HYDERABAD, SATURDAY JULY 11, 2020; PAGES 12 `3

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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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MONEY 8‘HIGHER OFFTAKE BY FCI CAN BOOSTPROCUREMENT AGENCIES LIQUIDITY'

ANALYSIS 7CHINA THE EMERGING

RING MASTER OF NEPAL?

SPORTS 12SLOW AND STEADY

WINDIES BUILD THEIR LEAD

RADHE SHYAMIT IS!{

HYDERABADWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated July 10, 2020 5:00 PM

ALMANAC TODAY

Month & Paksham:Ashadha & Krishna PakshaPanchangamTithi : Shashthi: 01:32 pmNakshatram: Uttara Bhadrapada:

Full NightTime to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 09:07 am – 10:44 amYamagandam: 01:58 pm – 03:36 pmVarjyam: 04:15 pm – 06:02 pmGulika: 05:52 am - 07:29 amGood Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 02:56 am – 04:44 amAbhijit Muhurtham: 11:55 am – 12:47 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: CloudyTemp: 28/23Humidity: 80%Sunrise: 05.48 amSunset: 06.54 pm

Covid-19: Be wary of ‘happy hypoxia’ syndromeMonitor oxygen levels before and after walking 150 steps or for 6 minutes

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

The need to maintain prop-er oxygen levels in the bodyhas become imperative inCovid-19 times, given thepreponderance of coronapatients with shortness ofbreath among their mainsymptoms and the numbers offatalities attributed to lack ofoxigen supply.

Doctors now say that due tothe “happy hypoxia” syndromethere is an increasing demandfor oxygen beds. Due to thisphenomenon, even if the oxy-

gen levels are dropping, someof the Covid-19 patients willfeel normal until the conditiondeteriorates (see box).

According to Dr G SravanKumar, pulmonologist at TBChest Hospital, “Oxygen levelshave been found to be very low

in some Covid-19 patientsas they are displaying aphenomenon called‘happy hypoxia’. In thiscondition, even if thepatient’s oxygen levels aredropping, they are notable to feel the differenceand are going about withnormal activities. The

brain is not able to recognisethe drop in oxygen levels untilit becomes severe. As patientsare not monitoring their oxy-gen levels, by the time theyreach hospital, they are com-plaining of breathlessness.”

SEASON OF TWO VIRUSES? Scientists worried that dengue outbreak may aggravate COVID-19 crisis PNS n NEW DELHI

As dengue season sets in acrosslarge parts of India with theonset of the monsoon, scien-tists warn that COVID-19 andthe mosquito-borne diseasehave overlapping symptomsand worry the country'shealthcare infrastructure won'tbe able to cope with this dou-ble whammy.

The impact of a dengue-COVID-19' season wouldentail two different diagnostictests and extract a huge toll onpatients too, each disease mak-ing the other more complicat-ed to deal with and perhapsmore fatal.

While the number ofCOVID-19 cases races towardsthe 8,00,000 mark with7,93,802 cases on Friday and21,604 fatalities, the incidenceof dengue is also high.

Based on 2016-2019 data,virologist Shahid Jameel esti-

mated that India gets about100,000 to 200,000 confirmedcases of dengue each year.

According to the NationalVector Borne Disease ControlProgramme (NVBDCP),1,36,422 dengue cases werediagnosed in 2019 and an esti-mated 132 people died.

The virus is endemic and

present around the year insouthern India, and in mon-soon and early winter in north-ern India, Jameel, CEO atDBT/Wellcome Trust IndiaAlliance, a public charity thatinvests in building biomedicalsciences and health researchframework, told PTI.

8,21,493Coronavirus

cases inIndia rise

from 7 to 8lakh in

three days

Maharashtra has the most cases -- 2,38,461

Tamil Nadu -- 1,30,261 and Delhi --1,09,140 cases

MUKESH AMBANI, AT $68 BN, NOWRICHER THAN WARREN BUFFETTMukesh Ambani has had a rollercoaster 2020, cutting a string of

deals for his digital business, undergoing wild swings in hiswealth and having his brother's finances laid bare for the world tosee. Now he can add another chapter -- eclipsing the fortune ofWarren Buffett. The chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd is nowworth $68.3 billion, surpassing Warren Buffett's $67.9 billion as ofThursday, according to the BloombergBillionaires Index. Shares of Ambani's Indianconglomerate have more than doubled afterits digital unit got more than $15 billion ininvestments from companies includingFacebook Inc and Silver Lake. This weekBP Plc paid $1 billion for a stake inReliance's fuel-retail business.

‘FAKE NEWS’: KAZAKHSTAN AFTERCHINA WARNS OF WORST PNEUMONIA

136 DEMORCRATS, 30 SENATORS FORNO RESTRICTIONS ON INTL STUDENTSAgroup of 136 US Democratic congressmen and 30 senators,

including Indian-origin Kamala Harris, has urged the Trumpadministration to reverse its "cruel" order that bars internationalstudents from staying in the country if they do not have in-personclasses to attend. The lawmakers, in separate letters to ActingSecretary, Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf and ActingSecretary, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), MatthewAlbence on Thursday, expressed concernover the ICE's recently announcedmodifications to the Student Exchange andVisitor Program (SEVP).The new guidelineshave created panic among internationalstudents, a majority of whom come fromChina and India.

FOREX RESERVES HIT ALL-TIMEHIGH, TOUCH USD 513.25 BILLION The country's foreign exchange reserves surged by a massive

USD 6.47 billion to touch an all-time high of USD 513.25 billionin the week ended July 3, the latest data from the Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) showed. In the previous week ended Jun 26, thereserves had increased by USD 1.27 billion to USD 506.84 billion.The reserves had crossed the half-a-trillion dollar mark for the firsttime in the week ended June 5 after it had increased USD 8.22billion and reached USD 501.70 billion. In theweek ended July 3, the reserves rose due to anincrease in foreign currency assets (FCA), whichis the major component of the overall reserves.FCA was up by USD 5.66 billion to USD 473.26billion in the reporting week, the datashowed.

PNS n KANPUR (UP

Gangster Vikas Dubey wasshot dead Friday by police,who claim he was trying toflee after the car carryinghim from Ujjain overturnedon an isolated stretch of thehighway on the outskirts ofthe city.

The SUV met with the acci-dent at Bhaunti in Kanpur dis-trict, toppling on the roadwhich was slippery after therains, police claimed. The carwas part of a small convoy ofpolice vehicles.

Police said the gangstersnatched a pistol from one ofthe policemen injured in theaccident and was shot whenhe opened fire while trying toflee, an account being ques-tioned by opposition parties.

Six policemen, includingtwo from the Special TaskForce, were hurt in the acci-dent and the exchange of firearound 6 am, an official said.

Dubey was the sixth man todie in a police encounter afterthe ambush he allegedly mas-terminded in Kanpur's Bikruvillage past midnight on July2, killing eight policemen who

had come to arrest him.Madhya Pradesh police

arrested Vikas Dubey outsidethe Mahakal temple in Ujjainon Thursday morning. Hewas handed over to an UttarPradesh police team late in theevening.

Gangster VikasDubey killed in‘encounter’ in UP

The spot at Bhaunti in Kanpur district where the alleged 'encounter' took placewhen the car carrying Vikas Dubey reportedly overturned with the gangstermaking a futile bid to escape

PNS n NIZAMABAD:

Relatives of two COVID-19patients who died at the gov-ernment hospital here onFriday, protested alleging theirkin died due to medical neg-ligence, a charge denied by thehospital.

Three COVID-19 patientshad died at theNizamabadGovernment General Hospitalon Thursday night and rela-tives of two of the deceasedheld protests.

The relatives, who stageddemonstrations outside thehospital, alleged that thedeceased patients were notprovided with oxygen at thehospital while they wereundergoing treatment for thevirus, resulting in their deaths.

Refuting the allegations,NizamabadG over nmentGeneral HospitalSuperintendent NageswaraRao said there was no negli-gence on the part of the doc-tors, para-medical staff orshortage of oxygen supply.

Telangana educational bodiesmull syllabus cut for 2020-21NAMRATA SRIVASTAVA n HYDERABAD

Taking a cue from CBSE andICSE, which have modifiedtheir syllabi in line withreduced instructional time dueto the Covid-19 pandemic,many educational bodies inTelangana State, including TSBoard of IntermediateEducation, Jawaharlal NehruTechnological University and

International Institute ofInformation Technology-Hyderabad, are now planningto individually reduce their syl-labus for the academic year

2020-21.Sharing some of the details,

Syed Omer Jaleel, IAS,Secretary, Board ofIntermediate Education,Telanagana, says, "We are indiscussion to reduce around30% portion for both first andsecond year Inter students.This will be done across allstreams. However, a decision isyet to be taken by the board."

L VENKAT RAM REDDYn HYDERABAD

Andhra Pradesh ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy's decision to includeCovid-19 treatment in privatehospitals under the state's DrYSR Arogyasri scheme hasonce againg put his Telanganacounterpart K ChandrasekharRao in a tight spot.

Jagan's gesture has broughtbig relief to people from poor-er sections, governmentemployees, pensioners andothers who constitute benefi-ciaries under the scheme. Theycan now avail cashless Covid-19 treatment free of cost evenin corporate hospitals. The

entire expenditure incurredby participating private hospi-tals will be reimbursed by thestate government.

Jagan's decision has receivedappreciation from many quar-ters. This has triggered

demands from employees,pensioners, opposition par-ties and various civil societyorganisations in Telanganathat the state governmentshould follow suit.

Jagan’s Arogyasri cover forCovid-19 puts KCR in a fix

Expert view on ‘happy hypoxia'HYDERABAD: Medicalpractitioners around the worldhave reported a condition called‘silent’ or ‘happy’ hypoxiaamong Covid-19 patients.These patients have extremelylow blood oxygen levels; yet,they do not show signs ofbreathlessness. The condition,which could result in life-threatening Covid penumonia,has puzzled medicalpractitioners Hypoxia is acondition wherein there is not

enough oxygen available to theblood and body tissues.Hypoxia can either begeneralised (affecting the wholebody) or local (affecting aregion of the body). Accordingto experts in the US MayoClinic, normal arterial oxygen isapproximately 75 to 100millimetres of mercury (mmHg), and normal pulse oximeterreadings usually range from 95to 100 per cent.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Three days after the state gov-ernment began demolishingsecretariat buildings here toconstruct a new one at thesame site, the Telangana HighCourt on Friday issued aniterim stay on knocking themdown till Monday.

A division bench, compris-ing Chief Justice RaghvendraSingh Chauhan and Justice BVijaysen Reddy was hearinga petition filed by Prof P LVishweshwar Rao and DrCheruku Sudhakar

The petitioners alleged thatdemolishing the 10 blocksecretariat complex ofapproximately 10 lakh squarefeet was being done withoutfollowing the due procedureof law.

The Government act isagainst the Construction andDemolition WasteManagement Rules 2016, theProvisions of the EpidemicDiseases Act,1897 and provi-sions of the EnvironmentProtection Act,1986, amongother laws,the petitionersalleged.

HC staysdemolition ofTS Secretariattill July 13

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao on Fridayexpressed regret over the dam-age caused toplaces of worshipat the secretariat premiseshere during the demolition ofold buildings and assuredthata new temple and mosquewould be built on a spaciousarea.

Rao said he came to knowthat the religious places suf-fered some damage afterdebris fell on themwhenmulti- storied buildings abut-ting them were being broughtdown.

"I feel sorry about theinci-dent. It should not have hap-pened. The government'sintention is to build a newcomplex by demolishing theold buildings without causing

any damage to the temple orthe mosque," an official releasequoted him as saying.

The Chief Minister said anew temple and mosquewould be built over a morespacious area even if it meantspending crores of rupees.

He said he would soon holda meeting with the manage-ment of the temple andmosque, and take their views.

Video clips punchholes in STFtheory KANPUR: Videos of eventsthat led to the encounter ofgangster Vikas Dubey arecontradicting the claims madeby the Special Task Force(STF) that he was shot deadon Friday morning when hetried to escape.Vikas Dubey was wanted forthe massacre of eightpolicemen in Bikru village onJuly 3 and was being broughto Kanpur from Ujjain inMadhya Pradesh from wherehe was taken into custody onThursday.

CM regrets damageto temple, mosque

Kazakhstan dismissed as incorrect on Friday a warning by China'sembassy for its citizens to guard against an outbreak of

pneumonia in the central Asian nation that it described as beingmore lethal than the coronavirus. The Chinese embassy flagged a"significant increase" in cases in the Kazakh cities of Atyrau, Aktobeand Shymkent since mid-June. On Friday, however, Kazakhstan'shealthcare ministry branded Chinese media reports based on theembassy statement as "fakenews". The ministry said itstallies of bacterial, fungal andviral pneumonia infections,which also included cases ofunclear causes, were in line withWHO guidelines.

India's COVID-19 case fatality rate dips to 2.72 %From 2.82 per cent a month earlier, India's COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined to 2.72 per

cent which is lower than that of many other countries, the Union Health Ministry said onFriday. It also noted that 30 states and Union Territories have a fatality rate lower than thenational average. Also, there is an upward trend in the recovery rate which was recorded at 62.42per cent on Friday. In 18 states and UTs the recovery rates are higher than the national average,the ministry said.

TS conducts 10Ktests in one day,1,278 test positiveHYDERABAD: Havingweathered criticism for 'lowtesting rate' in Telangana, thestate government on Friday,for the first time, conductedmore than 10,000 tests in aday -- highest ever in thestate. Of the 10,354 samplestested; 1,278 proved positive.With this, the state currentlyhas 32,224 positive cases.There are 12,680 active cases,while 19,205 people have beendischarged till date.Only 39 per cent of the casesare active; 60 per cent of thepatients have been dischargedtill date, and 1 per centsuccumbed to the virus.

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Two Covid patients die, kinprotest at Nzb hospital

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HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | JULY 11, 2020 hyderabad 02

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(IN HYDERABAD)

PNS n HYDERABAD

Handloom textiles and craftshold a special place in India'scultural heritage. Weavingbeing a source of livelihood formillions of families. Nowherein the world can so manydiverse weaving techniques befound together in one country.

The crisis caused by Covid-19 has resulted in a sudden dis-ruption of businesses across theglobe and the Indian economyis not immune to this pandem-ic. Players across the spec-trum have felt the effect of theresultant downturn. The hand-loom sector has too, beenseverely affected as with all sec-tors in the economy with theirtraditional and contemporarymarkets for artisans beingtotally closed.

Weavers are not able tomake their both ends meetbecause of the Coronavirusimpact on handloom sector.There are no takers for hand-loom products. Over 1.72-lakhweaver families are in direstraits for deprivation of workfor the past three months.

Two weavers in each of

Sircilla and Janagoan districtsallegedly committed suicide.Meanwhile, middlemen andtraders are making moves toexploit the pitiable condition.As per official records, there areover 40,533 handloom weaversand 35,558 power loomweavers in the state.

While 615 weavers' cooper-atives deal with cotton, wooland silk cloth, 157 cooperativespertain to weaves of powerloom. In fact, there are many

weavers than those found men-tioned in official records. Thevirus has affected the hand-loom and power loom sector.Celebration of festivals andother events has become alow-key affair.

Consequently, stocks piledup with weavers and theirvalue is put at

Rs 2 crore. For want of cap-ital to weave new cloth, own-ers of power looms are also notable to show work to weavers

or not able to pay their wages.Many weavers' families some-how survived with the 12 kg ofrice given to them free of costand also with the Rs 1,500given to them by the govern-ment.

At some places the weavershave some relief. The onlysolace for them the state gov-ernment is giving work ordersto weavers of Sircilla andSiddipet to weave over onecrore Bathukamma sarees.Weavers of the two regionsproduce sarees worth over Rs300 crore for distributionamong the women of the stateas state govenrment's gift forBathukamma festival.

Dubbaka weavers' coopera-

tive managed to sell 20 lakhtowels produced by it throughpromotion of the products insocial media platform withthe support of the concernedindividuals. They were sold atless than the MRP. The stategovernment has announcedinvestment support of Rs 2crore to it and released Rs 1crore through the state financecorporation, but the DCCBadjusted the funds against theloans outstanding.

Weavers of Sircilla andSiddipet are able to keep theirhead above water thanks to thework orders from the state gov-ernment for weavingBathukamma sarees, schoolstudents' uniforms, textiles dis-tributed for Muslim andChristian festivals. In Nalgondadistrict, stocks of silk sareesworth Rs 300 crore remainedunlifted with 500 power loomowners.

The owners of power loomssay that the stock work Rs 540crore remained unsold withthem. Meanwhile, middlemenand traders are out to exploitthe miserable condition ofweavers.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The killing of gangster VikasDubey and some of his hench-men in a series of allegedencounters in Uttar Pradesh isreminiscent of a similar inci-dent here in which four peo-ple, accused of rape and mur-der of a veterinary doctor,had met a similar fate inDecember 2019. In theCyberabad incident, all thefour accused were killed at onego in an exchange of fire.

Police in both the casesclaimed that the suspects'snatched' their weapons andopened fire at them forcingthem to retaliatory action 'inself-defence.' Dubey was shotdead on Friday by police, whoclaim he was trying to flee afterthe car carrying him fromUjjain overturned on the out-skirts of Kanpur.

He was the sixth man to diein a police encounter after theambush he allegedly master-minded in Kanpur's Bikru vil-lage past midnight on July 2,killing eight policemen whohad come to arrest him. Earlier,five members of Dubey gangwere killed in separate encoun-ters. Surprisingly in both theKanpur and Cyberabadencounters, the accused werenot handcuffed while theywere being taken in vehiclesbefore the alleged retaliatory

firing took place resulting intheir deaths.

The snatched weapons werein 'unlocked' position and theslain accused were not hand-cuffed when the firing tookplace, the Cyberabad PoliceCommissioner VC Sajjanarhad earlier said when askedwhether they were handcuffed.According to Cyberabad policeon the night of November 27,2019, the four accused kid-napped the woman veterinar-ian and killed her after sexu-ally assaulting her, and thenshifted the body in a lorry toChattanpalli near here whereit was burnt under a culvert.They were arrested onNovember 29.

They were killed in policefiring on December 6, 2019 atChattanpalli when they weretaken to the scene of crime

near the culvert, under whichthe charred remains of the 25-year-old veterinarian werefound on November 28, torecover her phone, wrist-watchand others pertaining to thecase.

The Cyberabad police hadclaimed that its personnelresorted to 'retaliatory' firingafter two of the accusedopened fire after snatchingtheir weapons besides attack-ing them with stones andsticks, resulting in injuries totwo policemen. The Telanganagovernment had set up aSpecial Investigation Team toprobe the killings. InDecember last year, theSupreme Court appointed athree-member inquiry com-mission headed by formerapex court judge V S Sirpurkarto probe the case.

Weavers seek succour from govt

Police in both the cases claimed that the suspects 'snatched' their weapons andopened fire at them forcing them to retaliatory action 'in self-defence.

Players across thespectrum have feltthe effect of theresultantdownturn. Thehandloom sectorhas too, beenseverely affected

Dubey killing in Kanpur draws parallels with Cyb encounter

Continued from page 1

Both COVID-19 and havesymptoms such as high fever,headache and body pain.

The dengue season mayaggravate the COVID-19 situ-ation as both viruses may sup-plement each other, warnedDhrubjyoti Chattopadhyay,virologist and vice chancellorof the Amity University inKolkata.

This situation is not yetwell studied. But the informa-tion available from SouthAmerica is dangerous andfound to create a major chal-lenge to their medical infra-structure, he said.

The effect will be very crit-ical. As major symptoms areoverlapping, simultaneousinfection will be much morefatal. Weakened immune sys-tems will help the other to bemore fatal.

Once the dengue seasonstarts, added virologistUpasana Ray, the infection

spreads aggressively due tohigh prevalence of its mosqui-to vector, aedes aegypti.

Each season, we experienceheavy loads in the hospitalwards due to dengue out-break and those times it getsalmost unmanageable. So,have we thought about whatwill happen when we have twomenaces to handle together?Both of them have overlapping

symptoms. Are we geared todistinguish if a person hasdengue or COVID 19? askedthe senior scientist, CSIR-IICB, Kolkata.

The challenges are many.Almost each patient with a

three-day fever would need toundergo a test for dengue andanother for the SARS-CoV-2virus which causes COVID-19.

Continued from page 1

Jawaharlal NehruTechnological University(JNTU) also is consideringreduction in the syllabus for itsengineering, pharma andMBA students. "JNTU-H istaking every step to make itsstudents' life easier," saysJayesh Ranjan, Vice-Chancellor of the Hyderabad-based technical university. Headds, "We are planning toreduce a substantial amount ofsyllabus across streams, forengineering, pharmacy andMBA students of all years.While not compromising onthe quality of education, wewill be introducing virtualindustrial internship for thestudents."

