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 DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA

JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES SINCE 1932 `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

BJP frowns, ‘tainted’ RACE FOR A COVID-19 VACCINE

JDU leader out 3 days New phase 2 trial results

after swearing-in of Oxford vaccine show
Mewalal Choudhary quits as Bihar
Minister, says cooperating with probe success in older people
SANTOSH SINGH
& LIZ MATHEW
Hope for large, vulnerable group; Could seek govt
breakthrough immune response nod in Dec, may

E
PATNA, NEW DELHI, NOV 19

UNDERATTACKfromopposition
cost Rs 500-600:

parties over corruption allega-
tions against him, JD(U) leader
Mewalal Choudhary on
Thursday resigned as Bihar
Education Minister within an
hour of taking charge.
Choudhary is facing charges
E X P L A I NE D
KAUNAIN SHERIFF M Keyto
At the site of the encounter near Nagrota, on the outskirts of Jammu city on Thursday. PTI NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19 India’s Serum CEO
THE OXFORD-ASTRAZENECA ● Covid fight
Mewalal Choudhary after
4 Jaish militants killed; foiled plan Covid-19 vaccine candidate has
triggered a robust immune re-
sponse in older adults in phase 2
SUCCESS OF the Oxford
AstraZeneca candidate is
PRABHA RAGHAVAN
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19

regarding allegeddiscrepancy in
the appointment of assistants
and scientists during his tenure
as Bihar Agriculture University,
Sabaur, Vice-Chancellor be-
tween2010and2015.Bookedby
thepolice,hehadgoneabscond-
ing till he got bail.
Sources said the BJP ex-
pressed reservations over con-
tinuance of Choudhary in the
Cabinet. The JD(U), however,
maintained that he resigned on
his own. Choudhary said, "I am
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
taking charge on Thursday
to disrupt DDC polls: J&K Police
P5
ARUN SHARMA
JAMMU, NOVEMBER19
THE JAMMU and Kashmir Police
claimed to have foiled a plan to
THE EXPRESS disrupttheDistrictDevelopment
INTERVIEW Council (DDC) polls in the Union
territory, starting November 28,
with the killing of four Jaish-e-
MANOJ KUMAR JHA
RJD LEADER Mohammad militants near
NagrotaontheoutskirtsofJammu
city early Thursday morning.
Two police personnel were
injured in the three-hour en-
counter near the Ban toll plaza,
on theJammu-Srinagar national
highway, that involved the CRPF
and Army along with police.
IGP, Jammu zone, Mukesh
Singh, said the four, who are yet
tobeidentified,wereontheirway
to Kashmir and, going by the
quantity of arms and ammuni-
tionseizedfromthem,wereplan-
ning"somethingverybig".Eleven
AK-47 rifles, three pistols, 29
grenades and other devices in-
cludingmobilephonesandmed-
icines with Pakistani marking
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
10 YRS MORE IN JAIL
FOR HAFIZ SAEED
PAGE 12
clinical trials, demonstrating its
potentialusefulnessinprotecting
asectionof thepopulationthatis
among the most at risk of illness
from the novel coronavirus.
Preliminary findings pub-
lished in The Lancet medical
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
PUNE SURVEY SHOWS
‘NEUTRALISING
ANTIBODIES’: STUDY P 7
especially important for
India because Serum
SERUM INSTITUTE of India (SII)
will likely apply to India’s top
Institute of India already
has 40 million shots
drug regulator next month for
emergency approval for limited
ready, and is licensed to use of 'Covishield' on frontline
manufacture and distrib- workersandtheelderly,theCEO
ute it in large volumes. of the Pune-headquartered vac-
Triggering an immune cine manufacturer said at a me-
response in the elderly is dia summit on Thursday.
a significant challenge Covishield is the name in
that the vaccine candi-
date has overcome.
India of the Covid-19 vaccine
candidate developed by the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

China sees rising India as Need to reform banking,
rival, wants to constrain be watchful on trade
ties with US: State Dept protectionism: N K Singh
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
CHINA PERCEIVES a “rising India
as a rival” and wants to constrain
its strategic partnership with the
US, its allies and other democra-
cies,theUSStateDepartmenthas
said in a report. It has underlined
thatChinaintendstodisplacethe
USastheworld'sforemostpower.
The Chinese People's
Liberation Army, the report said,
recently provoked skirmishes
along its disputed border with
India, which killed dozens on
bothsides,andremainsinatense
standoff with India's military.
The State Department’s re-
portcomesundertheleadership
of Secretary of State Michael R
Pompeo who has been critical of
Beijing’s aggression in the last
few months.
In New Delhi last month,
Pompeo said that Indian and US
leadersandcitizensseewith“in-
creasing clarity” that the
Communist Party of China (CCP)
is “no friend to democracy and
rule of law”, and that the US
would “stand with the people of
India to confront threats to their
sovereignty and to their liberty".
The detailed policy docu-
ment by the State Department
highlights that China is under-
mining the security, autonomy
and economic interests of many
nations in the region.
“China perceives rising India
as a rival and seeks to impel it to
accommodate Beijing's ambi-
tions by engaging economically
while constraining New Delhi's
strategic partnership with the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
BUSINESS AS USUAL Cases up, Delhi reserves 80% pvt ICU
BY UNNY beds, hikes fine to Rs 2,000 for no masks
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
critical surgeries. Kejriwal also
saidthatthepenaltyfornotwear-
ing masks has been increased
oftheirtotalbedcapacityforCovid
patients. Health Minister
Satyendar Jain said this will lead
four-fold,fromRs500toRs2,000. to an increase of 2,644 beds.
ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU FACING A sharp surge in Covid Hours after the announce- TheMinistryof HomeAffairs,
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19 cases,DelhiChiefMinisterArvind ment, the Health Department is- meanwhile,advisedtheHaryana
Kejriwal said Thursday that all suedanorder,directing42private and UP governments to hold a
INDIA NEEDS to be watchful of privatehospitalsinthecapitalwill hospitals to implement the deci- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
the “transient” tendencies of have to reserve 80 per cent of sion,whichwillleadtoanincrease
trade protectionism emerging their ICU beds and up to 60 per of 260CovidICU beds.In another
globally and the geopolitics sur- cent of normal beds for coron- order, 90 private hospitals have MORE REPORTS
roundingtherecenttradegroup- N K Singh at the Express avirus patients, and defer non- beenaskedtoreserve60percent PAGE 3
ings, while keeping in mind that Adda on Thursday
tradecontinuestoremainanim-
portant engine of growth, said
N K Singh, Chairman, Fifteenth
Finance Commission.The future
of trade policy should become
clear from January onwards
when the new US government
outlines its stance.
Speaking at the Express e-
Adda (detailed transcript to be
published next week) organised
by The Indian Express Thursday,
Singh stressed that a lot more
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

To stop manual
scavenging,
Govt to amend
law, make
mechanised
cleaning must
AVISHEK G DASTIDAR
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19

AMEND THE Manual

Scavenging Act to make mecha-
nised cleaning of sewers and
septic tanks mandatory, replace
the word “manhole” with “ma-
chine-hole” in official usage, set
upanational24x7helplinetore-
port violations.
These are some of the key
measures that are being imple-
mented by the Government
with an aim to eliminate man-
ual scavenging across the coun-
try by August 2021, according to
senior officials.
On Thursday, as part of this
initiative, the Government
launched a “challenge” for all
states to make sewer-cleaning
mechanised by April 2021 — if
any human needs to enter a
sewerlineincaseof unavoidable
emergency,propergearandoxy-
gentanks,etc.,aretobeprovided.
The challenge will offer prize
money in various categories to-
talling Rs 52 crore. “The actual
on-groundassessmentof partic-
ipating cities will be conducted
in May 2021 by an independent
agency and results will be de-
clared on August 15, 2021,” said
DurgaShankerMishra,Secretary,
Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs.
Official records show that
manual scavenging has led to
376 deaths over the past five
years, including 110 in 2019
alone — a jump of 61 per cent
from 2018.
“We have instructed that the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

New Delhi
 2 THE SECOND PAGE
FROM PAGE ONE
BJP frowns
not chargesheeted in the case
andamcooperatingwiththein-
vestigation. I decided to resign
on my own.”
The RJD had been attacking
Nitish, who sought re-election
on a good-governance plank,
over the inclusion of Choudhary
in his Cabinet. RJD chief Lalu
Prasad had questioned the BJP's
silence on the matter in a tweet.
In 2017, before Nitish
switched from the Mahagath-
bandhan to form a government
with it in Bihar, the BJP had
stalled proceedings in the Bihar
Assembly over the allegations
againstChoudhary,vowing“not
toresttillMewalalwasarrested”.
This was soon after Choudhary
wasbookedforcheating,breach
of trust by a public servant and
criminal conspiracy by the
Sabaur Police. Choudhary went
missing before he got bail from
Patna High Court. The matter
was later referred to the
Vigilance Department.
Sources in the BJP said the
party leadership told the CM
Choudhary would have to step
down. “It’s an open and shut
case. There was no other way,”
saidatopBJPleader,pointingout
that the party had also led a del-
egationearliertoGovernorseek-
ing action against Choudhary.
Asked why the BJP had not
objected earlier, when
Choudhary’s name was in-
cluded in the JD(U) list of minis-
ters,theleaderclaimedtheparty
had received the names the
same day as the oath-taking.
“We did not ask them because
we did not want them to ask us
in turnwhywere we appointing
two deputy chief ministers.”
The incident might further
straintiesbetweentheJD(U)and
BJP,whichisnowthelargerparty
in the Assembly. With Nitish
seen as retaining the CM post
duetoBJP“largesse”,manyinthe
party believe he might have
sought to “embarrass” the BJP
withChoudhary’sappointment.
The case pertains to the ap-
pointment of 166 assistant and
junior scientists in Bihar
AgricultureUniversity,Sabaur,in
2012,whenChoudharywasvice-
chancellor. It was alleged that
those lesser qualifications got
throughaftertheyweregiven20
marks out of 20 in the power
pointpresentationandinterview.
While a chargesheet is yet to
be filed against Choudhary, the
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only accused, the police have
framedchargesagainsttwo oth-
ers, Rajbhavan Verma and Anil
Kumar, whose names came up
during investigation. Bhagalpur
DIGSujitKumarsaid,“Theinves-
tigation is on. A supplementary
chargesheet can be filed.”
Documents available with
The Indian Express show several
discrepancies:
■DrSKSingh,whogot53.83
marksagainst80foreducational
qualification, got just 1 mark
each out of 10 for presentation
and interview. He was not se-
lected.
■ Dr Sanjeet Kumar, who
scored53.80for educationqual-
ification and research, got re-
jected after getting 1 mark each
for presentation and interview.
■ Santosh Kumar
Choudhary got 39.73 marks for
educationalqualificationandre-
search, but was selected after he
scored the full 10 marks in inter-
view and presentation each.
■LakshmanK,whogot39.18
marks for educational qualifica-
tion, was also selected after he
got full marks in interview and
presentation.
■ Likewise, Babulal Dadwal,
who got 38.09 marks for educa-
tional qualification, made it af-
ter full marks in interview and
presentation.
Choudhary, who belongs to
the OBC Kushwaha community,
won from Tarapur defeating the
RJD’sDivyaPrakashintherecent
elections.
Attacking Nitish after
Choudhary's resignation, RJD
leader Tejashwi Yadav said: “I
had told you before that you
have got tired and lost your abil-
ity to think. (You) deliberately
made a corruption-accused a
minister and made him resign
only after you had to face huge
embarrassment over it.”
JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj
Kumar said Tejashwi “has no
moral authority to talk about
corruption”, and asked how he
would continue as leader of op-
position given that he is
chargesheeted in an IRCTC case.
State Dept
US, Japan, Australia and its rela-
tions with other democracies,"
the report said.
“China is undermining the
security, autonomy, and eco-
nomic interests of many others
in the region such as member
states of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations
ONLINE
OFFLINE
COURSE
EXCLUSIVE
WEB
EXPLAINED
(ASEAN), including those in the
vital Mekong Region, as well as
the nations of the Pacific
Islands,” it said.
The 70-page report states
that awareness has been grow-
ing in the US — and in nations
around the world — that the rul-
ing CCP has triggered a new era
of great-power competition.
“Yet few discern the pattern
in China's inroads within every
region of the world, much less
the specific form of dominance
to which the party aspires,” the
report said.
The CCP aims not merely at
pre-eminence within the estab-
lished world order — an order
that is grounded in free and sov-
ereign nation-states, flows from
the universal principles on
which America was founded,
and advances US national inter-
ests — but to fundamentally re-
vise the world order, placing the
People's Republic of China (PRC)
at the centre and serving
Beijing's authoritarian goals and
hegemonic ambitions.
–WITHPTI
Militants killed
were seized from them. It is the
biggest such arms haul in recent
times in the Jammu division.
The police said that due to
the amount of weapons, explo-
sivesandammunition,thetruck
the militants were in caught fire
during the encounter.
In Srinagar, as per a report by
PTI, Kashmir IGP Vijay Kumar
said the four militants were on
their way to the Valley, and ac-
cusedPakistanof tryingtocause
trouble in the political process.
The police said the four mil-
itants were a "fresh group of in-
filtrators" suspected to have
crossed over the evening before
at the international border at
Samba or the adjoining
Hiranagar sector of Kathua.
Their truck had crossed a toll
plaza in Samba at 3.44 am.
IGP Singh said they had been
receivinginputsaboutinfiltration
attempts, with weapons, since
the announcement of the DDC
polls, and vigilance had been
steppedup.Accordingtoofficials,
the truck with the militants was
stopped at a police naka at the
Bantollplazaaround5am.While
its driver fled, the men inside
opened fire, injuring two of its
personnel, the police said.
Theforcesrespondedswiftly,
gunning down two militants,
the police said. The other two
were killed during the en-
counterthatfollowed.Thedriver
remains absconding.
Of late,therehasbeenaspurt
in infiltration attempts by mili-
tantsalongtheinternationalbor-
der in the Jammu division, and
the BSF had earlier this month
detected a damaged tunnel-like
structure in the R S Pura Sector.
Scavenging
word manhole is not to be used
anymore and only machine-
hole is to be used from now on,”
said Mishra.
The Ministry is also tying up
with MTNL to roll out a national
24X7 helpline number where
such cases can be reported.
On the challenge, officials
saidthaturbanlocalbodies,state
capitalsandsmartcitiesareeligi-
ble to participate. They said the
243citiesthatareeligibletopar-
ticipate will be split into three
sub-categoriesbasedonpopula-
tion: up to 3 lakh, 3-10 lakh and
over10lakh,withprizesranging
from Rs 8-12 crore.
WithSwachhBharatMission
identified as a top priority area
bythe15thFinanceCommission,
and funds available for smart
cities and urban development,
Union Minister of Housing and
Urban Affairs Hardeep Puri said
the money needed to shift to
mechanisedcleaningwouldnot
be a constraint.
The Social Justice and
Empowerment Ministry, mean-
while, has decided to directly
providefundstoworkerstopur-
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
IN RURAL KERALA, REAL LIFE FRAMES MAKE LEFT LOCAL POLL CAMPAIGN GO VIRAL
Foranypoliticalparty,introducingitscandidateinanapproachableandcongenialwayiskeytowinningfavour,
especiallyinagrassrootlocalelection.InBedadkapanchayatinKerala’sKasaragoddistrict,candidatesofthe
CPMinthelocalbodypollsappearindelightfuldigitalpostersinthenaturalsettingstheyliveandworkin.
CHINA’S ‘MICROWAVE
WEAPONS’
India has dismissed as
‘fake’ a report on China’s
‘microwave weapons’
New phase 2 trial results of Oxford vaccine
journal show ChAdOx1 nCov-
2019 – technical name for the
vaccine candidate developed
by scientists at the University
of Oxford and the British-
Swedish pharma giant
AstraZeneca – has been found
to be safe, well-tolerated, and
to produce a similar immune
response across age groups af-
ter a boost vaccination.
Importantly, “ChAdOx1
nCoV-19 appears to be better
toleratedinolderadultsthanin
younger adults...,” the study
said – “and has similar im-
munogenicity across all age
groups after a boost dose”.
“Further assessment of the
efficacy of this vaccine is war-
ranted in all agegroups andin-
dividuals with comorbidities,”
the researchers said.
Dr Maheshi Ramasamy, an
Investigator at the Oxford
Vaccine Group, said, “Older
adults are a priority group for
Covid-19 vaccination, because
they are at increased risk of se-
veredisease,butweknowthat
they tend to have poorer vac-
cine responses.
“Wewerepleasedtoseethat
our vaccine was not only well-
tolerated in older adults; it also
stimulated similar immune re-
sponsestothoseseeninyounger
volunteers.Thenextstepwillbe
to see if this translates into pro-
Could seek govt nod in Dec, may cost Rs 500-600: Serum CEO
University of Oxford and
AstraZeneca.Promisingresults
about the effectiveness of the
candidate in vulnerable age
groups were published in The
Lancet on Thursday.
Thecandidate, which is be-
ing manufactured by SII under
an agreement with Oxford-
AstraZeneca,isthefrontrunner
inIndia’sownracetofindavac-
cine to defeat the coronavirus.
Covishield is likely to be
available for the rest of the
public by March-April 2021, SII
CEO Adar Poonawalla said at
the HT Leadership Summit.
The vaccine, which can be
stored at temperatures be-
tween 2°C and 8°C, could cost
between Rs 500 and Rs 600 in
the private market for the gen-
eral public, Poonawalla said.
The government, he said,
chase cleaning machines, in-
stead of giving money to con-
tractors or municipalities, said R
Subrahmanyam, Secretary,
Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment.
The employment or engage-
ment of people to manually
clean drains, sewer tanks, septic
tanks is an offence punishable
by imprisonment and fine un-
der the Manual Scavenging Act,
2013.Aspertheprovisionsof the
law,manualscavengersaretobe
identified and rehabilitated.
However, the problem per-
sists in urban areas, said
Subrahmanyam. “The amend-
ment in the law will make
mechanised cleaning manda-
tory. It should not be
optional...some municipalities
like Hyderabad, etc., have done
wonderfulworkinmechanising
the system. But it should not be
a best practice, it has to be the
only practice,” he said.
According to an assessment
bytheSocialJusticeMinistry,de-
spitetheManualScavengingAct
and Prevention of Atrocities Act,
1989 being in place, FIRs are sel-
dom lodged in deaths caused by
this practice, convictions are
rare, and the Supreme Court-
mandated compensation of Rs
10 lakh is not paid in all cases.
N K Singh
needs to done in the direction of
banking and financial sector re-
forms and it is now the time to
TECH
tectionfromthediseaseitself.”
These preliminary findings
are significant for India, as this
vaccine candidate is being put
through phase 3 clinical trials
in the country by Pune-based
vaccine manufacturer Serum
Institute India (SII) and Indian
Council of Medical Research
(ICMR). SII has already manu-
factured40milliondosesof the
vaccinecandidateunderanat-
risk manufacturing and stock-
piling licence from the top na-
tional regulator, Drugs
Controller General of India
(DCGI),andwillbesupplyinga
largechunkof India’sdomestic
requirement for the vaccine.
The findings reported in
The Lancet (Safety and im-
munogenicity of ChAdOx1
nCoV-19vaccineadministered
in a prime-boost regimen in
youngandoldadults(COV002):
a single-blind, randomised,
controlled, phase 2/3 trial)
brings hope that the vaccine
will be able to help the large
older adult population in the
country against the virus.
Oxford researchers have
said that “early efficacy read-
ings”fromongoingphase3tri-
als are “possible in the coming
weeks”. Pfizer-BioNTech and
Moderna have reported well
over 90 per cent efficacy for
theirmRNAvaccinecandidates
will get the vaccine at “a much
lower price” of around $3-$4
(approximately Rs 225-300),
“because they will be buying
largevolumes”of “hundredsof
millions” of doses.
But “the general public, as I
mentioned, will probably have
to pay around Rs 500-600,”
Poonawalla said, adding that
this would be “far cheaper and
more affordable” than some of
theothervaccinesinthemarket
today.
“As soon as the UK author-
ities – the MHRA (Medicines
and Healthcare products
Regulatory Agency) – and the
European EMEA (European
Medicines Agency)approves it
for emergency use, we will ap-
ply to the Drug Controller
(DCGI) in India and, hopefully,
very soon, we can also get an
moveaheadinprivatisingoneor
two state-owned banks.
At the e-Adda, Singh was in
conversation with Shankar
Acharya, economist and former
Chief Economic Adviser; Anant
Goenka, Executive Director, The
Indian Express; and P
Vaidyanathan Iyer, Executive
Editor (National Affairs), The
Indian Express.
“Whocandisagreethattrade
must be an important engine of
growth,” Singh said, while re-
sponding to a question from
Acharyawhethersomeof there-
cent tariff measures and India
not joining the Regional
Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (RCEP) point to-
wards protectionism,whichcan
affect economic growth.
“...We should ask ourselves
the question…has the world
turned increasingly more pro-
tectionist? Have the compara-
tivefactoradvantagesandfactor
efficiencies of reaching a better
place in the value-added chain
yielded place to a different
model of arrangement of the in-
ternational economic order?
Multilateral institutions,includ-
ing the World Trade
Organisation, are languishing.
Wemaycontinuetobelievethat
Indiabelievesinmultilateralism
andmultilateralinstitutions,but
the factremains that suddenlyit
has become less relevant by the
very people who practiced
virtues of this going back on
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
DIGITAL
COLONISATION
How it is keeping
Internet away from
Indian languages
inearlyresultsof phase3trials.
The Russian Sputnik V candi-
date, manufactured by a lab
based in Moscow, has also re-
ported excellent phase 3 trial
results.Althoughnoneof these
studies have been peer-re-
viewedyet,hopeshaverisenof
the imminent arrival of a shot
that can defeat the virus that
hassickenedmorethan56mil-
lionpeopleandkilled1.35mil-
lion around the world so far.
Duringthephase2trial,the
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
was evaluated in 560 healthy
adult volunteers in the age
groups of 18-55 years, 56-69
years,and70andolder,whore-
ceived either two doses of
ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, or a
placebo MenACWY vaccine.
“Our findings show that the
ChAdOx1nCoV-19vaccinewas
safe and well tolerated with a
lower reactogenicity profile
(abilitytoproduceadversereac-
tion) in older adults than in
younger adults. Immuno-
genicity(abilitytogenerateim-
mune response) was similar
across age groups after a boost
vaccination,” the study said.
“Most of the reported local
and systemic adverse events”
were mild to moderate in
severity, the researchers said –
in line with their previous
phase 1 study. Serious adverse
emergencyuseauthorisation,”
Poonawalla said.
“Again, that will be – just to
clarify – a limited use for front-
line workers, the elderly...it’s
going to take another three to
four months before it’s avail-
able to the general public, be-
cause that’s the way the emer-
gency use licensure will
probably work,” he said.
“We are basing the assump-
tion of an emergency licensure
based on positive UK results...if
we have a good UK result com-
ing in end of November-early
December,weapplyforanemer-
gencylicensureuse.So,youhave
thevaccinefor–again–thevul-
nerable populations by Jan-Feb
and then...March-April for the
generalpublic,”Poonawallasaid.
“If allthat goesaccordingto
plan, these are the timelines
this,” Singh argued.
Hesaid"wemayhavetowait
till January" to see how the new
US government outlines its pol-
icyontrade.“Whilecertainlywe
cannot afford to be a protection-
ist country, we need to be active
partners in the games of trade,
we need to watch the transient
nature in which the economics
of value added chain plays itself
out. We also need to be mindful
of the ways in which geopolitics
plays itself out,” he said.
On the banking sector,
Acharya pointed out that during
the term of the government led
by former Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, a proposal was
drafted to reduce the minimum
government ownership from 51
per cent to 33 per cent — which,
if enacted, would have been a
key reform. Singh agreed with
Acharya’sassertionthatbanking
sector reforms cannot happen
overnight and the government
can start by privatising one or
two banks and see the outcome
of that decision.
Singh, a former top finance
ministry bureaucrat, said the
proposalof loweringthegovern-
ment's stake in state-owned
banks to 33 per cent did not see
the light of day as there was stiff
opposition from the Congress
party at that time.
“…The path forward would
be at least in case of one or two
banks to move forward to do
away with the kind of present
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
How SC decides what to
hear, BJP’s TN push,
Pfizer vaccine update
NEWEPISODEEVERYDAY
In today’s episode we look at what cases the
Supreme Court hears, then we’re looking at
the BJP’s push to grow in Tamil Nadu and,
Pfizer’s announcement on its vaccine.
events observed during the
trial “were judged to be unre-
lated to the study vaccines”,
they said.
“Local and systemic reac-
tions were more common in
participants given ChAdOx1
nCoV-19 than in those given
thecontrolvaccine,andsimilar
in nature to those previously
reported (injection-site pain,
feeling feverish, muscle ache,
headache), but were less com-
mon in older adults (aged =56
years) than younger adults.
“The severity of symptoms
reported in the standard-dose
groups was reduced after the
boost vaccination, with only
one(1%)of 127participantsre-
porting a severe reaction com-
pared with seven (5%) of 128
participants after the prime
vaccination,” the study said.
Dr Angela Minassian,
InvestigatorattheUniversityof
Oxford and honorary consult-
antforinfectiousdiseases,said:
“Inducing robust immune re-
sponses in older adults has
beenalong-standingchallenge
in human vaccine research. To
show this vaccine technology
is able to induce these re-
sponses, in the age group most
at risk from severe Covid-19
disease, offers hope that vac-
cine efficacy will be similar in
younger and older adults.”
we are looking at.”
With India seeking around
300-400 million doses of a
Covid-19 vaccine by July 2021,
SIIis“gearingup”toincreaseits
output, and to still have “a few
hundred million” doses left to
offertotheCOVAXmechanism
led by Gavi, The Vaccine
Alliance, Poonawalla said.
“At the moment, we're at a
50-60million dosecapacity on
a monthly basis as an output.
ByFebruary,wewillhavegone
to 100 million doses per
month,” he said.
The firm has already dedi-
cated two facilities towards
manufacturing this vaccine
and will dedicate two more by
Februarytodoubleitsmonthly
output for both India and CO-
VAX. These additional facilities
arecurrently getting validated.
ownership structure, which we
have inherited from a decision
(of bank nationalisation) and if
you look at, historically, maybe
that decision may have served
its purpose and we need to
move on,” Singh said.
While Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and end-
ing the culture of ever-greening
of bad loans have been goods
moves, a lot more reforms are
required for the sector including
completion of the ongoing
amalgamation of banks, imple-
mentation of Indradhanush
packageof bankreforms,greater
accountability for shareholders
and greater autonomy for bank
boards, Singh said.
Singh, who recently pre-
sented the Fifteenth Finance
Commission’s final report to
President Ram Nath Kovind and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
said the Commission has
“sought to balance the objec-
tives” of the Centre and states.
No state government was
happy with the 42 per cent
award (of tax devolution) and
wanted 50 per cent, while the
Central government had a dif-
ferent view.
Singh was speaking days af-
ter therelease of his autobiogra-
phy, Portraits of Power: Half a
Century of Being at Ringside, a
riveting account of India's eco-
nomictrajectoryandhiskeyrole
in the shaping of policy.
The Express Adda is a series
of interactions organised by The
Indian Express Group and fea-
tures those at the centre of
change.
External Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar, Union Minister for
Road Transport and Highways
and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari,
Union Minister for Education
Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, AI-
IMS Director Dr Randeep
Guleria, former Chief Economic
Advisor Arvind Subramanian
and Uday Kotak, MD & CEO of
KotakMahindraBankhavebeen
guests at the e-Adda this year, as
these discussions moved online
during the pandemic.
Delhi Covid
survey of private hospitals in
their NCR districts to tackle the
crisis.
Addressing a webcast,
Kejriwal said that apart from
private hospitals, 663 beds will
be added in Delhi government
hospitals. The central govern-
ment has also assured “an ad-
ditional 750 beds in the Centre-
run hospitals, which means
that we will have around 1,413
additional ICU beds in the next
few days in Delhi”, he said.
While announcing the hike
in mask penalty, Kejriwal said
the decision was taken because
“many people” were venturing
out without wearing them,
putting lives at risk. Delhi has
been consistently registering
over 7,000 new daily cases,
placing severe strain on critical
care facilities and healthcare
workers.
The decision to direct pri-
vate hospitals to reserve ICU
beds comes after a legal dis-
pute between the Delhi gov-
ernment and the Association of
Healthcare Providers (AHPI).
The association had challenged
the decision, which was first
announced on September 12 to
reserve 80 per cent ICU beds in
33 private hospitals.
The order was stayed by the
Delhi High Court on September
22. Following an appeal by the
state government, the stay was
vacated on November 12.
“After the Delhi High Court
granted permission last week,
we had allocated 80 per cent of
the ICU beds across 30-32 hos-
pitals for the treatment of
Corona patients. This order has
today been implemented in all
private hospitals in Delhi. This
will result in the availability of
300 to 400 more ICU beds. The
reservation of non-ICU beds in
private hospitals has also been
increased from 50 per cent to
60 per cent for a few days. All
non-critical planned surgeries
will be stalled or postponed for
a few days,” Kejriwal said.
When contacted, AHPI
Director-General Dr Girdhar
Gyani told The Indian Express
that the organisation had op-
posed the move as some of
these critical care facilities are
engaged in cancer care, kidney
and liver transplants, and brain
stroke and heart surgery.
"How will a hospital with
40 ICU beds earmark 80 per
cent of those beds for Covid pa-
tients and the rest for non-
Covid patients? In the absence
of proper segregation, the re-
maining 20 per cent beds can-
not be used for non-Covid pa-
tients. Instead, the government
should designate some more
private hospitals as Covid facil-
ities and spare some for other
life-threatening ailments," he
said.
"The government of India
had issued clear instructions in
March to not mix Covid and
non-Covid patients in the same
hospital or wards. We need to
enforce that as not doing so is
also resulting in further spread
of the infection. AHPI is all for
using the private sector in full
force but would like to follow
demarcation/ segregation on
logical lines," Gyani said.
FULLREPORTSON
www.indianexpress.com

