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HYDERABAD, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2021; PAGES 10+16 `5

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RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

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HYDERABAD DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN VIJAYAWADA

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Work on your credibility, Goyal tells CAs

‘Comparing parties with religious

fantastics fine’Israeli couple held in Turkey for ‘espionage’

P6

P5

P10

Student's death:Principal bookedunder POCSO Act

The principal of a school here was

on Saturday booked under theProtection of Children from

Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for notacting on a complaint from a student

who died by suicide after a sexualassault by a teacher, police said. Theschool head is now absconding and

two special police teams were set upto trace her. Chief Minister of Tamil

Nadu M K Stalin expressed grief overthe student's death and promised

stringent action against the culprits. Hesaid the act of "some human beasts"

has taken away a life. "Schools shouldensure sexual assaults do not happen.

(we) will arrest the culprits and bringthem before the law... will ensure thesafety of women," he said in a tweet.

SC allows some HCsto shift judges tryingcases on MPs, MLAs

The Supreme Court on Saturday

permitted the High Courts ofBombay, Allahabad and Punjab

and Haryana to transfer some specialjudges trying criminal cases against

sitting and former MPs and MLAs toother courts in their respective states

on grounds such as "administrativeexigencies", and asked them to find

suitable substitutes quickly to ensurethat such trials are not delayed.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N VRamana, hearing a 2016 PIL seeking

life ban on contesting elections onlawmakers convicted of heinous

crimes and speedy disposal of casesagainst them, had earlier directed all

the High Courts not to transfer specialjudges without its prior nod.

Mullaperiyar damstructurally,

seismically safe: TN

The Tamil Nadu government has

told the Supreme Court that"repeated assertion" by Kerala

to seek decommissioning of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam is "whollyimpermissible" as the dam has been

found to be hydrologically, structurallyand seismically safe. Mullaperiyar

dam was built in 1895 on the Periyarriver in Idukki district of Kerala. In aresponse to an affidavit filed by the

Kerala government on the Mullaperiyardam matter, Tamil Nadu told the apex

court that there is no limit specified fora dam's life and the empowered

committee has said it is linked to theinherent health and care through

maintenance, repair and rehabilitation.

In brief

HYDERABADWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated November 13, 2021 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Kartik & Shukla Paksha

Tithi : Ekadashi Full Night

Nakshatram: Purva Bhadrapada 16:31

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 4:12 pm - 5:36 pm

Yamagandam: 12:00 pm - 1:24 pm

Varjyam: 2:46 am - 4:29 am

Gulika: 2:48 pm - 4:12 pm

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 8:09 am - 9:49 am

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:38 am - 12:22 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Partly cloudyTemp: 29Humidity: 67%Sunrise: 6:20 amSunset: 5:41 pm

o KCR to skip, HM Mahmood Ali to represent Telangana

26 Maoists killed inencounter in MaharashtraPNS n NAGPUR / MUMBAI

At least 26 Maoists were killed onSaturday in an encounter withpolice in eastern Maharashtra'sGadchiroli district, over 900 kmfrom Mumbai, senior officialssaid.

"We have recovered the bodiesof 26 naxals so far from the forest,"said district Superintendent ofPolice Ankit Goyal.

The gun battle took place in themorning at Korchi in Mardintolaforest area when a C-60 policecommando team was conductinga search operation led by addition-al SP Soumya Munde, Mr Goyalsaid.

Maharashtra Home MinisterDilip Walse-Patil said: “Today’saction is historic not only in thehistory of the State but also of thecountry. We are proud of ourpolice.”

While identity of the Maoists

killed was yet to be ascertained,according to sources a top rebelleader was suspected to be amongthem.

Four police personnel were alsoseriously injured in the actionand were taken to Nagpur by a hel-icopter for treatment, officials hadsaid earlier.

Crucial Southern ZonalCouncil meeting todayPNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K ChandrasekharRao will not be attending the cru-cial 29th Southern Zonal Councilmeeting, being held after a gap oftwo years, to be chaired by UnionHome Minister Amit Shah atTirupati on November 14.

While a Statement released byMinistry of Home Affairs saidthat the meeting will discuss arange of issues including boundarydisputes, security, infrastructuresuch as road, transport, industries,water and power, forests and envi-ronment, housing, education, foodsecurity, tourism of the membersStates, it is important for the twoTelugu States given the number ofunresolved disputes and mutualcomplaints against each other.

Amit Shah too had emphasisedon using the platform for disputeresolving and promoting cooper-ative federalism.

Apart from post bifurcationissues, there are other mattersunresolved – re-allocation ofKrishna river water or the issuespending with the Centre and yet tobe filled assurances given under theState Reorganisation Act, 2014and the Telangana governmentwill undoubtedly raise them.

Earlier, KCR’s visit to Delhi andhis meetings with various Union

Ministers were believed to havebeen fruitful to the extent he expl-ained the pending issues and hadone to one meetings with the Uni-on Home Minister. However, therecent war of words between theState TRS and BJP leaders and sta-lemate over the procurement of Ya-sangi paddy with the Centre andthe TRS led dharnas in support offarmers changed the equation.

The Tirupati meeting would

have been an opportunity forTelangana to follow up and alsoseek proactive involvement ofCentre in resolving the issuesbetween the two Telugu Statesrelated to sharing of Krishna waterand constitution of a new Tribunalor giving new terms of reference tothe existing Tribunal for re-alloca-tion of Krishna water afresh.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy receives Union Home Minister AmitShah on his arrival in Tirupati on Saturday for the Southern Zonal Council meeting on Sunday.

Jagan may beonly non-BJPCM at SZC meetPNS n HYDERABAD

With Telangana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao confirmingthat he would not attend and pres-ence of MK Stalin and PinarayiVijayan doubtful due to the rainsituation in their respective States,Andhra Pradesh Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy may bethe sole non-BJP Chief Ministerpresent at the Southern ZonalCouncil meeting on Sunday(Puducherry Chief Minister NRangaswamy heads a govern-ment in coalition with the BJP).

This will probably make himthe cynosure of all eyes at themeeting.

Jagan reached Tirupati onSaturday, instead of the original-ly planned Sunday afternoon, toreceive Union Home MinisterAmit Shah at the temple town.

According to sources, Jaganplans to accompany Amit Shahfor darshan of Lord Venkateswaraat Tirumala. A

s per the tentative programme,Amit Shah was to have darshanon Monday morning leaving forDelhi.

Sources said that Jagan andAmit Shah are likely to have aone-on-one meeting and discusspolitical issues.

Of late, the gap between BJPand YSRCP has widened at thenational level too, in spite of theAndhra Pradesh Chief Ministertrying his best to maintain cordialrelations with the saffron partyleaders.

Harass farmers at your ownperil, Minister warns CentrePNS n HYDERABAD

Warning that no government thatharassed and caused anguish to thefarming community had ever suc-ceeded in retaining power,Telangana Agriculture Minister SNiranjan Reddy on Saturdayechoed the statements made by hisCabinet colleagues on Friday thatthere would be no let-up in theprotests till such time the Centremakes its stand on procurement ofYasangi paddy clear.

A day after the successful dhar-nas against the dual stand ofCentral and State BJP leaders onpurchase of paddy in Yasangi, theAgriculture Minister spoke tomedia persons at the TelanganaBhavan where he said that the TRSas a political force, and farmers asstakeholders, were waiting fordirections from Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao to intensify

their protests.“KCR would discuss the Centre’s

stand and present situation in theparty and in the Cabinet andwould give a direction for thefuture course of action to addressissues of farmers along with otherpending issues of the State,”Niranjan Reddy said.

TS health sector to get Rs 10K-cr booster dose: HarishPNS n HYDERABAD

Health Minister Harish Rao onSaturday said that Rs 10,000 crorewould be spent to strengthen themedical sector in the State in thecoming days.

Speaking during a video confer-ence with Collectors, DMHOs andDCHs and officials of the Medicaland Health Department onSaturday on vaccination, new med-ical colleges and performance ofhospitals, the Minister said thatChief Minister K ChandrasekharRao wants to make Telangana 100Covid-vaccinated State.

Harish Rao directed Collectorsto set vaccination targets for habi-tations, villages and zones. He alsodirected authorities to review the

vaccination targets every week.There are 2.77crore people aged

18 years and above in the Statewhile 3.43 crore doses have beenadministered so far in Telangana.Of these 3.43 crore doses admin-istered, nearly 85 percent have

been the first dose.The Health Minister directed

district Collectors to ensure that theconstruction of eight medical col-leges is completed by December.

KTR: Accessibility enablesparticipatory governanceNAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

Telangana netizens never had it sogood: They can get TSRTC busrefunds, get Metro timings extend-ed or even make Tank Bund pedes-trian-friendly merely by posting iton social media.

When a netizen sent a tweet toMunicipal Administration and ITMinister KT Rama Rao suggestingMetro trains should start earlier,within a day, the trains began run-ning from 6 am.

In another instance, a com-muter sent a tweet to TSRTC MDthat he forgot to collect change of

Rs 85 from conductor and presto,the amount was refunded.

In KTR’s own words: “This is agovernment that listens to its peo-ple. This is a government thatbelieves in participatory gover-nance.”

A citizen suggested turning theTank Bund a picnic spot for fam-ilies on the weekends, and now,every Sunday is a ‘Funday’.“Another person asked and westarted a similar programme atCharminar. This is a governmentthat believes in getting feedback,”the Minister said.

KTR blames Centre’s ‘mental block’ for road blocksPNS n HYDERABAD

An exasperated Minister KT RamaRao lashed out at the Centre onSaturday, stating that its inability orunwillingness to hand over Defencelands to Telangana as requested wasdue to its ‘mental block’ and thatit was only giving awards to a per-forming State and not rewards.

“Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao has asked thePrime Minister and the DefenceMinistry many times, but for somereason they have a mental block

(against the State). They don'twant to give roads here,” KTR said.

Explaining the situation of roads,

KTR said, “Traversing fromParadise to Shamirpet is scary asthe traffic has increased so muchthat people are stuck for hours.There is way too much traffic onthe Paradise to Patny stretch. Thesepeople (the Centre) are obstruct-ing it.”

Stating that the Defence author-ities are running a ‘parallel govern-ment’ of sorts, KTR said, “LangarHouz and Dulkapur nala flowsthrough the Cantonment areas.

Colonel family among 7 dead in

ambush by terrorists in ManipurPNS n GUWAHATI

An Indian ArmyColonel, his wifeand son, and foursoldiers were killedin an ambush byterrorists near theborder withMyanmar in Manipur.

The terror attack - one ofthe deadliest in the

region in recenttimes - took place at10 am in Manipur'sChurachandpurdistrict, sources

have said.

Medical and Health Minister T Harish Rao addresses a video conference with Collectors,DMHOs and DCHs and officials of the Medical and Health Department on Saturday.

CONG AUTOPSY OF FAILURE

High command experiences the chaos withinK VENKATESHWARLUn HYDERABAD

The Congress high command onSaturday got to experience first-hand the deep divisions, the egotrips and the overall mistrust thatpermeates Gandhi Bhavan inHyderabad when it tried to conductan autopsy on the party’s dismalperformance in Huzurabad.

The attempt to identify the rootcause for the by-poll drubbingrevealed to the party’s high com-mand that the problem is not lim-ited to Huzurabad alone – it hasconsumed the Telangana Congressto the extent that if no correctiveaction is taken right away, therewould be no hope for the party in

the State.To put it mildly, every single

leader of the State Congress triedto blame his party colleague for theHuzurabad debacle.

In fact, the Congress war roommeeting even saw blame-gameover Eatala Rajender.

Yet anotherlow-pressurearea over BayPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

One more low-pressure areaformed over the Bay of Bengal onSaturday. It is likely to movewest-north westwards and con-centrate into a depression overnorth Andaman sea and adjoin-ing south east Bay of Bengal byNovember 15. According toCyclone Warning Centre,Visakhapatnam, the cool climatesystem is likely to continue tomove west-north westwards,intensify further and reach nearAndhra Pradesh coast aroundNovember 18.

Modi chairsmeeting oncryptocurrencyamid concernsPNS n NEW DELHI

Amid concerns over misleadingclaims of huge returns on cryp-tocurrency investment, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onSaturday chaired a meeting on theway forward on the issue, withgovernment sources assertingthat such unregulated marketscannot be allowed to becomeavenues for "money launderingand terror financing".

It was strongly felt in the meet-ing that attempts to mislead theyouth through over-promisingand non-transparent advertisingshould be stopped, the sourcessaid, signalling that strong regu-latory steps are in the offing.

SC steps in; Delhishuts schoolsover pollutionPNS n NEW DELHI

Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal Saturday announced aslew of measures, including clo-sure of schools and colleges for aweek, work from home for gover-nment officials and ban on con-struction activities, after an angrySupreme Court termed the rise inpollution as an "emergency situ-ation" and suggested clamping alockdown in the national capital.

Kejriwal, who held an emer-gency meeting with his cabinetministers and departments con-cerned to tackle rising air pollu-tion, said that his government willpresent a proposal for lockdownbefore the apex court after discus-sions with the Centre, the CPCBand other agencies.

‘Denied ticket’,complains Surekhato Rahul GandhiF

ormer Minister and Congresssenior leader on Saturday lodged

a complaint with the party highcommand against the TelanganaCongress leadership, accusing themof ignoring her for the Huzurabadby-poll ticket, it is learnt. In a letterto AICC former president RahulGandhi, Surekha said that she wasready to contest the Huzurabad by-poll, but the party didn't give theticket to her.

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hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021

EGG

RATES

HYDERABAD 440

VIJAYAWADA 409

VISAKHAPATNAM 420

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `̀44..4400

`̀//110000

CHICKEN

RATES

Dressed/With Skin `200

Without Skin `220

Broiler at Farm `108

`̀//KKGG

(IN HYDERABAD)

PNS n HYDERABAD

Union Tourism Minister G.Kishan Reddy has askedChief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao toexplain when the Centre saidit will not procure paddy.

He asked the TRS govern-ment to concentrate on fillingvacant government posts,implementing AyushmanBharat and giving three acresto Dalits instead of stagingdharnas.

He asked KCR to explainwhy he had confined PavalaVaddi loans only toHuzurabad instead of provid-ing them across the State. Hesaid the Centre is ready toextend MMTS trains up toYadadri.

Addressing the media atthe BJP office on Saturday,Kishan asked KCR to tellwhether any farmer producesparboiled rice. The parboiledrice problem belongs to ricemillers. The Centre told theState to reduce parboiled ricein a phased manner. But thestate government is blamingthe Centre without speakingto rice millers, he said.

Kishan pointed out thatthose who opposed DharnaChowk now staged dharnathere. It is a good thing thateven ministers participated inthe dharna. The ministersstood as role models to him

(Kishan), he said.Why do TRS leaders criti-

cise the Centre saying that itis anti-farmer, Kishan asked.He asked KCR not to run hisgovernment using false pub-licity.

Finding fault with KCRfor asking the Centre toexplain why RamappaTemple did not get recogni-tion from UNESCO, Kishanasked KCR to tell whether hecan convince 19 nations whilesleeping at the PragathiBhavan.

The Centre sought propos-als for setting up medical col-leges. The state governmenthas to reveal where it hadapplied for medical colleges.

The TRS is now saying thatthe Centre didn't give a sin-

gle medical college. Isn't BibiNagar AIIMS not inTelangana? The state has tohand over buildings to theAIIMS keeping egos aside,Kishan said.

He said the Centre hasdecided to conduct GirijanDinotsav on November 15marking Birsamunda's birthanniversary. He said thatAlluri and Kumram Bheemdidn't get recognition fortheir movements.