Although OsmaniaUniversity is still discussingthe possibility of reduction ofthe syllabus, keeping in mind

the latest UGC guidelines forfinal examinations; Universityof Hyderabad (UoH) hasformed a task force to chalkout a road map for theupcoming academic year.

Shares Prof Vinod Pavarala,former Dean of the SarojiniNaidu School of Arts andCommunication, who isheading the UoH Task Force,"We are in touch with all thestakeholders, teachers andstudents. We have beenreceiving advice from stu-dents to reduce syllabus forthis semester. We are takingthat into consideration; how-ever, we are yet to chalk outa plan, and determine howmuch syllabus to reduce fromwhich stream. UoH is a hugeuniversity, we teach studentsfrom various streams. So, it isnot an easy task to cut downthe syllabus. We are doing ourbest."

Continued from page 1

The court ordered the stategovernment to file its counterwith all necessary detailsthat were pointed out by thepetitioner.

The K ChandrashekharRao-led Government beganrazing the secretariat build-ing complex on July 7, daysafter the High Court dis-missed a bunch of PILs chal-lenging the states decision toconstruct a new complex bydemolishing the existing one.

The petitioners allegedthat the demolition of theexisting is an 'arbitary action'of the state government in apandemic situation, anddeprives five lakh people ofthe surrounding areas fromgetting clean air.

On June 29, the HighCourt had dismissed a bunchof PILs challenging the state'sdecision to construct a newsecretariat complex bydemolishing the existing one.

After the Court cleared thedecks for the construction ofthe new secretariat, thedemolition of the old secre-

tariat building complexbegan and the foundationstone for the new one waslaid on June 27, 2019.

The state government hadearlier indicated that the newsecretariat, to come up inabout seven lakh square feet,would cost around Rs 400crore and it had decided toequip the new one with state-of-the-art connectivity andother features.

Continued from page 1

If blood oxygen levels contin-ue to fall, the organs may stopworking, and the issue becomeslife-threatening.

Recently, research findingspublished in the AmericanJournal of Respiratory andCritical Care Medicine sug-gested that it is also possible thatthe coronavirus is exerting apeculiar action on how thebody senses low levels of oxy-gen. Doctors, therefore, advisepatients to keep checking theiroxygen levels. Dr ShrutiKotapalli, posted in Covid-19ward at TB Chest Hospital said,“We ask patients to monitortheir oxygen levels by taking a150-step or 6-minute walk.Using a pulse oximeter, first theoxygen levels are read, then aftera small walk, the levels are readagain. If there is a drop less than94%, people should immediate-ly report to hospital and ensuresupply oxygen is given”.

As per the research, “In someinstances, the patient is com-fortable and using a phone at apoint when the physician isabout to insert a breathing(endotracheal) tube and con-

nect the patient to a mechani-cal ventilator, which, whilepotentially life-saving, carries itsown set of risks.”

Continued from page 1

However, the Telanganagovernment already owes Rs500 crore under its Arogyasrischeme to private hospitals.Hence, the hospitals are cur-rently not extending treat-ment to any Arogyasri patientfor any disease, let aloneCovid-19.

This is not the first time thatJagan's decisions in AndhraPradesh have brought pressureon KCR to follow suit.

When Jagan merged

APSRTC into the state govern-ment last year, it triggereddemand for a similar step inTelangana. As the TS govern-ment did not yield to thedemand, TSRTC employeeslaunched a strike that lastednearly three months last year.

KCR was the first ChiefMinister in the country toannounce salary and pensioncuts for state governmentemployees and retired staff inMarch this year, citing finan-cial crisis on account of coro-na. Although Jagan followed

suit, he restored full salariesfrom May in AP. This too hadprompted Telangana govern-ment employees and pension-ers to demand in vain pay-ment of full salaries for Mayin Telangana. Finally, KCR hadto restore full salaries and pen-sions from June.

The larger unansweredquestion in informed circlesacross TS is: When Jagan,helming a revenue-deficitstate, can implement welfareschemes for all sections andadopt employee-friendly poli-

cies; why can't KCR, headinga revenue-surplus state, do it.

Although the Telanganagovernment has capped treat-ment charges for Covid-19 inprivate hospitals, none of themis following this rule.

If the Telangana govern-ment also reimburses Covid-19 treatment costs like in AP,there would be no trouble forpoor and middle class peopleas well as government employ-ees and pensioners, sayobservers.

Some BJP leaders have

demanded that the state gov-ernment should implementAyushman Bharat scheme ofthe Centre in the state.

The Centre has includedCovid-19 testing and treat-ment under Ayushman Bharatscheme.

“KCR has rejected the cen-tral scheme, saying thatArogyasri is better thanAyushman Bharat. Now, he isrefusing to include Covid-19in the Arogyasri scheme,” saidBJP state president BandiSanjay.

Continued from page 1

He promised that theplaces of worship would alsobe built along with the newSecretariat complex.

"Telangana state is a secu-lar state. We will continue thesecular spirit come what may.This incident happenedunexpectedly. Everyoneshould understand this prop-erly without prejudice," hesaid.

The CM's statement comesa day after Senior Congressleader in TelanganaMohammed Ali Shabbir hadalleged that theplaces of wor-ship in the Secretariat com-plex were demolished alongwith the old buildings that arebeing razed.

The state governmentbeganthe demolition of theold secretariat complex onJuly7 to pave the way forconstruction of a new build-ing.

The move came daysafterthe Telangana HighCourt dismissed a bunch ofPILs challenging the state'sdecision to construct a newsecretariat complex here.

Season of two viruses? TS conducts 10K tests in a day, 1278...Continued from page 1On Friday, eight persons

succumbed to the virus, takingthe death toll to 339.Of the 12,680 active cases, 83per cent are asymptomatic, 13per cent have moderatesymptoms, and 4 per cent havesevere symptoms. In all, 461persons in the state areexhibiting severe symptoms.Of the 1,278 fresh cases --lowest in July -- 762 were from

GHMC. However, cases inRangareddy are increasing with171 cases being reported onFriday. In all, 85 cases werereported in Medchal, 36 inSangareddy, and 32 inNalgonda. In all, 27 of the 33districts in the state havereported cases.With the TS government takingup rapid tests, such massivenumber of tests could beconducted.

Be wary of ‘Happyhypoxia’ syndrome

Expert view on ‘Happy ...Continued from page 1

Values under 90 per cent areconsidered low. When levels fallbelow 90 per cent, patientscould begin experiencinglethargy, confusion, or mentaldisruptions because ofinsufficient quantities of oxygenreaching the brain. Levels below80 per cent can result in damageto vital organs. According tomedical experts, Covidpneumonia is preceded by ‘silenthypoxia’, a form of oxygendeprivation that is harder todetect than regular hypoxia. In‘silent’ or ‘happy’ hypoxia,patients appear to be less indistress. Many Covid-19patients, despite having oxygenlevels below 80 per cent, lookfairly at ease and alert, accordingto multiple reports.

KCR in a tight spot due to Jagan’s gesture

Telangana educationalbodies mull syllabus...

Death of 4patients...Continued from page 1

He said one of the decease-da 75-year-old woman wasseverely ill and her oxygenlevel dropped to 67 per centwhile the second patienta50-year-old mans oxygen sat-uration level came down to83 per cent.

Similarly, the third patient,a 50-year-old woman, whoalso was suffering fromhypertension, had also lesserlevels of oxygen saturation.

"All the three COVID-19patients were admitted tothe hospital in poor healthcondition last month.

There was neither medicalnegligence nor shortage ofoxygen at the hospital," theSuperintendent said.

He further said the govern-ment had supplied oxygencylinders in bulk which werebeing used in case of oxygensupply coming down throughthe centralised system.

Continued from page 1

Kanpur Range InspectorGeneral Mohit Agarwal saidDubey fled from the car withan injured policeman's pistol.

He was chased and sur-rounded by policemen andwas asked to surrender. Whenhe started firing with an inten-tion to kill , police opened firein self-defence, Kanpur policesaid.

A press release said he wasimmediately taken to a hospi-tal, where he died duringtreatment.

Ganesh Shankar VidhyarthiMedical College principal DrR B Kamal said he wasbrought dead to the hospital.Dubey sustained four bulletinjuries, three in the chest andone in the hand, he toldreporters.

Two policemen also suf-fered wounds, one in the armand the other in the hand.

Dubey's post-mortem willbe conducted by a panel ofdoctors. He had tested nega-tive for coronavirus, the doc-tor said. Hours before the

encounter, an advocate hadfiled a petition in the SupremeCourt seeking a direction tothe Uttar Pradesh govern-ment and police to ensure thathe is not killed.

Gangster VikasDubey killed in...

Video clipspunch holes ...Continued from page 1

The UP Police said that thecar in which Vikas Dubey wastravelling overturned and heand other policemen wereinjured. The criminalsnatched a gun from aninjured cop and tried toescape. He was surroundedand asked to surrender but heopened fire, forcing retaliatoryshooting in which he waskilled. A video of the threecars crossing a toll booth ataround 4 a.m. shows thatVikas Dubey was in adifferent car -- not the onethat is seen tipped on its sideafter the accident.

CM regretsdamage totemple, mosque

HC stays demolitionof TS secretariat till...

CS reviewsoxygen supplyto hospitalsPNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Secretary SomeshKumar on Friday reviewed thesupply of oxygen to the hos-pitals in the state. In view ofcertain complaints beingreceived regarding black mar-keting of oxygen cylindersleading to possible shortage insupply to hospitals, a jointteams of officers will inspecthospitals and dealers to assesswhether sale and utilisation ofoxygen cylinders has been inconformity with guidelines.The teams will initiate prose-cution in case any violation.

On June 29, HChad dismissed abunch of PILschallenging thestate's decisionto demolish oldsecretariat

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | JULY 11, 2020 hyderabad 03

RIME ORNERC

Man duped of Rs 2Lin e-commerce fraudHYDERABAD: In yet another e-commerce scam, a youngsterwas duped by fraudsters posingas Army personnel who werepromising to sell a used car.According to the police, thevictim, from Madhapur area, sawan advertisement on an e-commerce site about a car forsale for Rs 2 lakh and called thecontact number. "A personanswered the call and introducedhimself as an Army official fromMaharashtra and shared avehicle's pictures on WhatsApp,"said the police, adding that theaccused asked the victim todeposit Rs 2 lakh into hisaccount for sending the car inthe Army courier, which the latterdid. The victim then gotsuspicious and approached theCyberabad Cyber crime police,"added the officials. Following thecomplainant, a case was bookedand an investigation has begun.

Fraudsters use GeethaArts to trap models HYDERABAD: The Cyber CrimePolice of Hyderabad haveregistered a case against anunknown person, who claimed tobe an employee of Telugu movieproduction company 'GeethaArts', and tried to dupe aspiringmodels and actors. "Thefraudster created an Instagramaccount claiming to be acostume designer at Geetha Arts.He approached models andactors, claiming that they weresoon starting a film and to sendhim money if they wanted a rolein it," said KVM Prasad, ACP,Cyber Crimes. At least threepersons approached themanagement and alerted themabout the fraudster. Realisingthat the reputation of thecompany was at stake, SatyaGamidi, the executive producerof the company, lodged acomplaint with the Cyber CrimePolice.

Prostitution racketbusted, 3 rescuedHYDERABAD: Three womanwere rescued from a prostitutionracket which was busted by theSOT at Ayyappa Society inMadhapur here Thursday night. The officials nabbed onecustomer during the raid,sources said. "The organisers,who are absconding conductbusiness through social mediaand share images before making'the meet'," police said. Followinga tip-off, the SOT raided thepremises and nabbed them. They were handed over to theMadhapur law and order policestation for further investigation.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Confederation of RealEstate Developers Associationof India (CREDAI) Hyderabadleadership team led by P RamaKrishna Rao, President, VRajashekar Reddy as GeneralSecretary discussed the keychallenges faced by the realestate sector in the city present-ly and highlighted the inherentgrowth stimulators which willact as a catalyst to fuel the eco-nomic and real estate growth.

Effects of Covid-19 are feltaround the world, the realestate companies are beingimpacted due to the challengesof stoppage of construction,shortage of labor, difficulty insourcing raw materials, andother issues. Delay in approvalsfor water and electricity is alsocausing inconvenience to the

industry and the home buyers.The impact of lockdown andCovid-19 is causing innumer-able problems to the sectorwhich is dampening the realestate growth in the city.

The leadership team ofCREDAI recently met MinisterKT Rama Rao and sought hisintervention in helping resolve

the same to help the industrydeal with Covid-19 crisis. TheMinister appreciated the realestate sector for their efforts tosupport construction labourduring the lockdown. Heassured officials full support formost of the requests andinstructed the officials to issuesuitable orders.

For some issues, he assuredto take the issues to the ChiefMinister to seek his interven-tion and getting things resolvedat the earliest.

The real estate players haveintroduced optimisation strate-gies to mitigate the present-dayimpact. As the situation getsnormal and the business recov-ery gaining momentum thesector will start recovering at amuch faster rate as comparedto the other metros in the city.

Speaking about the impactof the Covid-19 crisis and itsimpact on the real estate sec-tor P Ramakrishna Rao said,"Covid is an unprecedentedoccurrence, which has impact-ed business and individualsalike. The lockdown causeddelays in the plans for thedevelopers impacting both thedevelopers and homebuyers."

Hyd realty to bounce back soon

Educational institutions aimto ‘save’ the academic yearNAMRATA SRIVASTAVA n HYDERABAD

With the number of Covid-19patients increasing each day, andbeing locked in house as theonly solution to stay safe, mosteducational institutes are nowplanning to start the new acad-emic session online for the stu-dents to ensure that the acade-mic year is saved.

Sunory Dutt, Head ofCommunications, InternationalInstitute of InformationTechnology Hyderabad (IIITH),shares that online classes arenow going to be the new nor-mal. "IIITH is altering its syl-labus, across all streams offeredby the institute, in view of theonline mode of teaching andlearning. Our current semester(August-November) is beingconducted completely onlinefor the students," says Sunory.

Jawaharlal NehruTechnological University(JNTU) is also planning certainpart of syllabus to be conduct-ed online. Jayesh Ranjan, Vice-Chancellor of JNTUH said,

"Looking at the current situa-tion, we are planning to com-plete syllabus for Engineering,Pharma and MBA students, ina blended format. Some con-cepts which are easy to under-stand, which can be recordedand posted as videos inYouTube, will be taken online.But those which require labwork or more detailed attentionof the students will be conduct-ed in a classroom, taking allCovid-19 precautions, and onlyafter things become permissi-

ble."Meanwhile, University of

Hyderabad (UoH) is also plan-ning to give lab access to certainscience stream students and goahead with online classes for fewother streams.

Talking about the matter,Prof Vinod Pavarala, formerDean of the Sarojini NaiduSchool of Arts andCommunication, who is head-ing the UoH task force says, "Weare planning to have onlineclasses for our students pursu-

ing Arts, Communication,Humanities and Commerce.However, certain science stu-dents, especially those doingtheir PhDs need to access labs.We also did an online surveyasking our students if they cantake online classes and 18 percent said they cannot. Thus, weare thinking of rather than livestreaming, we will make videosand upload them on out serv-er. This will make it convenientfor the students to access theclasses."

University ofHyderabad isplanning to givelab access tocertain sciencestream studentsand go aheadwith onlineclasses for fewother streams

PNS n HYDERABAD

The state government has set up a dedicat-ed call centre for the public to provide coun-selling and care instructions to patients, bothasymptomatic and isolation cases.

It is being followed up on day to day basisup to 17 days in normal circumstances. Tele-medicine consultations for mildly sympto-matic cases are also being provided. Distressmanagement through inbound calls are alsobeing addressed round the clock. Emergencymanagement through 108 linkup and trans-fer facility to the hospital is being provided.

The call centre is working in two shifts. Thecapacity has been enhanced to take up 10,000calls a day. The inbound call centre is a 20seater emergency care centre (1800 599 4455)working in three shifts with an enhancedcapacity to handle up to 1,500 calls daily. Atelemedicine call centre attends1,000 callsdaily and providing information to aroundten thousand Covid patients who are underhome isolation. The precautions to be taken,information about balanced diet besidesenquiring about their health conditions aswell as providing timely advise and sugges-tions are provided by the call centre.

In order to further scale up the operations,the 104 call centre is being upgraded and willhave dedicated 75 seats identified for out-bound calls.

PNS n HYDERABAD

More than 200 nurses working inGandhi Hospital will boycott dutiesfrom Saturday demanding equal payand regularisation of services. Thenurses staged a protest at theDirectorate of Medical education inKoti on Friday to take a decision onregularisation of services.

As per the protesting staff, "Theywere recruited on outsourcing basis 13years ago and their salary is Rs15,000.On the contrary, salaries of nursesrecruited recently on outsourcingbasis are more than Rs 25,140."

In a letter to Health Minister EatalaRajendar, the outsourcing nursingstaff said, "More than 200 membersrecruited under 300 (OC) workingfrom 2007 to till date. We are beingcurrently being paid Rs 15,000 after allthe deductions. In view of this pan-demic situation we are putting out livesin risky position. We are the frontline

workers and warriors getting infect-ed with Covid-19. In this context weare requesting Health Minister toconsider our services in GandhiHospital and kindly regularise our ser-vices."

A Corona survivor lost his mom, brother to infectionPNS n HYDERABAD

Coronavirus pandemic hasnot shown any mercy to any-one at all. Many patients, whobattled the disease themselves,lost their dear ones during thejourney.

Hyderabad's wrestlerShailender Singh, who hasparticipated 15 times inNational level wrestling com-petitions and won many stateand national medals, also hasa similar story.

Having lost his elder broth-er to Covid-19 on May 12,Shailender was tested positiveon May 16 and was admittedin Gandhi Hospital. "I hadcough and sore throat. But thebigger challenge was dealingwith my brother's death,"shares Shailender.

"Soon after I was testedpositive, my mother, brother'swife and children were foundpositive too. A few days latermy wife was tested positive aswell," he says, adding, "It wasa difficult time for the family."With so many people diagno-sed positive in his family,

Shailender wasvery concernedabout everyone'shealth. However,the 45-year-oldwrestler did not losehope. "I believe there is hopetill the time we are alive. Also,no matter how good the treat-ment is, it is only effectivewhen the patients will, to getbetter. I remained with positiveattitude throughout. I stayed intouch with the family mem-bers through phone."

Talking about how the med-ical staff are very helpful to thepatients, Shailander says, "The

nurses and doctors were veryattentive and caring. The staffgave required nutrientsthrough food and kept a trackof the slightest change ordevelopment in our symp-toms. The doctors, in fact, vis-ited the patients three times aday."

However, just when hethought things were get-

ting better, Shailenderfaced another tragedy."My mother, whowas diagnosed posi-tive, also passed awayon May 25. I was

getting discharged onMay 26 and was told

about this tragedy overphone while I was still admit-ted. It was difficult, since I hadlost my brother the samemonth. But, someone had toanchor their feelings and standstrong for the family. And I didjust that."

Shailander, whose rest of thefamily members are also dis-charged now, advises to con-tinue with the same nutritiousdiet even after getting backhome.

COVIDWINNER

SPEAKS...

PNS n HYDERABAD

Cyber criminals are adoptinginnovative ways to cheat thecitizens during the Covid-19pandemic. The Cyber CrimePolice at Cyberabad are receiv-ing complaints of cheating byfraudsters who seek help in thename of medical emergency bysending mails, messages onWhatsApp, Facebook and onother social media platforms.

In a case, officials receiveda complaint from a resident ofNizampet, in which the victimsstated that they received amessage from 'Anthony', aFacebook friend. Anthonyclaimed that his grandmotherfell down, suffered seriousinjuries and was hospitalised inDelhi. He requested for money.Soon after, a caller called her,claiming to be 'Dr Rajesh'from Delhi and confirmedabout the admission of thepatient at the hospital.

Believing it to be true andhoping to be a good samaritan,the victim transferred Rs85,000 into the bank accountof the fraudster, before realis-ing that they were cheated bythe Facebook 'friend'.

In another case, a resident ofKothaguda received a messageon WhatsApp from the num-ber +6583142730 with a pho-tograph of his friendChakravarthi who is in theUSA. The message said that hismother is hospitalised and heis in need of money for hertreatment. Believing it to be hisfriend, he transferred Rs 75,000

into two different accountsfurnished by the fraudster andlater he realised that he wascheated by fraudsters posing ashis friend.

"The cyber fraudsters areverifying the social media plat-forms and collecting themobile numbers and mail IDsof persons who are havinggood reputation in the society,”said an official.

“Once the fraudster goesthrough the content of thecompromised mail IDs, he issending mails to the personswho are in the friends list ofthe compromised mail ID,with a request to send themoney by showing some kindof medical emergency in thefamily. Apart from the above,for a few days cyber fraudstersare sending messages onWhatsApp and Facebookrequesting for the amounts inthe name of medical emer-gency," the official added.