3 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
7,546 NEW CASES, 98 DEATHS ON THURSDAY
HC raps Delhi govt over Covid surge:
Woke up from slumber after order
SOFI AHSAN
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
THE DELHI High Court Thursday
rapped the Delhi government
overitsdelayintakingadditional
measures to control the rising
number of Covid cases in the
capital,sayingitwasshaken“out
of its slumber” only due to anor-
der passed last week.
The city recorded 7,546 new
Covid cases on Thursday, with a
positivity rate of 12%. The death
toll touched 8,041 on Thursday,
with 98 deaths being reported.
Taking note of the govern-
ment’s decision to cap guests at
weddingsto50from200,thedi-
vision bench of Justice Hima
Kohli and Subramonium Prasad
said, “You (Delhi government)
saw which way the wind was
blowing from last two weeks.
Now you turned turtle because
the court asked you questions.
Wearenotheretotakeanycredit
from anybody...but why is it you
did not wake up to this alarming
situationonyourown?Thebells
should have rung loud and
clear…themomentyousawfig-
uresspiralingandDelhireeling.”
At all-party
meet, CM
reiterates
Chhath ban
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
AMID A political slugfest over
the ban on Chhath celebrations
in the city, Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal Thursday said that the
measure had to be taken as large
gatherings could have led to
rapid transmission of coron-
avirus among people.
The CM made the remarks
after chairing an all-party meet-
ing, which was attended by
Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta and
Delhi Congress president Anil
Chaudhary, among others. Both
BJP and the Congress have been
opposing the ban on Chhath cel-
ebrations in public.
"I am a part of your family, I
want the two crore people of
Delhi to celebrate Chhath Puja.
But say 200 people gather near
a water body to celebrate
Chhath, even if one of them is
corona infected, the virus will
bring everyone under its sweep.
We have only disallowed cele-
brating Chhath Puja in a public
water pond or any water body
in the open. Let's celebrate
Chhath Puja by staying indoors,"
Kejriwal said.
The BJP and the Congress
also picked holes in the AAP's
Covid strategy. The BJP said the
government did not make
timely interventions despite
agencies like NCDC predicting a
surge in cases during the win-
ters, while the Congress de-
manded that tests in private labs
be made free for the general
public.
Kejriwal, on his part, urged
the parties to keep politics aside
for the time being and serve
people. "This is a difficult situa-
tion for Delhiites. The coming
generations will remember us
for our service to the people
when Delhi was going through
this difficult time," he added.
CENTRAL VISTA REDEVELOPMENT
In new Parliament complex, 120 office spaces spread over four floors
ANANYATIWARI
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
AS MANY as 120 office spaces,
“open-to-all”publicgallerieswith
museum-grade features, six en-
trances — these are among a few
upgrades in the new Parliament
complex, construction for which
will begin in December. Tata
Projects has been awarded the
contract to construct the new
Parliament building which is ex-
pected to be completed by 2022,
in time for India’s 75th
A crematorium staff at Nigambodh Ghat Thursday. Amit Mehra
The court also told the gov-
ernmentitwillnotbeasilentob-
server to the situation, but it is
also not there to shake the state
out of its slumber.
When the government sub-
mittedthatitcannotshutthecity,
thecourtsaid,“Whohastoldyou
we are telling you to shut the
city? We are asking that when
youfindaparticularsituationes-
calating in a particular district,
whyareyounottakingacueand
following a lead from any other
city in the country to see what it
CUT AND PASTE
Trees uprooted from near the Parliament being taken for transplantation Thursday. Anil Sharma
Students in distress over fee:
St Stephen’s staff to college
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
THE STAFF Association of St
Stephen's College has written to
the principal asking him to set
up a committee "to consider the
needs of students for financial
support and disburse all schol-
arships, financial aid and bur-
saries urgently".
"Someofourstudentsarefac-
inggenuinedifficultiesinaccess-
ing online classes and in paying
fees.Somefacultymembershave
beenreceivingrequestsfromstu-
dents for help with both fee pay-
mentandobtainingdevicestoat-
tendonlineclasses.Wefearthere
are many more students out
there who haven't yet reached
out. There has been a very tragic
case of a student of a DU college
committing suicide as a result of
the financial distress and lack of
institutional support," staff asso-
ciationpresidentNanditaNarain
Independence Day celebrations.
According to officials of
HCP Design, Planning and
Management Pvt Ltd, which has
won the contract to redesign the
CentralVista,thenewParliament
will have four floors — lower
ground, upper ground, first and
secondfloors—andwillalsohave
a reading room for MPs.
HCP officials said they are yet
to take a final call on distribution
of officesbetweenthetwobuild-
ings but added that a few impor-
tant ones — committee rooms;
major offices of the ministry of
did to set things right? You are
crossingacitylikeNewYorkand
Sao Paolo in numbers... topping
the list... We are not saying you
havenottakenaction,wearesay-
ing you have not done enough.”
Questioning the government
for not acting before the
November 11 court order, the
benchsaidWednesday’sorderon
marriagescouldhavebeenpassed
earlierbyDDMA andthestatedid
not need to look towards Centre
or L-G for exercise of power.
“Do you know the number of
wrote Thursday.
Aishwarya Reddy (19), a sec-
ond-year student of LSR College
for Women, committed suicide
on November 2 at herTelangana
home.Herfamilycouldn'tafford
a laptop for her to attend online
classes.
"The staff association would
like to request you to set up a
committee comprising heads of
all 11 courses taught in college to
consider needs of students for fi-
nancial support and disburse all
scholarships, financial aid and
bursaries urgently. The college
maycomeoutwithanotification
on its website inviting applica-
tions from interested students,"
Narain said.
Aresolutioninthisregardwas
takeninaStaff Associationmeet-
ing on November 17.
The Association also said
somestudentsmayneedtechni-
cal and infrastructural support
from college. "Some years ago,
Delhi University had sent a large
Parliamentary Affairs, Lok Sabha
Secretariat, Rajya Sabha secre-
tariat; offices of the Prime
Minister, some MPs; and offices
forstaffandsecuritypersonnel—
will be housed in the new
Parliament.
Some of the offices that will
remaininthepresentbuildingare
additional offices of the ministry
of Parliamentary Affairs, Lok
Sabha Secretariat, Rajya Sabha
Secretariat;airandrailwaybook-
ing offices; and estate manage-
ment offices. “The galleries and
theConstitutionHallwillbecon-
0-50 Good
lives we have lost in 18 days?
How do you explain loss of lives
to somebody who has lost their
near and dear ones?” it said.
The court also said the gov-
ernment cannot say the Centre
has not rendered it any help as it
received the same after it ap-
proached the latter post the
November 11 order. It added the
state should have approached
theCentreearlierasitwasaware
the situation was worsening
every day, and that it was not
time to find fault with anyone.
Observing that the Centre
only issues advisories and does
not handhold a state, the bench
said: “You have to see your own
ground reality and decide...”
The government told the
court it has approached the
Centre for permission to close
certainmarketsandotherplaces
on a case-to-case basis and that
sanctions are awaited.
The court also asked the state
why it was not reconsidering the
Rs 500 fine when it was not act-
ing as a deterrent: “We are not
saying you alone are responsible,
citizens are also responsible and
aresupposedtotakeprecautions.
If they don’t, you are supposed to
numberoflaptopstoeachcollege
for use by students and faculty. If
some of them are still functional,
they could be made available to
students in need.
"Applications can be invited
from students for laptops and
they can be sent to their place of
stay by courier. Requiring stu-
dents to come to Delhi to collect
thesedeviceswouldnotbeadvis-
able...," wrote Narain.
WhilePrincipalJohnVarghese
didnotrespondtoqueries,Bursar
Renish Abraham said he would
have to check if the email was re-
ceived from the staff association.
Asked if laptops could be distrib-
uted, he said, "We used to issue
laptops to students while they
were on campus, but now, since
laptops are provided by the uni-
versity,Idon'tthinkwecansendit
to their residence… Probably we
need to have a policy on this. I'm
not sure how we're going to go
aboutitnow.Ifwegetarepresen-
tation, we will consider it."
As per the design, the new Lok Sabha can seat 1,272 people
ANAND VIHAR
Very Poor
324
AQI
PM: 2.5
0 500
51-100 Satisfactory
enforce it in such a way that they
don’t carry infection to others.
Thosewhoarenotsteppingoutof
theirhomesoutofsheerfearofin-
fectionsandco-morbidities…the
infection is travelling into their
homes thanks to carelessness of
others. You have the law, we are
looking at enforcement,” it said.
Dismissing an argument that
the government did not antici-
patespikeincases,thecourtsaid,
“You know Delhi with its pollu-
tiongetsworseatthistimeofyear
on an annual basis... Cold wave
and weather combination is a
deadlycocktailof deathforthose
whoarelivinginDelhi...Howisit
that you did not anticipate it?”
Itdirectedthegovernmentto
implement its plan to increase
660ICUbedsinhospitalsbynext
week and to file a status report
indicating steps taken to ensure
thereareadequatearrangements
made at all crematoriums and
burialplacestocarryoutlastrites
of those who died of the virus.
The court further said that in
view of a manpower crunch,
RWAs and market associations
couldhelpinenforcingsocialdis-
tancing norms and wearing
masks at public places.
Now, doorstep
verification
for building
workers
New Delhi: The Delhi doorstep
delivery of public services
scheme can now be availed by
workers looking to sign up with
the construction labourers wel-
fare board, Deputy Chief
Minister Manish Sisodia said
Thursday.Sisodia,whotookover
the Labour Department last
month,said the movewoulden-
sure that more workers are able
to register with the board with-
out any hassle.
“The workers can now just
dialthenumber1076andsaythat
theyareaconstructionworkerin
Delhi, and want to get registered
withtheboard.Amobilesahayak
will go to the worker’s home at a
suitabletime,andthedocuments
will be uploaded there. Upon
completion of the verification
process,theapplicantwillreceive
an SMS confirming the registra-
tion," Sisodia told a press confer-
ence. ENS
SIRIFORT
Poor
283
AQI
PM: 2.5
0 500
101-200 Moderate
2 held for murdering man,
trying to pin it on 4 others
MAHENDER SINGH
MANRAL
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
A 40-YEAR-OLD man and two of
his associates allegedly killed a
rickshaw puller in Northwest
Delhi’s Mahendra Park, and left
a suicide note in his pocket,
blaming four people for his
death.
Two men, Ajimuddin and
Nandan Kumar, have been ar-
rested and initial investigation
has revealed that Ajimuddin
suspected his wife of infidelity
and decided to implicate a con-
tractor he suspected in a false
abetment to suicide case, police
said. Both work in a factory in
Azadpur.
Police said a PCR call was
made from Sarai Pipal Thala in
Azadpur on November 17, say-
ing a man had fallen off a four-
storey building.
He was taken to Babu
Jagjivan Ram Hospital.
“Police found a curfew pass,
which was issued by civic
agency, from his possession and
he was identified as S K Alam, a
resident of Geeta Colony.
During treatment, he suc-
cumbed to his injuries. Doctors
said he was also under the in-
Jahan seeks interim bail: ‘Facing
psychological issues in prison’
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
EX-CONGRESS COUNCILLOR
Ishrat Jahan, arrested under the
Unlawful Activities Prevention
Act in connection with the
NortheastDelhiriots,toldaDelhi
courtthatshewasfacingpsycho-
logical problems and sought in-
terim bail due to a Covid-19 out-
break in Mandoli prison, where
she is lodged.
Additional Sessions Judge
Amitabh Rawat reserved the or-
Meet for Kalita & Narwal
sees parents exchange notes
ARANYA SHANKAR
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
SIX MONTHS have passed since
Pinjra Tod activists Natasha
Narwal and Devangana Kalita
were jailed under UAPA for their
alleged role in the Delhi riots,
but their families, who met
Thursday virtually during a
public meeting organised by
the collective, had only smiles
to exchange. Determined to
continue the “resistance”, they
said they were inspired by their
daughters.
Narwal’s father and brother
and Devangana’s parents and
brother also shared updates
from the court.
Natasha’s father Mahavir
Narwal told Kalita’s family that
the case would conclude by
November 26-27, as Kalita’s
mother Kalpana responded say-
ing, “That’s a nice message for
us.”
Narwal said he had much to
learn from his daughter. “She is
in fact not feeling jailed, she is
feeling she is like all other peo-
ple. Those outside are also suf-
fering, just like those in jails.
Nobody in my family is demor-
alised or intimidated. We are all
verted into ‘open-to-all’ mu-
seum-grade galleries with ex-
hibits showcasing India’s her-
itage. Curation for the public
galleries has not begun yet,” said
an HCP official.
As per HCP’s design, the new
Parliamentbuildingwillhavesix
entrances:aceremonialentrance
for the President and Prime
Minister; one for the Speaker of
theLokSabha,Chairpersonofthe
RajyaSabha,andMPs;aceremo-
nial entrance in general; another
entrance for MPs; and two pub-
lic entrances.
New Delhi
SHADIPUR
Poor
208
AQI
PM: 10
0 500
201-300 Poor 301-400 Very Poor
The accused work in a
factory in Azadpur
fluence of alcohol. The district
forensic team inspected the
crime scene and found blood
stains on the terrace of the
building from which he fell,” a
senior police officer said.
During inspection, police
also found a suicide note, which
blamed four people for his sui-
cide, and also gave their phone
numbers, from his possession.
The note was written in Hindi.
“Alam’s wife told us that her
husband was illiterate. The
post-mortem said he was
beaten to death using stones,”
an officer said. An FIR of murder
was registered and police sum-
moned the four people, includ-
ing a woman, named in the
note. They, however, claimed
der after arguments concluded
Thursday.
Duringthehearing,seniorad-
vocateRameshGupta,appearing
for Jahan, said she was suffering
from some minor psychological
problems due to her isolation in
the wake of the Covid outbreak.
He also said she had suffered in-
juriestoherbackafterslippingon
the floor. Gupta said some in-
mates at the prison tested posi-
tiveforCovidandhavebeenkept
in isolation.
"She(Jahan)isapracticingad-
vocateanddoesn'thaveanycrim-
Arrested under UAPA for
their alleged role in the
Delhi riots, Pinjra Tod
activists Devangana Kalita
(left), Natasha Narwal have
been in prison for 6 months
part of your resistance,” he said,
adding that resistance was “not
just to get them out of jail but to
save all good ideas, truth”.
Kalita’s father Hemchandra
Kalita also said both were in
“very good spirits”.
“Sometime in late January, I
was in Delhi. She was part of the
agitation, but came home and
stayed with me one night. I
could sense that she’s actively
involved in the cause. I told her
to be careful, as this govern-
ment is very vindictive... She
said somebody has to speak be-
cause they want that people
should not speak,” he said.
Themaximumcapacityofthe
new Lok Sabha hall will be 1,272
seats for joint sessions. It will
come up in an area of 3,015 sqm
as against the present 1,145 sqm
and888seatsallocated.TheRajya
Sabha will have an area of 3,220
sqm, as against the current 1,232
sqm in the old building. It will
have 384 seats more than the
present 245.
TheHCPofficialsaidMPswill
be seated in two-seater benches,
which will accommodate three
in case of joint sessions, in a
horseshoe pattern in front of the
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
DWARKA- SECTOR 8
Very Poor
331
AQI
PM: 2.5 500
0
401-500 Severe
not to know Alam.
“During questioning, it was
revealed that the contractor’s
employee, Ajimuddin, stayed
near Sarai Pipal Thala and sus-
pected his wife of infidelity. He
was arrested a few months ago
for attempting to kill his wife.
We then scanned Ajimuddin’s
call detail records and found
that he was present at the crime
scene when the incident took
place,” the officer said.
Deputy Commissioner of
Police (Northwest) Vijayanta
Goyal Arya said that Ajimuddin
and Nandan Kumar (22) were
arrested and another associate
was detained.
“Ajimuddin said that he sus-
pected his wife of having an af-
fair with the contractor, so he
decided to kill him, but his
friend Nandan suggested that
he implicate him in a false abet-
ment to suicide case. On
November 16, they hailed a
rickshaw and asked Alam to
drop them to Sarai Pipal Thala.
They offered Alam drinks and
took him to the terrace of a four-
storey building where, after
drinking, they allegedly beat
him to death with stones. They
planted the suicide note in his
pocket and pushed him off the
terrace,” she said.
inalantecedents.Earlier,shewas
granted bail for 10 days for her
marriage and she did not misuse
it...shewillnotmisusetherelief,"
the senior counsel said.
Special Public Prosecutor
AmitPrasad,appearingforpolice,
told the court, “As far as her
(Jahan's) medical treatment is
concerned, she is receiving ade-
quate treatment in prison.”
“Atpresent,Jahanisstable.For
her orthopaedic issues, she re-
ceived treatment by jail ortho SR
at that time,” jail authorities
stated in their reply.
“This is not for Natasha and
Devangana, but for the cause of
democracy and the sake of the
Constitution... Every minority
should be protected but every
minority is being arrested,” he
said.
Ankita, a Pinjra Tod activist,
shared updates from Narwal
and Kalita’s jail stay.
“Devangana told us there
may not be much difference be-
tween jails and hostels, except
that jail authorities are a little
more responsive than hostel
ones. She also said she and
Natasha have been playing with
the children in the jail, Natasha
more than her, and that she has
now begun writing her MPhil
thesis.
“They also had a reading of
Sultana’s Dream (a feminist
novel) in their barracks with the
women and kids one night.
They’ve also been doing Yoga
regularly. Natasha is currently
the head librarian, since the last
we heard from them,” she said.
Kavita Srivastava from
People's Union for Civil
Liberties, historian Uma
Chakravarti, Dalit activist and
artist Sambhaji Bhagat and
journalist Pamela Philipose also
spoke at the meeting.
Speaker. The seats will be 60 cm
wide and 40 cm tall, bigger than
thepresent45-cmwidthand40-
cm height seats.
The official added that provi-
sionswillbemadeinthefurniture
for smart displays, biometrics for
easeofvoting,digitallanguagein-
terpretation or translation sys-
tems,andrecordinginfrastructure
to produce real-time metadata
andprogrammablemicrophones.
Interiors of the halls will be fitted
withvirtualsoundsimulationsto
set the right levels of reverbera-
tion sound and limit the echo.
4 THE CITY WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

BRIEFLY ‘INVOLVED IN 100 CASES’

Over 20 eminent artistes get Instagram influencer
Courtgrants
bailtoman 3 who shot notice to vacate govt homes held for ‘robbing’ man
arrestedin
riotscase dead Gurgaon SUANSHU KHURANA
& DIVYA A
cate,saiddueconsiderationneeds
tobegiventotheartiste’sstature,
their contribution to the field of
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19

New Delhi: A Delhi court
Thursday granted bail to
a man in a Northeast
Delhi riots case, saying
there were gaping holes
in the statement of the
eyewitness. Additional
Sessions Judge Amitabh
Rawat granted bail to
Gurmeet Singh on fur-
nishing a bail bond of Rs
20,000 with one surety
of like amount in the
case related to grievous
bullet injury received by
one Rizwan on February
25 at Kardampuri pulia
during the riots. The
court said Singh was ar-
rested from Mandoli jail
and so the question of
how an eyewitness had
identifiedtheaccusedby
his face remained unan-
swered.Italsonotedthat
CCTV footage was not of
the place of the incident
woman held
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
GURGAON, NOVEMBER 19
TWO WEEKS after a 26-year-old
woman died following a gun-
shot to the head by three men in
a case of attempted loot near
Gurgaon’sGolf CourseExtension
road,policearrestedtheaccused
near Bhondsi Wednesday night.
The victim, Pooja Sharma,
workedatWiproinGurgaonand
was heading home with her col-
league Sagar Manchanda (30)
when the incident took place on
November 3.According topolice,
the men — Gurgaon residents
Irshad,HariomandJitender—re-
turnedtothecrimesceneafter10-
15minutesinaSwiftcar tocheck
The accused were arrested
from Bhondsi, Wednesday
to take their phones and wallets:
“The complainant (Manchanda)
had taken Sharma to see a flat
whichhehadbookedinSector65.
They were returning to Sharma’s
placeinSector40whentheywere
stopped by the accused. One of
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
MORE than 20 artistes from the
country — eminent names such
as Kathak exponent Pandit Birju
Maharaj, dhrupad vocalist Ut
Wasifuddin Dagar, iconic
Mohiniyattam dancer Bharati
Shivaji, Kathak guru Geetanjali
Lal, Kuchipudi dancer Guru
Jayarama Rao and painter and
sculptor Jatin Das, among others
— have been asked to vacate
their government accommoda-
tions in various parts of Delhi.
Union Culture Minister
Prahlad Patel confirmed the
move to The Indian Express and
said, “They (artistes) have been
given time till December 31,
2020 to vacate the houses, fail-
ing which, they will have to pay
their outstanding dues. But if
they vacate within the deadline,
all their dues will be waived off.”
Since the 70s, the artistes be-
tween the age of 40-70, many of
Kathak exponent Pandit
Birju Maharaj, Mohiniyattam
dancer Bharati Shivaji are
among the many who have
been asked to leave
whom are now Padma and
Sangeet Natak Akademi
awardees, were allotted accom-
modations at nominal rents for
three-yeartermswhichwereex-
tended regularly. The extensions
hadexpiredin2014andtherehas
beenaconstantbackandforthof
letters between the artistes and
the Culture Ministry since then.
ThequotafortheCultureMinistry
allowed for 40 residential units.
While 23 have been vacated till
date, the rest are still occupied.
Dhrupad vocalist Wasifuddin
Dagar,whohasbeenaskedtova-
the arts — something that has
brought India eminence to the
country nationally and interna-
tionally — and the fact that the
pandemic is on.
Pt Birju Maharaj, in an audio
statement, appealed to PM
Narendera Modi and made a ref-
erencetohisageandhisserviceto
the art form after the notice
landed with him.
A senior official from the
Ministry of Culture told The
Indian Express that in 2014 itself
the government had decided to
phase out all kinds of quotas in
accommodation, be it for
sportspersons, journalists or
artistes. He added once the
housesarevacated,theywillonly
beallottedtocentralgovernment
employeesasperthenewpolicy.
The official added, “Any fur-
ther extension of the deadline
can only be decided at the level
of the Cabinet Committee on
Accommodation.”
DELHIPOLICEhasarrestedapro-
fessional poker player and her
friendinGoaforallegedlyrobbing
USD 3,300 from a man in Delhi.
Police said the accused, Amrita
Sethi (27), is a social media influ-
encerwithover80,000followers
onInstagram.Sethiwascaughtat
a five-star hotel in Goa with her
friend Akshat Jhamb. Police said
thetwocametoGoaaftertherob-
bery and were using the money
for hotel stay and poker games.
DCP (South) Atul Kumar
Thakur said the incident took
place on November 5 when the
accused called a man from a cur-
rencyexchangecompanytomeet
them at Panchsheel Park " The
complainant was told to bring
USD 3,300 and take an exchange
amountofRs2.45lakh.However,
theaccusedtookthecomplainant
in their car and later snatched his
bag," said DCP Thakur.
Senior police officers said the
carusedbytheaccusedwastraced
Amrita Sethi (R) and Akshat
Jhamb were arrested in Goa
inDelhi.Theownerof thecartold
police that his son, Kushaal, had
borrowedthecarandhadn'tcome
home for 2-3 days. “ The Goa po-
licehelpedusbytracingthemtoa
hotel in Arpora and apprehend
them,”saidthepolice
Police said they found Sethi,
Jhamb and Kushaal at the hotel.
While Sethi and Jhamb have
been arrested, Kushaal’s role in
the crime is being probed.
Sethi said in an Instagram
post: “He (Jhamb) is a thief and is
involvedin10-15casesofsnatch-
ing/robbery. He has cheated me
and his family is harassing me.”

New Gurgaon Metro may ‘face loss over inflated

but around the place of if the victims were alive or dead. the accused walked towards
occurrence of riots. Policesaidtheaccusedarein- Sharma’ssideofthecar,pulledout
volved in 100 cases of snatching a pistol and signalled her to roll
15-year-old and robbery and have allegedly down the window. When she re-

tigerdiesin
Delhizoo
New Delhi: A15-year-old
Royal Bengal Tiger died
at the National
Zoological Park in Delhi
Thursday morning after
a prolonged illness. The
tiger, B-2, had chronic
kidney disorder and
passed away at 9.25 am,
said zoo curator Riaz
Khan. The tiger was
brought to Delhi in 2014
from Van Vihar zoo in
Bhopal. "It was under in-
tensive care for more
than 20 days. The post-
mortem will be con-
ductedbyapanelof vets,
and the viscera will be
sent toIndian Veterinary
Research Institute in
Bareilly," said a zoo offi-
cial. ENS
confessed to another murder
which took place days after the
firstincidentfollowingadrunken
quarrel.“Theytargetpeoplenear
Golf CourseExtensionRoad,Rajiv
ChowkandIFFCOChowk,”saida
senior police officer.
The three have been booked
under sections of murder and
ArmsAct,saidpolice.ACP(Crime)
PreetPalSangwansaid,“Wehave
been told they intended to get
married... There were no CCTVs
atthespot.Wescannedmultiple
CCTVsnearbybutfootagewasn’t
clear. Manchanda, the eyewit-
ness, was also unable to give a
clear description of the accused.
We deployed several informers
andinterrogatedmanycriminals
(outonbail)inthetwoweeks.On
Wednesday, we received a tip
that the accused are hiding near
Bhondsi. We conducted a raid
and arrested them.”
A police officer said the ac-
cusedsawSharmadrivingaround
11.15pminSector65andwanted
fused, another man moved to-
wards the front and fired at the
windshield.Sharmatriedtodrive
awaybutthemanstandingonher
side of the vehicle fired a bullet,
which hit her in the head. The
men fled from the spot.”
Sharma died two days later.
ACP Sangwan said the men got
to know about the death from
newspapers and were changing
their hideouts frequently.
ShehailedfromChhattisgarh
and was the eldest of three chil-
dren. She had been staying with
her family during the lockdown.
On October 25, she came to
Gurgaon to collect a laptop.
The second murder the ac-
cused confessed to was over per-
sonal enmity, police said. On
November 14, the trio went to a
friend’splaceinGandhiNagarand
consumed alcohol. However, a
fightbrokeoutbetweenthemand
they allegedly killed their friend
Gaurav(22).Acasewasregistered
at Shivaji Nagar police station.
ridership data’; senior IAS officer writes to CM
VARINDER BHATIA
CHANDIGARH, NOVEMBER 19
THE PROPOSED 28-km Gurgaon
Metro is likely to result in huge
losses and be financially non-vi-
able,primarilybecauseof “exag-
gerated daily ridership figures”
projected in the Detailed Project
Reports (DPRs) purportedly to
seek hefty bank credits, docu-
ments show.
TheGurugramMetro(HUDA
City Centre - Subhash Chowk -
Palam Vihar - Sector 22 - Cyber
City with a spur to Dwarka
Expressway) is estimated to
come up at a cost Rs 6,821 crore,
with theCouncilof Ministers led
by Chief Minister Manohar Lal
Khattar approving the DPR in
August. As per the report, the
dailyridershipfigureisprojected
the Haryana government’s re-
quest,tookoverinOctober2019.
As per documents accessed by
TheIndianExpress,averageactual
daily ridership of the Rapid
Metro — operated by Rapid
MetroRail Gurgaon Limited
(RMGL) and Rapid MetroRail
GurgaonSouthLimited(RMGSL)
between October 23, 2019 and
March 21, 2020 — was approxi-
mately50,000.FromMarch-end,
IAS officer Ashok Khemka also highlighted operational duetoCovidrestrictions,services
losses already being incurred to run the Rapid Metro line were suspended before they re-
sumed in a graded manner post
September 7.
tobe5.34lakhby2025;7.26lakh line, senior Haryana IAS officer In theRapidMetroLine DPRs
by 2031; and 8.81 lakh by 2041. Ashok Khemka has written to prepared for obtaining bank
Highlightingthepurportedly the CM requesting a probe. credit, a daily ridership figure of
exaggerated daily ridership fig- Built by IL&FS Infrastructure, 3.72 lakh was projected for
ures, and operational losses al- Rapid Metro was on the brink of RMGL and 2.67 lakh for RMGSL
ready being incurred to run closure in September 2019 due by 2020 — 10-12 times higher
India’s first fully privately fi- to a financial crunch before the than the actual figure.
nanced 11.7-km Rapid Metro DelhiMetroRailCorporation,on Calling it “a quintessential
crony capitalist public loss, pri-
vate gain model of business”,
Khemkasaidridershipfiguresfor
Gurgaon Metro also “seem
highlyimprobable”.Khemkaalso
demandedthatridershipfigures
projectedinGurgaonMetroDPR
be verified.
TheIndianExpresssentqueries
to DS Dhesi, Chief Principal
Secretary to Chief Minister; Vijai
Vardhan, chief secretary and
chairmanofHaryanaMassRapid
Transport Corporation, but did
notreceivearesponse.TheIndian
Express also contacted Vinay
Singh, Managing Director, HM-
RTC,whosaid"hewouldnothave
much details about the Gurgaon
Rapid project" as he was "new to
theassignment".NadeemAkhtar,
AdvisorPlanning,HMRTC,toodid
not respond to calls and mes-
sages.

GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI

DIRECTORATE OF GURDWARA ELECTIONS
F BLOCK : VIKAS BHAWAN : I.P. ESTATE : NEW DELHI-110 002
Phone No. 2337 0225, 2337 8681

PUBLIC NOTICE
All Sikh Citizens of Delhi are hereby informed that the work
relating to Revision and preparation of Photo Electoral Rolls of all
46 Gurdwara Wards of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management
The Executive Engineer, Agartala Division No. 1,
Committee, has started w.e.f 22.10.2020 and the last date for PWD(R&B), Agartala, West Tripura invites e-tender
against press NIeT No. 16/EE-1/2020-21 Dated
receipt of claims and objections, was upto 20.11.2020. 16.11.2020.
For Improving Earthquake Resiliency of Masonry
It has been decided to extend the last date of receipt of claims Lifeline (ERML) buildings in Tripura under Pilot
Project/ SH: Seismic Retrofitting and rehabilitation
and objections, upto 11.12.2020 by 5.00 pm, in public interest, at work of (i) Mandai bazaar H.S. School, Mandai, West
all the designated Zonal Offices of EROs and as well as online. Tripura, (ii) Ranir Bazaar PHC, Ranir Bazaar, West
Tripura (iii) PWD (R&B) office building Division-I, Netaji
List of designated Zonal Offices and process for online Chowmuhani, West Tripura and (iv) Melaghar Girls
H.S. (+2) School, Melaghar, Sepahijala Tripura.
applications are available at With Estimated Cost: Rs. 2,01,41,163.00, Earnest
Money: Rs. 2,01,412.00 Time of Completion: 12
“gurudwaraelections.delhi.gov.in”. (twelve) months. Last Date of bidding for bids:
17.12.2020 upto 15.00Hrs.
The Sikh Citizens are requested to avail this opportunity, to get For more details kindly visit:
https://tripuratenders.gov.in
themselves enrolled, if not done already, for the free and fair Note: *NO NEGOTIATION WILL BE CONDUCTED
WITH THE LOWEST BIDDER*
conduct of General Elections of DSGMC-2021. ICA-C-2154-20

Note: THE AKOLA URBAN CO-OPERATIVE

BANK LTD., AKOLA
1. Remember, eligible Sikh citizen of Delhi, are required to apply (MULTI STATE SCHEDULED BANK)
"JANKALYAN" 58/59 TOSHINWAL LAYOUT NEAR GOVT.MILK SCHEME
MURTIZAPUR ROAD AKOLA- 444 001
for enrolment in Gurudwara Photo Electoral Rolls (if not done Notice for the 57 th Annual General Meeting (OAVM)
(Only for the ShareHolders)
already), even if they are enrolled in the Electoral Rolls of ECI. Virtual 57th Annual General Meeting of the Bank is scheduled to be conduct-
ed as per the amended guidelines received from the Central Registrar, Multi
2. It is very important to get your photograph incorporated in the State Cooprative Societies New Delhi. This meeting will be conducted using
the Other Audio Visual Means meeting will be held from Monday 21 st

Photo Electoral Rolls, in order to avoid any confusion/problem December 2020 to Friday 25th December 2020 everyday at 3.00 pm using
Video Conferencing. In absence of the mandatory quorum the meeting will
adjourned and will be held at 3.30 pm & no mandatory quorum will be neces-
in your identification, at the time of Polling. sary for the adjourned meeting. All members are requested to join meeting
through link, which will be provided separately on your registered Mobile No.

3. If you have shifted from previous place, you need to apply OR recorded email address.
Notice of the Annual General Meeting (soft copy) is forwarded to all members
on their registered e-mail address/mobile numbers. Agenda of the meeting and
afresh at the new address, for enrolment through Form 4 and Annual report for FY 2019-2020 is available on the website of the bank.
(www.akolaurbanbank.com)
also fill up the details of previous address, enabling the Members may send their suggestions and may send their questions on the
Agenda points through email (agm2020@aucbakola.com) 7 days before the
Directorate to delete the earlier entry. scheduled date of the Meeting.
Date:20-11-2020 By The Order of Board of Directors

Sd/- (Rajan M. Sontakke)

Chief Executive Officer

(NARINDER SINGH) Note :-All members are requested to register their Mobile No.and email
address with the Share department Head Office ,Akola (Mob.No. 9923966166)

DIP/Shabdarth/0442/20-21 DIRECTOR (GE) at an earliest Members may send their personal details along with Mobile no.
and Email via email (agm2020@aucbakola.com) to receive the official link of
the Annual General Meeting.

New Delhi
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

5 GOVT & POLITICS

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

‘DELHI CHALO’ ON NOV 26-27

DELHI CONFIDENTIAL Punjab: 472 outfits
back farm protest call
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CHANDIGARH, NOVEMBER 19
THE PROTESTS against the three
central agri laws got a major
BKUHaryanapresidentGurnam
Singh Chaduni and Swaraj India
president Yogendra Yadav.
Addressing the media here,
Yadavsaidtheyhavedividedthe
Delhi Chalo agitation in two
‘We will be vigilant,
demanding, and will hold
CM may meet
this govt to account’
RJD’S RAJYA SABHA MP MANOJ thanidealsituationsitmaythrow
KUMAR JHA was one of the upfromtimetotime.Thisisoneof
PM, Home party’skeystrategistsfortheBihar
Assembly polls and the voice of
them. Do people expect that the
chief minister will have a free
Minister and thepartywhoaddressedtheme-
dia prior to and after the election.
hand? Does he even have the
moral authority to govern, given

boost Thursday with 472 farm
outfits from across the country
extending support to “Delhi
Chalo” call by All India Kisan
SUCHA LONG JOURNEY Sangharsh Coordination
Committee (AIKSCC) under
ATANeventtoreleaseabookonacollectionof PresidentRam which agitating farmers will
NathKovind’sspeechesonThursday,DefenceMinisterRajnath reach the National Capital on
Singh and I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar recalled their long November 26-27 to press the
association. Singh said both of them have played “different central government to scrap the
rolesinthecountry’spolitics”,andbeforecomingtotheevent
were sitting together and discussing their association in poli-
contentious legislation.
The AIKSCC, Rashtriya Kisan
tics. “We were recalling,” Singh said, “when I was the all-India
president of the party’s youth wing, we needed a general sec-
Mahasanghandvariousfactions
of Bharatiya Kisan Union have
parts. Farmers from states near
Delhi,includingPunjab,Haryana,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh, will reach the
National Capital through five
highways — Amritsar-Delhi na-
tional highway (Kundli border),
Hisar-Delhi highway
(Bahadurgarh), Jaipur-Delhi
highway (Dharuhera), Bareilly-
Delhihighway(Hapur)andAgra-
Delhi highway (Ballabhgarh).
Farmers from other states
would hold protests in their re-
farm unions
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CHANDIGARH, NOVEMBER 19
AMID SUSPENSION of goods
trains to Punjab, Chief Minister
Amarinder Singh on Thursday
urged the Centre to show mag-
nanimity and not link restora-
tion of freight
services with
He speaks to DIPANKAR GHOSE
on the poll campaign, the results
and the way forward. Excerpts
After the counting day, RJD
went to EC, alleging electoral
malpractice. The party refused
to attend the swearing-in too.
Is this petulance or is RJD
taking these allegations
forward? Are you
approaching court?
We would not have ap-
proached the Election
the poor mandate given to his
party...?Weareenteringaverydif-
ficult phase, much worse than
what we have seen under Mr
Kumar, as far as governance and
social fabric of the state are con-
cerned. Having said that, we are
the opposition, a strong and re-
sponsibleopposition.Andweare
goingtodischargeourdutieswell.
THE EXPRESS Wewillbevigilant,wewillbede-
manding, and we will hold this
INTERVIEW government to account.

retary, and found Prakash Javadekar.” Both have been work- joined hands and formed a
ingtogethersince,headded.AbouthisassociationwithKovind, 'SamyuktaKisanMorcha',which
Singh said they came to know each other in 1994, when both held a meeting in Chandigarh
filed their Rajya Sabha nominations together. over the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.
Aseven-membercommittee
has been formed to coordinate
HIT THE GROUND the operations of the ‘morcha’.
The members include Bharatiya
IN HIS first meeting with those recently given charge of the Kisan Union (Rajewal) president
partyindifferentstates,BJPpresidentJPNaddahadspecialin- Balbir Singh Rajewal, AIKSCC
structions for those tasked to handle the party in poll-bound convenor VM Singh,
states — to see that no section or group of voters are ignored. Swabhimani Shetkari
All“prabharis”—statein-charges—havebeenaskedtovisitthe Sangathana president Raju
statesundertheirchargefrequentlytonotjustsuperviseorgan- Shetty (represented by Hannan
isational activities but also to keep state leaders and workers Mullah), Kisan Mazdoor
in high spirits. They have also been asked to give honest feed- Mahasangh president
backfromthestatestotheparty'stopleaders.BJPgeneralsec- Shivkumar Kakaji, BKU (Ekta
retary (organisation) B L Santosh has given a presentation on Sidhupur) Jagjit Singh Dallewal,
various tasks these in-charges would have to take up.
spective states at district and vil-
lage level.
Mullah said if the govern-
ment stops the farmers from en-
teringDelhicitingCovid-19,they
would lay siege to the highways
leading to Delhi. “We will sit on
an indefinite dharna at the bor-
der,” he said.
Lashing out at the Centre for
"imposing economic blockade"
on Punjab, Yadav demanded the
government to resume goods
trains in the state.
Rajewal said if the Centre in-
vites them for talks, they will go
but will not withdraw their
'Delhi Chalo' protest call.
movement of Commission if we did not have Therehavebeencontroversies
WITH
passenger substantial basis for raising con- onthecabinettoo.Notasingle
MANOJ KUMAR
trains. He also cernsaboutthemalpractices.We JHA Muslimrepresentative.Anda
asked the areveryseriousabouttheseissues RJD RAJYA SABHA MP ministerwhosteppeddown
Centre to sup- and in the process of collecting followingacorruptioncharge.
port the state dataandevidencefromreturning Howdoyouseethis?
Amarinder
Singh
government
in creating a
officers.Oncewehavecompleted
our research, we will decide on a
apartfromthecloseseats
issues,whatarethebroad
It is all very unfortunate. The
hollowness of the so-called good
congenial en- way forward. takeawaysforyou? governance promise/slogan
vironment for I think the analysis is going to stands exposed.
ending the prolonged farmers’ Yousaythereisabasisfor take some more time as the dif-
agitation. goingtotheEC.Therewere ferences in vote share and mar- Therehasbeencriticismthat
A government statement narrowseatsyes.Butthesefell gins are very thin. Also, there are theRJDmayhaveconducteda
said that the CM is likely to hold bothways--totheNDAandto somanyvariables.Weranaclean goodcampaign,butwas
meetings soon with the farmer you.Thedatashowsthatthere campaign and connected very missinginactionbeforeit.In
unions in Chandigarh, as well as isonlyoneseat,Hilsa,where well with the people... Though fact,manybelievethatif the
the Prime Minister and the thewinningmarginissmaller they are never a reliable index, partyanditsleaderswere
Union Home Minister in Delhi. thanthepostalballotcount. most exit polls favoured us. The morevisibleduringtheCovid
Whatistheevidenceof broadtakeawayforusisthatpeo- migrantcrisis,oronthestreets
wrongdoing? ple did repose their faith in us — before,thiscouldhavetaken

NETWORK CHALLENGE
The evidence is scattered all
over the public sphere. Our sup-
porterswhokeptakeeneyeonthe
AT THE launch of a novel challenge to free the cities of manual delayindeclarationofresultsasthe
scavenging,ministerHardeepPurithrewa"challenge"todiffer- dayprogressedhaveseenenough
ent states. Called in alphabetical order, the officer of the state evidence. On what grounds were
concernedcameonscreenandsaid"weacceptthechallenge". suchalargenumberof postalbal-
When West Bengal's turn came, there was no response. Even lotsdeclaredinvalid?
though there was video of the officer on screen, it seemed as if
WestBengalwasrefusingtoparticipateinthescheme.Officials Youareapartythatsaysyou
later explained it was just a case of poor network connectivity, believeindemocraticethos.
and that there was nothing more to it. Anelectionwasfought,one
sidewon,anotherlost,albeit
narrowly.Whatdemocratic
we are still the largest party...
Yourpartycolleaguehas
attackedtheCongressasa
weaklink,basicallysaying
theirleadershipisnot
committed.Theywon19out
of 70seats.Isthataproblem
youtoohaveidentified?
Thosearepersonalviewsofin-
dividuals. I think the alliance
worked very well together, both
onthelevelof ideasaswellasthe
execution,andwehadalotgoing
youovertheline.
Throughoutthemigrantcrisis
during the lockdown, it was the
RJD rather than the Bihar govern-
mentthatwasonthegroundhelp-
ing Bihari migrants... Our leaders
andourcadresworkedtirelessly...
Our politics is humanitarian, not
justthatof hollowoptics.
Lastly,withafractured
mandate,thesearetenuous
alliances.If yousayNitish
Kumariscornered,istherea

Despite calls for

precedentdidnotattending for us. roadbacktothe
theswearing-inset? Mahagathbandhanforhimin
Democracy is not just a game Youmustbelookingatthe thenextfiveyears?
of maths. When institutions are cabinetformationclosely. GivenMrKumar'spositionitis

restraint, Pak forces clearly shown to be abdicating

proceduralnorms,ourclearstand
against it will go down in history
NitishKumarisCMandthere
aretwoDeputyCMs,none of
whomareSushilModi.How
anideathatmaystrikehimsooner
or later. Humour aside... With the
bettermentofBiharattheheartof

providing support as a remarkable moment of up-

holding democratic values.
doyouseethisgovernment
functioning?
As much as one understands
all that we do, let me say this:
thoughthechiefministermayfind
thegoingdifficult,weareandwill

to infiltrators: India Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the launch of ‘The Republican Ethic’, a book
containing selected speeches of President Ram Nath Kovind, at South Block in Delhi. PTI
Hasthepartydoneapost-
mortemof theresults,and
the workings of democracy, one
is also keenly aware of the less
remainclosertopeopleandfirmly
onthesideof thepeople.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
India slams
No difference in Kovind’s Tharoor, Lekhi
INDIA ON Thursday said that de-
spite repeated calls for restraint
Pak for GB
elections words and deeds: Rajnath in war of words
as House panel
and adherence to the ceasefire
understandingof2003,Pakistani New Delhi: India on
forces continue to provide sup- Thursday slammed the Publications Division of the lifebasedonvaluesandethicscan
porting cover fire to infiltrators. Pakistan for holding elec- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Information and Broadcasting be seen,” he said.
Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA) spokesperson Anurag
Srivastava said the incessant in-
tions in Gilgit-Baltistan,
sayingitwasaimedathid-
ingPakistan’sillegaloccu-
NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER19

UNLIKE MANY other politicians

Ministry, said Kovind “made re-
lentless efforts to provide justice
tothecommonpeople”and“due
Kovind, he said, “considers
public service the ultimate reli-
gion,whichisevidentinhismany
questions Twitter Shivraj Singh Chouhan

filtration of terrorists and induc-
tion of weapons to fuel terror ac-
tivities continue unabated.
Such activities are not possi-
ble without the support of
Pakistani forces deployed along
the Line of Control (LoC), he said
at an online briefing.
“Despiterepeatedcallsforre-
straint and adherence to the
ceasefireunderstandingof2003...
Pakistani forces continue to en-
gage in providing supporting
cover fire to infiltrators,”
Srivastavasaid.HesaidtheCharge
d'Affaires of the Pakistan High
Commission was summoned by
the MEA on November 14 and a
strong protest was lodged.over
unprovoked ceasefire violations.
pation of the territory.
Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA) spokesper-
son Anurag Srivastava as-
sertedthatGilgit-Baltistan
was an integral part of
India since 1947.
Asked at an online
briefing about elections
heldinGilgit-Baltistanand
protests against the poll
process there, Srivastava
said, “Elections in Gilgit-
Baltistanarenothingbuta
sham and their aim is to
hide Pakistan's illegal oc-
cupation of areas of the
UnionTerritoryof Jammu
and Kashmir.” ENS
and leaders, President Ram Nath
Kovinddoesnotallowanygapbe-
tween what he says and what he
does, Defence Minister Rajnath
SinghsaidonThursday.Speaking
at an event to launch a book of
Kovind’s speeches, Singh said,
“When there is a difference be-
tweenwordsanddeeds,itcreates
a crisis of credibility.” But the
Presidenthas“neveralloweditto
happen”, he said.
Thebook,titledTheRepublican
Ethic and Loktantra ke Svar in
Hindi,isacompilationof Kovind’s
58speechesmadeinthethirdyear
of hispresidency.Ithasbeencate-
gorisedintoeightsections.
Singh, who released physical
copies of the book, published by
to his suggestions to improve the
judicial system, now a verified
copy of the judgments in Hindi
andlocallanguagesisbeingmade
available by the Supreme Court
and many high courts”.
He said the President, who is
the Supreme Commander of
India's armed forces, “has also
gone to areas such as Siachen to
meet Army personnel, which is a
symbolofaffectionandrespectfor
the forces in his mind”.
Singh said the compilation of
Kovind’sspeeches“presentsapic-
ture of his work, personality and
values”.
“Inthesespeeches,theprefer-
ences of a sensitive and idealistic
publicservant,afairpersonliving
speeches”and“underlinestheim-
portance of Indian values in his
addresses which have a greater
impact because these values are
partof hispersonallife”.
Issues such as girls education,
empowermentofwomen,welfare
of the weaker sections, find men-
tion in the speeches, which, Singh
said,“reflectshiselevatedmind”.
I&B Minister Prakash
Javadekar, who released the e-
book, said Kovind “comes from a
very common family and has
reachedthecountry’stopposition
and is handling it well”. He said
“the mission of India’s life is re-
flected in the speeches of the
President,thePrimeMinisterand
other senior leaders”.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER19
SOCIALMEDIA giant Twitter was
inthecrosshairsoftheMeenakshi
Lekhi-ledparliamentarycommit-
tee on personal data protection
Bill once again on Thursday. The
panelaskedrepresentativesofthe
micro-blogging site as to why it
did not remove stand-up come-
dianKunalKamra’stweetsonthe
Supreme Court and a judge, and
sought a reply from it in a week.
The move was questioned by
Shashi Tharoor, head of the
Parliamentary Standing Comm-
ittee on Information Technology.
“Dear @M_Lekhi, as far as I am
aware your Committee was
Lekhi, Tharoor
Thursday’s meeting . He is learnt
tohaveaskedhowTwittercanal-
low use of abusive language
against a Constitutional func-
tionary. He told the officials that
India was a conservative society
anddoesnottoleratedisrespectof
constitutional functionaries.
Lastweek,AttorneyGeneralK
KVenugopalhadgrantedconsent
MP announces
200 days of
MGNREGA work
in Maoist-hit dist
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BHOPAL, NOVEMBER 19
WITH A view to boost employ-
ment in Maoist-affected
Balaghat district, Chief Minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan on
ThursdayannouncedthatMGN-
REGA work days will be in-
creased to 200 from the 100 at
present.
The decision came after a re-
quest from the district adminis-

AIMIM sets eyes on Bengal, BJP sniffs advantage

LIZMATHEW
NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER19
AFTERMAKINGimpressivegains
intherecentassemblyelectionin
Bihar, Asaduddin Owaisi's All
India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-
Muslimeen(AIMIM)isgearingup
to field candidates in the West
Bengal election, scheduled to be
held next year. With Owaisi ex-
pectedtofieldMuslimcandidates
and raise issues such as the CAA
and NRC, as he did in Bihar, BJP
leaders assess that the move
would be to their advantage in
consolidating Hindu votes in the
state.
Although they reject the alle-
gationthatAIMIMisits“B-team”,
thepartyleadersfeelthepresence
of “hardcoreMuslimfaces”inthe
electoralfraywouldhelptheparty
to rally Hindu votes behind it.
“AIMIM candidates can do what
the Congress, Left or TMC candi-
dates may not be able to. The
party, its ideology and the issues
it raises can certainly keep the
Hindu votes, including the so-
called moderate ones, with us,”
said a BJP leader who is involved
withtheparty'selectioneeringin
West Bengal.
According to the BJP leaders,
outofthetotal294seats,thereare
around 75-80 constituencies,
spread largely in north and south
Bengal, where Muslim voters
could swing the results. The BJP,
which recently emerged as the
main rival of the ruling TMC after
making significant inroads in the
Owaisi, Banerjee
2019 parliamentary polls, has al-
ready launched an intense cam-
paign in the state.
Muslims constitute 27 per
cent of Bengal's population.
Districts such as Malda, North
Dinajpur and Murshidabad have
more than 50 per cent Muslim
population while one-fourth of
thepopulationinBirbhum,North
and South 24 Parganas, Howrah
and Nadia districts are from the
community.
In the recent Bihar election,
theAIMIMfielded20candidates,
of which 14 were in Muslim-
dominated Seemanchal region,
bordering Bengal. The party won
five seats.
Owaisi recently alleged that
theMuslimcommunityhasbeen
alienatedinWestBengalandsaid
thesocialandeconomiccondition
of Muslims in the state “is worse
than that of those” in many parts
of the country.
According to sources, Owaisi
isplanningtofieldyoungMuslim
faces in the Bengal election who
“will not dilute the issues the mi-
noritycommunitywantsthemto
raise”. In Bihar, the party candi-
dates had raised issues such as
CAAandNRCwhileotheropposi-
tion parties such as the RJD and
Congressrefrainedfromit,despite
havingenjoyedthecommunity's
support for a long time.
InBengal,theBJP’semergence
and its campaign against “vote-
bankpoliticsorappeasementpol-
itics”—withreferencetothestate
government’s welfare measures
for the minorities — have forced
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
and the TMC to tone down their
pro-minority remarks.
“Now that the TMC and even
the Congress adopting a soft
Hindutva approach, the Muslim
voters,especiallytheyouth,could
declare their allegiance to Owaisi
who speaks for them... This will
certainly alert the Hindus,” said a
BJP leader.
formed for consultations on the
DataProtectionBill&itsmandate
is to report on the statutory pro-
visionscontinuedinthedraftBill.
Couldyouclarifyifyouhavetaken
onadditionalresponsibilities&on
whose authority?,” he tweeted.
Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP
JairamRamesh,whoisamember
of the Lekhi-led panel, agreed. “I
could not attend the meeting to-
day, but had I been there I would
have raised this very issue Shashi
Tharoor.Itisnotthefirsttimethis
has happened,” he tweeted.
Hitting back, Lekhi tweeted:
“TravestythatIhavetorespondto
people who are busy exhibiting
their lack of understanding. I re-
fuse to run law tutorials specifi-
cally when Sr Advocate from
Congress Party Mr Vivek Tankha
was present in the committee &
has already concurred with me.”
Interestingly, Tankha grilled
Twitter officials the most at
forinitiationofcriminalcontempt
of court proceedings against
Kamraoverhis“highlyobjection-
able” tweets on the Supreme
Court and a judge. Kamra had
postedthetweetsthedayavaca-
tion bench of Supreme Court
granted interim bail to Republic
TV editor-in-chief Arnab
Goswamiinanallegedabetment
to suicide case. Kamra has made
it clear that he does not intend to
retract his tweets or apologise.
Earlier,thepanelhadpulledup
Twitter for wrongly showing
Ladakhasapartof China in itslo-
calsetting.Twitterhassubmitted
an apology to the panel.
Speaking to reporters, Lekhi
said,“ItisshamefulthatTwitteris
allowing its platform for obscene
remarks like the one by stand-up
comedian Kunal Kamra....”
When reached out for a reac-
tion,aTwitterrepresentativesaid,
“We have no comment to share.”
tration. “Balaghat has one of the
highest number of people avail-
ing benefits under MGNREGA
and at least four of our blocks in
the district are affected by naxal
activities for which we had re-
quested the work days to be in-
creased to 200,” Balaghat
Collector Deepak Arya told The
Indian Express.
Chouhan made the an-
nouncement in Maharashtra's
Gondia district, where he re-
viewed the arrangements in the
Maoist-affected areas with the
Collector and Superintendent of
Police of MP’s Balaghat district.
Chouhan said a special re-
cruitment drive will also be con-
ducted locally for the Scheduled
Tribes and the government will
also chalk out a plan to improve
road connectivity to Left Wing
Extremism-affected areas, be-
sides carrying out a skill devel-
opment programme.