The Centre is giving Rs 15crore for the tribal museum.Already the Centre has releasedRs 1 crore for it, he said.

The Centre will give fundsto the Sammakka SaralammaJatra being held Februaryand will also take part in it,he added.

KCR must reveal when Centre said it will not procure paddy: Kishan

BJP postpones MillionMarch, Praja Sangrama Yatra

The BJP has postponed its ‘Nirudyoga Million March'scheduled for November 16 and the second phase of the

'Praja Sangrama Yatra' scheduled for November 21 due tothe MLC elections. The party had readied its cadre from themandal level to the district level for the Nirudyoga MillionMarch. The BJP leaders had stated that they will reveal thenext date very soon. This is the second time the BJP ispostponing the Million March. At first, the BJP hadannounced that it will organise the Million March onNovember 12 like the Million March held during theTelangana movement in 2011. But it was postponed toNovember 16 and now the BJP has postponed it again. Theparty's general secretary D. Pradeep Kumar issued a noteregarding this stating that the party will organise both theprogrammes after the election code is withdrawn. He said theparty will launch protests continuously against the TRS.

BJP leaders attend secret meeting

The BJP held a secret meeting on Hyderabad's outskirtson Saturday after 8 pm. Sources said party vice-

president DK Aruna is giving dinner to all leaders attendingthe meeting. BJP leaders G. Kishan Reddy, Bandi SanjayKumar, Eatala Rajender, M. Raghunandan Rao, T. RajaSingh, AP Jithender Reddy, Vivek and others took part inthe meeting. It is learnt that the leaders discussed thedifferences between them and the efforts of the highcommand to bring all leaders on a single platform. Theleaders come to the conclusion that the BJP can face theTRS only if its leaders are united. The leaders alsodiscussed attracting leaders from other parties throughOperation Akarsh and other issues.

Harish Rao rejects Kishan ’sclaims on AIIMS as ‘lies’PNS n HYDERABAD

Rejecting the charges levelledby the Union Tourism Ministeron the AIIMS, Bibinagar as‘outright lies’, Telangana HealthMinister T Harish Rao onSaturday said that G KishanReddy is changing his standwith each passing day.

Referring to the fresh allega-tions of Kishan Reddy in amedia conference on Saturday,Harish Rao said that the otherday the Union Minister saidthat Telangana governmenthad not handed over the landfor the AIIMS. “We showedproof of land documents andproved that this charge was alie,” Harish Rao said.

He said that Kishan Reddywas repeatedly uttering liesthat there was no responsefrom Telangana governmentdespite letters written to it onthe issue of medical colleges.

“And today, Kishan Reddyreferred afresh to buildingdocuments and environmentclearance related to AIIMS. Hehas been varying his standevery day,” Harish Rao said ina statement.

The State Health Ministerpointed out that the Centrewrote a letter to ChiefSecretary Somesh Kumar onOctober 9 this year with regardto AIIMS and he coordinatedwith different Departmentsand ensured TOR was issuedwithin a week. “The State gov-ernment already handed over201 acres of land to AIIMS,”

Harish Rao said.“Kishan Reddy said that the

construction of AIIMS,Bibinagar was taken up duringthe time of YS RajasekharReddy. However, it was onlypartially constructed. Afterthe formation of Telangana, theState government spent Rs 45crore and brought the hospitalinto use and started the OPand diagnostic services,”Harish Rao said.

He said that Chief MinisterK Chandrasekhar Rao hadrepresented several times tothe Centre to allot AIIMS toTelangana for strengtheningthe public health sector. “Inother States, it took two tothree years for the constructionof buildings and hence com-mencement of classes wasdelayed in those States. InTelangana, the building com-plex constructed originally forNIMS was transferred toAIIMS and hence classes werestarted immediately,” theHealth Minister said.

“Kishan Reddy’s statementthat the expansion of AIIMS wasbecoming a problem because ofthe negligence of Telanganagovernment was an outrightlie,” Harish Rao said. He said thatthe State government not onlyhanded over the land required,but also sanctioned all approvals,including environmental clear-ance, immediately as sought bythe Centre.

Harish Rao also releasedletters related to the sanctionof approvals.

TS health...Continued from page 1

Officials were also asked toincrease the number ofbeds in the affiliate hospi-tals accordingly and alsoidentify hostel buildingsfor students.

District Collectors,DMHOs and DCHs arerequired to carry out reg-ular monitoring of thearea hospitals, PHCs andother facilities and buildtrust among the public, theMinister said.

Harish Rao said thatapart from allopathy med-icines, the practice of med-icine in other disciplinesshould be reviewed.

He said that movingforward, there will be sur-prise inspections in gov-ernment hospitals startingfrom PHCs to district hos-pitals.He directed author-ities to monitor the work-ing of healthcare staff --from Asha workers toHospital superintendents -- based on which, postingsand rewards will be given.

He said that while 946types of free medical ser-vices are being providedthrough Arogyasri, anoth-er 646 services are beingprovided throughAyushmaan Bharat.

Crucial Southern Zonal Council meeting todayContinued from page 1

Also as the Centre is keen onlinking of rivers, the platformwould be ideal for the TeluguStates to express their viewpoint.

KCR earlier stated that link-ing of rivers could be consid-ered only after the deprivedareas in Telangana were pro-vided with water first and forthat re-allocation of riverwaters was must.

With KCR not attending,State Home MinisterMohammed Mahmood Aliwould lead the Telangana del-egations and be accompaniedby Chief Secretary SomeshKumar and Finance SpecialSecretary Ramakrishna Rao.

A few weeks ago, it was indi-cated that KCR himself wouldattend the crucial meeting andthe bureaucrats of variousdepartments were asked toprepare detailed reports andPowerPoint presentations. TheState, which has been appreci-ated by Union Ministers aboutits progress in various sectors,decided to step up pressure forsanction of projects and fundsto enable it perform better.

Now with Chief Minister notattending, the onus will be onthe Ministers he deputes, apartfrom Home Minister and theofficials, to make their presen-tations effectively especiallyconsidering that the TRS gov-

ernment has made it clear thatit waited patiently for over sevenyears and indicated that it wouldbe more assertive in demandingwhat is due to the State.

However the recent war of

words between the State TRSleadership and BJP leadersand stalemate over the pro-curement of Yasangi paddywith the Centre and the TRSled dharnas in support of farm-ers apparently changed theequation. However sourcessaid that KCR did not attendany conference so far after theformation of the State.

The meeting was to beattended by Chief Ministers orMinisters of member Statescomprising Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala,Telangana and Union Territo-ries of Puducherry, Lakshad-weep and the Andaman andNicobar islands. It is beinghosted by Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy who is theVice-Chairman of the meeting.

Apart from Chief Ministersof above States, two Ministersfrom each State are members ofthe Council. The ChiefMinisters of Tamil Nadu andKerala would not be attendingdue to the rain situation in thosestates, according to sources.

The Council meeting origi-nally was scheduled for Marchthis year but was postponed asAmit Shah was indisposed.

Sexual offencescases to bediscussed

DBT on list of‘priority items’for discussion

The Centre is seeking detailsfrom States on the

estimated gains from variousdirect benefit transfer (DBT)schemes and the accruedsavings so far. The UnionCabinet Secretariat has listedthe DBT schemes as one ofthe priority items fordiscussion at the 29thSouthern Zonal Council (SZC)meeting scheduled forNovember 15 in the temple-town of Tirupati. Among thesouthern States, Karnataka,Kerala, Telangana andLakshadweep have notreported the estimated gainsor benefits from DBTschemes so far. Puducherryhas reported meagre savings.

Amaravati: Operationalisingthe fast-track special courtsfor early disposal of rape andchild sexual abuse (POCSOAct) cases and completingthe investigations within thestipulated 60-days in suchcases will be a major point ofdiscussion at the 29thSouthern Zonal Councilmeeting in Tirupati onSunday. The Union Ministryof Home Affairs has listedthis as a priority item in theSZC meeting agenda as thereis concern over a lowerpercentage of completion ofinvestigation into such caseswithin the prescribed time.

Harass farmers at your...Continued from page 1

He reminded that farmershave always punished gov-ernments that caused hard-ships to them. “At least nowthe Union government shouldannounce its policy on pur-chase of paddy in Yasangiand direct its state leaders tostick to that policy and stopspreading uncertainty andconfusion among farmers withtheir irresponsible statements,”Niranjan Reddy said.

He demanded that theCentre purchase, or at leastexamine the possibility ofprocuring, all food crops bycasting aside its stubbornstand. “Previous governmentsused to give incentives tothose who exported agricul-tural produce, but the BJP has

discontinued that policy anddiscouraged farmers,”Niranjan Reddy said.

The Minister said that theCentre, which kept importsand exports in its control,was not exploring newavenues for purchase of foodcrops. “Those with no under-standing about the responsibil-ities of Centre and States weretoday in leadership positionsin the BJP,” he regretted.

Thanking the farmers whoparticipated in Friday’s dhar-nas against the Centre overpurchase of paddy, theAgriculture Minister said thatTelangana was the State thatundertook crop bookingaccurately and based on theState’s data, PM’s SammanYojana could be implement-ed.

KTR blames Centre’s...Continued from page 1

They constructed a check damon it because of which inflowsto the Shah Hatim Talab areblocked. When we asked themto remove it (the check dam)so water could flow freely, theywouldn’t do so.”

“It's like they are running aparallel government and aparallel system here, as if theyare not part of this State. Suchis the behaviour of Defenceauthorities. They close theroads on their wish andwhims,” he said.

KTR said that the State will

take up agitation if Centre’sattitude towards Telanganadoesn’t change. “Many issueshave been pending with theUnion government since thelast 7.5 years. We will not letgo of any issue; we will followup and ensure they are cleared.If they don't listen, in democ-racy the only way is to protest.Yesterday we took to roads onpaddy procurement andbrought it to the notice of peo-ple. Even in the case ofHyderabad, tens of issues arepending, we will bring eachone before the people, we willpressurise the Centre.”

Modi chairs...Continued from page 1

"The government is cog-nizant of the fact that this isan evolving technology, itwill keep a close watch andtake proactive steps. Therewas consensus also that thesteps taken in this field by thegovernment will be progres-sive and forward looking," asource said.

The government will con-tinue to proactively engagewith experts and other stake-holders, sources added, not-ing that since the issue cutsacross geographical borders,it was felt that it will alsorequire global partnershipsand collective strategies.

"It was also an outcome ofa consultative process as RBI,Finance Ministry, HomeMinistry had done an elabo-rate exercise on it as well asconsulted experts from acrossthe country and the world.Global examples and bestpractices were also looked at,"the source said.

SC steps in...Continued from page 1

On Saturday, Delhi's air qual-ity remained in the severe cat-egory for the third consecu-tive day with the 24-hour ave-rage air quality index beingrecorded at 437, a marginal-ly better than the day before.

The air quality index ofneighbouring Ghaziabad,Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad,Greater Noida was no betterat 441, 441, 423, 464 and 408,respectively.

Kejriwal said that virtu-al classes will continue inthe city schools, adding th-at construction activitieswill also be shut down forfour days – from November14 to 17 as forecast is thatthere will be no wind andsmoke caused by stubbleburning will keep reachingDelhi.

"We are closing down sch-ools for one week so that ourchildren don't have to ventureout of their homes andbreathe polluted air," he said.

KTR: Accessibility...Continued from page 1

He said that no other govern-ment has been so accessible.

“No officer or Mayor evertook note of people's issues onsocial media and solved them.Not just Hyderabad, in othercorporations, public repr-esentatives are reaching out tous not just directly but also th-rough social media. We aresolving problems,” KTR said.

Colonel family among...Continued from page 1

The Commanding Officer of46 Assam Rifles, ColonelViplav Tripathy, had gone toa forward camp on Saturdayand was returning when hisconvoy was ambushed,sources said.

Manipur-based terroristgroup People's LiberationArmy, or PLA, is believed tobe behind the attack, thoughno group has claimed respon-sibility yet, sources have said.

Intermittent firing is goingon, police sources said.

High command experiences the chaos...Continued from page 1

The meeting began on a sedatenote, with AICC general secre-tary KC Venugopal, appointedto conduct the post-mortem,asking why party candidateBalmoor Venkat Narsing Raogot only 3,014 votes when in2018, Padi Kaushik Reddy hadbagged around 60,000 votes onthe party symbol.

This question was the trig-ger and the skeletons tumbledout of the cupboard.

CLP leader Mallu BhattiVikramarka said it wouldhave been better if the partyinducted Eatala Rajender intothe Congress. Some leadershad blocked Eatala Rajenderfrom joining the Congress, he

said.KC Venugopal expressed

anger at Bhatti saying, “Yousaid don’t take Eatala into theparty then. Why are you nowblaming others?”

Former MP PonnamPrabhakar alleged that formerTPCC chief N Uttam KumarReddy had extended help toPadi Kaushik Reddy to quit theCongress, join the TRS and bagan MLC seat. He alleged thatsome leaders were extendingcooperation to the TRS eventhough they are in theCongress.

Ponnam said that lack ofcoordination resulted in theCongress candidate’s defeat.He alleged that former PCCchiefs K Keshava Rao and D

Srinivas deceived the Congressand joined the TRS.

He said that the Congresswould be washed out inTelangana if the trend contin-ues. Ponnam also asked theparty to conduct a review onHuzurnagar, Nagarjuna Sagar,Dubbaka and GHMC elec-

tions results. Ponnam alsodared party leaders to sus-pend him.

Uttam Kumar Reddydemanded to know why theparty failed to finalise the can-didate for Huzurabad evenfour months after KaushikReddy quit the party.

V Hanumantha Rao askedthe party to explain on whoseadvice Narsing Rao, who did-n’t even apply, was given theticket for Huzurabad. VH alsohanded over a letter addressedto Rahul Gandhi to KCVenugopal.

TPCC chief A RevanthReddy made it clear that heacted as per the opinion ofeveryone regarding theHuzurabad by-poll.

Possibly the only pointeveryone agreed upon was thatthe TRS and the BJP spenthundreds of crores inHuzurabad.

Venugopal noted the pointsmentioned by the leaders toprepare a report and submit itto AICC chief Sonia Gandhi.

‘Denied ticket’, complains Surekha...Continued from page 1

She handed the letter to former PCC chief V Hanumantha Rao who in turngave it to AICC general secretary KC Venugopal for forwarding it to RahulGandhi. It may be mentioned here that the party had asked Surekha tocontest the Huzurabad by-poll, but after prolonged drama, changed itsstand. Surekha said in her letter that she would have got a sizable numberof votes and given a tough fight to her rivals. She mentioned that she wasconfident of getting at least 35,000 votes from voters of her caste.

‘KCR must explain why familysurvey report not made public’ PNS n HYDERABAD

BJP OBC Morcha presidentDr K. Laxman has asked ChiefMinister K. ChandrasekharRao to explain why the TRSgovernment is not makingdetails of the ComprehensiveFamily Survey public.

Alleging that the TRS gov-ernment is suppressing BCs,he stressed the need to fightfor solving the problems ofBCs in the state. He made itclear that it is possible for theBCs who constitute 50 per centof the population to bring theBJP to power.

Laxman participated in theBJP OBC Morcha state exec-utive meeting held at the BJPstate office on Saturday alongwith Telangana BJP chiefBandi Sanjay Kumar.

Addressing the meeting,Laxman said the Congresshas no moral right to speakabout weaker sections.

He said that Prime MinisterNarendra Modi gave Constitu-tional status to the NationalBC Commission after the BJPcame to power. He asked thestate government to fill up thethree lakh vacant governmentjobs immediately.

Cong postponesJana JagaranPraja ChaithanyaYatrasPNS n HYDERABAD

The Congress has postponedits Jana Jagaran PrajaChaithanya Yatras scheduledfor November 14 in view ofthe MLC election code com-ing into effect as per direc-tions from the AICC.