Fraudsters focus on health emergency

Nurses stage protest at the Directorate ofMedical Education office in Koti on Friday

PNS n HYDERABAD

Complaining againstabnormal hike in fees,Forum for Good Gover-nance (FGG) has writtena letter to the Governor ofTelangana, Dr TamilisaiSoundararajan on Friday.

The letter highlights theunethical practices byschool managements likeforcing the parents to pur-chase school uniforms,shoes, bags and othersfrom the stores opened inschool premises.

Raising the issue ofschools' unethical prac-tices, Forum for GoodGovernance states, "Sincelast couple of years private

schools are turning intostationary and bookshops. They are forcingthe students to purchasestationary from the stallsin the school premises."

"Ignoring the GO,school managements havehiked the fee in additioncharging transport cost

for the last three monthsthough the schools havenot opened," they added.

Pointing out that localauthorities are scared toinvestigate schools, theletter states, "Since oneweek, irregularities beingcommitted by privateschool management is

regularly appearing inmedia. The officials at thelocal level are helpless totake action as majority ofthe schools are owned bypoliticians and their rela-tives, further they paybribes to local officials toignore the mistakes.Under these circum-stances, the inspection bylocal officials to controlthe private schools is notgoing to give any results."

They concluded the let-ter stating, "The Forumrequests the Governor tokindly order for detailedinquiry by DirectorGeneral, Vigilance andEnforcement and actiontaken on earring schools."

FGG complaints against unethicalpractices by school managements

Gandhi nurses to boycott duties

TELEMEDECINETS Covid-19 call centreattends 1.5k calls a day

Assets worth Rs 4.5 croreunearthed from CI’s homePNS n HYDERABAD

The Anti-corruption Bureau(ACB) officials on Fridayunearthed assets worth Rs4.58 crore from Shabad CircleInspector's residence at LBNagar in Hyderabad.

The officials also recoveredproperty documents and arealso verifying his bank lockers,sources said. CI Shankariahand ASI Rajender were caughtred-handed by the ACB offi-cials while they were accept-ing a bribe of Rs 1.2 lakh froma farmer.

Based on the complaint ofa farmer, the ACB officials laida trap and caught the police-men.

The accused agreed toaccept Rs 1.2 lakh as bribe to

settle the cases of the farmerin Lok Adalat and the com-plainant approached us, saidan ACB official. ACB sleuthsraided Shankaraiah's home inVanasthalipuram and seizedRs 16.4 lakh cash along withsome documents.

The tainted cop was foundto be in possession of assetsworth Rs 4.58 crores. Theseincluded two residentialhouses worth Rs 1.05 crores,11 house plots worth Rs 2.28crores, 41 acres 3 guntas ofagricultural land worth Rs 77lakhs, Maruti Suzuki worthRs 7 lakh, gold ornamentsworth Rs 21.14 lakhs, netcash of Rs 17.88 lakhs, household articles worth Rs 6.13lakhs and silver ornamentsworth Rs 81,000.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Four persons of a familywere injured in a road mishapon the Outer Ring Roadwhen the car they were trav-elling in, went out of controland fell off the ORR atGhatkesar on Friday.

According to the Police,five persons in the car, all res-idents of Dammaiguda, werereturning from a trip andwere on their way toHyderabad when the mishapoccurred. Police suspect thatthe driver lost control of thesteering wheel and crashed thecar through the iron railing ofthe ORR, with the car fallingonto the road under it.

The police reached thespot and shifted the injuredpersons to a nearby privatehospital for treatment.

4 injured as carfalls off ORR

PNS n HYDERABAD

As many as 42 police officialswith the Hyderabad CityPolice, who had earlier test-ed positive for Covid-19,have recovered and joinedduty on Friday.

The 42 officers include aninspector, two SI's, two ASI's,four HC's, 28 PC's and fiveHG's, all from the West Zoneof the Hyderabad Police,working in different policestations.

Hyderabad Commissionerof Police Anjani Kumar whilecongratulated and felicitatedthem for their successfulrecovery and joining back forduties.

Meanwhile, 15 police offi-cials from Cyberabad PoliceCommissionerate, who hadtested positive and recover-ed, were welcomed on theirjoining back to duty fromFriday. The commissionersaid that those who haverecovered from Coronavirusshould be brave enough toeducate others about virus.

57 Covid-19survivors of Hyd Policefelicitated

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | JULY 11, 2020 hyderabad 04

‘Take cue from Siddipet municipality’PNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for MunicipalAdministration KT Rama Raoon Friday called upon allmunicipalities in the state toemulate Siddipet municipali-ty and noted that all vacanciesin municipalities would befilled since the Cabinet hasgiven its green signal for thesame.

Reviewing the progress ofmunicipalities of erstwhileMedak district here on Friday,KTR said that municipalitiesshould fulfil 42 aspects tobecome a model municipali-ty. The checklist would begiven to municipal chairmanand commissioners and theywere asked to compare theperformance of their munici-palities with the check list.

He wanted them to plan thedevelopment programmes tobe implemented in the nextthree years. As per the ChiefMinister's style of thinking, allmunicipalities should plan

development of their munic-ipality, he said. The Ministerlaid emphasis on resourceaudit, power audit and saniti-sation audit. He asked themunicipalities to pay electric-ity bills every month and alsoshould save electricity.

"The names of sanitsationstaff should be displayed inwards and also their phonenumbers. A register should bemaintained at one of the hous-es to find out whether the

sanitisation personnel are col-lecting garbage daily or not.The sanitary staff should bepaid Rs 12,000 each towardssalary in the first week of themonth. The municipalitiesshould provide shoes, uni-form, masks and other equip-ment needed by them," hesaid.

He said that 400 old buseswould be converted into SHEtoilets in the towns and cities.Each municipal commission-

er should undertake field visitby 5.30 am. He asked munic-ipalities to take up biological,biomedical, construction anddemolition waste manage-ment effectively.

The Minister wanted themunicipalities to speak tomeat and chicken sellers andtake good care of biologicalwaste. Similarly, municipali-ties should speak to hospitalmanagements on bio-medicalwaste management in mod-

ern methods. Manufacturingof tiles using constructionand demolition waste shouldbe taken up in Medak.Animal care centres shouldbe set up to save people fromdog menace, he said askingmunicipal commissionersand officials to visit Siddipetmunicipality as it set anexample for others in garbagecollection and disposal.

Laying emphasis on wateraudit, KTR said that transitloss in Telangana is nearly 40per cent. For every 100 literssupplied, not even 60 per centis reaching the people. He saidthe situation should change forthe better. If the supply ofwater is planned perfectly,people would not hesitate topay bills. Tap connectionshould be given to white rationcard holders at Re 1 each. Forother card holders, the tapconnection should be given forrs 100 each. The same policyshould be followed all over thestate, he said.

CM's statement self-contradictory: UttamPNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Pradesh CongressCommittee (TPCC) presidentN Uttam Kumar Reddy onFriday strongly condemnedthe demolition of places ofworship in the Secretariatcomplex and also describedthe reaction of Chief MinisterK Chandrashekhar Rao's onthe issue as 'adding insult tothe injury'

Uttam said that the state-ment given by the ChiefMinister on the damagecaused to two mosques and atemple during the demoli-tion of the Secretariat struc-tures was self-contradictory."It is extremely unfortunatethat the temple and mosque inthe Secretariat complex, whichwere considered very sacredby all the government employ-ees and all others in both inundivided Andhra Pradeshand now separate Telangana,were seriously damaged/demolished in the ongoingSecretariat demolition. If theSecretariat demolition wasbad enough and a Tughlaqlike decision, the damage ofthe temple and mosque hashurt the sentiments of peoplebelonging to all communities,"he said.

Uttam said that the ChiefMinister's claim that whiledemolishing the multi-sto-

ried old buildings, the templeand mosque adjacent to theold buildings were damageddue to fall of the debris onthem proves that demolitionwas carried out in a haphaz-ard manner. The impact ofdemolition was not analysedand no precautions were takento protect the places of wor-ship, which included a her-itage structure. He said sever-al laws pertaining to protec-tion of Places of Worship andpreservation of heritage struc-tures were violated.

The TPCC chief said CM'sstatement assuring construc-tion of a new mosque andtemple indicates that theplaces of worship were com-pletely damaged. Else, theChief Minister would haveassured immediate repair andrestoration. Further, he saidthat the Chief Minister did notassure construction of templeand mosque at the same place.

His assurance is quite vaguewhich shows that he had nointention to reconstruct thedamaged places of worship atthe same place, he said.

Uttam found fault with theChief Minister for not consult-ing the religious heads of thetemple and mosque beforecarrying out the demolitions.He said KCR has lost the trustof people belonging to allcommunities. If the mosqueand temple in the Secretariatcomplex are not safe from ille-gal demolition, they are unsafeeverywhere in Telanganaunder the TRS regime.

It's a ‘BlackDay': RevanthPNS n HYDERABAD

TPCC working presidentand Malkajgiri MP ARevanth Reddy said that thedemolition of NallaPochamma Temple and twomosques in the Secretariatcomplex would be remem-bered as 'Black Day' in thehistory of Telangana.

Revanth Reddy, alongwith former MinisterMohammed Ali Shabbir,ex-MP Konda VishveshwaraReddy and other leaders,was addressing a press con-ference at his residence inJubilee Hills on Friday.

Revanth said that theSecretariat complex, alongwith Nalla PochammaTemple and two mosques,were being demolished onlyto satisfy the superstitiousbeliefs of Chief Ministerwho wants his son KTRama Rao to become thenext Chief Minister. Healleged that the ChiefMinister has shown that hissentiments and supersti-tions were much above thereligious sentiments of allother communities.

KTR releasesbook penned by SK JoshiPNS n HYDERABAD

Municipal AdministrationMinister KT Rama Raoreleased ‘Echo T Calling –Towards People’s CentricGovernance,’ a book authoredby former Chief Secretary SKJoshi.

Joshi termed his tenure inthe Telangana State govern-ment especially as the ChiefSecretary as the best experiencein his career that lasted forabout three decades. He saidthe governance in the youngState of Telangana had beenpeople-centric catering to theirneeds. KTR appreciated Joshi’sattempt to chronicle his expe-riences as a civil servant for overthree decades with specialmention of the people-centricinitiatives of the State govern-ment. He said the book willinspire several serving officersand future generation of civilservants in the government. Hewas confident that it will alsocreate awareness among peopleabout the functioning of thegovernment.

Include Covidtreatment inAarogyasri: CPIPNS n HYDERABAD

Activists of CPI-Khammamunit demanded the State gov-ernment that treatment ofpersons infected with novelcoronavirus disease beincluded in the Aarogyasrischeme.

The party workers led byparty State secretariat mem-ber Bagam Hemantha Raostaged a dharna in front ofthe collectorate in Khammamon Friday. Speaking to press-men on the occasion, healleged that the private hos-pitals were looting people inthe name of treatment forCovid. He said that inAndhra Pradesh, Covid treat-ment was included inArogyasri Scheme and thesame should be replicated inTelangana also. He also want-ed the government to declarea health emergency and toprovide at least three monthsfinancial aid to Covid-19patients and eligible persons.

Congress demandssedition caseThe Congress on Friday

lodged a complaint withHyderabad City Policedemanding registration ofsedition case against thosewho demolished places ofworship in the Secretariatcomplex. However, the officials at theSaifabad Police Station refused to evenaccept the complaint saying they havedirections from their superiors not toentertain any complaint related with thedemolition of the Secretariat. HyderabadCity Congress Committee chairman SameerWaliullah and TPCC spokesperson SyedNizamuddin tried to lodge a complaint withthe Saifabad Police Station stating that twomosques and one temple in the Secretariatwere demolished at the instance of someofficials without the knowledge of the StateGovernment and ChiefMinister K Chandrashekhar Rao. SameerWaliullah alleged that the intention ofdemolishing the places of worship was tocreate communal hatred and incite violenceso as to destabilise the present government.

Welcoming ChiefMinister's decision,

AIMIM chief and HyderabadMP Asaduddin Owaisi, in aseries of tweets on Fridaysaid that he had received thestatement regarding theplaces of worship in the recentlydemolished Secretariat complex in whichthe Chief Minister has expressed his regretpain. "I welcomed the statement issued bythe CM expressing government regret onthe demolition of masjids and templesduring the demolition of the secretariatbuildings. Detailed statement will be issuedby United Muslim Forum very soon," hesaid. Meanwhile, Home Minister MahmoodAli also welcomed the decision of the ChiefMinister to construct the places of worshipon a grand scale in the same premises."Chief Minister has made clear that a newtemple and mosque will be constructed ona much larger scale. The new secretariatwhich will soon come up will be useful forthe people as it will be technically advancedand people's friendly," he said.

CPI slams govtover demolitionsCPI national secretary

Narayana on Fridaycondemned pulling downsecretariat buildings anddescribed the measure asinhuman. He objected todemolishing the buildings ata time people of the state are reeling underthe impact of Coronavirus. In a statementon Friday, he alleged that by pulling downthe buildings Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao wants to projectbuilding of Hyderabad commenced from hisera. The CPI leader felt that one of thebuildings of the secretariat fashioned afterthe famous Buckingham Palace designshould have been entrusted to theArchaeology Department for conservation.Pulling down such a historic building woulddiminish the glory of Hyderabad, he said. Infact, the building was built by Sir Viqar-ul-Umra, paternal uncle of the sixth NizamNawab Mahabub Alikhan. Vikarabad wasname after Viqar-ul-Umra, he pointed out.The CPI leader said that pulling down oldbuildings is not proper.

Owaisi, employees unionswelcome CM's statement

Towns go for self-imposed lockdownPNS n HYDERABAD

Following rise in number ofCorona positive cases in thestate, many towns are going forself-imposed lockdown.Imposing self lockdown curfewon the market, traders and ven-dors in the towns have decid-ed to run their businessesbetween a scheduled time. Themeasure was taken to curb thespread of Covid in denselypacked areas. Already manyvillages across the state optedfor self-imposed lockdown.Now Peddemul mandal inVikarabad district joined thelist by going for self-imposedlockdown on Friday.

Earlier, towns likeDevarakonda declared self-imposed lockdown due to risein number of Corona positivecases. In Vikarabad district,shop owners, hotels, dhabhasand others in Peddemul man-dal headquarters have decided

to close their shops voluntari-ly for one week. The tradersurged the public representa-tives to extend their support inthis regard as the mandal head-quarter registered threeCorona positive cases.

Also, traders in Arvapalli, amandal headquarter ofJajireddygudem have decidedto close their shops for few daysto keep Coronavirus at bay.Meanwhile, Devarakonda

town police urged people notto venture out unnecessarily asCorona cases are increasingmanifold in the state.

"The cases are increasingeach day, and we have reducedthe timing of the shops keep-ing in mind the increasingcases of Corona patients.Although we have been takingproper measures to maintainsocial distance, use face masksand sanitizers, one never

knows if the next customerwalking in is a carrier of thevirus. This step is to make surethe safety of our staff as well asour customers," said a trader.

However, the officials didn'tannounce self-imposed lock-down. In some districts, theofficials are setting up contain-ment zones where positivecases were registered.Nizamabad and Karimnagardistricts come under this list.

74 new sandreachesidentified PNS n HYDERABAD

Availability of sand is all setto improve in the state as thegovernment has identifiednew 74 reaches to quarry1.20 crore cubic metres ofsand. Of the 74 reaches, 58are located in scheduledareas and the rest in theKamareddy, Bhupalapallyand Kothagudem. Sandreaches allotted to the ninetribal societies in Bhadra-dri- Kothagudem districthave received environmen-tal clearance. The reaches inMulug district are in theprocess of getting environ-mental clearance. The avail-ability of the sand is put at9 lakh cubic meters. Besidesthese, another 41 reacheshave been allotted to tribalssocieties.

PNS n MANCHERIAL

Several parts of Mancherial district registered lightrains from early morning on Friday, affecting coalproduction and traffic. The district recorded a rain-fall of 10.8 mm during the day.

Kotapalli mandal received the highest rainfallby 43 mm, followed by Nennal which saw 28 mmof rainfall. Bellampalli, Luxettipet and Chennurrecorded somewhere between 11 mm and 18 mmof rainfall. Jannaram, Dandepalli, Kasipet, Tandur,Bheemini, Vemanapalli, Mandamarri, Mancherialand Jaipur mandal witnessed below 10 mm of rain-fall.

Consequently, the mining of coal in opencastprojects of Srirampur Area and Mandamarri Areaof Singareni Collieries Company Limited have beenstalled. The projects saw a dip in excavation of the

Rains distrupt coal productioncoal. Local streams were swelled, hitting traffic insome interior parts of the district. Supply of powerwas also disrupted, but it was restored by the evening.Municipal

AdministrationMinister KTRsaid that 400 oldRTC buses wouldbe convertedinto SHE toiletsin the towns and cities acrossthe state

Traders inArvapalli, amandalheadquarter ofJajireddygudemhave decided toclose their shopsfor few days tokeep Coronavirusat bay

The impact ofdemolition was notanalysed and noprecautions weretaken to protectthe places ofworship, whichincluded a heritagestructure. He saidseveral lawspertaining toprotection ofPlaces of Worshipand preservation ofheritage structureswere violated

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | JULY 11, 2020 nation 05SHORT READS

Pak shells borderareas in Rajouri, Armypersonnel killedJAMMU: A 36-year old Armypersonnel was killed in aceasefire violation by thePakistan Army along the Lineof Control (LoC) in Rajouridistrict of Jammu and Kashmiron Friday, officials said.Pakistani troops opened fireand shelled forward postsalong the LoC in Nowsherasector in the early hours.Havildar Sambur Gurung wasinjured in the firing and rushedto a hospital where hesuccumbed to injuries. Indiantroops guarding the borderlineretaliated, resulting inexchanges, they said. Adefence spokesman said,"Havildar Sambur Gurung wasa brave, highly motivated and asincere soldier. The nation willalways remain indebted to himfor his supreme sacrifice anddevotion to duty".

Prohibitory order onfake social media postsnot extended: Govt

HC rejects SharjeelImam's plea on extn oftime to probe UAPA caseNEW DELHI: The Delhi HighCourt Friday dismissed a pleaby JNU student Sharjeel Imam,arrested in a case related toalleged inflammatory speechesduring the protests against CAAand NRC, challenging a trialcourt order granting more timeto police to conclude theinvestigation. Justice VKameswar Rao pronounced theverdict through videoconferencing and said thedetailed order will be uploadedon the court's website. "I havedismissed the petition," thejudge said. The Delhi Policehad opposed Imam's pleasaying there was no infirmity inthe trial court's April 25 orderby which the agency wasgranted three more months,beyond statutory 90 days, tocomplete the investigation inthe case under the stringentUnlawful Activities (Prevention)Act (UAPA).

MUMBAI: The Maharashtragovernment on Friday informedthe Bombay High Court that theprohibitory order againstspreading of incorrect or falseinformation on social mediaamid the COVID-19 pandemichas ended and no extensionhas been given to it. AdvocateGeneral Ashutosh Kumbhakonitold a division bench ofJustices A A Sayed and M SKarnik that the order dated May23 passed by the deputycommissioner of police(Operations) under section 144of the Code of CriminalProcedure (CrPC) had been ineffect only till June 8. "Thesame has not been extendedafter June 8 and presently thereis no prohibitory order inplace," Kumbhakoni said. Thecourt was hearing two publicinterest litigations challengingthe legality of the prohibitoryorder.

PNS n NEW DELHI

India saw yet another record sin-gle-day jump of 26,506 COVID-19 cases pushing its tally to7,93,802 on Friday, while thedeath toll climbed to 21,604 with475 people succumbing to theinfection, according to the UnionHealth Ministry data.

The number of tests for detec-tion of COVID-19 has crossedthe 11-million mark. Accordingto ICMR, a cumulative total of1,10,24,491 samples have beentested up to July 9 with 2,83,659samples being tested onThursday.

The number of recoveriesstands at 4,95,512 while there are2,76,685 active cases of coron-avirus infection presently in thecountry, the updated data at 8 amshowed. "Thus, around 62.42 percent of patients have recoveredso far," an official said.

The total number of con-firmed cases included foreigners.

Of the 475 new deaths report-ed, 219 are from Maharashtra, 65

from Tamil Nadu, 45 from Delhi,27 from West Bengal, 17 fromUttar Pradesh, 16 fromKarnataka, 15 from Gujarat, 13from Andhra Pradesh, 9 fromRajasthan, eight from Bihar,seven from Telangana, six fromAssam, five each fromHaryana,Madhya Pradesh,Jammu and Kashmir andPunjab, four from Odisha andone from Chhattisgarh, Goa,Jhakhand and Meghalaya.

Of the total 21,604 deathsreported so far, Maharashtra

tops the tally with 9,667 fatalitiesfollowed by Delhi with 3,258deaths, Gujarat with 2,008, TamilNadu with 1,765, Uttar Pradeshwith 862, West Bengal with 854,Madhya Pradesh with 634,Rajasthan with 491 andKarnataka with 486.

