OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: As the Delhi Police continued its line of investigation in the toolkit case, writing to officials of Zoom and seeking details of an alleged meeting that took place on January 11, the Delhi Commission for Women headed by Swati Maliwal issued a notice to the Delhi Police, seeking an explanation as to whether any arrest pro-cedures were violated when 22-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi was brought in from Bengaluru.

However, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava on Tuesday morning spoke to reporters and clarified that all required procedures were followed in her arrest as well as remand proceedings. He said the arrest was as per the law, “which doesn’t differenti-ate between a 22-year-old or

50-year-old”. While senior officials told

Millennium Post that Disha was arrested and produced before a court with 24 hours as per Section 74 of the CrPC but according to legal experts, the CrPC has a separate pro-cedure for arrests made out-

side the jurisdictions of the warrant-issuing court. In these cases, the arresting agency is supposed to procure a transit remand from the local court before bringing the accused to the jurisdiction of the court that issued the warrant.

Citing media reports and

claims by activists, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said Ravi was arrested and taken to Delhi from Beng-aluru by police and her where-abouts were not disclosed, not even to her parents. It has also been alleged that police did not present her at a court in

Bengaluru for transit remand, before bringing her to Delhi, it said.

Taking cognizance of media reports, the panel in a statement, issued on Tuesday, also said that Ravi was pro-duced before a court in Delhi without a lawyer of her choice

being present there.The DCW has asked the

Delhi Police to provide a copy of the FIR registered in the matter, reasons for allegedly not producing Ravi before a local court for transit remand, reasons for allegedly not pro-viding a lawyer of her choice when she was produced before the court here, and a detailed action taken report, the state-ment said.

The commission has asked police to provide the informa-tion by Friday, it added.

Meanwhile, on an applica-tion made by Disha’s lawyers, a local court here allowed the accused to meet her family for 15 minutes every day along with 30 minutes to meet her lawyer, while in police custody. The court also asked the police to provide her a copy of the FIR and allowed her to have warm clothes and books while in custody. Continued on P6

MYANMAR POLICE FILE NEW CHARGE AGAINST AUNG SAN SUU KYI PG8

IRANI DARES RAHUL TO TAKE OUT MONEY FROM TEA TRADERS IN GUJ PG4

PEOPLE OF DELHI MADE CITY A MODEL OF SUCCESS DURING COVID PANDEMIC: KEJRIWAL PG3

LPG, ATF PRICES RISE; PETROL SOARS TO `99.87 IN RAJASTHAN PG11

millenniumpost.in RNI NO.: DELENG/2005/15351REGD. NO.: DL(S)-01/3420/2018-20

VOL. 16, ISSUE 48 | Wednesday, 17 February 2021 | New Delhi | Pages 12 | Rs 3.00PUBLISHED FROM DELHI & KOLKATA NO HALF TRUTHS

NIKITA JACOB SAYS TOOLKIT WAS ONLY TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ON FARM STIR

Delhi Police write to Zoom, DCW issues notice over Disha’s arrest, Commissioner says procedure followed

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: The politics in Puducherry has taken a new turn on Tuesday as the Centre sacked Kiran Bedi from the post of Lieu-tenant-Governor of the Union Ter-ritory, which is considered as an integral part of Tamil Nadu.

As per political experts, the removal of Bedi just a few weeks ahead of the announcement of Assembly polls in the UT is being widely seen as a political strategy by the BJP to negate the Congress’ campaign that focused on allega-tions that Bedi was creating hurdles in the development of Puducherry at the behest of the Centre.

The statement from President Ram Nath Kovind’s office said that Tamilisai Soundararajan, the Governor of Telangana, had been directed to discharge the func-tions of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, in addition to her own duties, until a new appoint-ment is made.

The removal of Bedi amid the ‘huge crisis’ in Congress is seen as a damage control move by the BJP, which is trying its best to make inroads in Tamil Nadu as the sacked L-G had locked horns with incumbent Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, who has a strong support base among the people of Tamil Nadu.

Recently, Narayanasamy had also submitted a memorandum to President Kovind and wrote a let-ter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and complained about the hindrances created by Bedi in run-ning the government.

Notably, the resignation of four Congress MLAs in the last two days has brought the con-gress-led government in minority in Puducherry — just a day ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the UT on Wednesday to launch the par-ty’s election campaign. The number of Congress MLAs has reduced to 10 in the House with the present strength of 28 members.

Continued on P6

Puducherry: Amid crisis in Congress govt, Centre removes Kiran Bedi from L-G post

Cong govt loses majority as one more MLA resigns

PM, CM EXPRESS GRIEF, ANNOUNCE COMPENSATION

47 dead as bus plunges into canal in MPMPOST BUREAU

SIDHI/REWA (MADHYA PRADESH): A packed bus skidded off the road and plunged into a canal in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district on Tuesday morning killing at least 47 people, including 20 women.

The accident took place near Patna village, around 80 km from the Sidhi district headquarters, when the ill-fated bus was on its way to Satna from Sidhi, a senior official said.

A search operation involv-ing State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel and local authori-ties was still on at the site, the offi-cial said.

“A total of 47 bodies — 25 of men, 20 women and two children — have been fished out of the Bansagar canal until now,” said Rewa Divi-

sional Commissioner Rajesh Jain, adding that a magisterial probe has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. “Seven persons man-aged to swim to safety,” he said.

The packed bus, coming from Sidhi and going to Satna, veered off the road and rolled down the canal

which is part of the Bansagar project at around 8:30 AM, said Inspector General (Rewa zone) Umesh Joga.

PM Narendra Modi expressed grief at the “horrific” bus accident and approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives. Continued on P6

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Tues-day released short vid-eos and photographs showing thinning down of troops and disman-tling of bunkers, camps and other facilities by the Chinese military in the areas around the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh in line with the agreed disengagement process between the two sides.

The visuals also showed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army(PLA) using a bull-dozer to flatten some structures, and vehicles with troops and equip-ment preparing to retreat

to rear bases as part of the infantry disengagement.

The photos and vid-eos largely depicted a fast-paced disengage-ment process in both the North and South banks of the Pangong lake that included withdrawal of troops, removal of machinery and disman-tling of temporary struc-tures like bunkers, posts and tents.

Sources in the defence and security establish-ment said the disengage-ment process is gathering pace, and the entire exer-cise is expected to be con-cluded by the end of the week. See page 8

In today’s paper

...

Plan to save 50% of road related deaths by 2025

NITIN GADKARI

CITY

AIR QUALITY VERY POOR IN CITY 3

NATION

2 MORE BODIES RECOVERED 6

EDIT

WINDS OF CHANGE 7

INTERNATIONAL

WINTER’S WRATH IN US 9

BUSINESS

LPG, ATF PRICES RISE 11

Govt may amend two Acts to enable

privatisation of PSBsSources say amendments may be

introduced in Monsoon sessionOUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: To facilitate privatisation of public sector banks, the government is likely to bring amendments to two legislations later this year.

Amendments would be required in the Banking Com-panies (Acquisition and Trans-fer of Undertakings) Act, 1970 and the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1980 for privatisation, sources said.

These Acts led to national-isation of banks in two phases and provisions of these laws have to be changed for privati-sation of banks, they said.

As the government has already announced the list of legislative business for the Budget session, it is expected that these amendments may be introduced in the Monsoon session or later during the year, sources added.

The ongoing Budget ses-sion is scheduled to take up as many as 38 Bills including the Finance Bill 2021, Supplemen-tary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 and related Appropri-ation Bill, National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) Bill, 2021, and Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting Budget 2021-22 earlier this month had announced priva-tisation of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) as part of disinvest-ment drive to garner Rs 1.75 lakh crore.

“Other than IDBI Bank, we propose to take up the priva-tization of two Public Sector Banks and one General Insur-ance company in the year 2021-22,” she had said.

Later in one of the post Budget interactions, the Finance Minister had said the government will work with the Reserve Bank for execu-tion of the bank privatisation plan announced in the Union Budget 2021-22.

“The details are being worked out. I have made the announcement but we are working together with the RBI,” she had said, when asked about the proposal.

The government last year consolidated 10 public sector banks into four and as a result the total number of PSBs came down to 12 from 27 in March 2017.

As per the amalgamation plan, United Bank of India and Oriental Bank of Com-merce were merged with Pun-jab National Bank, making the proposed entity the second-largest PSB.

Syndicate Bank was merged with Canara Bank, while Allahabad Bank was subsumed in Indian Bank. Andhra Bank and Corpora-tion Bank were amalgamated with Union Bank of India.

In a first three-way merger, Bank of Baroda merged Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with itself in 2019. SBI had merged five of its associate banks - State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Travancore and State Bank of Hyderabad- and also Bharatiya Mahila Bank effec-tive April 2017.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: The Cen-tre Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it was contemplat-ing “some action” on the issue of regulating OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasub-ramanian, which was initially of the view that the petitioner should approach the govern-ment for the remedy, asked the government to file its response within six weeks to the PIL seeking OTT regulation by an autonomous body.

At the outset, Additional Solicitor General K M Nata-

raj said the Centre was con-templating some action on the issue of regulating OTT platforms.

The CJI sought to know from Nataraj as to what would be the action from the govern-ment and asked him to file the response in six weeks while tagging the matter with the pending petition.

The top court had on Octo-ber 15 last year issued notices to the central government, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Internet and Mobile Association of India.

The plea filed by advocates Shashank Shekhar Jha and Apurva Arhatia also sought a proper board/institution /asso-ciation for the monitoring and

management of content on dif-ferent OTT/Streaming and dig-ital media platforms.

With cinema theatres unlikely to open anytime soon in the country, OTT/Stream-ing and different digital media platforms have surely given a

way out for film makers and artists to release their content without being worried about getting clearance certificates for their films and series from the censor board, the plea said.

At present, however, there is no law or autonomous body governing the digital content to monitor and manage these digital contents and it is made available to the public at large without any filter or screen-ing, it said.

The lack of legislation gov-erning OTT/Streaming Plat-forms is becoming evident with each passing day and every new case that is filed on these grounds. The government is facing heat to fill this lacuna with regulations from the pub-

lic and the Judiciary; still, the relevant government depart-ments have not done anything significant to regularise these OTT/Streaming Platforms, the plea said.

None of the OTT/Stream-ing platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, and Hot-star have signed the self-regu-lation provided by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting since February 2020, it said.

The ministry had earlier told the top court in a separate case that there is a need to reg-ulate digital media and that the court may first appoint a com-mittee of persons as amicus before laying down guidelines with respect to the regulation of hate speech in the media.

Contemplating ‘some action’ on regulating OTT platforms, Centre informs top court

WHAT WOULD BE THE ACTION? SC ASKS CENTRE TO FILE RESPONSE WITHIN 6 WEEKS

Indian spinners demolish

England to level series 1-1India back in conten-tion for the World Test Championship final

with a 317-run victoryCHENNAI: Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin pre-dictably completed the anni-hilation of clueless England batsmen, emphatically bring-ing India back in contention for the World Test Championship final with a series-levelling 317-run victory in the second Test here on Tuesday.

Debutant Patel made full use of favourable conditions to bag 5 for 60 in 21 overs while Ash-win finished with a match-haul of eight wickets, not to forget his classy hundred with the bat.

They demolished England for a paltry 164 on the fourth day in pursuit of an impossible target of 482, giving India their biggest win over the tourists in terms of runs.

India have now risen to sec-ond in the WTC standings and need to at least win one more and draw another in the four-match series to make the cut for the final in June.

After a crushing 227-run defeat in the first Test, Virat Kohli couldn’t have imagined a better comeback going into the crucial Day/Night Test in Ahmedabad in just over a week’s time. “The conditions were challenging for both sides, but we showed more application with the bat. We didn’t panic out there looking at the turn and bounce, we showed grit, got into the game and scored 600 runs in the game,” an ecstatic Kohli said in the post-match presentation. Continued on P6

4 detected with SA variant of COVID-19 in India, one with Brazil strain: Govt

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: For the first time in India, four people were detected with the South Africa variant of SARS-CoV-2 and one tested positive for the Brazil variant in the country, the Centre said on Tuesday.

In India, the South Africa strain has been detected in four returnees - one from Angola, one from Tanzania and two from South Africa in January, ICMR Director General Balram Bhar-gava said.

“The ICMR-NIV is attempt-ing to isolate and culture the SA variant strain from the samples of these four individual return-ees,” he said.

One Brazil returnee has tested

positive for the Brazil variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the first week of February. The traveller and contacts have been tested and quarantined.

Meanwhile, the number of people who have tested positive

for the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country has climbed to 187. There has been no mortality, Bhar-gava said.

Also on Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry said that as many as 17 states and UTs have reported

no COVID-19 death in the last 24 hours, while six of them have recorded no new case during the period.

The daily new infections fell below 10,000 for the fourth time this month taking India’s tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,09,25,710, while fresh fatalities remained below 100 for the tenth time this month.

A total of 9,121 new cases were reported in a day, while the death toll increased to 1,55,813 with 81 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The recoveries have surged to 1,06,33,025 with 11,805 more patients having recuperated in a day, and India’s Recovery Rate of 97.32 percent is amongst the high-est in the world. Continued on P6

Highlights » No new fatality in 17 states and UTs » New cases fall below 10,000 for 4th time in February

» Delhi records 94 new cases, lowest in over 9 months

» Maharashtra, Kerala need to sub-stantially increase RT-PCR testing for Covid: Govt

» 103 residents of Bengaluru apart-ment test positive

NDRF team carries out rescue operation on Tuesday PTI

EASTERN LADAKH: Indian Army releases visuals and photos of

disengagement process with China

Students and members of NSUI display placards during a protest to condemn the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi, on Tuesday PTI

Takeaways » DCW says it has been alleged that police did not present Disha Ravi at a court in Bengaluru for transit remand, before bringing her to Delhi

» DCW has asked the Delhi Police to provide a copy of the FIR registered in the matter

» Delhi Police Commissioner says the arrest was as per the law, “which

doesn’t differentiate between a 22-year-old or 50-year-old”

» Delhi court allows Ravi to meet her family for 15 minutes every day along with 30 minutes to meet her lawyer. It permitted her access to warm clothes, masks, books, etc.

» Pune-based engineer Shantanu Muluk gets transit anticipatory bail for a period of 10 days

NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021|millenniumpost

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for any damage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only

Printed and Published by Jaiyendra Kumar Sharma on behalf of Front Row Media Pvt. Ltd. and printed at The Indian Express Pvt. Ltd., A-8, Sector-7, Noida-201 301 (U.P.) and published from First Floor, Pratap Bhawan, 5 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110 002. Editor: Durbar Ganguly. Email: durbarganguly@gmail.com, Tel. No. 011-47777500

mp city2TOOLKIT CASE

He was arrested with Dalit activist Nodeep Kaur while trying to mobilise support for farmers

23-yr-old activist Shiv Kumar's kin wait for news, yet to speak to him

NIKITA JAIN

NEW DELHI: Nearly one month after his arrest, Kisan Adhikar Sangathan activist Shiv Kumar's family is clue-less about his condition and has not been able to speak to him since his arrest.

Kumar was picked up by Haryana Police, along with Dalit activist Nodeep Kaur, on January 16 for allegedly trying to “break into a fac-tory in Kundli for illegal

extortion under the garb of unpaid salaries of workers”. The two have been for a while trying to mobilise industry workers to join the farmers' agitation.

At his village in Sonepat’s Devru, Shiv's father Rajbir said, “I have not been able to speak with him. Neither has the lawyer been able to speak with him. The last time we went, we were told that Shiv will finish 15 days quarantine period. But it has been more than a month

and we have no idea how he has been."

The 55-year-old is a land-less labourer and works in the fields. He along with his wife, who is not well, lives in a small house, along with their chil-dren. Shiv (23) has three sisters and one brother.

Speaking about Shiv, his father said that his son has finished his school education and did a small course after which he landed a job in a com-pany. Kumar has always been in activism and has raised his voice for the labourers after he joined the organisation with Nodeep.

While Nodeep’s family has

been able to speak with her, Kumar’s family has said that has not been the case with them. “It was important to raise awareness about Nodeep but it is disheartening that noth-ing is being said about Shiv. We do not how he is or what has happened with him,” his father added.

The family has also alleged that Shiv’s name has not been mentioned in the FIRs. “If that’s the case, then why was he even picked up?” his friend asks. Speaking to Millenium Post, one of the lawyers who is fighting both Nodeep and Shiv’s case said, “It is true that Shiv’s name is not mentioned in any FIR. However, we are still working on the case. We are waiting to get Nodeep’s bail from High Court after which we will start working on Shiv’s case.”

Shiv's friends, who have also been working for the labourers at Kundli said they assumed that their friend was also beaten up by the police as

they were not being allowed to see him. “We have written a letter to the court demand-ing a medical examination of Shiv. We are assuming that he has been brutally beaten up. I went to give clothes to Shiv even then I was not allowed to see him,” one of Shiv’s friends said.

Shiv cannot see from his left eye. “He was quite young when his first operation took place. One of his eyes does not work at all. While he takes medicines for the other,” Shiv’s father said.

One of his friends said, "He has nothing with him. His medicines are also not with him. We found his glasses from his tent when we went to find him on January 16”.

Meanwhile, Shiv’s father said he is trying to find out whether his son is doing alright or whether he was hurt.

He smiles and says that his son will turn a year old today. “It is his birthday today and he is away from us,” he said.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Days after she was arrested and remanded to police custody, a Delhi court on Tuesday allowed 22-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi to have a copy of the FIR under which she has been arrested and other documents related to her arrest in the case related to the farmer protest toolkit that is being probed by the Delhi Police.

The court, notably, also allowed her to speak to her family for 15 minutes every day while in police custody and allowed her to meet her lawyer for 30 minutes every day while in police custody. The court also permitted her to get warm clothes, masks and books.

Chief Metropolitan Mag-istrate Pankaj Sharma allowed Ravi to speak with her fam-ily members over phone for 15 minutes a day and meet with

her lawyer for 30 minutes a day, while she is in police custody.

The court passed the order on an application filed by Ravi through her lawyer.

The court had on Sunday sent Ravi to five-day police custody after the agency said her custodial interrogation was required to probe an alleged larger conspiracy against the government of India and to ascertain her alleged role relating to the Khalistan movement.

Meanwhile, the left-wing All India Students' Association staged a protest at the Delhi Police headquarters here on Tuesday against Disha's arrest and members from Jawahar-lal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University, and Ambed-kar University Delhi raised slo-gans for the immediate release of the activist and accused the BJP of running a "brutal anti-democracy campaign".

"The youth is the future of

India. Assertive young voices like Disha make the democratic fabric of our country and BJP's all-out attack on us won't last," Prasenjeet Kumar, national working general secretary of AISA, said.

In a statement, AISA alleged that the arrest of Disha Ravi on the basis of a 'toolkit' was an "atrocious manifesta-tion of RSS-BJP's anti-democ-racy agenda".

"Toolkits have been a com-mon tool of agitation and the malicious ploy to term it an 'international conspiracy' is BJP's way of defaming the mass farmer protest," it alleged.

The protest ended with the submission of a memoran-dum to the Commissioner of Police raising the demand for the immediate release of Disha Ravi, along with trade union activists Nodeep Kaur and Shiv Kumar, and the "arrested farmer leaders and political prisoners".

Court asks cops to give FIR copy to Disha Ravi, allows her time with family, lawyer

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to a cab driver who was arrested for allegedly hatch-ing a conspiracy to incite the communal riots in north-east Delhi in February last year and in connection with the death of a police officer during the vio-lence, observing that according to his call detail records (CDR) he was not even in the vicinity of the area where the incident occurred.

The present case, the high court noted, pertained to the communal riots which erupted in north-east Delhi on Febru-ary 24 last year when a police team deployed at an "illegal protest site" at Chandbagh there was "brutally attacked without provocation" and a Head Constable, Ratanlal, was shot dead while several other policemen, including a DCP, were grievously injured.

The court said that accord-ing to the CDR of the accused cab drive - Mohd Danish - on the date of incident, February 24, 2020, "he was not even in the vicinity of the violence-affected area i.e. Main Wazi-rabad Road".

The court also noted that according to the CDR, no call was made by him to any of the

other accused in the instant case.

"Undisputedly, there is no CCTV footage or viral video to implicate the present petitioner (Danish)," Justice Suresh Kait observed and said, "In view of the facts discussed above and the facts that charge-sheet has already been filed, the peti-tioner is no more required for investigation and trial of the case shall take substantial time, I am of the view, the petitioner deserves bail."

The court directed that he be released on bail on his fur-nishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs 20,000 and with one surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the trial court.