AICC Programmes Imple-mentation Committee Chai-rman A. Maheshwar Reddysaid the police didn't give per-mission for the iatras as theMLC election code in force.

Indoor lighting that killsCorona launched at PHICPNS n HYDERABAD

You can have light and killbacteria too!! You can createzero infection interiors onyour own at just a cost of aLED light. Sounds incredible?Yes, it's true.

Hyderabad based LedchipIndus Pvt. Ltd developedRaypure harmless on-UVlight, which kills bacteria andgives light too. Hyderabad

based Centre for CellularMolecular Biology (CCMB),the premier research organisa-tion in frontier areas of mod-ern biology tested and validat-ed this product in August2021. The result was 95 percent of the Covid virus isreduced in 60 minutes.

The manufacturing plantis located at ElectronicComplex at Kushaiguda inthe city.

Shiv Sena files complaintagainst Kangana RanautPNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Shiv Sena generalsecretary Sudarshan has lodgeda complaint at the Narayanag-uda police station alleging thatactress Kangana Ranaut spokein an insulting manner aboutthe nation's freedom. TheNarayanaguda police registereda case against Kangana Ranaut.

Later, Sudarshan said howcan Kangana say that the nation

attained real freedom only in2014 and that the nation gotonly alms in 1947.

Sudarshan asked Kanganato stop speaking madly andasked the police to arrest herimmediately and take back herPadma Shri Award.

It may be recalled that twodays ago Kangana said that thenation attained real freedomonly after Modi became thePrime Minister.

Nine arrested for gamblingPNS n HYDERABAD

Task Force sleuths on Satu-rday raided a gaming houseat RK Towers, Mayuri Margand apprehended nine per-sons and seized Rs 69,380 andother evidence from them.

On Saturday, the main org-aniser, Rathaiah along withhis associate Atun Gupthaand punters were playingthree-card gambling whenthe raids took place.

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021 hyderabad 03

PNS n HYDERABAD

Youth from villages have beenmaking a beeline to engineer-ing and PG colleges in cities.The demand is high for BE andPG courses. Their priority is togain admission in city col-leges as they would get achance to pursue softwarecourses in IT colleges.

Besides, there are manyshopping malls, restaurants,Swiggy, Zomato and Flipkartoffering jobs in online shop-ping. These youth often workas part-time delivery staffers tosupport themselves.

The demand for BE collegesin Hyderabad, Rangareddy andMedchal districts is very high.Out of 187 colleges, 60 per centare located in these three dis-tricts. Village youth are keen toget admission here because ofthe scope for jobs.

According to EAMCETcounselling camp officer B.Srinivas, all seats in the man-agement quota get filled, whileonly 90 per cent of the seats getfilled in the EAMCET con-vener quota. Colleges offeringquality teaching, placements,

good faculty, digital library,good laboratories and com-puter labs are the most soughtafter by students. Parents donot hesitate to pay extra tosecure seats in them. In somecolleges, there are hostels forwomen students.

Besides the scope for part-time jobs and pursuing ITcourses, the students look forplacements. Many final yearstudents find placements inMicrosoft, Google, Wipro andother IT companies.

Students pin hopes on secondphase of counselling

Many students have pinnedtheir hopes on the secondphase of EAMCET counselling.Over 34,000 students haveexercised around 15 lakhoptions before the expiry of thedeadline for marking options,according to an official of theTelangana State Council forHigher Education.

In the second phase, thenumber of students exercising

options will come down.Earlier, only 25,000 used totake part in the counselling.

In the first phase, only46,322 have reported foradmission for 61,169 seats. Ofthem, 3,000 have given uptheir seat as they got seats intheir favourite colleges and

branch in the managementquota.

Seats in private engineeringcolleges have increased as perHC orders. The number ofseats in the convenor quota isnow 4,404. Most of the seats arein the computer sciencestream.

In all, 89 per cent of theoptions are for computer sci-ence and allied courses.Students who got seats in thefirst phase compete for seats inthe second phase. All studentsshow artificial intelligence astheir first preference.

JNTU-H has been permittedto increase seats. Unless theuniversity recognises theseseats, there would be no scopefor including them in coun-selling. At one stage, theauthorities planned specialcounselling sessions to fill theseats.

The university now has noother go but to clear theincreased seats as the govern-ment has cleared it. However,it has set the condition that pri-vate colleges should increasefacilities and faculty in tunewith the increased seats.

Demand high for BE, PG coursesBranch Seats

CSE Artificial intelligencemachine learning 1,533

Artificial intelligence data science 840

CSE data science 672

Artificial intelligence machine learning 546

CSE cyber security 231

CSE 168

Computer science design 168

Electronics andcommunications 126

CSE (IOT) 42

Information technology 21

EEE 21

Civil engineering 21

Mining engineering 15

Bridging the digitaldivide for children

PNS n HYDERABAD

Officials of the SOT MalkajgiriZone along with KushaigudaPolice on Saturday arrestedfive persons involved in themurder of a businessman at hisresidence in Kapra.

The arrested persons wereidentified as a 17-year-old stu-dent, daughter of the deceasedman, Prashanth, 19, R Ganesh,20, Bhupal, 20, and Vijaypal, 45.

The deceased person wasidentified as Rama Krishna, 49.On the night of July 19, Krishnasuccumbed due to head injury.

Rama Krishna and his fam-ily used to stay at Narayanagudaearlier. While they were atNarayanguda, his daughter gotclose to Bhupal, who instigat-ed her to steal money fromhome. After Krishna learnt ofthe relationship, he warnedBhupal several times but despitehis warnings, Bhupal continuedroaming with his daughter.Krishna then approached theNarayanguda Police who reg-istered a case under various sec-tions including the POCSO

Act against him and remandedhim to judicial custody.

After releasing from jail, hetried to contact Krishna'sdaughter but was reprimandedby Krishna. Knowing that herfather stopped him from con-tacting her, Krishna's daughtergot angry at her father andhatched a plan to kill himalong with Bhupal's friends.

As per their plan, on July 19,she mixed powdered sleepingpills in the chicken curry whichthe entire family, except her,consumed. At 1 AM, she con-firmed with the other accusedthat all of her family was in deepsleep, following which, Bhupaland Ganesh closed Krishna'smouth with a blanket and

Prashant stabbed him in histemples using a knife. However,Krishna woke up screamingloudly that caused the accusedto flee from the scene. He wasrushed to the hospital by hiswife and brother but wasdeclared dead by the hospitalauthorities.

After the murder, all theaccused went to their respectivehomes.

The police, who initially reg-istered a suspicious death case,changed it to a murder case andarrested the five persons onSaturday. The four accused arecollege dropouts and are habit-uated to bad habits of con-suming ganja, tablets andliquor, said the police.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The sleuths of Commissioner'sTask Force (South Zone) team,along with ShahinayathgunjPolice on Saturday, conducteda joint operation and busted anadulterated tea powder man-ufacturing unit at Feelkhana,Begum Bazar and apprehend-ed one person.

The arrested person identi-fied as Vishnu Gopal Tiwari,54, is the owner of SrinathAgencies Tea Powder atBegum Bazaar.

Tiwari was manufacturingadulterated tea powder bymixing it with different flavorsand chemicals, suspected to beTatrazine, for extra taste andcolor in tea powder.

The same adulterated teapowder was being packed in250 grams packets and differ-ent 5 kg bags, duly mention-ing different names on thebags was being sold to shopsin the name of "Premium RedRose Tea Powder, DilkhushGanesh Tea, Red Gulab andTulsi Supreme Tea". All this

was being done withoutobtaining FSSAI permissionand license and food safetystandards were not beingmaintained, said ChakravarthyGummi, DCP,Commissioner's Task Force,Hyderabad.

The accused person alongwith the seized tea powderworth Rs 6 lakh, was handedover to SHO ShahinayathgunjPS for further action.

The chemical used in adul-terated tea powder has beensuspected of being the cause ofmany adverse reactions likeurticaria, asthma, skin rashesand food intolerances. Allconsumers are advised tocheck the genuinity beforepurchasing any product,advised the official.

PNS n HYDERABAD

L&T Metro Rail Hyderabadand Star-MAA have cometogether to create a publicsafety awareness campaign"Bigg Boss Is Watching You"for passengers. The publicsafety campaign is being exe-cuted in all 57 Metro Stationscovering concourse, entry-exitand check-in areas.

Customised jingles withcaution messages will beplayed in all Metro trains. The100-day campaign periodwould enable all Metro com-muters to be aware of safetyprecautions to be taken duringtravel and at Metro stationpremises, including awarenesson safety measures, rules ofMetro, encouraging moreusage of the Metro Rail as the

safest and convenient mode tocommute.

KVB Reddy, MD & CEO,L&TMRHL, said "As part ofthis association, we have alsorolled out the 'Bigg Boss isWatching You' campaign at ourMetro stations to amplifyCovid safety awareness andsafe travel practices amongthe public at large and build astrong passenger connect.”

PNS n HYDERABAD

With the threat of a third wavelooming large, HYSEA mem-ber companies sponsored theupgrade of a 100-bed paedi-atric ICU ward at the NilouferHospital.

Health Minister T HarishRao formally inaugurated theupgraded Paediatric ICU wardat Niloufer Hospital sponsoredby OpenText on Saturday.

Harish Rao said another 800beds would be provided atNiloufer Hospital by spendingRs 33 crore. He said doctorsand other staff for this wouldbe recruited soon. Speaking onthe occasion, the HealthMinister praised OpenText andthe IT Industry of Hyderabadfor stepping up to support theoverwhelmed healthcare sys-tem and hoped the efforts willhave a lasting impact.

He called upon the ITIndustry to help in thisendeavour as part of theirCorporate Social Responsib-ility (CSR), stating that whilethe government will worktowards strengthening themedical infrastructure.

Harish lauded HYSEA forproviding Rs 18 crore underCSR to improve infrastructurein government-run hospitalsin the State.

Police seize adulterated tea powder worth Rs 6L

‘Bigg Boss is watching you'

CHILDREN’S DAY

PNS n HYDERABAD

After almost two years ofremote schooling, it seemslike children cannot wait toget back to their schools.According to a survey, thathighlighted how kids havelost out on in-person fes-tivities at school in itsnewest poll, 78% of Indianstudents are excited to beback at school right in timefor Children's Day.

According to previoussurveys, 77% of studentscontinue to seek help fromonline learning platformslike Brainly when theirschools reopen, and 75%would like their schools touse a hybrid style of learn-ing for the foreseeable future.According to the newestresearch, youngsters arelooking forward to seeingtheir friends and instructorscelebrate special events suchas Children's Day.

Here are some of the sur-vey's most notable findings:

78% of Indian studentsare excited to be back atschool right in time forChildren's Day

The limitation on mobili-ty and meetings was themost major effect of theCovid epidemic. For pupils,this meant an almost two-year sabbatical from physical

education. While they adjust-ed to digital learning duringthis time, 78 percent of kidsare looking forward toreturning to their tradition-al schools to see their class-mates and instructors, just intime for Children's Day.

A majority of studentslook forward to in-personcelebrations at school

Since the start of thestudy-at-home paradigm,79 percent of students havemissed attending in-persongatherings during India'sgreat festival season. Sincethe start of offline school inthe second half of 2021, 55percent of all pupils havesaid that their school hasheld on-ground festivities,they are looking forward tothe impending Children'sDay celebrations.

52% of student's saidtheir schools are conduct-ing physical Children's Dayevents

Children's Day has alwaysbeen one of the most pop-ular and anticipated gather-ings of pupils and teachers.Children's Day is observedon the birth anniversary ofIndia's first Prime Minister,Jawaharlal Nehru, and toincrease awareness of chil-dren's rights, care, and edu-cation, according to theBrainly study.

PNS n HYDERABAD

For the 30th time this year,the Hyderabad Traffic Policefacilitated the transport of liveorgans by providing a greenchannel on Saturday.

Traffic police officials pro-vided a non-stop movementof the ambulance carryinglive heart and lungs fromYashoda Hospital, Malakpetto KIMS Hospital,Secunderabad. The distancebetween the hospitals is 11kilometres and was coveredin 12 minutes. The medicalteam carrying the live organsleft from Yashoda Hospital,Malakpet at 10:09 AM andreached KIMS Hospital,Secunderabad, at 10:21 AM.

The efforts of HyderabadTraffic Police were applaud-ed by the management of thehospitals as it would help insaving a precious life. In2021, the Hyderabad TrafficPolice facilitated organtransport 30 times so far,said officials.

Green channel helps transporttwo live organs

Daughter, boyfriend, three others nabbed for businessman’s murder

PNS n HYDERABAD

Expressing his immense joy atthe efforts of the sanitationworkers across the State,Municipal AdministrationMinister KT Rama Rao onSaturday praised them forTelangana winning 12 awardsin Swachh Survekshan-2021,Garbage-Free City Rating-2021 and Safai Mitra SurakshaChallenge.

At the national level,Telangana won the award inthe State category. This awardis given to only two States atthe national level, and whetherTelangana secured the first orsecond position will beannounced on November20.

Addressing a press confer-ence along with Special ChiefSecretary Arvind Kumar at theCDMA office, KTR said,“Centre has given recognitionto our programmes on variousoccasions in the past. As partof the latest SanitationChallenge, of the 4,300 citiesand towns that competed,Telangana won 12 awards. We

consider these awards a recog-nition of progress made inurban areas.”

KTR congratulated themunicipal authorities for theseawards.

The Union Ministry ofHousing and Urban Affairsconducted national-level san-itation challenges like SwachhSurvekshan and Garbage-FreeCity Rating from August 2020to May 2021 and SafaimitraSuraksha Challenge fromNovember 2020 to August2021.

KTR said, “With the inten-tion of developing the towns,Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao broughtabout radical changes in thedevelopment of the town. KCRbrought in a new municipallaw to create ideal towns andthe Pattana Pragathi has alsobeen implemented. The num-ber of municipalities wasincreased from 68 to 142. Werelease funds to municipalitiesfrom time to time. At present,Rs 2,950 crore has beenreleased”.

30-year-old mandies after havingmilk with pepper PNS n HYDERABAD

A man reportedly died afterconsuming milk mixed withpepper at his residence inAlwal on Saturday.

The deceased person wasidentified as M Naresh Kumar,30, a private employee.

According to the police,Naresh saw a health tip onlinein which they stated thathaving black pepper alongwith milk will give one goodhealth and avoid any healthissues.

Naresh then mixed thesame for him, his wife and hismother. His father, whonoticed the trio vomitinginformed his brother whorushed to the spot and tookthem to a private hospital.

As Naresh's conditiondeteriorated, he was shifted toGandhi Hospital where hesuccumbed while undergoingtreatment on Saturday.

Based on a complaint bythe victim’s brother, policeregistered a case.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The officials of CustomsDepartment at the RajivGandhi International Airport(RGIA), Shamshabad seizedsmuggled gold worth aroundRs 34.18 lakhs from a pas-senger on Saturday.

According to the officials,the gold, weighing more than671.9 grams, was found con-cealed inside the handle of ahand pressed juicer that waskept in the passenger's check-in baggage. The male pas-senger had arrived at theairport from Dubai, said cus-tom officials.

The customs officials haveseized the gold and have reg-istered a case against thepassenger who is taken intocustody and are investigatingthe incident.