The COVID-19 death tollreached 331 in Telangana, 287 inHaryana, 277 in AndhraPradesh, 183 in Punjab, 154 inJammu and Kashmir, 115 inBihar, 52 in Odisha, 46 inUttarakhand and 27 in Kerala.

With 26,506 new cases India's Covidtally report record single day spike

Rahul Gandhi seekscancellation of varsity examsPNS n NEW DELHI

Defence PNS n NEW DELHI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhion Friday demanded cancella-tion of university exams andurged the UGC to promotestudents on the basis of pastperformance during the coro-navirus pandemic.

Accusing the UniversityGrants Commission (UGC)of creating confusion, Gandhisaid it is unfair to conductexaminations during theCOVID-19 pandemic and theUGC should listen to the voiceof students.

"COVID has harmed manypeople. Students in schools,colleges and universities arebeing made to suffer. "Whilethe IITs and colleges have can-celled exams and have promot-ed students, the UGC is creat-ing confusion. UGC shouldalso cancel the exams andpromote students on the basisof past performance," he saidin a video message.

Gandhi participated in the'SpeakUpforStudents' cam-paign by the Congress party

and posted a short video mes-sage on Twitter.

"It is extremely unfair toconduct exams during theCOVID-19 pandemic.

"The UGC must hear thevoice of students and acade-mics. Exams should be can-

celled and students promotedon the basis of past perfor-mance," he also tweeted.

The Congress has launcheda campaign in favour of stu-dents, demanding cancellationof exams during the pandem-ic and urging their promotion.

SC refuses to entertain pleafor moratorium on school feesPNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Fridayrefused to entertain a plea by par-ents from different states seekingdeferment/moratorium onschool fees for the COVID-19lockdown period and askedthem to approach the high courtsfor relief.

The top court said it was afact-intensive situation as prob-lems in each state are differentand observed that it would astroke of genius if petitioners cansolve everybody's problems.

A bench of Chief Justice S ABobde and Justices R SubhashReddy and A S Bopanna said:“Fee hike issue should have beenraised before the state HighCourts. Why has it come to theSupreme Court? It's a fact inten-sive situation.

"Problems in each state are dif-ferent. Parties are involving juris-diction of this court as anomnibus case. But these are factintensive situations in each stateand even each district.”

Advocates Balaji Srinivasan

and Mayank Kshirsagar said thePunjab and Haryana High Courthas allowed schools to chargehiked fee. The bench told thecounsels, then the petitioners canfile an appeal against that orderof Punjab and Haryana HighCourt.

“It would be a stroke of geniusif you can solve everybody'sproblems,” the bench said.

The top court said that it is notinclined to interfere at this stageand the petitioners may with-draw plea and approach thehigh courts. Parents of school

going children from differentstates have moved the top courtseeking declaration of moratori-um or deferment of payment ofschool fees during the COVID-19 induced lockdown.

The plea also sought that theCentre and all states be asked todirect the private unaided/aidedschools to only charge the pro-portionate fees based on actualexpenditure towards the conductof the online virtual classes andno other fees from the studentssince April 1 till the commence-ment of physical classes.

“The Petitioners belonging todifferent states of the countryhave come together being con-strained to approach this Courtseeking inter alia the protectionof fundamental right to life aswell as education guaranteedunder the Constitution of India,1950 which the children & stu-dents enrolled up to the Class XIIof various Indian states are beingdeprived of due to superveningfactors namely, the ongoing pan-demic- COVID-19 period...,”the plea said.

Delhi manages to control Covid spike but expertscautious, say dip in cases has to be sustainedPNS n NEW DELHI

The national capital's COVID-19count crossed the grim one lakhmilestone this week but thenumber of active cases is dippingas is the positivity rate while therecovery rate is going up, raisinghopes of the epidemic curve flat-tening if the trends continue. Astesting is significantly ramped up,the death rate, too, has fallenmarginally and the projectedexplosion of cases hasn't hap-pened. The signs are undoubted-ly good but these are just babysteps as Delhi moves ahead in itsfight against the COVID-19pandemic, cautioned experts.

It is early days yet, they said,stressing the urgent need to con-tinue with social distancing,masks, hand hygiene and otherdos and don'ts to ward off theinfection. Lowering the guardcould lead to cases surging again.

“We can say the curve seemsto be flattening, though thisvirus is novel and can spring a

surprise," a senior doctor at thefrontline of the fight in a privatehospital said on the condition ofanonymity.

“The dip in cases is encourag-ing but it would be prudent tohave multiple data points creat-ed over the next two weeks tobetter map the trends and to beable to say the curve has flattened.In order to draw an inferenceabout effective containment, thedecline that is being observed has

to be sustained over a period oftime,” added Dr Samiran Panda,head of ICMR's Epidemiologyand Communicable Division.

Several experts are encouragedby the trend of average fresh casesper day and the slide in positiv-ity rate over the last fortnight.

On March 1, the city record-ed its first COVID-19 case. Morethan three months later, thenumber of cases is 1,07,051 with3,258 fatalities, according to the

Health Ministry on Friday.However, 82,226 cases haverecovered and 21,567 cases arestill active. The number of activefigures is the lowest in 28 days.

The peak came on June 23when the city recorded 3,947fresh cases. For three days afterthat, there were 3,000 cases a day.But then the figures dipped.

From June 27 to July 3, theaverage fresh cases per day was

2,494 compared to 3,446 casesthe previous week. The trend hascontinued -- July 4 (2,505), July5 (2,244), July 6 (1,379), July 7(2,008), July 8 (2,033) and July 9(2,187). The positivity rate inDelhi has been consistently goingdown as well - from 31 per centin the June 8-14 week to 11 percent in June 29-July 5 week,according to official figures.

"So, from 3,947 peak cases sofar on June 23, the average freshcases in the last several consec-utive days have shown a fall, hov-ering between 1,379 and 2,889.Also, the positivity rate has comedown. But we need both thesemetrics to come down over a sus-tained period of time,” said thedoctor at the private hospital.

"Things are looking up anddata trends have been veryencouraging,” said MaheshVerma, head of a panel set up bythe Delhi government tostrengthen the preparedness ofhospitals to battle the coron-avirus.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Fridaysought response from Centre,Kerala and 13 other states ona plea challenging the barbar-ic practices to ward off wildanimals terming them as ille-gal and unconstitutional andviolating Article 14 and 21 ofthe Constitution.

The plea filed by an advo-cate has also sought issuance ofguidelines for creation ofStandard OperatingProcedures (SOP) to tacklesuch incidents and filling up ofvacancies in forest forces acrossthe country.

A bench of Chief Justice S ABobde and Justices R SubhashReddy and A S Bopanna issuednotice to Centre and 13 states

including Kerala and soughttheir responses.

The petition sought declara-tion of the practice of usingbarbaric means/snares/shavedsticks/explosives to ward offwild animals as illegal, uncon-stitutional, and violative ofArticles 14, and 21 of the

Constitution.Petitioner Subham Awasthi

in his plea has referred to anincident of Kerala, where apregnant elephant recentlydied after eating a pineapplestuffed with firecrackers,offered to her allegedly bysome locals.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A Delhi court Friday granted bailto 82 foreign nationals fromBangladesh who were chargesheeted for attending TablighiJamaat congregation hereallegedly in violation of visanorms, indulging in missionaryactivities illegally and violatinggovernment guidelines issued inthe wake of COVID-19 out-break.

Chief Metropolitan MagistrateGurmohina Kaur granted therelief to the foreigners on fur-nishing a personal bond of Rs10,000 each. Till date, 371 foreignnationals from 31 different coun-tries, who were charge sheeted inthe case, have been granted bailby the court.

The police had in June filed 59charge sheets, including supple-mentaries, against 956 foreign-ers belonging to 36 different

countries in the case. Theaccused who were granted bailFriday will file their plea bargain-ing applications on Saturday, saidadvocates Ashima Mandla,Mandakini Singh and FahimKhan, appearing for them.

Under plea bargaining, theaccused plead guilty to theoffence, praying for a lesser

punishment. The CriminalProcedure of Code allows forplea bargaining in cases wherethe maximum punishment is7-year imprisonment; offencesdon't affect the socio-econom-ic conditions of the society andthe offence is not committedagainst a woman or a childbelow 14 years.

HC suggests VCfacility forprisoners, familiesPNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court Fridaysuggested to the jail author-ities to consider the require-ment of prisoners for havingvideo conferencing with theirfamily for the duration whenphysical meetings in jails aresuspended due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Thecourt made it clear it was notpassing any direction as it wasconscious of the fact that theresources are limited. Thecourt made the recommen-dation while hearing a plea byBhushan Steel's former chieffinancial officer Nittin Johari,who was arrested by the SFIOfor alleged fraudulent activ-ities, seeking direction toTihar Jail authorities to allowhim to meet his family andlawyers through video con-ferencing.

DELHI AIRPORT:

Lounge manager, colleaguearrested as fired employeealleges sexual harassmentPNS n NEW DELHI

A 42-year-old general managerof a lounge at the Delhi airportand his 37-year-old colleaguewere arrested on Thursday aftera woman employee accusedthem of sexual harassment atworkplace, police said.

The lounge is operated by atenanted privately-run thirdparty operator.

The 26-year-old womanworked as a Food and BeveragesAssistant in the lounge atTerminal-3 of the Indira GandhiInternational Airport, they said.

In her complaint filed onTuesday, the woman said thatshe was sacked from the job thesame day, and alleged sexualharassment by the lounge's gen-

eral manager and the duty man-ager, police said.

According to the com-plainant, the two allegedly usedto harass and threaten her thatshe will be fired if she raised avoice against it. The woman waseventually thrown out of her jobafter she refused their sexualadvances, the complaint stated.

PCI seeks replies fromUP, HP over allegedtargeting of journalistsPNS n NEW DELHI

The Press Council of India onFriday sought replies from thegovernments of Uttar Pradesh,Chhattisgarh and HimachalPradesh in connection withseparate incidents of allegedtargeting of scribes over theirreporting on problems faced bythe people during the COVID-19-induced lockdown. In a state-ment, the Press Council of India(PCI) said it takes suo motu cog-nizance regarding alleged target-ing of journalists during theCOVID-19 lockdown period inUttar Pradesh.

An FIR has been lodgedagainst four journalists inGopiganj police station inBhadohi district of UttarPradesh, and in a separate inci-dent, a notice has been issued to

Vijay Vineet, a reporter, andSubhash Rai, Editor-in Chief ofJansandesh Times, for reportingon issues that concern the plightsof people during the lockdownperiod, the PCI said. Since thematters concern free functioningof the press, the PCI Chairmanhas viewed it with concern andcalled for comments from thegovernment of UP.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Over 8.8 crore visits by patientshave been recorded sinceFebruary 1 at over 41,000 healthand wellness centres (HWCs)made operational under thegovernment's flagshipAyushman Bharat scheme, TheUnion health ministry said onFriday.

This is almost equivalent tothe number of footfalls record-ed in the previous 21 months -- from April 14, 2018, to January31, 2020, -- despite restrictionson the movement of peopleduring the lockdown periodthis year, it said in a statement.

In the last five months, 1.41crore individuals were screenedfor hypertension, 1.13 crore fordiabetes and 1.34 crore for oral,breast or cervical cancer, theministry said.

Despite the challenges posedby the COVID-19 pandemic,

medicines were dispensed toabout 5.62 lakh hypertensionpatients and 3.77 lakh diabetespatients at the HWCs in Junealone, according to the state-ment. As many as 6.53 lakh yogaand wellness sessions have alsobeen organised at HWCs sincethe COVID-19 outbreak.

Health and wellness centresform the primary pillar of theAyushman Bharat scheme envis-aging to the provisioning of uni-versal and comprehensive pri-mary healthcare through the

transformation of 1,50,000 sub-health centres and primaryhealth centres into HWCs by2022. Giving an example of thecontribution being made byHWCs in the fight againstCOVID-19 in Jharkhand, theministry said that as part of astatewide intensive public healthsurvey week, HWC teamsscreened people for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severeacute respiratory illness (SARI)symptoms and facilitated coro-navirus testing.

KERALA ELEPHANT TRAGEDY:

SC seeks reply of Centre, 13 Stateson plea against barbaric practices

TABLIGHI JAMAAT:

Delhi court grants bail to 82 B’desh nationals

"Problems in eachstate are different.Parties areinvolvingjurisdiction of thiscourt as anomnibus case. Butthese are factintensive situationsin each state andeven each district.”

“We can say thecurve seems to beflattening, thoughthis virus is noveland can spring asurprise," a seniordoctor at the front-line of the fight ina private hospitalsaid on the condi-tion of anonymity

"COVID has harmed many people.Students in schools, colleges anduniversities are being made to suffer."While the IITs and colleges havecancelled exams and have promotedstudents, the UGC is creating confusion.UGC should also cancel the exams andpromote students on the basis of pastperformance," he said in a video message

8.8 cr footfall recorded at healthcentres under Ayushman Bharat

After the publication ofmy last column on June27, several readers haverequested me to elabo-rate further as to how

television breeds passivity. Hencethis piece. Before proceeding fur-ther, one needs to be clear as towhat is meant by passivity. At thevisible level, it is reflected in the lackof active response leading to theabsence of intervention to ensurefollow-up action even in caseswhere one is deeply moved — suchas the arrest of the culprit who pre-pared the explosives-packedcoconut that so savagely killed thepregnant elephant in Kerala on May27. Even if, however, there had beensuch intervention, it might not nec-essarily have indicated the absenceof passivity.

The entire issue has to be seenin the context of Erich Fromm’s dif-ferentiation in his book, To Have orto Be?, between passive and activestates of mind and activity relatedrespectively to “having” and “being”modes of existence. According tohim, the “having” mode of exis-tence, marked by alienated activi-ty, makes for passivity. “In alienat-ed activity,” he writes, “I do not real-ly act; I am acted upon by externalor internal forces.” An importantmanifestation as well as an ingre-dient of the “having” mode of exis-tence is a situation in which “myrelationship with the entire worldis one of possessing and owning,one in which I want to makeeverybody and everything, includ-ing myself, my property. This ten-dency becomes so pronouncedthat it extends even to people, andone talks of “My doctor”, “Myemployer”, “My boss” and so on.

Fromm makes it clear that pas-sivity does not mean the absence ofactivity but activity prompted byexternal forces in contrast to thatarising from the autonomousdynamics of the perpetrator’s innerself. One, therefore, can be in a pas-sive state even when engaged inhectic exertion if the latter isprompted by a force outside one.Similarly, physical inaction does notmean passivity if it goes withautonomous inner activity. Frommassociates the active, as opposed tothe passive state, with the “being”mode of existence. The latter has asits “prerequisites independence,freedom and the presence of criti-cal reason. Its fundamental charac-ter is that of being active, not in thesense of outward activity, of busy-ness, but of inner activity, the pro-

ductive use of human powers. Tobe active means to give expres-sion to one’s faculties, talent, tothe wealth of human giftsthrough which — though invarying degrees — every humanbeing is endowed. It means torenew oneself, to grow, to flowout, to love, to transcend theprison of one’s isolated ego, to beinterested, to list, to give.”

The “being” mode of exis-tence is characterised by non-alienated activity. “I experiencemyself,” says Fromm, “as the sub-ject of my activity. Non-alienat-ed activity is a process of givingbirth to something, of produc-ing something and remainingrelated to what I produce. Thisalso means that my activity is amanifestation of my powers, thatI and my activity are one. I callthis activity productive activity.”

The question is: How doestelevision promote the “having”mode of existence? It is a tech-nological device for transmittingimages and sound over ether. Itsevolution as a cultural mediumhas been largely determined byits symbiotic relationship withthe consumer culture, which ismarked by self-indulgence andcompulsive, competitive andconspicuous consumption,fanned by unbridled advertising,association of personal worthand social status with a high levelof consumption and the spreadand intensification of the com-petitive spirit, a critical factor incapitalism. It is the result of anew phase in the evolution ofcapitalism in which the marketplays a dominant role in the sys-tem, and which, in turn accountsfor an unprecedented emphasison ensuring higher turnover andsurplus. Marketing has emergedas a specialised field and adver-tising as its cutting edge.Television, which has givenadvertising a reach and impact

it never had before, has becomethe principal vehicle of the con-sumer culture.

The consumer culture,which determines the content oftelevision, including advertising,spawns passivity because itundermines an individual’sautonomy. Advertising plays acritical role. In many cases, onewould not even have known ofa product’s existence but for itbeing advertised. Nor would onehave bought a product if adver-tising had not promoted it inglowing terms. The act of buy-ing it is thus an externally-induced passive exercise.

It is not just one act of buy-ing. Advertising not only pro-jects commodities as irresistibleobjects themselves but also theirpossession as an indication ofone’s worth and status — forexample by projecting that onlya person of a certain class canown a certain brand of suit or astratospherically-priced car.Given the ubiquity and theaudio-visual appeal of advertise-ments, other criteria of statusand worth such as scholarshipand superior creativity in thearts, for example, writing andpainting, get relegated. Anincreasing ability to buy thingsand enjoy services becomes theprincipal goal of a progressive-ly large mass of people and, asa consequence, the definingquest of the consumer culture.

This defining quest of theconsumer culture makes forpassivity as it is mainly external-ly-driven by advertising. Theprocess is reinforced by a com-pulsion internal to the psyche ofpeople which reinforces thecompulsive, competitive andconspicuous consumption thatis a hallmark of the consumerculture. In The Fear of Freedom,Fromm shows how a feeling ofinsecurity comes inexorably

upon a person with his/hergrowing awareness ofhimself/herself separate fromthe surrounding nature andpeople.

According to him, thisawareness “remained very dimover long periods of history,” andthe process of its growth, whichhe calls “individuation,” “seemsto have reached its peak inmodern history in the centuriesbetween the Reformation andthe present.” Stating that thesame process is found in the lifehistory of the individual, he saysthat despite biological separa-tion, the child “remains func-tionally at one with the motherfor a considerable period.” It islinked to her by what he calls“primary ties”, an expression healso uses to signify the ties con-necting “the member of a prim-itive community with his clan ornature, or the medieval manwith his clan or social caste.”Their existence implies a “lackof individuality but they also givesecurity and orientation to theindividual.”

In the case of the child,he/she slowly becomes aware ofhis/her separateness fromhis/her mother and others, withphysical, mental and emotion-al development. This leads to theemergence of an “organisedstructure guided by the individ-ual’s will and reason”. He adds,“If we call this organised andintegrated whole of the person-ality as the self, we can also saythat the one side of the growingprocess of individuation is thegrowth of self-strength.” Theother side is a growing feeling ofaloneness which leads to a grow-ing feeling of insecurity given themany dangers that beset a per-son in every society. This feelingof insecurity is ever-present inmarket capitalism which is thematrix of the consumer culture

and in which the market dom-inates the system and compe-tition is war with no holdsbarred. Thus, corporations arestalked by the fear of beingtaken over or run to theground by other corporationsand individuals by that of los-ing their jobs or of uncertainfutures in their own corpora-tions taken over by new mas-ters.

The way to overcome afeeling of loneliness and inse-curity is, Fromm states, to“relate spontaneously to theworld in love and work,” in thegenuine expression of “one’semotional, sensuous and intel-lectual capacities,” becomingone with man, nature andhimself “without giving upthe independence and integri-ty of one’s individual self.”Unfortunately, conditionsunder market capitalism hin-der the adoption of such acourse. The several ways —including resort to sadisticand masochistic relationships— in which people seek toovercome their feeling of inse-curity, include compulsiveacquisition of possessions andconformism.

According to Fromm,“Incorporating a thing, forexample by eating or drinking,is an archaic form of possess-ing it.” An infant’s form of tak-ing possession is by swallowinga thing. Referring to manyforms of swallowing, includingsymbolic incorporation,Fromm says, “The attitudeinherent in consumption isthat of swallowing.” And swal-lowing under the influence oftelevised advertising is yetanother example of how theidiot box and the consumerculture promote passivity.

(The writer is ConsultantEditor, The Pioneer, and author)

Like every other sector, the film industry, too, hasstarted adapting itself to the new normal of a post-pandemic world. So though it sells dreams, fan-

tasy and larger than life experiences on the big screen,filmmakers have now decided to restrict their cast andcrew to local talent and shoot projects within the coun-try in small, contained sets. And since Bollywood hasso far thrived on the grandeur of locales and the panoram-ic outdoors — Yash Chopra’s romance with Switzerlandbeing almost legendary — it is now going “vocal aboutlocal” as well, choosing unique backdrops at home. Itis here that the Ministry of Tourism and Culture is chip-ping in to do its bit to help the industry that has used

its soft power to promote destinations and cultures. It has allowed filmmakers to shootat more than 3,000 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-approved historical monuments.It has also put in place a mechanism to fast-track requisite clearances from various Ministriesand departments. To cite an example, locations involving archaeological sites in metrocities required clearances from the ASI, the Home Ministry, Ministry of Environment andForests and several other departments in the metropolis as also the police and its trafficwing. In addition to this, scripts and locations had to be vetted in advance along with thespecifications on the number of shooting days. Perhaps this has been one of the biggestreasons why our monuments and museums have never featured in films to the extentthat story-tellers wanted them to. In comparison, foreign locales seemed attractive becauseof the local tourism boards’ incentives such as tax credits, cash rebates, refunds, fee-freelocation scouting et al. It took a pandemic for the Tourism Ministry to be rational aboutearning revenues. So it is now allowing single-window clearances, including facilitatingsome from various departments and States. Applications will be online and approvals maycome within 15-20 days.