It directed Danish not to influence the prosecution wit-nesses during the trial and dis-posed of his plea seeking bail in the case.

The instant case relates to an FIR lodged under vari-ous provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including murder, criminal conspiracy, common intention, rioting, rioting with a weapon, disobeying pro-hibitory orders, inciting com-munal violence and causing hurt to a public servant dur-ing discharge of his duty, Pre-vention of Damage to Public Property Act and the Arms Act.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: The police told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that those who housed foreign-ers attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation here last year, in violation of certain guidelines, have been included as accused in the FIRs lodged in connec-tion with the event.

The submission was made by Delhi Police in the status reports filed in the high court in response to two pleas by two Indian nationals, each of whom had given accommodation to four foreigners who had attended the Nizamuddin Markaz event, seeking quashing of the FIRs against them.

Justice Suresh Kait listed the pleas of the two Indians — Feroz Siddique and Rizwan — on March 8 for further hearing along with six other similar peti-tions seeking quashing of the FIRs against them in connec-tion with the event.

The court also issued notice to the police and sought a status report in the six fresh petitions, filed through advocates Ashima

Mandla and Mandakini Singh.While some of the pleas are

by individuals who had provided refuge to the foreigners who had attended the event and could not travel owing to the subsequent lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19, others are by persons like a managing com-mittee members or caretakers of different mosques, who have been accused of staying with the foreign nationals in the mas-jids under the jurisdiction of Chandni Mahal police station.

In the plea by Feroz and Riz-

wan, who had each provided accommodation to four women Tablighi attendees, they have contended that shelter was given to them as they had nowhere to go during the lockdown.

Feroz, Rizwan and other peti-tioners have also contended that there is no documentation on record in either the FIR or charge sheet to indicate that they had been infected by COVID-19 and therefore, they could not have been accused of spreading the disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has said the law of sedition cannot be invoked to quieten the disquiet under the pretence of muzzling miscreants.

Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana made the observation while granting bail to two persons — Devi Lal Burdak and Swaroop Ram — arrested by Delhi police earlier this month for allegedly committing sedition and spread-ing rumours by posting fake video on Facebook during ongoing farmers' protest.

The court said that the law of sedition was a powerful tool in the hands of the state to main-

tain peace and order in the society.“However, it cannot be invoked to quieten the

disquiet under the pretence of muzzling the mis-creants. Evidently, law proscribes any act which has a tendency to create disorder or disturbance of public peace by resort to violence," the judge said in an order passed on February 15 .

“In the absence of any exhortation, call, incite-ment or instigation to create disorder or dis-turbance of public peace by resort to violence or any allusion or oblique remark or even any hint towards this objective, attributable to the accused, I suspect that Section 124 A (sedition) IPC can be validly invoked against the appli-cant,” the order said.

ABHAY SINGH

NEW DELHI: As a Delhi court on Tuesday extended the police custody of Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu in the Red Fort vio-lence case by seven days, with the police arguing that social media associations needed to be probed, the Delhi Police's investigation into the alleged conspiracy behind the R-Day violence is getting seemingly close to the investigation into the toolkit for which climate activists are being arrested.

Sidhu was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Bhu-jali after the expiry of his police custody in the case.

Police sought an extension of his custodial interrogation, saying it was required for fur-ther investigation and to iden-tify other accused persons in

the case. Several social media accounts need to be searched to identify the co-conspirators, the police said.

While Millennium Post's reports have shown that the Delhi Police's investigation into unearthing the "conspiracy" behind the January 26 violence was hitting a brick wall with farmer leaders choosing not to join the probe, the FIR in the "toolkit" matter has given police the allegations required to proceed with their probe into the alleged "conspirators" pur-portedly behind the Republic Day violence.

According to the toolkit FIR, "The rally (Republic Day tractor rally), which was ini-tially agreed by farmers' unions as a peaceful march, turned vio-lent on January 26 as a result of instigation by elements behind

the document and its toolkit."Sources quoting the first

information report said that while monitoring social media on February 4, police officials noticed a Google document link that had been acciden-tally shared on Twitter which contained a detailed plan of a large conspiracy to wage an economic, social, cultural and

regional war against India.The FIR does not specifi-

cally share how Delhi Police found this document, nor any information on who shared it accidentally.

"The accidentally shared confidential document lists a playbook of activities that were to take place during the trac-tor march held on Republic

Day and other protests in Delhi and NCR," sources said, quot-ing the FIR.

As per sources, many other entities, websites, journalists, so-called fact-checking web-sites and other organisations are mentioned by the conspirators as their potential allies in their plan to disrupt public order. "This conspiracy and planned activities have resulted in global events and incidents targeted to undermine the sovereignty, and integrity of India and vandalism by secessionist elements on the walls of the Indian Embassy in Rome, Italy," sources said.

While the original docu-ment accidentally shared on Twitter was removed, another modified document was shared as an updated toolkit with similar ingredients, the police claimed.

PIYUSH OHRIE

GURUGRAM: With langar sevas being popularised across protest sites on the borders of Delhi, such services have now also come up at the protest site on the Shahjahanpur border. More significantly, other than many human rights organisa-tions providing supplies for these langars, many local residents are also providing supplies.

Besides providing food cater-ing to thousands of people there are provisions for providing tea to even desserts like kheer for the people who visit the site. In addition to protesting farmers and the people visiting the pro-test site, many other homeless people and locals from nearby villages also eat at these langar services.

Agitators at the site spoke of how participating in the service

of providing food has led to a deeper bond with their fellow colleagues as well as the local population. As the deadlock over three farm bills continues, thousands of farmers and agi-tators continue to camp at the Shahjahanpur border.

Acknowledging the fact that their protest will extend for a much longer time, many of these agitators are also dependent on locals. “There are people who

have tried to malign our move-ment and questioned our inten-tions. I urge them to come to our site and see the spirit of togeth-erness and affection through the service of providing food to all. Even our critics are welcome. We have been protesting over here for two-and-a-half months and I want to tell you that our dona-tions and participation for the langar seva has only increased every single day,“ said Mahender, one of the protestors at Shahja-hanpur border.

Protesters are also looking to find ways of adding strength to their crowds at the Shahjahan-pur border site. A large number of protesters from Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and even states like Maharashtra, Odisha and Kerala have come to the Shahjahanpur border to register their protest against the three farm bills.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: A court here has taken cognisance of a chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police against former Jawahar-lal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in a 2016 sedition case and summoned them on March 15 to face trial in the case.

Chief Metropolitan Mag-istrate (CMM) Pankaj Sharma on Monday took cognisance of the final report almost a year after the Delhi Police has received requisite sanctions to prosecute the accused in the case.

Kumar and others, including former Jawaha-rlal Nehru University stu-dents Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, were accused of raising anti-India slogans.

The other seven accused chargesheeted in the case are Kashmiri students Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain, Muneeb Hussain, Umar Gul, Rayeea Rassol, Bashir Bhat and Basharat, some of them were then studying in Jawaha-rlal Nehru University, Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia.

Deep Sidhu's police custody extended by 7 days, 'toolkit' FIR gets closer to Red Fort 'conspiracy'

Shahjahanpur protest site: Locals donating to langars in large numbers

Bail for cab driver accused in 'conspiracy' behind

the North-East Delhi riotsBooked those who housed foreigners after Tablighi Jamaat, police tell HC

JNU sedition: Kanhaiya Kumar, others summoned

on March 15

Sedition cannot be invoked to quieten disquiet: Court in case on farm protests

The court also issued notice to the police and sought a status report in the six

fresh petitions

The family has also alleged

that Shiv’s name has not been

mentioned in the FIRs

5, INCLUDING 4 JUVIES, HELD FOR INJURING 2 PEOPLE OVER TIFFNEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Tuesday said that it has arrested five men, including four juveniles, for al-legedly injuring two persons after a personal tiff, here in Jahangirpuri. As per police, on February 15, they received information regarding a quarrel between two groups at G-Block in Jahangirpuri following which when a police team reached the spot, it was alleg-edly revealed that one of the parties, purportedly under the influence of alcohol, collided with a parked motorcycle belonging to another party. “This led to a quarrel between them and resultant firing in which two people from one of the groups sustained gunshot injuries,” police said.

FIR AGAINST HUSBAND WHO KILLED WIFE ON VALENTINE'S DAY IN GZB GHAZIABAD: Following the murder case of a woman, who was killed by her husband in Vasundhara area of Ghaziabad on Monday, police have registered an FIR against her husband who too slit his wrist after killing his wife. Cops said that the husband’s condi-tion is stable and he told police that he committed crime due to financial crisis. The accused identified as Devjeet Dutta killed his wife, Pooja on Valentine’s Day after he left his 10-year-old son at his in-law’s house in Karol Bagh area. Police investigations revealed that he killed his wife on late Sunday night and tried to kill himself by slitting wrist on Monday morning. Superin-tendent of Ghaziabad police (City) Gyanendra Singh said, "He confessed that he had no job and his wife was taking online classes which was not sufficient for the survival of family."

2 NEPALI NATIONALS HELD WITH 16 KG OF DRUGS WORTH OVER Rs 1 CRORE NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Tuesday said it has arrested two Nepali nationals for allegedly possess-ing 16 kg of drugs worth over Rs 1 crore in the inter-national market, here in South Delhi’s Kotla Mubara-kpur. As per police on February 15, they received information that one Nepali national would come near Subzi Mandi in Sewa Nagar with a consignment of a narcotics substance. Following this, a trap was laid at strategic points and the accused was apprehended with 11 kg charas, police said, adding that the other accused was arrested on his instance.

NEWS AT A GLANCE

mp city 3

AIR QUALITY VERY POOR IN CITY, MIN TEMPERATURE SETTLES ABOVE NORMALNEW DELHI: The minimum temperature in the national capital settled one notch above the normal at 11.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. The air quality of Delhi was very poor with the air quality index(AQI) settling at 306 at 9 am, showed the Central Pollution Control Board. The relative humidity was 98 percent at 8.30 am. Some areas of the city experienced mist in the early hours.

GGM SEES 24 CASES, NOIDA REPORTS 6NOIDA/GURUGRAM: Gurugram reported 24 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally here to 58,588. 133 recoveries were also reported, taking total recover-ies to 57,939. There are 293 active patients, of which 263 are under home isolation. A total of over 7.89 lakh samples have been collected in Gurugram to date. Meanwhile, Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded six new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday that pushed the district's infection tally to 25,442, official data showed.

HC CALLS FOR REPORT FROM COURTS ON INFRA FOR HOLDING HYBRID HEARINGSNEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday called for a report from subordinate courts on whether they have the infrastructure for holding hybrid proceedings wherein hearings are held both physically and via video confer-encing simultaneously.

NEWS AT A GLANCE

millenniumpost|NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021

OVER 15,000 BENEFICIARIES RECEIVE SHOTS; 2,532 GET SECOND DOSE

DDA'S HOUSING SCHEME

74TH RAISING DAY

TOTAL CASES6,37,181ACTIVE CASES1,019

DEATH TOLL10,894

HOME ISOLATION416

DELHI COUNT

COVID-19

94 cases, lowest in over 9 monthsROUSHAN ALI

NEW DELHI: Delhi recorded 94 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the lowest in over nine months, while the positivity rate slipped to 0.17 per cent in the city, authorities said.

One fatality was also regis-tered, taking the death toll due to the viral disease to 10,894 in the national Capital, accord-ing to the latest health bulletin issued by the Delhi government.

Delhi had recorded 96 coro-navirus cases on January 27, which was the lowest then in over nine months and the first time that the daily cases' count was below the 100-mark in that month.

No death due to COVID-19 was recorded in the city on Sat-urday, the second time in Febru-ary when the single-day fatality count was nil. On February 9, no fatality from the coronavi-rus infection was registered in the national capital after a gap of nearly nine months.

The fatality count was two

on February 2, 5 and 7.The 94 cases were detected

in the 56,944 tests conducted the previous day, according to the bulletin. The COVID-19 case

tally has climbed to 6,37,181 in the city, the authorities said, adding that the positivity rate has further declined to 0.17 per cent. The tally of active cases

slightly rose to 1,036 on Tues-day from 1,031 the previous day, according to the bulletin.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day

included 34,679 RT-PCR tests and 22,265 rapid antigen tests, the bulletin said.

Meanwhile, over 15,000 ben-eficiaries received COVID-19 vaccine shots on Tuesday, out of whom 2,532 were those who got their second dose, officials said.

The overall turnout was about 50 per cent spread across 298 vaccination centres. The vaccination drive, started on January 16, has picked up pace in the last one week, and on Monday, 2,191 healthcare work-ers who had received their first shots four weeks ago, got their second dose.

On Tuesday, 15,053 benefi-ciaries were vaccinated. Among the healthcare workers, 3,501 got first dose and 2,532 received the second shot. Also, 9,020 frontline workers got their first jabs on Tuesday, a senior official in the Health Department said.

"Six cases of AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) was reported," he said.

Under the nationwide mega vaccination drive launched on

January 16, a total of 4,319 (53 per cent) health workers against a target of 8,117, were admin-istered the shots at 81 centres across the city on day one.

As per doctors, the second dose is to given to a beneficiary after a gap of 28 days.

On Saturday, a total of 13,768 beneficiaries received vaccine shots and second dose began to be given to healthcare workers who had received the first jab 28 days ago.

On the second scheduled day after the rollout of the exer-cise on January 16, the figures stood at 3,598 (44 per cent of the target). The sharp fall had come after one severe and 50 minor adverse effect cases were reported, on the opening day of the vaccination drive. The count on third schedule day was much higher, at 4,936 (48 per cent).

Meanwhile, 100 sanitation workers were vaccinated on the first day of a COVID-19 vaccination drive at a SDMC-run Lajpat Nagar hospital on Tuesday.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said expansion of uni-versities is crucial to improve higher education and urged these institutions to reflect on how to stop 'brain drain'.

In his valedictory address at the North Zone Vice Chancel-lor's Meet organised by Asso-ciation of Indian Universities, he stressed upon the difference between education and human resource development.

"Human Resource Develop-ment is a mere tool of education, it is not the foundation of educa-tion. It is the role and responsi-bility of education to ensure that our children are not considered

as mere tools or instruments for the world but as thriving human beings," he said.

Talking about higher edu-cation in the post-COVID and post-NEP world, Sisodia, who is also Delhi's education minister, said there are certain challenges that universities and educators alike face in the current land-scape of Indian education.

"The first challenge per-tained to the challenge of quantity. We introduced sev-eral missions and laws such as Right to Education. We ensured that all children attend school. We created a bumper crop of school graduates. But then the child asks - Where should I go? What should I do now? We don't have answers," he said.

Sisodia urged universities to think out of the box to find solutions for the large quantities and lack of enough space for the students in higher education.

"The bottom line is that we can say that students who grad-uate from our universities and colleges stands at some level of achievement. We cannot decide the maximum success

a child can reach, but we can decide the minimum limits for quality education. We should guarantee minimum levels of education.

"Talk about research. Talk about entrepreneurship in your convocation, that after graduat-ing, our students created jobs for 2000 people. We have to cele-brate our job providers," he said.

Sisodia also implored uni-versity chancellors and teachers to be mindful of 'brain drain'.

"Universities play a big role in the development of a country. They identify talent and nurture it. As a nation, all of us have failed if our students are study-ing in universities abroad and thereafter contributing to the economy of others," he said.

Dy CM Sisodia urges universities to reflect on how to stop 'brain drain'

CHHAVIANSHIKA SINGH

NEW DELHI: Over 31,000 applications for the new hous-ing scheme of the DDA, were received by the urban body till late evening on Tuesday, which is the last date to apply for it, according to officials.

The scheme was launched on January 2 with 1,354 flats on offer, the costliest ones being worth Rs 2.14 cr in the high-income group category.

Maximum number of flats have been offered in the MIG category — 757. The scheme is completely online, done through newly-developed AWAAS software of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) from processing of application to possession of flats.

"Today is the last date to apply for the schme, and people can apply till midnight tonight. By 7:30 PM, 31,408 people had applied, out of whom 20,468 had also made payments," a senior DDA official said.

Among those who have made the payment, 4,529 applicants were in the eco-nomically weaker sections (EWS) category; 2,178 in the lower income group (LIG) cat-egory and 13,761 in the mid-dle income group (MIG) and higher income group (HIG) categories, he said.

The numbers are likely to swell by midnight when the deadline closes, the official said.

These flats are on offer under the scheme for vari-ous categories of flats, at loca-tions, such as Dwarka, Jasola, Manglapuri, Vasant Kunj and Rohini.

In HIG, LIG and EWS/Janta categories, the number of flats on offer are — 254; 52 and 291, according to the information shared in the brochure of the scheme.

HIG flats are available in three BHK and two BHK cat-egories; while MIG ones are in two BHK category.

In three BHK category of HIG, 215 flats are on offer in Jasola, Pocket 9B in the price range of Rs 1.97 cr to 2.14 cr, the brochure said.

In the same category, 13 flats are on offer in Vasant Kunj in the price range of Rs 1.43 cr to Rs 1.72 cr, it said.

MIG flats are located in Dwarka, Vasant Kunj, and Rohini, while EWS ones in Mangalagiri, officials said.

As the scheme is online, applicants will have to visit DDA only for the purpose of execution deed.

Eligible allottees may avail benefits under credit-linked subsidy scheme under PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana) — Housing for All (Urban), the DDA had earlier said.

Since, a number of conces-sions are being offered under the EWS category, the allot-tees in this category will not be permitted to sell or trans-fer or otherwise part with the possession of the flat in any manner for a period of five years from the delivery of pos-session, it said.

The last DDA Housing Scheme was launched in March 2019, offering nearly 18,000 flats under four categories — 488 (HIG), 1,555 (MIG), 8,383 (LIG) and 7,496 (EWS).

Over 31K applications received till Tuesday

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Noting that the first year of his government was "very tough", Chief Min-ister Arvind Kejriwal on Tues-day said that two crore people of the city together made Delhi a model of success amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kejriwal-led AAP romped home last year, winning 62 of 70 Assembly seats in the polls and formed government in Delhi for the third time in a row. He took oath as chief minister of the national capital on February 16, 2020.

"One year back today you all gave your son another opportunity to serve everyone. It has been a very tough year but all the citizens of Delhi have worked together. All of us together have made Delhi a model of success in the world," Kejriwal said in his message on the first anniversary of his government.

Meanwhile, opposition BJP and Congress attacked the AAP government, accus-ing it "failures" on all fronts.

Kejriwal claimed the Delhi government's work on home isolation, plasma bank and oximeter against coronavi-rus is being discussed all over the world.

Citing various works undertaken by his govern-ment during the lockdown, he said food was provided to "millions" of people, free ration was distributed and transportation was arranged for trapped migrant labour-ers to their homes.

"This is a government of two crore citizens of Delhi which works 24 7 for their development. I can assure you that this government will con-tinue this work. I only want your cooperation and bless-ings," he said. Despite the

challenges, the government continued free electricity and water scheme, and the stu-dents of Delhi schools made everyone proud by scoring 98 per cent result in the board examination, he said.

The Delhi government also came up with a solution to the stubble burning prob-lem, he said referring to use of biodecomposer pro-moted in the rural parts of the national Capital. "Stub-ble burning is the key reason behind air pollution in Delhi. But now the Delhi farmers do not burn stubble anymore," he claimed.

The chief minister also claimed that during six years of AAP rule every child in Delhi was getting "quality" education, while people were getting "afford-able" healthcare and 24-hour power supply.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain announced that after defeating Coro-navirus, Delhi government will aim to clean the Yamuna river in 3 years from now. He claimed that 13,66,000 people got zero water bills last year.

He also said that 73 per cent of people got zero elec-tricity bill during Coronavi-rus. Delhi's Electric-Vehicle policy will aid in minimising the vehicular pollution.

Delhiites made city a model of success amid pandemic: CM

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Jan Sampark Vahan was launched on the occasion of 74th Raising Day of Delhi Police to strengthen police-public relations and to publicize various online ser-vices, mobile applications, helpline numbers and other facilities for citizens.

As per Delhi Police, Jan Sampark Vahan demonstrates on LED screen the Delhi Police heritage, good works done by the city police during Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown and various online services, facili-ties available for public. "Like-wise, the Prabodhini Vahan has been launched by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in asso-ciation with State Bank of India (SBI) to make citizens aware of the recent trends of various kinds of frauds," police said.

Minister of State (Home) G Kishan Reddy took the salute as Chief Guest, in the presence of the Commissioner of Police, SN Shrivastava.

