sections. Importantportfolios of Home, Revenue,Education and the like are heldby these sections.

"We have also providedreservation in the posts ofchairpersons of market yardsand in Krishna district itself outof the 19 posts, 10 were givento weaker sections. We havealso seen to it that half of theposts are reserved for women.We have followed the same pro-cedure in district cooperative

banks and marketing societies,"he said.

Jaganmohan Reddy read outthe list of persons nominated aschairpersons that includedVasireddy Padma, NandamuriLakshmi Parvathi, RK Roja andJakkampudi Raja among others.

The question asked byAnagani Satya Prasad and oth-ers, sought details of the num-ber of persons nominated andappointed as chairmen, advi-sors, CEOs and other adminis-trative posts and if reservationswere followed or not.

The Chief Minister said thatthe post of advisor was of tem-porary nature and the personsappointed to it were thosewho had excellent track recordin their respective fields. Thereneed not be any affiliations ormotives attached as they wereexperts in their chosen fields,he said.

Nara Lokeshleads TDP proteston bus fare hikePNS n AMARAVATI

The TDP on Wednesdaystaged a protest in theAssembly and across the stateover the revised bus fares ofthe Andhra Pradesh StateRoad Transport Corporation(APSRTC) buses.

The state-run RTC's deci-sion to increase bus fares cameinto force on Wednesday. Thecharges of Palle Velugu (ordi-nary) and city service buseswere increased by 10 paise perkm and by 20 paise per km forother categories. The AP gov-ernment and the RTC havestated that they have increasedbus fares to save theCorporation from losses fol-lowing the increasing price ofdiesel and other materials.

On Wednesday, TDP tookout protests along with Leftparties condemning the "indis-criminate" bus fare hike in busstations across the state.

Protesting the increase infares, former minister andMLC Nara Lokesh travelled ina Pallevelugu (ordinary) toAmaravati from Mangalagirito attend Legislative Councilsession.

Lokesh also bought a tick-et along with his cadres.

Taking to Twitter, he said,"Jagan has put burden ofcharges on people who arealready in trouble, the govern-ment should immediately

reduce the hiked fares."Later Lokesh and his father,

former CM ChandrababuNaidu, along with MLA N.Balakrishna participated inprotest rally in front of theAssembly along with TDPMLAs and MLCs holdingplacards. The premises echoedin slogans against the govern-ment demanding reductionof the hiked bus fares.

Speaking to reporters,Naidu said, "By increasingcharges everywhere YSRCPwants to create inconveniencefor people. It's atrocious toincrease the fares without tak-ing the Assembly and theCouncil into confidencethough the House (Assembly)is in the motion now."

Slamming the ChiefMinister, Naidu said, "This isnothing but arrogance, he is act-ing like the way he wants, pre-suming that no one can do any-thing since he has majority."

AP approves Bill onfaster trial of rape cases,harsher punishments

Continued from Page1

If a person is a first timeoffender, he would be liable forimprisonment up to two yearsand the punishment is four-year jail term for the secondtime offenders.

Persons guilty of commit-ting sexual offences againstchildren would be liable forimprisonment for a period of10 years to 14 years. Earlier,such culprits were liable forthree to five years of imprison-ment in such cases under thePOCSO Act.Kapu stir cases

The Cabinet also gave itsnod for withdrawal of casesregistered against individualsduring the agitation for reser-vation in jobs and education-al institutions for members ofthe Kapu community. Casespertaining to the Tuni incidentwherein a police station and atrain were burnt would also bewithdrawn.New department

A new department related tothe affairs of the village secre-tariat and village/ward volun-teer was given approval. TheCabinet made it clear that theobjective of the new depart-ment was to put in effectivemachinery for conduct ofreview of the activities taken upby the village secretariats andoversee their activities.

The state Cabinet alsoapproved the Andhra Pradesh

Tax on Profession, Trade,Callings and EmploymentAmendment Bill-2019. It gaveits nod for increasing the salaryof VOAs, Sangamitras andAnimators to Rs 10,000, bene-fitting 27,797 people.

The Cabinet also approvedallotment of 15.28 acres of landto APIIC to set up an industri-al park at Pamguru village inYerpedu mandal, Chittoor dis-trict. It gave the green signal foramendment to Section 21-a(1)(e) in Andhra PradeshCooperative Societies (APCS)act 1964.

The Cabinet approved can-cellation of residential andcommercial plots given to landowners who bought assignedland and pooled it for the statesapital. The government decid-ed to allot residential and com-mercial plots to originalassigned landowners.

In yet another importantdecision, the Cabinet okayedamendment to the AP StateUniversity Act. It also gave itsnod for setting up of YSRArchitecture and Fine ArtsUniversity in YSR Kadapa dis-trict, amending the law toappoint AP State Council ofHigher Education (APSCHE)chairman or his representativeas the ex-officio member in allthe universities in the State aswell as setting up of a clusteruniversity by merging SilverJubilee Degree College, KVRGovernment Degree Collegeand Government DegreeCollege in Kurnool.

Narrow escape forLokesh as dronefalls from sky

Continued from Page1

They heaved a sigh ofrelief as no harm was causedto them. The drone, whichwas pressed into service forsecurity surveillance dur-ing the Assembly session,fell due to faulty operation ofthe remote. Earlier, Lokeshreached the Assembly by acity bus from Mangalagiri.He interacted with the pas-sengers to know the publicreaction to the increase inAPSRTC bus ticket fares.

Exams for village secretariat posts fair,checks in place to prevent malpracticePNS n AMARAVATI

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy has said that the examsfor village secretariat posts wereheld in a fair and transparentmanner and their functioningare a reflection of efficient gov-ernance.

During the short discussionon village secretariats, the ChiefMinister said that the village sec-retariats and the Spandana pro-gramme were interlinked andrevealed that 82.5 per cent of thevillage secretariat jobs werebagged by marginalised sectionsof the society.

Thanking the officials forthe conduct of the fair and trans-parent manner in which therecruitment was done, he saidunlike the previous

Janmabhoomi Committees, asystem was put in place thatwould take the welfare measuresand services of the governmentto the doors of the beneficiaries.

This apart, 2.65 lakh village

volunteers were also appointedand there were checks and bal-ances with a toll free numberdirectly linked to the ChiefMinister's Office to deal withany charge of corruption, he said

and added, "We have set up onevillage secretariat for a popula-tion of 2,000 people."

He said the Spandana pro-gramme was reviewed at thevillage secretariats everyTuesday. Social audit was donewith the list of beneficiariesbeing displayed at the villagesecretariat. The list of thosewho were not eligible and thegrounds of rejection alongwith the procedure to applyafresh would also be availableat the Secretariat, he said.

Earlier, Panchayat Raj min-ister Peddireddy RamachandraReddy said that there were noirregularities in the conduct ofthe exams and members fromthe treasury benches laudedthe functioning of village sec-retariats.

Continued from Page1

The home minister told thestate Assembly that CID hadconducted investigation into 15cases registered against AgriGold across the State. She saidcharge-sheets were filed in all thecases. Investigation was pendingin 11 cases, she added.

Sucharita said Agri Gold'smovable and immovable assetswere auctioned vide 15 GOs. TheSRO value of the auctionedassets was Rs 3,785 crore, she dis-closed. The government hadtaken a decision to repay theamounts to the victims who had

invested less than Rs 20,000. Inthe first phase, the governmenthad disbursed Rs 263 crore to thevictims who had invested lessthan Rs 10,000 in the company.

Replying to a question, theHome Minister said Chief

Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddyhad promised Agri Gold victimsduring his padayatra that hewould come to their aid.Accordingly, after coming topower, he had allotted Rs 1,150crore in the Budget for Agri Goldvictims. She said 94 per cent ofthe investors have been paid.

In this connection, Sucharitasaid justice would be done to vic-tims of Kesava Reddy's financialfraud. Disclosing that 13 caseswere registered in this regard, shesaid documents related to sever-al assets and vehicles were seized.A revision petition was filed inthe AP High Court, she said.

YSR Pension rules set PNS n AMARAVATI

The Cabinet on Wednesdaygave its approval for the newguidelines for the beneficiaries toavail themselves of the YSRPension Kanuka scheme. As perthe new guidelines, rural peoplewith a monthly income of Rs

10,000 and urban people with Rs12,000 monthly income wouldbe eligible for pension under thescheme.

Prominent among other deci-sions taken by the Cabinet aresetting up of AP GeneralInsurance Corporation, APMillets Board, AP Pulses Board,

approval for illegal manufactureand transport of liquor, APGoods and Services Tax(Amendment) Bill, introductionof English medium educationfrom Classes I to VI in govern-ment schools and appointmentof Vangapadu Usha chairpersonof the AP Culture department.

Naidu losescool inAssembly,targets Speaker

Continued from Page1

They said that Naidu haddamaged the institution ofthe Speaker. They said theOpposition was not onlythreatening the Speaker butalso insulting the downtrod-den sections in the process.They demanded that Naidube suspended from the Housefor his unsavoury commentsagainst the Speaker.

YSRCP MLA Sidiri AppalaRaju said that Naidu's men-tal health has deterioratedand he needed to be medical-ly examined by the doctors inthe Assembly. "He shouldundergo treatment and onlyafter being certified by thedoctors that he is mentallysound, he should be allowedinto the House," Appala Rajusaid, demanding actionagainst the Leader of theOpposition for what he calledinsulting the people belong-ing to the Backward Classcommunity.

Stating that he was inagreement with the viewexpressed by the membersagainst Naidu, Sitaram said,"I have the responsibility totake the session ahead. Ileave it to the conscience ofthe members for the viewsexpressed herein."

With this, normallyreturned to the House andthe Speaker resumed theQuestion Hour.

Justice done to SCsand BCs, says Jagan

CM: Gave keypost to Naidu'smom-in-law

Taking potshots atLeader of theOpposition and TDP

president N ChandrababuNaidu, Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy has saidthat he had ignored hismother-in-law LakshmiParvati during his tenure asChief Minister.

"We have appointed heras chairperson of the TeluguAcademy," he said refutingthe TDP charge that nomi-nated posts were being filledwith people belonging to aparticular community.

During the TDP govern-ment, intense lobbying usedto take place for nominatedposts, but the presentYSRCP government wasdoing justice to all sectionsof people. The Oppositionwas making an unneces-sary fuss over nominatedposts, he added.

Relief for Kesava Reddy victims

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2019 nation 04SHORT READS

Cong demands onerank, one pension forparamilitary forcesNEW DELHI: The Congress saidon Wednesday the one rank,one pension scheme shouldalso be provided to theparamilitary forces as they toosacrifice their lives for thecountry. Raising the issueduring Zero Hour, AdhirChowdhury, the leader of theCongress in Lok Sabha, saidparamilitary forces, which wereworking for 16-20 hours, weredeprived of their legitimatedues. "One rank, one pensionshould be introduced tothem.... They are alsosacrificing their lives for thecountry," Chowdhury said. OneRank, One Pension (OROP)scheme for former servicemenwas earlier implemented by theBJP government.

Delhi Cong stagesprotest againstCitizenship Bill nearBJP headquarters

Teenaged gang-rapevictim complains ofthreat of 'Unnao-like'fate by accused: PoliceFATEHPUR (UP): A 16-year-oldgang-rape victim here hascomplained to senior policeofficers that she is beingthreatened by the accused witha "Unnao like" fate if she did notwithdraw the case againstthem. "The victim had met ASPon Tuesday and claimed shewas threatened with a 'Unnaolike' fate if she did notcompromise with the accused,"said Jafarganj Circle OfficerShripal Yadav. "We are probingthe matter. If it is proved thatthe victim was threatened, afresh case will be registeredagainst the accused," he added.The teenaged girl was allegedlyabducted and raped by fourmen last month in a village inGhazipur near here. Afterregistering the FIR at theGhazipur police station, policearrested the main accusedPradeep, but three others arestill absconding. "We are tryingto arrest the remaining three.Searches are on to nab them,"the circle officer added.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Congressleaders and workers onWednesday staged a protestagainst the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill near the BJPheadquarters on DDU Marghere. Police put up barricadesnear the saffron partyheadquarters to prevent theprotestors from marchingahead. The bill is a "divisiveploy" by the BJP government atthe Centre, Delhi Congresspresident Subhash Choprasaid.

Over 70 pc class 10students of Delhi govtschools opt for 'basicmaths'NEW DELHI: More than 70 percent Delhi government schoolstudents appearing for class Xboard exams in 2020 haveopted for 'basic mathematics'--an option introduced for thefirst time. The Central Board ofSecondary Education (CBSE)had earlier this year announcedthat it will introduce two levelsof examination in mathematicsfor Class 10 students in 2020to cater to different kinds oflearners. The nomenclature forthe examinations will bemathematics - standard, for theexisting level of examination,and mathematics - basic, forthe easier level, according to acircular issued by the CBSE.However, if the studentschange their mind after theexam, they will be given theoption of writing the standardmathematics paper during thecompartment examination.According to Delhi governmentstatistics, more than 70 percent students appearing for theexam have opted for basicmathematics. As per theNational CurriculumFramework, not only would thetwo levels of examination caterto different kinds of learnersand allow different levels oftesting, it would also reduceoverall student stress levels,the CBSE had said whilenotifying the introduction ofoption.

PNS n BHOPAL

Former prime ministerManmohan Singh will attend afunction to be organised by theCongress here on December 17when the party-led governmentin Madhya Pradesh completesone year in office. Singh will alsorelease a vision document forMadhya Pradesh on the occa-sion, state Congress spokesper-son Narendra Saluja told PTI.

Chief Minister Kamal Nathinvited Singh to the state, whichthe latter accepted, he said.

Singh and Nath will jointlyaddress the media and speak onthe country's "worrisome" eco-nomic condition, a source closeto the chief minister said. TheKamal Nath-led governmenthas accused the Centre of dis-criminating against MadhyaPradesh by not releasing fundsmeant for the state.

"We had sought 18 lakh met-ric tons of urea (manure) forRabi season from the Centre butit has slashed the quota," the

Chief Minister's Office said in atweet on Tuesday. Nath was theUnion Commerce andIndustries Minister from 2004 to2009 and Union Roads andHighways Minister and UrbanDevelopment Minister between2009 and 2014 when Singh wasthe prime minister.

The Congress plans to takeout a mega rally in Delhi onDecember 14 to protest againstthe state of the economy, unem-ployment and unprecedentedprice hike due to the "wrongpolicies" of the BJP-led govern-ment at the Centre, a partyleader earlier said.

Goa govt sendsreminder toJavadekar onMahadayi disputePNS n PANAJI

The Goa government hassent a reminder to theCentral government aboutits demand to withdraw theenvironment clearanceexemption given toKarnataka for Kalasa Banduriproject on Mahadayi River.

The state government onTuesday wrote to UnionMinister of Environment,Forest and Climate ChangePrakash Javadekar reiteratingits demand for withdrawal ofthe EC exemption given tothe Karnataka government.

Speaking to the media onWednesday, Chief MinisterPramod Sawant said areminder has been sent to theUnion minister, as his 15-daydeadline to sort out the issuehas already expired.

Javadekar, who was in Goaon November 20 to inaugu-rate International FilmFestival of India, had sought15 days time to act on theGoa government's demand towithdraw its letter toKarnataka. The ChiefMinister said he had person-ally called Javadekar onTuesday reminding himabout his assurance.

"Javadekar told me that hewas out of station. He was inSpain and has returned onTuesday. He will look into thematter," Sawant said. Goa isfirm on its demand to eitherwithdraw the letter or keep itin abeyance, he said.

Russian navy ships in Indiafor joint exercise INDRA 2019PNS n NEW DELHI

Three Russian navy shipshave arrived in Goa to partici-pate in the second edition of atri-services exercise betweenthe armed forces of India andRussia, officials said onWednesday.

The aim of exercise INDRA2019 is to enhance interoperabil-ity and develop an understand-ing in order to effectively tack-le common security challenges,they said.

"The Russian FederationNavy (RuFN) Ships YaroslavMudry, Viktor Konetsky andElyna arrived at Goa onDecember 10 to participate inINDRA 2019, the second edi-tion of the tri-services exercisebetween the Indian and theRussian armed forces," theIndian defence ministry said ina statement.

The naval component of theexercise would be conducted offthe coast of Goa from December

10-19.INDRA initially began as a

bilateral naval exercise betweenthe Indian and the RussianFederation navies in 2003. Theexercise has now assumed a tri-service scope with correspond-ing maturity and gradualincrease in complexity and levelof participation, it said.