New Delhi
 6 GOVT & POLITICS WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

Huge potential to expand economic Army selects 422 women officers Will continue
talks with China,
engagement with Luxembourg: PM for permanent commission another round
Accordingtotheresultsofthe fromserviceinthenearfutureaf- soon, says MEA
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
have good cooperation in areas
like steel, financial technology,
Modi to attend MAN AMAN SINGH CHHINA
CHANDIGARH, NOVEMBER 19
selection board, 57 women offi-
cers who were found fit for per-
ter completing the terms of their
engagement under short service EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19 Prime
Minister
digitaldomain,butthereisamas-
sive possibility of taking it for-
G-20 summit manent commission have opted
OUT OF the 615 women officers not to take it. Sixty-eight women
commission.
Thewomenofficerswhohave
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19

STRESSING THAT there was a Narendra ward,"thePrimeMinistersaidat New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi considered for permanent com- officers who have not been been selected for permanent INDIA ON Thursday said it will
huge potential to further ramp Modi the meeting with his Luxem- will attend the 15th G-20 sum- mission in the Army, 422 have grantedpermanentcommission commission belong to branches continue dialogue and commu-
up economic engagement be- bourg counterpart Xavier Bettel. mit, which will be held on beenfoundfit,accordingtoresults will now be released from serv- such as Engineers, Signals, nication through military and
tween India and Luxembourg, Luxembourg is one of the November 21 and 22, at the in- of a special selection board re- ice with pension. Intelligence Corps, Army Air diplomatic channels with China
the third largest source of Addressing the summit, held mostimportantfinancialcentres vitation of King Salman bin leased by the Army on Thursday. A total of 106 officers who Defence, Army Aviation Corps, on the border standoff in eastern
Foreign Portfolio Investments through videoconferencing, globally. Several Indian compa- Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi The Army had constituted havenotbeenrecommendedfor Army Ordnance Corps, Army Ladakh and that both sides have
(FPI) for the country, Prime Modi also talked about the com- nies have raised capital by issu- Arabia, said MEA spokesperson Number 5 Selection Board, permanent commission will be Service Corps and Corps of agreed to hold another round of
Minister Narendra Modi while mon values such as democracy, ing Global Depositary Receipts Anurag Srivastava on Thursday. whose proceedings were held allowed to serve till 20 years of Electronics and Mechanical talks soon.
addressing the first summit in rule of law and freedom, which at the Luxembourg Stock The theme of the summit is from September 14 to 25, to servicetoearnapensionandthen Engineering. There are approxi- External Affairs Ministry
two decades between the two have strengthened the bilateral Exchange. Several Luxembourg- "Realising the opportunities of screen short service commis- released from service. mately 1,653 women officers spokespersonAnuragSrivastava,
countries on Thursday pitched ties. based investment funds hold 21st Century for all". sioned women officers for per- A total of 42 officers have had servingintheArmycurrentlyout while referring to the ongoing
forstrengtheningof cooperation "There is a huge potential to substantial banking and asset Srivastava said, "The focus of manent commission. This was their candidature postponed be- ofatotalofnearly43,000officers. military talks between the two
in a range of areas such as finan- expand economic engagement management market share in the summit will be on inclusive, done following an order of the causetheyareinatemporarylow Withpermanentcommission countries, also rejected as “base-
cial and digital technologies. between the two countries. We portfolio investments in India. resilient and sustainable recov- Supreme Court in February, medical category and have been being granted to women officers less"areportinaBritishdailyThe
ery from the COVID- which directed the Army to in- given time. The result of six offi- in these branches, they would Times, which quoted a Chinese
19. During the G20 duct all eligible women short cers has been withheld due to now be eligible for promotion to professor to claim that the
CXq´fiq ´ffUSX MÑfaÀfd¸fVf³f IYfSX´fûSXZVf³f dÕX0 summit, the leaders servicecommissionedofficersin non-receipt of requisite medical higher ranks. However, there is Chinese PLA had used “mi-
d³fdUQf Af¸fa{¯f Àfc¨f³ff A³fb·fUe I ßfZ¯fe willdiscusspandemic permanent commission. documentswhiletheresultof 40 still ambiguity on whether they crowaveweapons”toforceIndian
I f¹fÊQf¹fe ÀfaÀ±ffAû/Af´fcd°fÊI °ffÊAû ÀfZ dUôb°f ´ffSZ¿f¯f preparedness and the The five-member board in- officershasbeenwithheldonad- will be offered commands of soldierstoleavepositionsineast-
¸faO Õ, ¦fiZM S ³fûEOf IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f d³f¸³f I f¹fûË WZ°fb BÊ- waysandmeanstore- cluded a woman Brigadier from ministrative grounds. unitsandregimentsasmanywho ern Ladakh.
d³fdUQf¹fZa BÊ-´fûMÊ Õ etender.up.nic.in ´fS EUa store jobs.” ENS the Army Medical Corps. There are also a number of areseniorinageandservicehave He said the objective of the
Qû ·ff¦fû ¸fZÔ d³fdUQf JûÕ³fZ I e dQ³ffaI I û 12.00 women officers who not been able to do essential military talks is to ensure com-
¶fþZ °fI Afa¸fd{°f I e þf°fe W`Ü 1. d³fdUQf Àfa£¹ff have not been granted courses as they were not open to plete disengagement and full
Government of Odisha, “e” Procurement Notice permanentcommission them as short service commis- restorationofpeaceandtranquil-
Me-98/2020-21 : dUôb°f ´ffSm ¿f¯f J¯O, WORKS DEPARTMENT and will be released sioned officers. lity along the LAC in the western
¶fb»faQVfWS IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f 220 IZ .½fe. C´fIZ ³ýi, Bid Identification No. S.E.K.C., Keonjhar No. 13/2020-21 sector.
dÀfI ³ýif¶ffQ WZ °fb Àff¸f¦fie I e Af´fcd°fÊÜ ²fSûWS SfdVf e-mail: sekcpwd_keonjhar@yahoo.com At an online media
B-428
÷ . 2,000/- d³fdUQf ´fi´f{ Vfb»I ÷ . 590/-(I S Letter No. 3280 dt. 11.11.2020 briefing, he recalled the
ÀfdW°f)Ü JbÕ ³fZ I e dQ³ffaI 19.12.2020Ü 2. 1 No of the work: :- 09 Number of Building Works eighth round of talks bet-
d³fdUQf Àfa£¹ff Me-99/2020-21 : dUôb°f ´ffSm ¿f¯f 2 Estimated cost :- Rs. 219.18 Lakhs to Rs. 579.77 Lakhs weenseniormilitarycom-
J¯O, JbªffÊ IZ A³°f¦fÊ°f 132 IZ .½fe. C´fIZ ³ýi, 3 Period of Completion :- 09 (Nine) Calendar Months to 11 (Eleven) manders of India and
Calendar Months
China in Chushul on
dVfI fS´fbS ´fS A³fbS Ãf¯f Àfa¶fad²f°f I f¹fÊÜ ²fSûWS SfdVf 4 Date and Time of availability :- From 11.00 Hours of 27.11.2020 to 16.00
November6.Thesediscus-
÷ . 1,400/- d³fdUQf ´fi´f{ Vfb»I ÷ . 590/-(I S of Bid document in the portal Hours of 09.12.2020
sions were candid, in-
ÀfdW°f)Ü JbÕ ³fZ I e dQ³ffaI 19.12.2020Ü IÈ ´f¹ff 5 Last date/Time for receipt of :- 16.00 Hours of 09.12.2020
bids in the portal depthandconstructive,he
dUÀ°fÈ°f þf³fI fSe, OfC³fÕûO, A³¹f ÀfaVfû²f³fûa EUa 6 Date of opening of Bid from :- 12.00 Hours on 10.12.2020 said. "We will continue
BÊ-d³fdUQf ´fiÀ°fb°f I S³fZ IZ dQ³ffaI °fI dUÀ°ffS AfdQ Portal our dialogue and com-
IZ Àf¸¶f³²f ¸fZa IÈ ´f¹ff etender.up.nic.in ´fS 7 Name and address of the :- Superintending Engineer, Keonjhar (R&B) municationthroughmil-
Officer Inviting Bid Circle, Keonjhar-758001. itary and diplomatic
Õfg¦f Afg³f I SZaÜ WXÀ°ff./- A²feÃf¯f Ad·f¹f³°ff
channels and have also
dUôb°f ´ffSXZ¿f¯f ¸faOXÕX CX0´fi0´ff0MÑf0IYf0dÕX0, Further details can be seen from the e-procurement portal
“http://tendersodisha.gov.in” agreed to have another
Government of Odisha “e” Procurement Notice 400 IZY0Ue0 CX´fIZY³Qi, ´ffÕXe, ¦fiZMXSX ³fûEOXfÜ round of talks soon with
WORKS DEPARTMENT "SXfáÑX dWX°f ¸fZ DYþfÊ ¶f¨ff¹fZa"Ü ´f{faIY 1846 Superintending Engineer, a view to achieve this ob-
Bid Identification No. S.E.K.C., Keonjhar No. 16/2020-21 dU0´ff0¸fa0/¦fiZ0³ff0/T-98 & 99/2020-21 Keonjhar (R&B) Circle, Keonjhar jective," he said.
e-mail : sekcpwd_keonjhar@yahoo.com
B-431 Letter No. 3400 dt. 16.11.2020
dQ³ffaIY :- 19.11.2020 OIPR-34033/11/0014/2021
nf{k.kkapy fo|qr forj.k fuxe fyŒ
1. No. of the work :- 09 Number of Building Works vYidkyhu bZ&fufonk lwpuk
CIN:U31200UP2003SGC027460
2. Estimated cost :- Rs. 542.07 Lakhs to Rs. 579.00 Lakhs jh&Vs.Mj lwpuk
3. Period of completion :- 11 (Eleven) Calendar Months bl dk;kZy; }kjk vkeaf=r bZ&fufonk la[;k
4. Date and Time of :- From 11.00 Hours of 10.12.2020 to & 46/SE/EDCH/2020-21,47/SE/EDCH/
availability of Bid 16.00 Hours of 22.12.2020 2020-21, 48/SE/EDCH/2020-21,
document in the portal 4 9/ S E/EDC H/20 20-21 tks fnuk¡ d
5. Last date / Time for receipt :- 16.00 Hours of 22.12.2020 04-11-2020 dks 12%00 cts rd bZ&fufonk ds
of bids in the portal ek/;e ls Lohdkj dh tkuh Fkha rFkk ftuds
6. Date of opening of Bid :- 12.00 Hours on 23.12.2020 [kqyus dh fu;r frfFk 04-11-2020 ds 15%00
from Portal cts rd dh gS] esa fdlh Hkh fufonkdkj }kjk
7. Name and address of the :- Superintending Engineer, Keonjhar Hkkx ugha fy;s tkus ds dkj.k mä
officer inviting Bid (R&B) Circle, Keonjhar-758001. bZ&fufonkvksa dks jh&Vs.Mj fd;k tkrk gSA
vc mä bZ&fufonk,a fnukad 06-12-2020 dks
Further details can be seen from the e-procurement portal
12%00 cts rd bZ&fufonk ds ek/;e ls
“http://tendersodisha.gov.in”
Superintending Engineer
Lohdkj dh tk;saxh rFkk bu bZ&fufonkvksa dk
Keonjhar (R&B) Circle, Keonjhar rduhdh Hkkx ¼çFke Hkkx½ fnukad 06-12-2020
dks 15%00 cts v/kksgLrk{kjh }kjk bZ&fufonk
OIPR-34033/11/0017/2021
dh osclkbV ij [kksyk tk;sxkA
v/khŒ vfHkŒ foŒfoŒeaŒ]gehjiqj
2214/fo-fo-e-g/ih&1¼çdk'ku½/fufonk/2020-21 fnukad 18&11&2020
jk"Vª fgr esa fctyh cpk;as

November 20, 2020

TATA Power-DDL invites tenders as per following details:
Estimated Availability Last Date & Time
Tender Enquiry No. Cost/EMD of Bid of Bid Submission/
Work Description (Rs.) Document Date and time of
Opening of bids
TPDDL/ENGG/ENQ/200001257/20-21 Rs.7.73 Cr./-
Rfx- 5000001930 20.11.2020 11.12.2020,1500Hrs/
Rs.1.00 Lac/- 11.12.2020,1530Hrs
Rate Contract for Miscellaneous
Civil Works in PAN TPDDL

Tender Enquiry No. Previously Revised Due Date & Time

Work Description Published of Bid Submission/ Date
Date & time of opening of bids
TPDDL/ENGG/ENQ/200001238/20-21
27.11.2020 ,1600Hrs/
For Supply of Underground Cable Fault 02.09.2020 27.11.2020 ,1630Hrs
Location System

New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
First signs of ‘herd immunity’ in
small population groups in Pune
ANURADHA
MASCARENHAS
PUNE, NOVEMBER 19
INAfirst-of-its-kindfindingforany
Indiancity,anewstudyconducted
in Pune has revealed that close to
85percentofthepeoplewhohad
been found infected with coron-
avirusinanearlierserosurveyhad
developed protective antibodies.
Ineffect,theyhadacquiredimmu-
nityfromthedisease.
The latest finding is the result
of a follow-up study done in five
prabhags (comprising three or
four municipal wards each) of
Punewhereaserosurveyconduc-
tedearlierthisyear,inJulyandAu-
gust, had found that, on an aver-
age,about51percentofthepeople
hadbeeninfectedwiththevirus.
Serosurveys,liketheonescar-
ried out in several other cities as
well,estimatetheextentofthedis-
easespreadbydetectingantibod-
ies among surveyed population
groups. However, the presence of
antibodies only indicates that the
personhadbeeninfectedwiththe
disease at some point of time. It
does not mean that the infected
person has also acquired immu-
nityagainstthedisease.Immunity
comes only if the infected person
developswhatiscalled‘neutralis-
ing’ or ‘protective’ antibodies, a
smallsub-setof antibodies.
This is the first study that fol-
loweduponanearlierserosurvey
todetectthepresenceof‘neutral-
ising’ antibodies in infected per-
sons.Andthoughtheresearchers
who carried out the study are
Weekend curfew
in Ahmedabad
amid steep rise
in virus cases
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, NOVEMBER 19
AHMEDABADCITYwillgounder
complete curfew beginning
Friday night, till Monday morn-
ing with only shops selling milk
and medicines allowed to re-
main open.
The decision was taken fol-
lowing a steep surge in Covid-19
cases following the Diwali festi-
val. The decision came hours af-
ter Additional Chief Secretary,
forest and environment Rajiv
Kumar Gupta, who is in charge
of the Covid situation in the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC), announced
an indefinite night curfew
from Friday.
Following this, the Gujarat
government also decided to put
on hold the reopening of schools
and colleges from November 23.
“Yeswehavewithdrawnthedeci-
sion to reopen schools and col-
leges from November 23 for the
time being. It will be decided in
the due course of time which
would be not taken in a hurry,”
Education Minister
Bhupendrasinh Chudasama told
The Indian Express.
As of Thursday morning, the
city has 2845 active cases. Of
these, a majority are from the
north west zone (477), followed
by the south west zone (452),
and west zone (446), while the
leastfromthecentralzone(274).
Gupta said, “After reviewing
Corona situation late night it has
beendecidedthat‘completecur-
few’ shall be imposed from
Friday night 9 pm till Monday
morning 6 am in city of
Ahmedabad. During this period,
onlyshopssellingmilkandmed-
icines shall be permitted to re-
main open.”
The decision to impose the
night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am
Friday onwards was taken in a
review meeting chaired by Chief
Minister Vijay Rupani and at-
tendedbyDeputyChief Minister
Nitin Patel and senior officials of
theAMConThursdayafternoon,
after which the situation was re-
viewed again late evening.
Couple held in Baghpat on second wife’s
complaint of marriage by hiding religion
AMIT SHARMA
MEERUT, NOVEMBER 19
BAGHPAT POLICE in western UP
have arrested a couple following
allegationbyanurseworkingata
localprivatenursinghomethatthe
man had married her as his sec-
ondwifeeightmonthsagobycon-
cealing his religious identity, and
also allegedly wanted her to con-
vert,thepolicesaidonThursday.
Neetu Yadav has also alleged
that her husband Akram Khan
and his brother manhandled her
carefulnottosuggestthatthecity
was approaching ‘herd immu-
nity’, this is the first documented
case in the country where the in-
fectionrateinapopulationgroup
hadgoneupsohighthatthecon-
cept of herd immunity could al-
ready be playing out.
This is also supported by the
fact that in Lohianagar, the prab-
hag with the highest disease
prevalence detected in the sero-
survey, the incidence rate has
fallen sharply in the last three
months. This indicates that there
may be population-level protec-
tion against the disease.
“I don’t think we can still say
thatPunehasachieved,orisreach-
ing,herdimmunity.Butthestudy
isimportantbecauseitshowsthat
wherever there was high sero-
positivity, the incidence rate has
fallen subsequently,” Dr Gagand-
eepKang,oneoftheco-authorsof
the study whose preprint was re-
leasedonThursday,said.Thestudy
isstilltobepeerreviewed.
However, Kang added, “Pune
residents mustnotrelax or lower
their guards, and crowd market
places like we have seen in Delhi.
If people do not protect them-
selves, a second wave in Pune
can’t be ruled out. A lot of control
is in our own hands, and a lot de-
pends on how people behave.”
The level of protective anti-
bodiesintheinfectedpersonsalso
variedfromindividualtoindivid-
ual. “About 85 per cent of the in-
fected people have shown de-
tectable amount of neutralising
antibodies. Of this, about 50 per
cent had high levels of neutralis-
TRACKING INDIA’S COVID CURVE
262 CASES: RECOVERED: 83,83,602
DAYS SINCE 89,58,483 DEATHS: 1,31,578
PANDEMIC
BEGAN TESTS: 1,28,508,389 | DOUBLING RATE: 161.55**
KEYSTATES TOTAL
TOWATCH CASES
■ Maharashtra 17,57,520
■ Kerala 5,39,919
■ Delhi 5,03,084
■ West Bengal 4,41,885
■ Haryana 2,07,039
* Compounded Daily Growth Rate over last 7 days
CASE FATALITY RATIO POSITIVITY RATE
7 DAYS EARLIER: 7 DAYS EARLIER:
1.48 7.12
NOW: NOW:
1.47 6.97
Deaths as a ratio of Positives against
positive cases (in %); number tested
indicator of progress (in %); indicator of
in averting deaths the spread of disease
DataasonNovember18,releasedbyUnionMinistryofHealth,ICMRandstates.Oftendailynumbers
includedatafrompreviousdays.Assuch,trendsbasedondailynumbersareindicative,notdefinitive
5 MBBS seats reserved for Covid Centre rushes teams to 4
warriors’ children: Harsh Vardhan states seeing Covid spike
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, CHANDIGARH,
NOVEMBER 19
THE CENTRE Thursday announ-
ced its decision to reserve five
MBBSseatsunderthecentralpool
for children of Covid warriors, in-
troducing a new category called
‘wards of Covid warriors’ for the
academic year 2020-21.
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union
Minister for Health and Family
Welfare, said the seats may be al-
locatedforselectionandnomina-
tion of candidates from among
wards of “Covid warriors”, who
lost their life due to Covid or died
accidentallyonaccountof Covid-
relatedduty.“Thiswillhonourthe
solemn sacrifice of all Covid war-
riors who served with selfless
dedication,”hestated,addingthat
the state or UT government will
and tried to forcibly abort when
shewassix-monthpregnantwith
Akram's child.
Before his arrest Wednesday
evening, Akram denied the alle-
gations and said he never hid his
religiousidentity.Hetoldtheme-
dia that he had informed Neetu
about his first wife, Rashida, and
also told told her that bigamy is
not a crime in his religion.
Both the woman and Akram
workedatthesamenursinghome
in Baraut town of the district.
“The staff nurse met me and
told everything. She also claimed
ing antibodies,” said Professor
Aurnab Ghose, principal investi-
gator of the study.
“We have found that there
was a close association — low in-
cidence of new diseases in areas
of high sero-prevalence and vice
versa. These are early observa-
tions,butmaybeanindicationof
population-level protection
against Covid-19, at least in the
short term,” he said.
Pune has so far reported 3.44
lakh confirmed cases of coron-
avirus infections, the third high-
est for any city, after Delhi and
Bengaluru. These are the people
who were tested and found to be
positive.Thecityhasalsorecorded
over 7,200 coronavirus-related
deaths, the maximum after
Mumbai and Delhi.
Serosurveys estimate the
wider prevalence rate, because
not every infected person shows
symptoms and gets tested.
EpidemiologistJacobJohn,an-
other co-author of the study, said
if the current level of public be-
haviourcontinued,asecondwave,
the kind the US and some
Europeancountriesarecurrently
experiencing,wasunlikelytohap-
pen in Pune.
“Theserologysuggeststhatin
thesepopulations,sporadiccases
might happen, but another wave
is unlikely. However, the entire
Pune city will not behave in an
uniform manner. We will have
pockets of susceptibility, but the
cityonawholewillhopefullybe-
havedifferentlyfromEuropeand
the US because of this high sero-
prevalence,” he said.
SURGEIN 7-DAYAVG DOUBLING
24HOURS GROWTH* TIME**
5,011 0.21% 341.95
6,419 1.03% 70.24
7,486 1.29% 55.90
3,668 0.83% 86.53
2,562 1.21% 59.51
** Calculated over 7-day growth
DAILY IN, DAILY OUT
DETECTED TODAY
45,576
RECOVERED TODAY:
48,493
Becoming sick vs
recovering; more
recoveries for 14 days
may signal the peak
Harsh Vardhan
certifyeligibilityforthiscategory.
In a statement, the ministry
said,“Theselectionof candidates
will be made by the Medical
Council Committee (MCC)
through online application on
the basis of rank obtained in the
NEET-2020 conducted by
National Testing Agency.”
“Private hospital staff and re-
tired/volunteer/ local urban bod-
ies/ contracted/ daily wage/ ad-
hoc/outsourcedstaffrequisitioned
thatherhusbandwastryingtoco-
erce her to convert,” SP Abhishek
Singh said over telephone. “I im-
mediately directed the police in-
charge there to take action.”
On Wednesday, Akram told
reporters in Baraut that he mar-
riedthenurseinMarch:“”Inever
hid my religion, nor am I denying
havingmarriedher.Shewaspres-
suringmetodivorcemyfirstwife
andlivewithher.Shemadethese
allegations after I refused.”
The woman said, “I did not
know (at the time of marriage)
that he is Muslim...”
BEFORE THE BELL
BMC staff sanitise benches in a classroom at a BMC-run school in Nagpada, Mumbai, on
Thursday. Schools will open in Maharashtra for Classes IX-XII from Monday. Prashant Nadkar
19 POSITIVE STUDENTS IN REWARI SCHOOL
Split classes, designated benches,
checks: school followed all norms
SUKRITA BARUAH
REWARI, NOVEMBER 19
THE PRINCIPAL of the school in
Haryana’s Rewari district where
19 students tested positive for
Covid this week said they fol-
lowed all the prescribed precau-
tions on their premises.
The government senior sec-
ondary school, that opened for
Classes 9-12 on November 2 on
voluntary basis, following a gov-
ernmentorderallowingthesame,
hasnowbeenshuttillNovember
30. In total, 35 students were
tested,and19werepositive.Allof
them are asymptomatic and at
home,andthegovernmentisnow
organising tests for all the family
members.
Saidtheprincipal,“Ofour430
students in Classes 9-12, we had
about 120-160 students coming
—intwoshiftsoftwo-and-a-half-
hours each. This means there
were around 60-70 students per
shift... and 15-18 students per
class.Wecheckedtheirtempera-
turesandoxygenlevelsatthegate,
and sanitised their hands.
Attendance was taken at entry,
andfromthere,thestudentswent
tofixedclassrooms,todesignated
benches.”
The time they were in school,
thestudentswereconfinedtothe
rooms, he added. The two shifts
wereaccommodatedindifferent
rooms, and these were sanitised
after every session.
The school is spread out over
a large area, and is airy and well-
maintained.Theclassroomshave
CCTV, and the principal said they
by states/central hospitals/ au-
tonomous hospitals of central/
states/UTs,AIIMSandInstitutesof
National Importance (INIs)/ hos-
pitalsofcentralministriesdrafted
forCOVID-19-relatedresponsibil-
itiesareallincluded,”Vardhansaid.
Later, addressing the virtual
inauguration of Modular OT-
cum-ICU Complex at Rohtak’s
Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma
UniversityofHealthSciences,the
minister said a “vaccine to com-
bat Covid will be made by 2021,
for which there is a need to start
preparing now”.
On other health initiatives, he
said,“1.5lakhhealthandwellness
centres are being constructed in
the country, which will be com-
pletedbyDecember31,2022.The
governmentwantstoeradicateTB
from the country by 2025, for
which all state governments will
have to contribute significantly.”
RASHTRIYA AYURVEDA VIDYAPEETH
(NATIONAL ACADEMY OF AYURVEDA)
(An autonomous organization under Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India)
Dhanwantari Bhawan, Road No. 66, Punjabi Bagh (West), New Delhi-110026
Phone Nos.: 011-25228548 & 25229753 Email: gsp-ravdl@gov.in
ADMISSION NOTICE 2020-21
Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, New Delhi (RAV) is holding a Written Test on 05th
December, 2020 (Saturday) at New Delhi, Pune, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Varanasi
for the admission in One year Certificate course of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth
(CRAV) for the eligible Ayurvedic doctors, having qualified BAMS (Ayurvedacharya)/
M.D.(Ay.)/ M.S.(Ay.) from any University/College, recognized under IMCC Act-1970.
Interested candidates may visit the Vidyapeeth’s website www.ravdelhi.nic.in for
details on eligibility, subjects, prescribed format of application, prospectus, other
information etc. and they must be sent their duly filled in application only through
e-mail on above mail on or before 30th November, 2020.
davp 17212/11/0001/2021
EXPRESS NETWORK 7
HARYANA MINISTER
HINTS AT SHUTTING
SCHOOLS AGAIN
Chandigarh: After a large
number of students tested
positive for Covid-19 across
several districts, Haryana
EducationMinisterKanwar
PalThursdayhintedatclos-
ing downtheschoolsagain.
Althoughadecisionisyetto
be taken, the Directorate of
School Education Thursday
issued SOPs for schools
across the state. ENS
kept a watch to ensure students
observed Covid restrictions.
The principal said, “I person-
ally called the parents of 20 stu-
dents per day or visited them to
get their consent for classes. I
foundmanyparentstobeenthu-
siastic about sending their chil-
dren to school.” While the school
has not been conducting live on-
line classes, teachers have been
sending notes and worksheets to
students over WhatsApp, and
someteachershavebeensending
recorded lectures.
The students come from
nearby villages, most of them by
foot.Ofthe19whotestedpositive,
10 belong to one village, 2.5 km
away.Themotherofoneofthem,
aClass11student,saidshewanted
him to go to school. “His teachers
were sending study material on
thephone,buthewouldn’tstudy,
just watch TV and play on his
phone. There is nobody at home
NewDelhi:TheMinistryofHealth
andFamilyWelfareThursdayde-
putedhigh-levelcentralteamsto
visit Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat
and Manipur in view of the spike
in Covid-19 cases in these states.
“With the surge in the daily
new cases and the spike in the
daily fatalities in UT of Delhi, the
spillover effect is being observed
in the NCR regions within the
states of Haryana and Rajasthan
wherethenumberofCOVIDpos-
itive patients is on the rise,” the
Director, Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth
to teach him. We thought that if
he goes to school, he will at least
study something,” she said. She
addedthatshewouldsendhimto
schoolagainonceitre-opensand
hetestsnegative.“Padhaitohhoni
hi hai (Studies have to go on).”
Family members of another
Class11studentwhotestedposi-
tivearealsoworriedabouttheim-
pact of the long shutdown of
schools on studies. His younger
brother, who is in Class 10 at the
school and tested negative, said,
“The online material is okay but I
havebeenhavingtroublewithsci-
ence and math."
The16-memberfamilyshares
afive-roomhouseandareincred-
ulous that the elder brother, with
no symptoms, has the virus.
The principal said that they
hadbeengetting30-40students
daily since September, when
Haryanaallowedthemtovolun-
tarily visit to clear doubts with
teachers. Around 75% of the stu-
dents were connected to
their teachers via smartphones,
he said.
Altogether, 72 students have
testedpositivein12schoolsacross
Rewari district in the past few
days. Cases have also been re-
ported in Jind, Jhajjar and Hisar
districts.
Pinky Sharma, an ASHA
workeratthevillagewith10cases,
said with few testing positive,
therewashardlyanyscareregard-
ing Covid and people wearing
masks were rare. “This is the first
timewehavehadmanycasesto-
gether.Beforethis,wehadaround
five cases in total, all mild or
asymptomatic,” she said.
ministry said in a statement.
“The teams will visit the dis-
tricts reporting high number of
COVID cases and support the
stateeffortstowardsstrengthen-
ing containment, surveillance,
testing, infection prevention and
control measures, and efficient
clinical management of the pos-
itive cases. The Central teams
shall also guide in effectively
managing the challenges related
to timely diagnosis and follow
up,” the ministry said. ENS
New Delhi
Maldafactory
blastkillsfive,
setsoffpolitics
steps have been taken. A senior
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE ministerhasflowntositeanditis
KOLKATA, NOVEMBER 19 time to be factually correct. The
governmentishelpingthevictims
FIVEWORKERSwerekilledandat and their families," tweeted the
least four others injured in an ex- Home Department.
plosion at a plastic factory in SP Alok Rajoria said the blast
Sujapur area of West Bengal’s occurredduetoa“mechanicalfail-
Malda district on Thursday. ureofa45-horsepowermachine”.
The injured are being treated Four of the deceaseddiedonspot
at Malda Medical College and andanotheronreachinghospital.
Hospital.Theexplosion,whichoc- Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar
curredat11.30am,broughtdown tweeted,“Anguishedatdeathsin
a major portion of the building, reported blast that ripped estab-
andpartsofmachinerywereflung
a few metres away.
The BJP demanded an impar-
lishment apart at Sujapur area of
Maldadistrict.AccordingtoSP,five
killed&fiveinjured.Time@Mam-
tialinquiryintotheblast,alleging ataOfficial to proactively contain
thatthefactorywasillegallyused illegal bomb making and ensure
to make bombs. professional non-partisan inves-
BJPnationalgeneralsecretary tigations @WBPolice."
Kailash Vijayvargiya tweeted: “A TheChiefMinisterhasordered
blast at a plastic factory in Malda a detailed probe into the case.
district (WB) has killed five peo- Addressing the media, Chief
ple. The incident took place in SecretaryAlapanBandyopadhyay
Sujapur area at 11 am. Though it saidthatbesidesthedistrictmag-
is said to be a plastic factory but istrate and the SP, Urban Develo-
wealsohearthatbombswerebe-
ing made here for the Assembly
elections. If police investigate
pmentMinisterFirhadHakimvis-
ited the site, met the families of
the deceased and extended sup-
properly, they will find out the port. TMC leader Mausum Noor
TMC connection."
The state Home Department
met the injured at the hospital.
“As per the Disaster
rejected the claim. “The Malda Management Act, a compensa-
Sujapurplasticfactoryaccidentis
relatedtomanufacturingprocess
tion of Rs 2 lakh will be given to
the kin of the deceased and Rs
issuesandhasnothingtodowith 50,000forthetreatmentofthein-
illegalbombmaking,assuggested jured,” the chief secretary said.
non-responsibly by some quar- Police personnel have been
ters.DMandSPonspothavebeen deployed in the area and rescue
reportingtostateofficersafterur- teamswereclearingthedebrisat
gentenquiriesandcompensation the time of going to press.
The blast site, at Sujapur in Malda district. Express
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF PSYCHIATRY
KANKE, RANCHI-834006 (JHARKHAND)
ADMISS
MISSION
ION TO T
THE POSTGR
HE POSTGRAD
ADUATE C
UATE COU
OURS
RSES 20211 S
ES - 202 SES
ESSION
SION
Applications are invited from eligible candidates for admission to
the following postgraduate degree/diploma courses of Ranchi
University commencing from May, 2021 and conducted at this
Institute.
GROUP A
1. Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology - 4 s e a t s - ( N O
RESERVATION)
Duration - 2 years
Qualification - M.Phil (Medical & Social
Psyschology/Clinical
Psychology) from a
University recoznized by the
UGC
2. M.Phil in Clinical Psychology - 16 seats (UR-06, EWS-02
OBC-04, SC-03, ST-01)
Duration - 2 years
Qualification - M.A./M.Sc. in Psychology
course from a University
recoznized by the UGC with
minimum 55% marks for UR
and EWS and 50% marks for
SC, ST & OBC in aggregate.
GROUP B
3. M.Phil in Psychiatric Social Work- 12 seats (UR- 07,
EWS-01, OBC-03, SC-01)
(02 PH)
Duration - 2 years
Qualification - Master in Social Work course
from a University recoznized
by the UGC with minimum
55% marks for UR & EWS
and 50% marks for SC, ST
and OBC in aggregate.
GROUP C
4. Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing - 15 seats (UR-08,
EWS-01, OBC-03, SC-02, ST-
01) (02 PH)
Duration - One year
Qualification - 'A' Grade Certificate or
Diploma in General Nursing
and Midwifery.
Group A & B: Selected candidates will get scholarship of Rs.
25,000/- per month.
Group C: Selected candidates will get scholarship of Rs.
2500/- per month.
The application form is to be submitted electronically ONLY
by internet to CIP website: www.cipranch.nic.in on or before
December 28, 2020. Hard copy of the application form will
not be entertained. Payment fee of Rs.400/- for Unreserved,
EWS and OBC candidates and Rs. 300/- for SC/ST
candidates has to be made through online transfer.The
amount should be paid online in the Bank of Baroda, Kanke
Branch in favour of “Account Name:- Fellowship &
Scholarship, Account No.:- 26260200000167, IFSC code is
BARB0KANKEE (Fifth character is Zero) and MICR code is
834012004. Please note that the examination fee is non-
refundable.
Online form will be available on our website
(www.cipranch.nic.in) from 28.11.2020. Examination and
interview/practical would be held at CIP between February
21st to 27th 2021. Last date for joining the courses is May
31st, 2021.
Please visit www.cipranchi.nic.in for downloading the
prospectus with requisite details before filling the ONLINE
application form. Sd/- Director
Central Institute of Psychiatry