Dedicating the Jan Sam-park Vahan and Prabodhini Vahan to the people of Delhi, CP Delhi praised police per-sonnel for their firm handling of anti-CAA protests. "Delhi Police has registered a record 755 cases in the riots that broke out and conveyed in no uncer-tain terms its intention of inves-tigating the riot cases freely and

fairly, he said," CP Delhi said. The Delhi Police personnel rose to the occasion in ensuring the lockdown and facilitating the supply of essential commodities and services to the residents, the police chief said.

“The Delhi Police let its work speak for itself in its bid to fulfil this mandate”, the CP, Delhi said. Union MoS Home, G Kishan Reddy said Delhi is always at the centre of all activi-ties and hence it is always at the target of intolerant forces that do not like the process of nation-building. However, the Delhi Police has led by example while handling violent organi-zations in anti-CAA protests with firm hands.

He also praised the impar-tial registration and dedicated and scientific investigation of cases related to NE riots. He also lauded the patience, grit, bravery and restraint shown by police personnel, when anti-national forces took shield of farmers and indulged in large scale vandalism on January 26. "However, not a single life was lost which demonstrates the commitment shown by the force, which saw more than 500 of its personnel injured", he said. G Kishan Reddy praised Pratima Shrivastava, chairper-son of PFWS for providing specialized training to youth in various skills for becoming atmanirbhar.

Delhi Police handling of riots gets praise from CP, MoS Home

PIC/NAVEEN SHARMA

NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021|millenniumpostmp nation4

False propaganda over farm laws, they benefit small farmers: Modi

‘Govt trying to rectify mistakes of earlier regimes that had failed to honour deserving leaders’

OUR CORRESPONDENT

VANSDA (GUJ): Union min-ister and BJP MP Smriti Irani on Tuesday dared Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to "take out money" from the pockets of small tea traders of Gujarat and to contest elections from the state if he has "guts".

She also alleged the Con-gress' "hatred and prejudice" towards Gujarat and its people was not new, "as Rahul Gandhi and his party had objected to the proposal to build the Statue of Unity in the memory of Sar-dar Vallabhbhai Patel in Guja-rat". Irani was referring to the remarks made by the former Congress chief at a poll rally in Assam in which he spoke about hiking the daily wage of tea workers by making tea gar-den owners from Gujarat pay, if his party is voted to power in that state.

"Rahul Gandhi recently said in a rally in Assam that he will take out money from the pock-ets of small tea traders of Guja-rat. Earlier, they (Congress) had issues with the tea seller (PM

Narendra Modi), and now they have problems with those who drink tea," Irani said at a pub-lic rally for upcoming elections to local bodies held at Vansda town in Navsari district.

"I want to challenge Rahul Gandhi to try ('azma lo') Guja-rat if he has guts. I also chal-lenge him to contest polls from Gujarat. That will clear all his misconceptions," the Minis-ter for Textiles and Women & Child Development said.

Rahul Gandhi had said the Congress will hike the daily wages of tea garden workers if voted to power in Asasam.

"Tea garden workers of Assam get Rs 167 per day, while traders from Gujarat get

tea gardens. The Congress will put Rs 365 as daily wage into the pockets of the tea garden workers. Now you will ask me where will the money come from?...It will come from the traders of Gujarat," he had said.

Irani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of Gujarat had come up with the idea of constructing a grand monument dedicated to Sar-dar Patel.

"However, Rahul Gandhi and his family objected to this proposal as their entire politics was always about erasing Sar-dar Patel's name from the pages of history," said Irani.

She alleged that when peo-ple are donating iron articles to build Patel's statue, "I thought that Congress leaders would shun that prejudice and join this movement".

"But, they could not remove that hatred and prejudice towards Gujarat and Gujaratis from their minds. As instructed by Rahul and his mother (Sonia Gandhi), the opposition party disrespected the Statue of Unity," the BJP MP alleged.

Irani dares Rahul to take out money from tea traders in Guj

OUR CORRESPONDENT

LUCKNOW: Accusing the opposition of false propaganda against the new agri-market-ing legislation, Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi Tuesday claimed that those who had made laws for bringing in for-eign firms are now creating a scare among farmers over local companies.

While laying the founda-tion stone for a statue of war-rior-king Suheldev in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich, Modi also said his government is trying to rectify the mistakes of the earlier regimes that had failed to honour deserving leaders.

Addressing the event through video conference, the prime minister defended the new farm laws, saying the reforms will benefit the small and marginal farmers. Farmers themselves have begun expos-ing those involved in false pro-paganda about them, he said.

His remarks come amid weeks of protests at the borders of Delhi by farmers who say the new laws will throw them at the

mercy of big private compa-nies, which will set their own price for farm produce.

But the Modi government says the new laws only give farmers the option of selling their crops to private compa-nies, and government agencies will continue to buy them as before.

The prime minister said farmers in Uttar Pradesh have been getting encourag-ing results after the enactment of the new laws. “The entire country has seen that those who made laws for bringing in foreign companies in the farm sector are now scaring farmers in the name of local companies, he said, without elaborating.

The BJP has in the past claimed that other parties too had advocated similar farm reforms in the past, but failed to implement them.

Those who spoke lies and carried out false propaganda for politics are now being exposed, he said.

He unveiled beautification projects in Shravasti and Bah-raich, honouring the 11th cen-

tury king who is an icon of the state’s Rajbhar community.

Though Maharaja Suhel-dev’s bravery has not found place in history books, he has always been in the hearts of people through the folklore of Awadh, Terai and Purvanchal, he said. Modi hailed his image as a development-oriented and sensitive ruler.

In his 30-minute speech, the PM accused the previous governments of not honour-ing leaders like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallab-hbhai Patel and B R Ambedkar.

He said the history of India

is not just what has been writ-ten by those with a slave men-tality. It is also imbibed by common people through ‘lok gathas’, or folklore.

As the country enters the 75th year of its Independence, it is time to remember their contribution and take inspira-tion from them, he added.

It is unfortunate that those who committed their lives to saving Bharat and ‘Bharati-yata’ were not given the place they deserved, he said, adding that India today is rectifying the injustice done to those who created history.

He asked if Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who was the first prime minister of the Azad Hind government, or his Azad Hind Fauj’s contribution, were given their due recognition.

He recalled Sardar Patel’s contribution in incorporat-ing the princely states into the Union, adding that what was done to his legacy is known to every child in the country.

On Ambedkar, Modi said his contribution was also only looked through the political prism. But now from India to England, all places connected with Ambedkar are being developed as panch teerth , or pilgrimage spots.

The projects launched in Bahraich include the construc-tion of a 4.20-metre high statue of Suheldev, who is said to have killed Ghaznavid general Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud in a battle on the banks of the Chittora lake in Bahraich in 1033.

Also planned is the devel-opment of tourist ameni-ties including a cafeteria, a guesthouse and a children’s park there.

SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said her party was not merely demanding statehood but the restoration of pre-August 2019 status for Jammu and Kashmir.

She also called for resump-tion of dialogue for the resolu-tion of the Kashmir issue and alleged that there was “jungle raj” in the country.

“We are not demanding (the return of) statehood. We are demanding the pre-August 5, 2019 position of J&K and we also want the Kashmir issue -- for which thousands of youth

have rendered sacrifices, lakhs of homes have been destroyed and losses in millions of rupees have been suffered -- to be resolved by talking to Pakistan and the people of J&K,” Mufti said. The PDP chief was speak-ing to reporters after the party’s convention in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Mufti said and people were being arrested first and then their crime was being proven.

“There is a saying that show me a person, I will show you the crime, which means that first they arrest a person, then

they prove the crime. Many of our leaders are in custody and they have been shown no orders and there is nothing against them. “There is jungle raj here right now, the jungle raj is happening across the coun-try also now, but it is more so in J&K,” she said.

On the arrest of National Conference (NC) leader Hilal Lone, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state said the BJP government was “inflict-ing cruelty” on the people of Kashmir as well as the people in other parts of the country.

“Wherever they think there is some resistance, someone is raising his voice against their cruelty and tyranny, see they have arrested a 21-year-

old girl, what they have done with the farmers Some of the cruelty and tyranny that they have done in Kashmir is being witnessed in other parts of the country.

“Our farmer brothers and young girls are also now see-ing what cruelty the BJP gov-ernment is inflicting upon the people of Kashmir,” she said.

Asked about the future of the People’s Alliance for Gup-kar Declaration (PAGD), an alliance of several mainstream parties seeking the return of the special status of the erstwhile

state, Mufti said the people want the alliance to continue.

“The Gupkar alliance talks about the aspirations of the people of J&K. The people of J&K want the alliance to con-tinue and this alliance will be there till the people of J&K want it to be,” she said.

Mufti also demanded immediate release of all polit-ical prisoners and youths, including former MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid who is under detention since August 5, 2019 when the Centre abrogated Article 370.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI: Assam Tourism Minister Chandan Brahma reg-istered the highest growth rate of assets while Health Minis-ter Himanta Biswa Sarma and former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta also figure among the top five re-elected MLAs whose assets increased significantly, according to a report.

Brahma, who belongs to Bodoland People's Front (BFP) heads the list of the highest growth of assets and is followed by AIUDF's Abdur Rahim Ajmal, Nazrul Islam of Con-gress, BJP's Sarma and AGP's Mahanta, according to an anal-ysis of assets of 34 re-elected MLAs in the 2016 assembly elections by the Assam Elec-tion Watch.

The average growth of

assets of re-elected MLAs in 2016 was Rs 1.48 crore, reg-istering an increase by 95 per cent, the report said.

Brahma's assets increased from Rs two crore in 2011 to Rs nine crore in 2016, register-ing an increase of 268 per cent while Ajmal's increased from Rs six crore to Rs 13 crore.

Sarma, who joined the BJP from Congress before the 2016 assembly polls, has an increase in assets from Rs three crore to six crore, registering a growth of 108 per cent.

The two-time former AGP chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta’s assets increased from Rs four crore to seven crore, registering an increase of 63 per cent.

Islams assets increased from Rs two crore to Rs five crore, registering an increase of 129 per cent.

BPF as a party registered the highest average increase of 200.97 per cent in assets fol-lowed by the AIUDF with 93.26 per cent, Congress by 85.75 per cent, BJP by 75.82 per cent and AGP by 95 per cent. Among 34 re-elected MLAs whose assets were analysed, 10 are from the Congress, eight each from rul-ing alliance partners BJP and BPF and four each from AGP, also an alliance partner of the government, and AIUDF.

The MLAs include eight ministers - three from the BPF, two each from the BJP and besides Sarma and Brahma, they include BJPs Naba Kumar Doley and Pijush Hazarika, BPFs Pramila Rani Brahma and Rihon Daimary and AGPs Keshab Mahanta and Phani Bhushan Choudhury.

The other MLAs whose assets have increased between

the two assembly polls include BJP state unit President Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Padma Hazarika, Binanda Kumar Saikia, Pras-anta Phukan and Bolin Che-tia, BPFs Emmaneul Mosahary, Maneswar Brahma, Majendra Narzary, Kamalsingh Narzary and Kamali Basumatari and AGP's Utpal Dutta.

The other Congress MLAs include Sherman Ali Ahmed, Rakibul Hussain, Rekibud-din Ahmed, late Jamaluddin Ahmed, Sukur Ali, Md Ilias Ali, Rupjyoti Kurmi and Kamal-akhya Dey Purkayastha and AIUDF's Hafiz Bashir Ahmed and Aminul Islam.

Congress Legislature Party Chief Debabrata Saikia and AIUDF's Abul Kalam Azad had shown a decrease in their assets with the former's declining by 17 per cent and the latter's by two per cent.

Average assets of re-elected Assam MLAs increased by 95%

OUR CORRESPONDENT

SHIMLA: More than 600 development projects ranging from Green Corridor National Highways, Double-lane NHs, road expansions, drinking water supply schemes and urban parking have picked up the pace in Himachal Pradesh.

On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed the state gov-ernment to go ahead with all the projects, which had been hanging in fire for want of For-est Conservation Act (FCA) and Forest Rights Act clear-ances for several years.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday released the list of 605 projects, which were held up in the Supreme Court and were facing uncer-tainties despite approvals granted by the state and Cen-tral governments along with sufficient provision of funding.

“Some of the notable projects are Green Corridor NH Sirmour (Rs 1337 crore and two lane NH no. 20A (New NH 503) Dharamshala (Rs 61.48 crore) sanctioned by Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Dhaulasidh hydel project (Rs 46.80 crore),” he said.

Thakur recalled his meet-ing with Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi some months back when he explained difficulties in execution of the projects worth crores because of FCA and FRA approvals not com-ing from the Supreme Court.

“At Prime Minister’s advice, I had a meeting with Solicitor

General of India Tushar Mehta and briefed him with the pending clearances. Finally, the Supreme Court has now granted its green signal and we are thankful to the Apex Court and Tushar Mehta,” said Thakur.

Out of the 605 projects, the FCA clearances have been accorded to 138 projects. These are 20 electric projects, 88 road projects, five each of drink-ing water and other projects, three bus stand projects, two each of degree colleges, trea-sury office buildings, sewerage treatment plants, Car Parking, Sub Market Yard, Police Post, Gau Sadan, Ropeway Manali, Helipad, Shiv Dham Mandi and bridge.

For other 465 projects, the government has been given FRA approvals. These include 334 road projects, 53 schools, 20 community cen-tres, 18 drinking water supply and water pipelines, 13 tanks and other minor water bod-ies, 10 dispensaries or hos-pitals, seven anganwadis, six skill upgradation or voca-tional training centres, minor irrigation channel and water or raining water harvesting structure.

Chief Minister said the court has also cleared proj-ects of HP Power Transmis-sion Corporation Limited worth Rs 338.31 crore includ-ing Rs 119.58 crore 220 KV Transmission line from Dehan to Hamirpur and Rs 108. 58 crore 66/220 KV Heiling Sub Station at Laha.

Boost for Himachal CM as SC gives nod

to devp projects

NEW DELHI: As the farmers' stir against three new agricul-ture laws of the Centre inches towards the three-month mark, crowds at the major protest sites –Singhu, Tikri and Ghazi-pur borders –visibly appear to be thinning, but the leaders maintain that their movement is now stronger than ever.

Even as the "langars" and tents at Delhi's borders appear vacant, the farmer leaders insist that the crowd is merely shift-ing from one spot to another to mobilise more people to join the movement.

"The crowd is not thinning at all. We are simply trying to decentralise the movement and mobilise people in villages and districts, and not just in Punjab and Haryana.

"If creating a wave in Pun-jab took a few months, creating a similar impact in the entire country will take a little more time, but our movement is not losing steam. In fact, from our perspective, it is only strength-ening by the day," Avtar Singh Mehma of the Krantikari Kisan Union (Punjab) said on Tuesday.

He said many farmers have been travelling back and forth between their homes and the borders of the national capital as they have to manage their farms as well, but the strength of the protesters at the bor-ders has remained "more or less steady" and the numbers are only expected to increase after the "chakka jam" of Feb-ruary 18.

"The Samyukt Kisan Mor-cha is strategising to keep the count stable at the borders, while allowing the protesters to manage work at home, but the number of people at the borders will only increase after February 18.

"Very soon, we will also call farmers from all over the country to join us on a march

to Delhi on foot," Mehma said.Thousands of farmers,

mainly from Punjab and Hary-ana, have been camping at mul-tiple border points of Delhi to protest against the three farm laws, which they claim will do away with the minimum sup-port price (MSP) system, leav-ing them at the mercy of big corporations.

The organisation of "maha-panchayats" across Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan to garner support for the stir has also resulted in the thinning of the crowd at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders.

"Many people from Singhu came along with me when I went to Karnal for the maha-panchayat and they stayed back. We are also going to mobilise people from places such as Raj-asthan's Sikar and regions of eastern Uttar Pradesh, but this is just a temporary phenom-enon. The crowd will be back in full force after February 18," Jagmohan Singh, general sec-retary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Dakaunda), said.

"People want to be part of the mahapanchayats, especially when leaders like (Rakesh) Tikait are speaking, so they move to specific locations to join the programme, but that

does not mean that they are going back. They are simply relocating," Paramjit Singh, general secretary of the BKU (Lakhowal), said.

He said the protest-ers are taking turns to come to the major protest sites, so that all farmers can partici-pate in the movement and take care of their households simultaneously.

"For instance, if 10 people from my village come to the Delhi borders, they will stay for seven to 10 days, and then, 10 other people from the village will come and relieve them.

"But our resolve has only strengthened and we will not let the movement fizzle out at any cost. We will continue with this agitation until our demands are met," he added.

With the discussions with the government still making no headway, the farmers are pre-pared to take their movement well into the summer heat.

"The government thinks that we will not be able to bear the heat and go back, but we have been receiving help from differ-ent organisations and our NRI friends. We will continue to get that. And tents and coolers will be arranged to beat the heat," Paramjit Singh said. AGENCIES

Crowds thin at Singhu, Tikri; movement stronger than ever, say farmer leaders

NEW DELHI: Farmers' union Samyukta Kisan Mor-cha, which is leading the agitation against new agri laws, on Tuesday demanded immediate dismissal of Hary-ana ministers JP Dalal and Anil Vij alleging them to be "anti-farmer".

Haryana Agriculture Min-ister Dalal on Saturday kicked up a row with his remark over farmers' death at various pro-test sites, saying they would have died even if they had

stayed back home.Dalal was responding to

a reporter's query in in Bhi-wani over the "death of 200 farmers".

Haryana Home Minis-ter Vij also courted contro-versy on Monday when he said whoever harbours seeds of anti-nationalism in their minds should destroy them.

The minister made the comment while referring to climate activist Disha Ravi's arrest.

"Whoever harbours seeds of anti-nationalism in their mind, they have to completely destroy it, be it #Disha_Ravi or anyone else," Vij had tweeted.

Demanding the immedi-ate dismissal of "anti-farmer ministers" like Dalal and Vij, farmer leader Darshan Pal said, "Mahapanchayats in Haryana are adopting reso-lutions to this effect and have also sent their resolution cop-ies to the chief minister and governor of Haryana". AGENCIES

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Building pres-sure on the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over high excise duty on petroleum products, the Con-gress on Tuesday demanded immediate withdrawal of addi-tional excise duty by referring to it as “Modi tax.”

While addressing a Press conference, Congress spokes-person Pawan Khera said that the Modi government has col-lected more than Rs 20 lakh crore from additional excise duty collection.

“We demand an immediate withdrawal of this additional “Modi Tax” imposed over the last six years and eight months. This in itself will reduce pet-rol price to Rs 61.92 per litre and diesel price to Rs 47.51 per litre. Every common Indian deserves this relief immedi-ately,” Khera said.

“India refuses to get busy in manufactured controver-

sies, fake outrage and state-sponsored distractions. India demands responsible gover-nance. India deserves a gov-ernment which works and thinks for every single Indian not just a government of hum do, humare do,” he said.

He further said that when former Prime Minister Man-mohan Singh demitted office in May 2014, the international crude oil price was $108 per barrel yet petrol was sold at Rs 71.51 per litre in Delhi and die-sel at Rs 57.28.

“As on February 1, 2021, international crude oil price was $54.41 per barrel, just half of May 2014, yet the price as of today of petrol is Rs 89.29 per litre and diesel Rs 79.70 per litre,” Khera added.

The Congress leader alleged the BJP and its eco-system always keeps citizens engaged on emotive issues that generate “hatred, fear or anger to distract attention from its failure”.

Withdraw ‘Modi tax’ on fuel prices

immediately: Cong

SKM terms Dalal, Vij 'anti-farmer', demands their immediate dismissal

FORMER BIHAR-JHARKHAND GOVERNOR RAMA JOIS PASSES WAY BENGALURU: Former Governor of Bihar and Jharkhand M Rama Jois died here on Tuesday after prolonged illness, family sources said. A former Rajya Sabha MP, the 88-year-old legal luminary who had also served as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, was suffering from age re-lated ailments, they added. Born on July 27,1932 at Shivamogga, Mandagadde Rama Jois did his BA and Law degree. He was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from the beginning.

J&K: MILITANTS TRIGGER IED BLAST TO TARGET CRPF VEHICLE IN ANANTNAGSRINAGAR: Militants triggered an improvised explo-sive device (IED) to target a security forces vehicle in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, but there was no loss of life, police said. Militants targeted a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bun-ker vehicle in Pazalpora area of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, a police officer said. He said the blast damaged a few civilian vehicles, but no loss of life was reported.