"This year, the naval compo-nent of the exercise would be

held in two phases. The harbourphase would be held at Goafrom December 10-15 andencompass planning confer-ences, professional interactions,cultural visits, sports fixtures andformal calls between flag officersand senior officers of the partic-ipating navies," it said.

The sea phase of the exercisewould be conducted in theArabian Sea from December 16-

19, officials said."The focus area for the exer-

cise at sea would be underwayreplenishment, air defence drills,surface firings, visits boardsearch and seizure (VBSS) oper-ations and other tactical proce-dures, the statement said.

The Indian Navy would berepresented by INS Aditya, afleet support ship and INSTarkash, a frontline guided mis-

sile frigate. In addition, Dornierand P8I Maritime PatrolAircraft, MiG-29K fighter air-craft and other integral rotarywing helicopters would alsoparticipate in the exercise, it said.

The Indian Army will befielding a Ghatak Platoon in thevalidation exercise on December18, whereas an assortment of Su-30MKI and Jaguar military jets,Mi-17 helicopters and an air-borne warning and control sys-tem (AWACS) aircraft will beparticipating from the IndianAir Force, the ministry said.

"Tri-services Ex INDRA 2019would help further strengthenmutual confidence and interop-erability and also enable sharingof best practices between thearmed forces of both countries.

"The exercise will be yetanother milestone in strength-ening security cooperationand will serve to reinforce thelong-standing bond of friend-ship between India andRussia," it said.

Inner Line Permit regime extended to Manipur; Prez signs orderPNS n NEW DELHI

The inner line permit (ILP)regime was extended toManipur on Wednesday withPresident Ram Nath Kovindsigning the order in this effect.

The decision comes two daysafter Union Home MinisterAmit Shah announced in theLok Sabha that the ILP wouldbe extended to Manipur toallay fears of the people of thenortheastern state about thecontentious Citizenship(Amendment) Bill, 2019.

A notification in this regardwas issued by the HomeMinistry. To visit the ILP-

regime states, outsiders, includ-ing people from other states ofthe country, need to take per-mission. There are also protec-tion for the locals with regardsto lands, jobs and other facili-ties.

Manipur is the fourth stateafter Arunachal Pradesh,Nagaland and Mizoram wherethe ILP regime is applicable.

The ILP regime is applicableunder the Bengal EasternFrontier Regulation, 1873. Interms of Section 2 of the BengalEastern Frontier Regulations,1873, citizens of other statesrequire ILP for visiting thesethree states.

The main objective of theILP system is to prevent settle-

ment of other Indian nationalsin the three states in order to

protect the indigenous popula-tion. There have been wide-spread protests in theNortheastern region againstthe bill following which thehome minister had announcedthat the proposed law will notbe applicable in ILP regimestates and areas governed underthe Sixth Schedule of theConstitution.

Under the Sixth Schedule ofthe Constitution, autonomouscouncils and districts were cre-ated in certain tribal areas inAssam, Meghalaya and Tripura.The autonomous councils anddistricts enjoy certain executiveand legislative powers.

While introducing theCitizenship (Amendment) Bill,2019 in the Lok Sabha onMonday, Shah had said the ILPwould be extended to Manipur.He had also said an order in thisregard would be issued beforethe proposed legislation is noti-fied.

According to the bill, mem-bers of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist,Jain, Parsi and Christian com-munities, who have come fromPakistan, Bangladesh andAfghanistan, till December 31,2014 facing religious persecu-tion there, will not be treated asillegal immigrants but givenIndian citizenship.

J&K admin asks agitatinglawyers to call off strike PNS n JAMMU

The Jammu and Kashmiradministration has urgedlawyers to call off their ongo-ing strike in the "interest ofpeople" and assured them ofmaking sincere efforts toaddress their concerns, an offi-cial said on Wednesday.

The appeal was made by KK Sharma, advisor to LtGovernor G C Murmu, duringa meeting with the representa-tives of Jammu and KashmirHigh Court Bar Association(JKHCBA) at the High Courtcomplex here, the spokesper-son said.

Work in the High Court andits subordinate courts has beenaffected in most parts ofJammu region after JKHCBAwent on an indefinite strike onNovember 1 against the gov-ernment's decision to divestthe judicial courts of its pow-ers to register various docu-ments and vest the same withrevenue department.

"The General House willdecide whether we will contin-

ue the strike or call if offbecause it was the GeneralHouse which has taken thedecision to go for indefinitestrike," JKHCBA presidentAbhinav Sharma told PTI.

Sharma, who was part of thedelegation which met the advi-sor, said a decision to convenethe General House will betaken later in the day.

"The General House will bebriefed about the meeting withthe government to help it tomake a decision," he said.

However, he said the strikewill continue till the nextGeneral House.

Accompanied by FinancialCommissioner, Revenue,Pawan Kotwal who also holdsthe charge of Inspector Generalof Registration in the UnionTerritory, advisor Sharma saidthe powers of the registrationhave been vested to theRevenue Officers in the UT inline with the practice in the restof the country, under theCentral Registration Act, 1908.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A BJP member in Lok Sabha onWednesday slammed a federalUS commission's call for sanc-tions against Home MinisterAmit Shah over the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill as an attack onIndia's sovereignty and asked allparties to come together to senda "stern message" against this.Raising the issue a day after a fed-eral US commission on interna-tional religious freedom soughtsanctions against Shah and otherprincipal Indian leadership if thebill with the "religious criterion"is passed by Parliament,Nishikant Dubey said the matterwas not about one party.

The home minister is workingfor the country's unity, securityand integrity and the US commit-tee's move is an attack on our sov-ereignty, he said.

Dubey said opposition partiescan come to power in future andthe matter is not about about oneparty. India had dismissed thecommission's view, saying the

American body has no locusstandi.

According to the proposed leg-islation, members of Hindu,Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi andChristian communities, whohave come from Pakistan,Bangladesh and Afghanistan, tillDecember 31, 2014 facing reli-gious persecution there, will notbe treated as illegal immigrantsbut given Indian citizenship. TheCitizenship (Amendment) Bill orCAB was passed in the LokSabha with 311 members favour-ing it and 80 voting against it alittle past midnight on Monday.On Wednesday, it was tabled inthe Rajya Sabha for its nod.

US body's view on Shahattack on our sovereignty:BJP MP in LS

Protest against CAB: FIR againstAMU students for defying Sec 144PNS n ALIGARH (UP)

An FIR has been registeredagainst 20 students of theAligarh Muslim University inconnection with their protestagainst Citizenship AmendmentBill, and security has beenbeefed up in the campus, asenior official said onWednesday.

Rapid Action Force has beendeployed at the entry points tothe University campus, where anuneasy calm prevailed.

The police on Tuesday nightfiled a report against 20 studentleaders and 500 other unnamedpersons for defying prohibitoryorders under Section 144 andholding a protest near Faiz Gatein the campus.

Civil Lines' Station HouseOfficer Amit Kumar said,"Section 144 has been clampedall over the city and the studentshad violated this provision bymarching up to the UniversityCircle and trying to disturb thepeace due to which FIRs havebeen registered under relevantsections against 20 student lead-

ers." AMU Proctor ProfAfifullah Khan said that onTuesday evening, students tookout a protest march from theUniversity Library up to theUniversity Circle.

Khan, however, said themarch was peaceful. AMUstudent leaders said that theirprotests are "totally peaceful"and it is their "democratic right"to raise a voice against the Billwhich is not just against the let-ter and spirit of the Constitutionbut is designed to polariseIndian people on communal

lines and divide the country.Secretary of the AMU

Teachers Association, ProfNajmul Islam said, "We may notbe participating in the ongoingprotest on the campus but weare sparing no efforts to per-suade all political parties includ-ing the ruling party to have arelook at this bill as we foreseea very dangerous fall out of theseevents not just in the countrybut in our neighbourhood also".

Islam said they are invitingsenior political leaders of allnational parties for a discussion

on the ramifications of the bill."We are also trying to meet

the Prime Minister in a bid topersuade him to have a relookat the bill," he added.

Meanwhile, no untowardincident has been reported fromthe campus on Wednesday,according to an officialspokesman of the University.

The spokesman said thatannual examinations were heldas per schedule.

Mosques in Karnatakaurge Muslims to keepdocuments up-to-date

NATIONAL REGISTER OF CITIZENS

PNS n BENGALURU

Apparently in anticipation ofnation-wide roll out of NRC(National Register of Citizens),mosques in Karnataka havegiven a call to Muslims to keeptheir documents up-to-date.

Imams and Moulvis havebeen appealing them to set righttheir documents if there are anyanomalies in them. The JamiaMasjid in Bengaluru evenopened a 'Citizen Centre' threemonths ago to assist people tokeep their documents readyand help in addressing theanomalies, if any.

"It is essential for every citi-zen of India to keep their doc-uments up to date. Keeping thatin view, an effort has been madethrough the Jamia Masjidwhere we are asking Muslims toproperly maintain theirrecords," Maqsood Imran, theImam of Jamia Masjid inBengaluru, told PTI onWednesday.

"We have also set up in theJamia Masjid 'CitizensCentrewhere we are asking people tokeep certain documentsreadyand ensure that they don't bearany mistakes," he added. TheImam said sometimes there aredifferences in the names inAadhaar, PAN Card, ElectionPhoto Identity Card (EPIC)and other documents. Theseanomalies should be correctedto avoid any problems in future,he added.

Imran, however, claimed thatthis drive has nothing to dowith NRC because, accordingto him, infiltration is not anissue in South India and hence,there is no need to get scared ofor worried about the NRC.

"NRC is not an issue. It willnot affect us in any manner.Hukoomat Ke Paas Paise ZyadaHain To Kharch Kare (If the

government has money inexcess then let them splurge),"the Imam added.

Mohammed Shahnaz, resi-dent of Basaveshwaranagar, tooconfirmed that the mosque inhis area has asked the Muslimstokeep all the documents readyand rectify any mistakes inthem.

These measures comeagainst the backdrop of Centremaking it clear that the NRCwill be rolled out across Indiabefore 2024 polls.

At a public meeting inJharkhand during an electionrally on December two, HomeMinister Amit Shah said he hasset a 2024 deadline for imple-menting the NRC across thecountry, asserting that "eachand every" infiltrator will beidentified and expelled beforethe next general election.

Home Minister of the BJP-ruled Karnataka, BasavarajBommai too had expressed hisviews favouring the NRC in thestate. Bommai had said that hewould discuss the matter withthe Union Home Minister.

AMU student leaderssaid that their protestsare "totally peaceful" andit is their "democraticright" to raise a voiceagainst the Bill which isnot just against the letterand spirit of theConstitution but isdesigned to polariseIndian people oncommunal lines anddivide the country

INDRA initially began as abilateral naval exercisebetween the Indian and theRussian Federation naviesin 2003. The exercise hasnow assumed a tri-servicescope with correspondingmaturity and gradualincrease in complexity andlevel of participation, it said

Manmohan to attendone-year completionevent of MP govt

The Imam saidsometimes there aredifferences in thenames in Aadhaar,PAN Card, ElectionPhoto Identity Card(EPIC) and otherdocuments. Theseanomalies should becorrected to avoidany problems infuture, he added

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2019 nation 05SHORT READS

PSLV-C48 puts RISAT-2BR1 in orbitSRIHARIKOTA: The IndianSpace Research Organisation'sworkhorse rocket PSLV-C48blasted off from the spaceporthere on Wednesday, carryingIndia's radar imaging earthobservation satellite RISAT-2BR1 and nine foreignsatellites. With clear skies inthe background, the 44.4 metretall rocket lifted off majesticallyat 3.25 pm from the firstlaunch pad of the SatishDhawan Space Centre here.Incidentally, the launch marks asignificant milestone for thespace agency as it is the 50thflight of PSLV and the 75thvehicle mission fromSriharikota. The 628 kg satelliteis meant for applications invarious fields like agriculture,forestry and disastermanagement support.It would also serve militarypurposes, ISRO sources said.

Maha: BJP corporatorgets 5-year RI inbribery case

We don't dividepeople in Bengal:Mamata Banerjee DIGHA (WB): West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee onWednesday saidunity indiversity isthe ethos ofthe stateand peoplehere are notdivided on thebasis of caste, creed andreligion. Her statement camewhen the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill is beingdebated in Rajya Sabha. Thecontentious Bill that seeks toprovide Indian citizenship tonon-Muslim refugees comingfrom Pakistan, Bangladesh andAfghanistan after facingreligious persecution there, waspassed in the Lok Sabha onTuesday. "Unity in diversity isthe soul of the state and wedon't divide people on the basisof caste, creed and religion.We believe in staying together.We are one family and no onestaying here can say that he isdeprived," Mamata said atthe Bengal Business Conclaveheld in this coastal town. Theconclave is being attended bydelegates from 28 countriessuch as Bangladesh, Bhutan,the UK, Poland, the US,Australia, Thailand, Russia, Italyand China.

THANE: A BJP corporator wason Wednesday sentenced tofive years' rigorousimprisonment by a court herein Maharashtra for taking bribein 2014. District Judge (specialAnti-Corruption Bureau cases)PP Jadhav pronounced VarshaBhanushali, the corporator inthe BJP-ruled Mira BhayandarMunicipal Corporation (MBMC)of Thane district, guilty underprovisions of the Prevention ofCorruption Act. The court alsoimposed a fine of Rs five lakhon her, additional publicprosecutor Vivek Kadu said. OnJune 6, 2014, Bhanushali, whothen represented ward 14-B ofthe MBMC, demanded Rs 1.6lakh from a shopkeeper toarrange permission to increasethe height of his shop. It wasagreed that he would pay Rs50,000 as the first installment.The aggrieved shopkeeperapproached the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which laid atrap and caught Bhanushaliwhile accepting Rs 50,000, theprosecution told the court.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Opposition parties led by theCongress in Rajya Sabha onWednesday described theCitizenship Amendment Billas unconstitutional, alleging itdiscriminates against refugeeson the basis of religion, andcautioned the governmentthat the proposed legislationwould not stand judicialscrutiny.

Initiating the debate on theBill, Congress leader AnandSharma attacked the BJP say-ing the manifesto of any polit-ical party cannot be above theConstitution of India.

The ruling BJP has claimedthat it had won "mandate" onthe basis of its manifesto whichclearly talked about the amend-ments to the citizenship law.

The Citizenship(Amendment) Bill, 2019,which has already beenapproved by Lok Sabha, pro-poses to give citizenship toHindus, Christians, Parsis,Jains, Budhists and Sikhs fac-ing religion persecution inPakistan, Bangladesh andAfghanistan.

Opposing the Bill, Sharmasaid the proposed legislationmoved by Home MinisterAmit Shah is "divisive", "dis-criminatory" and against thefundamentals of the IndianConstitution.

Sharma, a former Union

Minister, said that though theBill was part of the 2019 man-ifesto of the BJP, it cannotoverride the principles of theIndian Constitution.

"Every political party hasright to have its own mani-festo. But the manifesto of anypolitical party cannot be abovethe Constitution of this coun-try," the Deputy Leader ofOpposition said.

Taking a dig at the HomeMinister, Sharma said: "You

are saying this is a historic bill,but how it would be evaluat-ed in the the history, this youget to know later."

Congress leader and formerUnion Minister PChidambaram termed the Billas "a slap on the face ofParliament".

"Parliamentarians are beingasked to do something uncon-stitutional and then the babyis passed on to the judiciaryand in the judiciary, lawyers

and judges will decide whatyou have done is constitution-al or not.

"Knowing this is unconsti-tutional, I am afraid this gov-ernment is ramming throughthis Bill in order to advance itsHindutva agenda.

"This is a sad day.Thankfully they are notamending the Constitution,they are only making a law,and I am absolutely confident,I am absolutely clear in mymind, this law will be struckdown," he said.