8 EXPRESS NETWORK
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
BRIEFLY
Akshay Kumar
Akshaysends
legalnoticeto
YouTuber
Mumbai: Actor Akshay
Kumar has sent a legal
notice to a YouTuber for
allegedly putting up
defamatoryvideosclaim-
inghisinvolvementinthe
death of actor Sushant
Singh Rajput. The notice
says if the videos up-
loaded on the YouTube
channel are not taken
down within three days,
legal proceedings will be
initiated. It also seeks
publishingof anuncondi-
tional apology, restrain-
ing from publishing any
such “false” videos re-
garding Kumar and Rs
500 crore in damages.
The notice states that
Youtuber Rashid Siddiqui
putupvideossinceAugust
which were “absolutely
false, fallacious, frivolous,
scandalous, derogatory
and defamatory”. A total
of 12 videos are listed in
the notice. ENS
NBA:Improve
contentduring
TRPsuspension
New Delhi: News
Broadcasters Association
president Rajat Sharma
has said news channels
shouldimprovetheircon-
tent and support the self-
regulatory model during
the 12-week period in
which TRPs will repain
suspendedasperBARCdi-
rections. The comment
came day after the
Supreme Court came
down heavily on the I&B
Ministry for inadequate
regulationofTVnews,and
two days after Union
Minister Prakash
Javadekar said the min-
istryislookingatstrength-
ening regulatory mecha-
nisms. “I would urge all
themembersbroadcasters
during this twelve-week
period to take all the nec-
essarystepstoimprovethe
content of their channels
and move away from the
tyranny of ratings and en-
surethattheindependent
self-regulatory model
adopted by the news
broadcasters is vigorously
supported and its deci-
sions adhered to by all of
us,” he said. ENS
TAMIL NADU
Selfiebid:Teen
electrocuted
Tirunelveli: A teenager
was electrocuted here
Thursdayafterheclimbed
atopagoodstraintoclicka
selfie, police said. Police
said M Ganeshwar, 15,
wasthesonofastatequal-
ity inspector who was in-
spectinggrainsonagoods
train at the railway junc-
tion.Theboy,whoaccom-
paniedhisfather,climbed
on a train to click a selfie
and came in contact with
high tension wire above.
He died instantly. PTI
WEST BENGAL
2heldforsexual
assaultofminor
Kolkata:Twopersonshave
been arrested for alleged
sexual assault of a minor
girl in Kolkata, a police of-
ficer said on Wednesday.
Actingonacomplaintfiled
by the girl’s mother, the
two accused -- one a sen-
ior citizen and another in
his mid-50s — who hap-
pened to be their neigh-
bours, were arrested on
Tuesday night, the officer
said.“Theincidentissaidto
have taken place on
Monday.Wehavearrested
the two and booked them
underPOCSOAct.“Themi-
nor girl has been sent for a
test,”headded. PTI
JUNIOR ENGINEER ACCUSED OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINORS
Neighbours shocked, no FIR by
any ‘victim’ against UP engineer
AVANEESH MISHRA
CHITRAKOOT, NOVEMBER 19
NONE OF the alleged victims of a
junior government engineer
posted in Chitrakoot who is ac-
cusedofsexualexploitationofmi-
nors and selling pornographic
materialonlinehascomeforward
tolodgeacomplaint.WiththeCBI
seeking more time to present its
case, a POCSO court in Bandra re-
fusedtogiveRamBhawanSingh's
custody to the agency on
Thursday.
The CBI handed over a sealed
letter with reportedly the names
of morethanadozenallegedvic-
tims of Singh, 41, who has been
suspended from his post in the
IrrigationDepartment.According
HC cites SC’s Arnab
order while granting
bail to channel MD
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BENGALURU, NOVEMBER 19
THEKARNATAKAHighCourthas
cited a recent Supreme Court or-
der granting bail to Republic TV
editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami
whilegrantinganticipatorybailto
the managing director of a local
KannadaTVchannelwhowasac-
cused of extortion.
Theaccusationcameafterthe
channel –Power TV – had aired a
series of programmes alleging
corruptionintheBJPgovernment
in Karnataka.
In an order issued on
Wednesday, the bench of Justice
B A Patil granted anticipatory
bail to Rakesh Shetty, MD of
Power TV channel, and asked
him to cooperate in the investi-
gations. The court stated, “It is
the duty of the court to exercise
itsjurisdiction inaproperwayto
protect the personal liberty of a
citizen. If courts do not interfere,
then we are travelling the path
of destruction. This proposition
of law has been laid down by the
apex court in its decision in the
case of Arnab Manoranjan
Goswami vs the State of
Maharashtraandothersdecided
on 11.11.2020.”
The court cited other orders
wheretheSChascalledforliberal
interpretation of the legal provi-
sion for anticipatory bail since it
MADHYA PRADESH
Unable to pay Rs 200
each for Durga Puja, 14
Gond families face social
boycott for two weeks
IRAM SIDDIQUE
BHOPAL, NOVEMBER 19
FOURTEEN FAMILIES of the
Gond tribe living in a village in
Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat dis-
tricthadtofacesocialboycottfor
more than two weeks as they
could not afford to contribute Rs
200 each towards celebration of
Durga Puja in the village.
These families, who were
badly hit by the Covid-19 lock-
down,hadvolunteeredtopayRs
100 each instead but it was not
considered.
Deprived of all facilities like
buying ration and denied work,
the families finally approached
the district administration,
which resolved the issue this
week.
On October 14, local puja or-
ganisers Sarwajanik Durga Puja
Sanstha held a meeting in Lamta
village of Balaghat where it was
decided that all 170 families in
thevillagewillcontributeRs200
each towards the celebration.
Butasmanyas40Gondfamilies,
manyof whoworkedasmigrant
labourers and walked for days to
reach home after the lockdown,
expressed inability to pay the
money.
Under social pressure, 26 of
the families finally relented. The
remaining 14 families offered to
pay Rs 100 but it was refused.
AftertheDurgaPuja,another
to officials, Singh may have ex-
ploited more than 50 boys and
girls,betweentheagesof5and16.
The next hearing will be on
November 24.
Additional District
Government Counsel (Criminal),
Banda, Manoj Dixit, one of the
lawyers handling the case, said,
“TheCBIhasrecovered10mobile
phones and two laptops, and
aroundfourpendrives,sixmem-
orycards,alongwithsextoysand
videography equipment (from
Singh's home). In these gadgets
theinvestigativeagencyhasfound
65 videos and 610 photos, which
were sold on the dark web."
Dixitsaidsomedocumentsre-
lated to the case diary were not
available, leading to the court
denyingCBI’srequestforremand.
has been conceptualised under
Article 21 of the Constitution,
which relates to personal liberty.
The bench granted anticipa-
torybailtoShettywithabailbond
of Rs 2 lakh.
The court also said that the
caseagainstShettydoesnothave
an impact on the country's fi-
nancial status, unlike the
Enforcement Directorate's case
against former Finance minister
P Chidambaram, where courts
were slow in granting bail.
Shetty was accused of extor-
tion in a case lodged with
Bengaluru police soon after the
channel telecast a series of pro-
grammes alleging corruption by
members of Chief Minister B S
Yediyurappa's family in the
award of contract for a public
housing project of Bengaluru
Development Authority.
Shetty had moved the HC in
October after Bengaluru crime
branch began probe into a com-
plaintlodgedonSeptember24by
one Chandrakanth Ramalingam,
a director with Ramalingam
Construction Company Limited.
AccordingtoRamalingam'scom-
plaint, Shetty had coerced him
into saying that he made pay-
ments to political persons for
awardofcontracts,andthatthese
conversationswererecordedand
telecast by Power TV.
FULLREPORTON
www.indianexpress.com
meeting was held on November
3, when representatives of the
village unanimously issued a
diktat for 'paani-tanga'—no vil-
lager was allowed to speak to or
visit the 14 families. They were
not allowed to purchase ration
and even the village doctor—a
private practitioner—was
warned against treating them.
According to Dhan Singh
Parte, a member of one of the af-
fected families, none of the
workers at the Lakdi depot,
where his father worked as a
labourer, were allowed to work
with him.
As the boycott continued
from November 3 to November
17, the families headed by
RadhelalMadsole,zillapresident
of Gond Samajh Mahasabha,
submitted a memorandum to
thepoliceinspectoratLamtapo-
lice station. As the villagers re-
mained undeterred after two
rounds of meetings, the families
approached the Balaghat
Collector along with the
Superintendentof Policeandthe
Sub-Divisional Magistrate.
Collector Deepak Arya told
The Indian Express: “These fami-
liesapproachedusandwehelda
meeting with the villagers. They
havebeenwarnedthatifthiscon-
tinues, action will be taken
against them. The matter has
been resolved and situation has
normalised.” FULLREPORTON
www.indianexpress.com
CBI spokesperson R K Gaur
saidtheywouldknowmoreabout
the victims and Singh's modus
operandi after they got his cus-
tody.Sofar,theCBIclaimstohave
gathered that the alleged victims
belonged to poor families, and
that Singh lured them with
money or by promising to let
them use gadgets.
Singh’s counsel Anurag Singh
Patelsaidtheonlycasethatmight
holdincourtagainsthimisunder
the IT Act as the CBI had failed to
produce a single alleged victim.
Singh had been posted in
Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot
districtsforthepasttwodecades.
Sources in the Irrigation
Department said he was to be
transferred from Chitrakoot this
year but this was postponed due
COVER STORY
Workers cover parts of Subhas Sarovar in Kolkata on Thursday, in line with a Calcutta High
Court ruling banning Chhath Puja at the lake. The HC refused to vacate a prohibition on
Chhath Puja rituals at the water body in view of pollution and Covid-19 safety concerns,
rejecting a plea by the West Bengal government. Partha Paul
Gold smuggling case:
Voice clip triggers
political storm
SHAJU PHILIP
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
NOVEMBER 19
A SHORT voice clip, purportedly
of gold smuggling case accused
SwapnaSureshwhoisnowinju-
dicialcustody,haskickedupapo-
litical storm.
In the clip put out by a local
news portal, Swapna is purport-
edly heard saying that she would
be made an approver if she con-
fessed that she went to UAE with
M Sivasankar—former principal
secretary to CM Pinarayi Vijayan
andanaccusedinthecase—forfi-
nancialnegotiationsmeantforthe
Chief Minister. She is also heard
purportedly saying that “they”—
an apparent reference to ED offi-
cials—didnotallowhertoreadher
statement,butscrolledthroughit
and asked her to sign it.
Swapna is lodged at a sub-jail
in Thiruvananthapuram.
Thevoiceclipemerged hours
after BJP state president K
Surendranallegedthatmanyper-
sons close to Chief Minister
Vijayan and Finance Minister
Thomas Isaac visited Swapna at
Teen finally gets medical seat, thanks 7.5% quota
ARUN JANARDHANAN
CHENNAI, NOVEMBER 19
A GOMATHI, 19, was among 227
government school students of
Tamil Nadu selected for medical
admission in the state on the first
dayofcounsellingonWednesday,
thanksto7.5percentreservation
introducedbythestateexclusively
for government school students
whocleartheNationalEligibility-
cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
Gomathi’sstruggle—“Adayin
the life of A Gomathi, an aspiring
medicalstudentfromTamilNadu
state board”—was published first
inTheIndianExpressinJuly2018.
Itwasatimethestatewaswitness
to heated debates and protests,
followed by suicides of several
Tamil students from ecomically
poor background who failed to
to Covid. While Singh is married,
he and his wife have no children.
She left their rented two-room
house soon after his arrest.
Their landlady, a government
teacher, said she had never no-
ticedanysuspiciousactivitiesand
believedthechargesagainstSingh
were fake.
Reluctant to talk about the
case, Singh's neighbours said he
wasapolite,well-manneredman
who kept to himself and the
charges had come as a shock. A
neighboursaidSinghwouldleave
for work around 9 am and come
back late in the evening.
Singhhasbeenbookedunder
Section 377 (unnatural offences)
of the IPC, the Protection of
Children from Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act and the IT Act.
jail without mandatory permis-
sion. He demanded that the
HomeDepartmentreleasethelist
of persons who visited her.
DGP (prisons) Rishiraj Singh
saidcyberpolicehavebeenasked
toexaminetheauthenticityofthe
clip. DIG (prisons) Ajaya Kumar,
who met Swapna after the clip
emerged, said the voice was
prima facie identified as that of
her, but it was not recorded from
the jail. She has said she didn’t
know who recorded it, said
Kumar.
TheCPMstatesecretariat,ina
statement, alleged that the ED is
targeting the Chief Minister.
An ED source said, “The voice
clip shows certain quarters are
worried and more persons still
outside the purview of the case
are involved.”
Union Minister V that I have nothing to say as it is
Muraleedharan alleged that the
clip had been put out as part of a
conspiracy at the CMO. State
Congress chief Mullappally
Ramachandran asked: “Who
helped Swapna send out such a
messagefromjail,whichisunder
the Home Department handled
by the Chief Minister.”
A Gomathi. Asfhaq Ahmed
clear NEET despite getting high
marks in Class XII.
After the report on her strug-
gle in the face of a centralised ex-
aminationformedicaladmission,
DMK chief M K Stalin had met
Gomathi and handed over a
cheque for her education.
“Whynotprovideusequalop-
IN UP, A FAMILY RECALLS ‘RAPE’ AND KILLING OF TEEN
‘We dropped out so she could
study... wanted the best for her’
AMIL BHATNAGAR
BULANDSHAHR, NOVEMBER 19
IT WAS a quiet Diwali for a 15-
year-oldDalitgirlinaBulandshahr
village. Her family repeatedly
asked her whether something
waswrong,butsheassuredthem
that she would be fine.
It had been three months
since she had been allegedly
rapedbyalocalman,andjustbe-
fore Diwali had begun receiving
threatsfromsomeacquaintances
of the accused to withdraw her
complaint, according to her fam-
ily.Threedayslater—onTuesday—
she was set on fire by seven peo-
ple, allegedly known to the rape
accused, at her home.
Shediedlaterthesameday,at
a hospital in Delhi.
“The festival was upon us but
her spirits were down. We asked
what was bothering her but she
Amarinder son
questioned by
ED in FEMA
violation case
ANJU AGNIHOTRI CHABA
JALANDHAR, NOVEMBER 19
AFTER MISSING two earlier
dates, Punjab Chief Minister
AmarinderSingh’sson,Raninder
Singh, appeared before the ED
on Thursday morning in an al-
leged case of Foreign Exchange
Management Act (FEMA) viola-
tion.
Raninder came to the ED of-
fice at around 11:05 am along
with his counsel Jaivir Shergill
and Congress leader Tejinder
Bittu. He came out at around
4:55 pm.
After coming out, Raninder
said: “I am very happy to appear
and will assist any inquiry any
time as many times as we will
come and cooperate and we
have nothing to hide. Beyond
subject to inquiry.”
It is learnt that Raninder has
also submitted documents per-
taining to ED queries related to
his property, bank accounts and
Income Tax details etc.
He may be called again along
with some more documents,
sources said.
portunity before forcing us to
compete with CBSE, ICSE stu-
dents?IfthePrimeMinistercame,
I would tell him, ‘I will prove my-
self, but give us equal education
before you make us write a com-
monexam’,”Gomathihadsaidin
2018,aftershefailedtoclearNEET
even after topping her school in
Class XII Board exams.
Even as several suicides of
medicalaspirantsshookthestate
in the last three years, Gomathi
did not let the “unfair” exam sys-
tem kill her spirit. She worked
hard–20hourseveryday,study-
ing textbooks – as her parents,
dailywagelabourers,struggledto
run the family.
On Thursday, she was at
Stanley Medical College in
Chennai with her father R
Anbazhagan,whousedtoworkas
a cleaner at a TV showroom. “I
New Delhi
nevertoldus,”herbrothersaid.He
saidtheylaterlearntthatshewas
being threatened to change her
rape complaint.
In August, the victim was al-
legedly raped in a guava orchard,
close to the 2-bigha plot of land
the family owns. The family, vil-
lagers and police later found her
inadruggedstate.Theaccusedin
the rape case was arrested and is
currentlyinprison,awaitingtrial.
The legal recourse that fol-
lowed the crime has left the fam-
ilyofeightindirestraits.Theirlone
sourceof incomewassaleof pro-
ducecultivatedonthesmallpiece
oflandtheyown.Duringthelock-
down,salesnosedivedandoppor-
tunitiesforotherdaily-wagework
also vanished.
They had to take a loan, with
interest incurring every day, one
of the victim’s brothers said.
The brother said he, along
withanothersibling,droppedout
11 die in UP’s Hapur,
officials probe role of
‘spurious liquor’
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NOIDA, NOVEMBER 19
ELEVENPEOPLEhavediedinthe
past 48 hours, allegedly after
consuming spurious liquor in
Hapur, Uttar Pradesh. While po-
lice attributed the deaths to nat-
ural causes, officials of the dis-
trict administration and excise
department are probing the
deaths.
Hapur SP Vikrant Vir said,
"We have been receiving infor-
mation from media and locals
about deaths in the past 48
hours. As per our investigation,
we have not found evidence of
spurious liquor. Eight deaths
have been identified. One of the
personsdiedof herniawhileoth-
ersdiedof naturalcauses.Butthe
incident is being probed and ap-
propriate action will be taken."
PANDEMIC AID
Relief provided, court’s
intervention not needed,
Centre tells top court
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
THE CENTRE told the Supreme
Court on Thursday that the gov-
ernmenthasextendedsufficient
pandemic-related relief to spe-
cific sectors and, therefore, fur-
ther intervention by the court in
fiscal policy matters is not re-
quired.
The submissions were made
when the bench resumed hear-
ing a clutch of petitions seeking
relief in the form of an extension
of loan moratorium period be-
yond six months.
Solicitor General Tushar
Mehta told the bench of Justices
Ashok Bhushan, M R Shah, and
Subhash Reddy that the govern-
ment has a grievance redressal
mechanism. “This is a fiscal pol-
icymatter.Thegovernmentison
thetopof it....evenif thepetition-
ers say that there is a better op-
tion… that, too cannot be an op-
should thank everyone. I was
ranked 21st, and managed to get
intoStanleyMedicalCollege.Even
iftherewasnoreservation(7.5per
cent) for government school stu-
dents,Iwouldhavegotin,butina
college away from Chennai,”
Gomathi told The Indian Express.
She said she did not take-
coachingandstudiedonherown.
For Anbazhagan, with his
monthlysalaryof Rs7,500,itwas
impossibletocollectRs45,000re-
quired for NEET coaching for his
daughter.
Gomathi’s grandfather,
Virugambakkam Aranganathan,
wasoneofthefirstprotestorswho
immolated himself in the anti-
Hindi agitation in Tamil Nadu in
1965. In his memory, a busy sub-
way lane in Chennai’s Saidapet is
knownasAranganathanSubway.
Gomathi comes from a Dalit
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
of school. “We asked her to con-
tinueandsaidwewillarrangefor
her schooling. But she also with-
drew,” he said. “All we wanted
was to ensure the best for her.”
BeforeDiwali,severalrelatives
hadcomehome.Around8.30am
Tuesday, the relatives had gone
outwhileherfatherandbrothers
wereworkinginthefield.Thegirl
was helping her mother in the
kitchen. Before anyone could re-
act, three people scaled the wall,
poured petrol on her, and set her
onfire,thefamilysaid.Thefamily
took her to hospital, where, ac-
cordingtothebrother,shenamed
the accused.
Fiveofsevenpeoplenamedin
the FIR have been arrested. The
prime accused are on the run.
Bulandshahr SSP Santosh
Kumar Singh said: “We are mak-
ingallpossibleeffortstocatchthe
absconding accused. In general,
there is peace in the village.”
According to officials, the
deathstookplaceinGangaNagri
area and the first death was re-
ported on Wednesday. The offi-
cials said one of the patients suf-
fered a heart attack while
another was ailing, according to
their autopsy reports. The veri-
fication of other deaths is cur-
rently taking place, they said.
Local resident said some of
the victims had bought country
made liquor from a nearby area
and had consumed it in the last
few days. Sarita Sharma, a rela-
tive of one of those dead, said: “I
saw his condition deteriorate as
he consumed the liquor. There
was foam in his mouth and he
had fever. By the time he was
tended to in the hospital, he
died.”
The Excise Department has
launched a drive against sale of
illicit liquor till December 3.
portunity for this court to inter-
fere under Article 32,” Mehta
said.
Mehta told the court that it is
theresponsibilityof thebanksto
credit the compound interest
waiver for loans up to Rs 2 crore,
andnotforconsumerstoremind
the bank of the scheme.
The S-G briefed the bench on
measures taken by the govern-
ment and the central bank.
The Supreme Court also
posedaquestiontotheCentreas
to why are the credit card hold-
ers entitled to the benefit of
compound interest waiver un-
derthecentralbank’sloanmora-
torium scheme for purchase of
goods.
“People with credit card
should not be given the benefit.
They are using the card for pur-
chase. They don’t have a loan,”
the court remarked, after the
Centre informed that credit card
users are also eligible to receive
ex-gratia payments.
family and lives in a 400-sq-ft,
two-room house that has a large
portrait of B R Ambedkar, a wed-
ding gift for her parents.
On Thursday, Tamil Nadu's
School Education Minister, K A
Sengottaiyan, said that seeking
permanent exemption for the
state from NEET is a policy deci-
sionofthestategovernment,and
Chief Minister Edappadi K
Palaniswami is taking consistent
efforts to achieve this.
In the ongoing counselling,
many students from weaker sec-
tions – like Gomathi – benefited
from the state’s policy to imple-
ment 7.5 per cent reservation for
governmentschoolstudents.The
statehadtakenanexecutiveroute
after a Bill was unanimously
passed in the Assembly but was
pendingfortheGovernor'sassent
for over a month.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 EXPRESS NETWORK 9
Surat police Pvt trains: 102 firms cleared for RFP stage dk;kZy; eq[; egkizcU/kd] fuekZ.k foax
mÙkjk[k.M is;ty lalk/ku fodkl ,oa fuekZ.k fuxe
mRrjk[k.M ljdkj dk midze
403@1 bfUnjk uxj] nsgjknwu&248001 nwjHkk"k@QSDl%0135&2764075 E-mail:- cgmnirmanwing@Yahoo.com

arrest director, New Delhi: L&T, GMR and ing 151 trains, the na- gible for the RFP stage. The wouldbeselectedthrough
Ref.No: 2978/fufonk¼x<+½@432
CORRIGENDUM
In Continuation of NIT No. 2971/NIVIDA(Garhwal)/430
Dated:- 19.11.2020

Welspun are among the tional transporter said project envisages private a two-stage competitive
manager of top firms that have been
found eligible to partici-
Thursday.
The Railway ministry
investment to the tune of
Rs 30,000 crore for run-
bidding process compris-
ing Request for
Dated 18.11.2020 from this office which published in
Indian Express News Paper Delhi Edition and Amar Ujala
Daily News Paper Dehradun Edition on 19.11.2020. The

media firm in pate in the financial bids

stage for private partici-
received 120 applications
from 16 firms at the
ning passenger trains over
the rail network for the
Qualification (RFQ) and
Request for Proposal.
work proposed at SI. No. 3 shall be read as "Construction
of Multipurpose Hall at Pithoragarh” and officer
inviting Tender should be read as General Manager,

cheating case
pation in operation of Request for Proposal (RFP) first time. The RFQ for 12 clusters Construction Wing, Uttarakhand Peyjal Nigam,
passenger train services stage out of which 102 ap- The private entities for were published on July 1, Dehradun. All other details Shall remain inchanged.
over 12 clusters compris- plications were found eli- undertaking the project 2020. ENS General Manager (Garhwal)

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

SURAT, NOVEMBER 19

DAYSAFTERacomplaintbytheIncome
Tax Department, the Surat police
Wednesday arrested the manager and
director of Sanket Media Pvt. Ltd,
ownedbySuratcityBJPvice-president
PVS Sarma, for their alleged involve-
ment in cheating government and pri-
vateadvertisingagenciestothetuneof
Rs 2.7 crore.
Manager Mukhtar Baig and direc-
tor Sitaram Adukiya were accused of
showinginflatedcirculationfiguresfor
SatyamTimes,adailynewspaperpub-
lished by the media company, in
Gujarati and English, to get advertise-
ment through DAVP and other adver-
tising firms. Sarma attempted suicide
by hanging earlier this week, and is in
hospital.

They were accused of

showing inflated
circulation figures for a
daily newspaper

Dr KD Pammaiya, deputy director

of investigation wing of Surat income
tax department, lodged a complaint
againsttheSanketMediadirectorsand
others for their alleged involvement in
makingfakedocumentsandforgingcir-
culation figures of their daily English
and Gujarati news papers to get more
advertisements.
Pammaiya’s complaint states that
between2008-’09toOctober21,2020,
with the help of forged circulation fig-
ures, the media firm availed advertis-
ments worth Rs 70 lakh from govern-
ment agencies and Rs 2 crore from
various advertising agencies.
During the search operation by the
income tax department at Sarma’s
house and his media firm, officials
foundthatthefirmdirectorshadshown
daily circulation of 23,500 copies of
Satyam Times Gujarati edition and
6,000 copies of Satyam Times English
edition. It was found that the daily cir-
culationofGujaratinewspaperwas600
copies and those of English was up to
290 copies. The firm owners also had
shown fake sales and purchase figures
from fake firms.
Sarma attempted suicide on
Mondaybyhangingathisfarmhousein
Navsari area and is undergoing treat-
ment in a hospital in Surat. He will be
arrested on discharge.

Made to erase
Akhil Gogoi
mural, say artists;
police deny
TORA AGARWALA &
ABHISHEK SAHA
GUWAHATI, NOVEMBER 19

ARTISTS WHO made a mural featur-

ing jailed peasant leader Akhil Gogoi
in Guwahati on Thursday said police
“madethemeraseit”.Police,however,
maintained that the artists were
merely “advised” against defacing
public property.
Gogoi is in jail after he was booked
by the NIA on charges of sedition and
under provisions of the UA(P)A for his
involvement in the anti-CAA move-
ment. The painting — made by mem-
bersofAngaArtCollective,aGuwahati-
basedartists’groupfoundedin2010—
featured Gogoi at the centre, his arm
raised, and surrounded by policemen.
MPGupta,Commissionerof Police,
Guwahati,toldTheIndianExpress,“No
artist was detained today by police.
Drawing on public property without
anypermissionisnotallowed.Wead-
vised the artists against damaging
public property. We have not cleaned
the painting — the artists must have
realised theirmistake after our advice
and then, removed it themselves.”
“Wepaintedthroughyesterday,no
onesaidanythingtous,”saidDhrubajit
Sarma, part of the 14-membered
Collective and among the four ques-
tioned by the police. “Just as we were
putting the finishing touches this
morning, the police arrived.”
Sarma,visitingAssistantProfessor,
College of Art, Delhi, said they were
questioned at the Basistha police sta-
tion. “We were told that we couldn’t
paintonapublicwallwithoutpermis-
sion. We were shocked. We have
painted on walls before too, but never
has something like this happened.”
According to Sarma, the artists
werelaterbroughtbacktothespotand
askedtopaintoverthemural.“Sofour
of us covered it up with white paint.
That made us feel really bad,” he said.
Said Sarma, “For us, Akhil Gogoi is
a symbol of resistance. On the news,
we have been seeing photos of him
surrounded by cops, so as artists we
decided to replicate that. It was just a
form of creative expression. Neither
didweholduptraffic,norwerewecre-
ating a public nuisance. We were just
making art.”

New Delhi
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

10
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
WORDLY WISE

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

By reason of their very duration great
misfortunes are monotonous
— ALBERT CAMUS

Redrawing the lines

FOUNDED BY
§

§
RAMNATH GOENKA
Amidchanginggeopolitics, eachshotfiredonLoC,each
BECAUSE THE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL
proposal onLAC,willmeanseveraldotshavetobejoined

FIGHTING SMARTER Syed Ata Hasnain

In its battle against latest wave of COVID, Delhi must go by the IN SECURITY ISSUES involving Jammu & cially after funerals of even local terrorists There is the Rashtriya Rifles deployment to
Kashmir (J&K), events move at breakneck weredisallowedbythepolice;thesehadbeen contend with as also a much more vigorous
science, calibrate its response, resist stringent lockdown speed and with great intensity, drawing me- the source of inspiration to many young CRPF,allbackedbytheredoubtableJ&KPolice.

H
dia attention in Delhi and elsewhere. These
IT BY AN alarming rise in COVID infections over the past three weeks, Delhi eventsvanishjustassoonastheycome.They
onceagainfacesthedifficultchallengeofbalancinglivesandlivelihoods.The are, many a time, seasonal and calendar-
Delhigovernmenthas,sofar,rightlyrefusedtoreimposeatotallockdown.It based, making them seem predictable and
has,instead,talkedofincreasingthenumberoftests,improvingcontacttrac- therefore less significant. The result is that
ingandscalingupitshealthinfrastructure—theCentrehasalsopitchedintosupportthena- public and institutional memory of them is
poor, making quick meaningful assessments
tional capital’s endeavour. But with experts blaming the current surge on crowding in mar-
difficultandoftenendingintransactionaland
kets during festivals, questions continue to be raised about Delhi’s containment methods. routine conclusions. That is how the recent
Much of the criticism is valid — the Delhi government did not read the early signs of a surge spurtinactivityattheLoCwhichcommenced
ininfection,itsinformationdriveduringthefestiveseasonleftmuchtobedesiredandthetask on November 7 with an infiltration attempt
of ramping up medical amenities was left too late. But as it responds to the current emer- foiledintheMachilsectorontheShamshabari
gency,theArvindKejriwalgovernmentshouldstaythecourseonitsstatedpositiononlock- range, is being viewed.
Intheensuinggunfights,welostanofficer
downs. While it considers imposing selective restrictions — it has reportedly sought the
andtwojawansandneutralisedthreeterror-
Centre’s permission to shut down markets in hotspots — the government would do well to ists. That led, a week later, to the triggering of
sendoutthemessagethattheproposedmeasuresdonotportendareturntothedayswhen someof themostintenseexchangesof fireon
businesses lost contact with customers and people were locked out of the job market. theLoCallalongtheKashmirfrontierextend-
Lockdownsarebluntinstrumentsthatshouldnotbethefirstlineof responseinapublic ing into the Poonch sector. These continue to
becalledcease-fireviolations(CFVs),although
health emergency. They were necessary to check the dangerous transmission of the coron-
avirusduringtheearlydaysofthepandemicwhenverylittlewasknownaboutthepathogen.
the much spoken of cease-fire of November
2003 has remained in tatters for the last six
The measures have unleashed a collateral tragedy that continues to take a high toll more yearsorso.Therehavebeenfatalcasualtiesof
than four months after the easing of the lockdown. Reports in this newspaper have shown soldiers and, for the first time at the Kashmir
how the economic disruption dealt a cruel blow to the lives and fortunes of people ranging LoC segment after 2003, of civilians.
fromworkersatthelowestrungoftheeconomicladdertomiddle-classfamilies.Manywho Infiltrationactivityisexpectedatthissea-
hadleftsmalltownstoseekabetterlifeinthecountry’smetrosandbigcities,includingDelhi, sonal moment. It is also usual to have losses
from time to time due to the very nature of
foundtheiraspirationsthwartedandsetback.AreportinthisnewspaperonThursdayshone
operationsandsowetendtorelegatethesig-
alightonthedevastatingtollonthecapital’sworkingwomen,manyof whomarefirst-time
nificance of these events. However, the con-
earners and sole breadwinners in their families. text and history are relevant.
ThelatestsurgeinDelhiisanotherindicatoroftheunpredictablewaysofthecoronavirus. Importantly,thiscalendaryearhashadan
Butwearemuchbetterequippedtodealwiththecontagion,bothintermsofscientificknowl- assessed strength of just 26-30 infiltrators
confirmed to have entered into Kashmir.
edgeandmedicalcapabilities,comparedtofourmonthsago.Forinstance,thesuper-spreader
theory—afeweventsorlocalitiesareresponsibleforcreatingwebsoftransmission—isnow Compare this to the 2,000 or more that used
animportantpartoftheanti-COVIDdiscourse.Newlearningshaveopenedpathwaystocal-
to enter every year, 20 years ago. The infiltra-
tion this year began with a high-profile en-
ibratedandtargetedresponsestothepathogen,thatcancontainitsspreadwithoutdestroy-
counter in the Keran sector on April 1 in high
inglivelihoods.ItisthisknowledgethattheDelhigovernmentmustturnto,anddrawfrom, levelsof snowinwhichfiveterroristsandfive
as it grapples with the virus. Special Forces personnel were killed.
Thereafter, it has been a successful year in
terms of the number of terrorists neutralised
in the hinterland, almost 200 of them. The
It is true that with the
quantum and quality of
terrorists in the Valley, the
campaign by Pakistan to
keep optimally high levels of
turbulence in place isn’t
going to last long. In 1990-91,
it had faced a similar
quandary when the local
resistance started to peter
out at the start of the
campaign. Then the Afghan
and other foreign
mujahideen were brought in,
comfortably infiltrating
through the sparsely
manned LoC. That phase
lasted till 1996 when the
pipeline of foreign terrorists
Kashmiris.
The leadership, too, is virtually non-exis-
tent with many areas being served by rookie
localterrorists.Withterroriststrengthreduced
duetofailedinfiltrationandpoorrecruitment,
networks that support terror under strain
with their finances stretched, the challenge
for the separatists and their sponsors is in-
tense. It is the LoC to which the target of the
Pakistani frustration and ire has shifted. The
number of CFVs has gone up from 3,168 in
2019to4,052in2020,of which394occurred
in October and 128 in November.
Four to five years ago, the international
border(IB)betweenJammuandKathuacame
alive with heavy exchanges of firing leading
tomassrearwardexodusofthemainlyHindu
populationof theregion.Itwasthenassessed
that Pakistan aimed at creating a communal
schism in Jammu by targeting such villages.
Nowitistargetingdenselypopulatedvillages
in Uri knowing fully well that those being
killedareMuslimswhohaveneversupported
Pakistan. Uri is where I commanded the
brigadeandamfullyawareofthepatrioticna-
tureofthePaharicommunitywhichoccupies
the LoC villages.
It is true that with the quantum and qual-
ity of terrorists in the Valley, the campaign by
Pakistan to keep optimally high levels of tur-
bulence in place isn’t going to last long. In
1990-91,ithadfacedasimilarquandarywhen
the local resistance started to peter out at the
start of the campaign. Then the Afghan and
other foreign mujahideen were brought in,
comfortably infiltrating through the sparsely
mannedLoC.Thatphaselastedtill1996when
the pipeline of foreign terrorists ran dry.
Today, things are different. There are no
foreignmujahideenavailable;thelaunchpads
haveonlysomePakistanifightersbutthevigil
bytheIndianArmyisintenseandthecounter
infiltration measures are not easy to get past.
Upinthenorth,China’sPLAhadperceived
a cakewalk in terms of military coercion of a
stretched Indian Army, to rein in the gallop-
ing strategic confidence of India after 2014.
With the PLA’s strategic objectives not
achieved and clearly unlikely to be achieved
unless it decides to deploy a far higher quan-
tum of troops, China is seeking options for a
drawdownwithoutlossofface.Pakistan’scol-
lusion can help if the situation in J&K is taken
toahigherpitchofresistanceandturbulence.
What is currently manifesting at the LoC is a
Pakistanistrategyindisarray.Itcannotcrossa
thresholdlevelofactivitylestanintenseIndian
response leads to an embarrassment of the
Pakistan Army at a time when internally
things aren’t looking too rosy either; the
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has
founditsenergyandismovingwithfocusto-
wardsitsaimofremovingthePakistanArmy’s
hand from governance.
These are complex times, especially with
thechangedcontoursofinternationalgeopol-
itics, a new leadership at the helm in the US
and China’s renewed ambitions. India’s role
in the emerging world order is likely to be of
muchsignificance,whichChinawouldliketo
see diluted; Pakistan is a partner in achieving
that intent. The way to achieving this lies
through J&K and Ladakh.
AdvantagegainedbyIndiaineitherof the
standoffs with China or with Pakistan will go
farinenhancingitsinternationalrole,itsworth
fortheUSanditsallies,anditsfuturestanding.
Indiaisnotcomplacentinitspursuitofstrate-
gicaffairsbuttheabilitytowadethroughcom-
plexity will pose the biggest challenge. Each
shotfiredontheLoCandeachproposalonthe
LAC will mean several other dots have to be
joined. A larger consultative approach under
these circumstances is the way forward.
The writer, a former corps commander of the

SHADOW IN BENGAL numberof younglocalsgettingrecruitedinto ran dry. Today, things are There is desperation across the LoC to do Srinagar-based 15 Corps, is chancellor, Central
“tanzeems” has witnessed a decrease, espe- different. somethingtokeeptheproxywaraliveinJ&K. University of Kashmir

Ahead of a crucial assembly poll, onus is on all parties

to shun political violence

W TWO POLLS, ONE LESSON

ITH BIHAR IN its kitty, the BJP’s top brass is turning its attention to
the next big electoral prize, West Bengal, which is scheduled to go
to polls in less than six months. Union Home Minister Amit Shah
and party chief J P Nadda will reportedly visit the state at least once
a month till the elections to mobilise cadres, who are currently engaged in a violent
stand-off with Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers. The BJP has been on the rise in West Biden victory, Mahagathbandhan tally in Bihar show right wing rise can be halted
Bengal — it won 18 seats and over 40 per cent votes in the 2019 general election — and
its surge has sounded a warning for the ruling TMC. What’s worrying, however, is that
the intensifying competition has often threatened to push the state to the edge, with
D Raja
murder and violence all too often used to settle scores — since June 1, at least two dozen
WE JUST witnessed two election results. One stood firmly with secular-democratic forces. and racial lines.
political workers have been murdered and many grievously injured. The stakes are high, was the defeat of the blatantly anti-people, Trump's presidency created much havoc In India, the pro-corporate BJP, by getting
and leaders should be extremely careful about the message they send out to the work- racist,right-wing,authoritarianDonaldTrump domestically and internationally and divided manymoreseatsthanitsalliancepartners,will
ers at the grass roots. in the US presidential elections by Democrat the US along racial and class lines. Biden and nowclaimtobeapan-Indianparty.However,
This, of course, is not going to be easy in a climate in which there is increasing pres- Joe Biden. This should send a message to all his programmes will be closely monitored by it is clear that the BJP intends to convert the
sure on every office and official to take sides. On Thursday, Governor Jagdeep Dhankar right-wing parties and leaders who try to di- theleftistslikeSandersandAlexandriaOcasio- IndianrepublicintoaHindutvaRashtra.Ithas
vide people based on race, religion and com- CortezwithintheDemocraticParty.Theworld already created divides between religions,
posted a video on social mediasaying,“There is no signof waningof politicalviolence,po-
munity to capture power. hopesnowforaUSthatworkstowardsamore castes, states and regions.
litical vendetta and political killings and I fear that the number of such deaths may go In Bihar, a coalition of secular, democratic stable international order for the common The left, after gaining significant seats and
upto three digit numbers.” Ominous words, which all parties must heed, notwithstand- forcesalmostdefeatedthecommunal,venom- goodof allnationsandapro-peopleadminis- vote share in Bihar, should focus on creating a
ing the fact that the Governor’s office, too, has invited accusations of politicisation. By all spewing Hindutva machinery of the RSS-BJP tration domestically. larger unity of secular-democratic forces. Not
accounts, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has failed to end the political violence that combineandtheiralliancepartner,theJanata The left’s programme in India has been to only in Bihar but across the country, regional
has been a grim hallmark of Bengal politics since the 1970s. The Congress and the CPM Dal (United). The NDA has managed to form be the voice of the voiceless. It is certain that andnational-levelsecularanddemocraticpar-
the government using all the resources at its ever since the RSS-BJP combine captured the tiesmustintrospectseriouslyconcerningtheir
have been seen to use violence to capture office and stay in power, and the TMC is said to
command, making Nitish Kumar -- who had high office in India, the left has been uncom- ideological,politicalpositions.Theycannotaf-
have continued in the same vein. As the BJP hits the trail aggressively, sensing an oppor- announced that he would hang up his boots promisingly opposing all their divisive, anti- ford to take right or right-of-centre positions.
tunity in the anti-incumbency that may have built over Banerjee’s two terms in office, it after the 2020 elections — the chief minister. people policies and moves and has provided Eveniftheydonottakeleft-of-centrepositions,
seems keen on polarising voters around identity issues such as the CAA and NRC, more Boththeseelectionshavetaughtmanylessons, leadership to popular movements. Be it the theyshouldremaincentristatleast.Theyalso
than questioning the government’s record on corruption and unemployment. opened opportunities and posed challenges discriminationagainsttheDalitsandwomen, should introspect on their positions on the
It's disquieting that physical violence continues to be the leitmotif of politics in the for left-progressive and secular forces all over presentingonecommunityasanti-nationalor neo-liberal economic policies which have
the world, especially in India. These two elec-
The left, after gaining the anti-farmers, anti-worker, anti-student broughtthecountrytothepresentdisastrous
state. This is a paribortan that has not happened. If it has tainted Banerjee’s record in of-
tions exposed the views expressed by many significant seats and vote policiesofthegovernment,thelefthastriedto positionandhavepushedtheeconomyintoa
fice, she has no one else to blame.
ideologuesabouttheendofideologyandide- share in Bihar, should focus galvanise popular protests against the right- recession.
ology-based politics. on creating a larger unity of wing communal forces. It was these move- The left, independently and along with
What was remarkable about the US elec- mentsthatresultedinthespectacularelectoral othersecular-democraticforces,shouldinten-
secular-democratic forces.