In the end, the locale is just a prop and packaging, what sells is content. While pop-ular cinema in India has largely been aspirational, many of our contemporary hits haveactually celebrated the local milieu. Be it Ladakh for 3 Idiots, Kashmir for Lakshya, Delhifor Rang De Basanti or Bajrangi Bhaijaan and the slew of small town stories around Lucknow,Allahabad, Kanpur and Jaipur, each city and town has emerged as a distinct characterand layered the stories with heartfelt warmth. Qutub Minar, Taj Mahal and the fort palacesof Rajasthan have all featured prominently. But Shah Rukh Khan’s Paheli will be remem-bered for that scene at a stepwell in Rajasthan. If some unknown wonders and sites couldbe filmed, it would be the best campaign for domestic tourism. Not many of us will betravelling abroad anyway. As for Switzerland, there’s always our Northeast.

UP gangster Vikas Dubey may not have anyonemourning his death in a stage-managed accidentcum encounter, responsible as he was for many

killings, the last being of eight policemen. But does thissit easy on the conscience of the police, which has putout the most outrageous and improbable theory of hisattempt to escape, one that triggered it to open fire? Isit not its job to deliver the culprit for courts to decide?Does it not indicate that the political patrons of Dubeyand their protector policemen had too much to lose hadthe don spilled details of the unholy politician-criminalnexus that has entrenched itself in the State in a mutu-ally self-serving manner? Does this not damage Chief

Minister Yogi Adityanath’s image of a no-nonsense leader with zero tolerance for corrup-tion and mafia, for good, considering he was personally supervising Dubey’s case? Or isit that his individual will stands no chance in front of systemic imperatives, which his party,too, has endorsed? Dubey himself was sensing that he would be eliminated, what withthe police announcing a bounty on his head and five of his aides killed in orchestratedscenarios. So he surrendered, to negotiate a longish jail term for the right to live. But hisprotectors and creators were scared that with all the media attention on his arrest, he couldhave just spilled the beans or leaked prized information. So they got rid of him. This hasteis troublesome for the simple reason that had the police followed processes and built asolid case on his killing of their colleagues in Kanpur, they could have anyway got the deathsentence for him. Even assuming that some among the forces had tipped Dubey aboutan impending raid, which he used as a trap to ambush the cops, the UP police could haveused his past crimes to justify the severest penalty. Why did it feel so disadvantaged andcompromised as to ignore the provisions of the law and shoot to kill? Unless the men inuniform were told to play executioner. The sad part is that the focus has now shifted fromDubey, the criminal, to Dubey, the victim of police excesses. And nobody is even discussingthe heinous nature of his crimes. This, too, is then an equal travesty of justice.

According to the UP police, while Dubey was being transported back to the State, oneof the cars in the convoy overturned. Taking advantage of the situation, he allegedly attempt-ed to snatch a weapon and flee the scene, following which the police opened fire and shothim. If the narrative sounds familiar, that is because it is. Most of Dubey’s aides died insuch “encounters” after “attacking” the police and trying to “escape.” It matters little whythe policemen “conveniently” forgot to secure their weapons as per rules, did not hand-cuff Dubey or how he managed to escape from an upturned car with all doors shut. Thepolice theorists also forgot to factor how a car that skids on a smooth tarmac doesn’tleave tyre marks. In the end, many questions will be left hanging like aerosols that disin-tegrate beyond a certain point in time. Who were the political leaders who promoted themobster’s criminal empire and his clout? Which all policemen in the force are in cahootswith criminals? The fact that deputy SP Devendra Mishra, who was among the eight police-men killed, had warned his seniors of Dubey’s hold over the justice system but was ignoredspeaks a lot about the don’s clout. Which netas are involved with criminals in the State?Dubey, who has been patronised by the ruling BJP and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) atvarious times, had of late tried to curry favour back with the BJP. Apart from intensifyingcaste wars for votebank consolidation, he was also a quick facilitator of land and busi-ness deals that political parties, their sponsors and bureaucrats found attractive. So, whois the UP Government trying to protect? India is a democracy after all and even criminalswith such intimidating rap sheets like Dubey’s have a right to justice, representation andbeing heard in a court of law. Besides the Supreme Court has declared encounter killingsas unlawful. But it is very obvious that the Adityanath administration and senior Ministershave given their tacit approval to this “encounter culture” which abounds in the State asdoes police impunity. And with the killing of Dubey, one wonders if Adityanath is indeedserious about flushing out criminals and cleaning up the police at the same time. If we donot break the politico-police-criminal axis, cleansing is not possible. In a society governedby the rule of law, the death of a policeman cannot be avenged by encounters of crimi-nals. Considering the scale of Dubey’s crimes and the involvement of Government offi-cials and politicians, the State Government should have entrusted the probe to an inde-pendent and impartial agency immediately after the arrest of the don and his henchmen.But it seems the Government, too, is trying to protect someone, somewhere and has giventhe police a carte blanche. Will we ever know?

Encounter the truth

Rough ride

Sir — Private companies, whichsolely pursue profit, cannot beexpected to have a charitableapproach towards society or thecountry. So it will not come asa surprise if the private owners,approved by the Government,come up with arrangementsthat will serve only the privi-leged classes and exclude thecommon people with theirrevised fare structures. Classbarriers exist in every sphere oflife, be it hospitals, schools orhigher educational institutions,residential apartments and hotelsamong others. Thus, one couldexpect the tradition of exclusionto continue with the privatisationof the Indian Railways.

Having already made thedecision to privatise 109 pairs ofroutes, the least the Governmentshould do is to make sure that thenumber of existing trains orroutes is not reduced. The enjoy-ment of the elite should not comeat the cost of the lower and mid-dle classes for whom railways areoften the lifeline for travel.Adequate alternatives should beavailable so that people, who can-not afford the prices set by the

private players, do not have todiscard railway travel altogether.The Government of a “welfarestate” like India should alwaysremember that providing serviceat an affordable rate to the weak-er section of the populace mustbe its priority. This cannot becompromised.

Kajal ChatterjeeKolkata

Overhaul education

Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “No lessons to be learnt” (July10). While the CBSE’s decisionto reduce the syllabus up to 30per cent is welcome, one fails tounderstand the very purpose ofeducation when students will notlearn anything about secularism,

Partition and citizenship amongother subjects.

Are curricula only meant tohelp the students pass the exam-inations? For the students, text-books are just an assemblage offacts that need to be memorised,only to be forgotten later in life.Our pedagogical systems aredisconnected from lived realities.It is time to evolve teaching

methods that encourage stu-dents to apply facts to real-lifeproblems while encouragingthem to seek knowledge. The sadreality is that concepts like sec-ularism and federalism are notreally practised anymore.

Bhavik JainVia email

The race is on

Sir — With TikTok beingbanned in India, various socialmedia apps have been rushingto take its place. One of the topcontenders is Instagram, whichhas showed its intension to fillthe gap with a new app called“Reels.” With thousands of con-tent creators, who had amassedmillions of followers, beingstranded overnight due to a banon TikTok, it will be interestingto see if Reels will be able to cap-ture the same market. For influ-encers, the challenge will be todirect their loyalists to newerplatforms. They will have toregain what they have lost.

Juhi SinghVia email

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

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op nionHYDERABAD | SATURDAY | JULY 11, 2020

06

Passivity and its causes

HIRANMAY KARLEKAR

It is the defining quest of consumer culture that makes for passivity as it is mainlyexternally-driven by advertising. How then do we overcome the feeling of insecurity?

Both (India and China) arepowerful nations yet nei-ther one can destroy theother one. So both willhave to live side by side.

Tibetan spiritual leader—Dalai Lama

I don’t think there is anythingcalled an outsider or aninsider. It is aboutfavouritism, that’s the wordthat should be used. And this exists everywhere.

Actor—Divya Dutta

The magnitude of this pan-demic, which has touchedvirtually everyone in theworld, clearly deserves acommensurate evaluation,an honest evaluation.

WHO chief—Tedros A Ghebreyesus

S O U N D B I T E

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

A new education paradigm is needed

This refers to the editorial, “No lessons to belearnt” (July 10). The ostensible reason for theCentral Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)’s

removal of topics such as secularism, citizenship andfederalism from its syllabi for classes IX to XII is30 per cent reduction in the study load of studentsduring the Coronavirus pandemic. But the choice oftopics for deletion from course materials raises ques-tions about the motivation behind the move. Theboard’s justification, that it was meant “to reducethe exam stress of students due to the prevailinghealth emergency situation and prevent learninggaps” begs the question as to why the topics need-ed to be learnt.

The CBSE has not made clear the rationalebehind dropping some subjects as “dispensable”while retaining others as “indispensable.” There isa strong case for every student to have exposure toIndia’s composite culture — its heterogeneity,diversity and pluralism. It helps in the cultivation of

tolerance as a virtue. What children learn in theirimpressionable age moulds and colours their wholelife. Nonetheless, it is some consolation that the “ban-ishment” of key components of what we cherish asliberal education is “temporary,” a one-time measureand the expunged contents have not yet been replacedby new content, propagating a constricted vision ofIndia and the world.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

New film locales

It is the job of the courts todeliver justice. It is the jobof the police to deliver theaccused. The only thingkilled in Yogiji’s encounterraj is justice.

Senior TMC leader—Mahua Moitra

The UP police theory on why it killed Vikas Dubey doesn’t standto reason. The politico-criminal nexus will never be exposed

The Tourism Ministry has allowed the film industry to shoot at ASIsites and monuments. A good move to promote domestic travel

Stop population explosion

IT’S THE JOB OF COURTS TO DELIVER JUSTICE. IT’STHE JOB OF THE POLICE TO DELIVER THE ACCUSED.

INDIA UNDER THE BJP HAS CONFUSED THE TWO.—TMC MP

MAHUA MOITRA

THERE IS NO NEED TO SHED TEARS OVER THEKILLING OF DUBEY IN AN ENCOUNTER. WHY IS THEPOLICE ACTION BEING QUESTIONED?—SHIV SENA MPSANJAY RAUT

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

When the world’s population reached five bil-lion on July 11, 1987, it was observed asthe “Five Billion Day” by the United

Nations (UN). Taking inspiration from this, the thenGoverning Council of the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) for the first timein 1989 launched an initiative to observe July 11 asthe World Population Day to draw attentiontowards the urgency and importance of related issues.As population explosion began to take centrestageas a cause of serious concern, the themes of theWorld Population Day focussed on the health prob-lems faced by childbearing women and the impor-tance of family planning, gender equality, poverty,maternal health and human rights. With the cur-rent global population at 7.8 billion and estimatedto touch nine billion by 2050, the massive surge inpopulation is identified to be the causal factor ofdevelopmental concerns in several countries. Itbecomes more conspicuous for developing and less-er developed countries. Therefore, World PopulationDay assumes paramount importance because it high-lights the problems of population explosion and rais-es awareness about the effects of over-population onthe environment and the planet. This year’s themeis to raise awareness about safeguarding sexual andreproductive health needs and vulnerabilities ofwomen and girls during the COVID-19 pandem-ic. This is very timely and significant because manypregnant women succumb to poor reproductivehealthcare. A study by the UN Population Fund(UNFPA) revealed that 800 women die every dayduring the process of childbirth. The research high-lighted that if the lockdown continues for six months,with continued major disruption to health services,then 47 million women in low and middle-incomecountries might not have access to modern contra-ceptives. This would, in turn, lead to seven millionunintended pregnancies. This could lead to a risein gender-based violence, female genital mutilationand child marriages and thus threaten the transfor-mative results attained thus far in raising the healthconditions of women.

India’s concerns: The concerns for India on thisWorld Population Day are clear. It has just two percent of the world’s landmass and 16 per cent of theglobal population. Between the Census of 2001 and2011, the country added 18 per cent more peopleto its population — translating to around 181 mil-lion. It is the second-most populous country in theworld with an estimated population of around 1.37billion by 2019. According to the PopulationDivision of the UN Department of Economic andSocial Affairs, India is expected to add nearly 273million people in the next three decades and sur-pass China’s population within the next seven years.In this context, the importance of sexual and repro-ductive health of women and planned parenthoodunderscores some major concerns for the country.

Birth rate and death rate: These are importantfactors for the population explosion in India. Thedeath rate and birth rate was almost the same upto the mid-20th century, which meant a slow rateof growth of population. However, with gradualimprovement in healthcare facilities, level of edu-cation, availability of proper nutrition and diet, peo-ple began to live longer and the death rate began todecline. This mismatch in birth and death rate result-ed in faster growth of the population in the last fewdecades. As on 2020, India has a registered birth rate

of 18.2 per 1,000 population and death rateof 7.3 per 1,000 population.

Poverty and illiteracy: These factorsalso contribute immensely to the popu-lation explosion. In particular, children inrural areas are considered a blessing andsupport for parents in their old age, whilein poorer families, more children meanmore wage earners. On the other hand, thelevel of girls’ education has a directimpact on fertility, as it is evidenced thatthe fertility rate of illiterate women tendsto be higher than that of those who are lit-erate. Lack of education prevents womenfrom having full knowledge about the useof contraceptives, of the consequences offrequent childbirth as well as of theirreproductive rights. On the other hand,educated women understand their rightsand choices of contraception, are oftenvocal against early marriage and choosenot to have many children. In India, female(39 per cent) illiteracy was almost twicethan male illiteracy in 2011.

Family planning and other socialfactors: Even after 69 years of the creationof the National Family PlanningProgramme, the pattern of family plan-ning has not changed much in the coun-try. The National Family Health Survey(2015-2016) revealed that the use of con-doms declined by 52 per cent over eightyears and vasectomies fell 73 per cent.Added to this, women still lack thepower to negotiate and choose if they arewilling to get pregnant or wish to give birthto a baby, whether it is a boy or a girl.Preference for male children by familiesis still prevalent in the overwhelming patri-archal society in the country. In thisprocess, a woman ends up being pregnantmultiple times and producing many chil-dren till a male child is born.

Total Fertility Rate: TFR is the aver-age number of children born to womenduring their reproductive years. For the

population to remain stable, an overallTFR of 2.1 is needed. Hence, a TFR of 2.1is known as the replacement rate. India haswitnessed a steady decline in its TFR,which touched 2.3 in 2016. However, thereis a huge variation across States and theincome level of people. Poorer States likeBihar (3.2), Uttar Pradesh (3.1), Jharkhand(2.7) and Rajasthan (2.7) still have TFRsabove 2.5, while the poorest household hasa TFR of 3.2 children per woman com-pared to 1.5 children per woman fromaffluent families. This shows that popu-lation growth is more concentrated in eco-nomically weaker sections of society andpoorer regions of the country.

High youth unemployment: Indiahas the highest youth population in theworld, i.e. around 28 per cent of the totalpopulation. This youth potential is oftenreferred to as the “demographic dividend”which means that if the youth available inthe country are equipped with quality edu-cation and skills training, then they willnot only get suitable employment but canalso contribute effectively towards the eco-nomic development of the country. Everyyear around 25 million people enter theworkforce, but only seven million are ableto secure jobs, resulting in huge unemploy-ment rates. Around 18 per cent of theyoung labour force is unemployed in thecountry today and around 33 per cent ofthe total youth are not in employment,education and training (NEET), which isthe highest in the world. This hugeunemployed and NEET category of youthare turning the demographic dividend intoa “demographic disaster” for India.

The way forward: Population growthconstantly acts as a hurdle in effectivelyaddressing the problem of poverty, hungerand malnutrition and in providing a bet-ter quality of health and education, withlimited resources. COVID-19 has accen-tuated these challenges and also raised

concerns on the timely attainment of theUN Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). It is, therefore, important tounderstand that in order to have a betterfuture for all on a healthy planet, attain-ment of the SDGs is critical.

Family planning is an effective tool toensure a stable rise in the population,which in turn is crucial for the achieve-ment of some of these SDGs. TheGovernment at all levels — Union, Stateand local, citizens, civil societies as well asbusinesses — must take the responsibili-ty to promote awareness and advocate thesexual and reproductive rights of womenand encourage the use of contraception.This would go a long way in ensuring thatevery child who is born would prove tobe an asset for the country, as all theresearch shows that investing in familyplanning and well-being measures havesignificant benefits over per Rupee spentvis-à-vis other investments.

Additionally, the key stakeholdersneed to be committed to well-researchedplanning and implementation on how toharness the population growth for themaximum economic benefit of the soci-ety and country. Providing adequate edu-cation and training to the young popula-tion would make them productive, effec-tive and competent, thereby makingthem key contributors to economicgrowth. The World Population Day, 2020,is an opportune time to discuss theseimportant issues and raise awarenessabout safeguarding sexual and reproduc-tive health needs and vulnerabilities ofwomen and girls during crises like thepandemic, so that corrective measures canbe taken to overcome these challengestowards the vision of New India and anAtma Nirbhar Bharat.

(Balwant is Research Director, Simi isCEO and Editorial Director and Kumar isDirector, IMPRI)

With the global population estimated to touch nine billion by 2050, the huge surge isidentified to be the causal factor of developmental concerns in several countries

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

EIA 2020 needsmore teeth

KOTA SRIRAJ

The draft notification should have brought intougher measures but it has notable weak points

that severely undermine its very purpose

BALWANTMEHTA

SIMIMEHTA

ARJUNKUMAR

ACCORDING TOTHE POPULATIONDIVISION OF THEUN DEPARTMENT

OF ECONOMICAND SOCIAL

AFFAIRS, INDIA ISEXPECTED TO

ADD NEARLY 273MILLION PEOPLE

IN THE NEXTTHREE DECADES

AND SURPASSCHINA’S

POPULATIONWITHIN THE NEXTSEVEN YEARS. IN

THIS CONTEXT,THE IMPORTANCE

OF SEXUAL ANDREPRODUCTIVE

HEALTH OFWOMEN AND

PLANNEDPARENTHOOD

UNDERSCORESSOME MAJOR

CONCERNS FORTHE COUNTRY

The new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Draft Notification,2020, that seeks to replace the 2016 version, could not have comeat a better time as both the environment and humans are in the

throes of suffering. The abuse of the environment by the human racehas led to nature striking back in the form of zoonotic diseases suchas COVID- 19. The writ of mankind has run large and in the processhas played havoc with the delicate balance between various ecologi-cal features of our planet. In India as well, in the name of economicdevelopment, ill-conceived projects from the environmental perspec-tive have continuously overreached into the realm of nature and com-promised the ecological well-being of our nation. This has been allowedto happen due to the absence of a robust EIA mechanism that focuss-es on a stringent appraisal of a project before its launch and which notonly assesses its environmental sensitivity but also measures the respon-sibility shown by the project designers towards the local/indigenouscommunities that stand to be impacted by it. India direly needs to haverigorous regulations which ensure that the “polluter pays” rule is appliedstrictly in letter and spirit. It also needs to be ensured that the environ-mental clearance (EC) certificate is not abused as a licence to pillagethe environment in the name of development. But all said and done,such an ideal EIA still remains a pipe dream in the country.

The EIA was started in India in 1977-78 for the evaluation of riverprojects. Since then it has come a long way but interestingly, even todaythere is a high number of instances where projects have caused immenseharm to the environment, humans and wildlife alike. How these pro-jects passed the EIA and obtained an EC is a pertinent question thatneeds urgent answers. The recent Oil India Limited (OIL) gas well blowoutat Baghjan in Assam’s Tinsukia district is an apt example of how theenvironment is getting adversely impacted in the absence of a robustEIA mechanism. The disaster has caused huge damage in the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park situated just 900 metres from the well and tothe Maguri-Motapung wetland as well, killing birds and endangered wildlife.Houses, farms, trees and water are covered with a film of oil right nextto the place where three rivers join to form the transboundary Brahmaputrariver. The whole area is experiencing repeated seismic tremors. Yet ithas been allowed to continue operations with impunity. That such bla-tant violation of environmental laws is being done by a public sectorundertaking is nothing short of a disgrace and a mockery of the con-cept of EIA. Yet another example is the LG Polymers Plant inVisakhapatnam from where the Styrene gas leak occurred on May 7,leading to disastrous consequences. It has since emerged that the plantwas operating without the requisite clearances for the last two decades.Sadly, there are many more such examples which raise the questionas to who is actually granting these projects permission to operate.