Bill introduced in LS to sentence abusersof senior citizens to six months in jailNEW DELHI: Those who intentionally abuse their parents or senior citizens under their care and protectionor abandon them may be sentenced to six months' imprisonment or slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000 orboth, according to a bill introduced to amend the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior CitizensAct, 2007 in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens(Amendment) Bill, 2019, introduced in the House by Social Justice and Empowerment MinisterThaawarchand Gehlot, defines "abuse" as physical, verbal, emotional and economic abuses, neglect andabandonment, causing assault, injury, physical or mental suffering. Similarly, "children" in relation to aparent or a senior citizen means son or daughter, whether biological, adoptive or step-child, and includesson-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandson, grand-daughter and legal guardians of minor children. The billprovides for establishment of a tribunal for senior citizens to file claims for maintenance and assistanceand such applications from those above 80 years of age should be disposed off within 60 days. Only inexceptional circumstances and for reasons to be recorded in writing, the tribunal may extend the periodonly once for a maximum of 30 days. For other senior citizens or parents, their applications will have to besettled by the tribunal within 90 days. According to the legislation, there will be a nodal officer at eachpolice station, not below the rank of an assistant sub-inspector, to deal with the issues relating to parentsand senior citizens. Similarly, each district will have a special police unit for senior citizens' welfare andsuch a unit will have to be headed by a police officer not below the rank of DSP.

Oppn could getnumbers againstCitizenship(Amendment) BillPNS n NEW DELHI

Senior Congress leader GhulamNabi Azad on Wednesday saidthe Opposition could get therequired numbers in Rajya Sabhaagainst the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill as partiesthat supported the BJP in LokSabha might vote against the pro-posed legislation in the wake ofnationwide protests.

The Leader of Opposition inRajya Sabha alleged that the Billis "totally discriminatory andunconstitutional".

The Bill has been rejected byone and all from Kashmir toKanyakumari, he claimed.

"The northeastern states areburning and there are hugeprotests in other parts of thecountry," Azad told reporters.

Asked about the Oppositionnot having the numbers againstthe Bill in the Upper House, hesaid, "Who knows, we may havethe numbers. I think a bettersense will prevail on most of theregional political parties andthey will read through the rea-sons why this Bill should not bepassed." "I do not think that everbefore, the northeastern stateshave unitedly gone against a billpassed by Parliament," the seniorCongress leader told reporters.

Those parties that had sup-ported the Bill in Lok Sabha didnot know that there would besuch vehement protests againstthe Bill across the country, hesaid.

PNS n JAIPUR

The Centre is not concernedabout protests across the coun-try against the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill and tryingto divert attention from realissues such as economic slow-down, Rajasthan ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot allegedon Wednesday.

Gehlot was speaking at a sit-in staged by the Congressagainst the Bill that seeks togrant Indian citizenship tonon-Muslim refugees from

Pakistan, Bangladesh andAfghanistan escaping religiouspersecution there.

"It is for the first time thatthere is an atmosphere of fearin the country. Protests are hap-pening, the North East is burn-ing, but this government is notat all concerned.

"What is the intention

behind the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill? The oppo-sition is not being heard. Weneed to think where democra-cy is," the chief minister said.

The central government isbeing criticised but it is notbothered and is trying to divertattention from real issues suchas economic slowdown and

unemployment, Ghelot said atthe protest at the Gandhi Circlehere. The government is "arro-gant" and all decisions arebeing taken at the level of thePrime Minister's Office(PMO), he alleged.

Gehlot said a former RBIgovernor has said that theeconomy is suffering becauseall powers are centralised at thePMO.

"The economy is sufferingbut the government is not con-cerned. The PMO has cen-tralised all powers. The Income

Tax Department, EnforcementDirectorate and Central Bureauof Investigation are being mis-used," he alleged.

Kashmir after abrogation ofArticle 370 was discussedworldwide, the chief ministersaid. "There are human rightviolations in Kashmir and thegovernment was criticised forthat,"he said.

Gehlot said the Congress willhold a massive rally on theissue of farmers, unemploy-ment and economic slowdownin Delhi on December 14.

Centre not concerned about protests against citizenship bill: Gehlot

Sharma said the proposed legislationmoved by Home Minister Amit Shahis ‘divisive’, ‘discriminatory’ andagainst the fundamentals of theIndian Constitution

What is the intention behind the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill? The Opposition is not being heard.We need to think where democracy is

— ASHOK GEHLOT, Rajasthan Chief Minister

CAB not communicated properly to NE: RijijuPNS n NEW DELHI

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju onWednesday said that protests inthe northeastern region againstCitizenship (Amendment) Bill,2019 are happening as "theissue has not been communi-cated properly".

Speaking to the media hereon the sidelines of 9th GlobalSports Summit 'Turf 2019',organised by FICCI, theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)leader said: "There are protestsgoing on... there are concernsbut those concerns are beingaddressed."

"The issue has not beencommunicated properly... orsome people don't want tounderstand. We don't wantnortheastern region to fall in

the trap of some mis-cam-paigning," the Minister, whohails from Arunachal Pradesh,said.

Rijiju explained to the mediahow the concerns of the north-eastern region had been takeninto account while draftingthe CAB.

"The Home Minister hasdiscussed and listened to thevoice of the northeastern peo-ple. This is a very important billfor the country... at the sametime, the concerns of the

indigenous people of the northeastern region have beenaddressed thoroughly," he said.

Thanking Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and HomeMinister Amit Shah, he said thecore issue of Assam Accord hasalso been addressed by imple-menting Clause 6.

"The entire region of north-east has been protected in theBill. All the states under theILP (Inner Line Permit)regime like ArunachalPradesh, Mizoram and

Nagaland are excluded."Clarifying about the issue of

ILP in Manipur, he said:"Manipur was a big concernbut for the first time, the HomeMinister has announced thatILP system will be introducedin the whole of Manipur.

Talking aboutthe states ofA s s a m ,Meghalaya andTripura, hesaid: "The coreissues of Assam

Accord are

being addressed. In Meghalayaand entire Tripura autonomouscouncil areas are being exclud-ed from the purview of the cit-izenship amendment bill andSikkim also has already beingtold that its concerns and theprovision in the constitutionwill not be changed."

Attacking the opposition,he said: "The opposition ismaking politics out of it. whenwas the time when northeast-ern people were consultedwhen a bill was introduced inthe Parliament? After 1985where was the implementationprocess of the Clause 6 or thecore issue of Assam Accordwhich was signed in 1985? Ithas been addressed now onlyunder the leadership of PMModi."

PNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister NarendraModi urged BJP MPs to givea standing ovation for BSYediyurappa, the ChiefMinister of Karnataka, credit-ing him with the recent bypollsweep that has firmly estab-lished the party's majority andstabilized its government inthe southern state.

At a weekly meeting of BJPMPs at parliament, PM Modiexpressed joy at the Karnatakawin, leaders said.

First, the Prime Ministerwas given a standing ovationfor his six months in office

when he rose to address theBJP parliamentarians, saidUnion Minister Pralhad Joshi.

"On behalf of the party, wegave him a standing ovationbut PM Modi, before hisspeech, asked everyone to giveYediyurappa and Karnatakaministers a standing ovation,"Mr Joshi told reporters.

"PM Modi is very grateful tothe people, he said there willbe a lot of development in thestate," added the UnionParliamentary AffairsMinister.

PNS n GANDHINAGAR

The Nanavati Commissionreport on the 2002 Gujaratriots exposes the "conspiracy"by certain NGOs and theCongress to defame PrimeMinister Narendra Modi glob-ally, state Home MinisterPradeepsinh Jadeja said onWednesday.

The commission's report,tabled in the Gujarat Assemblyon Wednesday by BJP leaderJadeja, gave a cleanchit to then chiefm i n i s t e rNarendra Modi-led state govern-ment for theworst riots in thehistory of thestate where over1,000 people, mainlyof minority community,were killed.

The riots took place aftertwo coaches of SabarmatiExpress train were set on firenear Godhra railway station,in which 59 'karsevaks' return-ing from Ayodhya were killed."The commission's report clar-ifies all doubts among\ peopleregarding the 2002 riots in thestate. It also exposes conspir-acy by certain NGOs and theCongress to malign Modi'simage the world over," Jadejatold reporters after tabling

the report in the House.The commission makes

it clear that there wasan attempt to malignModi's image, theBJP leader said,while naming NGOs

like the 'JanSangharsh Manch' and

the 'Citizen for Justiceand Peace of activist TeestaSetalwad.

"Several NGOs had beenconspiring to malign theimage of Gujarat, its peopleand Narendra Modi (thenchief minister of Gujarat). Tofulfil their agenda, they madeallegations that the riots werestate-sponsored, he said.

But the commission, in itsfinal report, has clarified thatthe then chief minister heldreview meetings, visited inci-dent spots, and worked hard toensure peace and law and

Riots probe reportexposes ‘conspiracy' todefame Modi: BJP

PNS n GUWAHATI

Tens of thousands of protestersagainst CAB descended on thestreets of Assam onWednesday, clashing withpolice and plunging the stateinto chaos of a magnitudeunseen since the violent 6-yearmovement by students thatended with the signing of theAssam accord. Though noparty or student body hascalled a shutdown, protesters,a majority of them students,fought pitched battles withsecurity forces in the restivestate, including in front of thesecretariat, the seat of the BJPgovernment. Police fired teargas shells and baton-chargedprotesters, who fought back.Assam smouldered withprotests rocking several parts ofthe state on the day the

Citizenship (Amendment) Billis being hotly debated in theRajya Sabha after its passage bythe Lok Sabha. According tostudent leaders who went liveon national TV, many agitatorswere injured in police action infront of the secretariat.

All senior civil and policeofficials were incommunicadobut, according to unofficialaccounts, hundreds of protest-ers have been detained inGuwahati and other places likeDibrugarh and Jorhat.

A large number of agitatedstudents blocked the road nearthe secretariat complex andpulled down the barricadeerected on the arterial G SRoad, provoking police action.Police burst teargas shells andbaton-charged the protesters,who were seen lobbing backthe shells at men in uniform.

Assam turns intobattleground amid anti-CAB protests

PNS n NEW DELHI

The government on Wednesdayproposed sending the PersonalData Protection Bill to a jointselect committee of both Housesof Parliament amid protests bythe opposition, which said theright to privacy of citizens wasbeing compromised anddemanded that it be sent to thedepartmental standing com-mittee, headed by ShashiTharoor of the Congress.

As opposition parties such asthe Congress and the TrinamoolCongress (TMC) attacked the

government in the Lok Sabhafor a growing "snooping indus-try" under its watch and allegedthat the bill violated theConstitution, Electronics andInformation TechnologyMinister Ravi Shankar Prasadrefuted the charge and said aparliamentary panel couldexamine it in the most-detailedmanner.

The government will move aproposal to send the bill to theproposed committee onThursday, he said.

This, however, infuriated theopposition, which had called for

the bill to be sent to the depart-mental standing committeeheaded by Tharoor, which hadrecently decided to take up theWhatsApp snooping case,despite reservations expressedby the BJP members on thepanel.

Opposition parties walkedout in protest as the House,where the ruling BJP-led NDAhas a massive majority, allowedthe minister to introduce the bill.

Before the introduction,opposition members such asAdhir Ranjan Chowdhury of theCongress and Saugata Roy and

Mohua Moitra of the TMCspoke against the bill, demand-ing that it be examined by thestanding committee concerned.

Chowdhury said a "snoopingindustry" had grown andPrasad's ministry was "riddledwith suspicions" about its con-duct.

Roy said people's privacy wasbreached, referring to the rowover the use of Israeli softwarePegasus to spy on the WhatsAppcommunication of some people.

There was no necessity for thebill which, he said, would addone more layer of bureaucracy

when the existing laws coulddeal with the matter.

They also cited a Supreme

Court judgment that said priva-cy was a fundamental right toquestion the bill.

Govt introduces Data Protection bill in LSl To send it to joint select committee of both Houses

The issue has not been communicated properly...or some people don't want to understand. Wedon't want northeastern region to fall in the

trap of some mis-campaigning— KIREN RIJIJU, Union Minister

PM's shout-out, standingovation for BS Yediyurappa

The riots took placeafter two coaches ofSabarmati Expresstrain were set on firenear Godhra RailwayStation, in which 59 ‘karsevaks'returning fromAyodhya were killed

CAB unconstitutional, divisive: Oppn in RS

Democracies across the globe arefighting a battle of survival today.India, one of the largest democ-racies in the world, is facing anexistential threat from internal

forces motivated by vested interests and nar-row political gains. The ongoing attack ondemocracy and the resulting authoritarianregulations on people’s right to choose aGovernment of their choice, freedom ofexpression, Constitutional validity and sup-pression of liberal voice will take the coun-try back to the primitive times. Signs of sucha trend are already looming large on the hori-zon with secularism and pluralistic worldviewcoming under constant attack. An annualreport by Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem),published in 2018, titled, “Democracy FacingGlobal Challenges” said that “autocratisationis now manifesting in a number of countries,including Brazil, India, Russia, Turkey and theUS. Autocratisation affects one-third of theworld’s population, or some 2.5 billion peo-ple. This represents a massive reduction in theglobal protection of rights and freedoms.”

Democratic discussions and debateshave been greatly undermined in recent times,attacks on minority groups have seen a riseand religion has almost taken the centre-stagein all political discourses. Anti-democraticsymptoms, such as attacks on certain sectionsof society based on their food habits, curtail-ing of freedom of individuals and organisa-tion and interference with Governmentinstitutions for political gains, are challeng-ing Indian democracy. In his book,Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason,Science, Humanism, and Progress, StevenPinker said that “a good democraticGovernment allows people to pursue theirlives in safety, protected from the violence ofanarchy and in freedom, protected from theviolence of tyranny. For that reason alone,democracy is a major contributor to humanflourishing.”

Currently, there are 103 democracies inthe world with nearly 56 per cent of the glob-al populations residing in them. But recentdevelopments in the global political landscapeare giving rise to authoritarianism. The riseof an alternative form of democracy, liketheodicy in the Muslim world and authori-tarian capitalism in China, is the primary rea-son for the declining popularity of democra-cy. Stephen Pinker, however, says that “democ-racies themselves are blacklisting into author-itarianism with populist victories in Polandand Hungary and the power grabs by RecepErdogan in Turkey and Vladimir Putin inRussia.” It is true that democracies across theglobe have come under a major threat as elect-ed leaders at times refuse to vacate the officeand, thus, cripple the democratic functionsof the Government as mandated by the peo-ple. Similar trends are also being witnessedin the US and the UK. A Government, whichfunctions without heeding to the needs of thevery people that elected it, tends to becomeauthoritarian sooner or later. The trends indi-

cating a gradual but deliberateattempt to strangle and replacedemocracy are not only seen inIndia but across the globe.

The Varieties of Democracyreport further adds that “aspectsof democracy that make electionstruly meaningful are on thedecline. Media autonomy, free-dom of expression and alterna-tive sources of information andthe rule of law have undergonethe greatest decline amongdemocracy metrics in recentyears. This trend affects bothautocracies and democracies.”

Besides, the dramatic rise inprotectionist trends, deglobalisa-tion, hyper-nationalism and divi-sive politics will only worsen thecurrent state of affairs. This ismore evident during electioncampaigns, where propaganda isskillfully employed to spreadmisinformation and instill fear inthe minds of the people aboutpossible threats to their reli-gious, cultural and ethnic iden-tities from external forces.

Elections are, thus, wonand public opinion is held cap-tive in manners never thoughtpossible before. This not onlyhas a regressive impact on civil-isations that evolved andmatured over thousands ofyears, but also threatens theideals of unity, harmony andmutual tolerance. SamuelHuntington, noted Americanpolitical scientist, in his articletitled, “Clash of Civilisations”says that the “Great divisionsamong humankind and the

dominating source of conflictwill be cultural. Nation stateswill remain the most powerfulactors in world affairs but theprincipal conflicts of globalpolitics will occur betweennations and groups of differentcivilisations. The clash of civil-isations will dominate globalpolitics. The fault lines betweencivilisations will be the battlelines of the future.”

Authoritarian regimes havealways resorted to extreme mea-sures to silence public opinion,eliminate adversary groups andcreate an environment of fear.Democracy was an exceptionthat allowed and promoted freespeech, dissent and peacefulprotests. However, democracytoday is crackling under exces-sive pressure from politicians,Governments and individualswith vested interests. In thewords of Stephen Pinker, suchtrends were first witnessed in“the first decade of the 21st cen-tury with the rise of populistmovements that blatantly repu-diate the ideals of enlightenment— liberty, progress,Constitutional Government andfraternity. Today, they are trib-alist rather than cosmopolitan,authoritarian rather than demo-cratic, contemptuous of expertsrather than respectful of knowl-edge and nostalgic for an idyl-lic past rather than hopeful fora better future.”