PICTURE PERFECT POLL

tion was the mobilisation of left-progressive
votersbyBernieSanders,whichhelpedBiden
capturethepresidencythroughvictoriesinkey
states like Michigan and Georgia. In India, the
Campaigns for local body elections in Kerala focus on leftproveditsmettlebywinning16outof the
29 seats it was allotted as a part of the
community — and appearance
Not only in Bihar but across
the country, regional and
national-level secular and
democratic parties must
introspect seriously
performance of the left in Bihar.
Thesevictorieshaveenhancedthepeople’s
expectationsfromtheleft.Biden’svictoryand
the impressive performance of the
Mahagathbandhan have shown that the rise
ofright-wingforcesthroughouttheglobesince
sify the struggles against the destitution
brought on by those ruling with a disastrous
agenda. The left must bring together and gal-
vanise popular movements against the anti-
people and polarising policies of the BJP. The
left should be the binding element of what is

T
Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. As many ob- thefinancialmeltdownof 2008canbehalted democratic, secular and pro-people in the
HEWRITINGHASbeenonthewallforawhilenowbuttheongoingcampaigns servershavepointedout,theseatshareof the concerning their ideological, if progressive forces come together. However, Indian political and social arena by rising
left was much less than its strength on the with Trump giving a tough fight to Biden and againstclass,casteandgender-baseddiscrim-
for the three-tier Kerala local body polls have underlined it — if you hope to political positions. They
ground.Still,theCPI,CPMandCPI(ML)joined theBJPemergingasamajorforceinBihar,there ination with more vigour and sensitivity.
make it, you have got to look it. Across districts, candidates of all the three ma- the Mahagathbandhan because of the grave cannot afford to take right or ismuchworktobedonebyprogressiveforces
jorpoliticalcoalitionsinthestatehaveturnedtosleekdigitalcampaignstoen- dangeroftheRSS-BJPclaimingpower.Theleft right-of-centre positions. to undo the polarisation on communal, caste The writer is general secretary, CPI
gagewiththeirelectorate.TakeDValsala,aCPI(M)candidateinthefifthwardoftheBedadka
panchayat in Kasaragod district. In an almost cinematic campaign poster, Vatsala is shown
working on her sewing machine, a reference to her employment with a tailoring unit in
Kudumbashree.
This trend is not entirely new. Social media has shown time and time again that there is NOVEMBER 20, 1980, FORTY YEARS AGO
no better way to draw in an audience than with sleek, well-shot photographs that establish
immediate recall value and emotional connect. As far back as in 2006, during the legislative FARMERS’ STIR VAJPAYEE’S CHALLENGE IRAN SPURNS PEACE
assembly elections in the state, candidates had given in to the appeal of Photoshop, ironing NEARLY1,000PEOPLEwerearrestedinNasik THE BJP PRESIDENT Atal Bihari Vajpayee has IRAN’S PRESIDENT ABOLHASSAN Bani Sadr
outperceivedimperfectionsforpicture-perfectposters.Whatisdifferentthistime,though, and helmeted police swung into action in challenged Union Home Minister Giani Zail has rejected the peace terms of Iraq and
Vidarbha region rounding up a number of Singh to prove that his party was involved in vowed to carry on the 59-day Persian Gulf
is how the campaigns, like the now-ubiquitous wedding photoshoots, have turned a ritual
people as the 10-day farmers’ agitation for fomenting communal discord, else with- war to victory. With his forces counter at-
exerciseintoanalmostcinematiccelebration.Insituatingcandidatesintheirmilieuxforthe remunerative prices continued to snowball draw his allegation. He demanded that the tacking on the war’s two major theatres in
shoots, the campaigns give them ownership of their stories, and, by extension, an intimacy into other parts of Maharashtra. At least 100 Home Minister give the names of the BJP Susengerd and Abadan, the Iran president
with their target audience — their electorate. people including 10 directors of the Niphari members involved in creating communal told a rally that he won’t accept Iraq presi-
There is another subtext to these campaigns that acts as a measure of political engage- Sugar Cooperative courted arrest at Nasik’s strife and asked if they were being prose- dent Saddam Hussein’s offer of withdraw-
ment.Mostof thesedigitalcampaignsfocusonmontagesof communitylife—thefounda- Panchavati Square. At least 500 people, most cuted. He said not a single member of the ingfromwesternandsouthernIranif Tehran
tional wellspring of any democracy. In this year of social distancing, it is this community of themfarmers,werearrestedinBolana.The party had been arrested under the National recognisedBaghdad’s claimoverborderland
agitators tried to take out processions to de- Security Ordinance. He said an inquiry com- andthe190-kmShattAlArabwaterway.Bani
lifethathasbeenworstaffectedbyCOVID-19.But,astherecentBiharelectionshaveshown,
mand the immediate release of their lead- mission set up by the previous government Sadr said Iraq’s real objective had nothing to
witha highfemale turnoutandanoverall 57percentpolling —marginallyhigher thanthe ers. Prohibitive orders banning processions was squashed once it was revealed that do with territorial disputes but was about
state’s 2015 turnout — not even an ongoing pandemic can dampen the spirit of the people and assemblies have been put into force in Congress members were involved in the bringing down the Iranian revolutionary
as they go to vote. the Vidarbha region. Aligarh riots. regime.

New Delhi

11
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
THE IDEAS PAGE
My friend, Soumitra
The basis of our friendship was his persona, his values, just the inimitable way he was. There was so
much to learn from him, he leaves behind a rich legacy
Sharmila Tagore
ALTHOUGH I KNEW for some time that
SoumitrawasinBelleVue’sintensivecareand
inacriticalstate,Iwasnotpreparedforthefi-
nality of the moment when the message
flashed on my phone screen: “Soumitra da is
no more”. Since then I have been trying to
make sense of this overwhelming feeling of
loss.
Meanwhile, the phones continue to ring
incessantly — news media asking for my re-
action. Understandably. Apur Sansar with its
unforgettable onscreen romance of Apu and
Aparnacapturedthecollectiveimaginationof
both the Bengals and somewhere over the
yearsthelineswereblurred.Youcannotthink
of Apu without Aparna. In the film, Aparna
diesduringchildbirth,butinlifeApuhaspre-
ceded Aparna.
When you grieve you are not always co-
herent,butinthelifeof “news”,immediacyis
everything.
Today, not just in news, there is a rush
everywhere. Everyone is in a hurry. How do
we place “friendship” against this backdrop?
Whilst working on a film one develops such
close friendships and after the film is over
everyone moves on to the next project.
Friendships slowly fade. Our busy schedules
donotsupportfriendships.Butthe“Soumitra-
Sharmila friendship” endured.
ApurSansarwasourfirstfilm.Iwas13and
Soumitra was 23. I was the youngest in the
unit so Satyajit Ray became Manik da, sound
recordistDurgada,DOPbecameSubratakaku
butSoumitraChatterjeeremainedSoumitra—
a friend. Someone with whom I could chat,
with whom I felt equal (later I realised that
Soumitra had this unique quality to attune
himself with everyone).
TheoutdoorshootingofDaysandNightsin
theForestremainssovividinmymemory.We
spent a month in Chhipadohar, a small forest
town in the Palamau region of Bihar. The
month was April, the temperature spiked to
almost 48 degrees Celsius during the day. We
worked for about three hours early morning
andthenthreeagainintheearlyevening.The
rest of the time it was just “adda”. Sometimes
Manik da would drop in to join us until he re-
alisedthateveryonewashidingtheircigarettes
and becoming overly respectful. Robi da had
addedanepithettoeveryone’sname.RobiPora
(burnt), Shamit Bhapa (steamed) Subhendu
Bhaja(fried)etc.Iwastheonlyonewhohada
roomwithacooler—theprerogativeof being
a woman — and I never heard the end of it.
Nearerthefullmoonnights,theforestbe-
camemagical.Wecouldhearthetrumpeting
of thefarawayelephantsandtheintoxicating
rhythms of the Santhal drums. I remember
once, all of us, on a whim, went to meet the
Santhals and danced with them till late into
the night. Manik Da never got to know. One
evening, some rough characters came to
where I was staying and created quite a nui-
sance.Wewerefarawayfromthepoliceposts
and those days no one had bodyguards. But
Soumitra and the other boys managed to
chasethemaway—bynomeansanordinary
feat. I knew then that I was amongst people
who cared for me deeply.
Gurjit Singh
THEEASTASIASummit(EAS)isthemainsum-
mit in the Indo-Pacific region, where all the
powers that be gather annually in November.
Itisaleaders-ledforumwithinformalitybuilt
into it. It is usually held just after the second
ASEAN summit of the year when the ASEAN
also meets its dialogue partners, including
India.PrimeMinisterofVietnamNguyenXuan
Phuc was the chair of the EAS.
In the virtual format, EAS loses that infor-
malitywhichisitshallmark.Leadersmadepre-
pared statements with no scope of informal
chatting. As the EAS coincided with Diwali,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had domestic
commitmentswhichkepthimawayandIndia
was represented by the External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar.
Though the main threat in the region is
from China, this is rarely discussed openly in
deference to ASEAN views. The promise held
out at the September EAS Foreign Ministers
meetingthat“thefree-flowingconstructivedi-
alogue on strategic issues amongstLeaders at
theEASinordertoreinforcestrategictrustand
to address common challenges” would
strengthen EAS was lost.
The Hanoi Declaration for the 15th
Anniversaryof EAShasamere12paragraphs.
ThisisbecauseChina,backedbyRussia,intro-
ducedseveralideasatthedraftingstagewhich
queeredthepitch.Toremovethese,othersub-
stantiveideasweredropped,leadingtoanin-
nocuous document. This was similar to the
10th Anniversary Kuala Lumpur Declaration
Sadly, so many of them have passed on.
Kaberi di, Robi Da, Subhendu, Shamit, Bansi
da,ManikdaandnowSoumitra.Nooneisleft
to recollect the joy and exhilaration of those
daysandnightswespenttogetherinthatage-
old forest under the vast limpid sky of
Chhipadohar.Ibroughtbackabottleofmahua
asakeepsakebuttheodourwasalltoomuch
fortheotheroccupantsof thehouseandulti-
mately I had to get rid of it.
AnothersuchoutdoorshootwasGoutam
Ghose’sAbarAranye.Subhendu,Soumitraand
Isharedathree-bedroomdakbungalowcom-
pletewithcooksandbearersinthemiddleof
a tea estate. The old-world ambience suited
us, its new occupants. We re-arranged our
rooms, swapping furniture with each other.
Mostly, I got my way.
We had to wake up at the crack of dawn
for the shoot but whilst I would still be in bed
sipping coffee, Soumitra would have already
been for his morning walk and Subhendu
wouldbebusygivingbreakfastanddinnerin-
structionstothebearer.IcouldhearSoumitra
singingintheverandahashedidhismorning
workout.Itwassoblissful.Thenaflurryof ac-
tivityandalongdrivetolocation.Soumitrain
betweenworkwouldscribbleonlittlescraps
ofpaperandreadthemouttome—lovelypo-
emsforhisgrandchildren—andthenwaitea-
gerlyformyfeedback.Thelookonhisfacewas
sochildlikeandhissmileimpish.Thethought
of his family would always light up his face.
The day’s work behind us, we would
gatherinthesittingroomchatting.IwishIhad
recorded those conversations. There was so
much to learn from him. I was mostly a silent
listenerasthetwo“Ss”carriedon,flittingfrom
one subject to another — theatre, art, sports,
politics,philosophy,gossip.Soumitratrulywas
a Renaissance man. Hours passed and much
too soon it was time to have dinner and get
ready for the next day.
The basis of our friendship was his per-
sona, his values, just the inimitable way he
was. His charm, his humour, his immense
scholarship, his attention to every facet of his
being.PostCharulata,heworkedonhishand-
Partnership in progress
EastAsiaSummitsignalsIndiawillpursuebilateralpactswithASEAN countries
of 2015 and does not build on the progress
made by the EAS on a variety of functional is-
sues. If this is all that Vietnam as Chair can
achieve then next year, when Brunei is the
Chair, even less may be expected.
The EAS covers security, economy and
functional aspects, which are reflected in the
Chairman’s Statement — a summary and not
anegotiateddocument.TheHanoiDeclaration
devotes several paragraphs to regional issues
uniquetoASEANlikethemeetingwiththeam-
bassadorsatJakarta,regionalconnectivityand
the narrowing of development gaps within
ASEAN. These documents tend to look more
like a donor-donee relationship document
than a true partnership of equals, which
ASEAN normally seeks.
The situation emanating from the pan-
demic was the immediate focal point and the
Chinese conundrum was ignored by the EAS
documents.Onehastoreadbetweenthelines
of Dialogue Partner statements, including
India’s,tofindsomecriticismofChina.Thein-
formal consultations at physical summits al-
lowed a greater voicing of concern regarding
China.
Traditionally, security aspects have been
confined to informal discussions while the
functional aspects have dominated docu-
ments. This year, the leaders had documents
fortheregionaleconomy,marinesustainabil-
ity, dealing with epidemics and the role of
women. Last year, the supporting documents
had included leaders’ statements on sustain-
If there is any regret I have it
is that the legacy of
Soumitra, like his mentor
Satyajit Ray, is better known
as part of world cinema than
Indian cinema. Sadly, many
outside of the two Bengals
are not aware of his
contribution unless they
were students of cinema or
somehow connected with
filmmaking.
ability, transnational crime and illicit drugs.
Over the years, EAS has been looking more at
non-traditional threats including illegal fish-
ing, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief
(HADR), migration and the like.
In the absence of taking on the Chinese
dragon, the focus has been on emphasising
ASEAN centrality. While this is a given in al-
most every ASEAN partner’s statement, the
reiteration in various documents this time
gives the impression that the centrality of
ASEAN is actually under challenge. This is
mainly because China has dealt with the
ASEAN countries individually rather than as
abloc.TheQuadisalsocontactinginterested
ASEAN countries individually. The way
ASEAN operates, it becomes necessary for
partners to act separately, like in the Indo
Pacific and the Quad. These detract from
ASEAN'scentrality, which is truly not whatit
usedtobeevenif everydialoguepartnercon-
tinues to mention it.
TheEASprovidesASEANwithanopportu-
nitytobecomemorerealisticbutinternaldis-
sensions over China wither its resolve.
Interestingly, Chinese PM Li Keqiang was the
one asking ASEAN to conclude the Code of
Conduct on the South China Sea.
While the RCEP agreement was signed a
dayaftertheEAS,theleader’sstatementonthe
regionaleconomymentionstheWTObutnot
RCEP as it seeks a transparent, non-discrimi-
natory and stable trade and investment envi-
ronment to promote regional value chains
WHAT THE OTHERS SAY
‘‘It is a restive world, requiring constant adaptation and engagement from its most
powerful democracy. But the importance of vision, expertise, honesty and simple
decency in the management of world affairs cannot be overstated.’’
C R Sasikumar
writing till it met his standard of perfection.
He was not driven by commercial considera-
tions. He remained steadfastly committed to
hisideologyandloyaltohisfriends.Hefirmly
believedinhisvisionof Indiawhichmatched
my own. People like him are becoming in-
creasingly rare.
On the evening of November 15, Kolkata
bid him a heart-warming farewell with po-
etry, flowers, songs and tears. He was deeply
rooted in Bengal and Kolkata was his chosen
city. His work was intimately tied to the city
soitisnowonderthatBengalwasdevastated.
Idon’tthinkSoumitracaneverbeyesterday’s
news.Hisbodyofdefinitivework,hissoulstir-
ring recitations, in short his legacy, will con-
tinuetoinspireandenlightenmanymoregen-
erations to come. The very ordinariness and
accessibility of Soumitra added to his
charisma. He was modesty personified.
If there is any regret I have it is that the
legacy of Soumitra, like his mentor Satyajit
Ray, is better known as part of world cinema
than Indian cinema. Sadly, many outside of
the two Bengals are not aware of his contri-
bution unless they were students of cinema
or somehow connected with filmmaking.
WhenafriendreachedouttoSoumitrafor
a surprise film she was making for my 75th
birthday,despitebeingveryunwell,hemade
time. In fact, he said “you cannot do the film
without me. I want to be part of Rinku’s spe-
cialbirthday.”WhathesaidIwillalwayscher-
ish:“Oursisaspontaneousandorganicbond.
Even when we meet after months, it seems
like only yesterday. We simply start from
where we left.”
He was my friend of 60 years. For me his
passing has been a huge personal loss. I will
alwaysrememberhiminthosefamouswords
of Tagore:
Jibonmoronerseemanacharaye/Bondhuhe
aamarroyechedaraye(Beyondthearenaoflife
and death/ O my friend, you remain
standing)
The writer, an actor, made her debut in Apur
Sansar with Soumitra Chatterjee
(RVCs). This is probably in deference to India
which has opted out of RCEP but is interested
in being a part of the RVCs.
OtherareasofinterestforIndiaemanating
fromtheleadersdocumentsareregionalcon-
nectivity with a perceptible shift to the mar-
itime sphere, macroeconomic and financial
stability efforts in which India has not so far
playedamajorrole.Indiahasaroleintheideas
behindthestatementonmarinesustainability
sinceithasdealtwithillegalfishingandrelated
issuesandcouldbecomeapartoftheproposed
regional cooperation for mobility of skilled
labour and services. These need to be better
covered by a reviewed India-ASEAN FTA.
India has an important role envisaged in
the statement on dealing with epidemics,
bothinitsabilitytoprovidecapacitybuilding
and crucial manufacturing bases for phar-
maceuticals aspart of resilientsupply chains
for medical supplies in the region. These
need to be leveraged directly with ASEAN
countries.
The India-Japan-Australia and India-
Australia-France agreements to pursue value
chainsintheregioncandrawsustenancefrom
thesedocumentsandmoveaheadwithinter-
estedASEAN countriessince, likeChina, India
too will now put priority to bilateral relation-
shipswithselectASEANcountrieswhilemain-
taining its overall commitment to ASEAN as a
community.
The writer is formerAmbassadorto ASEAN
Giving up the
good fight
SupremeCourt’srecentordersunderlinethis:Ithas
beenweighedinthebalanceandfoundwanting
Navroz Seervai
PRATAP BHANU MEHTA is to be congratu-
latedforhisexcellentarticle(‘TheirLordships
andMasters’,IE,November18)andhisforth-
right condemnation of the Supreme Court
(SC) for what he aptly terms “judicial bar-
barism”. For judicial barbarism is what we
have witnessed over the years, with tragic
consequencesforIndia’scitizens,itsinstitu-
tions and the survival of democracy itself.
Thewordbarbarismisderivedfrom“bar-
barous”, and its meaning is worth noting.
“Barbarous” has been defined variously as
being “uncivilised; wild; savage, crude” and
“savagely cruel or harsh”. For example, “the
prisoners of war were given barbarous
treatment”.
Onceweknowthemeaningoftheword,
wecanappreciatethethreesensesinwhich
Mehta uses the phrase “judicial barbarism”
allthebetterfortheconductofitsjudgeshas
indeedbeensavagelycruelandharsh,shorn
of any vestige of a judicious temperament,
let alone a manifestation of judicial inde-
pendence in the face of a majoritarian, au-
thoritarian executive. It has been singularly
lackinginhumanity,empathy,orconcernfor
thefundamentalrightsandlibertiesofthose
citizenswhodaretostandupagainsttheex-
ecutive and protest against its trampling of
democratic rights.
ThecomplicityoftheSC,towhichMehta
alludeswhenwritingaboutdemocraticbar-
barism being “aided by judicial power”, is
manifest in its recent actions and orders.
More so in the cases in which the Court has
deliberately refused to act in defence of citi-
zens and groups who have been victimised
fortheirprotestanddissent,orwhoareonly
exercising their fundamental right of free-
dom of speech and expression. The list is a
long and sordid one: Millions of migrants
trapped by a thoughtless, heartless lock-
down; the state of J&K deprived for months
on end of the internet, the most essential
means of communication today; the same
stateofJ&K,wherehundredswhowere,and
stillare,illegallydetained,invokedtheirright
tohabeascorpusinvainastheSCresolutely
setitsfaceagainsthearingthesematters,thus
ensuringthattheycontinuetolanguishinil-
legal detention; the cases of Sudha
Bharadwaj,AnandTeltumbde,VaravaraRao
andtheothervictimsoftheBhima-Koregaon
incident,brandedas“urbannaxals”,though
theyaredistinguishedintellectuals,writers,
poets, languishing in detention for months
ifnotyears,withoutbail,withouttheircases
being heard and without the least care or
concernfortheirageorrapidlydeteriorating
medicalconditions;theevenmoreshocking
case of the 83-year-old Stan Swamy, suffer-
ing from Parkinson’s disease, whose plight
does not move the Court to grant him a
speedy hearing; the case of the journalist
Siddique Kappan, detained on his way to
Hathras as far back as in October.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
OLD RHETORIC
THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Diatribe
and distrust’ ( IE, November 19). The
Home Minister's old rhetoric against J &
K's mainstream leaders, calling them
“Gupkar Gang”, is a poll speech to score
browniepointsintheupcomingelection
totheDistrictDevelopmentCouncil.Had
it been a serious consideration, the BJP
would not have been in alliance with
National Conference.”
L R Murmu, Delhi
SAD ABOUT-TURN
THISREFERSTOthearticle'Standingwith
MotherSuu',(IE,November19).Theland-
slidevictoryof theAungSanSuuKyi-led
NLD in the general election in Myanmar
highlightthepointthatsheisaninvinci-
blechoiceforthemajorityinthecountry,
her electoral acumen is now beyond
question.SuuKyi'santi-juntaimageisstill
unscathed,butsheconsolidatedthema-
jority Bamar electorate at the cost of her
international eputation.
Sudip Kumar Dey, Kolkata
NOT FOR RAM
THISREFERSTOthereport,'Ramtemple
needs special stone, Rajasthan to free
sanctuaryland'(IE,November19).Idon't
think Lord Ram would be happy to see
that his temple is being built at the cost
of wild lives that he himself has created.
It would be prudent to find out some al-
ternative so that wild lives of Bansi
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
— THE NEW YORK TIMES
There is one common thread running
throughallthesecases—theconcernedgov-
ernments do not want these cases to be
heard.Itsuitsthesegovernmentsiftheylan-
guish for years on end. The history of these
casesshowsthattheSChasbeenmorethan
willing to oblige. That is the significance of
thetitleofMehta’sarticle,andthatiswhyhe
refers to the Court’s complicity.
Equallydisturbingisthehypocrisy,dou-
ble standard and discriminatory treatment
meted out to litigants — attributes that ill-
suit any court, much less a constitutional
court,butwhichnowpervadetheordersof
the SC. On November 16, where the BJP-led
UP government was concerned, the Chief
JusticeproclaimedinKappan’scasethatthe
Court seeks to discourage Article 32 peti-
tions.ThefactthatArticle32isafundamen-
tal right seems to have eluded the Chief
Justice — the same article to which B R
Ambedkar accorded the highest impor-
tance. He also seems to have suffered from
a bout of temporary amnesia for on
November 6, it was perfectly legitimate for
ArnabGoswamitoinvokeArticle32against
a show-cause notice issued by the
MaharashtraLegislativeAssembly.Infact,a
letter addressed to Goswami by the
AssistantSecretaryclaimingabreachofpriv-
ilege prompted the Chief Justice to observe
in open court, “No authority in the country
can penalise somebody for coming to the
Court! What is Article 32 for?”
While the Sudha Bharadwajs of this
country languish for years in illegal deten-
tion,Goswamiisreleasedatlightningspeed,
with hollow, sanctimonious proclamations
indefenceofdemocracy,freedomofspeech,
and about the impermissibility of a person
languishing in jail for a day longer than nec-
essary. It is in this way that the SC uses its
polyvocality to say and do one thing in one
case, but to say and do nothing in so many
others. Truly did George Orwell say: All ani-
mals are equal; but some animals are more
equal than others. Mehta speaks of “creep-
ing hues of a Weimar judiciary”. That is a
damning indictment of the SC.
Mehtabemoanstheacquiescenceofthe
members of the Bar, with a few worthy ex-
ceptions who have not given up the good
fight. He stops short of denouncing the Bar
asa wholeforcomplicity with theSupreme
Court—akindnessthatIamnotsurewede-
serve. He is right to call out the legal profes-
sion,forinbeingsupineandpusillanimousit
has failed in its role of standing up to judges
when necessary. But Mehta should know
thatthereareafewmorethanthosehesug-
gests who have stood up and denounced
erring judges, and in doing so signal to the
public that they will not countenance judi-
cial misconduct.
Speaking of the SC’s selectivity, Mehta
says that claims to discourage the use of
Article32isthe“perfectmetaphor,”demon-
strating that the Supreme Court acts like
thereexistsastateofEmergencyevenwhen
there does not. Perhaps a better indicator of
ourcollectivedespairliesinthefactthateven
an intellectual of Mehta’s stature seems to
forgetthatArticle32remainsaconstitutional
refugeduringadeclaredEmergency.Ifthatis
so,whatisitthatwearelivingthroughnow?
The writer is a senior advocate
IDEAS
ONLINE
ONLY IN THE EXPRESS
● IN DEFENCE OF THE
SUPREME COURT:
SHIVAM SINGH
● PANICOVERPANDEMIC
PRODUCTIVITY:
SARAMAHMOOD
www.indianexpress.com
Paharpur sanctuary can be saved.
Anil Kumar Jain, Jaipur
IDEALS MATTER
THIS REFERS TO the report, ‘Biden
spoke of strengthening democracy in
the US and abroad’ (IE, November 19).
Every country has a different agenda
in the international field. Still, there are
some universal issues like democracy,
equality, justice, which no country can
openly disregard. Does the MEA’s skip-
ping reference to the “democracy
abroad” in its statement amount to a
hint to Biden that India does not want
to be lectured? But can India afford to
paint itself into a corner by taking such
retrograde steps.
Tarsem Singh, Mahilpur

12 THE WORLD
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
TOPOFTHE
WORLD
Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus
ETHIOPIA
Armyaccuses
WHOheadof
backingrebels
Geneva: Ethiopia’s mili-
tary accused World
Health Organization
(WHO) head Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus
on Thursday of support-
ing and trying to procure
arms and diplomatic
backing for Tigray state’s
dominant political party,
which is fighting federal
troops. “This man is a
member of that group,”
army chief of staff
General Birhanu Jula said
in a televised statement.
An Ethiopian of Tigrayan
descent, Tedros served as
Ethiopia’shealthminister
andforeignministerfrom
2005-2016 in a govern-
ment coalition led by the
TigrayPeople’sLiberation
Front (TPLF). REUTERS
SRI LANKA
Eventsto
commemorate
LTTEbanned
Colombo: Two Sri Lankan
courtshavebannedevents
commemorating LTTE
cadres who died during a
30-year armed campaign
foraseparateTamilhome-
land in the north and east
provinces. “The magis-
trate’s courts of Vavuniya
and Mannar have issued
restraining orders on any-
one trying to commemo-
rate the LTTE," police
spokesman Ajith Rohana
said Thursday. Before
2009, the LTTE celebrated
November 26, the birth-
day of the LTTE supremo
Velupillai Prabakaran, as
Hero's Day. Prabakaran
would make policy
speechesonthisday.Since
the end of the war, Tamil
politicians organised
events to light lamps. PTI
UNITED STATES
1stambassador
toVenezuela
namedindecade
Caracas: Washington has
its first ambassador for
Venezuelainadecadede-
spite the U.S. having no
diplomats at its Caracas
embassy amid a break-
down in relations. James
Story’s nomination as
ambassador was con-
firmed Wednesday by a
U.S.Senatevoicevote.The
South Carolina native
takes the job that he will
carry out from the capital
of neighboring Colombia
as Venezuela endures a
historic economic and
political crisis. AP
GERMANY
Parliament
probesintruder
incident
Berlin:Germanparliamen-
taryofficialsareinvestigat-
inghowpeopleprotesting
against government lock-
downmeasureswereable
to enter the Bundestag
building and harangue
lawmakersaheadofacru-
cial vote. Senior lawmak-
ers planned to meet
Thursday to examine
claims that deputies from
thefar-rightAlternativefor
Germany party used their
credential to help a small
number of protesters get
through security. Video
posted on social media
showedafemaleprotester
accusing Economy
Minister Peter Altmaier of
having “no conscience”
and insulting him. AP
As US counts a quarter million dead,
Covid response remains disjointed
THE NEW YORK TIMES
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 19
WITH CORONAVIRUS cases on
the rise in all but one state and a
newly reached American death
toll of 250,000, this would not
seemthemomentfortheUnited
States to take a patchwork re-
sponse to the pandemic.
But that is what it has done,
and that was perhaps never
clearerthanthisweekasmayors,
schoolboardandgovernorsstrug-
gled to fend off the onslaught.
In Ohio, it was a nightly cur-
few. In Mississippi, it was an ex-
panded mask mandate, and in
Iowa a statewide one — the
state’s first ever. In Maryland, all
bars, restaurants and night clubs
were ordered closed by 10 pm.
AndinPennsylvania,theauthor-
ities said anyone traveling to the
state would needed to be tested
beforearrival.NewYorkCity,just
eight weeks after open its
schools, said it was closing them
again.
Early in the week, Dr.
Anthony S Fauci, the govern-
ment’stopinfectiousdiseaseex-
pert, said the nation needed “a
uniform approach,” not a “dis-
jointed” state-by-state, city-by-
city response.
But there has been a notable
lack of national direction.
Even before the election,
there was squabbling within the
Trump administration overhow
to contain the virus.
On Wednesday, President-
elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. asked
that the government give him
access now to federal resources
to help him plan a coronavirus
response. “This is like going to
war,” he said. “You need a com-
mander in chief.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli PM
Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. AP/PTI
Pompeo visits West
Bank, calls boycott
campaign ‘anti-Semitic’
THE NEW YORK TIMES
JERUSALEM, NOVEMBER 19
SECRETARY OF State Mike
Pompeo on Thursday became
thehighest-rankingUSofficialto
visit an Israeli settlement in the
occupied West Bank, shortly af-
ter he declared that the Trump
administration now viewed an
international campaign to boy-
cott, divest from and impose
sanctions on Israel as anti-
Semitic.
The secretary’s day was a
whirlwind of what the Trump
administration is portraying as
victory laps over its policy to-
A group of villagers, a migrant boat and a deadly end in Senegal
EDWARD MCALLISTER
MECKHE (SENEGAL)
NOVEMBER 19
SEVEN NEIGHBOURS from a vil-
lage in western Senegal boarded
a fishing boat crammed with mi-
grants just after midnight on
October 26. Their destination:
Europe, 1,000 miles away over
open ocean.
Two of them are now miss-
ing, presumed dead, after the
boat carrying dozens of people
capsized in a collision with the
Senegalese coastguard.
One can barely walk from his
injuries. Another is haunted by
the memory of clinging to a
piece of flotsam.
“You see people die in front
of you and you cannot do any-
thing,” survivor Sidi Gaye said.
Driven by economic hard-
shipduringthecoronaviruspan-
Business owners protest to remain open despite restrictions in San Diego, California. Reuters
Europe’s Black, Asian Covid toll
shows issue with ‘non-race’ data
REUTERS
LISBON, NOVEMBER 17
MANY EUROPEAN countries
avoid breaking down data along
racial or ethnic lines out of con-
cern over privacy or discrimina-
tion, butCovid-19’soutsizedim-
pact on Black and Asian people
has exposed flaws in the ap-
proach, some scientists and ac-
tivists said.
They want more compre-
hensive data collection across
the continent to improve under-
standing about how and why
Covid-19 affects different com-
ward Israel and the Palestinians.
“We want to stand with all
other nations that recognize the
B.D.S. movement for the cancer
that it is,” Mr. Pompeo said on
the second day of a visit to Israel
as he stood alongside Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
who called the decision “simply
wonderful.”Mr.Pompeosaidthe
US would deny government
support to groups that partici-
pated in the movement.
On Thursday afternoon, he
also planned another first for a
USsecretaryof state:Hewilltake
a helicopter up to the long-dis-
puted Golan Heights, along
Israel’s frontier with Syria.
demicthathasforcedthousands
to seek a better life, around
17,000 migrants have arrived on
the Canary Islands this year, an
over 1,000 per cent increase
from 2019, according to Spanish
Interior Ministry data.
The surge in migrants to
Spain’sautonomouscommunity
off the coast of northwestern
Africa alarms observers who say
thousands could be dying en
route without detection.
UnliketheMediterraneanSea
route from Libya to southern
Europe,thewoodenfishingboats
on the choppy Atlantic do not
carry satellite phones, and peo-
ple cannot make distress calls.
Alarm Phone, a hotline serv-
ice for migrants stranded at sea,
said reports indicate that over
400 from Senegal are known to
have died since the beginning of
October alone.
“Invisible shipwrecks must
munities, and thereby help
countries tailor testing and care
to better protect them.
There is no easy fix. Even in
Britain, where more detailed
data on race and ethnicity is
available,thereisdebateoverthe
root causes of higher infections
among certain groups.
The conditions people live
and work in explain most of the
disproportionate impact, stud-
ies show. Whether minority
communities trust hospital staff
totreatthemfairly,orhaveequal
access to healthcare, could also
play a role.
ArecentsurveybyClearView
Boris Johnson
unveils largest
military spend
for UK in 30 yrs
ADITI KHANNA
LONDON, NOVEMBER 19
BRITISH PRIME Minister Boris
Johnsonlaidoutthebiggestpro-
grammeof investmentinBritish
defencesincetheendof theCold
War in Parliament on Thursday,
pumping in an extra 4 billion
pound a year over the next four
years.
Addressing the House of
Commons via videolink, he said
thatthemovewill"endtheeraof
retreat, transform our armed
forces and bolster our global in-
fluence".
The Opposition Labour Party
leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said he
welcomedmoredefencespend-
ingbutquestionedhowitwould
be funded and asked whether
the money would be raised
through tax rises.
The mega investment plan
will fund space and cyber de-
fence projects and is expected to
create thousands of new jobs,
Downing Street said.
“The international situation
is more perilous and more in-
tensely competitive than at any
time since the Cold War and
Britain must be true to our his-
tory and stand alongside our al-
lies. To achieve this we need to
upgrade our capabilities across
the board,” Johnson said. PTI
Reports indicate that over 400 migrants from Senegal are
known to have died since October. Representative image/Reuters file
occur ... due to the lack of possi-
bilitiesforboatstocommunicate
oncetheyarefarfromthe coast,”
said Paola Arenas from Alarm
Phone.
Spanish security forces said
they will deploy at least three
in the United Kingdom, for ex-
ample, showedthat 60%of Black
people did not feel their health
was equally protected by the
National Health Service as white
people’s.
The UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights, Michelle
Bachelet, said earlier this year
that fuller data in countries in-
cluding Brazil, Britain and the
United States served an impor-
tant purpose.
“The data tells us of a devas-
tating impact from Covid-19 on
peopleof Africandescent,aswell
as ethnic minorities in some
countries,” she said.
Imran in Afghanistan as US set
for drawdown, peace talks stall
REUTERS
KABUL, NOVEMBER 19
PAKISTAN’S PRIME Minister
Imran Khan arrived in Kabul on
Thursday to meet with Afghan
PresidentAshraf Ghani,atatime
when peace negotiations be-
tween the Afghan government
andTalibanrepresentativeshave
stalled and violence is rising.
This will be Khan’s first visit
to Afghanistan since assuming
officeovertwoyearsago.Itisthe
highestprofilevisitbyaPakistani
officialtoKabulsincepeacetalks
began between the Taliban and
the Afghan government in the
Qatari capital of Doha.
And it comes days after the
Pentagon announced it would
reduce the number of U.S. mili-
tary personnel in Afghanistan
from 4,500 to 2,500 by mid-
January.
Due to leave office on Jan. 20
after losing this month’s presi-
dential election to Democrat Joe
Biden, President Donald Trump
isseekingtoendthe19-yearwar
inAfghanistan,theUnitedStates’
longest conflict.
Critics slammed Trump for
timing the withdrawal to his
own calendar as opposed to
some kind of breakthrough in
Afghanistan that would justify a
major drawdown.
And outside of Afghanistan,
nowhere is the risk of instability
boats, a plane, a helicopter and a
submarine to slow the flow.
However, it is unclear how the
deployment will drastically cut
departures from Senegal’s long
coastline where thousands of
identical looking fishing boats
TOKYORIASESVIRUS
ALERTTOHIGHEST
■ Tokyo raised its
coronavirus alert to the
highest level on Thursday
as its daily tally of new
infections rose to a record
534 and its governor
called for maximum
caution. “The number of
coronavirus cases is rising
so we are considering
what steps will be needed
with the view that
infections could reach
1,000 cases a day,” Tokyo
Governor Yuriko Koike
said
CASESINRUSSIA
SURPASS2MILLION
■ Russia’s Covid-19 case
tally passed the 2 million
mark on Thursday as the
number of daily deaths
and infections hit new
highs. The coronavirus
crisis response centre
reported 23,610 new daily
infections and 463 deaths
related to the coronavirus.
MUTATEDMINKVIRUS
‘MOSTLIKELYEXTINCT’
■ A new, mutated strain of
the novel coronavirus
stemming from mink
farms in Denmark is “most
likely” extinct, the health
ministry said on Thursday,
amid fears the new strain
could compromise
Covid-19 vaccines.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Presidential
Palace in Kabul on Thursday. AP
greater than in neighbouring
Pakistan.
Mistrust has cloaked rela-
tions between the neighbours,
due to Pakistan’s covert support
for the Taliban during the past
two decades. And as militants
laterbeganlaunchingattacksin-
side Pakistan, it accused
Afghanistanof stirring troublein
its borders.
“Focus would be on further
deepening the fraternal bilateral
relations between Pakistan and
Afghanistan, the Afghan peace
process, and regional economic
development and connectivity,”
Pakistan’s foreign office said in
a statement as Khan headed for
Kabul.
Pakistan’s role in the peace
trawl the waters daily.
Foreign Minister Arancha
Gonzalez Laya is expected in
Senegal on November 21 to dis-
cuss the issue.
In all, 21 men departed the
village of Meckhe, in north-west
Senegal, together before dawn
on October 25. Only seven made
it on the boat, which left in a
hurry when it heard the coast-
guard was near.
“I have always dreamed of ...
working in Senegal, creating
jobs,”saidAbdouAziz,a22-year-
old shop owner from Meckhe
who scraped together $700 for
the boat. “Since Covid-19, every-
thing changed. Everything has
become more expensive.”
After leaving, the Senegalese
coastguard ordered the boat to
stop, said four survivors, but the
captain sped up. During an hour-
long chase, the patrol boat fired
tear gas at the migrants and
New Delhi
Pakistan court
gives another
10 years in jail
to Hafiz Saeed
26/11 mastermind was arrested in July 2019
M ZULQERNAIN
LAHORE, NOVEMBER 19
MUMBAI TERROR attack mas-
termind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa
(JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was on
Thursday sentenced to 10 years
in jail by an anti-terrorism court
in Pakistan in two more terror
cases.
A UN-designated terroriston
whom the US has placed a $10-
million bounty, Saeed was ar-
rested on July 17 last year in ter-
ror financing cases. He was
sentenced to 11 years in jail by
an anti-terrorism court in
February this year in two terror
financing cases.
HeislodgedatLahore'shigh-
security Kot Lakhpat jail.
“The Anti-Terrorism Court
(ATC) of Lahore on Thursday
sentenced four leaders of
Jamaat-ud-Dawa, including its
chief Hafiz Saeed, in two more
cases,” a court official told PTI.
Saeed and his two close
aides, Zafar Iqbal and Yahya
Mujahid, have been sentenced
to ten-and-half years each,
while JuD chief's brother-in-law
Abdul Rehman Makki was
sentenced to six months
imprisonment.
“Judge Arshad Hussain
Bhutta of ATC Court No. 1 heard
the case No. 16/19 and 25/19
filed by Counter Terrorism
Departmentinwhichtheverdict
talks has been key, according to
Washington,particularlygivenits
influenceovertheTalibanleader-
ship,thoughPakistansaysthatin-
fluencehaswanedovertheyears.
Washington’s special repre-
sentative for Afghan peace,
Zalmay Khalilzad has a made a
number of trips to Islamabad to
discuss the peace process.
Ghani had last visited
Pakistan in June 2019, according
to Pakistan’s foreign office.
A spokesman for the Afghan
presidential palace, Dawa Khan
Minapal, said the main purpose
of the visit would be bilateral
trade and economic relations,
but the fight against militancy in
the region would also be at the
top of the agenda.
passed in front of the boat to cre-
ate waves to slow it down.
Eventually, the coastguard
rammed the fishing boat, caus-
ing it to capsize, throwing about
80passengersintothewater,the
survivors said. When people
cried for help, the coastguard
waited for 15 minutes before it
picked anyone up, they said.
InastatementonOctober26,
the Senegalese army said a col-
lision occurred and that it saved
39 people. It did not say how
many drowned. An army
spokesman declined to com-
ment on the migrants’ allega-
tions on Wednesday but said an
inquiry was underway.
Meanwhile, the group has re-
turned to Meckhe, a collection of
single-storeyhousesandshopson
a dusty highway surrounded by
parchedsavannah-theplacethey
tried to escape. Some are already
planning to try again. REUTERS
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Hafiz Saeed was arrested in
July last year
has been announced after the
statements of witnesses were
cross-examinedbyNaseeruddin
Nayyar and Mohammad Imran
Fazal Gul Advocate,” the official
said.
A total of 41 cases have been
registeredbytheCTDagainstthe
JuDleaders,outof which24have
been decided while the rest are
pending in the ATC courts. Four
cases have been decided against
Saeed so far.
Saeed-led JuD is the front or-
ganisation for the Lashkar-e-
Toiba (LeT) which is responsible
for carrying out the 2008
Mumbai attack that killed 166
people, including six
Americans.
The US Department of the
Treasury has designated Saeed
as a Specially Designated Global
Terrorist.Hewaslistedunderthe
UN Security Council Resolution
1267 in December 2008. PTI
Australian Defence Force
chief Gen Angus Campbell
Australian probe
finds its special
forces killed 39
unarmed Afghans
REUTERS
SYDNEY, NOVEMBER 19
AUSTRALIAN SPECIAL forces al-
legedly killed 39 unarmed pris-
onersandciviliansinAfghanistan,
with senior commandos report-
edly forcing junior soldiers to kill
defenceless captives in order to
“blood” them for combat, a four
year investigation found.
Australia said Thursday that
19 current and former soldiers
willbereferredforpotentialcrim-
inal prosecution for allegedly
killing the 39 Afghan locals.
Detailing the findings of a
long-awaited inquiry into the
conductof specialforcesperson-
nel in Afghanistan between
2005 and 2016, Australia’s
General Angus John Campbell
said there was credible informa-
tionof 39unlawfulkillingsby25
AustralianSpecialForcesperson-
nel in 23 separate incidents.
“These findings allege the
most serious breaches of mili-
tary conduct and professional
values,” Campbell told reporters
in Canberra. “The unlawful
killing, of civilians and prisoners
is never acceptable.”
The report said the majority
of those killed, which included
prisoners, farmers and other lo-
cals, were captured when they
were killed and therefore pro-
tected under international law.
Following the recommenda-
tionsof thereport,Campbellsaid
19 current and former members
of Australia’s military will be re-
ferredtoasoon-to-beappointed
specialinvestigatortodetermine
whether there was sufficient ev-
idence to prosecute.
Australia’s Minister for
Defence LindaReynoldssaidlast
week that Canberra had been
advised that local prosecution
would negate charges at the
International Criminal Court at
The Hague.
 E EXPLAINED
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