The EIA is essentially the bedrock of Indian environmental conser-vation and needs to be firmly anchored to the concept of “precaution-ary principle” or put simply, the creation of foresight to grasp the con-sequences of our actions on the environment and humanity. This “fore-sight” is sorely missing and needs to be urgently built into our EIA sys-tems so that the hidden cost of economic development is not painful-ly paid every time an environmentally insensitive project is cleared. Inconditions such as these, the EIA 2020 draft notification should havebrought in tougher measures to filter projects on the basis of the threatperception to the environment, but surprisingly it has notable weak pointsthat severely undermine the very purpose of EIA.

The draft notification allows for post facto clearance, which meansthat even if a project has come up without requisite approvals and envi-ronmental clearances, it can still continue to operate. This feature isquite unacceptable as it will create a rash of projects that will operatewithout critical clearances. Additionally, the draft makes a curious pro-vision that not only undermines the environment but is also directly detri-mental to the very fabric of our democracy as it neglects consultationwith local communities by limiting public consultation pertaining to theimpact of a proposed project. This amounts to silencing the opinion ofthe common man and therefore undermining his/her democratic rights.The draft has listed a series of projects which have been exempted frompublic interaction. These are area development projects, modernisa-tion or irrigation projects, highway projects and, of course, projects per-taining to defence and national security.

Although the last-mentioned projects are understandably out of theambit of public consultation due to security considerations, the rest ofthe projects mentioned on the list do not deserve to be exempted frompublic participation and debate. With loopholes such as these, the draftcannot build on the 2016 version and may even undermine some ofthe good work done under the earlier version of the EIA. The Governmentmust relook at some of the worrying features of the draft 2020 so thatthe future of Indian environment and humanity stand a chance againstthe onslaught of so-called economic development that is parallelly erod-ing the environment.

(The writer is an environmental journalist)

The recent border issues raised byNepal show structural deficien-cies in building trust and willing-

ness to keep relations with Indiahealthy. The self-centred politicisationof centuries-old peaceful ties exposesthe darker side of Nepalese PrimeMinister KP Oli. He has not onlyderailed the prospects of peace andcooperation between Nepal and India,but his hollow projection of national-ism, solely based on anti-Indiamanoeuvring, exhibits his short-sight-edness to serve vested interests in thepolitical and diplomatic space ofNepal. This includes his growingcloseness and frequent interactionswith China.

On the other hand, Nepal’s ruling

Communist Party (NCP) has intensi-fied its demand for Oli’s resignation forfailing to contain COVID-19, derail-ing the economy, endangering the rightto freedom, including that of thePress, and accusing India of conspir-ing against him politically. Amid allthis, Oli can be seen misusing hispower to influence the office of thePresident in unilaterally issuing ordi-nances to ease the process of splittinga party to protect his position as PrimeMinister in case his party splits.

Although the StandingCommittee of the NCP has lashed outat Oli for misusing his power andaccusing India, Oli has turned a deafear to such calls and is openly enter-taining Chinese assertiveness in thedomestic and foreign affairs of Nepal.If reports in the Nepalese media are tobe believed, it is Oli’s arrogance that hasdriven his pro-China campaign, at thecost of destroying friendly ties withIndia. While Oli’s new-found love forChina is a challenge to India, a pro-active and meddling Beijing is a big-ger concern for Nepal itself.

Even though China has penetrat-ed the Nepalese political space, Oli is

not paying heed since recent moves bythe Chinese Ambassador in Nepal areaimed to protect his interests.Ambassador Hou Yanqi has beenmeeting with the members of the NCPto keep Oli in office. Her direct meet-ings with the Prime Minister arecherry on the cake for China. However,Yanqi attracted criticism after sheheld a one-on-one meeting with thePresident of Nepal on June 5, a daybefore the Standing Committee of theNCP was to decide on Oli’s fate. Whilethe agenda of the meeting was notrevealed, it is clear that China wishesOli to continue as the Prime Minister.

On his part, Oli is hell-bent onbringing a Chinese-style one-party rulein Nepal. Members of the CommunistParty of China were invited to providetraining to the Central Committeemembers of the NCP before its secondconvention was to begin inKathmandu on February 15. At theconvention, NCP allegedly passed aresolution to amend the Constitutionto make Nepal a “People’s Democracy”from the existing “People’s multi-party Democracy.” In case, the NCPpushes to remove the word “multi-

party” from the Constitution, it willfurther lead the country towards a one-party rule.

This pro-China inclination may beconsidered an independent sovereignact of a country. But allowing Chineseintervention in the political affairs ofNepal is dangerous. While the high-handedness of Yanqi is not a hiddenfact, pumping of Chinese fundsthrough the Madan BhandariFoundation, named after a lateCommunist leader seen as a source ofOli’s political aspirations, needs to beseen.

It was Yanqi who had convincedOli and his administration to sign aextradition treaty during Xi Jinping’svisit to Nepal last October. While thetreaty was not signed due to internalopposition, Oli gifted a Treaty onMutual Legal Assistance in CriminalMatters on the lines of the extraditiontreaty to China. The treaty has not onlyjeopardised the fate of 13,000 Tibetansliving in Nepal but Kathmandu hasalso risked violating the pact with theUNHCR to protect the rights ofTibetan refugees.

The frequent meetings between

the Chinese officials and officers of theNepal Army give a clear understand-ing of the Chinese mindset in Nepalfor two reasons. One, the army hasalways been looked upon as the moststable institution in Nepal. No matterthe political party in power, a stablerelationship with the army will provebeneficiary for Chinese interests inNepal. Two, in the last three years, thesecurity cooperation between Chinaand Nepal has moved from minimalto an advanced level. To promote tiesin the security sector, China andNepal have continued to strengthencooperation through the exchange ofvisits of security personnel, joint exer-cises and training, disaster preventionand reduction, personnel trainingand supply of arms and ammunitionto the Nepalese army.

Also, the Chinese business com-munity in Nepal has been defyingdomestic laws of the host country, butlocal political support has kept it safe.Thamel, a tourist spot in the heart ofKathmandu known for lavish restau-rants and hostels, has a complete areaallegedly owned by the Chinese. Theyare known to lease properties from

Nepali owners on a maximum bid andrun these hotels and restaurants withall-Chinese staff, who allegedly visitNepal on tourist visas. Similar cases offraud have come into the publicsphere where Chinese-run hotels inNepal accept payments through theChina-owned WeChat app. Meaning,the Chinese tourists do not make cashtransactions in local currency or onlocal online payment platforms.Therefore, revenue contribution by theChinese tourists has negative implica-tions for the Nepalese tourism indus-try.

In December 2019, 122 Chinesenationals were arrested by the NepalPolice for their involvement in cyber-crimes and bank frauds. Later, thesecriminals were deported at the requestof the Chinese Government and toprovide an explanation to the media,the police claimed that it had failed toframe charges against them. China isknown to have little respect for the lawsof other countries but local supportfrom the Prime Minister’s office isindeed a sell-off. It is believed that Olihad personally attempted to avoidembarrassing China by deporting

these criminals. In February, the edi-tor of a leading English daily in Nepalwas also forced to resign after thenewspaper ran an op-ed on theCoronavirus and questioned theChinese Government’s intentions inhiding its spread.

For years, leaders in Nepal havepropagated a neutral position betweenIndia and China, knowing the impor-tance of both the neighbours in trade,transit and security. They have alsounderstood the geographical compul-sions of a landlocked Nepal, but withhis hollow acts of ultra-nationalism,Oli has merely served his personalaspirations.

In reality, a Chinese-style politicalsystem in Nepal will be a curse onNepal’s long fight for democracy,where thousands had sacrificed theirlives. Nepal has examples of Chinesedebt-traps in Sri Lanka and Africa andbrain-washing in Pakistan. Therefore,it is time for the people to question theGovernment, especially Oli, for turn-ing a blind eye to Chinese high-hand-edness.

(The writer is ICSSR DoctoralFellow at the CSAS, JNU)

RISHI GUPTA

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | JULY 11, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com

It is time for the people to question the Government, especially KP Oli, for turning a blind eye to Chinese high-handedness

China the emerging ring master of Nepal?

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | JULY 11, 2020 money 08

CAPSULE

Sensex sheds 143 pts on weak global cuesMUMBAI: Equity benchmarkSensex dropped 143 points onFriday, dragged by losses infinancial stocks and negativecues from Asian peers. The30-share index ended 143.36points, or 0.39 per cent, lowerat 36,594.33. The NSE Niftyshed 45.40 points, or 0.42 percent, to close at 10,768.05.Axis Bank was the top loser inthe Sensex pack, skiddingover 3 per cent, followed byIndusInd Bank, Titan, HDFC,ICICI Bank, ONGC and HDFCBank. On the other hand,Reliance Industries, SunPharma, HUL, Bharti Airtel andTCS were among the gainers.According to traders, domesticbenchmarks followed thenegative trend in other Asianequities as concerns over afresh spike in COVID-19 casesand its impact on economicrecovery weighed on investorsentiment.

Torrent Power seeksshareholders' nodto raise Rs 2,000 cr New Delhi: Torrent power willseek shareholders' approvalnext month for raising up toRs 2,000 crore throughissuance of NCDs. The specialresolution for issuance of nonconvertible debentures (NCDs)by way of offer or invitation,up to an aggregate Rs 2,000crore, on a private placement,is listed on the agenda of theannual general meetingscheduled for August 6,according to a regulatoryfiling. It said the approval ofmembers is sought for raisingthe amount within the overallapproved borrowing limit ofthe company. The funds areproposed to be raised fromqualified institutional buyers orbanks other than scheduledcommercial banks,companies, bodies corporate,Foreign Portfolio Investors orvarious funds (like pension,gratuity etc.)

Tata Motors reportsdecline in groupglobal wholesalesMUMBAI: Tata Motors onFriday reported a 64 per centdecline in group globalwholesales, including that ofJaguar Land Rover (JLR) to91,594 in June quarter of thecurrent financial year overyear-ago. Global wholesales ofall Tata Motors' commercialvehicles and Tata Daewoorange in Q1FY21 were at11,598 units, lower by 89 percent over Q1FY20, TataMotors said in a regulatoryfiling. Global wholesales of allpassenger vehicles in Junequarter of the current fiscaldropped 49 per cent to 79,996units over the same quarter ofthe previous fiscal, it said.Global sales of JLR stood at65,425 vehicles in the Junequarter, it said adding thatJaguar wholesale units duringthe period were 17,971vehicles, while Land Roverwholesales for the quarterwere 47,454 vehicles.

PNS n NEW DELHI

T-Hub, an initiative by theTelangana government for star-tups, on Friday said it hasjoined hands with the Ministryof Electronics and InformationTechnology (MeitY) andDigital India for helping hard-ware and IoT startups acrossthe country.

T-Hub will lead DigitalIndia's Scale Up program forhardware and Internet ofThings (IoT) startups acrossIndia, a statement said.

The aim is to help providescale up opportunities to thestartups and make them readyin terms of product, investmentand new market access, itadded.

About 10-15 startups withleading-edge solutions inmobility, energy, agriculture,aerospace, manufacturing,

consumer, healthtech,medtech, smart cities andlogistics and supply chain sec-tors will be shortlisted.

The call for application forthe program will commence inJuly 2020, and startups will beshortlisted after an extensivescreening process, it added.

"India has already devel-oped a reputation for its exper-tise in the software technolo-gy space. We are beginning to

see startups emerging in thehardware space that are solv-ing important problems.

"Schemes such as FAME IIand Manufacturing-Hub plansby the Indian government hasalready laid a strong founda-tion," Ravi Narayan, CEO of T-Hub and chief innovation offi-cer of the state of Telangana,said.

He added to further fuel thegrowth of hardware and IoT

startups in India, T-Hub haspartnered with MeitY to takethe ecosystem to the next levelso that innovative startups canscale-up strategically.

"T-Hub brings its maturedacceleration programme withaccess to customers, investorsand specialised mentors," hesaid. The batch of startupswill go through regular inter-ventions through bootcampsand dedicated mentoringorganised by T-Hub.

During the program, star-tups will get exposure todesign/enhance their hard-ware, the statement said.

In addition, they will receivementorship in areas such aspricing, go-to-market strategiesand fund raising, amongst oth-ers. As part of the program, theshortlisted startups will alsoreceive equity-free grants, itadded.

T-Hub partners with MeitY, DigitalIndia for helping hardware startups PNS n LONDON

Britain and India will be the"energetic champions" of freetrade to boost small business-es, UK Foreign SecretaryDominic Raab said on Fridayas he pitched the two nationsas leaders in tackling chal-lenges posed by the coron-avirus pandemic.

Addressing the Annual UK-India Day during India GlobalWeek 2020 on Friday, thesenior Cabinet ministeracknowledged India's help atthe height of the coronaviruspandemic with “vital suppliesof paracetamol”.

“Britain and India will beenergetic champions of freetrade, to boost small busi-nesses, to cut the cost of livingfor consumers and to create thejobs of the future,” said Raab,addressing the event held vir-tually given the coronaviruslockdown. “As leaders in the

international COVID-19response, the UK and Indiaalso co-authored the G20Action Plan, providing animmediate package of USD200 billion of global support tothe most vulnerable countriesaround the world.

"A vaccine created byBritish scientists and manu-factured in India, if success-ful in clinical trials, willreach one billion peopleacross the developing world,

thanks to Oxford Universityand India's Serum Institute,”he said.

The UK has committed313 mil l ion pounds toresearch and developmentto support the developmentof a possible vaccine toCOVID-19, and British phar-ma giant AstraZeneca isleading the developmentwork with Oxford Universityand the Serum Institute ofIndia.

UK, India ‘energetic champions'of free trade: Dominic Raab

Dominic Raab

Britain andIndia will beenergeticchampions offree trade, toboost smallbusinesses,said UK ForeignSecretary

PNS n ISLAMABAD

The US has imposed a ban onPakistan International Airlinesflights for at least six months,citing dubious pilots' licenses,according to a media report onFriday.

On Tuesday, the EuropeanUnion Aviation Safety Agency(EASA) ordered its 32 memberstates to bar Pakistani pilotsfrom working, followingreports of fake licenses beingissued to them.

The decision has been takenafter 262 Pakistani pilots weregrounded, whose licences theAviation Minister Ghulam

Sarwar Khan had termed“dubious” in the NationalAssembly.

The Express Tribune report-ed quoting sources that the US

authorities have notified thenational carrier of the banthrough an email. They addedthat the special flight licencesobtained by the PIA had also

been revoked.The US officials said that the

ban had been imposed becauseof the recent issue of suspect-ed pilots' licences in PIA.

PIA was allowed to operate12 direct special flights to theUnited States of which the air-

line had operated seven flights.The paper reported that the

permission for the remainingfive flights had now beenrevoked, according to thesources.

Pakistan has already sus-pended licenses of 34 more PIApilots after the national flagcarrier terminated the servicesof 52 employees on variouscharges, including fake degrees.

The dubious license issueemerged after the preliminaryprobe report of the Karachiplane crash blamed the pilotsand the air traffic control forthe tragedy that killed 97 peo-ple.

US bans PIA ops over dubious licences issue

PNS n MUMBAI

The COVID-19 pandemic islikely to have a positive impacton the cash flow from opera-tions (CFO) of state procure-ment agencies (SPAs) in thecurrent financial year, due tohigher offtake by the FoodCorporation of India, accord-ing to a report by India Ratingsand Research.

The higher offtake by FCI isin response to various welfareschemes announced by thegovernment that resulted inthe liquidation of SPAs' unsoldinventory and debtors, the rat-ing agency said in the reportreleased on Friday.

In view of the COVID-19pandemic and the resultantlockdown, the government hasannounced various welfareschemes to alleviate the stressfaced by the poor, it said.

Under the PM Garib KalyanAnn Yojana, free distribution

of 5 kg of foodgrains and 1 kgof pulses per person per monthfor the next three months wasannounced in March 2020 forthe 80 crore beneficiaries cov-ered under the National FoodSecurity Act, it added. Thisscheme has now been extend-ed up to November-end.

As all such welfare schemesare being routed throughFCI, Ind-Ra said, the same

would free up the storagespace available with FCI,thereby making them readyto accept fresh produce com-ing in from various SPAs, itsaid.

Ind-Ra expects that thiswould reduce the inventoryholding and consequentdebtors at SPAs and accord-ingly facilitate the liquiditythrough CFO generation.s

PNS n REWA

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Friday said India hasemerged as the most attractiveglobal market for clean energyand maintained self-reliance inelectricity is a key componentof the Centre's 'AatmanirbharBharat' campaign.

Launching a 750 MW solarproject in Rewa in MadhyaPradesh through video-confer-encing, Modi also said thestate will emerge as a majorhub for clean and cheap powerin the country.

"Solar energy is sure, pureand secure and the country isnow among the top five solarpower producers in the world,"he said.

The Rewa solar power plant

will not only supply power toMadhya Pradesh, but also tothe Delhi Metro, Modi said.

Rewa Ultra Mega Solar(RUMS) project is Asia's largestsuch power facility and DelhiMetro will be one of its insti-tutional customers outside thestate.

Modi said self-reliance inelectricity is integral for

'Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant)Bharat', adding solar energywill play an integral part inachieving this objective.

The world is in a dilemmaon whether to focus on theenvironment or on the econo-my, Modi said.

However, India has shown tothe world that the environmentand economy are not at odds,

but are complementary to eachother, the PM said.

The country has successful-ly demonstrated this in imple-menting programmes likeSwachh Bharat, LPG connec-tions to the poor (underUjjwala scheme), CNG andelectricity-based transporta-tion, among others, he said.

He said solar energy is sure,pure, and secure and will be amajor source of power in the21st century.

"It is sure because the sunwould shine throughout theworld; it is pure because solarenergy rather than pollutingthe environment, helps replen-ish it; it is very secure as it isa symbol of self-dependenceand fulfils energy require-ments," he said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Leading stock exchange NSE onFriday said it will accept goldbars produced by the domesticrefiners for settlement of thegold futures contracts traded onits platform.

For this, the exchangelaunched NSE RefinerStandards (NRS) for BIS -Standard Gold- which will beeffective from Friday, July 10.

"The NSE Refiner Standardsfor BIS – Standard Gold wouldenable the acceptance of gold

bars produced by the domesticrefiners in India, for settlementof the gold futures contractstraded on the NSE platform,"the exchange said in a state-ment.

Until Thursday, NSE accept-ed serially numbered gold barsproduced by London Bullion

Market Association (LBMA)approved refiners for settlementof the gold contracts traded onthe commodity derivatives seg-ment of the exchange.

The introduction of NRSfor BIS – Standard Gold- willfacilitate greater participationfrom the domestic market play-ers in the exchange tradeddeliverable bullion commodityderivatives by widening thescope of acceptable bullioncommodity for delivery on theplatform, the National StockExchange (NSE) said.

NSE to accept gold barsproduced locally

Maha Hotelsassetsdeclared fraudPNS n NEW DELHI

Public sector Punjab & SindBank on Friday said it hasdeclared NPA account MahaAssociated Hotels, with out-standing dues of Rs 71.18crore, as fraud and reportedthe matter to the RBI.

Further, the lender said itis in the process of filingcomplaint/FIR with CentralBureau of Investigation(CBI).

Pursuant to the applicableprovisions of Sebi regula-tions and the materialitypolicy of the bank, "it isinformed that an NPAaccount Maha AssociatedHotels Pvt Ltd with out-standing dues of Rs 71.18crore having provisioning ofRs 44.40 crore has beendeclared as fraud andreported to RBI as per reg-ulatory requirement", thebank said in an exchange fil-ing.

Engineering firms' Q1revenue to take a hit PNS n MUMBAI

The COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown and subse-quent shortage of labourersduring the first quarter of thefiscal is likely to push manyengineering firms into lossesas revenue has been impacteddue to execution challenges,Emkay Global FinancialServices said in a report.

According to the agency,engineering companies havinga diversified profile and whichhave been able to continuewith the execution, though atmoderate levels, are likely to bebetter placed, but would see adecline in their profit after taxas compared to Q1 FY2020.

"First quarter of this fiscalmay turn out to be a forget-table quarter for engineeringand capital goods sector as thelockdown has severely impact-ed execution for over twomonths for several companiesin the sector," it said.

While factories and con-struction work resumed inseveral states mid-Aprilonwards, lower demand andworkforce challenges led to lit-tle execution. The agency fur-ther said that few of the com-panies under its coverage areexpected to see a lower impacton revenue as parts of theirbusiness were active, whichhelped moderate the overallrevenue decline.

Unichem Labsgets nod forspasticityrelief tabletsPNS n NEW DELHI

Drug firm UnichemLaboratories on Friday said ithas received approval fromthe US health regulator tomarket its Baclofen tabletsindicated for alleviation ofspasticity resulting from mul-tiple sclerosis.