What can save democracyfrom a premature death?Democracy, in the words of

Abraham Lincoln, is “AGovernment of the people, by thepeople and for the people.” Itsvery foundation, therefore, restson its people, their belief and thedesire to be ruled by a leader whois capable of ensuring their safe-ty and overall well-being.Huntington, in his book, TheThird Wave: Democratisation inthe Late Twentieth Century, talksabout three waves of democrati-sations, the challenges each ofthem faced and the democratictransitions that took place crossthe globe. However, today, weneed a fourth wave that wouldnot necessitate any democratictransitions but protect the exist-ing democracies. But this wouldrequire what Immanuel Kantcalls “enlightenment” or dare toknow (sapere aude).

Enlightenment, as Kantdescribes it, is man’s emergencefrom his self-imposed nonage.Nonage is the inability to use one’sown understanding withoutanother’s guidance. “This nonageis self-imposed if its cause lies notin the lack of understanding butin indecision and lack of courageto use one’s own mind withoutanother’s guidance.”

Enlightenment or the age ofreason, which began in the 14thcentury and ended in the 17thcentury, marked a new chapter inEuropean history that was previ-ously plagued by ignorance, blindfaith and supremacy of theChurch. It was, perhaps, theenlightened wisdom that laid thefoundation of modern Europe

with a different worldview guid-ed by reason and logic. A revis-it of the same would usher in anew era of positive change, char-acterised by greater reliance onreason, logic and human intelli-gence.

The enlightenment valuesare relevant even today, partic-ularly as the world remainshighly susceptible to religiousfundamentalism, strong ideo-logical adherence to divisivepolitics and increasing anti-democratic trends. Further, theanti-intellectual trends and sec-tarian politics unfolding todayin countries ruled by democra-tic Governments could poten-tially push the world into a bot-tomless pit of cultural and civil-isational decadence.

However, active participa-tion of people, unbiased report-ing by the media and a fair judi-cial system can play a crucialrole in upholding the sanctityand ensuring the long life ofdemocracy. New ideologies,innovative thinking and aboveall, criticism, should be wel-comed in the best interest of thecommon good and the well-being of the nation and its peo-ple. Like 14th century Europe,which experienced a revival inits thinking, political and intel-lectual views, enlightenmentcould trigger a new wave ofthinking and an awakening inus to guard our Constitutionalrights and a democratic life.

(The writer is a communica-tions professional) Indian banking customers are being made

to pay a price for convenience with the spi-ral of crimes like phishing, identity theft, card

skimming, cloning and vishing defrauding themof their hard-earned money. As the Governmentincreasingly pushes for a cashless, digital econ-omy, banks steadily adopt new technologiesand online transactions shape what we buyand sell, the consumer is consequentlybecoming more vulnerable. This is borne outby a recent survey that says illegal transac-tions involving ATMs, credit and debit cards

and internet banking have gone up by 50 per cent in 2018-19 with 27 per centof ATM frauds being reported from Delhi alone. These numbers are worrying asthey come in the wake of the data sale reported by a cybersecurity firm Group-IB in October. In a revelation that exposed vulnerabilities in the banking and pay-ment platform networks and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) alike, the firm report-ed finding more than 1.3 million card details up for sale on the dark net. Of this,a whopping 98 per cent was of Indian banks, 18 per cent belonging to one par-ticular bank. The details were most likely accessed by using card readers or skim-ming devices installed at ATMs and point of sales systems. The vital informa-tion on personal financial details and money from lakhs of Indian accounts wasbeing sold for just `7,000 per card.

What is alarming is that fraudulent transactions continue with astonishingregularity despite such revelations. Our response to this latest breach was justas predictable with the RBI asking banks to verify the data leak and issue newdebit/credit cards to their customers. A classic case of locking the stable doorafter the horse has bolted. What we need are stringent gate-keeping provisions.The Government, while trying to enhance security, is making banks more liablein case of frauds. As per RBI guidelines, in case of a third-party breach, wherean illegal transaction has taken place and the fault lies neither with the customernor the bank, the customer will get a full refund as long as the bank is informedwithin three working days. The RBI has introduced an Ombudsman Scheme forDigital Transactions in 2019 for resolution of complaints regarding digital trans-actions on platforms other than banks. Its IT subsidiary, the Reserve BankInformation Technology Pvt Ltd (ReBIT), had suggested including segregationof network, monitoring of suspicious traffic and periodic threat-hunting withinthe network. It has further asked banks to upgrade software, install anti-skim-ming devices on ATMs, issue PIN and chip-based cards and make their cus-tomers aware about using their cards and net banking securely. However, thebanks as usual are dragging their feet, even if it means loss to the customer. Tillbanks comply and the Central bank cracks the whip harder, just keep changingyour PIN number.

The latest draft of the Personal DataProtection Bill, 2019, which is doing therounds of Parliament, seems to have ruf-

fled many feathers while pleasing some quar-ters at the same time. At first glance, it appearsthat the Bill has plugged many loopholes. Itcategorises data into three categories — crit-ical, sensitive and general — and calls uponsocial media firms to create a mechanism tokeep a check on trolling. But it has also madesome glaring exemptions. It has grantedGovernment agencies the complete authori-

ty to access personal data of Indian users without the need for a court warrant.This, the Government feels, is in the interest of the country and will protect itssovereignty and integrity besides maintaining public order and developing friend-ly relations with other nations. The provisions of the Bill are in sharp contrast tothe recommendations made by the BN Srikrishna committee last year. It hadrecommended that “processing (collection, recording, analysis, disclosure, etc)of personal data should be done only for clear, specific and lawful” purposes.The current Bill does away with the need for definition of any sort. Moreover,the authority for protecting personal data is vested with authorities in the Governmentand bureaucrats. This, in essence, will give rise to a conflict of interest as it isthe Government against whom the public wants to protect data. Then the larg-er issue of data brokers, companies who routinely buy and sell data even out-side the country, remains unaddressed. Worse, their modus operandi is one thatcomes within the legal boundaries. While demands for localisation have beenmade, they do not figure in the current scheme of things. Besides, localisationalone cannot ensure that the data will be protected within domestic confines,for even if the broker is located, is there any provision that can hold him/her account-able? While there is little doubt that certain aspects of information cannot bemade fully private, fiduciary information, for example, much of that data is alreadyknown to many agencies. And on this count, several Indian firms have proventhemselves to be particularly inept at handling it. Leaks, both inadvertent andmalafide, are extremely common across the country. Whistle-blowers, who exposethe dark and dirty deeds of wrongdoing in the corporate sector and the Government,leave a potential grey area for the misuse of personal data in the country.

With search engines very conveniently being left out of the latest draft Bill,it appears that the public affairs folks at Google must be pleased as punch. Butis that one exemption too far as well? Nobody is debating that in a country likeIndia, personal data, even at a very granular level, is important to provide bet-ter public services. Most importantly, better information can lead to massive costsavings and other efficiencies. Unlike many Western countries, where the pub-lic at large is very touchy about their personal data, in a country as large anddiverse as India, things unfortunately have to be slightly different. At the sametime, it is also evident that India has a high incidence of tax avoidance and allsorts of small scams that rob the public exchequer and taxpayer. Better analyt-ics should make those crimes less prevalent, although they won’t remove themaltogether. Then there is the provision called the “Right to be Forgotten,” whichshould allow individuals to have some of their personal data removed from theinternet. While this copies the European legislation around the same topic, thepracticality of such a provision in India, which is likely to be misused by con-men and fraudsters to remove unflattering remarks, is questionable. There areconcerns still about the unpreparedness of offline businesses to duly complywith the provisions of the Bill. Of course, this is just a draft provision and unlikemany other Acts, which the Government is pushing through, this Bill is goingthrough a Select Committee. Hopefully, all political parties will appoint their smarterand digitally aware parliamentarians to this committee to represent them. Thedata protection Bill should not be rushed through. It is a Bill that will be veryimportant for the digital future of this country and indeed the world.

No lessons learnt

Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Murder most foul”(December 10). From UphaarCinema to Hotel Arpit Palace,Karol Bagh, we never seem tolearn our lessons. One firetragedy after another happensdue to huge lapses, illegal enter-prises and our chronic tenden-cy to short-change the law.

The Anaj Mandi fire in a five-storey building, which houseddozens of illegal manufacturingunits and warehouses and hadhardly any safety measures, couldhave been averted had the roomsbeen ventilated and all fire-relat-ed safeguards put in place. Had afew brave-heart firefighters notput their own lives at stake to save25 people, the death count wouldhave crossed 60.

In the Karol Bagh incident,too, as in the Anaj Mandi case,exit doors were blocked, makingit tougher for people stuck in thebuilding to come out. After everysuch tragedy, there is an inquirycommittee set up, financial aid isannounced to the victims’ fami-lies and then we move on.

Such is the casual approachof our administration and

authorities that they allow thesecommercial establishments torun without any licence or no-objection certificate after pock-eting the bribe. When will theauthorities act as they should?

Bal GovindNoida

Low on human index

Sir — That India inched just onespot up to 129th out of 189 coun-tries on the 2019 HumanDevelopment Index (HDI)released by the United Nations

Development Programme(UNDP) did not come as a sur-prise. Inequality and deprivationcontinue to be high in the coun-try. Both issues — which are by nomeans limited to our shores alone— have become a deeply-rootedfeature of the social and econom-

ic landscapes of nations across theworld. Inequality has many invid-ious consequences. This becauseit is one of the few issues thatspans both the micro and macrodimensions. Despite progress,group-based inequalities persist inIndia, especially affecting womenand girls. The index can be fur-ther brought down by imple-menting a uniform civil code,compulsory family planning andovercoming gender bias.

Srishti Mathur Ujjain

Don’t be fooled

Sir — This refers to the editorial,“Shut out Russia” (December 11).In actual fact, WADA has not puta blanket ban on Russia, whichwill mean that it can still competein all events, albeit without its flagand anthem. It can also appeal atthe Court of Arbitration for Sport.Unless strict sanctions areimposed, which can make leadersaccountable, how can we be surethat the system will ever change?

Sweta SankrityanDelhi

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

www.dailypioneer.comfacebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

op nionVIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2019

06

Death of democracy

NITHIN AUGUSTINE

Anti-intellectual trends and sectarian politics unfolding in nations ruled by elected Governmentsno less can push the world into a bottomless pit of cultural and civilisational decadence

The CAB is an attempt by Modi-Shah Government to ethnically cleanse theNortheast. It is a criminal attackon the Northeast, their way oflife and the idea of India.

Congress leader—Rahul Gandhi

I am more interested in thelongevity of my films than bytheir debut grosses. Historyis rife with films that we lovetoday that were ‘bombs’ ontheir opening weekend.

Filmmaker—Mahesh Bhatt

The Gambia has placedbefore the court a misleadingpicture of the situation inRakhine state. Genocidalintent can’t be the onlyhypothesis in Rohingya case.

Nobel Peace prize winner—Aung San Suu Kyi

S O U N D B I T E

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

MCD must get its act together

This refers to the editorial, “Murder most foul”(December 10). It is tragic that more than 40 liveswere lost in the deadly fire that swept its way through

an unregistered factory in the Anaj Mandi area. The firetragedy, however, is neither the first, nor will it be the last.Far too many mishaps have occurred in the capital aloneand have left behind a trail of familiar questions. The gris-ly incident of an inferno that torched the Uphaar cinematheatre way back in 1997, leading to unending court cases,is still vivid in our memory. Serious loopholes that weredetected then should have led to exemplary preventivemeasures being taken but a predictable script still playsout in all such tragedies.

The fire incident has also exposed the poor condi-tions under which the migrant labourers are forced to work.The factory was functioning illegally as it was located ina residential complex where commercial buildings wereallowed only in the ground floor. The entry and exit routesof the building were blocked. There was not even a sin-gle window for ventilation, which led to the workers’ deathdue to suffocation. One wonders whether things like emer-gency exits really exist in factories today. It has also beenconjectured that the poor migrants were held captive inside

the building. What is sure is the fact the municipal author-ities have been lax in fulfilling their duties. The MunicipalCorporation of Delhi (MCD) had conducted an inspectiononly last week, knew that the factory was functioning ille-gally but did not seal it. So it’s high time we get back tothe drawing board and address the root of the problem.The State Government and the municipal corporationsmust get their acts together if an Anaj Mandi like tragedyis to be avoided.

Ganapathi BhatAkola

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Look before you swipe

The concept of one truth,one religion is good for anindividual but not for a wholenation. Several truths shouldco-exist, a nation must haveroom for all religions.

Spiritual leader—Dalai Lama

By effectively allowing every Central agency to snoop onprivate data, the data protection Bill needs a relook

As ATM and credit card thefts go up by 50 percent countrywide, Delhi is the worst offender

Not good enough

Slip between cup & lip

IT (CAB BILL) IS NOT VOTE BANK POLITICS. WE TOLDTHE PEOPLE BEFORE THE ELECTIONS AND WON THE

PEOPLE'S MANDATE AND APPROVAL.—UNION HOME MINISTER

AMIT SHAH

IF THE ENTIRE COUNTRY IS HAPPY WITH THE BILL,THEN WHY IS THE ARMY CARRYING OUT FLAGMARCHES IN DIBRUGARH? —LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN RAJYA SABHA GHULAM NABI AZAD

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The present time is colloquially beingcalled the Asian Century for all the rightreasons. If the 19th century was Britain’s

Imperial century and the 20th was American,then the 21st century is apparently becoming theAsian century. By 2020, the economic growth(in purchasing power parity terms) of Asiangiants put together will surpass the rest of theworld and that is likely to be the future trendas well. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) hasplayed and continues to play a vital role in boost-ing this Asian prosperity by being the “road ofdevelopment in the 21st century.”

The major source of development for mostof the Asian countries is oil, the supply of whichcomes from West Asia—the Gulf region—whilethe major consumers, India, Association ofSouth East Asian Nations (ASEAN), China,South Korea and Japan lie to the East.

Of late, some incidents impacting oil secu-rity have exposed the vulnerability of Asian pow-ers to events occurring in the Gulf. The mineattack, which blew off the hull of a Japanese oiltanker at a UAE port and 30 Indian sailors beingdetained by Iran, who were on board a Britishtanker flying a Panama flag, are cases in point.

However, of even greater concern is theattack which took place on Saudi oil facilitieson September 14, which has not received theattention it deserves. If oil facilities continue tobe targetted in the Gulf, the Asian century isunlikely to materialise any time soon as this oil,which fuels the engines of Asian growth, is trans-ported eastwards from the Gulf via the IndianOcean.

As a share of oil imports, the Gulf regionaccounted for 44 per cent for China, 63.6 percent for India, 86 per cent for Japan and 77.1per cent for South Korea, according to 2017 datacompiled by the Observatory of EconomicComplexity. The security of the production cen-tres as well as the oil’s transportation across thesea lanes are thus vital for Asia and any disrup-tion could put a huge question mark on theemergence of the 21st century as the Asian cen-tury. Oil thus is the most important governingfactor of geo-politics these days and owing toits criticality, the word “ge-oil-itics” needs to bebrought into common strategic parlance.

The first-of-its-kind stealthy air strike onSaudi oil facilities took place using drones andcruise missiles. The attack was claimed by theHouthi rebels in Yemen but evidently, there wereother powers behind it, using the Houthis as afront. The undetected strike, carried out withhigh precision left people speechless. When theHouthi rebels took responsibility for it, peopletermed it a “black swan” event.

However, if one studies the consistency inthe effort, one will find that such strikes werebeing practised since January 2018 and it wasthe 19th attempt, which was successful beyondimagination. So this was a “grey rhino” and nota “black swan” event. And if it could happen toone of the most heavily-guarded facilities in theworld, then India also needs to pay attention tothe security of its own refineries and othercoastal strategic assets, given the threat of State-sponsored terrorism in the vicinity.

Any strike on oil facilities will push up theprice of oil which in turn will adversely impact

India’s economy and dent GDP growthrate. For example, according toNomura, an increase in oil prices by$10 per barrel will lead to a drop inIndia’s GDP by 0.2 per cent points. Thiswould place in jeopardy, the nation’sdream of becoming a $5 trillion econ-omy by 2024.

Safety of the Gulf: At present, theUS has a strong naval presence in theGulf (and in IOR as well) and has tra-ditionally safeguarded its energy secu-rity, including Sea Lanes ofCommunication (SLOC). It hasensured the same for its allies orstrategic partners. However, its relativeenergy dependence on the countries ofthe region is diminishing with theexploitation of shale oil and gas at thehome front and it is less dependent onoil from the Gulf.