KTR pats staff as Telanganabags 12 awards for sanitation

Customs seizes goldworth Rs 34.18 lakh at Hyderabad airport

o Telangana won the award inSafai Mitra Challenge.Karimnagar MunicipalCorporation among the threewinners of the Safai MitraSuraksha Challenge

o GHMC has won the GarbageFree City Rating 2021 awardin the category ofmetropolitan cities of thecountry.

o Swachha Survekshan- 2021award winning towns / cities

o Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation

o Nizampet MunicipalCorporation

o Ibrahimpatnam Municipality

o Sircilla Municipality

o Ghatkesar Municipality

o Kosgi Municipality

o Husnabad Municipality

o Siddipet Municipality

o Secunderabad Cantonment

IT companies sponsor 100-bed ICU at Niloufer Hospital

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana State PlanningCommission vice-chairman BVinod Kumar has claimedthat the data gathered by theCentre proves that paddycultivation has taken up over59 lakh acres in Telanganaduring Kharif season.

He asked state BJP presi-dent Bandi Sanjay what hewill say now after criticisingChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao over theextent of paddy cultivation.

Vinod Kumar pointed outthat according to the RemoteSensing Centre whichmapped paddy cultivationacross the country, paddy isbeing grown in 2.374 millionhectares that is 59 lakh acres.This is expected to yield7.543 million tonnes ofpaddy.

"When the Chief Ministerstated that paddy cultivationhas been taken up in the state

over about 62 lakh acres,Bandi Sanjay wanted him toprove this. Now what will hesay," asked Vinod Kumar.

The Chief Minister hadlast week said paddy cultiva-tion had taken up over about62 lakh acres and demandedthat the Centre come forwardto lift the entire stock fromthe state.

The state BJP has been

criticising the TRS govern-ment for asking farmers notto grow paddy in the comingseason. It disputed KCR'sclaim on the extent of paddycultivation during the currentseason, saying satellite imagesdo not support this.

TRS had staged protestsacross the state on Friday,demanding the Centre to pro-cure paddy.

State ministers, MPs andstate legislators participated in'dharna' in all Assembly con-stituencies protesting theCentre's decision not to pro-cure parboiled rice duringYasangi (Rabi) season.

They say that procuringpaddy from states is theConstitutional responsibilityof the Centre.

Meanwhile, AgricultureMinister S Niranjan Reddyon Saturday advised BJP notto mess with farmers sayingwhoever created problemsfor them lost power.

Vinod: Central data proves paddycultivation in TS over 59 L acres

PNS n NALGONDA

The State government ofTelangana has failed to set upration shops in the newly setup gram panchayats.

As per the promise given bythe State government onAugust 2018, new panchayatswere set up in the district.

The Telangana governmenthad set up thandas as panchay-ats two years ago. The author-ities sent proposals for rationshops two year ago, but theyhave not been set up yet.

Due to this, even todayration material has to be takenfrom the old panchayats. Theelderly and the disabled arefinding it difficult to travel

miles to take their rations.After the division of the

district, there were 495 pan-chayats in Nalgonda districtand 349 new gram panchayats

were formed. About, 349 newgram panchayats were formedin Nalgonda district and at pre-sent the total number of pan-chayats in the district is 844.

The government had direct-ed to send proposals on howmany ration shops are requiredin the newly formed panchay-ats. Proposals were submitteda year and a half ago for 78shops in Nalgonda district.

Although 349 panchayatshave been newly formed, insome villages it is not possibleto sanction ration shops as thepopulation is less than 500.This will not be viable to thedealer.

After examining all condi-tions in the district, the author-ities have sent proposals for 78ration shops in the new grampanchayats. But the State gov-ernment of Telangana has nottaken any decision so far.

PNS n HYDERABAD

YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP)president YS Sharmila onSaturday began a protest inHyderabad to show solidaritywith the state's farmers overthe paddy procurement issue.

Demanding that the Stategovernment procure the entirepaddy, she sat on the protest atIndira Park in the heart of thecity. She has announced a 72-hour protest. However, thepolice permitted protest atIndira Park from morning toevening. YSRTP leaders saidshe would continue the protestfor the remaining hours at herparty office-cum-residence atLotus Pond. Sharmila said thatit is the responsibility of theTRS government to procurethe entire produce of farmers.Criticising Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao for notcoming to the rescue of farm-ers, she demanded that thegovernment expedite the pro-curement during the ongoingseason. On the state govern-

ment advising farmers not togrow paddy and go for alter-nate crops, Sharmila said thegovernment should give themthe guarantee that it will sup-ply the required seeds and fer-tilisers and procure the entireproduce.

She alleged that 36 lakhfarmers in the state were notbenefited from farm loan waiv-er announced by the Telanganagovernment.

Sharmila has demanded theChief Minister to stage dhar-nas against the Centre in NewDelhi and not in Hyderabad, ifhe had guts. Alleging thatKCR is an agent to the Centralgovernment, Sharmila said

that the former has been salut-ing to the leaders at NewDelhi by bending down andstaging protests and conduct-ing press meets in Hyderabad.

"What made KCR sign thepapers, when the Centre stat-ed that it will purchase onlyraw rice and not boiled rice?"she questioned stating thatKCR has to procure paddy tillthe farmers in the State getconfidence to cultivate othercrops.

"Shifting to other crops isnot as easy as purchasing lead-ers from other political par-ties," she said questioning theChief Minister over the trou-bles in purchasing paddy.

Sharmila begins protest to show solidarity with farmers

Govt fails to set up ration shops in new panchayats

PNS n PEDDAPALLY

The Commissioner of Police,Ramagundam, S Chandra-sekhar Reddy on Saturday cel-ebrated Children's Day atGandhi Nagar-based MDHWSorphanage in Godavarikhani.

Addressing the inmates ofthe home, the Commissionerof Police appreciated the effortsof the MDHWS for bettermentof lives of orphaned childrenand their efforts to groomthem as better citizens.

Children of the homedonned the roles of AlluriSitarama Raju, MahatmaGandhi, Baba SahebAmbedkar, Bharat Mata, sol-diers and performed marshalarts under the supervision of

Master Rajesham. Pochampalli Rajaiah, who is

running the orphanage, and

Bhulakshmi, Ranjit andRamanamma of the ashramwere present.

Children's Day celebrated at MDHWS

PNS n WARANGAL

The regional library inWarangal is being given afacelift to reflect its historicalpast. The walls of the libraryare being given a fresh coat ofpaint with images from histo-ry. Quotes by intellectuals willadorn the walls of the library.The facelift is being done at acost of Rs 50 lakh.

The library has the latestbooks on computer science,robotics, genetics, etc. Thelibrary subscribes to 10 Telugunewspapers and 10 Englishdailies. Several Hindi and

Urdu magazines are also beingsubscribed to by the library. Inall, over 60 magazines aresupplied to students preparingfor competitive examinations.

The district library atHanmakonda is also beinggiven a facelift. Works arebeing executed at a fast pace aspart of the smart city project.

The modernisation of thelibrary is going on at a briskpace due to the special atten-tion paid by Zilla GrandhalayaSamstha chairman MD AzizKhan. The works aimed atimproving facilities at thelibraries are almost over.

PNS n ADILABAD

The solar power programmeimplemented in some tribalhamlets of erstwhile Adilabaddistrict has failed to take offderailing the objective of thegovernment to light up thelives of tribal people.

The programme is boggeddown by lack of effective super-vision, sub-standard bulbs,batteries and solar panels. Thesub-standard equipment gavetrouble to the tribals rightfrom the word go.

Citing rigid forest laws,heavy costs and other prob-lems, the state governmentabdicated its responsibility toenergise tribal villages, expos-ing the tribals to the risk ofsnake bites and other dangersat night. As a result, tribal vil-lages have been languishing indarkness.

In undivided Adilabad, thehamlets of Dharmajipeta,

Yerragutta, Devadurgam,Nishanghat, Ontimamidi,Santapur (Kolamguda) andTiryani did not have electric-ity supply. Two years ago theITDA embarked on a pro-gramme to energise tribalhamlets through solar power tosolve the problem.

ITDA officials had aimed toenergise seven villages and123 residential schools throughsolar power with a contribution

of Rs 2.54 crore from the Non-conventional EnergyDevelopment Corporation.

The ITDA aimed at provid-ing every tribal family with 500watts of solar power to light uphomes with solar lights andsupplied batteries and solarpanels. In residential schools,the ITDA provided two lampseach having 500 watts capaci-ty. The tribals have beenexposed to the danger of

snakes and other venomousreptiles, wild animals and otheranimals. They are not able tocharge their mobile phones.Students are not able to learnat night. They have beenappealing to the government toprovide electricity to theirhomes.

When the media brought itto the notice of ITDA projectofficer Ankit, he said that hewould resolve the problem.

A resident of Santapur,Atram Ayyubai, said that thesolar lights installed in thehamlet went out of order manydays ago. The matter wasbrought to the notice of ITDAauthorities in vain, she added.

The solar lights installed ata government residentialschool at Lingapur went phuta few days after installingthem. The contractor wasaccused of installing sub-stan-dard batteries, bulbs and solarpanels.

Sub-standard solar lights keep hamlets dark

Warangal regionallibrary gets facelift

PNS n NIRMAL

Residents of Islampur, a remotetribal hamlet in Kadem mandal ofNirmal district, on Friday receivedthe first dose of vaccine at the vac-cination camp conducted at the vil-lage, according to delayed reportsreaching here.

In all, 95 villagers were admin-istered vaccine on Friday, includ-ing Islampur sarpanch Kanaka.

In all, 340 persons are eligible inthe village in Islampur panchayat,which includes Gondugudem andKolamgudem.

The village is highly inaccessible.

One has to cross streams and facearduous difficulties to reach the vil-lage on foot. In fact, it comes underthe jurisdiction of the Dasturabad

PHC. Reaching the village is highly dif-

ficult especially during rainy sea-son. Therefore, the medical and

health authorities did not dare goto Islampur to administer vaccine.Similarly, the tribal did not evinceinterest to go to Kadem to getthemselves vaccinated againstCovid. On a tip off, the districtauthorities have deputed medicalteam to go there to administer vac-cine to residents of Islampur.

As the rains have shown let up,the medical and health officialsconducted a vaccination camp inthe village on Friday.

Panchayat secretary Rajeshwarand teacher Tirupati sensitisedthe people on the need to receivethe vaccine.

PNS n SANGAREDDY

Collector Hanumantha Raoon Saturday asked the offi-cials of Roads and BuildingsDepartment to speed upworks related to constructionof medical college.

Inspecting the progress ofworks of the medical collegebuilding here on Saturday, theCollector asked executiveengineer of Roads andBuildings Department Sureshto complete the works relat-ed to the building as early aspossible and ready the collegebuildings for inauguration.

The DC asked him toensure the works are execut-ed rather qualitatively. Heissued several instructions toexecute building works.

PNS n KHAMMAM

BJP leader Ponguleti SudhakarReddy has made it clear thatthe Centre had not statedanywhere that it will not pro-cure paddy from farmers andaccused Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao of lyingthrough his teeth.

He clarified that the Centreis ready to procure raw riceand rice rich in nutrientsthrough the FCI and will helprice millers to improve theirtechnology.

He said the Centre has ruledout procuring only parboiledrice as its demand is becomingless. The Centre gave a letter toFCI to procure only 60 lakhtons during kharif. The delayis attributed to the attitude ofthe government. The slowprogress is due to IKP procure-ment centres not able to rise tothe occasion. He accused theKCR government of beinghand in glove with rice millersin procurement as KCR is notestablishing adequate IKP pro-curement centres.

Speed up medical

college works: DC

Residents of a remote hamlet receive first dose

PNS n NIZAMABAD

District Congress Committeepresident Manala MohanReddy has accused chiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao and BJP Telangana statepresident Bandi Sanjay Kumarof kicking off a new drama inTelangana by resorting toprotests against and BJP blam-ing the TRS.

Addressing media here onSaturday at Congress Bhavan,the DCC president elaboratedthat the State government ofTelangana has been protestingagainst the Centre and the BJPprotesting against the Stategovernment kicking off a newdrama in Telangana and hood-

winking people. He called it asfoul and appealed to the peo-ple to think about the 'immoraldeeds', which both the partieshave raised trading chargesagainst each other during theirprotest programmes.

The TRS-led State govern-ment and the BJP-led Centralgovernment have responsibil-ity to procure paddy from thefarmers, he said wonderingwhy the Centre is not givingassurance to the State govern-ment in this regard and thelater is not putting pressure onthe Centre. He said that thefarmers are free to produceany crop of their choice andpledging them full support ofthe Congress.

Cong: Curtain rises on newhistrionics by TRS and BJP

PNS n PEDDAPALLY

Two units of the 4000 MW (800MW x5 units) Telangana SuperThermal Power station, for whichPrime Minister Narendra Modi hadlaid the foundation stone throughvirtual mode, at the NTPC inRamagundam have completed exe-cution of the by 75 per cent.

In fact, NTPC Ramagundam unitis going to emerge as the largestthermal power producer in SouthIndia. The project has grown inleaps and bounds since foundationstone was laid to the NTPC onNovember 14 in 1978,

Similarly, Ramagundam is goingto house a 100 MW solar powerplant.

The Ramagundam Thermalpower station, for which foundationstone was laid by the then PrimeMinister Morarji Desai, has assumed

special significance in enforcementof various parameters, includingthose to maintain environmentalequilibrium, safeguarding the healthof the people and proper rehabili-tation of the displaced persons.

Since Morarji Desai had laid thefoundation stone for the 2600 MWthermal power project, Ramgundam

is transformed into a major townfrom the humble origins of a sleepyand dusty village.

To begin with, the NTPC atRamagundam has only 3 x 200 MWunits and 4 x 500 mw units. TheNTPC execution was completedmuch ahead of its scheduled timesoon went on stream.

Ramagundam NTPC turns 44 today

PNS n KARIMNAGAR

Instead of confining to watch-ing TV serials, women shoulddevelop awareness on laws,District Judge and DLSA chiefPriyadarshini advised thewomen. The constitution hasprovided equal rights towomen. So, women shoulddevelop awareness about laws.Informing that legal servicescame to doorstep of people,she advised the people toutilize the services.

Women shouldhave awarenesson laws: DLSA

Centre never said it won't procure paddy: Ponguleti

04

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021 nation 05

INDIA CORNER

PNS n AMRAVATI/MUMBAI

A curfew was imposed inMaharashtra's Amravati cityon Saturday after a mob hurledstones on shops during a bandhallegedly organised by BJP inprotest against rallies taken outby members of a minority com-munity the day before againstthe purported communal vio-lence in Tripura, police said.

Police resorted to lathichargeto control the situation, anAmravati Police official said.

On Saturday morning, hun-dreds of people, many of themholding saffron flags in theirhands and raising slogans, cameout on streets in RajkamalChowk area of this eastMaharashtra city, locatedaround 670 km from the statecapital. Some members of themob hurled stones at the shopsand damaged them in theRajkamal Chowk and someother places, the official said,adding that the police lath-icharged the protesters to bringthe situation under control.

Against the backdrop of backto back incidents of stone-pelt-ing on Friday and Saturday, offi-ciating police commissioner

Sandip Patil issued ordersimposing a curfew in the citylimits of Amravati under sec-tions 144(1), (2), (3) of the CrPcto avoid any untoward inci-dents.

Except for medical emergen-cies, people are not allowed tocome out of their houses.Similarly, a gathering of morethan five people is not allowed,as per the order.

The curfew will remain inforce till further notice.

On Friday, various cities inMaharashtra had witnessedstone-pelting during ralliestaken out by some Muslimorganisations protesting against

the purported communal vio-lence in Tripura.

These incidents were report-ed from Amravati, Nanded,Malegaon, Washim andYavatmal districts.

Police have so far arrested 20people and detained four oth-ers by registering 20 FIRsunder various charges, includ-ing rioting, in connection withFriday's incidents.