BRIEFSNATION

‘PDP demanding restoration of pre-August 2019 status for J&K’

Farmers perform ‘puja’ on the occasion of Basant Panchami during their agitation over new farm laws, at Ghazipur border, in New Delhi

mp 5millenniumpost|NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021

ADVERTORIAL

There have been variousinstances of goodgovernance and great

governments throughouthistory. But such recognitiondoes not come without its owntrials and tribulations. They areespecially tested on their abilityand skill in handling disastersor challenges faced by thecountries across the world.Perhaps the most formidablechallenge to humanity atpresent is Coronavirus, whichhas impacted the entire world.There are very fewgovernments in the world thathave faced this unprecedentedcrisis with great skill, sincerityand patience. While the impactand fear of this pandemic isdiminishing today, India is beingpraised all over the world for itshandling of the pandemic. Andin this concerted effort of thenation, the contribution of Delhigovernment is unforgettable.The sudden lockdownannounced in the last week ofMarch, not only impacted thehealth sector, but alsochallenged the governments onall fronts of everyday life. Theattention of the entire countryand the world was focused onDelhi, which with its densepopulation of nearly 2 crorepeople was especiallyvulnerable to the pandemic. Inthis dire situation, the ArvindKejriwal led Delhi governmentcourageously confronted andskillfully handled the combinedonslaught of challenges likeCoronavirus transmission,migration, hunger,unemployment and education.Each new initiative and schemelaunched by the Delhigovernment to combat eachchallenge during lockdownbecame a precedent for theentire world. As the impact ofthe pandemic first began beingfelt in Delhi, the governmentstarted implementing ideas forthe poor and destitute. TheDelhi government immediatelybegan providing free cookedfood to nearly a million peopleduring the lockdown. Not onlythis, the Kejriwal ledgovernment distributed dryrations free of charge, tomillions of people trapped

within the confines of theirhomes during lockdown. Forthose who were impoverishedbut did not have ration cards, anew scheme was launched toregister them online so thatthey could avail free ration.Financial assistance wasprovided to those employed inthe public transportation sectoras well as to constructionworkers. The biggest challengewas handling the massmigration of workers fromDelhi. People come to Delhi towork from all over the countryand with transportation closed,it became an especially oneroustask to send them back to theirhomes. The entire nation waslooking towards Delhi, but theearnestness and systematicmanner with which the Delhigovernment overcame thischallenge sets a wonderfulexample for good governance.In times of crisis, the publiclooked up to the government,and Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal must be applauded ashe never let the public feeldisheartened during thepandemic. Perhaps this is thereason that in that era of greatturmoil, when news of tragedyand misery was pouring in fromacross the country, the DelhiGovernment was gearing up tomeet the challenges ahead.

This is an excellent illustrationof the Delhi government's far-sightedness. While even thegovernments of developedcountries were unable tocomprehend how to fightagainst Corona, the Delhigovernment launched severalbrilliant and effective initiativesduring this period. Thecountry's largest COVID carecenter was established in thecapital. Many new hospitalswere also opened in this period.Delhi was the first in thecountry to successfully deployhome isolation. The help ofvarious agencies was taken to

ensure that such patients livingin their homes did not have anyproblem with doctors or othermedical facilities. Freeoximeters were also provided toeach patient. Delhi's homeisolation model even receivedtremendous praise from theCentral government. Similarly,when the rest of thegovernments were in adilemma about plasma therapy,the Delhi government started itimmediately after gettingassurances from doctors andexperts. Plasma banks werealso established. There was atime when an entire area wassealed off whenever a patientwas infected. Delhidemonstrated for the first timethat it is unnecessary to sealthe entire city for fear ofinfection. In November, a recordeight and a half thousandpatients were found infected ona single day. But the Delhigovernment overcame thiscritical situation very efficiently.First, the speed of testing wasaccelerated. Presently, 1 croretests have been conducted inDelhi which is equivalent tomore than half the population ofthe state. It is the highest in thecountry. The 4-T measuresinitiated by Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal were also lateradopted in other states.

The Delhi government'sfocus has been onestablishing connectivity

in every part of Delhi alongwith bringing an environment-friendly transport system. Tofulfill this, Arvind Kejriwal-ledDelhi government became oneof the first state governmentsto draft an ambitious ElectricVehicle Policy and then inAugust 2020 the governmentnotified this. The Delhigovernment launched theElectric Vehicle Policy underwhich it aims to waive off theregistration fee, road tax, andprovides an incentive of upto1.5 lakh for new cars. Throughthis policy, the governmentaims to generate employmentto give a boost to Delhi'seconomy and reduce pollutionlevels in the national capital.The Delhi EV policy envisagesthat 25% of all new vehicleregistrations should be BatteryElectric Vehicles (BEVs) by2024. Under this policy, theDelhi government will give anincentive of up to Rs 30,000for two-wheelers, autos, e-rickshaws and freight vehicleswhile for cars, it will providean incentive of up to Rs 1.5lakh. To expedite electricvehicle adoption, CM ArvindKejriwal launched ‘SwitchDelhi’ campaign on February 5.The CM appealed to people tobuy electric vehicles to combatpollution in the city. The Delhi

government has also plannedto hire only electric vehicles forgovernmental purposes in thenext six months. The Delhigovernment asked deliverychains and big companies,resident welfare associations,market associations, malls andcinema halls to promoteelectric vehicles and set upcharging stations at theirpremises. Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal also appealed to the

youth to buy an electric vehicleas their first vehicle. Heappealed to people to makethe campaign a massmovement. The Delhigovernment's electric vehiclepolicy is being hailed as one ofthe best policies in the world.Through the 'Switch Delhi'campaign, awareness will becreated about the benefits ofelectric vehicles and how itcan contribute to making Delhi

clean and pollution-free.Appeal was made to thepeople to take part in thecampaign to promote thereplacement of polluting petroland diesel vehicles withelectric vehicles and make acontribution towards apollution-free Delhi. The Delhigovernment has beencombating the menace of airpollution through multiplemeasures. In the first week of

the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign –which was launched by chiefminister Arvind Kejriwal topromote electric vehicles (EV)in the city – the governmentwill focus on outreachregarding the two-wheelersegment including electricbikes and e-scooters toaccelerate its adoption. Delhi’sEV Policy especially focuses onincentivizing the purchase oftwo-wheelers, which comprise

two-thirds of all vehicles inDelhi and cause maximumpollution. Incentives up to Rs30,000 can be availed uponthe purchase of two-wheelerslisted under the policy alongwith scrapping incentives.Under Delhi’s EV policy, 23two-wheeler models areavailable and eligible forpurchase and scrappingincentives across sevenmanufacturers. By switchingto electric two-wheelers whichhave very low operating costs,an individual can make anannual saving ofapproximately Rs 22,000 ascompared to using petrolscooter and Rs 20,000 ascompared to a petrol bike. Anaverage electric two-wheelerprovides a lifetime savings of1.98 tonnes of carbonemissions as compared to anaverage petrol two-wheeler,which is equivalent to plantingeleven trees. The Delhigovernment has launchedsocial media handles for itslatest campaign "SwitchDelhi". The DDC will beleading the social mediaoutreach programme for thecampaign on various socialmedia platforms like onTwitter, Facebook, LinkedInand Instagram, said an officialstatement. This will help theDelhi government to betterconnect with the citizens of Delhi.

To make commuting ofresidents of Delhi smoothand faster, the Delhi

government led by Arvind Kejriwalhas built various new flyovers andunderpasses across the capitalwhich were completed evenbefore scheduled time. Thegovernment in a record timecompleted two flyovers (ShastriPark and Seelampur) and bothhave been completed at Rs 250crore, a cost less than thesanctioned cost of Rs 303 crore,saving Rs 53 crores. Theconstruction of these flyovers hasbrought relief to around 1.5 lakhvehicle owners daily. The twoflyovers will significantly reducetravel time between Shahdara ineast Delhi to Kashmere GateInterstate Bus Terminus. Theupcoming Ashram underpass

estimated at Rs 78 crores willalso be completed in a year’stime. The elevated corridor of RaoTula Ram flyover, built on theouter ring road, will helpdecongest the area and prove aboon for people commutingtowards the IGI airport from southDelhi and Noida.

DELHI GOVERNMENT SETSA PRECEDENT IN COVIDMANAGEMENTSeveral exemplary initiatives and steps by the Delhi government madethe fight against Corona in Delhi easier

The Delhi governmentskillfully handled the

combined onslaught ofchallenges like

coronavirustransmission, migration,hunger, unemployment

and education

Delhi has conducted thehighest number of

COVID testing,equivalent to more thanhalf the population of

Delhi being tested

LAUNCH OF ‘SWITCH DELHI’ CAMPAIGNTO PROMOTE ELECTRIC VEHICLESDelhi government is amongst the first stategovernments in India to notify an electric vehicle policy

CM Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government askeddelivery chains and big companies, resident welfareassociations, market associations, malls and cinema

halls to promote electric vehicles and set upcharging stations at their premises

In the 'Switch Delhi' campaign, awareness will becreated about the benefits of electric vehicles andhow it can contribute to making Delhi clean and

pollution-free

DELHI GOVERNMENT SAVES CRORES IN BUILDING OF FLYOVERSTo make commuting of Delhi residents faster, the Delhi governmenthas built new flyovers and underpasses in record time

Delhi government led by CM Arvind Kejriwalcompleted two flyovers (Shastri Park and Seelampur)

in record time and saved Rs 53 crores in theconstruction cost

The two flyovers will significantly reduce travel timebetween Shahdara in East Delhi to Kashmere Gate

Interstate Bus Terminus (ISBT)

Delhi got featured in the list ofWorld’s Best Cities for 2021 makingour Delhi the only Indian city to rank

among the 100 best cities across theworld. Delhi, the national capital of India,secured the 62nd position in thisprestigious list. Last year, Delhi was at the81st position and has significantlyimproved its ranking this year. Thecontinuous development work of CMArvind Kejriwal has brought only greatnews for the citizens of Delhi. The rankingwas done by Resonance ConsultancyLimited which is based out of Vancouverand specialises in destinationdevelopment, branding, marketing, design,tourism, data, and travel reports. Some ofthe other cities that have been featured inthe list include Amsterdam, Rome,Washington DC, Toronto, Prague, and StPetersburg. CM Arvind Kejriwal said,"Such good news for all Dilliwalas. All dilliwalas have worked so hard in the last six

years to make it happen. The world isnoticing the positive changes happeningin Delhi." Deputy Chief Minister ShriManish Sisodia said, "Congratulations toall the proud people of Delhi and DelhiChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for theleadership. Our beloved Delhi is ranked 62

in World's Best cities. The only Indian cityin the list. There is a significantimprovement from the past ranking i.e.81." This ranking has given the nationalcapital 62nd position, making it the onlyIndian city to feature in the list.Reportedly, the ranks have been given to100 cities from across the world with apopulation of over 10 lakh. The rankingwas based on the basis of diverse factors,including online hashtags, number ofcheck-ins, diversity, tourist attractions,weather and more. It also included factorslike Covid-19 infections in July, incomeincongruity and unemployment. WhileRome (Italy), Chicago (United States),Toronto (Canada), San Francisco (USA),Amsterdam (Netherlands), Berlin(Germany), Prague (Czech Republic) andWashington DC (United States) took thenew few spots, Delhi in India was ranked62 on the list, the only Indian city to havebeen featured on the list.

Delhi becomes the only Indiancity to get featured in the list ofthe World’s Best Cities for 2021Under Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi has experienced rapid development in the past 6 years

Under the leadership of CMKejriwal, Delhi has featured in

the list of World’s Best Cities for2021 and is the only Indian city

to rank among the 100 bestcities across the world

Delhi is the only Indian city tofeature on the list, acquiring62nd position in the list of

World’s Best Cities for 2021

mp nation6 NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021|millenniumpost

UTTARAKHAND: BADRINATH TO REOPEN FOR DEVOTEES ON MAY 18 DEHRADUN: The sacred portals of Badrinath will be reopened for devotees on May 18 this year. The gates of the famous Himalayan temple located in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district are closed every year with the onset of winter during which it remains snow-bound. The temple will be reopened for devotees at 4.15 am on May 18, a Chardham Devasthanam Board official said. The auspicious hour and date for the reopening of the Himalayan temple was de-cided at a ceremony held on the occasion of Basant Panchami on Tuesday at Narendra Nagar palace, the residence of the erstwhile Tehri royals, he said.

MAHA: FOUR OF FAMILY KILLED IN PUNE-MUMBAI EXPRESSWAY ACCIDENT MUMBAI: Five persons, including four members of a family, were killed and as many others were injured in the early hours of Tuesday when a container truck rammed into two cars and another vehicle near Kho-poli town on Pune-Mumbai Expressway in Maharash-tra, police said. The deceased included a veterinary doctor working with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Cor-poration (NMMC) who, along with his family members, was returning to Navi Mumbai from Pune in one of the cars, a police official said. The incident occurred near Khalapur toll plaza when the truck hit two cars and a goods vehicle from behind, he said, adding that the driver of the truck was speeding when he apparently lost his control over the wheel. Deceased were identi-fied as veterinarian Dr Viabhav (41), his mother (63), wife (38) and a daughter (5), the official said.

GOLD, REVOLVER, `10 LAKH CASH STOLEN FROM BJP LEADER’S HOUSE HISAR: Jewellery, a licensed revolver, Rs 10 lakh and other valuables were stolen from BJP leader SonaliPhogat’s house here in Haryana, police said on Tuesday. In her complaint, Phogat said that the theft took place when she was in Chandigarh. Though there were CCTV cameras in the house, but the thieves took the digital video recorder (DVR) that contained footage, police said. HTM Station House Officer (SHO) Sukhjit said that the theft case is being probed. Phogat in her complaint said on February 9, she went to Chandigarh after locking her house. When she returned to Hisar on February 15, the locks were bro-ken, police said. Gold and silverware, a silver pot, Rs 10 lakh cash, jewellery, a .22 bore licensed pistol and eight cartridges were found missing from the house, they said. Phogat had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 assembly polls from the Adampur seat against Congress leader KuldeepBishnoi, son of former Hary-ana chief minister, late Bhajan Lal.

BRIEFSNATION

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TAPOVAN/ DEHRADUN: Two more bodies were recovered early Tuesday from the Tapovan tunnel where efforts were underway on the 10th consecutive day to reach workers feared trapped inside after a flash flood in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district.

The confirmed death toll in the Chamoli disaster has now mounted to 58 and another 148 people are missing, an official said.

Eleven of the bodies were recovered from the tunnel at the National Thermal Power Corporation’s Tapovan-Vishnugad project site, where about 30 people were initially feared trapped.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) commandant P K Tiwari said the search-and-rescue operations will go on till the last victim is reached. But he also indicated that the

clearing the sludge and the debris from the entire tunnel could take months.

Asked about the chances of survival of those missing or trapped, the NDRF commandant said he cannot say anything with certainty, but miracles do happen.

“We found a survivor

in Himachal Pradesh even on the 10th day of a similar tragedy. There are miracles, he said, while reminding that “lakhs of tonnes” of sludge is packed into the tunnel after the February 7 disaster.

However, as a soldier and a rescuer, I can only say the operations will continue till

the last victim is reached,” Tiwari said.

Rescue work at the site progressed slower Tuesday than on other days with water seeping out of the debris from the yet to be cleared portion of the tunnel.

About 150 metres of the tunnel have been cleared so far of the debris pushed into by surge of water, apparently triggered by an avalanche in the upper reaches of the Alaknanda river system.

Meanwhile, unscientific cutting of Himalayan soil by infrastructure projects is disrupting the fragile ecology of the region and causing disasters, warned a former

official of the Geological Survey of India on Tuesday.

Former additional director general of GSI Tribhuwan Singh Pangti, who was associated with the now demolished Rishiganga hydroelectric project for initial two years as a geologist, said the hydroelectric companies working in the Himalayas have no knowledge of land formation of the region due to which all projects are causing natural disasters.

“Separating layers of Himalayan soil with big machines without knowing fully about its characteristics is doing grievous harm to the region,” he said.

2 more bodies recovered from Tapovan tunnel, toll rises to 58 OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: The ED has filed a chargesheet against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, four retired IAS officers and some others in a money-laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the allocation of over a dozen industrial plots worth more than Rs 30 crore in the Panchkula area in 2013, officials said on Tuesday.

The central probe agency claimed that "worthy applicants were driven out of merit and applicants who were closely connected to Hooda, in terms of his personal capacity and also in terms of the political party he belongs to, were allotted these plots".

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said the plots were allocated to "acquaintances of the then CM (Hooda)".

The Haryana Vigilance Bureau booked a case in 2015 to probe these alleged irregularities and subsequently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED filed their respective cases.

The agency has named

Hooda, retired IAS officers Dharam Pal Singh Nagal (the then chief administrator of the Haryana Urban Development Authority or HUDA), Surjit Singh (the then administrator of HUDA), Subhash Chandra Kansal (former chief controller of finance, HUDA), Narinder Kumar Solanki (former zonal administrator, Faridabad zone of HUDA), besides Bharat BhushanTaneja (the then superintendent, HUDA) and all the 14 allottees and beneficiaries of the industrial plots in the chargesheet or the prosecution complaint.

The complaint, the ED said, has been filed under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) before a special court in Panchkula.

The agency said its probe found that as "a result of a

criminal conspiracy, the then chief minister of Haryana and ex-officio chairman of HUDA (Hooda), the retired IAS officers and other office-bearers of HUDA in Panchkula illegally benefitted pre-selected acquaintances of the then state CM by allotting them 14 industrial plots and denying allotment to more worthy applicants".

The plots are located in Panchkula and the allocation took place in 2013.

The ED said it was found during its probe "that the price fixed for the subject allotment were kept four-five times below the circle rate and seven-eight times (higher than) the market rate".

"The criteria for allotment was altered 18 days after the last date of application and when all the applicant data was in the possession of HUDA.

"The criteria was altered in such a way to favour the pre selected applicants by increasing the discretion at the hands of the interview committee. The entire interview process was vitiated and compromised as no formal record of marks allocation was kept," the ED alleged.

NEW DELHI: Envoys from Europe and Africa will visit Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday to assess the devel-opment work and the security situation in the union territory, especially after the success-ful completion of the District Development Council elec-tions, officials said on Tuesday.

They said during their two-day visit, the envoys would receive first-hand informa-tion on the development work undertaken by the union terri-tory administration after abro-gation of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.

Showcasing the efforts of the Centre for ensuring democ-racy at grass-roots level, the newly-elected members of the DDC would be meeting besides holding a meeting with a few

prominent citizens and admin-istrative secretaries.

Strengthening of dem-ocratic institutions at the grass-roots level would be sig-nificantly highlighted, the offi-cials said, adding that during a presentation the envoys would be shown how panchayats have been empowered by giving them financial powers.

On the second day, the ambassadors would visit Jammu where they would be meeting Lt Gov Manoj Sinha besides some of the DDC members and epresentatives of some social organisations, they said. This is an another dip-lomatic exercise being under-taken by the government to counter the propaganda that is being orchestrated by Paki-stan at international foras, the officials said. AGENCIES

BENGALURU: A day after his statement on Below Pov-erty Line ration card hold-ers sparked a row, Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Min-ister Umesh Katti on Tues-day did a U-turn, saying there were no definite parameters for BPL and APL card holders over availing benefits.

The minister emphasised that the BJP government in Kar-nataka headed by B S Yediy-urappa was pro-poor and was committed to distributing more BPL cards.

It will continue to give free foodgrains such as Ragi, corn and rice, he added.

Having come under attack from the Congress and the JD(S), Katti told reporters here there were no definite parameters for BPL and APL (Above Poverty Line) and

there was no need for anyone to worry as the government has not issued any statement in this regard.

Retracting from his previous statement, the minister said, "I had only shared the information from Delhi with media. Neither those parameters (motorcycle, TV, fridge and land) were mine, nor the Chief Minister has given any such orders.I am not an irre-sponsible minister."

However,he did not elabo-rate. Stating that his statement did not pertain to the BPL card holders, he said further confu-sion on the matter was uncalled for. He said there were no defi-nite parameters to identify the BPL families, Katti said "I have not issued any order without consulting the Chief Minis-ter.BPLs are BPLs and APLs are APLs." AGENCIES

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Defence Minis-ter Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched an e-Chhawani por-tal that will provide municipal services online to residents of 62 cantonment boards across the country.

At the launch event, Singh said, "With the help of this por-tal, the people would be able to get government documents made such as trade license and apply for services such as water connectivity." Public services such as health, sani-tation, primary education etc. in a defence cantonment area are provided by the canton-ment board concerned, which is a civic administration body under the Ministry of Defence.