The US still continues to providea security umbrella over the region forthe sake of oil but in the last few years,discussions with the Trump adminis-tration have brought up the issue ofIndia and China being free ridersbanking upon American naval assetsto protect their access to energy sup-plies from the Gulf without makingany significant contribution them-selves. China has evidently increasedits naval presence in the IOR and iscontinuing to do so because Xi Jinpinghas understood that in the long-run,“ge-oil-itics” will control geo-politics.

Lessons for India: This attack bydrones and cruise missiles has broughtout the lethality and accuracy of airpower, while defeating another pillarof airpower which is air-defence(detection, identification, timely inter-ception and destruction). It also showsthat non-State or State-sponsorednon-State actors have acquired sophis-

ticated systems that can impact theglobal economy and cause collateraldamage of an unprecedented nature.The threat in the Indian context is realwith Pakistan sponsored non-Stateactors looking for opportunities tocause collateral damage withinKashmir and across India.

Attack drones can target high-value national leaders, critical infra-structure, power grids, oil refineries,military installations and populationcentres. Drones are highly versatile andcan deliver explosives, biological,chemical agents and also act as the eyesand ears of the terrorists.

This is not mere speculation,because recently drones from thePakistani side dropped weapons inPunjab. A large number of AK-47assault rifles and grenades dropped inAmritsar by heavy-lifting drones thatcame from across the border were forterrorists to create trouble in Jammu& Kashmir. The drones carried outeight sorties in 10 days in Septemberto drop the weapons, including satel-lite phones.

If one can see the similarities in thepattern of usage of drones by non-Stateactors against a State, it shall appear asthe beginning of a larger plot againstIndia. Indian security forces thus needto prepare to negate any such threats.This is a lesson which Indian policy-makers, strategists and tacticians mustlearn fast and evaluate the country’sairpower preparedness for this kind ofattack from land or maritime borders.The recent events in the Gulf, theunsettling situations in Iran, Iraq andthe Saudi kingdom and an ever-increasing Chinese footprint are awake-up call to India to review its rolein the IOR with a reduced American

presence. It is thus time to strengthenIndia’s defence and foreign policy forIOR while focussing on maritimesecurity along with IOR countries.Defence interactions focussing onstrengthening the air defence capabil-ity of the IOR countries, sharing the airpicture for better awareness and jointexercises between Indian Air Force(IAF) and other air forces or air wingsof the region will not only enhance thesecurity of the IOR but also deter theelements wanting to disrupt the peace-ful growth of the region.

India’s maritime borders areexposed from three sides and there aremany high-value assets located longthe Indian coastline.

Given the limited air power assetsand constraints of the defence Budget,conventional and non-conventionalaerial threats can only be tackledthrough a rejuvenated air-power phi-losophy focussed on better integrationof naval and air force assets.

It would not only give the nationinsurance of predicted economic risebut also give assurance to neighbour-ing IOR countries for mutual growthunder a secured environment.

Security And Growth for All in theRegion (SAGAR), which is India’svision for Indian Ocean (HindMahasagar) can become visionMAHASAGAR (Mutual, Aggregate,Homogeneous and Assured SecurityAnd Growth for All in the Region) ifIndia actively assumes the role of secu-rity-provider through invigorateddiplomatic and defence engagementswith IOR nations.

(The writer is Visiting Fellow atIndia Foundation and his area ofresearch is defence and strategic stud-ies)

If Gulf oil facilities continue to be targetted, the Asian century is unlikely to materialise asthis oil, which fuels the engines of growth, is transported eastwards via the Indian Ocean

analysis 07F I R S T C O L U M N

India losing raceto filariasis?

ARCHANA JYOTI

The Govt needs to consider using the low-costand effective combination of DEC-fortified salt

in order to meet 2021 targets

VIKAS KALYANI

OF LATE, SOMEINCIDENTS

IMPACTING OILSECURITY HAVE

EXPOSED THEVULNERABILITY

OF ASIANPOWERS

TO EVENTSOCCURRING INTHE GULF. THEMINE ATTACK,

WHICH BLEW OFFTHE HULL OF AJAPANESE OIL

TANKER AT A UAEPORT AND 30

INDIAN SAILORSBEING DETAINED

BY IRAN, WHOWERE ON BOARD

A BRITISHTANKER FLYING A

PANAMA FLAG,ARE CASES IN

POINT. HOWEVER,OF EVEN GREATER

CONCERN IS THEATTACK WHICH

TOOK PLACE ONSAUDI OIL

FACILITIES ONSEPTEMBER 14,

WHICH HAS NOTRECEIVED THEATTENTION IT

DESERVES

Though fortified rice, wheat, iodised salt, milk and oil are set tobecome a major part of the national malnutrition control plan soon,it seems the Government has not warmed up to the idea of pro-

viding fortified salt with the diethylcarbamazine (DEC) programme inStates plagued by Lymphatic Filariasis (LF), a profoundly painful anddisfiguring disease. This despite various studies asserting that a com-bination of fortified salt with the anti-filarial drug, DEC, could offer anintervention that avoids many of the barriers connected with tablet-based elimination programmes. The intervention has been success-fully tried in several countries including India — which has 40 percent of the world’s LF cases — and has been used operationally inChina and Tanzania to eliminate the disease.

With just one year left to meet the 2021 target set by the UnionHealth Ministry for LF elimination, concerns are emerging regardingthe feasibility of meeting the goal, using the current tablet-based MassDrug Administration (MDA) strategy. At least 160 districts of the coun-try are in the grip of LF, a neglected tropical disease that attacks thelymphatic system. It is caused by the transmission of filarial para-sites that are transmitted to humans via mosquitoes. Currently, at leastone million people in India are estimated to be infected by the dis-ease and more than 23 million suffer from the disability associatedwith it, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.

The LF elimination programme was kicked off in 2004, throughthe two-drug (DEC + Albendazole) MDA campaign, that requires aminimum of five years to interrupt transmission of the disease. Butit has failed to deliver the desired results. In December 2018, Indialaunched the World Health Organisation (WHO)-recommended tripledrug therapy (TDT) comprising Ivermectin, DEC and Albendazole (IDA)in five States, viz, Nagpur in Maharashtra, Arwal in Bihar, Simdega inJharkhand, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Yadgiri in Karnataka. TDTis capable of accelerating the process of LF elimination in two-threeyears. However, the Government is facing a challenge as it plans toscale up the programme to 16 districts in Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka,Maharashtra and UP to meet its goals. Though the WHO had provid-ed the IDA for the pilot project, there are no international donationscoming in for its extension programme and the Government will haveto fund it to meet the deadline.

Rekha Shukla, Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry, saysthe demand is being calculated and tenders will be floated soon toinvite firms to provide Ivermectin. “This might take around 12-14months,” she admits. Given the long procedure of tendering and bid-ding, the effort to scale up the programme is likely to get delayed.

According to Shukla, the present LF elimination strategy has twopillars, comprising of MDA, morbidity management and disability pre-vention for patients. However, experts feel that it is high time that thelow-cost and effective combination of DEC-fortified salt is consid-ered. They pointed out that if more than one per cent of the popula-tion of an area tests positive for microfilaria, the parasite found in aperson infected with LF, then it is considered an endemic zone andall efforts must be made to limit its spread. While DEC tablets oftencause acute adverse reactions in people with high filarial loads and/oradult worms, DEC-fortified salt minimises this as it is given in lowerdoses.

It should also be possible to utilise a combination of both MDAwith annual single-dose DEC plus albendazole and MDA using DEC-fortified salt. For example, DEC-fortified salt could be used in selectareas while annual MDA of TDT could be carried out in areas wherecoverage is relatively easily achieved. The WHO suggests that MDAof 80 per cent of the eligible population in endemic areas is neededto stop transmission of and elimination of the disease. In India, wherepill distribution is hampered by the effects of a transient populationand illiteracy, DEC-fortified salt can be the solution. Neeraj Dhingra,head of the Health Ministry’s National Vector Borne Diseases ControlProgramme, too, said that DEC-fortified salt was under considera-tion but nothing had been finalised in view of some ethical and com-mercial issues pertaining to it. Nupur Roy, Additional Director, NVB-DCP, pins hopes on combating LF with TDT itself. However, she alsofavoured DEC-fortified salt programme as an adjunct. “But then it isfor the Government to take a call on it”, she added. However, Roycautioned that salt fortification has its own challenges, similar to thatfaced in iodine fortification, and requires careful deliberation. “Greateremphasis needs to be placed in employing strategies tackling the sourceof the disease – preventing mosquitoes to human transmission,” saysNK Ganguly, former DG, Indian Council for Medical Research and sug-gests residual spraying, sleeping under insecticidal nets and avoid-ing water logging as a preventive strategy.

(The writer is Special Correspondent, The Pioneer and hascollaborated with Nature India/India Alliance/ India Science Media

Fellowship.)

As the national Capital reelsunder the impact of an increas-ingly toxic air quality and once

again questions are being raised aboutthe measures taken to curb air pollu-tion in Delhi-NCR, one of the deci-sions taken by the National GreenTribunal (NGT) in April 2015 comesto mind. The tribunal passed anorder prohibiting 15-year-old petrolvehicles and 10-year-old diesel auto-mobiles from plying and asked forthem to be pulled off the roads withimmediate effect. The ban took thenation, particularly Delhiites, by sur-prise as the national Capital was oneof the first cities to be chosen for itsimplementation. The prohibition

impacted over 37 lakh of Delhi’s onecrore registered vehicles, much to thechagrin of owners who were sudden-ly faced with the prospect of havingto buy new cars while their old vehi-cles were fated to be impounded andscrapped, instead of being sold in thesecond-hand car market. Whateverhopes the citizens might have had ofgetting some relief from the SupremeCourt (SC) were also belied when theapex court ruled in favour of theNGT’s order in October 2018.

However, four years down the line,the implementation of the tribunal’s2015 order remains inconclusive, formany reasons. First, the DelhiScrappage Policy, 2018, provides forguidance on the procedure for scrap-ping of old vehicles (wherein automo-biles registered in Delhi shall be bro-ken up only by an authorised scrap-per) but the vehicle class-wise scrap-page charge is yet to be finalised.

Second, the administration, too,is yet to decide how to accommodatethe 37 lakh vehicles once they startimpounding them. Third, most of theregistration certificates (RC) of thevehicles affected by the NGT’s ban still

show fitness and registration validityfor at least two to three years more,making it difficult to pull them off theroads, as it would overturn the RCissued by the Regional TransportOffice. Understandably, the owners ofthe vehicles are peeved since they paidthe lifetime road tax for the automo-bile and now stand to suffer a loss onthat payment once the car is scrapped.

Another negative fallout of theban is the fact that the second handcar market has crashed and rates for

old vehicles have fallen like neverbefore. Even well-maintained vehicles,with a lot of good miles left in them,are available at throwaway prices.

The blanket ban on old vehiclesalso overlooked the provision of giv-ing a fair chance to owners to provetheir fitness before it was condemned,as no screening system was put inplace. The manner in which the pol-icy has taken shape and the lawpassed, basically ignores the efforts ofthose committed vehicle owners who

diligently tended to their automobilesand made sure that they were notadding to the pollution problems oftheir city. The ban also impacts all eco-nomic classes in one go. How is a mid-dle class family that invested a substan-tial amount in the purchase of a vehi-cle, suddenly expected to scrap it andraise funds for a new one? Also, whatabout those vehicles which were usedsparingly and have probably not donemore than 60,000 to 70,000 km andare in mint condition? Are they to bescrapped and the owner forced to buya new one? At a time when the coun-try is going through an economicslowdown, would people be willing toinvest in a new car? Needless to say,there is no one to answer such uncom-fortable questions.

Across the world, the end of lifepolicy for vehicles is very clear, logi-cal and driven by a very smooth pro-cedural system, unlike here. To under-stand the problem of vehicle ban fur-ther, let us take the example of thetransport sector. Assuming, that as perthe rule, once all the trucks that areover 10 years old are scrapped, a hugechunk of the freighter fleet will dis-

appear. This in turn will increasefreight costs and cause the prices ofessential commodities to rise. Will theGovernment then give a life extensionto old vehicles in order to keep infla-tion in check? This is the reason thateven today in spite of the ban on 10-year-old diesel vehicles, we see rick-ety trucks still plying because we havea rule that cannot be fully implement-ed as the nation is not ready for theconsequences. Environmentally-speaking, the vehicle ban was a longtime coming given the new heightspollution has scaled in Delhi-NCR andacross the country. The much-publi-cised IIT-Kanpur study that formedthe basis of the research eventually ledto the ban in Delhi-NCR.

The intention to protect the envi-ronment and health of the citizens isno doubt vital but important policydecisions should not be a knee-jerkreaction to long-standing problems. Itis high time that all stakeholders sitdown and chart out a course for pol-lution control that is sustainable inevery way for everyone.

(The writer is an environmentaljournalist)

The conundrum of a vehicle banThe intention to protect the environment and health of the citizens is no doubt vital but important

policy decisions should not be a knee-jerk reaction to long-standing problems

KOTA SRIRAJ

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2019

www.dailypioneer.com

F O R E I G N E Y E

Pyongyang’s truce withWashington could end withterrible results. To avoidthat, global efforts —notably from the US — areneeded. North Korea wantsto prod the US intoconcessions, not provoke itinto conflict. But the risk ofmisunderstanding is real.The North Korean militarychief has warned that thetruce with the US “can turninto an armed conflict anymoment even by anyaccidental case”. This wasanother threat, of course.But it has a sad truth in it.

(The Guardian, editorial)

NOT AN EMPTYTHREAT

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2019 money 08

CAPSULE

Infosys awarded UNaward in ‘climateneutral now' categoryBENGALURU: IT services majorInfosys Ltd said on Wednesdayit was presented with theUnited Nations Global ClimateAction Award in the 'ClimateNeutral Now' category at theUN Climate Change Conferencein Madrid, Spain. TheBengaluru-headquarteredcompany said it is the firstIndian corporate to receive theaward, a press release said.Every year, the United Nationshonours outstandingachievements in combatingclimate change through theClimate Action Awards.Infosys said it won the awardfor its carbon neutralprogramme, which deliversscalable, innovative andpractical climate actions thataddress climate change andhelp drive progress on manyother sustainable developmentgoals, such as gender equality,health and well-being andeconomic opportunity, therelease said.

Mercedes-BenzIndia to increaseprices by up to 3 pc NEW DELHI: Luxury carmakerMercedes-Benz India onWednesday said it willincrease prices of its entireproduct portfolio by up to 3per cent from January in orderto offset the impact of risinginput costs. The correction inprice would be up to thequantum of 3 per cent, varyingacross the broad model range,the German luxury carmakersaid in a statement. "We havebeen reviewing the variouscost escalations, including therise in the commodity andinput costs that have beenexerting pressure on ourbottom line. To run asustainable business andprotect our customers'investment in the brand, thereis a need to offset the impactof these rising costs through amoderate price correction,"Mercedes-Benz IndiaManaging Director & CEOMartin Schwenk said.

Telenet selects Infosysto lead its dataNEW DELHI: IT services majorInfosys Ltd announced onWednesday that it has selectedBelgian telecommunicationprovider Telenet as itspreferred IT partner to deliverseveral digital and datainitiatives for the next fiveyears. Telenet plans toleverage Infosys' ecosystem todrive simplification of itsexisting landscape, build newdigital and data capabilities,extract relevant insights fromdata and leverage existingtalent more effectively, theBengaluru- headquarteredcompany said in a statement.

The partnership with Infosyswould also help Telenet savesignificantly on IT operatingcosts and structurally reducethe number of existing ITapplications, it said.

Aramco startstrading, gaining 10%and reaching $ 1.8TPNS n RIYADH

Saudi Arabia's oil companyAramco began trading for thefirst time on Wednesday, gain-ing 10% in its first momentson the market in a dramaticdebut that pushed it's value toUSD 1.88 trillion, higher thanany other listed company inthe world.

The state-owned oil giantstarted trading on the SaudiTadawul stock exchange after amammoth USD 25.6 billion ini-tial public offering that set therecord as the biggest ever in his-tory. Trading for Aramco sharesbegan at 10:30 am in Riyadh.

The companyhad announced asale of 1.5 per centof its shares at 32Saudi riyals ashare, or what is$8.53.

At a pre-trad-ing auction earlierin the morning, bids forAramco's shares reached the10 per cent limit on stock pricefluctuation allowed by theTadawul stock exchange. Thatpushed the price of Aramcoshares to 35.2 riyals, or USD9.39 a share.