In Amravati, over 8,000 peo-ple had gathered outside thedistrict collector's office onFriday to submit a memoran-dum demanding that atrocitiesagainst the minority commu-nity be stopped.

PNS n MUMBAI

Maharashtra opposition leaderDevendra Fadnavis on Saturdaysaid it was wrong to organiserallies in the state for an incidentthat "never occurred" in Tripuraand appealed to people to exerciserestraint as incidents of violencewere reported for the secondconsecutive day from Amravaticity prompting the police toimpose a curfew. “The Tripuragovernment and local police haveclarified that no religious place of aminority community was burneddown. They have issued picturesof the same as well. I appeal toboth the communities to observerestrain,” the former chief ministertold reporters in Mumbai. Thesenior BJP leader also said thatpolitical parties in the stategovernment should not giveinflammatory statements. "It is absolutely wrong to hold

rallies here in Maharashtra for anincident that has not even takenplace in Tripura state. It is wrongto attack shops of a particularcommunity,” he said. On Saturdaymorning, a mob hurled stones anddamaged shops at various placesin Amravati city during a bandhallegedly organised by BJP,prompting the police to lathichargethe protesters, an official had said.The fresh violence erupted a dayafter over eight thousand peoplegathered outside the Amravatidistrict collector's office to submita memorandum demanding thatatrocities against a minoritycommunity in Tripura and otherplaces be stopped, officials hadsaid. When people wereleaving after submitting thememorandum, stone-peltingtook place at three placesbetween Chitra Chowk andCotton Market under the limits ofthe Kotwali police station.

Fadnavis questions ralliesagainst incident that ‘neverhappened’ in Tripura

PNS n JAMMU

Amid a raging controversyover senior Congress leaderSalman Khurshid's book, inwhich he compared Hindutvaas propagated by some to rad-ical jihadi groups such as theISIS and the Boko Haram,PDP president MehboobaMufti on Saturday said there isnothing wrong in comparingpolitical parties with groupskilling people in the name ofreligion.

She accused the RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS) andthe Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) of hijacking "Hindutvaand Hinduism" and saidSanatan Dharma does notteach communalism.

Khurshid, in his book, wrote:"Sanatan Dharma and classicalHinduism known to sages andsaints were being pushed asideby a robust version ofHindutva, by all standards apolitical version similar to thejihadist Islam of groups likeISIS and Boko Haram of recentyears."

"The communal partieswhich want to make Hinduand Muslims fight each otherand indulge in lynching in thename of religion. You can com-pare such parties with the ISIS

or any other like-minded groupbecause both kill people in thename of religion," Mufti toldreporters outside the People'sDemocratic Party (PDP) head-quarters here.

Responding to a question onKhurshid's book, she said"Sanatan Dharma does notteach us communalism".

"RSS, Jan Sangh and BJPwant to make people in thecountry fight each other in thename of religion. They havehijacked Hindutva andHinduism," she said.

The former Jammu andKashmir chief minister referredto "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"(the world is one family) and

said, "Sanatan Dharma teach-es us that. What BJP and RSSare trying to teach us is neitherHindutva nor Hinduism."

Meanwhile, a group ofBajrang Dal activists, led byRakesh Bajrangi, staged ademonstration againstKhurshid outside the PressClub here, demanding a ban onhis book and registration of acase against the former Unionminister.

"Comparing Hindutva withterror groups is a sin commit-ted by Khurshid. His bookshould be banned and an FIRlodged against him," Bajrangisaid as his supporters burnt aneffigy of the Congress leader.

Union Minister Kapil Patil onSaturday directed officials in

Maharashtra's Thane district toensure smooth and sufficientsupply of water to 34 villages inBhiwandi taluka. Patil presidedover a meeting to discuss thewater woes of these villages at thedistrict collectorate in the

presence of additional collector Vaidehi Ranade, sarpanches of the34 villages and other senior officials. The minister instructed districtofficials to plan for smooth supply of water after carrying out asurvey of the supply being made to the villages by STEM WaterDistribution and Infrastructure company. At least 34 villages in thetaluka are getting insufficient water supply, he said. "Although a totalof 41 MLD of water is reserved for 34 villages, they are supplied only11 MLDs of water," Patil said.

At least 143 persons werearrested in an "all out" operation

conducted by the police inMaharashtra's Thane city, anofficial said on Saturday. At least126 police officers and 684personnel took part in theoperation that was carried out inthe intervening night of Thursday

and Friday, the official said. As many as 61 people were arrestedunder the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act,while 21 were nabbed under the Maharashtra Police Act, additionalcommissioner of police (crime) Ashok Morale said. Non-bailablewarrants were issued against 15 people, four were arrested forgambling and 14 each were nabbed for offences under the Arms Act,Mumbai Prohibition Act and were absconding accused, he said.A total of 32 cases of drunk driving were registered, the official said,adding that nakabandi was undertaken at 18 locations.

Agroup of Naxals allegedly shotdead two villagers on suspicion

that they were working as policeinformers in Madhya Pradesh'sBalaghat district, an official said onSaturday. The incident took placeat Malikhedi village under Baiharpolice station in the interveningnight of Friday and Saturday, the

official said. As per initial information, the Naxals shot dead villagersSantosh (48) and Jagdish Yadav (45), said Aditya Pratap Mishra,Baihar's sub divisional officer of police (SDOP). However, it is yet tobe ascertained how many ultras were involved in the killing, he said,adding that further probe is underway. According to the police, theultras also left behind pamphlets warning villagers against workingas police informers. The pamphlets mentioned the name of KhatiyaMocha Area Committee of Naxals.

With an eye on the 2022 GoaAssembly polls, the TMC on

Saturday named Luizinho Faleiroas its candidate for the upcomingbypoll to a Rajya Sabha seat fromWest Bengal. Faleiro, the formerchief minister of Goa, ended hisdecades-long association with theCongress and joined the TMC in

September. He was appointed as the party's national vice presidentlast month. "We are extremely pleased to nominate @luizinhofaleiroto the Upper House of the Parliament. We are confident that hisefforts towards serving the nation shall be appreciated widely by ourpeople!" the TMC said on Twitter. The November 29 bypoll to the RSseat was necessitated following the resignation of TMC MP ArpitaGhosh from the Upper House. The Trinamool Congress, after astunning victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections earlier thisyear, is trying to expand its footprint in BJP-ruled Goa and Tripura.Apart from Faleiro, the party has also roped in tennis legend LeanderPaes and many other dignitaries. Elections to the 40-member GoaAssembly are likely to be held early next year.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Terming the rise in air pollu-tion in Delhi-NCR an "emer-gency" situation, the SupremeCourt asked the Centre and theDelhi government on Saturdayto take immediate measures toimprove the air quality andsuggested steps such as stop-ping vehicles and clamping alockdown in the national cap-ital.

The court said the situationof pollution is so bad thatpeople are wearing masksinside their houses.

A bench headed by ChiefJustice N V Ramana said thereare other reasons for pollutionsuch as vehicular emissions,firecrackers and dust, and sin-gling out stubble burning is not

the solution."Your projection is as if

farmers are responsible forthis pollution. Seventy percent. First let the Delhi people

be controlled. Where is theeffective mechanism to controlfire crackers, vehicle pollutionetc.?

"We understand some per

cent is stubble burning. Rest iscrackers, vehicular pollution,industries, dust pollution etc.You tell us how to bring AQIlevels from 500 to 200 points inDelhi. Take some immediateurgent measures like a two-daylockdown," the bench, alsocomprising justices D YChandrachud and Surya Kant,said.

The apex court has asked theCentre to revert on Monday.

It also took note of the factthat schools have opened in thenational capital and asked theauthorities to take immediatemeasures such as stoppingvehicles or imposing a lock-down in Delhi.

Appearing for the Centre,Solicitor General Tushar Mehtasaid there is stubble burning in

Punjab and the state will haveto do something in this regard.

The bench, however, said,"Your projection is as if farm-ers are only responsible. Whatabout steps taken to contain thepollution in Delhi?"

Mehta clarified that he wasnot even remotely suggestingthat only farmers are respon-sible for the pollution.

When senior advocate RahulMehra, appearing for the Delhigovernment, mentioned theissue of stubble burning, thebench said, "Be the petitioners,the Delhi government or any-body else -- it has become afashion to blame the farmers.Have you seen how crackersare being burnt in Delhi for thelast seven days? What was theDelhi police doing?"

PNS n KOLKATA

The longest partial lunareclipse in 580 years will occuron November 19 and will bevisible from parts of NortheastIndia, an astrophysicist said onSaturday.

The rare phenomenon willbe visible from a few areas inArunachal Pradesh and Assam,Director of Research andAcademic at MP BirlaPlanetarium Debiprosad Duaritold PTI.

The partial eclipse will startat 12.48 pm and end at 4.17pm, he said.

The duration of the eclipsewill be 3 hours 28 minutes and24 seconds, making it the

longest in 580 years, Duari said."A few areas in Arunachal

Pradesh and Assam will expe-

rience the last f leetingmoments of the partial eclipsejust after the moonrise, very

close to the eastern horizon," heexplained.

The last time a partial lunareclipse of such length occurredwas on February 18, 1440, andthe next time a similar phe-nomenon can be witnessedwill be on February 8, 2669, hesaid.

The maximum partialeclipse will be visible at 2.34 pmas 97 per cent of the moon willbe covered by the Earth's shad-ow. The moon is likely toappear blood-red in colour,which happens when the redbeams of the sunlight passthrough the Earth's atmos-phere and get least deflectedand fall on the moon.

The partial Lunar eclipse will

be visible from North America,South America, eastern Asia,Australia and the Pacificregion.

The penumbral eclipse,which occurs when the sun,earth, and the moon are imper-fectly aligned, will begin at11.32 am and end at 5.33 pm,Duari said.

The penumbral eclipse willbe visible from UP, Bihar,Jharkhand, West Bengal andOdisha but it can be seen onlybriefly from these places, hesaid.

A penumbral eclipse is notas spectacular and dramatic asthe partial eclipse and some-times does not even getnoticed, he said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court has dis-missed with Rs 1 lakh costs aplea by the Lok Insaaf Partychallenging the allotment of'Letter Box' as its symbol for thePunjab assembly elections.Justice Prateek Jalan said that thepolitical outfit, which sought'Tractor Chalata Kisan' as itselection symbol, approachedthe court with "unclean hands"and directed that the costs bedeposited with the Delhi HighCourt Legal Services Committeewithin two weeks.

The petitioner partyinformed the court that it hadapplied to the ElectionCommission for allotment of a

common symbol, stating that'Tractor Chalata Kisan' and'Letter Box' were its first and sec-ond preferences respectively.

The petitioner claimed beforecourt that the symbol 'TractorChalata Kisan' was one of thefree symbols available for allot-ment to registered, unrecog-nised parties as far as the Stateof Punjab was concerned.

The Election Commissioncontended that the petitionerwas suppressing material facts asthe symbol in question was nota free symbol and the same hadalso been notified by it. Thecourt opined that "suppression ina petition under Article 226 ofthe Constitution cannot becountenanced".

PNS n MUMBAI

A local court on Saturdayextended the police custodyof dismissed assistant policeinspector Sachin Waze tillNovember 15 in connectionwith an extortion case regis-tered against him at suburbanGoregaon police station.

The Mumbai police's crimebranch had taken Waze's cus-tody on November 1 in thecase, based on the complaintlodged by builder-cum-hote-lier Bimal Agrawal, in whichformer Mumbai police com-missioner Param Bir Singh isalso an accused.

Waze was produced beforea magistrate court onSaturday at the end of his ear-lier remand.

The police sought anextension of his custody forfurther probe, which wasallowed by the court tillNovember 15.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Some students of IndianInstitute of Technology (IIT),Delhi have alleged that theadministration's decision toconduct examinations inhybrid mode is not offering alevel-playing field.

Institute officials, however,rejected the allegation, sayingthere will be a single examwhether students appear for itfrom home or from campusand there is no scope for anybiases.

According to students, thosewho have returned to thecampus have to report to theirdepartments and appear fortheir exams in a classroomenvironment while those whohave not returned yet have theoption of taking online examswhich will create a "non-uni-formity".

"Not everyone has onboard-ed, which means there is asubstantial number of peoplewho would still be takingexams from the comfort oftheir homes.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Over 3.16 lakh people werefined between April 19 andNovember 12 for violatingCovid-related norms, of whichthe highest were for not wear-ing face masks, police said onTuesday. According to the lat-est data shared by the DelhiPolice, 3,16,565 challans wereissued for such violations dur-ing this period.

The data showed that2,79,878 people were fined fornot wearing masks, followed by

30,385 for not adhering to socialdistancing norms and 3,152 forconsumption of liquor, pan andtobacco at public places.

Another 1,685 challans wereissued for spitting in publicplaces and 1,465 for holdinglarge public gatherings and con-gregations, the data stated.

On Friday, police challaned181 people for not wearingmask, one for holding largepublic gatherings and congrega-tions and 19 for consumption ofliquor, pan and tobacco at pub-lic places, it said.

IIT Delhi students conceredabout hybrid mode exams

Covid violations: Over 3.16 lakhfined in Delhi between Apr 19-Nov 12

Curfew in Amravati due to violence;Raut sees ploy to destabilise govt

‘Comparing parties with those killingpeople in the name of religion fine’

It is an emergency: SC on air pollution in Delhi

Court extendsWaze's custodytill Nov 15

Longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 ys on Nov 19 TMC names ex-Goa CM Faleiroas candidate for RS bypoll

Naxals kill two villagers theysuspected were informers

Maha: Thane police conduct ‘all- out' operation; 143 arrested

Patil directs officials to ensuresufficient water supply to 34 villages

POLL SYMBOL ROW

Delhi nixes Lok Insaaf Party; plea with costs

‘TargetingHarish Makeshim stronger’ PNS n DEHRADUN

UK minister Harak SinghRawat on Saturday indirectlyadvised the BJP to avoid tar-geting Congress leader HarishRawat, saying more a politicalopponent is targeted, thestronger he becomes. "Myexperience tells me that themore you target an opponent,the stronger he gets. My strat-egy would have been different.I would have targeted some-one whom I wanted to be inthe race," Harak told reporterswhen asked if targeting HarishRawat was going to brightenthe BJP's poll prospects.

Cow, dung, urine can strengtheneconomy, says MP CM ChouhanPNS n BHOPAL

Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhan on Saturday said thecow as well as its dung andurine can strengthen an indi-vidual's economy and makethe country financially capable.

The government has devel-oped cow sanctuaries and shel-ters but it will not work aloneand requires participation ofsociety, he said at 'Shakti 2021',

a convention of women veteri-narians organised by IndianVeterinary Association.

"If we want, we can strength-en our own economy andmake the country financiallycapable through cows, theirdung and urine. MP's crema-toriums have been usinggaukasth (logs made of cowdung) to reduce the use ofwood," he said.

He added that veterinarydoctors and experts should

engage in result-oriented workon how cow rearing couldbecome a profitable businessfor small farmers and livestockowners.

Addressing the event, UnionMinister for Fisheries, AnimalHusbandry and DairyingParshottam Rupala saidwomen in large numbers areassociated with cow rearing inthe rural areas of Gujarat, andthis has also resulted in thesuccess of the dairy business.

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021 money 06

MONEY MATTERS

Tea Board chairman P KBezboruah on Friday saidsubsidy given to the industry

should be used for promotion of thebeverage to boost its consumptionin the domestic market. Speaking atthe biennial general meeting of TeaAssociation of India (TAI), he saidmoney at disposal of the board is

around Rs 200 crore per year. "Tea Board gives subsidy to theindustry and it should be used for promotion of consumption of thebeverage in the country and not for anything else. "Per capitaconsumption of tea in the country is low, which should be increasedfor the long term sustainability of the sector," Bezboruah said. Theaverage per capita consumption of tea in India is estimated to beclose to 0.786 kg. K K Dwivedi, the principal secretary of industriesand commerce department of the Assam government, said acomprehensive tea policy to give impetus to the sector will beannounced soon. The Assam government has also decided to set upa world-class tea park in the state, he added.