13
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
@ieExplained
#ExpressExplained
If there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that you would like
explained, please write to explained@indianexpress.com

CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD EXPLAINED YOUR MONEY

INDIA ACTIVE CASES

600,000
443,303
What to make of market rally
Whenever the market has scaled new highs in the past, as is happening now, investors have found it too
505,265
expensive to enter. Only with time have many investors realised it was a mistake not to have invested then
443,303
500,000 market — but that does not mean it will not
achieve new highs. In fact, dips should be
utilised to invest further.
C J George, MD, Geojit Financial Services,
LAST 10 DAYS said, “We are advising our clients to not get
Nov 9 Nov 18 carried away by the exuberance and, in-
400,000 stead of chasing the rally, they should chase
quality companies or invest through mu-
Note: The Nov 18 figure in this graph is based on the government update on Nov 19 Sandeep Singh tual funds.”
Caution is necessary, however, for in-
vestorswhoarenearingretirement,andwho
INDIA TOTAL CASES WORLD TOTAL CASES THE RISE of equity markets over the last 20 cannot afford to remain invested for much
8,958,483 56,561,918 days has not only taken investors by surprise longer. They would do well to book some
but also led to uncertainty. If there are some profitsattheselevels,andstartparkingthem
Source:MinistryofHealth&Family Source:JohnsHopkinsUniversity, who are unsure whether to remain invested in safe debt instruments.
Welfare,updatedat11pmonNov19 updatedat11pmonNov19 orbookprofits,therearemanywhoarewon- Andeventheyshouldnotpulloutalltheir
dering if they should enter the markets at equity investments. Given the average
such high levels. longevity, if someone is 55 years old, they
may start booking profits on some invest-
Videos show how masks with Who is doing what?
Datashowthatforeignportfolioinvestors
ments that may be critical for the post-re-
tirement monthlyincome, and leave the rest

valves fail to filter exhaled air (FPIs) are taking medium- to long-term po-
sitions in the Indian market. They have
pumped in a net of over Rs 42,000 crore in
November alone, so far. In fact, FPI inflows
this year are set to be the highest ever — the
net FPI inflow for FY21 has already reached
Rs 138,107 crore, marginally short of the Rs
140,032 crore in FY13.
So, if you were to follow FPIs, there is a
clear signal to invest or to remain invested.
On the other hand, if you look at the trend of
domestic investors, it would emerge that
they have been busy booking profits amid
the sharp rise in markets. Trade data of do-
(From left): A mannequin exhaling with an exhalation valve, no mestic institutional investors including mu-
exhalation valve, and no mask. Matthew Staymates/Physics of Fluids tual funds show that they have pulled out a
Stock prices displayed at the Bombay
for another 10 years or 15 years, and with-
draw when they turn, say, 65 or 70, depend-
ing on the need.
SENSEX: NOV RALLY Stock Exchange last week. PTI Those who have been looking to book
some profits to utilise the money for any of
43,599.96 their financial goals can do so at this time as
45,000 sectors, etc — and so, investors need to do the markets are trading high.
44,180.05
44,000 theirduediligencewhileparkingtheirfunds. Itisimportanttounderstandthatinterest
43,593.67 Fund managers with mutual funds as ratesarecertainlynotgoingtogointodouble
43,000 well as brokerage houses say investors must digits, and so equities could be the best bet
42,000 40,431.6 look at quality companies and not get for protection against inflation.
swayed by the rally.
41,000 WhileFPIshavebeeninvesting,manysay What are the concerns to keep in mind?
40,000 that once retail investors start investing, so Evenasthreevaccineshavereportedhigh
39,614.07 will domestic institutional investors. efficacy in phase 3 trials, and are expected to
39,000 be made available over the next couple of
Oct19

Oct26

Nov02

Nov09

Nov14
Nov19
net of close to Rs 30,000 crore in November. So, should one invest at current levels? months, many feel that the impact in India
ItisimportanttonotethatDIIsdon’tinvestor Investors should never look at levels to will be slow in comparison to low-popula-
IT IS widely understood why health The videos book profits for themselves — if mutual fund Source:Bombay Stock Exchange invest. While it matters for traders, it does- tion countries, as it will take a longer time to
authorities around the world, includ- Staymatescreatedtwovideoswith investors start redeeming their units, the n’t matter for disciplined monthly investors cover the massive population. There are also
ing in India, recommend against us- mannequins, using different tech- fund house will have to sell stocks in the who are willing to invest for 10, 15 or 20 concerns over the pace of economic recov-
ing a mask with an exhalation valve. niques. One video was created using scheme to honour the redemption. inlargesumsof moneyintoIndianequitiesin years. Investments should be done in a dis- ery, as India is among the countries hardest
Now, a study has used videos to show the“schlierenimagingsystem”,which November,andtheSensexhasralliedbyover ciplined manner, and there is no harm in hit by Covid-19 in terms of economy.
howmaskswithvalvesfailtofilterex- makesexhaledbreathmorevisiblebe- What is fuelling the rally? 4,100 points or 10.6% in the same period. starting now. One must remember that While the markets have had a significant
haled air, thus protecting the wearer causeitiswarmerandlessdensethan Therallyisclearlydrivenbypositivenews whenever the Sensex has hit a new high or rally, George said, “I do not see that the econ-
but not others. thesurroundingair.“Theopticalcom- flows. The outcome of the US Presidential Will the rise in markets continue? landmark — be it 10,000, 20,000, 25,000 or omy will jump in the immediate future to
The study is published in Physics ponents are fairly simple, except for election in the first week of November fu- For now, the markets are flush with liq- 30,000 — each of these levels has seemed justify the market levels… However, FPIs are
of Fluids. The author, Matthew the large mirror that I use,” he said. elled FPI inflows into emerging markets and uidity — and since money will find its way expensive at that point of time. However, taking a call on the Indian economy and in-
Staymates, is a research Theschlierenimaging led to a sharp rally in equity markets world- into the equity markets, they are likely to re- with time, investors have concluded that it vesting in the market.”
physicist with the US system shows the move- wide including in India. This was followed main strong. Market participants, however, was a mistake not to have started invest- In fact, a report by Oxford Economics on
National Institute of mentoftheairitself,while by successive announcements of promising remain cautious, and there is a feeling in the ments then. Thursday said that India’s growth equilib-
Standards and the“fogvisualisationsys- results in Covid-19 vaccine trails by Pfizer & market that the investment stories will keep With the Sensex having rallied swiftly by riumwillworsenoverthemediumterm,and
Technology. Staymates, tem”, with which the BioNTech, Modernaand Russia, boosting eq- changing—fromlargecapstomid-andsmall 4,180 points or 10.6% in a matter of 14 trad- potential growth would average at 4.5% over
whose work involves other video was made, uity markets over the last 10 days. caps, from pharma and IT to banking and fi- ing sessions, there is always a possibility of 2020-25, as opposed to its pre-coronavirus
flow visualisation tech- shows the movement of TheresulthasbeenthatFPIshavepumped nance, and then to infrastructure-oriented some profit-booking, and thus a dip in the forecast of 6.5%
niques that capture the PAPER exhaled particles. “A fog
movementof aironcam-
CLIP droplet generator is used
era, turned thisexpertise
toward masks.
“Our intuition was
that these valve masks
NEW RESEARCH
to produce the fog within
the ‘throat’ of the man-
nequin.AbrightLEDlight
is positioned behind the
Why gangster Pujari doesn’t want to go to Mumbai
are not appropriate for source control headof themannequin,andthishelps hiscustodynotbegiventoan- Sources said one of the tipped off the police about a gang member.
during this pandemic,” Staymates to brightly illuminate the droplets as MOHAMED THAVER other state police force till the main reasons why Pujari Pujari then started working in the gang at a
toldThe IndianExpress,byemail.“This theyexitthemouthofthemannequin,” MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 19 trial is completed in the main does not want to be sent to time when Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota
new work was designed to visually Staymates said. cases against him in Mumbai is that he fears a Rajan were together.
show why this is the case. The videos The second video shows droplets GANGSTER RAVI Pujari, who was extradited Karnataka. threat to his life, especially in Later, after the 1992-93 riots in Mumbai,
are powerful and easy to understand escapeunfilteredthroughthe valveof to India from Senegal in February last year, Mumbai. In a city marked by when the gang split and Rajan and Dawood
for a broad audience, and our hope is an N95 mask. When there is no valve, has so far been questioned by the Karnataka How was the Mumbai intense gang wars over the became enemies, Pujari sided with Rajan.
that many people get a chance to see no breath is visible because the mask Police in cases registered there. Mumbai police awarded his years, aides of various gangs However, when there was an attack on
this and realise why valves are not a has filtered out the droplets. Policelastweekwonacourtorderforhiscus- custody? are kept in separate barracks Pujari’s life in Bangkok in 2000, he became
good idea right now.” KABIR FIRAQUE tody, but the gangster has opposed this. A sessions court in in the same prison, or ideally suspicious about several people, including
Bengaluru allowed Mumbai in separate prisons so that Pujari, who might have leaked his location.
How many state police forces have Police to take his custody they do not attack each other. Pujari then started his own gang and mod-
sought custody of Pujari ? based on a letter and a pro- In the past, an aide of Chhota elled his persona as a ‘Hindu don’, like Rajan.
The police forces in Mumbai, Gujarat and duction warrant a special Ravi Pujara. Express Archive Rajan, O P Singh, was killed in Sincethen,hehasfunctionedindependently.
Keralaaretryingtogetcustodyof Pujari,who court in Mumbai. This court Nashik prison by rival gang
has cases registered against him there, be- is conducting the trial in a members in 2002. In 2013, When is Pujari likely to be sent to
sidesinKarnataka.Mostof theserelatetoex- 2015 caseinvolvinga chargeof conspiracyto gangster Abu Salem was attacked in Taloja Mumbai?
tortion, and his victims include actors and murder against political leader Raju Patil. prisonbyanotherprisoner,DevendraJagtap, While the Mumbai Police said they will
politicians. Mumbai Police plans to try Pujari Pujari too is an accused in that case. who had managed to smuggle in a firearm. try to get him to the city in a week’s time,
in 19 major cases and had approached the Salem survived the attack. Pujari’slawyerislikelytoopposethesessions
Karnataka High Court several times seeking Why does Pujari not want to be taken in court order in the High Court. The lawyer is
his custody, but had not been successful un- Mumbai Police custody? Which gangs Is Pujari affiliated to? expectedtoarguethattheRajuPatilcasewas
til last week. The Crime Branch in Karnataka Incourt,hislawyerDilrajSequeiraargued Rajan moved to Mumbai in his early not mentioned in the list of cases he could
is investigating him in 107 cases. that sending him to Mumbai would delay years, living first in Dombivli and later in be tried for in the extradition order by the
Once the Mumbai Crime Branch started the cases in Karnataka. Sequeira also ex- Andheri. He caught the attention of Chhota Senegal government last year. If the High
seeking his custody, Pujari’s lawyer filed a pressed fears for Pujari’s life owing to the Rajan following the murder of a man called Court does not intervene, heshouldbe in the
writ petition in the High Court praying that high number of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai, Bala Zalte, whom Pujari suspected of having city by next week, an officer said.

Broken economy or family feud: Why has Erdogan son-in-law quit govt?
MEHRGILL
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
EARLIER THIS month, Turkey president
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law, Berat
Albayrak, announced his resignation as the
country’sTreasuryandFinanceMinister.The
question commentators are asking is
whether the move is related to the worsen-
ingTurkisheconomy,orwhetheritconcerns
the power equations within the family.
What has happened with the President
and his son-in-law?
Albayrak announced his decision on
InstagramonNovember8,sayinghewasre-
signing for health reasons. The resignation
wentlargelyunreportedbythemainstream
Turkishmedia,apparentlyforfearof aback-
lashfromErdogan.IttookthePresident’sof-
fice over 24 hours to acknowledge and ac-
cept the resignation. On November 11,
Erdogan appointed former Deputy Prime
Minister Lutfi Elvan as Albayrak’s successor.
Albayrak’sannouncementcameadayaf-
terErdoganhadfiredtheGovernorofTurkey’s
Central Bank, Murat Uysal, 16 months after
he had taken office. Some believe this is the
reason Albayrak resigned. Erdogan replaced
Uysal with former Finance Minister Naci
Agbal,whohasbeencriticalofAlbyarak’seco-
nomic policies over the last two years.
According to some media reports, Albayrak
was not briefed about Uysal’s sacking.
Why is the resignation significant?
Media reports have noted that Albayrak
was viewed as Erdogan’s heir apparent, and
that he was being groomed for the role.
On his blog, the Turkish economist Ugur
Gürses has called Albayrak’s resignation “a
privilegeof hisown”sincethereisnoexam-
pleinthe17-yearErdoganadministrationof
someone“whoresignedwithpersonalpref-
erence”. He noted that Albayrak’s resigna-
tionisananomaly,consideringallministers
have so far been dismissed or relocated at
Erdogan’s will.
Thatmakestheresignationespeciallysur-
prising, given that Albayrak is thought to be
the country’s second most powerful person.
Berat Albayrak was seen as heir
apparent to Erdogan. AP
How bad is Turkey's economy?
Erdogan has been in power since 2003,
firstasPrimeMinister,andthenasPresident
since 2014. In these years, Turkey’s econ-
omynearlydoubledinsizeatanannualrate
of about 5.6%,according toaBBC report,but
then it shrank in the third and fourth quar-
ters of 2018.
That was the year when Albayrak took
over as Finance Minister. Since then, the
economy has been marked by slowdowns
and the weakening of the Turkish lira, both
of which have been exacerbated by the
pandemic. And 2018 was also the year
when the parliamentary government sys-
tem was replaced with a presidential sys-
tem, concentrating power in the President,
and giving Erdogan greater powers to in-
fluence institutions such as the country’s
Central Bank.
When Albayrak took over as Finance
Minister, his early initiatives were aimed at
keeping interest rates low and inflation in
check. This unorthodox approach is some-
thing Erdogan is known to favour. In fact,
one of the reasons that the lira has been hit-
ting record lows against the dollar is be-
cause of pressure from Erdogan on the
Central Bank not to raise interest rates.
In September this year, however, the
Central Bank raised its benchmark interest
rate by 2 percentage points in the hope that
thiswillbringdowninflationandattractin-
vestors to buy the lira.
How is Albayrak’s tenure as Finance
Minister perceived?
Due to high rates of unemployment,
double-digit inflation and the declining
value of thelira(it haslostmore than25% of
itsvaluesincethebeginningof thisyearand
is one of the worst performing currencies
of the year), Albayrak was considered an
unpopular Finance Minister of what was
once seen as one of the fastest-growing
global markets.
However,asGürsesnotesonhisblog,be-
ingthePresident’sson-in-law“gavehimvery
solidpoliticalsupportandstrength”,because
of which he was able to sign “wrong deci-
sionsinablindfold”.Someof thesedecisions
include imposing interest restrictions on
bank deposits and loans, restrictions on for-
eign exchange transactions, and pressuring
companiestolowerpricesfollowingthecur-
rency shock in August 2018.
In contrast, new Central Bank Governor
Agbal and Finance Minister Elvan, in com-
ments they made last week, have promised
to improve the quality of public finance by
maintaining fiscal discipline
So, how should the resignation be
understood?
The news portal The Middle East Eye
wrote that Albayrak’s resignation could
have been prompted by a realisation from
Erdogan about the unmanageable scale of
Turkey’s economic crisis, with the tipping
point being Albayrak’s decision to start us-
ing up foreign currency reserves to keep in-
terest rates down. As per an estimate by
GoldmanSachs,Turkeyhasspentover$101
billion to intervene in its currency markets.
From one perspective, Albayrak’s resig-
nation can be seen as a case of “palace in-
trigue” — as a Washington Post analysis has
called it — and as an attempt by Erdogan to
have the final say in financial matters.
From another perspective — that of fi-
nancial analysts surveyed by Reuters — this
series of events can be seen as a shift to-
wardsmore “orthodox”and restrictiveeco-
nomic policies, with hope placed in the
combination of Agbal and Elvan to salvage
the currency, and possibly stabilise it, by fo-
cusing on increasing interest rates and un-
dertaking structural reforms.

New Delhi

14 ECONOMY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
WEAK FISCAL RESPONSE MAGNIFIES STRUCTURAL DRAGS: OXFORD ECONOMICS
‘ProlongedCovidimpactinevitable,
2020-25growthtoaverage4.5%’
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER19
THELONG-TERMscarscausedby
Covid-19pandemic,amidaweak
fiscalstimulusbythegovernment,
would push India’s trend growth
substantially lower from pre-
Covid levels, causing a large
mediumtermoutputloss,accord-
ing to Oxford Economics. It fore-
castthepotentialgrowthtoaver-
age just 4.5 per cent over
2020-2025,asopposedtoitspre-
virus forecast of 6.5 per cent.
Arguing that India’s weak fis-
cal response plays a role in mag-
nifying the structural drags, it
notedthe“GDPpercapitatobe12
percentbelowourpre-virusbase-
line even in 2025, implying the
largestamountofscarringamong
major economies globally.”
India’sgrossdomesticproduct
(GDP)growthcontracted23.9per
cent in the April-June quarter,
whilevariousagencieshaveproje-
ctedcontractionof around10per
centfortheentirefiscal.TheCen-
trewillreporttheJuly-September
GDP numbers on November 27.
“The deep economic damage
caused by the coronavirus pan-
demic and lockdowns instituted
to contain it make a prolonged
growthimpactinevitable.Evenaf-
ter the pandemic is contained,
India’s economy will have to deal
‘Post unlock, sharp decline in
stressed debt across sectors’
The opening up of the economy post the stringent
lockdown in March, April and May has led to a better than
expected recovery in the second quarter. According to a
Credit Suisse report, India Inc has seen a sharp decline in
stressed debt across sectors by 37 per cent from Rs 23.8
lakh crore to in Q1FY21 to Rs 15 lakh crore in Q2FY21
Covid impact contained: While incremental stress on India Inc
appears limited, a moderation in credit costs post the first
half spike, is expected to drive ROE recovery in banks like Axis,
ICICI, HDFC and SBI from second half, the report pointed
BRIEFLY
NDB,govt
inkloanpact
New Delhi: A loan agree-
ment for $500 million
(about Rs 3,700 crore) was
signed on Thursday
between the government
and the New Development
Bank (NDB) for funding the
Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut
RRTS Corridor.
RE-INVEST:PM
toinaugurate
New Delhi: Prime Minister
NarendraModiwillinaugu-
rate the 3rd Global
Renewable Energy
Investment Meeting and
Expo (RE-INVEST 2020) on
November 26 to woo in-
vestorsforinvestinginclean
energy, a Ministry of New &
Renewable Energy state-
ment said.
RBItoconduct
OMOsnextweek
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) on Thursday
announced to conduct si-
multaneous purchase and
sale of government securi-
ties under open market op-
erations (OMOs) for Rs
10,000 crore each on
November 26. The decision
was taken after a review of
the current liquidity and fi-
nancial conditions, the RBI
said in a statement. PTI
SENSEX: 43,599.96 ▼ 580.09 NIFTY: 12,771.70 ▼ 166.55 NIKKEI: 25,634.34 ▼ 93.80 HANG SENG: 26,356.97 ▼ 187.32 FTSE: 6,333.80 ▼ 51.44 DAX: 13,087.92 ▼ 113.97
INDIA: POTENTIAL GROWTH 2020-25
Trend growth to settle substantially lower in the
aftermath of the Covid crisis
■ Capitalstock ■ Humancapital
■ Laboursupply ■ Totalfactorproductivity(TFP)
Pre-virus
baseline
Current
baseline
0 1 2 3
pptcontribution
Source: Oxford Economics/Haver Analytics/CEIC/CSO
with its aftermath. It’s likely that
headwinds already hampering
growth prior to 2020 — such as
stressedcorporatebalancesheets,
elevated non-performing assets
(NPAs)ofbanks,thefalloutinnon-
bank financial companies
(NBFCs),andlabourmarketweak-
ness — will worsen,” Priyanka
Kishore, head of India and South
East Asia Economics, said in the
report released Thursday.
Shesaidanadequateandwell-
designed fiscal stimulus would
halve this impact by limiting de-
terioration in pre-Covid head-
winds. But India has fared poorly
in its fiscal response in dealing
with the pandemic.
CoC defers decision Sensex drops 580 pts on rising virus cases
on DHFL takeover, to Benchmark rallied 4,565 pts in last 13 sessions; breached 3 milestones in 7 sessions
take call after Dec 3
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI,NOVEMBER19
THE COMMITTEE of creditors
(CoC) of Dewan Housing Finance
Corporation (DHFL) has deferred
adecisiononselectingthebidder
fortakeoverofthemortgagefirm.
“TheCoCwilltakeadecisiononly
afterDecember3.Thematterhas
beendeferred,”saidaseniorban-
king source. The Piramal Group,
oneofthefourbidders,hasprotes-
ted against the bidding process.
In a letter, the Piramal Group
said submission of a resolution
plan,afterthesubmissiondate,is
neither in accordance with the
provision of the revised request
forresolutionplandated16Septe-
mber2016(RFRP)northeInsolve-
ncyandBankruptcyBoardofIndia
(InsolvencyResolutionProcessfor
Corporate Persons) Regulations,
2016, (CIRP Regulations).
We hereby reserve all our
rights under law and equity to
seek appropriate redressal, in-
cluding withdrawing from the
current corporate insolvency
processforDHFL,iftheunsolicited
offer of the Offeree is considered
and/or the process set out the
RFRP, the IBC and the CIRP
Regulationsisnotdulyfollowed,”
the letter stated.
In a stock exchange filing,
DHFL said the Administrator has
receivedane-mailwithcertainat-
tachments from one of the PRA,
4 5 6 7 8 appetiteforfreshinvestments,but
“Despite having one of the
most stringent lockdowns glob-
allyinQ2,itsdirectfiscalresponse
to Covid so far amounts to just
2.5% of GDP, with the lion’s share
oftheUSD230billionfiscalpack-
ageearmarkedforliquidityandfi-
nancing support schemes. While
we forecast the central govern-
ment’s fiscal deficit will widen to
7% of GDP in FY21 from 4.7% in
FY20, it’s unlikely to deliver a
meaningful boost to growth be-
cause it’s not the result of a surge
in spending,” as per the report.
Using its Global Economic
Model, Oxford Economics noted
that raising expenditure by
around5percentofGDPoverthe
Shareofdebtwith IC<1companiesdownto35%
■ % of sample debt with companies with IC<1
■ %notcoveringinterestinatleast4quarters
60
50 Reductionvspre-COVIDlevels
40
30
20
1Q19 2Q19 3Q19 4Q19 1Q20 2Q20 3Q20 4Q20 1Q21 2Q21
35% Share of debt with
companies having
interest coverage (IC) ratio of
less than 1 in Q2 fell sharply to
35 per cent — the best in five
years. The report said that the
drop was better than
expected with aggregate Q2
EBITDA up 54 per cent
45%: Year-on-year EBITDA growth of metal sector
which has seen a strong improvement in
profitability on the back of rising prices and thereby
reduction in share of debt of companies with IC < 1
Inafiling, DHFLsaid the
Administratorhas
receivedane-mail with
certainattachments
fromoneof thePRA,the
contentsof whichare
notyetknownsincethe
e-mail hasnotbeen
openedbythe
Administrator
the contents of which are not yet
known since the e-mail has not
been opened by the
Administrator. “The CoC during
theirmeetingdecidedtonotopen
any of the ‘Final Resolution Plan’
orthee-mailreceiveduntilacon-
sensus by CoC is attained collec-
tivelyforthesame,”thefilingsaid.
TheAdaniGrouphadsubmit-
ted a bid of more than Rs 31,000
crorefortheentireassetsofDHFL.
Thisbidhadraisedeyebrowsand
PiramalGroupwrotealettertothe
DHFL lenders protesting against
the offer being submitted after
November9,thesubmissiondate
for the resolution plan.
As of now, Adani’s bid is the
highest,trumpingthatofOaktree
and Piramal. While Oaktree had
submittedabidofRs31,000crore
for the entire company, the
Piramal Group had bid Rs 25,000
crore for DHFL’s retail business.
next four quarters and phasing
out the additional support in a
gradual manner can increase
2021GDPbyRs19lakhcrore(tril-
lion)andbringitjust2percentbe-
low pre-Coronavirus baseline.
According to this model, the
government’s fiscal deficit will
balloon towards 9 per cent in
2021,butwillfalltoaround4.5per
cent by 2024.
Thereportprojectedacontin-
uation of falling investment rate,
ashighlyleveragedbalancesheets
not only impinge on the sectors’
also make banks increasingly re-
luctant to extend credit to them.
The share of total investment in
India’s GDP has trended lower
since 2012, led by a deceleration
inprivateinvestmentgrowth,and
a “broad-based fall in future in-
vestment rates” is likely.
Two Covid-related develop-
ments—suspensionofInsolvency
and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and
loanmoratoriums—areexpected
to prolong the investment recov-
ery process.
“With(IBC)avenueforidenti-
fyingdistressedbusinessesclosed
forthetimebeing,banksarelikely
toexercisehigherdiscretioninex-
tendingcreditstocorporates,”the
report said, adding the bank-
ruptcy process is expected to be
slower even after it is reinstated,
delaying recovery of bad loans.
quarter-on-quarter and 8 per
cent year-on-year
23% Share of debt with
loss making
companies declined from
28-30 per cent pre-Covid-19
to 23 per cent in the
second quarter
Source: Credit
Suisse
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI,NOVEMBER19
DOMESTIC MARKETS plunged
nearly 1.3 per cent Thursday, fol-
lowing weak cues from global
peers as investors grappled with
risingcoronaviruscases,freshre-
strictions and economic worries.
Afterhittinganewhighof44,230,
the benchmark Sensex plum-
meted 580 points to close at
43,599.96andtheNSENiftyIndex
fell 167 points at 12,771.70 on
profit taking.
BPCL sell-off: Why bidding has been low profile
KARUNJITSINGH
NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER19
THE DISINVESTMENT process of
BharatPetroleumCorporationLtd
(BPCL) has moved on to the sec-
ond phase, with the Centre hav-
ing received “multiple” expres-
sions of interest for its 52.98 per
centstakeinthecountry’ssecond
largestfuelretailer.Theprocessis
a key component of the govern-
ment’s plan to raise Rs 2.1 lakh
croreviadisinvestmentthisfiscal.
Whoarethe
interestedparties?
Currently, only the Vedanta
Group has been confirmed as an
interestedparty.Industrysources,
however, said two private funds
have also submitted expressions
of interest (EoIs) for BPCL. Global
Q2: ‘Contraction
likely to have
narrowed to 9.5%’
Mumbai: Contraction in the
GDP may have narrowed to
9.5 per cent in the second
quarterofFY21from23.9per
cent in the April-June quar-
ter,anIcrareportsaidThurs-
day. It said the year-on-year
contraction in GDP (at con-
stant2011-12prices)islikely
to have narrowed to 9.5 per
centinQ2FY2021from23.9
per cent in Q1 FY2021. PTI
Moody’s raises
growth forecast
to (-) 10.6%
New Delhi: Moody’s
Investors Service on
Thursday upped India
growth forecast to (-) 10.6
per cent for the current fis-
cal, from its earlier estimate
of (-) 11.5 per cent, saying
the latest stimulus priori-
tisesmanufacturingandjob
creation, and focuses on
longer-term growth. PTI
Tech adoption in last few months
more than that of a decade: PM
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
BENGALURU,NOVEMBER19
PRIMEMINISTERNarendraModi
on Thursday hailed the contribu-
tion of the information technol-
ogysectorduringtheCovid-19cri-
sis of the last few months.
Speakingvirtuallyattheopening
of the 2020 edition of the annual
Bengaluru Tech Summit, Modi
saidtheamountof techadoption
seeninthelastfewmonthswould
not have happened in a decade.
“Theamountoftechadoption
thatwouldnothavehappenedin
a decade happened in just a few
months. Work from anywhere
has become the norm and is go-
ing to stay. We will see a high
amount of tech adoption in the
fields of education, health, shop-
ping and more,” he said.
“Global lockdowns, travel re-
strictions have constrained peo-
pleinsidetheirhomes,awayfrom
The Sensex had rallied 4,565
pointsinthelast13sessionsaided
by strong portfolio inflows.
VinodNair,headofresearchat
GeojitFinancialservices,said,“The
increasing infections raised fears
ofadditionalrestrictionsandcon-
sidering its impact on global eco-
nomicactivity,globalmarketsen-
timentsturnednegative.Thiswas
inspiteof optimismsurrounding
theadvancedstagesofvaccinede-
velopment. Indian markets also
witnessedprofitbookingfromre-
cent highs, as investors turned
cautious.Financialsledthelosses
oilmajorsBritishPetroleum,Total,
Rosneft, ADNOC and Saudi
Aramco, who were
said to be interested
ininvesting,havenot
submitted bids.
Experts noted that
given the low levelof
participation, BPCL
was likely to witness
a low valuation.
Whyhastherebeen
lowinterest?
Experts say the impact of the
Covid-19 pandemic and subse-
quent crash in global crude oil
prices has put a strain on the fi-
nances of most global oil compa-
nies.
Crude prices fell sharply as a
resultofthefallinthedemandfor
petroleum products across the
world as countries imposed re-
GOLD
`49,714
IL&FS Financial to auction
off `5K cr corporate loans
Processtobelaunchedthisweek;saletobeoncashconsideration
ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 19
IL&FS FINANCIAL Services
(IFIN) has proposed to auction
off its external corporate loan
book worth about Rs 5,000
crore through a bid process, in
an attempt to reduce the over-
all debt of the IL&FS group.
The process will be
launched this week, a source in
the know of the development
said. As of March 2019, the as-
sets under management of IFIN
stood at Rs 18,000 crore, which
includes external, internal
loans and internal investments.
The company is yet to de-
clare its results for financial
year 2019-20.
The sale of the loans would
be on cash consideration.
The company’s external
corporate loan book includes
loans to over 70 companies that
have become non-performing
assets (NPAs).
When contacted,
spokesperson for Infrastructure
Leasing & Financial Services
(IL&FS) said, “The company is
launching a public process
this week to invite bids for the
sale of IFIN external corporate
loan book.”
According to the annual re-
port of IFIN for 2018-19, it had a
net loss of Rs 13,272 crore as
compared to a net profit of Rs
9.5 crore in 2017-18.
The company’s total bor-
their places of work. At such a
time,theresilienceofourtechsec-
torwasseen.Ourtechsectorcame
into action and used tech solu-
tionstokeepworkgoingon,from
home and from anywhere. The
tech industry recognised a great
innovation opportunity in bring-
ing people together,” the Prime
Minister said. During the Covid-
19lockdown,technologyensured
thatthepoorreceivedquickassis-
while defensive sectors such as
FMCG and pharma fared better.”
The positivity in auto sales
numberscontinuedandcouldbe
an indicator of economic recov-
ery.However,increasingvirusin-
fections, which is again being re-
portedinsomepartsof India,can
offset this nascent recovery.
During the afternoon session
markets briefly scaled back and
touched its all-time high levels
onceagainasmarketparticipants
tooksomesolacefromtheformer
chief economic adviser’s state-
ment that India’s gross domestic
strictions on travel.
“Duetothecovid-19outbreak
andcrashinglobaloil
prices, global oil ma-
jors have cut their
capex plans in gen-
eral, leading to a
lower emphasis on
acquisitions. Major
dealswhichwerebe-
ing anticipated have
not happened so in-
terestinnewacquisitionsislow”,
said Abhijit Bora, analyst at
Sharekhan by BNP Paribas.
PlannedinvestmentsbySaudi
Aramco into Reliance Industries
and the Ratnagiri refinery com-
plex have seen delays.
What’snext?
Experts noted that the gov-
ernment may rope in other pub-
licsectorundertakings(PSUs)like
New Delhi
RUPEE
`74.27
Note: Gold, silver rates at Delhi spot market; gold per 10 g, silver per 1 kg; Brent crude as of 2330 IST
LOANS TO OVER 70 COs HAVE BECOME NPAs
■ IL&FS Financial Services
is yet to declare its financial
results for fiscal year
2019-20. The sale of the
loans would be on cash
consideration. The
company’s external
corporate loan book
includes loans to
more than 70 companies
that have become
non-performing assets
rowing as at end-March 2019
from various avenues (debt se-
curities, bank loans, commer-
cial paper, inter-corporate de-
posits) stood at Rs 14,916 crore.
IL&FS has resolved Rs 19,100
crore, or 19 per cent, of the
group’s outstanding debt.
During the July-September
2020 quarter, the new manage-
ment resolved debt of approx-
imately Rs 1,460 crore by way
a of sale of the education busi-
ness, recovery from non-IL&FS
group entities, increase in cash
balances and debt repayment
in green (solvent) entities.
However, the target for debt
resolution during the second
quarter was Rs 8,800 crore,
which the group missed by a
wide margin of Rs 7,300 crore.
The group, however, main-
tained its earlier estimates of
addressing more than 50 per
cent of the overall debt of over
“Work from anywhere
has become the norm
and is going to stay.
We will see a high
amount of tech
adoption in the fields
of education, health,
shopping and more.”
NARENDRA MODI
PRIME MINISTER
tance in India, he added.
Modi cited the Ayushman
Bharat healthcare scheme as an
exampleoflargescalereliefbeing
provided to the poor in recent
months to access affordable
healthcareusingtechnology.“Our
local tech solutions have the po-
tential to go global. India is at a
sweetspot.Itistimefortech-solu-
tionsthataredesignedinIndiabut
deployedfortheworld,”headded.
productislikelytocontract7.5per
cent in the current financial year,
but could see a double-digit
growth in 2021-22, said
Narendra Solanki, head—equity
research, Anand Rathi Shares &
Stock Brokers.
However, upside remained
capped as European markets
opened mixed amid concerns
aboutrisingCovidcasesandnew
shutdownworriesinmajorcities.
Onthesectoralfront,banks,finan-
cials and other rate sensitive sec-
tors led markets lower while
FMCGremainedslightlypositive.
ONGC and Indian Oil to partici-
pate in another round of bidding
forBPCL,ifitdoesn’treceiveahigh
enough valuation from the cur-
rent set of interested parties.
Under the terms of the current
bidding process, PSUs were not
been permitted to participate in
BPCL’s disinvestment process.
Anexpertwhodidnotwishto
be quoted said that if a combina-
tionof ONGCandIOCacquirethe
government’s stake in BPCL at a
higherpremiumthanwhatisbe-
ingofferedbyprivatesectorplay-
ers, they would likely witness a
decline in their share prices.
Analysts said it was not likely
that the government would put
off the disinvestment process of
BPCL because of a lack of interest
as it needed the proceeds
from the sale to shore up its
fiscal deficit.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
OIL SILVER
$43.99 `61,184
International market data till 1900 IST
■ According to the annual
report of IFIN for 2018-19, it
had a net loss of Rs 13,272
crore as compared to a net
profit of Rs 9.5 crore in
2017-18. IFIN’s total
borrowing as at end-March
2019 from various avenues
(debt securities, bank loans,
commercial paper,
inter-corporate deposits)
stood at Rs 14,916 crore
Rs 99,000 crore as of October
2018, by the end of 2020-21.
Markets regulator Sebi re-
cently disposed of proceedings
against IL&FS Financial Services
without issuing any direction
against it in a matter pertaining
to alleged violation of under-
writer norms. The firm is a Sebi
registered underwriter.
The order came after the
Ministry of Corporate Affairs
forwarded a report to the
Securities and Exchange Board
of India (Sebi) to ascertain if the
underwriter, which is a 100 per
cent subsidiary of IL&FS, was
qualified to be a “fit and proper
person” to continue as a Sebi
registered intermediary.
The Serious Fraud
Investigation Office (SFIO) had
conducted an investigation into
the affairs of IL&FS and its sub-
sidiary companies responsible
for the credit crisis.
Pradhan: 1K
LNG stations
along roads,
industrial &
mining hubs
ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19
INDIAN COMPANIES are set to
invest Rs 10,000 crore to bring
1,000liquefiednaturalgas(LNG)
stations along key roads, indus-
trial hubs and mining hubs,
Union Petroleum and Natural
Gas Minister Dharmendra
Pradhan said on Thursday,
adding that LNG could be a key
energy source for a significant
proportion of trucks and heavy
machinery in the country.
“In the next three years, an
expenditure of Rs 10,000 crore
will be undertaken to set up
1,000LNGstationstoprovidefor
LNG stations on every major
road, industrial hub and mining
centre,” said Pradhan during the
foundation-laying ceremony for
50 LNG stations.
Google signs
copyright
pacts with
six French
newspapers
REUTERS
PARIS,NOVEMBER19
ALPHABET’S GOOGLE has signed
copyright agreements with six
French newspapers and maga-
zines,includingnationaldailiesLe
Monde and Le Figaro, the US tech
companysaidinapostonitsblog
on Thursday.
The announcement follows
months of bargaining between
Google, French publishers and
news agencies over how to apply
revamped EU copyright rules,
which allow publishers to de-
mandafeefromonlineplatforms
showing extracts of their news.
Theworld’sbiggestsearchen-
gine initially fought against the
idea of paying publishers for the
content, saying their websites
benefited from greater traffic
brought by Google.
The agreements with the six
French newspapers are based on
criteria such as the publisher’s
“contributiontopoliticalandgen-
eral information,” the daily vol-
umeofpublications,themonthly
internettrafficandtheuseoftheir
content on Google’s platform,
Google said.
 SARDAR SAROVER NARMADA NIGAM LIMITED
(A wholly owned Government of Gujarat Undertaking)
1) Est. Cost
(Rs. in
(a) Pre-bid Meeting
(b) Last date for online downloading/
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 15
Objections/Claims related Press Note
lacs) submission of tender documents (Panjiri Plant Gharaunda)
2) Tender Fee (c) Date for physical submission of
It is informed to Sh. Jagdish Bajaj, M/s Bharat Trading Company
Tender Notice No, & (in Rs.) tender documents
Name of the work 3) EMD (d) Online verification of tender SEARCH FOR MISSING Gohana (Sonipat) that 800 empty tins were auctioned in Panjiri Plant
Gharaunda on 12.04.2012 and auction was left in the Name of Sh.
(Rs. in lacs) documents Jagdish Bajaj, M/s Bharat Trading Company Gohana (Sonipat). But
4) Class (e) Online opening of Technical bid General public is hereby informed that Sh. Jagdish Bajaj did not left these 800 empty tins form Panjiri Plant
5) Time Limite (f) Online opening of price bid a lady namely Suman with her son, Gharaunda even after repeated notices. Now the Director General,
W/o Deepak R/o H.No. 28/880, DDA Women and Child Development Department Haryana Panchkula has
1 2 3 Flats, Madangir, New Delhi has been decided to auction these 800 tins again after giving Objections/
missing since 03.11.2020 from the area Claims related Press Note in Newspapers. Sh Sh. Jagdish Bajaj, M/s
Work under the Chief Engineer, (Dam & Vadaodar), Kevadia Colony
of PS Ambedkar Nagar, Delhi. In this Bharat Trading Company Gohana (Sonipat) is informed through this
Tender Notice No- 1 of 2020-21 1) N.A. (a) 25/11/2020 @ 11.30 hrs. regard, DD No. 72-A dated 04.11.2020 Suman and Rishav press note that he should lift these 800 tins within one week from the
ID No. 435637 2) 29,500/- (b) 03/12/2020 up to 18.00 hrs has been registered at PS Ambedkar date of issue of this press note otherwise your objections and claims
Shortlisting of Agencies for providing 3) N.A. (c) 04/12/2020 up to 16.00 hrs Nagar, Delhi. Sincere efforts have been made by the local will not be accepted on these tins thereafter and these 800 tins will
Comprehensive Architectural Services 4) N.A. police to trace out the missing lady and her son but no clue has be auctioned again.
(d) 04/12/2020 at 16.00 hrs.
for Development of Multi Storeyed State 5) N.A. onwards (if possible) come to light so far. The description of the missing lady and her Sd/-
Bhavans/ Guests Houses and Central & son are as under: Manager,
(e) 04/12/2020 at 16.30 hrs Panjiri Plant Gharaunda
State PSU Bhavan at Kevadia, Name: Suman, Gender: Female, Age: 29 years, Height: 5'5”, 83909/HRY
(if possible) Complexion: Fair, Face: Round, Built: Strong, Wearing: Blue
Narmada (f) N.A. suit-salwar and black shoes on her feet.
Note : The details regarding contact place for physical submission and opening of tender, Name: Rishav@Veer, Gender: Male, Age: 11 years, Height:
please visit website www.ssnnl.nprocure.com INF/1300/20-21 3'4", Complexion: Fair, Face; Long, Built: Thin,
If anyone has any information regarding this the missing lady
and her son, kindly inform SHO/Ambedkar Nagar, Delhi.
E-mail : cic@cbi.gov.in
Fax: 01933-241318, Email: dpoicdspulwama@gmail.com
Ph.: 011-24368638, 24368641 SHO
Government of Jammu and Kashmir Fax : 011-24368639 P.S. Ambedkar Nagar, Delhi.
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT PROGRAMME OFFICER (ICDS) PULWAMA DP/324/SD/2020 Ph. No. 011-29052304