The company has receivedabbreviated new drug appli-cation (ANDA) approval tomarket its Baclofen tabletsUSP 10 mg, 20 mg from theUnited States Food and DrugAdministration (USFDA),Unichem Laboratories said ina BSE filing.

The product is a genericversion of NovartisPharmaceuticals Corp'sLioresal tablets in the samestrengths, it added.

The tablets will be com-mercialised from the compa-ny's Ghaziabad plant,Unichem Laboratories said.

Baclofen tablets are indi-cated for the alleviation ofsigns and symptoms of spas-ticity resulting from multiplesclerosis, particularly for therelief of flexor spasms andconcomitant pain, clonus,and muscular rigidity, itadded.

PNS n MUMBAI

Top five private sector banksmay see their slippages doubleto 5 per cent this fiscal due to thepoor loan offtake and the mora-torium-driven contraction innet interest margins, warns areport. These five banks--HDFCBank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank,Kotak Mahindra Bank,IndusInd Bank and Yes Bank--collectively control a quarter ofthe system and three-fourths ofthe private banking space,according to a report by IndiaRatings on Friday.

"We forecast FY21 slippagesto nearly double to around 5per cent for these banks from2.3 per cent in FY19 and 2.7per cent in FY20, even thoughnet slippages would be lower ifrefinancing remains a chal-lenge, resulting in a 4 per cent

contraction in their net inter-est margin," says the report.

As loan demand remainstepid, banks are parking theirexcess liquidity in low yieldingalternatives such as govern-ment bonds and top-rated cor-porate securities due to their

higher credit risk perception andwidening duration spreads, evenas deposit inflows have beenrobust.

On the other hand, growth indeposits for these top five pri-vate banks in FY20 was 18.8 percent which was 18.5 per cent inFY19, while loan growthdeclined to 15 per cent from19.1 per cent during this peri-od. Additionally, the ReserveBank has injected Rs 1.7 lakhcrore of liquidity into the systemover the last six months throughopen market operations andsecondary market purchases.

PNS n NEW DELHI

German luxury carmakerMercedes-Benz on Fridayreported a 55 per cent declinein sales in the first half of theyear at 2,948 units in Indiaamid COVID-19 related chal-lenges.

The company had sold 6,561units in the January-June peri-od last year.

Mercedes-Benz India said itwitnessed positive momen-

tum in June 2020 sales, whichshowed first signs of a gradualrecovery buoyed by a rejuve-nated SUV portfolio thataccounted for 57 per cent of

total sales in the month.Commenting on the perfor-

mance, Mercedes-Benz IndiaManaging Director and CEOMartin Schwenk said, "We areglad to witness a slow move-ment from previous monthsand we expect this trend togather momentum."

He further said, “Run-out ofsome of the key BS-IV volumemodels and also COVID-19related restrictions lead tosales challenges in H1."

Top 5 pvt banks stare at NPAs doubling to 5% in FY21Mercedes-Benz India H1 salesdown 55 pc at 2,948 units

Decision has beentaken after 262Pak pilots weregrounded, whoselicences weretermed as“dubious”

‘Higher offtake by FCI can boostprocurement agencies liquidity'

PM bats for solar energy, says it's ‘sure, pure and secure'

Rupee skids 21 paise to endat 75.20 against US dollarPNS n MUMBAI

The Indian rupee weakened by21 paise to close at 75.20against the US dollar on Friday,tracking lower equities asinvestors seemed moving awayfrom riskier assets amid wor-ries over mounting COVID-19

cases. Further, the strongerUS dollar against key rival cur-rencies also put pressure on thedomestic unit.

The dollar index, whichmeasures the American cur-rency's strength against a bas-ket of major currencies, was at96.7910, up 0.09 per cent.

At the interbank foreignexchange market, the rupeeopened weaker at 75.16 a dol-lar against the previous day'sclose of 74.99. During the ses-sion, it swung between a highof 75.12 and low of 75.33before settling at 75.20, show-ing a loss of 21 paise.

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Follow us on@TheDailyPioneerfacebook.com/dailypioneer

SaturdayJuly 11, 2020

SHIKHA DUGGAL

The preparation and con-

sumption of Mithai is an age-

old tradition in India. A busi-

ness of savouries is always

filled with immense taste and

flavour. Poornima Mittal is

one self-made entrepreneur

who defied all odds to fulfil

her aspirations and make a

mark for herself in the city.

She is the founder of

Mirchi.com, a marketplace

exclusive for sweets and

snacks, empowers sellers,

both big and small, to directly

showcase their unique prod-

ucts under one roof.But her life was not a bed of

roses, it had always been a

challenge from the very start.

She moved back to Hyderabad

from the U.S (where she was

staying) and was managing

her team here in India. In

addition to that, working late

nights along with being a

mommy, began to get the bet-

ter of her. Apart from all of

this, she had no experience

with e-commerce, packaging,

or shipping. But a simple yet

ambitious woman found

solace in her small venture

and the brightening idea

behind it.“Women are full of spirited

energies, and I am using my

privilege to help other women

out there who dream of

becoming a change-maker but

can’t move forward due to

financial constraints or family

restrictions. We all must fol-

low the motto” ‘Each for

equal’ to awaken the spirit of

sisterhood,” opines Poornima.

At Mirchi.com, she attempts to

bring the products of these

talented individuals for all to

enjoy. “When I first ventured into

this business, I was eager to

learn and network with fellow

homemakers. I researched a

lot about my idea and figured

what holds a woman back to

follow her dreams and so

decided to create a new

ecosystem for them. We are a

team of 10 individuals now,

who work collectively. At

times it does get extremely

difficult for me to manage

both office and household

chores but I eventually learnt

to conquer these challenges,”

tells the founder. Aimed at helping women

during their entrepreneurial

journey, the initiative hopes to

bring up-scaled ventures for

them where they can also dis-

tribute India’s best sweets and

savouries. Speaking about the

impact of COVID-19 on her

business she tells us that it has

reduced their business’s pro-

duction capacity. “The busi-

ness is now slowly gaining

momentum amidst unlock 2.0

but the economic crisis spread

has affected the power of pur-

chasing as we,” she informs.

Having little expectations

from the upcoming festivals

now, Mirchi.com is imple-

menting new services such as

a gifting section. Talking

about her marketing strategy,

she says, “We segregate a list

of our clients and understand

their choice of product mix

they would like to have. We

have a high brand recall, we

are always at par with our

competitors.”

Keeping the spotlight on an

inclusive environment for sell-

ers, Mirchi.com seems to

be an impressive start-up

ensuring women entrepre-

neurs have equal access to the

investment business. To keep

her going, apart from this,

Poornima Mittal practices

aerobics at home to continue

to focus on her life.

Dared to make her dream a reality

When I first ventured into

this business, I was eager to

learn and network with fellow

homemakers. I researched a lot about

my idea and figured what holds a

woman back to follow her dreams and

so decided to create a new ecosystem

for them. We are a team of 10

individuals now, who work collectively.

At times it does get extremely difficult

for me to manage both office and

household chores but I eventually learnt

to conquer these challenges.— POORNIMA

AN YOU SHARE

YOUR ASSOCIA-

TION WITHHYDERABAD?

I have been associat-

ed with Hyderabad for a few

decades. Earlier I came here as

a visitor for work as my previ-

ous company had its opera-

tions here. I moved to

Hyderabad in 2008, when I

joined Karvy Group. Ever since

then, I have grown to love this

city, and have now decided to

make this my base for the

future. I am quite well

entrenched in the city over

these 12 years. I slowly made a

place for myself while being

welcomed with open arms in

the investor and mentoring

space with the start-up ecosys-

tem, where I now play a crucial

role. Besides running my own

consulting company Upsurge

Enterprise Solutions as their

Founder and CEO, I am also

the co-founder andpartner with IIIT

Seed Fund, aboard member

and a chartermember ofTiEHyderabad,

and a pastboard

memberwithHyderabadAngels.One signif-icant aspectthat con-nects me to

this city ismy father - aretired army

officer

who started his career in

Hyderabad in the late sixties.

The DNA of the city resonates

with me, because some of my

closest friends, who are like

second family, live here.

HOW HAS THE CITY

BEEN TREATING YOU?

The city has been very kind

and loving in my journey so

far. While I moved to

Hyderabad in 2008 from

Mumbai, my family joined me

here in 2012. We had overcome

some very trying conditions.

The city quickly allowed us to

get settled and be part of vari-

ous initiatives. Everyone has

mostly been particularly warm

and accommodating to us,

helping us adjust and settle

well. I started with phase 2 of

my life, when I moved my fam-

ily here, post losing my first

wife after a long battle with

cancer. I got remarried and

Hyderabad became the city we

chose to start our new life. It

has been a wonderful journey

so far and I am sure there is

more to discover, going for-

ward.

WHAT KIND OF

THOUGHTS YOU HAD

ABOUT HYDERABAD

BEFORE MOVING HERE

AND HOW DO YOU FIND

IT NOW? WERE YOUR

APPREHENSIONS RIGHT?

I had visited Hyderabad

many times before I actually

moved here so I was very well

aware of the city, however,

shifting base from Mumbai to

Hyderabad was not an easy

decision to make. There were

several apprehensions about

the opportunities and pace

this city could offer to a pro-

fessional like me. We were

also a bit apprehensiveabout how the

family wouldadjust to thepace andmake new circlesin a place wherewe didn’t under-stand the lan-guage and cul-ture very well. Iwas also told bymany of myfriends andfamily that Imight be mak-ing a hastydecision as Imight experi-

ence a slower life and more

importantly slower career

movement here. Nevertheless, I

decided to move here and I

must say, it has been one of the

best decisions I took, as the city

proved most of these apprehen-

sions wrong. I would like to

point out that I have found the

local government to be very

forthright and welcoming of

people like me, who have con-

tributed in my small way to the

growth of the city. This, I have

found unique as compared to

other cities I have lived in or

heard about. Hyderabad pro-

motes holistic growth. We love

not only the pace of the city but

also have most certainly

enjoyed the social scene. When

we meet folks socially now, we

feel totally at home. The cultur-

al fitment does continue to be

an area we are working on, we

don’t speak the local language.

At some places that do play a

role but overall life in the past

12 years in Hyderabad has been

pretty good.

ONE THING THAT COMES

TO YOUR MIND WHEN

YOU THINK OF

HYDERABAD AND WHY?

The one thing that comes to

my mind when I think of

Hyderabad is the uniqueness it

has held since time immemori-

al, as a place attracting and

absorbing people from all over,

the country so beautifully as

one of its own. This started dur-

ing the time of the Nizams and

has continued to this day.

Hyderabad is such a melting

pot of different people, cultures,

cuisines, languages, and work

ethics, that it makes life superb

living here. The primary reason

for the tremendous growth of

the city especially in the

Pharma and IT sector is due to

this very nature of the city. The

other thing about Hyderabad

which is unique is the intersec-

tion of small city culture and

big-city opportunities in terms

of growth and being a global

force to reckon with.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE AND

DISLIKE THE MOST

ABOUT HYDERABAD?

I love the culture and people

of the city and thoroughly

enjoy them. I also love that

the city is so accommodat-

ing to all cultures and peo-

ple and uniquely, it creates

a global perception of its

cuisines, cultures, cultural

engagements, and social inter-

actions. I also love the geo-

graphic location of the city

because in my view it is the

best place for a professional

like me to be based. Hyderabad

allows us to be placed right in

the center of the country and

the world making it so easily

accessible and easy to travel to

and from where required. With

the technology advancements

and the new normal of every-

thing being virtual, Hyderabad

has the distinct advantage of

being a city focussed on tech-

nology tools, making life so

much simpler. What I think

the city can do better on, are

some areas around the infra-

structure. With the rapid

growth that Hyderabad is see-

ing, some challenges are being

faced. We need to make sure

that while the city grows, we

don't lose our vision and con-

tinue to develop everything

else around this growth. We

also need to ensure that we

keep the balance between

growth and a serene environ-

ment, which we have is main-

tained so far as we grow, other-

wise, we could potentially lose

the reason why Hyderabad

occupies such a unique space.

WHAT IS IT THAT YOUR

RELATIVES OR FRIENDS

WHO VISIT YOU HERE

LIKE TO TAKE BACK

AND WHERE DO THEY

WANT TO VISIT WHEN

THEY COME TO

HYDERABAD?

The most striking thing that

stands out to most visitors is

the way the city has grown and

created a place for itself as one

of the best cities to live in the

world and still retained the

small city culture where people

are still very warm, know each

other well and are so socially

connected. In addition to

this, the entire cultural

heritage and richness besides

variety and depth of cuisines

are things that people take

back as memories after their

visit to Hyderabad. The rich

heritage the city enjoys also

serves as a major attraction

with the monuments preserv-

ing the culture and grain of

Hyderabad from Nizam’s time

to modern-day.

WHAT IS HYDERABAD TO

YOU?

HOME where the Heart, Body,

Mind, and Spirit lives and

enjoys living.

CMost of us are familiar with TEDx, a

global platform usually known for a

free, lively, and conversational series,

but do you know who organises it

here in our city? The metropolitan

city's own TEDx Hyderabad is

governed by Viiveck Verma, who was

born in a beautiful town of Gondia,

Maharashtra. His ideas have always

reflected compassion and wisdom in

whatever work he does. Just like the

Ted talk that gave the world,

scientists, artists, leaders, etc., we

have Viiveck Verma who is a strategic

thinker, well-experienced with top-

level corporates, founder of Upsurge

Enterprise Solutions, co-founder of

IIT Seed Fund, curator-cum-licensee

for TEDx and an ex-director for

Hyderabad Angels. Apart from this,

he was also formerly associated with

the Rotary Club of Miyapur as the

president. To foster a rich

understanding of his moving

Maharashtra to Hyderabad Viiveck

about his journey to Shikha Duggal

‘Hyderabad promotes

HOLISTIC GROWTH'

10

Hyderabad Saturday July 11 2020 what’s brewing?

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

Vivek Anand Oberoito play mysteriouscharacter in his next

ctor VivekAnand Oberoihas been ropedin to play apivotal role in Iti: Can

You Solve Your OwnMurder?

“I’m playing a characternamed Prabhu Singh,who is one of the mostpivotal characters in thefilm. It’s a role that I’venever played before. This film is a mysterythriller, so let’s leave restof my character also tosome mystery,” saidVivek.

The actor is also pre-senting and producingthe whodunit thriller bywriter-director Vishal

Mishra.“When Vishal narrated

the story to me and tookme through the plot-lineand the story arch, I justinstinctively knew that Ihad to produce it. I’vealways wanted to backhigh concept ideas andVishal had just the perfectconcept for me,” saidVivek.

Vishal said that castingVivek in Iti: Can YouSolve Your Own Murder?was a no-brainer and theactor had been his firstchoice.

“Vivek Oberoi is anactor par excellence andhas proved the samethroughout his careerthrough his acclaimed

performances in Saathiya, Company,Shootout at Lokhandwalaand more. I needed anexceptional actor forPrabhu Singh because heis the most pivotal char-acter in the film. Also,Vivek has never done arole like this before, so itwould be very refreshingto see him in this charac-ter onscreen,” said thedirector.

Actress Sushmita Sen’s brother Rajeev Sen will make hisBollywood debut with Iti: Can You Solve YourOwn Murder?

The movie is expectedto go on floors bySeptember-October 2020.

Bollywood celebs to revealsecrets on new show

A

ilmmakerMira Nairwill beadapting the2020Pulitzer

Prize finalist New YorkTimes story and pod-cast The Jungle Princeof Delhi as a dramaseries.

Written by EllenBarry, the story delvesinto the history of theroyal family of Oudh,who lived in a ruinedpalace in Delhi andclaimed to be the heir to

the fallen kingdom.Nair is attached to

direct the project andwill also executive pro-duce. Amazon Studioshas secured the rights todevelop the dramaseries. The Jungle Princeof Delhi will narrate apersonal story of a dis-placed family, setagainst the backdrop ofthe Partition of India.

“Barry’s beautifullywritten tale of the Oudhfamily revealed deepertruths rooted in the vio-lence and trauma of the

partition of India,” saidCaitlin Roper, head ofscripted entertainmentat The New York Times.

Nair has received aBAFTA, AcademyAward, and GoldenGlobe nomination forher work previously.She is known forSalaam Bombay!,Mississippi Masala,Monsoon Wedding,Vanity Faira, TheNamesake, TheReluctantFundamentalist and TheQueen of Katwe.

Mira Nair to direct

JunglePrince of

Delhi series

F

ollywood celebritieslike Kareena KapoorKhan, Sara AliKhan, AnanyaPanday, TaapseePannu and

Jacqueline Fernandez willreveal interesting bits of theirlives in a new interactive quizshow titled Super Fan.

“I think all of us celebritiesare known by our fans, and Istrongly believe that. I havealways said that I am what Iam because of my fans. I am

so happy that I have beenable to connect with all myfans and it has been greatthat I got this opportunity toget to know each other bet-ter, through this show. I hopemany people are able to getthe answers to all my ques-tions right, and I also hopethat there is not just one, butmany Super Fans of Bebo,”said Kareena.

The Flipkart Video showalso presents an opportunityfor select fans to win a

chance to personally connectwith their Bollywood idols.

Ananya hopes her fanshave fun finding out moreabout her because “I havethoroughly enjoyed thisexperience. I want to thankthem for all the love andaffection I have received. Tome they are all my SuperFans and I love them.Sending a big virtual hug toall my fans out there”.

B

11

Hyderabad Saturday July 11 2020tollywood

an-India starPrabhas’ next withJil fame RadhaKrishna Kumar hasbeen titled RadheShyam. On Friday,

the title was unveiled with afairy-tale-like first look wher-ein the lead pair of Prabhasand Pooja Hegde is seen in anembrace as a sea storm formsaround them in a fiery land-scape. The love-up dance poseagainst a dramatic backdropof Italy’s landmark historicalmonuments like the Coloss-eum and the Roman Forumsent Prabhas’ fans into tizzy.Within minutes of the bigreveal, the hashtag #Prabhas-20FirstLook took a top spot onTwitter trends nation-wide.

“This is for you, my fans!Hope you like it,” Prabhaswrote in an Instagram postwhile Pooja Hegde labeledRadhe Shyam as “Our beauti-ful film has a beautiful name...here’s our much awaited firstlook.”

In a press release, the mak-ers revealed that 70 per cent ofthe shoot has already beenwrapped up and the newschedule will kick-start oncethe COVID-19 crisis ends.

A romantic drama set in

Europe, the film, set to releasenext year, is being shot inTelugu and Hindi simultane-ously, while it will be dubbedinto Tamil and Malayalam.The film will also mark veter-an actor and Prabhas’ uncleUV Krishnam Raju’s daughterPraseeda making her debut asa producer. She is jointly pro-ducing it along with UVCreations Vamsi and Pramod.She is representing her dad’sbanner Gopi Krishna Movies,the production house of whichis presenting the film.

Besides the alreadyannounced names ofBhagyashree, Priyadarshi,Sachin Khedekar, MurliSharma, Kunal Roy Kapur,Sathyan (Tamil) and SashaChettri, the fresh nameswhich made it to the support-ing category list includesBeena Benarji and RiddhiKumar. The music director’sname though hasn't beenannounced. Meanwhile,Prabhas, Anushka Shetty andRana Dagubbati took a tripdown memory lane to cele-brate the five year anniversaryof S S Rajamouli’s Baahubali,which changed the landscapeof Indian cinema with its suc-cess.

RADHESHYAM

IT IS!

P

According to a source close to theproduction house,

the project would'vegone in front of the

cameras by now ifnot for COVID- 19

outbreak, findsNAGARAJ GOUD

he director-actorduo of MohanaKrishnaIndraganti andNaga Chaitanyais set to team-up

— more than three yearsafter they first thought ofjoining forces. Pooling inresources for the projectare Sahu Garapati andHarish Peddi under theirShine Screens. Accordingto a source close to the pro-

duction house, the projectwould’ve gone in front ofthe cameras by now if notfor COVID- 19 outbreak.

The source chips in,“Indraganti committed todo a film for Shine Screenslong back. He proposed thename of Naga Chaitanya forthe project. With the pro-duction house alreadyenjoying a great relationshipwith the actor, having pro-duced his super hit Majili

last year, the project was setin motion immediately. Thefact that Chay is also anadmirer of Indraganti'sbody of work was anotherreason. The untitled filmwill be a mature love storywhich traces the journey ofcouple post marriage. LikeIndraganti’s earlier films, itwill be set in a believablespace.”

The source further adds,“The initial idea was to

begin this film straightafter Indraganti complet-ed V and Chay wrappedup Love Story but dueto coronavirus, the planhad to be aborted. As ofnow, it’s kept on hold. Itwill happen in the futurethough. Yes, Chay iscommitted to do a filmwith Vikram Kumar upnext, but he’d also be hon-ouring his word to ShineScreens.”