Subsidy should be used forpromotion of beverage: TAI

Drug firm GlenmarkPharmaceuticals on Friday

reported a 17.44 per cent jump in itsconsolidated net profit to Rs 274.80crore for the quarter endedSeptember 30, 2021. The companyhad posted a net profit of Rs 233.99crore for the corresponding period ofthe previous fiscal, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said in a regulatoryfiling. Its consolidated revenue from operations during July-September2021 stood at Rs 3,147.44 crore. It was Rs 2,952.47 crore for thesame period a year ago, it added. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Chairmanand MD Glenn Saldanha said, "We delivered yet another quarter ofconsistent performance, both in revenue growth and profitability. Wehave continued to perform well in our core therapy areas and launcheddifferentiated products." Shares of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals onFriday closed at Rs 523.65 per scrip on the BSE, up 1.68 per cent fromits previous close.

Glenmark Pharma Q2 netprofit rises 17 pc to Rs 275 cr

PNS n MUMBAI

Extrapolating the retail inflationprint for October, which inchedup on-month to 4.5 per centfrom 4.3 per cent in September,but steeply declined from 7.6per cent on-year, Crisil says therichest 20 per cent of the pop-ulation, who pay more on non-food or core items, suffered themost from rising prices in themonth and the poorest 20 percent, who pay the most for fooditems and prices of which havedeclined, suffered the least.

The Crisil argument is basedon the fact that the burden ofinflation varies across differentincome groups, as the share ofspending on food, fuel andcore categories differs acrossclasses.

According to the NationalSample Survey Organisation's(NSSO) 2011-12 consumerexpenditure, the poorest 20 percent of population spendmajority of their income onfood, while the richest 20 percent do so on core items.

Using the NSSO data, theagency has estimated the aver-age expenditure patterns acrossthree income groups--the bot-tom 20, the middle 60, and theupper 20 per cent--and

mapped them with the currentinflation trends to find out thatthe highest inflation was facedby the upper 20 per cent of theincome group in urban areas inOctober when it increased 5per cent on-year compared to4.6 per cent in September.

Urban inflation in Octoberwas driven by fuel and coreinflation, which cumulativelyoccupy 65 per cent weight intheir commodity basket, saysthe report.

On the other hand, the low-

est inflation was faced by thebottom 20 per cent in ruralareas, as the October printinched down to 3.9 per centon-year from 4 per cent inSeptember, primarily driven bylower food inflation.

Thus it can be surmisedthat the richest 20 per centfaced facing more inflationthan the poorest 20 per centbecause of rising core inflationand falling food inflation, saysthe agency.

While the gap widened in

rural areas in October relativeto September as inflation forthe bottom 20 per cent fellmore, but the gap got reducedin urban areas as inflationrose for the bottom 20 per centin addition for the top 20 percent. While the top rural 20 percent faced 4.4 per cent inflatonin October, the top urban 20per cent did so by 5 per cent,the rural 60 per cent middleincome group faced this by 4per cent and 4.9 per cent forurban top 60 per cent and the

bottom rural 20 per cent hadsuffered it by 3.9 per cent whilethe same was 4.9 per cent forthe urban bottom 20 per cent.

Going forward, Crisilexpects retail inflation to aver-age at 5.5 per cent on-year thisfiscal, down from 6.2 per centlast fiscal as easing food infla-tion and high base effect areexpected to bring down head-line inflation on-year.

As agricultural growth isexpected to remain healthy at3-3.5 per cent, as the normalmonsoons, expected recordkharif production and ade-quate reservoir levels bodewell for rabi production, keep-ing food prices under check.

On the other hand, non-food inflation is expected tocontinue facing pressures fromsurging global commodityprices. Nevertheless, the impactof the recent excise duty cutson petroleum products shouldhelp soften fuel inflation inNovember and will also filterthrough as second-roundeffects to other parts of CPIover the next few months.

On the other hand elevatedinput costs will continue topressure core inflation, as pro-ducers will partially pass themon to end-consumers.

PNS n NEW DELHI

There is a need to share at leastsome portion of the cess andsurcharges collected by thecentral government with thestates, experts said on Friday.

They were participating ina seminar on 'Re-imaginingFiscal Federalism' organised bythe city-based think tankNCAER.

Responding to the variousissues flagged by FinanceCommission chairman N KSingh, Tamil Nadu FinanceMinister Palanivel Thiagarajanmade a case for giving morefiscal autonomy to the states.

A similar opinion wasexpressed by former KeralaFinance Minister ThomasIsaac, who underlined theneed for rolling back the fis-cal control of the central gov-ernment and giving the free-dom to the states to at leastincrease the State GST rates.

Rajya Sabha MP and formerBihar Finance Minister SushilModi opined that some por-tion of the cess and surchargescollected by the central gov-ernment should form part ofthe divisible pool, which isshared with the states as perthe recommendations of theFinance Commission.

"I feel like there shouldeither be some inherent limi-tation on how much this

(Cess) can be levied or thereshould be some requirementthat it should be in the divis-ible pool.

“We have a one-sided kindof system where there is nolimit or ceiling or cap on thecesses and that it doesn'trequire to be in the divisiblepool. I think is a skewed bal-ancing of rights," saidThiagarajan. Modi too saidthere is a need to work outsome kind of formula so somepart of the cess should becomepart of the divisible pool.

On the cess issue, Singh saidthat following any of thesepaths will require a constitu-tional amendment becausethe constitutional amendmentintroduced in 2000 specifical-ly kept cess out of the divisi-ble pool. Responding to a

question, the former Biharfinance minister also said thatunder the current dispensationit would not be possible tobring petrol and diesel underthe ambit of the Goods andServices Tax (GST).

"I don't think it is feasible tobring petrol, diesel, and otherpetroleum products underGST in the near future," hesaid. According to him, thecombined revenue loss bybringing motor fuel in theambit of GST would be aboutRs 4 lakh crore.

In his response, Thiagarajansaid more and more productsshould actually be left to thestates. "So, I would be formore product staying withinthe states and less going intoGST as a fundamental princi-ple," he said.

States should get part of cess,surcharges collected by Centre

PNS n NEW DELHI

Tesla Inc Chief Executive ElonMusk sold 1.2 million sharesheld by his trust on Nov. 12 formore than $1.2 billion, U.S.securities filings showed onFriday, adding to the multi-bil-lion dollar list of sales report-ed this week.

Tesla CEO Elon Muskoffloaded a combined $6.9 bil-lion worth of shares in the elec-tric car company this week,taking advantage of a meteoricrally that vaulted the firm'svalue to over $1 trillion.

The world's richest personand Tesla's top shareholderlast Saturday tweeted that hewould sell 10% of his shares ifusers of the social media plat-form approved the move. The10% would be about 17 millionshares at the time of his tweet.

He has sold 6.36 millionshares this week - around 37%of 17 million. He now needs tooffload about 10 million moreshares to fulfill his pledge to sell10% of his holdings. Shares of

Tesla Inc closed lower onFriday, down 2.8% at $1,033.42,snapping an 11-week winningstreak. The shares are up morethan 46% this year following asharp rally in October.

The stock sales, whichmarked the first time thatMusk cashed out on a stake ofthat size since the companywas founded in 2003, were

massive by capital market stan-dards, eclipsing the initial pub-lic offerings of most compa-nies. By getting Twitter users togreen-light the move, he hasblunted potential criticism ofcashing out at a time whenTesla's valuation has becomefrothy and shares are at recordhighs.

Tesla shares fell 15.4% this

week and lost some $187 bil-lion in market value, more thanthe combined market capital-izations of Ford Motor Coand General Motors Co .

Despite the week's losses,Tesla is still the most valuableautomaker in the world. Recentstrong gains in the stock haveunderscored demand forshares of EV vehicle.

Drug firm Ipca Laboratories onSaturday reported a 6.30 per cent

decline in its consoli dated net profitto Rs 250.23 crore for the secondquarter ended September 30.Thecompany had posted a net profit ofRs 267.07 crore for thecorresponding period of the previousfiscal, Ipca Laboratories said in a

regulatory filing. Consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs1,544.43 crore for the quarter under consideration. It was Rs 1,361.10crore for the same period a year ago, it added.The board has declaredan interim dividend of Rs 8 per share, the filing said.The board has"approved subdivision of every 1 equity share of the nominal/face valueof Rs 2/ each into 2 equity shares of the nominal/face value of Re 1/-each, subject to the approval of the shareholders at the extraordinarygeneral meeting scheduled to be held on December 16, 2021," it added.The rationale behind the split is to improve the liquidity of thecompany's share and to make it more affordable for small investors soas to broad base the small investors base, it added.

Ipca Labs Q2 net profitdeclines 6 pc to Rs 250 cr

The India Pavilion at the ongoing DubaiExpo has witnessed three lakh footfalls

in 43 days on November 12, emerging asone of the most-visited pavilions.Cheering the "huge buzz" about India atthe Expo, Commerce & Industry MinisterPiyush Goyal tweeted that it "reflectsglobal curiosity to explore the tremendouspotential of New India". Goyal had inaugurated the pavilion on October1. Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai and DeputyCommissioner General of India at EXPO2020, said the huge interest ofvisitors in India pavilion is a sign of confidence on India's resilienceand opportunities, besides the vibrant culture of the country, which isin full display in different state weeks being held in the pavilion.

India Pavilion at Dubai Expocrosses 3 lakh footfalls

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union minister Piyush Goyal onFriday urged chartered accoun-tants' community to introspectand look at ways to "revive thecredibility of the profession"even as he asserted that all arenot bad but exceptions some-times damage the reputation.Emphasising that CharteredAccountants (CAs) profession isthat of a gate keeper and has ahuge responsibility in nationbuilding, he said that "honesty,loyalty and ethics" are integralto this field.

Citing examples in the gemsand jewellery industry, the com-merce and industry ministersaid that a few bad and rotteneggs in the business ruined theimage and now no banker wantsto lend money.

"Few big names whodestroyed the name of the sec-tor and its image, who werethey?. Every jeweller was awareabout them... but the sad part is

that all of that happened(because) somebody was sign-ing that balance sheet," he said.

All are "not bad" and there areexceptions but sadly sometimesexceptions take centre stageand damage the reputation andcredibility of the entire industry,he said.

Speaking at an event here,Goyal said that CAs should doa bit of introspection and thinkof ways to revive the credibili-ty of the profession and discipli-nary action should be takenagainst those indulging inwrong doings.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Johnson & Johnson plans tospin off its consumer healthdivision that sells Listerine andBaby Powder to focus on phar-maceuticals and medicaldevices in the biggest shake-upin the U.S. company's 135-yearhistory. Here is how J&J got towhere it is today.

1886Robert Wood Johnson part-

ners with brothers James WoodJohnson and Edward MeadJohnson to found Johnson &Johnson in 1886. It originallyfocused on ready-to-use ster-ile surgical dressings.

1894J&J begins producing

Johnson’s Baby Powder.1918

In response to a global flu pan-demic, J&J begins selling a mask

designed to limit the spread ofthe airborne viral illness.

1920J&J invents Band-Aid and

begins marketing it in 1921.1944J&J completes its initial pub-

lic offering and becomes a pub-licly traded company. It hadannual sales of around $95 mil-lion at the time, compared tomore than $80 billion in 2020.

1959J&J acquires Tylenol maker

McNeil Laboratories.1961J&J acquires Janssen

Pharmaceuticals, which nowmakes ADHD drug Concertaand J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine.

1997The first lawsuit alleging

that J&J’s Baby Powder containscancer-causing asbestos is filedagainst J&J. Since then, J&J hasfaced thousands of lawsuitsand billions of liabilities and has

ceased distributing BabyPowder in the US and Canada.

1999J&J acquires Centocor

Biotech Inc, maker ofRemicade for Crohn's disease,and renames it Janssen Biotech.

2012Johnson and Johnson

acquires orthopedic devicemaker Synthes for nearly $20billion to expand its medicalproduct offerings.

2017J&J acquires Actelion for

$30 billion, adding heart dis-ease medicines such as Tracleerto its portfolio.

2020J&J begins developing a vac-

cine. It received authorizationto begin administering its shotthe following year.

How Johnson & Johnson became the sprawling healthcare giant

PNS n KOLKATA

Driven by the market dynam-ics, steel prices in the countryhave risen but are still compet-itive as compared to prices ofthe metal in the internationalmarkets, an official said onFriday.

Steelmakers in the countryhave reportedly raised prices ofbenchmark hot-rolled coil byup to Rs 3,500 a tonne on theback of rising input costs dueto soaring coal prices.

"Steel prices follow globaltrends and now stay at a high-er level. If compared to inter-national markets, our pricesare still low. It is a deregulat-ed sector and market dynam-ics has an influence on it," SteelMinistry additional secretaryRasika Chaube, said whileaddressing a programmeorganised by CII.

Tata Steel in its guidanceindicated that prices of the

metal in India will be higher byabout Rs 2,500 per tonne in thecurrent quarter as comparedto last year and in Europe, itwill be about 25 to 30 poundsper tonne higher.

With increasing coal pricesand high cost of raw material,it is difficult to sell steel at cur-rent prices, a company official

said. However, some analysts said

steel prices may see correctionsin the near term with easingiron-ore prices.

Chaube said the Centreenvisioned the transformationof eastern India as a potentialintegrated steel hub throughMission Purvoday.

CAs need to look at waysto revive credibility: Goyal

PNS n NEW DELHI

Toyota Motor Corp said onSaturday it will partner withfour other Japanese vehiclemakers to explore the viabil-ity of alternative green fuelsfor internal combustionengine cars , includinghydrogen and syntheticfuels derived from biomass.

The companies, which inaddition to Toyota includeMazda Motor Corp , SubaruCorp , Yamaha Motor andKawasaki Heavy Industries, made the announcement ata race track in Okayama,western Japan, where Toyotais racing a hydrogen car.

The hydrogen race car isbeing driven by Toyota chiefeexcutive Akio Toyodaalong with other Toyotadrivers.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)has a second and final paymentfrom those who were issued42.26 crore company shares ina rights issue.

And to assist shareholders, ithas re-activated WhatsAppChatbot 7977111111.

In a regulatory filing, thecompany said a notice for pay-ment of Second and Final Callon 42,26,26,894 partly paid-upequity shares of the face value ofRs 10 each issued and allottedon rights basis on May 15,2020, has been issued.

Reliance had made a RightsIssue of 42.26 crore equityshares at Rs 1,257 each. Thefinal call of 50 per cent of theamount - Rs 628.50 per share -has now become due.

Reliance's rights issue at atotal size of Rs 53,125 crore wasthe largest ever rights issue in

India. This was the world'slargest rights issue by a non-financial company in the last 10years. The existing share-holders of the company wereoffered new shares of the com-pany in a 1:15 ratio. November10, 2021, was the record date todecide holders of the ReliancePartly Paid-up shares, who needto pay the Second and Final Call.

On payment of the Secondand Final Call amount, the part-ly paid-up shares will transitioninto fully paid-up shares ofReliance Industries, which aretraded under symbol RELIANCEon both NSE and BSE.