TENDER NOTICE
Sealed tenders affixed with revenue stamp of Rs. 5/- for and on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor of J&K Union Territory
are invited from reputed registered and authorized dealers/reputed firms/stockiest for the supply of Refreshment, and
MOTILAL NEHRU SCHOOL OF SPORTS, RAI-131029 DISTT. SONIPAT (HARYANA)
other items with theme on BBBP like Tentage, Hoardings, Banners on cloth, posters, Animated movies, Multicolour TENDER NOTICE
Booklets,Writing pads, Multicolour Stickers, Baby care kit, Caps, Pens, Public Address System, Hiring of vehicle, each Sr. Name of Name of Start/Date Tender Technical Website
this office within 15 days upto 4:30 p.m from the date of publication of the notice.The tenders shall be opened in the No. Department Work Closing Date Value Bid Opening
office of undersigned on the next working day at 1:00 p.min presence of the tenderers, whosoever may wish to be pres-
ent. The District Level Purchase Committee reserves right to reject any dubious tenders wholly or partially without 1. MNSS, Rai Purchase of Books & 19.11.2020 15 Lacs 14.12.2020 at https://etenders.hry.nic.in
assigning any reason thereof.The details of items are given hereunder: Stationery (Tender ID- (1200 hrs.) (Approx.) at 1200 Hrs
2020_HRY_150943_1) 11.12.2020
Sr. Item Description Quantity Units Rate (1600 Hrs.)
No.
1 2 3 4 5 2. MNSS, Rai Supply of Dry Ration 18.11.2020 1 Crore 09.12.2020 at https://etenders.hry.nic.in
(Tender ID- (1600 hrs.) 12.50 Lacs at 1200 Hrs
1 Banners on plain cloth Durable shining fast colour Different themes 1 No Rate per sq. feet 2020_HRY_150961_1) 08.12.2020 (Approx.)
on BBBP Different (Length*Breadth) (1600 Hrs.)
2 Animated film on BBBP 1 No Rate per minute Sd/-
3 5 Minute Documentary on BBBP 5 No. Rate per documentary Principal & Director,
83912/HRY MNSS, Rai
4 Posters Black & White English/ Urdu Themes /slogan on BBBP (A4 size) 1 No Rate per page
5 10’x10’ Metallic hoarding raised on angle iron Durable shining fast 1 sq. feet Rate per hoarding
colour Different themes on BBBP Different (Length* Breadth)
6 6’x6’ Wall painting shining fast colour double painted (normal size 1 sq. feet Rate per sq. feet
rate per sq. feet
7 6’x6’ Guddi Gudda Hoardings raised on angle iron durable shining 1 No Rate per hoarding
fast colour Different themes on BBBP
8 Posters MulticolourEnglish/ Urdu Themes /slogan on BBBP (A4 size) 1 No Rate per page
9 Booklets Black & White English/Urdu Themes /slogan on BBBP A4 size 1 No Rate per page
10 Booklets Multicolor English/Urdu Themes /slogan on BBBP A4 size 1 No Rate per page
11 Note books Coloured theme on BBBP on cover page English/Urdu 1 No Rate per page

12
A4 size pages
Writing pads with Coloured theme on BBBP on cover page 1 No Rate per writing pad
Delhi Agricultural
13
English/Urdu half size of A4 25 pages
Stickers Black & white English/Urdu with Theme /Slogan on BBBP 1 No Rate per sticker
Marketing Board
half of A4 ssize (Govt. of NCT of Delhi)
9, Institutional Area, Pankha Road,
14 Stickers Multicolour English/Urdu with Theme /Slogan on BBBP half 1 No Rate per sticker Janakpuri, New Delhi- 110058
of A4 size Tel: 28522085, 28525232 Fax: 011-28522085
15 Himalaya/Johnson Baby care kit: 1 Kit Rate per kit E-mail:- ambdl@nic.in, Website:- www.delagrimarket.com
a) Shampoo40 ml
b) Powder 100 ml NOTICE OF E-TENDERING
c) Soap 75 ml The E-tendering on behalf of Secretary FP&EMC.
16
17
Flower vases different colours rate
Medals Golden Colour with different theme on BBBP
1
1
No
No
per vase
rate per medal
S.
No.
Name of work Estimated Earnest period of Last date & time Tender ID/NIT
cost money compln. of receipt of
Tenders through
No. TAMILNADUNo.417,
MEDICAL SERVICES CORPORATION LTD.
Pantheon Road, Egmore, Chennai-600 008.
Caps white colour with different themes on BBBP e-procurement
18 1 No rate per cap Phone : 28191890 / 28190259; Fax: 044 –28190636 E-Mail: equipment.tnmsc@tn.gov.in
solution
19 Hiring of vehicle for village to village campaign 1 Day rate per day including fuel (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
20 Stationary items for Trainings/monitoring: 1. Name of work:- Rs Rs 12 27.11.2020 Up to NIT No.: 24 INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING – TENDER EXTENSION NOTICE
a) Photo state paper plan (A4) 1 Rim rate per rim
Providing labour and
supply of building
10,75,588/- 21,600/- months 14.30 Hrs. DAMB/Engg./
PE-II/2020
1. The Tender due dates are extended as follows:
material for day to day Tender Id No.
b) Photograph paper (Shining white) A4 size 1 No rate per sheet maintenance work at 2020_DAMB_
1) Tender No.PKG3/ICB/TNUHP/JICA/C2/USG/TNMSC/ENGG/2020, dt.04.02.2020 -
c) File covers different colours (normal size) 1 No rate per cover Fish & Poultry market 196587_1 Ultrasound Machine (5), Ultrasonogram Colour Doppler with 3 probes (18) & Portable Ultrasound
Gazipur
d) Transparent covers different colours(normal size) 1 No rate per cover Machine (6)
2. Renovation of dhallow at Rs Rs Three 27.11.2020 Up to NIT No.: 23
e) White board marker different colours(normal size) 1 No rate per marker Fish Market Gazipur 1564212/- 31300/- months 14.30 Hrs. DAMB/Engg./ 2) Tender No.PKG6/ICB/TNUHP/JICA/C2/OPE-I/TNMSC/ENGG/2020, dt.04.02.2020 - Multipara
Delhi PE-II/2020
f) Transparent tape multicolours medium size 1 No rate per tape roll Tender Id No. Monitor (4), Multipara monitor with IBP (4), Multipara monitor with ETCO2 (18), Defibrillator (15),
g) Pens with theme on BBBP different colour 1 No rate per pen
2020_DAMB_ Anesthesia Work Station with monitor (18), Anesthesia Work station (20), Operation Theatre
196590_1
Tuners Black colour ( No.1108)
fracture Table (with ortho attachment, C-arm compatible) (17) & Operation Theatre Table (with
h) 1 No rate per tuner
To be opened online in the office of Project Engineer-II, DAMB, 9 Institutional General Surgery attachment) (10)
i) Tuners Colour (No. Ricoh MPC-2004) 1 No rate per tuner
Area, Pankha Road, Janak Puri, New Delhi- 110058: Technical Bid at 15:00 Hrs. Sl. No. Sale period Submission of Bids Opening of Bids
j) Seasor medium size durable 1 No rate per seasor on 27.11.2020.
21 Tentage with decorated roof and rent charges of the following items: Tender documents, Terms & conditions and details can be seen & downloaded 1 Upto 14.12.2020 15.12.2020, 03.00 PM 15.12.2020, 04.00 PM
from the website https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in
a) Shamyana canvas (neat & clean) 1 Sq. feet rate per sq.feet 2 Upto 17.12.2020 18.12.2020, 03.00 PM 18.12.2020, 04.00 PM
Sd/-
b) Matting plain jute (neat & clean) 1 Sq. feet rate per sq. feet Project Engineer-II for details visit www.tenders.tn.gov.in and TNMSC website www.tnmsc.tn.gov.in.
c) Matting plain duret (neat & clean) 1 Sq. feet rate per sq. feet DIP/Shabdarth/0440/20-21 DAMB DIPR/ 4329 /Tender/2020 General Manager (Equipment)
d) Carpet matting (neat & clean 1 Sq. feet rate per sq. feet
e) Plastic chair (normal size) superior covered with cloth (different colour) 1 No rate per chair
f) Plastic chair (normal size) superior 1 No rate per chair
g) Table with table cloth (normal size) superior 1 No rate per table
h) Sofa set normal superior. 1 Set rate per set
i) Office chairs wooden superior normal size 1 No rate per chair
j) Public address system with cordless mike system & collar mike & 1 No rate per system
large speakers
k) Tea-poy normal size 1 No rate per tea-poy
l) Stage 10*12*12 with carpet matting 1 Sq. feet rate per sq.feet
21 Refreshment
a) Kehwa with roti & spices and service (normal cup) 1 Cup rate per cup with roti
b) Rice with sabzi/dal with salad and service (normal plate) 1 Plate rate per plate
c) Rice with meat 2 pieces with salad and service (normal plate) 1 Plate rate per plate
d) Samoosa with tomato Ketchup with service (normal size) 1 No rate per smoosa
e) Kababof sheep meat with nan and chatni& with service (full plate) 1 Plate rate per plate
f) Kababof sheep meat with nan and chatni& with service (half plate) 1 No rate per plate
g) Chicken plain cooked with service (full plate) 1 Plate rate per plate
h) Chicken plain cooked with service (half plate) 1 Plate rate per plate
i) Mineral water Bislari /Aquafina with service in glasses 1 Bottle rate per bottle
j) Biryani Chiken with service (full) 1 No rate per biryani
k) Biryani Chiken with service (half) 1 No rate per biryani
l) Tea Lipton with spices and service (normal cup) 1 Cup rate per cup
m) Shirmal sweet /salty well prepared normal size) 1 No rate per shirmal
n) Juice Rani (normal size) with service 1 No rate per tin
21) Installation of LED Screen on at least five places i.e. District 5 No. No. Rate per screen
Hospital/Sub-District Hospital and CHCs for depicting of Monthly (3’x3’)
Births.
THE TERMS ANDCONDITIONS:
GOVERNMENT OF MAHARASHTRA
1. The tender document is available in the office of undersigned and on the Web Site of District Development
Commissioner Pulwama district web site pulwama.gov.in
Office of the Executive Engineer,
2. Rs. 200/- (Rupees two hundred) on account of cost of tender document shall be deposited in the Government Mahad Public Works Division, Mahad-Raigad.
treasury under Major Head: 0235-SSW after proper receipt and receipt copy may be deposited with the tender doc- Email :- mahad.ee@mahapwd.com Ph. No. 02145 222167
ument.
3. The tender document should be accompanied with CDR/FDR worth Rs. 20000/- (Rupees Twenty Thousands) on NOTICE INVITING e-TENDER
as Earnest money from any Scheduled Bank of India/J&K Bank Ltd. Pledged to the District Programme Officer,
ICDS Pulwama. e-Tender Notice No. 28 for 2020-21
4. The tenderer shall carefully examine the conditions and specifications of tender documents enclosed and in case ONLINE tenders in "C" Form are invited by the Executive Engineer, Public Works Division
of any doubt the tenderer shall get it clarified before signing the contract.
5. The tenderer should be approved firm /agency and possesses valid licence (copy of registration/licence may be Mahad, District Raigad 402301 for the following works Department of Maharashtra State. The name of
deposited with the tender document. work, estimated cost, earnest money, security deposit, time limit for completion etc. The details can be
6. No conditional tender shall be entertained/accepted. viewed and downloaded online directly from the Government of Maharashtra e-tendering Portal
7. The tender document should be numbered and bear signature of authorized signatory with seal on each & every https//mahatenders.gov.in as under.
page.
8. The specification/ brand of the item should specially be mentioned. e- Name of Work Estimated Bid Security Cost of Period of completion
9. The Committee reserves the right to accept or reject any tender or part thereof, without assigning any reason and Tender Cost (Rupees) (E.M.D.) Tender Form. of work (Calendar
does not bind it to accept the lowest tendered rates. The Committee reserves the right to accept/ approve even
higher rates on the basis of quality of the products/ goods to be supplied.
No. (Rupees) via (Rupees) via Months) (Including
10. The unit rate of any item must not, under any circumstances, be altered and the rates should be entered in words Online Online Monsoon)
as well as in figures and the successful tenderer shall not assign or sublet his contract or any part thereof to any 1 2 3 4 5 6
other agency. 1 Construction of Major Bridge at 5,94,83,016/- 2,98,000/- 3,360/- 24 (Twenty Four
11. The rates should be inclusive of all taxes including F.O.R.VAT/GST Excise duty, Octori, Toll Tax, Freight, Loading,
Un-loading, Handling and all other incidental charges including Entry tax if any.
Village Birwadi on Birwadi Months)
12. The rates quoted shall be valid from the date of submission of bid to the delivering and no price escalation shall Walan Sandoshi Road, S.H. 102,
be allowed during the tenure of the contract under any circumstances. Taluka Mahad, District Raigad.
13. All the items to be supplied shall be of good quality and strictly in accordance with the tender specification. The
item must be of approved and standard brand and quality.
14. All liabilities on account of VAT/GST, Income Tax and other Taxes in vogue shall be borne by the supplier and
Schedule
deduction shall be made from the bills of the suppliers as per standing Government Orders/Instructions. Hence the 1) Period of Sale, Downloading & Online 23.11.2020 to 18.12.2020
rate quoted shall be inclusive of all taxes /charges up to destination. Submission of bid documents (From 1000 Hrs to 1800 Hrs
15. The successful tenderer shall have to abide by the standard terms and conditions as laid down in the J&K Financial
Rules / Code & the conditions as per the contract and the contract of supply can be repudiated at any time if the 2) Pre Bid meeting In office of the Chief Engineer, (P.W.) Region, Konkan, Marzban
supplies are not made to the satisfaction of the department. Road, Fort, Mumbai. Date- 09.12.2020 @ 1500 Hrs
16. If approved suppliers fail to supply the goods of the prescribed specification/approved sample and on approved
rates, the purchasing officer shall be at liberty to arrange the supply either by retendering or otherwise after giving 3) Online opening of Technical & Price bid Probably on date 22.12.2020 at 1500 Hrs. in the office of the
notice to the approved suppliers. The extra cost, if any, involved in re tendering or making alternative arrangements, Superintending Engineer, Raigad (P.W.) Circle, Konkan Bhavan,
shall be recovered from the supplier besides firm will be black listed along with the name of the proprietor for future Navi Mumbai.
dealing with the Department and the extra cost incurred will be recovered from CDR’s/ earnest money or in case
of shortfall the recovery shall be made underthe provisions of J&K Land Revenue Act. Note :-
17. In case approved supplier fails to make the supply within the stipulated period of time or makes the short supply, ● Bid documents & Details of Schedule are available on https://mahatenders.gov.in
a penalty upto 15% of the un-executed value of the orders shall be imposed at the discretion of District ● Bidders have to submit Technical bid as well as Price bid in electronic format only on
Development Commissioner Pulwama. https://mahatenders.gov.in till the last date and time for submission.
18. The contract shall be a binding upon the successful tenderer from the time of the acceptance of the rates of the
items approved are communicated to them. Sd/-
19. Any other clause if found necessary shall be entered in the agreement to be executed with this department by the (R. K. Bamane)
supplier. Sd/- No. MHD/AB/TC/3109 Executive Engineer
District Programme Officer (ICDS) Date : 12.11.2020 Public Works Division, Mahad
DIPK-9275 (Coordinating Officer BBBP), Pulwama DGIPR 2020-21/C1248