This makes Aramco morevaluable than Microsoft or

Apple, two of the toplisted companies inthe world. It's alsoworth more than thetop five oil compa-nies -- Exxon Mobil, Total, RoyalDutch Shell,Chevron and BP —

combined.Aramco is selling 0.5 per

cent of its shares to individualretail investors — most ofwhom are Saudi nationals —and 1 per cent to institution-al investors, most of which areSaudi or Gulf-based funds.

GST rates may go up for various items to meet revenue shortfallPNS n NEW DELHI

With pressure on revenue collec-tion, the goods and services tax(GST) rates and slabs may be raisedduring the GST Council meetingnext week.

The all-powerful GST Council,headed by Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman, is set to meeton December 18 in the backdrop oflower-than-expected GST collec-tion and pending compensation tomany states.

As of now, there are four slabsunder the GST regime -- 5, 12, 18 and28 per cent. Goods and services underthe 28 per cent category also attractcess over and above the rate, whichranges between 1 and 25 per cent.

A group of officers from the

Centre and states, which met onTuesday to finalise recommenda-tions for rate rationalisation, issaid to have considered variousoptions including raising ratesfrom 5 per cent to 8 per cent and12 per cent to 15 per cent, sourcessaid.

A detailed presentation on raterationalisation will take place dur-ing the GST Council meeting.

The GST Council meeting is alsolikely to deliberate on raising cesson some products to meet thegrowing need of compensation,among other issues.

The Council can explore possi-bility of merger of slabs to bringdown the number of slabs to three,sources said.

It is likely to revisit exemption list

and explore whether cess can belevied on some services, the sourcesadded.

The Central GST collection fellshort of the Budget Estimate bynearly 40 per cent during the April-

November period of 2019-20,according to government data.

The actual CGST collection dur-ing April-November stood at Rs3,28,365 crore, while the BudgetEstimate is of Rs 5,26,000 crore forthese months.

In 2018-19, the actual CGST col-lection stood at Rs 4,57,534 croreas against the provisional estimate

of Rs 6,03,900 crore for the year, hesaid.

In 2017-18, the CGST collectionwas Rs 2,03,261 crore.

Meanwhile, India's GDP growthslumped to a 26-quarter low of 4.5per cent in the second quarter of thecurrent financial year as grossvalue added to the manufacturingsector contracted for the first time

in nine quarters.The last time GDP grew at a

slower pace was in the fourth quar-ter of 2012-13, when it had expand-ed only 4.3 per cent.

The compensation requirementshave increased significantly and areunlikely to be met from the com-pensation cess being collected.

This discussion is quite critical aslower GST and compensation cesscollections have been a matter ofconcern in the past few months,according to a letter written by theGST Council to commissioner,SGST, of all states.

The Council has sought sugges-tions, inputs or proposals as regardsmeasures, on compliance as well asrates that would help in augment-ing revenue.

The all-powerful GST Council, headed byFinance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is setto meet on December 18 in the backdrop oflower-than-expected GST collection andpending compensation to many states

Part Panglossian, partpractical, Guv Das soldiers onPNS n MUMBAI

When taking over the stew-ardship of the Reserve Bank,taking along everybody andkeeping the communicationchannels open were his keymessages. A year later,Shaktikanta Das can well claimbrownie points for keepingthe promises as he steers theRBI's efforts to revitalise thefinancial sector and boostgrowth that has hit a near-seven-year low.

The career bureaucrat-turned-central banker walkedinto the 19th floor cornerroom of the Reserve Bank onDecember 12, 2018 after hispredecessor Urjit Patel sud-denly quit following a litany ofpublic spats with the NorthBloc mandarins, leaving therelationship between the MintStreet and the government at anadir.

A historic cash transfer tothe government, getting someof the crippled state-run banksout of the RBI radar andputting in place a new NPAframework in June are amongthe major achievements underDas' watch who completesone-year as the governor onThursday.

Since February 2019, theDas-led RBI has cut the reporate by a whopping 135 basispoints to support the sagginggrowth, including an unprece-

dented 35 bps reduction inAugust. The same central bankalso massively slashed thegrowth forecast by a whopping240 bps in between.

Earlier this month, the cen-tral bank stunned investors andmarkets by deciding to holdthe rates, if not it would havethe sixth straight repo rate cut,which is currently pegged at anine-year low of 5.15 percent.Sachin Chaturvedi, a member

of the Central Board of RBI,describes Das as a per-son who brings inpragmatism, com-mitment, trans-parency and sin-cerity to the table."The governor hasin many ways suc-ceeded in getting thegovernment and otherfunctionaries together and hasmade the board a cohesive

platform," Chaturvedi told PTI.At the six-member

Monetary Policy Committeemeetings, Das has ensuredthat every board membermakes presentations and thenhave discussions on the issuesraised, he notes.

Das, a 1980-batch TamilNadu cadre IAS servant, hadserved as the economic affairssecretary, among other roles,before taking charge of the RBI.

From day one, he hasensured that he engaged withall stakeholders. Whether it'sbanks, NBFCs, MSMEs, indus-try bodies, foreign investors,credit rating agencies or moneymarket dealers, he has strivedto put across to them the viewsof the RBI-something every-body missed under the Patelera. Das, also a social media-savvy governor, has been work-ing to allay concerns of stake-holders.

"He has been into econom-ic policymaking during thelast eight years of his bureau-

cratic career. Despite nothaving an economics

background (Das is aHistory honours fromSt Stephen's), he isnot behind thecurve," says a person

familiar with his work-ing style. Even the RBI

staff feel the governor is abalanced person and veryapproachable as well.

A historic cash transfer to thegovernment, getting some of the crippledstate-run banks out of the RBI radar andputting in place a new NPA framework inJune are among the major achievementsunder Das' watch who completes one-year as the governor on Thursday

Gold falls Rs 73, silverslides by Rs 89PNS n NEW DELHI

Gold prices fell Rs 73 to Rs38,486 per 10 gram in thenational capital onWednesday on account of astronger rupee, according toHDFC Securities.

The yellow metal hadclosed at Rs 38,559 per 10gram on Tuesday.

"Spot gold for 24 karatwas trading down by Rs 73 inDelhi on a stronger rupeeagainst dollar," HDFCSecurities Senior Analyst(Commodities) Tapan Patelsaid. In the early trade onWednesday, the rupee appre-ciated 12 paise to 70.80against the US dollar.

Silver prices also fell by Rs89 to Rs 44,640 per kg fromits close of Rs 44,729 per kgon Tuesday.

In the international mar-ket, gold was trading at USD1,464.8 per ounce, while sil-ver was quoting at USD 16.62per ounce.

"Gold prices traded in nar-row range with internation-al spot gold prices holding therange near USD 1,464...aheadof the US Federal OpenMarket Committee rate deci-sion, while global markets areawaiting fresh triggers fromthe US-China trade talks,eyeing December 15 deadlineof new tariffs from the US,"Patel said.

At a pre-tradingauction earlierin the morning,bids forAramco's sharesreached the 10per cent limit onstock pricefluctuationallowed by theTadawul stockexchange

ADB cuts India's growth forecast to 5.1pc for FY2019PNS n NEW DELHI

New Delhi, Dec 11 (PTI)Asian Development Bank(ADB) on Wednesday low-ered India's economic growthforecast for FY2019 to 5.1 percent on slowing job prospects,rural distress exacerbated bypoor harvest and credit crunch.

The multilateral bank, how-ever, expects the growth to pickup to 6.5 per cent next year onsupportive government policies.

"In South Asia, India'sgrowth is now seen at a slow-er 5.1 per cent in fiscal year2019 as the foundering of amajor non-banking financialcompany in 2018 led to a risein risk aversion in the financialsector and a credit crunch.

"Also, consumption wasaffected by slow job growth

and rural distress aggravated bya poor harvest. Growth shouldpick up to 6.5 per cent in fiscalyear 2020 with supportive poli-cies," the ADB said in a supple-ment to the Asian Development

Outlook 2019 Update.Earlier in September, it had

trimmed India's gross domesticproduct (GDP) growth to 6.5per cent from the earlier esti-mate of 7 per cent. For FY2020,

it had projected a GDP growthof 7.2 per cent, which now hasbeen cut to 6.5 per cent.

The Reserve Bank of Indialast week in its bi-monthlymonetary policy review has cutIndia's GDP forecast to 5 percent from 6.1 per cent citingweak domestic and externaldemand.

While the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) slashed

India's GDP growth projectionto 6.1 per cent from 7 per cent,the World Bank lowered itsestimate to 6 per cent.

The GDP growth forecast forSouth Asia for 2019 is also cutto 5.1 per cent from 6.2 percent earlier and to 6.1 per centfrom 6.7 per cent next year(2020), the ADB said.

"These revisions reflect low-ered growth projections for

India at 5.1 per cent in fiscalyear 2019 (FY2019, ending 30March 2020) and 6.5 per centin FY2020 (fiscal ending inMarch 2021)," ADB said in thesupplement.

The ADB said India's growthin the first half of the currentfiscal has slipped to 4.8 per centas expansion in private con-sumption slowed to 4.1 percent and in investment to 2.5per cent.

Having already slowed yearon year from 5.8 per cent in thefourth quarter of 2018-19 to 5per cent in the first quarter of2019-20, growth in India fellfurther to 4.5 per cent in thesecond quarter of FY2019-20,the lowest quarterly rate sincethe last quarter of 2012, itadded.

"In South Asia, India's growth is nowseen at a slower 5.1 per cent in fiscalyear 2019 as the foundering of a majornon-banking financial company in 2018led to a rise in risk aversion in thefinancial sector and a credit crunch

KredX raisesUSD 26 mn infunding led byTiger GlobalPNS n NEW DELHI

KredX, an invoice discount-ing platform, on Wednesdaysaid it has raised USD 26 mil-lion (about Rs 187 crore) ina funding round led by TigerGlobal Management.

The series B round alsosaw participation from anexisting investor for a minor-ity stake in the company, astatement said.

KredX was founded byManish Kumar and AnuragJain in 2015 to help busi-nesses meet their short-termworking capital needs byfacilitating discounting oftheir unpaid invoices.

As on date, KredX hasprocessed over five lakhinvoices helping more than5,000 suppliers through10,000-plus investors across36 cities.

“We are excited to partnerwith KredX and believe thecompany has created an effi-cient and trusted lendingmarketplace connectingIndian companies with insti-tutional investors," TigerGlobal Partner Scott Shleifersaid.

KredX said it will use thenew capital to accelerate itsexpansion by hiring acrossfunctions including seniorleadership and will step upthe development of newproducts.

The funds will also beused to further build intel-lectual property and create aniche in the supply chainfinance ecosystem, andtowards strategic acquisi-tions, it added.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Stating that the public percep-tion about food overall in thecountry is very low, FoodSafety and Standards Authority(FSSAI) Chairman PawanKumar Aggarwal asked theindustry to bring drown thelevel of 'unsafe food' to lessthan one per cent or negligiblelevel in the next four years.

Addressing a CII event,Aggarwal shared a four-pointvision and noted that the firstaim is to bring down signifi-cantly the level of unsafe, non-standard and mis-brandedfood in the country.

Citing a survey of one lakhsamples of food conducted byenforcement officers over lastyears, he said 3.7 per cent offood was found to be unsafe, 15per cent was non-standardfood and 9 per cent was mis-branded food.

"The sampling was done inan area where safety was aconcern. The level of 3.7 per

cent is low when compared tomedia reports of 60-70 percent. In next four years, canwe bring unsafe food level toless than one per cent or neg-ligible level, while non-stan-dard food to 5 per cent andmis-branded food to 2 percent?" he said expressing con-fidence of achieving thesetargets.

This can be achievedthrough higher levels of sur-veillance, improved and tar-geted enforcement, review offood standards (in particularcomposition and vertical stan-

dards), regular monitoring ofpesticides, anti-biotic residuesand heavy metals besidesbuilding capacity of primaryproducers, he said.

Stating that there is "verylow" public confidence in thefood overall, the FSSAI chiefsaid, "it is partially due to per-ception but there is someamount of reality. Obviouslywe have to communicate wellwith the citizen so that gapbetween reality and perceptionis reduced. We need to takeconcrete actions to addressthis issue."

There is “verylow" publicconfidence in the

food overall, the FSSAIchief said, "it is partiallydue to perception but thereis some amount of reality— PAWAN KUMAR AGGARWAL

FSSAI Chairman

FSSAI asks industry toreduce level of unsafe food

Power demand falls4.28% in NovemberPNS n NEW DELHI

Power demand in the countrydipped for the fourth straightmonth by 4.28 per cent to 94.6billion units (BU) inNovember, mainly due toweather shift.

According to datafrom the CentralE l e c t r i c i t yAuthority, thedemand had stoodat 98.84 BU inNovember 2018.

"Power demand isdown mainly because ofearly onset of winters andextended monsoon this year.Last year, air conditionerswere used till early December.That is not the case this year,"a senior power ministry offi-cial told PTI.

According to the data, thepower demand shrank 12.94per cent to 98.36 BU inOctober this year compared tothe year-ago month. Thedemand in October 2018 hadstood at 112.98 BU.

The demand started declin-ing from August this year

when it fell 0.53 percent to 112.1 BU in themonth compared to112.71 BU a year ago.Before that, the power

demand grew 6.72 percent in July this year to

117.22 BU, against 109.83 BUin the year-ago month.

The data showed that dur-ing April-July this fiscal, thepower demand grew 7.2 percent to 467.02 BU compared to435.64 BU in the correspond-ing period a year ago.

Intel initiativeto boost techamong SMEsPNS n NEW DELHI

Tech major Intel, in associa-tion with the MSME ministry,has launched a nationwideinitiative to enhance technol-ogy adoption among smalland medium enterprises,according to India SMEForum.

A survey conducted bythe Forum across 19 statesalso showed that over 34 percent of the overall 1,29,537MSME respondents areemploying digital means forcommunicating withemployees, customers andsuppliers whereas only 7per cent have fully embraceddigital technology or SAASSolutions.

Over half of the MSMEshighlighted several benefitsincluding higher profitabili-ty, operational efficiency andimproved customer engage-ment, however 70 per centcited lack of knowledge as keybarrier for wider adoption oftechnology.

t a first glance, shelooks like a typical11-year-old, abookworm whogoes to school reg-ularly. But seat her

in front of a chessboard andshe will drive her opponentto their wits end with hermoves and tactical dexterity.

It is for a reason thatJahnavi Sri Lalita Mareddy,studying Class V at DDMS PObul Reddy Public School, isalready being hailed as thenext big thing in chess as onewho is poised to join the elitetorchbearers from Telangana,sooner than later.

She is now in the news forthe bronze she won for thecoveted National SchoolsChess Championship in theUnder-12 category that wasrecently held in Aurangabad.She took everyone by sur-prise in the way she stupe-fied even the big names withher skills, especially in thelast two deciding rounds. Byvirtue of her impressiveachievement, she is set totake a major step into the bigleagues having earned adirect qualification in theIndian team that is to partic-ipate in next year’s Asia and

World SchoolsChampionships.

Incidentally, she hadrubbed shoulders with inter-national opponents beforeand held her own to win a‘Blitz bronze’ in West AsiaChess Championship-2019that climaxed in New Delhion September 10. An extra-ordinary track record for onewho took to the royal sportonly five summers ago. Achild prodigy at her bestwith many more miles to go.

Speaking to The Pioneer,Jahnavi says, “I am indebtedto my mentor, PDS Girinathsir (the state’s firstInternational master) forhaving the patience to workon my strengths and weak-nesses. I have gained a lotand my approach to eachgame has become moresophisticated ever since Icame under his guidancethree years ago.”

It has been a steady risefor her. She has an impres-sive haul of age-group titlesand podium finishes at thedistrict and the state-levelcompetitions. An ampleindication of her prodigious-ly gifted temperament (sonecessary in chess) is her

achievements in the Under-9and Under-11 State champi-on in 2017 and 2018, respec-tively. She is India’s No. 10 inthe Under-12 category.

About her process inapproaching every match,Jahnavi shares, “Before anygame, I research about myopponent and their style ofplaying. I analyse theirstrengths and weaknessesand plan accordingly. Duringthe game, I start on theoffensive to put opponents indefence. I observe their stepsand wait for them to makemistakes.”