The minister said, "I know very well that the people living

in cantonment board have to face a number of problems...You can sit at home and get your complaints registered and resolved with the help of this portal."

The truth is that our gov-ernment wants to make the entire system citizen-friendly, he mentioned.

Around 20 lakh people reside in 62 cantonment boards across India.

"We have started this portal so that people do not have to

visit government offices again and again or stand in a line to resolve their problems," the minister said.

The portal is not a solution to all the problems but it is an effective and important step towards good governance, he noted.

The minister also suggested to the officials of the Canton-ment boards that they must take people's feedback on how well the portal is doing its job in resolving their problems.

"Our government is trying its best for the country's socio-economic development. The government is also trying to improve the governance struc-ture that has been existing till now. Our prime minister has also said - minimum govern-ment, maximum governance," he said.

MUMBAI: Actor Sandeep Nahar, who had blamed his wife in a video and also men-tioned "politics" he faced in Bollywood in a "suicide note" posted on Facebook, killed himself by hanging in the bed-room of his flat in suburban Goregaon here, as per prelimi-nary probe by police, an official said on Tuesday.

Nahar, who was in his 30s and featured in films like Akshay Kumar's "Kesari" and Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer "MS Dhoni", was found uncon-scious at his flat on Monday evening by his wife Kanchan

and friends who took him to SVR Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival, police had said. Hours before his death, the actor had posted a video and a "suicide note" on Facebook in which he purport-edly blamed his wife and also mentioned "politics" he faced in Bollywood.

"Nahar was spotted hang-ing from the ceiling fan of his bedroom by his wife and her friends. They brought him down and rushed him to SVR hospital in Goregaon where he was declared dead on arrival," the official said on Tuesday.

He said the door of Nahar's bedroom was locked from inside. As frequent knocks by the actor's wife on the door of the bedroom failed to evoke any response, she called her friends, the owner of the flat, and a key-maker, the official said, adding the door was finally opened with a dupli-cate key. On Tuesday, brother and father of Nahar reached the Goregaon police station to claim his body to perform his last rites, he said.

According to the official, no complaint was lodged so far from any side. AGENCIES

OUR CORRESPONDENT

SRINAGAR: National Con-ference leader Hilal Lone has been arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Preven-tion) Act for allegedly deliv-ering a hate speech at a rally during last year's district development council elections in Bandipora, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

Lone, the son of NC's Mem-ber of Parliament Mohammad Akbar Lone, was arrested on Monday from the MLA hostel here where he was being held

captive since December last year, the official said.

He was booked under vari-ous sections of the UAPA in an FIR registered at a police sta-tion in Hajin in north Kash-mir's Bandipora district.

The official said the case relates to a speech he made during the public rally while campaigning in the DDC polls in Hajin.

On December 25 last year, he was detained in Bandipora'sSumbal area and then shifted to the MLA hos-tel here.

Money-laundering case: ED files chargesheet against ex-Haryana CM, 4 retd IAS officers

Minister says no definite BPL parameters exist

Rajnath launches portal to provide municipal services online to residents of cantonment boards

Actor Sandeep Nahar hanged himself in bedroom of flat: Police

‘NC leader held under UAPA for 'hate speech' last year’

Foreign envoys on 2-day visit to assess situation post-DDC polls

GUNA (MP): A tribal woman was beaten up and forced to walk for three km carrying a teenage boy on her shoul-ders by her in-laws in Madhya Pradesh's Guna district, police said on Tuesday.

The woman had left her husband and was living with another man which apparently led to the assault, police said.

Five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place at Sanai village, said Guna super-intendent of police (SP) Rajesh Kumar Mishra.

The incident took place on February 9 and came to light on Monday when a purported video of it went viral.

A case has been registered against a total of eight persons inlcluding a minor, the police official said. Earlier the police had said the woman's husband was among the accused, but the SP later said he was not among them. In the video, the woman, who is around 20 years old, is seen walking barefoot with the boy on her shoulders as some men keep

hitting her with sticks and even with cricket bats. The woman, who married a man from Ban-skhedi village two years ago, had separated from him due to some dispute and and was liv-ing with another man in Sanai, the SP said.

On February 9, when she was alone, some members of her estranged husband's family and the boy turned up and and allegedly beat her up, he said.

They also forced the woman to walk for three km with the boy on her shoulders, the SP said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the woman at Sirsi police station, the police arrested five of the eight accused, he said. Additional superintendent of police T S Baghel said that as per prelim-inary probe, members of her husband's family were angry because she was living with another man.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath claimed the woman was pregnant, and said what happened was against humanity. AGENCIES

NEW DELHI: The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on Tuesday launched a survey to collect data on drink-ing water in 10 cities under the Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban). As part of the survey, 'Pey Jal Survekshan', data will also be collected on wastewater man-agement and condition of water bodies in the cities.

Ministry secretary Durga Shanker Mishra said the mis-sion will be monitored through a technology-based platform.

"'Pey Jal Survekshan' will be conducted in cities to ascer-tain equitable distribution of water, reuse of wastewater and mapping of water bodies with respect to quantity and quality of water through a challenge process," Mishra said. AGENCIES

Govt launches drinking water

survey in 10 cities

MP: Woman thrashed, forced to walk with boy on shoulders by in-laws

Unscientific cutting of Himalayan soil causing disasters, says former GSI official

Rescue operations continue at Tapovan Tunnel, weeks after the glacier burst at Joshimath which triggered a massive flash flood, in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand on Tuesday PIC/PTI

Eleven of the bodies were recovered from the tunnel at the National Thermal Power Corporation’s Tapovan-Vishnugad project site, where about 30 people were initially feared trapped

From Page 1While critics, mostly

from the English side, had panned the pitch but two hun-dreds and three fifties by the home team batsmen showed that it was all about the understanding of condi-tions and brilliant applica-tion from the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ashwin, Kohli, Rishabh Pant and debutant Patel.

From the visitors’ own ranks, No.9 Moeen Ali

went on a six-hitting spree in his 18-ball 43 to show the ones above him in the order, how it is done on a dust bowl.

“Credit to India, they outplayed us in all three departments. It has been an education for us, you could come up with condi-tions like these and we have to learn from this and find a way to score runs,” said Kohli’s opposite number Joe Root.

Indian spinners demolish England...

From Page 1The Congress has the sup-

port of three DMK and one independent MLA. The Oppo-sition has also 14 MLAs — one less than the half-way mark of 15.

The Congress, which has won 15 seats in 2016, has now reduced to 10 as one of its MLA was disqualified the last year. A John Kumar, who is a close confidant of Puducherry CM, became the latest MLA to resign on Tuesday.

An urgent Cabinet meet-ing has also been called by the CM to discuss the resignations, while Puducherry Assembly Speaker VP Sivakolundhu has said that he will decide on Kumar’s resignation soon.

Seizing on the opportunity, the Opposition which also has 14 MLAs in the 33-mem-ber house, demanded the res-ignation of Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, saying his gov-ernment was in minority.

However, Narayanasamy rejected the demand, claiming that his government contin-ued to enjoy ‘majority’ in the Assembly, which is set to go for polls in the next few months.

Puducherry: Amid crisis in

Cong govt, Centre removes Kiran...

From Page 1Chief Minister Shivraj

Singh Chouhan expressed grief over the tragedy and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.

“I have also sent Water Resources Minister Tulsiram Silawat and MOS for Panchyat Ramkhelawan Patel to the spot,” Chouhan said.

The Chief Minister said he ordered to stop the water out-flow from the Bansagar dam so that water level in the canal could go down and help in the rescue operation.

45 dead as bus plunges...

From Page 1The difference between the

recovered and active cases has further increased to 1,04,96,153, the ministry underlined. India’s COVID-19 active cases dropped to 1.36 lakh and consist of just 1.25 percent of its total case tally.

Maharashtra and Kerala, which account for 72 per cent of the total Coronavirus active cases in the country, have been asked to substantially increase RT-PCR testing. Addressing a press briefing, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said both these states have 61,550 and 37,383 active cases, respec-tively. Responding to a ques-tion on the reason behind more active cases in these two states, he said one of the reasons might be that the number of RT-PCR tests have gone down.

Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 94 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the lowest in over nine months, while the positivity rate slipped to 0.17 per cent in the city. One fatality was also registered, taking the death toll due to the viral disease to 10,894 in the national Capi-tal. In another turn of events, as many as 103 residents of an apartment complex in Bengal-uru’s Bommanahalli area tested positive for COVID-19 after a party was held in the building. Out of the total 103 persons who got infected, 96 are aged above 60 years.

4 detected with...

From Page 1Significantly, with the Delhi

Police yet to arrest Pune-based engineer Shantanu Muluk and Mumbai-based lawyer Nikita Jacob, the former was granted transit anticipatory bail for a period of 10 days, protecting him from arrest by the Delhi Police till then. However, Jacob’s plea for the same bail in the Bombay HC was heard on Tuesday and reserved for judgment till Wednesday, with

an assurance that she won’t be arrested before the court’s decision.

Interestingly, Jacob has said that the toolkit she is being hunted down for did not have any mention of violence, nor did it have any mention of tak-ing over the Red Fort, accord-ing to her lawyer’s arguments in court. She had earlier also said that the toolkit was made just to inform people of the farm-ers’ protests.

Delhi Police write to Zoom, DCW issues notice...

Anyone in India against the rul-ing establishment is under threat of

being booked under sedition and put into jail by the Gov-ernment. The spurt in sedi-tion cases under the present regime has put a large number of people under intimidation who are now avoiding express-ing their dissent even on the wrongs committed by author-ities. It is increasingly being felt that one should keep silent on the Government’s affairs or else face the consequences, even if one didn’t commit any crime. People seem to be entirely on the sweet will of the Government, and any of one’s disagreement or dissent expressed in words or visual imageries can be treated as seditious as if there is no other appropriate section in the India Penal Code or other laws relating to crime, and that has threatened even the birth-rights of a human being.

We have come to this predicament due to several reasons originating from omis-sion and commission of all the three wings of governance, ie the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary, in addi-tion to ignorance about what exactly ‘sedition’ is. The Gov-ernment is bent upon misus-ing the Section 124 A of the India Penal Code 1860, which was originally inserted in it by Act 27 of 1870, and was further amended in 1898, 1937, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1955, and 1956.

The rampant misuse of this provision now makes a case for further amendment in this section, which was inserted in the IPC 1860 as a tool in the hands of the Government to suppress dissent. It is worth mentioning that Indians were then subject of the British rule, not independent citizens of a democratic republic as we are now, and has fundamental duties to criticize and warn the errors and pitfalls of the gover-nance that can jeopardize the national interest irrespective of who rules the country.

It is therefore clear that crit-icism of the Government of the time does not constitute the offence of sedition. This wis-

dom bars us to have any literal view of Section 124 A of the IPC which states, “Whoever by words, either spoken or writ-ten, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffec-tion towards, the Government established by law in India, shall be punished with impris-onment for life, to which fine may be added, or with impris-onment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.”

The way the present ruling establishment is misusing this section, it perhaps does not know what sedition is, or is deliberately violating the spirit of the sedition law to its own end for the establishment of their absolute undemocratic rule. Our Legislature of Inde-pendent India could not have visualized such blatant misuse of this section while amend-ing it. And what our judiciary is doing? Why are they not putting a brake on such mis-use of this section and giving lessons to the Government or make it understand what really constitutes sedition? All the wings of the governance have

a responsibility to secure at least ‘freedom of expression’ of their citizens, and all sorts of intimidation to silence them must be removed.

Offences against the state are enumerated in a separate chapter of the IPC, and sedi-tion is only one of them. The offences beginning from Sec-tion 121 and ending at Section 130 are altogether 12, includ-ing Section 121 A and 124 A. The IPC itself has made a dis-tinction of the crime of ‘sedi-tion’ from all other crimes against the state. Thus, even waging, of attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India; conspiracy to com-mit offences punishable under Section 121; collecting arms, etc, with intention of waging war against the Government of India; concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war; assaulting President, Gover-nor, etc, with intent to com-pel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power; waging war against any Asiatic power in alliance with the Government of India, committing depreda-tion on territories of power at peace with the Government of India; receiving property

taken by war or depredation mentioned in Sections 125 and 126; public servant vol-untarily allowing prisoner of state or war to escape; public servant negligently suffering such prisoner to escape; or aid-ing the escape of, rescuing or harbouring such prisoner are not ‘sedition’. Such offences are at best ‘offences against’ the state.

The jurisprudence relat-ing to crimes are thus to be understood carefully. One must make a distinction, as the IPC itself has made in its provisions, among the ‘sim-ple breach of a rule’, ‘offence against an authority in power’, ‘offence against a ruling estab-lishment’, ‘offence against state machinery’, ‘offence against state’, and ‘sedition’. Any dis-agreement with the Govern-ment, its policies, its leaders on account of their failure in protecting the national inter-est should not be thus viewed as ‘offence against state’ much the less a ‘sedition’.

Many scholars believe that ‘sedition is bringing or attempt-ing to bring into hatred or con-tempt or exciting or attempting to excite disaffection towards the Government by words,

either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representa-tion or otherwise’ is thus faulty, since it does not necessarily constitute ‘sedition’. We have a birthright to express against anything wrong done to us and around us. If we snatch this right of an individual or the nation, the whole criminal justice system would crumble down.

Any offence committed against an individual, society, or the Government do ulti-mately harm the nation, but we have separate provisions of criminal laws for every crime, under which they must be reg-istered. Booking all critical to the faulty governance is cer-tainly not ‘sedition’, though such criticism possibly can excite ‘disaffection towards the Government’ but maybe in the national interest. It is what democracy is, and the Government must encourage democracy without fearing criticism — defining nation-alism in its true sense. Don’t make the people living ‘dead’ by making them lose the courage to oppose what they believe ‘injustice’. IPA

Views expressed are strictly personal

mp editorial 7

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Editor

Indian team’s massive victory over England brought a sense of joy and pride. The 317-run victory has broken old records and set new ones. In terms of runs, it was India’s biggest win against England and fifth largest overall. There are two important takeaways — the first is Ashwin’s excellent performance and the second is the teamwork of the Blue caps. The victory has surpassed the 279-run win in Leeds in 1986 and the 246-run victory in Visakhapatnam in 2016. It won’t be wrong to say that Ashwin’s stellar performance on his home ground scripted the win for India. The Chennai-born took eight wickets and scored an impressive century at a crucial juncture when the leading batsmen fell a little short. Ashwin coming in handy in required conditions is not a new thing, neither is his composure, temperament and contribution to the team. His 49-run partnership with Siraj was truly commendable. It is more important to highlight the team effort that India put in after a tough defeat in the first match. It is not just India’s winning spree that sets it apart as a champion team of the world. It is the ability to bounce back after falling badly. India showed it after the humiliating defeat against Australia in the last series when the team was all out for 36 runs in the second innings. It overcame the humiliation of defeat by registering 2-1 victory in the series. In the ongoing series also, India has bounced back after losing their first match to England by a significant margin. Besides Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Axar Patel and skipper Virat Kohli also played a crucial role in the match. Rohit Sharma played a brilliant knock of 161 runs in the first innings despite the unfavourable conditions on the pitch. Axar Patel contributed his part with a fifer in the second innings and Kohli made 62 important runs in the second innings when the team was in a shaky position. How could we not praise Rishabh Pant for his heroics both in front of the wicket and behind it. The pitch was a minefield, but the Kohli-Ashwin partnership showcased that the pitch demanded intent from the batsmen. It presented challenges to both teams but team India outperformed England. India’s performance becomes more important against the backdrop of the defeat in the last match. Hats off to team India. One more win and we will meet New Zealand in the WTC finals.

With the presence of four million in the United States of Amer-

ica that is slightly over one per cent of the country’s popula-tion, Indian Americans are one of the most influential groups in the country’s political and governance structures.

The last round of elec-tions demonstrated the extent to which this second-largest immigrant group has assim-ilated into the system with many of them occupying posi-tions that now begins with Vice President Kamala Harris, four members in the House of Rep-resentatives in the US Con-gress and many more in state legislatures and county boards across several of the 50 states.

Studies in the past showed that the community is also among the highly educated and high-income groups in the country where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness form an inalienable part of the Declaration of Independence. Last week, interesting facets of Indian Americans, their polit-ical preferences, inclination and approach towards various issues of adoption, motherland and other issues in the coun-try was published in a survey ‘How do Indian Americans View India’, conducted online last September by Milan Vaish-nav of the Carnegie Endow-ment for International Peace, Devesh Kapur of Johns Hop-kins University and Sumitra Badrinathan of the University of Pennsylvania.

The survey states that 36 per cent of those born in the United States or second-gen-eration Indian-Americans remain connected to the coun-try of their parents’ origin as

compared to 59 per cent of for-eign-born naturalised citizens of the community who also shared a similar feeling of close connection.

This, when juxtaposed with the corresponding figure of 25 per cent of US-born Indian Americans who expressed either less connection or not connected at all by another 15 per cent of naturalised citizens offers a study in contrast.

A large number of this community, some 35 per cent identified themselves a pro-India while being critical of some of the policies of the current government while another 23 per cent too chose to mark themselves as pro-India but were more critical of many policies while 17 per cent described themselves as being both positive towards the country and the govern-ment of the day.

While 40 per cent of the

community did not identify themselves with any politi-cal party in India, 33 per cent claimed association with the Bharatiya Janata Party, 12 per cent with the Indian National Congress and 16 per cent with other parties.

These aspects offer a win-dow of opportunity for policy planners in India while draft-ing an outreach programme to engage with the commu-nity whose contribution in building a favourable opinion by law and decision-makers stands out.

The Government was able to motivate and energise the Indian-American commu-nity for the past two decades since the US slapped sanctions against India after the 1999 Pokhran nuclear explosions till the passage of the India-US nuclear agreement that reflected the changed attitude of successive administrations.

After initial attempts made to pressurise India to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty backed by the strong non-proliferation lobby within the United States Congress, its members later voted to endorse India spe-cific waiver a few years later. The change of attitude came with the Government and the Indian American community remaining engaged both with the administration and the leg-islative wing.

Another interesting feature of the survey tells about the community’s perception of the challenges India faces. Gov-ernment corruption topped the list followed by economy, religious majoritarianism, healthcare, China, terrorism, caste discrimination, educa-tion, income inequality, cli-mate change and sexism.

On the narrative of the resurgence of White suprem-

acy in the United States, some 73 per cent viewed this as a threat of majoritarianism while 53 per cent of Indian American respondents felt that majoritarianism was a threat to minorities in India. The sur-vey data maintains that while not all Indian Americans are Hindus, 40 per cent of the 70 per cent of those belonging to this faith, feel that it is a threat as compared to 67 per cent of those belonging to other faiths. A divergence in views is noticed by the survey.

Turning to the softer side of the connection, 30 per cent of the foreign-born Indian Amer-icans reported they travelled to India during the past year as compared to 18 per cent of US-born Indian Americans.

On the cultural front, the survey found that a majority of Indian Americans watched Indian movies or television shows. For those born out-side the US, it stood at 68 per cent as against 51 per cent of those born in the United States. Indian food appears to be a better draw with three-fourths of foreign-born and two-thirds of US-born members of the community savouring it.

These aspects do suggest that the emotional tug for the first generation of Indian Americans, some of whom were among 1,200 surveyed by the study, is greater than the second generation of US-born members of the com-munity. The policy drafters would have to come up with a greater focus to assiduously woo the Indian Americans whose presence in the cur-rent Biden administration is more than ever before.

Views expressed are personal

A recent survey suggests that the emotional tug for the first generation of Indian Americans towards India is greater than the second generation of US-born members of the community

Preferences of politically influential Indian Americans need to be reflected in the policy decisions of both governments

Growing significance

In national interestBeing citizens of a democratic republic we have fundamental duties to criticise and warn the errors and pitfalls of governance that can

jeopardise the national interest irrespective of who rules the country

One must make a distinction, as the IPC itself has made in its provisions, among the ‘simple breach of a rule’, ‘offence against an authority in power’, ‘offence against a ruling establishment’, ‘offence against state machinery’, ‘offence against state’, and ‘sedition’

EDITORIAL

Winds of change

As had become obvious, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has indeed been named to be the WTO’s first woman Director-General. Her elevation to the post came not too long after the Biden adminis-

tration threw its support behind her. The American-edu-cated Ngozi has a considerable portfolio of work to back up her new position. She has twice been the finance min-ister and also the first female foreign minister for Nigeria. In her term as finance minister, she was known to be a reformer who went after corruption in her native Nigeria. One of her more significant achievements came in 2005 when she helped to secure Nigeria a USD 18 billion debt write-off from a group of largely western creditors. After her work in Nigeria, Okonjo-Iweala became part of the World Bank and steadily rose to become managing direc-tor for the organisation. Her latest experience saw her serve as the board chair at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, a relevant experience given that she has made a fair trade and inequitable vaccine access a priority for her new role at the WTO.