New Delhi
 16 CLASSIFIEDS & TENDERS
Classifieds
PERSONAL
I Kavita Singhal D/o Sh.Mahavir
Singhal W/o Sh.Gaurav
Aggarwal R/o A-29, Laxmi
Vihar, Mohan Garden, Delhi-
110059 have changed my name
after marriage to Kavita
Aggarwal for all purposes.
0040555539-1
I Shantanu Nandi Father of Ms.
Lavnya Nandi R/o G-1367, C. R.
Park, New Delhi-110019 have
changed my daughter’s name
to Ms. Lavanya Nandi.
0040555543-1
It is for general information
that I,TUNGDIM PHILIP
THANGLIENMANG son of
THANGKHOKAM TUNGDIM R/o
51,Delhi Govt.Officers
Flats,Greater Kailash-1,New
Delhi-110048 declare that my
name has been wrongly
written PHILIP
THANGLIANMANG in my
Degree Certificate and my
Service Record.The actual
name of mine is TUNGDIM
PHILIP THANGLIENMANG
respectively which may be
amended accordingly.
0040555582-4
I,Vinay Kumar Malhotra S/o
Sharvan Kumar Malhotra R/o
H-15,Kasturba
Apartment,Pitampura, Delhi-
110034,have changed my
minor son’s name from
Dhruvan Malhotra aged-12
years to Arnav Malhotra.
0040555582-2
I,Shakuntala Devi Singh, W/o
Late Sh. Anjani Kumar Singh,
resident of Village Bahapur
Khurd, Post-Gaddopur, Distt.
Jaunpur-222125(Address)
have changed my name from
Shakuntala Devi Singh to
Shakuntala Singh vide-
Affidavit dated 02/11/2020 at
Prayagraj,Uttar Pradesh.
0040555582-3
I,Sanjeev Verma S/o Harbans
Lal Verma R/o-1061,
Wisteria,Gaur Saundryam,
Greater Noida,UP,have
changed my name to Sanjeev
Kumar Verma. 0040555588-4
I,SRABANI ROY W/O- SAUMITRA
ROY R/O- D-168, POCKET-D,
SARITA VIHAR, DELHI-110076
HAVE CHANGED MY NAME TO
SHRABANI ROY. 0040555602-1
I,Rikky Devi spouse of,Achhe
Lal Bhagat,R/o-Vill-Ramdas
Majhauli,Post-Bochahan,Teh-
Muzaffarpur,Bihar-
843103,have changed my
name,from Rinki Devi to Rikky
Devi. 0040555586-3
I,Ravinder Singh Rawat S/O N.S.
Rawat R/O House No-
488,Sector-5, R.K.Puram, Delhi-
110022 Have Changed my
Name to Ronit Singh Rawat.
0040555586-6
I,Rajni W/o Neeraj
Panjwani,R/o-GH-03, F-
706,Stellar Jeevan, Sector-1,
Greater Noida-West, Gautam-
Buddha+Nagar, U.P-
201318.have changed my
name to Rajni Panjwani.
0040555588-2
I,Neeraj S/o-Narayan Das R/o-
GH-03,F-706, Stellar-Jeevan,
Sector-1,Greater-Noida West,
Gautam-Buddha Nagar,U.P-
201318.have changed my
name to Neeraj Panjwani
0040555588-3
I,NAZAM,W/O-SHAHID,ADD-
1818/14 B,ANAR KOTHI
MALKAGANJ NORTH DELHI-
110007,changed my name to
NAZMA,for all,future
Purposes. 0040555586-5
I,Meenal Lamba,W/o Saurabh
Khanna,R/o-A-106,New
Friends Colony,Delhi-
110025,have change my name
to Meenal Khanna for all
future purposes after
marriage. 0040555588-5
I,M Danish Malik S/o.Sirajuddin
Malik R/o-A-68, street No-4
Madhu-vihar, Delhi-
110092,have Changed my
Name from M Danish malik to
Mohammad Danish Malik for
all future purposes
0040555564-1
I,Laxmi Kochhar,W/o Chander
Shekhar Kochhar R/o-195, Sec-
7A, Faridabad HR,have
changed my name to Lakshmi
Kochhar. 0040555586-4
I,Kiran Dhar,W/o-Sh. Sushil
Kumar Dhar,D/o-Sh. Joginder
Pal Mehta,R/o-G-
23/261,Sector-7, Rohini,Delhi-
85,have changed my name
from Jyoti Dhar to Kiran Dhar
for all future purposes.
0040555588-6
I,Jaideep, S/o,Late Sh.Puran
Chand,R/o-CU-84,Uttari
Pitampura,Delhi 110034,do
hereby declare that in some
official documents my name is
mentioned as Jaideep Thakur.
Both the names “Jaideep” and
“Jaideep Thakur” refer to one
and the same person for all
future purposes herein after.
0040555586-2
I,Harneet Singh Mehta S/o-
Jaspal Singh Mehta R/o-16/1,
Ground Floor, Right Side,West
Patel-Nagar, Delhi-
110008,have changed my
name to Harneet Singh.
0040555588-1
I,GANGA BISHAN GARG S/O
NAND KISHORE R/O
FLATNO.127,2nd-
FLOOR,JAMNA
APARTMENT,SECTOR-
9,ROHINI,DELHI-
110085.CHANGED MY NAMETO
GANGA BISHAN.
0040555588-7
I,Bhawana Sethi,W/o Sh.Sunil
Sethi R/o H.No.D-6,Old
H.S.I.L.Colony,Bahadurgarh
distt.Jhajjar(Haryana)have
changed my name,from
Bhawana Sethi to Bhawana
Bindra. 0040555586-7
I, Vijay Sitaram Thukrul S/o
Sitaram Thukarul R/o Room
No-10, Shapurji Palanji
Compound, Dr. Vijaykumar
Walimbe Marg, Opposite
Sadhana Building, Parel,
Mumbai, Maharashtra-400012,
have changed my name to
Vijay Sitaram Thukarul
0070721293-1
I, Subhash, S/o Raje, residing at
the staff quarter No. 10,
Korean Embassy,
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi have
changed my name Subhash to
Subhash Kumar for all
purposes.
0040555551-1
I, Shambhvi D/O, Virandra
Sharma R/o I-139, Delta 2,
Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
have changed my name to
Shambhvi Sharma for all
purposes.
0040555602-4
I, Sayra Khatoon w/o
Mohammad Taiyab Ansari r/o
313/84/1,Tulsi Nagar, Gali no.-
5, Inderlok, Delhi-110035 have
changed my name to SAIYRA
KHATOON permanently. Saiyra
Khatoon and Sayra Khatoon
both are same and one person
0040555545-1
I, Saira Anees alias Saira alias
Saira Rastogi alias Saira Bano
D/o S.M.Shah R/o B-205,
Mayfair Apartments,
I.P.Extension, Patparganj,
Delhi-110092 have changed my
name to Saira Shah for all
future purposes. 0040555563-1
I, SOUMITRA ROY S/O- KISHORI
MOHAN ROY R/O- D-168,
POCKET-D, SARITA VIHAR,
DELHI-110076 HAVE CHANGED
MY NAME TO SAUMITRA ROY.
0040555602-2
I, Raju Singh S/o Puran Singh
R/o House No.-844, Khasra No.-
335, Shahbad Mohammadpur,
Delhi-110061, have changed
my name to Adhrav Shah
0070721292-1
I, RENU SAXENA W/o Ajit Kumar
Saxena R/o 1006 Vikas Kunj
District Centre Vikas Puri,Tilak
Nagar,West Delhi-110018 Have
Changed my Name to RENU
AJIT SAXENA. 0070721285-1
I, Pinky Sharma W/o Late
Vijendra Kumar Sharma R/o A-
339, Meet Nagar, Shahdara
Delhi-110094 have changed my
husband’s name after his
demise from Vijendra Kumar
Sharma to Vijendra Kumar for
all purposes.
0040555562-1
I, Bimla Devi W/o Harmesh
Singh Rai R/o Village Jiwanpur,
Khwajke Ludhiana, Punjab-
141007, have changed my
name to Bimaljeet Kaur.
0070721371-1
I, Nida, D/O Ishteyaque Ahmed,
R/O House no-10, Ground floor,
Block no-13, Springfield
colony, Sector-31, Amarnagar,
Faridabad, Haryana-121003
have changed my name to
Nida Ahmed.
0070721284-1
I, Mohd Taiyab s/o Mohd Sipahi
Jan r/o 313/84/1, Tulsi Nagar,
Gali no.-5, Inderlok,Delhi-
110035 have changed my name
to MOHAMMAD TAIYAB
ANSARI permanently. Mohd
Taiyab Ansari and Mohammad
Taiyab Ansari both are same
and one person.
0040555545-2
I, Mahinder, S/o man singh, R/o
house number 105, near
animal hospital village Palwali
post office kheri kalan have
changed my name to
Mahinder Singh.
0070721388-1
I, Kumudini Jena D/o,Ratnakar
Jena W/o,Biranchi Narayan
Mohanty R/o-D-40,
T.F.,Sudershan Park, N.Delhi-
110015,have changed my
name to Shruti Rekha
Mohanty.
0040555586-1
I, JAGDISH KUMAR,.S/o Shri.Hira
Lal,R/o-J-8,second-floor,Old-
Double-storey,lajpat-nagar-lV,
New Delhi-110024, changed my
name to JAGDISH KUMAR
ASHRA,for all purposes.
0040555582-1
I, Chhabi Lal Chhetri,R/o-985
DSC Platoon,attached with 714
SU Airforce-Station,
Arjangarh, NewDelhi-47,have
changed my son name,from
Samundar Chhetri,to
Samundra Chhetri,Vide-
Affidavit,date-18-11-2020
0040555602-3
I, Baool Prasad Shivdhari
Prasad Jaiswar S/o Shivdhari
Prasad R/o Dehua,
Bharathipur, Jaunpur, UP-
222203, have changed my
name to Chhabban
0070721316-1
I Shruti Bhatia D/o Sh.Ravinder
Bhatia R/o H.No.F-8,
Mansarovar Garden, New
Delhi-110015 is also known as
Shruti. Both names are of one
and the same person.
0040555539-2
I Manish Malhotra S/O,
Baldevraj Malhotra R/o F-
2/122,sector-11, Rohini, Delhi -
85 have changed my name to
Khush Malhotra for all
purposes.
0040555552-1
I, RAJESWARI RAWAT S/o
Service No.153934241, Rank:-
Havildar, Name:- Sh. Satyjit
Singh Presently residing at
Village Sailani, Post Hanumanti,
Distt. Pauri Garhwal,
Uttarakhand-246127. have
changed my name from
RAJESWARI RAWAT to
RAJESHWARI DEVI, for all
Purposes
0040555331-5
LOST & FOUND
I, Prem Singh Kaintura S/o
Sh.Bachan Singh have lost
following Documents (1).
Org.Noc for water and
electricity-
F.No.339(339)05/NP/NS/1363
Dated- 27/09/2005. (2).
Org.Possession letter F.No-
1/339(339)2005/NPRS/NA/1363
,Dated. 27/09/2005. Against the
Reg.No./Aap.No.8586 Reserved
Cat.GE Priority-No.42974 and
Demand-Letter-No.48717, for
the LIG-Flat No.309, GF, Sector-
A10 Pocket-6 Group-3,Narela
Delhi, finder Contact-
9818687094. 0040555564-2
I, Jyoti tanwar D/o prem singh
R/o Main market badi choupal
badarpur Have lost my original
certificate/marksheet class-
10th year-2015 Rollno-8741112
CBSE-DELHI.
0040555582-9
Notice is hereby given that
Share Certificate. No.003057586
for 8620 Equity Shares of Rs.2/-
(Rupees Two only) each bearing
Distinctive.No(s).25517671-
25526290 of HDFC Bank Limited
having its registered office at
HDFC Bank House Senapati
Bapat Marg Lower Parel (Wes)
Mumbai–400013 registered
in,the name,of Dhiraj Sarna
have been lost. Dhiraj Sarna has
applied,to the,company
for,issue duplicate-
certificate.Any person who
has,any claim in respect,of
the,said share-certificate
should lodge such claim
with,the company within,15-
days of the publication of this
notice.
0040555588-11
PUBLIC NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICE
My Client ICICI Bank Ltd., Sector-8, Rohini,
Delhi, is in the process of advancing loan to
Mr. Sachin Behl for purchase of Entire Third
Floor with roof rights of Property No. 93,
area measuring 168 sq. mtrs., Block- AE,
Shalimar Bagh, Delhi, from M/s. D Pal
Buildcon Pvt. Ltd. Who have represented
that they are the absolute owners of the
said property, purchased from Mrs.
Jasmeet Kaur and Mr. Navneet Singh
Anand vide Sale Deed dated 30.03.2019
(Reg No. 4538) who had purchased from
Mr. Charanjit Vig vide 2 no.s Sale Deeds
dated 25.02.2010 (Reg No. 2332 and
2334). Mr. Charanjit vig was the owner of
one half share in the property and the other
half was inherited by him from his mother
Mrs. Shakuntala Devi vide Will dated
02.06.2000 (Reg. No. 26272.) If anybody,
Person, Body Corporate has any right, lien
or claim whatsoever on the said property,
then he/she/it may contact to undersigned
with documentary proof of claim within 10
days of Publication of this Notice, otherwise
it shall be deemed that either there are no
claim or same have been waived off. No
claim shall be entertained there after and
my client shall proceed to advance the loan
by mortgaging of the said property.
Sd/-
Krishan Narang (Advocate)
GNA & Associates
D-28, Jangpura Extension, New Delhi - 14
PUBLIC NOTICE
General public is hereby informed that
my clients Sh. Rajesh Goyal S/o Late Sh.
J.K. Goyal and Smt. Radhika Goyal W/o
Sh. Rajesh Goyal R/o B-285A, Mohan
Garden, Uttam Nagar, Uttam Nagar, New
Delhi-110059, have debarred their
daughter Ms. Shivangi Goyal W/o Sh.
Vikas Kumar Sah from their movable and
immovable property and severed all
relationship in future due to the
misbehavior and misconduct of her. Any
person dealing with said person shall be
doing so at own risk and responsibility.
Sd/- RAKESH SHARMA
Advocate
CHAMBER NO. 823, LAWYERS
CHAMBERS BLOCK, ROHINI
COURTS, NEW DELHI-110085
PUBLIC NOTICE
This is to bring to the notice of the General Public
that my client Smt. Anuradha Goel wife of Shri
Ravi Goel resident of Tajpur Road, Village
Singhola, Delhi also at 272 Nav Sansad Vihar
CGHS, Sector-22, Dwarka, Delhi had cancelled/
revoked the registered General Power Of
Attorney dated 09.04.2015 vide document no.
677 dated 09.04.2015 which was executed in
favor of Ujjwal Goel son of Shri Devender Kumar
Resident of H.No. 41, Road No. 78, West Punjabi
Bagh, Delhi with respect to property bearing
khasra No. 93/5 situated in village Alipur, Delhi
vide registered Cancellation Deed dated
12.11.2020 duly registered vide document no.
723 dated 12.11.2020. Any member of the
General Public either dealing or entering into any
transaction or agreement with the above
mentioned person Ujjwal Goel w.r.t aforesaid
property shall not be binding upon my client Smt.
Anuradha Goel under any circumstances
whatsoever.
Sd/- ROHAN GUPTA, ADVOCATE
D-855-2000
Office at- 65-D, Block CA
Shalimar Bagh, Delhi-110088
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
PUBLIC NOTICE
Be it known by all that my client Sh. Ram
Singh S/o Sh. Budh Ram R/o H.No. 57,
Village Mohmmad Pur, Delhi-110036, that
he has severred all his relations with his
son Sh. Deepak as well as his daughter-in-
law Smt. Yogita Attri and has disowned them
from all of his movable and/or immovable
assets. If any person(s) deals with the above
said Sh. Deepak and his wife Smt. Yogita
Attri in any manner whasoever, such person(s)
shall do so at his/her/its/their sole risks,
GREATER CHENNAI CORPORATION
liablilites, responsibilities, consequences etc, Solid Waste Management Department
and my client shall be liable for the same
in any manner under any circumstances. S.W.M.C.No.A7/3041-46/2020
Rajnish & Associates (Advocate) ERRATA
Off. No. 449, 2nd Floor, Dahiya Bhawan, Above Canara
Bank ATM, Main Bus Stand Sant Nagar, Delhi-84
Eratta Published on “The Hindu” Tamil Newspaper and “Indian Express”
English Newspaper, Dated: 11.11.2020.
PUBLIC NOTICE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER To Published to be read as
It is to bring to the notice of general public that JAMMU POWER DISTRIBUTION CORPORATION LIMITED (JPDCL) The Superintending Engineer (SWM), Greater The Superintending Engineer (SWM), Greater
Chennai Corporation (GCC) invites online Chennai Corporation (GCC) invites online
the following Four Original Sale Deeds
Batote Power Development Department
belonging to (1) M/s. Ramprastha Promoters tender for Reclamation of Perungudi Dumping tender for Reclamation of Perungudi Dumping
& Developers Pvt. Ltd Vasika No-26810, E-Mail: pddbatote@gmail.com
Ground through Bio-mining (Package 1 to 5) Ground through Bio-mining (Package 1 to
Regn. Dated 22/03/2010 pertaining to 0 Bigha
e-NIT No. 38 of 2020 Dated 16.11.2020 and Reclamation of Perungudi Dumping Ground 5) and Reclamation of Perungudi Dumping
2 Biswa 11 Biswansi (0.080 Acres) Village
Gadoli Kalan Gurugram, (2) M/s. Ramprastha 1. INVITATION: through Biomining and construction of Interim Ground through Biomining and construction
Township Pvt. Ltd. Vasika No-6149 Regn.
For and on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor of the UT of Jammu and Landfill site (Package 6) for which RFP documents of Interim Landfill site (Package 6) for which
Dated 15/06/2006 pertaining to 4 Bigha 10
Biswa 10 Biswansi (2.828 Acres) Village Kashmir, the Executive Engineer, Electric Division JPDCL Batote are available in online www.tntenders.gov.in RFP documents are available in online
from 18.11.2020 onwards www.tntenders.gov.in from 25.11.2020 onwards
Gadoli Kalan Gurugram, (3) M/s. Ramprastha
(Distribution), hereinafter referred as ‘Employer’, invites online e-Bids from
Buildtech Pvt. Ltd. Vasika No. 1693, Regn. Pre Bid Meeting Pre Bid Meeting
dated 21/04/2006 pertaining to 10 Bigha 17 Class ‘A’ registered Contractors or Self Help Groups for SUPPLY, EREC- 25th November 2020 at 11.00 AM 02nd December 2020 at 11.00 AM
Biswa 0 Biswansi (6.781 Acres) Village Gadoli
Kalan Gurugram, and (4) M/s. B.S.Y
TION, TESTING & COMMISSIONING OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR Last Date and Time of Submission of Bid Last Date and Time of Submission of Bid
Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd Vasika No-6227, Regn. IMPROVEMENT OF HT/LT NET WORK BY WAY OF REPLACING 08th December 2020 at 03.00 PM 23rd December 2020 at 03.00 PM
dated 16/06/2006 pertaining to 12 Bigha 10
STRANDED CONDUCTOR, BARBED WIRE/WORN-OUT POLES/ Bid Opening Date and Time Bid Opening Date and Time
Biswa 3 Biswansi (7.817 Acres) Village Gadoli
TREES ETC. AT VILLAGE MANGIT IN BLOCK BANIHAL IN RAMBAN 09th December 2020 at 04.00 PM 24th December 2020 at 04.00 PM
Kalan Gurugram, have been lost/misplaced.
The general public is hereby informed not to
DISTRICT UNDER BARBED WIRE PROGRAMME UNDER THE JURIS- DIPR/ 4337 /Tender/2020 Superintending Engineer/SWM
enter into any transaction pertaining to the
DICTION OF ELECTRIC DIVISION JPDCL BATOTE. Bidders are
said immovable properties on the basis of the
said missing original title deeds. If any person
advised to study the Bidding Document carefully. Submission of e-Bid
has entered into/ carried out/ is being carrying
out any transaction based on the said missing against this SBD shall be deemed to have been done after careful/con-
documents, kindly inform the undersigned
scious study and examination of the procedures, terms and conditions of
within 7 days of publication of this notice and
the Standard Bidding Document with full understanding of its implications.
desist from undertaking any such transaction.
Sd/-
1. The tender document is available at website http://jktenders.gov.in.
Janak Singh (Authorised)
(Address) Plot No- 114, Sector- 44 Interested Bidders may view, download the e-Bid document, seek clar-
Gurugram Mobile No. 9812510692
ification and submit their e-Bid online upto the date and time men-
tioned in the table below:
PUBLIC NOTICE A Tender Document Sale/Download Start Date 16.11.2020; 10.00 Hrs.
It is hereby informed to the general public
that my client Sh. Kishan Kumar Sharma B Tender Document Sale/Download End Date 23.11.2020; 12.00 Noon
S/o Ram Nath Sharma R/o Plot No. G-
176A, G/F, KH.No. 9/12, Kunwar Singh
Sd/-
Nagar, Nangloi, New Delhi-110041, has
Executive Engineer,
severed all his family relations with his
younger son namely Lokesh Sharma and
DIPJ/2580 Electric Division, JPDCL, Batote.
disowned him from his all moveable &
immovable properties due to his constant
disobedience and cruel behaviour
towards my client & other family
members, if someone keeps any type of E-TENDER NOTICE
relations or financial dealings with
Lokesh Sharma, my client shall not be Online Bids” (Under Two Bid System) from Prospective
responsible for his acts in future
whatsoever in any manner. vendors/ firms (firms registered vendors on CPPP
Sd/- NARESH SHARMA (ADVOCATE)
Chamber No. 236, (Defence Procurement Portal) using their personal digital
Rohini Courts, Delhi.
signature can only participate) are invited by the Directorate
PUBLIC NOTICE of Personnel Officers-3, for and on behalf of the President of
Be it known to all concerns that my
clients Sh. Bhim Sain S/o Late Sh. Rijhu India for Procurement of IAF Publicity items listed in Part II of
Ram and Smt. Kanta Mukhi W/o Sh.
this RFP. Details of Procurement under Progress are as
Bhim Sain both R/o B-15, Flat No. F-1,
Shalimar Garden Ex.-II, Sahibabad,
Ghaziabad-201005 have completely follows-
severed their relations with their son
namely Rajan Mukhi and his wife Arti
Arora and their granddaughters namely, Description and PROCUREMENT OF IAF
Vanshika and Arushi as my clients' son
and wife are out of control of my clients. specification PUBLICITY ITEMS
My clients have also disowned and
debarred them from all their movable
Period and terms of delivery As per RFP terms and
and immovable properties. My clients
shall not be responsible for any act of
Rajan Mukhi his wife Arti Arora and their conditions
daughter (my clients' granddaughters)
Vanshika and Arushi in future in any
manner and if anybody deals with them,
he/she will do on his own risk and
Published date 12 Nov 2020 at 1700 Hrs
responsibility.
Akshat Aggarwal (Advocate) Bid document download 13 Nov 2020 at 1000 Hrs
Enl.No.D-4383/2020 Ch.No.X-32A, Civil
Side, Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi-110054
Clarification Start date 16 Nov 2020 at 0900 Hrs
PUBLIC NOTICE Clarification End Date 20 Nov 2020 at 1700 Hrs
Public at large is hereby informed that my
client, Mrs. Rupam Chandok aged about 46
years W/o Mr. Ravinder Singh Chandok, Pre-bid Meeting 25 Nov 2020 at 1100 Hrs
R/o H-80A Second Floor, Shivaji Park,
West Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi- 110026, Online and Physical Bid 26 Nov 2020 at 1000 Hrs
has disinherited, debarred and disowned
her son Jaideep Singh Chandok Aged submission Start
about 18 years from the inheritance of all
her movable and immovable properties due
to his non caring nature, non obedient
Online and Physical Bid 04 Dec 2020 at 1030 Hrs
nature, non cooperative attitude and submission End
disrespectful behavior towards my client
and he has made life of my client
Opening of Tender Box for 10 Dec 2020 at 1100 hrs
miserable.
Therefore, my client has served all
relations with him and he has no right to
Physical Verification of
claim over any properties of my client in
any case. That if anybody deals with him,
Documents
will do so at their own risk, costs &
Opening of Technical Bids 11 Dec 20 at 1100 Hrs
consequences and my client shall not be
responsible for any act or misconduct
done by him, in any case. Commercial bid opening Will be intimated in due
Sd/- HARPREET SINGH (Advocate)
OFFICE: G-125 PREET VIHAR, start course after Technical
VIKAS MARG, DELHI- 110092
Evaluation
PUBLIC NOTICE
davp 10802/11/0013/2021
I km.akhilesh kumari
D/o Rajababu GOVERNMENT OF ODISHA
R / o v i l l a g e OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER, KALAHANDI RWS&S DIVISON, BHAWANIPATNA.
s h e k h u p u r INVITATION OF BID THROUGH e-TENDERING
O-564 Bid Identification No- 24/EE/RWSS/ 2020-21 /Bpt Dated. 13.11.2020
satakana tahseel 01. Name of the work :- As per ANNEXURE - A
atrauli Aligarh U.P Procurement Officer Bid Identification No. Availability of tender online for bidding on office hour only. Date of opening (Technical Bid)
202131, have
From To
1 2 3 4 5
changed my name Executive Engineer, Kalahandi RWS&S Division, Bhawanipatna 24/EE/RWSS/ 2020-21 /Bpt Dated- 13.11.2020 21.11.2020 10.00 AM 14.12.2020 05.30 PM 15.12.2020 10.00 AM onwards
Cost of tender paper & payment of EMD to be made online payment system. Further details can be seen from the e-procurement portal http://tenderodisha.gov.in. Sd/-, Executive Engineer,
to sneha Singh. Kalahandi RWS&S Division, Bhawanipatna
OIPR-25005/11/0007/2021
New Delhi
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

17 SPORT
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 ROHIT BEGINS FITNESS TRAINING AT NCA
Australia-bound Rohit Sharma started his fitness training at the National
Cricket Academy here on Thursday. Rohit is not part of India's limited overs
squad for the Australia tour and selectors included him in the revised Test squad
after he played two IPL games for Mumbai Indians besides the final. PTI

BRIEFLY
FormerLankapacer
Zoysainfixingnet
Former Sri Lanka paceman Nuwan
Zoysahasbeenfoundguiltyof match-
fixingbyanindependentanti-corrup-
tion tribunal and will be sanctioned,
the sport’s governing International
CricketCouncil(ICC)saidonThursday.
The 42-year-old Zoysa was provision-
ally suspended in October 2018 and
chargedwiththreeoffencesunderthe
ICC’s anti-corruption code, including
“beingpartytoanagreementoreffort
tofix”amatch.."Zoysa...hasbeenfound
guiltyon all chargesafter heexercised
hisrighttoahearingbeforeatribunal,"
the ICC said in a statement. “Zoysa re-
mains suspended and sanctions will
follow in due course.”
Prajneshreaches
Orlandoquarters
Prajnesh Gunneswaran reeled off
sevengamesinarowbeforehisoppo-
nent Tung-Lin Wu retired in the de-
cider as the Indian tennis player en-
tered the quarterfinals of the Orlando
Challenger event. Prajnesh was lead-
ing5-77-52-0whenWuoptedoutof
the second round contest that had al-
Why India dropped to 2nd
spot in Test C’ship table
SHAMIK CHAKRABARTY
NOVEMBER 19
THE ICC Board on Thursday ratified its
Cricket Committee’s decision to change the
qualification structure for the final of the
World Test Championship (WTC). Under the
changed system, the WTC league standings
would be determined by the percentage of
points earned by teams.
What is the change?
The ICC Cricket Committee, headed by
Anil Kumble, decided to make the Covid-
forced cancelled matches null and void and
determine the WTC league standings only
from the matches played. Although, the cur-
rent WTC regulation dictated for points split
for abandoned matches, the global body’s
Chief Executives' Committee and the Board
ratified the change.
So how will the teams be ranked?
According to the ICC, it will be deter-
mined by the percentage of points earned
NEWS AND VIEWS
Zero new cases in South Australia,
a No. 4 question for India
New and views around India's tour down under
LOCKDOWN WORKS ON DAY ONE
The ‘circuit-breaker’ six-day
lockdown in South Australia yielded
positive results on the very first day.
After recording 21 cases over the last
three days, the Australian state had
zero new Covid cases on Thursday, as
per the data on the Government of
South Australia website. Active
cases, too, have reduced by one to 34.
Yesterday, while imposing the six-
day lockdown, the South Australian
premier, Steven Marshall, had said:
“The reality is you don’t get a second
chance to stop a second wave and so
we are trying absolutely everything
and we know Victoria was in
lockdown for 112 days and we want
to have six days. This circuit breaker
is so we don’t have more pain down
the track.”
Adelaide, South Australia’s capital,
will host the India-Australia Test
series opener, a pink-ball affair, from
Virat Kohli-led India were the table-toppers in the old system, with 360 points December 17.
followed by Australia on 296 points. BCCI
and an average north of 55. But not
only his absence, the Aussie great
has suggested that the Indian team
management might sweat over
picking the right bowling
combination. “... I think India have
got a few more questions to answer.
(Fast bowlers Mohammad) Shami,
Jasprit Bumrah – will it be Ishant
(Sharma), with it be Umesh Yadav,
will it be a young guy like (Navdeep)
Saini or (Mohammad) Siraj?
“They’ve got a lot of questions to ask
as well. And which spinner? They’ve
got a few spinners in their squad and
they’ve got to figure out which one
to pick for the pink-ball game in
Adelaide,” Ponting said in the
interview.
GREEN GOOD FOR TESTS, NOT ODIS
Cameron Green could be a shoo-in
for the Australian Test XI, but he
might not make the cut in the
limited-overs team. It usually doesn’t
happen like that, but according to

readyspannedtwohours30minutes.
Prajnesh was trailing 5-7 2-5 at one
stageandtheTaipeiplayerwasserving
for the match but the Indian kept his
E
from the matches played. Percentage of PUNTER STARTS MIND GAMES Australia coach Justin Langer, the
points (PCT) is the percentage of points It’s a marquee Test series with two youngster needs to warrant his
won out of total number of superpowers playing, and the Aussie selection in the limited-overs side as
points contested. For exam- qualify for the final, to be played in mind games look to be already in full an allrounder, not purely as a
EXPLAINED

nervesandforcedadeciderintheUSD
52nutes. Prajneshwastrailing5-72-5
at one stage and the Taipei player was
serving for the match but the Indian
kepthisnervesandforcedadeciderin
the USD 52nutes.
BelgiuminNations
Leaguefinalfour
Romelu Lukaku underlined his status
as Belgium’s key attacker with two
goalstohelphisteambooktheirplace
in next year’s Nations League finals
witha4-2homevictoryoverDenmark
on Wednesday. Lukaku extended his
record scoring form for his country
with a second-half double as Youri
Tielemans and Kevin De Bruyne also
netted for Belgium. Denmark scored
through Jonas Wind after 17 minutes,
heading home from close range, and
Belgium gifted them a second with a
comical own goal credited to Nacer
Chadli four minutes from time.
AGENCIES
ple, India will be facing
Australia in a four-Test series
Down Under in December-
January. Each series is allot-
ted 120 points. So, for a four-
Test series, points allotted per
Test are 30, 15 and 10 for a
win, tie and draw respec-
tively. If, for example, India win the series 2-
0 with another two Tests being draws, they
will get 80 points; 66.67 per cent of the to-
tal points contested.
As on date, India have contested for 480
points, notching up 360 points. So their PCT
is 0.750 (75%). The final team standings will
be determined by the total number of
points contested and the total percentage
of points won.
Does the change affect India?
Yes. In an updated league table, where
PCT is all-important, India have dropped to
second position in the team standings. They
were the table-toppers in the old system,
with 360 points followed by Australia on 296
points. But Australia’s PCT, 0.822 (82.2%), is
higher, for they have won 296 points out of
360 points contested. Top two teams will
England in June next year.
What is the reason for the
change?
As per the ICC statement, “to
● date, just under half of the World
Test Championship matches have
been played”. The pandemic
forced the cancellation of six series this sea-
son – five series and a Test between Pakistan
andBangladeshtobeprecise–andtheglobal
body has a race against time to complete the
cycle by March next year. The late March to
May window is reserved for the Indian
Premier League (IPL).
As per the original schedule, each team
in the ongoing WTC cycle was to play six se-
ries. But now, only India are likely to fulfil
their quota, as after playing in Australia, they
will host England for a five-Test series. India
so far have played four series, winning three
of them.
Does the change create a level playing
field?
The ICC believes, it does. “Both the
Cricket Committee and Chief Executives
Committee supported the approach of rank-
Rank Team Series PtsC Pts %Pts swing. Until about 10 days ago, Ricky batsman. “In one-day cricket he’ll
1 Aus 3 360 296 82.22 Ponting was wearing the hat of Delhi only play if he can bowl a few overs
Capitals head coach in the IPL. As a because that’s how we’ll set up the
2 Ind 4 480 360 75.00 former Australia captain, he is now team,” Langer was quoted as saying
3 Eng 4 480 292 60.83 targeting India with Virat Kohli’s by Cricket Australia’s website. The
4 NZ 3 360 180 50.00 absence after the first Test.
Kohli has been granted paternity
head coach added: "He (Green)
hasn’t had the white-ball experience
5 Pak *3.5 420 166 39.52
6. Lanka 2 240 80 33.33
leave and will return home after the
first Test in Adelaide, bestowing
to come in as a pure batsman but if
he can bowl a few overs, my gosh he
7
8
WI
SA
2 240 40 16.67
2 240 24 10
captaincy to Ajinkya Rahane for the
next three Tests.
becomes a good prospect. “But Test
cricket is different. He’s earned the
And Ponting feels that India will be right to play Test cricket on his
9 B'desh *1.5 180 0 0.00
under pressure without their batting. I love watching him bat. For
* One game of the Pak-Bangla series was
talismanic captain. “India will feel such a tall batsman, he’s got so much
cancelled
that without Kohli there (for three time.” The 21-year-old Green is
PtsC= Points contested
Tests), for his batting and leadership, included both in the limited-overs
that’ll put all sorts of pressure on and Test squads. He had suffered a
ing teams based on completed matches and different players. You’d think second back stress fracture a year ago
points earned as this reflects their perform- (Ajinkya) Rahane will take over the and has been managing his
ance and doesn’t disadvantage teams that captaincy, which will put extra workload.A genuine allrounder and
have been unable to compete all of their pressure on him, and they’ve got to capable of bowling at 140kph, Green
matches through no fault of their own,” ICC find someone to bat at that really bowled just 12 overs in his last
chief executive Manu Sawhney said. important No.4 spot,” Ponting said Sheffield Shield game, turning up for
He added: “We explored a whole range in an interview with Cricket Western Australia against Victoria.
of options, but our Members felt strongly Australia’s (CA) website.In 12 Tests He scored 56 in the first innings,
that we should proceed as planned with the Down Under, Kohli has six hundreds batting at No. 4. ENS
first ever World Test Championship Final in
June next year.”

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry & T Lewis

CROSSWORD 4281
ACROSS
1 See someone stupid caught in
a snare (5)
4 Sounding the horn as well as
the sound of a bell (7)
8 The best-known surviving
creature? (3)
9 An arm put round a pretty girl
in game (9)
10 Alarm rattles disturb (7)
11 Stimulate with tale about the
Orient (5)
13 King is jolly good sport (6)
15 Artistic piecework (6)
18 Note reciprocation about a
point of principle (5)
19 I teach new apprentice in
accordance with professional
rules (7)
21 He has been forced into
private service (9)
23 Man in a mix-up (3)
24 Meet and come up to
expectations (7)
25 Bloom damaged by louts
(5)
SolutionsCrossword4280:Across:1Conclusive,8Laden,9Holdall,10Stepson,11
Get-up,12Ogress,14Blow-up,17First,19Instore,21Cabinet,22Angel,23Second-
rate.Down:2Oldyear,3Cones,4Ushant,5Illegal,6Exact,7Slap-upmeal,8Lossof
face,13Satanic,15Wrought,16Piston,18Rebus,20Stair.
JUMBLED WORDS
DOWN
1 Cut loss from one of the
Plagues of Egypt (7)
2 Could be put into a suit case
(9)
3 Round gold coin (5)
4 Gadget wrongly labelled (6)
5 He got on in form being
energetic (2,3,2)
6 Sick but willing to fly out
(3)
7 Maybe source of income for
rector from single benefice (5)
12 He’s violently opposed to the
government (9)
14 Marks the broken section
(7)
16 Date for Roman candles to be
ordered (7)
17 Check provided in extreme
case (6)
18 Correct signs (5)
20 We are kept away from home
in it (5)
22 Fabric clear of all deductions
(3)
DAY TODAY
ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20)
Serious
developments in
your solar chart can
be connected to
children or younger relatives,
and the demands and
responsibilities they incur.
It’s not possible to say
exactly what precise form
these take, but in general this
is the area of life you should
be examining.
TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21)
The future is looking
somewhat strange,
not to say curious.
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson However, before you
move any further there
seems to be a need for
stabilising the situation at
home. This may mean literally
carrying out repairs but it
could equally refer to an urgent
need to get an emotional
grip on things.
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)
Your horoscope has
focused increasingly
on your financial
situation in recent
times, but this is all due to
change next week. What
you can do is look back and
try to discover how your
psychological pressures and
attitudes were responsible
MARVIN by Tom Armstrong for any financial mistakes —
or successes.
CANCER (June 22 - July 23)
Personally and
emotionally, this is
still a good time to
swallow your pride.
This is not a forecast I
relish, mainly because self-
effacing humility comes too
easily to you. However, home is
one area where you can
assert yourself, given
sufficient motivation.
LEO (July 24 - Aug 23)
The Moon’s sweep
through your solar
chart is going to
bring the curtain
down on an emotional
DifficultyLevel2s
disposition and on a set of
SOLUTION SUDOKU 4297
BY PETER VIDAL
LIBRA (Sep 24 - Oct 23)
Yoursocialstarsare
certainlylooking
strong.Aclassic
partnershipbetween
the MoonandVenusisactuallya
fineindicationthat those of you
insearchof loveareshortly toget
togetherwithsomeonenew. At
least,youmaybedestinedto
transformacurrentrelationship
intosomethingbetter.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 23)
Business and
pleasure seem to
combine, as do
home and work. This
is actually a rather good
moment to bring together
different areas of your life,
including those which have
until now existed in separate
bubbles. You might be
surprised to discover that
friends who have never met
actually like each other.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 24 - Dec 22)
A fine set of planets
is sending you
extremely
favourable
influences, but they’re also in
the midst of their own celestial
muddle. The only advice I can
offer is to accept different
invitations and pursue various
activities even if they do seem
to contradict each other. Who
knows, it could be fun.
CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
Bearinginmind
everythingI’vesaid
andwrittenabout
financial
responsibility,youmaystillallow
yourself abrief boutof
extravagance.Yet yourhabitsand
desireshavealreadymovedon,
andyouknowthatyoucanno
longerbuyemotionalhappiness.
AQUARIUS (Jan 21- Feb 19)
You have certainly
been through the
mill emotionally.
Events that take
place now and over the next
few days indicate that you may
put the past behind you. This

relationships which can be doesn’t necessarily mean

Instructions traced back over the past forgetting, but it does mean
Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, twelve months. There could be forgiving. Your generosity of
therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 one last encore, but it’s time to spirit will be appreciated.
SUDOKU 4298

theanswerforthegivenquip. mustappearineachofthe move on.

Inartthe___is___enough-Goethe(4,..,4) PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
nineverticalcolumns,in VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sep 23) If youaretruetoyour
eachoftheninehorizontal A lifetime of sign,thenyouhave
DFXEO DIOUDT rowsandineachofthe exploitation is soon certainlygiventhelie
nineboxes. to be done away toyourreputationfor
with, but first you laziness.If othersarestillgetting
may have one last service to thewrongmessageaboutyou,
MORTS BELOBG DifficultyLevel
perform. Do it now and give it’sprobablybecausetheyfailto
yourself a further four weeks to understandyourtrue
1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; tidy away all those loose ends. If commitments.Imean,thereis
3s=Medium;4s=Hard; you’re making any resolutions, noreasonwhyyoushouldthrow
5s=VeryHard;6s= a useful one would be to get yourheartintoactivitieswhich
Answer: In art the best is good enough - Goethe Genius value for money in future. areno usetoanyone.
SOLUTION: FOXED, STORM, OUTDID, GOBBLE

New Delhi
 18 SPORT
Rublev signs
off from ATP
Finals with win
over Thiem
REUTERS
LONDON, NOVEMBER 19
RUSSIANYOUNGSTERAndreyRublevsigned
off from his maiden ATP Finals in style by
beatingDominicThiem6-27-5onThursday.
The aggressive 23-year-old took full ad-
vantage of a rather flat performance by
Thiem who had already sealed his place in
the semi-finals with two wins in the London
Group. Defeats by Rafa Nadal and Stefanos
Tsitsipas meant Rublev could not advance
but the $153,000 and 200 ranking points for
a group stage proved a sizeable carrot.
But for a double fault when he had a
match point against Tsitsipas on Tuesday,
Rublevcouldnowbelooking ataplace inthe
semi-finals. Instead he will leave London full
of belief afterasuperb2020inwhichhewon
a season-leading five titles.
“I would maybe still have a chance to be
in the semi-finals. But it’s part of life.”
The worldnumbereight,playing againin
a drab-looking olive green tee-shirt, put the
hammer down from the start and broke the
Thiem serve twice for a 4-0 lead.
Rublev, who delivers his forehand with
brutish force, grabbed an early break in the
second set but faltered at 4-3 when a netted
forehand allowed Thiem to level.
But Rublev broke the Austrian world
numberthreeagainat5-5withayetanother
forehandwinnerandfinishedthejobagame
later to record a third straight win over
Thiem. “I was so close in my second match. I
hadmatchpointandIwasserving,soitcould
have been a completely different story if I
won two matches,” Rublev said on court.
U.S.OpenchampionThiem,runner-upto
Tsitsipas in last year’s final here in London,
now has a day off to shrug off the defeat and
prepare for Saturday’s semi-final when he
will face either world number one Novak
Djokovic or Alexander Zverev.
“It was difficult to keep the intensity like
I had in the first two matches,” Thiem, who
produced a masterful display to beat Nadal
on Tuesday, told reporters.
“WhenI’mnotat110%atthistournament
there is no chance against any player, that’s
what happened today.”
Vol LXXXIX No. 9 Regd.No. DL-21046/03-05 R.N.I. No.506/57. Printed and Published by R.C. Malhotra on behalf of The Indian Express (P) Limited and Printed at The Indian Express (P) Limited Press, A-8, Sector-7, Noida - 201301 and Published at The Indian Express (P) Limited, Mezzanine Floor, Express Building, 9 &
10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002. Editorial office: The Indian Express (P) Limited, Mezzanine Floor, Express Building, 9 & 10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: 0120-6651500. Advertising office: The Indian Express (P) Limited, B1/B, Sector - 10, Noida - 201301. Phone: 0120-6651291.
Chairman of the Board: Viveck Goenka, Chief Editor: Raj Kamal Jha, Editor: Unni Rajen Shanker, Editor (Delhi): Rakesh Sinha ** **Responsible for selection of News under the PRB Act. Copyright: The Indian Express (P) Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part,
A coming-of-age season, unlike any other
The quality of players in the new ISL is arguably better than ever before, but the bio-bubble presents unique challenges
MIHIRVASAVDA
NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER19
NOT SO LONG ago, Vicente Gomez enjoyed,
very briefly, a view from the top.
Under Quique Setien, Las Palmas – the
Canary Islands club Gomez represented for
eight years – had transformed themselves
frombeingthelaggardsofLaLigaintothelead-
ers of the league in October 2016, ahead of
Lionel Messi’s Barcelona and Cristiano
Ronaldo’s Real Madrid.
Their stay at the summit was short; very
short.ButLasPalmashadeveryone’sattention.
And Gomez, a central midfielder, was one of
the pivots of Setien’s daring and entertaining
side,barelyayearafterhehadmadehisLaLiga
debut; coming on as a like-for-like substitute
for Hernan Santana against Atletico Madrid.
Beforetheyrubbedshoulderswiththebig
boys, Gomez and Santana had earned their
stripes under Sergio Lobera, who joined Las
Palmas after spending more than a decade at
Barcelona – first as a youth team coach and
then as an assistant to Tito Vilanova.
This season, the trio will reunite in Goa.
Gomez,afterspendingtwoyearsatDeportivo
La Coruna, has become one of Kerala Blasters’
most high-profile signings. Santana, mean-
while, has come in a loan deal from Sporting
Gijon to Mumbai City, where he will be
coached by Lobera.
Top picks
They also represent the two most striking
themes of the new Indian Super League sea-
son,whichbegins on Friday:the overwhelm-
ingSpanishinfluenceintheIndiantopdivision
andthehigh-classplayingfield,oneofthebest-
ever in the domestic competition in terms of
quality.Forthesecondseasonrunning,nearly
one-third of the foreign players in the ISL will
be from Spain. The Asian player quota (as per
rules,atleastoneoutofthesevenforeignsign-
ings has to be an Asian) for all but two out of
the11teamshasbeentakenupbyAustralians,
who have flocked to India by the dozen be-
cause of the financial crisis clubs are facing
Down Under.
Theseplayersaren’tnecessarilyhousehold
names. But they have tons of experience of
playing in leagues bigger than the ISL and are
stillintheirprime,unlikethecaseinyearsgone
bywhentheISLwaslargelyviewedasaretire-
Kerala Blasters’ Vicente Gomez is one of the high-profile names to feature in this
season's ISL, which gets underway in Goa on Friday.
ment destination for ageing stars.
Take for instance Gomez’s teammate at
Kerala Gary Hooper, who has scored close to
200goalsaltogetherinthepremierleaguesof
England and Scotland, and the Champions
League.OrSydneyFCstrikerAdamLeFondre,
whofeaturedintheAustralianleague’steamof
theseasonfortwoyearsinarowbeforeagree-
ing to join Mumbai City on a loan deal.
Then there is FC Goa’s Spanish striker Igor
Angulo, who ruled the goal-scoring charts in
the Polish league and Finnish-German mid-
fielder Matti Steinmann, who played in the
German, Danish and Australian top divisions
before agreeing to join East Bengal.
“In my opinion, this ISL season is going to
be more competitive and difficult than the
previous ones,” Lobera said. “The sides have
madealotof efforttobringthoseplayersand
theincreasedcompetitionwillbegoodforall
the teams.”
Add to the mix some promising young
Indianplayers–fromuncappedinternationals
like 18-year-old Vikram Pratap Singh of
MumbaiCityandATKMohunBagan’s19-year-
old defender Sumit Rathi to the likes of
Chennaiyin’sAnirudhThapaandSahalAbdul
Samadof KeralaBlasters–andonegetsafeel-
ingthiscouldbeacoming-of-ageseasonfora
without prior written permission is prohibited. The Indian Express ®
Kerala Blasters
competition that has wandered aimlessly in
the last few years.
Rusty legs?
Butthiswillalsobeaseasonlikenonebe-
fore.Mostof theplayerswillbeplayingacom-
petitive match for the first time in eight
months because of the pandemic. The lock-
down and consequent travel restrictions
meant preparation for the season has been
far from ideal for all the teams, which means
even though the quality of players may have
improved compared to previous seasons, it
is likely a lot of them will be rusty in the ini-
tial part of the campaign.
Living in the bubble, too, will pose some
uniquechallenges.Thepowerfulstarcastthat
has assembled in Goa will play in front of
empty stands because of the restrictions im-
posed.Theplayerswillbeallowedtoleavetheir
hotel only for training and matches, and their
physical contact with the outside world, in-
cludingfamilymembers,willbecutoffatleast
till mid-January.
After that, some of the bio-bubble rules
might be revised depending on the Covid-
19 situation, as FC Goa, Bengaluru FC and
ATK Mohun Bagan may have to leave the
cocooned environment to play in the Asian
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
An impressive ensemble
73
foreign players will
feature in this edition of
the ISL. Each of the 11
clubs is allowed a maximum of
seven foreigners in their squad and
one of them has to be from Asia.
Twenty-one out of the 73 are from
Spain, the most, followed by
Australia (10) and Brazil (8). Most
have experience of playing in the
first or second division leagues in
Europe and Australia..
FOREIGN ARRIVALS
Vicente Gomez (Kerala Blasters),
Igor Angulo and Edu Bedia (both FC
Goa) are some of the top new
arrivals from Spain this season. A
majority of the Spanish players
come from the country’s second-
tier. Some, like Gary Hooper
(Kerala), Anthony Pilkington (East
Bengal) and Adam Le Fondre
(Mumbai City) have played in the
premier leagues of England and
Scotland.
SPANISH CONNECTION
Seven out of the 11 managers are from
Spain as well. Bengaluru FC (Carles
Cuadrat) and ATK Mohun Bagan
(Antonio Lopez Habas) are the only
teams who haven’t changed their
coaches during the off-season. Sergio
Lobera (former Barcelona assistant
manager), Owen Coyle (ex-Burnley,
Blackburn and Bolton manager) and
Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler are
some of the big names.
Football Confederation competitions.
For the players and coaches in the
bubble, ‘adapt’ has become a buzzword.
“You have to adapt to the challenges this
season. It is a unique situation for every-
one,” says Antonio Lopez Habas, the coach
of defending champions ATK Mohun Bagan,
who will open their campaign on Friday
against Gomez’s Kerala Blasters. “Without
New Delhi
DEBUTS FOREB, BAGAN
Thiswillalsobethefirstseasonin
theISLfortwoof India’soldest
clubs,MohunBaganandEast
Bengal.Bagan,whowontheI-
Leaguelastseason,mergedwith
three-timeISLwinnersATK.The
clubwillbecalledATKMohun
Bagan.EastBengal,meanwhile,
madealateentryintotheleague
aftergettingnewsponsors.The
season’sfirstKolkataderbywillbe
onNovember27.
MIZORAM,ATALENTPOOL
Mizoram,onceagain,hasproven
tobeoneof thebiggestcatchment
areasfortheclubs.Thirtyplayers
fromthenorth-easternstatewill
takepartthisseason;FCGoaisthe
onlysidewithoutaMizoplayer.
MumbaiCity’s18-year-old
midfielderVikramPratapSingh,
KeralaBlasters’Nongdamba
Naorem,FCGoa’sMakanChote
andATKMohunBaganmidfielder
SahilSheikhwillbeotheryoung
Indianplayerstowatchoutfor.
ROUND 1 FIXTURES: Nov 20: Kerala
Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan; Nov 21:
NorthEast United vs Mumbai City; Nov
22: FC Goa vs Bengaluru FC; Nov 23:
Odisha FC vs Hyderabad FC; Nov 24:
Jamshedpur FC vs Chennaiyin FC.
All matches live on Star Sports
Network, 7.30 pm onwards
an audience, it seems like a fake league
but you have to adapt,” Gomez, who also
played in front of empty stands in Spain
during the lockdown, was quoted as saying
by Las Palmas-based daily La Provincia. “I
am ready for this adventure and the new
challenge.” In the canary yellow colours of
Kerala, just like his boyhood club in the
Canary Islands.
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