Reliance makes call forpayment on rights issue

Toyota to developalternative fuelswith othervehicle makers

Richest 20 per cent facing moreinflation than poorest 20 per cent

Musk sold another $1.2 bln of stock

Official: Steel prices in country remaincompetitive compared to intl markets

sundaymagazine

98Making of a masterpiece

HYDERABAD, November 14, 2021

Diwali, the festival of lights, thereturn of Lord Ram to Ayodhya,is one of the most auspicious andopulently celebrated festivals inthe nation. Historically, fire-

crackers weren’t even in existence when thefestival was initiated. For years, revellers havebeen marking the beginning of the festival bysetting off smoke bombs, sparklers and fire-crackers. Despite the beautiful light, sparksand patterns the firecrackers emanate, thepollution and harm it causes cannot be over-looked. The air post Diwali turns especiallytoxic, damaging the air quality and trappingthe pollutants in the lower atmosphere. TheGovernment of India initiated a ban on thesale and use of firecrackers this year, in anumber of states, to curb pollution. Despitethe ban, the citizens did not seem deterredand appeared eager to burst crackers. A thicklayer of smog enshrouded cities on Fridaymorning, hindering the visibility of people,troubling them with itchy throats and wateryeyes.

Air pollution has become a serious prob-lem in modern Indian cities, resulting in thedeath of several people and being the cause ofterminal illnesses for others. According toGreenpeace around 52,700 people died pre-maturely in the nation’s capital due to expo-sure to air pollution in spite of the CovidLockdown. As stated in the World AirQuality Report, 2020, twenty of the world’s30 most polluted cities are situated in India.Airborne particulate matter is the majorcause of cardiovascular and respiratory dis-eases such as lung cancer and asthma.Furthermore, the low temperatures anddecreasing wind speed during Diwali, in thenorthern states, tends to trap the pollutantsin the air for longer periods of time. Severalstates displayed an exponential surge in theAir Quality Index. On a scale of 500 certainstates measured up to 450 and more, urgingthe severity of the situation. A measurebetween 0 to 50 is considered good, whereasa measure somewhere between 51 to 100 isacceptable. India has broken all scales andhas proven how dangerous the tiny pollutantsin the air are.

People are of the belief that “green” fire-crackers are not dangerous and do not causerespiratory harm to the extent that non-greencrackers do. Though they may be considereda satisfactory replacement, they are not com-pletely pollution free. Bursting green crackersensures that the emissions are reduced bythirty percent only, as mentioned by theCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research.Contrary to popular belief green crackers arenot a better, more reliable, safer and sustain-able alternative. They too use harmful chemi-

cals like potassium nitrate, aluminum, mag-nesium and barium. Green crackers are not asolution to the air pollution caused by tradi-tional firecrackers, as they too emit fine par-ticulate matter in the air. Such fine particleshave the ability to travel beyond the throat,occupy the lungs and cause severe healthproblems in the long run.

Toxic chemicals, particularly sulphurdioxide, carbon dioxide, monoxide, man-ganese, cadmium and carbon monoxide areejected in high and dense concentration intothe atmosphere. In a study performed byChest Research Foundation, Pune, firecrack-ers increase the levels of sulphur dioxide by200 times above the level prescribed as safeby the World Health Organisation. Suchchemicals have an immediate effect on one’shealth, and can also result in long lasting ill-nesses. Patients of asthma and bronchitis areat a greater risk of their health deterioratingdue the adverse effects of the chemicals andair pollution. Doctors have often mentioned,in interviews, that the frequency and volumeof patients complaining of breathing troublesand allergic reactions due to chemical irri-tants increases every year post Diwali. Everyyear there is an almost thirty to forty percentrise in the number of asthma cases. Besidespeople with lung infections, children andsenior citizens also face physical health diffi-culties instigated by pollution caused duringDiwali.

Since the pandemic has ensued, life itselfhas become a struggle. Mundane activitiesare also required to be performed withutmost care and concern. As of November 1,2021 India has reported a total of 34 millionconfirmed Corona cases. Thirty four millionpeople have suffered the wrath of the unde-feated disease. Considering the multitude ofpeople that have been affected, it has beenadvised that those affected by Covid-19 keepaway from bursting firecrackers. It is ironic toobserve that just a few months back peoplewere struggling to access oxygen due toshortage of oxygen tanks and now people arebursting firecrackers with no considerationfor the Covid recovered patients. Those thathave been affected by the virus are yet tobuild an invincible immune system. Therehas been a 20% increase in the number ofpatients exhibiting chronic lung conditionsymptoms since Diwali. At its peak, hospitali-sations go up by 40%. Covid patients, espe-cially those who have taken a trip to theIntensive Care Unit have higher chances ofexperiencing hyper activity due to irritants.Nearly twenty to thirty percent of recoveredCovid patients have suffered due to the aftereffects of Diwali. The lower the lung efficien-cy the greater the risks of contracting the

virus. Combining long term exposure to airpollution and the infection of the virus willhave an adverse effect on one’s health, espe-cially the lungs, heart and blood vessels,which will lead to greater vulnerability toCovid. The crisis will intensify and leave peo-ple sick and tired.

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF CHEMICALS USED IN

FIRECRACKERS

Chemicals used in firecrackers can causeserious damage to the respiratory tract andcontribute to infectious diseases and inflam-mation. l Copper: causes irritation to the respiratorytract l Cadmium: affects the ability of blood tocarry oxygen, leading to anemia l Zinc: instigates nausea, vomiting and mayalso cause feverl Lead: adversely affects the human nervoussystem l Magnesium: fume fever l Sodium: is the main cause of burns andwounds inflicted l Carbon monoxide: replaces oxygen inblood therefore, depriving the heart, brainand other essential organs of oxygen l Carbon dioxide: causes dizziness,headaches, difficulty in breathing, increasedheart rate l Sulphur dioxide: increases the risk of res-piratory tract infection and irritates the eye

WHEN TO APPROACH A DOCTOR?

Your health is not to be taken lightly. Beself aware and keep an eye out for the follow-ing symptoms: l Wheezing l Flaring nostrilsl Excessive perspirationl Fever l Tightness in the throat l Shortness of breath l Chest congestion

If one or any of these symptoms areobserved please contact a medical profession-al. Ignoring the obvious symptoms or pro-longing the effects will only escalate the issueand cause an even greater discomfort.

PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN

We’re all familiar with the age old saying‘precaution is better than cure’. Now that theair is already toxic, here’s what you can do: l Vitamin C rich diet: If your diet is rich in

Vitamin C, you are sure to have a wellsupported immunity. Citrus fruits andjuices such as mangoes, papaya, watermel-ons, pineapples and strawberries, broccoli,cauliflower, spinach, cabbage and potatoesare rich in Vitamin C. You may also

choose to include magnesium and omegafatty acids in your diet to establish a bal-anced, well nutritioned diet.

l Do not exercise outdoors: With pollutionlevels soaring it is important to decreasethe frequency of stepping out. Stick toexercising indoors. Limit the outdooractivities of children, senior citizens andthose suffering from breathing problems.

l Keep an inhaler or medicines at reach:Those suffering from asthma, bronchitisor chronic obtrusive pulmonary diseaseshould have their inhaler or other pre-scribed medicine at arms reach. Follow allthe directions as instructed by your doctorto prevent exacerbation of your physicalailments. Try not to step out of yourhouse, especially in the evenings, whenthe air quality is at its worst untilabsolutely necessary.

l Hydrate yourself: Drink lots and lots ofwater to keep yourself hydrated and fresh.Keep water handy in case someone startscoughing or wheezing.

l Use masks: Wear one, not only to preventthe spread of the virus but also to protectyourself from the fumes released into theatmosphere. A good quality mask prefer-ably N95, N99 or N100 will surely proveeffective at filtering the tiny particulatematter from the air.

l Refrain from eating outside: Eatingunhealthy, oily food might spoil your fes-tive mood. Stomach infections, vomiting,diarrhea, food poisoning are some of theillnesses that one can experience.

l Proper ventilation: Allow air to circulatethroughout the house by opening thedoors and windows. Fresh air does won-ders for the body. Though make sure youclose all the doors and windows in theevening to prevent smoke, fine particlesand noise from invading your home.

l Air purifiers: For people suffering frompre-existing health issues, an air purifier isa worthy investment. It will serve well byremoving pollutants, toxins and allergensfrom the air, thereby improving the airquality. Celebrations do not imply risking one’s

health and safety. Prioritise your and yourloved ones’ health above all. Now that thedamage is done, take ample measures to miti-gate the harmful effects. Government is vigi-lant on the crackers which are not only limit-ed to smoke, but, also burns, noise and relat-ed health hazards. Central Pollution ControlBoard, Ministry of Environment has doneexcellent studies and suggested detailedguidelines for prevention.

The writer is Medical Director, AdityaBirla Memorial Hospital

Paresh Maity's new exhibit, Cast, is atrip down memory lane that takes

audiences to his world of creations

Surround yourself with the right people, and realizeyour own worth. Honestly,

there are enough badpeople out there in the

world — you don't need tobe your own worst enemy

— Lucy Hale

F R O M T H E I N S I D E

According to UNESCO, learning process of around32 crore students in India has been affected. Howessential is reopening of educational institutes

bagpack

NEARLY TWENTY TOTHIRTY PERCENT OFRECOVERED COVID

PATIENTS HAVESUFFERED DUE TO THE

AFTER EFFECTS OFDIWALI. THE LOWER THE

LUNG EFFICIENCY THEGREATER THE RISKS OF

CONTRACTING THEVIRUS. COMBINING LONGTERM EXPOSURE TO AIR

POLLUTION AND THEINFECTION OF THE VIRUSWILL HAVE AN ADVERSE

EFFECT ON ONE'SHEALTH, ESPECIALLY THE

LUNGS, HEART ANDBLOOD VESSELS, WHICHWILL LEAD TO GREATER

VULNERABILITY TOCOVID. THE CRISIS WILL

INTENSIFY AND LEAVEPEOPLE SICK AND TIRED

There has been a 20% increase in the number of patients exhibiting chronic lung condition symptoms sinceDiwali, all thanks to the polluted and toxic air that we are inhaling in Delhi, writes DR ASHUTOSH SRIVASTAVA

BREATHING

POISONIN DELHI

BREATHING

POISONIN DELHI

It’s sheer delight to see renowned artist PareshMaity at work. One of the most important anddynamic names among artists of the modernera, Maity began sculpting and moulding clay

when he was only seven years old.His obsession with scale often results in huge

installations and sculptures that are often drawnback to his nascent days in Tamluk in Bengal,where he grew up watching the creation of themonumental idols of goddess Durga. Eventhough he has held the brush for many years, itis his inner urge towards a childhood oath thathad brought him to moulding clay and castingmetal sculptures, thereby creating breath-takinginstallations which are often larger than life andextremely overwhelming.

And this passion about scale is whatbecame his driving force to exhibit a beautifulamalgamation of sculptures and installations inhis forthcoming month long show, Cast, that isbeing held in Kolkata at Birla Academy of Art &Culture Lawns and presented by Gallery ArtExposure along with Birla Academy of Art &Culture from November 13.

The exhibition, encapsulates the imperma-nence and fear of the artist that is moulded intounique shapes and forms which is not justastounding but is a journey between that whichis organic and that which is imagined. It is a tripdown memory lane that takes audiences to hisworld of creations — some imagined and somethrough physical manifestations. All his worksbear his unique stamp of artistry that draws inthe viewers and visitors to the close yet openexpanse of his imagination and rooted percep-tions that both speaks and allows others toendeavour to meet him midway.

Much delightful as it is going to be to see theexhibit in person, here is a peep into the artist'sworld as he can be seen working behind thescenes. A photofeature.

sundaymagazine

Photo Essay 8HYDERABAD, November 14, 2021

ART IS THE DESIRE OF A MAN TOEXPRESS HIMSELF, TO RECORD THEREACTIONS OF HIS PERSONALITY

TO THE WORLD HE LIVES IN— AMY LOWELL

MAKING OF MASTERPIECE

It’s been one year and nine months since Indiaobserved its index case of COVID-19 inThrissur, Kerala taking the overall tally to3,44,26,036. Thousands of patients are being

reported even today. With the advent of this pan-demic, countries have been affected in many waysworldwide. While countries are at different pointsin their COVID-19 infection rates, in India thereare currently more than 298,145, 295 learnersaffected by school closures due to the pandemicas per statistics provided by the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO). According to its report, the learningprocess of around 32 crores students including 3.5crore university students in India has been badlyaffected.

Now that the schools are partially open foroffline classes, it is quite a task to analyse whetherstudents and teachers have set their minds for a‘back to school days’ routine. Many Governmentschools in Delhi resumed offline classes fromNovember 01, 2021, whereas several privateschools reopened from November 08, 2021.

Schools have adopted the hybrid-learning par-adigm and it seems to be the safest option at pre-sent. “There has been a paradigm shift in the cur-rent educational system and the hybrid learningmode has the potential to be a huge game-chang-er. We have adopted the hybrid learning paradigmfor grade 11 and 12 students after conducting ses-sions virtually for more than 18 months,” saysRadhika Sinha, Principal, Aditya Birla WorldAcademy.

She tells us that with the objective of ensur-ing the utmost safety of the children as well as staff,they request formal permission from parents beforesending their children to physical classrooms. Astudent is not allowed to attend offline classes ifthe consent form from the parents is not signed.Furthermore, for students who do not wish toattend or are not in a position to attend offline lec-tures, online sessions are being concurrently con-ducted.

Adhering to the Government laid COVID pro-tocols, schools are making sure that students, teach-ers and other staff members are all screened at theentrance point for temperature checks everyday.“Even though more than 90% of our teaching andnon-teaching staff are completely vaccinated, wehave made it essential for pupils and teachers toshow a negative RT PCR report each week at ourschool,” Sinha says.

“Through their time spent at school, childrenare required to wear masks. Students/Teachers whoexhibit any COVID like symptoms will be senthome after undergoing a medical examination byour in-house medical professionals,” she adds.

While the number of cases have gone down,there is still some fear lingering around. ShikhaBanerjee, Principal, Seth Anandram JaipuriaSchool, Kanpur, says “Apparently, going by the cur-rent scenario, the worst has passed but still I havea very strong inkling that now is the time whenwe need to be all the more cautious because peo-ple in general have become pretty much negligentand carefree.”

She adds that in their school, they have not leftany stone unturned to ensure that all safety pre-cautions are taken and protocols followed so thatthe children get a safe and healthy environmentto be in. Whether it be physical distancing, prac-

tising health and hand hygiene or use of disinfec-tants, they have been practising it all in their strictestterms.

Students might not follow safety measuressometimes so constant reminders should be givento them. “We all need to understand that each oneof us needs to act and behave responsibly to ensurea healthy work environment,” Banerjee says.

“Out of the long list of do’s and don’ts whichthe Health organisations have laid down for theschools, some of them pose challenges. For exam-ple, physical distancing. Ideally, students shouldremain at least three feet apart within classroomsor on campus, but it’s hard to implement it prac-tically. Oftentimes, students tend to forget to main-tain social distance when the teacher is away.However, other measures such as face masks, ther-mal screening, wellness exercises and emotionalsupport are working well,” says Divya Roy, PGT-English, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Kanpur.

To ensure added safety, Sinha says that theyhave designated isolation zones at school, usage ofelevators has been limited, and the cafeteria is keptclosed. Most importantly, safety being the top pri-ority, they ensure sanitizing and disinfecting theschool premises every day before and after schoolhours. The school has been following all process-es and safeguards to ensure a smooth transitionback to school for both educators and students.

To keep the numbers small and meet the nec-essary regulations of maintaining the required dis-tance in seating arrangements and other safeguards,schools have put out a routine for one grade perday to attend off-line sessions and grades have beenallotted different time slots.

“The school has set the timetable so as to haveonly one grade attend classes on a day, which assistsus in adhering to the needed protocol of maintain-ing the required seating spacing,” Sinha tells you.