Okonjo-Iweala acknowledges that the WTO has lost its way and that it has not functioned as it should for quite some time. Wide chasms of trust between members and a never-ending trade-war between the US and China has made the WTO increasingly irrelevant in recent times where it came to be seen as a symbol of a bygone era in world politics when multilateralism was on the rise.

Once upon a time, the WTO was all-powerful and was seen as the one true constitution for world trade, a model example of what world government should ideally be. The WTO had the power to enforce its will on member nations by way of its powerful appellate body. Any mem-ber refusing to walk the line marked out by the WTO could find itself very isolated in regards to trade. In that regard, WTO was treated as a blunt instrument to be used by the great western powers, the so-called developed world, against the developing world to force their interpretation of ‘free trade’. India indeed was a frequent target of the WTO with the body going after the protectionist mea-sures that the nation instituted to protect its farmers, dairy owners, etc.

While the WTO still stands as an absolute proponent of free trade, it has lost it persuasiveness over time. At some point, its one-sided arbitrations that appeared to favour the ‘developed’ world made it an instrument of tyranny against many of the newer nations that emerged post-decolonisa-tion. As the world changed subsequently, the WTO failed to keep up. Its biggest challenge, however, came after the admittance of China to the body. Over time, WTO has been accused of turning a blind eye to China’s theft of intellec-tual property while also providing the necessary cover to allow China to flood foreign markets with Chinese goods while allowing limited foreign access to its markets. While the US and many other nations had made an issue of the whole situation for some time, it was Donald Trump that brought the situation to an all-out confrontation with the trade war. Furthermore, Trump also moved to block the nomination of new judged to the powerful appellate body of the WTO last year, which, when combines with the unex-pected exit of its last Director-General all but made sure that 2020 could be the last year for the body.

Yet, despite its flaws both Okonjo-Iweala and the US agree that the WTO is vital and must be reformed to pro-tect the vision of multilateralism. She acknowledges that the body formed its rules at a time when the era of decolo-nisation had just ended and the ‘developing’ world had just come about. The body, she says, must seek a more equita-ble practice of trade that does not become a one-sided tool for powerful nations to push their agenda. While she may focus on the global vaccine supply chain in the short-run, eventually she will have to shift focus back to healing the vast divides at the WTO. A tall task indeed at a time when politics of nationalism are reaching their peak.

The government and all its three wings must encourage democracy without fearing criticism

....SURAJ KUMAR, PATNA via email

millenniumpost|NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021

EASTERN LADAKH

Army releases visuals and photos of disengagement process with China

OUR CORRESPONDENT

MUMBAI: Concerned over the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday asked citizens to strictly follow government-mandated guidelines on masks and social distancing or be pre-pared to face another round of lockdown.

After reporting 4,092 COVID-19 cases on last Sun-day, highest single-day tally in more than a month, Maharash-tra registered 3,663 new cases on Tuesday, 461 of them in Mumbai. This was the seventh straight day when the state's daily count remained above the 3,000-mark, indicating a steady rise in infections as compared to the previous few weeks.

Expressing concern over the lackadaisical attitude in following COVID-19-related safety protocols in the wake of phase-wise lifting ofrestric-tions, he said it was up to citi-zens to decide if they want to go into a complete lockdown again to curb the spread of the infection.

"It is up to the people of the state to decide if they want a lockdown or live freely with some restrictions. Wear face masks and avoid crowds or else (you) will need to go into a lockdown again," Thackeray said. Alarmed over thesurge in COVID-19 cases in the last few days in some districts, Thac-keray held a review meeting

with divisional commissioners and collectors through video conferencing to take stock of the situation.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was among those pres-ent on the occasion.

The CM asked the adminis-tration to ensure safety norms like wearing face masks in pub-lic and social distancing are fol-lowed and authorised officials to take action against offenders.

"People may have become complacent but the authori-ties should not (drop guard)," Thackeray said and asked the administrationto regularly san-itise and disinfect public places.

Mobile vans should be used in rural areas to increase the number of COVID-19 tests, the chief minister said.

Speaking at the meeting, Thackeray said, Non- imple-mentation of COVID-19 safety SoPs is a serious matters.

"The administration should contact commercial estab-lishments and organisations and check if they are follow-ing SoPs. Wherever necessary, declare containment zones."

He stressed on the need for contact tracing of each patient in areas where COVID-19 cases are rising.

“Contact tracing must be done in a targeted manner.

At least 20 contacts of each patient should be traced and tested,” the CM suggested. Police permission will be required for organising mar-riage functions, Thackeray said.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Tuesday released short videos and photographs showing thinning down of troops and dismantling of bun-kers, camps and other facilities by the Chinese military in the areas around the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh in line with the agreed disengagement pro-cess between the two sides.

The visuals also showed the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) using a bulldozer to flatten some structures, and vehicles with troops and equip-ment preparing to retreat to rear bases as part of the infan-try disengagement.

The photos and videos largely depicted a fast-paced disengagement process in both the North and South banks of the Pangong lake that included withdrawal of troops, removal of machinery and dismantling of temporary structures like bunkers, posts and tents.

Sources in the defence and security establishment said the disengagement process is gath-ering pace, and the entire exer-cise is expected to be concluded by the end of the week.

In the last few days, both sides removed several bunkers, temporary posts and other structures in the areas while gradually thinning down their troops, they said.

The sources said field com-manders of both the sides are meeting almost on a daily basis to take forward the disengage-ment process which was final-ised following nine rounds of high-level military talks.

The visuals released by the Indian Army also showed the PLA troops marching back while some vehicles waited at the nearest road-heads to take them back to rear bases.

The sources said Army Chief Gen MM Naravane is keeping a close eye on the dis-engagement process.

After nine months of bor-der standoff in eastern Ladakh, the two armies have reached an agreement on disengage-ment in the North and South banks of Pangong lake that mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a "phased, coordinated and verifiable" manner.

The disengagement began on Wednesday last.

On Thursday, Defence

Minister Rajnath Singh made a detailed statement in Parlia-ment on the disengagement pact.

According to the agree-ment, China has to pull back its

troops to east of Finger 8 areas in the northern bank while the Indian personnel will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3 in the region.

Similar action will take place on the southern bank of the lake as well, Singh had said in Parliament.

Last year, the Chinese mili-tary built several bunkers and

other structures in the areas between Finger 4 and 8 and had blocked all Indian patrols beyond Finger 4, triggering a strong reaction from the Indian Army.

In the nine rounds of mili-tary talks, India was specifi-cally insisting on withdrawal of the Chinese troops from Fin-ger 4 to Finger 8 on the North bank of Pangong Lake. The mountain spurs in the area are referred to as Fingers.

The sources said following completion of the disengage-ment process, the two sides will hold talks on the de-escalation process.

Defence minister Singh had also told Parliament that it was agreed to convene the next meeting of senior commanders of both sides within 48 hours of completion of the disen-gagement in the Pangong lake area so as to resolve all other remaining issues.

On Friday, the defence ministry said other outstand-ing "problems" including in Depsang, Hot Springs and Gogra will be taken up at the upcoming talks between mili-tary commanders of the two countries.

Indian and Chinese troops and tanks disengage from the banks of Pangong lake area in Eastern Ladakh where they had been deployed opposite each other for almost 10 months now

Follow Covid-19 norms or face fresh lockdown,

warns Maha CM

OUR CORRESPONDENT

BHOPAL/SIDHI/REWA (MP): A last minute route diversion due to a heavy traf-fic jam proved fatal for most passengers of a private bus in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday even as tales of bravery and human instinct to help those in distress emerged from the tragedy.

Showing immense cour-age, five members of a local family, including a girl named Shivrani Lonia and her brother –all aged between 16 and 22 years –saved seven passengers but one of them died later dur-ing treatment.

Passengers unsuccessfully tried to break the windows of the ill-fated bus, carrying more than 55 people, including stu-dents, when it rolled down into a canal after skidding off the road near a village in Sidhi district, said a survivor.

At least 45 passengers, including 20 women, were killed in the accident which took place in the morning.

The bus was speeding and the driver fled as soon as the bus fell into the canal.

"The bus got filled with water and people frantically tried to break the window panes to save themselves but failed, said Vibha Prajapati, who was going to Satna to appear in an examination for ANM (Auxiliary Nursing

Midwifery). Prajapati, with tears roll-

ing down her cheeks, told reporters she tried to save her brother, who was travelling with her in the bus, but does not where he is now.

I brought my brother half-way but he was left behind. Nobody is searching for my brother, she said.

Prajapati said the bus was carrying 30-35 students who were going for appearing for the ANM examination in Satna.

She said the bus was over-crowded and at least 15-20 passengers were standing and three persons were sitting on some of the seats meant for two.

There should be at least 55 passengers in the bus.

Some people got off at Churhat (a town between Sidhi and Satna) because there was no seat for them in the bus, Prajapati said.

A witness to the tragedy, Shivrani Lonia said the ill-fated bus was speeding and skidded off the road and rolled down into the water-filled canal.

I saw the speeding bus coming from there (point-ing towards a direction) and it plunged into the canal after skidding off from the road, Lonia told reporters. I along with my brother jumped into the canal water and saved two

persons," she said.District collector Ravindra

Kumar Choudhary said Lonia and her family members saved seven passengers, including women.

Choudhary said, Shivrani Lonia, her brother Lavkush and three others rescued seven persons from the ill-fated bus just after the accident. How-ever, one of the survivors died during treatment."

"All the persons who res-cued the passengers belonged to one family and they were aged between 16 and 22 years," the collector said.

Choudhary said they took these passengers out of water after jumping into the canal though they are not profes-sional swimmers, but knew swimming.

He praised the Lonia fam-ily members for their act of bravery.

At the time of the accident, he said, the water level in the canal was about 25 feet.

Meanwhile, several peo-ple, including Chief Minis-ter Shivraj Singh Chouhan, praised Shivrani Lonia’s bravery.

I salute the courage shown by daughter Shivrani. Not car-ing for her life, this daughter saved the lives of two passen-gers by jumping into the canal in Sidhi. I thank the daugh-ter. The entire state is proud of you," the CM said in Bhopal.

MP bus accident: Last minute route change and bravery by one family

NDRF team carries out a rescue operation after an overcrowded bus plunged into a canal in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday

OUR CORRESPONDENT

BENGALURU: The Karnataka government on Tuesday made it mandatory for passengers arriving from South Africa and Brazil to the state to undergo RT-PCR tests and 14 days quarantine in view of two more variants of COVID-19 being identified in these countries.

Samples of those in institu-tional quarantine would be sent to National Institure of Mental

Health and Neurosciences here for genome sequencing, a health department release said.

The RT-PCR test should be done by passengers on arrival at Bengaluru Airport, irrespec-tive of whether they had a nega-tive certifcate for the test before boarding the flights. After 14 days of quarantine, the patient would be discharged, subject to two samples tested through RT-PCR, taken 24 hours apart, turn-

ing negative, it said.The government had earlier

made it mandatory for all pas-sengers coming from the UK, where a new strain of the virus was detected, to get the RT-PCR test done on arrival.

The Karnataka government also issued a fresh set of guide-lines for people coming from Ker-ala, which has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, saying these would come into force with

immediate effect.Based on recommendations

of the Technical Advisory Com-mittee on COVID-19, new spe-cial surveillance measures for those arriving from Kerala have been introduced, Additional Chief Secretary Jawaid Akhtar said in a release.

As per guidelines, it would now be mandatory for those arriv-ing from that state and check-ing into hotels, resorts, hostels,

home stays and dormitories to have a negative RT-PCR certifi-cate, “which should not be older than 72 hours.”

The government said posi-tive samples would be sent to NIMHANS here for genomic sequencing.

Those in hostels and colleges would not be allowed to have vis-itors or relatives without obtain-ing express permission from the Covid nodal officers.

RT-PCR test, 14 days quarantine mandatory for passengers arriving from South Africa and Brazil to Karnataka

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: The Enforce-ment Directorate on Tuesday said it has attached over Rs 17 crore bank deposits in connec-tion with its money launder-ing case against two entities of Amnesty International (India), the global human rights watchdog.

The agency said in a state-ment that a provisional order has been issued under the Pre-vention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) "attaching bank accounts of Amnesty Inter-national India Pvt Ltd (AIIPL)

and Indians for Amnesty International Trust (IAIT)".

It said "both the entities have acquired the proceeds of crime and layered the same in the form of various movable properties. The order involves attachment of movable prop-erties worth of Rs 17.66 crore being proceeds of crime".

This money laundering case of the ED is based on a CBI FIR filed against AIIPL, IAIT, Amnesty International India Foundation Trust (AIIFT) and Amnesty Inter-national South Asia Founda-tion (AISAF).

ED seizes over Rs 17-cr assets of Amnesty International India

NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021|millenniumpostmp nation8

millenniumpost NO H ALF TR U THS

millenniumpost.in

I, Madhupriti Mitra, D/o Supriti Mitra R/o 1711, 2nd Floor, Lodhi Complex Delhi. Declare that my Class Xth Marksheet Roll No 8792767 Passing Year 2011 from CBSE Board Delhi have been Lost. If anybody find pl contact above address.

LOST & FOUND

1.The Executive Engineer HPPWD Division, FatehpurDisttKangra H.P on behalf of Governor of H.P invites the item rate bid in electronic tendering system from the eligible Class of contractors registered in HPPWD for the works as detailed in the table. Sr. No.

Name of work Estimated Cost

Starting date for down-loading bid

Earnest Money

Deadline for Submission of Bid

Time limit

Cost of Tender

Eligible class of Contractor

1 Construction of Primary Health Centre building Level-II alongwith Residential Units at Raja-ka-Talab in Tehsil Fatehpur, Distt. Kangra (HP) (SH:-Construction of main Building including Water supply and Sanitary installation, Septic Tank and Rain Water Harvesting System) Deposit work.).

Rs.3800978/- 24.02.2021 Rs.64515/- 09.03.2021 Twelve-Months

1500/- D&C

2 Construction of Additional Accommodation to Govt. Sr. Sec. School at Golwan in Tehsil Fatehpur, Distt. Kangra (H.P.) (SH:-Construc-tion of 3 Nos. Class Rooms with veranda and Stair Case).

Rs.2463324/- 24.02.2021 Rs.45000/- 09.03.2021 Six Months

500/- D&C

The bidders are advised to note other details of tenders from the department website www.hptenders. gov.in.Date of Opening of tender 10.03.2021 Executive Engineer

HPPWD Division Fatehpur Tele:-01893-256602 e-mail:-ee-fat-hp@nice.inNo 5807/2020-2021 On behalf of Governor of Himachal Pradesh

HIMACHAL PRADESH PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Annexure “A”Telephone No.01893-256602 Email-ee-fat-hp@nic.in

INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB)

Sealed item rate tenders on form No. 6 & 8 are hereby invited by the Executive Engineer, Tauni Devi Division, HP:PWD Tauni Devi for the following works on behalf of the Governor of Himachal Pradesh from the approved and eligible Class C & D contractors enlisted in HP:PWD so as to reach in this office as per time schedule given below:- 1. Date of receipt of Applications for tender forms:- 10.03.2021. upto 1.00 PM. 2. Date of issue/sale of Tender forms 10.03.2021 upto 5.00 PM 3. Date of receipt of Tender:- 12.03.2021 upto 10.30 AM 4. Date of opening of Tender:- 12.03.2021 at 11.00 AM.

Sr. No.

Name of Road Estimated Cost

Earnest Money

Time

1 C/o link road Chouri Lagdevi road to Village Swahal Km 0/0 to 1/855 (SH:- C/o 5/7 mtr wide formation cutting in Km.0/630 to 0/900. (Under OTMNP).

473786.00 9500.00 Two Months.

NOTE:- The tender documents shall be issued only to those contractors/firms who fulfill the criteria and submit the documents with the application as required. Copy of Terms and condition may be obtained from Division office/Notice Board.

No 5823/2020-2021 HIM SUCHANA AVAN JAN SAMPARK.

Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department NOTICE INVITING TENDER

APPENDIX IV A[See proviso to Rule 8(6)]

Sale Notice for sale of Immovable PropertiesE-Auction sale notice for sale of immovable assets under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 read with proviso to Rule 8(6) of the Security Interest (Enforcement) Rules, 2002.Notice is hereby given to the public in general and in particular to the Borrower(s) and Guarantor(s) that the below described immovable property(ies) mortgaged/ charged to Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd. [CIN: L65922DL2005PLC136029] (“Secured Creditor”), the constructive possession of which has been taken by the Authorised Officer of the Secured Creditor, will be sold on “as is where is”, “as is what is”, “whatever there is” and “without any recourse” basis on 20.03.2021 from 02.00 P.M. to 04.00 P.M. (with unlimited automated extensions of 5 minutes each in terms of the Tender Document), for recovery of Rs. 39,67,758/- [ Rupees Thirty Nine Lakh Sixty Seven Thousand Seven Hundred Fifty Eight only] towards Loan Account No. HHLRHN00343768 by way of outstanding principal, arrears (including accrued late charges) and interest till 08.02.2021 with applicable future interest in terms of the Loan Agreement and other related loan document(s) w.e.f. 09.02.2021 along with legal expenses and other charges due to the Secured Creditor from JERRIN PAUL, JESWIN PAUL, ALENCHERIL P PAULOSE and PREETHIMOL DOLLY JOSE. The Reserve Price of the immovable Property(ies) will be Rs. 45,00,000/- (Rupees Forty Five Lakh only)and the Earnest Money Deposit (“EMD”) will be Rs. 4,50,000/- (Rupees Four Lakh Fifty Thousand only) i.e. equivalent to 10% of the Reserve Price. The EMD shall be paid by DD/ RTGS/ NEFT or through any other proper banking channels to the credit and in favour of INDIABULLS HOUSING FINANCE LTD., Account No. 114505001412 with ICICI Bank Ltd. (IFSC: ICIC0001145), having its branch at B1 and B2, Vanijya Nikunj, Enkay Tower, Udyog Vihar, Phase V, Gurgaon – 122015 (Haryana) before submitting the tender in order to participate in the online public auction. The successful bidder shall pay 25% amount of the sale price (less 10% of the Reserve Price paid before submitting the tender) immediately i.e. either on the same day or not later than the next working day and the remaining balance of the Sale Price shall be paid within 15 days from the date of confirmation of sale.

DESCRIPTION OF THE IMMOVABLE PROPERTYPLOT BEARING NO. 23, LAND AREA ADMEASURING 100 SQ. MTRS.( OUT OF TOTAL 200 SQ. MTRS.) IN NORTHERN SIDE HALF PORTION ON FIRST FLOOR WITHOUT ROOF RIGHTS IN POCKET-16, SECTOR-20, SITUATED IN THE LAYOUT PLAN OF ROHINI RESIDENTIAL SCHEME, ROHINI, DELHI-110085, ALONGWITH THE PROPORTIONATE FREE-HOLD RIGHTS OF THE LAND, WHICH IS BOUNDED AS MENTIONED HEREUNDER:-NORTH: PLOT NO. 24 EAST: ROAD 12 MTR. WIDEWEST: PLOT NO. 38 SOUTH: PLOT NO. 22

For detailed terms and conditions of the sale, please refer to thelink provided on the website of the Secured Creditor i.e. www.indiabullshomeloans.com and www.auctionfocus.in.Date : 11.02.2021Place : DELHI

Sd/ Authorized Officer

INDIABULLS HOUSING FINANCE LIMITED

Myanmar police file new charge against Aung San Suu Kyi

YANGON: Police in Myanmar filed a new charge against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, her law-yer said Tuesday, which may allow her to be held indefinitely with-out trial.

Lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told reporters after meeting with a judge in the capital, Naypyitaw, that Suu Kyi has been charged with violating Article 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law, which has been used to prosecute peo-ple who have broken Coronavirus restrictions.

Suu Kyi, who was ousted in

a military coup on Feb. 1, has already been charged with pos-sessing walkie-talkies that were imported without being registered.

The maximum punishment for the COVID-19 violation is three years' imprisonment.

However, the new charge may allow her to be held indefinitely without trial because a change in the Penal Code instituted by the junta last week permits detention without court permission.

Groups of demonstrators turned out in Yangon and other cities on Tuesday to protest the

coup and demand that Suu Kyi and members of her ousted gov-ernment be freed from detention.