“I wish to achieve gloryand bring laurels to thecountry by winning medalsin the Asian and World

championships. I am keen onimproving my middle andend game skills in order toconsolidate my positionaladvantages on any given day.Of course, along the way, Iwill yearn to steadilyimprove my Elo ratings,which is at 1,380 now. I amthankful to my school man-agement for their over-whelming support when I gofor tournaments, my coachfor his mentorship and myparents for their constantencouragement,” saysJahnavi, who aspires to emu-late the superlative exploitsof her role-model, JuditPolgar, who achieved theGrandmaster title at the ageof 15.

A

A ‘QUEEN' inher own right

Child prodigies define thefuture of the field they excel in.

Jahnavi Sri Lalita Mareddy isone of them. V SATEESH

REDDY speaks to the 11-year-old chess master who

has been flooring her opponentswith her impressive moves

Drinking tea, the ‘GREEN' way

Indians and their teaare known to beinseparable. The

ubiquitous ‘chai' can befound on all roadsidestores. Be it meeting

new people or justquenching one's thirst,

tea is omnipresent.Join us as we tread the

path and find out thepositives of tea ahead

of International Tea Dayon Dec. 15, one sip at

a time, finds ANUSHKAPRADEEP

ea is one of the most con-sumed beverages in Indiaand it is safe to say thatthere’s an emotional bondbetween Indians and tea.The habit of drinking

green tea is also on the rise amongIndians. Thus, ahead of InternationalTea Day, we take a look at the bene-fits of tea, while we also speak toMasterchef Kunal Kapur.

“Tea is an integral part of the livesof a majority of Indians. The benefitsof consuming tea, however, vary withthe type one prefers. Most tea vari-eties are rich in polyphenols andflavonoids, which are a source ofantioxidants. These polyphenols areknown to protect the body from var-ious diseases. At a time when there isso much pollution around us, weneed antioxidants more than ever, asthey clear out the dirt and wastefrom the body,” said nutritionistSheryl Salis.

Given the fact that black tea isalmost calorie-free, it is a known factthat it helps in weight loss and whentaken without sugar, it also helps reg-ulate the body’s blood pressure andblood sugar.

Among the different varieties oftea that people can experiment with,

doctor Sheryl Salis lists the types andbenefits of a few.

“Green tea with lime increases theantioxidant potential of tea and theaddition of lime in black tea is agood hangover remedy. Green teahas a higher amount of antioxidantsand is known to induce freshnesswhen consumed. It boosts metabo-lism and cuts down on visceral fat,which are harmful for the body.Hence it helps keep one’s health andweight in check.”

Another go-to variety of tea is themoringa tea, which is pocket-friend-ly whilst offering several health ben-efits. Moringa leaves used to be anintegral part of the Indian diet forgenerations and it is now regainingits popularity. Apart from being richin antioxidants, Moringa also keepsone’s heart healthy, boosts metabo-lism and keeps glucose levels incheck.

Chamomile tea is a lesser knownvariant made of chamomile flowers,with almost no caffeine. This teahelps in relieving stress and is a boonfor people who have trouble sleeping.

It is always better to invest in pre-ventative measures like these than towait till you need to take measuresfor cure.

Sheryl advises, “It must be kept inmind that tea should not be hadimmediately after food since itinhibits iron absorption in the body.About 50 per cent of females arealready iron deficient and have lowhaemoglobin levels or anaemia.”

“It would be incredibly beneficialif corporates incorporated differenttypes of tea in their offices thus cre-ating awareness about the choicesavailable to the people, while ensur-ing easy accessibility of it.”

When asked about his take on theimportance of tea, chef Kunal Kapursaid, “India has a very strong associ-ation with tea at both the communi-ty and the personal level. Chai peBulaana is more often than not, areason to gather. It also plays a vividrole in breaking the ice between col-leagues in office. Crockery by itselfmay define status. Hence I believetea as a beverage may play a key rolein several ways in the community be

it bonding or creating a notion ofclass.”

“I believe it is best to try an arrayof different flavours and see whatsuits your palette best and customisethe tea as required,” he adds.

Also people often pick up thehabit of green tea but they don’tknow how to brew it. It is importantto brew green tea very lightly aslonger brewed teas may lose itshealth benefits and may turn bitterwhich not many people may enjoy.

“Another thing to remember isthat good quality green tea can nevertaste very bitter or extremely grassy.Analysing and understanding yourtype of tea by learning the way toconsume it as well, is important,” hesaid.

“The millenials have especiallypicked up a taste for green tea. Theyhave taken their time, understood itsbenefits and it is now being incorpo-rated into their lifestyle. Green teahas seeped into our society and cul-ture seamlessly and I think in thedays to come, the array of flavoursavailable to people might just goberserk. I see a major change in thetimes to come,” Kunal concluded.

The International Tea Day cam-paign came into being in 2005 by thetrade unions, small tea growers andcivil society organisations in Asiaand Africa to address the issues ofliving wages for workers and fairprices for small tea producers.

The International Tea Conferencein New Delhi came out with a decla-ration on the rights of workers andsmall growers to help regulateuneven competition, land ownership,safety regulations, rights of women,social security and living wages.

T

Also people often pick up the habitof green tea but they don’t know howto brew it. It is important to brewgreen tea very lightly as longerbrewed teas may lose its healthbenefits and may turn bitterwhich not many people mayenjoy. Another thing to remember isthat good quality green tea can nevertaste very bitter or extremely grassy.

CHEF KUNAL KAPOOR

It must be kept in mind that teashould not be had immediately afterfood since it inhibits iron absorptionin the body. About 50 per cent of

females are already iron deficientand have low haemoglobin levelsor anaemia. Corporates must

incorporate different types of tea intheir offices thus creating awarenessabout the choices available

SHERYL SALIS

NUTRITIONIST

GIVEN THE FACT THATBLACK TEA IS ALMOSTCALORIE-FREE AND HELPSIN WEIGHT LOSS, IT ALSOHELPS IN REGULATING THEBODY’S BLOOD PRESSUREAND BLOOD SUGAR

ThursdayDecember 12, 2019

Follow us on@TheDailyPioneerfacebook.com/dailypioneer

10

Vijayawada Thursday December 12, 2019 what’s brewing?

SPECIAL TRAINSERVICE PLANNED

FOR U2 INDIA GIGhead of Irish rockband U2’s firstever concert inIndia,BookMyShow hascollaborated with

the Indian Railways to

launch a special chartered

suburban train service in

Mumbai on December 15.

The band is set to bring to

Mumbai their acclaimed

“U2: The Joshua Tree Tour”

tour, celebrating their iconic

1987 album by the same

name. The concert, to be

held at Mumbai’s DY Patil

Stadium, will be their first

gig in the country.The special service will

start at Andheri and ferry

passengers to the concert

until Nerul station with lim-

ited stops in between at

Mahim and Kurla — con-

necting the Western, Central

and Harbour routes for pas-

sengers headed for the show.

The service will run from

the designated platform of

the train as per its daily

route once ahead of the con-

cert and will make a return

trip from Nerul until

Andheri with the two stops

in between, after the show is

over.Customers can buy the

travel package for the special

charter train service on

BookMyShow.There are dedicated bus

services for the concert aswell.

There are pick-up and drop

bus services from multiple

areas in and around the city,

directly to the venue.Oscar-winning composer

AR Rahman will be opening

for U2 when the Irish rock

band performs in Mumbai.

Rahman’s performance will

also feature his two daugh-

ters.Rahman will perform

Ahimsa, a collaborative sin-

gle with the rock band,

which comprises frontman

Bono, guitarist the Edge,

bassist Adam Clayton and

drummer Larry Mullen Jr.

The band is popular for

hits like With or without you,

I still haven’t found what I’m

looking for and Beautiful

day.

A

AMBEDKAR'S LIFE TO BEBROUGHT ALIVE IN TV SERIES

Hindi televi-sion series isall set tonarrate thestory of DrBhimrao

Ambedkar, who isregarded as the archi-tect of the Constitutionof India. titled EkMahanayak: Dr BRAmbedkar, the showfeatures popularMarathi actors asPrasad Jawade, NehaJoshi and JagannathNivangune.

Child actor AayudhBhanushali will beseen essaying theyounger version ofAmbedkar, whilePrasad will take overthe starring role as thestory progresses.

“He (Dr Ambedkar)fought for one India.You will get to see hisjourney since the timehe was five years of agetill the end,” Prasad

said here on Tuesday.Historian and

researcher on the lifeof Ambedkar,Professor Hari Narke,has lent his expertiseto the upcoming show,which is written byShanti Bhushan anddirected by ImtiazPunjabi.

Bhushan feels thereis so much to tell, andnot much has beentaught aboutAmbedkar in history.

“He was one of thebiggest leaders of ourcountry. He not onlywanted freedom fromthe British but alsowanted a change insociety,” he said andhopes that people areinspired byAmbedkar’s story.

Actor JagannathNivangune feels fortu-nate to be a part of theshow. “I playAmbedkar’s father. I

have been working inMarathi theatre andMarathi serials forlong. This is my firstHindi serial,” he said.

He is paired withNeha Joshi in theshow. “I will be seen asAmbedkar’s mother.It’s a big responsibility.I hope it inspires theparents of today,” shesaid.

Shinde, who has justwrapped up the fic-tional Hindi showRajaa Betaa, feels EkMahanayak: Dr BRAmbedkar is a hugeresponsibility.

“It is also a matter ofpride to show it to you.It is not an unknownconcept. It has beenwritten with a lot ofemotions,” she said.

The show, producedby Smruti Shinde’sSOBO Films, will pre-miere on December 17on &TV.

A

Mahesh Bhatt set tomake digital debut

with web-seriesilmmakerMaheshBhatt isventuringinto thedigital

space with a dramaticweb-series based onthe relationship of astruggling filmmakerand a top actress ofthe 70’s era.

Mahesh’s VisheshFilms and Jio Studioshas joined hands forthe yet un-titled pro-ject.

The director tweet-ed: “A perfect begin-ning. Happy partner-ing with @jiostudioson our digital debut!A dramatic web-series based in 70s

Bollywood exploringthe relationship of astruggling filmmakerand a top actress ofthat era! The greatestlocation in the worldis the human heart.@VisheshFilms@JioCinema.”

This is not the firsttime Mahesh is mak-ing a film based on aBollywood actress’slife. His 2006 filmWoh Lamhe... starringShiney Ahuja andKangana Ranaut, wassupposedly based onParveen Babi’s life,her battle with schiz-ophrenia and herrelationship withMahesh Bhatt towhom she was a

lover, as well as amentor.

A tweet from theofficial Jio Studiosaccount said:“Delighted toannounce our col-laboration with mas-ter storytellers@VisheshFilms forweb series based ona dramatic love storyset in 70s Bollywoodthat explores thehighs and lows ofthe relationshipbetween a marriedstruggling filmmaker and a topactress of that time.”

Other detailsrelated to the filmare still underwraps.

F

FUN TIME

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

ctor Rahul Vijay, who will commence shootingfor Black and White with debutant directorRavinder from today in Hyderabad, hasgiven his consent to another film. Tomark the directorial debut of BVSurya who assisted Sreenu

Vaitla in the past, the untitled film willbe a romantic comedy. It will belaunched in January-end and theshoot will kick-off in February. Thedirector is planning to introducetwo new actresses’ with the film, aHyderabad set drama. Producedby C Gopalakrishna Reddy, it willhave music by Sai Karthik, whileEeshar Mahanti will make hiscinematography debut.

Meanwhile, Rahul’s immedi-ate release would be CollegeKumar, a Telugu-Tamil bilin-gual with director Santhu. Itwill most likely hit the bigscreens early next year.

Naga Chaitanya talks to NAGARAJGOUD about acting with Venky mama,

reasons for not working with debutantdirectors, positive criticism and others

he desire to work withhis real life uncleVenkatesh was at theback of NagaChaitanya’s mind for along time but at the

same time he was sure that heneeds to gain more familiaritywith his craft before rubbingshoulders with the veteran super-star. “Also, I wanted to do a filmwith Suresh Productions sincemy first film but it didn’t tran-spire. Suresh mama sent me some10-20 scripts over many years forsolo projects but somehow thingscouldn’t get going. Luckily withVenky Mama, both my wishes gotfulfilled (Suresh is the film’s pro-ducer). Suresh mama was instru-mental in designing the story in away that the film will be the bestone in my career,” NagaChaitanya tells us.

Chaitanya cuts a calm andrelaxed figure on the sets butadmits learning to be morerelaxed and positive by observingVenky. “He is a hero with nohaters and after shooting withhim, I realised that he earned thattag because of his positivity.There were occasions where hewould lose his cool if he spotsthings not going according toplan but then his sudden temperalso helps things to fall back inorder,” he points out, addingthat in real life as well, they aregenerally very reserved.

“There’s a bond in our silence offsets. However, as I was playingan extremely energetic role inthe film, it took me 10 days toget adjusted. For 30 long years,I’ve behaved in a certain way infront of him and it wasn’t easyto shed that inhibition in frontof the camera just like that. Ihave a lot of memories withhim even when I stayed in

Chennai. I share a specialbond with him and ithelped the film’s emotionallayer. The audience will feelreal connection between

our roles.”Venky is known for

his comic timing andChay admits that itwas difficult to matchhis senior. “I con-

sumed a lot of takes toget my lines right. Duringsome scenes I couldn’t con-trol myself laughing seeinghis expressions. It was ablessing to work with him.In fact, working with himwould be a plus for anyactor,” the actor smiles.

While the initial por-

tions in the film will see himgraduating from college and as ahappy-go college boy who goes tohis village to help his mama finda right girl to marry, the latterportions will see him as an Armyman fighting across the border.He is grateful for the film’s teamto have designed a major actionblock on him. “The action filmsI’ve done till now didn’t find anaudience but the team of VenkyMama gave me a shot at actiononce again with a militaryepisode in Kashmir. It’s the mostchallenging role I’ve got till now,”he stresses.

The actor went through hisshare of box-office woes in thepast but this year has been afruitful for him, as his Majili isone of the year’s biggest earners,clocking more than Rs 50 crore.He insists that when a film of hisfails, he analyses what wentwrong before making the nextmove. Plus, he adds, “Socialmedia is helping me to filter reac-tions. I believe in taking advan-tage of positive criticism andworking towards it. Yes, there willbe people who will intentionallywrite negative stuff but there willbe genuine feedback as well.Once a film of mine releases, Iwill be very active on socialmedia,” he states his mantra.

The actor of late has stoppedgiving his nod to debutant direc-tors. His films like Dhada,Bezawada and YuddhamSharanam with debut directorsfailed to click, prompting him tooverlook fresh talent for sometime. He informs once he reach-es a stable position as an actor, hewill start encouraging new direc-tors. “I’m a director’s actorand my performance solelyrests on a director. Till Ideliver two-three morehits, I want to continueworking with experi-enced directors. I feelI’m in better handsunder them. Newdirectors might thinktwice to demand foranother take from meas I’m more experi-enced than themwhereas experienceddirectors will notyield until they get aperfect shot. SekharKammula is doingthe same with mefor my next withhim and I’m enjoy-ing the process. It’s aplanned risk I’vetaken,” he signs off.

ore than a year afterTaxiwaala, starringVijay Deverakonda,opened in cinemas,director RahulSankrityan has finally

bagged his next. He has beenpitching his scripts to multipleactors in the past six monthsand The Pioneer has under-stood that he has got the nodof Nani for his third director-ial. Naga Vamsi of SitharaEntertainments will be pool-ing in resources for the pro-

ject.A source close to the devel-

opment exclusively tells us,“Rahul met Nani earlier this

year with a sci-fi script. The

actor liked it but felt it didn’t gowell with his image. Monthslater, Naga Vamsi got to knowthat the director had anotherscript and upon hearing it, heimmediately felt it was tailor-made for Nani. He arranged ameeting between the actor andthe director. The actor was nar-rated the story 10 days ago andhe was sold. However, he hadsome queries, which Rahulattended to. In the second narra-tion, the actor gave his go-ahead.However, an official agreementto this end hasn’t been signedyet.”