“The timings are as usual but split into slots,so that 10th And 12th would have classes from 9amto 12:30pm, 9th and 11th would have classes from1:30 to 4:30pm,” says Challa Haneesha, a grade 12student from St. Brittos Academy, Velachery,Chennai.

As hybrid learning has become the new nor-mal, will it continue to exist in the future?

“Applying technology in the classroom hasgrown as a fundamental part of our lives as edu-cators. In the era of personalised learning, wherelearning is not confined to classrooms or textbooks,and instructors' expertise is not limited to the gath-ering of data or documented material essential forlearning, the phrase 'New School' connotes for-ward-thinking,” says Sinha.

Moreover, to suit the need of the hour, syllabushad to be restructured whether it be at the coun-cil level or school. “All aspects related to the pre-

sent work scenario have been taken into accountand the syllabus has been tailor-made to suit therespective levels and requirements of the students,”Banerjee tells you.

Haneesha tells us that the online education wasnot quite helpful as they had several distractions,so going back to school and catching up with thesyllabus felt difficult since the basics weren't strongenough.

Coming to the syllabus, there have been mod-ifications and alterations for both board classes andin-house curriculum. “The Council For TheIndian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)has brought in necessary bifurcations in the syl-labus to cater to two semester exams instead of oneboard exam. Likewise, the internal curriculum ofthe school has also been moderated in tangent withthe hybrid pattern of teaching,” Roy explains.

She adds that the Council has not onlyslashed down the syllabus for the board classes buthas also changed the pattern of their testing of thestudents. The candidates are now supposed toattempt MCQs for the semester one exam.Similarly, the internal exam system of the schoolhas been based on hybrid testing, MCQs and sub-jective.

With cons come pros. Switching from offlineteaching to online has been a rough ride but it hasalso given space to educators and learners to explorevarious methods of e-learning and make use of dif-ferent technologies in the comfort of their ownhomes. “During online classes the students werevery comfortable since they could learn at their ownpace. Now that we are almost back to in-personteaching, we can’t deny the pleasure of real timelively discussions and interactions. Offline class-es are easy from a teacher’s perspective but as aneducator I feel now is the time for hybrid learn-ing,” says Roy.

According to Banerjee, online teaching wassomething which was forced down everyone’sthroat. She felt that the very essence or soul ofmy institution had gone missing and teachingwithout physical and emotional connection waswithout any substance.

“All the students according to me preferoffline schooling as we get to meet our friends,even though wearing masks for long hours canget tiring, it's better than sitting at home andstaring into the laptop screens,” Haneeshashares.

Sitting still and not moving for hours, zeroface-to-face interactions and no extracurricu-lar activities have all taken a toll on students’and educators’ mental health. Coming back toschool seems like a relief for most of them evenif a lot of things are not the same.

“Teachers, too, require the tactile closenessand energy to teach students that a physicalclassroom delivers. Although teachers have beenable to maintain virtual connections with theirstudents, the value of face-to-face classroominteraction can never be matched. Students andstaff alike were filled with anxious anticipationand joy at the idea of returning to what they con-sider to be their second home," FranakBandekar, Secondary School and A Level Head,Aditya Birla World Academy shares.

She tells us that learning has had an impacton some children's emotional, social, behaviour-al, and intellectual development.

special 09HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021

There has been a paradigm shift in the currenteducational system and the hybrid learningmode has the potential to be a huge game-changer. We have adopted the hybrid learning paradigmfor grade 11 and 12 students after conductingsessions virtually for more than 18 months

— RADHIKA SINHA Principal, Aditya Birla World Academy

According to UNESCO, learning process of around 32 crore students in India has beenaffected. How essential is reopening of educational institutes for restoring academicengagement of students? SUPRIYA RAMESH brings you a report

GOING BY THE CURRENTSCENARIO, THE WORST HASPASSED BUT STILL I HAVE A

VERY STRONG INKLING THATNOW IS THE TIME WHEN WENEED TO BE ALL THE MORE

CAUTIOUS BECAUSE PEOPLE INGENERAL HAVE BECOME

PRETTY MUCH NEGLIGENT ANDCAREFREE.

ALL ASPECTS RELATED TO THEPRESENT WORK SCENARIO

HAVE BEEN TAKEN INTOACCOUNT AND THE SYLLABUS

HAS BEEN TAILOR-MADE TOSUIT THE RESPECTIVE LEVELS

AND REQUIREMENTS OF THESTUDENTS

— SHIKHA BANERJEE,PRINCIPAL,

SETH ANANDRAM JAIPURIASCHOOL, KANPUR

BAGPACK

The idea was striking in itsambition: African coun-

tries aimed to plant trees in anearly 5,000-mile line span-ning the entire continent,creating a natural barrier tohold back the Sahara Desertas climate change swept thesands south.

The project called theGreat Green Wall began in2007 with a vision for thetrees to extend like a beltacross the vast Sahel region,from Senegal in the west toDjibouti in the east, by 2030.But as temperatures rose andrainfall diminished, millionsof the planted trees died.

Efforts to rein in thedesert continue in Senegalon a smaller scale. On thewestern end of the plannedwall, Ibrahima Fall walksunder the cool shade ofdozens of lime trees, water-ing them with a hose as yel-low chicks scurry around hisfeet.

Just beyond the greenorchard and a village is adesolate, arid landscape.

The citrus crop provides ahaven from the heat andsand

that surround it.Outside the low vil-lage walls, windswhip sand into theair, inviting desertifi-cation, a process thatwrings the life out offertile soil andchanges it into desert,often because ofdrought or deforesta-tion.

Only 4 per cent ofthe Great Green Wall'soriginal goal has beenmet, and an estimatedUSD 43 billion wouldbe needed to achievethe rest.

With prospects forcompleting the barrieron time dim, organizershave shifted their focusfrom planting a wall oftrees to trying a mosaic ofsmaller, more durableprojects to stop desertifi-cation, including commu-nity-based effortsdesigned to improve livesand help the most vulnera-ble agriculture.

US high jumper to get2012 Olympic gold

American high jumperErik Kynard will finally

get his gold medal fromthe 2012 London Olympicsafter the IOC approvedreallocating some resultsfrom those games becauseof doping cases.

Kynard's leap of 2.33meters placed second inLondon behind IvanUkhov, who was provenyears later to have takenpart in the Russian state-backed steroid doping pro-gram.

Ukhov was banned for fouryears in 2019 at the Court of

Arbitration for Sport. He wentback to the same court last year

for an appeal hearing but failed tooverturn the ruling.

The International OlympicCommittee executive board onFriday signed off on reallocatingthe medals and final results for fiveevents from the London Olympics,including men's and women's highjump.

With Kynard upgraded to men'sgold, the three bronze medalists in2012 will each now get silvermedals: Derek Drouin of Canada,Robbie Grabarz of Britain andMutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar.Barshim also tied for gold at theTokyo Olympics in August.

The IOC also reallocated thebronze medal in women's highjump from a Russian athlete.

An Israeli married couplewere arrested for espionage

late Friday after takingphotographs of theTurkish president'sresidence inIstanbul, Turkey'sofficial newsagency said.

Anadolu

Agency said a Turkish nationalwas also arrested. Police

detained them after atip off from an

employee work-ing in theCamlica radioand televisiontower on theAsian side ofIstanbul.

Theemployee

claimed theywere taking pho-

tographs of Turkish

President Recep TayyipErdogan's nearby home fromthe tower's restaurant earlier thisweek.

They were formally arrestedpending trial for “political andmilitary espionage” by anIstanbul court.

In a statement issued lateFriday, Israeli Foreign MinisterYair Lapid denied the couplework for an “Israeli agency.” Hesaid his department has been inregular contact with the pairand is trying to organize theirrelease.

scopekaleid backpage HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021

The possibility that screen

time during early childhood

could cause poorer atten-

tion later in a child's life is a

major concern for both parents

and researchers.

Earlier studies have suggested

links between preschoolers'

screen time and difficulties with

attention.

But there is by no means con-

sensus among the research com-

munity that such a relationship

exists, and there have been con-

flicting results.

Two studies based on data

from the Growing Up in New

Zealand (GUiNZ) longitudinal

cohort study may shed some new

light on the issue, in the context

of interactive media on offer for

young children today.

The first study examined

whether exceeding two hours of

screen time per day for children

aged two and almost four predict-

ed symptoms of inattention and

hyperactivity at four and a half

years.We used the Goodman's

Strengths and Difficulties ques-

tionnaire to measure symptoms

and found no association between

higher levels of screen time and

more symptoms.

A second study investigated the

correlation between screen time

and symptoms of inattention or

hyperactivity for children at the

age of four and a half.

Here, screen time and symp-

toms were measured at the same

point in time, in contrast to the

longitudinal approach of the

first study. We found a

significant associ-

ationbetween

more symptoms and higher levels

of screen time.

These two findings suggest

there is no causal link between

screen time and symptoms of

inattention and hyperactivity. But

instead, parents of children dis-

playing more of these symptoms

may allow more screen time.

Several factors may be at play,

and one is the child's preference.

Most children enjoy screen time.

For children with Attention

Deficit and Hyperactivity

Disorder (ADHD), for instance,

peer interactions are often diffi-

cult, and screen time may provide

a more enjoyable and less stress-

ful alternative.

Children with attention prob-

lems could find it hard to concen-

trate for long periods on pastimes

such as reading a book. Screen

time, with its bright colours and

action, may capture their atten-

tion and keep them interested.

Children with symptoms of

inattention or hyperactivity are

typically very active and impulsive

and parents may find screen time

can help settle and occupy their

child for a while. It can also

be something that par-

ents and children

enjoy doing

together.

US auto safety regula-tors are looking into

a complaint from a Tesla driver that the company's “Full Self-Driving”software caused a crash.The driver was beta testing the “Full Self-

Driving” software, and the Tesla SUV went into the wrong lane and washit by another vehicle, according to a complaint filed by the driver with the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The car went into the wrong lane and I was hit by another driver in the

lane next to my lane,” the driver wrote. The vehicle, a 2021 Tesla Model Y small SUV, gave the driver an alert

halfway through the turn, and the driver tried to turn the wheel to avoid othertraffic, according to the complaint.

But the car took control and “forced itself into the incorrect lane, creating anunsafe maneuver putting everyone involved at risk,” the driver wrote. No one was

injured in the crash, but the Model Y was severely damaged on the driver's side,according to the complaint filed with the agency online Monday and posted in its

public complaint database. The crash happened on November 3, and the driver's location is Brea,

California, but the location of the crash was not identified. NHTSA does notrelease names of those who file complaints.

It is likely the first complaint filed with the agency alleging that “Full Self-Driving” software caused a crash. A message

was left Friday seeking comment fromTesla, which has disbanded its media

relations department. A NHTSA spokeswoman said

Friday night the agency isaware of the complaint and is

communicating with Teslato get more information.

The spokeswoman sayspeople should report safe-ty concerns to the agency.

The inquiry isanother sign that NHTSAis becoming more aggres-

sive in watchingautonomous and partiallyautomated driving systemsunder President Joe Biden.

In the past the agencyhas been reluctant to regulate

the systems, saying that it didn'twant to delay potentially life-saving

technology.

Earlier this week, theInternational Space

Station (ISS) was forced to maneou-vre out of the way of a potential col-lision with space junk. With a crewof astronauts and cosmonauts onboard, this required an urgentchange of orbit on November 11.

Over the station's 23-yearorbital lifetime, there have beenabout 30 close encounters withorbital debris requiring evasiveaction. Three of these near-misses occurred in 2020. InMay this year there was a hit: atiny piece of space junkpunched a 5mm hole in theISS's Canadian-built robotarm.

This week's incidentinvolved a piece of debrisfrom the defunct Fengyun-1C weather satellite,destroyed in 2007 by a

Chineseanti-satel-lite missiletest. The satelliteexploded intomore than 3,500pieces of debris, mostof which are still orbit-ing. Many have now falleninto the ISS's orbital region.

To avoid the collision, aRussian Progress supply spacecraft

docked to the station fired its rocketsfor just over six minutes. This changedthe ISS's speed by 0.7 metres per secondand raised its orbit, already more than400km high, by about 1.2km.

Get news that's free, independent andbased on evidence.

Orbit is getting crowded Space debris hasbecome a major concern for all satellitesorbiting the Earth, not just the football-field-sized ISS. As well as notable satellites such asthe smaller Chinese Tiangong space stationand the Hubble Space Telescope, there arethousands of others.

As the largest inhabited space station, the ISSis the most vulnerable target. It orbits at 7.66kilometres a second, fast enough to travel fromPerth to Brisbane in under eight minutes. Acollision at that speed with even a small pieceof debris could produce serious damage.What counts is the relative speed of the satel-lite and the junk, so some collisions could beslower while others could be faster and doeven more damage.

‘NO LINK’between kids’

screen time and later

attention issues

Israeli couple arrested in Turkeyon espionage charges

Girl, teddy bear reunited ayear after loss in Glacier park

Pfizer's pill is the latest Covid treatment

Pfizer says its antiviral COVID treatment Paxlovid cuts the chance ofending up in hospital or dying by 89 per cent. What differentiates

this from other medicines we have used since the start of the pandemicis it provides the opportunity for patients to be treated at home, with acombination of a capsule and a pill. The phase 2/3 trial data on which

those hospitalisation rates are based have yet to be independentlyverified. Nor has the treatment been approved by any country for use

outside a clinical trial. Yet this development adds to our growingportfolio of potential options to directly target SARS-CoV-2,

the virus that causes COVID-19, and to treat COVIDsymptoms. What is it? Paxlovid is a combination of

two different drugs – the HIV drug ritonavir (acapsule) and an experimental drug PF-07321332

(a pill). Ritonavir protects the body frommetabolising PF-07321332. It acts by beingbroken down by the body first (known as asacrificial chemical) to ensure enough PF-

07321332 reaches the virus intact. PF-07321332 is a so-called protease inhibitor (as

is ritonavir). It blocks the action of a vitalenzyme (protease) and stops SARS-CoV-2 frommaking copies of itself. What did the trial show?

The trial included 1,219 “high risk” adults with COVIDwho were not in hospital.

Alittle girl who lost a special teddy bear she'd had since being adopted from anEthiopian orphanage thought it was gone forever when she forgot it along a

trail in Glacier National Park last year. Her parents and family friends still heldonto a glimmer of hope. Hope won out. Thanks to a social media plea, the sharpeyes and soft heart of a park ranger andthe closure of a hiking trail because ofgrizzly bear activity on the same day afamily friend visited the park, the teddybear is back in the arms of 6-year-oldNaomi Pascal in Jackson, Wyoming. Thebear's return, which has earned 12,000likes on the Glacier National ParkFacebook page, is a beautiful story thatresonates, said Ben Pascal, Naomi's dadand the senior pastor at the PresbyterianChurch of Jackson Hole, a popular skitown south of Grand Teton NationalPark in Wyoming. “It was just a story ofhope and kindness and people justworking together,” Pascal said. "Ittouched people's hearts. It gave 'emhope. It made 'em feel like there isgood in the world, which I believethere is.” Teddy was the first gift Benand Addie Pascal sent to Naomi before she was adopted in 2016. She tookTeddy with her on family trips to Ethiopia, Rwanda, Croatia and Greece.When Pascal took his kids to Montana in October 2020, Teddy was onceagain along for the adventure. While Pascal and a friend of his went on ahike in Glacier National Park, family friend Terri Hayden watched the kids.

Africa’s ‘GreatGreen Wall’shifts focus tohold off desert

Tesla driver’s

complaint being

looked into by

US regulators

A chunk of

Chinese satellite

almost hit the

International

Space Station