In Yangon, police blocked off the street in front of the Central Bank, which protesters have tar-geted amid speculation online

that the military is seeking to seize money from them.

Buddhist monks demonstrated outside the UN's local office.

The protests are taking place in defiance of an order banning gatherings of five or more peo-ple. Around 3,000 demonstrators mainly students returned to the streets in Mandalay, carrying post-ers of Suu Kyi and shouting for the return of democracy.

On Monday in Mandalay, sol-diers and police violently broke up a gathering of more than 1,000 protesters in front of the Myanmar

Economic Bank. They attacked the protesters

with slingshots and sticks, and police could be seen aiming long guns into the air amid sounds that resembled gunfire. Local media reported rubber bullets were fired into the crowd and that a few peo-ple were injured.

Peaceful demonstrations against Myanmar’s military take-over resumed Tuesday, following violence against protesters a day earlier by security forces and after internet access was blocked for a second straight night. AGENCIES

Protests against country’s military takeover resume after second night of Internet shutdown

Winter’s wrath in US: Bitter cold, no power and a deadly tornado

RALEIGH (US): At least three people were killed when a tornado tore through a seaside town in North Carolina, one of many wild and deadly impacts from a sprawling blast of winter weather across the United States.

Millions of people remained with-out power on Tuesday amid subfreezing temperatures, and authorities warned of treacherous travel conditions in many states.

The massive winter storm that immobilised the Southern Plains was heading to the eastern Great Lakes and New England, where heavy snow and freezing rain was expected on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

The storm system left behind record-setting cold temperatures with wind-chill warnings extending across the nation's midsection, from Canada into Mexico, and another wave of snow and ice was predicted late Tuesday and Wednesday along a storm front extend-ing deep into the South.

The worst US outages were in Texas, affecting more than 4 million homes and businesses Tuesday. More than 250,000 people lost power across parts of Appa-lachia, and another quarter-million were still without electricity following an ice storm in northwest Oregon, according to pow-eroutage.us, which tracks utility outage reports. Another 4 million people lost power in Mexico.

Outside of Texas, rolling two-hour blackouts have begun to ease the extreme demand for heat and electricity. In Okla-homa, more than 130,000 homes and

businesses were affected.The Southwest Power Pool, a group

of utilities covering 14 states, said the outages were a last resort to preserve the reliability of the electric system as a whole.

The blackouts forced a Texas county to scramble to get more than 8,000 doses of Moderna's Coronavirus vaccine into arms. The Harris County Public Health facility lost power after 1 am on Monday and its backup generator also failed, said Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

Looking for large groups of people in places where they wouldn't have to drive and with appropriate medical personnel on hand, county officials distributed the doses at three hospitals, Rice University and the county jail.

Hidalgo, the top elected official in Houston, said she didn't believe any of the vaccines were lost. But the worsening conditions also delayed vaccine deliver-ies. More than 400,000 additional vac-cine doses due in Texas now won't arrive until Wednesday at least, officials said.

The tornado in Brunswick County killed 3 people and injured at least 10 as it tore through a golf course commu-nity and another rural area just before midnight Monday, destroying dozens of homes. Gov. Roy Cooper said rescue operations were continuing Tuesday.

Authorities in multiple states reported deaths in crashes on icy roads from this weather front, including two people whose vehicle slid off a road and overturned in a waterway in Kentucky on Sunday, state police said. AGENCIES

UK PM warns no 'cast iron' guaranteeLONDON: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people, in a strict lock-down to contain the spread of a new Kent variant of Coronavirus for months, to temper optimism around restrictions being lifted as a result of a successful vac-cine rollout with patience.

During a Downing Street briefing on Monday evening, Johnson said he can't offer any cast iron guarantees because while infections are falling, there are still more COVID-19 patients in hospitals than the peak of the pandemic in April 2020. AGENCIES

mp world 9millenniumpost|NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021

mp business10PURCHASE OF GOVT’S STAKE IN CPSEs

NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021|millenniumpost

INDIAN-ORIGIN PREETI SINHA TO LEAD UN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUNDUNITED NATIONS: The UN Capital Development Fund has appointed Indian-origin investment and develop-ment banker Preeti Sinha as its Executive Secretary, whose focus will be on providing micro-finance assis-tance to women, youth, small and medium-sized enter-prises in under-served communities. Sinha commenced her tenure as UNCDF Executive Secretary, the highest leadership rank in the institution, on Monday. Estab-lished in 1966, the New York-headquarted organisa-tion provides micro-finance access to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), with the mandate to unlock the full potential of public and private finance.

‘GDP ENTERS IN GROWTH ZONE IN Q3’MUMBAI: After two consecutive quarters of contraction, India’s GDP is set to revert to the growth territory in the October-December 2020 period compared to the year-ago period, according to a report. Private consumption and government spending will help the economy post a turnaround during the December quarter and the GDP will grow 0.7 per cent, Icra Ratings said in a report on Tuesday. The economy contracted almost by a fourth in the June quarter and by 7.5 per cent in the September quarter in the current fiscal. Even as a recovery is underway, official estimates peg the FY21 contraction at 7.7 per cent. It can be noted that the economic growth has been on a downward spiral for over three years till it went into a contraction mode.

SINGAPORE REDUCES FOREIGN WORKERS QUOTA IN MANUFACTURINGSINGAPORE: Aiming at moderating the country’s reli-ance on foreign labour, the Singapore government on Tuesday announced that the S Pass quota for foreign workers in manufacturing sector will be cut from 20 per cent to 15 per cent in phases over the next two years. The S Pass allows mid-level skilled foreigners to work in Singapore. Workers on S Passes must earn a fixed monthly salary of at least $2,500 and are typically degree or diploma holders, such as technicians. From January 1 next year, firms in the manufacturing sector can have only up to 18 per cent of their workforce be foreign workers on S Passes, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said in his Budget speech. This quota will be further cut to 15 per cent from January 1, 2023, said Heng, who is also the Finance Minister.

BRIEFSBUSINESS

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Foreign and Indian bidders interested in buying government stake in state-owned firms such as BPCL, Air India and BEML, will have to disclose details of the ultimate beneficial owners to get a security clearance.

The Department of Invest-ment and Public Asset Man-agement (DIPAM) - the government agency manag-ing the stake sale - has issued a proforma of the application for security clearance of the acquirers.

According to the proforma, any interest of more than 10 per cent in the bidding entity would require disclosures of parentage and beneficial ownership to get a security clearance.

In case the acquirer is a sole bidder, it has to share with the government details like nationality, address, parent-age, Unique ID number of the country of residence and pass-port number, of its directors and partners.

Also details of the share-holders/ members of QIP (All companies/individuals holding more than 10 per cent share/10 per cent voting right /receiving more than 10 per cent of the distributable dividend/ other-wise exercise significant influ-ence) have to be shared with

the government while filling up the application form for secu-rity clearance.

The Qualified Interested Party (QIP), which is the highest bidder, have to sub-mit a chart depicting the link between the QIP and the ulti-mate beneficial owners/ com-panies/ organisations along with their details in the appli-cation form.

If the QIP intends to form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) after the financial bid, then details of jurisdiction in which the SPV is planned to be formed and details of the likely directors of such a SPV will have to be provided.

Also a self-declaration regarding the nature and extent of presence/ operation of QIP in China and Pakistan, if any

would have to be provided by the QIP.

Where the QIP is a consor-tium, the name of all the mem-bers, percentage stake held, address and registration details of all the members would have to be submitted.

“Where a member of a consortium is a FUND, above details have to be submitted for the fund as well as for all persons who are in control of the fund, including the trustees and sponsors,” said the applica-tion proforma.

In the case of ‘Employee Bid’, the employees are exempted from security clearance. How-ever, the other consortium partners in the ‘Employee Bid’ have to obtain security clear-ance, it added.

Currently, strategic sale

of BPCL and Air India is in the due diligence stage with the government receiv-ing multiple bids for the two companies.

In case of Air India, a group of 219 employees , along with a private financial institution have submitted an expres-sion of interest (EoI) for the national carrier. For BPCL, a SPV floated by Vedanta and its London-based parent Vedanta Resources submitted an EoI.

The other two bidders are said to be global funds, one of them being Apollo Global Management.

As per DIPAM’s guidance note framed in 2018 on stra-tegic disinvestment, security clearance stage comes after financial bids are put in by investors.

The core group on disin-vestment, headed by Cabinet Secretary, decides on a case to case basis whether secu-rity clearance is required for sale. In case it is required, the Administrative Ministry of the CPSE which is being sold shall approach the Secu-rity Committee on Strategic Disinvestment for the pur-pose for seeking requisite clearance.

Once the security report provides clearance to the bid-der, the price bid is opened by the Evaluation Committee.

MUMBAI: Equity bench-marks Sensex and Nifty ended marginally lower on Tuesday as investors booked profits at higher levels amid a mixed trend in global markets.

After touching a lifetime high of 52,516.76 in the open-ing session, the 30-share BSE Sensex settled 49.96 points or 0.10 per cent lower at 52,104.17.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty inched 1.25 points or 0.01 per cent lower to close at 15,313.45.

Axis Bank was the top lag-gard in the Sensex pack, shed-ding 2.42 per cent, followed by ICICI Bank, Infosys, Nestle India, SBI, TCS and HUL.

On the other hand, Pow-erGrid rallied over 6 per cent. ONGC, NTPC, Kotak Bank, Reliance Industries and Maruti Suzuki were among the other gainers.

Sector-wise, BSE power,

utilities, metal, energy, oil and gas, basic materials and health-care indices ended with gains, while IT, teck, FMCG, con-sumer durables and bankex finished in the red.

In the broader markets, the BSE midcap and smallcap indi-ces rose up to 0.43 per cent.

Global equities were mixed as investors monitored the COVID-19 vaccines rollout amid rising cases in many countries.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul ended with gains.

Stock exchanges in Europe

were trading on a mixed note in mid-session deals.

Meanwhile, the global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.09 per cent lower at $63.24 per barrel.

The rupee settled just 1 paisa lower at 72.69 against the US dollar. PTI

SILVER SPRING (US): After a wild week in which Bitcoin soared to new heights, Bit-coin crossed the 50,000 mark early Tuesday. Bitcoin rallied throughout the as more compa-nies signalled the volatile digi-tal currency could eventually gain widespread acceptance as a means of payment for goods and services. Bitcoin has been mostly seen as a store of value, like gold, with very few places to spend it.

Then, last Monday, Elon Musk’s electric car company, Tesla, said it had bought 1.5 bil-lion of Bitcoin as part of a new investment strategy and would soon be accepting it as form of payment for its high-end cars.

It remains unclear how many major companies will fol-low Tesla’s lead. Analysts predict a slow evolution toward wide-spread usage of bitcoins to pay for goods and services. AGENCIES

NEW DELHI: The FMCG industry in India has recorded a value growth of 7.3 per cent in October-December quar-ter helped by consumption-led recovery during the festive period and increase in sales from traditional as well as organised trade, according to data analytics firm Nielsen.

The metro market witnessed “significant recovery”, while rural India, which is perform-ing well after a quick recovery from the pandemic, continued to be “buoyant” and witnessed double-digit growth during the quarter under review.

Large manufacturers also bounced back with consump-tion-led growth during the quarter, while the small ones

clocked double-digit growth amid rise in consumption, said the FMCG Snapshot for Q4 2020 released by NielsenIQ’s Retail Intelligence team.

NielsenIQ is a part of global measurement and data analyt-ics company Nielsen.

The Fast Moving Con-sumer Goods (FMCG) indus-try in India, saw a bounce back with a growth of 7.3 per cent in the quarter ending Decem-ber 2020. This growth in Tradi-tional trade (Grocer, Chemist, Paan shops etc.) and Organ-ised Trade (Modern Trade and Ecommerce) was driven by con-sumption,” it said.

The festive period-led growth uptick in November, was sustained in December also,

it added.In 2020, the FMCG Indus-

try had a value degrowth of 2 per cent.In October-December quarter, products such as liq-uid toilet soap, antiseptic liq-uid, floor cleaner, toilet cleaner in the Hygiene & Immunity building’ categories continued

a high-value growth of 46 per cent in comparison to the cor-responding quarter.

“The home and personal care’ basket made a consump-tion-led recovery (5 per cent volume growth vs year ago), while Food categories saw a 10 per cent growth riding on boost

in consumption as well as a price increase in some food baskets, it said.

This growth recovery was widespread in the food basket, including Staple Foods’ that grew 18 per cent in the Decem-ber quarter, vs a year ago.

While the Indian consumer has had a tough year, the last quarter of 2020 has seen a recov-ery in consumption as economic activities have started moving back to normalcy (opening up).

“The festive season brought a further boost to the sentiments and since then there has been a visible uptick in growth for the industry resulting in an increase in consumption across staples, and home and personal care, said NielsenIQ Lead, Retail

Intelligence, India Diptanshu Ray.

The Indian metropolitans, with more than a million popu-lation, have come back into the positive growth zone after two-quarters of decline and reported 0.8 per cent growth in October-December quarter.

While, rural markets contin-ued to grow in double digits - accelerating to 14.2 per cent in the October-December quarter, from 10.6 per cent in the July-September quarter.

This sharper recovery is on the back of favourable agricul-tural sector performance, gov-ernment action towards rural employment generation, and as rural India had a lesser impact of the pandemic, it added. PTI

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Finance Min-ister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday explained the govern-ment’s priorities to the Reserve Bank of India’s central board during their first meeting after presentation of the Union Bud-get 2021-22.

As per the tradition, the finance minister holds cus-tomary meeting with the board members of the RBI and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) after Budget pre-sentation every year.

The finance minister addressed the 587th RBI central board meeting and informed the members about the key initia-tives in the Budget and the pri-orities of the government, RBI said in a statement.

“Complimenting the finance minister on the budget, the board members made various suggestions for consideration of the government,” it added.

At its first meeting after the presentation of the Budget for 2021-22, the central board of directors also reviewed the cur-rent economic situation.

“The board in its meeting reviewed the current economic situation, global and domestic challenges and various areas of operations of the Reserve Bank, including ways for strengthen-ing of grievance redress mecha-nism in banks,” it said.

The meeting on Tuesday was chaired by RBI Governor Shak-tikanta Das through video con-ferencing. The government’s nominee directors on the board -- Financial Services Secretary Debasish Panda and Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj -- also attended the meeting.

Apart from Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance

Anurag Singh Thakur, Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey and Department of Investment and Public Asset Management Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey were also present.

Earlier this month, the finance minister presented a Rs 34.5 lakh crore-budget for 2021-22 in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

The budget has laid empha-sis on increasing capital expen-diture, raising allocation for healthcare capacity building and development of agricul-ture infrastructure, among others, which are expected to have a multiplier effect on the

economy.Hit hard by the pandemic,

fiscal deficit -- the excess of gov-ernment expenditure over its revenues -- is estimated to hit a record high of 9.5 per cent of the Gross Domestic Prod-uct (GDP) in the current fiscal ending March 31.

For the next 2021-22 fiscal, the deficit has been pegged at 6.8 per cent of GDP, which will be further lowered to 4.5 per cent by the fiscal ending March 31, 2026. Earlier this month, Das said the central bank will able to manage the high quantum of government borrowings at Rs 12 lakh crore for the next fiscal in a “non-disruptive” manner.

FM addresses RBI board, explains govt’s prioritiesAt its first meeting after the Budget presentation for 2021-22, central

board of directors also reviewed the current economic situation

Closer look » Hit hard by pandemic, fiscal deficit is estimated to hit record high of 9.5% of GDP in FY21 ending March 31 » For FY2021-22, the deficit has been pegged at 6.8% of the GDP

Bidders to submit details of ultimate beneficial owners for security clearance

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NEW DELHI: The govern-ment has raised Rs 310 crore by tendering its shares in the buyback programme under-taken by Engineers India Ltd, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management Sec-retary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said on Tuesday.

“Engineers India buyback of shares fully subscribed. Govern-ment received Rs 310 crore out of total buyback size of Rs 587 crore,” Pandey tweeted.

He said the government’s stake in EIL is at 51.32 per cent.

For the current financial year ending March, the govern-ment expects to raise Rs 32,000 crore through disinvestment. The earlier target was to raise a record Rs 2.1 lakh crore through

divestment. Shares of Engineers India closed 2.6 per cent lower at Rs 71.30 on the National Stock Exchange on Tuesday.

A buyback, also known as a share repurchase, is when a company buys its own outstand-ing shares to reduce the num-ber of shares available in the open market.

Companies buy back shares for a number of reasons such as to increase the value of remain-ing shares available by reducing the supply or to return surplus cash to shareholders. The gov-ernment wants public sector undertakings to either meet their targets for capital expendi-ture or “reward the shareholder in the form of a dividend” or share buyback. PTI

NEW DELHI: Retirement fund body EPFO is likely to announce the rate of inter-est on provident fund depos-its for financial year 2020-21, on March 4, when its Central Board of Trustees will meet at Srinagar.

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is likely to take up the proposal to announce rate of interest for 2020-21 at its Central Board of Trustees (CBT) meeting sched-uled on March 4, source said.

K E Raghunathan, an EPFO trustee said that on Monday he received the intimation that the next CBT meeting is sched-uled to be held on March 4, at Srinagar and that the agenda papers are likely to be sent soon.

He said that there is no

mention about discussion on interest rate for 2020-21 in the intimation mail.

Speculation is rife that the EPFO may lower interest on provident fund deposits for this fiscal (2020-21), from 8.5 per cent it provided for 2019-20,in view of more withdraw-als and lesser contribution by members during this fiscal mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, in March, EPFO had lowered interest rate on provident fund deposits to a seven-year low of 8.5 per cent for 2019-20, from 8.65 per cent in 2018-19.

The EPF (employees provi-dent fund) interest rate pro-vided for 2019-20 was the lowest since 2012-13, when it was 8.5 per cent. PTI

NEW DELHI: The Chinese investor in the parent firm of Koo, India’s answer to Twit-ter, is on its way out after other investors have pledged to buy out its 9 per cent stake, Koo’s co-founder and CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna said.

Koo, which caught public attention after the Indian gov-ernment’s tussle with Twitter over the removal of inflam-matory contents, has crossed over 3 million downloads with about a million active users.

Koo’s investors include Accel Partners, 3one4 Capital, Blume Ventures, and Kalaari Capital. Additionally, global venture capital firm, Shunwei, is also an investor in Bombi-nate Technologies, the parent of Koo.

Shunwei Capital, which is led by a partnership team that includes people of Chinese ori-

gin, had invested in the earlier product of Bombinate, an app called Vokal.

Since Bombinate has piv-oted its primary business and focused on Koo, Shunwei has committed to exiting the com-pany, he said.

“Back in 2018, when we had just started with question-answer app Vokal, we got inter-est from Shunwei, which was a prolific Chinese investor in the content space,” Radhakrishna said. Shunwei had invested across multiple companies in India and Bombinate was one of them.

“Over 2018 to now, Koo was started as an experiment and it gained traction. We had no idea, this will be a national sentiment product and that we should not take money other than Indian or something that is welcome,” he said. “Nobody

really questions at Vokal. It’s about Koo.” He said when the investment happened, Koo didn’t exist.

“Koo started getting trac-tion recently. And the latest round of investment (USD 4.1 million in Bombinate) was led by 3one4 Capital and Shunwei hasn’t participated. We actu-ally made sure that there is no more participation from Chi-nese investors,” he said. Shun-wei, he said, is on its way out.

“Exits are a matter of tim-ing. You need to have the interest to buy out existing shareholders as well,” he said. “First priority was to infuse capital into the company. And there will be more interest we will request Shunwei to exit. We now have enough interest to buy them out. They have also agreed to exit and this is in the process.” PTI

HYDERABAD: India’s lead-ing digital financial services platform Paytm has today announced that Paytm Pay-ment Gateway is empowering a million businesses including MSMEs, startups, small e-com-merce firms, retailers across the country with EMI offers, cash-back from top banks & part-nered brands.

The company has already partnered with the top 15 banks including to enable mer-chants to provide the best cash-back offers, no-cost EMI-deals, easy and affordable instalments to their customers. Paytm said that the move would help busi-nesses attract more customers with their affordable payment options. It would also help cus-tomers manage their monthly finance better and not feel the financial strain of buying a large ticket item. The service would especially help busi-

nesses bring back customers to their establishments, present them with affordable offerings, and increase footfalls.