The source adds, “The filmwill be an intense love story butthere’s an extra layer to it, which

will be the film’s USP. This layerdrove Nani to greenlit the film,as he felt the film’s story will be awelcome change for him after afamily drama like Tuck Jagadish.A major part of the untitled filmwill be shot in Hyderabad. It’slikely it will go to sets in June orearly July.” — NG

Vijayawada Thursday December 12, 2019

THE UNTITLED FILMWILL BE A ROMANTICCOMEDY AND WILL BELAUNCHED INJANUARY-END ANDTHE SHOOT WILL KICK-OFF IN FEBRUARY

THE FILM WILL BE ANINTENSE LOVE STORYBUT THERE’S AN EXTRALAYER TO IT, WHICHWILL BE THE FILM’SUSP

A

T

11

tollywoodRAHULSankrityanto directNANI

I'M IN BETTER HANDS: CHAY

he filming of Naga Shaurya’s thirdhome production, Ashwathama, is over.Directed by debutant Ramana Teja, thefilm is gearing up for a release onJanuary 31. The film’s makers are fol-lowing the Chalo sentiment. A box-

office winner, Chalo released on February 2 nearlya couple of years ago. “Shaurya penned the storytaking inspiration from real life incidents. Theoutput has been good,” Ashwathama film’s produc-er Usha said at a presser in Hyderabad onWednesday.

In the Visakhapatnam-set film, Shaurya will beseen as someone who boldly questions anythingthat he finds to be unjust or inappropriate in thesociety. Mehreen is cast opposite him.

Meanwhile, Shaurya has shifted attention toshoot debutante Souujanya Medarametla’s film, alove story. Sithara Productions is producing themovie, which sees Ritu Varma alongside Shaurya.

T

RAHULVIJAY signsa rom-com

NIVETHA in talks forPink Telugu remake

ast seen in the successfulBrochevarevaru Raa,Nivetha Thomas is thefrontrunner to repriseTaapsee Pannu in PinkTelugu remake with

Pawan Kalyan in the lead. As therole required a performer with agood deal of experience, directorVenu Sreeram felt Nivetha was aptand approached her, reports doingthe rounds indicate. Impressed by

the work the director did on herrole and the fact that the filmaddresses an important issue con-cerning women, Nivetha, it seems, isseriously considering the offer. Itwouldn’t be a surprise if the petiteactress, who will be seen in super-star Rajinikanth’s Darbar next,makes the cut.

The film, yet to get a title, will goto floors after Sankranti, with PawanKalyan joining it in February. It will

be a joint production venturebetween Boney Kapoor and DilRaju.

Pink, starring Amitabh Bachchan,Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari andAndrea Tariang made a wave in thecountry with its portrayal of youngwomen’s life in a patriarchal countryand made the nation understandthat if a woman says no she meansit. It won the Best Film on SocialIssues National Award in 2017.

L

Ashwathamabooks its date

M

PTI n VADODARA

Staying true to his word, PrithviShaw on Wednesday appeared in his

‘2.0’ avatar and blazed his way intonational reckoning with a double hun-dred for Mumbai against Baroda.

Continuing his purple patch afterreturning to competitive cricket froman eight-month doping ban, Shawsmashed 202 off 179 balls to putMumbai on the road to victory in theirGroup B encounter at the RelainceStadium.

Shaw had recently assured that itwill be ‘Prithvi Shaw 2.0 going forward’,and he lived up to that by hitting 19fours and seven sixes.

Mumbai, who had made 431 intheir first essay, got the crucial first-innings lead after bundling out Barodafor 307, who could add only six runs totheir overnight total.

For Baroda, opener Kedar Devdharremained unbeaten on 160.

Courtesy Shaw’s double ton andskipper Suryakumar Yadav’s quick-fireunbeaten 102, Mumbai declared theirsecond innings at 409/4, setting Barodaa mammoth target of 534.

Mumbai’s second innings was allabout Shaw, who was playing his firstfirst-class game after the suspension,and the pint-sized opener made opti-

mum use of the opportunity.Shaw, who could be in contention

for the third opener’s slot in Tests, tooka listless Baroda attack to the cleaners.He will also be on the plane for IndiaA team’s tour of New Zealand.

The right-handed batsman had allshots in the book as he raced to his 100in just 84 balls and then converted itinto a memorable double ton.

Shaw and Jay Bista (68) laid thefoundation of the mammoth total byconjuring a 190-run stand for the firstwicket.

The youngster from Virar thenfound an able ally in Surya, who racedhis way to 102 not out in 70 balls, with12 fours and five sixes.

The two stitched a 78-run stand forthe fourth wicket to take the game awayfrom Baroda.

Baroda, needing 534 runs for a win,finished the third day at 74/3 withMumbai left-arm spinner Shams

Mulani taking two wickets.

DELHI FFACE IINNINGS DDEFEATTHUMBA: Off-spinner Jalaj Saxenashowed his Delhi counterparts how tobowl on an unresponsive track with asix-wicket haul, raising visions of aninnings victory for Kerala.

On a track where Delhi’s ShivamSharma, Vikas Mishra and Tejas Barokadisappointed, domestic warhorseSaxena scalped 6 for 63 in 24 overs toskittle out Delhi for 142 in their firstinnings. This was after Kerala posted amassive 525 for nine declared.

With 383 runs in arrears, Keralacaptain Sachin Baby rightly asked Delhito follow-on and their openers AnujRawat (87 off 103 balls) and KunalChandela (51 off 103 balls) added 130for the opening stand.

At stumps, Delhi were 142 for onein their second innings and still need-ing 241 to avoid what could be a humil-

iating innings defeat.

HARYANA EEDGE MMAHAROHTAK: Haryana seized the upperhand against Maharashtra on the thirdday of Group C encounter, havingreduced their opponents to 61 for fivein the second innings.

Skipper Harshal Patel did the starturn for Haryana, taking four wicketsin the first innings, as Maharashtra wereall out for 247. And then in the secondinnings, Maharashtra were rocked earlyby Patel, who got SM Gugale (0) and CGKhurana (0) with the team score onzero.

The in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad (7, 26balls) and Shaik added 41 runs for thethird wicket before Kundu dismissedthe former.

K’TAKA GGAIN LLEADDINDIGUL: Karnataka gained the all-important first innings lead againstTamil Nadu in Group B encounter,despite a superb ton by the experiencedDinesh Karthik (113).

Off-spinner Krishnappa Gowthamwas the star performer for Karnataka,picking up six wickets for 110 runs.

Karnataka recovered from 23 for 3in the second innings to end the day at89 for 5, a lead of 118 runs with a day’splay remaining.

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2019

RAWALPINDI: Test cricket made itslong-awaited return to Pakistan aftera deadly attack in 2009, with thehome team led by fast bowler NaseemShah dominating Sri Lanka onWednesday.

Naseem, who is just 16, grabbed2-51 on the opening day of the firstTest which marked a momentousoccasion in Pakistan cricket atRawalpindi stadium.

Sri Lanka won the toss and bat-ted and closed the day at a precari-ous 202-5 after bad light stopped play20.5 overs early.

At close Dhananjaya de Silva wasunbeaten on 38 and NiroshanDickwella not out 11 as Sri Lanka

spoiled a good 96-run start given byskipper Dimuth Karunaratne (59)and Oshada Fernando (40).

Pakistan struggled for wickets inthe first session as Sri Lanka reached89-0 at lunch.

Shaheen Shah Afridi trappedKarunaratne leg-before soon afterlunch to trigger a collapse which sawthe visitors lose four wickets withinjust 31 runs in the post lunch session.

Naseem then had Fernandocaught at slip for 40, an innings lacedwith six boundaries and a six.

He also had Angelo Mathewscaught in the slips for 31. Mathewsadded 62 runs for the fifth wicketwith De Silva.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Opener Mayank Agawal wason Wednesday named as

Shikhar Dhawan’s replacementin India’s ODI squad for thethree-match series against theWest Indies as the southpaw hasnot yet recovered from his kneeinjury.

Dhawan had suffered a deepcut on his left knee during a SyedMushtaq Ali Trophy gameagainst Maharashtra in Suratand was subsequently ruled outof the ongoing T20 series.

“The BCCI Medical Teamfeels that while Dhawan’s stitch-es are off and his wound is heal-ing gradually, he still needs

some more time before heregains full match fitness,” theBCCI said in a statement.

“The All-India SeniorSelection Committee has namedMayank Agarwal as replace-ment for the injured ShikharDhawan in India’s squad for theupcoming series against WestIndies,” it added.

India will play three ODIsagainst the West Indies inChennai (December 15),Visakhapatnam (December 18)and Cuttack (December 22).

Agarwal, who is currentlyplaying Ranji Trophy matchagainst Tamil Nadu in Dindigul,will join the national team inChennai before the first game.

AFP nPERTH

Australia will field the same teamfor the third Test in a row when

they face New Zealand in sauna-likeconditions under lights at Perth – afirst under Tim Paine’s captaincy.

Coach Justin Langer has beenworking hard to mould a steady XIand after thrashing Pakistan in tworecent Tests sees no reason to chopand change for a tougher day-nightassignment against the Black Caps.

“We’ve been playing some real-ly good cricket, happy with the wayit’s going so we’re trying to get a con-sistent team together,” Paine toldreporters on Wednesday.

“And as I touched on afterAdelaide (second Test againstPakistan), the great thing is we’ve gotguys that are performing reallywell.

“That’s what we wanted sowe’re going to go with the sameteam.”

That means Mitchell Starc, PatCummins and Josh Hazlewoodagain lead the attack, with JamesPattinson and Michael Neser miss-ing out.

Paine suggested that mightchange for the next two Tests inMelbourne and Sydney, which arecloser together.

“But at the moment the threebig fellas are fit and firing,” he said.

Australia have momentumgoing into today’s game. They have

never lost at the new Perth Stadiumand have won all six day-night Teststhey have played.

That includes at Adelaide ear-lier this month. In contrast, NewZealand last played a day-night Test

nearly two years ago againstEngland in Auckland and haveonly won three of 31 Tests inAustralia and have not claimed aseries on the other side of theTasman since 1985-86.

PTI n KABUL

The AfghanistanCricket Board re-

appointed former cap-tain Asghar Afghan asthe skipper across allformats of the game onWednesday.

The decision takenby the ACB’s top management officials, comes sevenmonths after Asghar was stripped from captaincy acrossformats.

Afghanistan’s poor show in a ‘home series’ against WestIndies where they lost all in three formats may haveprompted the authorities to call back Afghan.

“As per the decision by ACB Top management, seniorplayer Asghar Afghan is reappointed as team Afghanistan’scaptain across formats,” ACB wrote on its official Twitterhandle on Wednesday.

In April, two months before the ODI World Cup, ACBhad named Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khanas replacements of Asghar in the Test, ODI and T20 teamsrespectively.

However, after the World Cup after a disappointingshow in England, where Afghanistan lost all its nine match-es, all-rounder Rashid was named skipper across all for-mats.

PTI n MUMBAI

KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma andskipper Virat Kohli struckexplosive half centuries to

power India to a mammoth 240 for3 in series-deciding third T20against West Indies here atWankhede Stadium onWednesday.

West Indies decision to bowlfirst backfired as Indian openersKL Rahul (91 off 56 balls; 9x4, 4x6)and local boy Rohit Sharma (71 off34 balls; 6x4; 5x6) conjured 135runs for first wicket in 11.4 overs.

They took a listless oppositionattack to cleaners and smashed 72runs in first six powerplay overs.While Rohit completed his 50 off23 balls, Rahul did it in 29 deliv-eries.

And later in the innings, Kolhi(70 off 29 balls; 4x4; 7x6) showedhis class as he and Rahul put up a95-run-stand off 45 balls for thirdwicket to propel the hosts to thehighest total at WankhedeStadium.

Rohit began with a coverdrive boundary off pacer

Sheldon Cottrell. In sec-ond over off Jason

Holder, Rahul hitback-to-back bound-aries at the third man

region, the first coming from athick outside edge.

Rohit then stamped his classas he pulled Cottrell for a six andfollowed by a four towards mid-off region. It was Rohit’s 400th sixin international cricket to becomethe first Indian to achieve the featand third after Chris Gayle andShahid Afridi.

Rahul then struck a four fol-lowed by a six over third manfence as India amassed 14 runs off4th over by Jason Holder.

Left-arm spinner Khary Pierre

was introduced into the attack, butRohit welcomed him with a tow-ering six over long-on. The nextball, Evin Lewis, almost pulled offa one-handed blinder, but couldnot complete the catch. Rahulinflicted more agony on KesrickWilliams as he hit two fours anda six in the sixth over.

Then Rohit hit two consecu-tive sixes and a four off Pierre asIndia raced to 102/0 after 8 overs.

This was third 100-run standbetween the two in T20s. At thehalf-way mark, India were 116/0.

However, West Indies pegged backIndia by removing Rohit and one-down Rishabh Pant (0) quickly.

Then Kohli joined Rahul asthe two continued the onslaught.Kohli was brutal on Holder, as hehit two fours and a six in the 15thover, as India scored 22 runs offit.

The last five overs belonged toKohli, who hammered fours andsixes at will as West Indies paidheavy price for indiscipline bowl-ing. Fittingly Kohli finished theinnings with a straight six.

Australia vs New ZealandLive from 10:30am IST

SONY SIX NETWORK

Mayank replacesDhawan for ODIs

TRIPLE TREATRahul, Rohit, Kohli power India to 240/3

Rohit Sharma, left, is congratulated by KL Rahul for scoring 50 runs during the third T20I AP

SHAW STOPPERPrithvi scores maiden double hundred as Mumbaiedge close to big win over Baroda

Prithvi Shaw in action for Mumbai PTI/File Picture

Asghar reappointedAfghans captain

Pakistan vs Sri LankaLive from 10:00am IST

SONY ESPN NETWORK

Pak dominate SL on day 1

Pakistani pacer Mohammad Abbas, right, celebrates after dismissing Dinesh Chandimal AP

Dar set to breakBucknor’s record

Kane Williamson and Tim Paine pose with trophy before the start of Test series ICC/Twitter

Kangaroos out to hunt Kiwis

sport 12

Score Overs Opponent Venue Date

260-5 20 Sri Lanka Indore 22-12-2017

244-4 20 West Indies Lauderhill 27-08-2016

240-3 20 West Indies Mumbai 11-12-2019

218-4 20 England Durban 19 -09-2007

213-4 20 Ireland Dublin 29-06-2018

Sixes Score Opponent Venue Date

21 260-5 Sri Lanka Indore 22-12-2017

16 240-3 West Indies Mumbai 11-12-2019

13 162-8 New Zealand Christchurch 25-02-2009

13 213-4 Ireland Dublin 29-06-2018

13 212-4 New Zealand Hamilton 10-02- 2019

13 190-4 Australia Bengaluru 27-02-2019

INDIA'S HHIGHEST TTOTALS IIN TT20s

MOST SSIXES IIN AAN IINDIAN IINNINGS IIN TT20s

Sixes (Score) Batsman Opponent Venue Date

10 (118) Rohit Sharma Sri Lanka Indore 22-12-2017

8 (89) Lokesh Rahul Sri Lanka Indore 22-12-2017

7 (58) Yuvraj Singh England Durban 19-09-2007

7 (72) Yuvraj Singh Pakistan Ahmedabad 28-12-2012

7 (111*) Rohit Sharma West Indies Lucknow 06-11-2018

7 (70*) Virat Kohli West Indies Mumbai 11-12-2019

MOST SSIXES IIN AAN IINNINGS FFOR IINDIA IIN TT20Is

FAISEL FEATURES

PTI n DUBAI

Pakistan’s Aleem Dar will breakSteve Bucknor’s record of most

Test matches as an umpire in the firstTest today.

The 51-year-old, who took upumpiring after a decade of playingfirst-class cricket in Pakistan, will bestanding in his 129th Test match ason-field umpire after making hisdebut in Dhaka in 2003 duringEngland’s tour of Bangladesh.

Starting his international careerin 2000 during Pakistan’s homeODI series against Sri Lanka, Darhas officiated in 207 ODIs and isonly two matches shy of the recordof 209 matches in that format heldby Rudi Koertzen of South Africa.Dar has also officiated in 46 T20Internationals.

“This is one milestoneI had never thought ofwhen I began myumpiring career. It isa truly amazing

feeling and a high point of my lifewhen I take the field here inAustralia; thousands of miles fromwhere I started my internationalcareer at home in Gujranwala,” saidDar in an ICC statement.

“Steve Bucknor was my idoland it is only sinking in now thatI will have officiated in more Testmatches than him. In the nearlytwo decades of my internationalcareer, I have had the good fortuneof watching some memorablematches and achievements likeBrian Lara’s Test knock of 400 notout and South Africa’s epic chase ofAustralia’s score of 434 in an ODIin Johannesburg in 2006,” he added.