T

Shine Screens to bringtogether the combination of CHAY-INDRAGANTI

Aadi Saikumar signs aninvestigative crime-thriller

adi Saikumar,who is reelingunder continu-ous flops, hassigned a pan-India movie,

which will be followed upby sequels. To launchdebutant S Balaveer as adirector, the film is aninvestigative crime thriller

incorporated with fantasyelements. SVR is produc-ing the film, which will behigh on VFX. Aadi willplay a role which has acomic touch it. Havinginvested close to two yearson the pre-production, themakers are planning toroll with Chapter One ofthe series pretty soon.

Aadi’s next release willmostly be Sashi, a lovestory wherein he is playinga role with multipleshades. Srinivas Naidumakes his directorialdebut with the flick.Sometime back, he alsogreen-signalled debutantSai Raj’s new-age romanticcomedy.

A

havya Creations chiefV Ananda Prasad onFriday announced thetitle of his next withAnand Deverakondaand Varsha Bollama as

Middle Class Melodies. He alsoindicated the film, which marksthe directorial debut of VinodAnantoju, is wrapped up and thefirst copy is ready.

He said, “Middle ClassMelodies is our effort to associatewith content-rich cinema. Thestory unfolds in Guntur back-

drop, which is why it has beenshot over there, in surroundingareas and in Kolakaluru. Thecharacters speak the localdialect. We initially consideredreleasing it during the summerbut due to the pandemic, we hadto change our plans.”

The film is a romantic comedy-drama with a lot of fam-ily emotions woven into thescript. It centres on Anand’s aimin life and how his dreams arepegged back due to familial andlove reasons. Vinod promised

that the audiences will be able to identify with the characters he wrote. “Anand’s role will be in complete contrast to whathe essayed in Dorasani,” henoted.

Featuring ChaitanyaGarikapati, Divya Sripada,Goparaju Ramana, SurabhiPrabhavathi, Prem Sagar andPrabhavathi Varma in support-ing roles, the film, written byJanardhan Pasumarthi, is aSweekar Agasthi (C/OKancharapalem fame) musical.

Anand croons Middle Class Melodies

B

he filming of Oye!helmer AnandRanga’s secondproject — a webseries — has com-menced in

Hyderabad. Speaking to us,the soft-spoken director saidthe show, Exchange of Fire,will be a nail-biting copdrama. “As of now I can con-firm that Prakash Raj andSampath Raj will be seen inpivotal roles, with the formerplaying a cop. The series willcontain eight episodes, witheach episode running into 45minutes. The idea is to wrapit up by October-end. Theshooting is progressing inadherence with the guide-lines issued by the Telanganagovernment,” he said.

The project marks megas-tar Chiranjeevi’s daughter

Sushmita’s maiden tryst withproduction under Gold BoxEntertainment. On how ittook shape with Sushmita,Ranga noted, “I’ve been try-ing to do this show since last

year. She was looking tomake something on the web,so it just happened that Ipitched her script. Thingsbegan to materialise soon.”

— NG

Prakash Raj andSampath headlineExchange of FireT

12HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | JULY 11, 2020

NYON: Barcelona and BayernMunich will meet in the quar-ter-finals of the ChampionsLeague should both sides makeit through, Friday’s draw for thefinal eight confirmed.

Both teams still need tocomplete their last-16 ties, withBayern almost there having won3-0 away to Chelsea in the firstleg, while Barcelona are due tohost Napoli after a 1-1 draw inItaly.

Meanwhile, if Man City canfinish the job in their last-16 tieagainst Real Madrid, Pep’s teamwill go on to a quarter-finalagainst either Juventus or Lyon.City won 2-1 in Madrid in thefirst leg in March, while Juventusmust overturn a 1-0 deficit fromthe first leg of their last-16 tieagainst Lyon.

Postponed in March as thecoronavirus pandemic took over,all remaining last 16 second legsare due to be played on August7 and 8. The winners willadvance to the Final Eight,which will be held as a uniquestraight knockout tournament inLisbon due to the difficultiescaused by the coronavirus.

The draw threw up thepossibility of a Clasico semi-final, with Barcelona andMadrid on collision course tomeet in the last four should bothmake it that far.

The other side of the drawis clearer. First-time quarter-finalists RB Leipzig will meetAtletico Madrid, runners-upto city rivals Real the last timethe Champions League finalwas played in Lisbon in 2014.

The winners of the Leipzigvs Atletico quarter-final will faceeither Paris Saint-Germain orAtalanta in the last four.

The quarter-finals will beplayed between August 12 and15 in the Portuguese capital,with matches shared betweenBenfica’s Estadio da Luz andSporting’s Estadio Jose Alvalade.

The semi-finals are sched-uled for August 18 and 19, withthe final on August 23 at theEstadio da Luz. AFP

Spielberg: Red Bull have given “adefinite no” to four-times F1 worldchampion Sebastian Vettel’s hopesof returning to them next year,team boss Christian Horner saidon Friday.

The German, who is out ofcontract with Ferrari at the end ofthe season and facing an uncertainfuture, had said on Thursday hewould say yes to a Red Bull driveif one was offered.

Vettel won his titles with RedBull from 2010-13 and remains ongood terms with the Austrianenergy drink brand’s senior man-agement. “We had a brilliant timewith Seb,” Horner told Sky F1 tele-

vision during practice for theStyrian Grand Prix at Austria’s RedBull Ring. “He will forever be a partof our history.

“We didn’t expect him to be onthe market this year and our com-mitment is to our existing drivers.We think we’ve got a great pairingin Max (Verstappen) and in Alex(Albon). We think that has greatpotential for the future as well.

“So unfortunately it’s notsomething we are going to be ableto accommodate. That is a definiteno, I’m afraid. Sebastian I think isaware of that.”

Agencies

Verona: Inter Milan allowedyet another game to slip fromtheir grasp as Veronasnatched a late equaliser tohold them to a 2-2 draw onThursday.

Antonio Conte’s sideappeared to have done thedifficult part when they camefrom behind to lead 2-1 earlyin the second half only forMiguel Veloso to level forVerona with five minutes left.

That means Inter stayfourth with 65 points, havingbeen overtaken by Atalantaafter their 2-0 win overSampdoria on Wednesday,and are 10 adrift of leaders

Juventus with seven games toplay. Verona are ninth with43.

“It’s disappointingbecause we deserved to winthe match and instead we

have lost more importantpoints,” said Conte.

“The fact that we havelost 20 points from leadingpositions must give us pausefor thought. We’ve lost somany points in a stupid way— if we hadn’t, the tablewould look very different.”

Since the Serie A restart,Inter have been held 3-3 athome by Sassuolo after con-ceding twice in the last 10minutes and on Sunday theylost 2-1 to visitors Bolognaafter leading 1-0 and missinga penalty — a performancewhich left Conte fuming. AP

AFP n BIRMIGHAM

Manchester United weregiven a controversialhelping hand by VAR

in their 3-0 win at Aston Villa,while Tottenham suffered freshfrustration at the hands of thereview system in their 0-0draw at Bournemouth onThursday.

United were far too strongfor lowly Villa, but their open-ing goal came from a dubiouspenalty that left the hostsfuming.

In the 27th minute,United midfielderBruno Fernandes spuninto Ezri Konsa beforetumbling in the areadespite little evidence of a foulby the Villa defender. Thepenalty stood after a VARreview and Fernandes slottedhome his eighth goal sincejoining from Sporting Lisbonin January.

United doubled their leadin first half stoppage-timewhen 18-year-old MasonGreenwood scored his fourthgoal in three games with afierce finish. Paul Pogba got thethird in the 58th minute, theFrance midfielder bagging hisfirst goal of an injury-hit sea-son with a low curler from 18yards.

Fifth placed United moveto within one point of fourthplaced Leicester in the race toqualify for the ChampionsLeague.

United, unbeaten in theirlast 17 games in all competi-tions, are the first team inPremier League history to winfour consecutive matches by amargin of three or more goals.Second bottom Villa are fourpoints from safety and haven’twon in six games since therestart.

There was more VAR con-troversy at Dean Court, withTottenham left in danger of

missing out on European com-petition for the first time sincethe 2009-10 season.

Jose Mourinho’s side wereoff-key for long periods, butcould feel hard done by after

Josh King’s push on HarryKane in the penalty area wentunpushed despite a VAR reviewin the first half. Just a week afterTottenham were the victims ofa harsh VAR decision in their

loss at Sheffield United,Mourinho felt they were thevictims of another bad mistakeby the replay official.

“The same referee who didthe VAR decision against

Sheffield United, MichaelOliver. Opinions matter, It’s notonly mine. Everybody knowsthat’s a penalty and when I sayeverybody, I mean everybody,”Mourinho said.

SOUTHAMPTON: Seasoned Englandpacer Stuart Broad on Friday said hefelt “frustrated, angry and gutted”after being dropped from the openingTest, adding that he sought clarifica-tions over his future in the team.

The hosts opted to go for JamesAnderson, Mark Wood and JofraArcher alongside stand-in captainBen Stokes and spinner Dom Bess,leaving out Broad from the first Testwhich started at Ageas Bowl onWednesday.

B r o a d ,who isEngland’s sec-ond highestwicket-takerof all timewith 485scalps, lastmissed ahome Testeight years agowhen he wasrested againstWest Indies in 2012.

“I found out about 6pm the nightbefore the game. Stokesy told me justthat they’re going with extra pace inthese conditions,” Broad said on SkySports Player Zone.

“I’ve been frustrated, angry andgutted — because it’s quite a hard deci-sion to understand. I’ve probablybowled the best I’ve ever bowled in thelast couple of years. I felt like it was myshirt having been in the team throughthe Ashes and going to South Africaand winning there,” he added. PTI

IANS nWORCESTER

Former Pakistan tweaker andteam’s current spin bowling

coach Mushtaq Ahmed on Fridaystated that players have respond-ed well to the new regulations putforward by International CricketCouncil (ICC) in the wake ofcoronavirus pandemic.

The Pakistan cricket team iscurrently in England, acclimatis-ing themselves ahead of theirmuch-anticipated series whichincludes three Tests and as manyT20Is starting August.

The visitors are currentlyunder a 14-day quarantine peri-od, following which they willtravel to Derbyshire on July 13.

They had started their prepara-tions for the series with a two-dayinter-squad scenario-based prac-tice match played on July 5-6 atWorcester.

“Despite the Covid-19 relat-

ed challenges, the players havebeen exceptional so far,” Mushtaqtold pcb.com.pk. “We are trying tomake them familiar with the pro-tocols and they have respondedwonderfully well. Players are cop-

ing with the new regulations withregards to shining the ball as well.

“Historically, spinners haveused saliva to shine the ball nowthey are being taught new meth-ods in lieu of the revised ICC rulesand regulations.

“What makes me really happyis that the players and support staffare working together on teamgoals and objectives and I am surein due course the players will befully aware and ready for the newchallenges as we prepare for whatis expected to be a tough seriesagainst a strong English team intheir own backyard.

“I am confident we have theplayers that can not only competebut also win the series.”

Karachi (PTI): The PakistanCricket Board has managed torope in a sponsor for the nation-al team ahead of its England tourbut it had to settle for a far lessamount than what it envisaged.

According to a reliable source,PCB has decided to sign a one-year contract with Transmedia, acompany which has been buyingvarious sponsorship and mediarights for the last few years.

“Transmedia has offered 600million rupees for a three-yeardeal for the main logo on Pakistanteam’s jerseys and kits. The Boardafter facing disappointment onseveral fronts has now decided tosign a one-year deal for 200m ona pro-rata basis,” the source said.

Real-Juve, Barca-Bayernclashes in the offing

AFP n NYON

Manchester United couldfind themselves facing

English rivalsWolverhampton Wanderersin the semi-finals of theEuropa League in Germanyin August, after Friday’s drawfor the latter stages of thetournament put the teams ona collision course.

While the ChampionsLeague is to be completedwith a straight knockoutmini-tournament in Lisbon,the Europa League will beplayed to a conclusion withan identical format inGermany.

The Europa League finalwill be played in Cologne onAugust 21. The quarter-finalsand semi-finals will be playedas one-off ties with Cologne,Duisburg, Duesseldorf andGelsenkirchen all hostinggames.

Before that, all last-16ties must be completed. OleGunnar Solskjaer’s United,who have been in fine formsince the Premier Leagueseason resumed last month,are effectively already throughto the last eight having won5-0 away to Austrian sideLASK in the first leg.

Assuming they progress,the 2017 Europa League win-

ners will take on eitherIstanbul Basaksehir or FCCopenhagen in the quarter-finals on August 10 or 11. TheTurkish side beatCopenhagen 1-0 at home inthe first leg in March.

Meanwhile, Wolves drew1-1 away to Olympiakos inthe first leg of their last-16 tie.They are due to host therecently-crowned Greekchampions in the return andwould then need to beatSevilla — who have won theEuropa League and its pre-cursor, the UEFA Cup, arecord five times — or Romain the quarter-finals.

There are three Germanteams left in the EuropaLeague, including BayerLeverkusen. They won 3-1away to Rangers in the firstleg of their last-16 tie and willbe confident of advancing tothe last eight.

Leverkusen is barely 40kilometres from Cologne,where the final will be played.They would play either InterMilan or Getafe in the quar-ter-finals.

Only six of the eight last16 first-leg matches wereplayed in March. The othertwo ties — Inter vs Getafe andSevilla vs Roma — will bedecided as one-off matcheson neutral ground.

English, German clubs onopposite ends of UEL draw

Man Utd continues winning run after Bruno opens scoring from controversialpenalty decision; Kane denied again in goalless draw for Spurs

VAR dominates Premier League results

Liverpool: Liverpool captainJordan Henderson has beenruled out of the rest of thePremier League champions’campaign after the midfield-er sustained a knee injury intheir midweek win atBrighton, manager JuergenKlopp said on Friday.

Klopp was forced to with-draw Henderson 10 minutesfrom fulltime after a collisionwith Yves Bissouma but theGerman said the 30-year-olddoes not require surgery.

“It is the best possible ofthe bad news. He does not

need surgery,” Klopp said. “Hewill not play again this season.

I’m pretty positive he will bewith us for the new season, heis a quick healer.

“We all felt for him, awfulmoment. We knew immedi-ately. Hendo is an animal hefights for everything. He dealswell with pain but in thismoment, he knew somethinghad happened. It was a com-plete mood killer.

“The boys were happywith the result but then theboys realised Hendo was hurt.No surgery needed is the goodnews. He will lift the trophy, hedeserves to lift trophy.” AP

Henderson season is over: Klopp

“In the world, everybodyknows that is a penalty.And I say everybody, Imean everybody.”

— JOSE MMOURINHO(SPURS MMANAGER)

“Anybody who hasplayed the game knowswhat (Bruno) Fernandesis trying to do. He doesthe turn and he gets itwrong. He puts his studon Konsa’s shin. Itchanged the game.”— DEAN SSMITH ((ASTON

VILLA BBOSS)

“The performance of thereferee was like my team,not so good.”

— CARLO AANCELOTTI(EVERTON MMANAGER)

Slow andsteady Windiesbuild their leadAFP n SOUTHAMPTON

The West Indies are building a handy leadover England on the third afternoon of the

first #raisethebat Test, moving 5-31 in hand atthe Ageas Bowl. Responding to 204 all out theywere 5-235 at tea on Friday, with Roston Chaseand Shane Dowrich sitting on an unbrokenstand of 49. Spinner Dom Bess took two of thefour wickets to fall on the day, carrying morethan his share in the most batsman-friendly con-ditions of the match to date.

The West Indies began on 1-57, 147 shortof England’s mark, with Kraigg Brathwaite andShai Hope chipping another 42 off the deficitin the first hour of play.

Hope earned a reprieve just before thedrinks break, a Jofra Archer lbw chalked off afterthe paceman overstepped for a no-ball.

England were not made to pay for that error,with Hope aiming a big drive at Bess just a fewdeliveries later and sending a sharp slip catchin Stokes’ direction.

The arrival of Shamarh Brooks lifted therun-rate, with the new batsman helping him-self as Archer and Bess offered some loose fare.

Brathwaite was looking resolute at the otherend, converting his overnight 20 into the first-half century of the match from 113 balls.

It was also his first Test 50 since July 2018but his hopes of progressing towards three fig-ures ended when Stokes pushed him on the backfoot and rapped him high on the knee roll. Hewas given out for 65 by Richard Kettleboroughand when he called for the review the dismissalwas upheld on two counts of ‘umpire’s call’.

Broad ‘frustrated,angry, gutted' atbeing dropped

Red Bull dash Vettel's hopes of a return Verona snatch late 2-2 draw vs Inter

Spinners are being taught new methods to shine ball: Mushtaq PCB forced to sell logorights for lower price

New Delhi: ManchesterUnited playmaker BrunoFernandes on Friday wasrewarded for his fine run inthe English top-flight as hewas named the PremierLeague’s player of the monthfor the second time in a row.

Fernandes had earlierwon the prize for June aswell. In doing so Fernandesemulated compatriotCristiano Ronaldo, who hadachieved the same feat in2006 during his trophy-ladenstay at Old Trafford. PNS

BRUNO EMULATESRONALDO’S FEAT

Manchester United's Paul Pogba, centre, celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal against Aston Villa AP

With their stadium devoid of fans due to coronavirusrestrictions, Japanese baseball team Fukuoka SoftBank

Hawks have come up with an imaginative replacement: dancingrobots. Before their most recent Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB) game against Rakuten Eagles on Tuesday, over 20 robotsdanced to the team's fight song on a podium in the otherwiseempty stand. Two different robots, including SoftBank'shumaniod robot 'Pepper' and others on four legs like a dog,stamped and shimmied in a choreographed dance that is usuallyperformed by theHawks' fansbefore games inthe 40,000capacity FukuokaDome. Some ofthe robots woreHawks caps andwaved flagssupporting theteam. Severalpeople also tookto social mediasites to share the videos of these unusual supporters of theteam. Here's one such clip posted on Twitter. Since being shared,the post has gathered over 63,000 views - and the numbers areonly increasing. From being horrified to impressed, peopleshared various comments to express themselves.

‘Screaming banned’ on roller coasters!

Notre Dame spire willbe restored ‘as it was’The spire of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, which was

destroyed in a fire last April, will be restored according to theoriginal Gothic design, the Elysee Palace announced on Friday. Ina statement, the Palace said that French President EmmanuelMacron announced the decision, putting an end to speculationthat the spire would be rebuilt in a modern style, the BBCreported. Macron had previously hinted he was in favour of a"contemporary gesture". But the Elysee said that the process ofdesigning a modern spire, with an international competition forarchitects, couldhave causedunnecessarydelays. "ThePresident truststhe experts andapproved the mainoutlines of theproject presentedby the chiefarchitect whichplans toreconstruct the spire identically," it added in the statement. Theannouncement followed a meeting of France's national heritageand architecture commission (CNPA). When the 13th century roofof the Paris cathedral caught fire during restoration works in April2019, it sparked a vast outpouring of emotion, as well asdonations from across the world.

Many people might find it tricky keeping quiet through anentire roller coaster ride, but one Japanese theme park

wants you to do that - and more. Fuji-Q Highland near Tokyore-opened last month after its virus shutdown. It asked ridersto avoid screaming when they go on its rollercoasters, tominimise spreading droplets, and instead "scream inside yourheart". And to encourage people to play along, it's gettingriders to put on their most "serious face" for the ride photo.They can share their photo online in the #KeepASeriousFacechallenge, andthose who dobest will be givenfree day passes.But it's all part ofmeasures beingtaken by themeparks to givecustomers theconfidence to return after the shutdowns, and assure themtheir safety is being taken seriously. In response tosuggestions that it was impossible not to scream on arollercoaster, the park previously released a video of twoexecutives riding in silence, to show it can be done. In thesurreal video, both executives are seen formally clad and inmasks - one of them is even wearing a full suit and tie. Heslowly adjusts his hair after the roller coaster plunges downand looks almost bored by entire exercise.

15th Century Chineseencyclopedia sells for $9M

Dancing robots replace fansNEW

S

MostRead Apair of volumes from a 15th century Chinese encyclopedia sold

for more than 1,000 times their estimated price when theyfetched a high bid of more than $9 million. Paris-based auctionhouse Beaussant Lefevre said the volumes from the YongleDadian, the encyclopedia commissioned by Yongle Emperor, thethird ruler of the Ming Dynasty, sold for more than $9 million in aTuesday auction. The volumes had been expected to sell for up to$9,000, the auction house said. The Yongle Dadian was compiledby more than 2,000 scholars working from 1404 and 1408, andthe original wascomposed of 22,877chapters, making itthe largestencyclopedia knownto history. Theauction house saidthe two volumesauctioned Tuesdaywere copiescommissioned by theJiajing Emperor in1562. Only 400 volumes from the encyclopedia are known to stillexist -- about 4 percent of the original encyclopedia -- and 24 ofthem are housed at the British Library. Beaussant Lefevre said oneof the volumes sold in Tuesday's auction was about the lakes ofChina and the other holds descriptions of funeral rites.