Saloni Malhotra, Vice Pres-ident Paytm said, “It is our endeavor to innovate prod-ucts & services that are aligned with our mission of empower-ing them with technology-led solutions. With or EMI service on Paytm Payment Gateway, we are enabling them to offer the same discounts and bank deals that large e-commerce firms, retail businesses offer. Other than that they are eas-ily able to digitise their busi-ness operations, without any investment in technology or backend infrastructure. Our services are providing the much-needed digitization sup-port to businesses to improve their efficiency & supporting them to join the Digital India mission.” MPOST

Paytm Payment Gateway empowers bizs to offer EMIs,

cashback from top banks

Govt raises ̀ 310 cr by tendering shares in EIL buy back: DIPAM Secy

EPFO likely to declare rate of interest on EPF deposits

for 2020-21 on March 4

Bitcoin, seemingly omnipresent,

crosses $50K mark

Chinese investor in Koo’s parent firm on way out

FMCG industry grows 7.3% in Q3, rural sales up 14.2%: Nielsen

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APPENDIX IV A[See proviso to Rule 8(6)]

Sale Notice for sale of Immovable PropertiesE-Auction sale notice for sale of immovable assets under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 read with proviso to Rule 8(6) of the Security Interest (Enforcement) Rules, 2002.Notice is hereby given to the public in general and in particular to the Borrower(s) and Guarantor(s) that the below described immovable property(ies) mortgaged/ charged to Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd. [CIN: L65922DL2005PLC136029] (“Secured Creditor”), the constructive possession of which has been taken by the Authorised Officer of the Secured Creditor, will be sold on “as is where is”, “as is what is”, “whatever there is” and “without any recourse” basis on 05.03.2021 from 02.00 P.M. to 04.00 P.M. (with unlimited automated extensions of 5 minutes each in terms of the Tender Document), for recovery of Rs. 52,86,388/- [ Rupees Fifty Two Lakh Eighty Six Thousand Three Hundred Eighty Eight only] towards Loan Account No. HHLVAS00087154 by way of outstanding principal, arrears (including accrued late charges) and interest till 08.02.2021 with applicable future interest in terms of the Loan Agreement and other related loan document(s) w.e.f. 09.02.2021 along with legal expenses and other charges due to the Secured Creditor from MR. BINAY KUMAR, MRS. SEEMA VERMA, MR. ASHOK GOEL (GUARANTOR), MRS. VANADANA GOEL (GUARANTOR) and M/S JAIPURIA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PVT. LTD. (THROUGH DIRECTORS) (CORPORATE GUARANTOR). The Reserve Price of the immovable Property(ies) will be Rs. 5,00,00,000 /- (Rupees Five Crore only)and the Earnest Money Deposit (“EMD”) will be Rs. 50,00,000/- (Rupees Fifty Lakh only) i.e. equivalent to 10% of the Reserve Price. The EMD shall be paid by DD/ RTGS/ NEFT or through any other proper banking channels to the credit and in favour of INDIABULLS HOUSING FINANCE LTD., Account No. 114505001412 with ICICI Bank Ltd. (IFSC: ICIC0001145), having its branch at B1 and B2, Vanijya Nikunj, Enkay Tower, Udyog Vihar, Phase V, Gurgaon – 122015 (Haryana) before submitting the tender in order to participate in the online public auction. The successful bidder shall pay 25% amount of the sale price (less 10% of the Reserve Price paid before submitting the tender) immediately i.e. either on the same day or not later than the next working day and the remaining balance of the Sale Price shall be paid within 15 days from the date of confirmation of sale.

DESCRIPTION OF THE IMMOVABLE PROPERTYFLAT NO.10, 9th FLOOR, DR. GOPAL DAS BHAWAN, 28, BARAKHAMBA ROAD, NEW DELHI-110001For detailed terms and conditions of the sale, please refer to thelink provided on the website of the Secured Creditor i.e. www.indiabullshomeloans.com and www.auctionfocus.in.Date : 12.02.2021Place : NEW DELHI

Sd/ Authorized Officer

INDIABULLS HOUSING FINANCE LIMITED

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL N.I.T No - ITI-HG(Strive)/ NIT-01 (e

-Tender)/ 2020-21

IMC Society of ITI Hooghly, West Bengal invites e-tender for supply of Machinery, Equipments etc. Please visit www.wbtenders.gov.in from 16/02/2021 (10.00 am onwards) for downloading tender documents.

Sd/- Member Secretary

ICA- T4076(2)/2021

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGALIrrigation & Waterways Directorate

ABRIDGED NOTICE INVITING TENDERe-N.I.T No.-WBIW/SE/NIC- I /NIT-07(e)/2020-21

circulated vide memo no.- 3T-8/11/255, Dated- 15/02/2021.The Superintending Engineer, North Irrigation Circle-I, Green Park, Malda, I & W. Dte. on behalf of Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal invites online tender from eligible bonafide outsider contractor having requisite credential and turnover for the work Reconstruction of left Fulahar Embankment in Surjapur under Mahananda Embankment Division.Amount put to tenderRs.5,50,44,696.00/-Last date and time of submission of Technical & Financial bid (online) –10/03/2021 upto 17.00 Hr.The tender forms and other details can be obtained from the website www.wbiwd.gov.in&URL https://wbtenders.gov.in Sd/ (K.BASAK)

Superintending Engineer,North Irrigation Circle-I, Green Park, Malda

ICA- T4082(4)/2021 Kolkata South Division

millenniumpost|NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021mp business 11

OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Petrol price on Tuesday soared to Rs 99.87 per litre in Rajasthan - the highest level India has ever seen - as fuel prices were hiked for the eighth day in a row.

Petrol price was raised by 30 paise per litre and diesel by 35 paise, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

Simultaneously, the oil firms hiked cooking gas (LPG) price by Rs 50 per cylinder and that of jet fuel (ATF) by 3.6 per cent.

LPG now comes for Rs 769 per 14.2-kg cylinder in the national capital.

The increase in petrol and diesel priced pushed retail rates, which differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT and freight charges, to their high-est level.

In Delhi, petrol now comes for Rs 89.29 per litre and diesel for Rs 79.70.

Rates are higher in states that levy higher VAT.

In Mumbai, petrol price rose to Rs 95.75 a litre and diesel was priced at Rs 86.72.

Rajasthan, which levies

the highest VAT on fuel in the country, had the highest petrol and diesel prices.

In Sriganganagar town of the state, petrol soared to Rs 99.87 and diesel jumped to Rs 91.86 per litre.

While branded/premium or additive mixed petrol is already over Rs 100-mark at some places in three states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the Rs 99.87 a litre price of regular petrol is the highest that the country has ever seen.

This is despite the Rajasthan government late last month cut-ting VAT on petrol and diesel by 2 per cent. VAT on petrol at 36 per cent plus Rs 1.5 per litre

LPG, ATF prices rise; Petrol soars to ̀ 99.87 in Rajasthan

Petrol price was raised by 30 paise per litre & diesel by 35 paise. LPG now comes for Rs 769 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi

road cess is still the highest in the country. On diesel, the state levies 26 per cent and Rs 1.75 per litre road cess.

Branded petrol at Sriganga-nagar was priced at Rs 102.65 a litre and similar grade diesel at Rs 95.52.

Branded petrol is priced at Rs 92.12 per litre in Delhi and same grade diesel at Rs 82.99.

The oil firms raised aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price by Rs 1,942.5 per kilolitre, or 3.6 per cent, to Rs 55,737.91 per kl in the national capital.

While petrol and diesel prices are revised on a daily basis, LPG and ATF rates are revised on 1st and 16th of every month. In eight straight days, prices have gone up by Rs 2.34 per litre for petrol and Rs 2.57 for diesel.

The relentless hike in prices has been criticised by the oppo-sition parties including Con-gress that has demanded an immediate cut in taxes to ease the burden on the common man.

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last week had told Par-liament that the government is not considering a reduction in excise duty to cool rates from their record highs.

NEW DELHI: ITC Ltd reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 3,587.20 crore for the third quarter ended December 2020.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 4,047.87 crore during the October-December period of the previous fiscal, ITC said in a regulatory filing.

Its revenue from operations was at Rs 14,124.48 crore during the quarter under review. It was Rs 13,307.54 crore in the cor-responding period of the pre-vious fiscal.

“The operating environ-ment remained challeng-ing even as economic activity picked up pace progressively during the quarter with the eas-ing of restrictions and increased mobility.

“High frequency lead eco-nomic indicators pointed to green shoots of recovery in aggregate demand and supply, leading to upward revisions in GDP growth estimates for FY 2020-21,” it said.

Meanwhile, ITC said its results for the quarter are not comparable to the year-ago period as it also includes the revenue of Sunrise Foods, which it had acquired on July 27, 2020.

“Accordingly, the results of the quarter and nine months ended 31.12.2020 are not com-parable with previous periods,” it said.

The firm’s total expenses were at Rs 9,765.56 crore in Q3 FY 2020-21.

During the quarter, revenue from ITC’s total FMCG busi-ness was Rs 9,843.78 crore. It was Rs 9,265.31 crore in the year-ago period.

Revenue from its cigarettes business came in at Rs 6,091.17 crore, compared to Rs 5,944.86 crore earlier.

“Volumes and revenue witnessed strong sequential recovery led mainly by met-ros and large town markets on the back of progressive easing of restrictions and enhanced mobility. On a y-o-y basis, Net Revenue was lower by 7.6 per cent compared to 14.4 per cent y-o-y in Q2,” the company said.

FMCG Others - segment revenue stood at Rs 3,752.61 crore. It was Rs 3,320.45 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal.

“FMCG-Others Segment sustains double-digit revenue growth despite demand mod-eration in certain categories with consumers broadening their purchase assortment and lower ‘at-home’ consumption on the back of increased mobil-ity, it said.

The FMCG-Others segment of ITC consists of branded pack-aged foods like staples, snacks, meals, dairy and beverages, con-fections, apparel, education and stationery products, personal care products, safety matches and incense sticks.

ITC Q3 net profit at `3,587.20 cr; revenue

from ops at ̀ 14,124.48 crRevenue from its hotels

business was at Rs 248.87 crore. It was Rs 574.26 crore in the same quarter last fiscal.

“Segment Revenue wit-nessed progressive recovery with improvement in Room and F&B business. Turned EBITDA positive in Decem-ber’20 and break-even for the quarter,” said ITC.

Its agri business revenue stood at Rs 2,694.27 crore dur-ing the October-December quarter. It was Rs 2,258.87 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago.

“Robust growth of 18.5 per cent in Segment Revenue driven by higher wheat supplies for Aashirvaad atta and trading opportunities in rice, soya and wheat exports,” said ITC.

Paperboards, paper and packaging vertical reported a revenue of Rs 1,477.53 crore. It was Rs 1,555.36 crore in the same period last year.

“Paperboards and Spe-cialty Papers business recorded strong recovery in volumes with exports continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Softer realisations weighed on revenue growth,” said ITC.

Revenue from others seg-ment was at Rs 616.12 crore.

The board of the company has also recommended an interim dividend of Rs 5 per share for FY 2020-21.

Shares of ITC on Thursday settled at Rs 226.45 on BSE, down 0.53 per cent from its previous close. MPOST

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Centre and DGCA to reply within two weeks to a plea seeking instal-lation of Engineered Materi-als Arrestor System (EMAS) at airports having tabletop run-ways to ensure safety of aircraft which overshoot runways or abort takeoffs.

A bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian was informed that reply has not been filed by the respondents which include the Centre and Director General of Civil Avia-tion (DGCA).

The bench asked them to file their responses and posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks.

A tabletop runway is the one atop a plateau or a hill, with one or both of its ends adja-cent to a steep precipice. Pilots require very precise approach while landings and take-offs on such runways.

The petition, filed by a 85-year-old retired engineer Rajen Mehta, has mentioned accidents of August 7 last year at Calicut International Airport and May 22, 2010 at Manga-lore -- both having table-top runways -- to press for EMAS installation.

EMAS is a bed of engi-neered materials built at the end of a runway to reduce severity of consequences to air-crafts overshooting runaways or aborting take offs. PTI

Reply in 2 weeks on plea for EMAS at tabletop runways: SC to Centre, DGCA

mp entertainment12 NEW DELHI|WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2021|millenniumpost

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Khadi and Village Industries Com-mission (KVIC) has supplied 850 exquisite Khadi Silk Sarees to

Delhi Police. The sarees will be worn by women front desk executives of the Delhi police force at its various offices.

The consignment worth over Rs 25 lakh has been delivered to Delhi Police in less than 2 months from receiving the purchase order. The dual-tone sarees are made of high quality Tasar-Katia Silk and have been woven by traditional artisans in West Bengal who specialize in making Tasar - Katia Silk. The sample of the saree was provided by Delhi Police which was accordingly devel- oped by KVIC

and approved by Delhi Police. The sarees

have a mix of natural

color Tasar Silk and

Katia Silk in pink color.

KVIC Chairman Shri

Vinai Kumar Saxena said the purchase order by Delhi Police manifests Khadi’s growing acceptance in various govern-ment agencies. “Khadi is a trendsetter. Use of Khadi in our forces will signif-icantly add to its popularity among masses. At the same time, such pres-tigious orders are a big boost for Khadi artisans,” Saxena said, adding the supply of Sarees was accorded high priority and the consignment was delivered within time. “These Sarees will be worn by women front desk executives of Delhi Police who deal with the general public on a daily basis. This will further enhance Kha-di’s visibility,” Saxena said.

Earlier, KVIC entered into agreements with Indian Railways, Health Ministry, Indian Postal department, Air India and other government agencies for supply-ing Khadi products including bedsheets and uniforms. KVIC has been preparing uniforms for the crew members and staff of national carrier Air India. Khadi India has also designed and pre-pared uniforms for over 90,000 postman/postwoman in the coun-try which is now also available online too.

L ONDON: Veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Tuesday said collaborating with Hollywood star Emma Thomp-

son on filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ was a “wonderful” experience.

Azmi, 70, who plays a pivotal part in the upcoming film, praised the Academy Award winner for being a “generous” co-star.

“It’s a wrap for #Emma Thompson. What a warm, generous costar she has been. I will cher-

ish the wonderful times we spent together,” she posted alongside a photograph of her and

Thompson, 61.Billed as a cross-cultural romantic-

comedy, ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ is set between London and South Asia.

The film marks Kapur’s return to feature length directorial after his 2007 Cate Blanchett-starrer drama “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”.

The project is the filmmaker’s first collaboration with Azmi since 1983’s acclaimed Hindi-language family drama ‘Masoom’.

‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ also stars Lily James of ‘Baby

Driver’ fame and ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ actor Shazad Latif. It is written and produced by Jemima Khan. PTI

NEW DELHI: Actor Ruslaan Mumtaaz says he was surprised to know that his Nigerian co-actors from Netflix’s cross-cul-tural romance ‘Namaste Wahala’, who are immensely popular in their native country, were fond of

Bollywood and Indian film stars, especially Amitabh Bachchan.

The film is directed by Indian-Nigerian restaurant owner Hamisha Daryani Ahuja and features Mumtaz opposite Nigerian actor Ini Dima-Oko-jie, 30.

The love story revolves around a Nigerian lawyer and an Indian invest-ment banker, who face resistance from their parents but finally manage to get the seal of approval.

The 38-year-old actor said he bagged the movie through costume designer Rahil Raja, who had for-warded his pictures to the director and she thought he was perfect for the part.

“She looked at my picture and said I look like a Bollywood actor. Then she asked for more videos, which Raja sent her... It was a month long shoot in Africa for African audiences with only two Indian actors, me and Sujata Seh-gal, who plays my mother in the film.”

“Namaste Wahala” features Nige-rian superstars Richard Mofe-Damijo and Joke Silva, both 59, as Dima-Okojie’s on-screen parents. The word ‘Wahala’ translates as ‘trouble’.

Raja, who also worked as the cos-tume designer on the film, told Mum-taz that it was a big project and his co-actors are huge stars in Nigeria.

“He told me Mofe-Damijo and Silva are the equivalents of Amitabh Bach-chan and Hema Malini in Nigeria. He shared pictures and profiles of every-body,” the actor, son of veteran artiste Anjana Mumtaz, said.

Mumtaz, known for his Bollywood projects “Teree Sang: A Kidult Love Story”, “Dangerous Ishq” and “Yeh Saali Aashiqui”, said he was surprised that he did not have to explain anything about Bollywood to his co-stars.

“When I met Richard Mofe-Damijo, popularly known as RMD, I said, ‘I am honoured to meet you’. He said, ‘the honour is all mine. You are from India, you are from the land of Amitabh Bachchan’.

“Later he starts telling me a mono-logue of Amitabh Bachchan from Khuda Gawah’. He said he is a big fan of

Amitabh Bachchan. Bollywood clearly doesn’t need an introduction,” the actor recalled.

Mumtaz said his brief for the role of Raj was to play the quintessential Bol-lywood hero -- a charmer, a good son, and a loyal lover.

“It is a typical love story that you watch, maybe in Bollywood, or any-where about a boy and girl, who meet, fall in love, then there’s the conflict and they get back. It is a very realistic film but it has a Bollywood touch to it.” PTI

‘Namaste Wahala’

‘Emma Thompson is a warm, generous co-star’

The film revolves around a Nigerian lawyer and an Indian banker, who face resistance from their parents

MUMBAI: Actor Taapsee Pannu says she feels grateful to get an opportunity to work on ‘Loop Lapeta’.

The actor, who recently completed the shoot of the Aakash Bhatia-directed movie, said she initially planned to say no to the proj- ect but the narration ended

with a quick “yes”.“I ran behind some

films and some have just thankfully fallen in my lap. This being the

latter. I couldn’t be more grateful to these guys and

the luck line in my palm. From entering the narration

with the idea to say No, to leav-ing it with an immediate Yes,”

Pannu wrote on Instagram along-side a picture of herself with pro-

ducers Atul Kasbekar and Tanuj Garg.“Thanks to these gentlemen for

hanging by a solid script and concept for years and being more sure of me being Savi than I wa. PS-I guess in the end an actor has to ‘run’ behind/for a good script,” the ‘Thappad’ star added.

‘Loop Lapeta’ is the Hindi adapta-tion of the critically-acclaimed Ger-man thriller ‘Run Lola Run’.

The 1998 German original, starring Franka Potente and Moritz Bleibtreu,

follows a woman who needs to arrange 100,000 Deutsche Mark in 20 minutes to save her boyfriend.

Billed as a new age thriller comedy, ‘Looop Lapeta’ also stars Tahir Raj Bhasin, known for movies like ‘Mardaani’, ‘Chhich-hore’ and ‘Manto’.

The film is produced by Sony Pictures Films India and Ellipsis Entertainment. PTI

‘Entered narration to say no, left saying yes’

Taapsee talks about the film ‘Loop Lapeta’, which is the Hindi adaptation of the critically-acclaimed German thriller ‘Run Lola Run’

The film is directed by Hamisha Daryani Ahuja and features Mumtaz opposite Ini Dima-Okojie, 30

Actor Anupam Kher has said that the late actor Sandeep Nahar,

who played a small role in ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’, was a ‘happy-go-lucky guy’. Sand-eep allegedly died by suicide on Monday, after posting a video on Facebook, in which he spoke about wanting to take his life.

In an interview, Anupam, who played Dhoni’s father in the hit sports biopic, said that the news of Sandeep’s death brought back memories of their time working on the film. Sushant Singh Rajput, the film’s lead actor, also allegedly died by suicide in June 2020.

Anupam said, “I didn’t know about it last night, but I read about him a few hours back and immediately con-nected his presence in ‘M S Dhoni: The Untold Story’.” He continued, “Sandeep was a happy-go-lucky guy. I met him on the sets of that film only. I had about two-three scenes with him. He had more scenes with other actors in the film but he was undoubtedly a good actor.”

Superstar Akshay Kumar also paid homage to Sandeep Nahar, his co-actor from the 2019 hit ‘Kesari’, remembering him as a “smiling” and “pas-sionate” young man.

“Heartbreaking to know about #SandeepNahar’s pass-ing away. A smiling young man passionate for food as I remember him from ‘Kesari’. Life’s unpredictable. Please seek help if ever feeling low. Peace

for his soul,” the actor posted on Twitter.

The actor was found uncon-scious at his flat in suburban Goregaon in the evening, by his wife Kanchan and friends, who took him to SVR Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival, a police official said. He had posted a “suicide note” on Facebook, along with a nine-minute video.

The police official said

that Sandeep probably made this video around three hours before his death. The official said they are awaiting post-mortem report to understand the cause of death.

In the “suicide note”, pur-portedly written by Sand-eep, he mentioned about “politics” he faced in Bol-lywood, “unprofessional functioning and the lack of emotions in people working in the industry”. Further investigation is underway, the official added. AGENCIES

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